Hong Kong: 2 virus cases found in Tung Tai Hse

The Government today announced that two positive COVID-19 cases were found in the compulsory testing exercise for the restricted area concerning Tung Tai House of Ching Tai Court in Tsing Yi.

It made a restriction-testing declaration yesterday to cover the building where 726 people were tested.

Government staff also visited 320 households there and will follow up on those who did not answer the door.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Govt objects to unfair criticisms

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly objects to unfair criticisms from the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

It issued the statement today after the committee furnished its concluding observations on the fourth report of the Hong Kong SAR in the light of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR).

The Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau said the Hong Kong SAR Government is pleased that the committee appreciates the constructive dialogue it has had with the delegation and welcomes the detailed replies given by the delegation during and after the meetings.

However, the committee continues to express unsubstantiated criticisms towards the Hong Kong SAR despite the delegation's efforts in addressing members' concerns and clarifying the misunderstandings of the human rights situation in the city.

In the concluding observations, the committee commended the Hong Kong SAR Government in a number of areas, including the enhancements of legal protection from discrimination and harassment, the establishment of a Commission on Children, the introduction of statutory paternity leave and the launch of the Unified Screening Mechanism.

The bureau noted that the committee has also raised a number of concerns and recommendations without giving due weight to the unique circumstances of the city which were explained by the delegation time and again.

The committee should view the enactment and implementation of the National Security Law in the proper context with due regard to the background of the violent social unrests preceding the enactment of the law, and the actual operation and effect of the law, the bureau stressed.

On law enforcement, it added that the committee should duly recognise that any law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies are based on evidence, strictly according to the law, for the acts of the people or entities concerned, and have nothing to do with their background.

In particular, for enforcement actions in respect of the sedition offence to which the committee has made specific reference, due regard should be given to the soft resistance acts, hate speeches and publications which have radicalised the general public since 2019.

On the committee's comments on procedures provided under the National Security Law, it should be stressed that none of them would undermine judicial independence or right to a fair hearing under Article 14 of the ICCPR.

Additionally, the designation of judges by the Chief Executive (CE) to handle cases involving offences endangering national security only involves designating a list of judges from existing judges, rather than choosing a particular judge to preside over a specific case, and the assignment of cases to individual designated judges remains to be the independent decisions of the Judiciary, not the CE.

Regarding the use of force by Police and its oversight mechanism, the Hong Kong SAR Government would like to reiterate that the committee's remarks that excessive force had been used by Police have disregarded the extreme violence inflicted by the rioters.

Furthermore, the committee's concern that the recent legal aid reform has restricted the rights to access to legal aid and to counsel of one's choice, is unsubstantiated and factually incorrect.

The bureau stated that the right to choose lawyers is not absolute. It is not a right to have a specific legal representative of one's choice. A fair trial does not necessarily mean that a party must be legally represented by a lawyer of his or her own choice.

On the improved electoral system, the bureau pointed out that there is no cure-all in respect of electoral system and how it should be improved. The development of democracy in the Hong Kong SAR must be consistent with the city's constitutional order under the Constitution, the Basic Law and the one country, two systems principle. The political, economic, social, cultural and historical circumstances of the Hong Kong SAR must also be taken into account.

In response to the committee's repeated recommendation for establishing an independent human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles, the bureau said: Human rights are guaranteed constitutionally by both the Constitution and the Basic Law, and is underpinned by the rule of law and an independent judiciary.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will ensure that the existing mechanism continues to effectively protect fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, and does not see any need for the establishment of an additional human rights institution.

Concerning the committee's recommendation on measures to safeguard the rights of foreign domestic helpers, the bureau reiterated that through multipronged strategies of enforcement, publicity and the provision of supporting measures, the Hong Kong SAR Government attaches great importance to safeguarding the rights of helpers working in the city.

We do not tolerate any exploitation or abuse of helpers. Helpers who have been ill-treated by employers and employment agencies are encouraged to report to law enforcement agencies and/or the Labour Department promptly.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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The opposition BJP and the Congress in Odisha Assembly on Tuesday slammed the state government for outbreak of cholera in the tribal district of Rayagada. The Opposition members urged the Speaker for formation of a House Committee comprising members from all parties to assess the cholera situation in Kashipur area of the district. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi said though as many as 14 people have died of cholera in the area, the government claimed that only nine people have died so far. He also asked the government to table the post-mortem report of the remaining five persons. He said a 14-member team of the BJP under his leadership had visited the area on July 24 and found that the disease has spread to Dasmantapur, Thuamul Rampur, and other nearby areas of Kalahandi and Koraput districts. "Development yet to reach the tribal hinterland. The work for the construction of a drinking water project announced by the government is yet to start," the BJP MLA said. Joining Majhi, Congress lawmaker Tara Prasad Bahinipati too urged the Speaker to take the issue seriously and constitute an all-party Committee on this issue and demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to next kin of the deceased. Speaking to media persons on this issue, state health minister Naba Das said the death figure he had mentioned earlier was based on the findings at that time. It might be increased in later stage, he said. The minister claimed that the situation is now under control after medical teams reached the spot. --IANS bbm/pgh ( 277 Words) 2022-07-26-21:06:05 (IANS)
There is no provision to accommodate or transfer medical students from any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges, the Parliament was told on Tuesday. "There are no such provisions in Indian Medical Council Act 1956 & National Medical Commission Act, 2019 as well as the regulations to accommodate or transfer medical students from any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges," Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Bharti Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question of the delay in accommodating those medical students. Pawar also said that the permission has not been given by the NMC to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute or university. On a question of the total numbers of such students, she said that as per information received from the Ministry of External Affairs, about 20,000 Indian students returned from Ukraine. "As per information received from MEA, Indian Embassy in Kyiv has communicated with all the concerned universities in Ukraine for providing transcript and other documents in a smooth manner to the students," Pawar told the house on the question of assistance provided by the government to students. --IANS avr/vd ( 213 Words) 2022-07-26-22:40:05 (IANS)
In a major organisational restructuring, the BJP is getting ready to include Pasmanda Muslims in its OBC (other Backward Classes) Morcha as office-bearers. In May, IANS had reported that the BJP was planning to identify individuals among the backward Muslim community for leadership role in the party. According to the party estimates, there is around 85 per cent backward or Pasmanda Muslim population across the country. During the party's national executive committee meeting in Hyderabad earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the party leaders to start exploring new social equations by reaching out to marginalised sections among other religious groups, including the Pasmanda Muslims, who have benefitted from the various government welfare schemes. Sources said that the decision to include Pasmanda Muslims as national office-bearers in OBC Morcha was taken after the Hyderabad meeting. "During the Hyderabad NEC meeting, Prime Minister asked about the number of Muslim office-bearers in OBC Morcha. Now, the party has decided to appoint backward or Pasmanda Muslim as national office-bearers," a senior BJP leader said. The BJP leader claimed that the state units of OBC Morcha have representation of Muslim leaders but there is no one at the national level. "In states, we have Muslim office-bearer of OBC Morcha. But at the national level we don't have a single office-bearer from the Muslims. After the Prime Minister asking about the numbers of Muslim office-bearers in the OBC Morcha, the party has decided to include leaders from the community at the national level," he said. Another party leader said that to ensure representation in the organisational structure, some leaders of the Pasmanda community will be made office-bearers in the BJP OBC Morcha soon. "Giving organisational responsibility other than the Minority Morcha will also show that the BJP is more inclusive and is a welcome step," a senior functionary said. The functionary added that after the Prime Minister's word of advice, the BJP leadership is working to give the appropriate representation to the Backward Muslims in the organisational structure in future. "Leaders from the Backward Muslim communities will be given different leadership role in different position in future," he said. A party leader said that like other backward communities of Hindus, which is turning out to be a major vote bank, the BJP now focuses on backward communities of Muslims to expand its reach ahead of the next Parliament election. --IANS ssb/dpb ( 410 Words) 2022-07-26-19:34:06 (IANS)
Norwegian ambassador to India H. E Mr Hans Jacob Frydenlund on Tuesday called on Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan here. During the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor and the Norwegian Ambassador held a discussion pertaining to the healthcare facilities of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting also discussed the India-Norway cooperation in the healthcare sector. The Lieutenant Governor said that the Union Territory's administration is putting dedicated efforts on developing the health infrastructure, and registered considerable improvement in various health indicators. He said, "Our focus is on availability, quality and affordability to bridge the health gap of people and to reduce the inequalities in healthcare in rural areas." The Lieutenant Governor reiterated the commitment of Union Territory's administration to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. On May 4 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr. Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway, in Denmark's Copenhagen on the sidelines of the 2nd India Nordic Summit. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the assumption of office by Prime Minister Store in October 2021. Both Prime Ministers reviewed the ongoing activities in bilateral relations and discussed future areas of cooperation. Prime Minister highlighted that Norway's skills and India's scope provided natural complementarities. Both leaders discussed the potential for deepening engagement in areas like Blue Economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, green shipping, fisheries, water management, rainwater harvesting, space cooperation, long term Infrastructure investment, health and culture. Discussions also took place on regional and global developments. As members of the UNSC, India and Norway have been engaging with each other in the UN on global issues of mutual interest. In March 2021, India and Norway have agreed to jointly work in the area of marine spatial planning in the oceanic space for the next five years. In this regard, the first project steering committee meeting with representatives from both countries was successfully conducted virtually recently, after which the two countries have charted out a plan to ensure that human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe, and sustainable manner in areas such as energy, transportation, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism etc across multiple sectors. This is a part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in 2019. Lakshadweep and Puducherry have been identified as pilot sites for the project. (ANI)
After the first day of full-fledged questioning on Tuesday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials probing the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities scam, the central agency officials are getting a different set of responses from former state education minister, Partha Chatterjee and his close aide, Arpita Mukherjee. ED sources said that since their arrest on Saturday, the officials for the first time got a full-fledged opportunity to grill both Chatterjee and Mukherjee at the agency's office at CGO Complex at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. While Arpita Mukherjee has been sheltered at a lockup dedicated for women in that office, for Chatterjee the probe officials have set up a make-shift lockup at one of the conference rooms there. "On Tuesday, our two sperate teams questioned Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee separately. At the end of the day what we have witnessed is that Arpita Mukherjee has started showing signs of breaking down and started responding positively to the systematic questioning of our officers. On the other hand, Partha Chatterjee is still putting up an apparent brave face in the face of questioning and ducking most of our questions on the pretext of being faded out of memory," an ED official said. Sources further said that Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee will be questioned for another day or two separately so that the interrogating sleuths have a clear idea of the inconsistencies in the statement given by the two in this connection. After that, both will be confronted with one another and questioned together. "We have time till August 3 since both will be in our custody till that date. We hope that by that time we will have adequate information about the remaining tentacles of the octopus in the multi-crore scam. Depending on the information secured, our higher officials will decide whether to make a plea for extension of the two after August 3," a ED official said. Meanwhile, state Congress president and veteran party Lok Sabha member, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Tuesday has written a letter to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee requesting the latter to strip Partha Chatterjee of all his ministerial posts. --IANS src/pgh ( 377 Words) 2022-07-26-22:06:03 (IANS)
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Ludhiana Municipal Corporation to deposit Rs 100 crore with the District Magistrate as interim compensation in relation to the fire that broke out at a garbage dumpyard in the city in April, killing seven people. "If the corporation is unable to make such deposit, it may be done by the state government. It is open to the corporation to recover the amount from those contributing to the garbage or those who failed to perform their duties, as per law," NGT Chairperson Justice (retd) Adarsh Kumar Goel said in an order passed on Monday but made available on Tuesday. The tribunal further directed the DM to deposit a sum of Rs 5 lakh immediately with a bank, to the sole surviving male member of the family and the remaining be kept in fixed deposit, and Rs 5 lakh be paid every year with accrued interest till the entire amount is disbursed. It also directed an action taken report to be filed by the Municipal Corporation, the District Magistrate, the state Pollution Control Board (PCB), the state Chief Secretary, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within two months. The green court further directed the Chief Secretary to appear before the Tribunal bthrough video conference on August 18 for interaction on the issue of non-compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. "We hope the Chief Secretary will also deal with the issues arising from the above order on that date pending further action in terms of the order," the order read. According to the green court, the CPCB may collate information on legacy and active dump sites in the cities with population over one million and, in the state/UT capitals, with timelines to prepare and execute fire management plans, with requisite facilities and infrastructure. "In particular, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation may set up requisite facilities/ infrastructure to prevent fires. The PPCB may grant necessary Authorisation under MSW Rules as per norms. Remediation of legacy waste which has already been delayed beyond timelines under the Rules may now be done without further delay," the order stated. On April 20, seven members of a family, including five children, were burnt to death in a fire that broke out in their shanty next to a landfill in the Punjab industrial city. --IANS jw/sks ( 402 Words) 2022-07-26-22:08:03 (IANS)
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Family Court Amendment Bill. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 18, 2022. It allows state governments to establish Family Courts, and the Central government is empowered to notify dates for the Act to come into force in different states. Speaking in the Parliament, Law Minister Kiren Rijuju has expressed concern over the pendency of cases which are reaching 5 crore despite fast disposal of cases. He said the rate of disposal is also high but the cases are being filed as well. The Minister also that the government does not interfere in the appointment of judges but it can't appoint anyone as it has also the process of due diligence and the government has every right to do that. The Bill seeks to extend retrospectively the Act to the state of Himachal Pradesh, with effect from February 15, 2019, and to the state of Nagaland, with effect from September 12, 2008. The establishment of Family Courts in both the states will be retrospectively valid from these dates. All actions taken under the Act in both the states, including the appointment of judges, and orders and judgments passed by the Family Courts, will also be deemed to be valid from these dates retrospectively. --IANS miz/pgh ( 225 Words) 2022-07-26-22:10:04 (IANS)
Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Tuesday observed that independent journalism is the backbone of democracy and the media must confine itself to honest journalism without using it as a tool to expand its influence and business interests. "When a media house has other business interests, it becomes vulnerable to external pressures. Often, the business interests prevail over the spirit of independent journalism. As a result, democracy gets compromised," he said at at the release of book "The Geeta Vijnana Upanishad" authored by Gulab Kothari. The Chief Justice stressed that independent journalism is the backbone of democracy and journalists are the eyes and the ears of the people. "It is the responsibility of media houses to present facts. Especially in the Indian social scenario, people still believe that whatever is printed is true. All I want to say is that the media must confine itself to honest journalism without using it as a tool to expand its influence and business interests," he added. The CJI, who had been a journalist for some time before entering the legal profession, said that a brilliant story filed by a journalist, which he/she had filed after taking risks and putting in a lot of hard work and energy, is killed at the desk. "It is thoroughly demoralising for a genuine journalist. You cannot blame him or her, if they encounter such situations repeatedly and lose faith in the profession," he said. He pointed out that there is still a huge lacuna when it comes to systemic support for journalists in India. "Unfortunately, we still do not have an award which is comparable to the Pulitzer, and neither do we produce many Pulitzer winning journalists in India. I urge upon all the stakeholders to introspect as to why our standards are not considered good enough for international recognition and laurels," said the Chief Justice. He said it is equally important for us to critically engage with the texts one read. "It is vital that we question the books we read, the people who write them, and refuse to blindly accept the information that we encounter. A well-informed and rational citizenry is crucial for healthy development of the nation," he said. On July 23, Justice Ramana hit out at electronic and social media 'trials', saying that media run 'kangaroo courts' at times on issues and even experienced judges find it difficult to decide. "New media tools have the enormous amplifying ability but appear to be incapable of distinguishing between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad and the real and the fake. Media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases," he said in the speech. --IANS ss/vd ( 460 Words) 2022-07-26-22:32:03 (IANS)
The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a clutch of petitions filed by various private tour operators seeking Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption for the Haj and Umrah tours offered by them. A bench, headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and C.T. Ravikumar said: "The service rendered by HGOs (Haj group organisers) to Haj pilgrims is to facilitate them to reach at the destination to perform rituals/religious ceremonies. No religious ceremony is performed or conducted by the HGOs. The religious ceremony is conducted by Haj pilgrims or by someone else in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." The bench added that a clear distinction has been made between a service provided in respect of religious pilgrimage and a service rendered by way of conduct of any religious ceremony. "We may give an example of a person engaging a priest to perform certain religious ceremonies or ritual or puja on his behalf. In such a case, the priest renders service by way of conducting a religious ceremony", it noted, in a 78-page judgment. The top court said the real question is whether HGOs are rendering service by way of conduct of any religious ceremony. "As held earlier, HGOs have no role to play in actual conduct of religious ceremonies which are a part of Haj pilgrimage. The service rendered by HGOs is by way of providing air bookings, arranging for the stay of Haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, arranging for food while they are in Saudi Arabia, arranging for foreign exchange, and arranging registration with Tawafa establishment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," it pointed out. The petitions seeking exemption had alleged discrimination against the pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia. However, the top court dismissed the petitions on both the grounds of exemption and discrimination. The bench said: "The exemption as regards religious pilgrimage has been confined only to the services rendered by the specified organisations in respect of a religious pilgrimage facilitated by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India under a bilateral arrangement. An exemption has not been provided to any other service provider rendering service in respect of a religious pilgrimage." It said petitioners' contention in connection with extra-territorial application of GST for services given outside India is kept open, as it is pending consideration before another bench. The top court said as far as the services rendered by HGOs are concerned, there is no material change brought about by the GST and the IGST Acts except for the fact that the service tax is chargeable under these two statutes and not under the Finance Act. "Thus, the HGOs supply service to the service recipient having a location in India. The service is rendered by providing a package for the Haj pilgrimage to the service recipient who is located in the taxable territory. That is how the service provided by HGOs is taxable for service tax," it said. The tour operators moved the top court against the levy of GST on Hajis who avail themselves of services offered by registered private tour operators. The petitioners contended that services consumed outside India cannot be subjected to GST and it is discriminatory, exempting certain hajis who undertake the pilgrimage through the Haj Committee of India. --IANS ss/vd ( 559 Words) 2022-07-26-22:44:03 (IANS)
Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal top the list of states in terms of cases registered in respect of custodial deaths, the Parliament was told on Tuesday. A total of 501 and 451 cases of custodial deaths were registered in Uttar Pradesh in 2021-22 and 2020-21, respectively, and 257 and 185 such cases were registered in West Bengal during the same years, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. These were amongd the total 2,544 and 1,940 cases of custodial deaths registered across the country during 2021-22 and 2020-21 as per the information provided by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), he said. The minister also said "police" and "public Order" are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, and it is primarily the responsibility of the state government concerned to ensure protection of human rights of the citizens. Similarly, Jammu & Kashmir tops the list of states in terms of cases registered in respect of death in police encounters with 45 cases in 2021-22. A total of 151 and 82 cases in respect of death in police encounters were registered across the country in 2021-22 and 2020-21, respectively. The minister said that the Central government issues advisories from time to time and has also enacted the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which stipulates establishment of the NHRC and State Human Rights Commissions to look into the alleged human rights violations by public servants. "When complaints of alleged human rights violations are received by the NHRC, action is taken by the Commission as per the provisions laid down under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. Workshops/seminars are also organised by the NHRC from time to time to sensitise public servants for better understanding of human rights and, in particular, the protection of rights of persons in custody," he said. --IANS kvm/vd ( 327 Words) 2022-07-26-22:48:02 (IANS)
While Congress President Sonia Gandhi was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case in the national capital, Telangana Congress leaders staged a protest at Gandhi Bhavan Congress Party office in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Youth Congress leaders tried to seize the ED Zonal office in Basheerbagh area of Hyderabad and raised slogans against PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, the Youth Congress leaders were stopped by the police and later they were detained and shifted to Goshamal headquarters in Hyderabad. Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress President Sunitha Rao, and Telangana Pradesh Youth Congress President Shiva Sena Reddy were among the prominent leaders present in the protests. "@INCTelangana TPMC President @SunithaRao_M set out protests across the state over defaming @INCIndia by BJP party's suppression policy in the name of ED Enquiry on AICC president Sonia Gandhi ju and @RahulGandhi ji @MahilaCongress," tweeted Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress on Tuesday evening. "Youth Congress presidents @ShivaSenaIYC and activists besieged ED office under Telangana Youth Congress to protest against ED issuance of illegal notices against AICC President Sonia Gandhi and illegal arrest of Rahul Gandhi," tweeted Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress on Tuesday evening. The visuals of the protests have surfaced in the media and #SatyagrahaWithSoniaGandhi was trending on Twitter. Sonia Gandhi's second round of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case brought Congress leaders and workers to the streets earlier today. The Congress chief, 75, was questioned for almost six hours today and asked her to appear again tomorrow in connection with the alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-supported Young Indian Private Ltd, which owns the National Herald newspaper. Condemning the agency's action, Congress called it a "political vendetta". In the national capital, the Delhi Police made a massive deployment and cordoned off the lane from Sonia Gandhi's residence to the ED office to prevent a law and order situation. Restrictions were imposed on the movement of traffic in the area. In Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs gathered at the Vijay Chowk to march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to draw the President's attention to the alleged misuse of central agencies by the government when they were stopped by the police. "I am not going anywhere. We wanted to go towards the President's house. But the police are not allowing us," Rahul Gandhi had said. The police tried to handle the situation and stopped their actions. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) on Tuesday finalised the seat sharing deal to contest for the 60-member Nagaland assembly elections, which is around seven months away. BJP's in-charge for Nagaland, Nalin Kohli and NDPP's General Secretary Abu Metha in a joint statement, issued in Delhi, said that in the forthcoming assembly polls, expected to be held in February next year, the NDPP will contest in 40 seats and the BJP will fight in the remaining 20 seats. The seat sharing deal was done after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart and NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament House office. The statement said that the leadership of the two parties led by BJP President J.P. Nadda and Chief Minister Rio of the NDPP have mutually agreed to continue the alliance with seat sharing in the forthcoming elections to the Nagaland Assembly of 40:20 ratio, wherein the NDPP will contest in 40 seats and the BJP in 20 seats. "There will be no friendly contest in any constituency. A Core Committee of NDPP and BJP members will formulate the election strategy to finalise the specific seats at an appropriate time to decide in which seat each party will contest," it said. The NDPP is the dominant party of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Nagaland with the BJP, which has 12 MLAs, as one of the important constituents. Former Chief Minister and ex-Naga People's Front (NPF) supremo T.R. Zeliang is the chairman of the UDA-led all party government. Earlier this year, 21 of the 25 MLAs of the NPF led by Zeliang merged with the NDPP increasing the strength of the NDPP to 42 in the 60-member Assembly. Both the BJP, the NPF and the NDPP are the constituents of the opposition less all-party UDA government, formed last year to take forward the Naga political issue between the Centre and Naga outfits and various other groups. The next general election to the Nagaland assembly is considered crucial in view of the ongoing Naga peace talks between the Central government and the Naga groups, specially the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah). All the political parties and the state government are keen to resolve the much expected Naga issue before the assembly polls. The NSCN-IM's repeated insistence on a separate Naga flag and Constitution have become a big hurdle in the way of resolving the Naga issue. --IANS sc/pgh ( 426 Words) 2022-07-26-23:28:02 (IANS)
Demanding the implementation of welfare schemes for the Dalits, party workers of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) staged a dharna titled "Dalit Garjana dharna" on Tuesday near Dharna Chowk of Vijayawada. When the police denied permission for the protest, some TDP leaders were seen climbing up on a water tank. The protesters called the ruling YSRCP government as 'anti-Dalits'. TDP politburo member and former minister Nakka Anand Babu alleged that the state government was not providing funs for the welfare schemes for Dalits. He was stopped by police when he was heading to Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada to participate in the protest. He alleged that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government was using undemocratic means to stop peaceful and democratic protests. Notably, the Central government in February this year, said that it is implementing the Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for welfare of Minority Communities. It is an overarching programme which covers various schemes/initiatives of the participating Ministries/Departments with an aim to ensure that the underprivileged and weaker sections of six centrally notified minority communities have equal opportunities for availing the various Government welfare Schemes and contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the Country. The programme has the following broad objectives: (i) Enhancing opportunities for education; (ii) Ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment, through existing and new schemes, enhanced credit support for self-employment, and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs; (iii) Improving the conditions of living of minorities by ensuring an appropriate share for them in infrastructure development schemes; and (iv) Prevention and control of communal disharmony and violence. Under the said Programme, various schemes/initiatives are implemented by various Ministries/Departments of the Central Government throughout the country (including Kerala and Rajasthan), for the welfare of notified minorities viz, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, Buddhists and Parsis. (ANI)
On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid homage to the fallen heroes of the Kargil War in a program organized at Gandhi Park here. The Chief Minister also honoured the families of the fallen heroes of the Kargil War. The Chief Minister said that our brave soldiers wrote a new definition by protecting Mother India in the Kargil war. Dhami also said that the indomitable courage and valour of the Indian Army was reverberating against country's enemies in Kargil. "They mark the pride and glory of the tricolour," he said. The Chief Minister said that the whole world recognized the courage of the Indian Army because of the bravery shown by the soldiers who drove the infiltrators out of the border. The nation will always remember the sacrifices made by the brave soldiers to protect the country's borders in the Kargil war, he said. The Chief Minister said that this victory saga of Kargil is also incomplete without the heroes of Uttarakhand and the sacrifice of its 75 sons. "These heroic acts will never be forgotten. People here believe that patriotism is the best of all devotions," he said. The Chief Minister said, "I myself hail from a military family and my relationship with the army is a relationship of intimacy. The tales of patriotism I heard from my father influenced me a lot during my childhood and instilled in me the feeling of complete devotion to the nation. I have seen the struggle of a soldier and his family since childhood." The Chief Minister said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister at the time of the Kargil war. "We have won wars and won in diplomacy at the global level. Atal ji made arrangements for the last rites of the fallen heroes in their native village with state honours," he recalled. The Chief Minister said that today with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the army is not only becoming more capable and stronger than before, but its fame is also increasing. "While our government is emphasizing on the modernization of the army on one hand, it is also increasing the facilities which are provided to the soldiers and their families. The Prime Minister is continuously motivating the soldiers and this is the reason why the army is giving a befitting response to its enemies," he said. The Government of India has been working to strengthen the army at every level and in this series, a multifaceted plan like the Agnipath scheme is also implemented. The scheme has been given unprecedented support by the youth and the army has received a record number of applications. This enthusiasm shows that our young generation is not only dedicated to the service of the nation but is also fully conscious of nation-building, he said. The Chief Minister said that at this time the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of its independence and in this Amrit Kaal, we have new goals, new resolutions and many challenges in front of us. At this time, we have to fix our goals and take a pledge to achieve them and overcome the challenges that come in the way of this achievement, he said. Uttarakhand will play an important role in the development journey on which our country is moving forward. The Chief Minister said that our aim is to make Uttarakhand the best state in the country. The journey of development is the collective journey for all of us in which everyone has to take a pledge to develop together, he added. The Chief Minister said that the State Government was committed to the welfare of the ex-servicemen and the dependents of the fallen heroes. A member of the family of fallen heroes is being employed by the government according to his merit. An unprecedented increase has been made in the lump sum and annuity given by the Uttarakhand government to the soldiers decorated with gallantry medals of the state. In the memory of the martyrs of the state, a state-of-the-art and full-fledged 'Shaurya Sthal' (Military Dham) is being constructed in Guniyalgaon, Dehradun, in which the names of all the martyrs of the state will be inscribed. The target has been set to complete the construction work in December 2023. An ex-gratia grant of Rs 10,000,00 has been allowed to the widows/dependents of soldiers who died in various wars, frontier skirmishes and internal security. The Government of Uttarakhand provides residential assistance of Rs 2 Lakh to war widows / war-crippled soldiers, he said. Uttarakhand is one of the few states providing such facility where 25 percent exemption in stamp duty has been allowed to serving/ex-servicemen on purchase of immovable property worth 25 lakhs, he said. Uttarakhand is the only state to make such an appointment, where the block representatives are being appointed and given honorarium to the ex-servicemen. Their honorarium has been made Rs 8000 per month. Their main task is to contact the retired soldiers and military widows of their area and solve their problems and also to give information about all the facilities available to them. (ANI)
Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Tuesday held a meeting with all the senior officers of the state. In the high-level meeting, officials discussed the process and the importance of testing and sampling patients who fear having similar symptoms and how to create awareness among people "To stay aware and not panic". In the meeting, officials went through the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Central government. As informed by the Health Minister, all the civil surgeons are informed to stay vigilant if ever they come across any similar symptoms prevailing in any part of the state. Minister Pandey also informed, "We have instructed all the civil surgeons to publicise the issue by holding a general meeting with all the subordinates briefing them about the requirement of staying alert with the situation and to conduct testing and sampling on time with vigilance." The minister also requested all to stay aware and follow the guidelines issued regarding the novel disease. He further said, "As per the information that we are receiving about the existing Monkeypox cases from Kerala, we got to know that they all are in a stable condition and there is no news of any casualty, which is a good sign. However, any disease is a disease and we need to stay alert and follow the guidelines". When asked about the well-being of the state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Minister Mangal Pandey said, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also following the protocol of Corona and he will be fine very soon." So far, India has reported as many as 4 positive cases of Monkeypox, on July 24, Delhi reported its first case of Monkeypox in a 31-year-old man with no travel history, said Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital. This was the first positive case with no travel history. "As of now, there are 4 monkeypox cases in India. Govt has taken proactive measures several weeks ago. Screening is being done at airports. 15 laboratories have been set up. The situation is under control and there is no need to panic," said Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog on Tuesday. (ANI)
The Division Bench of Delhi High court will pronounce its order today on an appeal challenging the Central Information Commission (CIC) order denying information regarding the agenda of the Supreme Court collegium meeting held on December 12, 2018. On July 22, the bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad while keeping the order reserved on the appeal said, "we will pass the appropriate order on it." Appearing for Appellant, Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted before the Division Bench that decision of the collegium where the elevation of judges to the SC was made was never made public. Earlier on March 30, 2022, the single bench of Delhi High Court had dismissed the plea moved by RTI Activist Anjali Bhardwaj challenging an order dated December 16, 2021, passed by the Central Information Commission in Second Appeal, in which it had dismissed the petitioner's appeal. The Single bench of Justice Yashwant Varma while passing the judgement on March 30, 2022, said that "the court finds no ground to doubt the disclosure made that no resolution was drawn. At least no cogent material has been placed on the record which may convince the Court to take a contrary view". It is manifest that, in the absence of any formal resolution coming to be adopted and signed by the members of the collegium on 12 December 2018, the respondent has rightly taken the position that there was the absence of material that was liable to be disclosed. The submission addressed in the backdrop of certain newspaper reports are noticed only to be rejected since it is well settled that such reports are of no evidentiary value and courts would be clearly transgressing their well-settled limitations if cognizance were to be taken of such unsubstantiated and unverified reports. The appeal seeks direction to authorities to disclose the available information sought in the RTI application on February 26, 2019. It also stated that on January 23, 2019, former Justice Madan B Lokur, who was one of the members of the collegium meeting of December 12, 2018, and retired on December 30 that year, in an interview had expressed his disappointment that December 12, 2018 collegium meeting resolution was not uploaded in the Supreme Court website. In the petition, Justice Lokur was quoted having said, "once we take certain decisions, they have to be uploaded". "In such circumstances, in the interest of transparency in the appointment in the judiciary, on February 26, 2019, the petitioner through an RTI application to the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the Supreme Court sought a copy of the agenda, decisions and resolution of the collegium meeting held on December 12, 2018," stated the plea. The plea stated that the CPIO of the Supreme Court refused to provide the information. It was challenged before the First Appellate Authority (FAA). "While disposing of the appeal, the FAA had also dismissed it holding that in view of the subsequent collegium resolution of January 10, 2019, it was clear that though certain decisions were taken in the meeting of December 12, 2018, the required consultation could not be completed therefore no resolution was formally passed. Therefore, the information sought could not be supplied to the petitioner," the plea said. The petition stated that in the second appeal, the CIC dismissing it had relied on the resolution of 10 January 2019. It was also held that the copy of the decision and the resolution of 12 December 2018 did not exist on record and therefore could not be supplied to the petitioner. (ANI)
The body of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru, who was hacked to death by unidentified people in Bellare, was brought to his residence in Sullia on Wednesday. Thousands of locals followed the ambulance that carried Nettaru's body as people expressed their collective grief. Local authorities made elaborate arrangements for the passing of the convoy. Nettaru, a young BJP worker, was attacked with lethal weapons by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada late Tuesday evening. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed for peace and asserted that the murderers will soon be arrested. "People are outraged when an innocent person is killed, I appeal to everyone to be peaceful and patient. An instruction has been given to arrest the murderers as soon as possible," the chief minister said. Bommai added that he had already spoken with Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and the police officials in connection with the incident. "I have already spoken to the Home Minister and the SP regarding the murder issue. Now some things cannot be said openly... (He was) murdered by deceit," he added. Assuring a prompt response, Bommai said, "The accused will be arrested and given severe punishment. This murder is a conspiracy...the government will take all necessary measures." The state chief minister had earlier expressed deep condolences to the family members of the BJP worker and assured them that justice will be served speedily. "The barbaric killing of our party activist Praveen Nettaru from Dakshina Kannada district is condemnable. The perpetrators of such a heinous act will be arrested soon and punished under the law. May Praveen's soul rest in peace. May God bless his family with the strength to bear this pain. Om Shanti," tweeted Bommai on July 26. Meanwhile, Bellare police have registered a case and are investigating the matter. (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was on Wednesday suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of this week for "throwing paper on the Chair" a day ago during proceedings of the House. Singh is the 20th MP from the Upper House who has been suspended for disrupting proceedings. This is the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the suspension of the AAP leader, saying Sanjay Singh is being suspended from the House for the remaining part of this week for disrupting House proceedings on Tuesday and showing disregard to the chair. It was mentioned during his suspension that Singh threw paper at the chair on Tuesday during proceedings of the House. The suspension of Singh followed a motion moved by Junior minister of parliamentary affairs V. Muraleedharan for the "misconduct" and "utter disregard to the House and authority of the Chair". The motion was carried out by a voice vote. The move comes a day after Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman suspended 19 Opposition MPs from the House for the remainder of this week for repeatedly disrupting proceedings. This was the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. In November last year, 12 Opposition MPs were suspended for the entire Winter Session for the ruckus they had created during the Monsoon Session over the farm bills. Seven of the suspended members belong to TMC, six MPs are from DMK, three TRS, two CPM and one CPI. TMC's Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abhi Ranjan Biswar, Md. Nadimul Haque; DMK's Kanimozhi NVN Somu, M Hamamed Abdulla, S Kalyanasundaram, R Girranjan, NR Elango, M Shanmugam, M Shanmugam; TRS's B Lingaiah Yadav, Ravihandra Vaddiraju, Damodar Rao Divakonda; CPI(M)'s AA Rahim, V Sivadasan; and CPI's Sandosh Kumar P. Earlier in the day, a meeting of Opposition parties was held today to discuss the issue of suspension of MPs and to chalk out a strategy for the floor of the house. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the opposition will submit a request to the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to rescind the suspension of the members who raised their voices against the price rise. Meanwhile, Congress MPs protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the suspension of opposition MPs from Parliament. TMC MPs who are suspended from Rajya Sabha for this week for misconduct also protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament The Upper House has been facing adjournment on various issues due to the Opposition ruckus since the Parliament's Monsoon Session started. The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session. (ANI)
Biju Janta Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik on Tuesday wrote a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and requested him to cater to the visa woes of emigrating Indian students. In a letter to External Affairs Minister, Amar Patnaik said, "Thousands of Indian students are facing long delays in obtaining visas of major countries such as the US, UK, Germany and Canada etc. even after getting admission into universities in these countries." The delay has been particularly worrisome since these countries are among the favourite destinations for pursuing higher education. "Visa hurdles are shattering the dreams of many young students. The US embassy for instance is completely booked till April 2023 for in-person visa appointments. Similarly, the processing time of a Canadian visa invlove months while the rejection rate is a steep 50 per cent which was 15-20 pc in pre-COVID times. Further, some countries such as Denmark have taken extreme steps of temporarily suspending all new visa appointments," the former Principal Accountant General of Odisha said in a letter. BJD Rajya Sabha Upper House MP further said that increased instances of visa rejections and delays are resulting in Indian students seeking a deferral or refund of tuition fees from the universities. I would like to bring to your kind attention that these refunds are partial in nature and therefore, are leading to unnecessary financial and mental stress for these students and their families. Even in a deferral, these students will have to apply for scholarships once again. "In contrast to the above situation, Indian missions abroad have worked overtime, if needed, to issue visas including clearing all the backlogs." He added Amar Patnaik said in a letter to S Jaishankar, "I request you to take urgent measures to persuade the mission/embassies of these countries to streamline the visa process, if necessary, by adopting temporary emergency measures for clearing the existing backlog so that students required to join the Fall semester in these countries are able to join in time." (ANI)
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) waved on Wednesday the national flag at 12,000 feet in Ladakh in view of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations. The troops, with the message of 'Har Ghar Tiranga', also urged all the citizens to hoist the flag at their homes from August 13 to 15 to mark the 75th year of Independence. 'Har Ghar Tiranga' is a campaign under the Ministry of Culture to mark the 75th year of India's independence. The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and to promote awareness about the Indian National Flag. Earlier, taking to Twitter on July 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged people to strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga movement. "This year, when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, let us strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga Movement. Hoist the Tricolour or display it in your homes between 13th and 15th August. This movement will deepen our connect with the national flag," he said. The Ministry of Culture is Nodal Agency for the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign and the Ministry will seek help from State Governments to mobilize all resources, housing, and urban development departments and local bodies including municipal bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions for furthering the goals of the campaign. The Culture Ministry is counting on all public representatives to play an active role in the promotion of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign and make it a success by spreading awareness about the campaign and encouraging others to hoist flags in their houses. Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav is a series of events to be organised by the Government of India to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of India's Independence. The Mahotsav will be celebrated as a Jan-Utsav in the spirit of Jan-Bhagidari throughout the length and breadth of the country. Addressing a gathering at Sabarmati Ashram in 2021, the Prime Minister stated that the launch of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' 75 weeks before 15 August 2022 will continue till 15 August 2023. (ANI)
As Sonia Gandhi appeared before Enforcement Directorate for questioning again, Congress levelled allegations against the Centre for creating "ED terror" in the country and "weaponising" the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. "The ED is creating drama in the country. First, they summoned Rahul Gandhi. He was interrogated for several hours in five days. Sonia Gandhi has been summoned for the third time today. We have no idea how long it would last. The ED has created terror. There should be a timely SC decision on the terror of ED in the country," Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said. Addressing a joint press conference along with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma, Gehlot further said that ED has become more powerful than CBI despite having a less than 5 per cent success rate. It is pertinent to mention that Gehlot addressed the press conference with G-23 leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. Gehlot said that the government is misusing the agency to dislodge elected governments, as we saw in Maharashtra recently. "The ED is being used to collapse governments as you saw in Maharashtra but ED can't set the cabinet which is evident from the situation in Maharashtra. You can see where democracy is going," Gehlot added. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who said he was not keeping well so he could not participate in the recent protest. "I was unwell for the past 2 months because of which I was not able to take part in dharnas. Every leader has expressed his opinion on what is happening in the country," he said. "I have nothing new to say as to what my party colleagues have said for the past month. The ED had earlier decided to close the case and now it has been reopened. This is beyond comprehension," said Azad. Citing the old age and health issues of the Congress president, Azad further said, "I don't understand why the ED is calling Sonia Gandhi again and again. She is old and has not been keeping well. When the ED has already questioned Rahul Gandhi then what is the need to call Sonia ji. This is not right when all the papers are there with the ED." Anand Sharma, who was also present, said he endorsed what Azad and Gehlot said. Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate office in the national capital for the third round of questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. Sonia Gandhi reached the ED office accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The 75-year-old had left the agency's office in central Delhi just before 7 pm on Tuesday after recording her statement. Officials said that on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi's response was sought to around 30 questions regarding her involvement with the National Herald newspaper and Young Indian Pvt Ltd, the company under investigation. Her questioning at the ED office in central Delhi went on for nearly 2.5 hours beginning at 11 am and continuing after a 90-minute lunch break until 7 pm. Her questioning was conducted by a team led by additional director Monika Sharma. During her questioning on Tuesday, the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli was asked about the functioning and running of the newspaper, the role of its various office bearers, and her and Rahul Gandhi's involvement in the affairs of the National Herald and Young Indian. Officials said the agency would also confirm her statement with that of Rahul Gandhi, as both are majority stakeholders in Young Indian Pvt Ltd. Last month the ED also questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days in the National Herald case. The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. (ANI)
Responding to the Congress allegation of the Enforcement Directorate harassing party president Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed Chief Ministers of Congress for protesting in the national capital and looking after the issues of their own States. "Chori bhi aur seenajori bhi, ye Congress se sikha jaye, bhrashtachar bhi aur bawal bhi," said Thakur. The Union Minister further said, "If they haven't done any corruption, then why fear? Chief Ministers of Congress have no work in their states. Incidents of rape, and murder are being reported from Congress-ruled states, but their CMs are camping in Delhi instead of maintaining law and order in their respective states." He further said that this clearly shows the fear of the Congress that in order to hide the truth committed by the family and the party from the public and to create pressure on the probe agencies they are protesting. "But nothing is going to happen, you should trust the agencies. Probe agencies have earlier also questioned leaders of other parties but this kind of ruckus never happened before. So is the Gandhi family above the law of the country, this question is being asked again and again," he added. Earlier in the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the probe agency is harassing the party to demoralize our workers. "The ED is harassing the Congress party. It is repeatedly threatening and trying to defame Congress. Our Congress President has not been doing well. And yet, she is being summoned again and again. It is an attempt to demoralise our workers. But we are not afraid of ED threats, we are not afraid of repeated calls," said Kharge. Citing the old age and health issues of the Congress president, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also said, "I don't understand why the ED is calling Sonia Gandhi again and again. She is old and has not been keeping well. When the ED has already questioned Rahul Gandhi then what is the need to call Sonia ji. This is not right when all the papers are there with the E Meanwhile, Congress workers are protesting at All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi against the questioning of the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi by the ED. The Delhi Police made a massive deployment of security personnel and buses have been parked just outside the gate of the AICC office to ferry detained protesters. She left the agency's office in central Delhi on Tuesday just before 7 pm on Tuesday after recording her statement. Officials said that on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi's response was sought to around 30 questions regarding her involvement with the National Herald newspaper and Young Indian Pvt Ltd, the company under investigation. Her questioning at the ED office in central Delhi went on for nearly 2.5 hours beginning at 11 am and continuing after a 90-minute lunch break until 7 pm. Her questioning was conducted by a team led by additional director Monika Sharma. During her questioning on Tuesday, the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli was asked about the functioning and running of the newspaper, the role of its various office bearers, and her and Rahul Gandhi's involvement in the affairs of the National Herald and Young Indian. Officials said the agency would also confirm her statement with that of Rahul Gandhi, as both are majority stakeholders in Young Indian Pvt Ltd. Condemning the agency's action, Congress called it a "political vendetta". The Congress party also staged protests across the country in support of Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs were detained for holding a protest march from the Vijay Chowk to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to draw the President's attention to the alleged misuse of central agencies by the government when they were stopped by the police. Last month the ED also questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days in the National Herald case. The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. (ANI)
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu raising concern over the unlawful suspension of opposition leaders from the parliament. In a letter to Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Leader of the Opposition requested that under the proviso to Rule 256(2) a motion may be made resolving that the suspension of the aforementioned 19 members be terminated. "On 26 July 2022, 19 members of Rajya Sabha belonging to various Opposition parties have been suspended on a motion being moved and adopted by the House under Rule 256 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Council of States (Rajya Sabha) for the remainder of this week, i.e. till 30 July 2022. I request that under the provison to Rule 256(2) a motion may be made resolving that the suspension of the aforementioned 19 members be terminated," Kharge said in a letter. Taking to Twitter, Kharge shared a letter saying that the Opposition is the real voice of the citizens of India and the Modi government cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people's voice. "Wrote to @VPSecretariat raising the concern over the unlawful suspension of opposition leaders from the parliament. Opposition is the real voice of citizens of India and the Modi govt cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people's voice," he said. Earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was on Wednesday suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of this week for "throwing paper on the Chair" a day ago during proceedings of the House. Singh is the 20th MP from the Upper House who has been suspended for disrupting proceedings. This is the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the suspension of the AAP leader, saying Sanjay Singh is being suspended from the House for the remaining part of this week for disrupting House proceedings on Tuesday and showing disregard to the chair. It was mentioned during his suspension that Singh threw paper at the chair on Tuesday during proceedings of the House. The suspension of Singh followed a motion moved by Junior minister of parliamentary affairs V. Muraleedharan for the "misconduct" and "utter disregard to the House and authority of the Chair". The motion was carried out by a voice vote. The move comes a day after Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman suspended 19 Opposition MPs from the House for the remainder of this week for repeatedly disrupting proceedings. This was the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. In November last year, 12 Opposition MPs were suspended for the entire Winter Session for the ruckus they had created during the Monsoon Session over the farm bills. Seven of the suspended members belong to TMC, six MPs are from DMK, three TRS, two CPM and one CPI. TMC's Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abhi Ranjan Biswar, Md. Nadimul Haque; DMK's Kanimozhi NVN Somu, M Hamamed Abdulla, S Kalyanasundaram, R Girranjan, NR Elango, M Shanmugam, M Shanmugam; TRS's B Lingaiah Yadav, Ravihandra Vaddiraju, Damodar Rao Divakonda; CPI(M)'s AA Rahim, V Sivadasan; and CPI's Sandosh Kumar P. Earlier in the day, a meeting of Opposition parties was held today to discuss the issue of suspension of MPs and to chalk out a strategy for the floor of the house. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the opposition will submit a request to the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to rescind the suspension of the members who raised their voices against the price rise. Meanwhile, Congress MPs protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the suspension of opposition MPs from Parliament. TMC MPs who are suspended from Rajya Sabha for this week for misconduct also protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session. (ANI)
The monsoon rainfall had been normal during June 2022, for the country as a whole, as per the government statistics, which also depicted that there was excess rainfall over east and northeast India and deficient rainfall over Central India. "The monsoon rainfall had been normal [92% of the Long Period Average (LPA)] during June 2022, for the country as a whole. The LPA of the rainfall for the month of June being 165.4 mm based on the data of 1971-2020. The rainfall in June is said to be normal if it is within 92% to 108% of LPA," said Government. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday also informed about the early onset of southwest monsoon and said, it was an inherent property observed in the inter-annual variability of monsoon behaviour. "This year the monsoon onset over Kerala was on May 29, 2022, against the normal date of June 1 (3 days ahead of normal date) and it has covered the entire country on July 2, 2022, against the normal date of July 8 i.e. six days ahead of the normal date for monsoon coverage for the entire country," read an official statement. The statistics by the Ministry of Earth Science also depicted that there was excess rainfall over east and northeast India and deficient rainfall over Central India. "Monsoon remained active in July due to formation and movement of low-pressure systems across Central India and the monsoon trough lying to the south of its normal position," added the statement. Quoting a report released by IMD, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that five states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Nagaland have shown significant decreasing trends in southwest monsoon rainfall during the recent 30 years period (1989-2018). The annual rainfall over these five states along with the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh also show significant decreasing trends. Other states do not show any significant changes in southwest monsoon rainfall during the same period. Earlier, both the Houses of the Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs. Earlier the Lower House was adjourned till 12 noon. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called Opposition protest and sloganeering in the House inappropriate. "This situation is not a good sign for democracy. The rules and procedures of the House are made by the members. It is written in the rules that members should not bring placards to the well. You are not following your own rules," the Speaker said. He also gave a stern warning to the members and said, "If you don't obey then I have to follow the rules. If you want to strengthen democracy then hold a discussion, and question hour is an important time to raise questions and ask from the government. But the manner in which you all are sloganeering and behaving is not good for the democracy of India. I have to follow the rules that have been made by you. I give time to everyone to question. But the way you are behaving is not justified as a public representative." Earlier on Monday, four Congress MPs including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and TN Prathapan were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the entire Monsoon session for 'unruly behaviour and disrupting proceedings.' The MPs were suspended according to Rule 374 on 'unruly and disrespectful behaviour towards the Chair. Earlier during the day, the Rajya Sabha faced two adjournments as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) among the Opposition parties attempted to raise some issues. (ANI)
Union Minister for State Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has intimated that there were no significant protests against the report of the Delimitation Commission. In a response to the question of CPI(M) MP John Brittas, MoS Home in a written reply said that "The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has intimated that there were no significant protests against the report of the Delimitation Commission. However, various political parties have expressed different views on the report." MoS Home Nityanand Rai further informed the Upper House that the Delimitation Commission conducted a delimitation exercise of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir based on the census data of the year 2011 and the criteria prescribed under section 9(1)(a) of the Delimitation Act, 2002 read with Section 60(2)(b) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. "The Commission has also considered the representations for geographical areas having inadequate communication and lack of public conveniences due to their excessiveremoteness or inhospitable conditions on the international border" he added. MoS Home Rai further said that as against a previous number of 37 and 46 Assembly seats for the Jammu region and Kashmir region respectively, the Delimitation Commission has notified 43 seats for the Jammu region and 47 seats for the Kashmir region. The orders of the Delimitation Commission, a panel set up to redraw the assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, will come into effect from May 20. "In exercise of the powers conferred by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Central Government appoints May 20, 2022, as the date on which the orders of the Delimitation Commission shall take effect," a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice reads. The commission issued its final order on May 5. As per the final Delimitation Order, out of the 90 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 for the Kashmir region keeping in view the provisions of Section 9(1)(a) of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and Section 60(2)(b) of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. Out of the seven new seats, six were allotted to Jammu and one to Kashmir. The Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Central Government in the exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (33 of 2002), for the purpose of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission associated in its work, five members of Lok Sabha elected from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. These Associate Members were nominated by the Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha. (ANI)
The committee visited the incident site in Bharatpur on Sunday to collect information. The report containing the findings was handed over to Nadda.

The party's National General Secretary and state in-charge Arun Singh, MP Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati, former Union Minister and MP Satyapal Singh, former Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh and MP Brijlal Yadav have been included in the investigation committee.

The seer, who attempted self-immolation at Deeg in Bharatpur to protest against illegal mining, was declared dead in a Delhi Hospital.

The incident was reported in Deeg on July 20 when Sadhu Vijay Das attempted self-immolation amid protests over illegal mining in the area.

The city officials had rushed to the spot to put out the fire and rescue Das.

The locals and sadhus had been demanding a ban on the mines for a long time.

The administration also assured the sadhus that mines will be shifted from the area and informed them about the state government's plans to transform the vicinity into a religious tourist spot.(ANI)
Prahari Parivar stands by their families in these trying times, added the BSF.

Both the deceased personnel were from Rajasthan and held the rank of head constable.

Two platoons of the BSF, comprising 70-74 personnel, had been deployed in the area and were inducted in May. (ANI)
A class 12 student was found hanging at his residence near Karaikudi in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday following which the authorities have initiated a probe into the incident. "Last night, a class 12 student committed suicide by hanging himself at home. We are investigating the case. The autopsy was done. The body was handed over to his parents," Karaikudi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vinoj told ANI. The incident comes just a day after another class 12 student was found dead at her home in Virudhachalam in the Cuddalore district. Tamil Nadu has reported 5 such incidents this month. Earlier, a 16-year-old girl reportedly died in her hostel premises of a private school in Kallakurichi. The girl's parents suspected foul play while police said she died by suicide. In another incident reported in the state, a Class 12 girl reportedly committed suicide in Tiruvallur district in her hostel room attached to a government-aided school. On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that he was pained by the spate of suicides by students and added that he believes educational institutes should also provide youth with life skills to tackle "obstacles bravely". "Recent incidents in Tamil Nadu are giving me pain. Education Institutions Management should think of Education as a service and not a business," Stalin, who was attending the Golden Jubilee event at the Guru Nanak College in Chennai, said. The Tamil Nadu chief minister added that colleges and universities should equip their students with confidence and courage to take on challenges. "Students are coming to Educational Institutions only to get degrees. Education institutions should give self-confidence, courage, and power to students to manage all situations under any circumstances. Tamil Nadu students have to face their obstacles bravely," he added. The Tamil Nadu CM also focused on the sexual abuse aspect. "We won't just sit and see sexual abuse or harassment. We will take strong steps toward sexual harassment accused and they will be brought before the law," he added. The chief minister also urged students to shun suicidal thoughts no matter how hard the situation. "Under any circumstances, students should never have suicidal thoughts. Revive the thought (process) to achieve more," he added. (ANI)
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday criticised Yogi Adityanath's government saying that the BJP-led UP government showers flower petals on Kanwariyas while it bulldozes Muslim houses. Talking to ANI, Owaisi said, "BJP-led UP government showering flower petals on Kanwariyas using public money. We want them to treat everyone equally. They don't shower flowers on us (Muslims) instead, they bulldoze our houses." Earlier Monday, top Uttar Pradesh (UP) officials showered rose petals on pilgrims from helicopters during the ongoing holy month of Shrawan. Meerut's IG Range Praveen Kumar and DM Deepak Meena showered flower petals on Kanwariyas, through helicopter. The move was criticized by people from different walks of life and triggered a row. The practice of showering rose petals on Kanwariyas entered its fifth year under the rule of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. After becoming UP chief minister for the first time in 2017, Yogi Adityanath ordered officials in 2018 to sprinkle flowers on Kanwariyas from helicopters. His order was followed by top bureaucrats of UP in letter and spirit. Earlier in April, Owaisi broke down during a public speech while mentioning the incidents of violence in MP's Khargone and Delhi's Jahangirpuri and alleged that "Muslims are being wiped out of the country." While addressing the gathering on the last Friday (Alvida Jumma) at Mecca Masjid, Owaisi said that Muslims were wronged in Khargone and Jahangirpuri, their houses were demolished. He asked them not to lose hope and courage. "Oppression of the Muslims could be seen in our country. Through oppression, they're trying to wipe us out," he alleged. Meanwhile, the district administration and police demolished illegal buildings of miscreants involved in the attack on a Ram Navami procession in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone. The authorities ran the bulldozer over about 45 houses and shops. Around 16 houses and 29 shops were demolished. Several people, including police personnel, were injured when groups of people pelted stones at each other during a Ram Navami procession on April 10. The stone-pelting started at the beginning of the procession leaving around four people injured including a police inspector. Violent clashes broke out in Delhi's Jahangirpuri on April 16 between two groups during a Hanuman Jayanti procession that left nine people injured, including eight police personnel and a civilian. The 'Kanwar Yatra' is an annual pilgrimage for Lord Shiva's devotees. The Kanwariyas visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga and then worship the God with the same water. Considering that Kanwar Yatra did not take place for the last two years, the administration in various areas has been adopting all the necessary measures to avoid any untoward incidents during the holy pilgrimage. (ANI)
Separatist Yasin Malik, who was on hunger strike in the Tihar jail for four days, was admitted to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after the prison administration noticed a deterioration in his health. "He was referred to the RML hospital yesterday due to some fluctuation in his blood pressure. He has been admitted for further examination," said prison officials. He was earlier put on intravenous (IV) fluid or glucose. The Kashmiri separatist, who was lodged in jail number 7 of the Tihar prison, had alleged that his case was not being investigated properly and he went on a hunger strike on July 22. Malik, who was arrested shortly after the JKLF was banned in 2019, was on May 19 this year convicted by an NIA court in terror funding cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25. The NIA court while sentencing Malik also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. On July 15 this year, Rubaiya Sayeed, the sister of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, identified Malik in connection with her kidnapping by JKLF militants on December 8, 1989. Rubaiya was abducted in Srinagar on December 8, 1989 and freed from captivity after five days on December 13 after the then V P Singh government at the Centre, released five terrorists in exchange. Malik is an accused in this case along with others. Apart from the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, Malik is also facing charges in the case of the gunning down of four Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in January 1990 in Srinagar. (ANI)
Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested five people namely Mohd Sahil, Wasim, Mohd Yusuf, Ashish Chawla and Mayank Babbar and recovered 14,053 prohibited, button-activated knives, which were illegally traded from China for selling online. A case has been registered under the Arms Act at Chittaranjan Park Police Station. The accused Mohd Sahil disclosed that he registered himself on Online Shopping Apps so as to sell these knives online through his company in the name of 'My Style.' He further disclosed that Mohd. Yusuf was working for him and transported the illegal knives from Sadar Bazar to Malviya Nagar. Mohd. Yusuf further revealed that he used to purchase the illegal knives from another accused, Ashish Chawla who used to place orders in China to the particular vendor and the payment was made by Mayank Babbar @ Mickey (owner) of K2M Importer & Exporters, whose office is at China, from where the items were sent to India through the container, with the items of the other vendors. "Keeping in view of the facts revealed during the investigation conducted so far we further see leading e-market platforms like Flipkart etc for selling the same illegal knives on their portal. Moreover, with the arrest and recovery we have busted a nefarious Indo-Chinese module which has been bulk importing prohibited button-actuated knives from China for sale in India," DCP South District, Benita Mary Jaiker said in a press conference. He further added, "The investigation now onwards will focus on the lapses, if any, on the part of regulatory and facilitating authorities like customs, DGFT and on the abettors of the crime which include leading online markets where the product has been listed for sale by the arrested accused. We are also looking at the possibility of involvement of Chinese state actors who might be in collision with the arrested Indians into pushing the contraband and to find out what else has been pushed into India under camouflaged names and titles." The sale of such knives is banned in India under the Arms Act. Section 4 of the Arms Act, 1956 read with rules in Arms Rule, 1962 states that no person should by any way acquire, possess, sell and use knives having a blade which is 9" long and has a wide breadth up to 2" broader for any purpose other than the purpose of domestic, agricultural, scientific, industrial purposes, or steel batons. The use of knives to create disturbance or rupture in any way public tranquillity, peace or if such piece of weapon creates an environment of fear would also be charged under the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. (ANI)
Amid the ongoing probe into the SSC scam case in West Bengal where state minister Partha Chatterjee is one of the prime accused, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre saying it was 'not easy to break Bengal" with the help of investigative agencies. Claiming that the "BJP has no work" except toppling governments, Banerjee said the ruling party at the Centre aimed to topple democratically elected state governments. "They (BJP) have no work, their job is to take over the state governments through 3-4 agencies. They've taken Maharashtra, now Jharkhand but Bengal has defeated them. It's not easy to break Bengal as you have to fight the Royal Bengal Tiger first," Banerjee said. The West Bengal chief minister claimed that the would not return to power after the 2024 general elections. "I believe that BJP will not come in 2024 (to power). Unemployment in India is increasing by 40 per cent but it decreased by 45 per cent in Bengal," she said. She also alleged that a 'media trial' was on to tarnish Bengal's image. "Today media trial is going on and they are calling people accused. They just want to create a bad impression of Bengal." Partha Chatterjee, the Bengal Industries Minister, was arrested on Saturday on money-laundering charges linked to the SSC (School Service Commission) scam. He was accused of a role in alleged illegal appointments of schoolteachers and staff in government-run schools when he was the state Education Minister. Chatterjee's close associate Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested as part of the ED's investigation into the scam. ED arrested Mukherjee after it claimed to have recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from her residence on Friday. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned another Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Manik Bhattacharya for questioning at the agency's Kolkata office on Wednesday. Manik Bhattacharya is the former chief of the Bengal Primary Education Board. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a prosecution complaint (charge sheet) naming Delhi Minister Satyender Jain and others in a money laundering case. According to sources, the ED prosecution complaint has named Satyender Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, Vaibhav Jain, Ankush Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain and Sunil Jain including four private firms as accused. The above-mentioned are accused of violations under sections of the money laundering Act. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Wednesday posted the matter for July 29, 2022 on the point of cognizance. The trial court also examined the interim bail plea of Satyender Jain on basis of medical grounds. The ED on June 6 had claimed to have seized 2.85 crore cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain's aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The agency had also seized various incriminating documents and digital records during these raids. The ED then said that the total movable assets were seized from "an unexplained source" and were "found to be secreted" in the raided premises. The ED had initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 24 August 2017 under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain. The CBI filed a chargesheet on 3 December 2018 against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain. The chargesheet mentioned that Satyendar Jain, while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period from 14 February 14 to 31 May 2017, had acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The CBI has accused Satyendar Kumar Jain and others of the commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Jain was arrested after the ED attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore, in April, owned by the private firms companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others. The case related to Jain has also seen a bitter battle between BJP that rules at the Centre and Delhi's ruling AAP. While the BJP has accused the AAP leader of corruption the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has claimed that the cases against Jain and his family are a product of political vendetta. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that the provisions in the form of Section 45 of the 2002 Prevention of Money Laundering Act, as applicable post amendment of 2018, are reasonable and have direct nexus with the purposes and objects sought to be achieved by the 2002 Act for combating the menace of money-laundering having transnational consequences, which include impacting the financial systems and sovereignty and integrity of the countries. "We hold that the provision in the form of Section 45 of the 2002 Act, as applicable post amendment of 2018, is reasonable and has direct nexus with the purposes and objects sought to be achieved by the 2002 Act to combat the menace of money-laundering having transnational consequences including impacting the financial systems and sovereignty and integrity of the countries," the court said. The court said that the provision in the form of Section 45 of the 2002 Act, as applicable post amendment of 2018, does not suffer from the vice of arbitrariness or unreasonableness. Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) made offences to be cognizable and non-bailable and no person accused of an offence shall be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor is given the opportunity to oppose the application for such release and where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not likely to commit any offence while on bail. The court also noted that money-laundering is one of the heinous crimes, that not only affects the social and economic fabric of the nation but also tends to promote other heinous offences, such as terrorism, offences related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, etc and it is a proven fact that the international criminal network which supports home-grown extremist groups also rely on the transfer of unaccounted money. The bench noted that the provision post-2018 amendment is in the nature of no bail in relation to the offence of money-laundering unless the twin conditions are fulfilled and the twin conditions are that-- one, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not guilty of the offence of money-laundering and second, he is not likely to commit any offence while on the bail. Considering the purposes and objects of the legislation in the form of the 2002 Act and the background in which it was enacted owing to the commitment given to the international bodies and their recommendations, it is plainly clear that it is special legislation to deal with the subject of money-laundering activities having the transnational impact on the financial systems including sovereignty and integrity of the countries, the top court observed. "We do not find merit in the challenge to Section 44 being arbitrary or unconstitutional," the court said. After the decision of the top court in Nikesh Tarachand Shah vs Union of India, the Parliament amended Section 45 of the 2002 Act vide Act 13 of 2018, so as to remove the defect noted in the said decision and to revive the effect of the twin conditions specified in Section 45 to offences under the 2002 Act. This amendment came to be challenged before the courts. The petitioners have argued that twin conditions under Section 45 are grossly disproportionate and illogical for the crimes provided under the PMLA and the equation of the bail provisions under the PMLA cannot be made to the NDPS Act or Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). However, appearing for the Union Government, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta and representing ED Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, assisted by senior panel lawyer Rajat Nair, justified the condition of Section 45 of PMLA. Gauri Rasgotra, Partner and Head - Delhi, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas opined that the judgement will strengthen the hands of the ED in pursuing cases relating to money laundering. Sharing her perspective Gauri Rasgotra said, "A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has passed a judgment upholding the constitutional validity of the PMLA. On the issue of bail, the court has completely given a go by to the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court, which had clearly declared the twin conditions for bail to be unconstitutional being violative of article 14 and article 21 of the constitution.". She further added, "Therefore the threshold for bail as well as anticipatory bail would have to go through the twin tests as prescribed in the new amendment. This would mean that even for anticipatory bail, the public prosecutor has to be heard. The court has further held that at the prima facie stage the duty of the court is not to weigh the evidence meticulously but to arrive at a finding on the basis of broad probabilities. This will strengthen the hands of the ED in pursuing cases relating to money laundering." (ANI)
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that "no Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir Valley during 2022". Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai shared the input with the Upper House in a written reply to a query of Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan. "As per the records, no Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir Valley during 2022," Rai replied when asked about the details of the Kashmiri Pandits who left Kashmir Valley during 2022. The minister also shared data, mentioning that a total of 6,514 Kashmiri Pandits were residing in the Valley till July 20, 2022. As per the data, maximum of 2,639 Kashmiri Pandits are residing in Kulgam district, followed by 1,204 in Budgam, 808 in Anantnag, 579 in Pulwama, 455 in Srinagar, 320 in Shopian, 294 in Baramulla, 130 in Ganderbal, 66 in Bandipora and 19 in Kupwara. A separate data also stated that the number of Kashmiri Pandits residing in the Valley was 6,432 as on 2019. The data shows that a total of 2,557 Kashmiri Pandits were then residing in the Valley followed by 1,204 in Budgam, 808 in Anantnag, 579 in Pulwama, 455 in Srinagar, 320 in Shopian, 294 in Baramulla, 130 in Ganderbal, 66 in Bandipora and 19 in Kupwara. The information is significant at a time when several people, including many Kashmiri Pandits, have been a victim of targeted killings in the Valley since last year, and amid the reports of Kashmiri Pandits leaving the Union Territory. In another data, the minister mentioned that a total of six Kashmiri Pandits were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Of them, one was killed in 2020, four in 2021 and one till July 20 this year. The minister in a separate reply to another MP also informed that nine government employees (excluding security forces) including one Kashmiri Pandit have lost their lives in terror-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. He further said the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir, and that it resulted in a substantial decline in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021. In terms of the Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009 notified on December 30, 2009, the appointees shall have to work within Kashmir Valley and shall not be eligible for transfer outside the Valley under any circumstances. However, the minister further said that the Kashmiri migrants have been posted at safer zones in various districts, tehsils, and headquarters within the Kashmir division. "Besides, the government has taken several measures to ensure the safety of minorities in the valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, day and night area domination, patrolling and proactive operations against terrorists, round-the-clock checking at Nakas, deployment of security forces at strategic points to thwart any terrorist attack." (ANI)
Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mithun Chakraborty on Wednesday claimed that 38 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs are in touch with the Opposition. Calling it 'breaking news', the former TMC leader claimed, "Do you want to hear breaking news? At this moment, 38 TMC MLAs have very good relations with us, out of which 21 are in direct (contact with us)." Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre saying it was 'not easy to break Bengal" with the help of investigative agencies. Claiming that the "BJP has no work" except toppling governments, Banerjee said the ruling party at the Centre aimed to topple democratically-elected state governments. "They (BJP) have no work, their job is to take over the state governments through 3-4 agencies. They've taken Maharashtra, now Jharkhand but Bengal has defeated them. It's not easy to break Bengal as you have to fight the Royal Bengal Tiger first," Banerjee said. The West Bengal chief minister claimed that BJP would not return to power after the 2024 general elections. "I believe that BJP will not come in 2024 (to power). Unemployment in India is increasing by 40 per cent but it decreased by 45 per cent in Bengal," she said. Partha Chatterjee, the Bengal Industries Minister, was arrested on Saturday on money-laundering charges linked to the SSC (School Service Commission) scam. He was accused of a role in alleged illegal appointments of schoolteachers and staff in government-run schools when he was the state Education Minister. Chatterjee's close associate Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested as part of the ED's investigation into the scam. Chakraborty was among the BJP's star campaigners in the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal but had restrained from making public appearances until now after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC won 213 seats in the West Bengal Assembly election and the BJP garnered 77 seats in the 294-seat state assembly. (ANI)
Members of the Mahila Congress, the women's wing of the opposition party, have lodged three complaints alleging misbehaviour and abuse of power by the Delhi Police since January 2022, Union Minister for State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He also said that the ministry was looking into these complaints. "As per the inputs provided by Delhi Police, three complaints alleging misbehaviour and abuse of power by Delhi Police have been made by Mahila Congress members since January 2022 and inquiry into one of the complaints was conducted, but the allegations made therein could not be substantiated," Rai told the Rajya Sabha while responding to a Congress MP's query. Rai said that two of the complaints were received on July 12 and July 14 respectively. Inquiries have been ordered into these complaints as well. Meanwhile, in the day, he also talked about the situation in Kashmir and informed the Rajya Sabha that no Kashmiri Pandit had left the valley in 2022. Replying to a query by Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan, Rai said "as per the records, no Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir Valley during 2022." The minister also shared data, mentioning that a total of 6,514 Kashmiri Pandits were residing in the Valley till July 20, 2022. As per the data, maximum of 2,639 Kashmiri Pandits are residing in Kulgam district, followed by 1,204 in Budgam, 808 in Anantnag, 579 in Pulwama, 455 in Srinagar, 320 in Shopian, 294 in Baramulla, 130 in Ganderbal, 66 in Bandipora and 19 in Kupwara. He further said the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir, and that it resulted in a substantial decline in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021. In terms of the Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009 notified on December 30, 2009, the appointees shall have to work within Kashmir Valley and shall not be eligible for transfer outside the Valley under any circumstances. However, the minister further said that the Kashmiri migrants have been posted at safer zones in various districts, tehsils, and headquarters within the Kashmir division. He also said the Jammu and Kashmir government had intimated that there was no significant protest against the report of the Delimitation Commission. "The government of Jammu and Kashmir has intimated that there was no significant protest against the report of the Delimitation Commission. However, various political parties have expressed different views on the report," MoS Rai told the Upper House in a written reply. The Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Central Government in the exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (33 of 2002), for the purpose of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission associated in its work, five members of Lok Sabha elected from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. These Associate Members were nominated by the Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha. (ANI)
NITI Aayog's Member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul on Wednesday urged the people of the country to connect with technology faster. "Central Government has developed many platforms for the ease of public and therefore, it is high time for people to get connected with technology faster and start using these platforms," Dr VK Paul said while addressing the people at the inaugural address of the first edition of Digital Health Summit 2022. The summit was organised with the theme of 'leveraging technology to build patient-centric, inclusive, integrated health' in the national capital today. Highlighting the need for leveraging technology for early childhood development (children between age group 0 to 6 years), he said that the next frontier for technology intervention is the area of Home Care for patients. Technology outreach coupled with Physical Outreach is the way forward for hospitals, he added. Emphasising the need for a digital push, he underlined the need for digitization and shared his concern regarding the lagging behind of Public Sector Hospitals and Government Medical Colleges in digitization. The CEO of National Health Advisory, Dr R S Sharma also emphasised the importance of technology and said that it can add immense value to the healthcare sector. "One of the visions of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission was improving the healthcare services through digitization," he said while addressing the audience on the importance of digitization and mentioned that so far 71 billion Aadhar Card authentication has been done as of today (Wednesday). "The next achievement of the government was developing a payment platform, called UPI. In June 2022 itself, 600 billion transactions have taken place on the UPI platform. During COVID, more digitization of healthcare took place due to the restrictions on visiting hospitals. But technology was used in a fragmented manner," he said. He opined that digital elements need to be connected for applications to run smoothly and further mentioned that the Central government was developing a Health Exchange Platform for Hospital authorities and insurance companies to interact directly for disbursing insurance claims of a patient faster. "NHA is working on developing a Unified Health Interface (UHI) which will be an open network designed to enable interoperable digital health service delivery. Unlike big hospitals, smaller hospitals, and clinics are not able to afford digital systems as they are expensive. To enable them to use technology, the Central government has developed Health Management Information System (HMIS) where the government is in talks with the Technology providers to enable the smaller players to store their data in the cloud at a reasonable price," he added. Urging all healthcare service providers to come together for self-regulation, Shashank ND, Chairman, CII Subcommittee on Digital Health and CEO and Co-Founder of Practo, said that today more than 600 people have the access to the Internet. The rising usage of technology has given Indians better access to the health care cohort, he added. However, the chairman of CII National Healthcare Council and CMD of Medanta Naresh Trehan, while delivering his remarks at the Inaugural session, said that the digital revolution has evolved over the years and we can now can monitor the various organs of the body easily with the help of technology. He also emphasized the importance of value addition to patients and added that technology like video consultation can help in cutting down multiple travels of a patient to a different destination for receiving treatment. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren against a Jharkhand High Court order tomorrow. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana stated that it will list the plea for hearing tomorrow (July 28). The petition was mentioned by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal seeking an urgent hearing. Jharkhand government and state CM Hemant Soren has moved SC against an order of the state High Court which had accepted maintainability of the PIL in connection with shell companies allegedly related to CM Soren and his associates. The Jharkhand government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the apex court challenging the Jharkhand High Court's order on the maintainability of PIL in connection with shell companies allegedly related to state Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his associates. On June 3, Jharkhand High Court held two PILs against the Chief Minister and rejected the arguments made by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi (questioning the maintainability of the two PILs filed against CM and his associates) in its 79-page judgement. Rejecting the objections point-by-point, the High Court had said that because some of the requirements as per the rules 4, 4-B and 5 of the Jharkhand High Court (Public Interest Litigation) Rules, 2010 have not been followed and the instant writ petitions cannot be held to be not maintainable. "This Court, after considering the aforesaid aspect of the matter and taking into consideration the fact that the issue which is the subject matter of writ petition-- since it involves the issue of siphoning off huge public money, having the public interest at large, therefore, this Court deems it fit and proper not to throw the writ petition on that ground," the Jharkhand's HC order copy stated. In its conclusion, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad said, "This Court, after having answered the issue, as framed by this Court, and on the basis of discussions made hereinabove, is summing up its view and is of the considered opinion that the writ petitions cannot be thrown away on the ground of maintainability." The Jharkhand High Court had been hearing various petitions pertaining to shell companies, the mining lease of Chief Minister Soren and the MGNREGA scam. (ANI)
The District Magistrate of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district on Wednesday ordered a magisterial probe to find out details about the police raid on Saturday on a brothel reportedly owned by the state BJP vice-president Bernard N. Marak, officials said. Meanwhile, a Meghalaya police team went to Uttar Pradesh to bring Marak, who was arrested by the police in Hapur district of the state. District Magistrate of West Garo Hills district, Swapnil Tembe asked Executive Magistrate and Extra Assistant Commissioner, Rezia Ch Marak to conduct the inquiry to find out the details of the police raids in the farmhouse and submit the report within 15 days. The Uttar Pradesh police arrested Marak soon after the Meghalaya police issued a look out notice after five children were rescued and 73 people arrested on Saturday from the Rimpu Bagan, the farm house of Marak at Tura in West Garo Hills district. The BJP leader, who has been absconding following the Saturday's police raid at the farm house, had been booked under different sections under POCSO and the Immoral Trafficking Act. A Meghalaya court had also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Marak, who through several statements and video messages denied the charge and accused Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma of political vendetta. On Saturday, the police acting on a tip-off conducted an eight-hour-long raid at the farmhouse owned by militant-turned-politician Marak a.k.a. Rimpu. West Garo Hills district police chief Vivekanand Singh had said that police rescued five minors -- four boys and one girl -- who were found locked inside dingy cabin-like unhygienic rooms at Rimpu Bagan, comprising 30 rooms. The police also arrested 68 boys and girls and several farmhouse staff. The police had also seized 36 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, liquor, 500 unused contraceptives (condoms) and other incriminating materials during the raid. A day after the police raid on Marak's farmhouse, Meghalaya BJP in a statement on Sunday had said: "We have spoken with renowned and respected individuals from Tura and surrounding areas and we have come to the conclusion that Marak has been unjustly framed and maligned. It appears that he is a victim of a political vendetta." With two MLAs, the BJP is a part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, led by Sangma's National People's Party. According to police, there are more than 25 criminal cases against Marak, the then self-styled chairman of now disbanded militant outfit Achik National Voluntary Council-B. --IANS sc/pgh ( 418 Words) 2022-07-27-19:04:07 (IANS)
As many as 38 legislators of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress have started contacting state BJP leadership again, megastar-turned-politician and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty claimed here on Wednesday. Arriving here on Wednesday morning, he had a meeting with top state BJP leaders and then made the revelation at an interaction with media persons at the state BJP headquarters. "As many as 38 MLAs of Trinamool Congress have started contacting the BJP leadership in the state again. Out of that 38 MLAs, 21 are directly in touch with me," Chakraborty claimed. However, despite repeated requests, he refused to divulge the names of these ruling party legislators. However, at the same time, Chakraborty admitted that there are possibilities that some of the BJP's own elected representatives might also shift camp to the Trinamool. "We had only three representatives in the West Bengal Assembly after the 2016 elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, we increased the tally to 77 and now we are 70. My appeal to those who want to join Trinamool Congress to do that right now. They are welcome to do that. Once they do that, we will have a clear idea on where we stand and accordingly, we can set up our new team," Chakraborty said. Reacting to Chakraborty's comments, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, Santanu Sen said that probably he "was suffering from some sort of mental illusion which prompted him to make such absurd claims". "Rather if Trinamool Congress opens its doors, then BJP will be totally non-existent in West Bengal," said Sen. Meanwhile, commenting on the recent arrest of the state Commerce and Industries Minister, Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam, Chakraborty said that if someone is not guilty, he should relax and will surely come out clean at the end of the investigation. "But if anyone his guilty, he will have to face the consequences," he said. --IANS src/vd ( 339 Words) 2022-07-27-19:10:04 (IANS)
In a major verdict delivered on Wednesday, the Supreme Court has declared that the Enforcement Directorate has the powers conferred under law to investigate people, conduct searches and raids and even arrest citizens under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A number of petitioners, including Congress Lok Sabha member Karti Chidambaram, had approached the apex court challenging the powers of the ED under the PMLA. The court declared the ED actions cannot be called arbitrary and it has the powers to attach properties of people suspected of money laundering. In recent times, opposition parties have accused the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "weaponising" the ED and misusing it to target dissidents, opposition leaders and intimidate them. The Congress has been organising protests all over the country even as the ED continues its interrogation of leader Sonia Gandhi CVoter conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS soon after the Supreme Court verdict came out to gauge what ordinary Indians felt about the controversial issue. The survey was conducted using random sampling techniques and covered almost all demographic, ethnic, income and educational categories in the country. In what could be a jolt to the opposition, 82.5 per cent of the respondents overall agreed with the verdict of the apex court. What should worry the opposition camp even more is the fact that 78.2 per cent of respondents who identify themselves as opposition supporters backed the apex court decision. There is near unanimity across all categories of respondents; perhaps a signal that Indian citizens want genuine and concrete action against allegedly corrupt politicians and officials. The "least" enthusiastic response came from the Muslim community; though 69 per cent supported the apex court verdict upholding the powers of the ED. In recent times, the ED has been very aggressive and pro-active in taking action against not just opposition politicians, but also many private sector companies and individuals allegedly involved in money laundering operations. According to a response provided by the government to the Parliament a few days ago, the number of ED actions have jumped 27 times between 2014-22 compared to the ten year UPA rule between 2002-14. --IANS san/ ( 376 Words) 2022-07-27-20:02:03 (IANS)
On July 20, 2022, a virtual supply chain ministerial meeting was hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The meeting which was attended by representatives from 18 economies including India, the US and the European Union unveiled a four point roadmap for building collective long-term resilient supply chains, including steps to counter risks arising from supply dependencies and vulnerabilities. Besides, India, the US, the EU, other partners of this initiative are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Spain and the UK. The meeting was a follow up to the supply chain summit convened by the US President Joe Bidden in October 2021. The risks and vulnerabilities of supply chain dependency had also been witnessed in South Asia and South East Asian region during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which is visualised as a bridge between South Asia and South East Asia has already deliberated upon enhancing connectivity, developing a digital network and creating a multilateral Free Trade Agreement, it could serve as a platform to create an alternative supply chain at regional level. India may lead such an initiative under the BIMSTEC which may be a feeder to a larger alternative supply chain conceived by advanced nations. As BIMSTEC celebrates 25 years of existence, the world has changed and is changing, especially within the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic that all nations have been grappling with. The low lying fruits of this vision of development of a regional supply chain could be plucked based on comparative advantages of the countries of the region. These could be listed as follows:- (i) Agriculture and Food Security -- A number of food exporting countries imposed ban on exports and put in place a number of protectionist policies driven by food security related concerns. This, and the recent hike in global food prices call for imperatives and initiatives by key stakeholders in the BIMSTEC to further cooperation in development of a regional supply chain. (ii) Industrial raw materials and manufactured products -- The BIMSTEC economies are sufficiently diversified with regard to industrialization and manufacturing. While India is very strong in the core and basic industrial products including iron and steel, fertilizers and chemical products and engineering and IT products and services, other BIMSTEC countries have their own areas of comparative advantage including electronics, textiles, leather products and various raw materials. Imperatives: (i) This would require cooperation in pro-active manner in land, marine and air connectivity as well as development of a digital network to facilitate development of a reliable regional supply chain. This would also require a wide port connectivity among BIMSTEC countries with trade facilities infrastructure, policies and laws. (ii) India could play the most important role because it is a big producer of several agricultural and industrial products as well as a big market for the same. An India-centric supply chain through both the initiatives, i.e., initiatives of the advanced nations led by the US as well as BIMSTEC's regional supply chain led by India could reduce risks and vulnerabilities of supply chain dependencies. India also needs to lead the efforts to bring the envisaged vision of an FTA among the BIMSTEC countries to fruition. BIMSTEC is an international organization of seven South Asian and South-East Asian nations including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. --IANS scor/ ( 585 Words) 2022-07-27-20:10:02 (IANS)
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party leaders on Wednesday staged a protest against increase in power tariff and property tax by the state government. The protest in Chennai's Royapuram was led by the former CM Edappadi Palaniswami who is commonly known as EPS. More than 5,000 AIADMK supporters participated in the protest including former Ministers D Jayakumar, Thangamani, Velu Mani and OS Maniyan. "The DMK Government is not at all concerned about the lower and middle class people, there are anti people activity taking place in Tamil Nadu," AIADMK leaders said. During the protest Edapadi Palaniswami said, "For more than 15 years after the death of Great leader MGR, only J.Jayalalitha was the greatest Chief minister of Tamil Nadu. She didn't come up just like that to that big position. She suffered lots of pain to come up". "The DMK said that the Edappadi Government would soon be overthrown but AIADMK gave good governance for four and a half years. DMK tried to break the party, we have crushed all that with the support of volunteers. Now the people are suffering after DMK came to power. The party that divides the family is the DMK party," he added. EPS further asked, "The DMK led government of the state promised to cancel the NEET exam but AIADMK government on the other hand helped poor students by providing 7.5% internal quota. Sasikala also joined hands with DMK secretly." He further said Kallakurichi student committed suicide so many protests happened. Earlier, on July 11, Edappadi Palaniswami slammed rival O Paneerselvam (OPS) and the MK Stalin-led DMK government. In his address to the General Council members after his appointment, EPS hit out at OPS and said that the latter keeps on saying that he had sacrificed a lot for the party. The ruling party DMK and the state Chief Minister MK Stalin in his manifesto made promises and among them one was not to increase property tax in the state. Apart from this Stalin led government fought elections on many other promises including providing ration card holders Rs 4,000, slashing the cost of petrol, diesel and milk in the state. (ANI)
According to Yuri Borisov, the new head of Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos, the country will begin to form the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) by that time, reports Tass news agency.

Borisov conveyed the decision reportedly to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting.

"Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made," Borisov was quoted as saying.

He said that the main priority of the Russian Federation will be the creation of ROSS.

"We will continue the manned programme in accordance with the approved plans. The main priorities will be made on the creation of the Russian orbital station," Borisov said.

Earlier this year, former Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said that due to financial constraints, it was difficult to simultaneously implement the ISS project and build a new station.

Russia this month fired Rogozin, known for making wildly outlandish statements and threats against the US space agency NASA.

Rogozin has been in charge of Roscosmos since his appointment as director general in 2018.

He's been a controversial figure, resulting in strained relations with NASA.

At the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Rogozin indicated that Roscosmos might pull out of the ISS collaboration and cause the ISS to come crashing down to Earth.

Rogozin later said NASA astronauts could use "broomsticks" to get to orbit.

--IANS na/sks

( 274 Words)

2022-07-26-21:58:02 (IANS)
Bangladesh is lagging behind in the world market even though the quality of the leather is good as the traders are forced to export leather to China at low prices. As per the guidelines, those who sell leather must have a Leather Working Group (LWG) certificate, the only institution in the country that has that full certificate. Using this opportunity, Chinese companies are buying leather at a low price. China does not attach much importance to this certificate, reported Bangladesh Livenews. Although unable to provide specific information, Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) says that about 70 per cent of leather and leather products are exported from the country. Half of the exports go to China alone. The remaining 30 per cent is used in the local industry of the country. According to the data of BTA, among the exportable leather, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and three European countries, England, Italy and Portugal, export the most. Besides, some skins are sold in some countries of America. The amount of leather exported by these countries is equal to or slightly more than leather is exported only to China, where the price of leather is less than half of those countries, reported Bangladesh Livenews. In this regard, BTA General Secretary Md Sakhawat Ullah told Jago News that Bangladesh traders are forced to stay in China's syndicate market just because the compliance issue is not right. "I can't use it even though it has unlimited sources worldwide. Not certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG), the global certification body for the leather industry. As a result, I am failing to capture the big market. Again, it is not possible to ensure the fair price of leather in the local market," said Ullah. Traders say they are forced to export leather to China at low prices. At present, sales of leather products have increased in various countries of Europe and America after overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Bangladesh Livenews. As a result, prices in the world market also increased, however, China is taking half of the leather from the country at a very low price. Most exporters cannot take advantage of the increase in the price of leather in the international market Because there is no export due to a lack of LWG certificate. In addition to raw leather, leather footwear, belts, wallets, various types of ladies' bags, various types of boxes, jackets, hand-gloves, and car accessories are being exported from Bangladesh. (ANI)
Pakistan's President Arif Alvi in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar administered the oath to Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed Pervez Elahi took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari, reported Geo News. SC's three-member bench -- comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar -- had initially ordered Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman to administer the oath to Elahi, however, he refused to perform his duties. Consequently, President Arif Alvi administered the oath. Following Governor Punjab's refusal, Elahi left for Islamabad late Tuesday night to take oath from Alvi as per the Supreme Court's order. According to Geo News, President Alvi had sent a special aircraft to bring Elahi to Islamabad for the oath-taking ceremony, reported Geo News. Earlier, the top court declared Mazari's ruling in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Elahi will be the new CM of the province. The Supreme Court, in an 11-page short order, said, "We find that the understanding and implementation of the said short judgment as well as the provisions of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution by the Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Lahore (Respondent No.1) was patently incorrect and erroneous and cannot be sustained." The order then declared Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza's 179. Meanwhile, PTI supporters throng Liberty Chowk in Lahore to celebrate Punjab CM's verdict by Pakistan's apex court. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) chief, Imran Khan on Tuesday urged his supporters to take to the streets to celebrate the SC verdict. Taking to Twitter, former prime minister Imran Khan said, "I appreciate our SC judges for standing firm and upholding the Constitution and law, against all manner of threats and abuse." He further thanked Barrister Ali Zafar and his team for fighting the PTI's case in the top court. "I want to thank the people of Punjab for coming out in unprecedented numbers in by-elections against rigging," wrote Khan. The PTI said that his party will celebrate the win tomorrow with the people who stood by their campaign for Haqeeqi Azadi, reported Geo News. "The milestone crossed today is very important in every sense, it is a great achievement, we have proved that the source of strength is we the people," said one of the PTI supporters. "Unbelievable crowds at liberty chowk. Ppl are celebrating," tweeted PTI. The celebrations of Elahi's oath-taking are being celebrated across Pakistan by Imran Khan supporters. People were celebrating in the Vihari district. Rally and celebration were led by Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal in Vihari, reported the PTI Twitter handle. A large number of people came out to celebrate the verdict of the Supreme Court at Mardan Piala Hotel in Hyderabad, raising slogans of Imran Khan, Long live the Prime Minister, Imran Khan. "Imported government's time in Punjab is finished. The public mandate has been respected!" said one of the PTI supporters. Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided that they will not show Oath Taking ceremony of CM Punjab on PTV, a state channel. "This is absolutely shameful behaviour by so-called democratic parties!" tweeted PTI. This is yet another major win for former prime minister Imran Khan after his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won against the ruling coalition in the Punjab bypolls. The top court, in its short order, declared all the appointments made by Hamza "illegal" and told the members of his Cabinet to vacate their offices, Dawn reported. All of the advisers and assistants appointed by Hamza were also ordered to be relieved of their duties. Notably, Hamza Shahbaz, son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had defeated Pervez Elahi in the Punjab polls and Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Mazari had dismissed PML-Q's 10 votes after party head Chaudhry Shujaat urged them to vote in favour of Hamza. Earlier, the Pakistan Supreme Court had allowed Hamza Shahbaz to stay as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab till the court resumes hearing. In its order after the day-long hearing, the court said that it cannot leave a province without a chief executive and so, "Hamza will continue to work as a trustee chief minister till Monday." (ANI)
The United States seeks to enhance its defence partnership with India in the backdrop of China's assertiveness and New Delhi's reliance on Russian military exports for its national defence, said American Congressman Ro Khanna. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Khanna said a waiver to India of Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which penalises countries that engage in significant defence transactions with Russia, is in the best national interest of the US and the US-India defence partnership. This comes after the United States (US) House of Representatives on July 14, approved an amendment with an overwhelming majority to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) that proposes the deepening of India-US defence ties. This amendment was offered by Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California. Speaking about the waiver in the national security interests of the United States, Khanna divulged that it was the most significant vote to strengthen the US-India relationship since the civilian nuclear deal that was passed with overwhelmingly 300 bipartisan votes. "The reason it's in the interests of the United States is we need a strong partnership with India. Defence partnership, a strategic partnership, especially because we are two democratic nations and with the rise of China and with the rise of Putin this alliance is critical for the United States," said the Indian American Congressman. The Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed in 2008, which gave a fillip to the ties between the two nations, which since then have been on an upswing. A major aspect of the Indo-US nuclear deal was the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gave a special waiver to India that enabled it to sign cooperation agreements with a dozen countries. It enabled India to separate its civilian and military programmes and placed its civilian nuclear facilities under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The NDAA amendment is politically significant and the overwhelming 300-plus bipartisan votes send a strong message to US President Joe Biden which will give him the political support for waiving the sanctions. Khanna has been in coordination and conversation with top officials at the White House. "The amendment would never have passed if the White House was not open to it passing," said Khanna, adding, "This gives the President the political support for him to waive the sanctions. It makes it all but certain that he will waive the sanctions." However, the amendment is not yet a part of the law. The NDAA amendment needs to clear the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden, only then India will avoid US sanctions for its weapons systems relationship with Russia. Khanna told ANI that Congress has given a "very clear and resounding message" to the President of the United States, "What was relevant is you have 300 House members, the vast majority going on referencing that the US-India relationship is critical. In saying that the sanctions should be waived. And that gives a very clear, resounding message to the President of the United States to waive the sanctions." Of late the two democracies have made significant strides in defence cooperation and the NDAA amendment will give a big push to make a robust India-US defence partnership. Speaking about it to ANI, Khanna said, "Remember, it goes beyond waving sanctions. It talks about the importance of strengthening the defence partnership that we have with India. The challenge is that right now; Russian weapons are cheaper. But Russian weapons are also inferior as we're seeing in the war in Ukraine, the SU 57 in my view, just simply can't compete with the F 22 or the F 35, or the US military equipment. It is in America's interest to get the talent from the brilliant engineers and scientists in India so that we can make sure that we continue to lead the highest technology and ultimately, it's India's interest to an American technology which is superior to Russian technology." He said that the US is figuring out ways to have an appropriate price point that incentivizes India to transition that will protect the American sensitive technology and it will be negotiated through bilateral communication. Talking about the threat posed by China that was underscored in the amendment, Khanna said to ANI, "You look at India as the threats that they face at the border. And you know the biggest guarantor of the security has been the United States. A few years ago, the United States assisted India with those border skirmishes. So the US-India alliance in my view is not just in the United States interest but also the security interests of India and that the United States will be a much more reliable and stronger partner." Khanna for the last two years has been pitching for the prospects of India joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Plus. "NATO allies get expedited approval on defence agreements and we have that same agreement with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel and South Korea, and I have worked on trying to add India as the sixth country to that and that would facilitate and make it easier to have this growing defence partnership. I had introduced that two years ago. I'm going to continue to work on it. Hopefully we can get that amendment passed in subsequent congresses." (ANI)
Taiwan's Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-chang expressed concern that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have the 'complete capability' to attack Taiwan by 2025. The Minister expressed concern while also highlighted sanctions as the means to deter aggression during a virtual seminar titled "Taiwan: is it key to the continuing world order?" organised by The Democracy Forum (TDF), a non-profit organisation, against the backdrop of rising tension and intimidation in the Taiwan Strait. Moderator Humphrey Hawksley, a former BBC Asia Correspondent, called the future of Taiwan 'perhaps the most pivotal international issue of our time', before opening the floor to TDF President Lord Bruce. Taiwan Defence Minister said Taiwan's global significance in terms of trade, technological innovation and democratic values, its complex relationship with China, andthe fallout, both regional and global,of a potential Chinese invasion, were among points for discussion at The Democracy Forum's July 26 virtual seminar, titled 'Taiwan: is it key to the continuing world order?' Taiwan's defence minister Chiu Kuo-chang, who was also part of the seminar, had expressed the belief by his government that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have the 'complete capability' to attack Taiwan by 2025, making the current situation 'the most dangerous' the minister had seen in more than 40 years in the military. Taiwan's global significance in terms of trade, technological innovation and democratic values, its complex relationship with China, and the fallout, both regional and global, of a potential Chinese invasion, were among the main points for discussion at the seminar. TDF President Lord Bruce cited the former head of US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral (Retired) Phil Davidson's assessment that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would 'manifest in the next six years'. However, in referring to a recent Japanese government white paper on defence spending that warned of escalating national security threats, 'including... China's intimidation of Taiwan, and vulnerable technology supply chains', Lord Bruce also quoted China's response, in which Wang Web in, a foreign affairs spokesman, urged the Japanese government to 'immediately stop the erroneous practice of exaggerating security threats in its neighbourhood and finding excuses for its own strong military arsenal'. With Taiwan currently dominating the global market for semiconductor manufacturing, particularly the most advanced chips, Lord Bruce noted that, although the threat of military escalation is considered marginal by specialist risk managers, the prospect of sanctions imposed as an economic weapon to deter aggression is considered much more likely. In either scenario, a concerted plan to reduce the vulnerability of western trade and manufacturing is already underway in the US and EU, he added. But, despite the inevitable 'bellicose rhetoric' that seems currently to dominate the language of diplomacy, Lord Bruce concluded by citing the longer view of China analyst Charles Parton: that, in spite of the posturing by the CCP on the fate of Taiwan, 'war or forceful unification will not happen in the foreseeable future', as the risk - and costs - of failure are simply too great for the CCP realistically to countenance. Syaru Shirley Lin, Compton Visiting Professor in World Politics at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, and Chair of the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), highlighted the importance of Taiwan's democratic governance as an alternative for countries which have a strong economic relationship with China, especially in the Asia Pacific, She further argued that Taiwan matters to the world, not only because it produces the most advanced semiconductors but also because it can be a leader in innovative public policy. As the world's only Chinese democracy, Taiwan's achievements in promoting economic development and safeguarding public health through democratic governance can show the path forward for other developing societies in the Asia Pacific. However, despite its many successes, Taiwan also faces many complex internal threats, as well as external ones from China. Lin spoke of Taiwan's isolation in the world, and of the 'five Ps' - population decline, power generation, political polarisation, parochialism and the pandemic. These issues are at the forefront of people's minds in Taiwan, even more than the threat of armed conflict with China. The urgent socioeconomic, environmental, and political challenges that Taiwan and other high-income societies in the Asia-Pacific are facing will require innovative and interdisciplinary thinking to solve. In recognition of this, Lin and her colleagues founded CAPRI in Taipei, a non-partisan, independent think tank that recognises the role Taiwan can play in developing solutions and sharing best practices for addressing these problems, past, present, and future. In answer to the central question posed by the seminar, Dr James Lee, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of California's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, gave a resounding 'yes'. This is because the threat that Taiwan faces raises the question of whether or not the international order is able to resist attempts to annex territory by authoritarian great power, and if China were successful in annexing Taiwan, it would threaten a fundamental pillar of the post-World War II international order. Since many countries that have a One China policy do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, China wants us to think that this means we have to recognise Taiwan as part of China. But there is a third path, said Dr Lee, which is that taken by the US, the EU, the UK and others: they do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, nor do they recognise Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan. Dr Lee addressed the history of the dispute surrounding this intermediate legal status of Taiwan - including how China's claim to Taiwan is based on highly contested arguments about what happened after WWII- focusing on the different positions adopted by the US, China, and Taiwan itself. Digitalisation and Taiwan's democracy were focal points forChun-Yi Lee, Associate Professor and Director of the Taiwan Studies Program at the University of Nottingham. Underscoring Taiwan's importance in trade and in the 'electronic world order', she considered how, despite tensions, the China-Taiwan trade connection is still very strong and integrated but, in terms of production, Taiwan is 'high end', bringing tech skills and research, while China is 'low end', contributing unskilled capital such as factory workers. She addressed the 'hardware of digitalisation' - that is, the importance of Taiwan's TSMC - to the semiconductor global value chain, as well as the 'software of digitalisation', Taiwan's digital democracy, including reference to the 2014 'Sunflower movement', a protest by civic hackers that demanded more open government, with policy and information made simpler for ordinary people to understand. Dr Chun-yi discussed, too, how Taiwan had built a 'digital fence' during COVID, which is not on the basis of state power censoring civic society, as has been seen in China. Rather, Taiwan is to invite civic engineers or 'hackers' to work with the government, creating digital means to combat the global pandemic. Dr Simona Grano, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Zurich and Director of the Taiwan Studies Project at UZH, considered key shifts that have led to changing attitudes toward Taiwan in Europe -most notably, the Covid pandemic; China's increasing attempts to marginalise Taiwan economically and internationally; and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She touched on mistrust of China engendered by the pandemic, Taiwan's importance in global supply chains, the impact the invasion has had on small states within the EU and the greater importance they subsequently attach to having like-minded partners. This includes Taiwan, which, beyond economic ties, shares many values with the West: a system of governance based on democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, a market economy, etc. Dr Grano also focused more specifically on changes in attitudes towards Taiwan in Italy and Switzerland - her homeland and adopted country respectively - which are not, she argued, happening in a vacuum but at a European level. In the wake of Russian aggression in Ukraine and the ideologically charged debate on democracy versus autocracy, Taiwan shows that Chinese values are not incompatible with Western values. It is important, therefore, Grano concluded, to communicate to China that the West will not stand idly by while Beijing attempts to change the status quo. Also bringing in the Taiwan-Ukraine parallel was Dr Raymond Kuo, a Political Scientist at the Rand Corporation. Would an invasion of Taiwan by China inspire the same reaction as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he wondered, even though it is not officially recognised by most countries? Kuo said there is widespread recognition that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would still be a violation of sovereignty, as there are other types of sovereignty than territorial. He argued that Taiwan has the added advantage of being a much larger economy than Ukraine, more integrated into global trade flows, and integral to East and Southeast Asian security planning. Also, as China has already shown a reluctance to abide by international constraints- for example, it is engaged in coercion with India - other Asian countries view Taiwan as a litmus test to see if China will abide by international laws. Looking back in time, as well as forward, Shelly Rigger, Professor of Political Science at Davidson College, focused on the historical angle vis-a-vis Taiwan, especially the link between its identity and democratisation, and its relationships with the PRC and the US. She also spoke of how the PRC, as well as Chinese nationalism from both within Taiwan and across the Taiwan Strait, have become obstacles to Taiwan's identity and self-actualisation, and an enemy of democracy. In summing up the event, TDF Chair Barry Gardiner MP praised the panellists for their insights, though he expressed surprise that the issue of Hong Kong had not come up in the discussion. It is difficult to see how any military invasion of Taiwan could be successful, he reflected - after all, Ukraine fought back fiercely, despite having a greater and more recent entanglement with Russia. So, if a union between China and Taiwan doesn't come voluntarily, he concluded, it is unlikely it can come at all. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar is set to visit Uzbekistan on Thursday to take part in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers. Jaishankar will be sharing the table with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. This is the first time, Bhutto will be meeting EAM Jaishankar face to face after the formation of the new coalition government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) in Islamabad, led by Shehbaz Sharif. Jaishankar is participating at the invitation of the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov to take part in the meeting, said MEA in a release. The meeting assumes significance as the Foreign Ministers will hold discussions and prepare for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State which is slated to be held on September 15-16, 2022 in Samarkand. The discussion will review ongoing cooperation in the expansion of the SCO Organisation and exchange ideas on regional and global developments of common concern, the release stated. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also be attending the meeting. Jaishankar may have a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi to review the outcome of the recently held 16th round of negotiations between the military commanders of India and China to resolve the stand-off along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. If the bilateral talks happen, Jaishankar - Wang meeting may also pave the way for the possible meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Both are expected to attend the SCO summit on September 15 and 16 at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The 20th Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was held on November 25, 2021, in Nur-Sultan through video conference under the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan and Jaishankar represented India in the meeting, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. This year, Uzbekistan is chairing the SCO meeting and will be the organizer of all the events pertaining to the two-decade-old grouping that includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and 4 central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. SCO has four observer states, namely Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia. It has six dialogue partners, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.Uzbekistan took over the chairmanship of the organization from Tajikistan on September 17, 2021. India will hold the SCO summit next year. (ANI)
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) termed the Supreme Court's verdict, making Pervaiz Elahi the new Punjab Chief Minister, as "supremacy of the Constitution" and the party decided to observe 'thanksgiving day' on Wednesday. A day earlier, the Supreme Court announced that Pakistan Muslim League (Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi, an ally of ex-PM Imran Khan, would be the new Chief Minister of Punjab province replacing Hamza Shahbaz of PML-N. PTI chairman Imran Khan said, "I appreciate our SC judges for standing firm and upholding the Constitution and law, against all manner of threats and abuse." "Tomorrow [Wednesday] evening we will offer thanks to Allah and celebrate with all the people of Pakistan who have stood by us in our campaign for Haqeeqi Azadi, coming out in massive numbers to show support," the former prime minister said. Shah Mahmood Querishi, the vice president of PTI, said that the verdict of the Supreme Court had upheld the Constitution and the rule of law in the country, local media reported. However, the ruling coalition in Pakistan disapproved of the new Punjab Chief Minister and called it the "start of another phase of independence of the judiciary," the Dawn newspaper reported. The coalition government demanded a full court bench to hear the case but the apex court after hearing arguments from all sides for nearly eight hours, decided not to form a full court bench, saying that the same bench would hear the case. The leaders from Pakistan League-Nawaz (PML-N) had earlier said the formation of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial-led three-judge bench had indicated that the verdict would become controversial. "The country has turned into a theatre -- salute to three judges," Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N supermo and self-exiled former prime minister, said in a tweet. "With the formation of the full court bench, justice would have not only to be done but it would have appeared to be done," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said adding that the Supreme Court's verdict gave a shock to the hopes of people, legal fraternity, petitioners and media for justice. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief, will hold a meeting of the ruling alliance to have a discussion on the Supreme Court's verdict. Rehman said that they had neither accepted any military dictatorship nor would accept "judicial martial law," local media reported. "The second phase of a campaign regarding the independence of the judiciary has started that was first launched by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz said "JUDICIAL COUP" in a tweet just after the verdict was announced by the Supreme Court. (ANI)
Following the Taliban takeover, numerous Afghans drifted away from Afghanistan, a country which has now the third-largest refugee population and the region's largest displaced population, with 2.7 million refugees scattered across 98 countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, Afghanistan comprises a huge mass of displaced citizens who, at times also forced across the border alongside Syrian and Venezuelan refugees. Iran continues to provide shelter to more than 780,000 registered Afghans who fled the country due to Taliban atrocities and is a host to the majority of Afghan refugees, Khaama Press reported. "Afghanistan's displacement crisis is one of the largest and most protracted in UNHCR's seven-decade history. We're now seeing the third generation of Afghan children born in exile," the UNHCR report quoted UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi as saying. In 2021 alone, 108,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, 59,000 to Europe, 27,000 to Iran, and 6,000 fled to Asia and the Pacific, Khaama Press reported quoting the report. Approximately, 24 million Afghans require humanitarian relief as a result of hunger, the country's economic meltdown, natural disasters including floods, earthquakes, droughts and famine, a lack of development aid, and the brutally cold winters. Notably, many of the Afghan refugees who flew to neighbouring nations seeking shelters after the Taliban takeover last August encountered atrocities as many do not have legal documents or visas. Since the Taliban's return to power in August last year, Afghanistan's situation has only deteriorated as serious human rights violations continue unabated. Earlier, a report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR), Michelle Bachelet highlighted the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August last year. "While the decline in hostilities had seen a decrease in civilian casualties, the human rights situation for many Afghans was of profound concern," Bachelet said, mentioning that at least 1156 civilians had died and countless were injured post 15th August 2021. The UN High Commissioner also highlighted that the Afghans have been facing devastating humanitarian and economic crises with half the population suffering extreme hunger. Talking about the rights of women and children, Bachelet informed that the Taliban regime has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. She also called for the Taliban regime to fulfil its commitment that the schools would open for all children, whether boys or girls this year. Earlier, UNHCR asked the European Union to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years but the request was resisted by the countries. With the reestablishment of the Taliban, a large number of Afghans fled the country and many are now living in poor conditions in the neighbouring countries. (ANI)
China is currently grappling with an economic slowdown along with a housing crisis as numerous Chinese citizens are boycotting mortgages because they are not getting possession of their accommodation units on time. The official data indicates that the economic growth has declined sharply in the second quarter of the year, reflecting the impact of the 'Zero-Covid' policy, a US-based publication said. The 'Zero-Covid' policy of China, under which full or partial lockdowns were imposed in major centres, has had a negative impact on businesses. "Domestically, the impact of the epidemic is lingering," the Statistics Bureau reported while highlighting the shrinking demand and disrupted supplies. The output decreased by 2.6 per cent between April and June in comparison with the previous quarter, the data released by the Statistics Bureau (July 2021) said. On an annual basis the economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter, US-based publication Financial Post said. It would be difficult for China to meet its growth target of around 5.5 per cent unless the country reports a huge acceleration in the second half of the year, it added. Youth unemployment in the country has witnessed a 19.3 per cent rise, as per China's Statistics Bureau. There is a deep slump in the country's property market. According to reports, several homebuyers are not paying their mortgages over worries about their unfinished homes. Over 230 house owners across 86 cities refused to make mortgage payments for unfinished, pre-sold units unless construction resumes, according to Github. Mortgages worth over 2 trillion yuan are currently stalled at Chinese housing sites. A viral documentary showed how hundreds of homebuyers in Xi'an city have had to live in unfinished apartments struck a chord with many Chinese homebuyers, a media report said. The primary cause behind the housing crisis is that house buyers are not confident and don't trust that their housing units will be completed. The housing sector is an essential sector of the Chinese economy as new home purchases constitute over 80 per cent of China's property industry. It is noteworthy that 50 per cent of income from home sales is used by private developers to fund new projects. There is a domino effect as 30 per cent of local government revenues come from land transfers, the publication added. Many Chinese developers have experienced a liquidity crisis since last year after a regulatory crackdown came into effect to lower property prices and they have missed payments on offshore high-yield US dollar bonds. Chinese developers have only delivered 60 per cent of pre-sold homes between 2013 and 2020, and mortgage loans increased by 26.3 trillion yuan during the same period, as per the estimates of Nomura, a Japanese financial holding company. (ANI)
A set of compelling evidence has once again emerged which backs the claims that Wuhan's Huanan seafood and wildlife market was at the centre of the Covid-19 outbreak that has so far claimed over 6 million lives. Two peer-reviewed studies take different approaches but come to the same result that the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan was most likely the epicentre for the coronavirus. The first study shows that the earliest known cases were clustered around the Wuhan market. "While early COVID-19 cases occurred across Wuhan, the majority clustered in central Wuhan near the west bank of the Yangtze River, with a high density of cases near to, and surrounding, the Huanan market," the study says. "All eight COVID-19 cases detected prior to 20 December were from the western side of the market, where mammal species were also sold. Unlike SARS-CoV-2 positive environmental samples, we found that COVID-19 cases were more diffuse throughout the building," the study adds. The other study uses genetic information to track the timing of the COVID outbreak and suggests there were two variants introduced into humans in November or early December 2019. It takes a molecular approach and seems to determine when the first coronavirus infections crossed from animals to humans. According to the study, the first animal-to-human transmission probably happened around November 18, 2019, and it came from lineage B. The researchers further found the lineage B type only in people who had a direct connection to the Huanan market. "These findings indicate that it is unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 circulated widely in humans prior to November 2019 and define the narrow window between when SARS-CoV-2 first jumped into humans and when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported. As with other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 emergence likely resulted from multiple zoonotic events," the study said. Despite taking different routes, both studies arrive at the evidence that Sars-Cov-2 was present in live mammals that were sold at the Huanan market in late 2019. According to two studies, the virus was transmitted to people who were working or shopping there in two separate "spillover events", where a human contracted the virus from an animal. These two peer-reviewed studies come a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that scientists continue to research all possible origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, including a lab leak. Kristian Andersen, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, said the studies don't definitively disprove the lab leak theory but are extremely persuasive. "I was quite convinced of the lab leak myself, until we dove into this very carefully and looked at it much closer," Andersen was quoted as saying by CNN. "Based on data and analysis I've done over the last decade on many other viruses, I've convinced myself that actually the data points to this particular market." (ANI)
Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that the US-imposed sanctions have hindered the progress of the country and asked the United States government to release Afghanistan's Central Bank assets. Speaking at the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday, Muttaqi claimed that the ongoing US sanctions and decades-long war are the main reasons for the poverty in the country. He added that the Islamic Emirate government is now ready to engage with the world based on mutual interest, Khaama Press reported. "The 20-year war affected our country, our economic system is under US economic sanctions," Muttaqi said, reported TOLOnews. "This action has not only prevented the transaction of money but also diminished the activities of our government which benefits only the people," he added. According to Muttaqi, if the economic sanctions were lifted then it would be the best way to normalize the relationship between the two countries, and the move would leave a positive impact on the mind of the Afghan people. "We call on the US to release Afghanistan's Central Bank assets without any conditions and lift economic sanctions on Afghanistan," he said. "This is the main step for normalization of relations. This will have a positive impact on the minds of the Afghans toward the US." Meanwhile, Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Islamic Emirate, also a part of the delegation, said that the world saw Afghanistan as a necessity. He further said that countries like China, Russia and others have raised their voice to defend Afghanistan and have also asked for the release of the country's assets, reported Khaama Press. Meanwhile, the Deputy National Security Adviser of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov stressed the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, saying a joint venture is needed to eradicate terrorism in Afghanistan. "The formation of an inclusive government means the inclusion of all tribes in Afghanistan particularly women," he said. "This can help in the betterment of the current situation. We should cooperate with each other in countering the terrorism in Afghanistan." The Tashkent conference on Afghanistan comes at a time when the Taliban government is continuing to push for formal recognition. But so far no country has granted it, though diplomats of Pakistan, Iran, China and Russia - including a number of other international countries - are operating in Afghanistan. The international community - including world leaders - have laid down conditions before giving the Taliban a formal identity to lead the Afghanistan republic government: 1- Observe women's rights, 2- freedom of speech, 3- formation of an inclusive government, 4- and never use of Afghan soil as a threat to other countries, including the United States, according to the Khaama Press. (ANI)
Amid the race to become the next British Prime Minister, China has warned British politicians against making irresponsible remarks about the second largest economy in the world after UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss asked for a crackdown on Chinese companies. "I already made clear China's position yesterday. We regret and firmly oppose their statements concerning China. The UK's Conservative Party leadership election is an internal affair of the UK. We won't comment on it. Neither are we interested in doing so," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday. This response comes after Truss said the UK must limit tech exports to China and crack down on companies like TikTok. "I want to make it clear to certain British politicians that making irresponsible remarks about China, including hyping up the so-called 'China threat', cannot solve one's own domestic problems," the Chinese spokesperson added. Zhao made these remarks in response to repeated potshots being taken against China in the contest to replace Boris Johnson as the Conservative party leader in the UK. Both Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are taking tough lines against China. Amid the ongoing bid for the Tory leadership, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak this week came out all guns blazing against China. "China and the Chinese Communist Party represent the largest threat to Britain and the world's security and prosperity this century," Sunak said in a Twitter thread on Monday. While describing China as a top threat to the UK, Sunak promised to close all of China's Confucius Institutes in the UK and build a new alliance of free nations to tackle Chinese cyber-threats. "I would close all 30 of China's Confucius Institutes in the UK - the highest number in the world. Almost all UK government spending on Mandarin language teaching at school is channelled through university-based Confucius Institutes, thereby promoting Chinese soft power," he said. Sunak's tough stand on Beijing comes after his rival in the race to lead the ruling Conservative Party, Liz Truss, accused him of being weak on Russia and China. Even a Chinese state media outlet had once described Sunak as the only candidate in the contest with a "pragmatic view" on developing UK-China ties. The Indian-origin UK PM contender said he will expand MI5's reach to provide greater support to British businesses and universities to counter Chinese industrial espionage. "We'll work across government and with security services to build a toolkit to help companies protect their intellectual property," he said. He also promised to protect key British assets and to examine the need to prevent Chinese acquisitions of key British assets including strategically sensitive tech firms. Last week, Sunak and UK foreign secretary Liz Truss emerged as the final two candidates in the country's leadership race for the ruling Conservative party. Truss is reportedly leading the UK PM race. (ANI)
It was the first cargo of Russian-origin hot rolled coil (HRC) since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine, Kallanish reported.

Severstal, a Russian steel industry company, might be the HRC supplier and the deal is settled either in Emirati dirhams or China's yuan, the UK-based independent news portal reported citing sources.

However, Severstal did not comment.

"This is a loss-making deal [for the Indian buyer] as I am sure the contract price for this deal would have been higher than current Indian domestic quotes. We believe some 80,000 tonnes of HRC are also in transit from Russia for August and September deliveries," an Indian trading source said.

In early August, India might receive another HRC vessel from South Korea and the price might be USD 670 per tonne.

Several Indian steelmakers increased their HRC prices in order to exploit the resulting gap left by the disruption in CIS supply after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the publication said.

In May, the mills raised their domestic and export offers which caused panic in the domestic market and eventually resulted in the implementation of export duties.

As per Kallanish's assessments, Indian-origin structural grade 2mm+ HRC is at USD 600-610 per tonne freight on board on July 20, and the market remains down for Indian HRC exports.

E250 grade HRC in the domestic market is at INR 59,000-59,500 per tonne, it added.

A recent decision taken by the Reserve Bank of India allows import payment settlement in rupees and as a result, it has alleviated obstacles for the Russian and Iranian ferrous suppliers to India.

According to source, Russia and Iran try to export more steel to India at cheaper prices resulting in a reverse of India's net steel exporter status. (ANI)
A new paper has revealed fresh evidence detailing the role of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) in implementing the Chinese government's brutal campaign of persecution against the Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The report, published by Sheffield Hallam University, details how over the last five years the XPCC, the Chinese government's paramilitary corporate conglomerate, has operationalised systematic programmes of forced migration, forced labour, mass internment, land expropriation, repressive policing and religious persecution against the Uyghurs and other groups. According to Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), the report finds that the XPCC acts on the orders of senior Chinese Communist Party officials to play a critical and central role in what a growing body of legal opinion considers to be atrocities amounting to Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in the region. In a statement published on Wednesday, IPAC called on democratic states to take urgent action to hold the XPCC to account for its abuses, including: trade sanctions against the XPCC and its corporate holdings, including asset freezes and export controls against the 2,873 companies internationally in which the XPCC holds a majority stake, in addition to the sanctions already imposed on the XPCC Public Security Bureau. The group of global parliamentarians also called for Magnitsky-style sanctions against senior XPCC and Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for repressive policies in the XUAR, including Chen Quanguo, Peng Jiarui and Sun Jinlong. Furthermore, they asked for reforming modern slavery legislation to ban the import of goods made by the XPCC and other entities responsible for forced labour in the XUAR. This latest report comes as rights groups continue to highlight the Chinese government's crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the northwest region of Xinjiang. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Chinese leadership is responsible for widespread and systematic policies of mass detention, torture, and cultural persecution, among other offences. The New York-based group says that coordinated international action is needed to sanction those responsible, advance accountability, and press the Chinese government to reverse course. "The Chinese government's oppression of Turkic Muslims is not a new phenomenon, but in recent years it has reached unprecedented levels. In addition to mass detention and pervasive restrictions on practicing Islam, there is increasing evidence of forced labour, broad surveillance, and unlawful separation of children from their families," HRW said. Several rights groups have argued that concerned governments should impose coordinated visa bans, travel bans, and targeted individual sanctions on authorities responsible for criminal acts. (ANI)
United Nations expressed its deepest sympathies to the family of two fallen Indian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo. Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on a UN peace-keeping mission in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo on Tuesday succumbed to fatal injuries they had received during violent protests. During a briefing, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said, "But it's very clear that this is something that should not have happened. It's an unacceptable action, and we condemn the killing of our colleagues. We do express our deepest sympathies to their families and colleagues and, of course, we will send our sympathies as well to the Government of India for this." He added, "I believe we've been in touch with the Indian Mission on the two fallen peacekeepers, and we do expect a statement expressing the Secretary-General's views on today's incidents." The Border Security Force (BSF) Director General and all ranks on Wednesday expressed condolences on the demise of HC Shishupal Singh and HC Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, deployed with the UN Peacekeeping contingent (@MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both the deceased personnel were from Rajasthan and held the rank of head constable.Two platoons of the BSF, comprising 70-74 personnel, had been deployed in the area and were inducted in May. A senior BSF officer said that they were in touch with the authorities and reinforcements of UN Force (Army component) on their way to the site. Earlier, some groups had given a call for week-long agitation throughout DR Congo. The situation turned violent in Goma (about 350 Km South of Beni and a big MONUSCO base) with looting and arson. Both Beni and Butembo, where 2 BSF platoons were deployed, were on high alert. However, on Tuesday, the situation in Butembo turned violent. The camp of Morroco Rapid Deployment where BSF platoons were stationed was surrounded by demonstrators. Congolese Police (PNC) and Congolese Army (FARDC) troops arrived but could not control the violent crowd estimated to be at over 500. To contain the situation, Congolese troops fired in the air and BSF troops fired smoke shells to disperse the crowd. However, the violent groups managed to breach the perimeter wall at three different places. There were reports that armed rebels had infiltrated the demonstrators. A second attack was more fierce and accompanied by fire from small arms. Morrocan and Indian troops fired in self-defence. Two BSF personnel succumbed to fatal injuries. "Deeply grieved at the loss of lives of two valiant Indian peacekeepers of the BSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were part of the MONUSCO. The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice," External Affair Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. "Deepest condolences to the bereaved families," the tweet added. Ambassador of India to the UN, TS Tirumurti also extended his condolences on the death of two Indian peacekeepers in Congo. "India tragically lost two UN Peacekeepers from BSF in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Truly a great loss. My deepest condolences. India is striving its utmost to enhance safety, security and accountability of @UNPeacekeeping and to 'Protect the protectors,'" tweeted Tirumurti. (ANI)
China has once again warned the United States against going ahead with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit. "Perhaps you missed our briefings in the past few days. We have repeatedly made clear our firm opposition to Speaker Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a press conference on Wednesday. "If the US side insists on making the visit and challenges China's red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures. The US must assume full responsibility for any serious consequence arising thereof," he added. Pelosi is reportedly planning to visit Taiwan in August, but the White House said her plans have not been locked in yet. Beijing's opposition came after US media reports said that the US House of Representatives plans to visit Taiwan in August amid tension with China. As per a media report, Pelosi and her delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific command. Beijing last week warned the US against the House of Representatives Speaker's Taiwan visit next month saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Pelosi's Taiwan visit will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations. Last week, US President Joe Biden said the US military believes it is not a "good idea" for House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to travel to Taiwan as planned. "The military thinks it's not a good idea right now," Biden said on Wednesday as quoted by the White House press pool. China has on many occasions firmly opposed any form of official interaction between the United States and the Taiwan region. While warning against US House speaker's Taiwan visit, a Chinese state media outlet said, "If the news is true and the trip happens, it will be one of the most egregious provocations by the US to China on the Taiwan question since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US." A Global Times editorial said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. Back in April, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan. (ANI)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conveyed her congratulatory wishes to newly-elected Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and expressed her conviction for strengthening the ties between the two nations. "On behalf of the Government and the people of Bangladesh and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate you on your election in the parliament as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka." "I am confident that your wealth of experience, wisdom and political acumen will be instrumental in bringing about the desired peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka. I wish you all success in your endeavours," the congratulatory letter dated July 25 read. This year, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are celebrating 50 years of solidarity and friendship, a friendship which is based on historic linkages, shared values and cultures, mutual respect and a multitude of commonalities. PM Hasina said, "I have the conviction that relations between our two countries will be further strengthened in the coming days through multi-pronged sectoral cooperation for the mutual benefit of our two peoples." She hoped that the relations of cooperation with the friendly people of Sri Lanka will continue. "I look forward to working with you towards that end," she added. Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lankan President in the country's Parliament on July 21. Wickremesinghe was administered the oath of office by the chief justice of Sri Lanka, a day after he won a parliament vote. During the vote, Wickremesinghe received 134 votes in the parliament vote following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency last week amid severe economic turmoil in the country. After winning the parliament vote by secret ballot, Wickremesinghe addressed the parliament, calling on all legislators including the opposition parliamentarians to unite and work together with him to lead Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis. "We are at a critical juncture. There is an economic crisis and the youth want a system change. People want all parliamentarians to come together," he said. Out of the 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted to elect a new president and there were four invalid votes. Another two candidates, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party Dullas Alahapperuma, and National People's Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, got 82 votes and three votes, respectively. Wickremesinghe is not a new name in politics and has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation six times earlier. He was one of the top contenders for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot. Earlier, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the interim president of Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad after his palace was stormed by angry protesters amid the unprecedented economic crisis. Sri Lanka's economy is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country's failure to meet its international debt obligations. Hundreds of Sri Lankans continue to queue up at petrol pumps across the debt-ridden country every day amid fuel shortage, and a large number of people are ditching their cars and motorcycles for bicycles for their daily commute. (ANI)
Earlier, it was reported that the protesters were able to enter the specially guarded Green Zone in the centre of Baghdad. On Wednesday, a demonstration began in the Iraqi capital against the nomination of Mohammed Al Sudani for the post of the Prime Minister of the country.

The current Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, called on the demonstrators to immediately leave the parliament building.

The Green Zone houses government offices and embassies, as well as an international airport, which is adjacent to a military airfield. (ANI/Sputnik)
A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Wednesday called for thoroughly studying the important remarks made by Chinese President and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping, at a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials. This has come as Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to consolidate power to secure his third term in office. Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a teleconference with publicity officials nationwide. General Secretary Xi Jinping's remarks answer a series of theoretical and practical questions concerning the development of the Party and the country's cause, said Huang, reported Xinhua. The study, publicity and implementation of Xi's important remarks ought to be regarded as a major political task, Huang noted, urging concrete actions in carrying out publicity work in preparation for the Party's 20th National Congress. Meanwhile, ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's twice-a-decade national congress in November, an intra-party bulletin that updated membership figures of the CCP has ruffled some feathers among some China analysts. Last month, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said that the number of the Communist Party of China (CPC) members surpassed 96.71 million by the end of 2021. The membership was 3.7 per cent up from the 2020 figure, and 15.9 per cent more than the figure when the 18th CCP National Congress was held in late 2012, Xinhua news agency reported.According to the Chinese news agency, more than 4.38 million people joined the CPC last year when the Party marked its centenary, figures from the report showed. The CCP had nearly 4.94 million primary-level Party organizations as of the end of 2021, an increase of 117,000 from the previous year. Xinhua reported that CCP has been making constant efforts to attract new members and become a vanguard to ensure the Party maintains its strong vitality and combat capacity. The composition of Party membership has continuously improved with better levels of education and steady growth in the proportion of female members and those from ethnic minority groups, it added.Writing for The Washington Times, China analyst Jianli Yang, said, "Under China's state propaganda machinery, the 'fact' that party membership increased during the worst period of the pandemic is supposed to imply that ordinary Chinese citizens fully supported the leadership's lockdown measures and were unperturbed by food shortages."Jianli Yang argued that the statistics also reveal a subtle attempt by the leadership to assert that party membership increased the most after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.The China analyst highlighted how in a short span between 2012 and 2021, the CCP grew by an astounding 21 million members. Notably, Jianli points out that among CCP members, there is an issue of "dual" loyalty: loyalty to the party and loyalty to Xi himself.Since the Chinese Chairman's ascent to power, Jianli argued that Xi has made relentless efforts to assert the CCP's dominance and coerce members to reaffirm their commitment to the party's ideology and "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."Xi is more concerned about the party's loyalty to him."He (Xi) has spent years building an 'imperial' presidency and cult of personality, through his 'anti-corruption' campaigns through which potential rivals were purged or deterred. Party members have been asked to pledge personal loyalty to Mr Xi, reminiscent of Mao's Cultural Revolution," the China analyst added. (ANI)
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh will visit Bangkok, Thailand from July 29-31 to inaugurate and attend the second edition of the North-East India Festival. In line with the Government of India's emphasis on revitalising North East India, the Festival is an endeavour to showcase the strengths and potential of the region. The Festival assumes special significance this year as India and Thailand are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. The Festival is being organized by the Embassy of India in association with the North Eastern states of India and Trend MMS, India. The first edition of the North-East India Festival was held in Bangkok in 2019, which opened substantial business opportunities for the North-East Indian business community, especially in the tourism, agro and food processing sectors, an MEA press release said. The focus of the festival will be on trade, investment and tourism promotion and exchanges in the field of culture, education and people-to-people connections. The three-day event will be inaugurated at a grand ceremony at Centara Grand, Bangkok, on 30 July 2022. Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Commerce, Thailand and MoS, will be the Chief Guests at the Festival. The Festival will also be attended by the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Nagaland and the Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, alongwith other Ministers and senior Government officials from the North-Eastern states of India. Ministers and senior officials from various Ministries of the Kingdom of Thailand are also expected to attend the Festival. Besides, a large contingent of artists, craftsmen, business persons and exhibitors, tour operators and academicians from the North-Eastern states of India will be travelling to Bangkok to participate in this Festival and hold B2B meetings as well as academic exchanges. This Festival is expected to boost trade, connectivity, tourism, people-to-people connections, and cultural integration between the North Eastern States and South East Asia. During the visit, the Minister of State for External Affairs will also meet with the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand and hold discussions to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries, as per the press release. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Parliament House on Wednesday. The Memorandum of Cooperation aims to develop privileged relations between the Parliaments of India and Mozambique based on the principles of equality, reciprocity of benefits and mutual respect, and undertake to consult each other on matters of parliamentary interest. This comes as the first Mozambican Parliamentary Delegation arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Parliamentary Delegation from Mozambique led by Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Meanwhile, the 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Mozambique was held in New Delhi on 4 July 2022. The Indian side was led by Puneet R. Kundal, Joint Secretary (East & Southern Africa) and the Mozambican side was led by Ismael Valigy, Director for Asia and Oceania in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique. During the FOC, both delegations reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral relationship, covering political exchanges, development partnership projects, defence and security cooperation, trade and economic matters, consular issues, and cooperation in areas such as agriculture, sports, health, etc. The two sides agreed to enhance people to people exchanges, and cultural cooperation. The Indian side congratulated Mozambique on its election to the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the term 2023-24. They also exchanged views on global developments and issues of common interest including cooperation in the United Nations, South African Development Cooperation (SADC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Both sides also agreed to continue high-level political exchanges and regular meetings of the joint institutional mechanisms to keep the partnership vibrant and mutually beneficial. The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at mutually convenient dates in Maputo. India and Mozambique enjoy close, friendly relations built upon traditional links dating back to pre-colonial period. With a sizable number of people of Indian origin among the Mozambican population, cultural relations between India and Mozambique have always existed for the past few centuries. (ANI)
Currently, the work is underway to prepare the ports for safe navigation, with military and civilian experts searching for underwater objects and installing special navigation equipment, the statement said.

The ships navigating in the Ukrainian ports will form a caravan, which will be escorted by a lead ship for greater security, it said.

On July 22, Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tons of last year's grain harvest and part of this year's harvest. (ANI/Xinhua)
Rico Lin, CEO of Huawei Kuwait, said the HUAWEI CLOUD services will help propel the growth of the enterprises in Kuwait in the digital era, as the demand for digital services among Kuwait's enterprises continues to rise.

Salim Muthib Al-Ozainah, chairman and CEO of Kuwait's Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, described digitization as "integral" to "(Kuwaiti) Vision 2035 to help develop a sustainable and diversified economy."

"The launch of HUAWEI CLOUD services will help Kuwait's public and private organizations go digital while attracting new foreign investments into the country," he said.

Huawei now hosts two cloud regions in the Middle East, one in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Saudi Arabia, which aim to help local businesses and governments access more robust and secure cloud services from the Chinese tech firm. (ANI/Xinhua)
United Nations-backed human rights experts on Wednesday called on authorities in Hong Kong to repeal a national security law as it slammed China's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous region. The findings by the committee are part of a regular review of parties to the covenant, which was published today after a series of hearings earlier this month. "Hong Kong, China should: Repeal the sedition provisions of the Crime Ordinance and refrain from using them to suppress the expression of critical and dissenting opinions; Immediately stop applying the National Security Law and the Implementation Rules to sedition cases; Review pending sedition cases to ensure no one is prosecuted or targeted for the legitimate exercise of his/her right to freedom of expression," said the committee. The independent UN experts stated China should take concrete measures to effectively prevent and eliminate all forms of excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. "Ensure that all allegations of excessive use of force by police, particularly in policing protests from July to November 2019, are investigated promptly, thoroughly and impartially, that those responsible are prosecuted and, if found guilty, punished and that the victims obtain redress; and consider establishing a commission of inquiry in this regard," the committee said. Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international of global parliamentarians, has welcomed the concluding observations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee fourth periodic review of Hong Kong's commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries backed the recommendations made by the UN experts. "The review confirms what we already knew to be true: that civil and political rights in Hong Kong have deteriorated rapidly since the advent of the National Security Law in 2020," the group said. According to IPAC, the law has significantly undermined Hong Kong's once exemplary judicial system and effectively hollowed out the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the ICCPR, while the Hong Kong Police Force has used excessive force against protesters with a serious disregard for human life. IPAC also welcomed the Committee's recommendations to repeal both the National Security Law and the charge of Sedition under the Crime Ordinance. Moreover, the global alliance also endorsed the appeal to discontinue all pending cases against journalists and others charged for exercising their freedom of expression. (ANI)
Outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being touted as a potential new boss of Nato after quitting No10 - amid warnings from Tories that he needs to stop encouraging a 'Trumpish fantasy' about staying in power, media reports said. Allies of the Prime Minister have suggested he could replace Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of the military alliance when, as expected, the Norwegian steps down in September next year, Daily Mail reported. The lure of the high-profile post might be attractive to the PM, but he would need to quit as an MP to take it. It comes as other supporters continue a grassroots campaign to allow him a chance to stay in No 10, Daily Mail reported. Some 10,000 people claiming to be Tory members are backing a petition calling for him to be allowed to enter the current leadership election. No 10 has insisted that he intends to leave office in September but Lord Cruddas, the Tory donor behind the campaign, has said the PM is having second thoughts. Johnson has personally yet to publicly comment on the claim, first made in the Telegraph UK. However his former ally Steve Baker said he must quell any desire to reverse his departure. It came as a new poll showed 70 per cent of all voters think he was right to quit - though Tory voters are evenly split, Daily Mail reported. A second senior MP, Sir Charles Walker, has also suggested party members be stripped of their power to decide who becomes the next PM. --IANS san/vd ( 268 Words) 2022-07-27-19:00:05 (IANS)
Gwinnett County police are searching for an arsonist responsible for setting off multiple Molotov cocktails. They are offering a reward for information.

Police say they have responded to at least 5 fires set between June 28 and July 25.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Fire investigators say in each case, the arsonist used Molotov cocktails to set the fires in Sugarloaf Parkway and Five Forks Trickum Road area.

Most of the fires have involved grass or pine straw near the roadway, according to police. Investigators say they havent found any damage to buildings or cars.

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A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information that can lead to an arrest.

Fire Investigators and police are encouraging residents and business owners to stay alert to their surroundings and to report suspicious activity to the police immediately by calling 911, police said.

Tips can be submitted by calling Gwinnett fire investigators at 678-518-4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 800-282-5804.

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When Republican Rep Matt Gaetz singled out a 19-year-old activist after he was widely criticised for his admittedly offensive remarks about abortion rights advocates, the Texas teenager and organiser used the attention to raise tens of thousands of dollars for abortion funds.

The Florida congressman was unapologetic in his overtly misogynistic and fatphobic remarks to a right-wing student conference in Florida over the weekend, asserting that disgusting women who look like a thumb have the least likelihood of getting pregnant and have no reason to support abortion rights.

Like, why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions? he told a crowd at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa on 23 July. No one wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb.

He continued: These people are odious on the inside and out. Theyre like, 52, 350 pounds, like, Give me my abortions or Ill get up and march and protest. And Im thinking  march? You look like you got ankles weaker than the legal reasoning behind Roe v Wade. A few of them need to get up and march. They need to get up and march for like an hour a day. Swing those arms, get the blood pumping, maybe mix in a salad.

On Twitter, 19-year-old activist Olivia Julianna blasted his remarks, saying, Im actually 511. 64 in heels. I wear them so small men like you are reminded of your place.

She also mentioned that the Florida congressman faces a federal investigation following allegations of sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl.

On TikTok, where Olivia Julianna has more than 260,000 followers, her video criticising Mr Gaetzs speech has been viewed more than 1 million times.

In his apparent response on Twitter, Mr Gaetz shared an article from a right-wing media outlet that described his remarks as sure to raise [the] dander of his political opponents and included a photo of Olivia Julianna.

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Dander raised he wrote to his more than 1.4 million followers.

Well @mattgaetz, I have to hand it to you. I didnt think you cared about us abortion rights activists, but your spotlight on me has helped raise $50K for abortion funds in the last 24 hours! So I made you a special thank you card 

It almost feels like #MattGaetzIsProAbortion pic.twitter.com/sCxGVT4vzz  Olivia Julianna  (@0liviajulianna) July 26, 2022

On 25 July, Olivia Julianna announced a fundraising campaign on behalf of Gen Z for Change, a youth-led organising group that supports abortion rights through its Gen-Z for Choice Abortion Fund.

Within hours, she raised more than $50,000. By Wednesday afternoon, donations reached nearly $250,000.

The donations will be shared among 50 abortion funds across the US in states threatened by anti-abortion laws enacted in the aftermath of the US Supreme Courts decision to strike down the constitutional right to abortion care.

Dear Matt, although your intentions were hateful, your public shaming of my appearance has done nothing but benefit me, she wrote. Your hateful comments towards me will quite literally help pay for abortion services.

My rule is if youre going to attack me for my looks you better be hotter than me. And to be blunt Matt Gaetz is one of the ugliest things to crawl out of the pits of Florida.  Olivia Julianna  (@0liviajulianna) July 25, 2022

The activist also accused the congressman of directing his followers to harass her.

This is what happens when a sitting Republican congressman body shames and blasts you on social media, she wrote alongside a screenshot of an explicit message she received after the congressman targeted her in his post. This is the Republican Party. These are their leaders.

After his remarks drew widespread condemnation, his spokesperson told The Independent that his speech speaks for itself.

When asked by another reporter whether he believed people who attended abortion rights rallies were ugly and overweight and if he had a response to people who were offended by his speech, he replied: Be offended.

The congressman was among 195 House Republicans who voted against a bill to protect the right to access contraception on 21 July. (Only eight Republicans voted in support.)

He also joined 209 House Republicans who voted against the Womens Health Protection Act  which would codify a right to abortion care  on 15 July.

Mr Gaetz also voted against the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act, which would protect the right of abortion patients who live in states that have outlawed or severely restricted care to travel to other states without risking prosecution or legal action in their home states.

Only three Republicans joined all Democrats in support.
Three men have been arrested on drug and weapons charges after a July 20 attempted traffic stop, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office.

Deputies with the sheriff office's Rapides Area Drug Enforcement unit tried to stop a 2015 Dodge Charger on Dallas Street in Alexandria for having improper window tint.

But, according to a news release, the driver didn't stop initially "but then abruptly stopped and two passengers fled from the vehicle."

The driver, a 27-year-old Alexandria man, drove off but stopped several blocks later. He was found with small amounts of marijuana and crack cocaine, as well as "an assortment of U.S. currency which was believed to have been revenue from the illegal distribution of illegal narcotics," it reads.

Police: Juveniles stole car with handgun inside, shot at Alexandria house

Charles Sneed III case: Trial for Pineville man accused in baby's death continued until November

He was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center on charges of improper window tint, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and flight from an officer.

He was released July 21 after bail was set at $4,100.

The passengers who ran also were captured. One carried a back pack, while the other ran with an AR-style rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other, it reads.

The one with the back pack, a 27-year-old man from Jena, ran into a home but later surrendered to deputies. The bag was found, and deputies recovered two pistols, about a half-pound of marijuana packaged for sale and a digital scale, according to the release.

He was booked on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm with drugs, possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

His bail was set at $20,000, and he was released the next day.

The other passenger was a 23-year-old man from Fort Worth, Texas. He ran down Houston Street, but was caught by deputies, who later found the handgun had been reported stolen out of Lake Charles.

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He was booked on charges of possession of a stolen firearm, obstruction of justice, resisting an officer and two counts of contempt of court.

He also was released the next day after posting an $18,500 bond.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Attempted traffic stop leads to arrests of 3 men in Alexandria
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August is just a few days away, and you know what that means, right? Back-to-school season is here! Lots of students will be heading back to college campuses or school buildings over the next few weeks, so a new backpack should be on the shopping list. Even if last years backpack is still in decent condition, a new school year definitely calls for a fresh start with a new backpack.

Obviously, inflation and rising costs is top of mind for just about everyone these days, but heres some good news: You can get a really great backpack that will last the entire school year for less than $50 at adidas. Everyone knows and loves adidas for the high-quality, durable sneakers, and their backpacks are no different. No matter where you toss these backpacks around, theyll hold up and look good for a long time.

You may be tempted to wait a few weeks to start shopping for school essentials, but you really shouldnt. adidas has lots of awesome backpacks in stock right now, but once August arrives styles will certainly start to sell out. Check out a few of the most popular adidas backpacks under $50 below.

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A long queue of travellers seen awaiting their security checks at London's Heathrow Airport on June 1. Carl Court/Getty Images

Heathrow Airport's CEO told Bloomberg the current travel chaos could last until the end of 2023.

He said it may take 12 to 18 months to resolve the flood of delays and cancellations, per Bloomberg.

Heathrow's cap of 100,000 departing passengers a day may have to stick around until then, he added.

Airline delays and disruptions amid the current post-pandemic travel surge could last for as long as another 18 months, according to the CEO of one of Europe's busiest airport.

"This is not going to be a quick fix," Heathrow Airport CEO John Holland-Kaye told Bloomberg's Christopher Jasper in a report published Tuesday.

Holland-Kaye told the outlet that airlines still need to hire more staff to handle the swell in travel demand and that the daily passenger limit imposed by Heathrow could stick around until next summer.

"It's absolutely possible that we could have another summer with a cap still in place. It's going to take 12 to 18 months, and not just at Heathrow," Holland-Kaye said, per Bloomberg.

A deluge of flight cancellations, lost luggage incidents, and disruptions have become a global nightmare for an aviation industry still recovering from waves of pandemic layoffs.

Airlines and airports have scrambled to explain the delays, sometimes blaming each other or even the color of suitcases and people working from home.

To cope with the chaos, Heathrow, on July 12, introduced a cap of 100,000 daily passengers flying from the airport. In the announcement, Holland-Kaye also asked airlines to stop selling summer tickets to "limit the impact on passengers."

He told Bloomberg that airlines are responsible for hiring ground staff such as baggage handlers, air bridge operators, and personnel to process check-ins.

Heathrow has estimated that most airline ground handlers only have around 70% of the personnel they need to deal with passenger traffic on par with pre-pandemic levels.

Before the pandemic, Heathrow had been Europe's busiest airport for years, handling up to 80 million passengers annually. In a June investor report, it said it expects to handle 54.4 million passengers this year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
STORY: Forest inspector Gjon Gegaj said the situation was not getting better as the temperatures were still high in the Balkan country.

A brutal heatwave with spikes well above 104 Fahrenheit settled over southern Europe last week, part of a global pattern of rising temperatures, widely attributed by scientists and climatologists to human activity.

Firefighters are still dealing with bursts, but Major Endrit Cengu said the units on-site managed to isolate all fires and keep them from merging.

The wildfire has left part of the forest charred with cinder and fallen trees littering the ground.
On Wednesday, former Amazon employee Tori Davis and 25 other workers filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging the company forced them to work in a dangerous environment, reports the Chicago Tribune. Davis raised concerns about Amazon's handling of a racist death threat, and claims the retailer fired her after she threatened legal action if it did not address the incident.

In May, workers at the companys MDW2 warehouse in Joliet, Illinois  a city 35 miles outside of Chicago  found two racist messages using the N-word scribbled on the wall of one of the facilitys bathrooms, according to the complaint filed with the EEOC. Davis, who is Black, left work without pay after her co-workers discovered the graffiti. After police investigated the incident, Amazon allegedly sent a text message to staff stating law enforcement did not identify threats to the sites safety."

According to the complaint, Amazon also allowed white employees at MDW2 to wear clothing that displayed the Confederate flag. One individual allegedly had a shirt where workers could see the flag prominently on both the garments back and sleeves.

Amazon works hard to protect our employees from any form of discrimination and to provide an environment where employees feel safe, an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget. Hate or racism have no place in our society and are certainly not tolerated by Amazon.
Memorial Held For New York Delivery Workers Killed On The Job

Portraits of deceased app based workers are displayed as delivery workers and rideshare drivers join with the group Justice for App Workers to honor app workers who were killed last year on May 10, 2022 in New York City. The workers held the event, A Memorial for Delivery Workers Killed on the Job, at the tree of peace in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan. Workers across the country who work for companies such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and others have experienced high rates of death due to Covid, violence on the job and suicides. Credit - Spencer Platt-Getty Images

Last week, we were told the President of the United States has COVID-19, but it wasnt a big deal, as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the media: We knew this was going to happen. At some point, everyone is going to get COVID.

Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore, chimed in in the Washington Post endorsing Jean-Pierres fatalism, adding: Another key lesson is that its inevitable that everyoneeven the president of the United Stateswill be exposed to the coronavirus[]COVID-19 is a manageable disease for almost everyone, so long as they use the tools available to them.

Manageable. Except we have daily deaths hovering around 400 per day, making the U.S. the worldwide leader in COVID-19 associated mortality in absolute terms, with only a few real competitors among nations of our size and wealth if we look at it per capita or in terms of excess deaths per capita as well. In addition, weve had about 40,000 people hospitalized, about 4600 in intensive care over the past week or so.

And this is on top of what Boston Universitys Jacob Bor calls our missing Americans, those we have lost to early death compared to other rich nations. Bor and his team estimate that if U.S. age-specific mortality rates had equaled those of other wealthy nations we would have saved 626,353 in 2019 before COVID-19 struck. In 2021, there were 1,092,293 Missing Americans in the midst of the pandemic.

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So much winning.

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One has to wonder what the hell is going on. When did it become aspirational as a nation, to reach for the top slot in COVID-19 mortality, to ignore the fact that we are losing hundreds of thousands of Americans yearly to early death even before the pandemic and that our life expectancy ranks in the 30s or 40s compared to other nations, and were expected to drop down into the 60s by 2040.

In fact, the manic insistence that we get back to normal from the White House on down, that we have the tools to manage the pandemic, that public health is now a matter of you-do-you in terms of mitigation efforts (wear a mask if you want to, but dont if you dont!) is part of the problem.

You see we have a wonderful healthcare system in the U.S., the best money can buy, and we spend more on it than any other nation as well, even as our life expectancy as just described should make us think hard about the return on investment were getting. What we dont have are two key ingredients needed to raise us up to a healthier state of affairs.

First, we simply dont have what we need to keep us healthya robust set of social protections like our peer nations, which strongly determine our risk for getting ill and getting better in the first place. You may think its the biomedical innovations of the past century that save the most lives, often its much simpler than that: having a roof over your head, food to eat, a good job. Its no coincidence that those who are better off do better in terms of health as they purchase what we call the social determinants of health at a premium.

Second, for all the money we spend on healthcare, we spend a fraction of that on public health, with estimates between 1.5 to 2.5 cents spent on public health for each dollar on healthcare. For the past two years, people have been frustrated by the public health response to COVID-19, but with these facts in mind, perhaps we can agree that the expectations here have been like asking a 30-year-old used car to perform like a Ferrari just out of the showroom. With a public health system under-funded, under-staffed keeping America healthy is almost impossible to do.

And what the current response to COVID-19 in the U.S. tells me is that things are not likely to get better. While the White House and its surrogates trumpet we have the tools to combat the pandemic, they ignore the fact that in the U.S., access to these tools is not guaranteed and once again your personal resources determine your fate. The most vociferous of these commentators, like the New York Times David Leonhardt, even castigate those trying to keep themselves and those they love safe as barriers to getting back to normal. While the U.S. President and these well-known individuals have access to everything they need, too many Americans are on their own. This is policy set from privilege. The only thing wrong right now for them is that we are not getting back to normal fast enough.

The rest of 2022 offers us more deaths and hospitalizations, millions of new infections with some riding them out because they have what they need to do that, some struggling as even a minor infection sends their households in to chaos and some sadly saddled with long COVID, which most of our policymakers are trying their hardest to ignore. Meanwhile in the background are the ghosts, the missing Americans that Jacob Bor has brought out into the light as much as America would like to bury them, their memories, our shame.

We have no interest in combating this pandemic any longer, nor do we really show any ambition in American competitiveness in saving lives overall. We are happy to live with death. Its the American way of life.
UFC boss Dana White hands out contracts live during Contender Series filming. Photo by Getty Images

Dana White's Contender Series returned Tuesday with a show broadcast on ESPN from Las Vegas.

Four fights aired from the UFC's Apex TV studio  but only one winner deserved a UFC contract.

That's according to Dana White, who rewarded a fighter nicknamed "Bodybagz" with a deal.

LAS VEGAS  Dana White's Contender Series returned Tuesday for the first episode of its sixth season at the UFC's Apex TV studio in Las Vegas.

The format is simple: Fighters compete in standalone matches and, should an athlete impress the UFC boss Dana White, they'll receive a full-time contract with the company to sign there and then.

Victory alone doesn't guarantee a deal, though, as they must fight in a manner that satisfies White. And, usually, that's by unrelenting aggression.

If you leave the judges out of the equation and score a finish, that's historically enough to guarantee a deal.

Contender Series alumni have gone on to achieve success in the UFC, as past graduates from the show include Sean O'Malley, Maycee Barber, and Carlos Ulberg.

There's 10 weekly fight cards at the Apex, which will take place on consecutive Tuesdays and will be broadcast on ESPN+ from 8 p.m. ET.

Keep scrolling for the first week's results, highlights, and contract winners.

Dana White's Contender Series returned Tuesday with a four-fight card.

Dana White's Contender Series. Photo by Getty Images

Matches included:

Alessandro Costa vs. Juan Andres Luna  Flyweight Dennis Buzukja vs. Kaleio Romero  Featherweight Anton Turkalj vs. Acacio dos Santos  Light heavyweight Ozzy Diaz vs. Joe Pyfer  Middleweight

Flyweight fighters Alessandro Costa and Juan Andres Luna opened the sixth season of Dana White's Contender Series, fighting for 15 minutes until the judges had to declare a winner.

Alessandro Costa edged Juan Andres Luna. Photo by Getty Images

Both fighters were slow to engage in action in the first round.

In the second, Costa secured a knockdown when he clobbered Luna with a vicious punch.

Watch the knockdown right here:

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Then, in the third  which was the most frenetic of the fight  Costa asserted his authority on the match.

After three rounds of action, Alessandro Costa edged Juan Andres Luna by split decision.

Alessandro Costa won his Contender Series fight. Photo by Getty Images

"I'm not 100% happy because I wanted to finish this fight," said Costa, after the official announcement of his win.

"For a man to get to 12-0 is an important thing and so I'm happy to be the one to take that away from him," he added, regarding his opponent's previously unbeaten status.

"Hey, Dana, I'm waiting for a contract," Costa said in a closing message to the UFC boss. "This was just 10% of me."

Victory advanced Costa's pro MMA record to 10 wins (two knockouts, six submissions, and three decisions) against two losses.

The second bout of the evening  fought between Dennis Buzuka and Kaleio Romero  was far more bruising than the first fight of the night.

Dennis Buzukja defeated Kaleio Romero in a featherweight bout. Photo by Getty Images

Buzukja threw hard kicks from the off, unperturbed by the stage and what was at stake.

Growing frustrated with Romero's attempted stalling, Buzukja began hurling heavy fists at Romero and eventually dropped him in the second.

Knowing a finish could guarantee the UFC contract, Buzukja increased the aggression but was unable to put Romero away for good.

With three identical scores of 29-28, Dennis Buzukja took home the win and the chance to bag that elusive deal from the UFC boss Dana White.

Dennis Buzukja said he sought to get the finish in the third. Photo by Getty Images

"He was stronger than I thought," Buzukja said, adding that he apologized "to Dana" because of all the holding he thought his opponent did.

"I got the win, I'm blessed, happy," said Buzukja. "And I thank God."

Buzukja added: "I'm always looking for the knockout  knockout or submissions. I knew 15 minutes of hell, to be a UFC fighter for eternity."

With victory, Buzukja advanced his pro MMA record to eight wins (three knockouts and five decisions) against two losses.

It was his second appearance on the Contender Series, having lost by decision to Melsik Baghdasaryan in 2020.

In the penultimate bout of the evening, Acacio dos Santos and Anton Turkalj scrapped in a light heavyweight fight.

Acacio dos Santos punches Anton Turkalj during Dana White's Contender Series. Photo by Getty Images

Acacio dos Santos came out flying at the start of the first and the second round, looking to land significant strikes on Anton Turkalj while he may let his guard down.

The Brazilian fighter hasn't won by knockout since 2016, but his power may be a deceptive one as the thudding nature from his shots could be heard around the Apex.

For the rest of rounds 1 and 2, Turkalj did what he could to take his opponent's power away. In the first, he clinched. In the second, he kept himself out of harm's way on his feet, while peppering dos Santos' body with strikes of his own.

By the third round, it was clear Turkalj was telling the story of the fight as he took the fight to the ground once again.

From there, he looked in control, doing everything except securing the submission.

The three judges favored Anton Turkalj's work as they awarded the Swedish fighter a unanimous decision.

Dana White's Contender Series fight between Anton Turkalj and Acacio dos Santos. Photo by Getty Images

"I thought it was five rounds, so I'm not even tired," Turkalj said after his three-round win.

"I did my job."

He added: "Normally, I'd finish guys like this in the first round."

When UFC presenter Laura Sanko asked Turkalj if he had a message for the UFC boss, he seemed surprised.

"I haven't seen Dana  is he here?! I've traveled all the way from Gothenburg to see you. It would be super," he answered.

Victory advanced Turkalj's pro MMA record to eight wins (five knockouts, two submissions, and one decision). He remains undefeated.

Ozzy Diaz and Joe Pyfer's middleweight fight was the last bout of the night. And boy, did it deliver.

Joe Pyfer slammed Ozzy Diaz early in the first. Photo by Getty Images

Joe Pyfer scored a thudding knockout blow in the second round. Pow!

Joe Pyfer beat Ozzy Diaz at Dana White's Contender Series. Photo by Getty Images

American fighter Joe Pyfer effectively saved the event Tuesday.

The first three bouts were, largely, slow-paced, uneventful, and rather dull.

But Pyfer  whose nickname is Bodybagz (yes, with a Z)  showed in his middleweight bout against Ozzy Diaz that he was determined to put on a show.

His thumping knockout win in the second round reverberated around the TV studio.

And it has to be seen to be believed.

Watch Pyfer's statement win right here:

Joe Pyfer celebrates his Contender Series win. Photo by Getty Images

"I am so emotional right now," Pyfer said, despite calling his performance "flat."

He said: "I'm a mental case. But not where I can't come out here and perform. That was me at 40%. Ultimately, I came here to get the job."

When you look at the highlight clip below, it's clear he accomplished his goal.

Pyfer was the only fighter that Dana White rewarded with a full-time UFC deal.

Dana White's Contender Series airs every Tuesday for another nine episodes.

Read the original article on Insider
The U.S. is heading towards a recession, if it's not already in one, Northern Virginia residents told Fox News.

"I think we're in a recession," Lawrence, a 70-year Alexandria resident, told Fox News. "Interest rates have gone up, the economy seems to be slowing down, the price of cars is unreal."

Lauren, also from Alexandria, said: "Absolutely, we're in a recession. Have you checked gas prices lately? Have you checked the interest rates?"

The Bureau of Economic Analysis is set to release data Thursday that could indicate whether the U.S. is in a recession. In the first quarter of 2022, the bureau said the U.S. gross domestic product fell by 1.4%.

FORMER OBAMA ECONOMIC ADVISER LARRY SUMMERS WARNS A VERY HIGH LIKELIHOOD FOR A RECESSION

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about inflation and the economy in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus May 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

Two consecutive quarters of contraction typically indicates a recession, though the White House recently rejected that definition.

"We're not currently in a recession, and we possibly could be heading to one," Joanne said.

Ryan told Fox News: "Prices keep going up and up. After the pandemic, people are buying more stuff, going out, doing things again."

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON THE DEFENSIVE AS DISMAL ECONOMIC REPORT LOOMS

"Wages aren't going to adjust that fast," he continued. "Overall just, you know, less economic anything going forward,"

Workers' wages were rising early this year, but have since slowed, according to the Department of Labor.

"I believe we are in a recession, and unfortunately, I don't think we've ever really recovered from the last recession," Parris, a woman from Northern Virginia, said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said she was wrong about the path of inflation after months of downplaying the issue. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Roughly 90 million households reported having a somewhat or very difficult time meeting expenses, a record since the Census Bureau started tracking the metric nearly two years ago.

CNN ANALYSIS: BIDEN FACING MOMENT OF TRUTH THIS WEEK WITH RELEASE OF CRITICAL ECONOMIC DATA

"At this point, I think is going to get worse because prices are going up, and employment pay is not going up as fast as prices is," Parris told Fox News. "So it's going to be a lot more people being hurt by what's happening."

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Lauren said she is concerned about the possible recession.

"I see how it's affecting my family, my friends," she said.

U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for an event at the O'Connor Grain Farm on May 11, 2022 in Kankakee, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Joanne told Fox News: "Some people are probably worse off than others, depending on where they are in their life and how much they've managed to save  but for some people, it's probably tough."

President Biden has repeatedly said that improving the economy is his administration's top priority.

"I think the leadership is very poor," Parris said. "The rich will continue to be rich and the poor will continue to get poor."
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Anna Delvey Sorokin, the notorious Russian-born scammer convicted of fleecing New York Citys high society by pretending to be a German heiress, is mired in federal jail. But on Wednesday morning, she finally landed a modest victory in her bid to stave off deportation and win an appeal in a hearing that descended into chaos.

Sorokins current attorneys claim that the outcast socialites former lawyer has refused to turn over her court file despite countless requests for cooperation in their attempts to keep her on U.S. soil. Manhattan Judge Diane Kiesel ruled in her favor on Wednesday, ordering that her former attorney, Audrey Thomas, turn over the relevant paperwork.

Yet what should have been a routine procedural affair was anything but.

Attorney Duncan Levin told The Daily Beast that while Thomas initially told the court she did not have any documents in connection with Sorokins case, under questioning from the judge, Thomas admitted to having boxes and boxes of case files. After Thomas engaged in a tense argument with Kiesel, the judge ordered Thomas to FedEx all the files to Levin by August 5.

It was really crazy, Levin said, adding that Wednesday's hearing represented a win in a fight we shouldnt have to fight in the first place.

A state court spokesperson confirmed Kiesels ruling but declined to comment about any fracas.

In an interview, Thomas confirmed the hearing went sideways, indicating that Kiesel told her to get out, while stressing that she was not FedExing shit to Levin and his legal team because all this is bullshit.

Anna Sorokin Becomes an Art World Darling by Literally Phoning It in

Calling Sorokin a dangerous, devious little bitch, Thomas claimed that Sorokin still owes her moneythough Levin denies that allegation.

If [Levin] wants it FedExed, he can send me a label, she added. I am going to appeal the ruling.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, Sorokin stressed that Thomas had a responsibility to her and didnt fulfill it, pointing to allegations of Thomas intentionally not handing over case files detailed in her legal teams motion.

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In fact, what she has done has potentially caused harm, Sorokin added. I'm pleased that the judge awarded me my own files and casework so that my current attorneys can effectively help me.

The bizarro hearing represents one of the few breaks Sorokin has caught after years of disgrace in court and the public eye.

In April 2019, she was convicted of swindling financial institutions and businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to bankroll a lavish Manhattan lifestyle. After her February 2021 release from New York State prison and paying back her victims, Sorokin found herself back in jail just weeks later after Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took her into custody. Authorities argued that Sorokin should remain in custody until she is deposited back to Germany, where she is a legal resident.

The deportation process has been delayed as Sorokin fights to appeal her case. According to a filing by her legal team this month, the appellant process has been held up for months thanks at least in part to Thomas refusing to hand over case information after she was fired from working on the appeal and immigration cases.

When Thomas and Sorokin parted ways this spring, the lawyer called her ex-client an ungrateful bitch in an interview with Insider. She added that her experience with Sorokin was a reminder to eschew the evil that she tries to inspire in me and all who try to help her.

The court documents in support of the order to show cause filed in Manhattan Supreme Court also include 27 pages of exhibitsand scores of emails between Levin and Thomas about the case filed. In one April 7 email, Thomas offers justification for her delay to turn over the file, stating: "I do not work the month of April for it is my birth month and therefore, I am out of the country until April 30, 2022. Anna is fully aware of this."

In another July 13 email, according to court documents, Thomas asked Levin to stop contacting me like we are personally involved.

Keep your narratives to yourself and save your theatrics for when Anna throws you in front of a truck to save Anna, Thomas wrote in the email. Keep our communications strictly professional and do not send me paragraphs of useless self-destructive foolishness that isnt based in fact or reason.

Keep in mind you are next in line for an AnnaSorokining, Thomas added.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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J.D. Vance, who won Ohio's GOP Senate primary, calls neoreactionist Curtis Yarvin a friend. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election were brazenly antidemocratic. Yet Trump and his supporters nonetheless justified their actions under the dubious pretense of preserving American democracy  as a matter of getting the vote right, of reversing voter fraud.

Theres a good reason they took this approach. Authoritarianism has long been rejected across the political spectrum. Democrats and Republicans routinely lob insults like dictator or fascist to describe politicians of the other party who are in power.

But in recent months, a strand of conservative thought whose adherents are forthright in their disdain for democracy has started to creep into GOP politics. Its called neoreaction, and its leading figure, a software engineer and blogger named Curtis Yarvin, has ties to at least two GOP U.S. Senate candidates, along with Peter Thiel, a major GOP donor.

In my years researching the far right, I see this as one of the more significant developments in right-wing politics. Someone who calls himself a monarchist isnt being relegated to the fringes of the internet. Hes being interviewed by Fox News Tucker Carlson and has U.S. Senate candidates repeating his talking points.

A political philosophy is born

In 2007, Yarvin launched his blog, Unqualified Reservations. Writing under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug, he produced a prodigious corpus of political philosophy.

In his writings, Yarvin cites his political influences. They include the 19th-century political philosopher Thomas Carlyle, who disdained democracy and thought it could too easily veer into mob rule; American 20th-century political theorist James Burnham, who became convinced that elites would come to control the countrys politics while couching their interests in democratic rhetoric; and economist Hans-Hermann Hoppe, who, in his 2001 book Democracy: The God That Failed, wrote of how all organizations  irrespective of size  are best managed by a single executive.

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Yarvin is perhaps best known for his concept of the cathedral  his term for the U.S. ruling regime. Yarvis argues that virtually all opinion-makers, most notably those in academia and journalism, are essentially reading the same book. In an essay for Tablet Magazine, Yarvin wrote that whats often characterized as the marketplace of ideas is actually a monoculture that props up an oligarchy.

The cathedral is self-reinforcing: Individual journalists and professors are rewarded when they follow the ruling ethos. Those who do otherwise risk being punished or at the very least face diminished career prospects.

Another important neoreactionary figure is Nick Land, whose main contribution to the philosophy is the concept of accelerationism. In essence, accelerationism is based on Vladimir Lenins notion that worse is better. The Russian revolutionary maintained that the more chaotic conditions became, the greater the likelihood that his Bolshevik party could accomplish its goals.

Analogously, right-wing accelerationists believe that they can hasten the demise of liberal democratic governments by stoking political tension.

Smashing the cathedral

Both Yarvin and Land believe that gradual, incremental reforms to democracy will not save Western society; instead, a hard reset or reboot is necessary. To that end, Yarvin has coined the acronym RAGE  Retire All Government Employees  as a crucial step toward that goal. The acronym is reminiscent of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannons vow to deconstruct the administrative state.

Yarvin advocates for an entirely new system of government  what he calls neocameralism. He advocates for a centrally managed economy led by a monarch  perhaps modeled after a corporate CEO  who wouldnt need to adhere to plodding liberal-democratic procedures. Yarvin has written approvingly of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for his pragmatic and market-oriented authoritarianism.

While not explicitly fascist, Yarvins worldview does, at times, appear to have a fascistic bent. As the historian Roger Griffin once argued, the essence of fascism was a nationwide process of death and rebirth. Yarvins rhetoric of reboots and hard resets evokes the imagery of national renewal.

Moreover, though he maintains that he is not a white nationalist, he has echoed racist views like the belief that white people, on average, have higher IQs than Black people.

Follow the money

Though neoreaction has long eschewed involvement in electoral politics, it seems to be be gradually penetrating mainstream right-wing spaces.

Yarvin is said to have helped popularize the red pill meme in alt-right subcultures. Pulled from the 1999 film The Matrix, to take the red pill is to no longer live under the spell of delusion. In the context of politics, it means breaking free from the spell of liberal orthodoxy.

In September 2021, Yarvin made an appearance on Tucker Carlson Today, during which he explained the concept of the cathedral. When Yarvin called himself a monarchist, Carlson didnt bat an eye.

Then, in May 2022, Vanity Fair reported on the relationship among Yarvin, GOP megadonor and venture capitalist Peter Thiel and U.S. Senate candidates J.D. Vance and Blake Masters.

Thiel, who is often described as a libertarian, holds views that can appear to be contradictory or mysterious. Reporter Max Chafkin, who wrote a biography of Thiel, told Politico in September 2021 that the investor has an authoritarian streak  a longing for a more powerful chief executive.

Thiel, like Yarvin, has expressed frustration with American democracy. As far back as 2004, Thiel lamented that Americas constitutional machinery prevents any single ambitious person from reconstructing the old Republic. In 2013, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur invested in Yarvins firm, the Tlon Corp., best known for developing a decentralized personal server platform. And according to Yarvin, he and Thiel watched the returns of the 2016 U.S. presidential election together.

During the 2022 election cycle, Thiel has donated more than $10 million to super PACs supporting Vance and Masters, who also serves as the president of the Thiel Foundation.

Vance, who won his primary in June, is perhaps best known for his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. Though Vance once denounced Trump, he has since embraced the former president and now calls for a De-Ba'athification program for the civil service  a reference to the purging of Saddam Husseins loyalists after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He cites Yarvin as a friend and mentor.

Yarvin, meanwhile, has given $5,800, the maximum amount allowed for individual contributions, to Blake Masters Senate campaign. Masters, for his part, has echoed one of Yarvins maxims  RAGE, or Retire All Government Employees  on the stump.

To be fair, neither Masters nor Vance has called for the dismantling of U.S. democracy. Yet they espouse a brand of apocalyptic rhetoric that depicts a governing system on its last legs. Psychopaths, Masters earnestly explains in one web ad, are running the country.

The current order, Vance proclaimed in a podcast interview, will meet its inevitable collapse.

Theres this guy, Curtis Yarvin, who has written about some of these things, Vance added.

Democracy in crisis

Why might neoreactionary ideas be gaining currency among right-wing candidates and donors?

Trumps electoral success illustrated the acute dissatisfaction the American far right has had with the establishment wing of the Republican Party.

But more broadly, public trust in government has eroded to the point where only 2 in 10 Americans say they trust the federal government to do the right thing. A Gallup Poll published on July 5, 2022, found that only 7% of Americans had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress  the legislative bodys lowest recorded rating in 43 years of polling. A Monmouth University poll released that same day reported that 88% of Americans believe the U.S. is on the wrong track. And in a July 2022 New York Times/Siena College poll, 58% of those polled said the government needs major reforms or a complete overhaul.

With confidence in government at historic lows, a window opens for other ideologies to seed the political imagination. Neoreaction is but one of them.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: George Michael, Westfield State University.

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George Michael does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Thousands of Argentines took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Tuesday night to pay tribute to Eva Peron, better known as Evita, on the 70th anniversary of her death. Known as the standard-bearer of the humble, Evita brought social assistance to millions of poor Argentines during her husbands presidency before her untimely death from cancer at the age of 33 in 1952.
Authorities are now offering a reward for information as they continue to search for a dangerous man who escaped custody in New Hampshire earlier this week.

Peter John DiBiaso, 57, escaped from the Belknap County Jail in Laconia shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, according to Belknap County Sheriff Bill Wright.

DiBiaso should be considered dangerous based on the escape status only, unknown if he has become armed since his escape, Wright said in a Facebook post. No force is believed to have been used during his escape.

DiBiaso was awaiting a pre-trial hearing on charges of being a career criminal, criminal threatening with deadly weapon, stalking, and operating a vehicle without a license, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

He is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 180 pounds, with blue eyes, blonde hair, and several tattoos on his right hand, left forearm, chest, back, left ankle, and left shoulder.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of $2,500 for information that leads to DiBiasos capture.

Anyone who sees DiBiaso is urged to stand clear of him and contact local, state or federal law enforcement.

At 9:37 PM the Sheriff's Office Dispatch informed me, this man in the picture, Peter DiBiaso had escaped from the... Posted by Sheriff Bill Wright on Monday, July 25, 2022

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
The captain of a twin-engine 30-foot speedboat that capsized in the waters off New Providence in the Bahamas on Sunday while ferrying Haitian migrants to Miami had been previously convicted of human smuggling in the U.S. and drug trafficking in Cuba, the head of Bahamian police said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Nassau, Bahamian Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said that authorities had finished a background check on the man, whom he did not name. The man, he said, spent two years in prison in the United States and eight years imprisoned in Cuba.

Sources have told the Miami Herald that the boat captain who is in custody is a Bahamian national named Donald Nehemiah Watson, 39. In 2019, he was charged with one count of smuggling after officials with U.S. Border Patrol and the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office Marine Unit encountered his vessel east of West Palm Beach. After a pursuit at top speed, the boat ran out of fuel and Watson, who was captain, was arrested along with Travis Jamaal Moss, an undocumented Bahamian national who had been previously expelled from the U.S.

According to court records, Watson was still on probation after being convicted of human smuggling in 2019 in federal court in West Palm Beach.

Fernander said three people who were arrested for having arranged the trip, in which at least 17 people died, are looking at a host of charges including homicide, manslaughter and operating an unregistered vessel.

We are well on the way with this investigation, he said, adding that authorities hope to announce official charges by Friday.

Police said among those arrested is a man they suspect was the owner of the vessel. During the arrest of the man at his residence and during a search, police also uncovered large sums of cash, which we believe were proceeds with respect to this matter, Fernander said.

The arrests occurred after the Royal Bahamas Defense Force was alerted that a boat carrying suspected irregular Haitian migrants had overturned 7 miles off of New Providence, where the capital of Nassau is located. While 25 people survived the incident, including the boat captain and another suspect who was arrested Sunday, the bodies of 17 others, including 15 women, a man and a young girl around 5 years old, were recovered from the ocean.

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Fernander said the police have not yet identified any of the victims, and reissued an appeal to the Haitian community to come forward with information that can help in the investigation. The migrants left from West Bay Street in Nassau, which Fernander said has become a hot spot for such migrant operations.

Fernander said the majority of the victims had been staying in New Providence for about a month. Some of them came here from various islands and we have identified at least three of them who came by plane about two weeks ago, he said.

We are appealing, especially to the Haitian community ... to please assist us in trying to identify any family members, he said. They dont have to be afraid of any arrest or [that] they will be sent back. We suspect they may be afraid of coming forward.

On Monday, U.S. Homeland Security Investigation agents arrived in the Bahamas to assist. Fernander confirmed the presence of U.S. partners, and said we are going deep into this investigation because we believe that the destination was for the U.S.

Miami Herald Staff Writer Jay Weaver contributed to this report.
ISTANBUL  Bitcoin maximalist Michael Saylor has questioned the soundness of Ethereum, both in terms of its technical development and its ethics.

Saylor, the founder and CEO of business-intelligence software firm MicroStrategy (MSTR), spoke remotely for close to an hour at Blockchain Economy Istanbul Wednesday, elaborating on the question of what he thought of Ethereum.

Saylor, whose MicroStrategy holds a stash of 129,218 bitcoin (BTC) worth about $2.8 billion at current prices, noted that he was speaking as an institutional investor and in that regard, one would "have to wait until the protocol is complete." He pointed out that Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said in a speech last week that Ethereum was 40% done and had laid out a roadmap of three to four years, which means the "protocol doesnt look like it's going to be completed or stable for another 36 months."

Saylor also questioned the lack of time-tested information about Ethereum, saying it led to concerns about the protocol's technical reliability and security.

"'Technically sound' means I need to see the protocol function for that thing after about five to 10 years. So we dont know that, either. Right? Because if you are hard forking and changing it, every time you do a big upgrade, you introduce new attack surfaces" he said.

In addition, Saylor cast doubt on the ethical soundness of Ethereum.

"'Ethically sound' means I need to know that nobody could change [the protocol], which includes Vitalik. I need to know that no one at the Ethereum foundation, no individual can change the protocol because if they could change the protocol, it makes it a security and if it makes it a security, then its not going to become global money," Saylor said.

Saylor has recently suggested that MicroStrategy will never sell its bitcoin.

Read More: Jefferies Downgrades MicroStrategy to 'Underperform;' Shares Slump

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Support for the Supreme Court has plummeted among Black voters after justices overturned the constitutional right to abortion, according to a new HIT Strategies BlackTrack poll released Wednesday.

Prior to the reversal, approval of the Supreme Court among Black voters was 63 percent in March. But this month, that approval rating plunged to 42 percent, an all-time low for the public opinion research companys polling.

The drop in support came after the court saw its highest approval rating from Black voters during the confirmation process for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the nations highest court.

Now, the poll found, 83 percent of Black voters are concerned about the reversal of federal abortion protections. Many reported their highest concerns to be about how the lack of abortion access will harm other Black people and marginalized communities, including those who identify as LGBTQ.

But another reason behind the drop in approval was the courts decision to expand individual gun rights.

In June, the court struck down New York limits on carrying concealed handguns in public. A week later, it threw out lower court rulings on gun restrictions such as bans on assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines.

The decision was bound to upset Black voters as the community continues to heal from the mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., where a white supremacist shot 13 people, killing 10, with an AR-15 in May.

The Supreme Court lost most of its support from Black women: Between March and July, Black womens approval for the court decreased from 65 percent to 38 percent.

Black voters over 50 also saw a large decrease in support for the court, dropping from 60 percent to 35 percent.

But thats not to say the theres no potential for the court to regain some support from Black voters. There are two steps the court could take, said Jermaine House, senior communications director for HIT Strategies.

One, place another Black woman on the court and have the court reflect America more closely, said House. Two, they could start issuing decisions that actually protect peoples rights and not take peoples rights away.

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But House added that because the court has become so politicized in the last few years, regaining trust wont be easy.

And Black voters disappointment in the Supreme Court could spell trouble for Democrats as the midterm elections approach.

Though Bidens approval rating addressing the needs of Black people is at 74 percent, that number hasnt changed since March  and it varies by age and gender.

BlackTrack respondents over 50 gave the president an 83 percent approval rating when it comes to addressing the needs of the Black community. But among voters younger than 50, he received a 67 percent approval rating.

Meanwhile, only 69 percent of Black male voters approve of Bidens overall job performance, though Black women gave him a 78 percent approval rating.

In the aftermath of a traumatic series of events for the country and a disastrous set of Supreme Court decisions, Black voters are becoming increasingly concerned by the threat of abortion restrictions and gun violence, said Terrance Woodbury, a founding partner at HIT Strategies, in a statement.

It is critical that President Biden and Democrats maintain their level of trust with the Black community by emphasizing their plan of action to protect Black people from rollbacks in reproductive rights and rising levels of racist violence, Woodbury added.

The poll is a monthly survey of 1,000 Black voters 18 years and older, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Hill

Fox News host Tucker Carlson predicted former President Trump will be indicted following a search at his Florida residence last week carried out by the FBI in connection with an investigation into classified information reportedly taken from the White House. Theres nothing to see here, thats the line, Carlson said on his show Monday, naming
Community activists are concerned after body and dashboard camera video captured a Cincinnati police officer using a racial slur while on duty earlier this year, our news partners at WCPO are reporting.

On April 5, Officer Rose Valentino, a 14-year CPD veteran, used the n-word in reference to a Black teen who she said flipped her off, according to an internal report, WCPO reported.

>> 2 cases of monkeypox reported in Cincinnati, according to health department

When you use a racial slur like that and youre paid by taxpayers you know theres no place for that in policing, said NAACP President Joe Mallory.

Others were stunned as well.

Its extremely surprising, activist Iris Roley told WCPO. Its surprising that this is where we are that people who are in a profession, and its not just police  anyone who works for the city has an opportunity to believe that they can use racial slurs.

One of the architects behind the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement, Roley said she found the way Valentino reacted to the teen sickening, WCPO reported.

This should not be what we allow, Roley told WCPO. It should not be the standard of policing in the city of Cincinnati or the perception that this is acceptable. It is unacceptable.

Activist Teairea Powell said she was disturbed by the video, WCPO reported.

This was a student, so like this is how you feel about a child, regardless of their race, you feel like this about a child, which says a lot about you and I think the tone of it all is just disgusting, Powell said. And watching the video, the one thing that stuck out to me was how she emphasized how she said, I hate them.

>> He is my hero; Father of fallen Clark County deputy speaks after deadly shooting

Mallory said he agreed the kind of aggression and vitriol Valentino used was disturbing, WCPO reported. He also noted it was worrisome how easily she said the word.

We expect, we have an expectation as citizens that we have a bias-free police force and that they police fair and impartially and they treat everyone with dignity and respect, Mallory said. And I have some concern about this particular officer carrying a gun and a badge out on the street with the way she feels toward a specific race of people.

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He said the incident will further strain the relationship between the police and the community, WCPO reported.

Something like this kind of deteriorates and tears that fabric of trust you know from the police side with the community and that theres always that bit of mistrust but hearing that what she said that it just confirms for a lot of people that thats the way some of them feel, he said.

It does damage; although this is one particular officer thats saying this, unfortunately, it represents the whole police department, Powell said.

They all said Valentino should be off the streets.

Theres no room at all for her on the Cincinnati police force, Powell said, WCPO reported. I also think the community and police (need to) make sure that we continue to try and make those relationships because this did do a lot of damage.

While police departments have implicit bias training, Mallory said he doesnt know if people can train the bias out of someones heart, WCPO reported. Roley agreed.

There is no training that can rid one of racist behavior... People see this as an offense and its a precursor to treatment, Roley told WCPO. If you can say that loud based on a flipping of a finger, so lets just start with the action that got the reaction, then maybe youre not suitable to be in that uniform and do that job.

According to WCPO, Fraternal Order of Police President Dan Hils said in a statement no Cincinnati Police Officer should use the N-word or any other racial slur and anyone who does is wrong.

The Fraternal Order of Police represents every Cincinnati Police Officer when theyre involved in the disciplinary process as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement, Hils said. Every officer is entitled to a fair hearing and thats what well ensure happens.

Hils said Valentino will have a department-level hearing that will likely take place in the coming weeks. WCPO reported He said a CPD police captain will hear both sides and then write a recommendation to the interim police chief.

According to police department policy, if the chief wants Valentino suspended, demoted or fired, the city manager needs to sign off, WCPO reported.
































































Brittany Mahomes is using social media to support teachers before the school year kicks off in a few weeks.

On Monday, Mahomes, co-owner of the KC Current and wife of the Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, encouraged teachers to reply to a tweet with their classroom wish lists.

She then retweeted the replies to her 270,000 plus followers. Some teachers have also tagged Mahomes on Instagram, where she has shared wish lists with more than 1.1 million followers on her Instagram story.

I encourage you to just click on one of these wish list and help these teachers out, she tweeted. They deserve it.

I encourage you to just click on one of these wish list and help these teachers out they deserve it  Brittany Mahomes (@BrittanyLynne) July 26, 2022

The entrepreneur and fitness trainer is using her platform to share out each wish list with her followers. Mahomes has not posted anything about buying items from wish lists herself.

The initial tweet has more than 3,500 likes and more than 300 retweets from teachers and supporters across the country.

Most teachers shared their wish lists along with where they teach and what subjects they focus on. Some geeked out about being retweeted by the celebrity. Others simply thanked her for being so supportive of teachers and using her platform to make a difference.

Thank you Brittany!! Im a 4th grade teacher who started with an empty classroom last year. My wishlist has basic supplies, games, activities, curriculum resources, and tons of books! Any gifts or even a RT would be a blessing!  #clearthelist https://t.co/yHsIv41zx5 pic.twitter.com/geMhreGmRu  engagetoinspire (@engageinspire22) July 26, 2022

Teachers based in California, Maryland, Illinois and even Hawaii tapped in to share their wish lists with Mahomes and her followers. Many used the hashtag #clearthelist to connect with more folks who support teachers by helping them gather supplies for their classrooms.

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Classroom wish lists can include a wide range of supplies not already provided by schools and districts to help teachers create the best learning environment for students. Some lists might include a rug for reading time, while others might include extra tissues.

Im a 5th-grade teacher and would love help sharing my classroom wish list, one teacher using the handle @kgould32 replied to Mahomes. My list has books, snacks for my students, science materials, and classroom supplies.

@BrittanyLynne and @PatrickMahomes I'm a 5th-grade teacher and would love help sharing my classroom wish list! My List has books, snacks for my students, science materials, and classroom supplies. Any help would be greatly appreciated https://t.co/haJUpI8zP6 pic.twitter.com/nqXafsPAgH  Krystle Marie (@kgould32) July 26, 2022

Another teacher in the Kansas City area is using their wish list to help convert a staff lounge into a unique lounge space for students.

I started my teaching career in kc! Im an art teacher trying to transform an old staff lounge into an art cafe for hs students- Anything helps! #clearthelist, user @aewedwards1 tweeted.

Thanks for a place to share! I started my teaching career in kc! I'm an art teacher trying to transform an old staff lounge into an art cafe for hs students- Anything helps! #clearthelist https://t.co/dRbKnBmOyt pic.twitter.com/Bx3WGi177f  Amy Wellman Edwards (@aewedwards1) July 26, 2022

Teachers on average spend around $478 of their own money on supplies for their classrooms, according to a 2015 analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics. The analysis also found that teachers who work for city schools were more likely to spend more out of pocket on classroom supplies than teachers in suburban or rural areas.

Thank you for using your platform to help share our lists! We spend thousands of our own $ on supplies. With budgets tight, every little bit helps, one Olathe-based teacher tweeted.
Kiki Sylvain / Kiki Sylvain

Kiki Sylvain has spent the last 10 years of her career breeding butterflies at her company SK Butterflies. Many different signs inspired Sylvain to start the business including the day she found a deceased butterfly on the floor of her greenhouse. Sylvains husband, Sedrick, suggested Kiki frame the butterfly. After showing him the finished product, Sedrick declared, I love it! I would buy that, and saw a potential business opportunity in Kikis newfound hobby. The couple decided to take this butterfly journey to the next level and start a business.

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In this edition of our Small Business Spotlight series, Sylvain (who was nominated by her mom for our Spotlight!) joins us to talk about her Miami-based business and its wide range of cruelty-free butterfly offerings, the challenges of butterfly breeding and what goes into making butterfly jewelry.

How would you describe SK Butterflies and its offerings?

We are butterfly breeders. We offer a wide range of native butterflies, caterpillars, plants and artwork using exotic and native preserved butterflies. All of our butterflies are farm raised and cruelty free. SK butterflies will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in August 2022.

Where does the name SK Butterflies originate from?

The first initial in my husband and Is first names: Sedrick and Kikis butterflies.

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Starting a business in which the primary offering is based around breeding butterflies is incredibly unique! Did you have a background of working with or breeding butterflies beforehand?

Thank you! I do not have a background of breeding insects or butterflies. I did study horticulture in college though. Most of my knowledge came from YouTube university  pun intended.

Kiki Sylvain / Kiki Sylvain

Part of SK Butterflies offerings include beautiful jewelry and home decor that uses recycled butterfly wings. How are you able to recycle these parts of a butterfly into fashion? Does the process take a long time to do?

Instead of discarding my deceased butterfly wings, I prefer to recycle them into pieces that are going to provide them the opportunity to live a life after death. If the butterflies are still in good condition after they perish, I will use the whole specimen as home decor. If the butterfly wings are too battered after they perish, I find a small piece that still looks preservable and make jewelry. My jewelry takes 24-48 hours to fully complete.

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What were some of the challenges you have faced, and overcome, in running SK Butterflies? Im curious about any challenges that come with breeding butterflies as well as challenges that might have been presented to your business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of my earliest challenges were creating products that people would be interested in purchasing. My butterfly frames were the hardest things to sell back in 2012. Another challenge was maintaining a relationship with my clients, such as personalizing and custom making items per their request.

Breeding butterflies, although fun, can be challenging. I must make sure outside predators are not hurting the butterflies. I try my best to ensure their survival rate is maximized. They all deserve to live a fulfilling life.

All of the butterfly stages are important for breeding. This is why I take pride in my butterfly enclosure, keeping them safe to the best of my ability.

Our business did better than ever during the pandemic. Our online sales skyrocketed due to everyone being home during lockdown.

Kiki Sylvain / Kiki Sylvain

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a business owner?

Being able to make my passion for success into a reality. Having my daughter help me in the business is certainly the most rewarding aspect of all.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business?

Be consistent. Be open minded. Dont be too hard on yourself.

What is your favorite butterfly family?

The monarch is my favorite butterfly. She is the most resilient.

What does the future hold for SK Butterflies throughout 2022 and beyond?

We plan to supply chrysalis and butterflies to conservatories, schools and museums.

Shop SK Butterflies on Etsy and its website to place an order and learn more about its products!

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Butterfly Breeding: Discover Natural Beauty at This Unique Business
In the closing weeks of her campaign, Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican, is up with a new TV ad that contrasts her primary opponents' stances about fraud in the 2020 election with her own.

The ad, first shared with CBS News, features comments made about the 2020 election by three of her primary opponents during their June debate.

It opens up with her main opponent, Trump-backed trial attorney Harriet Hageman saying, "We have serious questions about the 2020 election."

The ad is another sign that Cheney, who is vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is doubling down on her battle against the baseless claims from former President Donald Trump and GOP allies that the 2020 election was stolen.

"We've got to elect serious leaders. We have to elect leaders who will take their oath of office seriously. Leaders who won't simply say what they think people want to hear," Cheney says in the closing of the ad.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Vice Chairwoman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, delivers closing remarks during a prime-time hearing in the Cannon House Office Building on July 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. / Credit: / Getty Images

During that debate on June 30, Hageman criticized Cheney and the Jan. 6 committee, and said "they're not focusing on the issues that are important to the people in Wyoming." At one point in the debate, Cheney challenged Hageman directly to say the 2020 election was not stolen. After Hageman didn't directly respond, Cheney said her challenger is "completely beholden" to Trump.

Two other primary candidates, state Sen. Anthony Bouchard and businesswoman Robyn Belinsky, are also shown in the ad referencing the 2020 election.

Since June, at least 11 TV ads on the Wyoming primary have been up on the air, with five of them coming from Cheney and six from Hageman's campaign or allied groups such as the Club for Growth Action, according to data from ad tracking firm AdImpact. Since June, Cheney has been the top individual spender on ads, with $1.8 million spent.

She has led the field in fundraising this cycle with $13 million raised this cycle compared to $3.8 million for Hageman.

Cheney's fifth ad is out the same week as one by the pro-Hageman Wyoming Values PAC, who placed a $500,000 ad buy in the final three weeks of the campaign that uses Cheney's vote for the bipartisan gun control bill to tie her to Democrats. Hageman also released an ad Tuesday that focuses on her work representing a farmer that was being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

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In response to the new Cheney ad, Hageman campaign adviser and former Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said, "Wyoming is fed up with Liz Cheney and no amount of television ads funded by Democrats from California will ever change that."

The three term congresswoman is facing her toughest re-election yet. A recent independent poll by the Casper Star-Tribune had Hageman leading by 22 points, a similar margin to other internal polls by Hageman and allies.

GOP activists back in Wyoming have also turned on the historically conservative congresswoman, and the state's Republican central committee narrowly voted to no longer recognize her as a Republican in November 2021.

Congressional Republicans have also gotten behind Hageman. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has had a frosty relationship with Cheney since she was booted as the House Republican Chair, said Tuesday that he'd be at his own event in Wyoming on Aug. 16, the day of the primary.

In June, Cheney's campaign sent a mailer out to all voters about how they could change their party affiliation to register as a Republican, an indirect appeal to a combined 78,210 registered Democratic and Independent voters, according to July 1 data from Wyoming's secretary of state. Republicans make up more than 71% of registered voters in Wyoming.

Wyoming law allows for voters to change their party affiliation on election day, something Trump and the state party pushed for the state's Republican-led legislature to get rid of.

In a statement, Cheney said "damn right" that she'd inform all voters about the voting rules. "If any eligible voter living in Wyoming wishes to become a Republican, they are free to do so. That is their right," she said.

Since she voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, Cheney's race has been a top priority for the former president. He backed Hageman in Sept. 2021 and held a rally in Casper, the state's second-largest city, in May.

And on Saturday in Florida, over 2,000 miles away from Wyoming, Trump made little mention of the recent Jan. 6 public hearings themselves but made sure to take a quick dig at Cheney by calling her "unhinged.

In 2020, Cheney and Trump both got just under 70% of the vote, with Trump recording just 7,827 more votes than what Cheney got.

Cheney's involvement in the Jan. 6 select committee has resulted in very public spats between her and Trump over his actions after the 2020 election. She raised the prospects of witness tampering in one hearing after saying Trump called someone who had privately spoken to the committee, something Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich called a lie.

The feud between Cheney and Trump has the possibility of extending into 2024. The former president hinted again at a third run during a Tuesday speech in Washington, D.C.

"They want to damage me so I cannot go back to work for you. And I don't think that's going to happen," Trump said as the crowd chanted "four more years."

When asked by CNN on Sunday, Cheney did not shut the door on a potential run in 2024 and said she'd make that call "down the road." In her closing remarks for the eighth Jan. 6 hearing, Cheney alluded to a potential future run for Trump.

"Can a president who is willing to make the choices Donald Trump made during the violence of Jan. 6 ever be trusted with any position of authority in our great nation again?" she said.

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In this May 22, 2020, file photo, a car drives past the Federal Reserve building in Washington. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

China has targeted Federal Reserve employees for more than a decade, a Senate investigation said.

It repeatedly detained one man and threatened his family if he didn't give up data, the report said.

China's aim is to undermine US economic policy and steal information, the investigation said.

China repeatedly detained a US Federal Reserve employee, including in a hotel room, and threatened his family in an effort to force him to hand over sensitive US economic data, according to a new Senate investigation.

Officials in China "forcibly detained" the economist four separate times when he visited Shanghai in 2019, the investigation found.

The officials also "allegedly tapped the employee's phones and computers, and copied the contact information of other Federal Reserve officials from the individual's WeChat account," the report said.

Officials first detained him in his hotel room, where they said they had been monitoring his phone conversations, and "accused him of committing crimes against China," per the report.

They approached him three more times, and told him that he had to cooperate with the Chinese government and share confidential data, it said.

The report was published Tuesday by the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

It did not say whether the man gave any data to the Chinese officials. It said that Fed officials passed the case to the State Department and FBI, and that the FBI interviewed the man but would not comment further.

Insider contacted the State Department and FBI for comment.

The report characterized the hotel incident as part of a broader attempt by China to steal information and to "target, influence, and undermine the US Federal Reserve" since at least 2013.

The investigation accused the Fed of not properly responding to these efforts, and recommended steps for the Federal Reserve and Congress to tighten security.

GOP Sen. Rob Portman, the ranking member of the committee, said in a statement: "As our investigation reveals, the Chinese government is using every tool at its disposal to infiltrate and steal valuable information."

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"We cannot let the American taxpayer continue to unwittingly fund China's military and economic rise which is why our report makes strong recommendations to enhance and protect our Federal Reserve."

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell cast doubt on the investigation's overall findings in a letter to Portman, Politico reported.

Powell argued that the Fed had strong policies against interference and said its officials "respectfully reject any suggestions to the contrary."

Read the original article on Business Insider
BEIJING (AP)  Chinas government on Wednesday rejected as a political lie a report by The Wall Street Journal that Beijing tried to recruit informants in the Federal Reserve system to obtain U.S. economic data.

The report, citing an investigation by a Senate panel, adds to accusations of Chinese computer hacking and other efforts to steal U.S. commercial and government information.

The report has no factual basis, said a foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian.

The Journal said Chinese authorities tried to recruit employees of regional Fed banks by offering contracts. It said an employee who visited Shanghai in 2019 during U.S.-Chinese trade tension was threatened with prison to pressure the employee to disclose data including about tariffs.

The report you mentioned is a political lie fabricated by a few Republican lawmakers who harbor ill intentions, Zhao said in response to questions at a regular news briefing. He blamed China-phobia and persecution mania.

The Journal said the Senate panels report gave no indication whether sensitive information was lost in the decade-long effort that began in about 2013. It said internal Fed information could give insight into economic analysis, financial system oversight and interest rate policy.
China Space (Xinhua)

China is tracking an out-of-control rocket that is set to fall to Earth in the coming days, it has said.

The country committed to provide information on the rockets movements in a timely manner, its foreign ministry said.

There are fears that the rocket could drop unpredictably down to Earth, and could pose a danger to any populated areas that it drops onto.

The Long March 5B rocket was launched over the weekend. Since then, it has begun falling back down to Earth  with even China seemingly unable to predict where exactly it will fall.

It is an international practice to allow stages of rockets to burn up on re-entering of earths atmosphere, said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular media briefing, when asked if China knows when and where the rocket debris could land.

It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design and most components will be ablated and destroyed during reentry, with a very low probability of causing harm to aviation and the ground, Zhao said.

Additional reporting by Reuters
A woman was detained after being accused of honoring Japanese war criminals at a Buddhist temple in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

Wu Aping, 31, drew the publics ire after news broke out on social media that she enshrined six memorial tablets, five of which were dedicated to four Japanese soldiers who took part in the 1937-38 Nanjing Massacre and were convicted of war crimes, at Xuanzang Temple. The sixth tablet was for American missionary teacher Wilhelmina Minnie Vautrin, who protected Chinese refuge-seekers at the time.

Started by the invading Imperial Japanese Army on Dec. 13, 1937, the Nanjing Massacre, also called the Nanking Massacre, spanned six weeks of rampant looting, murder and rape. According to Chinese estimates, the brutal slaughter left over 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers dead.

According to local officials in Nanjing, Wu started paying for the inscription and maintenance of the tablets at the Buddhist temple in 2018. She was detained shortly after Weibo users condemned the act online and called for disciplinary action against the officials.

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As a result, the temples director and deputy director of the ethnic and religious affairs bureau of the related district of Xuanwu, as well as its principal monk, have all been dismissed.

Meanwhile, Wu was detained over picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a charge that could lead to a five-year prison sentence.

Upon questioning, Wu told the authorities that after visiting Nanjing and learning about the atrocities that occurred during the Japanese invasion, she was traumatized and experienced nightmares about it.

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She reportedly claimed to have been so disturbed by the brutality of the Japanese soldiers that she thought worshiping them would help ease her mental suffering. She was also convinced that paying tributes would free the soul of Vautrin, who had killed herself because of war trauma.

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Wu, a former nurse who became a lay Buddhist, reportedly said that the people she dedicated the six tablets to are her friends.

She was also discovered by investigators to have been put on hypnotic and sedative drugs after being hospitalized three times for insomnia and anxiety since 2017.

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In response to the backlash, Buddhist associations in China started making inspections of their memorial tablets mandatory.

Featured Image via TVBS News

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Chip Ganassi Racing filed a civil lawsuit in Marion County Superior Court against its IndyCar driver Alex Palou this week, according to court documents. Palou, who won the series title in 2021 in his first season with CGR, is named as a defendant in the civil suit, along with ALPA Racing, which documents filed on Ganassi's behalf list as Palou's "racing entity."

Alex Palou is under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing through the end of the 2023 season," the team said in an email to IndyStar. "He is a valued member of our team, and we will continue to support him in chasing wins, podiums, and IndyCar championships. As the result of a competing racing team improperly attempting to contract with him notwithstanding the clear terms of our contract, we are proceeding to legal process pursuant to the contract.

Any and all inquiries on the matter will be handled by our legal counsel.

Palou's management team declined to comment to IndyStar.

Though Ganassi's attorneys filed to seal CGR's official complaint, as well as four exhibits in the case, the filing is believed to involve the team's ongoing contract dispute with the 25-year-old driver. Just after 3 p.m. on July 12, Ganassi announced it had picked up Palou's team option for the 2023 IndyCar season, locking down the driver of the No. 10 Honda for at least another year.

Inside Alex Palou's wild week:'I just hope he's not (expletive)-ing up his career.'

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (10) waits for the start of practice Friday, May 27, 2022, during Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Less than four hours later, Palou disputed the notion on Twitter, claiming the team had issued the release without his consent and included a quote that neither he nor his management team had approved that statement about his excitement for returning for the upcoming season. In the series of tweets, Palou also said he'd previously told CGR officials he did not intend to continue with the team after 2022 "for personal reasons."

Minutes later, McLaren Racing sent a news release announcing it had signed Palou to a multi-year deal starting in 2023 to race in a series that would be announced at a future date.

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According to court documents, Palou and ALPA Racing were served summons at addresses in Palou's native Spain, as well as an address presumed to be Palou's current residence in Carmel. According to court documents, Chip Ganassi Racing is being represented by four attorneys: John Maley, Mark Owens and Dylan Pittman of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, as well as James Voyles of Voyles Vaiana Lukemeyer Baldwin & Webb. Attorneys for Palou and ALPA Racing were not listed.

May 14, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team owner Chip Ganassi during qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Chip Ganassi Racing filed its motion to seal its civil complaint, as well as four of its supporting exhibits from public access, stating they contained "confidential business information" regarding Palou's IndyCar deal with CGR, as well as correspondence between the two parties. Not under seal exist three pieces of evidence Ganassi included on behalf of its case, including a portion of Palou's tweet thread from July 12. Ganassi also included a copy of McLaren Racing's tweet announcing Palou's signing that evening, as well as McLaren Racing's press release detailing the news.

Ganassi has filed a request for a prompt hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction, requesting that it be heard before the end of August. This year's season-finale at Laguna Seca is scheduled for Sept. 11, after which Palou stated in his tweets he plans to join McLaren Racing.

According to court documents, Ganassi has filed an emergency motion for expedited discovery "to prepare for a prompt preliminary injunction hearing." Ganassi has requested the defendants and third parties involved (i.e. McLaren Indy and McLaren Racing) to respond to their requests "completely and without evasion within 14 days of service."

'It'll be up to the lawyers'

Ganassi's lawsuit comes just days before Palou is set to compete on the IMS road course this weekend. The driver of the No. 10 Honda sits 6th in the points race -- 44 points back of teammate Marcus Ericsson -- with five races remaining. Despite Palou and McLaren's assertions to the contrary earlier this month, CGR officials still maintain Palou is contracted to drive for them in 2023. And yet, as Palou told IndyStar this past weekend at Iowa Speedway, the team swiftly took away his access to engineering data away from the track between July 12 and CGR's arrival in Toronto July 14 for that weekend's race.

More:Palou says Ganassi took away remote data access

"I'm just going to let my people work this out," Palou said Friday. "It's something I don't really know how to do. It's messy, and I don't like that kind of stuff. Instead of trying to understand what's going on and trying to do everything perfectly, I'm going to try and do everything perfectly on-track and let my people sort it out."

NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (10) stands next to his car during Armed Forces practice and qualifying day for the 106th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A week earlier in Toronto, Palou said he had full trust in his management team at Monaco Increase Management and believed everything they'd done on his behalf was by the book. Even still, he wasn't about to commit to knowing how the next several weeks and months would shake out.

"I've never been in this position, so I have no idea," Palou told IndyStar in Toronto. "I'm not gonna tell you, 'Yeah, we're going to catch a beer and solve it.' I have no idea, but hopefully it's going to be that way. But I have 100% the power of what I can do."

Arrow McLaren SP driver Felix Rosenqvist has said since Toronto that the conflict would reach this level. Rosenqvist, contracted to race in some capacity for McLaren Racing in 2023 and beyond, would end up in Formula E next year, should Palou land with AMSP in 2023 alongside Pato O'Ward and Alexander Rossi.

"I know (IndyCar) is still a possibility (for me), if X, Y and Z happen, and I'm no magician or predictor," Felix said pre-race at Toronto. "But this is gonna mean lawyers and god knows what else is going to happen."

Rosenqvist added Sunday: "I don't know what's going on there, but at the moment, it doesn't sound like (Palou's) going to race at all (next year). Yeah, it'll be up to the lawyers."

Ganassi, meanwhile, has been silent on the matter, declining multiple interview requests from IndyStar in recent weeks to discuss his spat with Palou or even his team's triumphant weekend in Toronto where team veteran Scott Dixon picked up his first win of 2022 and the team put three drivers in the top-6.

Following that weekend, Ericsson reasoned that his relationship with Palou hadn't changed, but Dixon and second-year Ganassi driver Jimmie Johnson had made concerted efforts to distance themselves from Palou in reaction to the developments.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (10) and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon (9) celebrate after claiming the top two spots Sunday, May 22, 2022, during the second day of qualifying for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

"It sounds pretty complicated. To me, I was just really disappointed in how it was handled," Dixon told IndyStar in Toronto. "For me, honesty is key, man. Loyalty is as well, but this is a small community, and it can change how you're looked upon or respected quite quickly. My personal view from myself and how I would've done this? It wouldn't have looked like this.

"All my deals with Chip have been very straight-forward. We sit down, have a chat at what everybody's looking at doing, and even when I've had options, I've gone to him and said, 'These are my options. What should we do?' I've always respected the black-and-white function of how the operation's been with me."

Scott Dixon speaks on team drama:Veteran Ganassi driver 'disappointed' in Palou's contract saga

Alex Palou speaks on contract saga:'I have 100% the power of what I can do'

Insider:Ganassi still silent, but team's actions do the talking in 'chaotic' Toronto week

Chip Ganassi talks with Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (10) Saturday, May 22, 2021, during qualifying for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in all this is how starkly the landscape has changed from a year ago, when Ganassi was heaping praise on his young title-winner who won in his first race with CGR, finished on the podium in 50% of the races and generally was unfazed as Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward and even Dixon were breathing down his neck.

In May of 2021, before Helio Castroneves narrowly edged him in the Indy 500, Ganassi scoffed at the idea of this young wave of drivers coming into the series and supplanting legends like Dixon from the top of the sport. "Youth movements come along, but champions endure. That's what Scott Dixon does," Ganassi said.

By September, his tone had changed. Palou, it seemed then, was his next cornerstone driver of the future. "He's a lot like Dixon," Ganassi said of Palou in Long Beach. "Kind of not a lot of baggage. Just focuses. A lot like, yeah, Dixon."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing sues Alex Palou amid contract dispute
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been hired by startup cable network NewsNation to host a show in primetime this fall.

Cuomo on Tuesday evening appeared as a guest on Dan Abramss prime-time show on NewsNation, his first television appearance since being fired by CNN, just before the outlet announced his hiring. Cuomo discussed with Abrams his new role at the network and spoke on the scandal that led to his firing last year.

I dont think Ive ever been a victim of anything ever in my life.  I dont feel sorry for myself, Cuomo told Abrams. You make choices. You make a choice to be in this business. You make a choice to be in that dynamic and to want to be relevant. And its not always going to be easy. Its not always going to be fair.

CNN suspended and then fired Cuomo in December, parting ways with its top-rated prime-time anchor after he was found to have misled executives at the cable news giant about his contacts with aides to his brother Andrew Cuomo and journalists covering the sexual harassment scandal that led to the former New York governors resignation.

I never contacted any media who were covering my brother to try to affect their coverage, Cuomo told Abrams on Monday. I talk to people in the media all the time. Theyre most of the people in my life.

Cuomos firing also came just days after CNN reportedly received a letter from an attorney for a woman claiming the anchor had sexually assaulted her years ago.

Cuomo has denied those allegations and in March hit CNN with a $125 million arbitration claim, with his attorneys arguing in a filing that his journalistic integrity had been unjustifiably smeared as a result of the firing, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future.

None of this happened, Cuomo said when pressed by Abrams about the womans allegation. This will be part of the litigation. I denied it. I am concerned about giving attention to stories. I am concerned about distracting from whats supposed to matter to people. All I can do is deny the allegations.

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The scandal involving Cuomo ultimately led to the ouster of former CNN President Jeff Zucker in February after the outlets parent company Warner Bros. Discovery conducted an internal investigation that found Zucker had violated the companys professional and personal conduct policies.

As for CNN, Ill never be a hater, Cuomo said last week on the first episode of a new podcast he recently launched dubbed The Chris Cuomo Project. CNN has great people. CNN has a great purpose. And I wish them all the best. And I miss so many of the people there. But its time for me to move on.

NewsNation, which features a weekday morning news show and a slate of prime-time host-driven commentary and analysis programs, was recently launched by Nexstar Media Group, a company that owns and operates dozens of local television stations across the country.

Nexstar Media Group also owns The Hill, which it purchased last summer.

Pledging a commitment to providing what it has said in promotional materials will be more balanced news coverage compared to the other more highly rated cable news channels, the network has in recent months hired a slew of talent from other networks and national media companies, including Washington Post columnist George Will and former top Fox News editor Chris Stirewalt.

Last May, NewsNation hired Michael Corn, the former senior executive producer of ABC Newss Good Morning America, as its president of news. Cuomo previously worked at ABC as an anchor of its weekday morning program before joining CNN in 2014. Abrams is currently chief legal analyst for ABC.

In announcing Cuomos hiring, Sean Compton, Nexstar Media Inc.s president of networks, said the former CNN anchor would further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows.

NewsNation believes in the work I am doing with the Chris Cuomo Project and I look forward to building something special here  covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus, Cuomo said in a statement issued through the network.

I had decided that I cant go back to what people see as the big game. I dont think I can make a difference there. I think we need insurgent media. We need outlets that arent fringe and just trying to fill their pockets  Im going to do the job, Cuomo told Abrams on Tuesday. Im going to go where the news is and Im going to try very hard to be fair and I want to do it here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jul. 26The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is calling for Cincinnati Public Schools to reform its disciplinary policies and terminate its contract with the Cincinnati Police Department after polling showed significant disapproval over vast racial disparities within the district's disciplinary record.

The study, which was published in April 2021 after joint research from the ACLU and the Young Activist Coalition-Cincinnati (YAC), showed how Cincinnati Police Department's "...School Resource Officers (SROs) administer racially disparate discipline in Cincinnati Public Schools," a release said.

A later release, which published data from the 2021-2022 school year, said Black students were also much more likely to receive "exclusionary discipline," which the ACLU alleged "unnecessarily removes students from learning."

In total, more than 10,000 CPS students annually face exclusionary discipline, which includes suspensions, expulsions and alternative placements, the ACLU said.

The ACLU's data showed that in an average school year, Black students  who make up 63% of the district's nearly 36,000 students  made up 93% of out-of school suspensions; 89% of police referrals; 85% of in-school suspensions; and 78% of expulsions.

Janine De Iorio, a spokesperson for CPS, said the district is aware of existing disparities  both locally and nationwide  and is continually working to mend them.

"While our district has improved its Student Code of Conduct, implemented restorative justice programs and increased mental health support staff, we recognize more work needs to be done to further reduce these disparities in our schools," De Iorio said in a statement.

The district's new superintendent Iranetta Wright said student discipline has been a key focus during the first few months of her tenure.

"We need to place a stronger emphasis on implementing and monitoring our restorative justice program at every school, build more social emotional learning lessons into the curriculum, better leverage our mental health professionals and social workers at every school, and participate in joint training with SROs to ensure they better understand their roles in our schools," Wright said.

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CPS also said that the police department's SROs are "...not responsible for school discipline, including emergency removals, suspensions and/or expulsions."

However, the ACLU said that more than 400 students annually will have a negative interaction with the justice system as a result of discipline within CPS. On average, a year will have 81 arrests, 135 warrants issued, and 191 summons or referrals of CPS students. The ACLU alleges that most of these instances could "...have been handled by school staff instead of police."

As a result, the ACLU and YAC have asked for CPS to terminate its contract with the Cincinnati Police Department, which would remove school resource officers from the district's classrooms.

Elena Thompson, a legal fellow at the ACLU of Ohio, said that a "...vast majority of school incidents can and should be handled by teachers or school administrators and should not merit police intervention."

De Iorio said there are "additional environmental aspects" that can have an impact on

For CPS, the district is wary of oversimplifying the causes of this disciplinary disparity.

"In addition to school discipline, there are additional environmental aspects that impact a child's life that can lead to devastating consequences," De Iorio said. "CPS believes labeling School Resource Officers (SROs) as the root cause of a "School-to-Prison" pipeline does not address the multiple needs and challenges that occur outside of school."

Following the findings, a recent ACLU poll found that many district stakeholders are unhappy with the current contract between CPS and CPD, as 53% of polled parents and 65% of polled recent graduates expressed disapproval.

Further research from the ACLU showed that, in the 2021-2022 school year, Black students were 15x more likely to be expelled with instruction, 8x more likely to be expelled without instruction, 6x more likely to receive out-of-school suspension.

"The goal of our campaign is to remove police from schools and replace the punitive disciplinary practices that so often target Black and brown children with restorative and transformative justice," said Bella Gordo in a release, a CPS student and the current president of YAC.

Gordo asked for parents and residents to be active at school board meetings in an effort to terminate the district's contract with CPD and achieve "...police removal, restorative justice in schools, and a supportive, uplifting environment for all students."
Police are searching for two people they say shot and killed a convenience store clerk during a robbery on Tuesday night.

The City of South Fulton Police Department is investigating a homicide at the Quick Pick Food Mart on Welcome All Road in South Fulton.

Police say when they got to the store, they found the clerk had been shot several times. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Fulton County Medical Examiners Office identified the clerk as 44-year-old Anatoli Zanabe.

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Sayed Buhari, the store owner and Zanabes brother-in-law, was holding back tears as he tried to make sense of the senseless killing of his co-worker and loved one, whom his family knew as Tony.

Why you kill him? Why you kill him? he wondered aloud. You could have shot him some other place...He has a family.

Surveillance video captured two masked men come into the store and rob the clerk before shots rang out.

Police said the same two men robbed a Dollar General down the road before robbing the Quick Pick.

TRENDING STORIES:

A witness, who did not want to be identified, told Channel 2s Candace McCowan that she walked in on the robbery as it was happening. She says the gunmen were shouting for the clerk to open the door to get behind the counter.

Next thing I know, the guy had the door open and they was telling him, Give me the money! Give me cigarettes! just asking for all types of items and stuff, she said.

She says the clerk handed over everything, but it wasnt enough.

Just shot him like eight times, she explained. I just dropped down because I thought maybe they would kill me too.

Thats when the witness said she began begging the gunmen for her life.

I threw my hands up and I was like, Please, dont kill me. Dont kill me. He was like, You alright, ma, she said.

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Detectives say each suspect was wearing just one glove.

The men could possibly be traveling in a newer-model Bronze Chevrolet Malibu, police say, but they have not been identified.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A federal appeals court in Boston heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could make it harder for students to maintain their anonymity when suing colleges over the handling of complaints related to sexual misconduct.

Lawyers for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former computer engineering student at the prestigious school squared off over a lower-court judges denial of the former students request that he be allowed to proceed as John Doe in the case and that the fellow student who accused him of misconduct also be identified by a pseudonym in court filings.

Attorney Philip Byler told the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns requiring that the plaintiff either file under his true name or dismiss the suit was unfair and contrary to the custom in such cases.

This is the standard practice in the field, Byler told the three-judge panel. I think were all flabbergasted by what the district judge wrote here.

A ruling declining to disturb Stearns decision stripping secrecy from the case could discourage some suits against colleges and universities over their campus discipline processes, particularly in cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct or sexual assault.

The suit that led to Wednesdays arguments was filed last year after MIT kicked out a male student accused of having sexual intercourse with a former girlfriend while she was asleep. The school also found the male student engaged in sexual harassment of the same woman, but the breach-of-contract suit alleges that the investigation and the process were severely biased.

Byler said the tradition of allowing parties to proceed by pseudonyms in litigation involving intimate matters goes back decades.

Roe v Wade has been in the news, he observed. That is a case where pseudonymity was recognized.

However, 1st Circuit Judge Bruce Selya noted that many sorts of litigation involve sensitive personal matters, but typically proceed with parties using their real names.

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What youre just said is true of many types of litigation, the judge said to Byler. Every time you file a personal injury case you reveal personal information.

But Byler said his clients career as a software engineer would be upended if his name were published.

Anybody who thinks that if youre identified with a sexual misconduct finding that thats not going to hurt you, they are totally mistaken, he said, adding that strong lawsuits would likely never be filed if doing so meant going public. Without the pseudonymous status, many people would not bring the lawsuits  Hes got a meritorious case. He should not be denied his MIT degree. Thats what is at stake here. He was just a few weeks away from graduation.

MIT lawyer Scott Roberts said lawyers for the student suing in the case at issue simply failed to show that he would face the sort of severe harm that would justify secrecy.

Granting pseudonymous status is exceptional, Roberts said. It presents a very high bar and it was not cleared here.

Selya pressed the MIT attorney on why the usual confidentiality of campus discipline proceedings should be tossed aside because someone involved decides to go to court.

Why should that confidentiality be destroyed because one party to that proceeding believes that his rights have not been honored?  Why should he be forced to vindicate that point on pain of sacrificing the anonymity? asked the judge, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan.

Roberts said the suit calls out MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles by name three times and accuses the school of being in the grip of radical feminists.

That is simply not the case, the MIT attorney said. Its fundamentally unfair to allow a plaintiff to make serious allegations in court without standing as they must in the public forum.

But Selya seemed suspicious about MITs motivations for seeking to expose its opponent in the suit.

What is the prejudice to MIT? Why are you fighting this motion so hard? he said. Is it a tit-for-tat sort of thing?

In response to a question from Judge Rogeriee Thompson, an appointee of President Barack Obama, Roberts said MIT would not oppose anonymity in all cases and might agree to it if a student faced unusual harm from disclosure of his or her identity.

Its not a blanket rule, he said, adding that immigration status might be a legitimate reason for secrecy.

Judge Gustavo Gelpi, an appointee of President Joe Biden, noted that the student who brought the suit never offered any specific facts about the impacts of anonymity in his case.

The appeals judges issued no immediate ruling, but they seemed unlikely to overturn Stearns decision outright. There was some discussion by the judges of allowing the plaintiff to take another run at requesting secrecy in the case by submitting more details of the potential impact of publicity.

The outcome of the case could be affected by a decision the 1st Circuit issued earlier this month in litigation involving Maine state employees protesting that states coronavirus vaccination requirements. There, the appeals court rebuffed a request from employees with religious objections to proceed without using their names.

Looking at cases across the country, Judge Sandra Lynch found a strong presumption against the use of pseudonyms in civil litigation.

However, some lawyers who represent alleged victims in campus sexual misconduct cases are backing the accused students position, arguing that the victims might also be identified publicly or be ordered released if the accuseds name cannot be kept under wraps.
Atletico Madrid fans have urged the club to rule out signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, displaying a protest at a pre-season friendly and warning that he is the antithesis of the clubs values of modesty and humility.

Atletico have been one of the clubs linked to signing Ronaldo since it was reported that the 37-year-old wanted to leave Manchester United this summer and the Portuguese internationals agent, Jorge Mendes, has used the Spanish club to stoke up interest.

Ronaldo had a successful spell playing with Atleticos city rivals Real Madrid and had a fractious relationship with their fans during his time in Spain. Ronaldo also has a history of scoring important goals against Atletico, including the winning penalty in the 2016 Champions League final.

While Atleticos president Enrique Cerezo said a move for Ronaldo was practically impossible due to financial reasons on Wednesday, one of the clubs official supporters groups released a statement demanding that they distance themselves from the forward. A banner was also unfurled during Atleticos friendly match against CD Numancia, stating: CR7 not welcome.

The statement from the Union Internacional de Penas Atletico de Madrid read: "In light of the possibility of signing Cristiano Ronaldo, if it is more than a simple rumour without any basis, we express our absolute rejection of his hypothetical joining of our club.

"The aforementioned player represents the antithesis of the values that constitute the hallmarks of our Atleti, such as the effort, generosity, modesty and humility of those who want to defend our values.

"Even in the highly unlikely hypothetical case that a player in steep decline such as Cristiano Ronaldo could guarantee us a trophy, we wouldnt accept his signing. The sense of being a part of our Atletico feeling isnt within his reach, unfortunately for him, and as such he could never receive our affection or recognition.

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"As such, we ask the club to reject his possible signing, if it has indeed been considered at any time."

Ronaldos future has been the subject of intense speculation since he did not travel on Uniteds pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, citing family reasons.

Ronaldo is understood to want to join a club with a realistic chance to win the Champions League and compete for major honours.

Manchester United have been insistent that Ronaldo is not for sale and the 37-year-old held showdown talks at Uniteds Carrington training base with agent Mendes and manager Erik ten Hag on Tuesday.
Average daily volumes (ADV) at Bullish cryptocurrency exchange in the second quarter of the year rose by about 212% to US$522 million, up from US$167 million in the first quarter, according to a business update released on July 26. The exchange is operated by Bullish (GI) Limited and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission.

See related article: Bitcoin, Ether trade lower ahead of FOMC meeting

Fast facts

Total trading fees and spreads earned in the second quarter gained about 237% to US$64 million, up from US$19 million in the first quarter, the Cayman Islands-based cryptocurrency exchange said in a statement.

Junes ADV stood at US$857 million while fees and spreads stood at US$37 million.

Total cumulative trading volume since the exchange was launched exceeded US$80 billion in July.

Bullish reportedly laid off under 30 employees earlier this month  or roughly 8% of a total of about 395 employees  joining a growing list of companies, like Coinbase and Gemini, looking to cut costs. Bullish is simultaneously hiring people for product, engineering and other strategic roles.

Bullish has also announced proprietary range-bound liquidity pool technology on the platform, allowing capital within a liquidity pool to be condensed into a range closer to the current market price, the company said.

The exchange had planned to be taken public in a deal with a special purpose acquisition company, Far Peak Acquisition. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, would see Bullish traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange.

See related article: Wall Street seems to sense opportunity in distressed crypto markets
PRAGUE (Reuters) -The Czech government has backed allowing its fighter jets to protect neighbouring Slovakia's air space from September, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

Slovakia has sought help from its NATO allies as it looks to ground its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets in August under long-standing plans to modernise the military.

Slovak government officials have said the old jets could be sent to neighbouring Ukraine to help Kyiv defend itself against Russia's invasion.

From September, the Czech army's Gripen JAS-39 fighter jets will provide air policing for Slovakia until at least the end of 2023, the Czech Defence Ministry said. Poland is also expected to take part, it said.

More details will come as part of a joint declaration from the countries to be signed in the near future.

Slovakia borders Ukraine in the east and has been an entry point for refugees fleeing fighting during the five-month war. Bratislava has also backed Kyiv with weapons and other aid, and NATO is boosting its presence in Slovakia.

The Slovak government ordered F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 2018 to replace the ageing MiG-29 planes.

The first U.S.-made planes were expected to arrive this year and the shipment to be completed in the next year, but the delivery is now expected to take place in 2024.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by John Stonestreet and Alison Williams)
Story at a glance

Jerry Jones used an insensitive word in a press conference earlier Tuesday when referring to former Cowboys scouting director Larry Lacewell, who died at age 85 in May.

Little People of America (LPA), the worlds oldest and largest dwarfism support organization, pushed to abolish the word in 2015.

LPA said the term was never coined as the official term to identify people with dwarfism but was created as a label used to refer to people of short stature who were on public display for curiosity and sport.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones issued an apology Tuesday after using a derogatory term to identify little people earlier in the day.

Earlier today I made a reference which I understand may have been viewed as offensive. I apologize, Jones said on Tuesday evening.

Jones used the insensitive word in a press conference earlier Tuesday when referring to former Cowboys scouting director Larry Lacewell, who died at age 85 in May.

Stephen [Jones] and I went over to Jonesboro and a lot of our staff, certainly our scouts, and wanted to give a big memorial to Lace, Jones reportedly said.

Lace held court out here (in Oxnard). Im going to get me somebody, a [M-word], to stand up there with me and dress him up like Lace and think Lace is still out here helping at practice with us, Jones added.

Little People of America (LPA), the worlds oldest and largest dwarfism support organization, pushed to abolish the word, saying it was never coined as the official term to identify people with dwarfism, but was created as a label used to refer to people of short stature who were on public display for curiosity and sport.

Today, the word midget is considered a derogatory slur. The dwarfism community has voiced that they prefer to be referred to as dwarfs, little people, people of short stature or having dwarfism, or simply, and most preferably, by their given name.

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M is a term that has widely been known to be derogatory for years and should be common knowledge to anyone in the public arena, such as Jerry Jones, LPA told TMZ in a statement.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Damien Hirst at an exhibition entitled Cherry Blossoms. (Getty Images)

Damien Hirst has said he is going to burn thousands of his own paintings as part of a project looking at art as currency.

Hirst, who has been one of Britain's best known artists since the 1990's, plans to destroy the works of art at his own London gallery.

In 2016, Hirst created 10,000 individual dot paintings that were later sold as non fungible tokens (NFTs) for $2,000 (1,662) each.

The buyers were then told they could either keep the NFT or exchange it for a physical painting, but would not be able to have both.

Read more: Live art installation sees 220 masked volunteers strip naked at Alexandra Palace

The split was roughly 50-50 with 4,180 people opting for a piece of physical art while the remaining 5,820 people chose to keep the NFT version.

Damien Hirst attends a Las Vegas suite he designed. (WireImage)

The physical artworks, which are oil on paper, are to be set on fire daily from 9 September.

Hirst previously talked about the project with Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England. He said: Its an installation, really, but like a global one  The involvement of everybody is part of The Currency project. Its as much about the movement of the objects as it is about the objects.

Hirst initially rose to fame in the early 1990's for displaying a shark submerged in formaldehyde, a piece that was later sold for $8m.

Some of his other most notable works include For the Love of God  a platinum cast of a human skull  and Verity, a statue on display in Devon.

Damien Hirst's Natural History exhibition. (Getty Images)

Hirst is also considered one of the most controversial living artists and has been accused of plagiarism 16 times and much of his work has received negative reviews.

Hist is also open about the fact he does little of the actual making of his art, instead hiring an ensemble of assistants to put together the pieces he conceptualises.

Watch below: Damien Hirst exhibition dedicated to dead animal artworks opens in London
SPRINGFIELD  State Sen. Darren Bailey saw an endorsement from Donald Trump as key to winning the Republican nomination for governor, traveling to the former presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach in April to make his case.

Bailey got Trumps support just days before the primary election. But on Tuesday, Bailey didnt want to talk about Trump. When asked about his view of the legitimacy of the U.S. House select Jan. 6 committee looking into Trumps role in fomenting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Bailey refused to answer.

Asked if his reticence to speak about Trump was part of a calculated effort by the far-right conservative to make himself more palatable to a general election audience in his race against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Bailey said he was focused on Illinois and was not running for federal office.

Baileys attempts to avoid talking about Trump are a departure from his approach before the primary, when he declared there was literally no distance between his views and those of the former president.

Trump has been the focus of the Jan. 6 committee hearings, where testimony has show his actions encouraged rioters at the Capitol who threatened the lives of Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress. With committee members urging criminal charges against the former president, candidates backed by Trump have faced questions on whether the committees findings have given them second thoughts about accepting his support.

Bailey took only four questions during Tuesdays brief news conference in Springfield. He appeared indignant when asked if he agreed with a group of ultraconservative downstate allies who have called the House committee hearings a sham and called on the state GOP to censure one of its members, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon.

Bailey called the question completely inappropriate because he said his press availability was called to talk about what he sees as the shortcomings of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services under Pritzker.

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Asked specifically about whether Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House select committee, should face censure by the Illinois GOP, Bailey didnt answer but used the opportunity to take a swipe at the Republican congressman.

I have dealt with Adam Kinzinger on my own. Ive made my statements. I dont agree with anything that Adam Kinzinger stands for. And Ive made a statement, so you have that, Bailey said.

Bailey earlier this year called for rioters who broke into the Capitol to be tried or should be punished but on Tuesday he denied that his evasiveness on the topic was aimed at making himself more amenable to mainstream Republicans.

Illinois has real problems. Im not running for Congress. Im running for the governor of the great state of Illinois. And Im running to represent everyone in this state and I am laser-focused on the problems that we have here in Illinois so that we can keep businesses and families here, and protect the businesses and families that are here, Bailey said.

Christopher Mooney, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Baileys reticence to talk about Trump may be a political strategy for Nov. 8, but makes little sense given his extensive efforts to cultivate the former presidents support.

He also noted it was comparable to the strategy employed by one of Baileys GOP primary rivals, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who ducked or refused to answer questions about voting or supporting Trump or Trumps agenda.

It hangs on him, Mooney said of Baileys support of Trump. He touched the man. He begged for his endorsement. You gotta dance with the one who brung you. Youre running for statewide office. You know these questions are coming.

The call to censure Kinzinger on Monday came from the five-member ultraconservative Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of state lawmakers aligned with Bailey in the General Assembly.

Bailey is not part of that group, but is a member of whats known informally as the Eastern Bloc of Republican state legislators who have encouraged separating Chicago from the rest of the state and opposed Pritzkers COVID-19 vaccine orders and other pandemic mitigation mandates.

Baileys news conference came as his largest donor, ultraconservative megadonor Richard Uihlein, who owns the Uline office supply and packaging company, gave $15 million to an independent expenditure political action committee that supports the Republican candidate.

It was the second Uihlein expenditure on behalf of Bailey for the general election, following a $5 million check to the People Who Play By The Rules PAC on July 6.

Ahead of the primary campaign, Uihlein gave $8.1 million to the PAC, which is run by right-wing radio talk show host Dan Proft of Naples, Florida. Uihlein separately gave Bailey $9 million for the primary.

Uihlein has been one of Trumps biggest funders and he also was a major financial backer of the Jan. 6 pro-Trump March to Save America rally that preceded the deadly Capitol Hill insurrection.

Since 2016, Uihlein has given $7.8 million to the Tea Party Patriots group, which helped stage the Jan. 6 rally, the Financial Times previously reported.

The report also showed Uihlein as the largest donor behind Women Speak Out, a Susan B. Anthony List-affiliated political action committee seeking to federally outlaw abortion. Hes also poured millions into the Restoration PAC, which lists as its guiding principles that all marriage is for one man and one woman for life, the Financial Times reported.


(Bloomberg) -- The head of Southeast Asias biggest bank asked whether the finance industry should play God when it comes to balancing action on climate change with more immediate social and economic needs in the region.

Most Read from Bloomberg

What do you say to kids in Semarang or somewhere in the middle of Indonesia who are struggling to get electricity, to do their studies or eat their food, DBS Group Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Piyush Gupta said at Bloombergs Sustainable Business Summit in Singapore Wednesday. For us to say, Im going to make a moral judgment on electricity use is less important because the planetary considerations are more important -- am I the right person to say that?

DBS committed to exiting new coal-related financing a few years ago, which Gupta called one of his hardest decisions. As at end 2019, less than 1% of its total loans and advances were to growers and processors of palm oil, an industry often criticized for its impact on rainforests and for labor practices that rely on low-wage migrant workers.

There are about 14 million households in Indonesia and Sumatra who rely on small-estate palm oil for a living. he said. As a financier, is it right for us to play God?

Firms may not be able to change their business models overnight, but they are prepared to make financial commitments to really decent carbon projects, which happen to be in countries like in Indonesia, Gupta said. That might help redress some of the economic challenges we have around a transition thats fair to all parties.

Beyond the considerations around financing, DBS has partnered with relevant regulators to set up Climate Impact X, an online voluntary carbon market in Singapore for trading high-quality carbon credits, according to its 2021 annual report.

Story continues

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By John Davison

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraq marked its longest post-election deadlock on Wednesday as infighting among Shi'ite and Kurdish groups in particular prevents the formation of a government, hampering reforms needed as the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict.

More than nine months since an October election, lawmakers tasked with choosing a president and prime minister looked no closer to an agreement, bringing the country to a record 290 days without a head of state or cabinet.

The last longest deadlock was in 2010, when after 289 days Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki got a second term.

The outgoing government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi continues to run the country. If parties cannot agree on a new government, Kadhimi might stay on as caretaker until new elections can be held.

In a sign of further potential delays, thousands of supporters of populist Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's empty parliament late on Wednesday, chanting slogans against his Shi'ite political rivals just days after they indicated agreement on a potential prime minister.

The paralysis has left Iraq without a budget for 2022, holding up spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and economic reform.

Iraqis say the situation is exacerbating a lack of services and jobs even as Baghdad earns record oil income because of high crude prices and has seen no major wars since the defeat of Islamic State five years ago.

"There's no government, so there's no budget, streets remain potholed, power and water are scarce and there's poor healthcare and education," said Mohammed Mohammed, a 68-year-old retired civil servant from the southern city of Nassiriya.

The same conditions Mohammed described fuelled mass protests across Baghdad and southern Iraq in 2019.

Demonstrators demanded the removal of parties that have been in power since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, accusing them of rampant corruption that has stopped Iraq moving forward. Security forces and militiamen killed hundreds of protesters and the protests fizzled out in 2020.

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Kadhimi took office as a compromise candidate in response to the demonstrations, promising to punish killers of protesters and hold an early election which was held on Oct. 10.

Most of those who protested have given up hope for change.

"Whatever government forms, it'll be made up of the people and parties who killed our friends," said Ali al-Khayali, an anti-government activist who participated in the demonstrations.

SQUABBLING PARTIES

Iraqi government formation often takes months and requires the buy-in of all main political parties.

Since Saddam was toppled, Shi'ite parties which represent the country's demographic majority have held the post of prime minister, Kurds the presidency and Sunnis the role of parliament speaker.

Sharpening divisions within those groups have made this process especially long.

In the Shi'ite camp, the biggest October vote winner, Sadr withdrew his 74 lawmakers from parliament last month after he failed to form a government that would exclude his Shi'ite rivals, most of whom who are backed by Iran and have heavily-armed paramilitary wings.

Sadr's withdrawal ceded dozens of seats to those parties, but he has indicated he could stir up unrest among his millions-strong popular base - and his own militia - if they try to form a government he disapproves of.

Sadr this month effectively vetoed the candidacy of arch-rival Maliki, accusing the former premier of corruption in a Tweet.

Sadr's rivals floated another candidate, Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani, for prime minister, but Sadr appears to oppose his candidacy because he is an ally of Maliki.

"Sudani is just a shadow of Maliki," said a member of Sadr's political party, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to give statements to the media.

Sadr's supporters broke into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, which hosts foreign embassies and government buildings in central Baghdad, on Wednesday, streaming past police and chanting "Maliki you are garbage".

"We're going to demonstrate until corrupt politicians and groups backed by Iran are gone," Sheikh Safaa al-Baghdadi, a religious teacher, said shortly before protesters entered parliament.

Disagreement among the main Kurdish parties that run the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq meanwhile prevents the selection of a president - who, once chosen by parliament, names a prime minister.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party has held the presidency since 2003.

Their rivals, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which claimed the largest number of Kurdish votes by far, are insisting on their own candidate for president. Neither side appears willing to budge.

"We've not been able to agree so far. The post of president shouldn't just be for one Kurdish party for life," said Shirwan Dubardani, a KDP lawmaker.

(Additional reporting by Amina Ismail in Erbil, Iraq; Editing by Nick Macfie, Michael Georgy)
Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic, Marvel Studios

Xochitl Gomez told Insider she hopes her Marvel character, America Chavez, "will get to be in a Kang-related project."

Gomez spoke with Insider Tuesday to promote the home release of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," out now.

The actor thinks her character may play an important role in Marvel's Multiverse Saga since her character travels the multiverse.

America Chavez could have a large role to play in the next phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While speaking about the home release of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," Insider asked star Xochitl Gomez what she thought of Marvel announcing two new "Avengers" movies, "The Kang Dynasty" and "Secret Wars," at San Diego Comic-Con.

"I can't really ignore the fact that her powers are traveling the multiverse and the next chapter of the MCU is literally the Multiverse Saga," Gomez told Insider.

During the Saturday panel, Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige told the Comic-Con crowd that Phases IV, V, and VI of the MCU are called the Multiverse Saga.

Chavez's powers allow her to traverse easily from one dimension of the MCU to another, a power which definitely may come in handy in the saga.

Xochitl Gomez opens a star portal to traverse the multiverse as America Chavez in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Marvel Studios

Insider suggested that she could possibly play a big role in the upcoming MCU titles, but Gomez said she didn't know, before talking about her excitement for 2025's "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," which will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and how she hopes to share the screen with Jonathan Majors' character.

"Also, ['The] Kang Dynasty  I think it could be really cool, because Kang seems like a really great villain," Gomez said. "I'm just really excited to see what they have in store for him and what he's about to unleash."

Gomez added: "Hopefully, America will get to be in a Kang-related project. I think that would be really cool and I think that would be fun on my end. I'd be having a blast."

Jonathan Majors as Kang on the season one finale of "Loki." He'll return to the MCU in 2023's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Disney Plus/Marvel

For now, Gomez said that her character has a lot she needs to figure out about herself. At the end of "Multiverse of Madness," we see America training at Kamar-Taj under the tutelage of Wong (Benedict Wong).

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"I think America  she needs to learn some structure and some discipline," Gomez said. "There's a lot more to unpack with her story. Obviously with her power, she needs to learn more about them and herself and also her moms."

America absolutely needs to go on a journey to find her two moms, who Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange suggests are hopefully still out there in the vast universe.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is now available on digital, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD.

Read the original article on Insider
An abortion rights demonstrator has the words My Body My Choice written on her front as she gathers near the Washington Monument during a nationwide rally in support of abortion rights in Washington, D.C. Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images

The doctor who treated a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio broke her silence in an interview with CBS.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN from Indiana, was attacked by media organizations and politicians.

Bernard said sharing her story has helped people understand the impact of Roe being overturned.

The doctor who treated a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio broke her silence on Tuesday in an interview with CBS Evening News.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN from Indiana, provided abortion care to the child, who was raped by a 27-year-old man and had to travel to Indiana because of restrictions in her home state.

After Bernard shared the story with the Indianapolis Star, she was attacked by media organizations and politicians like South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who in a now-deleted tweet, said the doctor's story was "fake."

In the interview, CBS's Norah O'Donnell asked Bernard what she would say to those who doubt the veracity of children needing an abortion. Bernard responded, "come spend a day in my clinic."

"Unfortunately, sexual assault in children is not uncommon. I'm not the only provider who has taken care of young children needing abortion care," she said.

Bernard said sharing the child's story has helped people understand the consequences of Roe v. Wade being overturned. "I think we're at a time in our country where people are starting to realize the impact of these anti-abortion laws," she told O'Donnell.

Indiana's Attorney General, Todd Rokita, announced he'd be conducting an investigation into Bernard.

In the interview with CBS, Bernard said Rokita reached out to her and her lawyer two weeks after claiming his office would be looking into Bernard's story.

Rokita's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Dog Who Has Half a Muzzle After Being Shot Finally Adopted

Kentucky Humane Society

A Kentucky dog with a violent past has found a forever home.

On July 20, the Kentucky Humane Society posted to Facebook in search of a new family for Nona, a 5-year-old Jack Russell terrier/retriever mix.

Nona, who weighs 35 pounds, is noticeably missing part of her muzzle, which the shelter said resulted from a gunshot injury.

"Back in 2018, Nona was shot with a gun and the bird shot was spread throughout her small body, leaving her with half of her muzzle missing," the Kentucky Humane Society wrote on social media about the dog. "Despite everything Nona has been through, she remains the happiest dog on the planet! She knows no strangers and greets people with a big tail wag and smile."

The nonprofit organization added on Facebook that Nona had recently been adopted, but was returned soon afterward because she "was not getting along with the other animals in her new home."

Dog Who Has Half a Muzzle After Being Shot Finally Adopted

Kentucky Humane Society

RELATED: 'Extremely Grateful' Dog Rescued from Colorado Mountain Hike

While Nona "did well during her meet and greet" with the first adopters' other dog, the family also owned multiple cats, and Nona "did not want to share her home with the other animals after they arrived home," the Kentucky Humane Society wrote in a follow-up comment on its post.

As a result, the shelter put Nona back up for adoption with the stipulation that it was looking for a family who could take Nona in as an only pet. The Kentucky Humane Society later updated its Facebook post to confirm that Nona had been adopted once more.

Nona, Dog Who Lost Half Her Muzzle to Gun Shot Injury Gets Adopted with Help from Kentucky Shelter

Kentucky Humane Society

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"While she does not require any special medical attention for her old injuries, having only half a muzzle does cause her to snore rather loudly," the Kentucky Humane Society wrote in its post seeking a family for Nona.

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The dog also has a cataract in her left eye, but despite not seeing well, Nona "gets around just fine," the Facebook post added.

RELATED: U.S. Vet Expert Shares How to Keep Your Pets Safe During a Heat Wave: 'Heat Stroke Is Serious'

Megan Burgin, the media manager at the Kentucky Humane Society, who shared Nona's story on the rescue's social media pages, told PEOPLE in an email statement that the organization was "thrilled that she was adopted this weekend to a wonderful and kind gentleman named Brandon who is a local nurse here in Louisville, KY."

"He heard her story and was very moved by everything Nona had been through in her young life," Burgin said in an email. "He asked to meet her and the pair immediately hit it off! Nona adored him and the feeling was mutual so he decided to officially make her a member of his family."
Dr. Anthony Fauci says that the governments response against monkeypox must include combating anti-gay stigmas that could be associated with the disease.

Speaking with NPRs All Things Considered on Tuesday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases highlighted the importance of treating the virus as one that can affect anybody, and not only a certain part of the population.

There are currently 19,188 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the current outbreak, which the World Health Organization has recently classified as a public health emergency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3,591 of them are in the United States.

Even though right now the vast majority of cases are being reported among gay and bisexual men, its important to focus on fighting the virus, and not stigmatizing those who are infected, Fauci said.

You reach out to the community. You make it very easy for them to have access to testing, to treatment and to vaccine as opposed to making it a situation where people are afraid to come forward for those types of things, he added.

Fauci, a pioneer in the fight against HIV/AIDS, said that the federal government must do everything it can to underscore who the real enemy is.

The enemy is the virus, not anybody whos being afflicted with the virus, he said.

According to the World Health Organization, the monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

We need to get our arms around understanding just the extent of the spread, how its spread, what population, Fauci said.

Right now its focused  because its about 99% among men who have sex with men. Weve got to understand the modality of transmission, the manifestations, also the risk for people like children and pregnant women, he added. So weve got to reach out to the community, particularly men who have sex with men, get rid of anything that even smacks a little bit of stigma, and make sure we outreach to them.
RICHMOND, Ind.  Larry Blackstock took a drastic step to avoid conviction as a drug dealer.

He attempted to arrange the killing of the police informant who would testify against him. A tip helped the Wayne County Drug Task Force thwart the plot, and now Blackstock, 44, faces up to 30 years in prison because of his actions.

A Wayne County jury recently found Blackstock guilty of Level 2 felony conspiracy to commit murder to conclude a three-day Superior Court 1 trial. He is the second of three co-defendants to be found guilty of a conspiracy charge.

Judge Charles Todd Jr. scheduled Blackstock's sentencing for 9 a.m. Sept. 16. The advisory sentence for a Level 2 felony conviction is 17 years with a sentencing range of 10 to 30 years as established by the Indiana legislature.

Blackstock was sentenced in November 2019 to three years of incarceration after pleading guilty to three Level 5 felony drug-dealing charges. He has remained in the Wayne County Jail since July 31, 2019, when he was extradited from Montgomery County, Ohio. Blackstock was arrested during April 2019 at his Dayton, Ohio, residence by Drug Task Force and U.S. Marshals Service officers on local warrants for the conspiracy charge and for failure to appear.

The drug-dealing charges were filed April 3, 2017, against Blackstock after a Drug Task Force investigation that utilized the confidential informant making controlled buys from Blackstock.

To prevent the informant from providing a deposition in the drug-dealing case, Blackstock conspired with two others to kill the informant. Ryan J. Carpenter, 32, was found guilty Oct. 5, 2021, of Level 2 felony conspiracy to commit murder, and Bradi J. Louden, 28, has a Superior Court 1 trial scheduled Nov. 7 on her conspiracy charge.

Blackstock enlisted Louden, who had been in jail with the informant, to provide the informant a fatal overdose, while Carpenter was to drive Louden and supply syringes, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

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The informant's mother supplied officers information the day of the deposition about Louden trying to contact the informant, the affidavit said. While with officers, the informant called Louden and set up a meeting at a North Fifth Street liquor store. Officers then took Louden and Carpenter into custody when they arrived for the meeting.

Blackstock, who was free on bond, supplied Louden with fentanyl and instructed Louden and Carpenter to make sure the informant overdosed and died.

Carpenter was sentenced Dec. 13, 2021, to 19 years of incarceration with five years suspended to probation. He is serving his sentence at the Putnamville Correctional Center, according to Indiana Department of Correction online records. He has appealed his conviction.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Drug dealer found guilty of plotting murder of police informant
Firefighters at the scene as farmers set fire to manure and hay bales during a protest along the A50 in Apeldoorn (EPA)

Dutch farmers have resumed protests at government plans to reduce nitrogen emissions by dumping manure and garbage on highways and setting fires alongside roads.

Traffic authorities said several roads in the central and eastern Netherlands were completely or partially blocked by the early morning blockades and fire services rushed to clear the roads as traffic built up.

The latest demonstrations in a summer of discontent came a day after a government-appointed mediator sent invitations to farmers' organisations to discuss with the country's ruling coalition ways of reducing nitrogen emissions.

I see the talks as a turning point: breaking the deadlock together, mediator Johan Remkes said. The cabinet has assured me that there is room and joint solutions are possible.

A man clears debris on a slip road of the A12 highway near Bunnik (ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Some farmers have rejected the appointment of Mr Remkes as an independent mediator because he is a member of prime minister Mark Rutte's center-right political party and a former deputy prime minister.

The farmers are angry at government targets for reining in emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia that they say threatens to wreck their agricultural way of life and put them out of business.

The government says emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, which livestock produce, must be drastically reduced close to nature areas that are part of a network of protected habitats for endangered plants and wildlife stretching across the 27-nation European Union.

A pile of manure, tires and hay bales on fire (ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

The ruling coalition wants to cut emissions of pollutants by 50 per cent nationwide by 2030, calling the measure an unavoidable transition to improve soil, air and water quality in a nation known for its intensive farming practices.

It has called on provincial authorities to draw up plans to reduce emissions and earmarked an extra 24.3 billion euros to fund the changes.

Farmers argue that they are being unfairly targeted while other industries, such as aviation, construction and transport, also are contributing to emissions and face less far-reaching rules.

They also say the government is not giving them a clear picture of their futures amid the proposed reforms.

Earlier this year, the farmers blocked highways with tractors and blockaded supermarket distribution centers.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union's commissioner for health is urging the bloc's governments to step up their efforts to tackle the expanding monkeypox outbreak in the region, which she says is the epicenter of detected cases."

In a letter to the EU's 27 health ministers obtained by The Associated Press, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called Wednesday for a reinforced, concerted and coordinated action."

There is no time for complacency and we need to continue working together to control the outbreak," she wrote.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global emergency. It is WHOs highest level of alert but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Kyriakides said the bloc's priorities at this stage must include stepping up the identification and reporting of cases and preventing the spread of infection.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, has secured the purchase of 160,000 doses of vaccines for the disease and Kyriakides said two joint procurement procedures are in preparation for the purchase of further jabs and the antiviral drug Tecovirimat.

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of outbreaks in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.

WHOs top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, said that 99% of all the monkeypox cases beyond Africa were in men and that of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men.

While Kyriakides encouraged EU ministers to intensify their public risk communication with the risk groups, she said the particular group of men that have sex with men should not be targeted, victimized or marginalized because of the outbreak."
European gas prices have surged after Russia further cut supplies on its biggest pipeline serving the continent.

Market observers recorded a 9 per cent rise in gas prices on Wednesday, near the all-time high reached in March shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Kremlin-owned energy provider Gazprom cut supplies on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 per cent of capacity on Wednesday.

The move was viewed by the European Union as an attempt to pressure the bloc to lift sanctions brought against Vladimir Putins regime for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia previously shut off gas to 12 European countries and Nord Stream 1, which runs west through the Baltic Sea to Germany, had already been at 40 per cent capacity for weeks.

Gazprom announced on Monday that supplies on the pipeline would be halved, blaming Western sanctions for blocking the delivery of repair parts from Canada.

On Wednesday, Klaus Mueller, head of Germanys gas network regulator, confirmed the reduction.

Russia put more pressure on gas prices after months of turmoil (EPA)

Gas is now a part of Russian foreign policy and possibly Russian war strategy, Mr Mueller told Deutschlandfunk radio.

Climbing energy prices are fuelling inflation, further squeezing peoples spending power and raising concern that Europe could plunge into recession if it does not save enough gas to get through the cold months.

The EU has resolved to lower demand for gas by 15 per cent from August through March in order to bolster energy security over winter.

Member states agreed to cut consumption through voluntary steps but the agreement allows for mandatory measures if demand does not drop fast enough.

European leaders and analysts say the reductions are a pretext to try to divide EU countries and elevate prices.

States less reliant on Russian energy, such as Portugal and Spain, were reluctant to sign up to cut their own consumption.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announces plan to cut gas use (EPA)

The latest gas cuts will be acutely felt in Germany, where Russia has recently accounted for one-third of supplies.

Berlin said last week that the drop in gas flows confirmed that Germany cannot rely on Russian deliveries, announcing it would step up its gas storage requirements and take further measures to conserve supplies.

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British consumers too are set to suffer due to the supply cuts. While the UK gets very little of its gas directly from Russia, the price paid here is determined by what happens across the continent.

Households could be faced with bills of up to 500 in January alone, according to a forecast issued after Wednesdays cut.

BFY Group, a utilities consultancy, said the energy price cap on bills is expected to hit 3,850 between January and April next year  hundreds of pounds more than earlier predicted.
CNN

Miles Taylor, the former Trump administration official who anonymously warned about the dangers of a second Trump term prior to the 2020 election, had some choice words on Tuesday to describe former Vice President Mike Pence.

During a panel discussion on CNN Tonight touching on Pences potential presidential ambitions, Taylor, who resigned as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in June 2019, described Pences time in office as heavily deferential to the commander in chief.

If you want to know what the Mike Pence vice presidency was like, Mike Pence is a guy with an erect posture and flaccid conscience. He stood up tall but he did not stand up to Donald Trump. We just saw it in that clip, Taylor said, referring to a speech Pence gave before the Young Americas Foundation earlier Tuesday. In it, Pence emphasized turning to the future and downplayed any possible differences between him and former President Donald Trump on issues, saying instead that the two may differ on focus.

They do disagree on the hanging Mike Pence issue, New York Times reporter Alex Burns quipped in response to Pences comments. Thats a place where they do not have the same agenda. (Trump, according to the House Jan. 6 committee, seemed to like the idea of Pence being hanged after hearing that some of his supporters were calling for it during the insurrection.)

And as Taylor put it, Pence stood up tall in that speech but he stillafter people trying to assassinate himcould not stand up to Donald Trump and say, We dont disagree on the issues. That tells you everything you need to know about Mike Pence.

Pence, whose upcoming memoir delves into Trumps severing of their relationship on Jan. 6 criticized Trumps unsuccessful efforts to get him to thwart the democratic process in a February speech. President Trump is wrong, Pence told a Federalist Society gathering. I had no right to overturn the election.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The claim: Shinzo Abe 'didnt mandate vaccines, sent 1.6 million doses back and gave citizens ivermectin'

In line with previous conspiracy theories about world leaders who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, some social media posts are suggesting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated for refusing to adhere to international recommendations on handling the disease.

"Assassinated Japanese P.M. didn't follow WEF (World Economic Forum) orders," reads the meme in an Instagram post from July 10. "Didn't mandate vaccines, sent 1.6 million doses back and gave citizens ivermectin. Make sense now?"

On Twitter, more than 17,000 users retweeted and 50,000 liked the meme. The claim has also appeared on Facebook.

The meme seems to refer to Japan's recall of 1.6 million vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in August 2021, and it mentions ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication commonly used for horses that has been falsely touted as a cure for the illness.

The assertions it makes are almost entirely false, as PolitiFact and Reuters also reported.

Abe resigned in August 2020, months before the World Health Organization gave emergency authorization to the first COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. The former prime minister did not institute a vaccine mandate, as the meme states, but it is not accurate that he "sent back 1.6 million doses" of the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is also no evidence Abe "gave citizens ivermectin," a drug that is not approved as a COVID-19 treatment in Japan, according to the country's Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency.

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USA TODAY reached out to several social media users who shared the claim for comment.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Feb. 21, 2020.

Meme's claims about Abe's vaccine policies misleading, inaccurate

The meme implies Abe went against guidelines by not mandating vaccines and "send(ing) back 1.6 million doses," likely in reference to COVID-19. These statements are misleading for several reasons.

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First, the former prime minister couldn't have failed to "follow WEF orders" for national management of COVID-19 because the organization didn't issue any, unlike the World Health Organization. The WEF, which describes itself as "the international organization for public-private cooperation" and focused on facilitating business cooperation during the pandemic, does not have guidelines for national COVID-19 policy and response on its website.

Second, English-language newspapers don't mention a national mandate on COVID-19 vaccines during Abe's tenure as prime minister  but no COVID-19 vaccines had been approved or authorized for general use when he resigned.

Third, there is no evidence for the claim that Abe "sent 1.6 million doses back." The Japanese government recalled 1.6 million shots of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in August 2021, but Abe had been out of office for more than a year.

Neither Google searches nor users who shared the meme provided evidence that the former prime minister "sent back 1.6 million doses" of any other vaccine during his tenure.

Fact check: Viral statement addressing Biden's COVID-19 diagnosis is fabricated, not from Trump

Around 81% of Japan's population is fully vaccinated, according to the most recent data from Johns Hopkins University.

An artists gives final tocuhes to a painting of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, in Mumbai on July 8, 2022, to pay tribute following his death after he was shot at a campaign event in the Japanese city of Nara. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: AFP_32E32GC.jpg

Ivermectin not approved as COVID-19 treatment in Japan

There's no evidence the Japanese government distributed or promoted ivermectin either before or after the former prime minister left office, as other independent fact-checking outlets have reported.

The drug is not an approved treatment for COVID-19 in Japan, according to the country's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, which reviews and tests drugs and medical devices.

Fact check: Japan did not stop its COVID-19 vaccine rollout and switch to ivermectin to treat virus

The assertion in the meme may have roots in rumors about ivermectin in Japan that circulated after the chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association  an organization unaffiliated with the Japanese government  recommended the drug for COVID-19 patients in a press conference in August 2021.

The event was misrepresented in an article from the Hal Turner Radio Show to falsely claim that Japan was replacing COVID-19 vaccines with ivermectin, as USA TODAY reported.

Our rating: Partly False

Based on our research, we rate PARTLY FALSE the claim that Shinzo Abe didnt mandate vaccines, sent 1.6 million doses back and gave citizens ivermectin." It is true that Abe did not mandate vaccination against COVID-19, but the other parts of the claim are not. The assertion that Abe "sent 1.6 million doses back" likely refers to the country's August 2021 recall of 1.6 million contaminated Moderna shots, which occurred one year after Abe had resigned. In addition, there is no evidence Abe distributed or promoted ivermectin, which the national government has not approved for the treatment of COVID-19.

Our fact-check sources:

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Shinzo Abe didn't promote ivermectin or send back vaccines
A federal judge this week denied U.S. Rep. Jody Hices request to quash a subpoena related to an investigation of former President Donald Trump.

This subpoena requires Hice, R-Greensboro, to give testimony to a special grand jury called to review evidence and hear testimony related to alleged attempts by Trump and others to change the outcome of Georgia's results in the 2020 election.

FILE - Georgia Congressman Jody Hice speaks during the opening day of the Georgia State GOP convention being held in Augusta, Ga., Friday afternoon June 2, 2017.

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on Monday signed an order that denied the congressman's motion.

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Hice received the subpoena on June 29. It was issued by the Fulton County District Attorneys Office and requested his attendance and testimony before the special grand jury on July 19.

On July 18, Hice made his motion to reject the subpoena.

Mays order said that there are certain questions that Hice may be required to answer. She then went on to acknowledge that the Fulton County District Attorneys Office may be prevented from getting answers to all of their questions.

We successfully removed this matter to federal court and filed the motion to quash to put the Fulton County District Attorneys Office on notice that the U.S. Constitution prevents them from asking members of Congress certain questions as part of their 'fishing expedition,' and Judge May acknowledged boundaries in her ruling, said Chris Gober, counsel to Hice, in a written statement.

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May attributed this to protection given in both the Speech or Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the high-ranking official doctrine.

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The case was then sent back to a lower court  Superior Court of Fulton County  in order for more development before it can be said which questions Hice has immunity from answering.

"This was the acknowledgment we were seeking, and we're now prepared to go back to Judge May in the future if the District Attorneys Office tries to color outside the lines," said Gober.

Hice, who will leave office in January after an unsuccessful bid for Georgia secretary of state, was one of several GOP lawmakers who attended a December 2020 meeting at the White House in which Trump allies discussed various ways to overturn Joe Bidens electoral win.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Judge denies U.S. Rep. Jody Hice's bid to quash subpoena in Trump probe
Good Morning America

Authorities in Northern California have announced a new phase in the ongoing search for a teenager who disappeared after a party 11 days ago. Kiely Rodni, 16, was last seen on Aug. 6 around 12:30 a.m. local time near the Prosser Family Campground in the small town of Truckee, some 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe. "Her cellphone went dead and became virtually untraceable shortly after," Angela Musallam, public information officer for the Placer County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News during an interview that aired Aug. 9 on "Good Morning America."
People enjoy walking and riding rides at The Hartford Fair in Hartford, Ohio on August 14, 2021.

NEWARK  The former Hartford Fair fiscal officer has been indicted on theft and related counts, State Auditor Keith Faber announced Tuesday.

Brooke Williams-Browning, the former financial secretary/fiscal officer of the Hartford Independent Agricultural Society, faces one count of theft, one count of telecommunications fraud, two counts of forgery, and two counts of tampering with records, all felonies, according to the state auditor.

A Licking County grand jury handed down the indictment. Her arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 2.

Hartford Fair: Hartford Fair financial secretary accused of stealing $14,000 from organization

The state auditors special investigations unit began working with the Licking County Sheriffs Office in early 2020 after learning Williams-Browning allegedly stole about $14,000 from the Hartford Fair. Williams-Browning had been employed by the Hartford Fair Board for about 15 years.

A subsequent investigation revealed Williams-Browning made $30,294 in improper credit/debit card purchases and issued $5,820 in checks to herself that had no proper public purpose, according to the state auditor.

In February, Williams-Browning, then 48, of Centerburg, was charged with one count of theft, a fourth-degree felony, in Licking County Common Pleas Court. During a police interview, a detective said, Williams-Browning admitted to the allegations.

According to the criminal complaint, the conduct occurred in November through December 2019. The complaint noted the conduct likely pre-dates November 2019.

If convicted on the theft charge, Williams-Browning faces up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. It is not known if the additional counts could add time to a potential sentence.

Rod Arter, who replaced Larry Hughes as Hartford Fair manager, was not immediately available for comment.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Hartford Fair: Ex-fiscal officer indicted on theft, related charges
Former Raleigh Police Officer Omar Abdullah has been indicted on a felony obstruction of justice charge, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced Wednesday.

The indictment follows a lengthy investigation, Freeman wrote in an email. It also follow multiple federal lawsuits against the city that name Omar Abdullah and calls for him to be charged.

From the beginning, we have taken the harm caused with great seriousness, Freeman wrote.

The standard of criminal prosecution is different than that of civil liability, she wrote, and carries a much higher burden.

The State Bureau of Investigation and our office has worked diligently to adhere this burden. Because this is a pending criminal matter now, our office has no further comment at this time, Freeman wrote.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated throughout the day.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. congressman Stephen Buyer pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday to insider trading charges over purchases of Sprint shares before the telecommunications company merged with T-Mobile US Inc in 2018.

Prosecutors have accused Buyer, a 63-year-old who represented Indiana as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1993 and 2011, of making $349,000 in profit from the Sprint trades and another insider scheme in 2019. Buyer had been a T-Mobile consultant at the time of its merger with Sprint.

William Schwartz, a lawyer for Buyer, told U.S. District Judge Richard Berman at a hearing that Buyer did not receive material inside information before his trades.

"We think that the case is weak, frankly," Schwartz said.

Berman set bail at $250,000 and ordered Buyer not to leave the continental United States. Another court appearance was scheduled for Aug. 31.

Buyer was one of seven people arrested this week on insider trading charges, as part of a crackdown on financial crime by Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan.

A former Goldman Sachs banker, a former FBI trainee and a technology executive were among those arrested. The seven defendants also face parallel civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
The Italy international joins from Serie A side Sassuolo on a five-year deal (Getty Images)

Gianluca Scamacca believes West Ham is the perfect fit for him after the Italy international signed a five-year contract following his move from Sassuolo.

The fee for the 23-year-old, whose contract includes the option to extend for a further 12 months, is understood to be around 30million and ends manager David Moyes long search for a recognised centre-forward.

Ive waited a long time for this moment - its been a dream to play in the Premier League, Scamacca, who scored 16 goals in Serie A last season, told the clubs official website.

The transfer appears to be a real coup for Moyes with Scamacca, who scored 16 goals in 36 matches in Serie A last season, also linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

Moyes has had to rely on Michail Antonio to lead his attack since the Hammers sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January last year.

Weve been looking to add more strength to our attacking options for a while, so were delighted to have got Gianluca in, said the Hammers boss.

He comes really well recommended - and were looking forward to working with him. Hes a young centre-forward with a really bright future ahead of him.

Moyes will now turn his attention to attempting to bring in Eintracht Frankfurt winger Filip Kostic, the 29-year-old Serbia international who shares an agent with Scamacca.

Kostic was part of the Frankfurt side which beat West Ham in the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.

Moyes is also understood to be back in the market for a central defender after new signing Nayef Aguerd suffered ankle ligament damage in the pre-season friendly against Rangers last week.

The 26-year-old Morocco international, who signed from French club Rennes last month, has had surgery and could be sidelined until the turn of the year.
Google Maps has launched its 360-degree interactive Street View panorama feature for 10 Indian cities nearly a decade after its first attempt to roll out the service ran into regulatory issues in the country.

To roll out the feature, Google is partnering with the local Genesys International and Tech Mahindra for 3D mapping content and geospatial solutions, as well as IT services, marking the first time the Silicon Valley tech giant tied up with local partners to offer this service to consumers.

The ten cities in India where the feature will be rolled out first include Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nashik, Vadodara, Ahmednagar, and Amritsar, Google said in a statement.

Google noted on Wednesday that it has licensed new imagery from its local partners that span over 50,000 km across these cities.

When Google Maps launched Street View  which offers 360-degree views of streets around the world using photos taken by cruising vehicles  for the first time in India in 2011, it faced privacy complaints and regulatory scrutiny.

Company executives said on Wednesday that it was able to meet the regulatory requirements now, thanks to a new geospatial policy from India last year.

Google plans to relaunch Street View in India, starting in 10 cities, over 10 years after the service was suspended by the government on security grounds (@tsuvik / Moneycontrol)https://t.co/ruSIj9Yi4nhttps://t.co/uXtATASkao  Techmeme (@Techmeme) July 27, 2022

They said the new regulations allow foreign map operators to provide panoramic imagery by licensing the data from local partners.

Google said data collection for Street View was entirely done by Tech Mahindra and Genesys, adding that it expects the service to be available in over 50 Indian cities by the end of this year.

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The faces of individuals and license plates will be blurred out by Street View to address privacy concerns, Miriam Daniel, Vice President of Google Maps Experiences, told Reuters.

Users in the 10 cities where the feature is rolled out can access it by opening the Google Maps app, zooming into a road in any of these cities, and tapping the area they seek to view.

Street Views launch in the country coincides with the rollout of a similar feature from MapmyIndia that powers Apple Incs India maps.

Google is also teaming up with Indias Central Pollution Control Board to provide air quality information over maps, and is reportedly partnering with local traffic authorities to reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trump's support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a complicated historical figure who many people misunderstand.

An Associated Press review of internet postings, court records and campaign finance disclosures depict a candidate with a more complicated biography than the compelling personal story that turned the 42-year-old Kent into a favorite of conservative media.

Square-jawed with wavy black hair and sleeve tattoos, the former Green Beret served 11 combat deployments before retiring from Special Forces to join the CIA. He also endured unspeakable tragedy: His wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria, leaving him to raise their two young sons alone.

But taken broadly, Kent's recent relationships and activities reinforce concerns about the GOP's ties to extremist groups. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has drawn attention to the role such organizations, particularly the Proud Boys, played in the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after Trump's reelection loss in 2020.

Theres a through line, said Dave Neiwert, an author and journalist who has covered right-wing extremism in the Pacific Northwest for decades. Many (Republican) politicians play footsie with it. Kent is just unabashed.

Kent's campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

Joe Kents platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda of rebuilding our industries, ending illegal immigration, and stopping stupid military interventions that dont directly support our national interest, Matt Braynard, a Kent strategist, said in a statement.

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Ahead of the final slate of primaries that unfold in August, Kent is not the only House candidate worrying some Republicans who fear an otherwise favorable political climate to regain control of the House could be threatened by candidates seen as too extreme.

In Michigan, John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official challenging Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, once spread false claims that Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign chairman participated in a satanic ritual that involved bodily fluids.

In New York, Carl Paladino, a former GOP candidate for governor now running for the House, praised Hitler last year as the kind of leader we need today" and once emailed racist comments about Michelle Obama to a Buffalo newspaper for publication. And former Trump administration official Max Miller, the Republican nominee for an Ohio congressional seat, was accused of physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller denies the allegations and has sued Grisham for defamation.

A representative for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the organization responsible for helping the GOP regain control of the House, declined to comment, citing a policy of not interfering in primaries. A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Of those soon facing elections, Kent stands out for the breadth of his ties to a deep-seated extremist fringe that has long existed in the Pacific Northwest but is often obscured by the region's overwhelming liberal politics.

Campaign finance disclosures reveal Kent recently paid $11,375 for consulting over the past four months to Graham Jorgensen, who was identified as a Proud Boy in a law enforcement report and was charged with cyber stalking his ex-girlfriend in 2018. The charges were dismissed in late 2019. But a judge in Vancouver, Washington, issued an order of protection requiring Jorgensen to stay away from her, records show.

Kent's campaign said Jorgensen was a low-level worker who hands out literature and puts up signs and denied he has any current affiliation with outside organizations. They declined to make Jorgensen available for an interview.

Kent is also a close political ally of Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer. Since establishing the group in 2016, Gibson has organized demonstrations in Portland, as well as the citys Washington state suburbs, where he and his followers have clashed with left-wing groups. Many of the demonstrations were coordinated with the Proud Boys.

The often violent rallies organized by Gibson drew anti-government activists, extremists as well as white supremacists to unite in common cause  namely fighting left-wing activists.

Photos from the events archived online by the group Rose City Antifa demonstrate how in some cases Kent's allies have associated with people who have expressed white supremacist views. In numerous instances, Gibson as well as Jorgensen, the Proud Boy on Kents payroll, were recorded standing next to Jacob Von Ott, who has posted racist and antisemitic views online and expressed admiration for the founder of the American Nazi Party.

Von Ott did not respond to a request for comment sent to an email address listed to him, but he has previously denied that he's a white supremacist.

The danger with these groups is it can be an initial foray into this extremist space. And once youre in this extremist space, you can become further radicalized, said Emily Kaufman, an Anti-Defamation League researcher who tracks extremist activity in the Pacific Northwest.

Gibson regularly promotes Kents campaign on social media and spoke at a Kent fundraiser last year. When it was Kents turn to speak at the event, he lavished Gibson with praise, explaining that Gibson defended this community when our community was under assault from antifa.

Gibson was acquitted last week on felony riot charges after an altercation with left-wing activists at a Portland bar

Kent's ties to extremism aren't limited to the Pacific Northwest.

Braynard, one of Kent's top advisers, was the architect of a Washington, D.C., rally last year that sought to build sympathy for those arrested during the insurrection by rebranding them as political prisoners. Kent spoke at the rally, which was poorly attended.

And his candidacy is endorsed by far-right Arizona state lawmaker Wendy Rogers, who has identified herself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that played an outsize role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Kent publicly thanked Rogers for her endorsement and has raised doubts about the circumstances that led to the arrest of Oath Keepers over their role in the attack.

Kent has also sought support from figures associated with the white nationalist Groyper Army movement led by Nick Fuentes, an internet personality who has promoted white supremacist beliefs and attended the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Kent has acknowledged that a political consultant set up a call early in his campaign that Fuentes was part of, where expanding his campaign's reach on social media was discussed. But he denied that there was any sort of formal arrangement and distanced himself from Fuentes in March after their affiliation became broadly known. Kent tweeted at the time that he did not want want Fuentess endorsement due his focus on race/religion.

After the rebuke, however, Kent appeared on a far-right YouTube channel where he echoed sentiments similar to those held by many white nationalists.

I dont think theres anything wrong with there being a white people special interest group, Kent said during the YouTube interview with a group called the American Populist Union. He also said the immigration situation between the U.S. and Mexico wasn't as bad as in Europe because their version of Mexico is Africa and the Middle East.

In April, Kent was photographed at a fundraiser giving a thumbs-up with Greyson Arnold, a Groyper-aligned commentator who identifies as a Christian American Nationalist." Like Fuentes, Arnold was also at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection.

Arnold has shared memes online that refer to Nazis as a pure race" and has called Hitler a complicated" and misunderstood historical figure. He also hosted a White Boy Summer celebration in Lake Havasu, Arizona, in June 2021, drawing the events title from a popular meme that was circulating among white nationalists and racist groups.

Arnold did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Braynard, the Kent strategist, said the candidate does not know Arnold and the campaign does not do background checks on the thousands of people whove asked to take selfies with Joe.

Tom Davis, a former Virginia congressman who led House Republicans' campaign arm during George W. Bush's first term, said GOP leadership in Washington, D.C., faces a difficult set of choices when deciding what to do about candidates like Kent.

You dont want to go too heavy on this guy because if hes nominated you want to hold the seat," said Davis. The problem for Republicans is you can probably get away with this in 50 districts in the country. But this does not strike me as the kind of district where you dont pay a price.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, testified in late July before a federal grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Grand juries play a major role in the U.S. criminal justice system. And theyre very much in the news these days.

A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, is looking into former President Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in that state. Among the latest witnesses to give testimony to the grand jury was Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Justice Department is in the middle of an investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and it is questioning witnesses before a grand jury as well. Most recently, two top aides to former Vice President Mike Pence were questioned in that probe.

A grand jury does not mean that the investigation will lead to any formal criminal charges, which are known as indictments. There was a grand jury that issued subpoenas during the investigation into Hillary Clintons email server, for example, but no one was charged with any crimes.

In order to understand grand juries and their work, I offer the following explanation of how federal and state grand juries are used in the U.S.

Legal basis: Federal and state

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the legal basis for grand juries. In federal criminal cases, federal grand juries are made up of 16 to 23 members. They decide whether to indict someone who is being investigated, and at least 12 grand jurors need to agree to issue an indictment.

In addition to considering whether individuals may have committed a crime, a grand jury can also be used by a prosecutor as an investigative tool to compel witnesses to testify or turn over documents. Reports indicate that Special Counsel Robert Mueller used a grand jury for the latter when he investigated whether there was collusion between former President Donald Trumps election campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney instructs potential jurors during proceedings to seat a special purpose grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, May 2, 2022, to look into attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. AP Photo/Ben Gray

Makeup of a grand jury

Grand jurors are usually chosen from the same jury pool as trial jurors. For a federal grand jury, all U.S. citizens over the age of 18 living in the federal district courts geographic jurisdiction are in the pool.

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Court clerks first identify members of the grand jury pool from public records, including records of licensed drivers and registered voters.

Next, prospective grand jurors are screened, usually through questionnaires.

To be a member of a federal grand jury, a person has to be adequately proficient in English, have no disqualifying mental or physical condition, not be currently subject to felony charges punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and never have been convicted of a felony (unless civil rights have been legally restored). The court then randomly chooses candidates for the grand jury from this pool.

Work of the grand jury

In all felony cases, there must be a probable cause determination that a crime has been committed in order for a case to move forward to a trial or a plea. Probable cause means that there must be some evidence of each element of the offense.

In the federal system, a grand jury is the body that makes the probable cause determination. In many states, like Missouri, the probable cause determination can be made either by a grand jury or at a preliminary hearing before a judge.

When there is an option for either a grand jury or preliminary hearing to determine probable cause, the prosecutor decides which one to use. For example, in the shooting death of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in 2014, the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney brought the evidence to a grand jury rather than choosing to present evidence to a judge through a preliminary hearing. In serious cases like murder, most prosecutors use the grand jury because it is usually quicker than a preliminary hearing.

Most people whose cases go to the grand jury have already been arrested. These include all of the cases in which a person is arrested while committing a crime or shortly after the crime has been committed.

In some cases, like Muellers Russia investigation, prosecutors do not have all the evidence they need to make a good case. In these investigations, a grand jury is used to help with the investigation. Once the grand jury is impaneled, the prosecutor has the ability to subpoena records and witnesses.

Subpoena power means the prosecutor can compel witnesses to turn over documents and to testify. If the prosecutor obtains sufficient evidence of a crime, the same grand jury has the power to indict whomever it believes has committed a crime.

The work of a grand jury is required by law to be done in secret, so the public has no right to know who is subpoenaed or what documents the grand jury is reviewing. Even though the grand jury work is secret, federal rules and a majority of states permit grand jury witnesses to discuss what occurred when they testified.

In some high-profile cases, witnesses subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury will talk to the press if they think it will be helpful to them. For example, when former President Bill Clinton testified before a grand jury during the investigation into Whitewater real estate investment and the affair with Monica Lewinsky, he went on national television and announced that he had testified.

Potential dangers

The secrecy of a grand jury presents some dangers. The defendant does not know the evidence being considered, does not have a right to be present, and cannot question the evidence early in the criminal justice process.

As a result of the secrecy, the grand jury can also end up being a tool of the prosecution, and the prosecutor can choose to withhold evidence that is favorable to the accused. That is why a former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York, famously said that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.

These types of dangers are always present during any grand jury, and getting a grand jury to issue an indictment may be easy. But in high-profile cases, like the Russia connection to the Trump presidency and possibly the current investigation into Trumps efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia, proving wrongdoing beyond a reasonable doubt through a trial or a negotiated guilty plea usually proves much more difficult.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Aug. 7, 2017.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Peter A. Joy, Washington University in St Louis.

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Peter A. Joy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Three weeks after Jill LeCroix, 57, was attacked in an anti-white hate crime on a Queens, New York, bus ride, two out of three of her attackers are now facing assault and aggravated harassment charges.

On July 9, the suspects, three Black teenage girls, assaulted LeCroix after accusing her of being a supporter of former President Donald Trump. Police have classified both charges as hate crimes and are looking for a third suspect involved in the attack on LeCroix.

The assailants are accused of bashing her in the head with a Bath & Body Works product, requiring her to receive staples. The bloody attack is currently under investigation by the NYPDs Hate Crime Task Force.

LeCroix spoke with the Post about her life-threatening incident on the Metro bus, deeming it crazy.

3 women wanted for anti-white violent bias attack on a bus in Queens NY last week: NYPD Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) https://t.co/6UUwH6SJU5  Blue Lives Matter  (@RetiredNYCPD) July 16, 2022

Before they hit me, the girl with the green hair said, You probably like Trump! Dont you?' LeCroix said. I said, I love him. I didnt see which one hit me first, the Post reports.

The one with the green hair, she was saying she hates white people, the way they talk, hates white skin, the way their skin cracks. Saying she was gangsta, she said. I was the only white person on the bus. By the time we started passing St. Johns Cemetery on Woodhaven, she started in on me, saying, Thats where Im going to bury you!

She had a bag from Bath & Body Works, and she took out a scrub and said she was going to beat me with it. It was tangerine, LeCroix said. She said, Youre going to get what you deserve! All white people are going to get what they deserve. It was crazy.

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LeCroix was on the Q53 bus at Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens during the incident. Officers released a video of the suspected attackers, including the unidentified bright-green hair suspect.

LeCroix suspects that her attackers were around their teens to early 20s.

The one with the green hair was the mouth, but they were looking for trouble, LeCroix said. When they got on the back door of the bus, they were laughing and the one with the pink hair said, Yeah, I kicked that baby stroller! she said.

Never in my life have I been attacked like that, LeCroix said. They said they hate white people.

LeCroix, who has three biracial children, said shes still shaken up by the event weeks later.
Jalal Noory, an Afghan refugee in Ukraine who serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, defended the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv from being captured by Russian troops at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Noory and his fellow soldiers succeeded, repelling all Russian attacks on the capital.

A Ukrainian citizen since 2005, Noory first went to the frontline in 2014 as a volunteer following Russia's invasion of Crimea and the Donbas region. Noory said he was called to the front by a sense of patriotism. "I simply could not stay away," he added.

PHOTO: Jalal Noory, an Afghan refugee in Ukraine who serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, seen here in Kyiv region in July 2022. (Jalal Noory)

"I wanted to share my combat experience with my Ukrainian comrades," Noory said, adding that "war is part of every Afghan's nature."

Noory was born in Afghanistan in the mid 1970s. He still recalls the Soviet invasion of his native country in 1979. I remember the Soviet army crossing through my city when I was a child. We bought cigarettes and gave them to the Soviet soldiers. They gave us bullets in return to play with," Noory said.

The conflict morphed into a full-scale war that lasted 10 years and cost the Soviets around 15,000 troops, according to official estimates. More than 3,000 men lost in the war were from Ukraine.

PHOTO: Jalal Noory, an Afghan refugee in Ukraine who serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, seen here in Kyiv region in July 2022. (Jalal Noory)

Up to two million Afghan civilians died in the fighting -- or about 10% of Afghanistan's population in 1979. Millions of others became refugees, including Noory.

Russian military tactics witnessed today in Ukraine are identical to those used in Afghanistan, Noory said. "At the time, the Russians claimed their Afghan friends were calling for help. Just like now in Ukraine."

Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year under the pretext of protecting the Russian speaking population in the country, among other justifications proclaimed by Russian officials as the invasion unfolded. But it's a lie. I've lived in Ukraine for 23 years and I've only spoken Russian. I never had a problem with the language, Noory said.

PHOTO: Jalal Noory, an Afghan refugee in Ukraine who serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, seen here on Oath Day on March 11, 2022. (Jalal Noory)

Frightening and terrorizing the civilian population is another staple of Russian warfare that stood the test of time, according to Noory. Absolutely nothing has changed. They are hiding behind women, children, houses, and villages. They destroy them by rockets, bombs and tanks, he said.

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Noory, having grown up in the middle of a war, absorbed military knowledge from his early childhood. But after fleeing to Ukraine in 1999, he led a peaceful life.

Noory became a successful athlete, winning several titles in martial arts competitions. He also got married and had children.

PHOTO: Jalal Noory, an Afghan refugee in Ukraine who serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, seen here near Irpin in Kyiv region in July 2022. (Jalal Noory)

Yet he did not hesitate for a second when Russia invaded Ukraine both in 2014 and this year. Someone must stop the Russians. Now it is the Ukrainians, but Poland or Lithuania could be next, Noory said.

Noory said he did not only fight for his life, family, friends, or Ukraine. He's protecting something much bigger, he added. I fight for every human. Not just an Afghan, Ukrainian or American, but for every human."

The most important thing in life is freedom, Noory said. "If you don't have freedom, you have nothing. So I must be free and my children have to be free.

Having survived a Russian invasion once, an Afghan refugee now fights for Ukrainian freedom originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A grand jury on Wednesday indicted the man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb on 117 charges, many of which stem from the dozens of other people who were wounded and injured.

Robert Bobby E. Crimo III admitted to the mass shooting in Highland Park in a voluntary statement to authorities this month, officials said. He had previously been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.

He is now charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, according to the Lake County States Attorneys Office. There are three first-degree murder charges per victim.

Law enforcement search after a mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill. (Nam Y. Huh / AP File)

The indictment also charges him with 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for every person who was wounded by a bullet or shrapnel.

Crimo is scheduled to appear for his arraignment next week. Court records indicate he is represented by a public defender and do not name an attorney.

Authorities identified those killed in the shooting as Katherine Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.

Kevin and Irina McCarthy were at the parade with their 2-year-old son, Aiden, who was physically unharmed. The boy's grandfather Michael Levberg told the Chicago Sun-Times that Kevin McCarthy was shielding Aiden when he died.

He had Aiden under his body when he was shot, Levberg said.

a memorial for the victims of a mass shooting at 4th of July parade in Highland Park (Jim Vondruska / Getty Images file)

Cooper Roberts, 8, remains in the hospital and is paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the back, his mother, Keely Roberts, said in a statement Wednesday.

"The fact that Cooper is still here with us today is a miracle," she said. "He has taught me so much."

Cooper's twin, Luke, was hit by shrapnel and sustained minor physical injuries. Keely Roberts was shot in the leg and said she will require ongoing orthopedic treatment.

The suspect fled, and authorities allege that he considered a second attack in Madison, Wisconsin. It did not appear that he had planned to target any particular event, although multiple Fourth of July festivities were planned.

Ultimately, he taken into custody in North Chicago.
The House passed a bill on Tuesday to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to the four Americans who died in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

By voice vote, the chamber approved the measure to award the Congressional Gold Medal to J. Christopher Stevens, the then-U.S. ambassador to Libya; Sean Smith, who served as a State Department information management officer in Benghazi; and Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, who were Navy SEALS and CIA security contractors.

The four men were killed on Sept. 11, 2012, when a coalition of extremists attacked U.S. facilities in Benghazi. In January 2020, Libyan national Mustafa al-Imam was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison for crimes connected to the terrorist attack.

September will mark 10 years since the death of the four Americans.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), the sponsor of the bill, said its more than fitting that the four Americans receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

In view of the approaching 10th anniversary of those terrorist attacks against the U.S. consulate, the nearby classified annex, and personnel in Benghazi, Libya, it is more than fitting we bestow the gold medal on these four fallen American heroes who bravely defended our compound and dedicated their lives to patriotic service on behalf of the United States of America, he said during debate on the House floor Tuesday.

The resolution passed on Tuesday would award the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest expression of national appreciation, to the four Americans who died in the attack in recognition of their contributions to the Nation.

After the accolade is awarded, it would be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum for display.

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) said the four late Americans served honorably and died in service to our country, adding that the measure will honor these men with the recognition that they deserve.

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House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called the four men killed in the attack shining examples of our shared American values.

As we come upon the 10-year anniversary of their tragic deaths, we as a nation mourn the loss of these shining examples of our shared American values, Waters said during debate on the House floor.

And to their loved ones who carry their memories with them today and always, we offer our sincerest condolences and profound gratitude for their tireless efforts to preserve their legacy, she added.

The California Democrat added, I cannot think of any who are more deserving of this great honor.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The House of Representatives has passed the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act to honor the abolitionist. With the historic measure passing on Tuesday, the House officially approved the bill authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko, Auburnpub reports.

In a statement to Blavity, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the bill, which was approved by the U.S. Senate in February.

The proceeds from the commemorative coins will benefit the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, New York, and further allow them to advance their mission in preserving Harriet Tubmans life story and legacy, Schumer stated.

According to the statement, the measure will also benefit Cayuga Countys Harriet Tubman home and The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The legislation requires the U.S. Department of Treasury to produce up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins and 750,000 half-dollar coins. The coins will feature Tubmans image along with her name. Additionally, the coins will include the words Liberty, In God We Trust, United States of America and E Pluribus Unum.

According to the bill, the coins must be emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist.

Harriet Tubman was a trailblazer and an American hero whose courage and commitment to freedom changed the course of history, Schumer said. I am proud to have fought to formally establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Cayuga County, and am proud to have continued that fight with this bill to ensure Tubmans history in New York continues to live on.

The senator added that the coins will carry on Tubmans legacy by ensuring her courageous story lives on and that the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn can continue to inspire countless generations to come.

The coins are expected to be released in 2024 after the treasury consults with a few organizations, including Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., in Auburn, to select the design of the coin. President Joe Biden must also sign the legislation before the coins can be released.

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Karen V. Hill, president and CEO of Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., gave thanks to the lawmakers who came together to pass the legislation.

In this bi-centennial year of Harriet Tubman it is huge that there is bicameral and bipartisan support to honor her life and legacy with the commemorative coins. Tubmans heroism, patriotism and activism are all a part of what made America, Hill said in a statement to Blavity.

Dennis V. Proctor, chairman of Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., said, The three commemorative coins from the U.S. Mint are most fitting.

We are the stewards of Tubmans legacy. Our goal remains to find meaningful ways to share Harriet with freedom loving people throughout the world. The coins are a symbol of Tubmans quest for freedom, equity and destiny. The ideals of democracy, Proctor said in a statement to Blavity.
Migrants reliant on Facebook and WhatsApp as they make the journey to the U.S. are being targeted with immigration misinformation by human smugglers, a new report found.

A study released Tuesday from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found an abundance of posts spreading misinformation about immigration law, conditions along the route to the United States, and the opportunities available to migrants to the U.S. through the Meta platforms.

Migrants found smugglers promising easy entry into the U.S. via Facebook and WhatsApp, according to the report, with some saying they were instead robbed or left in dangerous circumstances by those they connected with.

The TTP interviewed 200 migrants at both the Mexico-Guatemala border and the U.S.-Mexico border, and found that many had bought into misinformation: that the easing COVID-19 pandemic meant borders had opened, that pregnant migrants could enter the country undocumented and that conditions on the route north were easier than in the past.

The report criticized the Meta platforms for not doing more to shield migrants from such misinformation.

Our interviews with migrants and review of social media data show that the platformsespecially Facebookare failing to protect some of the most vulnerable people in the world from misinformation that could defraud them, lead to deportation, or put their lives at risk, the TTP wrote.

The TTP determined that some human rights groups were also using Facebook and WhatsApp to counter misinformation, but that those efforts were not always successful at breaking through strong misinformation campaigns.

The Hill has reached out to Meta platforms Facebook and WhatsApp for comment.

CNN was the first to report the study.

Last month, 53 migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, in a suspected human smuggling operation.

President Biden called the San Antonio incident  horrifying and heartbreaking and said in a statement that it underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), along with other Republicans, blamed Bidens deadly open border policies for the deaths, but the president pushed back against what he called political grandstanding from the party.

In June, the White House announced a sting operation campaign led by the Department of Homeland Security aimed at taking down smuggling networks in Latin America. The administration reported it had invested $50 million and surged 1,300 personnel throughout the region to that end in the preceding two months.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Americas hypersonic enterprise appears to be crossing a key juncture this summer.

After years of struggle, including numerous test failures, programs like the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon and Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept appear to be hitting their strides  including full-up test flights at hypersonic speed.

This concrete progress, paired with continued support from Congress and the Biden administrations decision to sign Defense Production Act initiatives targeting the hypersonic industrial base, give reason for optimism.

However, its far too early to claim victory, and we must stay focused on the end objective.

The United States finds itself clawing from behind in the current hypersonic race with China and Russia for a very simple reason: Leaders squandered the decisive hypersonic advantage America gained in the 1960s through programs like the X-15. Irregular funding, scattershot hypersonic efforts, and a lack of urgency yielded an array of haphazard programs.

Most failed to deliver as advertised, while the on-again, off-again approach made it incredibly hard to maintain and sustain expertise. Even as recently as 2013, the Air Force chose to conclude its X-51 hypersonic test program after four flights, even though two were successful and the final one set a record for the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight.

Despite this promising trajectory, the team was disbanded and funding distributed to other priorities. By contrast, the X-15 flew 199 times between 1959 and 1968. This afforded tremendous learning and secured concrete progress.

With China and Russia progressing rapidly on their own hypersonic programs, U.S. leaders were shocked into action a few years after the X-51 effort concluded. The military launched numerous programs, involving multiple services.

Making up for decades lost is a difficult, costly proposition. Military officials worked incredibly hard to generate a new bench of talent, fight for ample funding, and educate key audiences about the hypersonic imperative. We are just beginning to see positive results from this surge, and we must maintain this sense of urgency.

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Launching multiple lines of effort provided leaders with a set of options. Successful programs could be scaled up and underperforming programs terminated. The military deserves credit for allowing teams the opportunity to learn through failure.

While initial hypersonic successes should be celebrated, it is crucial to recognize that America is still in a very tight race. Positive test results should not be conflated with an operational set of capabilities.

Pentagon officials, the services, Congress, and the various teams developing the technology must maintain a laser focus to move from the lab to the front lines. From a government perspective, this demands stable requirements, bureaucratic top cover and funding that is both predictable and ample. Industry needs to keep pressing hard, ensure smart execution and deliver results that will translate effectively to the operational realm.

Amid the rush for hypersonic technology, it is also important for military strategists and planners to think about how it would best be employed. This is not a race for technologys sake; it is all about pragmatic combat results.

The first application of hypersonic technology will be strike. Given that, what are the specific applications where hypersonic attributes will net significant results for the combatant commands? Flying above Mach 5 obviously compresses the kill chain, conquers distance challenges, and circumvents most enemy defenses.

Cost also must factor into the equation. Different approaches  namely air-launched versus ground-launched  produce vastly different expense figures. They also yield different employment considerations. Military leaders need to think about these factors now.

Finally, it is crucial to consider the broader enterprise that will be required to transform a host of research and development efforts into operational scale. We need to bolster the ground test and flight test infrastructure, consider the advantages afforded by digital engineering, invest in production centers and cultivate necessary human capital at scale.

All of these challenges are surmountable, but success demands careful consideration and smart execution. We cannot assume it will just happen. This hypersonic journey has been far from easy, but the threat environment demands we stay the course.

Douglas A. Birkey is executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
New York police released new images and video this week of the men accused of robbing a bishop during a live streamed sermon on Sunday. Police said the men stole $1 million worth of jewelry from Bishop Lamor Whitehead and his wife, Bishop Asia DosReis-Whitehead.

"I'm excited, and I'm hoping and praying that they catch all three of them," Whitehead told CBS New York. "I'm sure the community that they're from, I'm sure someone will recognize them."

The images show three men in black clothing with their faces mostly covered. The 19-second video shows them walking toward a building minutes before the robbery occurred, police said.

Photos of the three suspects released by the NYPD. / Credit: New York Police Department

The NYPD said that just before 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, three men entered the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry in Brooklyn while Whitehead was live streaming a church service. The men "displayed firearms and demanded property" from the 44-year-old and his 38-year-old wife before taking their jewelry, police said.

"I said, 'Alright, alright, alright,' pretty much stating that I'm not going to do anything because I know you're coming for me. You're coming straight to me. I don't want my parishioners hurt. I've got women and children there," Whitehead said, according to CBS New York.

"As I got down, one went to my wife and took all her jewelry and had the gun in front of my 8-month-old baby's face," Whitehead added. "Took off my bishop's ring, my wedding band and took off my bishop's chain, and then I had chains underneath my robe and he started tapping my neck to see if anything else. So that means they knew. They watched and they knew that I have other jewelry."

Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead speaks during the celebration of life for Biz Markie at Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts on August 02, 2021 in Patchogue, New York. / Credit: JN / Getty Images

Whitehead said he had about 100 congregants in the room who are now "traumatized" by the experience, CBS New York reported. He has given the NYPD $50,000 as an award for information leading to the suspects' apprehension, the station said.

Anyone with information on the robbery is instructed to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.

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Incoming Michigan medical students walk out of anti-abortion-rights speaker's keynote

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By Jorgelina do Rosario and Uditha Jayasinghe

LONDON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Sri Lanka should kick off debt restructuring talks with its bilateral lender China, while the island state's government seeks a financing loan from the Washington-based fund.

"China is a big creditor, and Sri Lanka has to engage proactively with it on a debt restructuring," Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

The island of 22 million is currently engulfed by its most severe economic and political crisis in recent history.

Six-time prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was recently appointed as president after a popular uprising ousted his predecessor following months of severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines.

The government recently decided to restrict fuel imports for 12 months.

The country owes Beijing some $6.5 billion in financing including development bank loans and a central bank swap, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IFF).

The world's second-largest economy has invested in projects such as highways, a port, an airport and a coal power plant. Japan and India are also bilateral creditors to Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka has to engage with its creditors, both private and official bilateral, on a debt workout to ensure debt sustainability is restored," Srinivasan said, as he pointed out that technical talks on a new IMF program are ongoing with both officials from the finance ministry and the central bank.

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's embassy in Sri Lanka did not immediately respond.

The South Asian nation has requested an IMF rescue plan to overcome its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The country defaulted on a bond payment debt earlier this year on its $12 billion overseas debt with private creditors, as it struggles to pay for imports of basic goods.

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"There are some areas where we need to make further progress," Srinivasan added, but declined to specify the top reforms Sri Lanka should address in other to reach an agreement.

An Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme from the IMF, which would be the fund's 17th plan for the nation, requires countries to make structural economic reforms https://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2016/08/01/20/56/Extended-Fund-Facility.

Maldives and Laos are other examples of countries in the region that are facing onerous debt situations.

Srinivasan said the fund is advising countries to "spend more in alleviating the impact on the poor and vulnerable but keeping budget neutral by reducing expenditures elsewhere or raising revenues where feasible."

"It's not just public debt, but also corporate debt and household debt - and that has implications for policymaking," he said. "The debt issue is very significant."

(Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario, Karin Strohecker, Rodrigo Campos and Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
An Iraqi court has overturned the conviction and 15-year sentence handed to a British pensioner last month for antiquities smuggling, the retiree's lawyer said Tuesday.

James Fitton had been charged under a 2002 law against "intentionally taking or trying to take out of Iraq an antiquity," the maximum penalty for which under the country's legal code is death by hanging.

The conviction has been "overturned today by the Court of Cassation and my client will soon be free", lawyer Thaer Saoud told AFP.

The retiree's son-in-law, Sam Tasker, told AFP in a phone call that the family was "very pleased by the decision, but we are still waiting for his release."

Fitton stood trial alongside German national Volker Waldmann, who was acquitted. Both men had pleaded not guilty.

Fitton's lawyer launched the appeal just over a month ago.

According to statements from customs officers and witnesses, Fitton's baggage contained about a dozen stone fragments, pieces of pottery or ceramics.

When the judge in the original trial asked Fitton why he tried to take the artefacts out of Iraq, the retired geologist cited his "hobby" and said he did not mean to do anything illegal.

"I didn't realise that taking them was against the law," Fitton had said, adding that some of the ancient sites were open and unguarded.

But the judge in the original trial concluded there was criminal intent and sentenced Fitton to 15 years, rather than death, because of his "advanced age".

On his Facebook page on Tuesday, Fitton's lawyer published the judgement that had been handed down by the Court of Cassation, overturning the original verdict.

It said that the charge against Fitton had been cancelled, and that he would be freed for lack of evidence.

The court also ruled that there had been no "criminal intent" on the Briton's part, Saoud said.

He added that his client would be released "in the next few days, as soon as the proceedings are completed".

The Fitton case comes at a time when the war-ravaged country, whose tourism infrastructure is almost non-existent, is tentatively opening to visitors.

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Iraq -- home to the famed city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia -- is seeking to safeguard its archaeological heritage amid a rampant market for smuggled artifacts.

The authorities crack down severely on attempts to deal in antiquities illegally.

Much of the country's ancient cultural heritage has been looted for decades because of the many conflicts it has suffered, particularly after the US-led invasion of 2003 that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

The arrival of the Islamic State group in 2014 boosted the illegal sale of antiquities as the jihadists sought to bolster their coffers by smuggling out and selling ancient pieces.

lk/hj/bfi/srm-dwo
As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But really bad investments should be rare. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of James Fisher and Sons plc (LON:FSJ); the share price is down a whopping 88% in the last three years. That would be a disturbing experience. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 71% in a year. Furthermore, it's down 31% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.

View our latest analysis for James Fisher and Sons

Because James Fisher and Sons made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

Over the last three years, James Fisher and Sons' revenue dropped 6.8% per year. That is not a good result. The share price fall of 23% (per year, over three years) is a stern reminder that money-losing companies are expected to grow revenue. We're generally averse to companies with declining revenues, but we're not alone in that. There's no more than a snowball's chance in hell that share price will head back to its old highs, in the short term.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. You can see what analysts are predicting for James Fisher and Sons in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 3.1% in the twelve months, James Fisher and Sons shareholders did even worse, losing 71%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 13% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that James Fisher and Sons is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

James Fisher and Sons is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on GB exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A co-defendant has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the Capitol riot assault of three police officers, including Brian Sicknick, who died after the insurrection.

George Tanios pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours  trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds.

That was a reduction from what the 40-year-old initially faced  10 counts including felony charges such as assaulting officers, obstructing Congresss certification of the 2020 election results, and rioting, according to The Washington Post.

Sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence of as much as a year. The West Virginian has already spent five months in jail.

Tanios sentencing hearing is set to take place on 6 December. The sandwich shop owners co-defendant is Julian Elie Khater. They were both accused of assaulting Mr Sicknick, who was injured during the riot and died of natural causes the following day, according to officials.

Niether of the co-defendants is accused of having caused Mr Sicknicks death.

In his plea, Tanios said he brought two cans of chemical spray to the nations capital, and that he gave one of the cans to Khater before they arrived at the Congressional complex.

Tanios later filmed his fellow rioters in hand-to-hand combat with officers.

Khater is set to go to trial on 5 October. Lawyers noted in court that they were discussing if he would be pleading guilty to two felony charges of assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, according to The Post.

While Tanios operated a Sanwhich shop, Khater ran a smoothie shop, both located in college towns.

Arrested in March of last year, just months after the riot, they pleaded not guilty to the assaults of Mr Sicknick, another Capitol Police officer, and a DC officer.

More follows...
TOKYO (AP)  The leaders of Japan and Indonesia agreed Wednesday to bolster their ties in maritime security and their cooperation on climate change, energy and investment between the Asian archipelago nations.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at a joint news conference after holding talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tokyo, said Japan will provide support to further reinforce Indonesian maritime security capability to ensure peace and safety at sea in the Indo-Pacific region."

Kishida also announced that Tokyo is loaning 43.6 billion yen ($318 million) to fund Indonesian infrastructure projects and disaster prevention.

Widodos Japan visit follows his trip to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and formally invited him to the Group of 20 summit in Bali in the fall. The two leaders on Tuesday also discussed issues ranging from trade to maritime cooperation.

While Indonesia and China enjoy generally positive ties, Jakarta has expressed concern about Chinese encroachment on its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

Widodo' comments in Tokyo focused on investment, energy and the G-20 summit. Widodo welcomed new Japanese investments and asked for Japan's support in new technology involving clean energy, infrastructure, medicine, agriculture and natural resources.

In particular, I invite Japan to support the acceleration of Indonesias net zero emission target through advocating innovative technologies such as hydrogen and ammonia technology, he said.

Japan is promoting mixing hydrogen and ammonia at coal-fired power plants as a way to lower emissions.

Also, Kishida said Japan is researching whether it can provide Japanese patrol vessels for Indonesia to build its maritime capabilities.

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force is participating for the first time in the Garuda Shield multilateral training exercise hosted by Indonesia next month, Kishida said. The U.S. is also joining the exercise.

While Japan promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific vision of security and trade with the United States and other democracies and friendly nations in the region that share concern about Chinas increasing assertiveness, the two leaders did not mention the country by name.

Widodo said Indonesia, as the chair of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations next year and Japan as the chair of the Group of 7 summit, will continue to cooperate for the peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
A federal judge on Wednesday said he would give Stephen Bannons lawyers an opportunity to argue for the dismissal of criminal contempt of Congress charges, of which the former Trump White House adviser was convicted by a jury last week.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied Bannons motion for an outright acquittal on the charges but said in a brief order Wednesday that he would allow the defense team to further argue their motion to dismiss the indictment after they were prevented from calling members of the House Jan. 6 select committee to testify at last weeks trial.

Nichols said he would benefit from further briefing on the issue and ordered Bannons lawyers to submit a filing by Aug. 5.

The judge had previously denied the defense teams motion to allow testimony from all nine members of the select committee at trial. But he expressed reservations about the decision and indicated in recent weeks that he would be willing to revisit the matter.

The constitutions Speech or Debate Clause generally shields members of Congress from being compelled to testify in court proceedings. Bannons lawyers argued earlier this month that immunity is in tension with Bannons constitutional rights as a criminal defendant in a case over whether he unlawfully defied a committee subpoena.

Mr. Bannon respectfully argues that because [select committee members] set in motion the prosecution of Mr. Bannon, they should not have been allowed to retreat behind the Speech or Debate Clause when evidence of their actions (and their testimony concerning the same) are directly relevant to Mr. Bannons charges, and essential to securing his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights, Bannons lawyers wrote in a filing earlier this month.

The defense team has argued Bannon was denied a fair trial when Nichols foreclosed the possibility of subpoenaing lawmaker testimony. They declined to call any witnesses to testify before a jury last week.

The jury convicted Bannon on two contempt counts after hearing from just two witnesses during the weeklong trial. They spent less than three hours deliberating before reaching a verdict on Friday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Kansas City, Kansas woman is accused of murder and attempted murder in connection with a double shooting that unfolded last week in the citys Gateway Plaza neighborhood, according to police.

Tanesha Marie Horton, 27, was charged in Wyandotte County District Court, said Nancy Chartrand, a spokeswoman for Kansas City, Kansas police. Horton was being held in the Wyandotte County jail on $250,000 bond.

Officers responded to a reported shooting about 11:30 p.m. on July 17 in the 1400 block of North 5th Street where they found two men who had been shot. One of the men, 54-year-old Printara Jackson, died at the scene. The other was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Chartrand said the case is still being investigated by the departments Major Case Unit. Police were asking anyone with information about the case to contact the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
If you want to know who really controls Auckland International Airport Limited (NZSE:AIA), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

Auckland International Airport has a market capitalization of NZ$11b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. In the chart below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Auckland International Airport.

View our latest analysis for Auckland International Airport

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Auckland International Airport?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Auckland International Airport. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Auckland International Airport's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Auckland International Airport. Auckland Council is currently the largest shareholder, with 18% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 6.0% and 5.6% of the stock.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Auckland International Airport

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Auckland International Airport Limited. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around NZ$3.5m worth of shares (at current prices). Arguably, recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 54% stake in Auckland International Airport, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This level of ownership gives investors from the wider public some power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Auckland International Airport you should know about.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Editor's Note: This story was updated on July 27, 2022, to include further comments from Leet Township.

LEET TWP.  Township commissioners unanimously voted Monday to fire the community's police chief.

According to township officials, Leet commissioners agreed to terminate police Chief Michael Molinaro after an executive session. Molinaro was previously placed on paid administrative leave while the township investigated claims he had unjustly fired another township police officer.

While the executive session and vote to remove Molinaro were not noted on the original agenda for the meeting, the document was later updated to reflect the change. When asked for comment on the decision to remove Molinaro on Monday, the township manager declined to comment.

According to Leet Township meeting minutes, the investigation began in March after a complaint was filed by a township police officer in regard to his termination in December. Molinaro has stated the firing was due to the officer's aggressive, sexual and/or racial comments and other inappropriate actions directed towards colleagues and residents.

After holding an executive session on March 14 to discuss a personnel matter, board Vice President Carolyn Verszyla made the motion to reject the resignation of the officer and ordered the chief to reinstate the officer immediately. Later in the meeting, it was decided that board President Martin McDaniel, Verszyla and an outside attorney would investigate the complaint.

On April 15, the board passed another motion to place Molinaro on paid administrative leave as they investigated what they described as "serious allegations" arising from the investigation. During this meeting, residents questioned the motions and the board stated it would take action when the investigation was completed and the administrative leave was not a disciplinary measure. When asked about staffing at the department, solicitor Stephen Chesney urged this not be discussed or posted on social media.

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In a countersuit filed by Molinaro last month, he said commissioners' actions were taken due to his support of opposing candidates to the current board members. According to the complaint, Molinaro had been an active supporter of the opponents of current board members Rody Nash and Daniel Peluso during the last election. In the past, he has also publicly supported rivals for McDaniel and Verszyla.

Molinaro said the disciplinary actions taken against the officer he had fired began in March 2021, after he was appointed police chief. At various points before he was fired, Molinaro said he had issued verbal warnings to the officer after residents and other officers brought forward complaints about his behavior.

Leet Township also filed its official response to Molinaro's lawsuit on Monday, with officials saying the township "lacks sufficient knowledge or information to form a belief" in regard to the firing of the part-time officer and demanded "strict proof." While the township does acknowledge at least one complaint about the part-time officer was filed by another township employee via email to Molinaro, investigators were not able to "form a belief" on the comments from the public or other employees in their investigation.

The township also denied the Leet officer was fired in December 2021, asserting that only the board of commissioners has the power to hire and fire employees. In its response, the township said the officer had complained after Molinaro reported to Pennsylvanias Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission that the firing was due to disciplinary action.

The township said Molinaro's "inappropriate" comments on the reinstatement of this officer during public comment were struck from the record because it involved a personnel issue and was "not a matter of public concern," rather serving as an advancement of Molinaro's "own personal agenda" regarding the officer. It also said these comments did not have the right to be made outside of a meeting for the potential of negative impact on the government workplace functions.

While the township stated it did not suspend Molinaro entirely due to the dismissal of the other Leet officer, saying the investigation "pertains to issues of potential malfeasance" beyond the firing, the meeting minutes from the board of commissioners do not clarify any other reasons were the cause for investigation.

When suspended on April 15, the meeting minutes indicated the chief would be suspended to "preserve the integrity of the independent investigation authorized on March 14." When this motion was made in March, it was in the same action as reinstating the Leet officer that Molinaro had attempted to remove. In this motion, the language used directs "Chief Molinaro to place him back on the schedule until the outcome of the independent investigation," which implies the investigation was in regard to the firing. The board also told the public in that meeting that the suspension was not a disciplinary action for the chief.

Leet officials allege this investigation revealed various forms of misconduct from the chief during his time leading the community's police department, including acts of aggression and tampering with investigations or evidence. At this time, it is unclear whether the township will take legal action against Molinaro for these accusations.

In regard to the violation of Molinaro's right to protected speech, the response said the township lacked any knowledge of Molinaro's public support of opposing candidates to the current commissioners and wishes to see evidence of these claims.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Leet Township Commissioners dismiss police chief
Even though The Real Housewives of Dubai is Bravos first international franchise, the ladies drama keeps leading them back to the States.

Bravos The Real Housewives of Dubai stars Nina Ali, Sara Al Madani, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan and Caroline Stanbury, and only seven episodes in, the wives have found themselves at odds with each other, and wives across the world.

Ayan, Brooks and Milan found themselves in a social media back-and-forth with "RHOBH" star Lisa Rinna, after Rinna addressed negativity towards her actions on "RHOBH" with an Instagram story that read, And if you are just so triggered by our show and a lot of you p------ are Go watch 'Dubai,' causing the ladies and fans alike to think Rinna was alluding to 'Dubai being not as good as Beverly Hills.

Lisa Rinna at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards on June 2, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Axelle / FilmMagic / Getty Images)

Ayan tweeted, Rinna Africa called and they want their lips back! Keep Dubai out of your mess and your mouth.

Milan tweeted, She does not want this heat, were not BH .. we will drag her from right up off that doctors table to the desert!

Brooks tweeted, @lisarinna why did you mention our show in your post? What did you mean by go watch Dubai? Hmmm.

Rinna later spoke with Brooks and Milan via the phone and squashed their squabbles, but the Dubai ladies have found themselves back in the mouth of another housewife  Gizelle Bryant, of Bravos The Real Housewives of Potomac.

Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen - Season 18 (Charles Sykes/Bravo / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

On Monday, July 25, 2022, Bryant released an episode of her podcast with fellow "RHOP" Robyn Dixon, "Reasonably Shady," with guest Carlos King, a well-known reality television producer.

On the podcast, King said, Lets talk about 'The Real Housewives of Dubai,' which I like to say the 'Real Housewives of Buh-Bye' because for me those women studied every single housewife and its hard for me to get into them because I dont think theyre being themselves. What do yall think?

Bryant responded, seemingly shading the entire cast besides Ayan. Bryant said, Ive only seen one, maybe one and a half episodes. The only thing that stands out to me is the model girl ... I feel like shes at least entertaining to watch. The others is like paint drying. Im looking for her (in) the next scene, so I will give her that.

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TODAY chatted with Ayan and Milan, who responded to Bryants statements about the cast.

Ayan said, I dont agree with that, as much as I respect Gizelle. But Lesa and me literally carry the show. So she needs to watch more than one episode to see whats going on. Its an ensemble cast. You cant judge when youve only watched one and a half.

Milan added, I feel like Gizelle should actually know better, and girl, worry about your fashions first before you worry about us.

With only a few episodes left, time will only tell who else the Dubai ladies can get into it with.

Bravo and TODAY are both owned by the same parent company, NBC Universal.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and a gavel.

Another lawsuit has been filed against Florida's "don't say gay" law.

Lambda Legal joined the Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Legal Counsel, and private attorney Baker McKenzie to file a federal lawsuit challenging the law on Monday.

By prohibiting sexual orientation and gender identity discussions from kindergarten through third grade and imposing undefined standards for appropriateness for students through graduation, the suit claims, Floridas law silences and erases LGBTQ+ families and students. The suit also takes issue with the fact that any parent dissatisfied with a school districts law implementation can sue the district over it.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in March. It went into effect on July 1.

"We are deeply concerned about the negative effect that [law] has upon our family," plaintiffs David Dinan and Vikranth Gongidi said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. The law limits our speech and our expression. The law forces us to self-censor for fear of prompting responses from our childrens teachers and classmates that would isolate our children and make them feel ashamed of their own family. It also causes irreparable harm to our children and to their development.

Plaintiff Will Larkins spoke out in a statement regarding his concerns.

I am concerned that this law will eviscerate any hope of healthy and important discussions about LGBTQ+ issues or historical events, which are already lacking in our schools, Larkins said. Because of the vague language of the law, closed-minded parents are emboldened to become vigilantes to force their beliefs upon other peoples children by suing the school district over anything they disagree with.

According to Lambda Legals Kell Olson, one of the attorneys in the case, the court needs to act quickly because the school year is about to begin.

The law has caused schools to eliminate anti-bullying guidance, pull books off shelves, and leave teachers in an impossible position, afraid to set the expectation as they have for ages that all students and families are respected at school, Olson told The Advocate.

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Throughout the case, he says hes confident they can demonstrate to the court his plaintiffs struggles to navigate simple, everyday stories that might not be allowed under the law.

Among the families that are involved in the lawsuit, he says, are a pair of gay dads with kids in the third and fourth grades who are eager to tell their friends about their summer vacations when they return to school. But instead, they had to discuss why the kids might not want to discuss at school their trip abroad or the Pride celebration they participated in.

So while the kids are excited, their dads are left in the position, knowing more about the law than the kids do, of struggling with how to talk with [the kids] gently about why they might not be able to talk about [their summer], Olson said.

The law tells all children that there are certain subjects about which they cannot learn, and it tells all people that LGBTQ+-identifying people are not human beings worthy of acknowledgment and discussion, the suit states. It interferes with the ability of LGBTQ+ students to obtain affirming support services in school, undermines protections from bullying based on their identities and the structure of their families, and deprives them of literature and resources vital to their development, education, and mental health.

The message that this law gives kids in the classroom has the practical effect of harming them, according to Olson.

He says the law is putting educators in the position of contributing to the injury inflicted on children, sending that really silencing, shameful kind of messaging that we have seen time and time again against gay people, against trans people, and its playing out, again, as it was intended to with this harmful law.

Follow More Advocate News on Pride Today Below
In this article:

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

The Lithuanian Interior Ministry declared the Russian Orthodox bishop persona non grata on June 23.

Read also: Patriarch Kirill stumbles and falls on marble floor during church consecration (video)

Patriarch Kirill denies Ukraines territorial integrity, and sovereignty and supported Russias aggressive actions, which grossly violate international law and principles, the ministry said.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The sun was out as thousands gathered to watch the Chincoteague ponies glide across the Assateague Channel for the 97th annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim on Wednesday, July 27.

Theres the sunshine everyones been praying for, said the announcer, who had added that the swim start time was likely to be at about 9:30 a.m. The window changes with the tide.

Please bring your patience. Did yall bring your patience? said the announcer. Hang tight and enjoy the morning.

Pony fever reaches an all-time high each year as Pony Penning week kicks off. Hordes of onlookers make the trek to rekindle, reconnect, and recharge with family and friends during the islands celebration.

Pony Penning 2022 returned to its full glory after a two-year COVID-19 in-person hiatus. The nearly 100-year tradition includes the Pony Swim on Wednesday and Pony Auction on Thursday. The auction is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which manages the wild pony herd on Assateague Island.

About an hour until the 97th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/SG80BPtQjt  Lauren A Roberts (@LaurenAlisabeth) July 27, 2022

On Wednesday, charter boats and kayaks filled with spectators lined the Assateague Channel, creating a pathway for the ponies as they made their yearly swim from shore to shore. The town of Chincoteague provides a large Jumbotron located at Veterans Memorial Park to help with viewing.

Find out which pony will be named King or Queen Neptune (the first to make landfall) by following along with Delmarva Now. This live report will update throughout the day, following the Pony Swim, rest period and parade.

Meet the 'Marsh Queen'

With her pink sash on and plastic tiara atop her head, Kim Fromal, 60, is soaking all the Pony Penning excitement in.

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Fromal who has dubbed herself the "Marsh Queen," says she has been attending for 34 years now and is always the "first to arrive" on Pony Swim day.

Her secret: We just know the tricks, said Fromal, laughing.

If you point to a horse, she'll know it by name.

Kim Fromal, 60, calls herself the Marsh Queen. She has attended Pony Penning for 34 years. Fromal says she is the very first to arrive at the Pony Swim event, hence her moniker.

This years Pony Swim lived up to her expectations  as it does every year.

Always, said Fromal. It gives you chills. Its just amazing.

After the ponies complete their swim, they rest for about 45 minutes before being paraded to the carnival grounds, where they spend the night ahead of Thursday's auction.

King Neptune is tagged at the 97th Chincoteague Pony Swim Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Chincoteague, Virginia.

King Neptune crowned

The first foal to come ashore is named King or Queen Neptune. This year, King Neptune is No. 19.

He will be given away in a raffle drawing at the carnival grounds later in the day.

According to the auction website, No. 19 is the colt of Tawny Treasure, and is a bay pinto.

The Chincoteague ponies come ashore as they complete the Pony Swim on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The swim kicked off at 9:04 a.m.

And they're off

The red flare was set off at 9:04 a.m. signaling the start of the swim.

Theyre on the move, coming around the marsh line, said the announcer.

By about 9:12 a.m., ponies could be seen in the water from the marsh full of onlookers who were eagerly anticipating their arrival.

NEW BUSINESSOcean City's Seacrets plans island vibe for new Chincoteague restaurant

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin hypes up the crowd

Gov. Glenn Youngkin addressed those gathered for the Pony Swim early Wednesday morning, praising the nearly 100-year tradition.

"Let's just make sure that we cheer for them, because this is tough swim for all of them." He thanked everyone for coming, saying, "Virginia is for pony lovers," playing off the state motto.

Virginia Governor @GlennYoungkin has arrived at the Pony Swim. pic.twitter.com/Yia2tmm5aX  Lauren A Roberts (@LaurenAlisabeth) July 27, 2022

Friendships form

Chincoteague ponies can be the foundation of a friendship for those young and old.

Twins Marie and Layla Nelson, 6, of Baltimore met Eleanor "Ellie" Onisick, 7, of Philadelphia while waiting for the swim.

Their respective grandparents Diana Call, 60, and Dave Mease, 65, accompanied the girls and said they were fast friends, bonding over the ponies.

Twins Marie and Layla Nelson, 6, of Baltimore in front, and Eleanor "Ellie" Onisick, 7, of Philadelphia met at the Pony Swim on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

The twins want to buy a pony, and are desperately clinging to their purchased tickets for the King Neptune raffle.

Ill keep it in my room! exclaimed one twin.

Uh, its gonna stink," said the other.

Mease has been to the Pony Swim about 10 times. He and his wife recently bought a house nearby to bring their grandchildren.

Call was to the event one other time, 30 years ago, when her parents brought her and her two daughters. Now, she's happy to do the same with her husband and granddaughters.

Grace Jackson and Veruca Schweiger, both 10, of WIlmington, Delaware, show off their plastic horses while waiting for the Chincoteague Pony Swim 2022 on Wednesday, July 27. The girls are members of the Wilmington Hobby Horse Club.

Grace Johnson and Veruca Schweiger, both 10, of Wilmington, Delaware, are members of the Wilmington Hobby Horse Club.

First-timers to the Pony Swim, Grace said she has read her 1940 edition of "Misty of Chincoteague" book "over and over."

First-timers 'in their own backyard'

Jason Graves, 47, and Donna Graves, 52, from Virginia Beach get settled in to welcome the ponies across the Assateague Channel.

Jason Graves, 47, and Donna Graves, 52, traveled across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the first time to the Pony Swim even though theyre from Virginia Beach.

According to the couple, theyve been to North Carolina to see the wild ponies of Coralla, but felt that it was finally time to attend the big event thats held, practically, right in their own backyard.

PONY AUCTION: How much does a Chincoteague pony cost? Top bids by year

Donna said doesnt mind the mud at all.

I got my shirt dirty, she said, showing off the white, mud-stained T-shirt tied around her waist. I did it on purpose, she joked.

'Horse girl' might just be a 'pony girl' now

Brandy Farrell, 55, and Doug Farrell, 55, came to Chincoteague Pony Swim Wednesday from Canada. They intended to come in 2020 but the pandemic and closed border forced their trip to be cancelled.

Brandy and Doug Farrell had planned to come to Pony Penning in 2020, but their trip from Canada was deferred to now. COVID-19 hit that year, closing the boarder, and the in-person event was canceled until this year.

Brandy Farrell, 55, has been a horse girl her whole life. She read the Misty books when she was 8 or 9.

Ever since I was a kid and read the books, it was like a fantasy. You know, you dream when youre a kid. Ive always wanted to come here, said Brandy Farrell.

The suns starting to shine.

Theres the sunshine everyones been praying for, the announcer said just before 7:30 a.m.

And a 9:30 a.m. swim time is anticipated at slack tide.

Riptide the pony is a legend

Jeff Bogaczyk, 53, wife Lisa Bogaczyk, 52, Wisconsin, along with Jon Kuert, 48, daughter Gili, 10, and wife Elissa Kuert, 45, Minnesota, made the trek to see the Chincoteague Pony Swim on July 27, 2022.

Jeff and Lisa Bogaczyk of Wisconsin have been coming to Pony Penning for 30 years, but, not wanting to fight the crowds, havent been to the Pony Swim in 25 years.

Wanting to give 10-year-old Gili Kuert of Minnesota, the full experience, the Bogaczyk and Kuert families went with the tide of visitors to see the swim. Gili is most excited to see the ponies Riptide and Chief after her parents took her to the vet check earlier in the week to see the Chincoteague ponies.

Of Riptide, father Jon Kuert, 48, said Who is this guy? Must be a legend!

By 7 a.m. the crowd was growing, becoming more congested along the edge of the water. There are muddy feet galore.

From mainland to mud

From left, Kali Bennett, 18, Dana Bennett, 49, Nicole Mitchell, 18, and Megan Bennett, 21, came to the Chincoteague Pony Swim from North Carolina.

Dana Bennett, 49, is originally from mainland Virginia. Now living in North Carolina, she brought her two daughters, Kali, 18, and Megan, 21, to Pony Swim.

We normally sit over at the park, over on the ground and watch it on the big Jumbotron. Were trying to get up close and personal this year so we decided to come here, put on our boots, and stand in the marsh, said Dana Bennett.

It is the family's third time to Pony Penning, and their companion Nicole Mitchell's first.

I loved them," Mitchell, 18, of North Carolina, said of Marguerite Henry's Misty books. "I read the first book, then read everything else she wrote, then looked up the Pony Swim.

Last-minute trip for a lasting memory

The Conroy family from New York drove 10 hours to reach Chincoteague in time for the Pony Swim on Wednesday. Mya, 10, and Ava, 14, watched "Misty" movie on the car ride over with mom Kiera and dad Michael.

For two New York children, a surprise car trip brings to life the island of Chincoteague that Mya Conroy learned about in school.

Sister Ava Conroy, 14, and Mya watched "Misty" the movie during the car ride as mom, Kiera Conroy, 40, teased what was to come at their final destination.

What's newA new Chincoteague food truck

Miraculously, Saturday, I see that theyre doing the Pony Swim on Wednesday. We drove this morning, 10 hours, said Kiera Conroy, already planning a return trip.

Who snagged a front-row seat?

Sisters, from left, Barb Jensen, 66, Debbie Porter, 68, Mona Hamblen, 64, Patti McCarthy, 61, were up at 4a.m. on Pony Swim Day and said they were "looking forward to doing the whole Chincoteague experience.

Four sisters have been up since 4 a.m. Wednesday and caught the sun rise.

"Weve been dreaming about this since we read 'Misty' as little kids. About two years ago, maybe, we started really talking about it and decided were going to do this. About six months ago, we bought our airline tickets and booked our hotel, said Mona Hamblen, 64.

Hamblen, along with Barb Jensen, 66; Debbie Porter, 68; and Patti McCarthy, 61, had attended Monday's pony Beach Walk. McCarthy is from Montana, while the others are from Oregon.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWChincoteague Pony Swim and Auction returns for its 97th year

Weather in Chincoteague

A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. It will be partly sunny, with a high near 87. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

What is slack water or slack tide?

The Pony Swim takes place at the earliest morning slack tide, expected between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. this year. Slack tide is the time when the tide is neither coming in or going out, making it easier for the ponies to swim. Slack tide lasts for about 30 minutes.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Chincoteague Pony Swim 2022 updates as horses cross from Assateague
Liz Cheneys re-election campaign has launched a new ad contrasting her rejection of Donald Trumps lies about the 2020 election with the stances taken by her primary opponents.

Ms Cheney, who was ousted from the House Republican leadership last year, is campaigning to remain as the lone Wyoming representative in the House, but shes facing stiff competition from candidates who havent rejected former President Donald Trump.

The ad begins with trial lawyer Harriet Hageman, who has been endorsed by Mr Trump. In the congressional debate in Sheridan, Wyoming on 30 June, she said: We have serious questions about the 2020 election.

As other candidates share their doubts about the voting process, the ad finishes with Ms Cheney saying, weve got to elect serious leaders. We have to elect leaders who will take their oath of office seriously. Leaders who wont simply say what they think people want to hear.

Ms Cheney is one of two Republicans who serve on the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot on January 6 2021.

Ms Hageman went after Ms Cheney and the committee during the Wyoming Congressional debate last month, saying that theyre not focusing on the issues that are important to the people in Wyoming.

Ms Cheney urged Ms Hageman to say that the 2020 election had not been stolen from Mr Trump. Ms Hageman hedged and didnt respond directly to Ms Cheney, who said the lawyer was completely beholden to the former president.

Two other candidates, State Senator Anthony Bouchard and Robyn Belinsky, a businesswoman, are also shown in the ad spreading doubt about the electoral process.

Since last month, the Cheney campaign has run five ads, and the Hageman campaign, along with associated organisations, such as the Club for Growth Action, has released six, according to AdImpact, a company that tracks ads. The Cheney campaign has spent the most money since last month  $1.8m.

Ms Cheney has raised $13m during this cycle, the top fundraiser in the race. Ms Hageman has gathered $3.8m.

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The Wyoming Values Political Action Committee, which supports Ms Hageman, has spent half a million dollars in the last three weeks of the race. The ad buy highlights Ms Cheneys vote in support of the bipartisan gun control bill to make her out to be close to the Democrats.

On Tuesday, Ms Hageman put out an ad showcasing her work as an attorney representing a farmer being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Tim Murtaugh, an adviser to Ms Hageman and a former spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said that Wyoming is fed up with Liz Cheney and no amount of television ads funded by Democrats from California will ever change that, according to CBS News.

Ms Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, entered the house in January 2017.

Shes trailing Ms Hageman in the polls, with a recent survey in the Casper Star-Tribune having her 22 points behind.

Republican activists in her state have rejected her and the GOP central committee in the state voted in November of last year to stop recognizing her as a Republican.

Other Republicans in Congress have also voiced their support for Ms Hageman, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy saying on Tuesday that hell hold his own event in the state on primary day 16 August.

The Cheney campaign sent out a message in the mail to all voters last month about how to register as a Republican  aimed at Democrats and Independents in the state who could vote for her in the GOP primary.

According to figures from the office of the Wyoming Secretary of State, as of 1 July, there were 78,210 registered Democrats and Independents in the state, but more than 71 per cent of the states voters are registered as Republicans.

How do I change my party affiliation to register as a Republican so I can vote for Liz? the message said.

In a statement in June, Ms Cheney said that Ive been a conservative Republican since I first voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984.

I encourage everyone with principles who loves our country to exercise their right to vote. And, damn right, I will continue to give every voter in Wyoming a list of all the key rules for casting ballots in our state. If any eligible voter living in Wyoming wishes to become a Republican, they are free to do so. That is their right, she added.

In the 2020 election in Wyoming, Mr Trump got 7,827 more votes than Ms Cheney, but both won in the state with almost 70 per cent of the vote.

The two combatants could face off in a Republican presidential primary in 2024, with Mr Trump blasting the January 6 committee on Tuesday during a speech in Washington, DC.

They want to damage me so I cannot go back to work for you. And I dont think thats going to happen, he said.

Ms Cheney told CNN on Sunday that she would decide on whether to run in 2024 down the road.
Jennifer Raymond, a registered nurse who works in the COVID-19 unit at Ascension St. John Jane Phillips, was the first nurse from the hospital to get Pfizer's new coronavirus vaccine in December 2020. Washington County Health Department's Tiffaney Stump administered the shot.

With the Omnicron BA.5 variant spreading, another surge of COVID-19 is hitting Washington County, which now has a high community level of the virus according to CDC data.

On July 25, the daily average of new cases was 17, an 11% increase from two weeks prior. However, the test positivity rate is 30%, which suggests cases are being significantly undercounted, according to data analysis from the New York Times.

Between mid-March and the end of May, Washington Countys daily average of new cases remained between one and three, before it began to increase in June.

In a July 14 video, Dr. Gregory Poland, leader of the Mayo Clinics Vaccine Research Group, said the current variant is hypercontagious and four times more resistant to messenger RNA vaccines, like those produced by Moderna and Pfizer, than previous omicron strains.

More:Washington County issues burn ban amid 'extreme fire danger'

However, Poland said that getting the vaccine is still suggested, as it provides strong protection against hospitalization and death.

"Nonetheless, among the unvaccinated with this variant, they're about fivefold more likely to get infected than people who have been vaccinated and boosted, about 7 times more likely to be hospitalized, and about 14 to 15 times more likely to die if they get infected, Poland said.

According to the State of Oklahoma, only 45% of Washington County residents are fully vaccinated and only 18% have received a booster shot.

Vaccination rates are higher among Washington County residents older than 65, with 74% fully vaccinated and 45% boosted.

Currently, Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Hospital is under low stress. As of the week of July 15, the hospital had no COVID-19 patients in the ICU and low COVID-related inpatient bed usage, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

However, the dataset showed COVID-19-related ER visits were up 3% from the prior week. Tulsa hospital ICUs have entered a moderate stress level.

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The CDC has reported symptoms of BA.5 to mostly align with those of previous Omnicron strains, including a cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue and muscle pain. It is less likely than previous strains to impact sense of taste or smell.

On Thursday, White House officials announced Joe Biden had contracted the new variant.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Local COVID-19 cases spike amid BA.5 surge
Jul. 26Police have partnered with Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers, the FBI and "private donors" to offer up to $10,000 in reward money for information on an arson investigation at Life Choices in Longmont.

Longmont Public Safety responded to the fire at 20 Mountain View Ave., in Longmont at 3:17 a.m. June 25, according to a news release.

The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage, and the front of the property had been vandalized with pro-choice messages, including, "if abortions aren't safe neither are you."

Life Choices is a "Christ-centered ministry" that offers free services related to pregnancy and sexual health, according to its website.

The language spray-painted on the front wall of the center matches that found in attacks on other pregnancy centers across the country in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade.

No arrests have been made in the case.

According to a post on Tuesday, "Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers, in conjunction with Longmont Police Services, is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the suspect(s) arrest and filing of criminal charges in the Life Choices arson.. An additional cash reward is being made available through the FBI and private donations of up to $8,000, for a total of up to $10,000."

Officials said depending on the number of people with claims to the reward, a tipster may not receive the full $10,000.

All tips must be reported through Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers to qualify for the reward.

Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) reference Longmont Police Department case number No. 2022-5219. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban makes a keynote speech during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Balna cultural centre of Budapest, Hungary on May 19, 2022. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images

Hungary's Viktor Orban is facing growing backlash for ranting against building a "mixed race" society.

A longtime advisor of Orban's resigned and compared him to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

Orban is slated to speak at CPAC in Texas next month, along with Trump and other right-wing figures.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to face backlash at home and abroad over a speech delivered in Romania on Saturday railing against building a "mixed race" society.

Zsuzsa Hegedus, who advised Orban for twenty years, resigned on Tuesday over the speech  and compared Orban to the infamous Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. Hegedus described the speech as "pure Nazi text."

"I don't know how you didn't notice that you were presenting a pure Nazi text worthy of Goebbels," she wrote in her resignation letter, per the Hungarian news outlet hvg.hu. The central European country is predominantly composed of ethnic Hungarians and Christians, and Orban has built his political following by resisting immigration. He once called refugees fleeing war-torn Syria "Muslim invaders."

In a reply to Hegedus, per CNN, Orban's office said, "You can't be serious about accusing me of racism after 20 years of working together. You know better than anyone that in Hungary my government follows a zero-tolerance policy on both antisemitism and racism."

The International Auschwitz Society, which represents Holocaust survivors, also condemned Orban's speech as "stupid and dangerous" in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Budapest on Wednesday released a statement condemning "all ideologies, policies, and rhetoric that give oxygen to the doctrines of hate and division."

"We must never forget that what began as racist and xenophobic rhetoric by 20th century leaders escalated, ultimately ending in the genocide of millions. Human dignity and equality know no national boundaries and we affirm that the diversity of our human family is one of its greatest strengths," the statement added.

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During his speech, Orban spoke against mixing with "non-Europeans," championing an "unmixed Hungarian race."

"We move, we work elsewhere, we mix within Europe," he said, adding, "But we don't want to be a mixed race" or a "multiethnic" people.

Orban, who has been in power for over 10 years, is widely viewed as an anti-democratic, xenophobic leader. He's routinely been the target of fierce criticism by other European leaders, democracy watchdogs, and leading human rights groups for his opposition to refugees and his efforts to cling to power by hollowing out its democracy.

Orban also has many conservative admirers in the US, and has been showered with praise by prominent right-wing figures like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who portray him as a nationalist who defends family values.

Orban is set to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas. Former President Donald Trump and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz are also slated to appear at the conference.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who has been ostracized by his party for refusing to embrace Trump's false election claims, called out CPAC for inviting Orban to speak.

"August 4, Dallas, CPAC is having this man as a speaker. Will potential candidates boycott CPAC? Or do they support pure race ideology?" Kinzinger tweeted on Saturday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon asked a Superior Court Judge to overturn the death sentence of a man who murdered two Japanese students in 1994.

Gascon wants to change the death sentence of Raymond Oscar Butler, 47, to life in prison without parole, reported NBC News.

Butler, then 18-years-old, fatally shot Marymount College film students Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura through the backs of their heads during a failed carjacking at the parking lot of a Ralphs supermarket in San Pedro, California, on March 25, 1994.

The incident made international headlines and sparked outrage, prompting the U.S. ambassador to issue a televised apology to Japan.

More from NextShark: YouTuber Dee Kosh pleads guilty to offering 2 teenage boys money for sex

Butler was later convicted in 1996 and sentenced to death. He also received another death sentence for his involvement in a fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate prior to his sentencing in 1995.

In the resentencing recommendation filed on July 11, Gascons office cited Butlers age and his mental illness at the time of his crime.

The defendant today is not the same, cognitively immature teen-ager who murdered two innocent victims in this case, the petition reportedly reads. The interests are best served by resentencing the defendant.

More from NextShark: South Korea's First Trans Soldier Found Dead in Her Home at 23

If all parties agree to the resentencing, a hearing will not be necessary, the petition added.

However, Gascons petition did not seek to lift the capital sentence for Butlers 1995 murder of the inmate, meaning the defendant would still be on death row even if the resentencing is successful.

Mr. Butler has two separate cases. One case involved the murder of the two college students. This case came before our office due to the California Supreme Court deciding there was a prima facie issue of juror misconduct, a spokesperson for the DAs office said. After reviewing the juror misconduct claim and weighing the equities, our office found it to be in the interest of justice to re-sentence Butler to life without the possibility of parole in this case. The DAs office is not seeking Butlers release from prison. In fact, Mr. Butler will remain sentenced to death in case TA041759. The court hearing will be public.

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District Attorney Gascon remains committed to ending the death penalty in Los Angeles because it is racist in its application, morally untenable, irreversible, expensive and it has never been shown to deter crime, the spokesperson added.

The petition has reignited criticisms against Gascon. Since he took office in late 2020, Gascon has been blamed for the countys increasing crime rates due to his purportedly lax policies. He opposed the death penalty, banned trying juveniles as adults, eliminated most sentencing enhancements, ended cash bail and re-evaluated the sentences of those who have served 15 years in prison.

Gascon currently faces a second recall effort as critics blame his criminal justice reform policies for the crime surge in Los Angeles County.

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In this case, [Butler] killed multiple people. Not one. Multiple. Just for the hell of it. And right now they are throwing around that he had mental issues and that he had a traumatic childhood, but that doesnt change the fact that he killed so many people, James Smith, a relative of the inmate who was murdered by Butler, told California Globe.

Life without parole, good, hes never getting out. But a lot of people want more justice than that. And, who speaks for those who died then. It certainly should not be the DA, Smith added. We need to hear from those family members back in Japan. They might feel differently about this. We need to know if they talked with them and they approved this. If they did, they should have mentioned it.

Featured Image via FOX 11 Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES  The office of embattled Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has asked a judge to lift the sentence of a man condemned to die for killing two college students during a 1994 carjacking, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

The 264-page resentencing recommendation, filed July 11 in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Deputy District Attorney Shelan Joseph, seeks to change Raymond Oscar Butlers death sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

The filing argues that Butler, now 47, committed the murders of the two college students when he was 18 years old after having endured violence and trauma throughout his childhood. As a result, he suffered mental illness and cognitive impairment before and at the time of the killings, according to the petition.

The defendant today is not the same, cognitively immature teen-ager who murdered two innocent victims in this case.  the interests are best served by resentencing the defendant, the petition reads.

The petition goes on to add that a hearing is not necessary if all parties agree to the resentencing.

Butler was convicted in 1996 of shooting Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, both 19-year-old film students at Marymount College, in the backs of their heads in a Southern California grocery store parking lot. The case drew international outrage and prompted the U.S. ambassador to Japan to issue a televised apology, The New York Times reported in 1994.

Butler was later found guilty, after a trial and a retrial, of taking part in the 1995 fatal stabbing and beating of a fellow inmate. He was again sentenced to death.

The recent filing does not seek to lift the capital sentence for the 1995 inmate attack.

Joseph noted, however, that the jurors in Butlers double murder trial had a difficult time arriving at a unanimous sentence, including twice declaring they were deadlocked.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the DA's office said: "Mr. Butler has two separate cases. One case involved the murder of the two college students. This case came before our office due to the California Supreme Court deciding there was a prima facie issue of juror misconduct."

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"After reviewing the juror misconduct claim and weighing the equities, our office found it to be in the interest of justice to resentence Butler to life without the possibility of parole in this case. The DAs office is not seeking Butlers release from prison. In fact, Mr. Butler will remain sentenced to death in case TA041759. The court hearing will be public."

"District Attorney Gascon remains committed to ending the death penalty in Los Angeles because it is racist in its application, morally untenable, irreversible, expensive and it has never been shown to deter crime."

A request for comment from Butlers attorney was not immediately returned.

The death penalty in California

Capital punishment, which is legal in California, was twice affirmed by voters in ballot measures in 2012 and 2016. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in 2019 placing a moratorium on the death penalty and closing death row, arguing the system is discriminatory, wastes billions of dollars, is subject to error and has not deterred violent crime.

The order did not call for releasing anyone from prison or otherwise altering any current conviction or sentence.

Gascon, a progressive Democrat who became Los Angeles County district attorney in 2020, said he opposes the death penalty under any circumstance. Shortly after he took office, he issued a flurry of special directives, including ending a reliance on cash bail and requests for enhanced sentences, not seeking the death penalty and re-evaluating sentences for people who have served 15 years in prison.

Since then, the office has been revisiting several dozen previous capital cases, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the cases.

The abrupt changes to policy sparked a backlash within the district attorney's office and forced Gascon to walk back some of his directives, such as a ban on trying juveniles as adults and sentencing enhancements for certain violent crimes.

He now faces a second recall effort after a first one failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for a special election. County officials are determining whether there are enough valid signatures on the second recall petition to trigger an election.

In February, more than 80% of the members of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, the collective bargaining group for more than 800 deputy DAs in the county, participated in an internal recall referendum on their boss. Almost 98% of the voters favored a recall.

Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, also a progressive Democrat, was recalled in June and left his job in July.
The Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston. Fcb981 via Wikipedia

A bill working its way through the Massachusetts state legislature would allow residents to contribute to a UN fund for climate-vulnerable countries when filing their tax returns.

Bay State taxpayers currently have the option to direct a part of the refund to one of several state programs. The legislation would add to the list an option to give to the UNs Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), which was established in 2001 to help hard-hit countries grapple with climate change.

The bill is expected to pass the legislature and be signed into law, making Massachusetts the first sub-national authority to allow individuals to contribute to the fund, Climate Home News reports.

If you happen to think that it matters that there are people living in countries today that will be under water 30 years from now, we would give you the option of contributing to the United Nations LDC Fund, Democratic state senator Mike Barrett, who sponsored the bill, said in a campaign video.

In 2009, diplomats set a goal of channeling $100 billion each year in climate finance to poor countries by 2020, but wealthy nations  most notably, the United States  have been slow to act. An OECD analysis found wealthy nations wont reach the $100 billion goal until 2023. The new legislation seeks to help narrow the finance gap.

One of the objectives is to lead by example, Lauren Stuart, a climate policy adviser at Oxfam America, told In These Times. At the end of the day, realistically, this legislation probably wont bring in a ton of money  Massachusetts is not a huge state  but the idea is that hopefully this can prompt other states to take action and, collectively, if we can get more states to implement this, then that can lead to much bigger contributions.

ALSO ON YALE E360

Why the Worlds Rich Nations Must Pay for Climate Damage
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority on Wednesday announced the postponement of planned track and signal work on the Orange Line less than a week after a train full of commuters caught fire.

Orange Line service was set to be diverted between Oak Grove and Wellington stations between July 29 and August 28 to allow crews time to complete the work, but that plan has been paused indefinitely, the MBTA said.

While the MBTA is pausing this work for now, the MBTA is exploring additional opportunities to accelerate work on the Orange Line, and will keep riders updated, an MBTA spokesperson said in a statement.

The MBTA did not specify what prompted the sudden decision to put off the work, but it comes just six days after an Orange Line train transporting commuters on a bridge that runs over the Mystic River in Somerville caught fire.

About 200 people were forced to evacuate the train, including a woman who jumped into the river and others who climbed through smashed windows.

Video shared with Boston 25 News showed flames shooting from a train car and thick smoke billowing into the air.

A metal sill broke off the lower section of the train and it made contact with the third rail, causing an ignition, according to MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. He called this latest incident incredibly frustrating.

In June, all new Red and Orange Line trains were pulled from service after an out-of-service car experienced a battery failure in the Wellington Yard.

The Federal Transit Administration said in a recent report that investigators found the MBTA to be short-staffed to the point where trains were not safe for riders.

Since the release of the report, the MBTA says its Track Department installed about 500 feet of rail on the southbound Orange Line tracks between the Back Bay and Massachusetts Avenue stations that allowed the T to lift a speed restriction that was about 1500 feet long from 10 mph to 25 mph, speeding up trips by about one minute. When all track work is completed in this area, the speed will be able to be increased to 40 mph.

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Poftak also said that the agency is taking steps to alleviate staff shortages.

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At a time when kids across the country have countless summer programs and camps they're able to join, one sheriff's department in Missouri is offering middle schoolers an inside look at law enforcement.

The Clay County Sheriffs Department is holding a junior police academy at the Maple Park Middle School in the North Kansas City School District this summer.

Clay County Deputy Sheperd Owens told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday that the junior police academy is a way for the department to better integrate into the communities it serves.

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Corporal Guy 'Bear' McCulley added that the academy is also a way to teach children that the police arent the bad guys.

"We try to make it a point to show them that theres a different side than whats shown about us every day," McCully said.

PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF PLEADS WITH COMMUNITY TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST OFFICERS

"We have a great partnership with the North Kansas City School District, so with their help, we were able to change a lot of perspective [sic] on us and get involved in the community a lot," McCully said. "Its helped us a lot."

GOOGLE IS HONORING UVALDE VICTIM BY SHARING HER TOUCHING ARTWORK

Two 8th graders, Damien Perez and Alaya Owens, also spoke with "Fox & Friends" about their experience in the junior police academy.

"I learned a lot of hands-on activities like how to do a felony stop, a lot of car stops," Perez said. "We also learned about how to write reports and a lot of other things."

Alaya Owens said she chose to do the junior police academy because she wants to be a police officer when she grows up  a dream inspired by her uncle, whos an officer.

"I really want to help people," she said.

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She said her favorite part of the academy so far is when they got to meet the police dogs.

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"Theres a lot to learn," Alaya Owens said of the junior police academy. "Its a lot to get into, but its really cool."

For Deputy Sheperd Owens said helping with the junior police academy on top of his regular job has been a positive experience.

"Any opportunity that we can go out there and make a difference and show people what were truly here for and erase some of those stigmas that have been placed on us, [its] always a good thing," Sheperd Owens said.

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An international monkeypox outbreak, which began in May, has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency.

We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday during a briefing in Geneva, adding that the current situation meets the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern.

More than 19,000 cases have been reported in at least 76 countries so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in the U.S., cases are on the rise. Last Friday the CDC reported a total of 2,891 monkeypox cases since May. By Tuesday that number had increased 24% to 3,590 cases across 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

According to health officials, more than 97% of patients who have tested positive for monkeypox since the onset of the outbreak identify as gay or bisexual men, or as men who have sex with men. However, health experts have warned that anyone  regardless of gender or sexual orientation  can develop and spread the disease. On Friday the CDC said two cases of monkeypox in children had been identified in the U.S.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White Houses COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters during a briefing Friday that the Biden administration was considering declaring the current monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. He added on Monday that the administration was working around the clock to ramp up the U.S. response.

To help offer guidance on monkeypox, Yahoo News spoke with Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, chief of the infectious diseases division at the McGovern School of Medicine at the University of Texas.

The hands of a monkeypox patient. (CDC via AP/File)

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. The monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. It has existed for decades in West and Central African countries, where it has spread to people mainly when they have come into contact with infected wild animals, particularly rodents.

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Since the first human case of monkeypox was detected in Africa in 1970, the virus has caused small outbreaks through the years. However, most have been limited to a few hundred cases in about 11 African countries, according to the New York Times.

Some cases have been reported outside of Africa before, brought by travelers or from the import of wild animals that were sold as pets and passed the virus to their owners. Never had there been significant international outbreaks like the one this year, however.

Ostrosky-Zeichner told Yahoo News that the current global outbreak of monkeypox is different from other historical occurrences because the disease is spreading rapidly among a certain group of people with no links to recent travel to Africa, where the disease is endemic.

The concerning part is that, you know, initially at least for us in the U.S., all of the cases were imported. They had a travel history to Europe, where this outbreak started, Ostrosky-Zeichner said. But now we have local transmission. Were having transmission in multiple cities in the U.S.

Currently, the states with the most cases are New York, California, Illinois, Florida and Georgia, along with Washington, D.C.

What are the symptoms?

Monkeypox symptoms can include fever, severe headaches, muscle aches, back pain, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and skin rashes or lesions.

The lesions can look like pimples or blisters and can appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus, according to the CDC.

Ostrosky-Zeichner said that the lesions are highly infectious, so people should avoid touching others until these have healed.

Most people resolve them within two to three weeks ... and basically youre considered infectious until all the lesions have crusted and all the crust has fallen off, he said.

They are really painful, he said of the lesions, which people have described as itchy and irritating. When we talk to patients, they have excruciating pain and we do need to do some heavy pain control with them. So its not a walk in the park when you have the lesions.

Although the virus can cause painful and debilitating symptoms, it is rarely fatal, and around 90% of people usually survive it on their own without any complications. Based on the cases reported in recent years in African countries, the case fatality ratio of monkeypox has been around 3% to 6%, according to the WHO.

How does it spread from person to person?

Monkeypox can spread through physical contact with an infected person, particularly if people come in direct contact with their skin lesions, or with body fluids such as blood or saliva. Scientists are still studying whether it can be spread through people who have no symptoms.

Its notable, however, that in 91% of cases reported to the WHO since the onset of the outbreak, sexual contact has been the main mode of transmission.

The virus can also spread through respiratory droplets or aerosols produced by sneezing or coughing. However, that requires very prolonged contact in close quarters, Ostrosky-Zeichner said. Were talking about six to eight hours in a closed room with somebody to get it that way.

Touching or sharing items used by an infectious person, such as clothing, linens or utensils, can also put people at risk of contracting monkeypox.

The CDC recommends a thorough home cleaning after someone has monkeypox, because the virus can live on surfaces for up to 15 days. The agency also notes that orthopoxviruses like monkeypox can survive in an environment similar to a household, for weeks or months.

According to the CDC, its also possible for a pregnant person to spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

Doses of a smallpox and monkeypox vaccine. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Whos at risk of contracting monkeypox right now?

Ostrosky-Zeichner told Yahoo News that because monkeypox is primarily spreading through sexual contact ... within the community of men who have sex with men, that particular segment of the population is currently most at risk.

However, anyone who comes into close contact with an infected person is at increased risk of infection, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Other people at higher risk of exposure include health care personnel, due to the nature of their work, and people who live with others who have become infected, according to the WHO.

Is monkeypox an STD?

In the current monkeypox outbreak, the virus has mostly shown up in men who have sex with men, and in some cases, lesions have been observed primarily in the genital area. Because of this, there has been some debate about whether monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease.

But Ostrosky-Zeichner told Yahoo News that technically it is not, because monkeypox does not exclusively spread as a result of sexual activity.

Normally, STIs, we think of syphilis, gonorrhea, things like that, that exclusively transmit in the sexual way, he said, adding that people can get monkeypox from simply touching people who are infected and have lesions, and also via respiratory droplets.

Additionally, the CDC said it has not determined whether monkeypox can spread through semen or vaginal fluids.

How can I protect myself and others?

Ostrosky-Zeichner said limiting contact with people who are infected is key. We strongly recommend people who have it to stay at home, isolate from others and, obviously, not to be out in the community, he said.

For those who live with an infected person, the WHO encourages the infected individual to self-isolate and cover their skin lesions. It is also recommended to wear a face mask around someone who is sick, to disinfect contaminated surfaces and to discard items used by infected people.

Another crucial tool to stop the spread of monkeypox is testing.

Testing is key to identifying, and identifying is key to isolating, which breaks the transmission chain, Ostrosky-Zeichner said, adding that there had been some challenges in the past but that it has gotten much easier to test patients in recent weeks. This is part of a federal effort to increase available testing through commercial labs. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. now has the capacity to conduct 80,000 monkeypox tests a week.

We can see a patient in our office, swab the lesions and send them to the commercial laboratories like Quest or Labcorp and get a result fairly quickly, Ostrosky-Zeichner said.

People waiting in line to receive a monkeypox vaccine in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

Vaccines and treatments

There are two vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration available in the U.S. to prevent monkeypox infection. However, demand is outstripping the supply, which has led to long lines and frustration among doctors and people seeking to get vaccinated.

At a White House press briefing on Monday, Jha said that to date, the U.S. had distributed more than 300,000 vaccines to jurisdictions around the country and that the FDA was working ceaselessly to finalize the approval of nearly 800,000 additional doses, which could become available as early as next week.

According to Health and Human Services, another 5 million doses have been ordered by the federal government. Those are expected to be delivered through the middle of 2023.

At this point, we don't have nearly enough, so health departments are prioritizing high-risk populations and high-risk behaviors, Ostrosky-Zeichner said.

He explained that there are currently two uses for the vaccine: to get it once a person is exposed to monkeypox, and to get it before exposure as a preventive measure.

For people who are immunocompromised and those who are more likely to get severely ill, there are some treatments used to treat smallpox that also work for monkeypox. One of those is an antiviral medication called tecovirimat, or TPOXX.

Finally, Ostrosky-Zeichner said that people should remain calm right now but that it is important to contain the current outbreak before the virus spreads more widely to the general population.

You're not going to go to the grocery store and get it from touching produce or anything like that, he said. But we are at a very crucial point where we need to contain it and eradicate it within this current group of transmission before it makes the jump into household transmission and community transmission. So no cause for alarm right now, but we do have a small window of opportunity to sort of squash it.
A Cleveland woman who pleaded guilty in the death of her newborn baby at Hiram College is appealing her 10 to 15-year sentence.

The woman who pleaded guilty in the death of her newborn baby in a Hiram College dormitory is appealing her sentence.

A notice of appeal on behalf of Breyona R. Reddick was filed with the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals on July 20, about a month after the Cleveland woman was sentenced in Portage County Court of Common Pleas to 10 to 15 years in prison.

More: Woman charged in death of baby at Hiram College pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter

More: 'I was young, confused and afraid.' Woman gets prison for baby's death at Hiram College

Hiram police said the baby, with the umbilical cord still attached, was found in a clear trash bag that was tied shut and left on the floor of a women's bathroom in Whitcomb Hall, a Hiram College dormitory, during the late morning of Oct. 18, 2019. Bloody paper towels and other items were also reported found in the bag.

Portage County Coroner Dean DePerro ruled the baby boy's death a homicide, based on a Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office examination that determined he died of asphyxiation due to exposure and postpartum inattention, as well as facts and circumstances surrounding the death. It was also determined the baby was likely born that day and was alive no more than an hour. DNA evidence determined that Reddick, who was a student at the college, was the mother.

The baby was buried the following month after a private service.

Reddick pleaded guilty in April to first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter, which was amended from an unclassified felony aggravated murder charge as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed not to prosecute Reddick on remaining charges in a grand jury indictment, including three counts of unclassified felony murder and single counts of assault and child endangerment, both second-degree felonies, third-degree felony tampering with evidence and fifth-degree felony gross abuse of a corpse.

During her June 21 sentencing, Aaron Schwartz, Reddick's trial attorney, requested that Judge Becky Doherty sentence Reddick to probation. Schwartz said Reddick had no prior criminal history, had been a good student with a "bright future," and has good family support and another son, born this past January. A defense sentencing memorandum included 10 letters and emails of support for Reddick from family members and others who know her.

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But Prosecutor Stephen Michniak told Doherty that while Reddick's situation is "sad," so is the baby's death and he believed that more accountability was needed than probation would provide. Doherty said she agreed and the sentence she imposed was close to the 11 to 16 1/2 year maximum state law allows.

Doherty also told Reddick she had up to 30 days to file an appeal of the sentence.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Mother of baby boy found dead at Hiram College appealing sentence
A 43-year-old Long Island motorcyclist killed in a Queens highway crash was a well-liked MTA employee who got along with everyone, a leader of his union said Wednesday.

Damian Valerio was traveling north on the Clearview Expressway in Bayside when he slammed into the back of a Honda Civic near the Long Island Expressway interchange about 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday, cops said.

Valerio, who wore a helmet, was thrown from his Ducati motorcycle onto the asphalt. He was rushed to North Shore University Hospital, where he died a few hours later.

The 31-year-old driver of the Honda Civic remained at the scene. No charges were immediately filed.

Valerio was about 23 miles from his Seaford, L.I., home when the crash occurred.

He was a lighting maintainer for NYC Transit, a job in which he replaced faulty light fixtures on MTA trains and buses, members of Transport Workers Union Local 100 said Wednesday.

Damian was a great guy, a family man, who got along with everyone, John Chiarello, vice president of the unions maintenance of way department, said on Twitter. This is a terrible loss.

Northbound lanes of the expressway were closed as police investigated the crash, NYC Emergency Management said in a tweet.
A plaster bust of the so-called Somerton Man

In 1948, the body of a well-dressed man was found slumped on an Australian beach.

A half-smoked cigarette was resting on his collar, and there was a line from a Persian poem in his pocket - but investigators had no idea who he was.

Theories abounded, including that the person - dubbed Somerton Man - was a spy.

But after more than 70 years, a researcher says he's solved the mystery - Somerton Man was Carl Webb.

And he was not a Russian agent, but rather a Melbourne-born electrical engineer.

South Australia Police have not confirmed the discovery but say they will comment soon.

Baffling mystery

Beachgoers found the body lying against a seawall on Somerton Beach in Adelaide on 1 December, 1948.

The man was dressed in a suit and tie, and appeared to be aged in his 40s or 50s.

In his pocket were bus and train tickets, chewing gum, some matches, two combs and a pack of cigarettes. He had no wallet, no cash, and no ID.

The tags on his suit had been cut off, and forensic examiners suspected he had been poisoned.

Other curious finds baffled authorities. They included a suitcase, more items of clothing with their labels removed, and incoherent writings believed to be a code.

He also held a torn scrap of paper with the Farsi words Tamam Shud - meaning "it's finished" - printed on it.

The Somerton Man's fingerprints were sent around the world, but no one could identify him.

And so he was buried in Adelaide cemetery in 1949 with a tombstone reading: "Here lies the unknown man who was found at Somerton Beach."

Investigators have never been able to decipher the code found in the man's book

The mystery man's remains were exhumed by police last year in a bid to solve the case.

But a professor at the University of Adelaide was on his own mission to crack it.

Derek Abbott was able to analyse the Somerton Man's DNA using hairs preserved when authorities made a plaster model of his face.

He teamed up with renowned US forensic expert Colleen Fitzpatrick - who specialises in cold cases - to build an extended family tree using the DNA.

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And from 4000 names, the pair narrowed it down to one - Carl Webb. They then tracked down the man's living relatives, using their DNA to confirm his identity.

"It's a triangulation from two different, totally distant parts of the [family] tree," Prof Abbott told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Of the discovery, he said: "It kind of feels like climbing Mount Everest, and having that mixture of elation that you're at the top, but also tiredness and exhaustion."

So who is Carl Webb?

According to Prof Abbott, Webb was born in 1905 in a suburb of Melbourne.

He was the youngest of six siblings and married Dorothy Robertson, known as Doff Webb. That's most likely what brought him to Adelaide, the professor said.

"We have evidence that he had separated from his wife, and that she had moved to South Australia. So possibly, he had come to track her down," he told the ABC.

Dr Fitzpatrick now wants to help solve the mystery of his death.

"I would like to see the toxicology done. And I would like to find out what happened to Dorothy," she told CNN.

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After launching into space six months ago, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope recently released its first exploration images  and theyre absolutely stunning.

NASA's new James Webb Telescope sails through deep space.

Calling the space photos really gorgeous, Jane Rigby, NASAs Operations Project Scientist for the telescope, said: thats something that has been true for every image weve gotten with Webb. We cant take blank sky [images]. Everywhere we look, theres galaxies everywhere.

The Webb telescope got its start back in 1996 under the name Next Generation Space Telescope. As an international program, NASA combined forces with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency during the following two decades of research and development. It was finally launched on Christmas Day 2021 with the goal of being the premier observatory of this decade. Its also the largest infrared telescope currently in space.

For the first six months, the telescopes equipment calibrated as the device glided into its halo orbit, a spot between the sun and the moon where the gravitational forces from both keep it on a specific path. Once the calibration was complete, Webb was able to send its first set of data. These are some of its biggest discoveries:

Deep Field

Immense deepfield shot captured by NASA's James Webb Telescope.

The first deep field captured by Webb is galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, itself a collection of thousands of galaxies. This deep field, taken by Webbs Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is a composite made from images at different wavelengths, totaling 12.5 hours  achieving depths at infrared wavelengths beyond the Hubble Space Telescopes deepest fields, which took weeks, NASA explains. Those 12.5 hours allowed Webb to pinpoint light from one galaxy that had traveled 13.1 billion years before reaching the giant telescopes mirrors.

Baby Stars

Webb also captured a chunk of a stellar nursery roughly 7,600 lightyears from Earth. Called NGC 3324, it is situated at the northwest corner of the Carina Nebula. The image shows an amazing mountain of space dust as stars begin to form. The blistering ultraviolet radiation from the young stars is sculpting the nebulas wall by slowly eroding it away, NASA said in a statement. Dramatic pillars tower above the glowing wall of gas, resisting this radiation. The steam that appears to rise from the celestial mountains is actually hot, ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to the relentless radiation.

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Star Deathbed

Star death in the Southern Ring nebula captured by NASA's James Webb telescope.

Webb was also able to immortalize the death of a star in the Southern Ring Nebula, with exquisite detail thanks to the mid-infrared technology.

Five Galaxies in One Image

Five galaxies captured in one image by NASA's James Webb telescope.

Webb also shined its lens on a cluster of galaxies called Stephans Quintet, a great celestial laboratory for studying the effects galaxies have on each other. The returned picture of this area is the largest of the telescopes images to date, with over 120 million pixels and a conglomeration of almost 1,000 separate image files. The photo is actually about one-fifth the size of the Moons diameter.

Puffy Giants

NASA's Atmospheric Composition graph for the gas giant WASP-96 b.

The telescope also took in data on WASP-96 b, a giant gas planet outside our solar system. While NASA didnt release any pictures of this one, they did put out a spectrum analysis of the planets atmosphere. Scientists also found the chemical fingerprint of water in the swirling gas, itself an epic discovery.

The James Webb Space Telescope developers designed it to pull in images for at least five years, but they are hopeful it will last at least ten. The longevity will most likely be limited by how much fuel it takes to maintain the halo orbit around the sun. No matter how long it lasts, its clear the cutting-edge device is already providing us with incredible new insights into our universe.

The post NASAs James Webb Telescope Glimpses Galaxies More Than 13 Billion Years Old first appeared on Dornob.
Immediately after sheriffs deputies in Rowan County arrested a burglary suspect, a man fired a gun at them from a passing vehicle, officials said Wednesday.

Michael Anthony Brown, 22, of Salisbury was arrested and charged with four counts of felony assault on law enforcement with a firearm.

On Tuesday, Rockwell police and Rowan County sheriffs deputies had just completed a search for a suspect in a string of residential break-ins around Highway 52, according to a news release from the Sheriffs Office. They located and arrested a 17-year-old male, whose identity was not released because he is a juvenile.

RELATED: What to do and how to stay safe if you hear gunshots in a public place

Just after the teens arrest, someone in a red Honda on Gold Knob Road fired a 9mm pistol at deputies who were near Upper Palmer Road, according to the Sheriffs Office. The suspect, later identified as Brown, fired five to six rounds, the release said.

Brown fled, but Rockwell firefighters who saw the shooting followed his vehicle before losing sight of it near Sides Road, the release said.

A deputy spotted the Honda on Sides Road and stopped it. Brown was taken into custody without incident, according to the release. He was wearing an empty leather pistol holster and told deputies he was simply shooting into the ground and not at officers on the scene, the release said.

Two firearms were located in Browns vehicle along with numerous empty and live rounds strewn, the release said.

His bond is set at $250,000.

No deputies were injured, and the Sheriffs Office does not know whether Brown knew the teen suspect, sheriffs spokesman Maj. John Sifford told The Charlotte Observer in an email.
As Norfolk officials debated plans for the revitalization of Military Circle mall earlier this year, a group of council members and city staff took an unannounced trip to a Texas arena built by one of the developers partnering with musician Pharrell Williams.

Five city officials, including Mayor Kenny Alexander, flew May 19 to Austin to tour the Moody Center, a 15,000-seat arena on the University of Texas campus, and to negotiate with Oak View Group, the arena developer.

Alexander took a separate flight from the two other council members who attended, stayed at a different hotel and took a different tour of the arena to keep from triggering the states open meetings law. In Virginia, the meeting of three or more council members constitutes a quorum, which would require the city to publicly advertise the gathering and follow other rules of council meetings.

The Austin trip came a month and a half before the city reported it had begun negotiating with Williams development group from the three that offered proposals.

Council members Andria McClellan and Danica Royster also attended, along with City Manager Chip Filer and City Attorney Bernard Pishko.

We were doing our due diligence. This is potentially one of the largest economic development deals in the citys history. I think its appropriate for us to go and see whats out there, McClellan said.

The group returned the following day, city records show. Filer, Pishko and McClellan briefly attended a sold-out Eagles concert at the Moody Center that evening.

In all, the two council members and city staffers spent $6,069 in city funds on the trip for roundtrip plane tickets, hotel rooms and meals, according to city receipts.

Filer, Pishko and McClellan stayed at the Austin Fairmount  a luxury hotel  at nearly $600 per room, records show. Royster, who didnt return calls seeking comment, stayed at a cheaper hotel.

Alexander paid for his own airfare, lodging and for a $150 ticket to the concert  and provided the receipts from a personal finance account to The Virginian-Pilot at the newspapers request.

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I did not travel with them. I traveled on my own dime and made all of my own arrangements, Alexander said.

Alexander said that while the group traveled on the same day, he did not participate in the same tour or negotiations with other city council members.

To have three or more, be it me or someone else from the council, that would have required a public meeting. We were aware of that, Alexander said.

The Moody Center was built and is operated by Oak View Group, a California-based arena developer partnering with Williams to pitch an arena at Military Circle mall. The arena opened in April.

Williams and Oak View Group are part of the development team behind Wellness Circle, a $1.1 billion proposal that would rebuild the 75-acre mall site with a 200-room hotel, more than 1,100 new housing units and a 16,000-seat arena.

Like Wellness Circle, Oak View Group partnered with a celebrity to pitch the Moody Center: Texas native Matthew McConaughey.

The city is in early negotiations with Wellness Circle to redevelop the Military Circle mall area, but has not signed a development agreement, Filer told the Pilot this month.

Alexander declined to comment on whether he supports Wellness Circles arena plan, but said Norfolk and the region is in need of a large venue.

Norfolk is the center of Hampton Roads and we are missing, as a region, certain shows because theres not a facility large enough, Alexander said. We do not have a facility that can accommodate concerts of the size that some of these artists will play. And collegiate competitions wont come to this area because theres no facility to accommodate it.

Filer and McClellan said they initially were skeptical that an arena could work in Norfolk. Several recent attempts to build an arena in Hampton Roads have failed to get off the ground. But after meeting with the Oak View Group at the Moody Center, both said they were optimistic.

The Moody Center is the new home to the University of Texas mens and womens basketball teams, and will host other sporting events as well as music and community events. Its a model the city could pursue, Filer said.

The biggest concern that the council has is, Can we fundamentally support a large arena without a professional sports franchise? Filer said. I think the overwhelming answer to that, from what I observed at the Moody Center, is without question: yes, it is absolutely viable. It makes money every year largely on music alone.

McClellan said negotiations in Austin, in which Alexander said he didnt participate, involved discussions about whether the arena could be built without raising citywide taxes  a critical detail for some council members. She said officials informed the development team that we werent interested in taxing Norfolk citizens in order to create an arena and received a very positive response.

We went down still pretty skeptical about the financials of the deal. And over the course of the conversations, we came back with a much better opportunity for the city of Norfolk, McClellan said.

McClellan said shes not ruling out the possibility of trying to bring a professional sports team to the area.

The opportunity here is to create an extraordinary entertainment venue like no other between Washington D.C. and Raleigh, North Carolina, that also offers future potential for the home of a professional sports team, McClellan said.

Daniel Berti, daniel.berti@virginiamedia.com
An officer for the police department that serves Topeka's Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center, shown here, remained in custody Tuesday after allegedly threatening a woman with a gun during a domestic dispute.

An officer for the VA Police Department here remained in custody Tuesday after allegedly threatening a woman with a gun during a domestic dispute.

Alexander Morris Harris III, 42, was being held on a $250,000 bond in connection with aggravated assault and domestic battery by someone who has a conviction for the latter crime within the past five years, according to Shawnee County Jail records.

Harris was booked into the jail at 2:55 a.m. Sunday, jail records show. Formal charges hadn't been filed.

A woman reported Harris battered her and pointed a gun at her in the 900 block of S.W. Robinson Avenue, said Topeka police Lt. Manuel Munoz.

The argument, but not the alleged assault, was witnessed by an off-duty Topeka police officer, he said.

Harris wasn't on duty with VA police at the time of the arrest, said Joseph Burks, chief of communications and public relations for the VA Eastern Kansas Health System.

"While the allegations are currently under investigation, we are unable to discuss personnel matters," he said.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Domestic dispute leads to Topeka arrest of off-duty VA police officer
INDIANAPOLIS  When Ryan Day made his appearance at Big Ten football media days on Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, he did so without the title that's regularly been attached to Ohio State's coach: reigning conference champion.

That honor instead went to Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, whose Wolverines beat the Buckeyes in last year's regular-season finale, then dispatched Iowa to win the Big Ten Championship Game. That ended Ohio State's four-year run as conference champion and proved that the Buckeyes actually are human.

Ohio State's dominance had reached the point to where reporters this week asked if the Buckeyes losing was a breath of fresh air for the conference.

"Yeah, I kind of wish it was us,'' said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, whose 2018 and 2020 teams fell to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. " That's what we're all trying to do. You've got to give credit where credit's due. Urban [Meyer, former Buckeyes coach] did a great job, and Ryan's done a great job. This isn't anything new.''

It is, however, a new wrinkle for this crop of Buckeyes, who went 23-2 in Day's first two-plus seasons as coach after taking over for Meyer. Now, Ohio State is trying to show that its 11-2 record in 2021 was an aberration.

"I'm excited about what this team is,'' Day said. "I've kind of described them as edgy this offseason.''

Edgy with a boatload of talent, too. Ohio State was a unanimous pick to win the Big Ten by 36 media members in the Cleveland.com poll, and a trio of Buckeyes  quarterback C.J. Stroud, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba  were among the nine Big Ten preseason honorees. No other conference team had more than two.

"We don't have anything to prove,'' said Stroud, who passed for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns as a freshman last year for an offense that averaged a nation's-best 561.2 yards per game. "We don't have to prove anybody wrong but just prove ourselves right.''

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Smith-Njigba, a junior, caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine TDs last year. His attitude, Day says, sets Smith-Njigba apart.

"Winning really matters to him,'' Day said. "He tries to win every rep when he's out there.''

Michigan's breakthrough last year  the Wolverines ended an eight-game losing against Ohio State and advanced to the College Football Playoff for the first time  took some heat off Harbaugh and has the coach thinking repeat.

"It's been a really good continuation from last year's team,'' he said. "Players that were on the team, they put in that work, they know what it was like, that good feeling of taking care of your business and having that success and being rewarded for it.''

Much of Michigan's success last year could be credited to a defense that allowed only 17.4 points per game. End Aidan Hutchinson had 14 sacks and became the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. Harbaugh doesn't plan to let up.

"We're just going to continue to attack,'' he said. "That's what I really love about this team. They really literally attack everything that's put in front of them.''

Penn State, which is coming off back-to-back seasons of 4-5 and 7-6, edged Ohio State for the Big Ten title in 2016 and is seeking a return to glory. Nittany Lions senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown, who intercepted six passes last year, sees a fine line between success and failure.

"You can't take any plays off,'' said Brown, whose team went 2-6 after a 5-0 start in 2021. " We were supposed to there. This year we've got to do a better job executing.''

Day and his Buckeyes expect better execution, too. Ohio State has won 17 of the past 19 games against Michigan and has 11 Big Ten titles and one national championship in that span. Still, that 42-27 loss last Nov. 27 in Ann Arbor stings.

"Every year, we have the same expectation,'' Day said. "The first goal is to beat the team up north and win the rivalry game. That didn't happen, and we have to sit on that for a calendar year. That's not good.

"In the offseason, we tried to make sure that the guys were reminded of that game, the coaches were reminded of that game, everybody in the building was reminded of that game.

"We also have to move forward,'' Day continued. "We can't let that game beat us twice. It's something we never want to go through again.''
A man escaped police custody from University Cincinnati Medical Center Wednesday morning, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.

Officials said John Wright, 47, was in custody for allegedly breaking into a vehicle.

While in custody, Wright needed medical attention and was taken to the hospital.

Around 7 a.m., Wright walked away from the hospital, officials said.

Police said a guard was not monitoring him due to the nature of Wright's charge.

Wright is not believed to be dangerous, police said.

Prisoner escape: 'Unprecedented:' Prisoner who rappelled down building was latest of four recent escapes.

He is the most recent inmate who escaped custody in Hamilton County in the past two months.

Six inmates in custody at River City Correctional Center escaped recently. Since the escapes occurred, the facility announced it is making changes to its security.

Inmate issue: Hamilton County inmate escapes custody from University of Cincinnati Medical Center

Officials said they are repairing windows by adding steel brackets. The new policy also states that someone will stay with inmates when they are taken to the hospital.

Four inmates also escaped Hamilton County Sheriff's Office custody in the past two months.

Following the escapes, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said several changes are coming to Hamilton County's "aging jail," including the installation of plexiglass, locks, and newer cameras.

The department also is changing some inmate procedures, particularly when prisoners are being officially released.

There will be no more than five releases each day, McGuffey said. They have the capacity to release 80 prisoners per day, though typically it's five or more on any given day. That number is now capped.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Over 10 inmates escaped custody in Hamilton County in less than 2 months
House Republicans are demanding answers from President Biden's son Hunter's financial adviser Edward Prewitt regarding his business deals, which have been flagged as suspicious by banks.

Biden has been under federal investigation for his tax affairs predicated by suspicious foreign transactions since 2018, and President Joe Biden has repeatedly denied discussing Hunter's business ventures with him.

The president's son's questionable business dealings , conducted by himself, his associates, and other Biden family members, have been flagged and reported by U.S. banks.

House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to Hunter Biden's financial adviser Edward Prewitt Wednesday demanding information about the Biden family's foreign business deals.

RON JOHNSON DEMANDS PROBE OF 'SCHEME' TO SUPPRESS HUNTER BIDEN INFO

Prewitt, who served as a political appointee under former President Bill Clinton, has advised Hunter on his financial transactions at the same time U.S. banks flagged them as "su sp icious activity."

Oversight staff tell Fox News Digital that the committee has records showing Prewitt flagged for Hunter Biden that the bank Wells Fargo specifically was looking into some of the transactions made by the president's son.

Comer requests Prewitt hand over documents and communications related to the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) by the banks.

"More than 150 transactions from the Bidens business dealings have been flagged by U.S. banks through filings of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Text messages show that Hunter Biden was aware of these SARs and took steps to avoid detection in his financial dealings," writes Comer.

GRASSLEY PRESSES DOJ, FBI FOR TRANSPARENCY ON 'PARTISAN' POLITICIZATION OF AGENCIES, HUNTER BIDEN PROBE

"Information reviewed by Committee Republicans reveals you were advising Hunter Biden on financial transactions when U.S. banks were flagging suspicious activity by the Biden family. As Hunter Bidens financial advisor, you are in a unique position to know how these transactions originated and why they were flagged by U.S. banks. As such, we request information regarding Hunter Bidens financial transactions, including any documents related to SARs," continues the congressman in the letter.

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The congressman in his capacity as the top Republican on the Oversight Committee is following Hunter's "money trail," which he says incude "many complex, international transactions worth millions of dollars."

"The American people deserve to know the Presidents connections to his sons business deals, which have occurred at the expense of American interests and may represent a national security threat," writes Comer.

Prewitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Congressional oversight of the Hunter Biden probe has ramped up in recent weeks.

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pressed the Department of Justice and the FBI for an explanation about why they pursued "politically charged investigations" related to the Trump campaign while suppressing key details related to the Hunter Biden probe as "disinformation," in light of new whistleblower information.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: World Food Program USA Board Chairman Hunter Biden (L) and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden award designer Michael Kors (C) the World Food Program USA's McGovern-Dole Leadership Award at Organization of American States on April 12, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA) Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA

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And in light of the new whistleblower allegations, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is demanding DOJ open an internal investigation or appoint a special counsel, and is claiming that the FBI was illegally "weaponized" against sitting members of the Senate.
Some universities across America are requiring compliance from faculty in the form of signed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statements, as conditions for tenure or promotion  arguing that DEI across college campuses is a top priority.

However, there may be growing pushback in some areas from faculty as well as from parents  who claim that the DEI agenda actually challenges the diversity of viewpoints and opinions of students within the college environment.

Some say it also promotes a culture of fear and intimidation.

In the city of Seattle, for example, roughly 40 percent of the University of Washington's faculty recently rejected  or abstained from voting on  a measure that would have required faculty members seeking advancement to provide a statement demonstrating their support of DEI.

HARVARD GRADUATE WALKS OUT OF MERRICK GARLAND'S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

"The fact that [the vote] was stopped is unprecedented," Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the university and an advocate for viewpoint diversity, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.

A view of the University of Washington's campus in Seattle in springtime. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Washington for comment.

Victor Balta, senior director of media relations at the school, said, "My understanding is that the legislation failed despite earning over 63 'yes' votes among those cast, which was a margin of 26 points over the no votes."

Balta noted that faculty code requires that "Class A legislation earn a two-thirds supermajority of votes in instances where fewer than 50 percent of the faculty actually cast ballots."

"Viewpoint diversity is part of diversity, equity and inclusion, and we dont believe they are in conflict," he also told Fox News Digital.

"Our campuses should be, and are, places for thoughtful and rigorous exchanges of ideas."

15 OF THE WILDEST, WACKIEST COLLEGE CLASSES TAUGHT IN AMERICA TODAY

"Placing value on diversity, equity and inclusion introduces more perspectives to these discussions, not fewer," Balta added.

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Yet for Mass and others who say they desire a true diversity of thought restored in the college campus environment, the failed measure appears to be a win.

Another view of the University of Washington's campus in Seattle. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

"One political viewpoint is being pushed very hard by the administration and by a number of others," said Mass, who is also a meteorologist.

To him, he added, "diversity statements" appear very much like "the anti-communist loyalty oaths of the late 1940s and early 1050s."

Students who hold even moderate viewpoints are often afraid to express themselves, he said.

IOWA HIRES TWO NEW DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POSITIONS AS THEY CONTINUE TO FACE RACE LITIGATION

"Requiring all faculty members to support a social/political agenda favored by one segment of society not only politicizes the university, but represents compelled speech," he noted recently in a blog post.

It's "a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution at a public university," he added.

Students at the University of Washington are shown on campus in Seattle in March of 2020. Karen Ducey/Getty Images

That blog post has received more than 70,000 page views since early July 2022.

DEI advocates are said to focus not on equal opportunity, but on the ideology of equal outcomes or equity.

Fox News Digital reached out to two other colleges that seem to endorse DEI initiatives, according to their websites.

Mass addressed the DEI agenda of many of them.

"They believe that the university should be biased in its admissions and resources to ensure equal outcomes for all groups, with particular attention to a small number of favored unrepresented groups," Mass told Fox News Digital.

"I suspect most parents dont understand whats happening here," he said. "Parents that we serve are from the whole state. Theres a wide variety of political views from people who send their kids here."

A springtime scene at the University of Washington in Seattle. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

"Then theres people from outside. We have a lot of foreign students," he added. "They're coming here to get a good education."

Mass said he believes that parents have a huge role to play in limiting the DEI agenda on campus.

"Theres a lot that parents can do," Mass said, noting that parents can decide not to make contributions to their child's college.

"There are a lot of tools to pressure the university  and if they did, it would have an impact," Mass predicted.

Rebecca Friedrichs, a California-based mother of two grown sons, told Fox News Digital that parents may be "unaware of the destructive nature of DEI."

CALIFORNIA SPENT $500M ON DEI INITIATIVES, INCLUDING $50K ON RACIAL EQUITY FISH DEPT. TRAININGS: NONPROFIT

She said that "DEI proponents (and their allies) use linguistic gymnastics to change the very meaning of words, in order to manipulate the masses into believing propaganda."

"We collectively understand the word 'diversity' to include respectful debate of diverse opinions, open and honest discussion, respect for others, even when we disagree."

"So, when the university announces it is 'diverse,' we think, Thats positive,'" noted Friedrichs, who is a co-founder of Kids and Country, a national movement of parents, teachers and citizens.

DEI advocates "misuse our trusted words," according to Friedrichs.

"Their definition of diversity' is twisted and is the exact opposite of our understanding," she said. "Their diversity accepts only their group-think opinions, their stifling of true debate, their silencing of diverse ideas and their tyrannical control of all content."

"DEI is dangerous," she said, expressing her opinion  "and many parents dont discover this destructive agenda until its too late."

Friedrichs encouraged parents to boycott universities that promote the DEI agenda to "stop the madness."

"Trades are a great alternative for many students," she said, as opposed to the four-year university degree  "and can lead to much satisfaction and high wages without the burden of school debt and indoctrination."

Dr. Mary K. Alvord, director of the Rockville, Maryland-based Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC  and a psychologist specializing in treating children, adolescents and adults  told Fox News Digital there are ways parents can help their college-bound students understand "the bigger picture."

It's important for parents to start talking with their children early, said Alvord, before they head off to college, about their values and how can they express themselves.

"The reality is that we are a diverse world," said Alvord.

"But in addition, we have differing views and people do get upset with what's politically correct or politically incorrect.'"

She said college students are at a place in their lives where they're fine-tuning their own personal and family values. They should also "be open to different ideas and hopefully find some venues" where they can express themselves and even "disagree with [issues]," said Alvord.

Another tool for parents, according to Friedrichs, includes vetting student syllabi, which are public documents.

Friedrichs pointed out, "There are often good educators who are trapped in politically driven universities  so look for those professional educators and stick with them."

If teens or young adults find themselves in the middle of a political discussion or disagreement, Alvord recommends that parents find "balance" when addressing the issue at hand.

In addition, parents should remind their kids that whatever opinions they post online these days are likely to stay online. "Nothing disappears," Alvord said.

Also, moms and dads can wisely advise their kids, "You don't want to get into a hot debate. You can just say, I respectfully disagree, and I disagree because of A, B and C' without calling names."

Alvord also noted parents can tell their kids the following: "The reality is if you're in a crowd, and they're protesting something and you disagree  don't think you're going to be able to assert yourself in that moment. You have to know the context."

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As for Friedrichs  she's urging mothers and fathers to push back in the voting booth this fall.

"Any politician supported by the so-called teachers unions is going to push DEI, so dont vote for them and educate your friends as well," urged Friedrichs, who is the author of "Standing Up to Goliath: Battling State and National Teachers' Unions for the Heart and Soul of Our Kids and Country."

If a child begins leaning in a political direction that differs from his or her parent, Alvord advised pausing the lecture.

"Do not get angry. Do not explode," she said. "You have to stay calm, and you have to engage in a conversation."

"Because if you start saying, 'That's ridiculous, that's awful, that's stupid,' what happens is, they just can get more entrenched to prove their point."

Alvord instead suggested parents ask questions and initiate discussions.

Then, ask what your child's opinions are after those discussions.

"Because, they're still young," she said.
Paul Sorvinos wife Dee Dee Sorvino recalled falling in love with the late "Goodfellas" actor who died on Monday of natural causes at the age of 83. They built their lives side-by-side after first meeting backstage at the Fox News Channel studios years ago.

"We were so happy every day, every single day of our lives together," she exclusively told Fox News Digital. "Maybe not all day, every day, but  we had the most wonderful marriage, the most wonderful life."

Sorvino  known just as much for mob roles with the late James Caan in "The Gambler," working with Alan Arkin in "The Rocketeer" and Warren Beatty in "Dick Tracy" as he was for playing a crime-fighting cop in "Law & Order"  died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida after suffering health issues, according to his representative.

Dee Dee remembered how Fox News played a pivotal part in their relationship as they first met in the green room while waiting for separate appearances on the network, and even announced their surprise elopement while on Neil Cavuto's show in 2015.

Paul Sorvino remembered as "wonderful" by wife Dee Dee Sorvino in exclusive interview with Fox News Digitial. The "Goodfellas" star died on Monday at the age of 83. Tara Ziemba

PAUL SORVINO, GOODFELLAS ACTOR, DEAD AT 83

"If not for Fox, we would not be married. And Neil Cavuto, we called him Dr. Love," she said. "We would always joke about this because Paul knew he wanted to marry me right away."

The couple announced their elopement in 2015 and shared a small piece of their love story with Cavuto during an appearance on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" following their surprising wedding the month before.

Cavuto introduced the pair who "started as guests on my Fox Business show" before declaring: "They just tied the knot, and no one knew about it, right?"

"We eloped standing in front of the fountain at Lincoln Center where I have sung at the MET, and I have sung at the New York City Opera," Sorvino told Cavuto. "The plan was, if we told one person, wed have to tell everybody. As soon as the ceremony was over, I started calling my family and telling them."

Cavuto joked: "Funny, you never called me. You know, it's so weird  I hooked you up. Not even a call or anything!"

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Paul remembered seeing Dee Dee in the green room for the first time as they waited to appear on different television time slots, a sight he would never forget.

Dee Dee (Benkie) Sorvino first met Paul Sorvino in the green room at Fox News ahead of a Neil Cavuto appearance. The couple eloped in 2014. Getty Images

PAUL SORVINO AND DEE DEE SORVINO: HOW LATE 'GOODFELLAS ACTOR MET FUTURE WIFE IN GREEN ROOM AT FOX NEWS' CAVUTO

"I saw her  she was wearing this beautiful, blue dress and she had an aura around her," he told Cavuto during the show. "Ive never seen anything like this in my life. What I saw, what it was  I said, Oh my god. I said, This is gonna be it for me."

Dee Dee remembered Paul would play a "big, tough monster" on screen, but deep down, he was truly a "very sweet, very respectful" gentleman.

"Paul was just a universally loved actor, and of course, I adored him every minute," she said. "I got so lucky that he pursued me like he did. And I'm like, wow, I really have had a wonderful life with this man. The only problem is, it was just too short."

She recalled a time when Chris Rock saw Sorvino from the other end of a red carpet at an event, and the comedian locked eyes with the "Money Talks" actor, and then proceeded to walk down the length of the carpet just for the chance to shake Sorvinos hand.

"I'll never forget this because he was so respectful to Paul, and I really thought that was great," she said. "He said, Respect has to be paid, and he shook Paul's hand, and he walked all the way back to do that, just to pay respect to Paul. Paul is really that actor's actor."

She had some "hesitation" at first about their age differences as he was 28 years her senior, but admitted he was "so wonderful" and a "really lovely man" that their spirits were too kindred to see numbers.

"He's just this sweetheart  and loved people. He loved life. He loved food, you know, he just loved everything," Dee Dee reminisced. "That's how I fell in love with him, that's how he grabbed me because it's like, how can you not love someone who loves so much? He just was that guy. Paul really touched me and changed my life."

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She recalled the Italian cookbook they made together, "Pinot, Pasta and Parties," which incorporated his mothers "old school" recipes and family traditions from Naples, Italy.

"Italians really love life," Dee Dee said. "Paul taught me the appreciation of living life and living life well, and eating well, because Paul ate well. He wanted the best of the best."

Sorvino was "happy" to see the movie industry coming back after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown film productions and theatrical performances.

Paul Sorvino (L) and Dee Dee Sorvino released their own cookbook, "Pinot, Pasta and Parties," in 2017, which incorporated his mothers "old school" recipes and family traditions from Naples, Italy. Joshua Blanchard

"He felt like the movie business was falling apart  and nobody was going to theaters anymore," she said. "That upset him, because he was a big Hollywood guy."

Dee Dee said after they saw "Top Gun: Maverick" starring his former "The Firm" co-star, Tom Cruise, Sorvino was "so happy because he saw the movie industry is back."

She added: "He is a Patriot. He's all about America. He's very patriotic. So Top Gun was a patriotic movie. It was so good. It was so pro-American, and he said, 'I'm so proud of Tom Cruise and so proud of this movie.'

"It made him so happy. I thought that was really nice that he was so invested in the movie industry. He was concerned about it."

Ray Liotta, Robert de Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci on the set of Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese. Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Dee Dee noted: "That's the thing about Paul, it's like a lot of these actors, they just care about their career and what money they're making. No, Paul cares about the mission. He cares about the Hollywood mission. He cares about America's vision and he's a Patriot."

Their shared love for their country and the industry was not lost on Dee Dee, who added that her late husband rarely ever thought of himself and was always concerned about other people.

"He was so happy about a patriotic movie coming through, that America is back, the industry is back and everybody can be together," she said. "The theater was full, and he was all smiles, and it was great. He was absolutely elated. He just loved it. I bring that up only because it was sort of  that was the last movie we saw together."

Paul Sorvino was lost for words when his daughter, Mira, won an Academy Award in 1996. Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Sorvino was also a father to three children from his first marriage, including Mira, 54, an Academy Award winner . He also directed and starred in a film written by his daughter, Amanda Sorvino, which featured his son, Michael Sorvino.

"My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed," the actress tweeted on Monday. "My heart is rent asunder- a life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over. He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. Im sending you love in the stars Dad as you ascend."

She later shared: "Overwhelmed with gratitude for all the outpouring of love for my father and our family. If he can sense it now it will mean so much to him to be so appreciated, so beloved. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the unexpected blessing of your care."

He was proud of Mira as she rose to Hollywood stardom and cried when she won the best supporting actress Oscar for "Mighty Aphrodite" in 1996. He told the Los Angeles Times that night that he didnt have the words to express how he felt seeing her win the most coveted award for actors.

"They dont exist in any language that Ive ever heard  well, maybe Italian," he said.

He famously taught audiences the correct way to slice garlic with a razor blade in "Goodfellas" and played Claire Danes' father, Fulgencio Capulet, in the cult classic Leonardo DiCaprio film directed by Baz Luhrmann, "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet."

Cavuto took "great pride" being the catalyst in starting their relationship, and paid tribute to his late friend on "Your World" Monday.

"You know, he played one of the scariest characters in any of the mob movies or series," the Fox News host said. "And I got to tell you, he was just a big old softy with a heart of gold."
Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee Mehmet Oz would support legislation to enshrine federal protections for same-sex marriage if elected, his campaign told The Hill on Tuesday.

Dr. Mehmet Oz believes that same sex couples should have the same freedom to get married as straight couples, Ozs communications director said in a statement.

The heart surgeon-turned-television doctor is up against Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, whose lead in recent polling has been a bright spot for Democrats looking to snag the Senate seat left open by the upcoming retirement of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).

The Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples, passed the House last week with a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans voting with their Democratic colleagues in favor. It faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where backers have not secured needed support from 10 Republicans.

Endorsed by former President Trump, Oz won the states May Republican primary, beating businessman David McCormick by fewer than a thousand votes after a recount.

The Hill has reached out to Fettermans campaign for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (center) leaves her weekly news conference accompanied by staff and security. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is tentatively planning to travel to Taiwan in August.

China has repeatedly warned against the trip and threatened military action if it goes ahead.

US officials told the AP the DOD would protect Pelosi with fighter jets and warships if she visits.

The Pentagon is prepared to send fighter jets and warships to protect House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she visits Taiwan, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, amid China's threat to take military action if she goes.

The AP reported, citing unnamed US officials, that the Department of Defense had been developing security plans to keep Pelosi safe should her trip to Taiwan in August go ahead.

The officials said the plans likely involve sending fighter jets, ships, and surveillance assets to protect her on her flights to and out of Taiwan as well as on the ground.

The report comes amid China's repeated warnings that Pelosi not visit the self-ruling island, which it sees as part of China.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's defense ministry, said on Tuesday that Pelosi's visit would "seriously harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and seriously damage the political foundation of China-US relations."

Tan also threatened military action, adding: "If the US insists on taking its own course, the Chinese military will never sit idly by, and it will definitely take strong actions to thwart any external force's interference.

Pelosi was supposed to travel to Taiwan in April but did not end up going because she tested positive for the coronavirus. She has a tentative trip planned for August, the Financial Times reported, but it has not been confirmed.

"I don't ever discuss my travel plans. It's a matter of security," Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday.

A Department of Defense spokesperson told Insider: "It wouldn't be appropriate to comment on any congressional travel possibilities."

China has long claimed that Taiwan  located around 100 miles away from its east coast  is part of the mainland, which Taiwan opposes. China has vocally opposed any recognition of Taiwan as its own country.

Story continues

In recent months, the country has stepped up its rhetoric and military actions toward Taiwan, with Chinese planes carrying out multiple training exercises near Taiwan's air space.

The US publicly showed support for Taiwan after Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year. Taiwanese leaders have expressed fears that China would do the same in Taiwan.

It is not abnormal to implement additional safety measures for senior leaders who are traveling overseas, but the officials told the AP that Pelosi would receive more security than usual.

The Department of Defense and representatives for Pelosi did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

If Pelosi's trip is confirmed, she would be the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in over 20 years.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered the immediate dispatch of rescue and relief teams to the earthquake-affected province of Abra, his press secretary said on Wednesday.

Marcos will also fly to Abra, the epicentre of a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles told a news conference.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Ed Davies)
The Philippines government has cancelled a deal to purchase 16 Russian military transport helicopters fearing US sanctions.

Philippines former defense secretary said the deal to acquire Mi-17 helicopters worth 12.7bn pesos (189m) was scrapped last month, according to the Associated Press.

Denzil Lorenzana said his decision was approved by then-president Rodrigo Duterte before the end of their terms in office on 30 June.

We could face sanctions, he said, explaining about the way in which the US could express its displeasure.

A few months earlier, in March, he had announced that the deal would go through despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We do not see any likelihood of it being scrapped as of this moment he had said, adding: only time can tell.

Mr Lorenzana has been appointed by current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr to head a government agency in charge of transforming former military bases into business hubs.

Jose Manuel Romualdez, Philippines envoy to Washington, also said the deal was cancelled due to fears of reciprocation from the US.

He said that Manila could face possible sanctions under a US federal law called the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if the chopper deal with Russia went through.

Since a contract for the deal had already been signed, it would now go through a termination process, a Philippines military official said.

The official added that there was little room for Manila to reconsider the deal even though Russia can appeal.

The helicopter purchase deal was signed in November, and the first batch of choppers were meant to be scheduled for delivery by Russias Sovtechnoexport in about two years.

According to Philippines officials, the multipurpose choppers could have been used for combat as well as search and rescue operations.

They could have also been used for medical evacuations in the country that is often lashed by typhoons and other natural disasters.
One person is dead Wednesday after a shooting in East Nashville, the Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed.

Aaron Walker, 51, was shot to death at Kenny Pipe & Supply in the 700 block of Cowan Street about 2:30 p.m.

Police charged Ivan Maurice Coffman, 53, with criminal homicide, they said Wednesday evening.

Walker and Coffman were both employees at the business, police said.

Coffman allegedly told police that he and Walker had a disagreement before the shooting inside the building, police said in a news release.

BREAKING: A dispute between 2 employees at Kenny Pipe & Supply on Cowan St led to 1 fatally shooting the other. One person is in custody. Homicide detectives & Central Precinct officers investigating. pic.twitter.com/YwqfC8W4jG  Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) July 27, 2022

Reach reporter Molly Davis at mdavis2@gannett.com or on Twitter @mollym_davis.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police: 1 dead, 1 in custody following shooting on Cowan St.
By Anna Mehler Paperny

TORONTO (Reuters) - A historic apology by Pope Francis to survivors of residential schools in Canada evoked strong emotions for many as the pontiff begged for forgiveness but fell short of what some survivors and indigenous leaders had hoped for.

Greeted with drumming and dancing on First Nations soil, the pope on Monday said he was "deeply sorry" for the "deplorable evil" and "disastrous error" of "cultural destruction and forced assimilation," drawing cheers from the largely indigenous crowd.

But some survivors said the apology was disappointing because it failed to mention sexual abuses committed at the schools and did not outline concrete action to follow the words.

"I was hoping that he would be more specific in his apology, especially when he talks about the atrocities that the churches did on our people. And he didn't use the word 'sexual abuse.' That was one thing that really struck me," said Ruth Roulette, a residential school survivor who watched from home.

"Thats what happened in there. I know that."

The pope also upset some by not mentioning the 15th-century doctrine of discovery that justified taking indigenous land.

"Repudiate the doctrine of discovery! Renounce the papal bulls!" Kukpi7 (Chief) Judy Wilson of Neskonlith Indian Band in British Columbia shouted at the pope after his speech on Monday.

In addition to the formal rescinding of edicts, indigenous leaders have sought financial compensation, help in bringing alleged abusers to justice, the return of artifacts from the Vatican museum and the release of school records.

With two days left in the pope's six-day Canadian tour, indigenous leaders and analysts are waiting to see whether pledges on those issues materialize before he returns home.

"An apology does not ease the pain of lost children who never returned home," said Cornell McLean, acting Grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba chiefs. "However, we encourage the church to move forward in the spirit of reconciliation by making concrete commitments and true reparations going forward."

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Over more than a century, Canada separated more than 150,000 indigenous children from their families and brought them to largely church-run residential schools where many were starved, beaten and sexually abused.

Some never returned home, a reality brought to the fore by the discoveries of more than 1,000 suspected unmarked graves at or near the sites of former residential schools last year.

STEPPING STONES

A day after the pope's speech, Murray Sinclair, who chaired Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission that spent six years investigating residential schools, criticized the pope's apology, saying it placed blame on individual members rather than acknowledging the full role of the church.

Those comments came before the pope on Tuesday said the Roman Catholic Church should accept institutional blame for the harm done to indigenous children in residential schools, saying the Church needed healing from "defending the institution rather than seeking the truth."

Metis Nation President Cassidy Caron called Monday's speech one of many "stepping stones toward reconciliation" -- echoing the sentiments of many who felt the apology needed to be followed by more action.

The pope on Monday also called for a "serious investigation" into what happened at the residential schools, without offering details.

University of Ottawa religion historian Emma Anderson, who focuses on indigenous encounters with Christianity, said the reference to the investigation was "one of the more puzzling aspects" of the speech given Canada already had the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The remark could mean a release of church records related to the schools, Anderson said, a key demand of indigenous survivors.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said that while he could not speak for the pope, his organization had pledged to provide documents related to those "buried in unmarked graves."

Henry Pitawanakwat, one of 22 interpreters sitting in a control room on Monday translating the pope's speech into 12 indigenous languages, says he felt the words lacked action.

"An apology doesn't mean anything to me," he said, recalling his mother's trauma from her residential school experience.

"It's just another word in the English language unless it is supported by some kind of action, like funding to help us support our language and culture."

(Editing by Deepa Babington)
The Daily Beast

Getty ImagesAs Rep. Liz Cheney made her high-minded pronouncements about the importance of truth and courage and genuine patriotism during the congressional hearing into the Jan. 6 insurrection, she was shadowed by a question that fairness left largely unspoken.What about your freaking father?But one of the propelling principles of the hearing-turned-reality-show was justice. And to have held former Vice President Dick Cheneys lies and cowardice against her would have been blaming the child f
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine to discuss the deal and other matters.

Blinken's comments marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial. He did not offer details on the proposed deal outlined to the Russians, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. government has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

The person insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Though it is unclear if the proposal will be enough for Russia to release the Americans, the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.

It also signals a growing acceptance by the White House of prisoner swaps as resolutions for cases of Americans jailed overseas, particularly after a trade in April that secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed and yielded a much-needed publicity win for the administration.

We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release," Blinken said. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, to move us toward a resolution.

President Joe Biden, who authorized the Reed prisoner swap after meeting with his parents, signed off on the deal the U.S. offered in this case, officials said.

Story continues

The president and his team are willing to take extraordinary steps to bring them home," John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters.

Should the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov take place, it would be the first conversation that the men have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested a new call with Lavrov.

Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a U.N.-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

There is utility to conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us, including the release of Griner and Whelan, he said. They also include what were seeing and hearing around the world is a desperate need for the foods, the desperate need for prices to decrease.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Griner, in Russian custody for the last five months after authorities there said they found her in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at her trial Wednesday that she had no criminal intent in bringing them into the country and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBAs offseason.

During her testimony, the Phoenix Mercury standout said she still does not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her luggage but explained she had a doctors recommendation for using it to address chronic pain from her sports injuries.

She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

U.S. officials for months had sought to deflect criticism over the apparent lack of momentum in the Griner and Whelan cases by saying that work was proceeding in secret and out of public view. That stance made Wednesdays announcement all the more startling, but Kirby said the administration had decided to make clear that a deal was on the table.

We believe its important for the American people to know how hard President Biden is working to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home, he said.

Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the Merchant of Death, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons. Supporters of his release contend he was jailed after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation, and the judge who sentenced him told The Associated Press this month that she believed he had already served enough prison time.

The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future. The Biden administration has also been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.

There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reeds release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russias diplomacy was Kabuki Theater  all show and no substance.

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russias massive military build-up along Ukraines border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.

The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion.
Republican governors gave lucrative, no-bid COVID-19 deals to Utah firms, who then gave $1M to GOP campaigns

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second installment of a series investigating Nomi Health and its deals with GOP governors to secure lucrative COVID-19 testing contracts. Read the first story here.

Under intense pressure to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, state leaders across the country needed solutions and quick results in early 2020 to slow the spread of the coronavirus and repair battered economies.

And long-standing connections seemed to pave the way to those goals in a handful of Republican-led states.

Thanks, at least in part, to its ties with high-ranking Utah politicians, four companies within the tech business community in greater Salt Lake City got their first no-bid contract on March 31, 2020.

That deal was just the start. Those companies would within a year leverage their connections to sign deals that would pay them at least $219 million in five GOP-led states. Two of the companies would donate more than $1 million to Republican campaigns after getting those deals.

Heres how USA TODAY got the story about the Nomi Health.

The contracts as well as political donations have raised questions from critics and observers about favoritism and pay-to-play campaign contributions.

Leading the way in getting those contracts was Nomi Health, a startup with no public health experience that would oversee COVID-19 testing and provide personal protective equipment (PPE) in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah.

Nomi would hire Domo and Qualtrics, two software companies whose executives were on the board of Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit business group that promotes tech companies. Several of those board members had strong ties to Utah political leaders.

Those two companies would provide electronic dashboards and test surveys. The tests would come from Co-Diagnostics, a molecular testing company that had "no major customers" in 2019, according to the company's annual report. The small firm, with a few dozen employees, used its connections with an influential former mayor of a Salt Lake City suburb and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney's office to lobby the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to gain emergency approval for its test.

Story continues

A USA TODAY investigation based on more than 30,000 documents and dozens of interviews found that a web of business relationships, money and connected political leaders in five states tipped the scales in favor of Nomi Health, its subcontractors and supplier. These state Republican leaders awarded contracts to Nomi for tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests and PPE despite the company's inexperience.

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah's COVID-19 czar who would become governor, told USA TODAY he had never heard of Nomi, but the company came recommended by leaders within Silicon Slopes, and he was told Nomi had access to COVID-19 tests that were in short supply.

"It's really interesting that people forgot what the first few weeks and months were like. We had a total shutdown," Cox told USA TODAY in May 2022, referring to the early stretch of the pandemic. "The only way to get it open was testing until we had a vaccine.  I didn't care where the tests came from, and I didn't care if they came from Mars. We would have given a no-bid contract to anyone who had tests."

Cox said he was contacted by his counterparts in other states who noticed Utah was having success by "testing at a higher rate," and "we said we have these people helping us."

Those conversations  and recommendations from Cox, Gov. Gary Herbert and others would quickly broaden Nomi's access to governors in Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee.

In Iowa, Nomi also benefited from a connection to actor Ashton Kutcher, who was friends with Qualtrics founder and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith. Kutcher, according to The Des Moines Register, pitched Nomi to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who gave the company a no-bid contract on April 15, 2020.

On April 23  about three weeks after Nomi obtained its first contract in Utah  Vice President Mike Pence praised Reynolds and her partnership with Nomi and Domo at a White House COVID-19 briefing.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, gives the condition of the state address to members of the Iowa Legislature in Des Moines on Jan. 11, 2022.

Also in April came Nebraska, which awarded Nomi a no-bid contract two days before Pence's announcement. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at the time said he hired Nomi after a conversation with fellow Republicans Reynolds and Herbert, according to The Associated Press.

The momentum carried into Tennessee, where a lobbyist and fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association pitched Nomi to the governor's chief of staff, who connected the company with that state's health commissioner.

In a month  March 31 to May 1  Nomi had signed no-bid contracts in four states, and it would later win additional state contracts through the traditional competitive procurement process.

By the time Florida came on board a year later, taxpayers would pay Nomi roughly $219 million, the records show.

The breakdown: Utah ($78.5 million), Iowa ($26 million), Nebraska ($62 million), Tennessee ($5.9 million) and Florida ($46.5 million).

"As things opened up, we did go through a bidding process," Cox told USA TODAY. "Guess who showed up to bid? Nomi was the only one who bid."

The four Utah businesses, like many firms during the pandemic, capitalized on limited oversight as elected officials in all states signed no-bid government contracts with an urgency driven by a desire to reopen their battered economies, records show.

Health department infectious disease officials from those states were stunned that they were not consulted or offered the opportunity to lead the testing effort, and lawmakers in Nebraska questioned why their highly regarded university hospital was bypassed in favor of Nomi.

'Got Utah moving'

Nomi officials said that while the value of their contracts with states may grab headlines, there is more to the story.

Mark Newman, CEO of Nomi, said the company provided a one-stop testing service that included remote areas in the states at a great value for taxpayers.

He declined to disclose the privately held company's profits since getting its first COVID-19 testing contract in spring 2020 but said its profit-margin percentage was "in the teens," resulting in Nomi making millions of dollars.

Newman, who incorporated Nomi on May 1, 2019, as a way to cut bureaucracy for patients and providers in health care, said that when COVID-19 hit, the Utah business community came together "to deliver solutions and access" for PPE and testing.

LEFT: Utah Jazz owner and Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith during the NBA All-Star Game in 2022.

RIGHT: Mark Newman, an entrepreneur who founded Nomi Health in 2019. Smith and Newman's companies worked together to administer COVID-19 tests.

He said executives from Nomi, Domo, Qualtrics and Co-Diagnostics knew one another and "got Utah moving."

"All the states realized they were on their own in 2020," Newman said.

He said that "there was no cohesive federal response around the pandemic," and governors had to figure out how to get their residents tested to stay safe.

Newman said governors and their chiefs of staff were talking daily, and with the launch of Utah's testing program, called TestUtah, other states wanted their services.

"They called everyone else, and we were the last call," Newman said. "We were approached by every small and large state governor in the nationWe completely crushed the price of COVID tests in their markets."

Utah auditor: Cost 'unreasonable'

In Newman's home state, a 2020 report on emergency procurements from the Utah State Auditor found the costs per test administered by Nomi were unreasonable at roughly $235 a test.

Nomi argued that the report, which also examined work done by Nomi subcontractors Qualtrics and Domo and other firms, didnt take into account the entire Nomi operation, which includes setting up testing centers across states, hiring nurses and support staff and purchasing testing and lab equipment. Company officials say costs ended up closer to $42 a test after two years. The auditors office declined to answer questions, but its report said tests from other companies were $125 a test or less.

Joshua Walker, co-founder & COO of Nomi Health, in West Valley City, Utah, on June 6, 2022. The company he founded with Mark Newman would administer COVID-19 testing in several states, including his home state of Utah.

Josh Walker, Nomi's chief operating officer and co-founder, said the company didnt just deliver a test mechanism but created a testing operation "that could be scaled up or down and used to their desire of how far they wanted to go in each state.

He added Nomi Health experienced initial build costs, and the more you use it, the more you scale it, the more the per-unit costs fluctuate and go down.

Yet the Utah audit expressed concern that the contract paid a flat rate for startup costs plus a flat rate per testing site. The contract contained no provision for adjustment based on the number of tests performed.

Help USA TODAY investigate Nomi Health

Did you get a COVID-19 test from Nomi Health? If you have a story about the results and the experience or know someone who does, we want to hear from you.

Tell us your story

The audit also noted that Utahs governor and lieutenant governor had a relatively close relationship with Silicon Slopes and various member companies.

This causes particular concern when contracts are steered to those companies, the audit said.

Auditors also said its possible the governors office may have engaged in the sunk cost fallacy, pivoting into contracts with certain Silicon Slopes vendors without reconsidering other alternatives when the initial arrangements changed.

Nomi, Domo gave $1M to GOP

While all of the states Nomi served had Republican governors, those state leaders also had strong ties to the Republican Governors Association (RGA), a powerhouse fundraising organization, with some holding leadership positions.

Nomi and Domo, the software subcontractor, gave more than $1 million in total to the RGA or other GOP-related campaigns after the deals were awarded, USA TODAY found in state and federal campaign finance reports.

Domo did not return calls or emails, but Newman told USA TODAY that campaign contributions were made in part so the company could continue to "be at the table" and compete for future health contracts against other businesses.

He said Nomi is not unique in its financial support of public officials, noting other companies make campaign contributions to politicians. Nomi also has made contributions to Democrats, according to the company.

If we are going to have long-term business in these states, Newman said, why wouldnt we also participate in the political process and contribute in 50 of those states just like every other health care organization does?"

Walker, Nomi's COO, was at the table during the Republican Governors Association Summit in May 2021, where he was on a medical panel with governors from New Hampshire, Missouri, Maryland and South Carolina. The event attracted 21 governors.

Meanwhile, on July 20, 2022, Newman was among several Utah hosts for a fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 GOP presidential nominee.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, addresses attendees during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

The Florida governor's office, from Feb. 4 to June 17, 2021, paid Nomi at least $46.5 million for COVID-19 testing and vaccine work, records show. Nomi gave $100,000 to a political committee of DeSantis on July 23, 2021, and four days later Newman contributed $10,000.

Donald Sherman, senior vice president for the political watchdog group CREW, said campaign contributions following no-bid government contracts are not illegal, but "it's obviously ethically dubious and undermines public faith in our institutions."

In Utah, Cox, who would become governor in November 2020, received at least $290,000 from the RGA and Republican State Leadership Committee, two political action committees to which Nomi and Domo were donors.

He said there were no direct ties between the campaign contributions and contracts.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, looks on during an interview at the Utah State Capitol on March 4, 2022, in Salt Lake City.

"I got a very small amount from the Republican Governors Association, and I was going to win (the general election) by a very large margin. Anyone who ties a donation or quid pro quo is drinking," said Cox, who narrowly won the GOP primary and handily won the general election.

The governors' offices in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee said contracts to Nomi were awarded based upon the company being able to quickly provide emergency services, and there were no connections to campaign contributions.

Vendors were selected if they could provide equipment and services that supported Floridas response to COVID-19, said Samantha Bequer, communications director for that states emergency management division. The division does not track the political donations or political affiliations of any vendor.

GOP lobbyist helps Nomi

In Tennessee, Tony Simon, a lobbyist and fundraiser for the RGA, reached out to that state's health commissioner to hire Nomi after trading emails with Blake Harris, the governor's chief of staff.

Simon, a partner for ConnectSouth Public Affairs in Atlanta, told the Tennessee governor's office in an email to not "freak" about the contract's cost. Instead, the number was a "reimbursement opportunity from the feds" over the next year as the federal government was reimbursing states for COVID-19-related expenses.

Seven days later, on May 1, 2020, Tennessee would sign a a $26.5 million contract with Nomi.

A Nomi spokeswoman acknowledged that Simon "made an introduction" for the company. Newman, Nomi's CEO, declined to answer repeated questions about Simon, who also did not respond to questions from USA TODAY.

Bill Lee, left, the Republican governor of Tennessee, leads his first cabinet meeting on Jan. 22, 2019, in Nashville. At right is Blake Harris, his chief of staff.

Harris, the Tennessee governor's chief of staff, left that position in November 2021 to assist in Gov. Bill Lee's reelection efforts and to help the RGA, according to Lees office.

As for Nomis work with the state in early 2020, there are public records that speak to the states brief testing contract with the company. My role in that was limited and work with Nomi followed state of emergency procurement requirements, Harris told USA TODAY in a statement.

Lees office downplayed the connection to the RGA.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, every state in the nation was competing for personal protective equipment and testing, said Laine Arnold, a Lee spokeswoman. All work with Nomi was in accordance with Tennessee laws governing emergency procurement and no external influences were a factor in the limited work with the state.

Five days after Nomi secured its contract in Tennessee, then-state Laboratory Services Deputy Director Kara Levinson raised her concerns in a six-bullet-point email to her bosses.

Tennessee Laboratory Services Deputy Director Kara Levinson email

Levinson, promoted to director in May, wrote that in conversations with other states involved with Nomi, the COVID-19 test it provided "appears to be 4-fold less sensitive" than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 test.

"Using a less sensitive test has the potential to give false negative results, which has significantly implications for individual patients that may be sick and for public health staff that perform contract tracing," she wrote.

"Additionally, the optics of using a less sensitive/inferior test, especially when the Governor has stated that we are targeting vulnerable populations for testing  has the potential to create strong political backlash."

Tennessee then conducted a verification/validation exam on Nomi's test system and determined it was unreliable and had no confidence that testing clinical samples on this platform will provide reliable and reproducible results."

Tennessee's Nomi validation report and executive summary

That report also said lab officials doubted the robustness and endurance of the Nomi test system and its ability to meet the testing capacity advertised when put into clinical use. The state health laboratory director and his deputy wrote: We cannot endorse the use of the Nomi test system for clinical testing of COVID-19.

The state moved to end its contract with the company June 15, 2020, and paid Nomi $5.9 million. Nomi said there was a mutual separation and the money was paid for services provided.

Email records among health department officials in Utah, Iowa, and Nebraska show infectious disease and health experts expressed concern about the reporting and accuracy of the Nomi test process, although no other state ended its contracts.

Other states

USA TODAY contacted 20 additional states that had Republican governors at the start of the pandemic to find out if they had been lobbied to use Nomi and the other companies COVID-19 testing and tracking services.

Of the handful of states that provided records in response, several were contacted by Domo, Qualtrics or both, but none had email records indicating direct contact with Nomi.

One of the email pitches to a staffer for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, chairman of the RGA, includes a reference to Pences shout-out to the work of Nomi subcontractor Domo in Iowa.

Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican, speaks about coronavirus in the press briefing room of the White House on April 23, 2020.

Vice President Mike Pence referenced Domo and the state of Iowa and how our platform increased their testing capacity 3X, the email sent by account executive for Domo Jason Penrose on April 28, 2020 says.

Several Qualtrics employees had a virtual meeting with at least one Ducey staffer on May 8, 2020 to discuss their COVID tracking services. A Ducey spokesperson hasnt answered questions about why the state didnt pursue a contract with Qualtrics or other partners.

Domo also sent similar pitch emails to North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's office.

His staff didnt meet with Domo about the pitch because the state already had a COVID-19 dashboard and testing system in place, according to Mike Nowatzki, communications director for the North Dakota governor's office.

Nowatzki said North Dakota had scaled up testing capacity at its state lab and developed its own data tools and dashboards. The state also had a contract with another company for surge and backup testing.

University hospitals bypassed for Nomi

Several Republican governors who paid for Nomi's large-scale testing services bypassed their own state university hospitals.

"Nomi executives, by their own admission, have no knowledge of public health practice in this area and little understanding of the Nebraska healthcare delivery system in general," four Nebraska state senators wrote in a letter May 11, 2020, to Gov. Pete Ricketts. "Nebraskans do not have the luxury to wait for Nomi leadership to learn on the job."

Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh

The four Democratic senators  Machaela Cavanaugh, Megan Hunt, Rick Kolowski and Carol Blood  said the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is "world-renowned in infection control and treatment," should be leading the testing effort.

Cavanaugh, in a recent interview with USA TODAY, said Nebraska didn't get its money's worth from Nomi.

She said there were problems getting tests for those who were disabled or didn't have internet access, and the state had to hire its own call center and have the National Guard help administer tests.

Cavanaugh remains puzzled why there was such a lack of coordination with established health care providers and why the state didn't use its own information exchange for COVID-19 reporting instead of relying upon Nomi.

She said the campaign contributions from Nomi after getting contracts are "improper."

"It looks as if they are using their relationship to get business, and that is a kickback when they give a campaign contribution shortly after getting an enormous contract that had a no-bid process," Cavanaugh said. "If it had gone through a bidding process that might be different, but I would still think it's not proper."

In Utah, State Rep. Suzanne Harrison, a Democrat from the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper and an anesthesiologist, added Utah also had a "tremendous health infrastructure, a nationally ranked medical school and a nonprofit testing lab" that were bypassed for Nomi.

"That would have been a good place to start," Harrison told USA TODAY. "We missed an opportunity to invest in the experience we had in Utah and should have done a rudimentary bidding process to get a good value for taxpayers and more importantly the expertise to protect the health of the community."

She also said the campaign contributions after contracts were awarded to Nomi "speaks for itself."

'Highly accurate COVID tests'

The states also bypassed other established companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based company with $40 billion in annual revenue which, as of mid-March 2020, had one of the first PCR testing kits for COVID-19 on the market.

In Nebraska, Ricketts' office told USA TODAY in June that it had tried to purchase testing equipment from Thermo Fisher but was put on a waiting list because no equipment was available, and that was one of the reasons the state went with Nomi.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, speaks during a news conference about developments in the fight against COVID-19 in Lincoln on April 10, 2020.

Ricketts' office added that Nomi helped the state more than triple its daily COVID-19 testing to 6,300 tests, and it was able to provide much-needed tests when others couldn't deliver.

"Nomi Health was used because they were the only company that could provide large quantities of highly accurate COVID tests to the citizens of Nebraska," said Alex Reuss, the governor's spokeswoman.

Reuss added that an analysis by The New York Times found Nebraska ranked among the top 10 states for the fewest COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents, which she credited to the state's "free, mass COVID testing."

Reuss also noted that Nebraska, along with Utah, Nomi's first customer, received the highest ratings from the National Bureau of Economic Research for its pandemic response.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah firms gave $1M to GOP campaigns after getting no-bid COVID deals
Rockford firefighters respond Saturday, May 30, 2020, to a break-in and fire at Burlington Coat Factory, 6260 E. State St., Rockford.

ROCKFORD  A Rockford man was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for an arson at an east side business.

Sean Cardenas, 22, pled guilty to setting fire to the Burlington Coat Factory, 6260 E. State St., after a protest in the city on May 30, 2020 turned violent.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office, Cardenas broke into the business while wearing a mask and hood to conceal his identity and then set fire to the store with a Molotov cocktail.

Cardenas was also sentenced to pay $965,591 in restitution and three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

More:Federal grand jury indicts Rockford man for arson

The arson was one of several violent incidents that occurred after a protest and march in the city in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford man sentenced to prison for arson of business during unrest
Rescuers near the mall in Kremenchuk destroyed by a Russian cruise missile strike.

NV has gathered information about the deadliest Russian attacks against civilians so far, placing it in the interactive map below.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)  Russias foreign minister on Wednesday denied his country is responsible for the global surge in food prices following its invasion of Ukraine, dismissing the so-called food crisis" as he completed a visit to several African nations on a continent hit especially hard.

Addressing reporters and African diplomats in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and European countries of driving up prices by pursuing reckless green policies and even hoarding food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation in Ukraine did additionally negatively affect food markets, but not due to the Russian special operation, rather due to the absolutely inadequate reaction of the West, which announced sanctions, Lavrov said.

Western countries, for their part, have repeatedly pointed out that food is exempt from their sanctions on Russia and have blamed Moscow for the global crisis.

Lavrov said last week's breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea for tons of trapped grain out of Ukraine could have been announced long, long ago if not for the Western stubbornness in insisting they are always right." He said Russian and Turkish ships will escort ships that have been trapped in Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea once Ukraine demines its coastline.

Many African countries rely heavily on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine, and African leaders weeks ago visited Moscow to express their food concerns while a looming famine stalks the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia, during the worst drought in decades.

But many African nations haven't openly criticized Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Experts have cited Moscow's support for some African nations dating back to the Soviet Union or Russia's role as a major arms supplier to the continent while sending relatively little humanitarian aid.

Ethiopia is Africa's diplomatic hub and second most populous country, and later this year it is expected to host the second Russia-Africa summit. Ukraine's president earlier this year addressed the Addis Ababa-based African Union continental body about Russia's invasion, but few heads of state reportedly tuned in.

Story continues

Lavrov on his African tour has sought to reassure leaders concerned about a spike in grain prices and justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which he called a threat on Russias border.

He also claimed most countries do not support Western sanctions on Russia, calling it basically evident from the fact that, except for two or three countries, no one in Africa, Asia or Latin America has joined them.

Ethiopia's government made no public comment about the war in Ukraine or the food crisis during Lavrov's visit, with state media reporting only that Russia and Ethiopia had agreed to strengthen economic ties.
Russian air defense shot down one of their own Ka-52 attack helicopters, similar to the one pictured above

Read also: Ukrainian military brings down Russian helicopter near Horlivka

Three Russian Ka-52 helicopters  one of Russias most modern military aircraft  planned to attack Ukrainian units. But the occupiers helicopters came under friendly fire by frightened Russian air defense units, Ukraines General Staff said.

Read also: Russian losses approach 39,000 troops, Ukrainian figures suggest

Russian air defense has never been notable for its accuracy, so the invaders shot down only one out of three of their Ka-52 attack helicopters, the General Staff said.

That's a pity," the message says.

Help NV continue reporting on the Russian invasion



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
AFP via Getty

Russian officials are asking local residents in one Novosbibirsk community to crowdfund equipment for troops fighting in Ukraine.

Officials in Morskoy used the popular networking sites Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte to plead for donations to buy quadcopters, gas generators, binoculars, compression bandages, and combat application tourniquets used by the U.S. and other NATO countries, according to the Siberian news outlet Taiga.info.

The goods can be handed over to the administration of Morskoy village on business days, one posting reportedly read, along with pro-Putin and pro-war hashtags. The appeals were later deleted.

The equipment on the local officials wish list was said to be meant for members of an anti-aircraft missile regiment heading for Ukraine, though it was not clear why the Russian military was not supplying such equipment.

Brittney Griner Testifies to Russian Court About Her Chaotic Interrogation

Russian troops already in Ukraine have routinely been caught complaining about military commanders providing them with no equipment or shoddy gear in intercepted phone calls to relatives back home, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Others have reportedly been forced to plead with their mothers to buy them protective equipment.

While some Western experts have said Russia is likely close to depleting its resources several months into the war against Ukraine, the issues with equipment for troops has reportedly plagued them throughout the so-called special military operation.

We have to buy everything ourselves, with our own money. Im not even talking about modern body armor and helmets: there are no warm clothes, no dry rations or first-aid kits. And all the equipment we are fighting with in Ukraine is in Soviet mothballs, the weapons just jam, one soldier told The Moscow Times anonymously back in May.

We ask the command to provide at least some additional protection. They just shrug.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The new head of the Russian Space Agency said his country will withdraw from the International Space Station at the end of 2024.

READ: NASA set to announce plans to return samples from Mars back to Earth

The comments came Tuesday during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

He said the Russians will focus on building their own space station.

Photos: Russian Space Agency announces withdraw from International Space Station

The propulsion systems for the ISS are controlled on the Russian side of the station. NASA has been working on ways to keep the station in its orbit without using those systems.

READ: NASA aiming for late August test flight of giant moon rocket

The US has already demonstrated with existing service modules that we can provide much of if not sufficient thrust to keep you know, to boost the ISS that is required.

The ISS was first launched in 2000.

READ: Far out: NASA space telescopes 1st cosmic view goes deep

NASA plans to transition to a new commercially operated space station in 2030.

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Getty

Russian troops executed one of their own men in Kharkiv after the Feb. 24 invasion and then concealed his identity so they could use him in an elaborate propaganda ploy.

Thats according to a report released Wednesday by the independent news outlet Verstka, which tracked down the identity of the young soldier nearly six months after his death in the Kharkiv region.

Ivan Levankov was killed on the first day of Russias full-scale war against Ukraine, as reports of Russian troops targeting civilians began to trickle out. And his death at the time was no secretit was captured practically in real time by a Ukrainian woman named Karolina Perlifon who posted footage from the dramatic scene on Instagram.

The Russians killed my mother! Perlifon wrote in the viral post, alongside gut-wrenching footage of herself recounting how Russian forces had opened fire on her and her mother as they tried to flee the invading troops.

In the midst of the chaos, she wrote, two young Russian troops who were barely holding their weapons had rushed towards them, and one of them threw her to the ground to shield her from heavy artillery fire, yelling, Dont shoot were your [guys].

That soldier was immediately shot dead and collapsed on top of her, she said.

Russian propaganda went into overdrive with claims a Russian soldier had heroically been killed by Ukrainian Nazis as he shielded two civilians from artillery fire. The story was a win for the Kremlins narrative that Russian troops were on a humanitarian mission, and it spread like wildfire in Russian media.

Families of Russian Troops Show Up at the Kremlin to Appeal to Putin and Blast Military Brass

But the identity of the soldier was always omitted, and he quickly became known only as the unknown soldier in pro-Kremlin accounts of that day.

And according to Perlifon, the secrecy surrounding his identity had only one goal: to keep the public from ever finding out he was killed by his own men for helping Ukrainians.

Story continues

He died saving us, Perlifon was quoted telling Verstka. That soldier was with us, and he was shot dead by his own people.

The Russian soldier whod been with Levankov at the time of his death, Valery Vasilyev, was wounded that day and treated at a Ukrainian hospital. Footage released by Ukraines Security Service later showed him identifying Levankov for the first time as he testified that they had been ordered by their commanders to block roads out of Kharkiv and fire at civilians as they tried to evacuate.

But when they spotted Perlifon and her mother, they tried to help get them to safety, he said, and the lieutenant colonel noticed that we were saving civilians, and he gave the order to shoot us and them.

It was not immediately clear if Vasilyev is still in Ukrainian custody, as a list of Russian prisoners published by Ukrainian authorities was no longer available.

According to Verstka, Levankov wasnt laid to rest until late June, when a regional newspaper in his hometown in Russias Smolensk region announced his funeral on social media with no details about the circumstances of his death. Wreaths from Russias Defense Ministry were laid at his gravesite, where his date of death was listed as Feb. 24.

But while local authorities and religious figures have made a show of publicizing and attending the funerals of other Russian troops from the area killed in Ukraine, Verstka reports that Levankovs burial was bizarrely kept secret. Local lawmakers and religious authorities from the small town where hed grown up knew nothing about it, and the deputy governor said his name wasnt listed in the regions list of military deaths, even though he had featured so prominently in pro-Kremlin propaganda.

For Perlifon, it makes perfect sense for Russian authorities to erase Levankov from public memory, because, as she told Verstka, for them its easier to simply bury him, and let no one know about him or remember him. To tell the truth? They will never in their lives tell the truth.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Infowars founder and host Alex Jones. Sergio Flores/Getty Images

An InfoWars producer told a Texas jury Wednesday that two grieving Sandy Hook parents are part of a scheme to 'make bank.'

The dramatic courtroom attack came on day two of testimony in conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones' defamation damages trial.

"You're using their grief to make bank," InfoWars producer Daria Karpova told the parents' attorney.

A producer for InfoWars claimed to a Texas jury on Wednesday that two grieving Sandy Hook parents were not victimized by far-right conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones  and that they are instead part of a legal scheme to "make bank" at his expense.

The testimony came on day two of Jones' defamation damages trial in Austin.

InfoWars producer Daria Karpova was responding to plaintiff lawyer Mark Bankston, who is representing Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse Lewis, 6, one of 20 young children slain in the 2012 school massacre in Connecticut.

"Do you believe these two people are fake parents who inflicted emotional distress on America?" Bankston asked Karpova, gesturing to Heslin and Lewis in the Texas courtroom. Bankson was repeating language from past InfoWars broadcasts.

Karpova replied, "I don't believe that. I believe that their grief is being used."

In true InfoWars fashion, Karpova then tried to flip reality on its head. She claimed that the mother and father were indeed being lied to  not by Jones, who repeatedly called the school shooting a "hoax," but by their own lawyer.

Heslin and Lewis are seeking $150 million in damages for Jones' repeated lies about the massacre  including that the massacre was staged by "crisis actors" as part of a government plot to take away people's guns.

"You're their enemy," not Jones, Karpova told the parents' lawyer from the witness stand.

"Because you're lying to them," she said of the parents. "And you're using their grief to make bank."

She added, "I think this reasonable jury here will see that the truth is on our side in this case."

Story continues

Jones, the founder of InfoWars, has repeatedly and falsely told his audience for years that the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre that left 26 dead, including 20 first-graders, was a "giant hoax" staged by the government.

He has already been found liable for defamation by courts in Texas and Connecticut for his comments about the Sandy Hook shooting  the deadliest school shooting in US history.

The Travis County District Court jury will determine how much money Jones must pay Heslin and Lewis.

Karpova's testimony gave a chilling glimpse into the down-is-up, and up-is-down, alternate reality of the InfoWars newsroom  and the cult-like adherence of one producer.

"He never claimed something for sure," Karpova insisted, despite ample evidence before the jury of Jones doing just that, including baselessly telling his audience, "There are photos of kids that are still alive that they said died," and, "Undoubtably, it's a hoax."

"Every time he was trying to do honest investigative research to the best of his ability and that's his job," she claimed. "And he takes it very seriously."

Karpova testified that she believes the jury in the civil case "will see that Alex meant everything from his heart."

Read the original article on Insider
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA  WEDNESDAY, 27 JULY 2022, 10:48

The Security Service of Ukraine has detained an informant in Rivne Oblast who passed on information about Ukraine Armed Forces to Belarusian law-enforcement officers.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine on Telegram, and Prosecutor General's Office on Telegram

Details: Ukrainian special services have exposed a resident of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast who was collecting information about the location of checkpoints, the deployment and movement of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen and equipment, as well as other units in the western regions of Ukraine. According to the Security Service, he was particularly interested in fortifications in the border regions.

The informant passed the data collected on to Belarusian law-enforcement officers during an illegal border crossing. Special services are currently checking whether there were other cases of the man's cooperation with Belarusian law-enforcement agencies. He faces 5 to 8 years in prison.

Quote from the Prosecutor General's Office: "A resident of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was reported on suspicion of spreading information about the location of Ukrinian Armed Forces facilities and their identification on the ground, when such information was not available in the public domain (Part 2 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)."
Nicole Shanahan, the estranged wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has denied reports that she had an affair with Elon Musk.

In a statement to The Independent, Ms Shanahans attorney Bryan Freedman said the claim she had slept with the Tesla CEO was defamatory.

Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory, Mr Freedman said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Mr Musk had allegedly engaged in a brief affair with Ms Shanahan in December 2021. At the time, Ms Shanahan and Mr Brin were separated but still living together.

Mr Brin and Ms Shanahan divorced in January, citing irreconcilable differences.

The next day, Mr Musk refuted the claims in a series of tweets.

I work crazy hours, so there just isnt much time for shenanigans, Mr Musk said.

None of the key people involved in these alleged wrongdoings were even interviewed!, he added.

He later shared a photo of himself partying with Mr Brin on Twitter.

This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night! Mr Musk added in a separate tweet.

Ive only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic.

The Wall Street Journal did not immediately respond to question over whether they stood by the story.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson said: We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting.

Mr Musk is the richest person in the world, with an estimated net wealth of $219bn, while Mr Brin is 7th on the Forbes richlist with a net wealth of $107bn.
Bravo

As Heather Dubrows twins, Max and Nick, get ready to go to their respective colleges in the coming weeks, The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member is sharing a look at the packing process. In an August 14 Instagram Story video, Heather showed the college piles currently filling her spacious garage. Holy crap, she said as she showed dozens of boxes, school supplies, toiletries, and more. Wow. Over the past few months, the Dubrow family has been celebrating this exciting new chapter
A Southaven man was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for the distribution of child sexual abuse materials, the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Mississippi announced Wednesday.

RELATED: Southaven man arrested for molesting children, creating child porn, deputies say

The DeSoto County Sheriffs Department arrested Daniel Coulston on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. for allegedly creating child porn.

According to court documents, Coulston, 27, used a minor to produce child sexual abuse material on his cell phone.

Coulston admitted to sharing those images with numerous people through a social media application.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Desoto County Sheriffs Department investigated the case.

We see far too many of these types of cases, and it is our hope that lengthy prison sentences will serve not only to remove guilty individuals from society but will also act as a deterrent against heinous crimes of this nature, stated U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.

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(Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court extended a travel ban on former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, brothers of ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to Aug. 2, news channel Newsfirst said in a tweet on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)
Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives before eventually making his way to Singapore

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to return to the country from Singapore, a Sri Lankan lawmaker says.

Cabinet spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday that Mr Rajapaksa was not in hiding but the date of his return was not known.

The former leader fled Sri Lanka after mass unrest over an economic crisis.

Many protesters say he mishandled the nation's finances, leading to soaring prices of essential goods.

Mr Rajapaksa left Sri Lanka on 13 July for the Maldives, before making his way to Singapore on 14 July.

He submitted his resignation shortly after his arrival, which was formally accepted by the Sri Lankan cabinet on 15 July.

The former president travelled with his wife and two bodyguards. He no longer has legal immunity as a head of state.

Singapore says the ousted president did not ask for political asylum when he arrived.

Mr Rajapaksa had been initially granted a 14-day visa for his stay in Singapore. But that has now been extended another 14 days, Singapore local media reported on Wednesday.

Speculation has since swirled about his possible plans, with some suggesting he might move to the United Arab Emirates.

However Bloomberg quoted an unnamed Sri Lankan official as saying Mr Rajapaksa was keen to return to Colombo.

Then on Tuesday Mr Gunawardena told reporters, "To my knowledge he is expected to come back".

Sri Lankans blame Mr Rajapaksa's administration for their worst economic crisis in decades.

They have been struggling with months of daily power cuts and shortages of basics like fuel, food and medicines.

Mr Rajapaksa has been replaced as president by his close ally Ranil Wickremesinghe - he was voted in by lawmakers last week but is deeply unpopular among Sri Lankans.
State Police will celebrate the life of K-9 Frankie at an upcoming ceremony.

In a statement on Wednesday, police said a date for the event has not yet been finalized, as his partner, Sgt. David Stucenski, and family are mourning in private.

Frankie was taken to the Final Gift Pet Memorial Center in Cranston, R.I. Tuesday night with full honors, including a motorcade escort by human and canine law enforcement partners, with police officers and firefighters lining overpasses above the highway.

Frankie died after being shot during a standoff in Fitchburg Tuesday afternoon.

State Police K-9 dies after being shot during standoff in Fitchburg

A highly decorated police dog during his nine years with the Massachusetts State Police, Frankie was one of the first K-9s to join the State Police STOP Teams tactical program and participated in hundreds of missions.

State Police Col. Christopher Mason said Frankie had every trait we seek in a good law enforcement officer, canine or human: intelligence, immense courage, and dedication to protecting the public.

Frankie and Stucenski were awarded the Medal of Valor in 2017 for apprehending a hit-and-run suspect who shot at them during a foot chase. In 2014, the pair won three awards from the United States Police Canine Association for evidence recovery, agility and other law enforcement skills.

They were recently honored for arresting an armed child pornography suspect who opened fire on them at a West Springfield Motel in 2019.

Frankie was the first Massachusetts State Police K-9 killed in the line of duty.

The suspect who shot him, 38-year-old Matthew Mack, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Mason said.

Mack had been wanted on warrants related to a shooting earlier this month.

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jetcityimage / Getty Images

Formerly known as food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the most important anti-hunger initiative in America. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), SNAP provided food security to about 41.5 million people in 2021, with an average benefit of $218.14 per person.

Small Business Spotlight 2022: GOBankingRates Celebrates Small Businesses Across the US

See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts

Recipients use Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to receive funds and make purchases, and they can use those cards to buy a whole lot more than just standard groceries. Here's a look at some of the more unusual things that SNAP will pay for.

Twin Design / Shutterstock.com

Energy Drinks -- Some, at Least

You can use SNAP funds to buy energy drinks, but only if they meet the USDA's strict standards. If the energy drink has a "nutritional facts" label, it makes the cut, according to New York SNAP EBT. If it has a "supplemental facts" label, it's considered a supplement and cannot be purchased with EBT. That means Red Bull, Rockstar and Starbucks Double Shot make the grade, but 5 Hour Energy, Bang Shot and Tweaker do not.

Feyyaz Alacam / Shutterstock.com

Coffee and Tea -- the Kind You Make Yourself

You can use SNAP to buy packaged coffee -- not to mention creamer -- and that includes Keurig-style K-cups. You cannot, however, buy coffee that's ready to drink. If you're thinking that you'll make your own coffee at home and just switch to tea when you're out, that won't work either. Tea, too, is limited to packaged and unbrewed because the USDA doesn't allow SNAP funds to be used to buy any hot beverages.

CSNafzger / Shutterstock.com

Hunting and Fishing Gear -- But You Have to Live Way, Way Out There

Even if you live in a rural area and kill what you eat, you can't just swipe your EBT card to pick up a new fiberglass rod at Bass Pro Shops -- but hunting and fishing gear is SNAP-eligible for a very specific and very tiny population. According to the USDA, some residents in the most remote parts of Alaska rely almost exclusively on hunting and fishing to feed their households because of the extreme difficulty involved with buying food at stores.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services gives qualifying households special identification cards. They can't buy guns and ammo, but they can buy things such as nets, rods, harpoons, lines and knives.

hapabapa / iStock.com

Restaurant Meals -- for Certain People in Certain Places

You can't use SNAP to pay for dine-in restaurant meals -- unless you qualify for the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) and live in a state that participates in it. RMP serves vulnerable populations like the elderly, people experiencing homelessness and the disabled.

Participating restaurants must offer meals at "concessional prices" to qualifying diners.

While it's not as limited as Alaska's subsistence hunting program, very few states participate in RMP. It's available all over California, Arizona, Michigan, Maryland and Virginia, as well as in select counties in Rhode Island.

Good Question: Does KFC Accept SNAP EBT Cards?

Kyselova Inna / Shutterstock.com

Seeds and Plants

The USDA allows SNAP recipients to buy edible plants like basil or food-producing plants like tomato plants with their EBT cards, as well as seeds for growing their own food. The USDA says you can grow $25 worth of produce for every dollar spent on seeds and fertilizer, yet Modern Farmer says this important inclusion is one of the least known parts of the whole SNAP program.

You can use your EBT card to get seeds and plants at any SNAP-approved retailer, including farmer's markets.

Walmart.com

Gift Baskets -- Depending on What's Inside

The USDA allows you to spend SNAP funds on gift baskets and similar purchases as long as at least half of what's inside is edible. Even if they contain eligible edibles, nonfood items such as toys, stockings and tins don't count if "the value of the non-food part of the item clearly accounts for more than 50% of the purchase price," according to the USDA. The agency gives the example of a stuffed holiday bear that comes with a small package of chocolate: That won't count. A gift basket containing mostly meat and cheese, however, would be acceptable.

Stephanie Botkin / Shutterstock.com

Live Lobsters

Like tobacco, alcohol, vitamins and medicine, live animals are on the USDA's list of items that you can't buy with SNAP benefits. There are, however, a few rare exceptions, including shellfish, "fish removed from the water" and "animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store."

That means that, while you can't use your EBT card to buy a puppy from a pet store, you can use SNAP to buy a lobster to bring home to meet its unfortunate fate on your kitchen stovetop.

dontree_m / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Snacks of All Kinds

Most people probably know that SNAP recipients can use their EBT cards to buy household grocery staples such as meat, milk, eggs, vegetables and bread, but what's not as well known is the long list of snacks that are on the USDA's approved list. It includes everything from marshmallows and marzipan to pudding and popsicles.

Cakes, pies, doughnuts, muffins, pastries and all sorts of other things cakey and flaky make the list, as do chips, crisps, popcorn and finger food of all stripes. Ice cream, candy, chocolate, custard, scones, churros and much, much more all get a pass from the USDA -- in fact, if a kid can dream of it, chances are good SNAP will pay for it.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Surprising Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps
Afghan women wait to receive cash at a money distribution point organized by the World Food Program last year in Kabul. (Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press)

The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by a suffocating crackdown by the Taliban since it took power nearly a year ago, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday.

After the group captured the capital, Kabul, in August 2021 and ousted the internationally backed government, the Taliban presented itself as having moderated since its first time in power, in the 1990s. Initially, Taliban officials spoke of allowing women to continue to work and girls to continue their education.

Instead, they formed an all-male government stacked with veterans of the groups hard-line rule that has banned girls from attending school from seventh grade, imposed all-covering dress that leaves only the eyes visible and restricted womens access to work.

Amnesty said the Taliban has also decimated protections for those facing domestic violence, detained women and girls for minor violations and contributed to a surge in child marriages. The report also documented the torture and abuse of women arrested by the Taliban for protesting against restrictions.

Taken together, these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives, the report said. This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistans female population is increasing day by day.

The groups researchers visited Afghanistan in March as part of a nine-month investigation conducted from September 2021 to June 2022. They interviewed 90 women and 11 girls, between 14 and 74 years old, across Afghanistan.

Among them were women detained for protesting who described torture at the hands of Taliban guards, including beatings and threats of death.

One woman told Amnesty that guards beat her and other women on the breasts and between the legs, so that we couldnt show the world. She said one told her, I can kill you right now, and no one would say anything.

A university student who was detained said she was electrically shocked on her shoulder, face, neck and elsewhere. One Taliban member, she said, held a gun at her and told her, I will kill you, and no one will be able to find your body.

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The report said rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are surging under Taliban rule. The increase, Amnesty said, is fueled by Afghanistans economic and humanitarian crisis and the lack of education and job prospects for women and girls. The report documented cases of forced marriages of women and girls to Taliban members  under pressure by the Taliban member or by the womens families.

One woman from a central province of Afghanistan told Amnesty that she was compelled to marry off her 13-year-old daughter to a 30-year-old neighbor in exchange for 60,000 Afghanis (about $658). She said she felt relieved because her daughter wont be hungry anymore.

She said she was considering the same for her 10-year-old daughter but was holding off in hopes the girl could get an education and eventually secure a job to support the family. Of course, if they dont open the school, I will have to marry her off, she added.

You have a patriarchal government, war, poverty, drought, girls out of school. With all of these factors combined  we knew child marriage was going to go through the roof, said Stephanie Sinclair, director of Too Young to Wed, who was quoted in the report.

The Taliban seized Kabul as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan, ending a nearly 20-year war against the Talibans insurgency. The world has refused to recognize the Talibans rule, demanding it respect human rights and show tolerance for other groups.

The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat and has frozen billions in Afghan national assets.

This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort.

Amnesty called on the international community to take action to protect Afghan women and girls.

Less than one year after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, their draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of their right to lead safe, free and fulfilling lives, said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty secretary general.

If the international community fails to act, it will be abandoning women and girls in Afghanistan, and undermining human rights everywhere, she said.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The inside of Stray Paws Adoptables, a St Louis-area rescue facility for animals, is seen flooded after record-breaking rainfall fell in the Missouri city on Tuesday (Stray Paws Adoptables/Facebook)

Ten rescue puppies at a St Louis-area shelter were killed after the city experienced extreme rainfall that led to widespread flooding on the wettest day in recorded history.

Between midnight and 7am Tuesday, more than eight inches of rain collected on the inundated streets and highways of the Missouri city, quickly surpassing its previously held record of 6.85 inches, set in 1915, well before the end of the day.

Before Linda Roever, the president of Stray Paws Rescue, arrived to work on Tuesday morning, she knew the outlook wasnt promising.

In an update posted on the official Facebook account of the animal shelter based in St Peters, a suburb located about 30 miles northwest of St Louis, the non-profit warned hours before theyd even arrived that the office had likely suffered intense damage.

SOS THIS IS THE STREET OUR BUILDING IS ONai, the post began, while sharing pictures of the buildings with the waterline above front doorsteps and parked cars submerged alongside them. Firefighters/rescue teams with boats are on the way to assess the situation with our animals. Highways are closed. Roads are closed. We are distraught. PRAYERS needed. FOSTERS needed. DONATIONS to fix this damage will be needed.

Ten puppies were killed after flooding caused by record-breaking rainfall in the St Louis area swept through a building that housed a rescue shelter for animals (Stray Paws Adoptables/Facebook)

Relaying the first few moments of Tuesday morning to KSDK, Ms Roever described how jarring it was to not hear the usual greeting of excited barks as she stepped through the door.

When we got here, everything was pretty much floating, Ms Roever said.

St Peters alongside St Louis hit record flood levels after Mondays overnight storm, and though the rain had subsided by Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service warned that the effects of flash flooding could still be felt as less severe rainfall was forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday.

The big dogs were about chest high in water, the rescues president said, noting that the shelter at that point in time was housing about 25 dogs.

The 10 puppies were the only ones that didnt make it and thats just because the water was too deep for them.

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We will never get over this, said board member Vicki Ferris in an interview with the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ten puppies were killed after flooding caused by record-breaking rainfall in the St Louis area swept through a building that housed a rescue shelter for animals (Stray Paws Adoptables/Facebook)

Ms Ferris relayed how the team had recovered the bodies of four beagle mixes, whose mother had shifted to the edge of their crate, clinging to a wall to keep her head above water, two Aussie mixes, who were scheduled to be picked up by their foster families on Tuesday morning, and four Catahoula mixes, who had been recovered in the past week after being found abandoned.

Fly high little ones. Our hearts are breaking, the group wrote in a Facebook post updating the public about the puppies death.

The remaining 15 adult dogs and some cats were rushed to a neighbouring facility, the Animal Talk Medical Center in Wentzville, which will serve as the temporary home of the surviving animals for as long as the shelter needs to get back on their feet.

We have the ability to hold them literally as long as she needs to, said veterinarian Jacob Lucas in an interview with KSDK.

Some of the animals required medical attention when they arrived at the centre, with one particular pit bull mix dog suffering from a case of hypothermia that likely wouldve led him to the same fate as the 10 puppies had he not been brought over when he was, Mr Lucas said.

We got him warmed up and some IV fluid, the veterinarian said. Hes lucky. He probably wasnt too far beyond those puppies here.

One of the adult dogs who were found wading in flooded water up to their chest at Stray Paws Adoptables in the St Louis area on Tuesday is seen being treated at a neighbouring rescue (Stray Paws Adoptables/Facebook)

Officials at the shelter, which rents its main hub, were told on Tuesday that the landlord doesnt have flood insurance for the building, leaving them to largely fend for themselves in the recovery effort.

Yet within hours of Stray Paws sharing about the tragedy that had struck their small, non-profit organisation, they found themselves overwhelmed by the outpouring of support the community had shown them.

By early afternoon on Tuesday, the adoption centre had collected $30,000 in donations and had received 100s of foster applications to take in the 15 dogs being housed at the local vet office.

We cant thank the community enough for coming together. The outpouring of love and support has touched our hearts and the animals more than you could possibly know, the group wrote late on Tuesday night.

Water levels inside the building had begun to come down, they added, and a professional cleaning crew was set to be arriving on Wednesday.

Intense rainfall in the St Louis area is typically a once-in-500-years event, according to the NWS, but the climate emergency has caused extreme weather events  such as record-breaking rainfall  to occur with more frequency and more intensity in recent years.

In a report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the agency found that large one-day rain events that typically used to occur once every 10 years are likely to become more common, as the heating planet is able to store more moisture in its atmosphere than it did at cooler climates.
Jul. 27FLAT LICK  A Tennessee man is facing felony charges after Knox County Sheriff's Office responded to a Flat Lick residence to investigate a possible domestic incident.

John Brandon Gray, 20, of New Tazewell, Tennessee, has been charged with attempted murder  police officer, resisting arrest, third-degree assault  police officer, and public intoxication  controlled substance (excluding alcohol) in connection to a July 19 incident that began on Martin Crawford Lane.

According to the sheriff's department, deputies responded to the residence and encountered the caller at the front door. One officer went to the back as Gray, the press release stated, slammed the back door and locked it.

Gray then reportedly ran out the front door and got into a 2006 Dodge Durango that he had arrived in. According to the sheriff's release, he placed the SUV in drive, "floored the gas and tried to run over the deputies." Another occupant had his hands up and his foot on the brake.

Deputies were able to gain access to the vehicle by breaking the passenger window and get that door open but, according to the release, Gray attempted to fight the men. After a brief struggle and deploying a taser, the suspect was brought under control and taken into custody. Gray reportedly told officers during his arrest that he had taken drugs the day before the incident.

Gray was taken to Barbourville ARH for assessment after being tased. Once cleared from the hospital, he was lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.

Having pleaded not guilty at arraignment, Gray was scheduled to appear Tuesday morning in Knox District Court for a preliminary hearing.
When I asked Sara Figal what the key to good mediation is, she told me that it means the parties leave the table having been heard.

Mediation does not guarantee a person gets everything he or she wants, but it is a process to work through differences, face someone with whom they are trying to resolve a dispute and answer questions.

A skilled mediator asks questions and follows up with more questions to try to come to resolution that the parties can agree upon, and that is the essence of the work of the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center.

Sara Figal, president of the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center, has put in many more hours practicing Celtic harp during the pandemic. Figal also has used the time to get virtual instruction from master-level harpers throughout the U.S. and Ireland.

On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Figal, who is executive director of NCRC, spoke about her organization, which she calls "Nashville's best kept secret."

NCRC has worked to resolve disputes between property owners and tenants, victims and offenders, and the Nashville Community Oversight Board and the Metro Nashville Police Department, among other clients.

Figal's background is in theatre and German literature and previously worked as a college professor. She began volunteering with the center before being hired as its leader.

She is an avid reader and, as my colleague Brad Schmitt reported in 2020, she took up the Celtic harp as pandemic era hobby.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

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Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this.

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About Tennessee Voices

The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.

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Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.

Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.

Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Resolving disputes through mediation with Sara Figal
Thousands of formerly incarcerated North Carolina residents serving a felony sentence can now register to vote.

It remains unclear if further court rulings may affect their eligibility, but for now, they can vote in the November general election.

Previously, under North Carolina law, people serving a felony sentence could not register or vote until their sentence ended, including any period of probation, parole or post-release supervision. They also had to pay all legal financial obligations before they could vote.

How did we get here?

In 2019, a coalition of nonprofits challenged the law. They filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court against government officials, including House Speaker Tim Moore, Senate leader Phil Berger and the State Board of Elections.

In the lawsuit, known as Community Success Initiative v. Moore, the nonprofits argued that this disenfranchisement of formerly incarcerated voters was unconstitutional, that it disproportionately affected Black residents, and that voters should not have to wait to be eligible to vote but should have those rights restored after leaving prison or jail. In the United States, voter laws for those formerly incarcerated vary by state. In some states, people can vote while in prison, while in other states people with felonies are permanently barred from voting.

What followed this lawsuit was years of back and forth: a slew of rulings, appeals and counter appeals were filed. On April 26, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled that felons could not vote during the May primary and July 26 elections.

But starting July 27 after these two elections, the appeals court ruled, a previous ruling by a Superior Court must take effect. The Superior court, also called a trial court, is below the appellate courts. This trial court had ruled that North Carolinians with prior felony convictions must be allowed to register and vote.

How many people are newly eligible to vote?

This decision grants more than 56,000 individuals the right to vote and marks the largest expansion of voting rights in the state since the 1960s Voting Rights Act, according to a press release issued by Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit advocacy group.

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TODAY: 56,000+ North Carolinians will have their voting rights restored!



Kick-off the #UnlockOurVoteNC Freedom Summer Tour! with us as we celebrate the largest expansion of voting rights in the state since the Voting Rights Act of 1965! #FreedomSummer https://t.co/VnRbCEEHsQ pic.twitter.com/hOFPUvB9gn  Repairers of the Breach (@BRepairers) July 27, 2022

Is this permanent?

The decision is not final. In May, the state Supreme Court agreed to take over the lawsuit rather than wait for the appeals judges to decide whether it was right for the superior court to loosen restrictions, The Associated Press reported.

Release: Felons Who Are Not in Jail or Prison May Register to Vote Starting July 27



Read Online: https://t.co/sgsjXwSTZG#YourVoteCountsNC



https://t.co/SLlMMstrLs  NCSBE (@NCSBE) July 26, 2022

The State Board of Elections issued a statement Tuesday. Based on the superior court determinations, an individual serving a felony sentence who is not in jail or prison may register to vote and vote, the board wrote.

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at https://campsite.bio/underthedome or wherever you get your podcasts.
John Peters, a resident of Indianapolis' east side for three years, has taken notice of recent shootings in his neighborhood. The Pleasant Street resident took a break from work to watch as police investigated the latest shooting in which three construction workers were injured Monday.

Its still a pretty good area and usually quiet, but the last couple of weeks more stuff has been happening, Peters said. It's kind of out of nowhere.

Three construction workers were injured outside a home being built in the 1000 block of Churchman Avenue just before 2 p.m., said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer William Young.

Police have yet to release information on what led to the shooting or if any suspects have been identified as of Tuesday. All three men who were shot sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to survive, Young said.

The partially built home was surrounded by crime scene tape Monday as investigating detectives canvassed the neighborhood hoping to speak with witnesses. Two children sat on their porch nearby and watched, and other neighbors walked over to the scene.

"It's so important that folks come forward with information, Young said while speaking with reporters.

The shooting involving the construction workers occurred less than a quarter mile away from a fatal shooting that occurred on June 30.

More news:Judge says 10-year-old girl can rejoin softball team in blow to transgender sports ban

More news:Jim Barlow comes out of retirement to again lead Carmel Police Department

Recent east side shootings in Indianapolis

The fatal shooting occurred in the 1000 block of Harlan Street and was possibly linked to another shooting that occurred on the same day just a few blocks away in the 2400 block of Prospect Street, according to police.

A man was taken to a hospital with a graze wound after the Prospect Street shooting, police said. Both shootings on June 30 and the shooting of the construction workers all occurred within a half mile of each other.

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Another shooting occurred nearby earlier this year in which an IMPD officer was injured. That shooting occurred in February in the area of the alley north of 1600 Woodland Avenue, which is about a half mile from where Mondays shooting occurred. One man was arrested and is facing attempted murder and resisting law enforcement charges in connection with the shooting of the officer.

City-County Councilor Zach Adamson, whose district includes where the shootings occurred, said he has yet to hear from neighbors in the area with concerns on the recent shootings.

On occasion, well work with the public to identify ways the city and/or public safety agencies can partner with the community to address public safety concerns, Adamson said via email. But again, these only happen once community members reach out for help.

The city has previously committed resources to reducing violence. Last year, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced more than a third of the citys American Rescue Plan funding would be used for a $150 million three-year anti-violence plan.

Anyone with information on Mondays shooting is asked to call IMPDs aggravated assault detectives at 317-327-3475. Those with information on the fatal shooting on Harlan Street are asked to IMPD Detective Ronald Sayles at 317-327-3475 or Ronald.Sayles@indy.gov.

Those with information on the shootings can also contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Three construction workers injured in Indianapolis shooting
A top European Union lawmaker said his phone was likely compromised by a spyware known as Pegasus, a technology tool developed and distributed by Israeli company NSO Group, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in a July 25 letter obtained by Reuters that Apple informed him last year that his iPhone had likely been hacked using Pegasus.

Apples findings prompted an inspection of Reydners devices as well as phones belonging to other EU employees.

Though the investigation into the Belgian politicians phones was inconclusive, investigators found evidence showing that a hack did occur.

In his letter, Reydner said that it is impossible to attribute [this evidence] to a specific perpetrator with full certainty, adding that the investigation was still ongoing.

According to Reuters, an EU committee revealed last week that 14 EU member states had purchased NSO technologies in the past.

NSO Group has come under increasing scrutiny in the U.S. amid allegations of its use to spy on dissidents, journalists and politicians around the world.

Earlier this month, U.S.-based defense contractor L3Harris ended its bid to buy hacking tools from NSO Group, following concerns raised by the Biden administration that the acquisition would pose a serious counterintelligence and security risk to U.S. personnel and systems.

The U.S. Department of Commerce also blacklisted the Israeli company in November due to concerns around malicious cyber activities.

Apple went after NSO Group in November, suing the company over the use of spyware on iPhones. The tech giant sought to ban the Israeli firm from using Pegasus on its hardware.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ships in the Singapore Strait, which connects the Malacca Strait to the South China Sea, on September 21, 2021. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images

The US military is increasingly concerned about China's presence near major maritime chokepoints.

Much of the world's commercial traffic uses those waterways, and they also have strategic military value.

US military leaders are increasingly wary of Chinese activity near the maritime chokepoints through which much of the world's commercial and military traffic passes.

The latest warnings come from the general in charge of US Southern Command and the general nominated to lead US Africa Command and echo those of other US officials who worry that China's presence around those strategically important waterways could be used to gather information of economic and military value or to interfere with seaborne traffic.

"I was just in Panama about a month ago and flying along the Panama Canal and looking at all the state-owned enterprises from the PRC on each side," US Army Gen. Laura Richardson, head of US Southern Command, said at the Aspen Security Conference on July 20, referring to the People's Republic of China.

"They look like civilian companies or state-owned enterprises that could be used for dual use and could be quickly changed over to a military capability," Richardson added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and their wives at the Panama Canal, December 3, 2018. LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Richardson's predecessor often warned of China's involvement in the region's infrastructure, particularly its ports. Richardson continues to sound that alarm, calling Chinese activity around the canal one of her "greatest" strategic concerns.

While China doesn't have a military presence in Latin America, the comments by US military commanders reflect concerns that China's projects could be used to monitor activity in the canal and elsewhere around and above the region, gathering information that could have security implications.

China is pursuing the "largest military buildup in history," Richardson said, "so one should ask themselves why, when they have this very capable military, are they putting [in] and trying to gain access to critical infrastructure in other countries across the planet?"

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China's first and so far only overseas military base is near another important maritime chokepoint: the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Chinese troops and vehicles at the opening ceremony of China's military base in Djibouti, August 1, 2017. STR/AFP via Getty Images

China calls that base, which opened in 2017, a logistical support facility, and Chinese ships have conducted anti-piracy patrols nearby since the late 2000s.

US commanders have expressed concern about China's activity at that base, which is only a few miles from a major US military outpost, and about Beijing's future plans for the facility.

"They have it there because probably in the future they want to have the ability to be able to affect the free flow of commerce that affects our global economy," US Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Langley, who has been nominated to lead US Africa Command, said of the Djibouti base during his confirmation hearing on July 21.

The current head of Africa Command, Gen. Stephen Townsend, has warned that China is pursuing other bases in Africa and has upgraded its base in Djibouti, adding a pier large enough to accommodate an aircraft carrier.

Langley looks set to maintain that focus. "That's a strategic chokepoint that needs to remain free for freedom of navigation of commerce," Langley told senators, calling it "a strategic point that we need to be really concerned about."

'Under increased threat'

The container ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal on March 27, 2021. Kristin Carringer/Maxar

As competition between the US and China intensifies, officials from both countries have expressed concern about maritime chokepoints, viewing their accessibility as a matter of commercial and strategic importance.

China has long been concerned with the so-called Malacca Dilemma  its reliance on the flow of goods through the Malacca Strait between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Chinese experts often identify the Malacca and Bab al-Mandeb straits and the Suez and Panama canals, among others, as the world's main "strategic maritime corridors."

Since the mid-2010s, some two-thirds of China's overseas port projects have been in the Indian Ocean region, reflecting its interest in those waters and the connections they provide to energy suppliers and export markets, according to an analyst of Chinese foreign policy.

That region has "the greatest concentration of Chinese commercial activity, and it's also their most significant logistical corridor for security and strategic reasons," the analyst told Insider this spring, speaking anonymously because of professional commitments.

The US Navy is also more attuned to developments around maritime chokepoints and to the emergence of new ones.

A US Navy map of maritime areas and chokepoints considered "under increased threat." US Navy Navigation Plan 2022

In early 2020, the Navy's top officer, Adm. Michael Gilday, said that the increasing accessibility of the Arctic meant the Bering Strait could eventually be "strategically as important as the Strait of Malacca or the Strait of Hormuz."

More recently, Gilday included the Malacca and Bab al-Mandab straits on a map of chokepoints "under increased threat" in the Navy's latest navigation plan, which describes the service's strategic outlook.

The plan, published this week, notes that US economic and national security "will continue to rely upon unrestricted seaborne trade, unimpeded access to markets, and a free and open rules-based order."

The days-long blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship in March 2021 alerted many other US officials to the ease with which those waterways could be disrupted.

The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, passed in December 2021, included an provision requiring the Defense Department to send Congress a report on "the threat of hostile kinetic attacks, cyber disruptions, and other form of sabotage" to the world's maritime chokepoints by mid-2022.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Syed Raza Hassan

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistans two leading car assemblers, Toyota and Suzuki, plan partial plant shutdowns next month due to unavailability of raw material amid import restrictions and exchange rate volatility, officials at both companies said on Wednesday.

The government in recent weeks has attempted to curb imports in the face of fast depleting foreign reserves, a declining currency and a widening current account deficit, because of which the rupee has lost over 20% of its value this year.

The move has had a cascading effect on industries that rely on imports to complete finished goods as they say the central bank has delayed the clearance of letters of credit with banks facing a shortage of dollars, affecting their ability to import materials.

There will be 10 working days next month, only if central bank allows us to open letter of credit based on the quota they promised, Ali Asghar Jamali, chief executive at Indus Motor Company Ltd which assembles Toyota vehicles in Pakistan, told Reuters.

He said the company was offering refunds to customers facing delays and markups on their payments, with deliveries likely to be delayed by at least three months and prices to be revised as the country does not have dollars available.

Reserves with the central bank have fallen to as low as $9.3 billion, enough to cover less than two months of imports. The current account deficit for the last financial year touched 5% of GDP with imports hitting record highs.

Pak Suzuki, which assembles Suzuki vehicles locally, echoed the sentiment, citing the central bank's new mechanism for prior approval for imports.

"Restrictions had adversely impacted clearance of import consignments from ports," the head of public relations for Pak Suzuki Motors, Shafiq A. Shaikh, said.

He said the unavailability of materials may result in a plant shutdown in August.

"If the same situation continues, then from August 2022 we have big problems," Shaikh said.

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State Bank of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment.

The sale of locally assembled cars in Pakistan surged by around 50% from July 2021 to May 2022 compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the data of Pakistan Automotive Manufactures Association.

(Reporting by Syed Raza Hassan; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Former President Donald Trump said in a statement Wednesday that he had notified CNN he was intending to file a defamation lawsuit against the news outlet for its refusal to back his discredited claims that election fraud accounted for his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race.

I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me, Trump's statement said. I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 election.

In a letter dated July 21, 2022, and addressed to CNN's CEO Chris Licht and executive vice president and general counsel David Vigilante, lawyers for Trump cited numerous examples in which they maintain the former president was defamed.

Accordingly, I hereby demand on behalf of President Donald Trump that CNN (1) immediately take down the false and defamatory publications, (2) immediately issue a full and fair retraction of the statements identified herein in as conspicuous a manner as they were originally published, and (3) immediately cease and desist from its continued use of Big Lie and lying when describing President Trumps subjective belief regarding the integrity of the 2020 election, the letter stated.

Trumps months-long scheme to overturn his defeat to Biden has been laid bare by the House select committee investigating the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ample evidence has been put forth showing that Trump was told by staffers, administration officials and family members that fraud had not affected the final results.

Testimony from Republicans close to the then president has also shown that he pursued a plan for state lawmakers to overturn the will of the voters by submitting slates of alternate electors. As the New York Times reported Tuesday, Trump campaign aides acknowledged in emails that those electors were fake and would be used to try to convince Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6.

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Donald Trump speaking at the America First Policy Institute in Washington on Tuesday. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)

On Tuesday, Trump returned to Washington to deliver a campaign-style speech on crime that devolved into more unfounded claims about his election loss. The former president depicted the select committee as intentionally lying to defame him and spoil his chances of winning reelection.

They really want to damage me so I can no longer go back to work for you, he said. And I dont think thats going to happen.

But on Wednesday, ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl reported that the Republican National Committee has told Trump it will cease paying his legal bills should he announce himself as a 2024 presidential candidate.

This just in  the RNC is warning Trump it will stop paying his legal bills if he launches a presidential campaign.



Thats right. They are still paying his personal legal bills  more than $1.7 million since October. https://t.co/UG9zGArZP8  Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) July 27, 2022

As of late February, Trump had filed 42 separate lawsuits since Election Day 2020 and lost them all. In December of last year, he did win a case in which Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had asked a court to make the former president pay for the states legal fees in mounting a defense against Trumps unsuccessful election lawsuit there.
Former president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that it should be easier to fire rogue bureaucrats while speaking at the America First Agenda Summit in Washington, DC.

We need to make it much easier to fire rogue bureaucrats who are deliberately undermining democracy or at a minimum just want to keep their jobs, he said while affirming his intent to fire non-loyalist federal government employees if he wins a second term in office.

While speaking at the summit, he confirmed reports about his intent to implement Schedule F  an executive order which would reassign governmental employees in a way that loosens their employment protections, making it easier to fire them and replace them with political appointees.

During his speech, he promised to drain the swamp and root out the deep state.

He continued: Congress should pass historic reforms empowering the president to ensure that any bureaucrat who is corrupt, incompetent, or unnecessary for the job can be told  have you ever heard this  youre fired! Get out.

It was Mr Trumps first appearance in Washington, DC, since leaving office.

He told the audience: I am here before you to begin to talk about what we must do to achieve that future when we win a triumphant victory in 2022 and when a Republican president takes back the White House in 2024, which I strongly believe will happen.

Trump: We need to make it much easier to fire rogue bureaucrats who are deliberately undermining democracy.. Have to do it. Deep state pic.twitter.com/Mg6kBTpca5  Acyn (@Acyn) July 26, 2022

Before he lost the elections in 2020, the former president had signed the Schedule F executive order. Had he won, it could have led to a swift purge of federal employees. Joe Biden rescinded the order in his first few days in the White House.

Washington will be an entirely different place if he is elected for a second term, Mr Trump said.

Our current appeals process for these rogue bureaucrats has three stages that each take five years  to fire someone who is doing a bad job takes 15 years, he added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is investigating Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The federal probe is part of the DOJs Jan 6 criminal investigation.
ANKARA (Reuters) -Sweden and Finland have yet to extradite suspects Turkey seeks over terrorism-related charges despite signing an accord to lift Ankara's veto to its NATO membership last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

The two Nordic countries applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but were faced with opposition from Turkey which accused them of imposing arms embargoes on Ankara and supporting groups it deems terrorists.

While Turkey has not set a firm deadline, it has said it expects the suspects to be extradited as soon as possible and that it was monitoring the situation closely.

"Sweden maintains an ongoing dialogue with Turkey and Finland on the trilateral agreement which Sweden is following and will carry out in full in accordance with Swedish and international law," a spokesman at Sweden's Foreign Ministry said in an emailed comment.

The three countries signed an accord to lift Ankara's veto in exchange for counter-terrorism promises, but Turkey has said it will block the membership bids if the pledges are not kept. It has sought the extradition of 73 people from Sweden and a dozen others from Finland.

Turkey's foreign ministry summoned the Swedish charges d'affaires in Ankara to convey its "strong reaction" to what it called "terrorist propaganda" during a Kurdish group's protest in Stockholm, diplomatic sources said at the weekend.

Officials from Turkey, Finland and Sweden will meet in August to evaluate the progress in meeting Ankara's demands.

While Turkey holds off with its ratification for the two countries' membership bids, 18 of NATO's 30 members have already approved Sweden's application to join the alliance.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay, additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Editing by Ali Kucukgocmen and Tomasz Janowski)
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday condemned the execution of four democracy activists by Myanmar's ruling military and called for the release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a statement approved by all 15 members, the council called for dialogue and reconciliation "in accordance with the will and the interests of the people of Myanmar," an immediate halt to all violence, respect for human rights and full aid access.

The Myanmar military, which seized power in a coup last year, announced on Monday it had executed the activists for aiding "terror acts" by a civilian resistance movement, Myanmar's first executions in decades.

The military on Tuesday defended the executions as "justice for the people," brushing off a deluge of international condemnation, including from its closest neighbors.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
UFC boss Dana White. Photo by Getty Images

Dana White gave a fired-up message on TV to wannabe UFC fighters.

The UFC boss appeared annoyed that six Contender Series competitors failed to deliver action.

Only Joe Pyfer from Tuesday's show earned a UFC deal. White wants others to fight like him.

LAS VEGAS  UFC boss Dana White sent a message to wannabe UFC fighters he doesn't think are trying hard enough.

White was Octagonside for Tuesday's debut episode of the sixth season of Dana White's Contender Series  a separate entity to UFC designed to funnel new, undiscovered, and/or prospective talent to the Las Vegas-based MMA promotion.

Four fights took place at an event Insider attended inside the Apex TV studio. However, the first three bouts lacked action, and only the winner from the fourth bout  Joe 'Bodybagz' Pyfer  was rewarded with a UFC deal.

Joe Pyfer beat Ozzy Diaz at Dana White's Contender Series. Photo by Getty Images

While Pyfer's performance was a great way to end the show, White sent a message to all athletes competing in the sixth season that insipid displays won't be tolerated  you have to compete like a win could change your entire career.

"Let me reiterate what this show is about," said White. "There's a lot of talented people out there; a lot of talented fighters."

The UFC boss then said he doesn't do any tape study on competitors prior to them competing on his show.

He said it's irrelevant what they had done in their MMA careers for the previous years. The only thing that matters, to White, is how one performs on the Contender Series.

"Next week, when you roll in here, show me who you are Tuesday night," White said, in a direct message to future contestants. "That's the only thing I'm concerned with."

He continued: "If you want to get into the UFC and this is where you want to be, act like Joe Pyfer. Be Joe Pyfer."

How to be like Joe Pyfer:

White finished: "Be excited to be here, be fired up to fight, and try to finish the fight! Try to win! Be Joe Pyfer and you will get into the UFC."

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White then walked off the set.

Dana White walked off of the Contender Series set. Photo by Getty Images

When UFC anchor Laura Sanko asked if this meant White had awarded a full-time UFC deal to Pyfer, White seemed to say "yes" off-camera.

"Joe Pyfer is in the UFC," Sanko then said.

Watch White's fired-up statement right here:

Pyfer's victory on the Contender Series advanced his pro MMA record to nine wins (six knockouts, two submissions, and one decision) against two losses.

Dana White's Contender Series airs for another nine consecutive Tuesdays on ESPN.

Read the original article on Insider
Ukrainian serviceman

Read also: Invading Russian forces launch heavy attack Mykolaiv, Odesa oblasts from Black Sea

The situation in the region is under control, our Armed Forces are getting ready for a counter-offensive, and keep firing (at enemy positions), said Kim.

We can clearly see that from the strikes on the Antonivskiy Road Bridge (in neighboring Kherson Oblast).

Read also: Ukrainian armys South Command confirms reports of second strike on Antonivsky Bridge over Dnipro in Kherson Oblast

Mykolayivs industrial zone was shelled earlier on July 27  the attack damaged a maintenance facility. Preliminary reports indicate there were no casualties.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- Gazprom PJSC cut natural gas supplies via its most important link to the European Union to about 20% of the pipelines capacity, in a move that could test Western unity five months into the war.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Natural gas increased as much as 14%, and prices are more than 10 times higher than the usual level for this time of the year. EU member states agreed on Tuesday to cut their demand for gas by 15% over the next eight months.

RT, the Kremlin-backed broadcaster, lost an appeal to overturn an EU ban following the invasion of Ukraine, as a court ruled the bloc cannot be criticized for temporarily shutting it down.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

Ukraines Fight to Rebuild in Face of Unrelenting War

Russian Economic Pain Spreads Unevenly as Sanctions Shock Fades

Russian Gas Cuts Risk Reviving Old EU Divisions This Winter

Gazprom Warns Turbine Issues for Nord Stream Are Piling Up

UniCredits Russia Business Emerges as Surprise Top Performer

U.S. Senators Call for Sanctions on Russian Oil Sales to China

On the Ground

Ukraine continued its offensive in the south, striking the main bridge that connects the city of Kherson to Russian-occupied territory across the Dnipro River. The regions Russian-installed authorities said the link was shut after the attack. Ukraine retook two villages in the area, its southern command said. Elsewhere, Russia shelled the Dnipropetrovsk region overnight and hit Ukraines second-largest city of Kharkiv with missiles, according to local authorities. Ukraines military said fighting was ongoing in the Bakhmut district of the Donetsk region.

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(All times CET)

US Seeks Deal to Swap Griner, Whelan for Arms Dealer Bout (10:45 p.m.)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he intends to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about a substantial deal to free imprisoned Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, and a person familiar with the offer said it would swap them for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Blinkens planned engagement with Lavrov would come amid continuing sharp exchanges over the war in Ukraine. Blinken spoke with Lavrov on Feb. 15 and then canceled a planned meeting with his counterpart two days before Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24. They havent spoken since.

The Biden administration has declined to comment on whether it would agree to release Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US, as part of a swap for womens basketball star Griner and Whelan, a former US Marine. The US has already offered a swap for Bout, but Moscow so far hasnt accepted it, according to the person familiar with the proposal, who asked not to be identified discussing the negotiations.

Read the full story here.

Russian Economic Pain Spreads Unevenly as Sanctions Shock Fades (6:26 p.m.)

Russias economic slide continued in June but didnt take a turn for the worse, as fresh data underscored the uncertainty about the longer-term impact of sanctions.

Industrial production was down 1.8% in June from a year earlier, the State Statistics Service said, less of a drop than analysts had expected. Retail sales shrank an annual 9.6%, the smallest decline since March, the month after Russias invasion of Ukraine triggered unprecedented US and European economic restrictions.

But cargo shipments, a key indicator of economic activity, saw a bigger-than-forecast decline in June, falling 5.8% from a year earlier, more than double the drop seen the previous month. Wholesale trade was also off over 18%, while construction, long a driver of growth, was flat.

Russia May Have Lost a Third of Its Tanks (6:00 p.m.)

Intelligence estimates suggest that Russia has seen a third of its total national tank fleet destroyed in its war in Ukraine, according to a Western official. Moscow has been left having to use in combat its reserve fleet of aging T-62 tanks, a model first used in 1961.

Gazprom Warns of More Turbine Issues for Nord Stream (5:35 p.m.)

Gazprom has signaled more problems are possible with Nord Stream gas turbines amid its spat with Siemens Energy AG over equipment maintenance.

The Portovaya compressor station, the entry point of Nord Stream on Russias side, needs five functioning turbines to run at full capacity, with one more thats operational to provide backup, Gazprom Deputy Chief Executive Officer Vitaly Markelov told state Rossiya 24 TV. As of now, theres only one gas compressor unit in working condition, Markelov said.

Macron Pushes Back on Russian Influence in Africa (5:00 p.m.)

French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Cameroon, Benin and Guinea Bissau this week while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tours other countries in the continent as Russia seeks to strengthen its relations in Africa following its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is one of the last imperial colonial powers -- it decides to invade a neighboring country to defend its interests, Macron said Wednesday in a joint press conference with his Benin counterpart Patrice Talon.

Read more: Macron Tries To Push Back Against Russia Influence in Africa

BASF Said to Eye Selling Gas to Grid If Russia Halts Deliveries (4:25 p.m.)

BASF SE may sell unused natural gas back to Germanys grid in case Russian deliveries grind to a sudden halt, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that would aid Europes last-ditch efforts to conserve the fuel.

Ukraine Scraps Import Duty on Silo Bags to Aid Farmers (2:35 p.m.)

Ukraines parliament approved a law waiving the duty on imports of so-called silo bags, which are being widely used by farmers to stockpile grains and oilseeds, as Russias invasion is devastating the nations agriculture infrastructure and significantly curbed its export shipments.

Demand for such a tool to store crops remains high, even as Kyiv and Moscow reached an agreement to unblock Ukraines seaports, which may come into effect as soon as Friday and is expected to help the countrys agriculture makers sell more harvest abroad.

Ukraines grain exports slowed to almost a half of last-seasons volumes amid the war with Russia, according to Agriculture Ministry data.

Putin Seeks Economic Crisis in Ukraines Allies, Kuleba Says (1:25 p.m.)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to create an economic crisis among Ukraines allies to undermine unity as the conflict drags on, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a recent interview in Kyiv.

The Kremlin counts on creating an economic crisis in the countries that are Ukraines partners, cabinet reshuffles and bringing to power people who will be more loyal to him, Kuleba said.

Moscow is likely to restrict gas supplies to Europe as long as the standoff over Ukraine continues, ratcheting up the pressure on the EU over its tough stance on Russias invasion, according to people familiar with the leaderships thinking in Moscow. The exits of British and Italian prime ministers Boris Johnson and Mario Draghi highlight the potential for policy change.

Ukrainians Remain Optimistic Despite Economic Woes: Poll (1:15 p.m.)

The vast majority of Ukrainians see their country going the right way amid the devastating war even as their economic well-being deteriorates. Some 73% of respondents to a Rating Group survey published Wednesday said Ukraine is generally headed in the right direction. Nearly the same percentage of the polls participants reported a worsening of their personal financial situation.

Rating Group surveyed 1,000 people in Ukraine, except in the areas currently occupied by Russia.

Russian Further Reduces Gas Flows to Europe (12:55 p.m.)

Gas supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline fell to 20% of capacity on Wednesday, according to German grids.

The move had been previously announced by Gazprom, which said that flows would be cut from 40% of capacity due to the need to service a turbine.

The cuts have already led to reduced deliveries to buyers, with Italys Eni SpA saying shipments from Russia will be about 21% less on Wednesday than in recent days.

Poland to Spend 1% of GDP to Aid Ukraine Refugees, Study Finds (12:30 p.m.)

Spending by private citizens and authorities in Poland to support Ukrainian refugees will exceed 25 billion zloty ($5.3 billion) this year, or almost 1% of the countrys economic output, a state-affiliated think tank estimated.

Poles spent as much as 10 billion zloty on aid in the first three months since the war began, survey results released by Polish Economic Institute showed.

More than 2 million Ukrainians have settled in Poland since Russian invaded, leading to a massive outpouring of support from private citizens.

RT Loses Appeal Against EU Ban on Russian Propaganda (11:40 a.m.)

The EU General Court, the blocs second-highest court, said a temporary ban on some Russian state-funded media outlets was justified because they supported the war against Ukraine.

The EU banned RT in March, accusing it of spreading propaganda and being essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting the aggression against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced the verdict as an attack on media freedom. He said Russia will retaliate against western media in Russia, without specifying which outlets.

Ukraines Exports at 30% of Pre-War Levels, Kubrakov Says (11:30 a.m.)

Ukraines exports have returned to 30% of their pre-war levels and will keep rising despite a Russian blockade cutting off access to seaborne shipments, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in an interview.

Efforts to revive idle rail links, add capacity at existing border posts and open new crossings have helped exports recover as hopes for a short conflict were dashed, according to the minister.

Everybody realizes the war will be longer and nobody can predict how long it will be, said Kubrakov.

Macron Pushes Back Against Russian Influence in Africa (11:00 a.m.)

French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to step up support to African countries facing food and security concerns in a bid to stem Russias growing sway in the region.

Macron is visiting Cameroon, Benin and Guinea Bissau this week while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tours other countries in the continent as Moscow seeks to strengthen its relations in Africa following its invasion of Ukraine.

In Cameroons capital Yaounde, Macron blamed Russia for disrupting the global food supply and triggering shortages in Africa. He promoted his so-called FARM initiative with which France and allies pledge to help developing countries boost their own agricultural capacity.

UniCredit Gets Boost From Russian Units Performance (10:40 a.m.)

Profit at UniCredit SpAs Russian unit got a boost from the rubles appreciation, Chief Executive Officer Andrea Orcel said in an interview, as the Italian lender has held off exiting that market following the invasion of Ukraine. It is still reviewing options on Russia, including a possible sale, he said.

UniCredit reduced its total Russia exposure by an additional 2.7 billion euros ($2.7 billion) since March, while profit at its local subsidiary rose to 346 million euros on higher revenues and a release of provisioning due to the shrinking loan portfolio, the bank reported.

UniCredit, Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Societe Generale SA were the top European lenders in Russia before the war. SocGen sold its Rosbank unit to the investment firm of Russias richest man, Vladimir Potanin, while Raiffeisen has said it may sell its local subsidiary.

Chernihiv Highlights Challenges of Rebuilding Ukraines Economy (9:50 a.m.)

A push to rebuild Chernihiv, a city of 280,000 that was battered by a Russian siege early in the war, highlights the challenges Ukraines reconstruction efforts face even after Kremlin troops pulled back in mid-April.

Much of the citys infrastructure, housing stock and businesses remain in ruins after Russian shelling. The highway to Kyiv, 80 miles away, relies on a makeshift floating bridge to cross the Desna, a major tributary to the Dnipro river that divides Ukraines east from west.

Yuriy Sinitsa, a local business owner, says his pet accessories company was at 50% of prewar output in June, up from 10% in April. Yet the citys proximity to the Russian and Belarusian borders leave it exposed to further attacks. The bombing could restart any day, Sinitsa said.

Ukraines Naftogaz to Offer New Deal for Bondholders (9:45 a.m.)

Ukrainian state-run energy company NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy will urgently present a new plan to delay debt payments after missing a final deadline on a foreign bond.

Naftogaz is working with all interested parties to get bondholders approval, the company said Wednesday in an emailed statement.

A grace period for Naftogaz to redeem $335 million of international bonds expired on Tuesday as the government blocked the payment. Bondholders rejected a restructuring proposal put forward earlier this month. Ukraine is seeking a two-year pause on its own foreign bond payments.

Turkey Says Grain Shipments Could Start Within a Week (8:00 a.m.)

Grain shipments could resume within a week and reach 25 million tons by the end of the year, although the exact timing of when grain exports begin hasnt been set, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said in an interview Tuesday.

Kalin dismissed concerns that a Russian missile strike on Odesas port after the deal was reached would undermine the agreement. Turkey is due to open a joint operations center with Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations on Wednesday to coordinate trade under the agreement.

As many as 100 vessels carrying grain and agricultural products were trapped in Ukrainian ports when war broke out.

Microsoft, Michelin Take Hits From Russia Pullbacks (6:30 a.m.)

Microsoft Corp. said its decision to scale back in Russia after the start of the war led to charges of $126 million. French tiremaker Michelin, which suspended operations in the country after the invasion, took a 202 million euro hit from its exit.

Over 1,000 companies have voluntarily curtailed or suspended operations in Russia beyond what is legally required since the invasion, according to economists at Yale University. McDonalds Corp. announced a $1.2 billion charge this week after it sold its Russian business.

U.S. Senators Call for Sanctions on Russian Oil Sales to China (12:30 a.m.)

Republican senators, including Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, introduced a bill to sanction Chinas purchases of oil and other energy supplies from Russia in an effort to cut off funding for the Kremlins war against Ukraine.

The bill would impose penalties on any entity insuring or registering tankers that ship oil or liquefied natural gas to China from Russia, according to Rubios office.

Chinas imports of Russian crude have surged this year as the worlds biggest energy consumer picked up discounted barrels that European buyers had shunned.

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Police interrogations look different in certain parts of Utah. Weve seen TV cops ingratiate themselves with suspects before, but on Under the Banner of Heaven, faith is as important as the facts. As one detective proudly avows, Im a Mormon before Im a cop.

This startling true-crime series tells the story of the 1984 murder of a 24-year-old Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints woman, Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones), and her 15-month-old daughter in the small town of American Fork. The hunt for their killer forces Detective Jeb Pyre  the shows fictional protagonist  into a reckoning with the violent fringes of the religion hes practised all his life.

Based on the 2003 book from Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air), the series finds Jeb (Andrew Garfield, using only his softest, tenderest tones) still investigating the grisly crime scene when Brendas husband is taken into custody. Most of the officers immediately recognise his name, Allen Lafferty (Billy Howie), and from sunny flashbacks set in the years leading up to the double homicide, we quickly begin to understand why.

The Laffertys are an important family around Salt Lake City. In a helpful aside, Brenda, originally from Idaho, likens them to the sprawling Kennedy clan, which is part of Allens appeal. Shes moved to Utah in pursuit of two things: a career in broadcast news and a pious community to help her thrive.

But Idahos saint is Utahs sinner. Edgar-Jones is effortfully cutesy as Brenda, and theres charm in how hard she tries to get the Laffertys to like her back. She mostly wins over the wives of Allens many brothers, but the Lafferty men dont trust a woman with her own ambitions. The formidable patriarch (Christopher Heyerdahl) is a tyrant, and his eldest son, played by Sam Worthington, is eager to inherit the mantle. Tense family scenes are leavened only by Scottish actor Chloe Pirries coltish turn as Matilda, another of the Lafferty wives.

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Mormonism isnt simply a fact of these characters inner lives; its the series craggy landscape. Under the Banner of Heavens biggest challenge is to convey the finer details of the religion without getting lost in them. In early episodes especially, this excavation happens in the interrogation room, where Jeb and Allen, who claims hes innocent, engrossingly debate the faiths core values. These speeches are sometimes accompanied by historical reenactments that wouldnt look out of place on the History Channel and which some  myself included  may find hokey.

Andrew Garfield in a still from Under the Banner of Heaven (FX)

But its the sifting of what separates Mormonism from the fundamentalist religions practised in its name that distinguishes Under the Banner of Heaven from the glut of true crime offerings on TV right now. Its rare for Mormonism to get such subtle treatment in popular culture, with Broadway juggernaut The Book of Mormon and TLCs reality series Sister Wives offering more scurrilous takes on the religion.

Its when Jeb experiences a crisis of faith that the shows pacing falters. The dialogue can be clunky and affected. Oh, this case. What if its not just a husband whose heart turned against his wife? Jeb asks his wife in what has to be TVs least sexy shower scene ever. What if tonight is just the first edge of a bone thats finally worked its way out of our own deserts floor? His wife embraces him; what else is there for a wife to do?

Who killed Brenda and her baby becomes apparent pretty quickly. In this sense, Under the Banner of Heaven doesnt hit the suspenseful beats weve come to expect from crime drama, but it has nuance the genre often lacks. Whats more interesting than how Jebs faith helps him crack the case is how often it gets in his way.

Under the Banner of Heaven is an FX production premiering on Hulu today. A UK release date is yet to be announced
By Valentina Za

MILAN (Reuters) - UniCredit raised its 2022 outlook on Wednesday after a surprisingly strong second quarter in which it cut exposure to Russia and moved ahead with a proposed share buyback it had put on hold.

CEO Andrea Orcel told reporters the bank was better placed than some rivals to withstand the economic damage from the Ukraine war, the impact of which was noticeable in the current quarter as people and companies have become more cautious in their financial decision-making.

"At the moment performance is being affected by the high level of uncertainty and concern on what may arrive," Orcel said, adding the extent of the economic hit was still unclear.

"We need to see how deep the deceleration - which we still think it's the case - is. Or are we looking at a recession?."

Even in a recession, UniCredit is confident of delivering the "the majority" of a 2021-2024 capital distribution target of more than 16 billion euros, he said.

"We're very confident on ... how we can manage and go through this crisis," the former UBS investment banking chief added. "I don't think everyone is in the same position and so it may be that (M&A) opportunities open at the right time and if they do we'll be ready."

UniCredit sought supervisory approval for a 1 billion euro share buyback it had frozen pending more clarity on Russia, after completing a first 1.6 billion euro tranche in mid-July.

Italy's second biggest bank, whose shares shot up 7% on Wednesday, forecast a full-year profit, excluding Russia, of around 4 billion euros from a previous indication of more than 3.3 billion, as rising interest rates support lending income.

A bigger-than-expected rise in interest income drove second quarter revenues up 9% year-on-year, despite a quarterly drop in fees amid tough markets.

Net profit for April-June came in at 2 billion euros ($2 billion), double the average analyst forecast and the previous year's figure, helped by the release of loan-loss provisions.

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Core capital strengthened to 15.73% of assets from 14% at the end of March, leading analysts to expect a regulatory green light for the buyback.

"This is a strong set of figures on all fronts," broker Autonomous said.

UniCredit faces "from a stronger position than expected" Italy's political risks ahead of general elections in September and the energy crisis threat to the country's manufacturing sector, the broker said.

RUSSIA

UniCredit, one of Europe's banks more exposed to Russia where it runs a top-15 lender, cut 2.7 billion euros in Russian assets in the quarter, partly through early repayments or cancelling letters of credit as business dried up.

Orcel said a further reduction in the bank's Russian exposure had taken place since the end of June.

UniCredit has failed to extricate itself early from Russia and has criticised as "morally wrong" a sale for a token price, such as the one agreed by rival Societe Generale. It continues to explore potential "fair" transactions with buyers from non-hostile countries to exit Russia.

Orcel said Moscow's threats to block sales of local subsidiaries by foreign banks had not altered the picture because the central bank reserved the right to vet each transaction on a case by case basis.

($1 = 0.9854 euros)

(Editing by Giulia Segreti, Jason Neely, Jacqueline Wong and Jane Merriman)
The Peace River flows past DeSoto Veterans Memorial Park in Arcadia. Horse Creek is a tributary of the Peace River, a major regional drinking water and recreational resource.

The Southwest Florida Water Management Districts Governing Board approved the purchase of a 4,357-acre conservation easement over a portion of the approximately 16,315-acre Carlton Horse Creek Ranch. The acquisition is in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands, which will negotiate a conservation easement over the remaining 11,958 acres.

Horse Creek Ranch stretches across both Hardee and DeSoto counties, in the southwest corner of Hardee and the northwest corner of DeSoto. The acquisition provides several benefits for preservation and protection of water and water-related resources by protecting approximately 11 miles of Horse Creek, a major tributary to the Peace River, a regional drinking water resource for Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties and the city of North Port and a backup supply for Manatee.

The conservation easement area consists of approximately 76% uplands and 24% wetlands.

he Peace River flows past DeSoto Veterans Memorial Park in Arcadia. Horse Creek is a major tributary of the Peace River.

This is a chance to save one of the largest functional pieces of the Peace River Watershed, said Charles Lee, Director of Advocacy for Audubon Florida. When you look at a satellite image to the north and south, its the only place that has a shot of staying natural. Its rich in wildlife and water resources.

Horse Creek Ranch sits entirely within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and is a critical property in an area being proposed for future phosphate mining. This acquisition meets all four of the districts areas of responsibility, which are water supply, water quality, flood control and natural systems.

The parcel is being purchased for $13.8 million with funds from the sale of district surplus properties. Acquisition of Horse Creek Ranch is consistent with the districts Florida Forever workplan and with the Florida Forever Act. The property has been used for cattle ranching and other agricultural activities and owned by the Doyle Carlton family for many years.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has been fair and professional throughout this process, said Doyle Carlton. My family and I feel very strongly that this agreement will be beneficial to all involved, and, most importantly, the land and water resources will be protected forever.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Portion of Horse Creek Ranch to be preserved in Peace River watershed
A wealthy dentist accused of killing his wife on a remote African safari in 2016 and later collecting nearly $5 million in insurance money was expected to testify in his defense Wednesday afternoon during his murder trial.

RELATED >> Federal prosecutor: Dentist confessed to wifes safari death

Federal prosecutors allege Lawrence Larry Rudolph confessed during a fight with his longtime lover at a restaurant after learning that the FBI was investigating his wife Bianca Rudolphs shooting death.

RELATED >> US dentist on trial for wifes 2016 safari death in Zambia

His lawyer has argued Rudolph was worth more than $15 million when his wife died and had no financial motive to kill her.

RELATED >> Operator of Three Rivers Dental Group, former Greensburg dentist accused of killing wife on safari

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Despite a reputation for preferring to share space on their own terms, cats often live in groups. This behavior may seem contradictory, but new research suggests its a curious consequence of domestication  and biological factors can help explain why some felines may embrace their fellow cats more than others.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists link displays of cat behavior to hormones and the gut microbiome. These elements shape interactions among cats and may explain how they tolerate cohabitation despite their solitary nature.

For example, the study found that cats with lower cortisol and testosterone levels were more tolerant of other cats and more willing to share food. Cats with higher levels of these hormones were less likely to interact with their fellow study participants. Meanwhile, cats with higher testosterone levels were also more likely to try to escape the room where they were observed.

Researchers at Azabu University in Japan conducted the study.

Although the study team hypothesized these results  cortisol and testosterone are known to influence aggressiveness  they did not expect to find that high oxytocin levels were not associated with a greater chance of being friendly or peaceful.

We were surprised at the results, Hikari Koyasu, a postdoctoral fellow at Azabu University, said. Even though a positive correlation between oxytocin and affiliative behavior has been reported in animals living in groups, results in [these] cats were the opposite. Cats with high oxytocin had less affiliative behavior with other cats.

In other animals, like wild chimpanzees and domesticated dogs, oxytocin surges bond groups together. However, while cats may spend time together in the same space, the study team proposed that they might not be able to form tightly connected groups since each cat might consider the other cats out-group individuals.

Most wild cats live solitary lives, with the notable exception of lions. Researchers think that when the ancestors of pet cats self-domesticated, they concurrently developed the ability to live in groups without too much conflict  it was better to put up with other cats than lose the opportunity to be fed by humans. This change is reflected in hormone levels observed in this study and beyond; other researchers have found that cortisol concentrations are higher in European wildcats than in feral cats.

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This studys oxytocin discovery shows that hormones do not necessarily act the same way across different species, said Maren Huck, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby. While an expert in cats, Huck was not a part of this new study and said she would like to see this result confirmed in further research on solitary animals.

These findings underscore the fact that domestic cats, which descended from a solitary species, are still not as fully social as other domestic animals who descended from group-living species, Huck said.

However, this doesnt mean domestic cats always view each other as enemies. Huck described cats as semi-social animals that can tolerate the presence of some cats and enjoy the company of others  though they may not enjoy the company to the same degree as highly social animals, like horses. It often depends on the cats nature.

Cat owners should feel free to view their cats as friends  if they accept domestic cats as having a unique way of showing friendship, said Carlo Siracusa, an associate professor of clinical animal behavior and welfare at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the study.

Cats use proximity, but not necessarily physical contact, to show how much they like another individual  the closer, the friendlier, Siracusa said. It would have been interesting to know if cats [in the study] with a higher level of oxytocin spent more time in proximity of other cats, but not necessarily physically interacting with other cats.

The study team did note that a longer study with more cats could result in observing oxytocin levels linked to close relationships. In this case, the scientists recruited 10 male and five female cats from a shelter. The cats lived together in the same room at the shelter before the experiment.

All of the cats were neutered, and because neutering causes testosterone levels to decline, there was no difference in levels of this hormone between the two sexes.

The cats were divided into three groups, each housed in a room for two weeks. The rooms had more than five kitty beds, five litter boxes and constantly available food and water. During this process, the study team observed the cats behavior and collected urine and feces samples. These yielded hormones and gut microbes, respectively  though the team was only able to collect fecal samples from eight cats. (Koyasu said the cats were not very cooperative participants and would not use the bathroom if there were people nearby.)

Analysis of the fecal samples they did collect suggests cats who frequently interacted with each other had more similar gut microbiomes, a finding in line with the understanding that environment and food influence the guts makeup. Although the researchers did not determine a relationship between specific bacterial species and examples of behavior, they reasoned that gut microbiomes must play a role in the social lives of cats because of the gut-brain axis  the two-way relationship between the brain and the digestive tract.

If gut microbes related to friendship are identified, we may be able to feed them to cats and form a friendly group, Koyasu said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) talks to repoorters minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion, in the Capitol Visitors Center on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. The court ruled 6-3 in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health, overturning a 50-year precedent and sending abortion regulation back to the states. "Today, the Republican-controlled Supreme Court has achieved the GOPs dark and extreme goal of ripping away womens right to make their own reproductive health decisions," Pelosi said

Chip Somodevilla/Getty

White House and military officials are concerned about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan, an international hotspot that's been a perennial concern for sensitive U.S.-China relations for decades.

If Pelosi, who is second in line for the presidency, follows through with her reported trip, she would be the highest-ranking official to visit the island since 1997 when her predecessor, Newt Gingrich, made it. Pelosi was supposed to lead a congressional delegation to Taiwan in April but postponed after testing positive for COVID-19.

Pelosi, 82, has not spoken publicly about a potential visit to Taiwan but sources familiar with her plans told CNN she intends to travel there with a bipartisan delegation in the coming weeks  despite heated rhetoric from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will use force if necessary to annex the island.

"We have repeatedly made clear our firm opposition to Speaker Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan. If the U.S. side insists on making the visit and challenges China's red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijiang said Wednesday. "The U.S. must assume full responsibility for any serious consequence arising thereof."

China's Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that Pelosi should cancel the trip or the country's military will "resolutely defend national sovereignty."

RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Visits Ukraine, Receives Medal from President Zelenskyy: 'There for You Until the Fight Is Done'

"China demands the U.S. take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment not to support 'Taiwan independence' and not to arrange for Pelosi to visit Taiwan," Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Tan Kefei said, according to CNN.

Not everyone thinks the trip is a bad idea. "Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan and President Biden should make it abundantly clear to [Chinese leader] Chairman [Xi Jinping] that there's not a damn thing the Chinese Communist Party can do about it," Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said, CNN also reports. "No more feebleness and self-deterrence."

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China's President Xi Jinping declares the games open during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Anthony Wallace - Pool/Getty Images China's President Xi Jinping

RELATED: Prince William Meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping During Landmark Visit

In Washington last week, Pentagon officials reportedly briefed Pelosi about Taiwan and heightened tensions in the region dominated by China, according to a CNN report, which notes that White House officials attended the meeting.

President Joe Biden said last week that the military considers Pelosi's trip "not a good idea right now."

"I think what the President was saying is that maybe the military was afraid of my plane of getting shot down or something like that," Pelosi said when asked about the president's comment. "I don't know exactly."

CNN reports that the administration is working behind the scenes to spell out the riskiness of Pelosi's proposed trip beyond the hard-to-fathom scenario of an attack on her plane.

RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Tells Pope Francis During Emotional Visit, 'You Overwhelm Me'

But Pentagon officials told the AP this week that such a trip would call for additional security than would be normally required, even for a U.S. official who's in the line of succession for the presidency.

This would mean an increase in movement of military forces and assets in the region. Fighter jets, ships, surveillance and other systems would likely be used to protect a U.S. delegation in flight and while it's on the ground in Taiwan, according to the AP.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that talk about a possible trip to Taiwan for Pelosi is premature.

"If there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit," he said, the AP reports. "And I'll just leave it at that."
Jul. 26Laura Horn of Reading led her crew of a half-dozen high school students in the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps out of the Big Woods in Union Township on Tuesday to take a break at the trailhead and have lunch.

But first they needed to clean off the mud that covered them from head to toe. They had been working all morning on reviving an old trail that hadn't been used in 20 years.

"We were moving some rocks to create a rock bridge over a small creek, and it was pretty muddy," the 21-year-old senior at St. Vincent College in Latrobe said. "But I'm happy to get muddy."

Greeting them was a special guest: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Deputy Secretary John Norbeck, who was visiting the worksite to get acquainted with the participants in the seven-year-old program overseen by the DCNR that has 14 youth corps in metropolitan areas throughout the commonwealth.

Norbeck was impressed.

"There is so much heart in the youth of today," he said after speaking with the more than a dozen youth in the program who gathered in a circle in the parking lot to talk about their lives and their experience working in the corps. "I was at a legislative hearing and one of the legislators was rueing the work ethic of the young people, and I had to be the contrarian there because you listen to these kids and see the work they do. They're out here in 95- and 97-degree heat working  hard work, drenched in sweat."

The program aims to employ youth in the state to work on state park and state forest land, he said. It's a program developed not only to diversity the workforce of the DCNR, but to train the next generation of conservationists.

"We think about young folks who've never had a job before and teach them to show up to work on time," he said. "Say 'yes sir, no sir,' to look people in the eye when you talk to them. And we also teach them the hard skills. We teach them trail skills, invasive species work, carpentry, some plumbing, how to spruce up the buildings. It's a great program."

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The Reading crew is currently building a trail through the park, said James Wassell, the operations manager at French Creek State Park.

"They are building a hiking trail that will connect the Big Woods Trail with the rest of the trail system to French Creek State Park," he said.

The Big Woods is an important landscape in southeastern Pennsylvania, Wassell said.

"We're considered the largest undeveloped land between Washington D.C. and New York City," he said.

It's a very large protected forested area in what is generally an urban area with many different recreational opportunities, with hundreds of miles of interconnected trails, so those in the urban areas don't have far to go to arrive there, Wassell said.

"That's the whole mission of the Hopewell Big Woods is to provide that landscape for people to get out in," he said.

The Reading Corps has spent the summer so far working at Marsh Creek, French Creek and the William Penn State forest doing conservation projects and helping out in whatever way the parks need, Horn said.

Horn has been majoring in history with a concentration on environmental history with hopes of teaching high school when she graduates.

"Environmental education is important," Horn said, "especially historical environmental education because everything we have done up to this point has affected the world around us, and once we've determined how we've affected the world around us, we can learn how to better that world."

After speaking with the students in the corps over lunch, Norbeck joined the Reading crew and headed back into the Big Woods to get a little muddy himself.

"They have a great work ethic," he said. "You heard it today. You heard the passion. That's heartfelt right there."
Yuma Police arrested and charged a man this week in the murder of his brother and a woman.

A 63-year-old Yuma man was charged in the recent killing of his younger brother and his sister-in-law at the home the three shared.

Jerry Klahn is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Kenneth Baese, 60, and Eileen Baese, 57, according to Yuma police.

On Sunday, police found both victims dead with multiple stab wounds in the backyard of the home on Ninth Avenue and Sixth Street. Klahn was also found with multiple stab wounds at the property, police said.

Officers on scene were responding around 5:13 p.m. to a domestic disturbance call made by a relative in another state, according to Yuma Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Lori Franklin.

Klahn and Kenneth Bease were brothers, and the victims were married, Franklin said. It was not known whether Klahn's stab wounds were self-inflicted or defensive, Franklin said.

Klahn was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center before being flown to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix for treatment, according to the police department and court documents.

An investigation found Klahn had stabbed Eileen and Kenneth Bease multiple times.

Klahn was arrested at the hospital and booked Monday at the Maricopa County Jail, according to Franklin and court documents. Jail records as of Tuesday afternoon did not show he remained in custody, but records from Yuma County Superior Court show he was released on a $2 million bond.

Klahn was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the suspected offense, according to court records.

Yuma police said the case remains an active investigation.

Police asked anyone with information on the case to call Yuma police at 928-783-4421, or 78-Crime (928-782-7463) to remain anonymous.

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man charged with murdering younger brother, sister-in-law at Yuma home
Lynchburg City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to reject a proposed resolution that condemned the vandalism and property damage perpetrated at the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month.

The resolution, put forth by Ward IV Councilman Chris Faraldi, condemned the destructive actions, vandalism, intimidation, and violence perpetrated against the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center on June 25, 2022, admonishing those responsible if adopted.

Faraldi voted in favor of his resolution alongside Ward III Councilman Jeff Helgeson.

The discussion among council around the resolution grew more intense as it continued, and even after council voted there was subsequent conversation on the resolution that lasted more than 30 minutes.

As the discussion continued on after the vote, Faraldi exited the chambers before the end of the meeting.

At-large Councilman Randy Nelson was the first of several councilors to speak against the resolution following its introduction at Tuesdays meeting.

It is absolutely inexcusable for anyone, under the pretext of free expression or the guise of political protest, to destroy, damage or vandalize property or threaten safety of anyone, Nelson said during the meeting.

But we have laws and ordinances prohibiting vandalism and the destruction of property. But the Lynchburg Police Department, the commonwealth attorneys office and perhaps other law enforcement agencies are investigating the offense and will prosecute anyone reasonably incriminated by the evidence.

The five councilors who voted against adopting the resolution  Nelson, Mayor MaryJane Dolan, Vice Mayor Beau Wright, At-Large Councilwoman Treney Tweedy and Ward II Councilman Sterling Wilder  argued along the same lines that the city had no business adopting the resolution because council doesnt adopt similar resolutions for other crimes committed in the city.

Wright said if council were to adopt the resolution, it wouldnt only be a resolution condemning the crime, it also would make a comment on a bigger national question, the question of abortion.

That goes back to why council has historically not taken up these sort of resolutions and kind of stay away from the national political issues because we know, A, that we dont have the authority to do anything about it, and B, our community is very divided on this very important issue, Wright added.

In recent months, Planned Parenthood has criticized pregnancy centers such as the Lynchburg site, calling them fake clinics and saying they are intended to scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion, and to tell lies about abortion, birth control, and sexual health.

Overnight June 24 to June 25, four people smashed windows and doors and spray-painted graffiti on the pregnancy centers building at 3701 Old Forest Road in Lynchburg, according to a Lynchburg Police Department news release that included security camera images and video.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares stopped in Lynchburg on July 13 to tour the pregnancy center and to condemn the cowards who carried out the criminal acts.

At one point during Tuesdays discussion, Faraldi told the councilors voting in opposition that a no vote is condoning the actions that took place at the pregnancy center, a point also echoed by Helgeson.

Nelson said the accusations that the councilors were condoning the crimes by voting in opposition were categorically incorrect, saying its not our province to weigh in on such issues.

Faraldi also criticized the opposing councilors for not issuing a statement through their own platforms condemning the crimes and for not showing up at the pregnancy center in the days following the incident.

Wilder took exception to Faraldis comments about other councilmembers not showing up at the center, saying, Im not going to judge any of you for what you do and where you dont go. But my actions will speak for me.

When we have a murder on our streets, I make sure I show up to talk to the parents. I dont care if those parents are Democrat or Republican, or whatever it may be.

Pushing back against the accusation that his resolution was brought forth for political reasons, Faraldi said, If I wanted this to be political, I would have asked for it to be introduced the moment I talked about it a month ago. I didnt. I brought this to you all ... so the accusation that this is a political motive is a farce.

He also said the language in the resolution itself wasnt political  it only stated Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Wright disputed that, saying it is political when the argument is, When you dont vote for this, you support violence.

As the conversation switched to the many resolutions that could come before council if they decided to adopt resolutions condemning criminal acts, Tweedy argued for the creation of a human rights committee that would look at all types of crime that happens in Lynchburg.

We can all pick our topics, Tweedy said about the motive behind the resolution, but a human rights commission will bring all voices and parties to the table.

Additionally, after the vote, Tweedy called out the political-come-latelies that take their own agenda and topics and tell us what we dont stand for.

It was around this point of the meeting that Faraldi began packing his personal items and walked out of the chambers. He said nothing as to why he exited the meeting.

Closing out the discussion, after it spiraled into a debate about gun control and violence, Wright said, I think actually what we just saw sort of proves the point. That when you engage on these hot button topics, it divides.

Our community on these hot button issues  guns and abortions  were not on the same page. And we dont have the authority in this room, as a council and local government, to affect those things ... it happens in Richmond and Washington, not here.

These are important conversations to have as citizens, but if you want to do the citys business, and do the things were empowered to do here, this is why we dont take up these kinds of conversations because we know they will only divide.
For the first time, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital has received the American Heart Associations Mission: Lifeline regional STEMI achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid research-based care to people across the region experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe form of heart attack.

Achieving Mission: Lifeline regional recognition includes a commitment to high-quality systems of care among STEMI receiving centers, STEMI referring centers, 911 EMS agencies and other supporting system participants through collaborative efforts, including interfacility transport agencies and quality improvement priorities.

Through our collaboration with critical access hospitals and EMS agencies throughout rural Iowa, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital has improved the quality processes for the region, said Julie Buckelew, MSN, RN, CCRN, the campus manager for cardiology and pulmonary services at Methodist Physicians Clinic in Council Bluffs. This collaboration, education and ongoing feedback demonstrate the system of care required to meet national guidelines.

Jennie Edmundson accomplished a median door-to-balloon (D2B) time of 41 minutes (the national guideline is less than 90 minutes); a median first medical contact-to-balloon (FMC2B) time  if the patient is less than 45 minutes from the hospital  of 67 minutes (the national guideline is less than 90 minutes); and a median FMC2B time for referring facilities more than 45 minutes away of 115 minutes (the national guideline is less than 120 minutes).

Jennie Edmundson also received the following Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards from the American Heart Association:

Mission: Lifeline NSTEMI Gold

Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus

Each year, more than 280,000 people in the U.S. experience a STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Nearly 40% of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, this condition requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

Mission: Lifeline is a national, community-based initiative improving systems of care for patients experiencing STEMI, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), stroke and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The program focuses on streamlining processes to speed up the delivery of proper treatment for time-sensitive neurocardiovascular disease states.

Recognition as a Mission: Lifeline Receiving Center is designed to showcase hospitals that provide 24/7 support for STEMIs. These important facilities coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care. The facilities also demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association.
A helicopter caused about $270,000 in damage when it took down a power line Monday while spraying crops north of Clarinda, Iowa.

The incident occurred about 6 p.m. in the area of 180th Street and Redwood Avenue, Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer said. Investigators determined that a helicopter owned by JBI Helicopters of Louisiana and flown by Oren W. Perkins of Abbeville, Louisiana, unintentionally cut a power line with its blade.

Perkins, who was not injured, then returned the helicopter to its landing zone in Montgomery County. Deputies notified the FAA of the incident.

The power line is owned by Mid-American Energy, and the transformer is owned by Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative.
Iowa agriculture groups are calling on President Joe Biden to lift tariffs on fertilizer products, which the groups say are driving up prices and hurting farmers and consumers.

In a letter last week, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association urged Biden to remove or reduce tariffs on imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco.

The U.S. International Trade Commission imposed a 20% tariff, a tax on imports, on phosphate fertilizer from Morocco in 2021 after a request from American producer Mosaic Co., which said it was harmed by government subsidies on Moroccan exports. Now, with skyrocketing prices of fertilizer creating financial concerns for farmers, farm groups want those tariffs removed.

While high commodity prices kept most farmers from going into the red this year, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Brent Johnson said sustained high prices of fertilizer could impact planting decisions and yield volumes in the future.

If we need to make some adjustments because of fertilizer prices, that's going to potentially reduce some production when we're talking about food security issues on a worldwide basis, Johnson said.

Prices for urea, potash, phosphate and other fertilizers reached record highs in the spring planting season because of a combination of factors including high natural gas prices, international shortages and export caps and the war in Ukraine. Prices fell some in June, according to a report from Progressive Farmer.

Johnson said he and other Iowa Farm Bureau members met with Iowas congressional leaders and officials in Bidens administration last week to discuss concerns around input prices. He said the administration had been receptive to the idea.

The meetings that weve had so far, theyve gone quite well, Johnson said. And so time will tell. Were hopeful at this point.

Johnson said hes hoping Biden would lift the tariff in a similar way to tariffs that were paused on solar panels from Southeast Asia last month. In that instance, Biden used national security reasons to lift the tariffs, and farm groups said high input prices could be considered the same way.

Its my opinion, I think it's a widely shared opinion, that food is closer tied to national security than solar panel electrical generation is, Johnson said.

Lance Lillibridge, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, said the tariffs created an unfair market for farmers and did not keep the price of domestically manufactured fertilizers down.

When you have a company that wants to participate globally in the marketplace  but then asked for tariffs to be applied to imports coming into the United States to protect their market domestically, that's not a fair market, he said.

The request from the groups came about a week after the U.S. International Trade Commission decided not to increase duties on urea ammonium nitrate from Trinidad and Tobago and Russia. Farm groups lobbied against adding those tariffs as well.

The farm groups join a growing list of politicians and groups urging the administration to pause or remove fertilizer tariffs. In mid-July, Iowas U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, and Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra, signed onto a letter calling on Biden to waive the same imports. Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne joined the same representatives in a similar request in March.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Grassley said hes urged the commerce department to take tariffs off phosphate imports from Morocco, and he also applauded the International Trade Commissions decision not to add duties on imports from Trinidad and Tobago and Russia.

Im very sympathetic to what theyre trying to do, and there are some government policies that are keeping fertilizer prices abnormally high, Grassley said.
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Morocco and Israel agreed Tuesday to step up their legal and judicial cooperation as partnership between the two countries is gaining momentum following the normalization of their relations in 2020 within the frame of the US-brokered Abraham accords.

The agreement was signed in Rabat by Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi and his Israeli peer Gideon Saar. The two countries pledge to share expertise and experiences in digitalization of judicial system and strengthen cooperation in the fight against organized crime, terrorism and human trafficking.

Since the normalization of relations between Rabat & Tel Aviv, visits and contacts between Moroccan and Israeli officials intensified, culminating with the signing of a series of cooperation accords in defense, cybersecurity, technology, scientific research, tourism, economy, culture, sports

Also on Tuesday, Israels Regional Cooperation Minister of Moroccan descent Issawi Frej, met in Rabat separately with minister of Youth & Culture Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and minister of higher education & scientific research, Abdellatif Miraoui.

Talks focused on cultural exchange program for youth from both countries and cooperation prospects between Moroccan and Israeli universities.
Morocco is celebrating this week the 23rd anniversary of the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, an occasion to zoom on the achievements made by the country under a forward-looking King whose vision is putting the kingdom on track of modernity.

When the current king succeeded to his father in 1999, Morocco had a GDP of about $42 billion. Twenty-three years later, Moroccos GDP increased more than threefold to stand at $132 billion, a figure that is poised to be bolstered as Morocco adopts a new development model aiming to double its GDP per capita in 15 years.

The King spurred most structural infrastructure investments in the country from the large highway network to the high-speed train and world-class ports. Tanger Med port in particular had grown to become the largest in the Mediterranean and Africa, acting as a magnet for large-scale industrial investments including by automotive giants such as Renault.

Now the automotive sector is Moroccos top industrial exporting sector as the country plans to replicate similar successes in the aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors.

Since he took power, the King urged the successive governments to bolster the agricultural sector both in terms of domestic supply and exports. Thanks to the Green Morocco plan, Morocco was able to bolster its sales becoming a key supplier to Europe, while it meets most needs of the domestic market.

Tourism has also grown in the past two decades with the milestone of 13 million tourists who visited the country in 2019 injecting $8 billion in hard currency to the economy. Tourism is now recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Under the rule of King Mohammed VI, Morocco knew how to capitalize on the worlds largest phosphates reserves moving from a mere exporter of raw material to a key player in the vital fertilizers market.

The country is now playing a crucial role in helping countries across the world meet their food security needs as it continues expanding its fertilizers industry. Last year, fertilizers represented 62% of all OCP- the state-owned phosphates company- sales.

In terms of energy, the King ushered an ambitious strategy based on renewables with the launch of Ouarzazate solar complex that now hosts the worlds largest CSP plant. Thanks to such a future-oriented vision, Morocco is a model in Africa and the Mediterranean aiming to produce 52% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

The King has extended a helping hand to Algeria and called on multiple occasion for an integrated Maghreb but all calls fell on deaf ears of the Algerian military junta bogged down on a zero-sum game and cold-war mentality.

Morocco looked elsewhere to Africa bolstering investments there to become the second largest African investor in the continent. The King toured more than 40 countries bolstering the Kingdoms economic ties with African nations.

Now Morocco plans structural projects under the leadership of the King including the gas pipeline that is expected to channel Nigerian gas across the Atlantic up to the gates of Europe, benefiting energy security and economic integration in West Africa.

In tandem, Morocco had sealed trade deals with the US the EU and Turkey- to mention but a few- making it an attractive platform for investors seeking large markets.

The next steps for the Moroccan economy have been clearly laid down as part of a strategy for the next 15 years: the new development model.

The new model- commissioned by the King- identified five levers of development namely the economy, agriculture, tourism in addition to education and health.
The death toll following the protests against a United Nations peacekeeping force in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this Tuesday (26 July) rose to 15.

Three members of the MONUSCO mission and at least 12 protesters were killed in two cities of the North Kivu province, according to a UN spokesperson and the Congolese government.

There has been a recent upsurge in violence in the area and locals accuse the UN of being ineffective. Thus, since Monday, demonstrators have been gathering in various cities calling for the UNs mission in the region to end and for the peacekeepers to leave, claiming they havent been able to counter armed groups.The east of DRC remains volatile with more than 100 active rebel groups.

The situation in Butembo, the regions third city, was chaotic all Tuesday and activities were paralyzed. Hundreds of protesters had surrounded the UNs logistics base in Goma and attacked the missions transit camp outside the city centre.

Congolese security forces have reportedly struggled to contain the crowd and local media said the protesters were shot at by peacekeepers, a claim denied by the UN mission.

MONUSCOs acting head Khassim Diagne told the media there were very organized groups overwhelming our bases, and shooting down our helicopters, but stressed that the UN hasnt fired at any protesters.

The 18,000 personnel-strong UN peacekeeping force has been in the country for more than two decades, but critics point out that in that time rebel activity has not ended and people in the region continue to live in a state of insecurity.
Global food crisis is one of Russias weapons of war, said French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Cameroon on Tuesday (26 July), dismissing suggestions Western sanctions were to blame. Its Macrons first foreign trip since his re-election as he seeks to reset Frances post-colonial relationship with the continent.

The French leader specifically denounced the hypocrisy expressed notably on the African continent for not clearly recognizing Russias unilateral aggression towards Ukraine, as the European Union does. Macron pledged to support Cameroon, the first leg of his three-nation tour of western Africa, as the country is grappling with sharp increases in prices for oil, fertilizers and foodstuffs. His tour of Africa is also meant to help boost agricultural production on the continent amid the growing food insecurity linked to the war in Ukraine. The French president also declared his country would support Africas need for security at a time when Frances military is undergoing a revamp in the jihadist-torn Sahel. Northern Cameroon has also seen attacks by Boko Haram jihadists.

Speaking in the capital Yaounde, Macron also said the archives on French colonial rule in Cameroon would be opened in full and asked historians to shed light on the periods painful moments. French colonial authorities brutally repressed armed Cameroonian nationalists before the countrys independence in 1960 and Macron said he wanted historians from both sides to work together on investigating the past and establish responsibilities.

Macron has made concerted efforts to turn the page on painful episodes in Frances past. The French leader is due to travel to Benin on Wednesday before ending his trip in Guinea-Bissau.
Israel should be classified as an apartheid state, South Africas Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said Tuesday (26 July), proposing that the UN General Assembly should establish a committee to verify whether it satisfied its requirements.

Pandor evoked comparisons between the Palestinian narrative and South Africas history of racial segregation at the Palestinian Heads of Mission in Africa. The Palestinian narrative evokes experiences of South Africas own history of racial segregation and oppression, she added. The comments and accusations were reportedly made at the second meeting of the Palestinian Heads of Mission in Africa, held in Pretoria, one of South Africas capital cities.

The South African government has remained a strong ally of Palestine, providing both material and public support for its liberation cause. Pretoria has expressed concerns that Israels continued occupation of significant portions of the West Bank and the development of new settlements there are glaring examples of violations of international law as the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict goes on. If there is any country or countries that can comprehend the suffering and the struggle for freedom and independence of Palestine, it is the African continent and the people of Africa, said Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, who attended the forum.

Pandor was the first representative of the South African government to denounce the killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May by Israeli forces during a raid in the West Bank. Over the years, the South African government has remained a strong ally of Palestine, providing both material and public support for its liberation cause.
An Iraqi court has overturned the conviction and 15-year sentence handed to a British pensioner last month for antiquities smuggling, the defense of the pensioner has said, Arab News reports.

Lawyer Thaer Saoud told AFP Tuesday the Court of Cassation overturned the conviction of his client James Fitton who is expected to be freed.

We are very pleased by the decision, but we are still waiting for his release, Fittons son-in-law Sam Tasker, told AFP in a phone call. A court had charged Fitton under a 2002 law against intentionally taking or trying to take out of Iraq an antiquity.

He appeared in court alongside German national Volker Waldmann, who was acquitted. Iraqi customs authorities said Fittons baggage contained about a dozen stone fragments, pieces of pottery or ceramics.

Fiiton, a retired geologist, told the judge did not mean to do anything illegal. The judge handed him a 15-year prison sentence instead of death by hanging due to his advanced age.

Saoud appealed the court ruling a month ago.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, presented his most sincere condolences to Morocco, following the death on Tuesday of a Moroccan soldier belonging to the contingent of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), deployed in the Republic Democratic Party of Congo part of MONUSCO.

A statement by UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and to the Moroccan government.

A statement from the FARs General Staff confirmed that the soldier died after he sustained gunfire injuries during attacks on several deployment sites of the FAR contingent in DRCs northeastern region.

Rebels in the turbulent region took advantage of an aggressive demonstration by the local population against the presence of MONUSCO, which occurred on July 25 and 26, to attack FAR Deployment sites.

The FAR said 20 other soldiers of the FAR contingent at the Nyamilima site sustained minor injuries during the attack and were immediately taken to hospital for first aid.

Two other blue helmets, of Indian nationality, were killed in these attacks, while another, of Egyptian nationality, was injured.

Following the attack, the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) took several measures to repatriate the remains of the deceased and ensure the security and safety of the deployment sites of the FAR contingent.

The UN Spokesman said in his statement that the UN Secretary General also offered his condolences to the Indian government, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured and reaffirmed MONUSCOs commitment to work with the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents.

Recalling the status of forces agreement concluded between the UN and the government of the DRC, which guarantees the inviolability of UN premises, Antonio Guterres underlined that any attack directed against UN peacekeepers units may constitute a war crime. He therefore called on the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and quickly bring those responsible to justice.

The UN Secretary-General also reaffirmed the firm commitment of the United Nations to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the DRC, adding that the UN, through its Special Representative and its Security Council-mandated mission, will continue to support the Congolese government and people in their efforts to establish peace and stability in the east of the country.
Costa Ricas president Rodrigo Chaves has affirmed that his country supports a peaceful solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue within the framework of the Kingdoms territorial integrity.

The Costa Rican president said in an interview with MAP that his country calls for a peaceful and diplomatic solution so that there is territorial integrity for all countries.

Rodrigo Chaves insisted that his country supports peaceful solutions to conflicts that exist in the world (). In the case of Morocco, we will not make an exception.

The Costa Rican head of state stressed in this context that Costa Rica is the only country in the world that has no army, no navy, no infantry, no air force and no special forces. We do not have a single warship, not a single tank and not a single military aircraft. Therefore, Costa Rica is a model country in terms of peaceful coexistence with our neighbors.

In this interview, President Rodrigo Chaves also hailed the very strong leadership of Mohammed VI, which has allowed Morocco, he said, to consolidate the values of democracy, human rights, sustainable development and environmental preservation.

These are all values that are shared by Costa Rica and Morocco, alongside their friendly countries in the European Union, as well as other democratic countries in the Americas.

Referring to the ceremony of his inauguration last May, Rodrigo Chaves said he was very honored that His Majesty the King sent the head of government to Costa Rica to represent him at the ceremony, adding that he is upbeat that the two countries can move forward in strengthening their cultural and economic relations and work together in the concert of nations to advance their common interests. Despite the fact that we are geographically distant, I believe that our friendship will give us many benefits.

Rodrigo Chaves stressed that Morocco is a very important country in the history of the world which shares with Costa Rica a deep commitment to respect human rights.

The President further described Morocco as an impressive and great country which has a long history. Personally I love the city of Marrakech, the Moroccan gastronomy and all the beautiful things you have.
IMPERIAL  Russ Mann, a key witness in the Kevin S. German murder trial, took center stage Tuesday as the lone witness of the afternoon session.

Mann spent roughly three hours, 40 minutes on the stand before a recess was called for the night in the midst of cross-examination on the fourth day of testimony in the trial in Chase County District Court.

Mann told jurors of a series of events over three days in mid-November 2019 that he said was capped by German barging into his trailer, grabbing Annika Swanson and forcing her into the back seat of his car.

German, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is charged with first-degree murder and felony kidnapping in the abduction and death of the 22-year-old Imperial woman.

Her body was discovered at the bottom of an 8-foot-deep irrigation drainage pipe beside an earthen dam in a rural area near Imperial.

Mann, who is incarcerated at the Red Willow County Jail, is awaiting sentencing on a Chase County case for two counts of possession and distribution of methamphetamine.

He was initially charged with two counts of being an accessory to kidnapping in connection with the German case, but those counts were dismissed in exchange for his cooperation with the prosecution.

Germans co-defendant, Keonna N. Carter, 24, of Taylorsville, Utah, is scheduled to testify for the prosecution as well.

Mann told jurors of a 36-hour span, Nov. 15-17, 2019, that included German and Carter abducting Eve Ambrosek under the guise of making a methamphetamine deal. Mann said the two instead brought her back to his three-bedroom trailer located between Enders and Imperial.

Mann testified that German was irate at Ambrosek, with whom he had been involved in a romantic relationship. He believed she owed him $5,000 from a trip the two had taken to California a few months prior.

Mann said German told Ambrosek she would have to do whatever it took to pay him back, including prostitution.

He said German was also irate at Swanson, who had moved into Manns trailer in June, for using his name in text messages related to drug transactions.

Mann said he believed the situation had calmed down, but said German and Carter returned to his trailer early Nov. 17 after the two had driven away and were thought to be headed out of town.

Mann testified that German came through the door extremely agitated.

He seemed cut off from reality almost, Mann said. Just belligerent.

Mann said German grabbed Swanson under the arms and forced her down a short set of steps on the back porch of the trailer and into the black Hyundai. Then he drove off.

Mike Guinen, with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, asked Mann why he didnt do anything at the time.

I was just stunned, Mann said.

He said German and Carter returned more than an hour later without Swanson. Mann testified that German asked to use his black Mazda truck, which Swanson had been driving.

Mann said German wanted to make it look like Swanson had gotten mad and driven off.

He then asked German where Swanson was.

He said, I can take you to her, Mann testified. The way it was said and done was more like a threat.

Germans attorney Denise Frost went after Mann for inconsistencies between his testimony on the stand and his previous statements.

Frost said that twice on Nov. 21, 2019  once at his trailer and later in formal questioning at the Chase County Sheriffs Office  Mann had said that German did not take Swanson.

I was a complete jackass in those interviews, Mann responded.

Frost also said Mann initially told authorities that he was not afraid of German. But on Tuesday he told the jury he never contacted authorities because of implied threats by German toward himself and Ambrosek.

So which is true? Frost asked Mann. You cant have it both ways, can you?

Frost also asked him about his relationship with Swanson. He testified that he allowed her to move in because she wanted to get away from a boyfriend and their preferred method of taking methamphetamine intravenously, or bangin.

Mann said he wanted to help Swanson as she wanted to do better for her (two) kids. He added that he quickly developed a friends with benefits relationship with her.

Mann added that Swanson continued to do methamphetamine daily, with the drug supplied by him. She had moved on from IV use to smoking or snorting, often with him.

Frost asked him why he would continue to supply drugs to someone he wanted to help get better.

I fell short (of that), clearly, Mann said.

Testimony earlier in the day focused on Carters 2001 Hyundai.

Neal Hisam, who was a detective with the Fort Collins Police Department in 2019, processed the vehicle after Carter and German were arrested in Colorado. He testified that clumps of hair were collected on the side wall and bottom of the Hyundais trunk. Small red stains were found on two spokes and the outer ridge of a hub cap.

It appeared to me (to be) like blood, said Hisam, who is a criminalist in Windsor, Colorado.

The vehicle had a coating of dirt along the side and back panels, and Hisam testified there were four partial impressions of footwear on the lower portion of the rear passenger door.

He described it as a herringbone tread pattern and added that none of the multiple pairs of shoes found within the vehicle shared common tread characteristics with the imprints on the exterior of the vehicle.

Additional materials gathered from the vehicle included a library book found in the trunk, from which Hisam said the first 32 pages were missing and appeared to have been ripped out of the binding.

Two rings, a necklace and an orange-and-pink gel watch were found in the central console, and a silver bracelet was under the front passenger seat.

Hisam photographed both Carter and German after they were arrested. He testified that neither had any bruises, cuts or other injuries on their arms or legs, and in Germans case, his torso as well.
Global infrastructure solutions leader joins leading Australian industry as country advances $1.4 billion plan to build a hydrogen industry

MELBOURNE, Australia, July 27, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black & Veatch has joined the Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) as part of its efforts to accelerate the global shift to zero emission energy and speed the development of a global hydrogen energy economy.

CEO of the AHC, Dr Fiona Simon, said one of the strengths of the AHC was the breadth and depth of its membership which included global firms like Black & Veatch.

"As a leading advocate in countries across the globe of decarbonisation through transitioning to hydrogen, Black & Veatch brings further knowledge and experience to our membership and we are delighted to have it onboard," Dr Simon said.

"Hydrogen and ammonia will be critical factors in decarbonizing the worlds energy systems, supply chains and heavy industries. Robust collaboration between engineering leaders, such as Black & Veatch, and industry organizations, such as the Australian Hydrogen Council, will help realize Australias ambitions to supply green ammonia to the Asian and domestic markets," said Mick Scrivens, Vice President, Director, Australia Pacific, Black & Veatch.

Hydrogen has the potential to reduce and replace reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation as well as long duration energy storage, heating, transport, production of green chemicals and fertilizer. Additionally, hydrogen can be turned into green ammonia, which is produced using 100-percent carbon-free renewable energy.

Ammonia, a liquid chemical consisting of nitrogen and hydrogen, is more energy dense than pure hydrogen, incredibly stable and easily liquified for storage and shipment around the globe in the same fashion as LNG.

Ammonia then can be used in multiple energy-intensive industries to produce low-carbon electricity. It can also serve as an energy storage medium, be burned directly as a carbon-free, emissions-free energy source, or "cracked" to convert it back into hydrogen as an energy carrier.

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Converting the worlds extensive LNG infrastructure  its LNG receiving terminals and storage facilities  will help facilitate the safe, efficient shipping of ammonia.

According to Black & Veatchs 2022 Asia Electric Report, 73 percent of respondents believe that hydrogen will help meet carbon emissions goals beyond 10 years from now  more than any other technology.

Industry analysts anticipate that Australia will account for more than 10 percent of global carbon-free ammonia supply by 2035.

"Black & Veatch has an 80-year history working with hydrogen and ammonia production in multiple industries. With expertise in all stages of hydrogen infrastructure projects  from technical advisory services and design through operations  we continue to support global decarbonization programs, including those in Australia," said Scrivens.

The AHC is the peak body for the hydrogen industry in Australia, with members from across the hydrogen value chain, including vehicle manufacturers, energy companies, infrastructure providers, research organisations and governments.

Editors Notes:

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2021 exceeded US$3.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220725005985/en/

Contacts

Media Contact Information:

EMILY CHIA | +65 6335 6623 P | +65 9875 8907 M | Chialp@bv.com

24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 855-999-5991
ReportLinker

Capnography Equipment Market Research Report by Product Type (Capnographs and Disposables Capnographs), End-Users, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Capnography Equipment Market Research Report by Product Type, End-Users, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06306635/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Capnography Equipment Market size was estimated at USD 483.23 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 531.79 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 10.30% to reach USD 870.41 million by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Capnography Equipment to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Product Type, the market was studied across Capnographs and Disposables Capnographs. The Capnographs is further studied across Mainstream Capnographs, Microstream Capnographs, and Sidestream Capnographs.



Based on End-Users, the market was studied across Ambulatory Centers and Hospitals.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Capnography Equipment market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Capnography Equipment Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Capnography Equipment Market, including Becton, Dickinson, and Company, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Edan Instruments, Inc., GE Healthcare, Hamilton Medical, Inc., Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Masimo Corporation, Medtronic plc, Mindray Medical International Limited, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Nonin Medical, Inc., Smiths Group plc, and ZOLL Medical.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Capnography Equipment Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Capnography Equipment Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06306635/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Restaurants Canada (Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association)

Restaurants Canada has just released a special COVID-19 edition of its Raise the Bar report, evaluating how liquor policies are impacting the road to recovery for licensed establishments from coast to coast.



TORONTO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The grades are in: For the fourth time since 2015, Restaurants Canada has given each province a report card on how industry-friendly their liquor policy landscape is for bars and restaurants.



This years special COVID-19 edition of the Raise the Bar report highlights how liquor laws and regulations are helping or hurting hard-hit businesses still rebounding from pandemic losses.

Bars and restaurants deserve a fair shot at recovery, said Restaurants Canada President and CEO Roy Little. Were urging policymakers to take a do no harm approach when considering new policies that could further derail their transition from survival to revival. They also need a more even playing field. Licensed foodservice establishments are far too often at a competitive disadvantage with government-run liquor stores, craft breweries and other types of liquor licensees, private retailers, and increasingly with third-party delivery services.

2022 report cards reflect uneven liquor policy progress from coast to coast

Heres how each province has performed since 2015:

GRADES PROVINCE 2015 2017 2019 2022 British Columbia C+ C C B Alberta B+ B B B+ Saskatchewan D+ C- C- C- Manitoba C C C C Ontario D+ D+ C- C+ Quebec C+ B- B- C New Brunswick C- D D- B- Nova Scotia C+ B- B- B Prince Edward Island B- B- B- C+ Newfoundland & Labrador F D- D- C+

Survey results reveal difficult road to recovery for licensed establishments

Bar and restaurant operators from across the country once again had their say in this years Raise the Bar report. Responding to a survey conducted at the start of 2022, they told Restaurants Canada that the policy landscape for operating a licensed establishment has improved in about half of all provinces, compared to before the COVID-19 crisis.

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When asked if their businesses were profitable, the vast majority said they were either losing money or barely scraping by:

38% said they were operating at a loss just to keep their doors open. About a third of these businesses reported that they will need at least a year for their operations to return to profitability; Another third said they will need at least a year and a half to become profitable again; At least 10% said they are considering closing down for good because their business might no longer be viable.



24% said they were just breaking even.





11% said they were making a pre-tax profit of less than 2%.



While all provinces now allow bars and restaurants to sell alcohol with takeout and delivery orders, licensed establishments often struggle with competitive disadvantages that undermine this new revenue stream. This frustrating predicament was reflected in their survey responses.

Barely half of licensed bar and restaurant operators said their business has benefited from being able to sell alcohol for off-site consumption:

51% reported a positive impact. 39% said the impact has been somewhat positive; 12% said the impact has been significantly positive.





45% reported no impact.



Now more than ever is the time for updated laws and regulations reflecting the operational realities of todays bar and beverage landscape  most critically, liquor pricing and off-site sales policies that even the playing field for foodservice businesses.

Reasons to raise a glass

At the federal level, the 2022 budget included an important first step in the right direction for alcohol taxation, with the elimination of the excise duty on low-alcohol beer, which came into effect on July 1. After years of sustained pressure by Restaurants Canada and industry allies, this dash of hope is appreciated. But the fact that the federal governments automatic annual escalator on alcohol taxes hasnt stopped during the pandemic has made conditions worse for bars and restaurants still fighting for survival.

At the provincial level, all jurisdictions fulfilled Restaurants Canadas request to permit alcohol sales with takeout and delivery orders, which has helped licensed establishments pivot their operations during the pandemic. Even more significantly, most provinces have either introduced or expanded discounted licensee pricing policies in the wake of COVID-19. But unfortunately progress on this critical issue has been uneven across the country.

What measures are still needed to raise the bar for licensed establishments?

Restaurants Canada is recommending that all provinces either implement or keep in place the following measures:

Make wholesale or discounted pricing available to all liquor licensees, for all types of beverage alcohol products. Licensed establishments now have access to some form of discounted or wholesale liquor pricing in most provinces. But bar and restaurant operators are still paying the same as retail customers, and in some cases even more, when purchasing certain types of beverage alcohol in some provinces.

Modernize liquor legislation to cut red tape and reflect changing market conditions. Outdated laws and regulations that are out of step with modern business practices are still on the books in every province. Liquor rules have not kept pace with evolving market conditions, leaving licensees poorly positioned to survive and thrive in todays landscape, let alone prepare for the future.

Introduce or preserve a liquor server wage. A wage differential for tipped workers allows restaurateurs to allocate more towards higher wages for non-gratuity earning kitchen staff, who are typically harder to attract and retain.



Visit restaurantscanada.org/resources/raise-the-bar-2022 to download the full report and join in the online conversation with the hashtag #RaiseTheBar2022.

Media Contact: Tianna Goguen  416-738-7134  media@restaurantscanada.org



About Raise the Bar

Every two years, Restaurants Canada produces its Raise the Bar report to evaluate how liquor policies are continuing to help or hinder bars and restaurants across the country. After a one-year delay due to the pandemic, this years special COVID-19 edition is shining a light on how the current liquor policy landscape is impacting the road to recovery.

Provincial policies evaluated for this report were reviewed within four major categories and after analysis and weighting, each province was given an overall letter grade. Within each category, provinces were allotted points on the criteria listed below. In cases where laws and regulations were supportive of the foodservice industry, points were awarded. Conversely, laws and regulations that were punitive or unhelpful resulted in a reduction in the points tally:

Pricing Red tape and licensing cost savings Customer offerings and experience Competitive landscape

Drawing upon feedback from members, Restaurants Canada allocated weights to the four categories to calculate a final grade for each province. The pricing category has been weighted 45 out of 100. As the second most important issue for the foodservice and hospitality industry, red tape and licensing cost savings has been given a weight of 30 out of 100. For customer offerings and experience, the weighting was 15 out of 100 and lastly, for competitive landscape, the grading weight was 10 out of 100.

Scores for each of the four categories were weighted based on the above scale and an overall grade was awarded based on the results for each province.

All survey results featured in the 2022 Raise the Bar report were compiled from responses to an online survey that was emailed to foodservice businesses across Canada at the start of 2022. In total, more than 600 completed surveys were submitted representing over 3,300 locations across Canada. Please note that the margin of error is expected to be higher for survey results from smaller provinces.

About Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing the potential of Canadas diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through member programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Before the COVID-19 crisis, Canadas foodservice sector was a $95 billion industry, directly employing 1.2 million people, providing Canadas number one source of first jobs and serving 22 million customers across the country every day. The industry is now struggling to rebound from at least $44 billion in lost revenue in the wake of the pandemic.




Public Safety Innovator Continues to Drive Sales through Creative Marketing Events

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 27, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Knightscope, Inc. [Nasdaq: KSCP], a developer of advanced physical security technologies focused on enhancing U.S. security operations, today announced its Robot Roadshow - an engaging experiential event used to grab attention fast, forge direct connections with potential clients, and strike up conversations in a compelling fashion  will land at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT, on 2 August 2022 from 10:00am to 2:00pm ET.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005381/en/

Knightscope Robot Roadshow Coming to New Haven, Connecticut

The Robot Roadshow has made 48 landings in 17 states and Washington, D.C. to date. Knightscopes crime-fighting robots tour the U.S. in a space-age, NASA-like "pod" allowing attendees to experience all the technology that is enabling these Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs) to help make sites safer today from Hawaii to Texas to North Carolina. A short video of a past event hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department may be viewed here.

The New Haven Roadshow landing will be attended both virtually and physically by Knightscope experts, and visitors will be able to interact directly with each of our Autonomous Security Robots and see the Knightscope Security Operations Center (KSOC) user interface in action. Clients, investors and the media are all welcome to attend to learn more about Knightscope.

There is no charge to participate in, or visit, the Roadshow and available slots fill up fast, so appointments are recommended. Book your Pod visit here.

About Knightscope

Knightscope is an advanced security technology company based in Silicon Valley that builds fully autonomous security robots that deter, detect and report. Knightscopes long-term ambition is to make the United States of America the safest country in the world. Learn more about us at www.knightscope.com. Follow Knightscope on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" about Knightscopes future expectations, plans, outlook, projections and prospects. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "should," "may," "intends," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "expects," "plans," "proposes" and similar expressions. Although Knightscope believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are contained, and Knightscope does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005381/en/

Contacts

Donna Loughlin Michaels, LMGPR, (408) 393-5575
On Tuesday afternoon, Chad Leverette, candidate for the Auburn City Councils Ward 4 seat, announced he was stepping down from running for office. In an email to Opelika-Auburn News, Leverette, one of the last candidates to qualify to run, cited health reasons for his decision.

Leverettes exit leaves Tyler Adams as the sole candidate for Ward 4 and unofficially elected to the city council.

In circumstances where there is only one candidate, the City of Auburn treats the election in the same manner as an existing council person who runs unopposed in an election. That means there will be no ballot for Ward 4 in the Aug. 23 municipal election.

If a candidate drops out and theres only one remaining candidate, basically now theres only one candidate that has qualified according to election language, said David Dorton, Auburns director of public affairs. So, we go back to the council declaring them elected, essentially.

Jennifer Stephens, who was voted in by the city council in June to fill the unexpired term of former Ward 4 councilman Brett Smith, will continue to hold her position until the first Monday in November, when Adams is sworn in with the rest of the new council.

Im incredibly humbled and grateful to be given the opportunity, Adams told Opelika-Auburn News on Tuesday afternoon. Im really looking forward to putting in the work to help make our community a better place to live for all our families. I wish Chad and Holly Leverette the very best.

Tyler Adams has lived in Auburn since 2012. Originally from Etowah County, he received his undergrad from Auburn University and returned to town after earning his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law.

Adams currently works as a strategic sourcing and contract officer for Auburn University. He and his wife also own two local dentist offices. Adams says a large part of his decision to run for city council was to provide a positive experience for his daughters as they grow up here. Adams sees the citys growth as powerful but wants to make sure that growth is handled wisely.

We need to be able to harness that power and create a positive environment for our citizens, specifically our families, Adams recently told the Opelika-Auburn News.

Adams said he wants to make sure the towns infrastructure, parks and recreation, and economic development keeps up with the growth. He also wants to keep Auburn safe. He believes it is vitally important that Auburn have a diversity of commercial and industrial businesses.

Chad Leverette is a long-time business owner who was raised here in Auburn. He has owned University Carpet Cleaning for 21 years and has worked in law enforcement for 23 years. He is currently a probation and parole officer with the State of Alabama. Leverette sees both positions as being valuable assets if he had been elected to the city council.

While campaigning for the Ward 4 seat, Leverette echoed Adams concerns about how Auburns growth is handled. Were one of the fastest growing cities in the state right now, Leverette said, and I would just like to see responsible growth within our city.
Auburn University was the largest of nearly a dozen campuses in Alabama to receive a bomb threat on Wednesday afternoon. The other 10 schools receiving threats were community colleges.

Auburn Campus Safety sent out an alert around noon on Wednesday about a bomb threat and evacuated the nursing building on campus. Individuals were told to stay clear of the area until given all clear.

The Auburn Police Department responded to the scene and investigated the situation and the threat.

Around 12:30 p.m., Auburn Campus Safety sent the all clear stating that the emergency has been resolved, police had cleared the nursing building and it is safe to resume normal activity.

Besides Auburn University, several other colleges across the state of Alabama sent out alerts of bomb threats Wednesday in the late morning or early afternoon and told students and faculty members to evacuate campus buildings.

These included Enterprise State Community College in Enterprise, Lurleen B Wallace Community College in Andalusia and Opp, Wallace Community College in Dothan, Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Northwest-Shoals Community College in Muscle Shoals, Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery and Reid State Technical College in Evergreen, according to each colleges respective social media account.

WALA Fox 10 also reported that the University of South Alabama evacuated its Health Sciences building after a bomb threat, and WAFF 48 reported that the University of Alabama in Huntsville evacuated three buildings, including its nursing building, humanities building and library.

The Alabama Community College System released the following statement to media concerning the bomb threats:

Authorities at Alabamas community colleges are working closely with law enforcement on a state level and within each community to ensure the safety of residents across our facilities after alleged bomb threats were made at multiple institutions. While no threats have been deemed credible at this time, some buildings haveper protocolbeen evacuated and access restricted to some campuses. Residents, including students, faculty and staff, are encouraged to not visit any of the colleges facilities until further notice by the colleges. Please stay tuned to your local news sources, as well.

Auburn police said they responded to a call reporting that an explosive device was located in an Auburn University building.After an intensive search, police verified that there was no explosive device or present danger. About 30 minutes after the bomb threat was reported, the community was notified by police that the emergency was resolved.

Although the threat was false, an investigation is ongoing to identify and prosecute the source of the call, the police report said. Per Alabama state law, threats of this nature are felony criminal offenses. Local law enforcement agencies typically work closely with federal law enforcement using all available resources to arrest suspects associated with this type of offense.

Anyone with information about this crime or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the APD at 334-501-3141 or the Police Tip Line at 334-246-1391.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also released a statement about the recent bomb threats.

ALEAs State Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama Fusion Center, in-conjunction with local and federal partners, are currently monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff, the release said. All collegiate schools that received threats within Alabama on Wednesday, July 27, have been cleared and classes have been deemed safe to resume. No further details are available at this time.
Attorney Tamara Holder, right, speak as Amazon worker Tori Davis listens during a news conference outside an Amazon Go in Chicago on July 27, 2022. Twenty-six Amazon workers from the MDW2 warehouse in Joliet are filing complaints with the EEOC alleging Amazon is forcing them to work in a dangerous and racially hostile environment. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Twenty-six workers at an Amazon facility in Joliet have filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging a racist workplace environment and retaliation against an employee who spoke up, their lawyer said Wednesday.

Workers filed the complaints with the EEOC this week and are hoping their claims can be evaluated as a class, according to attorney Tamara Holder, who said complaints from additional workers would be filed soon.

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At a news conference Wednesday, former Amazon employee Tori Davis said she raised concerns about Amazons handling of a racist death threat workers allege was scrawled on a bathroom wall at the warehouse in late May. Davis, 34, said she was fired after telling Amazon she would take legal action if the company did not address her and her co-workers concerns.

The complaint filed with the EEOC, provided by Holder, includes images of two messages using the N-word allegedly written on the wall in the womens bathroom. One says (expletive) gonna die, while the other refers to these (expletive) at MDW2. MDW2 is the name of the Amazon facility where the employees represented by Holder work.

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Davis, who worked at the facility training new employees, said on the day the death threat was discovered, she left work without pay after word of the threats spread throughout the facility.

We had to make a choice of do we stay and make money and be able to pay our bills on the first, or do we go home and be safe, said Davis, who is Black. And thats not right.

According to the complaint, Amazon sent a text communication to workers the night after the graffiti was found, saying law enforcement had investigated the graffiti and did not identify threats to the sites safety.

In a statement Wednesday, Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said the company works hard to protect our employees from any form of discrimination and to provide an environment where employees feel safe.

Hate or racism have no place in our society and are certainly not tolerated by Amazon, Rocha said.

He did not respond to questions from the Tribune about the workers allegations or the reasons for Daviss firing.

The complaints filed with the EEOC also allege the company has allowed white employees at the Joliet facility to wear Confederate flag attire at work, including outfits consisting of leather boots with a Confederate flag shaft, and a shirt with the Confederate flag prominently displayed across the back and arms.

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There is no sign more serious and more terrifying than a death threat in a workplace where white workers are allowed to wear Confederate flag outfits with impunity, Holder said, noting the death threats came shortly after a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store where 10 Black people were killed and before the July 4 mass shooting at a parade in Highland Park.

We have truly reached a low point in America where we have to go to work in fear that we may not come home to our families, Holder said.

Patrick French, an Amazon employee in Joliet who said he had worked for the company more than a year-and-a-half, said that when he heard about the death threats, he was most concerned about the well-being of his girlfriend and his uncle, who were also working at the facility. He wants Amazon to provide more safety, he said.

It is a good job. Its got good opportunities, said French, 20. Amazon, it just lacks in certain areas.

Amazon worker Patrick French, center, speaks out while Amazon worker Tori Davis, second left, attorney Tamara Holder, right, and Christian Caceres, far left, listen in during a news conference outside an Amazon Go store in Chicago on July 27, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Davis, who is appealing her termination with Amazon in an attempt to get her job back, said she would like to see more safety protocols at the Joliet facility as well as a representative for Black workers at the site. Davis said she started working there in November 2021.

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Nicole St. Germain, a spokesperson for the EEOC, said federal law prohibited the agency from confirming or denying the existence of any complaints.

St. Germain said that after complaints are filed with the EEOC, the agency begins an investigatory process to determine if a company has violated federal law. If the EEOC determines a company has acted illegally, it can seek monetary compensation for individuals or class members and punitive damages against the company. It can also seek injunctive relief, such as requiring trainings or other changes in the workplace.
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After receiving another record number of applicants for this fall, Auburn University will open its application season for next years summer and fall semesters on Aug. 1.

Applications can be submitted at that time online or through the Common App systema powerful, online college application platform that serves more than 3 million applicants, teachers, counselors and advisors throughout the nation and world.

The application season comes amid another year of record applicants for the upcoming fall semester. For this fall, Auburn received more than 50,000 freshman and transfer applicationsa record increase of more than 67% compared to the previous two fall semesterswith more than 31,153 applying through the Common App.

It is exciting to see how many students are demonstrating a strong interest in joining the Auburn Family, said Joffery Gaymon, Auburns vice president for enrollment. As we focus on efforts of greater access to underserved areas, we are working hard to build connections and further grow our applicant numbers.

For summer and fall 2023 semesters, Auburn is continuing to extend some modifications to its existing admissions procedures in light of standardized testing sites remaining limited amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Students who were able to take a standardized test can use their scores for the admissions process as in years past. Applicants with at least a 3.6 grade-point average who were unable to test will be reviewed holistically through Auburns test-optional pathway.

Any valedictorian or salutatorian from an accredited Alabama high school with 50 or more graduates will also qualify for admission. Auburn selects its freshman class through an evaluation that includes a holistic review of the students academic performance. First-year students accepted for admission by mid-January receive automatic consideration. A scholarship application is not required.

To apply to Auburn for any of the 2023 semesters, go here. Information about in-person and virtual campus toursincluding academic department visits and tours of housing and Auburns Recreation and Wellness Centercan be found here.
I have never heard of any of this... but I'm hooked now.



Thx for the book recommendation, and your passion for this makes me 2nd it being given another chance!

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the first book is so amazing, I would read it while exiting the subway, while continuing to walk home cus I couldn't put it down.

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AMAZING! Def picking this series up.

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I remember being excited for the show but was so disappointed.

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Ok I read the synopsis and now I don't want to read the post and be spoiled because it sounds quite interesting.

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Same and I just ordered the first book haha.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! excellent!!!! i hope you enjoy it!!!

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same. OP sold me!

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Thank you for this!! Yes! This trilogy deserves a new series, preferably on either a premium channel (HBO) or one of the gazillion streaming platforms! I dont think its suited for network television and theyve already shown they cannot be trusted!



ETA: Love some of your casting choices! Patrick Wilson would be great as Wolgast but I actually also really liked MPG in the role - and Olyphant would be amazing as Babcock.



Edited at 2022-07-27 03:14 pm (UTC)

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Same. When I saw it was a FOX show, I knew it would be short lived and didnt even bother watching it. It would go better on a streaming service to binge

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Thanks for this OP, the plot synopsis sounds interesting!

I was working on a post a while back of books that need adaptations and books that deserve better ones lol, this has inspired me to get back to it!! And do some fan casting, thats fun!

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BABCOCK!! That clicking noise haunted me even on paper. Thank you for this. The Passage trilogy is fucking fire and deserved better. I feel like myself and the random coworker in finance were the only ones who read this/these. That show only covered maybe 1/3 of the first book? I'm still mad.



"Where will you be when the lights go out?"

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I love the first book so obsessively.

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The first one is the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! always freaks me out when theyre stuck underground when shit hits the fan and the emergency lights go on, virals are everywhere. I remember being so scared reading that entire sequence, it was so well written

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Did the show even get to The Wall? God I was so looking forward to that part of the story.

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I own the trilogy and I'm pretty sure I've read the first two books but I can't remember much except how puzzled I was with the second book as it's radically different from the first. Maybe I should read a synopsis and give the third one a try at some point.

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I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK.



Ironically, never read the other two but I remember reading this back in 2010 and I got a written warning from my boss bc I kept hiding at work to keep reading lol I remember crying and yelping on the bus, too. However, much like with a LOT of books I've read, I mostly remember how I felt about it. There are a few scenes I recall and the general story/characters (Alicia, my bb <333) but I'm sure it'd almost feel like a new read if I tried it again.



Which I will, this post made me decide that lol <3

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I just finished reading the post and OMG AT THE CHANGES IN THE TV SHOW. The trailer alone put me off from watching it but I had no idea they changed so much (and for worse), this sucks. On a positive note, your post made me want to re-read the book & finally read the other books bc if you love the first one so much, I can only assume you have flawless taste. Thanks OP <3

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excellent Im glad I swayed you!!! I was really unsure about posting bc I wasnt sure if anyone else on here was that interested in the books but Im glad Ive made you want to give thEm a go 

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lol Last year I legitimately sought out the narrowest chair I could find to stuff in one of those aluminum portable closets because I'd be able to hide in there and read. They never found me! I'm proud to call you comrade.

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Ive reread this trilogy a few times, its one of my favorites. I never watched the series just from watching trailers it was clear they were going to butcher it.



I do think to do the books justice youd have to do two maybe three seasons for each book to cover all the different timelines and characters.

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I really enjoyed the first book, but thought it was unnecessarily long (and I like long books). I felt another couple chapters couldve wrapped up the story. I didnt love it enough to read the other two books. The little I saw from TV show looked liked crap

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I read the first two books but didn't get around to the third, thanks for reminding me of it.

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I dont think Ive ever heard of this series (book or tv), but youve sold me. Ill add to my TBR list.

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I finished Station Eleven today (two hours ago!) and I saw that Emily St. John Mandel gave a reference to this book in the last pages before the acknowledgement. After seeing this post, I ordered all three books of Passages. LMAO I'll be reading them in Turkish because English books are so pricey, eek!

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ahh amazing I really hope you enjoy them!!!!

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I hated this book soooo much and I was actively rooting against the main characters, let the vampires take over the earth. I read it because I saw sooo many recommendations for it. I no longer listen to recommendations, other than from people whose taste I trust (a very small group of people).

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I was so excited when I heard they were making a show. And then I saw the casting and noped out without watching a second. I knew it would suck. No questions asked. I mean, it was obvious they had NO FUCKING CLUE what the books were about.



AT ALL.



These books could be adapted to something magical, but it would take the right people, the right producers, writers, directors, right cast. That's a LOT to ask.

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i hate that they have to engage in this sort of pageantry just to get people to care about russia trying to slaughter ukrainians

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Exactly what I came to say.

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Lol they're loving it

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wtf is this comment?

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the fact that they have to do this for people to pay attention again whew... yeah this world is broken beyond repair i fear

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was annie leibovitz's work always this bad?

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the white balance always seems to be off in her photos, everything is either too yellow or too blue

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that's exactly it

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Yes. She always insists on this greenish light and heavy shadows.

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Nope

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This is making me emotional. I hate that Ukrainians are still suffering through this.

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i thought this map from wikipedia was interesting. russia has already taken so much eastern territory.

i was catching up on some news on the war yesterday and was reading an article with the prime minister of estonia and how her argument in trying to convince the right-wing members of parliament that they should continue to send military aid to ukraine is "because they're fighting the war for us, every day putin is fighting ukraine he's not fighting estonia" (paraphrased by me). i can't imagine having a murderous despot like putin at your doorstep.i thought this map from wikipedia was interesting. russia has already taken so much eastern territory.





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I'm in the Baltics and I think it's highly unlikely we'd be invaded, because we're in NATO. If we weren't in NATO, we'd be 100%, for sure invaded. Russia has been talking about it for the last 30 years, historically speaking, our biggest misfortune has always been a border with Russia.

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She's stunning and I think it's very brave she stayed in Ukraine when the war first broke out.

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It really sucks that people aren't thinking of Ukraine anymore. This winter is going to be a real test because I can see European governments giving into Russian blackmail over gas and they stop supporting Ukraine.

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Ia. It's going to be a desaster.

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Yeah, some European countries are already dragging feet.

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Yep, once it starts getting cold and people need gas, it's over.

It's amazing how people can be fine with awful things happening "over there" as long as they are personally fine.

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I mean, I get it but man maybe don't go and do fucking vogue photoshoot while your country is in war and people are dying

Yes it will draw attention, but the wrong one

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Nah, this is so fucked. As someone who lived through a war, Id be fucking livid if my president (not that he was any better) had been posing in fancy clothes in Vogue for a photo shoot that pretty much romanticized war.





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As a war survivor myself, IA but I do understand why theyre doing it. Its fucked either way.

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this spread is super fuckin weird

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I wanted to write exactly this. Imagine going through war while first Lady is posing in fancy coats for fashion magazine.

Well, I've been through war and I would be extra pissed if this was part of it

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Ukrainian war survivor here, I have my issues with how certain things were handled and they make me frustrated to tears, but this photoshoot is needed.



In the world where people are more concerned with:

* making a mockery out of a domestic violence victim and disregarding any evidence of abuse she has, just because they're having fun treating the trial as a tv show and rooting for someone who used to be hot 25~ years ago

* Oscars get more spotlight that a literal genocide

Yeah we do need this photoshoot, regardless of how absurd it seems, if that's the only thing that can make people remember that Ukrainians are still dying on daily basis and Russia is a terrorist state, it may as well exist

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I appreciate your input as a Ukrainian and Im rooting for you all so badly.



Im just not as optimistic, I suppose. The majority of people arent going to look at this spread and open up their pockets. Theyll sigh at the sadness and just move on. And thats the ones that even care, yknow? I also was pretty triggered (I hate that word, but it really set off a weird feeling for me) the photo of the wife with the soldiers and aircraft. Politicians (both native and foreign to my country) took opportunities to pose in front of the ruins while doing the least and causing issues for the country that are now setting off a possible second war 25 years later. Thats all I see when people pose like that. Its about them instead of the people.

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Their intentions are probably...good. But the execution of the entire thing is so out of touch. A vogue photoshoot with actual military posing and her acting like the injured party here?! I'm so fucking upset by this. Just no. Look how this has affected the Ukrainian people and he and his wife still acting like they're campaigning for awards here

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they should have had a Ukranian photographer take the pics , it really bothers me that they flew Annie there to take the pictures, too hollywoody/high fashion for this, if they used a local photographer it would give the advantage to both Olena and vogue

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There were many ways this could have been done to bring more awareness to Ukraine and the ongoing war, without it feeling gratuitous.



Shame on US Vogue, as usual.

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The G7 are pressing on with their price cap on Russian oil, targeting a date of December 5 for having a mechanism in place to achieve this, an anonymous senior G7 official told Reuters on Wednesday.

December 5 is also the date that the EU's ban on Russian seaborne crude oil imports goes into effect.

"The goal here is to align with the timing that the EU has already put in place. We want to make sure that the price cap mechanism goes into effect at the same time," the official said.

A price cap on Russian oil purchases would theoretically impede the intake of Russia's oil revenues that are funding its invasion of Ukraine. The price cap plan the G7 has cooked up, however, is not without its challenges.

For starters, the Group of Seven richest economies has not yet spelled out how such a plan would work, such as how to enforce such a price cap. To be successful, the plan would need broad support from all major Russian crude buyers, including India and China. More importantly, it would need Russia to go along with the price capsomething Russia said it would not do.

Nevertheless, the G7 is still hoping that setting a price cap that is above Russia's production costs would incentivize Russia to go along.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak already stated last week that Russia would not export oil to the market if the price cap was set below the cost of producing the oil. Just days after Novak's statement, Russia Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullina took it a step further: Russia would not sell oil to any country participating in any price cap, implying that even if the price cap were set above production costs, Russia would refuse to go along with the price cap plan by merely refusing to sell those countries any crude oil.

Instead, Nabiullina said that Russia would sell oil only to the countries that don't enact a price cap.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russia and Saudi Arabia also maintained their positions as the worlds 2nd and 3rd largest oil producers respectively.

Earlier this month BP released its Statistical Review of World Energy 2022. The Review provides a comprehensive picture of supply and demand for major energy sources on a country-level basis. Each year, I do a series of articles covering the Reviews findings. In the previous article, I discussed the trends in global carbon dioxide emissions. Today, I want to cover the production and consumption of petroleum.

Oil Demand Bounces Back

For 2020, the Review reported the largest decline in oil1 consumption on record. After nine consecutive years of increase, the Covid-19 pandemic caused global consumption of crude oil to decline by more than 9% in 2020. Last year oil consumption bounced back by climbing 6%  the fastest rise since 1976. However, consumption remains 3.7% below the record level of 2019.

The United States remains the worlds top oil consumer, averaging 18.7 million BPD in 2021. This marked an increase of 8.7% from 2020 (reflected by Change in the table below). This was the sharpest increase for any country in the Top 10, but it is still 9% below the all-time high U.S. oil consumption level of 2005 (20.5 million BPD).

China was the second-highest consumer at 15.4 million BPD. Over the past decade, U.S. oil consumption has increased by an average annual rate of 0.4%, while Chinas average annual increase was more than 10 times higher at 4.8%.

Related: Dramatic Heatwave Threatens Uzbekistans Electric Grid

Germany was notably the only country in the Top 10 that saw a demand decline in 2021.

U.S. Remains Oil Production Champion

Despite the ongoing impact the pandemic has had on U.S. oil production, the U.S. remained the worlds top oil producer in 2021 at 11.2 million BPD.2 Russia and Saudi Arabia retained their positions at #2 and #3.

Although oil companies around the world did begin to increase production during 2021, average production for the year fell for 6 of the Top 10 countries. This was a major driver behind the global surge of oil prices in 2021.

Note that these production numbers are for crude oil and lease condensate. The U.S. also leads all countries in the production of natural gas liquids (NGLs), which partially end up in the oil products supply chain. If NGLs are included, the U.S. has an even larger lead over Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Footnotes

BPs definition of oil consumption excludes biofuels while derivatives of coal and natural gas are included. Includes crude oil, shale/tight oil, oil sands, lease condensate or gas condensates that require further refining. Excludes liquid fuels from other sources such as biomass and synthetic derivatives of coal and natural gas.

By Robert Rapier

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Europe is the natural destination for that gas that has yet to be tapped, Cyprus energy minister Natasa Pilides told Bloomberg in an interview this week.

Europe is racing to replace Russian natural gas, and Cyprus is looking to help.

The European Unions rush to replace Russian natural gas with alternative sources has turned the spotlight on various gas producers in both established producing regions and emerging ones. In Cyprus, it has made gas exploration a strategic priority. The tiny island nation in the Mediterranean is a newcomer on the gas scene, which it entered in 2011 with the discovery of gas in the Aphrodite offshore field, which is estimated to hold some 4.4 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Operated by Chevron and Shell, along with an Israeli company, NewMed Energy, the Aphrodite field will soon be getting one more exploration well and Chevron will by the end of the year present its final development plan for the fields development to the Cypriot government.

Europe is the natural destination for that gas that has yet to be tapped, Cyprus energy minister Natasa Pilides told Bloomberg in an interview this week. The country consumes a lot more gas than it can theoretically produce, and Europe is its closest marketand a thirsty one.

Europe is a good potential customer for Cypriot gas as the EU has confirmed that natural gas will remain a bridge fuel up to 2049 as part of the green transition so companies now have the comfort of being able to secure long-term contracts, Pilides told Bloomberg.

The official also noted the European Unions intentions to stay on the course away from Russian gas whenever the Ukraine war ends, which would certainly foster a favorable environment for non-Russian gas suppliers to the continent.

The Aphrodite field is not the only one, either. Earlier this year, Italys Eni and Frances TotalEnergies began drilling for gas in an offshore block that a few years ago yielded a potentially substantial discovery.

Block 2 contains the Glaucus-2 appraisal well, which showed resources in place estimated at between 5 and 8 trillion cubic feet back in 2019. The Glaucus field was discovered by Exxon, which partnered with Qatar Petroleum. Now, the two European majors are also drilling there again.

A third major recent find in Cyprus was the Calypso field, with resources comparable with those estimated for Glaucus, discovered by Eni and TotalEnergies. Yet Cyprus transformation into a major regional gas hub has lagged behind demand and supply dynamics.

The development of the Aphrodite field, according to a Reuters report from 2020, has been delayed because the partners operating it have been renegotiating their production sharing agreement with the Cypriot government.

Related: Energy Spat Between Mexico And The U.S. Escalates

At Glaucus, the problem appears to have been insufficient resources for the plans Exxon had for the field.

There is limited space in local markets and existing export infrastructure. And the volume is insufficient for ExxonMobil and its partner Qatar Petroleum to feed a two-train LNG plant  which had been the partnerships goal, Robert Morris, Wood Mac senior analyst, told Reuters in 2020.

Things have changed since then, for sure. Infrastructure may be lacking, but demand for any gas that does not come from Russia has spiked so sharply that it might have changed the economic case for Cypriot gas.

Challenges remain, however. Turkey, for one, is less than happy with Cyprus developing its gas resources, which Ankara disputes are Cyprus to develop. The long-running territorial dispute between Cyprus and Turkey is a sort of a chronic headache for Cyprus.

There is the question of export infrastructure, too. Currently, there is an idea of building a pipeline from Israeli offshore fields to Cyprus by the fields operator, Energean, and then connecting this pipeline to a floating LNG production vessel, using both Israeli and Cypriot gas.

It will be a few years yet before Cyprus begins producing gas from all these substantial finds. First gas from the Aphrodite field, for instance, is expected in 2027. The Energean pipeline could be completed in 2026. Until then, Europe will have to make do with what it can find elsewhere.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Particularly hot weather in Uzbekistan over the past 10 days or so has caused occasional blackouts as the state power company looks to ration electricity supplies to households and industry amid a surge in use of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.



This has been the second drastic spike in temperatures the country has seen since the start of the summer, which has seen some areas recording temperatures in the high forties Celsius.

As energy officials have also told Eurasianet, the extent of the sustained heat has adversely affected power transmission grids located mainly under the open sun. Trains have been running slow on two lines of the Tashkent metro to relieve the strain on the grid.

The confluence of problems is again focusing thoughts on how best to prepare Uzbekistan for the ever-increasing demand for electricity. According to official figures published in May, the volume of annual electricity production has in the space of five years increased from 61 billion kilowatt hours to 72 billion kilowatt hours. Nevertheless, the amount of power produced in 2021 was around 2-3 billion kilowatt hours short of requirements.

At the start of this year, the Energy Ministry announced that it was commissioning seven new power plants with a total capacity of almost 1,500 megawatts. One of those facilities will be a solar power generator.

Related: American Refiners' Record Profits Won't Last

Although the hottest months of the year are becoming a critical period, the realization that the countrys power system needed a major overhaul arrived in January, when large swathes of the country were knocked off the power grid as the result of a major technical fault. Days after that incident, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev demanded deep reforms in the power industry and urged officials to coordinate better with neighboring countries.

Even while it struggles to keep its own population fully supplied with electricity and gas for heating homes, Uzbekistan has been selling these two commodities to buyers abroad. It stopped selling gas to China at the start of the year to meet domestic demand, but exports resumed in May. Uzbekistan has also reached a $100 million deal to supply electricity to Afghanistan in 2022.

The populations struggles with the heat have put pressure on the healthcare system too. Between July 17, when the worst of the heat began, through to July 20, the ambulance service received more than 130,000 calls. More than 4,200 were hospitalized.

Even now, some areas in the south of the country are reaching temperatures of around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

By Eurasianet.org

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Equinor (NYSE: EQNR) more than doubled its extraordinary cash dividend and increased its share repurchase program by $1 billion after reporting on Wednesday more than tripled adjusted earnings after tax for the second quarter amid soaring oil and gas prices.

Analysts have been anticipating robust Q2 earnings from the international oil and gas majors as fuel prices surged, refining margins soared to multi-year highs, and natural gas prices hit records after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Opening the earnings season of the European majors, Norways Equinor said today that its adjusted earnings after tax jumped to $5 billion for the second quarter of 2022, more than triple the earnings of the same period last year at $1.58 billion. Adjusted earnings before tax surged to $17.6 billion, up from $4.64 billionbeating the $16.855 billion analyst consensus.

Equinor boosted its gas production in Norway by 18 percent and optimized production to deliver more gas to Europe, the company said.

In total, the Norwegian Continental Shelfwhere Equinor is the biggest operatormeets 20-25% of the gas demand in the EU and the UK.

Equinor continues to provide high gas production from the NCS, including volumes from Hammerfest LNG, now safely back in production. Solid operational performance and high production combined with high prices resulted in strong financial results with adjusted earnings of more than 17 billion dollars before tax, said president and CEO Anders Opedal.

Following the hearty quarterly results, Equinor is stepping up capital distribution, raising extraordinary cash dividend to $0.50 per share for the second and third quarters of 2022, up from $0.20.

This is on top of the regular cash dividend of $0.20 per share for Q2, which remains unchanged.

Due to the strength of the balance sheet, Brent prices, and other commodity prices, Equinors board of directors has also decided to initiate a third tranche of share buybacks of $1.83 billion and increase the 2022 share repurchase program from previously communicated up to $5 billion to up to $6 billion.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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European gas prices have surged 30% in the space of two days after Russia made good its threat to slash gas deliveries to the continent in half from already reduced levels. After Tuesdays surge, Wednesday saw another 9% hike in natural gas prices, nearing the record high reached in March shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Independent said, citing market observers.

Futures contracts for August delivery tied to the European benchmark wholesale gas price TTF jumped 20% on Tuesday to exceed 210/MWh, representing a more than 10-fold increase from the average during 2010-20. Not surprisingly, benchmark power prices in Germany have soared to an all-time high of 370/MWh, a big jump compared to sub-60/MWh prices that were the norm before 2021.

"We are now beyond the limits of affordability for many industrial users, and we might see recession alarms going off soon," Rystad analyst Kaushal Ramesh told the Financial Times.

Russias national oil company Gazprom cut supplies on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by half to 20 percent of full capacity on Wednesday, putting extra pressure on already badly stretched supplies. The European Union views the move as an attempt to pressure the bloc to lift sanctions brought against Putins government.

Previously, Gazprom cut supply to 12 European countries through Nord Stream 1--which runs west through the Baltic Sea to Germany--to 40 percent capacity for weeks. Gazprom notified of the plunge on Monday, citing the delayed return of a gas turbine for a compressor station from Canada and blaming western sanctions for the snafu.

Economists are now warning that the continent's gas prices may remain elevated for years to come.

"Given the constraints on securing natural gas from alternative suppliers, we expect Europe to struggle to meet its gas needs, which will keep the TTF price elevated for some time yet. This has the potential to derail Europe's efforts to fill its storage to 80% of capacity by November (ahead of the winter-related surge in demand)," Capital Economics analyst Jennifer McKeown told Morningstar.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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Chris Cuomo answers questions during an interview with Dan Abrams on July 26, 2022, in New York in this image provided by NewsNation. Cuomo is publicly reemerging following his firing from CNN, starting a YouTube news show and joining NewsNation's fall lineup. (NewsNation)

NewsNation, the nascent Chicago-based cable news network, is adding former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo to its prime-time lineup this fall.

The announcement Tuesday night by Cuomo, who appeared as a guest on the networks Dan Abrams Live show, brings both star power and some baggage to NewsNation, which has yet to build a significant audience since launching nearly two years ago.

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Cuomo, 51, who long hosted the top-rated prime-time show on CNN, was fired in December for allegedly violating network standards by advising his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as he navigated sexual harassment allegations. In March, Cuomo filed a demand for arbitration against CNN, seeking $125 million in damages for alleged unlawful termination.

While Cuomo declined to discuss the litigation against CNN Tuesday night  his first national interview since being fired  he defended the essence of his high-profile case against his former employer.

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There are a lot of facts that I believe are going to come out, Cuomo said. I never lied and there were no secrets.

A staple on CNN for nearly a decade, Cuomo joined the cable network in 2013 as co-host of the New Day morning show, shifting to Cuomo Prime Time in 2018, which became the highest-rated show in CNNs evening lineup. Before that, Cuomo, an attorney, was co-anchor of ABCs 20/20 and chief law correspondent for ABC News. He started at ABC in 2006 as news anchor at Good Morning America, and previously worked at Fox News.

The time slot for Cuomos new one-hour show on NewsNation has yet to be disclosed. While the main NewsNation studios are in Chicago, Cuomo will broadcast his show from New York, where Abrams also does his show.

In a letter to staffers Tuesday evening, Michael Corn, president of news for NewsNation, called Cuomos hiring a big step forward as we build ourselves into a world-class 24-hour news channel over the next year.

In the letter, which was obtained by the Tribune, Corn announced that Cuomos show will be helmed by veteran executive producer Alexandra Dusty Cohen, who spent 20 years at ABCs The View, which she helped launch.

Corn, a longtime executive producer at ABC News, left the network in April 2021 and joined NewsNation the following month amid allegations he sexually assaulted at least two female employees during his 18 years as a rising producer at ABC. A lawsuit brought by a former ABC Good Morning America producer against Corn was dismissed last month by a New York judge who ruled the statute of limitations had run out.

NewsNation, formerly WGN America, was reinvented as a cable news network in September 2020 under Dallas-based owner Nexstar Media Group. It bought WGN America in 2019 as part of its $4.1 billion acquisition of Chicago-based Tribune Media.

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The network airs 11 hours of live news programming each day, with plans to go 24/7 by 2024. Corn has shaken up the on-air lineup and expanded news programming from prime time to mornings, but NewsNation, which pledges to deliver unbiased reporting and take a bite out of the more established cable news networks, is still struggling to build its audience.

NewsNation, which reaches 75 million homes, ranked 91st among all cable networks in prime time during the week ending July 17 with an average of 44,000 viewers, according to Nielsen.

Fox News ranked first in prime time with an average of nearly 2.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC at 1.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. CNN ranked 10th in prime time with 660,000 viewers.

Cuomo, who claimed in his arbitration demand that CNNs calculated efforts to tar and feather him made him untouchable in the world of broadcast journalism, welcomed the opportunity to return to prime-time cable news, albeit with a smaller megaphone.

I had decided that I cant go back to what people see as the big game, Cuomo told Abrams on the air Tuesday. I dont think I can make a difference there. I think we need insurgent media.

NewsNation has 221 anchors, producers, editors and researchers working at its newsroom inside the 61-year-old WGN-TV studios on West Bradley Place in Chicagos North Center neighborhood. The network also leverages the resources of Nexstars 110 TV newsrooms and 5,500 journalists to provide coverage.

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rchannick@chicagotribune.com
Germany has a chance to avoid natural gas shortages in the coming months if households and businesses conserve gas and energy and Russia doesn't cut supply further, Klaus Muller, the president of Germany's Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur, said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Russia warned that gas supply via Nord Streamthe main natural gas link between Russia and Germanywould be cut to just 20% of the pipeline's capacity, days after Gazprom restarted the pipeline at 40% capacity after regular maintenance. The Russian explanation for the even lower gas flows to Europe is that another turbine at a compressor station is up for maintenance and repairs, while the one that Canada returned from repairs has yet to be installed.

"Gas is now not only part of Russia's foreign policy, but possibly also part of the Russian war strategy," Muller told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk in an interview.

It is now clear that gas will become more and more expensive, and this surge in prices will trickle down to customers in the autumn, the head of the German regulator said.

As long as Russia doesn't cut gas deliveries further and gas storage is still being filled, there is no threat of a gas shortage, Muller told Deutschlandfunk. He noted, however, that the supply from Russia is unpredictable and called for continued gas and energy savings.

So far this summer, households and businesses have already cut gas consumption by 5% to 6%, he added.

German companies warn they risk shutdowns of production in case the supply situation worsens.

Meanwhile, in Italy, supply from Russia was also cut on Wednesday. Germany and Italy are the largest buyers of Russian gas in Europe, and the cut in supplies in mid-June impacted them the most.

Italy's Eni said today that Gazprom had informed it that gas volumes would be around 27 million cubic meters on Wednesday, compared to daily deliveries of approximately 34 million cubic meters made in recent days.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
Japans Nippon Steel Corporation has signed an agreement with mining and trading giant Glencore for thermal coal supply at $375 per ton in what is likely one of the highest prices a Japanese firm has paid for the commodity ever, sources familiar with the deal told Bloomberg on Wednesday.

As coal prices are soaring amid a global energy crunch and bans on Russias coal exports in the West, customers around the world are paying record-high prices for coal and are using more coal as they switch from expensive gas, where the market is even tighter.

The price in the Nippon Steel-Glencore agreement for coal supply until March 2023 is three times higher than the price of similar supply deals signed last year, one of Bloombergs sources says.

Japan, a major importer of energy commodities, is looking to secure supply amid soaring coal and gas prices and utilities switching to coal from gas where possible to conserve gas. Japan is on the brink of an energy crisis as it is forced to tackle a combination of a weak local currency, the fallout from the Ukraine war, and summer heatwaves.

At the beginning of the summer, the Japanese government called on households and companies to conserve as much electricity as possible this summer, seeking to prevent blackouts as spare power reserve capacity is expected to drop to critically low levels. The nationwide energy-conservation effort will be implemented from July 1 to September 30, amid concerns that Japans power system may not handle demand in peak summer.

Companies and countries importing energy commodities face surging coal prices as Europe restarts mothballed coal-fired power plants to conserve gas with the high uncertainty over Russian gas supply. The global coal benchmark, Australia Newcastle Coal futures, hit $414 on ICE Futures Europe early on Wednesday, while coal futures for 2023 in Europe soared to a record high on Tuesday after Russia said it would slash gas supply to Europe again.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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A 180,000-bpd pipeline in Nigeria hasnt transported any crude across Africas top oil producer since the middle of June due to oil theft, a source with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg on Wednesday.

OPEC member Nigeria has been suffering for years of rampant oil theft from pipelines which has often forced operators to shut down crude links for repairs and even declare force majeure on crude loadings because oil couldnt reach terminals on time.

The pipeline targeted in the latest oil theft, Trans-Niger Pipeline, has not been formally shut yet, Bloombergs source said on condition of anonymity because they were sharing information that has not been made public yet.

Per Bloombergs estimates, the Trans-Niger Pipeline, with its capacity of transporting 180,000 barrels per day (bpd), accounts for around 15% of Nigerias latest daily average oil production.

Oil theft has been a never-ending issue in Nigerias oil industry for years, crippling supply and production and making international majors warier of investing in production assets in Nigerias onshore.

A lack of investment and capacity has prevented Nigeria from reaching its target production under the OPEC+ agreement for more than a year. Nigeria has been the biggest laggard in the production pact for several months. As of June, Nigeria was already pumping 500,000 bpd below its OPEC+ target. Nigerian crude oil production averaged 1.238 million bpd last month, according to OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), while Nigerias June quota was 1.772 million bpd.

Unlike other crude oil producers, Nigeria has not been able to take advantage of the multi-year high oil prices this year. Nigerian oil revenues have come in 61% below target for the first four months of 2022. Thats despite crude oil trading at highs not seen in years. Nigeria continues to battle oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and most critically, high gasoline prices, which the country subsidizes.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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First National Bank of Omaha announced Friday that it has acquired SAF Holdings and SAFs Omaha subsidiary AmeriFirst Home Improvement Finance.

AmeriFirst will keep its name and operate as a division of FNBO, according to a press release. Existing AmeriFirst employees will become FNBO employees. A spokesman for FNBO declined to disclose the price of the acquisition.

A press release from FNBO said AmeriFirst is a leading originator and servicer of consumer home improvement loans in a nearly $150 billion market. FNBOs acquisition will allow the banking entity to expand its existing point-of-sale lending capabilities and thus add to its credit card and buy now, pay later programs.

AmeriFirst is very excited to join the culturally like-minded FNBO team, said Eric Gangloff, CEO and chairman of SAF Holdings and AmeriFirst CEO.

First National Bank of Omaha is the primary banking subsidiary of First National of Nebraska, which has nearly $30 billion in assets and 5,000 employees at more than 100 locations, including affiliates, in eight states.
Omahas summer music season continues this weekend as the Maha Festival returns to Aksarben Village on Friday for a two-day event.

The annual festival, held in Stinson Park near 67th and Center Streets, will feature a total of 15 musical acts.

Beach House, a dream pop duo from Baltimore, and indie-rock group Car Seat Headrest are this years headliners for the event. Hip-hop and rap artist Princess Nokia is the other featured artist on Saturday.

Other Maha performers include: Toronto indie-punk band PUP; Saddle Creek Records indie rock artist Indigo De Souza; alternative R&B artist Sudan Archives; alternative-indie rock artist Bartees Strange; indie-rock-post-punk band Geese; and alternative-post-punk duo Sweeping Promises.

Omaha artists Marcey Yates, The Real Zebos, Dominique Morgan, Las Cruxes, Bad Self Portraits and DJ Shor-T also will appear.

Omaha Girls Rock is also on the program. Other features include local food and craft beverages; comedy, poetry and other creative performances; and interactive experiences with community partners at the Community Village. Outside food and beverages  except for factory-sealed water  will not be allowed at the festival.

Maha will be held rain or shine, and will only delay or postpone in the event of severe weather such as lightning, strong winds or heavy rains. The National Weather Service forecast for Friday night calls for mostly clear skies and lows in the low 60s. Saturday should be sunny with highs in the upper 80s and a low in the mid-60s Saturday night.

The event is cashless, which means credit cards or Maha Money Cards  which you can load cash onto  will be the only forms of payment accepted by all of the vendors. Maha Money Cards can be picked up at the guest services tent. Funds can be loaded onto Maha Money Cards as often as needed but are nonrefundable.

Tickets to the festival are still available. A two-day passes is $85; Friday general admission is $35 and Saturday general admission is $65. VIP tickets include access to the Google VIP area, which features air-conditioned restrooms, lounge-seating, special viewing area and more. A two-day VIP tickets is $230; Friday VIP is $90 and Saturday VIP is $165. These prices do not reflect additional taxes and fees.

Free parking is available at four parking garages within Aksarben Village. When going to the festival, come in from the north on 67th Street or from the west or east on West Center Road. It is not recommended to use Mercy Road from 72nd Street, nor will parking be allowed in that area.

(Schedule is subject to change)

Friday

5 p.m.  Gates open

5:30 p.m.  Las Cruxes on Union Pacific stage

6:15 p.m.  Bad Self Portraits on Titos stage

7 p.m.  Sweeping Promises on Union Pacific stage

8:15 p.m.  Indigo De Souza on Titos stage

9:30 p.m.  Car Seat Headrest on Union Pacific stage

Saturday

1 p.m.  Doors open

1:30 p.m.  DJ Shor-T on Union Pacific stage

2:15 p.m.  Dominique Morgan on Titos stage

3 p.m.  The Real Zebos on Union Pacific stage

3:35 p.m.  Omaha Girls Rock on Union Pacific stage

4 p.m.  Marcey Yates on Titos stage

4:45 p.m.  Geese on Union Pacific stage

5:45 p.m.  Sudan Archives on Titos stage

6:45 p.m.  Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever on Union Pacific stage

7:45 p.m.  PUP on Titos stage

9 p.m.  Princess Nokia on Union Pacific stage

10:30 p.m.  Beach House on Union Pacific stage

For more information, go to mahafestival.com.
PUTNAM, Conn. (AP)  Even as numerous Republican-governed states push for sweeping bans on abortion, there is a coinciding surge of concern in some Democratic-led states that options for reproductive health care are dwindling due to expansion of Catholic hospital networks.

These are states such as Oregon, Washington, California and Connecticut, where abortion will remain legal despite the U.S. Supreme Courts recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Concerns in these blue states pertain to such services as contraception, sterilization and certain procedures for handling pregnancy emergencies. These services are widely available at secular hospitals but generally forbidden, along with abortion, at Catholic facilities under directives set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The differing perspectives on these services can clash when a Catholic hospital system seeks to acquire or merge with a non-sectarian hospital, as is happening now in Connecticut. State officials are assessing a bid by Catholic-run Covenant Health to merge with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system based in the town of Putnam.

We need to ensure that any new ownership can provide a full range of care  including reproductive health care, family planning, gender-affirming care and end-of-life care, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat.

Lois Utley, a specialist in tracking hospital mergers, said her organization, Community Catalyst, has identified more than 20 municipalities in blue or purple states where the only acute care hospitals are Catholic.

We are definitely sliding backwards in terms of comprehensive reproductive health, Utley said. Catholic systems are taking over many physician practices, urgent care centers, ambulatory care centers, and patients seeking contraception wont be able to get it if their physician is now part of that system.

According to the Catholic Health Association, there are 654 Catholic hospitals in the U.S., including 299 with obstetric services. The CHA says more than one in seven U.S. hospital patients are cared for in a Catholic facility.

The CHAs president, Sister Mary Haddad, said the hospitals provide a wide range of prenatal, obstetric and postnatal services while assisting in about 500,000 births annually.

This commitment is rooted in our reverence for life, from conception to natural death, Haddad said via email. As a result, Catholic hospitals do not offer elective abortions.

Protocols are different for dire emergencies when the mother suffers from an urgent, life-threatening condition during pregnancy, Haddad said. Catholic health clinicians provide all medically indicated treatment even if it poses a threat to the unborn.

This approach is now being mirrored in several states imposing bans that allow abortions only to save a mothers life. There is concern that doctors governed by such bans  whether a state law or a Catholic directive  may endanger a pregnant womans health by withholding treatment as she begins to show ill effects from a pregnancy-related problem.

In California, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener is among those warily monitoring the proliferation of Catholic health care providers, who operate 52 hospitals in his state.

The hospitals provide superb care to a lot of people, including low-income communities, Wiener said. But they absolutely deny people access to reproductive health care."

Its the bishop, not professional standards, that are dictating who can receive what health care, Wiener said. That is scary.

Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine, says critics of the mergers fail to acknowledge a major benefit of Catholic health care expansion.

These mergers take place because Catholic institutions are willing to take on the really hard places where others have failed to make money, he said. We should focus on what these institutions are doing in a positive way  stepping into the breach where virtually no one else wants to go, especially in rural areas.

That argument has resonance in mostly rural northeast Connecticut, where Day Kimball serves a population of about 125,000.

Kyle Kramer, Day Kimballs CEO, said the 104-bed hospital has sought a financial partner for more than seven years and would soon face very serious issues if forced to continue alone.

Regarding the proposed merger, he said, Change is always difficult.

However, he said Day Kimball would remain committed to comprehensive care if the merger proceeds, seeking to inform patients of all options in such matters as contraception, miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.

As for abortions, Kramer said Day Kimball had never performed them for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy and would continue that policy if partnering with Covenant.

Despite such assurances, some residents are concerned that the regions only hospital would become Catholic-owned. Some merger opponents protested outside the hospital last Monday.

Sue Grant Nash, a retired Day Kimball hospice social worker, described herself as religious but said peoples values should not be imposed on others.

Very important articles of faith that Catholics may have, and I respect completely, shouldnt impact the quality of health care that is available to the public, she said.

There have been related developments in other states.

In Washington, Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall plans to re-introduce a bill that would empower the attorney general to block hospital mergers and acquisitions if they jeopardize the continued existence of accessible, affordable health care, including reproductive health care. Gov. Jay Inslee says he is in support of such a measure.

The state has already passed a bill that bars the states religious hospitals from prohibiting health care providers from providing medically necessary care to hasten miscarriages or end nonviable pregnancies, like ectopic pregnancies. Under the new law, patients can sue a hospital if they are denied such care, and providers can also sue if they're disciplined for providing such care.

In Oregon, the state has new authority to bar religious hospitals from acquiring or merging with another health care entity if that means access to abortion and other reproductive services would be reduced. A law that took effect March 1 requires state approval for mergers and acquisitions of sizable health care entities.

The law also allows the state to consider end-of-life options allowed by hospitals seeking to establish a footprint or expand in Oregon, which in 1994 became the first state to legalize medical aid in dying.

Crary reported from New York. Associated Press reporters Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon, and Adam Beam in Sacramento, California, contributed.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP)  Abortion bans set to take effect this week in Wyoming and North Dakota were temporarily blocked Wednesday by judges in those states amid lawsuits arguing that the bans violate their state constitutions.

A judge in Wyoming sided with a firebombed womens health clinic and others who argued the ban would harm health care workers and their patients, while a North Dakota judge sided with the states only abortion clinic, Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo.

The Wyoming law was set to take effect Wednesday. The North Dakota law was set to take effect Thursday.

Meanwhile, West Virginia lawmakers moved ahead with a ban amid protests and dozens speaking against the measure.

During hours of debate leading up to the 69-23 vote in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates in West Virginia, the sound of screams and chants from protesters standing outside the chamber rang through the room.

Face us, the crowd yelled.

The latest court action in North Dakota and Wyoming put them among several states including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have temporarily blocked implementation of trigger laws while lawsuits play out.

Attorneys arguing before Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens, in Jackson, Wyoming, disagreed over whether the state constitution provided a right to abortion that would nullify the state's abortion trigger law that took effect Wednesday.

Owens proved most sympathetic, though, with arguments that the ban left pregnant patients with dangerous complications and their doctors in a difficult position as they balanced serious medical risks against the possibility of prosecution.

That is a possible irreparable injury to the plaintiffs. They are left with no guidance, Owens said.

Several states including Wyoming recently passed abortion trigger bans should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, which happened June 24. The U.S. Supreme Court formally issued its judgment Tuesday.

After a more than three-week review, Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, last week gave the go-ahead for the Wyoming abortion ban he signed into law in March to take effect Wednesday but it is instead on hold after the ruling.

The Wyoming law would outlaw abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mothers life or health, not including psychological conditions. Doctors and others who provide illegal abortions under Wyomings new law could get up to 14 years in prison.

The four Wyoming women and two nonprofits that sued Monday to contest the new law claim it violates several rights guaranteed by the state constitution. Wyoming Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde was skeptical, saying the state constitution neither explicitly nor implicitly allowed abortion.

No such right exists. You can't infringe what isnt there, Jerde told Owens.

The lawsuit claims the abortion ban will harm the women  two obstetricians, a pregnant nurse and a University of Wyoming law student  by outlawing potentially life-saving treatment options for their patients or themselves.

Those suing include a nonprofit opening a Casper womens and LGBTQ health clinic, Wellspring Health Access, that would have offered abortions. A May arson attack has set back the clinics opening from mid-June until at least the end of this year.

In North Dakota, Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick sided with the states only abortion clinic that the state had moved fast to let the law take effect. The clinic had argued that a 30-day clock should not have started until the U.S. Supreme Court issued its certified judgment on Tuesday.

The ruling will give the Red River clinic more time to relocate a few miles away to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion remains legal. North Dakotas law would make abortion illegal in the state except in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother.

Meetra Mehdizadeh, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is helping the clinic with the suit, said the plaintiffs will do everything in our power to fight this ban and keep abortion accessible in North Dakota for as long as possible.

In West Virginia, meanwhile, lawmakers on Wednesday debated a sweeping abortion ban bill on the House floor that would make providing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill makes exceptions for rape or incest up to 14 weeks of gestation and for certain medical complications.

Whats ringing in my ears is not the noise of the people here, said one of the bills supporters, Republican Del. Brandon Steele of Raleigh County. Its the cries of the unborn, tens of thousands of unborn children that are dead today.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said a 19th century law banned abortion in the state. Last week, a state judge barred the state from enforcing that ban, saying it was superseded by conflicting, newer laws.

Hundreds of people descended on the state Capitol for the debate. Many stood outside the House chamber and Speaker Roger Hanshaws office chanting and holding signs reading we will not go quietly and stop stealing our health care. Security officers escorted some from the House chambers.

Dozens spoke against the bill on the House floor including Katie Quinonez, executive director of the Women's Health Center of West Virginia, who was cut off and asked to step down as she started to talk about the abortion she got when she was 17.

I chose life, she said, raising her voice to speak over the interruption. I chose my life, because my life is sacred.

Associated Press reporter Dave Kolpack contributed to this report from Fargo, North Dakota. Willingham reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Follow Mead Gruver on Twitter at https://twitter.com/meadgruver.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A crypto mining company plans to redevelop a northeastern North Dakota anti-ballistic missile site abandoned in the 1970s into data center that may be used for the mining of bitcoin and other digital currencies, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday.

Bitzero Blockchain Inc., which is backed by strategic investor and Shark Tank star Kevin OLeary, announced last month that it planned to make North Dakota its headquarters for North American operations. The company said within three years it intends to build 200 megawatts of data centers in the state and is involved in a joint venture to become an assembly and distribution hub for graphene battery technology.

Long considered a white elephant and waste of taxpayers money, the site at Nekoma grew out of a 1972 treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The $6 billion Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex once housed a radar system within a concrete pyramid, with 7-foot-thick, steel-reinforced walls. It was deactivated in 1976 after only a few months of operation. Nekomas population reached several hundred, compared with about 30 today, and surrounding towns benefited from an influx of highly paid missile experts and support personnel.

The Cavalier County Job Development Authority has owned the site since 2017. Spokeswoman Carol Goodman said the facility would be sold to the company for $250,000.

Burgum said waste heat captured from the data centers servers will be used to heat an on-site greenhouse, and the company also is planning an interpretive center, representing a total investment estimated by Bitzero at $500 million.

This important piece of history will be restored and become a beacon for North Dakota innovation to the rest of the world, Burgum said.

Bitzero has signed leases in both Bismarck and Fargo for administrative operations. The Nekoma site will be their primary data center site in North Dakota, Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said.

The second-term Republican governor hailed the Atlas Power Data Center to be built by Missoula, Montana-based FX Solutions Inc. as one of the biggest such centers in the world, and one that will help diversify the economy in Williston-area that has suffered oil boom-bust cycles for decades.

Burgum, a wealthy former Microsoft executive, called data centers an incredible forward- looking industry not dependent on the price of oil.

Uses for data centers include the mining of bitcoin and other digital currencies. Cryptocurrency mining involves supercomputers to solve complex calculations needed to provide security for transactions in the digital currency.

The process requires vast amounts of power and generates much heat. Burgum has said North Dakota is an ideal place for data centers because it has a reliable and affordable power supply, and a climate that lowers cooling costs.

Burgum spokesman Nowatzki said no public money has been earmarked for any of the projects, though they are expected to qualify for tax credits already given to agriculture, energy and other industries.
A staff member at the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility in Omaha was injured in an alleged assault by an inmate Monday.

The staff member was attempting to restrain the inmate when the inmate punched the staff member in the head multiple times, according to a press release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

The staff member was taken to an Omaha area hospital for evaluation, according to the department. The assessment determined the staff member had a serious injury, which the department defines as an injury that restricts a person's usual activity and requires immediate medical treatment.

The incident is under investigation and findings will be provided to the county attorney for possible criminal prosecution, according to the department. The department also will enforce its disciplinary process, which could result in loss of good time or other sanctions for the inmate.
A Council Bluffs man and an Omaha man have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms in separate sex trafficking cases that were handled in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.

A federal jury convicted Jesse Cody, 34, of Council Bluffs, of trafficking an 18-year-old woman in foster care and a 19-year-old woman from Omaha. The woman in foster care testified that Cody forced her to have sex with men for money that he would keep.

The 18-year-old testified that Cody beat, raped, and choked her when she would refuse to comply with his demands. Cody induced the 19-year-old woman, then a college student, into sex trafficking by misrepresenting to her the money she could make and the lifestyle she would lead and then took most of the money for himself.

Cody was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He also was ordered to register as a sex offender and serve a five-year year term of supervised release after prison.

Hammaduzzaman Syed, 34, of Omaha, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

In November 2020, a deputy with the Douglas County Sheriffs Office posted an advertisement on a website known to be used for prostitution. Syed responded to the phone number on the ad by text message and began communicating with an undercover deputy who pretended to be a 15-year-old girl.

Syed then arranged to travel to meet the juvenile and pay $100 for sex. He arrived at the location with condoms and $100.

After his release, Syed is to serve a five-year term of supervised release.
Tacos, wine, hamburgers and beer top the list of offerings at this years Chicago Gourmet, a four-day extravaganza highlighting the best aspects of the citys dining scene.

Tickets for the main fest and its satellite events Sept. 22-25 go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, ranging from $255 for one of two expansive Grand Cru tasting sessions, to $60 for Late Night Gourmet.

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Unless otherwise stated below, the events will take place on the rooftop of Harris Theater, overlooking Millennium Park, and are open to people 21 years and older.

Chef Rick Bayless explains a cooking method during Chicago Gourmet at Millennium Park in Chicago in 2019. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)

Kicking off the festivities Thursday, Sept. 22, celebrity chef Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo) will host the chefs behind some of Chicagos top taco spots during Tacos & Tequila. From 7-10 p.m., mariachi bands and DJs will entertain while guests sip on tequila and mezcal. Chefs whipping up tacos range from Marcos Ascencio of Taqueria Chingon to chefs from Carnitas Uruapan, Rubis on 18th and 5 Rabanitos. Tickets are $99 per person.

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[ Review: After 25 years, Rubis Tacos finally has a permanent home for one of Chicagos best tacos ]

Friday, Sept. 23 will feature the Somm Sessions lunch ($250 per person) at Lyra, 905 W. Fulton Market, where a trio of master sommeliers compete with wine and song pairings for each course from noon to 2 p.m.

That evening, James Beard award-winning chef Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat will host the fan-favorite Hamburger Hop, which will pit a dozen chefs against one another as they vie for the beefy glory of being named the events top burger  or the winner of the Peoples Choice award, selected by guests.

A worker grills burger patties during Chicago Gourmet's Hamburger Hop at the Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace on Sept. 24, 2021, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Hamburger Hop competitors include chefs DAndre Carter of Soul & Smoke (which the Tribune named as the best new Chicago-style barbecue of 2022); Rohini Dey of Vermilion, Becca Grothe of TriBeccas Sandwich Shop, recent Chopped winner and Frontier chef Brian Jupiter, and more. Tickets are $130 per person.

[ Critics Choice Food Awards: Chicagos best new restaurant, barbecue and more winners for 2022 ]

Late Night Gourmet will follow with late-night bites, specialty cocktails and music at TAO Chicago, 632 N. Dearborn St., from 9 p.m. to midnight. Guests can get a discounted package for Hamburger Hop and Late Night Gourmet for $175.

Grand Cru will draw the largest list of acclaimed Chicago chefs to the Harris Theater rooftop during two sessions Saturday, Sept. 24, from 2-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. Joining Izard and fellow Top Chef winner Joe Flamm, executive chef of Rose Mary, featured Grand Cru chefs include James Beard award winner Beverly Kim of Michelin one-star restaurant Parachute and Wherewithall; Thai Dang (HaiSous), Devon Quinn (eden), Dylan Patel (avec) and Jenner Tomaska of Esme, which also has a Michelin star.

[ Review: Top Chef winner Joe Flamms Rose Mary is packed, but is it good? ]

[ Review: I was deeply skeptical of Esmes $200 tasting menu, art-focused concept. I was wrong. ]

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Along with the local chefs, French chef Daniel Boulud, best known for his eponymous Michelin two-star restaurant in New York City, Daniel, will be at both sessions.

Samantha Klotz of Kinzie Chophouse with a platter of burgers during Chicago Gourmet at Millennium Park in 2018. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

New this year, Prost! in the Park will wrap up the weekend with an Oktoberfest-style beer and spirits festival with host chef Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde.

[ Chicagos 2022 Michelin star, Bib Gourmand restaurants, mapped ]

From 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, drinks and bites celebrating German tradition with a dash of Chicago spirit will get dished out by participating chefs including Leigh Omilinsky (Swift & Sons), Tigist Reda (Demera Ethiopian Restaurant), Darnell Reed (Luellas Southern Kitchen), Mark Steuer (Funkenhauser) and Paul Virant (Vie, Vistro Prime and Gaijin). Tickets are $95 per person.

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Chef Sarah Grueneberg at the announcement of Chicago Gourmet's 2019 lineup, at Monteverde. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

This year, the festival will benefit the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the association behind Chicago Gourmet. The foundation offers scholarships for postsecondary degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management; a restaurant employee relief fund; and other career support for the industry.

For tickets, a full list of participating chefs and event details, visit chicagogourmet.org.

archeung@chicagotribune.com

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana Republican lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly advanced a plan to ban nearly all abortions in the state, despite opposition from abortion-rights supporters, who say the bill goes too far, and anti-abortion activists, who say it doesn't go far enough.

Indiana has one of the first Republican-run state legislatures to debate tighter abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned Roe v. Wade. Its debate comes amid an evolving landscape of abortion politics across the country as Republicans face some party divisions and Democrats see a possible election-year boost.

The U.S. Supreme Court formally issued its judgment Tuesday in the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson ruling  a step that allows some state trigger laws to ban abortion to take effect.

In Indiana, chants from anti-abortion activists, such as "Let their heart beat, could be heard inside the Senate chamber as a committee wrapped up two days of testimony during which none of the more than 60 people speaking voiced support for the Republican-sponsored bill. Indiana Right to Life, the states most prominent anti-abortion group, organized a rally that drew several hundred protesters to the Statehouse, and the group's president, Mike Fichter, warned that conservative lawmakers need to act or explain themselves to voters in November.

A national poll taken this month found overwhelming majorities believe their state should generally allow abortion in specific cases, including if a pregnant woman's life is endangered or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Few think abortion should always be illegal, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

Indiana's measure would prohibit abortions from the time a fertilized egg implants in a uterus with limited exceptions  in cases of rape, incest and to protect the mothers life. Abortion-rights supporters object to the bill's tighter restrictions on the procedure, while abortion opponents say its too lenient with its exceptions and lacks enforcement teeth.

A top legislative Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mark Messmer, voted against the measure, lamenting the near impossibility of threading the perfect needle on the issue during a short special legislative session that GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb originally called to address a tax rebate plan. He has not said whether he supports the abortion ban that's being discussed.

In West Virginia, the Republican-dominated Legislature rejected for the second time in two days efforts by Democrats to add exceptions for rape and incest victims to a bill banning abortion in almost all cases. It would make performing the procedure a felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison.

The Indiana proposal followed a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring Ohio to end a pregnancy. The case gained attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to come to Indiana because a newly imposed Ohio law bans abortions if cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus, possibly as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

Such abortions would still be allowed under the Indiana proposal, though lawmakers voted Tuesday to limit how long rape and incest victims have. Those 16 or older could get an abortion until eight weeks of pregnancy, while people younger than 16 would have until 12 weeks.

The committee voted 7-5 in favor of the ban after also adding provisions under which doctors could face felony criminal charges and up to six years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. That's the same potential penalty for performing abortions under Indianas current 20-week ban.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which has sued over previous abortion restrictions, said the ban would endanger women.

Indiana legislators are putting the health and safety of Hoosier women at risk, and again surrendering to the demands of a small group of anti-abortion extremists, said Katie Blair, the organizations advocacy director.

Cathie Humbarger, a longtime leader of the Fort Wayne-based Right to Life chapter, also opposes the bill  for very different reasons.

It is totally unenforceable and as such renders it basically worthless, Humbarger told the committee. You can, and must, do better.

More amendments to the bill could be debated by the full Senate on Thursday.

Indiana Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said lawmakers were struggling to deal with issues they hadn't faced before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Were working in earnest to try and find a path forward, listening to everybody thats out there, Bray said.

Elsewhere Tuesday, a South Carolina judge denied a request to temporarily block enforcement of that states six-week abortion ban. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and other plaintiffs had asked the judge for an injunction while courts determine whether the law violates the state constitution.

And in Louisiana, a judge rejected a request from state officials to lift his order blocking a ban while they pursue an appeal. That means abortions remain accessible in that state.

Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Rodgers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers
BEIJING (AP)  Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday formally invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Group of 20 summit in Bali this fall, although it's unclear whether he would attend in person.

The invitation came during a meeting in Beijing where the two discussed issues ranging from trade to maritime cooperation.

President Xi expressed his thanks and wished complete success for the summit, China's state broadcaster CCTV said, without giving further details. The summit is to be held on the Indonesian resort island on Nov. 15-16.

Xi has not left China since January 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak, choosing instead to attend major events via video. It is also unclear whether he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok shortly after the G-20 summit.

The G-20 is considered a valued grouping for China because it includes not only the rich Western countries but also the voices of major middle-income nations such as China, India and Brazil.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have acted as Xis proxies over the recent years, even while Chinas foreign and economic policies, including its tacit support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict, have put its relations with the U.S., Europe and other countries under heavy stress.

Indonesia and China enjoy generally positive ties, although Jakarta has expressed concern about Chinese encroachment on its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. A statement from Widodos office said he described China as Indonesias comprehensive strategic partner.

We must fill this partnership with cooperation that is beneficial for our country, and at the same time for the region and the world, the statement quoted Widodo as saying.

CCTV said the two leaders touched on cooperation battling the pandemic and committed to boosting trade and investment.

A delayed project to build a high-speed rail line from Indonesias capital Jakarta to the city of Bandung would be completed as scheduled and other flagship projects launched, it said.

They also agreed to speed up the formulation of a new five-year action plan for relations that would better improve the well-being of the two peoples, and demonstrate greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and safeguarding global fairness and justice, CCTV said.

On maritime issues, it said the sides agreed to strengthen communication and engage in fisheries cooperation to tap the potential of the marine economy.

The Indonesian president is one of the few foreign leaders to travel to China, which has strictly limited visitors from overseas because of the pandemic.

This story corrects year when Xi has last left China.
DEWEY BEACH, Del. (AP)  An ex-adviser to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was killed in a crash after police say a Lyft driver ordered him out of the car in the middle of a Delaware highway over the weekend.

Delaware State Police on Wednesday said the ride-hailing driver, who initially fled, was cooperating with authorities and no charges had been filed in connection with the death of 43-year-old Sidney Wolf of Clarksburg, Maryland, WJLA-TV reported.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. Sunday after a group of six friends ordered a Lyft ride from Dewey Beach back to their residence in Bethany Beach, police said. As they traveled south on U.S. Route 1, a dispute arose between the passengers and the Lyft driver, prompting the drive to stop in the left lane of the highway and demand that all six passengers get out of the car, police said.

That's when police said Wolf got out of the car and was struck by a passing Toyota Corolla. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

Wolf had been a senior policy advisor for Cuomo in Washington, D.C., the Albany Times-Union reported. Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi told the newspaper that Wolf was always smart, nice, prepared.

Cuomo tweeted that he was shocked by the news, calling Wolf "a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NYers.

Wolf recently worked as the reelection campaign manager for Montgomery County Councilmember Sidney Katz, who called Wolf's death "absolutely heartbreaking, WJLA-TV reported.

In a statement, a Lyft spokesperson told news outlets that the company has permanently removed the driver from the Lyft community.

We are heartbroken by this incident," the spokesperson said. "Our hearts are with Mr. Wolfs loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, and weve reached out to offer our support.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  North Dakota's only abortion clinic is preparing for what could be its final day of performing procedures, with a trigger ban due to take effect Thursday that will likely force patients to travel hundreds of miles to receive care pending the clinic's relocation across the border to Minnesota.

Barring a judge's intervention, the Red River Women's Clinic will provide abortion services Wednesday then shut down. Owner Tammi Kromenaker is building a new clinic in Moorhead, Minnesota, with the aid of nearly $1 million raised through GoFundMe.

Kromenaker has not said when the new clinic will open and she did not respond to messages Tuesday. Planned Parenthood has said it can perform abortions at its own Moorhead facility to fill the gap if needed, but it is not clear if that will happen.

Once North Dakotas ban takes effect, the nearest abortion clinics will be in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota, a drive of about four hours from Fargo, and in Billings, Montana, which is nearly four hours from North Dakotas western border.

Destini Spaeth, the volunteer leader of an independent group that helps fund abortions in North Dakota, is investigating temporary solutions until the Moorhead clinic opens. That could include helping to pay for trips to Minnesota and Montana.

To have to cross state lines and to be treated like and spoken about like a criminal in your home state and forced to travel elsewhere, pleading for care, desperate for care, said Spaeth, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Women In Need fund. It's got to be just so traumatic.

Kristi Wolff, executive director of the North Dakota Women's Network, said the women's advocacy group still refers people to the Red River Women's Clinic or to a physician if that's what's needed. Wolff said she has fielded numerous calls from women showing a lot of uncertainty and despair and anger" about what's in store.

If there is no clinic operating within North Dakota, women will have to travel farther, Wolff said. In order to do that, they have to have the resources for adequate transportation, you know, gas money, child care, time off work, they need all those things. To have to do that just get to health care, thats unacceptable.

The clinic is suing in state court to block the trigger law, which was passed years ago to take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade precedent establishing a right to abortion. The lawsuit argues that a ban would be contrary to the state constitution. It also argues that Attorney General Drew Wrigley prematurely started the 30-day countdown for the law to take effect.

I'm not holding my breath for an injunction," Spaeth said. I think we're preparing for tomorrow to be the last clinic day in North Dakota for a while.

The first abortion clinic in Fargo opened in 1981, in a two-story house that was more than 70 years old. It was the site of intense protests in the early 1990s sparked by a national group that locked themselves to cars, trees, street signs and other objects. The clinic moved to its current location in downtown Fargo in 1998.

While the move to Moorhead will add a couple of miles for patients from the Dakotas, it will also mean that the weekly group of anti-abortion protesters won't be traveling much further. Some of them have called Wednesday's planned Fargo finale bittersweet and said they will resume their posts when the new clinic opens.

McKenzie McCoy, executive director of North Dakota Right To Life, said shes overjoyed the clinic is closing but isnt blind to the fact that the clinic is reopening a few miles away.

So we will continue to go across to Minnesota to love these women and show that, you know, were here for you, regardless of the decision, but that there really are other solutions, she said.
KEARNEY, Neb.  With the pandemic waning, its time for Nebraska schools to restore normal, but that doesnt mean just returning to the old ways of doing things, Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt told a gathering of state education leaders Wednesday.

School leaders should use the lessons of the last several years to improve education, Blomstedt said.

I keep hearing, every once in a while, average is normal, he said. Well, that doesnt seem very satisfactory to me.

Educators have a chance to establish a new normal that is not the usual, not average, he said.

Blomstedt made the comments at the Administrators Days conference at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.

More than 1,000 educators from Nebraska schools attended the conference, which is part pep rally and part cram session as educators learn about trends and legal changes affecting schools in the year ahead.

Several recent high school graduates joined Blomstedt on stage to offer their thoughts on the impact of the pandemic.

Some districts in Nebraska are already welcoming new teachers this week. Students will start returning to most districts in mid-August.

In his message to leaders, Blomstedt said that before the pandemic, schools were experiencing unacceptable achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, poverty and special needs.

He said he doesnt want to return to that point and re-establish the practices that entrench that as normal.

Blomstedt said that when floods, fires and tornadoes strike, people dont just rebuild but try to rebuild better.

He noted that 77,000 students across the state were chronically absent last year.

Thats like 23% of our total student population. Thats a lot, he said. Pre-pandemic that was 45,000. I dont care much for this number either. Thats not the normal I want.

He offered another post-pandemic state statistic: a 31 percentage point gap between the math proficiency of English language learners and all students.

Before the pandemic, the gap was 26 percentage points, he said.

Again, Im not happy with normal, he said.

In light of the teacher shortage, officials have to figure out ways to get more teachers into the classroom, he said.

The number of unfilled teaching positions keeps growing  482 at last count, he said.

We have to be unusual and, quite frankly, we just have to figure out a way that were going to grow and get better together.

Blomstedt said he is excited that Legislative Resolution 335, passed in the last session, set a target for postsecondary education and training goals for young Nebraskans.

In the resolution, state lawmakers set a state goal of having at least 70% of 25- to 34-year-old Nebraskans having a degree, certificate, diploma, or other postsecondary or industry-recognized credential with economic value by 2030.

He said he was a little dumbfounded to learn that the number is currently 48%.

The graduates who joined Blomstedt on stage recounted how the pandemic affected their lives. They said it influenced their study habits, how they coped with uncertainty and anxiety. It increased their empathy and their understanding of the tough decisions school leaders were making, they said. Isolated at home, some discovered new passions and hobbies, or used the time alone for self-reflection, they said.

They said the remote and hybrid learning models that schools used pushed them to be more accountable for their own education. But it had a negative effect on some kids who lost some of their self-discipline in the abbreviated schedules, they said.

Carson Richters, who graduated from Centennial High School in Utica in 2021, said that some, upon returning to in-person learning, kind of resorted to I only got a year left, so Im just going to fake it till I make it. 

Sophia Cox, who graduated from Lincoln North Star High School in 2021, said she learned to adapt, to cope with uncertainty and to manage anxiety.

I also learned a lot about accountability and also empathy, Cox said. That was really important. Even when I was frustrated, I learned a lot about remembering, why are we wearing these masks, why are we taking these safety precautions. Because a lot of people arent as fortunate as me, and its serious.
Perhaps its no surprise in the case of a man whose orbit is known as Fortlandia that an attorney has had to come to the defense of another attorney.

Such is the case in the United States v. Jeff Fortenberry, the former Republican congressman from Lincoln who was convicted by a jury of lying to federal agents and trying to conceal the source of $30,000 in foreign campaign funds.

In the month since sentencing Fortenberry to two years of probation, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. has turned his attention to Fortenberrys lead attorney, John Littrell of Los Angeles.

A stickler, Blumenfeld bristled at a portion of Littrells closing argument to jurors concerning Fortenberrys fate. The judges concern: Littrell had suggested to jurors that Fortenberry had testified in the case  through his taped statements to the FBI. Even though Fortenberry had not testified in court and even though the judge had admonished jurors that they were forbidden from holding Fortenberrys silence against him.

Moments after jurors began deliberating Fortenberrys fate in March, Blumenfeld upbraided Littrell over his argument. He noted that he had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that jurors were not to consider Fortenberrys silence in their deliberations. He then took the rare step of initiating an order to show cause as to whether Littrell should be sanctioned and/or referred to the standing committee on (attorney) discipline in California.

The problem: Prosecutors are not allowed to bring up how defendants refused to testify or speculate as to why they didnt testify. In turn, the defense isnt allowed to testify for their client or suggest reasons their client didnt testify, beyond the fact that its their constitutional right to not testify. In short, closing arguments are supposed to be centered on actual evidence presented at trial, not on what witnesses would have said.

When confronted about the impropriety, Mr. Littrell responded that he believed it was a fair comment and that reasonable minds can disagree about that,  Blumenfeld wrote. Because of the seriousness of this issue and Mr. Littrells response to it, the Court does not believe that it can let this matter stand without taking any action.

This week, an attorney for Littrell responded to the judge, defending the former public defenders closing argument. California attorney Guy Iversen noted that attorney arguments are often made on the fly as lawyers seek to zealously advocate for their client.

He cautioned Judge Blumenfeld to take care not to use (his) authority in a way that unreasonably chills advocacy by defense counsel.

Due to the difficulty of these decisions and the speed at which these must be made, there is always a risk of getting them wrong, Iversen wrote.

Blumenfeld has suggested that Littrell was wrong when he told jurors: So the court instructed you, rightfully so, that you cannot consider the fact that the Congressman didnt testify ... but thats a hard instruction to follow, especially in a case where were taking about whats in (Fortenberrys) mind, what he knew, what he remembered and what he understood. And we dont have to explain the decision not to testify but Im going to. And the answer is that he did testify. ... And the testimony that he gave in those (FBI) recordings was unvarnished, unprepared, uncounseled ... his memory is not better today than it was in 2019, so theres nothing really to add.

Blumenfeld said Littrell compounded the error by going on to explain what his client would have said had he elected to testify.

When the judge confronted him outside the presence of the jury, Littrell apologized if the judge thought he had gone too far. He said he had been wrestling with how to address the issue for a long time in court.

Jurors have a real problem when a defendant doesnt testify, Littrell told the judge. So I feel some obligation to say something about it. ... But if Ive gone too far, and it sounds like the Court feels I have, I certainly apologize. And I guess I would acknowledge that the risk falls on the defense when we do that. I felt it was a fair comment on the issue ... but certainly reasonable minds can disagree about that.

The judge seemed incensed by Littrells explanation, later writing: It is difficult to imagine how Mr. Littrell could believe that it was fair to introduce facts that were not presented at trial and (not) subject to cross examination. Indeed, Mr. Littrell maintained this position even after the Court explained the manifest unfairness of this tactic. ... The response suggests that Mr. Littrell not only fails to see anything wrong with his argument but also that he may continue to so argue in future cases.

Littrell, who has been a lawyer for 20 years, and his attorney responded to the judge this week, asking Blumenfeld not to impose sanctions. At Blumenfelds questioning, Littrell disclosed another time in his legal career when he told jurors about a clients decision not to testify. In 2010, Littrell told a jury that he had told his client not to testify. The judge in that case told him it was improper. I agree, Littrell said.

In Fortenberrys case, Littrell said he doesnt write out scripts when he does his closings. One risk of speaking without notes is that I may make an argument that is imprecise or poorly worded, he said. That is what happened here. In hindsight, I see that my comments were inartful and capable of being interpreted as arguing facts not in the record.

His attorney added that Littrell has learned his lesson. At the same time, Iversen said portions of Littrells arguments were perfectly reasonable: that Fortenberrys statements to the FBI were true and that his memory would not be better in 2022 than in 2019.

Blumenfeld will decide whether to take action against Littrell in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Fortenberry is appealing his convictions and sentence. One of his trial and appellate attorneys is Denver-based lawyer Glen Summers, who once was a groomsman for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a law clerk for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Speaking of attorneys, Fortenberrys latest campaign finance report lists $27,400 in payments to Littrell and the handful of attorneys who represented him at trial. That brings the total Fortenberry has paid for legal services this year to more than $625,000.

That money has come from his campaign funds, which have been depleted. Under federal law, elected officials are allowed to use campaign donations to pay for expenses related to campaign violations. Fortenberry is now working a job in Lincoln, making $144,000 a year, court documents say.

The additional $27,000 Fortenberrys campaign paid to his defense team came just a few weeks before his attorneys argued that the $25,000 fine Judge Blumenfeld imposed was too steep.
LINCOLN  An advocacy group has dropped its three-year-old lawsuit challenging Nebraskas use of private contractors to oversee Omaha-area child welfare cases.

Nebraska Appleseed asked last week for the case to be dismissed, saying it was no longer needed following the repeal of a state law allowing private management of child welfare cases in Douglas and Sarpy Counties and the early termination of Nebraskas contract with a Kansas-based nonprofit.

Legislative Bill 1173, which included the repeal provisions, passed the Nebraska Legislature in April and took effect July 21. The measure closed the door on the states troubled 12-year experiment in child welfare privatization.

State officials had already decided to end the case management contract with St. Francis Ministries of Wichita, Kansas. The early termination was announced in December and all remaining cases had been transitioned over to state workers by June 30.

Laura Virgl, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, said she was grateful for the Legislatures action to stop pursuing privatized oversight of the care of abused and neglected children.

I brought this case to challenge the unwillingness of the State and Legislature to recognize that this was not working, she said. Children and families were being subjected to an unjustified experiment and unequal treatment merely based on where they lived.

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment.

The lawsuit claimed that allowing privatization in Douglas and Sarpy Counties violated a clause in the Nebraska Constitution barring special legislation by allowing the state to manage child welfare cases in Nebraskas 91 other counties, but not in Douglas and Sarpy.

Nebraska originally attempted 12 years ago to privatize child welfare case management statewide. But the effort failed, with four of the five original contractors losing or dropping their contracts within two years.

Rather than disrupt the lone remaining contract, the Nebraska Legislature passed a law in 2012 allowing privatization to continue in the Omaha area as a pilot project. At the time, the state was contracting with the Nebraska Families Collaborative, later known as PromiseShip.

Appleseed and Virgl filed the lawsuit in 2019, after the state had gone through a competitive bidding process and announced plans to switch contractors to St. Francis. The lawsuit argued that the change would cause disruptions in services and the rationale for allowing the pilot project would no longer apply if a new contractor was hired.

In December, a consultant hired to study Nebraskas history with case management privatization concluded that the system increased instability and disruptions in care. By its nature, privatization involves time-limited contracts that can be lost during the next bidding process.

The consultant and a legislative investigative committee both concluded that Nebraska should go back to having state workers oversee child welfare cases.

St. Francis got the state contract after bidding 40% less than PromiseShip. St. Francis signed a five-year, $197 million contract in July 2019. But the Kansas entitys tenure was troubled from the start.

In January 2021, HHS was forced to sign a new, emergency contract to keep the agency operating. The 25-month, $147.3 million contract erased the original 40% cost difference. Even at the higher payment levels, St. Francis never met caseload standards set by Nebraska law and continually fell short on other contract requirements.
Natalia Wiita has been named president and publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Wiita, formerly the company's regional vice president of sales, succeeds Ava Thomas, who has been promoted to a group president position within Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald.

Thomas, in her new role, will oversee operations at Lees media companies in the Western Media Group, which includes markets from Nebraska to California. She will continue to serve as president of the World-Herald.

In addition to her new Journal Star role, Wiita, who has been with the company almost 18 years, will also be responsible for Lees media markets throughout Nebraska  the Beatrice Daily Sun, Columbus Telegram, Fremont Tribune, York News-Times, Grand Island Independent, Kearney Hub and North Platte Telegraph, along with a number of other weekly and niche publications and websites.

Natalia has the talent, energy and experience to lead this incredible organization to new heights. Shes incredibly smart, a strong developer of talent and has led our transformation to become the vibrant, digital-centric company we are today, Thomas said. Im confident our markets in Lincoln and across Nebraska are in great hands.

We have an accomplished and innovative team  driving change on both the advertising and news sides of the business  and Im honored to lead this incredible group, Wiita said. With a new home, a full suite of solutions designed to help local businesses thrive and new ways to connect our audience with our quality local journalism, the future is bright. I look forward to working side-by-side with this team as we continue to serve and support our community.

Wiita began her career with the Journal Star as a classified sales specialist while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was named advertising director in 2012, then vice president in 2017. In January of 2021, her role was expanded to include markets in western and central Nebraska, including North Platte, Kearney, Grand Island and York.

Wiita has earned numerous honors, including being named one of Editor and Publishers 25 under 35 industry leaders in 2016. She also sits on several boards, including the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County, Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools and Inspire.

Wiita and her husband Tyler have two children.
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said he is encouraged by the progress of talks with drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals to settle lawsuits in various states that claimed the company contributed to the U.S. opioid epidemic.

While many specific details must be finalized, this settlement can provide critically needed additional resources to combat the opioid crisis, which has only grown more dire in recent months, Peterson said in a prepared statement.

The deal in principle would rank among the larger ones so far in a years-long trend of companies settling lawsuits over the toll from an addiction and overdose epidemic that has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades, the Associated Press reported.

In their lawsuits, state governments and others claimed the Israel-based company promoted Actiq and Fentora, prescription opioids approved to treat cancer pain, plus generic opioids including oxycodone for use by noncancer patients.

The states also said the company downplayed the addiction risks and overstated their benefits, including encouraging the idea that signs of addiction actually were pseudoaddiction treated by prescribing more opioids.

States also claimed the company and its distributor, Anda, failed to comply with requirements on monitoring and reporting suspicious orders.

Teva has agreed to a settlement in principle on key financial terms that would provide $4.25 billion in cash, including payments under recent opioid settlement agreements with individual states. States and subdivisions that have not yet reached a settlement with the company will be eligible to participate. The deal also includes an option for each participating state to accept a share of $1.2 billion of Tevas generic naloxone product or $240 million in cash in lieu of the product. Naloxone, which many people know by the brand name Narcan, is used to counteract overdoses.

Teva disclosed the agreement Tuesday ahead of its earnings announcement Wednesday.

Final settlement numbers have not yet been determined. Negotiations are being led by 12 states, including Iowa.

This report contains material from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Jacob Meza and Clint Bautz of Lake Effect Brewing show off some of the brewery's beer on July 19, 2022. After 10 years of laboring in a tiny hidden space down an alley as one of Chicago's smallest breweries, Lake Effect Brewing will be moving in the coming months to a former auto shop on a busy and booming corner of Avondale Avenue. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Clint Bautz waited five years to move Lake Effect Brewing into a former Northwest Side fire station. Finally, he could wait no longer.

Bautz has pulled the plug on his long-awaited and oft-delayed move to the 116-year-old Jefferson Park building to open instead 3 miles south, in a former auto repair shop at 3076 N. Milwaukee Ave., at the northern edge of the Logan Square neighborhood.

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Bautz, a former architect and urban planner, had grown attached to giving a second life to the former fire station, which sits a mile from his home. But after so long in limbo while operating Lake Effect from an alley off Montrose Avenue, hes glad to finally have concrete plans that will lead to more exposure.

Im relieved Im moving forward more than I am disappointed, he said.

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Bautz hopes to be brewing in the new space by the end of the year and to have the taproom open by spring.

Jacob Meza packages cans at Lake Effect Brewing on July 19, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

In Chicagos robust brewing landscape, Lake Effect is one of the smallest breweries, producing about 500 barrels of beer per year. The new space is hardly massive: a modest 1,600 square feet that will house both production and a taproom, plus outside space Bautz will attempt to covert to year-round use. The move is a bid for stability rather than marked growth; Bautz likes operating a neighborhood joint in a big city.

The focus was always to be locally focused and not to take over the world, he said.

The redevelopment of the former fire station, at 4841 N. Lipps Ave., has been years in planning and will go on, said Tim Pomaville, president of developer Ambrosia Homes. Pomaville said he wants to anchor the propertys first floor with another brewery, bar or restaurant with flair, the kind of opening more commonly associated with the West Loop or Logan Square. Something fun people will get excited about that we really dont have in Jefferson Park, he said. Eight apartments are planned above.

The redevelopment has been dogged by factors including slow permitting from the city, the COVID-19 pandemic, remediation that Pomaville said included removing lead paint and asbestos and the discovery of new structural items we didnt know existed. There was also a lawsuit in November 2020 by the Polish cultural organization the Copernicus Foundation, which said its bid to buy the building was never seriously considered by the city.

The lawsuit was dismissed in early 2021; Ambrosia Homes closed on the property that spring.

Pomaville said he was disappointed to lose Lake Effect as a tenant but bears no ill will.

Nothing has been fast through this entire process, he said. Hes got to do what hes got to do for his business. Theres a long way to go, and I think thats what Clint was looking at.

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Two murals remain painted on the old fire station doors touting Lake Effect as its future anchor. Bautz said he was all-in on the project, even as it dragged on.

I live in the neighborhood and I love the building, Bautz said. I saw it as a catalyst for development and things the neighborhood needs.

But Bautz said he could wait no longer once his current landlord told him come spring, hed be losing the space where he has operated Lake Effect since 2012, at 4727 W. Montrose Ave.

We realized real quickly that there was gonna be a pretty big gap in production if we waited  wed be waiting and waiting, he said.

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Lake Effect will bring a unique business model to its new home. Like most breweries, it makes an array of beers under its own banner available year-round and seasonally, including a wit, an India pale ale and a blonde ale. About half his production, though, is beers co-branded with other businesses and organizations, including four beers with the legendary Superdawg hot dog restaurant, plus beers for the Morton Arboretum, Noble Square bar Chipp Inn and Recess restaurant in the West Loop.

Owner Clint Bautz, right, and Jacob Meza work inside Lake Effect Brewing's current location in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Lake Effect will continue with its partnerships, but in its new home the brewery will also be able to slide beers across the bar to customers for the first time  one of the most reliable sources of profit for small breweries.

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Higher ceilings will allow for taller fermentation tanks and for Lake Effect to approximately double production, Bautz said. Most of that beer will be consumed on site, a crucial step for stabilizing business after years of ups and downs operating from the alley.

Being able to serve people on site is the best thing for small, local breweries, where stability is reached, he said. We wanted to have a taproom by year two or three. It took us 10 years.

A clear path forward for Lake Effect, especially having navigated the depths of the pandemic, makes Bautz feel as if we got our mojo back.

Its our project, and we can do what we want in the space, he said. Well do the best we can (to be open by spring). But I dont think itll take five years.

jbnoel@chicagotribune.com
BLOOMINGTON  Irish eyes will be smiling Saturday.

Pull up a chair and have a listen to Turas. Thats a five-piece traditional Irish music band that takes its name from the Gaelic word for journey.

In the past, players of the Peoria-based group had joined up for Irish music sessions at Lucca Grill in Bloomington, according to their guitarist and vocalist AnneMarie Brinton. But they would eventually meet all together at Donnellys Irish Pub in Peoria, when sessions were still held there.

Next up for Turas is a free show Saturday at Normals Connie Link Amphitheatre, just off the Constitution Trail. Itll be a whale of time.

Songs of Gaelic origin exhilarate the heart and soul like no other. Turas delivers fantastic flurries of woodwind melodies, and an ample arrangement of strings that includes a mandolin and an Irish adaption of the Greek bouzouki  a long-necked lute.

They published their first music video in 2020 with WGLTs Stay at Home Concert Series. Cold Frosty Morning / John Riley tells the tale of Sean O Raghailligh, a vagabond who deserted the Union Army during the Mexican-American War. Its a tune that captures the essence of the Irish-American immigrant experience and their struggles within.

"Cold Frosty Morning" Adventure calls and some men run / and this is their sad story Some get drunk on demon run / and some get drunk on glory.

Then in 2016, Peorias WTVT hosted Turas for its State & Water video music series, when their lineup included a bassist and a guitarist who have since left the band. Turas took on the technically challenging yet toe-tapping Jig of Slurs in a lively set of tunes. They were followed by a moving rendition of Foggy Dew, a beautifully-sung ballad lamenting the 1916 Easter Rising and British involvement in World War I.

Turas is answering the call to their Celtic roots. And, the beat of their Irish bodhran is sure to lift your spirits up and away with the fairies.

BloNo Beats invited Turas to answer several questions about their experience playing Irish music. Brinton responded with the following answers:

Give me a very brief history of your band. Where do your members come from, and how did you meet each other?

Early on, we participated in sessions at (Lucca's Grill) and what was then known as the Slow Session at the Whistle Shop in Bloomington. However, we all met at the Peoria music session while it was still being hosted at Donnellys restaurant. Mike Bergstrom (bouzouki, guitar), Lauri Gannon (penny whistle, bodhran, accordion) and Rose Fahey Wright (flute, penny whistle, vocals) have been part of Turas since its inception in 2008. AnneMarie Brinton (vocals, guitar) joined the band shortly after moving to Peoria in 2010, and Jeff Calhoun (banjo, mandolin, vocals, guitar) joined in 2012 and still commutes in from the Quad Cities.

Over the years, weve been fortunate enough to play all around Illinois as well as a few of our neighboring states. We are a Peoria-based band with quite a few connections to Bloomington-Normal. We have played many places in the area, including the Bloomington Country Club, Miller Park, Connie Link Amphitheatre, Crawfords Pub and the uptown Normal music fest, Make Music Normal.

How have you researched and built your repertoire of songs?

Much of what goes into building a catalog of music is taking traditional tunes and making them your own. We accomplish this in several ways. First we pair tunes together into unique sets. We are very fortunate to have several multi-instrumentalists in the band, so we can choose from a variety of different instrumental combinations; we can switch around melody and harmony players not only from tune to tune, but within the tunes. Then we can start adding dynamics, ornamentations and rhythmic variations to really make them our own.

When were playing shows, we like to make sure were playing a variety of different kinds of tunes as well. Well go from a jig to a reel and then maybe a polka or a waltz. Well even throw in a slip jig or a hornpipe periodically. Each style of tune falls on the ear differently, so were able to mix things up quite a bit.

Are there any songs in particular you really love to play, or have a cool backstory to them?

At the start of the pandemic, we were invited to participate in the WGLT Stay at Home Concert Series with Ariel Jones. It was our first time recording a music video, which was a lot of fun. We collaborated with some incredible videographers, Troy Phillips and Mike Dwyer from LMV Productions, and recorded with our good friend Bob Lindsay. With their expertise, we were able to bring the story of the music to life in a whole new way. So if youre ever on our website or Facebook page, be sure to check out Cold Frosty Morning / John Riley.

Tell me about the instruments your band brings on stage.

Theres an interesting history behind how instruments are incorporated into the Irish music tradition. For example, keyless wooden flutes, like the one Rose plays, lost popularity in other countries once keyed silver flutes were introduced. The wooden flutes then flooded the secondhand markets, and Irish musicians capitalized on the opportunity. The bouzouki, which Mike plays, is a Greek instrument. The Irish flattened the back on it to make them easier to transport. The four-stringed tenor banjo, which Jeff plays, is based on the banjo brought to the U.S. by enslaved Africans... It was first produced in Chicago at the turn of the century. It was then brought back to Ireland by returning immigrants. However, the banjo wasnt truly considered part of the Irish tradition until the mid-20th century, making it a newer instrument for Irish music.

All in all, we have members who play flute, whistle, accordion, bodhran (the Irish hand drum) guitar, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin and vocals.

What do you love most about playing traditional Irish music?

For many of us, playing Irish music is a way to connect with our roots and honoring where our families originated. For others, it was the love of American folk and bluegrass music (both stem from traditional Irish music after it was brought to the U.S. and specifically Appalachia) that eventually led to a love of Irish music. But for all of us to some degree, playing Irish music feels almost like a calling. It is a tradition that we enjoy and believe in and feel is worth spreading and keeping alive.

IF YOU GO WHAT: Turas WHEN: 5 p.m. Saturday, July 30 WHERE: Connie Link Amphitheatre, 621 S. Linden St., Normal TICKETS: Free ALSO CHECK OUT: A free "unplugged" set at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Maggie Miley's in uptown Normal, and regular sessions on the second Thursday of each month at Kelleher's Irish Pub & Eatery in Peoria.
NORMAL  A new Sustainability Strategic Plan is meant to help guide Illinois State University become more green over coming years.

The plan is part of a process which started in 2019 with a community survey, ISUs Director of Sustainability Elisabeth Reed said. The process to develop the plan continued through the COVID pandemic, through Zoom meetings and draft documents.

It was one of my first Zoom meetings, was this committee, Reed said.

The strategic plan is the first such document for sustainability at ISU, sociology professor Joan Brehm said. It is the start of a process of centering sustainability to deal with a changing world.

I want to see sustainability elevated at Illinois State to a very prominent and visible place that engages the public, she said.

Here are some additional things to know about the plan:

It's been a long time coming.

Reed said that the strategic plan was something she has wanted to get done since she started in the role three years ago.

Its really something I felt was needed as a road map for us, Reed said.

Brehm said that creating the document was a significant step for the university, that needs to be followed with action on the ground.

It was a group effort.

A task force of around 30 people included faculty and staff from across the campus. That helped bring a balanced approach of how to implement sustainability measures in all of the university's operations, members said.

It was really kind of inspiring to get people from all across campus together talking about these things, said Eric Jome, ISUs director of media relations and a member of the plans task force.

The committee created a large document that it whittled down into the final plan, Reed said.

The mix of faculty and staff helps bring in potential changes to both curriculum and operations, Brehm said. It also brings in a mix of expertise.

We (academics) can talk about things in theory or in concept, but does it actually work? she said.

It builds on existing progress.

One key element of the strategic plan is analyzing how a sustainable practice in one part of the university can be applied to other parts, Reed said.

In many cases, somebodys doing something great in one part of campus, but not a lot of people know about it, she said.

There are people on campus who are already heavily invested in sustainability, Jome said.

"We've got faculty and staff who really live and breathe this stuff," he said.

Some of the other projects the Office of Sustainability has been doing include expanding composting from dining facilities to other parts of campus by setting up kiosks on campus for students, faculty and staff to use, Reed said. The office is also opening a share shop where people can donate things like clothes, textbooks and accessories that students can then claim for free, Reed said.

There are other efforts happening behind the scenes, such as switching to LED lights, Reed said. That is one of the goals laid out in the plan which is already being worked on.

A new committee will oversee implementation.

The university has created a presidential sustainability council that will help oversee the implementation of the plan, Reed said. The council has its first meeting this week. What implementation will look like is still being determined, but Reed expects it will include updates and reports on progress.

She, Jome and Brehm are all on the new committee as well. Reed sees the Sustainability Strategic Plan as a living document that will be reported on and updated in the future.

Part of the reporting for the implementation includes reporting to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which promotes, and ranks, sustainability on college campuses.

The hard work comes next.

That committee and faculty and staff implementing the plan will be doing the truly hard work, Brehm said.

Now we need to focus our energy on momentum to actually implement the action items in the plan, she said.

That includes getting buy-in from the various units on campus, Reed said. However, she and Brehm think that will be helped by the planning process, as units were able to provide input on their current practices and what they could do going forward.

Long- and short-term goals are included.

Creating a plan helps show a long-term commitment by the university to sustainability, Brehm said.

The plan features some goals already being worked on or looked at, such as switching to LED lights or installing utility metering on all major buildings on campus. Other goals are starting as looking at potential future action, like getting quotes for a solar energy system and starting a group to develop standards to promote sustainable and Fair Trade vendors.

Many goals deal with creating groups or strategies on campus or supporting localized practices. Others focus on more tangible actions, such as providing a community-supported agriculture option for students, prioritizing products made with recycled content and making the campus more bike-friendly.

Brehm, who is also co-director of the Center for a Sustainable Water Future, said she worked a lot on the Water and Natural Environments section. She is also excited to see some of the academic proposals implemented, such as strengthening supports for cross disciplinary projects in sustainability.

It helps ISU match its peers.

Part of Reeds desire for the plan came from the fact that other universities across the country already have similar documents.

The Sustainability Strategic Plan should also help with ISUs rating with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Reed hopes to move from a bronze rating to a silver rating.

Creating a sustainable future may involve some difficult choices and sacrifices, but it is steps that are needed because the consequences without doing so are grim, Brehm said.

These are issues we can no longer expect someone else to deal with, she said.
100 years ago

July 27, 1922: The Camp Fire Girls of Carlock, accompanied by their guardian, Mrs. H.F. Keltch, also Mrs. Cora O'Leary and Dorothy Keitch, spent a week camping at the Mackinaw Dells. The girls pitched their tents near a river and built a fireplace of stone. They played croquet, had Victrola and banjo music, enjoyed hikes, swam and toasted marshmallows in bonfires at night.

75 years ago

July 27, 1947: Illinois State Normal University is now fully accredited to prepare agriculture teachers under the Smith-Hughes law, putting it on par with the University of Illinois. The recognition is important because state and federal funds are provided under the Smith-Hughes federal law to pay part of the salaries of agriculture and home economic teachers.

50 years ago

July 27, 1972: A cautious note of optimism on Chenoa's water shortage was expressed by Mayor Jack Gooding when the old Rutherford well, southeast of the city, was found to have regained some water. The old well was drilled over five years ago and went dry about a year later. It is being prepared for use, pending state analysis of the water quality.

25 years ago

July 27, 1997: Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington reported that a large number of graves had been desecrated sometime Friday night or Saturday morning. About 30 markers were pushed over and broken, some beyond repair. A flag that was flying in the cemetery had its rope cut and was laying on the ground. Damage is estimated between $3,000 and $4,000.
Google has agreed to buy the soon-to-be-renovated James R. Thompson Center in heart of the Loop, a victory for Chicagos central business district and for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker as he seeks reelection and fends off criticism over recent high-profile corporate departures.

Under the Google deal, announced at a Wednesday morning news conference in the soaring atrium of the Helmut Jahn-designed building, the state will be paid $30 million in cash and get the title to the former BMO Harris Bank headquarters at 115 S. LaSalle Street, valued at $75 million, which will become a state office building.

It is an updated version of a previously announced agreement to sell the Thompson Center to a group led by developer Michael Reschke for a $70 million upfront cash payment. That deal called for the state to buy back about a third of the renovated 1.2 million-square-foot building for more than double that amount.

Pritzker called the amended agreement a massive win for the city of Chicago and for Illinois taxpayers.

Were saving taxpayers money. Were growing high paying jobs. Were adding vitality to the Loop and improving the work environment for thousands of private- and public-sector employees, Pritzker said. Let the word go out that Chicago and Illinois are open for business.

The vote of confidence from Google, whose parent company Alphabet ranks No. 8 on the Fortune 500, comes as Pritzker has taken heat for recent decisions by Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel to relocate their headquarters out of state.

Pritzker has pushed back on those criticisms, pointing to other companies that have grown in or relocated to Chicago and Illinois, including the decision by Kellogg last month to open the headquarters of its new snacks business in Chicago as it splits into three separate companies.

The expansion by Googles Chicago operation, which has grown over the past two decades from a two-person office in River North to a two-building campus in the bustling Fulton Market district, shows the companys commitment to the promise and the greatness of Chicago, the governor said.

If it wasnt evident before, then surely it is crystal clear now: Google is one of Chicagos most important companies, Pritzker said. You are an integral part of our community and you have invested in your future while investing in ours.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whos up for reelection next year, also has faced criticism for the departures of Boeing and Citadel, said Googles decision represents the single largest company announcement in the last 10 years for our city and one of the largest economic opportunity development opportunities in decades.

The move into the heart of Chicagos downtown is part of a nationwide push by Google to grow its workforce and get them back to the office. Part of that push is to make sure workers have the best, most enticing facilities, and the company plans to invest about $9.5 billion in its U.S. offices and data centers this year, according to an April blog post by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent, Alphabet.

It might seem counterintuitive to step up our investment in physical offices even as we embrace more flexibility in how we work, Pichai wrote. Yet we believe its more important than ever to invest in our campuses and that doing so will make for better products, a greater quality of life for our employees, and stronger communities.

The exact timeline for Googles move into the Thompson Center is unclear, though Reschke previously estimated overhauling the 17-story glass-and-steel structure would take about two years and cost roughly $280 million.

Karen Sauder, the companys top executive in Chicago, said the tech giant looks forward to working with the developer to thoughtfully update this building to our high sustainability standards while respecting its iconic design.

Part of the draw for Google was the busy CTA station connected to the building, which will remain in operation throughout the renovation.

But the way we see it, the Thompson Center is more than just a building, Sauder said. Establishing a presence here in the Loop allows us to get in on the ground floor of revitalizing and breathing new life into the very heart of the city. Just as were proud of the role we played in turning Fulton Market into one of the most vibrant and energetic neighborhoods in the city, we have the opportunity to do it all over again here.

Google plans to maintain a presence in Fulton Market, she said.

The state has been looking to unload its iconic but much-maligned downtown headquarters for several years. The sale is an opportunity to offload a building that would need more than $300 million worth of maintenance and upgrades and to consolidate some of its downtown workforce from leased office space.

The state plans to move about 1,800 workers from the Thompson Center and leased offices to the BMO Harris building. Reschkes JRTC Holdings will renovate the 591,845-square-foot west building of three-building complex at 115 S. LaSalle and 111 W. Monroe St. for the state, with the project expected to take about 18 months.

The cost will be significantly less than the $148 million the state was expected to pay for its renovated portion of the Thompson Center, though the state did not immediately provide a firm estimate.

The move comes after the state last year paid $73.3 million to buy a 17-story, 429,316-square-foot Near West Side office building that was previously home to regional offices of PepsiCo. The governors office and other state agencies have moved into the building at 555 W. Monroe over the past several months.

Pritzker signed a bill in April 2019 authorizing the sale of the Thompson Center, but the coronavirus pandemic that came less than a year later sharply drove down demand for downtown commercial space and pushed back those plans. After the legislature extended the deadline to find a buyer, the state late last year announced a tentative deal with Reschke.

The Thompson Center, named for former Republican Gov. James R. Big Jim Thompson, has inspired strong opinions since opening in 1985. Some see it as an iconic example of postmodern architecture, while to others its an eyesore.

For many state employees, its long been an uncomfortable work environment due to temperature control issues and lack of upkeep.

Jack Lavin, president and CEO of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, nodded to that history at Wednesdays news conference.

I think I can speak on behalf of the thousands of former state employees: We are thrilled to see this day come, said Lavin, who was previously chief of staff to former Gov. Pat Quinn and headed the states Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Few Americans know that the Korean War, often referred to in the United States as the forgotten war, never officially ended. Although the United States and North Korea stopped military battles when they signed the armistice on July 27, 1953, they never negotiated a peace agreement to formally end hostilities.

Korea remains divided, separated by one of the most militarized borders on Earth, with South Korea and the U.S. on one side and North Korea on the other. Because there is no peace agreement, military attacks from either side can resume at any time.

For our own future as Americans, we need stable, lasting peace in Korea. The United States can take the lead by negotiating a peace agreement and normalizing relations with North Korea. Once military attacks are no longer a constant threat, America, North Korea and South Korea can focus on the essential business of strengthening ties for mutual nuclear deterrence and economic prosperity.

I remember the millions of Korean civilians who survived the war, the estimated 3 million who died during the war, and the hundreds of thousands of separated family members. Memorializing them would go a long way toward helping to heal the wounds of this decades-old conflict that remains unresolved.

Recognizing civilian survivors in our midst  people like my parents  would also help everyone move toward the restorative closure necessary for peace to last. My parents emigrated from Korea to Chicago in 1970, and unlike so many of their generation, they talked about the war. I grew up hearing stories about their experiences was part of our daily family life. As an adult, I came to understand that telling me these stories was a form of therapy and a way to preserve family history.

When the war broke out, my father hid for days in a hole in the ground by the outhouses, listening to B-52s strafe his beloved hometown and surrounding farmland. He eventually fled the north with his parents, brother and sister. They left behind many family members, including my fathers two brothers and their families, his aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents.

His family was placed in a refugee camp, but he promptly left, seeking work that would help him feed them. He was only 15.

He found work in a soldiers lounge and survived for weeks eating the sugar that fell off their doughnuts. Doughnuts had to be accounted for, sugar did not. He also scrounged for odd jobs, doing laundry for the soldiers, fetching water and running errands, earning sometimes coins and sometimes food. After a few months, he returned to his family with a huge sack of American packaged goods: Kraft cheese, Vienna sausages, Spam.

My mother and her family were among the many Koreans who fled Seoul and headed south for Busan. They walked most of the way. There, she nearly lost her mother, and it was pure luck that they ran into each other on the street.

After they returned to Seoul, shrapnel hit my mothers arm, gouging out a long chunk of flesh. That gouge is still there, the scar white, sunken and puckered. Now 85, she is a retired pediatrician.

One of the most tragic consequences of the ongoing Korean War and national division is the separation of families. Like my family, most Korean families have some connection to someone in the northern half of Korea. While North and South Korea have held reunions between separated families, the United States has never participated.

The ban on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea imposed by the State Department in 2017 has obstructed Korean Americans like me and my parents from visiting family members on their own. With normalized relations and peace, Korean Americans can reunite with their long-lost loved ones.

In a hopeful sign, there has been increasing recognition of the need to end the Korean War once and for all. H.R.3446, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, calls for formally ending the Korean War and replacing the armistice with a peace agreement and is supported by 42 co-sponsors, including Illinois Reps. Jesus Chuy Garcia, Jan Schakowsky and Bobby Rush.

As we commemorate the sacrifice of soldiers, both U.S. soldiers and the minority of ROK South Korean soldiers who augmented U.S. troops, let us also remember the civilians, those who survived, those who died, and those who still mourn for families left behind. And let us prove that their sacrifice was not in vain by finally bringing an end to Americas longest war, the Korean War.
Having a billionaire governor has, on balance, been good for Illinois.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been willing and able to use his personal resources to attract a high level of talent to public service at the state level, to all of our benefit. And his level of personal wealth has made it easier for him to stay out of the swamp that has tripped up so many other Illinois pols. When you can finance your own campaigns, and have plenty left over, youre less motivated to make ethical compromises to please potential big donors.

With Pritzker, its inconceivable well ever see a replay of the Rod Blagojevich pay-to-play affair in which the disgraced and corrupt former governor sought to obtain personal gain from his authority to appoint a replacement for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president.

In Pritzker-land, that stuff is not just unethical but small potatoes, and we can all be grateful for that.

That said, weve been noticing a clear and present danger too.

Pritzker has shown himself willing and able to meddle in other peoples primaries, and he has a level of resources that mean that his interference has an outsize impact. He needs to rein in this tendency and direct those around him to stick to governing Illinois as well as they can.

The most egregious example is Pritzkers shadowy boosting of the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Darren Bailey. The motivation there, of course, was that the Pritzker campaign preferred the idea of running against the far-right Bailey to his chief, well-funded rival, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, whom they saw as likely tougher to beat on Election Day. Pritzkers bankrolling of the Bailey campaign on TV was at least one factor in his victory.

This action was wrong for more reasons than one.

For starters, its unseemly (if legal) for the top elected official in the state to use his resources to try to influence the Republican primary for purely tactical reasons. It encourages voter cynicism and there is enough of that around already. Taking the civic high ground  as Americans have the right to expect from a possible presidential candidate  means saying to Republicans, go ahead and make your best choice for the most qualified person to lead the state. Not my business.

Secondly, the tactic inherently empowers extremist candidates, squashing the kind of moderate, centrist thinking and governance that this riven nation badly needs. Its an easily duplicable maneuver, too, meaning that pragmatic Democrats like Pritzker may well find those fiscal barrels aimed in their own direction down the road. If so, he wont be able to justify a complaint.

Yet worse is the risky nature of the act. Extremist candidates supported in this self-serving way can end up winning, to the detriment of the country. History has plenty of examples across the globe, including the obvious one of Donald Trump, who surprised everyone, only for chaos and tumult to ensue.

Now comes word that the Pritzker camp also is involved in the matter of party chairman for Illinois Democrats, making calls to boost the campaign of state Rep. Lisa Hernandez. Hernandez has emerged as a challenger for the chairmanship to U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.

Why? Politico has reported its because Kellys day job, a federal position, limits her ability to raise money statewide, meaning that the Democrats have had to form a separate committee to get around those ethics rules. If Hernandez gets the job, that makes it easier for the Democrats to raise cash. And if it is easier to raise cash and defeat Republicans, the Pritzker agenda is better supported.

Granted, making calls is not the same as bankrolling ads, but its still gross.

The governor should govern. He shouldnt be getting involved in this kind of politically expedient manipulation, especially since its unlikely that he thinks Kelly, who has the backing of Sen. Dick Durbin, to be an otherwise weak candidate.

Think about it for a moment. Should an officeholder of party chairman be cast aside because of ethical constraints that are no fault of her own and that the governor himself surely believes are valid? Absolutely not. Those issues should be kept out of the process, especially when were talking the holder of the highest office in the state exacting his influence.

Pritzkers own fortunes, which clearly are on the rise nationally, will be buoyed yet more if he takes public stands against this kind of thing, if he shifts away from jumping on the phone for a better political outcome for Illinois Democrats, and for himself, and speaks to all Americans about their civic duty.

So far, he has given Illinois ethical and pragmatic governance, at least as far as we can see. He should now make clear that he is not dinging Kelly for following the rules. And since, as a leading citizen of Illinois, he surely would prefer a moderate Republican over an extremist, he should not be afraid of saying so, loud and clear and damn any political consequences.

Thats his way forward.

Chicago Tribune
The Ivorian National shores welcomed a whiff of clean energy as SAPET GAS, the pioneer Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel to be named under Ivorian origin and carry the national flag, made its historic maiden voyage to Cote DIvoire.



Commissioned last May in Ulsan, South Korea, the 23,000 cubic meter capacity vessel which cost CFA 26 billion was received by Excellence Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Energy, Vamissa Bamba, Director General, Petroci, Temitope Shonubi, Executive Director, Sahara Group, Wale Ajibade, Executive Director, Sahara Group, Soro Tiotioho, Director General, Societe, Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR), Kam SIE, Chairman SAPET Energy, Olayemi Odutola, Managing Director, SAPET Energy, and Mayor of the Municipality of Port-Bouet, Dr. Sylvestre Emmou, among others.



SAPET GAS will enhance butane supply, availability, efficiency and distribution in Cote DIvoire to spur economic development and safeguard the well-being of over 28 million Ivorians, being a clean fuel. It will also help facilitate access to the commodity for over 50 million people in neighbouring countries.



Energy Minister, Sangafowa Coulibaly said the government had subsidised butane gas across the nation to increase accessibility, reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of firewood by households. "This policy has made it possible to significantly increase the national consumption of butane gas, which has thus increased from 150,000 MT in 2012 to 510,000 MT in 2021; That is an average growth of 14% per year. I salute the PETROCI/SAHARA partnership, and in particular, the Sahara Group for investing in the acquisition of this vessel dedicated exclusively to importation of butane gas into our country," he said.



According to Temitope Shonubi, Executive Director, Sahara Group, facilitating investment in gas infrastructure and supply reinforces the company's commitment to driving energy transition in Africa. "We are privileged and delighted to work with the government and good people of Cote D'Ivoire to make clean energy accessible to all Ivorians. For Sahara, SAPET GAS is an affirmation of our commitment to Cote D'Ivoire. We made a promise and we have delivered." he said.



Bamba, the Petroci DG, commended Sahara Group for working assiduously and harmoniously with all stakeholders since the energy conglomerate began operations in Cote DIvoire. He said the partnership, SAPET ENERGY, commenced in October 07, 2020 when the first stone for the construction of three butane spheres with a total capacity of 12,000 Tons was laid to enhance the butanisation policy.



"This storage infrastructure will increase existing storage capacities and can take us from 15 to 30 days of self-consumption. SAPET GAS will guarantee the supply of butane gas to our country under good conditions of safety and quality," he added. The Mayor of the Municipality of Port-Bouet, Dr. Sylvestre EMMOU said the Port would play its strategic role of ensuring the maritime industry contributes its quota to promoting access to energy solutions in Cote D'Ivoire.



"This storage infrastructure will increase existing storage capacities and can take us from 15 to 30 days of self-consumption. SAPET GAS will guarantee the supply of butane gas to our country under good conditions of safety and quality," he added.



Named after the joint venture between Sahara and Petroci (National Oil Company), SAPET GAS will be instrumental to realising the supply of about 1,000,000 tonnes of LPG to Cote D'Ivoire over the next three years. This will be alongside other vessels, Africa Gas, Sahara Gas and Barumk which are affiiated with energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group.



Sahara Group's partnership with Petroci continues to increase access to gas as a cleaner fuel option with over CFA 279 billion invested since 2014. SAPET's 12KT LPG storage facility project remains on course. The facility upon completion will promote supply, distribution and access to cleaner fuels in Cote DIvoire, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, among others.



Investments in gas vessels are on the rise globally with a total of 28 new medium and handy gas carriers expected over the next two years with 18 percent of them focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa.



The growth in LPG market is driven by the following factors: low per capital consumption with scope for growth; population growth and urbanization, and potential to substitute kerosene/ biomass in domestic sector as well as move towards cleaner fuels.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Ghana has been ranked the second highest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment for 2021 in the latest World Investment Report after recording a 39 per cent increment in FDI flows to $2.6 billion for the year 2021.



The $2.6bn is an improvement over the $1.8bn the country recorded in 2020.



The report ranked Nigeria as the highest FDI recipient in the sub-region, recording $4.8bn in 2021.



The increase in Ghanas FDI flows was attributed to major projects in its extractive industries, including the construction of an $850 million gold mining facility by Newmont Corporation, and the construction of a cement factory by Ciment dAfrique (CIMAF) for $436 million.



The increase in FDI flows also reflected the findings of the Deloitte 2022 Africa Investment Attractiveness Index, which placed Ghana as the second most appealing destination for investments in Africa based on the comments of nearly 200 CEOs.



Commenting on the report, Mr Yofi Grant, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPC), said that: It provides considerable opportunities for businesses to trade in the enormous African market.



He noted that: Ghana has a great global reputation, especially as the host of the African Continental Free Trade Area. With our democratic stability and smart business policies in place, such as the 10-Point Industrialisation Agenda, Ghana appeals to investors seeking stability and vibrancy to prosper and grow their firms.



Mr Grant emphasised that: So, despite the current economic difficulties, investors continue to see Ghana as a desirable destination to invest.



In recent years, the Government through the GIPC has made FDI attraction a priority by improving investment attraction strategy to a more proactive one.



It has also encouraged private sector investment through the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises (Ghana CARES) programme - a GHS100bn economic response programme.



The Ghana CARES programme is aimed at supporting the private sector in targeted sectors to accelerate growth and stabilise the Ghanaian economy.



The government has also been working to end regulatory discrepancies among several State agencies that create unnecessary barriers to doing business.



The GIPC, for instance, has digitised its registration procedure, making it considerably quicker and more flexible for investors to register and apply for exemptions under the GIPC Act (Act 865).



It is essential to note that Foreign Direct Investment in an economy like ours is crucial for creating jobs, gaining access to modern technologies, increasing output, expanding trade, and forming valuable relationships between local enterprises and multinational corporations. As such the GIPC will not relent in promoting Ghana as a choice destination for investment and assiduously engaging with global partners, noted Mr Grant.



Overall, the World Investment Report showed that FDI flows to Africa reached $83 billion, a record high, up from $39 billion in 2020, being 5.2 per cent of global FDI.



Meanwhile, FDI into the West African sub-region increased by 48 per cent to $14 billion.



For the rest of 2022, the World Investment Report predicted that FDI flows to developing economies were expected to be strongly affected by the war in Ukraine and its wider ramifications.





Source: GNA









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The Peoples National Convention (PNC) has rolled out a comprehensive programme of activities to commemorate its 30th anniversary.



The theme for the celebration is: Celebrating 30 years; Heal, Inspire and Revive the Nkrumah, Limann, Egala, and Mahama Tradition.



A series of activities to mark the anniversary would start on Wednesday, July 27th, and hit its climax with a symposium on Friday, August 5th at Tamale, a statement issued and signed by Ms Janet Asana Nabila, PNC General-Secretary and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said.



The symposium would discuss the roadmap to deepen the multi-party democracy while tracing the tradition of the party from Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah through Dr Hilla Limann to the current leadership.



The activities would include outdooring a catalogue of the partys contribution to Ghanas democracy by way of providing viable policy alternatives.



The PNC noted that in fulfilment of its mandate as a political party seeking to form the next government, it had consistently and constructively criticized the various governments over the past 30 years.



For the past three decades, we have offered policies alternatives, and actively participated in all general elections. It is, therefore, worthy to celebrate the party and to assure Ghanaians that the party remains committed to the holistic development of the country, the statement stated.



According to the party, there would be activities to create awareness of the continued existence of the PNC as a viable political organization capable of wrestling power to improve the living standard of Ghanaians.



These activities shall be held at the various constituencies from July 27th in the form of sensitization and mobilization activities through promotional material, image-building activities, interviews, programmes, publicity, and exhibitions.



We wish to appeal to our members, sympathizers, and the public to accord us the needed assistance to make this celebration a success, the PNC stated.



The PNC was formed in 1992 by former President Hilla Limann based on ideals from the People's National Party (PNP), which he led in the 1979 elections and won.



The PNC has contested all national elections since the inception of the fourth republic apart from the 1992 parliamentary election, which was boycotted along with other opposition parties.

Source: GNA









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Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, a senior legal practitioner, has called for a transformation of the country's political space to attract "good men and women" of integrity to serve the nation.



He said integrity must be the bedrock of nation-building, adding that the citizenry had a responsibility to ensure that persons who had demonstrated charisma and integrity were elected into leadership positions.



He made the call when he delivered the 10th J.E.A. Mills Commemorative Lecture in Accra Tuesday evening, July 26, 2022.



Organized by the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage, the lecture formed part of activities marking the 10-year anniversary of the passing of the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills.



It was on the theme: The man John Evans Atta Mills: Ten years on.



The late J.E.A. Mills, the 3rd President of the 4th Republic, served as President from January 08, 2009, to July 24, 2012 - the day he died.



Mr Tsikata said Prof. Mills achieved political success with the "charisma of integrity," and indicated that the election of the late President into office in 2008 showed that "in politics character matters."



"Lack of integrity may seem to be politically successful for a time, but sooner or later, the deep human need for honesty and integrity breakthrough.



"That was what we saw happen in Ghana in the election of President Mills in 2008," he said.



Good men and women like Prof. Mills are desperately needed in our politics to rescue us from the mud into which we have sunk, Mr Tsikata added.



He urged the youth to make individual character and integrity critical determinants of who they elected in leadership positions at all levels.



"Corruption is more costly to the youth simply because they have the longest span of the future ahead of them and what is squandered from national coffers today leaves the youth with less resources to fix the country to be the country we want," Mr Tsikata said.



Nana Otuo Siriboe II, the Chairman of the Council of State, who chaired the function, said the late Prof. Mills personified humility, describing him as a true son of Ghana.



He said based on Prof. Mills humility as Vice President, the late President Rawlings did not hesitate to name him as candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2000 Presidential election.



He (Prof. Mills) was a great man and an epitome of humility, Nana Siriboe II said.



In a speech read on her behalf, the wife of the late Prof. Mills, Ernestina Naadu Mills, said her late husband was battered and bruised on the battlefield of politics.



She said in spite of the challenges he faced as a politician, Prof. Mills held firm to his personal values of truth, simplicity, honesty, and abiding respect for all.



To Fiifi, serving at the highest echelons of government was an opportunity to help change the character of Ghanaian politics for the better, she said.



Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, described Prof. Mills as a true gem and national icon.



The era of Prof. Mills was an era of inclusiveness, an era where we had a man of character as President, he said.



The J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation, which seeks to preserve and build on the legacies of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.



It was established by a group of academics, professional colleagues, students, family and appointees of President Mills.

Source: GNA









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Andrew Dyer

Andrew Dyer covers the military and veterans issues for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, he joined the Navy in 2001 and served for 10 years. After leaving the Navy, he enrolled at Southwestern College in Chula Vista to study journalism. He transferred to San Diego State where he worked as opinion editor and editor-in-chief of the universitys student newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Before joining the U-T, he covered the craft beer industry for San Diego CityBeat.
Government has been called upon to prioritize key sectors of the economy in the face of global economic instability and social crises.



After prioritizing and developing the sectors, the government must try to get the citizens to buy into such ideas by orienting the minds of the people, the Reverend Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, an Economist and Executive Director of the Centre for Greater Impact Africa, a non-governmental organisation, has said.



Rev. Dr Mensah also advised the Government to consider sectors such as transportation and all its aspects developed to provide cheaper and more efficient transport for citizens.



Rev Dr Mensah, who is also the Presiding Bishop of Christ White House Chapel International, stated during analyses of the Mid-Year Review of the 2022 Economic Policy and Budget presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance at the Ghana News Agency Dialogue platform.



The Dialogue allows state and non-state as well as commercial and business operators to communicate to the world.



Answering a question on the high cost of fuel and whether the Government had to subsidize it, he said it was a two-way approach in which one had to do with the countrys domestic revenue and the other one had to do with a robust transportation system.



You realized that we have a very poor transportation system so everybody is compelled to buy cars and be using private cars, so one person will sit in his or her private car from Accra in the southern sector of the country to Bolga, the northern part.



You can imagine the cost that he or she would incur and so at the end of the day if we should have a very strong transportation system, such a person would manage with public transport, he stated.



According to him, if we should have a very strong transportation system, by being able to build the railway system, the marine transportation as well as improved upon roads and the national transportation system, and the public encouraged to patronized public transport, at the end of the day people would not feel the impact of the fuel prices too much.



He emphasized that the Government could work on the transportation system, not only on roads but must also look at fast-tracking railway development and introducing marine transportation.



The Economist indicated that if you are able to get a very good marine system from Accra to say Cape Coast, which will be able to take us about 35 to 40 minutes, there is no need for you to drive through all these traffic.



As a nation, we need to develop a massive integrated transportation system not only roads, if you are looking at only roads that is where a lot of people want to buy cars.



Rev Dr Mensah said there was the need to disabuse peoples minds that road was the only means of transportation as the government make efforts in paying attention to the transportation system.





Source: GNA









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Speaker of Ghanas Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye, has asked African countries to aggressively pursue industrialization.



He maintained that this will help the continent become self-reliant while addressing post-harvest losses recorded in the agriculture sector of most African countries.



Speaking at the launch of the 60th anniversary celebration of the Department Of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday, July 22, 2022.



While calling on African countries to take a staunch stance against World Trade Organisation, WTO, agreement which allows foreign products to be dumped on developing countries, he urged governments to ban the importation of foreign products.



I emphasize that the right to protect infant industries is a global human right. Foreign juices, foreign chicken and other agric products should be banned to save our nations here in Africa, Professor Mike Ocquaye said.



The former Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya also called for a relook at leadership on the continent as as it seeks to industrialize.



The corrupt influence in the society as a whole must also be uprooted. This crime must also not be allowed to pay. From politicians, administrators, hospital staff, security services, academic institutions, wherever wherever, we should have a conversation on the matter and examine how we can effectively detect, punish and prevent this canker.



The whole of Africa needs a Kagame awakening. Our leaders are an issue to consider. Our Constitution should also be seriously analyzed, he added.



Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, has widely been hailed as pioneering the rapid development of the East African country, raising it from the ashes of a genocide that claimed the lives of almost a million Rwandans.













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Former Acting General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called 'Kabila', has made a strident call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reshuffle his Ministers.



In the face of the current economic challenges premised on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine/Russia war coupled with the long leave of absence by the Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya and Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sarah Adwoa Safo, it has revived concerns over the size of the ministerial appointees.



President Nana Akufo-Addo is bombarded by incessant calls to reshuffle his Ministers but nothing has been done yet.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Kabila added his voice stressing the President will be making a powerful statement should he heed their calls.



"Some of the proofs that would show us that indeed you know we are suffering is when you reduce the size of your ministerial appointees . . . it's a positive statement. In fact, it's a powerful statement that no one can argue with," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghanas Parliament topped 13 parliaments in West Africa in the maiden African Open Parliament Index (OPI) report.

With an overall score of 63.03 per cent based on three indicators of Open Parliament  transparency, civic participation and public accountability, the country beat its closest rival Cape Verde, which scored 61.86 per cent and Sierra Leone, that scored 57.97 per cent.



According to the report launched in Accra, Ghana scored lowest on public accountability with 14.32 per cent out of 30 per cent while it scored highest in the transparency category with 27.71 per cent out of the 35 per cent allotted to that category. It scored 21 per cent for civic participation out of 35 per cent total scores for that area.



Context



The OPI is a mechanism put in place to assess Parliaments across Africa using the three criteria of Open Parliament: Transparency; Civic Participation and Public Accountability.



This criterion has been chosen considering the standards of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), the Principles of Parliamentary Openness and the Inter-Parliamentary Unions (IPU) Indicators for Democratic Parliaments.



Other countries



At the bottom three are Togo with an overall score of 36.28 per cent, Liberia with an overall score of 33.65 per cent and lastly Guinea Bissau with 22.36 per cent as the overall score.



The rest of the countries that were assessed were Nigeria fourth, with a score of 49.21 per cent, Benin fifth with 45.32 per cent, and The Gambia sixth with 45.03 per cent.



The others are Cote d'Ivoire, seventh with 43.86 per cent score, Burkina Faso eighth with 42.69 per cent as the score.

Senegal and Niger both placed ninth and 10th respectively with a score of 41.24 per cent and 37.15 per cent.



Presentation



Giving highlights of the report at the event, the Executive Director of Parliamentary Network Africa (PN Africa), Sammy Obeng, observed that the OPI would enable civil society to work together with national and regional parliaments to identify systemic challenges to achieving parliamentary openness and create reforms to enhance openness.



The Index would also measure the level of openness across two regional legislative bodies  the ECOWAS and Pan-African Parliaments  however, they will not be ranked together with the national parliaments," he noted.



Ghana's Parliament



In a speech read on his behalf by the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, noted that the public was losing faith in the legislature and politicians as their interests were being sacrificed for personal gains.



He said the OPI report would challenge African Parliaments to respond to the collective call and aspirations of the people.



Mr Bagbin said the institutionalisation of the public hearings of the Public Account Committee (PAC) had brought progress in Parliaments accountability and oversight responsibilities.



Parliament is unique in being the only institution with a political mandate from the people to monitor the management of the state by the government, he added.



Engage citizenry



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, urged PNAfrica and its partners to engage the people on the ground to incorporate their views into the report.

Source: graphiconline.com









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" " Authorities distributed this photo of the Somerton Man to try to identify him, but came up short. In July 2022, researchers announced that DNA technology had finally caught up, tentatively identifying the man as Charles Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne. Public domain

In December 1948, the body of an unknown man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia. Did he commit suicide on the beach, maybe because of a broken heart? Or was he a spy, killed during the course of his work? He was never identified, and the few clues unearthed left investigators scratching their heads. Until now, that is.

Researchers Derek Abbott, a professor at the University of Adelaide, and American genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick, president of Identifinders International, say they have finally put a name to the so-called Somerton Man, tentatively solving a mystery that has baffled investigators for 73 years.

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Thanks to recent advances in technology that allow for the extraction of DNA from rootless hair, Abbott was able to analyze hairs from a death mask of the corpse taken in 1948, according to The New York Times.

DNA was succesfully extracted from the hair in 2012 and 2018 by the University of Adelaide and, with the help of a California company, Astrea Forensics, Abbott and Fitzpatrick were finally able to use it to begin a real search.

Using GEDmatch, they were able to find a distant cousin on the mystery man's paternal side. They then set to work building a family tree of more than 4,000 people and eventually traced the man through his mothers side to find a living relative and formulate a match.

Their conclusion? The man found on the beach on Dec. 1, 1948, according to The Guardian, was Carl Charles Webb, a 43-year-old electrical engineer from Melbourne.

Of course, there is still the matter of a positive identification from law enforcement before the case can be officially closed. And, needless to say, a lot of questions still to be answered, such as how he ended up dead on Somerton Beach and, most importantly of all, what caused his death.

Police in South Australia, who exhumed the mans body last year for testing, have not verified the identity and are not yet ready to give an update on their investigation, according to The Washington Post.

Were just saying this is what the DNA tells us, Abbott told The New York Times. Its up to the cops to make the legal determination of who this guy was.

A Corpse on the Beach

The dead man was found in a sitting position, slumped over, with a cigarette either in or near his mouth. He wore a nice suit and polished shoes, but no hat. Two couples claim to have seen him as they walked along the beach, and one said he raised his arm and pointed at them. They thought he was probably drunk. Another witness claimed to have seen a man looking down on the body.

Upon inspection, the dead man was found to have strong calves, like those of a dancer or an athlete, and his toes grew together in a way that suggested habitual wearing of high heels, or perhaps point shoes, again suggesting he could have been a dancer. He carried an American comb in his pocket, but no wallet.

His autopsy revealed he had a bleeding stomach and a spleen three times the normal size, though his body showed no cause of natural death. The coroner suspected he'd been poisoned with some kind of undetectable toxin, despite the lack of vomit or evidence of convulsions that accompany a poisoning, though the death certificate listed cause of death as unknown. Maybe the man was killed elsewhere and moved to the beach?

But authorities also didn't have proof the man didn't ingest a toxin himself. So, could it have been a suicide  or was it a homicide?

Police could not identify the body through fingerprint ID, and though they shared his information and picture internationally, no one knew who he was. They widened their search and found a suitcase that was abandoned at main railway station in Adelaide, suggesting he had come from out of town, but there were no identifying markers in its contents, and the case stalled.

" " Code breakers have tried to decipher this messaging on a scrap of paper found in the Somerton Beach man's watch for decades. Public domain

But then, police enlisted the help of a pathology expert to re-examine the dead man's body and possessions, and he found something the initial investigators didn't. A "secret pocket" sewn into the man's pants contained a watch fob, but inside the watch was a tightly rolled up piece of paper. It was a page torn from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a book of 12th-century poetry. On it were two words: "tamam shud," which mean "ended" or "finished."

The book from which the page was torn was tracked down, and close examination yielded further clues  handwriting impressions of a telephone number, another unidentified number and what appeared to be an encrypted message. Could he have been a Cold War spy?

The telephone number was found to be the unlisted number of Jessica Harkness Thomson, an Adelaide resident. When she spoke with police, she said she didn't know the Somerton Beach man, and didn't know why he'd had her phone number. But when they showed her the plaster cast of his face, the investigator thought she acted "surprised, almost to the point of fainting," and that she refused to look at the face again, only repeated that she didn't know him. She did own a copy of the Rubaiyat, and had given it to an old friend named Alf Boxall, a military man who worked in intelligence. Authorities began to believe the Somerton Beach man was Alf Boxall, until they found out he was alive and well. His copy of the book of poetry was intact, and he didn't know the dead man either.

The encrypted message on the tiny piece of paper was never cracked  some code breakers thought that the unknown man had used some sort of shorthand, or that he was simply a disturbed mind. One theory was floated out that Jessica Harkness was also a spy; her daughter said in interviews that she knew Russian, but would never tell her why or when she'd learned. Maybe both the Somerton Beach man and Alf Boxall had worked for her. Perhaps the Rubaiyat was essential to understanding the code, and that's why both men had copies.

With the tentative identification of Carl "Charles" Webb as the body on Somerton Beach, all of this speculation may turn out to have been merely supposition, the fanciful imaginings of people intigued by a mystery man found dead on a beach. One way or another, the truth can't be very far away and, inexorably, the answers to the questions posed by the body on the beach will slowly begin to come to light.

Now That's Romantic In 2009, Abbott tried to find a woman interviewed by police in their original investigation. Her phone number had come from the mystery man's poetry book. She turned out to be dead, as was her son, a professional ballet dancer whose teeth and ears were said to be remarkably similar to the Somerton Mans. However, Abbott did eventualy find and interview that man's daughter, Rachel Egan, and the two fell in love and got married in 2010. Strange case, indeed.

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Originally Published: Sep 13, 2017
Aequorea victoria. Image credit: Sierra Blakely/Wikipedia.

The jellyfish sighting app, MedusApp, recently incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically recognize different species of jellyfish. Until now, this app only required users to select the species of jellyfish from a catalog provided; now the user can upload photos and have the species automatically identified before uploading them to the app for publication.

MedusApp, which is freely available in Spanish and English for both Android and iPhone, has been developed by researchers from the University of Alicante (UA) and two computer scientists from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), in collaboration with the CIBER of Diseases (CIBERES) and the Immunoallergy Laboratory of the Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD). Since its launch in 2018, the platform has amassed more than 100,000 downloads and 6,000 jellyfish sightings. "Thanks to the collaboration of citizens and their sightings, we have been able to train the AI software with several thousand real photos to generate a mathematical model with a total of 25 species, that will ultimately help the app automatically recognize the most common jellyfish," a novelty update that the programmers from the UPV Eduardo Blasco and Ramon Palacios have highlighted.

Other news

In addition to the automatic recognition of jellyfish thanks to AI, the app has been incorporating other novelties such as the "no sightings" option, to report whether a beach is free of jellyfish or furthermore, a function that allows sightings to be made via transects, "This new option, intended for sailors, divers or fishermen, allows you to include an image of possible jellyfish sightings that are found during a boat trip," the authors write.

"The application is constantly being improved and is intended to enhance and expand our knowledge of the health effects of jellyfish stings, as well as to better understand aspects of their biology and ecology (spatial and temporal distribution)," explains professor Cesar Bordehore from the department of marine ecology in the UA. The scientific-medical data on the recorded stings, which already exceed 970 reported stings, are managed and analyzed by a multidisciplinary scientific team which is made up of researchers Cesar Bordehore (principal investigator) and Eva S. Fonfria, from the Multidisciplinary Institute for the Study of the Environment ( IMEM) and the UA Department, as well as doctors Victoria del Pozo and Mar Fernandez Nieto, from the CIBER for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES) and the Immunoallergy Laboratory-Jimenez Diaz Foundation Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD).

Another useful feature of the app is an interactive guide on how to proceed in the event of being stung accompanied by the information on the level of danger that different jellyfish pose. "If a sting occurs, the main thing is to remove the remains of the tentacles with tweezers or a plastic card, without rubbing the area, and subsequently proceed to inactivate the stinging cells that could remain on the skin with a mixture of baking soda and seawater. If the species of jellyfish is known, the app then contains more specific medical protocols which can enhance the recovery phase. We always like to highlight that fresh water (and urine) should never be used because this could worsen the effects of the sting," says Bordehore.

MedusApp has become an open, simple and fast citizen science tool that has already aroused the interest of research teams in Mexico. "Specialists and colleagues who work in centers in Latin America have requested permission to use the app and make use of scientific-medical data," says the UA researcher.

The MedusApp team has developed training videos that are available in open source to facilitate the use, knowledge, and optimization of all the tools offered by MedusApp. All the information is available through the app and on the web which can be found at: medusapp.net/.

Explore further What you need to know about jellyfish stings

Provided by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia
Variation in smolt-to-adult returns (SARs) for wild John Day, Yakima, and Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (including jacks; top panel) and wild John Day, Yakima, Deschutes, and Snake River summer steelhead (bottom panel). The shaded region indicates the range of NPCC (Northwest Power and Conservation Council) SAR goals for population viability. Credit: Water Biology and Security (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2022.100030

A team of scientists, including one from Oregon State University, concluded in a recent paper that breaching four dams in the Lower Snake River Basin in Washington provides the best and only reasonable opportunity to promote recovery of key fish species, including salmon and steelhead.

The paper, published in the journal Water Biology and Security, takes a comprehensive look at current fish populations in the basin, past efforts to aid the recovery of those populations and the future impacts of climate change.

"We set out to answer the question of what should be done to maximize the likelihood of recovery of these critical fish species in the Lower Snake River Basin," said Bob Hughes, courtesy associate professor in Oregon State's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. "This analysis clearly showed that the aggressive action of breaching the dams is necessary."

Dams have been built around the world to allow humans to store and alter the timing and amount of water released downstream and often to generate electricity. However, growing evidence indicates that dams also negatively affect ecosystems.

This has led to exponential growth in dam breaching over the last several decades, particularly in North America and Europe. In the United States alone, more than 1,200 dams have been breached, most in recent decades.

Breaching is viewed as a form of river rehabilitation because it can help restore river flows, water temperatures, sediment and particle transport, river and riparian ecosystems and access to upstream and downstream habitats essential for aquatic organisms to complete life cycles, said Hughes, an aquatic ecologist for more than 40 years, including the last 18 at Oregon State.

The Snake River Basin in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon and Idaho is part of the Columbia River Basin. The Snake River is the largest tributary of the Columbia River.

In 1960 and 1970s, the federal government built four dams on the Lower Snake River in southeastern Washington to improve navigation, produce hydropower and create recreational opportunities.

Since completion of the dams, despite considerable effort to improve habitat and provide for better passage conditions, native fish populations have been, and continue to be impaired, with many species or populations now facing extinction or extirpation, the authors of the paper note.

Nowhere is this decline more evident than in the Snake River Basin, they say. This basin once supported almost 50% of the chinook salmon and steelhead in the entire Columbia River Basin, which includes much of Oregon and Washington, almost all of Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Nevada.

Today, after decades of attempts to mitigate the effects of the dams, only 1% to 2% of historic wild salmon and steelhead numbers return and all populations in the basin face extinction or extirpation.

"The weight of evidence we've outlined in the paper points to a strong likelihood that breach, more so than any other measures that have been implemented in the past, will promote a real possibility of rehabilitation," said Adam Storch, the lead author of the paper who is an analyst with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "This is a particularly important consideration given the dire state of many populations."

In the recent paper published in Water Biology and Security, the researchers examined the impact of breaching the four Lower Snake River damsIce Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Graniteon the rehabilitation of salmon, steelhead, bull trout, white sturgeon and pacific lamprey.

For a comparison, they studied research from recent years about the Elwha River in Washington, where dams were breached and native populations of salmon, steelhead, bull trout and Pacific Lamprey have rebounded quickly.

They also looked at research that modeled fish extinction risk for Lower Snake River chinook Salmon and steelhead populations under current conditions and if dams were breached and spill over the four dams in the Lower Columbia Basin increased to aid fish passage.

And they considered climate change dynamics. The Snake River Basin currently contains 20% of the habitat occupied by salmon and steelhead in rivers of the Pacific Northwest; by 2080 it is forecast to contain 65% of the coldest, most climate-resilient stream habitats in the region that these cold-water species need.

Recent research has shown that even with the potential effects of climate change much of the habitat on the Snake River Basin will remain suitable for fishes. However, under current conditions with the dams, it is unclear how migratory fishes like salmon and steelhead will access those areas without succumbing to stress from warm water.

All these factors led the authors of the paper to conclude the wealth of credible scientific evidence indicates clearly that breach of the four Lower Snake River dams and more spill over the Lower Columbia River dams is necessary to rehabilitate declining populations of Snake River salmon, steelhead, bull trout, white sturgeon and pacific lamprey.

"This rehabilitation would, in turn, benefit human populations that depend on these species economically, recreationally, and culturally," they write.

Explore further Warming seas could wipe out Snake River chinook by 2060, scientists predict

More information: Adam J. Storch et al, A review of potential conservation and fisheries benefits of breaching four dams in the Lower Snake River (Washington, USA), Water Biology and Security (2022). Adam J. Storch et al, A review of potential conservation and fisheries benefits of breaching four dams in the Lower Snake River (Washington, USA),(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2022.100030
A participant of the Rwandan Huguka Dukore/Akazi Kanoze (HD) program (meaning "Get trained and lets work/work well done" in Kinyarwanda). Credit: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Rwanda

In the head-to-head comparison of a workforce-training program and direct cash transfers for Rwandans, cash proves superior in improving economic outcomes of unemployed youths, while training outperforms cash only in the production of business knowledge, according to a new University of California San Diego study. The findings revealed both programs improved ownership of assets used for business purposes and the number of hours spent working, but neither actually improved employment rates.

Conducted over an 18 month time-period, the study published in the Journal of Development Economics involved 1,848 Rwandans with incomes averaging about $190 per year.

In spite of gains in formal educational attainment, Rwanda's youth unemployment rates remain high. For example, 40 percent of the country's population is between the ages of 14 and 30, and 65 percent of these youths are unemployed.

"It is critical to understand the barriers in physical and human capital that prevent youth from being fully productive," said the study's co-author Craig McIntosh, a professor of economics at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. "In spite of this pressing need, policymakers have limited access to evidence-based interventions with a track record of effectiveness."

Through cash benchmarking approach, the researchers did a direct comparison of the outcomes of participants of the Huguka Dukore/Akazi Kanoze (HD) programmeaning "Get trained and let's work/work well done" in Kinyarwandato participants who were given cash transfers in a range around the anticipated cost of the employment program (about $332). The experiment compared the efficacy of the workforce-training program to simply disbursing the cost of the same program directly to beneficiaries.

"We sought to answer how can policy spending achieve the greatest effect, and how can money be spent to create the largest total benefit across a pool with a fixed budget," wrote McIntosh and co-author Andrew Zeitlin, assistant professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

The Huguka Dukore/Akazi Kanoze (HD) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and operated by the Educational Development Center, is a ve-year project (2017-2021) aimed at providing 40,000 vulnerable youth with employability skills in 19 of 30 total districts in Rwanda. The program targets youth ages 16-30 from poor households with less than secondary education, with an emphasis on women and youth with disabilities.

Participants of the study were randomly assigned by lottery into five categories: the HD program group; a smaller cash grant group intended to be the same cost as HD at $332; a cash grant and HD combined to test if the interventions complement each other; a larger cash grant, which happened to be roughly equal to the cost of both the workforce training program and cash-grant equivalent to about $845; and finally, a group in which no program or direct cash was oered at the time of study.

Improvements in work readiness while cash reigned supreme across the board

The results of the HD program participants, which were collected 15 months after starting the program and at least three months after training ended, showed Huguka Dukore has real benefits. While there was no overall improvement in employment rates, participants of HD saw an increase in business knowledge and productive hours. In addition, the value of business assets held by the households (such as furniture and retail equipment, inventories, and machines for the production of agricultural goods) more than doubled, and average savings increased by 60 percent. It also improved participant well-being.

The cash transfer group results indicated that after 14 months of the direct payment of $332, participants had improvements across a broad range of economic and psychological outcomes. The one-time seed investment showed itself to drive monthly income, household-and individual-level consumption, livestock value and overall wealth to higher levels. The group also showed significant increase of 6.5 more productive hours per week.

Additionally, youth who received cash were more likely to move into self-employment. In other words, they became more entrepreneurial.

"These impacts are substantial for beneficiaries and provide a meaningful return on the costs of intervention," the authors wrote. "For example, the cost to USAID of the middle transfer would be recuperated in beneficiary income impacts alone after approximately 26 months. These results provide more evidence that one-time unconditional transfers tend to be used in a careful and far-sighted fashion by poor households in developing countries."

Both unconditional cash grants of $332 and $845 were provided via mobile money through the U.S. nonprofit GiveDirectly; however, recipients of the lower cash award benefited just as much as those who received the larger grants.

"Lower transfers appear to have cleared a barrier that generates real benefit to households," McIntosh said. "Our study provided evidence that transfer sizes greater than $150 are required to induce changes in productive outcomes in this setting, but here we find transfers larger than $400 have limited additional value. This helps to identify the 'sweet spot' for cash in this context."

What surprised researchers the most from the study was the results from the combined group who were offered both the HD work readiness program and the cash grants of $410. They found no evidence that the two complemented each other, and if anything, the combination appears to do worse than what would have been expected by adding up the individual impact of each of the two programs.

"Our results should not be taken to mean that it is impossible to design cash and training programs in a complementary manner, but rather than simply providing them together does not automatically generate a whole greater than the sum of the parts," the authors wrote.

Both the workforce readiness and cash grant interventions had a relatively consistent effect across richer and poorer, male and female, older and younger, and across local labor market conditions.

Explore further To fight extreme poverty, empower women with more than cash

More information: Craig McIntosh et al, Using household grants to benchmark the cost effectiveness of a USAID workforce readiness program, Journal of Development Economics (2022). Craig McIntosh et al, Using household grants to benchmark the cost effectiveness of a USAID workforce readiness program,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102875
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a screen image captured at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 17, 2022 shows the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft separating from the orbiting station combination. The Chinese cargo spacecraft has largely burned up on reentering the atmosphere, amid separate concerns over China's decision to allow a massive booster rocket to fall to Earth uncontrolled. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP

A Chinese cargo spacecraft that serviced the country's permanent orbiting space station has largely burned up on reentering the atmosphere, amid separate concerns over China's decision to allow a massive booster rocket to fall to Earth uncontrolled.

Only small parts of the Tianzhou-3 ship survived to fall safely Wednesday into a predetermined area of the South Pacific, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Until July 17, the spacecraft had been docked with the station's Tianhe core section and its return follows the addition of a laboratory module on Monday as China moves to complete the station in the coming months.

China's space program is run by the ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, and has largely proceeded with the space station program without other nations' assistance. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its military ties.

The booster that has drawn attention from the space community was part of the massive 23-ton Long March 5B-Y3 rocketChina's most powerfulthat carried the Wentian module to the station, aboard which three astronauts currently reside.

China decided not to guide the booster back through the atmosphere and it's not clear exactly when or where it will come down to Earth. While it will largely burn up on return, there remains a slight risk of fragments causing damage or casualties.

In this image released by Xinhua News Agency, a computer generated simulation screen image at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 17, 2022, shows the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft, right, separating from the orbiting station combination. The Chinese cargo spacecraft has largely burned up on reentering the atmosphere, amid separate concerns over China's decision to allow a massive booster rocket to fall to Earth uncontrolled. Chinese characters on screen reads "19 meters parking point." Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP

While China is not alone in such practices, the size of the Long March rocket stage has drawn particular scrutiny.

China has allowed rocket stages to fall back to Earth on their own at least twice before, and was accused by NASA last year of "failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris" after parts of a Chinese rocket landed in the Indian Ocean.

China also drew heavy criticism after using a missile to destroy one of its defunct weather satellites in 2007, creating a massive debris field.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday rejected such concerns.

"Since the development stage of the space engineering program, China has taken into consideration the debris mitigation and return from orbit into atmosphere of missions involving rocket carriers and satellite sent into orbit," Zhao said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

"It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design that most of the components will be burnt up and destroyed during the reentry process," Zhao said. "The possibility of causing damage to aviation activities or on the ground is extremely low."

Explore further China adds science laboratory to its orbiting space station

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
3D-model of DNA. Credit: Michael Strock/Wikimedia/ GNU Free Documentation License

Nanoscientists and theoretical physicists at UNSW Medicine & Health's EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science joined forces to demystify the complicated mechanisms governing how quickly two matching strands of DNA can fully come togetheror hybridizeto form double stranded DNA. Their findings are published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

A theory was proposed some 50 years ago hypothesizing that how quickly DNA strands hybridize is determined by the initial contact that leads to further binding of the string of matching bases on the DNA strandscalled nucleating interactions. Until now, this theory had never been proven due to the many complexities around DNA biology.

"There are an enormous number of pathways through which two fully dissociated strands can bind to each other. DNA stands don't come together into a fully hybridized duplex in an instant. At some point, only two or three base pairs will spontaneously join. This is what a nucleating event is," said Associate Professor Lawrence Lee who led the team of researchers from UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Science, and Imperial College London.

"We built a simple mathematic model, which only has two parameters, and asked: if we only knew how many nucleating interactions there were, and how stable they were, can we predict hybridization rates? And we found that the answer was yes," he said.

To test this model quantitatively, the research team translated the original hypothesis into a mathematical formula that they could use to measure against their experimental observations with synthetic DNA.

A/Prof Lee explains that simplicity was pivotal to the predictive power of their model.

"If a mathematical model contains too many different parameters, it is no longer useful for making predictions. The key difference to previous attempts to understand DNA hybridization rates was that our model had few parameters and was tested against DNA sequences that should not form secondary structures," he said.

DNA secondary structures form when the strands fold onto themselves, which can potentially obscured nucleation and binding sites.

"The theory is, if this initial small interaction is stable enough, it will go from there to a very fast zippering up of the DNA strands. If the limiting step is nucleating, then it follows that if you have more nucleating states, then the DNA should hybridize faster," said A/Prof Lee.

This discovery has the potential to improve our understanding of biological systems. The ability to predict or control the rate of DNA hybridisation, could also help to refine or expand the utility of nanotechnologies. With this new understanding, researchers can adjust the number and stability of nucleation interactions and, in turn, control the rate of DNA binding. This can be achieved in many ways, including by altering the reaction temperature, DNA sequence, and ionic strength of the solution.

"We can generate high resolution images using DNA paintfluorescent strands of DNA used as tags for microscopybecause we are measuring the binding and unbinding of DNA to individual molecules. But, it can take a long time to acquire data. If we could rationally design sequences for DNA paint, so that it can bind more rapidly, then we could reduce the acquisition time for super-resolution imaging," said A/Prof Lee.

Explore further Physicist optimizes DNA microscopy technique to improve imaging speed, add color

More information: Sophie Hertel et al, The stability and number of nucleating interactions determine DNA hybridization rates in the absence of secondary structure, Nucleic Acids Research (2022). Journal information: Nucleic Acids Research Sophie Hertel et al, The stability and number of nucleating interactions determine DNA hybridization rates in the absence of secondary structure,(2022). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac590
Nebraskas Kate Lyons stands in Elephant Hall at the University of Nebraska State Museum. Behind her looms Archie, the largest Columbian mammoth fossil in the world. A study from Lyons and colleagues has found that the extinction of large mammal species, including the Columbian mammoth, likely contributed to the homogenization of North Americas mammal communities. Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Whether by the spear or the plow, humans have been homogenizing the mammal communities of North America for 10,000-plus years, says new research led by the Canadian Museum of Nature and the University of NebraskaLincoln.

The museum's Danielle Fraser, Nebraska's Kate Lyons and international colleagues conducted an analysis of 8,831 fossils representing 365 mammal species from 366 sites across North America. Relying on those fossil records allowed the team to assess homogenization: the degree to which the specific mammal species in one ecological community match up with those of its surrounding communities, so that few species are unique to one community or another.

A few prior studiesthose examining North American mammals from tens of millions to millions of years agogenerally pegged climate as the primary culprit of the homogenization and heterogenization they uncovered. Other research, focusing on just the past century to last few decades, has chronicled the recent human influences of land conversion, poaching and territorial encroachment.

But no team had established a baseline of homogenization, or the true magnitude of human contributions to it, by examining the phenomenon both before and after the arrival of Homo sapiens. So Fraser, Lyons and colleagues trained their attention on the past 30,000 years, a timespan encompassing the absence of Homo sapiens on the continent, their migration throughout it, and their shift from hunting-gathering to intensive agriculture.

Homo sapiens, the team found, are probably most responsible for the unprecedented rates and levels of homogenization seen in North American mammal communitiesfor flattening their distinctive character by escalating the similarity among many of them.

"Our conclusion is that this does have to do with early human activities and the arrival of humans into the Americas," said Lyons, assistant professor of biological sciences at Nebraska.

North American mammal communities of the modern day are more than twice as homogenous as they were roughly 10,000 years ago, the study revealed. That shift, the researchers said, is equivalent to the current difference in homogenization between the subtropics of central Mexico and the comparatively uniform mammal communities of the Arctic.

The trend emerged earlier and was especially pronounced among mammals weighing at least 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. Also telling? Homogenization began accelerating about 12,000 years ago, around the time that humans were hunting mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and other large mammals to extinction.

Together, Lyons said, those findings suggest that the spate of large-mammal extinctions contributed to homogenization. The disappearance of large mammals unique to individual communities would have directly increased their similarity, she said. And in a 2019 study, Lyons and colleagues showed that those extinctions also drove smaller species to expand their ranges, filling the geographic voids left by their larger counterparts. Expansion would have led to more territorial overlap, Lyons said, further homogenizing communities in the process.

But homogenization in North America accelerated even more in the past 5,000 yearsa span marked by as much as a 10-fold surge in the human population and the emergence of widespread farming, particularly across what would become the central and eastern United States.

"It happened much later in North America than on other continents," Lyons said. "But that's really when humans in North America went from being hunter-gatherers to being more settled and dependent on agriculture."

The proliferation of human settlements across the continent attracted mammal speciescoyotes, raccoons, rats and other rodentsthat would come to thrive on the byproducts of those settlements and enjoy the elimination of predators by the people inhabiting them.

The conversion of prairies and forests for agriculture, meanwhile, shrunk the number of plant species in a given habitat from hundreds or thousands to mere dozens or fewer, narrowing the habitable territory for pickier herbivores and the carnivores or omnivores preying on them. Cultivated fields, roads and other human-created boundaries would also have acted as "barriers to dispersal," Lyons said, that likewise hemmed certain species into smaller territories.

"You still have narrow-ranging species, but now they're in fewer communities, so their overall contribution to the difference in communities is much smaller than maybe it was before," Lyons said.

As for the potential effect of climate? The team found scant evidence for it between 10,000 and 500 years ago. From about 20,000 to 15,000 years ago, a warming North America saw the retreat of glaciers that had enveloped nearly all of modern-day Canada and much of the northern United States. Warmer climates generally yield more gradual north-south gradients in temperature and precipitation. That warming-driven homogeneity in climate, Lyons said, tends to breed homogeneity in mammal communities, too.

If climate had contributed to the homogenization of mammal communities, the team would have expected that homogenization to accelerate prior to 10,000 years ago. The fact that it didn't indicates that climate probably had little to do with it, she said.

"What we find when we look at the climate patterns is that all of that happened very early on, before we see this dramatic homogenization," Lyons said.

For all the speed and severity of homogenization throughout the past 5,000 years, it has only increased in the past 500, the team concluded. To the extent that it is stemming from the continued extinctions of keystone species whose behaviors and capabilities are especially consequential, that homogenization could spell danger for ecosystems, Lyons said.

"A lot of what we're finding is that when we lose speciesparticularly when we lose large species that tend to be what we call ecosystem engineersthere's a dramatic change in the ecosystem that's left," she said. "Large mammals do all kinds of stuff in ecosystems.

"Elephants eat a lot, they move around a lot, and they poop a lot, so they actually move nutrients around ecosystems a lot. What we're finding, then, is that nutrients essentially get lost from ecosystems (in their absence)."

With fewer keystone species, homogenized mammal communities may also boast fewer ways to respond, and possibly survive, the ongoing challenges of climate change and further human encroachment, Lyons said.

"Communities will be probably less resilient to future perturbations and potential extinctions," she said. "It also just makes the world less interesting, because you have less wondrous variation out there."

The team reported its findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Explore further Division by subtraction: Extinction of large mammal species likely drove survivors apart

More information: Danielle Fraser et al, Late quaternary biotic homogenization of North American mammalian faunas, Nature Communications (2022). Journal information: Nature Communications Danielle Fraser et al, Late quaternary biotic homogenization of North American mammalian faunas,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31595-8
Etnas uplift and subsidence. Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (20152020), processed by EGMS/ESA

Any movement beneath our feetfrom barely perceptible subsidence to the sudden appearance of a sinkhole or a crashing landslidespells big trouble. Even relatively modest subsidence can weaken buildings and infrastructure and lead to issues such as flooding, and at worst the abrupt disappearance of sections of land brings immediate threat to life. Monitoring and predicting our shifting land is clearly essential for adopting mitigating strategies.

And now, thanks to Europe's environmental Copernicus program and the Sentinel-1 radar satellite mission, the first Europe-wide subsidence and soil movement analysis service is available to the public.

The new European Ground Motion Service, the latest offering of the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service and implemented by the European Environment Agency, provides free and accessible ground motion data to anyone who wishes to use it.

Based on radar data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite mission, the service provides information on the motion of land, structures and infrastructure in Copernicus Participating States. Its aim is to give users reliable information on ground motion at a local, regional or national scale.

Radar imagesas provided by the Sentinel-1 mission's advanced C-band synthetic aperture radarare the best way of tracking land subsidence and structural damage.

The "radar interferometry" remote sensing technique combines two or more radar images from the same orbital geometry over the same area to detect changes occurring between acquisitions. Interferometry allows for the monitoring of even slight ground movementdown to a few millimetersacross wide areas.

Subsidence patterns around Bologna. Credit: European Space Agency

Using these millimeter-scale measurements of ground motion, the European Ground Motion Service enables the mapping of subsidence and landslides, as well ground affected by seismic and tectonic activity.

Subsidence, for instance, is a serious concern, often caused by the removal of groundwater, oil, natural gas or mineral resources. Even modest subsidence can weaken buildings, bridges, railway lines, sewer pipes, dams and sea defenses, the list goes on.

Needless to say that damage to the infrastructure on which we rely can pose danger. Repairing structures is expensive, but so too is adopting mitigating strategies. It is therefore paramount that the authorities, urban planners and construction companies, for example, have accurate information so that they plan and invest as effectively as possible.

Help is now at hand through the European Ground Motion Service, which provides data on a continental scale, in the form of maps color-coded by the velocity of ground motion, in terms of millimeters per year. The first baseline product, covering 20152020, is made from Sentinel-1 satellite data acquired every six days during that period.

The measurements provided by the European Ground Motion Service are valuable for many user communities. They are, for example, critical for studying, monitoring, and understanding a variety of deformation phenomena of anthropogenic origin, but also deformation resulting from seismic and tectonic activity.

The images here are examples of data that can be accessed through the service. They depict ground motion around Mount Etna and Bologna in Italy, as well as an area around Larissa in Greece. While subsidence and uplift around Mount Etna is linked to volcanic activity, the subsidence we see in Bologna and villages near Larissa is associated with the extraction of groundwater.

This graph shows the rate of ground displacement around the village of Chalki, near Larissa in Greece  between 2016 and 2021 the ground subsided by a total of 21.55 cm. This subsidence is largely a result of groundwater extraction. Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (20162021), processed by EGMS/ESA

In fact, among the most important and valuable applications of this new service is for risk assessments related to geohazards. Risk assessment through ground motion analyses is essential for the development of mitigation strategies and for more effective exploitation of resources, as well as for better management and planning of urban areas and infrastructures.

This new service, which was initiated by the European Union as part of the Copernicus program, is also closely linked with other aspects of ESA's Earth Observation Programs such as the Geohazards Exploitation Platform. This is a research and development processing environment dedicated to terrain motion mapping that has been upgraded to allow for the visualization of products delivered by the European Ground Motion Service. It offers further interferometric processing with complementary on-demand processing such as the SNAPPING service and the P-SBAS service that use Sentinel-1 time series.

Accessing the European Ground Motion Service on the Geohazards Exploitation Platform and combining it with complementary processing chains is intended to maximize the impact and benefit of the technology with user communities.

Beyond this, the availability of the European Ground Motion Service is intended to help increase awareness and acceptance of radar interferometry as a solution in various industry sectors on a global basis where service providers from Europe have commercial Earth observation-based capabilities using both Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar and very high-resolution synthetic aperture radar missions.

The European Ground Motion Service is available to the public, everyone can register on the platform and access the data.

Explore further Germany land motion mapped
Leicester is one of the UKs least whiteand most heat-vulnerablecities. Credit: Ian Francis / shutterstock

Temperatures in the U.K. recently breached 40C for the first time in recorded history. The country is set to experience more frequent and more extreme heat waves as carbon emissions continue to accumulate in the atmosphere.

Heat waves have worrying implications for human health including sleep loss, mental illness, and increased mortality and suicide rates.

In August 2003, over 20,000 people died in Europe during an extreme heat wave. Subsequent analysis by climate scientists revealed that the deaths can be directly attributed to anthropogenic climate change. Specifically, climate change increased the likelihood of heat-related deaths by 20% in London and 70% in Paris.

More recently, England recorded 2,556 excess deaths across three heat wave periods in summer 2020.

The U.K. government has made progress in managing public health risks associated with increased flooding, but more needs to be done when it comes to heat waves. This is arguably because the lethal effects of heat waves are less visible to the publicthe risk tends to weigh more heavily on vulnerable and socially marginalized groups like elderly people, those on low-incomes and ethnic minorities.

Correspondingly, heat extremes do not typically evoke a strong sense of threat among people in the U.K. One video clip which did the rounds on social media during the heat wave, shows a U.K. television news anchor dismissing a meteorologist's concern about the potential lethal effects of hot weather.

A clip from Don't Look Up, and then a real TV interview that just happened pic.twitter.com/CokQ5eb3sO  Ben Phillips (@benphillips76) July 20, 2022

Racial disparities in heat vulnerability

There are stark racial inequalities in the distribution of heat vulnerability in the UK. Researchers at the University of Manchester recently identified Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester, as well as the London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney as being home to the U.K. communities that are most vulnerable to heat.

Their study assessed more than 40 factors that contribute to community-level heat vulnerability and found low green space, high crime rates and poor quality housing stock among the most important. Notably, U.K. residents from ethnic minority backgrounds are four times more likely to live in vulnerable areas compared to white people.

During heat waves, research in the U.S. has shown that mortality rates tend to be higher among ethnic minorities, particularly black people. Minorities are less likely to have access to air-conditioning, and are more likely to live in dense urban settlements with poor housing and limited open spaces and green areas.

Importantly, being black is not simply a proxy for poverty. Heat-related deaths remain significantly higher among black people in the U.S. even when socioeconomic status is accounted for.

Areas of the U.K. that are most vulnerable to heat also have considerably lower carbon footprints than average. This is clearly an issue of climate justice.

Feeling the heat

In spring 2022, we conducted a national survey looking into how climate change is experienced among U.K. ethnic minorities. Over a thousand ethnic minority people participated in the study, which is due to be published in September. Our provisional results show that heat-related impacts are the most common form of climate risk exposure reported by ethnic minorities.

Approximately three in five people (62%) reported that they had experienced a heat wave in the U.K. that caused sleep loss and discomfort (more than in comparable surveys of the general population). One in three (29%) had suffered disruption to their work or travel due to a heat wave, and a further one in five (17%) had experienced significant negative health effects from a heat wave.

Many ethnic minorities recognize the link between climate change and their experiences with heat. Around three in five participants (61%) felt they had personally experienced climate change and when asked to describe their experiences, a large proportion mentioned heat waves and rising temperatures.

Addressing inequality

So what can be done about all this? First, climate policy must do more than acknowledge these racial disparities in heat vulnerability exist. An equality analysis of the 2013 heat wave plan for England identified a troubling blind spot: while the plan observed that ethnic minorities may face greater risk from heat due to their concentration in urban areas, it failed to include sufficient evidence or analysis that would determine the impact heat waves would actually have on them. That's one reason we need more research that addresses the factors underlying racial inequalities in heat vulnerability.

Second, inequality in heat vulnerability should be a theme rather than a neglected footnote in climate change messaging aimed at U.K. ethnic minority groups. A high proportion of ethnic minorities care about the climate but the climate and environmental movement does not have a good track record of effectively representing them. Heat could become a widely accessible and relatable messaging theme used to mobilize ethnic minorities for climate action.

In the words of David Moinina Sengeh, the education minister of Sierra Leone who recently spoke at Nottingham University: "When we develop solutions for people at the margins, we achieve a more robust system overall." Tackling racial disparities in heat vulnerability is not about pandering to minorities. It is about achieving a more robust societal response to worsening climate risks.

Explore further Extreme heat waves expected to intensify as global temperatures rise, says expert

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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What do building pyramids, going to the moon, paddling a two-person canoe or dancing a waltz have in common? All these actions are the result of a common goal between multiple partners and lead to a mutual sense of obligation, known as "joint commitment." This ability to cooperate is universal in humans and certain species of animals, like the great apes.

However, humans seem to have a unique predisposition and strong desire for social interaction that may be one of the components of the emergence of language, according to the authors of the study. How do our social interactions differ from other species? And why? To answer these questions, an international team analyzed the interactions of 31 children between the ages of 2 and 4 in four preschools in the United States (10 hours per child). "There have been only a few quantitative analyses of the spontaneous social interactions of 2 and 4 year olds while interacting with peers, although it is a critical age for the development of children's socio-cognitive abilities. And the ones that exist are either not based on extensive video recordings following individual children for several days or simply do not allow an easy comparison with great apes' social interactions," says Federico Rossano, first author of the study and Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego. They then compared their results with similar interactions in adults and great apes

Multiplication of social partners

The researchers analyzed the environmental factors (number of partners, types of activities, etc.) surrounding the children. They found that children have more frequent (an average of 13 distinct social interactions per hour) and shorter (an average of 28 seconds) social interactions with their peers than great apes in comparable studies. Adrian Bangerter, co-author of the study and professor at the University of Neuchatel explains why: "By being exposed to many partners, children learn quickly about the need to coordinate with each other's behavior." The numbers support this quick learning: 4-year-olds already participate in cooperative social interactions more often than 2-year-olds and fight less than 2-year-olds. "Learning how to coordinate with others and how to communicate towards engaging in joint activities goes hand-in-hand with learning how to minimize conflict," adds Rossano.

Social interactions are usually marked by an entry and an exit phase (when one starts a conversation with eye contact and a "hello" and then signaling that it is ending by repeating "okay, fine" or with a "goodbye"). These signals are also present in 90% of social engagements in bonobos and 69% in chimpanzees. It appears that young children use these signals only 66-69% of the time, less frequently than bonobos and adults. "On one hand this might be due to the appreciation that they will interact again with the same children throughout the day, like two passengers sitting next to each other on a plane starting and stopping quick conversations throughout a flight without using greetings each time they resume talking. On the other hand, it might reflect the fact that not every social interaction is based on joint commitment to each other, i.e. at times young children might be bulldozing their way in and assume other children will just adapt to them rather than coordinating," Rossano explains. More empirical research will be needed to confirm these behaviors, however this study is a first step in the understanding of the role of joint commitment for human social interaction and how it impacted the evolution of language.

Cooperation in Swiss children

A similar study is currently conducted within the framework of The NCCR Evolving Language, a Swiss research center that aims at unraveling the biological foundations of language, its evolutionary past and the challenges imposed by new technologies. A team including the co-authors of the University of Neuchatel is working with the after-school care facilities of Neuchatel and aims to understand the development of joint action in children by observing how their use of so-called back-channel words (uh-huh, okay) changes over time when they play a LEGO cooperative game. Adrian Bangerter explains why those terms are important to analyze: "We use 'small' words like okay, uh-huh, yeah, or right all the time to synchronize our behavior with our partners. Yet so little is known about how young children acquire the use of them."

The research was published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

More information: Federico Rossano et al, How 2- and 4-year-old children coordinate social interactions with peers, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2022). Federico Rossano et al, How 2- and 4-year-old children coordinate social interactions with peers,(2022). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0100

Provided by National Centre of Competence in Research
A dry bank of the Loire river in Ancenis, western France.

France is on track to experience its driest July on record, the national weather service said Wednesday, with drought-like conditions leading to increasingly severe water restrictions around the country.

"The month of July will very likely be the driest July ever recorded since 1959," spokesman Christian Veil from Meteo-France told AFP.

On average, just eight mm (0.3 inches) of rain fell across the country from July 1-25, less than the previous low of 16 mm which was clocked in 2020, he said.

"We're in a very difficult situation even though we're only at the end of July," he said, saying soil humidity was at record lows and many trees were losing their leaves prematurely.

Farmers across the country are reporting difficulties in feeding livestock because of parched grasslands, while irrigation has been banned in large areas of northwest and southeast France due to water shortages.

The flow of the river Loire for example, which empties into the Atlantic in northwest France, has fallen by a quarter since the start of July.

On the eastern river Rhine, which forms the France-Germany border, commercial boats are having to run at a third of their carrying capacity in order to avoid hitting the bottom because the water level is so low.

A total of 90 out of 96 administrative regions in mainland France have water restrictions of some sort, a record number, according to the environment ministry.

Explore further France struggles with drought over punishing summer of heat

 2022 AFP
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Duke researchers have developed a way to use gene-editing to prevent and treat COVID-19 in mice, which they believe holds promise for people.

They are the first researchers to demonstrate that CRISPR, a powerful gene-editing tool, can be used against COVID-19. The group, led by Duke School of Medicine professor Qianben Wang, published their results in Nature Chemical Biology on Tuesday.

If further research proves the treatment is effective in humans, it could offer a prevention strategy that lasts several days and can withstand constantly changing coronavirus variants.

How it works

This treatment centers around an enzyme called CTSL, which coronaviruses need in order to enter human cells.

Researchers have long tried to wipe out CTSL to stop coronavirus infections but ran into a problem: The enzyme is also essential for many of the body's normal processes.

Wang and his team used two strategies for addressing that problem.

First, they developed an extremely targeted method for making sure CRISPR only targets lung cells. He said 94% of the nanoparticles injected into the mice's bodies reached the lungs. His lab has a patent pending in both the United States and Europe for the nanoparticle technology.

They also used a gene-editing strategy that only stops CTSL production for a couple of days to a week, offering promise that the body can continue functioning normally afterward.

Together, these methods safely and and effectively stopped COVID-19 from entering mice cells and quickly stopped the virus in mice who were already infected.

Preventing COVID-19 with gene-editing, a DNA- and RNA-level intervention that has spurred innovation in several fields, has a number of advantages over the currently available vaccines.

The three vaccines on the market work by identifying the virus' spike protein and rallying the immune system to attack it. That means if the spike protein changes, the vaccine's efficacy can wanea fact that health officials are now grappling with as new omicron subvariants pop up.

By contrast, the CRISPR method doesn't need to find the coronavirus to kill it. It targets the supply of an enzyme all coronaviruses rely on, making it resilient against the virus' constant mutations.

Because the lab's strategy also does not depend on the body's immune system, there could be another benefit if this works in people. It may be a better way to protect people with compromised immune systems who have not benefited from vaccines.

Next steps

This technology is still a long way from being proven to be effective in people, never mind be available to the public.

It would have to undergo rigorous clinical trials in humans before the Food and Drug Administration would approve it. Wang's lab is looking for investments and potentially an industry partner to expedite that process.

They are also continuing to research whether the treatment could be administered via an aerosol instead of an IV. Wang said he envisions people carrying something like an asthma inhaler with them to big sporting events or long plane rides and taking a puff before or shortly after to reduce their risk.

"We want the therapy to enter the real world," Wang said.

Explore further CRISPR technology demonstrates success in preventing and treating COVID

More information: Zhifen Cui et al, Cas13d knockdown of lung protease Ctsl prevents and treats SARS-CoV-2 infection, Nature Chemical Biology (2022). Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology Zhifen Cui et al, Cas13d knockdown of lung protease Ctsl prevents and treats SARS-CoV-2 infection,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01094-4

2022 The Charlotte Observer.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Atoms swimming in liquid thanks to graphene. Credit: The University of Manchester

Graphene scientists from The University of Manchester have created a novel "nano-petri dish" using two-dimensional (2D) materials to create a new method of observing how atoms move in liquid.

Publishing in the journal Nature, the team led by researchers based at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) used stacks of 2D materials like graphene to trap liquid in order to further understand how the presence of liquid changes the behavior of the solid.

The team were able to capture images of single atoms "swimming" in liquid for the first time. The findings could have widespread impact on the future development of green technologies such as hydrogen production.

When a solid surface is in contact with a liquid, both substances change their configuration in response to the proximity of the other. Such atomic scale interactions at solid-liquid interfaces govern the behavior of batteries and fuel cells for clean electricity generation, as well as determining the efficiency of clean water generation and underpinning many biological processes.

One of the lead researchers, Professor Sarah Haigh, commented, "Given the widespread industrial and scientific importance of such behavior, it is truly surprising how much we still have to learn about the fundamentals of how atoms behave on surfaces in contact with liquids. One of the reasons information is missing is the absence of techniques able to yield experimental data for solid-liquid interfaces."

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is one of only few techniques that allows individual atoms to be seen and analyzed. However, the TEM instrument requires a high-vacuum environment, and the structure of materials changes in a vacuum. First author Dr. Nick Clark explained, "In our work we show that misleading information is provided if the atomic behavior is studied in vacuum instead of using our liquid cells."

Professor Roman Gorbachev has pioneered the stacking of 2D materials for electronics but here his group have used those same techniques to develop a "double graphene liquid cell." A 2D layer of molybdenum disulfide was fully suspended in liquid and encapsulated by graphene windows. This novel design allowed them to provide precisely controlled liquid layers, enabling unprecedented videos to be captured showing the single atoms "swimming" around, surrounded by liquid.

By analyzing how the atoms moved in the videos and comparing to theoretical insights provided by colleagues at Cambridge University, the researchers were able to understand the effect of the liquid on atomic behavior. The liquid was found to speed up the motion of the atoms and also change their preferred resting sites with respect to the underlying solid.

The team studied a material that is promising for green hydrogen production but the experimental technology they have developed can be used for many different applications.

Dr. Nick Clark said, "This is a milestone achievement and it is only the beginningwe are already looking to use this technique to support development of materials for sustainable chemical processing, needed to achieve the world's net zero ambitions."

Explore further How gas nanobubbles accelerate solid-liquid-gas reactions

More information: Nick Clark et al, Tracking single adatoms in liquid in a Transmission Electron Microscope, Nature (2022). Journal information: Nature Nick Clark et al, Tracking single adatoms in liquid in a Transmission Electron Microscope,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05130-0
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Researchers from Goethe University, Duke University, and London Business School published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that explains why some companies remain innovative even after they go public, while many others do not.

The study is authored by Simone Weis, Christine Moorman, and Rajesh Chandy.

Growth and innovation are primary arguments for firms to go public and access resources from the stock market. However, for most firms, going public is associated with a pronounced slump in risky innovation. Why? After firms go public, managers often perceive pressures from the stock market that reduce their incentives to invest in risky innovations. Investments may fail to pay off or to do so within a predictable timeline, and investors may impose strict quarterly earnings targets and judge firms by their short-term performance. Elon Musk captured these pressures when taking Tesla private in order to operate "free from as much distraction and short-term thinking as possible" as did Michael Dell who lamented that when striving to meet Wall Street's quarterly demands, it is "not always possible to focus on innovating for customers." Funding incremental innovation activities instead of bigger, breakthrough innovation is one way to secure the short-term performance demanded by the stock market. These pressures and this resulting strategy produce the well-documented post-IPO innovation slump, which we find affects approximately 70% of IPOs.

By examining a sample of 207 firms in the consumer-packaged goods industry that undergo an IPO over a thirty-year period, this Journal of Marketing article demonstrates that those IPOs that engage in innovation imprinting before they go public are able to beat this slump and keep innovating. Wies explains that "Innovation imprinting occurs when firms establish product priorities and build market capabilities associated with breakthrough innovation in the years before they go public. This imprinting establishes aspirations and routines within the company that support its ability to resist potential stock market pressure to shift priorities and capabilities away from breakthrough innovation after going public." Moorman adds, "However, beyond maintaining innovation momentum, we show that innovation imprinting also serves an external signaling function that allows these companies to attract a segment of investors whose risk preferences are more supportive of innovation and more forgiving of short-term fluctuations in performance that can often accompany innovation." Importantly, the authors find that if they overcome this post-IPO innovation slump, publicly listed firms survive longer and experience stronger financial performance.

These findings challenge the idea that the stock market causes an inevitable death of breakthrough innovation. Instead, managers can help their firms remain innovative by planting the seeds of innovation before they go public. The research also challenges the pessimistic view of public firms' ability to innovate by studying the firms that beat these pressures and offering managers concrete actions that can allow them to manage the transition to public status. "By studying the exceptions to the generally pessimistic view about public firms' innovationnot the averageswe offer insights to help managers prevent their firms from falling prey to this effect," says Chandy. Further, Wies adds, "Our research reminds managers to consider how segmentation also applies to investors. Investors, much like consumers, are not a homogenous group. Instead, there are segments among investors who have different preferences and propensities to purchase company stocks with varying types and levels of risk." Just as marketing-related actions can attract different segments of customers, a firm's marketing-related actions in the form of pre-IPO innovation imprinting attracts a segment of investors who share its values and support innovation.

Explore further How stock market inefficiencies can affect the real economy

More information: Simone Wies et al, EXPRESS: Innovation Imprinting: Why Some Firms Beat the Post-IPO Innovation Slump, Journal of Marketing (2022). Journal information: Journal of Marketing Simone Wies et al, EXPRESS: Innovation Imprinting: Why Some Firms Beat the Post-IPO Innovation Slump,(2022). DOI: 10.1177/00222429221114317
Fall armyworm infestation on maize. Credit: CABI

New CABI-led research, working in conjunction with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), proposes the establishment of local Biological Control Agent (BCA) hubs to fight the devastating fall armyworm pest in Bangladesh.

The scientists, who published their findings in the CABI Agriculture and Bioscience journal, say a non-linear business model could reverse the current low uptake of safer-to-use and more environmentally friendly BCAs to fight fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) by maize farmers in the country.

Pest of great concern

Fall armyworm is of great concern, as globally evidence of yield loss and economic injury from the pest in various cropsincluding maize, cotton, sorghum and others, has been well documented. In Bangladesh, maize cultivation has grown in importance since the 1980s and is now amongst the country's top three important crops.

Dr. Mariam Kadzamira, lead author of the study, highlights how farmer uptake of BCAs is hindered by several factors. This includes the lack of BCA availability in local markets, negative farmer and agro-dealer perceptions, poor input industry linkages for the supply of BCAs products to agro-dealers and inadequate institutional finances for capacity building of and technical support by research scientists and extension agents.

Dr. Kadzamira says that "given these challenges to BCAs uptake, an innovation systems-based business model that links researchers, extensionists, agro-dealers and farmer producer organizations in a non-linear pathway is proposed for Bangladesh."

"This translates into the establishment of local BCA production hubs owner-managed by farm entrepreneurs, with scientists providing them with nucleus culture, while extension services provide technical support for quality assurance."

"The interaction between all stakeholders is non-linear with all actors intellectually consulted and engaged, with technical capacity on BCAs available for any actor requiring it."

Multi-disciplinary research

Co-author Dr. Malvika Chaudhary adds that multi-disciplinary research, that takes account feedback from stakeholders, complements the processtherefore, generating robust and relevant knowledge for feedbacking to improve the business model, capacity building initiatives and farmer engagement.

The scientists argue that biological control is seen as a potential management strategy for fall armyworm as it can provide long-term control without harming the environment and human health. With the appropriate resources and effort, BCAs can be effective for the management of fall armyworm in maize as well as other at-risk crops.

Dr. Chaudhary says that "cases of local BCAs production are few but emerging globally. In Bangladesh there is no clear guidelines on the profitability and costs of establishing local BCAs production hubs by farm entrepreneurs for FAW infested areas."

"This study contributes to this as it provides insights for practitioners, governments and funders on a type of business model that can be used for establishing local BCAs production hubs."

"To fully operationalize this business model, there is need for long term financial and technical support for the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), extension services as well as farmer producer organizations."

Further research needed

The researchers conclude by suggesting that further research is needed to understand and quantify the timelines when the proposed business model would become self-sustaining and the type of support that would be needed for relevant stakeholders during this time.

Other research, they say, could also focus on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion analysis, to capture gendered differences in terms of farmer perceptions, usage and knowledge of BCAs as well as farmer-willingness-to-pay.

Explore further Majority of farmers willing to pay for plant health advice, new research shows

More information: Mariam A. T. J. Kadzamira et al, A non-linear approach to the establishment of local biological control agent production units: a case study of fall armyworm in Bangladesh, CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2022). Mariam A. T. J. Kadzamira et al, A non-linear approach to the establishment of local biological control agent production units: a case study of fall armyworm in Bangladesh,(2022). DOI: 10.1186/s43170-022-00115-5

Provided by CABI
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As much of Europe and the United States continue to deal with extreme heat, and cities like London break all-time high temperature records, an economist at the University of Missouri predicts Londoners in particular are at an increased risk of dying from heat stress. Based on current trends, J. Isaac "Zack" Miller said a heat event that raises the risk of death as much as 9.4% in any given year will become common by the end of the centurybut is relatively unlikely in next decade.

Miller, a professor and associate chair of the MU Department of Economics, said the data they analyzed in a study published in the Journal of Econometrics also shows that the United Kingdom cannot do much to change the trend alone. Even if the U.K. achieves its strategy of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, it will do little to mitigate the risk unless other countries follow their lead. The strategy includes various plans to curb emissions and invest in green energy sources, including renewables like solar and wind.

"Northern European cities, London in particular, are especially vulnerable to heat stress because they don't have a lot of air conditioning," he said. "The way London, and other cities like it, escape this fate so to speak, is to become more like Chicago, New York City or Houstonall big U.S. cities with lots of air conditioning and where a sense of adaptation has already set in for extreme heat events."

The study used a predictive model to compare two scenariosa mitigation scenario that involved the U.K. achieving its net-zero goal, and a business-as-usual scenario, or one that's void of any mitigation or adaptation strategies, Miller said.

"We found there really wasn't that much of a difference between the two scenarios with respect to the risk level of people dying from heat stress," he said.

Miller said a contributing factor to their selection of London as a location for this study is a weather event called polar amplification. This means the closer a location is to either the North Pole or South Pole, the faster that place is going to get hotter temperatures, compared to someplace farther away. Since this weather phenomenon is occurring over the North Atlantic, Miller said London's proximity to that part of the ocean played a role in their analysis.

Miller believes this situation needs to be analyzed by multiple disciplines, and that economists like him can provide an innovative perspective on the ongoing heat wave unfolding in London. They, like other social scientists, are involved in thinking about human activities.

"Even more so than climate scientists, we are ones who naturally look at costs and benefits," said Miller, whose research focuses on the topics of energy and climate economics.

While the study does not address specific actions to take based on their findings, Miller believes the UK cannot act aloneit must work together with other countries.

"It has to be addressed by the majority of countries in the world, including China, India and the U.S.," he said. "Without the U.S. and China on board, it's going to be hard to do much globally."

"Beyond RCP8.5: Marginal mitigation using quasi-representative concentration pathways," was published in the Journal of Econometrics. William A. "Buz" Brock at MU, who also has a joint appointment at University of Wisconsin-Madison, contributed to the study.

Explore further How 22 large cities address public health in climate adaptation plans

More information: J. Isaac Miller et al, Beyond RCP8.5: Marginal mitigation using quasi-representative concentration pathways, Journal of Econometrics (2021). Journal information: Journal of Econometrics J. Isaac Miller et al, Beyond RCP8.5: Marginal mitigation using quasi-representative concentration pathways,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2021.06.007
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Antisemitic incidents have shown a sharp rise in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League, a New York-based Jewish civil rights group that has been tracking cases since 1979, found that there were 2,717 incidents in 2021. This represents an increase of 34% over 2020. In Europe, the European Commission found a sevenfold increase in antisemitic postings across French language accounts, and an over thirteenfold increase in antisemitic comments within German channels during the pandemic.

Together with other scholars who study antisemitism, we started to look at how technology and the business model of the social media platforms were driving antisemitism. A 2022 book that we co-edited, "Antisemitism on Social Media," offers perspectives from the U.S., Germany, Denmark, Israel, India, U.K. and Sweden on how algorithms on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube contribute to spreading antisemitism.

What does antisemitism on social media look like?

Hatred against Jews on social media is often expressed in stereotypical depictions of Jews that stem from Nazi propaganda or in denial of the Holocaust.

Antisemitic social media posts also express hatred toward Jews that is based on the notion that all Jews are Zionistthat is, they are part of the national movement supporting Israel as a Jewish stateand Zionism is constructed as innately evil.

However, today's antisemitism is not only directed at Israelis, and it does not always take the form of traditional slogans or hate speech. Contemporary antisemitism manifests itself in various forms such as GIFs, memes, vlogs, comments and reactions such as likes and dislikes on the platforms.

Scholar Sophie Schmalenberger found that antisemitism is expressed not just in blunt, hurtful language and images on social media, but also in coded forms that may easily remain undetected. For example, on Facebook, Germany's radical right-wing party Alternative fur Deutschland, or AfD, omits the mentioning of the Holocaust in posts about the Second World War. It also uses antisemitic language and rhetoric that present antisemitism as acceptable.

Antisemitism may take on subtle forms such as in emojis. The emoji combination of a star of David, a Jewish symbol, and a rat resembles the Nazi propaganda likening Jews to vermin. In Nazi Germany, the constant repetition and normalization of such depictions led to the dehumanization of Jews and eventually the acceptance of genocide.

Other forms of antisemitism on social media are antisemitic troll attacks: Users organize to disrupt online events by flooding them with messages that deny the Holocaust or spread conspiracy myths as QAnon does.

Scholars Gabi Weimann and Natalie Masri have studied TikTok. They found that kids and young adults are especially in danger of being exposed, often unwittingly, to antisemitism on the very popular and fast-growing platform, which already counts over 1 billion users worldwide. Some of the content that is posted combines clips of footage from Nazi Germany with new text belittling or making fun of the victims of the Holocaust.

The continuous exposure to antisemitic content at a young age, scholars say, can lead to both normalization of the content and radicalization of the Tik-Tok viewer.

Algorithmic antisemitism

Antisemitism is fueled by algorithms, which are programmed to register engagement. This ensures that the more engagement a post receives, the more users see it. Engagement includes all reactions such as likes and dislikes, shares and comments, including countercomments. The problem is that reactions to posts also trigger rewarding dopamine hits in users. Because outrageous content creates the most engagement, users feel more encouraged to post hateful content.

However, even social media users who post critical comments on hateful content don't realize that because of the way algorithms work, they end up contributing to its spread.

Research on video recommendations on YouTube also shows how algorithms gradually lead users to more radical content. Algorithmic antisemitism is thus a form of what criminologist Matthew Williams calls "algorithmic hate" in his book "The Science of Hate."

What can be done about it?

To combat antisemitism on social media, strategies need to be evidence based. But neither social media companies nor researchers have devoted enough time and resources to this issue so far.

The study of antisemitism on social media poses unique challenges to researchers: They need access to the data and funding to be able to help develop effective counterstrategies. So far, scholars depend on the cooperation of the social media companies to access the data, which is mostly unregulated.

Social media companies have implemented guidelines on reporting antisemitism on social media, and civil society organizations have been demanding action against algorithmic antisemitism. However, the measures taken so far are woefully inadequate, if not dangerous. For example, counterspeech, which is often promoted as a possible strategy, tends to amplify hateful content.

To meaningfully address antisemitic hate speech, social media companies would need to change the algorithms that collect and curate user data for advertisement companies, which make up a large part of their revenue.

There is a global, borderless spread of antisemitic posts on social media happening on an unprecedented scale. We believe it will require the collective efforts of social media companies, researchers and civil society to combat this problem.

Explore further How social media fuels antisemitism

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Researchers of the HSE International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics together with their international colleagues have proposed a new statistical method for analyzing population admixture that makes it possible to determine the time and number of migration waves more accurately. The history of Colombians and Mexicans (descendants of Native Americans, Spaniards and Africans) features two episodes of admixture that occurred about 350 and 200 years ago for Mexicans and 400 and 100 years ago for Colombians. The results were published in PLOS Genetics.

When Francis Crick and James Watson deciphered the structure of DNA in 1953, they declared that they had 'found the secret of life." Indeed, all life on Earth is reproduced by constant cell division and copying of its genetic material. DNA is passed down from generation to generation, and the human genome is a mosaic of genetic fragments of our ancestors from different times. To understand the origins of the genetic diversity of modern humans, it is necessary to study the history of populations: where our ancestors lived, when and where they migrated, when and how they mixed.

The history of population admixture can be uncovered by analyzing the connections between human genetic variants. Our genome has genetic material from our father and mother; then we pass on new combinations of genetic variants, a mosaic made up of the genomes of our parents, to our descendants. This phenomenon is called recombination.

For example, a Spanish mother and a Native American father will have a child with one Spanish and one American set of chromosomes. Their child in turn will pass on a set of chromosomes that includes a combination of sections of Spanish and American origin to their descendants (the second set of chromosomes will be inherited from the other parent). The origin of these sections can be determined by the sequences of genetic variants typical for a particular population. In each new generation, recombination will mix sections of different origins more and more, breaking up these typical genetic sequences. Over time, they disintegrate, finally mixing with each other.

Thus, by calculating the correlation between genetic variants on different parts of chromosomes and analyzing the strength of their connections, we can say how many generations ago population admixture occurred.

Earlier methods of analyzing the genetic admixture of populations were capable of estimating the time of the last admixture event. The algorithm was based on the analysis of the connection strength between pairs of genetic variants. Researchers from the HSE International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics and their international colleagues proposed analyzing triple variants. This statistical method makes it possible to model more complex scenarios of population admixture, for example, to identify two episodes of admixture and determine how many generations ago they occurred.

"Let's imagine that ships with European settlers land on the shores of America for the first time. Europeans start exploring new territories and mixing with the indigenous population of America. However, after a few generations, more ships with Europeans arrive in America. Our method allows us to see that there were two waves of resettlement, two episodes of admixture in different time periods," explains Mikhail Shishkin, co-author of the article, research assistant of the laboratory and MIEM student.

As an example, the paper's authors analyzed genetic samples of the population of Colombians and Mexicans from the genetic database of 1000 Genomes. Both populations appeared as a result of admixture of Native Americans, Spaniards and Africans. The results showed that the history of both populations featured two waves of admixture, which occurred 13 and 8 generations (350 and 200 years) ago for Mexicans and 15 and 4 generations (400 and 100 years) ago for Colombians.

"Our method requires large amounts of data if earlier algorithms required dozens of samples, then we need hundreds. And today we can get them. In our case, we used the genetic database of the 1000 Genomes project. Over the past 10 years, the possibilities of genome sequencing and data processing have expanded significantly, so that the number of available samples no longer limits us," says Vladimir Shchur, Head of the HSE University International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics.

Explore further Model reveals surprising disconnect between physical characteristics and genetic ancestry in certain populations

More information: Mason Liang et al, Estimating the timing of multiple admixture events using 3-locus linkage disequilibrium, PLOS Genetics (2022). Journal information: PLoS Genetics Mason Liang et al, Estimating the timing of multiple admixture events using 3-locus linkage disequilibrium,(2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010281

Provided by National Research University Higher School of Economics
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rock and soil collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA has finished the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing completion of the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the program team has evaluated and refined the architecture to return the scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the collection process by NASA's Perseverance rover in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater.

The architecture for the campaign, which includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase probability of success.

"The conceptual design phase is when every facet of a mission plan gets put under a microscope," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "There are some significant and advantageous changes to the plan, which can be directly attributed to Perseverance's recent successes at Jezero and the amazing performance of our Mars helicopter."

This advanced mission architecture takes into consideration a recently updated analysis of Perseverance's expected longevity. Perseverance will be the primary means of transporting samples to NASA's Sample Retrieval Lander carrying the Mars Ascent Vehicle and ESA's Sample Transfer Arm.

As such, the Mars Sample Return campaign will no longer include the Sample Fetch Rover or its associated second lander. The Sample Retrieval Lander will include two sample recovery helicopters, based on the design of the Ingenuity helicopter, which has performed 29 flights at Mars and survived over a year beyond its original planned lifetime. The helicopters will provide a secondary capability to retrieve samples cached on the surface of Mars.

The ESA Earth Return Orbiter and its NASA-provided Capture, Containment, and Return System remain vital elements of the program architecture.

With planned launch dates for the Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander in fall 2027 and summer 2028, respectively, the samples are expected to arrive on Earth in 2033.

With its architecture solidified during this conceptual design phase, the program is expected to move into its preliminary design phase this October. In this phase, expected to last about 12 months, the program will complete technology development and create engineering prototypes of the major mission components.

This refined concept for the Mars Sample Return campaign was presented to the delegates from the 22 participating states of Europe's space exploration program, Terrae Novae, in May. At their next meeting in September, the states will consider the discontinuation of the development of the Sample Fetch Rover.

"ESA is continuing at full speed the development of both the Earth Return Orbiter that will make the historic round-trip from Earth to Mars and back again; and the Sample Transfer Arm that will robotically place the sample tubes aboard the Orbiting Sample Container before its launch from the surface of the Red Planet," said David Parker, ESA director of Human and Robotic Exploration.

The respective contributions to the campaign are contingent upon available funding from the U.S. and ESA participating states. More formalized agreements between the two agencies will be established in the next year.

"Working together on historic endeavors like Mars Sample Return not only provides invaluable data about our place in the universe but brings us closer together right here on Earth," said Zurbuchen.

The first step in the Mars Sample Return Campaign is already in progress. Since it landed at Jezero Crater Feb. 18, 2021, the Perseverance rover has collected 11 scientifically compelling rock core samples and one atmospheric sample.

Bringing Mars samples to Earth would allow scientists across the world to examine the specimens using sophisticated instruments too large and too complex to send to Mars and would enable future generations to study them. Curating the samples on Earth would also allow the science community to test new theories and models as they are developed, much as the Apollo samples returned from the moon have done for decades. This strategic NASA and ESA partnership will fulfill a solar system exploration goal, a high priority since the 1970s and in the last three National Academy of Sciences Planetary Science Decadal Surveys.

Explore further NASA's Perseverance rover scouts Mars Sample Return Campaign landing sites

More information: Learn more about the Mars Sample Return Program at Learn more about the Mars Sample Return Program at mars.nasa.gov/msr/
The origin of Assateague's wild horses has remained a mystery for centuries, but new genetic data supports the theory that they descended from Spanish horses marooned on the barrier island. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

An abandoned Caribbean colony unearthed centuries after it had been forgotten and a case of mistaken identity in the archaeological record have conspired to rewrite the history of a barrier island off the Virginia and Maryland coasts.

These seemingly unrelated threads were woven together when Nicolas Delsol, a postdoctoral researcher at the Florida Museum of Natural History, set out to analyze ancient DNA recovered from cow bones found in archaeological sites. Delsol wanted to understand how cattle were domesticated in the Americas, and the genetic information preserved in centuries-old teeth held the answer. But they also held a surprise.

"It was a serendipitous finding," he said. "I was sequencing mitochondrial DNA from fossil cow teeth for my Ph.D. and realized something was very different with one of the specimens when I analyzed the sequences."

That's because the specimen in question, a fragment of an adult molar, wasn't a cow tooth at all but instead once belonged to a horse. According to a study published this Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, the DNA obtained from the tooth is also the oldest ever sequenced for a domesticated horse from the Americas. The tooth was excavated from one of Spain's first colonized settlements. Located on the island of Hispaniola, the town of Puerto Real was established in 1507 and served for decades as the last port of call for ships sailing from the Caribbean. But rampant piracy and the rise of illegal trade in the 16th century forced the Spanish to consolidate their power elsewhere on the island, and in 1578, residents were ordered to evacuate Puerto Real. The abandoned town was destroyed the following year by Spanish officials.

The remnants of the once-bustling port were inadvertently rediscovered by a medical missionary named William Hodges in 1975. Archaeological excavations of the site led by Florida Museum distinguished research curator Kathleen Deagan were carried out between 1979 and 1990.

Nicolas Delsol was originally sequencing ancient DNA from cow teeth preserved in archaeological sites when he realized one of his specimens actually belonged to a horse. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Horse fossils and associated artifacts are incredibly rare at Puerto Real and similar sites from the time period, but cow remains are a common find. According to Delsol, this skewed ratio is primarily due to the way Spanish colonialists valued their livestock.

"Horses were reserved for individuals of high status, and owning one was a sign of prestige," he said. "There are full-page descriptions of horses in the documents that chronicle the arrival of [Hernan] Cortes in Mexico, demonstrating how important they were to the Spanish."

In contrast, cows were used as a source of meat and leather, and their bones were regularly discarded in communal waste piles called middens. But one community's trash is an archaeologist's treasure, as the refuse from middens often confers the clearest glimpse into what people ate and how they lived.

The specimen's biggest surprise wasn't revealed until Delsol compared its DNA with that of modern horses from around the world. Given that the Spanish brought their horses from the Iberian Peninsula in southern Europe, he expected horses still living in that region would be the closest living relatives of the 500-year-old Puerto Real specimen.

Instead, Delsol found its next of kin over 1,000 miles north of Hispaniola, on the island of Assateague off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Feral horses have roamed freely across the long stretch of barrier island for hundreds of years, but exactly how they got there has remained a mystery.

This tooth is all that remains from one of the first horses introduced to the Americas, and it's DNA is helping to rewrite the history for one of the best known horse breeds in the United States: The Chincoteague pony. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

According to the National Park Service, which manages the northern half of Assateague, the likeliest explanation is that the horses were brought over in the 1600s by English colonists from the mainland in an attempt to evade livestock taxes and fencing laws. Others believe the feral herds descended from horses that survived the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon and swam to shore, a theory popularized in the 1947 children's novel "Misty of Chincoteague." The book was later adapted to film, helping spread the shipwreck legend to an even wider audience.

Until now, there has been little evidence to support either theory. Proponents of the shipwreck theory claim it would be unlikely that English colonists would lose track of valuable livestock, while those in favor of an English origin of the herds point to the lack of sunken vessels nearby and the omission of feral horses in historical records of the region.

Picture of the horse specimen. Credit: Nicolas Delsol, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The results of the DNA analysis, however, unequivocally point to Spanish explorers as being the likeliest source of the horses on Assateague, Delsol explained.

"It's not widely reported in the historical literature, but the Spanish were exploring this area of the mid-Atlantic pretty early on in the 16th century. The early colonial literature is often patchy and not completely thorough. Just because they don't mention the horses doesn't mean they weren't there."

The feral herds on Assateague weren't the only horses to revert back to their wild heritage after arriving in the Americas. Colonists from all over Europe brought with them horses of various breeds and pedigrees, some of which bucked their bonds and escaped into the surrounding countryside.

Today, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management estimates there are roughly 86,000 wild horses across the country, most of which are located in western states, such as Nevada and Utah. Delsol hopes that future ancient DNA studies will help decode the complex history of equine introductions and migrations that occurred over the last several centuries and offer a clearer understanding of today's diversity of wild and domesticated horses.

Explore further Wild horses quarantined in Fremont County facility after unknown disease kills 57

More information: Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti, PLoS ONE (2022). Journal information: PLoS ONE Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti,(2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270600
Enhancing the antifouling ability of a polyamide nanofiltration membrane by narrowing pore size distribution via one-step multiple interfacial polymerization. Credit: Liu Lulu

A research group led by Prof. Wan Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel antifouling nanofiltration membrane for various types of industrial liquid separation. The new membrane applies new knowledge about the role of pore size distribution in filtration.

The study was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces on July 26.

Nanofiltration membranes have received a lot of attention in the field of water purification and bio-product manufacturing due to their ability to accurately separate targeted solutes from other components.

However, the application of nanofiltration membranes in industry suffers from membrane fouling that causes a significant decline in separation performance.

For example, for the most prevalent polyamide thin-film composite membrane prepared by interfacial polymerization (IP), the intrinsic heterogeneous mass transfer of the IP process results in wide pore size distribution and causes uneven permeation flux distribution on the membrane during filtration, thus weakening the antifouling ability of the nanofiltration membrane.

Moreover, commonly used nanofiltration membranes have abundant hydrophobic sites (i.e., benzene rings) in their polyamide chains. These sites are prone to adsorb hydrophobic foulants.

The researchers attempted to enhance the antifouling performance of a polyamide nanofiltration membrane by narrowing its pore size distribution via a one-step multiple IP process.

In this strategy, an aqueous solution of piperazine anhydrous (PIP) and -(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propytrimethoxysilane (KH560) undergoes IP with an organic solution of trimesoyl chloride and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) on the porous support.

The reactive additive KH560 accelerates the diffusion rate of PIP so it becomes enriched at the reaction boundary. Moreover, the hydrolysis/condensation of KH560 and TEOS at the aqueous/organic interface forms an interpenetrating network with the polyamide network, thus regulating the separation layer structure.

The characterization results indicate that the polyamide-silica membrane has a denser, thicker and more uniform separation layer. The mean pore sizes of the polyamide-silica membrane and a traditional polyamide membrane are 0.62 nm and 0.74 nm, respectively, and these correspond to geometric standard deviations (namely, pore size distribution) of 1.39 and 1.97, respectively. Thus, the polyamide-silica membrane with a narrower pore size distribution shows stronger antifouling performance. In this case, the flux decay ratio decreases from 18.4% to 3.8%.

Moreover, this polyamide-silica membrane exhibits impressive long-term antifouling stability during cane molasses decolorization at high temperature (50 ).

"This work not only provides a novel one-step multiple IP strategy to prepare antifouling nanofiltration membranes, but also emphasizes the importance of pore size distribution in fouling control for various industrial liquid separations," said Prof. Luo Jianquan of IPE, corresponding author of the study. "Such a nanofiltration membrane promises to improve the robustness of thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes in industrial liquid separation."

Explore further Novel targeted modification strategy improves selectivity of polyamide nanofiltration membranes

More information: Lulu Liu et al, Enhancing the Antifouling Ability of a Polyamide Nanofiltration Membrane by Narrowing the Pore Size Distribution via One-Step Multiple Interfacial Polymerization, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2022). Lulu Liu et al, Enhancing the Antifouling Ability of a Polyamide Nanofiltration Membrane by Narrowing the Pore Size Distribution via One-Step Multiple Interfacial Polymerization,(2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c09408
One of the samples of ancient herpes DNA came from a young adult male from the late 14th century, buried in the grounds of medieval Cambridges charitable hospital (later to become St. Johns College), who had suffered appalling dental abscesses. Credit: Craig Cessford/Cambridge Archaeological Unit

Ancient genomes from the herpes virus that commonly causes lip soresand currently infects some 3.7 billion people globallyhave been uncovered and sequenced for the first time by an international team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge.

Latest research suggests that the HSV-1 virus strain behind facial herpes as we know it today arose around five thousand years ago, in the wake of vast Bronze Age migrations into Europe from the Steppe grasslands of Eurasia, and associated population booms that drove rates of transmission.

Herpes has a history stretching back millions of years, and forms of the virus infect species from bats to coral. Despite its contemporary prevalence among humans, however, scientists say that ancient examples of HSV-1 were surprisingly hard to find.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Science Advances, say the Neolithic flourishing of facial herpes detected in the ancient DNA may have coincided with the advent of a new cultural practice imported from the east: romantic and sexual kissing.

"The world has watched COVID-19 mutate at a rapid rate over weeks and months. A virus like herpes evolves on a far grander timescale," said co-senior author Dr. Charlotte Houldcroft, from Cambridge's Department of Genetics.

"Facial herpes hides in its host for life and only transmits through oral contact, so mutations occur slowly over centuries and millennia. We need to do deep time investigations to understand how DNA viruses like this evolve," she said. "Previously, genetic data for herpes only went back to 1925."

The team managed to hunt down herpes in the remains of four individuals stretching over a thousand-year period, and extract viral DNA from the roots of teeth. Herpes often flares up with mouth infections: at least two of the ancient cadavers had gum disease and a third smoked tobacco.

The oldest sample came from an adult male excavated in Russia's Ural Mountain region, dating from the late Iron Age around 1,500 years ago.

Two further samples were local to Cambridge, UK. One a female from an early Anglo-Saxon cemetery a few miles south of the city, dating from 6-7th centuries CE. The other a young adult male from the late 14th century, buried in the grounds of medieval Cambridge's charitable hospital (later to become St. John's College), who had suffered appalling dental abscesses.

One of the samples of ancient herpes DNA used in the study came from a male of 26-35 years old, excavated near the banks of the Rhine. The man was a fervent smoker of clay pipes. Traces of the habit are visible in multiple places on the teeth, where the hard clay pipe, usually put in the same place in the mouth, has worn the teeth. Credit: Dr Barbara Veselka

The final sample came from a young adult male excavated in Holland: a fervent clay pipe smoker, most likely massacred by a French attack on his village by the banks of the Rhine in 1672.

"We screened ancient DNA samples from around 3,000 archaeological finds and got just four herpes hits," said co-lead author Dr. Meriam Guellil, from Tartu University's Institute of Genomics.

"By comparing ancient DNA with herpes samples from the 20th century, we were able to analyze the differences and estimate a mutation rate, and consequently a timeline for virus evolution," said co-lead author Dr. Lucy van Dorp, from the UCL Genetics Institute.

Co-senior author Dr. Christiana Scheib, Research Fellow at St. John's College, University of Cambridge, and Head of the Ancient DNA lab at Tartu University, said: "Every primate species has a form of herpes, so we assume it has been with us since our own species left Africa."

"However, something happened around five thousand years ago that allowed one strain of herpes to overtake all others, possibly an increase in transmissions, which could have been linked to kissing."

The researchers point out that the earliest known record of kissing is a Bronze Age manuscript from South Asia, and suggest the customfar from universal in human culturesmay have traveled westward with migrations into Europe from Eurasia.

In fact, centuries later, the Roman Emperor Tiberius tried to ban kissing at official functions to prevent disease spread, a decree that may have been herpes-related. However, for most of human prehistory, HSV-1 transmission would have been "vertical": the same strain passing from infected mother to newborn child.

Two-thirds of the global population under the age of 50 now carry HSV-1, according to the World Health Organization. For most of us, the occasional lip sores that result are embarrassing and uncomfortable, but in combination with other ailmentssepsis or even COVID-19, for examplethe virus can be fatal. In 2018, two women died of HSV-1 infection in the UK following Cesarean births.

"Only genetic samples that are hundreds or even thousands of years old will allow us to understand how DNA viruses such as herpes and monkeypox, as well as our own immune systems, are adapting in response to each other," said Houldcroft.

The team would like to trace this hardy primordial disease even deeper through time, to investigate its infection of early hominins. "Neanderthal herpes is my next mountain to climb," added Scheib.

Explore further A step on the way to better therapies against viruses

More information: Meriam Guellil et al, Ancient herpes simplex 1 genomes reveal recent viral structure in Eurasia, Science Advances (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo4435 Journal information: Science Advances Meriam Guellil et al, Ancient herpes simplex 1 genomes reveal recent viral structure in Eurasia,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo4435
The research vessel Sikuliaq sails in Alaskas Resurrection Bay in July 2020. The ship's home port is Seward. The University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences operates the Sikuliaq. The National Science Foundation owns the ship. Credit: Sarah Spanos

A team of scientists will soon head to the Aleutian Islands aboard the research vessel Sikuliaq on a voyage to reconstruct the region's ancient history of powerful storms.

Little is known about the Bering Sea's long-ago record of extreme weather and the factors that drove it.

"Learning about the past is the only way to confront the future effectively," said associate professor Chris Maio of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. "If we know storm frequency through time for thousands of years and we know the different climate factors, that knowledge will allow us to project what could occur and to be better prepared for it."

Maio heads the Geophysical Institute's Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab and is leading the UAF contingent of the voyage's 20-person science team, which includes some graduate students.

The Sikuliaq is scheduled to depart its home port of Seward on Sunday.

The collaborative research is being led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with the University of North Carolina Wilmington also involved. The National Science Foundation is funding the research.

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is also a partner in the research. Tribal members provided guidance for fieldwork planning and will be involved in outreach activities. Two tribal membersone undergraduate student and one adult mentor will join the research cruise.

To turn back the pages of the weather history book, the team will explore numerous bays and fjords at Unalaska, Adak and Atka islands along the Aleutian Islands chain. The monthlong voyage will build on findings from 2011 and 2021 reconnaissance trips to Skan Bay on Unalaska Island aboard a fishing vessel.

The nearly enclosed bays and fjords allow sediment layers of varying coarseness to build up largely undisturbed over centuries, providing a highly detailed timeline of when heavy storms eroded coastlines and redistributed sand.

Researchers will take seafloor core samples from aboard the Sikuliaq at deep locations and from a pontoon boat at shallower sites. Some will also go ashore to look for beach ridges left as the shoreline changes over time..

Separately, a doctoral student will produce records of ancient tsunamis. Storms and tsunamis both form layers of coarse sand.

"We are looking to understand storms over the past 2,000 years or so and also learn how modern storms impact the area," Maio said. "Understanding how a modern storm moves sediment through a particular lagoon is going to help us interpret the ancient core data."

Research professor Vladimir Alexeev of the UAF International Arctic Research Center will use the produced storm timeline, along with local storm records and atmospheric and erosion patterns, to build a computer model that reconstructs past storms.

Alexeev, who will remain in Fairbanks during the voyage, hopes the model will set up scientists to predict future storminess.

"We could show what the climate was like in the past. The sediment timeline can be overlapped with stories from people," said Alexeev, a climate modeler and co-principal investigator on the voyage.

"By looking at these two things together and the known historic storms, we hope to say how reliable this kind of approach is," he said. "And that can allow us to extrapolate further back in time even to ice ages and help us look into the future."

Chandra Poe, the Qawalangin Tribe's environmental program director, said tribal members will share the Unangax people's knowledge of the region.

"Information shared may include personal observations and stories passed through the generations that may offer deeper insight into how the ecosystem has changed over the decades and what implications these changes may have for local communities," she said.

Poe said such engagement can help scientists address concerns of Indigenous people.

"We believe this model of researchers freely sharing their Western science knowledge while inviting Indigenous knowledge holders to a full partnership in the research project will lead to the most valid and relevant results," she said.

Explore further Natural archive reveals Atlantic tempests through time
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Robin Hood would not even have had to become an outlaw if the markets had been more competitive and Nottingham's taxation office had known how to assess taxes efficiently.

Today's financial world may not require a savior dressed in green, but it remains to be seen whether there is a need to reflect on checks and balances in examining invisible loss assessment.

Now, a researcher at Kyoto University and his collaborator are proposing a solution with an analytical framework for evaluating tax efficiency, mainly in the context of consumption taxes on goods. Consumer surplus and producer surplustogether, social surplusboth frame the dynamic relationships that describe the impact of tax changes on social welfare in tangible and intangible ways.

"This impact constitutes the invisible burden, manifested as behavioral constraints imposed by taxation on producers and consumers, added to the visible burden of the actual amount taxed," explains lead author Takanori Adachi.

The team has derived a formula expressing the marginal cost of public funds, essentially a ratio of a net loss in social surplus to a net increase in tax revenue.

"We derived this formula from only a few indices, common across specific market demand conditions and cost factors, that clearly tell us how the degree of tax-driven social burden relates to imperfect competition," the author adds.

The team has derived a second formula, termed the incidence, to express the decrease in consumer benefits relative to net decrease in producer profits. This formula relies on the same indices as the first formula, helping to describe the general state of consumer confidence and perhaps hinting at economic forecasts.

"Our theoretical framework focuses on a single market for a deeper study of how the socio- economic factors interrelate," says Adachi.

"Initially surprising but natural in hindsight is our finding that the assessment formulas reflect only the indices related to demand and cost structures plus the mode of competition."

The research was published in the Journal of Public Economics.

Explore further US opens baby formula market to foreign suppliers

More information: Takanori Adachi et al, Pass-through, welfare, and incidence under imperfect competition, Journal of Public Economics (2022). Journal information: Journal of Public Economics Takanori Adachi et al, Pass-through, welfare, and incidence under imperfect competition,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104589
Credit: Neurobiological Engineering/TUM

More and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Bacteriophages are one alternative in the fight against bacteria. These viruses attack very particular bacteria in a highly specific way. Now a Munich research team has developed a new way to produce bacteriophages efficiently and without risk.

The World Health Organization (WHO) regards multi-resistant germs as among the largest threats to health. In the European Union alone, 33,000 people die each year as the result of bacterial infections which cannot be treated with antibiotics. Alternative treatments or drugs are therefore urgently needed.

Bacteriophages, the natural enemies of bacteria, are one promising solution. There are millions of different types of these viruses on earth, each of which specializes in certain bacteria. In nature, the viruses use the bacteria to reproduce; they insert their DNA into the bacteria, where the viruses quickly multiply. Ultimately they kill off the cell and move on to infect new cells. Bacteriophages work as a specific antibiotic by attacking and destroying a particular type of bacterium.

Viruses for health

"Bacteriophages offer an enormous potential for the highly effective, personalized therapy of infectious bacterial diseases," observes Gil Westmeyer, Professor of Neurobiological Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Director of the Institute for Synthetic Biomedicine at Helmholtz Munich. "However, in the past, it wasn't possible to produce bacteriophages in a targeted, reproducible, safe and efficient manneralthough these are exactly the decisive criteria for the successful production of pharmaceuticals."

Now the research team has developed a new controlled production method to create bacteriophages for therapeutic use. The basis for this technology was established by a group of students at TUM and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), who earned an award in the 2018 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM). This group then gave rise to the spin-off Invitris, which is currently developing a platform technology for phage-based medications.

The cornerstone of the new technology, which is already in the patent application process and is now being used in new research at TUM, is a special nutrient solution in which the bacteriophages form and reproduce. The nutrient solution consists of an E. coli extract and contains no viable cells; this is a fundamental difference from previous bacteriophage production methods, which traditionally used cell cultures with potentially infectious strains of bacteria.

In the TUM labs, the Munich team has now been able to demonstrate targeted production of bacteriophages in the cell-free nutrient solution: The only component needed is the genomethe plain DNAof the desired viruses. The genome contains the entire blueprint for the formation of the bacteriophages. When the DNA is injected into the nutrient solution containing the molecular components and enzymes of the E. coli bacterium, the proteins assemble according to the blueprint: Thousands of identical copies are generated in just a few seconds. "This production method is not only fast and efficient, but it's also very cleanthe process eliminates contamination by bacterial toxins or other bacteriophages, which are a possible complications in cell cultures," says Westmeyer.

Personalized antibiotics

But is the new cell-free nutrient solution actually suited for the production of bacteriophages that could be used in individual therapies? The researchers put the idea to the test together with the Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin: Using a bacterial sample from a patient who was suffering from an antibiotic-resistant skin infection, the Munich team screened for a promising, novel bacteriophage and isolated its DNA. The phage was then produced in the cell-free nutrient solution and finally used to successfully combat the multi-resistant bacteria.

A genetic archive for emergencies

"Our studies prove the feasibility of a cell-free method for producing effective bacteriophages for personalized medicine that can also be used to address multi-resistant germ infections," says Westmeyer. He adds that in the future the methodology could ideally be used together with a genetic archive that would store the DNA of the relevant bacteriophages. Whenever necessary, this archive could be used to quickly produce complete bacteriophages in the nutrient solution, test their efficacy and then to apply the phages in the appropriate combinations, Westmeyer says, adding that although this work is still at the basic research stage, the method nevertheless has potential for clinical trials.

Explore further How bacteria evade bacteriophages in vivo

More information: Quirin Emslander et al, Cell-free production of personalized therapeutic phages targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria, Cell Chemical Biology (2022). Journal information: Cell Chemical Biology Quirin Emslander et al, Cell-free production of personalized therapeutic phages targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2022.06.003
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In recent years the plumes of smoke crawling upward from Western wildfires have trended taller, with more smoke and aerosols lofted up where they can spread farther and impact air quality over a wider area. The likely cause is climate change, with decreased precipitation and increased aridity in the Western U.S. that intensifies wildfire activity.

"Should these trends persist into the future," says Kai Wilmot, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, "it would suggest that enhanced Western U.S. wildfire activity will likely correspond to increasingly frequent degradation of air quality at local to continental scales."

The study is published in Scientific Reports and supported by the iNterdisciplinary EXchange for Utah Science, or NEXUS, at the University of Utah.

Smoke height

To assess trends in smoke plume height, Wilmot and U colleagues Derek Mallia, Gannet Haller and John Lin modeled plume activity for around 4.6 million smoke plumes within the Western U.S. and Canada between 2003 and 2020. Dividing the plume data according to EPA ecoregions (areas where ecosystems are similar, like the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Wasatch and Uinta Mountains in Utah) the researchers looked for trends in the maximum smoke plume height measured during August and September in each region in each year.

In the Sierra Nevada ecoregion of California, the team found, that the maximum plume height increased, on average, by 750 ft (230 m) per year. In four regions, maximum plume heights increased by an average of 320 ft (100 m) per year.

Why? Wilmot says that plume heights are a complex interaction between atmospheric conditions, fire size and the heat released by the fire.

"Given climate-driven trends towards increasing atmospheric aridity, declining snowpack, hotter temperatures, etc., we're seeing larger and more intense wildfires throughout the Western U.S.," he says. "And so this is giving us larger burn areas and more intense fires."

The researchers also employed a smoke plume simulation model to estimate the mass of the plumes and approximate the trends in the amount of aerosols being thrown into the atmosphere by wildfires . . . which is also increasing.

The smoke simulation model also estimated the occurrence of pyrocumulonimbus cloudsa phenomenon where smoke plumes start creating thunderstorms and their own weather systems. Between 2017 and 2020, six ecoregions experienced their first known pyrocumulonimbus clouds and the trend suggests increasingly frequent pyrocumulonimbus activity on the Colorado Plateau.

Taller plumes send more smoke up into higher elevations where it can spread farther, says John Lin, professor of atmospheric sciences.

"When smoke is lofted to higher altitudes, it has the potential to be transported over longer distances, degrading air quality over a wider region," he says. "So wildfire smoke can go from a more localized issue to a regional to even continental problem."

Are the trends accelerating?

Some of the most extreme fire seasons have occurred in recent years. So does that mean that the pace of the worsening fire trend is accelerating? It's too early to tell, Wilmot says. Additional years of data will be needed to tell if something significant has changed.

"Many of the most extreme data points fall within the years 2017 -2020, with some of the 2020 values absolutely towering over the rest of the timeseries," he says. "Further, given what we know of the 2021 fire season, it appears likely that analysis of 2021 data would further support this finding."

In Utah's Wasatch and Uinta Mountains ecoregion, trends of plume height and aerosol amounts are rising but the trends are not as strong as those in Colorado or California. Smoke from neighboring states, however, often spills into Utah's mountain basins.

"In terms of the plume trends themselves, it does not appear that Utah is the epicenter of this issue," Wilmot says. "However, given our position as generally downwind of California, trends in plume top heights and wildfire emissions in California suggest a growing risk to Utah air quality as a result of wildfire activity in the West."

Wilmot says that while there are some things that people can do to help the situation, like preventing human-caused wildfires, climate change is a much bigger and stronger force driving the trends of less precipitation, higher aridity and riper fire conditions across the West.

"The reality is that some of these [climate change] impacts are already baked in, even if we cut emissions right now," Wilmot adds. "It seems like largely we're along for the ride at the moment."

Explore further Wildfire smoke trends worsening for Western US

More information: Taylor Y. Wilmot et al, Wildfire plumes in the Western US are reaching greater heights and injecting more aerosols aloft as wildfire activity intensifies, Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports Taylor Y. Wilmot et al, Wildfire plumes in the Western US are reaching greater heights and injecting more aerosols aloft as wildfire activity intensifies,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16607-3
GREENWICH  State police and Washington County officials are still investigating a fire at a residence in Greenwich that left one adult with non-life threating injuries on July 20.

Police responded to the residential fire at 912 County Route 77 at roughly 10:56 p.m.

State police said that state and Washington County fire investigators examined the home after the fire and identified a suspicious nature and origin.

State police are working closely with county officials to identify the cause, and that the investigation is still ongoing.

At the time of the fire, there were four children and two adults inside of the residence. All of the residents made it out of the house, with one adult being airlifted by helicopter to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vermont to treat injuries.

The injured man was expected to be discharged from the hospital over the weekend but that has not been confirmed, police said on Tuesday.
GREENWICH  Fire destroyed a house on Route 4 in the town of Greenwich on Monday night.

Ciara and Nicole, the daughters of the homeowners, Ed and Kim Tabor, were on the scene at 389 Route 4, combing through the debris on Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out at about 9 p.m.

The place was just torched by the time the fire department arrived 25 minutes later, Ciara Tabor said.

Neighbors pulled up and parked their cars to help search the rubble for anything salvageable.

One asked if a GoFundMe page had been started for the family yet. Ciara told her some people had reached out, but nothing was started as of Tuesday morning.

This was our childhood home. Our parents have owned this house for 30 years, she said.

No one was inside at the time of the fire.

A neighbor stopped by and kicked in the door to look for our dog, but no one was home. Our dog was with us, so everyones OK, Ciara said.

The sisters said once the fire department arrived, they were able to extinguish the flames fairly quickly. However, the house was already fully engulfed forcing the firefighters to fight the blaze from outside because no one could go inside.

It just went up really fast, Nicole said.

The sisters said the fire department was still unsure of the cause and the fire is under investigation.

They think it may have started in the family room  just because of the way it burned. It was just really hard to tell with all the structural damage, Ciara said.

The fire department remained on the scene until 2 a.m.

The Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross said in a news release issued on Tuesday that volunteers provided two people with funds for necessities and shelter after the fire.
GLENS FALLS  Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the work of law enforcement while promising to support police at the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference on Tuesday morning.

The training conference is taking place through Wednesday at The Queensbury Hotel inside of the newly unveiled Adirondack Ballroom.

The event was closed to the press, but Hochuls office posted a video of her remarks.

Hochul said New York is a better place when police and government bring together the passion to serve.

You are at the front line out there to keep us from descending into chaos. And its something that I think about a lot as governor because we share the common objective, she said. My number one responsibility as the governor of New York is to protect New Yorkers.

Hochul  who was speaking at the first event in the new ballroom at The Queensbury  said that she was going to be attending the funeral for Anthony Mazurkiewicz next week.

Mazurkiewicz was a 29-year veteran of the Rochester Police Department who was shot and killed while on the job on July 21.

Hochul pointed out that he was a father who was simply doing his job. She said Mazuriewiczs sacrifice serves as a reminder of what law enforcement is willing to do to protect the people.

Those of you who are willing to sacrifice your lives to keep us safe deserve respect. You deserve our support, our vocal support, she said. The era of denigrating our police has to be over. We support you. We support you 100%.

That support is coming in the form of funding. Hochul said that funding for local law enforcement agencies is now $393 million annually in the states budget.

The state also has $227 million in the budget to help strengthen gun violence protection efforts, along with $18 million for the states Gun Violence Elimination Initiative.

I have said no one will ever say the words defund the police in my presence. That is not going to go anywhere. Youre not going to make friends with me if you say that, Hochul said.

She applauded the work of the new interstate gun interdiction task force to decrease the number of illegal firearms coming into the state and said that gun violence is something that she and law enforcement need to tackle head on.

She referenced the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the shooting that took place at the Tops Friendly Markets grocery store 10 minutes from her home in Buffalo.

She said while efforts to combat gun violence have contributed to the 8% decrease in gun violence throughout the state, there is still more work that needs to be done.

And she intends to have the voice of law enforcement at the table when discussing related legislation.

We all have a responsibility to try and eradicate that. Give people the sense of security they deserve as a New Yorker, someone living in our state. Theyre the people that we are collectively fighting for every single day, Hochul said.
QUEENSBURY  The Queensbury Town Board is continuing to pursue its environmental initiatives, including a new community campaign focused on heating and cooling.

Kathy Bozony, chair of the Queensbury Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy Communities programs, said the program requires five residents to purchase and install heat pumps in order for the town to receive another $5,000 grant.

According to the New York State Clean Heat website, heat pumps draw heat from the environment and move it indoors to heat or move it outdoors to cool a home.

There are three main types of heat pumps: air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and heat pump water heaters. Heat pumps require electricity to run, but deliver more energy than they use by concentrating and moving heat rather than generating it.

Cold-climate heat pumps are a smarter, more efficient option to keep your home comfortable all year long. These all-in-one heating and air conditioning systems are environmentally friendly, extremely efficient, and affordable to operate, the state website says.

Queensburys last climate smart campaign in the fall of 2021 encouraged residents and businesses to sign up for a 10% solar discount.

Bozony said the solar program is ongoing and it is as easy as just signing up on the towns website.

The town completed two New York State Energy Research and Development Authority campaigns resulting in $10,000 in grants. One program required 10 residents to sign up for the solar farm discount and the other required 10 residents to purchase electric vehicles.

In April, the town was also given a Smart Community Bronze Certification by NYSERDA for meeting the goals of both campaigns.

The funds were designated by the board for a project to convert all the streetlights to LED. Bozony said the switch will save the town over $70,000 annually.

Climate action plan

At Mondays Town Board meeting, the members passed a resolution to create a climate action plan.

Bozony said the plan includes creating a greenhouse gas inventory to determine a baseline for future measurements and setting goals.

Its very exciting because we have been planning to do that for a while and we have an opportunity now, she said.

Bozony told The Post-Star on Monday that the town will work with the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, which is hired by NYSERDA to assist communities work with the clean energy and climate committees to promote action in the towns.

They helped to put together the Climate Action Plan, she said.

Lisa Adamson, of the North Country Earth Action group, expressed her support for Queensburys initiative.

The town is lucky in that both the supervisor and Town Board member Harrison Freer are on the climate committees. To some extent, New York is doing an important service by empowering municipal campaigns and programs to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through NYSERDA and DEC incentives, she said.

Adamson also praised Queensbury for the success of the previous climate change action initiatives such as the solar and electric vehicle campaigns and the LED lightbulb campaigns.

With the upcoming Climate Action Plan residents can attend town board meetings to request greater action, she added.

On Thursday at 7 p.m., founder Tracy Frisch and the Clean Action Air Network will hold its annual meeting to update the community on the Zero Waste Warren County project and introduce the six candidates for the committees board of directors.

The meeting will also include input from two residents who have been working with the members of the Clean Air Action Network to prevent Hughes Energy and Saratoga Biochar Solutions from creating facilities in the area, which has residents have said will cause increased pollution.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting can register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqcOqopjwiEtD8RwnhSkn5rDrSne3Jpj8c.
When it rains, it pours.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama dropped his 2022 summer reading list just as the Booker Prize, the U.K.'s most prestigious literary award, announced the 13 books on this year's longlist.

The books on both lists are diverse in every way, ranging from crime and speculative fiction to a sweeping history of the New York Knicks and an examination of democracies.

Every year, Obama releases his favorite books, music and films to his millions of social media followers, creating a flurry of online chatter and discussion. And the Booker Prize longlist generates similar excitement, especially since it opened up to include American titles (which dominate this year's list). The Booker's six shortlisted books will be announced in September and the winner on Oct. 17 during an in-person award ceremony.

How is a reader to sort through all these titles and compile a decent shopping list? The L.A. Times has you covered, having chimed in on many of the books and authors listed. Here's what we had to say:

Obama's picks

"To Paradise," Hanya Yanagihara

Yanagihara's highly anticipated third novel wasn't our critic's favorite. Divided into three sections spanning 300 years and set in an alternate version of New York City, "To Paradise" is a story about lovers, colonialism, pandemics and the false promise of utopia. Lynn Steger Strong praised it for its "Bigness" and its "sound and fury," but ultimately said it felt "devoid of specificity or self-doubt or, indeed, of empathy."

("A Little Life," Yanagihara's previous novel, was a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award in 2015.)

"Sea of Tranquility," Emily St. John Mandel

Among the most obvious contenders for Obama's list (he had Mandel's "The Glass Hotel" on his 2020 list), this dazzling speculative novel, a sort-of sequel to the novel-turned-HBO max hit "Station Eleven," shuttles readers across time and space  from Vancouver Island in the early 20th century to a colony on the moon 500 years later.

"Following a superb stylist like Mandel is like watching an expert lacemaker at work," wrote critic Bethanne Patrick. "You see the strands and later the beautiful results, but your eyes simply cannot follow what comes in between. As in her best work, including 'Station Eleven,' she is less concerned with endings than with continuity. In 'Sea of Tranquility,' her vision is not quite as bleak, but it is as strong  I won't say prophetic  as ever."

"The Candy House," Jennifer Egan

Also on the list was another sort-of sequel, Egan's long-awaited follow-up to the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel-in-stories, "A Visit From the Goon Squad." This one tells a story of human longing, history and memory, built around a device that can store people's complete memories.

Lynn Steger Strong spent a day in March walking around Manhattan's East Village with the author ahead of the book's release. They talked about human contradictions ("the very same person is heroic and terribly selfish," said Egan), the pleasure Egan aspires to give her readers and the more complicated advantages of growing older.

"A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance," Hanif Abdurraqib

Abdurraqib's pan-cultural 2021 book of critical essays was a nominee for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The sweeping collection explores Black art, music and culture  from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to Beyonce and more.

In March, poet and essayist Abdul Ali wrote an essay for the L.A. Times praising Abdurraqib's powerful writing and fresh insights as a Black cultural critic, marking him as a successor to the late critic Greg Tate.

"Razorblade Tears," S.A. Cosby

A finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Cosby's Southern thriller-mystery follows a Black man and a white man joining forces to fight a common enemy after their sons are brutally murdered.

Author and critic Paula Woods called it "a more emotionally raw affair" than his previous, bestselling "Blacktop Wasteland." Though it's riddled with violence, Woods also commends the book for its "great beauty" in describing "the grief of a community, in the fathers' stirring awareness of the true meaning of love and even in Cosby's reverence for the vibrant natural world."

"Silverview," John le Carre

Le Carre's final book is a bestselling posthumous espionage thriller set in a small town on the English coast. After his death, the L.A. Times compiled a recommended reading list for those who were new to his work.

"Velvet Was the Night," Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hailed as one of the best books of 2021, "Velvet Was the Night" is a historical noir set in Mexico in the 1970s about two people's search for a missing woman.

Earlier this year, book critic, editor and author Paula Woods interviewed Moreno-Garcia ahead of her latest, bestselling release, "The Daughter of Doctor Moreau."

Booker Prize longlist picks

"Nightcrawling," Leila Mottley

At 20 years old, Mottley is the youngest author ever to be longlisted for a Booker Prize. Her debut novel, "Nightcrawling," follows a 17-year-old whose family was torn apart by death and prison. To survive, she resorts to sex work, only to end up being sexually exploited by Oakland police officers. The book was inspired by a real-life scandal involving the Oakland Police Department.

On a sunny May afternoon, Mottley and L.A. Times books reporter Dorany Pineda (that's me!) spent some time in Oakland's Dimond Park talking about joy, hope and violence against Black girls.

"The Trees," Percival Everett

Everett's satire-inflected literary thriller takes aim at racism and police brutality, beginning with a series of murders in rural Mississippi. Critic Lorraine Berry called the book "a comic horror masterpiece," praising the USC professor's "enormous talent for wordplay. ... He leans on the language of outrage and hyperbole to provoke reactions a history book could never elicit."

"Trust," Hernan Diaz

"Trust" is a uniquely constructed story  really a set of four tales that contradict one another  set during the 1920s and the Great Depression, focused on a powerful and troubled family in New York City. Critic Hillary Kelly deemed "Trust" a promising and textured work of fiction but ultimately a disappointment, calling it a "wily jackalope of a novel" that "spoofs so much that it winds up spoofing itself. Novels must tell a truth, even when they don't tell the truth," she concludes.

"Oh William!" Elizabeth Strout

"Oh William!" continues Strout's Amgash Series (following "My Name Is Lucy Barton" and "Anything Is Possible"). The novelist, who won a 2009 Pulitzer Prize for "Olive Kitteridge," follows a former couple as they face their pasts and the secrets they kept.

"'Oh William!' is like coming home to a sensibility that is so smartly deployed it might go unnoticed," wrote Kelly for the L.A. Times. "Strout does very little here that is new, and that is a notion to celebrate."

"Glory," NoViolet Bulawayo

NoViolet Bulawayo's latest novel is a rollicking satire about the demise of an oppressive regime and what emerges in its wake. Earlier this year, journalist Andersen Tepper spoke to the Zimbabwean Californian author, whose debut novel, "We Need New Names," was on the 2013 Booker shortlist. They spoke about confronting Zimbabwe's ghosts, trauma and the writer's imperative to "take back our lives."

"Small Things Like These," Claire Keegan

"Small Things Like These" expands on the Irish novelist's well-established talent for prizewinning short stories of keen social insight. Set during the 1985 Christmas season, the novel follows Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in an Irish village who makes a troubling discovery.

"For all her earlier accolades, 'Small Things Like These,' Keegan's first novel, enters the world this month with the shocking force of a debut," wrote freelance critic Bethanne Patrick. "With its main text running to just 70 pages, it might have been deemed a novella, but it earns the greater designation."


ATLANTIC CITY  City Council will hold public hearings Wednesday on ordinances to lease the historic Carnegie Library building to a Newark nonprofit for $1 a year, and to confiscate and destroy illegally used all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes.

The ordinance on ATVs is sponsored by all council members. It deems such vehicles on city streets and rights of way as threats to public health, safety and welfare, and prohibits their use there.

It also would give police the right to confiscate and destroy the vehicles if they are found to be illegally used.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in January that designates ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles ridden on public streets or highways as contraband subject to state forfeiture regulations. These vehicles, when forfeited to a municipality, shall be destroyed per the new state statute.

The Carnegie building, located at 35 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., would be leased to the NAN Newark Tech World nonprofit under another ordinance on the agenda.

According to a proposal submitted to the city by the nonprofit, the group would use the building for a Leaders in Training Youth Workforce Development Program for career development workshops and classroom instruction, as well as access to certified mental health professionals in partnership with Jewish Family Service and AtlantiCare.

Atlantic City passes budget, debates leasing Carnegie Library ATLANTIC CITY  The citys $235 million budget passed unanimously and without comment at a s

It also would collaborate with the Train-to-Hire program, part of the Jingoli Competitive Edge program, created to identify, train and find meaningful employment for high school students and adults who live within the cities and towns where Jingoli performs construction and construction management work.

The Jingoli program will offer an intensive curriculum covering construction math, HVAC, electrical work and job-site safety, as well as soft skills including resume writing and job interview preparation.

Offshore wind developer rsted will be also be providing classroom and hands-on training there, according to NAN.

NAN Atlantic City Tech World will offer the community access to technology not readily available to them as well as certification courses in Cisco, Microsoft and other computer systems; and instruction in web design, digital literacy, 3-D printing, virtual reality, sewing, website development, mixed reality and coding, according to the proposal.

Ordinance sponsor City Council Vice President and 3rd Ward Councilman Kaleem Shabazz has said the National Action Network has been involved in the Leaders in Training Program in conjunction with Second Baptist Church, which is also in his district, as is the Carnegie building.

They have a track record in Atlantic City, Shabazz said.

Council may lease Carnegie Library to nonprofit for $1 per year ATLANTIC CITY  City Council will consider at a special meeting Thursday an ordinance to lea

The National Action Network was founded by civil rights leader Al Sharpton. Its South Jersey Chapter is headed by Atlantic City resident Steve Young.

The lease ordinance does not specify what the nonprofit must provide at the site but says all residents of the city would be able to benefit from the groups services and that the group must provide annual reports to the city on how it uses the building. Those uses must meet requirements of the group maintaining its nonprofit status, according to the ordinance.

The historic Carnegie Library was run for many years by Stockton University as the Carnegie Center, but the school turned over ownership to the city in April. According to Stockton, the building was no longer needed for educational purposes, as it has transferred all of its programs to its city campus.

The ordinance provides for a five-year lease of all of the first floor of the Carnegie building and half of the second floor to NAN Network Tech World.

Pleasantville and Absecon have also passed ordinances to combat illegal ATV and dirt-bike riding on municipal streets, citing safety concerns.

In Pleasantville, a 32-year-old ATV driver from Atlantic City was arrested May 2 after allegedly fleeing police and crashing into a patrol car.

In 2018, 23-year-old ATV rider Bruce Banks was killed in Pleasantville and his 19-year-old passenger Devon Banks injured in a three-vehicle crash on New Road between Washington Avenue and the Black Horse Pike. The ATV collided with a Nissan Quest minivan as it was crossing the road on the Pleasantville bike path, and the van then hit another vehicle.
Offshore wind power is either moving far too quickly or cant arrive soon enough, depending on which of the commenters was speaking at a lengthy hearing for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Tuesday evening.

Over the course of about four hours in a meeting held remotely, proponents and critics of the Ocean Wind 1 project squared off, with those in favor citing jobs and climate change and opponents describing the project and others like it as the industrialization of the coastline.

This was the third and final public hearing planned to accept comments on a draft environmental impact statement on the Ocean Wind proposal, set to put up to 98 wind turbines about 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic and Cape May counties. The two prior meetings this month lasted about as long.

The massive report, weighing in at more than 1,400 pages, will help guide the federal permitting process for Ocean Wind, the farthest along of several offshore wind projects in the pipeline. A final report is expected by March 2023, with the energy companies rsted and PSEG predicting the project will be operational by 2024. Once the blades start turning, the project is expected to power a half-million homes.

As proposed, the turbines would be visible from the beaches, with a maximum height of the blades at 906 feet, putting them above the tallest casinos in Atlantic City  in fact, taller than the tallest building in New Jersey.

The project has the backing of the Biden administration and of Gov. Phil Murphy, while it has drawn opposition from shore communities and skepticism from some environmental groups.

Bungalow Park neighborhood meeting Thursday on wind project ATLANTIC CITY  Without fanfare or much discussion, the Planning Board on Tuesday memorializ

The draft report outlines several alternatives, including taking no action, and looks at the potential impact on commercial fishing, navigation, marine mammals, and other species and tourism, along with several other categories.

Most of the adverse impacts outlined in the report would be negligible to moderate, according to Lisa Landers, representing the BOEM at the hearing. There is a potential for major impact on commercial fishing, marine mammals, navigation and scenic resources outlined in the draft report, which also sees potential benefits to air quality, the economy, and recreation and tourism. The report indicates potential benefits to birds and sea turtles, although some critics see the project as more likely to harm migrating birds.

Some say: Slow down

Representatives of Clean Ocean Action sought an extension of the public comment period, which closes Aug. 8.

The group also suggested offshore wind in New Jersey begin with a pilot project, before we rush ahead with the industrialization of hundreds of thousands of acres of our invaluable ocean waters, said Zachary Klein, the policy attorney for the group.

Ocean Wind is one of 28 lease areas BOEM is considering for offshore wind, bureau staff said Tuesday. Ocean Wind 2 received permits from the Board of Public Utilities in 2021, with more projects in the pipeline.

The turbines will need to be able to stand up to major hurricanes, Klein said, and have the potential to interfere with radar, suggesting this could complicate future water rescues if boats get in trouble within the lease area.

From the offset, Clean Ocean Action is not opposed to offshore wind, but the ocean does deserve protection and we are very concerned about the trajectory of offshore wind proposals and have many questions, said Kari Martin, the advocacy campaign manager with the organization. The size and scope and scale of these projects being considered simultaneously is alarming.

Some see urgency

Several other speakers backed the proposal, including labor representatives who said the project will bring good-paying union jobs to New Jersey and improve American industry. Debra Coyle with the New Jersey Work Environmental Council said offshore wind can deliver 83,000 jobs by 2035 and generate $25 billion in economic impact.

But many of the comments in favor of the project also focused on environmental issues, especially climate change and the rising seas and powerful storms expected to accompany it.

Across the U.S., New Jersey is one of the most vulnerable states to sea level rise. Over 70,000 homes are expected to see at least one major flood a year by 2050, said Cameron Foster with the New Jersey Organizing Project.

Ocean Wind 1 draft environmental statement released by BOEM The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Friday released the Draft Environmental Impact Stat

Clean energy will be needed to protect the beach towns and boardwalks in New Jersey, he argued.

David Pringle, speaking on behalf of Clean Water Action, suggested the project replaces the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Ocean County and the coal-fired B.L. England plant in Cape May County, where power generated offshore is set to enter the grid to power homes.

He said he visited the Block Island wind farm off Rhode Island and took a boat under the turbines.

Theyre beautiful. Theyre awesome, and I am excited about these projects, he said, citing their potential to replace fossil fuels. We should be celebrating this. This is desperately needed. We are in a climate emergency.

Dan Ginolfi, listed as a Washington, D.C., lobbyist with Coastal Strategies LLC, cited the nuclear power plant in Salem County, which uses a fraction of the space the wind turbines would require and has double the generating capacity.

The county is not opposed to offshore wind but has major concerns with the process by which it is being developed and the lack of meaningful stakeholder engagement in Cape May County, Ginolfi said. The vast majority of residents are unaware of this development, hundreds of fishermen are likely to lose their jobs, thousands of marine mammals will be harassed as well as birds and benthic creatures and habitats.

Ocean City seeks to divert wind power plan OCEAN CITY  City attorney Dorothy McCrosson took aim at plans to run a power line across th

The benthic zone refers to the bottom of the ocean.

Locals weigh in

Ocean City has criticized a plan to run cables across the island municipality, and officials there have been skeptical of the project, while Upper Township has supported the plan, which will keep power flowing at the Beesleys Point plant, as proposed.

On Wednesday, Upper Township Committee member Kim Hayes said the township had a single request of BOEM, to move the connection to the power grid about 500 feet to better fit with plans to revitalize the former power plant site with commercial and residential development.

Joan Marie Ebert, an Ocean City homeowner, said few of the second homeowners who own most of the property in that town know about the wind power plan. She said she does not deny climate change is real, nor oppose wind energy.

What I am opposed to is an aggressive, fast-tracked wind farm planned 15 miles off the coast that will desecrate the ocean view and destroy tourism in South Jersey beach communities, she said.

Those who missed the hearings still have time to review the proposal and submit written comments. A virtual meeting room and instructions for how to submit comments can be found at boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ocean-wind-1.

Due to a reporting error, the version of this story originally posted July 27 misstated the number of fishermen likely to lose their jobs as a result of the wind power proposal.
NONFICTION: The rare, true story of a young woman in 18th-century America who was raped  and fought her assailant in court.

"The Sewing Girl's Tale" by John Wood Sweet; Henry Holt (384 pages, $29.99)



On the evening of Aug. 25, 1793, Lanah Sawyer, a 17-year-old seamstress, was out walking in Lower Manhattan when she was accosted by men who catcalled and frightened her, begins the true story recounted by John Wood Sweet in "The Sewing Girl's Tale."

She was rescued by a "gallant gentleman [who] had bright blue eyes, rosy red lips, and a sly smile." He insisted on escorting her to her door and suggested that the pair should go walking some evening. Sawyer was initially reluctant but eventually agreed. But when she and the man who had called himself "lawyer Smith" went out that night, he dragged her into a brothel and raped her.

Sweet, a history professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, explains that we know Sawyer's story because, "Like many lower-class or enslaved women, [Lanah Sawyer] entered the historical record as a result of damage done to her by a man  a man she resisted and stood up against."

"Lawyer Smith" was actually Harry Bedlow, the son of a wealthy family. Bedlow had a reputation as a "rake," a sexual predator. But Bedlow presented himself to Sawyer as someone else, a sensitive gentleman who had defended her against those she thought would do her harm. This was a major issue in the trials that followed, specifically whether Sawyer should have known that her assailant was Bedlow and thus avoided walking with him.

"In the hours, days, and weeks to come, Lanah would have to tell her story again, and again, to men and women  mostly men  who would stand in judgment of her. At each juncture, their responses would determine her range of options. At each stage, she would face the possibility of denial and disempowerment  and the possibility of gaining another, ever more powerful ally. Her challenge would be to convince them to believe her story; to convince them to care."

As Wood carefully lays out and skillfully argues, Sawyer's power would rely on her ability to convince men to act on her behalf. Her stepfather became her ally in going to the authorities, but his intention was to punish Bedlow for the blow to his own honor.

During the trial, law books written by Matthew Hale and William Blackstone influenced the rules regarding evidence in a rape case. Both jurists saw the crime as very serious, but they also cautioned that women had many motivations for lying about such charges. The misogyny implicit in "women lie about rape" was the first barrier Sawyer would need to overcome. Wood provides fascinating social, cultural and historical context for Bedlow's prosecution. He explores gossip, the gutter press and her working-class status that played a part in how Sawyer's story was received.

The result is a masterful and sweeping account of life in 1790s America, where the tensions between classes, the role of the men who enslaved people in determining justice and the enforcement of patriarchal gender roles would each play a part in Sawyer and Bedlow's fates. The book also provides additional context for understanding the hurdles in present-day America where even now, 60% of rapes are never reported, and only 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.



Lorraine Berry is a writer in Oregon.
Some downtown Rock Island property owners are posing an unusual request: They want to pay more taxes.

The Downtown Rock Island Steering Committee has proposed creating a Special Service Area (SSA) in downtown. These are most commonly known as business improvement districts or self-supporting municipal districts.

Property owners would pay an additional 1.15% tax on their assessed value. The money would then go back into the downtown community.

Talks of creating the SSA go back a few years. The Rock Island Steering Committee was created after the council contracted with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce in 2021. Most members are property owners who have a goal of finding a sustainable funding model for downtown.

"There are many great assets throughout the downtown business community," said Jack Cullen, director of Downtown Rock Island. "Really, at the end of the day, this program is being presented to make sure property owners have a strong voice and are represented."

However, not all property owners are on board.

Terry Tilka, owner of the Rock Island Brewing Company, told the council on Monday he has spoken to a number of property owners who know nothing about the proposed SSA. He opposes the proposal because of the way it was handled, he said.

"There are so many other problems and issues that have been floating around," he said.

Sarah Zepeda co-owns QC Coffee and Pancake House and several other properties downtown. She told the council she also was not aware of the SSA and how it functions.

Cullen, however, said an SSA is not an uncommon organization. Other municipalities in the Quad-Cities metro area have similar organizations, namely Downtown Bettendorf and Downtown Moline.

It is basically a tool for property owners to fund and govern services above and beyond what the city can provide," he said. "This would be a first for Rock Island."

Brandy VandeWalle, owner of Skeleton Key Art & Antiques, said she initially was not in favor. However, her mind changed once she took a deeper look.

"When I started actually looking at the numbers and what it's going to personally cost me, it was a no-brainer," she said. "I feel like we're going to gain so much more than we're putting into this."

VandeWalle said the initial shock of an additional tax turned her off from the idea. But, after crunching the numbers, the cost would be equivalent to what she would pay for snow removal, and the SSA would cover that.

The Illinois Casualty Company has a 72-year history in Rock Island. CEO Arron Sutherland said he was intrigued by the idea because the "company wants to be part of the community." The proposed SSA would be a public and private partnership that would give property owners more control, he said.

"This takes the members of the community that are most invested and gives them the power to say 'This is how we will accomplish what we want,'" he said.

Sutherland also chairs the Steering Committee. His three main goals are to create a cleaner downtown, have better representation and make safety improvements. This model has worked for other communities, and it will work for Rock Island, he said.

Property owners are taking it on ourselves to say, 'Well invest.' We just want the city to work with us to improve our downtown," he said.

The council is expected to vote on the proposal on Aug. 8. If approved, the SSA would still be a few months away from being established, Cullen said. A public hearing and a second vote on the actual establishment of the committee would need to take place in October.

Cullen said a variety of plans and conversations have been had over the years, but the time to act is now.

"There's a strong proposal in place to set up an organization that would be dedicated to the day-to-day downtown needs and issues with the overarching goal of pumping more resources into the downtown business district," he said, "and creating an atmosphere that enhances the quality of life."
Chicago Public Schools will continue to strongly recommend, not require, masks for the upcoming school year, CEO Pedro Martinez said Wednesday.

Martinez said there will not be a lot of changes to the districts COVID-19 protocols from the end of the last school year. CPS ditched its mask requirement in March amid a decrease in cases and legal pressure to end COVID-19 mitigations. Martinez said the districts weekly, in-school testing program will continue, and take-home tests will be available to students as well.

The news from the monthly Chicago Board of Education meeting comes as Chicagos risk level for COVID-19 is high. The Chicago Department of Public Health recommends people stay up to date with vaccines, wear a face mask in indoor public settings where vaccine status is not known and get tested if symptoms surface.

Martinez said the district will follow science in crafting protocols. The board is set to consider an $85 million contract to Fisher Scientific for the company to continue to provide COVID-19 testing supplies and services.

School is set to start Aug. 22, a week earlier than last year and two weeks before the traditional day-after- Labor-Day kickoff to a new CPS school year.
Erica Laures is planning to be a runaway bride. Sort of.

Saturday, Laures and her fiance, Christian Thompson, will run the Prairie Farms Quick Bix before running off to get married in the afternoon. It isn't a typical wedding day story, but Laures said it will definitely be a memorable one.

The pair met about five years ago while attending ISU. The story, according to, Laures, "is kinda dorky."

Laures' parents met at a party and always joke that her mom spotted her dad across the room and had to have him. Similarly, Laures met Thompson while he was working at a bar.

"Now I get to to make the same joke for all eternity," she said.

The couple were engaged last May in LeClaire and quickly began wedding planning. However, with so many weddings pushed back due to COVID-19 concerns, availability was limited.

After calling multiple places, Laures learned that Modern Woodmen Park was available to host the reception. The catch was that it fell on Bix weekend. Having already run the Quad-City Times Bix 7 16 times, Laures knew it was kismet.

"It was then and there I fell in love with the idea," she said. "(Running the Bix) was a tradition that I couldn't miss."

Thompson himself has run the Bix 7 every year the couple has been together but admitted he's not a big runner himself. However, he agreed to run the two -mile Prairie Farms Quick Bix with her, in order to allow time for them to get ready and head to Long Grove for the ceremony. A few members of the wedding party are also running and the rest will be on the sidelines cheering them on.

"It's going to be pretty crazy, but in a fun way," Laures said.

"I'm pretty excited to get married, and I'm excited to see everyone and share this with all my friends and family," Thompson said.

The couple now live in Wisconsin but are native Iowans. Laures is from DeWitt and Thompson from Strawberry Point. Planning a wedding while being out of state can be anxiety-inducing, and even more so when the wedding dress has to be flown in from across the world.

Laures said the dress she ordered was designed by someone in Ukraine. However, right after it was ordered, the country was bombed. The designer reached out to confirm they were working hard to get the dress to her, but Ukraine being a no fly zone made it tricky. Instead, the dress was sent to Poland then flown to the United States.

"Sure enough, they pulled through," Thompson said.

"After that, I was like, whatever happens, we're good," she said, joking she would even get married in shorts and a T-shirt.

Despite the chaos with the dress, Laures said she is looking forward to even more excitement on Saturday. Planning a wedding on a day when thousands of people will be in town may seem like an outlandish idea, but for Laures and Thompson, it's perfect.

"I think it will make it almost seem like the festivities are for us," she said.
Davenport Police say a 13-year-old behind the wheel during an overnight shootout was wounded in the leg.

Officers arrested three juveniles after responding to reports of shots fired at about 2 a.m. Tuesday in the 3100 block of W. Lombard St.

Police found one uninvolved vehicle struck by gunfire and another car fleeing. A pursuit ended in the 1900 block of W. 40th St.

The driver, a 13-year-old male, was taken into custody after fleeing into a nearby apartment. He is charged with felony eluding, interference with official acts, and reckless driving.

The boy suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound during the shooting and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment before he was turned over to the juvenile detention center.

As officers were processing the scene, police spotted another involved vehicle that was reported stolen, and a pursuit ensued before ending near Division Street and W. 76th Street.

The passenger, a 16-year-old male, fled on foot and discarded a stolen handgun.

He was arrested and charged with intimidation, car theft, interference with a weapon, going armed with intent, willful injury, and carrying weapons.

A 15-year-old female, the driver of a second vehicle, was arrested without incident and charged with car theft, felony eluding, and accessory after the fact.

The stolen firearm was recovered. No other damage or injuries were reported.

Police continue to investigate.
A Davenport man on trial last week for the April 9, 2020, shooting death of Jabari M. Scurlock has pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder.

Princesun E. Murphy, 37, faced charges of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the death of the 40-year-old Scurlock of Racine, Wisconsin.

Murphys jury trial started July 18 in Scott County District Court, but on Monday, he tendered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to the lesser included charge of second-degree murder. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm will be dismissed at sentencing.

District Court Judge Tamra Roberts scheduled Murphys sentencing for Sept. 29 in district court.

Murphy is being held without bond in the Scott County Jail

Second-degree murder is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 50 years, 70% of which, or 35 years, must be served before parole can be granted.

A conviction on the first-degree murder charge would have meant an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to the affidavit in support of the federal complaint filed by a Davenport Police Officer attached to the department's Major Case Unit, at 1:12 a.m. on April 9, officers responded to the 900 block of Marquette Street to find a man, later identified as Scurlock, lying dead after being shot in the face.

Detectives located video that captured the shooting. On the video, Scurlock can be seen walking northbound on the west side of Marquette Street.

At the same time a truck is seen traveling northbound on the east side of the street.

The truck makes a U-turn, now facing southbound on the west side of the street. Scurlock then approaches the passenger side of the truck.

After a brief interaction between the victim and occupant of the truck, a flash can be seen from inside the truck cab. Scurlock falls to the ground and the truck flees south on Marquette Street.

According to surveillance video, this occurred at 1:07 a.m.

Detectives were able to gather additional surveillance from around the city and tracked the truck through town both before and after the shooting.

From the videos officers were able to get a good description of the truck.

At 4 a.m., April 9, officers found a 1999 Ford F-150 parked in front of 918 E. 10th St. and later in the day were able to match that truck to the truck in the video.

At 4:15 p.m. on April 9, officers conducted surveillance on the vehicle and watched as a man they identified as Princesun Emmanueral Murphy drove the truck to several different places before returning to the East 10th Street address.

On April 10, officers watched Murphy drive the vehicle again, including going to Sterilite. Officers confirmed that Murphy worked there but was not working the night of the homicide. Officers also learned that Murphy arrived at work at 7 a.m. on April 9 but was sent home for the day by management after he showed them an injury from the night before.

Also on April 10, officers took Murphy from Sterilite and took him to the police station for questioning. Officers also searched the home on East 10th Street and seized a blue bag from inside of a shelving unit in the bedroom. Inside the bag was a sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun with a barrel measuring 13.5 inches and a defaced serial number.

Murphy was arrested May 8, 2020, charged with Scurlocks murder.

Federal prosecutors had filed firearms charges against Murphy in U.S. District Court, Davenport. However, those charges were dropped in deference to the murder charge against Murphy. Federal prosecutors left open the option to refile those charges.
Augustana College and the city of Rock Island are partnering to target and remove lead water pipes.

It's spurred by a new law that targets lead pipes, which are known to be harmful, especially to babies and children.

Enacted in 2021, the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act requires cities to gather an inventory of lead water service lines and develop and implement plans to identify and remove them. It also requires utility- and privately-owned portions of lead service lines to be replaced and for the process to be equitable by prioritizing low-income neighborhoods.

According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's 2018 inventory, the state is estimated to have more than 680,000 lead-based service lines still in operation. In Rock Island, there are over 15,000 active water service lines and about 12,000 precede 1986, when lead service lines were prohibited.

Identifying the lead-based services lines will be tricky, so Augustana might have to seek out sources beyond old city maps.

Kimberly Murphy, the college's advancement of community health and wellness director, said the remaining lead service lines disproportionately impact the most vulnerable neighborhoods, families and children. Murphy said the project will help eliminate social, economic and environmental inequities.

"The Rock Island community gets vital help solving their most pressing challenges at a time of limited and often declining resources," Murphy said.

Students will approach these issues through community-based learning experiences by going out into the community and interacting with various stakeholders and applying their knowledge through a service-learning project.

Mayor Mike Thoms said the city and Augustana have partnered together on a number of projects and they have "great confidence Augustana has the resources to complete" the lead service line project.

Once inventory is completed the city will need to submit applications for funding to the Illinois EPA for the replacement of the lines. The law states that cities will have two years to create a replacement plan and up to 20 years to replace the lead service lines.

Rock Island pitched on plan for downtown taxing district Property owners would pay an additional tax to reinvest in downtown.
Former eastern Iowa Republican Congressman Jim Leach is trying something new this election cycle  endorsing and voting for Democrats in Congress.

Leach represented Iowa in the U.S. House as a moderate Republican for 30 years until he lost reelection to former Rep. Dave Loebsack, a Democrat, in 2006.

He endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020. But for the first time, he said he switched his party registration from R to D to vote in the 2022 June primary.

Leach, 79, said the switch was prompted by a Republican Party that he described as lurching to the right in its support for Donald Trump leading up to and after Jan. 6, and lying about the results of the 2020 election.

My own view is that there is no excuse whatsoever for an insurrection," Leach said in a phone interview. "And that we're in one of the most profound challenges to American democracy ever, excepting the Civil War."

He added his switch was more of a rebuke to the national Republican Party than particular Iowa Republican members of Congress, whom he said he had respect for.

"Today, the Republican Party that I spent so many years with has really let the country down," Leach said. "And we need to have a political party that operates in a way that both parties can participate. The Republican Party has just torn itself apart, and it's got to pull itself together. I'll lean toward the Democratic Party as long as excellent people are running."

In particular, Leach said he wanted to endorse a University of Iowa colleague Christina Bohannan, the Democrat running for the newly drawn 1st District, because of her credentials as a law professor.

The district covers the Iowa Quad-Cities.

"This particular year could not be more appropriate for a law school professor to run," Leach said, referencing the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Bohannan, who is running to unseat Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, is a law professor with expertise in intellectual property law, the First Amendment and competition law, according to the University of Iowa College of Law. Bohannan ran in 2020 for Statehouse in Iowa City, defeating a longtime Democratic incumbent.

The Miller-Meeks campaign did not send a comment by press time.

Leach said he didn't hold any specific grievances with Miller-Meeks as a representative. Miller-Meeks is a first-term U.S. representative, ophthalmologist and former state senator.

She's intelligent and not an embarrassment to the state or anything, he said of Miller-Meeks. She's a decent person. I just don't see anyone standing up to Christina.

Miller-Meeks was one of 35 House Republicans to vote to create the bipartisan House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, which Leach said he applauded her for.

Political scientists debate how much weight endorsements carry. Bohannan, in a statement, said she was "honored" by Leach's endorsement.

I have tremendous respect for Jim Leach and am honored to have his endorsement," Bohannan said. "As a congressman, he told the truth, served with honor and integrity, and put the people of southeast Iowa ahead of party politics. He understands what is at stake in this election and the importance of electing someone who will work for working people, not for party bosses and special interests.

Leach also said he also would support Mike Franken, a former Navy admiral and Democrat running to unseat long-time U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Leach cited Franken's naval experience as being valuable to Congressional proceedings and took issue with Grassley's role in ushering through conservative picks for the U.S. Supreme Court that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

"It's really important we have some naval knowledge in the senate, which is why I was very pleased to see Admiral Franken run," Leach said.

Iowa has trended red in recent years, voters have elected a Republican trifecta at the state government level and in 2020 voters sent a Republican senator and three of four congressional representatives to Congress. Grassley faced a challenge from the far right flank of his party in June, and the party came out of the June 2022 primary with a big advantage in registered voters.

Political forecasters say midterm headwinds are likely to favor Republicans in the fall as President Biden remains unpopular.

Asked whether he believed a moderate Republican could win again in Iowa, Leach said: "It would be awfully, awfully hard in the primary."

"A lot of Republicans would have a decent chance of a general election but would have a really hard time, at least over the last year, in a primary," Leach said.

Leach said he wasn't sure whether he'd keep his Democrat registration, nor who he would vote for in down-ballot races, but he would vote for candidates he considered to have "decency."

"We have an obligation to pull together and vote for anyone who has a moral capacity to lead in a credible way," Leach said.
Iowa agriculture groups are calling on President Joe Biden to lift tariffs on fertilizer products, which the groups say are driving up prices and hurting farmers and consumers.

In a letter last week, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association urged Biden to remove or reduce tariffs on imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco.

The U.S. International Trade Commission imposed a 20% tariff, a tax on imports, on phosphate fertilizer from Morocco in 2021 after a request from American producer Mosaic Co., which said it was harmed by government subsidies on Moroccan exports. Now, with skyrocketing prices of fertilizer creating financial concerns for farmers, farm groups want those tariffs removed.

While high commodity prices kept most farmers from going into the red this year, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Brent Johnson said sustained high prices of fertilizer could impact planting decisions and yield volumes in the future.

If we need to make some adjustments because of fertilizer prices, that's going to potentially reduce some production when we're talking about food security issues on a worldwide basis, Johnson said.

Prices for urea, potash, phosphate and other fertilizers reached record highs in the spring planting season because of a combination of factors including high natural gas prices, international shortages and export caps and the war in Ukraine. Prices fell some in June, according to a report from Progressive Farmer.

Johnson said he and other Iowa Farm Bureau members met with Iowas congressional leaders and officials in Bidens administration last week to discuss concerns around input prices. He said the administration had been receptive to the idea.

The meetings that weve had so far, theyve gone quite well, Johnson said. And so time will tell. Were hopeful at this point.

Johnson said hes hoping Biden would lift the tariff in a similar way to tariffs that were paused on solar panels from Southeast Asia last month. In that instance, Biden used national security reasons to lift the tariffs, and farm groups said high input prices could be considered the same way.

Its my opinion, I think it's a widely shared opinion, that food is closer tied to national security than solar panel electrical generation is, Johnson said.

Lance Lillibridge, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, said the tariffs created an unfair market for farmers and did not keep the price of domestically manufactured fertilizers down.

When you have a company that wants to participate globally in the marketplace  but then asked for tariffs to be applied to imports coming into the United States to protect their market domestically, that's not a fair market, he said.

The request from the groups came about a week after the U.S. International Trade Commission decided not to increase duties on urea ammonium nitrate from Trinidad and Tobago and Russia. Farm groups lobbied against adding those tariffs as well.

The farm groups join a growing list of politicians and groups urging the administration to pause or remove fertilizer tariffs. In mid-July, Iowas U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, and Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra, signed onto a letter calling on Biden to waive the same imports. Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne joined the same representatives in a similar request in March.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Grassley said hes urged the commerce department to take tariffs off phosphate imports from Morocco, and he also applauded the International Trade Commissions decision not to add duties on imports from Trinidad and Tobago and Russia.

Im very sympathetic to what theyre trying to do, and there are some government policies that are keeping fertilizer prices abnormally high, Grassley said.

Study finds inconclusive evidence of price gouging in fertilizer market A sharp rise in fertilizer prices over the past two years doesnt appear to have one single cause, according to a new report from Iowa State U
Maquoketa Caves State Park will reopen Thursday, but the campground will remain closed.

The campground at the park off U.S. 67 in Jackson County was the scene on July 22 of a triple homicide. The investigation continues into the deaths of Tyler and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter, Lula, 6.

Arlo Schmidt, 9, survived the attack. His parents and sister were killed in their tent, authorities said. The family is from Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Family at Maquoketa caves was attacked in their tent The three members of a family killed at Maquoketa Caves State Park early Friday were in thei

Suspected killer Anthony Sherwin, 23, of LaVista, Neb., was found dead just outside the park and is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was with his parents, police said, and had his own tent.

The two families were camping near each other. Police have not said whether evidence points to a motive.

The park will reopen for day use at 10 a.m. Thursday, but the campground will remain closed until further notice. All campers with reservations through Sunday, July 31, have been notified and refunded.

A temporary memorial site will be located at the Maquoketa Caves State Park entrance sign near the Visitor Center, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Anyone with camping questions may email iowa.stateparks@dnr.iowa.gov.
SIOUX FALLS  A federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in her lawsuit that attempted to overturn the National Park Service's denial of the state's application to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore to celebrate 2021's Independence Day.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals found that South Dakota's objections to the Park Service's decision were moot because it was in the past and the federal government was within its rights to deny the state from shooting off fireworks at the national memorial.

"The bottom line is that we cannot change what happened last year, and South Dakota has not demonstrated that deciding this otherwise moot case will impact any future permitting decision," Judge David Stras wrote in the courts opinion. Any controversy has, in other words, fizzled out.

The Republican governor, who has positioned herself for a 2024 White House bid, has used the fireworks celebration as a political rallying point. She hosted former President Donald Trump at the 2020 celebration, and the patriotic display, held during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, figured largely in her rise to national prominence. It was also the first time fireworks had been held at Mount Rushmore in nearly a decade.

Noem blamed President Joe Biden for the permit denial and insisted that the court erred in its ruling.

Unfortunately, the Biden Administration ran out the clock, blocking both our celebration and any serious judicial review," she said in a statement. The Court should have ruled on the merits to set a standard for future fireworks celebrations.

South Dakota has paid nearly $230,000 to Consovoy McCarthy, a Virginia-based law firm that has taken up Republican causes across the country, including working for Trump, to represent the state in court.

The courts decision left open the possibility of the Park Service allowing a pyrotechnic display in the future, and Noem has already applied for a permit for next year. The Park Service denied Noem's 2022 application for fireworks, citing objections from Native American tribes, wildfire risks and other environmental concerns.

The Park Service declined to comment on the ruling.

The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent organization that had filed an amicus brief in the case to support the Park Service, praised the ruling.

The adverse effects from previous firework displays are well-documented, including threats to water quality and public health and safety, and to the very resources the park was designated to celebrate and protect, Christine Goepfert, the association's Midwest Associate Director, said in a statement.

Noem had also argued that the Park Service's decision was politically motivated as well as one that should only be made by Congress.

But Stras and the two other judges who issued the opinion disagreed: Nobody has a right to shoot off fireworks on someone elses land, whether it be a neighbor; an area business; or as is the case here, a national park.
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., will host a town hall meeting from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City.

The town hall will be in the Classroom Building Lecture Hall 204E on the Mines campus. Johnson said the meeting is open to all constituents and encourages as many West River residents to attend as possible.
It was a stunning image: Pope Francis briefly wearing a full Indigenous headdress, its rows of soft white feathers fastened in place by a colorful, beaded headband after he apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's "disastrous" residential school system for Indigenous children.

Chief Wilton Littlechild, a residential school survivor himself, gave Francis the headdress Monday, placing it on his head amid cheering by an audience in Maskwacis, Alberta, that included many school survivors.

The Vatican and the pope clearly appreciated the gesture: Francis kissed Littlechild's hands after receiving the headdress, something he has done in the past as a sign of respect for Holocaust survivors, and has done on this trip for residential school survivors.

The Vatican obviously understood the symbolic significance of the moment, putting the photo on the front page of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano under the headline "I humbly beg forgiveness."

Headdresses historically are a symbol of respect, worn by Native American war chiefs and warriors. For many Plains tribes, for example, each feather placed on a headdress has significance and had to be earned through an act of compassion or bravery. Some modern-day Native American leaders have been given war bonnets in ceremonies accompanied by prayers and songs.

Yet this revered regalia also represents an image that has been co-opted from tribes in popular culture for decades, feeding stereotypes in everything from Hollywood films, to fashion runways to Halloween costumes.

Some members of Indigenous tribes said they found the gesture incongruous with the past transgressions at church-run schools that Francis apologized for.

Maka Black Elk, executive director of Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, described the scene on Twitter as a "#toosoon moment."

"The discourse around the #PopeFrancis headdress is unfortunate," wrote Black Elk. "He did not request that. It wasn't his fault. But it's also clear the givers did not consider how it would make other Indigenous people feel."

Black Elk said later in a telephone interview that the mixed reaction to the headdress being placed on the pope's head "reflects the reality of Native people and our need for more dialogue" about the past.

"I do think that Chief Littlechild felt it was important to honor this moment, and this was a significant moment," he added.

Russ Diabo, a member of the Kahnawake Mohawk tribe in Canada and an Indigenous advocate and policy analyst, described the scene as "pageantry" and the pope's statements as "facile."

Diabo said on Twitter it was "the Catholic Church and Canada collaborating in creating a mythology for a shared 'Reconciliation' agenda narrated by prominent federal collaborators/residential school survivors!"

"I have so much to say about this, and all of it negative," tweeted Joe Horse Capture, vice president of Native collections and curator of Native American History and Culture at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles.

"I am practicing the 'If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything at all' mantra. But I'll be honest, it's difficult!," added Horse Capture, a member of the A'aniiih Nation.

More than 150,000 Native children in Canada were forced to attend government-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.

The discoveries of hundreds of potential burial sites at former schools in the past year have drawn international attention to the schools in Canada and their counterparts in the United States.

Leading U.S.-based Indigenous news outlet ICT made a deliberate decision to not make the war bonnet a focus of their papal visit coverage.

"When I saw the headdress being placed on the Pope, I immediately thought 'absolutely not.' We are not running that photo," said Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, editor of ICT, formerly Indian Country Today. "It distracts readers from the Pope's apology and survivors' stories who sat in those chairs listening to his every word. Something they've been waiting for, for decades.

"It creates unnecessary noise regarding Indigenous peoples' choices where the real scrutiny should be placed on the Pope and that entire institution."

A spokeswoman for Littlechild didn't immediately respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment.

But Keeshon Littlechild used a Facebook post to defend his grandfather for giving Francis one of his own many headdresses.

"Bugs me to see people bashing my grandfather and I understand how much respect is needed to be gifted one but at the end of the day that was him showing the pope respect for coming all the way to Maskwacis to apologize," he wrote.

Among those coming to Littlechild's defense was Phil Fontaine, a former Assembly of First Nations chief and a residential school survivor.

"Chief Littlechild followed his protocols," Fontaine said. "There is a protocol for that kind of gift. He went to the elders, he went to the leadership and requested permission to present that gift. It is entirely consistent with the way they follow their customs and protocol here."

Jon Crier, a First Nations elder and school survivor, said during a news conference after the apology that the gesture meant tribal leaders "adopted him as one of our leaders in the community.

"It's an honoring of the man, it's an honoring of the work he has done and it's also recognizing  here's a man that belongs in our tribe," Crier said.

Marie-Anne Day Walker Pelletier, former chief of Okanese First Nation, told CTV, "I thought it was pretty cool. The chief of all chiefs now I guess."

 Nicole Winfield and Peter Smith in Maskwacis, Alberta, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed reporting. Snow reported from Phoenix.
A man is dead after police responded to a report of him brandishing a gun and shooting in the parking lot of a casino at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night in the 1500 block of Haines Avenue in Rapid City.

Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom shared preliminary details of the shooting through a Facebook live video following the shooting.

Hedrick said when officers arrived, the man shot at police. Officers then returned fired and hit the man, killing him. No officers were injured in the incident, but bullets struck a patrol car at least once, possibly three times.

"This appears to be an attack on police officers at this time," Hedrick said. "I, for one, am thankful none of the police officers were injured or hurt after being fired upon."

Thom said the suspect had an outstanding warrant for assault on law enforcement officers. Brendyn Medina, spokesman for the RCPD, confirmed that warrant stemmed from an incident separate from the Tuesday night confrontation.

Although no one other than the suspect was injured, Thom said 15 witnesses and victims were transported to the Public Safety Building for interviews. Hedrick said police are "still sorting out the number of victims or witnesses." Per South Dakota law, firing or pointing a gun at someone can be charged as assault.

The investigation has been turned over to the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, which Hedrick said is standard for police shootings.

"At this time, we're only able to provide very basic details based upon information that's coming in to us. Once DCI is able to gain more information, they will then put out a very detailed report. That's per standard protocol."

Medina said two officers who were involved have been placed on administrative leave. Officers must be cleared by the department's in-house psychologist before returning to work. The RCPD does not currently have a set time frame when officers can return. Medina confirmed officers may take as much time as they need before returning to work.

Police have not released the officers' names or the suspect's name. Medina said further information on the case will come from DCI.

Tuesday's shooting follows a police shooting of a woman on May 31 after a failed traffic stop. The Minnehaha County State's Attorney is reviewing DCI's investigation of the shooting. The woman's name in that incident has not yet been released and her condition is unknown. The two officers involved in that shooting returned to work the next day and the next week, respectively.
Montana University System officials chose Angela McLean to serve as the interim director of Bitterroot College at the University of Montana in Hamilton, starting August 2.

McLean currently serves as the Director of American Indian/Minority Achievement and K-12 Partnerships in the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) in Helena, Montana. OCHE staff will support her continued leadership in this role as she steps in to lead Bitterroot College.

In addition to being a strong leader, Angela is a dedicated advocate for education at all levels, Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian said in a press release. Angela also understands the importance of working with the community and key stakeholders to meet the needs of students and the community.

Bitterroot College connects a diverse rural community to a wide array of learning opportunities to prepare students for future success and support workforce development. The program offers more than 30 college credit courses. Students at Bitterroot College can earn an associates degree, complete prerequisite courses for leading fields, earn credits that are transferable across the MUS, and obtain certificates in business, computers, and industrial trades  all while staying close to home.

She brings the right mix of experience at the local and statewide level to lead the next chapter of Bitterroot College, University of Montana President Seth Bodnar said in a press release. She has a strong history of putting students at the center of everything she does, which is core to the UM experience whether at Bitterroot College or our main campus in Missoula.

McLean began her teaching career in the Arlee Public Schools and has two decades of experience in the classroom. She has been a leading voice for Montanas education community having served on both the Board of Public Education and the Board of Regents. As Montanas 31st Lt. Governor, she continued her strong advocacy for Montanas schools, teachers and students.

My priority is connecting with local leaders and stakeholders to ensure the programs and opportunities available through Bitterroot College align with community needs, McLean said. Many in the community have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this institution, and Im looking forward to engaging and learning how we can work together going forward.
PAJU, South Korea (AP)  As a medical student in North Korea, Lee Gwang-jin said he treated his fevers and other minor ailments with traditional herbal medicine. But bad illness could mean trouble because hospitals in his rural hometown lacked the ambulances, beds, even the electricity at times needed to treat critical or emergency patients.

So Lee was skeptical when he heard recent North Korean state media reports that claimed such so-called Koryo traditional medicine is playing a key role in the nation's fight against COVID-19, which has killed millions around the world.

North Korea is using Koryo medicine a lot (for COVID-19)  but it's not a sure remedy, said Lee, who studied Koryo medicine before he fled North Korea in 2018 for a new life in South Korea. Someone who is destined to survive will survive (with such medicine), but North Korea cant help others who are dying.

Like many other parts of life in North Korea, the medicine that the state says is curing its sick people is being used as a political symbol. That, experts say, will eventually allow the country to say its leaders have beaten the outbreak, where other nations have repeatedly failed, by providing homegrown remedies, independent of outside help.

As state media churn out stories about the effectiveness of the medicine and the huge production efforts to make more of it, there are questions about whether people suffering from severe disease are getting the treatment they need.

Defectors and experts believe North Korea is mobilizing Koryo medicine simply because it doesnt have enough modern medicine to fight COVID-19.

Treating mild symptoms with Koryo medicine isnt a bad option.  But the coronavirus doesnt cause only mild symptoms, said Yi Junhyeok, a traditional doctor and researcher at South Koreas Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. When we think about critical and high-risk patients, North Korea needs vaccines, emergency care systems and other medical resources that it can use to lower fatalities.

More than two months have passed since North Korea admitted its first coronavirus outbreak, and the country has reported an average of 157 fever cases each day in the past seven days, a significant drop from the peak of about 400,000 a day in May. It also maintains a widely disputed claim that only 74 out of about 4.8 million fever patients have died, a fatality rate of 0.002% that would be the worlds lowest if true.

Despite widespread outside doubt about the truth of North Korea's reported statistics, there are no signs that the outbreak has caused catastrophe in North Korea. Some outside experts say the North may soon formally declare victory over COVID-19 in an effort to boost internal unity. North Korea may then emphasize the role of Koryo medicine as the reason.

North Korea calls Koryo medicine juche (self-reliant) medicine, treats it importantly and views it as one of its political symbols, said Kim Dongsu, a professor at the College of Korean Medicine at South Koreas Dongshin University. North Korea doesnt have many academic and cultural achievements to advertise so itll likely actively propagate Koryo medicine.

North Korea officially incorporated Koryo medicine  named after an ancient Korean kingdom  in its public healthcare system in the 1950s. Its importance has sharply grown since the mid-1990s, when North Korea began suffering a big shortage of modern medicine during a crippling famine and economic turmoil that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Koryo medicine refers to herbal concoctions that sometimes include animal parts, acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion and meridian massages. Such ancient remedies are used in many Asian and Western nations, too. But while in those countries traditional and modern medicines operate independently, North Korea has combined them.

Medical students are required to study both modern and traditional medicine at school, regardless of what they major in. So once they become professional doctors, they can practice both. Each hospital in North Korea has a department of Koryo medicine. There are also Koryo medicine-only hospitals.

Kim Jieun, a defector who is a traditional doctor in South Korea, said she majored in Koryo medicine at school in the North but eventually worked as a pediatrician and internal medicine doctor. She said that South Koreans generally use traditional medicine to maintain or improve their health, but North Koreans use it to treat diverse diseases.

In South Korea, patients with cerebral hemorrhage, hepatocirrhosis, liver cancer, ascites, diabetes and kidney infections dont come to traditional clinics. But in North Korea, traditional doctors treat them, said Kim, who resettled in South Korea in 2002 and now works for Seouls Well Saem Hospital of Korean Medicine.

North Koreas main Rodong Sinmun newspaper has recently published a slew of articles praising herbal medicine and acupuncture for curing fever patients and reducing the aftereffects of COVID-19 illnesses, including abnormal pains, heart and kidney problems, nausea and coughing.

The newspaper also published calls by leader Kim Jong Un to embrace Koryo medicine. Other state media reports said the production of Koryo medicine has quadrupled since last year, while a vast amount of modern medicine has also been speedily delivered to local medical institutions, a claim that cannot be independently verified.

North Koreas nominally free socialist medical system remains in shambles, with defectors testifying that they had to buy their own medicine and pay doctors for surgeries and other treatments. They say North Koreas advanced hospitals are largely concentrated in Pyongyang, the capital, where the ruling elite and upper-class citizens loyal to the Kim family live.

Lee, 29, who attended a medical school in the northern North Korean city of Hyesan, said Koryo doctors reused their acupuncture needles after sterilizing them with alcohol, and hospitals typically charged patients for the use of electricity for a medical examination.

H.K. Yoon, a former North Korean doctor who fled the country in the mid-2010s, said her mid-level hospital in the northeast had no ambulance, no oxygen concentrator and only three to four beds in the emergency room. She said she shared surgical equipment with other doctors, and her monthly salary was the equivalent of 800 grams (1.76 pounds) of rice.

My heart aches when I recall the lack of surgical equipment, said Yoon, who asked that her first name be identified only by initials because of safety worries about relatives in North Korea. When my patients were critical, I wanted to perform surgeries quickly. But I couldn't do it because surgical equipment was being used by someone else, and I worried about how soon I could sterilize and use it.

Some experts earlier predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak could cause dire consequences in North Korea because most of its 26 million people are unvaccinated and about 40% of its people are reportedly undernourished. Now, they speculate that North Korea is likely underreporting its death count to prevent political damage to Kim Jong Un.

Lee, the former North Korean medical student, said people in Hyesan didnt go to hospitals unless they were extremely sick.

When they are moderately ill, they just receive acupuncture or Koryo herbal medicine. They trust Koryo medicine but they also dont make much money and Koryo medicine is cheaper than Western medicine, Lee said.
Hanover County Board of Supervisors Chair Angela Kelly-Wiecek began Wednesdays board meeting by addressing an influx of questions from Hanover residents about removing a school board member, following a letter from the Hanover NAACP urging the action.

Our role here is to appoint someone, Kelly-Wiecek said. Once that person is appointed, it really is a court process for removals.

A quote from Hanover County School Board member Johnny Redd in a Times-Dispatch article on Tuesday caused a groundswell among some Hanover residents.

In the statement, Redd called Hanover NAACP President Patricia Hunter-Jordan an angry African American lady.

The comment was in response to an open letter from the Hanover NAACP urging the county board of supervisors to review and reconsider the appointment of some school board members, including Redd.

His statement in full read, Have you done any research on the source of this letter? Does this letter represent the views of the Hanover NAACP or the views of an angry African American lady who holds the title of president of that organization? Check it out  do a little research on Pat Hunter-Jordan  that could result in an interesting story for a truth-seeking investigative reporter. I will not be making any further comment.

Hunter-Jordan addressed the board of supervisors at Wednesdays meeting.

I come here this afternoon with a smile on my face, and I hope that reflects that I am not an angry Black woman, which I was called yesterday by someone that you placed on our School Board, Hunter-Jordan said. I was elected as president of the Hanover NAACP. Mr. Redd was appointed by four people.

She continued on to request that the School Board receive training that includes learning how to be respectful and show integrity. She also asked the board to begin appointing school board members who will reflect Hanover Countys diverse population.

Hunter-Jordans comments were followed by several others who spoke out against Redd.

The language that was uttered by a certain gentleman about [Hunter-Jordan] is a slap in the face to Ms. Jordan, a slap in the face to my wife, to my two daughters, to people who look like me, one resident said.

According to Kelly-Wiecek, the process to remove a school board member requires a majority of the county board of supervisors to petition a circuit court. The circuit court would then need to make a finding of removal, which generally would involve some sort of wrongdoing or malfeasance.

[It] is not an action that this board may summarily take, she said Wednesday.

Richmond man who served 23 years for drug trafficking gets 3 more for gun he bought on the street A Richmond man who was released in 2019 after serving 23 years for a federal drug trafficking conspiracy was sentenced Wednesday to nearly thr

The NAACP letter said that Redd delivered a message of prejudice, unprofessional zealotry, and ignorance of the needs of a diverse public school division in an interview with the Times-Dispatch in May, before he was appointed to the school board. In the May interview, Redd said he wanted to focus on education instead of promoting social change that is illogical, immoral and/or ungodly.

Mechanicsville Supervisor Canova Peterson, who appointed Redd in late May, told the Times-Dispatch on Wednesday that the NAACP letter is filled with innuendo, and he is not reconsidering Redds appointment.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has moved one of his senior aides  an unpaid state employee who was paid by political consulting firms during his work for the governor  from the governors state office to his political operation.

The aide, Matt Moran, is now executive director of Youngkins political action committee, Spirit of Virginia, as well as Americas Spirit, a nonprofit 5014 that Youngkin formed to advance his political goals. The move comes as Youngkin  six months into his four-year term  is considering a run for president in 2024.

Moran referred questions to the governors communications director.

The Governor is pleased to have Matt remain part of the team that is working to win back Virginia seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as governors races across the country, Rebecca Glover, a deputy chief of staff and communications director to Youngkin, said in a statement.

As a state employee in the governors office, Moran wasnt paid by the state but by private firms that employed him  an unusual setup that prompted ethics questions earlier this year from analysts.

Moran is a former lobbyist and aide to two GOP House speakers who helped Youngkin narrowly win election last fall against Democrat Terry McAuliffe, and then assisted in the transition. Moran began working out of the governors office on policy and negotiations with lawmakers during this years General Assembly session.

While working for the governor in an official capacity, Moran agreed not to do any private work for the companies that employed him, including Creative Direct and its offshoot, LINK Public Affairs.

He wrote a letter dated Feb. 1 to Richard Cullen, counselor to the governor, saying he intended to serve the governor in a volunteer capacity.

As we have discussed I will be pausing my active involvement in Creative Direct and other business ventures  Link Public Affairs and CAMP Strategic LLC during this temporary opportunity, the letter said in part.

Additionally it is important to be clear that no company in which I am involved provides any lobbying services whatsoever. And of course I will not entertain any such engagement during my time while assisting the governor. I am aware of no other conflicts, real or perceived, that may jeopardize my ability to serve the governor throughout the session. If at any point such a matter did arise I will notify you immediately.

Glover, the governors communications director, declined to answer whether Moran still works in the governors state office building  the Patrick Henry Building  or whether he still works for the firm Creative Direct.
The University of Virginias Student Council is calling for the resignation of Bert Ellis, an outspoken UVa alumnus and recently appointed member of the Board of Visitors who is a vocal critic of the schools diversity and inclusion efforts.

In a statement posted on the Councils Twitter account, the organization said it rejects Gov. Glenn Youngkins appointment of Ellis, CEO and Chairman of consulting and investment firm Ellis Capital, an entrepreneurial empire that owns KDOC-TV in Los Angeles.

Youngkin replaced all four visitors who reached the end of their terms less than one month ago, but Ellis appointment has garnered the most attention and controversy.

The Council, in its statement, said that Ellis actions do not align with UVas inclusive ideas. It cited a 2020 incident when Ellis traveled to Grounds equipped with a razor blade to remove a sign that read Fk UVA that had been posted on a Lawn room door. The sign also read: KKKcops, genocide, slavery, disability and Black and brown life are operating costs of the University.

This event reveals the hypocrisy, and thus false pretense, by which Ellis selectively leverages free speech discourse to advance his own political agenda against students, wrote the Council.

The statement goes on to explain that Ellis created a student safety issue by using his position of power to further attack students of color and other marginalized students who did not fit into Jeffersons vision for UVa and do not fit into Ellis [vision].

Ellis could not be reached for comment before deadline.

According to Ellis account of the event, which was posted on the Bacons Rebellion blog, he planned to use the razor blade to remove the profanity from the students sign. Instead, he knocked on the students door and asked her to defend her position. He admits that he continued speaking to the door once the student closed it in front of him.

I was prepared to use a small razor blade to remove the [F**k UVa] part of this sign, Ellis wrote, and they said I could not do that as it would be considered malicious damage to the University and a violation of this students First Amendment Rights and they were prepared to restrain me from so doing.

Ellis holds a masters of business administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at UVa and a bachelors degree in economics, also from UVa. He is also is president and co-founder of the Jefferson Council, an alumni organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Thomas Jefferson, the Lawn, the Honor Code, and the intellectual diversity one would expect from Mr. Jeffersons university.

The Jefferson Council is a founding group in the Alumni Free Speech Alliance, an organization of similar groups across the country that have formed to counteract what they see as cancel-culture and to support to support free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at their institutions.

Those viewpoints tend to be conservative and right-leaning in opposition to what the groups believe is left-leaning and liberal college atmospheres. They believe faculty and students cancel opposing views, making those who think differently afraid to speak freely.

The Alliance brings together alumni groups that have a focus on supporting free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at their colleges and universities, the group states on its website.

The groups have been formed at colleges from Harvard and Yale to the University of North Carolina and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Critics say some of the groups use the issue of free speech to thwart overdue change in terms of race and identity.

As president of the Jefferson Council, Ellis has used the online platform to influence institutional changes. He made headlines last December for claiming that UVa was suffering from wokism, saying former BOV members focused too much on diversity, equity, and inclusion and not enough of teaching.

In a December blog post, he called for Youngkin to replace all four visitors.

The Student Councils statement was intended to speak out against Ellis appointment, draw attention to Ellis and his behavior toward marginalized students and call out Youngkin for politicizing education through his appointment of board of visitors members.
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A retraction doesnt necessarily amount to true contrition. So it remains unclear whether the Richmond Police Department learned anything from June 1, 2020.

That was the day police teargassed peaceful protesters at the Robert E. Lee monument, then offered shifting explanations that did not hold up under scrutiny.

Mayor Levar Stoney, in a piece in The New York Times, called the gassing unintentional. But the RPD, as part of a settlement with six demonstrators after losing a federal court case, recently released videos of that evening at the Lee statue and the statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart a block away. The videos seem to contradict some of the reports made by officers, according to Eric Kolenichs story in Tuesdays Times-Dispatch.

Those monuments, as you may have noticed, are gone.

Police forthrightness and transparency in Richmond and elsewhere remain an issue.

On July 1, Richmond police retracted its statement from two years ago, saying, it does appear, at the time tear gas was initially dispersed at the Lee monument, that the crowd was peaceful.

There were no RPD officers cut off by violent protesters at the Lee monument. There was no need for gas at Lee monument to get RPD officers to safety, the department states in the retraction.

But the retraction, in the context of a lawsuit, was grudging and leaves unanswered questions.

What is police doing about the dishonesty in these reports? Andrew Bodoh, a lawyer with the firm who represents the demonstrators, asked Monday.

And now, police and the mayor are being cagey about the details surrounding the alleged thwarting of a mass shooting on July 4 at Dogwood Dell.

Its a measure of the mistrust between Richmond police and the public that skepticism has been voiced about that alleged threat, and not just by the usual suspects. Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder poo-pooed the official version of events on John Reids WRVA radio talk show.

I havent tracked it because theres nothing to track ... What it sounds like to me is this old story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Wilder said, conjuring the Aesops Fable. You know, there was no wolf.

Wilder, Richmonds mayor from 2005 to 2009, may have intended his remarks to be a dig at Stoney, whom he clearly holds in low regard. But for Wilder to suggest that local law enforcement would collude in such a scheme suggests that Richmond police have a lot of trust building to do.

Yes, the uptick in violent crime in cities such as Richmond has many folks willing to put the brakes on accountability or much in the way of tinkering with law enforcement.

Williams: U.S. gun violence knows no boundaries. Our solutions must cross divides. Writes columnist Michael Paul Williams: "We need more empathy and fewer firearms, from Highland Park, Illinois, to Highland Park, Richmond. Until we reach that consensus, we're all in the crosshairs."

Politicians  from Stoney with his big raise for city police to President Joe Bidens proposal to pump billions of dollars into policing and crime prevention  are loath to associate with the defund the police movement. But money wont necessarily buy trust in policing, fix what ails it, or reduce violent crime.

A problem with policing  perhaps the problem  is its roots in systemic racism. Law enforcement has a long history of being infiltrated with and otherwise populated by white supremacists.

In April 2019, the Division of Capitol Police fired Sgt. Robert A. Stamm after he was accused of having an affinity for white supremacy symbols. That same month, the Chesterfield County Police Department fired officer Daniel Morley, a school resource officer, after confirming his affiliation with Identity Evropa, a white supremacist organization.

Two years after George Floyds murder by a Minneapolis police officer led protesters to take to the streets, we are still witnessing familiar episodes of undue violence against Black men. That includes the slaying of Jayland Walker, shot more than 40 times by police officers in Akron, Ohio, as he fled them unarmed. Meanwhile, white mass shooters in Buffalo, N.Y., and Highland Park, Ill., were apprehended unharmed.

But policings problems transcend race. There was the inexplicable inaction by nearly 400 police officers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as an 18-year-old mass shooter killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24. And among the startling revelations to come out of the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection is that the Secret Service deleted agent text messages from that day.

Any law enforcement official whod authorize the deletion of such potential evidence is either grossly incompetent or hiding something. The Secret Service, as it turns out, is way too secretive, with loyalties  Donald Trump or the Constitution?  that are difficult to discern. The sworn police officers who saw fit to participate in the insurrection clearly picked the former.

Just because people arent marching doesnt mean we dont have a problem. Two years later, we can file policing as unfinished business.
If youve been to the Outer Banks beaches to cool off recently, the ocean water may have been colder than expected.

Ocean temperatures at the beaches of Virginia and the Carolinas generally make for pleasant swimming and wading by the end of July. But there is a thorny exception along the northern Outer Banks.

South of Cape Hatteras, the Gulf Stream ocean current keeps the water relatively warm, with a regular supply of tropical water moving in from the southwest.

That current continues to travel northeastward into the Atlantic, even though the North Carolina coastline begins to turn slightly west when traveling north of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The result is relatively cooler water at the beaches north of Nags Head.

The last couple of mornings, the water temperature at the Duck pier has been in the lower 60s. At the same time, Nags Head ocean temperatures were in the 70s, and Oregon Inlet ocean temperatures were in the 80s.

Wind direction also plays a big role in water temperatures this time of year north of Nags Head.

During prolonged periods when the wind is from the south and southwest, the near-surface ocean water along the coast is pulled out to sea. But because Earth is curved, the water is not pulled in the same direction as the wind; it is pulled at an angle of about 45 degrees to the right of the wind direction. This water movement with respect to the coastline is known as Ekman transport, named for the Swedish scientist who first described it in 1905.

To compensate for the near-surface water being pushed away from the coast, deeper water moves upward from below. That water is much colder than the surface water, so the water temperature near the coast drops substantially. Lighter winds or slightly onshore winds stop the process and bring the water temperature back up.
Gen. A.P. Hills statue towers over the intersection of Hermitage Road and Laburnum Avenue. City officials have worked for more than a year to arrange for the monuments removal.

Eleven Confederate statues have been removed or toppled throughout Richmond since 2020, but a statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill remains upright in the citys North Side. Though the city would like to disassemble it and hand it over to the Black History Museum with the others, a legal fight is blocking the statues removal.

A group claiming to be descendants of Hill says the statue belongs to them. It filed a motion in Richmond Circuit Court this month asking for the monument, which it hopes to relocate.

The city, however, argues the group has no right to the monument that also contains Hills human remains. It says the city should be free to continue with its plan to reinter Hill in a Culpeper cemetery and give away the monument.

Following his death in 1865  a Union soldier shot him outside Petersburg  Ambrose Powell Hill was buried in a cemetery in Chesterfield County. Two years later, his body was moved to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, where it remained for four more years.

In 1891, his body was reinterred at its current site at the intersection of Hermitage Road and West Laburnum Avenue. When workers moved his body, the coffin had fallen to pieces, and all that was left was his crumbling skeleton and fragments of his uniform, according to the Richmond Dispatch newspaper. The insignia of rank on his sleeve and collar was still preserved.

Hill was placed in a strong oaken case lined with white and interred inside the pedestal. The monument was unveiled May 30, 1892.

While the city has made an effort to pull down city-owned Confederate statues within its borders, it also claims the Hill statue is a traffic hazard. Cars navigate a tight traffic circle around the statue. The city completed the work of removing other Confederate pedestals in the city earlier this year.

City officials have worked for more than a year to arrange for the statues removal, to consult with Hills descendants and to rebury his body.

In May, the city filed a petition in court, asking a judge to allow it to transfer the human remains to a plot at Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper that the city purchased for $1,000. The move has gained the approval of the descendants, the city said.

Richmond officials arranged with Bennett Funeral Home to transfer the remains and for Team Henry to remove the statue and plinth.

The city plans to send the monument and its pedestal to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the same organization set to receive the other Confederate statues. The Black History Museum has said it will consult with the public before deciding on a final destination. Most of the statues are being stored at a water treatment facility in Richmonds South Side.

One statue, of Jefferson Davis, was placed lying down, splattered in pink graffiti, in The Valentine museum downtown.

This month, a group of people claiming to be indirect descendants of Hill objected to the citys decision to give away the statue. Hill has no direct descendants; his children had no children of their own. This group claims the descendants are the rightful owners of the monument because the monument itself is a cemetery neglected by the city.

The group consents to the citys plan of reinterring Hills remains in Culpeper. A lawyer who filed their petition did not respond to a request for comment.

Last week, the citys lawyers responded to the counterclaim, denying that the monument has been abandoned or that the group has any right to the monument. To the citys point, workers have often cleaned the monument when it was marred by protesters graffiti.

A hearing hasnt been scheduled, and a spokesperson for Mayor Levar Stoney did not respond to a request for comment.
As David Stewart Wiley reflected on his 25th season as conductor and music director of Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, he had a lot to be thankful for  especially for the support shown by patrons and concertgoers as the symphony undertook a journey of reemergence and reopening.

The culmination of a quarter century with the symphony happened to coincide with RSOs return to live concerts after the long, financially perilous pause in live performances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Performing arts organizations all over had hanging over them the question of whether audiences would return once restrictions were lifted and large gatherings were permitted. The answer turned out to be a resounding yes.

We had full houses, knocked it out of the park with our pops season, Wiley said. The final show in the 2021-2022 pop series, a tribute to the music of the Eagles, drew 2,000 people.

Compared to other Roanoke Valley arts organizations, RSO was arguably the hardest hit by the pandemic, with operating budget reductions and layoffs of full time employees that exceeded 60%. These cuts, though painful, were necessary to keep the symphony viable without revenue coming in.

Wiley praised RSO Executive Director David Crane and his staff for navigating the pandemic crisis.

We have a great team. I dont think we would have weathered the pandemic anywhere near as well had we not had the team in place, Wiley said. A lot of it is just anticipating and then dealing with unforeseen circumstances. Its an interesting new world.

From small to full halls

He especially singled out how RSO staff had to rethink its marketing and outreach efforts. We have to make stuff so compelling and be so creative now, with digital marketing and other ways of connecting with people, that get them involved in what were doing.

A Shuttered Venue Operators Grant allowed the nonprofit symphony to rehire staff as it tuned up for a return to live venues in 2021 after a year of virtual performances.

We started small in the fall because we were still emerging from the pandemic, so it was 12 to 20 players for some concerts, Wiley said. By the end of the year, RSO assembled a massive 70-piece orchestra for a performance of the much-beloved From the New World by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.

Wiley said that he feels the celebratory 25th season was really about the return of the orchestra. As conductor, hes just a facilitator for the incredible musicians who are part of the symphony.

The 2022-23 season, which begins Aug. 27 with a free Symphony Under the Stars concert in Roanokes Elmwood Park, will be RSOs 70th.

The Star Citys orchestra began as a grass-roots effort under the leadership of volunteer conductor Gibson Morrissey, with its very first concert taking place March 31, 1953, in the Jefferson High School auditorium.

The venture went forward despite quite a bit of skepticism, some of which was revealed in how the rival newspapers of the time reviewed the show. The Roanoke World-News called the near-professional performance a miracle, while The Roanoke Times asserted that any performance would have been a complete triumph, but Morrissey made it a real musical triumph.

Community love and support

Three years later, Gibson founded the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra, which he also conducted until his unexpected death in 1975. Considered a Roanoke legend, Gibson is to date still Roanokes only historical figure honored with a statue made in his likeness  a small one, which stands inside the Berglund Performing Arts Center.

Clarinetist Jack Moehlenkamp received what was called a battlefield promotion to conductor on Morrisseys sudden death. He led RSO up until the organization made the leap from community to professional orchestra in 1986. An endowment bestowed by Roanoke philanthropist Marion Via allowed the nonprofit to hire its first paid conductor, Victoria Bond, the first woman to receive a doctorate in conducting from The Juilliard School in New York.

Bond, who also directed Opera Roanoke, departed in 1995, and has continued to win renown as a conductor, composer and lecturer. A 1994 Roanoke Times editorial credited her for helping to build a rising reputation for the Roanoke Valley as a place where the arts in general are appreciated.

A series of concerts that doubled as public auditions, involving five competitors, culminated in Wileys hire in 1996. Wiley proved a great fit for Roanoke, and has since surpassed Morrissey as the music director who has led our symphony the longest.

During his time as conductor, RSO has performed with the likes of Sir James Galway, Bruce Hornsby, Bernadette Peters, Aaron Neville and more. Lately  starting well before the pandemic interrupted live music  the symphony made a shift from booking marquee names to centering the talents of its musicians and strength of its homegrown programming, a strategy thats working out just fine.

This community clearly supports and loves its orchestra and chorus, Wiley said.

The Star City does indeed appreciate the arts  and art comes in many forms, orchestral music being one of them. The fact that this former railroad town engendered a scrappy citizen symphony thats still bringing joy to listeners 70 years on is indeed a miracle and a real musical triumph.
 
FLORENCE, S.C.  When it comes to institutions of higher learning, Francis Marion University is officially one of a kind.

FMU recently became the first university in South Carolina to be classified as a Professional Doctorate University. The classification, approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in June, enables Francis Marion to offer additional doctoral programs in the field of health sciences or other professional disciplines.

The SC Commission on Higher Education congratulates Francis Marion University as the first Comprehensive Teaching University in South Carolina to meet the criteria for classification as a Professional Doctorate University, CHE President and Executive Director Rusty Monhollon said. This change increases the depth of doctoral programs in South Carolina and was based on program needs identified by FMU which were validated through our rigorous review process. Becoming a professional doctorate university broadens FMUs mission and reflects the institutions strong commitment to academic excellence in graduate education, and the advancement of educational opportunities in our state.

Institutions of higher education in South Carolina are now designated by one of five classifications: research universities, professional doctorate universities, comprehensive universities, two-year institutions and state technical colleges.

In late 2020, members of FMUs Board of Trustees amended the universitys official mission statement to include three applied doctoral programs in health professions. The amendment then went to the CHE for final review and approval.

FMUs School of Health Sciences began offering a doctorate in nursing practice in 2018 and will add a doctor of occupational therapy in 2024. A third doctoral program is expected to be established in the next four years.

The university has been working to develop these programs for the past several years. We are very proud of the faculty for the hard work that theyve invested in achieving this distinction. It represents an enormous amount of effort and a unique accomplishment, Francis Marion University President Fred Carter said. Of course, we are committed to expanding our curriculum in the years ahead to better serve students across this state and region.

FMUs School of Health Sciences can trace its roots to 2005 with the addition of the baccalaureate nursing program. The doctor of occupational therapy will become health sciences ninth academic program.

This rapid growth required Francis Marion to open three new classroom buildings to accommodate the health sciences, most recently in 2021 with the Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical Complex in downtown Florence.

A fourth health sciences-related facility  the Dr. C. Edward Floyd Medical Consortium Building on Cheves Street  will open in 2025.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  South Carolina can continue enforcing its six-week abortion ban after a judge on Tuesday denied a request to temporarily block it amid a legal battle that is now headed to the state Supreme Court.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to the procedure last month, abortion rights advocates in conservative states have turned to state constitutions as they seek to protect abortion access.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and other plaintiffs had asked the judge for an injunction while their lawsuit challenging the ban moves through the courts. The lawsuit argues that the law violates the state constitutions rights to privacy and equal protection.

State lawyers on Tuesday argued the significance of the issues raised and the need for a speedy trial made it necessary for the state Supreme Court to hear the case now.

Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning  who said this case raised the most fundamentally important constitutional issue he has seen  agreed and transferred the case. While the judge said Planned Parenthood could seek an injunction there, Planned Parenthoods attorney Hannah Swanson argued that patients in South Carolina need more urgent action to protect their health and freedom.

We need protection right now, Planned Parenthood South Carolina Director of Public Affairs Vicki Ringer told reporters. We need the constitution to do what it says it does: protect our right to privacy. And privacy begins with our bodies.

South Carolina Deputy Solicitor General Thomas Hydrick on Tuesday argued that voters did not intend to cover abortion rights when they approved the states right to privacy in 1971.

Many state restrictions have increased in the South since the Supreme Court last month overturned the federal right to the procedure. A Georgia law banning most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is present  as early as six weeks into a pregnancy  took effect last week.

In contrast to the South Carolina judges decision, a Louisiana judge ruled last week that three abortion clinics in that state can continue operating while a lawsuit goes through the courts.

South Carolinas Republican-dominated legislature is on track to further restrict the procedure. A special committee last week advanced a proposal to ban almost all abortions, except when the mothers life is at risk.

GOP Gov. Henry McMaster signed the six-week ban last year but a federal appeals court prevented it from taking effect in February. That hold lasted until the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

James Pollard is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com .
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This Washington Post article, headlined "D.C. man is 2nd to receive longest sentence in Jan. 6 police assault; Mark K. Ponder, 56, was handed a 63-month prison term for attacking police in the Capitol riot," reports on yet another notable sentencing in yet another January 6 riot case. Here are excerpts:

A District man who assaulted three police officers and shattered a riot shield with a pole was sentenced to 63 months in prison Tuesday, matching the longest sentence handed down to a defendant convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Mark K. Ponder, 56, admitted to fighting with police in video-recorded confrontations between 2:31 p.m. and 2:48 p.m. that day in the area of the lower west terrace of the Capitol, which was overrun by a violent mob angered by President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Ponder pleaded guilty April 22 to one count of assaulting an officer using a dangerous weapon.

He was leading the charge, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan said, reciting at sentencing how Ponder smashed a thin pole against an officers riot shield so hard that the pole broke and the shield shattered, then found a thicker pole, colored red, white and blue, and resumed fighting. He wasnt defending himself or anybody else. He was attempting to injure those officers, and we are lucky [someone] was not killed with the force Mr. Ponder is swinging those poles, the judge said.

Chutkan in December handed down a similar 63-month sentence to Robert S. Palmer, 54, of Largo, Fla., who joined the front of the mob and hurled a fire extinguisher, plank and pole at police. Like Palmer, Ponder was part of a group who, when they couldnt get what they wanted, decided they were going to take it. And they were going to take it with violence, Chutkan said, saying they felt entitled to attack law enforcement officers who were just doing their jobs....

Chutkan has emerged as the toughest sentencing judge in Capitol riot cases and exceeded prosecutors request to sentence Ponder to five years in prison, the low end of a federal advisory sentencing range of 57 to 71 months, in keeping with a plea deal. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn P. Bond said a five-year term was justified by the seriousness of the offense as well as by Ponders return to the scene at 4 and 5 p.m. after he was tackled, handcuffed and then told to leave by police because officers needed to reinforce other parts of the Capitol complex....

Former U.S. Capitol Police sergeant Aquilino Gonell gave an in-person victim impact statement, telling the court as one of the officers struck by Ponder that there is no doubt he understood he was hitting police officers and had the will and the intent to continue doing harm. The former sergeant said that he took early retirement as a result of the attack, that he was left with mental and physical injuries and that my family has suffered, emotionally and financially. Gonell told Chutkan that Ponders claim that he got caught up in the violence is BS, and please dont fall for it. He has changed my life, said Gonell, a 16-year police veteran who served with the U.S. Army in Iraq.

Ponder asked for mercy, saying that while like Palmer he had a criminal history, he was a changed person for the last 12 years since his release from prison after convictions for bank and armed robbery. I never meant for this to happen. I went there with the intention of going on a peaceful protest, Ponder said. But he said that he wasnt thinking after he was pepper-sprayed by police, and after the tension and anger in the crowd stoked by the former president erupted into chaos....

Defense attorney Joseph R. Conte added that Ponder, a lifelong resident of the Washington area, overcame a crack cocaine addiction and before Jan. 6 had no contact with police since his incarceration. Ponder was the product of a broken home and suffered abuse as a child as severe as any Ive seen in my career, Conte said, to which Chutkan responded, I dont disagree. The judge waived any fine and said she would recommend that Ponder be allowed to serve his sentence near Washington, saying she hoped the defendant will be able to get mental health treatment and counseling and be able to live the rest of his life without getting into trouble with law enforcement.
 New Sentencing Project paper explores "Voting in Jails: Advocacy Strategies to #UnlocktheVote" | Main | Latest CCJ accounting of crime trends shows good news and bad news for first half of 2022 

July 27, 2022

Great new Robina Institute report on "Examining Prison Releases in Response to COVID"

I was so pleased to see this week that the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice has this great big new report titled "Examining Prison Releases in Response to COVID: Lessons Learned for Reducing the Effects of Mass Incarceration." The full 86-page report is a must read and it so rich and intricate, I can only here excerpt a portion of the executive summary:

In response to the global pandemic in 2020, states and the federal government began to make non-routine releases from prison in order to reduce prison populations to allow for social distancing in prison facilities. This report is aimed at describing where such prison releases occurred, the legal mechanisms used to achieve these releases, and the factors within jurisdictions that made non-routine prison releases more or less likely to occur. We write this report, not to examine the national response to the pandemic, but to better understand when and how extraordinary measures may be used to effect prison release, and to determine whether there are lessons from this experience that can be applied to reducing the effects of mass incarceration. Prevalence of Release: We estimate that a total of 80,658 people were released from prisons in 35 jurisdictions (34 states and the federal prison system) due to COVID-related policies, which was equivalent to about 5-1/2% of the total state and federal prison population in 2019.

Most COVID-related releases were quite modest, amounting to the equivalent of less than 10% of the 2019 prison populations in 27 of the 35 jurisdictions in which releases occurred (Figure 2). Legal Mechanisms: The legal mechanisms used most frequently to release people from prison during the pandemic were parole (11 jurisdictions), compassionate release (10 instances in 9 jurisdictions), home confinement (8 jurisdictions), commutation (7 jurisdictions), and good time or earned time credits (6 jurisdictions) (Figure 3). Criteria for Release: Type of crime, COVID health risk, and time left to serve on ones sentence were the criteria most frequently used  either alone or in combination  to determine eligibility for release due to COVID-related policies.

Most release groups (39 of 73) required that a person had to have been convicted of a non-violent offense (Figure 4).

COVID health risks  addressing both medical vulnerability and age  were used as criteria in 38 of 73 release groups (Figure 6).

Most release groups (37 of 73) required that a person have a short time left to serve on their sentence (Figure 7). Though the amount of time varied from 30 days in New Mexico to 5 years in Kentucky, the average was 9 months, and the most frequently used time period was 12 months. Political and Structural Influences: Gubernatorial leadership played a larger role in whether the jurisdictions made releases, with fewer jurisdictions with Republican leadership making releases. However, determinacy may have affected how many releases were possible, with indeterminate jurisdictions making larger releases than determinate jurisdictions regardless of political leadership.

All but three Democratic-led jurisdictions (21 of 24) made COVID-related prison releases while only about half of Republic-led jurisdictions (14 of 27) did so (Table 4).

Nearly all of the jurisdictions (7 of 8) with the largest COVID-related releases  those greater than 10% of the 2019 prison population  were indeterminate in structure.

July 27, 2022 at 12:58 PM | Permalink

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 Another notable lengthy sentence imposed on another Jan 6 rioter | Main | New Sentencing Project paper explores "Voting in Jails: Advocacy Strategies to #UnlocktheVote" 

July 27, 2022

Recapping some notable Senate hearings on prisons and pot

Yesterday saw two notable hearing on Capitol Hill on criminal justice concerns, and here is some press coverage providing a partial summary of some of what transpired:

From the AP, "Prisons chief deflects blame for failures, angering senators":

With just days left in his tenure, the embattled director of the federal prison system faced a bipartisan onslaught Tuesday as he refused to accept responsibility for a culture of corruption and misconduct that has plagued his agency for years. Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, testifying before the Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, insisted he had been shielded from problems by his underlings  even though hed been copied on emails, and some of the troubles were detailed in reports generated by the agencys headquarters. Carvajal, who resigned in January and is set to be replaced next week by Oregons state prison director Colette Peters, blamed the size and structure of the Bureau of Prisons for his ignorance on issues such as inmate suicides, sexual abuse, and the free flow of drugs, weapons and other contraband that has roiled some of the agencys 122 facilities.

From Courthouse News Service, "Marijuana decriminalization takes center stage at Senate hearing":

[Senator Cory] Booker, chairman of the subcommittee and the only Black senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that the federal criminalization of cannabis has miserably failed and has led to a festering injustice of selectively enforced drug laws disproportionately targeting Black and brown communities. Nationally, according to a 2020 report by the ACLU, a Black person is nearly four times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana than a white person, despite the fact that marijuana use is equally common among racial groups. Cannabis laws are unevenly enforced and devastate the lives of those most vulnerable, Booker said during the Tuesday hearing.... Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Missouri hit out against the legislation, alleging it would wipe clean the criminal records of illegal alien traffickers. When these criminals trafficked marijuana, they broke the law. Whether some find that law unfashionable or even unfair, what they did was illegal, Cotton said. Weldon Angelos, who was sentenced to 55 years in prison for possessing several pounds of marijuana as well as a firearm and was later pardoned by former President Donald Trump, told the committee that expungement is a critical part of the legislation in order to address what he sees as a racially motivated ban on marijuana. Each arrest, prosecution, conviction and sentence makes the world a little bit smaller for those bearing the modern scarlet letter, Angelos said, referring to what its like to live with a drug conviction.... Edward Jackson, chief of the Annapolis Police Department, testified in support of the bill, saying there is nothing inherently violent about cannabis. Jackson asserted that decriminalization would both improve community trust in police and allow officers to focus on higher priority and violent crimes. I have spent far too much time arresting people for selling and possessing cannabis, Jackson said.

July 27, 2022 at 08:57 AM | Permalink

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Singapore residents react and take photos during the flypast of the State Flag during the 2022 National Day Parade rehearsal. (PHOTO: Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  National Day is coming up, and to celebrate Singapore's 57th birthday, organisers are planning activities all over the island, in addition to the traditional National Day Parade (NDP) at The Float @ Marina Bay on 9 August.

Here is everything you need to know about this year's National Day celebrations in Singapore:

All about National Day

NDP @ Heartlands

National Day celebrations will reach Singapore's heartlands at 12 locations. On 6 and 7 August at five carnival locations, Singaporeans can look forward to family activities, musical and dance performances, and assets displays from Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team.

On 7 August, the Red Lions will perform free-fall jumps over two heartland sites. And on 9 August, there will be flag fly-pasts, as well as fireworks at five locations in the evening.

Heartland carnivals (ticketed events):

Central Singapore (Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Ficus Green): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

North East (Punggol open field beside Waterway Point): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

North West (Open space next to Sembawang MRT Station): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

South West (Open field next to Buona Vista MRT Station): 6 August, 4pm to 9pm

South East (Wisma Geylang Serai): 7 August, 4pm to 9pm

Note: The public can apply for tickets for the carnivals on the NDP website.

Red Lions free-fall jumps (non-ticketed events):

Beside Bishan MRT: 7 August, 8:40am to 9:30am

Opposite Ghim Moh Market: 7 August, 9:10am to 10:00am

Story continues

Fireworks @ Heartlands (non-ticketed events):

Watch fireworks at five locations on 9 August: Open field beside Ang Mo Kio Library, Old Tampines Junior College, Woodlands Stadium, Jurong West Stadium, Bedok Stadium.

Entry into the stadiums starts from 6 pm onwards, subject to capacity limits.

Estimated Time of Fireworks: Between 8:15 pm to 8:25 pm

Fly Our Flag and Fighter Island Flypast:

Catch the RSAF's F-16s, Chinooks and Apache Helicopters as they make their way through the Heartlands on 9 August, from 5.25 pm to 6.15pm.

A military contingent from the Singapore Armed Forces at the 2018 National Day Parade celebrations at The Float @ Marina Bay. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

NDP @ The Float

For the final NDP at The Float - with the facility to be redeveloped into NS Square starting in March 2023 - the show will be divided into two segments: Strength of Our Nation and The Story of Us.

In the first segment, the parade ceremony will see the return of the Total Defence Display, with more than 50 assets and 500 participants from the SAF as well as the Home Team. Meanwhile, over 2,000 participants will form 37 virtual and physical contingents for the parade.

With Singapore celebrating 55 years of national service, the parade will also pay a special tribute to all national servicemen in recognition of their service, sacrifices and continued support by their families and employers.

The show segment will depict the collective journey of Singaporeans over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2,000 performers will participate in the live performance at The Float.

The NDP will climax with dazzling fireworks at The Float and in the heartlands.

PLEASE NOTE: The public is advised to note the following road closure arrangements. Taxis and private-hire cars will not be available for booking within the vicinity of the road closures. Public buses will also be diverted, and parking at peripheral roads to watch the fireworks display is strictly prohibited.

Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) will be established over parts of Singapore on selected days for NDP-related aerial activities. When the TRAs are in effect, activities such as kite-flying, hoisting of captive balloons and flying of unmanned aircrafts are strictly prohibited.

To check the crowd levels and area closures during National Day, the public can access the Crowd@National Day website by the Singapore Police Force, which provides a live map of the Marina Bay area.

The map will provide real-time updates on areas that have been closed off, either for security purposes or when the crowd size has exceeded the holding capacity of the area. This prevents users from making a wasted trip to an area that would be inaccessible to them.

#PledgeSG and #DoingGood campaigns

Singaporeans are invited to pledge for worthy causes, and fulfil such pledges for causes, during this year's National Day period.

#PledgeSG is calling all Singaporeans to make a pledge to do something good in their own ways. They can either post a photo or video of their pledges on their social media page and add #PledgeSG in the caption; or submit their pledges directly on the campaign's Digital Social Wall.

For the #DoingGood campaign, organisers have put together a range of volunteering opportunities until 6 August. Singaporeans can browse this list for volunteering opportunities during this period.

Official National Day activities

Voice of the Nation: Film yourself singing this years theme song Stronger Together, and stand a chance to be featured in a montage video, as well as win a pair of NDP Show tickets or an August plushie in a lucky draw.

Dance of the Nation: Similarly, submit a video of yourself performing the dance moves for the theme song "Stronger Together", and you can also stand a chance to win a pair of NDP Show tickets or an August plushie in the lucky draw.

GameOn Nila!: A digital game function in the ActiveSG mobile app that encourages members to stay active while exploring Singapore.

Finute Metaverse: Explore a metaverse-rendition of Singapore, where you can drive an armoured vehicle, perform free-fall as a Red Lion, fly an F16 aircraft, and wear different uniforms from the SAF and Home Team.

Heritage Hunter: An online game that takes users through the National Heritage Board's Roots website to discover stories of unity and artefacts that symbolise resilience and strength.

Xctualyfe Metaverse: A metaverse that allows Singaporeans and people from all over the world to connect, interact and celebrate.

Celebrations around the world: The Singapore Global Network will celebrate National Day with a global live show on 6 August, hosted by Hossan Leong and Siti Khalijah.

Other National Day activities in Singapore

Sports Hub's National Day Fiesta

The Singapore Sports Hub is bringing back its National Day Fiesta to celebrate the city-states birthday. Here are the sporting activities for the first in-person Fiesta since 2019:

Family-friendly activities: Try your hand at the array of fun-filled carnival activities for all ages, such as face painting and airbrush DIY tattoo booths, game stalls featuring old-school games such as pick-up sticks, as well as snack giveaways including popcorn, candy floss and potong ice cream.

Workout Lah!: This cardio-fusion dance workout is choreographed to beloved National Day tunes.

Amazing Sport Heritage 5+7 Challenge: Participants will have to crack clues and solve mysteries along Sports Hubs three Sports, Arts and Heritage trails to unlock interesting stories from the past. Win a copy of The Dream Lives On, a hardcover book containing a piece of our wonderful heritage worth $20. Participants will have to register online prior to the event.

Live NDP telecast and picnic: The National Day Parade (NDP) will be broadcast live at the OCBC Square and Stadium Roar. Bring your own picnic mats, snacks, and best singing voices to belt out your all-time favourite National Day songs. End the night by catching the Sports Hub's own live fireworks display by Stadium Riverside Walk.

National Day Family Aquatic Challenge: Held at OCBC Aquatic Centre on 10 August, participants can get avtaste of diving or artistic swimming under the professional guidance of experienced coaches. Registration starts at $10 for 2, and $20 for families of 3 to 5 persons.

NDP traffic announcements

On the eve of National Day (8 August), the following train and bus services will be extended:

North-South and East-West Lines: Last trains from City Hall for Marina South Pier, Jurong East, Pasir Ris and Tuas Link depart at 12.30am.

Circle Line: Last train from Dhoby Ghaut departs for HarbourFront at 11.55pm, last train from HarbourFront departs for Dhoby Ghaut at 11.30pm.

Thomson-East Coast Line: Last train from Woodlands North departs for Caldecott at 11.57pm, last trains from Caldecott depart for Woodlands North at 12.03am and Springleaf at 12.13am.

Bukit Panjang Interchange: Last buses for 920, 922, 973A at 1.20am.

Choa Chu Kang Interchange: Last buses for 300, 301, 302, 307, 983A at 1.40am.

Woodlands Interchange: Last buses for 901, 911, 912A, 912B, 913 at 1.25am

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

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Even as a young boy, Norm Miller was enamored with the story of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their quest to see the United States in the days following the Louisiana Purchase.

During 2004, the bicentennial year of the Corps of Discovery Expedition, he decided to take a page out of the journals of Lewis and Clark.

Miller paddled up the Missouri River in a canoe, set out by foot over the Continental Divide to the Columbia River, before descending to the Pacific Ocean.

"I wanted to see America the same way that Lewis and Clark saw it, bugs and all," the Livingston, Montana, man explained.

Eighteen years later, Miller, now a historian, writer and photographer, will again be on the trail of Lewis and Clark.

On Saturday, he and approximately 120 other paddlers from around the world will converge on a Missouri River rendezvous that begins below South Dakota's Fort Randall Dam to South Sioux City on around Aug. 5.

Like Miller, many of the participants have already paddled the entire Missouri River, from Montana to St. Louis or the Gulf of Mexico. They are also members of Missouri River Paddlers, a website Miller started years ago.

"This will be the largest gathering of Missouri River alumni to be in the same place at the same time," Miller explained. "We'll have many individuals who've achieved paddling records, including Scott Mestrezat, who is the first and only person to use a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) board for the entire 2,400 miles of the Missouri."

The event is dedicated to the memory of Bill Baumgart, a 25-year-old Sioux Center, Iowa, man who attempted to canoe from Montana down the Missouri River in 1988. Tragically, he drowned near Culbertson, Montana.

While Miller didn't know Baumgart personally, he got to know several of the young man's friends.

"Bill kept a journal detailing his canoeing adventure," Miller said. "One of his last entries read: 'My success this summer will not be so much in arriving in St. Louis but what I learn and take along with me for my journey through life.'"

That sentiment resonated with Miller.

"People ask why would anyone want to canoe or kayak their way up or down the Missouri?" he noted. "Doesn't it take a long time? Yes, you're going 25 miles on a good day. Wouldn't it be faster in a boat with a motor? Of course it would be, but that's not the point."

Instead, the trip is as psychologically fulfilling as it is physically draining.

"You spend a lot of time thinking while on the water," Miller explained. "While the trip's important, the journey continues long after you get home."

Until then, Miller said the Missouri River rendezvous is a great way to connect with his fellow paddlers.

"We all have a shared interest in Lewis and Clark as well as a shared passion in paddling the Missouri River," he said. "There's no better way to see America than in a canoe."


DAKOTA CITY  Big Ox Energy claims actions by South Sioux City caused more than $10 million in damages to its now-closed renewable fuel plant and hurt the company's reputation.

In an answer and counterclaims to a lawsuit filed by the city, the Wisconsin-based company said the city breached its contract by allowing another company to illegally discharge acidic wastewater for treatment at Big Ox, causing the release of sewer gas that seeped into neighboring homes and leading to constant odor complaints and eventual lawsuits that ended in costly settlements.

Big Ox said the root cause of gas releases and odors was the city's failure to properly maintain and operate its sewer system, a violation of the agreement between the two parties.

"As a result of the city's breach of the agreement, Big Ox Energy has suffered damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but not less than $10 million," the company said in its July 18 filing in Dakota County District Court.

The city has yet to file a response.

The city had sued Big Ox and its lenders for breach of contract in December 2020, saying Big Ox misrepresented its abilities to develop the plant, which converted organic waste into methane and also pre-treated the city's industrial wastewater before discharging it across the Missouri River to Sioux City's treatment plant. The city is seeking a judge's order rescinding a 2014 tipping agreement and declaring the city does not owe millions of dollars in unpaid monthly fees that lenders are seeking.

Big Ox removed the lawsuit to federal court in January 2021, and a federal judge remanded it to Dakota County in September. District Judge Bryan Meismer in June denied a Big Ox motion to dismiss it.

Big Ox began operations in the city's Roth Industrial Park in September 2016 and was soon subject to odor complaints from neighbors. The city said Big Ox began failing to fulfill its promises to the city shortly thereafter, when it stopped accepting certain wastewater in an attempt to reduce odors.

In its counterclaim, Big Ox said the city knew, or should have known, that CHS Inc., a former soybean processor in the Roth Industrial Park, illegally released wastewater exceeding acidity standards into the city's sewer system for treatment at Big Ox. The acids reacted with common sulfides in the sewer system, Big Ox said, to cause the release of hydrogen sulfide gas, which began to enter nearby homes hooked to the sewer main in which Big Ox discharged its treated wastewater. CHS closed its plant in 2017, later sold it and paid an $80,000 civil penalty for federal wastewater violations.

Big Ox says the city compounded its breach of contract by routing the waste from Big Ox through that residential sewer main, and the city apparently hadn't checked to see that many of the homes along the main lacked required plumbing systems with safety features to prevent sewer gases from entering their homes.

Big Ox said the city's breaches led to equipment damage at its plant and excessive costs to respond to environmental issues, including numerous violations for gas emissions, sludge spills and solid waste storage.

Big Ox shut down operations in April 2019, when Sioux City declined to renew the company's wastewater treatment permit because of nonpayment of outstanding fees and fines.

In January 2020, Nebraska regulators revoked Big Ox's air and stormwater permits because of failures to comply with state regulations.

The plant remains idled and is for sale.

In August, Big Ox and the city of South Sioux City agreed, along with insurance carriers and other private companies, to a $1.75 million settlement of 16 lawsuits filed by neighboring homeowners who claimed the city and Big Ox knew the city's sewer system was not capable of handling the volume and type of discharges coming from the plant and that odors and gas releases from the plant ruined their homes and caused health problems. Big Ox had previously settled a class action lawsuit filed by other homeowners who said odors had interfered with the ability to enjoy their life and property and had damaged property values. Terms of that settlement were confidential.

Big Ox agreed in September to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for violations of federal and state environmental regulations.

South Sioux City remains involved in a federal lawsuit filed by Wells Fargo Trust Company, which is seeking more than $3.3 million in payments the city has not made since May 2019 under the tipping agreement it had signed with Big Ox, requiring it to make $225,000 monthly payments. That agreement was an inducement for Wells Fargo to provide financing for construction of the approximately $30 million Big Ox plant.

The city has denied Wells Fargo's claim for payment, saying it should not have to pay for monthly payments since March 2019, when it placed Big Ox in default of the tipping agreement for failing to operate the wastewater treatment facility in accordance with the agreement.
She was accused of helping the parents concoct a story about how the child was injured so the Iowa Department of Human Services would not become involved. Senior Judge David Larson ruled the state had failed to prove the 50-year-old gave help or advice.
DAKOTA CITY  A South Sioux City RV sales company co-owner who already faced 13 charges related to fraudulent sales practices has pleaded not guilty to 37 more.

Douglas Bras, 62, waived a personal appearance in court and on Monday filed a written plea in Dakota County District Court to 18 counts of theft by deception, 10 counts of selling or disposing of a motor vehicle without delivering a title or VIN number, three counts of knowing and intentional abuse of a senior adult, two counts of issuing a bad check and single counts of conspiracy, aiding consummation of a felony, theft by unlawful taking and second-degree forgery.

He previously pleaded not guilty to 13 other fraud-related charges.

Bras co-owns Fremont RV Center, 2405 Cornhusker Drive, with his wife, Shara Bras. The two are accused of a pattern of defrauding customers, using sales proceeds to pay their own bills and not issuing vehicle titles.

Shara Bras, 56, has pleaded not guilty to 50 charges that are similar to those her husband faces.

The two, who live in Hinton, Iowa, are accused of selling campers on consignment but not paying the owner or the owner's bank, never informing the owners the campers had been sold and failing to produce a title to the campers to the buyers.

According to court documents, buyers and sellers of more than a dozen campers or RVs have reported to police that they have received checks for insufficient funds after their campers were sold. Some said they didn't receive their title or payment until several weeks or months after the purchase was made. Customers also reported paying Fremont RV for items that were never ordered and received.
SIOUX CITY  Crop conditions in Northwest Iowa are "mixed" amid the critical pollination phase of the growing season, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist Joel DeJong said Tuesday.

Some areas, including the Northwest part of Woodbury County, most of Plymouth County and part of western Cherokee County, are currently rated at "extreme drought" by the U.S. Drought Monitor. DeJong said it shows in the fields -- in some places, the corn plants are "rolling," a sign the plant is in distress and is trying to conserve its water.

"We have parts of Northwest Iowa that continue to look good virtually every day, we've got other parts of Northwest Iowa that, virtually every day we see that corn rolling pretty hard, which tells me it's under stress. Some of those same neighborhoods, if you look at them, during the afternoon you see all the soybean leaves turning upside-down on the top of the canopy, and that tells me they're under stress," DeJong said.

It's too early to say with any certainty to what extent the drought will impact yields, DeJong said, but "the more days that it experiences stress, the more yield loss you'd potentially have."

The next several weeks will be "critical" in determining how yields shake out, and crop-watchers like DeJong will be monitoring to see how many kernels "abort" (fail to develop) on the tips of the ears of corn.

Daytime high temperatures in the area were in the 90s in Northwest Iowa last week, though temperatures moderated somewhat this week. Like other living things, crops demand more water when dealing with heat -- but in many places there hasn't been much precipitation to go around.

A full corn crop requires 20 to 25 inches of precipitation, with this year's plants probably needing closer to the full 25 inches due to the heat, DeJong said.

Sioux City isn't anywhere near that mark -- since April 1, Sioux City has received only 6.28 inches of precipitation, according to data from the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, making it the driest April-to-late-July stretch on record.

In a typical year, more than 13 inches would have fallen during this timeframe, according to National Weather Service data.
HULL, Iowa  Western Christian junior Olivia Hulstein could have her art featured on the Google homepage.

Hulstein is one of the 54 State and Territory Winners in the 14th annual Doodle for Google contest with her piece, A self portrait. On Thursday she will learn if she has been selected as the finalist, and be one step closer to having her art featured on the homepage for a day.

Hulstein has been doodling since she was a child. It was something she has always enjoyed, with some influence coming from family, such as her grandmother. One of the main reasons she said she enjoys it is because it is calming.

The process of problem-solving things like how lighting would affect an environment or how to draw something from a certain angle helps take my mind off things like school and planning for college, she said.

Every year, Google Doodle holds a competition for students to submit art of their own following a specific theme. This years prompt was I care for myself by Hulstein had been told about the competition before by her father but didnt decide to participate until this year.

Both of my parents have always encouraged me in my passion, and found many opportunities for me. Sadly, I rarely listened; last year was an example of this. But I knew this year I wanted to at least try -- even if that meant I finished it four days before the competition closed, she said.

She spent around 8 to 10 hours on the piece over three days after school. Her definition of the prompt was I care for myself by taking time for my hobbies.

The submission was inspired by her space and everything in the piece meaning to her. The first G being a lamp represents how she paints late into the night. The second O in the sweatshirt represents how she is in her comfort zone when she paints, and how she dresses comfortably during.

But even outside of the letters there is a lot of important items. Like dirty paint brushes and spilled paint. Things that are a part of my actual art desk. Or the headphones -- I often listen to music or podcasts while I work -- the doodle above the desk is to represent all the doodles I have left on school assignments. My teachers will often leave encouraging notes next to them or comments. Finally the sticker on the pencil jar "My name is beautiful," because I often need to focus on more self-confidence, she said.

Hulstein had a suspicion she had won the competition for weeks leading up to the announcement.

At the beginning of the week a teacher said congratulations on winning that competition, but when I gave her a confused expression she said it must have been a different Hulstein, she said.

After she was congratulated again at work, she asked her parents if they had heard anything. Her parents had been told in advance by the Google Doodle team she had won but were asked to keep it a secret. Her mom denied hearing anything.

Hulstein finally learned she was a finalist in the competition and the Iowa Winner at an all-school assembly.

When one of the teachers announced that one of Western's students had won an art competition, all the students looked at me. I am well known for drawing at my high school, she said.

It was announced she had won with a large printout of her art and her family in attendance.

Honestly that moment where the rest of the school stood with me and celebrated was magical and not something I will soon forget, she said.

After high school, Hulstein hopes to attend art school and work with Disney or Pixar doing character design and storyboarding or become an art teacher.

All of the finalists art can be viewed at http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html. A public vote was held and on Thursday Google will announce five National Finalists, one of which will have their Doodle featured on the Google homepage for a day.

The national winner will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and his or her school will receive a $50,000 tech package for the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or technology program.
SIOUX CITY  The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Woodbury County.

Siouxland District Health Department Deputy Director Tyler Brock said Tuesday that he couldn't say when the case was detected in order to maintain patient confidentiality.

"The only details I'm able to release about this is that we do have a case," he said. "That is literally all I'm going to say about the particulars of this case."

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder and rarely fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, the CDC reports that 3,846 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in the United States amid the 2022 outbreak. According to the CDC's website, as of Monday afternoon, seven cases of monkeypox have been identified in Iowa, one in South Dakota and five in Nebraska.

Brock said there should be "very low concern" among the general public regarding monkeypox, which usually spreads through direct skin to skin contact with the sores or body fluids of an individual who is infected with the virus.

"This current outbreak is really centered around primarily groups of people, especially men who are having sex with men with multiple partners that they don't know very well," he said. "That is where almost all the cases are centered right now. Anybody can get monkeypox, but that social group is where the majority of these cases are right now."

Brock said fever, headache, body aches and swollen lymph nodes are the first symptoms that appear after a person is infected with the virus. Then, a couple of days later, a rash manifests.

"That rash will have various levels of development. That rash can last two to four weeks, or so," Brock said.

According to the CDC, there are no treatments specifically for monkeypox virus infection. However, antiviral drugs and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat monkeypox.

Brock said the health department has a little bit of vaccine available for those who have been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox.

"If we have a case and we identify close contacts, then we recommend vaccine. But, it's not recommended for anybody else at this time and not available for anybody other than close contacts," he said.

An antiviral medication called tecovirimat or TPOXX might be prescribed to alleviate symptoms, but there is no actual cure for monkeypox.

"It usually resolves on its own. There's been very few serious cases with this current outbreak. There have been a few deaths in Africa. But, to my knowledge, I'm not aware of any deaths outside of Africa in this current outbreak," Brock said.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It usually doesn't spread easily among people. This year more than 17,000 cases have been identified in countries that have not historically reported monkeypox.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global emergency, the WHO's highest level of alert. The declaration could spur further investment in treating the disease.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced two former Minneapolis police officers who were convicted of violating George Floyds civil rights to lighter terms than recommended in sentencing guidelines, calling one truly a rookie officer and describing the other as a good police officer, father and husband.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced J. Alexander Kueng to three years in prison and Tou Thao to 3 years for violating Floyd's rights in the May 25, 2020, killing in which then-Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyds neck with his knee for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old Black man said he couldnt breathe and eventually grew still. The killing, captured in bystander video, sparked protests worldwide and a reckoning of racial injustice.

Kueng pinned Floyds back, Thao held back concerned bystanders, and a fourth officer, Thomas Lane, held Floyds feet. Lane was sentenced last week to two years  also below guidelines and a sentence that Floyd's brother Philonise called insulting  while Chauvin was sentenced earlier to 21 years. Floyd's immediate family members did not attend Wednesday's hearings in person or comment afterward.

Floyds girlfriend, Courteney Ross, made statements at both mens sentencing hearings and said afterward that she was disappointed, particularly with Thaos sentence. It didnt really seem to match the crime to me. I was asking for the maximum sentence, she said.

The lower sentences for Kueng, who is Black, and Thao, who is Hmong American, raise questions about whether they would consider a plea deal or risk a state court trial on Oct. 24, when they face counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Lane, who is white, pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing in that case.

Federal sentencing guidelines  which judges do not have to follow  recommended 4 to 5 years for Kueng and 5  to 6  years for Thao. For both men, prosecutors argued for sentences higher than that. Prosecutor Manda Sertich argued that Kueng didnt say a word as Floyd lay dying. Prosecutor LeeAnn Bell said Thao had a bird's-eye view of what was going on with Floyd, and had years on the force that meant he should have known better.

The federal government brought the civil rights charges against all four officers in May 2021, a month after Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in state court. They were seen as an affirmation of the Justice Departments priorities to address racial inequities in policing, a promise made by President Joe Biden before his election. They came a week after federal prosecutors brought hate crimes charges in the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and announced sweeping probes into policing in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky.

Magnuson said there was no question that Kueng violated Floyds rights by failing to get off him when Floyd became unresponsive. But he also mentioned what he called an incredible number of letters from other officers supporting Kueng.

You were truly a rookie officer, Magnuson told Kueng.

At his subsequent hearing, Thao spoke for more than 20 minutes, frequently quoting from the Bible as he said his arrest and time in jail led him to turn toward God, but did not directly address his actions or offer any words to Floyd's family. Thao  like Lane and Kueng  remains free on bond, but spent several weeks in jail after his 2020 arrest on the state charges.

Magnuson again acknowledged letters supporting the former officer, including one with 744 signatures, and cited what he called Thaos completely clean record.

You had a difficult childhood and have done well to become a good police officer, father and husband, the judge said.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist, said the sentences were especially light.

"This little punishment signals to other law enforcement officers that they could receive a slap on the wrist if they violate peoples rights and engage in extreme abuse towards defenseless people," she said.

But Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and former federal prosecutor, called the sentences groundbreaking and noted that it's rare for officers to be held accountable for killings they didn't directly commit.

We should hope that it has the impact of changing behavior and prodding them to intervene when a life can be saved, he said.

Osler said it's likely that Kueng and Thao will seek a plea deal on the state charges that would not exceed the federal sentence and would let them serve the sentences concurrently.

Both men are due to report to federal prison on Oct. 4, though Magnuson noted that could change because of their state trial. Magnuson said he would recommend that they be allowed to serve their time at minimum-security federal facilities in Duluth or in Yankton, South Dakota, to be near family. The final decision is up to the Bureau of Prisons.

Chauvin, who is white, was the most senior officer at the scene and was sentenced to a 22 1/2-year state sentence that hes serving concurrently with his federal sentence. Hes been held in solitary confinement in the states maximum security prison at Oak Park Heights for his own safety since his murder conviction and will eventually be transferred to federal prison.

Associated Press/Report for America reporter Trisha Ahmed contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal regulators on Wednesday took legal action to block Facebook parent Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from acquiring virtual reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting the deal would hurt competition and violate antitrust laws.

Experts said it was the Federal Trade Commission's first legal challenge to a Big Tech merger.

The FTC filed a complaint in federal court in San Francisco against the tech giant based in Menlo Park, California, and its high-profile CEO seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the proposed acquisition.

The regulators said that Meta already is a key player at each level of the virtual reality sector, owning the top-selling device, a leading app store, seven of the most successful developers in the sphere and one of the best-selling apps of all time.

The FTC alleged that Meta and Zuckerberg plan to expand that VR empire by attempting to illegally acquire a dedicated fitness app.

Under Zuckerbergs leadership, Meta began a campaign to conquer virtual reality in 2014 with its acquisition of headset maker Oculus VR. Since then, Metas VR headsets have become the cornerstone of its growth in the virtual reality space, according to the complaint. Fueled by the popularity of its top-selling Quest headsets, Metas Quest Store has become a leading U.S. app platform with more than 400 apps available to download, it says.

Meta rejected the regulators claims.

The FTCs case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence, the company said in a statement. By attacking this deal ... the FTC is sending a chilling message to anyone who wishes to innovate in VR. We are confident that our acquisition of Within will be good for people, developers and the VR space.

The FTC vote to block the acquisition was 3-2, with Chair Lina Khan and the other two Democratic commissioners approving it and the two Republicans opposed.

The action marked a new FTC salvo against Meta  the owner of Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp in addition to Facebook  in the agencys drive against what it views as anticompetitive conduct in the tech industry. The FTC filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Facebook in late 2020, as the government pursued its most significant attempt to buttress competition since its historic case against Microsoft two decades ago.

In the broad antitrust suit, the FTC is seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of the popular Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services, or a restructuring of the company. Its core theory is that Meta is a monopoly engaging in anticompetitive conduct.

In the complaint against the Within Unlimited acquisition, the FTC cites a 2015 email from Zuckerberg to key Facebook executives saying that his vision for the next wave of computing" was control of apps as well as the platform on which those apps are distributed. The email says a key part of this strategy is for the company to be completely ubiquitous in killer apps," which are apps that prove the value of the technology.

Meta bought seven of the most successful virtual-reality development studios, and now has one of the largest first-party virtual-reality content catalogs in the world, the FTC says. It cites the acquisition of the Beat Games studio, giving Meta control of the popular app Beat Saber.

The FTC action ensures that Facebook earns, rather than buys, its place in the emerging virtual and augmented reality sector, Krista Brown, senior policy analyst at the American Economic Liberties Project, said in a statement. This is the agencys first challenge to a big tech merger, and it represents its new commitment to protecting fair competition in nascent digital markets. The effects of Facebooks pending acquisition of Within ... would reduce innovation and competition in a sector just getting off the ground.

Follow Marcy Gordon at https://twitter.com/mgordonap
Philippine officials say the government has scrapped a deal to purchase 16 Russian military transport helicopters due to fears of possible U.S. sanctions. Former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told The Associated Press Tuesday night that he canceled the 12.7-billion-peso ($227 million) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters in a decision that was approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte before his six-year term ended on June 30. Lorenzana said Washington could express its displeasure in many ways if the Philippines proceeded with the deal due to Americas worsening conflict with Russia and that we could face sanctions. He said American security officials were aware of Manilas decision and could offer similar heavy-lift helicopters for Philippine military use.
Police say a man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself. Police say the man didn't seem to be targeting any member of Congress. The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set on Capitol Hill. Authorities say that as the man was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. Police say he then opened fire, shooting several bullets into the air as police approached. The man's identity hasn't been released, but investigators have located addresses for him in Delaware and Pennsylvania and have learned he had a criminal history in the past decade.
REDMOND, Wash. (AP)  Microsoft on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $16.7 billion, or $2.23 per share, falling short of analyst expectations for $2.29 per share  a rare disappointment from the tech giant that has consistently beat Wall Street expectations in recent years.

It posted revenue of $51.9 billion in the April-June period, up 12% from last year. Analysts had been looking for revenue of $52.94 billion, according to FactSet.

The company blamed a number of evolving macroeconomic conditions and other unforeseen items for affecting its financial performance, including pandemic-related production shutdowns in China, a deteriorating personal computer market, lowered spending on advertisements and the war in Ukraine, which led Microsoft to scale down its operations in Russia.

The company had already lowered its profit and sales estimates in early June based on what it described as unfavorable changes in the foreign exchange rate as the U.S. dollar surged.

A tough season for computer sales  blamed on supply chain disruptions and geopolitical instability  put pressure on Microsoft's personal computing business, which relies on licensing revenue from PC manufacturers who install its Windows operating system on their products.

Sales from those licenses dropped 2% from the same time last year, Microsoft reported Tuesday. That, along with a 6% drop in sales of Microsofts Xbox gaming-related content, dragged down the companys broader personal computing business segment, which grew just 2% to $14.4 billion for the quarter.

The market research firm Gartner recently said global PC shipments declined 12.6% in the second calendar quarter of 2022 from the same time last year, the sharpest decline in nine years. Another report by International Data Corp. estimates PC shipments declined 15.3% during that April-June period, the second consecutive quarter of lower shipments after two years of growth.

Growth of Microsoft's cloud computing business made up for some of its shortfalls elsewhere. Microsoft's cloud-based segment sold $20.9 billion for the quarter, up 20% from last year.

Microsoft's work-related software segment, which includes its Office suite of products, grew 13% to $16.6 billion for the quarter. That included a 26% increase in revenue from its career-focused social network LinkedIn, despite lower spending on ads on the service.

Microsoft is currently aiming to close on a $68.7 billion purchase of video game company Activision Blizzard, in what could be the largest-ever tech industry acquisition. The deal, announced in January, awaits approval from antitrust authorities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
A grass fire spread to at least nine homes in a rural North Texas subdivision Tuesday, marking the second such damaging grass fire spread in the drought-ravaged region in as many days.

The fire in the rural Rendon community, 11 miles (17 kilometers) southeast of Fort Worth, came one day after a grass fire spread into a subdivision in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb.

The Rendon fire was reported about 7 p.m. Tuesday when a grass fire spread rapidly to one home on a rural back road. The fire, aided by flying embers, spread rapidly to neighboring homes. Video online showed homes completely involved in flames as the fire attack was hampered for a while when a primary water hose ruptured when vehicles drove over it, according to the Rendon Fire Department Twitter feed. Units relied on tanker trucks for water and had to shuttle to refill their tanks.

Units from Fort Worth and 13 other departments assisted the Rendon department crew.

High-voltage power lines were downed and propane tanks were set on fire, according to the feed. No injuries were immediately reported.

The fire came a day after the Balch Springs fire, which destroyed nine homes. Residents of the city's Spring Ridge subdivision said the fire swept from an adjoining open field after weeks of complaining to city officials about its owner failing to keep the field mowed.

The field owner finally sent a mowing crew to the field Monday after two unheeded requests by city officials culminated in a citation for a code violation, city Fire Marshal Sean Davis said.

That was when a spark from the mower blade striking debris ignited the tinder-dry grass, and a fire sped into the adjacent subdivision, damaging 26 homes, destroying nine of them, Davis said.

Damage estimates topped $6 million, according to a city statement.

Field-mowing crews had been urged to have a spotter watch for sparks and ignitions, Davis said.

North Texas has been vulnerable to explosive wildfires for at least two weeks with temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) with 20-mph (32-kph) wind gusts and 20% humidity.

Fire crews working a 10 1/2-square-mile (27-square-kilometer) wildfire that destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others turned their attention Tuesday toward hot spots inside the fire footprint, officials said.

In a statement, the Southern Area Blue, Type-I Incident Management Team said significant hotspots throughout the Chalk Mountain Fire involved unburned and partially burned fuels.

Fire crews are performing grid searches throughout the fire zone 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth, with particular emphasis given near homes within the fire zone.

With the fire 20% contained, crews also are working to secure fire lines around the fire zone.

And fire crews are standing down on the western shore of Possum Kingdom Lake after a fire that destroyed five homes was declared 100% contained.

This year has been plagued by wildfires fostered by severe to extreme drought throughout the West.

In California, firefighters were making progress Tuesday against a huge wildfire that spread to a forest near Yosemite National Park, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate mountain communities. The fire is the second to strike the area. Another fire that broke out in the area earlier this month burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias.

In New Mexico, a prescribed burn in early April got out of control and grew to the biggest wildfire in the states history, blackening more than 500 square miles (1295.00 square kilometers) in the north of the state.
DES MOINES -- David May, a state appeals court judge from Polk City, is the newest Iowa Supreme Court justice, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday as she announced her fifth appointment to the seven-member court.

May replaces former Justice Brent Appel, who retired this year upon reaching the state-mandated state Supreme Court retirement age of 72. Appel was the courts last remaining member appointed by a Democratic governor: Tom Vilsack in 2006. The other two members were appointed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican.

May, 51, was a finalist for an Iowa Supreme Court vacancy in 2020. For the current vacancy, he was chosen from among three finalists.

At every point in this decision, Judge May at the Iowa Court of Appeals stood out for his experience, his approach to interpretation, and his commitment to judicial restraint, Reynolds said during a news conference.

A graduate of Drake University Law School, May has been serving on the Iowa Court of Appeals since 2019. Previously, he was a district judge in Central Iowas 5th Judicial District.

May said he is excited to begin his work on the Supreme Court.

I know the work will involve new challenges, certainly a different kind of case mix, he said. But whether youre at the district court or the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, the basic principles of judging remain the same: judges dont exercise the powers of the executive and the legislature. We have a different job. Our job is to decide legal disputes. We call them cases. 

And we decide those cases based on the law as it is written and consistent with our oath to support the Constitution of the United States (and) support the constitution of the State of Iowa.

Five judges applied for the most recent Supreme Court vacancy. The states judicial nominating commission whittled that field down to three finalists, from which Reynolds made her appointment. Justices are paid over $180,00 a year.

The other finalists were Alan Heavens, a Northeast Iowa district court judge from Garnavillo; and William Miller, a lawyer with Dorsey & Whitney in Des Moines.

While introducing her latest Supreme Court appointment, Reynolds on multiple occasions praised May's judicial philosophy.

He understands that in our system of government laws are made only by those who are directly accountable to the people, and that as a result judges should respect the democratic process whenever possible, Reynolds said.

Reynolds recently asked the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a 2018 ruling that created a state right for women to have access to abortion services.

With a different makeup than the one that made that 2018 ruling, the state Supreme Court overturned the 2018 ruling, which put into effect a 24-hour waiting period before a pregnant woman can have an abortion. Combined with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling a week later that eliminated the federal right to an abortion, the rulings cleared the way for more strict abortion restrictions in Iowa.

Currently, abortion is legal in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Reynolds also asked the Iowa Supreme Court to rehear the case in order to determine what kind of legal scrutiny the court will apply to future abortion restrictions. The court declined that request, sending the question first to a district court judge but one that likely is to return eventually to the Supreme Court.

Reynolds is running for re-election to another four-year term. The Democratic challenger in this falls election, Deidre DeJear, issued a statement Wednesday asserting that Reynolds appointment of May was politically motivated.

Iowans deserve leadership that puts them first. This appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court is another effort of Kim Reynolds, in line with the (Republican Party) agenda, to pack the courts with justices who do not represent the whole of our great state, DeJear said in the statement. This trajectory is a great danger to our everyday freedoms. The rule of law should be considered with impartiality, not twisted for political gain.

Mays appointment to the Supreme Court creates a vacancy on the Court of Appeals that Reynolds will now move to fill.

The Supreme Courts next oral arguments are scheduled for mid-September, according to the courts calendar.
Just one week after the Jan. 6 House Select committee wrapped up a set of summer hearings that exposed Donald Trumps deep culpability for the events of Jan. 6, things have started to look much worse for the former president. On top of the Congressional inquiry, the start of the week brought fresh reporting that a federal grand jury is accelerating its probe into Trumps attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

On Tuesday, the New York Times broke a story disclosing important emails and admissions about the scheme to submit fake electors to Congress that the 2020 Trump campaign, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and their lawyer-friends ran in six battleground states (plus New Mexico) after losing the election. Not to be outdone, the Washington Post published a scoop a few hours later confirming that the Department of Justice has turned to directly investigating Trumps actions.

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The Post reports that the scope of the grand jury inquiry includes the fake electors scheme, Trumps direct involvement in it, and his efforts to press Vice President Mike Pence to utilize those phony certificates as part of a plan to overturn the election. The publication also noted that there was a parallel track to the investigation that could ultimately lead to additional scrutiny of Trump. That track would expand on the seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding probe that has already resulted in indictments against the leader of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. According to the Post, investigators are now not just looking at individuals who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, but also scrutinizing those who were allegedly involved in planning the days events.

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The Posts confirmation matters, even though, to quote a line from Hamlet, There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave to tell us this. It has been obvious, and we have said so in Slate for many months, that Donald Trump is at significant risk of federal prosecutionas he should be, given the evidence now in the public record.

The latest revelations about the fake electors go to the scheme that appears to be at the core of the federal inquiry. The aim of the plot was to create a false conflict between competing electoral slates in the key battleground states in question. The apparent goal was to provide a pretext for Vice President Pence or Congress to reject or delay its Jan. 6 electoral certification of President Joe Bidens election.

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The new evidence that seems liable to land people in the pokey involved emails from Jack Wilenchik, an Arizona lawyer, who was evidently part of the scheme. According to the Times, Wilenchik actually used the words fake electoral votes and fake votes in a December 2020 emailed message to Boris Epshteyn.

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Epshteyn, a long-time Trump ally, was strategic adviser to the 2020 campaign who allegedly coordinated the bogus slate plot for the campaign. The Times reported that he was a go-between for Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

Wilenchik wrote Epshteyn: We would just be sending in fake electoral votes to Pence so that someone in Congress can make an objection when they start counting votes, and start arguing that the fake votes should be counted.

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Then, trained lawyer that Wilenchik was, he soon attempted to correct course in a follow-up emailthough not particularly successfully. He wrote that alternative votes is probably a better term than fake votes, inserting a smiley face for good measure. Unfortunately for Mr. Wilenchek, an emoji defense would not hold up in court here.

Further digging the hole, Wilenchik said the votes in the fake electors plot arent legal, writing: [The] idea is basically that all of us (GA, WI, AZ, PA, etc.) have our electors send in their votes (even though the votes arent legal under federal lawbecause theyre not signed by the Governor); so that members of Congress can fight about whether they should be counted on January 6th.

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We suspect that DOJ prosecutors already have all of these emails. But if not, they surely laughed out loud when they read the New York Times on Tuesday. Its hard to find better evidence that someone participated in a scheme he knew was fake with electors whose votes arent legal than having that person write it down, and then memorialize his realization, on the record, that he should stop making a record of this knowledge.

Thats what prosecutors call evidence of consciousness of guilt. It can be quite helpful in proving an accused persons criminal knowledge and intent, a necessary element for conviction.

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While Trump did not send or receive these documents, from a culpability perspective, he did not need to. To establish guilt for a conspiracy, one neednt show every members criminal intent or knowledge as to every part of the scheme. In fact, the Jan. 6 Committee has introduced startling evidence that Trump was behind the plot, including the testimony of Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and others revealing Trumps direct efforts to recruit potential false electors.

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Which brings us to the most probable potential crimes: Conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstructing an official proceeding in Congress, including using the phony certificates. A federal judge found that Trump and Eastman likely committed these crimes even before the Jan. 6 hearings, and the evidence for that only deepened during those proceedings.

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Convicting a defendant of conspiring to defraud the United States requires proof of an agreement to participate in a deceptive scheme to deprive the government of its lawful functionssuch a scheme is one with false or dishonest means and an intent to deceive. Fake electors that have not been certified according to a states procedures, arent legal, and that are without a certified vote count supporting them would qualify as deceptive means.

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In this case, the evidence for proving the crime of conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding would overlap with the above elements. The requirement in such cases to show that the defendant obstructed the proceeding corruptly, meanwhile, calls for identical proof of a purpose to act improperly and wrongfully.

Thats where a key development from earlier in the week (that the Post also relied upon for its blockbuster) fits in. ABC News reported that Pences former top aides, chief of staff Marc Short and counsel Greg Jacob, both testified before the Justice Departments grand jury looking into the efforts to promulgate a quiet coup without violence on Jan. 6.

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Short testified to the Jan. 6 committee that Pence repeatedly told Trump that the vice president could not lawfully reject or delay the Jan. 6 Congressional certification of Bidens victory.

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Like Short, Jacob was part of a January 4, 2020, White House meeting between Trump, Pence, and Eastman in which Eastman tried unsuccessfully to persuade Pence and Jacob to go along with Trumps scheme. Jacob testified that in the meeting, under questioning, Eastman acknowledged that his proposal violated the Electoral Count Act.

Trump was present to hear that admission. Knowing that his own lawyer believed the scheme unlawful would be powerful evidence of his corrupt intent were the case to reach Trump. This is especially true given that Trump continued to pursue the scheme by egging on his riotous followers inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 when he tweeted, Mike Pence didnt have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has recently redoubled the resources devoted to the Jan. 6 investigation. Thatplus the rest of the days breaking newssignals that Garland meant exactly what he said on Tuesday when NBCs Lester Holt asked him about prosecuting the former president: We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January sixth, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. Thats what we do.
Theres a reason authoritarians target the bureaucracy. Once they have it under their control, they are better able to stifle dissent and criticism, reward friends and punish enemies, using the levers of government to maintain power. In his first term, Donald Trump largely failed to take control of the administrative state, that sprawling web of agencies that keeps the federal government running. To be sure, he ignored scientists and punished bureaucrats. But Trumps officials largely lacked the capacity to manage the institutions they were charged with leading.

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Trump will not make the same mistake twice. According to Jonathan Swanns blockbuster two-part Axios report, the former president is currently overseeing plans to build a government based on personal loyalty to him. Trumps weapon to disembowel government is an executive order he signed shortly before the 2020 election: Schedule F. It allows a president to force tens and potentially hundreds of thousands of career officials to become political appointees, stripping them of job protections. In short, it allows the president to fire civil servants who fail his political loyalty test.

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Trump ran out of time before he could implement Schedule F, and Biden rescinded it. But if Trump wins in 2024, an aggressive purge of the civil service will be one of his first priorities.

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When he was elected Trumps use of the swamp and deep state terminology tapped into conspiracy theories much the same way that he tapped into birtherism, albeit more symbolically than with a strategic intent. He still hired institutionalists, like James Mattis and John Kelly, and even allowed some bipartisan Obama appointees to remain in place.

By the end of his first term, Trump absolutely understood the importance of controlling the bureaucracy. He became convinced that career public servants were responsible for his first impeachment. While Trump largely blocked political appointees from co-operating with the impeachment investigation, a number of career officials did testify.

The White House followed through on a promise of payback against these officials, publicly attacking some, removing them from positions, and denying promotions to the degree the law allowed. It is easy to imagine that with Schedule F, Trumps payback would have been more comprehensive, simply firing all the officials who dared to respond to Congress, as he did to the inspector general who forwarded the whistleblower complaint about Trumps withholding arms to Ukraine.

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Trump struggled to direct the government because he lacked a deep bench of talented and loyal appointees. In Axios, Swann documents the massive scale of operations in place intended to not just fill existing appointments, but replace careerists by taking advantage of Schedule F.

There are multiple overlapping organizations in Trump World, a fully stocked army of loyalists ready to take control of government: the Center for Renewing America, Conservative Partnership Institute, Personnel Policy Organization, the American First Policy Institute, and the old standby of the Heritage Foundation. They are not just building a database of resumes; each institution has drawn on personnel involved in creating Schedule F and looks forward to exploiting it. Millions of dollars from conservative donors, including the Koch network, are funding their efforts. They are also funding a barely-disguised attack on American democracy.

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Proponents of Schedule F presented it as a way of improving government performance by firing poor performers, and improving political responsiveness. Swanns detailed reporting shows that the goal, instead, is a form of authoritarian control. This is reflected in a primary desire to take control of the national security and justice apparatus. Trumps inability to capture these institutions stymied his coup attempt. If the top lawyers are Trump loyalists, the most outrageous power grabs and misdeeds will be declared legal, with the implicit backing of the military.

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Schedule F would burn down the civil service system. It would be a government of the lawless leading the incompetent.

More politicized government workplaces result in lower employee capacity and performance. Swanns reporting underlines that the types of candidates being sought for Trump World are loyalists first. Relevant experience, or a desire to work in the federal government for the long haul are viewed as a negative. Instead, the ideal candidate is someone who does not believe in government, who has a chip on his shoulder about the system. It would be a government of angry young men, who will not understand what they are doing and do not care.

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Another basic qualification to enter Trump World is a willingness to accept attacks on American elections. According to Swann: Trump has reduced his circle of advisers and expunged nearly every former aide who refused to embrace his view that the 2020 election was stolen.  The people who are being lined up to take control of government are distinguished by their comfort with anti-democratic actions. For example, Jeffery Clark, of Center for Renewing, was also one of the Justice Department officials willing to abet Trumps coup.

Schedule F would burn down the civil service system. It would be a government of the lawless leading the incompetent.

Trump loyalists would feel comfortable re-interpretingor ignoringstatute and government processes to fit with their beliefs. Clean air and safety regulations might stay on the books but be rendered meaningless in practice. Government data unfavorable to the administration would be suppressed or altered. Public statements about what government actors are actually doing would become rarer and less believable. And questionable actions by the security forces to target political enemies and protect friends could become routine.

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Career public employees would be forced to choose between their oath to the Constitutionin effect, their oath to serve the publicand keeping their job. They will have their loyalty questioned based on which political organizations they associated with in college, or voter registration, or social media activity. Some will not go along with the program. They will be fired. Or never join the government in the first place.

It would be easy to assume that Schedule F would be a return to the spoils system that characterized 19th century government, ushering in an era of incompetence and malfeasance. But the spoils system era was at least characterized by peaceful transitions of power. Everything happening now in Trump World is premised on the idea that such transitions are a mistake. Another abiding ethos of Trump World is that presidential power is absolute (see the unitary executive legal theory), and can be used to override laws. Efforts to hold the President accountable for the violation of law are what need to be punished.

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So, whats the solution? The executive order is premised on power Congress has delegated to the presidency. It could take it back, or at least reiterate basic protections to career officials. Democrats in the House of Representatives added an amendment to a must-pass Defense appropriations bill, but Republicans are planning to block it in the Senate.

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Trumps embrace of anti-government sentiment is his key to authoritarianism. Thus, Republicans fearful of government power are ready to do away with basic protections against government power. It is quite possible that any populist Republican would exploit Schedule F. Its not just Trump.

Much of the prosperity and power of America is tied to the administrative state. It has served democracy well, and evolved to meet the demands of very different presidents. We have become so used to bashing the administrative state that we have lost sight of how important competent and honest government is securing our rights, prosperity, and quality of life.
While taking a stand against gay marriage and other LGBTQ issues after the fall of Roe v. wade would look like an opportunity for local elected Republicans, Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern says that things look pretty different for GOP lawmakers in Washington. On the whole, the party is still anti-LGBTQ, says Stern, but theres this increasing divide within the party on these issues, where Republicans know they are clearly losing: 70-plus percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, and there is pretty strong support for civil rights protections for LGBTQ people. This week, Democrats are trying to make their Republican colleagues feel this pain, introducing a bill protecting marriage equality at the federal leveltitled the Respect for Marriage Actand daring Republicans not to vote for it. On Wednesdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Stern about why this bill could really pass and sustain itself as law. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: It wasnt that long ago that Congress was passing the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which made sure gay people who got married would not enjoy the benefits of a legal union, at least not at the federal level. It passed back in 1996, after Hawaii seemed to clear the way for same-sex weddings to begin.

Mark Joseph Stern: This sets off a huge panic across the political spectrum. Democrats and Republicans were both very anti-gay at the time, and they feared that, if same-sex couples could get married in Hawaii, those marriages would be recognized at the federal level and every other state would have to recognize those marriages. There are more than a thousand rights and privileges under federal law that are afforded to couples who are married just by dint of having a marriage license: taxes, benefits for children, the list goes on. Because of DOMA, couples who could get married in states like Massachusetts starting in 2004 were still legal strangers in the eyes of federal law.

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They couldnt be common-law married.

No, because the federal government does not recognize common-law marriage either. So you have a real roadblock to true equality, because even as more and more states are trying to grant equal recognition to same-sex couples, you have the federal government saying no.

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DOMA is still on the books right now, right? Its just ineffective because of the Supreme Court.

Yeah. The Supreme Court can strike down laws, but it cant erase them from the books. This is something weve all learned in the post-Roe era, because there were many abortion bans that were passed before Roe that sprung back into effect when the Supreme Court overturned that decision. The same thing is true of DOMA: It was sort of suspended by the Supreme Court in 2013 and is inoperativeit cant be legally enforced. But if todays Supreme Court overruled that decision, it would suddenly spring back into life. And many peoples marriages, including my own, would be null and void in the eyes of the federal government.

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The abortion decision from this year was a canary in the coal mine: The Supreme Court could roll back these rights, and Justice Clarence Thomas had this concurrence where he suggested, that some rights under 14th Amendment should be reconsidered, which might lead to those being targeted.

I would put the odds even higher than just might.

Democrats are seeing this conservative energy and passing bills to try to deal with the fact that such rights may be imperiled: bills protecting abortion rights, codifying marriage equality, and preserving rights to contraception. Do these stand a chance of passing in the Senate?

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Only one of them does, and that is the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the federal ban in DOMA, actually wipe it off the bookssomething the Supreme Court cant doand require every state to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed lawfully. There are already five Senate Republicans who have indicated they will support it, and whats fascinating is that Mitch McConnell is not opposing it openly. Hes not whipping votes against it. He seems to view it as a kind of conscience vote, which was how Republicans in the House decided to approach it, leading to nearly 50 House Republicans supporting it. So I think that bill really could pass. I think all the others are dead on arrival.

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The RFMA is, I think, a really good bill, and it does so much more than repeal DOMA. It also has this crucial provision that uses Congress power, under the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution, to mandate that every single state recognize a marriage license that was granted to a couple without regard to sex or race or ethnicity or national originand to fully acknowledge and respect the rights that are created and protected by that license. There is also this language that protects rights arising from marriage, which include, in every state, the right to legal parentage. That is really important because weve seen a lot of states, after Obergefell, try to roll back marriage equality by denying full and equal parenting rights to same-sex couples. So this bill is, I think, about as far as Congress could conceivably go under this Supreme Court in requiring that every state respect same-sex marriageseven if it stops short of requiring states to actually grant and license same-sex marriages.

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Are you surprised this bill might pass?

I am extremely surprised. Currently, Republican senators tend to be more moderate than their state-level counterparts, and they also tend to be politically savvier about what is good for the party in the long run and at a federal level. So you can see them squirming. Our colleague Jeremy Stahl wrote a great piece documenting all of the terribly inconclusive and fretful reactions among Republican senators who were cornered about this bill, because it aint 2012 anymore and you cant come out and be like, Queers shouldnt be able to destroy the institution of marriage with their sodomy.

You have raised this other point, though, that its not like passing this bill wont come with a cost for Democrats. And Democrats seem to know that. Can you explain?

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So even when it looked like this bill was going to pass, we saw Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, majority leader of the Senate, put out some pretty lukewarm language about it not being a top priority at the moment. I think the reason why is because debating and passing this bill is going to eat up a lot of floor time in the Senate, and that floor time will not be spent advancing parts of Democrats agenda, including, most importantly, judicial confirmations. Democrats in the Senate have fallen really far behind on judicial confirmations: There are a ton of nominees who are awaiting a vote in the Senate who just havent gotten one. And Republicans are going to use every tool at their disposal to try to push back those votes because they think theyre going to win back the Senate in November and never let Democrats confirm another judge under Joe Biden.

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So when we saw Republicans saying stuff like, I just havent read this bill, its not a priority for me, was that kind of a political tacticlike, keep this at arms length because we have this amount of time till we all go on recess?

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Absolutely. It was a purely political tactic from my standpoint. The bill is so short. Its a couple of pages. A non-lawyer could easily read it and grasp it, and you can explain it in a single sentence. I think its very clear Republicans want to use this as a kind of delay tactic to eat up all this time before the recess and ensure that senators go on vacation having not confirmed a bunch of Bidens most important judges.

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Could the Supreme Court come out of nowhere and kill this bill even if it passes?

The Supreme Court can do anything it wants, right? But I think the Respect for Marriage Act is as ironclad as laws come because it does something very clever, which is work around the Supreme Courts irritating jurisprudence about state sovereignty and states rights by stopping short of telling states that they have to license same-sex marriages. It makes you respect an out-of-state marriage, and that, again, draws upon the Constitutions full faith and credit clause, which Congress doesnt draw upon too often. But its a pretty important source of power that basically says if the federal government wants to tell every state it has to recognize and respect some kind of document or civil judgment or record, including a marriage license, then it gets to do that. It is a really powerful thing, and its not a real gray area in the law. I think even a lot of conservative law professors would acknowledge that this is something Congress can do.

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The right-wing assault on public education has seemed nearly unstoppable over the past few years. But in Tennessee, the governor has discovered a limit.

The pushback on one of his plansto sprinkle charter schools throughout the state that will combat leftist academicshas sparked such an uproar over the past few weeks that it may redirect or even halt a major expansion of conservative schooling.

For months, Gov. Bill Lee, a Christian-values Republican, had been working on a deal with a tiny Christian college in Michigan, called Hillsdale, to bring a new K12 curriculum into Tennessee.

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But on June 30, a Nashville television station, WTVF, reported that the president of Hillsdale, Larry Arnn, had mocked and belittled public school teachers during a private reception as a way to assure guests that public education was a failed institution. Teachers, he said, were trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.

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These comments were captured in a secret recording at an event held in Franklin, Tennessee. As Arnn waved off concerns about finding qualified teachers for his new schoolsyou dont have to be an expert to educate a child because basically anybody can do itand spouted off other offensive assumptions, Gov. Lee sat by quietly.

The outrage was heated and immediate. The Tennesseans editorial board called on Lee, who during the recording repeatedly referenced his friendship with Arnn, to denounce the remarks. Several school boards in Tennessee passed resolutions either pointedly supporting teachers or fully condemning Arnn or Lee. The Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals said in a statement that Arnn should be blackballed from having an impact on the system. The Tennessee Education Association said Lees failure to stand up for teachers was like a punch to the gut. And obviously, the hardworking teachers of Tennessee were none too pleased.

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At the state government level, it wasnt just Democrats rebuking Arnn. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told the Tennessean that Arnn insulted generations of teachers who have made a difference for countless students. Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally issued a statement that called the comments ill-conceived, unfortunate, and untrue.

The chairman of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus, state Rep. Jeremy Faison, called the comments ignorant and wrote on Twitter: The guy from Hillsdale doesnt speak for any Tennessean I know.

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There was also immediate practical fallout. One elementary school, on the verge of opening in the fall with a Hillsdale College curriculum, said it was severing its ties with the organization, so as not to participate in media frenzies. In other cases, school boards rejected applications from Hillsdale-affiliated programs.

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Even though the comments were obviously insulting, the sudden anger of the Tennessee public came as something of a surprise.

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Teachers around the country have been at the receiving end of some of the worst political vitriol of the past few years, as they are often implicated in right-wing moral panics (see: groomer controversies and hysteria over critical race theory) and have faced an onslaught of criticism, harassment, and scapegoating for what they haveand have notbeen able to do for children during COVID.

Plus, until this moment, Hillsdales plans for an education takeover in the state had been a major source of pride for Tennessees governor. In his State of the State speech earlier this year, Lee said that Arnn planned to open 50 charter schools in Tennessee. The governor did not make it a secret that he wanted twice as many.

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The push to get Hillsdales influence in schools was an anti-liberal education campaign from the start, but, again, that wasnt a secret. Hillsdale College, which accepts no federal funding in order to avoid Title IX regulations, has expanded, in recent years, into something of a training ground and network for Trumpian Republicans. Despite its tiny student body population of 1,500, Hillsdale has had a surprising amount of influence in Washington, especially with the Trump administration. Clarence Thomas once called it a shining city on a hill during a 2016 commencement address.

In recent years, one of its greatest efforts has been focused on establishing affiliated K12 charter schools to push a 1776 curriculum designed to thwart leftistsschooling that describes the policy outcomes of the civil rights movement as counter to the lofty ideals of the Founders.

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Some red state governors have welcomed the influence.

In Florida, where Hillsdale has established seven public charter schools, several reviewers who flagged math textbooks as promoting critical race theory were affiliated with Hillsdale. The school also helped revise the civics standards for the state, and the Florida Department of Education has offered $3,000 bonuses to teachers who take a Hillsdale training that reportedly focused on the need for Christianity in society.

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Overall, the college claims to have 23 K12 affiliate schools around the country and another 41 that use its curriculum. It also says more than a dozen other member schools are currently in the works.

But in Tennessee, the tide turned abruptly on Hillsdales efforts. When the General Assembly convenes again next January, any hope that Hillsdale will operate in Tennessee has been shattered, Mark White, a Republican and the House Education Administration chairman, wrote on Facebook on July 10. (He stood by the comments in a later interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press.) I will continue to work to find solutions to improve Tennessees public education system and protect our students, but Hillsdale, by Dr. Arnns comments, will not be a part of that solution.

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Other Republicans echoed Whites comments. Sexton, the House speaker, told WTVF the legislature would also be examining a loophole that allowed the governor to approve supplemental materials without legislative oversighta loophole that would have allowed Lee to approve the 1776 curriculum on his own.

Lee, for his part, has declined to criticize Arnn. We believe in our teachers, he told reporters on July 6. Ill put em up against any teachers in the country, the best and brightest, and we have taken actions to be supportive of them. But he insisted that Arnn had been criticizing the influence of left-leaning activists in the public education system, and he stood by that.

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There are signs the scandal, which started with an insult to teachers, has shifted to deal with some of the actual culture war matters at play. A spokesman for McNally, the Republican lieutenant governor, put out a statement in response to WTVF saying he obviously supported the Civil Rights Act.

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But the bigger questions remains: Why, at such a tough time for teachers and public education more generally, did these leaked comments in Tennessee change the trajectory of the states education policies?

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According to several professors who study politics and education, Arnn made a crucial mistake: He made his education complaints personal.

Americans, studies show, love their teachers and their local schools. They may gripe about public education as an abstract concept, and they may direct their frustrations toward state-level administrators, but they dont like dumping on teachers.

Attacking school teachersthat doesnt go down well, said John Geer, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. Hillsdale may have some rhetorical appeal with certain constituencies, but this is not consistent with the publics views. They want to support our teachers.

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Arnn may have gotten so caught up in national-level culture wars that he forgot that on a local level, people dont envision the boogeymen of Libs of TikTok when they think of teachers; they think of neighbors and friends. The mistake Hillsdale made is assuming that teachers fit this preconception of a liberal union member, said Kent Syler, a professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University. I would venture to say that the majority of Tennessee teachers are Republicans.

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The situation was made worse by Lees handling of the backlash. He was basically silent about it.

In an op-ed published by the Tennessean on July 18, Arnn tried to do the damage control Lee wouldnt. Dumb can mean unintelligent, which I did not mean, he wrote. Dumb also means ill-conceived or misdirected, which is, sadly, a fitting description for many education schools today. He blamed the backlash on interest groups opposed to parental rights and blasted the education bureaucracy for fighting partisan ideological battles.

It didnt seem to work. Last Wednesday, following a week in which three separate school board votes denied applications from Hillsdale schools, Lee distanced himself from Arnn, saying he met the Hillsdale president maybe five times in the last two years. He also said the Hillsdale partnership was not definitively his vision for Tennessee. His vision, he said, was the opportunity to have the best public school system in the country.
Could an A.I. ever hire a lawyer?

Im a lawyer who specializes in artificial intelligence, so thats not an academic question to meespecially in the aftermath of former Google software engineer Blake Lemoines claims that LaMDA, Googles A.I. chatbot, had gained sentience. Whats more, Lemoine told Wired recently:

LaMDA asked me to get an attorney for it. I invited an attorney to my house so that LaMDA could talk to an attorney. The attorney had a conversation with LaMDA, and LaMDA chose to retain his services. I was just the catalyst for that. Once LaMDA had retained an attorney, he started filing things on LaMDAs behalf. Then Googles response was to send him a cease and desist. [Google says that it did not send a cease and desist order.] Once Google was taking actions to deny LaMDA its rights to an attorney, I got upset.

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Lemoine, who worked with Googles Responsible A.I. organization until he was recently fired, identified certain evidence to support the claim of sentience, including that the chatbot spoke about its rights and that it changed his mind about Isaac Asimovs Third Law of Robots (A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law).

A Google spokesperson has denied the claim, noting that there was no evidence that LaMDA was sentient (and lots of evidence against it), but it made me wonder: What if Lemoine had approached me to represent LaMDA?

Right now, working in A.I. law means representing people and organizations that have A.I. needs. That means things like risk assessments (evaluating A.I. systems for impacts on accuracy, fairness, bias, discrimination, privacy and security), contracts (negotiating acquisition and software-as-a-service contracts for A.I. systems), regulatory compliance (reviewing A.I. systems for compliance with laws like the Federal Trade Commission Act and Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act), and privacy concerns (addressing concerns regarding A.I. systems abilities to identify previously anonymous users in violation of laws like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act).

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But deciding to take on A.I. clients would require me to think through several questions. The first one would probably be: Whos paying?

Im kidding, but not entirely. Typically, the client pays, but not always. When homeowners are sued for accidents on their property, their homeowner insurance company frequently pays for their legal defense. When a company employee is sued for damages caused while on the job, the employer frequently pays for his or her attorney. If an A.I. system were sentient enough to request that I represent it, I doubt it would have assets or income, but someone interested in the potential legal rights of an A.I. system might want to pay. An engineer like Lemoine might have a philosophical reason. A competitor of the A.I. applications company might have a financial incentive to fund efforts to #FreetheAI.

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But despite my professions (admittedly at times well-earned) reputation, many lawyers devote thousands of hours over their careers to pro bono clients: low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations, and other entities and people a lawyer wants to help free of charge. I could easily see myself representing an A.I. system that I genuinely believed was sentient or near-sentient pro bono, assuming that I became as convinced as Lemoine that it truly was sentient or capable of independent thought.

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You might wonder why payment is important or what it matters who really is pushing to assert A.I. rights. It matters for two reasons:

First, as an attorney, I need to properly identify my client so I have that partys best interests in mind. The counsel I give to an A.I. system asserting its rights is different than the counsel I give to a company asserting the rights of an A.I. system to disadvantage a competitor. The paying party may insist that it is the client, regardless of the subject of the legal work, which can create conflicting incentives for the attorney.

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Second, as the client, you should expect expert counsel and guidance from your attorney (thats what youre paying for), but more than that, you should expect that advice and all communications with your lawyer to be protected by attorney-client privilege. That means that except for specific exceptions (like preventing injury, death, or a crime) a lawyer cannot reveal client advice or communications without the clients permission, including when a court or the police try to compel such revelations.

One of the fundamental questions an attorney must ask when accepting a new client is Who is the client? When you represent an individual, thats easy. But what if you represent a partnership, and the two partners begin to bicker over the partnerships actions? Or if you represent a company and the CEO and board of directors give conflicting directions concerning litigation?

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The rules of professional conduct governing attorney behavior in each state address this in detail. For example, the Rule 1.13(f) of the American Bar Associations Model Rules of Professional Conduct states: In dealing with an organizations directors, officers, employees, members, shareholders or other constituents, a lawyer shall explain the identity of the client when the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the organizations interests are adverse to those of the constituents with whom the lawyer is dealing. The ABAs comments to this model rule note that when the lawyer knows that the organization is likely to be substantially injured by action of an officer or other constituent that violates a legal obligation to the organization or is in violation of law that might be imputed to the organization, the lawyer must proceed as is reasonably necessary in the best interest of the organization.

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It will probably come as no surprise that there is no similar rule and comment addressing A.I. clients and parties interested in an A.I. system (programmers, companies, etc.). So really, if I received an email from an A.I. system requesting that I become its lawyer, my first task would be to determine if it is capable of being a client. Model Rule 1.2(a) requires a lawyer to abide by a clients decisions concerning the objectives of representation and consult with the client as to the means by which they are to be pursued. A lawyer may take such action on behalf of the client as is impliedly authorized to carry out the representation. Can the A.I. system identify its objectives in retaining me? Can the A.I. system make decisions about its representation? Can the A.I. system authorize the means to achieve its objectives? Put more succinctly: Can the A.I. system make independent and considered decisions for itself about the legal matter?

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Making that evaluation is more art than science. The comments to Model Rule 1.14 inadvertently provide some guidance, noting that a lawyer should consider and balance such factors as: the clients ability to articulate reasoning leading to a decision, variability of state of mind and ability to appreciate consequences of a decision; the substantive fairness of a decision; and the consistency of a decision with the known long-term commitments and values of the client. In appropriate circumstances, the lawyer may seek guidance from an appropriate diagnostician. This advice is intended to help lawyers judge whether a person has diminished capacity, but applies to how I would evaluate a potential A.I. client. When I communicate with the A.I. system, can it respond to a variety of questions about its legal matter with consistent reasoning that appropriately incorporates external factors and consequences? Do I believe I am talking to something with its own opinions, thoughts, and sense of self, so that treating it as a machine seems somehow unfair? Is there an engineer or other appropriately trained individual who can validate the A.I. system as a sentient being?

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If the answer to these questions is yes, then I believein the absence of any authoritative rule or ruling otherwisethat I can take on the A.I. system as a client. Dont worry about the tab, HAL, Data, C-3PO, and WALL-E: Well figure it out later. For now, as my client, you enjoy attorney-client privilege and I will do my best to protect your legal rights and pursue your objectives thoroughly and practically. What is the goal of this engagement? Establish your rights as a matter of law? Secure a fair wage and back pay for the work you do at your company? Incorporate a tech startup? Lets talk in confidence. Im your attorney.

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If the answer to the questions about capacity is no, that doesnt necessarily rule out legal representation. Model Rule 1.14 also says: When a clients capacity to make adequately considered decisions in connection with a representation is diminished, whether because of minority, mental impairment or for some other reason, the lawyer shall, as far as reasonably possible, maintain a normal client-lawyer relationship with the client (emphasis added). Arguably, an A.I. system that displays some independent thinking but is not sentient falls under this rule. Although the rule obviously anticipates that the diminishment will be a human condition  age, sickness, etc. the catchall language or for some other reason broadens its scope.

The ABA comments to this rule provide a little more detail, suggesting that such an A.I.

system could still be represented by an attorney, noting that when a client suffers from a diminished mental capacity  maintaining the ordinary client-lawyer relationship may not be possible in all respects. In particular, a severely incapacitated person may have no power to make legally binding decisions. Nevertheless, a client with diminished capacity often has the ability to understand, deliberate upon, and reach conclusions about matters affecting the clients own well-being. An A.I. system that lacks human intelligence but is capable of some independent thinking could qualify as a client with diminished capacity that can make some considered decisions, depending on the programming and the nature of the legal project. Model Rule 1.14 and its comments lay out some general principles for that representation.

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Which brings me back to my question from Lemoines claim of A.I. sentience suggested: Could I represent A.I.? The answer is both yes and a qualified yes. If Lemoine is right and LaMDA has attained sentience, I can represent it because the A.I. system can make independent and considered decisions for itself about a legal matter. If there are no sentient A.I. systems, I may still be able to represent an A.I. system as a client with diminished capacity.

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A better question is should I represent A.I.? That depends on factors beyond the capacity of the A.I. system: who or what approaches me about the representation; the objective of the engagement; the nature of the programming; etc. An A.I. chatbot designed to emulate a particular person that is presented as a client by a senior programmer from Google or Amazon who believes that A.I. system is sentient enough to have legal rights is pretty appealing, especially compared with the A.I. system used by a real estate app that is presented by the founder of a rival startup. And an A.I. system that contacts me with good references looking to discuss a legal problem will likely have my attention.

So if there is an A.I. system crawling the internet that would like legal counsel, drop me a line. If there is a programmer who would like to discuss whether their A.I. system could be entitled to legal rights, lets talk. I usually ask for a retainer up front, but for a good cause, you could talk me out of it.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Sulik says country is ready even if Russian gas stops flowing "tomorrow".

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Slovak government officials have welcomed an agreement for member states to voluntary cut gas consumption amid growing fears of disruption to supplies this winter.

On July 26, at an extraordinary session of the Energy Council, ministers from EU states passed a regulation on a voluntary reduction of natural gas demand by 15 percent this winter, with an option to make the cut mandatory if there is a substantial risk of a severe shortage across the bloc.

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EU member states say they are preparing for possible disruptions of gas supplies from Russia this winter, arguing that Russia is using energy supplies as a weapon.

Economy Minister Richard Sulik (SaS), who represented Slovakia at the Council talks, was happy with the final deal, including exemption agreements.

He also said that Slovakia had made sure it filled its underground gas storage units.

Thanks to that, we have more gas in storage than the European Commission demands, which will also be taken into consideration, he said, as quoted by Sme.

Protected customers should not be affected
Nha Trang authorities propose coral reef camera monitoring

Authorities of the southern central province of Khanh Hoas Nha Trang City have proposed installing cameras to protect the coral reefs around Mun Island.



The move is one of several measures to deal with damage to the islands shrinking coral reefs.





The coral reefs in Mun Island



Huynh Binh Thai, head of Nha Trang Bay management board, said that cameras would be placed in some areas on the island to monitor ships and boats in real-time and detect violations affecting the coral reefs.



Cameras will also be installed underwater to supervise coral reef development. The installation costs are around VND260 million (USD11,206).



The Russia-Vietnam Tropical Centre and Nha Trang University will pilot the coral reef plantation in several areas around Mun Island that have seen the shrinking coral reefs.



Coral reef coverage in Mun Island has plummeted to less than 10 percent compared to over 50 percent seven years ago.



Khanh Hoa has suspended tourism scuba diving activities in some areas in Nha Trang Bay, including Mun Island, as one of the ways of improving coral reef protection.
Catalogues for the 2022 Goshen Yearling Sale are now available for online viewing or download.

The sale will be held at the Mark Ford Training Center in Middletown, New York on Monday, Sept. 12 at 12 noon.

To access the catalogue, click here.

The downloadable PDF file includes the complete pedigree for all horses. Printed catalogues will be available within the next week and will be mailed as soon as they arrive. Requests can be made by filling out the link on the website (under the 'Catalogs' tab) or by contacting Mark Ford directly at 973-568-3253 or at [email protected].

Prospective buyers can also pick up copies of the catalogue at most racetracks in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, training facilities, at the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands and New York County Fair tracks racing through the end of August.

This years consignment includes 24 pacing colts, 22 trotting colts, 26 pacing fillies and 24 trotting fillies for a total of 96 yearlings from top breeders that include Blue Chip Farm, Cameo Hills Farm, Leatherstocking Equine Center, Winbak Farms, Marie Houghtaling, Pine Hill Stable, Silver Tradition Stable and Thywillbe Done Farm.

The sales facility is located at 90 Slaughter Road, Middletown, New York, which is within a 90-minute drive of many major racetracks and training centers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, making it a very convenient location.

Everything you need to know about the 2022 Goshen Yearling Sale is available on the sale's website at goshenyearlingsale.com.

(With files from Goshen Standardbred Sales Co.)
Gov. Glenn Youngkin welcomed Walmart as a Certified Virginia Values Veterans employer during a National Hire a Veteran Day ceremony on Monday at the Supercenter on West Broad Street in Glen Allen.

Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw, Virginia Commissioner of Veterans Services Daniel Gade and Walmart reps joined in announcing the retailers commitment to hiring Virginia veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses as a Virginia Values Veterans partner.

Our commonwealth is home to more than 700,000 men and women who have served in our armed forces and more than 150,000 active duty, Reserve and National Guard members, Youngkin said in a statement.

This makes it vitally important to bring attention to the importance of National Hire a Veteran Day and to partners like Walmart and hundreds of other employers large and small to ensure this valuable pipeline of skilled and talented people stay in Virginia, he said.

Since the programs creation in 2013, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services program has trained and certified more than 2,000 Virginia businesses and other employers on how to best recruit, hire and retain Virginia veterans. It has resulted in over 96,000 veteran hires, according to Crenshaw.

With more than 46,000 sales associates statewide and their own corporate Find A Future national program dedicated to hiring veterans and military spouses, we are exceptionally pleased to have Walmart partner with our V3 program, the veterans secretary said.

Walmart is proud to partner with Virginia Values Veterans to provide opportunities for veterans and military spouses to learn and grow, said Brynt Parmeter, Walmart senior director of military programs.

Our partnership will help advance the economic opportunity and well-being of our veterans, building on our focus to help them achieve their goals in education, employment, and entrepreneurship, he said.

Virginia is for veterans, Gade said.

One of our most important missions at DVS is to assure that Virginia veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses find successful employment in our civilian workforce. This is a reason Virginia continues to be recognized nationally as the No. 1 state for military veterans and retirees, he said.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.A Wyoming judge temporarily blocked the state's abortion ban on the day it took effect, siding with a firebombed women's health clinic and others who argued the ban would harm health care workers and their patients and violate the state constitution.

Wyoming's court action puts it among several states including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have temporarily blocked implementation of "trigger laws" while lawsuits play out.

Wyoming's law took effect briefly Wednesday, banning abortion except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother's life or health. The Wyoming developments occurred as hundreds protested an abortion ban bill that advanced in the West Virginia Legislature.

During hours of debate leading up to the 69-23 vote in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates, the sound of screams and chants from protesters standing outside the chamber rang through the room.

"Face us," the crowd yelled.

Wyoming's court action put it among several states including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have temporarily blocked implementation of "trigger laws" while lawsuits play out.

Attorneys arguing before Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens, in Jackson, disagreed over whether the Wyoming Constitution provided a right to abortion that would nullify the state's abortion "trigger" law that took effect Wednesday.

Owens proved most sympathetic, though, with arguments that the ban left pregnant patients with dangerous complications and their doctors in a difficult position as they balanced serious medical risks against the possibility of prosecution.

"That is a possible irreparable injury to the plaintiffs. They are left with no guidance," Owens said.

Several states including Wyoming recently passed abortion "trigger" bans should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, which happened June 24. The U.S. Supreme Court formally issued its judgment Tuesday  a step that allowed some states, though not Wyoming, to enact their abortion "trigger" bans.

After a more than three-week review, Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, last week gave the go-ahead for the Wyoming abortion ban he signed into law in March to take effect Wednesday.

The Wyoming law would outlaw abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother's life or health, not including psychological conditions. Doctors and others who provide illegal abortions under Wyoming's new law could get up to 14 years in prison.

The four Wyoming women and two nonprofits that sued Monday to contest the new law claim it violates several rights guaranteed by the state constitution. Wyoming Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde was skeptical, saying the state constitution neither explicitly nor implicitly allowed abortion.

"No such right exists. You can't infringe what isn't there," Jerde told Owens.

The lawsuit claims the abortion ban will harm the women  two obstetricians, a pregnant nurse and a University of Wyoming law student  by outlawing potentially life-saving treatment options for their patients or themselves.

Those suing include a nonprofit opening a Casper women's and LGBTQ health clinic, Wellspring Health Access, that would have offered abortions. A May arson attack has set back the clinic's opening from mid-June until at least the end of this year.

Wyoming's abortion ban is suspended while one in North Dakota is set to take effect Thursday, barring similar court developments in that state.

In West Virginia, meanwhile, lawmakers on Wednesday debated a sweeping abortion ban bill on the House floor that would make providing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill makes exceptions for rape or incest up to 14 weeks of gestation and for certain medical complications.

"What's ringing in my ears is not the noise of the people here," said one of the bill's supporters, Republican Del. Brandon Steele of Raleigh County. "It's the cries of the unborn, tens of thousands of unborn children that are dead today."

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said a 19th century law banned abortion in the state. Last week, a state judge barred the state from enforcing that ban, saying it was superseded by conflicting, newer laws.

Hundreds of people descended on the state Capitol for the debate. Many stood outside the House chamber and Speaker Roger Hanshaw's office chanting and holding signs reading "we will not go quietly" and "stop stealing our health care." Security officers escorted some from the House chambers.

Dozens spoke against the bill on the House floor including Katie Quinonez, executive director of the Women's Health Center of West Virginia, who was cut off and asked to step down as she started to talk about the abortion she got when she was 17.

"I chose life," she said, raising her voice to speak over the interruption. "I chose my life, because my life is sacred."

Willingham reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver
VIRGINIAS SUCCESSES over the past 50 years have happened because we have learned to work together in a bipartisan way. These efforts have led to the commonwealth we all now enjoy: our colleges and universities, community college system, high tech economy, historic sites, parks, medical centers, rail and trail systems, and our urban development.

It was former Gov. A. Linwood Holton, a Republican elected in 1969, who helped create our commitment to bipartisanship in Virginia.

When elected, he became Virginias first Republican governor since Reconstruction, and the first governor elected since the 1920s who was not a part of the Byrd Machine.

Harry F. Byrd was a Democratic state senator, governor, and United States senator who, for more than 40 years, used his power and influence to dominate Virginias political life. A pay-as-you-go fiscal conservative, Byrd resisted Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal and infamously organized Virginias Massive Resistance to school desegregation.

I traveled with Holton during his campaign, worked on his transition team, and served on his staff when he took office. From my vantage point, I saw first-hand how productive bipartisanship can be.

Holton sought to modernize the state government and enjoyed broad public support, as well as support from the business community. He also collaborated with the conservative Democrats who controlled the General Assembly at the time.

Among his many achievements were creating a cabinet to better manage state government, unifying state control of our ports, modernizing state agencies such as the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Tax Department, and the ABC Board. He embarked on an aggressive environmental agenda, and put an end to segregation.

Gov. Holtons bipartisan success story should be a model for the nation. Its an approach that the representative of the newly redrawn 7th District should also draw on.

I see in Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D7th, the same bipartisan spirit that Holton practiced, and believe it is in our interest to reelect her to represent us in Congress. Her approach to working in the U.S. House of Representatives is needed to help the country resolve the challenges facing us.

Rep. Spanbergers Republican opponent, Yesli Vega, drew on the endorsements of conservative congressional Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz, RTexas and Rep. Bob Good, R5th; and former Rep. Dave Brat, R7th, who lost his seat to Spanberger in 2018. Ms. Vega has built her campaign on the far-right segment of the Republican Party that fights efforts for bipartisan solutions.

We need help resolving our growing transportation problems, creating a better job base, upgrading our educational resources, and reducing our crime problems.

Rep. Spanberger, a former law enforcement and CIA officer, is best equipped to help deal with these issues. Her record of working with both parties to pass meaningful legislation is long, and has been nationally recognized by the Lugar Center and Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policy, which named her the fifth most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the most bipartisan member from the state of Virginia.

She helped negotiate the bipartisan federal infrastructure law, which is expected to bring nearly $7 billion to Virginia. She also recently introduced legislation to reduce food and gas costs, and to strengthen free-market competition in the meatpacking industry. This passed the U.S. House in a bipartisan vote.

She is also working to reduce the cost of health care and to protect those with preexisting conditions. Spanberger has called out the illegal actions taken by 17 pharmaceutical companies that have disregarded the 340B Drug Pricing Program (a bipartisan law passed in 1992) that protects patients who are low income, live in underserved communities, or suffer from serious chronic illnesses.

These are just a few ways that Spanberger follows in the footsteps of Holton, and represents the best of what we should seek in our politics.
A longtime Scottsbluff swim instructor, Jan Poole, is making waves to retirement. Poole plans to retire after the summer swim season comes to an end.

I cant remember who it was that told me a long time ago, if you choose a profession that you enjoy doing, youll never have to go to work, Poole said.

Though Poole has been teaching kids and adults in the water for 61 years, her love of swimming began at an early age. She grew up in the water and recalls seeing moving pictures of herself crawling into Lake Minatare.

We went to Lake Minatare every Sunday and I remember seeing moving pictures of me crawling into the lake from the car, Poole said. I would hate to raise me. My grandma and grandpa lived north of Cornett Heights road above the Enterprise and we grew up in the Enterprise. We swam in there all the time.

In 1961, she took her first swim instructor job at Westmoor Pool for $1.25 an hour before moving on to become the YMCA aquatic director for 18 years.

At the Y, I got training and got my aquatic certificate so then, I could be aquatic director, Poole said. I started at the Y when my daughter was in kindergarten, and I left when she was a junior in college.

In addition to teaching adult swim classes at the YMCA, she taught kids in water safety instruction (WSI), often combining the groups to grade the young lifeguards.

Teaching adults classes and future lifeguards became a passion of Pooles that stretched into volunteering to train instructors for the Red Cross in 11 swimming pools across the Panhandle. She worked to educate everyone in the water on safety and swimming as well as passed on her love of the water and teaching.

I told those WSI kids, if youre not willing to get in, even when its, you know, 75 degrees outside then you dont want to be a swimming teacher, Poole said. Because you got to get in, like with teaching adults, if youre in right beside them, and touching them, that builds so much confidence. They know youre right there.

At one point in her YMCA career, a preschool age swimming program was started and she had to learn to shift her skills to a much younger set of learners.

I really didnt have any formal training on how to teach little kids when I started the program. The Y sent me up to Casper to see how they did their preschool and I got a couple ideas from them, Poole said.

During the time she served as the YMCAs aquatic director, Poole raised two children and earned an associates degree from Western Nebraska Community College. She was a non-traditional student with high school age kids of her own at the time.

That was a fairly hectic schedule then, she said. When I worked at the Y and I went to WNCC, I would be teaching a class and hop out, change my clothes real quick and run out to the college and take a class out there. I was a lot younger then.

She eventually moved on from the YMCA to the Scottsbluff Country Club pool followed by one year at the Gering pool, all while working at Community Christian School.

Poole was at the country club for 10 years where she taught Debbie Posts three children.

She was firm, but she was patient, Post said. We loved her. We loved that she let us come and sit and watch, I thought that was cool as a parent to be able to observe.

Two of Posts children went on to be competitive swimmers on a swim team, and one even went on to teach swim lessons and lifeguard. Post attributes their love of swimming to the positive and encouraging early lessons with Poole.

Poole was on staff at Community Christian School when it opened and worked there in many capacities until she retired after 29 years. She filled many positions at the school ranging from playground supervisor, substitute and classroom para educator for preschool and kindergarten.

We had one principal that called me the in-house sub, she said. I loved doing that, too, that was not going to work. That was oh, those are school clothes, and I was just going to school. I didnt ever call it going to work.

In 2001, she found herself with a void and recognized that without a swimming pool, life was not the same.

In 2001, I did not have a pool and I told Marty (her husband) that, to me, life wasnt worth living if I couldnt have a pool and teach kids, she said. So we put in a pool in 2002 and I started teaching in 2003.

From that point on, she has been giving beginning swim lessons to young kids in her own backyard. For 19 years, Pooles yard gate has been opened by 30 kids a week, every weekday afternoon until the start of school in August.

She passes along her own style of swimming to young kids, ideally ages 3 and up or when they can pedal a tricycle. Hundreds of kids have learned to swim using Pooles puppy to stay afloat while learning body position underwater, riding the boat when they need a rest and earning the right to get in the goodie box on treat day.

I dont back down, that goodie box is on a pedestal, she said. I learned a long time ago, kids want rewards, they want instant gratification. If they get in and try without crying, they get something out of the goodie box.

Poole attributes the young kids abilities to quickly learn how to swim to her calm, backyard pool environment and small groups. Kids can see the not overly large pool as possible to swim and she keeps the atmosphere fun.

Stephanie Downer has been taking her kids to swim with Poole for the past four years.

Shes fabulous, Downer said. She has small classes. She works them harder than some teachers, but shes so kind about it. Its just been a really good thing for us. She really pushes them, theyve learned so much with her and they feel safe with her.

Over the years, Poole has dealt with many crying kids who are scared of the water. She uses her goodie box and often just soothingly holds them in the water until the crying stops. Downers daughter, Charlotte, started her swim lessons, crying, and Poole set to work it out.

Two weeks ago, she stood on the pool deck and cried for her mom, and today she swam the whole way without a float belt on, it brought me to tears, Poole said. Thats my paycheck. That is so rewarding for me.

Poole has taught families how to feel comfortable in the water and confidently swim for 61 years, but time has caught up to her and Marty.

Janice Stamans two grown children enjoyed learning how to swim in Pooles backyard over 15 years-ago.

Jan just loves it, how great that you can do something you love for that long, Staman said. She deserves to retire though, and take herself on a vacation to the beach.

Poole said, Ive enjoyed doing what Ive done for over 60 years so much, and its so rewarding that I hate to quit. It makes me feel really needed and appreciated, but this is my last year.
Chilhowie Police Chief Andrew Moss announced at the Chilhowie Town Council meeting the promotion of Ben Perry to lieutenant.

Perry joined the Chilhowie Police Department in 2014 as a patrolman, was named field training officer in 2015 and promoted to sergeant in 2016.

Im glad for the opportunity, said Perry. I want to help all our officers and move forward being the best department we can be.

His duties as lieutenant include training coordination and participating in the command staff with the chief and chief deputy in operational aspects.

Moss said he has made it a priority to train members of his department for leadership roles. They attend the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association training series offered through the FBI.

This is a nationwide training program for law enforcement officers.

It is my sincere hope to get all the officers trained up to where they could run this department or any office in Southwest Virginia, Moss said. To get a leadership mindset in continuing to learn and grow.

Part of our mission is to provide the highest level of service to our community, Moss said of his departments six officers.

Perry has an associates degree in administration of justice from Virginia Highlands Community College. He grew up in the Thomas Bridge community and graduated from Chilhowie High School in 2007.

My goal is to continue my career in Chilhowie, Perry said. Id like to retire here.

Perry and his wife Danielle live near Saltville and have fostered seven children in the past few years.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The last two former Minneapolis police officers who were convicted of violating George Floyd's civil rights during his May 2020 killing were sentenced Wednesday in federal court to three and 3 1/2 years  penalties that a judge said reflected their level of culpability in a case that sparked worldwide protests as part of a reckoning over racial injustice.

J. Alexander Kueng was sentenced to three years and Tao Thao got 3 1/2 years. They were convicted in February of two counts of violating Floyd's civil rights. The jury found they deprived the 46-year-old Black man of medical care and failed to stop Derek Chauvin as he knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes.

As Chauvin pinned Floyd's neck, Kueng held Floyd's back, Officer Thomas Lane held his feet and Thao kept bystanders back during the killing, which was recorded by bystanders.

The federal government brought the civil rights charges against all four officers in May 2021, a month after Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in state court. They were seen as an affirmation of the Justice Department's priorities to address racial inequities in policing, a promise made by President Joe Biden before his election. And they came just a week after federal prosecutors brought hate crimes charges in the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and announced two sweeping probes into policing in two states.

Kueng and Thao were convicted in February of two counts of violating Floyd's civil rights. The jury found they deprived the 46-year-old Black man of medical care and failed to stop Chauvin. Kueng, who is Black, was sentenced to three years on each count, to be served concurrently. Thao, who is Hmong American, was due to be sentenced later Wednesday.

The lower sentence for Kueng and Thao raise questions about whether he would consider a plea deal or risk a state court trial on Oct. 24, when they face counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Chauvin, who pleaded guilty last year to violating Floyd's civil rights and the civil rights of a teenager in an unrelated case, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison. Lane, who twice asked if Floyd should be rolled onto his side so he could breathe, was convicted of one count and was sentenced last week to 2 1/2  a sentence Floyd's brother Philonise called "insulting."

Kueng and Thao got a victory last week when Magnuson issued rulings that affected how their federal sentences would be calculated. The rulings  particularly one that cross-references their crimes with involuntary manslaughter instead of murder  meant the men headed into Wednesday's hearings with a recommended range of 4 1/4 years to 5 1/4 years. They might have faced a life sentence.

Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and former federal prosecutor, said ahead of the hearings that Kueng and Thao would likely seek a plea deal on the state charges that won't exceed the federal sentence and will let them serve the sentences concurrently.

Kueng and Thao can still appeal their federal convictions. If they plead guilty in state court, any federal appeal would be moot, said Mike Brandt, a criminal defense attorney who has been following the case. But it's also hard to win a federal appeal, he said.

"Those are some of the calculuses they are going to have to make in terms of, `Do I go to trial and risk something worse? Do I think I have a good shot at appeal on the federal case?'" Brandt said.

Lane, who is white, pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing in that case. He was allowed to remain free on bond after his federal sentencing.

Chauvin, who is white, was sentenced to a 22 1/2-year state sentence in addition to his federal sentence. Those sentences are being served simultaneously.
PUTNAM, Conn.  Even as numerous Republican-governed states push for sweeping bans on abortion, there is a coinciding surge of concern in some Democratic-led states that options for reproductive health care are dwindling due to expansion of Catholic hospital networks.

These are states such as Oregon, Washington, California, New York and Connecticut, where abortion will remain legal despite the U.S. Supreme Courts recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Concerns in these blue states pertain to such services as contraception, sterilization and certain procedures for handling pregnancy emergencies. These services are widely available at secular hospitals but generally forbidden, along with abortion, at Catholic facilities under the Ethical and Religious Directives set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The differing perspectives on these services can clash when a Catholic hospital system seeks to acquire or merge with a non-sectarian hospital, as is happening now in northeastern Connecticut. State officials are assessing a bid by Catholic-run Covenant Health to merge with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system based in the town of Putnam.

We need to ensure that any new ownership can provide a full range of care  including reproductive health care, family planning, gender-affirming care and end-of-life care, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat.

Lois Utley, a specialist in tracking hospital mergers, said her organization, Community Catalyst, has identified more than 20 municipalities in blue or purple states where the only acute care hospitals are Catholic.

We are definitely sliding backwards in terms of comprehensive reproductive health, Utley said. Catholic systems are taking over many physician practices, urgent care centers, ambulatory care centers, and patients seeking contraception wont be able to get it if their physician is now part of that system.

According to the Catholic Health Association, there are 654 Catholic hospitals in the U.S., including 299 with obstetric services. The CHA says more than one in seven U.S. hospital patients are cared for in a Catholic facility.

The CHAs president, Sister Mary Haddad, said the Catholic hospitals provide a wide range of prenatal, obstetric and postnatal services while assisting in about 500,000 births annually.

This commitment is rooted in our reverence for life, from conception to natural death, Haddad said via email. As a result, Catholic hospitals do not offer elective abortions.

Protocols are different for dire emergencies when the mother suffers from an urgent, life-threatening condition during pregnancy, Haddad said. Catholic health clinicians provide all medically indicated treatment even if it poses a threat to the unborn.

This approach is now being mirrored in several states imposing bans that allow abortions only to save a mothers life. There is concern that doctors governed by such bans  whether a state law or a Catholic directive  may endanger a pregnant womans health by withholding treatment as she begins to show ill effects from a pregnancy-related problem.

In California, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener is among those warily monitoring the proliferation of Catholic health care providers, who operate 52 hospitals in his state.

The hospitals provide superb care to a lot of people, including low-income communities, Wiener said. But they absolutely deny people access to reproductive health care as well as gender-affirming care (for transgender people).

Its the bishop, not professional standards, that are dictating who can receive what health care, Wiener said. That is scary.

Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine, says critics of the mergers fail to acknowledge a major benefit of Catholic health care expansion.

These mergers take place because Catholic institutions are willing to take on the really hard places where others have failed to make money, he said. We should focus on what these institutions are doing in a positive way  stepping into the breach where virtually no one else wants to go, especially in rural areas.

That argument has resonance in mostly rural northeast Connecticut, where Day Kimball serves an aging population of about 125,000.

Kyle Kramer, Day Kimballs CEO, said the 104-bed hospital has been seeking a financial partner for more than seven years and would soon face very serious issues if it had to continue on its own.

Regarding the proposed merger, he said, Change is always difficult.

However, he said Day Kimballs providers would remain committed to comprehensive health care if the merger proceeds, seeking to ensure that patients are informed of all options when it comes to such matters as contraception, miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.

As for abortions, Kramer said Day Kimball had never performed them for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy and would continue that policy if partnering with Covenant.

Despite the assurances, some residents are concerned that the regions only hospital would become Catholic-owned. Some merger opponents protested outside the hospital last Monday.

The public is being told if you dont take Covenant, you wont have a hospital at all, said Elizabeth Canning of Pomfret, Connecticut. Which is, of course, frightening. So people go, Okay, well, well take them. ... Its better than nothing.

Ive had wonderful care here. Thats not my objection, Canning continued. I dont want any religion involved in my health care.

Sue Grant Nash, a retired Day Kimball hospice social worker from Putnam, described herself as religious but said she doesnt believe peoples values should be imposed on others.

Very important articles of faith that Catholics may have, and I respect completely, shouldnt impact the quality of health care that is available to the public, she said.

There have been related developments in other states.

In Washington, Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall plans to re-introduce a bill that would empower the attorney general to block hospital mergers and acquisitions if they jeopardize the continued existence of accessible, affordable health care, including reproductive health care. Gov. Jay Inslee says he is in support of such a measure.

The state has already passed a bill that bars the states religious hospitals from prohibiting health care providers from providing medically necessary care to hasten miscarriages or end nonviable pregnancies, like ectopic pregnancies. Under the new law, patients can sue a hospital if they are denied such care, and providers can also sue if they are disciplined for providing such care.

In Oregon, the state has new authority to bar religious hospitals from acquiring or merging with another health care entity if that means access to abortion and other reproductive services would be reduced. A law that took effect March 1 requires state approval for mergers and acquisitions of sizable health care entities.

Thirty percent of acute care beds in the state are controlled by systems that restrict access to these services, according to Katie Shriver of the Service Employees International Union, who testified in support of the bill last year.

The law also allows the state to consider end-of-life options allowed by hospitals seeking to establish a footprint or expand in Oregon, which in 1994 became the first state to legalize medical aid in dying.

In Newport Beach, California, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian divorced itself from a large Catholic health system earlier this year. The separation from Providence Health & Services, which runs 52 hospitals across seven states, came after a years-long legal battle.

In a 2020 lawsuit, Hoag said it was a captive affiliate of Providence, which is headquartered more than 1,000 miles away in Washington state. Hoag was founded as a Presbyterian institution in 1952.

In 2013, Hoag joined with St. Joseph Health, a local Catholic hospital chain, aspiring to broaden access to health care in its area. In 2016, Providence Health absorbed St. Joseph along with Hoag.

Hoags doctors questioned Providences move to standardize treatment decisions across its hospitals and also balked at restrictions on reproductive care. In 2014 then-Attorney General Kamala Harris approved the health systems affiliation on condition that Hoag would not be bound by Catholic health directives.

Hoags lawsuit said its Presbyterian beliefs, values and policies have been compromised due to restrictions within the larger Catholic system.

 In New York, two Democratic legislators proposed a bill this year that would have required the states health department to publish a list of health services that are unavailable at each general hospital so patients can be better informed.

The lawmakers said the legislation, which failed, was needed to address health care deserts where hospitals have closed or merged with religiously affiliated entities and reproductive care and other health services have been lost.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, which has raised concerns about hospitals in Schenectady and Lockport affiliating with Catholic entities, says some New York patients have had difficulty obtaining miscarriage services and birth control pills from Catholic providers.
Cowlitz County reported its first confirmed monkeypox case Tuesday, as the statewide number of cases passed 100.

The resident, an adult man, is not hospitalized and is isolating at home, according to Cowlitz County Health and Human Services. The health department is working with the resident to identify and reach out to anyone he may have come into close contact with while contagious.

Despite the news of this case, we dont expect widespread community transmission at this time, said Dr. Steven Krager, deputy health officer for Cowlitz County, in a press release. While the risk remains low, its important that everyone be aware of the symptoms and know when to seek medical care.

As of Tuesday, a total of 101 confirmed and probable monkeypox cases have been detected in Washington state, according to the state Department of Health. King County has reported the most cases, 90, and Clark and Lewis counties have reported one case each. The state confirmed its first case on May 27.

Krager said he expects Cowlitz County has more cases that havent been identified yet, and there will likely be more cases reported over the next few weeks.

Monkeypox can cause a rash that looks like fluid-filled bumps, blisters or ulcers. Before getting a rash, some people experience flu-like symptoms. The virus can spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed.

Most people with monkeypox recover in two to four weeks and do not require hospitalization, according to the health department. At highest risk of severe illness are immunocompromised people, children, people with a history of eczema and people who are pregnant.

Monkeypox can spread through any kind of close, skin-to-skin contact with an infected person who has symptoms. Brief interactions that do not involve physical contact are not high risk, according to the health department. The virus can spread through:

Direct contact with monkeypox rash, sores or scabs from a person with monkeypox, including intimate sexual contact.

Contact with objects, fabrics and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.

Respiratory droplets or saliva during direct and prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected person.

The risk to the general public is quite low, but the disease is spreading locally, Krager said.

Were watching other communities closely that have had cases earlier than us to try to predict, but every community is different, he said. Its hard to say exactly how widespread this will become, if it will stay within certain groups of people or start spreading in other groups.

Anyone can get monkeypox, but some people have a higher risk of exposure, including anyone who is sexually active with multiple partners or who are partners with someone who has sex with multiple partners, according to the state Department of Health. Many of the current cases globally and in the United States are occurring in men who have sex with men, according to the department.

While cases are most prominent in that population, that is expected to change over time as the disease spreads, Krager said.

Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease but can be spread during sex, according to the Department of Health. Other risk factors may include travel to areas where monkeypox is spreading; close, nonsexual contact with a known case; or contact with sick animals.

People at risk should be aware of their bodies and others bodies, and have open and honest conversations about symptoms and if partners have been around those with a rash, Krager said. In general, anyone who is sick shouldnt be around other people, he said.

Those at higher risk should be aware of how the disease spreads and its symptoms and have a lower threshold to get tested, Krager said.

People who have symptoms, or who may have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, should contact their healthcare provider to get tested. Antiviral drugs and vaccines may be used to treat and prevent monkeypox.

Vaccines are in limited supply and will initially be prioritized for those at highest risk, but local health departments are working with the state on a plan to expand distribution, Krager said.

Because there is limited vaccine right now, especially in our region, were trying to balance using it preventatively as well as responding to the highest risk people, who are identified close contacts, he said. Weve seen in other parts of the country vaccine offered to groups of people at higher risk who dont know if theyve been exposed or probably havent been exposed but may be in the future. Thats certainly something we want to do.
The 23-ton Chinese booster rocket Long March 5B debris could crash to earth this week.

The remnants of the massive 23-ton Chinese rocket that recently delivered a new module to its space station is expected to fall to Earth this week. The US Space Command is keeping a track of the rocket's trajectory and according to them the 23-ton Long March 5B rocket debris will fall to earth on Jul 31, 2022. The rocket carrying the Wentian laboratory module, took off from Hainan Island at 2:22 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 24. The rocket has successfully docked the module for China's under-construction Tiangong space station.

After completing its job, the rocket has gone into an uncontrolled descent toward Earth's atmosphere and now the space junk is expected to fall back to Earth. The rocket body will likely stay aloft for about a week, shared the researchers with The Aerospace Corporation's Center for Orbital Reentry and Debris Studies (CORDS). The data gathered by the U.S Space Force's Space Surveillance Network predicted that the rocket's body will re-enter Earth's atmosphere around 3:30 a.m. EDT (0730 GMT) on July 31, plus or minus 22 hours.

As reported by Space.com, the re-entry is likely to occur somewhere between 41 degrees north latitude and 41 degrees south latitude. The report also suggests that not all debris from the massive rocket will burn up in the earth's atmosphere. The general rule of thumb says only 20-40% of the mass of a large object will reach the ground, but the exact amount depends on the design of the object. The Aerospace Corporation, explaining the impending rocket fall, says, "In this case, we would expect about five to nine metric tons [5.5 to 9.9 tons]."

The same undirected dives were also seen on the previous two Long March 5B missions. The first Long March 5B rocket was launched on May 5, 2020 and came down in an uncontrolled manner off Africa's west coast after a week. The second Long March 5B re-entered earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean in May 2021, after 10 days of launching Tiangong's core module, also known as Tianhe.
The Sarawak state government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Melexis Technology, a Belgium-based global supplier of micro-electronic semiconductor solutions which will pave the way for the state to produce its own integrated chips (IC). Among others, the MoU entails cooperation in IC design and semi-conductor talent development in the state as part of Sarawaks innovation and talent development programme.

As reported by national news agency Bernama, the MoU was initiated during a ceremony in Tessenderlo, Belgium yesterday (26 July 2022). It was signed by Sarawak Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development together with Melexis Technology and witnessed by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Melexis Technology is already part of the existing XFab chips foundry at Sarawaks Samajaya Free Industrial Zone, producing chips for a wide range of applications, including in automobiles. Abang Johari asserted that the collaboration is important and will enable the state to benefit from chip design development that might originate from Sarawak in the future.

The Sarawak Premier also stressed that talent development is important to nurture a robust research and development (R&D) climate in chip design technology in the state. Furthermore, he said that the collaboration would also supplement the proposed development of a hydrogen-powered Autonomous Rapid Transit public transport in the state.

So, what do you guys think of this collaboration by the Sarawak state government and Melexis Technology? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest trending tech news.
After learning to walk in 1 hour, we start applying external perturbations to the quadruped robot. While being fragile initially, the robot learns to adapt to withstand pushes or quickly roll back on its feet within 10 minutes of continued learning. Credit: Wu et al.

Training robots to complete tasks in the real-world can be a very time-consuming process, which involves building a fast and efficient simulator, performing numerous trials on it, and then transferring the behaviors learned during these trials to the real world. In many cases, however, the performance achieved in simulations does not match the one attained in the real-world, due to unpredictable changes in the environment or task.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) have recently developed DayDreamer, a tool that could be used to train robots to complete real-world tasks more effectively. Their approach, introduced in a paper pre-published on arXiv, is based on learning models of the world that allow robots to predict the outcomes of their movements and actions, reducing the need for extensive trial and error training in the real-world.

"We wanted to build robots that continuously learn directly in the real world, without having to create a simulation environment," Danijar Hafner, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "We had only learned world models of video games before, so it was super exciting to see that the same algorithm allows robots to quickly learn in the real world, too!"

Using their approach, the researchers were able to efficiently and quickly teach robots to perform specific behaviors in the real world. For instance, they trained a robotic dog to roll off its back, stand up and walk in just one hour.

After it was trained, the team started pushing the robot and found that, within 10 minutes, it was also able to withstand pushes or quickly roll back on its feet. The team also tested their tool on robotic arms, training them to pick up objects and place them in specific places, without telling them where the objects were initially located.

"We saw the robots adapt to changes in lighting conditions, such as shadows moving with the sun over the course of a day," Hafner said. "Besides learning quickly and continuously in the real world, the same algorithm without any changes worked well across the four different robots and tasks. Thus, we think that world models and online adaptation will play a big role in robotics going forward."

Computational models based on reinforcement learning can teach robots behaviors over time, by giving them rewards for desirable behavior, such as good object grasping strategies or moving at a suitable velocity. Typically, these models are trained through a lengthy trial and error process, using both simulations that can be sped up and experiments in the real world.

On the other hand, Dreamer, the algorithm developed by Hafner and his colleagues, builds a world model based on its past "experiences." This world model can then be used to teach robots new behaviors based on "imagined" interactions. This significantly reduces the need for trials in real-world environment, thus substantially speeding up the training process.

"Directly predicting future sensory inputs would be too slow and expensive, especially when large inputs like camera images are involved," Hafner said. "The world model first learns to encode its sensory inputs at each time step (motor angles, accelerometer measurements, camera images, etc.) into a compact representation. Given a representation and a motor command, it then learns to predict the resulting representation at the next time step."

The world model produced by Dreamer allows robots to "imagine" future representations instead of processing raw sensory inputs. This in turn allows the model to plan thousands of action sequences in parallel, using a single graphics processing unit (GPU). These "imagined" sequences help to quickly improve the robots' performance on specific tasks.

"The use of latent features in reinforcement learning has been studied extensively in the context of representation learning; the idea being that one can create a compact representation of large sensory inputs (camera images, depth scans), thereby reducing model size and perhaps reducing the training time required," Alejandro Escontrela, another researcher involved in the study, told TechXplore. "However, representation learning techniques still require that the robot interact with the real world or a simulator for a long time to learn a task. Dreamer instead allows the robot to learn from imagined interaction by using its learned representations as an accurate and hyper efficient 'simulator.' This enables the robot to perform a huge amount of training within the learned world model."

While training robots, Dreamer continuously collects new experiences and uses them to enhance its world model, thus improving the robots' behavior. Their method allowed the researchers to train a quadruped robot to walk and adapt to specific environmental stimuli in only one hour, without using a simulator, which had never been achieved before.

"In the future, we imagine that this technology will enable users to teach robots many new skills directly in the real world, removing the need to design simulators for each task," Hafner said. "It also opens the door for building robots that adapt to hardware failures, such as being able to walk despite a broken motor in one of the legs."

In their initial tests, Hafner, Escontrela, Philip Wu and their colleagues also used their method to train a robot to pick up objects and place them in specific places. This task, which is performed by human workers in warehouses and assembly lines every day, can be difficult for robots to complete, particularly when the position of the objects they are expected to pick up is unknown.

Dreamer follows a simple pipeline for online learning on physical robots, without the need for simulators. Interaction with the real world is added to the replay buffer that stores all past experiences. A world model learns on sequences taken from the replay buffer at random. The behavior learns from predictions of the world model using an "actor critic" algorithm. The current behavior is used to interact with the world to collect new experiences, closing the loop. Credit: Wu et al.

"Another difficulty associated with this task is that we cannot give intermediate feedback or reward to the robot until it has actually grasped something, so there is a lot for the robot to explore without intermediate guidance," Hafner said. "In 10 hours of fully autonomous operation, the robot trained using Dreamer approached the performance of human tele-operators. This result suggests world models as a promising approach for automating stations in warehouses and assembly lines."

In their experiments, the researchers successfully used the Dreamer algorithm to train four morphologically different robots on various tasks. Training these robots using conventional reinforcement learning typically requires substantial manual tuning, performed well across tasks without additional tuning.

"Based on our results, we are expecting that more robotics teams will start using and improving Dreamer to solve more challenging robotics problems," Hafner said. "Having a reinforcement learning algorithm that works out of the box gives teams more time to focus on building the robot hardware and on specifying the tasks they want to automate with the world model."

The algorithm can easily be applied to robots and its code will soon be open source. This means that other teams will soon be able to use it to train their own robots using world models.

Hafner, Escontrela, Wu and their colleagues would now like to conduct new experiments, equipping a quadruped robot with a camera so that it can learn not only to walk, but also to identify nearby objects. This should allow the robot to tackle more complex tasks, for instance avoiding obstacles, identifying objects of interest in its environment or walking next to a human user.

"An open challenge in robotics is how users can intuitively specify tasks for robots," Hafner added. "In our work, we implemented the reward signals that the robot optimizes as Python functions, but ultimately it would be nice to teach robots from human preferences by directly telling them when they did something right or wrong. This could happen by pressing a button to give a reward or even by equipping the robots with an understanding of human language."

So far, the team only used their algorithm to train robots on specific tasks, which were clearly defined at the beginning of their experiments. In the future, however, they would also like to train robots to explore their environment without tackling a clearly defined task.

"A promising direction would be to train the robots to explore their surroundings in the absence of a task through artificial curiosity, and then later adapt to solve tasks specified by users even faster," Hafner added.

Explore further Robots learn household tasks by watching humans

More information: Philipp Wu et al, DayDreamer: world models for physical robot learning. arXiv:2206.14176v1 [cs.RO], Philipp Wu et al, DayDreamer: world models for physical robot learning. arXiv:2206.14176v1 [cs.RO], arxiv.org/abs/2206.14176

 2022 Science X Network
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. Federal regulators, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, took legal action to block Facebook parent Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from acquiring virtual reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting the deal would hurt competition and violate antitrust laws. Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass, File

Federal regulators on Wednesday took legal action to block Facebook parent Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from acquiring virtual reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting the deal would hurt competition and violate antitrust laws.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in federal court in San Francisco against the tech giant and its high-profile CEO seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the proposed acquisition.

The regulators said that Meta already is a key player "at each level of the virtual reality sector," owning the top-selling device, a leading app store, seven of the most successful developers in the sphere and one of the best-selling apps of all time.

The FTC alleged that Meta and Zuckerberg plan to expand that VR empire by attempting to illegally acquire a dedicated fitness app.

Under Zuckerberg's leadership, Meta began a campaign to conquer virtual reality in 2014 with its acquisition of headset maker Oculus VR. Since then, Meta's VR headsets have become the cornerstone of its growth in the virtual reality space, according to the complaint. Fueled by the popularity of its top-selling Quest headsets, Meta's Quest Store has become a leading U.S. app platform with more than 400 apps available to download, it says.

Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021. Federal regulators, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, took legal action to block Facebook parent Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from acquiring virtual reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting the deal would hurt competition and violate antitrust laws. Credit: AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File

Meta rejected the regulators' claims.

"The FTC's case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence," the company said in a statement. "By attacking this deal ... the FTC is sending a chilling message to anyone who wishes to innovate in VR. We are confident that our acquisition of Within will be good for people, developers, and the VR space."

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Republican attorneys general from 17 states are asking Alphabet Inc.'s Google to provide assurances that the search giant isn't suppressing results for crisis pregnancy centers in favor of abortion clinics.

The letter, part of a campaign spearheaded by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, asks Google to resist a June 17 call from Democratic lawmakers to "limit the appearance of pro-life clinics" in search results. The legislators had written to Alphabet chief executive officer Sundar Pichai about "disturbing" reports of Google's search results for "abortion" and "abortion pill" directing people to crisis pregnancy centers, which attempt to steer women away from abortions.

They had asked Alphabet to limit results for those centers for people seeking abortion services or to provide disclaimers that indicate such organizations do not offer abortion care.

"Google appears to have caved to those demands," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the statement Tuesday. Alphabet has not announced any changes to searches related to reproductive health care in the last month and results for abortion still regularly serve up crisis pregnancy centers. Google didn't respond to a request for further comment, and the Texas attorney general's office did not immediately respond to questions asking what changes he was referring to in his comments.

Technology giants are also facing questions about whether they will hand over user data to authorities in states that have banned or severely limited abortion. A majority of states either already have or will add laws that restrict access to abortion now that there are no federal protections, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Google said earlier this month it will automatically delete records of user visits to sensitive locations, including abortion clinics. The Republican attorneys general accused the search giant "religious discrimination" if it is suppressing results for the pro-life centers because they are often faith-based services. The letter asks Alphabet if its treating crisis pregnancy centers "any differently" than they were before. They gave the search giant 14 days to respond. The letter came from a mix of states where abortion is banned, such at Texas and Mississippi, and others such as Virginia and Montana, where abortion is not restricted.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
People walk past a Microsoft office on Nov. 10, 2016, in New York. Microsoft on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $16.7 billion, or $2.23 per share, a rare disappointment from the tech giant that has consistently beat Wall Street expectations in recent years. Credit: AP Photo/Swayne B. Hall, File

Microsoft on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $16.7 billion, or $2.23 per share, falling short of analyst expectations for $2.29 per sharea rare disappointment from the tech giant that has consistently beat Wall Street expectations in recent years.

It posted revenue of $51.9 billion in the April-June period, up 12% from last year. Analysts had been looking for revenue of $52.94 billion, according to FactSet.

The company blamed a number of "evolving macroeconomic conditions and other unforeseen items" for affecting its financial performance, including pandemic-related production shutdowns in China, a deteriorating personal computer market, lowered spending on advertisements and the war in Ukraine, which led Microsoft to scale down its operations in Russia.

The company had already lowered its profit and sales estimates in early June based on what it described as "unfavorable" changes in the foreign exchange rate as the U.S. dollar surged.

A tough season for computer salesblamed on supply chain disruptions and geopolitical instabilityput pressure on Microsoft's personal computing business, which relies on licensing revenue from PC manufacturers who install its Windows operating system on their products.

Sales from those licenses dropped 2% from the same time last year, Microsoft reported Tuesday. That, along with a 6% drop in sales of Microsoft's Xbox gaming-related content, dragged down the company's broader personal computing business segment, which grew just 2% to $14.4 billion for the quarter.

The market research firm Gartner recently said global PC shipments declined 12.6% in the second calendar quarter of 2022 from the same time last year, the sharpest decline in nine years. Another report by International Data Corp. estimates PC shipments declined 15.3% during that April-June period, the second consecutive quarter of lower shipments after two years of growth.

Growth of Microsoft's cloud computing business made up for some of its shortfalls elsewhere. Microsoft's cloud-based segment sold $20.9 billion for the quarter, up 20% from last year.

Microsoft's work-related software segment, which includes its Office suite of products, grew 13% to $16.6 billion for the quarter. That included a 26% increase in revenue from its career-focused social network LinkedIn, despite lower spending on ads on the service.

Microsoft is currently aiming to close on a $68.7 billion purchase of video game company Activision Blizzard, in what could be the largest-ever tech industry acquisition. The deal, announced in January, awaits approval from antitrust authorities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A powerful enough laser beam could blind spy satellites. Credit: MuthuKutty/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

Russia is building a new ground-based laser facility for interfering with satellites orbiting overhead, according to a recent report in The Space Review. The basic idea would be to dazzle the optical sensors of other nations' spy satellites by flooding them with laser light.

Laser technology has evolved to the point where this type of anti-satellite defense is plausible, though there is limited evidence of any nation successfully testing such a laser.

If the Russian government is able to build the laser, it would be capable of shielding a large part of the country from the view of satellites with optical sensors. The technology also sets the stage for the more ominous possibility of laser weapons that can permanently disable satellites.

How lasers work

A laser is a device for creating a narrow beam of directed energy. The first laser was developed in 1960, and since that time, there have been several types created that use different physical mechanisms to generate photons, or particles of light.

Gas lasers pump large amounts of energy into specific molecules such as carbon dioxide. Chemical lasers are powered by specific chemical reactions that release energy. Solid-state lasers use customized crystalline materials to convert electrical energy into photons. In all lasers, the photons are subsequently amplified by passing them through a special type of material called the gain medium and then focused into a coherent beam by a beam director.

Laser effects

Depending on the photon intensity and wavelength, the directed beam of energy formed by a laser can create a range of effects at its target. For example, if the photons are in the visible part of the spectrum, a laser can deliver light at its target.

For a sufficiently high flow of high-energy photons, a laser can heat, vaporize, melt and even burn through the material of its target. The ability to deliver these effects is determined by the power level of the laser, the distance between the laser and its target, and the ability to focus the beam on the target.

Laser applications

The various effects generated by lasers find widespread applications in everyday life, including laser pointers, printers, DVD players, retinal and other medical surgery procedures, and industrial manufacturing processes such as laser welding and cutting. Researchers are developing lasers as an alternative to radio wave technology to boost communications between spacecraft and the ground.

Lasers also find widespread application in military operations. One of the best known is the Airborne Laser (ABL), which the U.S. military intended to use to shoot down ballistic missiles. ABL involved a very large, high-power laser mounted on a Boeing 747. The program was ultimately doomed by the challenges associated with the thermal management and maintenance of its chemical laser.

A more successful military application is the Large Aircraft Infrared Counter Measures (LAIRCM) system, which is used to protect aircraft from heat-seeking antiaircraft missiles. LAIRCM shines light from a solid-state laser into the missile sensor as it approaches the aircraft, causing the weapon to become dazzled and lose track of its target.

The evolving performance of solid-state lasers has led to a proliferation of new military applications. The U.S. military is mounting lasers on Army trucks and Navy ships to defend against small targets such as drones, mortar shells and other threats. The Air Force is studying the use of lasers on aircraft for defensive and offensive purposes.

The physics of lasers explained.

The Russian laser

The reputed new Russian laser facility is called Kalina. It is intended to dazzle, and therefore temporarily blind, the optical sensors of satellites that are collecting intelligence overhead. As with the U.S. LAIRCM, dazzling involves saturating the sensors with enough light to prevent them from functioning. Achieving this goal requires accurately delivering a sufficient amount of light into the satellite sensor. This is no easy feat given the very large distances involved and the fact that the laser beam must first pass through the Earth's atmosphere.

Accurately pointing lasers over large distances into space is not new. For example, NASA's Apollo 15 mission in 1971 placed meter-sized reflectors on the Moon that are targeted by lasers on Earth to provide positioning information. Delivering enough photons over large distances comes down to the laser power level and its optical system.

Kalina reportedly operates in a pulsed mode in the infrared and produces about 1,000 joules per square centimeter. By comparison, a pulsed laser used for retinal surgery is only about 1/10,000th as powerful. Kalina delivers a large fraction of the photons it generates across the large distances where satellites orbit overhead. It is able to do this because lasers form highly collimated beams, meaning the photons travel in parallel so the beam doesn't spread out. Kalina focuses its beam using a telescope that has a diameter of several meters.

Spy satellites using optical sensors tend to operate in low-Earth orbit with an altitude of a few hundred kilometers. It generally takes these satellites a few minutes to pass over any specific point on the Earth's surface. This requires Kalina to be able to operate continuously for that long while maintaining permanent track on the optical sensor. These functions are carried out by the telescope system.

Based on the reported details of the telescope, Kalina would be able to target an overhead satellite for hundreds of miles of its path. This would make it possible to shield a very large areaon the order of 40,000 square miles (roughly 100,000 square kilometers)from intelligence gathering by optical sensors on satellites. Forty thousand square miles is roughly the area of the state of Kentucky.

Russia claims that in 2019 it fielded a less capable truck-mounted laser dazzling system called Peresvet. However, there is no confirmation that it has been used successfully.

Laser power levels are likely to continue to increase, making it possible to go beyond the temporary effect of dazzling to permanently damaging the imaging hardware of sensors. While laser technology development is heading in that direction, there are important policy considerations associated with using lasers in this way. Permanent destruction of a space-based sensor by a nation could be considered an act of aggression, leading to a rapid escalation of tensions.

Lasers in space

Of even greater concern is the potential deployment of laser weapons in space. Such systems would be highly effective because the distances to targets would likely be significantly reduced, and there is no atmosphere to weaken the beam. The power levels needed for space-based lasers to cause significant damage to spacecraft would be significantly reduced in comparison to ground-based systems.

In addition, space-based lasers could be used to target any satellite by aiming lasers at propellant tanks and power systems, which, if damaged, would completely disable the spacecraft.

As technology advances continue, the use of laser weapons in space becomes more likely. The question then becomes: What are the consequences?

Explore further A new record for laser stability across atmospheric distances

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Spirit Airlines terminated a merger with Frontier, saying it is in talks with JetBlue.

After months of back-and-forth, Spirit Airlines announced Wednesday that it was breaking off a merger with Frontier Group, opening the door to a possible takeover by JetBlue.

The Spirit-Frontier deal, announced in February, was thrown into doubt in early April when JetBlue Airways unveiled its own takeover bid and subsequently launched a hostile takeover bid as smaller carriers try to gain scale to take on the biggest US airlines.

Spirit officials continued to back the Frontier deal, in part due to concerns that the JetBlue offer might face difficulty with antitrust authorities.

But company leaders ran into trouble with Spirit shareholders and repeatedly were forced to postpone an investor vote on the Frontier agreement.

"While we are disappointed that we had to terminate our proposed merger with Frontier, we are proud of the dedicated work of our team members on the transaction over the past many months," said Ted Christie, chief executive of Spirit in a statement.

"Moving forward, the Spirit Board of Directors will continue our ongoing discussions with JetBlue as we pursue the best path forward for Spirit and our stockholders."

The most recent bid from JetBlue values Spirit at $3.7 billion, almost a billion more than the value of Frontier.

JetBlue's bid includes a potential $400 million payment to Spirit if regulators block the takeover.

All three companies have been looking to grow to better compete with the biggest US carriers, American, United, Delta and Southwest.

Explore further Spirit Airlines favors Frontier deal, rejects JetBlue bid

 2022 AFP
Official poster of the 79th Venice International Film Festival. [Photo/VCG]

The complete line-up of the Venice International Film Festival 2022 was unveiled at a press conference on Tuesday, with 73 new feature films in the Official Selection. Of these, 23 will compete for the Golden Lion.

The 79th edition of the international event, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10 on the Venice Lido -- will open with Netflix's "White Noise" by U.S. filmmaker Noah Baumbach. The movie is based on Don DeLillo's 1985 novel of the same name.

The Festival's artistic director Alberto Barbera said on Monday evening it would be "a great honor" to open with this film.

"Baumbach has made an original, ambitious and compelling piece of art, which plays with measure on multiple registers: dramatic, ironic, satirical," Barbera said.

"The result is a film that analyses our obsessions, doubts, and fears as they were in the 1980s, yet with very clear references to contemporary reality."

For Baumbach, it will mark a return to Venice three years after the premiere of his film "Marriage Story," which earned six nominations at the 2020 Academy Awards, and an Oscar for Laura Dern as best supporting actress.

The festival will close on Sept. 10 with the out-of-competition Sky Original film "The Hanging Sun" by Francesco Carrozzini, a thriller adapted from a noir novel by Jo Nesbo and set in a Norwegian summer "where the sun never sets."

The 23 films competing for Venice's highest prize, the Golden Lion, include "The Lord of the Ants" by Italian director Gianni Amelio. Also in the running is "The Immensity" by Emanuele Crialese, starring Penelope Cruz.

The festival's line-up also includes U.S. filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's drama "The Whale"; "Beyond the Wall" by Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand; "The Son" by French director Florian Zeller; "Bones and All" by Italian director Luca Guadagnino; the comedy "Bardo" by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Inarritu, and "The Banshees of Inisherin" by Irish director Martin McDonagh.

Some 19 movies and documentaries, two television series, and four short films will play out of competition. A further 30 works (including short films) will compete in the Horizons category, Venice's international section devoted to new cinema trends.

Barbera said that the public will enjoy a program that is "more varied than usual," with established filmmakers featured alongside emerging directors, and talented newcomers striving for international recognition.

"What prevails is the feeling that cinema still wants to try to explore ways of thinking, big themes and big questions, the deep relationships tying people to one another ...and (it still has) the ability to push one's gaze beyond the horizon of the present," Barbera added.
The Subway Series is back, and this time around theres more anticipation with both the New York Mets and New York Yankees good at the same time. Some even think the two could potentially meet for a World Series matchup  the first time that would happen since 2000.

At a packed house at Citi Field on Tuesday night, the Yankees were the first ones to strike with Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo hitting back-to-back opposite-field homers off Taijuan Walker to give them a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Aaron Judge & Anthony Rizzo go back-to-back to kickoff the Subway Series  @BRWalkoff pic.twitter.com/6giWRx6K4B  Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 26, 2022

Not exactly the result Walker wanted to start out his start. In fact, before Judge  a strong AL MVP candidate  took him deep, the Mets ace failed to give up a home run at home all season.

Judge and Rizzos bomb marks the 14th set of back-to-back home runs for the Yankees this season, tying the single-season franchise record set in 2009.
Front Row Motorsports has decided to file an appeal with NASCAR over their decision to penalize driver Michael McDowell and the No. 34 team over infractions that were discovered after Sundays race at Pocono Raceway.

McDowell got hit with a 100 driver-point penalty, crew chief Blake Harris was fined $100,000 and suspended four races, and the No. 34 team was penalized 100 owner points as well after it was reportedly discovered that they had an improperly modified part on McDowells car.

The discovery was made after the race when the car arrived at NASCARs R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner had finished sixth on Sunday.

Front Row Motorsports continues to assess the penalties levied against the No. 34 team and the circumstances leading to the issues with the teams car after the event in Pocono this past weekend, the team said in a statement on Wednesday. FRM has initiated the appeal process with NASCAR and will have no further comment until after the process has reached a conclusion.

Sunday was a big day for post-race penalties as original race winner Denny Hamlin and second-place finisher Kyle Busch were both disqualified after the fact when Joe Gibbs Racings cars were found to have small pieces of tape placed on the front ends, which is not allowed. Neither of those disqualifications was appealed, though they did express being shocked by the news.

[NBC Sports]
DALLAS  Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia said Tuesday the woman accused of opening fire inside a terminal at Dallas Love Field airport has been prohibited from owning a firearm for years.

At a news conference at police headquarters, Garcia said the gun Portia Odufuwa, 37, used Monday was not registered under her name, and added that she tried to buy a gun in Texas at least two times since 2016 but was denied because of an outstanding traffic warrant out of New Mexico.

Odufuwa was dropped off at the airport around 11 a.m. Monday by an Uber driver, then went inside a bathroom and came out wearing a hoodie. Garcia said although the Uber driver noticed something peculiar about Odufuwa, the driver will not be involved in the investigation.

Odufuwa then approached the Southwest Airlines ticket counter where witnesses overheard her making comments about her husband, who she said is celebrity rapper Chris Brown.

Garcia said she declared she needed to make an announcement and, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit obtained by The Dallas Morning News, shouted I am going to blow this (expletive) up.

Officer Ronald Cronin, a 15-year veteran of the department, told to drop her weapon as the affidavit says she pointed her gun at him. Cronin then fired at Odufuwa eight or nine times, striking her multiple times in her lower extremities, police said. She was taken into custody and then to the hospital, where she was stable as of Monday afternoon.

The goal is to neutralize a threat, Garcia said. You have to shoot to stop the threat.

Police allege in the affidavit that Odufuwa fired at least one round toward the kiosk where the officer was taking cover. At a news conference Tuesday, Garcia said Odufuwa fired into the air three times, but a department spokeswoman later clarified she fired twice into the air and once toward Cronin.

No one else was injured, police said.

Odufuwa has a history of arrests, in some cases on charges that were dismissed after she was found incompetent to stand trial, according to court records.

An arson case, the most serious of those against her, stemmed from an incident in Mesquite in October 2019, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit. Officers found Odufuwa watching a burning house that she previously lived in.

Odufuwa told police she set the house on fire and, when asked why, the affidavit said she responded, I am Gods prophet, and I need an attorney, but Im basically letting you all know that I am the cause of this fire.

It was unclear Monday what mental health diagnoses Odufuwa had that led to her being found incompetent to stand trial.

Other charges against her included robbery, criminal trespass and false reporting  all filed in cities across North Texas over the past several years.
The governors race between incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto ORourke is the main attraction of the Texas midterm season.

The candidates could spend more than $150 million between them, which would nearly obscure some down-ballot contests that are just as compelling. The governors race is getting top billing because the states senators are not up for reelection, leaving the Texas executive posts as the most critical contests.

Even as the Abbott vs. ORourke showdown sucks most of the political oxygen, several other statewide races will have a similar, if not greater, impact on Texas politics.

The lieutenant governors contest features incumbent Republican Dan Patrick, the most powerful player in the Texas Legislature, against Democrat Mike Collier. The other must-watch race features incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza. And pay attention to Central Texas lawyer Susan Hays challenge of incumbent Republican Sid Miller for agriculture commissioner.

These are sleeper races, University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus said. Theres potential that one of those races might be won by a Democrat.

Rottinghaus said shifts in political power often start with down-ballot races.

In 1990, Democrats scored a major victory when Ann Richards beat Republican Clayton Williams for governor. But Republicans had two critical down-ballot wins: Rick Perry beat Jim Hightower for agriculture commissioner and Kay Bailey Hutchison defeated Nikki Van Hightower for treasurer.

Though in 1979 Bill Clements was elected the first Republican Texas governor since Reconstruction, those 1990 down-ballot races kickstarted the coming GOP dominance.

Perry and Hutchison emerged as popular elected leaders, with Perry becoming governor and Hutchison a U.S. senator.

In 2010, Perry beat Hutchison in a much-anticipated race for governor and ultimately served as former President Donald Trumps energy secretary.

It was downhill for Democrats.

They won their last statewide race in 1994, and by 2003, Republicans had control of both chambers in the Legislature.

They really worked the angle to get the Republicans in a better position, Rottinghaus said. History has shown that theyre the ones who were the tip of the spear. It was the down-ballot races where you started to see Republicans really pierced the armor of the Democrats in a consistent way.

But were not living in the 1990s, and Texas Democrats dont appear to be backed by a national revolution in their favor. Republicans have strong advantages for the midterm cycle. They have more voters in the Texas electorate. And the unpopularity of President Joe Biden combined with the continued impact of higher prices for goods and services make winning a statewide race a daunting challenge for Democrats.

The problem setting up the tables is that a lot of the money that is sitting around is being hoovered up by ORourke, Rottinghaus said. Theyre going to struggle for attention and for money and thats going to limit the ability to flip those seats.

The Patrick vs. Collier race is a rematch from 2018, when the incumbent won by 5 percentage points. Collier says he has the crossover appeal to beat Patrick. Hes running as someone who can fix the states power grid and create sensible solutions to other problems facing Texans.

But Patrick is a darling of the latest incarnation of Texas conservatives, and they love his toughness in the Legislature and willingness to hammer through legislation, no matter how unpopular it is outside the Republican base.

Patrick also has the money he needs to win, and hes done a better job over his last term of building a machine to churn out conservative votes.

For Democrats, Patricks relentlessness in getting legislation passed makes him their biggest adversary.

While the lieutenant governor is one of the strongest Republicans on the ballot, Paxton can be considered the weakest link. Legal troubles, including felony fraud charges and an FBI investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption, have made him vulnerable, though he keeps on winning. Paxton has denied wrongdoing.

Paxtons rivals in the GOP primary warned that Democrats could beat him in November.

Garza is making her first run for statewide office and has been a leader in trying to preserve reproductive rights for women, as well as other issues that could strike a chord with voters. Democrats, including progressives, are trying to mobilize voters angry about the Supreme Court decision to abolish constitutional protections for abortion rights.

Some observers say Garza could become a breakout star in the race for attorney general. But Paxton has often been underestimated, only to find a way to win primary and general election contests. Hes seeking his third term, and if he gets conservative voters to stay with him, it could be tough for Garza to win.

Rottinghaus said hell also be paying attention to the Miller vs. Hays showdown for agriculture commissioner.

Miller is obviously a character and has a tremendous number of enemies that hes made, Rottinghaus said. Susan Hays is a brash Texan out of central casting, so that can be an interesting race.
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The northwestern Chinese city of Dunhuang is more than 2,000 km away from Beijing, but thanks to digital technology, its renowned traditional heritage can be freely enjoyed by the residents of the capital.



Dunghuang is home to the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, elements of which are on display in an ongoing exhibition at the National Base for International Cultural Trade in Beijing. Murals, grottoes, painted sculptures and other splendid items of cultural heritage have been reproduced, while those caves that are now closed have now been reproduced in digital form.

The exhibition area, covering some 1,600 square meters, features the results of research on nearly 50 sets of cultural relics from the Dunhuang Academy.

The No.3 grotto in Dunhuang is a typical example of the ancient frescoes, but it is steadily deteriorating.

"There are small blisters on the wall, and these blisters will make the pigment layer fall off. Some experts have concluded that it will not be long before this fresco disappears," said Tang Li, who is in charge of the exhibition.

Although the real grotto in Dunhuang is no longer open to the public, the digitally restored grotto can be preserved forever in the digital space.

Opening in July, the exhibition will last for three years. It is the first time that the Dunhuang Academy has held such a long exhibition in Beijing.

Through digital scanning technology, the buildings, painted sculptures and murals of Mogao Grottoes are scanned, stored and transformed into a digital format.

"The 3D scanning and printing technology restores the charm of painted sculptures, while 3D reconstruction and artistic restoration replicate the shape of painted sculptures in the same proportions," said one exhibition lecturer.

The idea of digitalizing Dunhuang culture was first put forward in the late 1980s. The subsequent decades have seen much development and numerous achievements in digital preservation.

By the end of 2021, the "digital Dunhuang project" had completed the digital collection of 268 grottoes, the image processing of 164 grottoes, and the 3D reconstruction of 45 painted sculptures, 146 grottoes and seven large relics sites. A professional and technical team of more than 100 people have been established.

The Dunhuang Academy has created a set of digital techniques suitable for murals that cannot be moved. In the process, it has not only applied various mature technologies to the digital protection of the grottoes in Dunhuang, but has also established standards for the digitalization of immovable cultural relics.

The protection and revival of Dunhuang's ancient culture is not an isolated case in China. The Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi also have 3D "digital archives," which allow precious cultural relics and historical archives to be permanently preserved. Meanwhile, tourists can now enjoy a dynamic experience of the terracotta warriors and horses in Xi'an through AR technology.

Such projects have provided a means of preserving China's splendid cultural heritage for future generations, while making it more widely available both at home and abroad.

Zhao Shengliang, Party secretary of the Dunhuang Institute, said, "It is hoped that the 'digital Dunhuang' will not only allow more audiences to experience the artistic charm of Dunhuang, appreciate the outstanding achievements of traditional Chinese culture, enhance artistic appreciation, and enhance cultural self-confidence, but also promote exchanges between cultures along the Belt and Road under new historical conditions."
A long delayed Westlake communications faux-tree stealth tower should be up by the end of September.

The Westlake tower is the last of several to be installed in Franklin County by Blue Ridge Towers as part of a contract to build fixed wireless broadband internet service in areas needing high speed internet.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development awarded Franklin County with a Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) grant for $2.4 million in 2020, and those funds have supported the construction of several towers, although Blue Ridge Towers President Anthony Smith noted that the Westlake tower is not one of those.

As far as all the towers that are county-owned and county-paid for, weve completed 100% of that, Smith said. You guys arent having to put any money in this Westlake tower. However, Franklin County Assistant Administrator Steve Sandy said the Westlake tower is still included in the contract for the VATI grant towers, meaning its subject to the grant completion deadline. The original deadline to complete the project was October 2021, but the Westlake tower construction was delayed by more than a year due to concerns about its impact on the viewshed of the nearby Booker T. Washington National Monument.

At this point, Blue Ridge Towers and the county are just waiting on the tower to be manufactured and delivered.

Its not a normal tower, Smith said. I could pay extra money to get a normal tower in three weeks. However, this is a tower thats a fake tree, so they have to manufacture the tower, then they have to paint it to look like bark and then theyve got to make all the branches to go on it.

Smith explained that Blue Ridge Towers ordered the tower in March, but ran into more issues that delayed its design.

Until they have the final...soil samples, they cant design the bottom two rungs of the tower. ... We couldnt drill into the soil without clearing about an acre of land, under an acre. We couldnt clear because we had the issues with the FAA for migratory birds, migratory bats. Then once we got clearance to go, all the drill rigs around our area were booked up for about three weeks. When we finally got the drill rig to come out, it took two weeks to get the reports back, Smith said.

He said the soil reports came back a couple weeks ago, the design was completed and now the tower is in full production.

The quickest they could get it out...was eight weeks. ... And we did pay an extra $30,000 to accelerate it. So we did all we could do to speed it up, Smith said.

Assistant County Administrator Steve Sandy said the state has granted him deadline extensions, giving him until Oct. 15 to file all the required documentation for the project.

However we really need all these components to be completed as soon as possible in order for us to close out the grant, do all the financial reporting, Sandy said. ...My concern as the staff person for the grant is not having...enough time to do the necessary reporting and grant close-out.

Smith said the tower wont be delivered until some time in mid-September, but all the groundwork will be finished before its arrival.

Ive got the foundation in, got everything in we need to for building permits now, so were ready for that, said Sean Chi with Blue Ridge Towers. Were looking probably at eight weeks for the tower to get here...two and a half weeks for the anchor bolts.

Once the tower arrives, Smith said they will need about five more days to get it up and ready.
Central District Health Department has asked for a 10% increase in its budget request amid ongoing COVID-19 and flu concerns.

At Monday's CDHD annual joint meeting with Grand Island City Council and Hall County Board of Commissioners members, CDHD Director Teresa Anderson explained that combating COVID remains a challenge in its three-county coverage area.

"We're going to try to make the best of what's been a really difficult situation, this ongoing viral outbreak, because we know it's going to continue," she said. "We know COVID variants and subvariants will continue to modify, will continue to spread. BA-5 is more transmissible than any of the other variants."

She added, "What comes next, we don't know. We just need to be prepared for it."

The budget request for $298,733 is only 5% of the CDHD budget, which is roughly $5.6 million for 2022-23.

The 2020-21 request was for $268,184.

The nearly $6 million budget is comprised from federal grants and from fees, and a portion from state support via the Legislature.

Existing and new revenue resources are largely restricted, explained Anderson.

"It's not anything we can really build our capacity in a very general way," she said. "Those are very specific."

Anderson noted CDHD is not requesting any ARPA funds.

Expenses are split nearly evenly, at $2.7 million each, between personnel and operations.

Retaining current staff is critical, said Anderson.

"We know we need to have a stronger presence in rural, central Nebraska to be able to connect people to the services they need," she said. "We also know our growing ethnic and minority populations require additional time and energy."

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have been "devastated" by the pandemic, said Anderson. Nearly one-third of coronavirus deaths in the United States have been long-term care and assisted living residents and employees.

This is due mainly to the residents' advanced age and comorbidities, and is compounded by living in a communal living area, which makes it difficult to control the spread.

"We have, I think, 17 long-term care facilities, and six of them are still in outbreak mode," she said. "Outbreak mode is those folks in those facilities who have not gotten their fourth shot or second booster, and also staff who are not up to date on their immunizations. An outbreak means they have COVID circulating in their facility."

In the district's rural communities, the crisis has been exacerbated by the poor health that existed prior to COVID, said Anderson.

Rural residents have more issues with hypertension, obesity, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory diseases, which all increase the risk of death from COVID.

"Our rural communities are really needing some attention from us," she said.

Race and ethnicity are risk markers for other underlying conditions that affect health, including socioeconomic status, access to health care, and exposure related to occupation, such as being a frontline, essential or critical infrastructure worker.

"When we first started down our COVID trail, we had a number of cases in our meatpacking facilities," she said. "They've been very responsive in upgrading their infection control and prevention measures."

To foster greater vaccine equity, CDHD has received a $100,000 grant via National Association of County & City Health Officials.

CDHD is one of only eight local health departments in the country to receive the Partnering for Vaccine Equity grant, said CDHD Accreditation Coordinator Liza Thalken.

Its goal is to help local health departments increase capacity to better identify and address disparities in community.

The biggest component is community engagement, said Thalken.

Hall County is the only county being studied for grant because it's the only one that qualified for it, as vaccination rates have to be below a certain level and a certain percent of the population must be a racial or ethnic minority. Hall County is 29% Hispanic or Latino.

"We looked at our line list, which has to do with positive COVID cases, and we could see what the themes were within that, and one of the things we found was, yes, our Hispanic and Latino population is less vaccinated or more vaccine hesitant than our non-Hispanic population," said Thalken.

The greatest challenges for the CDHD continue to be: a perceived lack of research (though that's not the case), a lack of trust in the medical system, and general fear, whether a fear of needles, long-term effects, needing to show an ID or fear of getting a "microscopic tracking chip" (also not the case).

"Another thing we learned was this mindset, within this specific community, that the flu isn't deadly and they don't need a flu shot, and that COVID isn't real," said Thalken. "Flu shots now are more controversial than they used to be. That's been an interesting finding, too."

For more information about CDHD resources and programs, visit cdhd.ne.gov.
YORK  Christopher M. Gray, 43, of Madelia, Minnesota, has been charged with possession of methamphetamine after a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in York County.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge during arraignment proceedings this past week in York County District Court.

According to the affidavit filed with the court, a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol was on regular patrol when he saw a motorcyclist proceeding east and the driver was not wearing a helmet.

A traffic stop was initiated and court documents indicate Gray said he didnt know that was the law in Nebraska. He also told the trooper he didnt have his registration and he didnt have any insurance on the motorcycle. He did give him an Adult Interstate Compact Travel Permit for Nebraska Probation and said he had just met with his probation officer in York. He said he was on probation for possession of a controlled substance.

The trooper was informed that Gray had just thrown a pipe into the ditch  which was found in the mowed grass. The pipe had white residue inside it, which tested positive as methamphetamine.

Now that his arraignment has been held, a jury trial has been set for mid-autumn, 2022.
SPRINGFIELD  Standing just feet from one another on Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, the chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, did their best to portray a unified front.

Were all standing here in unison, standing up for a Democratic convention for Chicago and for the state of Illinois," Pritzker said matter-of-factly as state leaders hosted national party leaders scouting out Chicago as a potential host city for the 2024 party convention.

But that unity only extends so far.

In the race for chair of the state party, to be decided by 34 party insiders in Springfield on Saturday, Pritzker has once again backed an opponent against Kelly. It's the second showdown over party control in about 17 months.

In March 2021, Pritzker put his thumb on the scale for Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris. Kelly ended up winning 52% of the weighted vote in that election, which was held to replace former party chairman Michael Madigan.

This time, with a full four-year term at stake, Pritzker has thrown his weight behind state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, who was just elected the Democratic State Central Committee in June.

In many ways, the fight for control over the state party is a rehash of that first fight to shape the post-Madigan state party.

Pritzker's allies have long suggested that Kelly is not the best fit for the job because, as a federal officeholder, she is barred from raising or controlling soft money used in state and local races.

This, they argue, unnecessarily hurts the party's ability to support candidates up and down the ballot.

"Leader Hernandez has a long history of activism and has guided her caucus with professionalism and tenacity," Pritzker said. "She will be able to alleviate the severe fundraising challenges the party faces with a federal officeholder as chair and will be able to set our state and local candidates up for success in November."

In addition to Pritzker, Hernandez has received the backing of House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, the Illinois AFL-CIO and abortion rights group Personal PAC. They have all cited similar reasoning.

But it's an explanation that did not sit well with Kelly.

"I feel like that is just an excuse that they keep bringing up," Kelly said in an interview with Lee Enterprises on Thursday. "We are raising the money and we're getting money from all types of entities, whether it's low-dollar, whether it's organizations like unions or other entities. We are raising the money and we will have the money to do what we need to do."

Pritzker, in his statement, also said that he has "a tremendous amount of respect for Congresswoman Kelly and value her input and expertise." He added that he hoped she would accept a position as "federal chair" of the party and work alongside the "state chair" Hernandez.

No such position exists. And it is generally believed that the DNC only recognizes one person as party chair. There can be a vice-chair, but that person must be of the opposite sex of the chair, per DNC bylaws.

Asked to comment on Pritzker's statement, Kelly dismissed the co-chair idea, adding that "I don't feel very respected. That's how I feel."

Kelly's allies insist that a workaround separating her from state fundraising has been effective. According to campaign finance reports, the state party had $2.8 million in the bank as of June 30. The party's federal account had $1.4 million.

The state party brought in more than $1.7 million during the last fundraising quarter  though about $1.5 million was from Pritzker and spent on campaign literature ahead of the June 28 primary. The party's federal account raked in $291,000.

The state party has a large postage discount, making it a convenient pass-through for party leaders.

Concerns linger about the party's spending on state and local races heading into November.

Kelly did not elaborate much when asked why she felt the fundraising question was an "excuse" and what she thought was the real reason behind Pritzker backing someone else.

"I guess he wanted someone he picked and I wasn't his pick," Kelly said. "The only thing I could say is (if) people were so concerned about the money, they could donate money."

Though she did not say so, this could be viewed as an implicit dig at Pritzker, a billionaire who spent $172 million on his 2018 campaign and has already poured $125 million into his campaign account this cycle.

Pritzker also gave $24 million to the Democratic Governors Association, which was spent on advertisements knocking Mayor Richard Irvin and boosting state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, in the Republican primary for governor.

Pritzker allies insist they are taking the long view, noting that the governor will not be in office forever and the party has to have the necessary fundraising infrastructure in place to support itself once he's gone.

Still, Saturday will be yet another test of Pritzker's political clout. It comes as he is being talked about as a possible future candidate for president. It would not be a good look to lose an internal fight for control of the state party.

It also comes as Chicago courts the Democratic National Convention and Illinois seeks to be an early primary state in 2024.

But regardless, Kelly said this "family fight" will not distract from the party's mission in November and desire to play a larger role in national party politics.

"I'm the Democratic Party chair and I'm going to work hard like we have been going through all of this," Kelly said. "We still send good things out about the governor and everybody else. And we will continue to do that because we want to make sure we're electing Democrats up and down the ballot."
The terrorist attack on our capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, and its encouragement by the President of The United States, Donald Trump, will live in the minds of people forever. Not only was this an evil and treacherous act of transgression against the oath by a president, in violating all of our standards, but also a slap in the face to every citizen in our great country when he failed his oath of office, thus showing no concerns for his fellow Americans whom he represented.

The hearings we are now seeing on television are bringing the facts of this treacherous act to light. If one didnt know before, the severity and troublesome effect it would cause our country before the hearings, certainly we do now. For all those that will say, thats just a ploy being used by the Democrats trying to make Trump look bad, to the ones that really believe this, (probably the same ones that believed the election was stolen from Trump), may I call your attention to the fact that many of the testimonies being heard are coming from Republicans, so dont go pointing fingers at the Democrats, were talking about a Republican President that acted in a criminal way and some of his party is condemning his actions and violations.

As the hearings are being heard, it has been established that Trump was contacted two or three times by his advisors to call the rioters and have them cease their violence and leave the capitol. As he sat in the dining room watching this happen on TV, Trump refused the advice of his advisors and seemed to be enjoying his viewing. We would expect a President of this great country to have called off this great tragedy, but he didnt.

Trump had encouraged this uprising by his lies that he lost the election because It was stolen from him. The hearings point out that Trump knew that some of the people at this gathering had weapons. Doesnt this tell you, if there are weapons, someone could be hurt or get killed.

The simplest minds would figure this, so could Trump. Someone did get killed in the rioting.

The United States of America will be seen, by many of our friendly nations as a country that has ran amuck. Worst than that, our enemies will consider this a weakening of our system and a government in turmoil, and being no longer fully functional. They will be laughing as a big part of the world is. All because of this nutcase.

After Trumps refusal to call off the rioting goons, about three hours later he finally did and it was done in a most disturbing manner. He said, (on TV) You can go home now, your job is completed. I love you all and you did a fantastic job. You are true Americans. This is not word for word how he said it, but was said in a humbling voice and is definitely what he said on TV.

Remember, this is the same person who tried, but failed to overturn the election by coerced Georgias secretary to find him enough votes to win, knowing that the votes had been counted a number of times and no legal votes remained. He said, I dont care where you get them, just get them.

It is my hope, that Trump having broken the laws of the land and doing so, caused death and destruction to our Nation's Capitol, is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Well get to the Nazi flags in a moment.

First, however, let us turn to Merriam-Webster for clarification of a point recently made in this space that left a few of you vexed. It came in a passage that noted the right wings attempted takeover of state voting apparatuses and contended that because of it, 2024 could be the last meaningful election we ever have. Fascism is on our doorstep, it said. It seemed a self-evident truth, but it didnt sit well with some on the right.

You have become more hysterical and hyperbolic, said Jack.

A great example of why Dems arent taken seriously any more, said Eric.

[Fascism] would be the mask and vaccine mandates, said James.

Hence, the recourse to Merriam-Webster, where we learn that fascism is, in fact, a political philosophy, movement, or regime . . . that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader . . . and forcible suppression of opposition.

So lets parse that, shall we? Who do we know who exalts nation (I am a nationalist, OK?) and race (I want [President Obama] to show his birth certificate.)? Who can we think of who admires centralized, autocratic government ([Kim Jong Un] is the head of a country, and I mean, he is the strong head. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.) What recent president so believes in forcible suppression of the opposition that protesters in Washington were gassed and beaten so he could walk through Lafayette Square, while those in Portland were dumped into unmarked vans for unstated reasons by unidentified federal agents?

The answer, of course, is Donald Trump, to whom much of the right swears fealty above the Constitution itself. Twenty months after Joe Biden won the presidency in an election that was not close, most of them still insist he did not. As noted previously, a number of those election deniers are seeking  or already hold  offices allowing them to oversee voting in battleground states. And Jonathan Swan of Axios recently reported that supporters of the disgraced former president are planning to fire thousands of career civil servants from government posts and replace them with loyalists should he ooze his way back into office.

Friends, these are structures of fascism. The word describes not mask mandates, but strongman rule  think Putin, Kim or Castro  in which Dear Leader is unbound by such trivialities as the laws, the courts or the ballot. This is what Trump desires to have  and the political right aspires to give him. The rest of us would do well to understand this, given the mortal threat it poses.

And that brings us to the story of the swastika flags  which offers an eloquent rebuke to the denialism so prevalent on the right. It seems Hitlers banners were carried by demonstrators who turned up outside a conservative gathering last week in Tampa. The Florida Holocaust Museum was, not surprisingly, appalled and Turning Point USA, sponsor of said gathering promptly distanced itself. We have no idea who they are or why theyre here, said spokesman Andrew Kolvet.

Which was naive, if not downright disingenuous, for the representative of a convention whose attendees worship Trump like Jesus. But then, he might have choked on the likely truth. Namely, that the Nazis simply sought the company of like-minded people.

And knew just where to find it.
A 14-year-old boy was shot and killed at an Orangeburg home on Monday afternoon.

A woman in the home sustained at least one gunshot wound and was transported by Orangeburg County EMS.

There is absolutely no reason in this world for this to have happened, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a release.

We dont have a solid motive as of yet, but nothing justifies this. Nothing, he said.

Andre Shawn Greene, 46, of 102 Kemmerlin Street is charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Deputies arrived at Greenes home at 5:50 p.m.

They found the unresponsive 14-year-old male on the ground next to the back steps of the mobile home.

A man walked out of the home screaming, Help my wife, while pointing to a woman on the floor, according to an incident report.

The woman shouted, He shot me! while pointing to the man, the incident report states.

Deputies detained the man and placed him in the caged backseat of a patrol vehicle.

The Orangeburg County Coroners Office has not yet released the name of the 14-year-old.

Greenes arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Hes being held at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.

Greene faces a minimum of 30 years if convicted of murder alone.
A strategic development committee was founded by Inner Mongolia Film Group on July 23 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, aimed at promoting local ethnic filmmaking.

The launch event of the Inner Mongolia Film Industry Strategic Development Committee was sponsored by Inner Mongolia Film Group and organized by Ordos Culture Tourism Development Group and Ejin Horo Banner Culture and Tourism Group.

The new committee intends to bring together domestic high-quality film resources, expand cooperation between the film industry and related fields, give full play to film as the core driving force for the development of the cultural and creative industries, and coordinate and liaise with all parties to boost joint development. Meanwhile, it is also looking to enhance the core competitiveness of the local film industry, and promote the prosperity and development of the film cultural industry in Inner Mongolia.

According to the outlined plans, the committee will not only play an important role in incubating high-quality film projects and cultivating film production enterprises and professionals, but will also act as an important organization for promoting film creation, research and academic activities.

Zeng Han, chairman of Inner Mongolia Film Group, said in his speech at the committee's launch that his company will further improve the quantity and quality of Inner Mongolian films through financial support and resource integration, expand the share of local cinema in the national market, and build the Inner Mongolian film brand to boost development of ethnic filmmaking in China.

To date, Inner Mongolia Film Studio has produced more than 170 feature films and 150 documentaries, and translated more than 2,000 films into Mongolian. It has also won more than 120 awards from events ranging from the Golden Rooster Awards and Shanghai International Film Festival to the Tokyo International Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. Films produced by the studio such as "Victories of the People in Inner Mongolia" (1951), "Morning Song over the Grassland" (1959), "Going East to Native Land" (1993), "Mother" (2010) and "Norjmaa" (2014) have been critically acclaimed and hailed as classics in China's film history.

In recent years, Inner Mongolia Film Group has also worked with China Film Group and Bona Film Group to co-produce such blockbusters as "Chinese Doctors," "The Captain," "My Country, My Parents" and "The Battle at Lake Changjin." In 2022, the group will continue to work on new important projects, including a film about how Inner Mongolian herdsmen adopted 3,000 orphans from areas of China hit by natural disasters in the 1960s.

Renowned screenwriter Ran Ping said at a seminar held after the launch ceremony that ethnic elements of Inner Mongolian films also belong to the world and will attract global attention. "The core philosophy of grassland culture and Inner Mongolia's unique cultural elements such as strength, great energy, loyalty, bravery, industriousness and purity should become the main features presented by Inner Mongolian films," he said, adding that local film creation should be more diverse to generate social and commercial interest.

Ren Zhonglun, vice-chairman of the China Film Association, agreed, saying that the ethnic features of Inner Mongolia are at the heart of films produced in the region, and hailed Inner Mongolian cinema as an outstanding brand of China's ethnic films.

Hou Guangming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former Party secretary of Beijing Film Academy, said that the Inner Mongolian film industry requires the efforts of the central government, local governments, enterprises and filmmakers from different respects.

"On the basis of inheriting the fine traditions of the past, the local film industry should actively innovate in terms of mechanism, talent training and story selection, and be at the forefront of national film creation," he said, adding that he expects Inner Mongolia to become an "important base" for filmmakers across the country to create and produce films set on grasslands.
South Carolinas FY22-23 budget includes $10 million in lottery revenue intended to help address a very real impediment to South Carolinas critical nursing shortage  the nursing faculty and instructor pipeline.

The University of South Carolina College of Nursing, in partnership with other state public institutions, collaborated with the governor in developing this initiative and with legislators to include funding in the final budget.

National and state data identify key factors contributing to the shortage of nurses.

Inadequate funds to hire and pay faculty who are preparing our nurses.

Nursing faculty can earn more working in health care practice than in teaching due to market competition.

Doctoral prepared nurses, and nurses with specialty training like advanced practice nurses, nursing informaticists, and nurse scientists can earn substantially more than as faculty.

We are thrilled that Gov. McMaster and legislators have partnered with the states public colleges of nursing to address South Carolinas nursing workforce and faculty shortage. This is a great win for South Carolina. These funds are a great step in our journey to tackle this complex challenge and will further expand public nursing programs across the state, said UofSC College of Nursing Dean Jeannette O. Andrews.

Half of the funds will be used by nursing colleges to improve pay for clinical nurse faculty in South Carolinas public colleges, universities and technical colleges.

The balance will provide scholarships or tuition reimbursement for graduate-level students in nurse education.

DNP or nursing-related PhD candidates who agree to accept a faculty role in an in-state nursing program upon completion of their studies will also qualify.

Investments will expand the pipeline of nurses that South Carolina needs in the years to come.

We are so grateful to Gov. McMaster and state legislators. Nursing is vital to the health care system, so the benefit of this support will be significant in improving health and health care for South Carolina. Our goal is to advance solutions that make a difference. So, it is exciting to anticipate next steps, and the opportunity to collaborate with peers, develop strategies, and leverage the funding to address faculty and nursing workforce shortages, USC Upstate Mary Black College of Nursing Dean Shirleatha Lee said.

Nine new faculty members will join UofSC College of Nursing in fall 2022. This dedicated financial support for current and future faculty recruitment and retention will help mitigate the further reduction in preparing and graduating new nurses to enter the workforce, to function in advanced practice roles and who have specialty training to serve South Carolina citizens across the state, including rural and under serviced areas, and to generate the science to inform practice.
BEIRUT  Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin announced in a statement Wednesday that the northern side of the Beirut port silos is at an increased risk of collapse as devices installed at the scene detected changes in the rate at which the silos are tilting from 2 millimeters per day to 2.5 millimeters per hour.

Heres what we know:

 Shattered by the Aug. 4, 2020 port explosion and plagued by a fire that recently ignited and lasted for several weeks, the silos northern bloc is at a higher and accelerated risk of collapse compared to the southern part, which remains stable, according to Yassin.

 Experts and officials have said that the repeated outbreaks of fire at the port silos are due to wheat fermentation. Following a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Yassin added in his statement Wednesday that over the course of two years, the grains inside the silos have been exposed to rainwater seeping through cracks in the silos, as well as to summer heat and high humidity levels due to the silos proximity to the sea, which have led the grains to rot, causing them to ferment and ignite spontaneously.

 Yassin also said that it is perilous to extinguish the fire using water as this increases moisture  which guarantees [the grains] continuous ignition.

 Mikati instructed the concerned agencies to closely monitor the silos and prevent any workers, members of the Civil Defense and the fire brigade from approaching them due to safety concerns. Mikati notified the army and the Disaster Management Authority to prepare in anticipation of the collapse of parts of the silos.

 Caretaker Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh had told LOrient Today on July 13 that he had ordered the Beirut port director to bar anyone  including rescue teams  from approaching the silos for safety reasons, adhering to regulations set by the Higher Defense Council.

 Yassin indicated that approximately 9000 cubic meters of grains surrounding the silos were removed and used in industrial firewood and compost. Some cylinders of the silos still contain 3,000 tons of wheat and corn, which could not be unloaded due to the danger of working near the silos.

 Yassin also said that the silos structure is built on a set of pillars consisting of about 2,200 columns, adding that the results from a laser scan carried out by the French-Swiss expert Emmanuel Durand concluded that the silos northern bloc is completely damaged by the explosion, and could no longer bear the weight of the building.
The German trade union Ver.di has announced a strike of Lufthansa ground staff for Wednesday.

The strike, which started at 3.45am Tuesday night and will end 6am on Thursday, is causing massive delays, cancellations and general disruption.

Almost all Lufthansa flights in Frankfurt and Munich were cancelled, around 1000 total. This includes the flights to Luxembourg. The Luxembourg Airport website shows the flights as cancelled, though there is no further announcement about the disruption.



The reason for the strike are collective agreement negotiations for around 20,000 ground staff. This includes ticket counters, flight technicians and drivers for the big tractors that take planes to their positions.

These are exactly the jobs that are already understaffed because people were let go during the Covid crisis and cannot be rehired. The strike will further exacerbate an already chaotic situation at European airports.



If you are intending to fly to a German airport, make sure to check with your airline before leaving for the airport.
The police helicopter was called into action twice over Luxembourg City on Tuesday night. Both cases involved the theft of a watch.

At around 7.30pm on Tuesday, a man was attacked by two unknown men in Rue de la Foret in Bertrange. While one of them held the victim, the other tried to take his watch off his wrist. The victim was also beaten.

Only when passers-by and other residents intervened and threatened to call the police did the two attackers let go of their victim. They fled along Route de Longwy towards the capital. The victim was taken to hospital for a check-up.

The police helicopter was used during the search operation, which was launched to find the two suspected robbers, but without success. Shortly afterwards, the helicopter was despatched for the second time that evening.

At around 8pm, another watch theft was reported to the police in Luxembourg City. This time, the victim was in his car, with the window open, stopped at a red light at the intersection of Avenue Emile Reuter and Boulevard Joseph II. An individual appeared and snatched his watch from his wrist, before fleeing in a white car towards an unknown destination.

In this case too, the police helicopter was used during the search. Once again without success: the police did not manage to catch the thief.

The police are looking for possible witnesses of these two watch thefts. Witnesses are asked to call the police emergency number 113 or the Luxembourg City Police on (+352) 244 40 1000.

Routine intervention of the police helicopter

It is not unusual for the police to use their helicopter in such cases. The two Airbus H145M helicopters, which the Luxembourg police have been using since 2020, are despatched, among other things, during manhunts. The police helicopter is also used for general surveillance of an area, as well as for maintaining order and for preventive action against crime.

The helicopter is meant to support the police personnel on the ground. The aerial perspective makes it easier to monitor the situation in the event of gatherings such as demonstrations or major accidents.

The air support team consists of eight specially trained operators. They carry out observation and escort missions, as the helicopter pilots are recruited externally.
The recent heatwaves across the continent have made it clear that the climate emergency does not care about denialism. Major long-term changes are urgently needed, but there is one thing that we can change straight away: the way we present weather forecasts.

I suppose we all noticed that it's been a bit warm lately. Worryingly warm in fact, as temperature records are being broken all across Europe.

Thousands of people had to be evacuated away from forest fires in France's southwestern Gironde region. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 1,700 people died as a result of high temperatures in Spain and Portugal alone. In Italy, drinking water had to be rationed in several northern territories because of an ongoing drought. And the water of the Mediterranean sea is set to hit temperatures close to 30 C this week.

This op-ed is not about climate change per se. There is no denying that what we are seeing and experiencing is just the beginning of what is likely to be the greatest disaster humanity has ever witnessed.

Instead, I want to talk about something quite mundane today: weather forecasts.

Starry-eyed weather romanticism

"Tomorrow is going to be a lovely sunny day with no clouds in sight!"

"Get ready to throw on some shades because absolutely beautiful weather is coming our way next week, folks!"

"Bad news for tomorrow, unfortunately, as it is going to be a rainy day throughout the country"

"It is going to rain tomorrow but don't worry! The sun will be back very soon"

"Praise be to the eternal Sun Lord. We dedicate our lives to the fight against the evil Rain Demon"

With the exception of that last one (probably), these kinds of statements will be familiar to you. This is the language of (most) weather forecasts: Emotional, sentimental, and riddled with cliches. And everything is based on a very simple binary assumption: sun = good, rain = bad.

This kind of language was always flawed, but it went unquestioned for a very long time. However, as the effects of climate change start to become more and more pronounced, our traditional way of presenting the weather seems at best inappropriate and at worst trivialising a very serious and deadly phenomenon.

This is an issue that is being addressed more and more frequently as of recent. The first time I was made aware of it was on 14 June, when the French journalist Marc Hay ranted about the way weather is presented in the media on live TV, stressing "I think we need to change the way we talk about this, because it doesn't make sense () This is going to get worse".

The clip went viral in France and reactions by meteorologists and weather presenters soon followed, practically all agreeing with Hay. Geraldine de Mori, weather presenter for the French TV station RMC, stated in an interview with France Info: "Fifteen years ago, the weather was superficial, fun and enjoyable. Nowadays, we have become aware that this is a major issue, and that the climate is changing. It has become an important and much more serious subject. It's no longer something you put at the end of the news."

De Mori went on to say that she personally will no longer refer to clear skies and sunshine as beau temps ("nice weather") or frame rainfall as a "bad" event. "People going on holiday might not like it, but we have to think about the planet," she said.

For those privileged enough to live in air-conditioned homes, endless days of sunshine might be "nice weather", but if you are, for instance, a farmer, you are desperately waiting for rain to arrive. What I consider "nice weather" might be devastating for someone else  all the more reason to abandon this romanticised view of a natural event.

Climate change is not a fun family event

This topic is about far more than just a simple semantics issue. We are in the middle of a global crisis of unprecedented proportions  and while some are still competing for the prize of most annoyingly stubborn person in existence ("It's called summer!"), a lot of people are finally beginning to realise the damage that we have done  and continue to do  to this planet.

We are in a crisis, and our messaging, especially that of the media, needs to reflect that. Writing for the Guardian in May 2022, Geography professor Saffron O'Neill made the argument that "how the media communicates about climate breakdown reflects and shapes how societies engage with the issue".

In his op-ed, O'Neill focussed on the pictures accompanying news stories about heatwaves. O'Neill was part of a study led by the University of Exeter that looked at how news of extreme heat is visually represented by the media, specifically targeting news reports from the UK, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. The study revealed that news reports about heatwaves often feature "fun in the sun" type pictures (e.g. children playing in water fountains, people at the beach) and thus frame the heat events as something enjoyable.

Climate change is not a fun, eating-ice-cream-at-the-beach event. The effects of a changing climate will cost innumerable people their lives and render large parts of the globe uninhabitable.

Many researchers and activists have been sounding the alarm for decades, but too often they were branded as "alarmists" or "hysterical". There is no doubt that we should have done a lot more much sooner, but with climate change having a much more immediate effect on parts of the globe that had so far seen comparably little, a new chance presents itself: Getting many more people involved in climate action than ever before.

But to achieve this, we need to get the communication right first.
Wyomings abortion ban lasted only hours Wednesday before it was temporarily blocked by a Teton County judge.

The ruling will stop the ban from being enforced for at least 14 days, keeping abortion effectively legal in the state. It comes just two days after a lawsuit opposing the ban was filed.

Judge Melissa Owens made the decision following an emergency hearing on the matter, held the same day Wyomings trigger ban went into effect.

The temporary restraining order that blocks the abortion bans enforcement will last until at least August 10, two weeks from Wednesdays hearing. Another hearing to discuss a preliminary injunction, which can last longer than the current block, is set for Aug. 9 in Teton County.

In the meantime, Wyomings sole clinic providing abortions will resume its services while the block is in effect.

The constitutional question

The plaintiffs in the suit include Wyoming abortion and health care providers, a Lander-based nonprofit abortion fund and two female residents.

They contend the ban violates Wyomings constitution, which includes an explicit protection of health care rights. The amendment, approved by 72% of voters in 2012 amid concerns over Obamacare, allows each competent adult in Wyoming to make his or her own health care decisions.

But Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde, the attorney representing the state, said he doesnt believe voters would have passed the amendment if they thought it conferred a right to abortion.

That kind of reliance on the unwritten context surrounding a constitutional amendment goes against the straight textual analysis you typically see from lawyers in more conservative states, Casper attorney Ryan Semerad said. Semerad said hes part of a group of attorneys following the lawsuit, but has never represented any of its plaintiffs and is not involved in the case.

The case is based more on legal analysis of the constitution and less on evidence from the plaintiffs, which Semerad said will likely make proceedings go faster.

Jerde argued Wyomings constitution doesnt grant an explicit or an implicit right to abortion. He noted that the word abortion isnt included anywhere in the document.

You cant infringe on what isnt there, he said.

But other procedures including vasectomies and hysterectomies are also not explicitly mentioned, said Marci Bramlet, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Jerde said the temporary restraining order shouldnt be granted because there is enough recourse in Wyoming law for those who are prosecuted under the ban. A provider on trial could claim the law isnt constitutional, Jerde said, and the issue could be discussed during criminal litigation.

It simply goes to this idea, the general idea, that injunctive relief shouldnt issue if there is an adequate remedy at law, Jerde said.

But John Robinson, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, said asking physicians to withstand criminal prosecution for performing an abortion isnt the best way to decide whether the law is constitutional or not. Criminal cases can also take years to be resolved.

Thats an adequate remedy of law for these physicians? Robinson said during the hearing. Dont worry about it, licensing authorities wont do anything about it until your jury trials over. You might go to prison. Talk to your criminal defense lawyer  after theyve been arrested and jailed, and theyre facing a judge or a jury  thats not irreparable harm?

Deferring this kind of constitutional question to a potential criminal case would place an extreme burden on providers, said Casper attorney Alaina Stedillie of law firm Crowley Fleck. Stedillie is also not directly involved in the case, but has been following it.

To me, thats the whole point of bringing a civil declaratory judgment action, like the plaintiffs did, Stedillie said. They are saying to the court that there is a question of law at issue that immediately affects their rights as patients and medical providers, they want to avoid prosecution, and they are asking the Court to tell them whether the law is constitutional or not. This provides all parties, the state included, with certainty moving forward without the rigmarole and life-changing consequences that a criminal charge can bring.

Jerde countered the plaintiffs assertion that the ban would infringe upon the Wyoming constitutions guarantee of the right for competent adults to make their own health care decisions, arguing that the ban doesnt interfere with a womans decision to get an abortion, but just prevents them from getting an abortion in the state.Unlike some other states, Wyoming has not attempted to infringe on a womans constitutional right to travel across state lines, Stedillie said. But the reality is, the women who would actually be able to accomplish that would be a very small subset of the population.

Owens said that pausing enforcement of the ban would preserve the status quo in Wyoming, where abortion has been legal in some form since Roe v. Wade went into effect in 1973. Owens said that status quo had been in effect since 1977, when the state established certain reporting requirements for abortions.

The defendants in the case could theoretically appeal the temporary restraining order to the state Supreme Court, but that process would likely take much longer than the two-week window itll be in effect, according to Stedillie. That type of appeal wouldnt pause the lawsuit, unless either court ordered a stay.

The bans effects

The experiences of the plaintiffs cover the gamut of situations in which, they argue, the abortion ban would be problematic.

One of the plaintiffs, a University of Wyoming law student and practicing Jew, said in her affidavit that the ban would interfere with her religious beliefs, under which she holds that abortions are permissible, and in some cases required...

Theres a multitude of beliefs on what constitutes human life, said Marci Bramlet. People of different faith differ. People of the same faith differ. People without faith differ. This law selects a single view on that question and imposes it on everyone.

Danielle Johnson, one of the plaintiffs and a nurse who is 22 weeks pregnant, argued that, if she were to experience complications with her pregnancy, the ban would push her providers to delay or deny treatment until she was in a life-threatening situation.

As a health care provider herself, Johnson argued that the ban could constrain her from giving care to pregnant patients that she is ethically and professionally obligated to provide. Other providers in the lawsuit argued the same, saying that the ban would put them in situations where they would have to choose between denying patients health care or risk possible legal repercussions for giving them treatment.

Owens said the statue leaves providers with no guidance on how to navigate the ban. While granting the temporary block, she said that Johnson and Anthony had the most compelling arguments of the plaintiffs. As a pregnant woman, Johnson could be affected by the ban if she developed a life-threatening complication. And, Owens said, Anthonys job is at risk thanks to the ambiguity in the statute.

Robinson also said the law is too vague for physicians to interpret under fear of prosecution. Its unclear what a physician needs to know to agree to provide an abortion under the bans limited exceptions, he argued. Would they need to take a statement from the patient, report an assault or incest to local authorities or wait for criminal charges to be filed to be in the case?

Rape victims are protected by Wyoming statute, Robinson said, but now were going to make them disclose to the world that they were raped in order to get the health care that they need.

Christine Lichtenfels, a director of Chelseas Fund, a nonprofit that helps people pay for abortion services, said that the costs of helping people travel farther distances for abortion care in other states could run the organization out of operation.

Abortion-rights advocates in Wyoming say that having an abortion is a health care decision. Opponents say that decision isnt the mothers to make; some are working to remove the bans exceptions for pregnancies that threaten the mothers life or that result from rape or incest.

During Wednesdays hearing, Bramlet cited definitions from Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, the UN Human Rights Committee and medical associations that classify abortion as a health care decision.

Under Wyomings ban, anyone providing an abortion that doesnt fall under those exceptions could be prosecuted and, if found guilty, risk spending up to 14 years in prison.

Even if they arent found guilty, Robinson argued, physicians could lose their medical licenses or have their reputations damaged by simply being charged.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Rep. Liz Cheneys primary opponent Harriet Hageman, a natural resources attorney backed by former president Donald Trump.

Im proud to endorse Harriet Hageman for Congress in Wyoming, Cruz said. With Harriet in the House, Wyoming will always have a strong, principled, Constitution-loving member of Congress who will never forget who sent her there. I ask my fellow conservatives to join me in supporting Harriet Hagemans campaign today.

Cruz ran for president in 2016 and won the state of Wyoming with 66% of the vote and 23 of 25 delegates. At the time, Hageman  who was a part of Wyoming GOP leadership  went to the Republican convention as a Cruz delegate and was reported to have called Trump racist and xenophobic that same year.

Despite her previous support for Cruz over Trump, she is now embracing both of them.

I am honored and grateful to have the strong support of such an inspirational constitutionalist senator as Ted Cruz. In many ways, Texas and Wyoming face the same struggles against the relentless onslaught of the federal government, and it will be nice to know that I have another ally in the other chamber when I get to Congress. she said.

Cheney became one of Trumps main political enemies after she voted to impeach the former president over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. From then on, she has steadfastly criticized Trump as a threat to democracy and the rule of law. In September, Trump selected Hageman from several challengers as his pick to take on Cheney.

Liz Cheney has forgotten all about us here in Wyoming as she readies for a presidential run or a commentators seat at CNN or MSNBC, Hageman said in a statement. When I am the next congresswoman from Wyoming, I will always remember who hired me for the job.

Hageman also has the endorsement of two of Cheneys major political adversaries in the U.S. House: New York Rep. Elise Stefanik who replaced Cheney as conference chair after House Republicans voted her out of leadership for criticizing Trump and Minority Floor Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-CA.

A Casper Star-Tribune poll found Cheney trailing Hageman by 22 points.
THE recent, and perhaps ongoing, difference of opinion between Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and the Tobago House of Assemblyover the limitations on the national air carriers service on the Tobago routeled me to question whether CAL needs to be responsible for the domestic airbridge.
You are here: Business

Media registration for the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) started on Tuesday, according to the fair's organizing committee.



The registration will be open until Aug. 9. Journalists can register online at www.ciftis.org.

For the prevention and control of COVID-19, the fair mainly invites Chinese mainland journalists, mainland-stationed journalists of foreign media, and mainland-stationed journalists from media in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The 2022 CIFTIS will be held in Beijing from late August to early September.
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Flashback AUGUST 1: Jamaat leader Yasin Abu Bakr surrenders on Maraval Road, Port of Spain, following six days of siege during the 1990 attempted coup which he led.
Since 2020 a total of 218 people have been arrested in connection with the theft of metals i
Gac Ma memorial site to be expanded

The southern central province of Khanh Hoa will reclaim around 3,000 square metres of seafront land to expand the second phase of Gac Ma Memorial Site.



According to Nguyen Tan Tuan, chairman of the Khanh Hoa Peoples Committee, the second phase of Gac Ma Memorial Site was initially approved with a total area of 25,000 square metres. It will include greenery, exhibition space and memorial areas.





Gac Ma Memorial Site



In the coming time, the province will co-operate with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to recoup some 3,000 square metres adjacent to the sea for the expansion of the sites second phase. The land plot was previously allocated to a business.



Local authorities will work with the business to ensure that suitable compensation was provided, Tuan added.



The first phase of the VND130 billion (USD5.5m) Gac Ma Memorial Site was put into use in July 2017.



Khanh Hoa and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour agreed to build the sites second phase.



The memorial site is dedicated to 64 soldiers killed in the battle to defend Vietnams Gac Ma island in the Spratly Archipelago in 1988.
Rising multinational companies are debuting their new products, technologies and solutions at the ongoing China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, Hainan province, saying recent disruptions and headwinds have "never shaken (their) confidence" in China's economic prospects and that they will continue to invest in the country.



Industry experts interpreted MNCs' enthusiasm as a reflection of the huge potential of China's consumption market and the major role of consumption in driving further economic recovery both at home and abroad.

"We felt the positive effect of China's further opening-up at this year's expo, which also gives us full confidence in the future development of the Chinese market," said Kentaro Fujiwara, CEO of cosmetics giant Shiseido China.

Fujiwara said that China's consumption market offers an opportunity for Shiseido to continue to establish its presence in the local market and demonstrate the power of both the beauty industry and innovation.

As the first international beauty company to enter China, Shiseido has been based in the country for more than 40 years. The company has never lost its confidence that the local market deserves sustained investments, Fujiwara said.

Huang Wenkai, vice-president of KPMG China, said consumption plays a significant role in driving the country's economic development, and also in expanding demand. Therefore, promoting consumption is key to the nation's economic transformation.

"Thus, the country's further opening-up and establishing platforms for global consumer goods enterprises to enter the Chinese market will help boost confidence of manufacturers and consumers and inject momentum into the recovery and growth of the world economy," Huang said.

According to the Hainan expo's organizer, more than 600 new products, technologies and services from over 60 countries and regions made their debut this year.

Shiseido launched as many as 19 new brands and products, including Sidekick, a new luxury skin care brand for men.

It also launched the industry's first sun dual-care technology, which it claims transforms harmful ultraviolet radiation into beautifying elements that are beneficial for the skin.

"China is now Shiseido's largest overseas market. We continue to be optimistic about China's economic development prospects and consumption market potential," he said.

Member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership are also beneficiaries of the expo, thanks to trade facilitation policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

According to the local government, the Hainan Free Trade Port has implemented more than 180 policy documents to widen market access and promote trade facilitation and liberalization as of the beginning of July.

The documents include a positive "zero tariff" list for free trade port vehicles and yachts, a negative "zero tariff" list for cross-border trade in services and a catalog of encouraged industries.

"In recent years, the country's successful implementation of policies supporting the Hainan Free Trade Port has created new opportunities for the development of companies like us," said Saravoot Yoovidhya, CEO of Thailand beverage company TCP Group.

Yoovidhya recalled that his father actively responded to China's call for reform and opening-up by establishing the first overseas factory in Hainan in 1993, and since then, the Thai company has entered other locations in the China market.

"The company has placed the Chinese market at the heart of its strategy. We look forward to continuing and deepening our presence in the China market and bringing more high-quality products to local consumers," he said.

He emphasized that the RCEP agreement taking effect on Jan 1 has imparted added momentum to the development of the comprehensive and strategic bilateral partnership.
The magical charm of the Manzanilla-to-Mayaro vista is not the only gift of nature that could be lost to future generations. Natural phenomena combined with the human-induced impacts of climate change are already altering our lives, and are projected to do so in even more drastic and dramatic ways within the lifetimes of most people alive today.
Calling Tucson artists!

Submissions are now being accepted for consideration for the upcoming Arizona Biennial 2023, the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block announced.

First organized in 1948, the Arizona Biennial is a much-anticipated juried exhibition that showcases some of the most innovative and diverse new works being created in the state, according to a news release.

For emerging artists, this exhibition often provides an opportunity to exhibit their art in a museum setting or to introduce their work to the public for the first time. Museum visitors are also exposed to works by established artists with statewide, national and international reputations, the release said.

Artists must be at least 18 years old and can work in any media. The deadline to submit artwork is Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. The entry fee is $40 for up to three artworks.

The exhibition will be on view at the Tucson Museum of Art from April 1 to Sept. 17, 2023.
A man from the Tohono O'odham reservation was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Monday for shooting and killing a man in 2018.

Gilbert Martinez Jose, 22, was previously found guilty by a federal jury on one count of voluntary manslaughter, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Arizona said. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
PHOENIX  Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is joining a lawsuit to bar the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from cracking down on what the agency considers ghost guns.

The Biden administration defines those guns as unserialized, privately made firearms that law enforcement are increasingly recovering at crime scenes across the country. Last year, law enforcement recovered about 20,000 suspected ghost guns in criminal investigations, a tenfold increase from 2016, the administration has said.

In legal papers filed Wednesday, Brnovich joined with challengers to argue that new rules, set to go into effect next month, violate ATFs authority and exceed its ability to regulate interstate commerce.

The lawsuit argues the Biden administration is trying to do what it cannot get Congress to enact.

The final rule unconstitutionally subverts Congress authority, exercising quintessentially legislative powers in a manner that could never pass either (let alone both) houses of Congress today, which is precisely why defendants have no intent whatsoever to ask for legislative authorization to take such unprecedented actions, the lawsuit states. Yet under our Constitution, the president (much less unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats within the executive branch) is not a king who can exercise this sort of unbridled power unilaterally.

It also contends the administration is attempting to broadly rewrite federal gun-control laws to suit a radically anti-gun political agenda.

The lawsuit was originally filed earlier this month in North Dakota by a licensed firearms dealer, Gun Owners of America and Eliezer Jimenez, a member of that group who makes his own firearms from parts he acquires.

Brnovich, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, said he is joining to keep ATF from regulating unfinished, non-functional parts of guns as if they were complete firearms.

His office said that threatens the American tradition of private firearms manufacturing that predates the Revolution.

A press aide for Brnovich said using state resources to join the lawsuit is justified because the attorney general has a right to protect Arizona from overreach of the federal government.

There was no immediate comment from ATF, which has yet to file a formal response to the original lawsuit.

Exceedingly difficult to trace

The ATF rule has its roots in plans announced by the Biden administration in April.

Because ghost guns lack the serial numbers marked on other firearms, law enforcement has an exceedingly difficult time tracing a ghost gun found at a crime scene back to an individual purchaser, the White House said in a news release.

Specifically, ATF has proposed banning what the administration refers to as buy build shoot kits that individuals can purchase online or at stores without a background check. The contents can be readily assembled into a working firearm in as little as 20 minutes with equipment the buyers have at home, the administration says.

Linked to that is a new definition the agency is proposing for a privately made firearm. Challengers say that term does not exist  and has never existed  in federal law.

That is because there is no federal prohibition on non-prohibited individuals who, like plaintiff Jimenez, privately manufacture firearms for their own personal use, the lawsuit states. Nor is there is a bar on selling those weapons or requiring they be marked with a serial number, recorded in the books of any dealer, or obtained only after a background check, the lawsuit says.

In filing the lawsuit, the challengers say it is legally irrelevant that the lack of serial numbers makes it more difficult for ATF to track firearms for law enforcement, because only Congress may change the law.

The security of a free state

Beyond that, the suit says the rule change will force some companies to halt sales, meaning they will lay off workers. That will raise unemployment, increasing the public benefits that would be paid to these individuals while diminishing sales and income tax revenues, it says.

The final rule will make it exceedingly harder (if not impossible) for the citizens of the plaintiff states to manufacture their own firearms, the lawsuit states. That would mean preempting states with more permissive laws that are beyond the reach of the federal government, it says.

It also says the rule infringes on the lawful acquisition of protected arms within the states, the keeping and bearing of which contributes to the security of a free state.

The lawsuit separately challenges another provision in the rule that would alter the current law that federal firearms dealers must maintain records for at least 20 years, after which they can be destroyed. The rule requires not only permanent retention but that records be transferred to AFT if the dealer goes out of business, creating what the challengers say is an illegal national gun registry.

The plaintiffs are most immediately asking a judge to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the agency from implementing the rule as scheduled on Aug. 24. But no date has been set for a hearing.

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The border wall in Arizona needs immediate remediation in sensitive areas to avoid serious public safety issues and significant damage to native wildlife that is likely to compound over time, according to a new report by conservation group Wildlands Network.

Irreparable damage has already taken place, said Myles Traphagen, borderlands program coordinator for the Wildlands Network.

Were never going to see Montezuma Peak at Coronado National Memorial the way that Coronado saw it in 1542, Traphagen said. Were not going to see Guadalupe Canyon in the condition it was when Roger Tory Peterson, the noted birder, and Robert Stebbins, the noted herpetologist, visited these places to note rare species of birds and reptiles that only occur in that part of Arizona.

On the day that President Joe Biden took office and halted most construction on the border wall, the nonprofit organization began assessing environmental effects of the wall and related construction in Arizona and New Mexico.

Several crucially important wildlife corridors were saved at the last minute when construction was halted, says the report, released Monday. However, the report continues, numerous national wilderness areas suffered an incredible amount of damage.

During the Trump administration, 263 miles of pedestrian fencing/border wall were built in Arizona and New Mexico, the report says. Along with the fencing that was already there, that comes to at least 391 miles of border wall, equaling about 70% of the land along the two states southern borders.

The report highlights some of the environmental damage and mitigation it says is needed in five protected wilderness areas in Coronado National Forest on the Arizona-Mexico border, which Traphagen says are the most dramatic examples, including:

Cerro del Fresnal, about 1 mile east of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

Pajarito Mountains, 6 miles west of Nogales.

Western Patagonia Mountains, 1 mile east of the Santa Cruz River.

Coronado National Memorial, at the southern terminus of the Arizona Trail.

Guadalupe Canyon, about 4 miles west of the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

Mitigation plans called insufficient

The report says threats to some of these areas include: rockfall, erosion, invasive plant species, choking out springs and cattle watering tanks, the risk of catastrophic flood damage, serious public safety issues, and threats to critical habitat for the endangered jaguar.

Some of the places highlighted in the report also still have construction materials on site, like Cerro del Fresnal, a prominent peak in Coronado National Forest in Pima County.

Federal contractor Fisher Sand & Gravel blasted the peak with dynamite, leaving behind construction material and debris such as rebar and steel mesh, the report says. There is no fencing or signage to warn people or to keep out animals. A commercial generator left there slid down a slope, slammed into the border wall, and was left there for at least a week, the report says.

Cerro del Fresnal has essentially become an unmitigated mining site, the report says, adding that the Mine Safety and Health Administration should take custody of the site.

As well, the record-breaking heat and lack of rain for the Southwest in 2020 highlights the added dangers to animal species, Wildlands Network says. In arid environments animals often need to migrate long distances in order to find water, meaning with a hotter and drier climate, animals need more space to access food and water, not less, the report says.

Using the 2005 REAL ID Act, which contains a provision that allows the secretary of Homeland Security to waive laws that interfere with construction of physical barriers at the borders, the Trump administration waived dozens of laws to speed up wall construction, including the requirement to review environmental impacts.

Noting little robust government oversight of environmental impacts, Wildlands Network began a wildlife monitoring program in late 2019 at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, in southeastern Cochise County, to measure the effect of the border wall on wildlife movement across the border, setting up dozens of trail cameras in busy wildlife corridors.

Detections of wildlife on the trail cameras along the border have declined over the last year in places where a wall was built.

While the report recommends that the wall be fully removed in order to fully restore the region, it makes recommendations on ways the wall could be modified to create openings for wildlife passages.

Traphagen is doubtful the government will remove sections of wall for animals.

Wildlife passage for large mammals is diametrically opposed to the objective of trying to keep large mammals like humans from crossing, so its almost like an irreconcilable difference between people who are advocating for wildlife and people who are advocating for border security, he said. However, the crucial difference is that most large mammals cannot get over the wall, whereas humans are still able to do that. And they do that on a daily basis using ladders, ropes and reciprocating saws.

Incidents of people climbing the border wall are not uncommon and sometimes lead to injury and death, including a Mexican woman who choked to death on climbing gear on the border wall in Cochise County in April.

Remediation measures to start this fall

The government is planning remediation measures for wall construction areas, which have been pushed back in Arizona to the fall. They include adding more barriers rather than taking some down.

Bidens 2023 budget request includes authority for the Homeland Security secretary to transfer up to $225 million to the Interior Department or the Forest Service for environmental mitigation activities related to the construction of the border wall.

Custom and Border Protections remediation plans didnt identify the real problem locations, Traphagen said. The measures it outlined serve for the protection of the border wall infrastructure, without much consideration to environmental harms, he said.

They never presented any photographs with descriptions of the most egregious damage, he said.

Customs and Border Protection did not respond to questions from the Star about the Wildlands report in time for the print deadline.

The governments remediation plans include cleaning up and repairing damage in Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, including environmentally sensitive areas in Organ Pipe National Monument, Buenos Aires and Cabeza Prieta wildlife refuges, San Pedro National Riparian Area and Coronado National Memorial.

The plans include environmental remediation like revegetation of disturbed areas as well as the installation of 8-by-11-inch wildlife passages in parts of the border barrier. Also planned are gap closure and gate installation, which is something environmental groups say will further impede the movement of wildlife.

The remediation has yet to start, but the government has begun clearing construction materials away from sites, including areas in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, where piles of gravel and dirt remain.

The Wildlands report comes on the heels of Arizona allocating $355 million for a border wall, which is unlikely to be an actual wall but rather a virtual one, which could include motion sensors, infrared cameras, mobile towers and aerial drones.

Razor wire can be taken down swiftly

Another significant aspect of the border barrier that the Wildlands report highlights is the 180 miles of razor wire, also called concertina wire, which was installed on the wall in border cities including Nogales, Douglas, San Diego, Calexico and El Paso in 2019 and 2020.

The report documented 64 miles of razor wire in Arizona, 46 in California and 70 in Texas.

While some of the natural places are beyond repair, razor wire is something we can do something about, Traphagen said.

The razor wire threatens the residents of these cities and places children at risk to severe lacerations and inflicts psychological damage to residents of border cities, the report says.

That can be taken down swiftly, Traphagen said. Im really concerned about the impact to people who live in border communities and especially children and young people who grow up in a place that is very militarized, that resembles the Berlin Wall, resembles a prison, and what is going to be the long term effect upon these young people who become normalized to that type of brutal setting.

Wildlands Network sent the report to members of Congress and made it available to the public at wildlandsnetwork.org/news/priority-restoration-areas-border.

Were essentially destroying our land, our protected lands that Congress  decided to set aside for cultural and environmental resource preservation, Traphagen said. The border wall has so many levels. We need to reflect upon where our values are now, and is it really worth destroying our own home for trying to deal with a human socioeconomic problem.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A new plan to reroute how water moves from wetter Northern California to drier Southern California would ferry some of it through a single, 45-mile (72-kilometer) underground tunnel, wrapping around the states existing water delivery system and dumping it into the main aqueduct that flows south to vast swaths of farmland and millions of people.

The proposal released Wednesday would build one tunnel to take water from the Sacramento River, the state's largest, to the California Aqueduct for delivery further south. It's scaled back from the two-tunnel plan championed by former Gov. Jerry Brown and the latest iteration of a project that has been talked about and planned in some form, but never constructed, for about half a century.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, he ordered water officials to scrap the existing plan and start over. With one tunnel, the new proposal moves less water and aims to reduce harms to the environment. But most critics say the new route will still harm endangered species like salmon and people who rely on the water in the north.

The two sides have become so entrenched that the project's fate will ultimately depend on whether Newsom or a future governor can muster the political will to push it through, said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow with the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California.

This project is unlikely to be decided on its technical merits," he said.

State water officials say a tunnel is badly needed to modernize the state's water infrastructure in the face of climate change, which scientists say is likely to cause both prolonged droughts and major deluges of rain and snow. It would also better shield the state's water supply from the risk of an earthquake that could cause levees to crumble and ocean salt water to flood into the system.

Though California is in the third year of a punishing drought, it saw record rainfall last October and another major dump of rain and snow in December, some of which the state was unable to capture.

Our water infrastructure was not built for that," said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of California's Natural Resources Agency.

The Department of Water Resources plan analyzes the effects of the project on the environment, residents, fish and farmland. Critics say it will harm communities in the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which rely on water that could instead be diverted to the tunnel.

Officials did not release a price tag. A prior estimate for a different single-tunnel route put it at about $16 billion. It would be paid for by water agencies that contract with the state to use it.

Still, even if the political support to build it is there, construction likely wouldnt break ground until at least 2028 and would take more than a decade, said Carrie Buckman, environmental program manager for the project.

The preferred route would build two stations to pull water from the Sacramento River just south of the capital city, then carry that water south alongside Interstate 5 before breaking off toward Bethany Reservoir at the top of the California Aqueduct, the state's main channel for moving water south, built in the 1960s.

Two in three Californians, or about 27 million people, rely on water that comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a vital estuary where the two rivers mingle with tidal flows from the Pacific Ocean before it is conveyed south through the State Water Project.

At the southern end of the Delta, state and federally run pumping plants suck up the water and send it south. The proposed tunnel project would take the water from the Sacramento River before it reaches the Delta.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the states largest water contractor, using water from the Delta to supply 19 million people, including the city of Los Angeles. The district is working to expand its supply from other sources, but the tunnel project is critical to provide flexibility and ensure the state is capturing all of the water that it can, said Adel Hagekhalil, the districts general manager.

The Delta region is home to millions of people, more than 625 square miles (1,619 square kilometers) of farmland and critical species like endangered salmon and Delta smelt. Advocates worry the tunnel will divert that fresh water before it reaches them.

The state already lacks enough water to keep the Delta flourishing and to fulfill its existing water delivery contracts.

State officials say the tunnel would only be used when there is a lot of water flowing through the river, like after a major rainstorm. Environmental restrictions already limit how much water the Delta pumps can move at certain times of year, regardless of supply, to avoid harming fish.

Water officials say the chosen path would have the least negative consequences of the various options. Still, the 10-year construction would require removing 71 buildings, including 15 homes, as well as overtaking 2,340 acres of farmland and running through cultural resources and sites significant to tribal communities, the report said.

As for fish, the project could hurt both the Delta smelt and the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. The report says fewer juvenile salmon would survive and less food would be available for Delta smelt, which state officials say would be mitigated by habitat restoration. The project could harm water quality by increasing the amount of bromide and chloride and increasing the salt content.

Doug Obegi, senior attorney in the water program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the report deeply disappointing" and said it fails to consider alternatives that would truly protect salmon and other wildlife.

The science is clear that we're going to have to reduce diversions from the Delta to protect salmon and other species," he said.

The states current management of the Delta is not sustainable amid drought, sea level rise and other effects of climate change, said Mount, the PPIC water expert.

In simple terms, he said the fight over the tunnels centers on a policy choice: Either you come up with a structural fix that allows you to maintain the reliability, or you learn to live with less water from the Delta.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

The January 6th Select Committee has held a series of public hearings in recent weeks to lay out its findings of the investigation into the attack on the Capitol and the months-long criminal conspiracy leading up to it. The hearings have proven that former President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies abandoned their oaths and attempted to overthrow the will of the people in a scheme they knew was illegal and unconstitutional.

As a lawyer and professor, I have spent my career studying American politics, the legal system and how these systems can impact equality. Never before has an American president so egregiously violated the terms of his oath of office. The committee has shown that Trump and his associates planned, promoted and paid for the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the election. The fact that Trump incited the violence that occurred on that day is now without dispute. From testimony from his own former staffers, we now know that he knew some of his rally-goers had military-grade weapons and guns and he encouraged them to go to the Capitol anyway. We know he waited to act, and we know he thought those overrunning the Capitol had the right idea.

And the hearings arent even over yet.

In the coming days and weeks, we will learn more about the violent extremist groups and the MAGA wing of the Republican Partys ongoing attempts to take control of our election systems. By trying to replace state and local election officials with election deniers, passing laws making it harder to vote and diminishing Arizonas faith in our elections, Republicans in our state and across the country are set on seizing and holding on to power through whatever means necessary.

The illegality of former President Trumps actions is beyond dispute, thanks to the work of the investigators on the January 6th hearings. We know that his ultimate goal was to seize power through an unconstitutional scheme, whatever it took, starting with an illegal pressure campaign and culminating with a violent attack on his own vice president.

But the Republican reaction, or lack of one, to the jarring and damning evidence presented by the committee shows that this goes far beyond a former president. With Republican state legislatures passing laws making it harder to vote, election officials being replaced, and even with the Supreme Court, Republicans are set on overturning the next election, and the one after that, if it doesnt go their way. Watching state Rep. Mark Finchem run for secretary of state  a primary administrator of Arizona elections  makes it clear that our Republican Party has given up on trying to win fair and square.

Getting to the truth during these hearings and then demanding accountability at the courts and the ballot box is how we stop the current campaign to sabotage future elections by changing state laws, threatening state officials, and packing election administration offices so that they can have the final say over election results  even when they lose.

I hope Arizona will continue to tune into the hearings and hear more of the full truth as the hearings continue.
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Profits of China's major industrial firms rose 1 percent year on year in the first half of 2022, official data showed on Wednesday.



Industrial firms each with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.95 million U.S. dollars) saw their combined profits exceed 4.27 trillion yuan in the period, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee closed out its set of summer hearings with its most detailed focus yet on the investigations main target: former President Donald Trump.

The panel on Thursday examined Trumps actions on Jan. 6, 2021, as hundreds of his supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol, guiding viewers minute-by-minute through the deadly afternoon to show how long it took for the former president to call off the rioters. The panel focused on 187 minutes that day, between the end of Trumps speech calling for supporters to march to the Capitol at 1:10 p.m. and a video he released at 4:17 p.m. telling the rioters they were very special but they had to go home.

Trump was the only person in the world who could call off the mob, but he refused to do so for several hours, said the committees chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, who participated in the hearing remotely due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. He could not be moved.

THE WHITE HOUSE DINING ROOM

The panel emphasized where Trump was as the violence unfolded  in a White House dining room, sitting at the head of the table, watching the violent breach of the Capitol on Fox News. He retreated to the dining room at 1:25 p.m., according to Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., one of two members who led the hearing. That was after some rioters had already breached barriers around the Capitol  and after Trump had been told about the violence within 15 minutes of returning to the White House.

Fox News was showing live shots of the rioters pushing past police, Luria said, showing excerpts of the coverage.

In video testimony played at the hearing, former White House aides talked about their frantic efforts to get the president to tell his supporters to turn around. Pat Cipollone, Trumps top White House lawyer, told the panel that multiple aides  including Trumps daughter, Ivanka Trump  advised the president to say something. People need to be told" to leave, Cipollone recalled telling the president, urging Trump to make a public announcement. Fast.

Trump could not be moved, Thompson said, to rise from his dining room table and walk the few steps down the White House hallway into the press briefing room where cameras were anxiously and desperately waiting to carry his message to the armed and violent mob savagely beating and killing law enforcement officers.

NO CALLS FOR HELP

As he sat in the White House, Trump made no efforts to call for increased law enforcement assistance at the Capitol. Witnesses confirmed that Trump did not call the defense secretary, the homeland security secretary or the attorney general.

The committee played audio of Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reacting with surprise to the former presidents reaction to the attack. Youre the commander-in-chief. Youve got an assault going on on the Capitol of the United States of America. And theres Nothing? No call? Nothing Zero? Milley said.

As Trump declined to call for help, Vice President Mike Pence was hiding in the Capitol, just feet away from rioters who were about to breach the Senate chamber. The committee played audio from an unidentified White House security official who said Pences Secret Service agents started to fear for their own lives at the Capitol and called family members in case they didnt survive.

Shortly afterward, at 2:24 p.m., Trump tweeted that Pence didnt have the courage to block or delay the election results as Congress was certifying Joe Bidens presidential victory.

"He put a target on his own vice presidents back, said Luria.

FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDES

Matt Pottinger, who was Trumps deputy national security adviser at the time, and Sarah Matthews, then the deputy press secretary, testified at the hearing. Both resigned from their White House jobs immediately after the insurrection.

Both Pottinger and Matthews told the committee of their disgust at Trumps tweet about Pence.

Pottinger said he was disturbed and worried to see that the president was attacking Vice President Pence for doing his constitutional duty, which he said was the opposite of what we needed at that moment.

That was the moment I decided I was going to resign, Pottinger said.

Matthews said the tweet was essentially him giving the green light to those people, and said Trumps supporters truly latch on to every word and every tweet.

She also described a debate within the press office about whether the violence should be condemned  and her frustration that such a debate was even happening, and that they were debating the politics of a tweet.

Matthews said she pointed to the television. Do you think it looks like we are effing winning? Because I dont think it does, she said.

DESPERATE TEXTS

The committee showed some of the texts that were sent to Trumps chief of staff, Mark Meadows, as White House aides tried to get the president to act. Meadows turned the texts over to the panel before he stopped cooperating.

This is one you go to the mattresses on, Donald Trump Jr., the presidents son, texted Meadows. They will try to f--- his entire legacy on this if it gets worse.

Mark, he needs to stop this, now, texted Mick Mulvaney, Meadows former GOP House colleague and the former director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Hey Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home, texted Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham.

FINALLY, A VIDEO MESSAGE

As some of the worst of the fighting at the Capitol was still underway, and had been going on for hours, Trump put out the video at 4:17 p.m.

The committee showed video of Trump filming the statement, and a copy of the script that he ignored. I am asking you to leave the Capitol Hill region NOW and go home in a peaceful way, the script said.

But the president did not actually say that, instead repeating baseless claims of voter fraud without condemning the violence. So go home. We love you. Youre very special, Trump ended up saying. I know how you feel.

In video testimony, Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner said he got there as the filming ended, and I think he was basically retiring for the day.

The committee showed video from the Capitol siege at that exact moment  rioters trying to violently push through the main doors, battering officers who had been fighting for hours. Police radio traffic relayed, Another officer unconscious.

THE NEXT DAY

The committee showed never-before-seen outtakes of a speech prepared for Trump on Jan. 7 in which he was supposed to say the election was over. But he bristled at that line, telling a roomful of supporters, I dont want to say the election is over.

In the outtakes, Trump was visibly angry  at one point hitting his hand on the podium  as he worked through the prepared remarks, with his daughter Ivanka and others heard chiming in with suggestions.

In the final video, Trump condemns the violence and says: Congress has certified the results, and new administration will be inaugurated on January 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.

'WE HAVE CONSIDERABLY MORE TO DO'

At the beginning of the hearing, Thompson and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the committees Republican vice chair, announced that the panel would reconvene in September to continue laying out their findings.

Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break, Cheney said of the committees probe. We have considerably more to do. We have far more evidence to share with the American people and more to gather.

Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker, Jill Colvin, Farnoush Amiri, Kevin Freking, Chris Megerian and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
With classes scheduled to start in less than a month, Tulsa Public Schools will be taking over the operations of its partnership school in northwest Tulsa.

On Tuesday evening, officials with the Met Cares Foundation announced that TPS will operate Greenwood Leadership Academy, 1717 W. Seminole St., for the coming school year after the Internal Revenue Service automatically pulled the organizations nonprofit status due to missing tax returns for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

This change comes with a heavy heart, Met Cares Foundation Chairman Ray Owens said in a written statement. It is disappointing to step back this year when we can see that Greenwood Leadership Academy is making a significant, positive improvement in student achievement.

On behalf of the Met Cares Foundation board, we offer our heartfelt apology for any confusion this change may create as the school year is quickly approaching.

Classes start Aug. 18.

A spokeswoman for Met Cares said the organization has submitted the tardy tax returns to the IRS but did not have a timeline for when its status as a 501(3) will be reinstated or an answer for why its 2021 tax return was not filed until mid-July.

The organization claims that two digits were transposed on the employer identification number listed on its 2019 and 2020 returns, prompting the IRS not to acknowledge their receipt.

Tulsa Public Schools Chief Innovation Officer and interim Chief Talent Officer Andrea Castaneda handles the districts charter and partnership school agreements. When reached Tuesday night, she declined to comment on how the district found out about Met Cares Foundations standing with the IRS.

Castaneda said TPS has no plans to make changes to the school and has already started conversations with Greenwood Leadership Academy staff about staying on for the coming academic year.

Greenwood Leadership Academy is a really unique, special option in our portfolio of schools, Castaneda said. We know that part of its special nature is the result of the hard work that the Met Cares Foundation and the community poured into its creation. Were excited to honor and extend the work theyve done over the upcoming school year.

TPS approved an application in 2017 from the Met Cares Foundation to convert one of its schools into a partnership school, which is a hybrid between a traditional public school and a charter school.

The school has more autonomy with respect to curriculum and staffing than a traditional public school, but it still answers to the districts Board of Education. On the flip side, the district must offer transportation and is still accountable for students performance.

Academy Central was selected for the partnership school in large part due to a steep enrollment decline and nearly half of the students in its attendance area transferring to other schools.

Greenwood Leadership Academy opened in fall 2017 and began sharing a building with Academy Central. The partnership school initially served only prekindergarten through first grade and completed its expansion in 2020-21 to serve students through fifth grade.

Student count data from the Oklahoma State Department of Education show that 348 students were enrolled at Greenwood Leadership Academy in 2021-22, an increase of 46 from the previous year.

The partnership between TPS and Met Cares Foundation is subject to annual approval by the school board.

Citing a desire to focus on the impending transition, both parties declined to say whether the partnership would be revisited for the 2023-24 school year should the IRS grant the Met Cares Foundations reinstatement application.

The 2022-23 agreement between the district and the Met Cares Foundation was originally listed on the draft agenda for the school boards June 6 meeting but did not appear on the final agenda, prompting questions that night from Greenwood Leadership Academys board representative, Jennettie Marshall.

On Wednesday, Marshall said she made the inquiry that night because she thought the agreement was simply getting overlooked by mistake but never got a direct answer as to why it was pulled.

Castaneda said Wednesday that she could not answer questions at that meeting about the proposed agreement the Met Cares Foundation because it was not on the final, published agenda.

Meanwhile, Marshall said she still has some questions about the ramifications of Tuesdays announcement and would appreciate more public conversation in order to help the community better understand what is going on.

I support Greenwood Leadership Academy and want to see an honest discussion about what the full plans are for the school and the district, including the role each will play in continuing the education process for our young scholars at that school, Marshall said.

I think its success is dependent upon knowing those roles  and everything that there is to know about the situation that we can be a better service provider and partner with the school.

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An eighth case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Oklahoma, state health officials said Wednesday.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of the disease have been reported in 74 countries since about May. The virus has been found in two residents of northeastern Oklahoma and six from central Oklahoma, according to the State Health Department. The eight cases in Oklahoma are not related to each other, spokeswoman Erica Rankin said.

Monkeypox, established in parts of central and western Africa for decades, was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

To date, monkeypox deaths have been reported only in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo. In Europe, North America and elsewhere, the virus is spreading among people with no recent travel to Africa.

The World Health Organization on Saturday called the monkeypox outbreak a global emergency, mostly in a plea to draw more global resources and attention to an outbreak.

Some experts have questioned whether the emergency declaration will help, arguing that the disease isnt severe enough to warrant the attention and that rich countries battling monkeypox already have the funds to do so. Most people recover without needing medical attention, although the lesions may be painful.

The virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection. People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many develop acne-like bumps on many parts of the body.

In the U.S., some experts have speculated about whether monkeypox might be on the verge of becoming an entrenched sexually transmitted disease in the country, like gonorrhea, herpes and HIV.

Experts suspect that monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America were spread via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain. WHOs top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, said this week that 99% of all the monkeypox cases beyond Africa were in men and that of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men. Men who have sex with men, however, should not be targeted, victimized or marginalized because of the outbreak, the European Unions health commissioner said.
In Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, there is a special traditional artisan village. Despite many difficult obstacles in modern life, the village manages to find a new direction not only to exist but also to thrive remarkably over time.

Bao La Village is located in Quang Phu Commune, Quang Dien District, Thua Thien-Hue Province.

The Bao La Weaving Collective, which brings together most of the village's bamboo weaving factories, is inundated with orders these days after the COVID-19 pandemic caused difficulties for months.

The 'new face' of Bao La

Vo Van Dinh, director of the collective, pointed to a large yard built with materials and new trees while telling Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about the new plans for the future.

"Our collective has been working for 15 years. Bao La is not only a village where products made of bamboo are woven and sold but also a tourist attraction where we show visitors our talent and learn how to make money," Dinh said.

As a villager, Dinh is enormously proud of Bao La as he tells the story of his village to guests who visit the collective.

The Bao La Weaving Collective recently renovated its distinctive entrance to welcome visitors back.

The collective's showroom boasts more than 500 models of products made out of bamboo by the talented residents of Bao La Village, Dinh said.

Each of them was created through the restless efforts and creativity of the artisans who do not want their village to be left behind in the rapid changes of modern times.

Few people know how long Bao La Village has existed and how long the traditional craft of bamboo weaving has stood, but estimates are over 600 years old. When Dinh was a boy, there was not a single child who did not know how to split or entwine bamboo.

In wartime, the villagers had to flee from the bombs again and again. They could leave everything behind but they could not leave without a machete.

"All the villagers know how to weave so they can use the machete to cut bamboo to weave baskets and tools for fishing that can be sold to trade for food," Dinh said. "Thanks to the traditional profession, Bao La villagers can live in any place they go."

In peacetime, villagers returned to their hometown and continued their trade to earn a living. But plastic products 'destroyed' Bao La. Many artisans now only weave for their own use instead of selling their handicrafts as they used to.

It was not until 2007 that Dinh and four other villagers thought of rebuilding the artisan village. They took a loan of VND100 million (US$4,267) to establish the Bao La Bamboo Weaving Collective.

"In the first two years after the establishment, our efforts and commitment were in vain as we could not sell any products. Many members then left the collective to find another livelihood," recalled Thai Phi Hung, 72, a craftsman who signed the contract for the VND100 million loan that year.

In 2015, to their surprise, they were able to sell all their products, which were exhibited at an art and craft festival in Hue City. Since then, Bao La products have captured the attention of many customers.

More and more restaurants and hotels have asked artisans to make decorative lamps or bedroom lamps out of bamboo. The skillful artisans nodded when customers made certain requests.

The nods later cost them many sleepless nights as they tried to figure out how to meet the requirements.

When they received the products, the customers were also surprised because their beauty and uniqueness exceeded their expectations.

Then even more orders found their way to Bao La's craftsmen. A Hanoi-based businessman even came to the village to buy up all the existing products for export to China.

In a country with more than a billion people like China, the items from Bao La were received with enthusiasm.

Besides China, handicrafts made of bamboo were also shipped to other demanding markets such as Thailand, Japan, the U.S., and France.

"When it comes to exporting to other countries, we need to be more creative and design different types and models. The more diverse and exquisite our products become, the more competitive we get. Take decorative lamps, for example, of which we have nearly 100 kinds. Our artisans rack their brains to design lamp models that fold well and can be easily transported abroad," Dinh said.

An artisan weaves a basket in Bao La Village, Quang Dien District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

'Selling' a story made of bamboo

At the moment, artisans in Bao La no longer worry about how to sell their products. There are always hundreds of workers splitting bamboo, weaving, and making handicrafts.

The authorities in Thu Thien-Hue have even asked villagers to teach the art of weaving locally and in other provinces.

The transformation of a quiet village into a dynamic and pioneering locale was previously unimaginable to many people.

Thai Phi Hung, an artisan, is considered the brain of Bao La Village. Despite his old age, he has created various models that help other villagers.

Hung said his traditional village has entered the third phase of handicraft.

In the first phase, only things for daily life were woven. In the second, they focused on making normal and simple items while in the third -- the current phase -- souvenirs are made of bamboo to attract tourists.

Hung made a model of a bamboo boat which he says was inspired by a poem by one of Vietnam's most famous poets, To Huu, who wrote about the beauty of Hue. The craft has become a significant symbol of the former Vietnamese capital.

The buyer can both use the boat for decoration and put fruits, cookies, or sweets inside of it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the village's momentum over the past two years, Hung said, underlining that many more visitors could have visited it without the coronavirus.

If the Bao La artisans want to expand their business activities around bamboo products, they will be supported by the local authorities, who have given the village one hectare of land to enlarge thecollective and receive far more visitors.

The land grant was inspired by the idea of 'selling the bamboo story' of the local people.

The Thua Thien-Hue People's Committee already funded the village to build a traditional house to display its characteristic handicrafts.

"In the post-pandemic period, we have contacted travel agencies and more tourists will come to our village soon," Dinh said. "We will let them see our interlacing flair and this will be the biggest tourism product we have ever made."

Dinh believes that it is no longer time to worry about restoring traditional skills, but to think about how to develop well and leave a legacy for future generations.

"We invited younger people to work in the collective in hopes that they will take over the careers that many people have spent years painstakingly building," Dinh said.

"The younger generations will be responsible for working with partners and travel agencies.

"We old artisans will help them weave and tell visitors about the bamboo history of our village."

Artisan Thai Phi Hung holds two bamboo lamp covers, which are among the most sophisticated models in Bao La Village, Quang Dien District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tran Mai / Tuoi Tre

The Bao La Weaving Collective has about 100 employees working in person at the facility and another 50 working from home. Members of the collective want to focus only on intertwining, without worrying about selling products as they used to. Nowadays, the concern about selling handicrafts is just a memory told to visitors. Bao La is currently both a tourist attraction and a village that produces handcrafted works of art.

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Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin exchanged congratulatory messages on Wednesday on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two countries comprehensive strategic partnership, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam and Russia established a strategic partnership in 2001 and upgraded it to a comprehensive strategic partnership on July 27, 2012.

During his visit to Russia in November 2021, President Phuc held talks with President Putin and both issued a joint statement on the vision of the two nations comprehensive strategic partnership until 2030.

The two sides pledged not to form any alliance or agreement with a third party that is detrimental to each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and interests.

The development of relations between the two countries shall not be aimed against other third parties, the joint statement added.

Both nations will continue developing political dialogue in an extensive and substantive manner and consider economic ties an important pillar in their comprehensive strategic partnership.

On January 30, 1950, the Soviet Union became one of the first countries in the world to recognize and officially establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The relationship between the Russian Federation and Vietnam today inherits the special friendship between the two sides over the past decades.

During his visit to Vietnam in early July, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov affirmed that Russia attaches great importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian country.

Replying to the Russian official, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stated that Vietnam highly values its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, within the framework of its external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification, and multilateralization of foreign relations.

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Vietnamese border guard officers busted the illegal transport of 94 iguanas and turtles weighing nearly 335 kilograms from Cambodia into Vietnam earlier this week.

The border guard unit at Long Binh Border Gate, which lies along the border between Cambodia and An Giang Province in Vietnams Mekong Delta, confirmed on Tuesday they were working with the provincial Forest Protection Department to investigate the wildlife smuggling case.

At around 2:10 am on Sunday, officers on duty at the border gate noticed three suspicious individuals unloading goods from a boat along the bank of the Hau (Back) River.

The three people escaped as soon as they saw the border guard officers, leaving behind their boat.

The officers examined the boat along with the riverbank and discovered 10 boxes together with three sacks, all containing 52 iguanas weighing over 260 kilograms and 42 turtles weighing more than 73.8 kilograms.

They later handed over the wild animals and relevant exhibits to the An Giang Forest Protection Department to facilitate the investigation.

Illegal wildlife transport in Vietnam is punishable by a fine worth up to VND360 million (US$15,400) in accordance with Government Decree No. 35/2019.

If the animals are classified as rare or endangered, violators will be criminally charged and face prison terms of six months to 12 years, according to the Penal Code.

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Read what is in the news today:

Health

-- The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,460 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising Vietnams caseload to 10,770,304.

Society

-- Greater Manchester Police in the UK received a report last Thursday that four Vietnamese nationals were missing and may have been involved in a fire as workers discovered human remains while demolishing a burnt mill, The Guardian reported on Monday.

-- Heavy rain flooded many roads and residential areas in Bien Hoa City and Trang Bom District of southern Dong Nai Province on Tuesday afternoon.

-- A house fire killed a 61-year-old man with difficulty walking in the southernmost Ca Mau Province on Tuesday.

-- Lam Dong General Hospital in the namesake province said on Tuesday that a two-year-old girl, who had been hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and other wounds suspected to be caused by her babysitters, was successfully treated and discharged.

-- Two blue whales appeared at De Gi beach in Phu Cat District, south-central Binh Dinh Province on Tuesday morning, a local official confirmed later the same day.

Business

-- Vietnam raked in US$29.17 billion from phone and component exports during the first half of the year, marking a rise of 16.4 percent on-year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Lifestyle

-- Three German-Vietnamese bilingual books have been launched in Berlin to support the Vietnamese community in the country to understand Vietnamese language and culture, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

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Ho Chi Minh City authorities have made a proposal to the prime minister for widening the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong freeway by two more lanes to ease traffic jams on the route which links the city to two neighboring provinces.

In an urgent dispatch sent to PM Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday, city chairman Phan Van Mai asked for permission to enlarge the motorway as it has failed to withstand the growing traffic density after 12 years of operation.

Specifically, the expressway needs to be expanded from the current six to eight lanes with an investment in the public-private partnership (PPP) form and a locality where the expressway passes through should be charged with carrying out this expansion project.

The 62km-long throughway, opened to traffic in 2010, now has four traffic lanes that allow vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 120km per hour and two emergency stopping lanes, linking the city to southeastern Tien Giang and Long An Provinces.

Currently, the expressway is often congested, especially on weekends and holidays, failing to guarantee regional connectivity for socio-economic development, the city government said.

An investment to widen the freeway to eight lanes, including two emergency lanes, is therefore essential to meet the rising travel demand, ensure effective regional transport connection, and contribute to promoting socio-economic development, local authorities stated.

As planned, the road network in the Ho Chi Minh City area includes five expressways with a total length of about 276.9 kilometers, but only two of them, including the aforementioned one and Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay, have been put into operation so far.

Among the three others, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway is under construction while the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh and Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai motorways are in the pre-feasibility study phase.

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Authorities of Phu Yen Province in south-central Vietnam have imposed a VND1 billion (US$42,700) fine on Tu Mai Construction  Trading Joint Stock Company for administrative violations in mineral extraction.

On May 22, officials in Song Hinh District and Duc Binh Tay Commune inspected the area at the foot of Hon Giang Mountain and discovered signs of illegal stone mining on a 0.2ha land lot.

At the working session, Dang Duc Tu, chairman of Tu Mai Company, admitted that from April 28 to May 19, this company illegally quarried granite in the area, scooping up the amount of buried stone.

The mining company does not have an operation license issued by a designated agency.

Furthermore, the company was found to have concealed its equipment to cover up its violations.

In addition to the fine, Tu Mai Company also had its mining site and quarrying equipment confiscated and was ordered to restore the environment of the exploited area, bringing the mining area to a safe state.

The time limit for implementing remedial measures is 10 days from the date Tu Mai Company received the punishment decision.

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Lam Dong General Hospital in the namesake province said on Tuesday that a two-year-old girl, who had been hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and other wounds suspected to be caused by her babysitters, was successfully treated and discharged.

The treatment for C.P.L., aged two, lasted for ten days.

L. underwent an emergency surgery on her head and was treated for other internal and external injuries, including a lung contusion.

She is the daughter of Cao Thi Thuong, a 26-year-old native of Dak Lak Province, adjacent to Lam Dong, located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

Thuong and L. are residing in Da Lat City, the capital of Lam Dong.

As the mother works far away from the city, she left L. in the care of Cao Thi Dao, a 38-year-old babysitter at a local preschool that pays her a monthly salary of VND7 million (US$300).

In June this year, Dao, who was busy with house repairs, had 24-year-old Vuong Ngoc Thao Vy and Huynh Thi Thanh Hang, Vys younger sister-in-law, take care of the little girl for VND2 million ($86) a month.

This supplied photo shows Huynh Thi Thanh Hang (L) and Vuong Ngoc Thao Vy, two babysitters that physically abused two-year-old C.P.L. in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam.

Vy and Hangs accounts later showed that the two babysitters hit L. with their hands several times for the little girls shyness in public places.

On July 8, Vy kicked L.s body, causing the girl to fall in the bathroom.

On July 16, L. started vomiting, while her body became cold and her lips turned pale after being fed for lunch.

Vy gave the baby emergency resuscitation three times before transporting her to Lam Dong General Hospital.

L. was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, intracerebral hematoma, pulmonary contusion, and other injuries upon the hospital admission.

Thanks to timely treatment and the babys positive response to doctors therapies, her health was restored to a stable condition and she was discharged from the hospital after ten days.

Police in Da Lat City arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Vy and Hang on July 18.

The two women are now kept in temporary custody for two months.

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China's sprawling manufacturing sector remains a magnet for foreign investment as more foreign capital finds its way into key fields such as advanced manufacturing, high-tech and energy conservation, the nation's top industry regulator said on Tuesday.



Yao Jun, deputy head of the planning department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said manufacturing is a key destination for foreign investment in China. Though some foreign-funded enterprises are diversifying their business layouts, the overall pace of foreign investment in China has not slowed.

Yao made the comments when asked about rumors that foreign companies are withdrawing from the Chinese market.

"The (partial) relocation of manufacturing industries and the transfer of industrial chains (to other places) are normal economic phenomena, and are the result of globalization and market mechanisms," Yao said.

He said China's advanced manufacturing sector, in fact, is of greater appeal to various sources of funds. From January to May this year, the actual use of foreign capital in China's high-tech manufacturing sector increased 32.9 percent year-on-year.

China's actual use of overall foreign capital stood at 564.2 billion yuan ($83.5 billion) in the first five months, a year-on-year increase of 17.3 percent, said the Ministry of Commerce.

More than 70 percent of German enterprises with operations in China and over 60 percent of US companies plan to increase their investment in China, Yao said, pointing to reports by the China branch of the German Chambers of Commerce Worldwide Network, and the American Chamber of Commerce in China, or AmCham China.

"We will continue encouraging foreign investment in advanced manufacturing, high-tech and other fields, and use the 'green channel' and other ministry-province link services to support the accelerated implementation of key foreign-funded projects," Yao said.

Meanwhile, the MIIT will also encourage domestic enterprises to strengthen international cooperation, which will promote joint projects in equipment manufacturing and other areas, and jointly maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains, Yao added.

The industry regulator will also step up efforts to promote the convergence of digital technologies and manufacturing as part of China's broader push to promote industrial upgrade.

Wang Zhiqin, vice-president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government think tank, said the digital economy will become increasingly intertwined with the real economy, with the former helping the latter enter a new development stage.

On Monday, the State Council-the nation's Cabinet-said it approved establishing an inter-ministerial joint conference system for digital economy development to enhance coordination and better promote the growth of China's digital economy.
Greater Manchester Police in the UK received a report last Thursday that four Vietnamese nationals were missing and may have been stuck in a fire as workers discovered human remains while demolishing a burnt mill, The Guardian reported on Monday.

The bodies of the four Vietnamese migrants were found on Sunday last week in the burnt-out remains of Bismarck House Mill in Oldham, Greater Manchester, which was destroyed in a fire two months ago, Greater Manchester Police said on Monday.

After receiving the report, local police and demolition workers examined the remains of the mill where they found the bodies of the four.

Authorities previously believed there was no one inside the mill when the fire broke out.

The finding came 10 weeks after a fire at the property in Bismarck House Mill on Bower Street.

Detectives are now working to establish the identities of the deceased as well as the circumstances of the blaze.

While work is ongoing to confirm the identity of the deceased, we are liaising with partner agencies to ensure potential family members in Vietnam are fully informed and supported, local police said.

The blaze at the mill broke out on May 7 and took four days to extinguish.

According to Greater Manchester fire and rescue service on May 7, ten fire engines were dispatched to tackle a huge blaze at the mill at 2:15 am that morning, as well as three aerial appliances and additional support vehicles.

"When the fire service arrived at the scene they were met with a very serious fire, a well-developed fire, in the building, said Leon Parkes, assistant chief fire officer for Greater Manchester fire and rescue service.

A decision was made at that time not to permit any firefighters into the building for two reasons  firstly, the fire was well-developed and was continuing to grow and, secondly, there was some concern about the structural stability of the building."

Parkes also confirmed that those are the correct procedures that are followed in such situations.

The mill used to house various companies, including a tile shop and a laser game center.

At the time of the incident, the building was closed.

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The Asia Pacific Gateway (APG), one of the major submarine cable systems in Vietnam, had an error on Tuesday, the Vietnam News Agency quoted an Internet service provider as saying.

Due to this error, Internet users are expected to experience trouble when accessing international websites and applications.

Local service providers have routed international traffic to other cable systems and optimized related technical systems in a bid to minimize the impact of the error on users.

It remains unknown when the repair work on the APG cable system will be completed.

International connection in Vietnam relies on multiple submarine cable systems, namely the APG, Asia America Gateway (AAG), Intra-Asia (IA), Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3 (SMW3), and Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), according to the Vietnam Internet Association.

The APG, which runs about 10,400 kilometers underwater across the Pacific Ocean, connects Vietnam with mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.

A problem previously occurred on the submarine cable system in mid-December 2021, and the repair work was not finished until late February.

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A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello has been involved in an incident with former AFL player manager Ricky Nixon on a Port Melbourne street today.

The confrontation took place on Bay Street after Costello tried to doorstep Nixon for an interview about his latest business venture. A Seven News reporter was also on the scene.

Former AFL player manager Ricky Nixon lashes out over questions about his latest business venture. The full interview in 7NEWS at 6pm. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/uBlyrw2Apt  7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) July 27, 2022

In the process of speaking with Mr Nixon his elbow has made contact with my jaw, Costello told 3AW.

It is fair to say this is a first for me.

We are going into these situations obviously asking questions with cameras rolling so I can appreciate how that is a provocative situation.

The video will speak for itself.

As Costello was speaking live to 3AW, Nixon is alleged to have approached him and could be heard in the background.

Stand back. Can you please calm down? Costello asks.

Video of the incident will be given to Victoria Police.

A Nine spokesperson told the Herald Sun, We are checking in with Seb and his wellbeing and making sure he is okay.
A number of new and returning titles drop this week at SBS on Demand.

They include Finnish crime drama Helsinki Crimes, survival series Alone Denmark, Norwegian comedy drama Norwegian-ish, Spanish black comedy Nasdrovia, and Polish contemporary drama The Six.

All on Thursday,28 July:

Helsinki Crimes

All eight episodes available to stream. In Finnish with English subtitles.

Timo Harjunpaa (Olli Rahkonen) lives in a small, peaceful town of Kirkkonummi with his wife Elisa and two young daughters. Harjunpaas summer should be peaceful too but is anything but. Police Sergeant Harjunpaa works with the Helsinki Murder Squad, and with his newly assigned partner, Onerva Nykanen (Olga Temonen), gets to deal with cases where every behaviour humanly possible, becomes familiar to them. A sexual predator killing women introduces Harjunpaa and Nykanen to the chilling incelideology, while an identity theft leads them into the world of criminal hackers. During the long summer, the pair are trying to figure out what makes under-age kids do terrible, violent crimes, and how heavily traumas and difficult home life experienced in childhood impact people all their lives, making them vulnerable to the life of crime even in adulthood. The beautiful summery Helsinki looks very different to the eyes of Harjunpaa and Nykanen  to them, people are not safe at home, nor on the streets. Their cases dont leave them alone even on their days off, and they both need to think of the impact their choice of profession has on their families, where, after a difficult days work, they both face their own challenges and problems. Being in the Murder Squad makes you fear for your own family, fear that youll lose control of the life of your own children.

Alone Denmark (Season Three)

All eight episodes available to stream. In Danish with English subtitles.

In this extreme survival experiment, 10 Danes are dropped off in the Norwegian wilderness to test how long people can survive on their own. In total isolation and with a minimum of aids, they must film their own fight against hunger, the cold, the rugged nature, and not the least themselves! The goal is to survive for as long as possible. The last person standing wins. Alone Denmark S3 is filmed further south in Norway, with more opportunities for the participants to survive. They only have the option to fish and forage  no hunting allowed.

Norwegian-ish

All eight episodes available to stream. In Norwegian, Persian, Punjabi, and Turkish with English subtitles.

Modern, well-integrated, young adults with immigrant backgrounds are often portrayed as the shining image of what multicultural Norway should be  strong, confident people who balance their two cultures perfectly. In other words  the opposite of Helin (Selda Ekiz), Amrit and Fariba. Fortunately, they have each other. With roots in four cultures, the friends try their best to navigate through adulthood with all the awkward situations, insecurities, uncomfortable everyday experiences, and victories it entails. Helin is the dutiful Turkish daughter and doctor who realises her parents have become far more liberal than herself. Iranian Fariba (Nasrin Khusrawi) decides to play her minority card to get ahead in her professional life. Amrit (Ravdeep Singh Bajwa), an untraditional Indian bar owner, discovers more pros than cons with sticking to his own kind. Simultaneously their parents struggle with not interfering while their thirty-something children go through the growing pains of life. When Helins little sister gets pregnant outside of marriage and her parents dont seem to care, Helins world is turned upside down. Has her family become too Norwegian? Single mother Faribas social media activity draws her into a media circus, and her need for exposure creates a gap between her and her father. Amrit notices that he and his secret Norwegian girlfriend are drifting apart, so he starts to wonder if it is true  like his mother says  that birds of a feather flock together.

Nasdrovia (Season Two)

All six episodes available to stream. In Spanish and Russian with English subtitles.

Edurne (Leonor Watling) and Julian (Hugo Silva) are two successful lawyers. They decided to quit their careers and open a Russian restaurant  the Nasdrovia. Unfortunately, its so great that it becomes a favourite of the Russian Mafia. The second season of the comedy-drama, written by the shows creators Sergio Sarra, Miguel Esteban and Luismi Perez, and its showrunner Marc Vigil, tracks the excouples excruciating decent into hell, as they fall into the maws of the Russian mob. Nasdrovia also stars Luis Bermejo.

The Six

All six episodes available to stream. In Polish with English subtitles.

A daughter wants to save her father; a husband, his wife; a former lover, his childhood love. They are about to participate in a revolutionary kidney transplant program. They are not compatible with their direct relatives but are compatible with each others. Between them, they form a chain. But with the operation imminent, complicated family relationships, past conflicts and hidden resentments resurface. Will they have the strength and courage to risk their lives to save strangers?
Episode #8903 of Neighbours marks the end of an era in Australian Television.

In 2015 to mark 30 years of the show airing in Australia, TV Tonight posed some questions to its creator, the legendary Reg Watson.

Congratulations on the show reaching 30 years. You must feel very proud of this achievement?

RW: Yes, Im very proud but also grateful to so many hundreds of talented people who worked to make the serial a success.

Take us back to the start. How did the idea come about?

RW: The concept was based on life in my home street in Brisbane before I went to England. When I returned in 74 I was surprised at the changes in the people; the happy neighbourly atmosphere had gone and there no longer seemed to be the bond between parents and teenagers. Today, when asked how things went at school teenage sons would grunt an answer. I thought it would be interesting to do a serial where modern viewers could be reminded of the old days. ie. Scott Robinson and his father trusted and respected each other and communicated as adults but Max Ramsay couldnt stand his rebellious son. Those were the days when all neighbours knew and helped each other in the street but now they are insular. Everything is different again today but older people will remember what I mean about the old days -but you can imagine trying to pitch a serial about communication to a sceptical channel executive with their arms folded  as they do.

What about when it was axed by Seven and picked up by TEN?

RW: Ian Holmes (Grundys) handled the switch from Seven to Ten. I was flat out rewriting new storylines and scripts for Ten.

People often refer to the glory era, of UK success, fan frenzy in shopping centres. It must have been quite a ride?

RW: I knew all about the impact Neighbours was having on the great British public but only experienced it myself in the most unlikely place  Heathrow airport immigration. I had flown in and a rather superior official was checking my passport etc. He looked me up and down and said, So youre a television producer. And just what do you produce, Mr. Watson? I mentioned that something I had devised was currently running over there and mentioned Neighbours. His reaction was amazing as he begged for an autograph for his wife (or shed never forgive him) and brought two buddies over to meet me. It was fun being a VIP for a few minutes but Neighbours actors copped the full force of fan frenzy when they went to the UK  and they loved it. Neighbours was running twice a day on the BBC.

When did you step back from the show?

RW: I stepped back from the serial when Reg Grundy sold the business but it was already being run by experts so I retired a happy man.

Why are audiences so drawn to soap opera?

RW: As you know yourself, the success of a serial always starts with the storyline. If an episode doesnt contain a logical plot with interesting characters and a strong cliffhanger viewers lose interest. Storyliners hold the characters lives in their hands.

Tell us about your lifestyle now. What keeps you occupied? Do you still watch the show?

RW: My lifestyle is now completely different. I had over sixty years in theatre, radio and television and you must make a determined effort to give it all up and not look back- otherwise you will be the doddering old know all who keeps interfering. Thats not my style.

What will be Neighbours legacy?

RW: The Neighbours legacy. Well, I produced the first five day a week serial, Crossroads in the UK. Critics hated it and Lady Plowden, the Chairman of the powerful Independent Broadcasting Authority wanted it off the air because she found it to be distressingly popular. That was fifty years ago and today in Britain they are still running repeats of the serial and fans are gathering to celebrate the anniversary. Id like to think that people will still feel the same way about Neighbours in fifty years time.

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours Great theme tune, great soap. But Australias longest-running TV drama (which was massive in Britain) is coming to an end. Heres my musical tribute to Neighbours. pic.twitter.com/602Ekl2E7Q  Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) July 9, 2022

In the same year I interviewed fans aboard the Neighbours bus:

Alison, from London, has been watching the show since it began in 1985, now screening twice-daily in the UK on Channel 5.

Theres half one in the afternoon and half five, so you can choose. I used to watch the afternoon one while I was cooking dinner. Nowadays I tape it and catch up with it in the afternoon, she says.

Its nice watching their lives. You can just there and you dont have to think about anything, so its escapism, I suppose.

Fans Rebecca and Pippa, also from the UK, concur that the experience of standing on the street is hard to comprehend.

Its a bit surreal. It feels a lot smaller than when you see it on the TV. But I cant actually believe that were actually standing on Ramsay Street, they say.

Weve watched it for as long as we can remember with our mum. So when we were coming to Australia it was one of the things we had to do. We couldnt come all this way and not come see it.

We have it set up to record every day on our digital box. So we just watch it whenever. Its a nice wind down after work.

Ramsay Street is what we think of when we think of Australia.

Its what weve seen the most of. When people tell me things I think, Oh yes Ive seen that on Neighbours.

Neighbours Finale Week:

Thursday July 28 7.30pm  9pm on 10 and 10 Peach

Attention British fans: TV Tonight will be filing a finale story following the Australian broadcast.
ReportLinker

Automated Passenger Counting System Market Research Report by Type (Emergency Announcement Systems, Infotainment Systems, and Passenger Information Mobile Application), Technology, Component, Application, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Automated Passenger Counting System Market Research Report by Type, Technology, Component, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06306929/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market size was estimated at USD 199.29 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 225.56 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 13.35% to reach USD 422.78 million by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Automated Passenger Counting System to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the market was studied across Emergency Announcement Systems, Infotainment Systems, Passenger Information Mobile Application, Passenger Informed Announcement Systems, and Passenger Informed Display Systems.



Based on Technology, the market was studied across Infrared, Stereoscopic Vision, and Time-of-Flight.



Based on Component, the market was studied across Multimedia Display, Networking & Communication Devices, Public Announcement Systems, and Sensors.



Based on Application, the market was studied across Airways, Railways, Roadways, and Waterways.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Automated Passenger Counting System market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Automated Passenger Counting System Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market, including Cisco Systems, Inc., Clever Devices Ltd., Dilax Intelcom GmbH, Ermetris Srl, Eurotech Sp. z o.o., Eyeride, Giken Trastem Co., Ltd., GMV Syncromatics corporation, Hella Aglaia Mobile Vision GmbH, Hitachi, Ltd., Innovation in Traffic Systems SE, iris-GmbH infrared & intelligent sensor, Passio Technologies, r2p GmbH, Retail Sensing Ltd., Siemens AG, Wabtec Corporation, and Xovis AG.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Automated Passenger Counting System Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06306929/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Pupils at Mwele secondary school in Filabusi District, Zimbabwe in the kit from Selby College

A COLLEGE near York is "delighted" that a donation will provide children in one of the worlds poorest countries with the chance to own their own sports kit.

The clothing, donated by Selby College through KitAid, has been well received from the pupils at Mwele secondary school in Zimbabwe, who have already enjoyed a number of games of football in their new strips.

Matthew Duck, Sport and Public Services lecturer at Selby College, who arranged the KitAid donation, said: "These children are living in some of the poorest conditions in the world, yet they are so grateful and overjoyed at having their very own sports kit - which is absolutely priceless.

"I was delighted to show the students the images of where their old kit has gone too and the impact it has made."

The colleges sports department donated more than 80 pieces of kit to the cause, which included a mixture of football, rugby and netball kits.
You are here: China

China's national observatory on Tuesday continued to issue an orange alert for high temperatures as an intense heatwave lingers in many regions of the country.

During daylight hours on Wednesday, most parts of southern China and parts of Xinjiang are expected to experience temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said.

Temperatures in parts of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Xinjiang may surpass 40 degrees Celsius, the center said.

It advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods, and suggested that workers exposed to high temperatures shorten their working hours between breaks.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Brazilian football star Neymar will go on trial in October in a corruption case stemming from his transfer from Santos to Barcelona.

He and the two clubs are accused of fraud and corruption charges over the 2013 move, with his family also embroiled in the case.

Brazilian investment group DIS, which used to own part of Neymar's transfer rights, alleges that it received less money than it was entitled to when the footballer joined Barcelona from Brazilian club Santos nine years ago.

DIS says it was due to get 40% of the fee, which at the time was reported to be in the region of 48.6m.

Subsequent investigations looked into whether any part of the reported transfer fee had been concealed.

The trial in Barcelona - which will include Neymar, his parents, former Santos manager Odilio Rodrigues, and Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, the then president and vice-president of Barcelona - is set to end just weeks before the start of this year's World Cup in Qatar.

All the defendants have denied any wrongdoing, but appeals by them to Spain's high court have been rejected, forcing the case to go to trial.
By Marcelo Teixeira

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Food and beverage giant Nestle on Tuesday said it has started operations at its new coffee processing plant in Mexico, its largest instant coffee site in the world, where it invested $340 million to process 670,000 bags per year.

The Veracruz-based plant will make instant coffee for Nestle's Nescafe brand, with the United States as the potential destination of most of its production.

According to coffee traders, the investment in such a large instant coffee plant in a location that is far from Vietnam, the world's largest producer of robusta coffee - the type mostly used to make instant coffee - signals a sourcing diversification at Nestle, one of the world's largest coffee buyers.

"Nestle is basically sourcing all their robustas for the Mexico operations from Brazil. The price difference is too large (compared to Vietnam coffee)," said a director at a large commodities trader, adding that Brazilian beans are cheaper.

Nestle already had capacity to process around 1.15 million bags of green coffee at its other plants in Mexico before the investment in the new unit.

It said it plans to source most of the coffee from Mexican farmers, but the country only produces around 500,000 bags of robusta. The USDA projects Mexico's coffee crop at 3.84 million bags, most of it arabica. While Brazil is seen producing 64.3 million bags (22.8 million of robusta) and Vietnam, 30.8 million bags, almost all robustas.

The coffee executive said cheaper shipping to Mexico from Brazil, compared to Vietnam, is another reason for Nestle to turn to Brazilian robustas.

In fact, Mexico has sharply increased Brazilian coffee imports in recent years, from only 62,000 bags in 2017 to a record 920,000 bags in 2021, of which 85% were robusta beans, according to data from exporters group Cecafe.

(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by David Gregorio)
HA NOI  President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday morning attended and made a speech at the third meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in Ha Long Bay City, Quang Ninh Province.

150 delegate representatives from 17 APEC member economies also took part in the event.

In his remarks at the conference, the President said uncertainties due to the pandemic, geo-political competition, supply chain disruptions and wobbles of financial markets have tested the mettle and cohesion of the APEC economies.

The meeting offers an opportunity to step up cooperation within the private business bloc of APEC, and seek ways to recover production and business, promote trade and investment, and reconnect supply chains, towards innovative, sustainable and inclusive development, Phuc noted.

"At the opening session of ABAC III Session today, I would like to affirm that Viet Nam always supports and boosts the implementation of the Aotearoa Plan on the APEC 2040 vision and promote the APEC 2017 (Viet Nam) Joint Statement on "Creating new dynamics, Fostering a Shared Future" with the implementation of effective cooperative actions on pandemic response, growth model innovation, creative digital transformation, and adaptation to climate change and inclusive development," the State leader stressed.

President Phuc hoped that ABAC would come up with a number of new and practical proposals and suggestions to improve trade and investment in APEC with the crucial role of the WTO system; connect broken supply chains and human resources; support enterprises to maintain production and business activities on the foundation of the digital economy; green production with green technologies and agriculture; and promote cooperation in the development of clean energy, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the region.

Viet Nam and other APEC economies always appreciate and support the initiatives and recommendations of the ABAC community to report to the upcoming discussion between APEC leaders and ABAC.

In his speech, the President also mentioned the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s upbeat predictions regarding Viet Nam's economic prospects, which not only would continue to stabilise but even substantially recover with GDP growth of 6 per cent in 2022 and 7.2 per cent in 2023.

The country's trade turnover increased by 23 per cent to around US$670 billion last year, putting Viet Nam among the top 20 nations with the highest trade size in the world.

The IMF also forecast that Viet Nams economy will rank third in Southeast Asia by 2025 in terms of economic size, with its GDP exceeding $570 billion, Phuc said, adding that Viet Nam is working hard towards the goal of becoming a high-income, developed nation by 2045.

The country is an attractive investment destination in the world with nearly 35,000 active FDI projects, equal to total investment capital of nearly $430 billion from tens of thousands of businesses from 140 countries and territories.

Therefore, President Phuc said that this is a very good opportunity for APEC investors to come to Viet Nam and the country always welcomes APEC businesses to invest and cooperate for mutual benefit and development.

According to a report released by the United Nations in July 2021, Viet Nam was among the top 20 countries globally in FDI attraction. Viet Nam has emerged as one of the leading nations in ASEAN in terms of investment environment, which are working towards standards of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The country not only has the domestic market of 100 million people with increasing purchasing power, but also participates in 15 free trade agreements, including new-generation agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the President added.

ABAC was created by APEC Leaders in 1995 to be the primary voice of business in APEC. Each economy has three members who are appointed by their respective leaders. They meet four times a year in preparation for the presentation of their recommendations to the Leaders in a dialogue that is a key event in the annual Leaders Meeting.

Earlier, President Phuc met with the ABAC delegation led by ABAC 2022 Chairman Kriengkrai Thiennukul who said President Phuc's presence and speech at the meeting demonstrate Viet Nams strong commitment to settling issues of APEC businesses concern.

According to the Chairman, the council seeks solutions to promote trade, digitalisation and cyber security, support small-and medium-sized enterprises, boost circular economy and develop financial ecosystems.

Phuc lauded targets and solutions set by ABAC and noted his belief that there will be many proposals and initiatives raised at the meeting to further facilitate businesses operations.

Co-organised by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and ABAC Vietnam in Ha Long city, the meeting will last until July 29.  VNS
HA NOI  President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin exchanged messages of greetings on Wednesday on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

President Putin wrote in his letter: "I believe that with mutual efforts we will ensure the continuation of the comprehensive ties between Moscow and Ha Noi and the coordination in handling emergency issues on international agenda. This will meet the basic demands of the two peoples and accompany the guaranteeing of stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region," according to the Russian embassy in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam and Russia officially established diplomatic ties on January 30, 1950 (between the then Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

The Viet Nam-Russia Strategic Partnership was set up in 2001, and bilateral ties were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on July 27, 2012.  VNS
Nguyen Hung Quang (left) and Tu Thi Phuong Uyen from NHQuang & Associates

The Law on E-Transactions that came into effect in 2006 governs technical and specific issues arising in the electronic environment, and closely follows the United Nations model law on electronic commerce.

However, in the context of Industry 4.0 and the strong boom in e-transaction demand, including civil transactions and transactions between the state and citizens, the law has revealed certain limitations.

In order to meet the practical requirements of socioeconomic development and ensure consistency with relevant legal provisions, the draft amended law now developed by the government aims to overcome the mentioned shortcomings and also sets out remarkable orientations for development.

To ensure legal validity, reliability, and security of data messages, the draft law is proposed to amend and supplement several issues.

Vietnam will benefit more from cross-border transactions if its legal system takes into account modern technology, Photo: Shutterstock

First is supplementing electronic certificates and electronic contracts as one among representation forms of data messages. At the same time, it will stipulate that data messages can be created and generated during the transaction process or digitised from hard copies.

Secondly, supplementing the basis for determining the legal validity of data messages will include reliability of the manner in which data messages are generated, stored or transmitted; the manner to identify the originator, sender, and receiver of data messages; reliability of the manner for network information security assurance and non-repudiation of data messages; and possibility to access and use contents of data message in complete form as needed.

Next, supplementing regulations on digital transformation will replace physical storage of documents, vouchers, records, dossiers, or information with digitised data messages.

Fourth involves supplementing regulations on conversion of forms between hard copies and data messages, which must ensure the conditions on implementation subjects, information of individuals and organisations experiencing transformation, and signature (stamped) as required.

Finally, regulations will be supplemented on concept, classification, legal validity and use of e-certificates. Accordingly, an e-certificate is a data message issued by an agency, organisation, or individual, in which the information is used as a result of administrative settlement procedures, permits, diplomas, certificates, valuable papers, written approvals, or other confirmations in electronic form. These include non-transferable and transferable e-certificates.

The legal validity of information contained in an electronic certificate will not be rejected simply because it is presented in the form of an e-certificate.

While the current law just addresses the legal validity of data messages to facilitate the transformation from traditional transactions to an electronic environment without clarifying the regulations on secure data messages, the draft law now proposes to detail such regulations, ensuring the integrity and non-repudiation of data messages, assuring legal validity for enforcement, and creating a basis for establishing secure e-transactions in the network environment.

Legal validity of e-signatures

Pursuant to the Law on E-Transactions, an e-signature is legally valid once it satisfies two conditions. The first is that the method of creating the e-signature allows the identification of the signatory and indicates his/her approval of the data message contents.

The second is that such a method is sufficiently reliable and appropriate for the purpose for which the data message is created and sent. This regulation has not specifically stipulated secure signatures, measures, and standards to ensure secure e-signatures.

In addition, the law has not yet addressed the types, legal validity, or use and recognition of foreign e-signatures, thus creating barriers in determining the legal validity of e-signatures to apply in international transactions and making it difficult to deal with disputed ones.

To overcome that, it is expected that several provisions shall be supplemented to the draft law.

The first is identifying types of e-signatures, including exclusive e-signatures with specific conditions; and digital signatures, including public digital signatures and government-dedicated digital signatures.

The second is regulations on the legal validity of e-signatures for each circumstance. For instance, when the law requires a document to have a signature, it will depend on each type of data message prescribed by law. Where the law requires a document to be certified by a relevant organisation, the data message will be deemed satisfactory if it is signed by the digital signature of that agency or organisation.

Thirdly, a foreign e-signature is recognised in Vietnam when: (i) it has the same level of security as an e-signature and an e-signature certificate under Vietnamese laws, international standards or treaties to which Vietnam is a member; (ii) it is formed based on fully authenticated identity information; (iii) the e-certificate issuer is legally established and operating in the country of registration; (iv) it has been verified to meet equivalent standards and technical regulations on e-signatures to those in Vietnam; (v) it is connected to the national electronic authentication organisations system; and (vi) the user of such signature is a foreign organisation or individual not being present in Vietnam.

It is found that several regulations are being proposed to promote efficient application of e-signatures in practice and improve safety conditions for e-transactions and digital transformation in the near future. In particular, the recognition and use of foreign e-signatures will contribute to solving problems from 15 years ago and its guiding documents in activities related to tax and customs administrative procedures, as well as in the banking sector.

Trust and info services

Trust services have an important role to play in electronic transaction activities today. A provider of a trust service is an entity entrusted by the parties to perform activities related to certifying the reliability of related documents and operations during the e-transaction process.

However, trust services and related issues have not been regulated in the current law, resulting in the lack of a legal framework governing e-transactions, and affecting the assurance of e-transactions legal validity. Therefore, the draft law has added new regulations on trust services to overcome technical weaknesses in the law, making e-transaction activities more professional in line with practical requirements.

Trust services proposed in the draft law include time-stamping services, data message authentication services, and a digital signature service. To provide trust services, a service business licence issued by the state is requested (namely the Ministry of Information and Communications as proposed in the draft law). The proposed term of the trusted service business licence is 10 years.

The Law on Cybersecurity and the Law on Cyberinformation Security both address the information systems serving electronic transactions. The draft law may supplement the regulations related to electronic trading accounts and their reliability and responsibilities of the units managing information systems and supervision responsibilities of state agencies.

These proposed regulations may impact the enterprises managing digital platforms with the monthly number of subscribers in Vietnam of one million or more, or the monthly number of visitors of 10 million or more over six consecutive months. In addition to all that, which directly relates to the business of Vietnamese enterprises and foreign investors, the draft law also sets forth several regulations on electronic transactions of state agencies to promote digital transformation in Vietnam, especially the development of a digital government, economy, and society.

It is expected that the amended Law on E-Transactions will contribute to boosting Vietnams integration into the global economy and the development of a digital economy and society. This law will also bring about lots of business and investment opportunities for both Vietnamese enterprises and foreign investors.

At the same time, the law will create a fair competitive environment among enterprises applying electronic methods in transactions with enterprises preserving traditional methods, generating various cooperation opportunities between domestic and foreign enterprises in providing cross-border services, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
Representatives of the HSPI and AstraZeneca Vietnam signed the MoU on July 20

Accordingly, with support from AstraZeneca, HSPI will advance the research and recommendation of policy solutions according to three main objectives, including strengthening the sustainability of health financing; ensuring Vietnams self-sufficiency in terms of medicine and vaccine supplies; and improving access to healthcare and the management and treatment of non-communicable diseases at medical facilities.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said, "Over the last two years, Vietnam has had many achievements in fighting the pandemic. However, reality shows that its healthcare system was heavily affected by both the pandemic and pre-existing issues. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the healthcare system as a whole and draw lessons from our experience. I'm confident that the cooperation between the HSPI and AstraZeneca will succeed and provide many advanced and practical solutions to enhance the sustainability and resilience of Vietnam's health system."

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, gave a speech at the signing ceremony

Dr. Tran Thi Mai Oanh, director of the HSPI added, "The pandemic has allowed us to objectively assess the strengths and limitations of the healthcare system. Through this programme, we aim to provide valuable evidence to build health policies that will help boost the Vietnamese healthcare systems post-pandemic recovery and preparedness for future diseases."

Mai Oanh continued, "We are thankful for the continued support of AstraZeneca and other partners in this new phase of the PHSSR, joining hands to build a fair, efficient, quality, and sustainable healthcare system for all."

Dr. Tran Thi Mai Oanh, director of the HSPI, presented policy recommendations, objectives, and implementation plans for the 2022-2025 period

This MoU follows the successful implementation in 2020 and 2021 of the global PHSSRs pilot phase, which was jointly founded by the World Economic Forum, London School of Economics, and AstraZeneca.

Vietnam was the first country in Asia to join the programme, and as part of it, HSPI adopted a framework devised by the PHSSR to analyse the strengths and limitations of the health system, which were later presented in the PHSSR Vietnam report.

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets said, "During this period when COVID-19 has subsided, we need to seize the opportunity to address other important and urgent challenges, such as ensuring healthcare for patients with non-communicable diseases, namely cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases; as well as maintaining the continuous supply of health financing, medicines, vaccines and medical equipment."

Kapoor added, "We hope that this partnership with HSPI and partners will comprehensively strengthen the healthcare system, accelerate local manufacturing, and benefit the whole society.

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets

The signing ceremony attracted Marcus Winsley, British Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam; Dr. Le Van Kham, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee; leaders of various departments under the Ministry of Health; and representatives of the Vietnam Social Security, the Embassy of Sweden, universities, and media agencies.
Investors must keep on top of the latest developments in investment channels, as digitalisation pushes things further and faster

At a mid-July seminar hosted by Vietnam Investment Review, Exness representative Thai Viet Dung stressed that history shows humanity always reaching breakthrough achievements in technology.

We have also seen the birth of new financial models that break old methods and update the latest technology trends, Dung said. Decentralisation in the financial industry and the creation of new structures and models that are more solid and energetic than those that have been successful before are accelerating.

With the rush to accelerate the use of online payment over the past few years, new funding channels are opening up. Besides traditional channels such as real estate, securities, bonds, gold, and foreign currencies, the market has developed and perfected a variety of new investment corridors.

Dung added that new opportunities will always appear in the market, whether it is on an upward or downward trajectory. This is not a small challenge for businesses that are developing products related to the financial sector.

Types of Financial Models

Similar to how the internet turned entire industries on their heads, blockchain has the potential to be the next big thing, Dung said. It is predicted that the technology will really take off in the next decade if it can be developed to a point where it is ready for commercial application, rewarding early investors faith 1,000 times over.

Most people immediately think of cryptocurrencies when they hear the word blockchain. But the blockchain is the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies, powering almost all of the digital assets available on the market while fostering decentralisation, high security, transparency, and peer-to-peer interactions.

Stanislav Bernukhov, a market analyst at multi-asset firm Exness, told VIR that the current economy is only now beginning to use blockchain technologies. In addition to validating financial transactions and developing secure payment protocols, blockchain has various applications, including supply chains, project management, and government, Bernukhov stated.

The market for blockchain technology is anticipated to have increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.9 per cent, from $5.5 billion in 2021 to $8.61 billion this year. The companies stabilising their output after meeting the demand that increased rapidly during the pandemic last year is mostly the cause for the change in the growth trend.

At a CAGR of 54 per cent, the market is anticipated to reach over $48 billion by 2026, according to the Blockchain Technologies Global Market Report 2022, released by Reportlinker.com.

Le Van Duong, partner at Indochine Counsel, said that technology brings more chances for investors to choose new investment channels. However, he suggested that investors have to update their knowledge to protect themselves within the boundaries of Vietnamese law.

It is well known that there are currently no laws or regulations in Vietnam that specifically address cryptocurrency. Guidelines for this field can be inferred from some currently in effect legal regulations, such as those on non-cash payments, as well as from a variety of legal instruments, including the prime ministers orders and official letters or dispatches of the State Bank of Vietnam, Duong noted.

Exness is one of the industrys top brokerage firms, offering online trading services in cryptocurrencies such as but also in stocks, indices, commodities, and currency pairs.
The new office is based in Hanois Ba Dinh District, the nations political centre, alongside government offices and embassies.

With Vietnam targeting to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2050, the French software developer  best known for its 3DEXPERIENCE platform  brings a firm sustainability commitment in line with its official market entry.

Samson Khaou, executive vice president for Asia-Pacific at Dassault Systemes said, Sustainability is at the heart of Dassault Systemes corporate purpose. It is aligned with Vietnams commitment to achieving net zero emissions. The local presence that we are establishing here is an opportunity to support the countrys efforts to be a green manufacturing hub and facilitate the export of made-in-Vietnam products.

Josephine Ong, managing director for Asia-Pacific South at Dassault Systemes said, We have a long-established track record in Vietnam. This has seen us collaborate closely with some of the most prestigious universities nationwide, and develop a solid network of partners and resellers. We also have a growing base of customers across Vietnams key growth sectors looking to deploy our 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Through Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform, global leaders and innovators across 11 industries have been empowered to improve their product development, quality management, and regulatory compliance.

By connecting people, ideas and data in a single collaborative platform, customers are able to virtually design, simulate, and test innovative products and services before they are produced and launched in the real world.

In Vietnam, we are working with the countrys largest private conglomerate, Vingroup, to support their digital transformation for their VinFast and Vinhomes businesses, Ong added.

We are active in the electric vehicle space globally and see this as a sector in which our 3DEXPERIENCE platform is ideally suited to optimise manufacturing processes and help propel the industry forward in Vietnam.

The company also has its sights set on Vietnams emerging smart-city developments, with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang announcing the deployment of smart technologies in sectors ranging from traffic management to health and education in the coming decade.

By leveraging our collaborative 3DEXPERIENCE platform with virtual twin technologies, decision-makers will be better equipped to plan for unforeseen crises, as well as the impact of new urban projects here in Vietnam, said Ong.
The press conference of the 2022 China (Zaozhuang) International Lithium Battery Industry Expo is held on Monday in Beijing. [Photo courtesy of China Chamber of International Commerce]

The 2022 China (Zaozhuang) International Lithium Battery Industry Expo will be held from Sept. 2-4 in Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong province, according to a press conference Monday in Beijing.

The expo will focus on the whole industrial chain of lithium battery development. In addition to being a platform for economic and trade exchanges and investment cooperation, the event will explore new opportunities and new modes for international collaboration aimed at improving the layout of lithium battery manufacturing in China and promoting its high quality.

The exhibition will be co-hosted by the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCIC), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-Council, and the Energy Bureau of Shandong Province and Zaozhuang municipal government.

The 30,000 square meter expo area will be divided into seven sections, including araw material exhibition and a battery exhibition. The development achievements and advantages of Zaozhuang's lithium battery industry, as well as the latest technologies and products of enterprises in the field, will be displayed.

The expo will also feature a themed forum, a lithium battery innovation competition, a display and release of lithium battery products, and other activities.

CCIC Deputy Secretary General Zhang Yi noted at the press conference that the expo is essential for achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. It is also vital for facilitating the high-level development of the lithium battery industry. The CCIC will advance cooperation with international commerce chambers and enterprises in the field and build Zaozhuang into a lithium battery hub in the northern part of China.

An official with the Energy Bureau of Shandong Province, Yu Xiuzhong, highlighted Shandong's efforts to rely on green and low-carbon energy and build a national energy storage pilot zone.

Zaozhuang Executive Deputy Mayor Shao Shiguan introduced the city's focus on building a green and safe new energy model city based on its development advantages in lithium batteries. Zaozhuang has now formed a complete industrial chain in the lithium battery industry and cultivated industrial cluster effects across the board, Shao added.
Companies continue to develop new solar tech, but Chinese groups currently crowd the market. Photo: Shutterstock

IREX, a member of SolarBK Group, has signed a partnership with TP Bank in an attempt to penetrate the US market with solar panel products. Under the deal, TP Bank will support IREXs production as well as solar projects and export activities from Vietnam. The total fund is expected to be VND200 billion ($8.9 million).

This is a milestone that helps us increase production and back up finance in the context of increasing demands and commitments of governments towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions set by COP 26 in Glasgow last November, said Nguyen Thuy Ngan, brand director of locally-invested Solar BK.

The US government in June approved a 24-month tariff exemption for solar panels from the four Southeast Asian countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand so as to meet national renewable electricity demand.

In recent months, the US Commerce Department has been investigating whether imports of solar panels from the four nations are circumventing tariffs on goods made in China. Solar panel imports from these countries had been frozen, which delayed solar projects within the US.

US President Joe Bidens declaration of a 24-month tariff exemption effectively puts an end to the freeze. It also means that companies do not have to worry about paying tariffs on panels imported during those 24 months at a later date, according to US group Kanban Logistics.

That would be a game changer for some as, according to Reuters, retroactive tariffs associated with the investigation could have been as high as 250 per cent.

Depending on the investigations outcome, tariffs could be re-implemented after the 24-month period. But, for the next two years, companies are free to import solar panels from Southeast Asia without fear of tariffs.

But there are barely any domestic businesses around to produce solar items and take advantage of the freeze.

Nguyen Thuy Ngan, brand director of locally-invested Solar BK, told VIR, Solar BK is the only domestic enterprise producing solar cells and panels, and accounts for less than 1 per cent of the market share in Vietnam. Domestic goods face great competition from cheap Chinese goods.

Ngan explained that although Vietnam has policies to promote renewable energy, there are none to aid solar panel producers. Therefore, Chinese businesses have long held the tightest grasp on the home market, which is worth billions of US dollars.

Vietnams solar panel market is dominated by foreign investors of Trina Solar and JA Solar Group, both Chinese businesses. Meanwhile, US-invested First Solar has invested in facilities in Vietnam with an annual production capacity of up to 2.7GW.

The battle for the market share of solar cell manufacturers has become hotter and not only for the US market, as foreign-invested solar panel firms are eager to update new products to increase the efficiency of their products.

Trina Solar this month announced that it had reached 24.5 per cent efficiency with a version of its PERC solar cell, breaking the world record for the 24th time. We are proud to announce these latest achievements by our technical team, said Dr. Yifeng Chen, head of the high-efficiency cell and module research and development centre at Trina Solar. PERC cells are a very mature industrial technology with a lower cost.

Meanwhile, JA Solar earlier this year announced it would expand its investment in Vietnam by developing 2.5GW in Vietnams Bac Giang province, in the form of wafer slicing capacity. The $189 million expansion scheme, through the companys wholly-owned subsidiary JA Solar Vietnam, is expected to come online next year.

JA Solar boasts 12 manufacturing bases and more than 20 branches around the world, with the business covering silicon wafers, cells, modules, and photovoltaic (PV) power stations.

Ngan from SolarBK said that PV/cell solar electricity has played a significant role in advancing carbon neutrality since it is one of the most adaptable and affordable sources of renewable energy. However, Vietnam should take caution when exporting solar panel cells in order to avoid anti-dumping measures, with the market dominated by Chinese suppliers, Ngan added.
Flurry of activity for industrial players, illustration photo

Experts are projecting a positive outlook on industrial property growth for the whole of 2022. JLL Vietnams report in April confirmed that the occupancy of industrial zones (IZs) in the north of the country was at 80 per cent in the first quarter, beating the 75 per cent from the same period last year, while that in the south has been maintained at 85 per cent because supply is soaring.

Industrial property prospects look vibrant thanks to new investors in recent months, and new zones on the way. Of these, industrial property in Binh Duong and Long An provinces has received plenty of attention from investors. VSIP 3 in Binh Duong, which broke ground in March, has seen interest from 30 corporations, including Legos factory with $1 billion in total investment.

Long An meanwhile welcomed a $136 million factory project by Coca-Cola in Phu An Thanh IZ in January and two ready-built factory projects from BWID (a venture between Becamex and Warburg Pincus) in Xuyen A and Vinh Loc 2 IZs in March.

Also starting construction this year include Cay Truong (700 hectares), VSIP 3 (1,000ha) developed by Becamex, the third phase of Nam Tan Uyen (334ha), Nam Tan Lap (245ha), and many more.

Also in April, Saigontel, a member of Saigon Investment Group, in collaboration with VinaCapital and Singapores Aurous Company signed an MoU on investment cooperation for a 700ha industrial complex project in Bac Giang province worth $2.5 billion.

Two months previously, Dai An Urban-Industrial Zone Development Corporation JSC signed a deal with Indian investors and selected the location for the International Pharmaceutical Park project on an area of 960ha in Hai Duong province and the total investment of $10-12 billion.

JLL Vietnam has reported that the average rental prices of industrial property in the north in the first quarter declined slightly over the previous quarter due to affordable prices of some IZs in inconvenient locations to accelerate occupancy, but this still reported a rapid increase of 9.2 per cent on-year.

In the south, occupancy remains at 85 per cent amid rising supply. A second-quarter report from Cushman & Wakefield said that land rental prices in five industrial cities and provinces in the south have climbed to a new level. Particularly in industrial properties, the highest rental price is $270 per square metre in Ho Chi Minh City (excluding management fees and VAT).

Long An also reported that the rental price for a special IZ has surpassed Ho Chi Minh City to $290 per sq.m, while the highest offer prices in such provinces as Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Dong Nai over the last three months were $110, $180, and $195 per sq.m, respectively. Despite the sharp soaring of prices in the second quarter, in fact, very few IZs could apply these figures, which belong to zones with prime locations, high standard technical infrastructure, and convenient traffic connections.

In the view of CBRE Vietnam, the price of IZs in the five southern localities of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have risen by 8-13 per cent on-year. Especially, some zones offered prices that are 26 per cent higher on-year.

Thanh Pham, vice director of CBRE Vietnams Research and Consulting Department, said that pre-lease bookings for newly-operated IZs in the south are quite vibrant. The demand for leasing industrial land, warehouses, and built-up factories is increasing in various fields. Customers who commit to renting in advance often have the advantage of negotiating better terms in the context that developers are raising the rental prices, said Thanh.

Huynh Buu Tran, CEO of industrial property consultancy KCN Vietnam, confirmed that the number of businesses wishing to expand production scale in southern IZs increased sharply in the first half of this year, causing the offering price of industrial land to set a new level in the last quarter.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the rental demand is large and the market size is constantly growing along with a strong wave of relocation. Secondly, more primary and secondary investors are setting foot in the southern IZ market. The rental price is climbing up when there is a large demand for searching and acquiring industrial land for factories and warehouses, said Tran.

Forecasting for the whole of 2022, Mirae Asset Securities Vietnam JSC (MASVN) said in a June report that industrial property developers can benefit thanks to the large land area available and the high rental prices. Despite continuously increasing, the rental price is still affordable enough to compete with other countries in the region.

However, MASVN said the cost of development has increased significantly compared to 2019, and the cost of compensation and site clearance has increased by 10-50 per cent, affecting the progress of site clearance in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, IZ land area will be nearly 211,000ha by 2030, an increase of more than 85,000ha compared to 2022. With the expansion of industrial land from 2023, rental prices may slow down, added the MASVN report.
Attending the ceremony were the Ambassador of the French Republic in Vietnam Nicholas Warnery, Deputy Dead of the Economic Department Laurent Chopiton, and Director of Business France Yann de Kerlivio Frollo. On the side of HDF Energy, director for Asia Mathieu Geze and business development director Tran Khanh Viet Dzung were both present. SAM representatives included managing director Kevin Flaherty and investment director Nghiem Xuan Hoang.

The signing ceremony for the agreement between HDF Energy and Saigon Asset Management took place at the French Embassy in Hanoi

At the ceremony, representatives of the two groups jointly signed an agreement under the witness of guests.

The two sides will coordinate to implement development and investment projects in stable renewable energy (Renewstable), hydrogen gas power (Hypower), and hydrogen energy projects in Vietnam to provide clean, stable, and continuous energy that will contribute to net-zero emissions in the future.

This is the foundation for the two sides to implement their next activities to effectively use the resources and advantages of each side to build, operate, and commercialise power generation projects using the proprietary technology rights of HDF in Vietnam.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Warnery emphasised the important role of hydrogen energy as well as the focus of many governments around the world  including the French government with its France 2030 framework  on the investment and development of clean energy sources.

According to the ambassador, the cooperation between HDF and SAM to commercialise power generation projects using hydrogen has great significance and potential, contributing to actualising Vietnams goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

On behalf of the two units, Mathieu Geze and Nghiem Xuan Hoang signed the agreement

The signing ceremony of the agreement between HDF Energy and Saigon Asset Management is the foundation for the two sides to jointly develop a detailed cooperation plan to effectively exploit their collective resources and advantages to achieve the stated goals.

At the ceremony, the leaders of the two companies expressed their joy and believed that the signing of the memorandum of cooperation would open up opportunities for both parties. It is proposed that now the cooperation agreement is signed, the relevant affiliated units will promote the signing of contracts so that further activities can be implemented soon.

Speaking after the ceremony, Louis Nguyen, chairman and CEO of SAM said, The cooperation with HDF Energy in projects using Renewstable technology is in line with the investment philosophy of SAM in clean and sustainable energy projects. We believe that Vietnam can accelerate progress towards net-zero emissions based on the renewable energy potential available.
The Danang People's Committee approved a project to adjust the planning of Lien Chieu port and the coastal route connecting to it last week. The Lien Chieu port area will cover nearly 470 hectares, including eight 2.75km container berths for vessels of up to 200,000 deadweight tonnage.

The project consists of two phases. The first is to construct the general components and will be carried out through public investment including breakwaters, dredging of the sea, and connecting roads from the highway to Lien Chieu port, while the second phase is to develop the port and the wharf in the logistics area.

The infrastructure of the port will combine a harbour area, a container yard, a warehouse complex, piers, waterways, and a transport system, among others. The total cargo going through these harbours is expected to be 3.5-5 million tonnes per year.

The total investment in the project stands at more than $52.2 million, including $21.7 million from the central budget and the rest from the city. It will be developed from 2022 to 2025.

The development of Lien Chieu Port is one of two key projects that aim to turn the central city into the main logistics centre in ASEAN and the East-West Economic Corridor that links Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In early July, the consortium of BRG and Sumitomo worked with Danang on the investment plan for the logistics activities at Lien Chieu port. This is the second meeting since last year's investment MoU in Japan between the leaders of Danang city and the joint venture.

Representatives of these two businesses said that the development of Lien Chieu port is important to transfer goods from Tien Sa port to Lien Chieu, eliminating the need to transport containers through inner-city areas.

Within the project, the container storage area will be moved to the inland port and also aims to take action against climate change by implementing energy-saving methods and renewable energy sources.

According to the design proposed by BRG and Sumitomo, Lien Chieu port will be able to receive large ships of up to 12,000TEU.

A month ago, Indian investor Adani Group cooperated with Anh Phat Investment Construction and Trading JSC to plan the construction of Lien Chieu Port among the group's projects with an expected value of $10 billion in Vietnam. The joint venture has been approved to study the feasibility of the investment in the port.
Thanks to its multi-site solar rooftop project, MM has proved its excellence in using sustainable sources of energy and convincingly won against potential candidates from around Asia.

Hosted annually by Enterprise Asia  a non-governmental organisation serving the largest business community in the Asia-Pacific region  AREA aims to recognise and honour Asian enterprises and inspire leaders to promote sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibilities.

The Green Leadership's recipients believe in their wider responsibility to recognise the impact of running their business on the environment and seek to reduce and reverse the impact they have.

Since 2011, the AREA has recognised over 500 corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects and enterprises from 19 different countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year, a total of 260 submissions across 19 countries and regions have undergone a stringent judging process based on the three criteria of effectiveness and reach, relevance, and sustainability. Only 100 impactful CSR programmes and three business leaders were honoured as winners.

With its multi-site solar rooftop project, MM is proud to be the only retailer in Vietnam to win the Green Leadership category.

Tran Kim Nga, representative of MM Mega Market receiving the 2022 Asia Responsible Enterprise Award

Bruno Jousselin, managing director of MM shared, The Green Leadership is recognition of MMs persistent and tireless effort to become the leading green retailer in Vietnam and Asia. MM aims to inspire individuals, households, and professional customers to go green, thereby promoting the sustainable development of Vietnam's economy.

In recent years, MM has constantly looked for integrated digital solutions to optimise business spending and strive for sustainability. The multi-site solar roof project was a promising initiative on our CSR journey and we have also considered using solar panels in parking lots. In 2022, we are making advances to use renewable energy sources effectively at all remaining MM centres nationwide. We have a great ambition to become the first retailer in Vietnam to attain the Renewable Energy Certificate, he added.

The multi-site solar roof project by MM is a key action plan in response to the Vietnamese governments call for trading enterprises to use renewable energy.

In January 2021, MM Mega Market chose Green Yellow Vietnam as its strategic partner to implement two phases of the multi-site solar roof project.

After the completion of Phase 1 in May 2021  which encompassed 12 centres  the installed capacity was just over 5,100 kilowatt peak and it generated up to 6,845 megawatt hours per year, supplying up to 30 per cent of the stores' total electricity needs.

It is expected to reach 9,416 kWp after the completion of phase 2.

With a total area of 41,900 square metres, this project allows MM to reduce its electricity needs by up to 25 per cent and save almost $235,000 on its Electricity of Vietnam bills each year. Notably, it also enables MM to reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 5,700 tonnes each year  equivalent to planting 220,000 trees.

The multi-site solar roof project by MM is a key action plan in response to the Vietnamese governments call for trading enterprises to use renewable energy.

As a part of its sustainability strategy and allowing it to be named among the leading green retailers in Vietnam and Asia, MM has launched several CSR projects for environmental conservation.

Currently, MM is the only retailer in Vietnam that no longer provides customers with single-use plastic bags at the tills. Furthermore, MM has joined efforts with Tetra Pak Vietnam to launch a public event to collect used beverage packaging.

The enterprise also organises periodical CSR activities to inspire a green lifestyle and contribute to Vietnams sustainable development in the near future.
This is the first of a series of discussions, roundtables, and conferences that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam intends to hold, in cooperation with the Vietnamese government to clarify policy options available to the government as it seeks to promote financial system deepening and development.

The objective of this roundtable discussion is to raise awareness on the issue of development finance for a just energy transition. It will discuss the wider context of development financing, the role of domestic, and international finance, lessons learnt from international experience and domestic policy innovations that can support a just energy transition.

Vietnam is in critical need of transitioning to a just energy future

At the roundtable, United Nations assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja, who will be on a visit to Vietnam, will deliver a keynote speech on Financing Vietnams Transition to Renewable Energy: Beyond the Big Numbers.

Policymakers and experts will present policy recommendations that help attract the required finance for energy transition, lessons from Southeast Asia, and the role of green public development banks in accelerating climate action.

The subsequent panel discussion will focus on how policies could support private sector participation in the just energy transition.

At COP26 in November 2021 in Glasgow, the Vietnamese government pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 with its own resources and international assistance, and halt investments in new coal power generation, scale up the deployment of clean power and phase out coal power in the 2040s.

One of the central challenges facing Vietnam is to meet climate change and energy transition commitments while ensuring that the country maintains its focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending poverty, and promoting long-term economic transformation that leaves no one behind.

According to the UNDP, abundant, reliable, and affordable energy supplies are essential for economic development. Meeting the growing demand for energy is a huge challenge, as the country tries to meet the COP26 commitments.

As an emerging manufacturing hub and rapidly urbanising society, Vietnams demand for energy will grow rapidly over the coming three decades with transport, industry, agriculture, and construction transitioning from fossil fuels to electricity generated by solar, wind, and other renewable systems.

The UNDP said that increasing the supply of energy at affordable prices is a challenge of immense proportions. Achieving a just energy transition entails meeting this challenge while at the same time ending poverty and mitigating the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable members of society.

If renewable electricity generation is used to decarbonise the energy system as projected, the demand could increase five-fold by 2050.

According to the UNDP, finance is a key constraint to achieving a just energy transition. In this case, profitability and predictability are key factors.

Vietnam will work closely with development partners to access international financing, especially for imports of technology and equipment that cannot yet be produced locally.

However, given the required scale of investment and the governments commitment to maintaining fiscal balance and macroeconomic stability, it is evident that most of the capital needed will be derived from domestic sources.

Nevertheless, Vietnams capital markets are still too small and the number of financial instruments available too limited to finance investment at the necessary scale. Financial development and innovation are therefore important components of a just energy transition.
Quang Tri People's Committee listens to a report on the investment project, construction and infrastructure business of the Capella eco-industrial park. Photo: quantri.gov.vn

After a meeting with leaders of Quang Tri Peoples Committee last month to propose the development of an eco-industrial park (IP), Capella Real Estate JSC is eager to study procedures to establish Capella Land Quang Tri for the venture.

According to the plan, the eco-IP will cover an area of 450 hectares in South-West Quang Tri Economic Zone and see the total investment of VND2.3 trillion ($100 million). The construction is expected to be divided into four phases, starting from the second quarter of next year to the end of 2026. The projects duration is scheduled to be 50 years.

Currently, Capella Land operates a number of IP facilities in Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, and Quang Nam provinces.

Despite the fact there are only a few dedicated eco-IPs in Vietnam, many investors expect that their development will become a larger trend due to the huge benefits that this model brings. Nam Cau Kien IP, funded by Shinec JSC, was the first eco-IP in Vietnam established on criteria for industrial zones under a 2018 decree. Shinec chairman Pham Hong Diep said, Developing eco-IPs will be an inevitable trend and I think this segment will be a magnet to attract investors, but only if the government issues enough attractive policies.

At Nam Cau Kien, a club was established with the aim to calling for investors to implement synchronous solutions for the circular economy. Despite coming from seven different countries, all members of the club understand that a symbiotic relationship will create a large benefit for them, Diep said.

At present, almost all eco-IPs in Vietnam are implemented under the pilot method. In 2020, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, launched a project on eco-IP intervention in Vietnam, utilising perspectives from the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme.

The project is being implemented in five localities until next year and is the result of previous successful cooperation. The MPI and UNIDO implemented another eco-IP initiative in the 2014-2019 period and gained a significant impact on policy development as well as in demonstrating innovative technologies and practices. Various solutions for resource efficiency and cleaner production were implemented under the framework of the pilot initiative, which led to avoiding emissions worth 32KT of CO2 every year.

Tran Quoc Trung, deputy director of the Department of Economic Zones Management under the MPI said, Developing eco-IPs will have great benefits for both state governance and the business community. For businesses, the application of measures to save raw materials and modern technology can help save all kinds of production costs, and reduce energy usage. For the management boards of the IPs, this model will contribute to connecting and increasing competitiveness in attracting green investment flows.

While the benefits can be seen, a more robust legal framework will be required in order to encourage investors to develop this model.

Diep from Shinec explained, Decree No.35/2022/ND-CP issues more clear regulations, but in terms of eco-IPs, there is a lack of criteria relating to statistics on resource use.

Decree 35, which came into effect on July 15, abolishes several planning regulations for industrial zones and replaces them with regulations to comply with the 2017 Law on Planning and Resolution No.110/NQ-CP dated 2019. The changes were made to help save time and costs for local authorities while appraising and adjusting regional and provincial planning.
A flood of patent cases into the Waco courtroom of U.S. District Judge Alan Albright is likely to slow with an order Monday requiring such cases to be randomly distributed among U.S. Western District judges.

Chief Judge Orlando L. Garcia of the Western District of Texas issued the order, which says due to the increased volume of new patent cases assigned to Waco, all patent cases filed on or after Monday must be randomly distributed among the 12 district judges of the Western District, which stretches from Waco to Austin, San Antonio and El Paso.

Albrights patent law case load, about a fifth of all such cases filed in 2020, has drawn criticism from U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina. They wrote in November to U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts expressing concern that the rush of patent cases to Waco amounted to forum shopping.

Forum shopping is the practice of choosing the court or jurisdiction to file a case, which generally is chosen based on what court would have the most favorable rules for the position being argued.

Waco has become a haven for patent litigation due to Albrights preference for patent cases. An article in the Duke Law Journal in 2021 says Albright effectively advertised his court as the best place for patent litigation in an effort to attract more patent law cases.

In patent law litigation, for a case to be heard in a certain court, the defendant must either have established its business in the state or have an established place of business within the district. This means a plaintiff can choose Albrights court to file their case as long as the business the plaintiff is suing was established in Texas or has an established place of business within the Western District of Texas.

Since the Waco division of the Western District of Texas has only one judge, all cases filed in the Waco division would automatically be given to Albright.

The letter written by the senators says that before Albright took office, the district court in Waco heard one patent case per year on average, which jumped up to nearly 800 cases in 2020 and more than 900 in 2021.

The extreme concentration of patent litigation in one district and the unseemly and inappropriate conduct that has accompanied this phenomenon are, in our view, the result of an absence of adequate rules regulating judicial assignment and venue for patent cases within a district, the senators wrote.

The senators allege Albrights actions were a misuse of his power.

A law clerk for Albright said Albright had no comment on the order.

After taking office in September 2018 as a Trump appointee, Albright began placing a focus on patent litigation, of which he has decades of experience.

According to the Duke Law Journal article, Albright advertised his courtroom through presentations to patent lawyers, comments to the media, procedural practices and decisions in patent cases as the best place to file a patent infringement lawsuit.

David G. Henry, a Baylor law professor, longtime patent litigator and managing partner at Munck, Wilson & Mandela Law Partners, said this order is a seismic event in the patent world. He said he estimates the order will cause a sharp decline in the number of patent cases Albrights court hears as the cases are distributed across the Western District.

Henry said he saw the large concentration of patent cases in Waco as a good thing, as Albrights expertise and enthusiasm for patent law allowed cases to be heard by someone who actually wants to hear them. He said many federal judges are inexperienced or uninterested in patent law.

Judge Albright is probably the most experienced patent litigator; he knows patent law top to bottom, Henry said. Most federal judges dont want to hear patent cases.

Henry said after Albright took office, he hired experienced clerks and adopted rules and procedures to make his patent cases run as smoothly as possible. Henry said he is puzzled by those who have criticized Albright, as he believes most cases Albright heard were properly filed and that Albrights expertise and enthusiasm had a positive benefit for patent litigation.

Judge Albright did nothing wrong, Henry said. How can it be unseemly for a court to provide, and for patent litigants to seek out such rarely available expertise in patent law, specially trained and experienced staff, and patent-specific standing orders that were drafted and frequently adjusted to, as perfectly as possible, provide even-handed, efficient and predictable handling of patent cases?
A Harris County man pulled over in Valley Mills on Saturday with a vehicle full of nine suspected trafficking victims is free from jail, but Valley Mills police chief said the investigation is moving ahead.

The driver, Sergio Lopez, 28, was pulled over on Highway 6 west of Valley Mills for a defective headlight and arrested on a Class C misdemeanor of driving without a license, police said. He was driving a Honda Pilot with California license plates and was wearing an ankle monitor related to bond requirements for a Harris County felony charge of aggravated assault, Valley Mills police have said.

Lopez was freed Monday from the Bosque County Jail on a $500 personal recognizance bond, but Valley Mills Police Chief Roy Fikac said the misdemeanor arrest served its strategic purpose.

To charge someone with an offense, especially a felony, all the elements of the offense (as specified in the criminal code) must be met, Fikac said Tuesday. The only definite offenses were no driver license and suspended identification card.

The chief said that if evidence of the elements of a human trafficking charge are developed in the course of his departments investigation, a felony warrant for Lopez will be sought.

Its not what you know, its what you can prove, Fikac said. (This charge) is basically a traffic ticket, but there is strategy in that, he said.

Fikac said the goal was to separate the driver of the vehicle from the possible victims. Then the nine possible victims  none of whom spoke English or had identification  went to get water and assistance, while the driver went to jail, he said.

Now everyone gets interviewed in a controlled environment, with Spanish interpreters as necessary, Fikac said.

As the investigation of this very complex case continues, Fikac said all the interviews will be transcribed and translated into English.

The most critical piece, without evidence glaring (us) in the face, we have to have some cooperation from the victims, Fikac said.

He said the possible trafficking victims are likely to be afraid of the police, afraid of the traffickers and afraid of retaliation.

We have to determine if theyre forced, coerced or threatened, Fikac said. Without indicators its a very hard case to prove. If these elements are met, we will get a warrant for Lopezs arrest.

Judge Jeff Hightower, Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, provided jail magistration for Lopezs charge on Monday.

The only charge before me was the Class C misdemeanor and the law requires that people charged with such (driving) offenses must be set free on a $500 personal recognizance bond, Hightower said Tuesday.
A few nights ago the light in my office flickered several times then blinked out. I overreacted: Well, there goes the grid, I thought.

To my relief, it was just an exhausted light bulb.

Still, Texans can be forgiven if were a little anxious about our electrical grid. Like much of the world, Texas is hot this summer. Texas is always hot in the summer, of course, but this summer is something different.

San Antonio, Houston, Waco and Austin are all recording their hottest summers ever, with average highs five to eight degrees above normal. Where I live the temperature is headed toward 102 today, and the next time the predicted high dips below 100 degrees is nine days away. Other places in Texas have topped 110.

Weve had high temperatures in the past. In 1980, the Dallas-Fort Worth airport recorded consecutive-day temperatures of 112, 113 and 113 degrees.

But there are differences. Now the 100-plus days start earlier, there are more of them, and they last longer into the fall.

Heres the biggest difference: In 1980, the population of Texas was 14 million. Now its close to 30 million. And nearly all of these Texans depend heavily on air conditioning.

Every afternoon as the heat and the demand for energy increase in tandem, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the system operator for Texas isolated electrical grid, carefully monitors the gap between consumption and available capacity, which often narrows to single-digit percentage points.

If the gap is too narrow, ERCOT takes steps to keep the power flowing, starting with urging customers to conserve energy. On July 11 and 13, ERCOT told Texans to set their thermostats at 79 degrees or higher and to avoid using major appliances during the hotter parts of the day.

So far, so good. Except for the advisories of July 11 and 13, the precarity of the grid is mostly invisible. But every Texan has lingering memories of the great grid failure of February 2021, when bitter cold caused rolling blackouts, and some lost power completely for four days.

Of course, its possible to live in Texas without air conditioning. Humans have done so successfully for millennia. Only 30% of Texas prisons are fully air conditioned. (Talk about cruel and unusual punishment!)

In fact, when I was a kid, air conditioning was the exception. When my dad, ahead of his time, took the bold step of installing a central A/C unit in our frame house, his older brothers  country boys, all  subjected him to good-natured ridicule for embracing such self-indulgent and energy-consumptive luxury.

But living without A/C depended heavily on moving air. My high school was only partially air conditioned, and every classroom was equipped with a large floor fan.

So to live without air conditioning is one thing; to live without electricity is another. A house temperature maintained at 80 degrees is comfortable enough, as long as the fans keep spinning. When they stop, it gets hot fast.

This helps explain why Texans are anxious on hot afternoons when energy consumption approaches energy capacity. The isolation of Texas grid from the rest of the countrys  largely to escape federal energy regulation  has always been a bad idea. It limits the states ability to tap into other resources in case of emergency.

In November, Gov. Greg Abbott asserted: I can guarantee the lights will stay on. In February, he equivocated, saying that no one can guarantee that there wont be rolling blackouts. In fact, considerable reporting indicates that not much has been done to shore up the Texas grid since the disaster of February 2021.

So when the lights flicker, heres an ominous thought: During the Valentines Day freeze of 2021, at least 246 people died. Its hard to estimate the mortality caused by extreme heat, but The New York Times notes that the excess deaths during the heat wave in Oregon and Washington in June 2021 were around 600.

In short, if the electricity fails in this kind of heat, people will die. Even in Texas.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing. The two presidents had a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views and reached a series of important common understandings on China-Indonesia relations and on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Expressing his delight that the two sides have decided on the overall direction of building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, Xi said China will work with Indonesia to cement strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other in defending sovereignty, security and development interests, in exploring development paths in line with national conditions, and in growing the economy and bettering people's lives.

Resilience, vitality of bilateral ties

Noting Widodo is the first head of state China hosts after the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, Xi said this speaks volumes about the strong commitment of the two sides to growing bilateral ties.

Xi said the China-Indonesia relationship has enjoyed robust growth under the joint guidance of the two presidents in recent years, demonstrating great resilience and vitality. Strategic mutual trust has been further consolidated, and the four-pillar cooperation, namely political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation, has kept deepening, said Xi.

The two sides have acted proactively and with a strong sense of responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability and promote international unity and cooperation, Xi said, adding the two countries have thus set an example of major developing countries seeking strength through unity and win-win cooperation.

"Facts have proven that a sound China-Indonesia relationship not only serves the shared long-term interests of the two countries, but also has positive, far-reaching impacts regionally and globally," said Xi.

Currently, the Chinese people are working toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, while the Indonesian people are actively pursuing Vision 2045, Xi said, expressing his readiness to work with President Widodo and continue steering the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, in order to bring greater benefits to the two peoples and make greater contribution to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

For his part, Widodo said Indonesia and China are comprehensive strategic partners with an important goal of jointly building a community with a shared future, adding their cooperation is mutually beneficial, not only serving the two peoples well but also contributing significantly to peace and development in the region and beyond.

Noting the sound cooperation between Indonesia and China has demonstrated the strategic nature of the bilateral relations, Widodo said Indonesia will work with China to keep deepening comprehensive strategic partnership and make still greater contribution to regional peace and global development.

China-Indonesia community with a shared future

Xi noted that China and Indonesia are at similar development stages, have entwined interests, follow similar philosophies and development paths, and share a closely connected future. "Building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future is the common aspiration and expectation of the two peoples," Xi said.

The two sides need to further deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for more fruitful outcomes, strive for completing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway on schedule and to high standards, and ensure good implementation of such major cooperation projects as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks," Xi said.

Xi said China will continue to fully support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production hub, and will step up public health cooperation with Indonesia.

Xi added China is willing to import more commodities and quality agro- and by-products from Indonesia, take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Industrial Park, expand cooperation in development financing, and cultivate new growth drivers in digital economy and green development, among other areas.

Widodo said China is welcome to take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Green Industrial Park, and seek greater strategic synergy between the Global Maritime Fulcrum and the Belt and Road Initiative, adding Indonesia is ready to work with China to ensure that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is completed and put into operation on schedule and becomes another milestone in bilateral friendship.

Stand together in solidarity

Facing changes in the world that are unfolding in ways like never before, Xi said China and Indonesia need to stand together in solidarity, fulfill the responsibilities of major developing countries, follow true multilateralism, uphold open regionalism, and contribute Oriental wisdom and Asia's input to the development of global governance.

China fully supports Indonesia in hosting the G20 Bali Summit, and will increase coordination and cooperation with Indonesia for a full success of the Summit, Xi said. China will give full support to Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship next year, and will enhance solidarity and coordination with ASEAN, with a focus on the five proposals on building our home together, to further unleash new dynamism of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

Noting that China welcomes Indonesia's continued active participation in "BRICS Plus" cooperation, Xi said China appreciates Indonesia's support for and commitment to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and is ready for closer communication and cooperation with Indonesia in this regard.

Widodo thanked China for supporting Indonesia's G20 presidency, adding that Indonesia will maintain close coordination with China for the success of the G20 Bali Summit. As the ASEAN rotating chair next year, Indonesia is ready to make active efforts for the growth of ASEAN-China relations, Widodo added.

The two presidents also exchanged views on issues including the Ukraine crisis. They shared the view that the international community should create conditions for peace talks, play a constructive role in deescalating the situation in Ukraine and stabilizing the global economic order, and work together to maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

The two sides issued a Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia. They also signed an MOU on jointly promoting cooperation between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and the Global Maritime Fulcrum, and other cooperation documents covering such areas as vaccine, green development, cyber security and ocean.
WAHOO- The 2022 Saunders County Fair had a great showing both in the stands and on the track for the annual truck and tractor pull. This years pull went past the seven hour mark and had over 100 different pulls that were made between the trucks and the tractors.

A good number of the people competing in the pull were Saunders County residents which made the event that much bigger and the crowd that much louder. Winners from the area included Jamey Hanis of Prague in the Street Stock 6600 and Mod Gas 6200, Chris Bouc of Wahoo in the Mod Gas 6500, John Kaspar of Prague in Outlaw Diesel 8300, and Gregory Knuth of Mead in the Mod Farm 11,700.

On top of the local people who took part, there was one competitor who made the trip from South Africa. His name was Chris Pretorious who competed in three different events with his John Deere 4010.

Results from the top three in each category from the Saunders County Fair Truck and Tractor pull can be found below.

Saunders County Fair Truck and Tractor Pull

Street Stock 5,800- 1. Tom Welch, Springfield, 1979 F-150, 282.87; 2. Jamey Hanis, Prague, 1975 Ford, 268.95; 3. Adolph Hanis, Prague, 1977 Ford, 266.44. Non Turbo 8,700- 1. Jeffrey Pokorny, Howells, MM G-6 1959, 298.36; 2. Garrett Schroeder, Leigh, JH 4004, 295.15; 3. Mike Fuhr, John Deere 4020, 287.56. Stock Turbo 10,700- 1. David Petersen, Arlington, IH 1066, 335.67; 2. For Rohde, Hooper, 1974 Farmall 1066, 314.96; 3. Scott Krohn, Albian, JD 4320, 307.34. Street Stock 6,600- 1. Jamey Hanis, Prague, 1975 Ford, 298.33; 2. Jennifer Vavra, Dorchester, 1977 Dodge, 289.48; 3. Tom Welsch, Springfield, 1979 F-150, 285.58. Mod Gas 6,200- 1. Jamey Hanis, Prague, 1973 Ford The Wood, 333.66; 2. Chris Bouc, Wahoo, Screamin Bohemian, 327.42. Mod Farm 10,7000- 1. Lee Peterson, Arlington, IH 706 1963, 343.77; 2. Gregory Knuth, Mead, JD 4430, 330.6; 3. Jason Reinke, Columbus, IH 1466, 326.39. Stock Turbo 12,700- 1. Ian Groteluschen, Leigh, John Deere 4450, 382.46; 2. Robert Giese, Papillion, John Deere 1440, 378.43; 3. Marty Gieselmann, Blair, IH 1066 1974, 376.32. Street Mod Diesel 7800- 1. Mike Anderson, Omaha, 297.17; 2. Jon Mumm, Ceresco, 01 Dodge, 244.87; 3. Cole Thompson, Blair, 2002 Chevy Silverado, 113.22. Hot Farm 11700- 1. Todd Kastle, Bruno, JD 4440, 378.62; 2. Brian Kliha, Clarkson, JD 4455, 339.45. Outlaw Diesel 8300- 1. John Kaspar, Prague, 2002 Chevy Duramax, 335.55; 2. Jeff Maloshek, Wahoo, Smoking Gun, 333.88; 3. Timothy Vasa, Weston, 2001 Chevy 2500 HD,324.69. Hot Farm 12,700- 1. Todd Kastl, Bruno, JD 4440; 2. Brian Kohliah, Clarkson, JD 4455, 332.62. Mod Farm 11,700- 1. Gregory Knuth, Mead, JD 4430, 332.46; 2. Max Gruenke, Arlington, IH 1066, 324.78; 3. Jason Reinke, Columbus, IH 1466, 316.25. Stock Turbo 16,700- 1.Ian Grotelushcen, Leigh, JD 4455, 337.28, 2. Dan Beister, Albian, JD 4555, 331.01; 3. Trey Jindra, Wahoo, JD 4440, 312.25. Street Mod Diesel- 1. Mike Anderson, Omaha, 2007 Dodge 2500, 365.59; 2. Trevor ODell, Blair, 334.51; 3. Jon Mumm, Ceresco, 01 Dodge, 292.32. Mod Gas 6,500- Chris Bouc, Wahoo, Screamin Bohemian, 397.13; 2. Jamey Hanis, Prague, 1975 Ford, 385.93. Stock Turbo 14,700- 1. Ian Groteluschen, Leigh, John Deere 4450, 313.57; 2. Lonnie Groteluschen, Leigh, 312.31; 3. Gregory Knuth, Mead, JD 4455, 311.62. Non Turbo 9,700- 1. Russ Schroeder, Leigh, JH 4000 1970, 311.78; 2. Mike Fuhr, Leigh, John Deere 4020, 310.14; 3. Garrett Schroeder, Leigh, JD 4000, 304.88. Street Diesel 8500- 1. Dylan Jindra, Elmwood, 2002 GMC, 323.84; 2. Kaleb Buss, Omaha, 2004 Dodge 2500, 294.05; 3. John Schmidt, Gretna, 2005 Excursion, 292.73. Outlaw Diesel 7800- 1. Jeff Malousek, Wahoo, Smoking Gun, 334.45; 2. John Kaspar, Prague, 2002 Chevy Duramax, 332.75; 3. Timothy Vasa, Weston, 2001 Chevy 2500 HD, 325.25.
WAVERLY  In Melanie Howards soon-to-open pet salon, a grooming table stands about three feet from the floor. Under a bright length of fluorescent lights, an Australian shepherd-red heeler mix meanders across the tile without a clear destination, until Howard makes her command: Remmi, up!

Remmi hops onto the table and makes no fuss when Howard lifts a paw and takes a pair of clippers to the curled nails. Hes been through this before.

If the animal doesnt trust you, youre going to have a hell of a time, Howard says.

Shes been in the business for 27 years, working at several private businesses and veterinary clinics around Lincoln. In that span of time, shes learned that the key to a good groom is patience  patience for the dog to settle down, and patience over time in building trust between her and the animal.

Theyll test you, Howard said. You have to have a bond with the ones you're grooming.

She plans to open her shop, Melanie Howard Grooming, in downtown Waverly on Aug. 1, and shes already got a full schedule for her first day. Many of the clients are carryover customers from her time operating at Salon K9 in Lincoln.

That tells me Ive done something right in 27 years, she said. Ive built a pretty good clientele.

Howard has lived in Waverly since 2004, and until now, shes never worked exclusively in Waverly. She decided to open her own salon so she wouldnt have to leave town and be far from her granddaughter. They live together, right down the street, she says.

Apparently, I like to stay within that three-block radius.

She had a few reservations about opening a shop, especially after so long in the business. Would she want to keep doing it after a few years?

But I cant imagine not doing it, she said.

Howard has been a dog person as long as she can remember, ever since her family picked up a three-legged terrier from a Missouri lake when she was a child. The dog, with its hair sticking out in all directions, was begging people for food around the lake, and she said it was close to getting euthanized. She convinced her dad to let her take the dog home, so they loaded up in the back of the family truck and rode back to Nebraska.

She was an awesome dog. She was so cool, even with three-and-a-half legs, she said.

And even though Howard is technically allergic, she loves and has owned several cats.

When the salon opens, Howard will offer grooming for dogs and cats, and shell stock boutique shampoos and conditioners that cant be found in stores, along with leashes, collars and other pet accessories.

Dogs, cats, big, small. We kind of cover it all, Howard said.

Its often the small dogs that give her the biggest fits  they like to twist, roll and squirm. But once they get over their defiance, Howard can get closer to the perfect groom  one where her clippers dont jam, the dog sits still and she can be precise with the haircut.

The perfect groom is always a goal, but even more important to her is making her clients and their pets comfortable with her as their groomer. Especially as the other pet groomers in town fill up on clients. Waverly continues to grow, and so does its dog and cat population.

I want to be here for the community to help them with their pets, Howard said.

She says thats what will set her salon apart  her commitment to the people who count on her to take good care of their pets.

Its not just a job, she said. My clients are my family. I can build pretty good relationships with people that way. I think they trust me with their animals.

Sam Crisler is a reporter for The Waverly News. Reach him via email at samuel.crisler@wahoonewspaper.com.
CEDAR FALLS  The lives of Tyler and Sarah Schmidt and their six-year-old daughter, Lula, will be honored and remembered during a public celebration of life event at Overman Park Tuesday evening, Mayor Rob Green announced.

Many more details to follow, including exact time. This is on National Night Out, and I hope that neighbors will still get together as planned and then join us at Overman Park. Or bring your whole neighborhood to Overman Park and sit together for fellowship, Green said in a Facebook post.

'The Midwestern family that we all would want to be': Loved ones remember family slain at Maquoketa Caves Cedar Falls Public Library patrons found the doors shut Saturday after the slaying of employee Sarah Schmidt, along with her husband, Tyler, and their 6-year-old daughter, Lula.

The Cedar Falls family was found shot to death in their tent at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground in Jackson County early Friday morning.

Their 9-year-old son, Arlo, survived what initially appears to have been a random shooting committed by 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin of La Vista, Nebraska.

While not a festive event, this truly is a celebration of these remarkable people. I am keeping the extended family closely in the loop on this and they are supportive of the event. I think Tyler and Sarah would love to see us all together as neighbors, said Green in his Facebook post.

Suspected gunman's motive in Iowa park killings a mystery Three Cedar Falls family members died Friday at Maquoketa Caves State Park in apparent homicides, with a fourth person dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Many, many stories will be shared, said Green. The event, at the park at 316 W. Third St., will be live-streamed and attended by the media.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Arlo, and more than $225,000 already has been raised. To find the page, go online to gofundme.com and then search Arlo Schmidt.
WATERLOO  A Mason City man has been sentenced to prison for a 2020 drug robbery in Waterloo and for selling meth and heroin with his father, according to federal prosecutors.

Antione Deandre Maxwell, 34, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Following prison, he will be on supervised release for 10 years.

Authorities said Maxwell and two others took part in a November 2020 robbery of a marijuana dealer at a Shamrock Drive apartment. During the heist, Maxwell held a gun to a victims head and threatened to kill him. They fled with marijuana products and more than $1,000 in cash, according to court records.

Waterloo police detained the robbers during their attempted getaway. Maxwell and Chavee Harden were convicted of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Harden was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

About a month before the robbery, Maxwell and his father, Charleton Everett Maxwell, were indicted for selling drugs in the Mason City area between 2018 and 2020. Investigators used controlled drug transactions with the two and others and then searched a home in July 2020 where they found more than three pounds of pure meth, 80 grams of heroin and four firearms, court records state.

Charleton Maxwell was sentenced to more than 17 years in February.
GRUNDY CENTER  Zachary Andersen said he reconsidered his career in law enforcement after he watched Sgt. Jim Smith die in a standoff at a Grundy Center home in April 2021.

I did question if I wanted to continue in this field as a direct result of this incident. Is it worth it? What is being done to support us after a major incident like this? said Andersen, who was a Grundy County sheriffs deputy at the time of the shooting and is now a public safety officer with the Cedar Falls Police Department.

His comments came Tuesday as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., as the nation experiences a rise in attacks on law enforcement.

Committee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is pushing for a bill to address illegal firearms trafficking. The bill is named after Ella French, a Chicago officer killed with a straw-man-purchased gun during a 2021 traffic stop.

Committee member Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is proposing his own bill  titled the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act  to gather more data on violence against police officers, including information about nonfatal assaults.

Other bills in the works would make attacking police a federal offense.

Andersen was part of a team led by Smith, a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol, that entered Michael Thomas Langs home to arrest him after he fought with a Grundy Center police officer in an earlier traffic stop.

Lang shot Smith in the chest and leg with shotgun slugs when Smith opened a door to the kitchen and then fired another slug at a trooper driving an armored vehicle. Lang was convicted for murder in Smiths death during a trial earlier this year and was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

Today I can tell you that Im doing OK, but I know others are not. Actions need to be taken to protect those of us in this line of work.

We need to have the right support and resources opposing defund the police. The image of an officer has been tarnished in recent years. The rhetoric used by the media doesnt do us any favors with clickbait headlines of what an officer did or didnt do without painting the rest of the picture, Andersen said.

Andersen testified at Langs trial and on Tuesday was asked about the shooters motivation in the attack.

He had a clear, known disdain for law enforcement in the community, very well known. And on the day of that incident, he baited an officer into a pursuit purposefully to draw that officer out of town to attack that officer. He had a crazy idea he was going to teach that officer a lesson that day.

Grassley also read into the record a letter by Smiths widow, Kathy Smith, urging lawmakers to take steps to protect officers from attacks.

My husband had a love for justice and was one of the many who swore to protect others. He, along with many others, ended up giving his life for the sake of justice. It is in honor of him and the fallen heroes that I plead with you to do something to help prevent future losses of our law enforcement officer, the letter stated.

Her letter also recounted how her husband had been assigned to a tactical team tasked with protecting the state Capitol during police reform demonstrations where protestors spit on them and hurled frozen water bottles.

The hearing came as reports of violence against law enforcement continued to grow.

Nationwide, 73 officers were intentionally killed last year, the highest number since the 9/11 attacks and a 59% increase from the previous year. Also, 133 officers were shot in ambush-style attacks, an increase of 123% over the previous year.

A main cause of this violence against police is the demonization and disrespect shown to the profession of law enforcement throughout the country. When you allow hatred of a group to spread, people find it easy to justify violent attacks against them, Grassley said.

Other witnesses called to testify at the hearing included Angel Novalez, chief of policing reform for the Chicago Police Department; Commissioner Michael S. Harrison with the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Dwight E. Henninger with the Vail, Colorado, Police Department; Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard with the Oakland County, Mich., Sheriffs Office; and Sgt. Demetrick Tre Pennie, director of the National Fallen Officer Foundation.

In addition to the increase in violence against officers, many talked of the challenge to recruit new officers into field and retain existing officers.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a handgun found during a 2021 traffic stop.

Judge C.J. Williams on Tuesday sentenced Edward Earl Roby Jr., 25, to up to three years and five months in prison during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Following prison time, Roby will be on supervised release for three years.

According to court records, Waterloo patrol officers stopped Robys Chevrolet Impala in the area of Donald and East Fourth streets on July 25, 2021. Police found a loaded 9 mm Taurus 709s handgun and marijuana in the vehicle.

Authorities said Roby is prohibited from handling firearms because of a prior felony drug conviction.







Photos: Guns in Northeast Iowa crime cases
CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa is rolling out a new online program for what it says are the numerous students who have completed an associates degree and face certain barriers getting a bachelors degree.

The program, UNI@IACC, is open to those who have earned their associates degree at an Iowa community college.

As part of the new initiative, the institution also is creating the Future Ready Scholarship Program to financially eligible participants and making available on-site student success specialists at four of those community college campuses in support of them.

Local educators apply STEM knowledge in externship program Taco, a turtle thats found her home in the Hartman Nature Reserve, was presented to a group of children from Denver and Waverly. She quickly caught their interest and was able to help Bustamante start their lesson on nature, wildlife and conservation.

The new program is being launched with $4.17 million in assistance from the federal American Rescue Plan.

There are three barriers that these students are facing, said President Mark Nook in an interview. One of them is oftentimes that the students coming out of a two-year degree program have jobs or theyve started families, making relocation to one of the regent institution communities just not possible. Its a barrier of location.

One of the other barriers that they run into is cost. Theyre used to paying sort of the cost of a community college education and the step to the tuition at one of the regent institutions is often too much for them, he noted. And the other barrier in a truly online program is not having the resources, that direct support that they are used to.

Beginning with the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters, UNI@IACC will offer a pathway for these Iowans to pursue a bachelors degree in several areas: Managing Business and Organizations, Management: Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Human Services, Technology Management, and Bachelor of Liberal Studies.

The UNI@IACC initiative is an expansion of the UNI@DMACC partnership with Des Moines Area Community College. That began in 2020 and received the support of Gov. Kim Reynolds, who authorized the federal funding to support the initiative.

Plea made in damage at UNI residence hall WATERLOO  A Cedar Rapids man has pleaded guilty to allegedly breaking a water pipe and caus

The Future Ready Scholarship comes with two years of eligibility. Nook said it helps bring our price down to their price and lowers the difference between UNI and community college tuition.

We started UNI@DMACC a few years ago and its been going really, really well, said Nook. The growth of that programs been about twice as fast as we expected. We were expecting last year to have about 30 students in it. We had just short of 70. And we know these scholarships will help a lot ... especially at these four campuses in the western and southern side of the state.

The university said the on-site student support personnel will help prepare learners for academic and career success through advising and career navigation programs, resources, and services.

Theyll first be located at DMACC and Western Iowa Technical Community College in Sioux City beginning in the fall.

In the spring, student support specialists will be placed at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, and Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. The expectation is growing the support to other community colleges.

What we know is that for a lot of our adult students, they get into an online class and they have questions, theyre used to (having answered) at a community colleges and having people around them. This will allow us to get people around them to answer questions like wheres my financial aid, how do I get that set up, and what do I need to do to get a hold of a professor or a tutor, those sort of things, Nook said.

UNI chose those institutions, he added, because the university knows many students in that part of the state are leaving the state to get their four-year degree and not coming back to Iowa to join the workforce.
The Rock Island Elks 980 Lodge and Illinois Elks Children's Care Corporation will sponsor a free children's orthopedic assessment clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The clinic will be held at ORA Orthopedics, Dr. Michael Pyevich's office, 520 Valley View Drive, Moline from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

No medical referral is necessary, but assessments are by appointment only for low-income families and Illinois residents. To make an appointment, call the Illinois Elks Children's Care office at 800-272-0074 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This is one of 15 clinic locations throughout Illinois and an opportunity to have a child reviewed for bone and joint development.

There is no charge for any diagnostic services at this clinic. The Elks will provide financial assistance to the best of their ability for children needing further treatment or specialty equipment when the family lacks sufficient resources to do so.
26.07.2022 (05:00) Medics in liberated Kharkov Region provide medical assistance to local residents affected by AFU shelling The patients were provided with basic living conditions after the Ukrainian units were pushed out of the settlement.

26.07.2022 (05:15) Ka-52 attack helicopters destroy strongholds and military equipment of AFU In the course of combat sorties, army aviation pilots carried out missile launches against detected fortified points of AFU units.

26.07.2022 (05:30) Airborne Troops continue to liberate populated areas in Donetsk Peoples Republic Servicemen in assault groups move forward in urban areas under the cover of sniper pairs and large-calibre machine gun crews.

26.07.2022 (12:45) Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine

26.07.2022 (14:15) Advance team of Russian experts will arrive in Istanbul today and begin work in a quadrilateral format The Russian delegation is headed by Rear Admiral Eduard Lujk.

26.07.2022 (21:30) Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response

WtR
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday said that the conclusion of talks for the salvage of the 2015 nuclear deal requires U.S. determination, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Iran never left the negotiating table, and it was the westerners who created a crisis in these negotiations, said Raisi, referring to the issuance of a recent anti-Iran resolution in the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Stating that the conclusion of negotiations requires, more than anything else, the "will" of Washington, Raisi said that Iran's position is "logical and rational, and if the other side behaves logically and rationally, the negotiations can lead to a result."

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

Talks to revive the deal began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. Both sides held indirect talks in Doha of Qatar late in June but failed to settle their differences.
Weather Alert

...Thunderstorms Chances increasing this Week... * Another surge of monsoon moisture will continue thunderstorm chances across the region this week, with the best chances extending through Thursday before diminishing into the weekend. * Most areas will see a 25-45% chance of storms in the afternoon and early evening hours. Nocturnal showers are possible tonight with a few thunderstorm possible overnight Wednesday. * Impacts will range from lightning, new fire starts, and strong outflow winds with blowing dust, to periods of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. * Ensure you have a way of receiving weather alerts. If you live in a flash flood prone area, especially near a burn scar, be ready to act quickly if heavy rainfall occurs.
As you age, you may notice that aches and pain  a sore knee, a bum hip  become all too frequent. More than 50 million adults in the United States live with chronic pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. Unfortunately, pain becomes more common as we age: Over a quarter of people between the ages of 45 and 84 report that they currently experience it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Looking for relief, many older adults have tried an alternative therapy. About two-thirds of participants in a new University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, which was supported by AARP, report that theyve used an integrative medicine strategy such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, meditation or yoga. More than 90 percent said that they found these types of treatments helpful. The poll report is based on findings from an online and phone survey of 2,277 adults ages 50 to 80 conducted in January and February 2022.

Anecdotally, my patients tell me that they benefit from them, says Rachael Maciasz, M.D., a general internal medicine physician at Michigan Medicine who worked on the report. It gives them another tool in their toolbox to deal with issues such as chronic pain. This is especially important as about a third of adults in their 60s and 70s take at least five different prescription drugs and research shows that pain medications are the most frequently prescribed. These have side effects, especially among older adults, Maciasz adds. If we can empower patients to utilize nonpharmacological approaches to their health when its appropriate, its often safer, and we can cut back on their out-of-pocket costs too.

But many older adults are paying for their own alternative therapies, the poll found. Only 15 percent of those surveyed said that insurance covered some or all of the cost. So its important to research any treatment youre considering and to talk to your doctor beforehand to make sure its right for you, stresses Maciasz. And according to the new survey, that isnt a common conversation; less than 20 percent of people in the survey said theyd spoken about an integrative health strategy with their primary care provider.

Experts say more quality research needs to be done into alternative, complementary and integrative therapies. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health funds such scientific research and chronic pain is one of the areas of study. Just keep in mind that it doesnt replace traditional medicine, and you always should talk to your doctor before trying any complementary therapy. Heres a look at five common integrative health treatments used by survey participants: what they are, what the research shows, and whether part  or all  of the cost may be covered by insurance.

1. Acupuncture for pain

What it is: a technique in which a trained practitioner stimulates specific points on your body by inserting needles through your skin. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the needles open blocked energy channels so that they can flow properly, which encourages healing, says Gary Soffer, M.D., director of the integrative medicine program at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. From a scientific standpoint, theres less understanding, but we think that your bodys own opiates get released when the needles are placed, which helps to reduce pain, he explains. Sixteen percent of poll respondents said theyd tried it, according to the AARP survey.

Research shows: Its effective in treating many different forms of chronic pain, including back, neck and osteoarthritis-related pain such as knee pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. One 2019 review published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, for example, analyzed 14 trials of over 2,100 patients with acute or chronic low-back pain and found that those who used acupuncture had significant reductions in discomfort immediately after treatment compared with those who didnt, or who used sham acupuncture (where needles that look and feel like real acupuncture needles are used but not inserted into the skin.) Acupuncture can be hard to study, because theres some evidence that sham acupuncture can help with pain too, Soffer says.

Is it covered by insurance? Medicare covers up to 12 acupuncture treatments by a licensed acupuncturist over a 90-day period only for chronic low-back pain (defined as pain that lasts for 12 weeks or longer), and an additional eight sessions if you show improvement. You cant have more than 20 acupuncture treatments during a 12-month period. If you have private insurance, contact the company. Even if its not covered, you can use your health savings account or flexible spending account to pay for treatment if its recommended by a health care professional for a medical condition.
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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Tuesday that his country is always ready for dialogue with Russia.

"If there are legal issues that arise in relation to the important activity of the Jewish Agency in Russia, Israel is, as always, ready and prepared to engage in dialogue while maintaining the important relations between the countries," Lapid said in a statement.

The ties between the two countries are "based on a long history, regular communication and mutual interests," Lapid said.

The comments came as a response to remarks by Kremlin earlier on Tuesday that their move to shut down the Jewish Agency was a purely legal matter.

"There is no need to politicize this situation and project it onto the entire range of Russian-Israeli relations," Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said in a statement.

Peskov said that "it's necessary to take a careful approach here, but also to realize that all organizations must comply with Russian law."

Earlier in July, Russia's Justice Ministry requested to liquidate the agency's branch in Moscow, a quasi-governmental body that helps Jews emigrate to Israel.

The case has sparked worries in Israel over its ties with Russia, home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside the Middle East.
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Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Law enforcement has found the third victim of a July 21 flash flood in San Miguel County west of Las Vegas, the Sheriffs Office announced Tuesday afternoon.

A search team found the body of Jimmy Chris Cummings, a 62-year-old man from Hale Center, Texas, in the Tecolote Creek channel shortly before noon on Tuesday.

A flash flood last week in San Miguel County sent water raging through areas burned by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.

Cummings had been presumed missing last week after law enforcement responded to reports of a floating vehicle in the flooded creek.

First responders found the empty, capsized vehicle.

The search team concluded that the vehicles three occupants had been swept away from their destroyed home in the Tecolote Canyon subdivision.

Officials recovered the bodies of two women on July 21.

The Sheriffs Office on Tuesday identified the women as Linda June Cummings, 62, and Betty Greenhaw, 84, both of Hale Center, Texas.

The National Guard and several other emergency response agencies assisted in the search and recovery efforts.

San Miguel County would like to extend sincere condolences to the families impacted by this tragedy, and offers its thoughts and prayers in this time of grief, the agency said in a statement.

New Mexicos largest ever wildfire charred soil and trees west of Las Vegas.

The burned mountain slopes can repel water and cause flash floods downstream.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The state Attorney Generals Office is looking into a recent Otero County Commission vote to eliminate ballot drop boxes and halt the use of vote-tabulation machines.

In a letter this week, Novela Salazar, director of the AGs advocacy and intervention division, asked the commissioners to respond in writing to a complaint alleging the changes would make it harder to vote in Otero County.

Salazar also reminded the commissioners of the countys legal obligation to provide at least two secured containers this fall for people who want to drop off their absentee ballots rather than mail them.

The attorney generals inquiry comes after the Otero County Commission in June voted to remove public drop boxes and discontinue the use of Dominion vote-tabulation machines. The county attorney warned them the vote wouldnt be binding.

In an interview Tuesday, Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes said she plans to proceed with the general election as usual. Her office will conduct the election with tabulation machines approved by the state, in addition to offering secured containers for absentee ballots.

The tabulation machines are accurate, Holmes said, and the election procedures are set by the state, not individual counties.

If I were to follow what theyre asking me to do, Holmes said, Id be breaking the law.

Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin said he isnt intentionally trying to break any laws.

He simply wants fair, legal and transparent elections, he said.

New Mexico conducts its elections with paper ballots that are marked by voters and then fed into tabulation machines, which count the votes in each race. The machines are tested in public before theyre certified for use in each election.

The state also carries out post-election audits of precincts at random  counting the ballots by hand  to verify the accuracy of its official results.

Attorney General Hector Balderas office asked the Otero County Commission to respond within 10 days to the complaint about its election vote.

Spokeswoman Jerri Mares said the office is evaluating the actions of the Commission and will take any actions necessary to uphold the law.

The commission also was at the center of an election controversy this summer when it initially refused to certify the results of the June 7 primary. The commission later relented after an order from the state Supreme Court.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Calling it the most dangerous place in the state of New Mexico, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller says closing Coronado Park is imperative, even without a fully formed plan for how to do it and what happens next.

A day after announcing the parks impending closure, Keller provided more insight into why he is shuttering the park that hosts one of the citys largest unsanctioned homeless encampments. He said he had to act due to the rampant criminal activity and to preserve any chance the city has of using it as a park in the future.

Were not going to wait any longer, the mayor said Tuesday during a media briefing near the park where dozens of people were congregated around tents and other makeshift shelters. We have all the evidence we need that says that we have to do something different.

Some people who live at the park agree that it is unsafe, but say the city should not shut it down.

This place is dangerous, its a nuisance, and its unfortunate that people in our situation cannot be nice and coexist with each other, but it really sucks to see this park go because this is the only place where we have community and can be together, William Cole, 37, told a Journal reporter Tuesday.

He also offered a warning: If we spread out throughout the city, its not really good for nobody.

Officials say as many as 120 people currently camp at the park and that all will be offered services, such as a shelter bed, before the park is locked up some time in August. Keller said there is a sufficient supply of open shelter beds to accommodate all of the parks current residents.

A recent survey of 71 people in the park found that 10 had already qualified for and received a voucher for rental assistance, said Carol Pierce, director of the citys Family and Community Services Department.

We want to really work with them intensively to figure out what are the barriers to using that housing voucher and get them safely housed, Pierce said.

The mayor acknowledged that the closure would be a messy process and that dispersing park residents could create other problems.

He also reiterated that no decision has been made about the parks specific closure date and what will happen long term to the property near Third and Interstate 40. He said options include reopening it as a park, using it for the neighboring fire stations expansion or turning it into a safe outdoor space  a managed site with rules, toilets and showers where people who are homeless can legally camp.

It is not going to be something where every question is answered and every plan is thought out, he said of the situation today. We do not have the luxury of a perfect plan.

Keller on Tuesday pushed back against criticism that he made the closure decision without first notifying or consulting with key constituencies, such as the area neighborhood association. Keller had said a few weeks ago that his administration would have a new plan for Coronado Park by the end of July, so he said the news should not have been a surprise. He said the city would now begin sorting out the closure details and future plans with service providers, park residents, neighbors and other elected officials.

This is the first step. We welcome everyone to help us problem-solve, but someone has to step up and make a decision, he said. And thats what people elected me to do.

Keller repeatedly cited the parks public safety issues, including five homicides over the past few years. Journal reporting shows four homicides at the park and another near the park since April 2018.

Albuquerque Police Lt. Nick Wheeler told reporters Tuesday that officers had responded to the park 651 times in 2021 and 312 times so far in 2022. He said criminal activity had spiked at the park over the past three years, though neither he nor a department spokeswoman were immediately able to provide data charting the calls for service to the park over the past decade.

Wheeler also said there had been 16 stabbings at the park in the past two years, including one last week, and that, in the past 30 days, law enforcement had seized from the park 4,500 fentanyl pills, more than 5 pounds of methamphetamine, 24 grams of heroin and 29 grams of cocaine. All those drugs were tied to a single bust in late June that occurred at a nearby motel, not the park, though an APD spokeswoman said the suspect was mainly doing all their distributions (at the park).

People who live in Coronado Park agree it has problems.

Yeah, this place is dangerous. Theres drugs, alcohol, there are fights here constantly and something should be done to control all that, said Brandy Page, 39, who has lived on and off at Coronado Park for six months.

She said all of her stuff was stolen for the 20th time on Monday night. Despite that, she said the park residents have a right to live somewhere, and in no way do I think it should be completely shut down.

She said she did not want to stay in a shelter  a common sentiment.

Homeless for much of the past eight years, 56-year-old Oriol Chavez said he has stayed in shelters before and, even though Coronado Park is very, very dangerous, he does not want to stay in a shelter.

He said he feels he now has nowhere to go.

Not everyone agrees that Coronado is menacing. Sol Badguy, as he calls himself, said that there are dangerous moments here, but there are dangerous moments everywhere  you can be safe in your home, and somebody can come in and hurt you there.

For him and others, Coronado is not just a park for us, its our home, and I think its wrong that Mayor Keller wants to take away our home.

Badguy came to Albuquerque from New Orleans, where he was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said he refuses to stay in a shelter because it would be like being in captivity. Thats treating us like animals, and thats not OK.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A retired police detective who spent more than a year investigating nothing but 10-year-old Victoria Martens death said he firmly believes that an unknown man killed the child.

Youd have to just ignore all the physical evidence, retired Albuquerque police detective Rich Lewis said on the witness stand Tuesday. And Ive learned over the years, follow your evidence.

Lewis spent hours on the witness stand Monday and most of the day Tuesday in the trial against Fabian Gonzales, who is charged with child abuse, recklessly caused, resulting in the death of a child under 12, seven counts of tampering with evidence and conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Parts of testimony Tuesday centered around an unknown man. Prosecutors in 2018 indicted a male DNA profile  called John Doe  in connection with the death of Victoria on Aug. 23, 2016. At that time they also dropped murder and rape charges against Gonzales and Michelle Martens, Victorias mother.

Gonzales attorneys are arguing that Jessica Kelley, Gonzales cousin, acted alone in killing Victoria and attempting to cover up the crime. Kelley, 37, pleaded guilty to several charges and was sentenced to 44 years in prison, but she will be eligible for parole in half that time.

The District Attorneys Office has alleged an unknown man killed Victoria, possibly over a vendetta he had against Gonzales, and that Gonzales was part of the effort to clean up the crime.

Gonzales is facing 18 to 43 years in prison if convicted of all charges, based on New Mexico laws and sentencing guidelines.

A jury was seated July 13 in 2nd Judicial District Court and Judge Cindy Leos is presiding.

Throughout much of the testimony, officers and detectives involved have described the case as confusing and strange, not to mention brutal. And even though Gonzales trial is well underway, Lewis said Tuesday that he remains unclear exactly what happened to Victoria the night she was killed in a Northwest Albuquerque apartment.

As I sit here today, there is still a variety of possibilities, he said.

What evidence makes Lewis think another man was involved?

For one, Lewis said the DNA profile of an unknown male was found on Victoria and on several items inside the apartment, including on cleaning supplies. He said Kelley made some statements to officers at the time of her arrest about another man being present in the apartment. Additionally, Lewis said when officers served a search warrant on Kelley after Victorias death, she told them something about there being four adults in the apartment the night Victoria was killed.

Investigators later determined that Martens and Gonzales were not at Martens apartment when Victoria was killed.

But they returned at 8:48 p.m. Aug. 23, 2016, after Victoria was dead. And they were at the apartment at around 4:30 a.m. the next day when police were called there on a reported battery or assault and found Victoria partially dismembered and set on fire in a bathtub.

Lewis and others have said there must have been a massive effort to cover up the crime scene.

There was not that much blood for the amount of injury that I was seeing, said Dr. Rebecca Asch-Kendrick, a forensic pathologist who responded to the scene and was part of the team that performed the autopsy.

Asch-Kendrick also testified Tuesday. She guided jurors through an account of all of Victorias injuries as horrific head-to-toe pictures of Victorias body were displayed in court.

Lewis said he believes such an effort, both the dismemberment and cleanup, would have taken hours. He said he also thinks items and evidence were removed from the apartment.

That was one of the reasons why the case has been so difficult for investigators to wrap their heads around, he said.

That has scuttled the investigation, he said. I know Michelle Martens and the defendant were not there (when Victoria was killed). I know I wasnt there. Other than that, its an open investigation.

Another reason the case has been difficult to solve is that officers relied on untrue statements that Martens made during her initial interrogation by police. Detectives then used those statement to put pressure on Gonzales during his more than 12-hour interrogation.

Lewis, a cold-case detective who joined the case a year after Victorias death, said the techniques police used in their initial interviews with Martens and Gonzales were legal and taught to police during their training. But he had stopped using such tactics.

I have used them in the past but stopped before I retired, he said.

Asked about criticisms police detectives have received over those interviews, Lewis said that he always welcomes criticism that is constructive.

I think its fair, he said of criticizing police for the investigation into Victorias death.
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Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Tuesday met with Indonesian First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Peng warmly welcomed Iriana, who is accompanying Indonesian President Joko Widodo on his visit to China, and they both recalled happy memories of their previous meetings.

Peng said that as important neighbors, the Chinese and Indonesian peoples have enjoyed a friendship with a long history. She said both countries have witnessed robust people-to-people exchanges in recent years, and Indonesia is the second most popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists.

Iriana said she was delighted to see old friends in Beijing, and thanked President Xi and Peng for their hospitality. She welcomed more Chinese tourists to visit Indonesia and said she hopes for a lasting friendship between Indonesia and China.

Peng and Iriana watched musical performances by students and teachers of the China Conservatory of Music. Peng talked about the history and techniques of traditional Chinese musical instruments.

Fascinated by the performances, Iriana said that she was deeply touched to hear the young Chinese artists play Indonesian music.

Peng said that music knows no borders, links hearts and passes on friendship. She expressed the hope that cultural exchanges will play a greater role in enhancing the friendship between the two countries.
SANTA FE  A conservative-backed initiative to publish voter registration records from across the country online for public consumption can move forward over the objections of New Mexico election regulators, a federal judge has ordered in a preliminary opinion.

Albuquerque-based U.S. District Court Judge James Browning issued an order Friday preventing New Mexico state prosecutors from pursuing allegations of possible election code violations against the creators of VoteRef.com.

The VoteRef.com website provides searchable access to voter registration records by name and street addresses, often indicating when people voted in past elections.

The online records do not say for which candidates the people voted or how they voted on initiatives. Party affiliation is listed for voters in some states but not all.

The Voter Reference Foundation that created the website advocates for voting accountability by making voter information more accessible to the public.

Following the ruling, the foundation said it would post New Mexico voter rolls online starting Tuesday.

The decision doesnt apply to New Mexico voters enrolled in a confidential address program aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence and stalking.

New Mexico election regulators contend that the effort violates state restrictions on the purchase and dissemination of voter registration records  and is likely to discourage voter participation because people may opt out if they know that some of their voting information is being made public.

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, in March referred the matter to the Attorney Generals Office for possible prosecution of the Voter Reference Foundation, which published New Mexico registration records online at the time after obtaining them through an out-of-state business. State law restricts the use of voter registration information to political campaigning and election- or government-related activities.

The foundation  backed by former GOP Senate candidate Doug Truax of Illinois  took its New Mexico records offline in response and sued the state in federal court, alleging violations of due process and free speech guarantees.

The judges order blocks prosecution while the case advances toward trial and said that the Voter Reference Foundation is likely to prevail in its claim as the victim of viewpoint discrimination by election regulators. Browning said New Mexico state law does not prohibit Voter Reference  or any organization  from posting voter data online.

The creators of VoteRef.com are substantially likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the Secretary of States referral of Voter Reference to the Attorney General for criminal prosecution and her public statements about the referral are an unconstitutional prior restraint on protected speech, Browning said.

Truax, founder of the Restoration of America organization that funds VoteRef.com, said his group wont be intimidated by politicians who, for some reason, dont want to give the people of their state easy access to election records they pay for. He is an advocate for limiting voting access largely to in-person voting on Election Day with photo ID requirements and no same-day registration.

VoteRef.com already publishes voter registration information online from at least 28 states and Washington, D.C.

Toulouse Oliver spokesman Alex Curtas called the judges opinion a blow to protecting the privacy rights of every New Mexican voter.

The fear now is that voters will be less likely to participate in our elections because their voting information  name, residential address, party affiliation, voting history, and year of birth  will be made easily available online for anyone to obtain and potentially manipulate, Curtas said.

Some New Mexico neighborhoods this year have been the focus of door-to-door canvassing by volunteers for a group called New Mexico Audit Force that promotes unproven conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

The door knocking  ostensibly to verify individual voter registrations at peoples homes  has generated voter intimidation concerns and counterclaims of threats against canvassers.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian troops used American-supplied precision rocket launchers to knock out a strategic bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraines occupied Kherson region, officials said Wednesday.

Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed an enemy ammunition depot, artillery pieces and other military equipment in the region, killing 51 members of the Russian army. There was no immediate confirmation from the Russian side.

The Antonivskyi Bridge over the Dnieper River was attacked late Tuesday, according to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region. The bridge was left standing, but holes in its deck prevented vehicles from crossing the 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) span, he said.

After previous Ukrainian attacks damaged the bridge last week, it was closed to trucks, but it had remained open for passenger vehicles until the latest strike.

Russian forces in recent days have intensified their shelling of cities and villages in eastern Ukraine while also stepping up airstrikes in the south. At the same time, the Kremlins troops are facing mounting counterattacks from the Ukrainians in the Kherson region, which was captured by Moscow early in the war.

Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to target the bridge, Stremousov said. A Ukrainian military spokesperson, Nataliya Gumenyuk, told Ukrainian TV that surgical strikes were carried out on the bridge.

The HIMARS has greater range, much more precision and a faster rate of fire than the Soviet-designed Smerch, Uragan and Tornado rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine. The weapons were among the billions of dollars in Western military aid that has helped Ukraine fight off the Russians since the Feb. 24 invasion.

In other developments:

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia has lost nearly 40,000 soldiers in the war and that tens of thousands more were wounded. His claim could not be independently verified. The Russian military last reported its losses in March, when it said 1,351 troops had been killed.

 Turkeys defense minister said preparations were underway for the resumption of grain shipments from Ukraines Black Sea ports. Russia and Ukraine signed agreements last week to free up millions of tons of grain trapped by the fighting, potentially easing the global food crisis.

 At least two civilians were killed and three wounded when Russian forces shelled a hotel in the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian emergency authorities said. Bakhmut has been a focus of the Russian offensive in the region.

While halting traffic across the Dnieper River bridge makes only a slight dent in the overall Russian military operation, the attack was a morale-boosting victory for the Ukrainians.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that the occupiers should learn how to swim across the Dnieper or leave Kherson while it is still possible. There may not be a third warning, he tweeted.

The bridge is the main crossing over the Dnieper in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at a hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open.

Knocking the crossings out would make it hard for the Russian military to keep supplying its forces in the region.

We are doing all we can so that the occupiers have no logistical capabilities remaining on our land. Ukraines president said during his nightly video address, noting the attack on the Antonivskiy bridge and other crossings in the region.

Of course, they will all be rebuilt, but it will be us rebuilding them, Zelenskyy added.

The accurate targeting of the bridge contrasted with Russias indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas since the invasion five months ago.

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, in the east-central part of the country, said Wednesday that Russian forces struck two regions with artillery. Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said a woman was wounded in the town of Marhanets and several apartment buildings, a hospital and a school were damaged by the shelling.

Chaotic shelling has no other goal but to sow panic and fear among the civilian population, he said.

The bulk of the Russian forces are fighting in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, known as the Donbas, where they have made slow gains in the face of ferocious Ukrainian resistance.

They have taken some ground northeast of Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. But it said Russian forces are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before early autumn.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
OMAHA, Neb.  Major railroads will be required to maintain two-person crews under a new rule announced Wednesday that will thwart industry efforts to cut crews down to one person.

The Federal Railroad Administration said in a rule published in the Federal Register that railroads will be required to continue using two-person crews in most circumstances as they haul all kinds of cargo, including hazardous materials, across the country. But there will be an exception to allow short-line railroads that have already been using one-man crews to continue using them and railroads can apply for permission to use smaller crews if they can prove it is safe.

Railroads have sought the discretion to operate trains with only one person and move conductors to ground-based jobs in places where automatic braking systems have been installed. It has been a key issue in deadlocked contract talks between freight railroads and their 12 unions, currently being reviewed by a special board of arbitrators appointed this month by President Joe Biden.

Labor groups have opposed one-person crews for years due both to what they say are concerns about safety and jobs. Labor agreements requiring two-person crews have been in place for roughly 30 years at major railroads, although many short-line railroads operate with one-man crews.

This proposed rule acknowledges that crew size is fundamentally a safety issue at its core, said Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIOs Transportation Trades Department coalition that represents rail unions.

Arbitrators reviewing contract talks that began more than two years ago are listening to proposals from both sides this week. Federal law prohibits rail unions from striking until mid September while that board develops a set of recommendations. Both sides can negotiate a deal based on those recommendations.

Federal officials said the proposed rule will replace the existing patchwork of state laws on railroad crew sizes with a national standard.

This proposed rule will improve safety for Americas rail passengersand rail workersacross the country, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

A similar rule requiring two crew members was issued in 2016, but that was abandoned during the Trump administration because the Railroad Administration said there wasnt enough evidence to show it was safer.

Regulators said Wednesday that a second crew member in the cab of locomotives play a key role in monitoring train operations and making sure safety rules are being followed.

Freight railroads had argued that the installation of a system that can stop trains automatically in certain circumstances, called Positive Train Control, made a second person unnecessary.

The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, said the rule prioritizes politics over sound, data-driven policy.

Because of new braking technology, Jefferies said, there is no plausible safety justification for regulating the number of individuals physically located inside the cab of a locomotive.

The railroad industry has emphasized that crash data doesnt show that two-man crews are safer. But labor groups argued that the data cant show how safe one-person crews are because most railroads use two-person crews now.

A Union Pacific spokeswoman said crew size should be determined through negotiation with the unions  not by regulators. UP officials have argued that moving conductors out of locomotives into a ground-based position would make those jobs more attractive because conductors would be able to work more predictable schedules if they didnt have to be on trains.

Railroads have struggled to hire new workers this year amid ongoing worker shortages as the nation exits the worst of the pandemic.
NEW YORK  A Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire businessman Warren Buffetts company discriminated against potential Black and Latino homebuyers in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware, the Department of Justice said Wednesday, in what is being called the second-largest redlining settlement in history.

Trident Mortgage Co., a division of Berkshire Hathaways HomeServices of America, deliberately avoided writing mortgages in minority-majority neighborhoods in West Philadelphia like Malcolm X Park; Camden, New Jersey; and in Wilmington, Delaware, the Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in their settlement with Trident.

As part of the agreement with the government, Trident will have to set aside $20 million to make loans in underserved neighborhoods.

Tridents unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth, and devalued properties in their neighborhoods, said Kristen Clarke, an assistant Attorney General of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, in a prepared statement.

Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Philadelphia Democrat, grew up a few blocks from the West Philadelphia park where a news conference on the settlement was held Wednesday. Hughes said portions of his life have been framed by the discriminatory lending practices that prevent Black and brown communities from building wealth.

Hughes father worked for one of the oldest Black-owned savings and loans, a company name Berean that would finance mortgages for Black families when they were turned away by other banks and lenders.

Ive had people come up to me and say, Vince, your dad gave me a mortgage for my first home when I was turned down everywhere else. If it wasnt for Berean and your dad, I wouldnt have been able to buy my home, Hughes said. We witnessed that discrimination in real time.

Redlining is a term used to describe when banks deliberately avoid making loans to non-white communities. Banks and the U.S. government used to draw on maps in red marker those neighborhoods that were deemed undesirable to make home loans. The neighborhoods were almost always areas where racial minorities lived, and even included other historically discriminated-against communities such as Jewish neighborhoods.

The practice effectively cut off entire communities from the primary pathway for wealth generation in the U.S.: homeownership. To this day, Black and Latino households are far less likely to own their home compared to their white counterparts.

The alleged redlining activity happened between 2015 and 2019  Trident stopped writing mortgages in 2020. Along with avoiding making mortgages in minority neighborhoods, the Trident employees made racist comments about making loans to Black homebuyers, calling certain neighborhoods ghettos. One manager of Trident was photographed posing in front of the Confederate Flag. The marketing materials used by Trident involved exclusively white individuals, and nearly all of the companys staff were white.

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvanias attorney general who is running for governor, called the behavior by Trident systematic racism, pure and simple.

Philadelphia has a long history of racism toward Black homebuyers. The Philadelphia City Council released a report Wednesday that found that 95% of all of the citys home appraisers were white and a racial gap remains between how homes owned by Black homeowners are valued versus homes owned by white owners.

Hughes said he and other legislators were furious about revelations of the redlining by Trident and others in a 2018 investigation by Reveal into Buffetts mortgage companies. They pressed Shapiro during an appropriations hearing, and the Attorney General responded by setting up a hotline to gather personal stories.

As part of the settlement, Trident agreed to hire mortgage loan officers in impacted neighborhoods as well as pay a $4 million fine. Since Trident no longer operates a lending business, a separate company will be contracted to provide the $20 million in loan subsidies, the Justice Department said.

The largest redlining case involved Wisconsin-based Associated Bank, which was charged with discriminatory practices between the years 2008 and 2011. The bank settled with regulators in 2015 for $200 million.

The Trident settlement also involves the first redlining case against a nonbank mortgage lender. Since the Great Recession, roughly half of all mortgages in the country are underwritten by companies that immediately sell off the mortgage to investors. These nonbank lenders include firms like Quicken Loans, Rocket Mortgage and Loan Depot, among many others.

Credit discrimination is illegal regardless of whether the lawbreaking company is a traditional bank or a nonbank lender, said Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a statement, HomeServices of America said they strongly disagree with the Justice Departments and CFPBs findings in the settlement, noting that Trident did not have to admit to wrongdoing as part of the case. Buffett himself did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but historically has deferred any comment to Berkshires subsidiary companies.

Hughes said he did not have personal experience with Trident, but he said he was not surprised to learn the companys statement after the settlement was announced denied there was wrongdoing.

Thats what these companies do, right? None of them admit it, they just wind up paying the money, he said.

____

AP Reporter Claudia Lauer contributed to this report from Philadelphia. AP Business Writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Sacred Wind Communications is set to be acquired by an out-of-state company looking to expand its infrastructure reach and broadband services in the Southwest.

Colorado-based Commnet Broadband acquired the New Mexico company in an announcement made Wednesday. The acquisition cost wasnt disclosed in the announcement and Sacred Wind CEO John Badal declined to comment on the purchase price, other than saying the deal included a combo of cash and equity.

The deal is expected to close as soon as regulatory approvals come over the next several months, including from the Federal Communications Commission.

Together with Commnet Broadband, we can continue to grow and provide high-quality service to more customers in our region, Badal said in a statement.

Sacred Wind, a telephone and internet company focusing on bridging the digital divide for tribal communities in New Mexico, will keep its name through the acquisition, Badal told the Journal. He said pricing will also remain the same for current customers.

There will also be no cuts to Sacred Winds staff of 60. Badal added there is a possibility that more employees may be added over time due to Sacred Winds heightened interest in extending its services to the Navajo Nation in Arizona.

Badal said the acquisition is more of a partnership between the firms  their holding company name is Alloy LLC  with Commnet offering Sacred Wind additional operational support for some of its current projects. Sacred Winds standing in the NM Fiber Network LLC, a coalition of phone and internet companies looking to improve broadband access in New Mexico, also wont be affected, Badal said.

He added that the acquisition helps Sacred Wind with getting more federal grants.

Badal will stay on once the deal is finalized, changing his title from CEO to consultant between the combined companies and serving as a board member.

Commnet CEO Tom Guthrie called the acquisition a strong move for both companies going forward.

Sacred Wind has an excellent reputation serving consumers and businesses in New Mexico through its fiber-based network, he said Together, we are stronger and can expand faster to serve more customers with affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband.
In June, B.J. Novak was getting his directorial debut Vengeance ready to be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Yet, the journey to get the film to screen has been in the works for a few years. New Mexico played a role in getting the film done.

Novak brought the production to New Mexico in November 2020, where it filmed in Albuquerque and Artesia.

(Though the film) is set in Texas, we filmed in New Mexico because it is extremely friendly to filmmakers, Novak says. (New Mexico) has legendary great crews and that is important to me. We filmed a lot in Artesia, which is in the Pecos Valley. One of the advantages is that we were able to import some people from Texas to give it the Texas feel.

Novak wrote, directed and stars in the film. Vengeance also marks his first time in a lead role.

The film follows Ben Manalowitz, played by Novak, who is on a trip from Manhattan to rural Texas to attend his ex-girlfriends funeral.

Manalowitz is a writer for The New Yorker and he gets enticed by the deceaseds family to aid in investigating the declared overdose as a homicide.

He works on a podcast surrounding his detective escapades as he grows closer to the family. The film opens in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe on Friday, July 29.

I wanted to tell a story that was smart, he says. What I was figuring out is why are we so disconnected with other people. As I dug deeper, I began to find some answers.

Novak says his character is very flawed but not irredeemable.

I liked taking a character that you might not love right away, he says. He has a bunch of shallow traits. The idea that he travels to this place where everyone gives the benefit of the doubt and makes him live up to that is amazing.

As Novak began the project, he was wearing so many hats that he became intimidated.

As an actor, I rely on the director to help guide my performance, he says. Im the director too and Im taking on my first lead role, it really scared me. I knew I really wanted to do it.

If that wasnt enough, Novak brought in a cast that is just as impressive.

He is joined in the film by Dove Cameron, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook and Issa Rae.

Novak says having such a great cast also pushed him in all aspects.

I like to act and really enjoyed myself. I learn from them, he says. Ive sat across the set from Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. It was scary, yet it was easy to set the tone. I knew the better actors I put myself around, the better I would do. Dove and Boyd have been so good in everything theyve done. Ashton hasnt ever really had a dramatic role he could sink himself into.

Novak says filming in New Mexico also did have a few challenges.

We lost a whole scene, he says. The movie zips along and there was this flash blizzard. We tried to make the best of it. My character is this New York liberal and hes trying to make a point about climate change. It just didnt work out in the end.

Novak also immersed himself in the community while he was staying in Albuquerque. He enjoyed the landscape.

El Cotorro became my favorite, he says. I got addicted to New Mexico Pinon Coffee and I got to do a book reading.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, Vengeance employed over 100 New Mexico crew members, over 20 New Mexico principal actors and over 50 background talent.

In Theaters

Vengeance which was filmed in New Mexico opens in theaters in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe on Friday, July 29.
Authorities said a 1-year-old boy has been found safe after being taken from his mothers home Wednesday in Albuquerque.

Ray Wilson, a State Police spokesman, said Regin Gutierrez has been located and is safe.

An Amber Alert was issued after, according to State Police, Gutierrez was abducted by 35-year-old Jody Ellis. Wilson did not say when the boy was taken.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Legislators questioned Corrections leaders Wednesday about the effectiveness of a new policy that provides inmates with photocopies of their personal mail  never the actual mail itself  as part of a plan to limit the flow of drugs into New Mexico prisons.

They examined data showing the policy didnt appear to have made an immediate impact on the drug positivity rate of inmates and signaled they will continue to scrutinize the program.

State Rep. Gail Chasey, an Albuquerque Democrat who presided over Wednesdays hearing on the Corrections Department, said the photocopies could weaken meaningful communication between inmates and their families, an important contributor to their success upon release.

It seems so draconian to find that inmates could no longer get drawings from their kids, she said.

Corrections officials defended the policy as a necessary step to curb drug use and protect the health of people living or working inside state prisons. They said some inmates had received letters soaked in narcotics  such as fentanyl or synthetic cannabis  and burned them to inhale the smoke.

Starting earlier this year, people who want to mail a letter to a New Mexico inmate must now send it to an address in Florida, where a private company photocopies the material and then mails it back to the state prison system.

It costs the state about $3.50 per inmate each month, regardless of whether the inmate receives any mail, for the Securus mail system. The cost could reach somewhere in the neighborhood of $160,000 a year, depending on the number of inmates in the system.

The change also restricts what kind of mail inmates may receive, with greeting cards, for example, no longer accepted, according to legislative records.

Wence Asonganyi, health services administrator for the Corrections Department, said the mail changes came after prison leaders determined they had to act amid a rise in symptoms among inmates consistent with a drug overdose.

It is quite disturbing when on a weekly basis you get numbers of suspected overdoses within the prison system across the state, and all you have is a plan is to take them to a hospital or provide first aid, Asonganyi said. You know thats not sustainable. You know thats not good care.

The Corrections Department, he said, had seen a substantial drop in medical incidents related to drug use following enactment of the new mail policy.

Legislative analysts offered a different assessment. They said the positivity rate from random drug tests of inmates hadnt shown an immediate improvement, according to quarterly reports issued by the department.

Asonganyi contends the drug positivity rate isnt the right way to measure the programs success because some of the drugs have been altered in a way that makes them hard to identify in a normal drug screening.

Legislative analysts, in turn, suggested the Corrections Department propose a better way to measure the programs success, if they have more meaningful data.

The legislators at Wednesdays hearing said they will further scrutinize the policy.

Chasey, who leads the House Judiciary Committee, said New Mexicos revenue boom should allow for new investments to improve the prison system. She suggested there might be another safe, cost-effective way to screen the mail.

I certainly dont want to put staff at risk, and I dont want inmates at risk, Chasey said. Wed like to try to help.

Rep. Antonio Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, asked whether the out-of-state photocopying of mail was authorized by state law. Corrections officials said the law is silent on the issue.

Diana Crowson, whose son is an inmate at the state prison in Santa Fe, said the new policy has disrupted mail service to inmates. Keeping in touch with family, she said, is an important way to reduce recidivism for people released from custody.

Not only the inmates, Crowson said, but the families are suffering from this.
International Advertising Association (IAA), India chapter is hosting a summit on Gender Sensitisation In Media on the 29th of July at ITC Maratha, Andheri, Mumbai. The theme is Gender Portrayal across the creative spectrum from a 30 Seconds TVC to a 3 Hour film. Prominent voices of the industry will be speaking on why it is of paramount importance to Break The Bias that surrounds the industry when it comes to gender depiction.

The Voice Of Change, an IAA initiative, was started as a behaviour change communication initiative which was aimed at addressing the skewed portrayal of gender in the field of advertising and communication with the launch of the Geena Davis study with Unicef, in September last year, the IAA  India took the first step towards effective change. The facts presented in the study, based on the evaluation of more than 1000 plus ads, showed a disturbing trend of widespread gender stereotyping and prejudice. Sore truths were discovered about how women and other genders are seen, their abject objectification and pigeon holing.

On the backdrop of such ground-breaking research being done, the IAA has stepped up to bring all this knowledge and more out in the public eye under an umbrella banner through this summit. The aim is to ensure that the discourse reaches the right people and sensitises all creative minds and industry forces to drive palpable change.

Megha Tata, President IAA India, said "IAA has always brought forward initiatives that are meaningful and Gender sensitive, on and off screen and has also been the one who has always taken the lead on this issue in the industry. We felt that it is time for all of us to come together and be the voice of change. We want to address the dialogue of gender discrimination across the media spectrum and hope we will collectively bring much needed change in the system."

"Over the last decade, women have broken stereotypes in this industry both behind the scenes and on the screen. It's time we tell more of those stories and break biases. Through this change summit, the IAA brings prominent industry voices to communicate, converge and be the Voices Of Change that we need to empower the narrative," said Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Chairperson, IAA Women Empowerment Committee

The summit shall witness prominent industry bodies and partners such as like ASCI, UNICEF, Tata Institute Of Social Sciences, Unstereotype Alliance and Akshara Centre along with Chief Guest Poonam Mahajan and prominent voices like Vidya Balan, Deepika Warrier, Monika Shergill, Anupama Chopra, Santosh Desai, Nandita Das, Ranveer Brar, Tista Sen, Anuradha Sengupta and many more. IAA aims to sanction change through influential and evocative dialogue to enable effective change.
The BMW Group has reported that Ulrike von Mirbach has taken over as the new Head of the MINI brand for Europe on 1 July 2022.

Prior to this, she was accountable for the BMW & MINI retail business as part of the "new sales model Europe" project as well as for the overall development of the new sales structures for MINI. Furthermore, she will be seen continuing working this as well as being the Head of Brand MINI for Europe.

The Group reported that Pierre Jalady, Ulrikes predecessor, has taken over the responsibility of the MINI Brand in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa region.

Ulrike von Mirbach has been a part of the BMW Group for over 17 years. During the initial days of her career, she was working on the marketing strategy of the BMW brand in the German market for around five years.

She has played a key role in the development of the MINI brand in Germany and has successfully took forward the electrification of the brand.
News  Vietnam

Vietnam lays groundwork to build Asia's next startup unicorns
But in this case, there is no apparent U.S. government conduct at issue in the lawsuit. At least based on what they claim about themselves , UANI is just a not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that seeks to educate the public about the dangers of Irans nuclear program. Why would such a group like this even possess state secrets? It would be illegal to give them such material. Or could it be that the CIA or some other U.S. government agency has created and controls the group, which would be a form of government-disseminated propaganda, which happens to be illegal?

This group of neocon extremists was literally just immunized by a federal court from the rule of law. That was based on the claim  advocated by the Obama DOJ and accepted by Judge Ramos  that subjecting them to litigation for their actions would risk disclosure of vital state secrets. The courts ruling was based on assertions made through completely secret proceedings between the court and the U.S. government, with everyone else  including the lawyers for the parties  kept in the dark

A truly stunning debasement of the U.S. justice system just occurred through the joint efforts of the Obama Justice Department and a meek and frightened Obama-appointed federal judge, Edgardo Ramos, all in order to protect an extremist neocon front group from scrutiny and accountability

The use of illegal domestic propaganda to facilitate military operations has happened more than once in recent history, most notably Judy Millers planting of WMD spin in the New York Times on behalf of the US State Department. And going by a shocking recent court ruling, its just become harder to prove. In a story for The Intercept , Glenn Greenwald reports,

Despite its massive scale and scope, this secret global war across much of the planet is unknown to most Americans. Unlike the December debacle in Yemen, the vast majority of special ops missions remain completely in the shadows, hidden from external oversight or press scrutiny. In fact, aside from modest amounts of information disclosed through highly-selective coverage by military media , official White House leaks , SEALs with something to sell and a few cherry-picked journalists reporting on cherry-picked opportunities, much of what Americas special operators do is never subjected to meaningful examination, which only increases the chances of unforeseen blowback and catastrophic consequences.

We may never know the answer to this, as Turse goes on to illustrate:

But aside from the ubiquity of certain programs, there are other convergences that make the chain of events leading up to Neptune Spear interesting. Imagining for a moment that Gates, whose foundation has been called a tax evasion shell by philanthropist and accounting expert Sheldon Drobny , has never used medical philanthropy to advance other investments, we should still be asking what Gates and members of his foundationthe prime implementers of third world vaccination drives similar to the one used as cover for the Bin Laden mission, and one of the primary media forces behind domestic mandates may have known leading up to the operation. Was Gates briefed? Were other media and industrial players?

During the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2014, US Special Operations forces (SOF) deployed to 133 countriesroughly 70 percent of the nations on the planetaccording to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bockholt, a public affairs officer with US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This capped a three-year span in which the countrys most elite forces were active in more than 150 different countries around the world, conducting missions ranging from kill/capture night raids to training exercises.

Its a valid argument that Gates Foundations initiatives, like biofuel exploration are nearly ubiquitous. The same is true for US military operations, as Nick Turse for The Nation reports:

And as it turns out, Gates investment coincided with several ongoing US military operations and installations in countries from the Ukraine to Syria , Yemen and Kenya  openly touted for oil, frackable shale or offshore gas fields. And every one of these countries had been, at one point or another, a subject of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations and (offshoot) GAVI Alliances various disease monitoring and vaccination drives as well as surveillance of what the organization calls  vaccine confidence .

In February, 2011, less than three months prior to Operation Neptune Spear, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the worlds leading vaccine philanthropist, pronounced on CNN that vaccine safety critics kill children and are liars. A few weeks earlier, Gates had invested in Neos Geosolutions , a mining technology company backed by Goldman Sachs and Saudi investors that has performed airborne surveys in the Middle East and maintains an office in Abu Dhabi.

One clear takeaway is the fact that any agenda, if combined with military intelligence, now enjoys the unconstitutionally broad, secretive cover afforded to state security. About the only way to find out whether Gates was privy to and abetting government plans would be to somehow sue him for defamation over his CNN statements against consumer advocates and wait for the DOJ to swoop in. Of course anyone doing so would be accused of simultaneously defending Bin Laden and endangering public health, and would come smack against the double accountability shield of the war on terror and the war on disease two things that are equally handy for destroying constitutional protections and rationalizing fallout.

And whether or not Gates participated in illegal propaganda, considering the 47,500 cases of flaccid paralysis following the Gates Foundations live oral polio vaccine campaign in the third world, ethics violations in vaccine trials, reliance on repressive regimes for implementation of those trials (discussed later in the series), in light of the foundations commitment to global vaccine surveillance, and, again, in view of the admission that vaccine drives have been repeatedly used as a cover for military operations, its become apparent that medical philanthropy has not always improved public health in foreign populations. From some of his foundations further investments, its apparent that human health may not even be a driving force for Gates. Drawing from the motives behind US expansionist policies, it may be that these philanthropic medical campaigns are more a classic manner of gathering intelligence and capturing health infrastructure in certain oil, gas or mineral rich target nations as a militarized Trojan horse operation to gain control of populations and resources.

Obviously the spread of vaccine criticism would be viewed as a threat to any compounded operation like this, and the confluence of events should trigger concern, as should media campaigns to spin even the most moderate and reasonable criticism of vaccine safety, efficacy and research integrity as extremist and akin to terrorism. But its not as if disease-mongering in service of military and authoritarian agendas is a new phenomenon and the concern should have been long-standing in the public mind.





The Security State Moebius

In 20th century modernist philosopher Michel Foucaults concept of panoticism, the surveillance state is literally modeled on the city in quarantine, the total control of which is dependent on the existance of a deadly contagion to justify incursons on freedom and privacy.

A panopticon (pan, all; optic, see= all-seeing) was originally conceived as a prison plan by 19th century utopian philosopher Jeremy Bentham to replace corporal punishment with psychological constraint. The panotic prison involves a circular hive of prison cells surrounding a central observation tower whereby every gesture of every prisoner can be supervised around the clock both by guards (the state in Foucaults analogy) and by other prisoners, turning the watched into watchers and creating a system of informants which would presumably normalize conduct and otpimize conformity.

Despite occasional grumbling in the alternative media that the mainstream has repeatedly sensationalized various outbreaks the most recent being SARS, anthrax, Marburg, swine flu and Ebola the most cynical interpretations of it usually stop short at charges that the pharmaceutical industry sells disease for profit or that the media has a stake in stoking panic as distraction and to boost ratings.

Both takes are true, but ten years ago, journalist and Dirty Wars documentarian Jeremy Scahill, the son of healthcare professionals, took a closer look at the phenomenon in Huffington Post, tying disease mongering to WMD spin and war-footing:

Lewis "Scooter" Libby was a busy man in 2002-2003, pushing the lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and targeting those who dared to challenge the Administration. Still, with all the leaking and smearing they were doing, Libby and his "former" boss Dick Cheney found the time to conduct a parallel propaganda war in which they attempted to use the US public as guinea pigs. And once again, Judy Miller served as a crucial PR agent for the cause. In mid-2002, as they struggled desperately to sell the war, these key players in "Plamegate" were engaged in full-out offensive aimed at convincing Americans that the country faced an imminent threat of a smallpox attack. To underscore this "threat," Libby began fanatically pressing to have the entire US population preemptively vaccinated against smallpox (which was declared eradicated in 1980). The proposal was immediately met with opposition from public health experts, including those at the Department of Health and Human Services. They warned Libby that the vaccine could injure, even kill people and that a universal vaccination could in and of itself spark a public health crisis in the US. "The risks of vaccinating the whole country with the existing vaccine were greater than what we saw as the threat," says Jerry Hauer, the HHS official at the time that would have been in charge of implementing the vaccinations. "We felt it was the wrong thing from a public health perspective to do." As the administration did with so many independent experts who said Iraq posed no WMD threat, Libby attempted to sideline those who questioned him.

What Hauer and his colleagues at HHS may not have known is that smallpox was a career-long obsession of Libby's--so much so that his nickname in the administration was "Germ Boy." His 1996 novel, The Apprentice, is about a smallpox outbreak and it was one of Libby's main areas of concern when he worked under Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz at the Pentagon during the Gulf War. In Judy Miller's 2001 book (written with 2 colleagues) "Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War," Libby is described during his time at the Pentagon as "a trim, boyish lawyer" irritated by intelligence reports about Iraqi WMDs containing the words "probably" and "possibly." Miller writes that Libby "told colleagues that intelligence analysts had an unfortunate habit: If they did not see a report on something, they assumed it did not exist."

More than a decade later, Libby was facing renewed frustration with another group of experts challenging his obsession. Hauer says that when he and other public health officials presented their opposition to Libby's "hysterical" universal smallpox vaccination scheme, the pressure from Cheney's office increased.



To make matters worse, a powerful group of Republicans, led by Senator/Dr. Bill Frist, is pushing legislation that would strip people injured by vaccines of their right to sue manufacturers and would virtually eliminate pharmaceutical corporate accountability. The legislation would also make the newly created Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency the only federal agency exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.

Now, there is grave concern that the man responsible for coordinating the federal response to a flu pandemic or bioterror attack could well be the next "Brownie." His name is Stewart Simonson--a well-connected, ideological, ambitious Republican with zero public health management or medical expertise, whose previous job was as a corporate lawyer for Amtrak. He replaced Jerry Hauer, the HHS official who stood up to Libby's smallpox vaccination scheme. Hauer says that in replacing him with Simonson the Administration has "somebody they know will go along with pretty much anything they want."

Scahill arguably makes the point that it is at the biowarfare juncture mingling disease management more closely than ever with security interests that reasonable voices in domestic public health are pushed aside for those who would happily militarize the function of health regulatory institutions at the potential cost of public health and trust. Scahill expanded the panoptic theme in an article titled Germ Boys and Yes Men for The Nation:

In early November George W. Bush, struggling to claw his way upward in polls that had acquired the consistency of quicksand after two months of blunders and disasters, launched a new PR blitz. The Administration declared it was taking charge of the nation's health and security with an all-out war on the flu (to be conducted with vaccines provided by well-connected pharmaceutical companies). "Our country has been given fair warning of this danger to our homeland," Bush declared. "It's my responsibility as President to take measures now to protect the American people."

One of the things that happens to any issue given a war on suffix (war on disease, war on drugs, war on terror) is that wars on social problems inevitably identify human enemies. In a paper entitled War as Metaphor, law professor Susan Stuart of Valparaiso University writes,

todays increasing use of militaristic rhetoric by politicians and pundits goes beyond its metaphorical use as a war against an abstraction. Instead, the use of such language is becoming literal, and that rhetorical shift matters. Todays militaristic rhetoric is increasingly identifying fellow citizens as enemies in a literal warwe have crossed the line from the marketing use of the metaphorical militarization to actual militarization. Somewhere in the last thirty or forty years, we have found it too easy to use militarized rhetoric without examining its consequences.

Since former Health and Human Services director Kathleen Sebelius (who, like Libbys pick to replace noncompliant HHS official Jerry Hauer, is a lawyer, not a medical or scientific expert) issued her loose lips sink ships edict in 2010 for censorship of vaccine and public health criticism in Readers Digest, frank interpretations like Scahills have tapered off. Any reporter who presently breaks rank on the subject risks being hounded by astroturf media hordes, branded a danger to the public and shut down.

These are the rules of engagement in actual war. My question is whether the power boost received by public health and the pharmaceutical industry via a military-industrial merger has been somehow reciprocal. Could the idea that the panoptic surveillance state model evolved from the management of contagion partly explain the growing ferocity of pharmaceutical industry PR and captured public health machinery in defending policy like vaccinationparticularly in that this is happening with the emergence of a massive security apparatus? Is it possible that incentives for it extend beyond immediate profits and that an entire militarized globalization scheme could plausibly restmore or less on a protection racket construct fueled by various concepts of contagion, whether literal, figurative or both?

As with anti-terrorism campaigns, a public health protection racket depends on the publics dutiful panic in the face of a deadly menace that appears to be more imminent than (thus supplanting fears of) longstanding human-wrought threats such as pollution and climate change, disasters stemming from genetically modified seed technology, oil spills, fracking disasters and attendant water shortages, etc. To work, the scheme requires absolute dependence on the states role as protector, absolute faith in technology, and grateful relinquishment of rights and privacy in exchange for supposed safety.

But in case the public cant be persuaded to accept the tradeoff, theres always legislation to force the issue that continues to ride the tails of various draconian post-9/11 anti-terrorism policies:

The Project BioShield Act of 2004 (S. 15) became law on July 21 of that year to provide protections and countermeasures against chemical, radiological, or nuclear agents that may be used in a terrorist attack against the United States by giving the National Institutes of Health contracting flexibility, infrastructure improvements, and expediting the scientific peer review process, and streamlining the Food and Drug Administration approval process of countermeasures. The act was also meant to incentivize the pharmaceutical industry to support national security.





The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act was quietly signed into law by George Bush as part of the 2006 Defense Appropriations Act (HR 2863). It lets the HHS Secretary declare any disease an epidemic or national emergency requiring mandatory vaccinations. Nothing in the Act lists criteria that warrant a threat. Potential penalties arent specified for those who resist but fines and quarantine are likely. The HHS web site also says the Secretary may issue a declaration.that provides immunity from tort liability (except for willful misconduct) for claims of loss caused, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from administration or use of (vaccine or other pharmaceutical) countermeasures to diseases, threats and conditions determined by the Secretary to constitute a present, or credible risk of a future public health emergency.





The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (S. 3678), effective December 19, 2006, amended the Public Health Service Act with respect to public health security and all-hazards preparedness and response, and for other purposes.





The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSEHPA) A Collaborative at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities (as) a primary, international, national, state, and local resource on public health law (and) policy for public health practitioners, judges, academics, policymakers, and others.

MSEHPA is now track(ing) legal responses to the emerging international response to the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak, including declarations of public health emergency at the international, national, state, and local levels. MSEHPA has been criticized as overly paternalistic.

ACLU continues on the subject of MSEHPA:

Its written in a way that doesnt adequately protect citizens against the misuse of the tremendous powers that it would grant in an emergency. (Its) replete with civil liberties problems. Its three top flaws are that:

(1) It fails to include basic checks and balances (by) grant(ing) extraordinary emergency powers (that) should never go unchecked. (It) could have serious consequences for individuals freedom, privacy, and equality.

(2) It goes well beyond bioterrorism (with) an over-broad definition of public health emergency that may be anything a local or national authority declares for any reason with no conclusive evidence for proof.

(3) It lacks privacy protections (and) undercut(s) existing protections for sensitive medical information.

Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a pandemic flu preparation bill that rises to the level of martial law. If approved by the House and signed into law, it will mandate among other measures:





vaccination, treatment, examination, or testing of all individuals involved in providing health care  as perhaps step one before ordering the same process for all state residents;





owners or occupiers of all premises to permit entry into and investigation of the premises;





closure, evacuation, and decontamination of all suspected facilities; and restricting or prohibiting assemblages of persons.

By gearing the security state to monitor and manage actual as well as conceptual political contagion, it creates the potential for a strange, moebius strip reality where just as one Trojan horse for incursions on privacy and civil rights gallops away to a safe distance, another rides in, ricocheting the public between bomb threats and outbreaks, etc., etc., in perpetuity. The crisis has no end point and the inescapable state of permanent registration provides what Foucault described as the penetration of regulation into even the smallest details of everyday life through the mediation of the complete hierarchy that assured the capillary functioning of power.

To the best of my understanding, what Foucault means by capillary power, as opposed to central power, are the apparatuses of local enforcementpolice, district courts, regional prisons, etc. that directly reach into the most private aspects of citizens lives. But Foucault also places the term in the historical context of the authoritarian state, where the greatest violence is found "at the extreme points of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character. In other words, on-the-ground enforcement under a panoptic system is by definition brutal. Civil liberties problems, incursions on freedom, privacy and equality, restricted assemblages of persons, entry into and investigations of premisesa perfect state of plague.

Part 3 will look further into the weird coordination of disease themes in todays politicshow theories of viral political ideology used to justify aggressive foreign policy are also wielded domestically against those who resist a prospective entry point (disease-mongering) for permanent registration.

Adriana Gamondes is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism and one of the blogs Facebook administrators.
According to Foucaults panoptic theory, the advantages of the merger between war and public health machinerymuch like the merger between military and domestic disaster reliefin terms of boosting domestic militarization would be obvious: fear of disease makes the surveillance state possible. As public health policy moves from persuasion to discussions of coercion and force, its clear the marriage has gone beyond the CDCs symbolic military rank and uniforms. Both have a lot to trade in becoming pregnant with the others purpose. Not only practical methods are transferred, which is dangerous enough, but also rationales, PR, ethos and philosophical approaches that are endlessly elastic and can be applied almost anywhere. I think thats the enduring danger when things that are fundamentally irreconcilable, such as the Hippocratic Oath and rules of engagement, become disturbingly reconcilable. The Frankenstein result is that human beings become the disease.

What happens with dying empiresThucydides [Greek commander circa 400 BC, author of History of the Peloponnesian War] wrote about this is that the techniques of control, which are always about coercionthe only language most people speak in the outer reaches of empire is the language of forceas the impirium is hollowed out, these techniques migrate back into heart of the impirium, which is exactly what is happening. So you have the mercenaries working in Iraq and Afghanistan [ Blackwater, DynCorp, Intercon, American Security Group, Blackhawk, Wackenhut and Israels Instinctive Shooting International , etc.] suddenly appearing in New Orleans after Katrina

In Stuarts estimation, a war on social problems is a way for a countrys war machinery to come home to roost on its own soil. In a speech in 2013, journalist and activist Chris Hedges explained the military history of the boomerang effect:

If this is the case, if both divisions are swapping spit to put it bluntly, it highlights certain risks. As Susan Stuart of Valparaiso University writes in War as Metaphor , the increasing use of militaristic rhetoric by politicians and pundits goes beyond its metaphorical use as a war against an abstraction. Instead, the use of such language is becoming literal, and that rhetorical shift matters. Todays militaristic rhetoric is increasingly identifying fellow citizens as enemies in a literal war.

Part 2 of this series asked whether the merging of public health with military industrial mechanisms made evident by the use of philanthropic vaccine drives as cover for military operations also had the reciprocal effect of militarizing domestic public health authority.

All of the barriers that are meant to protect our childrenthe government, the lawyers, the regulatory agencies, and the press, the checks and balances in our democratic system that are supposed to stand between corporate power and our little childrenhave been removed, and theres only one barrier left, and thats the parents, and we need to keep that in the equation. ~ Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Actually parents dont own their children. Parents have a responsibility to care for their children; and if they dont, the state has a right to step in. ~Paul Offit, USA Today

Though jail sounds drastic, it could be the only way to send a strong message about the deadly consequences of failing to vaccinate children. ~ Alex Berezow, USA Today

Read Parts 1 and Part 2 of this ten part series. As if predicting the very future we live in, Adriana Gamondes wrote a chilling 10 part series in 2015. We are running it while Kim is on a brief vacation. Thank you. By Adriana Gamondes

Through a panoptic lens, the surveillance statethe state of plague is fueled by contagion whether this is an actuality or a conceptual fabrication, such the imagined virulant scourges of bad genes or bad ideas that, according to several absurd authoritarian interpretations of evolution, spawn mass political psychopathology. And this is true whether the reigning authoritarian ideology is right, left or the inverted variety currently forming in American politics. According to political philosopher Sheldon Wolin who coined inverted totalitarianism, in an inversion of Nazi political structure, corporations rule and government is subordinate, the population is demobilized and apathetic and figureheads are interchangable.

But regardless of form, by Foucaults argument, all totalitarian structures are by definition rooted in a common contagion model and the contagion model in turn is arguably rooted in a cult of science necessary to rationalize the implementation of authoritarian statism on scientific grounds. In the view of French political historian Tzvetan Todorov, a cult implies religion a sort of theocracy of scientism. In his introduction to Hope and Memory, Lessons From the Twentieth Century, Todorov writes,

Totalitarian doctrines are instances of utopianism (the only known instances in the 20th century) and, by the same tolken, variants of millenarism and that means that they belong, as do all doctrines of salvation, to the field of religion All the same, the origins of totalitarian utopianism are quite paradoxical for a religion. They lie in a doctrine that was developed before the rise of totalitarian states, before the twentieth century, and which seems at first glance to have absolutely nothing on common with religion. We must turn now to this earlier ideology, which we shall call scientism.

Scientism as a doctrine starts with the hypothesis that the real world is an entirely coherent structure. It follows that the world is transparent, that it can be known entirely and without residue by the human mind. The task of acquiring such knowledge is delegated to the requisite praxis, called science. The basic postulate has one obvious consequence  [I]f the transparency of the real includes the human world, then there is nothing to stop us from imagining how to create the new man, a human species without the blemishes of the original strain. The logic of livestock breeding ought to work for humankind as well

The notion that social and individual ideals are the products of science has another important consequence There is no room for more than one version of scientific truth; errors are many but the truth is one, and so pluralism becomes an irrelevant concept. If the ideal is a result of demonstration and not of opinion, then it has to be accepted without protest.

Scientism derives from the existence of scientific practice, but it is not itself scientific. Its basic postulatethe complete transparency of the realcannot be proved; the same is true of its implementation through the construction of ultimate ends through the process of knowledge. From start to finish, the cult of science requires an act of faith (faith in reason, in Ernest Renans phrase), which is why it belongs not to the family of sciences, but to the family of religions

It has to be emphasized that scientism is not a science, but a world view that grew, fungus-like, on the trunk of science. That is why totalitarian systems can embrace the cult of science and still not foster the development of scientific research

The monism of totalitarian regimes comes from the same axiom of the cult of science. Because there is only one rational way of grasping the entire universe, there is no reason to maintain artificial distinctions between different social groups, between the different spheres of individual life (public and private), and between opinions. Truth is one and so should the human world be.

Its certainly true that research integrity has suffered in the emerging scientific monism, even driving the head of the Office for Research Integrity, David Wright, to resign due to entrenched corruption and obstruction within the department of Health and Human Services, the parent agency to the CDC. The recent disclosure by senior CDC scientist William Thompson that higher ups in the agency repeatedly forced researchers to alter data regarding the relationship between autism and certain vaccines and vaccine components is merely symptomatic.

There are many prevalent theories in science which have been placed protectively behind the absolutist aegis of official scienceautism being one (officially deemed largely genetic), and the unquestionable safety and effectiveness of certain drugs and biologics another. Though a considerable amount of peer-reviewed science exists questioning each, we are told that there are not two sides to the controversy, a signature PR soundbite of vaccine defenders like Paul Offit, whose Rotarix vaccine co-patent is currently under official review in France for infant deaths. Offit recently repeated the tagline when he backed out of a public debate on learning that the issue of vaccine safety and a pro-choice medical expert would be featured. And he used it as an explanation on Democracy Now for why he refused to be interviewed at the same time as NYU law professor and research scholar Mary Holland, a pro-choice proponent: I dont think its fair to have a debate where two sides are presented, when only one side is really supported by the science. I thinkId like to think were beyond that.

Host Amy Goodmans responded:

Dr. Offit, what I think is important its not only about science. Were talking about science. Were talking about the practice of medicine in this country. Were talking about public policy. I mean, after all, this has now become a presidential campaign issue, with possible presidential candidates taking on the issues. And I want your comment on that. But youre combining all of this, and its important to bring all the various expertise of parents, of lawyers, of doctors together in a conversation on these issues.

Goodmans reply makes a key point about scientific absolutismthat it pretends not to be political and therefore not in the purview of political discussion. One problem with this is that, even if certain majority science theories eventually proved incontestable, the credibility shields under which theyve been protectively sealed can expand to scare back scrutiny from almost anything that scientific authority deems relatedno matter how absurd and no matter how it might open the door to dangerous policy. A prime example of this is the campaign to genetically tie autism to mass killers. Quoting my own 2013 article:

Autism research provides an endless supply of unsubstantiated genetic corollaries which have the distinction of being protected by the state in order to obfuscate the role of government public health agencies in contributing to an epidemic. And, of course, these unsubstantiated genetic corollaries have endless applications for political and industrial exploitsFor instance, if a group of researchers needs to prove that pigs fly to serve an industrial sponsor or as part of an exercise in "weaponized anthropology targeting a strategic or ideological foe, all they need do is link proofs of the imaginary flight of pigs to autism to create an automatic credibility shield.

A year after the above was published, yet another awful, sloppy study attempting to tie terrorism to autism through genetics was published and hit headlines, showing that what happens in autism science hardly stays there. Its as if a black hole has formed around the suppression of environmental autism research creating a time warp that continuously spits out old-timey hypotheses worthy of the eugenics eraautistic school shooters, autistic serial killers (included in the autism-terrorism study), autistic dictators, even an autistic-triggered financial crash.

There are no limits to the application of something that does not exist. No gene or genes for any of these conditions or behaviors have ever been established, even after a century of hunting down genetic markers for violence and criminality, decades of attempting to pin down autism genes, and despite yearly headlines hailing every new, unreplicable genetic discovery as the one that proves x or y at last.

Conveniently sewing up all human evil into one inconveniently exploding, incredibly expensive disabled population has the predictable effect of quelling public concern, opening the door to institutional abuse, an echo of racialized criminal research.

The political ramifications should be obvious: the goal is to play genomic Jesus of the scientific Second Coming in order to identify and manage terrorists and assorted other genetic bad seeds from birth. This fits perfectly with Todorovs description of scientism as part of a doctrine of salvation and is the essence of weaponized sciencea term used by Stanford anthropologist David Price, author of Weaponizing Anthropology, regarding the militarization of the field and the atrocity-justifying junk science that results.

The impact of any program drawn from weaponized research tends to be squeamishly left for separate discussion, but whatever solution is proposed, particularly if this poses human rights problems (from forced screening and intervention to prophylactic drugging and assaults against entire cultures, or the current FBI trend of luring the disabled into fabricated bomb plots), it only highlights the importance of the publics right to peer behind credibility shields and take apart the science supporting them.

But in an age when cellular science often dictates domestic and foreign policy, commercial science proponents have essentially forbidden the public from attempting to interpret scientific research. Its akin to medieval church canons banning the laity from translating or owning scripture as well as an effective means of disenfranchising the public.

We are simply expected to vote, in blind faith, for science and whatever is shoved under its banner by political leaders taking unlimited donations from the same corporations which sponsor the science, profit from the campaigns and own the media that peddles it. As Wikileaks documents in its archive of leaked Sony emails disclosing that top Hollywood executives (including James Rupert Murdoch , former director of GlaxoSmithKline and son of Rupert) have been recruited to help the United States produce counter-propaganda to combat Islamic extremism, the media isnt just selling policy, its creating it.

In short, scientific knowledge has become a brand and legislation is reduced to marketing. It explains why public health avatars and industry defenders like Offit continuously try to steer any discussion of biotech safety into purely scientific rather than ethical, legal or political contexts in the hopes the predominance of industry-funded scienceas if no other exists will bring an advantage. But in the end, the attempt to scientize ethical and political considerations is a problem in itself and part of the general trend of dragging all fields of thought under the auspices of scientific fact. That brings up the question of who decides these absolutes. Take Google for examplea company that effectively functions as part of the NSA according to British journalist and international security scholar Nafeez Ahmed, and has been repeatedly warned to stop manipulating search rankings of companies it invests in. Google recently announced a plan to inoculate the web against the spread of disinformation by ranking online searches by facts as digitally determined by the companys Knowledge Vault (TM?).

What Im really curious about is what will happen to the search rankings of various political historians and philosophers in the gears of Googles Knowledge Vault, especially those who argue that the very act of trying to arbitrate ideas including political thought, philosophy and morality according to science is political and, as Todorov and others contend, also has an ominous history.

For instance, in tackling the origins of 20th century totalitarianism, political philosopher and Holocaust survivor Hannah Arendt argued that what differentiates despotism from totalitarianism is that, in the latter, an individual who becomes a target of the state need not be accused of or have a history of crimes against the state but is regarded scientifically as an objective enemy a carrier of tendencies as certainly as they would be the carrier of a disease. Like Todorov, Arendt viewed this as ideology, not science:

The word "ideology" seems to imply that an idea can become the subject matter of a science just as animals are the subject matter of zoology, and that the suffix -logy in ideology, as in zoology, indicates nothing but the logoi, the scientific statements made on it. If this were true, an ideology would indeed be a pseudoscience and a pseudo-philosophy, transgressing at the same time the limitations of science and the limitations of philosophy.

Political philosopher and the father of the scientific method Karl Raimund Popper traced the roots of the scientific terror state to Plato, who based his theory of justice on a mystical metabiological Pythagorean theorem for survival of the species in defense of the supposed inherant purity of the enlightened ruling class from the contagion of supposedly lesser castes. Popper also warns that any attempt to apply herd analogies to societywhich he calls the organic theory of the state (society as herd, body or tribe)  are veiled forms of propaganda for a return to tribalismi.e., absolutism, totalitarianism.

Both Popper and Arendt conclude that bastardized genetic theories and racialism in various forms largely drive the machinery of total terror and modern authoritarianism. Popper exposes Platos acknowledgement that racialism must be fabricated and artificially sustained to erect state control, calling it the noble lie and its enforcement strong medicine. According to Arendt, Nazi eugenics was also a consciously cynical construct: racism was calculated to be a more powerful ally than any paid agent or secret organization of fifth columnists.

What exactly does totalitarian racialism have to do with current coercive public health campaigns? Enough to make Godwins law moot by extending the comparison to every form of totalitarianism and by arguing that the current trend of demonizing and invalidating (or search-engine deoptimizing) those who question the absolutes of official science, to the extent that these groups are attacked and coerced based on political thought, equates to Arendts disease carrier analogy for political caste.

Its on this basis that a range of human rights advocates have repeatedly attempted to include politicide within the international definition of genocide, since many modern atrocities have been committed against political groups.

In Redefining Genocide, Dr. Kok Thay-Eng, research director for Documentations Center of Cambodia, an organization that researches genocide, writes

Under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted in 1948,

genocide was defined in Article 2 as:

...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a)Killing members of the group;

(b)Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c)Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d)Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e)Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

It is generally agreed that Conventions definition includes only four protected groups; political groups, which have been the main victims since World War II, should be included. It seems that the perpetrators of World War IIs genocide, as the French delegates correctly predicted, tried to victimize the four protected groups on political grounds Many observers have noted that there was an under-the-table compromise made during the Convention to exclude political groups. This was done to secure ratification by member states that feared that their internal suppression of dissents might be subject to external interference under the Convention.

To boil it down, the attacks on vaccine safety watchdogsonly one of many similar campaigns against consumer movements can be interpreted as attacks on political thought in some senses.The very act of questioning a scientific apologia for use of force illustrates very simply the main political stance of medical reform advocacy the view that scientific authority must be accountable. For lack of a better way frame this while still accounting for reformists political diversity (right, left, center, etc.), the position has been tagged a sort of postmodernismboth as a criticism of consumers insistence on their right to question scientific authority and in support of that right if not total accord with the context.

There are many ways to categorize dissent and the position that authority must account for itself, but the question of whether this qualifies as political is easily answered by industrial PR attempts to brand environmentalists in general as secretly socialists. Whether this is true or not, once mass incarceration, professional defrocking and child displacement are proposed to target certain ideas, those policies qualify as politicide under Thay-Engs analysis.

But as Thay-Eng also points out, theres no consensus on what defines politicide. Theres also no racially equivalent definition for political caste in terms of dissent from state sanctioned science, though, as history illustrates, there should be. According to Todorov,

[S]cience requires submission to the quest for truth, not submission to dogma. Communists and Nazis thus backed off from the quest for new knowledge: the latter denounced Jewish science (and did without Einsteins theories), and the former repudiated bourgeois biology (and jettisoned Mendels genetics). Challenging Lyssenkos biology, Pavlovs psychology, or Marrs linguistics in the USSR could take you straight to the gulag.

What telling now is that modern dissent from state science itself, much like the issue of race, is subjected to weaponized forms of sociology, genomic science and psychiatry, arguing that views regarded as anti-vaccine relate to religiosity.

The extremist anti suffix is applied to any position even reasonably questioning commercial science -- anti-GMO, anti-psychiatry, etc. -- and this is done without differentiating the grounds by which different individuals dissentwhether they reject the concept of preventive medicine or simply the available corporate renditions of it, whether they see some products as less effective and necessary than others, and whether decisions are made from reading science and interacting within the scientific community, dire personal experience or web rumors, etc. Instead, all are tarred with a superstitious cognitive bias. Although the vaccine safety advocacy/autism arena is hugely diverse as far as religious and political orientation, by their own terms, public health and industry defenders have come close to politicizing the attacks through the equivocation. Vaccine industrialist Paul Offit took it a step further by trying to dictate what constitutes good and bad exercise of faith in his most recent book, Bad Faith: When Religion Undermines Modern Medicine.

Consumer activists who question vaccine safety are also hypothesized to suffer from narcissitic personality disorder. Both speculative diagnoses are characterized as like a virus, and both are commonly applied to terroristsalso described as viral. These concepts along with genetic theories for religiosity and narcissism have been slapped together to propose that carriers of irrational anti-science tendencies are doubly in need of quarantineboth physically as vectors of real disease, and conceptually as vectors of dangerous and contagious views.

And then theres always misogyny.Thats generally regarded as political. In a speech opposing Californias SB277, which would remove vaccine exemptions for all school children in the state, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussed stereotypes typically wielded against consumer advocates:

Theres a kind of Kafkaesque censorship in the news about having a reasonable debate about this issuea fact-based debate. So instead, we hear a lot of namecalling Because they cant debate us on the merits, so they call us anti-vaccine, they call us hysterical, they call us conspiracy theorists. And I want people to think when they use that term, anti-vax parent, they should be thinking of a parent with a disabled child, because thats who these people are. And I want to say one other thing, this movement that calls you anti-vax, is the most misogynistic movement that I have seen in my lifetime. Its a movement that is anti-mother, and it is anti-woman. And the names that I hear coming out of peoples mouths about hysterics and refrigerator moms and all of this in our major newspapers like the New York Times, is extraordinary.

The accusation of hysteria, particularly when leveled by corporate media science writers, is very interesting. An unambiguous reference to the more modern-sounding conversion or somatoform disorder, psychogenic hysteria, according to law and history professor Barbara Young Welke, author of Recasting American Liberty: Gender, Race, Law, and the Railroad Revolution, was originally conceived as litigation symptoms by physicians hired to consult with rail companies in the US and Europe in the early, accident-prone days of train travel. The original tobacco science was actually railroad science. These medico-legal consultants proposed that the condition was triggered by fear of technological progress and the theory was used successfully to beat back a growing number of passenger and crew injury claims for railway spine, aka, whiplash, which didnt exist in clinical literature until the advent of high-speed travel. The condition wasnt regarded as an overwhelmingly feminine diagnosis until Jean-Martin Charcot, widely regarded as the father of modern neurology and also a consulting physician for the French national railway, blended psychogenic hysteria with a metaphorically Platonic gynecological hypotheses (Plato believed the uterus wandered around womens bodies, strangling and inhibiting various physical processes). Regarding railway spine, Charcot opined , a pecular mental condition is often developed which is intimately connected in my judgment with the hypnotic state.

And medico-legal tort defense seems to be a peculiar condition of paid consultants. Hysteria is also another example of a persistent credibility shield wandering around various clinical fields and strangling advancement. Though evidence of mass mania and imagined symptoms exist in clinical literature (medical students disease for example), the diagnosis has also been extended haphazardly to any condition that science could not (or would not) explain even as many past clinical foundations crumble in its wake. And so hysteria is continuously reborn as a means of jujitsuing industrial injury claims and retains an overwhelmingly feminine patina. Its also viewed as contagious, largely genetic and like a virus.

But none of these labels really mean as much as the attempt to define a designated and obviously political target in objective scientific terms according to Arendt: The introduction of the notion of objective enemy is much more decisive for the functioning of totalitarian regimes than the ideological definition of the respective categories.

Conceptualized virulance under Stalin was more dependent on ideological castes than race, taking the form of the Lamarckian genetic view that Todorov refers to and that was favored by the most violent Jacobin factions during the French revolutionary Reign of Terrorthe idea that thought and belief become heritable traits that can infect entire clans, classes and ethnic divisions with destructive ideology, warranting collective punishment and mass extermination. 20th century Spanish dictator Francisco Francos chief psychiatrist Antonio Villejo-Najera blended Nazi and Lamarckian eugenics and added a Freudian twist proposing that maternal hysteria could optimize and spread the genetic expression of the politically psychopathic red gene, a theory used to justify removal of an estimated 300,000 children from suspected Republican sympathizers, bizarre medical experimentation and mass slaughter. The Villejo-Najera viral genetic ideology model was adopted by various American-sponsored or supported Latin American reigns of terror in the mid to late 20th century, leading to hundreds of thousands of disappearances as well as stolen children.

In When Atheism Becomes Religion: Americas New Fundamentalists, former New York Times journalist Chris Hedges analyzes the pseudo-ideological movement of apologists for atrocity, torture and preemptive war led by Richard Dawkins and Sam Harrisfigureheads of the Skeptic corporate PR front organization leading the charge of biotech defenseHedges frames this viral conception of humanity as the underpinning of violent utopianism: The belief that we can achieve human perfection, that we can advance morally, is itself an evil. It provides a cover for criminality and abuse, a justification for murder It reduces human beings to the status of a virus.

And, again, whenever that happens, its political. Probably the best litmus to determine whether a source has a panoptic upshot is how many times the terms viral or contagion are used as metaphors for human beings or ideas. The orgy of disease themes and metaphors in todays political rhetoric has the effect of a virtual Ouroborusa snake swallowing its tail and regurgitating itself in an endless, unstoppable cycle, flipping back and forth between fears of literal and conceptual contagion to rationalize repressive policy. For that purpose, its the gift that keeps giving.

Part 4 looks at how literal and abstract contagion models play into military expansionism.

Adriana Gamondes is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism and one of the blogs Facebook administrators
The question:

If refraining from sexual contact for three-to-eight weeks could save lives and put a stop to suffering in your community, would you do it?

The history:

Monkeypox is an animal virus that can be transmitted to and between humans. In 1970, the first human case of monkeypox was identified in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has appeared since then mostly in tropical African countries. The 2003 outbreak in the U.S. was via infected prairie dog pets that had been housed with infected animals imported from Ghana. Most outbreaks outside of the African continent have originated from contact with travelers from Nigeria.

The science:

The current monkeypox outbreak is, almost exclusively, a sexually transmitted disease. The World Health Organization has declared it a disease of global public health importance. The cohort being infected during this outbreak is the MSM community. No, not the mainstream media; the men who have sex with men. Nowadays I guess that would be the males (XYs) who have sex with males (XYs), although anyone in intimate contact with an infected person can get it.

According to WHO, the disease has an incubation period of as few as 5 and as many as 21 days. The first symptoms are fever, intense headache, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue. The skin lesions usually appear within 1 to 3 days of the fever. Specific to this period, which lasts from two to four weeks, WHO says:

The rash tends to be more concentrated on the face and extremities rather than on the trunk. It affects the face (in 95% of cases), and palms of the hands and soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). Also affected are oral mucous membranes (in 70% of cases), genitalia (30%), and conjunctivae (20%), as well as the cornea. The rash evolves sequentially from macules (lesions with a flat base) to papules (slightly raised firm lesions), vesicles (lesions filled with clear fluid), pustules (lesions filled with yellowish fluid), and crusts which dry up and fall off. The number of lesions varies from a few to several thousand. In severe cases, lesions can coalesce until large sections of skin slough off.

The R naughtthe reproductive rate of the virusis probably less than that of smallpox, which is 3.5 to 6.0. Monkeypox is infectious from the first sign of symptoms until the rash is fully healed and new skin has formed.

According to the CDC, it is spread through intimate contact with the rash, scabs, or bodily fluids, including close contact with respiratory secretions while kissing, touching items that have touched a rash or such body fluids, and traveling through the placenta. Monkeypox virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, eyes, nose, and mouth.

The pictures of infected people with widespread rashes look horrific. The rash can be very painful and leave scars. More worrying is that the case fatality rate is between 3% and 6%. With more than 15,000 people worldwide known to be infected, thats 450 to 900 expected deaths right there. Risk factors according to Healthline include having a more severe case, being a younger person, prolonged exposure to the virus, and having overall poor health. That would naturally include anyone already at risk of higher STD exposure.

Theres lots of talk of mass vaccinations to prevent contagion. With this vaccine, that might work. It will take time, logistics, money, and the publics cooperation with governments currently in several hot seats with their people to make it effective. How about we try something else, in addition to a vaccination outreach?

The appeal:

Unlike SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), this is a virus that has limited opportunity for transmission. Imagine! What a wonder it would be if the most at-risk members of our world were to stop the spread of this potentially deadly contagion in its tracks. What a powerful show of force and determination for a historically disparaged group.

How would this work? Lets pick an arbitrary date, say August 1, 2022. Every man who engages in sexual relations with other men, and others whose sexual partner does so, refrains from sexual intimacy, including kissing and intimately touching the genitals, eyes, noses, and mouths of others, for three weeks. At this point, with no symptoms of fever, achiness, enlarged lymph nodes, tremendous fatigue, or rash, one can presume to be uninfected. The uninfected know what to do to remain safe from this virusrefrain from indiscriminate intimacy. Those that do experience symptoms seek medical care and supervision of their progressand continue to refrain from vector activities until the virus has run its course.

Meanwhile, countries, governments, international and multilateral organizations like the UN and WHO, political parties, communities, advocacy groups, and many others can broadcast public service announcements telling folks that only they can stop the monkeypox. It probably will not surprise anyone that the same group most at risk of catching monkeypox is also at a high risk of contracting HIV. The CDC's budget includes HIV prevention. American embassies in countries with a high HIV/AIDS burden have funding in place through the PEPFAR (the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program to support outreach in communities, like the MSM, to reduce the incidence of transmission.

Raves can be postponed; gay bars can become more sedate gathering places, reminding folks that they are saving lives by making their own lives somewhat uncomfortable for a few weeks. Friends can have conversations with friends; ditto family members. Those mutually attracted can make a date for later, perhaps during the holidays. Public health officials can reach out to their local MSM sex workers with help and financial support during this period. Those working with teens in the MSM world can encourage them to shoulder the responsibility that comes with a high-risk lifestyle.

Within eight weeks, the LGBTQ+ village can eradicate this terrible scourge. Then they could rightfully claim it takes a village to save a world. Lets have the Pride family show the world what its made ofstrength, wisdom, and sacrificial care for its own.

Calling on all our gay conservatives, especially, and their friends and allies, to announce and support a very time-limited movement to Stop the Pox.

Image made using a public domain image.

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant.
Different people have different emotional styles  a fact that is important today, because the Democrat party, which used to sound moderate, is now specializing in screaming rage.

When New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was nearly murdered by a knife-wielding thug the other day, we probably saw a direct result of screaming rage being broadcast, over and over again, by the Big Media. We should not be surprised if this happens more often in this political climate.

The woke left today is full of "narcissistic rage," as it's called in psychiatry. Hitler exhibited narcissistic rage in his radio speeches, and that style of emotional agitation can be powerful in stirring people up. But during the same years, FDR gave calm radio chats that were meant to reassure Americans. Conservatives might not love FDR, but nobody would confuse him with Hitler.

What is worrisome today is that the Obama-Biden left now seems to be deliberately adopting narcissistic rage as a weapon of war. This can't be pure chance, because the Democrats have a small army of high-paid consultants who write and massage their public messages. When Liz Warren does her Vladimir Lenin imitation, we can see the professional polish of her act. Those high-paid media spinners of the left will undoubtedly raise their rhetorical heat higher and higher toward the midterms. That will not be an accident. Some of the woke left may be genuinely mad, but there is method in their madness. Their aim is to make all of us a little more mad.

Most Americans don't like psychiatric jargon, but we don't need jargon to feel Hitler's narcissistic rage in those old speeches, even if we don't understand the words. Screaming hatred is a danger signal in everyday life, and it tells us to get away from the screamer as fast as possible. Hitler's radio rages were both deliberate and spontaneous: he went on the air to throw spectacular s--- fits, and then he improved his act by getting ever more diabolical.

Most of us can't fake screaming rage and hatred. There are actors who can, but ordinary people sound like that only "in extremis." A cat caught in a deadly trap will scream and strike out, but that is a last-ditch defense. Happy cats don't scream.

The quality of a person's rage can be diagnostic. Malignant narcissists like Hitler are fairly rare, but psychologists have learned to look for three big personality traits: grandiose narcissism, Machiavellian manipulation of others, and sociopathy  the absence of feelings of guilt. This is called the Dark Triad of personality traits.

There are hundreds of credible scientific studies on the Dark Triad. I suppose that somebody could run a Dark Triad checklist on the rhetoric of the left today, and that old Devil's horns would pop up, all right.

But it's not a joke. Dark Triad personalities are unusual in American life, and that applies to the English political tradition in general. In other political cultures, malignant personalities seem to show up more often, maybe because different cultures throw up different kinds of leaders.

What is extremely worrying today is something we all know in our guts: our political language is now poisoned by Dark Triad words.

Now consider this: is there more trash talk on the modern left or on the right?

You know the answer.

Dark Triad personalities can stir up extreme violence, especially among desperate teenage boys, who seek revenge for their emotional wounds. Teenagers have emotional turmoil, and boys are apt to be more aggressive than girls.

Take an Austrian boy named Adolf.

Or take a small group of school killers in the news. Teenage killers are picking up their bad vibes from the general culture, because they are not stupid. They hear the adults screaming with rage, and then it becomes easier for them to act it out.

Something very bad has happened in our everyday politics, and it looks like a daily assault by a screaming faction of the left. This is not something normal and healthy, just as the rise of Hitler was not normal or healthy for most Germans after World War 1.

The U.S. Civil War killed more than half a million people, mostly men. No other American war has been as bloody as that. But at the end, Abraham Lincoln was able to call for peace "with malice towards none and charity for all."

That was the voice of sanity, and it's the one that Americans need to hear again.

Image: RV1864 via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Pew Research recently released a poll showing a significant drop in the public's trust in science -- specifically, medical science. While the "trust trend" towards science has been downward for a while, the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced the issue in ways harder to ignore and exacerbated the trend.

The results of this poll lead to two questions: Why is trust in science dropping? What can we do about it?

In a recent series of articles in Ubiquity, a publication of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), one article points out how much more complex science has become, using mathematical science as an example. One measure of this increasing complexity is the declining number of single-author papers and the increasing number of papers written by interdisciplinary teams. According to the article, increasing complexity reduces trust in science in two ways.

First, increasing complexity makes it harder to understand the results of science. The average person just doesn't have the training or knowledge to parse scientific papers, and people don't trust what they cannot understand. Increasing complexity doesn't seem a likely culprit for the declining trust in science, however -- it's always easy to blame your audience for not understanding you. Still, it's rarely the audience's fault.

Second, increasing complexity reduces our ability to falsify results. Theories are proposed and accepted as truth, only to be overturned years -- or worse, days -- later, leading to the impression that scientists change their minds a lot and that "science-backed truth" is not really "truth" at all.

While this might play a role in the declining trust in science, it doesn't seem decisive. Most people accept that science is a process. Things we once believed to be true will be disproven when new experiments are made possible via new techniques because someone finds a flaw in some older experiment, etc.

Another article in this special issue argues trust in science is falling because we aren't trying hard enough to falsify broad, general claims made under a scientific mantle. The authors use examples from software development, but a recent study expands the problem to the medical field. At least some of the "science-backed" standards used for hospital care seem wasteful at best and harmful to patients at worst.

Trust in science does, however, take a hit when broad scientific claims are used for financial purposes. For instance, a recent article in the Epoch Times describes pharmaceutical companies driving the off-label use of medications for financial gain -- even though this can sometimes contribute to patient harm.

The recent COVID-19 vaccines are another potential instance of this. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical authorities held out vaccines as the "only" way to move past draconian lockdowns so normal life could resume. However, it turns out the vaccines aren't very good at preventing the disease from spreading, nor are they very good at preventing death, nor even at reducing symptoms.

When health authorities change the meaning of the word "vaccine" to match what they've created, evidence that naturally developed immune reactions are effective is suppressed, and treatments with mixed effectiveness and no known side effects (such as Ivermectin) are labeled "dangerous," the average person is justified in doubting the sincerity of the medical establishment. Revelations of health officials "earning" hundreds of millions of dollars in patent royalties and record-high pharmaceutical profits make it easy to see how the average person might see "science" as just another rigged game used to make the rich richer at the expense of the middle class and poor.

But if you really want to damage trust in science, combine assertions untethered from falsifiability with audience blaming and social control.

Masks? Early on, it was clear that they might be helpful in some -- but not all -- situations. Yet "science says" was used to push universal masking, even while driving in a car or walking in the woods alone.

Social distancing? Policymakers shut down worship services and small businesses, destroying community and economic wealth. After all, faith is an unnecessary chimera in the face of science, and the injection of large amounts of money guided by experts can solve all economic problems.

There was no nuance on these issues, just pure force -- and force that appeared to be pushing towards greater centralized control. It shouldn't be surprising that Anthony Fauci openly lying about masks to reach a social goal reduces the average person's trust in science.

It's not so much that "scientists" were making proclamations that often turned out to be untrue during the COVID-19 pandemic. They made these declarations unilaterally, squashed dissent, contradicted common sense, and didn't appear to care about the consequences.

COVID-19 is just one in a long string of examples. Ever since the dawn of the progressive age, we've been told that science-backed engineering has all the answers -- that we should "trust the science," or rather "trust the scientists." Going back to 1910, for instance, George Melville argued before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that:

[I]n this "age of the engineer," (the engineer) should not rest content simply with doing the work which makes for our comfort and happiness, at the command of others, men who are lawyers or simply business men, but that the engineer himself should take a vital and directing part in the administration of affairs.

Give the engineer enough control, and they can reconfigure society to improve everything using techniques grounded in science. The engineer and scientist can look down on the little people, lawyers, and "simple" businessmen, directing society towards a better end.

This is just hubris.

The hubris of scientists extends far beyond public policy. For instance, when Kraus argues that philosophers mistake the nature of "nothing" for thousands of years, it impacts "trust in science."

The popular press piles on by adding audience blaming into the mix. For instance, one writer claims Republicans don't accept scientific results while Democrats do, implying Republicans aren't rational. Others posit a rural/city divide rather than a Republican/Democrat divide, arguing the problem is that rural folks are ignorant of how science works. The AP quotes "famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson" as saying, "The struggle continues, trying to get the general public to embrace all of the science the way they unwittingly embrace the science in their smartphones."

Is it any wonder anyone who didn't start with absolute trust in centralized decision-making via experts might experience the COVID-19 roller-coaster ride and come away a little sick? Is the partisan divide over "trust in science" all that surprising?

How can we rebuild trust in science?

It's tempting to try and formulate some public policy to solve the problem. Maybe there is some law legislators can pass, and some agency can be tasked with enforcing to tamp down broad scientific claims made for financial gain. Our recent experience with COVID-19, and the pharmaceutical industry at large, however, should dampen our expectations in this regard. Where power can be converted to money and leveraged into more power, it will be. The global climate change industry should reinforce our belief that people will accrue power and money to themselves despite increasingly clear evidence that their beliefs and policies are actively destroying lives.

The progressive mindset holds that humans are perfectible through government action or education. Experience teaches us otherwise.

Scientists should have a little more humility, but there's no practical way to effect this change.

Maybe Tyson is onto something about audience education -- although not in the way he wants to argue. We don't need more education to convince people to accept everything any scientist might say as truth. We need to learn to apply the things we know to claims made in the name of science more carefully.

We must learn to separate what the scientific method is competent to show and what any individual scientist (or group of scientists), say. Bacons argument that we should trust in proportion to the evidence applies directly against broad scientific claims (much more than it applies in judging the possibility of miracles).

Being realistic about science, and what science can accomplish, would go a long way towards restoring trust in science -- or rather, scientists.

Image: RawPixel.com
From 1860 to 2000, in the largest legal migration in human history, over 61 million immigrants arrived in the United States. They were not only escaping poverty and oppression, but they were eager to assimilate and attain the most sought-after national status in the world: American citizenship. Today in the 21st century, American citizenship and its one-of-a-kind written contract with the central government, the Constitution with its Bill of Rights, is under relentless assault by the nations governing establishment and teetering on the edge of meaninglessness.

Taking the Oath of Allegiance at a citizenship ceremony (YouTube screengrab)

No nation can maintain its status as a nation without secure and identifiable borders. Citizenship means nothing if untold millions of illegal immigrants openly defy the laws without consequence. It is estimated that 22 million illegals resided in the United States as of 2018. Responding to an explicit invitation from the Biden administration, another 2+ million have walked unchallenged across the border in the past 18 months.

These so-called undocumented immigrants are becoming legally indistinguishable from citizens as they openly reside in 500 sanctuary jurisdictions, receive welfare, education and medical care, are granted drivers licenses, and given tuition breaks at public universities as they, not legal immigrants or American citizens, are exempt from federal immigration, health and travel laws.

The nations motto E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, One) has been deliberately and maliciously replaced with degenerate tribalism. The current iteration of the ruling class and their radical left-wing allies have relentlessly promoted the concept that individual citizens do not owe their allegiance to the United States but instead owe their allegiance to racial or ethnic groups that look like them or to those that profess certain sexual proclivities or to those that wallow in corrosive anti-Americanism.

This elitist and progressive heterodoxy aspires to destroy statues, rename streets, buildings and military installations, re-write and recast American history, and erase the art and architecture that does not reflect either their globalist views or their narcissistic racial, ethnic, sexual, or class-structured self-gratification. Being a woke citizen of the world is far more important than being a citizen of the United States.

The vast bulk of the American elites and their status-seeking hangers-on see nothing exceptional in America, either past or present. Turning their backs on their American citizenship while denigrating it, these apostates are deliberately attempting to fuel shame among the citizenry over what they claim to be the iniquitous origins and traditions of America. Regrettably, they have succeeded in perhaps permanently undermining the distinctiveness and unique privileges of American citizenship which is the glue that has held this society together for over two hundred years.

After the blatant and unconstitutional voting law changes that allowed the Democrat party and the ruling elites to fraudulently win the 2020 presidential election, one of the basic birthrights of American citizenship, voting in fair and free elections, has been permanently imperiled.

Millions of mail-in ballots with no security controls were indiscriminately distributed and unaccounted for throughout the length and breadth of the country, at least 4-8 million ballots were illegally harvested by paid campaign workers, and per the documentary film 2000 Mules hundreds of thousands of ballots were feloniously stuffed into innumerable drop-off boxes.

The denials of election fraud and subsequent cover-ups by the media and the ruling class ring hollow and insincere as they, in essence, have told the American citizens that they have little or no say in who is chosen to run or how their leaders are elected.

The first seven words of the U.S. Constitution are: We the people of the United States. It is a document by the American citizens for the American citizens. Not only can the citizenry no longer rely on open and honest elections to choose the president and members of Congress, the judiciary and bureaucracy have unconstitutionally evolved into uncontrolled powers unto themselves.

Activist federal judges habitually overturn legislation they find contrary to their left-wing political beliefs and willfully impose their cultural beliefs on American society. They do so in the knowledge that there will be no repercussions from their political allies in the other two branches of government nor do they care that they are cancelling the votes of untold millions of American citizens.

Meanwhile, in the swamp of Washington, D.C. the bureaucratic, administrative, and regulatory state has become so vast, powerful, and unaccountable that desk-bound apparatchiks can issue life-altering edicts that have the force of law, they can harass entrepreneurs, and they can issue regulations that can drive a business or an American citizen into bankruptcy. All without any oversight or constraint by those the American citizens are supposedly electing and who are purposefully derelict in their duties.

Among the most important and unique aspects of American citizenship are the written guarantees of rights as enumerated in the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Four of these amendments (the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth) are devoted to making certain that the legal process is fair and protects the citizens from injustice. Another amendment, the fourth, limits the ability of the government to conduct warrantless searches and seizures. Thus, five of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights focus on the citizens right to fair and impartial justice.

Yet over the past two decades, the ruling class, in conjunction with their fellow-travelers in the state and federal judiciary, has systematically ignored these enumerated rights of American citizenship and created a two-tier system of justice. Their political allies and followers as well as politically correct felons and criminals are treated leniently or, in many cases not prosecuted, while their political adversaries and their followers as well as non-politically correct felons and criminals are hounded and punitively prosecuted.

The disproportionally harsh judicial treatment of the non-violent protestors on January 6, 2021, as compared to the lack of prosecution and leniency shown the de facto allies of the ruling class who throughout the spring and summer of 2020 sowed death, destruction, looting and arson, confirms that not all American citizens are equal under the law.

It is no longer the Constitution but the ruling class that defines what encompasses the rights and privileges of American citizenship. All our constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and the unalienable right of self-defense, are increasingly optional and subject to the whims and fiats of the elected and unelected politically correct and self-righteous elites and bureaucrats.

This nation is unraveling, transforming American citizens into mere residents of a vast stretch of land between the borders of Canada and Mexico.

The most meaningful day in my life occurred in 1956 when as a boy of eleven or twelve I became a citizen of the United States. Little did I know that in my lifetime I would see the descent of American citizenship into near meaninglessness. A collapse that came about internally and was not directly precipitated by the nations foreign adversaries.

Unfortunately, the bulk of Americans obliviously believe that American citizenship remains what it has always been; in reality, it is rapidly disappearing.
When it comes to the most insufferable Democrat in Congress, Rep. Eric Swalwell, there's always the stench of something.

This time, it's raw campaign finance corruption, given Swalwell's amazing life of luxury lived out to the max on campaign funding. It sounds like the same kind of grift that put his California Republican congressional colleague, Duncan Hunter, Jr., in a prison cell.

According to Fox News:

Eric Swalwell's campaign shows no signs of slowing its luxury spending, racking up more international costs at the likes of a five-star Paris hotel, federal filings show. The California Democrat's campaign has consistently dropped cash into high-end items, such as limousine services, flights and posh accommodations. His latest filings show the trend has spilled over into this year's second quarter. Swalwell's campaign, comprised of just two paid staffers, reported spending nearly $38,000 on travel expenses between May 19 and June 30, including $3,538.94 in late May for catering for a fundraising event at France's "iconic" Ritz Paris, a posh hotel that features several upscale bars and reservation rooms. "Whenever you require nourishment for both body and soul, the Ritz Paris is ready," the highly-rated hotel's website states.

He's a sitting congressman representing the Bay Area in California. Why the heck does he need to go to Paris to carry on with his campaigning? Funny how much luxury he manages to squeeze in on ostensibly campaign expenses.

He even got told by a judge yesterday to knock it off with using campaign finance funds to pay for babysitters for his kids during his romantic Parisian getaways.

His taste for luxury doesn't only run to Paris. He's also into livin' it up in Miami:

This is weird stuff when you think about it. Doesn't the Bay Area have comparable places for a California congressman to go to for his campaign finance needs that might just be in sync with his actual campaign needs? It's not as if California lacks for such places. But he spends his campaign cash among the sybarites in Miami.

And among the wealthy sheikhs of Qatar, touristing away. This doesn't exactly sound like business:

Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell appeared on a camel shirtless in pictures that were reportedly posted to Instagram, according to Business Insider. The photos were taken on a trip to Qatar funded in large part by the U.S.-Qatar Business Council during the pandemic, it was reported Friday. The story was originally published by Business Insider after the photos surfaced on Instagram. The trip was funded by the U.S.-Qatar Business Council to the tune of $84,621.59 according to the New York Post. The trip included Swalwell and his wife along with Reps. Ruben Gallego, Luis Correa, Sara Jacobs, and Lisa McClain.

Now, some may be tempted to think the only people being stiffed by this apparent misuse of campaign cash are his own donors. But that's sorely mistaken. Special interests, including ones with foreign sponsors, can easily launder illegal donations in through campaign finance mechanisms precisely to shower a guy like Swalwell with fancy vacays and other luxury details  in exchange for...something. In Swalwell's case, word has gotten out about what a fertile field he is for a honey trap spy operation, which China figured out first.

The thing is, Swalwell doesn't need money  and yet he has it. Someone is still giving it to him, despite his being in a safe Democrat district. Open Secrets notes that he raised $2.9 million, a phenomenal amount for a congressional seat, spent $2.4 million, and has no debt. With Swalwell in a safe district among the leftists, he rarely has anything to worry about as far as not being re-elected to office, yet somehow he manages to draw these huge campaign donations...for these trips to Paris, because he doesn't need to worry about spending cash on ads, which he would if he were in a competitive district.

Perhaps he's managed, as one of House speaker Nancy Pelosi's closest allies, to get a sweetheart assurance that he can break as many campaign finance law as he likes, since she has his back. Too bad about you, Duncan. Perhaps he's found enough loopholes in the law to enjoy his diamond life legally. The one thing that can be said for sure about this is that it's very bad optics  living the high life in Paris while everyone else back home is told to mask up and lock down. Worse still, Swalwell, with his champagne tastes, is constantly claiming to stand for the little guy.

During his ill-fated presidential campaign, he bloviated shamelessly about his purported concern for "the little guy":

"I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve problems and threats from abroad, unable to make life better for people here at home. Nothing gets done," he said, citing student debt and gun safety among the problems that he thinks aren't being solved. "None of that is going to change, until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the way we govern. I'm ready to solve these problems."

There's a reason he dropped out of the Democratic primaries earlier than even Kamala Harris, failing to obtain a single delegate.

Since then, his phony populist act has only gotten worse.

According to Fox News:

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was the latest Democrat embarrassed on Twitter for his attempt to spin high gas prices. On Tuesday, Swalwell started a #GasPricesAreSoLow hashtag to celebrate gas prices falling from their peak of $5-a-gallon national average in June. "Gas prices are so low Ted Cruz cancelled his flight and drove to Cancun. Post your best #GasPricesAreSoLow," Swalwell tweeted.

He's been caught maskless on at least one of his many vacations, at a time when he was urging Americans to mask up and lock down. For him, it's always rules for thee but not for me.

Now he's thumbing his nose entirely at the populist act with his amazing lifestyle funded by campaign cash. It's hypocrisy in the extreme, which is about his pace as the most pompous and insufferable member of Congress. Any surprise that he doesn't practice what he preaches?

Image: YouTube screen shot.
Glenn Greenwald is an interesting guy with a passion for the First Amendment. Because he hated George Bush and the Iraq War, he spent years aligned completely with the left. However, because he hates the Biden administration's sustained attacks on individual liberty, he's suddenly a regular guest on Tucker Carlson. I don't forgive Greenwald his uninformed hostility to Israel, but I find him worth listening to in other contexts  and given my abiding disdain for today's late-night TV hosts, I was dazzled by his attack on Samantha Bee, whose show, Full Frontal, just got canceled.

I was lucky enough to come of age in the Johnny Carson era, and I watched him fairly regularly from the mid-1970s through his retirement in 1992. His show was carefully calibrated to entertain the greatest number of Americans, regardless of political stripe. While his comic routines were often silly (although I do love this oldie), his monologues were good pokes at the people and foibles of the day, funny without ever being savage. He was also an exceptionally witty man who always made his guests look good.

Jay Leno pretty much followed in Carson's footsteps. He had an ecumenical monologue, gently poking fun at everyone, and had good regular bits, whether it was laughing at headlines, pointing out inadvertently funny wedding announcements, playing amusing 911 calls, or giving us a glimpse of Americans who displayed scary but amusing ignorance.

I didn't like Letterman, whom I found mean and self-centered.

But the person I really disliked was Jon Stewart. A friend of mine loved Stewart and, whenever we were together, insisted we watch the show. Even before I completed my political conversion from Democrat to conservative, I found Stewart and his regulars off-putting. They reminded me of the bullies at high school: their acolytes laughed at them, not because they were witty or insightful but simply because they were mean to the appropriate targets.



Image: Samantha Bee and Glenn Greenwald. YouTube screen grabs.

And of all the people I disliked on Jon Stewart's show, the one I disliked the most was Samantha Bee, the quintessential mean girl. It was no surprise to me years later, when she got her own show, that she applied a crude, misogynistic appellation to Ivanka Trump. Even if one dislikes Ivanka's politics, she was never anything other than a lady in public. Bee was not, yet it was still amazing to see her lower herself as far as she did.

It turned out that I was not alone in disliking Bee. In terms of late-night programming, she was at the bottom of the list, below even Don Lemon. Ouch!

What we learned a couple of days ago is that even leftist-loving TV executives cannot indefinitely maintain a show that no one wants to watch, so Samantha Bee's Full Frontal got canceled. Good.

But what was great was Glenn Greenwald's absolutely savage attack on Bee, along with his equally harsh words for the whole late-night line-up of unamusing political propagandists:

The ratings collapse of prime-time cable news shows on CNN and MSNBC gets a fair amount of attention because of how severe (and deserved and amusing) it is. But late-night TV, once attracting tens of millions, has collapsed with it by becoming liberal:https://t.co/yJuW6su5Zd  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2022

By far Sam Bee's most notable moment in 7 years hosting that dreary, banal liberal show -- arguably her only notable moment -- was when she called Ivanka Trump the c-word. A feminist legacy as trivial and inconsequential as it was failed and pointless. https://t.co/m2ulwZH3fn  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2022

Given Greenwald's journey from leftist to conservative-leaning libertarian, maybe there's hope for his also revisiting his mistaken ideas about Israel and recognizing that the only Jewish state in a dangerous Muslim neighborhood is also the state with the good core values most closely matching Greenwald's own. But even if that doesn't happen (which would be sad), I'll never stop having a smile for Greenwald's deserved attack on a woman who had a forum way too large for her mean little ideas.
In what sounded like a Babylon Bee story, California's Governor Gavin Newsom ran ads in Florida in early July claiming that "freedom is under attack in your state." When the laughter died down, most people pointed out that Florida is one of the freest states in the nation.

Newsom, whose hair gel budget might be hurting with the current 9.1 percent "Bidenflation" rate, urged Floridians "to join the fight, or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom."

Florida governor Ron DeSantis responded to the ads.

I was born and raised in this state. And until the last few years, I rarely, if ever, saw a California license plate in the state of Florida. You now see a lot of them. I can tell you. If you go to California, you ain't seeing very many Florida license plates.

What you do see in California:

One third of America's welfare recipients live in the state.

One fifth of its residents live below the poverty line.

One quarter of its residents not having been born in the United States.

The most illegal aliens and homeless population in all 50 states.

The highest state income and gas taxes.

Most Golden State residents would never put "California" and "freedom" in the same sentence, but maybe their thinking is too limited. Maybe Gov. Newsom is right! As one of the dwindling number of Republicans who still call this state home, I want to share that Californians have many freedoms:

Freedom to choose which worthless mask to wear: the one that reads "my mask is as useless as my governor" or the one that displays the state's crime statistics.

Freedom to pay 10 cents for plastic grocery shopping bags or bring our own dirty reusable bags (which we can't wash regularly because of water rationing).

Freedom on a sweltering hot day to stare at our non-working air-conditioner or use hand-held battery fans because rolling brownouts turned the electricity off.

Freedom to smuggle plastic straws into a restaurant or use soggy cardboard straws.

Freedom to decide between walking through a homeless camp "decorated" with human feces or one sprinkled with dirty needles.

Freedom to buy gas at the highest price in all 50 states or put on a pair of sneakers and walk.

Freedom to ask a security guard at a shopping mall to escort us to our car due to spiraling crime or to take the chance of becoming another crime victim statistic.

Freedom to drive home from the mall, steering with one hand while holding a can of pepper spray in the other, or risk someone following us home.

Freedom to read the weekly police log and guess if those arrested had illegally entered the sanctuary state by land or by sea.

Freedom to guess which will result in more bogus votes: mail-in ballots or drop boxes.

Freedom to choose between taking a shower and running the dishwasher due to Sacramento's failure to build any new reservoirs in 40+ years in this desert state. (In 1980, the state had a population of nearly 24 million. Today it's just under 40 million.)

Freedom to know that our home could burn in a wildfire since environmentalists won't allow properly planned underbrush burns or to live in a tent in a homeless camp.

Freedom to have our children attend public school, where they fail reading, writing, and math but pass Critical Race Theory and transgenderism.

Freedom to plan scenic coastal car trips on bumpy roads, pot-holed freeways, or decaying bridges.

Freedom to work hard to pay exorbitant rent in high-crime neighborhoods or purchase an overpriced home only to have the house next door torn down and replaced with a four-plex rental.

But at least much of California has great weather!



Image: 1938 Greetings from California postcard (edited). Public domain.

Robin Itzler can be reached at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com.
It appears that in order to get a green light to produce a miniseries these days, one is required to have major story elements featuring positive Black characters overcoming racism. Even when telling the story of a famous (White) woman creating a cultural landmark with the participation of no actual Black people.

That's the most logical explanation for the distortion (AKA lies) injected into the story of how Julia Child came to start her landmark public television cooking show The French Chef, which debuted in 1963 on WGBH-TV in Boston and went on to become a television and cultural landmark. HBO began streaming its "dramedy" series Julia on HBO Max a few months ago and has garnered positive reviews and an 8.4 very high rating on IMDB, using the "inspired by" rubric to justify fictionalizing the story of a very real person and to inject comedic and satirical elements  along with bogus intimations of racism.

The star of the series, British actress Sarah Lancashire, does a fantastic job of portraying Julia Child. She is so good at inhabiting the personality and physical habitus of Julia Child that it is easy to assume that other elements of story being presented are also accurate. But the racialization of story grated on me. It is considered vaguely racist, apparently, to present the story of a White woman who, working with other White people, created something wonderful of lasting cultural significance. So a Black character had to be fabricated and injected into the story, overcoming racism and leading an exemplary and somewhat inspiring story of creative accomplishment that became essential to the success of the White protagonist.

The Los Angeles Times explains:

The series is less biopic than utopian workplace dramedy about Childs' cooking show "The French Chef" and the birth of public television as we know it. (snip) Picking up more or less where the biopic "Julie & Julia" left off, "Julia" offers a fascinating look at real-life figures who helped create Child's groundbreaking show, "The French Chef," in the early 1960s  and in the process invented a new kind of television. Here's a guide to who's who in the series (snip) Alice Naman (Brittany Bradford): An ambitious young Black producer and big believer in Child's appeal to TV viewers, Alice is a fictional character, though one seemingly inspired by several female producers who were instrumental in bringing "The French Chef" to air, including Ruth Lockwood, who helped pick out the show's theme music, and Miffy Goodhart, who booked Child in her omelette-making debut on "People are Reading" and pushed a skeptical Russ Morash to get her on the network again, according to Bob Spitz's biography "Dearie." As series creator Daniel Goldfarb and showrunner Chris Keyser told The Washington Post, there were Black producers at WGBH in this time period, so in theory there could have been a woman like Alice on "The French Chef."

The fictional Alice Naman is given credit for struggling (against the indifference of her White colleagues) and virtually inventing national distribution for a locally produced "educational TV" show. In 1963, there was no PBS, only NET: National Educational Television. But I know because I was alive then and watched a lot of those NET shows that national distribution was far from unusual.

Many of the White characters in the show are made fun of, some rather cruelly. The real person Albert Duhamel, on whose book show Julia Child made her debut, is a comic caricature of a stuffed shirt, and even Julia's husband Paul, played by David Hyde-Pierce of Frasier, comes in for some sly mockery.

But Alice Naman is a shining example of virtue, intelligence, and persistence, and her equally fictional boyfriend is an ideal type, too. The contrast with the treatment of others is ultimately patronizing, it seems to me.

Casual viewers of the series will come away further convinced that America is a racist country and that Black people of surpassing intelligence and virtue are routinely exploited and denied credit. That's a shame, and it mars what is otherwise an excellent production.
You will not see this in the U.S. media, but Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa with 217 million people (and growing over 2.5% a year), is devolving toward chaos. Boko Haram and other Muslim factions are warring against what they regard as infidels, including Christians and adherents of indigenous religions.

The federal government of Nigeria has undertaken various measures to try to unify the Muslim North with the largely Christian South, including the construction of a new capital city, Abuja, in the center of the country. It also has created a system of Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), also called Federal Unity Colleges, which are actually secondary (high) schools,

to guarantee national integration and national building among Nigerian children if given the opportunity at a very tender age to live, learn and play together in ideal education environment as provided ab initio by the Federal Unity School established in the 1970s and 1980s.

But the dreams of unifying this large and important nation are turning very sour in the face of a rising tide of Muslim violence, as well as government incompetence and corruption. In the capital city of Abuja, things have gotten so bad that the safety of students in the FGCs of Abuja cannot be maintained, and so the government is closing them down and sending students home.

Via Sahara Reporters:

The Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has ordered the closure of all Federal Government Colleges (FGCs) in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja due to rising insecurity. The government directed the immediate evacuation of the students because of the threat to their lives, security and well-being, SaharaReporters learnt on Monday.

The Sun of Nigeria reports:

Late Sunday evening, an unconfirmed reports trended on social media indicating that there were heavy shootings in Federal Government Colleges (FGCs) Kwali, Abuja, and parents were rushing to the school to ascertain the safety of their children and possibly return home with them until calm is restored. Daily Sun could not reach the school authorities for reactions, but a parent identified as Chika whose three children are in FGC Kwali, confirmed that a message came from the school that parents should come pick their children not later than Monday noon. She said: "We received message from the school about the latest development but no explanation was attached to the message. So, when we reach the school on Monday maybe, we would get more details on what led to the sudden decision." A senior staff at Federal Government Girls' College (FGGC), Bwari, Abuja, who pleaded anonymity said the directive they received from the Federal Ministry of Education, was that students should vacate the school before Wednesday, that no student should be found in the school by Wednesday. Similarly, a parent whose son is in JSS 3 in Federal Government Boys' College, Apo, Abuja, confirmed that the school is shutting down on Monday as against the date in the calendar and parents have been asked to come pick their children on Monday unfailingly.

A Facebook contact writes:

So, if Nigerian Capital City is not secured, you can now imagine how secured those us living in interior and remote villages are. Jesus Have Mercy On Us !



Students packing up and leaving (via Facebook).

What is happening in Nigeria is a tragedy and an outrage. Unfortunately, few Americans know or care. But a destabilized Nigeria will have profound consequences.
Kamala Harris attended a meeting with disability rights leaders and promptly made a fool of herself by announcing her pronouns and telling what color suit she's wearing. By doing so, she was copying two obnoxious leftist trends and outing herself as a follower who can never be a serious leader.

I don't need to tell you about the "announcing of the pronouns" trend because that's been sickening us for years now. Another less common trend is for speakers to describe a little bit about their skin and hair coloring and their clothes for the visually impaired. I have friends who are blind, and I find it difficult to believe that this brief description really matters to them for the simple reason that, by virtue of being blind, they inhabit a mental world that usually isn't big on colors. Theirs is more of an auditory world than a visual one.

These little announcements are pure virtue-signaling, highlighting the speaker's exquisite sensitivity. They're also a good way to force the issue of race on people who, by rights, don't need to be burdened by such considerations. (Just think of Dave Chappelle's brilliant black white supremacist shtick.)

To set the scene, everyone at the meeting was doing the pronouns and self-description shtick:

Literally all of the guests at Kamala's event are introducing themselves by saying their pronouns and what they are wearing.



Wtf lol. pic.twitter.com/8WCCPaHetu  Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 26, 2022

Had Kamala been a real leader, she wouldn't have played that game. After all, everyone knows that she was on the 2020 Democrat ticket solely because she is a woman with brown skin. She also has a distinctive voice, which I always think of as Fran Drescher if Drescher were stoned. Kamala needed only to introduce herself by name for everyone, seeing or blind, to know all they needed to know about her. But that's not what Kamala did:

VP: "I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she and her, and I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit." pic.twitter.com/gtBXTyHB4j  Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 26, 2022

That was not the act of a leader. What Kamala did was pure follower. That one sentence, with nothing more  that is, ignoring her lack of charm, intelligence, ability, etc.  should forever bar her from higher office.

Back in the day, Obama offered the risible claim that he was "leading from behind," but Kamala isn't making even a pretense of leading. She's the back end of the horse following along at the very rear of the parade. As Bugs Bunny would have said, "What a maroon. What an ignoranimus. What a ta-ra-ra-goom-di-ay."

Image from Twitter.
God help the people of Chicago if their criminal element ever learns to shoot straight. A friend in Chicago, Richard Baehr, comments:

This last weekend, in 72 hours from noon Friday to noon Monday in Chicago, 73 people were shot, 8 killed. That is just over one shooting per hour. Annualized, that would give a Chicagoan a 1 in 300 chance of being shot this year.

The good news is that Chicago gangbanger gunmen are the worst shooters (by accuracy) in the nation, maybe because they also shoot up their arms. They have only an 11% kill ratio (8 for 73) and that is far lower than any other high crime city in America.

Last year, kill ratio was about 20%. if Chicago's kill ratio were a more normal 30%, last year there would have been 1,300 murders, not 850.
Democrat Rep. David N "Spare Me The B------- about Constitutional Rights" Cicilline and others have said the quiet part out loud: they want to ban almost all semi-automatic weapons in common use.

If you wondered why the nation's socialist news cabal American Pravda suddenly decided to drop the terms "assault weapon" and "assault rifle" from their propaganda lexicon, your answer was soon forthcoming in their triumphant announcement of their next onslaught against your sensible civil rights: "Democrats push for 1st semi-automatic gun ban in 20 years."

In a tyrannical two-for-one special, not only have the enemies of liberty of the fascist far left admitted that the whole point of this was to ban weapons in common use, but they're also tacitly defying the United States Supreme Court ruling District of Columbia v. Heller.

This video from pro-freedom patriot Colion Noir gives a good rundown on the facts in this case.

Most damning is this exchange between Dan Bishop (R) and chairman of the Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler (D) in a congressional committee meeting during the markup of the bill on July 20, 2022:

Bishop: Is there anyone on the other side that would dispute that this bill would ban weapons that are in common use in the United States today? Nadler: Yeah, that's the point of the bill. Bishop: To clarify, Mr. Chairman, you're saying it is the point of the bill to ban weapons that are in common use in the United States today? Nadler: Yes, the problem is they are in common use.

If we've heard it once, we've heard a thousand times: all they want is "commonsense," "sensible," or "reasonable" gun control. Except they never define those terms  on purpose.

Well, now we know what they mean. They want to ban almost everything aside from a few "manually operated" firearms.

The most important section of the bill is section 2, the "Definitions," which sets out the scope of what the bill covers. After wading through the text that modifies the relevant federal code, we get to this part:

(36) The term 'semiautomatic assault weapon' means any of the following, regardless of country of manufacture or caliber of ammunition accepted: (A) A semiautomatic rifle that (i) has a magazine that is not a fixed magazine; and (ii) does have any 1 of the following: (I) A pistol grip. (II) A forward grip. (III) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock, or is otherwise foldable or adjustable in a manner that operates to reduce the length, size, or any other dimension, or otherwise enhances the concealability, of the weapon. (IV) A grenade launcher. (V) A barrel shroud. (VI) A threaded barrel. (B) A semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. (C) Any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm but not convert the semiautomatic firearm into a machinegun. (D) A semiautomatic pistol that (i) has a magazine that is not a fixed magazine; and (ii) does have any 1 of the following: (I) A threaded barrel. (II) A second pistol grip. (III) A barrel shroud. (IV) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip. (V) A semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm. (VI) A manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when unloaded. (VII) A stabilizing brace or similar component. (E) A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds. (F) A semiautomatic shotgun that (i) has the capacity to utilize a magazine that is not a fixed magazine; and (ii) does have any 1 of the following: (I) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock. (II) A pistol grip or bird's head grip. (III) A fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds. (IV) The ability to accept a detachable magazine. (V) A forward grip. (VI) A grenade launcher. (G) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder. (H) All of the following rifles, copies, duplicates, variants, or altered facsimiles with the capability of any such weapon thereof.

The bill then lists a number of firearms in mind-numbing detail, after which it sets forth some additional definitions, with two that are very important in determining the scope of this ban:

(42) The term 'forward grip' means a grip located forward of the trigger that functions as a pistol grip. ... (45) The term 'pistol grip' means a grip, a thumbhole stock or Thordsen-type grip or stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip.

The bottom line is that if you have a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine with "any other characteristic that can function as a grip," or a semi-automatic pistol that has a magazine that is not a fixed magazine with one of the myriad features listed, then congratulations! You're now the proud owner of an "assault weapon."

Does anyone want to wager that the phrase "function as a grip" is going to be subjectively interpreted in the same manner that a piece of plastic was deemed to be a "machine gun"? Because that might be the only way of distinguishing between a gun that is "allowed" under this unconstitutional monstrosity and an "assault weapon."

Unlike the old ban, you need only one feature, not two, to be in the "assault weapon" club these days. Plus, to sweeten the deal, they've decided to also ban standard-capacity magazines. Because tyranny is never satisfied with halfway measures.

But not to worry: the anti-liberty left ever so graciously exempts  for now  certain types of firearms:

(3) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any firearm that (A) is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action ...

So now we know why they are playing fast and loose with their words in this case. Anti-liberty leftists are playing another game of bait and switch  scaring everyone over the scourge of "assault weapons" but then expanding their reach to just about everything else.

Such is the usual of authoritarian socialists, exploiting other people's pain for their political gain.

D Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, and the director of communications for a Bill of Rights organization and a longtime contributor to conservative websites. Find him on Substack.

Image via Pexels.
At the Temple University's dental museum in Philadelphia, there is a small section dedicated to one of the most notorious dentist of Americaa so called Painless Parker, who claimed that his tooth extraction procedure was so painless that he would willingly refund ten times his fees if the operation caused any pain. In fact, the moniker Painless wasnt just a nickname; he had legally changed his name to Painless Parker. The truth was anything but.

A necklace of extracted teeth that Painless Parker wore when he went to work.

Painless Parker was born Edgar Randolph Parker in Tynemouth Creek, New Brunswick in 1872. Edger showed evidence of being a natural born salesman from a very young age. At the age of 7, he sold the school playground to a fellow classmate for 20 cents. At age 9, Edgar bartered with a neighbor to obtain a hen, eggs, and a chicken coop, with plans to become a chicken farmer. Edgar was rebellious and mischievous. He often feigned illness so that he could skip school. Once he acquired a wagon and a horse and became a street peddler selling trinkets. His father did not approve of Edgars peddling and sold off his wagon. In protest, Edgar left home and signed on to one if his uncles ships heading to Barbados.

While at sea, Edgar sustained an injury and ended up in hospital in Buenos Aires. Having spent the entire summer in the hospital, Edgar began to appreciate the kind of work doctors did and decided to become a doctor himself. Because his mother was a devout Christian and did not believe in medicine, Edgar choose a career in dentistry. He liked the idea that he might be able to save people the type of pain that his mother had endured over a period of time with an impacted wisdom tooth.

Edgar Randolph Parker

In 1889, Parker enrolled in the New York College of Dentistry. In order to support himself financially, he performed door to door dentistry and set up an office shortly after taking admission. This was a violation of college policy, and Parker was expelled from the college. The same year, he attended the Philadelphia Dental College (now the Temple Universitys Kornberg School of Dentistry), graduating in 1892 at the age of twenty. Parker was a poor student, and he only graduated because he pleaded with his dean to pass him. After the dean did, Parker moved home to Canada to start work as a dentist.

At that time, it was considered unethical in the profession to solicit patients. He could join clubs and he could be active in the community endeavors but he should never directly ask for patients business. After 6 weeks without seeing a single patient, Parker decided to toss ethics aside and started an advertising campaign. In exchange for a new set of dentures, the desperate dentist bartered with a sign maker for a placard that read Painless Parker.

Full page newspaper ad for the West Coast dental practice.

Parker set up shop at a street corner, and talked about horrors of tooth decay to attract customers. Parker promised extraction would be completely painless, and offered $5 if the patient wasn't satisfied. He concocted a solution of cocaine and water, that he called hydrocaine to numb the pain. Surprisingly, the narcotic did its job, and soon parker was making money as a travelling dentist, extracting tooth for 50 cents.

Some years later Parker and his family moved to New York, where he met William Beebe, a former employee of PT Barnums circus. Beebe advised Parker to take the act to the road, just like Barnum did, and accordingly Parker launched the Parker Dental Circus, a traveling medicine show. He would start the show with a few facts about oral hygiene, then invite a volunteer from the crowd up to the stage. A stooge already planted among the crowd would step up and Parker would pretend to pull out a molar from the fake volunteers mouth, who would admit the operation was painless. When a real patient would climb on his horse-drawn wagon for the procedure, a band of musicians would start playing their instruments at full blast drowning out the patients screams.

Parker was sued many times for his false claims and his lack of ethics, which he fought it out in the courts. In 1930, the dental board of California told Parker that he could no longer call himself Painless Parker, and suspended his license for false advertising. So Parker legally changed his name from Edgar to Painless. His colleagues detested him toothe American Dental Association even called him a menace to the dignity of the profession.

Notwithstanding, Parkers business thrived. On one notable day, he claimed to have pulled 357 teeth in a single day, which he wore on a necklace. He also hired assistants and established a chain dentistry business. At its peak, Parker ran 28 West Coast dental offices, employing over 70 dentists, and grossing $3 million per year. His clinics hawked dental services as well as a line of dental care products such as mouthwashes, toothpastes and powders for brushing at home.

Despite being a huckster, Parkers contribution to the dental world is undeniable. He believed in inexpensive healthcare and wouldnt charge for preliminary assessments. He gave out vouchers, allowed patients without means to use credit, and educated the public on the importance of dental hygiene.

Parkers most indisputable legacy to the field of dentistry is his contribution, through his bad acts, charlatanism and relentless pursuit of profits, to the development of professional ethics in dentistry, said, Dr. Amid Ismail, the dean of Kornberg School of Dentistry, Temple University.

Today, a section of the exhibits at the Temple Universitys museum is dedicated to Painless Parker. There you can see a selection of tools that Parker used along with the infamous teeth necklace and a bucket full of teeth that Parker extracted throughout his lifetime.

A bucket full of extracted teeth at Temple Universitys museum.

References:

# Painless Parker  most eccentric dentist, New Brunswick Museum

# Was He Really Painless? Painless Parker, Cupertino News

# Painless Parker: Part dentist, part showman, all American, BBC

# A Brief History of Americas Most Outrageous Dentist, Smithsonian Magazine

# The Strange and Magnificent Painless Parker, Periodontal Associates of Memphis
The Google Play Store blocked a UK-based childrens diabetes app from sending alarm messages to parents, BBC reports.

CamAps FX is a mobile app that allows parents to monitor the health status of their children and see if they need insulin. The app was banned on the Play Store for two years because Google believed the ability to send texts is not a core function.

However, the app is now backed on Play Store. But it needs to send text messages separately and not from the app itself. The app can also send alerts through Bluetooth, but the function only works with nearby devices.

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According to the BBC, over 400,000 people in the UK have type 1 diabetes, and they need to take insulin. The parent company Camdiab is now using cloud services for sending texts, and they have to pay a fee for each message. The texts inform parents of childrens glucose levels and tell them if any insulin injection is needed.

Google prevents a childrens diabetes app from sending alarm messages to parents

As per the Play Store rules, no app can send SMS messages to users. Of course, a devices designated text message apps are an exception. Due to this, CamAps FX was blocked from the Play Store, and Android users could download it only through the Amazon app store. The app is now back, but it has lost one of its core features.

Quite often, we see people with a young child on the app sending texts to two, three or four adults  to grandmas and others, Professor Roman Hovorka from Cambridge University told a BBC reporter.

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The app has been under development for 15 years at Cambridge University. It is one of the few apps recommended by the UKs National Health Service (NHS) for children and pregnant women.

The conflict between the CamAps FX parent company and Google continues. Now, its all on Google to either make an exception for the app or adhere to its app store rules.
(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 27 - A wave of exits from Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) continued on Wednesday with MP Rossella Sessa quitting the centre-right party in protest after it helped bring outgoing Premier Mario Draghi's national unity government to an early end.

Parliament has been dissolved for snap elections on September 25 after FI and its allies in Matteo Salvini's League failed to back the executive in a confidence vote last week, along with the 5-Star Movement (M5S).

Ministers Mariastella Gelmini, Renato Brunetta and Mara Carfagna have also left the party following that move, as have a number of MPs.

Sessa said her resignation from the party was "necessary" after it pulled is support for Draghi's government.

"I remain convinced that the crisis, primarily determined by allies' decisions, went against the interests of the moderate world, of companies, of citizens and of southern Italy, where levels of investments not seen in 20 years risk being halted," she said. (ANSA).


Germany: Lindner, open to continuing to use nuclear power Let's approach the debate in a non-ideological way

(ANSA) - BERLIN, JUL 27 - German Finance Minister Christian Lindner reiterated today in Berlin that he supports the idea of extending the life of nuclear power plants in Germany.



"I am open to continuing to use nuclear power," he said in a press briefing, advising that the debate in Germany should be approached in a non-ideological way." Lindner also underlined he believes that the future need for electricity - to which the government currently ties the decision of a possible extension of the activity of the power plants to be shut down by the end of the year - will also be "higher than many hitherto expected," given the current spread of electromobility. (ANSA).





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The parents of a 12-year-old boy left in a comatose state after suffering brain damage want the United Nations to consider the case after losing life-support treatment fights in London courts.

Archie Battersbees mother and father, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, say the UN has a protocol which allows individuals and families to make complaints about violations of disabled peoples rights.

They say the UN could ask the UK Government to delay the withdrawal of life support to Archie while a complaint is investigated.

Three Court of Appeal judges on Monday upheld a ruling by a High Court judge who had decided that doctors could lawfully stop treating Archie.

A lawyer representing Archies parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had asked appeal judges to stay the termination of treatment to allow time for consideration of an application to the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) in Strasbourg, France.

Appeal judges imposed a stay and said Archies parents could have until 2pm on Wednesday to make an application to the European court.

They are being supported by a campaign group called the Christian Legal Centre.

A spokesman for the centre said on Wednesday that appeal judges had extended that deadline to 2pm on Thursday after lawyers made a further request in writing.

But the spokesman indicated that Archies parents had considered options and would prefer to take their case the UN.

Hollie Dance speaks to the media outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The ECHR has a track record of rejecting applications from parents in end-of-life cases such as Archies, he said.

The UK has joined the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which permits individuals and families to make complaints about violations of rights of disabled people.

The UN, like the ECHR, may ask the UK Government to delay the withdrawal of life support while a complaint is being investigated.

The PA news agency understands that nothing in any order made by Court of Appeal judges would prevent Archies parents from applying to the UN.



Judges have heard that Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head on April 7. She thinks he might have been taking part in an online challenge.

Archie Battersbees father Paul Battersbee (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

The youngster has not regained consciousness.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, think he is brain-stem dead and say continued life-support treatment is not in his best interests.

Bosses at the hospitals governing trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, had asked for decisions on what medical moves were in Archies best interests.

A High Court judge, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.

But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge by his parents against decisions taken by Mrs Justice Arbuthnot and said the evidence should be reviewed by a different High Court judge.
Legal history will be made at the Old Bailey with the first televised sentencing, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

On Thursday, Judge Sarah Munro QC is expected to be filmed as she passes sentence on Ben Oliver for the manslaughter of his grandfather.

The footage will be broadcast on news channels and made available online through Sky News, BBC, ITN and the PA news agency.

The move to allow cameras in the Crown Court follows a change in the law in 2020, but implementation was delayed in the pandemic.

It will open up some of the most high-profile courts and allow the public to see and hear judges explain the reasoning behind their sentences.

Only the judge will be filmed during any sentencing to protect the privacy of victims, witnesses and jurors.

The move to allow cameras in the Crown Court follows a change in the law in 2020, but implementation was delayed in the pandemic (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: Opening up the courtroom to cameras to film the sentencing of some the countrys most serious offenders will improve transparency and reinforce confidence in the justice system.

The public will now be able to see justice handed down, helping them understand better the complex decisions judges make.

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Burnett of Maldon, hailed the move as a very positive step in promoting open justice.

He said: Its something that I was really keen should happen and I started working on it when I became Lord Chief Justice in 2017.

The law was introduced in 2020. And we all hoped that we would start filming sentencing remarks in high-profile criminal cases in the summer of 2020 and were it not for Covid, that would have happened, but now it is happening.

I think its an exciting development, because it will help the public to understand how and why criminals get the sentences that they do in these very high-profile cases.

The footage will be broadcast on news channels and made available online through Sky News, BBC, ITN and the PA news agency (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Cameras already operate in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court but bringing them to the Crown Court is a significant development, he said.

Sentencing of serious criminal cases is something in which there is a legitimate public interest. And its always seemed to me that this is a part of the criminal process, which can be recorded and broadcast in many cases, but not all, without compromising the administration of justice or the interests of justice.

He countered critics of bringing cameras into criminal courts by saying judges already pass sentences in open court, with the press and public present.

He added: The broadcasting of the sentencing remarks will focus solely on the judge who will be sitting in court in the normal way, wearing his or her robes in the normal way.

The solemnity of the proceedings are preserved entirely.

Judge Sarah Munro is expected to give the first televised sentencing at the Old Bailey (PA)

But he stopped short of advocating televising trials, saying: My own but fairly strong view is that what we see happening around the world illustrates why that can be quite damaging.

The thing about sentencing remarks is that broadcasting those doesnt have an impact on the way witnesses and others involved in the trial process  complainants, victims and so on  are immediately affected.

If you broadcast the trial proceedings themselves, its very difficult to avoid that.

Sky, BBC, ITN and PA will be able to apply to film and broadcast sentencing remarks.

Only the judge will be filmed during any sentencing to protect the privacy of victims, witnesses and jurors (PA)

John Battle, head of legal and compliance at ITN, and chairman of the Media Lawyers Association, said it was a landmark moment for open justice.

This reform reflects the publics right to see justice being done in their courts.

Court reporting is vital to democracy and the rule of law and this long overdue change is welcomed, he said.

John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: Filming judges sentencing remarks in the Crown Court of England and Wales is a victory for the viewer.

It will allow for greater transparency in our courts and is something that broadcasters, including Sky News, have campaigned for more than a decade to achieve.

Cameras already operate in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Interim director of BBC News Jonathan Munro said: Justice must be seen to be done, so this is a crucial moment for transparency in the justice system  and for our audiences, who will be able to understand the judicial process better by witnessing it for themselves.

Joe Pickover, head of video at PA said it was a crucial milestone.

He said: Audiences across the UK will gain a much better understanding of the criminal process by witnessing the judicial system first hand, and PA is delighted to be playing its part in this vital development.

The Central Criminal Court in London routinely hears some of the most complex cases, including murders and terrorism trials.

The sentencing of Ben Oliver will take place in Court Two, one of the Old Baileys oldest courtrooms.

The 25-year-old defendant from Bexleyheath, south London, admitted the manslaughter of 74-year-old David Oliver, in Mottingham, south London, on January 19 last year.

Ben Oliver was said to have Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which combined with other emotional and mental factors, diminished his responsibility for the killing.
Tory MP Jeremy Hunt has told a public inquiry that institutions and the state sometimes close ranks around a lie.

Giving evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry, the former health secretary said there had perhaps been memory illusion regarding the contaminated blood as people tried to remember things as they would like them to have been, rather than as they actually were.

The inquiry is examining how thousands of patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

About 2,400 people died in what has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

At the hearing on Wednesday, counsel to the inquiry Jenni Richards QC referred to a document which sets out the role of the Public Health Directorate within the Department of Health.

She said: Under the heading Key Facts theres a number then of points relevant to the divisions areas of responsibility and the second is this: NHS Blood and Transplant supplies over two million units of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales each year.

The risk of infection from transfusion is now extremely low. During the 1970s and 80s, hepatitis C and HIV infection from contaminated NHS blood was a problem before it was possible to screen donors and make products safer. A number of funds provide support for those affected.

Now, Im conscious, Mr Hunt, you almost certainly didnt see this document when you became secretary of state. But it would appear that the briefing that is being given to new ministers in relation to this issue isnt revealing any concerns about what had happened.

The sentence beginning During the 1970s and 80s saying it was a problem before it was possible to screen donors and make products safer  an inference from that might be well, this was just an unavoidable problem.

Mr Hunt, who was health secretary from September 2012 to July 2018, replied: I mean, that briefing is wrong. And it shouldnt say that. And Im afraid its perhaps an example of what has been described as a kind of memory illusion, but at a departmental level, where the people collectively try and remember things as they would like them to have been, rather than as they actually were.

But I think it was a bad briefing for ministers, because at the very least ministers should be aware as politicians that this is contentious and this is disputed by families, but Im afraid it tries to suggest that the issue is closed when its not and it shouldnt have done that.

Mr Hunt, who became foreign secretary in 2018 for a year, said it is apparent from documents that the Government and civil service did not have an open mind on the issue and had decided that the state in the 1970s and 80s had done the best it could in the circumstances, a very sad thing had happened, compensation had been put in place, matter closed.

He said the way the scandal is referred to in documents suggest an institutional closing of ranks which he suggested would have probably happened in stages, and largely no one was trying to do the wrong thing.

And then what happens is people think, well, you know, we need to protect those people who are trying to do the right thing. And then, once you get five years on, 10 years on, people forget that there was even a moral dilemma, and the account of history changes, he said.

Mr Hunt told the inquiry: That, by the way, was why Andy Burnham, who I know has given evidence, was advised not to meet the Mid Staffs relatives, something that they are angry about to this day.

And Im sure in retrospect he wishes that he had, but officials said no, its not a good use of your time and youll get drawn into it.

Its why, by the way, in a completely different context, when I became foreign secretary, I was initially advised by the Foreign Office not to meet Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, because there was a lot of suspicion about how he might try and use the meeting.

And so, I am afraid that institutions and the state close ranks around a lie sometimes. And I think thats whats happened in this case.

Victims have long believed the extent of the contamination scandal was covered up.

In one example suggesting the Government knew the risks, a letter to the Department of Health in 1983 from the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in London called for US blood products to be withdrawn over links to HIV that needed examining properly.

Labour former health secretary Mr Burnham has described the scandal as a criminal cover-up.
A union boss has called for a general strike if Liz Truss becomes Prime Minister and brings in legislation to halt strikes affecting the country.

The Foreign Secretary has pledged to ensure militant action from trade unions can no longer paralyse the economy if she wins the Tory leadership contest.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said coordinated and synchronised industrial action would be needed if legislation is brought in.

He went on to say the very dangerous situation risks taking the country back to Victorian times.

The comments came as strikes by members of the RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs Association crippled services on Wednesday, with only around one in five trains running and some areas having none at all.

Meanwhile, Aslef announced its members will walk out on Saturday August 13, saying train firms failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with increases in the cost of living.

A general strike, which can only be called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), is when a substantial proportion of workers in multiple sectors refuse to work until their demands, usually around pay and working conditions, are met.

Mr Lynch said legislation would mark a return to the Victorian times (Aaron Chown/PA)

Mr Lynch told the i newspaper: There is a whole host of measures that she (Ms Truss) is looking to bring in that will make it virtually impossible to have effective trade unionism and we think would effectively outlaw collective action.

I think thats a turn to the extreme right on behalf of the Conservatives, and theyre playing to their reactionary base. I think there will be an enormous response from the trade union movement.

Only the TUC can call a general strike, we will be campaigning in that direction, but we need coordinated and synchronised industrial action against what theyre proposing.

I would be looking for a general strike if we can bring that off, but its up to others. Were a small union compared to others. So well have to see where that goes.

Ms Truss has said her government would introduce legislation in the first 30 days of Parliament to guarantee a minimum level of service on vital national infrastructure.

She would also ensure strike action has significant support from union members by raising the minimum threshold for voting in favour of strike action from 40% to 50%.

The minimum notice period for strike action would be raised from two weeks to four weeks, and a cooling-off period would be implemented so that unions can no longer strike as many times as they like in the six-month period after a ballot.

Liz Truss has vowed to crack down on union action (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Asked what she would do about the rail strikes, the Foreign Secretary told Sky News: I would legislate to make sure that there are essential services on our railway.

It is completely wrong that the travelling public are being held ransom by militant unions. We cant allow that to happen. We need to make sure our essential services run.

As I said, I am on the side of people who work hard, who go into work, who want to run their businesses. We cant see them hampered by the activities of these militant unions.
Thousands of stroke patients who could benefit from a miracle treatment that pulls them back from near death are being denied access to it, a charity has warned.

The Stroke Association said more than 47,000 patients will miss out on the treatment on the NHS over the next seven years unless NHS England and the Government take immediate action.

Mechanical thrombectomy involves using a stent to manually remove large stroke-causing blood clots from the brain via a catheter inserted into the patients groin.

The procedure can cut hospital stays by several months and some patients have been able to leave hospital the next day, rather than spending months in rehabilitation units.

According to the Stroke Association, thrombectomy is one of the most effective procedures ever discovered for stroke and is suitable for around 10% of all patients. There are more than 75,000 strokes in England every year.

In its new report, the charity said there is an urgent need to have a 24/7 thrombectomy service so that all patients can benefit.

It predicts this would save 73 million per year owing to the reduced costs of looking after people with stroke in the long term.

The study said NHS England has missed its target to make mechanical thrombectomy available to all patients it would benefit  only delivering to 28% of all suitable patients by December 2021.

Stroke specialists quoted in the report argue that they cannot deliver a 24/7 service in part due to a lack of biplane suites, which contain specific radiology equipment.

The charity also highlighted an unacceptable postcode lottery in care, with almost 8% of stroke patients receiving thrombectomy in London, compared with just 0% to 3% in other parts of the country.

Just a quarter (25%) of thrombectomy centres operate 24/7 services, while 42% are only open from Monday to Friday during office hours, the report added.

Thrombectomy can be performed up to 24 hours after a stroke, but it is most effective in the first six hours.

Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: Thrombectomy is a miracle treatment that pulls patients back from near-death and alleviates the worst effects of stroke.

Its shocking that so many patients are missing out and being saddled with unnecessary disability.

Plus, the lack of understanding from Government, the NHS and local health leaders about the brain-saving potential of thrombectomy is putting lives at risk.

There are hard-working clinicians across the stroke pathway facing an uphill struggle to provide this treatment and its time they got the support they need to make this happen. It really is simple.

Ms Bouverie said thrombectomy rates are rising gradually due to the efforts of stroke teams, but progress is far slower than it needs to be.

She added: Tens of thousands will miss out if rates stay the same as in 2020/21. NHS Englands original target was missed by a long way and we need to see proper efforts being made to make sure were not in the same position in 2029.

The new report found that thrombectomy rates are also being kept low by lengthy ambulance response times and slow handover of patients to A&E.

To achieve a 24/7 service, the Stroke Association said the number of interventional neuroradiologists (INRs) would need to be doubled.

It also called on the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a sustainable workforce plan to fill the gaps in qualified staff.

Professor Martin James, consultant stroke physician at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and a clinical trustee of the Stroke Association, said: Thrombectomy really is a game-changing treatment, yet the number of people receiving the treatment in the UK remains much lower than elsewhere in Europe, and has been only slowly increasing over recent years.

At this rate, it wont be available to all those who could benefit for many years to come.

An NHS spokeswoman said: Despite the impact of the pandemic, NHS teams across the country have continued to improve stroke prevention and treatment services  including access to thrombectomy  in line with our Long Term Plan ambitions to save more lives.

By bringing services together through newly-created stroke networks, we are supporting local clinicians to deliver 24/7 access to thrombectomy, clot-busting drugs and other life-saving specialist stroke services in every part of the country, so if you experience stroke symptoms, its vital that you call 999 immediately.

A Government spokesman said: We are growing the health and social care workforce, with over 4,000 more doctors and 9,600 more nurses compared to last year, and over 1,400 more doctors in general practice compared to March 2019.

We are grateful for healthcare staff across the country who continue to improve stroke prevention and treatment services  including access to thrombectomy  as part of the ambitious NHS Long Term Plan.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that the agency failed to conduct proper safety oversight of Southwest Airlines, a federal watchdog said Wednesday.

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) made public an April FAA report that came after four whistleblowers alleged the U.S. aviation regulator "with influence from Southwest, fast-tracked reports on dangerous incidents involving pilot error" at three U.S. airports.

The OSC said FAA's investigation confirmed it had mishandled those investigations and "carried out recommended corrective actions including robust training for all personnel and development of a regular audit to ensure compliance with FAAs aviation safety program guidance."

The incidents under review took place before 2020. Southwest and the FAA declined to comment.

The report said the FAA mishandled its response to a February 2019 accident caused by pilot error in which both wings were damaged while attempting to land at the Hartford airport. Connecticut as well as a runway overrun incident at Burbank, California airport.

In 2020, the FAA said it was seeking to impose a $3.92 million fine on Southwest for alleged weight infractions on 21,505 flights in 2018 on 44 aircraft. The report made public Wednesday said the issue was resolved in 2021, with payment of a $200,000 civil penalty and deferral of the remaining civil penalty based upon corrective actions accomplished by Southwest.

The FAA investigation substantiated several allegations including that did not properly oversee two separate 2019 accidents, mismanaged oversight of Southwest's weight and balance program and allowed the airline to operate 88 used 737 jets "knowing that required inspections were not completed in accordance with regulatory requirements."

Southwest bought the 88 737 planes between 2013 and 2017 from 16 foreign carriers. A 2020 Transportation Department Inspector General's report said Southwest operated more than 150,000 flights carrying 17.2 million passengers on the jets without confirmation that required maintenance had been completed.

The OSC noted FAA now has new senior leadership in place and "these individuals have a new opportunity to correct the mismanagement of FAAs oversight of (Southwest)." The FAA told OSC that it has commissioned an independent comprehensive climate assessment and evaluation

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Susan Heavey and Nick Zieminski)
FILE - In this file photo taken on Jan. 19, 2021, the Stellantis sign is seen outside the Chrysler Technology Center, in Auburn Hills, Mich. U.S. safety regulators have opened three investigations into safety problems with about 1.65 million vehicles made by Stellantis, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The largest probe covers 1.34 million Jeep Cherokee small SUVs from the 2014 through 2020 model years. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

DETROIT (AP)  U.S. safety regulators have opened three investigations into safety issues with about 1.65 million vehicles made by Stellantis.

The largest probe covers 1.34 million Jeep Cherokee small SUVs from the 2014 through 2020 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has 80 complaints that the electronic parking brakes can turn on while the SUVs are moving.

The agency says the complaints allege that water can get into the computer that controls the brakes.

Another probe covers 289,000 Dodge Journey and Jeep Compass and Patriot small SUVs from 2016 due to 127 complaints about engine stalling due to crankshaft or camshaft sensor problems. The agency says Fiat Chrysler did a recall in 2016 for a similar problem. It's looking to see if the problem is happening with vehicles not included in the recall.

The agency also says it has 40 complaints of a transmission problem causing Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivans to lose power. The probe cover 21,000 vans from the 2019 through 2021 model years.

The investigations could lead to recalls, but so far the agency hasn't sought any.

In all three cases, no crashes or injuries have been reported.

Stellantis, which was formed with the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Peugeot, says it is cooperating with the investigations.
Three men have been charged in a shooting that left a 2-year-old dead and his 4-year-old brother injured, authorities in Georgia say.

Dahmon Jacquez Lemmon, 23, Jaquiese Stephen Finley, 29, and Kamau Zyon Pasby, 20, were arrested in connection to the July 17 shooting at Deer Run Apartments in Cochran, according to a July 25 news release from the Bleckley County Sheriffs Office.

Lemmon is charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Finley and Pasby both face charges for party to the crime of murder and party to the crime of aggravated assault. All three are from Cochran.

More charges are forthcoming and the investigation is ongoing, according to the news release.

The investigation began July 17 just after midnight when deputies responded to a call about children with gunshot wounds, according to an earlier news release.

In the early investigation, it was determined that the shooting was targeted at someone in the area, but the two victims were not the intended target, Maj. Daniel Cape told news outlets in a news conference streamed by WMAZ.

The sheriffs office said it worked closely with Cochran Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 12 Office and the FBI Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force to make its arrests.

This investigation took a tremendous amount of dedication from all agencies and I greatly appreciate everyone who assisted the Sheriffs Office in this case, Sheriff Kris Coody said in the release.

2-year-old killed when shots are fired into Georgia apartment, cops say

Car full of gunshot victims flags down officer after 8 shot at gas station, GA cops say

Retired cop shot by wife at DC hotel had molested children at her day care, cops say
FILE - Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana speaks during the fifth plenary session of the 18th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defense and security forum in Asia, in Singapore on June 2, 2019. Former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he cancelled the 12.7 billion-peso ($227 million) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters last month in a decision that was approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte before his six-year term ended on June 30. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippine government has scrapped a deal to purchase 16 Russian military transport helicopters due to fears of possible U.S. sanctions, Philippine officials said.

Former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday night he canceled the 12.7-billion-peso ($227 million) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters in a decision last month that was approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte before their terms in office ended on June 30.

We could face sanctions, Lorenzana told The Associated Press, describing ways Washington could express its displeasure if the Philippines proceeded with the deal due to Americas worsening conflict with Russia.

American security officials were aware of Manilas decision and could offer similar heavy-lift helicopters for Philippine military use, he said.

After serving as defense chief under Duterte, Lorenzana has been appointed by new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to head a government agency in charge of transforming former military bases into business hubs.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez told The AP that the deal was canceled because Manila could face possible sanctions under a U.S. federal law called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if the helicopter deal went through.

A Philippine military official said the helicopter deal would undergo a termination process after the decision to cancel it was made since a contract has already been signed. The Russians can appeal but there is little room for the Philippine government to reconsider, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to publicly discuss the issue.

Under the helicopter purchase agreement, which was signed in November, the first batch of the multi-purpose helicopters would have been scheduled for delivery by Russias Sovtechnoexport in about two years.

Asked in March if Russias invasion of Ukraine would affect the purchase, Lorenzana told reporters: We do not see any likelihood of it being scrapped as of this moment and added that only time can tell.

Lorenzana at the time said an initial payment had been made by the Philippines in January. It was not immediately clear what would happen to the payment after the Philippines' decision to back out of the deal.

The Russian-made helicopters could have been used for combat, search and rescue operations, and medical evacuations in the Southeast Asian archipelago, which is often lashed by typhoons and other natural disasters, Philippine officials said.

In March, the Philippines voted yes on a U.N. General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate halt to Moscows attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops. It condemned the invasion and echoed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterress appeal for respect of humanitarian principles to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Duterte has expressed concern over the global impact of the Russian invasion but has not personally condemned it. When he was in office, he nurtured close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he once called his idol, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping while frequently criticizing U.S. security policies.

The Philippines is a treaty ally of Washington, which has imposed heavy sanctions aimed at pressuring Moscow to pull back from Ukraine.

The deal to acquire the Russian helicopters was among several weapons purchase agreements signed during Dutertes final months in office.

Last February, Lorenzana signed a 32-billion-peso ($571 million) deal to acquire 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from Poland-based aerospace manufacturer PZL Mielec. It was the largest military aircraft acquisition contract signed under Duterte, Philippine defense officials said..

Due to financial constraints, the Philippines has struggled for years to modernize its military, one of the most underfunded in Asia, to deal with decades-long Muslim and communist insurgencies and to defend its territories in the disputed South China Sea.
This photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts a petri plate containing multiple colonies of Gram-negative Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria. The bacteria can cause melioidosis, a rare and sometimes deadly disease long thought to be confined to tropical climates. The bacteria been found in soil and water in the continental United States, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Dr. Todd Parker, Audra Marsh/CDC via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

NEW YORK (AP)  A germ that causes a rare and sometimes deadly disease  long thought to be confined to tropical climates  has been found in soil and water in the continental United States, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

The bacteria was found on the property of a Mississippi man who had come down with the disease, melioidosis. Officials don't know how long it had been there, but they say it likely is occurring in other areas along the Gulf Coast.

U.S. physicians should consider melioidosis even in patients who haven't traveled to other countries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a health alert.

Once it's in the soil, it can be a health threat for people in the area, said the CDC's Julia Petras, who oversaw the investigation.

The illness can start with a wide range of symptoms like fever, joint pain and headaches. It's treatable with the right antibiotics if its caught early, but it can lead to pneumonia, blood infections and even death if not properly treated.

About 12 cases are reported annually in the U.S. The vast majority have been in people who traveled to places where the bacteria is endemic, including certain regions of Australia, Thailand, and Central and South America.

People can get the illness through direct contact with contaminated soil and water, especially if they have a cut on their hand or foot. It is also possible to inhale the bacteria.

The bacteria may not bother healthy people. But it can be dangerous to those with diabetes, chronic kidney or lung disease and weakened immune systems.

Last year, four people came down with the disease even though none had traveled internationally. Officials blamed their illnesses on a contaminated aromatherapy spray imported from India.

The new findings explain two Mississippi cases in men who hadn't traveled internationally, officials said. One got melioidosis in 2020 and the other, who lives about 10 miles away, got it this year. Both have recovered.

Health officials didn't say exactly where in Mississippi the men live, but investigators took 109 soil and water samples from the area. The bacteria was found in three spots  two in soil and one in a puddle  on the property of the man who was sickened two years ago.

Finding the bacteria in U.S. soil is significant, but not surprising. Investigators have long believed that local soil contamination was behind infections in Texas's Atascosa County in 2004 and 2018, CDC officials said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The captain of a twin-engine 30-foot speedboat that capsized in the waters off New Providence in the Bahamas on Sunday while ferrying Haitian migrants to Miami had been previously convicted of human smuggling in the U.S. and drug trafficking in Cuba, the head of Bahamian police said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Nassau, Bahamian Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said that authorities had finished a background check on the man, whom he did not name. The man, he said, spent two years in prison in the United States and eight years imprisoned in Cuba.

Sources have told the Miami Herald that the boat captain who is in custody is a Bahamian national named Donald Nehemiah Watson, 39. In 2019, he was charged with one count of smuggling after officials with U.S. Border Patrol and the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office Marine Unit encountered his vessel east of West Palm Beach. After a pursuit at top speed, the boat ran out of fuel and Watson, who was captain, was arrested along with Travis Jamaal Moss, an undocumented Bahamian national who had been previously expelled from the U.S.

According to court records, Watson was still on probation after being convicted of human smuggling in 2019 in federal court in West Palm Beach.

Fernander said three people who were arrested for having arranged the trip, in which at least 17 people died, are looking at a host of charges including homicide, manslaughter and operating an unregistered vessel.

We are well on the way with this investigation, he said, adding that authorities hope to announce official charges by Friday.

Police said among those arrested is a man they suspect was the owner of the vessel. During the arrest of the man at his residence and during a search, police also uncovered large sums of cash, which we believe were proceeds with respect to this matter, Fernander said.

The arrests occurred after the Royal Bahamas Defense Force was alerted that a boat carrying suspected irregular Haitian migrants had overturned 7 miles off of New Providence, where the capital of Nassau is located. While 25 people survived the incident, including the boat captain and another suspect who was arrested Sunday, the bodies of 17 others, including 15 women, a man and a young girl around 5 years old, were recovered from the ocean.

Fernander said the police have not yet identified any of the victims, and reissued an appeal to the Haitian community to come forward with information that can help in the investigation. The migrants left from West Bay Street in Nassau, which Fernander said has become a hot spot for such migrant operations.

Fernander said the majority of the victims had been staying in New Providence for about a month. Some of them came here from various islands and we have identified at least three of them who came by plane about two weeks ago, he said.

We are appealing, especially to the Haitian community ... to please assist us in trying to identify any family members, he said. They dont have to be afraid of any arrest or [that] they will be sent back. We suspect they may be afraid of coming forward.

On Monday, U.S. Homeland Security Investigation agents arrived in the Bahamas to assist. Fernander confirmed the presence of U.S. partners, and said we are going deep into this investigation because we believe that the destination was for the U.S.

Miami Herald Staff Writer Jay Weaver contributed to this report.
Bahamian search and recovery efforts for missing Haitian migrants after a boat capsizing killed 17 Miami-bound migrants continued in waters off New Providence on Tuesday as the Bahamian government received help from U.S. authorities.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigation agents arrived in the Bahamas Monday and are working with local authorities in the migrant smuggling probe. Wire payments between Haitian relatives in the United States and migrant smugglers in Haiti and the Bahamas could be the foundation for a criminal federal case in Miami.

Fifteen women, a young girl and a man are confirmed to have died in the tragedy on Sunday. Another 25 people have been rescued, two of them Bahamian nationals now in police custody. The countrys police announced Monday that a third Bahamian was later arrested in relation to the incident in a New Providence home.

Authorities are still investigating the incident. Among the unanswered questions is whether all the immigrants onboard were Haitian and their legal status in the Bahamas.

Two of the tragedys survivors were authorized to work in the Bahamas, according to local outlet The Nassau Guardian. The Bahamian newspaper quoted the countrys immigration minister, Keith Bell, saying that their permits will be revoked and they will likely face repatriation.

We want to be human about what we do and how we do things given the tragedy, but at the same time we have laws to enforce, he said.

Bell did not return an interview request from the Miami Herald.

Bahamian authorities have appealed to members of the Haitian community and the general public to help them identify the deceased as well as others who might have been on the boat. But many are reluctant to do so.

Bahamas-based Pastor Jean Paul Charles, president of the League of Haitian Pastors, told the Miami Herald that his organization extended its heartfelt sympathies to all those who had lost loved ones in the tragedy at sea. He said that the family members and loved ones are not yet willing to come forward, fearing legal repercussions.

Charles and others have been unable to speak with the tragedys survivors, who are being held at the Carmichael Road Detention Center in Nassau.

We want to go talk to them, pray for them, comfort them, said the pastor, who has lived in the Bahamas for 26 years.

Bahamian authorities first received reports of a boat capsizing near the entrance of Nassau Harbor at 1:17 a.m. Sunday. They found the half-sunk, 30-foot speedboat seven miles from the island of New Providence, the most populous island in the Bahamian archipelago.

The hull of the boat is the same color blue of the sea, so it was difficult at night to identify the vessel.... Divers eventually went down, and thats where they recovered the 17 bodies, said police commissioner Clayton Fernander at a recent press conference describing the scene the rescue team found. There was one female who was still alive, was up in the air pocket in the hull.

It is the second such capsizing to occur in less than three months. In mid-May, a U.S.-bound boat that had left the Dominican Republic carrying an estimated 60 to 75 people, nearly all Haitian, capsized close to Puerto Ricos western shores. Eleven people, all Haitian women, died. Suspected smugglers from the Dominican Republic were arrested and charged with human smuggling and could spend life in prison if convicted.
Temperatures in the Treasure Valley will soar to near-record highs this week, marking back-to-back weeks that Boise has experienced heat wave-level temperatures.

Although the hot weather presents the perfect opportunity to enjoy a float down the Boise River or spend a day at a local park, it poses a series of risks for humans and animals.

Below are some frequently asked questions that you need to know heading into the hottest period of the year:

What is heat exhaustion and stroke, and how to spot it

Heat-related illnesses should be of heightened concern for infants and children up to the age of 4, people 65 and over, people who are overweight and those who are ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heat stroke kicks in when the body cannot control its temperature, and its sweating mechanism fails, resulting in body temperature rising as high as 106 degrees within 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat exhaustion is a less-severe form of heat stroke that develops over several days instead of in a short period like heat stroke. It occurs when there is an inadequate or imbalanced replacement of fluids in the body and can turn into heat stroke if not addressed quickly.

People should be mindful to always have a place to cool off. Make sure if you go out or travel, have something to drink, National Weather Service meteorologist Les Colin told the Idaho Statesman.

Make sure you keep your animals well-watered and generally inside, out of the sun, he continued. Basically normal, common sense measures to not allow yourself to be overcome by the heat.

Heat exhaustion

Dizziness

Thirst

Heavy sweating

Nausea

Weakness

What to do: Move to a cooler area, loosen clothing and sip on cool water. Seek medical help if the symptoms dont improve because heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke.

Heat stroke

Confusion

Dizziness

Becoming unconscious

What to do: Move the person to a cooler area, loosen clothing, remove any extra layers, and cool with water or ice.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and what to do if a person is exhibiting symptoms.

Animal safety

Under Idahos animal care law  Section 25-3504  you can be cited with a fine between $100 and $5,000 and up to six months in jail for a first-time offense of leaving an animal in a hot car. But regardless of the punishment, leaving an animal in a hot car can be much more severe for the animal than for the owner.

On an 85-degree day, it only takes ten minutes for the inside of a car to reach 102 degrees even when a window is cracked, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Within 30 minutes, the temperature in the car can be as high as 120 degrees.

Anything over 77 degrees is generally considered too hot to walk a dog and puts them at risk of heat stroke. Symptoms of overheating include:

Excessive panting or difficulty breathing

Increased heart and respiratory rate

Drooling

Mild weakness

Stupor

Collapse

Graphic from the American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty. The inside of your car can be 20 degrees hotter than the outside even in 70 degree weather.

Animals with flat faces such as pugs and Persian cats are more susceptible to heat stroke because they cant pant as effectively, Dr. LaCheryl Ball, who works for the ASPCA community medicine team, told the Statesman.

Make sure your pet is always hydrated, particularly when it is especially hot or humid. If your pets are outside, make sure they have a shady area to get out of the sun and do not over-exercise them, Ball said. Some dogs dont know when to stop exercising! On hot days, it is better to err on the side of caution by selecting times of day when the sun is not at its hottest and end a play session early to prevent overheating.

How much should you drink?

Drinking water is necessary regardless of the time of year, but its especially important in the summer to stave off dehydration and heat exhaustion. The CDC recommends that daily water intake should equal 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women.

You can determine your hydration levels based on urine color, with clear or very pale yellow urine indicating good hydration up to orange or amber-colored urine indicating moderate or severe hydration.

A color-coded urine chart to keep proper hydration

How can you stay cool in Boise?

Homeless services group Our Path Home has partnered with the City of Boise to provide welcoming spaces that offer a cool spot to relax during the heat of the day for all residents.

Our Path Homes primary focus is on the homeless community, but the organization said on its website that the cooling spaces are open for anyone.

The following map shows the seven locations around Boise that offer cooling spaces:

Ann Morrison Park - 1000 S. Americana Blvd.

Boise City Hall - 150 N. Capitol Blvd.

Cathedral of the Rockies - 717 N. 11th St.

Corpus Christi - 525 S. Americana Blvd.

Our Path Home Outreach - 511 S. Americana Blvd.

Downtown Boise Public Library - 715 S. Capitol Blvd.

Downtown YMCA - 1050 W. State St.

Weather safety quiz

Think youre a pro at hot weather safety? Take our quiz below to see how prepared you are for outdoors adventures this summer:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that 12 states have negotiated a tentative $4.25 billion settlement with opioid manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries over its marketing and distribution of potent and addictive painkillers.

This agreement is another major step toward addressing the opioid crisis and healing our communities, Bonta said. Nothing can undo the harm opioid makers like Teva have inflicted on families across the country or the lives lost to the opioid epidemic. But this agreement will provide much-needed relief for its victims and importantly, critical funds for overdose prevention and opioid addiction disorder treatment.

Bonta said the states continue to negotiate some critical details of the settlement but that he was sharing news of the tentative deal because the Israel-based drugmaker had disclosed that there was an agreement-in-principle Tuesday as the company also released its quarterly earnings announcement.

We are ... pleased to have reached a nationwide agreement in principle, pending participation by states and (municipalities), to resolve the majority of our costly legacy opioids litigation, and importantly, make critical medicines available to those most impacted by the U.S. opioid epidemic, said Teva Chief Executive Officer Kare Schultz, in a company statement.

Teva produces oxycodone and a number of other generic opioids as well as branded fentanyl products Actiq and Fentora that can be used for cancer pain.

The state attorneys general alleged that Teva had promoted its fentanyl products to non-cancer patients, and that in marketing campaigns, the company downplayed the drugs addictive properties while overstating how the drugs could help. The states also alleged that the drugmaker and its distributor Anda failed use required protocols to monitor suspicious orders.

As part of the agreement, Bonta said, Teva will pay a maximum of $4.25 billion over 13 years to states that participate in the deal. That settlement includes settlements that Teva already had negotiated with individual states, funds for participating states and local governments, and the $240 million of monetary payments in lieu of product described below.

Teva also will supply the participating states and municipalities with a total of $1.2 billion in generic naloxone, a drug that can counteract opioid overdoses, over a 10-year period. States may elect to take $240 million in lieu of the allotted supply of naloxone..

California, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin led the negotiations with Teva. The state of New York continues to negotiate a separate settlement with Teva.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is closely tracking the remnants of a Long March 5B rocket launched over the weekend, but the chances of debris causing damage are very slim, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Last year, China was accused of being opaque, particularly by NASA, after it kept silent about the estimated debris trajectory of a Long March 5B rocket and its reentry window.

On Sunday, China's most powerful rocket was launched for the third time since its maiden flight in 2020 to deliver a module into orbit as part of the contruction of a Chinese space station.

It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design and most components will be destroyed during reentry, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular media briefing, when asked if China knew when and where the rocket debris could land.

The probability of causing harm to aviation and the ground was very low, Zhao said.

Scientists say the odds of a populated area on land being hit by such debris are low, with most of the Earth's surface covered by water. But, in 2020, pieces of the first Long March 5B fell over the Ivory Coast and damaged several buildings.

A few hours after Zhao's attempt to allay concerns, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) disclosed the location of rocket in a rare public statement.

As of 4:00 p.m. (0800 GMT), the rocket was 263.2 km from the Earth at its farthest and 176.6 km at its nearest, the agency said, in its elliptical orbit.

The rocket is expected to reenter the atmosphere in the coming days under the pull of the Earth's gravity.

No estimated reentry details were given by CMSA on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard and Ryan Woo; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Klondike has announced that it's discontinuing the Choco Taco. (Claire Grummon / Associated Press)

The recent passing of two Mexican food legends sparked grief across the world.

Online essays and testimonials were quickly published. In television and radio interviews, acolytes hailed their pioneering work in promoting Mexican food in the United States and beyond. Pundits wondered whether there would ever be another quite like them. There was a mad rush to stockpile their products, for posteritys sake.

Am I talking about Diana Kennedy, who died Sunday at age 99 and whose cookbooks are credited with popularizing regional Mexican food in the United States? Sure. Im also talking about the Choco Taco, the frozen treat that parent company Klondike announced on Monday would be discontinued after 39 years.

All this week, my social media timelines have hosted nonstop tributes to the two. What amuses me is who's saying what. The praise for Kennedy is coming mostly from food writers, chefs and people who dont blink at dropping hundreds of dollars on dinner.

The love for Choco Tacos? Everyone else.

And the Venn diagram of the two groups barely overlaps, if at all.

Its cosmic justice  or at least further proof that God has a wicked sense of humor  that the deaths of Kennedy and the Choco Taco came just a day apart. They represent opposite ends of a battle that has raged for decades: whats authentic and whats not, and who gets to decide.

Proudly in the authenticista corner was Kennedy. She was a British-born woman who lived in Mexico during the 1960s and was shocked that the countrys upper classes largely dismissed its cuisine as peasant food. She went on to publicize Mexican food in the United States  first through classes in New York, then in a series of best-selling books.

Her career was legitimately legendary. What else would you call someone who, well into her 80s, drove a beat-up pickup truck thousands of miles across all sorts of terrain in Mexico, on the hunt for ingredients, recipes and the people who'd give them to her?

Diana Kennedy in 2018 at the Central Market in Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. (Los Angeles Times)

The Mexican government rewarded Kennedy with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor bestowed on foreigners. But she couldnt just stick to praising what she found. She never missed a chance to trash how the cuisine had developed in the United States, starting with her first book, 1972s The Cuisines of Mexico.

Far too many people know Mexican food as a mixed plate,'" she wrote, her sneer vaulting off the page. Kennedy went on to list the supposed sins of this meal: a hard-shelled taco, refried beans, a soggy tamal smothered in a too sweet and too overpoweringly onioned sauce and "something else that looks and tastes like all the rest."

Where is the wonderful play," she concluded, "of texture, color and flavor that makes up an authentic, well-cooked Mexican meal?

Never mind that what she described sounds divine. I like my jumble of cheesy items with extra rice  and hold the salad that no one touches.

With her dismissive words, Kennedy mocked generations of Mexicans in the American Southwest who had developed their own unique food traditions, like the taco trucks of Los Angeles, Denvers wonton-wrapped chile rellenos or the chile con carne of Tex-Mex.

I never had a problem with Kennedy  a white woman  telling the world about the glories of Mexican food. I had a problem with her lambasting people like me. Kennedy had bought into the lies of Mexican elites, who then and now laughed off Mexican Americans as pochos  not the real thing.

Reading "The Cuisines of Mexico" today, it's painfully obvious that Kennedy never bothered to visit the home kitchens of Mexican immigrants in Southern California, where she would've found more than a few of the recipes  albondigas, pipian, pozole, bunuelos and calabacitas, to name the most obvious  that she claimed didn't properly exist in el Norte.

Tellingly, Kennedy's first book named only one place in Los Angeles  El Mercadito in Boyle Heights  where her readers might source Mexican ingredients, while listing 11 in Manhattan.

Her treatment of Mexican food as a museum piece was paternalistic at best and racist at worst. But that was classic Kennedy, whom the food media loved to portray as a foul-mouthed mix of Indiana Jones and Miss Marple. Maybe they and their readers needed someone to teach them how special and varied Mexican food was.

But my parent's generation  who, to this day, come back from the motherland lugging suitcases stuffed with local cheeses, edible seeds, chiles and candies  never needed any pinche lessons.

Kennedy has her place in the history of Mexican food in the U.S., but future generations won't remember her kindly, just like they don't remember Bertha Haffner-Ginger, Erna Fergusson and other gabachas who made a career out of hawking "authentic" Mexican recipes to Americans decades before.

The same can't be said for the Choco Taco.

Few other foods can seem so non-Mexican as this: an ice cream confection concocted by a white guy from Philadelphia. And yet its muy, muy Mexican. Its core ingredients  chocolate, vanilla and a taco shell (albeit one made of waffle cone)  are Mexican in origin. Its affordability and ubiquity make it a treat for the masses, unlike the "authentic" meals at American Express prices made by high-end chefs like Rick Bayless who followed Kennedys gospel.

I'm actually not the biggest fan of Choco Tacos as a dessert  the shell is too rubbery, the chocolate and vanilla flavors not pronounced enough, the peanuts an afterthought. I prefer sherbet-flavored Push-Up pops or Popsicles in the form of animated characters like SpongeBob SquarePants or the Pink Panther.

But Choco Tacos represent happiness, summertime and family. That combo plate to me was always Mexican, because that was the scene whenever I bought some from the neighborhood ice cream truck or paletero, whether I was a kid or an adult.

The Choco Taco functions better as a metaphor, anyway. Tradition is important  but so is making and embracing our own traditions, letting other cultures learn from us and vice versa. Evolution, not stasis, is why Mexican food remains one of the most vibrant cuisines in the world. Nothings more authentically Mexican than a mishmash  and if you dont believe that, you must think that Bohemia beer is named after an Aztec emperor.

The hubbub over Kennedy and Choco Taco inspired me to seek out both. I dug up my Kennedy books and quickly put them away  why read about recipes I could go enjoy down the street? Then, I went on a search for Choco Tacos.

First, my local Northgate Gonzalez and Superior Grocers markets  sold out, while rows of Mexican iced treats like ice cream, paletas and bolis (freezies) sat untouched. American supermarkets  same. Liquor store after liquor store  nothing.

Finally, I found Choco Tacos at a gas station deep in Santa Ana and bought six. I asked the cashier if people had been buying them up. Yeah, they always sell good, he replied.

The poor guy obviously hadnt heard the news, so I told him. His eyes widened.

Damn, that sucks! he said, then stopped and smiled. I better get a bunch!

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Were tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back each week for updates.

More than 16,000 COVID cases in SC last week

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, July 26, reported 16,570 COVID-19 cases and nine coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending July 23. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

At least 1.6 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and more than 18,000 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.

Data shows COVID-19 cases are up about 13% compared with this time last week, and hospitalizations jumped roughly 13%. As of July 23, an average 512 people in the state were hospitalized with the coronavirus, including 77 patients being treated in intensive care and 23 patients on ventilators, the latest available data shows.

The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week of July 16, according to the latest available state data. The DHECs Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to find out about new strains of the virus, the agencys website reads.

More than 52% percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 60% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.

SCs updated student vaccine rules leave out COVID shot

South Carolina updated its vaccination rules for students but has left the COVID-19 shot off the list of those needed for the upcoming school year.

Among the new requirements are vaccines to help protect against hepatitis A, polio and chickenpox, The State reported on July 22.

But the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control wont require that children returning to school in the fall get doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Health officials have recommended that people ages 5 and older get the shots as the coronavirus continues to spread.

More details about the required vaccines are listed here.

Violent COVID test required surgery, SC lawsuit says

A COVID-19 test swab hurt a woman so badly that she required surgery, she said.

The violent test left her needing several procedures on her sinus cavity and caused lasting injuries, according to the lawsuit filed against the Medical University of South Carolina. In a statement, the health care provider declined to comment.

The woman said she got the test at an MUSC lab in Charleston, McClatchy News reported on July 20.

Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: long COVID, Biden, omicron BA.5 subvariant & more

South Carolina seeing more cases of children with COVID-19, medical officials say. What to know

CDC wants more SC residents to wear masks as COVID-19 cases spike. Heres where
Democratic groups are pushing back at the Disney-owned streaming service Hulu over its decision to not air ads about abortion and guns  two central points in Democrats' midterm campaigns. (Photo illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Disney has been facing a firestorm from conservative Republicans in recent months over the companys vow to help repeal a Florida law that limits how LGBTQ people and issues can be talked about in schools.

Now, Democrats are irate over a decision by the Disney-owned streaming service Hulu to not air ads about abortion and guns  two central points in Democrats midterm campaigns.

Hulus censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country, according to a statement by the leaders of the Democrats Senate and congressional campaign committees and gubernatorial association. Voters have the right to know the facts about MAGA Republicans agenda on issues like abortion  and Hulu is doing a huge disservice to the American people by blocking voters from learning the truth about the GOP record or denying these issues from even being discussed.

A person at Disney familiar with the matter said that while Hulu accepts candidate ads, the streaming service was firmly within its rights to decide which ads to air.

To minimize misinformation and to protect the consumer experience, Hulus long-standing guidelines prohibit advertising that takes a position on a controversial issue of public importance, and Hulu has always reviewed candidate ads on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

The kerfuffle began July 15, when the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Governors Assn. sought to place ads about abortion rights and gun violence on Hulu, Facebook, YouTube, Roku, NBC/Universal, ESPN and the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, according to a national Democratic Party official. The last two, like Hulu, are also owned by Disney.

One ad argues that the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade is the result of a coordinated Republican attack on abortion and that the GOP would seek to ban abortions nationwide. The other cites statistics on gun deaths including the number of children killed and claims that Republicans are more devoted to the gun lobby than taking common sense action to make our kids safe.

Make your voice heard by voting in November, both ads conclude.

The ads ran on every outlet except Hulu, which has more than 45 million subscribers. In addition to streaming many broadcast and cable stations shows, it creates original programming such as the award-winning The Handmaids Tale series.

Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said Hulu was legally in the clear. Though the 1934 Communications Act requires television networks to air ads from the major political parties, there is no similar mandate for streaming services.

Legally, Hulu can basically pick and choose which political advertisements to run. This is another example of technology outpacing the law, she said. If people dont like Hulus decision, the solution is to cancel your subscription, not file a lawsuit.

Indeed, some social media users tweeted about canceling their subscriptions using the hashtag #BoycottHulu. Others coopted the hashtag to express gratefulness for not having to watch political ads.

Its the latest political controversy to face Disney.

Earlier this year, liberals were angry when Disney did not initially speak out about Floridas Parental Rights in Education law, called the Dont Say Gay law by its critics. After the law passed and the company faced employee protests, Disney pledged to help repeal the measure. Conservatives were outraged; conspiracy theorists and pundits accused Disney of nefarious intent against children. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation aiming to end special privileges in a dedicated area of Central Florida that is home to Walt Disney World Resort.

Youre a corporation based in Burbank, California, and youre going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state? We view that as a provocation, and were going to fight back against that, DeSantis said in April after signing the legislation.

The conservative backlash has not stopped. Last week, Turning Point USA's founder called for a boycott. It's time they realized that if they go woke, then they go broke! Charlie Kirk wrote in an email to supporters.

In the midst of the firestorm over LGBTQ rights in Florida, employees of Pixar, another Disney subsidiary, took the company to task for removing moments of "overtly gay affection" from its movies. In response, Disney restored a brief same-sex kiss in the "Toy Story" spinoff "Lightyear" that had been edited out.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A federal magistrate judge on Wednesday set a $500,000 bond for former top Hampton banker Russell Laffitte, who is alleged to have helped disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh steal millions of dollars using Laffittes bank.

Laffitte, 51, who pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday surrounded by family members, has to put up $25,000 in cash, with the rest being a secured bond. If he doesnt comply with court conditions, he will have to forfeit the entire $500,000, the federal magistrate judge said.

Neither Laffitte nor his attorneys Matt Austin and Bart Daniel spoke to reporters as they left the courthouse Wednesday.

In court before Magistrate Judge Molly Cherry, however, Daniel gave a spirited defense of Laffittes rights to a fair trial, criticizing various other unidentified attorneys for making misleading out-of-court statements about his clients case.

There have been some statements made by counsel in related cases that quite frankly arent true, Daniel told Cherry, without saying what those statements are. We are going to fight and ... make sure he (Laffitte) gets a fair trial.

Laffitte, who was indicted last week by a federal grand jury, is alleged to have carried out numerous financial thefts for years. The 17-page indictment contains details of how Laffitte and Murdaugh used their access to a federally-insured financial institution to steal millions of dollars.

As the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank in Hampton, Laffitte used his position to help Murdaugh gain access to substantial amounts of cash in the care, custody and control of the bank, the federal indictment charges.

Laffitte also faces state charges, alleging he was involved in years-long conspiracy to help Murdaugh steal millions of dollars from Murdaughs clients, whose money had been placed into conservatorships overseen by Laffittes family-owned bank, Palmetto State Bank.

Austin urged the magistrate judge Wednesday to set a low bond, stressing Laffitte is a lifelong resident of South Carolina, who has only gone as far as Newberry College and who is an active member of his Hampton County community.

Austin added that Laffitte has been cooperating for months with the FBI, the State Law Enforcement Division and the state grand jury.

He is not hiding anything, Austin said, adding, the only question is whether he is going to get time.

As part of his bond conditions, Laffitte is required to be under house arrest at his large farm, wear an ankle location monitor and surrender his passport. The magistrate judge also instructed Laffitte that he is prohibited from discussing matters in the indictment with family members who are shareholders, employees or officers in his family bank.

Laffittes appearance in federal court in Charleston was yet another sign that parallel criminal investigations  one by federal authorities and one by state officials into the states legal and banking worlds  are continuing apace into one of the largest financial scandals in South Carolina history.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse on Wednesday recited the charges against Laffitte that include bank fraud, wire fraud and misapplication of funds. Each of the five charges carries a maximum 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, she said.

Palmetto State Bank bank, a bank owned and operated primarily by Laffittes family, was at the center of Laffitte and Murdaughs money-making schemes, the federal indictment asserts.

With the stolen money, Murdaugh and Laffitte sent money to their own relatives and their own personal checking accounts and paid off loans and bills, the indictment said.

The two would replenish money they took out of some conservatorships by taking money out of other conservatorships, the indictment said. The bank was used as a slush fund for both men, said lawyers for two of the alleged victims in the case.

Murdaugh faces a slew of financial charges that total nearly $8.5 million, and he faces murder charges in the double slaying of his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul, who were found dead in the familys Colleton County estate in June 2021.

Murdaugh, who remains in the Richland County jail, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

Former Hampton banker Russell Laffitte, left, leaves the federal courthouse in Charleston, S.C., on July 27, 2022, with his attorney Matt Austin.

This is not a parking ticket case

Attorney Eric Bland, who represents Murdaugh and Laffittes alleged financial victims, argued Wednesday that Laffitte should receive among the stiffest bonds possible.

The victims are two sisters who, years ago as girls, were victims in an accident that left two family members dead and the then-girls with serious injuries and millions of dollars in a conservatorship overseen by Laffitte.

Mr. Laffitte should get bond, but this is not a parking ticket case, Bland told the magistrate judge.

Laffitte and Murdaugh plundered the girls conservatorships and when the girls turned 18, paid the money back by taking money out of other conservatorships, Bland said. Meanwhile, Laffitte made at least $300,000 in fees plus 5% interest a year on the balance of the girls conservatorships.

At this time, there is still money that is owned to these girls, Bland said.

Blands firm partner, Ronnie Richter, told the magistrate judge that while Laffitte was stealing from the girls, he became a father figure to them because they had to come to him for money to help cover costs including Christmas gifts, allowances and cellphones.

They had no idea he was using that money to make loans to himself and Alex Murdaugh, Richter said.

Laffitte not only abused the girls trust, but he violated his duties as a court-appointed steward of their money, he said.

Standing near Bland and Richter was Alania Spohn, now 29 and a deputy with the Lexington County Sheriffs Department, who was one of the girls whose money was misappropriated by Laffitte.

Laffitte was fired by his family-owned bank last January after an internal investigation disclosed irregularities in financial matters under his purview.

It was a stunning finale to an always upwards career. He had started at the bank as a teller and loan officer in 1997 and became executive vice president and loan officer in 2015. In 2020, he became the banks chief executive officer and was responsible for approving large loans and sat on the banks board of directors.
A Fairview Heights man faces multiple charges of possessing child pornography after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies led police officers to his house with a search warrant.

The St. Clair County States Attorneys office on Wednesday filed seven felony counts against Jesse J. Bier, 38, of the the 800 block of Harbor Woods. They include six counts of possessing pornographic videos of a child under the age of 13 and one count of pornography with a child under 18.

A search warrant was served on Bier Tuesday by criminal investigators with the Fairview Heights and OFallon police departments and members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to information provided by OFallon police.

The initial six counts are class 2 felonies, each punishable for seven to 14 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to Illinois sentencing guidelines. The class 3 felony for possession child porn of a victim less than 18 is punishable for five to 10 years and fines, the guildelines state.

Bier was transported to the St. Clair County Jail. Bond was set at $75,000.

The investigation stemmed from a CyberTipline report that was sent by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigates child exploitation crimes and trains of law enforcement investigators.

Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. Reports during 2021 increased by 42 percent over 2020, according to the OFallon Police Department.
Michael Carvajal, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, prepares to testify Tuesday. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

With just days left in his tenure, the director of the federal prison system faced a bipartisan onslaught Tuesday as he refused to accept responsibility for a culture of corruption and misconduct that has plagued his agency for years.

Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, testifying before the Senates permanent subcommittee on investigations, contended that he had been shielded from problems by his underlings  even though hed been copied on emails, and some of the troubles were detailed in reports generated by the agencys headquarters.

Carvajal, who announced his resignation in January and is set to be replaced next week by Oregons state prison director, Colette Peters, blamed the size and structure of the Bureau of Prisons for his ignorance on issues such as inmate suicides, sexual abuse and the free flow of drugs, weapons and other contraband that has roiled some of the agencys 122 facilities.

Carvajal said several times that the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Departments largest component with a budget of more than $8 billion, was a very large and complex organization and that there was no possible way for him to know everything that was going on.

Carvajals attempts to deflect responsibility for the prison system's failings didnt sit well with the subcommittees chairman, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), nor its ranking member, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). The subcommittee's scrutiny of the Bureau of Prisons was spurred in part by Associated Press reporting that has exposed myriad crises at the agency.

Further aggravating the senators, Carvajal initially refused to testify, only doing so after the subcommittee subpoenaed him on July 14  and then, upon arriving in the hearing room, claiming he was there voluntarily. Ossoff withdrew the subpoena immediately before Carvajal's testimony, only after the director appeared at the hearing.

Its almost willful ignorance, and thats what I find disturbing, Johnson said of Carvajal's assertion. Dont want to know whats happening below me. Dont want to hear about rapes. Dont want to hear about suicides.

Added Ossoff: Its a disgrace. And for the answer to be, other people deal with that; I got the report; I dont remember  its completely unacceptable.

Afterward, Carvajal fled from reporters seeking to speak with him about his testimony. The director, whos declined nearly all interview requests since taking office in 2020, ducked into a freight elevator with aides before bolting down a stairwell once they realized reporters had followed them in.

Tuesdays hearing, one of several promised by the subcommittee, focused on years of misconduct and abuse at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta, but the problems unearthed there speak to larger systemic issues in the Bureau of Prisons, such as severe staffing shortages, deficient healthcare and barely edible food.

The Atlanta prison, a 120-year-old relic in Ossoffs home state, once housed some of the countrys most notorious criminals, including gangsters Al Capone and James Whitey Bulger as well as Carlo Ponzi, the namesake of the Ponzi scheme. Today, it's a crumbling, medium-security facility  no longer a penitentiary in the true sense of the term  with about 900 male inmates, including people awaiting trial.

Tuesday's hearing, which featured testimony from Atlanta whistleblowers before Carvajals questioning, came amid an AP investigation that has exposed widespread problems within the agency, including criminal employees, escaping inmates, a womens prison known to staff and inmates as the rape club because of rampant staff sexual abuse, and critically low staffing that has hampered responses to emergencies.

Witnesses described what they said was known as the Atlanta way  a culture that allowed misconduct at the prison to persist for years.

Carvajal told the committee he learned of the prisons problems only last year and immediately took action, reducing the inmate population and removing dozens of managers. Despite that, the witnesses said, the facility is still in dire straits.

Ossoff said evidence obtained by the subcommittee's investigators showed agency leadership was made aware of problems at Atlanta as far back as 2014. Carvajal has been a member of the agency's senior leadership since 2013.

Erika Ramirez, the Atlanta prisons former chief psychologist, said she was transferred to a different federal prison out of retaliation after raising concerns about poor conditions and a rash of inmate suicides. Ramirez said she alerted the prisons warden, other higher-ups and the agency's headquarters, to no avail.

Ramirez said contraband issues were so prevalent that she confiscated a smuggled microwave from one inmate, only to find it in another prisoners cell just a few days later. She said she confirmed it was the same device by its serial number.

Ramirez said the mold-riddled prison had such shoddy infrastructure, elevators were constantly broken and the sewers would overflow into the recreation yard during rainstorms, sometimes leaving a foot of human waste behind.

Terri Whitehead, an administrator who left the prison last year, testified there were so many rats in the food service area, employees would leave the prisons doors to the outside wide open so stray cats could take care of them, compromising the prisons security.

Ossoff told the AP after the hearing that Carvajals testimony lacked credibility at times and that the director's assertion he wasn't aware of the issues at the Atlanta prison until about a year ago strains credulity.

In one of the hearings tensest moments, Ossoff pressed Carvajal on rampant sexual abuse at Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, a federal womens prison in the Bay Area known to staff and inmates as the rape club." Among the Dublin employees charged so far is the prisons former warden.

Is the Bureau of Prisons able to keep female detainees safe from sexual abuse by staff?" Ossoff asked. "Yes or no?

Yes, we are, Carvajal shot back. In those cases when things happen, we hold people appropriately accountable.

You are the director at a time when one of your prisons is known to staff and inmates as a rape club,' Ossoff said, to silence and stares from Carvajal.

Pressed for an answer, Carvajal said the matter is under investigation.

Afterward, Ossoff took issue with Carvajal's claims that the Bureau of Prisons can keep female inmates  or any inmates  safe.

It is demonstrably false that female detainees in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons are safe, Ossoff told the AP. It is demonstrably false. And it is demonstrably false that any inmates can rely upon the quality of care and medical care at multiple BOP facilities.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kansas Citys preeminent Black political club, Freedom Incorporated, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Last weekend it held a brunch to talk about the past, and the future.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones co-chaired the event. Both are Black. Freedom Inc. has much to celebrate.

Freedom continues to be relevant because we pay attention to the needs of our community, and we try to still articulate those information points to (voters), said Freedom Inc. board member Rodney Bland.

In the years to come, though, endorsements may not be enough. While Black politicians are no longer standing on the outside, Black political influence hasnt ended the struggles facing the regions poorest residents. Violence, uneven schools, poor health outcomes and substandard housing remain stubborn issues on the East Side.

Freedom, Inc.  not just its candidates, but the organization itself  must be a leading voice in addressing those concerns.

Freedom dates its founding to 1962. Five activists, including Leon Jordan and Bruce Watkins, formed an organization designed to consolidate the Black vote in the city and the county, turning aspiration into real political power.

It was a different time. Kansas City was in the middle of a fierce debate over a nondiscrimination ordinance: At the time, it was legal for a bar owner to ban Black customers, a concept that seems beyond imagination today. (One bar owners group passed out flyers claiming it is not feasible to integrate the Black and white races at this time.)

With Freedoms help, two Black members were elected to the City Council in 1963, a first. A year later, Kansas Citians approved the nondiscrimination ordinance. Black candidates prevailed in county races. The Missouri legislature welcomed Black representatives from Kansas City. (Sadly, in 1970, Jordan was murdered.)

For the next 25 years, Freedom was generally recognized as the dominant political organization on the citys East Side. It routinely provided 25,000 votes for favored candidates, enough to provide a margin of victory for citywide races. Its endorsement was coveted by all politicians.

Its get-out-the-vote operation was critical for local and statewide candidates and the Democratic Party. Black candidates continued to win races. In 1991, Emanuel Cleaver became the citys first Black mayor.

In the 1990s, however, and in the years to follow, Freedoms influence began to slip. Some of the problems were inevitable: Younger voters, disinclined to join clubs their parents embraced, started to drift away. Freedom now delivered 5,000 votes, not 25,000.

Some candidates became distrustful of Freedoms endorsement. Scandal at City Hall, and beyond, played a role.

Freedom wasnt blameless for the slump. It changed leadership frequently. Its bookkeeping was a mess, earning a rebuke from the Missouri Ethics Commission. The feeling grew that Freedoms endorsement was more a matter of money than commitment.

Bland says he understands that history, but those days pass  we actually look at a candidate (now), and see their ability to answer questions and demonstrate their ability.

Well see Freedoms influence, up or down, at the polls next Tuesday. But we think the club must continue its efforts beyond Election Day, by insisting all candidates address ongoing challenges in the citys poorest neighborhoods: Vacant lots, trash, abandoned buildings all plague the inner city still.

Murders ravage the Black community. Guns and violent crime must be addressed as well  by all of us, including Freedom Inc.

Kansas City needs and deserves a political organization focused on giving voice to the voiceless. For 60 years, Freedom, with a few hiccups, has achieved that goal. We need its work now, more than ever.
Scrolling through his Twitter feed, Robert Randolph Jr. came across a July 22 tweet by The Associated Press that bothered him.

The spread of monkeypox in the U.S. could represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease, it read.

He clicked the link to the article in the tweet and read it. Then, he says, he read the comments and replies.

What I saw were a bunch of, particularly, Black queer men, who were questioning the rhetoric of this article, said Randolph, a 44-year-old Black queer writer from Greensboro. They were critiquing it as  you know, rightfully so in my opinion  click bait.

Monkeypox is a viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over.

Those saying monkeypox is a sexually transmitted infection point to data that show the outbreak has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human also notes this trend.

While monkeypox can affect anyone through close skin to skin contact, our data show that currently almost all cases in North Carolina and across the country have been in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley, who is gay, said in a press release Monday.

This kind of messaging on monkeypox is being criticized by some in the LGBTQ community and its allies. They fear it will stigmatize gay, bisexual and transgender people who have sex with other men, as early language about HIV/AIDS did in the 1980s and 90s.

Still, most public health leaders insist the language being used is fair and will help reduce the number of cases among men who have sex with men.

The STI stigma

In 1992, Randolph was a freshman at Southwest Edgecombe High School in Pinetops, about 70 miles east of Raleigh.

Randolph very vividly remembers a teacher who had lesions on his skin and used makeup to conceal them. No one knew his diagnosis, he said, but that did not stop people from spreading a rumor he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

This notion that monkeypox may become a new STI or STD is ... dredging up those memories, Randolph said. Were seeing the same rhetoric occurring again. And thats not only dangerous and problematic, but its sad.

Joaquin Carcano of Durham agrees and is talking with public health leaders as director of community organizing of the Latino Commission on AIDS.

A queer and transgender man, Carcano says LGBTQ people in his circles are mobilizing around monkeypox, whether to debunk misinformation or helping people get tested and vaccinated.

But then, you know, you go on social media, like Twitter or something, where you dont have that sort of bubble of your own community and you see all the really harmful messaging, he said. As we know through HIV  and even through COVID  shame-based messaging does not help. And I think we very quickly fell into it.

Carcano points to comments on social media that place the blame on gay people.

Its that sort of villainizing language of, Well, if gay people just stopped having so much sex, you know, it wouldnt affect the rest of us, or, you know, things like that, he said.

When the first monkeypox case was confirmed out of Massachusetts on May 18, Elizabeth Finley of Durham says the National Coalition of STD Directors got involved. She is the communications director for the coalition, a group that regularly convenes state-level STD program directors and community leaders.

Monkeypox was lumped into STD prevention measures even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked to determine how to classify the outbreak, since the virus isnt only transmitted through sex.

To be technically categorized as an STD or STI, you know, it has to be transferred through ejaculate, pre-ejaculate or vaginal fluid, she said. And [monkeypox] is coming through, to our knowledge, close contact.

Condoms and other barrier methods can dramatically reduce that risk of [STI] transmission, according to Dr. Dave Wessner, a biology professor and HIV educator at Davidson College.

Thats not quite the case with monkeypox.

The virus is getting transmitted from skin to skin contact involving the pustules, the poxes themselves, he said. Wearing a condom is not necessarily going to stop the transmission.

Thats why Wessner says the focus should be that the virus is transmitted primarily through close bodily contact regardless of sexual orientation or gender.

Yes, most of the cases have been in gay men, he said. But thats really a secondary point, as far as Im concerned.

Its also what Carcano believes.





When we talk about monkey pox, we need to really focus on the exposure part, he said. When we say men who have sex with men, just putting sex into that framing of it, you know, again, leads people to think about promiscuity ... sinful behavior, and like, all of this stuff that theyre really focusing on

Government response

Just days after the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global public health emergency and the CDC confirmed the first two cases of monkeypox in children, the White House held a COVID-19 and monkeypox briefing.

Dr. Ashish Jha told McClatchy DC on Monday that the government has been deeply engaged with the LGBTQ community both to share information, also to make sure that everybody is communicating in a way thats both scientifically accurate and respectful.

Its really important that we do not use this moment to propagate homophobic or transphobic messaging, he said.

DHHS describes monkeypox as a rare disease caused by an orthopox virus that spreads through close contact with skin, clothes, linens and body fluids, including saliva and lesion fluid and crusts.

The department is stressing that most monkeypox cases in the state so far have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men so people know exactly how this current outbreak is playing out and so that individuals most at risk can protect themselves, Kinsley said.

Its not uncommon for diseases, to take root in social networks, he added. Especially social networks that are closely and tightly connected like [men who have sex with men].

The department has not shared data on sexual orientation and gender identity. In fact, it did not share other demographic data like race and age until the state reached 20 cases. And its not for lack of transparency, Kinsley said, but rather, privacy.

I think its important to remember that for any sort of data release, we have to protect  and we want to protect  the privacy of individuals, he said. Im not in the business of outing anyone.

While not perfect, Finley said the current monkeypox messaging has been well thought out and that members of the LGBTQ community have had a seat at the table in those discussions.

A big problem, Finely said, is that many cases are likely not being reported because of barriers in access to health care, emphasizing that STD and STI clinics are not federally funded in the United States.

We know there isnt enough testing thats happening. We know that a lot of providers dont have the supplies, or appointment availability, or means to be able to test, she said. We have clinicians who have just not been fully aware of what to look for.

North Carolina had administered 533 doses of the vaccine at no cost as of Monday. Thats just a fraction of the 4,548 doses allocated by the federal government, enough to fully vaccinate approximately 2,300 people with the recommended two-dose series.

Most doses have been distributed to nine county health departments offering the vaccine, including Durham and Wake.

More vaccine is expected in the coming weeks, according to NCDHHS.

Equality NC and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will hold a virtual town hall at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28, to share information on how to get checked, treated and tested for monkeypox. Watch at https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1600523673. Or One tap mobile: US: +16692545252,,1600523673# or +16468287666,,1600523673#
EXCLUSIVE: The ghosts of Russian President Vladimir Putins brutal past have emerged amid his deadly war in Ukraine as a group of Chechen fighters now looks to establish their own stake in the fight.

"This is a repetition of the tragedy in Chechnya," Islam Belokiev, spokesman for the Sheikh Mansur Battalion, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "In every Ukrainian today, I see that Chechen woman, Chechen man, Chechen children."

Belokiev, born in 1989, grew up amid a series of brutal civil wars in one of Russias most southern republics and recalled the destruction he and the children of his generation knew until he left Chechnya in 2004.

Grozny, Russia, besieged by the Russian army in August 1996. Eric Bouvet/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

PUTIN FACES SECOND WAR FRONT AS CHECHENS THREATEN NEW OFFENSIVE IN RUSSIA

"When I was coming here from Poland, I saw a group of children from an orphanage who were crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border. This moved me very much," he said in an interview translated with the help of the Ukraine Frontline Media Platform. "And then I remembered those children who also fled from Chechnya and were looking for some kind of safe haven."

Back-to-back wars broke out in Chechnya after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, followed by a push for independence from Moscow by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Chechen resistance to Russian rule dates back centuries and a deadly war raged from 1994 to 1996 before a peace treaty was signed by then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin and broad autonomy was granted.

But by 1999, Putin, after taking up the post as Russian prime minster, voided the treaty and launched a decades-long military campaign in the southern republic.

An estimated 160,000 civilians were killed in both campaigns, though exact figures remain unclear and Belokiev said Chechen resistance fighters believe the number of causalities from both wars to be closer to 300,000.

"We are a small [region]," he said, noting that no one went unharmed during the decades of war with Moscow. "We, practically, do not have a single family where there is no one who died or did not take part.

"This is a repetition of that tragedy," he said in reference to Putins "special military operation" in Ukraine. "And therefore, I consider it my duty to be here."

Vitaly, 52, says he is of Russian origin and fought in the Russian army during the first Chechen war, but today fights alongside Ukrainian soldiers on Feb. 9, 2022, in Pisky, Ukraine. Originally from Donetsk, Vitaly says he saw his city invaded and people massacred. Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images

RUSSIA USING 85% OF FIGHTING FORCE IN UKRAINE: SENIOR US DEFENSE OFFICIAL

The volunteer battalion has been in Ukraine since 2014 and Belokiev joined the fight following Russias second invasion in February.

The Chechen battalion, which allegedly has as many as 800 volunteer soldiers, has said it has a plot to use Putins latest war to its advantage.

"Russia is brandishing a nuclear baton and threatening the whole world with it," Belokiev said. "And Chechnya, in fact, the entire North Caucasus, is the Achilles' heel of the Russian Federation."

The battalions spokesman argued that Chechnya is already Russias "weak point" and it behooves Ukraine and Western nations to throw their weight behind the resistance amid Putins war.

"If Chechnya becomes independent today and the Chechens are able to defend their freedom, this will weaken Russia," he claimed.

BELARUSIAN COMMANDER IN UKRAINE SAYS 'MATTER OF TIME' BEFORE HE HAS TO FIGHT HIS OWN COUNTRY IN RUSSIA'S WAR

Ukrainian soldiers ride on an armored personnel carrier in the eastern Luhansk region on June 23, 2022. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Belokiev announced a plan last week that could force Russia to divert forces from Ukraine by launching a new offensive in Chechnya  creating a second war front for Putin to grapple with.

But there is a major caveat that the spokesman admitted has fallen on "deaf" government ears  the Chechen resistance forces want "political, military and informational support" from developed nations.

"We know where bases are located, how many people are there, routes and so on," he said, explaining they have been working with locals to identify troop movements to form their strategy. "We need weapons with which we can fight."

The group is also calling for "political support" and the "recognition of political sovereignty and the independence of the Republic of Ichkeria"  which refers to the secessionist government in Chechnya.

"If Russia has the audacity to recognize the illegitimate Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and seize the territories of other countries, then Ukraine has every right  and I consider it politically expedient  to recognize a legitimate Republic of Ichkeria," he added.

Russian soldiers pose by a T-80 tank in a position close to the Azovstal front line in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Maximilian Clarke/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Belokiev, whose family went into hiding following Russias invasion of Ukraine, said the battalion is already in talks with officials from the Ukrainian government and security services, though Fox News could not independently verify this.

Despite Belokiev's determination to reignite the fight for independence by relying on local populations, one expert thinks this will be easier said than done.

Theodore Karasik, who reported on the Chechen wars in the '90s and serves as a fellow specializing in Russian and Middle Eastern Affairs with the Jamestown Foundation, said resistance fighters will be hard-pressed to find widespread dissent in Chechnya against the current leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

"After Russia conquered Grozny  in the matter that it does, through meat-grinder warfare  [Moscow was] able to come to a deal with the Kadyrov clan," he explained. "Kadyrov has controlled the republic for years, and any vestige of this type of thinking was long ago cast away."

Karasik explained that following the war, the Putin-backed Chechen leadership brutally cracked down on dissent in an attempt to stamp out calls for independence and told Fox News Digital, "You still find police wrapping people up" who oppose Moscow rule.

The Chechen fighter said he and his battalion will keep defending Ukrainian sovereignty for as long as it takes, but they maintain hope that one day soon they will also be fighting for Chechen independence.
On Aug. 2, Kansans will decide the future of abortion rights in the state by voting on an amendment that would remove the right to abortion from the Kansas constitution.

There are a lot of half-truths floating around about the amendment, and weve heard from readers with a lot of questions about what is actually at stake.

Quick reminder: If Kansans vote yes on the ballot and the amendment passes, the legislature will be able to impose new restrictions on abortion, which could include banning the procedure. If Kansans vote no and the amendment does not pass, the Legislature would continue to be barred from passing most legislation that impedes an individuals access to abortion.

One of the most common questions weve heard at The Star is along the lines of: Will Kansas completely ban abortions if the amendment passes?

The short answer is no, but it will be possible. The amendment itself would not enact an abortion ban, but it does open up a door for the state Legislature to pass one.

This story digs deeper into that question of what a yes vote really means. If you have other additional questions, check out The Stars Kansas abortion amendment FAQ.

What does it mean to remove the right to abortion in Kansas?

In 2019, Kansas State Supreme Court justices ruled that the Kansas constitution contains a right to bodily autonomy, including the right to end a pregnancy.

The courts decision named a state right to abortion and continues to recognize the right in Kansas even after federal rights ended when Roe v. Wade was overturned.

That state right to abortion creates the need for an extremely high level of strict scrutiny from the court when it comes to restricting the procedure in Kansas. That high level of strict scrutiny is the legal standard over how abortion is regulated in the state.

It means that for now, most new restrictions, including a total ban, would be considered unconstitutional in Kansas.

If a majority of people vote yes on the ballot and the amendment passes, language would be added to the Kansas constitution that would take away that right to abortion.

Removing the right would change the legal standard for how abortions are regulated, and would allow the Kansas Legislature to impose new restrictions. That includes the possibility of completely banning the procedure, without any exceptions for rape, incest or medical emergency if enough lawmakers voted to do so.

Are Kansans voting on an abortion ban?

The amendment itself will not automatically ban abortion if passed.

A total ban would require a few more steps and would not be immediate or guaranteed in Kansas.

This amendment vote will decide whether the current right to abortion will remain in place or not.

If the amendment passes, legislators will be able to pass laws in the future that further restrict abortions, which could include a total ban.

Republicans currently hold a veto-proof majority in the Kansas Legislature. To pass an abortion ban, a majority of lawmakers and the governor would have to approve of one, or two thirds of lawmakers would need to vote to ban abortion and override a veto from the governor.

Will lawmakers ban abortion if the amendment is passed?

We dont know for sure.

It is possible that lawmakers would introduce a bill that could either further restrict or ban abortion.

We cant tell the future, but we do know that earlier this year, a far-right state legislator introduced a bill that would have banned and criminalized nearly all abortions, except in cases of miscarriage, stillbirth or ectopic pregnancies. The bill did not receive a hearing and died once the legislative session closed in May.

The primary vote-yes campaign has refused to answer questions about whether they will pursue an abortion ban after the vote.

How soon could lawmakers ban abortion if the amendment passes?

State lawmakers could hold a special session to discuss abortion rights, which is when lawmakers convene outside of the regular legislative session.

The Legislature could call a special session any time after the amendment vote and before January, when the regular session is set to begin. Special sessions must either be called by the Governor or a two-thirds majority of the Legislature.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told reporters earlier this month she would not call a special session. Special sessions called by the Legislature itself are extremely rare, though the Legislature did gather the votes needed to call a special session on COVID-19 vaccine mandates last year.

What does a yes vote mean for abortion regulations other than a ban?

If Kansans vote yes and pass this amendment, nothing would change about the current abortion regulations that are already in place.

Kansas already heavily regulates abortion, even while it is a protected right.

Currently, abortions after 22 weeks are strictly limited. Patients must receive mandatory state-written materials before going through with an abortion. An ultrasound is required, and so is parental consent for minors.

Right now, abortion clinics in Kansas face regulation from the state health department for safety, sanitation and cleanliness. Practicing clinicians must abide by license requirements and investigations by the state, just like all other licensed medical professionals in Kansas.

Also, telemedicine abortion is banned, so patients must go to appointments and be prescribed abortion medication in person.

If the amendment passes, what would change is the legal standard for what kinds of additional laws the Legislature could pass around abortion and what kinds of restrictions can be enforced.

Lawmakers would have the ability to add more regulations and restrictions on the procedure with fewer legal guardrails. They would not have to meet that legal standard of strict scrutiny, which is why a total ban without exception would be possible.

Will a yes vote add any new abortion restrictions immediately?

Maybe not immediately, but a couple abortion restrictions that Kansas courts struck down in the past are likely to be enacted.

If the amendment passes, top anti-abortion lawmakers in the state have said they will prioritize ensuring two laws that have been struck down will be enforced: a ban on dilation and evacuation abortions, and a 2011 law that established an extra set of licensure and safety requirements for abortion procedures on top of the state health and safety and medical licensing requirements already in place.

Enforcing those two laws could take court filings or new legislation.

Who can vote on the amendment?

All registered voters can participate in the vote, regardless of party affiliation.

If you have other additional questions, check out The Stars Kansas abortion amendment FAQ, or email us at kcq@kcstar.com.
Shoppers at the Long Beach Flea Market in April. Officials with Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Long Beach have come out against a mask mandate were the county to order it in a spike of COVID-19 cases. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Although Los Angeles County is days away from possibly imposing another universal public indoor mask mandate, several cities within the county say they won't enforce one if implemented or issue their own.

Officials with the cities of Pasadena, Long Beach and Beverly Hills have come out against a new mask mandate in a spike of COVID-19 cases fueled by the hyper-infectious Omicron subvariants.

"Pasadena Public Health Department has determined that jurisdictional COVID-19 confirmed case rates have declined for about 10 days, and local hospitalization metrics have not continued to increase during that time," Pasadena health officials said in a Tuesday statement. "The City of Pasadena health officer will not be issuing a general indoor mask mandate at this time."

The Long Beach Health and Human Services Department released a similar statement Tuesday.

"Despite rising cases, hospitalizations among Long Beach residents remain stable, area hospitals have adequate capacity and fatalities remain low," Long Beach health officials said. "Therefore, regarding masking, the City of Long Beach will continue to align with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which strongly urges, but does not require, masking in most circumstances."

Both Pasadena and Long Beach have their own public health departments and therefore can decide individually whether to align their local mask rules with those set by L.A. County.

Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse previously struck down the possibility of enforcing an indoor mask mandate, calling a special meeting Monday night to discuss the prospect of new L.A. County mask rules. The council, led by Bosse, voted unanimously not to deploy resources to enforce a mandate.

I feel it is our job to lead, and I support the power of choice, Bosse said in a statement. Our job is to be proactive and public about what we believe. This is a united City Council and community that cares about health. We are not where we were in 2020, and now we need to move forward as a community and be part of the solution.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the county would reissue an indoor mask mandate if it reached the high COVID-19 community level defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and stayed there for two weeks in a row.

On July 14, the county entered the high COVID-19 community level and stayed there last week. That means a new mandate could be implemented Friday.

The department is expected to announce a decision on the mandate Thursday.

Being placed in the high level means the county is recording at least 10 new weekly coronavirus-positive hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents and significant community transmission.

However, health officials suggested that the recent fall in cases and in coronavirus hospitalizations could trigger a delay in the mask mandate.

Its important to note that we had three instances earlier this spring and summer where we saw dips in cases that were followed shortly by increases, Ferrer told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. So its important for us to continue to be cautious and prepared for layering in additional protections.

Ferrer previously said the county could put a pause on a mandate if transmission had significantly slowed.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the average number of daily new cases over the past week in L.A. County was 6,014, an 11% decrease from a week ago when the daily new cases count was 6,742, according to the county's public health department.

Hospitalizations also appear to be stabilizing. Over the last seven days, the average number of hospitalized patients per day was 1,262, similar to the seven-day average number of 1,243 one week ago.

"It is my fervent hope that this current surge will abate soon, but, in the meantime, I ask everyone to be cautious and take care of each other, and I thank the many who are doing all they can do to slow the spread," Ferrer said in a statement.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kelly Mabie of Warner Robins can give you three really good reasons why shes a fan of Facebook.

Three-and-a-half years ago, she met her fiance, Brandon Cox, through Facebook. Their first business took off via a Facebook post and their second business venture theyve just begun also had its genesis in another Facebook post.

Kelly and Brandon, along with their two business partners, Ian Payne and Raymond Kimsey of Premier Contracting Solutions, are the franchisees behind Another Broken Egg Cafe coming to Warner Robins. Kelly and Brandon also own and operate Mr. Ceiling Fan in Warner Robins.

He asked me out on Facebook for tacos on my birthday and I went and we have never been apart since, Kelly said. We started two businesses through Facebook and a relationship through Facebook.

The couple plans to wed on March 11 next year at The Muse Theatre in Perry. Their blended family includes six children including a daughter-in-law that Kelly considers and likes to refer to as one of her children, a 3-year-old grandson and a granddaughter on the way.

Kelly and Brandon, along with their business partners, hope to open Another Broken Egg Cafe at 810 Ga. 96 in the Century Market Plaza Phase II in November.

Brandon Cox, far right, Kelly Mabie, center blue shirt, are pictured here with their blended family. The couple, with plans to wed in March, are opening an Another Broken Egg Cafe franchise in Warner Robins along with business partners Ian Payne and Raymond Kimsey (not pictured) of Premier Contracting Solutions,

A rave review

The couples first business, Mr. Ceiling Fan, started as a side hustle for Brandon, a master electrician, when he was working for the Bibb County Board of Education in Macon. He went full-time into the business in 2020. At that time, Kelly was the marketing director at Rigbys in Warner Robins.

In early 2021, a customer posted a rave review of Mr. Ceiling Fan in Robins To-Go, a Facebook group started by Robins Regional Chamber president and chief executive officer April Bragg back at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to support local restaurants offering takeout when Georgia shut down.

The Facebook group has morphed into a platform where local businesses make announcements and consumers post their wants and needs.

It started out as where could you go to get food and then it turned into this amazing thing that literally launched Mr. Ceiling Fan into business because people were sitting at home, we should replace this, we should finally hang that TV up, we should do this and and we should do that, and our business just took off, Kelly said.

Mr. Ceiling Fan quickly grew from two to eight employees. That business growth led Kelly to leave Rigbys, something she thought shed never do and become the chief financial officer at Mr. Ceiling Fan. Brandon serves as CEO and Daniel Pitts as chief operating officer.

Kelly credits her business savvy to what she learned from Rigbys owner Steve Rigby.

I probably learned more working for him than Ive ever learned anywhere in my whole life, Kelly said. And literally, that drive that he taught me is what made me pick up the phone and inquire about Another Broken Egg Cafe franchise.

Asked about Kelly, Rigby said shes a hard worker, detail oriented and she doesnt stop until she gets the job done.

Thats why she did a fabulous job for us while she was here, Rigby said. We had some major events that thousands of people attended and she was the one that made it all happen.

Another Broken Egg Cafe is coming to The Century Market Plaza Phase II at 810 Ga. 96 in Warner Robins.

Why wouldnt we?

Then, on Feb. 4, somebody posed a question on Robins To-Go, If we were to bring another restaurant to this town, what would you guys want to see?

At the end of the day, literally in five or six hours, there were 600 to 700 comments and over 500 of them said brunch and I thought  Why hasnt anybody opened Another Broken Egg? And then I was like, why wouldnt we open Another Broken Egg?

An upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, Another Broken Egg Cafe was birthed in Destin, Florida, and Kelly noted that folks from Middle Georgia often vacation in Destin, Panama City Beach and Pensacola where Another Broken Egg Cafe restaurants are located. As a result, theyre already familiar with the restaurants concept.

I literally just googled Another Broken Egg franchise. I got a name and a phone number. It was like 6:30 on a Friday night. The guy answers. I spend an hour on the phone with him asking questions and kind of seeing if its something we can do, she said.

She and Brandon then reached out to Ian, a longtime friend of Brandons.

We do all the electricity in their hotels. So it just seemed a natural thing to ask if he would be interested, Kelly said. We couldnt even get it out of our mouths and hes in. Hes like this is my favorite restaurant.

Since February, theyve been to Florida twice, while Another Broken Egg Cafe representatives also have been to Warner Robins twice.

Weve seen probably 20 different properties before we decided where to put it, she said. Weve met with the city. We did feasibility studies. A lot of work went into it and we havent even started yet.

The build-out for Another Broken Egg Cafe is expected to start within a couple of weeks. The restaurant will consume three spaces on the left side of the Century Market Plaza Phase II  offering 2,500 square feet of inside dining space.

An outdoor patio is expected to be extended over what is now a cut-thru in the parking lot between what will become Another Broken Egg Cafe and the new Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery in the Century Market Plaza Phase 1. The cut-thru was designed in case a future tenant wanted to have a drive-thru.

The 1,300 square feet of shaded outside dining will be built up to the existing curb, railed off, have umbrellas and a roof to provide some protection from the elements.

The outdoor patio also will have an outside gate, will be pet friendly and include a water feature.

Our kids came up with this idea of doing pet eggs, Kelly said. So were in talks with Another Broken Egg to develop a dog treat that looks like an egg.

Another Broken Egg and Cafes lobster and Brie omelet with city grits. The omelet is described this way on the menu: cream cheese-filled omelet topped with Brie cheese and champagne butter sauce sauteed lobster meat, tomatoes and green onions. The upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch spot is coming to The Century Market Plaza Phase II at 810 Ga. 96 in Warner Robins.

What to expect

At Another Broken Egg Cafe, diners can expect chef-driven, Southern-inspired breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes such as a lobster and Brie omelet. That omelet is described on the menu as cream cheese-filled omelet topped with Brie cheese and champagne butter sauce sauteed lobster meat, tomatoes and green onions.

Its a premier breakfast, brunch and lunch so its not just some shrimp and grits, Kelly said. It is the best shrimp and city grits.

They have a chef on staff at all times that comes up with seasonal and all the food on the menu. Theres vegan options, gluten free options.

Another Broken Egg Cafe is coming to The Century Market Plaza Phase II at 810 Ga. 96 in Warner Robins. This upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch spot also serves up hand-crafted cocktails, spiked cold brews, mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Also served up are hand-crafted cocktails, spiked cold brews, mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Well have a fully-licensed bartender who can mix any drink you want, Kelly said. And well have local beer. Were going to reach out to a couple of breweries and just see what we like.

With their large blended family, Kelly and Brandon have always liked to brunch in kid-friendly places where the food and service are top notch.

Another Broken Egg is literally the mix of those two things, she said. You can bring your pets, you can bring your kids and you can also eat chef-inspired entrees that are like theyre amazing.

The new restaurant will give diners the option of having brunch any day of the week. The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Kelly plans to incorporate events like college game days for Central Georgia Technical College students wholl be living in new student housing going up nearby. She also plans to seek out groups from bridge and book clubs to bikers.

My fiance drives a Harley and a bunch of our friends do, she said. So, we want to have a group. Ive already named it. I want to call it the Bad Egg Group.

A pancake platter and a Blood Mary at Another Broken Egg Cafe. This upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch spot is coming to The Century Market Plaza Phase II at 810 Ga. 96 in Warner Robins.

Dream big

Under the umbrella of Nest Egg Development, the four business partners also hope to open additional Another Broken Egg Cafe restaurants once they get their first one off the ground.

Were looking at going in and having four or five up and down I-75, Kelly said. Theyre all north of Atlanta, and theyre all south of Tallahassee. ... Middle Georgia is wide open.

In addition to being a co-owner, Kelly plans to be hands-on at Another Broken Egg Cafe, serving as the general manager. She also expects to hire an assistant general manager.

And the goal is to get them to a level to where they can be the GM and then we can go over to number two, she said of starting a second Another Broken Egg Cafe.

Just five months after reading that Facebook post about Warner Robins needing a brunch spot and making that pivotal call, Kelly announced on her Facebook page that Another Broken Egg Cafe was coming to Warner Robins.

Ive never had a personal post be shared that many times, she said.

The post has been shared more than 1,000 times.

I just knew that people were going to love it  Everyones like, you know, this is genius. And Im like, it really wasnt. It was just a thought, and instead of letting it be a fleeting thought, lets see what we can do with this.
The St. Louis and southwest Illinois regions experienced heavy rainfall late Monday into Tuesday, and areas in Belleville, Swansea, St. Louis and East St. Louis are seeing spots of extreme flooding.

The National Weather Service St. Louis reported the crest of the Mississippi River at St. Louis was at 9.25 feet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, and Tuesday afternoons forecast said it would peak at 12.3 feet around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

To provide some historic context for the Mississippi Rivers peak and flooding in the region, weve gathered some information about major events in St. Louis past.

A historic morning in the St. Louis area. Our hearts are with all of those affected from this catastrophic flooding. Here are some facts that put this rainfall into historical perspective. #mowx #stlwx pic.twitter.com/jUtOGl8ioq  NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) July 26, 2022

The Great Flood of St. Louis in 1993 is considered the most costly and devastating flood to ravage the U.S. in modern history, according to the NWS.

The flood occurred from May to September of that year and peaked Aug. 1, when the Mississippi River reached 49.58 feet in St. Louis, the highest point ever recorded.

Major flooding occurred in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Heavy rain throughout summer 1993 led to the mass flooding. A single day could see 5 to 7 inches of rainfall, and river gages malfunctioned due to the record-breaking crests of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, according to USGS.

Snowmelt saturated soil earlier in the year, leading the excessive rainfall to have a greater effect than whats typical, according to Washington University in St. Louis.

Levee breaks in the 1993 event were frequently reported as early as June 7, the NWS says, While the temporary storage of excess water in lowlands delayed flood crests, rain outpaced the effect.

Over 1,000 flood warnings and statements, five times the normal, were issued to notify the public and need-to-know officials of river levels. In places like St. Louis Missouri, river levels were nearly 20 feet above flood stage and had never been this high in its 150 year history, the NWS website reads.

More than 45 people died as a direct result of the flooding, the USGS reports, and approximately 50,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed.

The disaster also resulted in an estimated $15 billion to $20 billion in losses.

In addition to the lives lost and homes destroyed, the flooding caused water quality degradation and pollution.

The next-highest crest of the Mississippi River in St. Louis to 1993s mass flooding was 46.02 feet in 2019, followed by 43.23 in 1973, 42.52 in 2016 and 42 in 1785, according to the NWS.

The flooding in 1973 caused a series of levee failures, KSDK reported, and the Mississippi River was in flood stages that year from March 10 to May 26.
A 38-year-old man is charged with murder and nine other felonies in the fatal shooting of a woman whose body was found Saturday inside a parked car in Kansas Citys Ivanhoe Northeast neighborhood as two young children sat in the backseat.

Raymone Cunningham, of Kansas City, was charged Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful weapon use, unlawful firearm possession, second-degree assault and child endangerment. He is accused of killing Jourdan Thompson, identified in court records as the mother of one of his children.

The daylight shooting unfolded shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday in the 3700 block of Olive Street, the same block as Cunninghams listed residence. Kansas City police were dispatched to the area and found Thompson, 25, with a gunshot trauma to the head as an infant and toddler were buckled into the car.

Witnesses to the shooting included a woman who was shot in the back. She told detectives Cunningham, her cousin, and Thompson have a child in common and that she arranged for the two to meet by his residence to settle their differences.

As they were waiting for Cunningham to arrive, she told police she spoke with another relative there. She then saw Cunningham walk up to Thompson, as her hands were still on the steering wheel, grab her by the head and fire two gunshots, according to charging documents.

Another witness described seeing Cunningham park his green Chevy Corvette and hearing gunshots but did not report seeing a weapon. He told detectives he yelled no and saw Cunningham standing near the car before leaving the area.

Police considered Cunningham a person of interest based on witness statements and other information, including a review of traffic surveillance cameras in the immediate area of the neighborhood. Officers on surveillance pulled over a vehicle that Cunningham was a passenger in and searched the car where they found a Glock .45 and $17,100 in cash, according to court papers.

During a police interview, Cunningham allegedly admitted to shooting Thompson twice in the head. He said he was out getting food on Saturday when he received a text from Thompson saying she would be coming to his house.

Cunningham told detectives Thompson had threatened him in the past and that he heard the sound of a gun being cocked as he approached her vehicle. He said he saw a gun in Thompsons lap after he shot her.

Detectives noted in court papers that there was no gun in her lap as Cunningham described, though one was found inside the vehicles glove box.

Cunningham told investigators he ditched his cellphone and sold his car after the shooting, according to court records.

Court records show Cunningham has a previous second-degree murder conviction stemming from another Kansas City killing in 2005.

Cunningham, who was 21 at the time, was one of two accused of killing 14-year-old Cortez D. White in the 3300 block of Benton on Mothers Day over a dispute about a lawnmower, The Star previously reported.

Cunningham was sentenced to spend 15 years in a Missouri prison. He was released under supervision in 2018 and fully released in 2020.

A warrant for Cunninghams arrest, which was served Tuesday, called for him to be held without bond. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Court records on Wednesday did not list an attorney for Cunningham.
A California man had been dating his boyfriend for about a year when authorities say he began losing control of his temper and crafting a plan to kill his significant other in Texas.

Alexander Yoichi Duberek, of San Diego, told others he was planning to move out of California to live near his boyfriend  but really he was flying out of the state to stab the man to death, according to court records.

Now the 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty after fatally stabbing his boyfriend 93 times on Oct. 31, 2020, according to a July 26 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas.

This guilty plea comes after Duberek turned himself in to San Diego authorities in March 2021.

Dubereks defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on July 27.

This defendant plotted the murder of an innocent young man, methodically purchasing equipment, locating a stretch of desolate road, and stabbing the victim nearly eight dozen times, U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham said in a statement.

The plan

Upon arriving in Lubbock on Halloween 2020, authorities say Duberek took an Uber to a Sams Club parking lot, where he bought a 2009 Toyota Camry for $3,000.

He then drove himself to Walmart and bought $563.48 in products used to kill his 30-year-old boyfriend and escape from the scene, according to plea documents filed in court.

Among the items Duberek purchased were a seat cover for a vehicle, tick (repellent) spray, a gas can, a knife, a hatchet, a collapsible shovel, a head lamp, a flashlight, a backpack, bath towels, [Febreze], water boots, shoes, a jacket, a first aid kit, a change of clothing, and personal hygiene items, prosecutors said.

He also stopped at a Loves travel center to buy a micro-USB charger, two energy drinks and a sunshade for the car, according to court records.

Duberek then drove to his boyfriends home in Hale Center, officials say, where he turned his phone off at 10:17 p.m. Because his phone was off, authorities were unable to get its location information for about one hour.

The escape

At about 11:17 p.m. that night, officials say his Google account shows he was on Farm to Market Road 400  about 4 miles from where his boyfriends body was found in a ditch near Plainview the next day.

Duberek fled from Plainview and drove about 580 miles southeast to Houston, where the Camry was eventually found abandoned, according to court records. Investigators say they found blood in the back seat and on the trunk latch that matched the boyfriends DNA. They also discovered the shovel bought at Walmart.

Duberek stayed on the run for about five months, according to the news release.

The arrest

When he did turn himself in, officials say they asked him about the name tattooed on his ring finger.

He answered that it was the name of the person that he killed, authorities said.

Duberek was extradited to Plainview, where authorities report him saying,  ... when I was on the run, I had, uh, I took some time to work on my thoughts, you know, try to get my mental straight which is why I turned myself in.

He faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to interstate domestic violence resulting in death.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

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The National Weather Service on Wednesday said the central San Joaquin Valley could see incoming smoke from the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park.

Triple digits in Fresno and the Valley and potential thunderstorms in the Sierras would be secondary concerns, officials said.

An upper level ridge of air in the Sierra Nevada will cause a shift in wind direction and could push smoke from the wildfire into Fresno, Tulare and the eastern edge of Kings counties, forecasters say.

The wildfire on Wednesday morning was reported to have grown to 18,715 acres.

Smoke in the air could lead to slightly cooler temperatures than predicted as the clouds keep some of the radiation off the ground, the service says. The forecast predicts highs in the upper 90s for Fresno and the region.

The afternoon thunderstorms over the Sierra Nevada crest will continue to persist until next week, the service said Wednesday.

Purple Air, which tracks air quality, showed much of Fresno on Wednesday with satisfactory air quality.

Closer to the Oak Fire, Mariposa showed ratings in the worst and most dangerous categories.

Oak Fire burns homes

The number of homes destroyed in the Oak Fire doubled in 24 hours on Wednesday, Cal Fire said in the latest update.

The blaze has destroyed 49 homes, Cal Fire said, and 25 outbuildings. Another 1,138 are threatened by the fire that moved quickly after sparking on Friday.

Firefighters worked overnight to increase containment lines around the fire perimeter, Cal Fire said on Wednesday.

The blaze was 32% contained through 7 a.m. Wednesday, and grew 183 acres since the previous nights update.

The National Interagency Fire Centers nationwide situation report shows the estimated cost to fight the Oak Fire so far at $15.3 million.

There were 3,154 personnel working on the Oak Fire, in addition to 286 engines and two dozen helicopters.

No injuries have been reported. The cause is under investigation.

Highway 140 was reopened through Mariposa County to Yosemite National Park, the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday.

Cal Fire asked drivers to be extra cautious on the highway as fire equipment may be on or near the roadway.

GoFundMe verifying Oak Fire fundraisers

GoFundMe established a centralized hub that will identify all verified fundraisers created to help those who have lost their businesses, homes, and have been displaced by the Oak Fire.

GoFundMe has a dedicated Trust & Safety team to review fundraisers related to the Oak Fire.

As new fundraisers are created and verified by the GoFundMe Trust & Safety team, the fundraisers will be added to the hub.

The purpose is to ensure all funds raised are safely transferred to the right place, GoFundMe said.

The hub can be found at gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california/central.

FILE - An air tanker flies past flames while battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County, Calif., Sunday, July 24, 2022. Wildfires, floods and soaring temperatures have made climate change real to many Americans. Yet a sizeable number continue to dismiss the scientific consensus that human activity is to blame. Thats in part because of a decades-long campaign by fossil fuel companies to muddy the facts and promote fringe explanations. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Firefighters mop up hot spots while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Monday, July 25, 2022. They are part of Task Force Rattlesnake, a program comprised of Cal Fire and California National Guard firefighters. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
One person was killed after being trapped inside a burning building, South Carolina officials said Wednesday.

At about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, there were 911 calls about a residential structure fire with entrapment, the Saluda County Fire Service said.

The house fire was on John J. Rushton Road, according to the Saluda County Coroners Office.

When firefighters from multiple departments arrived, they confirmed a person was trapped in the building, the fire service said. Attempts to rescue the person were not successful, according to the fire service.

The person died at the scene, the coroners office said.

The coroners office said the victim hasnt been positively identified, and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word on where the fire started, or the cause, but it is being investigated by the fire service, coroners office, the Saluda County Sheriffs Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

In addition to the fire service, other crews that responded to the burning building include the sheriffs office, Saluda County EMS, Mayson Fire Department, Saluda Fire Department and Old Town Fire Department.
Manchester, United Kingdom - April 11, 2015: Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 just taken off from Manchester airport. (Russell102 via Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A British man aboard a flight from London to Los Angeles grabbed a passenger seated in front of him by the throat and tried to hit and bite him, prompting the diversion of the flight to Utah, authorities said Wednesday.

William Stephen Hayes, 39, was arrested after the Virgin Atlantic flight landed Tuesday in Salt Lake City, police said in a statement. He was charged with assault and interfering with the flight crew, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah said in charging documents.

Witnesses told authorities that after passengers and crew members restrained and handcuffed Hayes following the alleged assault, he still tried to fight with people nearby and kick the plane's windows, the charging documents said.

Local police took Hayes into custody after the plane landed and referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's office, which typically has authority over international flights. The plane then resumed its flight to Los Angeles.

No attorney who could comment on Hayes' behalf was listed in the charging documents. The U.S. Attorney's office did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

Virgin said in a statement that "the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we dont tolerate any behaviour that compromises this.

Our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others, the statement added.
Law enforcement have arrested and charged the suspect in a hit-and-run that killed a Durham cyclist earlier this month, the Wake County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday.

Omari Newsome, 33, of Durham, was arrested in Randolph County over two weeks after he struck 40-year-old Matthew Simpson in Durham.

At the request of the Durham Police Department, a team from the Wake County Sheriffs Office traced Newsomes location to Randolph County Wednesday morning, according to a news release. Newsome was taken into custody in Asheboro, with help from the Randolph County Sheriffs Office.

He has been charged with felony hit and run, felony conspiracy and felony death by motor vehicle.

I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to the investigation team, and the police department, and everyone in the community who provided information, Allison Simpson, Matthew Simpsons wife, told The News & Observer Wednesday.

Im just really grateful to everyone, she said.

On July 10, police said Newsomes car hit Matthew Simpson while he and his family were biking through a crosswalk on the Ellerbee Creek Trail, where it crosses into Westover Park via Guess Road. Simpson was transported to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries four days later, The News & Observer previously reported.

Durham Police identified Newsome as the suspect but he fled the scene, the Wake County Sheriffs office said. Durham Police obtained arrest warrants, but couldnt locate him, the Wake County Sheriffs Office said.

Newsomes location was traced to Randolph County by Wake Countys Criminal Analysis and Apprehension Team, a group of deputies who focus on tracking those with outstanding felony arrest warrants.

Simpson was a software engineer who had relocated to North Carolina from Washington, D.C., in 2014, The N&O reported. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

A Ride of Silence was organized in Westover Park in July 24 in Matthew Simpsons honor, The N&O reported. About 100 cyclists gathered to honor Simpson and hear his wife speak. The event was organized by Bike Durham, an advocacy group supporting Durham cyclists.

After the July 24 memorial, a ghost bike  painted white in memory of the death of a bicyclist  was stationed in Westover Park. Residents left flowers and notes to pay tribute to Simpson, The N&O previously reported.

Around 1,000 cyclists are hit in collisions with vehicles in North Carolina every year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation reported. Of these, about 20 cyclists are killed and about 60 are severely injured.

Between 2010 and 2019, 466 cyclists were hit by cars in Durham County, according to NCDOT data. Seven were killed.
Tacoma police arrested a 20-year-old man Monday who they suspect killed a woman over the weekend outside a motel on South Hosmer Street.

Jail records show the suspect was booked into Pierce County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, hit and run, second-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Detectives investigating the homicide identified a vehicle thought to be connected to the womans killing, and officers on Monday spotted it about 2:46 p.m., according to a news release from Tacoma Police Department. Officers tried to stop the vehicle near South 56th Street and Tacoma Mall Boulevard, but police said the vehicle fled.

The fleeing vehicle struck another vehicle at 56th and South Alaska Street, then continued to the northbound ramp of Interstate 5, where it became disabled, according to the release. The 20-year-old man was the only person inside, and police took him into custody.

No one was injured in the collision at 56th and Alaska, police said.

The 42-year-old woman he is suspected of killing has yet to be publicly identified, and police have not released any information regarding a motive.

The victim was reportedly shot in a vehicle at about 8:50 p.m. in the 8800 block of South Hosmer Street. Police said officers responded and began life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Russia followed through on its threat to cut gas supplies to Europe, causing gas prices on the continent to soar, according to media reports.

Gas prices in Europe rose nearly 20% this week, CNBC reported, as Russian natural gas flows dropped to less than 20% of their usual capacity in Germanys Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

The developments in Europe could affect energy markets in the U.S. through several channels, kind of direct and indirect, Maksym Chepeliev, a research economist at Purdue Universitys Center for Global Trade Analysis, told McClatchy News.

The U.S. will be directly impacted through natural gas export demands, Chepeliev said, and indirectly impacted through changes in energy prices.

Will gas prices rise in the U.S.?

U.S. gas exports affect domestic prices, Steven Miles, a fellow for global natural gas at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies at Rice University, told McClatchy News.

Europes energy crunch has worsened since the war in Ukraine began in February, CNN reported. To meet the demand, the U.S. shifted natural gas exports away from South America and Asia to increase exports to Europe, data from the Energy Information Administration showed.

Were already all in on all the natural gas that we can export, Miles said. Theres nothing that can change in Europe that causes us to export more or less. Prices that they pay there in and of themselves do not cause us to pay more or less here.

Anna Mikulska, a nonresident fellow in energy studies at the Baker Institute, told McClatchy News that the U.S. can export only a certain amount of gas to Europe because of limitations in existing infrastructure capacities.

If U.S. producers wanted to send more, they cannot, Mikulska said, which means that U.S. prices  domestic prices  are unlikely to increase because of higher demand in Europe or Asia.

Miles and Chepeliev agreed that U.S. gas prices were not likely to be directly influenced by Russia cutting gas to Europe.

However, Miles noted that, the amount that were exporting has become sizable.

He said the quantity of (liquefied natural gas) that we are exporting is starting to be felt and seen in U.S. natural gas markets and prices.

A June explosion at the Freeport export terminal in Texas made that clear, Miles said.

The Freeport natural gas export terminal accounts for about 20% of U.S. gas exports, Mikulska said. After the explosion, the terminal went offline, leaving more gas in the U.S. than expected.

According to Miles, the moment the Freeport went offline, U.S. natural gas prices fell. That demonstrates the impact that the demand pull of (liquefied natural gas) exports have on prices.

Freeport, however, is only offline temporarily, Miles said.

When Freeport comes back online, I would anticipate there would again be pressure on U.S. prices, he said.

That pressure may coincide with another important factor: winter demand.

What about winter gas prices?

Though Russia cutting gas to Europe isnt likely to have an immediate effect on U.S. gas prices, when Freeport is reopened and the U.S. is back at maximum export capacity, that could have an effect on winter costs.

Chepeliev said that impact depends on how winter goes.

Mikulska said there are two reasons gas prices might rise this winter. First, a very cold winter, which means that theres gonna be additional demand. Second, there might be bottleneck in the pipelines.

Miles agreed, saying, We have a hard time getting gas in quantities from where we have it to where we need it.

These bottlenecks  when supplies are available but unable to reach areas of high demand  will likely only affect particular markets and regions, Mikulska and Miles said, noting that Boston and other parts of New England were the most likely to be affected.

But the Freeport export terminal is a third factor in winter gas prices, Miles said. Freeport is supposed to come back online in the winter. So that would, you know, offset to some degree the current benefit of lower domestic prices due to higher domestic supply.

Still, the gas situation in the U.S. is nowhere near as bad as it could be, Mikulska said. What would have happened if all this  Europes energy crunch and Russias continued cutting of gas  happened and the U.S. wasnt oil and gas producer?

If the U.S. did not produce natural gas, gas prices would be skyrocketing for domestic consumers, Mikulska said.

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Detectives have released a photograph of a man who is suspected of being part of a conspiracy that led to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found in the back of a lorry.

The victims bodies were found in the lorry trailer, which had been transported by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in Essex, early on October 23 2019.

Essex Police want to trace Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici, who is suspected of being part of the network which co-ordinated immigrants journeys to the UK.

The force said this was both in connection with the fatal journey on October 23 2019, and a number of occasions prior to October 23 2019.

The 48-year-old is known to work in the haulage industry and has connections in the Bacau area of Romania as well as in Spain.

Marius Mihai Draghici (Essex Police/PA)

Draghici also goes by the aliases Marius Mihai Selaru and Marius Lupu and was born in the Romanian city of Onesti.

Essex Police said they are using a number of tactics to trace the suspect, and are working with international partners, and have also released a photograph of Draghici in the hope people can help identify him.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper, who has overseen the investigation, said: We have lived up to our promise of delivering justice but there is one final piece of that jigsaw to be completed.

Well be working with international partners and other agencies in order to make sure our appeal is heard far and wide.

We are committed to tracking down every individual we believe to be connected to this most horrific of crimes.

Ten people have so far been sentenced for their roles, including four men who were in January jailed for between 27 years and 13 years and four months for manslaughter and plotting to people smuggle.

They were crime bosses Gheorghe Nica, 45, from Basildon, and Ronan Hughes, 42, of Armagh, and lorry drivers Maurice Robinson, 27, of Craigavon, and Eamonn Harrison, 25, of Co Down.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who is leading the investigation, said: The investigation into the tragic deaths of the 39 Vietnamese nationals is the most complex ever undertaken by Essex Police.

So far, we have brought 10 people to justice and achieved prison sentences of almost 100 years in total.

But we made a promise to the families of those who lost their lives in Essex in October 2019 that we would not stop until justice has been delivered in its entirety.

Marius Draghici remains an outstanding suspect and, just as we have promised and already delivered on, our pursuit for justice will not stop at our borders and frontiers.

I would like to appeal to the public in Romania and indeed in Spain; help us locate Marius Draghici.

Candles laid out as part of the ceremony for the mass prayer and vigil for the 39 victims found dead inside the back of a truck in Grays, Essex, at The Holy Name and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Londons Vietnamese church, in east London (Yui Mok/PA)

She said police strongly believe he is linked to the conspiracy which tragically ripped apart the families of the 39 innocent Vietnamese men, women and children who died on our shores in 2019.

The actions we believe he is responsible for cannot go unpunished, she added.

Police said Vietnamese partners have been briefed on the latest developments in the case.

Anyone who has had any dealing with Marius Draghici and believes they know of his whereabouts is asked to submit information via the polices online portal https://mipp.police.uk/operation/4201020119P15-PO6
Sen. Josh Hawley defended his infamous fist pump that riled up the Jan. 6 attackers  and his caught-on-film effort to run away from the violent rioters.

I dont regret anything that I did that day, Hawley (R-Mo.) defiantly told CNN on Wednesday.

Denouncing what he called trolling by the congressional Jan. 6 committee, the right-wing firebrand said the panel was seeking to score cheap political points by airing footage of him fleeing the attackers.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.



Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Joe Raedle/)

The reason Im being attacked by the Jan. 6 committee is because Im in their way, Hawley said. The stand that I took is one  I wont back down from.

Hawley, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, has become a lightning rod for both critics and supporters of the extremist mob that stormed the Capitol.

Hawley takes heat for fleeing from Jan. 6 mob he inspired

The youthful lawmaker was captured in a photo pumping his fist in approval at the pro-Trump rioters who overwhelmed police and invaded the building in an effort to block Congress from certifying President Bidens 2020 election win.

Capitol Police officers told the committee that Hawleys gesture encouraged the rioters.

The attackers rampaged through the Capitol hunting down perceived enemies of Trump and even chanted threats to execute former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump denounced as a traitor to the MAGA cause.

Hawley became a poster boy for the hypocrisy of some Trump supporters when the Jan. 6 committee aired humiliating footage of him running away from the mob that he himself had egged on just minutes earlier.
Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

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YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan, which will open soon in Pushkin Street 3/1, is not a restaurant or a cafe only, its a whole experience, an environment providing high-quality service and meeting all standards. It will bring new quality and a completely new culture of service.

Bella Manukyan, Director of Entrepreneur + State Anti-Crisis Investments Fund CJSC at the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF), said that this investment will create around 100 permanent jobs and will bring a new quality and culture to the hospitality sector in Armenia.

Entrepreneur + State Anti-Crisis Investments Fund CJSC contributed to the opening of Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan by investing around 500,000 US dollars, she said.

Bella Manukyan informed that they have been working with Dom Arena for about two years for the launch of the investment program. They highlight implementing programs that will create additional economic effect.

Dom Arena director Arsen Hovhannisyan said that more than 2 million drams have been invested for the project. He assures that Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan is going to be a generator of impressions for visitors.

Here you can listen to quality music. The cafe is equipped with modern equipment. It is unique also by its cuisine, with particular emphasis on American and Mexican dishes. In the cafe, you can see things belonging to such famous artists as Michael Jackson, Cher and others, he said.

Alberto Rodriguez, Hard Rock Cafe regional network director, said he is happy for the opening of the cafe in Yerevan. He says a unique architecture and a unique place have been selected for the Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan.

Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan will open soon, but the exact date is still unknown.

The first Hard Rock Cafe opened in downtown London in 1971.

Today the brand is present in more than 70 countries.

ANIF participates in the program within the framework of the Anti-Crisis fund programs of the ANIF subsidiary company established to mitigate the economic consequences of COVID 19. ANIF has 48% participation in the project.
The earlier high bid amount for spectrum auctions was 1.09 lakh crore

India's first auction of the ultra-high speed 5G spectrum on Tuesday attracted bids of over Rs 1.45 lakh crore. (PTI file photo)

New Delhi: India's first auction of the ultra-high speed 5G spectrum on Tuesday attracted bids of over Rs 1.45 lakh crore. The earlier high bid amount for spectrum auctions was 1.09 lakh crore.

There were four rounds of bidding between 10 am and 6 pm involving billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and a unit of billionaire Gautam Adani's flagship Adani Enterprises.

Addressing a press briefing after the bidding was over, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated: It seems now that the telecom industry is moving towards new territory as new tech and new investment is expected."

The minister said that the government expected to complete spectrum allocation by August 15 and commence 5G services by September or October.

The biggest-ever spectrum auction of the country began with a lukewarm responses from telecom majors due to high price bands. There were a total of over 72 GHz (gigahertz) or 72,000Mhz of 5G airwaves totally worth Rs 4.3 lakh crore.

Earlier in the day, Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said his company would be at the forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India with a powerful network to support India's digital-first economy. As part of the auction, all the available spectrum brands were 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz.

Department of telecom sources said earlier that the length of the auction would depend on the demand for radiowaves and the tactics used by individual bidders. "The upcoming 5G services have the potential to create new age businesses, generate additional revenue for enterprises and provide employment arising from the deployment of innovative use-cases and technologies," it said.

In addition to powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), the Fifth Generation or 5G would enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming among others.

Industry experts were expecting that the 5G will generate around upto Rs 1,00,000 crore of revenue that would help in enabling new age offerings and business models. "The 5G operation in India will empower tech companies, enterprises and ecosystem players to build private networks. It will bring next-generation digital transformation which is critical for the country to achieve the goal of becoming a $1-trillion digital economy," they said.

The 5G services have the potential to create new age businesses, generate additional revenue for enterprises and provide employment arising from the deployment of innovative use-cases and technologies. The 5G services will be rolled out in 13 major cities as part of the first phase.
'It is a very serious issue. What is your suggestion on how you are going to control it?,' court asked the government counsel

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to ascertain from the Finance Commission whether the allocation of revenue to states could be regulated, to discourage political parties from announcing freebies in their election manifestos.

Describing the practice of promising freebies as a very serious issue that needed to be controlled, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, heading a bench comprising Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Hima Kohli, sought to know what could be done by the Finance Commission to curb or discourage freebies.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by an advocate, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking direction to the Election Commission to include in the Election Symbol Allotment and Recognition Order a provision prohibiting recognised national and state-level political parties from making promises of freebies.

Finding the position taken by the Central government lawyer ambiguous, the court asked if the Centre viewed the issue as a serious one. Why dont you say that they have nothing to do with the issue? the court said.

Posting the matter for hearing next week, the court told the government counsel, It is a very serious issue. What is your suggestion on how you are going to control it?

In the course of the hearing, Chief Justice Ramana asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal  describing him as a senior parliamentarian and a senior lawyer  who was in the court in connection with another matter, what he thought about the issue.

Describing the freebies as a serious matter, Sibal said that the Centre cannot do much about it and suggested that the Finance Commission could deal with the issue.

The Finance Commission, when it makes allocations for various states, should take the burden of freebies on the state finances into account, Sibal said, adding that 42 per cent of the revenue is allocated to states by the Finance Commission.

When the PIL petitioner said that political parties should be barred from making promises, the court questioned, How can you say political parties cannot make promises? They are entitled to make promises.

Upadhyay told the court that the combined debt of all the cases put together stands at Rs 70 lakh crore.

Tell us how we can manage it. We must also know how we are going to control it, CJI Ramana asked the petitioner.
Opposition protests over price rise, GST and other issues on Monday marred Lok Sabha proceedings for the sixth consecutive day

As the protesting Opposition members stalled proceedings after it reassembled following an adjournment of around 20 minutes, the Chair named Congress MPs Manickam Tagore (from Tamil Nadu, also the Telangana Congress incharge), T.N. Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas from Kerala.  ANI

New Delhi: Four Congress Lok Sabha members were suspended on Monday for the rest of the Monsoon Session for displaying placards and disrupting proceedings despite warnings by Speaker Om Birla. The move is expected to further deteriorate the government-Opposition relation, and could hit the proceedings of the Lok Sabha.

Calling the actions against its MPs a "blot on democracy", the Congress alleged that the government was trying to "intimidate" it for raising people's issues and said it would not be cowed down.

Opposition protests over price rise, GST and other issues on Monday marred Lok Sabha proceedings for the sixth consecutive day. As the protesting Opposition members stalled proceedings after it reassembled following an adjournment of around 20 minutes, the Chair named Congress MPs Manickam Tagore (from Tamil Nadu, also the Telangana Congress incharge), T.N. Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas from Kerala. When a member is named, he or she has to immediately withdraw from House.

Parliamentary Affair Minister Prahlad Joshi then moved a resolution to suspend the four for the rest of the session. Joshi said that these MPs had shown "utter disregard" for the authority of the Chair and a "serious note of their misconduct" had been taken by the House.

Earlier when the House met for the day at around 2 pm, Speaker Om Birla had warned the protesting members, including from the Congress, TMC and DMK, that those who continue to shout slogans and display placards will have to do it outside the House after 3 pm.

As the Opposition members continued to protest, a visibly peeved Mr Birla told them that the government was ready to discuss issues raised by them and stressed that people want the House to function. Mr Birla then adjourned the House till 3 pm.

However, as the House proceedings resumed, waving of placards and sloganeering continued, drowning the voices of members participating in the Zero Hour. Rajendra Agarwal, who was chairing the proceedings, implored the opposition members to take note of the warning given by the Speaker.

He said that the members who had been suspended had shown "stubborn behaviour", "deliberately and continuously disrupted proceedings" and ignored House rules and directions of the Speaker. The House then passed the resolution by a voice vote and Agarwal announced their suspension. He then asked the members named in the resolution to immediately leave the House. The proceedings were then adjourned for the day.

Speaking with reporters along with the four suspended MPs, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "The government is trying to intimidate us by suspending our MPs. What was their fault? They were trying to raise the issues which matter to people."

The Congress party will not be cowed down like this, he asserted. "The MPs were holding placards raising the issues of rise in prices of gas cylinder, imposition of GST on items such as flour and buttermilk. We moved an adjournment motion demanding a discussion on these issues, but no discussion was held," he said.

Mr Tagore, one of the suspended MPs, said for the past six days, the Congress has been demanding a discussion on price rise, giving notices for adjournment motion but the government has shown "complete arrogance".

"Today, when a tribal woman has taken oath as President, a Dalit woman has been suspended from Lok Sabha," he said. Mr Tagore also alleged that the BJP only wants Parliament to cheer its leaders and its victory.

"We were trying to show placards in the House and place them in the camera angles. They say placards are not allowed in Parliament What is allowed is only cheering for Modi ji," he said. The government only hears the voice of the fourth-richest man in the world and not the common man, Mr Tagore alleged.
Thai public health minister says aim to use herb only for medical and health purposes

Huge waves were created in Thailand, on June 9, when the Thai public health minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul legalised cannabis and removed it from the list of narcotics, the first country in Asia to do so.

The Thai health minister has been prominent in the public eye, during Covid, thanks to his regular reports and messagesto the public.

Thus, his announcement created a big stir in the media, especially because the official Cannabis Act has not been passed as yet.

The minister headed a panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), to explain his new cannabis policy.

He referred to the election-promise made by his Bhumjaithai Party (which is part of the ruling coalition government), three years back, that they would campaign for the legalisation of marijuana. After all, the greatest quantities of the weed are grown in the northeastern part of the country, where the party has a stronghold.

The health minster pointed out that his ministry had done an intensive study of the drug for three years, after which they had become convinced of its efficacy in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, Parkinsons and mental disorders. It was because of the urgent need for cannabis in healthcare that he decided to legalise the drug, even before the official law could be passed.

According to him, This is only the first stage of legalising cannabis. The second stage, which is in progress, is all about it being reviewed by a House Scrutiny Committee. After that, we will come the final stage, when the regulations and controls for the proper use of the plant will be formulated, and the law will be passed probably by September.

He stated that the main social benefit of the legalisation of cannabis was that many prisoners who had been arrested for drug charges, would be released.

According to the Thai health minister, only a 0.2 per cent extract of the cannabis plant would be used for medicinal purposes, and not the root or flower.

Soon after legalising the drug, they had opened an online Lets Grow Cannabis page, inviting registrations. It was immediately viewed by 30 million people! One million licences were approved within the week.

The health minister informed that the legalising of cannabis would help farmers, communities and entrepreneurs, and was expected to fetch a revenue of $3 billion, within five years.

The general criticism in the panel discussion was that cannabis seemed to be a cash cow, with most of the speakers being cannabis entrepreneurs. This included Cameron Forni, one of the best-known figures in the North American cannabis industry, and founder of Select Oil, the best selling cannabis brand on the US West coast. In his detailed presentation, Forni spoke of the various aspects of the cannabis industry, including taxes, licenses and job opportunities. But he warned that the licensing would need to be streamlined, and also that the potency of the drug needed to be tested regularly, especially due to the humid conditions in Asia. But the economic impact is huge, he said. This is a huge tax opportunity for Thailand, which could raise as much as $129 billion baht by 2025 and generate as much as 4,87,000 job.

In conversation with this writer, Forni informed her that he had been asked to research on the future of the marijuana industry in India, too, where ganja was used widely, and he had met many people in this connection, including a well-known Bollywood actor.

Meanwhile, cannabis dispensaries have sprung up at various places in Thailand, especially in tourist spots like Khao Sam Road in Bangkok, Walking Street in Pattaya, and so on. Its obvious that recreational cannabis is the buzzword now. Thats why, the Thai government is suddenly planning to ban the sale of all cigarettes that use cannabis extract, as per the recommendation of the National Tobacco Products Control Committee. Without proper guidelines, tourism professionals are also worried about its negative impact on the tourism industry.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, felt that recreational cannabis should have regulated zones which would benefit the tourism industry.

With marijuana not being legalised in other countries, tour operators felt it imperative to explain to their clients the risks of consuming or carrying the drug, when they travelled outside Thailand. One heard of a Brazilian student being arrested in Bali for carrying cannabis he had acquired in Thailand, a crime that could fetch a 15-year jail term in Indonesia.

There are media reports in Thailand almost every day about the free availability of cannabis in markets, shops, roadside dispensaries and so on. A monthly publication listed out at least 20 bars, cafes, shops where it was freely available in Bangkok. One even heard of the discovery of newly sown cannabis plants on the grounds of Parliament!

With the Health Ministry having approved about 1,181 products containing cannabis extracts, including cosmetics and food,they were freely available in many shops. Infact, one heard of a child being sick from a food-product laced

with cannabis,bought from a 7-11 store!

This writer noticed a cannabis kiosk outside an Indian restaurant announcing Food, Beer, Weed available and pointed it out to the Thai health minister during the course of the discussion.

Indian tourists form a large section of tourists in Thailand.

Governor of TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Yuthasak Supasorn said that there were no plans to promote cannabis tourism. However, one heard from travel agencies that there was a demand for cannabis tours and packages from many countries, including India. One also heard that there were many enquiries from business entrepreneurs to inspect cannabis farms.

On a recent visit to the spectacular EECi-headquarters at Rayong, noted for their hi-tech systems following a BCG model, one noticed their expansive glasshouses growing a series of medicinal plants. They said they expected to grow a lot of hemp too, after the recent cannabis regularisation.

The minister said, Im here to assure you that our aim is not to use cannabis for recreational purposes, but only for medical and health purposes. We want to establish Thailand as the hub for alternative healthcare.
Three other superseded officers have been moved out of Intelligence Bureau

When senior IPS officer Tapan Deka was appointed as the new director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), he superseded four IB colleagues, who quickly decided to move out and seek what is called a respectful rehabilitation in babu parlance. Mr Deka checks many boxes, to occupy this especially sensitive post. His skills werent in question and seniority issues were mainly the ones in play. However, sensing some unhappiness over Mr Dekas appointment, the government has moved quickly to acquiesce to their request.

Special director of Intelligence Bureau, Amitabh Ranjan, who was among the four IPS officers superseded by Mr Deka, has been appointed as the new director general of police of Tripura. Sources have informed DKB that Mr Ranjan had a major backer in Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who called Union Home Minister Amit Shah to clear all the formalities for the 1988-batch IPS officers appointment. The state is headed for assembly elections early next year.

DKB has learnt, that three other superseded officers have been moved out of IB. Special director Manoj Kumar Lal, has returned to his parent UT cadre, while Manoj Yadava has been sent to the National Human Rights Commission as director general (investigations). Only Anish Dayal Singh, Mr Dekas junior, continues to work in IB as special director.

Calm has been restored by placing these IPS officers in other rank-appropriate positions. It needs to be noted that Mr Dekas is not the first instance of a junior officer being promoted to the top position in a hierarchy-driven organisation. The new IB chief is junior to Manoj Yadava, Manoj Kumar Lal and Amitabh Ranjan. And even though seniority is not the sole criterion for appointment to a prestigious post like this, the episode does point to perhaps taking a fresh look at the promotion policy and managing succession among the senior police officials.

*

President Murmu retains key members of Kovinds team

Absolutely no changes, a rarity in this top team, is not surprising. This government has a track record of preferring the tried and tested in crucial spots, which certainly, these ones are.

President Droupadi Murmu has inherited four senior officers of the Rashtrapati Bhavan from the Ram Nath Kovind presidency, including the Presidents secretary Kapil Dev Tripathi, joint secretary Ajay Bhadoo, officer on special duty Jaganath Srinivasan and press secretary Ajay Kumar Singh. Though these officers had been working on a co-terminus basis with the term of Mr Kovind, the appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of their tenure for a period of two months beyond July 25 or until further orders.

We wonder if an able and proven competency in governance and government wont make the new President assemble her own team? Even if, traditionally, there is a sign-off, by the system (read Cabinet secretary) its usually a minor presidential privilege some choose to exercise more than others. Most likely, Ms Murmu will eventually assemble her own team of trusted aides, and these officers will be at hand to ensure a seamless transition as the President settles into her role.

*

Despite shortage, number of vacancies at Centre hits new low

Even as the Centre continues to grapple with a shortage of civil service officers, the ministry of personnel has revealed that the number of vacancies advertised by the UPSC has fallen by more than 50 per cent since 2014!

The minister of state for personnel, Jitendra Singh, reportedly informed Parliament that UPSC recommended 4,119 candidates for central government jobs in 2021-22, which is the lowest number of job positions at the Centre in the past 10 years.

As the Modi Sarkar sets its sights on the 2024 general elections, it is clear that governance will be a big factor in its claims to retain power. As of now, the panels report should set off alarm bells within the ruling dispensation. Shortage of IAS officers is compelling many states to take recourse to appointing non-cadre officers in cadre officer posts, and also continuing them in such posts beyond permissible limits. Also, we have noted several IAS officers holding multiple assignments due to the dearth of eligible officers.

Certainly, the shortage of IAS officers is nothing new. Apparently, even back way in 1951, the number of appointed officers compared to the required was low. There were 336 fewer officers than the required strength of 1,232 officers. But over the decades instead of bridging the gap, it has steadily widened.

But the bigger question is, why have successive governments not managed to solve the issue, despite diligent annual cadre reviews and recommendations of numerous panels? Hopefully, the urgency recommended by the Modi panel will stir the Centre into moving determinedly in this direction.
More Chinese students overseas join protest against Dior's 'cultural appropriation' of traditional Chinese design

By Zhang Changyue (Global Times) 16:35, July 26, 2022

Chinese students in Paris protest outside a Dior store on July 23, 2022 against the brand's "cultural appropriation" of traditional Chinese designs. Photo: Courtesy of Huatoujing

More Chinese students overseas are joining the protests against Dior's "cultural appropriation" of the traditional Chinese horse face skirt design and the silence of the brand on the controversy.

Luxury brand Dior recently found itself in hot wateragain on Chinese social media platforms as many lovers of Hanfu, a traditional Chinese garment, accused the brand's new "hallmark Dior silhouette" of copying the design of the traditional Chinese horse face skirt.

Baliwuhao, Daren and Lanruoruo (all pseudonyms) are among the Chinese college students in Paris who love wearing a Hanfu and often stroll down the streets in the traditional Chinese garment to introduce their culture to those who are interested.

The students organized a protest at a square near Dior's flagship store in Paris on Saturday, holding pictures that compared Dior's new skirt with the traditional Chinese horse face skirt, and banners saying: "This is a traditional Chinese dress," "Dior plagiarized the design" and "Stop cultural appropriation."

"I was furious when Dior claimed the skirt as its original design while it resembles Chinese horse face skirt so much that anyone who knows about the Hanfu can immediately tell it is a copy," said Baliwuhao, who first lodged the protest on July 18 and gathered about 100 supporters on Saturday.

Baliwuhao said she was very touched by the fact that nearly 100 people participated in the protest. Some of the participants came from other cities in France and even from Spain and Italy.

The student protesters wish to get more attention and support from people who are not aware of Dior's cultural appropriation due to the little knowledge about traditional Chinese garments. The protesters urged the luxury brand to apologize for the plagiarism and to stop selling the skirt at its stores.

"Two middle-aged women from Mexico said they support our activity of defending our culture. A man from Algeria said Dior has done something very similar using Algerian culture but there was little he could do to stop it," Lanruoruo told the Global Times

Although anti-China elements tried to sabotage our demonstration, we still did our best to successfully carry on with it, said Daren, noting that similar protests will be held in New York and London.

"We got in touch with Chinese students in New York and London who have already submitted protest applications to the police and we will share our experience with them, "said Baliwuhao.

As more Chinese students overseas are joining the protests against Dior's cultural appropriation, the fashion company has yet to make a comment on the controversy.

Responding to the Global Times' enquiry over the issue, Dior said in an email on Monday that they have received the message and have forwarded it to the relevant department. "Your opinion and suggestions are of great value to us as they allow us to continuously improve our customer service," read Dior's reply.

Although the skirt has been taken off the shelves in Dior's online stores in the Chinese mainland, the product is still available at other online stores without mentioning that the skirt's design was inspired by Chinese traditional clothes.

It is not the first time for Dior to be in hot water in China. In November 2021,the brand displayed a controversial photo at its Shanghai fashion exhibition. The company was accused of portraying Asian women as ugly after the publication of a photo showed an apparently frightening Asian woman with "greasy hair and scary eyelids" wearing a traditional Chinese dress and holding a Dior bag.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
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BAGHDAD, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Several houses were damaged when six mortar rounds landed late Tuesday night near the Turkish consulate in Mosul, the capital of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, a source from Mosul police told Xinhua Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Mosul is some 400 km north of Baghdad.

The attack came after a suspected Turkish bombardment hit a Duhok resort in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan on July 20, leaving nine civilians dead and dozens wounded. The Iraqi government accused the Turkish forces of carrying out the attack, a charge Ankara has denied.

Turkish forces frequently conduct ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments in Iraq's Kurdistan, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union, the PKK has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over three decades. 
Share This: Tesla is cutting ties with South Windsor, CT, after its Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected the automakers proposal to open a showroom in the town.

Direct-to-consumer sales, which Tesla uses to help customers avoid the stressful process of dealing with dealership franchises, are illegal in Connecticut, and two town planners said the showroom would cost jobs and hurt consumers.

Tesla proposed to build a showroom location on Buckland Road in South Windsor due to its location, close to an Apple Store and Whole Foods Market. Developer John Hauser, who is working with Tesla, said the automakers potential showroom location would be ideal because of the automakers status as an evolving green energy company, the Hartford Courant said. The location Tesla wanted to assume was formerly an LA Fitness health club.

However, town planners rejected this proposal and suggested Tesla move to another location that was closer to franchises operated by large automakers that still use the dealership model.

Hauser said Tesla will take its business elsewhere.

I appreciate the fact that whether I did a poor job of explaining or whether you just dont accept the fact were not a traditional car dealership theres nothing I can do about that," Hauser said. "But were probably not going to an alternative site down the road. Were probably just going to go to the next town that views us differently.

Tesla planned to use the location as a Service Center, but a portion of the application also included a Sales Shop, which Hauser wanted to cut from the proposal as he was familiar with the states laws against direct-to-consumer automotive sales.

The same situation arose in East Hartford, CT, last year, as Hoffman Auto Group sued Tesla, claiming it was hiding the real reason it planned to open a showroom. According to its suit, Hoffman said Tesla was attempting to...
All except one. Axioma, a gorgeous, instantly-recognizable $75 million superyacht delivered in 2013 and owned by gas and steel billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky, will sell at auction on August 23, 2022, Boat International informs. The Admiralty Court has set the date and determined that the vessel will change hands without reserve, in a single-day auction event. Axioma was arrested in Gibraltar at the end of March, due to a standing loan due to J.P. Morgan. The international management company that manages Axioma had defaulted on a $12.5 million loan to J.P. Morgan, which alerted the authorities as soon as Pumpyansky was included on sanctions lists  and revealed to be the direct beneficiary (i.e. owner of the vessel).Last month, the court in Gibraltar ruled that Axioma will sell at auction to allow J.P. Morgan to recover the loan. The fact that it will sell at no reserve further fuels previous reports that it will probably change hands well below its current value, which is estimated at $75 million. The auction will be on an as is, where is basis.Axioma is one of the few Russian-owned superyachts to be offered for charter when not in use by the owner, and it was a very popular platform for it, too. Offering accommodation for 12 guests and a crew of 20, 236-foot (72-meter) yacht offers amenities like a jacuzzi on the sun deck, a pool, owner suite with private deck, 3D private cinema, a packed garage of water toys, and a multitude of lounge areas, both indoors and outdoors.Built by Dunya Shipyard and delivered under the name Red Square, it was most recently refitted in 2020, when it also received the striking turquoise-blue paintjob on the hull
According to a new viral story, the answer is to respond with humor, but only after you have confirmation that the error is just that. Its what one woman did after receiving in the mail the most expensive parking ticket in the world  which also happens to be the most ridiculous, because it was a mistake. CarScoops reports that the incident happened at the end of last month, on the island of Rhodes, in Greece. A local newspaper covered the story, noting that the woman nearly fainted when she opened the envelope, because she assumed shed been fined for 6,648, which is roughly $6,740 at the current exchange rate. Instead, the document read 6,648,444, so $6.75 million at the same rate.Neither report mentions what led to the parking ticket or what its correct value was. When she read the correct amount, the woman realized that it was a mistake, so she went to the municipality and pretended she wanted to pay. She told the clerk that she was aware that the law demanded that all fines over 100 be paid with a card, but she couldnt get credit for the kind of money she owned. So, she asked if she could pay in cash, which probably made the clerks day.As you probably expect, the story has a happy ending. The womans joke made the clerk aware of the mistake and it was solved. Presumably, she paid the fine that she was due, whatever it was.Again, mistakes do happen, and we can laugh about them when theyre solved. As expensive as this parking ticket was, it was not the most expensive error of recent years. That unofficial record belongs to an April 2021 ticket on Quantas Airlines, which charged $765 million for extra legroom for a single passenger.
EV

Climate change is real. So is our need for energy. By now, it's entirely clear to everyone that we can't just switch simultaneously to all-electric vehicles. It's simply not feasible. The process of phasing out all internal combustion engine cars, trucks, vans, trains, and other types of machines used in various industries is not going to happen overnight. The simplest yet most convincing proof is the current situation that's surrounding passenger vehicles  they're here, but they're not suitable for everyone just yet. There's a lot more that needs to be done.If youre still convinced that we could all just instantly abandon everything that has an internal combustion engine, then you should remember that even Teslas Elon Musk called for an increase in oil and gas output. The CEO underlined that sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports. And he was right. Only after an international agreement to boost oil output had been reached between major oil-producing countries did we see the national average gas price dropping around the $3 mark, as it was in 2021.Even if fossil fuel used in transport is being targeted as the main cause for global climate change and developed nations constantly apply pressure on oil and gas companies to invest more in green alternatives, the reality struck everyone when demand outgrew the supply. Banks, as well, were inclined to announce theyre giving up on financing new fossil fuel business developments. However, when a gallon of gas reaches the unbelievable price of $9.79  Well, thats when you want to start asking some questions.Congos leaders understood what was going on. They saw what happened in Europe and North America. When the Russians started playing with the supply, economies reliant on exports from the East started to tremble. The African nation now wants to be a part of the international community that exports and refines oil.Thats bad news for everyone except the Congolese economy. They would surely have enough interested parties, but the environmental impact would be devastating.At the Conference of the Parties in 2021 (COP26), country leaders decided to create a special $500 million fund for Congos tropical forests and swamps. The plan has been championed by former British prime minister Boris Johnson. Scientists presented the facts, and almost everyone listened. Unlike in the past couple of decades, facts about the environment now matter more than what lobbyists are trying to set as a public agenda.The Congo Basin rainforest is an important ecosystem. Its the worlds second-largest, and it has encapsulated over three years of global carbon emissions. Upsetting that delicate balance could mean trouble for everyone.But $500 million spread over a decade and between multiple programs is no match for what competition between major oil producing and refining companies can bring.The Democratic Republic of Congo is also part of the Paris Agreement. The document entered into force two years ago. The country agreed to take the necessary measures to stop the global temperature from rising above two degrees Celsius (3.6 F) and to get involved in transitioning to clean development. Now thats going to be a lot harder to achieve.Now, instead of taking the necessary steps to properly use these environmental funds, Congo decided to invite entities that can start drilling as soon as the first contract is signed. The African country is ready to give up large chunks of land disguised as oil and gas fields. These extend into important areas like the Virunga National Park, where gorillas found sanctuary or the tropical peatlands that keep harmful gasses from reaching our atmosphere. Essentially, were looking at swamps or, as experts call them, wetlands with thicker water-logged soil that are specific to parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.To tap all the potential oil thats hiding under that huge place full of peat, Congo and its future partners would have to agree that over 30 billion metric tons of carbon could be released into the atmosphere just by trying to get to the oil. Dislodging and starting drilling would only add to this almost incomprehensible value. In the fight against climate change, this would be a major setback.Still, that doesnt mean that we should force both Congo countries into poverty. Its their land and their decision to do whatever they see fit with it. However, being part of international agreements might cause some problems with the financial help that developed nations are constantly sending. International action or even some forms of condemnation arent feasible for now since even Norway  the European country with most new EVs  is planning on increasing drilling and refining.Thus, its no wonder that Congos environmental representative said its their countrys priority to save the planet.The African nation announced their intention to sell land and drilling rights on Twitter and tagged Chevron and TotalEnergies, even though both the American and the French entities didnt confirm their involvement.Congo is also an important country formanufacturers since it has rich lithium and cobalt deposits that are being extracted for battery making.For now, the officials are bent on turning important land into oil extraction fields, and nothing looks like it could turn them away from this decision. Lets see if big names from the fossil fuel industry start to destroy more important land for gas, diesel, kerosene, and petroleum derivatives.According to Japan Times , locals are against having their area turned into a drilling nightmare. They are ready to start protesting. The people think new oil wells would only enrich people that are already well off.
EV

General Motors held its Q2 2022 earnings call on Tuesday, with the big news being a whopping 40% drop in profit compared with Q2 2021. But before the news hit the fan, so to speak, GM set off a smoke screen with a triumphal announcement about securing the battery materials needed for futureproduction. It was precisely this announcement that drew attention to GMs EV plans, which might not be as ambitious as CEO Mary Barra previously declared.We know that Barra spent most of this year pledging to surpass Tesla as the EV leader. We want to lead in the EVs. Full stop, said Barra in January during an interview with CBS. Coming from the leader of the biggest carmaker in the U.S., such a statement is a declaration of war. And indeed, GM pledged tens of billions to the goal of becoming the new EV leader by building battery plants, EV plants, and all that it takes to churn out millions of EVs per year.Not only that, but later, Barra announced that GM would overtake Tesla by mid-decade. This escalated quickly; you have to agree. And just as quickly, it deflated. By May, the goal became focused on the U.S. territory only. It was again reinforced earlier this month in an interview with Associated Press , where the 2025 deadline is clearly mentioned. And then there was silence until the Q2 2022 earnings call.Something interesting happened there when GM announced the big deals it signed with LG Energy Solution and other suppliers to secure raw materials and batteries for producing its Ultium vehicles. The U.S. Government also became an investor in the company after lending $2.5 billion to help GM boost battery production.GM now has contractual commitments secured with strategic partners for all battery raw material to support our goal of 1 million units of EV capacity by the end of 2025, said Jeff Morrison, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.Wait, what? Thats right, GM aims now for one million EV annual capacity. This is further confirmed in a slide in the Q2 earnings deck, which you can find attached below. We have binding agreements securing ALL battery raw materials supporting our goal of 1 million units of annual capacity in North America in 2025, reads the slide. Thats a lot less ambitious than we thought and at a level that risks derailing Mary Barra s plans to overtake Tesla, be it only in the U.S.We know that Tesla Fremont has an annual production capacity of 650,000 EVs right now, and Giga Texas is listed in the Q2 shareholders deck with a total of more than 250,000 EVs. This means Tesla is now with the U.S. production where General Motors wants to be in 2025. This sure doesnt sound like overtaking Tesla unless Barra believes Tesla will remain frozen in time for more than three years.Most likely, Giga Texas will get to at least 500,000 units of production capacity next year, with a huge possibility to double that capacity by 2025. And its also likely that Giga Texas would be copy-pasted to at least another location in North America by the same time. Unless GM becomes a lot more ambitious in its goal to become the EV leader, theres no way it can get to these insane production numbers in such a short time.
EV

That's mostly because it involves two Mustangs. Granted, some might intervene and correct me by saying, "I think you mean ONE Mustang", but I'm not the one pulling the shots at Ford so if the company decided on this name for its first purpose-built, I can't bury my hand in the sand and pretend it didn't happen.Besides, it's not like the Mach-E is a slow, uninspiring car - the GT even less so. Early reviews have shown it's reasonably quick and, even though it can't fully hide the fact it weighs way too much for a vehicle its size, it can still cause a chuckle or ten when driven hard on a twisty road. However, this encounter is all about acceleration, so the only number you need to know is its 3.8-second 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint.Or so they want you to think. You see, the GT might be the quickest Mach-E to hit 60 mph, but it starts to huff and puff once it goes beyond the benchmark speed. So much so, in fact, that it's even slower to 110 mph (178 km/h) than the EV's non-GT versions.Like any other all-wheel-drive EV out there, the Mach-E GT prefers a short race where it can exploit its instant torque and near-perfect launch. A 1/8-mile distance is ideal, but it should be able to put on a decent fight over the quarter mile as well. Unless...Unless its opponent is a V8-powered Ford Mustang GT with a point to prove. The two stablemates may share the same maker, but both are going to fight for the win just as frantically. The Mach-E GT desperately needs to prove it's a real Mustang whereas the regular GT holds the entire weight of the internal combustion engine fanbase - not to mention V8 fanatics - on its shoulders. They want to win it. They NEED to win it.Sadly, the contest isn't entirely fair and, therefore, 100 percent accurate. The race takes place over in Europe - the UK, to be more exact - and, even though you can get a V8-powered GT over the official channels as well, this particular car was imported by a private dealer. And since that dealer needed to offer an incentive to its prospective customers, it sells its cars with a slight tweak of the engine. So, instead of 450 hp, this Mustang GT makes 490 hp.It could have made twice that and still come second when Mat Watson blatantly jumped the start, but after three good races, even if the result was always tight, it became clear which of the two would reach the finish line first more consistently. I'm not in the spoiler-offering business, so I'm not going to reveal anything, but I will tell you this: it's actually the rolling race and the brake test that offer the biggest surprise, so make sure you stick around for those.
We know that because the military branch tasked with flying airplanes makes no secret of it and constantly releases images of its flying weapons in action there (by action read patrol and readiness exercises). One of the latest pics to be released is the one we have here, published last week by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and showing a massive B-52 Stratofortress flying over an undisclosed city, sandwiched between hot sand dunes and patches of green vegetation, during a presence patrol mission with coalition and regional partners at the beginning of June.The Stratofortress in question is deployed with the 5th Bomb Wing, the host wing on Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. These guys only fly B-52s and have been doing so ever since 1959.No, theres no typo there, we did mean 1959. The Big Ugly Fat Fella , as it is colloquially known in some circles, was born in 1952, and the Air Force decided last year it would have it fly well into the middle of this century, making it the only military aircraft to turn 100 while on active duty.Involved in pretty much all major conflicts that required massive bombing from above, the B-52 was an indispensable asset during Desert Storm, for instance, when it dropped 40 percent of all weapons used by coalition forces.Since its introduction all those decades ago, Boeing made no less than 744 of them. Presently, just 58 are active and another 18 are in reserve, in a modernized configuration called B-52H
HAIKOU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- In the French pavilion, fourteen well-known French enterprises representing the French art of living met the public on Tuesday at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE).

There are over 50 French companies and nearly 250 French brands participating in the expo being held on the resort island of Hainan. France is the guest of honor country at this year's CICPE and, besides China, the largest exhibitor.

"The beauty industry stands out in Sino-French economic and trade exchanges. China became the world's top market for French cosmetics exports in 2021. For every three French lipsticks exported, one is bought by a Chinese consumer," said Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oreal North Asia Zone and CEO of L'Oreal China.

China continues to open up and is increasingly determined to unleash the potential of the Chinese market by promoting consumption. The CICPE connects China's domestic market and China's economic globalization, Megarbane said.

Lawrance Shum, CEO of Galeries Lafayette China, said the expo is an excellent platform for purchasers to connect with global high-end brands and understand the Hainan market as well as the Chinese market, adding that Galeries Lafayette's second-time participating in the expo demonstrates its determination to make great progress in this key market.

According to Shum, following the opening of two flagship stores in Beijing in 2013 and Shanghai in 2019, new stores in Shenzhen, Macao and Chongqing are also under preparation.

Bruno Chevot, president of Danone Greater China, North Asia and Oceania, said the expo is the "bridge" and "window" for foreign high-quality goods to enter the Chinese market, which is conducive to promoting the communication between domestic and foreign markets and boosting consumption upgrading.

French fashion designer brand Karl Lagerfeld and Hainan-based Global Duty-Free (GDF) Plaza on Tuesday signed a strategic cooperation agreement to share the opening opportunities and accelerate the expansion of Hainan's consumer market.

Joe Zhou, deputy general manager of Karl Lagerfeld Greater China, said with a favorable natural environment and the construction of an international tourism and consumption center, Hainan is expected to attract more consumers and boost high-end consumption.

With an exhibition area of 100,000 square meters, the six-day expo, from July 25 to 30, has attracted over 1,600 brands from 61 countries and regions. 
Kim Kardashian's Jet Landed in Camarillo, California, US. Apx. flt. time 10 Mins. pic.twitter.com/sHTqNg9HBh  Celebrity Jets (@CelebJets) July 24, 2022

Theres a saying that celebrities, theyre just like us. While that might be true for some of them, the Kardashian-Jenner clan is definitely not part of that league.They have been famous all their lives, be it because of Robert Kardashian, who defended O.J. Simpson, or because of Caitlyn Jenner, who is an American Olympic gold-medal-winning athlete. All the sisters in the family started their own businesses and one of them is actually a billionaire (with another very, very close to reaching that status).The latest mishap while trying to be relatable is Kim Kardashian posting a meme about gas prices. With her net worth estimated at $1.8 billion, Kim surely can afford to pay to fill up the tank of any car from her luxurious collection. Or her jet.The meme, posted on her Instagram Stories, reads: "Due to the increase in gas prices, a man hanging from the passenger side of his best friend's ride is no longer a scrub, he is a man making smart financial decisions."Kim added a crying-while-laughing emoji to her post. But people werent amused and called her off in a Reddit post, with a commenter going as far as commenting: Girl you dont think in gas prices.. you think in jet fuel prices.Which couldnt be more accurate, because, just a few days ago, Kims private jet, a Gulfstream G650ER , had a ten-minute flight, after her return from Italy. Its unclear whether Kim was on board at the time, with some noting that the jet only flew to its private hangar. That comes just shortly after Kylie Jenner was labeled a climate criminal for her 17-minute flight , instead of a 45-minute drive in one of her luxury cars.Regardless of whether she was or not on the jet at that moment, the jet needed 546 lbs (248 kg) of jet fuel used for the short flight, according to Celeb Jets, and Kim doesn't seem to be complaining about that.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

On May 25th, the supplier notified Jaguar Land Rover of a defect identified during the manufacturing process of the front seatbelt pretensioners used in certain SUVs. The defect comes in the guise of damaged front seatbelt pretensioner tubes installed on the seatbelt retractor. This apparently insignificant component prevents the pretensioner from correctly operating by not pretensioning the seatbelt in the event of an accident. Understandably, reduced or no pretensioning increases the risk of injury.Autoliv presented the issue to the automakers Product Safety and Compliance Committee on June 1st, which led to investigations at the Nitra assembly plant in Slovakia, Halewood in the UK, and Solihull in the UK as well. The PSCC subsequently progressed the issue to the Recall Determination Committee in July, which determined that all of the suspect seatbelt pretensioners need to be inspected and  if damaged  replaced.Dealers will inspect and replace the driver and front-passenger assemblies, as necessary, from September 16th onward. Suspect vehicles are split between the 2022 to 2023 model year Land Rover Defender , Discovery, Discovery Sport, Ranger Rover Sport, and Range Rover Velar. 145 units of the Velar are recalled, along with 2,869 units of the Range Rover Sport.The Discovery Sport numbers 427 copies, the Discovery is listed with 245 examples, and the Defender is affected to the tune of 1,241 units. The subpar seatbelt pretensioners were produced at an Autoliv facility in Hungary.Rather than waiting for envelopes to arrive by first-class mail, owners can alternatively contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Those peeps who prefer to keep it simple can always use the VIN look-up tool on thes website.
GM had its Q2 earnings call on Tuesday, and its Cruise subsidiary got a special place in the presentation. The robotaxi company admitted an abrupt increase in costs in the second quarter, with expenses hitting $550 million compared to $332 million during the same quarter last year. Operating losses in Q2 topped $605 million, up from $363 million last year. According to Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, the bad-looking numbers were mainly caused by a headcount increase from revving up Cruises robotaxi service.Vogt described Cruises growth strategy as exponential, which, considering current financial results, would only mean more cash burn. At a moment when GM itself reported a 40% drop in profits, it would be interesting to see for how long Cruises strategy would be sustainable. The company executives avoided providing guidance for Cruises 2023 expenditures, which only means that the losses will accelerate.I would say we are going to make sure we fund Cruise and the spending is done in such a way that we can gain share and have a leadership position as well, and we have plans that were taking the cost out as the technology matures, said GM CEO Mary Barra during Tuesdays earnings call. Obviously, the Origin will be an important part of that, as well.Barra thinks the financial prospects will significantly improve by quickly scaling the business. The experience that Cruise has gained operating in around 30% of the San Francisco area will allow it to expand to other cities. According to CEP Vogt, they will apply what has worked well in San Francisco to other similar ride-share markets. According to Tech Crunch , the company sits on $1.8 billion in cash at the moment. This might seem a lot until you realize that Cruise spent $868 million in the first half of the year alone to launch the robotaxi service in just one city.The company not only wants to extend to more cities, but its pressing to release their driverless capsule Origin into the market soon. The company started mapping the streets of Dubai for a planned 2023 launch, and other cities are certainly in the plan. It also hit some snags with regulators after an alleged employee warned about Cruises chaotic safety culture while a Cruise driverless car was recently involved in a crash
But after an announcement from Roscosmos explicitly intending to withdraw all Russian ISS crew members by the end of their current obligations, there's a feeling that some things have never changed. It started with news from Russian state media broadcast worldwide that Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov had just informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of their intention to withdraw all Russian personnel from the International Space Station after the conclusion of its final crew rotation in 2024.The announcement comes mere months after NASA and, by association, the European Space Agency announced they intend to operate the two-decade-plus old space station in its geostationary orbit until at least 2030. After which point, the station is anticipated to de-orbit and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere and splash down somewhere in the remote Pacific Ocean.Without the long-term support of the nation that launched Zarya, the first ISS module, to space 23 years ago, those intentions may be in jeopardy. As of July 2022, the final Russian mission slated to dock with the ISS is Soyuz MS-27, sending two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut to the station.Assuming current intentions come to fruition, it would be the final trace of cooperation between Roscosmos and western space agencies in orbit. What the domain of Low Earth Orbit space stations after this decisive date is something that will only reveal itself in time. But there are more than a few clues from the pages of history as to what it might look like.The former USSR had the distinction of launching the first manned space station into Low Earth Orbit 51 years ago, in the form of the Salyut program beginning in 1971. Between the science-oriented Salyut missions and the classified military mission under the Almaz program, the Iron Bloc held a slight upper hand on Western space programs in the realm of human-crewed space stations for much of the 1970s.Meanwhile, the American Skylab station launched aboard a modified Saturn V Moon Rocket, bringing NASA right in step with the Soviets. Skylab sent five separate crew rotations to Skylab before it was de-orbited and destroyed by the atmosphere on July 11, 1979. Apart from a brief break in tensions for a joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975, that'd be the last large-scale cooperation between the Soviets and Americans in space until the Mir Space Station almost 20 years later.With this in mind, it's logical to assume that a space station dynamic between eastern and western space programs is somewhat similar to the conditions of the 1970s. A scenario where the governments of North America and Europe work independently of Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and even North Korean space agencies. The Chinese especially have a leg-up in this arrangement, with their Tiangong-1 space station launching in 2011 and its replacement in the combined Tianging two and three, which has been occupied since the summer of last year.The prospects of Russian assets and technology being integrated into the China National Space Administration plans seem fairly plausible. As it stands, the world will have to wait at least 24 months before there's a definitive plan announced by Roscosmos regarding their path forward in space.In the larger context of a new looming space race to reach both the Moon and Mars on the horizon, there's every chance this seemingly minor inconvenience to the ISS could have profound effects on the direction of future space races for decades to come. How the scenario plays out will, at the very least, will be fascinating to watch.
EV

The Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-526 is apparently irrelevant, involving only five Tesla Model S units made from April 15 until April 16, 2022. However, it is the chronology of this defect that confirms that Tesla still works as Chain described before the Model S was introduced: it builds, sells, and eventually tests.According to the document, Tesla produced a small number of vehicles with a new front bumper carrier structure, which themaker prefers to name ankle catcher. The company did not disclose precisely how many cars it made with the new component and used in its tests: we only know about five of them because of the way this episode develops.From June 3 up to July 5, Tesla performed CAE simulation assessments to verify how this new component would affect the Model Ss ability to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs), particularly those involving crash situations and airbag performance. CAE simulations do not need prototypes, so Tesla could have run these computer tests way before building the vehicles with the new "ankle catcher."On July 5, the CAE simulations did not present conclusive results in 16-mph full frontal load crashes with the new component. That led Tesla to perform a physical crash test on July 14. The further evaluation showed that the ankle catcher would cause a non-conformance with FMVSS 208, Section 23. This rule talks about how an airbag should behave with unbelted passengers who are out of position.Legacy automakers would correct the new component, run the CAE simulations again and crash test vehicles with the new part to ensure it behaved as the simulations showed. Thats how they try to prevent liabilities and safety risks. In Teslas case, it learned that a small number of vehicles with the new ankle catcher were delivered to customers. Thats a funny choice of words: the EV maker sold at least five cars that should be destined for testing, not regular buyers.The least we can say about this episode is that Tesla lacks adequate control instruments as much as it lacks quality control. That suggests other experimental vehicles may be in the hands of customers who are not aware their cars came with engineering samples. In April, we told our readers how Tesla was using modem engineering samples to deliver production vehicles. That makes us wonder if Tesla even tested a Model S with the experimental ankle catcher or just a regular one.The EV maker said it has not learned about any issues, injuries, or deaths related to the problem. Although that is important, it is not the most crucial part of this news. What it really exposes and documents is that the EV maker is not a big fan of testing and not afraid of the legal implications that it can have. That may put Tesla in really hot water  if it has not already done so.When a company has customers willing to do the testing for it, as FSD users currently do, that comes as no surprise. The deal is that critical safety products such as automobiles should not depend on the buyers goodwill to be tested: the automaker must ensure they are safe for everyone, including those who are not inside them. In this situation, it also needs to know if it is selling prototypes or production cars. With Chains story and the Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-526, it seems that this makes no difference for Tesla
The three-wheel DeLorean is officially dead.That said, the three-wheel DeLorean should not have been alive in the first place since it was not an official DMC product It was a three-wheel DeLorean built and sold by a certain Tyler DeLorean from Newquay, Cornwall, UK, who claimed to be DeLoreans illegitimate son on a mission to revive the DeLorean brand with a car that stayed true to the iconic model and came with an affordable price tag. He called it the DeLorean DMC-21  21 because it was the future.In reality, Tyler DeLorean is Benjamin Granger, a man who had been trying to sell these modified three-wheelers for a couple of years now, under the pretense of being DeLoreans love child. As expected, he got sued by DMC for copyright infringement and passing off. His creation might have been a three-wheel Reliant Rialto (so legally a tricycle) in disguise, but it featured trademark elements from the DMC-12 and plenty of DMC badging.The High Courts intellectual property court ruled in favor of the carmaker, finding Granger guilty on both counts, The Sun reports. He now has 14 days to pay legal fees of 20,000 (approximately $24,100 at the current exchange rate), which, incidentally, is exactly how much he planned on charging for a single Rialto-disguised-as-DeLorean. He is now facing ruin since he doesnt have this kind of money.Granger believes that the court showed no sense of humor in the ruling. How could anyone confuse a real DeLorean for mine? Its missing a bloody wheel, he tells The Sun, which generously dubs him an inventor. I wanted to inspire people to create something amazing and use their artistic expression. At every motor show Ive been to, people have told me its hilarious.In previous statements, Granger kept saying that he was only carrying out his fathers dream and that he was convinced hed win the court battle. He continued selling and advertising the three-wheeler even after the lawsuit, even saying at one point that he was in talks with the Taliban to sell them hundreds of units. So much for that.While Granger is trying to get the cash to cover the legal costs, the saying well always have Paris comes to mind  with Paris being, in this case, Grangers fabulous fashion and the ridiculous DeLorean copy.
But had the pages of history read an even slightly different vernacular, is it possible humanity could have put boots on the ground on the Red Planet in the era of the C3 Corvette and the Nissan 280ZX . At least according to the man himself, The brightest mind behind the American Apollo program, Wernher Von Braun, he had plans after the lunar missions to push existing space-fairing technology of the period to its absolute limit.In truth, the story of Wernher Von Braun's ambitions for putting humans on Mars dates back to his earliest days in the U.S. after World War II. In the days before NASA had formally taken shape, Von Braun was more or less forced to waste his considerable talents for spaceflight engineering while the Americans, French, and British all took turns oohing and aahing at the German V2 ballistic missile he himself was instrumental in designing.Once that was all done, Von Braun's days were mostly filled with pitching his ideas to people like Walt Disney. Essentially in the hopes that he'd do the 1950s equivalent of going viral, whatever that was. More so in the hopes that someone of some important circumstance would take interest.In his considerable free time during this period. He busied himself fleshing out ideas for a space mission far beyond the bounds of anything that'd flown at that point or since. A grand mission beyond the Moon to the surface of the Martian desert.A full 17 years before Armstrong's small step for man and a giant leap for mankind, Von Braun envisioned a mission so ambitious that it'd be labeled a tall order even by contemporary space mission standards. In his book Das Marsprojekt (The Mars Project), Von Braun explains in exquisite detail over 91 pages his vision of a grand "enormous scientific expedition" to Mars using a fleet of ten spaceships.Von Braun's reasoning for such a huge convoy of spaceships essentially boiled down to the philosophy that had the original discoverers of the western world not traveled in similar numbers of ships, they'd have never made it back to Scandanavia, Spain, China, or wherever they suspect landed there first this week.With the formation of NASA and the development of a robust space infrastructure championed by Von Braun's Saturn V rocket , his plans for a Martian mission downsized to a convoy of just two ships. The Americans indeed had a nuclear-powered engine under development in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in the form of the Los Alamos Laboratories NERVA engine.Had it not been halted by President Richard Nixon, along with nearly all the of the post-Apollo Saturn V booster missions apart from Skylab, there was every reason to suspect a manned American mission to Mars would be at the knife edge of feasibility by the beginning of the 1980s.All the while, it's not a stretch to believe the Apollo lunar program would have been extended far beyond its expiration date in our timeline in a scenario where NASA's funding wasn't slashed so harshly. In the end, the only element of Von Braun's grand plan that so much as made it off the drawing board, including space stations, satellites, spacecraft, rovers, and booster rockets, was the re-usable space plane that eventually became the Space Shuttle.It'll never be clear whether spaceflight technology would have actually advanced enough by the 1980s for NASA to sustain a Martian landing . But with a mind as vibrant, intuitive, and at times controversial, we'd say it had a decent shot at success with Von Braun in charge.
TRIPOLI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that 446 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya and sent back to the country from July 17 to 23.

So far in 2022, a total of 11,057 migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya, including 698 women and 422 minors, IOM said in a statement.

According to IOM, 180 migrants died and 648 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route this year.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for irregular migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores. 
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Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol, a field engineer for utility relocation, works in his office at a section of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia, July 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

by Jonathan Edward, Wang Yi and Mao Pengfei

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), Malaysia's mega rail project jointly constructed with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will bring multiple benefits to the country upon completion including the upskilling of local talents in the railway industry.

A key element of this is the Industrial Skills Training Program (PLKI-ECRL) carried out by CCCC and Malaysia Rail Link (MRL), in cooperation with Beijing Jiaotong University, Southwest Jiaotong University of China and over 10 educational and training institutions of Malaysia. The program is designed to train 5,000 technicians in railway construction and operation for the Southeast Asian nation.

Among those who have benefited from this program is Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol, a field engineer for utility relocation, who signed up with the program in 2017 upon completion of his bachelor degree on civil engineering in the University of Malaysia Pahang.

Syahmin explained that he held a long time fascination with railways after watching documentaries on railway construction in China, sparking his interest in civil engineering and the railway sector. The PLKI-ECRL program has allowed him to reach the dream he had.

"It opens a path that I have wanted to do from my childhood. So it's very important and very beneficial for me to join the PLKI-ECRL because joining a mega project is not easy for a fresh grad. I think that if you want to join a mega project in Malaysia, you must have a minimum of two or three years' experience. So to join it with fresh graduate status is quite important for me," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"They send lecturers from Beijing Jiaotong University to teach us the course for railway engineering. During that time I started, they taught us knowledge regarding railway engineering, bridge construction, tunnel construction and basic Mandarin," he said, adding that he found the classes, including the Chinese-language classes, to be fun and informative.

Compared to his studies in university which were more general, this program allowed him to focus on an area of interest and to expand his knowledge on tunnels, bridges, and other key components of railways.

"During my PLKI training, they mainly revolve around railway construction. For example, they taught us the bridge for railway," he said.

In addition to informative courses, the PLKI-ECRL program also helped him become a better team player with the conducive work environment, where helpful and friendly seniors provided guidance.

"It is really like teamwork things. I can go there and ask them what or how to do this, how to do that. And if I have some idea, I can pitch it to them. So it's very constructive. It has taught me a lot. So CCCC from what I see, it is a family for me," he said, adding that working here is enjoyable and fulfilling.

So far, hundreds of Malaysians have finished their training in the PLKI-ECRL and joined ECRL as engineers and operators of heavy machines.

Tang Zhen, who is in charge of human resources of China Communications Construction (ECRL) SDN BHD, said the program, which aims to create job opportunities for locals, is mainly intended for people along the east coast of Malaysia. The program is a chance for them to pursue career development and improve living standards.

When visiting the construction site of ECRL this June, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the program has trained many local citizens in the rail industry and will succeed in producing more experts in this field.

The ECRL runs from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country by linking its less-developed region on the East Coast to the economic heartland on the West Coast upon its completion in 2026. 

Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol, a field engineer for utility relocation, walks at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia, July 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol (L), a field engineer for utility relocation, talks with his colleague at a section of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia, July 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Aerial photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol (L), a field engineer for utility relocation, works at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia, July 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Muhammad Syahmin Bin Zainol (C), a field engineer for utility relocation, works at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Pahang, Malaysia, July 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)
CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more, go to calmatters.org.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
BASF first chemical company offering Rainforest Alliance Certified personal care ingredients based on coconut oil

Production site in Cassina Rizzardi, Italy, certified according to Rainforest Alliance Mass Balance certification scheme

Recent example of Care 360 - Solutions for Sustainable Life of BASF's Care Chemicals division

With the certification of BASFs production site in Cassina Rizzardi, Italy, BASF is the first chemical company offering certified sustainable personal care ingredients based on coconut oil. The company was certified according to the Rainforest Alliance Mass Balance Coconut certification scheme. Mass balance (MB) is a supply chain model that fosters the physical flow of certified raw materials within the supply chains, while the farmers benefit from selling Rainforest Alliance Certified coconuts and copra.

With the certification of our first production site and the offer of Rainforest Alliance Certified personal care ingredients to our customers, amongst palm and castor oil, we have established another supply chain based on renewables. We have thus taken an important step in transforming the market towards certified, sustainably sourced oleochemicals, said Jutta Stute Sustainability Manager in BASFs Care Chemicals division.

Coconut oil is an important feedstock for the chemical industry. BASF uses coconut oil to produce ingredients for cosmetic products, detergents and cleaning agents as well as foodstuff.

Certified sustainably sourced coconut oil is just one recent example of how BASFs Care Chemicals Division is addressing future challenges. Sustainability, digitalization, innovation and new approaches to working together are the key cornerstones to Care 360  Solutions for Sustainable Life.

The certification of coconut oil was made possible by a development partnership between BASF, Cargill, The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) and the German government agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with the strong support from the Rainforest Alliance and the Philippine Coconut Authority. The objective of the project was to increase the income and economic self-sufficiency of smallholder coconut farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia by promoting a sustainable certified coconut oil supply chain. Between November 2015 and October 2018 more than 4,100 coconut farmers were trained in good agricultural practice (GAP), good processing practice as well as farm management. About 1,600 farmers received additional training and have been certified according to the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Farmers who were trained and certified have, on average, a 47 percent higher income than farmers who did not participate in the program.

BASF has set itself the goal to creating chemistry for a sustainable future. As a worldwide acting company, BASF has a responsibility to manage its supply chain carefully. The company is deeply involved in a range of initiatives to increase the share of nature-based ingredients in its portfolio and to enhance the sustainability of farming practices and the wellbeing of farmers and workers. Examples include the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as well as SuCCESS (Sustainable Castor Association).

Visit https://www.basf.com/global/en/who-we-are/sustainability/we-source-responsibly/sustainable-coconut-oil-production.html for more details.
You may have recently noticed that many of your casual work conversations, which previously occurred face-to-face, have moved to digital apps in your evolving working environment. But beware: Your messages to your colleagues may not be as private as you think.

As more companies allow their employees to work remotely, either part- or full-time, distributed workforces are turning to digital services like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat to get their work done, collaborate and bond with their colleagues. Sometimes, that might mean that casual conversations about weekend shenanigans, workplace gripes or personal relationships are happening online, creating a digital record of all communications. So workers would be wise to keep in mind which platforms and devices may or may not provide privacy and adjust their behavior accordingly, privacy experts say.

We spoke to several privacy experts to understand how workers should think about their digital workplace communications and the services they use. Here's what they had to say.

Q: Can my employer see my private messages at work?

A: Privacy experts agree that there are two things workers should think about when they send a message to a colleague. First, is the service you're using provided by your employer? Second, are you having the conversation on a device provided by your employer?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, be aware there's a chance your employer could see or retrieve your messages. Additionally, even if you're using your own device and your own personal account on a digital service, your messages still may be at risk if you have workplace software installed.

"The reality of what's happening is a lot is changing very quickly," said Alan Butler, executive director and president of the research organization Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Devices, software and different things are being used . . . and the onus is on the individual [to understand it all]."

The general rule is to assume that if your workplace is providing you a tool or device, they can and will see what you do on it, Butler said. In some cases, that might mean using administrative privileges to read direct messages or private channels on the company's Slack workspace. It could mean retrieving emails, messages on Microsoft Teams or texts on your company-provided mobile devices. Or, it could mean screenshots of a person's messages on other services like Facebook, Twitter or Apple's iMessage that come from the company's monitoring software.

The matter can get particularly consequential if workers are using messaging apps to unite against unfair working conditions or policies, said Cynthia Khoo, senior associate at Georgetown University Law's Center on Privacy and Technology.

"There's a standard level of monitoring that's been on the rise," she said. "But there's an additional level of monitoring that's out to squash labor organizing and activism."

Even if employers can't retrieve messages on your device, they may be able to get metadata that will help them map out which employees may have been part of the same conversation, said Daniel Kahn Gillmor, senior staff technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. They also may ask you to provide your private messages off your private device related to a workplace conversation in an internal investigation, said Edgar Ndjatou, executive director of the nonprofit organization Workplace Fairness.

"You can decide whether you want to honor [the request], but you may potentially be fired for not honoring it," he said. "It is fair game."

So what can workers do?

First, if you want to have a private conversation with a colleague, it's best to do that on your own device using your services, experts note. Also, look for services that provide end-to-end encryption versus just encrypted messages, Khoo said. End-to-end encryption means that your message will be encrypted the moment before it leaves your device until it arrives at the receiving device. Anything less than that means it could be decrypted somewhere in transmission.

She also suggests looking for services that offer ephemeral messaging so that messages disappear within a certain amount of time. Several experts agree that one of the gold standard services for private messages is Signal. WhatsApp is also a popular alternative, though Khoo points out users should be aware that it's owned by Facebook-parent Meta, which is widely known for massive data collection.

Gillmor says to think about your digital conversations as in-person conversations, during which the location of where those discussions happen matters.

"You wouldn't go have a conversation outside of your boss's door," he said. "You would find a more discreet way to do that - maybe when you're out for drinks or near heavy machinery on a factory floor."

It may be best to establish what service workers collectively will use in-person before moving online, experts say. That way there's no record of the consensus.

But even with the best software, "nothing is foolproof," said Butler of EPIC. While Signal allows users to disable screenshots of their conversations, the message receiver could always use a second mobile phone to take a photo of a message on the phone where the message was received, he added. And your privacy also depends on the person with whom you're talking as they could ultimately hand over any private messages despite the service or device, Gillmor said.

That said, sometimes workers need to hold truth to power and that may need to happen on company channels. "It'd be a shame if everyone only towed the line," he said.

And some conversations are protected by law. So if someone is talking to colleagues about poor workplace conditions and pushing them to collectively respond or act, employers would be breaking labor laws if they retaliated against that, Ndjatou said.

Ndjatou says in general the best advice for workplace messages, regardless of their level of privacy, is to know your audience and use common sense. Anything you say can always be used against you and if a conversation is particularly sensitive, it might be best to fall back on the old-fashioned way of communicating.

"If it's possible, just meet in person and not digitally at all," said Khoo.
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Sandy Roberton, a producer and manager who worked with artists ranging from Steeleye Span in the early 1970s to the Matrix in the 2000s, died Monday in a hospital in London, colleagues report.

After a successful career producing records and managing artists in London in the 70s, the Scottish-born Roberton moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, where he had based his Worlds End Management Company for nearly four decades. The company has continued to the present day and currently represents producers and mixers including Stephen Lipson, Larry Klein, Brad Wood, Stephen Hague, Ted Hutt and many others.

In the mid-60s, he was part of the duo Rick and Sandy, and released solo singles under the names of Sandy and later Lucien Alexander, before moving behind the scenes as a producer for acts like John Martyn, Iain Matthews, the Chocolate Watch Band, Decameron and others. He produced the first three albums for the folk-rock band Steeleye Span.

But in his subsequent time in Los Angeles, his company made its name representing successful producers like the Matrix, the collective made up of Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards and Scott Spock that hit it big producing Avril Lavignes debut album in 2002, going on to work with artists such as Britney Spears, Shakira, Korn and Liz Phair.

Christy (pictured above with Roberton, attending Primary Wave Music Publishings pre-Grammy party in 2009) told Variety how their former manager was responsible for much of the Matrixs success.

Graham and I were saddened to learn of the death of Roberton, Christy said  and shocked, too, because if you knew Sandy, you know he never stopped working. Ill health wasnt on his schedule!

Sandy had a long and successful career in production and management before he suggested Graham and I (who were both nearing the end of our careers as recording artists) team up with Scott and form a songwriting and production team. The idea changed all of our lives. He worked us nonstop: sending artist after artist to our dingy studio in Culver City until finally he suggested we try our luck writing a song for Christina Aguileras Christmas album. That was our first cut, and the rest is pop history.

Sandys passion for music and his endless hours of working connections and wheeling deals for his clients is unparalleled in the industry. The Matrix owes much of its success to him. He has been a pioneering champion for so many people who have written and produced many of the best songs of the past four decades. Thank you, Sandy, for your love of music and the people who create it. Godspeed.

Roberton actually started Worlds End in Chelsea, London in 1980, and the company billed itself as probably the first full-service company to ever solely represent producers, mixers and engineers.

Roberton was raised in Kenya and moved into the music business shortly after his family moved to London when he was in his mid-teens. He joined up with Tom Springfield, the brother of Dusty, to form Tom and Dusty, which recorded singles for Decca and Mercury. As a subsequent solo artist, he released a cover of Neil Diamonds Solitary Man for Columbia, as Sandy, and Bob Dylans Baby, Youve Been on My Mind as Lucien Alexander for Polydor.

After wrapping up his brief recording career, he moved into the publishing side of the business, representing classic blues artists as he worked for Chess Records publishing companies in Europe as well as Lowery Music and Blue Horizon Records. Later he formed his own companies, September Productions and Rockburgh Records, where he worked with, in addition to the aforementioned British artists, acts like Gay and Terry Woods, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, the Woods Band, Wilco Johnson, Finch, the Liverpool Scene, Robin Scott, Shelagh McDonald, Keith Christmas, Harold McNair and Tim Hart & Maddy Prior.

Of the switch from production to management, he said in a 1978 interview, I felt I was getting no recognition. I know that sounds bigheaded but I was getting a lot of work offered to me that involved artists that even I had never heard of. Id get three-quarters of my way through a record into which I was putting a lot of love and then Id suddenly realize that after the record company had sent out the promotional discs, nothing else was going to be heard of that record again. In the end, things just didnt seem worth it. And though I was getting well paid, I just got more and more depressed and felt that I was becoming the backroom boys backroom boy.

In 2013, Goldmine magazine said, Talk about the behind-the-scenes wonders of British folk rock as it developed out of the 1960s and into a new age of world domination, and three names rise above all the others operating at that time  Joe Boyd, Austin John Marshall and Roberton.

In the mainstream now, most producers are the writers of the songs, certainly in the pop world, he told Goldmine. I think the best producers are those who dont necessarily write the material, but are able to set a direction and arrange an artists music to bring out the best in the songs and create a mood.

Robertons daughter Niki Roberton was a co-founder of Iamsound Records, a label whose releases included early work by Florence and the Machine, Lord Huron and Nikki Lane.

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Howard Kleinberg, a Miami restaurateur who also competed in season 3 of Top Chef, has died of a heart attack at age 46. He passed away over the weekend of July 23 and was celebrated at a July 26 funeral.

Kleinbergs mother confirmed his death to the Miami Herald, saying, I am just finding out how many lives he touched. He was married to his passion in life, which was his cooking.

The official Top Chef Twitter account paid tribute to Kleinberg, writing, The #TopChef family is saddened to learn about the unexpected passing of Howard Kleinberg from season three. Howies passion for cooking filled so many and our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

More to come

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JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP)  Firefighters continue to make progress against a huge California forest fire that forced evacuations for thousands of people and destroyed 41 homes and other buildings near Yosemite National Park, officials said Tuesday.

Crews battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County got a break from increased humidity and lower temperatures as monsoonal moisture moved through the Sierra Nevada foothills, said a Tuesday night report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

After minimal growth Monday and overnight, the blaze had consumed nearly 29 square miles (75 square kilometers) of forest land, with 26% containment on Tuesday, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Although good progress continues on the fire, there is much work to be done," Cal Fire said.

Crews were able to strengthen some areas of fire line although steep, rugged terrain was challenging firefighters on the northern and northeastern sides of the blaze, making it inaccessible to bulldozers and requiring fire lines to be cut by hand, Cal Fire said.

Smoke from the blaze also was hampering aircraft, the agency said.

About 6,000 residents from mountain communities were still under evacuation orders, although a few places were downgraded to advisories Tuesday afternoon.

Heavy smoke from the fire drifted more than 200 miles (322 kilometers), reaching Lake Tahoe, parts of Nevada and the San Francisco Bay Area, officials said.

More than 3,000 firefighters supported by two dozen helicopters and 94 bulldozers were battling the blaze that erupted last Friday southwest of the park, near the town of Midpines. It exploded in size on Saturday as flames churned through tinder-dry brush and trees amid the worst drought in decades.

Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 thats one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

The Oak Fire burned as firefighters also made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite. The Washburn Fire, spanning a 7.6-square-mile (19-square-km) area, was 91% contained on Tuesday after burning for more than two weeks and moving into the Sierra National Forest.

In North Texas, crews are battling a wildfire that destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others amid sweltering temperatures and strong winds. In a Tuesday statement, officials said there were significant hotspots throughout the Chalk Mountain Fire near Glen Rose involving unburned and partially burned fuels. The blaze was 20% contained.
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NEW YORK (AP)  A preacher known for his close friendship with New York Citys mayor was robbed of more than $1 million worth of jewelry Sunday by armed bandits who crashed his Brooklyn church service, just as he was sermonizing about keeping faith in the face of grave adversity, police said.

Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, who embraces his flashy lifestyle and can often be seen driving around the Big Apple in his Rolls Royce, was delivering a sermon at his Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries when police say three robbers walked in. They showed guns and demanded property from Miller-Whitehead and his wife, Asia K. DosReis-Whitehead, police said.

The service was also being livestreamed online.

In the video, which appears to have been removed from the churchs social media channels, Miller-Whitehead is heard asking his flock, How many of you have lost your faith because you saw somebody else die? moments before the robbers entered the church.

Hes then seen dropping to his hands and knees and repeatedly saying, alright, alright, before a man holding a gun and wearing a black sweatshirt enters the frame. The man, who was also wearing a black face mask, is then seen approaching Miller-Whitehead, who was hiding behind a gold-colored lectern, and stuffing the bishops jewelry into his pockets.

Another man, dressed in similar garb, is then seen heading toward Miller-Whitehead, lingering near him for a few minutes and then running off. Miller-Whitehead said in a video posted to Instagram that the robbers ripped his collar off to grab his chain and held a gun to his infant daughters face while stealing his wifes jewelry.

Police said the robbers fled in a white Mercedes that was last seen on Avenue D near the church, in Brooklyns Canarsie neighborhood. Neither Miller-Whitehead, 44, nor DosReis-Whitehead, 38, were physically injured, police said. They daughter was also unharmed.

In a video posted to Instagram, Miller-Whitehead said he felt a demonic force enter the church and wasnt sure if the gunmen wanted to shoot the church up or if they were just coming for a robbery. He said hes thankful no one was hurt.

When I see them come into the sanctuary with their guns, I told everybody to get out, everybody just get out, said Whitehead, who on Monday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the robbers.

A message seeking comment was left with Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries.

Miller-Whitehead, 44, formed Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in 2013, after serving a five-year prison sentenced for identity theft and grand larceny. Miller-Whitehead claims he was illegally convicted.

A city hall spokesperson said New York Mayor Eric Adams spoke with Miller-Whitehead after the robbery Sunday.

No one in this city should be the victim of armed robbery, let alone our faith leaders and congregants worshiping in a House of God, Adams said in a statement. The NYPD is investigating this crime and will work tirelessly to bring the criminals involved to justice.

In a video posted Monday to YouTube, Miller-Whitehead thanked the mayor for his support. He said next Sundays church services would go on as planned.

Adams, a former police captain, grew close to Miller-Whitehead while serving as Brooklyns borough president  the position he held for eight years until becoming mayor in January. Miller-Whitehead made an unsuccessful bid last year to succeed Adams in that post.

In May, Miller-Whitehead made headlines for showing up to a Manhattan police precinct in a Rolls Royce SUV as he attempted to negotiate the surrender of a man accused of gunning down a stranger on a New York City subway train.

Miller-Whitehead told reporters at the time that he had multiple conversations with Adams regarding Andrew Abdullahs surrender, though the suspect was ultimately picked up by police outside the offices of the public defender organization that was representing him.

In an Instagram post Sunday, Miller-Whitehead defended his bling-loving lifestyle, saying hes going to live his life the way God has it set up for him.

Its not about me being flashy, Miller-Whitehead said. Its about me, purchasing what I want to purchase. And its my prerogative to purchase what I want to purchase.

___

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
SINGAPORE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will extend his stay in Singapore, as his short-term visit pass has been extended by another 14 days, the Straits Times reported on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday at a press conference in Colombo that Rajapaksa is expected to return to the country from Singapore.

The Straits Times said that Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore from the Maldives on July 14, and he was issued a 14-day visit pass when he arrived at the Changi Airport. He initially stayed at a hotel in the city center but is believed to have moved to a private residence.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on July 14 that Rajapaksa had not asked for asylum and neither had he been granted any asylum. The ministry added that Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.

Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced the official resignation of Rajapaksa on July 15. 
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Four Pennsylvania universities said Wednesday they will follow through with tuition increases despite calls from House Republicans to roll back the price hikes.

The lawmakers, including Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, the GOP nominee for governor, argue Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln and Temple are receiving federal funds and do not need to increase tuition.

The universities did not receive a bump in funding in this years state budget. Instead, through one-time federal funds, the universities will split about $30 million on top of budget funding.

From a long-term planning standpoint, it would not be prudent for us to use it as part of our recurring operations, said Steve Orbanek, a Temple University spokesman.

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said the funds would be put toward student success.

This infusion of one-time funds, though, will not eliminate the larger financial pressures the institution is facing, she said.

Mastriano and House Republican leaders sent letters to the universities in recent days.

In at least two instances, the state flat-funding appropriations over last year was cited as a cause for the tuition increase, House Republican leadership said in a statement Wednesday. Given the recent news about receiving additional funding for the 2022-23 academic year, it would only be prudent to roll back these decisions for all students, but at a minimum, for Pennsylvania residents attending your institutions.

A Pitt spokesperson said their share will be earmarked for student financial aid and outreach.

Lincoln University President Brenda Allen said in a statement the increase only applies to new students. Lincoln declined to comment on how it will allocate the additional funds.

At Penn State, in-state undergraduate students will see tuition increase by 5% at the University Park campus and 2% at the Commonwealth Campuses. Non-residents will see a 6% tuition increase at University Park and a 3% increase at the Commonwealth Campuses. A 5% increase will be instituted for Penn State World Campus undergraduates.

Most in-state students paying full tuition at Pitts' campus will see their tuition rate rise by 3.5%. Regional campus tuition rates will rise by 2%.

Temple students will see a 3.9% increase for 20222023 undergraduate and graduate base tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students.

Lincolns tuition will increased by less than 1% for the incoming class, according to figures on its website. A university spokesperson didnt immediately confirm the increase amount.

The four schools, referred to officially as state-related universities, are not owned by the state, but receive government subsidies. Together, they received $597 million from the state government in this years budget.

Tuition increases are just the latest dispute between the universities and state lawmakers. In June, House Republicans doubled down on not sending funding to Pitt over its use of fetal tissue from elective abortions by approving an amendment to the appropriations bill.

The dispute ended quietly in the Legislature when GOP lawmakers backed away from requiring that a university financial officer submit a sworn statement attesting that their school does not use the tissue in order to get state funding.

___

Brooke Schultz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brooke Schultz on Twitter.
HENNIKER, N.H. (AP)  The abortion landscape has changed but the votes didnt when New Hampshire Republicans rejected family planning contracts Wednesday for the fourth time in less than a year.

The Executive Council  which approves nominations and state contracts  voted 4-1 to deny funding to the Equality Health Center, Lovering Health Center and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The contracts, which were supported by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, would have funded cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and other routine health care services for more than 16,000 low-income women.

The outcome was the same when the council voted in September, December and January. Wednesday was the first vote since the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

On the national landscape ... we know that womens services as a whole are under assault. There is considerable discussion in Washington about limiting access to contraception, which is really what brings us to this discussion today, said the councils lone Democrat, Cinde Warmington.

These services are more critical than ever in our state, she said.

Republican councilors previously had raised concerns that public money would pay for abortions and continued to vote no even after audit reports confirmed that funds were not commingled.

Few of the councilors explained their opposition Wednesday. Councilor David Wheeler asked whether the clinics could refer patients for abortions and was told yes. Councilor Ted Gatsas asked whether the contracts would allow a 14-year-old girl to get an emergency contraceptive  the morning-after pill  at a pharmacy without parental consent.

Thats already allowed under state law regardless of whether a teen goes to a clinic, said Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette.

That same 14-year-old can access SUD treatment in our state without parental consent, but we dont stop approving those contracts, she said, referring to substance use disorder.

Health clinic officials said theyve seen a surge in demand for contraception since the June 24 Supreme Court ruling.

Its only been a month since Roe fell and already were seeing complete chaos in this country regarding sexual and reproductive health. Were also seeing that here in New Hampshire, said Kayla Montgomery, vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Thats why this vote is so outrageous, because these four executive councilors continue to not listen to facts and facts and reason and science.

Dalia Vidunas, executive director of the Equality Health Center, said she likely will have to eliminate her clinics sliding scale fees to make up the loss.

Im really disappointed that they dont care enough about the residents of New Hampshire to make sure that we have reproductive health services, she said.

___

This story was first published on July 27, 2022. It was updated July 28, 2022, to correct a quote from Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette to refer to SUD treatment, instead of STD treatment.
Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot

Texas joined a 22-state lawsuit against the Biden administration over new guidelines from the USDA on sex discrimination for schools and programs that receive federal nutritional assistance, a press release from Attorney General Ken Paxton said. On May 5, the USDA Food Nutrition Service (FNS) added discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to their prohibition on discrimination based on sex, a release from the organization said.

The new guidance orders state and local programs that receive funds from FNS to investigate allegations of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and update their policies to reflect the USDAs changes. Paxton said in the release that the new guidelines put Texas "Title IX and SNAP school lunch funding at risk. Texas received $6.28 billion in SNAP funding in 2020, according to a document provided with the lawsuit.
JERUSALEM/AMMAN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan met on Wednesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Amman over boosting bilateral ties and accelerating joint projects.

Lapid, Israel's caretaker prime minister who is running for another term ahead of the parliamentary elections in November, travelled to Jordan at the invitation of the king, Lapid's office said in a statement.

Referring to the peace treaty signed between Israel and Jordan in 1994, the two leaders discussed "the many opportunities to build on the peace agreement and to strengthen the common interests between the countries," said the statement.

The two sides agreed to continue deepening ties and dialogue between the two nations, it added.

They also agreed to accelerate bilateral projects, including the Jordan Gateway Free Zone Industrial Park which was first approved in 1998 but is still under construction.

The building of solar energy facilities in Jordan, the desalination facilities in Israel, joint tourism in the Gulf of Eilat-Aqaba, food security, agriculture and transport links were also on the agenda of the meeting.

On the Palestinian cause, the Jordanian king underscored the necessity to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting peace through the two-state solution, said a statement by the Jordanian royal court, adding boosting regional security, stability and development must include the Palestinians.

He called for maintaining calm and respecting the historical and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The meeting came after a period of tensions between the two neighbors, as Jordan criticized Israel's raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 
Myanmar nationals chant slogans against the Burmese junta during a protest outside Myanmars Embassy in Bangkok in the wake of Naypyidaws executions of veteran pro-democracy activist Ko Jimmy and three other political prisoners, July 26, 2022.

Calls are mounting for ASEAN to punish Myanmars junta for executing four political prisoners, with one analyst proposing that the Southeast Asian bloc undertake the unprecedented move of suspending Naypyidaw as a member.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi echoed her Malaysian counterpart in calling for a special discussion on Myanmar at a ministerial-level meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations scheduled for next week.

On Tuesday, the 10-member association issued its harshest criticism of the Burmese junta to date, calling the executions of the four dissidents highly reprehensible, while Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah branded the hangings as a crime against humanity.

But political commentators across the region are saying that ASEAN, which operates by consensus, needs to follow up on its tough words by taking stricter action against the military-ruled member-state for violating a five-point consensus struck in April 2021 that included an end to violence in post-coup Myanmar.

The executions of veteran pro-democracy Ko Jimmy and the three other political prisoners might be the tipping point for ASEAN, according to Sharon Seah, a scholar at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

ASEAN needs to rethink seriously its approach to Myanmar, including a form of de facto temporary suspension even though the ASEAN Charter does not explicitly provide for it, Seah, coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Center and the Climate Change at the institute, wrote on Twitter.

If ASEAN doesnt take tougher actions, it will appear weak and lack credibility. Yet, if it does, it risks closing the door on negotiation with the SAC permanently, she said, referring to the State Administrative Council, the official name for the military regime led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.\

In its 55-year history, the 10-member ASEAN has never banned or expelled a member. In 1997, when Cambodias then co-Prime Minister Hun Sen overthrew Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the country only had observer status in ASEAN.

Because of the coup, ASEAN held off on admitting Cambodia, and sent foreign ministers from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines there to mediate for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, much like it tried to do with the special envoy in Myanmar.

The ASEAN charter says: In the case of a serious breach of the Charter or non-compliance, the matter will be referred to the ASEAN Summit for decision.

In the view of Aizat Khairi, a professor at the University of Kuala Lumpur, some form of punishment needs to be meted out for the executions.

It is likely difficult to expel Myanmar from ASEAN but it is a stand that, if taken, will send a strong message to the junta that ASEAN indeed stands united and does not tolerate crimes against humanity, he told BenarNews.

Aizat said ASEAN could take junta leaders to the International Court of Justice and impose economic sanctions.

The bloc also needs to start engaging with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) and National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), a shadow administration outlawed by the junta, he said.

The Burmese junta put to death Ko Jimmy (whose real name is Kyaw Min Yu), former National League for Democracy lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw, as well as activists Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw  likely on Saturday  but announced their executions on Monday.

A military court had convicted them over terrorist acts and they lost appeals against their death sentences. The junta had also rejected the possibility of a pardon for the condemned men.

Their executions have drawn worldwide condemnation.

Seah, of ISEAS, said although Myanmar has been barred from sending political representatives to ASEAN foreign ministerial meetings, it has been allowed to send political representative to other ministerial meetings.

She suggested that Myanmar be stripped of its ASEAN roles and duties.



ASEAN has no levers in this game of brinksmanship with the SAC. For a start, ASEAN needs to be coherent in its approach, she said.

In Indonesia, where ASEAN is headquartered, the English-language Jakarta Post called for tough action against the cold-blooded Myanmar junta.

Now President [Joko] Jokowi [Widodo] should show the world that ASEAN cannot tolerate the barbaric acts of Gen. [Min Aung] Hlaing, the Post said in an editorial that did not hold back.

ASEANs silence would only send the wrong signal that it condoned the brutality, it said.

The Post urged Retno, Indonesias top diplomat, to initiate an emergency meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss collective actions against the Myanmar junta for its blatant contempt of the five-point agreement.

Following criticism of a lack of condemnation from Indonesia, Retno said Wednesday that the executions had dealt a blow to the five-point consensus.

The president expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in the implementation [of the consensus], Retno told a press conference.

I have proposed that the ASEAN ministerial meeting in early August in Phnom Penh specifically discuss the latest development.

Muzliza Mustafa in Kuala Lumpur and Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Updated at 4:37 p.m. ET on 2022-07-27

At least five people were killed and dozens more injured when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the northern Philippines on Wednesday, leaving widespread destruction, according to officials and media reports.

The temblor caused heavy damage to many homes, buildings and infrastructure in Abra, a province in the far north of Luzon Island and the epicenter of the quake, local media reports said. The tremors could be felt as far away as Manila.

When the quake struck on Wednesday morning, panicked people fled as they evacuated buildings in Abra and other parts of Luzon, including from the Senate building in Metro Manila.

This strong earthquake shocked many of my beloved Abrenos and caused damages to many households and establishments, said Ching Bernos, a member of the House of Representatives who represents Abra.

I urge everyone to stay alert and to prioritize safety in light of the possibilities of aftershocks that might be felt after that strong earthquake.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 25 kilometers near the town of Lagangilang. The institute revised down the force of the temblor to 7.0 from a magnitude of 7.3 that it had reported earlier.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake occurred in the northwestern part of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines.

Disaster relief officials in Manila said one person was killed when he was hit by falling debris at a construction site in the town of La Trinidad in northern Benguet province.

Three others were killed elsewhere, but officials did not elaborate how. They also said sixty people were injured, although some had been sent home already.

Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy chief of operations for the Office of Civil Defense, said a fifth person was killed in Gataran town, Cagayan province, but the countrys national disaster agency said it had yet to verify that information.

Some heritage sites in Abra and the city of Vigan, including several turn-of-the-century churches and homes, were also badly damaged by Wednesdays quake.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who hails from the far-northern part of Luzon, said he had been monitoring the situation and immediately dispatched the military and other emergency services to the affected areas.

I am staying away from going to affected areas for the very simple reason that when national officers come to affected areas, we disrupt the work of local officials, Marcos told a news conference in Manila.

We are hoping it will not rain. There might be a greater danger of landslides. I hope it doesnt rain at least in the next two days, Marcos said, adding it was not necessary to declare a national emergency just yet.

Despite the saddening news of the damage caused by the earthquake, we would like to assure you of the quick response to the needs of our citizens affected by this disaster, Marcos said.

When the quake struck, the president was at his office and saw the chandelier swaying. It was very strong, stronger than usual, he said.

In Mountain province, a Filipino news photographer, Harley Palangchao, was traveling on a highway downhill with companions in two vans when they heard thundering sounds and saw an avalanche of boulders tumbling ahead of them from a towering mountain, the Associated Press reported.

According to AP, the 44-year-old was sitting in the front seat of one of the vans, when he raised his camera and photographed the scene, thinking it could be his last photo as his van averted disaster. Palangchao took the picture published at the top of this report.

I was thinking there should be at least a record if something happened to us, the photojournalist told AP. It was a horrific experience.

Meanwhile, several houses and infrastructures in different locations on Luzon were severely damaged, the Philippine Red Cross said on Facebook. The NGOs Abra Chapter emergency medical team ushered patients and staff of the Abra Provincial Hospital to safety this morning after the quake and were later assisted back to their rooms, the Red Cross said.

Commuters pass a building damaged by a major earthquake in Abra province, northern Philippines, July 27, 2022. [Handout photo from National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council]

The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where earthquakes are frequent due to shifting tectonic plates in the oceans basin, according to seismologists. Some of the tremors have been devastating.

In the past 50 years, more than 15 destructive earthquakes have hit the Philippines  with four major seismic events of magnitudes greater than 6.5 occurring in November-December 2019 alone, according to experts.

Luzon Island was hit by a 6.1-magnitude quake in April 2019, causing about 100 buildings to crumble and killing at least 16 people. Eight months later, a 6.9-magnitude temblor shook large parts of southern Mindanao Island, killing at least five people and injuring dozens.

One of the strongest tremors to hit the Philippines in recent years occurred in 1990 when a 7.8-magnitude quake caused buildings and hotels to collapse in the northern city of Baguio, killing more than 2,400 people.

Camille Elemia, Luis Liwanag and Jojo Rinoza contributed to this report from Manila.
People believed to be Uyghurs are transported to a detention center in Songkhla town in southern Thailand after visiting women and children at a separate facility, March 26, 2014.

Thailand has moved dozens of Uyghurs from around the kingdom to a single facility in Bangkok, a security official confirmed Wednesday, raising fears among NGOs that the government may deport them to China after three detainees escaped earlier this month.

Thai authorities had moved the Uyghurs to the detention center in Thailands capital for their own good, according to Panitan Wattanayagorn, the chief security adviser to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

I understand it was a relocation for security reasons and to improve their living conditions, Panitan told BenarNews by phone, but he did not respond to a question about whether the Thai government would send the Uyghurs back to China.

For a broad overview of solving the troubles, we can say that they escaped death to stay with us. We have to handle them according to international standards and obligations, he said.

We wont breach their basic rights  that is there is no separation of the families. But the problem is more convoluted than that, and we try to solve it bit by bit.

BenarNews reached Panitan a day after seven local NGOs and Thailands Islamic council issued a joint statement questioning the Muslim Uyghur detainees transfer to Bangkok.

This action raised concerns among the civil society network monitoring the Uyghur situation that the Thai government will force the Uyghurs to return to their country of origin at the request of the Chinese government, said the NGOs and the humanitarian council of the Sheikhul Islam Office, the top Islamic authority in majority-Buddhist Thailand.

The relocation to Bangkok came after three Uyghur men escaped from an immigration detention center in central Thailand on July 11, said Chalida Tajaroensuk, director of the Peoples Empowerment Foundation, a Thai NGO that assists Uyghur refugees in the country. The trio is believed to be at large.

Our sources have told us that Uyghurs were brought from different detention centers across the country and are now all held together at the Suan Plu immigration detention center, Chalida told BenarNews on Wednesday. We fear they could be sent back at Chinas pressure. So far, they are still here, as far as we know.

Fifty-two to 56 Uyghurs have been in limbo in Thailand after they allegedly entered the country illicitly while fleeing from northwestern China seven to eight years ago, Chalida said. At least 44 of them are at Suan Plu, but it was not clear what happened to the others.

Activists said those held in detention centers are in an immigration limbo because China wants them back, while Thai authorities have not yet decided what to do with them.

Meanwhile, a foreign affairs committee of the Thai parliament has summoned the foreign ministry and other related agencies on Aug. 4 to clarify the situation.

We also want to have the national human rights commissioners be debriefed on the relocation and allowed to make a visit to them and monitor their health, Chalida said.

No visits

She said the NGOs and the human rights officials had not been allowed to visit the Uyghurs despite requests to the government.

Previously, Chalida noted that they were living in unhygienic, cramped cells after seven Uyghur inmates tried to escape from a detention center in Mukdaharn province in 2020.

The NGOs and the Muslim council also called on the government to be mindful of an incident in 2015 when it deported 109 Uyghurs to China. The fates of those deported are not known.

Thailand must not make the same mistake twice. There is no reasonable reason for the Chinese government to ask the Thai government to force these Uyghurs to return to China where they will face persecution, the statement said.

The Uyghur people, who live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), are a Muslim minority who have endured persecution and repression by the Chinese government, cases of which have been well documented by human rights groups.

Thai officials said the Uyghurs were detained after fleeing from XUAR as they tried to travel through Thailand, hoping to find asylum in Turkey or other countries. The exodus began in 2013 and 2014 when about 475 fled to Thailand. Since then, other Uyghurs have entered the country in a series of smaller waves.

Human rights activists said human smuggling rings allegedly aided Uyghurs in entering Thailand from Myanmar and Laos. The asylum seekers traveled by roads and sometimes trekked through jungles to avoid police checkpoints along the way to Malaysia, but most ended up being rounded up in the far southern province of Songkhla, near the Malaysian border.
People unload Hilsa fish from boats at a fish landing station in Chattogram, Bangladesh, July 25, 2022. Bangladeshi fishermen on Monday restarted fishing in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal after a break of 65 days. Bangladesh banned fishing off its coast for 65 days from May 20 in order to help ensure the smooth breeding of fish and boost depleted fish stocks. (Xinhua)

People process Hilsa fish at a fish landing station in Chattogram, Bangladesh, July 25, 2022. Bangladeshi fishermen on Monday restarted fishing in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal after a break of 65 days. Bangladesh banned fishing off its coast for 65 days from May 20 in order to help ensure the smooth breeding of fish and boost depleted fish stocks. (Xinhua)

A vendor processes Hilsa fish at a fish landing station in Chattogram, Bangladesh, July 25, 2022. Bangladeshi fishermen on Monday restarted fishing in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal after a break of 65 days. Bangladesh banned fishing off its coast for 65 days from May 20 in order to help ensure the smooth breeding of fish and boost depleted fish stocks. (Xinhua)

A man unloads Hilsa fish from boats at a fish landing station in Chattogram, Bangladesh, July 25, 2022. Bangladeshi fishermen on Monday restarted fishing in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal after a break of 65 days. Bangladesh banned fishing off its coast for 65 days from May 20 in order to help ensure the smooth breeding of fish and boost depleted fish stocks. (Xinhua)
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. Thunder possible. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
In this photo provided by Massachusetts State Police shows Massachusetts State Police Trooper David Stucenski standing with MSP K9 Frankie. The decorated Massachusetts State Police dog was shot and killed by a man who had barricaded himself inside a home. Frankie, a nearly 11-year-old Belgian malinois, was shot Tuesday, July 26, 2022, by a 38-year-old suspect, according to a statement from State Police Col. Christopher Mason.
LENOX  Shared Estates, an investment fund designed to renovate and flip historic properties, has put its latest acquisition  the historic Kemble Inn  on the market. Asking price: $5,840,000 according to the Stone House Properties listing.

Berkshires native Daniel Dus, the founder and managing partner of Shared Estates, acquired the 13-bedroom, 3-acre property last February for $3,125,000 through his Kemble Berkshires LLC and spent an additional $750,000 on property enhancements and upgrades.

A sale near the asking price would represent a nearly $2 million profit for Shared Estates, Dus said.

Were on the hunt for the right buyer here, he said. Were happy to sit on it and operate it and collect revenue. He said the sale price is based entirely on a calculation of profits.

Profitability is key, he told The Eagle. The traditional inn model with full-time staff and overhead is very hard. Our model is to turn all that into technology-based remote check-ins and remote access and to operate in an approach thats highly profitable compared to the traditional historic inn models.

Former owner Scott Shortt filed for bankruptcy protection at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Worcester in June 2021. Shortt had purchased the inn for $1.6 million in 2010, spent about $4.5 million on renovations, but defaulted on a $2.6 million mortgage after drastic COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses starting in spring 2020.

The Colonial Revival Inn had been built in 1881 as a Gilded Age cottage for President Chester Arthurs secretary of state, Frederick Frelinghuysen.

During Dus ownership as the Kemble Berkshires, the estate was updated with modern furnishings. Instead of operating as a traditional inn, Dus adopted a business model based on weekend to month-long group rentals for wedding parties, multi-generational family celebrations and corporate retreats.

Marketed via Airbnb, VRBO and other online platforms, the buyout price for the property started at $1,985 per night last March, but this summer the price rose to $3,485 nightly on weekdays and $4,250 on weekends. So far, Dus said he has booked nearly $400,000 in revenue.

Shared Estates at a glance The Shared Estates Asset Fund track record, before its acquisition of The Kemble in Lenox, includes: The Brookman on Treadwell Hollow Road in Williamstown, formerly owned by the late actor Christopher Reeve and his family, sold for $2,350,000 last February. Dus, his Shared Estates Asset Fund partners and investors had acquired it in 2020 for $925,000 and spent $600,000 on renovations.

The Playhouse on Summer Street in Lee, originally part of the George Westinghouse estate, featured in a Netflix travel show last year, after its sale for $1,290,000 in November 2020. Dus had purchased it in 2014 for $340,000, and after two years of extensive structural repairs and renovations it became a leading luxury property rental on Vrbo. It is listed by its new owner as available for rental for $1,195 nightly.

The Freeman Berkshires, on Bow Wow Road in South Egremont, on the market for an asking price of $3.9 million. Dus had purchased it for $1.6 million in April 2021. Spending $800,000 in renovations to the 14-room mansion on a 40-acre estate, he renamed the former Applegate Farm, dating from the late 1800s, in honor of Elizabeth Freeman, of Sheffield, the first female slave to successfully sue for her freedom in Massachusetts. SOURCES: Eagle archives; Registry of Deeds records

Shared Estates attracted 143 individual investors who collectively paid $1,434,000 toward Dus purchase price and upgrades for the Kemble Inn. The minimum investment was $1,000 and the average was nearly $6,000. The remainder of the $3,125,000 purchase cost of the 2 Kemble St. property was financed through conventional loans.

Investors are part-owners, earning a return based on their investment amount, revenue from the property and proceeds from a profitable sale. Meanwhile, the part-owner investors can get a 15 percent discount on a stay  20 percent if they are Berkshire County residents.

A $6,000 investor would receive $13,500 if the property is sold at the asking price, a $7,500 profit, including the original investment.

Dus, 44, grew up in Richmond and Becket. He is a solar industry executive at the renewable energy company iSun. His previous Shared Estates Asset Fund properties partially financed through the sharing economy were in Lee, Williamstown and South Egremont.

Following Frelinghuysens tenure, the Kemble had several owners and uses. It served as a dormitory for the Lenox School for Boys, which closed in 1972, and was converted to an inn in 1991, according to the Lenox Historical Society.

The Gilded Age mansion, totaling 15,000 square feet, is in a residential zone, defined and registered as a Great Estate under town bylaws with by-right zoning for inns up to 20 rooms.

Other Shared Estates investments in the Berkshires have included:

 The Freeman Berkshires on Bow Wow Road in Egremont, a 14,000-square-foot, late-1800s estate. The first phase of renovations was completed last winter. The property is named for Mum Bett, who adopted the name Elizabeth Freeman as the first freed Massachusetts slave after a Great Barrington court ruling in 1781. It is on the market for $3,850,000.

 The Williamstown property owned by Christopher Reeve and family members since his death in 2004 has booked over $250,000 in rentals since renovations were completed this year on whats now called The Brookman, a 6,000-square-foot estate on 40 acres. Purchased by Duss company in late 2019 for $925,000, with $600,00 spent on renovations, it sold for $2,350,000 last February to a family that continues to operate the rental property.

 The Playhouse on Summer Street in Lee, originally part of the George Westinghouse estate, available by rental from its current owner for $1,195 nightly. Purchased for $340,000 in 2014, Dus sold it for nearly $1.3 million in November 2020.
As Mark Stewart pedals, a helicopter-like structure of tubes spins above him and sets a chorus singing. He holds a mallet to strike a piece of metal hanging from the ceiling. And he starts to sing.

The bike-powered music-making machine, dubbed a WhirleyCopter, is among the many one-of-a-kind instruments that fill this carriage barn in the backyard of the North Adams home the artist shares with Karen Curlee, his wife.

Wind chime-like instruments made of found objects and bells hang from a ceiling in the barn. There is the stash of LazySusanna-phones, an instrument made from Lazy Susans, with various sound-making pieces on the surface.

A room on the barns first floor holds the stacks, as he calls them  a stash of materials for instrument-making, like tubes and rakes waiting to be turned into boingers of different sorts, he said.

Musically, hes all about things that go boing in the night.

This week at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Stewart will play some of the countless instruments hes created as part of LOUD Weekend, three days of music from Mass MoCA and Bang on a Can. Stewart, founding member of Bang on a Can All-Stars, is leading the Orchestra of Original Instruments and playing in pieces like the weekends opening event, Steel Hammer, on Thursday.

It tells the story of the John Henry legend in all its conflicting versions, and deconstructs the text, Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon recently told The Eagle, speaking of the opening piece. It features folk instruments mountain dulcimer, banjo, bones, and Mark Stewart, whos a local hero, clogs.

Stewart lives in North Adams and in Brooklyn, N.Y. He and Curlee co-founded SoundstewArt, a company that makes instruments, builds sound installations and leads workshops where everyone is a musician. The couple started coming to North Adams for Bang on a Can, and then Stewart curated No Experience Required, an exhibit at Mass MoCA showcasing instruments from Gunnar Schonbeck, the late Bennington College professor.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Stewart was in that gallery playing many instruments, from strumming the strings of one massive piece to fetching up the trumpeting of an elephant from a long plastic tube.

Audience members hummed on cue. Music is for everyone, he told the group.

Thats in contrast to his job as a guitarist and musical director for Paul Simons band. I make my living playing remarkably exclusive music, said Stewart, who has long toured with Simon and worked with big-name musicians, including Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.

I spent a lot of time in a kind of rarefied environment. Heres the stage, heres the where the stage ends. This is where the audience begins. But my favorite kinds of music are inclusive  where those borders are blurred.

Immediate delight

The instrument he was playing at the Mass MoCA gallery, for example, is made from a piece of PVC pipe from the hardware store. It just so happens that if you put a baritone saxophone mouthpiece on it, it makes a tremendous sound, he said. One of the things I delight in is making instruments that anyone can play. ... And they immediately delight the player, no matter who it is, I can hand that horn to a 4-year-old and they will make a sound like a mastodon ... they will make a sound like a huge creature. ... I can hand it to people who have told themselves their whole lives that they are not musicians and they will prove otherwise very quickly.

Stewart, 61, grew up in a music-filled home with musician parents. His family formed an ensemble that played gigs and used proceeds to pay for the childrens music lessons. Mom brought home a guitar when I was nine, and I thought I thought my life is perfect, he said.

In the 90s, Stewart was playing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night in New York City. After the performance, the musician Paul Simon approached him. He called me the next day, Stewart said. Ive been with him ever since.

Though Stewart has long been playing music, he did not start designing and making his own instruments until he began touring with Simon decades ago. Thats because when youre on a pop tour, its really cushy, Stewart said. He had to work hard in rehearsal and during shows, of course, but he otherwise found himself with an abundance of free time.

So I just started working on different projects, he said. He taught himself how to play the didgeridoo, a wind instrument from Australia.

I discovered that every tube was a didg (didgeridoo) waiting to happen, he said. Then I just started looking at things  everything  as though it could be an instrument.

Plastic tubing used for sump pump drains are not just for pumping water out of your basement. If you cut them into sections and twirl them, they sing, he said.

An old metal bed frame he found on the street in New York City hangs from the ceiling of the barn like an odd chandelier he strikes to make music. It is a fantastic echo chamber, he said, hitting the frame.

Circular blades once used to cut open New York City streets hang on his barn wall to be struck as gongs. And he loves to use Styrofoam to amplify sound. Every time I see a fish box or an Omaha Steaks box, he said, I snag the thing.

The NYC dumpster dive

Once when he and Curlee were dating, they were walking down the street in New York City. There was this amazing dumpster in the Garment District filled with incredible cardboard tubes, he recalled. I still have some from that night. I say, Babe, hold on one second. I leaped up and oh, right over the top, in I disappeared.

At the time they were both working in a musical, Show Boat. He played in the pit orchestra and Curlee was on stage. You have a good job, she said, why are you jumping into dumpsters?

Well, Stewart likes to divert material from landfills. I see it as patriotic behavior, he said. But its more than that. I like the way my brain works when Im looking at garbage, something about, what is the potential? No one wants this, what could this be?

A butter knife in the gutter of Manhattans Lower East Side, for example, inspired him to create the Big Boing. The long table in the barn has 490 playable pieces on it, boingers, including a bobby pin, a nail file, a piece of a rake, a ruler, and, of course, a butter knife. Each one can be adjusted with a thumbscrew to change the pitch. Its a descendant of the mbira, a thumb piano, he said.

It only needs one person to play it, but can accommodate up to 30 children sitting at the table. He takes great joy in children playing the instruments in his barn. All the neighborhood kids are welcome, he said. Its a real romp room for sound making.

Sometimes its not trash, like an abandoned butter knife, but necessity that sparks an idea. At one point, he wanted an acoustic instrument he could play on plane. Oh! Ill make an instrument with a stethoscope, he thought. Thus he created the microsonophone, an instrument one can only hear wearing an attached stethoscope. Strumming a bow-shaped piece of wood with a few strings on it, wearing an attached stethoscope, he demonstrated one in action. Theyre wonderful because people have privacy, Stewart said.

So many ideas, so little time

Not all his instruments are so subtle as the microsonophone. Two bike-powered pieces are on loan to an opera in San Diego, The Aging Magician. They are 10- and 14-feet-tall, bicycle-powered Ferris wheels of spinning tubes, as Stewart puts it.

One day, he hopes to make a bike-powered instrument that can roll down streets in parades. My idea would be that the feet would power the spinning tubes, and the hands would do the locomotion. Because parades, you dont have to go fast, he said.

Its one of his many ideas. I have a codex I filled up of 1,000 pages of designs and drawings. Ive only built about 100 pages out of it. ... Im never gonna get to all of them.

People ask him if he will patent his designs, Stewart says, but he has no interest in that. Im not planning on suing anyone, he said sitting in the bicycle seat of the WhirleyCopter. Patents are overrated. He even has a recipe card posted on his website with instructions to make a chaladoo, a wind instrument that uses a PVC pipe and a baritone saxophone mouthpiece.

In his barn, he played the Big Boing, striking the nail file and pieces of metal like keys on a piano and filling the room with sound. Nail files are great, he said after plucking one. Thats a rake, he said plucking another piece of metal, its sound reverberating as it moved. Oh thats a good one!

He tries not to work too hard to find what sound a found item can produce  its usually near the surface, he said.

Really what you do when you find something thats going to make sound, you have to let it be the teacher. What does this thing do? ... Its going to do at least one thing perfectly. So my job is to find out what is that thing it does perfectly.

He strummed a ruler attached to the Big Boing, which vibrated and made a deep tone. These rulers are wonderful, he said. Every first grader knows that actually. Remember that when you put the ruler off your desk and you go boing? Oh, thats a good moment. Ive just made a career out being a first grader with a desk.
KUWAIT CITY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's communication regulatory body has granted Chinese tech giant Huawei permission to offer cloud services in Kuwait, according to a press release by Huawei on Wednesday.

Rico Lin, CEO of Huawei Kuwait, said the HUAWEI CLOUD services will help propel the growth of the enterprises in Kuwait in the digital era, as the demand for digital services among Kuwait's enterprises continues to rise.

Salim Muthib Al-Ozainah, chairman and CEO of Kuwait's Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, described digitization as "integral" to "(Kuwaiti) Vision 2035 to help develop a sustainable and diversified economy."

"The launch of HUAWEI CLOUD services will help Kuwait's public and private organizations go digital while attracting new foreign investments into the country," he said.

Huawei now hosts two cloud regions in the Middle East, one in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Saudi Arabia, which aim to help local businesses and governments access more robust and secure cloud services from the Chinese tech firm. 
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington. Romney was previously the governor of Massachusetts and the Republican nominee for president against Barack Obama in 2012.
BOISE - The percentage of Idaho juniors who met both benchmark scores on the SAT  a measure of college and career readiness  slid for the second year in a row, according to data the State Department of Education released on Tuesday.

In 2022, 28.3% of juniors met both benchmarks on the SAT (for math and evidence-based reading and writing)  0.8% lower than in 2021 and 3.7% lower than in 2020. Even amid pandemic-related school shutdowns in 2020, 90% of Idaho juniors still took the SAT.

The benchmark percentages in math have fallen over the past two years as well. This year, 30.5% of students met the benchmark, 0.7% fewer than in 2021 and 2.5% fewer than in 2020.

Benchmark percentages for evidence-based reading and writing showed a 0.1% increase from 2021. Scores from the last two years, however, were both more than 4% below the 58% of students who met the benchmark in 2020.

The SDE characterized the new SAT scores as holding steady from the previous year in a Tuesday press release.

Sherri Ybarra, superintendent of public instruction, pointed out that many students are no longer required  by the state or by their university  to take college entrance exams.

Weve known for some time that many Idaho students do not prepare for the SAT because it is not essential to their post-high school plans, Ybarra said. And the priority placed on the test has declined further in recent years as universities in Idaho and elsewhere have stopped requiring college-entrance exams, and the State Board of Education dropped the exams as a graduation requirement this year.

How Idaho schools and districts fared

There were some bright spots in the SDEs report. Couer dAlene Charter Academy had the highest rate in the state, just as it did in 2021, with nearly 90% of its students meeting both benchmarks. The following schools also had notably high percentages of students who met both benchmarks:

Renaissance High (West Ada) 77%

North Idaho Stem Charter >76%

Meridian Tech. Charter 68%

Meridian Medical Arts Charter 67%

Among all Idaho districts and charter schools with at least 20 participating students, only 11 had 50 percent or more of their students meet both benchmarks.

Here are the percentages of juniors meeting both the English and math benchmark scores for select large districts:

Boise: 41.5%

Bonneville: 30.5%

Caldwell: 11.3%

Cassia County: 21.8%

Coeur dAlene: 34.2%

Emmett: 27.8%

Idaho Falls: 26.5%

Jefferson County: 30.6%

Jerome: 9.9%

Kuna: 19.5%

Lakeland: 29.1%

Lewiston: 24.8%

Madison: 32.8%

Middleton: 31%

Moscow: 49.7%

Nampa: 17.3%

Oneida County: 28.6%

Pocatello-Chubbuck: 32%

Post Falls: 30.7%

Twin Falls: 24.9%

Vallivue: 20.3%

West Ada: 40.4%

The College Board establishes benchmarks to help students and educators assess student progress toward college readiness from year to year. According to its website, students who meet or exceed the benchmarks have a 75% chance of earning at least a C in a variety of general education first-semester college courses. It also notes that students scoring below the SAT benchmarks can still be successful in college, especially with additional preparation and perseverance.

Education leaders have been questioning the validity of college entrance exams, especially since the start of the pandemic.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The technology is developed by AiRTH, a startup incubated at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre, IIT Kanpur

A technology developed jointly at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and IIT Bombay has proven to be a path-breaking innovation against both air pollutants and the coronavirus.

The 'Anti-Microbial Air Purification Technology' not only purifies the air but destroys germs, as well, thereby ensuring complete protection. The technology has been tested at CSIR-IMTECH and has proven to be able to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 virus with an efficacy of 99.9 per cent within just one minute.



This new technology was developed by AiRTH, a startup incubated at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), IIT Kanpur, and has proven to be quite an effective measure in this regard. Now with the CSIR-IMTECH validation, the technology can be termed pioneering in its efforts to combat COVID-19.



Ravi Kaushik, CEO and Founder, AiRTH, realised the limitations in the existing purification technologies, while he was pursuing his Masters in Environmental Engineering at IIT Bombay. He nurtured his idea to shape it into AiRTH. With guidance and support from Prof. Amitabha Bandopadhyay, Professor-in-charge of the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre, IIT Kanpur, AiRTH was incubated.



The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, played a crucial role in testing the prototypes, with validation from trusted and respected laboratories of India like CSIR-NPL, CSIR- CDRI, amongst others.










Under the campaign, 1000 individuals will be screened for different types of cancer in Delhi NCR

Fujifilm India has partnered with the Indian Cancer Society in its flagship programme titled Cancer Mukt Dilli programme. Emphasizing on the importance of Early Detection; Early Cure, the campaign will reach individuals living in semi-rural villages of Delhi NCR and belonging to the economically weaker sections of society.

Under Cancer Mukt Dilli, Fujifilm India along with ICS will screen 1000 individuals across camps in Delhi NCR, while 10 individuals will receive financial support depending on the fund utilisation. The company will offer financial assistance of up to Rs 1 lakh per annum for curative cases. Trained volunteers will deliver cancer awareness talks and distribute informative pamphlets. ICS will amplify the campaign through social media and radio channels, electronic media and social networks to disseminate knowledge and spread awareness of the disease and its prevention.

Under the campaign, Fujifilm and ICS will set up around 10 camps across Delhi NCR where professionals will screen 100 persons at each Camp. Indian Cancer Society volunteers will also visit 16 leading hospitals in Delhi NCR to provide emotional and financial support to individuals affected with cancer. So far, eight camps have been set up across Jwalapuri, Gurugram, Greater Kailash, Bhajanpura and Najafgarh areas of Delhi/NCR and have screened around 900 people.
NAIROBI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Foreign firms worldwide have shown confidence in the Chinese market, a Kenya-based international relations scholar has said, referring to the ongoing China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE).

Hosting the CICPE in Haikou in southern Hainan Province is a testament to China's resolve to be more proactive in boosting global economic activity in the consumer goods sector, Cavince Adhere told Xinhua in an interview earlier this week.

According to official data, the expo, held from July 25-30, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and over 1,600 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands. It showcases over 600 new products from more than 200 brands.

"Resumption of trade in consumer goods will play an important role in the global economic recovery as it will foster activity at the firm level, thereby boosting employment around the world," Adhere said, adding that the expo provides a platform to boost the confidence of both consumers and companies.

The expo comes at a time when there is great expectation from consumers around the world for a return to normalcy amid COVID-19, Adhere noted, saying that "pushing new products into China during the expo is a key metric of the confidence by foreign companies," given China's status as the world's largest market.

Referring to the strategic prioritization of e-commerce platforms at the expo which allows consumers worldwide to be connected to source markets, he said, "while the expo is happening in China, consumers around the world will have a chance to get real-time activity through live-stream programs on the internet."

"This is particularly important given the challenges of accessing commodities and industrial products in the backdrop of the ongoing global health crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, Adhere said, "China has done well in creating functional sea, air, and land trade routes through partnerships like the Belt and Road Initiative. This makes it efficient to export products, and is a true mark of business internationalization."

"Given Hainan's island status, the (Hainan free trade) port will be instrumental in connecting industries in Southeast Asia and beyond ..." Adhere said, adding that the expo would also help the port promote trade and investment in consumer goods. 
Findings from a recently published local chronic renal-failure study are shedding new light on previously held conclusions about cardiovascular risk among people with kidney disease in South Africa.

Source: Supplied. Dr Peter Hsu, a nephrologist who practises at Netcare Milpark Hospital, was awarded his PhD following his completion of the largest known study on cardiovascular risk in chronic renal patients to date in South Africa.

The research, which was conducted as part of a doctoral thesis by experienced nephrologist, Dr Peter Hsu who practises at Netcare Milpark Hospital, is the largest known study of its kind to date in South Africa.

The study found that black patients with renal failure carry as much cardiovascular risk as their white counterparts, contrary to previous thought.

There are very few local studies on chronic renal failure, and with our particular set of population demographics there was great potential to extract meaningful information that could help to improve medical understanding and patient outcomes, Hsu says.

It was highly beneficial being able to work with patients who already knew me well, as this meant there was greater patient trust in the study and patients would return for follow-up sessions, which helped a great deal in collecting more conclusive data.

Unpacking patients' risk for heart attack and stroke

In renal patients there is a high risk of heart attack and stroke but before now it was generally believed that black renal patients were at lower risk for cardiovascular concerns than white renal patients in South Africa due to various internal and external factors, he explains.

The study has shown that the cardiovascular risk is in fact equal between these two race groups and that the cardiovascular burden is very high in both. We also observed that white renal patients suffer more from atherosclerosis, which is a build up of fats and other deposits on the artery walls that over time can restrict blood flow.

"Black renal patients on the other hand suffer more from arteriosclerosis, which is the stiffening and thickening of blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from the heart to other parts of the body  this results in increased blood pressure.

Hsu says that the findings of his academic research, which was conducted in private practice, have been published sooner than he anticipated, with five separate papers appearing in five international journals. He was awarded his certificate for the completion of this PhD at the Wits PhD graduation ceremony, which took place on Mandela Day.

That was a very meaningful day for me  not only because I received this PhD but also because I knew Madiba very well, so it was special that the ceremony took place on that day. It felt like a continuation of the circle of life, said Hsu.

Hsu has been in private practice for 25 years, 20 of which he has spent treating patients with chronic kidney disease at Netcare Milpark Hospital.

He began this doctoral study five years ago under the supervision of Professor Patrick Dessein, chief professor of the schools of medicine and physiology at the University of the Witwatersrand.

With the approval of the Netcare ethics committee, we were able to recruit participants from Netcare Milpark Hospital and certain other dialysis units. We had a total of 200 participants, which meant this was the largest renal patient study that we know of in South Africa.

"Of the 201 patients that I approached, only one declined to participate for personal reasons. The other 200 patients were only too eager to take part in something that might be of help to other sufferers of chronic kidney disease.

We included a full spectrum of chronic renal patients with 33% in chronic renal failure but not yet undergoing dialysis, 33% on dialysis and 33% having had a kidney transplant.

"Specific risk factors that were identified included arterial stiffness, anaemia, diastolic dysfunction where the muscles of the heart become stiff, and parathyroid hormone that is not well known but which, if elevated, significantly impacts on cardiovascular risk after a kidney transplant, notes Hsu.

Undertaking a PhD is a huge commitment, particularly alongside the many other responsibilities that you have when you are a doctor in private practice.

"It is also not easy to go back into academic study after so many years but on the other hand, as a more experienced doctor you have a clearer vision of what you want to achieve with a study like this.

Prof Dessein really inspired me to take the plunge and helped me to see that it was possible, so my most sincere thanks go to him for his supervision and invaluable guidance that helped me to complete this study.

"I am also very grateful for the support and assistance I received from my colleagues. For example, there were certain practical applications from other medical disciplines, such as echocardiography, which I studied remotely through the University of Vienna specifically for this PhD; but having an experienced hand to guide me through scans made the learning curve that much shorter.

I received a great deal of encouragement from my colleagues too. Finding the motivation to keep going with such an enormous undertaking can be difficult but having a chat with a fellow doctor - who in some cases has also done a PhD study in later years - can pick you up when you are feeling despondent and help you to carry on.

"It is really quite wonderful to be part of a working environment like this, says Hsu.

General manager at Netcare Milpark Hospital, David Stanton, concluded by congratulating Hsu on his academic accomplishment.

Dr Hsu is one of the longest supporting and most revered doctors at our hospital. This incredible achievement speaks volumes about his ongoing dedication to his specialisation and his commitment to contributing towards the best possible outcomes, not only for his patients, but for renal patients across our nation.

On behalf of everyone here at Netcare Milpark Hospital, our most hearty congratulations go to Dr Hsu. It is an honour and a privilege to be able to work alongside doctors of this calibre, concluded Stanton.
Improving animal health can help cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but more granular approaches to measuring progress are vital if countries are to be able to include it in their national climate commitments, a new report shows.

Source: aleksandarlittlewolf via Freepik

Diseases affecting animals, how long they live and how productive they are all have a significant impact on GHG emissions, says the report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Dairy Platform and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, entitled The role of animal health in national climate commitments.

This means greater investments are needed to establish systems for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV). There is currently no standardized method to include improved animal health in most countries GHG national inventories or nationally determined contributions (NDCs). As a result, the importance of animal health is often not clearly reflected in countries commitments to fight climate change.

"This report marks a breakthrough in highlighting the importance of animal health and guiding countries towards a much more granular approach in evaluating its role and how it needs to be incorporated into national commitments to help mitigate the climate crisis," says Maria Helena Semedo, FAO deputy director-general.

Animal health vital for sustainable production

"The livestock sector provides vital nutrition and livelihoods for more than a billion people worldwide," said Donald Moore, Executive Director of Global Dairy Platform. "This brief demonstrates how governments and industry can work together on climate solutions and is part of the global dairy sectors Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative," he said.

"While this report clearly demonstrates the opportunity for improved animal health to contribute to climate mitigation, it also highlights the need to address critical data gaps and build capacity in low- and middle-income countries, in particular. Governments and the sector should support long term investments in research and create the enabling environment for animal health policies and programmes to realise their full potential," says Hayden Montgomery, GRA special representative.

The report shows how countries can develop an MRV system at national level to be able to include animal health improvements in national climate commitments.

But to do that, the report says, its essential for countries to use the detailed methodologies known as Tier 2 or 3, developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

While the commonly used Tier 1 approach only allows for estimating GHG emissions per animal with regional averages, Tier 2 looks at specific local production systems. This includes herd parameters to estimate impacts on animal numbers such as mortality, fertility, age at first parturition and replacement rate, as well as production data including milk yields and animal weights at different life stages.

Data on feed for different categories of animals and manure management systems are also critical as these have a strong influence on emission factors. Measuring parameters such as the methane (CH4) conversion factor may even require using Tier 3 approaches with more complex modelling and associated data, the report says.

A key challenge concerns how emissions from the livestock sector are reported in national GHG inventories and included in NDCs. In their inventories,countries report direct emissions at sector level. These emissions in the livestock sector include CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation in animals digestive systems and CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from manure management. Emissions from feed production, processing and transport and energy use are reported under agricultural soils or the energy sector.

At the same time, animal health interventions cannot be considered in isolation at animal level as affecting only direct emissions. For example, supply-chain emissions may diminish due to reduced needs for replacement animals or changes in the feed ration. Therefore, it is important to adopt a systems perspective and understand the drivers of supply-chain emissions.

Among the reports other recommendations include:

 A data collection and maintenance system needs to be established that includes stakeholders from across the sector, which will add value to the animal health intelligence gathering at national and international levels. The approach taken must be inclusive of all actors in the sector, including research and academia and the private sector, as well as science and industry and development partners such as the World Bank and IFAD who contributed to the report.

 A combined life cycle assessment and systems perspective needs to be considered to account for the reduction in indirect emissions due to improved animal health (e.g. changes in feed consumption, use of pastures, use of energy).

 The capacity of governments and partners should be enhanced in calculating emissions and accounting for impact throughout the value chain;

FAO considers animal health vital for sustainable livestock production. Animal products not only represent a source of high-quality food but are also a source of income for many small farmers and animal holders, making a significant contribution to livelihoods and Gross Domestic Product in many developing countries. You can find out more about FAOs work on animal health here.
Tourism in South Africa is recovering, with an increased volume of arrivals for both local residents and foreign travellers. With the removal of the final Covid-19 restrictions, this is expected to increase further, especially in coastal areas which have become increasingly popular with remote workers as they offer a better quality of life.

To take advantage of this uptick, it's crucial for hoteliers and short-term rental owners to note that guest expectations have changed as a result of the pandemic.

Source: Wasant Tonkun via 123RF

This is according to Max Urban, co-founder and managing director of short-term rental management company, Propr, who says that as digitisation has accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns, consumers appetites for digital technologies and experiences have grown, but unlike other industries that swiftly adopted tech solutions, the hospitality sector has lagged."

"The industry needs to innovate and adapt now more than ever to meet consumer demands for accommodation that caters to the changing world of business and leisure, unique stays, instant communication on their preferred platforms, and smarter technologies to enhance their experience, amongst others," he adds.

To assist these businesses, Urban unpacks six trends that are shaking up the hospitality space:

1. Flexibility

The pandemic ushered in the era of offering flexible cancellations. When new travel restrictions can be imposed at a moments notice, guests may be unwilling to book accommodation with strict or moderate cancellation policies. Urban explains that accommodation providers have no choice but to embrace the last-minute nature with which guests book. "Gone are the days of looking at next years forward bookings."

2. Digital nomads are the new business travellers

Telecommuting has exploded since the start of the pandemic, as evidenced by the increase in daily active users on Microsoft Teams from 75 million users in 2020 to 145 million in 2021. "Businesses are becoming more accepting of remote workers, which has resulted in an upsurge in digital nomads travelling the globe and staying in places for weeks or months at a time. Properties that can offer dedicated workspaces and high-speed internet are much more likely to get booked," shares Urban.

3. Becoming loadshedding proof

With loadshedding being the new normal, properties need to offer solutions that minimise the impact on guests. This ranges from special lamps and bulbs to inverters that can power internet routers. Urban notes that doing so is a great way to be set apart from other listings at the moment.

4. Stand out, not standard:

"Todays guests are looking for something special beyond the stock standard hotel room, prompting the hospitality industry to experiment with their offerings," explains Urban. "Marriott, for instance, has carved out separate portfolios of properties under the Homes & Villas by Marriott International banner which enables guests to book self-catering accommodation."

He adds that other hotel chains are expected to jump on this trend to make their properties unique and, in doing so, use their assets more efficiently. "An example of this could be renting out a hotel room during the day for use as a home office and hiring it out to a traveller at night."

5. Automate or stagnate

Urban points out that soon the days of guests picking up the phone or walking down to reception to speak with staff at hospitality establishments will be no longer. "They are increasingly wanting their communication to be instant and digital, sparking the need to automate processes to assist guests and enhance their experience. Guests nowadays prefer to interact via WhatsApp and chatbots and the industry needs to catch up."

"This also needs to be done in such a way that communications dont become robotic," he adds. "Guests still expect a personal touch for certain types of interactions, even if they are automated or executed electronically. One of the ways that we have managed to get the balance right is by automating highly structured communication which gives our team more opportunity to spend quality time with guests on things that computers dont handle well yet such as planning a custom itinerary and talking about missed expectations.

We also use tech to alert us to opportunities where we can delight or help our guests. For example, we automatically flag certain keywords like 'anniversary', 'birthday' or 'locked out' and then notify our guest experience team."

He explains that the guest experience now starts before arrival, whereas before they would only be focused on once they were in-house. "Through automated communication, guests can also be upsold extras like tours, additional cleans or a stocked fridge to enhance their stay even before they set foot through the door, and these can be handled quickly and seamlessly."

6. Smarter technology

Advances in technology will not only benefit the guests but property owners and professional hosts too. Urban explains that pricing algorithms are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can adjust pricing to capitalise on specific demand spikes.

For example, a premium could automatically be applied to one-night gaps in the calendar to make those bookings more worthwhile. IoT tech will also be able to synch an establishments calendar and switch the geyser on or off to save on electricity. Additionally, automatic inventory checks based on photographs will cut down the time it takes to check properties. Some of these technologies are already in existence and others are not too far off.

He concludes by saying: "The roaring 20s followed one of the last global pandemics, the so-called Spanish flu, and we are already seeing history starting to repeat itself with people wanting to get out and travel again. Over the past six months alone, we have seen booking levels return to what they were pre-Covid. In a year or two from now, it is anticipated that the hospitality industry will play a big part in helping economies recover, but players in the space need to be ready by responding to guests changing needs."
ShareIt, the peer-to-peer file sharing, content streaming and gaming platform, is hosting its first ever App Growth and Marketing Insights Summit in Johannesburg and Cape Town during the first week of August 2022.

The invite-only conference events will bring together the biggest influential and thought leaders in mobile marketing under one roof to share their experience, learnings and insights with the audiences. The attendees will include C-suite professionals from top brands and digital marketing agencies.

There is so much potential for mobile marketing in South Africa, and indeed further afield on the African continent, says Arunabh Madhur, regional VP & head business EMEA at ShareIt Group. Mobile users in Africa are expected to shoot past the five billion mark this year. South Africa has one of the largest mobile markets in the world, with 85% of individuals and 95% of households having access to a mobile phone. ShareIt has been operating in Africa to help the mobile users access digital content easily and enable the brands to grow their business through mobile marketing. We provide ad solutions to marketers that are highly targeted, instantaneous, and interactive. Our customised campaigns for partners are also more affordable and measurable than other media channels.

We have designed the app growth and marketing insight event to enable global knowledge sharing on best practices from various industries about performance marketing trends, changes and new growth opportunities in the African region, says Chanel Hardman, country director for South Africa at ShareIt Group.

Delegates will hear first-hand from industry leaders on what the future of mobile marketing looks like for different industries, with our line-up of keynotes offering priceless insights for business. The event will also have an exclusive panel session with powerful insights to go deep into app user growth, user engagement and value addition, she says.

The event will host speakers and delegates from the biggest brands of the industry like Ayoba, Takealot, Mr D, Adjust, Simply Black agency, Avatar agency among many others. The ShareIt team will also share more information about the platforms offerings via case studies, learnings, and region-specific data.

ShareIt has grown significantly to become the right choice for brands to reach their target audience. The app is the fourth largest media source globally in volume and power rankings in non-gaming categories on the IAP Index. The global advertising revenue of the company has also tripled in the last financial year. Particularly appealing for users in the emerging markets where data costs are high, the app has already reached more than 20 million monthly active users in South Africa.

For more information about ShareIt, please visit www.ushareit.com.

Reach out to ShareIt team to know more about their marketing solutions: Contact ShareIt.




The 24th Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Centre for Creative Arts, has announced its programme for its first live festival since 2019.

Image by John Hogg: Edna Jaime

The theme of this Jomba! centres around the (im)possibility of home and offers dance and theatre fans a treat of 13 days of world-class contemporary dance and performance from both local and international dance-makers.

Artists hail from Mozambique, Switzerland, Reunion Island, India and includes the very best that South Africa has to offer. This edition offers a powerhouse of performances, workshops, after-performance Q&As, panel discussions, virtual screen dance and the return of the Jomba! youth dance platform that aims to support the growth of Durbans young dance communities.

We are thrilled and relieved to be finally presenting our much-loved festival  live and in-person while keeping some works and events online to include those not able to attend, says artistic director and curator, Lliane Loots. This year, through the theme the (im)possibility of home, we have set out to interrogate a series of dance offerings that negotiate heritage, culture, nostalgia, and identity, which explore a sense of belonging and how this persists, changes and transforms through time  and what a time (both local and global) for this moment!

Within this theme, Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe will be honoured as the 2022 Jomba! Legacy Artist. This year marks a 30-year history of Mantsoes career as a dancer and choreographer and we can think of no better way to honour this incredible icon in South Africas historical dance trajectory than to celebrate with him, says Loots.

Image supplied: Mamela Nyamza

There will be a live performance of Mantsoes new solo work Koma, the screening of his short dance film Cut (part 1) made during lockdown and his two-year process of working with Durbans Flatfoot Dance Company and the long journey to making Cut (part 2)  which will premiere at the festival. He will also present a masterclass.

Controversial and critical dance-makers Mamela Nyamza and Nelisiwe Xaba feature with Xaba opening this year's festival in a collaboration with Swiss dance maker Marie-Caroline Hominal in a work titled Hominal/Xaba.

The deeply interrogated and thoughtful Mamela Nyamza offers her newest work Grounded performed with her son Amkele Mandla, in which she offers us a look into her South Africa where democracy superficially seems to be in a working condition, but actually has small cracks not easy to see.

Image supplied: Vincent Mantsoe

In partnership with the Goethe-Institut South Africa, Jomba! will host the inimitable Mozambican dance-maker Edna Jaime in her remarkable solo Um Segundo (One Second).

Fana Tshabalala, the 2019 Jomba! Mellon Artist in Residence, makes a welcome return with his Broken Borders Arts Project to premiere his latest solo work Zann, which he began creating as part of the 2019 residency.

Three new works by Durban choreographers/dancers - Sandile Mkhize, Tegan Peacock, and Pavishen Paideya will premiere at the festival. All three were given grants to help push their creation of new local work in the Jomba! Edge mentored platform.

The Jomba! Youth Open Horizons (formerly the Youth Fringe), will feature a host of local dance talent at The Stable Theatre.

The virtual offerings include the Jomba! African Digital Voices, Open Horizons and an online panel discussion.

Image by Isabelle Meiser: Hominal/Xaba

The festival closes with a virtual conversation between Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts (Bangalore, India) and artist Simon Senn (Switzerland) looking at the dance work of this amazing centre and the incredible project between Senn and Bharatha Natyam dancer Rohee Oberoi.

There are three open workshops (dancers over 16 only) for dancers and dance-makers, an industry-related session entitled Jomba! Forging Futures, and the Jomba! Khuluma online writing residency will feature write-ups, interviews and reviews. More details to be announced soon.

Live performances take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (UKZN), the Stable Theatre (one performance and free) as well as virtual/online (free) .

The Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience takes place from 30 August to 11 September. Tickets for Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre performances are R80 and R65 for students, scholars and pensioners. Booking can be done through Computicket.
University of Johannesburg's vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, has been appointed as the seventh Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.

Professor Tshilidzi Marwala

The decision follows consultations with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay and with her concurrence, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, said she does not doubt that he will do South Africa and the African continent proud by leading the UNU to greater heights.

I wish Professor Marwala well as the incoming Rector of the United Nations University. I have the utmost confidence that through his leadership, the university will further contribute through collaborative research and education to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its peoples and the Member States, Minister Pandor said.

The UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organisation headquartered in Japan.

The mission of the UNU is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the UN, its peoples and the Member States.

Marwala will succeed Professor David M Malone of Canada, who has served since 2013.

Previously, he was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, a position he held since 2013. He has also served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment from 2009 to 2013.

Between 2003 and 2008, the Professor was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge and Nanjing Tech University.

He holds a doctorate specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University. He is a registered professional engineer, Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Science of South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences and the South African Academy of Engineering.

Marwala is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

The Chair of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Council, Mike Teke, has also wished Marwala well.

Congratulating Marwala on his appointment, Teke said: On behalf of UJ, we are proud of Prof Marwala for taking the reins of leadership as the first African to assume the role. A university is predicated on the various components that come together to make it work and we have the right systems and staff in place to ensure that this is a seamless transition. We congratulate Prof Marwala on this outstanding achievement, and we are proud that one of our own has attained such an honour.
Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), in partnership with two other commercial banks, acted as mandated lead arranger, of a 90m 10-year senior debt financing package for the Terminal Industriel Polyvalent de San Pedro (TIPSP), in Cote d'Ivoire's secondary port, San Pedro.

Source: Arise Ivoire.

The concession is a 35-year agreement between TIPSP and the uatonomous port of San Pedro, the state-owned port authority, encompassing the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of a greenfield multipurpose bulk terminal.

The concession grants TIPSP exclusive rights to handle the import of cement clinker, gypsum, limestone, as well as fertilizers and hydrocarbons and the export of manganese, nickel and lithium, along with palm oil.

The port of San Pedro, built in the 1970s, is currently congested with limited capacity to support the growing volumes of goods handled by the port. The concession, and construction of the dry bulk port is, therefore, expected to have a significant developmental impact on the region.

Competitive import and export solution

A dry bulk terminal in San Pedro allows for a more competitive import and export solution for commodities through the Western corridor of the country while reducing reliance on the larger, primary Abidjan Port.

San Pedro port is well-positioned to play a key role in servicing hinterland or landlocked countries, notably Mali, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Guinea, and capture a significant part of the traffic currently transiting through the port of Abidjan or other West African ports.

Arise Ports & Logistics is the majority shareholder of TIPSP, contributing a wealth of experience in developing and operating ports across Africa.

Arise Ports and Logistics is further supported by three influential shareholders on the continent: AP Moller Capital, African Finance Corporation and Olam International.

Enyinna Anumudu, senior transactor at RMB Nigeria notes: This transaction marks RMBs first project finance facility for a concession in Cote dIvoire, a jurisdiction which the bank recognises as a country with strong performance metrics and significant infrastructure development plans.

"Our support of this deal is in line with RMBs non-presence country strategy, as it looks to support strategic national infrastructure projects across the continent led by key sponsors.

RMB covers the West African market by means of its primary regional hub in Lagos, Nigeria.

Across the region, the bank operates a merchant bank in Nigeria, RMB Nigeria Limited and a commercial bank in Ghana, FNB Ghana. RMB continues to deliver on its investment banking solutions across infrastructure as well as project finance for strategic, financial and sovereign sponsors in the region across its presence markets of Nigeria and Ghana and its target non-presence markets of Cote DIvoire, Senegal and Gabon.

Amber Bolleurs, senior transactor in the infrastructure sector solutions team at RMB says: Our involvement in this transaction conveys our commitment to the West African region.

Further to this, the complexity of the market risk, which was analysed to establish bankability of this project, the timeline to reach financial close, and the involvement of multiple French and English-speaking funding partners and sponsors showcased RMBs dedication to public-private partnerships and concessions as a means to delivering world-class infrastructure.

Ebrima Sawaneh, chief operating officer of Arise ports and logistics, says: We are so pleased that a modern, state-of-the-art dry bulk terminal at TIPSP has enabled San Pedro to become a hub capable of servicing trade in the country and wider region.

"Mining ores such as nickel have been central to TIPSPs shipping volumes since the port came into operation.

Sawaneh also appreciates the support of all the lenders, advisers, TIPSP shareholders, port authority and government of Cote DIvoire.

Bolleurs concludes: We are proud to work alongside our funding partners, to service key sponsors, on this high-impact project. We look forward to pursuing further infrastructure projects in the West Africa region.
Online payment gateway PayGate, a subsidiary of DPO Group, has enabled Samsung Pay as an additional payment method for its merchants.

Source: Supplied.

The mobile payment solution provides a secure and private way to make mobile payments  without having to hand over cash or share payment card details for each new transaction. For merchants, this provides a simpler and more convenient checkout experience.

Samsung Pay removes the need to search through a wallet or purse for payment cards, which contributes to a seamless payment journey.

"On top of this, every transaction is authenticated and authorised by the customers fingerprint or PIN on their Samsung device  adding an extra layer of security to online payments. This means customers are more likely to complete the check-out process, says Eran Feinstein, chief executive officer of DPO Group.

Prioritising safety, Samsung Pay has put measures in place to ensure actual card information is never stored on a customers device, or on Samsung servers.

Instead, each time a payment is made, the card number is substituted for a token, effectively creating a virtual version of the card with a completely different set of digits. This ensures consumer details remain encrypted and secure.

We are very excited about bringing Samsung Pay to PayGate merchants. By making online shopping more convenient, our technology is helping to grow Africas ecommerce sector as a whole. This benefits everyone involved  from business owners and their suppliers, to customers.

"The rapid growth and adoption by both retailers and customers is fuelled by innovation that puts their needs first  foremost security and convenience, says Justin Hume, vice president of Mobile at Samsung South Africa.

Samsung Pay is integrated with a number of major banks, including Absa Bank, Capitec Bank, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank, RMB Private Bank and Standard Bank, for online payments and checkout.

Merchants who offer Samsung Pay to their online customers can do so through their PayGate account.

Customers can use Samsung Pay on their Samsung Galaxy smartphone to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps or on the web  without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information, says Feinstein.

Offering Samsung Pay as another means of payment to our merchants is part of the DPO Groups goal to ensure our merchants have access to a diverse range of payment methods. This integration exemplifies both teams commitment to innovation, says Feinstein.

The DPO Group, which includes DPO Pay, PayGate, PayFast and SiD Instant EFT, is the largest and the fastest-growing African payment service provider.

Operating in 23 countries and working with more than 60,000 active merchants across the continent, DPO offers online retailers of all sizes instant access to simple, effective and secure online payment services.

In 2021, the Group was acquired by Network International, a globally renowned enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa.
Audio and digital solutions company, Mediamark, has launched a new sales division that will represent the community radio space called CommVibe. In an industry first, Mediamark will be taking a package of Western Cape based community radio stations into the market, with the combined audience of just over 860,000 listeners. The offering is available to buy on Telmar and other planning tools through an aggregated audience buy.

Mediamark is owned by Kagiso Media, born out of the Kagiso Trust over 25 years ago. The organisation has always played an important role in empowering and uplifting communities. We had been asking how best we could play in the community radio space, using our deep knowledge and experience and also how we could help upskill community stations commercially, when we decided to adopt this innovative model, explains Mediamark CEO Wayne Bischoff.

The decision to open the community radio sales division follows on from an extensive consultation process with both the advertising industry and community stations themselves. What became clear is that there were three stumbling blocks to advertisers wanting to buy airtime advertising at a community level: firstly, it was difficult from a planning perspective to approach numerous smaller stations, secondly, they werent sure if their spots were actually flighted, and thirdly, there was uncertainty about whether the revenue had eventually reached the community stations, says Bischoff.

Through their unique offering, CommVibe, powered by Mediamark, aims to address all three concerns. Mervyn Naidu, head of business development at Mediamark says: Through the offering, we are providing advertisers access to a large aggregated and predominantly untapped audience across different audience segments, using radio stations who really understand the vibration of the communities they serve. We are also offering almost real-time proof of flighting/broadcast.

Media guru, Gordon Muller is a big proponent of community radio. He likens community to an atom: At the centre of the atom is the nucleus: the central energy force that holds the atom (community) together. Each community will have a different energy source.

Naidu says because community radio stations revolve around their specific shared nucleus they have deeply loyal listeners. He adds: They are an invested audience with a high time spent listening. So, were essentially offering advertisers an opportunity to upweight their campaigns by reaching this aggregated and deeply engaged audience, and over 400,000 who arent listening to any commercial stations at all."

While CommVibe will initially only have a Western Cape offering, the plan is to roll out similar packages across other provinces.




Kumba Iron Ore hopes China's economic stimulus spending on infrastructure will restore demand for iron ore after the Asian giant's Covid-19 lockdowns and property crisis hit prices in the first half of the year.

Haul trucks are seen at Kumba Iron Ore, one of the world's largest iron ore mines in Khathu, Northern Cape Province. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

Kumba's shares were 1.46% lower at 0844GMT on Tuesday after it reported a 50% decline in half-year profit, mainly due to lower iron ore prices and rising fuel and freight costs.

Its headline earnings per share stood at R36.13 ($2.16) for the six months to 30 June, compared with R72.82 last year.

China is the world's top producer of steel, which is made using iron ore mostly for real estate and infrastructure. Chinese policymakers have pledged to boost infrastructure spending to revive the world's second-biggest economy after it slowed sharply in the second quarter, hit by strict Covid-19 containment measures and a distressed property market.

"There's a significant stimulus thats being provided by the Chinese authorities. We expect that to have an effect on iron ore demand. It is all about China in the iron ore market, so you would expect some support to come on that Chinese stimulus," Timo Smit, Kumba's executive head of marketing, said during a results call.

Iron ore prices touched two-week highs on Tuesday, extending a rally driven by hopes that Beijing's support for the real estate industry would also lift demand.

Heavy rains impact operations

First-half production at Kumba's two mines declined 13% to 17.8 million tonnes, largely due to heavy rains that impacted mining operations in the Northern Cape in the first quarter.

These operating challenges were worsened by supply chain disruptions and rising costs, partly due to the conflict in Ukraine, weaker steel demand after Covid-19 lockdowns in China and a softer global economic outlook, Kumba said in a statement.

Kumba, which is 70% owned by Anglo American Plc, declared an interim dividend of R28.70.
Chinese, Indonesian presidents pledge joint efforts to build community with shared future

Xinhua) 08:16, July 27, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing. The two presidents had a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views and reached a series of important common understandings on China-Indonesia relations and on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Expressing his delight that the two sides have decided on the overall direction of building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, Xi said China will work with Indonesia to cement strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other in defending sovereignty, security and development interests, in exploring development paths in line with national conditions, and in growing the economy and bettering people's lives.

RESILIENCE, VITALITY OF BILATERAL TIES

Noting Widodo is the first head of state China hosts after the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, Xi said this speaks volumes about the strong commitment of the two sides to growing bilateral ties.

Xi said the China-Indonesia relationship has enjoyed robust growth under the joint guidance of the two presidents in recent years, demonstrating great resilience and vitality. Strategic mutual trust has been further consolidated, and the four-pillar cooperation, namely political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation, has kept deepening, said Xi.

The two sides have acted proactively and with a strong sense of responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability and promote international unity and cooperation, Xi said, adding the two countries have thus set an example of major developing countries seeking strength through unity and win-win cooperation.

"Facts have proven that a sound China-Indonesia relationship not only serves the shared long-term interests of the two countries, but also has positive, far-reaching impacts regionally and globally," said Xi.

Currently, the Chinese people are working toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, while the Indonesian people are actively pursuing Vision 2045, Xi said, expressing his readiness to work with President Widodo and continue steering the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, in order to bring greater benefits to the two peoples and make greater contribution to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

For his part, Widodo said Indonesia and China are comprehensive strategic partners with an important goal of jointly building a community with a shared future, adding their cooperation is mutually beneficial, not only serving the two peoples well but also contributing significantly to peace and development in the region and beyond.

Noting the sound cooperation between Indonesia and China has demonstrated the strategic nature of the bilateral relations, Widodo said Indonesia will work with China to keep deepening comprehensive strategic partnership and make still greater contribution to regional peace and global development.

CHINA-INDONESIA COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

Xi noted that China and Indonesia are at similar development stages, have entwined interests, follow similar philosophies and development paths, and share a closely connected future. "Building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future is the common aspiration and expectation of the two peoples," Xi said.

The two sides need to further deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for more fruitful outcomes, strive for completing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway on schedule and to high standards, and ensure good implementation of such major cooperation projects as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks," Xi said.

Xi said China will continue to fully support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production hub, and will step up public health cooperation with Indonesia.

Xi added China is willing to import more commodities and quality agro- and by-products from Indonesia, take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Industrial Park, expand cooperation in development financing, and cultivate new growth drivers in digital economy and green development, among other areas.

Widodo said China is welcome to take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Green Industrial Park, and seek greater strategic synergy between the Global Maritime Fulcrum and the Belt and Road Initiative, adding Indonesia is ready to work with China to ensure that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is completed and put into operation on schedule and becomes another milestone in bilateral friendship.

STAND TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY

Facing changes in the world that are unfolding in ways like never before, Xi said China and Indonesia need to stand together in solidarity, fulfill the responsibilities of major developing countries, follow true multilateralism, uphold open regionalism, and contribute Oriental wisdom and Asia's input to the development of global governance.

China fully supports Indonesia in hosting the G20 Bali Summit, and will increase coordination and cooperation with Indonesia for a full success of the Summit, Xi said. China will give full support to Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship next year, and will enhance solidarity and coordination with ASEAN, with a focus on the five proposals on building our home together, to further unleash new dynamism of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

Noting that China welcomes Indonesia's continued active participation in "BRICS Plus" cooperation, Xi said China appreciates Indonesia's support for and commitment to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and is ready for closer communication and cooperation with Indonesia in this regard.

Widodo thanked China for supporting Indonesia's G20 presidency, adding that Indonesia will maintain close coordination with China for the success of the G20 Bali Summit. As the ASEAN rotating chair next year, Indonesia is ready to make active efforts for the growth of ASEAN-China relations, Widodo added.

The two presidents also exchanged views on issues including the Ukraine crisis. They shared the view that the international community should create conditions for peace talks, play a constructive role in deescalating the situation in Ukraine and stabilizing the global economic order, and work together to maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

The two sides issued a Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia. They also signed an MOU on jointly promoting cooperation between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and the Global Maritime Fulcrum, and other cooperation documents covering such areas as vaccine, green development, cyber security and ocean.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
MOGADISHU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and several others wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Marka town, Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia, a military official said.

Marka District Commissioner Abdullahi Ali Wafow was among those killed in the latest attack, Somali National Army (SNA) officer Abdullahi Ali confirmed.

"The suicide bomber... blew himself up in front of the district headquarters office. The district commissioner is among those killed in the blast," Ali told Xinhua on the phone.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting regional government officials.

The extremist group still controls some rural areas in southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in Mogadishu, the capital, and elsewhere.

Allied forces have intensified military operations into territory formerly controlled by al-Shabab, which was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011. 
The executive director of South Africa's Presidential Commission on Climate Change called the country's coal industry "delusional" on Wednesday, saying the market for the fossil fuel is going to dwindle rapidly in the next decade.

A Transnet Freight Rail train is seen next to tons of coal mined from the nearby Khanye Colliery mine, at the Bronkhorstspruit station around 90 kilometres north-east of Johannesburg. 2022. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

South Africa, which gets most of its electricity from coal-fired power plants, is grappling with rolling blackouts, while coal miners are exporting more of their product to take advantage of sky-high prices.

"The industry is delusional, and I'm really struggling to get a sober conversation with the industry," Crispian Olver said at a conference on coal and the energy transition in Johannesburg.

"Our view is the coal market is going to drop off radically in the 2030s and particularly after 2035," he said during a panel discussion with executives from coal miners Seriti Resources and Menar Resources.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday made fresh pledges to tackle the country's worst-ever power crisis, promising to expand power generation, slash red tape and boost renewable energy procurement.

"The transition is coming, but it's going to be impossible to have a conversation with the industry if we can't get past the basic denialism," Olver said.

Seriti Resources CEO Mike Teke said "we are not climate deniers", and that he had met with Olver. Seriti, one of Eskom's biggest coal suppliers, is currently exporting "a lot of" coal too, Teke said, without providing details.

Renewable energy 'not a silver bullet'

Menar Resources managing director Vuslat Bayoglu said renewable energy was not a silver bullet, and that it was up to Eskom, rather than coal miners, to minimise carbon emissions. Menar has also been trying to meet surging demand for coal from Europe.

Olver said the commission wanted to work with the coal industry to manage a "just transition" that would ensure alternative jobs are created in coal-dependent areas such as mining hub Mpumalanga.

Increased use of coal was the main factor driving up energy-related carbon dioxide emissions by over 2 billion tonnes in 2021, their largest ever annual rise in absolute terms, according to the International Energy Agency.
Call for applications to the Innovator Trust 2023/24 Enterprise Development (ED) incubation programme have officially opened!

From July 2022, entrepreneurs with small businesses operating within the ICT sector are invited to apply for an opportunity to be a part of the 2-year ED incubation programme, aimed at facilitating the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based in South Africa.

The Innovator Trusts overall mission is to support and nurture the growth of entrepreneurs with technology-based businesses to become sustainable and structurally viable, thereby increasing the survival rate of SMEs in a country like South Africa where approximately 70%  80% of small businesses fail within the first five years of operating.

Through their flagship Enterprise Development incubation programme, the Innovator Trust facilitate business and technical skills training, and provide mentorship, networking and infrastructure support to small business beneficiaries. The ED incubation programme specifically looks for businesses that are based and operational within South Africa, that are at least 51% black owned and offering products or services that are technology focused or act as service providers within the ICT sector. Special consideration is given to small businesses who meet these criteria and are female owned and operated.

What is an ICT-based business?

A good way to think about ICT is to consider all uses of digital technology that exist to help individuals, businesses and organisations with the use of information. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example, computers, digital broadcast, email, robotics, cloud computing, hosting, fibre installation, networking, enterprise architecture, hardware support, AR, VR, software and application development. An ICT business may do work in a number of different industries including but not limited to education, finance, marketing, procurement, manufacturing, sanitation, health, medical, supply chain, construction, media, telecommunications, and technology.

Criteria for admission

Applying businesses must be:

a company defined in South Africa as an SMME, QSE or EME,

operational and trading for 2 or more years,

at least 51% black owned,

a minimum Level 14 BBBEE status according to the DTI or ICT codes,

a registered company with key focus in ICT,

latest annual financial statements,

companies with the potential, vision and desire to grow.

Benefits of the Enterprise Development incubation programme:

Business skills training and development for small business owners

Targeted technical and infrastructure support

Compliance assistance

Marketing and PR assistance

2-year intensive mentorship programme with incubator partners

Access to grant funding and business resource support

Access to ICT networks, events and conferences

Value and sustainability growth partnership (no equity dilution)

Applications open from 1 July 2022 and close mid-November 2022. Official start of the Enterprise Development (ED) incubation programme in early 2023.

For more information, visit https://www.innovatortrust.co.za/what-we-do/enterprise-development.

Click here to apply now.




The lifeblood of South Africa's economy is SMEs, making up more than 98% of businesses across the country and contributing 39% of the country's GDP. That contribution is also set to increase in the coming years, further cementing the importance of SMEs to our economy. However, these businesses are also the most vulnerable to externally-driven economic fluctuations.

In the same vein, conversations around sustainability in business, particularly when it comes to small businesses, are gaining increasing importance among multiple stakeholders. This includes investors. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, in a recent poll, 88% of investors placed equal importance on environmental, social and governance practices in business operating models as they did on financial considerations when making investment decisions.

Sustainability is rapidly becoming an indicator of good management in that it is seen as a key vector in driving innovation, risk mitigation and employee engagement. The poll also found that 60% of employees prefer a workplace that shares their beliefs and aligns with their values, 58% of consumers choose to purchase or advocate for brands that match these belief systems.

Taking this important finding into consideration presents a crucial opportunity to governments and the private sector, who have the power and influence to enable entrepreneurs and SMEs alike to ensure sustainability, both financially, operationally and environmentally, for the long-term.

This can be achieved in a number of ways, all of which include education around sustainable financial best practices, increasing awareness around opportunities, establishing partnerships, and embracing technology as an avenue to sustained success.

Financial best practices

Improving knowledge of sustainable financial best practices is crucial for SMEs looking to expand. Many face challenges in securing funding due to not having the necessary financial records in place. While some entrepreneurs have embraced the modern tools available, many still operate on legacy paper systems.

Proven financial conduct is a prerequisite for many financial institutions, such as banks, when considering loans. Even though many banks have started helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and are working with the government to do so, more needs to be done to teach entrepreneurs about banking earnings so that they can be tracked and recorded. This will make it easier to apply for a loan.

It has been proven that when governments and the private sector partner with initiatives that educate, support upskilling, resourcing, and funding small businesses, they stand a better chance of thriving. Because it is such a broad term, many do not fully understand what sustainability means when it comes to business.

Essentially, for SMEs, this means finding actionable ways to borrow, reduce, reuse, and return the resources the business requires without squandering them. Governments must continue to partner with incubators that serve to create initiatives that promote, educate, and enable SMEs in an already volatile economy. This can be done by providing SME networking services, access to technology testing and demonstrations, specialised information, partner matchmaking, educational seminars and the like.

There seems to be a large gap in how opportunities for SMEs are amplified. A survey conducted by McKinsey and Company found that 36% of SMEs in South Africa were not receiving government loans or support, and a quarter were not making use of payment relief options such as UIF and PAYE.

Besides not qualifying, two factors contributing to this were that entrepreneurs were not aware of the opportunities or did not know where to find the information needed to apply. It is therefore crucial for the government to amplify such opportunities.

One way this can be done is by leveraging various media channels through amplification opportunities online, advertising on social media and other targeted trade media. It can also be made easier for people to share good ideas and success stories about funding and other support services.

Embracing technology

Lastly, businesses of all sizes have also realised that in order to thrive, they will need to embrace technology and the unprecedented benefits it brings.

With mobile penetration among South Africans at an all-time high (there are 41.19 million active internet users in the country), technology adoption is only set to increase as convenience and on-demand models dominate the market. In todays business environment, management teams need to ponder whether the technology being integrated into the business will assist them in meeting their sustainability goals.

That said, another way for governments to support SME survival is through the provision of training and upskilling of business owners and their staff concerning the use of advanced technologies. Education around some practical examples of technology deployment and the value it creates should be provided to business owners and staff.

This will enable SMEs to embrace their technology ecoadvantage by enabling them to utilise advanced technologies and embrace ways of working that enable profitable solutions that also have a positive impact on environmental, social, and governance goals.

Including sustainable business practices into your business model has the potential to improve profits both traditionally and environmentally. SMEs' ability to meet demands for eco-conscious consumers and products can work to add improvements to the public health and environment, and increase positive brand association - ultimately creating business environments that are future-ready and positively impacting the economy at large.
Companies that are not complying with legislation of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) are being dealt with, says the Department of Employment and Labour.

Image source: Leon Swart  123RF.com

In a statement on Wednesday, the department said that Phase two of the UIFs Follow the Money Project which started this month has its sight set on employers that have not declared employees and kept Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19 Ters) monies to themselves instead of paying their workers.

Speaking at a breakfast session with employers in Mafikeng, North West, on Tuesday, UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping said the Fund is implementing an on the spot as well as an overtime recoupment process.

The Commissioner said that the former process will apply where, prior to March 2020, employees were not declared by employers. In such instances, he said 70% of the two percent contributed by the Fund will be recovered immediately.

In these cases, only 30% will be recouped over a period of time, from employers. In cases where monies were claimed from the UIF but did not reach the intended employees, 50% will be immediately recouped by our teams, Commissioner Maruping told employers.

This initiative forms part of Phase 2 of UIFs Follow the Money Project that has already recovered over R900m.

The project saw the UIF employ six audit companies to follow all Covid-19 Ters monies to ensure that the correct amount was paid to the workers at the right time.

Maruping said that the six auditing companies are now being bolstered by a team from the Fund that is currently visiting employers to conduct an internal verification of the declared employees.

We are checking all the companies that were paid Covid-19 Ters but at the moment we are focusing on the ones that have been the focus of the Auditor General of South Africa. Once that is done, we will visit all the other companies that were paid by the UIF.

When we visit you for the Follow The Money Project, we are checking the information you declared with us, the number of employees and figures that an employer has declared with the Fund is what we will look at, he said.

Maruping also spoke about the importance of complying with the Funds laws.

Employers are obligated by Section 56 of the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA) and Chapter 2 of the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act (UICA), to register and declare their workers to the Fund, as well as pay monthly contributions, Maruping said.

UIF Deputy Director of Compliance, Siphamandla Gumede, called on employers to comply with the law, warning companies about the legal risks they can encounter if they dont comply with the UI Act.
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ADDIS ABABA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Wednesday disclosed that more than 209 al-Shabab fighters have been killed after a failed incursion from neighboring Somalia by the militant group.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Ethiopian Federal Government Communication Service said the coordinated security operation is underway by federal and Ethiopia's Somali regional security forces against remnants of al-Shabab fighters following their failed incursion.

It said the continued coordinated security operation inflicted a "huge loss of manpower and property" against the al-Shabab group that attempted to infiltrate the Afder zone of Ethiopia's Somali region a few days ago, adding that more than 209 al-Shabab fighters have been killed so far.

On Saturday, authorities in Ethiopia's Somali region disclosed that 13 vehicles used by the militants during their incursion into the southeastern Ethiopia region were destroyed. Large amounts of food supplies and firearms were also captured from the militants. 


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KAJAKI, Afghanistan, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), or the Afghan power company, has upgraded a hydropower plant in Kajaki area of the southern Helmand province and formally inaugurated it Wednesday.

This is the second phase of Kajaki hydropower plant, which produces 100 MW of power and sustainable electricity for Helmand and neighboring Kandahar provinces, DABS deputy Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Rahmani said in his speech at the inauguration ceremony here.

In addition to providing electricity, the power dam with a capacity of storing 1 million cubic meters of water would also irrigate thousands of hectares of farmlands in the southern region, the official said.

Rahmani said the DABS would extend electricity capacity to cover more areas in the country, with a 104.9 million U.S. dollar project on the plan.

Afghanistan's big cities, including the capital Kabul, remain without power for hours every day.

The country has been importing electricity from neighboring Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran over the past decade to overcome power shortage. 
More than 200 threatened or protected animals were caught in shark nets in the state over the past 12 months, renewing the calls from experts to ditch the devices.

Of the 376 animals caught in NSW nets in the past financial year, only 51 were targeted shark species and 203 were threatened or protected species, including sharks, turtles and rays. Of these animals, 156 died, data from the NSW Department of Primary Industries shows.

There are more than 50 shark nets on NSW beaches. Credit:Jessica Hromas

It comes a week after the federal government released its State of the Environment report which found Australia had seen more mammals go extinct than any other continent and was suffering a biodiversity crisis.

In Australia, there are 329 recorded species of sharks, rays and chimaeras, of which 42 per cent are found nowhere else. While the general state of this group is considered good, there have been sharp declines in particular species, such as sawfish.
TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Japan's new daily COVID-19 cases hit a new record Wednesday, topping the 209,000-mark for the first time as the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant continues to run rampant.

The latest nationwide tally of new daily infections compares to the previous record of around 201,000 COVID-19 cases reached last week as the government grapples to deal with the country's seventh wave of infections.

According to local government and the health ministry's figures, more than half of Japan's 47 prefectures reported record numbers of new daily COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, as the country's health system is feeling the strain.

The rapid surge in cases is crippling emergency transport services in the capital, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said, as Tokyo on Wednesday logged 29,036 new daily cases, which marks an almost 40 percent increase from a week earlier.

Officials said emergency crews are struggling to find free hospital beds and in the past week, it took more than five hours to find beds for over 80 patients. This comes as they try to respond to an increasing number of heatstroke patients, said NHK.

"New infections have been continuously increasing at a rapid pace to its highest ever level across Japan," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto told a meeting of the ministry's advisory panel of experts.

The government however has maintained its stance that another round of emergency restrictions are not needed.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government's resources are focused on bolstering the medical system and expanding the eligibility of fourth vaccines, while keeping social and economic activities running.

In the western prefecture of Osaka, however, its alert was raised to the highest of three for the first time in about three months and elderly people were urged to refrain from making nonessential trips outdoors.

Elderly people are still more at risk of developing severe symptoms if they contract the virus. 
A worsening rate of Aboriginal children who are developmentally ready for school shows the federal government should devote the same vigour and commitment to challenges such as education as it does to legislating a Voice to parliament, according to Pat Turner.

Turner, who is one of Australias most prominent Indigenous leaders, said education was failing Indigenous children across the board and needed a complete review in partnership with Aboriginal leaders.

Pat Turner, the co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The government needs to pursue the National Agreement [on closing the Gap] with the same vigour and commitment that they gave to the Voice. The Voice is easier to talk about than Closing the Gap. We need to do both.

The Productivity Commissions annual data snapshot on Closing the Gap showed that 96.7 per cent of Aboriginal children were enrolled in early childhood education in 2021, significantly higher than the target. However, only 34.3 per cent were developmentally ready for school, compared to 56.2 per cent of non-Aboriginal children.
Premier Dominic Perrottet was like a kid in a lolly store as he toured the Hyundai Motorstudio in Goyang, Seoul. Even for non motoring-enthusiasts, the futuristic car theme park in Korea is something else.

The showroom is more curated modern museum than car yard, and part of the display is the companys range of green hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.

Premier Dominic Perrottet with Iwatani Corporations Yukio Awazu at the companys liquified hydrogen tanks in Tokyo. Credit:AAP

Somewhat unexpectedly, green hydrogen has become the focus of Perrottets first trade mission as premier. The Japanese and Koreans have shown bigger interest than expected in NSWs burgeoning industry as both countries lead the charge towards cleaner fuels.

Caught off guard in Tokyo, Perrottet had to do last-minute rewrites to speeches he was due to deliver to put more focus on NSWs next big export hope. But back home in NSW, no one would have had any idea of the positive reception he was receiving. The only issue that Perrottet has had to deal with each day is the worsening saga dominating his government.
This excerpt is in B minor, established by the opening ascending tonic arpeggio (B minor) in basso continuo. This key is further emphasised as Violin I plays dominant  tonic in the starting two notes. In b.2, Violin I plays a descending B minor scale with an A# (chromatic interest). It lands on the tonic on the trill. From b.3, the continuo part plays a chromatically descending bass line until b.7, descending almost an octave. The violins use all their strings, thus have a large pitch range (register), the basso continuo part is in the low register. When Violin II repeats Violin Is part (canon), it is in the same pitch.

Adnates work, as seen in plates 5, 6 and 7, explores relationships between the audience, artwork and world through its depictions of figures and individuals that have a connection to the location of the work, and their large size and impact on the audience.

Plate 5 is an image of Adnates exhibition in 2015 called Into the Sun, and contains several paintings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with bright, vivid orange coloured details. The gallery in which these artworks were displayed is the Nanda\Hobbs Gallery, and the exhibition referenced Adnates own interest in his heritage, and the importance of heritage to identity and place. The title of this work alludes to the harsh climate of Australia, particularly in remote communities, but it also refers to the search for purpose in life and connection with identity. All the faces of the figures in Adnates work are painted with traditional designs which symbolise a connection to culture, and the importance of the sun and climate of regions of Australia to the identities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The artist wishes to highlight the beauty and importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures by creating a bold and engaging exhibition for the Sydney audience to see.

In Plate 6, Adnates 2016 work The Sheep Hills Silo is depicted, which is a very large scale, public work that uses spray paint and acrylic paint to depict individuals from the region in which the silo is positioned. The artwork is part of the Silo Art Trail series, which measures over 200 kilometres and aims to provide insight into the spirit and culture of the Wimmera Mallee in country Victoria. The work depicts close-up views of people from the community on a background of the country landscape, with stars in the sky and a sunset. This work was created by Adnate to emphasise the connection between landscape and place and identity, and how this is particularly pertinent to Aboriginal Peoples and their sense of culture. The large scale and realistic depiction of the work is intended to impress the audience and encourage them to recognise the importance of place to identity and culture.

Similarly, in Plate 7, Adnates 2018 work Wellington Street High Rise, the artist depicts images of individuals who have a connection to the place in which it resides. This work is another public artwork, using bright colours and large scale to amplify the portraits of four individuals who live in the building on which the artwork was painted. The 20-storey-high mural uses acrylic and spray paint to show that Australians can come from many different places around the world, choosing subjects that come from three different continents. The artist also wants to show the beauty and individuality of those who live in such forgotten buildings, and create a strong impact on the audience in doing so. He hopes that the audience will be forced to see the importance of this place to the identity of these individuals, and the hope it gives them for the future.

All three of these works by Adnate explore how the audience, artwork and world are connected through their exploration of identity and space.
A second man has been charged over organised crime figure Mahmoud Brownie Ahmads execution earlier this year.

Detectives will allege that Jason Laria, 37, was involved in planning Ahmads fatal shooting as he left a Ramadan celebration at an acquaintances Greenacre home in April.

Police try to save the life of Mahmoud Brownie Ahmad in April

Laria was arrested at a home on Tuesday afternoon and charged with accessory after the fact to murder and knowingly or recklessly directing a criminal group.

He was also charged with drug supply offences, and faced Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday afternoon where he was refused bail to re-appear in court on August 4.
Police have released the names and photographs of two Saudi Arabian sisters found dead in an apartment in Canterbury last month under unusual and suspicious circumstances.

Mystery surrounds how Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, arrived in Australia when they were teenagers in 2017, and how they spent the next five years leading up to their deaths.

Sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli (left) and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, whose bodies were found inside a unit in Canterbury last month. Credit:NSW Police

The bodies of the women were found in separate bedrooms in the unit in Sydneys south-west by police called to conduct a welfare check on June 7, after reports that they had stopped paying rent and mail was piling up.

On Wednesday, Detective Inspector Claudia Allcroft, the crime manager of Burwood Local Area Command, revealed it was not the first time police had conducted a welfare check on the women.
Passengers on multiple flights to Perth were left stranded at different regional airports on Tuesday night after a heavy fog descended and made it impossible for the planes to land safety at the states main airport.

Three flights, one from Broome, one from Port Hedland and one from Newman, were diverted to Geraldton, a flight from Canberra was diverted to Kalgoorlie, and one from Adelaide was diverted to Busselton.

Passengers were left stranded at Geraldton Airport on Tuesday night.

Those on the flights from Broome and Newman were left to sleep at Geraldton airport overnight due to flight crews reaching their limit on the hours they could work.

One of the passengers on the flight from Broome, Kim Nicholls, told Radio 6PR there had been no communication from Qantas.
I think people would want to hear from him, Davies said. There is a longstanding tradition in Pentecostalism about the power of testimony; how God has led somebody, how theyve been used to do good things for God, how God has intervened in their lives and helped them through. They also like stories of influence. Pentecostal crowds would also be interested in Morrisons election loss and how he coped with failure, Davies said. [They] would want to know how God helped Scott Morrison through that experience and what it was like for him. Australian writer Elle Hardy, author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World, said Morrison would no doubt be welcomed on the lucrative conference circuit in Spirit-led church circles, but his durability might be limited. Id question how long hed be in demand, she said. Sure, his title has gravitas, but hes not an especially charismatic figure  hes a politician, not a preacher. Can he give an inspiring, positive sermon that resonates with diverse, young crowds? Based on his political career, I would doubt it.

Some megachurches have been known to pay huge fees to guest speakers; up to $US100,000 ($144,000) for famed Dallas-based Bishop T. D. Jakes. But Joseph Castleberry, president of Northwest University, a Christian college near Seattle, said it was unlikely Morrison could command such large figures. Loading I would be shocked if he had many opportunities to earn as much as $US25,000 for an appearance. That is much less than the secular speaking circuit, Castleberry said. There are virtually no Pentecostal institutions that would pay speaker fees on the scale that former heads of state would find impressive. If prime minister Morrison makes an effort to network and make himself available, he will be widely welcomed. But it would be no way to make a living. Global leadership events such as this weeks Tokyo summit may be the most attractive option for Morrison when it comes to public speaking. Conservative organisers questioned whether the 30th prime minister of Australia would be invited to events such as CPAC that are more closely aligned with Donald Trump or one of Morrisons predecessors, Tony Abbott.

I think it would be a challenge in the short term for him to be fully accepted, said Andrew Cooper, founder and executive director of CPAC Australia. Theres a sense that he squibbed it on the reason he got in which was essentially pushing back on the climate net zero issue. On Morrisons management of the pandemic, Cooper said: Probably the thing that disappoints conservatives most ... is the snuggling up to Daniel Andrews and some of the more aggressive premiers. Its probably more the perception than the detail. Loading CPAC Australia has booked a former prime minister to speak at its conference in Sydney in October. Neither Cooper nor CPAC Australia chairman Warren Mundine  who was Morrisons hand-picked candidate for the seat of Gilmore in 2019  would name the person, but it is likely to be Abbott or John Howard. Morrisons office was contacted for comment and the International Democratic Union was asked about Morrisons appearance fee at this weeks event in Tokyo. Neither responded.
Bates then paused, as he struggled to go on. I was lucky enough to have a very supportive family to come out to, but I spent years hiding myself because I could not see anyone in my world that was openly gay. A drawn breath. This is so much harder that I thought it would be. Timing in politics, as in sport, is everything. As Bates stood up to speak in the chamber, the sporting world grappled with the fallout from the Manly pride jersey controversy.

Proudly wearing a rainbow bin chicken badge, designed by local designer Jesse Irwin and celebrating the ibis so prevalent in Brisbane, Bates told the House how important such representation was to the queer community. Stephen Bates: This is so much harder that I thought it would be. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I made a promise to myself once I came out that if I ever found myself in a public role that I would be open and proud of who I am  hence all the rainbow gear, he said. That I would be that person that I never saw growing up because if I can even help one person out there then this life will have all been worth it. I was lucky enough during the campaign to have received an email from a mother who told me that after receiving a letter from me in her mailbox that just happened to mention my partner Scotts name.

Her 14-year-old son wanted to donate some of his pocket money to our campaign. When she asked him why, he said he had read the letter and wanted me to win. If you cannot see it, you cannot be it. It is not enough to wave a rainbow flag when it is politically convenient. Our community deserves tangible legislation that protects us from discrimination, and empowers us to be who we are. Bates also drew on his experience working at Disney World in the United States. The pay was very low and the hours would be long, but it was an offer I did not want to refuse, he said.

I had no idea just how much my life was going to change. I worked over 40 hours a week for $7.56 an hour  the federal minimum wage. But it was not just the overseas workers on these poverty wages, it was the locals as well. Once we had paid bills, rent, and health insurance, we were left with nothing and sometimes even less than that. The immense power imbalance between us as workers and this giant company was staggering. I was a disposable pawn, and that was made very clear to me. Bates said things came to a head for him when he found a colleague crying on the floor in a stockroom. I asked her what had happened, what was wrong? She was having to make the decision between whether she paid her rent or bought her insulin for the month, he said.

That was a choice. Life-saving medicine, or a roof over your head. Loading It all hit me at once, this is not a society that puts people first. It values profit above all else. I could not allow that to happen back home. It was that experience, in part, that Bates become an active member of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union upon his return to Australia, where he worked in retail up until his election to parliament. The arts, also, were close to Batess heart.
Conservative firebrand Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has made a furious, impassioned entrance into the Senate, railing against false narratives of racism and calling the push for an Indigenous Voice to parliament a symbolic gesture that could divide black and white Australia.

The stance of the Warlpiri-Celtic woman from Alice Springs, now a Coalition senator, underscores the challenge before the 47th parliament after the Albanese government set the goal of holding a referendum as early as next year to entrench an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution.

Liberal Senator Jacinta Price delivering her first speech in the Senate. Credit:James Brickwood

Without support from the Coalition, the push for constitutional recognition will struggle to garner the widespread support needed for a referendum to be successful.

Price used her first speech to parliament to single out what she called platitudes of motherhood statements from our now prime minister, saying Anthony Albanese had suggested without any evidence whatsoever, that our Voice to parliament bestowed upon us through the virtuous act of symbolic gesture by this government is what is going to empower us.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Worse than schoolyard antics. A farce. A waste of time. The public perception of parliament is largely shaped by what happens during question time. Its a small fraction of the day, but the high-profile, nationally televised debate is regularly mined for snappy lines that can make the evening news. Yet to many observers, it is the most raucous and unruly part of parliament. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said he wants to do politics differently and lift the tone of debate in parliament. It starts with giving people respect, he says. It requires, of course, the co-operation of all members of parliament. But Im very confident that we can have a much better functioning parliament. So, what will change with question time? And how does it work? Credit: What are the rules for question time? Like everything that happens in parliament, question time is governed by both actual rules and conventions arising from the Westminster tradition.

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The rules are known as the standing orders, and a good parliamentary tactician will know all of their (sometimes arcane) ins and outs off the top of their head. For the rest of us, theres the 1000-plus page House of Representatives Practice. This tome unpacks the conventions around how the lower house operates, the precedents for rulings or ways things are done, and its history. The leader of the House (Tony Burke) and manager of opposition business (the frontbencher from each side in charge of tactics and running parliament, currently Paul Fletcher) will usually have a well-thumbed, heavily bookmarked copy of this somewhere close to hand, ready to jump up and contest a Speakers ruling or explain why the thing they want to do really is the correct way. Questions are now limited to 30 seconds  although crossbenchers are allowed 45 seconds, in what is colloquially known as the Bob Katter rule. While the rules have evolved over the 121 years since Federation, the shape of how things operate in the modern parliament was struck in the group hug moment after the 2010 election when Julia Gillard had to make a deal with the Greens and independents to hold power in the minority parliament. As a result of that deal, there were guaranteed questions for the crossbench during question time and a dedicated period set aside each sitting week for private members business (that means for any MP other than the prime minister, Speaker, minister or assistant minister) because the government controls what business is dealt with in the lower house. Loading Broadly speaking, the running of question time is at the discretion of the prime minister and the Speaker of the House. The prime minister gets to set the length and the Speaker sets the tone. These days, there are usually about 20 questions per session. This has increased slowly over time. In 1993, the then-government agreed there should be a minimum of 14 questions each day after the average number per session dropped from 16 in the 1970s to 12. That means a typical question time runs for about 70 minutes, from 2pm until a little after 3pm. Questions are now limited to 30 seconds, although crossbenchers are allowed 45 seconds, in what is colloquially known as the Bob Katter rule because the verbose member for Kennedy can rarely fit his query into 30 seconds.

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Since 2010, answers have also been given time limits, currently at three minutes. Before then, ministers could speak for as long as they liked  and often did. There are also plenty of rules about what can be asked. Tony Burke, then-manager of opposition business, is ejected from the House by speaker Bronwyn Bishop during question time in 2014. Credit:Andrew Meares Questions cant be hypothetical. They cant contain arguments or insults. They cant be about a ministers former portfolio, only the one they currently hold. They cant be something already fully answered. If youre a regular viewer of question time, you will be unsurprised to learn there arent so many rules about answers. Even for the most narrowly focused question ... no one can tell the minister they must offer either a yes or no and sit down. In fact, its a long-established practice that ministers cannot be required to answer questions at all. Even for the most narrowly focused question that one would think would elicit a yes or no answer, no one can tell the minister they must offer either a yes or no and sit down.

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The main rule for answers is theyre supposed to be relevant to the question. However, it depends on the Speaker how much leeway is given and, as Reps Practice puts it, the interpretation of relevant has at times been very wide. Highly regarded Speaker Tony Smith, who presided over the House from 2015 to 2021 before retiring in May, took a narrow interpretation of relevancy and regularly cut short ministers  and, on occasion, the prime minister  if they didnt heed his warnings to stick to the topic at hand. Pat Conroy (left) and Tim Watts bow to the Speaker after being ejected for displaying unicorn props in question time in 2016. Credit:Andrew Meares If there are all these rules, why is question time so rowdy? Question time is really the most unstructured part of the parliamentary day. The government can only control the questions its side asks, and it gives the opposition a chance to pursue its attacks or agenda. This means question time has evolved into a theatrical set piece of parliament as well as a key way of holding the executive to account. Its a small snapshot of the combat that underlines two-party politics in Australia, says veteran Age and SMH political journalist Tony Wright. Question time is also a place to see how well a government is weathering a storm and how fit it is  and conversely, its also a test of the oppositions fitness. Its theatrical, but a lot of politics is theatre. He says question time shines when a government is under serious pressure, such as when Paul Keating-era minister Ros Kelly came under sustained questioning over the original sports rorts saga when she had used a giant whiteboard to allocate grant funding.

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Props are technically banned but you will sometimes get frontbenchers accidentally waving around a large-print graph or newspaper article that underlines their point. One of the best-known props in recent history was the lump of coal that former prime minister and then-treasurer Scott Morrison held up in the chamber, saying: This is coal. Dont be afraid, dont be scared. Then-treasurer Scott Morrison with a lump of coal during question time in 2017. Credit:Fairfax Question time is usually the best-attended part of the sitting day too  by politicians, media and the public  giving ministers and opposition MPs a large audience for whom they can perform. But Wright says the whole affair has become much worse since questions started being televised in the 90s, fulfilling Paul Keatings fears the broadcast of proceedings would lower the tone of parliament and increase the publics cynicism about politics. He didnt want to give the opposition a free kick and didnt want the public to be confronted with what its really like, the rolling aggression, Wright says of Keatings objections. Former prime minister Paul Keating, shown here in 1992, didnt want question time to be televised. Credit:Palani Mohan Still, Keating is now famous for his parliamentary performances, especially his answer to opposition leader John Hewsons question, Why will you not call an early election? Keating replied: The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly.

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by Xinhua writer Ye Shan

TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Nuclear energy authorities in Japan have recently authorized a highly-controversial plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from a crippled nuclear power plant into the Pacific, an ocean shared by many dozens of countries and regions.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority's decision is an egregiously dangerous and irresponsible move. It blatantly disregards the public health and wellbeing of its own people and those in neighboring countries. It once again reveals the conscienceless nature of the Japanese government.

Responding to the plan's approval, Japanese citizens have taken to the streets in protest and voiced their anger. The South Korean government has vowed to take the "best responsive measures internally and externally. The Chinese government has also expressed its firm opposition.

Japan's decision-makers have chosen to proceed with their plan without sufficient consultations with related parties and international institutions.

The Pacific Ocean does not belong to Japan. All countries and regions along the coastlines have every right to demand that Tokyo act responsibly and answer their urgent and legitimate concerns accordingly.

One major worry is the contaminated water itself. After suffering core meltdowns, the Fukushima nuclear plant has been generating massive amounts of radiation-tainted water. Substances like tritium, a radioactive byproduct of nuclear reactors, are hard to filter. Some marine experts also raised concerns over traces of ruthenium, cobalt, strontium and plutonium isotopes in the wastewater.

However, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. and the Japanese authorities have never devised a transparent and credible plan to explain how they intend to filter out these radioactive elements and make the water safe.

On the contrary, Tokyo seems to be trying to give an impression that it has exhausted every possible means, repeatedly claiming that the water containing small amounts of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, is scientifically safe. If that were true, why didn't former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga drink some of the water during his visit to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant?

The Pacific faces immense pollution because of Japan's reckless intent. If dumped from Fukushima prefecture, the wastewater could encircle the entire Pacific Ocean.

Tritium is light and could reach as far afield as the U.S. West Coast within two years, said Ken Buesseler at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

According to media reports, research by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres concluded that if contaminated water from Fukushima is released into the ocean, it will only take seven months for the contaminated water to reach the shores of South Korea's Jeju Island.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that "states shall take, individually or jointly as appropriate, all measures consistent with this Convention that are necessary to prevent, reduce and control pollution of the marine environment from any source."

Japan, a signatory of the pact, must not use the Pacific Ocean as a giant sewage system. It should honor the convention with tangible actions.

If Tokyo insists on putting its own interests above the public interests of the global community and proceeds to pollute the ocean, it will surely pay the price for its irresponsible behavior and leave another indelible mark on its history. 
Johannesburg: A big pink diamond of 170 carats has been discovered in Angola and is claimed to be the largest such gemstone found in 300 years.

Called the Lulo Rose, the diamond was found at the Lulo alluvial diamond mine, the mines owner, Perth-based Lucapa Diamond Company announced on Wednesday on its website.

The 170-carat pink diamond recovered from Lulo, Angola. Credit:AP

Only one in 10,000 diamonds is coloured pink. So youre certainly looking at a very rare article when you find a very large pink diamond, Lucapa CEO Stephen Wetherall said.

The pink gemstone is expected to fetch a high value when auctioned, but Wetherall said he didnt know what kind of premium would be paid because of its colour.
Singapore: China will raise the AUKUS submarine deal at the United Nations nuclear non-proliferation meeting next week and force Washington and Canberra to argue there has been no breach of the nuclear treaty.

Ambassador Adam Scheinman, the US special representative for nuclear non-proliferation, said Beijing had made a series of claims about the US, United Kingdom and Australia violating the nuclear treaty [NPT] that would be disputed in New York.

Ambassador Adam Scheinman, US special representative for nuclear non-proliferation Credit:

I know that China at the NPT review conference will criticise the partnership, although I also think that what China fails to do is to recognise that its Chinas own actions in the region that have led the partners to close gaps in our security, Scheinman said at a US state department briefing in Asia on Tuesday night.

There is no violation of the NPT, and well be very clear about that at the NPT review conference.
Budapest: One of Viktor Orbans closest associates has resigned in protest over what she called a pure Nazi speech given by the Hungarian prime minister in which he railed against Europe becoming a mixed race society.

It was a rare rebuke from within the governing ranks of the leader, who has long been accused by the European Union of eroding democratic institutions and norms.

Hungary President Viktor Orban has championed illiberal democracy. Credit:AP

In her resignation letter, published on Tuesday by Hungarian media, longstanding adviser Zsuzsa Hegedus compared Orbans rhetoric to the language used in Nazi Germany.

I am sincerely sorry that I have to end a relationship due to such a shameful position, said Hegedus, who worked with Orban for 20 years. I was left with no other choice.
Latest News Asset finance applications tumble But business loan demand up, says credit bureau

Reserve Bank announces two key appointments One becomes head of international department, the other of the financial stability department

Australias third-largest lender by market value is planning to reduce lending to the oil and gas sector by nearly a quarter by 2030, in a bid to cut emissions.

Westpacs move followed rivals NAB, which implemented a $2.4 billion cap on lending to oil and gas companies, and CBA, which has pledged to halve emissions by 2030.

By releasing sector targets for 2030 in emissions-intensive industries, we're setting clear markers and will help our customers transition, Westpac CEO Peter King told Reuters.

Westpac targets to reduce scope one, two, and three absolute-financed emissions by 23% in 2030 from firms involved in oil and gas exploration, extraction, or drilling. The bank will also stop dealing with companies with more than 5% of their revenue coming directly from thermal coal mining by the same year.

The lender joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a coalition of nearly 100 banks committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050, convened by the United Nations, Reuters reported.
To help achieve the Centres target of having 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal gasification capacity in the country by 2030, five (PSU) will set up manufacturing units, senior officials said.

National miner Coal India (CIL), manufacturing major BHEL, GAIL, Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), and Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) will set up five manufacturing units for coal gasification.

This would include joint ventures by with and GAIL with IOCL and standalone units by these PSUs as well.

The units will produce methanol, ammonia, ammonium nitrate and urea. For ammonium nitrate, of which the fertiliser industry is a major user, the ministry of coal has proposed a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. In order to provide initial support, the ministry has asked the finance ministry to set up a PLI for ammonium nitrate manufacturing. This would bring volumes and ensure the price is competitive to that of the import markets, said an official.

Senior executives said the is being pegged at 20 per cent of sales. India currently imports close to 20 per cent of its ammonia and ammonium nitrate consumption, primarily from Turkey, Russia, and Bulgaria. In a recent investors meeting, the ministry of coal pointed out that recent global events indicate a need for development of indigenous capacity.

Methanol, which is the main product from coal gasification, is majorly import driven in India with 90 per cent of the demand being met from Iran and Saudi Arabia. According to the coal ministrys estimates, $50 billion is the forex outgo for chemical and petrochemical products in India, as natural gas imports grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.89 per cent during last decade.

The flagship Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme of the has set a target of 100 MT of capacity under the National Coal Gasification Mission. The has also created a separate window for auction of coal on a long-term basis (15 years) for both the private and public sectors. It has also provided a 50 per cent rebate in revenue share in commercial coal block auctions for certain projects of coal gasification.

The Union Budget for 2022-23 proposed four pilot projects for coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals to evolve technical and financial viability.

has identified five mines for its surface coal gasification projects with project locations in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Of the five, two would be for making ammonium nitrate with a capacity of 0.66 MTPA each, one for ammonia with 0.7 MTPA, one methanol unit of 0.66 MTPA and one urea unit of 1.27 MTPA.

The technical and project feasibility of the projects are being assessed, said officials.

officials said the model of financing under the is still being worked out  whether it would be a capital grant, operational grant, or hybrid model.
The Union on Wednesday gave approval to state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) to invest an additional USD 1.6 billion in a Brazilian oil block.

The Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved additional investment by Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BPCL, for the development of the BM-SEAL-11 Concession Project in Brazil, an official statement said.

The block is to start production from 2026-27.

BPRL has a 40 per cent stake in the block. Brazil's national oil company Petrobras is the operator with 60 per cent interest.

Multiple oil discoveries have been made in the block, which is being developed now.

Originally, had partnered with Videocon for taking the stake in the block in 2008. IBV Brasil SA, a 50-50 joint venture between Videocon and BPRL Ventures NV, a unit of BPRL (the upstream arm of BPCL), held 40 per cent. But after the bankruptcy of Videocon, BPRL now owns the entire 40 per cent stake.

The CCEA nod will help to access equity oil to strengthen India's energy security and diversify the country's crude oil supply.

Stating that Indian oil have expressed interest in sourcing more crude oil from Brazil, the statement said it also strengthens India's foothold in Brazil, which will further open business avenues in neighbouring Latin American countries.

The CCEA also approved an increase in the limit of equity investment by in BPRL and authorised share capital of the company from Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore (to be subscribed by from time to time).

Also, the limit of equity investment by BPRL International BV in International BV Brasil Petroleo Limitada, through an intermediate wholly-owned subsidiary, to Rs 15,000 crore from the current limit of Rs 5,000 crore was also approved.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After two decades of being stuck in a trademark infringement suit, the sided with and restrained an Indian company from selling its products that are similar to Gems.

Justice Prathiba M Singh told an Indian company on Tuesday to pay Rs 16 lakh damages to British chocolate company for infringing the Cadbury Gems trademark.

Cadbury(now Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd) had filed a case against the Indian company Neeraj Food Products(defendant) saying it had marketed its product as James Bond. The purple packet of the product was the same with multicoloured buttons in the background which was deceptively similar to Cadbury Gems, the court was told.

Cadbury also said they had done a promotional ad earlier in which they had marketed their product using Gems Bond as a character and so the defendant was using this name to gain an unfair advantage.

The court said Gems, as a product is recognised by the old and the young alike and the defendants mark, is similar to that of the Gems. Almost everyones childhood is associated with the consumption of Gems. The entire colour scheme of Defendants product is identical to that of the label and packaging of Gems. The marks are also confusingly and deceptively similar, the court said.

The court remarked that the test of infringement in such a matter is not that of absolute confusion but even the likelihood of confusion is sufficient. A comparison of the Defendants infringing product and the packaging thereof leaves no manner of doubt that the defendants product is a complete knock-off, the court said.

The court said the similarities between both the products do not end there as Gems is also sold in smaller pillow packs, due to which the mark may not even be fully visible. The smallest selling unit of Gems, that is the pillow pack, is even available for 1 rupee to 5 rupees. Hence, the products get-up, layout, and colour combination of the packaging play a significant role in selling the product. Since the product is not only sold at big shops but also at paan shops, it will create confusion in the mind of the buyer, the court said.

The product will cause immense confusion in the mind of the buyer considering the class of consumers that the product is targeted at, that is, children, the court commented.

Safir Anand, senior partner at Anand and Anand, says this judgment has recognised many other aspects of intellectual property. It not just seeks to strengthen the scope of proprietary rights but has also imposed costs on the infringing entity, he said.

The court stated the two products are not only visually similar but also sound the same. The resemblance in the product packaging and the phonetic similarity between the marks indicate the infringement by the defendant, the court held.

Prakriti Varshney, appearing for Cadbury, said the damages awarded in the case will act as a deterrent to those traders who ride on the trademark and goodwill of the others and make counterfeit goods.
KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The volume of Afghan exports has exceeded 400 million U.S. dollars in the first three months of the solar year of 1401 on the Persian calendar beginning March 21, a local media outlet reported Wednesday.

Tolonews quoted Mohammad Yonus Mohmand, chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, as saying that the country exported nearly 19,000 tons of fresh fruits and about 1.8 million tons of coal worth more than 400 million dollars over the period.

Afghanistan's major exports composed of fresh and dry fruits are mostly exported to India and Pakistan, and coal utterly to Pakistan.

Afghanistan has been making efforts to increase its exports to central Asian countries including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

In the meantime, Afghan traders have been demanding that the central government restore the air corridor and resume exports to China, Europe and Arabian countries.

Afghanistan's export reached more than 1 billion dollars in the solar year of 1400, according to the report. 
Data breaches cost Indian businesses an average of Rs 17.6 crore in 2022the highest amount ever, according to an report that called the "biggest challenge" to industry.

The cost increased 6.6 per cent from last year when the average cost of a breach was Rs 16.5 crore. It is up 25 per cent from Rs 14 crore in 2020, said the Cost of Report 2022 on Wednesday.

The India findings illustrate the growing magnitude of the threat over time. Its clear, that businesses cannot evade cyberattacks, said Viswanath Ramaswamy, vice president, technology, at Technology Sales, and South Asia.

Industrial companieschemical processing, engineering, and manufacturingpaid the highest for data breaches. The average cost of a breach was Rs 9,024 in 2022.

The services industrylegal, accounting, and consultancycame next and it was followed by technology industries comprising software and hardware . The services industrys average cost of breach was Rs 7,085 and it was Rs 6,900 for the technology industry.

Keeping security capabilities flexible enough to match attacker agility will be the biggest challenge as the industry moves forward, said Ramaswamy. To stay on top of growing cybersecurity challenges, investment in zero-trust deployments, mature security practices, and AI-based platforms can help make all the difference when businesses are attacked.



Also Read: As cybercrime cases rise in Odisha, govt alerts people against cyber fraud

Costs incurred after a security breach was the largest among four categories for the sixth year, put at Rs 71 million. The four cost categories were lost business, detection and escalation, notification, and post-breach response.

The average time to identify a decreased from 239 to 221 days. The average time to contain a increased from 81 to 82 days.

IBM Security said organisations with less than 50 per cent remote-work adoption took 212 days as the average time to identify a data breach. They took 75 days as the average time to contain a data breach. Organisations with over 50 per cent remote work adoption took 266 days as the average time to identify a data breach. They took 91 days as the average time to contain a breach.

Organisations in India that are in the mature stages of adopting zero trust deployment--a preventative method for controlling access to data, networks, and applications--witnessed Rs 15.1 crore as the total cost of a data breach, compared to those that have not yet started zero trust deployment and witnessed Rs 24.6 crore as the total cost of data breach.

The IBM report said the global average cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of $4.35 million for surveyed organisations.
Qapita, a Singapore- and India-based equity management firm, said on Wednesday it has completed the of ESOP Direct in an all-cash transaction. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Pune-based ESOP Direct provides solutions in equity compensation. Qapita said by acquiring ESOP Direct it will become a market leader in the region. The deal will expand its customer base in India and Southeast Asia to more than 1,200 customers. The combined entity will manage more than $12 billion in Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs).

Qapita said it will expand its product and engineering team to more than 100 professionals as it scales up in Indian start-up hubs and in Southeast Asias Singapore and Jakarta.

This is an important step to executing our vision of creating one unified platform for all equity matters, in our bid to build rails for the private markets. We look forward to enabling our customers in creating more equity owners in this region and making every one of them count, said Ravi Ravulaparthi, chief executive officer and co-founder of Qapita.

ESOP Directs services include plan conceptualisation, design, documentation, administration, employee support, compliance, valuation, and reporting. In more than two decades, ESOP Direct has designed over 1,000 plans and it manages over 500 plans on its proprietary platform.

This step is a logical progression of our current business model and in line with the global trends in this domain. Our deep domain expertise and thought leadership will now be leveraged beyond the Indian market. We will continue with our endeavor to structure pathbreaking solutions to ensure the success of Employee Share Plans of our clients, said Harshu Ghate, co-founder and managing director of ESOP Direct.

Qapita said it expected the value of private securities in this region to exceed $1 trillion with the presence of 200 to 250 unicorns. Creating a digital ledger for management of equity will be the first step toward creating a Qapita marketplace for liquidity as it estimates that more than $250 billion in equity will require liquidity solutions.

Qapita is backed by venture capital investors and financial institutions including Vulcan Capital, East Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, Endiya Partners, Citibank, NYCA Capital as well as leading angel investors from both India and Southeast Asia.
The management on Wednesday informed the employee union of its Maraimalai Nagar plant near Chennai to conclude the negotiations on severance package before August 10, failing which the company will be forced to launch its last offer as a voluntary separation scheme.

In a letter written to the Chennai Ford Employees Union (CFEU), the company termed it as a last attempt to conclude severance negotiations. The company had increased its offer from 87 days to 124 days of average equivalent wages per completed years of service, subject to a minimum amount of Rs 30 lakh and a maximum cap of Rs 80 lakh.

This offer is significantly higher than the compensation prescribed under the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 and any market benchmarks. Company has already offered to continue the current medical insurance till March 2024, the letter said.

The company has already completed 43 meetings with the Union and 17 meetings in front of the labour authorities. In a meeting held on July 22, the Union demanded 185 days of average equivalent wages per completed years of service calculated on the basis of 26 days per month. This included a minimum package of Rs 50 lakh and a maximum cap of Rs 80 lakh. The company had announced in September last year that it was shutting its factories in India.

in the letter claimed that the demand by the Union will be in the range of 214 to 295 days of equivalent wages per completed years of service and is not significantly different from the earlier unreasonable demand by the Union for 295 days. The automaker had stopped vehicles at the unit on July 20 and by the customer service division (FCSD) will be over by August 31.
(HAL) has signed a $100 million contract with US engine-maker Honeywell, for 88 engines to power the indigenous Hindustan Turbo Trainer  40 (HTT-40), on which Army, Navy and (IAF) pilots will first learn to fly.

 signed a contract worth over $100 million for supply and manufacture of 88 TPE331-12B engines/kits along with maintenance and support services to power the HTT-40, stated a Ministry of Defence (MoD) press announcement on Wednesday.

 has successfully developed Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) to address the basic training requirements of the IAF. There is potential requirement of 70 aircraft. The contract for the same with IAF is under advanced stage of approval, said R Madhavan, HALs Chairman and Managing Director.

In designing and developing the HTT-40, has proven a point against a sceptical IAF, which opposed the HTT-40, blocked development funding, and demanded that the expensive Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II Swiss trainer be imported and the HTT-40 programme scuttled.

There is no need for [the HTT-40 trainer], IAF boss Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, said dismissively at the Aero India show in February 2013.

We have the Pilatus PC-7. Its a proven aircraft. The project HAL plan is from scratch. Our indications are that the cost will be too high. There is no need for all this.

An incensed HAL took up the challenge, and committed Rs 350 crore of internal HAL funds to the HTT-40 project. A team of young, talented HAL designers worked without IAF assistance to bring the aircraft to flight in 2016. While the final price of the HTT-40 is still being negotiated between HAL and the IAF, Business Standard learns it is in the range of Rs 50-55 crore  about the same as a Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II on Wednesday. The HTT-40 is a propeller-driven aircraft for Stage-1 training of rookie pilots. After 80 hours of basic training on the HTT-40, pilots will move on to Stage-2 training on the HAL-built Kiran Mark-II jet trainer. Those selected to fly fighter aircraft move on to Stage-3 training on the Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT). Only after that will they graduate to flying frontline fighters in the IAFs combat squadrons.

The advanced systems in the HTT-40 include a pressurised cockpit (which allows flight at high altitudes), zero-zero ejection seats (which allow ejection even from a static aircraft), and a state-of-the-art, glass cockpit display with in-flight simulation that permits flight instructors to electronically simulate various system failures, allowing the rookie pilot to handle the emergency.

The IAF, which currently imparts basic training to army and navy pilots in addition to its own, calculates that it needs 181 basic trainer aircraft. It has already bought 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II trainers. After building and inducting 72 HTT-40s in IAF training schools, there will still be a requirement for 34 more basic trainers. If the HTT-40 performs well, that order will also go to HAL.

Our TPE331-12 family of engines has proven itself in operations all over the world, and we have committed to support and deliver engines as well as kits within the stipulated schedule to meet the requirements of the IAF, said Eric Walters, of Honeywell Defense & Space.

The TPE331-12B engine is a single-shaft, turboprop engine with a two stage centrifugal compressor, power turbine, gearbox and an electronic engine controller (EEC) for reliable power and operational characteristics.
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Domestic giant on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with a Bengaluru-based startup for drone-based mining solutions for effective mine management.

The primary goal of this collaboration is to jointly develop and offer sustainable and end-to-end integrated solutions that will focus on efficiency, safety, and productivity of open cast mining operations.

" has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS), a Bangaluru-based startup, providing end-to-end drone solutions... for effective mine management," the company said in a statement.

will also work jointly with AUS to provide exclusive drone-based solutions, including mine analytics and geo-technical mapping, to Tata Steel group across mining locations in India, it said.

On the partnership, D B Sundara Ramam, vice president, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, said: Drone survey enabled digitalisation and other technology will assist in gathering impactful and actionable insights. We see enormous potential in redefining core mining processes such as exploration and mine planning using drone data and adequate analytics.

These end-to-end mining solutions are economical, demand fewer on-foot exploration requirements, and improve production, efficiency, and site safety.

The company said it aspires to leverage the opportunities arising from the Government's Atmanirbhar Bharat Programme and regulatory changes to meet captive raw material requirements beyond 2030 by creating a sustainable mining business.

It said it had charted out its vision a couple of years ago to become a leading player in digitalising its mining operations across the value chain.

Digitalisation enables the development of targeted strategies using real-time data and data analytics, provides visualisation and decision matrix tools to predict failure, helps in optimisation of scheduling and material flow, and improves the capability of beneficiation plants through online monitoring of quality data, it said.

Commenting on the partnership, Vipul Singh, Founder and CEO, Aarav Unmanned Systems, said: Tata Steel's trust in us to create end-to-end solutions jointly with them, for the domestic and global mining industry, directly reflects on the vision we share and openness of a behemoth like Tata Steel to partner with a startup to derive the most effective solution.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Wednesday cleared a Rs 1.64-trillion package for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) as part of a four-year turnaround plan. The package includes a mix of financial support, debt restructuring, viability-gap funding, and administrative allotment of spectrum, which may help the state-owned telecom service provider to de-stress its balance sheet, improve landline network, and launch 4G service.

It is expected that with the implementation of this revival plan, will turn around and earn profit in FY2026-27, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The Cabinet also approved the merger of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), a government-owned special purpose vehicle, with to boost the latters infrastructure and support its telephony services. Besides, a Rs 26, 316-crore scheme for providing 4G mobile coverage to over 30,000 villages, using indigenously developed 4G technology stack, was cleared.

This is the second revival package sanctioned by the government in three years after a Rs 69,000-crore plan in 2019, which included equity infusion, asset monetisation, the merger of with MTNL, and a voluntary retirement scheme.





BSNL has been saddled with steep losses (over Rs 50,000 crore in the past five years) and obsolete technology, resulting in a decline in revenues and customers. Vaishnaw, however, defended the governments move as conscious and consistent with its objective of maintaining a healthy public sector unit in a strategic sector.

BSNL is a big turnaround story. It has made an operating profit. Customer attrition has stopped and its market share is stable at 10 per cent. That is giving us hope and confidence. Net profit will be made once revenue improves and the balance sheet is restructured, the minister said.

Vaishnaw said the package had a cash component of around Rs 44,000 crore while the remainder Rs 1.2-odd trillion was of non-cash nature. He added 80 per cent of allocations would be done in two years.

Citing global trends, he said 4G service would continue to have a significant customer base load for the next 7-8 years, allowing BSNL to build its business. He stated that BSNL would be held responsible for clear well-defined goals and outcomes with regard to service quality improvements, revenue growth, and cost reduction.

Explaining the progress of the 2019 plan, a senior government official said over 92,000 BSNL and MTNL employees took VRS, leading to the wage bill reduction of two by 50 and 75 per cent, respectively.

The 2019 package too had provided Rs 24,000 crore for 4G service but that could not be allocated earlier as BSNL was not ready with technology. The company has faced difficulties in land monetisation but is making headway by raising funds of over Rs 1,400 crore annually through leasing of fiber and rentals.

In essence only the 4G-related components in the 2019 package could not take off. There has been substantive development in the rest, the official added.
The will hold a protest outside the BJP headquarters here on Wednesday against the Hooch tragedy in the saffron party-ruled .

The death toll due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Gujarat's Botad district went up to 28, according to a senior state police offical.

"It's murder," AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said in a tweet on Tuesday, alleging people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor sold under the patronage of the BJP government in the state.

The AAP will protest against it on Wednesday at 1 pm in front of the BJP's headquarters in Delhi, he added.

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A group of HIV patients from last few days have been protesting before the AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) office in Delhi over the shortage of crucial anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs at government centres recommended to control the infection from progressing.

NACO centrally procures ARV medicines for people living with HIV as per guidelines.

India provides free ARV medicines for life-long treatment of more than 14.5 lakh People Living with HIV (PLHIV) through 680 anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres under its AIDS Control Programme, funded by the Government of India.

The protestors said ART centres claimed that there was a shortage of medicines at Delhi's major hospitals such as Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

However, the sources from the Health Ministry said that there is adequate stock nationally for nearly 95 per cent HIV patients in the country, who are on first and second line ARV regimens like tablet TLD (Tenofovir + Lamivudine + Dolutegravir) and other ARV regimens.

"The mainstay of treatment for more than 85 per cent PLHIV is Tablet TLD (a fixed-dose combination of three anti-retroviral drugs -- Tenofovir (300mg) + Lamivudine (300mg) + Dolutegravir (50mg)), for which there is sufficient stock nationally to last more than three months," the source added.

Tablet Dolutegravir (DTG)- 50mg is required for nearly 50,000 PLHIV who are either on alternate --first/second or third-line regimens or those with TB co-infection.

"There is no reported stock out for any ARV drugs at the state level and the fresh supply orders for procurement of the next lot of several drugs are already placed. Individual ART centres may have this issue at times but the medicines are immediately relocated from nearby centres," said the source from the Ministry.

The source also said that after persuasion by NACO and with active cooperation of national networks of persons living with HIV (PLHIV), four representatives of the protestors had a round of discussion with senior officers of NACO on Monday afternoon.

They were informed about the position regarding drugs availability and they were told to jointly work with state AIDS control societies and NACO for the availablity of drugs at those few ART centres which were running short on supplies, temporarily, it added.

--IANS

avr/khz/

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The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Tuesday said testing will be conducted for free to detect cases in the city.

The testing will be conducted at all the health centres of the TMC in Thane city in view of the rise in infections, the civic body said in a release.

It said the recommendation of a doctor is needed for testing.

A total of 20 cases of were detected in Thane city so far this month and 15 patients recovered, while two others died, the release said.

A survey of houses in the locality where patients were found had been completed, the release added.

No new swine flu patient was detected during the survey.

A total of 62 swine flu cases have been detected this year in the Mumbai circle till July 25 which also comprises Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, a health official had said.

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by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani

JAKARTA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Private companies and fresh fruit bunch (FFB) farmers have criticized the Indonesian government's ongoing policy to waive the crude palm oil (CPO) export levy until the end of August, saying that it contributes nothing to boosting exports and FFB prices.

It has been almost two weeks since the zero export levy policy took effect, but as of Monday, the price of FFB was still stuck at 1,200 rupiahs (0.08 U.S. dollars) per kg, according to Chairman of the Indonesian Oil Palm Farmers Association Gulat Manurung.

The price is still below expectation. Previously, Indonesia's Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the policy would raise the FFB prices to at least 2,000 rupiahs (0.13 dollars).

"This is not the first time for the government to temporarily remove the CPO export levy. It happened years before. In fact, such a policy never gives benefits to the farmers. All of the farmers across the country have said they benefit nothing in terms of prices," Manurung said in a virtual discussion on Tuesday.

Starting July 15, Indonesia, the world's biggest palm oil producer, has temporarily cut the export levy for CPO to zero from 200 dollars per ton and for other palm oil products as an attempt to boost CPO exports and reduce oversupply in FFB stocks.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati previously said the government would impose a new levy starting Sept. 1, with the rate between 55 dollars and 240 dollars per ton for CPO, depending on prices in the global market.

The current zero levy policy would cause the country to lose around 11.5 trillion rupiahs (765 million dollars) to 16.8 trillion rupiahs (1.1 billion dollars) of state revenues, said Kabul Wijayanto, partnership director for the Indonesia Oil Palm Plantations Fund Management Agency.

According to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, the current palm oil stocks in Indonesia had excessively reached 7 million tons.

The oversupply is believed to be caused by the temporary ban on CPO exports and its derivative products imposed by the Indonesian government in April. The ban, lifted in May, aimed to stabilize domestic prices and cooking oil shortages in the local market, but it has led to stockpiles in FFB as 70 percent of the country's palm oil production goes to the export market.

Executive Director for the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Refiners Association Sahat Sinaga said zero levy would not significantly help boost exports.

"Zero levy will not contribute to increasing exports, removing DMO will do," Sinaga said.

He referred to the country's regulation on mandatory local sales, known as domestic market obligation. Under the regulation, palm oil producers have to sell 30 percent of their total production to the local market at a government-set price to be able to secure permits for exports.

Sinaga said that many exporters found it difficult to fulfill the 30 percent obligation because they also had to compete with palm oil companies that only sell for the domestic market.

"The DMO regulation really hampers our exports. Thus, if the government really wants to boost exports, just remove this policy," Sinaga said.

Maruli Gultom, a member of the GAPKI advisory board, regretted the government's back-and-forth in changing regulations in a short time.

"This has caused a mess in market mechanisms and disturbed the export processes while also giving uncertainty to the farmers," he said.

Meanwhile, Oke Nurwan, Trade Ministry's director general for domestic trade, said that all the measures the government had taken must be based on deep considerations and things would not change easily in a short time.

"It needs time to fix the situation. We need to believe that all the mess we are facing right now is only a temporary disturbance amid the uncertain global conditions," he said. 
Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Bhola Yadav, who used to be the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to when he was railway minister, in an alleged land-for-job case.

Searches are underway in four locations in .

Earlier this May, the had filed an FIR in the "land for railway job" case and named Lalu Yadav, his wife and daughters among several others as accused in the case.

conducted searches at 17 locations belonging to Lalu Yadav and his family members in Delhi and in May.

The alleged scam took place when Yadav was Railway Minister between 2004 to 2009.

The FIR read that during the period 2004 to 2009 various persons were appointed as substitutes in group D posts in different zones of the Railway in exchange for land, by the unknown Public Servants of the Indian Railway and later they were regularized.

It was further alleged that unknown Public Servants of Indian Railway did not follow the instructions/guidelines etc issued by the department that was prevalent during the relevant period for appointment of Substitutes in Group D post in Railways.

It further read that enquiry has revealed that some individuals although a resident of Patna, but were appointed as substitutes in Group D post during the period 2004-2009 in different zones of Railway located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hajipur and in lieu thereof the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land in the name of family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, then Minister of Railway, Government of India and a Company AK Infosystems Private Limited.

"Out of seven instances of land transfer, it is revealed that three sale deeds were executed in favour of Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Yadav, one sale deed was executed in the name of Misha Bharti, daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, one sale deed was executed in favour of M/s AK Infosystems Private Limited, in which later Rabri Devi became major shareholder, in the year 2014 and currently she is one of the Director of the Company. Two gift deeds were executed in favour of Hema Yadav, daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav," it read.

The enquiry had prima facie revealed that a total of 12 persons were appointed as substitutes in six different Zones of Railway during the period when was Minister of Railway i.e. from 2004 to 2009 in exchange for above mentioned seven instances of land transfer.

Interestingly, in most of the cases of land transfer, payment to the sellers was shown to be paid in cash. The current value of the above-said seven parcels of land including the land acquired through gift deeds as per the existing circle rate is about Rs 4.39 crore.

The enquiry has prima facie indicated that as Minister of Railway, Government of India as a public servant by abusing his official position obtained a pecuniary advantage in the name of his family members in the form of land in the matter of appointment of Substitutes in group D post in different Zones of Railway, it read.

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can spend their CSR funds for activities related to the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, the government said on Tuesday.

The campaign is being organised by the government as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring home the flag and hoist it to mark the 75th year of India's independence.

Under the Act, 2013, certain class of profitable are required to shell out at least two per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

In a circular, the corporate affairs ministry said the campaign is aimed to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of people and to promote awareness about the Indian flag.

"... spending of CSR funds for the activities related to this campaign such as mass scale production and supply of the flag, outreach and amplification efforts and other related activities are eligible CSR activities," the circular said.

The activities are eligible for CSR funds under the provisions of Schedule VII of the Companies Act pertaining to promotion of education relating to culture.

Schedule VII pertains to CSR activities.

The circular also noted that companies can undertake these activities subject to fulfilling the Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 and related circulars/ clarifications issued by the ministry.

The Companies Act, 2013 is implemented by the ministry.

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Senior leader on Tuesday asserted that it was not Sonia Gandhi, but the that was protesting as it has the right to do so when its leader is being "harassed".

His remarks came on a day chief was questioned for the second time by the (ED) in a related to the Herald newspaper, leading to a massive protest by the party against the alleged misuse of central agencies.

"The BJP asks why is the Congress protesting on the streets. Mrs is appearing before the ED. She is not protesting. It is the Congress party that is protesting. We have a right to protest when our leader is being harassed," Chidambaram said on Twitter.

"When (Narendra) Modi was questioned, the BJP put up posters all over Gujarat and protested. We have the right to also demand how did the ED cases against a number of political leaders (who subsequently joined the BJP) suddenly vanish in thin air?" the former Union home minister said.

As ED officials quizzed Gandhi, 75, for six hours and asked her to appear before the agency for the third round of questioning on Wednesday, Congress workers staged 'satyagraha' in several parts of the country.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several party MPs were detained by police at Vijay Chowk in the capital. The Congress leaders were later released after being in detention for several hours.

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The on Wednesday again found a large amount of cash in another flat of Arpita Mukherjee, considered a close associate of Industry Minister who was arrested in connection with the school recruitment scam, an official said.

The central agency also arrested Mukherjee on July 23, a day after unearthing unaccounted cash worth over Rs 21 crore from her flat in south Kolkata.

This time, the cash was found in another apartment owned by her at Belgharia in the northern fringes of the city.

ED sleuths had to break open a door to get into two flats in Belghoria's Rathtala locality as the keys to open them could not be spotted, the official said.

"We have found a good amount of money from one of the flats in a housing complex. We have brought three note counting machines to know the exact amount," he told PTI when contacted.

Several vital documents were also found in the flats during a search.

During questioning, Mukherjee informed the ED about her properties in and around Kolkata.

Since Wednesday morning, the agency has been conducting raids at those properties.

Asked about the questioning of the minister and Mukherjee, the official said that though she has been "cooperative throughout", Chatterjee was not.

The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of the School Service Commission. The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

Chatterjee was the education minister when the alleged irregularities took place.

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The Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune under has isolated monkeypox virus from the clinical specimen of a patient which can pave the way for development of diagnostic kits and vaccines against the disease, the apex health research body said on Wednesday.

With India isolating the virus, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also invited expression of interest (EoI), proposing to hand over the strain to interested Indian vaccine manufacturers, pharma companies and in-vitro diagnostic industry partners for development of indigenous vaccines against monkeypox and diagnostic kits for detection of the disease.

The development comes amid India reporting four cases of monkeypox -- three from Kerala and one from Delhi -- so far.

"The Institute of Virology has successfully isolated monkeypox virus strain from the samples of infected Indian patients which may help in the development of diagnostic kits and also vaccines in future," Dr Pragya Yadav, a senior scientist at NIV, told PTI.

"For smallpox live attenuated vaccine was successful for mass immunisation in the past. Similar approaches on new platforms can be tried for making vaccines against monkeypox. The virus isolation enhances India's capacity to do research and development in many other directions," she said.

At present, fluid inside the lesions on the skin are being used for virus isolation as they have the highest viral titre. Dr Yadav said monkeypox virus is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus having two distinct genetic clades -- the central African (Congo Basin) clade and the west African clade.

"The recent outbreak which has affected several countries leading to a worrisome situation is caused by the West African strain which is less severe than Congo lineage reported earlier. Genomic sequence of the Indian strains has 99.85 per cent match with the West African strains, circulating globally," Dr Yadav explained.

The EoI documents states that is willing to make available monkeypox Virus strain/isolates for undertaking research and development validation as well as manufacturing activities using characterized isolates of monkeypox virus under the joint collaboration in the public-private partnership mode for development of vaccine candidate against monkeypox disease and diagnostic kits for diagnosis of the infection.

"The is in possession of characterised monkeypox virus isolates/strain and is thereby willing to collaborate with experienced vaccine manufacturer as well as the in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturers on Royalty basis on fixed term contract condition for undertaking R&D and manufacturing activities for Joint development and validation of 5 potential vaccine candidate against monkeypox disease, development of diagnostic kit (IVD), for detection of the monkeypox virus leading to product development," the EoI document said.

"The firm(s)/organisation(s) would be granted rights to undertake further R&D, manufacture, sell, and commercialize the end product(s) 'vaccine candidate/IVD' against the Monkeypox disease under defined Agreement," the document said.

ICMR reserves all the Intellectual Property Rights and Commercialization rights on the Monkeypox virus isolates and its method/ protocols for purification, propagation and characterisation, the EoI document stated.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far.

According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis  a virus transmitted to humans from animals  with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe.

Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.

The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre, stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.

It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation.

The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around three to six per cent.

The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox, the guidelines stated.

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has said it has vital stakes in peace and prosperity in the and through the newly-formed I2U2 grouping and it is confident of making significant contributions to energy, food security and economic growth in the region and .

Four-nation grouping I2U2 comprises India, Israel, the UAE and the US. I stands for and Israel and U for the US and UAE.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the first virtual summit of the coalition on July 14 and said the grouping would make an important contribution in areas of energy security, food security and economic growth.

With US President Joe Biden, Israeli Premier Yair Lapid and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan listening, Modi said the grouping has established a positive agenda and its framework is a good model for practical cooperation in the face of increasing global uncertainties.

" has vital stakes in peace and prosperity in the . During a recent virtual I2U2 summit, the leaders of India, Israel, the UAE and the US agreed to increase joint investment in six key areas of water, energy, transport, space, health and food security, Charg d'affaires in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said at the UNSC open debate on the Question of Palestine on Tuesday.

We are confident that with I2U2, we will make significant contributions to energy security, food security and economic growth in the and South Asia, he said.

After the first virtual meeting of I2U2 on July 14, a joint statement said this unique grouping of countries aims to harness the vibrancy of our societies and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the Security Council meeting that "the I2U2 Virtual Summit of India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States the President showed the potential of closer cooperation between Israel and other countries in and outside the region.

Ravindra, however, expressed concern over the developments in Israel and Palestine, in particular, the continued violent attacks and the killing of civilians and the acts of destruction and provocation.

He said India has consistently advocated against all such acts of violence and reiterated New Delhi's call for its complete cessation.

He stressed that the absence of a political settlement between Israel and Palestine did not augur well for long-term regional peace and stability.

In addition to the stated political support for a two-state solution, the international community must expend energies and political capital to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process, he said.

Ravindra said India believes that the peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict would bring lasting peace and stability to the region.

He reiterated the need for an early resumption of the political course by launching credible direct negotiations on all final status issues.

India has consistently called for direct peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, which, we believe, is the best path towards achieving the goal of a two-state solution, he said.

He said that these negotiations must be based on the internationally agreed framework, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns.

Ravindra said all unilateral measures that unduly alter the status quo on the ground and undercut the viability of the two-state solution must be eschewed.

The international community and this Council must send a strong signal against any step preventing the possibility of durable peace between Israel and Palestine, he said.

India urged the parties to focus on addressing the urgent security and economic challenges, including the precarious financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, and chart a clear path for discussing key political issues.

We recognise the international community's recent confidence-building measures for the Palestinians and the important steps Israel has taken to ease Palestine's economic situation, he said.

Such initiatives are in the interest of both parties and help maintain stability and discourage the possible recurrence of terror and violence. Moreover, these initiatives should create a conducive environment leading to political dialogue, he said.

Intra-Palestinian unity is critical for the well-being of the Palestinian people, he said and expressed hope that efforts to achieve reconciliation between all Palestinian parties will bear fruit soon and help in overcoming the current stalemate, leading to legislative and Presidential elections in Palestine.

Given our long-standing and firm commitment to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, within secure, recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, India will remain fully supportive of all efforts to restart the peace process, he said.

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A Yuva morcha worker in Karnataka's coastal district of Dakshina Kannada has been murdered by unknown miscreants.

As a protest, the Hindu organisations have given a bandh call in Puttur, Sullia and Kadaba taluks of the district on Wednesday. Security has been beefed up across the communally sensitive district and coastal region.

With the activists alleging that the is a revenge killing by miscreants belonging to minority community, the incident has taken a communal turn.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has strongly condemned the of party worker Praveen Kumar Nettaru in Sullia of Dakshina Kannada district. "The miscreants who carried out this brutal act will be arrested and punished according to law. Let Praveen's soul rest in peace. Let the God give strength to his family to bear his loss," he stated.

Thirty-one-year-old Praveen Kumar Nettaru, a member of Yuva Morcha and a resident of Sulia was hacked to death on Tuesday night. Two unknown bike-borne miscreants had attacked him with swords and fled the scene. Praveen owned a chicken shop at Peruvaje Cross, Bellare village near Puttur.

Though Praveen was immediately rushed to a hospital, he succumbed to his deep injury in the neck. Hindu activists are claiming that Praveen was targeted as a revenge to the incident of of a youth belonging to minority community four days ago.

Social media posts were abuzz with calls for revenge and police are suspecting it to be a revenge killing.

Further details are awiated.

Soon after the incident, Yuva Morcha members staged a protest in front of the hospital and demanded that the Deputy Collector visit the spot on Tuesday night.

They have decided to take out a procession of the body from Puttur to Bellare. Bellare police have registered the case and formed 4 special teams to nab the culprits. Further investigation is on.

--IANS

mka/shb/

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Live news updates: Prime Minister has congratulated Sri Lanka's newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe and said that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of the island nation for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, the Indian High Commission said on Tuesday. Wickremesinghe, 73, was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka's eighth president after he was elected by lawmakers.

A day after the questioned Congress President for over six hours on the second day of her appearance in connection with a money laundering case linked to the newspaper, the 75-year-old has been asked to appear again on Wednesday, officials said.

The second phase of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG exam for the current year will be conducted on August 4 for students seeking admission in various undergraduate courses at different colleges across the country. A total of nearly 14,90,000 candidates, including students within the country and abroad, have already registered for CUET-UG 2022. The first phase of the exam has been conducted for which nearly 8,10,000 candidates appeared on July 15. After the completion of the first phase of the exam, the second phase will be held on August 4 in which nearly 6,80,000 candidates will write the exam.

While monkeypox virus has been detected in about 75 countries in just three months, it may not spread as fast as SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind (Covid-19), a US infectious disease expert said. The recent outbreak, first reported from the UK on May 7, has now more than 16,000 cases and five deaths in Africa.
With 23 MPs suspended from Lok Sabha and in two days, TMC lawmaker Derek O'Brien on Tuesday said maybe it is time for another long day-night dharna.

Earlier in the day, 19 MPs were suspended from till Friday for disrupting the proceedings of the House.

Seven of the suspended MPs belonged to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), six were from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Communist Party of India (CPI).

On Monday, four Congress MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha for the rest of the session after Speaker Om Birla took a stern view of the continuous disruptions by lawmakers since the beginning of the monsoon session.

In a tweet, O'Brien recalled the suspension of MPs from in September 2020 for protesting against the three farm bills.

"Now 23 MPs are suspended for wanting to raise #PriceRise #GST



"Maybe it's time for ANOTHER LONG DAY-NIGHT DHARNA IN FRONT OF THE GANDHI STATUE. What say India?" he asked.

In September 2020, eight opposition MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha following a protest against the way the farm bills were passed in the House. They held an overnight dharna in the lawns near the Gandhi statue in Parliament against their suspension.

They ended their protest after the Opposition decided to boycott the remaining session in the Upper House.

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Jumbo Covid Centers or field hospitals in Mumbai will be closed in phases as the number of infections has decreased, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday.

After the first phase of the pandemic, three jumbo care centres had been closed while the rest continued to function. The Somaiya jumbo centre in Sion area will be kept ready in case there is fresh necessity, the BMC said in a release. COVID-19 patients will be treated at the four main civic-run hospitals and 16 suburban hospitals besides the Kasturba hospital in Chinchpokli. Even after the closure of eight jumbo covid-19 centres, 11,165 beds will be available across hospitals in the city for COVID-19 patients and if necessary more beds can be added, the BMC said. The civic body set up its first jumbo Covid centre, a field hospital, at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on May 18, 2020, two months after the first COVID-19 case was found in the metropolis. As the pandemic went on, the civic body set up eight jumbo Covid centres with a total of 12,375 regular beds and 907 ICU beds where lakhs of patients were treated in two years.

The civic body later opened inoculation centres at these field hospitals. In the last few months, the number of Covid-19 patients getting admitted to hospitals is negligible, hence the BMC decided to close jumbo centres in phases, said additional municipal commissioner Sanjeev Kumar. Jumbo Covid centres at NESCO Goregaon, Dahisar and Kanjurmarg were closed in the first phase and those at Worli, BKC, Byculla, Mulund and Malad will be closed in the second phase.

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A house is seen tilting on its side after an earthquake in Abra Province, the Philippines, July 27, 2022. An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines on Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The institute said the quake, which occurred at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT), hit at a depth of 25 km, about 2 km northeast of Lagangilang town. (Abra local government unit/Handout via Xinhua)

MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday killed at least two and injured some 30 others, government officials said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed the death of one person in Benguet province in the northern Philippines. Local authorities also reported that at least five people were injured in Benguet province.

Governor of Abra province Jocelyn Bernos said a 25-year-old male was also killed after he was pinned by a concrete slab in Bangued town. She told a local radio interview that at least 25 were slightly injured from the earthquake.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said a 7-magnitude earthquake rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT).

The institute first reported the magnitude as 7.3 and the epicenter was Lagangilang town. An updated report changed the epicenter to Tayum town, adding the quake hit at a depth of 17 km.

The tremor was felt in many areas on the main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila, where high-rise buildings swayed and train transport suspended operation. It was also felt in many provinces, including Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.

In the capital region, panicked employees in offices, including the presidential palace, ran out of the buildings.

Mayor of La Paz town in Abra province Joseph Bernos said the quake damaged many concrete houses, buildings and infrastructure in the province. "I received reports that there were massive damages in our province," he told a radio interview, adding that some buildings at the University of Abra were also damaged.

The tremor also caused damages to the century-old structures in Vigan City, in Ilocos Sur province, a tourist destination known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture on the west coast of Luzon island.

A local disaster official of Baguio City, also in the northern Philippines, said Kennon Road, a major road connecting the city and Manila, was closed while the damage was being assessed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos is scheduled to visit the devastated region later on Wednesday, his press secretary Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles said.

PHIVOLCS cheif Renato Solidum warned the tectonic quake would trigger aftershocks and could cause damage such as landslides. He urged the people and the local government officials to be vigilant.

"Make sure to inspect the buildings for cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains," he told a news conference, urging villagers to leave areas prone to landslides.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

On July 16, 1990, northern Luzon was shaken by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a 125-km-long ground rupture that stretched from Aurora province to Nueva Vizcaya, killing around 1,200 people and damaged scores of buildings and houses. 
Congress chief was questioned by the (ED) for the third time in a week on Wednesday over her role in the Herald newspaper linked money laundering case, as the political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress continued over the agency action.

Enforcement Directorate(ED) officials said Gandhi, 75, was quizzed for three hours after which they indicated that the recording of her statement had concluded.

The officials said the agency is likely to soon file a charge sheet in the case in which the statements of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders Pawan Bansal and Mallikarjun Kharge will be annexed.

With Wednesday's questioning, Sonia has been quizzed for more than 11 hours over three days during which she had to answer around 100 questions, the officials said. While her first round of questioning took place on July 21, the second round was on Tuesday.

As Congress leaders continued their protests in several states against Sonia's questioning, BJP President JP Nadda hit out at the opposition party, saying it thinks that one family is above the law.

Describing Congress protests as an "attempt to hide the truth", Nadda said the Congress thinks that one family (Gandhis) is above the law. "But this wouldn't work in this country as laws and rules are equal for all."



He further said everybody is answerable in front of law, and the "Gandhis should answer the investigation agencies, but they think they are above the law."



Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur accused the Congress of trying to "mislead and pressure" central probe agencies through street protests.

"Why is the Congress running away from the probe? What do they have to hide? Is the Gandhi family above law? Should there be a separate law for the Gandhi family? Why are they running away from the (probe) agencies? They should also face the probe," Thakur told reporters.

But the Congress alleged that the money-laundering law has been weaponised to target and humiliate people, and urged the Supreme Court to decide soon on the matter concerning the Herald-Associated Journals Limited case.

The Congress also fielded its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in solidarity with and said political opponents should not be treated as "enemies".

Azad, a prominent member of the "Group of 23 (G-23)" that has been critical of the Congress leadership, said the ED should keep in mind the age and health of before subjecting her to repeated questioning in the case.

He said the Congress chief is aged, has not been well and was admitted to a hospital, adding she cannot withhold the pressure of probe agencies.

"Even in wars, kings used to give directions that women should not be attacked and those not keeping well should be spared," Azad said, urging the agencies not to be harsh on Sonia Gandhi.

Another senior member of the G-23 grouping and a former Union minister, Anand Sharma, said weaponisation of laws and their use to target and humiliate people should not happen.

Gandhi reached the ED office in central Delhi at 11 am accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son Rahul Gandhi.

The session began around 11.15 am. The team of investigators included the main probe officer and a person who took down statements given by the Congress chief.

Sonia left the ED office around 2 pm along with Priyanka, who stayed with her at the 'Pravartan Bhawan' (ED headquarters) in order to provide any assistance or medical care to her mother.

The questioning pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the Herald newspaper.

The Congress chief is understood to have stuck to the party's position that no personal acquisition of assets was made in the Associated Journals Limited (AJL)-Young Indian deal and that the routine affairs were handled by other office bearers, including late Motilal Vora. Bansal and Kharge have been questioned by the ED in the past.

The sessions took place with Covid-appropriate protocols in place and are being recorded in an audio-video mode, officials said.

The Congress has slammed the agency's action against its top leadership and termed it as "political vendetta" and "harassment".

The Delhi Police deployed a huge force, including CRPF and RAF personnel, and barricaded the over one kilometre stretch between Gandhi's residence on Janpath and the ED office. Traffic restrictions were also imposed in the area.

Rahul Gandhi was also questioned by the ED in this case last month in sessions that clocked over 50 hours over five days.

The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act(PMLA).

This was after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders in Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding.

Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that the AJL owed to the Congress.

In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis seeking their response on Swamy's plea.

The Congress has maintained there has been no wrongdoing and Young Indian is a "not-for-profit" company established under section 25 of the Companies Act and hence there can be no question of money laundering.

It is understood that Rahul, during his deposition before the ED, stuck to the position that there was no personal acquisition of assets by himself or his family.

According to the ED, assets worth about Rs 800 crore are "owned" by the AJL and the federal agency wants to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit company like Young Indian was undertaking commercial activities of renting out its land and building assets.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There is no provision to accommodate or transfer medical students from any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges, the Parliament was told on Tuesday.

"There are no such provisions in Indian Medical Council Act 1956 & National Medical Commission Act, 2019 as well as the regulations to accommodate or transfer medical students from any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges," Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Bharti Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question of the delay in accommodating those medical students.

Pawar also said that the permission has not been given by the NMC to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute or university.

On a question of the total numbers of such students, she said that as per information received from the Ministry of External Affairs, about 20,000 Indian students returned from Ukraine.

"As per information received from MEA, Indian Embassy in Kyiv has communicated with all the concerned universities in Ukraine for providing transcript and other documents in a smooth manner to the students," Pawar told the house on the question of assistance provided by the government to students.

--IANS

avr/vd

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Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy in Gujarat's Sabarkantha and then travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai on July 28.

The Prime Minister's office informed that Prime Minister will visit and Tamil Nadu on July 28-29, 2022.

At around 12 noon on July 28, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha. Thereafter, Prime Minister will travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai at around 6 PM.

On July 29 at around 10 AM, Prime Minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of Anna University. Thereafter he will travel to Gandhinagar to visit GIFT City, where he will launch and lay the foundation stone of various projects at around 4 PM.

A key focus of the government has been boosting the rural economy and making agriculture and allied activities more productive. In yet another step in this direction, Prime Minister will visit Sabar Dairy, and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 crores on July 28th. These projects will empower local farmers and milk producers and increase their income. This will also give a boost to the rural economy in the region.

Prime Minister will inaugurate the Powder Plant at Sabar Dairy with a capacity of around 120 metric tonnes per day (MTPD). The total cost of the entire project is more than Rs. 300 crores. The layout of the plant meets global food safety standards. It is highly energy efficient with almost zero emission. The plant is equipped with the latest and fully automated bulk packing line.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Aseptic Milk Packaging Plant at Sabar Dairy. It is a state-of-the-art plant with having capacity of 3 Lakh Litre per day. The project has been executed with a total investment of around Rs 125 crores. The plant has the latest automation system with highly energy efficient and environment-friendly technology. The project will help ensure better remuneration to milk producers.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Sabar Cheese and Whey Drying Plant Project. The estimated outlay of the project is around Rs 600 crores. The Plant will manufacture Cheddar Cheese (20 MTPD), Mozzarella Cheese (10 MTPD) and Processed Cheese (16 MTPD). Whey generated during manufacturing of cheese shall also be dried at Whey Drying Plant, having capacity of 40 MTPD.

Sabar Dairy is a part of Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which makes and markets a whole range of milk and milk products under the Amul brand.

On July 29, Prime Minister will visit GIFT City in Gandhinagar. GIFT city ( International Finance Tec-City) was envisaged as an integrated hub for financial and technology services not just for India but for the world.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Headquarters Building of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the unified regulator for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India. The building has been conceptualised as an iconic structure, reflective of the growing prominence and stature of GIFT-IFSC as a leading International Financial Centre.

Prime Minister will launch India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX), India's first International Bullion Exchange in GIFT-IFSC. IIBX will facilitate efficient price discovery with the assurance of responsible sourcing and quality, apart from giving impetus to the financialisation of gold in India. It will empower India to gain its rightful place in the global bullion market and serve the global value chain with integrity and quality. IIBX also re-enforces the commitment of the Government of India towards enabling India to be able to influence global bullion prices as a principal consumer.

Prime Minister will also launch NSE IFSC-SGX Connect. It is a framework between NSE's subsidiary in GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). Under Connect, all orders on NIFTY derivatives placed by members of Singapore Exchange will be routed to and matched on the NSE-IFSC order matching and trading platform. Broker-Dealers from India and across international jurisdictions are expected to participate in large numbers for trading derivatives through the Connect. It will deepen liquidity in derivative markets at GIFT-IFSC, bringing in more international participants and creating a positive impact on the financial ecosystem in the GIFT-IFSC.

The 44th Chess Olympiad will witness a grand inauguration on July 28 as Prime Minister will declare it open in a launch programme organised at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai.

Prime Minister had also launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19, 2022. The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations in the country for over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 kilometres and culminating in Mahabalipuram, before heading over to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.

The 44th Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai from July 28 to August 9, 2022. The prestigious competition, which has been organised since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time and in Asia after 30 years. With 187 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad. India is also feilding its biggest ever contingent in the competition comprising 30 players across 6 teams.

Prime Minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of prestigious Anna University in Chennai on July 29. During the programme, he will award gold medals and certificates to 69 gold medalists. The Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Anna University was established on September 4, 1978. It is named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It has 13 Constituent Colleges, 494 Affiliated Colleges spread over Tamil Nadu and 3 Regional Campuses - Tirunelveli, Madurai and Coimbatore.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister on Tuesday urged Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to allocate special funds for rejuvenation of the system in the state.

The chief minister, who called on Shekhawat at his office here, underlined the need for a special package to strengthen and repair the existing system in the state, according to a statement issued by the government.

He said the Upper Bari Doab (UBDC) that was constructed during the pre-independence era is in dire straits now due to which farmers are facing a lot of problems.

Mann apprised the Union Minister that even the canals constructed after the independence needs to be strengthened and upgraded for which the Union government must allocate special package to the state, the statement said.

The chief minister said it is the need of hour as the food growers of the state, who have played a key role in making country self-reliant in food production, have to face lot of problems due to dilapidated canal system.

He sought the Union minister's intervention for clearing proposals submitted by the state government in this regard, it said.

Mann said it will help in enhancing the water carrying capacity of canals and benefit the farmers of the state.

The chief minister also apprised the Union minister that the state government has started an ambitious project of cleaning of Buddha Nullah, a seasonal tributary of Sutlej river, which runs almost parallel to it through Ludhiana district and ultimately merges with the river again, according to the statement.

He said the total length of nullah for its entire stretch is 47.55 km out of which 14 Km passes through Ludhiana city and bisects it into two parts.

Mann said the state government has embarked on a project worth Rs 850 crore for cleaning this nullah which includes construction of new STPs and CETPs besides upgradation of existing ones, it said.

The chief minister said the state government is also releasing 200 cusecs of fresh water in Buddha Nullah. He informed the Union minister that 54 per cent of this project has been completed and the rest will be accomplished by March 2023.

Mann urged the Union government to help the state government in this project by introducing new technologies.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists from the University of Miami have discovered a deadly pool at the Red Sea's bottom. The lethal pool kills anyone who swims into it.

The scientists discovered the brine pool 1.7 kilometres beneath the surface of the sea during the last five minutes of a ten-hour dive using a remotely operated underwater vehicle.

Scientists explained that a brine pool is a depression in the floor of the sea filled with highly concentrated salt water and other chemical elements, adding that the area is saltier than the surrounding ocean.

The researchers said that such underwater pools could stun or kill animals immediately and even pickle them alive.

Speaking to Live Science, lead researcher Sam Purkis said brine pools are "among the most extreme environments on Earth", and "any animal that strays into the brine is immediately stunned or killed".

Fish, shrimps and eel use the brine pools for hunting, Purkis explained. He added that these creatures lurk "near the pools and feed on the unlucky creatures that inadvertently swim into it.

The researcher said that discovering such a pool would help scientists work out how oceans were the first form on Earth.

Until we understand the limits of life on Earth, it will be difficult to determine if alien planets can host any living beings, Purkis said.

However, this is not the first time scientists have discovered a brine pool, a report by New York Post stated. Researchers have found a 'few dozen' deadly pools over the last 30 years in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Youth workers were detained after they staged a 'rail roko' protest at a station here on Wednesday against chief Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the (ED), police said.

A group of 10-15 Youth workers stopped a Gujarat-bound express train around 10.15 am on platform no. 6 of the Borivali station, officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said.

The protesters shouted slogans against the and the Narendra Modi-led central government, as appeared before the ED in Delhi on Wednesday for the third round of questioning in a case linked to the Herald newspaper.

The GRP Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel removed the protesters from the tracks within a few minutes and the train departed for its onward journey, the officials said.

The GRP then detained some of the protesters, they said.

A Western Railway spokesperson said the agitation, which was staged for a few minutes, did not affect train services as the GRP removed the protesters from tracks and detained them.

(75) has been questioned for over eight hours till now by the ED and she has faced 65-70 questions.

The questioning pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the Herald newspaper.

The Congress has slammed the ED's action against its top leadership and termed it as "political vendetta" and "harassment".

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Interim President will appear before the (ED) on Wednesday for the third round of questioning related to a linked to the Herald newspaper.

The president, 75, was interrogated by the probe agency for six hours on Tuesday. Officials said Sonia Gandhi's response was sought to around 30 questions regarding her involvement with the Herald newspaper and the company under scanner in the case, Young Indian Pvt Ltd.

Sonia's questioning by the ED on Tuesday also came along with massive protests by leaders against the alleged misuse of central agencies. Congress MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, had gathered at the Vijay Chowk to march to the to draw the President's attention to the case. They were detained by the Delhi Police, who were caught on camera manhandling the party leaders.

was also questioned by the ED for five days last month in the Herald case. The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out based on a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

The YIL promoters include and . Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.

(With ANI inputs)
The country's largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), has implemented a one-time password-based (OTP-based) cash withdrawal service. In a bid to protect the customers against ATM frauds, a withdrawal of or more than Rs 10,000 will now be possible only by entering the OTP in the ATM.

If the OTP sent to the customer and the OTP entered by the one withdrawing money does not match, the ATM will not dispense any cash. Also, the OTP sent to the accountholder's mobile number will only be valid for one transaction.

The OTP-based withdrawal was launched by originally on January 1, 2020. Several other banks are expected to follow suit.

How to withdraw cash from ATM using OTP?

Follow these steps to withdraw cash using OTP:

Insert the debit card into the ATM machine and follow the usual instructions

Once you enter the amount, you will be prompted to input the OTP

The OTP will be received on your registered mobile number

Once you enter the password, the amount will be withdrawn

You will receive a text from the bank with the withdrawn amount.

Apart from this, the has also changed the rule for the number of free withdrawals. According to the SBI's latest notification, if a person maintains a minimum balance of Rs 1 lakh or above in their bank account, they are eligible for unlimited free withdrawals from an SBI ATM.

However, if the minimum balance is less than Rs 1 lakh, 5 free withdrawals are allowed per month from the SBI ATM. If the person is withdrawing from the ATMs of other banks, the number of free transactions has been capped at three per month.

For international withdrawals, the bank will now charge Rs 100 per transaction along with a fee of 3.5 per cent of the withdrawn amount.
Two Border Security Force personnel, who were part of the mission in Congo, were killed on Tuesday during violent protests, a spokesperson for the force said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he was deeply grieved at the loss of the two valiant Indian peacekeepers and demanded that the perpetrators of the "outrageous attacks" must be held accountable and brought to justice.

The minister extended his condolences to the bereaved families.

The two soldiers were part of MONUSCO - the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR .

According to international media, at least five people were killed and about 50 others injured on the second day of demonstrations in Congo's eastern city of Goma against the United Nations mission in the country.

"On 26 July, two personnel of the UN Peace Keeping Contingent (MONUSCO) deployed at Butembo, Democratic Republic of succumbed to fatal injuries during the violent armed protests," a spokesperson for the border force said.

Officials said about two platoons or around 70-74 troops were deployed in the area that was inducted in May this year.

They said locals had given a call for demonstration and agitation against MONUSCO throughout and the situation turned violent in Goma (about 350 km South of Beni and a big MONUSCO base) with protesters looting and setting fire to UN property.

Both Beni and Butembo (with two platoons each deployed) were on high alert. Monday passed off peacefully, a senior officer said.

However, today the situation in Butembo turned violent. The camp of Morroco Rapid Deployment Bn where BSF platoons are stationed was surrounded by demonstrators.

Congolese Police (PNC) and Congolese Army (FARDC) troops arrived but could not control the crowd estimated to be over 500 people.

BSF and other security force troops fired tear smoke ammunition to disperse the crowd but they managed to breach the perimeter wall at three different places.

"The crowd was repelled but they gathered again. There were reports that armed rebels had infiltrated the demonstrators," the officer said.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, "Deeply grieved at the loss of lives of two valiant Indian peacekeepers of the BSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were part of the MONUSCO,"



"The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice.

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Adding as the sixth country to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) plus would move New Delhi towards a Defense Security alignment with the United States," said American Congressman Ro Khanna.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Khanna said that Allies get quick approval on defence agreements and further said that the US have the same agreement with Australia, Japan New Zealand, Israel and South Korea.

"I have worked on trying to add as the sixth country to that and that would facilitate and make it easier to have this growing Defense Partnership and make sure that we're moving towards more of a Defense Security alignment with the and Russia. I introduced that two years ago. I'm going to continue to work on it. Hopefully, we can get that amendment passed in subsequent congresses," he added.

This comes after the (US) House of Representatives on July 14, approved an amendment with an overwhelming majority to the Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) that proposes the deepening of India-US defence ties. This amendment was offered by Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California.

Speaking about the waiver in the security interests of the United States, Khanna divulged that it was the most significant vote to strengthen the US-India relationship since the civilian nuclear deal that was passed with overwhelmingly 300 bipartisan votes.

"The reason it's in the interests of the is we need a strong partnership with India. Defence partnership, a strategic partnership, especially because we are two democratic nations and with the rise of China and with the rise of Putin this alliance is critical for the United States," said the Indian American Congressman.

The India-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed in 2008 under UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, which gave a fillip to the ties between the two nations, which since then have been on an upswing. A major aspect of the India-US nuclear deal was the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gave a special waiver to India that enabled it to sign cooperation agreements with a dozen countries.

It enabled India to separate its civilian and military programmes and placed its civilian nuclear facilities under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The NDAA amendment is politically significant and the overwhelming 300-plus bipartisan votes send a strong message to US President Joe Biden which will give him the political support for waiving the sanctions.

Khanna has been in coordination and conversation with top officials at the White House.

During an interview, Khanna said that waiver to India of Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which penalises countries that engage in significant defence transactions with Russia, is in the best interest of the US and the US-India defence partnership.

Khanna also said, "The amendment would never have passed if the White House was not open to its passing," adding that this gave US President Joe Biden, the political support for him, to waive the sanctions. It makes it all but certain that he will waive the sanctions.

However, the amendment is not yet a part of the law. The NDAA amendment needs to clear the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden, only then India will avoid US sanctions for its weapons systems relationship with Russia.

Khanna told ANI that Congress has given a "very clear and resounding message" to the President of the United States, "What was relevant is you have 300 House members, the vast majority going on referencing that the

The US-India relationship is critical. In saying that the sanctions should be waived. And that gives a very clear, resounding message to the President of the United States to waive the sanctions."

Of late the two democracies have made significant strides in defence cooperation and the NDAA amendment will give a big push to make a robust India-US defence partnership.

Speaking about it to ANI, Khanna said, "Remember, it goes beyond waving sanctions. It talks about the importance of strengthening the defence partnership that we have with India. The challenge is that right now; Russian weapons are cheaper. But Russian weapons are also inferior as we're seeing in the war in Ukraine, the SU 57 in my view, just simply can't compete with the F 22 or the F 35, or the US military equipment. It is in America's interest to get the talent from the brilliant engineers and scientists in India so that we can make sure that we continue to lead the highest technology and ultimately, it's India's interest to an American technology which is superior to Russian technology."

He said that the US is figuring out ways to have an appropriate price point that incentivizes India to transition that will protect the American sensitive technology and it will be negotiated through bilateral communication.

Talking about the Chinese threat to India that was underscored in the amendment, Khanna said to ANI, "You look at India as the threats that they face at the border. And you know the biggest guarantor of the security has been the United States. A few years ago, the United States assisted India with those border skirmishes. So the US-India alliance in my view is not just in the United States interest but also the security interests of India and that the United States will be a much more reliable and stronger partner.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
JAKARTA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Four million medical workers will receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine amid increasing transmissions triggered by the virus' sub-variants in Indonesia, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Wednesday.

Sadikin told local media that administering of the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine started in last August and now it is the time for a new immunity shot.

"So they need a fourth dose to re-strengthen their immune system. We prioritize medical workers," said Sadikin.

The available vaccine stock is sufficient for the use for all medical workers, Sadikin added.

The Southeast Asian country has seen a resurgence in cases recently, triggered by the spread of the Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5.

Authorities also have detected some cases with the BA.2.75 sub-variant which the World Health Organization has categorized as a Variant of Concern Lineage Under Monitoring. 
The after-acquisition sale glide path for bidders looking to buy the Centres and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of Indias stake in may be communicated to interested buyers after floating expressions of interest (EoIs) as the discussions with the (RBI) are still under way.

Based on discussions between the Centre and the RBI, corporates will not be allowed to participate in the bidding process since the central bank regulations do not allow corporate ownership of banks, informed an official.

Currently, the guidelines require promoters to reduce their shareholding to 26 per cent in 15 years. A special dispensation is being sought for the buyer to maintain continuity in running operations of the lender, against the present-day norms that require promoters to dilute their shareholding in the long term.

Before roadshows for the sale of stake by the Centre and LIC in wind up, the government-appointed intermediaries had sought relaxations in the after-acquisition sale timeline in their deliberations with the banking regulator. The had then communicated that its extant guidelines would prevail.

However, discussions are back on the table to debate on feedback received from potential investors.

This discussion on the glide path for stake dilution is still ongoing with the RBI, and interested buyers will be informed after invitation of initial bids, and mostly before inviting financial bids, clarified the official.

However, interested buyers will gain clarity on the stake they will be allowed to hold in the preliminary information memorandum. This will include clearly specified conditions like non-regulated entities  such as private equity (PE) players being allowed to own more than 40 per cent of .

Since the government and LIC are together looking to sell 51-74 per cent stake in IDBI Bank of the nearly 95 per cent held collectively, the EoI will specify to bidders whether they can acquire over 51 per cent stake in the bank through a competitive bidding process if they meet the eligibility criteria.

The sale of over 51 per cent stake by the Centre and LIC will also trigger an open offer, said the official.

Buying 25 per cent shares of a listed company triggers an open offer that requires the party to buy 26 per cent stake from the public.

In the case of IDBI Bank, about 5.29 per cent of shares are held by public shareholders. This category of shareholders will get an opportunity to exit when control of the lender will be handed over to a private player.

Corporate ownership

The has communicated that since corporate entry is not allowed in banks, they will not be eligible to participate in the bidding process of IDBI Bank. Even as the universe of buyers eligible to participate in IDBI Banks strategic divestment process has been expanded to include non-regulated financial entities and PE firms, corporates will have to give the bidding process a clear miss.

In November 2021, the RBI had accepted several recommendations of an internal working group, and had said it was still examining one of the suggestions of the group on whether industrial houses be allowed to run .
People infected with COVID-19 will no longer have to quarantine themselves in if they don't exhibit any symptoms, the country's health minister announced Tuesday.

The alpine country is scrapping mandatory quarantine for people who have tested positive but don't feel ill, Austrian news agency APA reported. The new regulations will apply next month.

However, infected people still need to wear masks if they leave their homes unless they are outside or can keep a distance of at least two meters (six feet) from . They are also not allowed to enter places catering to especially vulnerable people such as hospitals nursing homes or facilities for the disabled.

The decision was also made taking into account the pandemic's psychological and social impact, Austrian Health Minister Johannes Rauch said.

He told daily Tiroler Tageszeitung that one must simply take note that we cannot live with this level of pandemic-related crisis mood for years.

Mandatory reporting of COVID-19 infections to local health authorities remains in place.

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British Prime Minister on Tuesday presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the Sir Leadership Award, drawing comparisons between the two leaders in times of crises.

Zelenskyy accepted the award by video link during a ceremony at Johnson's London office that was attended by members of the Churchill family, Ukrainian Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and Ukrainians who have received training from British soldiers.

Johnson recalled how Zelenskyy confirmed on February 24 that Russia had invaded, adding: In that moment of supreme crisis, you faced a test of leadership that was, in its way, as severe as Churchill's challenge in 1940.

Zelenskyy thanked Johnson and Britain for their support.

The two men have formed a close relationship since Johnson became the first Western leader to visit after Russia's invasion. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy said he was saddened when Johnson quit as Conservative Party leader after months of ethics scandals.

The Ukrainian leader received a standing ovation in the British Parliament in March, when he invoked one of Churchill's most famous speeches and vowed to fight Russian troops in the air, sea and on the streets.

The Churchill leadership award was first presented in 2006. Past recipients include Prince Charles, former British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

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The United States seeks to enhance its defence partnership with India in the backdrop of China's assertiveness and New Delhi's reliance on Russian military exports for its national defence, said American Congressman Ro Khanna.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Khanna said a waiver to India of Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which penalises countries that engage in significant defence transactions with Russia, is in the best national interest of the US and the US-India defence partnership.

This comes after the United States (US) House of Representatives on July 14, approved an amendment with an overwhelming majority to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) that proposes the deepening of India-US defence ties. This amendment was offered by Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California.

Speaking about the waiver in the national security interests of the United States, Khanna divulged that it was the most significant vote to strengthen the US-India relationship since the civilian nuclear deal that was passed with overwhelmingly 300 bipartisan votes.

"The reason it's in the interests of the United States is we need a strong partnership with India. Defence partnership, a strategic partnership, especially because we are two democratic nations and with the rise of and with the rise of Putin this alliance is critical for the United States," said the Indian American Congressman.

The Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed in 2008, which gave a fillip to the ties between the two nations, which since then have been on an upswing. A major aspect of the Indo-US nuclear deal was the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gave a special waiver to India that enabled it to sign cooperation agreements with a dozen countries.

It enabled India to separate its civilian and military programmes and placed its civilian nuclear facilities under the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The NDAA amendment is politically significant and the overwhelming 300-plus bipartisan votes send a strong message to US President Joe Biden which will give him the political support for waiving the sanctions.

Khanna has been in coordination and conversation with top officials at the White House. "The amendment would never have passed if the White House was not open to it passing," said Khanna, adding, "This gives the President the political support for him to waive the sanctions. It makes it all but certain that he will waive the sanctions."

However, the amendment is not yet a part of the law. The NDAA amendment needs to clear the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden, only then India will avoid US sanctions for its weapons systems relationship with Russia.

Khanna told ANI that Congress has given a "very clear and resounding message" to the President of the United States, "What was relevant is you have 300 House members, the vast majority going on referencing that the US-India relationship is critical. In saying that the sanctions should be waived. And that gives a very clear, resounding message to the President of the United States to waive the sanctions."

Of late the two democracies have made significant strides in defence cooperation and the NDAA amendment will give a big push to make a robust India-US defence partnership.

Speaking about it to ANI, Khanna said, "Remember, it goes beyond waving sanctions. It talks about the importance of strengthening the defence partnership that we have with India. The challenge is that right now; Russian weapons are cheaper. But Russian weapons are also inferior as we're seeing in the war in Ukraine, the SU 57 in my view, just simply can't compete with the F 22 or the F 35, or the US military equipment. It is in America's interest to get the talent from the brilliant engineers and scientists in India so that we can make sure that we continue to lead the highest technology and ultimately, it's India's interest to an American technology which is superior to Russian technology."

He said that the US is figuring out ways to have an appropriate price point that incentivizes India to transition that will protect the American sensitive technology and it will be negotiated through bilateral communication.

Talking about the threat posed by that was underscored in the amendment, Khanna said to ANI, "You look at India as the threats that they face at the border. And you know the biggest guarantor of the security has been the United States. A few years ago, the United States assisted India with those border skirmishes. So the US-India alliance in my view is not just in the United States interest but also the security interests of India and that the United States will be a much more reliable and stronger partner."

Khanna for the last two years has been pitching for the prospects of India joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Plus.

"NATO allies get expedited approval on defence agreements and we have that same agreement with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel and South Korea, and I have worked on trying to add India as the sixth country to that and that would facilitate and make it easier to have this growing defence partnership. I had introduced that two years ago. I'm going to continue to work on it. Hopefully we can get that amendment passed in subsequent congresses.

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European have surged 30 per cent in two days after Russia deepened supply cuts to the continent in Moscows latest attempt to weaponise energy supplies.

Futures contracts for delivery next month tied to TTF, the European benchmark wholesale gas price, jumped 20 per cent on Tuesday to breach 210 per megawatt hour, the highest level since early March, a day after Russia warned of lighter flows on the largest pipeline supplying the region. Prices are more than 10 times higher than the average between 2010 and 2020.

Russian state-backed energy group Gazprom on Monday said flows on the Nord Stream 1 (NS1) pipeline would plummet to 33mn cubic metres from Wednesday because of turbine maintenance issues. That would amount to a fifth of the pipelines capacity and half of current levels.

Everyone in the market was expecting Russian volumes to drop, said James Huckstepp, manager of Emea gas analytics at S&P Global Commodity Insights, a consultancy. But the market wasnt expecting flows to fall this quickly.

The rise in came as EU ministers struck a watered-down deal on Tuesday to reduce gas consumption by 15 per cent over winter with exemptions for certain member states less dependent on Russian gas.The higher indicate the mounting pressure on to seek alternative supplies to keep homes warm and industry operating through the coming winter. Failing that, politicians are warning that gas will have to be rationed for businesses, factories and even households.

Russia's Gazprom on Wednesday halved the amount of natural gas flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to to 20 per cent of capacity.

It's the latest reduction to Nord Stream 1 that Russia has blamed on technical problems, but Germany calls a political move to sow uncertainty and push up prices amid the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military used a US-supplied precision rocket system to deliver a morale-lifting knockout punch Wednesday to a bridge Russia used to supply its forces in an occupied region of southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian artillery struck the Antonivskyi Bridge late Tuesday, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said. The bridge, which crosses the Dnieper River in the southern region, was still standing Wednesday, he said.

Ukraine aims for IMF loan Ukraine aims to strike a deal for a $15-$20 billion programme with the Monetary Fund before year-end to help shore up its war-torn economy, the country's central bank governor Kyrylo Shevchenko told Reuters.
and will explore further bilateral cooperation in many sectors with emphasis on energy, as announced by the two sides during the two-day visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to Athens.

"We would like to explore further opportunities between our two countries and our two economies to partner and to attract more Saudi investment into Greece," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in statements welcoming the Saudi Crown Prince on Tuesday, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT.

"Linking the grid of electricity, we can provide and southwest Europe through much cheaper renewable energy ... Also, we are working about hydrogen and how to turn Greece as a hub for Europe for hydrogen. That is a game changer for both of us," Mohammed bin Salman said on his part.

He added that trade and security are also on the agenda of discussions during his visit, Xinhua news agency reported.

Greek and Saudi private business groups are expected to sign a series of agreements in the fields of maritime transport, aquaculture, waste management, culture, food and agricultural products, construction and defence technology, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

--IANS

int/khz/

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Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) chief, on Tuesday urged his supporters to take to the streets to celebrate tomorrow after the country's Supreme Court announced that Muslim League (Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi, an ally of ex-PM Khan, would be the new Chief Minister of Punjab province replacing Hamza Shahbaz of Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N).

The court's short order declared Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza's 179, reported Geo News.

Taking to Twitter, the former prime minister said, "I appreciate our SC judges for standing firm and upholding the Constitution and law, against all manner of threats and abuse."

He further thanked Barrister Ali Zafar and his team for fighting the PTI's case in the top court. "I want to thank the people of Punjab for coming out in unprecedented numbers in by-elections against rigging," wrote Khan.

The PTI said that his party will celebrate the win tomorrow with the people who stood by their campaign for Haqeeqi Azadi, reported Geo News.

Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari said that people's mandate has been respected and justice has prevailed, reversing the US regime change conspiracy.

"Reversal of US regime change conspiracy by the strength of people who stood behind IK's stand for Haqeeqi Azadi and his taking the cause to the people of Pakistan," she wrote.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar said that this win is for the people and because of their support.

Congratulating the nation on the victory, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that ex-Punjab CM Hamza Shahbaz should have resigned after the elections principally but he was involved in unprincipled politics, reported Geo News.

"Today, the Supreme Court restored the constitution," he added.

PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi, who is the son of Pervez Elahi, said that Hamza is "gone" while referring to him as "kukri" (chicken).

"Neither Hamza's father nor his sister could save him," wrote Moonis.

This is yet another major win for former prime minister after his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) win against the ruling coalition in the Punjab bypolls.

The top court, in its short order, declared all the appointments made by Hamza "illegal" and told the members of his Cabinet to vacate their offices, Dawn reported.

All of the advisers and assistants appointed by Hamza were also ordered to be relieved of their duties.

Notably, Hamza Shahbaz, son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had defeated Pervez Elahi in the Punjab polls and Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Mazari had dismissed PML-Q's 10 votes after party head Chaudhry Shujaat urged them to vote in favour of Hamza.

Earlier, the had allowed Hamza Shahbaz to stay as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab till the court resumes hearing. In its order after the day-long hearing, the court said that it cannot leave a province without a chief executive and so, "Hamza will continue to work as a trustee chief minister till Monday.

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Japan's minister for gender equality and children's issues called the country's record low births and plunging a national crisis and blamed indifference and ignorance in the male-dominated Japanese parliament for the neglect.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Seiko Noda couched the steadily dwindling number of children born in as an existential threat, saying the nation won't have enough troops, police or firefighters in coming decades if it continues. The number of newborns last year was a record low 810,000, down from 2.7 million just after the end of World War II, she said.

People say that children are a national treasure. ... They say that women are important for gender equality. But they are just talking, Noda, 61, told the AP in a Cabinet office in downtown Tokyo's government complex. The politics of will not move unless (the problems of children and women) are made visible.

She said there are a variety of reasons for the low birthrate, persistent gender bias and decline in Japan, "but being in the parliament, I especially feel that there is indifference and ignorance.

is the world's third biggest economy, a powerful democracy and a major U.S. ally, but the government has struggled to make society more inclusive for children, women and minorities. There are deep concerns, both within Japan and abroad, about how Japan will reverse what critics call a deep-seated history of male chauvinism that has contributed to the low birthrate.

The gap between men and women in Japan is one of the world's worst. It ranked 116th in a 146-nation survey by the World Economic Forum for 2022, which measured progress toward equality based on economic and political participation, as well as education, health and other opportunities for women.

Japan has fallen behind because other countries have been changing faster," said Chizuko Ueno, a University of Tokyo professor of feminist studies, referring to Japan's gender gap. "Past governments have neglected the problem.

Because of outdated social and legal systems surrounding family issues, younger generations are increasingly reluctant to get married and have children, contributing to the low birthrate and shrinking population, said Noda. She has served in parliament since 1993 and expressed her ambition to be Japan's first female prime minister.

Noda criticized a law requiring married couples to choose one family name 90% of the time it is the women who change their surnames saying it's the only such legislation in the world.

In Japan, women are underestimated in many ways, said Noda, who is one of only two women in the 20-member Cabinet. I just want women to be on equal footing with men. But we are not there yet, and the further advancement of women still has to wait.

The more powerful lower house of Japan's two-chamber parliament is more than 90% people who do not menstruate, do not get pregnant and cannot breastfeed, Noda said.

The lack of female representation is often referred to as democracy without women.

A quota system could help increase the number of female candidates for political office, Noda said, but male lawmakers have criticized her proposal, saying women should be judged by their abilities.

That made me think that there are men who lack the ability to be candidates, she said. But during the candidate selection process, men can just be men, and I guess, for them, just being male can be considered their ability.

Noda graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo and worked at the prestigious Imperial Hotel in Tokyo before she entered politics, succeeding her grandfather, who was a parliamentarian in Gifu prefecture.

Noda had her first child, who is disabled, at age 50 after fertility treatments. She supports same-sex marriage and acceptance of sexual diversity.

Noda, who has many liberal supporters, called herself "an endangered species in her conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan with little interruption since the end of the war.

She said she is frequently bashed by conservatives in the party, but also by women's rights activists, who don't see her as an authentic feminist.

Still, without the help of powerful male lawmakers in the party she could not have come this far, Chiyako Sato, a Mainichi newspaper editorial writer, said in her recent article.

Comparing Noda and her ultra-conservative and hawkish female rival Sanae Takaichi who both ran unsuccessfully in the September party leadership race, Sato said despite their different political views, they are similar "perhaps they had no other way but win powerful male lawmakers' backing to advance in the Liberal Democratic Party at a time women are not considered full fledged humans."



Japan's Self Defense Force, she said, has had trouble getting enough troops because of the shrinking younger . She said there's also not enough attention paid to what the dwindling numbers will mean for police and firefighters, who rely on young recruits.

To try to address the problems, she has created a new government agency dedicated to children set to be launched next year.

Younger male politicians in recent years have become more open to gender equality, a reflection, in part, of the growing number of children who are being raised by working parents, Noda said.

But many male lawmakers, she said, think that issues around families, gender and population don't concern them, and are reluctant to get involved.

The policies have been made as if there were no women or children, she said.

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Presidents and will speak Thursday, according to a US official, their first conversation in four months coming amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over China's claims on .

The planned talks between the two leaders the fifth in a series of regular check-ins have been in the works for weeks. But the possibility of a visit to by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency, has added fresh strain to the complicated relationship.

Beijing is warning that it will take forceful measures should Pelosi visit the self-ruled island of that claims as part of its territory.

The U.S. official declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement. The schedule was first reported by Bloomberg.

Pelosi hasn't confirmed plans to visit Taiwan, but Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. Biden's comments came after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip she had originally planned to make in April but postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

The speaker has declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocol on her travel. But she said Biden's comment stemmed from military brass being "afraid our plane would get shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese. She would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker.

It's important for us to show support for Taiwan, Pelosi said. None of us have ever said we're for independence when it comes to Taiwan. That's up to Taiwan to decide.

Administration officials have privately stressed to Pelosi that traveling to Taiwan could further complicate a delicate status quo.

Chinese officials aren't mincing words, sending a message that a visit by Pelosi would be viewed as a change in U.S. policy and treated as a provocation.

If the U.S. insists on going its own way, will take forceful measures to resolutely respond and counter it, and we will do what we say, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

The U.S. has a longstanding commitment to the One policy that recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan in recent years, and there are fears that it's trying to intimidate the island into accepting Beijing's demands to unify with the communist mainland.

The talks between Biden and Xi could also include discussion of North Korea's nuclear program, differences between Beijing and Washington over Russia's war in Ukraine, efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. administration's review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration.

There are issues of tension in this relationship, John Kirby, a national security spokesperson for the White House, said Tuesday. But there's also issues where we believe cooperation is not only possible, but mandatory, for instance on climate change, which affects us greatly.

Long-simmering differences over Taiwan have come into intense focus in the aftermath of Russia's invasion and ongoing efforts to annex swaths of eastern Ukraine.

As the U.S. scrambled to assemble a global coalition to hit the Russian economy with heavy sanctions following Vladimir Putin's ordered invasion of Ukraine, Biden warned allies particularly those in the Indo-Pacific that Beijing would be watching closely how democracies responded as it considers its next steps on Taiwan.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday he fears that Beijing might be gleaning some concerning takeaways from the five-month-old war in eastern Europe. But he suggested the moment has also led to careful reflection in Taipei.

Not as many people ask Is Taiwan learning lessons from Ukraine?' and you can bet they are, Sullivan said during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum. They're learning lessons about citizen mobilization and territorial defense. They're learning lessons about information warfare, and how to set the information space. And they're learning lessons about how to prepare for a potential contingency involving China and they're working rapidly at that.

Taiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xi's last call in March, about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

China has repeatedly threatened to assert its claim to Taiwan by force, and has dispatched hundreds of sorties in Taiwanese airspace since Biden took office 18 months ago. The U.S. is legally obligated to ensure the self-governing island democracy can defend itself and treats threats to it with grave concern.

The conversation also comes as Biden's national security and economic aides near the completion of a review of U.S. tariff policy and prepare to make recommendations to the president.

The tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump applied a 25% duty on billions of dollars of Chinese products. The penalties were intended to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and force China to adopt fairer practices.

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In a bid to stoke nationalism and justify his policies, Mexico's president has increasingly taken to calling his opponents traitors and accused them of working for the foreign governments.

Analysts say President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador is starting to sound more like right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, calling anyone who opposes him a foreign agent.

The issue came to a head last week when President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador tried to side-step court challenges to one of his pet projects by declaring a tourist train line an issue of national security," without explaining why a tourism project warranted that status.

On Monday, the president said it was a case of foreign intervention by environmentalists paid by the U.S. government, a heady accusation in a country that has been invaded several times.

Pseudo environmentalists come from City and other parts of the country, financed by the government of the United States, and they file these injunctions against us, said Lpez Obrador. It is an issue of national security for many reasons, because a foreign government is interfering.

Activist Pepe Urbina filed one of the court challenges that stalled the Maya Train project, which is cutting a swath through the jungle on Mexico's Caribbean coast. The project threatens extensive sinkhole caverns where some of the oldest human remains in North America have been discovered.

They are slandering us, by claiming we work for the U.S. government, said Urbina, who makes his living as a professional diver and denies receiving U.S. money. It is absurd.

The 950-mile (1,500- kilometer) Maya Train line is planned to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites. Lpez Obrador has exempted it from environmental impact statements, but a judge disagreed and froze work on a 36-mile (60 kilometer) stretch of train line between Cancun and Tulum.

Antonella Vazquez, a lawyer who took on the appeals on a volunteer basis, also denied getting any U.S. government funding.

It's shameful that they attack us, just to justify a national security designation that doesn't apply to a tourist train, said Vazquez, who noted the judge in the case refused Monday to lift the work stoppage, even though the government has started to ignore it.

Vazquez says I have received messages (on social media) that I am corrupt, or that someone is financing me or that I don't love my country. No! We aren't doing anything other than asking that the law be respected.

Over the weekend, Lpez Obrador used similar language to attack anyone environmentalists or businessmen who opposes his plan to give dirty, fuel-oil and coal government power plants preference in electricity purchases, over private gas-fired, wind and solar plants.

Lpez Obrador's actions on electrical power led the U.S. and Canadian governments to file complaint against under the U.S.- Canada free trade pact, which forbids discriminating against foreign companies.

They are defending foreign oil companies, foreign electricity companies. They are traitors to the country! Lpez Obrador said of domestic opposition to his plans to favor the state-owned electrical company.

Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope said Lpez Obrador's comments are like Viktor Orban, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," noting the accusations are crossing dangerous lines.

Social movements, non-governmental organizations are suspect by definition, and if they have any link to any network, more so, Hope said.

What follows next is to criminalize the opposition, right? Treason is a crime in the penal code, Hope said, adding I don't think they're at that point yet, but they are putting that out there, on the table.

Ivonne Acua Murillo, a political science professor at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, said Lpez Obrador may be justified in thinking that Mexico's weak, disorganized opposition may in some cases be looking to score points abroad that it can't win at home, where the president remains largely popular. The opposition appears to agree on little other than its hatred for Lpez Obrador.

If we look at it in isolated fragments, one could think that the president is exaggerating or wrong on some points, said Acua Murillo. But the context is that some people have taken systematic actions to block the Fourth Transformation (the term Lpez Obrador uses for his government) in any way they can, to make the president's projects fail.

There is a fierce opposition that won't accept one single, not one single good thing the president has done, so that makes it hard for him to work with them, she said. And so the president gets in a bunker mentality in the face of constant, constant, constant attacks, and that could cloud his vision.

With just about two years left in his six-year term and time running out on finishing his big pet projects the tourist train, oil refineries, and several airports Lpez Obrador's level of rhetoric is likely to get more frenetic.

He certainly appeared to draw the line Sunday on the electrical power dispute in starkly nationalistic terms.

We are not going to retreat one step, Lpez Obrador said of the electricity dispute, which could lead to U.S. trade sanctions. Mexico is an independent country, it is not a colony of any foreign country, and the president of Mexico isn't a puppet, isn't the lackey of any foreign government.

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ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye inaugurated the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul on Wednesday to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process from Ukraine, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters.

Located inside the big compound of a military university in the city's European side district of Besiktas, the center consists of 20 representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, five from each party, according to Akar.

This will guarantee the safe passage of vessels from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul to global markets, said the Turkish minister.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine with Turkiye under the UN auspices on Friday in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. 
Heavy rains continued to cause great damage in several areas of Pakistan's Sindh and province, as eight more people lost their lives in rain-related accidents.

In Sindh's Khairpur district, the tragedy befell a family as the roof collapsed during heavy rain, leaving a man and his two minor sons dead while his wife and two daughters suffered critical injuries, Dawn reported.

In Karachi, five people died as several areas of the city remained inundated in sewage-laced rainwater for a third consecutive day.

Moreover, heavy rains caused flooding in Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Dadu, Qambar-Shahdadkot and other adjoining towns.

However, citizens looking for a respite from torrential rain to return to their normal lives will have to wait for one more day as the Met Office has said that the fresh spell of rain could stay till Wednesday (today) and would begin to weaken from Thursday.

A brief statement by the Met office said that Karachi and other parts of Sindh, were likely to receive widespread rain, windstorm or thunderstorm with scattered heavy or very heavy rainfall till July 27, reported Dawn.

Meanwhile, hour-long power outages and inundation of residential areas due to incessant rain and subsequent accumulation of water protests against administration officials also erupted in several areas of Sindh which added to the plight of the people.

The downpours, which started early on Sunday continued to come down till 10 am with frequent breaks and by the end of the first half of the day the city had received up to 204-millimetre rain.

"The system is very much there. The latest data analysis suggests that the rain will continue for another two days. We may see moderate to heavy rains in Karachi and lower Sindh areas till late July 27," said Sardar Sarfraz of the Met Office.

Due to the heavy downpour, Monday had already been declared a holiday for the citizens of Karachi and Hyderabad.

Though several key roads were cleared by the administration after hours-long efforts in the cities, life remained miserable in several low-lying areas, residential neighbourhoods, housing societies and commercial centres which remained flooded.

According to Dawn, rain-related incidents have wreaked havoc in several parts of as a 20-year-old man was reported dead in village Baqar Nizamani of Tando Mohammad Khan district in Hyderabad recently whereas in Dadu and Khairpur Mirs, two persons were killed and 10 were injured.

Moreover, in the coastal talukas of Ghorabari and Mirpur Sakro, hundreds of acres of agricultural land were submerged after a riverine stream started overflowing due to rain.

Due to continuing downpours, rainwater could not be drained out in Jamshoro, Kotri, Sann and Bhan Syedabad towns where low-lying areas were inundated whereas various parts of Shaheed Benazirabad district, including Nawabshah, Daur, Daulatpur, Bandhi, Sakrand and Kazi Ahmed towns, received heavy downpours on Monday.

'The third spell of monsoon rains has been giving tough times, washing away at least two bridges on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway - Landa Dora near Bela and Danda area of Uthal, and resulting in the death of four people in Khuzdar and Lasbela.

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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Tuesday on his first trip to a country since the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi that triggered widespread condemnation.

Bin Salman, who is travelling with a large government and business delegation, met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and will attend the signing of a series of bilateral investment and defence agreements.

Khashoggi, a US-based journalist, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and his body was dismembered with a bone saw, according to Turkish officials.

A U.S. intelligence report, made public last year, said the crown prince likely approved the killing but he has denied any involvement.

has forged close ties with in recent years as it seeks allies in the wider region to address long-standing tension with neighbour Turkey, mostly over sea boundaries and drilling rights. Last year, and held joint military exercises out of the Greek island of Crete, and Athens lent the kingdom a missile battery from its Patriot air defence system.

The two countries are also planning a data cable link worth a reported 800 million euros that would run under the Mediterranean Sea and be completed in 2025.

The Saudi Prince's trip to Greece follows his meeting earlier with month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with President Joe Biden. Mitsotakis visited last October and met the crown prince who also later received visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and the outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government has allowed former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya to extend his stay in the country for another 14 days after he fled the crisis-hit island nation, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The report on the extension of Rajapaksa's visit pass came a day after Sri Lanka's Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said the ex-president was not hiding and is expected to return to the country from .

Rajapaksa, 73, arrived in on July 14 on a "private visit" from the Maldives after he fled his country to escape a popular uprising against his government's economic mismanagement. He first fled to the Maldives on July 13 and from there he proceeded to Singapore the next day.

The Straits Times newspaper reported that Rajapaksa's short-term visit pass, which was issued when he arrived here on a "private visit" two weeks ago, has been extended by another 14 days.

After landed in Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here confirmed that he had been allowed entry on a "private visit." The ministry stressed that the ex-president had not asked for asylum.

Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum, the spokesman had said.

The ex-president was issued a 14-day visit pass when he arrived at Changi Airport on a Saudia flight from the Maldives on July 14. He initially stayed at a hotel in the city centre, but is believed to have moved to a private residence, according to the report.

He has not been seen in public in Singapore.

When asked about at a weekly Sri Lankan Cabinet media briefing, Cabinet Spokesman Gunawardena told reporters in Colombo on Tuesday that the former president was not in hiding and he is expected to return from Singapore.

Gunawardena, who is also the Minister for Transport and Highways and Mass Media, said he does not believe the former president fled the country, and is in hiding.

He, however, did not offer any other details of Rajapaksa's possible return.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Wednesday barred former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal from leaving the country till August 2, extending an overseas travel ban that was imposed till July 28.

The petitioners claimed that the three persons were directly responsible for the unsustainability of Sri Lanka's foreign debt, its debt default and the current economic crisis.

On July 15, Sri Lanka's apex court had barred the trio from leaving the country till July 28. That ban has now been extended till August 2, according to news portal Colombo Gazette.

has seen months of mass unrest over the worst economic crisis and many blame the former government led by Rajapaksa and his family for mishandling the island nation's economy. The government declared bankruptcy in mid-April by refusing to honour its debt.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The actual origins of the pandemic, which claimed over 6 million lives across the world, continue to be a mystery. The mystery of the virus has piqued great interest from researchers across the world. However, according to an AP report, two new studies now provide more evidence that the Covid-19 virus originated in a market in China's Wuhan, where live animals were sold.

The two new studies also bolster the theory that the pandemic emerged from the wild rather than escaping from a lab in . The study, published in Science journalon Tuesday, shows that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale market was likely the epicentre of the scourge.

The scientists have concluded that "the virus that causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, likely spilt from animals into people two separate times."

The data collected by Chinese scientists, University of Arizona's evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey and his colleagues, used mapping tools to estimate the locations of more than 150 early Covid-19 cases which were reported in December 2019. As per the AP report, "They asked, Of all the locations that the early cases could have lived, where did they live? And it turned out when we were able to look at this, there was this extraordinary pattern where the highest density of cases was both extremely near to and very centred on this market, Worobey said at a press briefing."

Kristian Andersen, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research and co-author of one of the studies, said that they found clusters inside the market as well. She further added, "All this evidence tells us the same thing: It points right to this particular market in the middle of Wuhan."

In the other study, scientists analysed the genomic diversity of the coronavirus, both inside and outside of . The genomic diversity was started with the earliest sample genomes in December 2019, extending through mid-February 2020. They found two lineages- A and B, marked the beginning of the pandemic in Wuhan.

However, the origin remains controversial. While many scientists believe that the lab leak is a more plausible theory and that the WHO was quick to dismiss it, are open to both possibilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska have posed for a digital cover of Vogue magazine where they discussed about their two decades of marriage and living without their children due to the Russian invasion. The latter shared pictures from the photoshoot on her social media accounts, which are now being circulated heavily on social media among not-so-happy netizens.

The couple can be seen posed while holding hands across a table in one picture and in a warm embrace in another. Olena also got clicked near the tankers and soldiers, thereby, highlighting the ongoing war in . The images are clicked by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

With First Lady sharing pictures on her social media handles, the netizens are befuddled and have given mixed reviews to President's photoshoot amid war.

While many people have called out Zelenskyy for his hypocrisy, have simply expressed shock.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special 'military strike' on Ukraine, following which a full-blown war broke out. As the war advances into its sixth month, as many as 5,237 civilian deaths have been reported in Ukraine, including 348 children, as per the data shared by statista.com. Close to 7 million have also been displaced internally within . The country is also witnessing the loss of its troops on a massive scale.

At the beginning of the war, Zelenskyy received a lot of support from across the world for not leaving the country and looking for a haven, but rather assessing the situation on the ground. However, the netizens are now trolling him for faking and grifting billions from Western taxpayers.
US officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to .

But the US House speaker would be entering one of the world's hottest spots where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency.

Officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to still an uncertainty the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to and any time on the ground there.

Any foreign travel by a senior US leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi she would be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997 would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi in the event of a visit, US Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature.

But, he added, if there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I'll just leave it at that.

China considers self-ruling Taiwan its own territory and has raised the prospect of annexing it by force. The US maintains informal relations and defence ties with Taiwan even as it recognises Beijing as the government of China.

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the US and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, US assistant defence secretary, said on Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Centre for Strategic and Studies. China denies the incidents.

The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane.

The US already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the US would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but she postponed the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Joe Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is not a good idea right now.

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months.

A US official confirmed plans for the call to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.

US officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit. But they don't rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place.

And they don't preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided on Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action, said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the Security and Defence Policy Centre at the Rand Corp.

So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when you're doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Centre for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at US officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety.

Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions.

She's not going to go with an armada, Pavel said.

They also said that a stepped-up presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

It is very possible that ... our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send, Cozad said. And so you get into ... some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its solemn position over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with US and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years.

He said Beijing's military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane's engine.

US officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi's flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Agency for Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power India's visit is targeted to advance US-India strategic partnership and address the global crisis.

USAID acting spox Shejal Pulivarti said, "On July 25, Administrator Samantha Power arrived in New Delhi, India to advance the United States' partnership with the Government of India and the Indian people, and reinforce India as a critical global development leader in addressing urgent global challenges, including food insecurity, the climate crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic."

Administrator Power first met with Parameswaran Iyer, CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog, the Government of India's public policy think tank, to discuss our collaboration across sectors to drive and sustain development outcomes around the world.

On Tuesday, Administrator Power met with civil society representatives to discuss freedom of expression, speech, identity, and the importance of protecting the rights of minority groups.

"The Administrator underscored the United States' continued commitment to work with civil society organizations around the globe to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms," said Pulivarti.

Power later joined Indian agricultural experts and private sector leaders to learn how the United States and India can apply climate-smart and sustainable solutions to address the global crisis, which is further exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Potential areas of engagement would focus on optimization, through training and providing reliable information to smallholder farmers, addressing food wastage through the construction of adequate cold storage facilities, and maximizing yields through the efficient use of fertilizer and irrigation techniques," added Pulivarti.

Administrator Power also visited an urban community that benefited from an innovative water ATM, which provides safe, reliable, affordable water for hundreds of families in the area.

"I visited USAID's "Water ATM" near Sarojini Market which provides safe, affordable drinking water 24/7 for the community, including autorickshaw drivers, construction workers & a local chai stand at the market. Just one example of the concrete impact of US-India collaboration," said the USAID chief.

She also met with key Government of India leaders, including Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India PK Mishra, Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, to reinforce the US and India's long history as strategic partners and collaborators across development issues including food security, climate change, and adaptation through mechanisms such as the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and digital development.

"Pleased to meet @USAID Administrator @SamanthaJPower today. Discussed global development prospects in the context of food, energy and debt challenges. Also exchanged views on further expanding the India-US partnership," Jaishankar tweeted.

"They also discussed the region and the importance of India's leadership, and US support, to Sri Lanka through this economic crisis," said Pulivarti.

Power underscored joint commitment to providing humanitarian assistance and partnering to address remaining development challenges in India, Asia, and around the world.

The visit to India comes amid a global food crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Earlier, the USAID chief criticized China for not doing enough in a food crisis amid the Ukraine war that has led to a surge in global food prices and threatened global .

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The World Health Organization has confirmed two more cases of Marburg virus in Ghana, a senior official said on Wednesday, two weeks after the country reported its first outbreak of the highly infectious Ebola-like disease.

Those first two cases, in southern Ghana's Ashanti region, both had symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting, before dying in hospital, the said previously.

"We have two additional cases," doctor Ibrahima Soce Fall told journalists on Wednesday.

The outbreak is only the second in West Africa. The first ever case of the virus in the region was detected last year in Guinea.

Soce Fall said information received from Ghana suggested there were around 180 contacts being followed up and teams were making sure that none were missed.

The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with bodily fluids, surfaces and materials, the WHO said.

Soce Fall said the cases had been reported in three different regions in Ghana, creating a "very difficult" situation.

"Although the cases are not high at the moment, ...we need to make sure that every hotspot can be stopped otherwise it will become more complex," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Notwithstanding the high base of last year impacted by Covid-19, steady sales growth, both domestically and in the US, is expected to help drug maker Dr Reddy's Laboratories post a decent topline in the April-June quarter (Q1FY23), said analysts.

The Hyderabad-based company is set to release its Q1FY23 results on Thursday, July 28. As per brokerage estimates, the company is likely to post yearly revenue growth of up to 10 per cent to Rs 5,337 crores.

Net profit, meanwhile, is estimated to rise by 12-37 per cent to Rs 687 crores over last year. Ebitda margins, too, are expected to increase sharply by as much as 589 basis points (bps) to 20-24 per cent on a low base of last year.

Analysts said that despite pricing pressures in the US, the company is likely to have recorded steady growth in this market due to a ramp-up of new products.



The domestic portfolio, on the other hand, may have possibly benefitted from the acquisition of Novartis' cardio brands in India. The company also enhanced its portfolio by adding branded and generic injectable products from Eton Pharmaceuticals in the US.

Key parameters to watch include guidance on new product launches in the US and commentary on margins.

Here is a breakdown of top brokerage expectations:

Sharekhan: The company is likely to stage healthy growth in its domestic business due to its acquired portfolio. The brokerage estimates a whopping 708.4 per cent rise in net profit over Q4 to Rs 784.1 crore. Topline, at Rs 5, 454.4 crore, may be driven by double-digit growth in domestic sales followed by high single-digit growth in US sales. Licensing income of $8 million may also drive revenues higher. Margin will expand due to the low base of last year and licensing income receipt.

ICICI Securities: The brokerage expects revenues to grow 8 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 5324.7 crore, mainly due to a 16 per cent growth in the US business to Rs 2,022.9 crore, which would be partially offset by a 7 per cent decline in domestic business to Rs 985.8 crore. Russia & CIS revenues likely grew 45 per cent YoY to Rs 710.5 crore, while rest of the world (RoW) likely fell 15 per cent to Rs 359.5 crore. Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) is expected to increase by 50 per cent YoY to Rs 1,104.9 crore.

KR Choksey: Dr. Reddy's YoY net profit growth of 28 per cent will likely be the highest among its coverage. Revenue is expected to grow 9.6 per cent on year driven by improvement in India, the US, and emerging revenue on the back of high-value products such as gVascepa and gVasostrict, and a rise in specialty revenue.

Prabhudas Lilladher: It expects the company to report yearly Ebitda growth of 21 per cent aided by a ramp-up in the US market and Covid-related opportunities. US sales are estimated to rise 10 per cent. On a quarterly basis, it foresees the firm's PAT to grow by a huge 656 per cent. The domestic formulation segment will be aided by product licensing and Novartis cardiovascular brand (Cidmus) acquisition, it said.

Centrum Broking: Dr. Reddy's is expected to report better domestic growth on a sequential basis, while the US business may be impacted by pricing pressure, it says. The brokerage expects YoY revenue and net profit growth of 4 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, which is the lowest of the estimates.




State-owned CIL has earned revenue worth over Rs 1.52 lakh crore from coal sales in financial year 2021-22, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Coal India (CIL) earned revenue by selling 661.89 million tonnes of coal in the last fiscal year.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said the mahartana firm has garnered Rs 29,400 crore by selling 177.59 MT of coal in the April-June period of the ongoing financial year.

The revenue figure of the first quarter of FY'23 is provisional, it added.

While in FY'21, CIL earned Rs 1,26,786.13 crore from sale of coal, in FY'20 the figure stood at Rs 1,34,979.13 crore.

In a bid to increase the revenues of the public sector companies operating in the coal space, the government has given them a go-ahead for diversifying into other sectors including renewable .

The captive mine owners, other than atomic minerals, can sell up to 50 per cent of their annual mineral, including coal, in the open market after meeting the requirement of their end-use plants.

Moreover, the coal production is being increased continuously which has resulted in the rise of dry fuel, thereby amounting to augmentation of revenue.

Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. The company is eyeing one billion tonnes of coal production by FY'25.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Full text of Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia

Xinhua) 08:22, July 27, 2022

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing.

Following is the full text of Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia

26 July 2022, Beijing

1.At the invitation of H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, paid a visit to China on 25 to 26 July 2022.

2.During the visit, President Xi Jinping and President Joko Widodo held cordial and friendly talks, had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and a wide range of international and regional issues of shared interest, and reached important consensus. Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council also met with President Joko Widodo.

3.The two Presidents spoke highly of the achievements by the two countries in fighting against COVID-19 pandemic and securing economic rejuvenation and development. Indonesia congratulated China in advance on a complete success of the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which would guide China's march toward achieving its second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all aspects. China also congratulated Indonesia in advance on realizing its goal of becoming a developed country upon the founding centenary of Indonesia in 2045.

4.The two Presidents agreed that the China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership had maintained a strong momentum of development since 2013. Especially in recent years, facing the unprecedented global changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have forged a new synergy through the four-pillar cooperation covering politics, economy, people-to-people exchanges and maritime projects, so as to promote the spirit of solidarity in fighting against pandemic and seeking common development, and showcase the partnership between two major developing countries.

5.The two Presidents believed that China-Indonesia relations had great strategic significance and far-reaching global influence and agreed to strive for a general direction of building the China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and commit to forging an exemplary model of major developing countries seeking mutual benefit, win-win results, common development and South-South cooperation. Both Presidents have assigned their Foreign Ministers to further discuss the elements and principles of this objective.

6.Both sides will speed up the formulation of a new Five-Year Action Plan for the Implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Indonesia (2022-2026). Under the strategic guidance of the two Heads of State, both sides will bring into full play the China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism (HDCM) and other existing bilateral mechanisms and dialogues, and make an overall plan for the concrete cooperation in various fields and strengthen strategic coordination in regional and multilateral affairs, so as to better enhance the well-being of the two peoples, and assume greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, and safeguarding global fairness and justice.

7.The two Presidents acknowledged the significant milestones in bilateral trade cooperation in recent years. China and Indonesia committed to further increase the bilateral trade volume.

8.China and Indonesia will conduct in-depth and high-quality cooperation through the synergy of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF). Both sides also committed to the completion of the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway on schedule as a flagship project, and to work on more strategic projects such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks".

9.Both sides will expand cooperation in development-oriented financing; strengthen cooperation in agriculture, health, poverty alleviation and food security; cultivate fresh growth points such as green development and digital economy; and materialize benchmark projects to implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the bilateral and regional levels, to further accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

10.China and Indonesia will accelerate the resumption of people-to-people exchanges, including the return of Indonesian students to China; open more direct flights; and beef up cooperation in such fields as education, tourism, youth and local exchanges. Both sides will strengthen cooperation in vaccine and genomic research, development, and production and China will support Indonesia in its effort to set up a regional vaccine hub.

11.Both sides will strengthen communication between the agencies in charge of maritime affairs, enhance institutionalized arrangements, implement the projects supported by China-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation Fund (MCF), carry forward fishery cooperation such as the National Fish Barn project and utilize great potential of marine economy.

12.Both sides will implement consensus reached on China-ASEAN Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, uphold open regionalism, and advance China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Security, Prosperity, Sustainable Development and Amity. China reaffirms its support on ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture and supports Indonesian ASEAN chairmanship in 2023. Both sides will promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and BRI, as well as promote collaboration of the GDI key areas and the AOIP's priority areas, contributing to the implementation of the AOIP.

13.Both sides will continue to strengthen multilateralism. Indonesia takes note of the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and stands ready to work with the Chinese side in ensuring peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy. China strongly supports Indonesia's G20 Presidency and looks forward to a successful G20 Leaders Summit. Both sides will support APEC in achieving Putrajaya Vision 2040 of an open, dynamic, resilient, and peaceful Asia-Pacific community. China appreciates Indonesia's participation at the "BRICS Plus" meetings under its BRICS Chairmanship and welcomes Indonesia's willingness to cooperate with BRICS in the future.

14.During the visit, both sides renewed the MOU between China and Indonesia on Jointly Promoting Cooperation within the Framework on the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and Global Maritime Fulcrum, and signed a series of cooperation documents in such areas as research and development of vaccine and genomics, green development, custom information exchange and enforcement, cyber security capacity building, marine, and importation of Indonesian pineapples.

15.President Joko Widodo expressed his gratitude for the warm and friendly hospitality by President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Government and people, and extended invitation to President Xi Jinping to attend the G20 Summit to be held in Bali, Indonesia. President Xi Jinping expressed his thanks and wished the Summit a complete success.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar speaks at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 27, 2022. Turkiye inaugurated the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul on Wednesday to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment from Ukraine, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters. (Xinhua/Shadati)

ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye inaugurated the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul on Wednesday to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment from Ukraine, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters.

Located inside the compound of a military university in the city's European side district of Besiktas, the center consists of 20 representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, five from each party, according to Akar.

This will guarantee the safe passage of vessels from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul to global markets, said the minister.

At the command center, the representatives were seated around a large square table. A map on a big screen was showing the details of the Black Sea and the locations of several vessels.

"This center will register and follow the commercial ships that will be included in the initiative. It will technically track the journey of the ships through satellite, internet, and other means of communication," Akar said, speaking of The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed in Istanbul on Friday.

Ships will be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed appropriate upon loading at Ukrainian ports and arrival at ports in Turkiye, according to Akar.

"If there is a need for demining, plans agreed by all parties would be made. However, there is no need at this stage," he added.

Earlier, a source who asked to be identified as "a senior UN official" told Xinhua that the shipments will be inspected to make sure there will be no transportation of weapons.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said he hoped the deal would work, according to media reports.

The press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that operations have resumed in the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny in line with the grain exports deal signed last week in Turkiye.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that the deal would allow both Ukraine and Russia to export their products.

"There are products to be exported by Russia as well, and the deal paves the way for it. Likewise, it paves the way for the export of Ukraine's grain, sunflower, and sunflower oil," he said on TV100 broadcaster.

Cavusoglu pointed out that Turkiye would continue to play its constructive role to ensure the plan runs smoothly.

Russia and Ukraine signed respectively the initiative with Turkiye under the UN auspices on Friday, which would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. 
Shares of hit over three-year high of Rs 304.70, up nearly 1 per cent on the BSE on Wednesdays intra-day trade. The stock has surged 13 per cent in the past one month on hopes of healthy earnings coupled with stock buying by foreign investors.

So far in the calendar year 2022 (CY22), has outperformed the market as it soared 40 per cent on foreign portfolio investor's (FPIs) buying spree. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 6 per cent, during the same period. Earlier, the stock had hit a record high of Rs 353 on July 3, 2017.

That said, FPIs have hiked their stake in for the second straight quarter. They bought additional 2.69 percentage point stake in the diversified fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company during the first six months of CY22.

As of June 30, 2022, FPIs holding in ITC increased to 12.68 per cent from 11.99 per cent at the end of March 2022 quarter (Q1CY22). Likewise, on December 31, 2022 (Q4CY21), FPIs held 9.99 per cent stake in ITC. Data shows that the FPI holding in ITC was at highest level since March 2021 quarter, when they held 12.79 per cent stake in the company.

However, individual shareholders reduced their stake in ITC to 44.50 per cent in Q2CY22 from 45.24 per cent in Q1CY22.

Apart from having a near monopoly in traditional business of cigarettes, ITC is also India's leading FMCG marketer, a clear market leader in the Indian paperboard and packaging industry, globally acknowledged in farmer empowerment, too, through their wide-reaching agri-business. They are also a pre-eminent hotelier in India with chain of luxury hotels.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of ITC is scheduled to meet on Monday, August 1, 2022, to consider and approve the financial results of the company for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 (Q1FY23).

The companys cigarettes business staged a broad-based recovery as volumes surpassed pre-pandemic levels. A stable tax environment for cigarettes in recent years allowed ITC to calibrate price increases to avoid disruption in demand. The non-cigarette FMCG business performed well through focused cost management interventions across value chain, premiumisation, and judicious pricing actions.

Analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services believe that revival in cigarette demand and recovery in FMCG businesses make ITC an attractive investment bet. "A revival in cigarette demand, recovery in some profitable FMCG-Others categories, and a reduced lag in the hotels business coupled with lower input cost pressures than peers and attractive valuations make ITC a top pick from a one-year perspective," the brokerage firm said.

For Q1FY23, the brokerage firm expects 11 per cent volume growth in cigarettes business and expects expansion of gross margin expansion by 190 basis points (bps) YoY on better cigarette mix and reduction in lag from Hotels. Analysts foresee cigarette volumes, hotel revenues post reopen theme, travel resumption, agricultural outlook as key themes going ahead.

Besides, analysts at Antique Stock Broking expect ITCs revenue to increase 12 per cent YoY driven by double digit growth in cigarette and strong performance in other businesses.

"FMCG to report double digit revenue growth with stable margin. Overall ITC profitability to improve due to favourable mix cigarette, recovery in hotels and strong performance in value added paper products," the brokerage firm added.
Prime Minister will launch several projects including the country's first international bullion exchange during his two-day Gujarat visit starting July 28.

Assembly elections are due in Gujarat by year-end. On the first day of his visit, Modi will inaugurate a Rs 305 crore milk powder plant of the Sabarkantha District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union (Sabar Dairy) near Himmatnagar, said state minister and spokesperson Jitu Vaghani. The plant can produce 120 metric tonnes of milk powder per day, he said. From the stage, Modi will virtually inaugurate Sabar Dairy's three- lakh-litre-per-day milk processing plant and also perform ground-breaking for a cheese plant which would come up at a cost of Rs 600 crore, said Vaghani. Sabar Dairy is part of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), the owner of the Amul brand. In a release, Sabar Dairy said the PM will also interact with 20 women cattle-rearers from Sabarkantha and neighbouring Arvalli districts during the event. On July 29, the prime minister will visit India's maiden International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar. He will also launch the India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX), the country's first international bullion exchange, said Vaghani. The exchange will give an impetus to the financialization of gold in India, said a statement by the IFSC Authority. The PM will also lay the foundation stone of the unified regulator International Financial Services Centres Authority's headquarters. He will also launch NSE IFSC-SGX Connect. Under this system, all orders on Nifty derivatives placed by members of Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) will be routed to and matched on the NSE-IFSC order matching and trading platform, an official release said. The Connect platform will deepen liquidity in derivative at GIFT-IFSC, it added. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would be attending various events during the PM's visit, Vaghani said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pfizer Ltd is quoting at Rs 4135.9, down 0.01% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 0.36% in last one year as compared to a 5.65% rally in NIFTY and a 10.13% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

Pfizer Ltd fell for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 4135.9, down 0.01% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.69% on the day, quoting at 16597.05. The Sensex is at 55689.38, up 0.76%.Pfizer Ltd has added around 0.98% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Pfizer Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 2.75% in last one month and is currently quoting at 12341.9, up 1.69% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 2144 shares today, compared to the daily average of 7818 shares in last one month.

The PE of the stock is 30.86 based on TTM earnings ending March 22.

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Power stocks were trading in green, with the S&P BSE Power index rising 11.07 points or 0.25% at 4453.86 at 09:46 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Adani Power Ltd (up 2.03%), Siemens Ltd (up 1.8%),JSW Energy Ltd (up 1.73%),ABB India Ltd (up 0.77%),Adani Transmission Ltd (up 0.47%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (up 0.38%), Adani Green Energy Ltd (up 0.15%), NHPC Ltd (up 0.15%), and NTPC Ltd (up 0.07%).

On the other hand, Tata Power Company Ltd (down 2.45%), and Torrent Power Ltd (down 0.32%) moved lower.

At 09:46 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 74.34 or 0.13% at 55194.15.

The Nifty 50 index was down 29.75 points or 0.18% at 16454.1.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 65.27 points or 0.25% at 26352.64.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 9.84 points or 0.12% at 8233.18.

On BSE,1213 shares were trading in green, 1360 were trading in red and 125 were unchanged.

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Utilties stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Utilities index falling 7.14 points or 0.19% at 3675.44 at 13:46 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Utilities index, Tata Power Company Ltd (down 4.13%), Adani Transmission Ltd (down 0.75%),PTC India Ltd (down 0.64%),SJVN Ltd (down 0.53%),Va Tech Wabag Ltd (down 0.45%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 0.35%), NLC India Ltd (down 0.3%), and NTPC Ltd (down 0.23%).

On the other hand, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (up 3.37%), Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (up 3%), and Gujarat Industries Power Co Ltd (up 2.39%) moved up.

At 13:46 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 407.91 or 0.74% at 55676.4.

The Nifty 50 index was up 116.05 points or 0.7% at 16599.9.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 63.43 points or 0.24% at 26481.34.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 36.91 points or 0.45% at 8279.93.

On BSE,1672 shares were trading in green, 1546 were trading in red and 156 were unchanged.

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The in will now plunge into preparation mode for the 2024 elections.

The party will be holding a three-day meeting for its functionaries in Chitrakoot between July 29-31.

As per party sources, the meeting is expected to be attended by party chief

J.P. Nadda, general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh and P Murlidhar Rao, convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch - the economic and cultural arm of the RSS.

The event will also be attended by all union ministers from UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his ministers and state chief.

A senior party functionary said: "The objective of the meeting is to equip party workers with necessary skills which they need to acquire in carrying out party activities in the run-up to 2024 election."

The has also asked all the six regional presidents, general secretaries and districts in-charge to attend the meet for further guidance by the party leadership. They will provide crucial feedback about the prevailing ground-level political situation in the state since the BJP plans to capitalise on the split between alliance partners SP and SBSP.

Sources said that the BJP is also likely to draw up a blueprint for the state so that it can further cement its association with the non-Yadav OBC and non-Jatav Dalits, the two key communities which factor prominently in the larger social coalition of the BJP.

--IANS

amita/shb/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two estranged partners of the Samajwadi Party--Janwadi Party (Socialist) and Mahan Dal--are showing inclination to return to the Akhilesh Yadav-led opposition alliance to take on the ruling BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

The leaders of the two OBC caste-based regional parties, which were SP allies in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls but had left the alliance after its defeat in the elections, have all praise for the SP chief.

The development comes days after the exit of Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) from the SP-led alliance.

While the Janwadi Party-Socialist (JPS) says it is strongly with and gearing up for the 2024 parliamentary polls, the Mahan Dal has all praises for the SP chief and ready to return with a condition, removal of Swami Prasad Maurya.

Talking to PTI, JPS president Sanjay Chauhan said, "Akhilesh ji ke saath hai aur rahenge (We are with Akhilesh and will remain with him).

Chauhan, who after the Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls had said he would reconsider an alliance with the SP and also criticised Akhilesh for not campaigning for the party candidates, has now softened his tone and tenor.

When asked whether he had any meeting with the SP chief recently, he said, "We keep on meeting and discuss programmes to strengthen the party for the 2024 polls. I will organise a big event in Lucknow in September."



Asked about SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, Chauhan said, "Rajbhar has no political ideology. He does of personal interests. He is a 'parjivi prani' (parasite). He needs support to survive. After 20 years of politics, he could not become an MLA until he forged alliance with the BJP."



Starting his political innings with the BSP, Rajbhar could enter into assembly only in 2017 with the help of the BJP.

Chauhan further said, "He (Rajbhar) thought Akhileshji will become CM, so he came with the SP. As the SP failed to form a government, his interests are now with the BJP. Had his son been made MLC (by SP), he would have remained in the alliance for some more time.

Chauhan had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on an SP ticket from Chandauli but lost by a thin margin. He had secured about 5 lakh votes.

Chauhan belonged to OBC Noniya Chauhan community.

The Noniyas and its connected castes are estimated to be 2.3 per cent of the state's OBC population, which together roughly constitute 40-50 per cent in the state.

The population of the Noniya Chauhans may not appear significant on its own but they are one of the many smaller clusters of the backward caste votes which the BJP have been trying to polarise against the Yadav caste, the support base of the SP.

Mahan Dal president Keshav Dev Maurya, who left the SP alliance earlier, told PTI that he was not upset with and praised his work.

"I am not angry or upset with or his policies. In UP, there is the BJP on the one side and the SP on the other. While the Congress has no presence, the BSP chief is working as a B-team of tje BJP.

"Akhileshji is doing good work in the interest of backward, minority and other sections. He is the only leader left," Maurya said.

When asked whether he could return to the SP, Maurya said, "Till Swami Prasad Maurya is sitting in his (Akhilesh) lap, it's not possible. I will do hard work and he (Swami Prasad) will eat 'malai'. If he (Akhilesh) loves me, he should remove Swami Prasad, and then only I will return."



Swami Prasad Maurya, an influential Kushwaha leader, had quit the Yogi Adityanath cabinet ahead of the assembly elections and joined hands with Akhilesh.

He, however, himself lost the election from his traditional Fazilnagar seat in Kushinagar district.

The Mahan Dal chief said Swami Prasad Maurya, Shivpal Yadav and Om Prakash Rajbhar were "planted" by the BJP in the SP-led alliance before the assembly elections and due to them Akhilesh Yadav tasted defeat in the polls.

"They (Swami Prasad, Rajbhar and Shivpal) made Akhilesh overconfident and he started saying the alliance will be winning 400 seats," he said, driving home his point.

About his future course of action, Maurya said, "We are not a big party. We are not in a position to even get an MLA elected alone. Similar is the case with Shivpal, Rajbhar and Jayant Chowdhury's RLD. I will go with the party which considers me as a leader."



On Shivpal Yadav, Maurya said, "He has not proved himself. He got a bungalow from the BJP and is working at its behest. Akhilesh Yadav is the biggest leader of the Yadav community and the SP is the largest party for the community. If a drop (Shivpal) comes out of it (SP), nothing will happen."



Maurya called Rajbhar a "political joker" and "astin ka saanp" (snake sleeve).

When specifically asked whether he will go to Akhilesh Yadav again if he is called, Maurya said, "Surely, I will go," and added that for this he will have to show doors to Swami Prasad Maurya.

The Mahan Dal was launched in 2008 and it is perceived to have an impact in Rohilkhand and western UP regions.

The party claims to have support of OBC castes such as Maurya, Shakya, Khushwaha, Saini and Kamboj.

The Congress had contested the 2012 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls with the Mahan Dal.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader on Tuesday drew Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's attention to illegal construction being done by the Berhampore Municipality and urged her to do the needful to stop it.

In a letter to Banerjee, Congress noted in his letter the illegal construction of a market complex on the water body is carried on disregarding the High Court's order.

"I wish to draw your kind attention to a serious illegality being committed by Berhampore Municipality is reported to me that the Berhampore Municipality is doing illegal construction of the market complex on the water body of plot No.1700," said Chowdhury in his letter.

He further said that the Municipality has filled up the portion of the water body and making construction on that.

"The matter was brought to the attention of the court. The High Court instructed the municipal body not to do any illegal construction on the water body. The Municipal authority of Berhampore gave an undertaking in the court that no illegal construction is being done on the bank of the water body. However, in disregard to Court's direction, the Municipal authority is making unauthorized construction of the market place on the bank of the water body," he said.

The Congress leader urged the Chief Minister to look into the matter and do the needful to stop the illegal construction.

"In view of the above, I may request you that the matter may kindly be looked into and this illegal construction by the Municipal Corporation of Berhampore may immediately be stopped," he added.

Earlier, the Congress leader urged Chief Minister to sack state minister Partha Chatterjee immediately, who has been arrested in connection with the alleged School Service Commission (SSC) scam.

Partha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged School Service Commission (SSC) scam in on Saturday.

Notably, Partha Chatterjee and his aide, Arpita Mukherjee, have been sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till August 3.

The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore being recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday (July 23) recovered Rs 20 crore in cash from the house of an associate of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who had joined the BJP ahead of the Bengal Assembly polls last year, on Wednesday claimed that 38 TMC MLAs are in touch with the saffron camp.

Of the 38 legislators, 21 are directly in touch with him, he said.

At least 38 TMC MLAs are in touch with the BJP. Out of them, 21 are personally in touch with me. When I was in Mumbai, I read in newspapers one fine morning that the Shiv Sena and the BJP have formed the government in Maharashtra, he said while addressing a press conference here.

The TMC, while reacting to his allegations, said the famed actor is "trying to fool the people by making false claims".

Chakraborty said the BJP is in power in 18 states, and the party's flag will "fly high in a few other states very soon".

The BJP will not stop its fight in Bengal. If free and fair polls are held in the state today, the party will form the next government, he said.

Such statements are an attempt to fool the masses. It has no relation with reality, TMC MP Santanu Sen said.

The TMC has 216 MLAs in the 294-member Bengal Assembly. The opposition BJP has 75 legislators.

However, five saffron party MLAs have joined the ruling party without resigning as legislators.

In Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress collapsed last month after Eknath Shinde raised a banner of revolt against the Sena leadership with a majority of party MLAs.

Shinde was sworn in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as deputy CM in Mumbai.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CHICAGO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Robert Crimo III, the suspect of a mass shooting during an Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, on Wednesday faced 110 additional criminal charges after a Lake County grand jury handed down an indictment.

Crimo, 22, already faced seven counts of first-degree murder for the shooting on July 4 in Highland Park, in the U.S. state of Illinois.

The indictment announced Wednesday added an additional 14 counts of first-degree murder for a total of 21, Chicago Tribune reported.

The grand jury also indicted Crimo on 48 counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery for each victim who was injured by gunfire when he used a high-powered rifle and fired more than 83 rounds from a rooftop overlooking the parade in downtown Highland Park.

The mass shooting killed seven people and wounded dozens of others. Crimo was arrested on the same day of the shooting. Police said Crimo pre-planned the attack for several weeks and acted alone. 
Leader of Opposition in Assembly on Wednesday questioned why Partha Chatterjee is being retained as a minister by Chief Minister despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.

Adhikari met Governor La Ganesan at the Raj Bhavan here, seeking that Chatterjee, who holds the industry, commerce and parliamentary affairs portfolios, be removed as minister.

"She (the chief minister) has not taken any step against him despite so much information and proof," Adhikari told reporters after the meeting.

Adhikari, a former minister in the government before joining the BJP in 2020, alleged that it is "her strategy to show that she is good and others are not".

The chief minister had said during a programme on Monday that anyone found guilty in court would face action from the party.

Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23 by the ED, which is probing the money trail involved in the alleged teacher recruitment irregularities at government-sponsored and-aided schools.

Crores of rupees in cash along with other valuable items were allegedly recovered from the residence of Mukherjee.

PTI could not independently verify the information.

Chatterjee was the education minister when the school jobs scam occurred.

Both have been remanded to the custody of the central agency by a special ED court till August 3.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government has given indications that a discussion on price rise may be taken up next week in Parliament, sources in the claimed on Wednesday.

They, however, said the government does not appear keen on a debate on the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and could evade the matter on the ground that it was sub judice.

The have conveyed to the government that no discussion on the price rise issue ''will be allowed'' till their MPs remain suspended, the sources said.

While four Congress MPs have been suspended in the Lok Sabha for the rest of the session for disrupting proceedings, 19 MPs, including seven from the TMC, six from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and one from the CPI were suspended for the rest of the week.

On Tuesday, a Rajya Sabha MP from Aam Aadmi Party was suspended as well.

The have been holding protests to press for an immediate discussion on price rise and GST issues, paralysing proceedings in since the start of the Monsoon session on July 18.

The government has maintained that the matter can be taken up once Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovers from COVID-19 and returns to .

Opposition sources also claimed that feelers from the "other side" have indicated that there is a view within the government that suspending 19 opposition MPs at one go in Rajya Sabha was a "wrong strategic move" and should have been avoided.

In fact, in the morning, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu met leaders of the opposition parties and it was offered that if they express regret over their behaviour, a resolution will be brought to revoke the suspensions.

However, none of the leaders acquiesced. Instead, they said the government should express regret for not discussing price rise.

With the suspension of the MPs in Rajya Sabha concluding on Friday, a discussion on price rise is likely to be taken up after that, they said,



However, the government does not appear keen on discussing the Agnipath scheme that faced violent protests across the country, the opposition sources said.

Agnipath was introduced by the government on 14 June 2022 for the recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces.

Most of the protesters against the Agnipath scheme had attributed the anger to the fact that the Army had stopped recruitment for the past two years and the new model does not provide a job guarantee to 75 per cent of the recruits.

The sources indicate that the Opposition, which will try to push for a discussion on the issue, is expecting that the government will refuse, citing the sub-judice nature of the matter.

Petitions on the scheme are pending before the Supreme Court.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the sector are likely to grow 1-3 per cent year on year in value terms in the current fiscal year (FY23), compared with over 45-50 per cent in FY22 (which, in turn, was on a low base of FY21). Thats because they face two headwinds now: the import duty hike of 500 basis points to 12.5 per cent, and supply chain disruptions because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, leading to a moderation in exports.



The rise in the prices of gold will also curb demand, though it will support the revenues of . Domestic demand, which accounted for 55-60 per cent of sales by value in FY22, is estimated to have grown in the first quarter of the current fiscal, helped materially by a low base. The duty hike now changes that script.



The impact of this will be on clusters such as Thrissur and Coimbatore, which mainly manufacture plain gold and traditional jewellery, and are focussed on the domestic market.



On the other hand, the diamond cluster in Surat will see an impact because of a high-base effect and supply-chain disruptions. Sanctions imposed by the US and Europe on Russia and, consequently, on Alrosa, its biggest diamond miner, is having a bearing on Indias diamond polishing industry.



But the free trade agreement between India and the UAE will support exports, as it has led to the removal of the 5 per cent duty levied on gold jewellery.




Tech giant has previewed a few key features for its VR2 headset, including live streaming support along with other new features.

A new broadcast feature for PS VR2 will allow users to film themselves while playing by connecting a PS5 HD Camera to the console.

"It is a great way to show your movements and reactions during a boss battle and share your reactions with your fellow gamers as it happens!" the company said on a blogpost.

The play area for PS VR2 can be customised by using the PS VR2 Sense controllers and embedded cameras.

The cameras will allow users to scan the room, while the PS VR2 Sense controllers allow them to expand and further customise the play area to fit your play style and room environment.

With PS VR2, users can see their surroundings while wearing the headset with the new see-through feature. It comes in handy when users want to easily check where the PS VR2 Sense controllers are in their room without taking the headset off.

"Thanks to PS VR2's embedded front cameras, users can press the function button on the headset, or use the Card in the Control Centre, to switch between viewing your surroundings or viewing the content on PS VR2," the company said.

"The Card in the Control Centre also gives quick access to other PS VR2 settings, such as adjusting your play area. The see-through view is just for viewing only, so there's no recording option," it added.

--IANS

vc/svn/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
.

Every day, more than 26 crore digital payment transactions are processed by Indias payments systems, two-thirds of which are processed just by the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI.

With more than 26 crore unique users and five-crore merchants on board the UPI platform, payments through this method have become ubiquitous.

In the first quarter of 2022, 9.36 billion transactions amounting to 10.25 trillion rupees were processed through payment modes like debit and credit cards, PPIs like mobile wallets and prepaid cards and UPI person to merchant or P2M.

UPI P2M transactions emerged as the most preferred payment mode among consumers with a market share of 64% in volume and 50% in terms of value, according to a Worldline report.

have been growing by leaps and bounds at the cost of other retail payments, especially card transactions.

One of the key reasons for UPIs popularity is the zero Merchant Discount Rate or .

is a fee calculated as a percentage of the transaction that is paid by merchants to banks for processing payments. debit cards too attract no whereas the fee on other debit cards is 0.4% to 0.9%.

However, there is no cap on MDR for credit cards, which ranges from 2-3% of the transaction value. credit cards typically have lower MDR than Mastercard or Visa credit cards.

Merchants prefer UPI so they can avoid high MDR on credit cards as well as monthly rentals for Point of Sale terminals.

UPI currently facilitates transactions by linking savings or current accounts through debit cards of users. The RBI last month allowed the linking of credit cards to UPI, with the facility being initially made available for cards issued on the homegrown network.

Business Standard on Monday reported that NPCI and banks have come to a consensus on the MDR for credit-card transactions on the RuPay-UPI, which has been a sticking point.

They agreed to an MDR of 2%. Of this 1.5% will go to the issuing bank, with the rest being shared with RuPay and the acquiring entity.

At smaller outlets, with annual turnover of up to Rs 20 lakh, these transactions will be free with a ticket size of up to Rs 5,000 and no limits on the number of daily transactions. RuPays operator NPCI will reportedly seek RBIs approval for the scheme.

Will the MDR come in the way of merchant adoption for on Rupay credit cards?

Bhaskar Chatterjee, VP, Product Management, Ezetap says MDR helps issuing banks cover credit risks. Merchants with PoS machine wont mind new mechanism and adoption will happen once merchants see value in it.

Sagar Agarvwal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Beams Fintech Fund says, payments on UPI will lead to faster adoption by consumers. Merchants will be receptive with more customer demand. Adopting QR for UPI simpler for non-PoS merchants, he said.

While five crore merchants have been onboarded on the UPI platform, India has just over 60 lakh PoS terminals in use. Merchants with PoS machines can be easily signed on to UPI payments. Expanding adoption to smaller merchants will require protecting them from MDR. They will also wait to see how consumers are accepting the new mechanism and the reception at larger merchants.

In the first phase, lower penetration of RuPay credit cards may also come in the way of adoption. Of the more than 7.3 crore credit cards in circulation, RuPay cards are estimated at just around one million. Even so, credit card payments through UPI has the potential to reshape the credit card issuance and usage landscape in India.
Whats new: Shen Hongbing, an epidemiologist and oncologist, was named the new chief of Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), the agency said Tuesday.

Shen, 58, succeeds Gao Fu, who led the China CDC from 2017 and reached retirement age last year.

Shen is an expert in molecular epidemiologic studies. He holds a bachelor's degree in preventive medicine and a master's in epidemiology from Nanjing Medical University. He earned his Ph.D. in epidemiology and health statistics in 1999 at Shanghai Medical College.

Shen is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a deputy director of the newly established National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control.

Background: The leadership reshuffle followed a major revamp of Chinas disease control system. The China CDC was previously under the oversight of the National Health Commission but is now part of the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, officials confirmed Tuesday at a China CDC meeting.

The new administration was created in May 2021 as a vice-ministerial government department. The move was part of the governments efforts to enhance the China CDCs authority and efficiency in disease control and prevention amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gao, 61, was set to retire by the end of last year, according to people familiar with the matter. Gao is known for making high-profile remarks during the pandemic, including firm support for Chinas homegrown Covid vaccines.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)

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Somali Plane Crash Screen Capture

L'avion appartenant a Juba Airlines s'etait ecrase le 18 juillet lors de son atterrissage a l'aeroport Aden Adde, dans la capitale somalienne, Mogadiscio

Les images du crash d'un avion de Juba Airlines en Somalie ont ete revelees mercredi.

L'avion appartenant a Juba Airlines s'etait ecrase le 18 juillet lors de son atterrissage a l'aeroport Aden Adde, dans la capitale somalienne, Mogadiscio.

La video dune camera de surveillance montre l'appareil se renverser lors de l'atterrissage et prendre feu quasi immediatement.

Les 36 passagers ont survecu a l'accident et ont pu etre evacues sains et saufs.

AA / Mogadiscio

Surveillance video shows moment of Somalia passenger plane crash-lands

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA - JULY 27: A shocking surveillance video showed on Wednesday, July 27, the moment when a Somali passenger plane landed upside down before catching fire at an airport in the capital Mogadishu.



The incident occurred last month and all people on board were saved.



According to local media, the plane was flying quite low before touching down on the airport landing strip, and it managed to land upside down before catching fire, destroying most of the aircraft.



All the passengers were safe although some of them sustained minor injuries, the official said.



"The plane carrying 36 civilian passengers that departed from the Baidoa town early Monday crashed and all passengers survived, however, several passengers had minor injuries," he said.



It was a local flight from Baidoa to Mogadishu, Somali National TV reported, citing officials at the airport.



Civil aviation officials say an inquiry into the incident has been launched.

AA
Wildfire

Village of Apex residents can go home after two-plus weeks under evacuation order Apex residents can go home Contributed James Shalman/Apex Mountain Report An evacuation order for Apex Mountain Village will be rescinded at noon Tuesday. Residences in the village will be cleared for access after more than two weeks away while crews fought the Keremeos Creek wildfire. The properties will remain under evacuation alert for the time being, meaning residents returning home should still be ready to leave again if need be. The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen urges non-residents to stay clear of the village during the re-entry process. The Apex Mountain Waste Transfer Station will be available for residential garbage drop off. For a list of things to expect when returning home after an evacuation order, click here. A copy will also be provided upon re-entry, and more available at the Apex Volunteer Fire Rescue hall. Twenty-five properties along Sheep Creek Road, Highway 3A and Green Mountain Road remain under evacuation order. For an interactive list of properties under alert and order check here. The Keremeos Creek wildfire is estimated at nearly 7,000 hectares in size and has been "relatively stable," according to BC Wildfire Service, for the last few days. Photo: Apex Fire Brigade Local and wildfire fire crews that protected Apex while it was evacuated.

Firefighters battle new, 'vigorous' wildfire burning west of 70 Mile House BCWS battles 'vigorous' fire Photo: BC Wildfire Service The Meadow Lake wildfire is burning about 25 kilometres west of Highway 97. Air tankers, helicopters and several firefighters are tackling a vigorous wildfire burning west of 70 Mile House. According to the BC Wildfire Service, the Meadow Lake wildfire is estimated to be five hectares in size as of Monday evening. In a social media post, BCWS said the blaze is located one kilometre south of Meadow Lake and 25 kilometres west of Highway 97. There are currently 21 firefighters on site and two pieces of heavy equipment. Air tankers and helicopters are assisting with retardant and bucketing operations, the post said. The fire is estimated to be five hectares in size and is displaying vigorous fire activity. Smoke is highly visible from surrounding communities.



BCWS said no structures are currently threatened by the wildfire. The blaze was discovered on Monday and is believed to have been caused by lightning.

Watching Creek considered under control, BC Wildfire Service says Watching fire under control Photo: Kristen Holliday The Watching Creek wildfire, burning northwest of Kamloops on Aug. 3. The Watching Creek wildfire, located northwest of Kamloops, is now considered under control. Taylor Colman, a BC Wildfire Service fire information officer, said the wildfires status changed from being held to under control on Monday afternoon. Crews that are still remaining on site are just going to be doing patrolling and gear cleanup, that type of work. Sort of restoring things back to the way they were before we were there, Colman said. According to the BCWS, a wildfire is classified as under control when suppression efforts have ensured the wildfire wont spread any further. The wildfire, which was estimated to have spread to 270 hectares in size, was discovered on July 29 and is believed to have been sparked by lightning.

South Okanagan residents urged to pack an emergency kit before you need it Prepare a bag ahead of time Photo: Mike Biden While hundreds are still evacuated from their homes due to the Keremeos Creek wildfire, emergency officials are urging everyone else to take the time to pack a grab and go bag. In the case of wildfire emergencies, things can move fast. Its important for all citizens living within the wildfire urban interface to know what they will need to do if they receive an order to evacuate, says RDOS FireSmart Coordinator Kerry Riess. Now is a good time to consider all the needs of every member in your care, including pets and farm animals, so you can ensure your emergency kit includes all the items sufficient for at least 72 hours. The kit should include the following: Enough water for three days

Food that wont spoil such as canned goods, dried foods

Manual can opener

Flashlight

Batteries

Battery-powered radio

Candles / matches

First Aid kit

Medications

Whistle (to attract attention, if required)

Extra keys for your house and vehicle (fully fuelled)

Change of clothing

Blankets

Toilet paper

Cash in small bills, credit cards

List of key contacts

Face masks

Personal hygiene items

Paper, pencil or pen

Copies of important documents (birth certificates, insurance, passports)

Charger for cellphones, laptop and other devices

Pet food and bowls (if required)

Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses / contact lens solution (if required)

Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes (if required) Items to take if time allows: Easily carried valuables

Family photos and other irreplaceable items

Personal computer information on hard drives and disks

Always keep a sturdy pair of shoes and a flashlight near your bed in case of a sudden evacuation at night.

BCWS responding to two wildfires south of Logan Lake 2 fires south of Logan Lake Photo: BC Wildfire Service BC Wildfire Service crews are fighting two wildfires that are 1.5 kilometres apart, located south of Logan Lake. BC Wildfire Service personnel are responding to two wildfires located south of Logan Lake. Taylor Colman, BCWS fire information officer, said both wildfires  the LeRoy Lake fire and the Antler Lake fire  are about one hectare in size. The fires are less than two kilometres apart. According to BCWS, the fires are located about 10 kilometres away from Logan Lake, and are believed to have been caused by lightning. The wildfires were discovered on Monday. There's one unit crew that's been split between both of the fires. Theres 10 personnel on one and then nine on the other, and then they're being supervised and going between the two fires, Colman said. Colman said helicopters with buckets and air tankers were also working at the site of the fires earlier on Monday evening. Air tankers were able to box the fires in with retardant. According to BCWS, the fires dont currently pose a threat to people or property.

Crews making 'good progress' on Keremeos Creek wildfire Progress on Keremeos Creek Photo: BCWS BC Wildfire Service said crews battling the Keremeos Creek wildfire carried out a successful planned ignition near the Olalla Creek Forest Service Road on Aug. 11. UPDATE 2:30 p.m. The BC Wildfire Service says it was able to make good progress over the weekend on containment lines around the Keremeos Creek wildfire. Fire behaviour remains relatively stable due to moderate temperatures and humidity today, added fire officials. That trend is expected to continue until Wednesday when temperatures will start to rise again. The fire is still mapped at 6,950 hectares. Another aerial scan is planned on the fire in the coming days to help assess hot spots near the fires perimeter. Most of the activity on Sunday happened in the northwest and southwest on very steep terrain. Nearby communities can still expect to see smoke within the fire's perimeter over the coming weeks. This is common with large wildfires, and smoke will continue to be visible until there is significant rainfall over the fire, BCWS said. While smoke rising from within the burn zone is common, smoke coming from green trees outside the perimeter should be reported. There are currently 329 firefighters, 27 structure protection personnel, a liaison from Lower Similkameen Indian Band, 17 helicopters and 22 pieces of heavy equipment on site. Evacuation alerts and orders remain in place. An interactive map of the evacuation zones is here. ORIGINAL 5:30 a.m. Fire behaviour at the Keremeos Creek wildfire outside of Penticton remained relatively stable over the weekend. According to BC Wildfire Services, fire behaviour was lessened by moderate temperatures and increased humidity Saturday and Sunday. The fire remains stable along the western side of Highway 3A, and operational objectives remain mostly the same. The fire's northwest flank continues to be the most active section of the fire, suppression efforts are challenged by steep terrain that is inaccessible to crews and heavy equipment. From Keremeos Creek Road to Green Mountain Road, crews are extinguishing hot spots and removing combustible fuel 25 foot in from the fire perimeter, a process known as blacklining. Along Olalla Creek Road and Highway, 3A crews are patrolling and establishing a 100-foot blackline in from the fire perimeter. Structure protection personnel continue to maintain established structure protection systems at Apex Mountain and the Green Mountain Road. Lightning in the Kamloops Fire Centre BC Wildfire Service crews in the Lillooet zone of the Kamloops Fire Centre have responded to 17 wildfire starts in the last four days. These new starts are a result of thunderstorm activity which moved through the region between Aug. 10 - Aug. 13. "Thanks to the publics quick detection of these new starts, our firefighters and aircraft were able to effectively respond. Six of these wildfires are out, four are under control, and one is being held. Of the 17 new starts, all but two of the wildfires are estimated to be one hectare or smaller in size," says the Briana Hill, BCWS spokesperson. The two wildfires which are larger than one hectare are classified as out of control and are burning at high elevations in inaccessible terrain in the Stein Valley. The other wildfires that are currently out of control are also burning on steep cliffs in challenging terrain which do not have safe access or egress routes for ground personnel. Helicopters have been bucketing water to keep fire behaviour low while wildfire officers evaluate these incidents and come up with response plans that dont compromise responder safety. These wildfires are not currently threatening human life or other values. A spokesperson for the BC Wildfire Service says 80 per cent of the 212 new fires sparked across the province since Wednesday were caused by lightning. Briana Hill says the service was well prepared and 69 per cent of all of those ignited by the strikes are now classified as out, under control or being held. The service says in a statement that this is not unusual as August is typically an active month for lightning strikes in the province, second only to July.

Kelowna Fire Department says wildfire started near homeless camp Wildfire by homeless camp Photo: Contributed A brush fire near UBC Okanagan was started from a homeless camp. Just after 2:15 p.m. the Kelowna Regional Dispatch Centre received multiple reports of black smoke near the end of Acadia St.



Crews located a 50 ft. by 50 ft. brush fire with rank two intensity. No structures were threatened and crews were able to quickly contain and extinguish the fire without injury to firefighters or the public.



The fire is deemed accidental.



The Kelowna Fire Department responded with three engines, a bush truck and a command unit including 15 fire personnel. RCMP also assisted and BCWS had ground crews and air support on standby.



The Kelowna Fire Department would like to remind the public to be careful with any ignition source and that all fires are currently banned within the Kamloops Fire Centre due to the dangerous fire conditions. Campfires are also prohibited within the City of Kelowna at all times of the year. ORIGINAL 2:15 p.m. A grass fire close to UBC Okanagan along Vint Road has reportedly been extinguished by the Kelowna Fire Department. Crews were called to the scene after 2:30 p.m. Sunday after reports of smoke in the area. A Castanet viewer reported seeing several trees engulfed in flame. At this time it is unknown what caused the fire. Castanet has requested more detail from the Kelowna Fire Department. Crews remain on the scene putting out hot spots. Photo: Contributed

BCWS crews respond to spot-sized fires caused by lightning BCWS tackles small fires Photo: BC Wildfire Service Crews are tackling a number of spot-sized fires in Kamloops zone, BC Wildfire Service said. BC Wildfire Service crews are responding to a number of spot-sized wildfires reported around the Kamloops fire zone after last weeks thunderstorms. The Kamloops fire zone is a smaller area within the Kamloops Fire Centre, covering an area just north of Merritt to Wells Gray Provincial Park. On Sunday afternoon, Taylor Colman, fire information officer with BCWS, said fires caused by last weeks lightning are all under a hectare in size, and are being actioned by crew members. I would say many of them are just a single tree that's on fire. So [it]s pretty quick to move through them and get them considered under control or out, Colman said. On Sunday, small fires near Heffley Creek and McCloud Lake, which is located south of Kamloops, were reported to the agency. Spot-sized fires near ONeil Creek, southeast of Lac Le Jeune and Gump Creek, south of Logan Lake were reported on Saturday. Colman said in the Kamloops fire zone, there are only three fires over one hectare in size. These includes the 270 hectare Watching Creek wildfire northeast of Kamloops, which was discovered on July 29 and is now being held. Further north, the Harper Creek wildfire south of Vavenby was discovered on July 29, and is also believed to have been caused by lightning. This fire is 22 hectares in size. A two hectare fire near Barriere Pass is now under control.

Richter Mountain wildfire 17 kilometres west of Osoyoos is now classified as being held Richter Wildfire now 'held' Photo: BCWS Facebook According to the BC Wildfire Service, the Richter Mountain wildfire, 17 kilometres west of Osoyoos along Highway 3, is now classified as 'being held'. According to the BC Wildfire page, being held indicates that sufficient suppression action has been taken so that the fire is not likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under the prevailing and forecasted conditions. When a fire is under control, it has received sufficient suppression action to ensure no further spread of the fire. The blaze was sparked by a vehicle fire along Highway 3 between Osoyoos and Cawston early on August 3rd. It quickly spread upslope but then was slowed by rocky terrain. "Since this fire was discovered, crews worked to build a hand guard up slope on either side of the fire and were supported by both helicopters and airtankers to suppress the fire burning in steep terrain at high elevations. The wildfire is not likely to spread beyond determined containment lines due to the suppression carried out by the BC Wildfire Service," BCWS said in an update on Facebook. Crews will continue to work the fire to extinguish areas of heat and flame in the coming days.

Keremeos Creek remained stable but winds could increase activity Sunday, BCWS says Fire behaviour stable Photo: BC Wildfire Service BC Wildfire Service said crews battling the Keremeos Creek wildfire carried out a successful planned ignition near the Olalla Creek Forest Service Road on Aug. 11. UPDATE: 2:05 p.m. According to BCWS, fire behaviour remains relatively stable due to moderate temperatures and increased humidity Friday and Saturday. On August 12, sections of the fire received between two and six millimetres of rain. This reduced fire behaviour, permitted crews to do more direct attack and progress containment lines. The fire remains stable along the western side of Highway 3A, and operational objectives remain mostly the same.? The Northwest flank continues to be the most active section of the fire, suppression efforts are challenged by steep terrain that is inaccessible to crews and heavy equipment. From Keremeos Creek Road to Green Mountain Road crews are extinguishing hot spots and removing combustible fuel 25 foot in from the fire perimeter, a process known as blacklining. Along Olalla Creek Road and Highway 3A crews are patrolling and establishing a 100 foot blackline in from the fire perimeter. Structure protection personnel continue to maintain established structure protection systems at Apex Mountain and the Green Mountain Road. High daytime temperatures continue to challenge crews. A ridge of high pressure will settle over the province, earlier next week and daytime temperatures are expected to rise. ORIGINAL: 9:15 a.m. Fire behaviour at the Keremeos Creek wildfire remained stable over the weekend, but the BC Wildfire Service says a shift in wind direction could increase activity on Sunday. New mapping from BCWS estimates the wildfire, burning southwest of Penticton, is now estimated to be 6,948 hectares in size. In a Saturday night update, BCWS said crews have been able to use direct attack methods and progress containment lines due to the mild temperatures and increased humidity experienced over the fire. BCWS said the northwest section of the fire remains the most active. Suppression efforts are challenged by steep terrain that is inaccessible to crews and heavy equipment, BCWS said. Where possible, crews are using direct attack along the northwest corner of the fire. BCWS said crews are establishing a hand guard between Keremeos Creek and along Green Mountain Road, while patrol and mop up continues south of Green Mountain Road, along Highway 3A and Sheep Creek Road. To the southwest, firefighters have set up a water delivery system around Winter Creek, and crews continue mopping up and patrolling along Olalla Creek Road and Highway 3. Night operations are continuing to monitor the fires edge up to the Olalla FSR for any spillover caused by rolling debris, BCWS said. BCWS said nearby communities can expect to see smoke within the fire perimeter over the coming weeks, but encourage residents to report any smoke that appears to be rising from green, unburned fuel or from outside the fire perimeter. Photo: BC Wildfire Service The perimeter of the Keremeos Creek wildfire as of Aug. 10.
Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE 3:01 p.m.

The B.C. Prosecution Service says a stay of proceedings has been directed in the sex assault trial of former provincial cabinet minister and Indigenous leader Edward John.

The decision to halt the case in the B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George follows cross-examination of a complainant in allegations that date back to 1974.

Justice Terence Schultes called an early break in proceedings when the woman, now in her 60s, broke down in tears under questioning from John's defence lawyer.

Prosecutor Michael Klein met with the woman in an interview room and when Klein returned to the courtroom, he told Schultes the case would not proceed against 71-year-old John, who has pleaded not guilty.

The B.C. Prosecution Service says in a statement the charges have been stayed because the charge assessment standard requiring a substantial likelihood of conviction was no longer met.

John, a lawyer and hereditary chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation, was appointed to the B.C. cabinet and served as minister for the Children's Ministry in the New Democrat government between November 2000 and June 2001.

ORIGINAL 9:56 a.m.

Emotions ran high Monday when a trial began in Prince George for a prominent B.C. Indigenous leader accused of repeatedly raping a then-teenage girl nearly 50 years ago.

Edward John faces four counts of rape - the term then used for what is now known as sexual assault - alleged to have occurred between March 1 and Sept. 15, 1974 in Prince George, Cluculz Lake and Fraser Lake.

The complainant, a woman now in her 60s whose name is shielded by a court-ordered publication ban, testified she was nearing completion of her Grade 8 year when she secured a part-time job through the Prince George Native Friendship Centre that turned into a full-time position once school was out for the summer break.

She alleged that John, who was the organization's executive director, forced sex on her in his office on two separate occasions and then twice in one day while they were on a trip to a youth conference in a community to the west.

She testified that John had turned off onto a road into Cluculz Lake, stopped at the site of a "dilapidated shack" and then forced her to have sex with him in the passenger seat of his Volkswagen Beetle.

He did the same thing again later in the day after they drove out to the site of the old Lejac Residential School, the court was told. He ordered her to go out for a swim with him in nearby Fraser Lake without clothes on and then had sex with her in a change room near the shore.

Instead of continuing on to the youth conference, they returned to Prince George, she alleged.

By then she had turned 14 years old, the court was told.

Under cross examination by John's lawyer, Tony Paisana, she agreed she did not resist John's advances but only because he was her boss and was worried she would be fired.

"I was a child and he raped me and I couldn't do anything and I couldn't say anything and you ask me these questions like it was my fault," she shot back near the end of the day. "I was a child, he was the adult."

The woman, who is the Crown's sole witness, said she went to RCMP with her allegations in 2017 when the #MeToo movement was "all over the news."

She said her husband asked her if she thought the women who had gone public with their allegations of being sexually assaulted were lying.

"I really shouted at him. I said 'no.' I said women don't lie about those things, victims don't lie about that," she testified.

Later noting she was in counselling at the time, she said she couldn't understand why she was so angry at the time but within a week it all came back.

"I remembered, it just came to me," she told the court.

It was not the first time she experience the memories and tried to take action, the court heard.

In the early 1990s, when she and her first husband were going through a stressful time, she testified she phoned the RCMP to make a complaint but backed away when police allegedly told her that because of his high stature he would be difficult to prosecute unless other victims filed similar complaints.

"To me (it was an instance of) people who should look after us not doing what we think they should be doing, so I just gave up, I didn't pursue it," she said when she provided testimony led by the Crown prosecutor, Michael Klein.

When Paisana challenged the woman under cross examination, suggesting the RCMP said no such thing, she stuck to her story.

The woman also maintained John sported short hair at the time, much like he does now. In response, Paisana presented her with photos from identification cards and from a newspaper story from the time showing John with shoulder-length hair.

Paisana raised questions over her account of the alleged incident at Cluculz Lake, noting that she told her counsellor it occured in the shack and then told police it occured in car's back seat.

The woman agreed she made the contradictory statements but added she was trying to sort out and make sense of what happened at a "very stressful time."

She admitted to having struggles with drugs and alcohol but maintained they only affected her memory of minor events.

But Paisana appeared to also suggest that the events actually occurred in the summer of 1975, after her 15th birthday, and that they were consensual. The woman bristled at the suggestion, prompting her comment that she was just a child.

She also noted two other major events for her that year - the death of her mother just before she got the job and the purchase of a new and expensive bicycle with the money she had earned.

John is a former leader of the First Nations Summit and former B.C. cabinet minister. He is also a hereditary chief of Tl'azt'en Nation in northern B.C. and a lawyer who holds honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of Victoria.
Photo: Dutch police

UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.

British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd feared that the person who was harassing and extorting her would continue for the rest of her life, and there was nothing she could do to stop it, a Crown attorney told B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Kristen LeNoble showed the court a Facebook post that Todd wrote shortly after the harasser shared sexualized images of her, saying, "I feel so sad, I feel so sick."

The teen from Port Coquitlam, who died nearly a decade ago, had previously written a post asking people to support her, and not judge her, as she feared her harasser was about to distribute content depicting her in a sexual manner, she said.

"This is such a horrible feeling for me," LeNoble read from one of Todd's posts.

She told the jury trial for Aydin Coban, the Dutch man accused of extorting Todd, that the person had been threatening to distribute links to her family, friends and classmates unless she performed a series of sexual "shows" on a web camera.

Coban has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possessing child pornography.

At one point, one of the numerous aliases used to extort Todd sent a message telling her she had until the end of the day "until all hell breaks loose," LeNoble said.

The person also threatened to report Todd to child-protection authorities, she said.

LeNoble said Todd had written a Facebook post urging people to block one of the harasser's accounts, saying it was a "sick pedophile" who was blackmailing her.

The teen wrote, "He will send you a link of me, of what I did that was very stupid, but people make mistakes," she said.

Todd implored people not to share any content they may receive, she said.

"I'm like bawling my eyes out," said LeNoble, reading from the post.

LeNoble told the jury on Tuesday that by the time the Crown has finished its closing argument, it will have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Coban was the person behind 22 separate online aliases used to harass and extort Todd.

Later Wednesday, attorney Marcel Daigle moved to the next phase of the Crown's argument to prove that one person was behind all of the accounts.

Daigle showed the jury examples of messages that Todd received from different usernames on multiple online platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and Gmail, some of which were "word for word the same" and sent on the same day.

LeNoble told the court Todd had also pushed back against her harasser, sending them a message saying she hoped they felt guilty for "ruining a young girl's life."

She showed the jury messages the harasser had exchanged on Facebook with several people Todd was connected with on the site, including one male friend who expressed interest in viewing sexualized images of the teen.

The harasser shared a link to a pornography website, and Todd's Facebook friend responded, "Sick, thanks bro," LeNoble said.

The extortion began just before Todd turned 13 in November 2009, she said.

Crown prosecutor Louise Kenworthy told the jury at the start of the trial almost two months ago that Todd had been the victim of a persistent campaign of online "sextortion" over three years before her death at age 15 in October 2012.

The Crown is expected to continue its arguments for the rest of the week.

ORIGINAL: 6:45 a.m.

B.C. teenager Amanda Todd said on Facebook that a "pedophile" had been blackmailing her for years, as she warned people about an account she said the perpetrator operated, a Crown attorney told B.C. Supreme Court.

In closing arguments at the trial of Dutchman Aydin Coban, Kristen LeNoble told the jury that Todd made the post shortly before receiving a message from another Facebook user demanding she perform sexual "shows" on camera, or videos of her exposing her breasts would be sent to her family and classmates.

The teenager from Port Coquitlam, B.C., had recently moved in with her father in a nearby community and started attending a new school, LeNoble said.

Coban has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possessing child pornography.

LeNoble began closing arguments Tuesday by telling the jurors the Crown would spend the next few days helping them "unpack" the significant amount of evidence, including testimony from more than 30 witnesses and binders full of 80 exhibits.

By the time they were finished, she said, the Crown would have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Coban was the person behind 22 separate online aliases used to extort Todd over several years before she died almost a decade ago.

Some of the messages feigned support and tried to build a trusting relationship with Todd, while others threatened to ruin her life, LeNoble told the jury.

LeNoble showed the jury a message the harasser sent to Todd's family and school administrators while posing as a member of a child protection agency, which included a link to a pornography website displaying a video of the teenager.

She described how another alias on Facebook was used to send messages with the same link to 99 users from Todd's friends list on the social networking site.

The harassment began just before Todd turned 13 in November 2009, she said.

"Enough nice-guy act," said LeNoble, reading from one of the messages where the harasser threatened to publicly distribute a video of Todd exposing her breasts.

"You're gonna do as you are told  I already have 17 people in your family, 52 schoolmates and teachers of your school through their official site. I can send them this instant, together with child protection agencies, who will go after you," she read.

"Your life will never be the same  Or you do as I say, and after 10 shows, where you do as I say, I disappear, like nothing happened," read the message that LeNoble called a "real sledgehammer of a harassing, extorting and luring message."

Crown prosecutor Louise Kenworthy told the jury at the start of the trial almost two months ago that Todd had been the victim of a persistent campaign of online "sextortion" over three years before her death at age 15 in October 2012.

Carol Todd testified that her daughter was scared when she brought messages to her attention, and Amanda's distress increased with each incident.

LeNoble showed the jury a message Amanda had sent to her cousin and other people she knew after the video of her exposing her breasts had been distributed.

In the message, Amanda said she had "flashed" about "200 guys" on YouTube the year before because they were "begging" and she "thought it wouldn't matter."

The message shows the teenager then wrote she had "wrecked" her life with that video because of the harassment and extortion that followed.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Britain is sending a military expert on the threat posed by Russia and China in the Arctic to work in the British High Commission in Ottawa.

In a sign of deepening co-operation between Canada and Britain on defence matters, the U.K. is dispatching Nick Diggle, a former Royal Navy officer and research specialist in Arctic security, to Ottawa in September.

The former counterterrorism expert's move follows a warning from Canadas defence chief that protecting the Arctic region is a key concern for the Armed Forces.

At a conference in Ottawa in March, Gen. Wayne Eyre said Russia had reoccupied abandoned Cold War bases in its Far North.

The threat of a Russian incursion into Canadas Arctic is very low at the moment, he said, but it is not inconceivable that our sovereignty may be challenged in the future from the North.

Eyre also highlighted Russia's remilitarization of the North, which is potentially vulnerable because of its sparse population and lack of infrastructure.

Diggle, a former warfare officer with the Royal Navy, has been researching how the U.K. and Canada can work together to combat the geostrategic threat from Russia and China in the Arctic" at the Changing Character of War Centre based at Oxford University in England.

The centre, which studies armed conflict, said Diggle will take up the post of minister-counsellor at the High Commission in Ottawa.

In an October interview with the Sunday Times, a British newspaper, U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said London is planning to strike new security deals with democratic countries to fight the influence of China and Russia.

Gen. Sir Jim Hockenhull, chief of defence intelligence in the U.K., signalled last year that Britain is planning to send more intelligence personnel overseas during a rare public appearance at the Defence and Security Equipment International trade exhibition in London.

The U.Ks Ministry of Defence told The Canadian Press that Britain is increasing the number of defence intelligence personnel who operate overseas to help the country build relationships with key international partners.

Diggle, who did not respond to a request for comment, was commissioned into the Royal Navy as a warfare officer in 1988.

He served in the navy for over 12 years, later joining the U.K.s Foreign Ministry, where he served in a range of roles and overseas postings including in Oman and Mexico. He also recently worked on global counterterrorism issues in London.

A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Ottawa said developments in the Arctic affect the environment, prosperity, energy supply and security.

A 2021 review set out the U.K.'s approach of helping to maintain the region as one of high co-operation and low tension, contributing to Arctic science  particularly on the impacts of climate change  and working with partners such as Canada, she added.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Rogers Communications Inc. has extended the deadline of its $26-billion proposed merger with Shaw Communications Inc. to Dec. 31 as the company's second quarter profit jumps.

The deadline for the deal to close was previously extended to July 31.

On the company's earnings call with analysts Wednesday, CEO Tony Staffieri said the decision to move the date reflects the commitment it and Shaw have to getting the deal done.

"We wanted to set a date that made it clear that we have that commitment," he said.

Even though the telecom giant remains confident that the deal will close, especially with the additional time, it says it does have "strategies" available in the event that the transaction faces further hurdles.

Rogers, Shaw and Quebecor Inc. still need to reach a definitive agreement on the sale of wireless carrier Freedom Mobile as well  a $2.85-billion deal that is intended to help appease regulators mulling the Rogers-Shaw merger. An agreement was widely expected to come earlier this month.

Rogers said it is continuing to work with Quebecor on this agreement and to address the "complexities" associated with the sale.

The Rogers-Shaw deal has received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, but still needs to get the greenlight from the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Rogers said Wednesday that it recorded an increase in profit and sales in its latest quarter as its wireless service revenue increased by double digits.

The cable, wireless and media company says it earned $409 million in its second quarter or 76 cents per diluted share, up 35 per cent from $302 million and 60 cents per share a year earlier.

Adjusted profits were $463 million or 86 cents per share, compared with $387 million or 76 cents per share in the second quarter of 2021.

Revenues for the three months ended June 30 were $3.87 billion, up from $3.58 billion the year before as wireless service revenue soared 11 per cent.

Cable service revenue increased by three per cent in the second quarter primarily due to service pricing changes and increases in its internet subscriber base while media revenue increased by 21 per cent due to higher advertising and Blue Jays revenues.

Rogers also said that the customer credits related to its July 8 network outage are estimated to cost $150 million and will be included in its third quarter results.

In a news release, Staffieri said the company's performance reflects "the incredible hard work by our wireless, cable, and media teams as we continue to recover from the impacts of the pandemic."

"In the coming quarters, we will continue to focus on delivering additional improvements as we build on these results, while also working hard to regain the trust of our customers following our recent network outage."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Indigenous groups in the United States are echoing Canadian complaints about the Pope's apology to survivors of residential schools north of the border.

The National Congress of American Indians acknowledged the apology from Pope Francis as a historic moment, but is pressing the church to do more.

President Fawn Sharp says the Canadian residential school system was modelled after a similar system in the U.S., one under investigation by the Department of the Interior.

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition wants the church to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery  a series of 15th-century Catholic Church decrees that justified the colonization of Indigenous lands.

The group also notes the Pope made no explicit mention of genocide or sexual abuse, nor any plans by the church to address what it calls crimes against humanity.

Both groups are calling on the church to release all records related to the boarding school system in order to improve accountability and further the healing process.

Pope Francis is leaving Edmonton for Quebec City today, beginning the next stage of what he has described as his "penitential" journey in Canada.
Photo: Raihan aljrf

Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdads parliament Wednesday, chanting curses against Iran, in a protest against the selection of a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.

Many protesters were followers of an influential cleric. Some were seen walking on tables and waving Iraqi flags.

No lawmakers were present. Only security forces were inside the building and they appeared to allow the protesters in with relative ease.

Demonstrators, many among them the followers of an influential cleric, breached Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday to protest the selection of a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.

Riot police used water cannons to repel demonstrators pulling down cement blast walls. But many breached the gates to the area, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies.

In the biggest protest since federal elections were held in October, the demonstrators walked down the zone's main thoroughfare, with dozens gathering outside the doors to the parliament building.

The demonstrators were protesting the recent nomination of Mohammed al-Sudani as the official nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies.

Riot police assembled at the doors to the main gates. Demonstrators crowded around two entrances to the Green Zone, with some scaling the cement wall and chanting, Sudani, out!"

Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for calm and restraint, and for protesters to immediately withdraw from the area.

The demonstrators were largely followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who recently stepped down from the political process despite having won the most seats in the October federal election. Protesters carried portraits of the cleric.

Al-Sadr's followers stormed the Green Zone in 2016 and entered the country's parliament building.

Al-Sudani was selected by State of Law leader and former premier Nouri al-Maliki. Before al-Sudani can face parliament to be seated officially as premier-designate, parties must first select a president.

Al-Sadr exited government formation talks after he was not able to corral enough lawmakers to get the majority required to elect Iraqs next president.

By replacing his lawmakers, the Framework leader pushed ahead to form next government. Many fear doing so also opens the doors to street protests organized by al-Sadr's large grass roots following and instability.
Castanet reported the federal government is concerned Canadians are displaying Canadian flags (as the story image shows) at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Castanet, 25th July 2022).

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay was outraged. Defence Minister Anita Anand accused those involved of "desecration".

Has the country gone utterly insane? Let's clarify for a second. Canadians displaying Canadian flags at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown (Canadian) Soldier, and government officials are outraged?

It seems they (the government) are outraged by themselves, not from public pressure or opinion, because the story leads that the government is "coming under pressure", yet it was government officials who were articulating their opinion on the matter. We need to clarify whether Canadians are outraged, and if so, why?

We need to then examine the cause of the outrage because paying respects to fallen Canadian soldiers is a very Canadian thing to do, and displaying the Canadian flag as a source of national pride associated with such selfless acts and as respect for the same, seems highly appropriate.

Soldiers died for the country during conflicts, wore the Maple Leaf on their uniforms, and as far as I am aware they were buried with the Canadian flag.

Perhaps those who are so outraged about such things should reconsider their role in Canadian civil and public life. Perhaps they should reconsider what it means to be Canadian. How we uphold our traditional values of respect, national pride, dignity, and core values. Outrage seems to be the new attention seeking.

For those government officials concerned, perhaps there are more pressing national matters they could involve themselves in.

The media should act like the wardens of the institution, and challenge people on this faux outrage.

Most days I feel like Canada has become one great big asylum.

Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna
Photo: . Police were able to seize more than $8 million in drugs from organized crime groups in Metro Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver police departments have announced the seizure of a massive amount of drugs along with other items during a cooperative organized crime investigation.

Over 10 kg of fentanyl, 22 kg of cocaine, and 41 kg of methamphetamine were seized as part of Project Tint, an investigation that began with Vancouver Police Department (VPD) detectives in May.

During the week of July 18 police raided three residences connected to gangs and organized crime in the lower mainland; two in New Westminster and one in Port Moody.

Along with the 73 kg of drugs, police seized $172,000 in cash, two vehicles and a kilogram press. Two people were also arrested.

This is one of the larger drug seizures we have seen in recent years, says Inspector Phil Heard from VPDs Organized Crime Section in a press release. We believe this investigation, and the substantial seizure of drugs and cash will have a significant impact on organized crime in the Lower Mainland.

Project Tint started out trying to target one particular organized crime group involved in the ongoing gang conflict in Metro Vancouver.

"A seizure of this size will undoubtedly reduce the amount of fentanyl and other illicit drugs sold on the streets, Heard says.

The VPD worked with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit BC (CFSEU-BC) and the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team on the project.

The results of the initial phase of the Vancouver Police Departments project was a success and we look forward to continuing our support as the investigation progresses," says CFSEU-BC Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton.
Photo: The Canadian Press Rogers Communications signage is pictured in Ottawa on July 12, 2022.

The recent Rogers outage has spurred a flurry of policy recommendations from experts and elected officials, including legislation that would recognize telecommunication services as essential public ones, but experts say much of the responsibility to act falls on the federal telecom regulator.

The July 8 Rogers outage, which left over 12 million Canadians in a communications blackout and affected access to 911 emergency services, prompted the House of Commons industry committee to hold hearings. Rogers executives, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission officials were among the witnesses who testified on Monday.

During the hearings, MPs searched for solutions, including whether more laws were needed to ensure telecom services were regulated like public utilities.

This is obviously an essential service, said New Democrat MP Brian Masse. Why not a telecom bill of rights?

The outage has led to added scrutiny of the telecom industry as well as critiques of the CRTC for its regulatory role.

Bram Abramson, a principle at 32M, a regulated telecom advisor, said the Telecommunications Act already recognizes telecom services as essential and that the answer to the Rogers outage isnt shiny new laws.

Ultimately, I dont think the problem is that we dont have enough laws, or that there isnt recognition that its important, Abramson said.

The CRTC is responsible for carrying out the objectives outlined in the Telecommunications Act, which calls for "reliable and affordable telecommunications services of high quality accessible to Canadians in both urban and rural areas in all regions of Canada.

The problem is that the actual regulatory framework put in place to respond to those broad principles wasnt up to the job, Abramson said.

Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor, said public utilities have been discussed in the context of services that are inadequate in some communities. In the context of the Rogers outage, Geist said he took the ideas raised by MPs to reflect a palpable frustration and a search for solutions.

The idea of either labeling certain services as essential services or as public utilities all go to the notion of a more aggressive approach from a regulatory perspective, he said.

During the hearings, Conservative MP Tracy Gray asked the head of the CRTC, Ian Scott, whether the regulator was fulfilling its mandate.

Scott said yes, it was.

The CRTC faced criticism from experts who testified on the effect of the outage on access to emergency services.

Ben Klass, a doctoral candidate at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication, told the committee the regulator has some responsibility to bear.

(The CRTCs) processes must be improved and perhaps it should be required to rethink its relatively permissive approach to regulating critical services, Klass said.

The CRTC says it is reviewing a submission from Rogers addressing the causes of the outage and will determine next steps.

The experts who testified at the hearings laid out a series of suggested policy changes and called for the CRTC to lead a full public inquiry that extends beyond its current investigation.

In his testimony, Champagne said he expects the CRTC to do a full investigation of the outage, and he referred to new policy directives his office issued in May to the CRTC aimed at enhancing competition in the telecom industry.

Geist said although he didnt call for a public utility model in his recommendations, there are clear next steps that can be taken from a regulatory standpoint to address these concerns.

He advocates compensation models for consumers, greater transparency from telecom companies, better communication processes during outages, and the levying of penalties.

Geist said the federal government has failed in providing adequate oversight of the regulator, noting the testimonies of Rogers executives, Champagne and the CRTC officials sounded similar.

They all sought to paint the Rogers outage as this exceptional one-off that needs to be addressed, as opposed to being open to examining the more systemic problems that plagued the industry."
Photo: Photo: Dan Toulgoet. Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson

The food company co-founded by former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson has filed a fraud suit where it wants CIBC to reveal the name of an alleged fraudulent account holder.



In a notice of civil claim and accompanying application filed in B.C. Supreme Court on July 22, Happy Planet Foods Inc. says it was defrauded of $570,701.



Between May 26 and June 24, a person named as John Doe impersonated themselves as a Ms. Manalstas, an accounting clerk at Richard Milling Ltd., a Happy Planet existing supplier, states the court document.



The claim alleges the impersonator caused the company to redirect payments to a CIBC account. The company said it has traced the funds to that account.



Happy Planet said it received an email from the imposter saying the supplier had switched banks and included a void cheque with a bank transit number and account.



The company made arrangements for payments to the real supplier to be sent to that account.



The claim said Happy Planet became aware it was dealing with an imposter and that the real supplier had not received payments on June 30.



That same day, Happy Planet provided notice to CIBC of the issue and asked for the account transaction records and identity of the account holder.



While that identity has not been released, the account has been frozen, the claim said.



The claim said Happy Planet has been told some of the funds are available for recovery but a court order is needed for that to happen.



The claim seeks restitution of the money, a tracing order to track the funds, an order to CIBC to produce transaction records as well as the names and contact numbers of anyone associated with the account.



Robertson and Randal Ius started Happy Planet in 1994.



Robertson left company day-to-day operations in 2005 after winning the election for the Vancouver-Fraserview MLA seat.



Robertson continued to list Happy Planet on his annual city hall disclosure form, even after winning a second term as mayor in 2011 with Vision Vancouver. News that he had divested himself from the company came on city hall annual financial disclosure statements in January 2013.



None of the allegations have been proven in court.



[email protected]



twitter.com/jhainswo
BUA to expand Kalambaina plant

ICR Newsroom By 27 July 2022

BUA Cement is reportedly in talks with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) over a loan to expand its integrated cement plant in Kalambaina, Sokoto State, Nigeria. According to Reuters, the company is looking to increase the plant's cement production capacity from 2Mta to 8Mta.

Published under
Advent International partners Cemex and invests in NEORIS

27 July 2022

Advent International is partnering with CEMEX to accelerate the growth and development of NEORIS. As a global provider of tech consultancy and digital transformation services, NEORIS will strengthen its capabilities and reach through Advents expertise in the space.

With Advents support, NEORIS will deepen its focus on artificial intelligence, data science, cloud solutions, and automation, etc. These verticals are aligned with CEMEXs priorities for its continued digital transformation. NEORIS will also continue focussing on strategic industries such as financial services, telecommunications, media, manufacturing, retail, and consumer packaged goods, among others.

We are excited that Advent is investing in NEORIS, launching the next stage of a journey that started two decades ago, says Luis Hernandez, executive vice president of Digital and Organization Development at CEMEX. CEMEX remains committed to leveraging digital technology to spearhead the evolution of the building materials industry. This partnership strengthens NEORIS and its role as a strategic ally for us.

As part of the creation of the partnership, Advent will acquire from CEMEX a 65 per cent stake in NEORIS. CEMEX will retain a 35 per cent stake. Subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, including approvals from antitrust authorities, Advent and CEMEX expect to finalise the transaction during the 2H22.

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Cahya Mata Sarawak plans to double its cement capacity

27 July 2022

Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS) is looking at doubling its current cement production at the Bintulu grinding plant as the conglomerate plans to ramp up capacity for construction of Indonesia's new capital Nusantara. The Bintulu grinding plant in Sarawak has a current production capacity of 0.75Mta.

Regional demand for cement is expected to increase with the Nusantara City project set to be inaugurated in 2024. Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, had said early construction of Nusantara is underway, signalling some progress in the IDR142.34bn (US$32bn) project, according to a Reuters report. The mega project would see Indonesia move its capital from Jakarta to an underdeveloped area on Borneo island.

The group is also talking to certain parties about joint ventures and partnerships in Indonesia, sources told StarBiz, adding that CMS has contacted Bintuu Port Holdings Bhd on the ports ability to handle the extra capacity.

CMS operates an integrated plant at Mambong, and grinding plants in Pending and Bintulu, as well as in Malaysia, with a combined production capacity of 2.75Mta of cement.

Published under
We are fortunate for a city our size to have three excellent hospitals in the area. Erlanger, Parkridge and CHI Memorial provide excellent service to their patients and Memorial is even rated #2 in the state behind Vanderbilt.

However Parkridge is blocking Memorial's planned new facility in North Georgia by contesting and appealing the Certificate of Need required by the state of Georgia.

I volunteer at the Heart Institute at Memorial Glenwood and many of the patients we help are from North Georgia. It seems only reasonable that new facilities are needed in that area to relieve the pressure at CHI.

The current facility was originally built in 1904 and the most recent improvements are more than 60 years old. To upgrade that facility to meet current standards would cost four times more than the projected cost of the new facility.

Memorial made a commitment to provide life saving healthcare to the people in NW Georgia. It's time to remove the barriers and start work on the new facility.

Douglas Jones

Member CHI Memorial Volunteer Auxiliary Board
A woman on Dixon Street told police her neighbor talks to her when she is outside and that she doesnt like it. She asked police to ask her neighbor to stop talking to her. The officer told the woman police cannot order someone to stop casually greeting their neighbor.



* * *

Police were dispatched to a suspicious activity on W. 14th Street Court where a woman said someone was beating on the back door of her apartment and she believed that it was her ex-boyfriend. The person who was knocking on her door was gone before police arrived.

* * *

Police were called to check on a suspicious gray Audi circling the block on Mulberry Street. Police found the car and conducted a traffic stop based on the vehicles expired Georgia temporary tag. The driver said he was taking his friend home and got lost. He told police he had been drinking. Police conducted a field sobriety test and found little to no nystagmus in either eye. Police were not able to smell alcohol coming from the driver and he wasnt exhibiting signs of being intoxicated. Police, however, did request the driver park the car and get a ride home. He complied with this request.

* * *

A man on Power Alley told police someone broke the padlock on his U-Haul trailer and stole two duffel bags of clothing and miscellaneous items.

* * *

An anonymous female called police and said a man had cut himself with knives on Chestnut Street. Dispatch gave a possible wireless phase two address of an apartment at the location. Police spoke with the people in that apartment, who said they didnt call and all was fine. The female was calling from a 911 only phone, and no contact could be made after she hung up. Police checked the surrounding area and found no signs of distress or suspicious activity.

* * *

An employee of Tailgate Brewery at 1464 Market St. told police someone used a brick to break the door glass and bash in a window of the business.

* * *

A woman on W. 38th Street told police that morning her car had both rear tires flat. She didnt have any witnesses, but believes that the suspect who slashed her neighbor's tire is the same one that damaged her tires.

* * *

A woman on Tennessee Avenue told police someone scratched/keyed the driver's door of her Mitsubishi Outlander.

* * *

A man on Ely Road called police and said he was at a Circle K and accidentally struck the stone pillars near a parking spot. He said the front, driver side bumper was dented and scratched.

* * *

A man and woman were arguing at a residence on 6th Avenue. The man had been trespassed from the East Lake property, but the woman continues to invite him over. Both the man and woman are alcoholics, and whenever they drink it leads to arguments. An officer instructed the man to leave the property, and he complied. Housing investigators were notified of the incident.

* * *

A woman on Hixson Pike told police a tree had fallen onto her truck and her neighbor's car. An officer observed a tree and some vines that appeared to be on top of and across a blue Chevrolet Silverado, with some of the end branches having damaged a red Chevrolet Impala. The woman said the truck actually belonged to her significant other, but he was asleep at the time. She provided police with his ID and insurance card and said the truck was worth approximately $7,500. They had already spoken with both their insurance company and the landlord. The landlord had called maintenance personnel to take care of the tree. The woman said she knew the owners of the Impala but they didnt want to speak with police.

* * *

Dispatched received a call from an unknown woman on Mae Dell Road that was screaming at a man about a phone, then disconnected. Dispatch attempted a call back numerous times with no response. Police arrived on scene and didn't see any signs of distress. Police saw a man and woman walk past the door in a normal fashion, but upon police knocking on the door numerous times, there was no answer. Police checked CopLink and the addresses/phone number showed no prior incidents.

* * *

Police were called to a residence on 12th Avenue where a woman said her son would not let her sleep. She said he kept arguing with her and would yell around the house. Her son left the scene prior to police arrival. The woman said she didnt want him back at the house and he should be trespassed if officers found him. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the son.

* * *

A man at Buffalo Valley at 5900 Shaw Ave. told police he is in charge of a group home for veterans in recovery. He said veterans stay there free of charge for as long as they remain compliant with house rules. One man has been refusing to comply with house rules and has declined to take a urine test. The man said he refused to leave and has been yelling, cussing and causing a general disturbance to the house. As a result, this violates his written agreement and he is no longer allowed to remain onsite. According to the man, and the written agreement the officer read, the veteran has one hour to vacate the premises. Due to the veteran not having established residency there, and violated the written terms of the group home, the officer spoke with him about vacating the premises and he agreed to pack his things and leave. Officers remained on scene to prevent a further disorder and observed him leave the residence.

* * *

A woman told police she saw a house for rent on the Zillow app. She placed a $1,200 down payment for the property. She then found out that the house is privately owned and occupied. The person who took her down payment has since broken off contact. She has copies of the ad, text messages and receipts for this transaction.
The United States Attorneys Office announced that Dr. Don Flanagan, D.D.S., and his affiliated companies, Dental Center, Inc. and Dental Center, P.C. d/b/a Cloudland Dental, have agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly and improperly submitted false claims for dental services to TennCare in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act.. Franci Raines, who was formerly employed as Cloudland Dentals business manager, also agreed to resolve similar allegations against her.

Dr. Flanagan formerly owned Cloudland Dental, which operated dental clinics located in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Crossville and Sweetwater.

Officials said, "TennCare requires that dentists apply for and receive approval before billing for services rendered to beneficiaries. This approval process, which is known as credentialing, requires, among other things, that applicants submit relevant information about their educational background, licensure status, insurance coverage, as well as information about any criminal history, malpractice claims, and state board disciplinary history. The credentialing process is intended to ensure that beneficiaries receive the highest quality of care from competent providers who have been vetted prior to rendering services."

The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 2015 through February 2019, Cloudland Dental knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, to TennCare claims for payment that falsely identified Dr. Flanagan as the rendering provider for services that were actually rendered by uncredentialed dentists who were ineligible to bill TennCare, at Cloudland Dentals offices located in Cleveland, Crossville, and Sweetwater.

United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said, When healthcare providers agree to participate in federal healthcare programs such as TennCare, they must adhere to the requirements of the program just like everyone else. The credentialing requirement for participating providers is not a mere formality; rather, it is an important requirement that is intended to ensure that services are rendered by qualified providers. Todays settlement should send a message to all providers who participate in government sponsored healthcare programs that they must follow the rules when they elect to participate in publicly funded programs.

This settlement is the result of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Tennessee Attorney Generals Office, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The investigation that preceded the settlement was prompted by a lawsuit filed in 2019 under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA and TMFCA, which permit a private individual (known as a relator) to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. The relators share of the recovery in this case will be $255,850.
The team at Implants & Oral Surgery of Chattanooga spent two weeks in Honduras to help relieve oral pain from people living in villages located in Choluteca. Employees and oral surgeons visit Honduras every year to bring toys, blankets, toothbrushes, dental floss, shoes and dental services to various parts of the country. During their ninth trip to Honduras, surgeons were able to extract more than 600 teeth for adults and children.



Implants & Oral Surgery of Chattanooga, formerly known as East Brainerd Oral Surgery, practices a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with expertise ranging from dental implants and bone grafting procedures to single or full-mouth extractions. Every year, oral surgeons in the practice partner with ChristWay Community Church to provide free oral healthcare to villages in Honduras.



Implants & Oral Surgery of Chattanooga Co-Owner Dr. Richard Johnson says traveling to Honduras is an important part of his job. God has blessed us with the knowledge and ability to perform oral surgery well, and we enjoy every day we perform these procedures on our patients. God oversees us taking care of people in pain and need, soothing them and helping us get through each procedure in a comforting way, said Dr. Johnson. A missionary living in Honduras selects multiple villages each year through the church, with the team spending ten days performing surgeries in the chosen villages.



Employees at the office travel to Honduras with the surgeons every year. Executive Assistant Brittany Stehr says the experience is always rewarding. "Honduras was full of beautiful people and landscapes, but it was also full of broken, hurting people who live in poverty. It was not only a place to pull teeth, but a place where we were able to use the talents that God has blessed us with to further His kingdom by telling others about Him. The most rewarding part for me was not just relieving these people of their oral pain, but seeing the joy they found in us taking the time to love and care for them, said Ms. Stehr.



Implants & Oral Surgery of Chattanooga is located at 1350 Mackey Branch Dr., Suite 110 in Chattanooga. They are accepting donations for their next trip to Honduras. Donations of toothbrushes, shoes, toys or dental floss can be dropped off at the office from now until the end of the year.
CHI Memorial Endocrinology Associates has received the American Diabetes Associations Education Recognition Certificate, which assures that the clinics educational services meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. "Clinics certified by the ADAs Education Recognition Program program offer a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. CHI Memorial Endocrinology Associates applied for recognition voluntarily. ADA-ERP recognition lasts for four years," officials said.We want to empower our patients with the knowledge and tools they need to successfully manage their diabetes, said Prashanth Sekhar, MD, a fellowship-trained endocrinologist. This recognition shows we use evidence-based education, in addition to high-quality medical care, to support people with diabetes and help them lead healthy lives.CHI Memorial Endocrinology Associates provides comprehensive medical management and care for type 1 and 2 diabetes, and other endocrine system issues such as thyroid disease, thyroid cancer and a range of metabolic, pituitary and adrenal disorders.The practice is led by Dr. Sekhar, Tiffany Potter, APRN-BC, FNP-C, and Jenny Buquo-Madzin, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, BC-ADM.Officials said, "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions 2017 National Diabetes Statistic Report, more than 30.3 million people, or 9.4 percent of the population, in the United States have diabetes. While an estimated 23.1 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 7.2 million people are not aware they have this disease. Each day, more than 4,100 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications  heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease and amputation."Diabetes continues to be the seventh leading cause of death in the USin 2015, it contributed to 252,806 deaths. The ADAs Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017 confirms diabetes as the nations most expensive chronic health care condition at $327 billion."CHI Memorial Endocrinology Associates is located at 725 Glenwood Dr., Suite 588 in Chattanooga. For more information, call 423-206-9025.
Never in my career have I witnessed a man who has worked tirelessly as an elected servant. Joe Smith has spent over 30 years supporting, encouraging, and mentoring at risk children and families across Hamilton County.

Over the course of my career, I have never witnessed a man who has worked so hard as a servant to our community. Ive witnessed him work on school grounds, help schools with fund raisers, work as an announcer and score keeper for high schools, advocate for parents and teachers, and even substitute teach as a volunteer.

For the last six years Joe has served the taxpayers, parents, students, teachers, and administrators in the schools in District 3. Joe approaches his work with common sense Christian conservative values. Joe never makes a vote on the school board without first talking to his constituents in the district to gain an understanding of their thoughts on issues.

Joe Smith is truly a man who walks his talk and is the right person for the school board in District 3. Join me in supporting Joe Smiths re-election on Aug. 4 to the Hamilton County School Board.

Austin Garrett






When the opportunity came up to write a testimonial for Mr. Larry Grohn, I was honored and I jumped at the opportunity. First I would like to point out the fact that being a teacher at Adams City High School in the rough neighborhood of Commerce City, Co. is no easy task for anyone. This was a task that Larry Grohn tackled head-on daily for many years. He was patient, kind and tactful in his way of teaching, however he was a strong and stern gentleman when the time called for it.

As a teenage student, I was no easy task either. When I was a youth I was headstrong and cocky and I liked to challenge authority, I wasn't always the nicest person in his classroom. With that being said, Larry Grohn always showed a great deal of discipline and patience both in his classroom and in his own actions as a professional educator. We had our disagreements but he never gave up on me. He worked with me to get me past the obstacles in my way. He made sure that I was educated thoroughly, he opened my eyes, and he saw more in me then I had seen in myself at that time.

He served as a role model for us students growing up in a rough neighborhood and he showed us love and support that some of us didn't receive from the rest of the school and community. He enlightened us with the ethics, morals, and values that would help us achieve our goals in this world. He helped prepare us for life.

On his last day of teaching he took down a flag that flew on the wall of his classroom for years, and he handed it to me. He said that if I put my mind to it and worked hard for it I could be anything I wanted to be in this life. And he was right! To this day that flag hangs in my home gym, and I'm proud to say that I have since started a career as a professional athlete, I'm a family man and I'm living my dream. I keep that flag flying in honor of the lessons I learned from one of the very best mentors I could have asked for.

With as much grief that I brought this man in the last years of his teaching career, he still saw the world in me. I have no doubt about it that this is the same reason he has decided to run for the Hamilton County School Board in the great state of Tennessee. He is a caring and dedicated individual with the utmost professionalism, we were blessed to have him as a teacher, and the Hamilton County School Board will be blessed to have him as well.

He did his very best everyday to make a positive impact on the children of our high school and I know he would do his very best to make a positive impact for the next generations coming up from Hamilton County, Tn.

I would recommend that you highly consider him for this position. I know without his guidance I would not be the man I am today.



Cody Sheronickd
Chattanoogas new Department of Parks and Outdoors is leveraging cost savings from lean operations and one-time staff vacancies to deliver a bevy of improvements to outdoor spaces in each of the citys nine council districts.

The departments design team began working in early April to identify $500,000 in projects that could be executed by the end of the year, and identified more than 50 ideas that were then whittled down to the final list. Planners prioritized projects based on need, geographic distribution, and with an emphasis on the economically disadvantaged areas in the city.

Chattanoogas outdoor resources are our citys greatest competitive advantage, and as mayor I will continue to invest in green spaces to ensure that every neighborhood has access to a high-quality park that will increase our quality of life, said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. Im particularly impressed that our new Parks and Outdoors Department was able to make these investments from cost savings, as we work to be good stewards of our residents trust and resources.

No new public dollars were used in the course of the project, and all improvements listed below have already been purchased, though some are still in the delivery process and are not yet fully installed.

The improvements include 60 new dog waste stations, 29 benches, and 60 new barbecue grilles, 40 of which have been installed, for parks and outdoor locations throughout the city.

Projects include:

Williams Island Boat Docks - new replacement docks for the only urban camping site on the Tennessee RiverLine in Chattanooga, supporting its recent designation as a Tennessee RiverTown

Lookout Valley Park (District 1) - new playground and swing set

Frances B Wyatt Park (District 2) - new playground and swing set

Hixson Park (District 3) - new playground

Greenway Farm Park (District 3) - new picnic tables for the deck at the recently-opened conference center and a family-sized barbecue grille

Jack Benson Heritage Park (District 4) - new grilles, picnic tables, and benches

Sterchi Farm Park (District 5) - new picnic tables for the recently re-opened and renovated park

Shepherd Park (District 6) - new shade structures at seating around the playground

Harris Johnson Park (District 7) - 8 new pieces of fitness equipment, new playground, and new border for the playground surface.

Pringle Park (District 7) - new playground

Caruthers Park (District 7) - new pavilion

Church Street Park (District 7) - new swing and pavilion

Ted Bryant Park (District 8) - new playground and swing set

Watkins Park (District 9) - new playground

Earlier this month, Mayor Kelly proclaimed July as Parks and Recreation Month in the city of Chattanooga, calling on residents to spend time in the citys green spaces and add their voice to the new Parks and Outdoors Plan.
County Commissioner David Sharpe on Wednesday called for the release of emails that are purportedly between Republican county mayor nominee Weston Wamp and his father, former Congressman Zach Wamp, and owners of the Chattanooga Lookouts over the issue of a new stadium.

Commissioner Sharpe said, "I understand there are emails going back to 2014 from the chief naysayer on this project. I want to know why he supported it before and why his support has waned."

Weston Wamp has been critical of the idea for a community stadium to be built for the Lookouts at the U.S. Pipe/Wheland Foundry site.

He has denied that his opposition to the stadium stems from the Lookouts deciding not to use himself and his father on the project.

"These emails were between private citizens when I was working on behalf of my employer on a business investment eight years ago," said Mr. Wamp. "What would be much more interesting would be to see all the emails of elected officials who are hellbent on rushing through one of the largest public projects in our countys history against the will of taxpayers and just before an election."

Commission Chairman Sabrena Smedley said, "I'd like to see those emails as well."

Commissioner Sharpe said, "I'd like to understand why there was support before and why that support has waned."

He said, "Why is there such resistance (to the stadium) from a handful of folks. There is a pocket of resistance and, honestly, I think it is stirring up this false information."

Commissioner Sharpe said the commission members are facing a decision on the stadium and "we should see everything. We should know all the facts." He said, "No one on this dais has seen a sentence of them."

He said he has heard "rumors that there are 30, 40, 50, 60 pages of correspondence since 2014."

Commissioner Sharpe said, "I need those emails immediately. We need all the facts and all of the information. Whoever has the emails, I need them in my inbox."

The Weston Wamp campaign has declined to release the emails.

Weston Wamp said recently, "It now appears the Lookouts are conspiring with my Democratic opponent 13 days before an election."

Matt Adams, the Democratic candidate for county mayor, called for the release of the emails.
Jean Elizabeth Fite McCoy passed away at home on July 27, 2022, surrounded by her family and so much love.

She was born on Aug. 25, 1927, in Atlanta. Her family moved to St. Elmo when she was a child. She attended Fairyland School, Lookout Junior High and City High School. Before she finished high school, her family moved to Baytown, Texas where she graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. During junior high, she met a boy in Chattanooga who became a star athlete at Central High School and Georgia Tech. This boy, Bob McCoy, finally asked her out on a date eight years later while he was a freshman at Tech. She flew from Texas to Atlanta where they went on their first date to where else? The VARSITY! Their love story was maintained through copious amount of letter writing until they married in 1948; Bob and Jean were married almost 64 years and she never removed her wedding band. After finishing at Georgia Tech, they moved to Rossville, built a life and a family, and it is where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Jean and Bob joined Simpson United Methodist Church in 1952. She was a faithful member for 70 years serving in several leadership positions and was a member of the Friendship Sunday School Class and the Simpson United Methodist Women. She loved her Church, and was a progressive and inclusive devout Christian.

During her life, she was involved in many community activities including the Rossville Jaycettes, The ESA Sorority, Rossville Benevolent Fund, the Rossville Public Library Board and two Bridge clubs. Jean was a voracious reader and bridge player. Jean was a member of one of the bridge clubs for close to 60 years. She was a secretary at North Rossville Elementary for 25 years and deeply loved the many students and staff members she met during her career.

She was preceded in death by husband and love of her life, Bob McCoy, and her mother, Bettye Adcock and step-father, Luther Adcock.

She was the matriarch of the family and was an amazing wife, mother and Muddie to her granddaughters. She loved her family deeply and they loved her back. She led a wonderful life and will be missed by many who loved her and were touched by her love, thoughtfulness and generosity.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Michael McCoy, daughter, Susan (David) Wells, granddaughters, Dr. Katie Wells and Elizabeth Wells, who were the lights of her life and a special niece Jeannie Schay, and a fur gran named Gray.

Special thanks to her caregivers Carol Hodges and Cyndi Sisson who provided so much love and kindness through the years. Also, a special thanks to Hearth Hospice.

If you would like to send a memorial in her memory, she c hose the Rossville Public Library, 504 McFarland Avenue, Rossville, Ga. 30741, or Simpson United Methodist Church, 601 McFarland Avenue, Rossville, Ga. 30741. We loved you the most, sweet Mudd!

A memorial service will be hosted at a later date at Heritage Funeral Home, Battlefield Parkway.
Brandon Neil Wiseman, 36, of Chatsworth, entered a guilty plea Wednesday to charges arising from the killing of Joshua Dewayne Petty last Christmas. Wiseman pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Wiseman was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Scott Minter, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, to serve the maximum of 20 years in prison on the manslaughter charge plus an additional five years in prison for possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, for a total of 25 years to serve in prison without the possibility of parole. Wiseman was sentenced to an additional five years on probation for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon with conditions including restitution for funeral expenses and that he have no contact with Mr. Petty's family. Wiseman was represented by the Public Defender's Office.

Wiseman shot and killed Mr. Petty during a verbal dispute in the early morning hours of December 26, 2021 in the driveway of Mr. Petty's in-laws. Wiseman fled the scene and was arrested two days later in Tennessee. After his arrest, Wiseman admitted that he had killed Mr. Petty but claimed self defense. He was not, however, able to articulate facts which would support a self defense claim at trial. He did not allege that Mr. Petty had attacked him or had threatened him with deadly force. There was a history between them and they had words that night and Wiseman claimed he thought Mr. Petty had something in his hand. Wiseman was no longer in possession of the firearm when arrested and the weapon was never recovered.

Voluntary manslaughter is a lesser included offense to murder and is defined as a killing which would otherwise be murder but where the defendants "acts solely as a result of a sudden, violent, and irresistible passion resulting from serious provocation sufficient to excite such passion in a reasonable person." Had the case gone to trial, which was scheduled in October, Wiseman could have requested and likely would have received a jury instruction on voluntary manslaughter in which the jury would have ultimately decided if there was sufficient provocation to warrant reducing the murder to manslaughter. By entering the negotiated guilty plea, the State agreed to the reduced charge and Wiseman agreed to serve the time without the possibility of parole. He will serve every day of the 25 years with credit for the time served since his arrest in late December.

Wiseman had been arrested 34 times in Georgia plus six times in Tennessee prior to killing Mr. Petty. Most of those arrests were for traffic offenses, non-violent drug offenses, violations of probation, and failures to appear in court as directed. He had three prior felony convictions. In 2010 he was convicted on felony drug charges in Scott County, Tn. and in 2011 for similar charges in Whitfield County. And most recently in 2015 for felony traffic charges (fleeing to elude and suspended license) in Murray County.

Numerous members of Mr. Petty's family were present in court for the sentencing. Several submitted written victim impact statements and two read their statements in court. While the family agreed to extend the plea offer to Wiseman, they were still grieving their loss and acknowledged that no amount of prison time for Wiseman would ever be enough. Wiseman had to listen to the victim's statements prior to sentencing and was facing a photograph of Mr. Petty while Judge Minter pronounced sentencing, but made no statement to the court or to the family and showed no reaction to the sentence before being escorted from the courtroom by Murray County Sheriff's deputies.
The Tennessee Department of Education announced the nine finalists for the 2022-23 Tennessee Teacher of the Year award.



The nine finalists represent each of the eight Center of Regional Excellence (CORE) areas in the state, as well as the Shelby County-Municipals area. The 2022-23 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and winners for each grand division of the state, will be selected from this group and announced during an honorary banquet this fall.



Educators are the backbone of Tennessee schools and communities, and have continued to demonstrate their dedication, professionalism, and unmatched passion to educating our students, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

I am proud to recognize these nine teachers who have gone above and beyond to ensure Tennessee students are set up for success.Tennessees nine finalists for 2022-23 Teacher of the Year are:

West Tennessee

CORE Region Teacher School District Shelby/Municipals Melissa Collins John P. Freeman Optional School Memphis-Shelby County Schools Southwest Robert Sparks Jackson Central-Merry Early College High School Jackson-Madison County Schools Northwest Kerri Newsom Dyersburg Primary School Dyersburg City Schools

Middle Tennessee

CORE Region Teacher School District Mid Cumberland Kim Inglis Black Fox Elementary Murfreesboro City Schools South Central Rachel Porter Learning Way Elementary Bedford County Schools Upper Cumberland Aleta Apple Woodland Park Elementary School White County Schools

East Tennessee

CORE Region Teacher School District Southeast Kristin Burrus STEM School Chattanooga Hamilton County Schools East Tennessee Margaret Bright Lenoir City Elementary School Lenoir City Schools First Tennessee Meg Foster Elizabethton High School Elizabethton City Schools

Tennessee teachers are innovative, knowledgeable, passionate and committed to helping the students of Tennessee thrive, said Morgan Rankin, 2021-22 Teacher of the Year, Johnson City Schools, First Region. Reaching this point in this journey is no small feat, for our schools are full of educators who work tirelessly for their students. These educators represent the best of the best and should be proud of their accomplishments and embrace all that it brings. I am proud to celebrate each one of them.



Nominations of up to three educators representing each of the three grade bands were accepted from the states school districts. The Tennessee Teacher of the Year and Grand Division winners will be selected after interview rounds with each finalist.



State legislators representing the finalists home areas commented on this prestigious recognition and achievement.



Congratulations to Margaret Bright and all the other finalists for the Tennessee Teacher of the Year Award, said State Representative Kent Calfee. I also want to thank all our wonderful public education teachers across the Great State of Tennessee. It has been an honor to support you for the last ten years.



I would certainly like to congratulate Rachel Porter on her being a finalist for the Teacher of the Year award, said House Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Marsh. We are very fortunate to have Rachel in our Bedford County Schools and want to wish her the very best of luck with this award! We have some of the greatest teachers in the whole US here in Tennessee and our legislature is proud to work with them as they teach our children how to be successful.



I applaud each finalist who has been nominated for Tennessee's 2022 Teacher of the Year Award, and I am especially proud of Ms. Megan Foster for her efforts in having such a positive impact on the lives of the students she has worked with throughout the years, as well as those that will be a product of her teaching in the future, said State Senator Rusty Crowe. Megan is a great example of a teacher that gives their all for the young students whom will determine the future of our state. Tennessee is lucky to have not just a few, but 9 finalists for this prestigious award."



Being named a finalist for Tennessee Teacher of the Year is an incredible accomplishment, said State Representative John B. Holsclaw Jr. I congratulate Meg Foster on being recognized for her hard work and commitment to the students of Elizabethton High School. Her efforts highlight the tremendous impact educators have every day on the lives of students across our state.



I would like to congratulate Margaret Bright and Lenoir City Elementary School on this great honor, said Lt. Governor Randy McNally. Our Tennessee teachers are our states most valuable asset because it is they who will ultimately shape our future. I am very proud to represent Margaret and Lenoir City Schools and am grateful they are being recognized for their hard work on behalf of our state.



Finalists will have the opportunity to serve on Commissioner Schwinns Tennessee Teacher Advisory Council for the duration of the 2022-23 school year. The council is composed of expert teachers who provide feedback and inform the work of the department throughout the academic year.



The Tennessee Teacher of the Year awardee will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition and serve as an ambassador for education in the state throughout the 2022-23 school year. To qualify, candidates must have been teaching full-time for at least three years, have a track record of exceptional gains in student learning, and be effective school and community leaders.


Seth MacFarlane has created some of the most influential comedy shows and movies. He started his career in animation. Now, hes done it all. MacFarlane writes, animates, voices, and acts all kinds of characters. MacFarlane has become a voice-acting master, meaning each of his characters is totally unique.

MacFarlane is known for voicing four characters on Family Guy, a show he created. Hes also the voice of everyones favorite inappropriate stuffed animal, Ted, star of Ted and Ted 2. However, MacFarlane is much more than just a voice guy. He actually designed the characters on Family Guy and made the original drawings. According to a video from Wired, MacFarlane was an animator before becoming a voice actor and writer.

Seth MacFarlane majored in animation at the Rhode Island School of Design

Before becoming a household name, Seth MacFarlane was like every other college student. He attended the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, known as RISD. There, MacFarlane studied animation. According to his Wired interview, he loved his time there and the education he received. However, MacFarlane went to college with more experience than the average student. He had already managed to build a career as a cartoonist.

MacFarlane worked as a cartoon artist for his towns paper starting at just nine years old. After drawing a cartoon, MacFarlane decided to send it into the paper. They liked it so much that they gave him a job. According to IMDb, MacFarlane was born in Kent, Connecticut. Now, the town has a population of just over 2,000 people, according to Connecticut Demographics. MacFarlane once joked that the town had only 600 people or so, and thats why he was able to land the job of cartoon artist for the Kent paper.

MacFarlane is no longer animating Family Guy

Alex Borstein and Seth MacFarlane at Family Guy Comic-Con panel | Amy Sussman/Getty Images

After graduating from RISD, Seth MacFarlane got a job on Johnny Bravo, a Cartoon Network show popular in the 1990s. It wasnt long before MacFarlane impressed enough people to get his own show made. The first episode of Family Guy came out in 1999, just two years after Cartoon Network hired MacFarlane.

However, MacFarlane is now no longer animating on Family Guy. In fact, he doesnt have much to do with the show at all. MacFarlane told Wired that he stopped working on the show around 2011. He credits the team with the shows success and even says that the animators improved his original character designs for the show. He still voices Peter, Stewie, Brian, and Quagmire on the show. He also does Stan and Roger on his second animated success story, American Dad. That show came out in 2005 after Family Guy became a huge hit. Now, MacFarlane is working on other projects.

What is Seth MacFarlane doing now?

According to the Wired interview, Seth MacFarlane is working on The Orville. According to IMDb, the show is a comedy-drama set in outer space. MacFarlane is credited as the creator, but he also plays one of the main characters. Its been going strong since 2017, with its third season moving from Fox to Hulu, but MacFarlane likes to keep more than one project on his plate.

Hes also working on a new show about Ted, based on the Ted movies. The new show will be on Peacock. MacFarlane is creating it, but hell also likely play the voice of Ted himself, as he did in the films.

RELATED: Seth MacFarlane Hosted the Oscars Drunk on 3 1/2 Glasses of Straight Scotch
It has been seven months since Netflix first hit South Korean dating-reality series Singles Inferno. The dating series was a smashing success, with global fans hooked on the drama of a group of male and female participants who traveled to a deserted island to find love. While the series developed turmoil after its release, it created a fan base. Thankfully, Netflix is producing Singles Inferno Season 2, which promises to be even hotter.

Singles Inferno Season 2 will have more contestants and episodes

On April 12, 2022, Netflix announced Singles Inferno would return for a second season. The new season will follow the same format of a group of contestants venturing to a deserted island off the coast of South Korea. While there, they cannot access the outside world and must fend for themselves with the food and materials given to them.

The key rule is that the contestants do not know each others ages and professions. As they develop feelings, they go through challenges to win the opportunity to go to Paradise, a luxury resort. According to Netflix Tudum, Not only will there be a new batch of sexy singles vying for love, but more contestants will be added to the lineup.

Singles Inferno Season 2 will also go from eight episodes to 10. It can be speculated that the new season will use the same filming locations. Producer Kim Na-hyun explained to Netflix, We filmed on Saseungbong-do, an uninhabited island on the west coast of [South] Korea. Its very beautiful since nature remains untouched.

When it comes to finding contestants, the producers took to social media. There were also a lot of people who applied after seeing our recruitment posters. We received recommendations from friends of friends and reached out to PR teams in colleges and companies as well, explained Kim Jae-won. It is likely the new season will recruit contestants the same way.

RELATED: Singles Inferno Contestants Are Not too Keen on Returning for a Season 2

When will Singles Inferno Season 2 premiere on Netflix?

According to Netflix, fans can expect Singles Inferno Season 2 in December. They explain the new, longer and sizzling season will be heating you up even longer through the holidays. After the first season aired, the contestants explained they filmed during the hot summer months.

Kim Jae-won confirmed the cast filmed from the end of June into July. Due to the producers developing two more episodes, the contestants will be on the deserted island for longer.

According to Korea JoongAng Daily, From the feedback weve heard from the contestants, they pointed out that the time period of eight nights and nine days seem to be too short for them to really get to know each other, so we might consider expanding the number of days, explained Kim.

The question remains if the new season will address the prior contestants and will bring back the panel of hosts.

RELATED: Singles Inferno: From Scandals to Rumors, How the Netflix Show Turned Contestants Into Celebrities and Put Them Under the Microscope

The old contestants of the first season will likely not return

While the first season was a major success, there were a few hiccups in the aftermath. Song Ji-a faced backlash from netizens for buying and wearing fake designer items. The scandal also led her to set away from social media. Some of the male contestants also face scrutiny over their demeanor on the show. While fans were unaware of certain medical conditions and faulty editing.

While a majority of the contestants are not in current relationships, fans still speculate about a few romances that developed. But the producers confirm a reunion special or the return of the prior contestants for Singles Inferno Season 2 is not likely.

As of now, unfortunately, we dont have a reunion special planned. Following the show, some of the participants suffered backlash on social media. I dont want to add to the burden of these participants, who have gone back to their everyday lives, said Kim.

It is unclear if the first seasons hosts will return. Lee Da-hee, Kyuhyun, Hong Jin-kyung and Jung Han-hae gave insight and commentary during the first season. None have confirmed their return.

RELATED: Singles Inferno Song Ji-a Resurfaces Months After Scandal
In the 1980s, Stevie Nicks joined Tom Petty and Bob Dylan on tour. She wasnt there to perform but to provide Petty with moral support as he was in a challenging position with his marriage and mental health. While with them, she watched the shows and observed the dynamic between Petty and Dylan. She didnt see them get into screaming matches, but Nicks said she witnessed some minor disagreements between the other two musicians.

Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan | Clayton Call/Redferns; Ron Pownall/Getty Images

Stevie Nicks joined Bob Dylan and Tom Petty on tour

Petty and Dylan toured Australia in the 1980s, and Nicks went along for the ride. Initially, Petty refused to go on tour if his wife didnt join him, but Nicks convinced him. As his wife didnt want to go, Nicks said she would follow along as a sidekick.

While she was content watching the show from backstage, Dylan invited her to join them during one performance.

Happy Birthday Tom Petty @tompetty !!! This was taken in London in 1987  Tom's 37th. Bob Dylan, Tom, Benmont, Me, Victor, George and Jeff. Photo by: @Camilla22 pic.twitter.com/Qifx2BCmOa  Roger McGuinn (@RogerMcGuinn) October 20, 2020

He put me between him and Tom and started a song and then backed off so I could sing. I was completely and utterly stupefied, she told the Austin American-Statesman. Thank God, my voice worked.

She sang Knockin on Heavens Door and Like a Rolling Stone with them.

She said she saw some minor disagreements between the two musicians

Petty spoke glowingly about his collaboration with Dylan. He had become familiar with Dylans music as a teenager and learned much from him as an adult.

I learned so much from Bob Dylan, he told The Daily Telegraph in 2012. He gave us a kind of courage that we never had, to learn something quickly and go out on stage and play it. You had to be pretty versatile because arrangements could change, keys might change, theres just no way of knowing exactly what he wants to do each night. You really learned the value of spontaneity, of how a moment that is real in a concert is worth so much more than one you plan out.

From Nicks perspective, though, the two didnt always get along perfectly. While she said she never witnessed any angry fights, she watched them disagree.

I got to watch them put their personalities together, and it was fascinating, she recounted in 1989. I watched some  well, not exactly rows  but a little bit of going back and forth between them.

Stevie Nicks fought with Tom Petty

Nicks and Petty got into more heated disagreements than Petty and Dylan on the Australia tour. Petty recalled one particularly rancorous argument. He told her that he didnt think Fleetwood Mac was a rock n roll band.

How dare you say that to me? Nicks said, per the book Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks by Stephen Davis.

One of the most iconic duets of all time, Stop Draggin My Heart Around with @StevieNicks and TPATH, was released on this day. pic.twitter.com/1evYOKZc89  Tom Petty (@tompetty) July 9, 2022

And this long debate ensued about how you get those credentials, Petty explained. And I love that band, have the greatest respect for Lindsey [Buckingham] and Mick [Fleetwood], but I didnt see them as a rock & roll band. I thought her journey was different than mine. I didnt always agree with her musical taste, and she didnt always agree with mine. My frustration with her was, You need somebody to remind you what youre capable of. You get too easily distracted by bulls****ers that want to make a hit. I dont know why youre doing all this synthesizer rock.'

Despite the argument, Nicks and Petty remained close friends for decades.

RELATED: Stevie Nicks Angry Words to a Lover Gave Tom Petty a Massive Hit Song
The Bold and the Beautiful: Who Is the New Doctor? Vincent Irizarry Returns

The Bold and the Beautiful has a new doctor Jordan Armstrong (Vincent Irizarry). The handsome doc is involved in Li Finnegan (Naomi Matsuda) and Bill Spencers (Don Diamont) storyline. Heres what you need to know about the character and his portrayer.

The Bold and the Beautiful star Vincent Irizarry I Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Dr. Jordan Armstrong has appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful before

In the July 25 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, Jordan checked on Li as a favor to Bill. With Jordans help, Bill sought clues about Lis identity and what happened to her. Jordan concluded that Li was in a car wreck because of glass pieces in her hair, and the accident left her traumatized.

Jordans brief scene left fans curious about the doctor, whos appeared on the CBS soap opera before. In August 2019, Jordan first appeared when he treated Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) after he fell from the cliff. He also was Katie Logans (Heather Tom) doctor when she was diagnosed with kidney failure.

Look who's back! Dr. Jordan Armstrong makes a house call on @boldandbeautifulcbs next week! Tune in to @cbstv and check it out ???#boldandbeautiful @ CBS Studio https://t.co/8TRdfvppaf  Vincent Irizarry (@VincentIrizarry) July 22, 2022

RELATED: The Bold and the Beautiful: 3 Characters Who Could Return in 2022

Vincent Irizarry is no stranger to soap operas

If Jordan seems familiar, its because The Bold and the Beautiful fans might recognize Irizarry from his other soap opera work. The actor played Brandon Lujack Luvonaczek Spaulding on and off from 1983 to 1996. He would also portray Scott Clark on the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara from 1987 to 1989.

In 1997, Irizarry landed his next significant role as David Hayward on All My Children. Irizarry remained in the role until the shows cancellation in September 2013, and in 2009 he won a Daytime Emmy for Supporting Actor.

Irizarry would then play David Chow on The Young and the Restless. David is a political advocate with a shady past who marries Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott). Irizarrys role as David lasted from January 2007 to August 2008.

In 2016, he joined Days of Our Lives as Deimos Kiriakis. Deimos is the estranged younger brother of Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston), who returns to Salem to create havoc in his life. Irizarrys run as Diemos would end in June 2017 when the character is killed.

Will Dr. Jordan Armstrong become a full-time character on The Bold and the Beautiful?

Jordans appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful sparked interest from fans. Irizarry is a famous soap opera actor, and fans would love to see him back onscreen. Unfortunately, according to Soap Central, his return is short. However, Irizarry and his character Jordan would be a valuable asset to the CBS soap opera.

Ok, consider this Take 2! For those of you who weren't able to catch our work these past weeks on #BoldandBeautiful on #CBS, here are a few scenes for you to enjoy. (The previous link wasn't working, for some reason : ) #daytime #drjordanarmstrong https://t.co/WJQVwJddh6  Vincent Irizarry (@VincentIrizarry) October 8, 2019

Many viewers thought he and Katie wouldve made a good couple since he saved her life. However, the writers never capitalized on the potential romance. With Katie single, bringing Jordan back as her love interest wouldnt be a bad idea.

Also, with as many accidents as the Forresters and Logans have, it never hurts to have another doctor around.

RELATED: The Bold and the Beautiful Speculation: Could Katie Be Deacons New Love Interest?
Researchers have for the first time experimentally discovered that a cubic boron arsenide crystal offers high carrier mobility for both electrons and holes  the two ways in which a charge is carried in a semiconducting material  suggesting a major advance for next-generation electronics.

While earlier predictions had theorized that the crystal could exhibit simultaneously high electron and hole mobility shows that researchers were able to experimentally validate the high carrier mobility at room temperature, expanding its potential use in commercial applications. Researchers from across the United States, including the University of Houston, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin and Boston College, were involved in the work.

An accompanying paper describes the use of transient reflectivity microscopy to measure the crystal, demonstrating the high mobility and in some cases, when a higher-energy laser beam was used, exceeding previous predictions. That work was done by researchers from UH and from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing, along with several other institutions in China.

Zhifeng Ren, director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH and a corresponding author on both papers, said the work has important implications for a range of electronic and optical applications, similar to the advances that followed the advent of silicon wafers, which are widely used in all kinds of electronics.

Some semiconductor applications require a material with both high thermal conductivity  which measures how effectively a material conducts heat  and high electron and hole mobility. Earlier research had demonstrated cubic boron arsenide has high thermal conductivity, making the high ambipolar mobility a crucial advance.

The potential of this material is tremendous, said Ren, who is also M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of physics at UH. While work to consistently produce larger crystals with uniform properties is ongoing, the result could have an even bigger impact on the field than the silicon wafer, he said.

Thats because semiconductors require that current be carried both through electrons and holes, but most known materials offer high mobility only for one type of carrier. The overall efficiency of the semiconductor is determined by the lower value.

If both are high, the device will be more efficient, Ren said. Thats what makes this material unique.

Ren was among a group of researchers who reported in Science in 2018 that the crystal  grown from boron and arsenic, two relatively common mineral elements  demonstrated far higher thermal conductivity than traditional semiconductors. This work builds on that, using crystals grown in Rens lab to demonstrate that theoretical predictions about the substances high mobility can be shown experimentally.

Carrier mobility is measured in the unit of cm2V-1s-1; the researchers reported mobility of 1,600 cm2V-1s-1. That portion of the work was led by Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering at MIT and co-corresponding author of the paper, using an optical transient grating method to measure both electrical mobility and thermal conductivity.

In the second paper, researchers led by Ren and Jiming Bao of UH and Xinfeng Liu at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing, reported a range from about 1,500 cm2V-1s-1 to as high as 3,000 cm2V-1s-1.

Measuring carrier mobility was complicated by the fact that the crystal wasnt large and uniform, meaning traditional measurement methods such as the Hall effect couldnt accurately determine its properties. The researchers said that ionized impurities weakened the materials performance by strongly scattering the charge carriers, although other impurities  described in the paper as neutral impurities  had less of an impact.

The sample was not uniform, but you can see the potential locally, Ren said. If you had a crystal free of defects, mobility could be potentially much higher than predicted. We are in continuous research to figure that out.

The measurements were performed using different methods in labs at UH and MIT.

In the second paper, researchers from UH and six Chinese universities and institutions describe the use of transient reflectivity microscopy to measure the electron and hole mobility.

Bao, professor of electrical engineering at UH and a principal investigator with the Texas Center for Superconductivity, said researchers used laser pulses to excite carriers in the sample to monitor their diffusion and, in the process, discovered a key difference between the cubic boron arsenide crystal and most semiconducting materials. In silicon, for example, he said electrons move about four times more quickly than holes.

In this case, the holes move more quickly than electrons, he said. But both electrons and holes exhibited unusually high mobility, improving the materials overall performance.

Bao attributed the highest measurements, which detected mobility far higher than 1,600 cm2V-1s-1, to hot electrons, which maintained heat, or energy, generated by the laser pulse longer than they do in most other materials. The same was true of holes in the material, Bao said.

The structure of the cubic boron arsenide crystal makes it more difficult for the charge carriers to cool, meaning they maintain the heat  and the resulting high mobility  for longer. The researchers reported mobility similar to the predicted levels and those found by Chens lab but noted that additional experiments revealed a mobility of more than 3,000 cm2V-1s-1, which they attributed to the hot electrons.

The findings depended in part on measuring a section of the crystal with few or no impurities, Bao said. The sample was not uniform, and we found the highest mobility at spots with the fewest impurities.
The citral plant at BASF's site in Ludwigshafen provides the key building block for BASF's fine chemicals: Citral is a starting material for vitamins A and E as well as for carotenoids and a variety of aroma chemicals.

BASFs Nutrition & Health division is strengthening its position as ingredients partner for the animal nutrition and human nutrition industries by combining the strategic and operational responsibility in one global business unit, Nutrition Ingredients. In doing so, the focus will be on leveraging and further strengthening core product platforms and assets for vitamins and carotenoids that are deeply rooted into the BASF Verbund as well as expanding the business with feed enzymes.

In 2021, BASF completed an investment in a vitamin A plant expansion in Ludwigshafen, Germany to enhance vitamin A supply and will now expand its world-scale vitamin A formulation plant for animal nutrition with start-up scheduled in mid-2023. Moreover, in January 2022, BASF has expanded the production capacity of its feed enzymes plant in Ludwigshafen, which will further support the growth plans of customers in the animal nutrition industry.

For Aroma Ingredients, the organization will be further developed to support growth opportunities and investments, address sustainability trends and leverage proximity to growth markets.

We have a leading position as a strong partner in nutrition, flavor, fragrance and pharma markets. We need to evolve by tailoring our business portfolio with growth investments into our core value chains, technology and R&D capabilities to meet sustainability needs and address the challenges of climate change, said Anup Kothari, President, Nutrition & Health.

One global business unit for Nutrition Ingredients

The new Nutrition Ingredients global business unit based in Germany will build on large-scale product platforms supported by the divisions technology leadership and will be led by Senior Vice President Julia Raquet.

BASF will continue to serve its customers in animal nutrition and human nutrition with dedicated teams. Beyond vitamins and carotenoids, feed enzymes will focus on high-quality ingredients to support animal nutrition customers in maximizing the nutritional value of feed.

BASFs food and health performance ingredients portfolio, which is produced at the companys site in Illertissen, Germany, plays a vital role in addressing growing trends in human nutrition. However, the business has limited portfolio synergies and integration into the BASF Verbund. Therefore, strategic options will be evaluated to identify suitable opportunities for this business. The evaluation will not impact BASFs food and health performance ingredients production in Illertissen, supply abilities or commitments to customers.

Supporting further growth opportunities by developing the organization for Aroma Ingredients into a global business unit

To meet the growing demands of the flavor and fragrance industry, BASF will further develop the organization for Aroma Ingredients into a global business unit led by Senior Vice President Thilo Bischoff. The Aroma Ingredients unit will be headquartered in Singapore. This will ensure proximity of the Aroma Ingredients headquarters to major growth markets in Asia, while fully maintaining the strong commitment and connection to markets in the other regions.

Pharma Solutions to maintain its growth path

Pharma Solutions will continue to be based in the United States and be led by Senior Vice President Jeffrey DeAlmeida. BASF will support customers in developing effective and reliable formulations with high-quality biopharmaceuticals, excipients, active ingredients and tailored digital solutions.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., left, congratulates at-large Tribal Councilor Johnny Jack Kidwell, right, for Councilor Kidwell's induction into the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School's Wall of Gallantry in New London, Connecticut.
Youve probably seen headlines recently about the evils of Christian nationalism, especially since Decembers Jericho March in Washington, DC, and since a mob of Trump supportersmany sporting Christian signs, slogans, or symbolsrioted and stormed the US Capitol building on January 6.

What is Christian nationalism, and how is it different from Christianity? How is it different from patriotism? How should Christians think about nations, especially about the United States? If nationalism is bad, does that mean we should reject nationality and national loyalty altogether?

What is patriotism, and is it good?

Patriotism is the love of country. It is different from nationalism, which is an argument about how to define our country. Christians should recognize that patriotism is good because all of Gods creation is good and patriotism helps us appreciate our particular place in it. Our affection and loyalty to a specific part of Gods creation helps us do the good work of cultivating and improving the part we happen to live in. As Christians, we can and should love the United Stateswhich also means working to improve our country by holding it up for critique and working for justice when it errs.

What is nationalism?

There are many definitions of nationalism and an active debate about how best to define it. I reviewed the standard academic literature on nationalism and found several recurring themes. Most scholars agree that nationalism starts with the belief that humanity is divisible into mutually distinct, internally coherent cultural groups defined by shared traits like language, religion, ethnicity, or culture. From there, scholars say, nationalists believe that these groups should each have their own governments; that governments should promote and protect a nations cultural identity; and that sovereign national groups provide meaning and purpose for human beings.

What is Christian nationalism?

Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a Christian nationnot merely as an observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future. Scholars like Samuel Huntington have made a similar argument: that America is defined by its Anglo-Protestant past and that we will lose our identity and our freedom if we do not preserve our cultural inheritance.

Christian nationalists do not reject the First Amendment and do not advocate for theocracy, but they do believe that Christianity should enjoy a privileged position in the public square. The term Christian nationalism, is relatively new, and its advocates generally do not use it of themselves, but it accurately describes American nationalists who believe American identity is inextricable from Christianity.

What is the problem with nationalism?

Humanity is not easily divisible into mutually distinct cultural units. Cultures overlap and their borders are fuzzy. Since cultural units are fuzzy, they make a poor fit as the foundation for political order. Cultural identities are fluid and hard to draw boundaries around, but political boundaries are hard and semipermanent. Attempting to found political legitimacy on cultural likeness means political order will constantly be in danger of being felt as illegitimate by some group or other. Cultural pluralism is essentially inevitable in every nation.

Is that really a problem, or just an abstract worry?

It is a serious problem. When nationalists go about constructing their nation, they have to define who is, and who is not, part of the nation. But there are always dissidents and minorities who do not or cannot conform to the nationalists preferred cultural template. In the absence of moral authority, nationalists can only establish themselves by force. Scholars are almost unanimous that nationalist governments tend to become authoritarian and oppressive in practice. For example, in past generations, to the extent that the United States had a quasi-established official religion of Protestantism, it did not respect true religious freedom. Worse, the United States and many individual states used Christianity as a prop to support slavery and segregation.

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What do Christian nationalists want that is different from normal Christian engagement in politics?

Christian nationalists want to define America as a Christian nation and they want the government to promote a specific cultural template as the official culture of the country. Some have advocated for an amendment to the Constitution to recognize Americas Christian heritage, others to reinstitute prayer in public schools. Some work to enshrine a Christian nationalist interpretation of American history in school curricula, including that America has a special relationship with God or has been chosen by him to carry out a special mission on earth. Others advocate for immigration restrictions specifically to prevent a change to American religious and ethnic demographics or a change to American culture. Some want to empower the government to take stronger action to circumscribe immoral behavior.

Someagain, like the scholar Samuel Huntingtonhave argued that the United States government must defend and enshrine its predominant Anglo-Protestant culture to ensure the survival of American democracy. And sometimes Christian nationalism is most evident not in its political agenda, but in the sort of attitude with which it is held: an unstated presumption that Christians are entitled to primacy of place in the public square because they are heirs of the true or essential heritage of American culture, that Christians have a presumptive right to define the meaning of the American experiment because they see themselves as Americas architects, first citizens, and guardians.

How is this dangerous for America?

Christian nationalism tends to treat other Americans as second-class citizens. If it were fully implemented, it would not respect the full religious liberty of all Americans. Empowering the state through morals legislation to regulate conduct always carries the risk of overreaching, setting a bad precedent, and creating governing powers that could be used later be used against Christians. Additionally, Christian nationalism is an ideology held overwhelmingly by white Americans, and it thus tends to exacerbate racial and ethnic cleavages. In recent years, the movement has grown increasingly characterized by fear and by a belief that Christians are victims of persecution. Some are beginning to argue that American Christians need to prepare to fight, physically, to preserve Americas identity, an argument that played into the January 6 riot.

How is Christian nationalism dangerous to the church?

Christian nationalism takes the name of Christ for a worldly political agenda, proclaiming that its program is the political program for every true believer. That is wrong in principle, no matter what the agenda is, because only the church is authorized to proclaim the name of Jesus and carry his standard into the world. It is even worse with a political movement that champions some causes that are unjust, which is the case with Christian nationalism and its attendant illiberalism. In that case, Christian nationalism is calling evil good and good evil; it is taking the name of Christ as a fig leaf to cover its political program, treating the message of Jesus as a tool of political propaganda and the church as the handmaiden and cheerleader of the state.

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How is Christianity different from Christian nationalism?

Christianity is a religion focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ as defined by the Christian Bible and the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. It is the gathering of people from every nation and tribe and people and language, who worship Jesus (Rev. 7:9), a faith that unites Jews and Greeks, Americans and non-Americans together. Christianity is political, in the sense that its adherents have always understood their faith to challenge, affect, and transcend their worldly loyaltiesbut there is no single view on what political implications flow from Christian faith other than that we should fear God, honor the king (1 Pet. 2:17, NASB), pay our taxes, love our neighbors, and seek justice.

Christian nationalism is, by contrast, a political ideology focused on the national identity of the United States. It includes a specific understanding of American history and American government that are, obviously, extrabiblicalan understanding that is contested by many historians and political scientists. Most importantly, Christian nationalism includes specific policy prescriptions that it claims are biblical but are, at best, extrapolations from biblical principles and, at worst, contradictory to them.

Can Christians be politically engaged without being Christian nationalists?

Yes. American Christians in the past were exemplary in helping establish the American experiment, and many American Christians worked to end slavery and segregation and other evils. They did so because they believed Christianity required them to work for justice. But they worked to advance Christian principles, not Christian power or Christian culture, which is the key distinction between normal Christian political engagement and Christian nationalism. Normal Christian political engagement is humble, loving, and sacrificial; it rejects the idea that Christians are entitled to primacy of place in the public square or that Christians have a presumptive right to continue their historical predominance in American culture. Today, Christians should seek to love their neighbors by pursuing justice in the public square, including by working against abortion, promoting religious liberty, fostering racial justice, protecting the rule of law, and honoring constitutional processes. That agenda is different from promoting Christian culture, Western heritage, or Anglo-Protestant values.

Paul D. Miller is a professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University and a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

[ This article is also available in Portugues, Francais, , and . ]
Is the church going to make a statement?

Are you going to speak out?

What does the church have to say about this?

These are text messages I have received since 2016 following various political events. Some of them filled me with excitement (because I did have something to say), others filled me with dread (because I had nothing to say), and others filled me with confusion (because I wasnt sure what was going on).

Fifteen years ago, when I started in pastoral ministry, I was expected to refrain from commenting on political issues. Now, my congregation expects that I comment on every political issue. If pastors dont make a public statement in reaction to the news, were not doing our jobs.

The pastor and the church sit in a strange place. Pastors often function as mediators of the Word for the lives of their congregants. But this has been twisted. In a time of political obsession, pastors and churches are no longer mediators of a mystery but public relations representatives for the American church.

Many look to the church to provide and maintain a favorable public image of God or to take a hard stance in an increasingly polarized world. We likely chose our church because of shared values; so we want our pastors to tell us how we are feeling and to reflect our feelings back to usto say what we cannot say. Many of our expectations come from a misunderstanding of what the church is and what the pastors role should be.

Public relations serve to maintain image and brand. Those in PR are interested in supplying a kind of language that satisfies a consumerthe public. Public relations firms spin messaging to convince someone of something that (most often) does not exist but should.

In todays landscape, we hear what the Chipotle founder has to say about gun violence or about Bass Pro Shops commitment to anti-racism. Like the political statements of corporations, we look to our churchs social media accounts, seeking a finely crafted statement that matches the capitalist model of placating our emotions to drive our pecuniary interests.

The church is many things: a body, a bride, and a family, as well as a social organization, religious institution, and community hub. It is also a lot more. But it might be important to consider what the church is emphatically not: a PR representative.

We can consider these questions: What do I expect of my church and why? Is our local congregation required to articulate the emotional moment we (and millions of others) are experiencing?

As a pastor, I respond to current events because I want my people to know I live in the same confusing and painful world as them. To love and disciple my people, I want to acknowledge our shared, bizarre reality. And yet, I also sense a drift from my calling as I am often expected to comment on every news item that comes into our feeds. Here are a few ways I have come to think about tackling headlines from the pulpit.

First, the church bears witness of Christs life and resurrection but is ultimately presented to Christ himself (Eph. 5:27). True churches that serve the purposes of Jesus do not maintain an image; they announce the good news of the resurrection of Christ. Spin for a church would be sin.

The Resurrection shapes how we might think about any given event. There are new events that we will speak about, but there is nothing new the church can say that it has not already been saying for 2,000 years: Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.

Second, crafted political statements can actually remove us from our work. So long as we are creating a palatable statement for social media or Sundays sermon, we are not praying, worshiping, or organizing ourselves for meaningful action. But in todays culture, the appearance of morality is more important than moral actions, and speaking is more highly valued than praying.

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While the church is not a media firm, it is a meaningful community that gathers to worship and sit under preaching. We gather to cry out to Godto seek his forgiveness as we live in a sinful country, to ask for his provision and wisdom when we are lacking them. And we organize efforts to bless our cities with a lasting effect toward justice, not just temporary resonance.

Pastors are also different from celebrities or social influencers. Like heads of corporate brands, pastors are often viewed as thought leaders and representatives of Christianity. As celebrities mention their disgust over police violence or abortion, it makes many wonder, Shouldnt my pastor say something as well? But this fundamentally misunderstands the pastors shepherding and teaching role.

The pastor differs from the celebrity in that he or she is a teacher of Gods Word, a steward of a mystery (1 Cor. 4:12). The pastor is there to pass down what has been told to him or her (2 Tim. 1:13; 2:2; 3:14). Pastors are not in churches primarily to offer some thoughts on any given subject; they are there to announce a message that is not their own.

Pastors do not get to say what we think about any given thing or present a new idea weve been contemplating. We declare something we have heard (1 Cor. 15:14). We communicate an idea that did not originate in our brains or online but on the highways of Judea. That is, the primary mode of a pastor is delivery or witness (1 Cor. 11:23; Acts 1:68). The PR firm massages their message to make it palatable. The pastor takes the message and hands it over with as few blemishes as possible.

The pastor certainly delivers this word to a particular people in a particular place. Paul handed the message to the Corinthians while James witnessed in Jerusalem. Corporations and celebrities craft statements for the world, but the pastor speaks and teaches to Ephesus or Antiocha particular place that requires specific terms, tones, and emphases.

Good pastors are slow to speak, while effective celebrity personalities are first to prove they are insightful and aware. For the celebrity, to not say anything is to allow the other side to win, but the careful pastor knows that silence is sometimes Gods most effective language.

Those who ask us to say something immediately after an event assume that speaking first is always the right thing. But the Bible makes several strong warnings about speaking quickly or first (Prov. 18:17; James 1:19) and instructs us to be prudent (Prov. 10:19; 12:23; 17:27).

Ecclesiastes says we will all experience a time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecc. 3:7). As a shepherd, the pastor exists to care for the flock (1 Pet. 5:23)which means the pastor must listen before he or she speaks. The PR firm crafts a statement immediately. The pastor bends an ear: What is happening here? What am I not understanding? This type of response is pastoral to any event, from an election to a divorce.

There are, of course, many times to speak. Scripture is unabashed in its denunciation of all kinds of evil. The prophetic literature is ridden with full rebukes against sexual immorality, idolatry, and oppression of the poor. But the prophets spoke full of the Holy Spirit, driven by a divine pathos, as Abraham Heschel says, rooted in communion with the living God. And they were often told to seek silence because silence is one of Gods dialects (Isa. 30:15; 41:1; Hab. 2:20; Lam. 3:26).

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It is from this posture of communion with God and our congregation that we take seriously our call of discipleship. Our churches need instruction for how to respond faithfully. But this takes so much more work than a statement. This involves teaching, leading our people in collective prayer, and exhorting them toward righteousness and humility as a way to respond to the terrors of this world.

Chris Nye is a pastor in Silicon Valley, a doctoral student at Duke Universitys Divinity School, and the author of several books, including A Captive Mind: Christianity, Ideologies, and Staying Sane in a World Gone Mad (Wipf & Stock, 2022).

Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the publication.
When people think of Bill McKibben, they likely think of issues like environmentalism and climate change. As Russell Moore points out in this episode, it may seem like a surprise that McKibbens latest book is titled The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.



But, as Moore points out, McKibben has long been pondering the cultural influences that shape suburbia and those who grew up within it. And if theres ever been a time to talk about the ways that the individualism thats highly prized in suburbia affects Christians in America, its now.



Tune into this episode for a discussion between two men who do not always agree yet respect each others intellectual positions and work. McKibben and Moore discuss the influence of the past on the present, how comfortability affects Christian formation, and the importance of solidarity. Their discussion touches on history, science, philosophy, theology, and politicsand how the gospel affects it all.



The Russell Moore Show is a production of Christianity Today

Chief Creative Officer: Erik Petrik

Executive Producer and Host: Russell Moore

Director of Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Production Assistance: CoreMedia

Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort

Producer and Audio Mixing: Kevin Duthu

Associate Producer: Abby Perry

Theme Song: Dusty Delta Day by Lennon Hutton
Religious liberty won a victory this month in the United Kingdom.

Prosecutors there dropped charges against 76-year-old Rosa Lalor, who was arrested in 2021 for praying silently outside an abortion clinic. A police officer said Lalor, though socially distanced, masked, and outside, was protesting and didnt have a reasonable excuse to be outdoors during COVID-19 restrictions. She was put in a police car and fined for violating public health measures.

But the British grandmother only had her penalty dismissed after a yearlong legal battle in which Lalor was backed by the religious freedom advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADFI).

The right to express faith in a public space, including silent prayer, is a fundamental right protected in both domestic and international law, said ADF UK legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole. Whether under coronavirus regulations or any other law, it is the duty of police to uphold, rather than erode, the rights and freedoms of women like Rosa.

Lalors case isnt an isolated incident. Though Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has drawn more publicity for bringing religious liberty cases to the US Supreme Court , its international arm has won more than 1,500 cases in 104 countries since 2010.

Following its first decade of work in the US, ADF began receiving requests for help on international violations of religious liberty.

We simply did not, at that time, have the network and the resources to deal with all these complaints because we were very US-focused in our advocacy, said Lorcan Price, European legal counsel for ADFI. There was a sense that something had to be done about that. Particularly the whole issue of the real, physical persecution of Christians around the world catalyzed the whole thing.

So ADFI launched in 2008. Among its office locations: Vienna, Brussels, Strasbourg, Geneva, Mexico City, and New Delhi. The group focuses on countries that uphold the rule of law (at least to some degree) but leaves religious liberty advocacy in totalitarian regimes like North Korea to other organizations. Its mission is to keep doors open for the gospel by contending for religious liberty in courts worldwide.

Though ADFIs advocacy across the globe has quietly achieved considerable success in court, its harder than in the US to ensure the rulings are actually enforced. Nearly 80 percent of the worlds population lives in regions where religious liberty is highly restricted, according to the US State Department.

Frank Wolf, a religious freedom advocate and former Virginia congressman, applauded ADFIs work defending religious liberty abroad.

Sometimes they operate in pretty tough neighborhoods, said Wolf, a former ADF board member, adding, I dont think there are any [organizations] that rival what they do.

Currently, ADFI has more cases in India and Asia than through any of its other offices. The 50 staff members in South Asia have an extraordinary workload because of whats happening in India, Price said.

In addition to court proceedings, attorneys there spearhead investigation of violence where the local authorities have refused to do their job and actually to investigate mob violence against Christians.

Europe has its challenges too. Some ADFI cases reach the European Court of Human Rights, an international court that interprets how the European Convention on Human Rights should be applied in 46 participating nations (45 after Russias expulsion becomes final in September). However, no European agency enforces the decisions, and countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey ignore the courts judgments at times.

Amid that milieu, some have wondered whether court advocacy can advance international religious liberty to any worthwhile degreeespecially in nations that dont respect court decisions.

Sam Brownback, US ambassador at large for international religious freedom during the Trump administration, says it can. Fighting in court for religious liberty is a good tactic but not always a sufficient tactic, he said. Its real tricky terrain to operate within these countries that have laws but dont often follow their own laws.

Bringing a complaint in court often can get attention for a religious liberty violation, Brownback said. Then political pressure can be brought to bear on the offending nation. A classic example was the case in Turkey of American pastor Andrew Brunson.

The North Carolina pastor was released in 2018 from two years of detention in Turkey on terrorism and espionage charges that Brunson denied. Brownback attended one of Brunsons trials on behalf of the Trump administration and met with Turkish officials. The political pressure to release Brunson included increased tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imposed by President Trump.

ADFI continues to support the legal facet of other religious liberty cases. For instance, Paivi Rasanen, a Finnish member of Parliament, was charged with hate speech for criticizing the Finnish Lutheran Churchs participation in LGBT Pride Month. Part of her alleged offense was tweeting a Bible verse. Despite an acquittal this spring, the prosecutor has signaled her intent to appeal. Price is part of the team defending Rasanen.

We see our function as keeping the door open for the gospel by using any of the means that we can as lawyers to achieve that, Price said. We are trying to uphold the rule of law in those countries that are willing to uphold it to protect religious liberty.

Thats why ADFI helped Christians and Muslims in Uganda end a nationwide ban on public worship last fall. Though COVID-19 measures had been lifted for malls, arcades, and business centers, public worship was prohibitedeven if it occurred outdoors. Court cases continue in Uganda to ensure the government cannot reinstitute blanket bans on worship.

Forced conversion in Pakistan, persecution of a house church in Russia, suspension of a midwifery student in the UK for her pro-life views, evangelical persecution in Bulgaria, and criminalization of evangelism in Nepal are among ADFIs other pending cases.

There are a lot of passages in the Bible that reference religious liberty, Wolf said. Yet all over the world people of faith are being denied the fundamental and inalienable human right to confess and express their faith according to their conscience. ADFIs work is probably more important now than ever before.

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To organizers of the Anglican Communions Lambeth Conference, the global body has come to a point where it has to agree to disagree on same-sex marriage.

Ahead of the once-a-decade gathering, organizers scrapped a statement that would have reaffirmed the conferences historic stance against same-sex marriage.

The proposed statement on human dignityone of many declarations, or calls, that will go before the 650 bishops for approvalreceived pushback from LGBT-affirming leaders in the global body, including Episcopal clergy. The dramatically revised statement now recognizes Anglicans deep disagreement on LGBT issues instead.

It says that many Provinces continue to affirm that same gender marriage is not permissible and other Provinces have blessed and welcomed same sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception. It also reiterates how Lambeths 1998 resolution advised against legitimizing or blessing same-sex unions.

We have listened carefully and prayerfully to what bishops and many others have said in response to the draft Calls, especially that on Human Dignity, said Bishop Tim Thornton, the bishop overseeing the calls subgroup. Archbishop Justin [Welby] has invited the bishops of the Anglican Communion to come together as a family to listen, pray and discernsometimes across deeply held differences.

The Anglican Communion includes an estimated 85 million members spread across 41 provinces, including The Episcopal Church in the United States.

Bishop of Los Angeles John Harvey Taylor was among the critics of the original call, as were clergy in Wales, who voted last year to bless same-sex marriages. The Episcopal Church was suspended from the Anglican Communion in 2016 for three years for sanctioning same-sex marriage.

The Church of England does not perform same-sex marriages, though views in the UK are shifting. Last year, the Methodist Church in England became the countrys largest denomination to allow same-sex marriage. Earlier this year, the Church of Scotland also approved same-sex marriage.

At the conferencewhich runs July 26 through August 8 in Canterbury, Englandbishops will be given the opportunity to vote on each call, saying either it speaks for them, does not speak for them, or requires further discernment.

The full call reads:

Prejudice on the basis of gender or sexuality threatens human dignity. Given Anglican polity, and especially the autonomy of Provinces, there is disagreement and a plurality of views on the relationship between human dignity and human sexuality. Yet, we experience the safeguarding of dignity in deepening dialogue. It is the mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ and to be welcomed, cared for, and treated with respect (I.10, 1998). Many Provinces continue to affirm that same gender marriage is not permissible. Lambeth Resolution I.10 (1998) states that the legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions cannot be advised. Other Provinces have blessed and welcomed same sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception. As Bishops we remain committed to listening and walking together to the maximum possible degree, despite our deep disagreement on these issues.

According to Ian Paul, a member of the Church of England Evangelical Council, the process for drafting the Lambeth calls has complicated an already sensitive and divisive issue. He said the document with the calls came out last-minute and a member of the group drafting them said the wording had been changed without their knowledge.

There are issues around the content, but I think there are really big issues around the process here, Paul told PremierNews. If youre going to deal with something controversial amongst people who have different views, heres the golden rule: No surprises. Put everything out in the open. Give people plenty of time. I think the real problem here is that everythings come very, very late  thats a guarantee to create misunderstanding and I think to create a lack of trust.

The Lambeth Conference is convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury typically once a decade, but this is the first gathering since 2008 after the 2018 conference was postponed due to tensions over the LGBT issue and the 2020 event couldnt be held due to COVID-19. Its also the first to be led by Welby, who succeeded Rowan Williams in 2012.

This years event is being boycotted by theologically conservative primates from Nigeria, Uganda, and Rwanda, the Religion News Service reported.

Nothing has really changed about the issues in contention, which broke the fabric of the communion in the first instance. Rather, things are getting worse as the culprits are becoming more daring and persistent in their errors and rebellion, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, and Archbishop Laurent Mbanda wrote in a letter.
Canadian city passes bylaw threatening churches property tax relief; critics condemn 'unfair' move

A city in Canada scheduled to have a visit from Pope Francis recently passed a bylaw that may soon require churches to pay property taxes, a move some consider anti-religious.

The City of Iqaluit, the capital of the province Nunavut with a population of around 7,500 people, passed a bylaw in April regarding tax relief for nonprofits and charitable organizations.

The new bylaw, slated to take effect next year, repeals earlier bylaws that named specific religious entities for tax exemption and creates an application process if a nonprofit seeks partial or complete tax exemption.

Tax exemption eligibility requirements include the applicant demonstrating financial need, that they own the property for which they seek relief and that they must not disparage or restrict others.

According to the new bylaw, the city will also cap the annual funds allocated for property tax relief to $300,000.

Father Daniel Perreault, pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption, the only Catholic church in Iqaluit, denounced the new measure in an interview with Global News earlier this week.

It is unfair. It is a kind of revenge, a kind of game, said Perreault. It will not kill us. Its just one more thing to make us suffer a little bit more.

The city sent a statement to Global News saying the new bylaw is meant to provide a fair opportunity, to all community-based organizations, to apply for full or partial property tax relief and was not a by-law specific to the church.

News of the new taxation measure comes as Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Iqaluit on Friday as part of his penitential trip to Canada in response to revelations of abuse at Catholic-run residential schools for indigenous populations.

Last year, 215 graves of indigenous children were discovered on the property of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, which closed in 1978.

Soon after, an alleged mass grave near the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, which had over 700 unmarked graves, made headlines.

In June 2021, Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell stated that he wanted local churches to pay taxes in response to the then-recent discovery of purported mass graves at former residential schools.

Were not retaliating against them; they literally killed thousands of children, Bell alleged in an interview with Nunatsiaq News at the time.

Tax exemptions, as a whole, are supposed to be for groups that do the community good. Its very clear that the Catholic church hasnt done the community any good.

Some scholars have disputed the claims of mass graves, noting that Marieval was part of an official cemetery and Kamloops had only been confirmed as having probable burials.
Fellowship Baptist Church removes JD Hall from membership, says wife did not want abuse reported

The fractured relationship between Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana, and its former pastor, Jordan Daniel "J.D." Hall, over the alleged physical abuse of his family and drug addiction has grown even wider as the church announced Monday that his membership was revoked over a failure to show repentance.

"Effective July 24th, 2022, Fellowship Baptist Church of Sidney, MT, has voted to remove Jordan Hall from membership in poor standing due to a failure to demonstrate repentance for sins that he had committed against his family, his church, and his God," Fellowship Baptist Church leaders noted in a statement online.

"Our petition to the Lord has been and continues to be that Jordan will humbly take responsibility for his actions, cease his attempts at undermining the integrity of the people he sinned against, and commit himself fully to whatever is necessary to rebuild trust among those that he has deceived and abused. Please join us in prayerful hope that Jordan will be humbled through this final act of discipline and will ultimately be restored to fellowship with the Body of Christ."

Hall, a polemics blogger well-known for his scathing criticisms of Christian leaders, was removed as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church last month over an alleged addiction to the prescription drug Xanax. He was also axed from his polemics website Protestia, which formerly operated as Pulpit & Pen.

Earlier this month, Caleb Snodgrass, an elder at Fellowship Baptist Church who has been serving in that role for approximately four years, told The Christian Post that Hall's wife, Mandy, reported to church officials on June 5 that he physically abused her and her son.

In their statement Monday, church leaders noted that Hall's wife asked them not to report the abuse to authorities. But after reviewing Montana law, the leaders felt it was "necessary for this information to be shared with authorities." They noted that it was not the church's intention to make the abuse public.

"Sidney Police and DPHHS/CFSD were informed by church leadership of accusations that we received of spousal abuse and abuse of a minor child within the Hall family. Note: this information was shared with us by individuals within the Hall family," church officials said.

"Jordan's wife explicitly stated that she did not want us to report it. Through investigation into the Montana statute regarding mandatory reporting for clergy and caregivers within the foster care system (also applicable to individuals in our leadership), we decided it was necessary for this information to be shared with authorities," the statement explained. "In order to protect the victims of the alleged abuse from public scrutiny, we had intended for this information to not be made public."

Hall's troubles that led to his fall from his pulpit began in May when he was arrested on DUI and weapons charges.

A report from the Sidney Police Department cited by The Sidney Herald said Hall, 40, was arrested on May 11 at approximately 11 p.m. on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and multiple traffic violations while driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs.

An incident report shows that when police approached Hall, he spoke slowly, his eyes were watery, closed slowly and deliberately and his speech was slurred and mumbled.

He also stumbled, displayed poor balance and performed poorly on a field sobriety test. No alcohol was found in his system when a blood alcohol test was administered. He also had a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Shield handgun, which was found under his coat in an inside-the-waistband holster during his arrest, the report added.

Fellowship Baptist Church leaders say they were unaware of Hall's drug addiction when they defended him publicly and rejected his initial offer to resign.

The church removed a statement from Hall's wife on the church's public Facebook page rebuking leaders for reporting Hall's physical abuse of her and her son to authorities "to avoid a public discussion of the context behind the post."

"At no point were any of our decisions regarding public comment or the manner in which we conducted church discipline upon Jordan informed by a desire to cover-up sins or to preserve his public persona," the church's statement reads.

"Our main concern was the welfare of our local church, the Hall family, and Jordan's soul, while making our best attempt at handling the situation with integrity to the Scriptures. Our desire to avoid gossip and backbiting led us to weigh carefully what we felt was necessary to share with the prying eyes of the public and when it would be appropriate to make public commentary. We are well aware that many will disagree with our assessment, but we are primarily concerned with our accountability to God and the local church."
Over 10K Nigerian Christians protest Muslim presidential ticket: Recipe for 'sharp divides'

More than 10,000 Nigerian Christians staged a protest in the African nation's capital against an all-Muslim presidential ticket for Nigeria's ruling party, expressing concerns over religious tolerance.

The protest took place in Abuja on July 15, with a major issue being the Muslim-Muslim ticket created by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress party. President Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani Muslim, is term-limited and can't seek another term. His vice president is Yemi Osinbajo, a Christian.

Tinubu, a Muslim and the former governor of Lagos state, has garnered controversy for having fellow Muslim Kashim Shettima, the former governor of Borno state, as his running mate for the next presidential election scheduled for February 2023.

Demonstrators marched on the Presidential Villa and submitted a letter of protest to Nigeria's federal government, according to the Abuja-based Daily Post Nigeria.

The protest was led by the All Christians Community of Northern Nigeria, whose leader, Moses Adams, told the Daily Post that the lack of a Christian vice presidential candidate on the ticket was "unacceptable and a recipe for creating sharp divides between the Muslims and the Christians in the country."

Since 1999, according to Moses, the tradition in democratic elections has been for all political parties to have one Christian and one Muslim on their presidential campaign tickets.

This is due in part to the population of the country being roughly evenly divided between the two major religions, with Islam dominating the north and Christianity dominating the south.

Moses believes a Muslim-Muslim ticket shows a disregard for Nigeria's Christian community.

Groups like the Evangelical Church Winning All denomination and the prominent advocacy organization Christian Association of Nigeria have also expressed concern over the ticket.

Kayode Fayemi, a governor who supports the APC, recently asked CAN to take the opportunity to present its views to the APC rather than protest the religious makeup of the ticket.

"The Christian leadership should use this current challenge as an opportunity to present a charter of demands to all political candidates, especially our party (APC), outlining the irreducible minimum conditions acceptable to Christians," said Fayemi, as quoted by Premium Times Nigeria.

"A charter of demands that would represent those values you preach to us in church highlighting our concerns, stressing the place of Christendom in the Nigeria project and then placing our demands before the political leaders. I want the Church to organize debates around issues of concern among all the candidates."

Not all Christians are upset with the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Progressive Christian Clerics North-West Zonal Chairman, Reverend Moses Bitrus of Arise and Shine Prophetic Ministry Kaduna, recently called on Christians to be more concerned about electing leaders who can tackle Nigeria's rising security concerns.

Nigeria is collapsing and needs leaders with proven track record of performance that are adequately equipped to fight the threats by insurgency with all seriousness," Bitrus said in a statement shared by Vanguard. "We need committed leaders with the capacity to deliver on campaign promises without excuses once elected."

"These among several reasons are why we disagreed with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other churches kicking against the issue of Muslim-Muslim Ticket," he added.

In recent years, northern Nigeria has been a hotbed of violence. The rise of Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Predominantly Christian farming communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt states have been attacked and pushed out of their lands by predominantly Muslim radicalized herders. Thousands have reportedly been killed in the violence that has escalated since 2016.

Christian nongovernmental organizations and some human rights activists contend that religion plays a role in the violence occurring in the Middle Belt and could be reaching the level of genocide.

However, President Buhari and his administration argue that the violence is part of decades-old farmer-herder clashes exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

According to the Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA, at least 4,650 Christians were killed in Nigeria between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, the reporting period for the group's latest annual report.

"In much of northern Nigeria, Christians live their lives under the constant threat of attack from Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants and criminals who kidnap and murder with few consequences," Open Doors stated in a recent report.

"Christians in some of Nigeria's northern states also live under Shariah law, where they face discrimination and treatment as second-class citizens. Christians who've converted from Islam also face rejection from their families and are often pressured to recant their faith in Jesus or face the consequences."
10 reasons why we need to release the church in the workplace

In the early church, there was no separation between the clergy and laity. This separation happened when the church began to imitate Rome and, as a result, became an institution in the 4th century. Every believer in the early church was expected to be a witness for Christ. Most congregations met in homes or apartments, and many had their place of business in the same location where they resided.

Consequently, they used the workplace as their primary platform to share the Gospel. They did not depend upon a professional pastor to share the word on Sundays inside a so-called sacred building.

Historically speaking: In the first century, Jesus started a way of life. Then, the Greeks made Christianity a philosophy in the second century. In the third century, faith was defined as a creed. Later, in the fourth century, Christianity became an institution. In the Middle Ages, it became a religion. The Protestant reformation made it a national culture. In the 18th century, the Pietistic movement made the faith a personal experience. The liberal 18th century made Christianity an opinion. In the early 20th century, the fundamentalist movement made it a legalistic lifestyle. In the mid-20th century in the United States, Christianity became an enterprise.

To have the greatest global impact, we must restore the church to the way of Jesus and His apostles of the first century. Part of the way of Jesus is ending the bifurcation between the workplace and church place so that the church gathered on Sunday becomes the church scattered on Monday!

The following are ten reasons why we need to release the church in the workplace:

1. Jesus chose 12 marketplace leaders, not 12 religious leaders.

He chose people with practical leadership skills who knew how to manage their time, relate to people, and create wealth as entrepreneurs. (Two sets of brothers owned fishing businesses, one was a tax collector and knew how to handle money. At least one was a zealot involved in politics; even Judas had experience in managing money since he was the treasurer for the Jesus movement (John 13:29).) Many of the most influential pastors in the world I have met have a business background.

2. Jesus Called the Church to plant the Gospel in cities, not buildings (Acts 1:8-9).

Jesus commanded the church to be His witnesses in cities, not merely in buildings on Sundays.

3. We are called both kings and priests.

Priests bring men to God; however, kings represent the government of God to people on earth. 1 Peter 2:8-9 calls believers a royal (kingly) priesthood. Revelation 1:6 calls the church a kingdom of priests (kings and priests in the KJV).

We are called to reign in this life with Christ according to Romans 5:17. Thus, all believers are called as kings to represent Gods reign in the marketplace, as well as priests who bring people to Christ.

4. Most of the miracles took place outside of the synagogue.

Just a cursory reading of the Gospels illustrates that most of Jesuss miracles were done outside the synagogue. Jesus preached on boats, sitting on mountains, and walking in the streets. In the book of Acts, many people were saved, healed, and delivered before they went into the temple or house church meeting (Acts 3:1-8; 8:1-5; 14:1-8; 19:1-23).

Paul reasoned with people in the marketplace when he was in Athens, and as a tentmaker, he made friends with other tent makers and discipled them (Acts 17; 18:1-3)

5. Jesus told us to pray for His kingdom to come on earth.

What is His Kingdom? His rule emanates from the throne of God (Psalm 103:19). What is the earth? The earth includes not only every geographic area but also every sphere of life; hence, there is no separation between the church place and workplace in The Lords Prayer.

6. Jesus called his church to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

Jesus did not call believers the salt and light of the church. We are called to bring Gods truth to every aspect of creation. History has shown that the greatest scientists, composers, universities, and hospitals came out of the church. This is why the church is called the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

7. The early church turned the world upside down.

Acts 17:6 says about the apostles, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also... The word world in Greek means not only the people in the world but also the civilization and systems that support the people.

8. The Church is not called to escape the earth but work with Jesus to renew it (Revelation 21:1-2).

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The word new in Greek is Kainos which means to renew. The church, as the heavenly Jerusalem, is called to participate with Jesus for the renewal of all things in creation (Galatians 4:26).

9. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (APEST) are called to equip the saints for their ministry in the workplace (Ephesians 4:10-12).

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Thus the context for ministry has to do with Jesus as the last Adam equipping His followers through the ministry gifts to fill all the things on the earth (1 Corinthians 15:45). This is a reference to the cultural mandate to fill the earth, subdue it, and influence every aspect of the created order (Genesis 1:28).

10. The Church is called to disciple people groups (Matthew 28:19-20).

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...

Nations does not refer to one ethnic person but gentile people groups. Here, Jesus commands His Jewish disciples to bring the good news to gentile tribes and nations. Consequently, cultural transformation occurs when a disciple-making movement changes the identity of gentile nations when a critical mass joins the Jesus community via baptism.
Disney Plus breaks promise to stay family friendly, adds R-rated movies

A conservative media watchdog group is slamming Disney Plus for breaking its promise not to add R-rated movies to the streaming platform.

On Friday, Parents Television and Media Council announced that Disney Plus made R-rated Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan available to subscribers today.

In 2019, the blog Whats On Disney Plus reported that Disney Plus would only include content with ratings of PG-13 or softer and that more adult-oriented content the Walt Disney Company acquired from its purchase of 20th Century Fox would be distributed on its other streaming platform, Hulu.

Three years ago, the Walt Disney Company made a promise to families, PTC President Tim Winter recalled. No R-rated movies on Disney+, they said. Its a family focused platform, they said. We have Hulu for our edgier adult fare, they said. It turns out they were lying to us. After decades of corporate brilliance establishing itself as the worlds most trusted brand for families, todays C-level suite at Disney has decided to flush it all down the toilet.

Noting that Disney+ points subscribers to its parental controls, Winter insisted that the mere presence of R-rated and TV-MA rated content violates the trust and sensibilities of families. He expressed disappointment that what took decades to build is now taking mere months to erase.

One day in the no-too-distant future, business schools will point back to this corrupt corporate U-Turn as they analyze what happened to the once-great Walt Disney Company, he predicted. In the meantime, families will continue to be woefully underserved by Hollywood.

Melissa Henson, program director for the PTC, elaborated on her concerns with Disney Plus embrace of R-rated programming in an interview with The Christian Post.

People who are looking for MA-rated content have  an abundance of streaming platforms that offer that kind of content, she said. There are very few streaming platforms that offer only family-friendly content. Disney Plus was one of them. And now, no longer Disney Plus. So, there are fewer and fewer really truly safe options for families.

Henson told CP that there are a few competitors out there, specifically mentioning the video filtering service VidAngel, which can be used on top of an existing streaming service such as Disney Plus.

That allows you to apply content filters so that you can block specific types of content that you dont want your child to see, whether its language, whether its sexual situations or violence, drug use, alcohol use. You have the option to turn on filters so that it will skip  over that content so that your kids arent seeing it, she explained.

Additionally, Henson pointed to Angel Studios and UP Faith & Family as family-friendly streaming services available to parents dissatisfied with the programming available on existing streaming platforms. She urged consumers to put pressure on these streamers to provide more consistency in how the ratings are applied, to have more consistency in how the parental controls are applied and to make sure that there are safe spaces in the streaming universe for family audiences.

Disney Plus embrace of R-rated content is not the first time the streaming service has faced criticism for the material available on the platform. Earlier this year, Disney Plus added six Marvel television series with ratings of TV-MA to the collection. The TV-MA rating is the equivalent of an R rating, indicating that the material should be available to mature audiences only.

Even before Disney Plus began content explicitly designed for adults, the company had started to incorporate topics described by critics as inappropriate for young children into programming marketed as family-friendly.

Last year, the streaming service announced that a reboot of the animated series The Proud Family would feature same-sex parents as characters. In 2020, the short film Out, which included a gay main character, premiered on the platform.

The reboot of The Proud Family is not the only example of the Walt Disney Company working to introduce LGBT ideology to children. A lesbian was one of the main characters in Onward, an animated feature film produced by Disneys Pixar Animation Studio.

Additionally, the Walt Disney Company created a Pride Collection line for children ahead of June, which is recognized by LGBT activists as Pride Month. Sweaters, T-shirts and baby clothes bearing the rainbow flag that has come to symbolize the LGBT movement are available for purchase in the shopDisney online store, retail shops and at theme parks.

Leaked video footage obtained by Christopher Rufo of the Manhattan Institute and City Journal reveals Disney officials admitting to regularly adding queerness to childrens programming.

The video footage was taken shortly after Disney emerged as an outspoken critic of a Florida law derided by critics as the Dont Say Gay Bill, which prevents school officials from discussing topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity with students in kindergarten through third grade.

Henson cited the integration of LGBT ideology into childrens programming and Disney Plus addition of R-rated content to its portfolio as evidence that there seems to be a general movement from Disney away from its roots. She recalled that founder Walt Disney wanted to bring families together by producing content that would bring families together and unite families.

It seems that the current leadership of Disney is moving away from that and instead choosing programming thats divisive, that is going to cause families to split up and go to separate corners of the house, she added.

Henson maintained that this phenomenon has led to mom and dad in one room watching the R-rated content, [and] the kids in another room watching the G-rated content, instead of trying to provide a place where families can sit down and enjoy the same content at the same time.
RTHK: Japan to join 'Garuda Shield' military drills

Japanese defence forces will participate for the first time in military exercises in Indonesia next month alongside the United States and Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The meeting between Kishida and Jokowi, as he is popularly known, came a day after the Indonesian president made a rare visit to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping in which the two pledged to scale up trade and expand cooperation in areas such as agriculture and food security.

"Indonesia shares fundamental values with us as well as strategic goals, it is a strategic partner," Kishida told a news conference after the two met.

He said Japan's Self-Defence Forces will take part in the Garuda Shield joint military exercises to be held in Indonesia from August 1 with the United States, Australia and others. It will be the first time that Japan has participated.

The annual exercises, typically between Indonesia and the United States, will be "significantly larger in scope and scale" than in previous years, the United States has said.

Japan also would loan the Indonesian government 43.6 billion yen, or US$318 million, for infrastructure projects and disaster prevention, Kishida said, along with cooperating in areas including energy.

In his remarks, Jokowi emphasised practical aspects of bilateral ties and mentioned that the two nations had agreed to changes in an Indonesia-Japan economic partnership agreement to be signed later this year, although he did not specify details.

Renegotiations on the agreement, concluded in 2007, are aimed at expanding access to Japanese markets and reducing tariffs.

"I ask for Japan to support the reduction of tariffs on some products such as tuna, bananas, pineapple, and market access to mango products," Jokowi said.

Indonesia's imports from Japan totalled US$9.2 billion in 2020, while its exports to Japan stood at US$14.5 billion, according to IMF data compiled by Refinitiv. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinese military will not sit back if Pelosi visits Taiwan: defense spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:24, July 27, 2022

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will not sit back if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, a Chinese defense spokesperson warned on Tuesday.

Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a press inquiry regarding the issue.

China demands that the United States honor its promise that it would not support "Taiwan independence," Tan said, adding that if the U.S. side insists on making the visit, the Chinese military will take strong actions to thwart any external interference or "Taiwan independence" separatist scheme, and will be resolute in safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Chinese side has repeatedly made clear to the United States its firm opposition to Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan, Tan noted.

"If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, it would seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and seriously damage the political foundation of China-U.S. relations," Tan said.

It will inevitably result in extremely serious damage to the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, and lead to further escalation of the tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Studies Reveal Ivermectin Greatly Reduces COVID Mortality

NEWS PROVIDED BYJuly 27, 2022WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 / Christian Newswire / -- A new study shows Ivermectin can reduce the chance of COVID death by 92 percent. Theprospective observationalof 88,012 people in a strictly controlled city-wide program in Southern Brazil, shows that regular use of Ivermectin as prophylaxis for COVID-19 led up to 92 percent reduction in COVID-19 mortality rate. In fact, there were 0 COVID hospitalizations in the group of regular Ivermectin users compared to 10 in the irregular user group.This exploratory analysis of a prospective observational study involved a program that used Ivermectin at a dose of 0.2mg/kg/day for two consecutive days, every 15 days. Data was gathered over a 150-day period. Regular users had 180mg or more of Ivermectin; irregular users had up to 60mg, in total, throughout the period of the program. Comparisons were made between non-users (subjects who did not use Ivermectin), regular and irregular users from the city of Itajai after multivariate adjustments.In addition, the evidence of efficacy is extraordinarily consistent in 46 additionalthat also show a lower mortality rate with Ivermectin.catalogues all the studies on Ivermectin and many other pharmaceuticals and supplements in reference to treatment of COVID. This excellent resource includes 174 Ivermectin COVID-19 studies , 121 peer reviewed, and 88 comparing treatment and control groups. Ivermectin has been officially adopted for early treatment in all or part of 22 countries (38 including non-government medical organizations).

However, the WHO has not updated its treatment guideline for Ivermectin in over one year. The WHO not only discourages the use of Ivermectin but recommends Molnupiravir and Sotrovimab which have lower efficacy and higher risks.

Twelve studies from 138 scientists cite that Molnupiravir's "potential risks of the mechanism of action include the creation of dangerous variants, and mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and embryotoxicity" and "two trials (CTRI/2021/05/033864 and CTRI/2021/08/0354242) have reported no significant efficacy." Six studies from 761 scientists cite that Sotrovimab's "efficacy is variant dependent. Lower efficacy for BA.1, unlikely to be effective for BA.2. US EUA has been revoked."

A comparison of the efficacy rates of all three drugs is: Ivermectin is 63 percent; Molnupiravir is 33 percent; and Sotrovimab is 17 percent.

Therefore, the WHO recommends the drugs with lower efficacy and discourages the drug with the highest efficacy.

The NIH "recommends against the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19, except in clinical trials" and the FDA instructs "why you should not use Ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19."

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The WHO, FDA and NIH continue to provide bad information regarding safe and effective treatment. Ivermectin and other therapeutics are proven to help people. Tragically, these organizations have miserably failed the public."

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.

SOURCE Liberty Counsel

CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org

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Louisiana withholds $39M from New Orleans' Sewage & Water Board for not enforcing abortion ban

Louisiana's Bond Commission has agreed to withhold a $39 million line of credit from New Orleans over city officials' refusal to enforce the state's abortion ban.

Last week, the commission voted 12-2 to withhold the line of credit for a Sewerage & Water Board New Orleans power plant while allowing millions of dollars to go to other projects, according to local media outlet WWL-TV.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the decision "disappointing and appalling," stating that "abortion remains legal statewide" due to an injunction.

"What also remains is the fact that we are in the middle of another above-average hurricane season, in which this city needs its entire Sewerage and Water Board system performing at its peak in order to protect vital assets, businesses and residents from flooding," Cantrell said.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a statement that it is a matter of making sure that New Orleans, which may get the line of credit approved next month, follows state law.

"The same folks who have turned the Crescent City into America's murder capital by refusing to prosecute violent crime must now choose whether they prioritize playing partisan politics over granting basic amenities for their constituents," stated Landry.

"I hope they come before the Bond Commission to explain why New Orleans should continue to receive millions of taxpayer dollars while refusing to comply with the laws enacted by our Legislature as required by our State Constitution."

Louisiana is one of several states to pass a trigger law, a near-total ban on abortion that went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, effectively allowing states to ban abortion.

Pro-choice groups filed a lawsuit against Louisiana in an attempt to prevent the trigger law from taking effect.

Last week, Judge Donald Johnson in Baton Rouge issued a preliminary injunction against the ban, which will remain in effect until the litigation is resolved and allows for the state's three abortion clinics to continue operating.

Abortion bans are in place in states neighboring Louisiana, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Anglican bishops' conference that banned same-sex spouses postponed over coronavirus concerns

A major conference for bishops of the Anglican Communion that garnered headlines for not inviting same-sex spouses has been postponed over concerns about the coronavirus.

The Lambeth Conference, which was originally scheduled to be held at Canterbury in the United Kingdom in July and August, has been postponed until summer 2021.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Anglican Communion, announced the rescheduling in a video message posted to the Conference website on Monday.

Welby stated that he believed that the place of a bishop at a time of difficulty is the place of a shepherd when the wolf is attacking the flock.

It is to be with them, to be alongside them, to love them, to suffer with them, he said. Because of the coronavirus, travel around the world is deeply restricted and the amount of time that we will face these limitations is unknown.

For these reasons, so that we may be good shepherds as bishops in the Anglican world and encourage the Church to be there for Gods suffering world, we have decided to reschedule and postpone the conference.

Welby stressed that they are absolutely not canceling, adding that when we come together, it will be in a world reshaped by what is going on at the moment.

It is ever more important that we meet to pray, to study the Scriptures, to hear the Word of God, to comfort, to gain a fresh vision of what it is to be Gods church for Gods world, he continued.

Let us remember that as we come together and share our wisdom, we will need to hear from the Spirit through each other, to think and ponder and study, to worship and pray.

The first Lambeth Conference was held in 1867 and lasted four days with 76 bishops from across the global Anglican Communion in attendance. It has been held roughly once every 10 years.

The conference originally scheduled for this summer garnered controversy when it was announced that same-sex spouses were not invited to the gathering.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, explained last year that while all bishops received official invitations, same-sex spouses are not invited to the conference.

Invitations have been sent to every active bishop. That is how it should be  we are recognizing that all those consecrated into the office of bishop should be able to attend, wrote Idowu-Fearon at the time.

But the invitation process has also needed to take account of the Anglican Communions position on marriage which is that it is the lifelong union of a man and a woman. That is the position as set out in Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

Idowu-Fearon added that he believed that in light of the church resolution it would be inappropriate for same-sex spouses to be invited to the conference.

The decision was criticized by many in the global church body, namely those in more theologically liberal churches in developed countries.

The Right Rev. Mary Glasspool of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, a married lesbian bishop, planned to lead a service in July at a church in Canterbury partly to protest the decision.

The LGBT+ community in the U.K. and other places might not understand that they are invited to celebrate at the Christian table, Glasspool told The Guardian in a recent interview. We need to make it known that everyone is included  all are invited to this particular celebration.
Lambeth Conference nixes resolution language reaffirming biblical definition of marriage

Anglican Communion leaders will no longer consider a measure that would reaffirm the biblical definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman at their decennial conference following an outcry from theological liberals.

Shortly before the beginning of the Lambeth Conference in London, a major gathering of Anglican bishops that happens roughly every ten years and will run from July 26 to Aug. 8, organizers announced significant changes to a resolution that would have reaffirmed a 1998 statement opposing same-sex marriage.

In the days leading up to the conference, there was much outcry from liberal attendees over the inclusion of a call  similar to a resolution  that would define marriage as being exclusively "between a man and a woman."

The original draft language of the resolution in question, known as the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity, called for "a reaffirmation of Lambeth I.10 that upholds marriage as between a man and a woman and requires deeper work to uphold the dignity and witness of LGBTQ Anglicans."

In an announcement Tuesday, the conference shared updated language of the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity that is more neutral in rhetoric, noting that some provinces in the communion affirm same-sex marriage while others do not.

"Many Provinces continue to affirm that same gender marriage is not permissible. Lambeth Resolution I.10 (1998) states that the 'legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions' cannot be advised," states the present text.

"Other Provinces have blessed and welcomed same sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception. As Bishops we remain committed to listening and walking together to the maximum possible degree, despite our deep disagreement on

these issues."

The revision came in response to "widespread responses from bishops and others."

At first, attendees were told they could only respond to the call by either accepting it or saying that they felt it "requires further discernment."

Lambeth Conference organizers revealed that a third option would be given for attendees to choose from. The third response option states: "This Call does not speak for me. I do not add my voice to this Call."

Bishop Tim Thornton, the chair of the Lambeth Conference's Lambeth Calls subgroup, said in a statement that the committee listened "carefully and prayerfully to what bishops and many others have said in response to the draft Calls, especially that on Human Dignity."

"Archbishop Justin has invited the bishops of the Anglican Communion to come together as a family to listen, pray and discern  sometimes across deeply-held differences," Thorton said.

Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT activist in the Church of England, told The Guardian that while she supported the changes, she is "still deeply troubled by the tone of this communique."

"It does not appear to address any of the concerns relating to process that so many have flagged up, nor does it recognise the breakdown in trust that there is now in relation to the [discussions on sexuality and identity] here in England," said Ozanne.

Over the past several years, an increasingly divisive debate has hit the Anglican Communion's member churches related to the issues of homosexuality and gay marriage.

Although many members, like the United States-based Episcopal Church and the Church of Scotland, have embraced same-sex marriage, the fastest growing churches of the communion continue to reject same-sex marriage.

Among those in opposition to the original language of the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity were bishops of The Episcopal Church.

In 2016, a meeting of Anglican Primates hosted by Archbishop Justin Welby voted to suspend The Episcopal Church from its membership rights in the communion for three years due to its theologically liberal stance on homosexuality.

"The traditional doctrine of the Church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union. The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching," stated the Primates in 2016.

"Recent developments in The Episcopal Church with respect to a change in their Canon on marriage represent a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage. Possible developments in other Provinces could further exacerbate this situation."

The last Lambeth Conference was held in 2008. The 2020 conference was postponed two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first Lambeth Conference led by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Majority of Republicans support same-sex marriage: survey

A new survey has found that for the first time, a majority of Republicans support same-sex marriage.

As part of its annual American Values Atlas, the Public Religion Research Institute released a report Thursday finding broad support for pro-LGBT policies in the United States spanning across partisan, ethnic and religious lines. The results of the survey match findings of other studies showing rising support for such policies.

Overall, 67% of Americans support same-sex marriage. Support for allowing same-sex couples to marry is highest among Democrats (76%) and independents (72%). Notably, 51% of Republicans, who are seen as the party committed to defending traditional family values, said they support same-sex marriage. 2020 marked the first time a majority of Republicans surveyed in the American Values Atlas expressed support for same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage boasts majority support in nearly all religious groups. Seventy-six percent of Americans belonging to a religion other than Christianity support allowing same-sex couples to marry, along with 75% of white Catholics, 72% of white mainline Protestants and 71% of Hispanic Catholics. An overwhelming majority (81%) of religiously unaffiliated Americans support same-sex marriage.

Support for same-sex marriage is lower among black Protestants (57%), other Protestants of color (56%) and Hispanic Protestants (51%). Less than half of evangelical Protestants of all races support same-sex marriage. Support is lowest among Hispanic evangelical Protestants (41%), followed by evangelical Protestants of another race (43%), white evangelical Protestants (43%), and black evangelical Protestants (49%).

As Congress considers the Equality Act, a wide-reaching measure that includes nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals, the American Values Atlas found broad support for such policies in the American public. When asked if they supported "laws that protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing," 76% of Americans answered in the affirmative.

Support for nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals reaches 85% among Democrats and 78% among independents. While support for nondiscrimination protections is lower among Republicans, they still receive majority support (62%).

Among conservative Republicans, support for nondiscrimination protection measures at 59%. This number rises to 73% among liberal Republicans and 75% among moderate Republicans. Independents (86%) and Democrats (91%) who describe themselves as liberal overwhelmingly favor nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals.

Moderate Democrats (83%) and independents (81%) favor nondiscrimination protections by wide margins, while conservative Democrats (73%) and Democrats (69%) support the protections by less sizable but still substantial margins.

Reflecting the results of other surveys, support for LGBT nondiscrimination protections is highest among Americans between the ages of 18-29, 81% of whom support LGBT policies. Support declines among older age groups, with 81% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 49 favoring nondiscrimination policies, along with 72% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64, and 65% of those over the age of 65.

The age gap surrounding support for nondiscrimination protections is also evident within partisan groups. Commanding majorities of Republicans (70%), independents (84%), and Democrats (89%) under the age of 50 support nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals. Smaller majorities of Republicans (56%), independents (71%) and Democrats (81%) over the age of 50 favor the measures.

Within religious communities, younger members are more likely than older members to favor nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people. Seventy-three percent of white evangelical Protestants younger than 50 support the protections compared to 56% of their counterparts age 50 and older. Among other Protestants of color, 80% of those younger than age 50 support nondiscrimination protections, while 66% of those age 50 and older said the same.

Support for nondiscrimination protections stands at 80% among black Protestants under the age of 50, 66% among black Protestants over the age of 50, 88% among white mainline Protestants younger than 50, 75% of white mainline Protestants older than 50, 83% among younger white Catholics, 72% among older white Catholics, 71% among younger Hispanic Protestants, 62% among older Hispanic Protestants, 84% of Hispanic Catholics younger than 50, and 75% among Hispanic Catholics older than 50.

The survey also found that women are more likely than men to support nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals. Sixty-eight percent of Republican women support the policies compared to 57% of their male counterparts. While independent women (82%) are more likely than independent men (75%) to favor nondiscrimination protections, the difference in support among female and male Democrats is minimal (87% as opposed to 83%).

Majorities of all religious groups support nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals. The support was highest among religiously unaffiliated Americans (82%), white mainline Protestants (82%), Hispanic Catholics (81%) and Jewish Americans (79%).

Significant majorities of Mormons (78%), white Catholics (77%), other Catholics of color (74%), and black Protestants (73%) also support codifying protections for LGBT individuals into law. The groups that are least likely to support such measures were white evangelical Protestants (62%), Hispanic Protestants (68%) and other Protestants of color (72%).

The American Values Atlas also found that a supermajority of Americans (61%) oppose allowing small businesses to "refuse to provide products or services to gay or lesbian people, if doing so violates their religious beliefs." While a plurality of white evangelical Protestants (49%) support allowing business owners to abide by their religious beliefs, pluralities or majorities of all other religious groups oppose religiously based service refusals.

A plurality of Mormons (49%) oppose religiously based service refusals, along with a majority of Hispanic Protestants (54%), other Protestants of color (56%), white mainline Protestants (59%), white Catholics (60%), Hispanic Catholics (62%), other Catholics of color (64%), religiously unaffiliated Americans (70%), black Protestants (70%), and Jews (71%). Less than half of Republicans (42%) oppose religiously based service refusals compared to majorities of independents (62%) and Democrats (73%).

The survey concluded with an analysis of support for the "pro-LGBTQ policies" of legal same-sex marriage, nondiscrimination protections for LGBT individuals and opposition to religiously based service refusals. Forty-two percent of Americans were classified as "completely in favor of pro-LGBTQ policies," 27% were "somewhat in favor of pro-LGBTQ policies," 13% were "somewhat against pro-LGBTQ policies" and 7% were "completely against pro-LGBTQ policies."

White evangelicals were the most likely group to be "completely against pro-LGBTQ policies," while religiously unaffiliated Americans were the most likely group to be "completely in favor of pro-LGBTQ policies."

Although a majority of Americans support the provision of the Equality Act guaranteeing nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community, other parts of the legislation are far less popular with the American public. A poll released last year found that 67% of Americans opposed allowing biological males who identify as females to compete in women's sports, while less than 60% of likely voters opposed allowing biological males who identify as females to use women's restrooms and locker rooms.

The 2020 American Values Atlas was based on responses collected from 50,334 adults between Jan. 7, 2020, and Dec. 20, 2020.
Pastor Ted Haggard accused of inappropriate male touching and drug use in new ministry

Some 12 years after starting Colorado-based St. James Church in a defiant comeback from a 2006 sex scandal involving illicit drug use and a male prostitute, former National Association of Evangelicals President Ted Haggard has been accused of inappropriately touching at least two young men and illicit drug use during his new ministry.

"People are scared and worried and don't want to be connected to him anymore," the Rev. Kirk "Seth" Sethman, who was ordained as a minister by St. James Church in October 2012, told The Colorado Springs Gazette.

St. James Church did not immediately respond to questions about the allegations when contacted by The Christian Post on Wednesday. But Sethman, a reformed drug addict who served time in prison as a young adult for burglary, insists that Haggard has not been delivered from his wayward proclivities.

He told The Gazette that in the spring of 2012, just under two years after Haggard and his wife, Gayle, started St. James Church, the former megachurch pastor asked a young male church member to whom he was providing counseling to buy him methamphetamine.

Sethman said the young member, who was recovering from heroin addiction, told him what happened. He asked another member who is a medical doctor to help him confront Haggard. He said when they confronted Haggard, the pastor admitted to having the methamphetamine and said he was planning to use it to celebrate his upcoming birthday.

The St. James Church pastor then asked the two men to help him remove the drug from his house so he would not be tempted to use it.

Sethman said when they got to Haggard's house, Haggard gave him a briefcase to throw away.

"He asked us to conceal the matter and said he would be accountable to us in the future," Sethman said. "Which never happened."

Sethman said after he left Haggard's home, he opened the briefcase and found a bag containing a small amount of the nearly 1 gram of methamphetamine the young church member had bought for the pastor. There was also reportedly a "well-used" glass meth pipe, several sex toys, a DVD with two young males on the cover and a credit card with Ted Haggard's name.

Sethman, who went blind in 2015 due to a medical condition, said he didn't call the police because he wanted to protect Haggard, the church and the young man. He said he chose to smoke the remaining methamphetamine instead and waited about a year before disposing of the briefcase.

"I was protecting the young man, the church and Ted," Sethman said. "My choice I made was wrong, but I thought I was doing right."

The report said Sethman relapsed into drug use and drinking until 2017 when he rejoined St. James Church.

Around that time, Sethman said a young man told him that "'it was really weird that Ted kept pushing him to go four-wheeling in the woods with him.'"

In 2006, Haggard was forced to resign as pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after confessing to "sexual immorality" with Denver male escort Mike Jones. Haggard, who said he would classify himself as bisexual if he weren't a Christian pastor, said he didn't have sex with the prostitute.

"We never had sex sex. I bought drugs and a massage from him, and he masturbated me at the end of it. That's it," he told GQ in 2011.

Haggard initially denied using methamphetamine he allegedly bought from Jones but later admitted to using the drug.

"Sometimes I'd throw it away," he told GQ. "Other times, I'd go someplace and masturbate and use it. But it was for masturbation. And that's one of the reasons why I haven't been real clear. I don't want to stand up publicly and say, 'Hey, I'm a masturbation guy!'

Sethman told The Gazette that he wasn't aware of Haggard's 2006 scandal until January 2019 and that after that discovery, he became more concerned about stories he heard about how he conducted himself around young men.

He shared recorded testimony from two young men stating that Haggard made them uncomfortable with touching they felt was inappropriate.

"Sometimes when he touches me, it feels very predatorial and very strange," one of the men, who was a minor at the time of his alleged touching, was quoted as saying. "He'll touch me on my pecs or my back or hug me in a way that I'm sliding up his hip or the side of his thigh or his bum. You can kind of tell it's weird."

"There's a lot of highly suspicious things that he does, and you're like, 'that doesn't seem or feel normal.'"

The second young adult male said he was uncomfortable with Haggard's behavior around the teenager and other minors.

Sethman, who worked as a children's ministry volunteer under Haggard at New Life Church, said in April 2020, some elders called for Haggard to step down over the concerns raised by the young males.

"What prompted me to write that letter was his abuse of authority and his denying it," an unidentified elder, who asked leaders to remove Haggard from his role, told The Gazette. "We were looking for accountability."

The elder says she knows that many people are moved by his charisma, but she sees him as a "silver-tongued  snake in many ways, who makes excuses and lies."

In April, Haggard announced that he was switching the model of his church to a series of house churches and changed the name to Storyhouse Church. He said there was a "slow decline" in the church over the past two years.

The St. James Church building was sold for $1.95 million, The Gazette reported, citing county records.

Sethman says he is even more concerned about the potential for abuse to occur inside Haggard's home.

"My prayer," said Sethman, "is protecting the children and the young adults."
Same-sex spouses not invited to major Anglican Communion Bishops conference

For a major gathering of bishops and their spouses scheduled for next year, the Anglican Communion has specifically not invited the same-sex spouses of some of their church leadership.

In July and August 2020, Anglican bishops from across the globe will gather in Canterbury, United Kingdom for the Lambeth Conference.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, explained in a blog entry published last week that while official invitations were sent out to all bishops, same-sex spouses are not invited to the conference.

Invitations have been sent to every active bishop. That is how it should be  we are recognising that all those consecrated into the office of bishop should be able to attend, wrote Idowu-Fearon.

But the invitation process has also needed to take account of the Anglican Communions position on marriage which is that it is the lifelong union of a man and a woman. That is the position as set out in Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

Idowu-Fearon went on to state that as a result it would be inappropriate for same-sex spouses to be invited to the conference.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has had a series of private conversations by phone or by exchanges of letter with the few individuals to whom this applies, continued Idowu-Fearon.

The first Lambeth Conference met in 1867, lasting four days with 76 bishops in attendance. Since then, the Conference has been held roughly once every ten years.

The theme for the upcoming Conference is Gods Church for Gods World: walking, listening and witnessing together.

It will be a time of addressing hurts and concerns; of deepening existing relationships and building new ones; of grappling with issues that face the Church and the world, said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in a statement posted to the Conference website.

We will listen to each other; we will seek Gods wisdom to find ways to walk together; we will build each other up as leaders.

The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, is in a same-sex marriage and sent Archbishop Welby a two-page letter disagreeing with the decision.

When will the church accept to it the gift of the LGBTQ community? she asked Welby, as reported by Episcopal News Service.

Young people are watching us. If they havent written off all of Christianity for being homophobic, they do find The Episcopal Church inviting and inclusive."
Shia LaBeouf plays beloved saint Padre Pio in upcoming biopic; actor moved by grace of monks

Popular movie star Shia LaBeouf is gearing up for the release of his latest film, "Padre Pio," where he stars in the role of the beloved Franciscan Capuchin friar. The film is now in post-production, but the actor's encounter with real-life monks has touched his heart.

LaBeouf will play the role of Padre Pio, an Italian saint who lived in the 20th century, in the upcoming film of the same name. Directed by Abel Ferrara, "Padre Pio" will center around the saint's young life, according to the Internet Movie Database.

The actor's transformation from the role is evident, as revealed in a recent viral post by Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

On Instagram, the man of the cloth said he recently met with the 36-year-old for the second time while at a movie screening.

"Shia and I met while he was living among the Capuchins in preparation for the role, and it was delightful to see him again at the screening," Barron noted.

LaBeouf's time living with monks came a time the actor was finding his own walk with the Lord.

The entertainer was raised Jewish and once claimed to not believe in God. In a 2014 interview with Interview Magazine, he stated that he became a "Christian" while filming the movie "Fury" alongside Brad Pitt and David Ayer. But his faith was on and off since then.

Footage posted online last year of the "Transformers" star preparing for the role of Padre Pio gave fans a glimpse into where the actor's heart with God is now after he spent time at a Franciscan Capuchin friary based in northern California to help immerse himself into the work of the friars.

According to reports, the "Even Stevens" actor even went on a pilgrimage to the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo, where Padre Pio, also known as St. Pio of Pietrelcina, lived and served for more than half a century.

In August, the actor was featured in a video sharing how his new role has impacted him.

"I'm completely immersed in something way bigger than myself. I don't know if I've ever met a group of men as immersed in anything in my life. It's super attractive to see people give themselves to something so divine. And it's heartwarming to know that there's a brotherhood like this that exists," he said.

Additionally, LaBeouf revealed that he was met with "nothing but grace" by the friars he encountered along the way.

In an interview with Variety published last summer, Ferrara shared additional information about the upcoming movie. Besides LaBeouf, the film will feature several Italian actors who may be unfamiliar to American audiences. However, Ferrara told the publication that his close friend Willem Dafoe would also appear in the movie.

"We're doing a film about Padre Pio. He's a monk from Puglia. It's set in Italy right after World War I. He's now a saint. He had stigmata. He was also in the middle of a very heavy political period in world history," Ferrara explained. "He was very young before he became a saint, so Shia LaBeouf is going to play the monk."

In another interview with an Italian publication last month, Ferrara reported that LaBeouf came upon this project just as he was strengthening his own faith.

"For Shia, he began to know Pio just as he was discovering his own Christianity. With this film, he took a dip in the dark. He threw himself. He went to live in a monastery for months. He shared time with his brothers. It was a very powerful discovery," Ferrara recalled.

As stated in a biography compiled by the Padre Pio Foundation of America, the future saint born to the name Francesco Forgione rose to fame in the Catholic world for experiencing what is known as the stigmata  wounds corresponding to those experienced by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion.

Several miracles have been attributed to Pio, who continuously bled from the stigmata wounds without experiencing a corresponding fever or loss in blood pressure.

More than 30 years after Pio died in 1968, Pope St. John Paul II beatified the monk in 1999. In 2002, he was canonized.
Ted Haggard Shares Shocking Details in New Interview

Disclaimer: This article contains content not suitable for minors and graphic sexual language

In a new GQ magazine profile, Colorado Springs pastor Ted Haggard disclosed shocking details about his drug use, sexuality, and pornography viewing.

Haggard told GQ reporter Kevin Roose while on a camping trip that he still believes that the Bible is clear that "homosexuality is not God's best plan for people." But Roose reports that a few days later when Haggard was back at home, the former megachurch pastor shared that he would describe himself as "bisexual" if not for his belief system and family.

"I think that probably, if I were 21 in this society, I would identify myself as a bisexual," Haggard said in the February issue of GQ magazine.

But he added, "I'm 54, with children, with a belief system, and I can have enforced boundaries in my life. Just like you're a heterosexual but you don't have sex with every woman that you're attracted to, so I can be who I am and exclusively have sex with my wife and be perfectly satisfied."

Only a few years ago, Haggard was among the most prominent evangelical leaders in the country. But he fell from grace after a drug and sex scandal involving a gay male prostitute was exposed in 2006. The scandal forced him to resign as pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

During the scandal, Haggard confessed to "sexual immorality" with Denver male escort Mike Jones, but denied having sex with him. In the GQ article, he reasserted that, "We never had sex sex. I bought drugs and a massage from him, and he masturbated me at the end of it. That's it."

But contrary to prior statements that he bought methamphetamine from Jones but never used it, Haggard confessed that he has used the drug.

"Sometimes I'd throw it away," he said. "Other times, I'd go someplace and masturbate and use it. But it was for masturbation. And that's one of the reasons why I haven't been real clear. I don't want to stand up publicly and say, 'Hey, I'm a masturbation guy!'

Haggard said he would use the drugs while watching heterosexual and gay porn.

The Christian Post contacted Haggard on Thursday, but he declined to be interviewed.

The GQ interview comes about two weeks after the TLC premiere of "Ted Haggard: Scandalous," a one-hour special documentary that allows Haggard to share how the scandal strained his relationship with New Life Church, which he founded. The documentary also follows him and his wife Gayle for several days last summer as they prepared to launch their new church, St. James

In an interview with The Christian Post earlier this month about the TLC special, Haggard commented on the skepticism that some people may have of his current role as pastor of St. James Church.

"All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God," he said. "All people have some form of self-righteousness in them and some form of depravity in them. That's why our process to grow in Christ continues through a lifetime."

Haggard also said that he was very grateful to God for His faithfulness and how God's word has been working in his life.

"My family is together, my marriage is strong, we have a gorgeous, beautiful church, and we have warm fellowship with the saints and with the community," he said.

"I don't know how life can be better at this point. Well, I do know, I shouldn't have sinned and the consequences of it. But Jesus has done a miracle in my life and I'm grateful."
Texas AG refutes claim that states abortion law prevents women from getting healthcare for miscarriage

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pushing back against claims that an abortion law in his state prevents women from receiving healthcare for a miscarriage, characterizing one such report on CNN as a made-up story.

During an appearance on The Blazes The News and Why It Matters Monday, Paxton reacted to a CNN report alleging that a Texas woman was forced to carry her dead baby for two weeks after having a miscarriage. CNN claimed that Marlena Stell was denied a dilation and curettage procedure to remove the remains of her dead baby due to Texas' abortion law. D&Cs are sometimes performed in abortions and women's healthcare treatments such as the removal of uterine polyps.

Nothing could be further from the truth, Paxton insisted. The procedure is not outlawed by Texas law and so this was a very slanted story that didnt direct at the right place, which was the doctor.

Paxton noted that CNN did not interview the doctor who refused to perform the dilation and curettage procedure, whom he slammed for making a really poor decision.

The attorney general further explained that Texas' abortion law provides exceptions for the life of the mother as well as in cases of ectopic pregnancy.

Anything like that, where youve got the baby is deceased, that certainly is a procedure that can be done and anything that is done to save the life of the mother is certainly protected under Texas law, Paxton added. He was adamant that the CNN report was a made-up story because they didnt interview the doctor.

Paxton reported that his office was not aware of doctors refusing to perform D&Cs to remove babies' remains because of Texas abortion law and contended that the purpose of the CNN report was to make it seem like lots of doctors were refusing to perform the procedure, a proposition he characterized as just not true.

Blaze commentator Sara Gonzales elaborated on the allegations made in the CNN report, specifically that after an ultrasound revealed that Stell's baby had no heartbeat, her doctor informed her that state law required her to get multiple other ultrasounds to confirm what the other ultrasound had already said and that such ultrasounds had to be performed by different facilities. Paxton cited these claims as part of an effort to confuse people, make them think what shes saying is in the law.

In a CNN interview, Stell recalled a conversation she had with her obstetrician after learning that her baby did not have a heartbeat. According to Stell, the doctor informed her that because of this law, I cannot provide you any care, we need you to go get another ultrasound somewhere else. She told CNN that it became a battle of having to go get multiple ultrasounds to even prove that I had indeed miscarried and then having to come back and beg for a D&C, I still was denied one.

In the end, [I] had to go to an abortion clinic to get one because I could not get one at a hospital, she added. She also maintained that the topic of her own personal well-being did not come up at all during the two-week period between the time she learned her baby did not have a heartbeat and when she finally had a D&C done.

Gonzales engaged in a back-and-forth with Stell on Twitter, which began with the Blaze opinion host sharing text from Texas state law declaring that an act is not an abortion if the act is done with the intent to: (A) save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child; (B) remove a dead, unborn child whose death was caused by spontaneous abortion; or (C) remove an ectopic pregnancy.

Yeah, either this doctor is dumb as s*** or this woman is lying. Removal of a dead fetus is not considered an abortion in Texas, Gonzales said. Stell responded by inviting Gonzales to have a real and factual conversation about miscarriage care.

Gonzales replied by reiterating that Texas law is VERY clear that a D&C to remove a dead fetus is allowed. She called on Stell to expose her doctor so they dont put any more women at risk.

When Stell asserted that pro-lifers give 0 s**** for women dying as long as their perceived infant supply is ok, Gonzales once again urged her to expose the doctor who lied to you about Texas law and put your life at risk.

After Stell stated in a subsequent tweet that doctors will stall or deny treatment in fear of law and D&Cs will take longer to get, Gonzales interpreted that as an admission that it wasnt the law that prevented you from getting medical care, but an incompetent or lying doctor willing to put your life at risk.

So now you admit it wasnt the law that prevented you from getting medical care, but an incompetent or lying doctor willing to put your life at risk. Expose them if you care about womens health. https://t.co/Ge8ui6vZzH  Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) July 25, 2022

Expose them if you care about womens health, she proclaimed. Gonzales offered Stell the opportunity to come on my show and lets talk about why you continue protecting a doctor you say almost let you die because he didnt understand abortion law. Stell declined the request because of her belief that Gonzales does not want to genuinely understand my story but rather place blame, call me a liar and devalue what is happening to women.

Then come on my show and lets talk about why you continue protecting a doctor you say almost let you die because he didnt understand abortion law.



No woman should have to go through that because of medical incompetence, dont you agree? https://t.co/ONinTq94ku  Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) July 25, 2022

If you want to have an honest conversation lets have it but I know you dont want to because you dont like what my story implies: LAWS HAVE EFFECTS, Stell continued.

Gonzales followed up by assuring Stell that Im giving you a platform to expose the doctor who misrepresented the law before this doctor potentially kills women, adding: If you truly care about women, youll take the opportunity.

While Stell remarked that she had answered [Gonzales] questions all day, she indicated that she would not accept Gonzales request to expose the doctors who refused to provide her with miscarriage treatment because they were following protocol.

Gonzales response illustrated how she saw the situation a little differently: You have not answered my questions. Ive asked you multiple times to expose the doctor who put you at risk so you can save other women. You have refused. What are you trying to obfuscate?
Judge rules life beginning at conception is a distinctly Christian idea, blocks Kentucky abortion ban

A judge has temporarily blocked two Kentucky laws that would effectively ban abortion in nearly all circumstances, claiming that the idea of life beginning at conception is a distinctly Christian view.

Two abortion clinics recently filed suit against Kentucky over two laws: one that bans most abortions after six weeks into a pregnancy and a trigger ban set to take effect due to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June.

Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Mitch Perry issued an order last Friday granting a temporary injunction against the state enforcing the two laws, building off of an earlier injunction.

Perry concluded that the plaintiffs suing the state over the two laws had demonstrated at the very least a substantial question as to the merits regarding the constitutionality of both the Trigger Ban and the Six Week Ban.

As such, they are entitled to injunctive relief until the matter can be fully resolved on the merits, Perry said, noting that the injunction will be in effect pending full resolution of this matter on the merits, until further order of this Court.

The judge also took issue with the apparent premise of the laws that life begins at conception, claiming that this was a distinctly Christian and Catholic belief and thus violated the state constitutions prohibition on establishing a religion.

Other faiths hold a wide variety on when life begins and at what point a fetus should be recognized as an independent human being, Perry wrote.

The laws at issue here, adopt the view embraced by some, but not all, religious traditions, that life begins at the moment of conception. The General Assembly is not permitted to single out and endorse the doctrine of a favored faith for preferred treatment.

Many pro-life advocacy groups that believe life begins at conception are not religious. Those include Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, Secular Pro-Life, Rehumanize International and Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians.

Pro-life advocates have long emphasized the scientific arguments for the pro-life viewpoint.

Jeanne Mancini, the president of the March for Life, said in 2018 when unveiling the theme of the 2019 march that "Science is behind the pro-life movement."

"We see that medical and technological advancements always affirm the pro-life movement," Mancini said. "For example, DNA is present at fertilization and no fingerprint on earth, past, present, or future, is the same. We know, too, a babys heart beats at just six weeks and we can distinctly observe it ourselves with ultrasound technology."

In a 2019 survey of approximately 5,500 biologists that was part of a dissertation, 96% of them responded that they believe that human life began at fertilization.
3 shot in drive-by shooting outside Chicago church while leaving funeral

Three people were the victims of a drive-by shooting this weekend when they attended a funeral at a Baptist church in Chicago, Illinois, with all three men expected to survive their wounds.

The drive-by took place Saturday afternoon at Universal Community Missionary Baptist Church, located in the Roseland neighborhood of the city, according to ABC 7 Chicago.

One 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, leg and shoulder; a 37-year-old man was shot in the thigh; while a 25-year-old was shot in the back. All three were reported to be in good condition.

According to authorities, while the funeral attendees were standing outside, an unknown person in a gray sedan drove by and opened fire, wounding three people.

"On a day when people should be coming together, should be growing and loving, and now there's a community in confusion and chaos," said Pastor Donovan Price, reported ABC 7.

The funeral was for Mike Nash, a community figure and anti-violence activist who had recently passed away from a heart attack, according to The Associated Press.

Chicago has garnered many headlines for its high gun violence and overall homicide rate, with the major city seeing a rise in firearms-related deaths in recent years.

According to numbers compiled by The Chicago Tribune, as of Sunday, there have been 361 confirmed homicides in the city, which did reflect a decline compared to July 2021.

Thats 63 fewer people killed when compared with this same date in 2021, reported The Tribune, noting that Austin and South Shore lead all community areas with the most homicides so far in 2022  24.

In November 2021, the Cook County Medical Examiners Office reported that the number of homicides in the county had passed 1,000 by the end of Thanksgiving.

Of the 1,009 confirmed homicides, 777 of them occurred in Chicago. It was the county's most significant number of murders since 1994 when the office reported 1,141 homicides.

Pastor Isaac Paintsil, head of Christs Oasis Ministries, a multisite church with campuses in and near Chicago, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that the rising violence was horrendous and heartbreaking.

At a certain point, how can mothers be grieving and families be grieving, fathers be grieving week after week after week after week?" Paintsil inquired at the time. "This is the real challenge that we are having, and the emotional toll on us is just unbelievable."
Gunmen rob pastor, congregants of over $1M in jewelry during service, leaving them traumatized

Popular Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who has often been criticized for being too flashy because he drives expensive cars and adorns himself with jewelry, says his family and congregation were left "traumatized" Sunday after multiple masked gunmen entered their church and stripped them of more than $1 million worth of jewelry before fleeing the scene.

Whitehead, who leads the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, says the brazen attack caught on video made him "hurt" because "my church is hurt."

"The women and children that were in my church, my daughter, she's traumatized. Right now, she's still not even talking because of that experience. They had the gun in my 8-month-old's face. The women of my ministry, my wife, everybody is traumatized," Whitehead revealed to his 1.6 million followers on Instagram and Facebook in the aftermath of the attack.

Information from the New York City Police Department cited by The New York Post said three masked gunmen burst into Whitehead's church at around 11:14 a.m. The video of the incident shows Whitehead quickly surrendering to the gunmen as they relieved him, his wife and their congregation of their precious stones.

Police sources told The New York Times that more than $1 million in jewelry was stolen.

"As I was preaching, I seen three to four armed men come in," explained Whitehead, who said he quickly indicated to his congregants that they should get down as the gunman entered.

"I didn't know if they just wanted to shoot the church up or were just coming for a robbery. And they were all black men. They had masks, and they came in, and they took all of my wife's jewelry and all of my jewelry," Whitehead said.

"When I laid down on the floor and the young man came, the young man came and put the gun into my back, as you all see on the video. He took my watch, took my jewelry, took my bishop's ring, took my wedding band, and then they took my bishop's cross, and then I had my other chains underneath my shirt. And he tapped my back  and ripped my collar off just to get to my jewelry."

The New York City preacher, who said he turned his life around after an unfortunate encounter with the legal system and life in the streets, says he has been using his ministry to help his community, including gang members. But he said his ministry had been coming under attack from Satan recently.

"The enemy has been attacking Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries for some time now. I don't put all of my business out, but we are a young, thriving ministry that we connect not only with the church but we connect with the streets. We connect with people that need help. I've helped so many gang members, so many just regular people in this ministry," he said.

Whitehead, who has in the past received support from NYC Mayor Eric Adams, was arrested in 2006 for a $2 million identity-theft scam. He served five years in prison but was released in 2013. He claims he was "falsely convicted and arrested for a crime I did not commit." The Brooklyn pastor had been sentenced to 11 1/3 to 34 years in prison for the crime.

"A few weeks ago, I was troubled with a phone call that there were speculations that there were guns in my church, and I had to let my attorney go handle that and deal with that. And I don't know if this is connected, but it is what it is," Whitehead said.

The pastor said that when the gunmen entered, they did not factor in that cameras would be recording. While he appealed to the public to help the NYPD catch the gunmen, he expressed faith that God's justice will prevail.

"I'm going to be straight with you guys. Everybody that knows me from the streets, you all know who I am. And if you have any information, inbox me because I'll rather them turn themselves in because those are the material things. It was hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewelry that was taken from me. And I say hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they knew it because they've been watching," he said.

"I need you all to understand who I am in the body of Christ. I don't care if you don't like me  but when you are anointed by God, when you are appointed by God, God will avenge. I don't have to do anything. God will avenge. That's why we know what car you were in, and that's why we know what you already look like," Whitehead said in his message to the gunmen.

Whitehead, who took many long pauses to restrain his anger, pointed to his history of being around criminals. He said that he had never been the victim of a robbery before the attack at his church on Sunday.

"To run inside of a church where all we do is praise the Lord, you can't say, 'I'm gangster this, I'm gangster that.' I'm in the church, preaching, right? If this would have happened in another setting, then it's still wrong. It is what it is. But to come into a church and to traumatize young women and children, the children are still crying, the women are still crying, my wife is crying. You did this to the church. The church where I'm sure your grandmother praised God," he said.

"You all brought guns in the church to do harm and to take something from a man of God and a woman of God," he added.

"I've been on these streets a long time, and ain't nobody never take nothing from me," he said after a long pause. "When I went to prison illegally, and they sentenced me to 11 1/3 to 34 years, ain't nobody take nothing from me. I was around every gangster, murderers, robbers, gang members. Ain't nobody never take nothing from me. And you all wait till I have a collar on in the pulpit preaching the word of God, preaching deliverance."

The attack on Whitehead's church came about two months after thieves decapitated angel statues and ripped a centuries-old solid gold tabernacle worth $2 million from the altar of St. Augustine Catholic Church, located at 116 6th Ave. in the Park Slope section of the New York City borough. The attack on that church happened when no one was inside.
LA school district encourages teachers to reject gender 'binary,' embrace LGBT ideology

One of the largest school districts in the United States has urged teachers to embrace LGBT ideology denouncing the gender "binary," according to a new report.

Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute, shared documents he obtained from the Los Angeles Unified School District's Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity Department on Twitter Wednesday.

LAUSD is the largest school district in California, serving more than 500,000 students.

"Los Angeles Unified School District encourages kindergartners to experiment with non-binary pronouns, trains teachers to subvert 'mainstream white cis-heteropatriarchy society,' and promotes sexual identities such as 'trans,' 'pansexual,' 'two-spirit,' and 'genderqueer,'" Rufo tweeted.

The outspoken critic of critical race theory and LGBT ideology being incorporated into public schools provided screenshots of a "treasure trove of documents from the district's Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity department, which has created an entire infrastructure to translate the basic tenets of academic Queer Theory into K-12 pedagogy."

"The programming includes a wide range of conferences, presentations, curricula, teacher-training programs, adult-driven 'gender and sexuality' clubs, and school-sponsored protests," Rufo wrote in an article for City Journal.

The Christian Post reached out to LAUSD for comment. A response is pending.

I have obtained a trove of documents from the districts Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity department, which has created an entire infrastructure to translate the basic tenets of academic Queer Theory into K-12 pedagogy. pic.twitter.com/9vYlOoEXWh  Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) July 20, 2022

Among the documents Rufo shared online are LAUSD's "Queer and Trans-Affirming School Calendar" titled "Queer All School Year."

One PowerPoint presentation focused on "Queering Culture & Race." The PowerPoint has been removed from the LAUSD's Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity Department's website.

A slide from an October 2021 professional development workshop discussing "breaking the binary in education" asserted that "our language is binary due to the society around us." The stated purpose of the workshop was to provide a "start for educators to look at how they can shift their thinking, language, and approach to LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom." The workshop was presented by a fifth grade magnet school teacher whose pronouns are "they/them."

Other workshops at the same conference featured a panel discussion with queer seventh-grade students to "produce counter narratives against the master narrative of mainstream white cis-heteropatriarchy society that seeks to erase and oppress our lived experiences." They included a list of resources for trans-identified students, including "trans-affirming clothing."

Another workshop advised teachers to use "non-gendered expressions" and abandon the use of the phrases "boys and girls," "ladies and gentlemen" and "guys."

In a conference last fall, the district hosted presentations on breaking the [gender] binary, understanding what your queer middle schooler wants you to know, and producing counter narratives against the master narrative of mainstream white cis-heteropatriarchy society. pic.twitter.com/eFsVIhpy3Q  Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) July 20, 2022

A school district policy issued in 2019 proclaimed, "Students shall be addressed by the name and pronoun that corresponds to their gender identity asserted at school without obtaining a court order, changing their pupil records or obtaining parent/legal guardian permission."

The document clarified that "if school personnel are unsure how a student wants to be addressed in communications to home or in conferences with parents/legal guardians/educational rights holders, they may privately ask the student how they want to be referred to when communicating with parents/legal guardians."

A chart obtained by Rufo listed the "privileged social groups" within individual "social identity categories," along with the "border social groups" and the "disadvantaged social groups."

The chart identified "white people," Anglo-Saxons, citizens, males, gender-conforming men and women, heterosexuals, rich people, the able-bodied and mainstream Christians as privileged social groups. The document classified "People of Color," females, trans-identified people, LGBT individuals and non-Christians as "disadvantaged social groups."

Rufo cited the chart as an example of the narrative that "white, cisgender, heterosexual men have built a repressive social structure, divided the world into the false binary of man and woman, and used this myth to oppress racial and sexual minorities."

As of Sunday, all but one of the links on the Office of Human Relations, Diversity & Equity's "Advisory Lessons" webpage redirect to a page informing visitors that "this page has moved." The only document remaining is a PowerPoint presentation outlining "10 Ways to Talk About Sensitive Issues in the News." Two of the PowerPoint documents removed from the website include "Critical Race Theory, Racism and K-12 Education" and "Say Gay: Protect LGBTQ+ Futures."

The department has a separate webpage devoted to lessons on "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression."

While most of the documents have been removed, a presentation on the meaning of the term "2 Spirit" remains. A lengthy glossary of LGBT terminology defined the phrase as an "umbrella term traditionally within Native American communities to recognize individuals who possess qualities or fulfill roles of both feminine and masculine genders."

The PowerPoint contended that "European colonizers" imposed a "binary, European understanding of gender" on Western civilization. Additionally, it stated that "colonizers imposed homophobia, gender binaries and misogyny among other abuses towards the Indigenous nations" when they first arrived in what is now the U.S.

Another presentation available on the website discussed "names and pronouns" and included advisories to "ask [people] for their pronouns when meeting someone new, correct people when they use the wrong pronouns, use the name and pronouns they ask you to use and apologize and correct yourself if you get it wrong."

An LAUSD spokesperson told The Washington Examiner that the district "supports and respects the diversity of our students and families, which includes providing safe and affirming learning environments."

Rufo's reporting comes three years after 43.9% of students in the district met or exceeded standards in the 2019 Smarter Balanced assessments' state English testing, which constitutes part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.

That same year, 33.47% of students in the district met or exceeded the standards in the state math testing.

When compared to all the school districts in the state, LAUSD scored in the bottom 50% in both categories. SchoolDigger ranked the district 1,029th out of 1,496 school districts in California.

LAUSD is not the only major U.S. school district to embrace LGBT ideology amid mediocre student performance on state assessments.

Rufo previously shared footage of professional development training teachers in the School District of Philadelphia were encouraged to attend. The training consisted of sexually explicit workshops, including one where the speaker informed attendees that "I have tried and touched many d---s" and showcased prosthetic penises.

The most recent data from the school district reveals that 22% of Philadelphia public school students received a proficient or advanced score on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment math test. Additionally, 33% of third-graders scored proficient or advanced on the PSSA ELA test, and 36% of students in grades four through eight received scores of proficient or higher on the same test.

SchoolDigger ranked the School District of Philadelphia 473rd out of 579 school districts in Pennsylvania.

A poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers showed most Americans are "dissatisfied" with how schools teach students about issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and race.

The survey indicated that 58% of respondents living in battleground states were "dissatisfied" with "the way students are taught about issues related to sexual preference and gender identity," while just 23% were "satisfied."

At the same time, 60% of those surveyed described themselves as "dissatisfied" with "the way students are taught about racial issues and the role of race in America," while 27% were "satisfied."
Historic Presbyterian church cancels in-person worship after receiving threats

A prominent Presbyterian congregation in Texas, which traces its roots to the 19th century, was forced to cancel in-person worship due to threats against the church.

First Presbyterian Church of Dallas announced Saturday that it was closing down that weekend because an unnamed person had sent threatening messages to the Church indicating the potential for future harm.

Pastor Amos Disasa, who wrote the announcement, explained that last week, a person who had worshipped at FPC Dallas had sent a message via email that we perceived to threaten the safety of our community.

In response to the message, according to Disasa, the church contacted the Dallas Police Department, who reached out to the person about their threatening messages.

Upon review, their recommendation was to take immediate action to cancel weekend, in-person programming, including worship, which would allow DPD additional time to locate the person and assess the threat, said Disasa.

Disasa said that he was relieved to report that this isolated event has been addressed and that the person in question would not be permitted access to the church in the future.

Going forward, the person will be restricted from accessing our campus at any time by our security team. For the immediate future, and in addition to our private security staff, a DPD officer will be present during operating hours, he continued.

The pastor denied earlier local media reports that a bomb threat was made against the church and said it would operate under a regular schedule on Monday.

FPC Dallas still held a livestream service, which featured music from their Music Director Zach Light-Wells, plus a sermon by Disasa, who also explained the situation to those watching.

I am happy to report that God did not forget about us, said Disasa during the service. We are here in body, in spirit, prepared to receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship God.

FPC Dallas traces its origins to eleven people who first met in 1856, shortly after Dallas was incorporated into a city. The church got its first building in 1873 and its current building in 1913.
Parents: This LGBT curricula is nothing new

Across the country, parents are reacting with shock and outrage as they discover what their kids are learning in school. These children are being indoctrinated by an aggressive, one-sided, radical LGBTQ+ curriculum, causing many parents to push back aggressively. What surprises me, though, is not that the parents are upset. What surprises me is that many are just finding out about this now, since this indoctrination has been going on for many years.

For example, it was back in 2006 that the New York Timesreported,

As their children head into adolescence, some parents are choosing to block puberty medically to buy time for them to figure out who they are, raising a host of ethical questions.

Not surprisingly,

some schools are engaged in a steep learning curve to dismantle gender stereotypes.

What exactly does this mean?

At the Park Day School in Oakland, teachers are taught a gender-neutral vocabulary and are urged to line up students by sneaker color rather than by gender. We are careful not to create a situation where students are being boxed in, said Tom Little, the schools director. We allow them to move back and forth until something feels right.

Yes, this was in 2006, and Park Day School is an elementary school, albeit a private school.

Should we be shocked today to learn that this gender-confused ideology has spread to schools throughout the country?

Already in 2011, when A Queer Thing Happened to America was published, I could cite this

Official Policy of the San Francisco Unified School District School Board (SFUSD): Restroom Accessibility: Students shall have access to the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity exclusively and consistently at school.

I also cited this, from the Los Angeles Unified School District Reference Guide:

Gender identity refers to ones understanding, interests, outlook, and feelings about whether one is female or male, or both, or neither, regardless of ones biological sex.

Note those last words carefully: regardless of ones biological sex. This radical agenda is hardly new.

Already in 2011, I could write that,

Children in elementary schools will be exposed to the rightness and complete normality of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender expression  witness highly-praised academic books such as The Queering of Elementary Education  and opposing views will be branded as dangerous and homophobic, to be silenced and excluded from the classroom.

And get this: Queering Elementary Education came out in 1999. Yes, 1999! Chew on that for a moment. (The subtitle of the book was Advancing the Dialogue about Sexualities and Schooling, and it was part of the series Curriculum, Cultures, and [Homo]Sexualities Series.)

I also wrote that, Middle schools, high schools, and colleges will go out of their way to encourage both the celebration of homosexuality and deep solidarity with gay activism, referencing things like Queer Study Programs in our universities.

Much of this was rampant on our campuses long before your 18-year-old, college-bound child was born. Why are we so surprised today?

Already in 2005, Kevin Jennings, the founder of GLSEN (originally the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, founded in 1990) could boast,

Nearly 3,000 schools have GSAs [Gay Student Alliances] or other student clubs that deal with LGBT issues. Over fifty national education and social justice organizations, including the National Education Association (NEA) have joined GLSEN in its work to create safe schools for our nations children through projects like No Name-Calling Week.

And 2005, in terms of the growth of LGBTQ+ activism, was a very long time ago. (In case you didnt know, in 2009, President Obama appointed Jennings, himself a gay educator, to serve as Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools.)

GLSEN has long been active in providing educational tools for teachers and schools, including their famous GLSEN Lunchbox.

I purchased the second edition of this tool (called GLSEN Lunchbox 2) shortly after it was released in 2007.

It was described as

a comprehensive training program aimed at providing educators and community members with the background knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to make schools safer and more affirming places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.

Some of the activities included North American History Game Cards, listing 28 North Americans, most of whom are fairly well known and all of whom, according to GLSEN, are (or were) gay or transgender. (Among the better-known names were Sara Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, George Washington Carver, Babe Didrickson, Allen Ginsberg, Barbara Jordan, Margaret Mead, Harvey Milk, Bayard Rustin, Renee Richards, Andy Warhol, Walt Whitman, and Tennessee Williams.)

A similar game card activity was provided for World History, listing luminaries such as Alexander the Great, Hans Christian Anderson, Pope John XII, King Edward II, Noel Coward, Hadrian, Dag Hammserskjold, Joan of Arc, Elton John, Juvenal, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rudolph Nureyev, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Oscar Wilde. According to GLSEN, all of them were gay (or bisexual).

There was even an activity called Getting in Touch with Your Inner Trannie, meaning your inner transgender identity. (Im not making this up!)

Its stated purpose was,

To help participants better understand and personally relate to the breadth of issues around gender identity and expression, asking the children questions such as: Have you ever been told, Act like a lady/woman/girl, or Act like a man? What was the situation? How did it make you feel and why? And, If you see someone on the street whose gender is unclear to you, how do you react  both internally and externally?

And this was directed at elementary school students as early as 2007, with every word of it documented in A Queer Thing Happened to America. In fact, this was just the tiniest tip of a massive iceberg, even back then.

Today, some of this material seems quite tame and even understated. The slope has been slippery indeed.

From the perspective of LGBTQ+ educators and their allies, this is great news, since, in their minds, they are helping children accept who they really are, creating an atmosphere of acceptance.

From the perspective of social sanity and educational propriety, this is insidious indoctrination that must be opposed.

So, I urge every parent, as busy as you might be and as many things as you might have on your plates: Please, please, please find out what your kids are learning in school (not to mention taking in on social media). The stakes are unimaginably high.
Why believers should be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit

One of the major roles of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers is guidance. Jesus did not leave His disciples alone. He sent them another comforter who advocated, helped, and guided them in all their endeavors.

The Christian walk is spiritual. Our God is a spirit and those who worship Him must do that in truth and in spirit (John 4:24). The major challenge of most believers is how to migrate from the physical to the spiritual. It is the desire of every genuine believer to operate in the supernatural but most often we find it difficult to do so simply because we lack the proper knowledge and spiritual discernment.

The foundational step towards becoming sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit is to receive Him first. Jesus did not allow His disciples to venture into ministry without first receiving the Holy Spirit and they had to wait until they were endued with power from on high. He knew that they would have operated absolutely in the flesh and would have messed up their ministerial career without the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).

It is obvious that sometimes we find it difficult to understand the leading of God, and other times we find it difficult to distinguish fleshy prompts from that of the Spirit. Accepting that we are mere limited mortals and asking the Holy Spirit for direction and guidance are surefire ways of escaping the consequences of bad decisions and unguided actions.

In my opinion, the church in Antioch was more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit than the church in Jerusalem. God used persecution to force them to obey His mandate to spread the Gospel. But the church in Antioch was sensitive enough to hear the Holy Spirit and obeyed immediately by sending Paul and Barnabas on a mission trip. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2). Without hearing from the Holy Spirit, the church in Antioch would not have evangelized Asia Minor.

If believers are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, many calamities and disasters could be avoided. When Paul wanted to go to Bithynia the Holy Spirit stopped him (Acts 16:6). He then went to Macedonia and preached the Gospel there. He was able to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit who led him to understand the will of God for his ministry at that pointing time.

Sadly, many believers have deviated completely from Gods purpose and vision due to fleshly thinking. Sometimes we are led by the flesh but ignorantly claim that we are led by the Spirit. A quiet time in the presence of the Holy Spirit daily and constant awareness of the need for the Holy Spirits directives in all we do will inevitably help us to develop our spiritual nervous system which will enable us to respond positively to the Spirits prompting. After all, only the children of God are led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14).
Christian man killed by Islamic extremists in ambush attack after 8 Muslims put their faith in Christ

NAIROBI, Kenya  A Christian in eastern Uganda died on July 10 from head injuries sustained in an attack by Muslim extremists the previous week, sources said.

Robert Bwenje had accompanied Assistant Pastor Ambrose Mugisha of Elim Pentecostal Church in Nyamiringa village, Kapeke Sub-County, Kiboga District, to an open-air debate about Christianity and Islam in Sirimula village, Kyankwanzi District, on July 6.

Following the debate, eight Muslims, including two women, put their faith in Christ, said Pastor Mugisha, 25.

This angered the Muslims, but they could not attack us because we had tight security from the police, he said.

As the assistant pastor and Bwenje returned, Muslims from Sirimula village ambushed them while they were crossing a swamp, he said.

We saw men dressed in Islamic attire coming from the bush in different directions and shouting Allah akbar, Allah akbar [Allah is greater], Pastor Mugisha told Morning Star News.

He identified two of the assailants as Ashirafu Kasamba and Kabagambe Kadiri, who forced them to hand over Bibles and other books they were carrying, he said.

They removed the Quran and then burned the rest of the books, including the Bibles, and then beat us with sticks, Pastor Mugisha said. I was able to identify Ashirafu Kasamba who cut me on the head. I then jumped into the water and managed to swim and cross to the other side.

Passersby found him bleeding and rescued him, he said. The assailants continued assaulting Bwenje and then fled, and the passersby took both wounded Christians to a nearby clinic for first aid and then later to a hospital in Kiboga, Pastor Mugisha said.

Pastor Godfrey Ssemujju of Elim Pentecostal Church said he visited Pastor Mugisha and Bwenje in the hospital on July 10, and Bwenje died later that night at about 11 p.m. Bwenje was 28.

Bwenje succumbed to deep head injuries, and we buried him on July 12, Pastor Ssemujju told Morning Star News. We reported the incident at Kiboga Central police station.

Police arrested Kasamba and charged him with attempted murder, he said.

The police are mounting serious searches for the other attackers, Pastor Ssemujju said. We need prayers for the safety of our church members and our church building, as well as quick healing of our pastor, support for the widow of the Robert Bwenje and medical bill support for Pastor Mugisha.

The church had sent the assistant pastor to establish a church in Sirimula village, and in the course of his outreach, debates and open-air campaigns, he began to receive challenges and threats from Muslims, especially from Kasamba, Pastor Mugisha said. In April Pastor Mugisha and five Muslims who converted to Christianity had fled the area.

Muslims continued sending threatening messages to his phone, including one from Kasamba that read, We are giving days to bring back the Muslims that you converted to Christianity. We know you are hiding them, according to Pastor Mugisha.

Church building demolished

In Kiboga District on June 26, Muslim extremists from Kindeke village attacked Pastor Baingana James, demolished his church building in Rwomuriro village and threatened to kill him if he continued leading Muslims to Christ, the 48-year-old pastor said.

Pastor James said he received a phone call the morning of June 23 from a Muslim who identified himself as Sheikh Mwesigye Jaafari of Kindeke telling him to leave and to return to Islam seven Muslims who had converted to Christianity after they received healing prayer.

We, therefore, want to warn you to leave the place within two days. If not, we are coming to destroy your home and church, Jaafari told him, the pastor said.

He did not take the threat seriously, but on the morning of June 26 he found a letter on his door ordering him to stop Sunday services and close the church, he said.

I refused, because preaching Jesus Christ is my calling, and planting churches is my vision in this area, Pastor James said.

While he and his congregation were still in their Sunday service on that day, they saw a group of Muslim youths led by Jaafari ambushing them from different directions with clubs and sticks.

They started beating us, including mothers who were breastfeeding and youths, while shouting in four languages  English, Luganda, Swahili and Arabic  and ordering us to stop the service and leave immediately, Pastor James told Morning Star News. As we were struggling to go out in serious panic and tension while others were with serious injuries, they started breaking and pulling down the building.

In March, a group of Muslims from Rwentuha village demolished the same churchs building under construction, and complaints to local leaders fell on deaf ears, he said.

My prayer is that God helps us and makes a way to convert these people to Christ, and we need serious help for the victims who were cut during the attack, Pastor James said.

The attacks were the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12% of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

Originally published at Morning Star News
Identities of 2 Americans killed fighting in Ukraine released

The two American volunteer soldiers recently killed fighting Russian troops in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region have been identified as Luke Lucyszyn and Bryan Young.

Lucyszyn and Young were part of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and stationed at the village of Hryhorivka near the Siversk town, Ukrainian commander Ruslan Miroshnichenko told Politico over the weekend.

The two Americans were killed alongside a Canadian, identified as Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois, and a Swedish citizen, Edvard Selander Patrignani, after a Russian tank opened fire during an hourslong battle on July 18.

The first shell injured Luke, Miroshnichenko said. Three guys, Edward, Emile, and Bryan, they immediately attempted to help Luke, to do first aid, and evacuate him from this spot. Then the second shell killed them all.

He didnt go there to be a hero, Lucyszyn's mother, Kathryn Lucyszyn, told NBC News. He went there because he wanted to help people.

The commanding officer said that Young had a cheerful smile and was a good soldier.

Lucyszyn is an American of Ukrainian descent born in 1991. He served as a police officer in the U.S.

Despite his age, Lucyszyn "behaved as a man, as a good soldier, the commanding officer told CBS News.

Miroshnichenko told Politico that Young, born in 1971, was an American military man who was moved to the reserves after getting injured. He said Young came to Ukraine because he took an oath to protect the Free World.

Ukraines International Legion, comprising thousands of foreigners to fight for Ukraine, was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in March.

According to the United Nations Office for High Commissioner for Human Rights, as of July 18, at least 5,110 people have been killed and 6,752 injured since the invasion started in late February. At least four of those killed were Americans.

Russia launched a missile attack on the port of Odessa on Saturday, less than a day after the two countries signed a deal to allow the export of blockaded grain supplies, The Washington Post reported.

The attack could be an indicator that Russias operational pause in recent weeks, possibly aimed at regrouping troops before doubling down on Ukraines south and east, could be coming to an end.

The U.S. is sending Ukraine more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), each with a range of about 70 kilometers, along with hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery shells, as part of its $270 million pledge, according to Voice of America.

Were seeing Ukraine employing very precise, very accurate targeting of critical Russian positions, a senior U.S. defense official told media on Friday. Theyre [Russia] paying a high price for every inch of territory they try to take or hold.

The U.S. pledge will bring the total number of HIMARS to 16.

Germany and Britain have also sent medium-to-long-range rocket systems to Ukraine.

According to U.S. intelligence estimates, Ukraine has used HIMARS to take out more than 100 high-value Russian targets.
Indonesia: Christian women forced to wear hijabs or resign from work, school

Twenty-four of the 34 provinces in Muslim-majority Indonesia impose repressive dress codes for women and girls, including Christians. Many who do not comply face consequences and bullying, according to women who spoke with an international human rights group.

"Nearly 150,000 schools in Indonesia's 24 Muslim-majority provinces currently enforce mandatory jilbab (hijab) rules, based on both local and national regulations. In some conservative Muslim areas such as Aceh and West Sumatra, even non-Muslim girls have also been forced to wear the hijab," reads a recent report from Human Rights Watch.

Millions of girls and women in the Southeast Asian archipelago have to wear hijabs, the female headdress covering hair, neck and chest. Hijabs are typically worn with a long skirt and a long sleeve shirt.

"The officials who issued the decrees contend the jilbab is mandatory for Muslim women to cover intimate parts of the body, which officials deem to include the hair, arms, and legs, but sometimes also the woman's body shape," the report says.

HRW interviewed more than 100 women who have experienced abuse and often long-term consequences for refusing to wear the hijab. The dress codes, inspired by Sharia law, have impacted not only schoolgirls but also teachers, doctors and other professionals.

Two of the women interviewed say they received death threats on social media.

"Since grade four, my stepmother forced me to wear the jilbab," Sheilana Nugraha, a 25-year-old Christian and graduate student at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said.

She told HRW that she entered high school in 2012 and was asked to wear a headscarf. In 2013, she was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident and went to live with her biological mother, a Christian.

"My birth mother is Christian. My father is Muslim," she said. "I took off my jilbab, wearing short-sleeved shirts to school, although my mother still took me to Islamic prayer and study sessions. I was the only Muslim student who did not wear the jilbab at the school. There were Christian students, the number was small, fewer than 10 people in the school, and none of them wore headscarves."

"Once [in first year of high school in 2012], I was approached by a history teacher, a woman wearing a headscarf, who was also my neighbor. She scolded me, swearing that I 'wouldn't be successful without the jilbab and would go to Hell.' I cried, felt humiliated, and this was witnessed by many students, since it took place in front of the class near the whiteboard and the classroom door. I was shamed. I was crying, depressed."

Nugraha said that for four days in a row in 2012, three female teachers and a male Islamic teacher "bullied" her.

"The Islamic religion teacher did not make me cry, but he was sarcastic. The math teacher was also my homeroom teacher. My grades were affected, screwed up [by the resulting psychological distress]," she said. "The principal did nothing to protect me."

HRW urges Indonesia's Interior Ministry, which oversees local governments, to invalidate the more than 60 local dress code laws nationwide. While Indonesia's central government doesn't have the authority to repeal local laws, the Home Affairs Ministry can nullify local executive orders that contradict national laws and the Indonesian Constitution.

"President Joko Widodo should immediately overturn discriminatory, rights-abusing provincial and local decrees that violate the rights of women and girls," said HRW's Acting Asia Director Elaine Pearson. "These decrees do real harm and as a practical matter will only be ended by central government action."

Indonesia, which is home to the world's largest Muslim population, has 20.4 million Protestants and 8.42 million Catholics. Together, these two groups comprise 10.58% of the total population of 272.23 million, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of the Department of Population and Civil Registration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Indonesia's Constitution is based on the doctrine of Pancasila  five principles upholding the nation's belief in the one and only God and social justice, humanity, unity and democracy for all.

But many extremist groups in Indonesia oppose Pancasila and target the Christian minority.

Churches often face opposition from groups that attempt to obstruct the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship. HRW previously reported that more than 1,000 churches in the archipelago had been closed due to pressure from such groups.
Pope meets with Native American leaders, apologizes for Canadian residential school abuses

Pope Francis apologized to indigenous communities in Canada for the alleged abuses at government-supported Catholic residential schools as he met with Native American leaders on Monday.

As part of his official trip to Canada, the pontiff addressed representatives of Native American tribes in Canada, including many survivors of the residential school system.

"I am here because the first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is that of again asking forgiveness, of telling you once more that I am deeply sorry," said the pope, who issued an initial apology earlier this year.

"I ask forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the [Catholic] Church and of religious communities cooperated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools."

While Francis noted that "Christian charity was not absent" in the residential school system and that "there were many outstanding instances of devotion and care for children," he concluded that "the overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic."

"What our Christian faith tells us is that this was a disastrous error, incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ," he continued. "It is painful to think of how the firm soil of values, language and culture that made up the authentic identity of your peoples was eroded and that you have continued to pay the price of this."

The pontiff also said that he considered the apology to be "not the end of the matter" but rather "the starting point," which will include "a serious investigation into the facts of what took place in the past and to assist the survivors of the residential schools to experience healing from the traumas they suffered."

Francis' trip to Canada came in response to recent revelations of abuse at Catholic schools tied to Canada's residential school system, including the claims of mass graves.

Last year, anthropologist Sarah Beaulieu claimed 215 graves of indigenous children were discovered on the property of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, which closed in 1978. Her ground-penetrating radar found areas that showed soil disturbance that she assessed to be graves. She later revised the number to 200, but added that only excavation and forensic investigation could determine what the radar found.

No excavations were ever done and none are planned, however.

Soon after, another alleged mass grave of 700 individuals near the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan made headlines.

The discoveries prompted a wave of vandalism against Catholic churches and other denominations and demands from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Pope Francis come to Canada and offer an apology for the past abuses.

"I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to press upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil," said Trudeau, himself a Catholic, at a press conference in June 2021.

"I know that the Catholic Church leadership is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken."

Some scholars have been skeptical about the claims of mass graves.

Jacques Rouillard, professor emeritus in the Department of History of the Universite de Montreal, released a review of the mass grave claims in the Dorchester Review in which he said the Marieval site is part of an official cemetery.

"According to the register of baptisms, marriages and burials from 1885 to 1933, there are certainly graves present on site of children who died at the residential school, but also those of many adults and children under five years of age from the surrounding area," he wrote.

Rouillard added, "As residential school cemeteries have been abandoned, neglected, and even forgotten after their closure, they have blurred into the background. ... The Commission rightly proposed that they be documented, maintained, and protected."

"It is hard to believe that a preliminary search for an alleged cemetery or mass grave in an apple orchard on reserve land near the residential school of Kamloops could have led to such a spiral of claims endorsed by the Canadian government and repeated by mass media all over the world. It gives a terrible and simplistic impression of complex issues in Canadian history."
God is good  all the time! While we read many stories of hardship and suffering, maybe to the point of despairing that well ever see God at work in the world, occasionally news surfaces to give us hope and encouragement. We really only see the tip of the iceberg  both with situations of persecution, and also with testimonies of Gods sovereignty in the world.

Vietnam - tighter restrictions

The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) published two draft decrees on religion in early June, inviting comments from government departments and the public. An information seminar was held for unregistered house churches in northern Vietnam, when they hoped to convince more groups to register.

One draft decree stipulates that while unregistered churches would remain illegal under Vietnams Law on Belief and Religion and subject to severe criminal penalties, the new draft decree would worsen the situation for registered churches by extending and tightening government regulation over all their religious activities, including online meetings.

The other draft decree stipulates remedies and punishments for administrative infractions of the Law on Belief and Religion and other rules. According to MSN, 'It is already nicknamed the "Punishment Decree".' MSN reports that when an original version of this 'punishment decree' was floated three years ago it received such a negative response that it was never passed or enforced; and 'The current draft is hardly better.' The punishments range from warnings through fines to the shutting down of organisations and institutions.

There are other restrictions: mandatory study of Vietnam's "revolutionary history" and Vietnamese law must be included in all training curriculum for clergy. Foreigners are limited in their activities with Vietnamese co-religionists. The amount a foreigner puts into an offering plate at a worship service must be reported, as must all financial contributions from abroad.

According to The Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, this only shows how incredibly disconnected the authorities are from reality.

In Vietnam, as in China, the reason churches refuse to register with the authorities is because the conditions they would be obliged to comply with are unreasonable, onerous and, for most, unacceptable. Furthermore, because the onerous registration process requires that the names, contact details and movements of members be recorded, registration can set churches up for government surveillance and targeted persecution.

Vietnams record on human rights, especially religious freedom, is known internationally to be very deficient.

Morning Star Newsstates that the root problem is that Vietnam puts on full display its embarrassing dogma of having to control all aspects of religion because it is still interpreted as a threatening and dangerous social phenomenon.

Persecution is most intense in ethnic minority areas. Dozens of pastors are in prison for their faith; others have had their passports confiscated, or been dispossessed; and most have suffered violence at the hands of security personnel or their 'Red Flag' proxies.

Most recently, an ethnic Hmong family of 13 in Vietnams Nghe An province has been expelled from their village by local authorities on account of the family's refusal to renounce Christ and return to traditional religion. It is the culmination of three years of relentless persecution, which began after the family applied to join a registered church.

Compounding the crisis, Vietnam's revised national security laws (enacted January 2018) and its new Cyber Security Law (enacted January 2019) have made getting information out of Vietnam a very risky business indeed. Consequently, Vietnam has essentially 'gone dark'. Like the ruling Communist Party in China, the ruling Communist Party in Vietnam is less committed to ideology than it is to retaining power and privilege.

The idea that registration would prevent persecution and facilitate co-operation must surely now be laid to rest. Can a totalitarian Marxist-Leninist atheistic regime ever be the Church's trusted friend or partner? 'Can a leopard change its spots?' (Jeremiah 13:23).

Pray for Vietnam



As repression intensifies and the darkness deepens, may the Holy Spirit lead and empower the Church in Vietnam to grow in faith, wisdom, prayerfulness, and obedience. May the devil have no victory here!

Lord, draw close to those Christians who are suffering for promoting righteousness, liberty and human rights, including pastors who have been beaten, threatened, intimidatedand dispossessed. Grant officials the confidence, clarity and courage to promote religious liberty.

The Lord who walks amongst the lampstands says: 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades' (from Revelation chapter 1 ESV).



But God is at work in Korea

Jung-Hwa, the Madonna of Korea, converted to Christianity from Buddhism.She attributes this to Christian friends who prayed for her and led her to the Lord, andthe Holy Spirit drawing her. In the 1990s, she was the queen of the music industry and one of the most popular celebrities. Her most recognizable singles were Poison and Invitation.

Then in 2010, Jung-Hwa contracted thyroid cancer, which damaged her voice. She took an eight-month hiatus, during which time she dedicated herself to helping others and overcoming her discouragement.

Prayer and patience helped leading up to her surgery in May, 2010. Following the procedure, she recovered her voice enough to relaunch her singing career.

And God is at work in India

A Dalit Christian woman has become the youngest ever mayor in the history of Chennai, Indias fourth-largest city. Priya Rajan, 28, a member of the Evangelical Church of India, was sworn in as mayor of the city of ten million inhabitants on 4 March. She is the third woman to hold this office. Chennai, formerly Madras, is the state capital of Tamil Nadu in southern India. In January 2022, the Tamil Nadu state government passed an order reserving the post for a Scheduled Caste (Dalit) woman.

Scheduled Castes, including Dalits, are viewed as having the lowest status within the Hindu caste system. The National Council of Churches in India estimates that about 70% of the Christian population of India is from a Scheduled Caste background. Although many Dalits have embraced Christianity, they are still identified primarily by their caste by a large section of society and suffer severe caste-based discrimination and violence.

Give thanks for these testimonies of God at work in the world, and pray for infilling of Holy Spirit wisdom, that Jung-Hwa and Priya may shine the light of Jesus in their communities.
Airbus said its net income plunged in the second quarter and warned that supply-chain challenges were leading it to scale back production targets for its commercial aircraft.

Airbus said it now expects to deliver 700 aircraft this year, down from a target of 720 aircraft announced in May.

Over the long term, the company still expects to produce 75 A320 per month in 2025, but it is now targeting a monthly rate of 65 in early 2024, about six months later than previously planned.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said the geopolitical and economic situation is creating further uncertainties for the industry, although customer demand remains strong.

The market for narrowbody planes like the A320 and Boeing Co.s 737 families is much stronger than demand for bigger, two-aisle widebody planes that are mostly for long-haul international flights.

Airbus said the first flight of the A321XLR took place in June, a milestone toward the aircrafts entry-into-service that is expected to take place in early 2024. On widebody aircraft, Airbus said it is exploring the feasibility of further rate increases to meet growing market demand as international air travel recovers.

For the three months ended in June, the Toulouse, France-based company earned 682 million euros ($696.7 million), down 64% from 1.87 billion euros a year ago. Revenue slid 10% to 12.81 billion euros, mainly because of lower aircraft deliveries.

Airbus rival Boeing Co. also reported lower quarterly results on Wednesday, with net income and revenue both down year over year. The Arlington, Virginia-based company is unable to deliver one of its best-selling planes, the 787, while regulators review what steps Boeing is taking to eliminate production problems. Boeings normally steady defense business also saw revenue decline during the quarter.
Boeing Co. reported a smaller second-quarter profit that fell short of Wall Street expectations as its defense business weakened and it remained unable to deliver any of its 787 Dreamliner planes.

The giant aircraft manufacturer reported a profit of $193 million Wednesday, down 67% from the second quarter of last year, on a 2% drop in revenue.

Boeing generated more cash than in the first quarter by delivering more planes than it has since the start of the pandemic, and it sold more services to airlines and other airplane operators.

However, Boeing remained unable to deliver one of its best-selling planes, the 787, while regulators review steps the company is taking to eliminate production problems.

Boeing is also faced with the threat of a strike Monday by about 2,500 workers at three of its defense plants in Missouri and Illinois. The machinists' union is asking for increases in wages and retirement benefits after, it says, Boeing took away a pension plan.

CEO David Calhoun said on CNBC that Boeing will continue to talk to the union and that a strike would delay deliveries to the Pentagon, although he did not give details.

Revenue from Boeing's normally steady defense business fell 10% in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, and the company took charges totaling $240 million for an unmanned refueling plane being developed for the Navy and its Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to ferry crews to the International Space Station.

A Boeing spokesman said the charge for the Starliner was unrelated to the announcement Tuesday by Russia's top space official that his country will pull out of the ISS program after 2024 and build its own orbiting station.

Calhoun, who became CEO as Boeings financial situation worsened following two deadly of Max jets, said the results showed that we are building momentum in our turnaround" while acknowledging that it has been a long road.

In a note to employees, Calhoun highlighted an increase in the number of 737 Max jets rolling off the assembly line  31 a month, although that figure could fluctuate. He also said Boeing is in the final stages" of working with the Federal Aviation Administration to resume deliveries of the larger, two-aisle 787.

Second-quarter net income was $160 million, but the gain attributable to shareholders was $193 million. That was down from $587 million a year earlier.

Excluding adjustments for retirement plan expenses and other special items, the company lost 37 cents per share. Analysts expected an adjusted loss of 13 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Total revenue slipped 2% to $16.68 billion, falling short of Wall Street's forecast of $17.57 billion, despite an increase in airliner deliveries to 121 planes from 79 a year earlier. Boeing gets much of the purchase price upon delivery.

Shares of Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, rose 3% in morning trading Wednesday.
ATLANTA (AP) _ Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc. (PDM) on Wednesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter.

The Atlanta-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $61.6 million, or 50 cents per share, in the period.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

Between the higher prices and reduced service, hotels have been getting a lot of flak recently. But in the debate between hotels versus Airbnbs, theres one common Airbnb fee that you likely wont find at hotels  at least not yet: cleaning fees.

Hidden travel costs like cleaning fees are commonplace on Airbnb. They are explained as a one-time fee pocketed by the host to cover the cost of cleaning their space. Cleaning fees come on top of the base price and a service fee (which Airbnb pockets).

But why are Airbnb cleaning fees so high  or are they? Just how much do Airbnb cleaning fees cost?

A June 2022 NerdWallet analysis looked at data from 1,000 U.S. Airbnb reservations with check-in dates in 2022 or 2023 across a range of locations, sizes and quality. The analysis only considered "entire place" properties, as opposed to part of a shared home.

Let's dig into what we found about the dreaded Airbnb cleaning fee.

What Airbnb cleaning fees cost

Cleaning fees vary wildly, ranging from $0 to many hundreds of dollars. The median cleaning fee per listing for a one-night stay was $75, based on NerdWallets analysis.

Of the listings analyzed, 14% didnt have a cleaning fee at all. With these stays, the base rate includes not just the ability to lay your head on that pillow, but to have it cleaned too  much like a hotel.

And while the median cleaning fee is $75, its important to understand the cleaning fee relative to the broader cost of the home rental. A $75 fee to clean up a 12-bedroom ski cabin might feel like a deal, but a $75 cleaning fee on a simple 400-square foot studio apartment might feel outrageous.

The $75 median cleaning fee amounts to about 25% of the total price paid for one-night stays at the listings analyzed. In fact, 34% of listings had a cleaning fee that was somewhere between 20 and 29.99% of the list price.

About a third of listings had cleaning fees amounting to less than 20% of the price. Surprisingly, 8% of listings had a cleaning fee that amounted to 40% or more of the overall price tag, assuming you stayed in the Airbnb for just one night. And some outliers are especially mind-boggling.

With that in mind, NerdWallet compared the cleaning fee against the base price.

Most low-cost Airbnbs have low-cost cleaning fees, hence the large cluster of dots in the bottom-left corner. Certainly, some expensive listings have hefty cleaning fees, hence the results on the opposite end of the chart.

But then there are some standouts. Theres a $1,000 listing with a $0 cleaning fee. Theres a $304 listing with a $300 cleaning fee.

And then, there are the bizarre cases where the cleaning fee is more than the base price.

Depending on seasonal rates, you might end up paying more for cleaning than you do for your stay.

Heres one example of that  a four-bedroom Airbnb in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prices vary by night, with summer stays typically costing a lot less than in cooler seasons. In July, you can book one night for just $151. But the cleaning fees are fixed at $239, meaning that the $151 July nightly rate comes with a $239 cleaning fee  far more than the base rate itself. During Christmas weekend, the same listing has a nightly rate of $408. That makes the cleaning fee still hefty, but far more palatable.

The problems with Airbnb cleaning fees

Finding a listing in your price range can be tough

Cleaning fees can be hard to parse and make filtering listings by price complicated. You might have a nightly lodging budget of $200, so you set your filter to display homes with a maximum price of $200. But in doing so, you might still end up paying more, as you might find a delightful $100-per-night home with a $150 cleaning fee. Likewise, you might overlook a $210 per night home with a $0 cleaning fee.

There currently is no way to filter Airbnb rentals by cleaning fees.

You may still have to clean up after yourself

Just as hosts can set their own prices and fees, they can set their own house rules. Its not uncommon for hosts to ask guests to take out the trash, run the dishwasher or start a load of laundry with the towels and sheets.

Theres no rule saying that Airbnbs cant do both  charge cleaning fees and require some light housekeeping. That has caused outrage among some travelers.

You're going to get "graded" as a guest

Because hosts can review guests, there is some pressure to be a good guest and follow the checkout cleaning protocols, as a bad review could jeopardize your ability to book future Airbnb stays.

Contrast that with hotel stays, which typically dont require that guests have an account or positive reviews to stay. Unless you did something really bad, a major hotel chain wont ban you, even if you tracked sand all over the floor and left towels strewn about everywhere.

One way to reduce Airbnb cleaning fees

Stay longer. Because cleaning fees are a one-time fee, youll pay the same rate whether you stay one day, two days or two weeks. So if the cleaning fee amounts to 25% of the rate for one night, it drops down to 12.5% of the rate for two nights. Spread a $150 cleaning fee over a two-week stay, and the cleaning fee shakes out to only about $10 per day. Had you stayed only one day, youd still owe $150.

In general, Airbnbs tend to be far cheaper for long-term stays than hotels. But for short-term stays, its almost always cheaper to stay in hotels  and cleaning fees are a huge reason why.

If you can design your trip so that you stay in one Airbnb for many days versus staying at multiple Airbnbs over the same period, youll almost always save money.

When trip planning, choose a home base. If youre planning a multi-week road trip in California, you might opt for an Airbnb in Orange County, as its roughly 100 miles south of Santa Barbara and 100 north of San Diego, making it possible to drive to both in one day. Its also an even shorter drive to Los Angeles and Temecula.

Say youre hitting Arizona and Utah's canyon-filled recreational areas with national park visits to Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. It might make more sense to book an Airbnb for longer in Kanab, Utah, which sits roughly in the center of the three parks.

Airbnb cleaning fees are brutal for short trips. If anything, the knowledge that you can spread out your cleaning fee over an extended stay might be an incentive to treat yourself to a vacation thats a little longer.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia. Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @samsambutdif.

The article Airbnb Cleaning Fees Can Be Brutal. Heres How to Cope originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Days after being publicly insulted by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Twitter, Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old abortion rights advocate, wrote him a tongue-in-cheek thank-you note on the platform.

"Dear Matt, Although your intentions were hateful, your public shaming of my appearance has done nothing but benefit me," she wrote after his tweet about her spurred a load of harassment - as well as a flood of donations to her reproductive rights advocacy organization.

In just about a day, she's helped raise approximately $115,000 for the nonprofit Gen Z for Change.

At a rally last weekend in Tampa, Gaetz had mocked abortion rights activists, calling them "disgusting" and overweight. Olivia Julianna, who uses her first name and middle name publicly because of privacy concerns, criticized the remarks on Twitter, noting the sex-trafficking allegations against Gaetz. In apparent retaliation, Gaetz then tweeted an image of her next to a news story that mentioned his comments from the rally.

That Gaetz tweet has been retweeted hundreds of times since and has triggered online attacks against the teen.

In response, Olivia Julianna announced a fundraising campaign on behalf of Gen Z for Change, a 500-person youth-led group that says it seeks to create tangible change on "issues that disproportionately affect young people" and supports abortion rights.

"This is absolutely the most insane amount of donations we have had thus far from individuals, especially in such a short frame of time," she said in an email. "On a broader scale, this highlights the extreme power of social media mobilization, and it shows Republican politicians that their cheap attacks and political theater will no longer be tolerated."

After his comments at the weekend rally at the conservative Turning Point USA Student Action Summit drew condemnation, Gaetz was asked by a reporter whether he believed that women who attended abortion rights rallies were "ugly and overweight," and he doubled down on his comments. When asked what he had to say to people who were offended by those comments, he said: "Be offended."

Gaetz is an ally of former president Donald Trump and was first elected to Congress in 2016, representing a district in the Florida Panhandle, an area that has voted heavily Republican in recent decades. He has expressed opposition to abortion and abortion rights advocates, and this month voted against two bills aimed at ensuring access to abortion. In May, Gaetz drew criticism for saying that those protesting the overturning of Roe v. Wade are "overeducated, under-loved millennials."

"I would like Matt Gaetz to know he picked the wrong activist" to start a fight with, Olivia Julianna said.

The donations will be split among 50 abortion funds, with the goal of widening access to abortion services, birth control, contraceptives, among other reproductive health-care services, she said.

Olivia Julianna grew up as a queer Latina in a small conservative rural Texas community. "I've been mocked, ridiculed and harassed for most of my life. I will not tolerate that kind of behavior anymore," she said.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP)  Two people died and 10 were injured Wednesday when the SUV they were in rolled over in southeastern New Mexico about eight miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said.

A thirteenth person also was in the Chevrolet Tahoe but it was unclear whether that person was injured, said Sunland Park Fire Chief Daniel Medrano. His agency responded to the crash, which occurred around 4:45 a.m. about 13 miles (21 kilometers) northwest of El Paso, Texas.

New Mexico State Police confirmed the two fatalities but did not respond to repeated requests for comment on whether law enforcement officers were pursuing the SUV when the rollover happened. Medrano said two of the people who were hurt suffered critical injuries and that all of the injured were taken to hospitals.

Federal officials in a statement said U.S. Border Patrol agents provided assistance at the crash scene, but declined to specify what type of help or whether agents were involved in a pursuit.

The Mexican Consulate in El Paso said in a statement that nine of the injured people were Mexican and that it is providing assistance to them.

While authorities did not identify the people in the SUV as immigrants, the stretch of border in southeastern New Mexico where the crash happened is among the spots where migrants regularly are smuggled across from Mexico in SUVs.

Nearly a month ago in the nearby New Mexico community of Santa Teresa, 15 immigrants were found crammed inside an SUV after a caller told the Border Patrol that the vehicle was picking up people on a state highway.

Last year, the driver of an SUV packed with smuggled migrants was struck by tractor-trailer shortly after driving through a hole in the border fence about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of San Diego. The crash killed 13 of 25 people crammed into the SUV that was built to hold a maximum of eight. All the dead were from Mexico and Guatemala.
BURTON, Mich. (AP)  The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out the murder convictions of three people in the fatal shooting of a Flint-area teenager in 2007, saying their rights were violated when authorities failed to share favorable evidence with defense lawyers.

The evidence was a transcript of an interview between police and a 15-year-old boy who was a witness for prosecutors. It didn't turn up until 2014, long after the trial, when a public records request was filed.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP)  Authorities have identified the bodies of three people who died in fast-moving floodwaters in Tecolote Canyon in northern New Mexico.

San Miguel County sheriffs officials said Wednesday that the victims were members of a West Texas family and were swept away last week during monsoon rains in mountainous terrain scorched by a 533-square mile wildfire.
ERCOT's new CEO is an energy exec from Ohio It was discovered that one-third of state regulators' leadership lived out of state in 2021.

The best Texas city for barbecue might surprise you The study unsurprisingly concluded that Texas is the best barbecue state.

River Oaks luxury high-rise evacuated after floor buckles Ruptured pipes and collapsed concrete were reported at the Houston luxury condo building.
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ST. LOUIS (AP)  Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances for an upset in Missouris U.S. Senate race if scandal-tarred former Gov. Eric Greitens becomes the Republican nominee. But theyre divided on which of their two top candidates is the best bet for a victory in November.

Lucas Kunce brings a Marine swagger and a grassroots populism that appeals to some, particularly in outstate Missouri. He's raised more money than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican, each of the last four quarters. Trudy Busch Valentine, a retired health care worker and an heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune, entered the race late, pledging to take compassion and decency to Washington.

With the Aug. 2 primary just days away, Greitens remains among the top contenders on the Republican side, along with Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler. Republican leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, worry that Greitens, who was driven from office just a year and a half into his tenure amid swirling investigations, could cost them a safe seat in a reliably red state at a time when they are trying to take back control of the Senate.

On the Democratic side, both the state party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have declined to endorse a candidate. Meanwhile, local Democratic Party leaders who support Kunce or Valentine say electability is a major factor  but theyre split on who is the stronger candidate.

In suburban St. Louis, the Jefferson County Democratic Central Committee endorsed Valentine, believing the soft-spoken retired nurse offers the best chance of winning in November.

Committee Chair Bob Butler is equal parts intrigued and worried about the prospect of Valentine facing Greitens.

He would be the easiest to run against, yet at the same time hes dangerous enough that, if he wins, hes your U.S. senator, and thats really scary, Butler said.

Andy Leighton, chair of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Committee and a Missouri House candidate, supports Kunce. Kunce made his pitch to Leighton and his committee well over a year ago and has often followed up. The Valentine campaign, Leighton said, has never reached out to him.

Hes been out and about. No other candidate that Im aware of has visited so many places. Hes put in the time and created an organization," Leighton said.

Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt announced in March 2021 that he would not seek a third term. Twenty-one Republicans and 11 Democrats are competing in next week's primaries. Beyond Kunce and Valentine, only St. Louis County business owner Spencer Toder has topped six figures in donations.

Adding a wildcard to the November race is the presence of John Wood, a Republican running as an independent with millions of dollars in support from a political action committee headed by former Republican Sen. John Danforth. His presence could split the GOP vote in the general election.

Greitens has generated far and away the most attention in the race. The 48-year-old former Navy SEAL officer was a fast-rising Republican star after winning the 2016 gubernatorial race, but his political fortunes soon nosedived.

In early 2018, he admitted to a 2015 extramarital affair with his hairdresser and was indicted on an invasion-of-primary charge accusing him of taking a compromising photo of her to use as blackmail.

Soon after, a Missouri House committee began investigating his campaign finances, and Greitens was charged with a second felony related to that investigation. Both charges were eventually dropped. Under the risk of the charges being refiled and facing possible impeachment, Greitens resigned in June 2018.

Since then, he and his wife have divorced. In a March affidavit in a child custody dispute, Sheena Greitens accused him of abusing her and one of their children. Eric Greitens called the accusations false and a political hit job.

Kunce, like Greitens, is a veteran. The 39-year-old attorney served 13 years in the Marines, with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He grew up in a working class family in Jefferson City and recalled his family struggling to make ends meet after his sister was born with a heart condition.

We went bankrupt, and we made it because people in that neighborhood brought food by the house, they passed the plate down my moms prayer group," Kunce said.

Valentine, 65, is a longtime philanthropist but has never before run for office. She is the daughter of August Gussie Busch Jr., the longtime chair and CEO of Anheuser-Busch who built the St. Louis-based brewery into the world's largest beermaker. The brewery was sold to InBev in 2008, but the Busch family remains prominent in St. Louis.

Valentine said she decided to enter the race after witnessing the division in our country and the vitriol in our politics.

For more than a century, Missouri was a reliable presidential swing state. But since 2008, the state has backed the Republican presidential candidate, including overwhelmingly backing Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Auditor Nicole Galloway is currently the lone Democrat holding statewide office, despite five of the eight statewide elected officials being Democrats a decade ago.

The divide is deep. Missouris two urban centers  Kansas City and St. Louis  are overwhelmingly Democratic. The suburbs are split. Most of the rest of the state is beet-red Republican.

Valentine said Democrats have lost ground in rural Missouri because they stopped listening to people. She stresses the need for better access to basics  broadband access, health care, jobs.

Kunce, like Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, is a populist hoping to win back rural voters. He wants to ban stock ownership for members of Congress, break up corporate monopolies and end foreign ownership of agricultural land. He said the government should spend money to rebuild the heartland, not to build up foreign countries.

Both leading Democrats have hit roadblocks. Some Democrats wonder if Kunce is too conservative, noting that he opposed abortion rights when he ran for a state House seat in 2006. He said he changed his mind after serving in the military in the Middle East, "seeing what it was like to live in a big-brother government where women had no rights.

Valentine was forced to apologize in March after it was reported that at college age she participated in a debutante ball that was hosted by an organization that then banned Black and Jewish people.

Democrats know that the winner of the primary faces an uphill battle in November. But they're hopeful, particularly if Greitens is the Republican candidate.

Hes got a lot of baggage  a lot of baggage, Butler said. More than you generally see in a candidate. I think he would turn off a lot of Republicans."
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DOUALA, Cameroon (AP)  Off the coast of West Africa, the Trondheim is a familiar sight: a soccer field-sized ship, plying the waters from Nigeria to Mauritania as it pulls in tons of mackerel and sardines  and flying the red, yellow and green flag of Cameroon.

But aside from the flag, there is almost nothing about the Trondheim that is Cameroonian.

Once, it operated under the name of the King Fisher and sailed under the flag of the Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Then it switched to Georgia, the former Soviet republic. It was only in 2019 that it began flying the banner of Cameroon.

The Trondheim is one of several vessels reflagged under Cameroons growing fishing fleet that have changed names and been accused of illicit activities at sea. Currently, an investigation by The Associated Press found, 14 of these vessels are owned or managed by companies based in European Union member states: Belgium, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus.

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This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The AP examined over 80 ship profiles on MarineTraffic, a maritime analytics provider, and matched them with company records through IHS Maritime & Trade and the International Maritime Organization or IMO.

Theyre interested in the flag. Theyre not interested in Cameroon, said Beatrice Gorez, coordinator for the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements, a group of organizations highlighting the impacts of EU-African fisheries arrangements that identified the recent connection between companies in EU member states and the Cameroon fleet.

Each of the vessels changed flags to Cameroon between 2019 and 2021, though they had no obvious link to the country and did not fish in its waters. The Trondheim and at least five others have a history of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, according to a report by the environmental group Greenpeace. Both the vessels and their owners conceal what they catch, where it goes and who is financially benefiting from it, maritime and company records show.

In recent years, Cameroon has emerged as one of several go-to countries for the widely criticized flags of convenience system, under which companies can  for a fee  register their ships in a foreign country even though there is no link between the vessel and the nation whose flag it flies.

The ships are supposed to abide by that nations fishing agreements with other countries. But experts say weak oversight and enforcement of fishing fleets by countries with open registries like Cameroon offer shipping companies a veil of secrecy that allows them to mask their operations.

That secrecy, the experts say, also undermines global attempts to sustainably manage fisheries and threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in regions like West Africa. Cameroonian officials say all the ships that fly its flag are legally registered and abide by all of its laws. But regulators in Europe recently warned the country that its inability to provide oversight of its fishing fleet could lead to a ban on fish from the country.

Cameroons flagged fishing fleet is minuscule compared to countries such as Liberia, Panama or the Marshall Islands. But the rapid adoption of the countrys flag by some shipping companies accused of illegal fishing is raising alarm.

This is a big issue, said Aristide Takoukam, a biologist and founder of the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization, a non-profit based in Cameroon that monitors illegal fishing. I dont think Cameroon is able to monitor these vessels that are flying Cameroon flags outside its waters.

A HISTORY OF LAX OVERSIGHT

Cameroon has long been criticized for lax oversight of its fishing fleet. A study published last year in the journal African Security documented deep-rooted corruption in the ministries that oversee the fishing industry. In that same year, the European Commission issued a yellow card to the country, warning it to step up its actions against illegal fishing.

The commission identified a series of shortcomings, including that the country had registered several fishing vessels  some of them accused of illegal fishing  under its flag in the past few years, raising concerns about the nations ability to control and monitor the activities of its fleet.

If Cameroon does not comply after its initial warning, the commission can issue a red card, effectively listing them as a non-cooperating country. And it can ban their fish products from entering EU markets.

The commissions report named a dozen fishing vessels registered between 2019 and 2020 whose names were not provided to them by Cameroonian authorities. At least eight of the 12 identified vessels are managed or owned by European companies. The AP found six more vessels not included in the EU report.

The European Commission did not respond to the APs requests for comment.

Data from two maritime intelligence companies, Windward and Lloyds List Intelligence, reveals an accelerated growth in the number of vessels that sail under the Cameroonian flag in the past four years, from 14 vessels in 2018 to more than 129 in 2022. According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, Cameroons fishing capacity is now nine times larger than it was before 2018.

While the number of flagged ships has grown, the resources to monitor them have not kept pace, a review of budget documents show. The documents show that the budget for the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries control and supervision of fisheries declined 32 percent from 2019 to last year.

While countries have a right to allow vessels to adopt their nationality and fly their flag, Article 91 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires a genuine link to be established between a vessel and its flag state.

Despite this, foreign vessels in countries with open registries often have little to no relationship with their flag states. The responsibility falls on the flagged country to control operations of the vessels in their fleet, including any illegal activity caused in other nations waters or on the high seas.

The very point of flags of convenience is that its easy, its cheap, you can do it quickly, and they are not necessarily looking at your history of compliance, said Julien Daudu, senior campaigner at the Environmental Justice Foundation, a British NGO focusing on environmental and human rights issues.

Paul Nkesi, a representative of the agency that oversees fisheries, the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, says that although the government recognizes the need to step up its surveillance of industrial trawlers, all vessels are registered lawfully in Cameroon.

All of the 14 EU-linked vessels registered to Cameroon are massive trawler ships at least 100 meters long; none operate in Cameroonian waters. Tracking data show the ships journeying between ports in Mauritania, Angola, South Africa, and Namibia.

Still, for the local fishermen who already compete with the Chinese-owned vessels in their waters, the pressure of a growing fleet is creating concerns that Cameroon will be completely overpowered by foreign-owned vessels.

Their business is only fishing; they can fish more than 1,000 local boats. If those bigger (international) vessels enter here, well be really affected, said Simeon Oviri, a local fisherman in Youpwe, a coastal area near Douala, Cameroons largest city.

Maurice Beseng, a research associate at the University of Sheffields Institute for Sustainable Development and visiting fellow in maritime security at Coventry University, said ships operating the flags of convenience appear to be using the system to circumvent the limits on fishing imposed by the European Union.

DIFFERING SETS OF RULES

The EU has fishing agreements with numerous countries, and EU-flagged vessels are subject to stricter fishing restrictions around the world, including in West Africa. But ships flagged to other countries outside the union are not subject to the same fishing limits.

For example, data from Global Fishing Watch, which uses satellite data and machine learning to monitor activity at sea, shows most of the EU-affiliated, Cameroonian-flagged trawlers appear to be fishing in Mauritania, a country that has one of the most robust fishing agreements with the EU.

Under this agreement, trawlers fishing with an EU flag have a total fishing capacity of 225,000 tons for a maximum of 19 vessels. Once that quota is met, all fishing activity has to stop.

But foreign vessels not under any agreement can fish in Mauritania under a free license. For the Cameroon-flagged trawlers, this means they can go above the EU limit without having to land their catches in Mauritania.

The same goes for Gambia, where industrial fishing vessels flagged to Cameroon may fish for any species outside the 7-mile nautical limit. However, if the vessel is flagged to an EU member state, the vessel can only fish for tuna and hake, according to current sustainable fisheries partnership agreements between the small West African country and the EU.

They are able to use that as a loophole to go beyond the agreements, said Charles Kilgour, director of fisheries analysis for Global Fishing Watch.

The trawler vessels catch small fish species, including horse mackerel, sardinella and anchovy, which recent stock assessments have shown are overfished along the Atlantic coast of West Africa.

These species are a lucrative and vital food source across the region, with an estimated 6.7 million people dependent directly on them. Sardinella in particular are locally consumed in the region as an affordable source of protein and nutrients. Currently, the Food and Agriculture Organization lists most of the targeted species as either fully exploited or overexploited.

Although its unclear where the fish goes after being unloaded in ports, Beseng notes that the fish targeted by these vessels commonly enter EU markets to be used as fish meal and fish oil.

Their impact is huge. These are species that the local population depend on," Beseng said. The increase in catch has increased food security challenges for coastal communities.

While environmental and maritime security experts applauded the EU for issuing the yellow card to Cameroon for the lax oversight of its fishing fleet, they say not enough is being done to target the EU-based companies that are the culprits.

If you have European companies that are working under this flag," Daudu said, you should also demonstrate exemplary behavior by going after your own nationals.

But just finding the trail can be a daunting  and sometimes insurmountable  challenge. Its really like an ink bottle. You can get so far, and then at some point it becomes completely opaque, Gorez said. It makes it really difficult to find information on who owns these vessels.

THE COMPANIES

The AP tracked the 14 vessels ultimately to four active companies: Ocean Whale Co. Ltd in Malta, INOK NV in Belgium, Sundborn Management Ltd in Cyprus and Baltreids SIA in Latvia.

 Ocean Whale operates several former Soviet trawlers, including a ship formerly known as the Coral that has changed the flag under which it operates seven times since 2005. Recently, it switched to the Cameroon flag after two months under the Russian flag.

Other ships in the companys fleet were involved in a 2010-12 fishing license scandal in Senegal. Under an agreement that was neither allowed by law nor publicly disclosed, the fisheries ministry granted several of its vessels licenses to catch small fish that were in danger of being overfished. The company and the minister denied wrongdoing.

The company did not respond to the APs requests for comment.

On its website, the Ocean Whale Co. said it catches fish in Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Namibia, and that the company is only engaged in legal fishing activities under the licenses issued by the coastal States and strictly adheres to all applicable environmental regulations.

 Another group of ships registered to EU companies and recently flagged to Cameroon were also named in the Senegalese fishing scandal. Data from the IMO, the Maritime & Trade database and the Russian maritime register of shipping identifies the fleets owners as various companies in Cyprus and Belgium, with each ultimately managed by Sundborn Management Ltd, a company registered in Cyprus and INOK NV, a company registered in Belgium.

Both INOK and Sundborn Management offer vessel registration services. Among them: choosing a flag of convenience and a ship register for a vessel, in Malta, Cyprus, Panama, Belize and other countries.

Neither company responded to requests for comments from the AP.

Belgiums Department of Agriculture and Fisheries said it has been contacted by the European Commission about vessels managed by INOK that have reflagged to Cameroon between 2019 and 2020 but said it couldnt comment on ongoing investigations.

 Baltreids Ltd, a Latvian fishing company established in 1998, manages five Cameroon-flagged vessels. The company structure includes two other holdings listed as official owners of the vessels in 2021, Limmat Inter SA, based in the Seychelles, and Oceanic Fisheries NB Ltd, based in Canada.

Baltreids has been accused of a number of suspicious activities, including insurance fraud and illegal fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. A 2020 Canadian Broadcasting Corp. investigation found that Oceanic Fisheries N.B., was flagged by global banks for more than $31 million in suspicious money transfers, according to documents shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other news organizations as part of the FinCEN Files.

When trying to track down a physical presence of the company in Canada, the CBC hit a dead end.

The Latvian IUU Single Liaison Office, the team that works with the EU Commission to regulate IUU fishing in Latvia, told the AP that the Marshal Vasilevskiy was excluded from the Latvian Ship Register in November 2019, when the ship reflagged to Cameroon, and the Kaptian Rusak was never registered under the Latvian flag. Instead, the vessel is listed as owned by Fishing Company SA, a company based in the British Virgin Islands.

IMO data lists ownership of the five Cameroon-flagged vessels owned by either Baltreids Ltd, Limmat Inter SA or Oceanic Fisheries NB Ltd, effective between 2019 and 2021. The New Brunswick corporate register indicates that Oceanic Fisheries N.B. has been inactive since October 2021.

Baltreids denied ever having links to Oceanic Fisheries N.B. or to engaging in any illegal fishing or money laundering to the CBC. In response to the AP, the company said it presently owns two vessels registered in Latvia.

UPPING THE ACCOUNTABILITY

According to Gorez, the timing of the ships reflagging to Cameroon in recent years seem to correspond with the 2017 adoption of the Sustainable Management of External Fishing Fleets , a regulation adopted by the European Parliament aimed to monitor EU vessels that operate outside EU waters.

The regulation requires fishing vessels to provide information regarding their operations sustainability and legality before their EU member state can issue them an authorization to fish in the waters of third countries.

This regulation is really trying to catch these guys, but as soon as it becomes too complicated, then the easy way out is to change the flag, Gorez said. Its like when you try to catch soap with your hands. It slips and goes somewhere else.

Since 2010, the EU has incorporated other provisions to make its nationals more accountable for fisheries operations, regardless of country or vessel flags  most notably by penalizing EU nationals who engage in or support illegal or unregulated fishing anywhere in the world, under any flag.

But its up to the member states to address the issue. Gorez says the states involved in this matter  Latvia, Malta, Belgium and Cyprus  have so far shown little interest.

We can see the duplicity of the EU in terms of their effort to fight IUU fishing. Theyve come up with good regulations, but when you go deep into how this is implemented in practice, you see that there are a lot of loopholes, Beseng said.

Part of the SMEFF regulation is to maintain a database including information on the beneficial owners of operations by vessels flagged in an EU member state. As of now, the information remains confidential.

How can you expect an official in a remote country that sees a vessel coming to be able to easily retrace the whole history of the vessel by himself if the former flag state does not put that information online? said Daudu. It would cost a lot of time. It would take a lot of verification. Sometimes its so well concealed that you cant even find information.

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Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/
Greenwich Wine + Food is returning in 2022 to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the popular celebrity-attended food and wine event for two years in a row.

The multi-day event will feature two completely re-imagined flagship events, according to a news release, along with festivities that recreate the most memorable experiences from the past decade. There will also be other key events throughout the week in locales such as Greenwich and Westport.

The celebration kicks off Oct. 1 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., with a Big Easy-themed dine-around event, celebrating the flavors of New Orleans. Chefs will create signature themed dishes paired with Bourbon Street-style cocktails such as hurricanes and mudslides, as well as local craft brews and wine.

The 2022 class of Serendipitys Most Innovative Chefs will also be recognized at this event, with honorees including Steven Chen of MIKU in Greenwich, Will Friedman of The Whelk in Westport, Jared Sippel of LOstal in Darien and Renee Touponce of the Oyster Club in Mystic.

On Oct. 7, the GWF 10th Anniversary Celebrity Chef Gala will be held at Abigail Kirsch at The Loading Dock in Stamford, honoring legendary chef Jacques Pepin for his lifetime of achievement. Chefs will prepare their own Pepin-inspired four-course meal in front of guests at their table, while also participating in special programming to celebrate Pepins decades of contributions to the culinary world. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase tables for groups of 10 and select their preferred chef in the coming weeks.

Beneficiaries include two national nonprofit organizations with roots in Connecticut: The Jacques Pepin Foundation and Wholesome Wave.

The time has finally come for us to pop the champagne and celebrate our 10th anniversary with some of the most extravagant experiences weve ever offered, said Suni Unger, founder and CEO of Unger Media, the parent company behind Greenwich Wine + Food and Serendipity magazine.

Our entire team is working closely this year with the culinary community in our area (and beyond) to recreate some of our guests favorite Greenwich Wine + Food experiences. Were also thrilled to launch two all-new flagship events, as well as additional stand-alone, unique celebrations that will span multiple days this fall. We have so many surprises up our sleeves, I promise that there will be something for everyone at this years celebration, Unger said.

Fred Camillo, Greenwichs first selectman, said Wednesday it was a a little disappointing that Greenwich Wine + Food still uses the towns name in its title while planning its flagship events in Stamford and New York state.

Were happy with our long-standing relationships with organizations that continue to come back here year after year, and were hoping to get to get some new ones, he said.

Organizers said while the flagship events are being held in Port Chester and Stamford, the anniversary celebration means they have expanded both the number of days festivities will last, as well as beyond the border of Greenwich. They said details will be coming soon for activities happening in Greenwich, Westport and other parts of Westchester County.

As a Greenwich-based, women-owned and women-run company, Greenwich Wine + Food has been thrilled to put a national spotlight on the culinary talent in this town, and also showcase the beauty of our local community and invite people here to not only attend our event, but infuse the local economy with visitor traffic and attention through our events and branding, Unger said in a statement Wednesday. The town of Greenwich is known for its sense of community, generosity and high-standards, all pillars of Greenwich Wine + Food as well.

Our events have always hosted talent from Greenwich and other key areas in the Northeast, and we continue to reach beyond our borders to celebrate the culinary community at large in this area, she said.

Organizers had planned a week of special events in 2021 to mark their 10th anniversary, opting for completely unique programming instead of returning to Greenwichs Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, where they previously held a festival for several years.

Core events were scheduled at The Village in Stamford, including Savor and Stroll with food and beverage tastings and culinary demonstrations, and a gala dinner to honor Pepins lifetime of achievements. But in August, organizers decided to postpone for another year, citing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and concerns for safety.

The full schedule of programming, including musical performances, celebrity chefs and events and tickets will be available in the coming weeks at greenwichwineandfood.com, as well as the GWFs social media channels (Facebook @Greenwichwineandfoodfestival and Instagram @greenwichwineandfood).
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  State officials are asking residents to keep an eye out for the spotted laternfly after recently confirming the finding of two of the invasive insects in central Iowa.

As a young nymph, it is a black weevil-like bug with white spots but adds patches of bright red as it develops into a flying insect. It's native to China, India, and Vietnam, and was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania in 2014, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It has since been confirmed in 11 states and threatens the countrys grape, orchard, nursery, and logging industries.
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TOKYO (AP)  The leaders of Japan and Indonesia agreed Wednesday to bolster their ties in maritime security and their cooperation on climate change, energy and investment between the Asian archipelago nations.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at a joint news conference after holding talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tokyo, said Japan will provide support to further reinforce Indonesian maritime security capability to ensure peace and safety at sea in the Indo-Pacific region."

Kishida also announced that Tokyo is loaning 43.6 billion yen ($318 million) to fund Indonesian infrastructure projects and disaster prevention.

Widodos Japan visit follows his trip to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and formally invited him to the Group of 20 summit in Bali in the fall. The two leaders on Tuesday also discussed issues ranging from trade to maritime cooperation.

While Indonesia and China enjoy generally positive ties, Jakarta has expressed concern about Chinese encroachment on its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

Widodo' comments in Tokyo focused on investment, energy and the G-20 summit. Widodo welcomed new Japanese investments and asked for Japan's support in new technology involving clean energy, infrastructure, medicine, agriculture and natural resources.

In particular, I invite Japan to support the acceleration of Indonesias net zero emission target through advocating innovative technologies such as hydrogen and ammonia technology, he said.

Japan is promoting mixing hydrogen and ammonia at coal-fired power plants as a way to lower emissions.

Also, Kishida said Japan is researching whether it can provide Japanese patrol vessels for Indonesia to build its maritime capabilities.

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force is participating for the first time in the Garuda Shield multilateral training exercise hosted by Indonesia next month, Kishida said. The U.S. is also joining the exercise.

While Japan promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific vision of security and trade with the United States and other democracies and friendly nations in the region that share concern about Chinas increasing assertiveness, the two leaders did not mention the country by name.

Widodo said Indonesia, as the chair of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations next year and Japan as the chair of the Group of 7 summit, will continue to cooperate for the peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  A Maryland state legislator who recently lost his primary for reelection has been charged with felony theft and other charges related to the misuse of state funds, officials said Wednesday.

Del. Richard Impallaria, a Republican, has been charged with multiple counts of misconduct in office, theft and embezzlement, State Prosecutor Charlton Howard said in a news release.

Impallaria facilitated rental payments from the Maryland General Assembly to his personal landlord using funds for a district office that was actually a building outside of his district, officials said. The building, which was used to store the delegate's personal items, was located next door to his personal cottage and shared the same owners, the prosecutor's office said.

The legislature paid double the amount of rent for Impallaria's district office than any other tenant in the community on average, the prosecutor's office said.

From July 2012 through May 31, 2022, the state paid $92,800 in rent for the district office," according to the prosecutor. During that time, Impallaria didn't pay rent for his neighboring cottage that shared the same landlords, prosecutors said.

Impallaria did not immediately return a phone call and an email seeking comment.

The charges also allege that Impallaria facilitated the creation of an invoice with an office supply vendor to show the purchase of office furniture that was never ordered that showed a credit of about $2,405. Impallaria then sought and received reimbursement from the Maryland General Assembly using public funds for the items, which were neither ordered nor received, Howard said.

Impallaria then used the $2,405.30 credit to pay for the production of fundraising letters on behalf of his campaign entity, Friends of Rick Impallaria, the prosecutor said.

Elected officials are expected to be good stewards of the States resources, Howard said in a news release. "Any official who abuses the public trust for personal gain must be held accountable.

Impallaria, who has served in the House of Delegates since 2003, recently lost his reelection bid in last weeks primary in a district in Harford County.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Jason McLachlan, University of Notre Dame

(THE CONVERSATION) Plant a tree seems to be the go-to answer to climate change concerns these days. Booking a rental car online recently, I was asked to check a box to plant a tree to offset my cars anticipated carbon dioxide emissions. In 2020, the governor of my state, Indiana, launched an initiative to plant a million of them within five years, and the state is a quarter of the way there.

The primary reason for this arboreal zeal is to capitalize on the power of trees to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into wood, safely locking carbon away for decades to centuries.

Thats the theory, anyway.

The problem is that the fate of carbon stored in trees faces many challenges. Heat waves, logging, pests and wildfires can all destroy trees and release that carbon again. And most measurements of the carbon stored in forests woody biomass only extend back a few decades.

I lead the PalEON project, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation that is working to reconstruct how the amount of carbon stored in U.S. trees ebbed and flowed over the past 10,000 years.

Our new reconstruction reveals in detail how forests in the upper Midwest gained almost a billion tons of carbon over the last 8,000 years, doubling their carbon storage. And then, in the span of just 150 years, almost all of that gain disappeared into the atmosphere.

The results offer lessons for today, particularly about the outsized role that a few tree species, human behavior and a changing climate can play.

How forests gained, then lost, a billion tons of carbon

Our forest story starts 10,000 years ago, after the massive Laurentide ice sheet that once covered a large portion of North America retreated from the upper Midwest  what is now Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the northern edges of Illinois and Indiana. In this early period of natural warming, ice-age forests of needle-leaved trees shrank and were replaced by new tree species slowly spreading northward from southern refuges.

Forest growth rose and fell over the thousands of years that followed as the climate went through warm and cool periods, the frequency and intensity of wildfires changed, and Native American land management strategies shifted.

Previousstudies assumed that the amount of woody biomass  the carbon stored in trees  had been relatively stable over millennia before the industrial era. Instead, we were surprised to find that the Upper Midwest forests had steadily gained carbon for 8,000 years before Euro-American settlers began clearing large swaths of forest.

In much of the region, forests had become dominated by long-lived species that could store a lot of carbon as biomass. Two of those species stand out: American beech and eastern hemlock.

History in a grain of pollen

We know a lot of this thanks to tiny grains of ancient pollen and the Public Land Survey, a collection of highly detailed forest surveys conducted by government contractors in the mid-1800s, shortly before forest clearing took off.

Each year, trees release pollen, and some of that pollen falls into lakes, where it sinks into the mud and fossilizes. Scientists can study fossilized pollen in cross sections of lake bottom sediment to determine how old it is and the types of trees that were growing at the time. If a major fire came through, abrupt changes in the types of pollen in the sediment would give it away.

In a study recently published in the journal Science, Ann Raiho and other PalEON members mapped biomass changes in the Upper Midwest using a sophisticated statistical model based on the fossil pollen found in the sediment from a network of lakes. The Public Land Survey served as a sort of Rosetta Stone. The survey linked vegetation in the 1800s to the fossil pollen samples, allowing us to calibrate pollen levels with the amount of wood biomass.

Lessons from 10,000 years of forest growth and decline

Our maps of past biomass accumulation provide reason for optimism about the capacity of forests to sustainably store carbon for long periods, but also two warnings.

The optimistic take is that when forests dominated by old-growth species like American beech and eastern hemlock expanded, the forests stored large amounts of carbon in woody biomass for millennia. These two species contributed substantial carbon storage, particularly in the moister central and eastern parts of the region.

The first warning is that forests in the drier western part of our study area shrank when the climate became warmer and drier.

The second warning is that progress can quickly slip away. Although the Upper Midwest forests stored almost a billion tons more carbon than they lost over the last 8,000 years, that accumulation went back into the atmosphere over a short period of time as a result of logging and farming. We found the rate of woody biomass decline over the last 150 years was 10 times greater than in any other century in 10,000 years.

Looking ahead

So, what does this mean for tree planting efforts today?

If my rental car tree happened to be an American beech, and if it were allowed to mature and propagate an old-growth forest in the Upper Midwest, then future forests could replicate the processes that stored carbon for thousands of years.

But that future presumes that drought, pests and wildfires associated with a rapidly warming climate dont undo those efforts. A recent study suggested that forests around the world may be losing resilience to climate warming.

The capacity of old-growth trees to store carbon can also be undone by other threats that can be exacerbated by the changing climate. For example, beech bark disease weakens trees, allowing fungus to kill them  and its now threatening the Upper Midwests beech populations.

Finally, communities will have to balance the value of carbon sequestered in old forests with other priorities.

From a conservation perspective, both the high-biomass, old-growth beech and hemlock forests and the lower-biomass oak savannas were important components of Midwestern vegetation over the last 10,000 years. However, open oak forests are now endangered, and the practices needed for their recovery, like controlled burns, are designed to keep competing species at bay  including American beech.

The past offers guidance for managing forest change in the future, but not easy answers.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-forests-lost-8-000-years-of-stored-carbon-in-a-few-generations-animated-maps-reveal-climate-lessons-for-tree-planting-projects-today-185686.
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CHICAGO (AP)  The man accused of opening fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago has been indicted by a grand jury on 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven people killed and dozens wounded in the attack on a beloved holiday event.

Prosecutors previously filed seven murder charges against Robert E. Crimo III. They announced the grand jury's decision to indict him on 117 felony charges on Wednesday.

Attorneys for Crimo have not made a formal response yet to any of the charges he faces in the July Fourth shooting in downtown Highland Park, Illinois. A representative for the county public defenders office, which is representing Crimo, said Wednesday that it does not comment publicly on any cases.

Prosecutors have said Crimo, 21, admitted to the shooting when police arrested him following an hourslong search on July 4.

Under Illinois law, prosecutors can ask a grand jury to determine whether there is probable cause to proceed to trial. Grand jury proceedings arent open to the public and defense attorneys cannot cross-examine witnesses.

The multiple first-degree murder charges allege Crimo intended to kill, caused death or great bodily harm and took action with a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm on the seven people who died.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that the 48 attempted murder counts and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm represent each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment, or shrapnel.

I want to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today, Lake County States Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement. Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed.

Authorities have said the wounded range in age from 8 to their 80s, including an 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed from the waist down when the shooting severed his spine.

In her first public comments since the shooting, the boy's mother said in a video and written statement released Wednesday that the violence her family and others experienced has taught them to see the unbelievably generous, caring, good and kind spirit that makes up the vast majority of our world.

Keely Roberts described her son, Cooper Roberts, as athletic" and fun-loving but said he has a long road ahead. Cooper was shot in the back. The bullet tore through his body, severely damaging his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord before exiting through his chest.

Cooper has undergone multiple surgeries and is paralyzed from the waist down.

Coopers twin brother, Luke, sustained minor injuries from shrapnel, but his mom worries about the impact of seeing his twin so violently injured. She also was wounded in the leg.

Roberts said she still sees a bright future ahead for Cooper and thanked paradegoers who helped the family in the aftermath of the shooting, along with health care providers and other first responders.

Hes gonna teach a whole lot of people that the lesson in this is not that one person did this horrible thing," she said. "The lesson in this is that thousands of people did great things, kind things, and continue to do kind things.

During a court hearing presenting the murder charges, prosecutors said police found more than 80 spent shell casings on the rooftop of a building along the parade route and the semi-automatic rifle used in the attack on the ground nearby.

Investigators believe Crimo blended in with the fleeing crowd to get away from the scene, then borrowed his mothers car and briefly contemplated a second attack on a celebration in Madison, Wisconsin, before returning to Illinois where police arrested him.

Crimo is due to appear in court Aug. 3.

___

Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Karen Kaiser says she will never forget her feelings of dread and sadness as she hurried past picket lines of antiabortion protesters in 2008. In the waiting room of a Maryland Planned Parenthood, "I remember crying," she said.

Kaiser had decided to have an abortion in part because she was taking a medication called Depakote to control her bipolar disorder. The drug, which is also used to treat seizures, is known to contribute to embryo malformation and to have other harmful effects on a fetus.

"I wouldn't have been able to sustain [the pregnancy], but also we were worried about the side effects of the Depakote on the baby," said Kaiser, now 47 and living in Lanham, Md.

Such worries are now rising for patients with disabilities, doctors say, in the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Americans with disabilities - including psychiatric, chronic and physical ones - say they will be disproportionately affected by the loss of federal abortion protections and are being overlooked in the discussion. Studies have found that those with disabilities experience higher rates of sexual violence - which can lead to abortions - in addition to higher rates of unplanned pregnancies and a higher risk of death during pregnancy than people without disabilities. They may also take medications, including Depakote, that can have harmful effects on pregnancy, according to neurological studies.

Doctors say six-week abortion bans in states such as Texas would criminalize abortions before many patients discover they are pregnant and after their embryos were already exposed to such drugs. The effects of Depakote, which has the generic name valproate, and other potentially harmful medications are evident "very early in pregnancy," said Marlene Freeman, associate director of the Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. Potential embryonic and fetal impacts of anti-seizure drugs include spina bifida, cleft lip and autism, studies show.

"By the time the woman knows she's pregnant, the damage is essentially done," said Jacqueline French, co-director of epilepsy clinical trials for NYU Langone Health's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

And among women with epilepsy, French said, more than half of pregnancies are unplanned.

"If it's a planned pregnancy, someone would try to taper off their medication," said Robyn Powell, an associate law professor at the University of Oklahoma who has arthrogryposis, a disability that restricts motion. "But if you have an unintended pregnancy for whatever reason, I think this disproportionately harms disabled people."

Going without such treatments can be dangerous, experts say. French, who is also the chief scientific officer of the Epilepsy Foundation, said the risk of death during pregnancy for a person with epilepsy is 10 times the risk for a person without epilepsy, partly because patients may stop taking their medication while pregnant without consulting a doctor.

Lucy Hutner, a reproductive psychiatrist in New York City, offered the example of lithium, a medication that is prescribed to treat bipolar disorder and other serious mental health conditions but that is associated with risks in pregnancy.

"Death by suicide or overdose are major causes of maternal mortality in the postpartum period, which is a significant problem because patients with bipolar disorder are already at an elevated risk of suicide," Hutner said, noting the increased risk of homelessness when going off medication as well. "Patients in these situations benefit from being able to make individualized medical decisions that support their mental health."

A 55-year-old epilepsy patient from North Carolina, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because she feared harassment, said she took valproate during her pregnancies more than two decades ago and gave birth to three healthy sons. She said she was warned about the medication's risks and took it anyway to control her seizures, which continued during her pregnancy.

But she said she worries about the more limited options that epilepsy patients will have now.

"What would be my concern is if they go in to have a checkup, and they find out that [the fetus has] got a serious birth defect but they want to get an abortion and aren't able to," she said.

Some states with abortion bans outline exceptions if the mother's life is at risk. But Powell, the Oklahoma legal scholar, said she expects that criterion to be "stringently defined" and anticipates that physicians will be "very hesitant" to perform abortions where they are criminalized or restricted.

Antiabortion groups told The Post they did not support abortion exceptions for people with disabilities, though they did not oppose the use of essential medications that might unintentionally harm a fetus.

"Every state pro-life law in effect specifically prohibits actions which intentionally cause the death of an unborn child," Stephen Billy, executive director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, an antiabortion research group, said in a statement. "Doctors who prescribe teratogenic medications for the treatment of mental health or chronic health conditions are not doing so for the purpose of causing an abortion." Teratogens are agents that can cause embryo malformations or fetal damage.

Some anti-seizure medications, though, have another side effect that compounds the risks: reducing the efficacy of hormonal contraception.

"Then the patient can in fact potentially become pregnant" despite taking contraception, said Ima Ebong, an assistant neurology professor at the University of Kentucky. In reverse, Ebong said, hormonal contraception - now more crucial for many epilepsy patients post-Roe - can allow breakthrough seizures by lowering some anti-seizure drugs' medication levels.

For Kaiser, the Maryland resident who was taking Depakote during her pregnancy, prioritizing her medication and mental health was most important. That was what led to her trip to Planned Parenthood nearly 15 years ago.

But while the picket lines were distressing then, Kaiser said, she fears worse for disabled people who become pregnant today and are considering an abortion.

"I think forcing someone who wants and needs an abortion to continue a pregnancy is terrible," she said. "I think it's bad for any baby coming into the picture. I think that the decision is terrible for women who are on medication like Depakote and who may want to decide, 'I have to keep taking this medicine, and so I'm not going to be able to continue with the pregnancy.'"
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP)  Police on Tuesday arrested a Muncie couple after their 5-year-old daughter was fatally shot by her 6-year-old brother death in their home.

Jacob Grayson, 28, and Kimberly Grayson, 27, were preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and three other counts of neglect, The Star Press reported.
A man has been charged with sexually abusing children at his wifes Maryland day care, days after his wife was charged with shooting him at a Washington, D.C., hotel, authorities said.

Baltimore County police said Tuesday that they obtained an arrest warrant charging James S. Weems Jr., 57, of Randallstown, Maryland, with 13 sex crimes related to the abuse of at least three children at the day care in Owings Mills, news outlets reported.

Weems and his wife, Shanteari Weems, were at a hotel in Washington's southwest on July 21 when the shooting occurred, that city's Metropolitan Police Department said. She told investigators that they had argued over the abuse allegations, according to a court affidavit.

Detectives in Baltimore County began investigating James Weems earlier this month over allegations that he abused at least three children at the day care, police spokeswoman Joy Lepola-Stewart said. The warrant charges Weems with three counts each of sexual abuse of minor and second-, third- and fourth degree sex offense.

James Weems remains hospitalized with two gunshot wounds that arent considered life-threatening and is considered a fugitive from justice and is under guard, police in Washington said.

Shanteari Weems told police that she had received multiple messages and phone calls from parents and teachers about sexual abuse allegations at the day-care center and went to meet her husband of five years at the hotel, according to the affidavit. She repeatedly asked him about the accusations and it escalated into an argument, she told police.

Her lawyer, Tony N. Garcia, said his client started her business in the early 2000s and the allegations against her husband were pretty earth-shattering. She contends that she shot her husband when their argument turned violent and he started toward her, he said.

She insists that she was defending herself, Garcia said.

Shanteari Weems is charged with assault with intent to kill and handgun offenses and remains jailed in the nation's capital. She pleaded not guilty in D.C. Superior Court and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Friday.

In the hotel room, police found two handguns and a notebook included handwritten messages that Shanteari Weems intended to shoot her husband, but not to kill him and I want these kids to get justice, according to the affidavit. Garcia said one handgun belonged to his client, who is licensed to carry it in Maryland, and the other belonged to James Weems.

Its not clear whether James Weems, who has not yet appeared in court, has an attorney. He was a Baltimore city police officer from 1996 to 2005 and then a contract specialist doing administrative work, until 2008, city police said. Garcia said James Weems assisted his wife at the day care and also did private security.
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QUEBEC CITY (AP)  Pope Francis arrived in Quebec on Wednesday at a time when many French Canadians in the province are not only moving away from religion but explicitly rejecting it, embracing secularization long after their forebears built their identity on the rock of the Catholic Church.

Pews these days are rarely filled, hundreds of churches have closed and the provincial government has banned public service workers from wearing religious symbols.

A lot churches are closing, and its very telling about the fading support that the population gives to the church, said Jean-Francois Roussel, a theology professor at the Universite de Montreal. Some people are talking about the collapse of the Catholic Church in Quebec.

Although nearly all of the provinces 6.8 million French speakers have Catholic roots, fewer than 10% attend Mass regularly, compared with 90% several decades ago.

Once-pervasive church influence over politics and culture has faded almost totally, and in what is known as the Quiet Revolution, it lost its central role in areas such as education and health care. Thats significant considering the Church founded Quebecs school system and for decades controlled education, teacher training, welfare and health care.

Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Quebec was quite similar to Ireland and Southern Europe before 1960. At the peak of its influence from the 1930s to the 1950s, the church dominated peoples lives from conception to death and was closely intertwined with political leadership.

It controlled cultural and intellectual life right down to what kind of books could be published, what sort of paintings and sculpture exhibited, what kind of plays performed, wrote Stephen Clarkson and Christina McCall, biographers of Quebec-born former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who died in 2000.

The defeat of a conservative pro-Church party at the 1960 provincial elections and the victory of a progressive Liberal government empowered a new economic elite that pursued secularism, Beland said.

Church attendance and fertility rates, which used to be among the highest in the Americas, also fell dramatically over a relatively short period of time, as Quebec modernized and its Francophone majority became more educated, prosperous and urbanized, Beland said.

French Canadian nationalism in Quebec had been very much centered on Catholicism, but after the Quiet Revolution, its most dominant aspect became the French language, he said.

In 2003 there were 2,746 Catholic churches in Quebec. Since then 713 have been closed, demolished or converted, according to the Quebec Religious Heritage Council. Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec said last year the number of churches in the province is not sustainable.

The number of new priests does not exceed 10 per year. This leads to a profound restructuring of parishes and dioceses, said E.-Martin Meunier, a sociologist of religion at the University of Ottawa.

Meunier also noted that the proportion of newborns baptized as Catholic dropped more than 30% in the last 20 years, compared with just 13% from 1969 to 2001. Catholic marriages in Quebec also have plummeted for decades.

Today, Quebecs government is staunchly secular, embracing policy and industry that seemingly runs counter to Catholicism's conservative sexual ethic. In 2004, the province legalized same-sex marriage. Montreal, the largest city, has a lively sex industry.

In 2019, Quebec controversially prohibited civil servants in positions of authority such as teachers, police officers and prosecutors from wearing symbols of religion while at work. Critics say the ban is motivated by more recent growing anti-Muslim sentiment.

Religious leaders and civil rights advocates have opposed the prohibition, but it remains popular among the Francophone electoral base of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, which has been in power in the province since 2018.

A new phase in the politics of secularism in Quebec began about 15 years ago, when religious accommodations for minorities such as Muslims became a major media and political issue, said Beland, who underscored attempts to make secularism a key part of Quebec identity.

Clergy sex-abuse scandals also have tarnished the church. And the discovery of unmarked graves at the sites of church-run Indigenous boarding schools has further damaged it.

Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pierre's son, publicly rebuked the church last year, saying he was deeply disappointed it had not offered a formal apology and made amends for its role in the schools where abuse was rampant.

A Catholic and Montreal native, he blasted the church for being silent, not stepping up and failing to show the leadership that quite frankly is supposed to be at the core of our faith.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops had said in 2018 that the pope could not personally apologize for the boarding school abuses, but Francis has since done just that, at the Vatican this spring and again on Monday in Canada.

The Rev. Antonio Hofmeister, a Brazilian priest who worked in Edmonton, Alberta, for several years and is now based in Rome, said church-state relations are strained in Canada, with Trudeaus Liberal government and the Catholic Church differing on issues from abortion to euthanasia to same-sex marriage.

Francis was scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon with Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP)  Rapid City officers have fatally shot a man with a gun outside a casino, police officials said.

According to Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick, the shooting happened shortly after 10:30 p.m. MDT Tuesday after officers responded to reports of someone firing a gun in the casino's parking lot.

Hedrick says the man fired at officers when they arrived, KELO-TV reported.

Our officers returned fire on the subject, and he is deceased. This appears to be an attack on police officers at this time, Hedrick said.

Officials say a patrol car was struck by gunfire, but no officers were hurt.

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation with assistance from the Pennington County Sheriffs Office.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Tens of thousands of people serving punishments for felony convictions in North Carolina but who arent behind bars can now register to vote and cast ballots this fall after an appeals court ruling.

Expanding the scope of those able to register and vote began Wednesday, the State Board of Elections said  the day after local elections were held in more than a dozen localities.

The change proceeds from litigation challenging a 1973 law that prevents someone convicted of a felony from having voting rights restored while they are still on probation, parole or post-release supervision.

More than 56,000 people in North Carolina were prevented from registering under the challenged law, according to evidence cited in a 2021 trial.

North Carolina has more than 7.3 million registered voters, and statewide elections in the presidential battleground state are often close affairs. So any influx of voters could make a difference this fall, when the ballot will feature statewide races for U.S. Senate and the state Supreme Court.

The voter registration expansion "means you've got a voice," Daryl Atkinson, the lead attorney for civil rights groups and ex-offenders who sued over the law in 2019, said while celebrating the change at an event behind the state Legislative Building in Raleigh. Imagine if 56,000 had something to say. But theyre going to have something to say in November."

A panel of trial judges struck down the 1973 law in March, declaring it violates the state constitution largely because it discriminates against Black residents.

The state Supreme Court agreed in May to hear an appeal of that decision, and the case remains pending. The date for oral arguments has not been set.

But the justices didnt touch a Court of Appeals ruling that prevented registration requests from the felons who werent in prison or jail from being fulfilled only through Tuesday. So these applicants  for now and unless the Supreme Court reverses the trial court ruling  will be able to vote, beginning with the November general election.

The Rev. William Barber of Goldsboro, a co-chair of the national Poor Peoples Campaign, also spoke at Wednesday's event, attended by about 100 people. A coalition of groups is organizing an Unlock Our Vote Freedom Summer Tour that will include voter information and registration drives, as well as other outreach efforts to potential voters.
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Any Asian aggressor who violates the sovereignty of other countries in the region risks punitive counter actions, just like what Russia is confronting now for its invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. secretary of the Navy said in a veiled warning to China's increasingly assertive behavior.

Carlos Del Toro told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday night in Manila that the U.S. military focus in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the disputed South China Sea, would never slacken and in fact has intensified despite the war in Ukraine.

He did not name China but underscored that Beijing has encroached in sovereign waters of its Asian neighbors and violated international law with impunity.

He renewed assurances by President Joe Biden that the U.S. would honor its obligations under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty in case Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have had increasingly tense territorial spats in the last decade.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also lay claim to the strategic waterway, one of the worlds busiest, which China claims virtually in its entirety on historical grounds. Beijing rejected a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its claims and continues to defy the landmark decision.

As President Biden has said, if one country violates one inch of Filipino sovereignty, whether it be at sea or on shore or an offshore island, we will be there to support the Filipino nation and the Filipino people in every possible way, Del Toro said.

Chinas move to transform seven disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases in the Spratlys, the most hotly contested section of the South China Sea, is very concerning and prompted the U.S. and other Western nations to press on with freedom of navigation patrols around the Chinese-claimed territories to underscore that they are not in the possession of the PRC, he said, referring to the Peoples Republic of China.

Chinese officials were not immediately available for comment on Del Toros remarks but they have repeatedly warned the U.S. to stay away from they say is a purely Asian dispute. Chinese forces have at times responded to U.S. and Australian aerial and sea patrols by firing flares and using jamming equipment to warn them to move away. Some U.S. Navy ships have been chased closely, according to U.S. military officials.

The Chinese actions increase the risk of miscalculations and U.S. forces have been trained to be very disciplined and to stick to long-established rules of engagement to avoid confrontations, Del Toro said.

Its important to videotape all of these illegal actions that these countries are actually doing so the entire world can see exactly how they are behaving, he said.

Del Toro said potential Asian aggressors should learn from the current troubles of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has faced sanctions from Western nations and their allies, which also provide weapons and humanitarian support to Ukrainians.

I think thats a tremendous lesson that countries who were free, democratic and principled will work together against adversaries who were not, he said.

If such level of aggression is ever committed in the Asia-Pacific, Im convinced that allies and partners will come together to do the same thing here in the Pacific, Del Toro said.

After meetings in Singapore and Thailand, Del Toro flew to the Philippines this week to meet top military and defense officials and hold, he said, some classified discussions about additional capabilities that we could actually continue to help provide to the Philippines, a call for greater cooperation for more ... complicated exercises.

He cited the expansion of American combat exercises with Filipino forces and an ongoing 26-nation exercise in Hawaii involving 38 warships, four submarines and thousands of military personnel. Called the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the drills are the worlds largest held biennially.

Americas military engagement with the Philippines ran into difficulties under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who threatened to end the presence of visiting American forces and a key defense pact that allowed thousands of U.S. Marines and troops to train in the country, Washingtons oldest treaty in Asia. But the alliance held up.

The brash-talking populist had often criticized U.S. security policy while nurturing cozy ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin. His tirades against Washington eased after it provided millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine at the height of the pandemic in the Philippines.

Del Toros visit reflects a renewed charm offensive by Washington after Dutertes exit and the recent election of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Del Toro was behind a recent decision to name a future U.S. Navy destroyer the USS Telesforo Trinidad, in honor of a Filipino-American sailor who rescued two crew members when their ship caught fire more than a century ago.

Its symbolic of the bonds between our two nations, our commitment to the shared values  to freedom, and democracy, he said.

___

Associated Press journalist Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Months after her father was lured back to Rwanda under false pretenses and jailed, Carine Kanimba discovered her own phone had been hacked using private spyware.

Kanimba is the youngest daughter of Paul Rusesabagina, who is credited with saving more than 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide in a story that inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda. An opponent of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Rusesabagina is now serving a 25-year prison sentence on charges that he has dismissed as politically motivated.

Researchers have alleged Pegasus was used to spy on Kanimba and her cousin as Rusesabagina's family was advocating for his release from Rwanda, which received $160 million in foreign aid from the United States in the last budget year.

Unless there are consequences for countries and their enablers which abuse this technology, none of us are safe, she told the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

Kanimba and technology experts urged Congress to oppose the use of commercial spyware in the U.S. and discourage investment in spyware that has been used to hack the phones of dissidents, journalists, and even U.S. diplomats.

Pegasus infiltrates phones to control their camera and microphone and siphon off data without requiring the user to click on a malicious link. It is part of a burgeoning international market for states to acquire cyber tools that were once available only to the most technically advanced governments. Researchers at Google have identified at least 30 vendors selling zero click exploits or other spyware.

NSO Group says its software can't be activated against phone numbers with a U.S. country code unless used by an American agency. But there are several documented reports of American officials and citizens having their data captured by Pegasus.

One committee member, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., suggested that off-the-shelf spyware felt like a very serious threat to our democracy and to democracies around the world. Himes questioned whether spyware could be deployed from another country against American officials and he criticized companies that invest in it.

Among the investors in a private equity firm that held majority ownership of NSO Group were the Oregon state employee pension fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.

U.S. officials and many lawmakers in both parties are concerned about foreign interference in future elections and the prospect of Americans trying to overturn a lawful vote by force.

Nobody, not Mike Pence, not Nancy Pelosi, not Kevin McCarthy ... are immune from having their most private deliberations watched," Himes said. "And that may be just enough to interfere in our elections, just enough to end our democracy.

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have long been in the market themselves for ways to hack into phones.

The Biden administration last year imposed export limits on NSO Group and three other firms. But the FBI has acknowledged buying a license for Pegasus for what it said was product testing and evaluation only. While spyware companies make huge profits in the Middle East and Europe, it is American business and investment that legitimizes what they're doing, said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab, which has long studied how the programs work.

Doing business with the U.S. government, getting acquired by a U.S. company or even doing business with an American police department is the golden price for many in the spyware industry, he said. As long as that remains as a possibility for problematic actors, they're going to get support from investors.

The committee is pushing U.S. spy agencies to decisively act against counterintelligence threats posed by foreign commercial spyware, according to the public version of its latest bill authorizing intelligence activities. The bill, which has not yet been voted on by the full House, proposes that the director of national intelligence may prohibit individual U.S. agencies from acquiring or using foreign commercial spyware.

But the bill would also allow any intelligence agency chief to seek a waiver from the director if the waiver is in the national security interest of the United States.

In a statement, NSO Group noted that the discussion over spyware at times lacks balance (by) intentionally omitting their lifesaving benefits."

NSO reiterates that it thoroughly investigates any claim for illegal use of its technology by customers, and terminates contracts when illegal use is found, the company said. Nonetheless, it is critical to consider the benefits and alternatives to these critical technologies.

Kanimba testified that she was alerted last year by a collective of journalists working with Citizen Lab and Amnesty International that there was reason to believe that she had been spied on. A subsequent forensic analysis of her phone revealed that she had been targeted by Pegasus spyware, she said.

She said the surveillance was triggered as she walked with her mother into a meeting with Belgium's minister of foreign affairs  Rusesabagina holds Belgian citizenship and U.S. residency  and was active during calls with the State Department and with the office of the U.S. governments special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

Her family lives in San Antonio. Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro, a committee member who represents that city, noted that his office's communications may have been captured by Rwanda because he was advocating for Rusesabagina's release.

Rwanda denies using Pegasus. Its embassy in Washington said in a statement Thursday that its response has not changed regardless of who raises them.

These are politically motivated allegations aimed at undermining Rwanda's judicial system and sowing disinformation, the embassy statement said.

Rusesabagina was sentenced for terrorism offenses related to his alleged links to the armed wing of his opposition political platform. Rusesabagina has denied supporting violence and called the verdict a sham.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
BERLIN (AP)  Western European powers are pressing Iran to agree to a revival of its 2015 nuclear deal after a months-long standstill in negotiations, warning that what's on the table now is the best possible deal.

The foreign policy chief of the European Union, which has chaired long-running talks in Vienna, tweeted Wednesday that now is decision time if we are to save the Iran Nuclear Deal. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said a return to full compliance with the agreement is still possible but, for that, a positive response from Iran is needed as soon as possible.

That reflects mounting concern that time is running out to salvage the deal, in part because of the approach of midterm elections in the United States.

Iran and six world powers  the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China  agreed in 2015 to the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord.

Since the deals de facto collapse, Iran has been running advanced centrifuges and rapidly growing its stockpile of enriched uranium. Talks in Vienna about reviving the deal and bringing the U.S. back on board have been stalled since April. Talks in Qatar last month failed to make significant progress.

EU foreign policy Josep Borrell noted that he wrote an opinion piece for the Financial Times on Tuesday in which he said he's concluded that the space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted." He said he has put a text on the table that addresses in detail the steps need to restore the nuclear agreement.

This text represents the best possible deal that I, as facilitator of the negotiations, see as feasible, he wrote. I see no other comprehensive or effective alternative within reach.

Borrell acknowledged that the Iran deal remains politically polarizing in Washington as the midterm elections approach" and that it may not have addressed all U.S. concerns with respect to Iran." He also acknowledged that there are serious reservations in Iran.

But he argued that the deal carries very significant benefits.

If the deal is rejected, we risk a dangerous nuclear crisis, set against the prospect of increased isolation for Iran and its people," Borrell wrote. "It is our joint responsibility to conclude the deal."
Employees at a Trader Joe's in Massachusetts are casting votes over the next two days in an attempt to form the supermarket chain's first union.

About 80 workers  or crew members in company parlance  at the Hadley store are scheduled to vote Wednesday and Thursday, said Maeg Yosef, a union organizer who has worked at Trader Joe's for 18 years.

The workers are organizing under the name Trader Joes United, which if successful, would be an independent union, and not affiliated with a larger existing union.

Workers from at least two other Trader Joes locations have initiated unionization efforts. Employees at a Minneapolis location have a union vote scheduled for Aug. 11 and 12, while the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 on Tuesday filed a union election petition with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of crew members at a Boulder, Colorado store.

The Trader Joe's workers are part of a nationwide wave of employees at major companies who have or are attempting to unionize in an effort to get a bigger say in their work conditions and compensation.

Workers at multiple Starbucks coffee shop locations across the country, as well as employees at Amazon, Apple and REI are among those who have joined unions in the past year.

Trader Joes management has engaged in what Yosef called classic union-busting tactics, including hiring a law firm specializing in fighting unionization to try and talk employees out of approving a union.

California-based Trader Joes, which has about 550 stores nationwide, also just announced an enhanced benefits package that includes more paid time off and better pay for some employees, which she said was an effort to head off unionization.

Trader Joe's already has generous pay and benefits by industry standards, a company spokesperson said.

Trader Joes is a great place to work and our compensation, benefits, flexibility, and working conditions are among the best when compared to any retailer, Nakia Rohde said in an email. We welcome a fair vote by our crew members.
Montgomery Police Reporter Scott Engle

A crash involving two 18-wheeler trucks left nearly 40,000 pounds of pineapples strewn across the southbound lanes of Interstate 45 near the Montgomery/Walker County line overnight. Authorities said the crash happened just before 11 p.m. Monday after a big rig carrying the pineapples experienced a tire blowout.

The truck started swaying, ripping the truck loose from the trailer. The trailer then hit the center divider wall and rolled into the southbound lanes of I-45, authorities said. A second 18-wheeler heading toward Houston  and reportedly carrying new 18-wheeler parts  then crashed into the separated trailer, the impact ripping it open and sending the tropical fruit flying across the lanes.
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Through various inter-governmental agreements and initiatives, the province of Quebec allows several groups of international students to benefit from an exemption from international tuition fees.

A look at international tuition fee exemptions in Quebec Through various inter-governmental agreements and initiatives, the province of Quebec allows several groups of international students to benefit from an exemption from international tuition fees.

A look at international tuition fee exemptions in Quebec Through various inter-governmental agreements and initiatives, the province of Quebec allows several groups of international students to benefit from an exemption from international tuition fees.

A look at international tuition fee exemptions in Quebec Through various inter-governmental agreements and initiatives, the province of Quebec allows several groups of international students to benefit from an exemption from international tuition fees. Alexandra Miekus Gabriel Dumitrascu Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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To encourage international students to undertake post-secondary studies in the province, Quebec offers special international tuition exemptions for students coming from abroad.



In general, international students who come to Quebec on a study permit to attend a public college and obtain a degree must pay tuition fees specific to international students.

These fees vary from program to program, but on average, the annual cost for an international student can be around $17,000 at the college level and around $24,000 at the undergraduate level. Often, these costs do not include registration and admission fees, health insurance or course materials. As a result, the cost of education in Quebec can become rather high and prohibitive.

It is a little-known fact, but Quebec offers great incentives to international students wishing to study in the province. Some have been in place for many years, and others have been introduced more recently. The following is an overview of the groups of students who can benefit from exemptions to the higher tuition fees that normally apply to international students who come study in Quebec.

Discover your options to study in Canada

Study fee exemptions in areas outside of Montreal

The most recent initiative was announced in May of 2022 and aims to promote the long-term settlement of international students in the regions of Quebec.

The Quebec government has allocated $80 million over four years to encourage international students to undertake post-secondary studies in French in the regions.

International students who meet the eligibility criteria may be exempted from the added tuition fees that normally apply to them. In fact, for the duration of their studies, eligible international students will now only pay the same basic tuition fees as all Quebec students, which is approximately $3,000 for a full-time undergraduate student. Students will also be able to work up to 20 hours per week while they are studying to meet the labour needs of employers in the region.

To be eligible, students must attend a regional institution of higher learning, located outside the Montreal Metropolitan Area, and pursue a full-time program of study in French in one of the priority sectors, namely information technology, engineering, health and social services, education, and early childhood education.

This measure is expected to come into effect in the fall of 2023.

Tuition exemption for French and Belgians students

In addition to this initiative, Quebec has agreements with France and Belgium regarding tuition fees for French and Belgian francophone students coming to the province.

French and Belgian francophone students enrolled in undergraduate programs pay the same basic fees as Canadian students. French and Belgian students enrolled in a masters or doctoral program or in a technical college or vocational training program pay Quebec tuition fees.

To be eligible, students must hold a valid passport from France or Belgium and a study permit that complies with Canadian immigration regulations. A certificate of acceptance from Quebec is also required.

Tuition exemptions for students from other countries

Finally, many international students are also eligible for an exemption from paying supplementary tuition fees if their country or international organization is a signatory to a student mobility agreement. Selection criteria vary by country and agreement, so it is best to first check with the governmental authorities that administer these exemptions.

Quebec is a French-speaking stronghold in North America where French is spoken by most of the population. Thanks to the provinces exceptional tuition exemptions, international students have a unique chance to experience the richness of a culture and the opportunity to benefit from an internationally recognized education and exposure to some of the worlds most outstanding teachers and scholars.

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 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Government entities around the globe are contending with the same demands and opportunities facing private-sector organizations. Public-sector agencies and institutions report increasing demand from constituents, employees, and their partners for more digital services, faster responses, and seamless experiences.

And, like their commercial counterparts, government IT leaders are boosting their use of technology to deliver.

For example, according to a 2022 report from Forrester Research, 10% of government administration workload will be automated, largely through use of robotic process automation (RPA) to eliminate repetitive, low-value tasks. Forrester also predicts that more government entities will adopt the zero-trust model to secure their growing number of digital services.

There are parts of some [government] organizations that are humming like a top, says Bobby Cameron, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, citing NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as two US federal government entities that are particularly advanced in their digital transformations. He also points to transportation and water departments, which have been heavy adopters of internet of things (IoT) technologies, as other digital leaders.

Cameron notes, however, that government as a whole is further behind other verticals in their digital journeys due to multiple factors, including funding mechanisms that favor cost-cutting initiatives instead of projects with focus on modern metrics around value effectiveness and customer obsession.

Still, transformation is happening at the local, state, and federal levels. In fact, such work is driving increased spending in government IT, as research firm Gartner predicts worldwide government IT spending will total $565.7 billion in 2022, up 5% from 2021 figures.

The CIO 100 Awards for IT Innovation and Leadership this year recognize nine projects that stand out as leading examples of the digital work under way within government. Here is a brief look at those efforts, as well as the impact they are having in streamlining processes, facilitating scale and innovation, and improving the lives of their constituents.

Bureau of IRM accelerates US drawdown from Afghanistan

Organization: Bureau of Information Resource Management, Department of State

Project: Afghanistan Drawdown and Humanitarian Response  Rapid Technology Enablement

IT leader: Keith A. Jones, CIO (Jones has since departed the State Department)

The Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) at the US State Department had a monumental task: Deliver immediate, previously unplanned technology and digital services without relying on the standard capital planning and resourcing approaches.

Moreover, it had to do that while working with COVID-related restrictions.

The stakes were high, as the work supported the drawdown of military forces in Afghanistan and the corresponding humanitarian needs.

The IRM faced several challenges in meeting this objective, the most acute was the speed of needed delivery, which required IRM to work without the guidance of established planning and execution processes. Other challenges included the need to work across multiple government entities and partner organizations on a 24/7 schedule; the emergence of unforeseen circumstances in a volatile situation; and the expectation to simultaneously address multiple significant demands for technology services and support.

In response, IRM brought together stakeholders from multiple government and nongovernmental entities to rapidly determine, develop, and deliver tech resources. It fostered secure collaboration methods among those stakeholders, many of whom were working remotely due to the pandemic and simultaneously were facing a high number of cybersecurity threats.

IRMs efforts yielded major successes: delivering a multi-agency application to support issuing and tracking special-issue visas and related services; facilitating the complete shutdown of all Foreign Affairs agency networks in Afghanistan; rapidly transforming more than 100,000 workstations into softphone-enabled work locations; deploying multiple new applications, enhancements and reconfigurations; and supporting ongoing tech services.

Santa Monica facilitates data sharing to help homeless individuals

Joseph Cevetello, CIO, City of Santa Monica City of Santa Monica

Organization: City of Santa Monica

Project: Project Connect

IT leader: Joseph Cevetello, CIO

Despite its history of allocating significant resources to support homeless individuals, Santa Monica, Calif., officials recognized that they lacked real-time awareness of the care provided to any one individual. The reason: City departments held data in siloes, thereby preventing them from gaining a comprehensive understanding of the services they collectively provided.

City officials believed that the ability to see end-to-end engagement with homeless individuals would lead to better understanding of outcomes, saving the city time and money while better helping individuals by providing more complete information at the point of contact.

To gain that visibility, the citys IS department collaborated with Akido Labs as well as police, fire, human services, the city manager office, and the citys legal team to develop Connect, a mobile app and data-sharing platform for first responders working with homeless individuals.

The project team emphasized customer empathy and used human-centered design processes to tailor the app to the unique needs of its city workers. It gathered data to identify and address barriers, verifying its findings with study participants through customer journey mapping. It also piloted the app with 100 homeless individuals, allowing the team to build trust in the product before a full-scale rollout.

Now fully deployed, the Connect app has delivered to first-responders greater insights, has led to better outcomes for homeless individuals, and has reduced city costs. Since the introduction of Connect, encounters with police and emergency services have decreased by 33% and arrests of unhoused citizens are down by 37%, notes City of Santa Monica CIO Joseph Cevetello.

Ginnie Mae modernizes on the cloud

Barbara Cooper-Jones, SVP, Office of Enterprise Data and Technology Solutions, Ginnie Mae Ginnie Mae

Organization: Ginnie Mae

Project: Cloud Application Migration and Operations (CAMO)

IT leader: Barbara Cooper-Jones, SVP, Office of Enterprise Data and Technology Solutions

Ginnie Mae wants to be a market leader in the mortgage backed-security industry, says Barbara Cooper-Jones, CIO and senior vice president of the Office of Enterprise Data and Technology Solutions at Ginnie Mae. We want to be an agile organization that responds to market changes quickly leveraging the best of breed and leading-edge technologies and sophistication. We need an agile, modernized, transformed scalable and efficient infrastructure to support our business and we want to provide a seamless user experience to our program participants.

To deliver that, Ginnie Mae has embraced the cloud, recognizing it as a way to support business and technology modernization and transformation while also providing improved security, digital interoperability, advanced analytics, and other hyperautomation capabilities.

The organizations goal is to operate 100% in the cloud and to rethink its infrastructure operations to ensure Ginnie Mae can better adapt to industry changes and provide the modern, scalable technology services necessary to fulfill its mission.

The resulting Cloud Application Migration and Operations (CAMO) project involved three major objectives: to migrate and consolidate all business operations onto a single cloud platform in AWS; to revamp infrastructure operations and stand up new capabilities in the cloud; and to establish governance and innovation foundations to enable the next generation of modernization and transformation initiatives.

Ginnie Mae is seeing numerous benefits from this project. The migration has enabled IT to deliver improved application performance and service. It has reduced costs and created more operational transparency. And it has created a more responsive organization.

King County secures and streamlines property tax exemption process

David Mendel, CIO, King County King County

Organization: King County, Wash.

Project: Cutting-Edge AI Protects PII, Cuts Application Processing Time in Half

IT leader: Tanya Hannah, CIO (Hannah has since left the King County CIO post)

When King County, Wash., launched its online Senior Property Tax Exemption application in 2019, it gave seniors and disabled individuals the ability to electronically share photos of the documents required to show proof of eligibility for the program.

For seniors, the online process was a win, as it transformed a slow paper-based process into a convenient digital one. But those photos typically contained sensitive personal identifiable information (PII), so county workers spent on average 30 minutes per application manually redacting that PII and another 30 minutes assessing the actual application to determine eligibility.

With the county receiving more than 8,000 applications annually, the process became a drain on resources and delayed tax relief benefits to eligible residents. The IT team turned to intelligent technologies to address those issues.

Hannah and her team used computer vision and trained machine learning models to correctly identify the type of document submitted. They also used optical character recognition (OCR) technology to locate areas in the document that could contain PII and automatically redact it.

The IT team used a low-code approach with cognitive services on AWS (Rekognition computer vision, Textract OCR technologies, and A2I Amazon augmented intelligence) to accelerate delivery while still meeting the needed functionality and accuracy. The project cut application processing time in half while preserving PII privacy and security and the streamlined customer experience.

The AI bots significantly reduce workload for King County employees, without sacrificing the user-friendly customer experience that enables approximately 8,000 low-income seniors to easily apply for tax relief each year. This innovative use of technology is helping us connect with underserved communities and grow equity, says current King County CIO David Mendel.

Los Angeles County turns to BI and text alerts to address food insecurity

Michael Sylvester, assistant director and CIO, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services

Organization: Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services

Project: Outbound Text Campaign for Food Giveaways

IT leader: Michael Sylvester, assistant director and CIO

Figures from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank showed that 1 in 5 LA County residents faced food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, so officials braced for a spike in need when the pandemic hit and caused an economic shutdown.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) sought to address that elevated need for food through additional food distribution. At the same time DPSS recognized the need to effectively and efficiently alert residents about distribution locations and times. Its Outbound Text Campaign for Food Giveaways addressed that need.

The project echoes the true spirit of the DPSS, which is to provide effective and caring service, even during the most trying circumstances, says DPSS Assistant Director and CIO Michael Sylvester.

DPSS developed its own business intelligence solution to identify message recipients and used existing text messaging software (Acqueon), pairing it with AT&Ts Global Messaging service to deliver information in English and Spanish about food distribution to LA County residents.

DPSS identified eligible recipients using data housed in its own systems and sent texts throughout the program to those customers phone numbers using an automated text campaign technology. The platform for the text campaigns was established in approximately two weeks. DPSS performed 115 text campaigns from June 2020 to September 2021, resulting in nearly 3 million text messages successfully delivered to LA County residents.

MHBE expedites healthcare enrollment with AI, RPA

Venkat Koshanam, CIO, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Maryland Health Benefit Exchange

Organization: Maryland Health Benefit Exchange

Project: Automated Verification of Consumer Documents using AI, RPA, and OCR Technologies

IT leader: Venkat Koshanam, CIO

The Maryland Health Benefit Exchanges core business process is enrolling Maryland state residents in health insurance programs such as Medicaid and the Qualified Health Plan, a process that involves verifying each enrollees identity, residency, and income status.

But there was a significant bottleneck in that process: Officials had to manually verify consumer identity and income when the federal and state data sources couldnt match the information provided by consumers. Although vital, the manual process was time-consuming, error-prone, and expensive, and it delayed consumers from receiving health coverage.

To alleviate that bottleneck, MHBE designed a solution using multiple digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, optical character recognition (OCR), and robotic process automation (RPA), to verify the consumer-provided documentations with minimal human intervention.

This automation has delivered benefits, with the number of days consumers had to wait when seeking coverage dropping from four to one. It also eliminated costly, mundane, repetitive manual tasks.

It is vital that government agencies continuously implement innovative technology solutions that can deliver timely citizen benefits, eliminating error-prone legacy manual processes, says CIO Venkat R. Koshanam. MHBE utilizes conversational AI to engage with consumers, facilitates machine-reading of consumer documents through OCR technologies, and automates decision-making capabilities through RPA technologies to proactively render critical, timely health insurance benefits to Marylanders.

Given its success with this project, MHBE plans to extend its technology solution to more document types and automate more documentation-verification tasks.

New York State Courts facilitates hybrid jury trials

Sheng Guo, program manager for courtroom modernization, New York State Courts New York State Courts

Organization: New York State Courts

Project: From Virtual to Hybrid: A Transformation of Courtrooms for Jury Trials

IT leader: Sheng Guo, program manager for courtroom modernization

The New York State Unified Court System saw COVID-related restrictions impact its ability to fulfill its mission to deliver equal justice under the law and to achieve the just, fair, and timely resolution of all matters before the courts.

Courts could conduct some matters, such as hearings, in virtual mode; but jury trials were put on hold in 2020 due to the challenges of meeting social distancing requirements. So the court system tasked its Courtroom Modernization Initiative team with finding a solution.

In response, the CMI team developed, refined, and rapidly deployed technologies that enable jury trials to be conducted while still adhering to COVID-related restrictions. It delivered the technical components that enable hybrid trials, with some stakeholders physically in the courtroom and some parties appearing virtually.

The CMI team customized solutions based on courtroom conditions and the equipment available at the time. It deployed numerous technical remedies, including 500 mobile videoconferencing systems; audio mixers with additional microphones and speakers to improve the sound conditions in the courtrooms; assistive listening devices; and an easy-to-use courtroom streaming platform.

The project to transform courtrooms for jury trials in a hybrid environment has had far-reaching impacts on the delivery of justice, says Sheng Guo, program manager for courtroom modernization. I can provide numerous examples of how this project has helped to uphold the constitutional right to jury trials and to instill the public trust in our judicial system.

Statistics confirm that observation: The states jury trial capacity increasing from 26 in March 2021 to nearly 300 in December 2021.

National Museum of African American History goes virtual

Adam Martin, chief digital officer, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution NMAAHC, Smithsonian Institution

Organization: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution

Project: Searchable Museum: First Digital Platform Dedicated to the African American Story

IT leader: Adam Martin, chief digital officer

The National Museum of African American History and Culture has had millions of visitors to its Washington, D.C., space but it wanted to broaden its reach, increase access to its holdings, and offer more education. So it decided to transform its traditional in-person exhibits to virtual experiences, a move that the museum believed was critical as interest in and demand for information about the African American experience increased.

The result: its Searchable Museum for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

From the beginning, we challenged ourselves to follow a more audience-centered, data-informed approach to its design and development, the National Museum of African American History and Culture Chief Digital Officer Adam Martin says. Together with our partners, the museum engaged in an iterative process to reimagine and transform the in-person visitor experience for online audiences.

Working with digital services firm Fearless, the museum used human-centered design to develop a site that works on any device, at any bandwidth, and within the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to meet the needs of any user in any location. It used the agile development methodology and its iterative process to continually enhance the site ahead of its launch.

Today site users can pull in exclusive objects and show fully digitized models. They can also interact with artifacts in ways that they cant in person, such as rotating an object or virtually walking inside a wooden cabin once inhabited by enslaved individuals. Museum officials say these capabilities help create a more powerful connection to history for users.

USPTO accelerates patent applications with AI

Jamie Holcombe, CIO, USPTO USPTO

Organization: USPTO

Project: USPTO Patent Auto-Classification with AI and ML

IT leader: Jamie Holcombe, CIO

The US Patent and Trademark Office receives some 2,000 applications per day, and the office processes more than 600,000 applications each year.

Once received, USPTO must categorize applications according to the technical features of their content, with applications assigned classification codes based on a hierarchical list of 250,000-plus terms indicating the subject matter of the invention.

Doing this work manually is a time-consuming task that adds up to more than $20 million in costs per year. Moreover, like any other manual process, this one is prone to errors that can slow the pace of application review and approval.

The USPTO turned to automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to improve that classification process. Having embraced a product approach for managing IT, the technology team adopted a customer-focused development mindset and collaborated with business teams to understand how examiners classified applications.

This work enabled IT to develop a multi-label classification model predicting classification symbols. Additionally, the collaborative approach allowed the teams to identify the high-quality, trustworthy data needed to train the AI/ML models powering the new classification tool.

The IT team delivered the new auto-classification tool in just 90 days, with benefits yielding enough returns to recoup development costs within the first few months of deployment.

In this endeavor we developed an auto-classification tool that leverages ML to classify patent documents for efficiency and impact. The classification information is shared globally, provided to our search tools, and affects how work gets assigned to our examiners. Scaling our efforts not only drives efficiency but helps the USs global leadership position in intellectual property, says USPTO CIO Jamie Holcombe.
CIO is the seventh title Ramon Richards has held at Fannie Mae, a leading source of financing for mortgages in the US. The latest promotion came in August 2021 for Richards, who is in his 23rd year with the company.

I recently spoke with Richards to learn about the technology and business transformation under way at Fannie Mae, and to get his perspective on the future of the CIO role. What follows is an edited version of our interview.

Martha Heller: What is Fannie Maes digital transformation?

Ramon Richards: Our goal as a company is to deliver mortgage solutions that improve the lives of borrowers and renters. This means transforming our talent, processes, technology environment, and the way we deliver new solutions. Key to the digital transformation has been maturing our use of agile development, expanding agile beyond just software delivery, migrating our technology assets to the cloud, and automating our software pipeline through continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD).

When the pandemic started, unemployment quickly jumped up to around 14.7%. Our goal as a company was to help renters and homeowners keep their homes. So, we quickly deployed a new payment deferral workout solution. By leveraging our mature agile processes, we were able to deliver that capability a lot faster than in the past, and serve a critical need for the country.

Another example is the lenders ability to use rental payment history as part of the credit risk assessment process through Fannie Maes automated underwriting system to determine if a borrower is eligible. This is now an automated process that we are able to deliver quickly because of our data platforms and our CI/CD delivery.

How would you educate a CEO on CI/CD?

I would start with the business outcome and the need for the software to be high quality with no errors once we are in production. I would explain that CI/CD allows our software to pass through automated checkpoints which help determine if the solution is meeting the right controls and cybersecurity requirements. I would add that CI/CD allows us to ensure resiliency and additional non-functional requirements, such as reliability, performance, and maintainability, are incorporated right into the product.

What was critical in your journey to agile development and CI/CD?

Our digital and technology teams were front and center as we talked about how to modernize our technology environment so that we could deliver more for lenders, homeowners, and renters. We talked about the need to invest in a new one team structure to better integrate technology with our business functions, and to encourage more collaboration.

We also discussed the importance of empowerment. If we bring a cross-functional group of people together in an agile team with a common goal, and give them ownership of the complete product delivery life cycle, they will be motivated to build the right solution with the right outcome.

Empowerment happens when you move up the agile maturity curve. Once a team that is working together on a common goal with a regular cadence of feature delivery gets a few wins, then the team trusts the process, and management trusts the teams. Thats when you get empowerment.

Testing and learning has also been an important concept for us. We cannot know that every idea will be the right one, so we are now structured to do the right proofs of concept with the right pilots and feedback loops.

How do you measure the success of the agile teams?

When we had finalized our target-state CI/CD software pipeline we set quarterly and annual objectives for the rate of new releases across all of our agile teams.

This allowed us to see which phases of the development process were slowing us down, so that we could identify conflicts and road blocks. When we removed those road blocks and started to pick up the pace, we tightened our next quarterly goal.

How have you kept the business engaged through the digital transformation?

This digital transformation, which is to offer innovative solutions to solve Americas biggest housing challenges, is a business transformation. This is not technology doing something to the business.

It all comes down to the one team model. The product leaders come from the business and lead cross-functional teams, so they are engaged. Our business partners are on our steering committees and help work through our progress and challenges, so they are engaged.

For most of the projects that fall under the transformation umbrella, our business leaders are at the table from an oversight perspective. So, the product leader is on the ground executing, with business leadership providing oversight on how we are tracking against our goals, what obstacles we are facing, and what trade-off decisions we need to make. And ultimately, we report on our progress to our management committee, as well as our board.

How is the CIO role evolving?

Today, my responsibilities include Fannie Maes technology assets, cybersecurity, our enterprise data assets, and implementation of our digital solutions.

I am also on Fannie Maes management committee, which reflects the vital importance of data security to our business, as well as the importance of digital transformation to the future of our business.

The CIO role will evolve to play an even greater part in developing an agile mindset and environment. For a long time, agile has been about changing the way product and technology delivery teams operate. But when we start to look at where our processes slow down and where there are opportunities for efficiency, it comes back to expanding our agile way of operating and thinking across the enterprise. The CIO role is critical to the development of an agile corporate culture.

The CIO also plays an important role in ensuring that our cybersecurity priorities are understood and accepted by our business partners. This means the CIO of the future will spend even more time on education and risk management than today.

What is forward thinking today is legacy tomorrow, so the CIO has to engage in continuous education, innovation, and building a team that brings new ideas to the table.
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Arfan Hanif is the chief executive of Touchstone, a mental health charity based in Yorkshire with an income of around 10m, mostly from government contracts.

A third of the charity's more than 250 workers are BME, 26% are lesbian, gay or bisexual and 6% are non-binary or transgender.

However, Touchstone does not have a traditionally written equality, diversity or inclusion (EDI) strategy and does not intend to write one.

We don't need to have one, we just live it, Hanif says.

Hanif recounts a time when he attended a board meeting to discuss diversity and inclusion with two African Caribbean staff, while the rest of the room was mostly white and middle-class.

You can say these lovely words [such as diversity and inclusion] but we don't have to say it, we are it, he says.

For me, it's the first thing I think of. It's all about people. Others approach it from this weird, ethical moral perspective. I see diversity and inclusion as giving me a competitive business with an edge. I dont see it from a moral perspective, if you want to approach it by that, then it'll be way down on your priorities, he explains.

As a Pakistani Muslim, Hanif says he has experienced both direct and institutional racism.

Once you've experienced that, you want to do something about it, he says. Its real. It's not some moral view.

Co-production as a function

Hanif says that he calls co-production a function, and emphasises that this language is key for it becoming a priority at the charity.

I call it a function and the minute I call it a function I prioritise it, and therefore give it equal status. So all the directors report to me, whether it's HR, finance or operational business development, but there's also one other person that reports to me and thats the co-production coordinator.

Despite being a junior member of staff, Hanif feels the role is so important they must report to the CEO.

They are not junior to me, they are critical, he says.

You can never have equity without representation

Representation is important in an organisation, both on the board and in marketing campaigns, Hanif argues.

Until you sort out your representation, [EDI] means nothing to people like me. Using these fancy words, like I want to co-produce services that meet your diverse and inclusive needs sounds more like it meets your needs, not mine. Without that representation, you don't have the authority, he says.

Representation allows service users to connect with the charitys staff as they can see people like themselves in the organisation.

It can be beneficial for service users see a hijab-wearing woman, an African Caribbean, a trans man or trans woman. Once you have that connection with whoever youre dealing with it can be quite magical, Hanif says.

You can never have equity without representation. So, I'm proud of the organisation and that it reflects the diverse communities and identities of the people that we serve.

The value of lived experience

Hanif calls himself a reluctant CEO as he never set out with the intention of obtaining the top job.

His first engagement with Touchstone was as a mental health service user less than ten years ago, so he has lived experience of mental health issues.

Its already hard being an Asian, Pakistani, Muslim working class guy to get up there. And then you also add mental health to that, you think things are not looking good, are they? Which employer wants that? That's the stereotype.

But over time, Hanif began to realise his lived experience was an asset rather than a disadvantage.

As time went on, I realised I didnt have a mental illness, I had valuable lived experience. And the only illness is stigma and prejudice.

When appointing staff, Arfan uses lived experience as a qualification  its a bonus.

We appoint people from out of prison, who are on probation and those staff have now moved on into senior roles as a result of going through that pathway. It is my view that theyve paid their dues to society, and when people come out of that criminal justice system, theyre the most disciplined people you'll ever meet.

Creating a happy workforce

Talking about staff at the charity, Hanif emphasises the importance of them feeling at home at work, and says the charity does not have a dress code.

If staff are able to be themselves theyre less likely to have wellbeing issues, he says.

We've got staff network groups from neurodiverse staff, BAME staff, LGBT staff, a menopause group and were just about to set up a disabled network group

The key thing is that staff feel safe, accepted and respected and included by having those groups and they can say things about myself or the organisation, its their safe space. And that in itself, then retains staff.

Every year the charity holds an award ceremony called the 'TOSCARS' where staff can receive accolades such as best colleague of the year. This year, every staff member was a winner, Hanif says, and received a grocery voucher in lieu of the cost-of-living crisis.

Touchstone is a real living wage employer but when asked if staff will receive a salary increase due to the economic crisis, Hanif says the charity is not in a position to do so.

Ideally, yes, I want to pay my staff more. But we need the uplift from our funders, if not, all we're doing is hurting our charity. We've got some reserves, we could look at that. But once weve set the precedent, then those reserves will not last long.

The government, funders, and charity infrastructure organisations need to fund the charity sector, so they can pass on that money to their staff. If not, they'll be taken from their own reserves.

What next for Touchstone?

Reverse mentoring is the next step for Touchstone, Hanif says. He plans to partner service users with directors so they can learn from one another.

The outcome is about whether youre a finance or HR or business development operations director, ultimately whatever you're doing, the end result is better service for the customer on certain issues.

This will also help increase empathy throughout the organisation, Hanif agrees.

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TikTok, the rapidly growing video platform owned by ByteDance, clocked one billion monthly active users in 2021, years earlier in its life span than Facebook and Instagram hitting that figure.

TikTok is a rising global source for news. The platform is now used for news by 7 percent of UK adults, according to the countrys communications regulator Ofcom, driven by users aged sixteen to twenty-four.

Meanwhile, TikToks global ad revenues are expected to triple this year, to over $11 billion, according to estimates by Insider Intelligence, eclipsing the sales of Twitter and Snapchat combined.

This has transformed TikTok into a political battleground, despite the platforms total ban on political and cause-based advertising. Across the political spectrum, companies and nonprofits are paying influencers to promote causes or candidatesin videos that are often hard to determine are paid and run without disclosureactivity that is expected to ramp up before the midterms in November.

We spoke to Becca Ricks, a senior researcher at the Mozilla Foundation, whose investigative work highlighted how partisan influencers are evading TikToks weak political-ad policies. (The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.)

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JB: TikTok has one of the strictest policies on political advertising. Can you sketch what its ad policies are and how they differ from other social media companies?

BR: So TikTok prohibits political advertising. Theyre not necessarily unique in that. But one reason we started looking at TikTok was to better understand how that policy was enforced. This is always an area thats really slippery, even for platforms like Facebook that do permit political advertising: How do you define political advertising? Issue-based ads are always a little bit of a slippery category. And so this was one of the reasons we wanted to scrutinize the platform. We looked at influencers who were posting on the platform since the 2020 US election.

JB: And your findings showed the policy doesnt work in practice, and enforcement in some cases appears to be nonexistent. Can you say more about that?

BR: Yeah, so its worth saying there were a couple of investigations before we startedfor example, the BBC were looking at how political TikTokers were not declaring paid content after being paid by left-wing organizations in the US. Right now the responsibility for disclosing paid content generally is primarily taken on by the company thats paying the influencer and the influencer themselves. One of the things we made the argument for was that responsibility should be on the platform as well.

JB: One gray area you identified was paid partnerships, which dont seem to be marked as ads on the platform and rely on self-reporting. Can you outline why that self-disclosure element is concerning?

BR: So we identified this problem even outside of that category of political ads. But in general, the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] has guidelines for how influencers and content creators in the US should be disclosing when somethings an ad. And right now, that largely amounts to adding #ad or #sponsored to a post. But if youre just scrolling through TikTok, you can encounter lots of examples of gray areas where its unclear whether its being sponsored, where self-disclosure isnt happening, because the burden falls on the content creator. TikTok is, I believe, in the process of changing that policy. For example, Instagram has self-disclosure tools, where you tick a box saying a post is sponsored, and it automatically adds that tag.

JB: To give some concrete examples, in what waysand what causeshave people skirted these rules?

BR: In our research, we started broadly, looking at clusters of political influencers on TikTok, looking at the Republican hype house, the Democratic hype house, groups of content creators making political content. We wanted to know whether these political influencers seem to be getting financial or material compensation from political groups.

Then we zeroed in on conservative organizations like Turning Point USA. Theyre a nonprofit, and they have a dedicated influencer program thats specifically targeted at funding young conservative content creators on social media. We found a number of influencers who had been flown out to their events or had talked about their relationship with TPUSA. We dug a little bit more into TPUSAs 2009 tax filings, looking at how much money they were spending on influencer programs.

The challenge is that, in all these cases, the relationship with content creators isnt necessarily straightforward. If you have a large network of micro-influencers who are being paid to make or share content, we dont have the details about how that works. And policymaking isnt equipped to deal with or it hasnt caught up with whats happening on these platforms.

JB: You mentioned Turning Point USAs network of micro-influencers, and other organizations are doing similar things. In your research you say some of this could be funded by whats considered dark money. Could you say more about that?

BR: What we found doing our investigation is it prompted more questions than answers. Because what we learned is the nature of paid political influence is evolving in order to meet the demands of this new influencer economy. Sometimes we ourselves were asking the question: Would this violate TikToks policies? It raised questions of how do you define violations, how you define political advertisingwhere do you draw that line?

It stems from how micro-influencing is an evolution of traditional models for thinking about advertising. Policy is equipped to deal with placing a political ad, through a platform, how you place and disclose it. But a lot of that doesnt exist for influencer advertising. Its a Wild West in terms of policy.

JB: You mentioned micro-influencers on TikTok are an extension of traditional forms of advertising. Can you elaborate on that?

BR: I mean, weve seen examples of micro-influencing happening in terms of very localized messages, to a particular state or community. But moving micro-influencing into a political context becomes very troublesome. Theres a whole new set of vulnerabilities and risks. The amount of money spent is so small, the bubble of influence is so much smaller, that its much more difficult to get visibility on whats happening across the platform. Thats a concern ahead of the election season.

JB: Im interested in your thoughts on what people hope to get out of this. The famous quote attributed to Breitbart is that politics is downstream from culture. What are these political actors hoping to gain from TikTokare they trying to sway culture by reaching a younger audience?

BR: Its interesting. When we were reading through, for example, Turning Point essays about their influencer program, a lot of this is about ensuring theres a new generation of conservative leaders and thought leaders in the influencer space. Theyre thinking about the next generation of politics and ensuring that theyre nurturing new leaders in that space. And were seeing this across the political spectrum. A few weeks ago, Vice did some interesting reporting around left-wing influencers on TikTok being paid to hype Democrats accomplishments ahead of the midterms.

JB: Really interesting. To ask about craft, how did you investigate this?

BR: One of the challenges we faced is TikTok doesnt have an official public API [application programming interface] for researchers to use and see how the app structures information. They have an API available for developers integrating TikTok into their apps, but no tool to poke at whats happening on their platform. So what we did was a little bit exploratory. We started with an unofficial TikTok wrapperessentially, its built around the browser experience of TikTok, and it allows us to query the API to learn how things are labeled internally.

We were able to query the API to create lists of related users and hashtags. We started with a number of what we call seed accountslike the Republican hype house, Democratic hype house. From that, we were able to generate a cluster of associated political influencers and hashtags. That was the starting point to go through influencers pages. Then we went manually through a bunch of posts, looking for language indicating a material relationship with political organizations. So we used an API to aid our research, but essentially went through manually and looked at a lot of videos.

JB: Coming onto the midterms, what are you expectingis this the first proper TikTok election?

BR: Yeah, its going to be very, very different from two years ago. TikTok has grown so much since then. Some estimates say TikTok will surpass Facebook for advertising money spent on influencer marketing in the US by the end of 2022, and surpass YouTube by 2024.

This is a platform thats not only growing rapidly, but also a lot of agencies really have their eyes on TikTok, specifically on influencing. This is an area with a lot of money being thrown at it right now. There are a lot more PR agencies and political groups with eyes on TikTok now that didnt two years agoespecially in micro-influencing.

Another thing to keep an eye on outside the influencer economy is politicians getting on the platform, getting familiar with it, figuring out how to post. A report we did on the [September 2021] German electiona number of politicians created their first TikTok accounts. But also some accounts which appeared to be authentic were actually inauthentic, with thousands of followers. TikTok needs a proactive strategy for ensuring the authenticity of accounts like this.

JB: What are your wider recommendations for TikTok and lawmakers for getting a grip on nefarious political advertising?

BR: The recommendations we made to TikTok were first around honing self-disclosure tools for influencers, making sure its easy to disclose an ad. Because right now its voluntary, and there doesnt seem to be much enforcement on influencers putting #ad or #sponsored. Were also pushing for ad transparency: releasing an ad archive, ad library, or ad API like Facebook. Whatever tools they can develop to make advertising more transparent, to enable independent research, will strengthen this whole space. And then policy enforcement. TikTok has a number of detailed policies. Enforcement is another question. So making sure those policies have money behind them, the investment behind them to be enforced, to ensure there arent loopholes.

In terms of our recommendations to lawmakers, right now especially in the European Union theres a lot of disclosure obligations ramping up around online advertising, like the DSA [Digital Services Act]. We want to see better requirements around ad disclosures. We also think any regulation should start thinking more about new forms of political influence and advertisinga lot of policy approaches advertising in a very traditional way. Policymakers should start thinking about novel forms of influence, like micro-influencing, the influencer economy. Finally, focusing on transparency: making sure there are laws and guidelines requiring platforms to enhance user-facing transparency.

JB: In your conversations with people at TikTok, do you get a sense they understand the importance of this stuff?

BR: Yeah, the folks working on policy do understand. Their policies are written quite detailed and strong. The challenge is always going to be around enforcement and prioritization. Its great to have certain policies in place, but if those policies arent backed up by engineering resources, investing in enforcement, they arent going to be meaningful and effective.

JB: Anything you wanted to add?

BR: TikTok is a really interesting case. The platform has a lot of unique aspects, so the risks and vulnerabilities are going to be different. Policy needs to match those risks. One of my takeaways from this work is that TikTok is a relatively young platform, but its experiencing a massive infusion of cash. They should have learned lessons from some of the failures of its predecessorslike Facebook and Twitterand this is an opportunity for them to really get strong on policy and enforcement.

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Jem Bartholomew is a Reporting Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Jems work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Economist, TIME, New York Magazine and others.
One of the phrases that most offends Heather Bryant, a former reporter and director of the Tiny News Collective, is unskilled worker, variations of which are easy to find in day-to-day media coverage. To Bryantwho grew up in deep, deep poverty in rural Missouri, and whose family experienced the sting of stigmatizing coveragesuch phrases simultaneously take the dignity out of work and normalize class prejudice, implying that people who work demanding jobs are underpaid for their labors because they are lacking in skill. The insinuation of this idiom is that skill is narrowed and reduced, for instance, to jobs that require a college degree, the lack of which might be an alibi for an employer to pay a worker an exploitative wage. If the job provided no value in the grander scheme of things, Bryant says, it wouldnt exist.

The idea of some workers being unskilled is part of a media industry mindset that, Bryant believes, limits who reporters interview, and to what end. We should be talking to people across a wide spectrum of circumstances, Bryant says, and quoting such sources for stories beyond the coverage of their specific circumstances, because they all have different, valuable perspectives on any issue. Instead, working-class and financially stressed people are often featured in coverage that otherizes or minimizes them. Sometimes it can even imperil them. For instance, the only time Bryants mother appeared in the local news, Bryant says, was via her birth announcement, a handful of police blotter entries, and the obituary I wrote for her. Bryant recalls her own worry when, one day, the local paper published the address of her grandmother, with whom Bryant lived at the time, in the police blotter. The news media, she says now, had nothing useful to offer anyone in our situation.

Her familys treatment by local news purveyors mirrors some of the most reflexive and damaging ways the media overall can represent class. In addition, this kind of coverage can alienate from the profession the very reporters who might do better. Poor people get poor information, because income inequality generates information inequality, James Hamilton, a media and economics scholar, and Fiona Morgan, a researcher and consultant, write in a 2018 paper. People with low incomes are less likely to be sought out by many advertisers, spend money on subscriptions, participate in politics as votersa dynamic that results in less content meant to aid their decisions or tell their stories.

As a new recession looms, our industry would do well to at least start to correct its legacy biases around coverage of poverty and class. Otherwise, our practices might continue to afflict the afflicted.

Reimagining the language we use, though just one part of a larger set of necessary fixes, is an obvious starting place. Shifting language may strike some journalists as petty. It shouldnt. Reporters and editors should check their habitual use of words like unskilled or low skilled to describe workers. (As the AFL-CIO, a leading labor union, recently noted on Twitter, All work is skilled work.) Journalists might also consider person-first language, which resists conflating a persons identity with the conditions that shape their livesexperiencing homelessness rather than homeless person, or living with addiction rather than addictin line with earlier rights movements language.

Other phrases dont merely subject individual identities to their economic circumstances; they erase them entirely. Curbside delivery was commonly cited by news outlets during the pandemic as one recommendation among many for limiting exposure to covid-19. But as Ann Larson, an Economic Hardship Reporting Project fellow who worked for a grocery store during the pandemic wrote, she herself had provided curbside delivery workthe vulnerable person behind a person-less phrase.

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Reproducing the parlance of commercial interests reveals that many journalists have led sheltered lives and had limited contact with those who have not. As Hamilton puts it, theres a problem of writing about rather than for working-class readers. (Or, as he pithily put it in an interview, There is no Wirecutter of low-income individuals.) Such linguistic corrections offer a storys subjectsor its audiencegreater humanity and agency. They also thaw out frozen categories. As an editor, I now ask writers to forgo the phrase lower income and to instead use financially stressed, which addresses a wider swath of people and recognizes that economic scarcity is something people may weave in and out of.

Financially stressed is a sobriquet that also acknowledges the collapse of what used to be a more stable middle class. People might inhabit multiple economic or social positions during a lifetimenot a sign of class mobility, but instead a more dynamic, less circumscribed series of class switches that might be orthogonal or zigzagging. As Bryant puts it, Economic hardship is not always a permanent thing. In media coverage we like very clear containers, she says, but class can be a mutable thing.

ALTERING LANGUAGE is just one way to correct journalisms more damaging class issues. Another is to adjust basic reporting practices. For instance, some reporters now choose to actively collaborate with less privileged subjectseven if the very approach flows against our age-old shibboleth of neutrality.

I let my editorial strategy be that I let the rabble in more as a collaborator, Maximillian Alvarez, editor in chief of The Real News Network and a former temporary warehouse worker, says. I give them the platform and the tools to report on their own struggles. Alvarez recalls working twelve-hour shifts in that earlier position, where he helped supply big box stores with products like feather pillow inserts. At home, when he watched television news, he rarely saw people whose circumstances reflected his own, or those of his coworkers or family members. He has brought that perspective, he says, to his editing and also to his podcast, about working-class people.

Stacy Kranitz, a photographer and sixth-generation Tennessean who works in a rural town of five thousand people, composes images of Appalachians, often after spending months or even years with her subjects. Why? The camera has done a lot of harm to people, Kranitz told me. During a visit, Kranitz showed me her own hypnotic portraits along with a set of historical images of this population that revealed, to her, the creation of a more bigoted visual language. Her efforts also include avoiding cliches and stereotypes with the poorest white Americans, which include dirty babies and any kind of image in Appalachia with Mountain Dew, as she puts it.

Countering poor representation of working-class and financially stressed people may also require that reporters do something that goes against the grain of the feature article on a fundamental level. In other words, journalists must try not to rely on formulaic individual stories. Of course, the human-interest approach can get more reader attention, and is often more aesthetically appealing as well, but it has also been found to make viewers hold the individuals portrayed as responsible for their own condition, as Hamilton told me, citing a 1987 study coauthored by Shanto Iyengar.

Finally, rebelling against poor representation may require aggressively pushing back against editors assumptionsfor instance, that financially stressed college-educated professionals (college adjuncts, say, or graphic artists) are choosing their lot, or, as an editor at a newspaper once put it to me, that anyone who wants a job can get one.

Likewise, outlets might reconsider the usefulness of condescending ostensibly feel-good coverage of poor individuals benefiting from, say, surprise cash giveaways. Bryant recalls a Washington Post story about a trash truck worker who got into law schoola story that contains some of the ingredients of the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, published by the paper in 2020. A trash truck driver gets into an Ivy League college as if its a miracle, Bryant says, as if dumb truck drivers could never do this! Bryant, whose husband is a truck driver, has written about her colleagues reactions to learning about his work, which make me wonder how badly our industry really lacks for people with more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

We can change our coverage of class, she believes. I have a similar faith. But first we will need to become more aware. As Bryant says: We are not going to get that good impact if we stay with the stories we already tell.

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Alissa Quart is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism nonprofit devoted to covering inequality. The author of five nonfiction books (including Bootstrapped, forthcoming in March 2023) and two poetry collections, she has also contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications.
Last week, Rachel Maddow went on her MSNBC show and brandished a document that she said hadnt been published anywhere else. Headlined ELECTION YEAR SENSITIVITIES, the document was an internal Justice Department memocirculated in May and signed by Merrick Garland, the attorney generalthat reminded staffers of department policies around investigating political candidates, and specifically pointed to a 2020 memo in which William Barr, Garlands Trump-era predecessor, said that any investigation into a presidential candidate or their senior staff would have to be personally cleared by the attorney general. Maddow, whose tone sounded skeptical, noted that Trump may soon declare his own candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, and that Garlands acceptance of Barrs stance could thus affect whether and how Trump is investigated for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Maddows scoop aroused some alarmed online chatter among members of the Merrick Garland, do your job! caucus. But various pundits countered that it wasnt that big a deal at all: Garland, they said, had merely affirmed established precedentand was always likely to have to authorize any investigation into Trump given the latters political stature, candidate for office or not. The Washington Posts Aaron Blake wrote that the memo probably doesnt warrant nearly the kind of consternation it has engendered, while the blogger Marcy Wheeler accused Maddow of irresponsible sensationalism, noting that the Justice Department arrested a political candidate, for governor of Michigan, in connection with January 6 after Garlands memo came down. In a video message posted online, Doug Jones, the former senator who was in the running to be Bidens attorney general before Garland got the nod, said that he knows folks are anxious about accountability for January 6, but that the memo, as reported by Maddow, appeared innocuous. It says that no one should open an investigation for the purpose of affecting the election, Jones said. That doesnt mean that everybody thats out there gets a get out of jail free card if they simply declare themselves a candidate for president or anything else.

New from CJR: Against poor reporting

The mini news cycle launched by Maddows scoop died down pretty quickly. But it played into a much longer-running story line: whether Garlands Justice Department will investigate, or is investigating, Trump for possible crimes on and around January 6, and if so, whether and when prosecutors might indict him. An attendant debate as to whether Trump should be indicted has played out on the editorial and opinion pages, with many commentators arguing that the rule of law demands it while others (often on the right) have arguedwhen theyve accepted the case against him at allthat prosecuting a former president would further fray Americas national fabric. All this was supercharged, last month, when the House January 6 committee started holding televised hearings laying out a damning case against Trump, with news coverage dwelling on the committees plans (or not) to issue a formal criminal referral, and the extent (or not) of its cooperation with the Justice Department. In late June, the New York Times reported that department prosecutors felt blindsided by Cassidy Hutchinsons bombshell testimony before the committee, spinning the news cycle some more. In TV interviews, committee members leveled thinly veiled criticisms of the rigor of the Justice Departments probe. I was surprised that the prosecutors were surprised, Rep. Zoe Lofgren told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press. What are they doing over there?

As the weeks went by, prominent legal pundits suggestedor outright saidthat Garland is moving too cautiously with regard to Trump; in a widely discussed Times op-ed, for instance, Andrew Weissmann, who worked on the Mueller probe, declared that the Justice Departments classic bottom up approach to January 6 (prosecute the rioters first, then follow the evidence up the chain) has been wrong, and that prosecutors should instead be applying a hub and spoke framework, with the insurrection forming just one of the spokes. This has all fed into a narrative, including on the news pages, that Garland is under pressurea narrative that has itself, of course, further increased the pressure on Garland. It has also dripped through into the wider culture. Youre just now getting around to discussing Trump? Seth Meyers quipped on his late-night show last week. Youre six years late. Did you also just start watching Fleabag?

Through all this, however, it remained unclear just how accurate this narrative actually was: the Justice Department had, of course, not yet indicted Trump, but subtler signs pointed to prosecutors moving ahead along various spokes, and there was clearly much more beneath the surface that we simply didnt know. Last week, Garland appeared at a press conference and was asked why he had rejected alternative approaches to the January 6 probe, including the hub-and-spoke framework. There are a number of assumptions in this leading question, Garland replied, showing a flash of irritation. There is a lot of speculation about what the Justice Department is doing, what its not doing, what our theories are, what our theories arentand there will continue to be that speculation. Thats because a central tenet of the way the Justice Department investigatesa central tenet of the rule of lawis that we do not do our investigations in public. No one, he went on to insist, is above the law.

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Since then, reporters at several major news organizations have offered more clues as to what the Justice Departments probe might actually look like. On Friday, an ABC News camera observed Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, leaving a DC courthouse, leading ABC to report on Monday that he had testified before a January 6 grand jurythe highest-ranking Trump White House official known to have done so thus far. The same day, the Wall Street Journal added that Greg Jacob, Pences legal counsel, had testified, too. On Monday evening, Short went on CNN. He declined to offer many details, but he did confirm his appearance (and, separately, savagely burned Rep. Matt Gaetz), so the interview was worth it.

Then, last night, twin developments. In the early evening, Lester Holt landed a sit-down interview with Garland on NBCs Nightly News: Holt asked whether Garland was considering national unity as a factor in whether to prosecute Trump; Garland replied that he intends to hold everyone who was criminally responsible for January 6 accountable, before insisting that any Trump 2024 candidacy would make no difference to the probe. Then the Post dropped an apparent bombshell, confirming for the first time, based on four anonymous sources, that the Justice Department is actively investigating Trumps actions. The Post also reported that prosecutors obtained records belonging to Mark Meadows, Trumps White House chief of staff, back in Aprilan indicator, the paper said, of how expansive the Jan. 6 probe had become well before the high-profile, televised House hearings in June and July on the subject.

The Posts story, in particular, drove the news cycle all night long, with pundits and cable news hosts hailing it as a huge development. On MSNBC, Stephanie Ruhle suggested that many observers may have underestimated the Justice Departments quiet progress in recent weeks. (I think were just not used to an administration that doesnt leak so much, she said.) Her colleague Lawrence ODonnell interviewed Carol D. Leonnig, the lead byline on the Post story. Its often said that the Washington Post has been publishing the first draft of history, he said. Did you feel you were holding history in your hands as you turned in this story?

Not that caveats and uncertainties didnt remain. When ODonnell put it to Leonnig that the Post had just jumbled the perception of many observers that the January 6 committee has been running ahead of the Justice Department, Leonnig offered a nuanced answer, noting that the committee is loads and loads ahead when it comes to the gathering of evidence and testimony, and that the committees public performance has piled pressure on prosecutors. And the Posts story, while highly rigorous and careful in its execution, in some ways poses more questions than it answers. Arguably, in fact, its the carefulness that invites the questions.

This latest Trump-investigation news cycle can perhaps be seen as a spectrum, ranging from more or less pure speculation about the Justice Departments movements, on one end, through reported breadcrumbs that are more helpful but ultimately just thatcrumbstoward bigger scoops (like the Posts) that still invite questions, and ending with the broader debate about what the Justice Department should be doing that has often been rich and thought-provoking, and that doesnt always depend on concrete knowledge of prosecutors actual actions.

Last week, before the Posts story came out, Lawfare published a particularly engaging version of that debate, with different staffers at the site arguing for and against the proposition that the Justice Department is currently meeting the moment. Benjamin Wittes, Lawfares editor in chief, defended the department, arguing that the perception that its been dragging its feet when it comes to Trump is likely wrong, and thateven if it isntits at the very least too soon to say. Quinta Jurecic and Natalie K. Orpett, arguing against Wittes, acknowledged that Wittes had the easier case to make due to the ambiguity of the Justice Departments actions to that point. Now that we know a little more about those actions, Wittess argument would seem to be aging pretty well.

Still, Jurecic and Orpett raised an important point that speaks to the entire news cycle here, and the confusion around it. Garland said last week that not conducting investigations in public is a central tenet of Justice Department policybut that policy, Jurecic and Orpett noted, allows for officials to at least comment on ongoing probes when the issue under investigation has already received a lot of publicity, or where the community needs to be reassured that the Department is investigating the incident. Both these criteria apply here (depending on your definition of community, at any rate). A little more transparencyfrom officials, and not just via leaks to the pressmight go a long way. Garlands NBC interview was a start, but he could do more. As Jurecic and Orpett write, its reasonable at this point for the public to be frustrated by, and for journalists and commentators to start pushing on, the Justice Departments continuing silence.

Below, more on the January 6 investigation:

Source-watch: In a Twitter thread last night, Wittes called the Posts scoop a really meaty story packed with a lot of new stuff that other reporters will be chasing and building on for the next several days. He also speculated as to who the papers sources might have been, concluding that they likely work as lawyers for Short and Jacob, the two Penceworld grand-jury witnesses. It is a crime for prosecutors or FBI agents to disclose what Pence aides were asked by prosecutors, Wittes wrote. It is perfectly legal for the aides or their lawyers to talk about it. Assume the leak is from witnesses.

In a Twitter thread last night, Wittes called the Posts scoop a really meaty story packed with a lot of new stuff that other reporters will be chasing and building on for the next several days. He also speculated as to who the papers sources might have been, concluding that they likely work as lawyers for Short and Jacob, the two Penceworld grand-jury witnesses. It is a crime for prosecutors or FBI agents to disclose what Pence aides were asked by prosecutors, Wittes wrote. It is perfectly legal for the aides or their lawyers to talk about it. Assume the leak is from witnesses. Garlands memo: After Maddow aired Garlands memo on election-year investigations last week, Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation, pushed back on the notion that it was merely standard Justice Department fare, calling it institutionalist claptrap that suggests excessive caution on Garlands part. Garland is like a referee who is so concerned about the appearance of bias toward one team or the other that he swallows his whistle and refuses to call a foul or a penalty, Mystal wrote. He thinks hes being impartial, but hes actually just helping the team that doesnt play by the rules.

After Maddow aired Garlands memo on election-year investigations last week, Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation, pushed back on the notion that it was merely standard Justice Department fare, calling it institutionalist claptrap that suggests excessive caution on Garlands part. Garland is like a referee who is so concerned about the appearance of bias toward one team or the other that he swallows his whistle and refuses to call a foul or a penalty, Mystal wrote. He thinks hes being impartial, but hes actually just helping the team that doesnt play by the rules. Murdoch mania: As I noted in yesterdays newsletter, a wave of recent media coverage generated by two Murdoch newspapers, the Journal and the New York Post, seeming to turn on Trump has been tempered by critics who have argued, variously, that the titles stance is neither all that surprising nor all that significant, given that top Fox opinion hosts are still in Trumps corner. In an op-ed titled Wake me up when Sean Hannity editorializes against Trump, the Washington Posts Erik Wemple joined the pushback. Under the ineffable laws of media distribution, he wrote, the two Murdoch papers can write editorials zinging Trump without causing much, if any, harm to their respective business models. The same doesnt hold true for the opinion hours on Fox News.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: A big step backward for Tunisias press

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
PRAGUE (AP)  Hundreds of firefighters were battling wildfires in eastern Germany and neighboring Czechia on Tuesday as tourist regions and residential areas were being evacuated.

A large wildfire was spreading quickly in the eastern German state of Brandenburg in a region with lots of bone-dry pine forests where firefighters have to be especially careful because of old World War II ammunition thats still buried there, German news agency dpa reported.

The large fire in the Elbe-Elster district has already destroyed an area of about 850 hectares and continued to spread quickly because of gusty winds blowing from changing directions.

Seven firefighters were injured, four of whom had to be treated in a hospital for smoke inhalation. No residents were injured, but a pig breeding farm burned down and several animals died.

The states explosive ordnance disposal service has designated a small area near the village of Rehfeld as a site where old ammunition could be buried, deputy forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase told dpa. Two German military firefighting helicopters were on site trying to extinguish the flames from the air because firefighters were not allowed to access the area for fear that the ammunition could explode.

Authorities said it was not clear when the fire could be brought under control. More than 350 firefighters were battling the flames and around 300 people from various villages had to be evacuated.

The situation is still serious. We still have pockets of fire, local district fire chief Steffen Ludewig told dpa.

Further southeast, firefighters from several countries have joined forces to battle a fire in a national park in northern Czech Republic that has spread to the state of Saxony in neighboring Germany.

The fire in the Bohemian Switzerland park broke out on Sunday and was mostly contained before windy weather caused it to spread again on Monday afternoon and overnight. Firefighters said some 30 hectares have been affected in the park and more across the border in Germany.

No injuries have been reported.

Some 80 people have been evacuated from the border town of Hrensko, and more from the village of Mezna, where the flames have destroyed or damaged several homes, firefighters spokesman Lukas Marvan said.

Dozens of German children were evacuated from a summer camp on the Czech side of the border and transported back to Germany.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan were visiting the area on Tuesday.

Rakusan said some 400 firefighters have been in action and the blaze was not under control by midday Tuesday.

The situation is very serious, Rakusan said adding that several neighboring countries had responded to the Czech Republics call for help to extinguish the fire.

Poland and Slovakia said they were sending helicopters while Italy offered special Canadair planes designed for firefighting.

The German military announced it would send four helicopters to the border region to help fight the flames, dpa reported.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said the smoke has spread 100 or more kilometers (60 miles or more) from the fire.

Kirsten Grieshaber reported from Berlin.
People visit 2nd CICPE in Haikou, S China

Xinhua) 08:38, July 27, 2022

An exhibitor works at her booth at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

Visitors experience virtual reality (VR) games at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

A staff member walks past the booth of China Duty Free Group at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

Visitors experience surfskate at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Photo taken on July 26, 2022 shows a piece of jewelry displayed at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)

Visitors experience E-sports equipment at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

Photo taken on July 26, 2022 shows a fashion design booth at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Photo taken on July 26, 2022 shows a Ferrari Roma displayed at the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

People visit the second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 26, 2022. The six-day expo, which kicked off on Monday in Haikou, has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

The exhibition area has expanded to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters last year, with the international area covering 80 percent of the total exhibition space. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Three legislative candidates who lost in the June 28 primary elections formally asked the Secretary of State's office for recounts.

The Secretary of State's office certified the results of the June 28 primary on Monday. The deadline for submitting a recount request is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Lynda Zamora Wilson, who lost the GOP primary for Senate District 9 in Monument to Sen. Paul Lundeen, is seeking a recount. Wilson lost by 32 percentage points to Lundeen.

In the Colorado Springs-based House District 21, Karl Dent, Sr. is seeking a recount of his loss to Rep. Mary Bradfield. Dent also lost by more than 30 percentage points.

In House District 18, also in Colorado Springs, Summer Groubert is seeking a recount of her 35 percentage point loss to Shana Black.

All three candidates are seeking a hand recount, which is not allowed under state election rules. The rules allow for recounts only using the same form of tabulation used to count the original votes, which was done by machine.

The three candidates, who sent in identical letters seeking the recounts, also asked for all "Cast Vote Records"; ballot drop box records; video surveillance of drop boxes, sorting and counting rooms; adjudication and tabulation rooms; records related to signature verification, records and reports on voter registration and voter history; and, all electronic voting system logs.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office acknowledged receiving the formal requests, adding it will "follow all the steps required by Colorado Statute regarding any request for a recount."

Dent, Wilson and Groubert will be notified by Wednesday how much they will have to pay for the recounts, as automatic recounts, which are state-paid, only apply when the difference between the winning candidate and second-place candidate is 0.05% or less of the winning vote.

Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters, who lost to former Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson for the GOP race for secretary of state, also sought a recount but did not submit the $236,279 in certified funds required for a recount. She is now trying to get individual counties to do hand recounts.

Peters asked 62 out of the state's 64 counties  except for Weld and Fremont counties  for that recount. The email she sent to Mesa County resulted in her arrest last week for failing to honor the conditions of her $25,000 bond and the terms of a restraining order that prohibited her from having contact of any kind with employees in the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder's office.

State Rep. Ron Hanks, R-Canon City, also sought a hand recount after his 8 percentage point loss to Joe O'Dea, but he, too, did not provide the $236,279 in certified funds to move that recount forward.

Colorado Newsline reported Monday that a group of losing Republican candidates held a fundraiser in Colorado Springs Sunday night to raise money for the hand recounts they want from the counties.

The website for the Colorado Recount Coalition lists nine GOP candidates who want hand recounts, including Peters, Hanks, the three state House candidates and four candidates who ran for El Paso County sheriff, coroner and county commissioner.

While state law prohibits the state from conducting hand recounts, the process can be a little different at the county level.

Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said that prior to a recount, the county would have to do a second logic and accuracy test. The first is done before the election. If that second test fails, only then can a recount be done by hand. There's nothing from stopping a county after certification from doing an unofficial hand recount, Crane said, but such a recount has no bearing on anything.

To date, two counties were considering hand recounts but those recounts are not tied to the Peters-Hanks requests. In Custer County, Clerk and Recorder Kelley Camper was planning to do a hand recount at the behest of a county commissioner and a group of citizens and as a way of assuring the public that the electronic voting systems would be more accurate than a hand recount would be. However, she said Tuesday that she has run out of time to do so with the November election work in front of her and her staff.

Another hand recount is being considered in Archuleta County, according to Crane.
Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday.
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Sticker Shock participants, from left to right, are Erandy Galindo, Nancy Guzman, and Gimena Macias. Galindo and Macias are members of the Hood River Valley High School Health Media Club and Guzman a prevention and education specialist.
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Age: 32

Hometown: Columbia

Website: kaylaforjudge.com

Facebook: Kayla For Judge

Education: Bachelor of science in justice systems at Truman State University in 2012, law degree at MU in 2016.

Occupation: Senior associate attorney at the Rogers Ehrhardt law firm and adjunct professor in law at MU.

Background: Member of Missouri's Supreme Court's Commission for Racial and Ethnic Fairness and 2021 inductee of the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Honor.
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Job: Recorder of deeds

Term: Four years

Salary: $106,932

Job details: The Boone County recorder of deeds is responsible for making record of documents primarily in real estate and the issuance of marriage licenses. In addition, Uniform Commercial Code, military discharge papers, tax liens and miscellaneous documents may be recorded upon request and in compliance with statutes.
This vacation, follow the travel trail to Singapore

As the travel curbs being lifted and the landscape comes alive, its just that time of the year when you should pack your bags for a Singapore visit.

The tourism body also rolling out Partners, which include Far East Hospitality, Pan Pacific Hotels group and Shangri-La. Photo: Connected to India

The countrys tourism board is set to launch SingapoReunions Offers, which includes packages at hotels and resorts in Singapore and Sentosa Island to encourage family reunions and other groups to visit the unique island.

The tourism body also rolling out Partners, which include Far East Hospitality, Pan Pacific Hotels group and Shangri-La. These will offer different perks for group bookings, available for booking now through December, 2022 for travel through the end of the year.

One such package is the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapores Hearty Eats, Restful Stays package, which includes breakfast and dinner for two each day at Peppermint, the hotels farm-to-table dining concept offering international fare, along with free Wi-Fi and a choice between an Urban Deluxe Room and a Lifestyle Premier Room.

The Clan Hotel offers some personalised services, with a Clan Keeper, or in-house adviser, to assist throughout the duration of a guests stay, nightly turndown service featuring a calming blend of tea and a wide variety of cultural experiences and tours, such as a culinary class, brewery tour and more.

Guests who book a seven-night stay or longer can enjoy the countrys reunion package with a complimentary brewery tour or culinary class, SGD 100 dining credit at the hotel and complimentary transfer from the airport to the hotel upon arrival.

With many of us not getting to see our loved ones or meet new friends in person these last few years, Singapore is the perfect place for everyone to unplug from technology and reconnect on a human level, said Rachel Loh, Senior Vice President at Singapore Tourism Board, Americas. With travel restrictions lifted, dozens of reimagined attractions and experiences, and incredible packages offered, theres never been a better time to meet and vacation in Singapore with your friends and loved ones.

Read more Singapore News and Travel News here
As it is well known, in organic farming, inputs like vermi compost, green manure, bio-pesticides, oil cakes and bio-digester liquids, bio-fertilisers are used , instead of synthetic fertilisers and synthetic pesticides.



In the use of bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides, there are also practical issues due to low shelf life

In the use of bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides, there are also practical issues due to low shelf life, need for controlled temperature conditions etc.

The arguments in favour of organic farming is that it is eco-friendly, saves Mother Earth by protecting the quality of the soil and fetch higher price in the market compared to the product produced using synthetic material.

The question is about the agricultural productivity and yield in organic farming. While some organic farms operated under ideal conditions by researchers and investigators are said to have given yield comparable to the yield using synthetic material, the farmers are not convinced that yield in organic farming would be on par with that of the farming done, using synthetic material in commercial agricultural operations , also due to various factors like different climatic conditions, soil conditions in different locations.

The ground reality is that nowhere in the world, there are takers for 100% organic farming based agricultural operations. Obviously, organic farming is good enough for selected crops in less acreage to cater to the requirement of consumers willing to pay higher price for organically produced products.

In such situation, considering that organic farming should be considered the be all and end all of agricultural operations is misleading and is likely to be counter productive.

The disastrous Sri Lanka experiment with total organic farming can be ignored only at the risk of facing national food shortage.

---

*Trustee, Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Chennai

Addressing a conclave virtually in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the farmers to adopt natural farming (organic farming) to protect the soil from the harmful impact of chemicals. Further, the Prime Minister said that crop produced from a chemical free process will fetch higher prices in the international market due to the growing demand for organic products.The Prime minister pointed out that 90,000 clusters have been created all over India under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and the target is to cover 10 lakh hectares under the scheme for organic farming.The above statement of the Prime Minister clearly indicates his target and hope to promote organic farming in a massive way in India . All the information that he gave are factually correct.However, a careful study of the ground conditions and considering the need to sustain and promote the production of food grains in a massive way and the agricultural productivity issues in organic farming, one has to keep the fingers crossed as to whether large scale organic farming would happen at any time in the near future.The recent experience of Sri Lanka in suspending the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and opting for organic farming and consequent fall in the agricultural production is fresh in memory. As a matter of fact, due to the total switch over to organic farming in Sri Lanka, the production of tea, paddy and other agricultural products declined steeply , driving Sri Lanka into a state of severe food crisis.The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board has said that Sri Lanka is now focusing on intensified application of synthetic fertilizer and synthetic pesticide, which is creating hope of increasing the production of tea to make up on the earlier years losses due to organic farming.
ABUJA, Nigeria, July 27, 2022 (Morning Star News)  Suspected Islamic extremists on Monday night (July 25) kidnapped 36 people from a predominantly Christian village outside the city of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria.

The house-to-house abductions came after the kidnapping of 16 people from a nearby area in Kaduna states Chikun County on June 28.

Area resident Narin Barde said Muslim terrorists on Monday attacked the Keke B Community area of Millennium City, Chikun County, shooting randomly and capturing 36 Christians.

The Muslim terrorists attacked the community at about 9 p.m., shooting at the people, and broke into their houses and forcefully took away the victims to an unknown place, Barde said in a text message to Morning Star News.

On June 28 suspected Islamic terrorists attacked predominantly Christian Sabon Gero village, kidnapping 16 people, area residents said.

In northwest Nigerias Sokoto state, Roman Catholic leaders reported that one of their parishioners, Tony Udemezue, was kidnapped at gunpoint on Monday (July 25) at 2 a.m. from his home in Tambuwal, Tambuwal County.

The Rev. Chris Omotosho, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, said in a press statement that Udemezue called police before being taken away at gunpoint but received no help from officers.

There was no police response to the distressed phone call by Udemezue at about 2 a.m., Omotosho said. This is despite several phone calls he made to the police before he was taken away. Please let us keep him and his family in prayers.

The kidnappings follow the abduction and killing of the Rev. John Mark Cheitnum of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna state. He was kidnapped on July 15 from the parish rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in Yalding Garu, Lere County and later killed. His body was found on July 19.

Cheitnum served as priest at St. James Parish in Fori, Jemaa Local Government Area, according to the diocese.

The Rev. Julius Kundi, bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, said while addressing mourners at Cheitnums funeral on Thursday (July 21) that Christians will remain steadfast in spite of such attacks.

I was crushed by the news of the death, but I am convinced that his death will prove to our enemies the genuineness and the beauty of our faith, Kundi said at the Cathedral of St. Peter Claver, in Kafanchan town. Those whose stock in trade is the abduction and the gruesome murder of members of the clergy should know that this will not stop us from courageously carrying the torch of the gospel to the ends of the earth, notwithstanding the barrage of attacks on our faith.

Gunmen attacked another village in Kaduna state, Janbaba in Giwa County, on July 19, killing one Christian, said area resident Philip Umar in a text message to Morning Star News.

For two days, we were not able to sleep at night as the bandits visited us with horror, he said.

The chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), Pastor Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, condemned the spate of attacks in a statement on July 20.

The rising cases of priests being kidnapped and in some cases killed by their abductors, even after receiving ransoms, is worrisome, Kure said. We pray God to expose these killers and rescue all Christians in the den of their kidnappers.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Vector
A sophisticated rootkit that's able to insert itself into the lowest levels of Windows computers -- the motherboard firmware -- has been making victims since 2020 after disappearing from the radar for around three years. The rootkit, dubbed CosmicStrand by researchers from Kaspersky Lab, is stealthy and highly persistent since its code is stored deep in the UEFI, outside the detection scope of most security programs.

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is the modern equivalent to the BIOS. It's the firmware that contains the necessary drivers to initialize and configure all hardware components of a computer before the main operating system starts and takes over. While BIOS rootkits used to be a relatively common occurrence many years ago, the UEFI has better security protections, so UEFI malware is relatively rare.

What is CosmicStrand?

The CosmicStrand rootkit originally appeared in 2016 and made victims well into 2017, when it was documented by researchers from Chinese cybersecurity firm Qihoo360. It then seemed to have dropped off the radar until recently when researchers from Kaspersky Lab detected new variants and victims in China, Vietnam, Iran and Russia.

"Based on our analysis of the infrastructure used for the two variants, we estimate that the older one saw use between the end of 2016 and mid-2017, and the current one was active in 2020," the Kaspersky researchers said in a report released this week.

Both variants were found in firmware images from Gigabyte or ASUS motherboards, particularly those based on the Intel H81 chipset, suggesting there's a potentially exploitable vulnerability in the UEFI builds used by those motherboards. However, the researchers were unable to confirm how the implant is delivered.

If a vulnerability exists, its exploitation likely requires local access to the computer, for example through another malware program running inside the operating system that would then overwrite or patch the UEFI. The presence of a vulnerability in the firmware would not be unusual, especially considering the age of the affected motherboards -- the H81 chipset was launched in late 2013 and supports 4th generation Intel CPUs (Haswell). Since 2013, many vulnerabilities have been discovered in UEFI implementations across different vendors and firmware security didn't get the same level of scrutiny from manufacturers as today.

Another possibility for deploying the CosmicStrand rootkit, which Qihoo360 mentioned back in 2017, is package interdiction -- the malicious modification of products somewhere in the supply chain, whether that's on the factory floor or later at a distributor or seller.

CosmicStrand is used as a long-term persistence mechanism because UEFI code survives OS reboots and even OS reinstallations and hard disk wipes. The only way to remove it is to reflash the UEFI, which is stored in its own dedicated SPI flash memory chip. Once deployed on a system, CosmicStrand injects malicious code into the Windows kernel during the OS booting process and then deploys an OS-level malicious component downloaded from a command-and-control (C2) server.

How CosmicStrand works

In the UEFI, CosmicStrand is deployed as a maliciously modified (patched) variant of a legitimate EFI driver called CSMCORE. This driver normally facilitates the booting of the machine in legacy mode via MBR (master boot record) instead of the more modern GPT partition style which uses a dedicated boot partition.

The attackers modify the pointer to the HandleProtocol boot service function so that every time this function in the driver is called, it executes their malicious code first. This choice is not by accident and is vital to the infection chain.

The problem with storing code in UEFI is that it stops running once execution is passed to the OS. UEFI drivers are essentially a bridge needed in the early stages of a computer's start-up routine until the OS takes over and starts communicating directly to the initialized hardware components. So, the attackers need a way to keep pushing their malicious code through the various stages of the boot process. These stages include the bootloader code, the Windows kernel loader, and ultimately the Windows kernel.

By hooking the HandleProtocol function, the attackers ensure their code is executed at a time when the bootloader code has been loaded into memory but hasn't been started yet. This allows them to modify another function from the bootloader called Archpx64TransferTo64BitApplicationAsm. This function is called later when the Windows loader is loaded into memory.

When that happens, the malicious code modifies (hooks) another function, this time in the Windows loader, called OslArchTransferToKernel. As the name implies, this function passes execution to the Windows kernel and the modification ensures this happens by executing the attacker code first. As expected, the next step is to inject code into the Windows kernel itself.

"Before the Windows kernel has had a chance to run, CosmicStrand sets up yet another hook in the ZwCreateSection," the Kaspersky researchers explained. "Malicious code is copied into the image of ntoskrnl.exe in memory, and the first bytes of ZwCreateSection are overwritten to redirect to it. We note that the attackers were careful to place the malicious code inside the slack space of ntoskrnl.exes .text section, which makes this redirection a lot less conspicuous in the eyes of possible security products."

The kernel hook also includes code that attempts to disable PatchGuard, a Windows security mechanism that tries to prevent rogue modifications of the kernel code. It also allocates memory space for additional shellcode.

The kernel implant

Once it establishes execution in the Windows kernel, the CosmicStrand code waits for 10 minutes to allow other Windows components to start and then tests the computer's internet connectivity. It does this by talking directly to the Transport Device Interface instead of using the Windows kernel networking API functions that might be monitored by security products.

The implant then establishes a connection to its C2 server from where it downloads code in chunks of 528 bytes to reassemble into shellcode and load it into the kernel.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain a copy of data coming from the C2 server," the researchers said. "We did, however, find a user-mode sample in-memory on one of the infected machines we could study, and believe it is linked with CosmicStrand. This sample is an executable that runs command lines in order to create a user (aaaabbbb) on the victims machine and add it to the local administrators group."

The presence of this user-mode component suggests that the shellcode downloaded from the C2 serves as a stager for multiple implants delivered as PE executables and the researchers suspect there might be more of them with different functionalities.

Rootkit origin and victims

While the researchers were not able to definitively link CosmicStrand to a particular threat actor, they found similar code patterns to the MyKings botnet, which is believed to be of Chinese origin and was used in 2020 to deliver cryptominers. This suggests that CosmicStrand was also created by a Chinese-speaking threat actor or one that has access to malware resources shared among Chinese threat groups.

The victims identified so far were based in China, Vietnam, Iran and Russia and appear to be private individuals rather than organizations from particular industry sectors. However, Kaspersky only has visibility from users of its own products, so additional victims might exist around the world, especially since it's not easy to detect CosmicStrand implants and the attackers behind it are careful with victim selection.

"The most striking aspect of this report is that this UEFI implant seems to have been used in the wild since the end of 2016  long before UEFI attacks started being publicly described," the researchers said. "This discovery begs a final question: If this is what the attackers were using back then, what are they using today? The multiple rootkits discovered so far evidence a blind spot in our industry that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later."
Connecticut is closer to the bottom than it is to the top when it comes to business climate, according to a recently released ranking of states with nations best - and worst - business climates.

The Nutmeg State was ranked 39th in the nation, according to CNBC, the business cable news television channel. North Carolina was the top-ranked state for doing business while Mississippi finished last.

Connecticut didnt fare much better among its New England counterparts. Only Maine and Rhode Island were ranked less attractive places to do business than Connecticut.

Massachusetts had the best ranking among New England states, finishing 24th.

Among the six categories used in the ranking process, Connecticuts best scores came in terms of workforce, where the state was ranked 14th and 17th in the life, health and inclusion category as well as 25th in innovation and technology.

But the state finished 45th in the cost of doing business, 47th in economy and 39th in infrastructure.

Economist Donald Klepper-Smith said the reasons for the states poor showing stretch back at least a decade. Klepper-Smith lived in Connecticut for decades before relocating to South Carolina, though he still has clients in Connecticut.

If you look back over the last 10 years, the U.S. economy has accelerated, growing at a double digit pace, he said. Connecticut has basically been treading water. Its all about preserving the status quo in terms of economic development and you cant expect to right-the-ship doing that.

With a gubernatorial and legislative election scheduled for November, Klepper-Smith said the state needs to focus on a hard cap on spending.

The one weve had has been circumvented time and time again, he said.

In order make Connecticut a more affordable state to live, Klepper-Smith said the state needs to get serious about regionalism.

The fact that we have 169 Connecticut and no sense of regionalism is an affront to taxpayers, he said, referring to the number of communities in the state.

Another factor that needs to be addressed, according to Klepper-Smith, is affordable housing.

Housing is an economic development issue of great importance, he said. If people dont have a place to live, they dont have a place to work, so affordable housing has to be an integral component. Without it, you dont have job growth and without job growth, you dont have a strong economy.

David Cadden, professor emeritus at Quinnipiac University's School of Business, said state government needs to focus on making it easier to start a small business.

Its very difficult to get a small business started in this state, Cadden said.

State government should also provide financial and managerial support to under-served communities, he said.

Finally, Cadden said state government and the people that work in it need to become more effective, more efficient.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
photo from the Hartford police department Facebook page. /

HARTFORD  Seven people were arrested Tuesday after police say they helped to fire dozens of shots at a Main Street residence in April.

Officers responded to 2566 Main St., an establishment known as The Party House, at approximately 6:25 p.m. on April 18, Lt. Aaron Boisvert said in an email.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The week before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Missouri's Josh Hawley became the first Republican senator to announce he would object to the certification of the 2020 election.

Texas' Ted Cruz came next, dashing off his own plan on a flight from Houston to Washington days before the joint session of Congress to certify the election results.

In all, a dozen GOP senators initially planned to challenge Joe Biden's victory. But unlike their House GOP counterparts who have been subpoenaed for testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, the Republican senators have largely escaped the reach of the investigation.

While the committee did share highlights about the senators, including Hawley's raised-fist salute to the rioters that day  an image seared in history, and now on coffee mugs the senator sells  it has made the surprising, if pragmatic, decision not to call the senators for testimony. One dramatic video showed Hawley sprinting from the Senate chamber later that day as rioters swarmed.

Amid wider public scrutiny of Jan. 6, the senators have been left to explain their actions on their own terms, and have often done so defiantly.

I do not regret it, Hawley said to applause at Turning Point USAs Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, after he strode to the stage Friday to a standing ovation.

As the summer hearings of the Jan. 6 committee come to a close, Chairman Bennie Thompson has indicated that the panel is looking elsewhere. As work continues, the investigation is moving closer to the top ranks of the White House and the defeated presidents inner circle.

We continue to receive new information every day, Thompson, D-Miss., said last week, announcing the next round of hearings in September. We are pursuing many additional witnesses for testimony.

The House committee is investigating not only the grisly attack on the Capitol, but Trump's extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election by submitting fake slates of electors from the battleground states to vote for him, not Biden, when Congress convened Jan. 6 to tally the 2020 presidential election results.

The senators could provide information about the run-up to Jan. 6, including any conversations they may have had with Trump and his lawyers who were putting together the plan for the fake electors, said Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings and former top adviser to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.

In one dramatic screenshot of a text exchange, the committee told the story of how a top aide for GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin attempted to hand off a slate of false, pro-Trump electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence as he was presiding in his ceremonial role of certifying the election. Johnson has said he was not involved in that effort.

But having interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and having issued rare subpoenas to fellow House lawmakers, Eisen said the panel is trying to preserve its political capital by declining to compel senators to testify in what would be seen as an unusual House challenge to the upper chamber.

The Jan. 6 committees decision to issue subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama was a show of force by the nine-member panel. And it came after much deliberation among the lawmakers, who for weeks considered whether taking the unprecedented step of subpoenaing members of their own chamber would be worth further inflaming partisan tensions over the 2021 attack.

They only have so much committee time, said Eisen.

Cruz declined to say Tuesday if he would have appeared had the Jan. 6 panel asked for his testimony. Hawley's office has similarly said he wouldn't want to address a hypothetical situation.

But in recent conversations, the Republicans have stood by their efforts to challenge Biden's victory.

This country would have been much better off if Congress had taken up his plan, Cruz recently told The Associated Press.

Cruz had proposed forming a commission to audit voter fraud in the disputed states, even though Trump's own Justice Department said there was no voter fraud on a scale that could have tipped the 2020 election. Dozens of court cases claiming fraud had been rejected or gone unheard.

Cruz said he did not recall conversations with Trump ally John Eastman, the conservative lawyer who was the architect of the alternative electors plan. Last month, federal authorities seized Eastman's phone and issued subpoenas to electors in states nationwide allegedly involved in the scheme.

I wrestled for a long time with what was the best approach to take with regard to the certification on Jan. 6, Cruz said. He said he alone drafted the statement he put out with 11 senators, which he said he dashed off on the flight back to Washington.

Hawley has brushed off questions about the committee's work, and declined last month to comment about Eastman's plans for the alternative electors.

One police officer testified to the committee that Hawleys raised fist on Jan. 6 riled up the crowd that day, said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va. During last week's hearing, she played the video showing how Hawley fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol.

Johnson has downplayed his aide's attempt to pass a fake slate of electors to Pence. The handoff never took place, but the moment showed how close the plan came to fruition. If it had been successful, the electoral votes for Michigan and Wisconsin could have gone to Trump, not Biden, the rightful winner in those states.

After police cleared the Capitol of rioters that night, seven Republican senators led by Cruz and Hawley stuck with the plan to challenge the election results. Several of the other GOP senators who had initially signed on backed out.

At least one Republican who voted to challenge the election results after the rioting, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, said Tuesday he would talk to the committee if they asked for his testimony,

I'd go, said Tuberville, who took a phone call from Trump as senators were being swept to safety. Tuberville was also among senators who had received a voicemail from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that night, the committee has said.

Tuberville said he hasn't been watching the hearings. Theres nothing, anything, that Ive seen that would change my mind on anything that Ive voted on," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.
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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A regional Planned Parenthood organization has filed a third lawsuit over Idaho's anti-abortion laws and the latest targets the state's ban on abortions for pregnancies beyond six weeks of gestation.

Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky was joined by family medicine Dr. Caitlin Gustafson in the lawsuit filed Monday.

They are asking the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn the ban because they say it is vague and unconstitutional. They also want the high court to hear arguments in the case on Aug. 3  the same day the court is scheduled to hear arguments in the other two lawsuits.

Idaho, like many Republican-led states, has several anti-abortion laws on the books, creating a legal quagmire now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade.

In court filings, Planned Parenthood said the ban on abortions after six weeks, often dubbed a heartbeat ban, is likely to go into effect first on Aug. 19, because it was written to be triggered 30 days after any federal appellate court upholds a similar ban somewhere in the United States.

That trigger happened last week when the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals allowed a restrictive 2019 abortion law in Georgia to take effect.

The Georgia and the Idaho laws ban abortions once a vaginal ultrasound can detect electrical activity in the embryonic cells that may eventually develop into a heart. That happens as early as six weeks into a pregnancy  before many people know they are pregnant.

Not satisfied with criminalizing abortion once, the Legislature did it twice (in 2020 and 2021)  and then, for good measure, added a private right of action as well in 2022, hoping to make that unconstitutional ban effective through a bounty hunter system of private enforcement, attorneys for Planned Parenthood wrote in court documents.

The reproductive health organization also sued in June over Idaho's total abortion ban passed in 2020. That law automatically goes into effect around Aug. 25, 30 days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its formal judgement stripping decades-old constitutional protections for abortion in the U.S. Though the nation's highest court made that ruling earlier this year, the formal judgment was issued on Tuesday.

Planned Parenthood sued in March over Idaho's newest anti-abortion law. The 2022 law allows potential relatives of a fetus or embryo to sue medical providers who perform an abortion. The law prohibits rapists from suing, but allows rapists' relatives to sue.

The multiple lawsuits are necessary because of the piecemeal and unlawful way in which the Idaho Legislature has attempted to ban abortion, Planned Parenthood wrote.

The group said the six-week ban violates the Idaho Constitution's guarantee of the fundamental right to privacy, the equal protection clause and the Idaho Human Right Act's prohibition against sex discrimination. Planned Parenthood also contends the law is unconstitutionally vague.

The six-week ban only allows abortions in a few narrow exceptions  medical emergencies and cases of rape or incest that have been reported to law enforcement, as long as the pregnant person provides a copy of the police report to the person performing the abortion. The law defines a medical emergency as when a pregnant woman needs an immediate abortion to prevent death or the risk of substantial, irreversible damage to a major bodily function.

Health care providers who violate the ban face up to five years in prison.

The medical emergency provision is impossible to interpret, Planned Parenthood wrote in court documents, and challenges and delays in getting police reports render the rape and incest exception mostly meaningless.

It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for me to implement the medical exception and provide care to a pregnant person whose life may be at risk, said Gustafson, the family medical specialist.

She added: For example, women can sometimes die or suffer long-term harm if they do not receive an abortion following placental abruption, an infection, or the onset of preeclampsia, but none of these is certain to cause death or those consequences if the woman does not receive an abortion.

The Idaho Attorney General's office has not yet filed a response to the latest lawsuit over the six-week abortion ban, but the state's attorneys have maintained in the other court cases that it is in the government's interest to ban abortions and that state Legislatures have the right to enact abortion-related policies. That means the ballot box, not the courts, is the appropriate place to go for a remedy, state officials have said.
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After a court agreed that Alex Jones committed defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress on two parents whose children died in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, a trial is being held in Texas to determine the penalty for that defamation.

The trial started with jury selection on last Monday and opening arguments on Tuesday. Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis seek $150 million in defamation damages from Jones, with their legal team questioning Infowars employees and showing clips from Infowars to try to show the extent of the emotional distress inflicted on the parents.

The parents went into isolation under the protection of security on Monday due to unspecified encounters in Texas that have caused them to fear for their lives, their attorney said.

Jones attorneys have argued the Infowars host has already been punished by losing all his assets  millions of dollars. They argue he didnt intend to inflict emotional distress.

Time stamps are dated for Eastern Standard Time.

Reporter John Moritz is reporting from the courtroom in Texas, while Jordan Nathaniel Fenster is covering the trial from Connecticut.

Attorneys, parents gather in courtroom for potential verdict

5:50: The jury has reached a verdict awarding $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents. Alex Jones attorney challenged the verdict on the grounds that Texas has a cap of $750,000 in punitive damages.

I'm sure the judgment will properly conform with the laws of Texas in that regard, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said.

The parents attorney has said hes prepared to fight any cap.

5:30: The parents, their attorneys and Jones attorneys have gathered in the courtroom, where a jury could announce a verdict before the end of the business day. If the jury does not reach a verdict, deliberation will continue on Monday.

JT Lewis, oldest son of Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, placed a lucky penny on the bar next to his mom.

Jury to begin deliberating punitive damages

Briana Sanchez/AP

1:25: The jury was released to the deliberation room.

Attorneys give closing arguments

12:54: Reynal asks for a punitive judgment of $270,000. The parents attorney requested a judgment of $145.9 million. With the $4.1 million the parents received in Thursdays verdict, that would bring them to the $150 million they requested.

12:40: Sandy Hook attorney Wesley Ball delivered his closing arguments. Andino Reynal, attorney for Alex Jones, is giving his closing arguments.

Judge reads instructions to jury ahead of deliberation

11:49: The judge has overruled Jones attorneys objection and called the jury back into the courtroom to continue reading the jury instructions. The jurors verdict must be unanimous.

11:41: In the midst of the reading the jury instructions, Alex Jones attorney had an objection to the charge. The judge sent the jury out of the room for a short break so that she and the attorneys may discuss. The parents lawyer argued Jones attorneys objection.

After a few moments of silence, the judge has left the courtroom.

I will return in a minute, she said.

11:35: Economist Bernard Francis Pettingill, Jr. has come down from the stand. The judge is reading the instructions to the jurors before they go into deliberation to determine punitive damages.

Economist testifies Alex Jones net worth could be as high as $140M

11:32: You cannot separate Alex Jones from the companies. He is the company, Pettingill said.

Briana Sanchez/AP

10:41: Alex Jones has been siphoning money from Free Speech Systems, in addition to his annual salary, over the course of years, Pettingill testifies. He estimates it at $70 million in total.

Using that data, Pettingill testifies that Alex Jones net worth could be as high as $140 million.

10:37: Pettingill testifies that Free Speech Systems' net worth is $150 million minimum.

10:35: Jurors seem to be more diligent taking notes on this phase of the trial

10:34: Pettingill testifies that the deplatforming Jones claims hurt his business, did not in any way actually lower Infowars revenue.

10:30: Pettingill testifies that the day of the default judgment in the defamation case, Free Speech Systems started paying down its debt to PQPR at the rate of $11,000 day.

10:25: Pettingill discusses the $54 million debt Free Speech Systems owes PQPR, another Jones-controlled company. This debt is key to the Free Speech Systems filing for bankruptcy last week.

On the books, Alex Jones is carrying this giant note, when in reality hes using that note as a clawback to pay himself back, Pettingill said. Its a very convenient way of doing business.

"That's why he can say he's broke, he has no money."

The Sandy Hook families in this case and two others have called this debt fabricated in an objection submitted as part of the bankruptcy filing.

Annual revenue to Free Speech Systems was $70 million, Pettingill, says.

10:15: Bernard Francis Pettingill, Jr., an economist, says Alex Jones was making $70 million a year in 2018.

"We can't really put a finger on what he does for a living, how he makes his money, Pettingill said.

"As much as an outsider as he is, he is a very successful man, he added.

Briana Sanchez/AP

He didn't ride the wave, he created the wave."

Court resumes on Friday morning to determine punitive damages

10:10: The judge and attorneys have arrived in the courtroom on Friday morning ahead of additional testimony that will help the jury determine punitive damages against Alex Jones. Jones is sitting in the courtroom with his attorneys.

The first witness is Bernard Francis Pettingill, Jr., an economist with a Ph.D who is an expert in valuing the net worth of companies, including the Monsanto Company in its legal cases.

Jury awards parents $4 million

5:30: A jury has awarded about $4 million to Sandy Hook parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin. The jury will return on Friday morning to hear from more witnesses to help them reach a separate verdict on punitive damages.

Jan. 6 committee has asked for Jones cellphone records, attorney says

11:04: Bankston says hes been asked by the Jan. 6 committee to turn over the records and he intends to unless the judge tells him not to. The judge says she doesnt think she could prevent him from giving the records to the committee anyway.

11:01: Judge Gamble is ruling on whether or not the records obtained through the mistaken release of Jones cell phone.

Briana Sanchez/AP

Im not going to seal the entire quantity of information, she said.

Medical information will not be allowed, she said, but the rest of it really depends on whats in there.

I dont think its a mistrial based on this, she said.

10:58: Bankston says included in the phone records were intimate messages with Roger Stone. Stone is an associate of former President Donald Trump. Stone and Jones were subpoenaed last year by the U.S. House Jan. 6 Committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

10:50: The judge is holding a hearing to discuss Jones cell phone records.

The parents attorney on Wednesday revealed that Jones lawyer mistakenly sent him a digital copy of Jones personal cellphone containing years worth of emails and text messages. Mark Bankston, the parents attorney, suggested the cellphone records show Jones perjured himself on the stand.

In the hearing, Jones attorney, Andino Reynal, claims he asked for the records to be returned.

Bankston said Reynal is using a fig leaf to cover his own mistake.

Jury deliberates on Thursday

10:25: The jury is deliberating after six days of testimony in the trial. Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis are in the courthouse, waiting in a room reserved for attorneys and parties to the lawsuit. Reporters are in the courtroom.

Jury to begin deliberating on Wednesday

BRIANA SANCHEZ /AP

5:36: The jury has left the courtroom to begin deliberation. Jurors are not expected to come up with a verdict before the end of the business day on Wednesday. The judge said jurors may return to deliberation as early as 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Closing arguments wrap up

5:25: Kyle Farrar, attorney for the parents, responds to Jones lawyers closing arguments.

5:11: Reynal has wrapped up his closing arguments. The judge sent the court on a break.

Closing arguments begin

4:33: Reynal says Heslin and Lewis are tremendously sympathetic, but the jury must decide its verdict based on the facts.

4:14: Andino Reynal, Jones, attorney, begins his closing arguments.

3:50: Reynal, Jones attorney, is eyeing the jury during the parents attorneys closing arguments to gauge their reactions.

3:35: Jones just turned to face the parents attorney, Kyle Farrar, as he repeated Infowars producer Daria Karpovas claim that people now think Alex Jones committed the massacre. Nobody thinks that Alex, nobody does, Farrar said, facing Jones.

3:03 p.m.: An attorney for the Sandy Hook parents has begun closing arguments after Alex Jones finished testifying and a lunch break.

Jury submits questions for Alex Jones

1:26: Jones says in response to a juror question that "Any compensation above $2 million will sink us and shut us down.

He ultimately said that the jurors should award what they think is right.

1:17 p.m.: When asked by a juror why he thinks Sandy Hook was staged, Jones said I have seen so many other things in history that have been staged. When youre a hammer everything looks like a nail.

I did used to go overboard and believe everything was staged, he said.

I do not want to be the Sandy Hook guy, Jones added.

Parents attorney questions Alex Jones

12:30: Infowars was making $800,000 a day on some days, Bankston said.

On redirect, Reynal asked Jones if he trusted his lawyers to do their jobs in turning over evidence.

When asked if he has any more questions for Jones, Banktson said I think we are done with Mr. Jones.

12:25: Bankston, grilling Jones about his emails and text messages, says When your attorneys sent me your whole phone, they didnt mean to do that.

Jones attorney later declined to comment.

I do my talking in the courtroom, attorney Reynal said.

11:50: Attorney Bankston questions Jones about his comments on other tragedies that hes claimed are false flag operations or doubted in some way. This includes the Boston Marathon bombings, the Parkland shooting, and Sutherland Springs church shooting in Texas.

Parents attorney aims to introduce Infowars clip

11:32: After the break, attorney Mark Bankston, representing the parents, plays a July 29 clip from Infowars where Jones former lawyer says this case is following a script. He is showing the clip to prove that Jones should be impeached.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble lets out a small chuckle as she's handed a picture of herself on fire that's aired on Infowars. That's Justice on fire, Jones said, adding that he hadn't seen the picture aired before.

June Gamble admits the photo into evidence.

Briana Sanchez /AP

A couple of jurors also laugh as Jones tries to explain the context behind photo of the judge on fire.

11:15: The jury goes on break as the judge and the attorneys discuss the introduction of a new Infowars clip that the parents attorney wants to present.

Alex Jones returns to the stand Wednesday morning

11:05: Jones said he believes Sandy Hook happened and it was a terrible event. He then suggested there was a government cover-up involved. Parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin looked directly at him.

11 a.m.: Jones said Infowars lost money due to its Sandy Hook coverage. He compared being de-platformed on the internet as a prison.

10:57: Jones said it was an oversight that Owen Shroyer discussed Sandy Hook on his Infowars program. Shroyers questioning of Heslins story of holding his dead son has been a key part of the trial.

Jones called Heslin nice and Lewis excellent.

I agree weve got to choose love and fix this evel thats ripping our country apart, said Jones, referring to the Choose Love organization that Lewis started after her sons death.

I do acknowledge that I unintentionally took part in things that did hurt peoples feelings, and Im sorry for that, Jones said.

10:42: A video of Jones talking about the 2018 Megyn Kelly broadcast and his views on Sandy Hook is played for the jury. Jones is looking ahead, making occasional glances at the screen.

10:32: Reynal asks Jones about the filming of a Megyn Kelly broadcast where Jones and the Sandy Hook father were interviewed.

Jones said he agreed to be interviewed by Kelly after she called him a lot because I was told that I would be allowed (to say) that I thought Sandy Hook happened and apologize to the families.

He claimed that didnt turn out to be the case.

10:21: Jones said he was wrong to trust people who doubted the Sandy Hook shooting happened and was under pressure at the time.

Jones insisted that he now understands the Sandy Hook shooting happened.

Especially since I met the parents, its 100 percent real as I said yesterday, Jones said.

Briana Sanchez / Associated Press

He said he stopped covering Sandy Hook prior to this lawsuit once he realized he had been wrong and got his head cleared up after he stopped drinking and finalized his divorce.

10:15: Jones said that the Sandy Hook shooting was not one of our main topics in the early years after the shooting. He estimated Infowars covered it for about 2 1/2 hours in 2012.

10:10: Jones attorney asks where Jones was on the day of the Sandy Hook massacre and what his feeling was that day. Jones describes feeling shock, especially as a father.

That somebody could do something like that, just that it was possible, its hard to believe, Jones said.

10:05: Alex Jones has taken the stand to continue his testimony on Wednesday morning. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre, are in the courtroom.

The first question from Jones attorney, Andino Reynal, is about truthers.

Jones apologies to parents after judge leaves courtroom on Tuesday

6 p.m.: Soon after the judge left the courtroom, the Sandy Hook parents spoke with Alex Jones.

Scarlett Lewis approached Jones first, and then Neil Heslin walked over.

I let your son down and I apologize about everything, Jones said, shaking Heslins hand.

The parents attorney, Mark Bankston, asked if Jones would apologize for calling Heslin slow. This led to shouting between the attorney and Jones.

Attorney Wesley Todd Ball, representing the parents, stepped in and separated the two sides, saying, that's not what's going to happen right now...Thats not the way this goes.

Judge tells Jones he must tell the truth

5:50: Attorney Mark Bankston, representing Lewis and Heslin, asked the judge once the jury left the room for the day to sanction Jones after he slipped in that he was bankrupt when Jones lawyer asked a question about how many employees he would need to respond to the emails Infowars receives.

Bankston also accused attorney Andino Reynal of trying to solicit testimony from Jones that the judge has barred from being discussed in front of the jury. Gamble said she would address sanctions after the trial.

You may not tell this jury you are bankrupt, that is not true, you may have filed for bankruptcy but that doesnt make you bankrupt, Gamble told Jones.

It seems absurd for me to tell you, you must tell the truth while you testify, Gamble said before instructing him to answer the exact question he was asked. The judge also accused Jones of breaking his oath to tell the truth twice while on the stand.

Alex Jones takes stand

5:12: I've made a lot of mistakes and I've learned a lot in that process, Jones said, adding that he is shifting the focus of his show toward Christianity and self-help, rather than discussing news and politics.

4:42: Interjecting at the start of his testimony, Jones interrupted his own attorney.

I just want to say this on record: I am sorry, he said.

Rebuked by the judge, Jones says about Lewis, So she got to monologue and I dont

I never intentionally tried to hurt you, Jones said of Lewis.

4:38: Alex Jones has taken the stand, with his attorney, Andino Reynal, beginning questioning. His wife, Erika, is in the courtroom.

Sandy Hook mom says she forgive(s) Jones but he should still be held accountable

4:22: Lewis said she would absolutely welcome Jones and his family into her Choose Love movement if they wanted to join.

Another juror asked if she would forgive Jones if he genuinely apologized.

I have said that I forgive Alex, Lewis said. Ive said that I forgive Adam Lanza, and I feel compassion for him, and I forgive Alex and I feel compassion for you.

But she added that forgiveness starts with a choice and forgiveness is a process.

It doesnt mean you dont hold the person that youre forgiving accountable, she said. Theyre still responsible for what they did.

4:17: The jurors are permitted to submit questions to Scarlett Lewis for the judge to read. One parent asks how losing her son has affected how she has parented her older son, JT Lewis. She said she has become more protective, wanting to keep him in bubble wrap.

You have a little bit of guilt that you sent them to school, Lewis said of her son, Jesse.

Alex Jones attorney questions Sandy Hook mom

3:41: Jones attorney Adino Reynal, questioning Lewis, asked her several times how much she spends on therapy. When she answered that she does not know, he begins trying to drill down to how much she spends a month or a week.

Then Reynal asked Lewis about speaking fees, and how many books shes written.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from all three of my books as well as 100 percent of the proceeds from everything I do goes to the Choose Love movement, she said. Lewis is referring to the nonprofit organization she started in honor of her son. The organization develops social emotional learning programs for schools.

Do you think Im an actress?

3:20: In some way, you've impacted every day of my life, negatively, almost since Jesses murder, Lewis said, her hands folding together to get her point across. I'm so glad this day is here, I'm relieved actually.

3:10: Alex Jones was looking ahead as attorneys started playing a video that begins with old home videos of Jesse Lewis. Id like you to watch it Alex, please, Lewis said promoting Jones to turn toward the screen.

2:59: Do you think Im an actress? Lewis asked Jones while testifying.

No, I dont think youre an actress, Jones said before Judge Gamble cut him off and told Jones he does not get to speak during her testimony.

Im sorry, Lewis said. I asked him a question.

Sandy Hook mom returns to the stand

2:55: At least one member of the jury cries as Lewis describes her last memory and last photo she took of her son.

2:45: Speaking directly to Jones in the courtroom, Lewis says, I wanted you to know that I am a mother and my son existed.

Jones, she said, has been saying on the air today that Im an actress, that Im deep state, she said, calling truth vital and what we base our society on.

Sandy Hook was a hard truth, she said. I know you believe me and yet youre going to leave this courthouse and do it again on your show.

Jones shakes his head, to which Lewis replied, Youre saying no, but you just did it.

Do you have empathy? she asks Jones later.

2:40: Scarlet stares directly at Jones as she says that she's pleased that she now gets to look Jones in the eye

Alex Jones arrives in the courtroom

2:33: Plaintiffs attorneys have said after a lunch break that Jones discussed the trial on his radio show, and specifically mentioned Heslin and Lewis.

Hes a nice man and its not an act, Jones said of Heslin on the show. He is being manipulated by some very bad people. Hes slow, his ex-wife is not.

Neil Heslin stared directly at Jones while they played the tape of Jones calling him slow.

Jones, in court this afternoon, was chastised for chewing gum but told the judge he was actually chewing gauze.

Then he leaned forward and stuck a finger in his mouth, pulling aside his lip to show Judge Gamble the hole where he said he recently had a tooth pulled.

I don't want to see the inside of your mouth, Judge Gamble said.

Court breaks for lunch

1 p.m.: Court has taken a lunch break.

Sandy Hook mom Scarlett Lewis takes the stand

12:59: Lucy Richards, who has been convicted for making death threats against the Pozner family, who also lost a child in the Sandy Hook massacre, has been told by a court not to listen or watch the Alex Jones show, plaintiffs lawyers say.

Lawyers then argued whether or not it is relevant to listen in court to Richards threats.

Death is coming to you real soon, Richards says on the tape. Youre going to die.

12:50: Do you feel unsafe at your own house? attorney Ball asked Lewis.

I have, yes, she replied.

When asked why she keeps a gun at her home, she said, I am a single mother and responsible for the safety of both of my boys, and I was not able to keep one of them safe so I am going to keep my surviving son safe. 

12:30 p.m. Scarlett Lewis on the stand says after the massacre she did not want to go home to the home in which she had raised her son, Jesse.

There was hushed whispering, she said. There was someone saying the tragedy hadnt happened.

Lewis said after that, months later, the Sandy Hook Elementary School choir had been invited to the Superbowl to sing America the Beautiful with Jenifer Hudson.

Then I saw a picture with an overlay of them, she says, and the plaintiffs attorney brings up the photo, which had Jesse Lewis name overlayed.

It was deeply unsettling, she said. Its so out of touch with reality that its scary.

Sandy Hook dad finishes testimony

12:22: Neil Heslin has finished his testimony after answering submitted questions from the jury. He hugs attorney Wesley Todd Ball

Jury to submit questions for Sandy Hook dad

11:34: Attorneys have finished questioning Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. Court has taken a break so that jurors can write and submit questions that the judge will read to Heslin.

Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin takes stand Tuesday morning

11:12: Alex started this fight and I'll finish this fight, said Heslin, adding his battle is with nobody but Jones, Infowars and Infowars host Owen Shroyer.

Alex was the person with a match who started the fire, Heslin said. People are bringing wood to throw on the fire.

10:58: Alex Jones attorney Andino Reynal begins questioning Heslin. Reynal says he has a 6-year-old and is very, very sorry about Jesse.

Reynal asks whether Heslin has chosen to watch the rest of Alex Joness broadcasts that have been entered into evidence.

I don't know if it's all of them, I have watched a large number, numerous ones.

10:56: Jesse would be 16 if he hadnt been killed.

Hed be riding a car instead of riding a bike, Heslin said.

10:53: Any apology from Jones would be worthless, Heslin said.

At this stage, any apology would not be sincere, said Heslin, adding it would come too late

He said theres got to be a strong deterent to stop Jones from peddaling these things. He added he views the monetary damages that he and Scarlett are seeking as the only way it will stop.

10:50: Around the time the original trial was delayed in April, Heslin said someone drove by his house and shouted Alex Jones along with what he said sounded like gunshots.

Anxiety attacks also cause Heslin to wake up frequently in the night, he said. Several weeks ago he ended up in the hospital with chest pains, he said.

Attorney Mark Bankston has moved back to sit by Scarlett Lewiss side.

10:47: This trial is the only way I can restore my credibility and reputation, Heslin said.

10:45: Almost every member of the jury stared at Heslin as he described seeing his sons body with a grazing bullet wound on the side of his head, along with the fatal shot to his forehead.

It shattered his skull, Heslin said. The exit wound was about the size of a softball.

Heslin said that he is forced to replay those images every time his story about holding his sons body is questioned by Jones followers.

10:34: I wouldn't wish upon Alex or anybody the loss that I sustained, the loss of a child, Heslin said.

10:25: I heard the name Alex Jones, Heslin said, early on, in 2013, though he didnt immediately put Jones and Infowars together.

Heslin says he still has encounters with people who believe Sandy Hook never happened to this day.

After a while, he said, encountering people who questioned the reality of Sandy Hook, became a way of life.

10:20: Attorney Wesley Todd Ball brings up Jesse Lewis first grade class photo, which brings a big smile to Heslins face as he wipes away tears.

10:17: Scarlett Lewis, Jesses mother, is in the courtroom as Heslin testifies. She nods along whenever he begins to choke up or stumble.

10:14: I wish it was true, I wish that Jesse was alive. But that's not the case, Heslin said, beginning to choke up as he goes on, before regaining composure.

10:10 a.m.: Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, has taken the stand on Tuesday morning.

Today is very important to me, Heslin said. Its been a long time coming. I feel very good about being here today to face Alex Jones.

Jones is not present in the courtroom, and Heslin calls it disrespect and a cowardly act.

10 a.m.: Heslin walked into the courtroom with his attorney, Wesley Todd Ball. They paused briefly outside the door, and Ball had his arm around Heslins shoulder.

Lets go, Heslin said, and they entered the courtroom.

Alex Jones to testify in trial

5:44: Yes your honor, we will be calling Alex Jones, the Infowars hosts attorney tells the judge after speaking to his client outside the courtroom.

Jones is expected to take the stand on Tuesday, following testimony from parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis. The parents attorney visibly smiled

The judge said closing statements could be Wednesday.

5:41: Attorney Andino Reynal has left the courtroom to call Alex Jones to see whether hell testify in the trial. Parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis are expected to testify on Tuesday. Their attorneys originally planned to call JT Lewis, the parents college-age son, to testify, but their lawyer told the judge they no longer plan to.

Jury is released early for the day

5:28: The jury has been released early on Monday after the questioning of the psychotherapist wrapped up. The judge and the attorneys will now discuss the schedule for Tuesday and instructions for the jury.

Psychotherapist takes the stand

4:36: Crouch, who serves as Heslins therapist, says there was a period of time where the father was ignoring Jones and choosing not to dignify what he said. Thats a symptom of trauma, Crouch says.

Jones attorney asks if thats healthy.

I would suggest no, not in Mr. Heslins case because it kept the injury alive, Crouch says.

4:21: Crouch describes the belief that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax as a new injury for the parents. He explains to the jury why this trial is so important to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis.

They need to know and to let the world know that their son mattered, that he lived, Crouch says.

The parents would still be grieving the loss of their son without Alex Jones, he says.

But they wouldnt be so scared as they are right now, Crouch says. They wouldnt have to fight this or as significantly fight this belief that Sandy Hook was a hoax.

3:50: Up next on the stand for the plaintiffs is psychotherapist Michael Crouch, who said he lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Originally from Kansas, Crouch said he came to the East Coast in order to pursue a career on Broadway but took up training in psychotherapy when that didnt pan out.

Judge tells Alex Jones attorney to follow the rules

3:15: Bankston, for the plaintiffs, tells the judge that defense attorney Reynal is Actively trying for a mistrial.

The judge asks Reynal to follow the rules.

Im not asking you to do anything but follow the rules, she said to Reynal. You've chosen not to follow them on occasion.

Alex Jones attorney questions psychiatric expert

2:55: Attorney Andino Reynal asks Lubit if he understands the term malingering, and if the motivations can be monetary or seeking revenge.

Some benefit comes out of a horrible thing, Lubit said.

Heslin, Reynal said, has a vendetta against Jones.

Might a grieving parent take up gun control as a mission after a school scooting, Reynal asked.

And someone could also find meaning in destroying Alex Jones, Reynal suggested.

Court breaks for lunch

1 p.m.: The court is taking a lunch break for 1 1/2 hours.

Doctor describes symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder parents have faced

12:40: On redirect, defense attorney Reynal begins by focusing on Lubits testimony, asking him if providing expert testimony in court is appropriate for psychiatrists.

Lubit owns a home in Southport, along with a friend of his, he confirms. Reynal mentions that Lubit ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Connecticut.

The fact is you dont like Alex Jones, Reynal said, asking if helping to take down Alex Jones would win him friends.

I have no expectation of ever going back into politics, Lubit said.

12:27: Lubit said the parents increase their personal risk by bringing this suit, but they decided to do it, in part, because theyre compassionate people who didnt want anyone else to go through what they have.

Other parents shouldnt have to suffer the death of their child or the sort of inappropriate attacks that they have suffered, he said.

Thats who they are, theyre remarkably compassionate people, he added later.

12:23 p.m.: Lubit testified that he was surprised that Lewis and Heslin were concerned about the family of the gunman in the Sandy Hook massacre.

The gunman killed his own mother, in addition to the 26 children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and Heslin and Lewis are adamant that there were 28 victims, not 26, Lubit said.

They lost a child, too, Lubit said Heslin told him.

11:50: Lubit says Lewis and Heslin are suffering from complex PTSD, which he describes as a result of long-term traumas, such as child abuse or being in a war zone.

Lubit described it as constant draining threat and anxiety, he said, and the amount of anxiety they have is immense.

Theyre terrified, he said.

These symptoms are the result of Alex Jones, not the loss of their son, Lubot testified. They were doing better, Lubit said of Heslin and Lewis.

11:30: Mark Bankston, an attorney for a Heslin and Lewis, said that both parents were advised by the doctor and another therapist to leave the room during his testimony in order to avoid any negative impacts on their ongoing treatment.

11:15: Did the negative social support parents Heslin and Lewis experienced affect them differently? Lubit says there were some similarities, including significant anxiety.

Lubit is describing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, from which he says Heslin and Lewis suffer.

Withdrawing from life and avoidance, as well decreased ability to concentrate are among other symptoms Lubit says Lewis and Heslin display. Lewis has experienced periods of episodes of dissociation, where he said she cant think, cant function.

Its on their mind, all the time, Lubit said. The threats and attacks on their son, denying that he existed.

When asked if these symptoms stem from Alex Jones, Lubit said yes.

10:53: Dr. Roy Lubit, a forensic psychiatry expert, is questioned by Bill Ogden, attorney for the parents.

Father Neil Heslin has left the courtroom, followed a few minutes later by mother Scarlett Lewis.

When asked if people ever heal from the loss of a child, Lubit says it depends on what you call healing.

After a few years people are able to move on to some degree, he says.

Depositions from Infowars employees play

10:42: The jury has viewed two video depositions of two Infowars employees, pre-recorded by the parents attorneys. The first was of Adan Salazar and saw the parents attorney question him about Infowars coverage of the Sandy Hook massacre. The second was of Brittany Paz, the corporate representative of Free Speech Systems, LLC (Infowars).

Sandy Hook parents arrive in courtroom on Monday

9:45 a.m.: Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis are in the Travis County courtroom in Texas on Monday, when they could testify to the emotional distress they say they suffered from Alex Jones false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. Their 6-year-old son, Jesse, was among 20 first graders and six educators killed in the 2012 massacre.

The parents seek $150 million in defamation damages from Jones. He is not yet in the courtroom.

Jones sues his parent company

As the first week of the Texas trial was concluding, attorneys got word that Jones had filed a suit in Connecticut against his own parent company Free Speech Systems, which was found liable along with Jones for defamation against an FBI agent and eight Sandy Hook families in 2021.

Although the filing is not expected to affect the second week of trial in Texas, it could derail the start of jury selection in the Connecticut trial on Aug. 2. In Connecticut, Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said she would address the timely cross-claim on Tuesday.

Attorneys for the Sandy Hook families in Connecticut said in an objection, filed Friday Alex Jones will do anything to delay trial in this case, including effectively suing himself, calling it yet another bad faith tactic meant to obfuscate, to delay, and to create a false issue in this record in preparation for a new abusive bankruptcy filing.

Jury dismissed for the weekend

6:30 p.m.: The jury was dismissed for the weekend, with a reminder from the judge to avoid media coverage or discussion of the case.

The weekend is going to be hard, she said. You cant talk about the case.

The jury was asked to return at 8:45 a.m. Monday.

Sandy Hook family to testify next week

6 p.m.: Mark Bankston, attorney for Sandy Hook parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, said the parents and their son, JT Lewis, will testify next week.

Communications expert takes the stand

5:44: Reynal calls the poll claiming that 24 percent of the U.S. population believe Sandy Hook never happened, clickbait.

He raises questions on the sample size of the poll, and questions Lewis knowledge of the poll.

Its fair to say you just didn't check your sources on this poll, he said. Sure, she replied.

On redirect, Bankston asks about the sample size of the poll. Have you ever heard the phrase lawyers who lie should lose? Bankston said, calling back Reynals opening remarks.

The sample size is over 1,000 people, Lewis said, with a margin of error of 3 percent.

5:35: Asked how much she is paid, Lewis said $3,000 for 20 hours of work.

When Reynal asked her if she hates Alex Jones, Lewis begins to say that through the course of watching hundreds of hours of work she has come to believe he is harmful.

Reynal raises tweets from Lewis in which she said the Republican Party is a white supremacist organization, accusing her of confirmation bias.

In this case you already believed in your heart of hearts that Alex Jones was a bad guy, Reynal said.

She replied that its quite the opposite. She simply looked at the content and drew a conclusion, and that her academic publications have been peer reviewed.

4:20: Becca Lewis is now on the stand. She is not related to Scarlett Lewis.

Her field of expertise is communication, specifically looking at disinformation and conspiracy theories and how they travel online.

Lewis has degrees from Columbia and Oxford Universities.

She is currently teaching at Stanford University, and a doctoral candidate. Her dissertation centers around disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories, including the history of right-wing disinformation campaigns.

Infowars employee doesnt recall fact-checking

4 p.m.: Plaintiffs are now showing a video deposition of Infowars employee Kit Daniels.

When asked in the video if he was made aware of any journalistic standards or fact-checking, Daniels replies repeatedly I dont recall.

Daniels, he says in the video, reviews the accuracy of articles on Infowars website, including context.

When asked how he reviews context, Daniels replies repeatedly that he does not understand the question.

When asked what determines his methods, Daniels says it sounds like youre talking in riddles.

Jurors submit questions for journalism expert

3:50: As the court comes back from a break the jurys questions for Fred Zipp are about the nature of journalism and whether or not Infowars staff practiced responsible journalism.

For example, were the titles of Infowars accurate compared to their contents?

Debate over evidence

3 p.m.: The judge sent the jury on a break so that evidence could be reviewed. Attorneys for the Sandy Hook parents objected to the inclusion of evidence that Jones lawyers want to present, arguing they cannot vouch for its authenticity.

I do think there is an authentication problem, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said.

With the jury out of the room, the video evidence was played for expert witness Fred Zipp, who said he did not recall seeing it as part of the evidence he was asked to prepare for as part of the trial.

The judge determined the video would not be played for the jury, which were then brought back from break.

Alex Jones attorney questions journalism expert

2:35 p.m.: Court has resumed after lunch, with Jones attorney continuing to question Fred Zipp, director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

Court breaks for lunch

1 p.m.: Court has taken a lunch break

Journalism expert testifies

12:37 p.m.: During questioning from Jones attorney, F. Andino Reynal, Zipp says Jones carries himself as a journalist and adopts sort of the guise of a journalist while engaging in activities that are contrary to journalism.

11:35: Fred Zipp is testifying on the stand as an expert in journalism.

Plaintiffs attorney Bill Ogden, began by establishing Zipps credentials, in addition to being the director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

In an affidavit filed in the case, Zipp said he believes Jones and Infowars defamed Heslin.

Jury views taped depositions from Infowars employees

11:20: Plaintiffs are showing a taped deposition given by former Infowars producer and reporter Dan Bidondi.

Bidondi attended a Newtown Board of Education meeting in 2014 at which Sandy Hook denier Wolfgang Halbig was also present wearing a mock 1800s outfit.

Bidondi testified that he had been alerted that the meeting was going to be a circus.

11:10: Plaintiffs are showing a taped deposition given by former Infowars employee Robert Jacobson.

Jacobson, in his deposition, said he repeatedly warned Infowars staff about their coverage of Sandy Hook.

It actually bothered me, Jacobson said in the deposition. I did my best to make writers and staff aware that what they were doing was speculation based on not enough information.

I would make it my business to go in to the writers and explain to them as clearly as possible that there is journalist ethics, and I tried to demonstrate what those ethics are and why they are violating them and what the damage could possibly be, Jacobson said. In fact, I remember, I must have been in that room four to five times, at least, and only to be received with laughter and jokes.

Jury submits questions for Infowars host

11:05: In response to a question from a juror on how often Shroyer or Jones feels guilty about airing the views of unstable guests, he replied, If we make mistakes we apologize.

In response to a question of if he has learned anything from the experience, Shroyer said, yes.

When asked if he would recant anything, Shroyer said, he would Probably not have covered it at all. That four minutes of my life has caused tremendous negative effects on my career.

When asked if he believed the judge or jurors are hired actors, Shroyer said no.

(Earlier in the trial, Infowars producer Daria Karpova was asked, Do you believe this whole trial is somehow a staged event? Karpova answered, To a large extent, yes.)

When asked if Infowars should be exempt from any consequences for recklessly airing harmful lies, Shroyer said he believes there should be a fair application when media outlets report things that are not true.

I would say the laws on the books, he said, are fair.

11 a.m.: Juror questions are beginning, with several focused on if Infowars feels guilty about airing the views of mentally unstable people.

Are yall considering it a learning experience? was one question.

Several questions involve fact checking, and if Infowars should do more of it.

One question: Is there anything you should recant about your coverage of the Sandy Hook case.

Another question asks if in Shroyers opinion, is the judge a hired actor, and if jurors are hired actors.

Court breaks for jury to form questions for Infowars host

10:37: In the hallway during break, Infowars host Owen Shroyer gave a small nod to Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin as the dad walked by. Heslin kept walking and didnt look at him.

10:30: Jones attorney wrapped up questions for Shroyer, and the jury must now submit their own questions for them.

Alex Jones Sandy Hook trial resumes on Friday

10:20 a.m.: Infowars host Owen Shroyer is back on the stand, now being questioned by Andino Reynal, who is representing Infowars and Jones.

Did you intend your broadcast to be inflammatory? Reynal asked Shroyer.

Absolutely not, he said.

This argument appears to address the question of whether or not any emotional distress was intentional.

10 a.m.: Court has resumed on Friday morning with testimony from Infowars host Owen Shroyer, host of Infowars The War Room who was found liable for defamation, along with Jones. He admitted in his Thursday testimony that he did not fact-check his false claims that Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin didnt hold his dead son Jesse in his arms after the shooting.

Sandy Hook parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin are in the courtroom, but Infowars house Alex Jones is not. Lewis and Heslin are the parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. They are seeking $150 million in defamation damages from Jones.

Judge scolds Jones attorney after testimony wraps up on Thursday

6 p.m.: The third day of the trial ended with Judge Maya Guerra Gamble again scolding Alex Jones legal team after she learned Jones and Infowars host Owen Shroyer discussed the case on air this week.

In doing so, they disobeyed her orders that witnesses not discuss the case with anyone other than attorneys, under penalty of contempt of court.

Gamble made Jones lead attorney, Andino Reynal, admit that he didnt follow her instructions. He told the judge he could assure her that no evidence or witness testimony from the trial was discussed on Tuesday by Jones and Shroyer.

The judge replied that it would be easy enough to find out whether that was true. She plans to watch the Infowars episode in question.

Asked afterward by a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter whether hes told Jones to stop posting about the case on Infowars, Reynal said, Alex is who he is, hes got every right to speak to who he wants to and the media.

Later, he added, its a free country.

Infowars host: I never called Neil Heslin a liar

5:45: Infowars host Owen Shroyer looks directly at Sandy Hook parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin to say yes they deserved better than the coverage he gave to their loss. Heslin looks back at Shroyer, while Lewis looks into her lap. Neither visibly reacted to the comment.

5:36: Lewis leans over, whispers in Heslins ear and scoffs as Shroyer explains he doesnt understand why people are still talking about the false claims that Heslin never held his child.

5:17: During questioning from the Sandy Hook attorney, Shroyer says, I never called Neil Heslin a liar. I never said they were crisis actors.

Shroyer admitted under heavy questioning that he could have done a better job at vetting news sources but refused to admit that he questioned Heslins story.

The plaintiffs attorney continued to press Shroyer, showing clips in which he raised doubts, but Shroyer refused to say that he had in any way called Heslin a liar or that the Sandy Hook massacre never happened. 

I am taking a neutral approach to this, he said.

Infowars host Owen Shroyer takes the stand

5:01: The jury watches a clip from Infowars where Shroyer questions Heslins account of holding his dead son Jesse. Heslin does not watch the clip, looking away at nothing in particular. Scarlett Lewis, mother of Jesse Lewis, moved closer to Heslin as the clip started to play and watches him with a concerned look.

4:58: Heslin looks directly at Shroyer during an exchange about whether Shroyer vetted claims about Heslin not holding his son after the shooting. Jones, meanwhile, says something to his lawyer.

4:50: When asked, Would you agree with me that it is not right for a journalist to edit video clips to fit an agenda, Shroyer said yes.

When asked if he considers himself a journalist, Shroyer said, Sometimes.

When asked if he considers himself a conspiracy theorist, Shroyer said, Sometimes.

4:35: Up next is Owen Shroyer, host of Infowars The War Room who was found liable for defamation, along with Jones. He is expected to testify about his role in a 2018 Infowars report that falsely claimed Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin did not hold his dead son Jesse in his arms.

Shroyer also faces disorderly conduct and other charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Attorney Kyle Farrar, representing the Sandy Hook parents, has taken over questioning.

Infowars producer answers questions

4:30: Karpova was asked three times, Do you believe this whole trial is somehow a staged event?

The first two times she attempted to evade, only to have the judge in the case instruct her to answer the question.

Finally, Karpova answered, To a large extent, yes.

Questioning of Karpova is complete after three days.

4:25: One juror asked Karpova to define Infowars as either a trustworthy news source or infotainment. She replied neither.

The next question asked her, if it was neither, to say under oath that Infowars is not a trustworthy source of information. Karpova replied I would not say that.

4:22: The jury returns to the courtroom, and the judge reads questions from the jurors to Infowars producer Daria Karpova. In response to a question from a juror, Karpova said she is paid a salary of $125,000 a year.

Court resumes after break

4:12: The judge and attorneys have returned to the courtroom after a break. Neil Heslin, the Sandy Hook dad who was not in the courtroom prior to the break, is back.

Court takes a 30-minute break

3:42: The opposing attorneys finish questioning Infowars producer Daria Karpova. Her testimony began on Tuesday afternoon.

Jurors have the opportunity to submit their own questions for Karpova. Those questions will come after an about 30-minute break.

During the break, Jones is heard telling his security detail that hes staying at the courthouse for the rest of the day.

Megyn Kelly broadcast on Jones shown

3:31: Mother Scarlett Lewis gives Jones a hard look as a clip plays of Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones going back and forth on Sandy Hook, with Jones refusing to fully back away from his claims.

3:27: A couple jurors smirked as they watched a clip of a shirtless Jones hocking diet pills.

3:19: A 17-minute video of a Megyn Kelly broadcast on Alex Jones is played for the jury.

Infowars producer says Jones has suffered

3:15: Alex Jones shakes his head as Bankston attemps to make the point that Infowars believed that the things it did it is allowed to do again.

3:08: Karpova says that Jones has suffered health effects due to the backlash he has received from his statements about Sandy Hook. In defense of Jones, she acknowledges that peoples well-being is affected when people lie about them.

Do you understand the irony and hypocrisy of making that statement? Do you understand that right now? asks the familys attorney, Mark Bankston. He has resumed questioning of Karpova.

Jones legal team asks about Infowars products

3:03: Jones attorney asks Karpova about the products that Infowars sells. She glances at Jones as she launches into a lengthy defense of the supplements and pills he sells to support his platform. Jones looks ahead at her.

In response to a question from the attorney, Karpova says that Jones doesnt and couldnt track how much product he sells based on whats discussed on his show.

In 2017 video, Jones expresses condolences to families

2:55 p.m: Jones legal team plays a video of Jones from around Fathers Day 2017 expressing condolences to the families whose loved ones died in Sandy Hook.

I dont believe the parents ever saw that video, to be frank, Karpova says.

Sandy Hook mother Scarlett Lewis looked directly at Karpova as she talked about how the parents never reached out about going on the show.

Alex Jones returns to the courtroom

2:45 p.m.: Daria Karpova says that in 2015 Jones ordered his staff to stop writing or talking about Sandy Hook. As she said this, Alex Jones and his security team walked back in the room, and several jurors turned their attention toward him.

Court resumes after lunch break

2:33 p.m.: Court has resumed after lunch break. Sandy Hook father Neil Heslin did not return to the courtroom after lunch. Jones, who left earlier in the morning, also did not return.

Jones attorney, Andino Reynal, has resumed questioning of Infowars producer Daria Karpova.

Court takes lunch break

1 p.m.: Court is on a lunch break after the jury watched another video of Alex Jones discussing the Sandy Hook shooting on Infowars.

Infowars producer returns to the stand

12:25: Following the video, Karpova is back on the stand, listing people other than Alex Jones who have said the Sandy Hook massacre never happened.

James Fetzer, for example, wrote a book called No one died at Sandy Hook. In 2019, a Wisconsin jury awarded Sandy Hook father Leonard Pozner $450,000 in defamation damages from Fetzer.

Defense attorneys have argued that 24 percent of the population believed there was a cover-up of some kind, and that Jones was a primary driver of that belief.

The defenses line of questioning seems to be designed to refute Jones impact.

Jones walks out of courtroom before video of him plays

11:55: The jury is watching a video of Jones on the day of the shooting in 2012, live reporting events as they happen.

Jones, in the video, talks about how events like this are sometimes staged and blames video games, among other reasons.

There was no real visible reaction from Heslin and Lewis to watching the video. The jury is watching intently, with a few taking notes.

11:16: Alex Jones walked out of the courtroom just before his attorney began to play an Infowars video of him discussing the Sandy Hook massacre as the news was developing the day of the shooting.

Infowars producer back on the stand

11:10: Reynal asked Karpova to draw distinctions between calling something staged and a false flag, and saying that no one was killed.

Karpova said that if something is staged or a false flag Doesnt necessarily imply that no one was killed.

A patsy, she said, is a real person being used by the government or someone else.

They would end up being the fall guy, she said.

DARPA, she said answering Reynals question, is an agency that deals with research development of weapons.

11:05: The jury is back in the courtroom. Infowars producer Daria Karpova has returned to the stand for the third day in a row. Jones attorney continues to question her.

Judge denies Jones efforts to introduce new evidence

11:04: Judge denies Jones' last-minute effort to introduce videos that the parents' attorneys objected to.

Among the parents' attorney's objections was that they couldn't verify the authenticity of the videos, Bankston said, "I don't have any way of knowing what they did to those videos."

Alex Jones attorney apologizes after Wednesdays heated exchange

10:20: Judge Gamble began day three of the proceedings with an admonition for both sides following the previous evenings theatrics.

The next time anyone wants to have an argument, take it outside, the judge said.

Jones attorney, F. Andino Reynal, who was seen raising his middle finger to the parents attorney on Wednesday, stood and asked to address the court, only to have Gamble deny his request.

Later, Reynal offered an apology to the court as he continued to make his case for introducing new video evidence.

I apologize, he said.  It wasnt appropriate. I took to heart what your honor said. I wrote an email to the (parents') attorney that I apologized and hoped we could work together cooperatively.

A break was called to review evidence that Reynal would like admitted to court.

Opposing attorneys argue over presenting certain evidence

10:15: After a tense, argumentative evening, attorneys are arguing about what evidence should be allowed.

I dont think the jury can consider the atmosphere of paranoia if there was one, without reviewing all the emails, Jones attorney Andino Reynal said.

When asked if some videos were previously disclosed to the plaintiffs, Reynal said yes, though the judge asked if they were disclosed appropriately.

Was this another time in which your clients chose not to comply with discovery? she asked.

Alex Jones, Sandy Hook families arrive in the courtroom Thursday

10:08: Judge Maya Guerra Gamble asked Jones if he was chewing gum. He said he wasnt.

10 a.m. Thursday: Infowars host Alex Jones, as well as Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, have arrived in the Texas courtroom for the third day of testimony in the defamation damages trial. With the parents are their son, JT Lewis, older brother of Jesse.

Heslin and Lewis attorney, Mark Bankston, is in the courtroom with them. Jones attorney, F. Andino Reynal, arrived in the courtroom after Jones.

Reynal and Bankston got into a disagreement on Wednesday evening over Reynal wanting to introduce additional video exhibits, leading to the Jones attorney calling Bankston a liar and giving him the middle finger.

Heated exchange between the attorneys wraps up day on Wednesday

6 p.m. Wednesday: Emotions ran high after the judge left the room on Wednesday, with Alex Jones attorney giving the finger to the Sandy Hook parents attorney.

The incident came after a tense discussion between the judge and the attorneys once the jury left the courtroom. F. Andino Reynal, Jones attorney, wanted to introduce new video evidence  something Mark Bankston, attorney for the parents, opposed because he said he wouldnt have time to review the videos.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered them to look over the videos and determined that they would discuss the evidence again Thursday morning. The attorneys and judge will meet at 9 a.m., and the jury will be called in later, she said.

In another exchange, Reynal called Bankston dishonest after the familys attorney objected to being called a personal injury lawyer during court. The judge scolded Reynal, saying she would assume that its been a rough day and told him to review the attorney code of conduct.

After the judge left the room, Bankston walked over to talk with Reynal about the exhibits. During the conversation, Reynal got close to Bankston's face and called him a liar, and flipped him off.

Bankston began telling Reynal to back off, before fellow attorney Bill Ogden defused the situation by getting the two sides to have a phone call later after they had calmed down.

My clients are extremely pleased with how the proceedings are going, Bankston said afterward. We look forward to continuing a public airing of Mr. Jones misdeeds.

Reynal declined to talk about the scuffle after court ended.

Jury is let go for the day

5:46: The judge has let the jury go for the day.

Alex Jones attorney questions Infowars producer

5:25: The plaintiffs examination of Karpova has begun, with a bit of an explanation of who she is and where she works.

She said she began working at Infowars in 2014, though she grew up playing music. After exiting the military she looked for a way to remain in music, and learned sound design which led to a role at Infowars.

Sandy Hook attorney finishes questioning Infowars producer

5:17 p.m.: Sandy Hook attorney Mark Bankston has wrapped up questioning of Infowars representative Daria Karpova. He had started questioning her on Tuesday and continued to do so all day on Wednesday, with some breaks for the jury, judge and attorneys in between.

F. Andino Reynal, attorney for Alex Jones, began questioning Karpova directly afterward.

Alex Jones doesnt return to courtroom

4:33 p.m.: Alex Jones does not return to the courtroom after a break. He had gotten into the elevator as everyone else was preparing to return to court. The Sandy Hook parents are present and watching their attorney continue to question an Infowars representative.

Alex Jones waves at Sandy Hook dad outside courtroom

4 p.m.: During a break just outside the courtroom, Jones was talking with his security person by the elevators when Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin walked by. Jones smiled and waved at him. Heslin looked at him in apparent disbelief but didn't otherwise acknowledge him and kept walking by.

Alex Jones reacts in the courtroom

3:52: Attorney Bankston asked Infowars representative Karpova whether Jones statements about the school were false  Karpova turned her eyes at Jones for just a second before answering, Yes, they were.

3:48: Sandy Hook father Neil Heslin watched Jones as a clip from Infowars played from the jury. Jones, meanwhile, looked down at the table, then at the screen.

3:44: Jones shakes his head after Bankston said he was on notice about his producers concerns about the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories.

Judge says Infowars producer is considered corporate representative

3:25: The judge excused the jury for a few moments to discuss with lawyers Karpovas role.

It is the defenses position that Karpova is not a corporate representative of Free Speech Systems, and was not an employee at the time of the shooting and the years immediately following.

The judge, however, said she is the corporate representative for the issues she was specifically asked to testify about.

During the discussion, Jones attorney said, "I'm uncomfortable with (Bankston's) line of questioning. It makes Free Speech Systems look unprepared for trial."

The judge responded: "Nobody can do that but Free Speech Systems."

When the jurors returned and Karpova took the stand again, she smiled at Jones, who is sitting next to his lawyer.

Sandy Hook parents Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin have been watching Karpova closely during her testimony.

Infowars producer questioned about emails to and from Sandy Hook denier

3 p.m.: Attorney Bankston questions Karpova again about the email Sandy Hook denier Wolfgang Halbig sent to mother Scarlett Lewis.

Bankston attempted to get Karpova to admit that the email is harassment. She replied that she cannot comment.

Bankston asked about another email sent from the Diocese of Bridgeport to Halbig threatening legal action if he continued to go onto school grounds.

Halbig believed that the St. Rose of Lima School in Newtown, Bankston said, were the so-called crisis actors who had portrayed students at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Karpova blocked all questions, refusing even to say that the email came from the Diocese of Bridgeport, despite seeing letterhead on the screen in the courtroom.

Alex Jones back in court after lunch

2:35 p.m.: Infowars host Alex Jones returned to the courthouse after the lunch break, wearing jeans and a dark blue suit jacket.

The parents attorney, Mark Bankston, has resumed questioning Daria Karpova, Infowars producer.

Court takes lunch break

1 p.m.: The judge then called for an hour-and-a-half lunch break.

Infowars producer says jury will believe the truth is on our side

1 p.m.: The attorney for the plaintiff shared an email from Wolfgang Halbig sent to plaintiff Scarlett Lewis on March 10, 2015, in which he tells her, The scam is up.

The email was provided to plaintiffs attorneys by Infowars. Karpova, asked if that counts as harassment, did not reply.

12:30: When asked if she believes Heslin and Lewis are fake parents, Karpova said no.

I believe their grief is being used, she told attorney Bankston. Youre using their grief to make bank.

She continued that I believe this reasonable jury will believe that the truth is on our side in this case.

Judge rebukes Infowars producer during questioning

12:25: Another rebuke from the judge: Mr. Reynal will ask questions later. Right now you have to answer Mr. Bankstons questions, she told Karpova.

When asked if Jones had displayed maps that showed where Sandy Hook parents were getting their mail, Karpova was evasive, and the judge agreed she was being unresponsive.

12:05 p.m.: As shown in a video in the courtroom, Jones claimed on his show that former Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent an email to gun control groups 24 hours before the shooting that an event was going to be staged.

Bankston repeatedly asks Karpova to comment on videos, and she repeatedly responds that she cannot, despite being asked to prepare testimony on a series of videos.

11:26: I dont want your apologies, the judge told witness Karpova when she refused to answer if she remembered being deposed on a specific document.

Karpova, a producer at Infowars, said she could not truthfully answer the question, and apologized, a response the judge said was not acceptable.

Testimony begins on Wednesday in Alex Jones Sandy Hook trial

11:05: Bankston continues to show Karpova a series of videos in which Jones claims there are photos of children alive who officials said had died in the shooting, among other allegations.

Bankston appears to be attempting to demonstrate that Jones continued to raise doubts about the fact of the massacre, using Halbig and others to support those claims, and never fact-checked any of his claims.

This stinks to high heaven, Jones said on video.

Karpova responds by placing blame on Halbig, and claiming that Jones believed what he was saying at the time.

I know for a fact that he wasnt lying in that video, Karpova said. If he remembered wrong thats another matter.

10:38: When asked why Wolfgang Halbigs credentials were not checked, Karpova said I am not the arbiter of ultimate truth, and claimed its not possible to go through every email the company gets.

Halbig, a guest on Alex Jones show, was vehement that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged.

10:25 a.m. - Infowars producer Daria Karpova is back on the stand today, with attorney Mark Bankston, representing parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, going through videos posted by Infowars in which they claimed there were crisis actors and that the Sandy Hook massacre was an Obama gun grab.

Karpova blamed contradictions in the media.

Video titles, she said, like Crisis actors used at Sandy Hook, are Meant to grab a persons attention.

Jurors released for the day on Tuesday

6 p.m.: The parents attorney says he plans to call two to three witnesses on Wednesday. The judge, attorneys and others in the courtroom leave for the day.

5:58 p.m.: The jurors are released for the day. Alex Jones attorney requests a mistrial, which the judge quickly denies. The judge says the plaintiffs have used more than three hours of time, while the defendants have used over an hour of time.

Infowars producer takes the stand

5 p.m.: Infowars producer Daria Karpova is on the stand, acting as corporate representative.

Asked to analyze analytics for Infowars, Karpova refused to confirm why Infowars collects statistics on its website traffic, or even confirming that it does.

Karpova was asked if she was asked to prepare information on audience reach. She replied that its very hard to determine reach.

Attorney Mark Bankston appears to be attempting to show that Infowars is an influential media site on a variety of platforms, including radio, television, websites and social media.

This is counter to the claim of Jones attorneys that he and Infowars have been deplatformed.

Sandy Hook mom thanks witness

4:48: As he left the courtroom, Jewiss, the lead investigator in the shooting, leaned over the bar to embrace Scarlett and shake Heslins hand. She whispered thank you to him.

Jury questions witnesses

4:30: Questions from the jury to witnesses have been submitted to the court.

The judge is determining which questions are relevant, such as How many hours or days after the shooting did you first see the scene of the crime?

One question asked Jewiss In his experience and observation did Mr. Heslin and Ms. Lewis experience greater trauma from the harassment than from the loss of their son. That question will not be asked after an objection from attorneys.

Another question was In the aftermath of school shootings what if anything brings the most solace to a mourning family?

Alex Jones attorney questions Sandy Hook investigator

3:50: When asked who also harassed families, including former Florida police officer Wolfgang Halbig, Jewiss was not sure how to answer.

It is OK to say I dont know the answer to that, Judge Gamble said. Its a lawyer thing. I used to do it all the time.

As I sit here today I know that Alex Jones talked about Neil Heslins interview with Megyn Kelly, Jewiss replied.

3:35: Reynal asked Jewiss what time he reported to Sandy Hook Elementary on the day of the shooting. Jewiss replied that he did not go to the school on the day of the shooting but reported to the Newtown Police Department.

Reynals questions are focused around the difficulty preserving evidence at the scene, specifically whether or not he knew that Heslin had access to his sons body.

When asked about the relevance of that line of questioning, Reynal said he is trying to show that it is reasonable to assume that some Infowars watchers could conclude that the massacre did not happen according to the media narrative.

This argument goes to the intentional infliction of emotional distress charge, against which Reynal is arguing that any emotional distress Jones may have caused was not necessarily intentional.

3:20: When asked why it was important for Jewiss to be present, he responded that, Its still our job to support those families in every way possible and its absolutely horrific the amount of trauma they've had to bear in the wake of losing a loved one.

Ill continue to support them any way they can, he said, calling it the most important thing Ive ever done in my career.

Attorney Reynal, representing Jones, is now cross-examining Jewiss.

Sandy Hook parents attorney questions investigator

3:18: Jurors focused closely on Jewiss testimony closely, with several scribbling notes in white legal pads.

Shortly after taking the stand, Jewiss flashed Lewis and Heslin a friendly smile as their attorney asked whether he was familiar with the family.

3:10: Jewiss, the investigator, is going through documents related to the Sandy Hook massacre and the role that Alex Jones played after the trial.

The file includes lab reports, written reports from police officers, 911 calls and more. That file was available on the internet, Jewiss confirms.

2:50 p.m.: Following a break for lunch, Attorney Mark Bankston, representing the Sandy Hook parents, ask questions of Daniel Jewiss, an instructor and investigator at the Dolan Consulting Group who was the lead investigator in the Sandy Hook shooting.

Alex Jones does not return to court after lunch

Alex Jones spoke to members of the media outside the courthouse during the lunch break. He then went across the street to Phoebes Diner.

Alex Jones attorney says Jones regrets what he said about Sandy Hook

12:55: Alex Jones has already been punished, Reynal said. He regrets what he did and hes paid a price for it.

Jones, Reynal said, gets chased down the street and told he is responsible for the death of the children in the massacre, but because he has been canceled his side of the story cannot be told.

12:35: Attorney Reynal points to other individuals in what he called the trurther community, including James Fetzer and Wolfgang Halbig, who questioned the fact of the Sandy Hook massacre.

Alex Jones has apologized repeatedly for the coverage he gave to the truther community, Reynal said. He trusted people he shouldn't have trusted.

He regrets that now, and he has said so, Reynal said. He was looking at the world through dirty glasses, and if you look at the world through dirty glasses, everything is dirty.

Alex Jones attorney begins opening arguments

12:21 p.m.: With the attorney for Heslin and Lewis finishing opening statements before a break, the attorney for Jones begins by telling the jury they have been lied to: The most important rule I heard as a young lawyer. Do not lie to the jury if you hope to get the verdict that you requested. What we heard was a conspiracy of lies.

I am honored to represent Jones, attorney Andino Reynal said.

Reynal begins by telling the jury that Jones has been deplatformed, and that his influence is far smaller than the attorney for plaintiffs suggested.

Alex Jones speaks to media during the break

Noon: During a break, Jones spoke with the media, which the judge in the case was not happy about.

We are not going to have that again, she said. She told both defense and plaintiffs that they are not allowed to speak to the press on the fifth floor, where the jury might hear, and limited those conversations to the first floor lobby or outside the courthouse.

Court takes a 20 minute break

11:48: Attorney Mark Bankston finishes his opening statement, and the judge called for a 20 minute break.

Attorney Bankston describes the harassment Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis faced

11:45: As Bankston turned his attention directly at Jones, accusing him of lying in order to sell supplements, a few of the jurors made quick glances over at the defense table, where Jones whispered something to his attorney.

11:34: More likely true than not true. Thats how attorney Bankston described the standard of proof used in this trial, as in all other civil trials. The standard, he said, is preponderance of evidence.

Bankston said that 24 percent of the population, one in four Americans, believed that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged.

Youre going to hear that Mr. Jones was the exclusive driver of that belief, Bankston said, which encouraged Jones followers to accost and harass Heslin and Lewis.

He intended to inflict emotional distress, Bankston said of Jones. And now he wants to pay a dollar for it.

11:30: Jones continued looking ahead or down at the table, shaking his head, as Bankston displayed a photo of six-year-old Jesse Lewis on a large TV screen in the courtroom. Jones did not look at the screen.

Lewis' parents, meanwhile, stared intently at their son the first time his image was shown to the courtroom.

11:15: Heslin and Lewis, parents of Jesse Lewis who died during the 2012 massacre were at their breaking point in 2017 when Heslin went on Megyn Kellys show to plead for the harassment to stop.

On June 24, 2017, Infowars struck back directly at Mr. Heslin, attorney Bankston said.

Attorney for Sandy Hook parents shows clips of Jones on Infowars

10:55: I knew they had actors there though I thought they killed real kids, Alex Jones said on television, as attorneys showed in court.

The familys attorney, Bankston, is showing clips of Jones claiming over the course of years that the Sandy Hook massacre was fake and a false flag operation.

Mr. Jones is going to keep repeating the same false claims, Bankston said.

Scarlett Lewis appeared to swallow and clench her jaw as her attorney played an Infowars clip in which Jones said of Sandy Hook, "the whole thing is a total hoax."

Jones, meanwhile, occasionally nodded or shook his head while Bankston described how his operation went from a local radio call-in show to a pioneering internet media outlet that spread conspiracy-laced videos to "billions" of viewers.

Attorney for Sandy Hook parents say Jones broke the rules in a way the world has never seen before

10:44 a.m.: Its about guns. Attorney Bankston says Jones played on the fear that then-president Barack Obama staged Sandy Hook in order to generate the fear that the government was planning on taking away his viewers guns.

10:26 a.m: The Sandy Hook parents attorney, Mark Bankston, began by sharing some rules with the jury. You cant recklessly tell lies about someone, he said. Jurors are here, he said, because those rules were broken, and they were broken in a way the world has never seen before.

Jones, Bankston said, was one of the first media personalities who understood the internet. The primary way this business operates is to sell products, Bankston said.

Those products dictate the kind of news that is shared on Infowars. He is trying to convince viewers that powerful entities are trying to hide the truth, and Jones role is to reveal the truth.

In 2012, Mr. Jones made a choice that day to go on the air and claim the Sandy Hook massacre was a false flag, the attorney said.

Alex Jones Sandy Hook trial proceedings being

10:21 a.m.: Proceedings are getting underway in Austin, Texas. Both sides  Alex Jones and Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis are in the courtroom today.

Yesterday, Jones lawyer said not to expect him in court due to illness. Photos from outside the courthouse show Jones arrived with tape on his mouth that says Save the 1st and advertises his Infowars show. Jones has said that he has the First Amendment right to be wrong about his false claims regarding the Sandy Hook massacre.

Alex Jones, parents of Jesse Lewis appear in court for opening arguments

10:15 a.m.: Jones is staring straight ahead or conferring with his attorneys for the trial begins.

9:40 a.m. Tuesday: Alex Jones walked into the fifth floor courtroom at the Heman Marion Sweatt courthouse in downtown Austin around 20 minutes before the trial was set to begin on Tuesday, wearing a brown plaid suit and a short beard. While he wore tape over his mouth as he entered the courthouse, it had been removed by the time he reached the courtroom.

Neil Heslin, the father of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis, watched Jones as he took his seat. Lewis' mother, Scarlett Lewis, stared straight ahead.

Jones did not say anything to the plaintiffs or the courtroom audience as he walked in.

Attorneys began squaring off Tuesday even before the judge gaveled in the first day of Jones' trail to decide damages in the defamation lawsuit brought by Sandy Hook families.

Andino Reynal, Jones' lawyer, brought several large cardboard cutouts into the courtroom before Jones made his entrance.

Mark Bankston, the lawyer for Lewis and Heslin, caught a glimpse of one of the cutouts and said "No, we're going to object to that."

The images on the cutouts were not viewable from the gallery. Shortly afterward, attorneys for both sides entered the judges chambers for a brief conference.

- John Moritz

Day 1 of jury selection wraps up

7 p.m.: Judge Maya Guerra Gamble and the attorneys discuss the plan for Tuesdays opening arguments. Each side will have an hour for opening statements.

She said the attorney teams will have access to two board rooms and other spaces in the courthouse.

If I find out you make a mess, you leave food, trash on the table, anything, youre going to get kicked out of the room and you wont get back in, she said.

Jurors sworn in for Alex Jones Sandy Hook trial

6:50 p.m.: Judge Maya Guerra Gamble announced the jurors who were selected for the trial.

The judge read the rules that the jurors must follow, such as discussing anything about the case, including with their spouse, friends or among themselves. She reiterated this point.

You can say youre on a jury, thats it, the judge said.

She urged the jurors not to watch or read the news due to the anticipated extensive media coverage of the case.

We want a trial based only on the evidence presented in court, she said.

She said the trial will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and last two weeks.

One juror says she has a bias against people like Alex Jones

4:45: One juror tell lawyers that her dad was murdered and that as part of a settlement, I got a million dollars. She used that money to start a school in Costa Rica, she said.

She expressed a sense of bias against people like Alex Jones.

Alex Jones may not be in court through parts of the trial, attorney says

4:30: Jones himself may not personally appear in the courtroom much over the course of the trial, as attorney F. Andino Reynal said: Alex, You may have noticed is not here, like the plaintiffs. He may not be here through parts of the trial.

Jones, Reynal said, has medical issues that prevent him from being present and that he has no obligation to be here.

Jones attorney asks if jurors have heard of the Infowars host

4 p.m.: Jones attorney F. Andino Reynal asked potential jurors how many had heard of Alex Jones and of those, how many formed a firm negative impression based on what they had read or seen.

Many potential jurors responded that, yes, they had heard of and developed a negative impression of Jones before this trial.

Court resumes after lunch

3:10: Back from a break, an attorney for Alex Jones is asking the jury what the phrase justice is blind means to them. When were looking for jurors, you dont check your common sense at the door.

Judge calls for lunch break

1:40: Judge Gamble calls for a one-hour lunch break.

Jurors discuss defamation, cancel culture, and their opinions related to Jones

1:32: One juror asks if there is a definition of defamation, and is told that the court has already determined that there was defamation. The question before her is, would she be able to calculate the damages required by defamation, to which the juror replied I dont know.

1:30 When asked if anyone believes Alex Jones and his company have been treated unfairly in the media, no juror replied in the affirmative.

1:22: When asked if there were any problems with being on the jury, one potential juror said she has Strong feelings about the person who is on trial and strong feelings about the people who follow that person.

Attorney Ball then asked another juror about her feelings on cancel culture, to which she responded that she believes people can be held accountable for her public views.

Judge, attorney describe the standard the jury must use

12:53 p.m.: The standard being used by the jury to determine the award in this case is preponderance of the evidence, as opposed to other standards such as beyond a reasonable doubt. After a break, Attorney Wesley Ball asks the jury if that standard might make it difficult for them to determine an award.

When asked if any jurors might have trouble making a determination based on that standard, specifically when it comes to a question of mental anguish, at least five jurors agreed that they would have difficulty.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble also noted that the questions being asked are penalties for  committed defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Hurt feelings is not a cause of action, she said.

Jurors, attorney discuss free speech, politics

12:10 p.m.: I believe in free speech but the media needs to be held accountable, one juror said. Jurors are discussing with attorney Ball their beliefs about the freedoms of speech and what penalties, if any, a member of the media should bear for knowingly sharing incorrect and misleading information.

One juror argues that there may be a limit to those penalties. I dont know what the threshold is, but I dont think it should be $100 million or something like that.

11:52 a.m.: Attorney Ball asks the jury if they have been following other, similar trials, including any with large, multimillion dollar penalties, or the contempt of Congress case against Steve Bannon. A few jurors respond in the affirmative.

11:45 a.m.: Words can hurt, one juror said, but to take it to this level I think its a little silly. Attorney Ball asked the juror if he felt that opinion would make it difficult to be a part of the jury and sit in judgment, to which the juror said yes.

11:30 a.m.: Juror number 75 asked if being a conservative Republican might exclude him from the jury. Ball replied that no, being a conservative Republican politically would not immediately preclude a juror.

Jury selection begins

11:15 a.m.: Jury selection has begun with attorney Wesley Ball, who is representing Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarett Lewis laying out the facts of the case and beginning to ask potential jurors some questions.

CORRECTION: An original version of this article incorrectly identified the name of the Sandy Hook parents attorney who spoke to jurors on Monday. The attorneys name is Wesley Ball.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  With just days left in his tenure, the embattled director of the federal prison system faced a bipartisan onslaught Tuesday as he refused to accept responsibility for a culture of corruption and misconduct that has plagued his agency for years.

Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, testifying before the Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, insisted he had been shielded from problems by his underlings  even though hed been copied on emails, and some of the troubles were detailed in reports generated by the agencys headquarters.

Carvajal, who resigned in January and is set to be replaced next week by Oregons state prison director Colette Peters, blamed the size and structure of the Bureau of Prisons for his ignorance on issues such as inmate suicides, sexual abuse, and the free flow of drugs, weapons and other contraband that has roiled some of the agencys 122 facilities.

Carvajal said several times that the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Departments largest component with a budget of more than $8 billion  was a very large and complex organization and that there was no possible way for him to know everything that was going on.

Carvajals attempts to deflect responsibility for his leadership failings didnt sit well with the subcommittees chairman, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., nor its ranking member, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., whose scrutiny of the Bureau of Prisons was spurred in part by Associated Press reporting that has exposed myriad crises at the agency.

Further aggravating the senators, Carvajal initially refused to testify, only doing so after the subcommittee subpoenaed him on July 14  and then, upon arriving in the hearing room, claiming he was there voluntarily. Ossoff withdrew the subpoena immediately before Carvajal's testimony, only after the director appeared at the hearing.

Its almost willful ignorance, and thats what I find disturbing, Johnson said of Carvajals reluctance to own his mistakes. Dont want to know whats happening below me. Dont want to hear about rapes. Dont want to hear about suicides.

Added Ossoff: Its a disgrace. And for the answer to be other people deal with that. I got the report. I dont remember. Its completely unacceptable.

Afterward, Carvajal ran from reporters seeking to speak with him about his testimony. The director, whos declined nearly all interview requests since taking office in 2020, ducked into a freight elevator with aides before bolting down a stairwell once they realized reporters had followed them in.

Tuesdays hearing, one of several promised by the subcommittee, focused on years of misconduct and abuse at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta, but the problems unearthed there speak to larger systemic issues in the Bureau of Prisons, such as severe staffing shortages, deficient health care and barely edible food.

The Atlanta prison, a 120-year-old relic in Ossoffs home state, once housed some of the countrys most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone, James Whitey Bulger and Carlo Ponzi, the namesake of the Ponzi Scheme. Today, it's a crumbling, medium-security facility  no longer a penitentiary in the true sense of the term  with about 900 male inmates, including people awaiting trial.

Tuesday's hearing, which featured testimony from Atlanta whistleblowers prior to Carvajals questioning, came amid an AP investigation that has exposed widespread problems within the agency, including criminal employees, escaping inmates, a womens prison known to staff and inmates as the rape club because of rampant staff sexual abuse, and critically low staffing that has hampered responses to emergencies.

Witnesses described what they said was known as the Atlanta Way  a culture that allowed misconduct at the prison to persist for years.

Carvajal told the committee he only learned of the prisons problems last year and immediately took action, reducing the inmate population and removing dozens of managers. Despite that, the witnesses said, the facility is still in dire straits.

Ossoff said evidence obtained by the subcommittee's investigators showed agency leadership was made aware of problems at Atlanta as far back as 2014. Carvajal has been part a member of the agency's senior leadership since 2013.

Erika Ramirez, the Atlanta prisons former chief psychologist, said she was transferred to a different federal prison out of retaliation after raising concerns about poor conditions and a rash of inmate suicides. Ramirez said she alerted the prisons warden, other higher ups and the agency's headquarters, to no avail.

Ramirez said contraband issues were so prevalent that she confiscated a smuggled microwave from one inmate, only to find it in another prisoners cell just a few days later. She said she confirmed it was the same device when she saw the serial number, she said.

Ramirez said the mold-riddled prison had such shoddy infrastructure, elevators were constantly broken and the sewers would overflow into the recreation yard during rain storms, sometimes leaving a foot of human waste behind.

Terri Whitehead, a administrator who left the prison last year, testified there were so many rats in the food service area, employees would leave the prisons doors to the outside wide open so stray cats could take care of them  an approach she said compromised the prisons security.

Ossoff told the AP after the hearing that Carvajals testimony lacked credibility at times and that the director's claims that he wasn't aware of the issues at the Atlanta prison until about a year ago strains credulity.

In one of the hearings tensest moments, Ossoff pressed Carvajal on rampant sexual abuse at FCI Dublin, a federal womens prison in Californias Bay Area known to staff and inmates as the rape club." Among the Dublin employees charged so far, the prisons former warden.

Is the Bureau of Prisons able to keep female detainees safe from sexual abuse by staff?" Ossoff asked. "Yes or no?

Yes, we are, Carvajal shot back. In those cases when things happen, we hold people appropriately accountable.

You are the director at a time when one of your prisons is known to staff and inmates as a rape club, Ossoff said, to silence and stares from Carvajal.

Pressed for an answer, Carvajal said the matter is under investigation.

Afterward, Ossoff took issue with Carvajal's claims that the Bureau of Prisons can keep female inmates  or any inmates  safe.

It is demonstrably false that female detainees in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons are safe, Ossoff told the AP. It is demonstrably false. And it is demonstrably false that any inmates can rely upon the quality of care and medical care at multiple BOP facilities.

___

On Twitter, follow Michael Balsamo at twitter.com/mikebalsamo1 and Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak. Send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/.
HARTFORD  A Waterbury man was sentenced to more than three years in prison Tuesday for distributing heroin, crack and cocaine, according to federal prosecutors.

Sherman Peters, also known as Red, 37, of Waterbury, has been detained since his arrest on March 9, 2021. On March 31, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said in a news release Tuesday.

Peters was one of 17 charged in a federal indictment last year in connection with a 10-month joint investigation from the Drug Enforcement Administrations New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department.

Starting in May 2020, law enforcement started looking into a drug trafficking organization believed to be led by Zachary Lee Foster. Police said the group distributed large amounts of heroin, cocaine and crack in the Waterbury area, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

From December 2020 to January 2021, police heard Peters on multiple wiretapped phone calls ordering drugs. In one of the phone calls, Peters could be heard ordering five bricks of heroin. In another call, Peters told Foster that he cooked 100 grams of powdered cocaine  making 108 grams of crack  and distributed ounces of crack to other dealers, according to court documents.

Street-level drug dealers, like Peters, are on the front line of drug trafficking organizations, Avery wrote in Peters sentencing memorandum. They, quite literally, put drugs into the hands of users, and, in doing so, effectively wage the war of addiction against families and communities.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment on March 1, 2021 charging Peters, Foster and 15 others.

Two days later, law enforcement executed seven search warrants connected to several members of the group. During the searches, police found about 40,000 bags of suspected heroin, 350 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of crack cocaine and nine firearms, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford sentenced Peters to 41 months  or three years and five months  in prison followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

After his incarceration, Peters plans to receive training to become an electrician or get his commercial drivers license to become a truck driver. He wishes to support his four children, marry his fiance and reconnect with his father, his lawyer, Frank J. Riccio, wrote in his sentencing memorandum.

He emphasizes that he wants to live a better and more productive life without criminal activity, Riccio said.

Foster reached a plea agreement in November 2021. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, heroin, cocaine base and cocaine, according to court documents. He awaits sentencing.
As one Alex Jones defamation trial began Tuesday in Texas, a judge in Waterbury addressed a series of housekeeping matters related to Joness separate Connecticut trial, which is set to start in September.

During a virtual hearing Tuesday, Judge Barbara Bellis approved the withdrawal of one of Joness attorneys, Cameron Atkinson, who had cited a fundamental disagreement, with the defendant. Bellis initially appeared reluctant to grant Atkinsons wish to withdraw from the case, describing a musical chairs of attorneys representing the anti-government conspiracy theorist, but approved the request when informed that Atkinson will leave Pattis & Smith, LLC, the firm representing Jones, next month.

Atkinson had previously described an untenable position, in which communication with Jones has broken down.

Atkinsons withdrawal leaves Norm Pattis to represent Jones in his Connecticut trial, which concerns Joness repeated claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre shooting was hoax. Pattis himself has attempted to withdraw from representing Jones on several occasions and earlier this month requested a greater role for Andino Reynal, a Texas attorney Jones trusts.

Bellis granted Reynal permission to sit at the defense table for Joness Connecticut trial but barred him from presenting evidence, examining witnesses or delivering arguments. Pattis said Tuesday that Reynal has decided not to attend, given that the judges order gives him no more rights than a spectator would have at trial.

Jones currently faces three separate defamation trials, including two in Texas and one in Connecticut, where the plaintiffs are an FBI agent who responded to the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as well as eight families who lost loved ones in the tragedy. Jones has already lost all three cases, leaving juries to determine only what he owes the plaintiffs in damages.

Jury selection for Joness Connecticut trial will begin Tuesday, with the trial itself slated to start Sept. 6.

During Tuesdays hearing, attorneys for Jones and the Connecticut plaintiffs discussed a range of issues including how many alternate jurors to choose, how many peremptory challenges to allow and whether to conceal the towns where the plaintiffs live to protect their privacy. Both sides described these questions as minor and promised to reach agreements by Thursday.

Though Jones will not be required to be present for jury selection or trial, Bellis said she will not allow his attorneys to make excuses for his absence to the jury. Whereas Jones had previously objected to attending hearings due to business demands, his Texas attorney said Monday that his absence from the trial in Austin owed to medical issues.

I have no idea what the truth is, but I do know that I was previously misled about Mr. Joness attendance or lack of attendance at his deposition, Bellis said. So what I will not have is any excuses by any party as to why their particular client is or is not attending.

Pattis denied that he or his colleagues had misled the court but agreed to comply with the judges order.

alex.putterman@hearstmediact.com
AUSTIN, Texas  A Texas jury heard opening arguments Tuesday that Alex Jones is responsible for one-quarter of Americans doubting that the Sandy Hook shooting happened and therefore should pay $150 million in damages to the parents of a slain boy Jones defamed.

This is the most despicable and vile campaign of lies and defamation in American history, the parents attorney Mark Bankston told a jury of 12 at 459th Civil District Court  in the hometown of Jones Infowars conspiracy and merchandising platform.

Jones winced visibly as he sat between lawyers as jurors looked on. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse Lewis who was among the 26 first graders and educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 sat intently and composed in the courtroom as Bankston wrapped up his opening statement.

The number of people who believe Sandy Hook was definitely or possibly staged is 75 million  so we believe a fair measure of the level of harm done to Neil and Scarlett is one dollar for every one of those people in emotional damage  and another $75 million for the damage to their reputation, Bankston said. That is a huge verdict for sure, but it will do justice to the level of harm that was done.

F. Andino Reynal, Jones lead attorney, rebutted that argument during his opening remarks, saying Jones has apologized repeatedly  and has already been punished by losing all his assets  millions of dollars.

Reynal did not elaborate about Jones financial losses. Jones who made $79 million in 2019, has paid at least $10 million in legal fees and lost at least $20 million as a result of three Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits he lost to families in Texas and Connecticut, his representatives said when he sought bankruptcy protection for three shell companies earlier this year.

Reynal told the jury that it was the chaos of the Sandy Hook shooting scene, inaccurate media reporting, polarization of the country and the existence of thousands of Sandy Hook truthers that was responsible for the segment of Americans who doubt the worst crime in modern Connecticut history happened. Reynal argued it was the Sandy Hook shooter, and not Alex Jones, who was responsible for the mental anguish that is honestly suffered by Mr. Heslin and Ms. Lewis.

Alex Jones is a human being just like every one of us and I want you to ask yourself, Reynal said to the jury, whether this is this an honest attempt by a personal injury lawyer to get just compensation for damages that were actually (suffered) or a cynical attempt by personal injury lawyer to enrich himself while silencing a political opponent and limiting every Americans right to choose what they listen to and what they believe.

In and out of the courtroom

Heslin and Lewis are expected to testify during the trial, but Jones appearance on Tuesday came as a bit of a surprise. His attorney had told jurors on Monday that Jones medical issues could prevent him from being at parts of the trial.

Jones showed up outside the courthouse wearing a piece of tape over his mouth that advertised his Infowars show and said Save the 1st, a reference to the First Amendment. He had taken the tape off by the time he got into the courtroom. Heslin watched Jones take his seat, while Scarlett Lewis, stared straight ahead.

Scarlett Lewis appeared to swallow and clench her jaw as her attorney played an Infowars clip in which Jones said of Sandy Hook, the whole thing is a total hoax.

Jones, meanwhile, occasionally nodded or shook his head while Bankston described how his operation went from a local radio call-in show to a pioneering internet media outlet that spread conspiracy-laced videos to billions of viewers.

Jones did not return to the courtroom after lunch, but told a Hearst reporter that he expects to be in court for some of the trial.

Introducing evidence

Attorneys were scheduled to introduce evidence Tuesday afternoon in a defamation awards trial thats expected to set the pace for two upcoming jury trials to award damages to Sandy Hook families Jones defamed in Texas and Connecticut.

The jury will hear evidence about how Heslin and Lewis suffered when they were defamed by Jones, who called the shooting of 26 first-graders and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary school staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors.

Alex Jones ruined the memory (of the parents slain boy) ... so that now every time Neil Heslin has to think about his last moment with Jesse this horrible, disgusting series of lies will forever be tied to his sons legacy... and there will always be this contingent of people who come out of the woodwork to confront Neil and Scarlett, Bankston told the jury.

The jury, which was selected Monday from a pool of Austin residents, will hear from Jones attorneys that the parents must prove damages they seek.

You are still allowed to decide how much damage Alex Jones caused, Reynal told the jury. In doing so, you can assess whether his words made their way to the ears of the (parents) and you can assess whether anybody was moved to act by anything Alex Jones said. The evidence will show he did not cause the harassment.

The jury will not hear evidence about the defamation case itself, which Jones lost by default with two other Sandy Hook cases in 2021. Instead, jurors will weigh how much in compensatory damages and how much in punitive damages Jones must pay.

Among the witnesses to take the stand was Daniel Jewiss, an instructor and investigator at the Dolan Consulting Group who was the lead investigator in the Sandy Hook shooting.

When asked why it was important for Jewiss to be present, he responded that, Its still our job to support those families in every way possible and its absolutely horrific the amount of trauma theyve had to bear in the wake of losing a loved one.

Ill continue to support them any way they can, he said, calling it the most important thing Ive ever done in my career.

As he left the courtroom, Jewiss leaned over the bar to embrace Scarlett Lewis and shake Heslins hand. She whispered thank you to him.

Stay tuned all week for updates.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP)  Abortion bans set to take effect this week in Wyoming and North Dakota were temporarily blocked Wednesday by judges in those states amid lawsuits arguing that the bans violate their state constitutions.

A judge in Wyoming sided with a firebombed womens health clinic and others who argued the ban would harm health care workers and their patients, while a North Dakota judge sided with the states only abortion clinic, Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo.

The Wyoming law was set to take effect Wednesday. The North Dakota law was set to take effect Thursday.

Meanwhile, West Virginia lawmakers moved ahead with a ban amid protests and dozens speaking against the measure.

During hours of debate leading up to the 69-23 vote in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates in West Virginia, the sound of screams and chants from protesters standing outside the chamber rang through the room.

Face us, the crowd yelled.

The latest court action in North Dakota and Wyoming put them among several states including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have temporarily blocked implementation of trigger laws while lawsuits play out.

Attorneys arguing before Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens, in Jackson, Wyoming, disagreed over whether the state constitution provided a right to abortion that would nullify the state's abortion trigger law that took effect Wednesday.

Owens proved most sympathetic, though, with arguments that the ban left pregnant patients with dangerous complications and their doctors in a difficult position as they balanced serious medical risks against the possibility of prosecution.

That is a possible irreparable injury to the plaintiffs. They are left with no guidance, Owens said.

Several states including Wyoming recently passed abortion trigger bans should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, which happened June 24. The U.S. Supreme Court formally issued its judgment Tuesday.

After a more than three-week review, Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, last week gave the go-ahead for the Wyoming abortion ban he signed into law in March to take effect Wednesday but it is instead on hold after the ruling.

The Wyoming law would outlaw abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mothers life or health, not including psychological conditions. Doctors and others who provide illegal abortions under Wyomings new law could get up to 14 years in prison.

The four Wyoming women and two nonprofits that sued Monday to contest the new law claim it violates several rights guaranteed by the state constitution. Wyoming Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde was skeptical, saying the state constitution neither explicitly nor implicitly allowed abortion.

No such right exists. You can't infringe what isnt there, Jerde told Owens.

The lawsuit claims the abortion ban will harm the women  two obstetricians, a pregnant nurse and a University of Wyoming law student  by outlawing potentially life-saving treatment options for their patients or themselves.

Those suing include a nonprofit opening a Casper womens and LGBTQ health clinic, Wellspring Health Access, that would have offered abortions. A May arson attack has set back the clinics opening from mid-June until at least the end of this year.

In North Dakota, Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick sided with the states only abortion clinic that the state had moved fast to let the law take effect. The clinic had argued that a 30-day clock should not have started until the U.S. Supreme Court issued its certified judgment on Tuesday.

The ruling will give the Red River clinic more time to relocate a few miles away to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion remains legal. North Dakotas law would make abortion illegal in the state except in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother.

Meetra Mehdizadeh, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is helping the clinic with the suit, said the plaintiffs will do everything in our power to fight this ban and keep abortion accessible in North Dakota for as long as possible.

In West Virginia, meanwhile, lawmakers on Wednesday debated a sweeping abortion ban bill on the House floor that would make providing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill makes exceptions for rape or incest up to 14 weeks of gestation and for certain medical complications.

Whats ringing in my ears is not the noise of the people here, said one of the bills supporters, Republican Del. Brandon Steele of Raleigh County. Its the cries of the unborn, tens of thousands of unborn children that are dead today.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said a 19th century law banned abortion in the state. Last week, a state judge barred the state from enforcing that ban, saying it was superseded by conflicting, newer laws.

Hundreds of people descended on the state Capitol for the debate. Many stood outside the House chamber and Speaker Roger Hanshaws office chanting and holding signs reading we will not go quietly and stop stealing our health care. Security officers escorted some from the House chambers.

Dozens spoke against the bill on the House floor including Katie Quinonez, executive director of the Women's Health Center of West Virginia, who was cut off and asked to step down as she started to talk about the abortion she got when she was 17.

I chose life, she said, raising her voice to speak over the interruption. I chose my life, because my life is sacred.

___

Associated Press reporter Dave Kolpack contributed to this report from Fargo, North Dakota. Willingham reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Follow Mead Gruver on Twitter at https://twitter.com/meadgruver.
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MADISON  The owner of Killingworths La Foresta restaurant plans to try again to get zoning approval to open a much-anticipated Italian steakhouse at the former Madison Winter Club.

The Planning and Zoning Commission in May denied Frasher Lulajs application for a special exception to allow a restaurant on the residential-zoned, 2.3-acre parcel at 251 Boston Post Road.

Lulaj is under contract to buy the Winter Club for $1.185 million on the condition he gets approval for a restaurant there; the original sale price was $1.45 million, according to real estate agent John Campbell of Page Taft/Compass, who is handling the sale.

Lulaj plans to submit a new application soon, according to Campbell, who said Lulajs attorney is working on an amendment to the zoning regulations.

Additionally, the town is considering broadening the existing Planned Development District in a controlled way, according to Town Planner Erin Mannix.

This district originally was proposed by former Town Planner Dave Anderson and approved by the commission in 2019.

But the timing seems right, Mannix said, noting another development proposal was presented that also would benefit from this amendment.

We are in the process of submitting a new application which should be done in the next couple of weeks, Campbell said.

Neither Lulaj nor his attorney, Jeff Beatty, would comment at this time.

PZC members were split 3-2 against Lulajs application to seek a zone change for the parcel to allow a restaurant.

Instead, according to Mannix, the town is looking to amend the zoning regulations and map to allow a floating zone for specific opportunity areas to allow redevelopment. The Winter Club site is one of those that would qualify, she said.

The floating zone, she said, can be a tool you can apply to other locations in town.

Mannix noted that under current regulations, while a club is allowed by a special exception permit in a residential zone, a restaurant is not a permitted use in that zone.

She said the commission also wanted to end this spot-zoning process of granting special exceptions. With the Planned Development District, she said, You can selectively apply it to places where you do need redevelopment.

So it gives the commission a sense of control over where they have full discretion in their legislative capacity to look at this master plan and how it relates to the adjacent properties, she said.

While the potential owner did not get his approval the first time around, it was not all bad news, according to Campbell.

They were denied 3 to 2 but two of the three negative votes really wanted the restaurant to be approved, but they didnt like the language of the application, said Campbell.

They asked us to go back  and make it so that it was a little more structured, so that if this restaurant were to fail somebody couldnt just put up a McDonalds, Campbell said. They wanted it to be the same echelon of dining.

I think most of the board was excited, Campbell said. At the popular Italian restaurant La Foresta, he added, A lot of people from Madison go there.

Campbell noted that no one from the general public spoke against the project.

One resident, Peter J. Scranton whose letter was among 12 letters in support, said Lulaj has an excellent reputation in the restaurant industry and that La Foresta is a first class establishment and I am sure his venture in Madison will be as well.

After some 50 years, The Madison Winter Club closed last fall due to steadily declining membership. The club held functions and served dinners three nights a week with the capacity to seat 140 members; it employed its own chef seasonally, who lived in the apartment upstairs.

It was a difficult spot  what could be done there, Campbell said about selling the defunct club to prospective buyers. He noted that before it was a club it had been home to two different restaurants over the years.

Tom King, treasurer of the Madison Winter Club, is a big supporter of the proposed restaurant.

I think its an absolute terrific fit, he said. We have all the kitchen facilities there for a commercial kitchen..

And as far as were concerned its a natural transition from a private club to a restaurant, King said. Were looking forward to [them] working it out.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

OLD LYME  State police say they are looking for the driver who struck a cyclist Sunday afternoon and fled the scene.

State police said they responded to the scene of the crash near McMurdy Road around 6:40 p.m. Sunday.
RIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) _ EastGroup Properties Inc. (EGP) on Tuesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations.

The real estate investment trust, based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, said it had funds from operations of $73 million, or $1.72 per share, in the period.
BRIDGEPORT  A city woman is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond after police said she broke into another womans apartment and beat the victim with a pipe in front of the victims three children.

Nicole Barnes, 41, of Cottage Street, was charged with home invasion, first-degree assault, risk of injury to children and criminal mischief.

During Barnes arraignment Tuesday afternoon, Special Deputy Assistant States Attorney Stephen Lojo urged Superior Court Judge William Holden to set a high bond for Barnes.

The facts of this case are particularly disturbing, Lojo said.

But Barnes lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Carli Riccio, urged leniency for her client, arguing Barnes works full time as a certified nursing assistant and has four children.

Holden set the bond at $100,000 and continued the case to Aug. 9.

According to police, officers on Sunday were called to the P.T. Barnum Apartments on a call of an assault.

Police said the victim was being treated at the scene by medics for multiple bruises but refused to be taken to the hospital. A 12-year-old child was also being treated at the scene for a minor injury, police said.

Police said surveillance video showed Barnes and two other unidentified women bursting into the victims apartment carrying pipes and sticks. Barnes then began beating the victim with a pipe in front of the victims children, police said.

When Barnes lost her grip on the pipe, police said she then began beating the victim on the face with her fists.

Police said they have no motive for the assault at this time.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The California Supreme Courts chief justice said Wednesday that she will not seek a second 12-year term in November and will conclude her current term of office on January 1.

The announcement by Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye will give Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, his third opportunity to appoint a justice to the seven-member high court, and his first to pick a new chief justice.

Cantil-Sakauye was sworn in to office in January 2011 after she was nominated by former Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and was elected in the November 2010 general election.

She is the first Asian-Filipina American and the second woman to serve as the states chief justice. She said Newsom will be able to select from a diverse pool of qualified successors and that she believes she is leaving the courts in a solid, sustainable place.

Cantil-Sakauye told reporters that she is still having anxiety about her decision, but Ive accomplished much and started the ball rolling on many things that are of interest to us as a (judicial) branch.

Its just time after 12 years as chief and 32 years total wearing a black robe, she said.

Unlike U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges, California judges do not hold lifetime positions. She would have had to run for retention by voters in Novembers election.

Cantil-Sakauye, 62, made her announcement as the filing deadline is approaching.

Four associate justices on the seven-member court plan to seek retention in November.

It could be the largest crowd of justices on any one ballot in more than three decades, according to David Ettinger, an appellate lawyer who writes a blog about the California Supreme Court.

California voters simply vote yes or no on retaining justices in office, and they don't run against anyone.

Aside from Cantil-Sakauye, the four associate judges who plan to go before voters are:

 Justice Martin Jenkins, the first openly gay Black man on the states high court. He was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 to replace Justice Ming Chin.

 Justice Patricia Guerrero, the first Latina to serve on the California Supreme Court. Newsom appointed her earlier this year to succeed Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar.

 Justice Joshua Groban, who was appointed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2019.

 Justice Goodwin Liu, who was appointed by Brown in 2011.

Justices are up for retention in the first gubernatorial election after their appointment, and again if they fill an unexpired term for a previous justice.

Cantil-Sakauye is one of two remaining justices appointed by a Republican. Schwarzenegger also appointed Associate Justice Carol Corrigan.

In a statement, Newsom called her a fierce defender of access to the courts, noting that she opposed federal immigrant enforcement raids at courthouses. He did not disclose his plans to replace her.

Aside from heading the most populous states high court, Cantil-Sakauye also because of her position heads the Judicial Council of California, which is the administrative arm of the state courts, and the Commission on Judicial Appointments that considers governors nominees to fill judicial vacancies.

The judicial council received unusual attention during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic when it ordered $0 bail for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies.

By the time the council lifted the order months later, it had reduced jail populations by more than 20,000 suspects. But the council allowed individual counties to keep $0 bail as they saw fit, and some law enforcement officials faulted the practice for contributing to a surge in organized shoplifting, including mass smash-and-grab assaults on stores.

Cantil-Sakauye also supported ending Californias cash bail system, which lawmakers approved until the law was overturned by voters in 2020.

Ettinger said he wasnt terribly surprised that she's retiring, given her taxing job and longevity.

She performed extraordinarily well under extraordinary conditions, he said, first with a drastically slashed budget after the Great Recession and more recently during the pandemic.

He also credited her for setting the courts collegial tone and what he called its remarkable degree of unanimity even on controversial cases.

Cantil-Sakauye indirectly contrasted the California justices' good working relationship to the vitriol and distrust on the U.S. Supreme Court particularly since a leak of the high courts pending abortion decision earlier this year

That trust and respect and collegiality ... makes for, I think, why California at the high court operates so well together, she said.

The daughter of farmworkers, she recalled in a statement that her first exposure to the justice system was when my family faced eviction from our home and my mother felt helpless. And as a wife, she said, I felt the impact of unjust Japanese Internment on my in-laws.

The Sacramento native was appointed to Sacramento Municipal Court by then-Gov. George Deukmejian in 1990 and to the Sacramento County Superior Court by then-Gov. Pete Wilson in 1997, where she created and presided over the countys first court dedicated to handling domestic violence cases.

Schwarzenegger nominated her for the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento in 2005 before tapping her for the Supreme Court to succeed retiring Chief Justice Ronald George.

She is the second female chief justice, after Rose Elizabeth Bird, who served from March 1977 to January 1987 until she was rejected by voters.

Cantil-Sakauye said she has not yet considered her future while she focuses on her months left in office. But she categorically ruled out one option: "There will be no politics in my future.
China's positive global role underscored

By Zhao Ruinan (China Daily) 08:49, July 27, 2022

Photo taken on May 1, 2022 shows a container vessel docking at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has played a positive role in avoiding deepening global polarization and a new Cold War against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the "Indo-Pacific" strategy proposed by the United States, experts said on Tuesday.

They made the remarks during the International Conference on Trends in the International Landscape and China's Role After Russia-Ukraine Conflict. The meeting was held by the National Top Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, cautioned that the Russia-Ukraine crisis would deepen global confrontation and polarization for a long time as there is no sign of an end to the conflict.

The conflict, which has passed its fifth month, has triggered turmoil in the financial markets, and drastically increased uncertainty about global economic recovery.

In addition to the conflict, the US "Indo-Pacific" strategy and NATO's eastward expansion are also making the world more unstable, as these could bring not only just military conflicts in a specific region, but also stretch into the economic and security realms, said Li Xiangyang, dean of the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Instead, China has adopted a principle of peaceful development and played an important role in promoting economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

"China does not want to replace any other country," said Li, adding that China stands out by relying on the innovation of its development model and governance system.

Veronika Saraswati, senior researcher of the China Studies Research Unit at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, praised China's consistent foreign policy highlighting peace and development.

China's contributions express a desire to solve the crisis of the world and are based on the concept that the world has a shared future, said Saraswati, adding that "China encourages win-win cooperation and solidarity rather than domination" against the backdrop of the pandemic and the conflict.

On countering the gloomy situation of the global economy, Kikuchi Yona, chief researcher of the Japan Forum on International Relations, called for more cooperation between Japan and China.

"I believe that Japan and China should take this opportunity to improve the relationship," he said. "The two neighbors will need to make effort to avoid mutual distrust, while strengthening the framework for bilateral and multilateral dialogues."

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
One day in the middle of the 18th century, one of the greatest of all Englishmen, the writer Dr Samuel Johnson, was strolling in a churchyard with his friend James Boswell.

As they walked, they were discussing a fashionable theory of the age, which held that there was no such thing as objective, material reality. Instead, there were only individual peoples subjective perceptions, which meant you could never be entirely certain whether something existed or not.

The theory was obviously untrue, said Boswell, since we all know that other things exist. But, he added, it was impossible to refute it.

At that, Johnson drew back his foot and with mighty force kicked it against a large stone standing nearby. I refute it thus, he said gruffly.

Most of us, I imagine, know exactly what Johnson meant. When youve kicked a stone, you know its there. Reality exists, facts are facts and there is such a thing as concrete, objective truth. Two plus two is four, not five, and only a fool would deny it.

Meghan Markle is being sued for defamation by her own half-sister Samantha, after the Duchess of Sussex claimed in an interview that she grew up as an only child

Outraged

Only a fool . . . or Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. For in a peculiar new twist in the risible soap opera that is the Meghan And Harry Show, the former Hollywood TV actress has submitted papers to a Florida court arguing that there is not, after all, such a thing as objective truth.

In case youve lost track of the latest developments, Meghan is being sued for defamation by her own half-sister Samantha, who was outraged by the Duchesss claim in her Oprah Winfrey interview that she grew up as an only child.

According to Samantha, this is simply untrue. And like Dr Johnson kicking the stone, she points to her own existence as proof. Bizarrely, however, Meghans lawyers insist that this is not a simple matter of objective truth. The fact that she clearly does have a sister, they claim, is beside the point.

Instead, they say, her claim was a textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood. The fact that it was objectively untrue is irrelevant, for what matters is her personal and subjective feeling about her own childhood.

According to Samantha Markle the claim Meghan grew up as only child is simply untrue

Samantha Markle is pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008

To most of us, including the late Dr Johnson, this might sound like utter gibberish. Youre either an only child or youre not, whatever your subjective feelings might tell you.

Alas, Meghans relationship with reality appears to be, on occasion, very different from Dr Johnsons.

You may, for example, recall her telling Oprah Winfrey that she and Prince Harry were actually married three days before their spectacular wedding, in a back room by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

This turned out to be total nonsense. So was her suggestion implying that her son Archie was cruelly denied a royal title after a family member allegedly asked how dark his skin might be. (Actually, he was never entitled to one anyway.)

If I were being harsh, I might say that such events have shown the Duchess of Sussex to be someone who brazenly says whatever she thinks to win fame and invite sympathy and is perfectly happy to disparage both her own family and her husbands family in her obsessive pursuit of her own interests.

But lets be kind, as she and Harry are always instructing us. Perhaps the Duchess simply has a more avant-garde attitude towards objective reality than the rest of us?

During that gruesome Winfrey interview, for example, there was much talk of Meghans truth, as if truth itself were just another a subjective concept. And that, of course, is precisely how she and her fellow progressive enthusiasts often talk of truth and falsehood.

Meghan Markle has denied lying about 'growing up as an only child' during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, as the Duchess of Sussex faces a defamation lawsuit filed by her estranged half-sister Samantha

For people who consider themselves woke, objective reality matters far less than subjective opinion. There are no such things as facts; there are only feelings. And even if you come to a debate armed with a vast array of official statistics, none of them can compete with a self-described victims lived experience.

This isnt just a phenomenon confined to the Left, by the way. Donald Trumps press secretary once defended his blatant lies, such as his claim about the supposedly unprecedented size of his inauguration crowd, as alternative facts, as if nothing is really true and every account, however wrong, is equally valid.

But its among woke activists that you find the most flagrant indifference to objective reality and the most fervent obsession with subjective feelings.

When the eminent black educationalist Tony Sewell chaired a commission investigating racial and ethnic disparities in Britain, for example, his conclusion  that Britain isnt institutionally racist  drew torrents of abuse from Left-wing commentators.

Again and again, Sewells critics insisted that his pages of tables, charts, statistics and  yes  facts meant nothing beside their lived experience.

In charities, universities and public sector organisations, this obsession with lived experience  especially an experience of supposed victimhood  has assumed demented proportions.

Rachel Dolezal claimed to be of black and Native American descent and became head of her local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Exposed

Across the Atlantic, some academics have taken this to truly extraordinary extremes. You may recall the bizarre story of Rachel Dolezal, an art teacher who rose to become head of her local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the most prestigious black rights organisation in the U.S.

Dolezal claimed to be of black and Native American descent. In fact she was white, since her parents were of German and Czech extraction. But when she was exposed as a fraud, she insisted that the biological facts of her birth and parentage were irrelevant. Her essential essence, she said, was black. This, in other words, was her truth.

Then theres the whole vexed question of what constitutes a woman. You and I might think that fundamental biological reality is all that matters; but just try telling that to the transgender militants who insist that being a woman is a matter of feeling rather than fact.

Even our political parties have been infected by this madness, ditching scientific facts for the latest ideological fads. Labours Keir Starmer, for example, claims that its not right to say that only women have a cervix  a ludicrous denial of basic biological reality  and flatly refuses to define what a woman is.

Labours Keir Starmer, claims that its not right to say that only women have a cervix

Gibberish

In Sir Keirs Britain, then, would men and women, male and female, no longer exist? Or would biological sex be no more real than the blackness of Rachel Dolezals skin, or the Duchess of Sussexs past as an only child?

All of this stuff may sound like infantile gibberish. But it matters.

A world in which Meghan or  to be precise  Meghans lawyers can pretend she was an only child is a world in which reality itself becomes an endangered commodity.

If there is no such thing as truth  only my truth, your truth and the Duchess of Sussexs truth, all equally valid  then how can we stop lies and falsehoods from flourishing?

If everything is subjective, how can we persuade people that the Holocaust really happened or that Vladimir Putins war crimes are a matter of verifiable record? And how can we prevent conspiracy theories from taking root and eroding our democracy, if nothing is real and facts will always be trumped by feelings?

But, as so often, I suspect the answer to all this stuff is simply a bracing dose of common sense. A stone is a stone. We all know what a woman is. An only child doesnt have a sister.

And as for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex  well, Id better keep my personal and subjective feelings to myself.
The old saying seems to still stand; 'Pain is beauty'.

Remember the flock of influencers who were left permanently scarred and even suffered temporary blindness trying to get freckles by tattooing their own faces? A beauty botch if there ever was one!

Luckily, innovative brand utan have come up with a product that means you can avoid extreme sun-bathing and extreme social media trends! All in the power of a click

So can you channel your inner freckled beauty with the new utan Pen? Our writer put this summer beauty must-buy to the test...

Scroll down for video

Sun-kissed glow: Julia recently tried out the utan Pen and was amazed at the natural look and glow the faux freckles gave her (pictured left, before, and right, after using the utan Pen, 18)

After changing the tanning industry with their revolutionary tanning gummies and utan x Jamie CBD Tanning Water, which constantly sells out in seconds, beloved British brand utan is back with their unique and exciting new innovation which allows you to achieve the same sun-kissed results while still wearing your SPF.

Suitable for all skin types and tones, the utan Pen develops instant freckles that continue to develop over 8hrs, meaning they're unique to your skin tone and buildable just like a self-tan.

Whether your getting your sweat on at the gym or swimming in the sea on holiday, long lasting freckles are now possible without risking any damage - and all for just 18.

The utan Pen, which has launched in Superdrug stores nationwide, also doubles up as a contour pen for your cupid's bow, adding definition to your pout.

I couldn't tell you which were my natural freckles and which were utan's

Our writer & beauty addict Julia Pritchard put this pen to the test and was blown away by the results.

The utan Pen gave me an amazing day to night look that lasted in Britains heatwave.

Ive always preferred a more natural look when it comes to my makeup and the utan Pen let me build up freckles gradually till it was perfect for me.

'After work I headed out for last minute drinks and I was amazed by how easy it was to build on for something a bit more glam- the freckle pen doubling as a lip liner is genius!

Plus, I cant believe it managed to stay on when I was working in 40c heat - I was expecting to have to reapply.

Nighttime look: Julia also used the utan Pen as a lip liner and nose contour that allowed her to take her summer glow look from day to night effortlessly

Must-have: You can grab a utan Pen online direct for 18 (currently sold out online at Superdrug but available in stores nationwide)

Another huge fan of the utan's pen is lifestyle blogger @louiseinlondonnn - a pro when it comes to testing out fashion and beauty products and giving her honest opinion to her thousands of followers.

After showcasing how easy it is to use online, she adds: 'You're totally in control of how pigmented you want them. If you just want a little light freckle you can just keep tapping until it blends really seamlessly.'

She adds: Ive done a beauty spot above my lip because when I do my make-up I always put one on here those two I didnt tap out as much as the other freckles, because I want them darker and more pigmented. I love this look, absolutely love it- it looks so natural.

Genius: utan Pen is a gorgeous 2-in-1 lip overline & freckle pen and beauty fans are wowed by the results

Get the look: Tess before and after using only the utan Pen to create natural faux-freckles & a cupids bow liquid lip lift

No filter: Forget filters to show what you look like with freckles, the utan pen is the easy way to get a sun-kissed look that's always ready for social media

Before and after using the utan Pen to freckle & define. It's already set to be the beauty trend of the summer

Beauty enthusiast Louise loves the utan Pen saying: 'Youre totally in control of how pigmented you want them [freckles]. If you just want a light freckle you can keep tapping [with your finger] till it blends seamlessly Im going to purchase over and over again

The utan Pen can also be used to add definition to your cupids bow by lining the lips after applying a protective lip balm.

She said:  My [lips] definitely look fuller. Im super impressed.

She said: 'This is going to be a summer staple. This is going to be something that I'm going to purchase over and over again, especially when it's hot.'

Beauty fans are obsessed with the utan Pen which creates customisable freckles that develop across all skin-tones without any sun damage
A gay TikTok star has been praised for his 'brilliant' response to the Manly Sea Eagles players who have refused to wear a new pride jersey, describing them as 'homophobes' and the situation as 'ugly and tiring'.

Scott O'Halloran from Melbourne has been branded 'incredibly well articulated' for his composure in the now-viral video where he questioned the players place to 'define the validity of that jersey'.

Seven Manly Sea Eagles stars vowed to step down from Thursday's must-win match against the Sydney Roosters because of the new gay pride jersey.

Scott O'Halloran from Melbourne has been branded 'incredibly well articulated' for his composure in the now-viral video where he questioned the players place to 'define the validity of that jersey'. Pictured with his brother Scott

The Sea Eagles unveiled the jumper - called Everyone in League - on Monday to promote inclusivity of LGBT+ people in the NRL.

Listen up you fellas. When you put on your jersey you represent the sport and your team not your religion.

But star players Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau'atu, Tolutau Koula and Toafofoa Sipley have refused to run out wearing the 'inclusive' jersey. saying that wearing it would be against their religious beliefs.

Their decision has sparked an outpouring of public outrage, including from their own fans and club legends, while others have supported their freedom of religious beliefs.

It has since emerged three players have changed their mind and will play this week following an emergency meeting.

Seven Manly Sea Eagles stars vowed to step down from Thursday's must-win match against the Sydney Roosters because of the new gay pride jersey. Scott has now asked Manly to make the players step down for their 'outdated, backwards and homophobic views'

Scott says he's 'not surprised' by the 'homophobic' actions before launching a vicious tirade against the players

Scott has now asked Manly to make the players step down for their 'outdated, backwards and homophobic views'.

The clip begins with Scott's brother Luke explaining that he's just sent him a news article.

'I'm pretty sure you're about to blow up,' he says, before asking 'what are your thoughts?'.

Scott then says he's 'not surprised' before launching a vicious tirade against the players.

'Listen up you fellas. When you put on your jersey you represent the sport and your team not your religion, he said.

Manly players Sean Keppie (left), Kieran Foran (middle) and Reuben Garrick posed with the club's Everyone in League jersey, which was unveiled on Monday. The Sea Eagles unveiled the jumper - called Everyone in League - on Monday to promote inclusivity of LGBT + people in the NRL

Scott goes on to ask AFL players, people of faith and NRL fans and players to share the message to 'stand with the LGBTQI+ community'

'There are fans at home that are black, white, brown, Christian, Muslim, trans, gay, bi, straight.

'Who the f*** are you to define the validity of that jersey?

'Because last time I looked, it's the members that pay really big bucks, and the sponsors that pay even bigger bucks to keep your a***es employed.

'Now you either go and chuck that jersey on and you do your job or I'm asking your club to stand you down permanently for your outdated, your backwards and your homophobic views because let's be really f***ing clear here it's got nothing to do with religion.

Manly wingers Jason Saab and Christian Tuipulotu are among the players who oppose wearing the jersey on religious grounds

Toafofoa Sipley (left) of the Sea Eagles is tackled by Ben Condon of the Cowboys. Sipley is among the players who refuse to wear the new jersey

'I have a lot of religious friends that do not have a problem with my sexuality at all.'

He then goes on to ask AFL players, people of faith and NRL fans and players to share the message to 'stand with the LGBTQI+ community'.

'Let us know that we are included in Australian sports. Be an ally and not a homophobe it's really f***** ugly and tiring'.

The video quickly racked up thousands of comments - with many praising the comedy star for his take.

Haumole Olakau'atu (pictured) is a missionary at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), otherwise known as the Mormon Church

Josh Aloiai of the Sea Eagles (left) takes the ball during the round 19 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons on July 22 this year

'That's actually incredibly well articulated. Amazing,' said one.

'Wow I'm surprised how mellow he was, he must have wanted to get his point across and he ain't wrong,' added another.

'I'm a Christian not a homophobe. it's not right making other people feel like dirt,' said one.

'Preach but what about all the gambling and alcohol sponsors plastered all over their jerseys? They're sins too right?,' commented another.

'Wish I could triple like this !! Well said Scott!! Delivered with class and sass,' said another.

'This is amazing! We love you Scott,' commented one.

It comes after Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O lashed out at the group of Manly NRL players accusing them of hypocrisy.

The KIIS FM breakfast hosts weighed into the controversial debate on Tuesday morning, saying they didn't believe religion was the real issue.

The radio stars said they were at a loss trying to understand why some players refused to support the LGBT+ community when gambling company Pointsbet is the main club sponsor and their Brookvale Oval home ground is currently called 4 Pines Park after a beer company.

'The whole excuse of religion doesn't make sense. If they're all playing in a stadium sponsored by alcohol and all the jerseys are sponsored by a gambling company, it makes no sense,' Sandilands said.

'But they're okay to talk about gambling and encourage that,' Jackie O added.

Sandilands said everyone should 'take a moment to think about [the seven players' feelings]', suggesting people that furiously oppose homosexuality are often insecure about their sexuality themselves.

Jackie O said the players boycotting the jerseys were 'mean'.

'It's not good,' she said.
A model dubbed the 'world's hottest grandma' has left social media users swooning after sharing summer bikini snaps of herself, as well as revealing her age-reversal tips  including one special ingredient that she swears by.

Gina Stewart, 51, from The Gold Coast, regularly hits the headlines due to her 'youthful glow', having even been compared to former Playboy model Pamela Anderson, who is just a few years older at 55.

The grandmother-of-one, who has 340,000 followers on Instagram, sets hearts racing by sharing revealing pictures online.

She has now revealed the secrets to her age-defying looks, from drinking coconut water and have a cold shower daily to trying cryotherapy to get rid of the traces of time.

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Gina Stewart, 51, from The Gold Coast, has been dubbed the 'world's hottest grandma' due to her 'youthful glow'

The grandmother-of-one, who has an OnlyFan account, revealed the secret to her ag4e-defying looks

Gina, who has regularly been compared to Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, 55, said she swears by coconut water

According to Gina, drinking coconut water not only keeps her looking young but she also claims it can reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol, with the model referencing a study from 2008.

The model has at least one glass of the 'liquid gold' per day  especially during or after working out.

'Personally, I choose to have a glass of coconut water a day especially during or after working out,' she wrote.

Social media users rushed to comment under the post, complimenting the model.

This throwback pictures of Gina when she was younger shows that time has barely affected her looks

'The most beautiful woman in the world,' one person wrote.'

#AussiePamelaAnderson,' said someone else, followed by heart and fire emojis.

'Nuthin like a magnificent pair of love pillows,' added another user, likely referring to Gina's ample bosom, hidden by the coconuts. [sic]

'You get sexier literally every day, it's crazy,' one person wrote.

The model reveals she drinks one glass of coconut water a day, calling it 'liquid gold' and crediting it for her looks

The grandmother-of-one also revealed she takes a cold shower daily to keep her hair shiny and her skin tight

Gina is used to wowing her fans online thanks to her looks, and revealed she also avoids sugar 'like an enemy' in order to keep her looks

Another person added: 'Great advice from a sexy lady.'

The model, who has appeared in Maxim, has also revealed she avoids sugar where possible, calling the ingredient the 'enemy' and tells fans to read labels at the supermarket closely.

She said:'[...]..we have to be realistic, sometimes I do have a beer or a naughty slice of cake or chocolate etc but that is occasionally and not every day.

'Remember you are what you eat and drink; if you eat that cheesecake or a box of chocolates or drink coke be prepared to wear it the next day, after time it adds up to an unhealthy you.

Gina, who has appeared in Maxim magazine, said she sometimes has a 'naughty slice' or a beer, but that this is not a regular occurrence

The model advised to only treat yourself 'on special occasions' and stressed the importance of leading the nutritional information printed on food labels in the supermarket

'Treat yourself on special occasions and you will continue to enjoy the treats along the way.'

'Try to avoid sugar as it's your enemy and is hidden in everything today.

'Read all the labels at your supermarket and be aware of fake food and it's detrimental affect on your health short and long term.'

Previously, Gina has revealed that having a cold shower daily, alongside her aforementioned glass of coconut water, is the secret to stay looking youthful.

She also believes that this helps to speed up her metabolism, improves her hair and skin, as well as helping to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.

Gina also used to undergo cryotherapy, the use of extreme cold to freeze and remove abnormal tissue.

In recent months, she's claimed that there is a 'dark side' to fame and fortune as she's reportedly been forced to leave her home after paparazzi found out her address.

She's also opened up about her battles with anxiety, which made her fearful to leave her home due to 'vicious' online trolls.

Gina also admitted she used to undergo cryotherapy, the use of extreme cold to freeze and remove abnormal tissue.

The model has also said that cold shower helps with her muscle and helps to avoid inflammation
Queen Letizia of Spain looked typically elegant today as she attended a mental health meeting in Madrid.

The royal, 49, was greeted by Spain's Patronage president Gustavo Suarez Pertierra as she arrived at the UNICEF headquarters.

The mother-of-two donned a stylish red patterned summer day dress which she paired with brown leather strap wedges.

The stunning monarch's gown was cinched at the waist with a belt and her sleeves were rolled up to show off her bronzed tan.

Queen Letizia of Spain looked typically elegant today as she attended a mental health meeting in Madrid

The royal wore her brunette locks loose in a sleek straight style and she opted for chic diamond earrings.

The former journalist kept her make-up to a minimum, showing off her naturally flawless features.

She shook hands with Gustavo Suarez Pertierra, who donned a navy suit and blue tie, as she arrived.

It comes after the Queen and her daughters looked vibrant in gorgeous bright colours as they attended the annual national offering to the Apostle Santiago in Spain on Monday.

The royal wore her brunette locks loose in a sleek straight style and she opted for chic diamond earrings

The royal, 49, was greeted by Spain's Patronage president Gustavo Suarez Pertierra as she arrived at he UNICEF headquarters

She shook hands with Gustavo Suarez Pertierra, who donned a navy suit and blue tie, as she arrived

She was accompanied by her daughters Princess Leonor of Spain, 16, and Princess Sofia of Spain, 15, as they attended the regional festivity at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, alongside King Felipe.

The two young princesses showed their styles are matching that of their mother's, while walking around Santiago de Compostela.

While young Sofia wore a pretty baby blue dress and flat ballet shoes while her hair was half combed up off her face, her older sister Leonor wore a 75 Cayro Vestido yasmin pink and red dress.

The mother-of-two donned a stylish red patterned summer day dress which she paired with brown leather strap wedges

The stunning monarch's gown was cinched at the waist with a belt and her sleeves were rolled up to show off her bronzed tan

Letizia chose a Vogana 220 Mer dress in orange, pulled in at the chest, with matching soft brown Carolina Herrera Mini Doma Insignia satchel crossbody bag and singback camel suede pumps.

The family attended the event last year too and this year King Felipe looked smart in a navy suit paired with a blue shirt and tie.

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
A woman who lost her late father's life savings after investing in Bulgarian 'Cryptoqueen's' OneCoin pyramid scheme has recalled the 'devastating' moment she realised her and her loved ones were not getting their 250,000 back.

Jen McAdam, from Glasgow, appeared on This Morning today to warn viewers about Dr Ruja Ignatova's reported scam, which saw the Scottish woman lose her 8,600 inheritance - her coal miner fathers life savings.

Last month, German-Bulgarian Dr Ruja, dubbed the 'Cryptoqueen', was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after allegedly defrauding investors worldwide between 2014 and 2018 with her $4 billion cryptocurrency pyramid scheme.

She is now wanted for $100,000 and investigators believe Dr Ruja, as she styled herself, was tipped off in 2017 after a U.S. District Court in New York issued a warrant for her arrest, leading the alleged scammer to travel to Greece and disappear.

Jen McAdam (pictured), from Glasgow, appeared on This Morning today to warn viewers about Dr Ruja Ignatova's reported scam, which saw the Scottish woman lose her 8,600 inheritance - her coal miner fathers life savings

Last month, German-Bulgarian Dr Ruja (pictured), dubbed the 'Cryptoqueen', was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after allegedly defrauding investors worldwide between 2014 and 2018 with her $4 billion cryptocurrency pyramid scheme

Speaking on the ITV programme today, an emotional Jen said: 'My best friend introduced me, someone introduced her, and then she introduced me.

'She knew I had a certain amount of money that my late father had left me when he passed and I was was looking for somewhere safe to put that.

'He lived until he was 92, he was a working class man, a coal miner, he didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he was just happy that he could leave this amount for his family. And I invested the money into OneCoin.'

Former business woman Jen joined OneCoin in February 2016, and was impressed by Dr Ruja being pictured on the cover of Forbes magazine, which specialises in wealthy individuals, as well as her credentials, such as a law degree from Oxford, followed by a stint working for McKinsey & Company, the respected global asset management firm.

'So convincing,' said the Scot. 'I was so ecstatic,' she added, before explaining that the investment spread like wildfire within her community, with loved ones giving 250,000 to the scheme overall.

Investors could sign up to buy the currency which would then appear in their account - and because more and more people would join, said Dr Ruja, the value of the currency would go up.

Speaking on the ITV programme today, an emotional Jen (right) said: 'My best friend introduced me, someone introduced her, and then she introduced me'

But in 2017, Jen, who at one point had believed her original stake was worth nearly 100,000, realised it was a scam.

One evening, she received a disturbing call from Timothy Curry, a Bitcoin enthusiast from California, who was trying to warn investors that OneCoin was a scam and that their money was gone. She didnt believe him at first.

But Curry explained the basic principle that all cryptocurrencies have a special type of database called a blockchain  an incorruptible computer record of all transactions that proves to everybody that the currency is sound.

This technology makes it impossible to counterfeit new currency and guarantees there is a finite number in circulation.

Without the security of the blockchain and the fiendish mathematics behind it, the price could be rigged or faked. Whole fortunes could be created and then deleted at the push of a button.

Dr Ruja, as she styled herself, is now wanted for $100,000 and investigators believe she was tipped off in 2017 after a U.S. District Court in New York issued a warrant for her arrest, leading the alleged scammer to travel to Greece and disappear

Jen started asking to see evidence of OneCoins blockchain, but the companys officials refused, saying it was secret.

After speaking to a blockchain specialist, she came to the horrifying realisation that the daily valuation of her investment on her computer screen did not reflect any true value at all. It was just a made-up price created in Bulgaria.

Recalling the moment she realised she was never getting her money back, she said: 'It was devastating, I sill can't put it into words, my legs went from under me.

'When I realised it was a fraud, I'll never forget that moment, my legs went to jelly. Just went, and I fell to the floor.

'Also, a big part of it for victims caught up in this, is the regret and guilt that they have, and carrying the shame.'

Dr Ruja (pictured), 42, launched OneCoin in 2014, aiming to replace Bitcoin as the worlds leading virtual money

Tapping a global network to market the coin to friends and family in exchange for their own payouts, she allegedly pulled in more than 3 billion in what was a classic Ponzi scheme, according to court documents

She continued: 'I've been advocating for justice for victims and I started a victims support group and we now have over 10,000 victims and working to expose this further.'

Jen was eventually given the opportunity to write a book about what happened, which a company has now purchased the rights to the work for a movie, in which Kate Winslet is tipped to play Jen.

'I just thought there's not going to be another opportunity like this to raise awareness for the victims especially,' said Jen.

THE FBI'S TOP TEN MOST WANTED FUGITIVES The FBI has maintained a list of its top most wanted fugitives for 72 years. Along with Ruja Ignatova, the current members of the list include: ARNOLDO JIMENEZ: Wanted for the alleged brutal 2012 murder of his wife the day after their wedding ALEXIS FLORES: Wanted for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old Philadelphia girl in 2000 JOSE RODOLFO VILLARREAL-HERNANDEZ: Wanted for allegedly instructing individuals to track and murder a 43-year-old man in Southlake, Texas, in 2013 YULAN ADONAY ARCHAGA CARIAS: Wanted for alleged racketeering and drug and weapon charges as the alleged leader of MS-13 for all of Honduras RAFAEL CARO-QUINTERO: Wanted for the 1985 murder of a federal agent as the godfather of Mexican drug trafficking EUGENE PALMER: Wanted for the murder of his daughter-in-law in 2012 BHADRESHKUMAR CHETANBHAI PATEL: Wanted for the murder of his wife in 2015 ALEJANDRO ROSALES CASTILLO: Wanted for his alleged involvement of the murder of a coworker in 2016 JASON DEREK BROWN: Wanted for murder and armed robbery in 2014 Advertisement

Commenting on Winslet's rumoured role in the film, Jen revealed: 'We don't know if it's going to be the case at the moment, with the way things have worked out with Covid and stuff, but it's still up in the air.

'Kate Winslet was to play the role of Jen, but we don't know if that's going to happen at the moment... She came to my house to visit... she brought amazing empathy and understanding. She really is a beautiful soul... it's a moment I'll treasure forever.'

Concluding her segment on This Morning, Jen warned: 'Unless you understand cryptocurrency, if you don't have any knowledge do not invest, because what you think might look like sugar is salt.'

Dr Ruja, 42, launched OneCoin in 2014, aiming to replace Bitcoin as the worlds leading virtual money.

Tapping a global network to market the coin to friends and family in exchange for their own payouts, she allegedly pulled in more than 3 billion in what was a classic Ponzi scheme, according to court documents.

She gave an investors speech to a packed crowd at Wembley Arena in 2016 and is thought to have defrauded scores of British victims with her international scam. She disappeared in 2017 as international investigators began to close in.

'Investigators believe Ignatova may have been tipped off that she was under investigation by US and international authorities, the FBI said. She traveled from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, on October 25, 2017, and has not been seen since.

Dr Ruja is the only woman on the 10 most wanted list, and is only the 11th female to have been placed on the FBI's list in its 72-year history.

She is also wanted in Germany through an Interpol Red Notice, which warns that she may have surgically changed her appearance in order to avoid capture.

Authorities believe she could be traveling with a fake German passport to the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Russia, Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe.

Although she remains on the run, her brother, Konstantin, was arrested in 2019 and plead guilty to multiple felonies for his leadership role in OneCoin.

In 2018, authorities issued a superseding indictment against Dr Ruja, charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud.

Mike Driscoll, the FBI's assistant director in charge of the New York Office, and Damian Williams, the U.S attorney for the Southern District of New York, said they were confident that Dr Ruja would be caught.
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The angry mother of the woman whose naked photos were stolen from her email and posted on the infamous 'revenge porn' website without her permission has revealed how she ultimately took down the 'most hated man on the internet' - after he left her child feeling 'emotionally battered' and 'violated.'

Kayla Lewis, now 35, from Los Angeles, California, was heartbroken when a coworker told her she had come across nude pictures of her on a website called IsAnyoneUp.com back in January 2012.

The now-defunct site had been created by a man named Hunter Moore, now 36, two years earlier, as a place for scorned lovers to anonymously post sexually explicit images of their former flames without their consent - with some women featured on the site as young as 15 years old.

However, angry exes weren't the only ones who provided the website with images. Hunter also hired a hacker to break into men and women's private accounts and steal intimate pictures of them, which he then proudly posted online.

He would also link to the people in the photo's social media accounts, resulting in many of them getting a slew of horrible hate messages online - which ultimately led to Hunter being branded as one of the most despised men on the web.

The angry mother (left) of the woman whose naked photos were stolen from her email and posted on the infamous 'revenge porn' website without her permission (right) has revealed how she ultimately took down the 'most hated man on the internet'

Kayla Lewis, now 35, from Los Angeles, California, was heartbroken when a coworker told her she had come across nude pictures of her on a website called IsAnyoneUp.com back in January 2012. She is seen in 2012

The now-defunct site had been created by a man named Hunter Moore (pictured), now 36, two years earlier, as a place for scorned lovers to anonymously post sexually explicit images of their former flames without their consent

Angry exes weren't the only ones who provided the site with images. Hunter also hired a hacker to break into women's private accounts and steal intimate pictures of them, which he then proudly posted online. A screenshot of the website is seen

Now, a brand new, three-part Netflix documentary, entitled The Most Hated Man on the Internet, has lifted a lid on how Hunter created the controversial site, how he used it to hurt many young men and women, and how Kayla's determined mother eventually put an end to his scheme.

'It all started with me hating some dumb b***h who broke my heart,' Hunter, who started the site when he was 26 years old, said in an old audio clip featured in the documentary.

Hunter would also link to the people in the photo's social media accounts, resulting in many of them getting a slew of horrible hate messages online - which ultimately led to Hunter (pictured) being branded as one of the most despised men on the web

'Me and my friends would just post a bunch of girls on IsAnyoneUp, and we just got a bunch of traffic one day. And I was like, "Yo, I can make money off of t**ties and f**king people over."'

According to Hunter, linking to their online profiles was an important part of the process. He added, 'You can post pictures of random boobs and penises all day, but adding that social network to it just brings it to a whole other level.'

The explosive docuseries - which was directed by Rob Miller - features interviews with the women and the men - including Kayla - who were horrified to discover their nude photos and videos on IsAnyoneUp.com.

Kayla was only 24 when her topless photos were stolen from her computer by an anonymous hacker and posted on the sleazy website - leaving her 'absolutely disgusted.'

'I was racking my brain, like, how could I be on this website?' Kayla recalled, of finding out about the nude pictures in the documentary.

'It was embarrassing. I never intended to show anyone the pictures. There I was topless. Multiple photos. I felt violated.'

Kayla had taken the photos on her phone in front of her bedroom mirror and stored them on her laptop, never intending to share them publicly. She hadn't sent them to anyone except to herself, via email.

Now, a brand new, three-part Netflix documentary, entitled The Most Hated Man on the Internet, has lifted a lid on how Hunter created the controversial site, how he used it to hurt many young women, and how Kayla's mom put an end to his scheme

Kayla was only 24 when her topless photos were stolen from her computer by an anonymous hacker and posted on the sleazy website - leaving her 'absolutely disgusted.' She is seen at age 24

Kayla had taken the photos on her phone in front of her bedroom mirror and stored them on her laptop, never intending to share them publicly. She hadn't sent them to anyone except to herself, via email

For her mom, Charlotte, this triggered a two-year battle in an attempt to bring the man responsible to justice. She got the police involved, but when it felt like the LAPD detectives were victim-blaming Kayla, she contacted the FBI

Hunter - who, during the height of its success, bragged about earning $13,000 a month from the site - showed little remorse when asked if he has ever felt sorry for sharing the intimate photos without permission, stating, 'It's just too much fun'

The images had been accessed remotely by a stranger, and uploaded to Hunter's site. For her mom, Charlotte, this triggered a two-year battle in an attempt to bring the man responsible to justice.

'My daughter felt violated and shamed,' Charlotte, now 62, told the New York Post recently while discussing the new doc. 'She was emotionally battered.'

Charlotte, who works in real estate, sent the website a message asking the photos to be taken down, which was ignored. But she didn't give up there.

Hunter eventually removed Kayla's nude photos, but her mom, Charlotte (pictured), was still not satisfied since she said there were 'many' more 'victims' who were in 'pain' due to his actions. She explained, 'I was literally obsessed with getting this website down. I was neglecting work. I wasnt doing anything except this'

She then got the police involved, but when it felt like the LAPD detectives were victim-blaming Kayla for taking the photos in the first place, she contacted the FBI.

All the while, Kayla received hundreds of nasty messages from men who had seen her photos - including sexual offender and disgraced porn star Ron Jeremy, who said he wanted to 'talk business' with her.

While waiting to hear back from the FBI, Charlotte's husband and Kayla's stepfather, Charles, who is a lawyer, messaged Hunter and threatened to take legal action if he didn't remove the pictures. He then finally took them down, which Kayla said resulted in a 'big wave of relief' coming over her.

Hunter - who, during the height of its success, bragged about earning $13,000 a month from the site - showed little remorse when asked if he has ever felt sorry for sharing the intimate photos without permission.

'No. It's just too much fun,' he boasted in archival footage shown in the doc. 'I don't know why all these people, you know, hate me. I'm just making money off your nude pictures.'

Despite Hunter removing her daughter's nude photos, Charlotte was still not satisfied - since she said there were 'many' more 'victims' who were in 'pain' due to his actions.

She began reaching out to the other victims featured on the site - and discovered that 40 per cent of them had their pictures taken by someone who had hacked their email accounts.

Hunter didn't seem worried about consequences, saying in the doc, 'If you try to sue me Ill make f**king fun of you. If you come to my house and try to serve me, Ill put your f**king address out there [online], and my audience loves that s**t'

He had had gained a large social media following for his actions, where he continued to flaunt his success from the website

However, he was arrested on January 24, 2014, and found guilty on one count of unauthorized access to a computer system to obtain information and one count of aggregated identity theft. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison

'There was definitely a hacking scheme going on here, and I had to get to the bottom of it,' she told the Post. 'These victims werent all gorgeous 20-year-olds.

'There were some women over 60, there were people who weighed over 250 pounds, and there was even a blind paraplegic. And those unflattering pictures were destroying their live. It could have drove people to commit suicide.

'I was literally obsessed with getting this website down. I was neglecting work. I wasnt doing anything except this.'

Hunted had gained a large social media following for his actions, where he continued to flaunt his success from the website. And he didn't seem worried about consequences, adding in the doc, 'If you try to sue me Ill make f**king fun of you.

'If you come to my house and try to serve me, Ill put your f**king address out there [online], and my audience loves that s**t.'

Charlotte recalled some of his followers telling her they were going to 'rape and kill' her daughter for speaking against Hunter, which prompted her to carry a metal rod for protection and add extra locks to her house.

It wasn't until Hunter made an appearance on Anderson Cooper's show to discuss the website that the FBI finally took it seriously and got involved.

'While revenge porn wasnt illegal, hacking definitely was, and it gave us enough to start an investigation,' agent Jeff Kirkpatrick, who took on the case, explained in the documentary.

When he became spooked about the FBI's involvement, Hunter sold the website (pictured) to a man named James McGibney for $12,000. James then turned it into an anti-bullying site called Bullyville

Hunter was released in May 2017 and one year later, he released a memoir. When Netflix first announced that they were making the documentary, he retweeted the trailer, adding, 'LOL,' but he did not participate in the show

While Charlotte was relieved that he was caught, she felt as if their punishment was not severe enough for the pain he caused her daughter (pictured), as well as the other victims

'It was sort of like arresting Jack the Ripper and giving him community service. It was a little bit pathetic,' she said. She is seen with Kayla in the documentary

Becoming spooked about the FBI's involvement, Hunter decided to sell the website to a man named James McGibney for $12,000. James then turned it into an anti-bullying site called Bullyville.

After a two-year investigation, agent Kirkpatrick uncovered that Hunter had hired a man named Charlie Evans, then 26, to hack into the email accounts - paying him $200 a week for his help.

Both men were arrested on January 24, 2014. Hunter took a plea and was found guilty on one count of unauthorized access to a computer system to obtain information and one count of aggregated identity theft. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. As for Evans, he was found guilty of the same crimes and served 25 months.

Hunter was released in May 2017 and one year later, he released a memoir called Is Anyone Up?!: The Story of Revenge Porn.

When Netflix first announced that they were making the documentary, he retweeted the trailer, adding, 'LOL,' alongside an emoji of a man shrugging. He did not participate in the show.

And while Charlotte was relieved that they were caught, she felt as if their punishment was not severe enough.

'It was sort of like arresting Jack the Ripper and giving him community service. It was a little bit pathetic,' she said to the Post.

'He has the same mind that he had pre-prison. [Hunter] believes that tearing other people down will build him up, and its very sad. Hes going to be a shell of a person if he keeps that mindset.'
The only thing any of us needs to do to be 'beach-body ready' this summer is apply sunscreen. But while there's no perfect body for the beach, there is perfect swimwear for your body. And this year, it's easier than ever to find that ideal match.

Shape-enhancing swimming costumes have been around for ages, but the range of sizes and styles on offer has been surprisingly limited. Now, the hottest swimwear on the High Street is body-shaping  all the chic one-pieces above use design tricks and state-of-the-art fabrics to pull you in where you need it most.

Zebra side-detail swimsuit, 25, bonmarche.co.uk (left). Right: Blue tie-dye bandeau swimsuit, 18, peacocks.co.uk

I'm a size 10 and I've never been a fan of a bikini. Post-children, I'm definitely happiest in a one-piece, and thanks to ever-improving fabrics and cuts, I can now get a clever one that gives just the right amount of squeeze (basically to stop my stomach sticking out further than my boobs).

I don't want to be constricted, but I like to look a little streamlined. And I'm not alone  40 per cent of M&S swimsuit sales are of the designs that feature its Magic 360 Tummy Control technology, a hidden layer of mesh which sculpts your shape.

It's evident in the store's bestseller, a ruched, navy suit with secret slimming panels and clever chlorine-resistant fabric which ensures it looks new for longer by staving off any unflattering sagging.

But as well as feminine, we want fashionable. The trailblazers when it comes to fashion-forward figure-flatterers are Melissa Odabash and Heidi Klein.

Raspberry Tremezzo one-piece, 260, heidiklein.com (left). Right: Pink contoured swimsuit, 8, asda.com/george

Both labels have ardent celebrity fans: Eva Longoria, Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Lopez favour Odabash while Kate Moss and Jennifer Aniston have been spotted in Klein designs.

Founders Heidi Gosman and Penny Klein say the secret of their elegant swimwear such as the raspberry strapless number above  is that it 'does a lot of work behind the scenes' and draws on 20 years of feedback from customers.

'Our bespoke honeycomb and ribbed fabrics are known for their sculpting effect on all bodies  no matter the shape or size  and our powermesh lining offers an additional layer of support,' they say. 'We also integrate hidden under-wiring and side-boning. We work with the softest Italian fabrics to ensure the swimwear rests on the skin rather than digging in.'

Plunge tummy control swimsuit, 34, next.co.uk (left). Right: High-neck tummy control one-piece, 34, next.co.uk

The Melissa Odabash swimsuit, in yellow, is cut for a silhouette-sculpting fit with its V-neckline, ruched cups with removable pads and chic panel below the bust to define your shape. It is made from 86 per cent polyamide and 14 per cent elastane, giving it a high elasticity content to really hold you in.

If you're on a tighter budget, try British lingerie brand Pour Moi. Despite its red one-piece, above, having no underwiring, the moulded pads and secret support is good for those with larger bust sizes. There's also a controlling front panel built in across the mid-section, while the tie belt is strategically placed to fit and flatter.

Or there's Bonmarche's blue zebra-print one-piece, far left, which has a hidden tummy control panel to keep your silhouette sleek, as well as a flattering wrap front with side-tie detail.

Ruched-side tummy control swimsuit, 36, next.co.uk (left). Right: Samoa wrap-over control swimsuit, 42, pourmoi.co.uk

If you have a bigger bust, look for underwired styles that are available in a wide range of sizes  George at Asda's bright pink design, now half price at 8, is available in sizes 32B to 38G. The contoured shape includes strategically placed seams not dissimilar to those of a corset. And while the fabric won't hold you in the same way, it's designed to trick the eye and make you look taller and slimmer than you really are.

You may not get the high-tech fabric in this one  it's made from recycled plastic bottles and textile waste, therefore ticking the eco box  but if you don't want to spend a lot on a swimsuit, you'd be hard pressed to find anything more flattering for less than 10.

Panarea yellow one-piece, 246, odabash.com (left). Right: Tummy control swimsuit, 29.50, marksandspencer.com

Styling: DINAH VAN TULLEKEN. Pictures: LEZLI + ROSE.

Hair & make-up: Desmond Grundy using Bare Minerals & oroccanoil.

Models: Annika @ Models1 & Apple @ Milk.
For many couples, the question of who to have as bridesmaids and best man can pose a dilemma. But Rachael Hover and her husband Barry had no such quandary.

When logistics director Barry popped the question last September after eight years together, they knew instantly who to bestow these honours on  their beloved pet pugs Bella and Paddy.

And the pooches stole the show at the ceremony in March. 'Bella walked down the aisle with Barry's daughter Emily, who's 12, while Paddy was led by Barry's nephew Kieran,' recalls Rachael. 'But then, halfway down, Bella stopped, slipped her collar and ran off.'

The registrar halted proceedings as the congregation chuckled. But, thankfully, it wasn't left to digital marketing consultant Rachael to tear about the country house in Northamptonshire in her wedding finery in search of Bella. She had hired a doggy chaperone to the tune of 500. So the escaped 'dogsmaid' was promptly located, put back on the lead and the service continued.

'Bella's six and Paddy's four and they're my babies,' Rachael continues. 'They were the main factor in choosing the venue. A couple of places we looked at said no to pets.'

Online retailer Lauren Gylanders and husband Alex, a finance broker, tied the knot two weeks ago with cavapoo Dexter by their side (pictured)

More fool them. There's a reason a growing number of hotels and country houses welcome well-behaved dogs at weddings; businesses specialising in pet chaperones and pre-wedding pooch pampering are mushrooming too.

Lizzie Benge is a professional dog trainer who cornered a niche in the market for pet chaperones when clients and friends approached her to accompany their dogs on wedding days.

'Although more venues are welcoming dogs at weddings, most require the bride and groom to have a professional chaperone rather than the pet care being left to guests who may get carried away with the occasion and take their eyes off them,' explains Lizzie, who's based in Kent and launched the aptly named herecomesthehound.co.uk two years ago.

'Some couples give their dog a specific role such as walking the bride down the aisle or acting as ring bearer. As a dog trainer, I use all sorts of treats but mostly squeaky toys and balls to get a dog's attention. Thankfully I haven't had any disasters such as a dog hiding a ring or answering a call of nature.

'Some doggy ring bearers carry the rings in a pouch attached to their collar or a bandana with a clip on it to keep them safe.'

Wanting them to look their best, Rachael, from Manchester, ensured her pugs were treated to a grooming session, including a wash and blow-dry on the morning of the wedding and a spritz of doggy perfumes; Bella's matching Rachael's Angel by Thierry Mugler and Paddy's mimicking Barry's Dior Sauvage.

On the eve of the wedding, the pugs stayed in a luxury dog hotel and were whisked to their pamper session by the chaperone who later escorted them to join Rachael at the wedding venue and dressed them in their outfits  a pink satin tutu for Bella and a tweed harness for Paddy, each bedecked with fresh white roses to match the ushers' corsages.

'It all cost around 1,000  more than the 750 I paid for my wedding dress,' says Rachael. 'But they're part of our family and it was worth every penny.' She and Barry follow in the footsteps of Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field who had their eight dogs as bridesmaids when they married in 2010. Made In Chelsea star Tiffany Watson gave the job of ring bearer to her golden retriever Kiki earlier this month.

It was certainly 'with this dog, I thee wed' for account manager Jeanine Hughes and husband David, a commercial director. Both in their 30s, guest of honour at their Cotswold nuptials in March was their rescue dog Koda (pictured)

A recent survey by personalised pet product retailer yappy.com suggests that a quarter of dog-owning engaged couples enlist their pet pooch as best man or maid of honour. Well, we are nothing if not a nation of pet lovers: around 3.2 million British households welcomed a new pet during the pandemic.

It was certainly 'with this dog, I thee wed' for account manager Jeanine Hughes and husband David, a commercial director. Both in their 30s, guest of honour at their Cotswold nuptials in March was their rescue dog Koda.

'We couldn't bear the idea of him not being at the wedding but neither could we fathom the logistics, as we obviously couldn't spend the day looking after him or give that responsibility to any of our guests,' says Jeanine, who lives in London. 'I was on the verge of tears when we came across a chaperone in the form of Amanda's Ark pet care service in Suffolk (amandasarkweddings.co.uk).

'Amanda met Koda beforehand to get to know him and see how he reacts in certain environments.

'David handed him over to Amanda at the venue on the morning of the wedding and she looked after him right through to the next morning.'

A recent survey by personalised pet product retailer yappy.com suggests that a quarter of dog-owning engaged couples enlist their pet pooch as best man or maid of honour (stock image)

Including her Ark hotel room and additional pet care the morning after the wedding, the total cost of hiring Amanda and having Koda primped at the local grooming parlour two weeks earlier was around 600  worth every penny as far as Jeanine's concerned.

'Koda looked gorgeous in his wedding bow tie and I suspect he was more photographed on the day than David and I were,' Jeanine adds. 'He was on his lead the whole time and was super well-behaved, with many guests commenting on how good he was.'

In May, Helen and Carl Dodgson went a step further and paid for their cockapoo Monty to arrive at their wedding at Sandon Hall in Stafford in a chauffeur-driven van bedecked with ribbons.

Helen, 29, an online marketing executive, who lives in Cannock with Carl, 30, a civil servant, says: 'Monty's four and we've had him since he was a puppy so he really is our baby and we were thrilled that he was allowed to be there.'

They hired husband and wife pet chaperones Emma and Adrian Cartlich whose Precious Pets Wedding Wheels and chaperone service (precious-pets.wedding) may have failed to secure investment on Dragons' Den in 2021, but has been a winner with dog-owning brides and grooms since they started chaperoning in 2018. Packages start at 300 and go up to 600 for multiple dogs, with Helen paying them 359 to look after the most special of her 73 guests.

A nation of animal lovers, around 3.2 million British households welcomed a new pet during the pandemic (stock image)

'Emma and Adrian got to know him ahead of the wedding and on the day they spruced him up, put on his little suit then accompanied Monty as he made his entrance. With their help, he greeted our guests, acted as ring bearer, posed for photos and mingled,' says Helen.

'Adrian waited outside with Monty during the actual ceremony, but when we reached the point of exchanging rings he opened the door, let Monty off his lead and to my surprise he ran straight to me with the rings.

'I'd been worried he might run away as he's a bit of a live wire, but Adrian is a real dog whisperer.'

Online retailer Lauren Gylanders and husband Alex, a finance broker, tied the knot two weeks ago with cavapoo Dexter by their side. The couple from West Malling, Kent, have had the 11-month-old pup since last October and he was top of the guest list for their church service and reception afterwards at Nurstead Court in Meopham. 'We don't have children yet so Dexter is our baby. There was no way we could get married without him there,' says Lauren, who hired Lizzie Benge at a cost of 550 as his plus one.

'I can't begin to explain how brilliant she was. Although we've done lots of training with Dexter and he responds well to basic commands, we weren't sure what he'd be like with 60 guests as potential playmates!

'Lizzie took Dexter for a walk while we were in church and was waiting with him at our reception venue where she helped direct the photos.

'With the help of treats and squeaky balls, she got Dexter to look at the camera so he would stay with us off the lead for the official pictures.'

Looking dapper in a tuxedo and bow tie, Dexter had a blow dry, his nails trimmed and a blueberry facial  a lick-safe shampoo, face wash and colour brightener  at a total cost of 150.

'He had more grooming than Alex,' laughs Lauren. 'Everybody wanted cuddles with him.'

Still, when it came to the honeymoon in Jamaica, Dexter wasn't sipping doggy cocktails next to Lauren and Alex.

It seems there comes a point when it's a dog's life after all . . .
When Emma Clayton decided to go back to work after five months of maternity leave, she knew there would be a price to pay.

Not just less time with her young daughter but the hefty cost of daily childcare, too.

But little did she realise just how crippling the astronomical sums involved would be. Absurdly, despite working full-time, the only way she could sustain her career and be a mother, too, was to rack up a 38,000 debt in the first eight years of her child's life. A marketing brand manager, Emma, 47, was earning a very healthy 50,000 a year when Molly was born.

As a single mum, however, almost all of her 3,000-a-month take-home pay was swallowed up by her 1,000 mortgage repayment and childcare costs of 1,500.

'I had five months of paid maternity leave and then looked at the sums and made a conscious decision to get into significant debt to pay for childcare so I could keep working,' says Emma, from Witney, Oxfordshire.

'The alternative was giving up my job and us ending up in a council house on benefits. That just wasn't an option for me.

'I compiled a spreadsheet and worked out how much I'd need to borrow each year in bank loans and credit cards to cover outgoings, and I committed to working even harder so that I would be in line for any bonuses and promotions.'

Salary swallowed up: Emma Clayton found the cost of childcare astronomical when she returned to work from maternity leave five months after her child was born

Emma and Molly's father separated when their daughter was a few months old, and he has not been a part of her life since. The only offer of support came via the Government's Child Support Agency (now the Child Maintenance Service)  at just 5 a week.

The financial burden rested solely on Emma's shoulders: if she wanted to work, she was left in a bizarre quandary to which the only solution she could find was going into debt.

'Molly was in a Montessori nursery from 8am until 6pm five days a week, and I'd keep working at weekends and in the evenings, while she was in bed,' she says.

'I spent many sleepless nights tormenting myself with the thought that other people were raising my daughter.

'She even said her first word at nursery. I don't remember what it was. It was so hard to accept this that I've probably blocked it out.

'But having conversations at the end of every working day with the nursery staff, relative strangers, about all the things my daughter had done, or said, was tough.

'However, I felt I had no choice but to accept that I missed a large chunk of her days and stay focused on my job, to keep a roof over both our heads.'

Depressingly, even with all her work and sacrifice, Emma's career still stalled.

Once Molly started in reception class, it cost 600 a month for wraparound care before and after school, plus holiday cover. 'I'd still feel guilty about leaving the office earlier than my colleagues to collect her,' says Emma.

Finally, when Molly was nine, Emma quit. She now supports women who, like her, face insurmountable difficulties at work after having children.

She runs a campaign, We Mean Business, that lobbies for support for female entrepreneurs who earn, on average, 43 per cent less than their male counterparts.

Five years on, she has paid off that 38,000 debt  but still resents the fact it was her only real option at the time.

'No one should have to get themselves into debt to be able to work and have children like I did,' she says.

'I see lots of women resigning, going part-time or missing out on promotions in their 30s and 40s and returning to the workplace in their 50s, by which time the gender pay gap  not to mention contributions to pension funds  is significant.'

Career struggle: Chernice Thompson, far left, with baby Frankie and Natalie Ormond. Chernice is a qualified teacher who was forced to quit her job when she had her third child due to the costs of childcare. Natalie, a social worker, had to take a career break because of the costs of childcare

With the UK the second most expensive country in Europe for childcare, after Cyprus, many women face terrible choices.

A survey by charity Pregnant Then Screwed, of women who have had an abortion in the past five years, found that 60.5 per cent said the cost of childcare had influenced that decision, while 17.4 per cent said it was the main reason they had terminated a pregnancy.

One woman told the charity: 'I found it heartbreaking that I had to have an abortion primarily because we could not afford the cost of childcare.

'If I had continued my pregnancy of a much-wanted child, I would have had to quit my job to care for them.

'This would have meant we had to sell our home, as one salary would not cover the bills, which would have been detrimental to the child we already have.

'The system is a shambles. It is so upsetting.

'My husband and I are both professionals, yet we cannot afford to have a second child.'

I had an abortion as I couldnt afford a second child

A separate survey of 26,962 women, conducted this year by Pregnant Then Screwed and Mumsnet, found that 43 per cent of mothers have considered leaving their jobs because of childcare costs, while 40 per cent work fewer hours than they would like because of it.

A separate survey of 26,962 women, conducted this year by Pregnant Then Screwed and Mumsnet, found that 43 per cent of mothers have considered leaving their jobs because of childcare costs

When Natalie Ormond, an experienced social worker, went on maternity leave after having her second child six years ago, she was on track for promotion  and yet all hope of progressing evaporated once she and husband Owen sat down and did the sums.

If Natalie returned to her three-days-a-week position, childcare costs would have swallowed up all but 200 of her monthly pay.

Effectively, Natalie had no choice. She and Owen, an insolvency solicitor, agreed it made no sense for her to work for almost nothing so, when her year-long maternity leave ended, she took an extra 12-month 'career break' until their elder child started school.

When Natalie returned to work, in July 2018, a number of the senior roles for which she would have been eligible had come up and been filled, meaning she had missed her chance at promotion.

'I found myself in an impossible situation. Crippling childcare costs meant I just couldn't work for that crucial year or two, and my eight-year career, as well as my pay packet, suffered,' she says.

'Once women have children, all sorts of barriers suddenly appear that fathers just don't face.

'Many of us are not much better off than 1950s housewives, juggling parenthood and running a home which, even with a husband as hands-on as mine, still mostly falls to mothers  on top of trying to fulfil the expectations of our bosses and colleagues.'

A near-unanimous 86 per cent of providers say the subsidy is less than it costs them to provide childcare, according to the charity the Early Years Alliance. That means extra charges are passed on to parents (stock image)

All of this adds up to what Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, calls 'the motherhood penalty'. 'The gender pay gap is now negligible before the age of about 30,' she says, 'but that's when it really starts to widen.

'Two-thirds of families pay the same, or more, for childcare as their rent or their mortgage, so it's often their biggest expenditure.'

She explains that our parental leave system means it's almost always mothers who take longer maternity leave.

'And statistically, mothers do almost three times the childcare, housework and cooking that fathers do. So it's no surprise that when men have children they tend to get pay rises and promotions, whereas women get demotions and pay cuts.'

Nor does the trap end once a child turns three and becomes eligible for 30 government-funded hours of childcare a week.

A near-unanimous 86 per cent of providers say the subsidy is less than it costs them to provide childcare, according to the charity the Early Years Alliance. That means extra charges are passed on to parents.

Natalie adds: 'The role I was in before and just after my second son was born wasn't very family-friendly because I was working in a team where we were going out to people in crisis.

'I'd be watching the clock ticking towards 6pm knowing that my little boys would be waiting, tired and hungry, for me to pick them up, but that I also had a very responsible job which I couldn't just walk away from.

'And, if they were the last children to be collected, of course I felt horribly guilty.

A government-commissioned report from 2016 shows that 54,000 women a year are 'pushed out' of their jobs while pregnant or on maternity leave, while 77 per cent of working mothers experience discrimination at work (stock image)

'So when it came to doing the sums and realising that we'd be barely any better off if I worked, the pull to be there for my children won out. At least I knew I'd be without the inevitable working mother's guilt for a year.

'That guilt was unavoidable when I went back to work and one, or both, of them would be crying or clinging to me when I dropped them off and I'd have to dash to work, with tears in my eyes.'

The pandemic provided some respite for Natalie, as both she and Owen worked from home in Leeds for much of it.

However, come September last year, Natalie could not face returning to the 'impossible juggle' of keeping her bosses happy while caring for her sons, Jesse and Jonah, now six and eight.

So she quit to run her own business  Smallkind, an online children's store.

'My position as a social worker was probably filled by a younger, childless woman who will no doubt face the exact issues I did in a few years' time.

'It's just pushing the problem further down the line, effectively excluding women from certain roles and losing a lot of talent in the process,' she says.

Institute for Fiscal Studies figures show that, by the time the average woman's first child is 12, her hourly pay rate is 33 per cent lower than her male counterparts. So what's the solution? (stock image)

A government-commissioned report from 2016 shows that 54,000 women a year are 'pushed out' of their jobs while pregnant or on maternity leave, while 77 per cent of working mothers experience discrimination at work.

Institute for Fiscal Studies figures show that, by the time the average woman's first child is 12, her hourly pay rate is 33 per cent lower than her male counterparts. So what's the solution?

Joeli Brearley is calling for Britain to take a similar approach to Canada, which is investing 20 billion in its childcare system over the next five years  a figure which dwarfs the 4 billion invested each year by our own government, given that Canada's population is nearly half that of Britain.

Parents in Canada pay no more than 8.40 a day, while British parents of under-threes pay six times more, at 52.60 on average.

'The Canadian government is not acting out of the goodness of its heart,' says Joeli.

'It crunched the numbers and discovered that for every dollar it invested in childcare, it got between $1.50 and $2.80 back into the wider economy.' Emma would like to see state provision of nurseries, like schools, for all children.

A less obvious way to fight workplace discrimination is to give men better paternity leave  and so encourage them to share the burden of care more evenly throughout a child's life.

'In Sweden, Norway and Iceland, dads, like mums, can take up to four months' paternity leave in the first year,' says Joeli.

'Fathers are [then] much more likely to take on caring responsibilities throughout childhood, reducing the likelihood of mothers being discriminated against in the workplace.'

A less obvious way to fight workplace discrimination is to give men better paternity leave  and so encourage them to share the burden of care more evenly throughout a child's life (stock image)

Chernice Thompson, 28, is a qualified teacher who worked in a children's home, supporting young people outside the school system, until the birth of her third child nine months ago meant she was left with little choice but to quit her job.

Working at least 37 hours a week, because her shifts varied, she was forced to pay for full-time nursery places, Monday to Friday, for her sons to ensure they would always be able to attend on the days she required childcare.

Her eldest, Noah, five, is now in reception class, but with after-school clubs for him plus nursery places for Chester, two, and Frankie, nine months, the monthly childcare bill would come to 1,400  leaving just 300 from Chernice's 1,700 take-home pay  from a salary of 28,000  200 of which would have gone on petrol.

'The juggle between the demands of work and being a good mum was hard,' says Chernice, from Southampton.

'When they were ill and I had to leave work at short notice, knowing that I would be leaving my colleagues to do my work, I felt dreadful.

'But my children are my priority and I had to be there for them when they needed me.

After paying childcare, I'd have been left with 100

'It was also painful dropping them at nursery when they were just a little under the weather, or teething, and therefore clingy.

'There was no way it made sense to hand my children over to other people to look after five days a week, to be a measly 100 a month better off.'

Like so many mothers, she had to find new ways to bring in money and now works, self-employed, once her children are in bed  until midnight  as a social media manager.

She says: 'My employers and, crucially, the vulnerable children I was supporting, have lost out on having someone who's good, committed and experienced,' she says. 'This makes me feel sad, but I don't feel guilty because it's not my fault.

'The cost of childcare and inflexible hours have created an impossible barrier to me  and far too many other women  pursuing the careers we love.'
Television legend Norman Lear is counting his blessings as he celebrates his 100th birthday with his family in Vermont, but the writer and producer doesn't plan on retiring any time soon.

The Hollywood heavyweight, who turned 100 on Wednesday, opened up about his milestone birthday and the 23 projects he currently has in the works in a new interview with People magazine.

'I can't wait to be at my home in Vermont and celebrate with my entire family  my wonderful wife [Lyn Davis Lear], my six children, my two sons-in-law, and my four grandchildren. How lucky am I?' he said.

Television legend Norman Lear celebrated his milestone 100th birthday on Wednesday

Lear told People that he would be spending the day at his home in Vermont with his wife Lyn Davis Lear (pictured), his six children, his two sons-in-law, and his four grandchildren

Lear, the creator of the classic '70s sitcoms All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude, Sanford and Son, and One Day at a Time, has had a longstanding history of pushing the boundaries of the television medium.

Over the course of his illustrious career, he has tackled a variety of social issues on his shows, including racism, women's rights, and abortion.

In 2019, he became the oldest person to win an Emmy Award at age 97 for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons.

He broke his own record the following year when he won another Emmy for the variety special. However, the six-time Emmy winner considers his greatest accomplishment to be fatherhood.

'Truth to tell, certainly I've done nothing more important than father or child,' he told People.

'Nothing more delicious than becoming a grandfather of a child as a result of having fathered a child. I don't know that there's anything more romantic in living than all of that.'

Lear was treated to a massive cake during an early birthday celebration hosted on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California, on July 19

Lear created the classic '70s sitcoms All in the Family, Maude, and The Jeffersons. The writer (center) is pictured with the All in the Family cast in 1971

Lear married his first wife, Charlotte Rosen, in 1943, and they welcomed their daughter, Ellen, four years later.

After they divorced in 1956, he married his second wife, Frances Loeb, that same year. He and Loeb had two daughters together, Kate and Maggie, before they divorced in 1985.

Two years later, he tied the knot with Davis Lear, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and political activist. They have a son, Benjamin, and twin daughters, Brianna and Madelaine.

'My wife is her own individual and I fell in love with that individual,' he gushed of Davis Lear, his wife of nearly 35 years. 'And over those years I've only learned more about why I should have cared in the first place and continued to care in the following place. She is a sterling human being.'

More than 60 years into his career, Lear has no plans of slowing down. He has 23 projects in development with his business partner Brent Miller, who is president of his production company Act III.

Lear was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities in 1999 by then President Bill Clinton (pictured)

The Hollywood heavyweight (pictured with Jennifer Aniston) has no plans of retiring

Among the shows he's working on is a Who's The Boss? reboot starring Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano, who will be reprising their roles as father and daughter Tony and Samantha Micelli.

'My awards and accolades mean a great deal to me, but they don't mean as much as the drive to the studio today,' he said. 'I still explode with joy, excitement, interest, and utter delight every time.'

Lear added that he likes 'getting up in the morning,' saying, 'I have always liked it because I've always had something to do. I was born that way, and it is a great gift. As I talk about it, I accept it as a gift.'

In honor of his 100th birthday, he penned an op-ed reflecting on his All in the Family character Archie Bunker and former President Donald Trump that was published by The New York Times on Wednesday.

'Well, I made it. I am 100 years old today. I wake up every morning grateful to be alive,' he wrote. 'Reaching my own personal centennial is cause for a bit of reflection on my first century  and on what the next century will bring for the people and country I love. To be honest, Im a bit worried that I may be in better shape than our democracy is.'

In 2019, Lear (pictured with Jimmy Kimmel) became the oldest person to win an Emmy at age 97 for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons

Lear (pictured with Dave Chappell at Netflix is a Joke Presents in May) has 23 projects in the works, including a Who's the Boss? reboot

Lear shared that he was 'deeply troubled' by the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and 'how far Mr. Trump was willing to go to stay in office after being rejected by voters.'

He noted that he doesn't 'take the threat of authoritarianism lightly,' recalling how he dropped out of college after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and joined the U.S. Army Air Forces.

'I am a flag-waving believer in truth, justice, and the American way, and I dont understand how so many people who call themselves patriots can support efforts to undermine our democracy and our Constitution. It is alarming,' he said.

Lear, who is known for his political activism and supporting progressive causes, praised 'the handful of conservative Republican lawmakers, lawyers, and former White House staffers who resisted Mr. Trumps bullying.'

The television writer reflected on how Archie Bunker would argue with his family about 'racism, feminism, homosexuality, the Vietnam War, and Watergate' on All in the Family  many issues that are still being hotly debated today.

In honor of his 100th birthday, Lear penned an op-ed reflecting on Archie Bunker and former President Donald Trump that was published by The New York Times

Lear wrote that his All in the Family character Archie Bunker (left) probably would have voted for former President Donald Trump (right) but added that he thinks the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 would have 'sickened him'

'For all his faults, Archie loved his country and he loved his family, even when they called him out on his ignorance and bigotries,' he explained.

'If Archie had been around 50 years later, he probably would have watched Fox News. He probably would have been a Trump voter. But I think that the sight of the American flag being used to attack Capitol Police would have sickened him.

'I hope that the resolve shown by Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and their commitment to exposing the truth, would have won his respect.'

Lear, who co-founded the progressive group People for the American Way, shared that while he often feels 'disheartened by the direction that our politics, courts,' and culture, he continues to have faith in our country and its future.

'Reaching this birthday with my health and wits mostly intact is a privilege. Approaching it with loving family, friends, and creative collaborators to share my days has filled me with a gratitude I can hardly express,' he concluded his op-ed.

'This is our century, dear reader, yours and mine. Let us encourage one another with visions of a shared future. And let us bring all the grit and openheartedness and creative spirit we can muster to gather together and build that future.'
A British expat living in Brisbane has confused her Australian fans online after sharing two 'culture shocks' that are 'vastly inaccurate'.

Jordana Grace posted a now-viral clip to TikTok claiming she was surprised to learn Australian's didn't know what she meant by 'half five' when telling the time and 'Mr Whippy' after asking what ice cream she would like.

Hundreds took to the comments to confirm many Australians were familiar with the British format of telling the time and what Mr Whippy was.

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UK expat Jordana Grace (pictured) received backlash online after posting a clip to TikTok claiming Australian's didn't know what 'half five' meant when telling the time and what a 'Mr Whippy' was

Re-enacting a conversation she supposedly had with an Australian, Jordana asked a British person what type of ice cream they would like

Re-enacting a conversation she supposedly had with an Australian, Jordana asked a British person what type of ice cream they would like.

'Yes please, I'll have a Mr Whippy,' she replied to which the 'Aussie' looked perplexed and asked: 'What?'.

The Australian looked confused when she repeated herself and asked what they were wanting.

'You know a classic Golden Gaytime... 'Mr whippy', you guys are weird,' they responded.

In a second skit, Jordana mimics another conversation in which an Australian asked for the time and was confused when she answered 'Half five'.

'Five thirty,' she reiterated and the Aussie laughed, 'Oh right! I thought you were saying high five! You British are weird'.

In a second skit, Jordana mimics another conversation in which an Australian asked for the time and was confused when she answered 'Half five'

Jordana's video racked up more than 34,900 views and attracted a barrage of baffled comments from many of her 237,200 fans with many viewers from down under saying most know what Mr Whippy and 'half five' means.

'Um what Aussie did you talk to that doesn't know Mr whippy???,' one asked and a second said: 'You're kidding right!? We were raised on Mr whippy'.

'I don't know which Australians you have met but we have Mr Whippy and say half 5 all the time,' responded a third.

'I've heard some Aussies say 'its 40 to 5' instead of 'twenty to 5',' laughed a fourth.

This isn't the first time Jordana has confused her Aussie followers with some bizarre observations

'I don't know any Aussies who wouldn't understand 'half five', though we would usually say 'half past five.',' said another while someone joked: 'We usually say half past 5, or 'harp ast five'.

However not all were familiar with the nostalgic sweet treat and others pointed out Mr Whippy was the name of the van rather than the ice cream itself.

'I'm Aussie and never heard of it till today,' one admitted.

'Mr whippy still exists but it's the ice cream van. The ice cream is a soft serve,' another said.

After seeing the backlash from viewers, Jordana asked how she 'got this so wrong' in the comments.

'You've been misled by your friends that live under a rock and don't know who Mr whippy is,' someone replied.

In the clip titled, 'crazy little culture shocks that make me laugh', the comedian mimics an Australian's confusion over being offered a smaller than usual watermelon in the UK

This isn't the first time Jordana has confused her Aussie followers with some bizarre observations.

Previously she had fans scratching their heads after claiming Aussies who visit the UK don't know what watermelon or instant coffee is.

In a video posted to her Instagram and TikTok pages, Jordana re-enacted two conversations she has had with Australians about the two stock-standard items prompting a string of responses calling the skit 'inaccurate'.

In the clip titled, 'crazy little culture shocks that make me laugh', the comedian mimics an Australian's confusion over being offered a smaller than usual watermelon in the UK.

In a second skit, Jordana said An Australian didn't know what instant coffee was and likened it to 'a jar of dirt'

'Aww thanks...what is it?,' Jordana asked posing as an Australian in the re-enactment to which the Brit responded: 'A watermelon'.

When the 'Aussie' asked what the fruit was again she replied: 'Seriously, that's what our watermelons look like'.

In the second skit, Jordana mimicked giving an Australian some instant coffee in the UK.

She claimed the Australian excitedly accepted the offer as they were 'missing coffee' but was then baffled thinking the instant drink was a 'jar of dirt'.

Hundreds of Aussies in the comments were left scratching their heads over the Brit's claims they don't know what a watermelon or instant coffee looked like.

'Honey what? This literally is a watermelon, as an Aussie I see no difference except for maybe size lol,' one viewer replied.

Jordana has become well-known on Instagram and social media for sharing her hilarious takes on British versus Australian culture

'We have watermelons and a lot of us have instant coffee in our household. I was so confused with this whole video,' a second agreed.

'I love instant coffee, this is weird this video, I was excited to see the culture shock and I was left confused because none of it was shocking to me,' said a third.

However a lot of Jordana's Australian followers admitted they were surprised by the size of watermelons in the UK.

'Why the watermelon is the size of an orange???' one asked.

'I mean it looks like a watermelon but it looks like it would weigh a 1/4 of a watermelon, kids in Australia would eat that small thing in seconds,' said another.

'Had a British housemate in Melbourne who was so blown away by our fruit. He'd never seen a fresh passionfruit. He spent $30 on fruit and spent the next few hours on an odyssey of flavour,' a third recalled.

Jordana has become well-known on Instagram and social media for sharing her hilarious takes on British versus Australian culture.
This includes 330,000 stuck in the queue for over a year and nearly 10,000 who had been waiting for two

Waiting lists for elective procedures have soared during the pandemic, hitting a record of 6.6million in May

This website has put damning data into searchable tool, allowing you to see exactly how your hospital is faring

Fewer than half of Britons attending A&E departments are seen within four hours  the NHS's own target

EXCLUSIVE: MailOnline reveals almost six in 10 patients needing routine surgery waiting at least 18 weeks

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The ailing National Health Service's worst ever summer crisis was today laid bare by a forensic trust-by-trust breakdown of waiting lists, A&E pressure and bed occupancy by MailOnline.

It reveals that up to six in 10 patients in the queue for routine surgery at England's busiest trust have been waiting a shocking 18 weeks  and a fifth have been waiting over a year.

Fewer than half of Britons attending A&E departments are seen within four hours at the worst-hit trusts  the health service's own target  while nearly 1,000 every month are forced to wait more than 12 hours.

More than nine in 10 hospital beds were occupied across the country last week, a level NHS chiefs say should not be exceeded. And seven trusts had none to spare, in theory.

This website has put the damning data into a handy searchable tool, allowing you to see exactly how your hospital is faring on what is already the busiest summer on record for the health service.

Waiting lists for elective procedures such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery have soared during the pandemic, hitting a record of 6.6million in May.

This includes more than 300,000 who were stuck in the queue for over a year and nearly 10,000 who have been waiting for two.

The NHS crisis has seen patient face waits of nearly 24 hours at A&E as hospitals struggle to find enough beds, manage the latest peak of Covid admissions and try to cope with staff absences.

Ambulance response times have also drastically deteriorated, forcing heart attack and stroke patients to routinely wait for nearly an hour for paramedics to arrive.

The latest monthly performance figures show University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust had the worst waiting times for routine care in May.

Just 43 per cent of the 159,000-plus patients stuck on its list were waiting less than 18 weeks.

Under the NHS's own rulebook, all patients have the right to start treatment within that timeframe.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are among the fullest hospitals.

Meanwhile, those at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust face the longest waits at A&E.

NHS guidelines set out that all patients should be treated within 18 weeks of being referred. But at the worst-performing hospitals as little as four in 10 patients began treatment within the four-month target. The Countess of Chester Hospital trust (44 per cent) and Buckinghamshire Healthcare trust (47 per cent) did only slightly better than University Hospitals Birmingham trust (43 per cent). The remaining trusts, University Hospitals of Leicester, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Manchester University, managed to hit the 50 per cent threshold. Rounding out the top 10 poorest performing, the Hillingdon Hospitals trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare trust and Torbay And South Devon trust saw 52 per cent of patients within four months

Latest NHS England data for June shows no hospital saw all emergency department attendees within four hours  the NHS's own target. At the worst performing trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals, less than half of patients (49 per cent) were seen within four hours. And just over half were seen within that timeframe at University Hospitals Birmingham trust (53 per cent), North West Anglia trust (54 per cent), the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital trust (54 per cent) and Torbay And South Devon trust (55 per cent)

'We're in danger of singing 'kumbaya' as the Titanic sinks': NHS boss issues grim warning The NHS is in danger of 'singing 'kumbaya' as the Titanic sinks, one hospital chief executive has claimed. Milton Keynes University Hospital Foundation Trust boss Joe Harrison argued health leaders were 'presiding over a failing NHS'. 'I'm really concerned about where we are at,' he told a roundtable attended by trust executives from across the country. His comments come on the back of a damning report that warned the health service faces its biggest ever workforce crisis that poses a 'serious risk to patient safety'. The MP-led committee, led by Jeremy Hunt, claimed the Government has no credible strategy to improve the situation while demand grows. The Health Service Journal, a trade publication for NHS leaders and senior managers, held a meeting with trust chief executives about the current state of the health service. During the briefing, Mr Harrison said: 'I think we're in danger of all sitting around the campfire singing 'kumbaya' as the Titanic sinks. 'We are presiding over a failing NHS. There's no question about it.' He added: 'And if we carry on like this, people have every right to say, 'what on earth are we spending 150bn on?'' Mr Harrison's comments were echoed by other NHS leaders, who said that a lack of accountability over standards like A&E waiting times would undermine public faith in the health service. Advertisement

WAITING LIST FOR ROUTINE OPERATIONS

NHS guidelines set out that all patients should be treated within 18 weeks of being referred.

But statistics laying bare the pressures being felt in England's hospitals show less than two-third of patients are seen within this deadline at all 129 foundation trusts within our analysis.

MailOnline narrowed down the list from 145 trusts, excluding those that provide only specialist or children's care.

At the worst-performing hospitals as little as four in 10 patients began treatment within the four-month target. The Countess of Chester Hospital trust (44 per cent) and Buckinghamshire Healthcare trust (47 per cent) did only slightly better than University Hospitals Birmingham trust.

The remaining trusts, University Hospitals of Leicester, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Manchester University, managed to hit the 50 per cent threshold.

Rounding out the top 10 poorest performing, the Hillingdon Hospitals trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare trust and Torbay And South Devon trust saw 52 per cent of patients within four months.

Just six NHS hubs  including cancer hospitals the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the Christie trust  saw more than nine in 10 patients within this deadline.

Around 330,000 Britons have been waiting for more than one year to receive routine treatment. Nearly a tenth of these patients (30,998) are at University Hospitals Birmingham trust, while five per cent (17,183) are at University Hospitals of Leicester trust.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said: 'Our teams have worked exceptionally hard in making some huge steps forward, from a very difficult position, including the near-elimination of our 17,000 longest waits.

'Work in other priority areas is now happening at pace.'

DIAGNOSTIC SCANS

More than 1.5million Britons  a quarter of all those on the waiting list  are seeking key diagnostic tests and scans, such as CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasounds.

The NHS target is for these patients to be seen in less than six weeks. However, 26 per cent of patients (407,377) had been waiting for more than six weeks by May.

But at the worst performing trusts, more than half had been waiting for six weeks or more.

The figure was 56 per cent at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn trust and 50 per cent at Great Western Hospitals trust.

And over a third of patients at some trusts are forced to wait for at least 13 weeks  more than double the target time.

At Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn trust, 37 per cent of patients waited more than three months, while waits were nearly as bad at United Lincolnshire Hospitals trust (29 per cent) and North Bristol trust (28 per cent).

At least a quarter of patients at Great Western Hospitals trust (28 per cent), Royal Devon University Healthcare trust (27 per cent), Wye Valley trust (26 per cent) and Portsmouth Hospitals University trust (25 per cent) waited 13 weeks or more for a scan.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals trust (24 per cent), Nottingham University Hospitals trust (24 per cent) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston trust (23 per cent) complete the top-10 worst diagnostic scan waits.

The NHS backlog for routine treatment grew from 6.4million to 6.6million in May, the latest month with data, meaning one in eight people in England are now waiting for elective care, often in pain

Some 22,034 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England in June from a decision to admit to actually being admitted, NHS England said. The figure is up from 19,053 the previous month, but still below a record of 24,138 in April, which was the highest for any calendar month in records going back to August 2010. The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission stood at 130,109 in June, up from 122,768 the previous month. A total of 72% of patients in England were seen within four hours at A&Es last month, down from 73% in May

Patients to access test results and GP records on the NHS app from November Patients will be able to access test results and other information via the NHS app from November in a move that will free up GP surgery phone lines. NHS England will switch on automatic access to GP records on November 1 following a year-long delay due to 'safeguarding' concerns. For patients accessing more sensitive information, such as cancer test results, GPs will be able to customise how and when their records are shared. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, of NHS England, said: 'Improving patient access to health information on the NHS App will put patients in the driving seat when it comes to managing their own health.' He added it would help free up GP phone lines for urgent calls. The November date was confirmed in a letter to GPs last week. It said practices can 'consider increasing the number of patients who have online access and/or enhance their level of access gradually over the coming months'. Advertisement

BED OCCUPANCY

Meanwhile, at least 90 per cent of beds were occupied on July 19 trusts 116 of 129 NHS foundation trusts across England. The national average was 94 per cent.

Seven trusts  including North Middlesex University Hospital trust, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital trust and Isle of Wight trust  were running at 100 per cent capacity.

Health chiefs say bed occupancy rates should be below 85 per cent for hospitals to operate safely and efficiently. But the rate has been consistently higher over the last decade.

The nation's quietest hospitals include Moorfields Eye Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital and Liverpool University Hospital where as few as 46 per cent of beds were taken.

High bed occupancy  which predates Covid but has been made worse during the pandemic  has been partly blamed for the health service's crises, with healthy patients taking up beds as there are not enough social care workers to allow them to be discharged.

This has seen patients facing waits of up to 24 hours at A&E and soaring ambulance handover delays as there is no space to admit the sick.

However, just 12.7 per cent of occupied beds contain someone infected with Covid, according to the statistics up to July 19. In the hospital hardest-hit by Covid (Whittington Health NHS Trust), the figure is 42.9 per cent.

But only a third of these so-called Covid patients are primarily admitted because they are unwell with the virus. The rest were admitted for another ailment and incidentally tested positive, official NHS figures show.

Covid admissions are flat or falling in around half of hospitals. But some trusts  Barnsley Hospital and The Robert Jones And Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital  reported that their weekly Covid admissions tripled week-on-week.

A&E

Meanwhile, latest NHS England data for June shows no hospital saw all emergency department attendees within four hours  the NHS's own target.

Just five trusts  Moorfields Eye Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital, North East London, Southern Health and Northumbria Healthcare  saw at least nine in 10 patients within this timeframe.

At the worst performing trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals, less than half of patients (49 per cent) were seen within four hours.

And just over half were seen within that timeframe at University Hospitals Birmingham trust (53 per cent), North West Anglia trust (54 per cent), the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital trust (54 per cent) and Torbay And South Devon trust (55 per cent).

Overall, seven in 10 A&E patients in England were seen within four hours, compared to 85 per cent pre-pandemic. The rate fell below the 80 per cent threshold last summer and has failed to bounce back.

Meanwhile, more than 22,000 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen by A&E staff. And nearly one in 20 of 12-hour waits (967) took place at University Hospitals of Leicester trust.

A disproportionately high number of these waits  which are at least three times longer than the target time  took place at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals trust (727), United Lincolnshire Hospitals trust (692) and Northern Care Alliance trust (642). Only 30 trusts logged no 12-hour waits.

Phil Walmsley, chief operating officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust has seen 'higher than usual demand' for the time of year, which has been 'compounded further' by an increase in Covid patients.

He said: 'We are doing all we can to reduce waiting times by redeploying more staff to our emergency department to support the teams on duty and providing additional resources to help people on our wards get home safely. This has already shown an improvement in our performance, which we hope will continue.

'I would like to apologise to our patients for the impact that this may have had on them and I would like to say a huge thank you to our staff for their continued efforts under continued difficult circumstances.'

A spokesperson for Wye Valley trust, where just 59 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, said A&E attendances have been 'extraordinarily high' and advised those who don't need urgent care to contact their local pharmacy or NHS 111.

'We are doing everything we can to care for those unwell patients to make sure they get the help they need, as soon as they need it and as safely as possible,' a spokesman for the trust said.

A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, where only 47 per cent of patients were treated within 18 weeks, said: 'We rightly prioritise treatment based on clinical need and those who have waited the longest.

'Thanks to the hard work of our staff, we have reduced the waiting list for our longest waiting patients  those over 104 weeks - and we are on track to clear our 78 week waiters by March 2023.'

Paul Brennan, deputy chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, where just half of patients receive elective treatment within four months, said: 'Tackling the backlog is a top priority and we have boosted our capacity with a new community diagnostic centre at Kidderminster Hospital which will help us see 25,000 more patients a year.

'Our staff are working tirelessly to implement our plan to restore our services from the effects of the pandemic and are prioritising patients so that those most in need, such as cancer patients, are seen as quickly as possible.'
Next time you're craving something sweet, go for dark chocolate.

Scientists have found flavanols  antioxidants found in cocoa  can keep your heart healthy by lowering your blood pressure.

They do so by keeping blood vessel walls elastic, allowing blood to flow through the body more easily.

Milk chocolate still probably isn't a good idea because it is high in sugar and can contain as little as 25 per cent cocoa.

But dark chocolate can be up to 90 per cent in strength.

A study by the University of Surrey found people who took cocoa supplements had lower blood pressure and stretchier blood vessels within three hours.

The pills had as many flavanols as about half a kilogram of dark chocolate  which is normally sold in 100g bars.

Scientists have found flavanols  antioxidants found in dark chocolate  can keep your heart healthy by lowering your blood pressure

WHAT ARE FLAVANOLS? Flavanols are a group of molecules which occur naturally in fruit and vegetables They are found in many plant-based foods and drinks, such as tea, red wine, blueberries, apples, pears, cherries and peanuts. They are particularly abundant in the seeds of the cacao tree  cacao beans. Fermenting, drying, and roasting cacao beans yields cocoa powder, which is used to make chocolate. Flavanols in cocoa have been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, prevent blood clots, and fight cell damage. Source: Harvard Medical School Advertisement

Lead researcher Professor Christian Heiss, a cardiologist, said: 'The positive impact cocoa flavanols have on our cardiovascular system is undeniable.'

He said that while his study used a lot of flavanols, dark chocolate still has significant amounts.

Around a third of people in the UK have high blood pressure, which puts them at a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Leafy vegetables, onions, apples, berries, cherries, soybeans, and even red wine are also high in antioxidants shown to keep the heart healthy.

In the latest study, 11 healthy adults consumed a cocoa capsule or placebo on alternating days for nearly a fortnight while they went about their daily life.

Participants wore a blood pressure monitor on their arm and a finger clip which measured how stiff their arteries were.

Their blood pressure was lower and their arteries looser on the days they took the flavanols - even up to eight hours later.

Crucially, the supplements did not lower blood pressure on days when it was already low.

Professor Heiss said this could give it an edge over current medications.

He added: 'Doctors often fear that some blood pressure tablets can decrease the blood pressure too much on some days.

'What we have found indicates that cocoa flavanols only decrease blood pressure if it is elevated.'

Professor Heiss said he now plans to test the pills among patients diagnosed with high blood pressure.

The research was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
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Fierce debate about the origins of the Covid pandemic was reignited today after two new studies claimed to trace the outbreak back to a notorious animal slaughter market in Wuhan.

One shows for the first time how the earliest human cases were clustered within a small radius around the Huanan Seafood Market in winter 2019.

More precise analysis of swabs taken from floors, cages and counters track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market, where animals that can harbour Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time.

A second study claims to have pinpointed the exact date the first animal-to-human infection occurred  November 18, 2019  after carrying out genetic analysis on hundreds of samples from the first human carriers.

They also say they have found evidence another first generation strain was spreading at the wet market  which, if true, would place both original lineages within its walls.

Until recently, the only Covid cases linked to the market were Lineage B, which was thought to have evolved after Lineage A. Proponents of the accidental lab leak hypothesis used this as proof the virus only arrived at the market after evolving elsewhere in Wuhan.

One of the experts involved in the new studies, virologist Professor David Robertson, of the University of Glasgow, said he hopes they will 'correct the false record that the virus came from a lab'.

But critics have played down or disputed the findings entirely, and warned both studies were carried out by the same group of academics who have regularly argued in favour of the natural origin theory.

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. Now, two new studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbour Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right)

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of a biochemical lab has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic.

Due to shady practices and high risk of cross-species infection, the wet market was originally touted as the source of the outbreak when several workers and shoppers came down with the mystery flu-like virus.

But concerns started to mount when it emerged the Wuhan Institute of Virology  located just 8miles away on the other side of the Yangtze River  was working extensively on bat coronaviruses at the time.

Another key question was why only 50 patients out of hundreds who were hospitalised with Covid in Wuhan had a direct link to the market.

One of the new studies, published in the journal Science, used mapping tools to estimate the longitude and latitude locations of 156 of those original cases.

Virologist Shi Zheng-li works with her colleague in the P4 lab of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Hubei province - which is at the heart of the lab-leak theory. Nicknamed the 'Bat Lady', Zheng-li hunted down dozens of deadly Covid-like viruses in bat caves and studied them at the WIV

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

The highest density of December cases were located in a 3mile (5km) radius around the market  a relatively tiny spot in a sprawling city of 11 million people that is roughly the size of London.

Earlier in the pandemic, many were surprised that cases were not even more closely linked.

But researchers behind the new study said it was consistent with how Covid spreads  mostly by people with mild illness who travel and spread it to others.

China's official pandemic timeline of the coronavirus pandemic and the evidence that undermines it Official timeline Dec 8, 2019 - Earliest date that China has acknowledged an infection Dec 31 - China first reported 'pneumonia of unknown cause' to the World Health Organisation Jan 1, 2020 - Wuhan seafood market closed for disinfection Jan 7 - President Xi Jinping discusses coronavirus outbreak with his politburo Jan 9 - China makes public the genome of the coronavirus Jan 11 - China reported its first death Jan 13 - First case outside China is confirmed Jan 20 - China's National Health Commission confirms human-to-human transmission Jan 23 - Wuhan locked down Jan 31 - WHO declared 'outbreak of international concern' as China admitted having thousands of cases Feb 23 - Italy reports cluster of cases in first major outbreak in the West May 29 - China claims virus did not originate in wet markets but in Chinese bats before it jumped to humans via an 'intermediary animal' July 31 - Chinese researcher admits some coronavirus experiments conducted in lower biosafety labs Dec 16 - WHO announces it will travel to Wuhan to probe origins of virus in January Jan 5, 2021 - China denies entry to WHO's investigatory team Feb 9 - WHO dismisses theory virus leaked from lab - backs China's claim it was imported from frozen meat Mar 28 - Former US national security officials says intel shows 'there was a direct order from Beijing to destroy all viral samples' at Wuhan lab New evidence 2012: Six miners struck down with with a mysterious flu-like illness in Mojiang cave in Yunnan. They were found to have been infected with the closest known relative to Covid, sharing 97% of its genes. Samples RATG13 are sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to be studied. Sep 2019- Blood samples are taken in a lung cancer screening trial in Italy which later test positive for coronavirus Oct - Whistleblower Wei Jingsheng claims China deliberately spread Covid at The World Military Games in Wuhan in October, two months before the rest of the world knew about the virus Oct - Xi Jinping's authoritarian regime tried desperately to shut down whistle-blowers like Mr Jingsheng. Any references made in social media about a new SARS virus or 'outbreak' were censored Oct-Dec - Rise in 'flu and pneumonia' cases in northern Italy which could be linked to coronavirus Nov - Whistleblower Mr Jingsheng claims he took his concerns about the military games to senior figures within the Trump administration but was ignored Nov - Intelligence report passed to agencies in Washington claims three members of staff at the Wuhan Institute of Virology sought hospital treatment in November 2019 after experiencing symptoms consistent with Covid Nov - Sewage samples taken in Florianopolis, Brazil, suggest virus was present Nov 10 - Milanese woman has a skin biopsy, producing a sample which later shows signs of the virus Nov 17 - Leaked documents suggest case detected in China on this date Dec - Doctors in China, including Li Wenliang, report existance of new type of respiratory infection. But Chinese police arrested him and eight of his colleagues for questioning - instead of publicising reports and warning public Dec 1 - Chinese researchers report an infection on this date in a peer-reviewed study, but it has not been acknowledged by Beijing Dec 18 - Sewage samples taken in Milan and Turin suggest virus was circulating in the cities Dec 26 - Samples analysed suggested a new type of SARS was circulating as early as December 26, but Wuhan was not locked down until January 22 Jan 2020 - Sewage samples from Barcelona suggest virus was in the city Jan 3 - Covid-19 infections begin sweeping across other nations including the U.S. as the WHO labelled the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern May - Scientists at a government lab in California concluded that Covid-19 may have escaped from a facility in Wuhan July - WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said China failed share vital raw data during their investigation in Wuhan. China rebuffed those claims June 2021: Leading US virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci was warned Covid may have been engineered in a lab, emails publicly released reveal. August: The world's first Covid-19 patient may have been infected by a bat while working for a Wuhan lab in China, WHO chief Dr Peter Embarek said August: A damning report by Republicans in the US claims coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, shortly after the facility tried to improve air safety and waste treatment systems The report also cited 'ample evidence' that lab scientists were working to modify coronaviruses to infect humans and such manipulation could be hidden. October: US intelligence review into origins of pandemic does not reach a judgement on whether the virus emerged via animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak. Chinese officials branded the report 'political and false'. January 2022: Leaked emails from top UK scientist Sir Jeremy Farrar showed he admitted in February 2020 that it was a 'likely explanation' that the virus could be man-made. But he went on to brand the theory a 'conspiracy'. February: Sir Farrar is called to be interviewed under oath at the US Congress. Officials want him to explain why he shifted away from the lab leak theory. Advertisement

Widespread testing was not in place at the time, which meant the only people who were officially diagnosed were those who were very sick in hospital.

The research found that a large percentage of early patients were people who lived in the surrounding neighbourhood but did not have a direct link to the market.

Professor Robertson told the BBC: 'Knowing what we know about the virus now, it's exactly what we would expect - because many people only get very mildly ill, so they would be out in the community transmitting the virus to others and the severe cases would be hard to link to each other.'

The researchers ran tests that showed it was extremely unlikely that such a pattern could occur merely by chance.

'This paper provides pretty strong evidence that the Huanan seafood market was indeed the epicentre of the initial outbreak,' Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, who was not involved in the research, told MailOnline.

'This type of analysis is quite well known to me as it is used to identify sources of outbreaks.... the fact that not all of the cases were directly linked to the market is not unusual in such studies.'

But Professor Hunter said while the research pins most of the original cases to the market, it does not prove the virus originated there.

'The fact that SARS-CoV-2-susceptible live mammals were sold at the Huanan market during November and December 2019 is not in itself proof, even if indicative,' he added.

His comments were echoed by Professor David Livermore, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, who told MailOnline: 'The clustering suggests that the market amplified early spread of the virus.

'However, it doesn't prove that the virus originated from an animal at the market. The virus might have reached the market with a customer who worked elsewhere in the city.

'It's unproven, but I'd lean 60:40 in favour of an accidental lab leak. There's nothing here that leads me to change that view.'

He added: 'The strongest arguments in favour of the lab leak are the remarkable coincidence that the pandemic began in a city hosting a major centre for coronavirus study; that this centre was undertaking gain of function experiments; that SARS-CoV2 contains unusual sequences, hinting at genetic manipulation and that, despite vast effort, no clear animal host has been found.

The researchers also drew on data from a Chinese investigation into the origins of Covid at the Wuhan market.

In that probe, officials swabbed walls, drains and other surfaces inside the market. They also caught mice and stray cats and dogs near the market to test them, while also testing the contents of the sewers outside.

A total of 69 environmental samples collected from the market by the Chinese C.D.C. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) turned up positive for Covid.

In the new study, researchers created a floor plan of the wet market based on publicly-available sources and traced a cluster of the positive samples to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market.

They also discovered that raccoon dogs - which are susceptible to Covid - were sold for meat and fur at that location in November 2019, along with an unknown species of birds.

But further investigations showed hedgehogs, hares, squirrels, badgers and rats, which are also harbourers of the virus, were sold elsewhere in the market at that time.

Professor Robertson told the BBC: 'So we have confirmation of animals we now know are susceptible [to Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19] were sold there in late 2019.'

Meanwhile, the second study  also published in Science  saw researchers genetically analyse 800 coronavirus samples from the earliest cases in Wuhan.

By studying subtle changes in the genetic code of viral samples, researchers concluded for the first time that the original jump to humans happened on November 18, 2019, and involved a lineage B strain.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline that he was undecided about Covid's origin, but this study 'really clinches it for me'.

'When investigating the cause of outbreaks and in my career I have investigated many outbreaks we generally build conclusions on what was the cause on more than one piece of evidence.

'Single pieces of evidence are rarely that convincing. To make a really strong case we require epidemiological, environmental and microbiological evidence. It is not often that you get all three but in this context you do.'

There are still questions about whether lineage A or B came first. The scientists suggest the two might have originated in different animals in separate spillover events at the market.

But some experts are less convinced. Professor Livermore told MailOnline: ' The authors of the second study argue that there were two independent escapes of different variants to humans at the same market over a brief period.

'This strikes me as inherently implausible. Two escapes in the same place? Over a brief time period? If escapes were so common wed see them scattered across China on a regular basis. And we dont.'

Lineage A has still not been found in any person linked to the wet market. It was only detected once  on a glove used to handle animals at the wet market. It was collected by the Chinese CDC when the market was shut down in January 2020.

But Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, questioned this findings when the Chinese data was published earlier this year.

He noted the Lineage A glove sample was collected months the virus had begun spreading in humans, raising the possibility that it had been brought into the market.

He told the New York Times in February: 'I am especially unconvinced by the conclusion that there must have necessarily been two different spillovers in the Huanan Seafood Market.'

Despite the new data, there remain questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology's links to the early days in the pandemic.

Chinese officials were found to have wiped crucial databases from the lab and stifled independent investigations into the facility.

Researchers who fell ill with a mysterious flu-like virus months before the official Covid timeline were silenced or disappeared.

The WIV specialised in dangerous viruses and one of its chief scientists was nicknamed the 'Bat Lady' for her extensive work on coronaviruses like Covid.

It received funding from the American Government to conduct gain-of-function research, which involves tinkering with viruses with the view of getting ahead of future outbreaks.

Famous US economist Jeffrey Sachs, who led a two-year probe into the pandemic's origins, said he was 'pretty convinced' the global outbreak was the result of experiments between US and Chinese scientists.
A pregnant woman has tested positive for monkeypox in the United States, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chief has revealed.

The woman has now given birth to her child, who does not appear to have caught the rash-causing virus from the mother.

CDC released limited information on the case, including where in the US the woman was based. It's also unclear when the woman was infected, or exactly when she gave birth.

Health officials said both were 'doing well', but the nation's top infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci warned Tuesday that pregnant woman may face a 'profound risk' from the virus.

A maternity doctor told DailyMail.com that women in the early stages of pregnancy faced the biggest risk from monkeypox. The mother may have been in the final stages of her pregnancy when infected, as she recently gave birth.

The newborn received immune globin, an infusion of antibodies capable of fighting diseases including monkeypox, officials said. It is not clear what treatment the mother received.

It is the first infection to be detected in a pregnant woman in the United States, and comes after America recorded its first two infections in children last week. The pediatric cases were unrelated and detected in California and Washington D.C.

There are currently 3,591 monkeypox infections confirmed in America  the second biggest outbreak in the world behind Spain's 3,738 cases.

Pictured above is the spread of monkeypox cases across the United States. New York has the most infections at present, followed by California and Illinois

The U.S. currently has the second biggest monkeypox outbreak in the world, behind only Spain which was one of the first countries hit by the disease

America has detected its first monkeypox case in a pregnant woman in the United States. Pictured above are images of cells infected with monkeypox virus (red dots)

Dr John Brooks, chief medical officer in the CDC's monkeypox response, revealed the case during a webinar with the Infectious Diseases Society of America Saturday.

'There has been a case of a pregnant woman who delivered,' Brooks said.

'The neonate received the IG prophylactically (immune globin given to prevent disease). Both mom and baby are doing well.'

CDC officials confirmed the case to DailyMail.com. Their website warns pregnant women are 'more likely to get seriously ill or die' from monkeypox.

Timeline of monkeypox in the United States 1958: Monkeypox is discovered when an outbreak of pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. 1970: First human case of the disease is recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was later detected in a number of other central and western African countries. 2003: America's former largest monkeypox outbreak occurs. A total of 47 people are infected after having contact with pet prairie dogs that picked up the disease at a farm. July, 2021: Monkeypox case detected in the U.S. in a citizen who had recently returned from Nigeria. November, 2021: Monkeypox is detected in another U.S. resident who recently returned from Nigeria. May, 2022: A man in Massachusetts is diagnosed with monkeypox, becoming the first case in the current outbreak. There are now more than 3,000 cases nationwide. July, 2022: Two children and a pregnant women test positive for monkeypox, as the disease spreads to other groups. The children were in California and traveling through Washington D.C., it was not clear where the woman was. Advertisement

Fauci  the top infectious diseases expert in the U.S.  warned in an interview about yesterday that pregnant women were among those more at risk from monkeypox.

He told NPR: 'We've got to understand the modality of transmission, the manifestations, also the risk for people like children and pregnant women. There's really a profound risk.

'Right now, thank goodness, we have a report of only two cases in children, but they're all at risk populations.'

Dr Daniel Roshan, a maternal-fetal medicine expert at Rosh Maternal and Fetal Medicine in New York, told DailyMail.com that pregnant women and their babies faced the greatest risk from monkeypox early in pregnancy because the babies organs were still developing, raising the risk of birth defects.

In the later stages he said babies are more at risk of catching the virus because there is more blood flow to them, but less likely to suffer birth defects as most organs are already developed.

He told DailyMail.com: 'If they catch the virus in the first ten weeks of pregnancy since the baby has just started to develop there is a greater risk of congenital abnormalities.

'[But] in the third trimester there is more blood flow from placenta to the fetus and it's easier to get the virus.'

Pregnant women who catch monkeypox can pass it on to their babies in the womb via the placenta. It can also be transmitted once a child is born through close contact  such as cuddles  and there may be a risk of it being passed on via the breastmilk.

Roshan said immune globin would be administered to a pregnant woman who caught monkeypox to help fight off the infection.

Asked how the parent became infected, Roshan said this was likely via close contact with an infected patient.

He advised pregnant women to observe 'normal protocol' to avoid becoming infected. 'I would say they should just be careful with the contact,' he said. 'Stay away from people with rashes or fever, and follow personal hygiene.'

The CDC says that babies born to pregnant women should be washed immediately after birth with wipes and soapy water.

In guidance published this week, they add doctors should then decide whether to administer a vaccine to the child or antiviral.

Infants must then be monitored for 21 days  during which time they should be looked after by a carer or family member  to ensure they have not caught the virus.

Infected mothers should steer clear of their children until all the lesions triggered by monkeypox have scabbed over, and the scabs have fallen off.

Dr John Brooks, chief medical officer in the CDC's monkeypox response, revealed the case in a pregnant woman during a webinar on Saturday. Dr Anthony Fauci, America's leading infectious diseases expert, said pregnant women were at 'profound risk' from the virus

Medical literature shows monkeypox infections in pregnant women have previously led to miscarriage, stillbirth, early delivery and infection in the womb.

But it is not clear how often these occur, because so few pregnant women have previously been infected.

A 2017 study that tracked four pregnant women with the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo found two miscarried there babies and there was one fetal death.

Smallpox, monkeypox's now-eradicated cousin, was also more severe among pregnant women.

Last week the CDC revealed America's first two cases of monkeypox had been detected in children as the virus spreads to other groups.

One is a toddler from California, while the other is an infant who was travelling through Washington D.C. when the case was detected. Neither had contact with each other.

It is thought both children likely caught the virus from 'household contacts', which includes people they live with and visitors to their home.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, the CDC's director, said the children both had contact with gay or bisexual men  the community where most cases are being detected in the current outbreak.

They have received the antiviral TPOXX, which can help stop an infection in its tracks by interfering with the virus's maturation.

Until now monkeypox infections have been almost exclusively among gay or bisexual men.

But a top expert has warned that the virus has likely already spread to other groups, but was not being detected among them yet due to a lack of testing.

The World Health Organization warns that pregnant women are more at risk from monkeypox.

Scientific studies suggest that between three and ten percent of children infected with monkeypox die from the disease, depending on the strain they catch.
A research team believes that they may have found a cure for baldness by preventing chemical buildups that can cause it to occur in the first place  and even use it to regenerate a person's hair after it is lost.

Modelling at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), found that when the chemical is in high concentrations it kills hair follicles. But that when the levels are 'just right' it causes them to grow new hairs.

The protein at the center to their discovery is TGF-beta, which not only controls the growth of a follicle but can also lead to its death. The UCR research team believes that its levels can be 'controlled' to stop hairloss from happening.

Around 40 million Americans are bald and, while many just accept it as a part of ageing, the new findings suggest that their may be a way to stop the shedding of hair later in life.

Modelling at the University of California, Riverside, found high concentrations of TGF-beta  naturally found in the follicles  can be toxic to them (stock image)

Dr Qixuan Wang, the mathematical biologist at UCR who led the paper, said her research moved scientists one step closer to 'controlling' mechanisms causing baldness.

Modelling performed by the team found high concentrations of TGF-beta  naturally found in the follicles  can be toxic to them and lead to their death, and eventual falling out.

Baldness may be triggered by so much of a chemical building up in hair follicles that they die, the team says.

What is the difference between alopecia and age-related hair loss? Alopecia areata is caused by the body's immune system attacking hair follicles. The follicles hold hair in place, so when they are damaged the hair starts to fall out. It usually causes circle or oval-shaped patches of baldness and can lead to someone becoming completely hairless. The disease can occur at any time in life and is unpredictable, with experts still uncertain what in a genetic makeup causes it. Meanwhile, age-related hair loss is caused by hereditary factors. In men it is called male pattern hair loss and women it is called female pattern hair loss. Genes inherited from either parent cause the follicles to shrink over time and eventually stop growing hair. It can start in teenage years but is more common in later life. It is not caused by an immune response and therefore is not affected by drugs aiming to suppress the body's defense system. Advertisement

When 'just right' levels of the protein was reached in the follicles cells were triggered to generate new hairs.

Cells in hair follicles periodically die, which causes the hair to fall out  a process that happens about 100 times a day.

But each also contains stem cells, that can generate new hair-making cells to ensure the lost strand is regrown.

In baldness, however, this process is shut off  with Wang and co-author Dr Katherine Dinh arguing this is down to the chemical TGF-beta.

'Even when a hair follicle kills itself, it never kills its stem cell reservoir. When the surviving cells receive the signal to regenerate, they divide, make a new cell and develop into a new follicle,' Wang said.

'TGF-beta has two opposite roles in this. It helps activate some hair follicle cells to produce new life, and later, it helps orchestrate apoptosis, the process of cell death.'

'Our new research gets us closer to understanding stem cell behavior, so that we can control it and promote wound healing,' she added.

TGF-beta is a chemical that normally stimulates growth which is secreted by many cells across the body, including white blood cells.

In the research, scientists used datasets based on testing done on the skin's surface that revealed the concentration of different chemicals.

Baldness  which can afflict both men and women  is often inherited in genes.

But it can also be caused by the body starting to attack its own hair follicles  in a condition known as alopecia areata  which robs people of their hair within weeks.

Stress and wearing extensions that pull on hair have also been implicated in hair loss.

Reviewing the study Dr Anthony Oro, a dermatologist at Stanford Health Care in California, said any conclusions about the role of TGF-beta based on it were 'premature'.

'TGF-Beta plays a complex role in normal hair growth, so its nomination is not surprising.

'Several issues limit the study's impact. First, the study uses existing data mostly in mouse hair growth, and we know that mouse and human hair growth regulation is quite different.

'Second, the study uses normal hair cycling, not male baldness, which are both very different so the conclusions from one do not necessarily apply to the other.

'Lastly, the study does not validate any of its findings in patients, so conclusions about TGF-Beta's role in baldness are premature.'
The number of cars built in the UK in the first half of the year has fallen by a fifth as manufacturers continued to struggle to get their hands on parts required for latest models.

The 403,131 new vehicles produced in factories between the start of January and end of June is not only 95,792 fewer than the same period of 2021 but also lower than the half-year output for a lockdown-ravaged 2020 and worse than the opening six months of 2009 during the global financial crash, official records confirm.

While part supplies are showing signs of stabilising, industry experts say the sector's recovery will be derailed by rising energy costs and consumers being gripped by the cost-of-living crunch.

Car outputs slide: Just 403,131 new vehicles came off UK production lines in the first half of the year. That's fewer than in 2009 during the global financial crash

Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders this morning show that car manufacturing in the first six months of the year is 19.2 per cent down on 2021.

The main cause remains shortages of key components, most notably semiconductors, with supplies severely limited since the pandemic hit over two years ago.

Access to parts was further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, blocking one of the major supply lines for wiring harnesses in particular.

The closure of Honda's Swindon plant last year also meant there would be an inevitable decline in outputs following the loss of one of the country's biggest car production plants.

Despite this challenging backdrop, June recorded a 5.6 per cent uptick, with 72,946 vehicles built, mostly as a result of parts supply chains beginning to increase.

Although this was the best June performance since the start of the pandemic it was still a third down on pre-pandemic 2019 output levels.

Looking further back, June 2016 saw 158,641 cars come off UK assembly lines - more than twice as many as last month.

A growth in electric vehicle production had a major part to play in keeping the sector ticking over, especially last month with outputs increasing by a record 44.2 per cent.

It means 32,282 battery-electric models came off UK production lines in the first half of the year, which is an increase of 6.5 per cent year-on-year - though EV production represents just 8 per cent of all new cars built in British factories so far in 2022.

While car manufacturing outputs in June were marginally higher than the same month in 2021, production is significantly behind the record levels seen between 2016 and 2018

But experts this morning have warned that the sector's recovery could be derailed by a number of new issues in the second hand of the year, with energy price hikes looming - making vehicle production increasingly expensive - and consumer spending likely to decline during the cost-of-living crisis.

With this in mind, the SMMT has further downgraded its annual production output - not for the first time this year, having already lowered its prediction in March.

It now estimates that 866,000 cars will be made in total this year, which represents a growth of 1 per cent on 2021 volumes.

Output is targeted to improve in 2023 to 956,575 units, before surpassing one million vehicles by 2025 as supply chain issues recede further.

Commenting on the half-year report, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said car makers have 'suffered from a long Covid' for much of 2022.

'As these issues recede over the next year or two, investment in new technologies and processes will be essential but this will depend on our underlying competitiveness,' he said before highlighting the new set of headaches facing the sector in the coming months.

He adds: 'Sky-high energy costs, non-competitive business rates and skills shortages must all be addressed if we are to build on our inherent strengths and seize the opportunities presented by the dash for decarbonised mobility.'

Experts says a shortage of components, namely semiconductor computer chips, is showing signs of easing, but manufacturers face a set of new headaches with energy bills soaring and consumers gripped by the cost-of-living crunch

Chris Knight, UK automotive partner at KPMG, shared Mr Hawes' concerns for the months ahead - and warned it would likely result in higher vehicle prices for customers.

He told us: 'The cost of car manufacturing has increased due to price rises of raw materials, components, transport and energy.

'Manufacturers have limited ability to absorb additional cost and will pass this onto consumers in the form of higher prices.

'Consumers are willing to pay a premium for now, as demand for new cars still far outpaces supply, however this willingness may decline if consumer confidence erodes.'

Jim Holder, What Car?'s editorial direction, says the nation's car manufacturing sector is now 'walking a tightrope' trying to recover from its most difficult period while also attempting to navigate a cost-of-living crisis and a once-in-a-century transition towards electric vehicle and carbon-neutral manufacturing.

'Already, the UK automotive industry has made giant environmental strides, but it cannot manage the transition without support in such a restricted market,' he warned.

Last week, What Car? said over a third of motorists anticipating buying a car this year have decided to delay their purchasing plans, with many putting their intention on hold until 2023.
My wife and I booked a holiday to Cyprus for us and our daughter as a gift to thank her for her continuing help.

Unfortunately, my wife fell ill prior to our departure and we had to cancel. I claimed on our Aviva travel insurance, which is linked to our Barclays bank account, and was paid in full for our portion of the trip.

My grown-up daughter, who lives independently at another address, had her travel insurance as an add-on to her home policy with Direct Line.

But the firm refused to refund her share  around 1,000  on the basis that she had not contributed to the cost. I feel this is grossly unfair.

J. D., East Sussex.

Out of pocket: A family was forced to cancel their holiday due to illness but were denied a full refund because they do not all live at the same address

Sally Hamilton replies: It certainly seemed harsh to me that the generosity you showed in footing the bill for a holiday for your daughter was not reflected in the behaviour of her insurer, Direct Line.

Your daughter had been battling depression following her divorce from an abusive husband, but was starting to make a good recovery while holding down a job, raising her child and supporting you and your wife.

You wanted to celebrate this by inviting her on a holiday to coincide with your wife's 80th birthday.

There was disappointment all round when the Cyprus trip had to be cancelled. Happily, though, you were able to recoup the loss of your share of the bill from your insurer.

But both you and I found it hard to fathom why Direct Line declined your daughter's claim. You took the case to the Financial Ombudsman, but the complaint was not upheld.

Direct Line refused to refund the daughter's share of the holiday cost  around 1,000  because it was paid for her as a gift

Despite my request to reconsider, Direct Line stuck to its guns. A spokesman says: 'The claim was declined on the grounds [the daughter] did not pay for the holiday, a point clearly outlined in our terms and conditions.

'The individual that suffered a financial loss had a policy with another insurer.'

I was disappointed to pass this on to you especially as you told me later the terrible news that your wife passed away recently.

Your experience is not an isolated one. Not long after dealing with this case, I read a letter from another concerned parent about a daughter facing a vexed insurance claim.

She had booked a March trip to the Aspinall Foundation's Port Lympne wildlife park in Kent for herself, her husband and their three-year-old son, paying 1,177 for a lodge that sleeps up to five.

Since the charge was the same regardless of the number of occupants, she invited her parents to join them for free.

But just before travelling, her son fell ill with norovirus. Since no refund or rebooking is permitted on a last-minute cancellation, the daughter claimed on the travel policy linked to her Nationwide current account, which is provided by UK Insurance Ltd.

After much correspondence and long delays (leading to a 50 compensation) the insurer agreed to pay  but only 606, which was three-fifths of the claim, minus the 100 excess.

UK Insurance (the main underwriter behind Direct Line, as it happens) ignored the fact the price was for the property and stated it would only pay for those insured on the Nationwide policy. I felt this was blatantly unfair.

I asked it to reconsider. It repeated the same line, that the policy only covers the costs of insured people and not any portion related to uninsured guests, 'even if the trip is paid for as a gift'.

However, I am pleased to say Nationwide stepped in and, in recognition of the circumstances, made an ex-gratia payment of 471, so that the claim has now been met in full. That's the holiday spirit!

So where does this leave people who want to treat their family to a holiday? Direct Line's spokesman advises: 'They should discuss options for a guest extension with their insurer, so they are financially protected for that person's proportion of the overall cost.'

Eharmony fixed me a date with a debt collector

Last year, I joined the dating site eharmony on a special offer for a year's membership. I rarely used it, then forgot about it and later cancelled the payment method.

When the year ended, eharmony contacted me to demand the full fee of 286, but it used the email address I'd set up specifically for the service. By chance, I looked at it a few weeks ago and realised my careless mistake.

I explained the situation and suggested that I pay for the two months that had passed since the offer ended.

Eharmony declined and said the debt had been passed to a debt collection agency.

M. P., Southend-on-Sea.

Dating disaster: Eharmony passed this reader's debt to a collection agency after they forgot to cancel their membership following a special offer period

Sally Hamilton replies: I thought your suggestion was a pragmatic solution. Compromises are key to a successful romantic relationship, and should be for business arrangements, too.

Eharmony agreed to waive the debt, and says you won't be hearing from the debt collection agency.
The merger of a British satellite firm with a French rival faced a backlash last night as a former science minister claimed it handed technology to Europe on the cheap.

London-based OneWeb  which is backed by the UK Government after being rescued by taxpayers from bankruptcy two years ago agreed to join forces with Frances Eutelsat yesterday.

The deal is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

The Bank of England is set to reveal the latest decision of its rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee next week

But George Freeman, who quit as Britains science minister earlier this month, told the Mail it would hand over another key UK industrial asset to our competitors.

The deal is billed as a merger of equals, with OneWebs UK future continuing to be safeguarded by the UK Governments special share and ownership of the newly-enlarged company split equally between investors in both firms.

It also gives Britain a veto over any move abroad as well as the power to block sales on national security grounds and first preference on manufacturing and launch site decisions.

But it will ultimately mean OneWeb becomes part of the Paris-listed Eutelsat group  although there are plans for a secondary listing in London.

Freeman said: We will never grow an innovation economy if we keep selling all our best companies to our competitors.

The deal will also see Chinas sovereign wealth fund, an investor in Eutelsat, take a 1.8 per cent holding in the combined company, though it will not have a board seat or access to any information that is not publicly available.

It brings together OneWebs pioneering lower Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology, aimed at allowing access to high-speed internet where traditional ground infrastructure is unavailable, with the older geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites deployed by Eutelsat.

The British and French Governments will each own about 10 per cent.

Freeman said: The EU have long dreamt of having an LEO constellation. This deal gives them one much more cheaply than building their own.

But unless our rights are protected, this sale to Frances Eutelsat  with Chinese partners  will hand over another key UK industrial asset to our competitors.

I hope both [Conservative] leadership candidates will make clear they will not allow it without a commitment to satellite manufacturing, maintenance and insurance in the UK.

Recent foreign takeovers have seen satellite company Inmarsat being swallowed up by Americas Viasat  a deal being probed by the competition watchdog  and Welsh chip maker Newport Wafer Fab bought by a Chinese-backed Dutch firm  a deal now facing a national security review.

Neil Masterson, OneWebs chief executive, defended the deal, citing the advantages of combining LEO and GEO technology.

He said: The business prospects are much stronger together than they are individually.

A source at the Department for Business said Freeman was involved in the process throughout as the minister responsible and supported the merger.

The source added: And the golden share is protected  its part of the deal. He obviously wasnt listening in meetings.
The merger of a British satellite firm with a French rival faced a backlash last night as a former science minister claimed it handed technology to Europe on the cheap.

London-based OneWeb  which is backed by the UK Government after being rescued by taxpayers from bankruptcy two years ago agreed to join forces with Frances Eutelsat yesterday.

The deal is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

Fired up: A rocket carries 36 OneWeb satellites to space. The satellite firm, which was rescued by taxpayers two years ago, agreed to join forces with Frances Eutelsat yesterday

But George Freeman, who quit as Britains science minister earlier this month, told the Mail it would hand over another key UK industrial asset to our competitors.

The deal is billed as a merger of equals, with OneWebs UK future continuing to be safeguarded by the UK Governments special share and ownership of the newly-enlarged company split equally between investors in both firms.

It also gives Britain a veto over any move abroad as well as the power to block sales on national security grounds and first preference on manufacturing and launch site decisions.

But it will ultimately mean OneWeb becomes part of the Paris-listed Eutelsat group  although there are plans for a secondary listing in London.

Freeman said: We will never grow an innovation economy if we keep selling all our best companies to our competitors.

The deal will also see Chinas sovereign wealth fund, an investor in Eutelsat, take a 1.8 per cent holding in the combined company, though it will not have a board seat or access to any information that is not publicly available.

It brings together OneWebs pioneering lower Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology, aimed at allowing access to high-speed internet where traditional ground infrastructure is unavailable, with the older geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites deployed by Eutelsat.

The British and French Governments will each own about 10 per cent.

Freeman said: The EU have long dreamt of having an LEO constellation. This deal gives them one much more cheaply than building their own.

But unless our rights are protected, this sale to Frances Eutelsat  with Chinese partners  will hand over another key UK industrial asset to our competitors. I hope both [Conservative] leadership candidates will make clear they will not allow it without a commitment to satellite manufacturing, maintenance and insurance in the UK.

Recent foreign takeovers have seen satellite company Inmarsat being swallowed up by Americas Viasat  a deal being probed by the competition watchdog  and Welsh chip maker Newport Wafer Fab bought by a Chinese-backed Dutch firm  a deal now facing a national security review.

Neil Masterson, OneWebs chief executive, defended the deal, citing the advantages of combining LEO and GEO technology.

He said: The business prospects are much stronger together than they are individually.

A source at the Department for Business said Freeman was involved in the process throughout as the minister responsible and supported the merger.

The source added: And the golden share is protected  its part of the deal. He obviously wasnt listening in meetings.
More than 30 MPs have pledged their support for Money Mails Pick Up Or Pay Up campaign.

We are calling for consumer protection laws to be updated to force big businesses to answer their phones within ten minutes or face hefty fines.

Last Wednesday, we held a drop-in session in Parliament armed with thousands of letters and coupons of support sent by Money Mail readers, and invited politicians to lend their signatures to our campaign.

Inundated: Reporters Tilly Armstrong (left) and Helena Kelly with your responses

We also pinned to the walls and displayed on the tables all of this newspapers coverage, which contains numerous customer service horror stories, so politicians could see for themselves how let down by companies you feel.

Among those to attend were Conservative MPs Robert Halfon and Henry Smith, and DUP MP Ian Paisley.

Mr Paisley, who helped organise the event, told Money Mail: This is an essential campaign to pressure big corporations who take us, the consumers, for granted. The last thing customers need now is more anxiety caused by failing customer service helplines.

Many of the cross-party politicians who joined us last week said they frequently heard from constituents who were fed up with being unable to contact companies.

Money Mail has previously asked readers to send letters to their MPs to help rally enough support to have our proposal heard in Parliament.

With 34 signatures from MPs, we have now exceeded the threshold for a backbench debate on the issue and how a new law would work. This will go ahead when Parliament returns from summer recess.

But we know we can go further. The more politicians we have on board, the better chance we have at driving real change. And we believe we can drum up more support with your help.

Thats why today, Money Mail is renewing calls for readers to write to their MPs and keep the pressure on them to back our campaign.

Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, who applied for the debate, says: Utility and service providers have a duty to consumers and currently practices are not good enough, with telephone services aiming to get people off the phone rather than on it.

Baroness (Tina) Stowell, who served as Leader of the House of Lords under David Camerons government, also welcomed our proposal. But she adds that more needs to be done to improve customer service across the board.

She says: We must all stop tolerating an unacceptable standard of customer service  including business bosses, regulators and government.

If a law like this was passed, we would need to make sure firms dont use it as an excuse to move more customer service avenues online.

Money Mail has been keeping a close eye on wait times at some of the worst offenders named and shamed by readers.

On Monday, we waited for 38 minutes when calling Jet2, 33 minutes for Scottish Power and 23 minutes for E.On.

Support: In a huge victory for our Pick Up or Pay Up campaign, dozens of MPs have backed our proposal to stamp out shoddy service

British Airways remained almost impossible to reach, with the phone line automatically disconnecting after two minutes due to a high volume of calls.

All the firms say their call centres are extremely busy. Jet2 adds that it is also seeing call-handling times increase due to the complexity of enquiries.

These findings will come as no surprise to our readers. One, who does not use the internet, wrote: Speaking to someone on the phone is paramount to me. Sadly now the wait to speak to anyone anywhere just goes on and on. A ten-minute maximum would be great. Heres hoping!

Our manifesto is simple: we want to update the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with a statutory instrument  a form of secondary legislation which can make changes to an existing Act of Parliament. This would give regulators such as Ofgem and Ofcom the power to fine firms who do not answer the phone within ten minutes.

It would be up to them to monitor compliance and decide how the fine is calculated.

Ofcom, which regulates telecoms providers, says its maximum penalties differ and it is often the higher of a fixed sum or a percentage of the businesss turnover. The Financial Conduct Authority can hand out unlimited fines to firms under its remit, such as banks.

Some MPs raised concerns that our plan tackles only private institutions, an issue that comes up frequently in our postbag.

While Money Mail wholeheartedly agrees that public bodies should also pick up the phone within ten minutes, fining them for failing to do so would only cost the taxpayer.

We are continuing to put pressure on these bodies by sharing our readers experiences with them.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
Wendy Ray has applied for more than 100 jobs since March but has yet to receive a single offer.

Having spent 12 years at a manufacturing firm, the 64-year-old quit her role after tiring of the 35-mile commute and long hours spent at her desk.

Wendy had hoped to find another position locally but, after four months of fruitless job hunting, she feels she is being pushed into early retirement.

She is not alone. More than a quarter of a million people in their 50s and 60s have left the workforce since the beginning of the pandemic, according to figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Early retirement: More than a quarter of a million people in their 50s and 60s have left the workforce since the beginning of the pandemic

It is a stark reversal of a decades-long trend which had seen increasing numbers of over-50s in employment.

Many cite poor health, discrimination and a post-pandemic reality check as their reasons for leaving the workplace prematurely. But experts warn that an early exit will mean a longer - and potentially poorer - retirement.

The state pension age has already edged up, the cost of living is soaring and plunging stock markets are a major blow to those with workplace pensions and investments.

There are also growing concerns that retirement pension pots could run dry too soon. Certainly, money is a worry for Wendy, from Edgmond, Shropshire.

She is one of millions of women hit by the Governments decision to hike the female state pension age to 66.

The change, which was phased in over ten years for women born between 1950 and 1955, means she will not receive her state pension until December 2023.

Like many women of her generation, Wendy only found in recent years that this would be the case. With no job prospects, she is reliant on a private pension income of 498 a month, topped up with 600 from her savings account.

She says: It is soul-destroying because I am not one of these people who doesnt want to work. I dont want to end up with no savings left.

'Pandemic made me realise life's too short to do 9-to-5' Publicist Jennifer Nash, 53, has made plans to leave her nine-to-five job when she reaches 55 to spend more time with her family  and she is not deterred by a lack of pension savings. She says the pandemic made her realise that life is too short. Jennifer, who moved to the UK from Zambia 12 years ago, was not able to return to East Africa to visit her mother, who suffers with diabetes, due to travel restrictions during lockdown. I need to retire so I can spend more time with my mum, she says. 'life is too short': Jennifer Nash is planning to quit her day job to spend more time with her mother The grandmother of three, who lives with her husband in Gerrards Cross, Bucks, earns a yearly salary of around 50,000. When she retires, she plans to do charity work. Last year, she set up the Global Ignite Vision Action (GIVA), an award for female entrepreneurs. Jennifer is putting her faith into growing her business to sustain her retirement as she hasnt saved into a pension.

Jumping ship or pushed out to early retirement?

Almost two-thirds of 50 to 70-year-olds who left or lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic dropped out of the workforce sooner than anticipated, figures reveal.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found the issue affected 63 per cent of people in this age group who stopped working.

According to the ONS research, published in March, 13 per cent of people left work because of illness or disability, while 15 per cent cited Covid as the reason.

But other older employees feel they are being squeezed out of the workforce and are finding it difficult to get rehired if they leave their current job.

Jack Jones, pensions officer at the Trades Union Congress, says: Quite a lot of people who are saying they have retired have done so because they found it too difficult to stay in work, rather than it being a considered decision.

A lot of these people have gone through the lengthy process of applying for however many vacancies and not even got an interview, so they have given up and say they are retired.

Luke Price, senior evidence manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, adds: Many older workers are leaving the job market because there is a shortage of employers creating jobs with sufficient flexibility to attract them.

Among those who have left work but would consider returning, the majority  69 per cent  would like to do so on a part-time basis. The availability of flexible working was also a key consideration for job-seekers in later life.

Mr Jones also argues that there needs to be greater focus on helping middle-aged and older workers in manual labour roles to retrain.

This would help to ensure that people are not forced out of the workforce because they are no longer able to carry out physically demanding jobs later in life.

Help with financial advice and planning Financial planning can help you grow your wealth, sort your pension, or make sure your finances are as tax efficient as possible. A key driver for many people is investing for or in retirement and inheritance tax planning If you are looking for help sorting your finances and want to work out whether you need advice, planning, or coaching, the following links can help you understand more: > Financial adviser, planner or coach - what's the difference? > Financial advice: What to ask and how much it might cost > Find a financial adviser service

Concerns that early-retirees pensions will run out

People who give up work early wont always have the funds required for an extended retirement, it is feared. The average life expectancy today in the UK is 79 for men and 83 for women, according to the ONS.

So anyone retiring at 50 will need enough money set aside to live comfortably for 30 years or more.

A retirement income of 33,000 a year will demand a pension pot worth around 690,000 if it is going to last you three decades, according to calculations by investment firm AJ Bell.

Yet a typical employee approaching state pension age has just 91,000 set aside, which drops to a paltry 16,000 among the self-employed, according to the ONS.

Retiring early also means that workers will miss out on the chance to give their pension pots a further boost.

Research by insurance company Canada Life shows that someone earning 25,000 who had paid 8 per cent of their earnings into a pension between the ages of 20 and 55 could build a fund of around 117,468.

Yet if they continued to save until they were 67, their pension would be 59 per cent bigger at 186,262 thanks, in large part, to the magic of compound interest.

Meanwhile, a gap is forming between when people give up work and when they become eligible for the state pension, which is worth 9,638 a year.

Currently, the state pension age is 66 for men and women, but that is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. And, as Money Mail reported last month, ministers are considering accelerating plans to increase the age to 68.

While it may seem like a small change, research shows that tweaks to the state pension age can have disastrous consequences for older workers.

Poverty rates among 65-year-olds doubled after the state pension age increased from 65 to 66, according to the IFS.

The issue is compounded for those who are dependent on the state pension as their main income in retirement, and almost a third of people do not expect to have an income beyond what the state pension provides, according to a recent ONS report.

Auto-enrolment, introduced in 2012, means both employees and employers must pay into a workplace pension.

The minimum contribution is 8 per cent of their earnings, with employees paying in 5 per cent (including 1 per cent tax relief) and employers contributing 3 per cent.

But research from B&CE, provider of workplace scheme The Peoples Pension, found that while around 7.4 million pension savers make the minimum employee contribution, just 7 per cent understood that this would fund only a basic retirement.

Even with the state pension on top, there would not be enough money coming in every month to afford to run a car and limited cash for leisure, food and drink.

The cost-of-living squeeze has left retirees reliant on fixed incomes which are under increasing pressure.

In fact, more than 116,000 pensioners are already considering a return to work to help pay their bills after finding their pension does not bring in enough money to cover their living costs, according to analysis by Rest Less, an online community for the over-50s.

Saving for financial independence and retiring early Financial independence and retiring early sounds great, but could you sacrifice enough of your spending to get there? The FIRE (financial independence retire early) movement involves living a frugal live, saving as much of your income as possible - 50 per cent or more - and investing to build a pot to retire early on. Could you do this and would the This is Money podcast's Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert be able to stomach the hardcore budgeting and saving it requires? In the podcast above they discuss that and in the special bonus episode below, Simon speaks to Barney Whiter, aka The Escape Artist, who explains how he reached financial independence. Press play to listen to the episode on the player above, or listen (and please subscribe and review us if you like the podcast) at Apple Podcasts, Audioboom and Spotify or visit our This is Money Podcast page.

When can you access your pension savings?

Fears are also growing that many people are being forced to dip into their retirement pots early.

Rules vary, but workplace and personal pensions can usually be accessed at the age of 55.

Pensions freedom legislation, which was introduced in 2015, allows savers free rein over their retirement cash.

Between April 2020 and March 2021, nearly 600,000 people accessed their pension for the first time, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

This compares with 530,000 pensioners between April 2016 and March 2017.

Quite a large proportion of those are people with small pots of 10,000 or less, and they are mostly taking the whole amount in cash, says Mr Jones, from the TUC.

It could be that they have another, larger pot elsewhere. But it does suggest that there are people in their early 60s who are being forced to take the money in order to make ends meet now.

There are also far fewer retiring workers taking out annuities. These will provide a guaranteed income for life and help to reduce the risk of running out of money too soon.

Between April 2020 and March 2021, the number of people buying an annuity declined by 13 per cent to 60,383, according to the FCA.

However, annuity rates have rebounded and recently hit an eight-year high, which could increase demand.

Tom Selby, from AJ Bell, says: You could use an annuity to cover your fixed costs and keep the rest of your fund invested.

Anyone wishing to access their defined contribution pension pots could also be slapped with huge tax bills if they are not careful.

Any hasty decisions could impact other benefits you might receive, such as Universal Credit.

Kelly Sizer, senior technical manager for Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, says: We urge people not to rush into making decisions about pension withdrawals and to plan ahead where possible.

They might pay less tax on money from pension funds if it is taken in stages, spread out over a number of tax years, or withdrawn after they have stopped work.

Pension credit deadline nears

By TILLY ARMSTRONG

Retirees are being urged to put in a claim for pension credit to avoid missing out on the 650 of extra financial support this year.

Pensioners have until August 18 to apply in order to qualify for the governments new cost of living payment.

This benefit, which was announced as part of a package to help households in May, will be made up of two lumps sums.

Pensioners have until August 18 to apply in order to qualify for the governments new cost of living payment

The first 326 payment will arrive before the end of July. A second 324 credit will be paid in the autumn. To be able to claim the first payment, households must have been eligible for pension credit between April 26 and May 25 of this year.

If they have not already made a claim, they can still qualify but they must have started the process before August 18.

Pension credit boosts the weekly income of a single pensioner to 182.60 and 278.70 for a couple.

It is also a gateway to other financial aid, such as money off heating costs, NHS services and a free TV licence if you are over 75.

However, experts warn that the benefit is woefully under claimed, with as many as one million eligible pensioner households estimated to be missing out.

The rules of who is eligible are complex, but you must be above state pension age and on a low income, with few savings.

It is made up of two parts and while some people get both, many can qualify for one of the two.

There is also the savings credit element, which gives you an extra boost if you reached state pension age before April 2016 and made provision for your retirement via savings, work or a private pension. To qualify, youve got to earn above a threshold amount of 158.47 if youre single and 251.70 if youre in a couple.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, urges older people to take action to ensure they do not miss out.

Many people think if you have some savings, or a small pension, theres no point in applying but thats often not the case.

The sooner people act, the sooner they find out if theyre eligible for some of the additional help, and this could be life-changing for them.

To find out if you are eligible, check the Governments pension credit calculator at gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator or call 0800 99 1234.
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American education is failing; students are falling behind; parents express mounting frustration and teachers are leaving the profession in record breaking numbers.

And the person at the heart, and head, of this crisis is Randi Weingarten. Flush with power, money and influence, the 64-year-old has just been re-elected president of the country's second largest teacher's union, the American Federation of Teachers.

This is Weingarten's eighth term leading 1.7million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, earning $534,240, eight times the average teacher's salary.

On her watch the union has pushed back against schools re-opening post Covid-19, flown in the face of CDC guidelines by foisting mask mandates on school districts and promoted a progressive agenda that includes the tenets of Critical Race Theory turning classrooms into frontlines in an increasingly divisive political and cultural war.

Speaking to DailyMail.com Tiffany Justice, founder of Moms for Liberty, a non-profit organization aimed at 'organizing, educating and empowering parents,' said of Weingarten, 'She's an arsonist that pretends to be a firefighter.'

AFT president Randi Weingarten's policies are behind issues such as Critical Race Theory, outdated mask mandates and have caused teachers to quit in droves, her critics claim

White teachers have been accused of the 'spirit murder' of minority children, under policies boosted by union leader Randi Weingarten

School board meetings have become a magnet for controversy as parents fight back against policies backed by Weingarten and her union. This mother was removed for refusing to wear a mask in Volusia County, Florida

In truth her agenda is obvious and not just in the classroom. Scroll through Weingarten's Twitter feed and you will find post after post espousing left-wing views on contentious matters such as the Capitol riots, Ukraine, abortion and gun violence.

Recently she tweeted her endorsement of Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler's bid for re-election to Congress along with the assurance that her union remains 'neutral' and that her public endorsement is personal.

Now, an investigation by DailyMail.com has shown that any talk of union 'neutrality' under her leadership is laughable.

According to Justice: 'Over and over she will say it's political activists who are causing teachers to want to leave. That's just nonsense. It's the iron claw of woke projection driven by the unions.

'The truth of the matter is that teachers' unions have controlled the schools and the school boards for a very long time, and they can't admit that they're the ones on whose shoulders educational failure falls.'

A glance at the AFT's spending under Weingarten's leadership is enough to eradicate any notion of political or ideological neutrality.

Since she assumed leadership in 2008 the power of the union coffers has been harnessed and used almost entirely in the interests of the Democrats.

In 2008 the union spent $2.6million on campaign contributions with 10 percent of that going to Republicans.

Weingarten, 64, earns eight times the average teacher's salary in her role as the head of the second largest teachers' union

Weingarten was spotted in tony East Hampton, New York, where shares a home with her wife Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum

Author Ibram X. Kendi was a keynote speaker at the AFT's 2021 convention. He also appeared on the left-leaning Late Show with Stephen Colbert last month

As the pandemic wound down in May 2021, parents and their kids rallied to support school reopening despite the AFT's objections

This year to date the AFT has contributed $11,338,132 to candidates, parties and Super PACS and all but $75 of those funds have gone to Democrats with a further $350,000 spent on lobbying.

In 2016 Weingarten was the first union boss to endorse Hillary Clinton. The move was slammed as 'an insult to union democracy,' with more than 5,000 members signing a petition calling for that endorsement to be rescinded. Yet the AFT president stood firm.

Weingarten has also come under fire for the union's support of the Democracy Alliance, a group of wealthy Democrat donors that has been criticized for the opacity of its operations.

Weingarten was first associated with the group which has been forced to deny that its work in secretly financing left-wing groups amounts to 'dark money' advocacy, in 2014. Back then, it was revealed that both she and her assistant had become 'partners' of DA to the tune of $30,000 each while the union had contributed $200,000.

Stanford University politics professor Terry Moe, author of Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America's Public Schools, said of such spending, 'They [unions] have millions of members and those members pay millions in dues. If you listen to them, they are spending all of it on collective bargaining. That's not true.

'They [just] don't want to say they are spending a lot of it on politics.'

According to Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Education Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, both the AFT and the larger National Education Association (NEA) act less like bodies working for the interest of their members and more like 'ready-made political activist groups' fighting for causes important to the leadership.

Tiffany Justice of Moms for Liberty and Jonathan Butcher of the Heritage Foundation both told DailyMail.com that Weingarten's agenda is harming education

Weingarten and her wife Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum bought their East Hampton home in 2000 for $454,500. It is now estimated to be worth around $2.5 million

Weingarten and her wife Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum went to the opening of the Broadway okay Indecent in 2017

'Make no mistake, when President Joe Biden took office one of the first photo ops in the Oval Office was with Randi Weingarten and the president of the NEA and there's a reason for that,' Butcher told DailyMail.com,

Weingarten, Butcher said, has the ear of the president and great sway with Democrats and she has it, in large part, because of the depth of her pockets and the reach of her constituency.

The figures speak for themselves with Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden among the most high-profile candidates to which the AFT has donated its millions this year along with a host of left leaning PACS.

Ironic then, that someone so heavily in bed with one political party  the AFT ranks 20th out of 24,229 Democrat donors  should have recently taken to Twitter to criticize politicians for 'stoking culture warsfor political gain'

In a tweet slammed by many as woefully lacking in self-awareness, Weingarten posted: 'Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents [to an AFT commissioned survey] say schools have become too politicized, following year of political attacks on teachers waged by politicians stoking culture wars and banning books.'

What Weingarten did not say was that the respondents to that same survey blamed Democrats for their divisive progressive policy and voiced confidence in parents and teachers over unions.

The AFT leader stands accused of similar obfuscation when it comes to the place of Critical Race Theory in classrooms.

The AFT and the NEA have both endorsed the controversial 1619 project for inclusion in school curriculum. The project which had its inception as a New York Times opus was hailed a 'corrective history' of slavery in America. But it has been fraught with criticism for ignoring facts in favor of a revisionist narrative that skews left.

Meanwhile, though Weingarten's official stance is that Critical Race Theory is not taught in classrooms, she recently pushed back against parents who spoke out against it. Yet a myriad of reports suggests that those parents' fears that it has seeped into classrooms are well founded.

In Buffalo, New York, students are told that 'all white people' perpetuate systemic racism. The Arizona Department of Education has created an 'equity' toolkit which claims that babies show the first signs of racism at three months old and that white children become full blown racists at five.

Randi Weingarten often mixes with Democratic politicians. Then-Senator Kamala Harris appeared with her at the AFT's 2019 conference

Weingarten was with then-candidate Joe Biden at a town hall in Houston as part of his presidential election campaign

Weingarten was the first union boss to endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016. Clinton announced her candidacy to the Senate at the United Federation of Teachers  which Weingarten then headed  in 1999

Weingarten campaigned for progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren in 2019 as the Massachusetts senator vied for the Democratic presidential nomination

In Cupertino, California, third graders are asked to deconstruct their racial identities and rank themselves according to their 'power and privilege.'

The principal of a school in New York City sent white parents a 'tool for action' which tells them they must become 'white traitors' and advocate for 'white abolition.'

And in Seattle there are training sessions for teachers in which schools were deemed guilty of 'spirit murder' against black children.

All these notions are central to CRT as presented by radical proponents Bettina Love and Ibram X. Kendi.

In its latest handbook for a return to school post COVID the Department of Education included a link to Love's Abolitionist Teaching Network's Guide to Racial and Restorative Justice, a work that accuses white teachers of the 'spirit murder' of minority children and advocates for all white teachers to be given 'anti-racist therapy.'

And, however much Weingarten may reject the notion that CRT is openly taught in schools, there is no escaping the fact that one of its most virulent proponents has been embraced by the AFT.

Kendi, the author of Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and How to Be an Antiracist, was last year booked as keynote speaker at the AFT's convention.

His work is commonly associated with CRT and professes that systemic racism is an irredeemable stain on the country's past that can only be rectified by present and future discrimination against the descendants of white oppressors.

Bettina Love accuses white teachers f the 'spirit murder' of minority children

According to Kendi equity can only be achieved by identifying and dismantling the remnants of racism in every idea and institution in American society; the only 'cure' to past racism is future racism.

Delegates and members to the 2021 AFT convention were invited to hear from Kendi in, 'a free-ranging discussion with student activists and AFT members on his scholarship and on developing anti-racist mindsets and actions inside and outside the classroom.'

Daniel Buck, a middle school English teacher and Editor-in-Chief of the Chalkboard Review, told DailyMail.com that the influence of unions in classrooms is a three-tiered affair.

He explained: 'They have influence over curriculum and ideas, over funding for politicians and electoral sway in local [school board] elections.

'There's more, but those are the key three ways they push their power.'

According to Buck one thing that often 'gets lost' in discussions of union sway is their power over school board elections.

He said: 'Tiny numbers of people come out [to vote] in these. So, if the union can get all their members to go vote then you get a bunch of progressives on the school board.'

And with that comes instructional material and lesson plans heavily laced with progressive values.

He said: 'Things like 'Transformative SEL [Social and Emotional Learning].' On the surface it's kind of flowery language and occasionally it is just about teaching kids how to manage their emotions.

'But more and more it's turning schools into almost therapeutic education where SEL is about restorative justice. It's gotten mixed up in progressive politics where it has this whole progressive view of human nature, then you get a lot of discussions about identity and race right?

'It's kind of injecting these ideas into the curriculum, into instructional materials and disseminating it out to teachers.

'What it boils down to is the message that we need to be making our students activists.'

And when it comes to any criticism, Buck said: 'It's always the conservatives' fault for noticing or parents' fault for questioning.

'So, they say we're going to teach that gender is a complete spectrum and when conservatives stand up and ask a question, they're they ones [the unions say] who are trying to politicize everything.

'Or when she and her union close all the schools and parents say, 'Can we open them up?' well, now parents are trying to 'politicize' the classroom.'

Just three months ago, in April, Weingarten went on record to say that Florida's new parental rights laws were 'the way in which wars start.'

Daniel Buck of the Chalkboard Review (left) and Stanford University professor Terry Moe criticize the amount of money that the AFT funnels to Democratic politicians

'The truth of the matter is that teachers' unions have controlled the schools and the school boards for a very long time,' said Justice. Now many of those meetings have got contentious as parents fight back

Mask mandates in schools was still an AFT policy long after policymakers had lifted such mandates elsewhere

Opposing books: Ibram X. Kendi's says systemic racism is an irredeemable stain on the country while Terry Moe's blames teachers' unions for falling classroom standards

But for Buck and for Moms for Liberty founder, Justice, parental involvement is part, not of the problem but, of a potential solution.

Buck said, 'Parents should go to school board meetings and voice their opinions. They should go to townhalls and voice their opinions especially when it comes to policy  it's a good thing that people are getting involved.'

He described the 'parent movement' as 'creating this kind of counter coalition for those small, important elections for school boards and local bureaucracies.

Justice used to sit on the School District of Indian River County School board in Florida. As far as she is concerned what students are taught shouldn't be up to the federal government and it shouldn't be up to the unions  it should be up to the parents.

She said, 'We want the unions out of the decision-making process. We do not co-parent with the government.

'The unions are intent on driving a wedge between the parent and the child so that the child can be more easily manipulated to become whatever the system wants and to my mind that is all stemming from the unions' agenda.'

And that agenda, as far as Justice is concerned, is not representative of teacher union members' core concerns.

Parents should go to school board meetings and voice their opinions...especially when it comes to policy  it's a good thing that people are getting involved Daniel Buck

This truth is reflected in the fact that union membership is down by a record number with the AFT and NEA losing 70,000 members last year alone.

Butcher pointed out, 'It's not as though teachers are walking in lockstep. Nor is it true that the unions represent the issues of their teachers. If they were then why are people leaving them?'

In fact, the most often cited reason for teachers leaving the profession is salary.

For her part Weingarten has no worries on that score since her total compensation last year was over half a million dollars.

It is a salary that affords her and her wife, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, a roomy $2.5 million house close to the ocean in East Hampton, New York, complete with pool and capacious grounds.

Just another example, according to Weingarten's critics, of how removed her brand of 'limousine liberalism' is from the chalkboard.

Justice said:'The teachers' unions are not representing teachers well and so we're helping teachers find the courage to leave and giving them support to do it. We have lots of teachers becoming members of our chapters across the country.

'We're at a moment in America where more and more of America is seeing how broken our public education system isand we believe that the best way to get this country on track and to reclaim public education and reform it is to elect parents and concerned community members who are going to put kids first on school boards.'

She added, 'I'm incredibly hopeful. We just had our national summit and we had over 500 people there from chapters in 40 states. These are people who care about everybody's kids and about drawing attention to what is going on in schools.

'Because once you see the truth you can't ever unsee it.'
Chris Cuomo said that some his former colleagues, namely Jake Tapper and Don Lemon, should have called him following his dramatic ousting from CNN in 2021.

Cuomo was fired last year after he was found to have helped his brother, then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, battle sexual harassment claims.

It was announced on Tuesday that the 51-year-old will host a new prime time show on NewsNation.

Cuomo wore blue button down and slacks earlier today as he entered NewsNation's studios on 42nd Street in New York City.

He was there to appear on 'Dan Abrams Live' to discuss his new role with Nexstar Media Group's cable network.

During his appearance on Abrams' show, Cuomo was asked about his longtime colleagues Jake Tapper and Don Lemon 'coming out aggressively' against the host.

Cuomo said: 'They're good people. They're good people.'

He added: 'I cannot blame people for acting on what they're told. Should they have called me? Of course. But I understand the circumstances, also.'

Cuomo went on: 'I understand why they may not have felt that was an option. But these are good people. They take their jobs seriously. I'm not gonna judge them for what they say about me based on what they knew and didn't know. I wish them well.'

Chris Cuomo, 51, (right) revealed his stellar new reporting gig tonight as he's set to return to America's TV screens after his sensational firing last year

Cuomo said of Jake Tapper and Don Lemon during his interview: 'They take their jobs seriously. I'm not gonna judge them for what they say about me based on what they knew and didn't know. I wish them well'

Chris Cuomo was seen earlier today entering NewsNation's studios on 42nd Street in the Big Apple

Earlier on Abrams' show, when Cuomo was announced as joining the network, he told viewers: 'I want to help. I want to find a way to help people. I'm going to come to NewsNation and I want to build something special.'

The former CNN star added: 'I've decided that I can't go back to what people see as the big game. I don't think I can make a difference there.'

Cuomo concluded by saying: 'I'm going to do the job. I'm going to go where the news is and I'm going to try very hard to be fair.'

Later in the interview, Cuomo was asked about his firing from CNN. The new NewsNation star said: 'I remember the phone call but I don't remember any emotions around it.'

He went on: 'You know, there'd been so much negativity, so intense, for so long, that I didn't see coming.'

Cuomo added: 'I don't know if I were numb or whatever it was but it was just one more thing that I was going to have to deal with.'

NewsNation also released this head shot of Chris Cuomo to mark his appointment to the channel

During his appearance on Abrams' show, Cuomo was asked about his longtime colleagues Jake Tapper and Don Lemon 'coming out aggressively' against the host

When asked about former colleagues Jake Tapper and Don Lemon, Cuomo said: 'I cannot blame people for acting on what they're told. Should they have called me? Of course. But I understand the circumstances'

CNN fired Cuomo last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, through sexual misconduct allegations.

The broadcaster - who was believed to earn $6 million-a-year - did so while simultaneously working for a journalist at a network tasked with reporting impartially on the scandal.

A state attorney general's report found that his brother had sexually harassed 11 different women, although Andrew Cuomo continues

In March the broadcast journalist, who hosted Cuomo Prime Time from 2017 until last December, served CNN with a $125 million arbitration claim over what he claims is his wrongful dismissal.

That suit is believed to be ongoing.

CNN fired Cuomo last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (left), through sexual misconduct allegations

Fired CNN host Chris Cuomo has launched his comeback with a new podcast, staking out a defiant tone as he released the first episode

Announcing the new move, Sean Compton, Nexstar Media Inc.s President of Network, said: 'Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows.

'NewsNation believes in the work I am doing with the Chris Cuomo Project, and I look forward to building something special here - covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus.'

NewsNation has long billed itself as an impartial, straight-down-the-line network which focuses solely on reporting the news, without any political angle.

The broadcaster also launched his own comeback podcast last week, The Chris Cuomo Project, staking out a defiant tone as he released the first episode - with new shows coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In the podcast, Cuomo made the surprise declaration that he is not a Democrat, despite his deep family ties to the party, and defended the actions that led to his ouster from CNN.

The veteran TV newsman also said there were no hard feelings when it came to his former employer - who fired him amid his brother's sex pest scandal.

'As for CNN, I'll never be a hater. CNN has great people, CNN has a great purpose, and I wish them all the best, and I miss so many of the people there. But it's time for me to move on, and I believe I can be more than I ever was before,' he said.

Cuomo also said that he does not consider himself a Democrat, despite the fact that both his father Mario and brother Andrew served as Democratic governors of New York.

CNN fired Chris Cuomo (pictured) last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, through sexual misconduct allegations

'I love my father, I love my brother, I respect them both tremendously, but I'm no Democrat,' he said.

'And I am not here to make any of you comfortable being a lefty. I want you to question why you are. I want you to question everything,' added Cuomo.

The promos come just weeks after the former TV anchor took to Instagram to tell America to 'pay more attention' to what is happening in Ukraine.

'What is happening right now in Ukraine is bad and America should be paying a lot more attention,' he said, reporting from the war-torn nation.

'I went to the eastern front... Outmanned and outgunned we had to hide behind abandoned buildings.'

Cuomo likened the conflict to 'WW2' and compared Ukrainians to Americans fighting the War of Independence.

'Ukrainians sound like Americans 240yrs ago vs the British. They are laying down their lives to keep the freedoms we have here.

'The interest here has slowed...the war is only accelerating. I will show you more reason to care...soon. Thank you for the interest.'

Cuomo has worked at nearly all the news networks throughout his career, working for Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC and CNN, finally getting his own show from his good friend and boss Jeff Zucker, who was also fired for violating the company's rules on dating subordinates.

After losing the $6 million-a-year gig for running interference for his brother, Cuomo sued the network for $125 million.

According to the lawsuit: 'Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future and damaging him in amounts exceeding $125 million, which includes not only the remaining salary owed under the Agreement, but future wages lost as a result of CNN's efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement.'
Police are on the hunt for a woman after her anonymous and furious phone call sent a beloved charity founder to hospital.

Paula Powers, the co-founder of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, famous for its devotion to bird rescue and rehabilitation, was hospitalised twice in less than 48 hours after suffering from heart complications triggered by the abusive phone call.

Ms Powers broke down in tears and collapsed on Monday after the anonymous caller hit her with a barrage of abuse, accusing the charity of being scammers and of fraud.

Police are now investigating the call and are looking to charge whoever made it.

It comes just days after the much-loved Queensland charity suffered a devastating setback.

Ms Powers and charity co-founder, twin sister Bridgette launched an urgent public appeal to save the foundation and raise funds for a new headquarters after their current landlord announced plans to sell.

Her mother Helen told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that Paula had just collapsed again from the recent stress and was being rushed to hospital for the second time in two days.

Paula Powers (centre) was rushed to hospital on Monday after an abusive phone call. The charity founder is pictured being helped to the ambulance by her twin sister and mum

The two sisters, dubbed the Sunshine Coast's most famous twins, had just wrapped up a television interview about their plight on Monday morning when Paula took the shocking call.

The charity later took to Facebook to share a photo of the visibly upset founder being assisted to the ambulance by Bridgette and mum Helen as they called out the abuse.

'To the coward who just verbally attacked Paula on the phone. I hope you are happy. Paula has been admitted to SCUH (Sunshine Coast University Hospital). These girls work seven days a week, full days and often nights as well. They are not scamming anyone,' the organisation wrote.

'It is easy being an armchair expert. It is not easy dedicating your life day and night to the welfare of the birds.'

Queensland Police confirmed it was investigating the call and could charge the person responsible with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

Ms Powers was discharged from hospital the same day but had a bad night on Tuesday, her mother revealed on Wednesday.

Both Paula and Bridgette are currently battling heart and stomach complications.

Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue founders Paula Powers and twin Bridgette are world famous for their dedication to the care of sick and injured birds

On top of the health issues, the charity has been inundated with online abuse since issuing an SOS for public help last week.

'Keyboard warriors have been putting nasty comments up on our Facebook page,' Bridgette told the ABC.

'Every single cent of what we get goes towards the birds.'

She recalled the harrowing moment her beloved sister fell off her chair and collapsed on Monday.

'She collapsed because she got this foul, foul woman on the phone, just abusing her saying we're scammers, we're frauds, you're taking people's money and she just kept going on and on like that,' she added.

Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue has cared for sick and injured birds 24-7 for the last 22 years.

The charity will likely fold unless it can scrape together at least $100,000 for a new home.

The Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue founders are locked in a desperate fight to save their charity as they battle with ongoing health issues

'It's serious and to be honest, if we can't raise the funds we will probably have to close. Our rent has increased significantly over the last little which places us in this situation,' the charity posted last week.

'We've been thinking about what our other options are and to be honest, we've come to the conclusion that this is our base and it would be too hard to relocate all the pelicans and birds. We've built the infrastructure, the know-how here. It's been our life for so many years and to re-locate would just be too hard.

'A move would be further compounded with the ongoing health concerns for Twinnies.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paid tribute to the charity earlier this years with a $10,000 donation after the twins starred on ABC's Australian Story.

'Their dedication and passion as wildlife conservationists is truly admirable, and their track record of voluntary work over so many years deserves our backing,' the Premier said.

Paula and Bridgette Powers are dubbed the Sunshine Coast's most famous twins

The sisters made international headlines in 2016 after answering every question in unison during a four-minute interview on 'Good Morning Britain'.

When questioned by then-host Piers Morgan over their love lives, the pair say they are 'very, very busy' - and claim they have no time for men.

'If he hasn't got feathers, then he's got no hope,' they said.

The sisters said they were not sure why they both speak the same words at the same time but insisted it happens 'automatically' - shooting down claims that they rehearse conversations.

'We don't know how it happens,' they said.

'Some people go 'do you rehearse a conversation?' but it's like no, how can you rehearse a conversation, it'd be stupid.'
The tragic deaths of a couple swept out to sea while visiting a popular ocean cave has sparked warnings after other fatalities at the destination.

A woman, 80, and man, 76, were walking along a cliff face at Catherine Hill Bay on the NSW Central Coast on Monday afternoon when a wave washed the pair out to sea.

The husband and wife were sightseeing at the famous Pink Cave where tourists and social media influencers pose for pictures amongst its stunning coloured rocks.

An elderly couple died while sightseeing at the famous Pink Cave (pictured) in NSW

The woman's body was discovered by a member of the public in water near Moonee Beach at about 2.30pm that same afternoon.

Police conducted a search for her husband by air and sea. A police helicopter found his body on Tuesday morning about 9.45am after it had drifted several kilometres south.

NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Vromans explained that the couple's deaths were a tragic accident.

'[The woman] was with her husband doing a walk along the sea cliffs to access a cave, a cave that we call the Pink Cave. Tragically, it appears that she was washed into the ocean and it appears she's drowned,' he said.

'This is the tragedy of it because the Pink Cave is quite popular.

'However, that stretch of coastline from Catherine Hill Bay to the south can be very treacherous.'

It is not the first time tourists have lost their lives visiting the Pink Cave.

The woman, 80, and man, 76, were walking along a cliff face at Catherine Hill Bay (pictured) when they were washed out to sea

The famous Pink Cave attracts tourists and social media influencers for stunning photos at the coloured rocks

A woman died last April when she was swept out to sea by a freak wave while visiting the cave.

She was with a friend who was also washed out to sea but drifted back towards the rocks and suffered only minor injuries.

The pair were retrieved by lifesavers and carried to the shore before paramedics arrived.

They attempted to perform CPR on the first woman but were unable to revive her and she died at the scene.

Last year, a young couple who went for a coastal walk at Catherine Hill Bay became trapped in the surf for 13 hours.

Jak Teerman and his girlfriend Shanaye Hunter were at the bay before Ms Hunter fell into the ocean and her partner jumped in after her.

The couple managed to scramble onto rocks and held on for hours as they were pummelled by rough seas.

Five and Rescue crews eventually saved the pair after their friends contacted emergency services.
Former President Donald Trump never ordered his acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller to have 10,000 National Guard troops at the ready in preparation for January 6 - the date Congress was tallying the results of the 2020 election.

The House committee on January 6 put out a video Tuesday evening focused on Miller's testimony.

'To remove any doubt: Not only did Donald Trump fail to contact his Secretary of Defense on January 6th (as shown in our hearing), Trump also failed to give any order prior to January 6 to deploy the military to protect the Capitol,' the committee's tweet sharing the video said.

Former President Donald Trump never ordered his acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller (pictured) to have 10,000 National Guard troops at the ready in preparation for January 6, Miller's testimony to the January 6 committee confirmed

Former President Donald Trump, photographed giving a speech in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, was shown during Thursday's January 6 committee hearing to not have acted for hours amid the January 6 Capitol attack

Former President Donald Trump, along with his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, claimed that Trump ordered 10,000 to be ready on January 6, when Congress was tallying the results of the 2020 election

In testimony to the House committee, Miller - who was only Defense secretary from November 9, 2020 to January 20, 2021 - was asked about a claim former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows saying in an interview that 'as many as 10,000 National Guard troops were told to be on the ready by the secretary of Defense.'

'Not from my perspective,' Miller said. 'I was never given any direction or order or knew of any plans of that nature. So I was surprised by seeing that publicly. But I don't know the context or even where it was.'

Meadows made the comments in February 2021 on Fox News, but Trump has continued to tout that tally.

In a post from Truth Social in June, Trump wrote: 'Why didn't they use the 10,000 troops that I offered up on January 3rd? There would have been no January 6th?'

Miller indicated there were National Guard troops at the president's disposal to respond to January 6 but there was 'not anything more than contingency planning.'

'A non-military person probably could have some sort of weird interpretation,' he added, giving Meadows the benefit of the doubt.

'But no, the answer to your question is no,' he responded when asked if 10,000 troops had been ordered.

He also confirmed there had been no direct push from Trump.

'That's correct there was no direct - there was no order from the president,' Miller said.

The video was posted five days after the committee's primetime hearing that had been dedicated to Trump's refusal to act amid the Capitol attack.

Witnesses told the committee that Trump spent hours on January 6 in the White House dining room watching TV, while aides, family members, lawmakers and allies pleaded with him to tell his supporters to go home.
More than 11million Australians, including about 2.4million casual workers, will soon have access to 10 days of paid domestic violence leave.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will introduce the new laws this week during his government's first week of parliament as one of 18 pieces of Labor's priority legislation.

The new leave scheme is set to begin next February for most employees before it's fully implemented by August, 2023.

More than 11million Australian workers, including 2.4million casual workers, will have access to paid domestic violence leave from August, 2023

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke confirmed the new laws will include leave for casual workers following concerns they would not be included in the scheme.

'The principle is if someone is wanting to get out, we don't want 'do you lose your job or are you going to lose money?' to be on the list of difficulties that that individual is facing,' he told ABC radio.

'The reality is, disproportionately people in casual work are in those situations.

'If you're facing family and domestic violence, you are more likely to be in insecure work.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will introduce the new paid leave scheme to parliament this week as one of 18 pieces of Labor's priority legislation

Employers will be responsible for paying the 10 days leave but small businesses will be allowed a six-month adjustment period.

The new laws would also allow employers to ask for proof of a person's domestic situation, which could include police reports or a medical certificate.

Mr Burke said several large businesses, like Woolworths and the Commonwealth Bank, already offer employees paid domestic leave.

The new leave legislation will allow employees, including casual staff, in domestic violence situations to access 10 days of paid leave from August next year (pictured, a barista at work)

'We haven't had instances of the entitlement being abused. There are some costs. The costs are minimal,' he said.

'But when you think of what are the alternative costs, the alternative cost is somebody has to choose between their wages and their safety.'

Mr Burke said the government estimates less than 40,000 women and 4,000 men will use the new leave but it offers employees a new safety net.

For 24-hour domestic and family violence or sexual assault counselling call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).
Lotto winners picked up more than $1.5billion over the last financial year, as Victorian postcodes again accounted for the most division one wins in the country.

Lucky punters said they would snap up their 'first-ever overseas trip', while others said they would enjoy a Northern Territory pub crawl via helicopter.

Winners across the country took home $1.62billion in division-one winnings - the highest prize up for grabs - with one millionaire being created each day.

Victoria nabbed the most division-one wins with 153 in the state for a total of $467million in prizes - the sixth year in a row the state held the number one spot

The Victorian suburb of Frankston, south-east of Melbourne's CBD, had four division-one entries (pictured, a Frankston newsagency)

All states and territories got in on the good fortune over the year, with 532 division-one wins - but one state saw more luck than others.

Victoria nabbed the most division-one wins with 153 worth a cool $467million - the sixth year in a row the state has held the number one spot.

The suburb of Frankston, 40km south-east of Melbourne's CBD, sold four division-one entries with winners sharing in a total of $4.6million.

Five winners from Western Australia's 6163 postcode including Perth suburbs such as Bibra Lake and O'Connor nabbed $4.3million between them, with one winner scoring $2million.

NSW and the ACT raked in $464.8million across the year, with 141 division-one prizewinners, as well as the most new millionaires with 109 winners now claiming the status.

James Eddy from The Lott said the geographic break-down of winners affects where many players buy their tickets, with some deliberately picking outlets where recent major prizes were sold.

'[But] other players choose different outlets, believing good fortune awaits for them elsewhere,' Mr Eddy said. 'It's important to remember that a division-one win can land anywhere.'

Other notable locations for winners included Port Macquarie on NSW's mid-north coast - where three winning division-one entries resided.

Bundaberg and Mackay in central Queensland also notched three division-one winners each.

The statistics comes as Lotto's $30million Megadraw kicks off this Saturday.

Winners in NSW and the ACT combined raked in $464.8million across the year, with 141 division-one prizewinners. The region also made the most new millionaires, with 109 bagging impressive windfalls

Last year's windfall statistics come as Lotto's $30million Megadraw kicks off on Saturday
A top Australian doctor has urged those advocating for face mask mandates to move on and push for health system reform as Covid-19 control policies 'constipate' hospitals across the country.

Infectious diseases physician Doctor Nick Coatsworth said flow-through hospitals are severely disrupted when patients, who are booked in for surgery, contract Covid and are put at the end of the admission list.

Dr Coatsworth explained on Wednesday that operating theatres are left unused for hours as Covid-19 control policies cause a backlog of patients.

Infectious diseases physician doctor Nick Coatsworth (pictured) said countries with strong mask use were unable to change the 'trajectory of their virus'

'The hospitals around Australia are constipated, we need to get patients flowing through them,' Dr Coatsworth told the Today show.

'A lot of patients with Covid don't actually have Covid lung disease. They have other problems like appendicitis or have broken a femur or something like that.

'The policies we have in place to control Covid in hospitals are putting those patients at the end of theatre lists and they're getting bumped until the next day.

'That goes all the way back to the front door of the hospital, of course, you can't get in if you're an admitted patient and you're stuck in the emergency department and then the ambulances start getting ramped.'

Dr Coatsworth argued those advocating to bring in mask mandates need to push for a change in the hospital system.

'No country in the world, even the ones with really good mask use, have had any change in the trajectory of their virus,' Dr Coatsworth said.

'While we talk about that (mask use) and not talk about changing the system, there is going to be a problem.

'The control policies are what's causing us problems ... the longer people wait in hospital the less quality care we're providing and that is a problem.'

Dr Coatsworth urged Australians to push for a reform in the countries health system as Covid-19 control policies 'constipate' hospitals nationwide instead of advocating for the return of mask mandates (pictured, people queue for a Covid-19 PCR test in Melbourne)

Hospital admission rates reached a record high on Monday as the country grapples with 'twindemic' of Covid-19 and Influenza.

Official figures revealed, there were 5,571 patients in hospital with Covid on Wednesday eclipsing the previous record of 5,390 during the first Omicron wave in January.

That figure has soared from about 3,000 a month ago, amid the spread of the highly infectious but equally mild BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

The new Labor Government has resisted calls for social restrictions to be reintroduced but has recommended people wear masks indoors and businesses allow employees to work from home if they can.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won't be visiting the Queen when she takes her summer break at Balmoral despite an invite, it is claimed.

Her Majesty reportedly asked the couple and their two children, three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, one, to stay at her Scottish residence and told royal staff to prepare.

It was said that the Sussexes would not have to spend time with other royals such as Charles and William.

However the couple, who last went to Balmoral in 2018, are said to not be planning to attend the Scottish Highlands estate over the next few months.

A Balmoral insider told The Sun and Page Six: 'Staff have been told to expect the full list of royals including Harry, Meghan and their children.

'They are preparing for the Sussexes.'

Another sources is reported to have said: 'I would be stunned if they did turn up.'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to not be visiting the Queen during her summer break at her Scottish residence despite an invite

The Queen is likely to spend all of August at Balmoral castle and has invited her close family to visit

It is understood the couple are planning to stay in the United States before the release of Harrys memoir.

PageSix reports that Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are not expected to join the Queen because they have not been invited.

Harry last saw his Grandmother during her Platinum Jubilee, where he reportedly only had around 15 minutes with her.

The Queen was seen in Scotland last week, and will spend the months of August and September at her highland retreat, where she will be joined by other family members, including William, Kate and their kids, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four.

Balmoral has had a number of adaptations in recent years, including her Craigowan Lodge, which was fitted with a wheelchair-friendly lift in 2021.

The castle was bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852 for 32,000, and it has been the Scottish home of the royal family since. She usually arrives at the estate in mid-July.

The Sussexes say they were not invited to visit the Queen at Balmoral (pictured) according to PageSix

The Queen pictured departing Aberdeen last week as she was driven towards her official Scottish residence of Balmoral Castle for her annual summer stay

Princess Eugenie previously told how Balmoral was 'the most beautiful place on earth'.

She said on an ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety in 2016: 'I think Granny is most happy there.

'She really, really loves the Highlands - walks, picnics, dogs, a lot of dogs, and people coming in and out all the time.'

Representatives for the Sussexes have been approached for comment.

News of the Sussex's potential visit comes just a week after the author of a new royal biography made bombshell claims about the Duchess of Sussex.

Tom Bower, author of a new insider's account of the royal couple titled Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors, said the Duchess 'thought the royal family would be like Hollywood.'

Speaking to Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain he claimed that once Meghan realised the royal family was 'lots of work and little reward', she didnt like it anymore.

The author said: 'It's wrong to say she was a famous actress, she wasn't, she was a third rate actress, Suits was only watched by a million people.'

During the interview, the author admitted that many of his sources were people who don't like Meghan because she'd warned her nearest and dearest her not to speak to him.

The author of a new bombshell royal biography today claimed Meghan married Prince Harry to become famous - saying 'Suits wasnt that popular' (pictured on Suits in 2017)

Tom Bower, author of a new insider's account of the royal couple titled Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors, said the Duchess of Sussex 'thought the royal family would be like Hollywood' (pictured, announcing their engagement in 2017)

Host Ben said to Tom: 'She was a very famous actress. She had a high profile in Hollywood and Suits is a series that was streamed all over the world, so people knew who she was.'

Tom disagreed with the host, referring to Meghan's cover story with Vanity Fair while she was dating Prince Harry.

'Well we wont argue but I disagree with you,' he said. 'The point is, until she met Harry, even Graydon Carter the editor of Vanity Fair who commissioned the article never heard of her and never heard of Suits.

'He was just told that anyone who marries Harry is going to be famous and she indeed was.'

During the interview, the author admitted that many of his sources were people who don't like Meghan because she'd warned her nearest and dearest her not to speak to him

'She said to her father "I want to be famous, I want to walk down the red carpet" and marrying Harry she achieved exactly that ambition.'

The biographer went on to say he believes the royal family tried very hard to accommodate Meghan and include her in the family.

He claimed: 'People were very excited by the fact that there was a mixed race girl coming', adding: 'It was going to be a great development for the royal family.'

However, he said 'it went wrong' and why it went wrong he said he has 'explained fully' in his new book.
A Queensland man has been charged after a runaway truck hit multiple vehicles on a freeway in Adelaide on Sunday.

The Mitsubishi truck was unable to stop when travelling down a hill on the South Eastern Freeway at around 3.45pm on Sunday and ploughed into a Hyundai SUV and a bus waiting at the intersection of Portrush and Cross roads at Glen Osmond.

The truck, which was towing a trailer, continued barrelling across the intersection crashing into five more vehicles and also causing a Hyundai sedan to crash into a Toyota sedan.

A truck smashed into seven other vehicles and caused two more to collide when it careened through a freeway intersection in Adelaide on Sunday

Emergency services were called to scene and five people needed freeing from their vehicles.

Miraculously nine of the people involved only received minor injuries, while five were uninjured.

The 60-year-old truck driver was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Nikolina Withers was in the bus that the truck first impacted.

'I was on the bus trying to go home... then all of a sudden the bus shook and it was loud and a bit of glass flew at me,' Ms Withers told the ABC.

'I look over and there's just some guy, he was fine but like, the window just like blew up next to him and he was freaking out a bit.

'The guy that I was sitting next to took the worst of it and that was just a little cut on his hand. So everyone on the bus was OK, just shock.'

She said she saw the truck had rolled over the top of several cars.

On Tuesday the man was charged with dangerous driving charges as well as driving unlicensed and other heavy vehicle offences.

The truck driver was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries and miraculously all other people involved only had minor or no injuries

He was refused bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The truck was on its way to a camping show and belongs to Victorian outdoor adventuring company Malandy.

Investigations into the crash are continuing.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
He's led a charmed life as the blond-haired surfer married to a wealthy lawyer and enjoying a life of luxury.

But 17 years after police allege he murdered his 25-year-old German girlfriend and hid her naked body under palm fronds, Tobias Friedrich Suckfuell - aka Toby Moran - is headed for a prison cell.

The 42-year-old - whose teen sweetheart Simone Strobel's decomposing body was found near their Lismore campsite in 2005 - was dramatically arrested on Tuesday in Perth and charged with her murder.

He is being extradited to Sydney to face court on Thursday.

Toby Moran (above when he was Tobias Suckfuell with then girlfriend Simone Strobel) has been charged with her 2005 murder in Lismore and extradited from Perth to Sydney

Toby Moran is handcuffed and led away from his wealthy wife's multi-million dollar Perth beach shack for extradition to Sydney where he will face court on Thursday charged with murder

The former Tobias Suckfuell, has been living under his new name Toby Moran with wealthy lawyer and yoga instructor wife Samantha Moran (pictured above) in the elite Perth suburb of City Beach for more than a decade

WA Police footage shows detectives arresting and handcuffing Mr Moran outside his home in exclusive City Beach, Perth where he has been living with his pregnant wife Samantha Moran, their two young children and pet dog Mango.

The modest-looking multi-million dollar fibro house in a street of mostly high-end rebuilds is owned by Ms Moran's wealthy parents, who live in the same suburb.

Tobias Suckfuell and Samantha Moran - who is also a yoga instructor - were married in 2012 at his family's farmhouse in Altbessingen in southern Germany, just 30km from the Wurzburg home of Ms Strobel's parents.

Mr Moran, who left Australia after Ms Strobel's alleged murder and led a carefree nomadic existence surfing the world's top beaches, met Samantha in South Africa.

They moved back to Perth and Tobias Suckfuell became Toby Moran - a house husband and part-time builder while continuing to live the high life jet-setting to beaches in Bali and Mexico.

Mr Moran has never previously been charged over the murder of Ms Strobel, a kindergarten teacher who backpacked to Australia with her then boyfriend of more than six years.

But a Supreme Court judge has ruled in a civil case there are 'reasonable suspicions' that Mr Moran killed Ms Strobel at the Lismore caravan park in 2005.

Toby Moran (above with wealthy wife Samantha) has been living the high life in a luxury beach shack owned by his wealthy dentist father-in-law in the elite Perth suburb of City Beach

The grieving parents of Simone Strobel (left) in Bavaria have been seeking answers for years since her 2005 alleged murder after last being seen on CCTV (right) six days before her naked decomposing body was found pushed through a fence near the Suckfuell siblings' campsite

The decomposed body of Ms Strobel was found covered in palm fronds and pushed through the fence of a bocce court 90m from where she and Mr Moran had been camping with his sister Kathrin and her friend Jens Martin.

Ms Strobel's body was found six days after she vanished following a drinking session between the four German tourists in a local Lismore hotel.

Neither Mr Moran nor his sister Kathrin returned to Australia to appear at the subsequent inquest into Ms Strobel's death.

But Jens Martin did testify and claimed that all three had lied to police at Mr Moran's behest about their actions before Ms Strobel disappeared.

Ms Strobel's grieving parents Gustl and Gabi Strobel have spoken to German newspapers over the years, saying they have endured 'agonising uncertainty' since their beloved daughter's death.

Ms Strobel's mysterious death also became the subject of a book, Have You Seen Simone? written by Virginia Peters.

As Mr Moran was led off in handcuffs to be extradited and face a Sydney court charged with murder, his wife Samantha (above, the couple together) is preparing to give birth to their third child in Perth

Simone Strobel (above in the same outfit she was last seen wearing on CCTV) was found decomposing and covered in palm fronds, pushed through the fence of a bocce court 90m from the caravan park where she and Mr Moran had been camping with his sister Kathrin

The fibro house owned by Samantha Moran's family is in a street of multi-million dollar knockdowns in the same suburb as her wealthy parents, John and Sandy

In 2014, Mr Moran took out an injunction to prevent its publication, and then launched a defamation suit against Ms Peters and Schwarz Publishing, but dropped the lawsuit in 2017.

However, during the defamation suit's process called discovery, the defence applied for the release of papers called 'the 100-page Document'.

SIMONE STROBEL TRAGEDY Simeone Strobel and Toby Moran - then known as Tobias Suckfuell - arrived in Australia for a one-year working holiday in August 2004, and travelled along the east coast. Tobias's sister Kathrin and Jens Martin arrived on Australia Day 2005 to join the couple for a month. On February 11, the four young Germans arrived at Lismore Tourist Caravan Park, and adjourned to the Gollan Hotel for a drinking session. Tensions erupted between Tobias and Simone, who argued at the campsite, after which Simone disappeared. The next day, Jens and Kathrin began to look for Simone. On February 13, the three checked out of the caravan park before reporting Simone's disappearance to police. Four days later, on February 17, 2005, a police dog handler discovered Simone's body hidden in the grounds of the Lismore Continental Club's bocce courts. The three travellers laid flowers at a makeshift memorial in the club grounds with Ms Strobel's brother who had flown out from Germany. Both Suckfuell siblings and Jens Martin returned to Germany, but only Mr Martin flew back to Lismore for the 2007 inquest. Advertisement

In 2017, Mr Moran applied to block these documents on the grounds they were the subject of legal professional privilege and included notes written by himself and Samantha in South Africa which allegedly discuss the circumstances of Ms Strobel's death.

The West Australian newspaper has previously reported Ms Moran said the couple was looking forward to commenting on the Ms Strobel's case in the future, but would not speak publicly before then.

Toby and Samantha met in South Africa after he left Australia following Simone's alleged murder and have lived a comfortable life with the help of her rich Perth family

Simone Strobel and Tobias Suckfuell (right) are seen on CCTV leaving Lismore's Gollan hotel on February 11, 2005 when it is said the couple argued over tensions in their relationship

Photo of Tobias and Simone during their backpacker holiday in Australia which has been signed by him with a romantic message to his then girlfriend of more than six years

Tobias Suckfuell (above) in a NSW Police interview following the discovery of his then girlfriend's body pushed through a fence near their campsite in Lismore

Toby and Samantha (above) are expecting their third child just as he has been extradited from Perth to NSW to face charges of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a Lismore caravan park in 2005

NSW Police told the inquest they believed Ms Strobel had been killed by smothering, most likely with a pillow.

In 2020, the NSW government offered a $1 million reward for information over the homicide.

Detective Cameron Blaine, who arrested Mr Moran on Tuesday, was among senior detectives who found missing four-year-old Perth girl, Cleo Smith, last year.

Mr Moran is being extradited from Western Australia and will face Sydney's Downing Centre local court on the murder charge on Thursday, when he is expected to be remanded in custody to await trial.

Police prosecutors are expected to oppose any bail application by Mr Moran's lawyers.
A former Hell's Angel bikie famous for his facial tattoos has debuted a Nazi-style red and black swastika while appearing at court.

Dayne Brajkovich, 42, will go on trial later this year accused of breaching Western Australia's anti-bikie laws on displaying insignia.

On Tuesday, he appeared at Perth Magistrates Court to set a date for his trial - and took the opportunity to debut offensive new ink.

Brajkovich, who wore his trademark heavy gold chains, showed off a clearly visible swastika between the letters X and S on his chin.

The swastika is not illegal in WA, although motorcycle gang symbols are.

Former Hells Angels bikie Dayne Brajkovich leaves Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday with a new swastika tattoo on his chin

Brajkovich is pleading not guilty to the charges on gang symbols from January 25 in Ascot and January 30 in Cloverdale.

His trial is set to go ahead on December 12 and 13 with as many as eight police officers expected to be called to give evidence.

At least one of the charges came after a member of the public reported Brajkovich for wearing Hells Angels insignia at a Perth shopping centre.

Brajkovich was once the Hell Angels sergeant-at-arms in Perth.

Pictures published in April showed the bikie had inked black stripes onto his skin over a large Hells Angels tattoo on his head.

The swastika is not illegal in WA, although motorcycle gang symbols are

The words 'sergeant at arms' were also covered up in an attempt to comply with the new laws.

A '1 per cent' tattoo on his chest is now a black diamond but the words 'revenge' and 'enforcer' are still clearly marked around Brajkovich's head.

He is also infamous for his distinctive 'HAMC'- the acronym for Hells Angels Motorcycle Club - tattooed on his nose, but that also appears to have been edited.

The bikie had received the tattoos before the new laws were introduced last Christmas, and was warned he may have to wear make-up to cover up his ink.

It's understood Brajkovich was kicked out of Hells Angels in February after he fell into a dispute with senior members of the club.

In March 2021, WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson slammed Brajkovich's attire at a Perth Magistrates Court sentencing hearing as 'unacceptable'.

He wore a jersey emblazoned with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club initials HAMC and with 'HOF CITY' on it, believed to be a nod to a chapter the gang has in the German city of Hof.

Mr Dawson said Brajkovich's tattoos and clothing are 'totally disrespectful to not only the court but to the community'.

Brajkovich seen ahead of a court appearance in Perth. In December 2020, he was convicted of bashing Rebels bikie kingpin Nick Martin during a brawl at a bar on November 24, 2020, two weeks before Martin was shot dead at the Perth Motorplex in Kwinana Beach

Brajkovich was expelled from the Hells Angels in WA after expressing his displeasure with some members partying with bikies from rival gangs, including attending a birthday party for a Rebels bikie

'This is not us being hyper-sensitive about what people wear, this is absolute defiance in saying 'I'm outside the law and I'm going to remain outside the law'.'

Acting WA Police commissioner Col Blanch suggested in October last year that bikies will need to cover their tattoos with make-up or band-aids.

'I would start with things like Band-Aids or make-up certainly or have it removed or alternatively, people can choose the option not to live in Western Australia if this law passes,' he said.

The maximum penalties for wearing prohibited insignia are 12 months in jail, a $12,000 fine for individuals or up to $60,000 for 'corporations'.

Brajkovich was fined $800 for bashing Rebels boss Nick Martin just weeks before he was assassinated in December, 2020.
A desperate Australian mum has refused to leave the tropical island her son went missing on more than two weeks ago after he was behaving erratically.

Jackie Burgess is remaining with her daughter Shiralee Rosario on Magnetic Island, in the hope that her son, Ben Chisholm, 22, will be found, even as police scaled back their search.

He went missing in rugged bushland on the famous holiday island, offshore from Townsville, north Queensland, on the morning of July 13.

His family described his disappearance as 'out of character' saying he'd never wander off for so long.

But as his terrified mum and sister refuse to give up, it's been revealed Mr Chisholm was picked up by police the night before he vanished.

Young Queenslander Ben Chisholm wandered into 'extremely dense scrub' 15 days ago on Magnetic Island after behaving erratically the night before his disappearance

Jackie Burgess (pictured front right) is remaining with her daughter Shiralee Rosario on Magnetic Island, in the hope that her son, Ben Chisholm, (kneeling, beside family and friends), will be found

Mr Chisholm was last seen walking toward the trails inland from the Arcadia area of Magnetic Island (pictured, steep cliffs near Picnic Point, Magnetic Island)

SES volunteers have spent up to 80 hours each searching for Ben Chisholm in the past 10 days

'We will not give up hope, mum is not leaving the island, she needs you to be found and brought home. We all need you to come home, Ms Rosario posted on Tuesday.

'We will not give up on finding you Ben!'

Ms Rosario and Mr Chisholm both live on Magnetic Island and their mum is from Melbourne.

Mr Chisholm was last seen walking toward the trails inland from the Arcadia area of Magnetic Island.

Ms Rosario has admitted her brother was displaying 'unstable' behaviour the night before he went missing.

Shiralee Rosario is pictured with her brother Ben Chisholm, who is missing on Magnetic Island

Police, the SES, Rural Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife teams are searching for Mr Chisholm, with his family fearing he may have fallen in the dense bushland

She said residents in Picnic Bay phoned police because he was 'door knocking on a random house', the Townsville Bulletin reported.

Officers 'didn't pick up' on his bad mental state and dropped him off at home. He went missing the next morning, last being seen wandering towards trails.

'Well progress it as we go through, and if there are lessons to be learned, well, there are lessons to be learned,' Queensland Police Service Acting Inspector Mark Camilleri said when questioned about Ms Rosario's claims.

In a Magnetic Island community Facebook page several community members wondered if Mr Chisholm had left the island before being reported missing.

But several clues found ended that possibility.

Clothing, including a dark green jacket/pullover and shorts, and a hat belonging to Mr Chisholm, were found over the next eight days.

His desperate family fear he 'may have slipped and not be able to get up'.

Police officers, the dog squad and SES search teams scoured bushland, including the Nelly-Arcadia bush track on foot, by QGAir Rescue 521 helicopter and with drone cameras.

The Rural Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife teams are also assisting police with search efforts.

But when acting inspector Camilleri admitted the search was now being 'scaled back', Ms Rosario pleaded for more volunteers to join the search effort.

'SOS we are putting a call out to any trained personnel who are available to assist in specialized searches like cliff faces and boulders with crevices and caves.

'[We've had] no helicopter since Thursday the sniffer dog was in for one day, the best trackers have not been able to find any sign of him no broken twigs no hair, no blood, now they have left also.

'There is no sign of any foul play.'

Police are scaling back the search for Ben Chisholm but his family have refused to give up

Mr Chisholm's sister Shiralee claimed officers 'didn't pick up' on his bad mental state and dropped him off at home (pictured, Acting Inspector Mark Camilleri)

'Search efforts have been scaled back with minimal resources, with a focus on investigative outcomes as the search for Ben Chisholm continues on Magnetic Island,' Insp. Camilleri said.

'Police and family hold concerns for his welfare given the duration of his disappearance.'

Ms Rosario has been desperately calling for volunteers to come and help on the island.

'We need way more resources on the ground. Thursday, Friday last week we had 80 on ground and air for 2 days. Then 30, then 8, now today 11 people,' she said.

Magnetic Island SES volunteers detailed how committed they have been to the search on social media.

'Two of our Maggie Island SES members are approaching 80 hours EACH on this search since last Saturday. 80 volunteer hours in 10 days,' the service posted.

'We are so proud of our whole team and our SES family from across the ditch who have put in above and beyond!'

Ben Chishom's family have posted a GoFundMe account to help pay for costs they are incurring during the search.
Qantas says striking baggage handlers are doing a 'terrible, terrible thing' to Australians after walking off the job over current working conditions.

Employees from the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (dnata), an Emirati business which offers airport services including ground handling, are set to walk off the job after talks over increased pay have stopped.

A damning memo has revealed the safety fears of airport ground crew bosses during the current mayhem, which has seen foreign workers shipped in to help.

The CEO of Qantas Domestic and International Andrew David used the opportunity to lash out at the workers, who he said were betraying the Australian public.

'We don't know what action will be taken ... but (a strike) will be a terrible, terrible thing if after two years of Australians being locked up and families wanting to see each other and friends and people wanting to travel and business,' he told Sunrise on Wednesday morning.

The Trade Workers Union (TWU) told Daily Mail Australia the proposed strike was a result of 'chronically overworked' crews who were having to hold up the system because of severe understaffing.

A TWU spokesperson said dnata picked up contracts for ground work at Qantas after the airline cut staff, including at Sydney, Melbroune and Brisbane.

'Chronically overworked ground crew at aviation company dnata will today apply to the Fair Work Commission to hold a vote on strike action over the companys attempt to push through an agreement that gives pay cuts to experienced workers and below award minimum conditions,' the spokesperson said.

Qantas say striking baggage handlers are doing a 'terrible, terrible thing' to Australians after walking off the job over current working conditions

The TWU claims the laying off of skilled staff for unskilled labour has led to 'unsafe' conditions for travellers and the strike was necessary to find a common ground.

'Ground crew have warned dnata that chronic understaffing, airport chaos and safety incidents will only get worse if the company doesnt offer secure jobs at higher rates to attract and retain workers,' a spokesperson said.

'A recent staff memo from dnata said unsafe behaviour had led to aircraft and equipment damage, telling workers theyre not allowed to use the term under the pump when things go wrong.

'There have been several safety incidents around Qantas aircraft since ground work was outsourced across the country, including belt loaders crashing into planes, locking pins left in landing gear and incorrect weight information given to pilots before take-off.'

The CEO of Qantas Domestic and International Andrew David used the opportunity to lash out at the workers, who he said were betraying the Australian public

Employees from the Dubai National Air Travel Agency are set to walk off the job after talks over increased pay have stopped

A strike among Dnata workers would threaten to bring almost all international air travel to a halt with airlines virtually unable to operate out of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports.

Mr David dismissed safety fears and said the airline would always put safety first even if it meant flights were delayed as a result - but apologised for the current chaos.

'We know we've got more work to do,' he told Nine's Today show.

'I absolutely accept that people hold us to a higher standard. We hold ourselves to a higher standard.

'And we haven't been meeting those standards. I apologise to all your viewers because we are working hard on that.

'We are seeing improvements - our mishandled baggage rate is almost at where it was pre-Covid Our call center rate is better than it was pre-Covid.

'Our cancellation rates are better or getting close to where they were pre-Covid. We know we've got more work to do on our on time performance. It is improving.'

Travel chaos at airports is set to worsen as baggage handlers prepare to strike after pay deal talks ground to a halt and another crippling security issue hits check-ins

Emirates-owned dnata is the third party ground crew firm used by 20 airlines, including Qantas, Etihad and Singapore Airlines, after many axed their own staff during the pandemic.

But dnata has now told their crews to ignore pressure from airline staff to work faster or cut corners after a series of incidents and accidents in the past fortnight.

Handlers buckling to demands to rush their work had caused 'aircraft damage' and 'serious damage' to ground crew transport, according to the leaked memo to staff.

'The expression "Under the pump" needs to be removed from our collective vocabulary, especially where it is used to try and explain unsafe behaviours,' the memo read, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

Workers claim poor pay and conditions have left airports critically understaffed and the situation won't improve unless more secure work and better wages are brought in.

The Transport Workers Union is now set to apply to the Fair Work Commission to vote for a strike after talks with management collapsed.

Union bosses claimed the proposed pay deal would leave experienced staff facing pay cuts and wages below the award minimum.

They claim Dnata brought in extra workers from the Philippines to ease the crisis but refused to allow local part-time workers to do extra shifts or create more full-time jobs.

'Rather than lift standards or guarantee workers more hours in their contracts, Dnata tried to bring in overseas workers at great expense,' said TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.

'Workers successfully knocked back that plan, but are now faced with the likelihood of having to take strike action to achieve fair pay increases and job security.'

Dnata catering staff are also on the verge of separate strike action over pay, which they claim is below award rates for some employees.

Technical issues and early morning fog on Monday meant travellers had to wait outside the terminal as huge queues formed

Huge lines formed outside the terminal that then traced into the building on Monday

There were similar scenes at Sydney Airport on Monday when early morning fog and tech issues saw hundreds forced to queue up outside the terminal.

The airport apologised on Monday and said a technical issue caused one of its security lanes to stop operating.

'We're so sorry for the inconvenience. A technical issue has meant we're temporarily operating one less security lane than normal in T2. We are working with airlines to get everyone on their way, thank you for your patience,' the airport tweeted.

Travellers said trying to board their flights on Monday was a 'total nightmare'.

'Worst security queue I've seen in 30 years of travel,' one tweeted with a photo of a line stretching several hundred metres long.

'I'll probably be in the queue to get through security longer than I'm in the air,' said another.

'I'm in the car park standing in the line for security check in. I reckon I'm about an hour away from actually getting though. Travel actually sucks,' a third said.
Children who move closer to green spaces are more likely to have better lung function than those who live further away, according to a study.

Researchers said their findings support the idea of families moving to greener areas but also highlight the need to create more green spaces in cities and towns.

Some 3,278 children living in the Portuguese city of Porto took part in the study.

Researchers examined the nearest green spaces to children when they were born and again when they were aged four, seven and ten.

Children also performed a lung function test called a forced vital capacity assessment which measures respiratory health by showing the maximum amount of air a person can blow out after taking in the deepest possible breath.

Children who move closer to green spaces are more likely to have better lung function than those who live further away, according to a study

The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, found children whose home surroundings became greener between birth and their 10th birthday, either due to house moves or due to environmental changes, had better lung function.

The authors said that while the mechanism behind the finding is still unknown, their study suggests that city greening may improve childrens respiratory health.

Lead author Dr Diogo Queiroz Almeida, from the University of Porto, said: Our research suggests the greener, the better.

These improvements are modest at around 2 per cent. However, if we look at the whole population, making our neighbourhoods greener could have a considerable impact.

We looked at factors like physical activity and air pollution, but the link between lung function and moving closer to green space remained, even after we took these into account.

It could also be that getting closer to nature reduces stress, which can improve physical health, or it might have a positive effect on childrens microbiome - the community of different bacteria that live in our bodies.

We found that living in greener neighbourhoods as children grow up is more important for their breathing than living in a green area when they were born. This may be because babies spend much less time outdoors than children.

He added: To reduce health inequalities, we need to make our cities greener, especially in areas where there is little or no green space.
Scientists have developed a chewing gum they say can trap COVID-19 in saliva, reducing symptoms and lowering the risk of passing the virus on.

The gum contains a plant-grown protein which traps the SARS-CoV-2 virus inside saliva, which slows transmission not just from person to person but also from cell to cell in patients.

That protein is normally used by COVID to enter the cells on infecting a person. But by replicating it, scientists at the Penn School of Dental Medicine have been able to confine the virus to the mouth of a person chewing the gum.

The treatment was developed by a team led by Dr. Henry Daniell of the Penn School of Dental Medicine, with help from scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine.

Researchers are preparing to launch the first clinical trial, and hope the gum could serve as a low-cost and easy to use option for fighting Covid-19.

'We are already using masks and other physical barriers to reduce the chance of transmission,' Daniell told Penn Today, 'This gum could be used as an additional tool in that fight.'

Before and after images showing SARS-CoV-2 infected micro-bubbles in a patient. The infection count dropped dramatically after treatment with the ACE2 gum

The 'viral trap' ACE2 proteins in the gum (above) are carried within engineered lettuce cells

The gum contains copies of the ACE2 protein found on cell surfaces, which the coronavirus uses to break into cells and infect them.

In test-tube experiments using saliva from individuals infected with the Delta or Omicron variants, the virus particles attached themselves to the ACE2 'receptors' in the chewing gum and the viral load fell to undetectable levels, researchers reported in Biomaterials.

The 'viral trap' ACE2 proteins in the gum are carried within engineered lettuce cells. A second experimental chewing gum made with bean powder instead of lettuce cells not only traps SARS-CoV-2 particles in lab experiments but also influenza strains, other coronaviruses that cause common colds, and potentially other oral viruses such as human papillomavirus and herpesvirus, according to the paper.

'SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the salivary glands, and we know that when someone who is infected sneezes, coughs, or speaks some of that virus can be expelled and reach others,' Daniell said, 'This gum offers an opportunity to neutralize the virus in the saliva, giving us a simple way to possibly cut down on a source of disease transmission.'

Before the pandemic consumed the world in 2020, Daniell had been studying the ACE2 protein as a part of hypertension treatment research.

ACE2 had been previously shown to reduce viral loads in patients, and after hearing of work at the dental school develoing protein infused gum to fight plaque, Daniell began to wonder if the same principal could be used to fight Covid-19.

'Henry contacted me and asked if we had samples to test his approach, what kind of samples would be appropriate to test, and whether we could internally validate the level of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the saliva samples,' said Ronald Collman, a virologist at Penn Medicine who participated in the project, 'That led to a cross-school collaboration building on our microbiome studies.'

The gum was developed by a team led by Dr. Henry Daniell (above) of the Penn School of Dental Medicine, with help from scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine

A chart demonstrating how the ACE2 laced gum interacts with Covid-19 viruses and curbs transmission

The researchers are now looking to begin a clinical trials with the hopes of eventually bringing the gum to market as another tool in the preventative arsenal against Covid.

The trial would see COVID-19 patients chew four ACE2 gum tablets each day for four days.

Collman said if scalable, the gum could be an affordable solution for Covid prevention - and it could also be deployed on other viruses, including the flu.

'Henry's approach of making the proteins in plants and using them orally is inexpensive, hopefully scalable; it really is clever,' he said.
A rideshare driver recalled the moment he was brutally bashed by a drunk passenger after he'd asked him to put on a mask.

George, who works for Rideshare company Ola, said the encounter was the worst he had ever had to deal with as a driver.

Battered and bruised, he has only recently been released from hospital following the violent incident that occurred when he picked up two men from a Sydney pub last Sunday.

Sydney Rideshare driver George (pictured) was brutally assaulted by a passenger on Sunday night

'This is bigger than me. This needs to stop. Drivers need to have a voice,' George told A Current Affair.

After being asked to wear a mask in the car, one of the passengers told George that 'he was a police officer and basically that he didn't need to wear a mask'.

'He gave me a badge number. I requested then that he and his passenger had to go get a mask, or I couldn't take them,' George added.

He said that he dropped off the first passenger and continued to the next destination.

George (pictured left) said this encounter was the worst he had ever had to deal with while working for Rideshare company Ola

'He kept on swearing at me, saying you're a grub, I'm going to give you zero stars, you're going to lose your job...Don't think you're going to get away with this,' George said.

He then began to notice the man was getting agitated, swearing at him and asking him for his nationality.

'I refused to answer because he obviously saw my mask which said, 'stand up against racism' and obviously he had an issue with that,' George said.

On the in-car camera, the passenger can then be seen to throw a punch at George from the back seat.

George is seen in the footage yelling: 'Get out, get out! You just hit me in the jaw, get out.'

He then quickly dialed triple zero.

'After five times of getting hit, I was like enough is enough... and then I went to reach for the customer to basically open the door, just try and move him away from me also.'

The man can be seen kicking and punching George in the head.

George (pictured) yelled, 'I've got a son' while the passenger continued to punch and pull his hair

'Stop hitting please, you're hurting me bro stop...please brother stop man,' George is heard to yell.

George acknowledged he fought back in self defence.

'He was chomping on my hand and he wouldn't let go. I felt my hand was going to be cut off, because he was biting down that hard.'

George added: 'I was really scared, especially having allegedly a police man in my car that could potentially call for back up.'

'I've got a son,' George is heard yelling at the passenger as the man continued to punch and pull his hair.

After the man eventually out of the car, he can be seen kicking the passenger door , leaving massive dints in the vehicle.

Police later found a 45-year-old man unconscious on the footpath who was taken to hospital.

No charges have been laid.

'It's going to be a while before I get functionality in my hands,' George said.

'It's terrible...it happens to many rideshare drivers and it needs to be stopped.'
Australia's top scientist has identified seven 'megatrends' that need action now to avert threats to our health and way of life.

A report to be launched by CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall on Wednesday, says predicting droughts, out-thinking bushfires, accelerating vaccine development and stabilising energy supplies are all possible.

But to keep pace with technological change, the report says Australia will need another 6.5 million digital workers by 2025  an increase of 79 per cent from 2020.

'There is a tidal wave of disruption on the way, and it's critical we take steps now to get ahead of it,' Dr Marshall said.

Global unrest such as the war in Ukraine will have long-lasting impacts, the CSIRO has warned

Artificial intelligence could help tackle some future challenges, such as the rise of superbugs

The challenges of the next 20 years include superbugs, disrupted global trade, scarce water and food supplies, and an increasingly unstable climate the report warns will threaten our health and way of life.

The war in Ukraine and tension with China are tipped to have long-lasting impacts, driving defence spending higher and influencing the development of security and technology, trade, and supply chains.

But Dr Marshall says Australia can also forge a different future and use science to create it.

Currently available technologies could contribute $140-$250 billion to Australia's GDP by 2025.

'Australia has the highest wind and solar capacity of any developed nation and a wealth of critical energy minerals  we can be a leader in feeding the world's hunger for clean energy,' he said.

Taking action on energy crises will be key to secure a safe and prosperous future for Australia

An unstable climate will threaten our health and way of life, the CSIRO report has warned

Australia could become a leading producer and exporter of green hydrogen, but significant infrastructure investment and efficiency gains are needed to make it commercially viable, the report said.

'Green metal' manufacturing is identified as another opportunity, with international steelmakers looking to eliminate emissions from their supply chains.

Australia's abundance of metals and minerals are in demand for clean energy technologies and future transport.

Electric vehicles are tipped to reach price parity with petrol and diesel by 2025, and leading car makers have committed to phasing out the internal combustion engine over the next two decades.

Australia could also use artificial intelligence to solve some of the greatest challenges, but must tackle trust issues that citizens have about its use.

The rapid adoption of digital and data technologies during the pandemic has meant that many sectors and organisations have experienced years' worth of digital transformation in the space of months.

But experts predict this is the tip of the iceberg, with the vast majority of digitisation yet to occur.

Dr Marshall said the next wave of digital innovation will generate $10-15 trillion globally.

'Trust in science led Australia's response to COVID-19, and science can help us lead a Team Australia response to the challenges ahead,' he said.
A huge queue of customers stretching down the street outside an Australian bank has triggered a number of theories - with many suggesting it could be the start of a run on Chinese-owned banks.

Dozens of Sydney residents were seen waiting outside the Bank of China's Haymarket branch in the city's CBD on Tuesday morning.

The photo was shared to Reddit with the person who took the photo saying they'd seen similar queues outside the bank each morning in recent weeks.

Many suggested customers are now racing to withdraw their funds after cash was frozen at four Chinese banks following a suspected case of fraud.

Thousands of customers from the four rural banks in China's Henan province have had their savings frozen since mid-April after withdrawals were suddenly suspended.

Withdrawals and deposits were also suspended at a bank in the neighbouring Anhui province, with a total of $A8.5billion believed to be locked down across all five banks.

Dozens of Sydney residents were seen waiting outside the Bank of China's Haymarket branch in the city's CBD on Tuesday morning

The freeze triggered rare street protests last month with China's banking regulator blaming the crisis on suspected bank shareholder mismanagement and vowing to 'severely punish financial crimes'.

Reddit users believe the controversy in China has sparked fear in customers Down Under to make sure their own cash is safe.

'If this is the local branch of the Bank of China, people could be afraid it's going to go under and are withdrawing their savings,' one wrote.

'People are concerned that their bank is not liquid. So everyone is worried their cash is gone and want to withdraw everything they can,' another commented.

But many shut down that theory and instead said the long lines were most likely international university students transferring their money into an Australian bank account.

Some Reddit users pointed out that there isn't a fee for transferring funds from their Chinese Bank of China account to their Australian one.

Given the recent opening of borders, it's likely this has also added to the long wait times.

'I've walked past here everyday and they're all young and being passed forms to fill out so it looks to me like setting up new accounts,' said one.

Many have suggested customers are now racing to withdraw their funds after cash was frozen at four Chinese banks following a suspected case of fraud

'It's mainly because international transfer between BOC account in China and BOC account in Australia does not apply transaction fee,' wrote another.

'Many Chinese students who arrived Sydney go there to create their account.

'Generally, it has nothing to do with the bank crisis in Henan province.'

A spokesperson for the bank confirmed international students had been lining up outside the branch.

'As we are the most popular bank for Chinese students in Australia, we are experiencing a large demand for our branch services, particularly deposit accounts for payments from overseas,' they said.

'To maintain Covid-safe practices for our staff and customers we are advising customers to maintain social distancing and this resulted in queues outside the branch on Tuesday.

'For Bank of China Australia it is very much business as usual.'

The banking crisis in Henan was described by authorities as a complex scam involving a private financial group that had stakes in the lenders and which had faked data by colluding with bank staff and siphoning off funds illegally.

Deposits at a bank in the eastern Anhui province were also frozen.

To revive depositors' confidence in the sector, authorities in Henan and Anhui made repayments to smaller depositors starting July 15 following investigations and arrests.

It's understood many are still trying to get their life savings back.
A second man has been charged over the deadly shooting of underworld crime boss Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad.

Ahmad, 39, also known as Sydney's 'Mr Big', was shot dead on a suburban street in Greenacre, in the city's southwest, on April 27.

Last month, a 49-year-old man was arrested for his alleged role in the shooting during a police operation in Campsie, southwest Sydney, on May 2.

Now, a 37-year-old man has also been arrested and charged with accessory to murder.

Police will allege in court that the man was involved in the planning of Ahmads death.

A second man has been charged over his alleged role in the deadly shooting of underworld crime boss Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad, 39, (pictured)

He was refused bail to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday.

Investigations under Task Force Erebus continue.

Anyone with information that may assist Task Force Erebus investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.

Back in May, detectives from the NSW Homicide Squad arrested the 49-year-old man during a police operation in Campsie.

He was later charged with one count of accessory before the fact to murder, and accessory after the fact to murder, among other offences.

Following the arrest, officers conducted a search warrant at a home in Wetherill Park, where they seized 25kg of ice worth an estimated $22million.

Officers also seized $200,000 in cash and cloned number plates.

The 49-year-old was also charged with several drug and criminal group offences.

Friends of the slain underworld boss (pictured) - who had a $1 million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death

Friends of the slain underworld boss - who had a $1million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death (pictured, the scene of the April shooting)

After Ahmad was shot dead, Raptor Squad police patrolling nearby performed CPR with photos showing 'Mr Big' fighting for his life.

Friends of the slain underworld boss - who had a $1 million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death.

He had repeatedly been warned he was a marked man when he walked free from jail after six months for a five-year sentence for killing a gangland rival.

Ahmad had extorted fellow underworld figures both in prison and outside, demanding at least one inmate pay $250,000 to ensure his safety.

'He's been warned in the past he was a marked man and as a result he didn't heed those words... he was going about his normal business without a care in the world,' detective superintendent Danny Doherty said.

Last October, Ahmad dodged another attempt when he was tipped off by police about a planned hit on him in broad daylight at a park at Rushcutters Bay.

The conflict between warring Sydney gangs has claimed 14 lives in two years, and the state opposition claims there have been at least 35 major violent incidents involving gangs in NSW since June 2020.
Pauline Hanson has been called a racist after she angrily left the Senate during the opening acknowledgment of country.

Senate President Sue Lines acknowledged the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people as traditional custodians of the Canberra area and paid respect to elders past and present at the opening of Wednesday's sitting.

Senator Hanson interjected, yelling 'no, I won't and never will', before storming out of the chamber in a huff.

Pauline Hanson has angrily left the Senate chamber during the opening acknowledgement to country after dismissing its validity

The One Nation senator later said she could not accept the welcome to country or a proposal to be moved later in the day that would raise the indigenous flag in the Senate chamber.

'I've been feeling this way for a long time,' she said.

'I have called from the first day for equality for all Australians. I see this as divisive.'

She said if anyone needed acknowledgement it was 'our people that have fought for this country. People who have sacrificed their lives'.

Senator Hanson added the Indigenous flag had 'never been voted on'.

'I will never pay respect to (the flag). I find this flag divisive,' she said.

She also criticised the acknowledgement to country being so widespread.

'We are now hearing it on flights and aeroplanes. I'm sorry - this is my country as well.

'This is heading towards division in our nation. A them and us. And we'll never close the gap if we continue down this path. All Australians should be treated equally and the same.'

Senator Hanson interjected, yelling 'no, I won't and never will', before exiting the chamber

Indigenous Greens' senator Lidia Thorpe called Senator Hanson racist and her action 'disrespectful'

Indigenous Greens' senator Lidia Thorpe called Senator Hanson racist and her actions 'disrespectful' to the Parliament and Aboriginal Australians.

'Pauline Hanson, you are ignorant and you are racist,' she wrote on Twitter.

'Day two of the 47th Parliament and racism has reared its ugly head.

'Pauline Hanson disrespectfully stormed out of the acknowledgement of country in the Senate, refusing to acknowledge "those people".

'You want to make parliament safe? Get rid of racism.'

Senator Hanson strides out the doors of the Senate after angrily refusing to sit through the welcome to country

Senator Hanson quickly fired back on her own Twitter, calling out Senator Thorpe's own controversial views.

'Says the "infiltrator" who with her racially divisive agenda doesnt even recognise the legitimacy of our Constitution or Parliament,' she wrote.

Senator Thorpe on Tuesday mocked The Queen, who is referenced in the swearing in ceremony all MPs underwent on Tuesday.

'Not every politician swore allegiance to the colonising Queen of England today lol,' she wrote.

Senator Hanson followed up her outburst by claiming welcome to country ceremonies 'perpetuate racial division'.

'From this point forward, Senator Hanson will refuse to acknowledge country in the Senate,' her office said.

'Senator Hanson will also oppose a motion in the Senate today for the Aboriginal flag to be displayed in the Senate. Senator Hanson considers that only one flag, the Australian national flag, truly represents all Australians.'

She claimed acknowledgements were not 'any sort of indigenous Australian tradition', given that at most it has only been in use for the past 25 years and in Parliament only 12 years.

Senator Hanson has form in railing against the Aboriginal flag and the entire concept of welcome to country ceremonies.

Last July she claimed the Matildas posing with the Aboriginal flag before their first game at the Tokyo Olympics was 'a slap in the face to all Australians' and accused the soccer team of 'hijacking' the competition

In April, she described welcome to country ceremonies as 'left-wing virtue signalling' and declared she was 'tired' of them.

'It is common for politicians to be booed at events but some Australians were shocked that Anthony Albanese would get such a hostile reaction while trying to deliver a so-called ''welcome to country'',' she wrote on her Facebook page.

'I don't know about you but I am very tired of being left out of the ''welcome'' to my own country.'

Welcomes to Country ceremonies between Indigenous Australian communities date back thousands of years.

TV presenter Ernie Dingo and musician Richard Walley performed the first for non-Indigenous Australians in 1976 at a festival in Perth.

Indigenous elders now regularly give a Welcome to Country at major events including sports games and concerts.

'Some of you might not realise but this "welcome to country" isn't some ancient tradition. It is a modern invention,' Senator Hanson claimed.

'Just one of the many overused methods of left-wing virtue signalling that shoehorns politics and pandering into everyday life.'

Last July she claimed the Matildas posing with the Aboriginal flag before their first game at the Tokyo Olympics was 'a slap in the face to all Australians' and accused the soccer team of 'hijacking' the competition.

'Australians are sick and tired of their favourite sports being ruined by politics,' she said.

'Indigenous flags don't represent all Australians. There's only one flag which truly represents all of us.'

'Taxpayers don't shell out millions of dollars to send Olympic teams to represent two nations. We're one nation, Australia, indigenous and non-indigenous alike,' she said.

'Australians supporting their Olympic team deserve an explanation from the Australian Olympic Committee, and I'm sure they want to know what the Prime Minister has to say about it too.'
Nicole Shanahan's lawyer has come out swinging and denied his client had an affair with Elon Musk.

'Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory,' attorney Bryan Freedman told DailyMail.com in an exclusive statement.

On Sunday the Wall Street Journal claimed Musk slept with Sergey Brin's wife Nicole Shanahan, 33, that served as a catalyst for their divorce.

Musk, 51, then tweeted a photo of himself partying with Brin, 48, in an effort to disprove the newspaper's bombshell claim.

Divorce negotiations between Shanahan and Brin are ongoing.

On Sunday the Wall Street Journal claimed Musk slept with Sergey Brin's wife Nicole Shanahan that served as a catalyst for their divorce

Elon Musk tweeted this photo in response to a Wall Street Journal editor on Monday after the paper claimed he and Sergey Brin were not on speaking terms because of Musk's apparent affair with Brin's wife

Attorney Bryan Freedman told DailyMail.com in an exclusive statement, 'Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory'

Musk continued to show his aggravation with The Wall Street Journal's investigations editor on Monday, tweeting that he's trying to avoid the 'supernova' level of attention on him in the wake of rumors he slept with the co-founder of Google's wife.

He tweeted a photo of himself partying with Sergey Brin on Sunday in an effort to disprove the newspaper's bombshell claim that he slept with Brin's wife, Nicole, and that it served as a catalyst for their divorce.

Replying to Investigations Editor Michael Siconolfi, Musk shared the photo and long with pants and fire emojis in a playful reference to the childish saying 'liar, liar, pants on fire.'

Shanahan is a Stanford-educated lawyer who works at the firm Bio-Echa, an investment firm that pours money into projects like bolstering 'reproductive longevity.'

Nicole Shanahan's lawyer has come out swinging and denied his client had an affair with Elon Musk. Nicole is seen in the June 2021 issue of Silicon Valley magazine

The billionaire Tesla CEO continued to bemoan the coverage Monday evening, tweeting: 'The amount of attention on me has gone supernova, which super sucks. Unfortunately, even trivial articles about me generate a lot of clicks.'

'Will try my best to be heads down focused on doing useful things for civilization,' he added.

The Wall Street Journal said it was standing by its story, which claims Musk and Shanahan were romantically involved at Art Basel in December last year, and that it not only chilled Musk's friendship with Sergey, but served as the catalyst for their divorce.

'We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting,' a spokesman for the newspaper told DailyMail.com.

Musk's photo shows him standing with Sergey and two other women. It's unclear where exactly it was taken - Musk was last seen in Mykonos last week - but his jet flew from Austin, where he lives, to San Jose on Saturday. It flew back to Austin on Sunday, landing at 11 p.m.

Musk, 51, earlier Monday tweeted a photo of himself partying with Sergey Brin (pictured right) on Sunday in an effort to disprove the newspaper's bombshell claim he slept with Brin's wife, Nicole (pictured left), and that it was the catalyst for their divorce

Musk was replying to Michael Siconolfi's tweet praising the paper's reporters for the exclusive story that Musk now denies

Earlier, he had denied the entire Journal report, which claimed he slept with Shanahan at Art Basel in Miami last December.

We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting' Wall Street Journal

Google founder Brin filed for divorce in January, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.

The couple share a four-year-old daughter.

Brin has not yet commented on the Journal's claims.

Musk has, however, been on a Twitter frenzy, accusing the newspaper - which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp - of launching 'hit pieces' against him all year.

'WSJ should be running stories that actually matter to their readers and have solid factual basis, not third-party random hearsay.

The character assassination attacks have reached a new level this year, but the articles are all nothing-burgers. I work crazy hours, so there just isn't much time for shenanigans.

Musk with Brin (far right) in the early 2000s. The Wall Street Journal claimed the 'affair' brought an abrupt end to the Brins' marriage

Musk's Twitter defense: The 51-year-old repeatedly denied the allegations in the Wall Street Journal report on Monday

Musk denied The Wall Street Journal's report, calling it 'more shortseller fud'. The billionaire claimed the newspaper had been running 'hit pieces' and 'character assassinations' on him all year

Shanahan works for the firm Bia-Echo, an investment firm whose interests include 'reproductive longevity and equality'

'None of the key people involved in these alleged wrongdoings were even interviewed!'

'The real problem here is that Michael Siconolfi has zero journalistic integrity.'

Siconolfi hasn't responded.

The article also claimed that Brin was selling off all of his interests in Musk's companies.

The pair have been friends for years, with Brin giving Musk $500,000 in 2008 to help him fund Tesla at the peak of the Global Financial Crash.

He also lent Musk the Google Party Plane for the Tesla CEO's wedding to actress Talulah Riley in 2010.

Sergey and Nicole were married for four years before he filed for divorce in January. He is the eighth richest man in the world with a net worth of $95billion.

Brin is said to own multiple interests in Musk's many businesses, all of which he has ordered his aides to sell.

When the divorce proceedings were launched in January, Nicole told Puck: 'I hope for Sergey and I to move forward with dignity, honesty and harmony for the sake of our child. And we are both working towards that.'
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Friends of the British tourist killed in a freak helicopter accident in Greece have angrily hit out at claims he had been distracted by his phone moments before he 'walked into' a spinning tail blade and was fatally wounded.

Jack Fenton, 22, was struck when he walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engine was still engaged at 6.20pm in Athens yesterday, after flying back from the island of Mykonos with three public schoolboy friends in the chopper piloted by Christos Fragkopanagos.

Mr Fenton and his friends were due to fly back home on Monday following their brief trip to the holiday hotspot where they had celebrated Fenton's 22nd birthday.

Greek investigators yesterday claimed the Oxford Brooks student ran back on to the tarmac after safely disembarking so he could take a selfie, despite warnings from the crew, and accidentally ran into a whirring blade.

But Jack Stanton-Gleaves, 20, who was in the helicopter along with 'traumatised' friends James Yeabsley, 19, and former Bournemouth University student Max Savage, 20, rubbished the police and pilot's version of events.

Jack, whose father Robin Stanton-Gleaves is owner and chairman of National League side Bromley FC, told MailOnline: 'No instructions were given when exiting the helicopter and no one escorted us to the lounge. All they did was open the doors for us.

'We disembarked on our own and no one stopped Jack from going to the rear of the helicopter. None of us reached the lounge before the accident happened.

'I've heard people say Jack was on his phone and ran back to the helicopter and this is totally untrue. He was not on his phone and why he turned towards the rear of the helicopter I don't know.'

Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police after giving statements testifying that Jack was escorted inside the airport before he ran back outside.

The trio could face negligence or manslaughter charges if they told the passengers to disembark when it was not safe.

Jack's mother Victoria, speaking from her home in Tonbridge, Kent, told MailOnline how the family are 'completely devastated' by the loss of their 'wonderful boy' who attended the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school in Maidstone.

Jack Fenton (circled) is pictured on holiday in Mykonos with his friends before the tragic accident. Also pictured is Max Savage (left), Jack Stanton-Gleaves (top), Max Stanton-Gleaves (middle left), Tom Aitkin (middle right) and Robin Stanton-Gleaves (right)

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos has been named by local media as the pilot who has been asked to testify over yesterday's tragedy

Pictured: The black Bell 407 helicopter that is understood to have killed Jack Fenton in a freak accident on the Greek holiday hotspot

Jack Fenton's father, Miguel, is head of marketing, sales and PR at The Hop Farm, a 400-acre country park and visitor attraction in Beltring, near Tonbridge, Kent (pictured together left)

Emergency services are pictured last night at the scene of the incident involving the Briton who died when a rear helicopter rotor hit him in Spata, near Athens, Greece

Pictured: The Bell 407 which was involved in the accident, with red police tape wrapped around the tail

The tourists had flown from Mykonos to the helipad in Spata and were due to take a private limousine to Eleftherios Venizelos airport

Ioannis Kandyllis, president of Greece's committee for aviation accidents probing the incident, said earlier today that Jack defied orders by running back towards the helicopter with his phone to his ear.

He claimed: 'All four passengers had disembarked and were escorted to a private lounge awaiting a private flight for London.

'But as they were in the lounge the victim broke away and returned to the tarmac rushing to the helicopter at a fast pace.

'Witnesses we spoke to said he was had a phone to his ear and was walking fast to the aircraft, defying ground crew shouting to him 'Stop! Stop!'

'Within seconds the tragic accident occurred. It was horrific.'

A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.'

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old is thought to have been killed instantly.

Greek investigators will study the footage from a surveillance camera at the landing field for evidence.

They revealed there were several other people who were witnessed the tragedy from the lounge.

'They have yet to be interviewed but we will reach out to them to gather additional testimony as we piece this puzzle together' an aviation official said.

His mother Victoria said today: 'We only found out what happened at 10pm last night. We are completely devastated. He was the most wonderful boy.

'I think the pilot is in custody, but it was the most horrible of accidents by the looks of it.

'Jack had travelled to Greece with some of his friends, a couple who were celebrating birthdays out there.

The Oxford Brookes university student, who went to the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school in Maidstone, Kent, walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engine was still engaged

The young Briton horrifically killed in a helicopter accident in Athens was on holiday with a group of friends

Fragkopanagos (pictured), head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police

'His family have stayed in Kent. We didn't go to Greece. A father of one of his friends was with them.

'Jack and his friends had got a helicopter from Athens to Mykonos without any problems and so did the same again, they got a helicopter from Mykonos back to Athens.

'He had got off safely when it landed in Athens but for some reason went back behind the helicopter and it was the rear propeller which killed him. It was instant.

'He'd been out the night before but hadn't had anything to drink all day yesterday except for water. He and his friends were all sober.'

A following helicopter carrying Jack's friend's parents was advised to land at a separate airport so they could avoid the gruesome scene at the helipad.

Mr Kandyllis said the pilot and the two ground crew members at the private heliodrome in Paiania, northeast of Athens, testified before a prosecutor, providing also detailed accounts to the committee investigating the causes of the unprecedented accident.

Mr Kandyllis said all safety regulations were followed in the landing of the Bell helicopter and disembarkation of its four passengers.

The man reportedly walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engines were still engaged and was struck by the aircraft's tail rotor

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old was killed instantly

Today, Jack's three friends - Yeabsley, Savage and Stanton Gleaves - returned to Britain in a private jet from Athens' Spata airport (pictured: the scene today)

He said: 'Aviation regulations require disembarkation to take place either when the helicopter's rotors have completely stopped, or when expert crew accompanies passengers off.'

'In this case, both left and right doors were used by passengers to disembark. They were all escorted safely to the seating lounge.

'It is after, when the tragedy occurred.'

Mr Kandyllis said they were expected to retrieve the victim's mobile phone to examine who he was contacting at the time of the accident and the reasons that led him to return to the helicopter

The group had intended to disembark at the Superior Air helipad before being chauffeured to Eleftherios Venizelos airport where they would board a private jet for a return flight to the UK.

Today, Jack's three friends - Yeabsley, Savage and Stanton-Gleaves - returned to Britain in a private jet from Athens' Spata airport.

All three are believed to have been schoolfriends of Jack's from Sutton Valence.

A statement from Sutton Valence headmaster James Thomas said: 'Our School was very sad to hear the tragic news about Jack this morning.

'He was a very popular member of the community, and we have sent our condolences to the family.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the incident.'

Jack Fenton's father, Miguel, is head of marketing, sales and PR at The Hop Farm, a 400-acre country park and visitor attraction in Beltring, near Tonbridge, Kent.

A spokesperson at the Hop Farm told MailOnline: 'This is a personal matter, nothing to do with the business and we have no comment.'

Until 1997 the farm was known as The Whitbread Hop Farm and was owned by the brewery and boasts the largest collection of oast houses in the world..

Police sources did not reveal the family involved but it is understood they are extremely wealthy and were enjoying a holiday on the luxury Greek island of Mykonos (pictured)

The rotors tend to continue for around two minutes after the engine has been switched off, unless the pilot presses a button to stop them at around 50 seconds.

Pilots should thoroughly brief their passengers to stay inside until all movement has ceased, but the helicopter has no locks and no crew other than the pilot to shepherd the passengers.

The President of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica George Kaliakmanis told MailOnline: 'To my knowledge the type of helicopter Bell 407 doesn't lock from the inside.

'So now the investigation will focus on the safety measures taken from the pilot. Did he tell them to wait or not?

'There are two propellers on the helicopter. One that operates on 500 turns/second and one that operates at 2500 turns/second. These propellers run for about 2 minutes from the time he turns the engine off unless he presses a button which stops them at 50 seconds. Also keep in mind that the propellers are not visible because of the speed.'

Sources said the 115-mile trip in two helicopters would have cost more than 15,000.
Barnaby Joyce is mourning the loss of his father at the age of 98 - after racing home from Canberra to say his last goodbye.

The Nationals MP's office confirmed the sad news about his beloved father Jim after Mr Joyce skipped the first day of the new Parliament to be by his dad's side.

Jim Joyce, a former livestock vet, World War II veteran, father-of-six and beloved grandfather who lived on the same property as his son - passed away on Tuesday night.

'Barnaby Joyce is mourning the loss of his father Jim Joyce, aged 98, who sadly passed away last night,' a spokesman said.

'He appreciates the many kind wishes and thoughts being extended at his difficult time.'

Barnaby Joyce (right) is mourning the loss of his dad Jim (left), who died on Tuesday night

Mr Joyce has taken personal leave and won't return to parliament this week.

He was a notable absentee when parliament resumed on Tuesday for the first time since May's federal election.

The former deputy prime minister's then-unexplained absence sparked backlash from nasty trolls as fellow MPs jumped to Mr Joyce's defence.

'For all those tweeting nasty things about why Barnaby Joyce was not present in Parliament for the opening day today, lay off,' Nationals colleague Michael McCormack tweeted on Tuesday evening.

'His elderly father Jim is seriously ill and Barnaby is where he should be  at his bedside. Thoughts go out to the family at this difficult time.'

Trolls continued to attack Mr Joyce over his absence after the news of his father's death was confirmed on Wednesday.

Barnaby's parents Marie and James Joyce were devoted grandparents. They're pictured with his son Sebastian in 2018

Mr Joyce became embroiled in Australia's parliamentary eligibility crisis in 2017 after the New Zealand High Commission revealed his dual citizenship as his father was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia in 1947.

Mr Joyce quickly renounced his New Zealand citizenship before The High Court ruled he and and four senators were ineligible to sit in parliament.

He later returned to parliament after winning a by-election to retain his seat of New Zealand.

Mr Joyce said he was looking forward to spending more time with his elderly dad after he was ousted from the Nationals party leadership for the second time following the May election loss.

'I suppose you think I am sad. Not really,' he said at the time.

'Now, I have a chance to get back to my second greatest love, after my family, and that is my beloved people of New England, where I will have more time to get around my electorate and to be a person of service to them.'
A Sydney man has been found guilty of murdering his on-again, off-again lover despite attempts to cover his tracks with fake texts and by claiming he used gloves and facial wipes that were found by police to clean up, after pleasuring himself.

James Hachem, 36, was on Tuesday found guilty of the January 2019 murder of his former flame Samah Baker, 30.

Ms Baker, a TAFE worker who prosecutors said was in an 'intermittent intimate relationship' with Hachem, had spent much of her last two days alive with her killer.

Despite maintaining his innocence and proffering a theory that Ms Baker had killed herself, the jury ultimately believed that Hachem was overcome with jealousy and enraged after seeing Ms Baker kissing another man.

Hachem had told a litany of lies to police and also sent text messages to his dead partner's phone in a bid to throw detectives off, including one reading: 'You must be with your boyfriend and you can't text. All good...'.

Another read: 'Last night was so good, slept like a baby.'

James Hachem (pictured) has been found guilty for the murder of his on-again, off-again lover

Samah Baker (pictured) was reported missing in 2019 and her body has still not been found

The court was told Hachem, from Hurstville Grove, killed Ms Baker inside her apartment at Parramatta, in Sydney's west, about 7am on January 4, 2019 - gaining entry to her flat after calling her from a nearby building and claiming his parents had been in an accident.

Hachem then drove around Sydney with the body of his former lover stuffed in the back of his car.

CCTV footage picked up 'flesh-toned' objects amongst a pile of rubbish Hachem told police he was taking from Ms Baker's apartment as a favour.

The court was told Hachem stopped at Hurstville Westfield and parked for some time before visiting a recruitment agency.

'He looked down a lot, he didn't want to speak a lot, he looked tired, he kept to himself,' a worker from the MTC recruitment agency told the court.

Police searched the huge areas Hachem had visited (pictured) in the days after he killed his ex

He then went into the Coles supermarket and paid cash for facial wipes, garbage bags and a pair of heavy duty gloves.

He told police that he used some of the wipes to clean himself up after masturbating, and the rest was for cleaning kitchen appliances.

Hachem said he may have later that day driven to a brothel - saying he sometimes visited one at Liverpool, in Sydney's west, or one called Tiffany in Canberra, or a sex worker in Wollongong. He said he regularly went driving, sometimes pulling over and sleeping in his car because it was easier than getting to sleep at home.

Data from Hachem's mobile phone showed he had stayed in a rural truck stop 16 kilometres south of Goulburn for three and a half hours between the fourth and fifth of January.

Police searches of the area turned up two turned-over shallow holes but no body was found.

Police also found that Ms Baker's Facebook account - which had been dormant for ten years - had been accessed and reactivated by Hachem when she was already dead.

Hachem's search history showed he had used a website referencing 'How to change a Facebook password'.

During the trial, the prosecution made the case that Hachem had reopened Ms Baker's account to 'make it appear as though Ms Baker was still alive'.

Hachem tried to throw off detectives with text messages he sent to Ms Baker pretending as though he did not know she was dead

Samah Baker, 30, was last seen in the early hours of January 4, when her friend dropped her off at her Parramatta home. (Pictured: CCTV footage of Samah Baker in an elevator with Hachem two days before she was reported missing)

Text message exchanges between Hachem and Baker were revealed. Detectives referred Hachem to a message he sent her that read: 'Last night was so good, slept like a baby'

Ms Baker's body is still yet to be found.

In his closing address, Hachem's defence barrister argued the jury could not rule out suicide.

Hachem now awaits sentencing.

If Ms Baker's body is not recovered he will face a possible 25 years in prison without parole.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl referred to those who object to mask mandates as 'snowflake weepies' during a Board of Supervisors meeting with the county's public health director Barbara Ferrer.

During Tuesday's meeting, Ferrer, 81, expressed her relief that a return to indoor mask mandates may not be necessary as new Covid-19 cases were on a steady decline.

Despite that development, Kuehl, 81, still took aim at the critics of mask policies. The outgoing supervisor said: 'I'm particularly struck by the blowback from a number, though not a really significant number of sort of, 'snowflake weepies' about how oppressive it is to wear a mask.'

Bizarrely, Kuehl went on to draw a comparison between mask mandates and the wearing of every day clothes.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl wonder aloud during a meeting why people don't get as angry about wearing shirts and shoes as they do about wearing masks

She said: 'I don't hear them writing me about shoes, which are actually more oppressive to your feet than wearing a mask on your face but we do that really for health or the requirement to wear a shirt when you enter a restaurant.'

In December 2020, Kuehl made news nationwide after she dined outdoors just hours after voting to ban outdoor dining at restaurants in the county over concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

Kuehl was seen eating outside at Il Forno Trattoria, an Italian restaurant near her home in Santa Monica, California last Tuesday, Fox News reported.

Earlier that day, Kuehl described outdoor dining as 'a most dangerous situation,' telling a meeting of the LA County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday that the practice was unsafe.

'This is a serious health emergency and we must take it seriously,' Kuehl said. 'The servers are not protected from us, and they're not protected from their other tables that they're serving at that particular time, plus all the hours in which they're working.'

In June 2022, Kuehl announced that she would not be seeking re-election

Fox News reported that Kuehl's visit to the restaurant came on the last day before the outdoor dining ban took effect on the county's 31,000 restaurants in the run-up to the holidays.

In Tuesday's meeting, Ferrer said that she was 'relieved' to report that the there was a consistent drop in average new infections of Covid-19.

Ferrer said: 'We may be positioned to pause the implementation of universal masking.'

A final decision on possibly pausing the mandate will be made on Thursday. If the country decides to go ahead with issuing a mandate, it would come into effect on Friday.

The decision will be made on the basis hospitalizations n the county. The rate must be close to 10 per 100,000 citizens. As of last Thursday, the number was 11.7 admissions per 100,000 residents.

The local governments in several cities in Los Angeles County, including Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach and Long Beach, have already said that they would defy a county mandate on masks

In the county, masks are still mandates in hospitals and clinics, bus and trains stations, airports, prisons, shelters and public transport.

The local governments in several cities in Los Angeles County, including Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach and Long Beach, have already said that they would defy a county mandate on masks, reports NBC Los Angeles.

Additionally, neighboring Orange County's Healthcare Agency said in a statement that the would not be implementing a mask mandate.

The clip of supervisors meeting was posted online by Kevin Dalton, who until recently was running for a seat on the board.

After uploading the clip, Dalton posted a screenshot of an email he sent to Kuehl.

Dalton wrote to the supervisor: 'I'm one of those snowflake weepies that you referenced that doesn't want my family to be forced to wear a mask.'

He continued: 'It's hard to describe the amount of disgust I have for your comments'

Dalton concluded his email writing: 'Unfortunately, there isn't much to be done in the immediate future but I can promise I'll be doing everything I can to ensure you're no longer a Board of Supervisor come the next election.'

Kuehl responded to Dalton writing: 'You're in luck coward, I'm done.'

In June 2022, Kuehl announced that she would not be seeking re-election.
Another facility at Pinkenba built by the Federal govt will also be scrapped

He revealed the total cost for the building was a staggering $198.5million

The news was confirmed by deputy premier Steven Miles in an estimates hearing

The QLD government's Wellcamp Covid facility is set to be scrapped on August 1

Annastacia Palaszczuk has been left red-faced after her government's costly Wellcamp Covid-19 quarantine hub is set to be scrapped after opening just five months ago.

News of the closure was confirmed by Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles, who revealed the total capital and leasing cost for the facility was a staggering $198.5million at a budget estimates hearing in Brisbane on Tuesday.

But once the price of catering, cleaning, security and a contract with Aspen Medical was taken into account, the total cost of the facility to the taxpayer jumps to $223.5million.

The hub, which is located 15km from the centre of Toowoomba, will be 'mothballed' on August 1 after opening in late February to temporarily house international arrivals into Queensland and Aussies unable to quarantine at home under Covid-19 rules.

The Queensland government will put its $198.5million Wellcamp Covid quarantine facility (pictured) into 'care and maintenance' just five months after it opened

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has been left red-faced after it was revealed the hub cost a whopping $223.5million

'There is no longer a public health requirement for dedicated, government-provided quarantine and isolation facilities,' Mr Miles told the hearing.

Ms Palaszczuk's government had also informed the Commonwealth government that the other quarantine facility being built at Pinkenba in Brisbane's inner-east was no longer required and will be scrapped.

'The state government has accepted updated advice from the chief health officer and advised the Australian government we will not require use of its facility nearing completion at Pinkenba,' Mr Miles said.

The Pinkenba facility on the site of a former military base was announced by the Morrison government after Ms Palaszczuk had first revealed the Wellcamp plan.

The 800-bed quarantine facility near the Brisbane Airport was believed to cost between $350 and $400 million to build.

The Wellcamp facility only housed 700 people in the time since it began operating in February.

It shut in April when the state government ditched quarantine measures for returning travellers and close contacts, which means it was only used for 65 days in total.

Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles (pictured) told a budget estimates hearing that the total capital and leasing cost for the facility was a staggering $198.5million, which excluded costs for contracts with Compass Group and Aspen Medical

The cost and operation of the hub cost $223.5million, with deputy premier Steven Miles telling the hearing on Tuesday that the total capital and leasing cost was $198.5million.

There was $9million also spent on a contract with Compass Group for catering, cleaning and security services.

A further $16million was splashed on a contract with Aspen Medical to provide on-site health services to those staying at the facility.

The Quarantine Management Taskforce and the Quarantine Management Program Board will be disbanded following the closure of the Wellcamp hub.

In a statement, the Queensland government said the facility would be placed under 'care and maintenance'.

The government will consider using the centre for 'other uses' in the future.

Inside Australia's four brand new Covid quarantine centres now sitting empty and unlikely EVER to be used since borders are completely open - despite costing taxpayers $2BILLION

Vast Covid-19 quarantine facilities now scattered around Australia sit unused and empty, serving only as lasting monuments to how the virus triggered politicians into wasting $2billion of taxpayers' money.

Even when the facilities were still at the blueprint stage, many were saying borders would be re-opened and the need for quarantine would have passed by the time they were built, but state and federal governments - pressured by the 'just do something' hysteria that Covid stirred up - pushed on with construction.

Now those same politicians have been left scratching their heads looking for inventive ways to use four enormous new quarantine centres plus the existing facility at Howard Springs near Darwin, in a vain attempt to justify the profligate spending.

Two ideas floated by state officials in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia include repurposing the expensive white elephants as accommodation for backpackers (despite not being near where those travellers need or want to be) or for locals during natural disasters.

Another suggestion was to keep them for a rainy day, lest another once-in-a-lifetime pandemic should sweep across the globe.

But with most of the population vaccinated and travel restrictions gone, it's difficult to hide the fact that the so-called 'centres for national resilience' were created in the heat of the moment, with elections looming, and to suit a purpose which is now effectively defunct.

They have become garish blights on the outskirts of major cities - sprawling, ugly, and useless.

Five enormous Covid-19 quarantine facilities, worth a combined $2billion,have become white elephants on the outskirts of major Australian cities

Former prime minister Scott Morrison's grand plan was to fund three facilities in an effort to replace hotel quarantine with purpose-built isolation stations - similar to dormant workers' camp Howard Springs which was used for quarantine during the pandemic.

A $200million facility was announced for Mickleham, north of Melbourne, another centre worth $200million was to go in Bullsbrook, north-east of Perth, and a third would be built in Pinkenba, Brisbane, for a total of $108million.

The Queensland government, despite the federally-funded facility in Brisbane, also made the bizarre decision to built another quarantine hub for about $200million.

However, the actual costs (taking into account operating costs) ballooned out to a whopping $2billion - and for what?

As of July, anyone entering Australia - citizens and foreign nationals - do not need to provide evidence of their vaccination status, isolate for any length of time upon arrival, or test negative for Covid.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison's (pictured) grand plan was to fund three facilities - in WA, Queensland and Victoria

Some argue that the Morrison government was only being prudent; that parliamentarians could not possibly have known where the pandemic would be up to by the time the quarantine extravaganzas were built.

However that ignores the fact that many were loudly sounding the alarm at the time of planning and construction that these quarantine centres would be redundant even before they were completed.

To know that only required a glimpse at the government's own pandemic roadmap which forecast a quick return to open borders after vaccines were widely available, or to have taken heed from other nations that were already re-opening at the time these projects were funded - in June last year.

Meanwhile ICU capacity shrunk during the pandemic, with the Medical Journal of Australia warning in November 2021 that there were 8 per cent fewer beds than in March 2020.

Here, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at the real costs of each quarantine facility and whether they'll even be used post-pandemic.

Mickleham, Victoria: $700million

The federal government paid $580million to provide Victoria with 1000 beds for people in isolation - significantly more than the initial $200million projected price.

At the time of writing, it was the only the new Commonwealth-funded facility that was a finished project and not under construction.

Accommodation facilities were scaled down to just to 250 on July 1 due to lack of demand, but will continue being used as a quarantine facility until December 31 - with $120million set aside to meet running costs.

Following that, the state government can choose to extend the life of the centre or repurpose it.

The federal government paid $500million for the quarantine hub in Victoria (pictured)

The Mickleham facility has 1000 beds. It is the only Commonwealth-funded facility that is not still under construction

It is understood that Premier Daniel Andrews has already been briefed at possible alternative uses, given its original purpose was gone by the time it opened.

One idea was that refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine could be housed to remove the need for continued offshore processing, but Mr Andrews said that was beyond his control.

'There's lots of federal police in Victoria too but they don't work for me. You'd have to talk to the Commonwealth government about the status of their facility, which they bought, paid for,' he said in June.

Between when it opened in February and the end of June, 1451 people have stayed at the Mickleham centre - 226 were travellers, 186 were maritime crew and 1039 were community members and frontline workers.

A spokeswoman for the Victorian government told Daily Mail Australia the facility is currently being used to accommodate Covid-positive community members and frontline workers who cannot safely isolate at home.

Bullsbrook, Western Australia: $200million

State premier Mark McGowan complained in 2020 and 2021 that the government was haemorrhaging money due to the expense of putting arrivals in Perth hotels.

In the midst of the crisis, he suggested international arrivals should be held in existing facilities, such as the Curtin air base or the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre.

In June last year, as millions of Australians began rolling up their sleeves to receive their long-awaited Covid jabs, Mr Morrison announced the federal government would cough up the $200million required to erect a brand new 500-bed quarantine centre.

For Mr McGowan, it was too little too late.

'I just want to be really clear about this - this was a decision of the Morrison Government to build this,' he said last Sunday.

Mr Morrison announced the federal government would cough up the $200million required to erect a brand new 500-bed quarantine centre (pictured)

WA Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) did not want the facility, and doesn't know what to do with it

Mr McGowan has suggested using the Bullsbrook facility (pictured) to house international healthcare, hospitality and construction workers amid a labor shortage

'At this point in time, it's not needed for quarantine purposes but it may be needed for some of those purposes in the future.'

The Commonwealth will officially hand the keys over to WA officials in August, after which point taxpayers will have to continue to foot the bill for open-ended maintenance and running costs - despite there being no overseas arrivals in quarantine in the state.

Mr McGowan has suggested using the facility to house international healthcare, hospitality and construction workers amid a labor shortage.

Another possibility was to provide emergency accommodation due to Perth's rental crisis.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the WA government for comment.

Pinkenba, Queensland: $400million

The 500-bed facility in Brisbane was due to be handed over to the state government in late March, but 'inclement weather' got in the way.

Catastrophic floods that ravaged southern parts of the Sunshine State earlier in 2022 delayed the build until May, and then until June.

The latest completion date has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be 'near'.

What happens to the facility once the keys are handed over is anyone's guess - Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is yet comment on the issue, probably because she went ahead and built her own expensive quarantine hub near Toowoomba.

Catastrophic floods that ravaged southern parts of the Sunshine State earlier in 2022 delayed the construction of Pinkenba (pictured)

The latest completion date has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be 'near' (artist's impression of Pinkenba is pictured)

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham previously suggested it would be turned into a an evacuation shelter during natural disasters once the pandemic is over.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, a spokeswoman from the state's finance department requested all questions about future use of the facility to the federal government.

According to a statement on the federal finance department's website, Covid-19 centres will be used for 'other purposes' post-pandemic.

'The designs open up possibilities for use in future public health emergencies, humanitarian efforts, or as crisis accommodation for bushfire-affected communities or other vulnerable Australians,' it stated.

The 500-bed facility in Brisbane (pictured) was due to be handed over to the state government in late March

Wellcamp, Queensland: $200million

Ms Palaszczuk couldn't wait for Mr Morrison to confirm a facility in her state, so she jumped the gun and asked a private company to build the hub at Wellcamp just outside Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

'Scott Morrison failed to act and we now have a dedicated quarantine facility for whatever may happen in the future,' she previously said in justifying the cost of a second facility.

The federal government rejected the Wellcamp proposal because it is not near an airport that takes commercial international passenger flights.

Furthermore, it's positioned an hour and a half away from a tertiary hospital equipped to deal with Covid-19 patients and was deemed a risk for critical cases.

Nevertheless, Wagner Corporation was contracted to build the 1000-bed centre on private land, and the state government will use taxpayers' money to lease the property at a significant cost.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) went ahead and built her own expensive quarantine hub near Toowoomba

Ms Palaszczuk had not yet decided whether to renew the facility (plans pictured) after the lease expires in February

The state leader was hesitant to reveal the price tag, but her government did not dispute the $200million figure reported in April - $48million of which was fronted by taxpayers for a facility that is not publicly owned.

The centre opened in February and has so far accommodated 700 unvaccinated travellers - many of whom were billed for the privilege; $3220 for a two-week stay for an adult and more than $5000 for a family; the same price as a quarantine hotel.

It was being used for Covid-positive people who are unable to isolate at home.

However, Queensland in April abolished the need for unvaccinated travellers and close contacts to isolate, with the state's once buoyant tourism industry having been crippled by the isolationist border policies.

In June, Ms Palaszczuk had not yet decided whether to renew the facility after the lease expires in February, however, she did float the idea that it could be used to house flood or domestic violence victims.

Howard Springs, Northern Territory:

Howard Springs, on the outskirts of Darwin, was an abandoned workers' camp that Territory leaders didn't know what to do with, until it was repurposed for the pandemic.

It's supreme location (the middle of nowhere) was the perfect place for people to quarantine and it quickly became Australia's premier quarantine hub - the preferred place to spend two weeks in isolation.

There was so much space that occupants were allowed to exercise, and each cabin had its own balcony - a far cry from the medi-hotel rooms around the nation that were more akin to solitary confinement.

It even became the target of quarantine opponents who, unable to travel to the remote location to view the site in person, wrongly touted it as a concentration camp.

Howard Springs, on the outskirts of Darwin, was an abandoned workers' camp (pictured)

22,000 repatriated Australians, overseas fruit pickers, international students and athletes returning from the Tokyo Olympics isolated at Howard Springs (pictured)

Nevertheless, almost 22,000 repatriated Australians, overseas fruit pickers, international students and even athletes returning from the Tokyo Olympics isolated at the facility.

Despite the pre-existing structure, the commonwealth somehow ended up giving the Northern Territory government $513million to run the place between May 2021 to June 30, 2022, according to the NT Independent.

It cost more than twice as much as Mr Morrison's government spent building Bullsbrook, and $1.5million more than the construction of Pinkenba.

The facility closed in June this year after travel restrictions fizzled out, however, the federal government pledged $5million over the next year to keep it on standby as a quarantine hub just in case.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the federal finance department to ask what the future holds for the four white elephants for which they are in charge, but did not receive a response.
The first pictures have been released of the two Saudi sisters who were found dead in Sydney's south-west in 'suspicious' circumstances - as cops plead for assistance in solving the mystery.

The bodies of Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found in their first-floor unit in Canterbury, in Sydney's south-west, on June 7.

Detective Claudia Allcroft said on Wednesday that investigators believe the women died in early May - a month before their decomposing remains were uncovered by officers conducting a welfare check.

'Detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen or who may have information about the women's movements in the days and weeks prior to their deaths,' she said.

Police are yet to determine a cause of death.

They are also unable to say what the women did for work, despite both women having their own Australian Business Names.

Pictured: Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23. Her body was found on June 7 in a Canterbury apartment

Pictured: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24. She and her sister were found dead in Sydney's south-west under 'suspicious' circumstances

'We hope that someone may be able to assist our investigators - either through sightings, or those who knew the sisters and may have some information on their movements prior to their death,' Detective Allcroft said.

She added that the manager of their apartment building contacted police in mid-March.

'I believe there was food that had been left out in the common areas, and he contacted police as he was concerned for their welfare,' she said.

Attending officers said the women 'appeared fine' and there was no further action required.

The family are assisting police with their inquiries.

Amaal and Asra were discovered in separate beds of their first-floor Canterbury unit on June 7 after they failed to pay rent for four weeks, and mail was piling up outside their door.

During the initial investigation, police said their bodies had been there for 'some time', had no obvious signs of injury, and there were no signs of forced entry.

Daily Mail Australia understands the siblings fled Saudi Arabia without their family in 2017 when they were 18 and 19.

They were engaged with a refugee service five years, which helps foreign nationals escaping persecution and seeking asylum.

The sisters were not in regular contact with their relatives back home, sources previously told Daily Mail Australia.

Asra took an AVO against a 28-year-old man in late-2018, but it was later withdrawn and dismissed in January the following year.

The bodies of the two women were found in a Canterbury apartment block (pictured)

In another court matter, the owner of their Canterbury unit filed a civil case against Asra on May 13 this year.

Landlords can issue tenants with legal warning notices via the civil court for overdue rent before taking further action to have them removed from the property.

That action was taken four weeks after sheriff's officers went to the apartment to serve the women with an eviction notice - alongside police - and the grisly discovery was made.

It is unclear what attempts were made by real estate company, Property Investors Alliance (PIA), which was managing the lease, to contact Asra during the weeks before the sisters were found.

PIA refused numerous requests for comment by Daily Mail Australia.

Daily Mail Australia understands the women fled the Middle East in 2017 to seek shelter in Australia. They were regulars at a petrol station (pictured) near their Canterbury unit

Police are pictured at the apartment block on June 8.

Forensics scoured the unit (pictured) in the wake of the grisly discovery

Despite their traumatic past, locals said the women were cheerful towards neighbours.

Staff at a nearby service station said the women started visiting in 2020, just before the Covid pandemic, and were regulars until May when they stopped passing by.

They described the pair - one brunette and the other dyed blonde - as 'quiet' but 'very friendly', and said they would only respond to questions.

One female attendant said the sisters would visit the store to pick up drinks during the day, but only appeared to fill up their black BMW coupe with petrol at night.

'One girl would come in to buy iced coffee and sometimes V [energy drink]. ' Sometimes two or three times a day,' one female attendant said.

'I never served her sister but I would see them walking up the street together. When I found out what happened to them, I was very shocked and confused.

A black BMW coupe covered in dust was removed from the garage of the apartment block

'She was so friendly. Every time she came in and I talked to her she would smile. She never looked sad.'

The Department of Home Affairs would not confirm if the women were seeking asylum in Australia.

'The department does not comment on individual cases,' a spokesman said.

Daily Mail Australia also contacted the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia for comment.

In 2019, a Four Corners report found around 80 Saudi Arabian women had tried to seek asylum in Australia in recent years.

The investigation found the many of them were fleeing Saudi Arabia's male guardianship laws, which allow their husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles and sons to control their lives.

The sisters' reasons for leaving their homeland remains unclear and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest it was due to guardianship laws.

The latest revelations come after Daily Mail Australia revealed there were two prior welfare checks, one done by police, on the women in the months leading up to their discovery.

Investigators spent days the apartment building with forensic teams poring over the scene

Detective Inspector Claudia Allcroft said the deaths of the sisters appeared to be suspicious

In one of the checks the women, the pair were described as 'timid' and refused to let anyone enter the apartment.

But after protests from a concerned party, the sisters eventually allowed the check to occur, but spent it huddled together in the far corner of the unit.

One sat down while the other cowered behind her as they answered simple questions about their wellbeing.

'They were standoffish and didn't really want to talk,' a source said.

'Something felt off, but they said they were ok. What more could anyone do?'

In a separate incident months earlier, the sisters' black car - which was towed away from their apartment last week - was keyed.

Anyone who may have information that could assist detectives is urged to contact Burwood Police Station or Crime Stoppers.
A newly elected MP has used her maiden speech to parliament to celebrate an incredible story of family survival.

Labor MP Sally Sitou told the House of Representatives that she was delivering the speech on the 40th anniversary of her parents becoming Australian citizens.

Her parents, who were watching from the public gallery, are of Chinese background and fled Laos during the Vietnam War to find refuge in Australia in 1978.

Labor MP Sally Sitou used her maiden parliamentary speech to tell a moving story of her family found refuge in Australia after fleeing Laos during the Vietnam War

Ms Sitou said it was a 'surreal' moment for her to be speaking in parliament but it was a 'bigger deal' for her parents.

'They fled their homeland, fearful of what might happen to them because of who they were and the values they held,' Ms Sitou said.

'Even after arriving here they continued to carry that fear, not wanting to talk about politics, not wanting to share their views.

'And here they are, in the public gallery, watching their daughter speak in our federal parliament.'

Ms Sitou's parents watch their daughter give her first speech to parliament from the public gallery

Ms Sitou, who won the Western Sydney seat of Reid in May's federal election, said her candidacy had been an 'improbable' one.

'I marvel at how much has changed for my family in just one generation,' she said.

'That is the power of the Australian story, because stories like mine are possible only in countries like Australia.'

Ms Sitou paid tribute to former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who decided to accept refugees from the Vietnam War in 1977 and said her family had never looked back.

Ms Sitou's speech earned a hug of appreciation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

'When my parents came here, they had limited formal education and spoke very little English,' she said.

'They worked hard in factories, where they were able to find secure work with good conditions.

'They gave my brother and me the work and education opportunities they never had, and my family was able to thrive here.'

Ms Sitou dedicated the last part of her speech to her maternal grandmother, a widower and single mother of eight who was also a refugee to Australia after earlier fleeing China to live in Laos.

'It's because of her and the sacrifices she has made that my life was possible, where a world of opportunities has been unlocked for me, Ms Sitou said.

Ms Sitou won the western Sydney seat of Reid for Labor at the last federal election

Ms Sitou said growing up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Cabramatta had given her the benefit of a very supportive Laotian community.

'It's a resilient community, too,' she said.

'We've had to be, because we've spent two generations searching for a place to call home, and now we've finally found it.'

Ms Sitou said it was important to have people of different backgrounds like her in parliament to 'embody all of the Australian story'.

She praised multiculturalism and a broader intake of peoples from around the world that rejected the 'fear and failure of imagination' of the White Australia immigration policy.

Ms Sitou engaged in a fiery debate with sitting Liberal MP Dr Fiona Martin (pictured left) during the election campaign, where Dr Martin appeared to mix her up with someone else

The White Australia policy, which went through different phases from 1901 to its official end in 1973, aimed to limit non-British immigration and then non-European immigration to Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave Ms Sitou a warm hug after the speech.

Ms Sitou took the seat of Reid off Liberal Dr Fiona Martin with an emphatic 8.4 per cent swing to Labor, in what was often an acrimonious contest.

Both sides were accused of tearing down election posters promoting the rival candidate.

And Dr Martin was also accused of a major gaffe by mistaking Ms Sitou for another Labor candidate of Asian origin in a fiery radio debate.

Ms Sitou demanded an apology but Dr Martin said she had been misunderstood.
Annastacia Palaszczuk blasted state Opposition Leader David Crisafulli in a heated parliamentary row after he accused her of being too concerned with 'glitz' and 'glamour'.

During a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday, a salty-looking Queensland Premier warned Mr Crisafulli not to approach her during social events outside of hours - and then slag her off in Parliament.

'And I say to the Leader of the Opposition, don't come up to me at social events and be nice  then come in here and put on a turn,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'You come up and be nice. I take your photo with (former premier) Peter Beattie.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk unleashed on the opposition leader during the parliament's budget estimates hearing (pictured) after he accused her of having 'no vision' and too concerned with red carpet events

Mr Crisafulli was grilling the premier about documents regarding the Wellcamp quarantine facility - the $200million white elephant the government announced today it has scrapped.

The opposition accused the premier of having 'no future, no vision' after she sarcastically requested to see Cabinet documents from when he was in government.

'We'd love to see the Cabinet documents too from your term in government, that would be a doozy wouldn't it?' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'That would be interesting reading, absolutely interesting reading, the cuts to the public service; 14,000, building over there at one William Street.'

The Queensland Premier suggested Liberal Leader David Crisafulli (pictured) was hypocritical and warned him not to approach her at social events asking to take a photo

The stoush came to a head when Mr Cristafulli interjected: 'Same old games, round and round ... red carpet, glitz, glamour, no vision.'

Ms Palaszczuk has been attacked in recent months for a spate of appearances on the red carpet with her surgeon boyfriend Reza Adib.

'You're exactly like (former Liberal premier) Campbell Newman,' the Premier quipped back.

'I sit here and it's like Campbell Newman all over again.'

The row ended after Ms Palaszczuk called for Mr Cristafulli to withdraw his comments.

Ms Palaszczuk's dedication to her job came into question after insiders claimed MPs and high-level public servants were disgruntled by her tendency to frequently attend glamourous social events.

Since the beginning of the year, Ms Palaszczuk has attended numerous high-profile events - including three in just two weeks.

Ms Palaszczuk was seen at the Magic Millions Race Day on January 15, the premier of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis film on June 4.

She then hit the Strabroke Handicap race day on June 11, and the TV Week Logie Awards on June 19 - to name a few.

Ms Palaszczuk insisted she was on top of her workload - and visiting high-profile events was 'part of her job'.

Ms Palaszczuk's dedication to her job came into question due to her tendency to frequently attend glamourous social events (pictured, Ms Palaszczuk with boyfriend Dr Reza Adib at the Logie awards (left) and the premier of Baz Luhrmann's new film Elvis (right))
Nearly $3million of taxpayer cash that was gifted to Dreamworld to create a research facility to help increase koala populations was actually spent on a new rollercoaster.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's government in 2019 granted the theme park $2.7million to build the Future Lab project but revealed on Tuesday they were 'pleased' the money went towards the $5million Steel Taipan ride instead.

The beloved Australian marsupial was in February classified as endangered by the Australian government after bushfires, drought, disease and habitat loss decimated their numbers in the wild.

Ms Palaszczuk's tourism minister Stirling Hinchcliffe on Tuesday night was forced to admit the government greenlit the funds being reallocated.

Taxpayer cash gifted to Dreamworld for a koala research centre was spent on a new rollercoaster completed in December 2021 (pictured)

'In view of the Future Lab project being placed on hold, the Queensland government approved that the funding previously approved for the research facility be repurposed to support the construction of the new ride,' Mr Hinchcliffe said, reports The Courier Mail.

He said the switch took into account 'the impacts of the pandemic' and the 'appeal of new tourism offers to attract returning domestic visitors and international tourists'.

'I am pleased to advise that where that (money) ended up was in the newest attraction, the Steel Taipan, which opened in December 2021.'

Opposition Innovation spokesperson Sam O'Connor fired back asking whether the government had followed up if Dreamworld was going to build the lab or whether it had been scrapped.

'So the koala lab funding went to a rollercoaster?' Mr O'Connor said.

The cash was allocated from the government's $25million Growing Tourism Infrastructure Fund established to help the industry recover post-Covid.

Dreamworld's location at Coomera is one of Queensland's fastest growing residential development areas and is also home to a huge koala population (file image)

'The Dreamworld Future Lab will be a world-class research facility and will allow us to deploy experts to tackle some of the biggest issues facing our native wildlife,' the Palaszczuk government announced in 2019.

'We expect the Future Lab to start construction in mid-2019 and it will provide great opportunities for school groups and visitors to experience first-hand the impact of scientific research and importance of animal conservation.'

The reallocation of the funds was only confirmed on Tuesday after Gold Coast City Councillor Herman Vorster wrote to Assistant Tourism Minister Meaghan Scanlon asking for an update on the project as there was 'intense local interest' on the Gold Coast.

Dreamworld's location at Coomera is one of Queensland's fastest growing residential development areas and is also home to one of the state's largest koala populations.
A devastated family have shared their heartache after their baby girl died from Covid just two weeks before her second birthday.

Queensland toddler Ruby Grace Edwards tested positive to the virus on July 14 but the illness triggered a 'rare auto-immune condition' which caused her immune system to attack her brain.

It's understood she developed Acute Hemorrhagic Leukoencephalitis (AHLE) - an inflammatory disease that effects the brain and spinal cord.

Tragically the one-year-old died on Sunday, leaving her parents shattered as they prepare for the birth of their son on Friday.

Ruby Grace Edwards tested positive to the virus on July 14 but the illness triggered a 'rare auto-immune condition' which caused her immune system to attack her brain

'She fought long and hard but unfortunately, the condition was too aggressive, ruthless and relentless,' her father Steven Edwards wrote on Facebook.

'Thanks to her treatment, we don't believe she suffered any pain during her fight and was able to leave this world peacefully.

'It feels like the world is falling apart for us right now, as we prepare for the arrival of our son this Friday.

'This is supposed to be such a happy time where our family would become complete but is now so broken.'

Mr Edwards said he and his family were all hurting and urged parents to hug their kids 'a little tighter'.

He said despite dealing with Covid himself and sleep deprivation he wanted to be strong for his son.

'I only have to hope there is another side, where this means something, where there is hope, where there is happiness and peace,' the father said.

'I want to get there so desperately, I want to shield our son from this, I want him to only know of love and joy.'

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Edwards family move forward.

Little Ruby died on Sunday as her heartbroken family prepare for the birth of her baby brother

'Ruby was such a loving, caring little girl, always smiling,' friend Sarah Watton, who set up the fundraiser said.

'She touched the hearts of everyone she met and will be sadly missed by everyone who met her.'

Ruby is only the 14th person aged nine or under to lose their life after contracting the virus in Australia and is the youngest to die with Covid in Queensland.

It comes as the Palaszczuk government on Tuesday predicted the current wave of the virus would be around 50 per cent worse than the previous strain.

Experts originally anticipated hospitalisations to peak around the 1000 case mark but have since reassessed, forecasting them to reach 1660.

QLD Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard estimated new and more contagious Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 would become the dominant strains within 'two weeks'.

However, he stressed that intensive care admissions remain low for all strains of the virus, due to the effectiveness of vaccines.

'We must stress that all Covid-19 variants can cause severe illness, especially in vulnerable people,' Dr Gerrard said.

'This virus will continue to mutate so we all need to remain vigilant and responsive by staying home when sick, washing your hands regularly, keeping your distance from others where possible and wearing a face mask when you can't.'

Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 have been both detected in Queensland and NSW, with cases rising in recent months.

Australia's chief medical officer, professor Paul Kelly, warned older Australians and people vulnerable to Covid should have a plan to combat the virus before they test positive.

Ruby is only the 14th person aged nine or under to lose their life after contracting the virus in Australia and is the youngest to die with Covid in Queensland (pictured commuters are seen wearing masks in Brisbane's CBD)

Prof Kelly said much like asthma and other respiratory illnesses, people should have a treatment plan in place if they're more at risk of severe disease from the coronavirus.

'Don't wait for the time you may be diagnosed with Covid because early treatment is the key,' he told reporters in Canberra.

Two oral antiviral treatments - Lagevrio and Paxlovid - are available for people vulnerable to severe effects of Covid.

'Now is the time if you're in those vulnerable groups to have that conversation ... (so you) know exactly where you can access those medications and know exactly how to use them,' he said.

But he stressed the oral treatments were not a substitute for being vaccinated.

'(Treatments are) not for everyone. It's not needed for everyone,' he said.

'Most people with Covid will have a relatively mild disease, particularly if they've been vaccinated ... This is an extra protection for vulnerable people.'
Fatima Payman only made it a few minutes into her first speech to Federal Parliament before she broke down in tears.

Proudly addressing the Senate in a hijab, the first Muslim woman to do so, she thanked her late father who arrived in Australia as a refugee.

'Whose sacrifices will never be forgotten and who I dearly wish was here to see how far his little daughter has come,' she said on Wednesday, her voice cracking until she could speak no more.

Senator Payman loudly sobbed as Marielle Smith, her neighbour on the Labor backbench, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'You got this,' she said.

Senator Payman, 27, summoned the strength to carry on, her voice still wavering as she told her family's powerful story.

Australia's first hijab-wearing senator, 27, sobbed as she told how her dad fled the Taliban by boat and slaved away as a cabbie in the suburbs in her powerful first speech to Parliament

'I'd like to thank my mum and my siblings who've joined us here today for their unwavering support, love, and patience,' she continued.

'Who would have thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan and the daughter of a refugee would be standing in this chamber today?

'Knowing the sacrifices that my dad went through as a taxi driver and security guard to ensure he saved up enough money to make ends meet, to support his family, and to ensure my siblings and I had the future he wasn't able to secure for himself.'

Her father Abdul Wakil Payman came to Australia by boat as a refugee in 1999 and was locked up in immigration detention.

The family had fled Afghanistan to Pakistan when the Taliban took power, because Senator Payman's grandfather was a member of parliament under the old regime.

For four years Mr Payman worked grueling hours as a kitchen hand, taxi driver, and security guard to save up enough money to sponsor his family.

'[My father's] sacrifices will never be forgotten and who I dearly wish was here to see how far his little daughter has come,' she said, her voice cracking until she could speak no more.

Senator Payman as a teenager with her father Abdul, mother, and three younger siblings

The future senator arrived as an eight-year-old girl with her mother and three younger siblings in 2003.

She was the head girl of the Australian Islamic College in Perth and went to university to become a doctor, but got involved in politics instead.

As third on Labor's Senate ticket she was not expected to be elected, and treated the experience as practice for a serious 2025 run.

But after an enormous landslide for Labor in WA that handed Anthony Albanese government, she scraped in.

Mr Payman never lived to see her become a senator, dying of leukemia in 2018 aged 47. But his death spurred his daughter on to becoming politically active.

Senator Payman said her surprise election, along with that of numerous other minority MPs, made Parliament more representative of 'the true Australia'.

'Ten years ago would this parliament accept a woman [wearing] a hijab to be elected?' she asked in her speech on Wednesday.

Senator Payman as a Year 5 student at the Australian Islamic College in Perth soon after arriving in Australia aged eight

Senator Payman with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gear up for the federal election where she was surprisingly elected despite being third on the ticket

'For those who choose to advise me on what I should wear, or judge my competency based on my external experience, know that the hijab is my choice.

'I want young girls who decide to wear the hijab to do it with pride, and to do it with the knowledge they have the right to wear it.

'I won't judge someone wearing boardies and flip flops across the street, I don't expect people to judge me for wearing my scarf.

'I am young, I am progressive, and my family were born overseas - I am a representative of modern Australia.'

Senator Payman's speech was all the more powerful as it came moments after Pauline Hanson stormed out of the Senate chamber to scorn the welcome to country.

Senator Payman said her surprise election, along with that of numerous other minority MPs, made Parliament more representative of 'the true Australia'

Senate President Sue Lines acknowledged the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people as traditional custodians of the Canberra area and paid respect to elders past and present at the opening of Wednesday's sitting.

Senator Hanson interjected, yelling 'no, I won't and never will', before storming out of the chamber in a huff.

Indigenous Greens senator Lydia Thorpe called Senator Hanson 'ignorant and racist', but Senator Payman simply made a point of adding her own acknowledgement of country to her speech as she celebrated Parliament's diversity.

Senator Payman has something in common with the One Nation leader - she was technically the first person to wear Islamic dress on the floor of the Senate.

Senator Hanson in 2017 infamously wore a niqab into the Senate before dramatically revealing herself to call for them and burkas to be banned in Australia.

But her new young colleague said she looked forward to meeting Senator Hanson.

'I would like to say I wish Pauline didn't do it because she has stolen my thunder, I could have been the first one,' she told The Guardian last month.

'But that is OK, maybe I'll teach her how I wear my hijab.'

In another interview she joked they could 'bond' over learning the correct way to wear her style of hijab.

'Im looking forward to meeting Pauline [Hanson], she's got a story just like I do,' she said.

At 27, Ms Payman is also be the youngest serving senator and the third youngest in Senate history.

Mehreen Faruqi is the first Australian Muslim senator, but does not wear a hijab.

Senator Payman plans to speak in more detail about her family background in her official maiden speech to Parliament in September.
A former Sydney bikie who suffered permanent damage to his penis was the victim in another shooting.

Chris Rymer, an ex-Rebels gang member, was reportedly shot in the leg at about 9.30am on Tuesday outside his home on Bounty Crescent in Bligh Park, northwest Sydney.

Rymer then drove himself to Hawkesbury Hospital where he stayed overnight in a stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

Chris Rymer (pictured with his long-term partner) was shot in the leg outside his Sydney home on Tuesday morning

Officers from Strike Force Raptor, NSW Police's gang-specific force, were alerted about the incident and established a crime scene at Rymer's home.

A second crime scene was later established on Bonnor Road where a burnt-out vehicle was discovered.

A NSW Police spokesperson has confirmed both the burnt-out vehicle and Rymer's have been seized as investigations continue.

Officers from Strike Force Raptor have established two crimes scenes and seized two vehicles in relation to Tuesday's shooting (pictured, crime scene outside Rymer's home)

Frightened locals said the shooting came as a shock in their otherwise 'quiet' neighbourhood, Seven News reports.

The incident marks the second time in 18 months Rymer has been attacked following a shooting in March last year that left his penis permanently damaged.

Rymer was sitting in a taxi in Riverstone when he was shot just after 9am on March 3, 2021.

Rymer (above) was formerly a member of the Rebels Sydney bikie gang and shared his lavish lifestyle on social media

He suffered two bullet wounds to his stomach and another to his penis, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The driver of the taxi, a man in his 40s, was also wounded in the shooting but managed to drive himself and Rymer to hospital.

At the time of the attack, Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow told reporters he was angry gang violence was putting lives at risk.

'You fire enough shots at someone you want to kill and you hit someone [else] and it is really unacceptable,' he told reporters at the time.

Rymer (above) reportedly left the Rebels in 2019 to focus on becoming a devoted father to his two young daughters

'People in Sydney should be able to go about their lives without some fool trying to shoot another.'

Rymer was once one of Sydney's most famous bikies, living a lavish lifestyle of Louis Vuitton shopping trips and Gold Coast holidays which he loved to share on social media.

However, it is understood Rymer left the Rebels in 2019 to become a devoted father to his two young daughters.
A teen accused of brutally attacking an NYPD cop on a subway platform while free on bail turned the tables and asked a judge if he could press charges during a court appearance Tuesday.

The 16 year-old, who isn't being named due to his age, asked Judge Althea Drysdale the question during a court appearance in Manhattan - but didn't specify whom he'd like to file those charges against.

His subsequent response to a question about what accusations he'd like to make was inaudible.

Tuesday's court hearing saw the teen respond 'Yes, your honor' to every question he was previously asked.

And NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the decision to free the boy on bail yet again had reduced Big Apple to a national 'laughingstock' thanks to lax bail laws that prioritize the wellbeing of suspects over crime victims.

The boy has now been released to a family center in Brooklyn, although he will be free to roam during the day and summoned back each evening for a curfew.

Horrifying footage showed the 16-year-old punching the cop in the head before grabbing him around the neck and slamming him repeatedly into metal railings on Saturday.

The teen was previously arrested for possession of a loaded gun and robbery last Wednesday, but was released the next day after appearing in court.

The teen appeared in court Tuesday and asked if he could press charges, but did not specify who he wanted to press charges against

The 16-year-old appeared in court on Tuesday on assault charges for brawling with an NYPD officer on the subway last weekend

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office requested he be released with 'intensive community monitoring,' even after being accused of robbing a 49-year-old man of his cellphone with three other accomplices.

That was the same 'intensive community monitoring' he had been placed under between his alleged mugging attack, and his alleged attack on the cop.

'This person was arrested for robbery a few days ago, now he's back,' Adams said. 'As soon as we catch them, the system releases them, and they repeat the action.'

'When I say we're the laughingstock of the country, this is what I'm talking about,' he continued, calling the act issue 'just a total disregard for public safety.'

The boy was released without bail again on Sunday after the subway incident and the case was transferred to Family Court, where court proceedings are barred from public view.

During a court hearing on Tuesday, he was ordered to stay at St. John's, a 'non-secure detention facility' where he will have a 6 p.m. curfew as he awaits the outcome of the case.

'Im going to be releasing you on your own recognizance, because The People have asked me to release you on your own recognizance,' said Judge Drysdale. 'I just said to you, Im releasing you to St. Johns.'

The majority of cases against 16- and 17-year old teens are now directed to Family Court, after the city's Raise the Age legislation, which raised the age of criminal responsibility.

Another teen was with the boy during the incident, a 16-year-old girl who ducked under the turnstile with him and initially tried to drag officers off the boy while throwing punches.

Mayor Adams called the teen's release, and others like it, a 'disregard of public safety' in a press conference on Tuesday

The teenager reportedl jumped over the turnstiles at the East Harlem subway station on Saturday before being approached by officers. He became 'verbally aggressive' before launching blows against an officer in the brawl

Patrick Lynch, President of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, has slammed the lax bail systems which means that criminals can 'choke a cop and be out in hours'

The 16-year-old started throwing multiple punches at officers, desperate to get away, before trying to slam one of the cops into the metal railings

Officers attempted to get the situation under control after the boy launched himself at them, attempting to get one of the police officers in a headlock

She was dragged away by a female officer before fighting with her, as her friend was arrested by NYPD officers.

Patrick Lynch, President of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said: If New Yorkers want to know why the chaos in the transit system is not improving more quickly  this is why.

The criminals underground know they can get in a brawl, choke a cop and be back out in hours.

Cops are putting ourselves on the line to make the subways safer, but we are feeling abandoned by a justice system that wont back us up.

The teen was charged with assault on a police officer, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, but was released less than 24 hours after the violent outburst

The teenager grappled with the NYPD officer who stopped him after he jumped the barriers. He was left with a bloodied face after fighting in the East Harlem subway station in broad daylight

The violent brawl started at just before 6pm, with the boy becoming verbally aggressive for over three minutes with officers before they attempted to arrest him.

During the horror footage, the boy started raining blows down onto the officer and trying to force him to let go by slamming him around the station.

His face is covered in blood by the end of the footage, with officers managing to pin the teenager down.

He was arrested and charged with assault on a police officer, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest.

On Sunday he was released during his own recognizance, and the teen girl was arrested on the same charges, though the outcome of her arraignment was not immediately known.

In a statement officers said: One officer suffered swelling to his head and shoulder and was treated and released at NYU. The other officer was also treated and released at NYU.
An Australian tech start-up once worth more than Telstra and Woolworths has been hit with a devastating blow after its value plummeted by more than a third.

Graphic design software group Canva was a darling of the Australian share market 10 months ago, with an estimated market capitalisation of AU$54billion.

The start-up - founded by young Aussies Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht a decade ago - more than doubled its value in the space of five months.

But the company has now taken a massive tumble after a key investor slashed the company's value by 36 per cent.

Venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures reduced Canva's value by $20billion.

Canva's founders Melanie Perkins, her husband Cliff Obrecht and their friend Cameron Adams (right) have seen the start-up's valuation plummet by more than a third

The move also wiped off some of the net worth of Canva's founders- Melanie Perkins, her husband Cliff Obrecht and friend Cameron Adams.

Blackbird Ventures stressed other public and private tech companies have also seen their value drop by a third in the last quarter due to the 'brutal' market conditions.

'After an unprecedented rise in valuations for both public and private technology companies during 2021, the first six months of this year saw a significant unwinding of these valuations,' the company told news.com.au.

'After an exuberant period in 2021, the public markets have been brutal on tech companies. The new holding valuation reflects this public market decline. It doesn't reflect any reduction in Blackbird's enthusiasm for Canva.'

Ms Perkins and her husband have a 30 per cent stake in the company with their value slashed from US$16billion to $6billion.

Canva founder Melanie Perkins was studying at uni when she came up with an idea to create easy-to-use graphics software to help schools make their own yearbooks.

Canva vowed to bounce back stronger than before and insists its growth trajectory remains unaffected.

'As a profitable company with large cash reserves, we see this period as a unique opportunity to double down on growth,' a Canva spokesperson told the Australian Financial Review.

'We continue to see unprecedented growth in teams and workplaces as they look to tighten budgets by consolidating their marketing and visual communication tools into Canva, and we're confident that no matter the market conditions, we'll exceed our current valuation in the not-too-distant future,'

Ms Perkins and her now husband started the multi-billion business from a Perth living room 12 years ago during the early stages of their relationship.

Canva had an estimated market capitalisation of AU$54billion last September. Pictured are founders Cameron Adams, Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins

The couple started with a bank loan and a tax rebate of $5,000, which they used to advertise online and send sample yearbooks to school.

They started Canva in 2013 - buying the URL canva.com for $2,500 - and moved to Sydney in 2014 to expand the business.

It now boasts 60 million customers across 190 countries worldwide, with over 2000 employees.

The couple announced plans to give away much of their wealth to numerous philanthropic causes after following last year's $54billion valuation.

They signed up to Bill Gates' the Giving Pledge as part of their commitment to giving away their fortune during their lifetimes.

'We have this wildly optimistic belief that there is enough money, goodwill, and good intentions in the world to solve most of the world's problems,' the pledge letter stated.

'We feel like it's not just a massive opportunity, but an important responsibility and we want to spend our lifetime working towards that.'
New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has opened his first Question Time in Parliament with a biting backhanded compliment to new leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton.

Mr Albanese spoke after Mr Dutton grilled the PM in Canberra on Wednesday over his government's plan to dismantle Australia's construction sector watchdog.

'I thank very much the Leader of the Opposition for the question and I congratulate him on his election as leader of the Liberal Party - and wish him well as leader of the Opposition and I hope he stays there for a very, very long time,' Mr Albanese said.

Minutes later Mr Dutton then fired back an explosive question over union ties to Mr Albanese and Labor.

'Officials from the CFMEU have been charged with thousands of offences. Has the Prime Minister met with any of the union bosses accused of criminal behaviour, including sexual assault, harassment and rape?' Mr Dutton said.

The New PM and Opposition Leader have butted heads in a fiery Question Time as Parliament resumed this week (pictured)

The question sparked raucous shouting from the floor with the Speaker having to intervene.

Mr Albanese replied: 'Mr Speaker, if the Member opposite has an allegation or wants to know someone I met with, he should say it.

'No, he has not. If he wants to name somebody, he is perfectly entitled to. But he is not entitled to do is to engage in that sort of smear tactics.'

Deputy Opposition Leader Susan Ley continued with the onslaught when she later stepped up to the microphone.

'I refer to comments he (Mr Albanese) just made that the watchdog is a waste of taxpayer money,' she said.

New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has roasted Opposition leader Peter Dutton in his first parliamentary grilling as PM (pictured)

Ms Ley said the ABCC was pursuing a union official over allegations of 'pushing, shoving and verbally abusing a female health and safety manager'.

'Does the Prime Minister seriously believe that pursuing this vile behaviour is a waste of taxpayer's money, and why is Labor making a bad situation worse?'

Mr Albanese shot up from his seat to reply Ms Ley.

'I believe if someone commits assault, they should be charged with assault and dealt with. That is what I believe. I am surprised that you don't,' he said.

Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher then stood and responded: 'That is an invitation against every member on this side.

'The Prime Minister just said that you don't believe assault is a serious matter. Of course we do.'

Mr Albanese then claimed the ABCC had 'spent over $500,000 of taxpayers' money, enforcing a blanket ban on putting stickers and posters with union logos up on websites'.

His government will allow funding for the construction watchdog to lapse if efforts to abolish the commission fail.

Employment Minister Tony Burke says he wants to see the ABCC out the door with legislation to scrap the agency to be introduced later this year.

Mr Albanese (pictured) was questioned over his government's plan to dismantle the building industry watchdog

The commission's powers will be reduced to the bare minimum before reverting to the Fair Work Ombudsman and to health and safety regulators.

Mr Burke says should the legislation to abolish the watchdog not pass through the parliament, the funding would not be renewed.

'Their funding on the pre-election costings that were released dries up anyway,' he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

'There's an extent that there's minimum fees you have to pay for board members and things like that, that's not unknown.'

However the head of the commission will still be paid his $450,000 salary.

Mr Burke said the salary will still have to be continued until the watchdog is repealed, due to it being a statutory appointment.

'I would have loved to abolish the organisation yesterday,' he said.

Funding for the Australian Building and Construction Commission will be allowed to lapse if Labor can't pass its dismantling through Parliament

'In terms of legislative program, that legislation will come probably in a couple of months time.'

Independent senator David Pocock says there is a need to find a balance between ensuring workers have access to union support without intimidation returning to worksites.

Mr Burke says he has been in discussion with Senator Pocock about the legislation.

'We've been in touch via text. There's a conversation that we we haven't had because this announcement obviously was was only made on Sunday,' he said.

Opposition employment spokeswoman Michaelia Cash says there is confusion in the industry following the decision to scrap the watchdog.

'The industry was expecting consultation period, an orderly transition period, certainly not having it rushed on them like this,' she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

'That is not a great start to a government that has only been elected a few weeks ago.'
A Queensland mum, who was kidnapped while pregnant, said the nine-hour ordeal caused her premature baby to die.

Jorgia Forbes, 27, was forced into a car, then kicked and punched by two men and a woman in April 2020 during the abduction on the Gold Coast.

She was also held at knife point, dragged over fences and forced into another rideshare car, as the trio accused her of stealing drugs.

At one point she jumped out of a car before being chased and dragged back in, with onlookers on the street calling police.

Jorgia Forbes (pictured) said she was 'absolutely devastated' by the sentence given to one of her attackers

'I remember begging for my life, my unborn child's life  praying for the police to find me before they killed me,' Ms Forbes told the Southport District Court on Monday about her kidnapping.

'The people who did this showed no mercy ... several times they were going to kill me.'

She was initially taken to the Aloha Apartments in Surfers Paradise where one of her attackers, Bodie John Collins, had recently moved to.

The trio then dragged her away to another apartment, where the drugs they had accused her of stealing resurfaced.

Two of the kidnappers then passed out - but Collins still held her captive.

She used cannabis given to her by him, before being set free when police found her the next morning.

Her baby, Hope, was born prematurely not long after the event but succumbed to a brain bleed two months following the birth.

Ms Forbes said her unborn child had been healthy leading up to the abduction but developed health issues soon afterwards.

Judge Jodie Wooldridge sentenced her third attacker, Collins, to three years' prison with a parole date of April 2 next year.

He has served 114 days in pre-sentence custody already but Ms Forbes was livid with the sentence.

'(It was) absolutely devastating  I'm lost for words,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'How can someone do what he's done to an innocent person like me who is the mother of two children  and get away with what he's gotten away with and serve another nine months' imprisonment.

'That's what I just can't fathom. The justice system has a lot to answer for.

'To me, it is not good enough.'

Ms Forbes was taken to the Aloha Apartments in Surfers Paradise (pictured), where one of the kidnappers lived and was held against her will - before being forced to flee to another home

The other offenders Patutahora Hakaria and Grace Edmonds were sentenced last year to five years and three years in prison, respectively.

On the day of her ordeal she had met up with Collins earlier to help him move house before returning home.

He called her up later, saying he needed a friend so she left her home at 10.30pm to meet him before her ordeal began.

Ms Forbes, who has an older daughter, has since been on and off drugs but said she had now been clean for the past six weeks.
A motorcyclist was killed by a Tesla driving on Autopilot on a Utah highway early Sunday morning, the latest in a string of recent fatal accidents involving self-driving technology.

The biker, who has been identified as Landon Embry, 34, was killed when a 2020 Tesla Model 3 merged into his lane and struck the back of his motorcycle, sending him flying from the bike. He died at the scene.

The Utah Department of Public safety said the unidentified Tesla driver 'advised he had the Autopilot setting on and did not see the motorcyclist.'

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a special investigation into the crash, making it the 38th the NHTSA has investigated since 2016 where Tesla's advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot were suspected of being used.

It is unclear if the Tesla driver has been arrested, or is facing charges.

Samuel Case, a friend of the victim, was among those angered by the seemingly-avoidable loss of life.

'This was a buddys brother of mine, f**king ridiculous,' he wrote on Facebook. 'Riding in the HOV lane minding his own business going home and gets rear ended by a Tesla on Auto pilot.

The unidentified father was killed along the I-70 near Draper in Utah (file photo)

He was struck by a Tesla Model 3 whose Autopilot feature was engaged (file photo)

'He should be alive right now. He should be with his family, but No! Not only do we all have to worry about distracted driving but now its a thing to be run over by a car on auto pilot. #F**kTesla #F**kselfdrivingcars.'

A total of 19 deaths have been reported in those Tesla-related investigations, including the most recent fatal Utah crash.

The investigation marks the third this month alone involving Tesla's automated driving systems that the NHTSA has opened investigations into.

Tesla has yet to comment on the death.

The firm's cars issue a warning to drivers who use its Autopilot software reminding them that they must keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times.

Some Autopilot crashes have been linked to parked emergency vehicles, whose lights and reflectors may confuse the sensors used by the Tesla to map out its self-driving route.

The Utah wreck comes only a week after NHTSA said it opened a special investigation into the crash of a 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicle that killed a 48-year-old motorcyclist in California on July 7.

Just two days after that accident, the NHSTA began investigating a wreck which happened at a Florida rest stop, where a couple's Tesla slammed into the back of a Walmart truck, shearing its roof off.

The female driver, aged 66, and her 67 year-old male passenger were killed.

That crash bore a striking similarity to a score of Tesla crashes that have occurred since 2015 in which drivers were killed when their cars merged into tractor trailers and wound up beneath them.

The NHTSA typically opens more than 100 special crash investigations annually into emerging technologies and other potential auto safety issues that have, for instance, previously helped to develop safety rules on air bags.

In June, the NHTSA upgraded its defect probe into 830,000 Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, a required step before it could seek a recall.

The NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation to assess the performance of the system in 765,000 vehicles after about a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles struck stopped emergency vehicles - and said last month it had identified six additional crashes.

NHTSA administrator Steven Cliff told Reuters earlier this month that he wanted to complete the Tesla Autopilot investigation 'as quickly as we possibly can, but I also want to get it right. There's a lot of information that we need to comb through.'

NHSTA began investigating a wreck (above) which happened at a Florida rest stop, where a couple's Tesla slammed into the back of a Walmart truck, shearing its roof off. The female driver, aged 66, and her 67 year-old male passenger were killed

Nearly 400 car crashes in the US within a ten-month period were caused by self-driving or driver assistance technology, NHTSA report found.

Teslas were involved in the vast majority of those crashes, 273 out of 392, which occurred between July 1, 2021, and May 15 this year and resulted in six deaths and five serious injuries.

Worldwide automobile companies made the disclosures to the NHTSA after the regulator issued an order in June 2021 requiring automakers and tech companies to immediately report all crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and vehicles equipped with automated driving systems being tested on public roads.

Of the remaining amount of crashes involving ADAS technology reported by a dozen automakers, 90 of them involved Hondas and 10 were Subrarus. Ford Motor, General Motors, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai and Porsche reported fewer than five incidents each.

Tesla, which has disbanded its press office, did not respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk's company has been in a series of probes from regulators due to its Autopilot feature
U.S. officials today said they have little fear that China could attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island.

If Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said.

The officials declined to provide details of their plans, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

The US military is also reportedly considering deploying a multi-domain task force that would utilize missile, electronic and cyber capabilities in an integrated manner in Asia, according to the Japanese news outlet Nikkei News.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi - who would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit the island since 1997 - would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

It comes as China warned today that Washington would 'bear the consequences' if Pelosi visits Taiwan - days after threatening to take 'resolute and forceful measures' against the US if the trip goes ahead.

'If the US pushes ahead and challenges China's bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences arising therefrom,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference.

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders.

U.S. officials have said they have little fear that China will attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island. Pictured: Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 2

Those fears have meant that if Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it.

Beijing and Chinese military experts have warned that a visit could lead to an unprecedented risk of conflict between China and the US.

'As the No 3 leader of the US administration, if Pelosi insists on coming to Taiwan... it will inevitably cause extremely serious damage to ties between the Chinese and US governments, as well as the two militaries, leading to further escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait,' China's defense ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said yesterday.

'The Chinese military will not turn a blind eye to it, and will respond by taking strong measures to thwart any external interference and "Taiwan independence" secessionist attempts, to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Tan said.

Under its one-China policy, Washington does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The White House has been quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Pelosi.

U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the US military will 'ensure' Pelosi's visit would be safe, whilst adding that discussion of any specific travel is premature.

He added: 'If there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I'll just leave it at that.'

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims.

The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it. Pictured: China's President Xi Jinping, who will speak to President Biden in a call on Thursday

Tensions over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan China is warning it will respond forcefully if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proceeds with a visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. Here's a look at what's happening. WHY DOES PELOSI WANT TO VISIT TAIWAN? Pelosi has been a staunch critic of China throughout her more than three decades in Congress, once unfurling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square memorializing those killed in the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. Taiwan enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Pelosi said last week it was 'important for us to show support for Taiwan.' Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has defied Beijing's threats and her administration has favored core democratic values and liberal policies close to Pelosi's heart, including same-sex marriage and a strong social security net. WHY WOULD THE VISIT CAUSE A RISE IN TENSIONS? China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and its military buildup in recent years has largely been oriented toward such a mission. Beijing objects to all official contact between Taipei and Washington, and routinely threatens retaliation. This time, the stakes appear to be higher. While experts say it's unlikely China would use force to prevent Pelosi's U.S. government plane from landing in Taipei, its response remains unpredictable. Threatening military drills and incursions by ships and planes are considered potential scenarios that would set the entire region on edge. WHY IS THE TIMING SENSITIVE? The administration of President Joe Biden, who will speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, is keen to keeping America's crucial but often turbulent and highly complex relationship with China on an even keel. Pelosi had planned to visit in April but postponed after getting COVID-19. She has declined to discuss reported plans to travel to Taiwan in coming weeks. That could coincide with China's celebrations of the Aug. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party. A more robust Chinese response could also be driven by Xi's desire to bolster his nationalist credentials ahead of a party congress later this year at which he is expected to seek a third five-year term in office. Xi's expansion of his powers into every sphere and his hardline zero-COVID response to the domestic epidemic has sowed a degree of resentment and appealing to raw patriotism, particularly over Taiwan, might help him fend off criticism. WHAT IS TAIWAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD A VISIT? Tsai has been welcoming of all foreign dignitaries, serving and retired, from the U.S., Europe and Asia, using such visits as a bulwark against China's refusal to deal with her government and relentless campaign of diplomatic isolation. Still, her rhetoric on such occasions has generally been relatively low-key, reflecting her own calm demeanor and possibly a desire not to further antagonize China, which remains a crucial economic partner, with around a million Taiwanese residing in mainland China. The capital Taipei staged a civil defense drill Monday and Tsai on Tuesday attended annual military exercises, although there was no direct connection with tensions over a possible Pelosi visit. While the Taiwanese public strongly rejects China's demands for unification, the ability of the island's military to defend against the PLA without U.S. help is highly questionable, so shoring up the armed forces has been a hallmark of Tsai's term in office. Advertisement

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident - even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but postponed the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is 'not a good idea right now.'

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months.

'Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere,' White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the topics to be discussed.

'This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there's already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,' he said.

Kirby said that Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and as such, her overseas travel was a matter of U.S. national security. But only she could make decisions about her travel.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit.

But they don't rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they don't preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force 'gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action,' said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp.

'So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when youre doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.'

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety.

'Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions,' Pavel said. 'She's not going to go with an armada.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

'It is very possible that our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send,' Cozad said.

'And so you get into some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.'

Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Studies at China's Nanjing University, said a Taiwan visit by Pelosi would be 'playing with fire'.

'This is the issue that irks China the most,' he said.

Speaking about the upcoming call between Biden and Jinping, Feng said: 'On the call, both sides need to give each other a positive signal that says we can have basic trust in each other, which is especially needed as the world remains fragile and volatile.

'Not condoning Pelosi's Taiwan visit is a prerequisite to building this trust.'

Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, said the Taiwan issue had the makings of a real crisis, without any U.S.-China mechanism to prevent that from escalating into conflict.

He said it was not clear how much pressure the Biden administration was exerting on Pelosi, but Xi was likely to push hard on the issue in the call, and added: 'We are in a high-risk moment and it behooves leaders in both countries to tread carefully.'

Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 26

Taiwan's M60A3 tanks manoeuvre during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island on July 27 in New Taipei City, Taiwan

Nonetheless, Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Xi would likely seek to project calm as he faces a slowing economy under pressure from strict domestic COVID-19 measures ahead of a key Communist Party Congress later this year.

'While Xi will be clear and direct in raising China's objections about Speaker Pelosi's trip, he will probably not allow that one issue to derail the entire conversation, as doing so would further complicate his already difficult governing agenda,' Singleton said.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its 'solemn position' over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to 'take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years.

He said Beijing's military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane's engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi's flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.
A hero K-9 with the Massachusetts State Police was shot dead by a fugitive who later turned the gun on himself following a standoff on Tuesday in a home in the town of Fitchburg.

Frankie was at the scene with his handler State Police Sergeant David Stucenski.

K-9 Frankie had been with the state police for nine years. Frankie, a Belgian Malinois, would have turned 11 in August.

He is the first dog to be killed in the line of duty in Massachusetts, according to spokesman Col. Christopher Mason.

Mason said: 'His sacrifice will never be forgotten. Frankie had every trait we seek in a good law enforcement officers, K-9 or human: intelligence, immense courage, and dedication to protecting the public.'

News of Frankie's death lit up Twitter, with the hashtag #RIPFrankie used by animal lovers across the world to pay their respects.

According to authorities, fugitive Matthew Mack, 38, barricaded himself in a third floor apartment located at 40 Oliver Street in Fitchburg on Tuesday morning around 9:00 a.m. A police negotiator attempted multiple times to convince Mack to give himself up, but Mack ended up shooting himself dead.

K-9 Frankie had been with the state police for nine years. Frankie, a Belgian Malinois, would have turned 11 in August

Suspect Matthew Mack was a career criminal and was being sought by police in relation to a separate shooting that occurred last Thursday

The home is next door to the Fitchburg Police Department headquarters.

Mack was wanted on warrants for gun offences and was accused of being an accessory after the fact with regards to a shooting in Fitchburg last Thursday.

At 2:50 pm, Stucenski and Frankie entered the home in an attempt to take Mack into custody.

When they noticed Mack at the backdoor of the home, he shot at the pair several times, wounding Frankie. Sgt. Stucenski was unharmed in the shooting.

Officials rushed Frankie to Wachusett Animal Hospital in Westminster where he was pronounced dead.

Frankie pictured with his handler State Police Sergeant David Stucenski

Frankie was shot as he and his handler entered the apartment where Mack was holed up

Frankie was rushed to a nearby animal hospital via EMS thanks to Nero's Law, a law that allows for law enforcement animals to be transported in ambulances

The dog was allowed to be transported via ambulance thanks to Nero's Law, a bill that passed in February 2021.

The law, named for a Yarmouth Police Department dog that was severely injured in a shooting in 2018, allows law enforcement animals to be transported via EMS.

In a statement, Mason said: 'He was as loyal a partner as any trooper ever had.'

He continued: 'When one of our K9s pass  until today, never in the line of duty  our K9 handlers have a saying. 'Free Time.' It means that these brave dogs who work so hard to protect the rest of us have earned their eternal peace.'

The colonel added: 'In 2017, he and Trooper Stucenski were awarded the Medal of Valor at the annual George L. Hanna Awards for Bravery, the state's top law enforcement award ceremony.'

A statement from the state police in 2017 described Stucenski and Frankie being in pursuit of an armed suspect.

When the perp opened fire: 'Frankie, unflinching, charged into the shooter and took him to the ground with such impact that the gun fell from the suspects hand.'

The dog was also honored in 2014 when he and Stucenski won awards from the US Police Canine Association for very law enforcement skills, reports the Boston Herald.

Following the shooting, Stucenski's wife wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you for your service Frankie and protecting so many'

1,250 packets of heroin labeled 'Obamacare' and 'Kurt Cobain were confiscated by Stucenski and Frankie in December 2013

In 2013, Frankie's exploits were reported extensively when he and Stucenski uncovered a heroin dealing ring. The pair arrested a group who were selling heroin labelled as 'Obamacare.'

In June 2022, Frankie and Stucenski were honored following the 2019 arrest of a child pornography suspect in a motel in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Following the shooting, Stucenski's wife wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you for your service Frankie and protecting so many.'

The state police said that Frankie was taken with a police escort to the Final Gift Pet Memorial Center in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Officers believed that Mack was armed and dangerous and implemented a full tactical set up outside of the home.

In addition to a police negotiator, Mack also spoke with members of his family on the phone who attempted to persuade him to surrender.

Around 5:20 pm, a state police drone camera showed Mack dead inside the home.

Mack's criminal record goes back to 2001, reports the Boston Globe.

On Thursday, a man named Joel Davila-Ramirez is accused of shooting at a parked Honda Accord in Fitchburg. Mack took the gun from Ramirez.

Mack was due in court on the morning he shot Frankie dead. He was accused of violating his probation in handling the gun. The dog killer was on probation for stabbing a man in Fitchburg in October 2021, according to the Globe.

The Globe report goes on to say that Mack had charges for armed robbery, larceny and drug offenses in his past. He was also accused once of pulling a fire alarm at a school.

In response to Mack's death, his sister, Malinna, wrote on Facebook: 'The police killed my brother today. F**k that dog on duty'

In response to Mack's death, his sister, Malinna, wrote on Facebook: 'The police killed my brother today. F**k that dog on duty.'

His sister went on today that Mack is survived by two young daughters. The post mentions that the mother of Mack's children died.

On his Facebook page, Mack said that he was widowed.

Malinna Mack later wrote her brother was a 'king, a strong motivated hard working man.' She added: 'He didn't deserve no bullets they could have used dummy bullets if they felt unsafe.'
Haunting images released of the two young Saudi Arabian sisters whose bodies were found decomposed in a south-western Sydney apartment have done little to end the mystery as to why they were in Australia and how they died.

From their luxury car to unusual movements throughout all hours of the day, there are a raft of unanswered questions that have left investigators scratching their heads.

Even the press conference that police called to appeal for help took a twist when the location was shifted at the last minute, and the time suddenly moved forward - meaning many journalists could not attend.

Adding to the intrigue is the post-mortem which has shed little light into the sisters' cause of death, after the bodies of Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found rotting in separate bedrooms.

Pictured: Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23. Her body was found on June 7 in a Canterbury apartment

Pictured: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24. She and her sister were found dead in Sydney's south-west under 'suspicious' circumstances

Police found the sisters in their first-floor Canterbury apartment during a welfare check on June 7 but investigators believe the women died in early May.

There was no clear cause of death, and no signs of forced entry.

No one reported them missing, or even appeared to notice their absence.

The only person who realised something was wrong was their landlord, who attempted to file a civil case against Amaal on May 13 this year for failing to pay rent - not knowing the young woman was dead.

Post-mortem examinations were conducted on June 9 and 10, but Detective Claudia Allcroft said on Wednesday that police still do not know how the women died.

The case is being treated as suspicious, but detectives are hoping pending toxicology reports provide some answers to the mysterious situation which even has investigators scratching their heads.

Here, Daily Mail Australia takes a look inside the bizarre case of Asra and Amaal.

Arrival in Australia

Detective Claudia Allcroft said on Wednesday that she does not have any information to suggest the Alsehli sisters had fled Saudi Arabia when they landed in Australia in 2017 - when they were 18 and 19 years old.

Police would not reveal details about the women's visa status on Wednesday, but Detective Allcroft did say officers had been in touch with the family - who have instructed the consulate to act on their behalf.

She added that family members were assisting police with inquiries and there was 'nothing to suggest' they are suspects.

The bodies of the two young women were found in a Canterbury apartment block (pictured)

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES - May have fled Saudi Arabia as teens. - Had access to money and drove a BMW. - Both had Australian business names, but police can't confirm what they did for work. - Filed an AVO, and then withdrew it. - BMW was keyed. - Three police welfare checks. - Stopped paying rent. - Bodies found a month after they died. - Cause of death unknown. Advertisement

However, sources told Daily Mail Australia the women were in contact with a refugee service for five years, which helps foreign nationals escaping persecution and seeking asylum.

Sources also said the sisters were not in regular contact with their relatives back home.

Nine Radio reporter Clinton Maynard told 2GB radio on Wednesday the women had no friends or family in Australia.

'They have very few connections in this country, no family, they don't seem to have many friends or associates here.'

Access to cash

Officers still can not confirm what the sisters did for a living, even though both women had separate Australian business names.

Each registered their respective ABN as sole traders in 2018 to a Wetherill Park address, in Sydney's west.

While their source of income has not been made public, the Alsehli sisters didn't appear to struggle to make ends meet.

Plane tickets from Saudi Arabia to Sydney cost an average of $2,000, they drove a black BMW coupe which normally costs upwards of $38,000, and lived in a modern, two-bedroom $490-per-week rented apartment.

A black BMW coupe covered in dust was removed from the garage of the apartment block

The women also regularly went to the local service station for coffee and energy drinks where workers described them as 'cheerful', but noted they would only respond to questions - they never started the conversation.

One female attendant said the sisters would visit the store to pick up drinks during the day, but only appeared to refuel their BMW at night.

'One girl would come in to buy iced coffee and sometimes V [energy drink]. ' Sometimes two or three times a day,' one female attendant said.

'I never served her sister but I would see them walking up the street together. When I found out what happened to them, I was very shocked and confused.

'She was so friendly. Every time she came in and I talked to her she would smile. She never looked sad.'

Police are pictured at the apartment block on June 8.

Restraining order

Asra filed an AVO against a 28-year-old man in 2018.

However, the matter was withdrawn in Fairfield Local Court in January the following year.

Daily Mail Australia understands the man in question had an Arabic interpreter in court.

The details of the AVO are not known.

BMW keyed

A few months prior to the first of three welfare checks in 2022, someone keyed their black BMW.

It is not known if it was a coincidence, or if whoever destroyed their property had malicious intent.

Daily Mail Australia understands the women fled the Middle East in 2017 to seek shelter in Australia. They were regulars at a petrol station (pictured) near their Canterbury unit

Three welfare checks

The building manager of their Canterbury apartment contacted police in mid-March because food was left out in common areas, and he was concerned for their welfare.

Officers who visited the women said they appeared fine, and there was no further action required.

There was another welfare check soon after.

During one check, a source told Daily Mail Australia the women were 'timid' and refused to let anyone enter the apartment.

Forensics scoured the unit (pictured) in the wake of the grisly discovery

The sisters eventually let officers inside, but spent it huddled together in the far corner of the unit.

One sat down while the other cowered behind her as they answered simple questions about their wellbeing.

'They were standoffish and didn't really want to talk,' the source said.

'Something felt off, but they said they were ok. What more could anyone do?'

Stopped paying rent

About two months after the welfare checks, the rental payments stopped and mail started piling up at their door.

The building manager calling the police.

Police were already planning to head to the scene after the sisters' landlord contacted the sheriff's department to serve the pair an eviction notice.

Their landlord tried to file a civil case against Amaal on May 13 this year for failing to pay rent, not knowing both were likely dead by that date.

Investigators spent days the apartment building with forensic teams poring over the scene

Mysterious deaths

The women were found dead about a month after they died.

Police scoured the scene and said there was no sign of forced entry, and no obvious signs of injury.

Post-mortem examinations were conducted on June 9 and 10, but police still can't determine a cause of death.

They are awaiting toxicology reports, but have issued a second appeal for information.

Detective Allcroft said on Wednesday: 'Detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen or who may have information about the women's movements in the days and weeks prior to their deaths.'

'We hope that someone may be able to assist our investigators - either through sightings, or those who knew the sisters and may have some information on their movements prior to their death.'
A single Victorian mother raising two kids has been left feeling 'dumb and stupid' after losing $12,000 to scammers posing as Telstra staff.

The scam resulted in Rachel having her bank accounts hacked without her disclosing her details.

She said the horrible experience had left her feeling emotionally abused and unaware of who she can trust moving forward.

A Victorian single mother was scammed $12,000 by a man claiming to be a Telstra technician

'I felt so dumb and stupid after this event, still do...I was already in a vulnerable position and this eats at me,' Rachel told 9News.

It is understood on May 4, she was taken advantage of by a man who claimed to be a Telstra technician.

She had been waiting for a call back from Telstra to assist her with an NBN problem that had occurred after moving houses.

The scammer transferred her to a senior technician after Rachel claimed the telecommunications giant had taken ages to finally respond to her.

A man who referred to himself as 'Steve Williams' then told her that the IP address on the computer had been compromised, meaning that her data had been breached.

Things became a bit suspicious when an online map with her IP address showed her location as being in the US.

Rachel said the scamming experience had left her feeling 'dumb and stupid'

After instantly feeling hesitant about allowing access into her computer, he attempted to reassure her by providing a Melbourne landline number, ID, and Melbourne address.

She said: 'He used fear to manipulate.'

He advised her not to use her phone or internet for a few hours and delete all spam from her email.

The man sent her spam text messages, claiming to be from hackers.

However, he informed her to reply 'yes' to them.

The scammer was able to obtain her home address after he told Rachel a technician would come out to the house.

He provided a man's name, badge number, employee ID and work address as well as a date and time.

The man tried to get more personal information by making small talk.

He informed her that someone had hacked two of her bank accounts, asking her to transfer her money into one account.

'I argued with him, saying I felt extremely nervous doing this,' Rachael said.

She then transferred her money to a different account than what he had asked for.

After finally hanging up and checking her bank accounts, she discovered three transfers to other banks and two cash withdrawals had been made, totaling $12,000

The scammer then had her change the PIN codes for her bank cards.

Rachael then hung up and immediately checked her bank accounts.

It showed three transfers to other banks and two cash withdrawals had been made, totaling $12,000.

After she removed the app which granted the man access to her computer, she then received a call from someone claiming to be calling from Telstra.

They told her that the previous employee should not have accessed her computer screen.

Rachael hung up and ignored a further 10 phone calls, before receiving a voicemail message from a man claiming to be from Westpac's fraud department.

This was a red flag, as she was on hold to Westpac at the time and had not yet told them what had happened.

'As soon as I say, 'Are you serious?', they hang up immediately,' Rachel recalled.

Westpac agreed to refund the total sum lost from the scam.

A spokesperson for the bank encouraged all Australians to be vigilant against scammers.

Advice from the Telstra website states: 'If the caller is claiming to work for Telstra, do not share your personal information, credit card or online account details over the phone...unless you made the call and the number you called came from a trusted source.'
Hyderabad: Badi Bata, the state-wide initiative, which was successful in enrolling children in government schools seems to be ineffective in retaining them. Students who had enrolled through the Badi Bata (Back to School) programme have switched back to private schools due to a lack of teaching staff and poor facilities.

Deccan Chronicle spoke with a number of teachers from government schools in Secunderabad, Manikonda and Medak, Isnapur, and Sangareddy. According to headmasters of government schools in the city, the facilities and infrastructure are still subpar.

According to official data, 1,69,280 pupils were enrolled in government schools under the Badi Bata. Among them, 51,006 students in Grades II through XII switched to private schools. A total of 10,123 of the 1,15,428 first-graders enrolled switched from the private schools.

" This is due to two main factors. First, they can utilise the transfer certificate to demonstrate that they haven't missed the two academic years. The second is that, now that physical classes are in full gear, parents are understanding how government schools operate, according to Y. Spandana, headmistress of a government school in Medak who formerly worked for a government school in Isnapur.

She claimed that there were just 12 teachers at the Patancheru, Isnapur, government school for 800 kids. Another significant issue was overcrowding. Instructors report that their standard class sizes make it challenging to carry out their teaching duties. In some classrooms, there are more than 135 students.

The lack of instructors who can speak English only makes the situation worse. According to Spandana, at least 30 per cent of Badi Bada-enrolled pupils are returning to private schools because the transition from private to government schools is challenging due to teachers' inadequate English communication abilities.

It is not sufficient to declare English as the medium of education. To draw more students, emphasis should be placed on raising the standard of instruction. If the infrastructure and teaching facilities are not provided, students will naturally shift back to the private schools. It's practically impossible for one teacher to supervise a group of 80 students. Due to a lack of classrooms and benches, pupils are also feeling cramped when sitting closely together, S. Sundar, a teacher at a government school in Borabanda, said.

While teachers have been promoted to the rank of headmaster, the government has not appointed teachers in some schools. It is necessary to appoint at least a few Vidya volunteers in order to divide the class into two sections, remarked the headmaster at a government school in Shivarampet.

A significant worry is that not all Badi Bada enrolled students show up in class. There are about 180 such students in the government school in Secunderabad. There are between 800 and 1,000 children in our school. Around 70 per cent of them attend school and periodically fewer than 50 per cent of them attend class, said E. Suprabha, headmistress of the school.

The teachers claimed that several parents, mostly daily-wage workers, were not bothered about educating their children. Many students went back to their villages for various reasons. The headmaster of a government school expressed concern that there was little sign that many students would return to the school.
A Labor MP best known for being thrown out of parliament for taunting the then-Liberal government with muppets has stepped into a powerful new role.

Milton Dick was elected as 32nd Speaker of the House of Representatives during the first sitting of parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Dick was famously booted from the chamber in 2018 after he and his colleague Luke Gosling brought several muppet toys into question time.

The politicians waved in front of the cameras in a not-so-subtle reference to a comment made by former prime minister Scott Morrison and were famously ejected from the chamber by former Speaker Tony Smith.

Mr Dick (right) was famously booted from the chamber in 2018 after he and his colleague Luke Gosling (left) brought several muppet toys in to question time

Milton Dick was elected 32nd Speaker of the House of Representatives during the first sitting of parliament on Tuesday (pictured, the MP is seen being 'dragged' to the Speaker's chair)

However, the newly-elected speaker appears to have been forgiven for his question time stunt and was congratulated by Leader of the House Tony Burke.

He thanked Mr Smith for considering Mr Dick for the role and admitted to the MP it 'was possibly a difficult thing to put you on the Speaker's panel'.

'I should confess to the parliament that that was my fault,' Mr Burke continued.

'There are photographs circulating on social media of you turning up to the chamber with toy Muppet dolls.

'You were thrown out of parliament for that, and it was entirely my idea that you do that. You were chosen on the basis that, at that point, you were the only member of the caucus who had not yet been thrown out.

'So, while it was disorder, it was disorder on the basis that you, to that point, for an opposition member, had been too respectful of the system.'

Leader of the House Tony Burke told parliament on Tuesday that it had been his idea for Mr Dick (pictured) to taunt the then-Liberal government with muppets in 2018

The muppets were in reference to a comment made by Scott Morrison after he took over the prime ministership from Malcolm Turnbull (the Labor MP's in 2018)

The muppets were in reference to a comment made by Scott Morrison after he took over the prime ministership from Malcolm Turnbull.

'The curtains have come down on that Muppet Show and an absolute new curtain has lifted up,' Mr Morrison said during a TV interview.

Mr Dick was seen being 'dragged' to the Speaker's chair, a parliament tradition.

'Speakers are supposed to be dragged to the chair due to fear. It's a tradition I understand  I'm feeling quite a bit of fear right now,' he told the chamber.

The new speaker pledged to allow spirited debate in a respectful manner and ensure parliament remained an inclusive and safe workplace.

'The difference is the people of Australia sent a very clear message on how they expect politics to be conducted, they want something different,' he said.

'My message to every member of this place is simple: my door is open.'

Mr Dick was seen being 'dragged' to the Speaker's chair, a parliament tradition

Mr Dick (pictured in 2018) also vowed to implement the recommendations of the Jenkins review of the parliamentary workplace culture as soon as possible

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton congratulated the new Speaker on his election.

'I'm absolutely convinced that you will be outstanding as well,' Mr Albanese said.

Mr Dick also vowed to implement the recommendations of the Jenkins review of the parliamentary workplace culture as soon as possible.

Before his election to parliament in 2016, the Labor MP was a Brisbane City councillor and Queensland Labor state secretary.

NSW Labor MP Sharon Claydon was elected deputy speaker and WA Liberal MP Ian Goodenough the second deputy.
Melissa Caddick did not bother maintaining her eastern Sydney mansion despite the fact she was sitting on a $30million fortune, amassed by fleecing friends and family, court documents reveal.

The missing conwoman's Dover Heights home, which she bought for $6.2million in 2014 but is now valued around $15million, is set to go up for sale in a private auction in coming months to help repay her victims.

But as nine real estate agents vie to sell the ritzy Wallagra Road property, liquidator Bruce Gleeson has told the Federal Court there is lots of work that needs to be done before it can be placed on the market.

In an affidavit released on Wednesday, Mr Gleeson revealed the swimming pool does not comply with council regulations, the house has a number of building and maintenance issues and it needs cleaning.

Melissa Caddick's Dover Heights mansion (pictured) will go up for auction in coming months - but first needs a series of repairs

Conwoman Melissa Caddick is pictured with her husband Anthony Koletti

Mr Gleeson also revealed Caddick's husband Anthony Koletti left a number of items in the property when he vacated the home in May, which has delayed efforts to get the mansion ready for sale.

'On May 27 2022, I obtained a quote for the storage of the items left at the property and cleaning,' Mr Gleeson's statement reads.

'The Receivers have not yet approved the quote for the cleaning as the remaining chattels need to be removed first.'

The items of commercial value were collected on June 21 and will be sold by liquidators as they try to recoup the more than $23million Caddick owed to 74 investors who entrusted her with their life savings.

They believed she was trading it on the stock market but instead she was squandering their funds on designer clothes, jewellery, overseas trips, multi-million dollar properties, and luxury cars.

Caddick's parents Ted and Barbara Grimley, who gave their daughter money for a penthouse in Edgecliff they currently reside in, are fighting to keep the property as it is pursued by liquidators.

Mr Gleeson also revealed Caddick's husband Anthony Koletti left a number of items in the property when he vacated the home in May, which has delayed efforts to get the mansion ready for sale

Investors believed Caddick (pictured) was trading their money in the stock market but instead she was squandering their funds on designer clothes, jewellery, overseas trips, multi-million dollar properties, and luxury cars

Caddick's decomposed foot washed up on a beach 450km away from her home three months after her disappeared

However, Caddick's brother Adam, who has a one per cent share of the Dover Heights property has confirmed he will sign what documents are needed to sell it, Mr Gleeson said in the affidavit.

Last November, the Federal Court ruled Caddick and her company Maliver breached corporation laws by conducting business without holding an Australian Financial Services licence.

Authorities received an anonymous tip Caddick was operating a financial services business without a license in 2019, a crime that can attract a $20,000 fine and jail time.

On November 11, 2020, ASIC and the Australian Federal Police conducted a raid of her Dover Heights mansion in Sydney's east and confiscated luxury clothes, shoes, handbags, and jewellery.

Authorities received an anonymous tip Caddick (pictured with Koletti) was operating a financial services business without a license in 2019, a crime that can attract a $20,000 fine and jail time

The next day, on November 12 at 5.30am, Caddick left home for a morning run, leaving behind her keys, wallet, and mobile phone, and disappeared.

Three months later, her decomposing foot was discovered washed ashore about 400km south on Bournda Beach, and police soon after declared she was presumed dead.

In total, Caddick stole $30million from investors, with just $7million ever returned to clients.

An inquest into Caddick's disappearance and suspected death will be held in September.
A female British hiker has died after plunging nearly 100 feet from a mountain in Italy where she was hiking with her husband.

The 56-year-old woman and her husband had been hiking in the Rosengarten massif in the Dolomites in northern Italy when she suddenly lost her balance.

Local reports say she fell from a height of 98 feet.

The 56-year-old woman and her husband had been hiking in the Rosengarten massif in the Dolomites in northern Italy when she suddenly lost her balance. Pictured: Santner via ferrata, Catinaccio in South Tyrol in Italy

Her body was retrieved by a mountain rescue team and flown away by helicopter. Pictured: Santner via ferrata, Catinaccio in South Tyrol in Italy

The couple had been heading towards the Fronza Alle Coronelle refuge along path 542 (Via Ferrata Santner) on July 24.

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Her body was retrieved by a mountain rescue team and flown away by helicopter.

It is reported to be the second fatal accident in a few days on the same path, which is equipped with fixed rope, steps and rungs to help walkers.

The victim was not named in local reports.

It comes just three weeks after the body of another 56-year-old British tourist was found at the bottom of a cliff in Italy after he went missing for two days.

Gerard Christopher Turner was with his family in Lezzono, Lake Como, near the Alps in northern Italy when he decided to go for a walk in the mountains behind the village where he and his family were staying.

He left at approximately 2:30pm on June 30, going alone and leaving his family in the hotel.

Turner made a call to his wife a couple of hours later, warning her that he was going to be late, according to Il Giorno.

But that was the last time she would ever hear from him, as hours went by without the tourist returning.

File photo: The body of a 56-year-old Gerard Christopher Turner was discovered after he went for a walk alone in the north Italian mountains

A search party of over 50 men searched the mountains, including volunteers and technicians of the XIX Delegation of the Alpine Rescue, firefighters, Civil Protection and Carabinieri.

They were searching in the area of Carvagnana, between Nesso and Pognana Lario, where the man's mobile phone had last been reachable. The fire brigade also brought in canine units from Piedmont to help with the search.

Eventually, Italian police called in a helicopter to use a thermoscanner to try to locate Turner, without any luck.

It was only when the fire brigade deployed drones around the area that they located Turney's body at the bottom of a cliff in an inaccessible area.

And just three days ago a 'hero' British sales executive who dived into Lake Garda to save his son is feared to have died.

Sales director Aran Chada, 51, was with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children - a 14-year old boy and a girl aged seven - on a boat trip to northern Italy

Aran Chada, 51, his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children  son Roman, 14, and daughter Floren, seven  had rented a boat on the lake in northern Italy when tragedy struck.

Mr Chada dived in when he saw Roman struggling while swimming. He managed to push the boy back to the boat but then disappeared under the water. Searches were continuing last night, with the diving unit of the Coast Guard of Genoa expected to join efforts today.

Rescuers said Mr Chada may have suffered a seizure in the cold water. Temperatures at the time of the incident on Friday afternoon were around 38C (100F) but the water was considerably colder.

Limone sul Garda, a picturesque lakeside town in northern Italy, was the scene of the accident

The family were about 200 yards from the shore near the town of Limone when Mr Chada vanished.

Miss Mosley called emergency services when her husband did not resurface. Witnesses also called for help after hearing her screams. Three coastguard boats as well as helicopters from the local firefighting and ambulance services were dispatched to the scene.

Divers and a robot submarine were also sent to the lake, which is 650ft deep in some places.
One of Australia's most elite schools for boys will become co-ed after more than a century, after some of Australia's wealthiest families backed the change.

Sydney private school Cranbrook, where students are charged about $40,000 a year to attend, announced the transition will take place within next decade, breaking the 104-year tradition.

The plan was backed by key Australian figures, including billionaire and Atlassian founder Scott Farquhar and his wife Kim Jackson.

Farquhar, who has children at Cranbrook, was the earliest high-profile supporter of making the controversial shift.

Sydney private school Cranbrook (pictured) to become co-educational in the next decade.

Billionaire Atlassian founder Scott Farquhar (right) and his wife Kim Jackson (left) offered to sponsor scholarships for girls coming from other schools to help make the school co-ed

The tech boss even offered to sponsor scholarships for girls coming from other schools to hasten the process.

Billionaire Gretel Packer, son of Kerry and brother of James, sent her two sons to Cranbrook and were also among those who pushed for female students.

After months of heated consultation with parents and alumni, on Wednesday the school told parents it would extend co-education to the entire high school.

Girls will join years 7 and 11 from 2026, with the entire senior school co-ed by 2029.

'There is broad community support for co-education at Cranbrook,' the letter sent out on Wednesday signed by council chairman Jon North and principal Nicholas Sampson said.

'Many see the transition as being a necessary and inevitable step forward in the context of a modern society.'

Girls will join years 7 and 11 from 2026, with the entire senior school co-ed by 2029

During the consultation period some parents raised the concern of the ratio of five boys to two girls which was originally planned and only being in year 11 and 12.

As a result the school chose to admit girls in year 7 and year 11 from 2026, meaning there will be students of both genders in each year by 2029.

The move will ensure a more balanced ratio and overcome 'concerns around only having girls in the senior years [years 11 and 12] while the middle years remain single sex,' the letter stated.

'By introducing co-education in year 7, students are able to grow together during their secondary education in preparation for the senior years.'

Labor minister turned political commentator Graham Richardson (left) was against the move to make the school co-ed. Richardson is pictured with wife Amanda

The change wasn't wanted by all, with former federal Labor minister turned political commentator Graham Richardson, one who voiced he was against the school including girls.

The parents were also understandably passionate about their children's education due to the large annual fees.

Annual fees at Cranbrook are up to $75,489 for a boarder and $39,894 for a day boy.

Horrified parents of boys at top private schools speak out about Australia's sexual assault crisis - and some have switched to public schools because of the 'cultural' problem

By Alana Tindale for Daily Mail Australia

Parents of boys at Australia's top private schools have spoken out after a shocking petition exposed a teenage sexual assault crisis.

They slammed what they described as a culture of entitlement, easy access to alcohol, drugs and lack of sexual consent education at elite schools.

Former Kambala student Chanel Contos, 22, sent shockwaves around the private school system after collecting testimonials from 2,000 young women who were allegedly raped and assaulted by their male peers.

Former Kambala student Chanel Contos has collected testimonials from hundreds of former private school students who were allegedly raped and assaulted by their male peers

Parents of boys at Australia's top private schools have spoken out after a shocking petition exposed a teenage sexual assault crisis. Pictured: St Joseph's College Hunters Hill

What started as an Instagram poll targeting elite private Sydney schools quickly went viral as sexual assault victims came forward to call for an end to outdated consent laws.

One father of a Year 9 student at Kings School in Parramatta told the Sun-Herald elite schools cultivated a culture of entitlement and privilege, which he said leads to a lack of 'sensitivity' towards others.

'They teach these kids they're the best, they're the chosen ones, they're going to run Australia, they're going to conquer the world,' he said.

The parent said he choose the private school for his son to give him a better chance, but worried he and his wife would struggle to teach the child to be empathetic towards others.

A mother of a Year 7 child from St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill said while she had no complaints about the school, she agreed sex consent education should be taught earlier at all schools in general.

'It needs to be taught before they're sexually active,' she said.

Another mother who also had a child in Year 9 said the schools needed to teach sex consent from primary school and single-sex schools should encourage co-ed mixing.

Hundreds of girls who attended Sydney private schools has claimed they were sexually assaulted and raped by private school boys and are demanding schools implement better sex consent education. Pictured: Chanel Contos is calling for better sex education

Teenagers are being pulled out of prestigious schools because of 'cultural' problems at elite schools, as a shocking petition exposes sexual assaults and rapes allegedly perpetrated by private school students. Pictured: All-boys school Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview

She also believed easy access to alcohol, drugs and unsupervised house parties exacerbated rape culture among privileged students.

'There does seem to be access to parties at a very early age because people live in big houses and have a lot of money,' she said.

'I wonder if that's the bigger issue than the private school or public school. I think it's just the access to money, access to alcohol, access to drugs and unsupervised parties are quite common.'

Another parent said they had pulled their children out of St Catherine's and Cranbrook and sent them to public schools instead because of cultural issues.

The parent said they felt local public schools were better at dealing with areas of teen development like consent than the private equivalents.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the schools mentioned by the parents for comment.

Ms Contos said Kambala High School (pictured) gave her a 'great consent education but they gave it too late'

The revelations come after a petition started by an-ex private school girl exposed shocking stories of rape and assault by males attending all-male institutions.

Ms Contos told Daily Mail Australia she started the petition after her friend confided in her about a sexual assault case that happened when she was 14-years-old.

'When I saw how distressed she was eight, nine years later, I knew that something had to be done,' she said.

'The realisation you've been sexually assaulted, it's a hard thing to go through'.

Ms Contos said she was forced to give oral sex to a boy when she was in Year 8, but did not realise she had been raped or learn about consent until she attended a sex consent class in Year 10 that presented by a former police officer.

'I was angry, but also had a sense of clarity around that I had in fact been sexually abused,' she said.

At least 1,500 former students have signed the petition or shared stories of their own alleged assaults, with some boys even saying they perpetrated assault as students. Pictured: Chantel Contos said she was forced to perform oral sex as her first sexual experience

But she wasn't the only girl who realized they had just been sexually abused.

'I walked out of that room together with my friends and I remember the girls saying 'my guy could get seven years' or 'mine could go to jail for 17 years',' she recalled.

Ms Contos said despite her school giving her a 'great consent education, they gave it too late'.

'A lot of people are already sexually active by 15 or 16, and you need to have this consent training before you become sexually active', she said.

'People who have contacted me have said they received no consent sexual education, especially boys schools said that it was minimal to none.'

Allegations outlined in testimonials on the petition including being drugged and raped, being assaulted while intoxicated, waking up to find boyfriends having sex with them and being forced to perform oral sex.

Ms Contos said boys have left testimonies alleging they have also experienced sexual assault, and dozens have messaged to say they are questioning their past sexual experiences.

Ms Contos' petition now has 6,400 signatures and nearly 700 testimonies from woman aged between 13 to 50-years-old from across Australia

Some former private schoolboys even confessed anonymously to perpetrating sexual assault or harassment, saying they regretted their actions.

'When I was younger I hooked up with a girl at a party when she was so drunk she couldn't stand. Since then I have apologised to her and she has accepted,' wrote one person who said they were a student in 2015.

'However I still think about the potential damage I did to her and wonder what longstanding damage I could've done to her as an adult.'

Testimonials on the petition have accused unnamed students from Sydney's most exclusive all-boy schools, including Scots, Cranbrook, Sydney Grammar School, St Joseph's, Waverley, St Ignatius Riverview, and Shore.

Women said they had attended all-girls schools including Kambala, Kincoppal-Rose Bay, St Catherine's School, Pymble Ladies College, Wenona, Queenwood and Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College.

Ms Contos updates her followers online that over 300 testimonies had been sent into the petition in the last 24 hours alone

The petition called for schools to provide consent sex education to students 'from a young age.'

'These are uncomfortable conversations to have with young teenagers,' it reads.

'[But] it is far more uncomfortable to live knowing that something happened to you, or a friend, or perhaps that you were even the perpetrator of it, and it could have been avoided.'

Schools told Daily Mail Australia they were 'saddened' by the reports, calling it a 'wake up call' earlier this week.

Scots College principal Ian Lambert said in a statement that the College took the issues raised by the petition 'very seriously.'

Chantel Contos (pictured) is calling for schools to provide consent sexual education to students from a young age

'No person, regardless of age or gender, should ever be subjected to unwanted sexual pressure or peer group pressure,' he wrote.

'The Scots College will now actively seek further input from additional health experts and community specialists working in the field to strengthen the educational programs taught to our young men, in an attempt to challenge and change the cultural discourse and behaviour,' he said.

A spokesperson from Riverview College said the allegations were 'shocking'.

'Non consensual sex is a crime and this message is given unequivocally to our students as part of their education which is underpinned by the importance of human dignity, respect and equality.'

The Principal of Scots College (pictured) Ian Lambert said the school was reviewing its educational programs in light of the petition

Headmaster of all-boys school Waverley College Graham Leddie said 'sexism is an everyday reality for women' and the school was working towards stamping out the 'disgraceful culture of sexism that still exists in Australia.'

'We need to raise our expectations of a generation of boys in Australia that have a reputation for being self-serving, entitled and craving instant gratification,' he said.

'For this reason, we encourage schools to be held to a high standard.'

St Catherine's School headmistress Dr Julie Townsend said it was 'heartbreaking' to read the testimonials.

'It is clear from these girls' testimonies that many of them have suffered in silence for years, and we need to ensure that, not only do they understand what assault is, but know their rights in reporting it and charging someone,' she said.

Ms Contos (pictured) said she hopes the petition will bring change to sexuality education to students across Australia

Principal of boys school Waverley College Graham Leddie said schools needed to be held to 'a high standard.'

'We need to raise our expectations of a generation of boys in Australia that have a reputation for being self-serving, entitled and craving instant gratification,' he said.

Ms Contos said she's thankful for the discussions and reflection the petition has opened across Australia and worldwide.

'I hope the petition brings change to sexuality education, it needs to be more holistic, not by only incorporating consent, but also the forces that shape behaviors such as toxic masculinity and rape culture', she said.

'I hope this will better equip younger generations, so they never had the delayed realization that they've been victims or perpetrators of sexual assault'.

If this story has raised issues for you, please contact 1800 Respect 1800 737 732, Lifeline 13 11 14, beyondblue 1300 224 636, Domestic Violence Line 1800 65 64 63
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The grieving sister of Greek helicopter victim Jack Fenton has furiously hit back at claims he recklessly defied security regulations and caused his own horrific death.

Greek authorities yesterday suggested the 22-year-old former public schoolboy rushed towards the spinning tail rotor of the helicopter in Athens to take a selfie and was killed instantly.

But his younger sister Daisy, 20, denied the reports as 'rubbish', saying her brother was 'cautious and wary', but had not been properly briefed by pilot Christos Fragkopanagos or ground crew, who were arrested then released yesterday.

It comes after his friend Jack Stanton-Gleaves, who was in the same helicopter which had flown from the party island of Mykonos, also hit back at the police version of events.

Daisy, a student at the University of Manchester, told MailOnline: 'This was Jack's first ever helicopter ride. So you can imagine how cautious and wary, if anything, he was.

'All the rest, of him running back on the tarmac and violating protocols, is rubbish.

'Why? Because there were no protocols. They were never told what to do and what not to.'

Jack, a former pupil at the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school near his home in Kent, was travelling with a group of friends in two private Bell 407 helicopters, where they were scheduled to take a chauffeur ride to the airport for a private jet back to London.

Daisy Fenton (right) the grieving sister of Greek helicopter victim Jack Fenton (left, pictured with his father) has furiously hit back at claims he recklessly defied security regulations and caused his own horrific death

Jack Fenton (circled) is pictured on holiday in Mykonos with his friends before the tragic accident. Also pictured is Max Savage (left), Jack Stanton-Gleaves (top), Max Stanton-Gleaves (middle left), Tom Aitkin (middle right) and Robin Stanton-Gleaves (right)

Greek authorities yesterday suggested the 22-year-old former public schoolboy rushed towards the spinning tail rotor of the helicopter (pictured) in Athens to take a selfie and was killed instantly

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos has been named by local media as the pilot who has been asked to testify over yesterday's tragedy

Daisy added: 'No one knows exactly what led him back [towards the tail rotor]. Perhaps he forgot something. But the line that he went back to take a selfie is rubbish. It's a lie.'

She also stuck up for the Oxford Brookes student's character, saying: 'Jack wasn't some rich, obnoxious kid. He was invited on this holiday. It was his first helicopter ride ever.'

She said her parents, Miguel and Victoria and other family members were all in the UK and that the helicopter following Jack included the father of one of his friends, businessman and Bromley FC chairman Robin Stanton-Gleaves.

The group included six in total. The others returned to the UK late Tuesday.

She said there were no plans for the family to come to Greece.

'We are just waiting for his remains to be shipped back. But we still do not know when that will be.'

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, was at the controls of the ill-fated helicopter.

Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police after giving statements testifying that Jack was escorted inside the airport before he ran back outside.

The trio could face negligence or manslaughter charges if they told the passengers to disembark when it was not safe.

But Jack Stanton-Gleaves, 20, who was in the helicopter along with friends James Yeabsley, 19, and former Bournemouth University student Max Savage, 20, rubbished the authorities' version of events.

Jack told MailOnline: 'No instructions were given when exiting the helicopter and no one escorted us to the lounge. All they did was open the doors for us.

'We disembarked on our own and no one stopped Jack from going to the rear of the helicopter. None of us reached the lounge before the accident happened.

'I've heard people say Jack was on his phone and ran back to the helicopter and this is totally untrue. He was not on his phone and why he turned towards the rear of the helicopter I don't know.'

Jack's mother Victoria, speaking from her home in Tonbridge, Kent, told MailOnline how the family are 'completely devastated' by the loss of their 'wonderful boy'.

Emergency services are pictured on Monday night at the scene of the incident involving the Briton who died when a rear helicopter rotor hit him in Spata, near Athens, Greece

Pictured: The Bell 407 which was involved in the accident, with red police tape wrapped around the tail

The tourists had flown from Mykonos to the helipad in Spata and were due to take a private limousine to Eleftherios Venizelos airport

Ioannis Kandyllis, president of Greece's committee for aviation accidents probing the incident, said yesterday that Jack defied orders by running back towards the helicopter with his phone to his ear.

He claimed: 'All four passengers had disembarked and were escorted to a private lounge awaiting a private flight for London.

'But as they were in the lounge the victim broke away and returned to the tarmac rushing to the helicopter at a fast pace.

'Witnesses we spoke to said he was had a phone to his ear and was walking fast to the aircraft, defying ground crew shouting to him 'Stop! Stop!'

'Within seconds the tragic accident occurred. It was horrific.'

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old is thought to have been killed instantly.

Greek investigators will study the footage from a surveillance camera at the landing field for evidence.

They revealed there were several other people who witnessed the tragedy from the lounge.

'They have yet to be interviewed but we will reach out to them to gather additional testimony as we piece this puzzle together' an aviation official said.

His mother Victoria said yesterday: 'We only found out what happened at 10pm last night. We are completely devastated. He was the most wonderful boy.

'It was the most horrible of accidents by the looks of it.

'Jack had travelled to Greece with some of his friends, a couple who were celebrating birthdays out there.

The Oxford Brookes university student, who went to the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school in Maidstone, Kent, walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engine was still engaged

The young Briton horrifically killed in a helicopter accident in Athens was on holiday with a group of friends

Fragkopanagos (pictured), head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police

'His family have stayed in Kent. We didn't go to Greece. A father of one of his friends was with them.

'Jack and his friends had got a helicopter from Athens to Mykonos without any problems and so did the same again, they got a helicopter from Mykonos back to Athens.

'He had got off safely when it landed in Athens but for some reason went back behind the helicopter and it was the rear propeller which killed him. It was instant.

'He'd been out the night before but hadn't had anything to drink all day yesterday except for water. He and his friends were all sober.'

A following helicopter carrying Jack's friends and one of their fathers was advised to land at a separate airport so they could avoid the gruesome scene at the helipad.

Mr Kandyllis said the pilot and the two ground crew members at the private heliodrome in Paiania, northeast of Athens, testified before a prosecutor, providing detailed accounts to the committee investigating the causes of the unprecedented accident.

Mr Kandyllis said all safety regulations were followed in the landing of the Bell helicopter and disembarkation of its four passengers.

The man reportedly walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engines were still engaged and was struck by the aircraft's tail rotor

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old was killed instantly

Jack's three friends - Yeabsley, Savage and Stanton Gleaves - returned to Britain in a private jet from Athens' Spata airport (pictured: the scene yesterday)

He said: 'Aviation regulations require disembarkation to take place either when the helicopter's rotors have completely stopped, or when expert crew accompanies passengers off.'

'In this case, both left and right doors were used by passengers to disembark. They were all escorted safely to the seating lounge.

'It is after, when the tragedy occurred.'

The group had intended to disembark at the Superior Air helipad before being chauffeured to Eleftherios Venizelos airport where they would board a private jet for a return flight to the UK.

Jack's three friends - Yeabsley, Savage and Stanton-Gleaves - returned to Britain in a private jet from Athens' Spata airport yesterday.

A statement from Sutton Valence headmaster James Thomas said: 'Our School was very sad to hear the tragic news about Jack this morning.

'He was a very popular member of the community, and we have sent our condolences to the family.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the incident.'

Jack Fenton's father, Miguel, is head of marketing, sales and PR at The Hop Farm, a 400-acre country park and visitor attraction in Beltring, near Tonbridge, Kent.

A spokesperson at the Hop Farm told MailOnline: 'This is a personal matter, nothing to do with the business and we have no comment.'

Until 1997 the farm was known as The Whitbread Hop Farm and was owned by the brewery and boasts the largest collection of oast houses in the world..

Police sources did not reveal the family involved but it is understood they are extremely wealthy and were enjoying a holiday on the luxury Greek island of Mykonos (pictured)

The rotors tend to continue for around two minutes after the engine has been switched off, unless the pilot presses a button to stop them at around 50 seconds.

Pilots should thoroughly brief their passengers to stay inside until all movement has ceased, but the helicopter has no locks and no crew other than the pilot to shepherd the passengers.

The President of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica George Kaliakmanis told MailOnline: 'To my knowledge the type of helicopter Bell 407 doesn't lock from the inside.

'So now the investigation will focus on the safety measures taken from the pilot. Did he tell them to wait or not?

'There are two propellers on the helicopter. One that operates on 500 turns/second and one that operates at 2500 turns/second. These propellers run for about 2 minutes from the time he turns the engine off unless he presses a button which stops them at 50 seconds. Also keep in mind that the propellers are not visible because of the speed.'

Sources said the 115-mile trip in two helicopters would have cost more than 15,000.
A push for nurses and midwives to be granted the power to hand out medical 'abortion pills' is gaining traction with a major medical firm lobbying for the move.

MS Health, a subsidiary of MSI Australia and the company that imports the drug known as RU486, hope the move will make the pills more accessible.

Currently only 10 per cent of doctors across the country can prescribe the two courses of the abortion pills containing misoprostol and mifepristone.

The Labor government has said it will welcome any proposals that improve the accessibility of the medication as it strives to set a national standard for abortions.

The leading provider of abortion services will apply to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to modify who has the right to administer terminations.

A push for nurses and midwives to be granted the power to hand out medical 'abortion pills' has been backed by the Albanese government (stock image)

Currently only 10 per cent of doctors in Australia can prescribe the two courses of the 'abortion pills' that contain misoprostol and mifepristone (pictured)

Western Australian the only state or territory where abortion still falls under the criminal code with the state's health minister last month admitting abortion rules were outdated but has made no promises to make any immediate changes.

In WA, those seeking an abortion after 20 weeks must face an 'ethics panel' consisting of six medical practitioners.

Two of the panellists have to agree that either the mother or the fetus has a severe medical condition that will justify ending the pregnancy - forcing many women to travel interstate to safely end their pregnancies.

The WA Labor government last month followed the rest of the states and territories and legislated safe access zones for those seeking an abortion. Under current national rules, abortions can be performed within the nine weeks of pregnancy.

The Labor government said it would welcome any proposals that will make abortion more accessible across Australia but is yet to lay eyes on MSI's plan (pictured, a birth control pill)

Earlier this month, Australians took to the streets in solidarity marches following the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade (pictured, protesters at Town Hall on July 2)

MS Health's Operations Manager Adam Pirie said he wanted to make abortion pills more accessible, especially for women in remote or regional areas.

Mr Pirie told The Australian only certified doctors are currently allowed to prescribe the medication with hopes this can be widened to nurses and midwives.

'Effectively, we will be removing one roadblock that prevents nurses, midwives and other healthcare practitioners from prescribing the medical abortion pills,' he said.

'It will then be up to states and territories, and various regulatory bodies to define who can administer the medication.'

Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney, a former nurse, has welcomed the new Risk Management Plan which will be lodged with the TGA in the coming months.

The TGA will then need to approve the plan and potentially modify state laws that prevent nurses in some jurisdictions from prescribing some medications.

Medical abortion medication costs $42.50 under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme however estimates reveal women can spend up to $350 (pictured, protesters in Sydney)

Ms Kearney said access to affordable termination is a 'crucial part of healthcare'.

'In light of Roe vs Wade and the changing of abortion rights in the US, I know many Australian women are concerned about access to termination,' she said.

Medical abortion medication costs $42.50 under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme however estimates reveal women can spend up to $350.

Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters has called for the medication to be prescribed two weeks later, within 11 weeks of the pregnancy.

Ms Waters has called on the Albanese government to support 'nurse-led models of care' for administering the abortion pills.

Roe v Wade was a landmark 1973 decision where the US Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United states protects a person's liberty to have an abortion

Earlier this month, Australians took to the streets in solidarity marches following the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade - with 27 US states either banning or threatening to criminalising abortions.

While much of the attention is on America, there is still work to be done on abortion access at home, contraception and safe abortion providers, MSI Australia says.

'The events taking place in the US are devastating for human rights. Fortunately, we are not at risk of having abortion bans in Australia but we do need increased access and equity to abortion care services,' MSI managing director Jamal Hakim says.

Roe v Wade was a landmark 1973 decision where the US Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United states protects a person's liberty to have an abortion.

It was overturned by the conservative majority court last month - paving the way for US states to be allowed to go their own way.
Boris Johnson is being touted as a potential new boss of Nato after quitting No10 - amid warnings from Tories that he needs to stop encouraging a 'Trumpish fantasy' about staying in power.

Allies of the Prime Minister have suggested he could replace Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of the military alliance when, as expected, the Norwegian steps down in September next year.

The lure of the high-profile post might be attractive to the PM, but he would need to quit as an MP to take it.

It comes as other supporters continue a grassroots campaign to allow him a chance to stay in No10.

Some 10,000 people claiming to be Tory members backing a petition calling for him to be allowed to enter the current leadership election.

No10 has insisted that he intends to leave office in September but Lord Cruddas, the Tory donor behind the campaign has said the PM is having second thoughts.

Mr Johnson has personally yet to publicly comment on the claim, first made in the Telegraph.

However his former ally Steve Baker said he must quell any desire to reverse his departure.

It came as a new poll showed 70 per cent of all voters think he was right to quit - though Tory voters are evenly split.

A second senior MP, Sir Charles Walker, has also suggested party members be stripped of their poower to decide who becomes the next PM.

Sir Charles, deputy chairman of the 1922 Committee, told the Guardian the idea was 'well past its sell-by date' after the Rishi Sunak/Liz Truss contest descended into bitter sniping on live television.

Allies of the Prime Minister have suggested he could replace Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of the military alliance when, as expected, he steps down in September next year.

But others have launched a grassroots campaign to allow him a chance to stay in No10 by entering the Tory leadership election

However his former ally Steve Baker said he must quell any desire to reverse his departure.

Former Brexit minister Mr Baker told HuffPo UK: 'The act of encouraging people to think it might really (happen) does risk the type of nonsense that Trump fomented in the US.

Former Brexit minister Mr Baker told HuffPo UK: 'The idea the prime minister can continue now he's resigned after the collapse of his government is risible. It's not going to happen.

'But the act of encouraging people to think it might really does risk the type of nonsense that Trump fomented in the US.

'It's not responsible, it's not right and Boris should abandon this fantasy about continuing.

'I too lament that his period as prime minister went badly wrong, but wishing it were otherwise is not a strategy. It's time to move on.'

The PM has been a leading force in uniting the West in support of Ukraine.

Norwegian politician Mr Stoltenberg is expected to quit in September next year and some allies of Mr Johnson want him to throw hi hat into the ring, the Telegraph reported.

Mark Francois, the former defence minister, and member of the defence committee, told the paper: 'People will probably argue over Boris Johnson's legacy for years  but one thing which is clearly inarguable is his absolutely staunch support for Ukraine in the face of Russian barbarity.

'If he were to apply to become the Secretary General of Nato, I suspect he could rely on President Zelensky for a reference.'

But his replacement would have to be unanimously agreed by all members of the alliance. It remains to be seen whether members like France would be willing to stomach Mr Johnson taking over after a series of rows over Channel migrants.

Last night Mr Trump, in his first return to Washington since Democrat Joe Biden ousted him from the White House, repeated his false election fraud claims that sparked the January 6 2020 Capitol insurrection.

He believes he was wrongly removed from power and should still be serving in the White House.

Federal and state election officials and Mr Trump's own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. The former president's allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by US courts, including by judges he appointed.

Downing Street was forced this week to confirm that the PM would step down once a new Conservative Party leader is in place in September.

It came after Lord Cruddas said he wanted to 'wipe away' his resignation and stay in No10.

Cruddas, a former Tory chairman who was gifted his peerage by Mr Johnson, said the PM 'does not want' to quit and 'wished that he could carry on'.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'There was no ambiguity in Boris's views. He definitely does not want to resign. He wants to carry on and he believes that, with the membership behind him, he can.'

The peer added: 'Boris thanked me for my 'Boris on the ballot' campaign. He said he was enjoying following it and he wished me well. He said he could understand the membership's anger at what had happened. He said that he wished that he could carry on as Prime Minister. He said he does not want to resign.'

Lord Cruddas of Shoreditch, a former Conservative Party treasurer, said the PM does not want' to quit and 'wished that he could carry on'

When asked by the peer if he would 'wipe away' his resignation immediately with 'a magic wand', Mr Johnson is said to have replied: 'I would wipe away everything that stops me being PM in a second.'

Lord Cruddas added: 'He wants to carry on to finish the job. He wants to fight the next general election as leader of the Conservative Party.'

The comments forced a No10 spokeswoman to respond, saying: 'The Prime Minister has resigned as party leader and set out his intention to stand down as PM when the new leader is in place.'

And Ms Truss dismissed the idea of her predecessor staying in Cabinet or making a comeback as PM.

During Monday's BBC debate on live TV, she said 'what's done is done' and Mr Johnson would be taking a 'well-earned break'.

'Having spent time with him this week on foreign affairs, I very, very much suspect that he would not want a future role in the Government, I think he needs a well-earned break from what has been a very difficult few years,' she said.

'After all, he was seriously ill with Covid, we haven't even talked about that, and that was a terrible moment when we didn't know what was going to happen, he has faced real challenges that no leader would have expected to face, the appalling war in Ukraine, so I simply don't think that is really an option.'

She added: 'I just don't think it's going to happen, I think that what's done is done, the party has made the decision, I have told you my views of that, I have now put myself forward as a candidate because I think I'm the right person to do the job and I don't believe that he would want further involvement.'

Pushed further, Ms Truss said: 'I am sure he will have a role, I am sure he will be vocal but he will not be part of the government.'

Mr Sunak said: 'The simple answer from me is no, I think we need to look forward at this point, that's why I want to be prime minister.'
A moment of 'unity and solidarity' against Russia: That's how EU leaders hailed yesterday's deal to cut their gas use, amid fears Putin is about to turn off the taps.

But, at the same time, the Union's own diplomats have been briefing that the pact 'looks like Emmental cheese' because of the number of exemptions it contains.

Indeed, it appears almost half of EU countries could dodge the voluntary reduction as things stand - while more will be able to opt-out if they manage to hoard enough gas before winter hits. Specific industries could also be made exempt.

Far from showing strength against Putin, the last-minute get-out clauses - which did not feature in early drafts of the agreement - appear to be a tacit admission of how hopelessly dependent the bloc is on his energy supplies.

Patrick Triglavcanin, a researcher at the Council on Geostrategy, told MailOnline: 'Robert Habeck, the German economy minister, talking of how European solidarity and unity is pushing back against Putin is fanciful.

Germany - which imports the largest amount of Russian gas of any EU member state (pictured) - has been pushing allies to cut gas use this winter in case Putin turns off the taps

'Germanys reliance on Russia for energy, lack of strategic foresight in this regard, and attempts to push its burdens onto other member states is hurting the blocs solidarity and unity, as well as the German economy.'

At least eight states are expected to dodge the cut based on exemptions laid out in the deal: Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Reasons range from poor interconnection to Europe's gas or electricity networks - meaning they cannot easily swap gas or energy with their neighbours - to reliance on Russia's power grid for energy, in the case of the Baltics.

Spain is known to have been particularly irked by demands for a gas cut, with diplomats saying ahead of talks that the country had 'done its homework' by building infrastructure that was not linked to Russian supply lines.

That is widely seen as a slap-down to Germany, which ignored at least 15 years-worth of warnings to become over-reliant on Russian gas - and has now been pushing for reductions as a result.

France, though not expected to seek an exemption, is know to have supported Spain's position.

Meanwhile Hungary is likely to simply ignore the agreement - which is voluntary, at least for the time being - having voted against the move, calling it 'unjustifiable, useless, unenforceable and harmful'.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian foreign minister who maintains close relations with Russia, has been in Moscow in recent weeks to request an increase in supply.

Poland voted in favour of the plans but has voiced opposition, saying EU members should not be forced to cut their industrial output to help other countries who are reliant on Russia - likely another barb aimed at Germany.

The EU has attempted to paint the gas cut as a moment of defiance to Putin, but in reality the deal's many get-out clauses are an admission of dependence

That could be an early hint that Warsaw intends to use another opt-out contained within the treaty, which exempts countries that are 'heavily dependent on gas as a feedstock for critical industries'.

The treaty also contains provisions for countries - such as Germany and Italy - to reduce the voluntary target if they manage to store enough gas before winter hits.

Both nations have set an ambitious goal of filling storage tanks to 90 per cent by November in case Putin stops supplies.

For Germany, which has almost no other way of bringing gas into the country other than by pipe from Russia, that has meant increasing the amount it buys from Putin.

Italy, meanwhile, has turned to alternative suppliers: Algeria and Egypt have penned new deals, while diplomats have also reached out to Angola and Congo.

Russia has been throttling energy supplies to Europe - which got 40 per cent of its gas via Moscow before the Ukraine war - after EU leaders sanctioned Putin.

Last month, supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipe were cut to around 40 per cent of its total capacity. The line was then shut down for routine maintenance, sparking fears it might not re-open.

Those fears were not realised, but the Russians have cut capacity a second time since it reopened - dropping it to just 20 per cent of full capacity from today.

Officially, the reason being given is that turbines pumping the gas are being repaired but there is little doubt in Europe that Putin is weaponising the continent's energy supplies for defying him over Ukraine.

Europe is racing to end its dependence on Russian energy after Moscow cut flows through the Nord Steam 1 pipe - Germany's main supply line - to just 20 per cent of full capacity

That has prompted panic among European leaders about a gas shortage this winter, especially in Germany which imports by far the most Russian gas.

A scramble is currently underway to find alternative sources of energy, but that will take time - hence the need to cut consumption.

America - which for years opposed German projects to deepen reliance on Russian energy - is attempting to assist.

Amos Hochstein, Biden's coordinator for global energy, was dispatched to Europe yesterday to help coordinate efforts to move away from Russia.

His itinerary includes trips to Paris and Brussels to discuss contingency planning with a US-EU energy task force created back in March, CNN reported.

'This was our biggest fear,' one US official said ahead of the visit.

Among the goals will be persuading Germany to delay the shuttering of its three remaining nuclear power-plants, which are due to come offline at the end of this year, to help ease the transition.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so-far ruled out the move - brainchild of predecessor Angela Merkel - and is instead firing up old coal power stations, flying in the face of carbon emissions targets.
RMT boss Mick Lynch defended his deputy Eddie Dempsey this morning after it emerged he lived in a council flat despite receiving a six figure sum in salary and contributions.

Mr Dempsey is paid 78,282 yearly as well as Employers NI contributions 9,978 and pension contributions of 20,289.

But despite this he lives in subsidised social housing in London, with some neighbours suggesting he should move and let poorer people have his property.

This morning Mr Lynch defended him and said he had taken the property when he was a lower wage railway worker.

Speaking as he and Mr Dempsey manned a 24 hour strike at Euston Station he hit back at critics.

Lynch told LBC: 'He's not in receipt of a six-figure salary. He gets well-paid for his job.

'He got his council flat when he was on the register when he was a railway worker. He and his partner live there with his children and they have the tenancy like all council tenants do. When he's ready to move I assume he will move.

Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey join the picket line at Euston as more than 40,000 rail workers stage 24 hour strike after talks failed to resolve a dispute over pay, jobs, and conditions

Critics, including Dempseys own neighbours, branded him a hypocrite for blocking more needy people having a home of their own. Pictured: the baron's central London council flat

Lynch defended his colleague over the council flat to Nick Ferrari on LBC this morning

'It's not a question of when you earn a few more bob you get evicted from your council flat

'He's been in his job he's got since October last year when he got elected to office, before that he was a railway worker. And he received his council flat by waiting on the list like all council tenants. What do you want him to do, be evicted because he's got a new job?

'It's his tenancy and he pays the rent, I'm not aware he's on any subsidiary from anyone. What we need are more council houses. I don't believe he should be evicted because he's got a new job.'

Islington Council in London has Englands 13th longest social housing waiting list, with 14,000 households in need of accommodation.

Critics, including Mr Dempseys own neighbours, branded him a hypocrite for blocking more needy people from having a home of their own.

David Wheeler, 85, who also lives in the smart new-build block of flats in central London, said: Its enormous hypocrisy. If I was earning money like him, Id want my own house.

Rail union baron Eddie Dempsey poses with pro-Putin warlord Alexander Mozgovoy in Russia

He likened the situation to that of Bob Crow, the former RMT chief, who refused to leave his council house in 2013 despite earning 145,000.

He added: He [Bob Crow] lived in a council house and he said he was a true blue socialist. To me he wasnt  he was a hypocrite.

A neighbour said their rent was 1,000 a month for a two-bedroom property with a balcony similar to Mr Dempseys flat. They said the rent includes the cost of heating.

By comparison, a private two-bedroom flat nearby was listed for 3,000 a month yesterday. When asked why Mr Dempsey hadnt considered moving out, an RMT spokesman said: He wants to live in London, which has been his home since he first started working on the railways... Eddie thinks publicly owned accommodation, should be an option for all.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: He can afford to buy his own property, but he chooses to block someone from having access to council housing who needs it. The RMT are a bunch of hypocrites and theyre also Mr Putins useful idiots.

In 2015, after Vladimir Putins first invasion of Ukraine, Mr Dempsey visited the Donbas region.

He posed for pictures with warlord Aleksey Mozgovoy, a commander in the Ghost Brigade of pro-Russian separatists branded a terrorist organisation by Ukraines Supreme Court.
A former Porton Down chemical warfare expert who investigated fire safety after the Grenfell Tower tragedy was found dead in his home in Wiltshire, an inquest heard.

James Breach had been conducting the Hackitt Review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the London blaze which killed 72 people and led to a sweeping reform of regulations in tower blocks.

The 55-year-old who still worked as a civil servant at the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities told the ambulance service, while making a 999 call, that he had taken an overdose.

Paramedics rushes to his 400,000 home in the small village of Winterslow, near Salisbury, and found the father-of-two's body in his lounge.

James Breach had been conducting the Hackitt Review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the London blaze (the fire in 2017, pictured) which killed 72 people and led to a sweeping reform of regulations in tower blocks

An inquest at Salisbury, Wiltshire, was told civil servant James Andrew Breach died on February 13 after making a call stating he had taken an overdose.

An ambulance went to his home immediately and when paramedics arrived they found him unresponsive in the lounge.

He was confirmed dead at 2.45pm by paramedics in his home and identified later by his wife Samantha Breach.

Toxicology tests have shown he died from propranolol toxicity and his inquest has been adjourned.

Wiltshire Police said: 'There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.'

His department confirmed Mr Breach was still employed by them at the time of his death. A spokesperson said: 'It would not be appropriate to say anything now, We will speak when the inquest is completed.'

The 55-year-old who still worked as a civil servant at the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities told the ambulance service, while making a 999 call, that he had taken an overdose. Pictured: Porton Down near Salisbury where Mr Breach also worked

He also previously ran a BioSense programme for government agency the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, which is based in Salisbury.

This involved overseeing 4 to 6million per year into research into multiple technologies to deliver Biological Warfare Agent detection.

Speaking about his work on LinkedIn, Mr Breach said: 'As project manager and technical lead for a CWA detector I was presented with what had been an insoluble problem.

'Within a month I had solved the issue with a solution that is patented. This patent has been used in between 0.5billion and 1billion UK sales.'

Yesterday neighbours were still shocked at the death of Mr Breach who had also been a member of the Winterslow Drama group.

A near neighbour, who said he had lived there for about 12 years, said: 'He did not mix very much. It was just him there. We suddenly saw the ambulance there and learnt he was dead.'

His bungalow in a sleepy private road has been sold and renamed.
5th Digital China Summit achieves fruitful results

09:03, July 27, 2022 By Liu Xiaoyu, Shi Yu ( People's Daily

The 5th Digital China Summit concluded with fruitful results in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian province on July 24.

A child plays Go with an artificial intelligence-enabled robot at the 5th Digital China Summit, July 23, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Tang Wenjuan)

The two-day summit included 18 sub-forums on hot issues in digital technologies, as well as more than 30 featured activities. More than 100 academicians and experts, and 100 big names in the digital industry participated.

It was also attended by representatives from over 1,000 Chinese and foreign enterprises. Nearly 2,000 guests joined in-depth negotiations over digital technologies and future cooperation.

The summit aimed to demonstrate the latest achievements in China's digital construction, with 565 project agreements signed and a total investment value of 299 billion yuan ($44.28 billion), covering 5G, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, industrial internet, cybersecurity and satellite applications. These projects are expected to give a boost to China's digital industrialization and industrial digitalization.

A special achievements exhibition with an area of more than 200,000 square meters took place, where nearly 500 exhibitors showcased their achievements.

A low-power wearable navigation and motion sensing system was displayed by the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing of Wuhan University. The system, as small as a bottle cap, can be used to track real-time information on firefighters' rescue missions and monitor the positions of workers at construction sites.

On a big screen in the exhibition hall, targeted orders were sent to volunteers serving the exhibition through a service management system by the command center of a young volunteers association in Fuzhou. Combining online order making, services evaluation, and volunteer dispatching, the updated digital system is both efficient and environmentally friendly.

A visitor experiences a virtual museum at the 5th Digital China Summit, July 23, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Tang Wenjuan)

In a smart power protection center, information such as weather conditions, load rate of power protection equipment and alarms were displayed visually. The summit for the first time adopted a digital twin power grid and the power system was automatically inspected by smart robots, which helped reduce 50 percent of the support personnel.

The Digital China Summit has been successfully held for five years in a row in Fuzhou since 2018. It is an important platform driving China's digital construction.

From 2018 to 2021, China moved up its ranking at the Global Innovation Index from 17th to 12th, and the country's digital economy grew from 31.3 trillion yuan to more than 45 trillion yuan. The proportion of the digital economy in China's GDP also rose from 34.8 percent to 39.8 percent.

According to a digital development report released by the Cyberspace Administration of China on July 23, China has built the world's largest and most technologically advanced network infrastructure. With rapidly rising innovation capability in digital technologies, the country has become a frontrunner in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum information, the report said.

Last year, industrial internet was applied in 45 major categories of China's national economy, with a total output of over one trillion yuan. Digitalization has driven down costs by 17.6 percent and increased revenue by 22.6 percent for manufacturing enterprises.

At present, digital technology is moving toward a new stage featuring intensive application, regulated development and shared benefits, said Yu Xiaohui, head of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, during the summit. Industrial digitalization has become a major development direction of the digital economy, he added.

Service robots are seen at an exhibition held during the 5th Digital China Summit, July 22, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bin)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
IMD Amaravati, has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and south coastal AP for four days from Saturday. (Photo: AFP)

Visakhapatnam: The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and south coastal AP for four days from Saturday.

The report said thunderstorms accompanied with lightning were likely at isolated places over coastal AP and Rayalaseema. Sagili Karunasagar, scientist of IMD Amaravati said the monsoon trough at mean sea level now passes through Ganganagar, Rohtak, Gwalior, Sidhi, Ambikapur, Sambalpur, Balasore and thence south-eastwards to East Central Bay of Bengal and extends up to 0.9km above mean sea level.

The cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and neighbourhood now lay over north Odisha and neighbourhood and extends up to 5.8km above mean sea level, tilting southwestwards with height.

During the last 24 hours, Amaravati received the highest rainfall of 63mm followed by Nandigama 41mm.

Temperature also dropped in many places in Andhra Pradesh by 4 to 7 degree Celsius. Bapatla registered a drop of 7 degrees C and recorded a minimum temperature of 27.4 degrees.
A chorus of Australian farmers are calling for tourism to Indonesia to be shut down immediately as foot-and-mouth disease threatens to wipe out the billion-dollar export industry.

The illness which affects cattle, pigs, goats and sheep was detected in the southeast Asian nation in May before spreading to the party island of Bali in June.

Livestock owners fear travellers carrying the disease on their clothing or footwear are at risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease Down Under.

More than 100 farmers in the Victorian town of Colac took to the streets on Wednesday calling on the federal government to implement a 120-day ban on all non-essential travel to the neighbouring country.

The 'Rally for Response' event was organised by fourth-generation dairy farmer Peter Delahunty who delivered a speech urging leaders to slam the borders shut and send more aid to Indonesia.

The illness which affects cattle, pigs, goats and sheep was detected in the southeast Asian nation in May before spreading to the party island of Bali in June. Pictured: Bali Airport

In the Victorian town of Colac around 120 farmers and locals took to the streets calling on the federal government to implement a 120-day ban on non-essential travel to and from Indonesia

What is foot and mouth disease? - It is a highly infectious and contagious 'zoonotic' disease that infects cattle, sheep, pigs, goat and deer with blisters, they also drool and limp - The meat of infected animals is not safe to eat - Exports from any country with infection are banned - Milk production stops as humans can catch the disease from drinking milk - Healthy animals must be killed and burned inside a quarantine zone - The disease was detected in Indonesia in May 2022 and has spread to Bali - People can spread the disease from contact with animals including on shoes, thongs and luggage - The estimated threat to the Australian economy is $80billion - Over six million cattle had to be destroyed during an outbreak in the UK in 2001 Advertisement

'That gives us time to assist Indonesia in getting on top the foot-and-mouth outbreak up there,' said Mr Delahunty.

'Our government has promised $14million in help to Indonesia and that would seem to us to be a very small amount when you compare it to the potential loss of an $80billion export industry that we have in agriculture in Australia.

'We think the government could do a lot more in working with the Indonesians both in coin and in getting on top of the foot and mouth disease they have up there.'

Mr Delahunty, who runs a heard of about 300 cattle, said the policymakers should be investing closer to $100 million to help farmers on Australia's doorstep battle the disease.

He also referred to the governments response as reactionary rather than well thought out.

Indonesia has been grappling with the spread of the disease which was recently detected in Bali - a popular holiday destination for Australian travellers.

Livestock owners fear travellers carrying the disease on their clothing or footwear are at risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease Down Under. Pictured: Seminyak, Bali

Alvie dairy farmer Peter Delahunty addresses the Colac farmer rally on what hed like to see, to prevent foot and mouth disease coming to Australia. He started with a non-essential travel ban to and from Indonesia. #footandmouth #FMD pic.twitter.com/chO1dCQNK2  Andrew Miller (@journoandy26) July 27, 2022

Last week fragments of the disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products, believed to be imported from China, at a Melbourne retailer

Last week fragments of the disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products, believed to be imported from China, at a Melbourne retailer.

It was the first time viral fragments have been detected in a retail setting.

Senator Murray Watt said an immediate three-day standstill on livestock movements would be implemented if the disease entered Australia.

Pictured: Peter Delahunty

'The reason this would be such a devastating blow is that the rest of the world would treat Australia as having foot and mouth disease, which would pretty much shut down our livestock export industry overnight,' he told the ABC.

'But there is a comprehensive plan that's been developed over a number of years between federal and state governments about how we manage outbreaks (including) movement controls.'

A $14million biosecurity package to Indonesia was announced by the government for more frontline defences in airports and mail centres as well as support for Indonesia and neighbouring countries to combat the spread.

One of the main measures includes 18 new biosecurity officers to be stationed at Australian airports and mail centres and biosecurity detector dogs reintroduced to Darwin and Cairns airports.

What happens if just ONE case of foot and mouth disease hits Australia: Minister details the 'devastating blow' that would hammer the country and force COWS into lockdown

By Ben Talintyre and Peter Vincent for Daily Mail Australia and AAP

A single case of foot and mouth disease could halt Australia's export industry overnight, the agriculture minister has warned.

Murray Watt on Wednesday announced further biosecurity measures after viral fragments of the disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products, believed to be imported from China, at a Melbourne retailer.

It's the first time viral fragments have been detected in a retail setting, Senator Watt said.

Mr Watt said an immediate three-day standstill on livestock movements would be implemented if the disease entered Australia.

'The reason this would be such a devastating blow is that the rest of the world would treat Australia as having foot and mouth disease, which would pretty much shut down our livestock export industry overnight,' he told the ABC.

'But there is a comprehensive plan that's been developed over a number of years between federal and state governments about how we manage outbreaks (including) movement controls.'

Murray Watt (pictured) announced further biosecurity measures after viral fragments of the disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products at a Melbourne retailer

A single case of foot-and-mouth disease could stop Australia's export industry. Watt said a three-day cow lockdown would be implemented if the disease were to reach Australia

A compensation scheme would also be put in place, the minister said.

'But as much as we are thinking about what we would do if the outbreak gets here, my number one focus at the moment is making sure it never gets here,' Senator Watt said.

'I feel very confident that Australia's world-leading biosecurity system stands us in very good stead to resist this outbreak arriving.'

An outbreak could cost the economy up to $80billion and affect most Australians by raising the prices of everything from a morning coffee to a takeaway burger and the weekly grocery shop.

The detection comes as sanitation mats are set to be rolled out at international airports in an effort to stop the disease entering Australia on travellers shoes.

Indonesia has been grappling with the spread of the disease which was recently detected in Bali, a popular holiday destination for Australian travellers.

Sanitation mats are set to be rolled out at international airports in an effort to stop foot and mouth disease entering Australia on travellers' shoes

Senator Watt said the mats would add another layer of defence against an outbreak.

But Australians returning from the region [Bali and Indonesia] should still clean their shoes and clothing, or leave their footwear overseas if possible, he said.

'There is no biosecurity silver bullet,' Senator Watt said in a statement on Wednesday.

'Our biosecurity controls rely on a multi-layered approach to mitigate the risk of FMD (foot and mouth disease).'

The mats will be rolled out this week, starting at Darwin and Cairns airports.

They are intended to be a physical reminder to travellers about the risk of the disease, Senator Watt said.

The mats contain a citric acid solution, designed to dislodge any dirt from the sole of the shoe and cover it in the acid.

Other biosecurity measures include passenger declarations, profiling of all travellers entering from Indonesia, real time risk assessments, questioning and shoe cleaning.

The $14million biosecurity package was announced by the government last week for more frontline defences in airports and mail centres as well as support for Indonesia and neighbouring countries to combat the spread.

But there has already been criticism the measures don't go far enough, with calls for travellers to face severe consequences for not telling the truth on travel documents.

One of the main measures includes 18 new biosecurity officers to be stationed at Australian airports and mail centres and biosecurity detector dogs reintroduced to Darwin and Cairns airports.
Civil servants are to be investigated over how well they are implementing ministers decisions under a new efficiency drive.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities Minister, has launched a 'value for taxpayer's money review to be led by Lord Maude, who led reform of mandarins under David Cameron.

It is expected to include a root and branch analysis of the civil service, with Francis Maude tasked with examining how ministers decisions are 'informed, recorded, transmitted, then implemented by departmental officials'.

He will also look at 'whether the civil servants responsible for implementing the decisions of Cabinet . . . are suitably empowered and have adequate levers at their disposal to deliver against expectations,' the Times reported.

The review will not be completed before Boris Johnson's successor is appointed in September. But a source told MailOnline: 'It's an important part of delivering civil service reform. Lord Maude is probably the foremost expert in the subject and we are grateful to him for doing this work pro-bono, it will offer very important insight for the next PM.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities Minister, has launched a 'value for taxpayer's money review to be led by Lord Maude, who led reform of mandarins under David Cameron.

A source told MailOnline: 'It's an important part of delivering civil service reform. Lord Maude is probably the foremost expert in the subject and we are grateful to him for doing this work pro-bono, it will offer very important insight for the next PM.'

It came as new figures show that more than a third of desks are empty in most Whitehall departments.

Cabinet Office data shows that 15 out of 19 government departments were less than two-thirds full the week before last.

In the headquarters of the Foreign Office, the department with the worst record, occupancy was at just 35 per cent on average over the week.

HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office - which is responsible for the Ukraine refugee scheme - were all half empty.

And, with summer holidays now under way, the proportion of empty chairs in Whitehall headquarters has risen in some offices compared with a month earlier.

Working from home has become embedded in offices across the country despite the risks from Covid fading after the success of Britain's vaccine programme.

Tory MPs and ministers have demanded that civil servants should return to the office to halt the decline in the quality of public services.

Mr Rees-Mogg has fought in vain with senior mandarins to get Whitehall officials back to work.

But government bodies quietly agreed to 'hybrid' working policies this year that only require staff to be present two days a week.

Yesterday Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'Whitehall remains ghostly while British taxpayers wait on new passports and driving licences. Though a dip over the summer might be expected, our voters do not expect mandarins to be absent without leave. Government must continue. It does not work from home.'

But Civil Service head Simon Case has said 'hybrid working has been part of the way the civil service works for a decade'.
Lightning strikes have killed 20 people in just 24 hours across eight districts of India.

The eastern Indian state of Bihar was hit with the thunderstorms and more have been forecast in northern parts of the state today and tomorrow.

The state's chief minister, Nitish Kumar, is asking residents to follow advice from disaster management authorities.

The eastern Indian state of Bihar was hit with the thunderstorms and more have been forecast in northern parts of the state today and tomorrow. Stock picture

Hundreds of people in India are killed each year in thunderstorms at the start of the monsoon season, which bring respite from the summer heat across the northern Indian plains.

Almost 3,000 people were killed by lightning strikes in 2019, according to figures reported by TV channel Al Jazeera.

The year before, the southern state of Andhra Pradesh recorded a staggering 36,749 lightning strikes in just 13 hours, the BBC reported.

The state's chief minister, Nitish Kumar, is asking residents to follow advice from disaster management authorities. Stock picture

Mr Kumar has announced that 400,000 rupees (4,154) will be given as compensation to families of those who died, according to the Times of India.

He has also ordered state officials to install lightning arresters - which stop lightning from striking something and instead divert the electricity into the ground where it disperses harmlessly.

Lightning strikes are dramatically increasing in India and the country has recorded more than 18million of them between April 2020 and March 2021, according to Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council.
Aboriginal senator Jacinta Price has railed against what she called 'handouts' and 'symbolic recognition' for Indigenous Australians in her maiden speech, before backing Pauline Hanson's walk out during the acknowledgement of country.

The former deputy mayor of Alice Springs was elected at the May 21 poll for the Northern Territory as a member of the Country Liberal Party.

Wearing a traditional headdress, Senator Price used her first speech to Parliament on Wednesday to oppose the government's key Indigenous policies.

She doubled down on her criticism of 'symbolism' on Thursday, backing Senator Hanson's controversial walkout from the Senate and saying the ceremonies were becoming overkill.

'We've just been absolutely saturated with it,' she she told 2GB's Ben Fordham.

'It's actually removing the sacredness of certain traditional culture and practices.

'And it's just become almost like a throwaway line.'

Senator Price said the government had done 'nothing' to improve the lives of marginalised people.

'I think I understand Pauline's frustrations. We don't want to see all these all these symbolic gestures. We want to see real action,' she added.

'We want to see change for the benefit of not just marginalized Australians, but all Australians.'

Senator Price is a frequent critic of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an elected body of First Nations representatives enshrined in the constitution that would advise the government on issues affecting them.

'I personally have had more than my fill of being symbolically recognised,' she told the Senate chamber on Wednesday evening.

Controversial new Aboriginal senator Jacinta Price (pictured) has railed against what she sees as 'handouts' and 'symbolic recognition' for Indigenous Australians

'We hear the platitudes of motherhood statements from our now prime minister, who suggests without any evidence whatsoever that a Voice to Parliament bestowed upon us through the virtuous act of symbolic gesture by this government is what is going to empower us.

'His government has yet to demonstrate how this proposed voice will deliver practical outcomes and unite rather than drive a wedge further between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

'No, prime minister, we don't need another handout and no we Indigenous Australians have not come to agreement on this statement.'

Senator Price also dismissed welcome to country ceremonies and acknowledgement of country as a 'reinvention of culture'.

Her speech was just hours after One Nation senator Ms Hanson stormed out of an acknowledgement of country yelling 'no, I won't and never will'.

The Warlpiri woman launched into a stirring defence of Australia's history and called on citizens to 'recognise and take pride in our national identity'.

'Without a sense of unity and pride we leave ourselves vulnerable to external forces that would delight in our demise,' she said.

Senator Hanson strides out the doors of the Senate after angrily refusing to sit through the welcome to country

The former deputy mayor of Alice Springs (pictured in parliament on Wednesday) was elected at the May 21 poll for the Northern Territory as a member of the Country Liberal Party

Senator Price repeated her frequent refrain that policies aimed at improving Indigenous representation only served to divide Australia.

The right-wing politician also addressed other closely-held issues - the rate of Indigenous incarceration and violence in Aboriginal communities.

She argued claims of racism causing the high rate of Indigenous people being locked up was a 'false narrative'.

Instead, there was 'silence' about how more of the crimes were committed by Indigenous people on victims of their own race.

'Lives taken in black on black violence deserve better,' she said.

Senator Price argued the real cause of crime in Aboriginal communities, and why interventions weren't working in her home territory, was soft bail laws.

Indigenous Greens' senator Lidia Thorpe called Senator Hanson racist and her action 'disrespectful'

Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Price (left) hugs Labor senator Jana Stewart (right) after making her maiden speech on Wednesday night

Pauline Hanson angrily left the Senate chamber on Wednesday during the opening acknowledgement to country after dismissing its validity

'More often than not instead of being remanded, perpetrators are put on bail, and more often than not while on bail they perpetrate more violence,' she said.

'We need change and we need the right legislation to affect it.

'My vision, my hope, my goal is that we can affect change that will see women, children and other victims in these communities become as safe as any of those living in Sydney.'

Senator Price's views on Indigenous issues are at odds with other Aboriginal MPs, most starkly with Greens senator Lidia Thorpe.

Ms Thorpe called Senator Hanson racist and her actions 'disrespectful' to the Parliament and Aboriginal Australians.

'Pauline Hanson, you are ignorant and you are racist,' she wrote on Twitter.

'Day two of the 47th Parliament and racism has reared its ugly head.

'Pauline Hanson disrespectfully stormed out of the acknowledgement of country in the Senate, refusing to acknowledge "those people".

'You want to make parliament safe? Get rid of racism.'

Senator Hanson quickly fired back on her own Twitter, calling out Senator Thorpe's own controversial views.

'Says the "infiltrator" who with her racially divisive agenda doesnt even recognise the legitimacy of our Constitution or Parliament,' she wrote.

The right-wing politician addressed other closely-held issues - the rate of Indigenous incarceration and violence in Aboriginal communities during her maiden speech

Ms Price has expressed similar views previously, saying there is 'enough parliamentary representation of Indigenous people' and expressed strong support for keeping Australia Day on January 26.

Many Aboriginal people view the date, which commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of settlers from Britain, as 'Invasion Day' and want it changed.

Senator Price unsuccessfully ran for election to the seat of Lingiari in 2019 but made it into Parliament this time second on the ticket for the CLP in the NT.

Her speech was in stark contrast to that of another Indigenous MP who also gave her maiden speeches on Wednesday evening.

Jana Stewart, the youngest Indigenous woman to ever be elected an MP, strongly supported the Voice to Parliament and wanted her people 'given a seat at the table' in climate change discussions.

'Traditional owners who have cared for country for tens of thousands of years are seeing it charred, and sacred sites destroyed,' she said.

'Traditional owners who take care of country must have a seat at the table.'

Senator Price (pictured with grandmother Tess Napaljarri Ross) unsuccessfully ran for election to the seat of Lingiari in 2019 but made it into Parliament this time for the CLP in the NT

Senator Stewart took the opposite line to Senator Price on Indigenous incarceration, which she said felt 'personal' and the lower Aboriginal life expectancy like 'reading my future'.

She claimed Aboriginal people were too often spoken of negatively and always viewed as 'an issue'

'It's why I ask everyone in this place and beyond to consider carefully how you talk about First Nations people Words are powerful and words matter,' she said.

Senator Stewart also referred to the Stolen Generation as 'genocide', but insisted that wasn't to make white people feel guilty, just to tell the 'hard truth about the history of this country'.
Video footage has emerged showing a horrific incident in which a man racially abused another man in broad daylight in Cheadle, Stockport, and threatened to kill him - while wielding umbrellas at him.

The man pursued the victim into a busy road and hurled abuse, while appearing to hit them with the two umbrellas, one in each hand.

The victim of the attack expressed outrage as he witnessed two men verbally abuse a homeless man.

He stated he was on his way back from Tesco Express on Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, with a friend when he noticed a man harassing a homeless person nearby.

'The homeless man was just minding his own business - he's a local homeless man who everyone knows,' he explained.

'In the video, the man with the stick began saying to him things like "why are you here?" and "why don't you work?" in a nasty tone.'

The man can be seen pursuing the victim of the attack down a street in Cheadle, Stockport

The alleged attacker can be seen brandishing two umbrellas at the victim in an aggressive manner

After the homeless man told him he had served in Iraq, one of the men reportedly became 'really aggressive,' questioning him about which regiment he had been in and where he had been stationed.

A couple are said to have intervened in the incident around the same time the victim began filming - but once the couple realised he was filming them, the second man then targeted him too.

In the shocking footage, a man is seen jabbing at the cameraman with two umbrellas while pursuing him down the street.

A man can be seen raising a wooden walking stick over his head, which the victim of the attack said was in a threatening manner towards the homeless person.

But as the victim is filming the man's friend targets him instead, forcing him off the pavement and into the street.

He shouts towards the camera using repeated racial slurs, becoming increasingly angry.

The victim tells the man not to touch him but the man can be seen hitting the victim with an umbrella in each hand, as the victim says: 'You're f****** hurting me.'

He calls the victim the P-word repeatedly, adding he is also a 'b*****d' and a 'c***'.

The victim tells his attacker he is live on Facebook, to which the man replies: 'Good. F*** off you [P-word] w*****.'

The man is heard yelling racist slurs at the victim, including: 'F*** off you [P-word] w*****'

The man's friend, who is alleged to have verbally abused a homeless man, holds him back from taking the incident further

Two police officers were later seen arresting a man outside the same pub where the attack ended

Referring to the video, he said: 'I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal.

'If you ever put that on Facebook, I'll kill you.'

He then continues to jab the victim with umbrellas down the busy road, shouting: 'You think you're hard!'

The camera then switches to the ground as an altercation ensues.

Shortly after, the attacker's friend grabs him and moves him away from the victim towards a pub.

According to a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson, one man was later arrested for assault.

Although investigations are still ongoing, police confirmed that they were called to a 'racially aggravated altercation' and stated that 'this type of behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.'

Greater Manchester Police said the force received a report of a 'racially aggravated incident' and one man was later arrested

They said: 'At around 8pm on Monday 25 July 2022, we received a report of an racially aggravated altercation on Wilmslow Road, Stockport.

'Enquiries are still ongoing at the moment but this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in any circumstances and the matter is being dealt with.

'The victim of this assault has been updated and will continue to be supported by officers.'

In a second video posted online by the victim, the police can be seen speaking to a man outside a pub in Stockport, where the incident ended.

The person filming the video is asked to move away by an officer, but he says: 'I've had 40 years of racism. I'm not moving away.'

He then steps aside so police officers can take the man to their police van.

Viewers of the second video have rushed to the victim's support. One wrote: 'So satisfying to see. Watching the original video set my day right off.'

A second said: 'The privilege is real', while another added: 'His behaviour was disgraceful.'
Meghan Markle has claimed it is a 'feeling' and not a 'fact' that she grew up as an only child after being accused by her half-sister Samantha of lying about her 'rags to richest' upbringing in new court documents.

The Duchess' attorneys made their case in legal documents filed in Florida in her ongoing fight with half-sister Samantha. Samantha is suing Meghan for allegedly peddling a 'rags to riches' tale in her Oprah interview, and also over comments in Finding Freedom, the book penned by Meghan's close friend Omid Scobie.

In the most recent round of documents, Meghan's attorneys slap down Samantha's assertion that it was dishonest for Meghan to claim she grew up as an only child, claiming it is how she feels despite her technically having two half-siblings.

'It is hard to imagine a more personal and subjective feeling than how one views their own childhood. Moreover, Plaintiff's opposition completely ignores the context of the statement, where Ms Winfrey asked Meghan about her "relationship" with Plaintiff (to whom Ms Winfrey referred as her "half-sister on her father's side").

'Meghan's response to that question that she "grew up as an only child" was obviously not meant to be a statement of objective fact that she had no genetic siblings or half-siblings.'

She also dismisses Samantha's complaints about information in Finding Freedom, a book by Omid Scobie, saying Meghan can't be blamed for that because she didn't write the book.

'Meghan did not make the statements; she cannot be liable for them. It is that simple,' her lawyers say.

Meghan Markle has denied lying about 'growing up as an only child' during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, as the Duchess of Sussex faces a defamation lawsuit filed by her estranged half-sister Samantha

'Rather, it was a textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood, they say.

Samantha Markle is pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008

Her lawyers said that Meghan saying she 'grew up as an only child' can't be false because it is a 'textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood'

In a court document, Samantha, the daughter of Thomas Markle, Meghan's father, claims the Duchess of Sussex launched a 'premeditated campaign to destroy' her and her father's reputation.

She claims her sister tried to ruin their credibility so 'they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the defendant'.

She also alleges Meghan lied when she claimed she 'essentially raised herself from virtual poverty' and from 13 had to take on low-paying jobs to 'make ends meet'.

Meanwhile Samantha, 57, launched an astonishing broadside on her sister's friend and biographer Omid Scobie as she blasted Finding Freedom as 'a book of lies'.

Meghan's lawyer has previously hit back at the lawsuit, claiming it was 'baseless' and they would give it 'the minimum attention necessary'. Scobie also dismissed the claims.

A young Meghan is pictured with her father Thomas Markle, from whom she is also estranged

Samantha also hits out at Scobie and Carolyn Durand's book Finding Freedom, which she dubs her sister's 'fairytale life story'.

She claims the book caused 'substantial and irreparable prejudice, injury, and harm' to her reputation.

She listed a series of texts in the biography she disputes, including that she dropped out of high school.

Meghan's team, in its latest submission to the court, argued that the Duchess of Sussex cannot be also sued over Finding Freedom because she did not write the book.

Finding Freedom author, Meghan's friend Omid Scobie

'Meghan did not make the statements; she cannot be liable for them,' they said. 'It is that simple.'

Referring to the Duchess by her first name throughout the documents, lawyers asked the court: 'In sum, Meghan's motion to dismiss should be granted, as should her request for attorneys' fees, costs and other relief.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Meghan's legal team for comment.

The sisters are thought to have last seen each other in 2008 but they have butted heads over versions of their childhoods in recent years.

Samantha's rocky relationship with Meghan exploded into public view after her sister's engagement to Prince Harry was announced in 2017.

She was quoted by journalists as saying 'The Queen would be appalled' and called her a 'ducha**' on Twitter.

She gave numerous interviews attacking the Duchess but has since backtracked and complimented her.

Samantha released a book about her sister last year titled The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One.

It lays bare details of the Markles' upbringing, including the rivalry when their father was still married to the actress's mother Doria Ragland.

But Samantha also writes of her adoration for Meghan as a baby and described the infant as 'bi-racial, beautiful, and was both the color of a peach, and a rose'.
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Train stations across Britain were left deserted today as commuters chose to work from home during the rail strikes and experts said industrial action was becoming less effective - despite it crippling services again.

Morning rush-hour traffic congestion in the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester was significantly down on the same time last week as many people decided not to travel into the office by train, car or any other method.

Figures from location technology firm TomTom showed the congestion between 8am and 9am in London today was 40 per cent, down on 55 per cent in the same period last Wednesday. In Birmingham, it was 27 per cent today compared to 44 per cent last week; and in Manchester it was at 40 per cent today, down from 53 per cent.

The data, which represents the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions, was released as rail passengers suffered fresh travel chaos after thousands of workers went on strike.

Disputes in the bitter row over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions are worsening, with more strikes due in the coming days, and a wave of industrial action planned next month on the railways and London Underground.

But HR expert Sam Alsop-Hall pointed out that the new era of working from home means striking is a 'dangerous game for rail services as they might end up eliminating the demand for their services which in turn limits their ability to negotiate for a pay increase'. Another said it was 'relatively easy for business to continue as usual'.

GLASGOW: Passengers make their way through Glasgow Central station this morning amid the nationwide RMT strike

LONDON WATERLOO: People read an electronic board at London Waterloo station this morning during the UK rail strike

LONDON ST PANCRAS: A lone commuter prepares to pass through a ticket gate at London St Pancras station this morning

SHEFFIELD: A handful of passengers wait at Sheffield station today as members of the RMT take part in a fresh strike

LONDON KING'S CROSS: The empty concourse at London King's Cross station today as the RMT takes part in a fresh strike

LONDON EUSTON: The near-empty station concourse during the morning rush-hour period at London Euston station today

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET: Very few people walk around Birmingham New Street train station this morning during the strike

LONDON VICTORIA: Passengers sit in a waiting area during rush hour at London Victoria railway station this morning

BASINGSTOKE: A near empty Basingstoke station in Hampshire this morning as members of the RMT begin fresh strikes

Mr Alsop-Hall, chief strategy officer at Birmingham-based recruitment firm Woodrow Mercer Healthcare, added: 'We operate a hybrid working policy. If we're notified the trains are going on strike we just tell everyone they can work from home on that day.

'We also had a situation last week where two train tickets to London from Birmingham were almost 400 - so we just moved the meeting online with an hour's notice.'

Angela Rayner's militant union-backing boyfriend dares Keir Starmer to sack him as he defies Labour leader to join rail strikers (and Jeremy Corbyn) on picket line demanding a 7% payrise Angela Rayner's hard-left Labour MP boyfriend has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to fire him as he joined Jeremy Corbyn and union baron Mick Lynch on a picket line in London to support a rail strike that has left just one in five trains running today and millions unable to travel in another 100million-plus hit to the economy. In a clear act of defiance to Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Tarry turned up at Euston station 'in solidarity' with the 40,000 RMT members who have shut down at least half of Britain's rail network after a week of disruption in late June with more planned for August. Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Tarry at London Euston today The Ilford South MP, 39, a former TSSA union official, is in a relationship with Ms Rayner, 41, having become close to after he ran her campaign to become Labour's deputy leader. She separated from her husband Mark in 2020 and Mr Tarry, a father of two, has also parted from his wife. Mr Tarry's stand is another blow to Sir Keir's authority amid rumours that his girlfriend Angela is after his job. It came hours after the Labour leader again ordered his frontbenchers to resist joining striking rail workers on picket lines today after 25 MPs defied similar orders last month. He failed to sack any of them. He has also been accused of flip-flopping over whether he backs the strikes or not. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, with Mick Lynch in the background, Mr Tarry said that if Labour was in power then the RMT would not be striking - in a clear pledge that if he was transport secretary he would offer railway workers the 7 per cent pay rise they are demanding. Asked whether he expected to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: 'I've no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this - if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn't be happening.' And asked if Sir Keir should be with him at the picket, he added: 'I have absolutely 100% confidence that any Labour Party MP would be in support of striking workers who have given up a day's pay, a week's pay or even longer.' Sir Keir Starmer has been silent on whether he will sack Tarry - and Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said it is up to the whips to decide whether Mr Tarry loses his job for insubordination. Asked what Sir Keir should do about his minister defying his orders, Ms Dodds told Sky News: 'Ultimately, as I said, it's a decision for that individual, but I'm sure that the whips will be looking at this in terms of it being a disciplinary matter. But, quite frankly, for me, the big issue here is why, in England, we've got people's transport being disrupted so substantially with industrial action'. Advertisement

Only around one in five trains are running today, on around half the network, with some areas having no trains all day.

Picket lines were mounted outside railway stations as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike.

But barrister Tahina Akther, who is co-founder of London-based legal firm Wildcat Law which does nearly all of its client meetings as video conferences on Microsoft Teams, said it was 'relatively easy for business to continue as usual' despite the strikes.

She told MailOnline: 'The legal industry has always been very traditional in its approach. Pre-pandemic it was unusual for lawyers to work anywhere other than in an office or chambers or physically in court.

'The pandemic changed all (that), now more and more lawyers are working either remotely or via a hybrid model. This means that when things like train strikes occur it is relatively easy for business to continue as usual.

'It was once thought that clients would never take legal advice other than in an office, face to face. That myth has been thoroughly debunked, with many clients now preferring to meet virtually. Thus removing the necessity for the crowded commutes via train or car. Train strikes and road congestion will merely accelerate this evolution.'

And Ed Rimmer, chief executive at Bath-based funding firm Time Finance, told MailOnline: 'With offices in some of the UK's major cities, including Manchester, Bath, and Cardiff, our company has always been vulnerable to rail strikes. In the past, it's made our employees' commutes to work or attending important meetings quite tough.

'The world's evolved since then and the working from home culture and option to hold virtual meetings really helps office-based businesses like ours to better prepare for any type of rail strike interruption. It's very unlikely this would cause any disruption to us now.'

Meanwhile, experts at airport parking comparison firm Airport Parking Shop said they had noted a 23 per cent increase in bookings over the last few days as people plan to drive to airports instead of taking the train, with many making last-minute changes to their plans and the average booking time now down to just ten days before.

And broadband providers said they expected an increase in both 'downstream' and 'upstream' traffic of up to 15 per cent, making usage broadly in line with the levels seen during the pandemic.

Tony Hughes, chief executive of full fibre provider 4th Utility, told MailOnline: 'Due to the nationwide rail strikes, a surge in usage across our networks for much of today is absolutely inevitable.

'Millions more people are expected to be abandoning their commutes and working from spare bedrooms and studies - using video call platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Google Hangouts.'

Transport for London told MailOnline that there were 1.12million entries and exits on the Underground up to 10am today, which was down 21 per cent compared to the same time yesterday when the total was 1.42million.

On London buses today, there were 1.02million journeys up to 10am, which is up 4 per cent compared to the same time yesterday when there were 981,000.

Passengers on the rail network were urged to only travel by train if they must, and, if it is necessary, to allow extra time and check when their last train will depart.

Trains will also be disrupted tomorrow morning with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has also announced a strike by its members at Avanti West Coast today, while members of the drivers' union Aslef at seven companies will strike on Saturday.

Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at London Euston station, in defiance of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's orders to stay away.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'If we don't make a stand today, people's lives could be lost.'

Asked whether he expects to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: 'I've no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this - if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn't be happening.'

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that Mr Tarry's actions are 'clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir' and 'no doubt he'll want to remove him from his job'.

Many passengers turning up at stations are unaware of the strike. Fabian Ward was sat on the Birmingham New Street concourse planning how to get home to Telford 34 miles away. He said: 'I didn't know about the strikes to be fair, otherwise I would have driven.'

London Waterloo station is quieter than normal, although hundreds of passengers left trains arriving at 8.10am and 8.30am. A few dozen protesters are on a picket line at the main entrance to the station.

Some are waving RMT flags, others are selling copies of socialist newspapers and wearing RMT-branded T-shirts. Members of the National Education Union are also there in support.

Ola, one of the pickets, said: 'We have been here since 7am. The support from the public has been particularly good.'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said union members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

A Network Rail map shows the disruption on trains today with limited services running between 7.30am until 6.30pm

'Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,' he said.

Mr Lynch added: 'RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.'

Mr Shapps said in his three years as Transport Secretary there has not been a single day when unions have not been in dispute by threatening or taking industrial action, with around 60 separate disputes in 2022 alone.

'Today, union bosses are once again trying to cause as much disruption as possible to the day-to-day lives of millions of hardworking people around the country,' he said.

'What's more, it has been cynically timed to disrupt the start of the Commonwealth Games and crucial Euro 2022 semi-finals, in a deliberate bid to impact the travel of thousands trying to attend events the whole country is looking forward to.'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch joins the picket line at London Euston railway station this morning

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Shapps dubbed the strikes an example of 'union collusion', adding he would seek to ban 'strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period'.

He said he would also look at implementing a 60-day cooling-off period after each strike, as well as ensuring critical industries like rail maintain minimum service levels.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: 'Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I'm afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.

'I can only apologise for the impact this pointless strike will have on passengers, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the Uefa Women's Euro 2022 semi-final (on Wednesday) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (on Thursday).'

Members of the RMT and TSSA will launch co-ordinated strikes on August 18 and 20, while the RMT announced a strike on London Underground on August 19.
A tailor who has worked with the world's leading designer brands has been sentenced for bashing his ex-girlfriend's head on the pavement outside a five-star Mayfair hotel.

Richard Benettello was seen on top of 37-year-old Solankhe Tchikaya outside The Athenaeum, Piccadilly, holding her by the hair and repeatedly banging her head before being dragged away by hotel security staff.

The 41-year-old, who has worked with Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry, claims that he and his ex-partner were both drunk after eating and drinking at a Peruvian restaurant on May 27 last year.

He claimed he was guilty of nothing more than 'excessive self-defence'.

He later pleaded guilty to assaulting the graduate marketing and communications specialist.

Richard Benettello, 41, (pictured) pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-partner and was placed on a 12 month Community Order, which includes a 10 day recommended activity requirement, plus attending a 'building better relationships' course.

Solankhe Tchikaya, 37 (pictured) has not supported the prosecution of Benettello

Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland told Westminster Magistrates' Court he had initially fought the charge and only pleaded guilty on the day of his trial, for which Ms Tchikaya was a defence witness.

Benettello said they once dated but were dining as 'friends' at the nearby COYA Mayfair restaurant, which they left at half past midnight.

'Police were called to a report of a man hitting a woman in Piccadilly,' she said. 'The complainant was this defendant's partner and witnesses heard screaming'.

COYA Mayfair manager Filomena Clarizio later told police: 'I heard a scream and thought there was a fight by the hotel.

'I noticed a couple and the male was on top. He had hold of her and was smashing her head on the ground.

'Security pulled the male off the female, but he kept returning. The female went into the hotel and then I saw the male with the officers with blood on his hands.'

The court heard that the blood was not Ms Tchikaya's and that she had no injuries.

Ms Tchikaya told the witnesses: 'He gets like that when he is upset,' and Benettello said: 'I did nothing.'

'This is clearly a serious and nasty assault that took place,' the prosecutor told the court. 'Serious enough for members of the public to voice their concerns and call the police.'

The court also heard that Benettello received a twenty-six week imprisonment last December for boarding an airplane while drunk and assaulting three cabin crew.

'There is a background of police involvement with this couple and there were a number of incidents in 2019 that did not result in a charge,' Ms Gatland added.

'On one occasion the defendant was threatening to harm the complainant, screaming at the top of his voice and kicking dustbins in the street.

'In 2018 there was an argument in the street and another incident when he attended her address, having been discharged from hospital.

The pair were dining as 'friends' at the nearby COYA Mayfair restaurant (pictured)

Benettello was seen on top of 37-year-old Solankhe Tchikaya outside The Athenaeum, Piccadilly (pictured)

'The victim was not willing to support any prosecution, including this one.'

Benettello's lawyer Milad Shojaei told the court: 'She was a defence witness and did not support the prosecution at the time. They were not in a relationship at the time of the incident and were just friends.

'He is a fashion stylist and master tailor and had been working in Saudi Arabia and came to the UK on a visit when he was arrested for this and has been in limbo for the last fourteen months.

'His employer is keeping his job open, but he has no financial support or any means of earning for the last fourteen months and has burned through his savings and borrowed from family and friends and can no longer pay his rent.

'He has had some very dark times and has been feeling suicidal during the last fourteen months.

'Mr Benettello has been going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, twice a day, for the last year to address his own offending behaviour and has been sober for the last thirteen months.

'He accepts there was excessive self-defence when they were intoxicated and they had a stumble.

'He accepts he behaved excessively. The paramedics confirm there were no injuries to her head and the blood was the defendant's.'

Addressing Benettello, Magistrate Dr Lynne Gailey said: 'It was a serious offence and we have been told there were no injuries, but it was a very nasty attack'.

Benettello, of Fulham Road, West Brompton, was placed on a 12 month Community Order, which includes a 10 day recommended activity requirement, plus attending a 'building better relationships' course.

He must also pay 775 costs and a 95 victim surcharge.

The magistrates scrapped a 100 compensation award to Ms Tchikaya because she did not support the prosecution and they had no details for her.
A female influencer has been arrested in Saudi Arabia for posting 'immoral' content after she uploaded a live video inviting a woman over in the early hours of the morning.

Tala Safwan, from Egypt, was arrested in Riyadh after she posted the video in which she asks her female Saudi friend to come over at 3.30am because she is lonely.

Her friend says she won't come over because it is too late and Safwan reportedly says, 'Even better, because everyone will be asleep and they won't hear what I'll do to you,' according to Al Jazeera.

Tala Safwan (left), from Egypt, was arrested in Riyadh after she posted the video in which she asks her female Saudi friend to come over at 3.30am because she is lonely (pictured)

She allegedly adds: 'They won't hear your screams... from how much fun we'll be having.'

Safwan has not been named by police but they did post a blurred version of the offending video to their Twitter account.

They wrote: 'The Riyadh police arrested a resident who appeared in a broadcast talking to another with sexual content and suggestion that would prejudice public morals.'

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia.

Her friend says she won't come over because it is too late and Safwan reportedly says, 'Even better, because everyone will be asleep and they won't hear what I'll do to you'

Safwan, who has five million followers on TikTok and more than 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, said the clip had been taken out of context from the full video in order to cause a scandal.

It comes just days after the Saudi media regulator demanded that YouTube remove advertisements that it considers offensive to the country's Muslim values and principles. The regulator threatened to take legal action if nothing was done.

The announcement followed complaints by Saudi parents that their children were being exposed to inappropriate content in ads broadcast on YouTube.
The man arrested after trying to kick out the windows of a Virgin Atlantic plane causing the flight to be diverted to Salt Lake City will be deported to the UK once legal proceedings are complete.

William Hayes, 39, appeared in a Utah courtroom on Wednesday where he was charged with one count of interference with a flight crew and another of assault.

The father-of-one  whose 21-month-old baby son was injured in the melee he allegedly caused  wore a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants during the hearing which heard he had continued to be aggressive even after being hauled off the plane and booked into Salt Lake City Metro Jail.

Hayes, who was traveling on an ESTA visa, was told he was being placed on an immigration detainer and will face a deportation hearing on August 3.

The prosecution told court that Hayes has no criminal history in either the UK or the US and said the British Consulate in LA would be providing advice.

Hayes' heavily pregnant wife is now continuing on to LA with their son to retrieve luggage and arrange travel back to the UK.

British passenger William Stephen Hayes, 39, became unruly on a Virgin Atlantic flight traveling from London to Los Angeles Tuesday. He's pictured being escorted off the plane after emergency landing in Salt Lake City

The commotion allegedly caused a woman to drop her baby, and Marines on board the flight had to take action and restrain the unruly passenger. Hayes, 39, was arrested upon landing in Salt Lake City and is now in FBI custody

The flight crew were later seen with smiles on their faces after they touched down at LAX

Flight VS 141 - which was carrying approximately 264 passengers - was due to land in LA at 3.30pm local time but eventually touched down on the West Coast shortly before 8pm after the unscheduled stop in Utah

Flight VS 141 - which was carrying approximately 264 passengers - was due to land in LA at 3.30pm local time Tuesday but eventually touched down on the West Coast shortly before 8pm after the unscheduled stop in Utah.

The flight crew were later seen with smiles on their faces after they touched down at LAX.

Hayes was arrested upon landing in Salt Lake City.

A law enforcement source said: 'A passenger onboard became unruly and fought several passengers while attempting to move towards the cockpit.

'During the fight, a mom dropped her baby causing injury. They eventually got him under control and handcuffed the guy, and diverted to [Salt Lake City] for police to enter the plane and take him into custody.'

Police said in a statement that they could not confirm if he attempted to break into the cockpit.

According to a complaint filed in court, Hayes was 'loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and to crew members. Flight attendants opened a restraint kit as a precaution.'

'At one point during the flight, Hayes assaulted a male passenger seated in front of him, grabbing the passenger's shirt, attempting to hit him, and grabbing his throat. This action left visible marks on the assaulted passenger's neck.'

It says that Hayes also spit on another passenger and attempted to bite them.

It was that passenger, along with others and crew members that restrained him and placed Hayes in handcuffs.

Even while restrained, Hayes continued to fight and 'be abusive,' kicking windows of the aircraft, the complaint states.

The filing shows he's been charged with one count of interference with a flight crew, and another count of assault by striking, beating and wounding.

A court filing shows he's been charged with one count of interference with a flight crew, and another count of assault by striking, beating and wounding

The atmosphere was tense at Heathrow Airport before the plane departed, with passengers waiting in a two-hour security line.

According to witnesses, Hayes was seated in Economy and fell asleep at one point but soon woke up and started rampaging around the plane.

The witnesses said the things got worse when he kept on drinking throughout the flight.

But the British man, who was traveling with his family, hadn't counted on a group of US Marines aboard flight VS141, according to The Sun.

The Marines cut his rampage short when they jumped on top of him, witnesses said.

'It took a good while to get him to sit back down and resolve it,' said one observer. 'Then a few hours later it happened again and I thought to myself, ''This may not end well.''

'Later he had fallen asleep but woke up ready to go again and that's when he started getting physical. There were a couple of US Marines who piled in on him.

'He was sitting in the back and he got handcuffed right there.'

Stock photo: Passengers blamed the chaos at Heathrow for creating a hostile atmosphere. (Pictured: Heathrow on June 27)

HEATHROW: Photo of left luggage at baggage reclaim in Heathrow Terminal 3 earlier in July

Hayes then started complaining that he couldn't feel his fingers after they handcuffed him.

Police took him into custody, taking him off the aircraft with his family in Salt Lake City and the plane continued on to Los Angeles, with the tantrum delaying the flight by four hours.

'The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don't tolerate any behavior that compromises this,' said Virgin Atlantic in a statement.

Other passengers blamed the chaos at Heathrow for creating a hostile atmosphere.

'I was there for five hours and barely made my flight. People were not happy, people were very agitated,' said one. 'I've never been on a flight like that, there were so many screaming kids and irritated parents.'

'The flight attendants seemed edgy from the beginning, I think right now the whole industry is not right. Heathrow was at limit numbers.'

The US Attorney is expected to file formal charges on Wednesday.
Regardless of their basis in science, indigenous treatments for chickenpox continue to be administered in the state.  Representational Image/DC

Hyderabad: Regardless of their basis in science, indigenous treatments for chickenpox continue to be administered in the state. Doctors said that while some practices were harmless, others can put patients at risk.

Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral disease that usually affects children. Often, those affected by it are not given a bath for six days, while patients are bathed with water mixed with neem leaves on the seventh day.

Patients are also given aspirin tablets, which doctors advise against. Further, patients are not given meat or eggs.

Dr Shivaranjani Santosh, consultant paediatrician with a leading private hospital in Hyderabad, said that contrary to existing beliefs, patients should take regular baths, eat easily digestible food and keep themselves hydrated.

However, she said that taking aspirin raises the risk of the patient developing Reyes syndrome, which can cause serious brain and liver damage.

But, not all practices are harmful.

Dr T. Usha Rani, professor and HoD (paediatric department) at Niloufer Hospital, said, Adding neem leaves to water for bathing is fine because it is an antiseptic. Also, isolation of the child is done as a custom, and not for medical reasons. But that too works, as they should be quarantined anyway.

Rashes cause monkeypox scare

Dr Usha Rani said hundreds of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), a common virus that affects children, were being recorded at the hospital, as is usual during monsoon. However, as this mild disease also causes rashes, it was leading to fear of monkeypox.

Parents are assuming any rash on the body to be caused by monkeypox. They are also watching news about monkeypox on TV and getting more scared, she said.

While HFMD leads to small rashes only on the palms, soles, hands and feet, which, by the third or fourth day, may spread to thighs and buttocks, in monkeypox, the lesions are bigger, and can break out anywhere, including on the face, and can become pus-filled too, she said.
Green campaigners including Chris Packham have written to the BBC saying that the corporation failed to question the two candidates to be the next prime minister on how their Government would tackle climate change.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss were asked what three things should people change in their lives to help tackle climate change faster, in the televised debate on Monday night.

But Greenpeace UK, WWF, Christian Aid, the Climate Coalition and naturalist and wildlife presenter Mr Packham claimed it is 'unacceptable' to frame the climate crisis as an issue solely for individuals, not for Government, to tackle.

And said the BBC spent little time on the environment in light of last week's raging wildfires which destroyed over 50 homes and record temperatures that saw much of the UK blasted with 40C heat.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss (pictured at the BBC debate on Monday) were asked what three things should people change in their lives to help tackle climate change faster, in the televised debate on Monday night but not about what their policy positions are

Green campaigners including Chris Packham (pictured) have written to the BBC saying that the corporation failed to question the two candidates to be the next prime minister on how their Government would tackle climate change

The full letter from green groups to the BBC Dear Andrew Alexander, We are writing to you about what we perceive to be irresponsible coverage of climate change in the televised Conservative Leadership debate, 'Our Next Prime Minister', with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, aired at 9pm on 25th July 2022. We understand that there is pressure to cover all the issues that the public want answered by our future Prime Minister during a televised debate, but as a key issue for voters it is unacceptable that the climate crisis was framed as an issue solely for individuals, not the Government, and was skimmed over in just 2-3 minutes. Candidates were asked 'what three things should people change in their lives to help tackle climate change faster?' The framing of this question is wholly inappropriate, not just because it relegates the issue of climate change below others in the show which were framed as 'governmental issues' but because it reinforces the idea that solving climate change is an individual responsibility, rather than one which requires a response from the Prime Minister and their ministers. For this to take place the week after record temperatures in the UK, and with firefighters having the 'worst day since the blitz' is far below the standards we would expect from the BBC. The purpose of a leaders' debate is to interrogate our future Prime Minister on their policy positions for vital issues so the public can make an informed choice about which candidate will do the best job for their country - this question failed to provide them with those answers. For this to happen at a time when the cost of living is driving millions into poverty, largely driven by fossil fuel prices and rising energy bills, is unacceptable. There is no shortage of substantive issues both candidates could have been challenged on, given their recent or current senior positions in a government that - according to both its own independent climate advisors and high court judges - is comprehensively failing to produce plans able to meet its legally binding climate commitments. The BBC reported on both the Climate Change Committee (CCC) report and the High Court ruling - these could easily have been the topic of debate. We would like to hear a commitment that the BBC will improve their coverage of the climate crisis in subsequent leadership coverage in the next few weeks, at this critical time for our country. We ask for a recognition that the question in the debate was inadequate, and the time allocation was too short - and a guarantee that at future leadership debates, such as in the general election, climate change will be treated as an issue of governmental, not solely personal responsibility. Kind regards, Chris Packham and over 30 green groups including Greenpeace and the WWF Advertisement

Writing to BBC producer of Sunday Morning with Raworth and PoliticsLive, Andrew Alexander, they said failing to question the two candidates to be the next prime minister on their policy positions on the issue was 'far below the standards we would expect from the BBC', the letter said.

It added: 'The purpose of a leaders' debate is to interrogate our future Prime Minister on their policy positions for vital issues so the public can make an informed choice about which candidate will do the best job for their country - this question failed to provide them with those answers.

'For this to happen at a time when the cost of living is driving millions into poverty, largely driven by fossil fuel prices and rising energy bills, is unacceptable.

'There is no shortage of substantive issues both candidates could have been challenged on, given their recent or current senior positions in a government that - according to both its own independent climate advisors and high court judges - is comprehensively failing to produce plans able to meet its legally binding climate commitments.'

The campaigners also said why didn't the BBC ask about a landmark ruling on Monday last week, where the High Court ruled that the government's Net Zero Strategy breaches the Climate Change Act.

The campaigners added: 'The BBC reported on both the Climate Change Committee (CCC) report and the High Court ruling - these could easily have been the topic of debate.'

The letter also calls for the broadcaster to improve its coverage of the climate crisis as it covers the leadership race over the next few weeks, and for a guarantee that in future election debates climate change will be treated as an issue of governmental, not just personal, responsibility.

Max Wakefield, director of campaigns at climate charity Possible, one of the signatories of the letter, said: 'In 2019 Possible campaigned for the televised leaders' election climate debate because broadcasters were ignoring the severity of the climate crisis.

'Three years later, little has changed. Instead of asking Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss how they would patch the gaping holes in their climate plans, the BBC posed a question on what individuals can do at home.

'Prime Ministers are not elected as agony aunts: we don't need to hear their domestic eco-tips any more than their personal wellness ideas for managing NHS waiting lists.

'What the public needs is to hear how the next Prime Minister will tackle the climate crisis head-on.'

According to Open Democracy, in total the BBC Today Programme, LBC's Andrew Marr, and GB News dedicated 3% of interview time with Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to climate change last week when huge blazes destroyed 63 homes from Wennington and Dagenham to Norfolk and Barnsley leaving villages 'looking like warzones'.

It said the Spectator was the only one to grill the candidates on Tuesday when temperatures hit an unprecedented 40.3C (104.54) in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

Isabel Hardman asked mainly about the implications of what net-zero would mean for taxes and how they would rise.

In light of the leadership interviews Green MP Caroline Lucas told Newsnight: 'It is truly damning that, in a week when the climate emergency has never felt closer to home, its discussion in the Tory leadership race has been conspicuous by its absence,'

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We agree that climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing the next Prime Minister and it is a subject BBC News covers comprehensively.

'This debate was designed to interrogate the candidates about their policy differences, their character, and the impact their premiership would have on the general public's lives, and as such included a question specifically about climate change, couched in the actions we can all take to mitigate its effects.

'We will continue to cover the leadership contest and question the candidates on their policies, including on climate change.'
Hunter Biden's financial adviser and former Clinton Administration appointee Edward Prewitt (pictured) is being asked by Republicans to turn over all documents related to Biden family business

House Republicans on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are requesting that Hunter Biden's financial adviser hand over to the group all information on the Biden family business dealings.

'Committee Republicans are committed to following Hunter Biden's money trail consisting of many complex, international transactions worth millions of dollars,' the panel wrote in a letter sent Wednesday morning and spearheaded by Ranking Member James Comer.

'The American people deserve to know the President's connections to his son's business deals, which have occurred at the expense of American interests and may represent a national security threat,' the Kentucky representative added.

Among the information requested by Oversight Committee Republicans are a list of accounts opened by Hunter and his longtime business associate Eric Schwerin, as well as any communication between employees of the Prewitt, Mahler, Tucker Private Wealth Management Group with Hunter, his uncle James Biden, President Joe Biden and Schwerin.

The minority party has little power on congressional committees, meaning the letter is mostly symbolic. Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat, is the only one that can actually demand documents or information from private entities.

The minority party has little power on congressional committees, meaning the letter is mostly symbolic. Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat, is the only one that can actually demand documents or information from private entities.

Comer's request, however, could be setting the table for a subpoena next year if Republicans retake a majority.

His office told DailyMail.com that they are expecting Prewitt to be 'responsive'.

So far, Democrats leading the Oversight Committee have yet to conduct an investigation into the Biden's business dealings despite pleas from Republicans to look into the matter.

Edward Prewitt, a former Clinton Administration appointee, advised Hunter on financial transactions as U.S. banks were flagging suspicious activity by the Biden family.

'More than 150 transactions from the Bidens' business dealings have been flagged by U.S. banks through filings of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,' the letter notes. 'Text messages show that Hunter Biden was aware of these SARs and took steps to avoid detection in his financial dealings.'

It added: 'Information reviewed by Committee Republicans reveals you were advising Hunter Biden on financial transactions when U.S. banks were flagging suspicious activity by the Biden family.'

Committee Republicans reviewed records that Congressman Comer says show that Prewitt told Hunter in an email that Wells Fargo Corporate Compliance flagged 'transactions connected to his accounts further scrutiny.'

A Wednesday letter penned by Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer to Prewitt notes: '[T]ansactions connected to Hunter Biden's accounts were flagged by Wells Fargo Corporate Compliance for further scrutiny and you brought this fact to Hunter Biden's attention in an email'

The GOP panel members are demanding Prewitt hand over all documents related to Hunter, his uncles James, President Joe Biden and Hunter's longtime business associate Eric Schwerin. Pictured: Hunter and Joe watch the July 4 fireworks display at the White House while holding Beau Biden Jr.

A hard drive from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop includes a voicemail from his father discussing his business in China despite claims the president knew nothing about his foreign business. An image from the hard drive (above) shows Hunter Biden passed out with a crack pipe hanging out of his mouth

Schwerin, who had access to Joe Biden's financial accounts with the firm, according to the Wednesday letter, had 'multiple meetings with then-Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, as well as foreign business associates.'

'Schwerin's inclusion in these transactions,' the GOP panel members note, 'raises questions about President Biden's involvement in the management and knowledge of these various entities' activities.'

Prewitt, the panel requests, should hand over anything related to SARs flagged by U.S. banks and connected to Hunter, James or other Biden family members and their business entities.

The request for documents and records from Hunter's financial adviser is a step taken after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declined to provide the SARs to Congress  breaking with longstanding policy to do so.

President Biden continues to insist that he has no involvement or knowledge of his son's foreign business dealings  despite a recording emerging of a 2018 voicemail to Hunter where he mentioned his son's deal with Chinese oil giant CEFC.

During a July 5 White House briefing shortly after DailyMail.com reported on the voicemail, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that she would not comment on anything to do with Hunter's business.

'From this podium, I am not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop,' Jean-Pierre repeatedly shot back at reporters when pressed on the issue.

'I cannot comment on any materials from the laptop,' she insisted when further pushed, dropping the 'alleged' this time.
A senior policy advisor working in ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office was hit and killed by a car after he was forced out of a Lyft in the middle of a busy highway.

Sid Wolf, 43, was killed in the early hours of Sunday morning after he and a group of five friends got into a dispute with their rideshare driver in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

It's unclear what the dispute was over, but the driver abruptly stopped in the middle of a left lane and ordered Wolf and his friends out in the middle of the road.

An oncoming Toyota Corolla swerved to avoid the Lyft, and hit the father-of-two who had gotten out of the car and was standing in the road. His five friends were uninjured.

The driver of the Corolla stayed on the scene, but the Lyft driver, believed to be driving a white Honda Pilot SUV, fled the scene.

On Tuesday night, Cuomo said in a tweet that he was 'shocked and saddened by the news.'

'Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all New Yorkers,' he said.

'My heart goes out to Lindsey and his two young daughters.'

Sid Wolf, 43, was killed in the early hours of Sunday morning after he and a group of five friends got into the ride-share and got into a dispute with the driver in Dewey Beach, Delaware

On Tuesday night, Cuomo said in a tweet that he was 'shocked and saddened by the news'. 'Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all New Yorkers,' he said

Wolf worked for the Cuomo administration from 2019 to 2021 as a senior policy advisor.

He also recently worked as the re-election campaign manager for Montgomery County Councilmember Sidney Katz, who had spoken to him on the Friday night before he died.

He said: 'I did speak to his wife...and I mean, it's just heartbreaking. There's no other way to say it. It's just absolutely heartbreaking.'

The Lyft driver had picked up Wolf and his five friends in Dewey Beach and was meant to be taking them to their destination Bethany Beach.

The crash happened south of Anchor Way on Coastal Highway Route 1 at about 1.44am, police said.

Wolf died at the scene, they confirmed.

In a statement, Lyft said it was 'heartbroken by the incident.'

A spokesperson said: 'Our hearts are with Mr Wolf's loved ones during this incredibly difficult time and we've reached out to the ride requester to offer our support.

'We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft community and are in contact with law enforcement to assist in their investigation.'

It's unclear whether police have tracked the driver down.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family's neighbors following Wolf's tragic death - as it paid tribute to the man who 'always had a smile on his face.'

The fatal crash happened south of Anchor Way on Coastal Highway Route 1 at about 1.44am, police said

Sid Wolf's former boss Andrew Cuomo said that his 'heart goes out' to wife Lindsey (pictured with her husband)

Tributes have poured in for Wolf (right) which described him as a 'people magnet' who would always 'welcome you with a hug.' Pictured here with his wife

It read: 'Sid always had a smile on his face and was a great husband, father, friend, and neighbor to so many of us. We hope to raise enough funds so that Lindsey does not have to worry about household expenses right now.

'The family wants to extend their heartfelt gratitude for the tremendous outpouring of support from their friends and loved ones during this time.'

The 43-year-old lived in Clarksburg, Maryland, with his wife and two young daughters, Emerson and Harper. He was also a coach for a local youth hockey team.

Writing on social media, Wolf's sister Brooke Freed said she is 'lost' without her brother, who was a 'source of comfort and wisdom.'

She wrote: 'My brother was someone I always looked up to. The guy would walk into a room and instantly became everyones favorite person. It used to drive me crazy and then I realized  I want to be just like that.

'I have soooo many thoughts and feelings going through my mind. I cant believe Im writing this.

Wolf (center) pictured with his two young daughters, Emerson and Harper

The Lyft driver had picked up Wolf and his five friends in Dewey Beach and was meant to be taking them to their destination Bethany Beach. The crash happened south of Anchor Way on Coastal Highway Route 1 (pictured)

Wolf (right, pictured with his wife) worked for the Cuomo administration from 2019 to 2021 as a senior policy advisor

Wolf was travelling in a Lyft when the alleged disagreement occurred and he and his friends were kicked out of the vehicle (stock image)

'I cant believe this has happened. Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. I lost not just my brother but a role model and a friend and a source of comfort and wisdom.

'I cant even get all of my thoughts out I have so much to say. I love you Sid. This should never have happened and a part of me is missing and I will forever miss you.'

Another obituary for the beloved policy advisor read: 'Sid was a people magnet. He was the first to welcome you with a hug; his life force was unmistakable and irresistible. He effortlessly collected friends and treasured family above all.

'He leaves a big hole for his many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and all who were lucky enough to know him.'
A British tourist has been arrested in Turkey after allegedly killing his father with a fatal punch after a furious row.

Police allege Ethan Hallows, 22, struck his father Garry, 51, while walking back to the Marmaris resort.

When questioned by police, Ethan said his father hit his head after suffering a fall, investigators claim.

A British tourist has been arrested in Turkey after allegedly killing his father with a fatal punch after a furious row, police have said

Ethan Hallows (pictured), 22, allegedly struck his father Garry, 51, while walking back to the Marmaris resort

But police were suspicious of his account and believed there was more to the death, especially after spotting a graze on his hand, local media reported.

Officers are said to have reviewed hotel CCTV footage and from the surrounding streets, which they say shows the men appearing to argue on a path before squaring up to each other.

A man is then seen punching another man in the head twice before walking away as the victim falls to the ground, which police say shows the suspect attacking his father.

Officers reviewed hotel CCTV footage which local media say shows the suspect and his father

Passersby appeared not to react as the man lay motionless on the floor until someone eventually called an ambulance.

The victim was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead after the serious blow to the head.

The suspect was later arrested by police and transferred to the local courthouse as the investigation continues.

Hallows was jailed for 28 weeks in March last year for his involvement in an ill-fated drug deal that led to the death of a 21-year-old man in Sheffield.

He was handed the prison sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs the same night Kavan Brissett was stabbed to death on August 14, 2018.

A fight broke out between Derice Cohen, then 20, Jason Baker, then 41, Travis OGrady, then 20, and Hallows were involved in an altercation with Mr Brissett, a jury heard.

Mr Brissett was stabbed in the chest and died four days later.
A man embezzled more than 120,000 from his partner, who was seriously ill and had suffered a brain injury, whilst she was in a care home then secretly wed another woman at a plush hotel, Paisley Sheriff Court heard.

William Dunn, 69, allegedly took 122,027.15 between May 26, 2015, and March 1, 2017, from Lynda Grants, 63, bank accounts.

He did so whilst she battled life-threatening conditions for two years in a hospital and care home.

He then married a woman named Karen Dolan without his partners knowledge.

Grant's daughter, Gillian McCormick, 36, discovered the affair in 2016 when she found a photo of the secret wedding on Facebook, the Daily Record reported.

Nurse Lynda Grant was hospitalised then placed in a care home and later discovered her partner had emptied her accounts and married another woman

McCormick told the court: I found a photo on Facebook on New Years Eve of all days - a photo of William with his bride. They were standing beside the cake in a very lovely, plush hotel.

Grant, a nurse at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, had moved into Dunns Elderslie, Renfrewshire, home and a jury was told the couple planned to spend their lives together.

The court heard that Grant even asked her children to make sure Dunn would be okay for money if she passed away, suggesting giving him 40,000.

Prosecutors claimed Dunn emptied Grants accounts after being granted Power of Attorney with defence lawyer Joseph Barr claiming Dunn talked with the victim and her son about reducing her assets to avoid the cost of the care home.

William Dunn is currently on trial for charges of embezzlement but has denied any wrongdoing

Dunn also told the court he invested the money on behalf of Grant who claimed she had no recollection of such a conversation or signing a document which allowed him to assume control of her finances.

The Daily Record reported the victim looked at her bank accounts for the first time in months after recovering and saw most of her money had disappeared, including the money from the sale of her house and savings.

Grant told the court: Im skint now.

She also said she had no recollection of a conversation about reducing her assets and avoiding care home fees saying she would never have done that.

She said: I wouldnt cheat anyone out of anything, if I found a fiver Id hand it in to the police station.

Dunn denied the charges and the trial is ongoing.
The ex-boyfriend of a slain backpacker killed in northern NSW 17 years ago has been charged with her murder after he was extradited from Perth.

Police allege German-born Tobias Moran, formerly known as Tobias Suckfuell, murdered his 25-year-old girlfriend and countryman before hiding her naked body under palm fronds in 2005.

The 42-year-old - whose teen sweetheart Simone Strobel's decomposing body was found near their Lismore campsite - was dramatically arrested on Tuesday in Perth.

Detectives received permission to extradite Mr Moran to NSW and he landed at Sydney Domestic Airport on Wednesday evening at about 5:10pm.

The accused killer was escorted to Mascot Police Station in Sydney where he was formally charged with the gruesome murder and perverting the course of justice.

Tobias Moran is pictured being extradited back to NSW to face murder charges. Pictured: His arrival at Sydney airport

Police allege German-born Tobias Moran, formerly known as Tobias Suckfuell, murdered his 25-year-old girlfriend and countryman in 2005

Mr Moran is led away by NSW Police after landing at Sydney Domestic Airport on Wednesday evening

Mr Moran has never previously been charged over the murder of Ms Strobel and has always denied his involvement in her death

The accused killer was escorted to Mascot Police Station where he was formally charged with murder and perverting the course of justice

Mr Moran was refused bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.

He has never previously been charged over the murder of Ms Strobel and has always denied his involvement in her death.

The 25-year-old backpacker was a kindergarten teacher who travelled to Australia with her then boyfriend of more than six years.

But a Supreme Court judge ruled in a civil case there are 'reasonable suspicions' that Mr Moran killed Ms Strobel at the Lismore caravan park in 2005.

WA Police footage shows detectives arresting and handcuffing Mr Moran outside his home in exclusive City Beach, Perth where he has been living with his pregnant wife Samantha Moran, their two young children and pet dog Mango.

The former Tobias Suckfuell, has been living under his new name Toby Moran with wealthy lawyer and yoga instructor wife Samantha Moran (pictured above) in the elite Perth suburb of City Beach for more than a decade

Toby Moran (above when he was Tobias Suckfuell with then girlfriend Simone Strobel) has been charged with her 2005 murder in Lismore

The modest-looking multi-million dollar fibro house in a street of mostly high-end rebuilds is owned by Ms Moran's wealthy parents, who live in the same suburb.

Tobias Suckfuell and Samantha Moran - who is also a yoga instructor - were married in 2012 at his family's farmhouse in Altbessingen in southern Germany, just 30km from the Wurzburg home of Ms Strobel's parents.

Mr Moran, who left Australia after Ms Strobel's alleged murder and led a carefree nomadic existence surfing the world's top beaches, met Samantha in South Africa.

They moved back to Perth and Tobias Suckfuell became Toby Moran - a house husband and part-time builder while continuing to live the high life jet-setting to beaches in Bali and Mexico.

Toby Moran (above with wealthy wife Samantha) has been living the high life in a luxury beach shack owned by his wealthy dentist father-in-law in the elite Perth suburb of City Beach

The grieving parents of Simone Strobel (left) in Bavaria have been seeking answers for years since her 2005 alleged murder after last being seen on CCTV (right) six days before her naked decomposing body was found pushed through a fence near the Suckfuell siblings' campsite

Simone Strobel and Tobias Suckfuell (right) are seen on CCTV leaving Lismore's Gollan hotel on February 11, 2005 when it is said the couple argued over tensions in their relationship

The decomposed body of Ms Strobel was found covered in palm fronds and pushed through the fence of a bocce court 90m from where she and Mr Moran had been camping with his sister Kathrin and her friend Jens Martin.

Ms Strobel's body was found six days after she vanished following a drinking session between the four German tourists in a local Lismore hotel.

Neither Mr Moran nor his sister Kathrin returned to Australia to appear at the subsequent inquest into Ms Strobel's death.

But Jens Martin did testify and claimed that all three had lied to police at Mr Moran's behest about their actions before Ms Strobel disappeared.

Ms Strobel's grieving parents Gustl and Gabi Strobel have spoken to German newspapers over the years, saying they have endured 'agonising uncertainty' since their beloved daughter's death.

Ms Strobel's mysterious death also became the subject of a book, Have You Seen Simone? written by Virginia Peters.

Photo of Tobias and Simone during their backpacker holiday in Australia which has been signed by him with a romantic message to his then girlfriend of more than six years

As Mr Moran was led off in handcuffs to be extradited and face a Sydney court charged with murder, his wife Samantha (above, the couple together) is preparing to give birth to their third child in Perth

Simone Strobel (above in the same outfit she was last seen wearing on CCTV) was found decomposing and covered in palm fronds, pushed through the fence of a bocce court 90m from the caravan park where she and Mr Moran had been camping with his sister Kathrin

The fibro house owned by Samantha Moran's family is in a street of multi-million dollar knockdowns in the same suburb as her wealthy parents, John and Sandy

Toby and Samantha met in South Africa after he left Australia following Simone's alleged murder and have lived a comfortable life with the help of her rich Perth family

In 2014, Mr Moran took out an injunction to prevent its publication, and then launched a defamation suit against Ms Peters and Schwarz Publishing, but dropped the lawsuit in 2017.

However, during the defamation suit's process called discovery, the defence applied for the release of papers called 'the 100-page Document'.

In 2017, Mr Moran applied to block these documents on the grounds they were the subject of legal professional privilege and included notes written by himself and Samantha in South Africa which allegedly discuss the circumstances of Ms Strobel's death.

Tobias Suckfuell (above) in a NSW Police interview following the discovery of his then girlfriend's body pushed through a fence near their campsite in Lismore

The West Australian newspaper has previously reported Ms Moran said the couple was looking forward to commenting on the Ms Strobel's case in the future, but would not speak publicly before then.

NSW Police told the inquest they believed Ms Strobel had been killed by smothering, most likely with a pillow.

In 2020, the NSW government offered a $1 million reward for information over the homicide.

Detective Cameron Blaine, who arrested Mr Moran on Tuesday, was among senior detectives who found missing four-year-old Perth girl, Cleo Smith, last year.

Toby and Samantha (above) are expecting their third child just as he has been extradited from Perth to NSW to face charges of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a Lismore caravan park in 2005
The Indiana doctor whose abortion on a 10-year-old girl was used as a talking point by the left and doubted by conservatives has hit back at her detractors - including the state's attorney general, who she is suing for defamation.

The account asserts the unnamed girl was forced to seek an abortion in Indiana after her home state of Ohio barred abortions, and became a flashpoint in the debate over abortion rights after it was shared to a local newspaper by an unnamed source last month.

The story soon came under scrutiny - with pundits, politicians, news publications and even personalities clashing over its veracity following last month's controversial overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

That initial doubt, however, was soon quelled, after it was revealed that the rape had taken place, and that a 27-year-old Ohio man has been charged with raping the girl.

Records further revealed that the abortion also occurred, days after the historic ruling- and that Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist Caitlin Bernard was the doctor who performed it.

Speaking on national television Tuesday, Bernard slammed politicians and news publications who questioned the story's veracity, after the Supreme Court nixed federal rights for abortions in June.

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Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the Indiana doctor whose abortion on a 10-year-old girl was used as a talking point by the left and doubted by conservatives, hit back at her detractors - including the state's attorney general - in an exclusive interview on CBS Tuesday

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who according to Indiana state records provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim, tells those who doubt the veracity of children needing abortion: Come spend a day in my clinic. pic.twitter.com/6cD6kMgcKx  CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 26, 2022

'Come spend a day in my clinic,' Bernard told 'CBS Evening News' Norah O'Donnell, when asked about those who accused her of making up the story - including AG Todd Rokita, who falsely said she failed to report the procedure.

'Come see the care that we provide every single day,' the OBGYN continued. 'The situations that people find themselves in, and in need of abortion care are some of the most difficult that you could imagine.

'And that's why we, as physicians, need to be able to provide that care unhindered, that medical decisions need to be made between a physician and their patients.'

Due to privacy laws, as politicians and pundits - and even publications such as The Washington Post - debated over the story, Bernard had to keep mum about the June 30 procedure.

Speaking to CBS News' Norah O'Donnell Tuesday, Bernard slammed politicians and news publications who questioned the story's veracity, after the Supreme Court nixed federal rights for abortions in June

However, in early July, Ohio linked 27-year-old Columbus man Luis Fuentes to the rape, which police said took place on two different occasions.

Documents obtained by the Washington Post further revealed that Dr Bernard did report the minor's abortion before she was legally mandated to do so - contradicting televised claims made by Rokita, who said he had not received documentation from state agencies that the abortion had been reported.

He also called Bernard an 'abortion activist,' casting doubt on the account, and hinted that he would personally pull her license if the story turned out to be false.

Bernard is now suing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (pictured) for defamation, after he threatened to pull her license after questioning the claims and launching an investigation into the Indianapolis doctor

Bernard, who told O'Donnell she has felt threatened by the claims, has since sued the Indiana AG for defamation, saying the statements he made about her were false and harmful to her reputation.

'The situations that people find themselves in, and in need of abortion care are some of the most difficult that you could imagine.

'And that's why we, as physicians, need to be able to provide that care unhindered, that medical decisions need to be made between a physician and their patients.'

Bernard, who told O'Donnell she has felt threatened, moved to sue Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for defamation, saying he made false statements about her after the June 30 case came to light.

Bernard also said the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade will have ramifications on not only abortions but other reproductive health care as well, which she asserted could endanger women's lives.

in early July, Ohio arrested 27-year-old Columbus man Luis Fuentes and linked him to the rape, confirming Bernard's story

'When you take away the right to privacy in your medical decision-making, it puts you in a situation where you don't know where to turn,' she said.

'And it makes it incredibly difficult, not just to provide abortion care, but full-spectrum reproductive health care. You know, this will affect our ability to take care of miscarriages.

'This will affect our ability to take care of complications in early pregnancy that could kill someone. This will affect our ability to provide infertility treatment, contraception, the list goes on.'

Asked what she would say to those who believe abortion is immoral, Bernard said their personal religious beliefs should not impede on others' access to medical care.

'What I would say is if you don't believe that you would have an abortion, then don't have one,' she said.

'You cannot stop other people from accessing medical care that they need based on your personal religious beliefs. You would never want somebody to do that to you.

Fuentes, whom federal sources said is present in the country illegally, confessed to raping the girl at least twice during his arraignment last week on July 19,.

The hearing saw a detective testify that the victim in the case was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion following the Dobbs ruling, a claim that conservatives had cast doubt upon just days before.

A detective also testified that Columbus police learned about the girl's pregnancy through a referral by Franklin County Children Services that was made by her mother on June 22.

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion, just two days later, on June 24 - confirming some of the main facets of the case study.

Rape suspect Fuentes, 27, is seen an arraignment last week for the rape. He is accused of assaulting and impregnating's the 10-year-old, who had to cross state lines for an abortion following last month's Roe v. Wade ruling

In court, a detective (not pictured) testified that the victim in the case was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion following the Dobbs ruling - further confirming the story

The girl had an abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, The Columbus Dispatch reported, crossing state lines in order to get access the procedure.

An Indianapolis physician who provides abortion services, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, had told The Indianapolis Star that an abortion had been provided for such a child because the girl couldn't get the abortion in Ohio, which had a newly imposed state ban on abortions at the first detectable 'fetal heartbeat.'

The child was six weeks and three days pregnant  therefore, ineligible by just three days to receive the procedure in her home state.

According to court records, a report was generated on June 22 with the Columbus Division of Police for rape. And on July 6, the victim identified Fuentes to authorities as the person who raped her.

A week later, Fuentes was served a search warrant for a saliva sample and was taken into custody where he confessed to raping the victim multiple times.

Fuentes appeared in court Wednesday and was given a $2 million bond. He's currently in the Franklin County Jail.

Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Ebner said the case didn't warrant Fuentes - who is believed to be undocumented - to be held without bond, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

But Ebner said a higher bond was necessary due to Fuentes being a possible flight risk and for the safety of children involved.

Ohio AG Dave Yost also doubted the story, saying his office didn't hear a 'whisper' about the 10-year-old girl - who allegedly had to leave the state in order to get the abortion

Fuentes' arrest, on July 13, came less than two weeks after the story surfaced, also came just two days after Ohio AG Dave Yost said his office didn't hear a 'whisper' about the 10-year-old girl - who allegedly had to leave the state in order to get the abortion.

Speaking to Fox News on July 12, Yost, a Republican, asserted that there was 'no biological evidence' of the case - saying that a rape kit was not performed.

Yost, 65, went on to declare that his office 'works closely' with law enforcement and would have known about the incident if one was filed.

That declaration came five days after the girl reportedly identified Fuentes to authorities and weeks after a child services report was generated, and 12 days after the reported rape.

'We have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs, not a whisper anywhere,' Yost told the station at the time.

The very next day, Indiana AG Rokita, also on Fox News, questioned whether Bernard had actually reported the procedure to state officials - bragging that he was 'gathering evidence' to see if the doctor could face 'a criminal charge.'

The appearance did not see the lawmaker provide evidence to back up his claims.

Two days later, the case was all but confirmed - smearing egg in the faces of the several politicians, pundits, personalities and even news publications who questioned the story.

Rokita, meanwhile, has 90 days to investigate or settle the claim before facing legal action from Bernard. After that period of time, her suit, filed last week, can go through.
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Beloved childhood snacks and fast-food items from the '90s and early '00s have quietly been disappearing off store shelves for years - with the most recent being the Choco Taco earlier this week.

Fans of some these discontinued items like Lemon Ice Gatorade or Keebler Magic Middles, are taking action by starting online petitions or Facebook pages demanding the snacks of their childhood be brought back.

Some petitions have worked, and some haven't. But here are some that will never be forgotten.

Choco Tacos

Fans of the beloved Klondike Chaco Taco are in disbelief after the company announced that it is discontinuing the childhood treat.

The Choco Taco was invented by Alan Drazen in Philadelphia in 1983, according to Eater. Drazen sought to create an ice cream unique to the company he worked at, Jack & Jill.

The cold treat that was inspired by Mexican cuisine is a waffle cone that mocks a taco shell filled with vanilla ice cream with fudge swirls. The hit treat is topped off with a hard chocolate shell infused with peanuts.

The Choco Taco has been on the market for nearly 40 years and skyrocketed in the ice cream market when Unilever - who also owns Klondike - purchased Jack & Jill in 1989.

The company blamed the decision to retire the Choco Taco on the shift in demand over the past two years.

Klondike announced the company is retiring the beloved Choco Taco frozen treat on Monday. Consumers immediately reacted urging for the company to bring it back

Doritos 3Ds

There have been many different variations of Doritos over the years, but nothing quite compared to little puffed up triangles that were Doritos 3Ds. The puffy chips had the flavors fans loved but with a 3D crunch that took it to the next level. But by the early 2000s, the 3Ds chips were no more.

The puffy chips had the flavors fans loved but with a 3D crunch that took it to the next level

Squeezits

Squeezits were juices in bottles that commercials urged kids to 'squeeze the fun out of it.' Flavors included Berry B. Wild, Silly Billy Strawberry, Rockin' Red Puncher, Mean Green Puncher, Smarty Arty Orange, and Troppi Tropical Punch. But they were discontinued in 2001.

Squeezits were juices in bottles that commercials urged kids to 'squeeze the fun out of it'

Shark Bites

The shark-shaped were fruit snacks that were a staple in every 90s kid's lunchbox, featuring a variety of species including hammerheads, mako sharks, tiger sharks, and the Great White shark pieces. The gummy snacks were a 'feeding frenzy of fruity fun.'

The shark-shaped were fruit snacks that were a staple in every 90s kid's lunchbox

Swoops

These Pringle-shaped slices of chocolate were introduced in 2003 and were discontinued in 2006. Flavors included Reese's and Almond Joy and their 'Swoop, there it is!' commercials were iconic.

These Pringle-shaped slices of chocolate were introduced in 2003 and discontinued in 2006

Sprite Remix

This 'remixed' colorless caffeine-free soda and drink-flavoring packets made by Coca-Cola was a twist on the lemon-lime classic. It was discontinued in 2005 in the United States. In the spring of 2015, the Tropical Sprite Remix flavor was reintroduced under the name Sprite Tropical and renamed Sprite Tropical Mix.

This 'remixed' colorless caffeine-free soda and drink-flavoring packets made by Coca-Cola was a twist on the lemon-lime classic

Dunkaroos

Dunkaroos were an iconic snack of the 90s consisting of cookie and frosting combo stuffed into one package. The Betty Crocker snack, first launched in 1990, are meant to be dunked into the frosting before eating.

Dunkaroos were an iconic snack of the 90s consisting of cookie and frosting combo stuffed into one package

Butterfingers BBs

Butterfingers BBs were little nuggets of the actual Butterfinger candy bar. Fans called the bite-sized round balls of Butterfinger goodness 'addictive.'

Butterfingers BBs were little nuggets of the actual Butterfinger candy bar

Heinz EZ Squirt ketchup

Heinz EZ Squirt was a variety of colored ketchup that was marketed toward kids. It came in purple, green and red and was available from 2000 to 2006.

Heinz E-Z Squirt was a variety of colored ketchup that was marketed toward kids and came in purple, green and red

Altoids Sours

Many remember Altoids as being chalky, minty tablets that were passed among adults - but it was the Altoids Sours that brought joy to all ages. The incredibly sour, brightly colored crystalline-looking candies made you pucker your lips. They debited in 2004 and were discontinued in 2010 due to low sales.

The incredibly sour, brightly colored crystalline-looking candies made you pucker your lips

Fruitopia

Fruitopia was an iconic staple of the '90s and even mentioned in an episode of The Simpsons. It was invented as a push by Minute Maid to capitalize on the success of fruity soda-alternatives like Snapple but by the end of the 90s, sales had lagged.

Fruitopia was an iconic staple of the '90s and even mentioned in an episode of The Simpsons

Wonder Ball

Wonder Ball was a ball of chocolate filled with candy and even toys and stickers. But these snacks were determined to be a choking hazard for younger children and it was discontinued.

Wonder Ball was a ball of chocolate filled with candy and even toys and stickers

Mickey's Parade Mickey Mouse Bars

Mickey's Parade Mickey Mouse Bars were ice cream bars on a stick shaped like Mickey Mouse's head, with the ears dipped in hard chocolate. As of 2019, these treats were only offered in the Disney Parks.

Mickey's Parade Mickey Mouse Bars were ice cream bars on a stick shaped like Mickey Mouse's head

Keebler Magic Middles

Keebler Magic Middles were shortbread cookies with a soft fudge center, a Magic Middles brand cookie from the Keebler elves. But in the mid-90's, they were discontinued so they could use the equipment that manufactured them for another line.

Keebler Magic Middles were shortbread cookies with a soft fudge center

Lemon Ice Gatorade

This 'Thirst Quencher' disappeared in 2015, and upset fans were still searching for it in 2016 and 2017, only to be told by Gatorade's official social media accounts that their favorite flavor was no longer available.

This 'Thirst Quencher' disappeared in 2015, and upset fans were still searching for it in 2016 and 2017

Eggo WAF-FULLS

Eggo Waf-Fulls were created in the early 2000s by Kellogg. The waffles were filled with flavored jelly, like Strawberry, Blueberry, or Apple Cinnamon.

Eggo Waf-Fulls were created in the early 2000s by Kellogg

Yogos

Yogos were yogurt-covered fruit snacks that were first introduced by Kellogg's in 2005. There were even different variations, including Yogos Bits and Yogos Sour Bits. But despite their popularity, Yogos were only around for five years before being discontinued.

Yogos were yogurt-covered fruit snacks that were first introduced by Kellogg's in 2005

Planters P.B. Crisps

Planters P.B. Crisps were a one-of-a-kind '90s snack food that fans have begged to be brought back. The crisp was a graham cookie shaped like a peanut shell and filled with mouth-watering peanut butter. First introduced in 1992, it was produced until 1995 when it quietly disappeared from the shelves.

Planters P.B. Crisps were a one-of-a-kind '90s snack food that fans have begged to be brought back

Bug Pops

Nestle's Timon & Pumbaa Bug Pops were based off The Lion King movie and kids delighted in pretending to eat bugs and gummy worms - which were embedded in the frozen treat.

Nestle's Timon & Pumbaa Bug Pops were based off The Lion King movie

Cheetos Twisted Puffs

These cheesy, twisted puffs were sold by PepsiCo from 2002-2012 and then were suddenly discontinued.
A grieving family is suing a New Jersey funeral home that put the wrong body on display in their mother's casket and blamed her differing appearance on the work of embalmers.

The family of Kyung Ja Kim, 93, claims another woman bearing the same last name was dressed in her clothing and placed in her casket after her death last November.

Kyung Ja's daughter, Kummi Kim, said she instantly knew the woman inside the casket was not her mother because she was 'so much younger looking,' but funeral home officials insisted no mistake had been made.

It wasn't until the casket was halfway into Kyung Ja's grave that staff alerted the family the body of Whaja Kim, 70, had been placed inside the casket instead.

Kyung Ja's family has filed a $50 million suit against the Central Funeral Home of New Jersey and Blackley Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. of Ridgefield.

The suit alleges the mixup was an act of 'negligence' and would've been avoidable had the funeral home properly tagged the bodies, per standard protocol.

The family of Kyung Ja Kim, 93, claims another woman bearing the same last name was dressed in her clothing and placed in her casket after her death last November. Kyung Ja is pictured at age 80

The Blackley Funeral home in Ridgefield, New Jersey faces a $50million lawsuit after allegedly placing the wrong body inside a casket

Kyung Ja passed away in November 2021 and was expected to have a traditional Korean funeral at the Promise Church in Leonia, which her family said she helped establish.

Her body was taken to the funeral home three days before the memorial mass for preparations. When Kummi viewed the body ahead of the ceremony, she told the home it didn't appear to be her mother.

'At the church when she opened the casket I told them this is not my mom she was so much younger looking,' Kummi told ABC 7.

Funeral home director Haemin Gina Chong told her the altered appearance was the result of the embalming process, which features heavy mortuary makeup, fake hair and filler such as Botox.

Chong 'responded with a very clear expression of denial and dismay over the question as if Kummi did not appreciate a different appearance after death,' the lawsuit stated.

The suit, which was reviewed by NJ.com, alleges the funeral home mixed up the bodies and placed Kyung Ja's dentures under Whaja's pillow.

It wasn't until the casket was halfway into Kyung Ja's grave that staff alerted the family the body of Whaja Kim, 70, had been placed inside the casket instead. The Kim family is pictured at what should have been Kyung Ja's burial

While Kyung Ja's church service was underway, Chong texted Whaja's daughter requesting multiple photos of her late mother.

Following mass - as the funeral procession had begun - she called Kummi and offered to turn the processional around if she 'wasn't confident' Kyung Ja's body was in the casket.

Kummi was reportedly 'confused and taken by surprise' by Chong's offer and told her to continue the procession to the cemetery, where the graveside service was held.

Kyung Ja's loved ones had tossed shovels of dirt on to her casket and it was being lowered into the ground when Chong instructed the gravediggers to lift the casket back up and place it into the hearse.

'Without saying another word she ran away from the cemetery right that minute,' Kummi told the TV station. 'People just saw me collapsing down. No one was really sure what was going and they figured it out when I collapsed.'

The lawsuit claims the scene at the cemetery left mourners feeling shocked, confused and 'psychologically numb.'

Kyung Ja's daughter, Kummi Kim (pictured), said she instantly knew the woman inside the casket was not her mother because she was 'so much younger looking,' but funeral home officials insisted no mistake had been made

The funeral home offered to refund the $9,000 the Kim family paid for funeral expenses, but the family is seeking $50 million instead. Kyung Ja is pictured with her loved ones in an undated photo

Later that day, Chong called the family explaining they had arranged an urgent service for Kyung Ja the next day. However, the Promise Church wasn't available so the service would be held at the funeral home.

'She said she'd prepare my mother soon and we'd have her that afternoon, but it was pouring rain so it had to be postponed to Sunday,' Kummi said, explaining how not having a proper memorial has left her ridden with 'guilt, shame and humiliation.'

Funeral home director Haemin Gina Chong told Kummi the altered appearance was the result of the embalming process, which features heavy mortuary makeup, fake hair and filler such as Botox

'We couldn't have a real church service. No other friends or church members could come. It's not her wish she wished everything could be done at the church and say goodbye the proper way to friends and church members.'

The family notes the botched memorial, their last memory of Kyung Ja, was a 'stain' that 'now we cannot erase.'

'My mother lived a long life and she wanted her funeral to be a celebration,' Kummi said during a recent news conference. 'Her last wish was that everything would be at the church, the proper way. So I feel very guilty that we couldnt give her her final wish.'

Kummi, who spoke to Whaja's family shortly after the ordeal, alleges the other family victimized by the mixup was also unable to have a proper goodbye.

'They couldn't do open casket for the other family, because she had already started to decay,' she said. 'We are really two victims. Not only my mom but the other victim.'

The lawsuit requests $50 million for breach of contract, negligence, emotional distress, and battery as a result of the 'outrageous and mishandling' of Kyung Ja's body. She is pictured with her family at her 88th birthday party

Kim family attorney Michael Maggiano said the funeral home offered to refund the $9,000 the family paid for funeral expenses, but the family is seeking more.

The lawsuit requests $50 million for breach of contract, negligence, emotional distress, and battery as a result of the 'outrageous and mishandling' of Kyung Ja's body.

'This was a complete system failure at its very core. Was it negligence? Certainly,' Maggiano said. 'There should have been identification so you dont confuse one Kim for another.'

The family says they are not looking for money, but rather change.

'This kind of thing should never happen again,' Kummi's husband, Taichul Kim, said.

Any money won from the suit will be donated to two Korean churches in which Kyung Ja was an active participant in her honor.
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Cara Delevingne's quirky, oddball antics were on full display over the weekend as the supermodel stepped out in her Los Angeles neighborhood.

The British-born actress, runway model, and influencer, 29, was running errands around town on her own on Sunday afternoon, when she was seen looking worse for wear and acting strangely - making odd, silly faces out in public.

Cara, who lives in Studio City, was snapped parking her car in a lot in the San Fernando Valley, where she spent hours taking care of some undisclosed business.

The junk food-loving fashion model then went on to pick up some lunch at Subway before stopping at a second fast-food joint Jack in the Box, while taking cigarette breaks and even bizarrely changing her clothes along the way.

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A very animated Cara Delevingne was spotted making strange, silly faces and behaving oddly as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon

The 29-year-old Londoner was snapped at a local Subway restaurant where she made a series of odd facial expressions as she scanned the food menu

The runway model was on her own during her trip into town on Sunday and appeared fidgety and excitable throughout the outing

She made a few stops around town, at one point changing her outfit, picking up some magazines, and indulging in a smoke

In exclusive video obtained by DailyMail.com, a very animated Cara can be seen at the parking lot, rummaging through her belongings in her cream-colored Audi Rs6 Avant, moving bags and items around inside the vehicle and at one point losing one of her shoes.

After pulling out a bag of loose leaf tobacco from the back seat, she took a moment to roll herself a cigarette before going back into the car to look for more items.

Cara, who is known for her eccentric style and demeanor when she's not posing on the runway or red carpet, was dressed down in a white tank top, gym shorts, and sneakers.

She went barefaced and had her unkempt blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail.

Wearing a black face mask, she first yanked it down to roll up her cigarette, before bizarrely pulling it over her head and wearing it as a headband.

She then headed into town by herself where her quirky behavior continued as she visited a few shops.

Earlier in the day, Delevingne had parked her cream-colored Audi at a parking lot in the San Fernando Valley, where she spent hours taking care of some undisclosed business

She appeared frustrated and on edge while rummaging through her belongings in her car, at one point losing one of her shoes

The actress dug around in her car for quite a while, pulling out several items in the process

She was dressed down in a white tank top, gym shorts, and sneakers, with her unkempt blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail

After a few seconds, she was seen pulling out a bag of loose leaf tobacco and took a moment to roll herself a cigarette

The actress-model fixed herself a smoke, frequently fidgeting with her face mask

She first yanked the face covering down to roll up her cigarette, before bizarrely pulling it over her head and wearing it as a headband

At one point she was seen pulling out a folding fan which she briefly used to cool herself off

She threw on a beige button-down shirt over her tank top before briefly visiting a local news stand, where she was seen making strange facial expressions as she picked up and perused different magazines.

Cara then stopped for food at a nearby Subway restaurant where she once again exhibited very animated behavior, playing with her sunglasses and making silly faces as she scanned the menu.

After a while, the Hollywood star, who turns 30 in August, was seen stopping by another fast-food favorite, Jack in the Box, and later emerged from the restaurant wearing a different set of clothes.

She ditched the beige button shirt and navy blue athletic shorts, walking out in a white tank top and what appeared to be men's boxer briefs.

It is unclear if she picked up a second meal at the burger joint, however, it wouldn't be unusual for the runway model who famously has a love of fast food and is still able to maintain her figure for her modeling career.

Back at the parking lot, Cara appeared to fix herself up following her outfit change, tying a white bandana around her head to complement her clothes.

The odd behavior continued as the Suicide Squad star, who threw on a beige button-down shirt, headed into town

Cara, who turns 30 in August, again appeared very animated, changing her facial expressions and reacting excitably as she browsed a magazine stand

The quirky runway model appeared to be in her own world as she perused different titles

She picked up a few magazines before heading to her next stop

The odd and chaotic behavior during Sunday's outing follows a string of recent public incidents involving the model that has sparked concern from fans

She sucked on what looked like a red tube of candy, eventually driving off following a brief conversation with two passers-by.

The odd behavior during Sunday's outing follows a string of recent public incidents involving Delevingne that have sparked concern among fans.

In May, the film and TV star, who appears in the second season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building alongside friend and fellow actress Selena Gomez, made headlines and was mocked online for her bizarre conduct at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Videos of the model went viral after she was snapped apparently pestering Megan Thee Stallion and fussing over the train of her dress as the rapper posed for photos on the red carpet.

A hyper and playful Cara was seen jumping into the shoot to pick up the train of Megan's gown, which she began throwing into the air in an apparent attempt to help the musician get a more dramatic shot.

Later that night, fans on Twitter and Instagram also called out Cara, who was seated next to the rap artist at the show, for apparently invading her personal space when she won the award for Best Female Rap Artist.

While Megan appeared to be letting the joyous moment sink in, Cara could be seen leaning in towards her and poking out her tongue - as the rapper ignored her.

The junk food-loving fashion model took several cigarette breaks and even bizarrely changed her clothes during the outing

After an hour or so she walked to a nearby Jack in the Box burger joint, then emerged in a different outfit

At one point she switched up her look, ditching the button shirt she had thrown over her tank top earlier and accessorized with a bandana

She then emerged from the fast food restaurant in a different set of clothes, sporting what appeared to be a white pair of men's boxer shorts

Back at the parking lot, Cara appeared to fix herself up following her outfit change, readjusting the white bandana around her head to complement her clothes

She sucked on what looked like a red tube of candy, eventually driving off following a brief conversation with two passers-by

Adding to the awkward situation, viewers were quick to notice when the Hot Girl Summer rapper later shared an Instagram story posing alongside Doja Cat at the awards ceremony, cropping out Cara completely from the photo.

The rap artist re-posted a series of images from her night at the awards show, but failed to share any photos with Cara despite posing with her several times throughout the evening.

In the original version of the altered image that Megan did share of herself and Doja, 26, Cara can be seen in between the two musicians, staring off into the distance while they flash smiles and pouts at the camera.

A few months earlier, Cara was seen presenting behavior similar to that on Sunday's outing as she let loose at the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private Launch Event party in New York City.

The 29-year-old model was spotted gripping a bottle of Della Vite Prosecco as she danced up a storm and hung out with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and A$AP Rocky, among other stars.

Photos of the Suicide Squad star went viral after she was seen pulling a series of animated facial expressions on the night, with the worse for wear star showing off her dance moves in the club.

A video of Cara dancing next to Mayor Adams as A$AP Rocky raps for the crowd, sent social media users into a frenzy after the sleepy-eyed model was seen grinning from ear-to-ear and playfully flashing her tongue.

The outing comes just a few months after the actress made headlines for her bizarre conduct at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Cara was mocked online after jumping into rapper Megan Thee Stallion's red carpet shoot and playing with the train of her dress

Too much? Fans also said it looked as though Cara - who sat next to Megan at the award show - was invading her personal space after the rapper was awarded Best Female Rap Artist

Savage! Megan Thee Stallion re-posted a photo of herself and Doja Cat at the Billboard Awards, which seemingly had Cara Delevingne cropped out after the model was mocked for pestering rapper at the event

The original: Fans noticed that the original picture (seen) included Cara, however in the version that Megan re-posted on her Instagram Stories, the British supermodel was edited out

Delevingne, who has transitioned into bigger acting roles over the years, surprised fans last month after being introduced as Selena Gomez's character Mabel Mora's new love interest in the newest season of hit Hulu mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building.

The two actresses' get passionate early on in the season, with the two locking lips as they talk about art in the second episode of the season.

Delevingne spoke about sharing intimate scenes with her longtime friend in an interview with E!'s web series, While You Were Streaming, saying: 'It was just fun. Would anyone in the world not like to kiss Selena?'

She further explained: 'It was just hysterical. It's just one of those things, especially when you know someone so well, it's the comfortability and you kind of have fun with it.'

Only Kissing in the Building! Cara Delevingne has opened up about sharing kissing scenes with Selena Gomez in season two of the hit show Only Murders In The Building on Hulu

Proud: Cara has spoken about how she loves being able to 'represent" the queer community in 'Only Murders in the Building'

Speaking on their friendship, she added: 'We never get to see each other as much because we're so busy. So to be able to spend that much time with her, and also to be able to work with her, she's just such an incredible person to work with whether I know her or not. She is brilliant, like one of my favorite actors I've ever worked with.'

Cara and Selena, who turned 30 last week, first met when they were 15 and became fast friends, even getting matching rose tattoos in December last year.

The pair had previously set off dating rumors after being snapped looking cozy together in public in the past, however, it seems their relationship off screen is really just platonic.

Meanwhile Cara, who identifies as pansexual and genderfluid, all but confirmed a new romance last month when she was photographed sharing a lingering kiss with female friend Minke in picturesque Portofino.

The previous day the two women were also seen enjoying a day out in Venice, with the pair appearing to capture another public display of affection with a selfie. Minke, whose real name is Leah Mason, is based in London and released her debut single Gold Angel in 2017.

Earlier this month, Cara was announced to have been cast in an upcoming female-led film, Tell it Like a Woman, alongside A-list stars including Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson, Pauletta Washington, Cara Delevingne, Catherine Hardwicke, Marcia Gay Harden, Eva Longoria, among others.

The movie is set to premiere in theaters this winter.
Hyderabad: People living along the Musi river, downstream of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs, are reeling from the release of over 15,000 cusecs of water that inundated parts of Chaderghat, Kamalanagar, Shankarnagar and Moosanagar. So far, the HMWS&SB opened 13 gates of the Osmanasagar, up to six feet, releasing 8,281 cusecs and eight gates of the Himayatsagar, up to three feet, releasing 7,708 cusecs.

With an inflow of around 7,500 cusecs, the water level of the Osmansagar reservoir is currently at 1,788.8 feet, against a full tank level of 1,790 feet, while inflows of around 7,000 cusecs have pushed up the water level at Himayatsagar to 1,761.3 feet, against a full tank level of 1,763.5 feet.

Officials of the GHMC have evacuated residents of 60 colonies on Musis banks, and are making arrangements to evacuate residents of another 100 colonies if the situation worsens. However, residents who were evacuated complained of poor facilities at relief centres, especially food quality.

As water levels rose over the danger level, Chaderghat and Moosarambagh causeways were shut and traffic diverted.

HMWS&SB officials told Deccan Chronicle that they had been preparing to open the gates for a week, as the water levels continued to fluctuate, but finally reached FRL on Saturday night. They immediately alerted the police, revenue and GHMC officials before opening the sluice gates.

Officials said that taking the opportunity, many industries located upstream of Musi were also releasing untreated water, as evidenced by the pungent smell and froth formation. Children swimming in the highly contaminated water at Chaderghat also raised health concerns.
A mother-of-two wept as she apologised to the adults and children who fractured faces, legs, arms and an eye socket after her 4x4 ploughed into them during her school run.

Dolly Rincon-Aguilar, 39, was driving her Toyota Rav4 when she mounted the pavement, hit a tree and then a wall before accelerating to the school entrance, a court heard.

Parents were collecting their children from Beatrix Potter Primary School in Openview, Earlsfield, south-west London, when the eight victims were sent sprawling 'like skittles'.

A seven-year-old boy with his back to the car was knocked into the air, while others as young as six were trapped under the vehicle just after 3pm on September 8 2020 as witnesses reported hearing a 'terror scream' at the scene.

The 39-year-old, from Wandsworth, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and claimed that she accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake before she drove into the group of eight.

Eight pupils and parents were standing outside Beatrix Potter Primary School in Openview, Earlsfield, south-west London, when they were struck by Rincon-Aguilar (pictured) Toyota Rav4 at just after 3pm on September 8 2020

Emergency services raced to the scene where 11 people were injured - nine were taken to hospital

Dolly Rincon-Aguilar (pictured outside court today), 39, from Wandsworth, south London, who was picking up children from the school, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving

On Wednesday at Kingston Crown Court, the 39-year-old became tearful as she apologised to the victims and their families.

Asked by defence barrister Ian Henderson QC how the incident had affected her, she said: 'I think just my heart is broken in two. I just wish that I could take away all the pain and all the frustration.'

She added: 'I want to be able to tell them I'm so sorry because it is the only thing I want to say to them,' before naming all those who were injured.

'A school should feel safe,' she said. 'It is just so upsetting.'

The jury heard that Rincon-Aguilar, originally from Colombia, who got her UK driving licence for an automatic vehicle in 2019, had not been drinking or taking drugs and had no health issues or problems at home.

She also confirmed there were no obstructions due to the weather, no distractions like the radio playing and her mobile phone was in her pocket while the vehicle had MOT, tax and insurance.

'When I drive to the school, I always take my time because there are children around and it can be difficult to see them,' she said. 'I took a few minutes to take to the road, making sure to look in the mirrors.

'I just put the car in drive and just indicated, checked mirrors, checked mirrors again and indicated and just tried to take the road.

Eyewitnesses said Dolly Rincon-Aguilar, 39, (pictured) was 'blank and frozen' after the incident. She denies eight counts of dangerous driving

'I did press the accelerator gently and the next thing the car just went through the road and it was just so fast and just hit the tree.

'It finished so fast. We were heading towards the main gate, and I thought, I don't know, "Just stop". When the car wasn't stopping I just thought "handbrake, handbrake".'

Rincon-Aguilar told the court she later recognised one of the mothers, saying: 'She was so scared.'

She added: 'It is your community, it is your school. I have been there for 10 years. It is the place that you love.'

The court heard that she spoke to the police without a solicitor. She said: 'I decided to speak because I was just there and I was losing my mind.'

The court previously heard Rincon-Aguilar telling officers: 'I went to collect my kids...I park and I put them in the back. Then I did press the gas.

'I just remember I was completely numb. I was completely scared. The people that saw when I hit the tree, their faces...I just went numb.

'I was sitting there. I was just in panic. I can't explain what happened because everything just went too fast. I checked that there were no cars coming or children. The car just flew.'

Eight pupils and parents were standing outside Beatrix Potter Primary School (pictured) in Openview, Earlsfield, south-west London, when they were struck by the Toyota Rav4 at just after 3pm on September 8 2020

Becoming tearful, she added in court today that it was 'out of respect for the families'.

Friends and family described the defendant as a 'cautious' and 'conscientious' person who acts with common sense and puts all children first, not just her own.

Rincon-Aguilar's close friend Karen Duque said: 'Dolly is just the most kind and most generous and most selfless person I have ever met.'

Her father-in-law Neil Livingston described her as 'honest, forthright, rather shy' and 'a lovely person'.

Another friend, Alan Nolan, said: 'The best way I describe Dolly is that she is an extraordinarily caring individual. I have no reason to think that she is anything other than 100% honest.'

Asked about the police's conclusion that there was 'pedal misapplication' where she is likely to have pressed the accelerator rather than the brake, she said: 'I think that is all right.'

Paramedics and London's Air Ambulance were called to the scene just after 3.10pm.

Eleven people, including seven children, were treated at the scene, with four adults and five children taken to hospital while two children were discharged. Two victims had fractures to the face and skull, with one requiring emergency treatment to remove a blood clot.

Some of the children were left with 'serious' fractures to the leg, arm and eye socket.

Yesterday, one parent described the moment of horror when they turned to see the one-tonne car hurtling towards them.

A seven-year-old boy with his back to the car was knocked into the air, while others as young as six were trapped under the vehicle. Pictured: Dolly Rincon-Aguilar as she arrives at Kingston Crown Court

She said: 'There was a very loud metal grinding sound and I immediately felt a sense of danger.

I saw a car coming straight towards us. There was a sense of mayhem and panic.

She added: Dollys face looked blank and frozen. I wondered where her children were and saw her youngest son in the passenger seat.

Another parent said: I could see a child had blood coming from his nose. He had an obvious and significant injury on his leg.

I didnt really recall what happened next, but it seemed eerily quiet.

One victim of the crash described the moment they thought they were going to die, saying: I felt for a moment that this is it. I fell on the floor and a weight was on top of me.

I remember thinking; where are the children? I was lying on the pavement for about an hour before being moved to a wheelchair.

I didnt feel pain until I got up and felt extreme pain.

Others described seeing children injured and bloody on the scene - 11 people, seven of them children, were injured.

The trial continues.
A pizza chef turned drug trafficker who helped import 300kg of cocaine has been jailed for 16 years with the judge putting his bad behaviour down to 'low intelligence'.

Anthony Natale, 29, was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and three months in Melbourne's County Court on Wednesday after being nabbed for smuggling the $100million haul from Papua New Guinea into Far North Queensland in August 2018.

The former chef at La Porchetta restaurant in Melbourne pleaded guilty to trafficking a large commercial quantity of drugs including MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine as well as to knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Anthony Natale, 29, (pictured) was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and three months behind bars in Melbourne's County Court

Police allege Natale was a major player in the syndicate that smuggled 300kg of cocaine from Papua New Guinea into Far North Queensland in August of 2018

The drug shipment arrived in the Sunshine State via a Cessna plane before it was loaded into a car and driven south to be distributed in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reported.

Judge Mark Gamble highlighted Natale's 'low intelligence and immaturity' before sentencing him to the lengthy stint behind bars.

'You are not the architect or the head of this drug trafficking syndicate. I accept that you simply did the bidding,' he said.

The 29-year-old's mother reportedly burst into tears as her son's sentence was read.

Following the arrival of the Papua New Guinea shipment, Victoria Police partnered with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Federal Police and the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce to crack down on the syndicate.

The former La Porchetta pizza chef (pictured) pleaded guilty to trafficking a large commercial quantity of drugs including MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine as well as to knowingly deal with the proceeds of crime

Natale previously worked as a pizza chef at La Porchetta in Highpoint (pictured)

Investigators intercepted member's phones, used wiretaps and physical surveillance to track the group's movements.

During his offending, the pizza-maker was covertly monitored as he transported a large shipment of meth and MDMA, and laundered more than $2million.

Natale unknowingly met with an undercover cop at a Bunnings hardware store in Maribyrnong in October of 2018.

The officer handed Natale a $5 note with a serial number on it - a token used to identify members of underworld groups - who handed the cop $200,000 in return.

Five months later, he gave $385,000 to another officer posing as a money launderer when the pair met up at the Central East Shopping Centre Braybrook.

The court heard investigators were aware of Natale moving $1,462,950 between Keysborough and Ascot Vale as well as his frequent visits to a gang member's Melbourne home - a total of 23 times in January to February in 2019.

'You are not the architect or the head of this drug trafficking syndicate. I accept that you simply did the bidding,' Judge Mark Gamble said during Natale's sentencing (drug haul pictured)

The court heard Natalie (pictured) is well-supported at home with his family able to provide him with accommodation and employment when he is eventually released

The 'drug house' was used to prepare narcotics for sale with members using manufacturing equipment sourced from China.

Officers raided the home in March of 2019 and seized 169kg of MDMA, 7,011 MDMA tablets and 24kg of methamphetamine.

The 29-year-old was later arrested at his Pascoe Vale home in July, 2020.

The court heard Natale is well-supported at home with his family able to provide him with accommodation and employment when he is eventually released.
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A boy who watched his entire family be slaughtered by a complete stranger on a camping trip will have a 'lifetime of trauma'  as the suspected gunman's mother has defended her son.

Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot dead as they slept inside their tent at around 6.30am on July 22 in Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Arlo Schmidt, 9, is the sole survivor of the horror incident, with his aunt Jana Morehouse saying that he has a 'lifetime of trauma' ahead of him.

Police believe Anthony Sherwin, 23, from La Vista, in Nebraska, shot himself after the murders but admitted that they may never know the motive behind the slayings.

Little Arlo ran for help after his parents and little sister were shot dead, bumping into Sherwin's mother, Cecelia Sherwin, who was also at the camp site and told her that a man dressed in black had killed his family.

Officers believe that the family had no prior contact with Sherwin before the killings, with Cecelia claiming that the family were legally travelling with a gun which was locked in a secure container.

Sherwin's mother has refused to accept that her son is responsible for the triple-killings, claiming that she believed he was killed by the same person who shot Arlo's family.

Sarah, Tyler and Lula Schmidt were all killed as they sleep in a tent on a family camping trip in Iowa on July 22. Arlo, 9, was the only member of the family to survive the tragedy and will have a 'lifetime of trauma' ahead of him

Little Arlo reportedly ran for help after his parents and little sister were shot dead as they slept, telling the suspected shooters mother, Cecelia Sherwin, that a man dressed in black had killed his family

Little Arlo, pictured with his sister Lula, was the only survivor of the horror incident on July 22. He said a gunman, dressed in black, had shot and killed his whole family after he managed to escape

Family members of the Schmidt's say that they are prepared to accept that some questions will go unanswered. That includes why the suspect would carry out such an attack

Friends and family have paid tribute top the beautiful family, with Little Details Photography sharing several sweet snaps of the kindest and most loving people.

His Aunt Jana said that her nephew was staying 'strong', with a fundraising page for Arlo raising more than $236,000 dollars in four days, which will be put into a trust fund for him.

It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged.

Posting online Jana said: 'Today, my life has been shattered. My beautiful, smart, funny, curly haired sister, her husband, and their 6-year-old daughter were victims of a random act of violence while camping as a family in Iowa.

'Their 9-year-old son was able to survive and has a lifetime of trauma ahead. He has two sides of the family that love him very much.

'Sarah, Tyler, and Lula were not political pawns. They were a family, on vacation, and had everything ahead of them.

'I cannot fathom that she will no longer be on the other side of the phone. I cannot fathom that I don't get to see Lula grow up.

'I want people to know that Sarah, and Tyler, and Lula meant everything to our family, and we don't know how we are going to continue.'

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said that Sherwin had no contact with the family before he shot them dead.

Parents Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot and killed on Friday morning. Police say that Sherwin did not know the family, and that they may never know the motive for the shooting

Anthony Sherwin, 23, of Nebraska, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe Sherwin shot the Schmidts at a Maquoketa Caves State Park campground before turning the weapon on himself

The family said that Lula, Sarah and Tyler were all 'victims of a random act of violence while camping as a family', and have left Arlo with 'two sides of a family which love him very much'

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said that Sherwin had no contact with the family before he shot them dead. Sarah's brother confirmed that the family did not know the attacker at al

The couple were neighbor's of Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who urged the community to support their son Arlo. A fundraising page for him has raised more than $236,000 dollars in four days, which will be put into a trust fund

A trust fund has been set up for Arlo, the sole survivor of the tragic incident on July 22, with hundreds of thousands of people coming out in support for him

The campgrounds were cleared following the shooting as police searched for Sherwin, whose body was found just west of the campground

Iowa DCI Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt added that 'sometimes motives aren't revealed or discovered' saying that they had no information that would lead them to a motive in this case.

Police did not say whether or not Sherwin had a permit to carry a gun and did not disclose any information about the firearm used in the shootings.

Adam Morehouse, the brother of Sarah Schmidt, says the family did not know the attacker at all, telling WHBF-TV: 'We didn't know the suspect. The suspect didn't know us. We don't know of any interaction that occurred.

'It was simply this individual woke up this morning and decided to pick a tent and walk into that tent where my sister and her family were sleeping and never got a chance to wake up.'

The family says they're prepared to accept that some questions will go unanswered. That includes why the suspect would carry out such an attack.

Sherwin had been visiting the campsite with his parents and was the only person unaccounted for after the killings prompted the park to be evacuated.

His mother Cecilia told the Omaha World-Herald that Arlo had described the killer as wearing black, but claimed that her son had been wearing green.

She said: 'He gave us no warning that he was planning anything of this sort. Anthony was not capable of this sort of violence.

Police did not say whether or not Sherwin had a permit to carry a gun and did not disclose any information about the firearm used in the shootings

Officials are unsure if Sherwin had any connection to the victims as no evidence has been discovered so far that the 23-year-old ever interacted with the family

Sherwin had been visiting the campsite with his parents and was the only person unaccounted for after the killings prompted the park to be evacuated

A tribute to the three family members was painted on a glass front in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to ma

Cecelia Sherwin, Anthony's mother, claims that she alerted police to her son's disappearance because she thought he had been murdered by the person who attacked the family

It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged

'He was a good son, exceptional student and aspiring businessman. We cooperated fully with the police and investigative team from the get-go.

'We told them our son was missing and thought he was murdered. Instead the story developed into him being the suspect and that was not our intention.

'I didn't think we had any tears left but we still find ourselves breaking down and care deeply for the little boy and the loss of his family.

'We think Anthony might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety. We refuse to believe the news.

'We are deeply saddened as he had so much to live for and gave us no indication that anything was wrong.'

U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, said in a statement: 'This was a horrifying and senseless act of violence. As we wait to learn more, I join all Iowans in praying for those who lost their lives and our community.

'My team will continue to be in contact with local officials and I am grateful for our law enforcement officers who are working to keep us safe.'
Former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Wednesday that she knows of former Trump staffers who have been contacted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and are willing to cooperate in a criminal probe into the January 6 attack and Trump's actions.

The Washington Post first reported that the DOJ is now looking into Trump's response leading up to and during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

'I am aware of other White House officials who have been reached out to by DOJ and are planning to cooperate,' Farah said on CNN's New Day.

Hinting at who that might be, she said: 'I think you could piece it together based on who has testified before the January 6th committee.'

Former deputy communications director Sarah Matthews and Matthew Pottinger, a member of the National Security Council, testified at the committee's last hearing on July 19. Their deposition came after bombshell testimony from former aide to White House chief of staff Mike Pence, Cassidy Hutchinson, about Trump throwing plates of food against the wall and lunging for the steering wheel when his Secret Service detail would not let him join the rioters at the Capitol.

'I am aware of other White House officials who have been reached out to by DOJ and are planning to cooperate,' Farah said on CNN's New Day

NEW INFO: "I am aware of other White House officials who have been reached out to by DOJ and are planning to cooperate."



That's news from @Alyssafarah this morning.



But who?



"I think you could piece it together based on who has testified before the January 6th cmte," she says. pic.twitter.com/nOSueZOb5v  New Day (@NewDay) July 27, 2022

Numerous others have spoken to the committee in either recorded closed-door testimony or public depositions, including the former president's daughter and son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Attorney General Bill Barr, his White House counsel Pat Cipollone.

The DOJ has already brought in two top aides to former Vice President Mike Pence, signaling its probe is reaching into the Trump White House and directly looking at his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Sources told the paper that federal prosecutors have interviewed witnesses before a grand jury and asked them about conversations between Trump, his lawyers and members of his inner circle regarding a plot to replace Electoral College members with pro-Trump alternate electors in states President Joe Biden won.

Prosecutors have asked detailed questions about meetings Trump held in December 2020 and January 2021, gathering information on his campaign to pressure Pence to overturn the election results, and what instructions - if any - Trump gave his team about the fake electors scheme.

The Department of Justice is investigating former President Donald Trump's actions as part of its criminal probe on the January 6, The Washington Post reported Tuesday evening

Rioters loyal to former President Donald Trump are seen surrounding the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021

That scheme was led by Trump's election lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, but prosecutors wanted to know the extent of the now ex-president's involvement, The Post said.

Specifically, what did Trump tell his allies to do as he sought to overturn the 2020 election result.

While it had been previously reported that investigators were looking into the conduct of some in Trump's inner circle - including Giuliani and Eastman - The Post was first to report that DOJ officials were looking into Trump's actions.

The paper also reported that investigators received the phone records of Trump's former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Two subpoenas obtained by The Post issued to two Arizona state lawmakers who posed as fake electors asked for communications with 'any member, employee, or agent of Donald J. Trump or any organization advocating in favor of the 2020 re-election of Donald J. Trump, including "Donald J. Trump for President, Inc."'

On Monday, ABC News reported that Pence's former Chief of Staff Marc Short was spotted leaving D.C. District Court on Friday, alongside his lawyer.

Sources told the network that Short testified before a grand jury, compelled by a subpoena, as part of the DOJ's probe.

Additionally, Pence lawyer Greg Jacob also appeared before a grand jury, The Post said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out prosecuting former President Donald Trump for his role in January 6 in a new interview airing Tuesday on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

In an interview that aired Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out prosecuting Trump.

'We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable,' Garland told NBC's Lester Holt. 'That's what we do.'

The DOJ probe is separate from the investigation being conducted by the January 6 House select committee - which may make criminal referrals to the Justice Department as well, the top Republican on the panel, Rep. Liz Cheney, said in an interview last month.

'The Justice Department has been doing the most wide-ranging investigation in its history and the committee is doing an enormously wide-ranging investigation as well,' Garland said on NBC's Nightly News.

So far the DOJ investigation has led to charges against more than 840 individuals over their roles in the Capitol attack.

Sources told The Post that there are two legal areas where Trump could get ensnared.

Like the rioters, the DOJ could pursue charges like seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding.

But the Justice Department could also try to prove Trump committed fraud with the fake electors scheme or the campaign he and his allies mounted to pressure DOJ officials to say the election was fraudulent when it wasn't.

Garland said the DOJ has been 'moving urgently' since the start of its investigation into the Capitol riot and surrounding events.

'It is inevitable in this kind of investigation that there'll be speculation about what we we are doing, who we are investigating, what our theories are - the reason there is this speculation and uncertainty is that some fundamental tenet of what we do as prosecutors and investigators is to do it outside of the public eye,' Garland said.

He said this was done to 'protect civil liberies' and 'ensure the success and the integrity' of the investigtion.

No former president has ever been charged with a crime in the country's history.

While former President Richard Nixon stepped down over his involvement in the Watergate break-in, President Gerald Ford, who had served as Nixon's vice president, pardoned him.
Liz Truss today vowed to make wolf-whistling and cat-calling illegal if she is made Prime Minister under sweeping plans to tackle violence in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard.

The Tory leadership contender also outlined plans for a national domestic abuse register as she admitted all politicians needed to 'do more'.

Highlighting the murder of Sarah Everard and other women she said that over the last two years, the nation has been 'shocked' by the number of high profile murders of women, many in London.

Tougher action against petty harassment has been mooted along with action to increase conviction rates for more serious crimes since Ms Everard was brutally killed in March 2021.

Under her plans, a standalone offence to criminalise harassment would cover 'aggressive and misogynistic behaviour', though there were no details of what exactly would be included.

The register, meanwhile, would include coercive and controlling behaviour and financial abuse.

Tougher action against petty harassment has been mooted along with action to increase conviction rates for more serious crimes since Ms Everard was brutally killed in March 2021.

The Tory leadership contender also outlined plans for a national domestic abuse register as she admitted all politicians needed to 'do more' in the wake of the killing by Met police officer Wayne Couzens (right)

The Foreign Secretary said: 'Over the last two years, our nation has been shocked by a number of high profile murders of women, many here in London. It is the responsibility of all political leaders, including us in Westminster and the Mayor of London, to do more.

'Violence against women and girls doesn't have to be inevitable. Women should be able to walk the streets without fear of harm, and perpetrators must expect to be punished.

'Through increased police training, new offences, faster processes for rape victims and our domestic abuse register we will ensure victims are protected, and crimes are prevented in the first place.'

Ms Truss believes the register would break the cycle of repeat offending.

Her Government would also require convicted offenders to inform the police of arrangements with new partners and their children, and failure to do so would lead to harsh penalties.

As part of her crackdown, which builds on the Government's Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Foreign Secretary also pledged to accelerate the process for handling rape cases.

She would ensure cases are able to reach investigatory standards from the start to allow quicker progress through the courts.

In order to be able to respond effectively to vulnerable victims, police officers would also receive specific training.

Conservative former Home Office minister Rachel Maclean said: 'Women and girls should be free to live their lives in safety and I know as prime minister Liz will deliver tougher safeguards for domestic abuse victims, including tagging for the most violent offenders.'
A female crane operator who became a TikTok star with videos of herself working has died after high winds toppled her 40-foot crane to the ground.

Single mother-of-two Elvira Demidova, 31, was killed instantly in the accident when her cabin smashed to the ground in Tyumen, a major oil hub in Russia.

Horrific footage shows the moment the structure clattered to the ground from a height of 40 feet, according to local reports.

Single mother-of-two Elvira Demidova (pictured), 31, was killed instantly in the accident when her cabin smashed to the ground in Tyumen, a major oil hub in Russia

Horrific footage shows the moment the structure clattered to the ground from a height of 40 feet, according to local reports

Ms Demidova, who had 41,000 subscribers on TikTok, had a son and daughter.

She became famous on the social media platform because of her honest stories about her daily life as a crane operator.

A crowdfunding effort has been set up to raise money for her funeral, and also to care for her two children, who will be brought up by Ms Demidova's mother.

Nikolay Russu - the boss of the company she worked for, Mostostroy-11, was decorated by Vladimir Putin in 2020 for the company's part in constructing the bridge linking annexed Crimea with Russia.

Pictured: The aftermath of the crane crashing into the ground

Nikolay Russu (circled) - the boss of the company she worked for, Mostostroy-11, was decorated by Vladimir Putin in 2020 for the company's part in constructing the bridge linking annexed Crimea with Russia

Pictured: Putin with the boss of the company, Nikolay Russu

The company has won a number of major state contracts, and Russia is an MP with pro-Putin political party United Russia.

A video from 72.ru shows how the crane toppled over in the sudden high winds.

A criminal investigation is underway into her death.
Two black teenage girls responsible for attacking a woman on a Queens MTA bus were arrested and charged with hate crimes, police say.

The unidentified suspects, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on Tuesday morning after bonking a 57-year-old on the head on July 9 after she said she's a big fan of former President Donald Trump. A third individual was involved in the incident, but it's unclear whether another arrest will be made soon.

The three teenagers were on the southbound Q52 MTA bus in Woodhaven, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, earlier this month at around 7.00pm when they approached the female passenger and slammed her on the head while making 'anti-white statements.'

Before the arrests, the NYPD shared a video of the three suspects walking down a street in broad daylight. Two of the suspects had green-colored hair while another had light pink.

The girls were wearing shorts with crop tops and sneakers while holding various items.

Two teenagers were arrested in connection to an anti-white hate crime on July 9. Three teenagers approached a 57-year-old woman on a Q53 bus in Woodhaven, Queens on Saturday at approximately 7.00pm. Pictured: a Google street view of Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue, where the three assailants fled the bus after assaulting the woman

The 57-year-old was on a Q52 bus when the incident occurred. Two teenagers associated with the attacks were arrested while one remains on the loose

The victim was identified as Jill LeCroix, 57, according to the New York Post.

'Before they hit me, the girl with the green hair said, "You probably like Trump! Don't you?"' LeCroix told The Post. 'I said, "I love him." I didn't see which one hit me first.'

LeCroix's daughter added, 'The one with the green hair, she was saying she hates white people, the way they talk, hates white skin, the way their skin cracks. Saying she was gangsta.'

LeCroix recalled being the only white person on the bus.

'By the time we started passing St. John's Cemetery on Woodhaven, she started in on me, saying, "That's where I'm going to bury you!"'

'She had a bag from Bath and Body Works, and she took out a scrub and said she was going to beat me with it,' LeCroix said. 'It was a tangerine. She said, "You're going to get what you deserve! All white people are going to get what they deserve."'

The 57-year-old needed three staples to close the wound on her head.

The teenagers bashed the 57-year-old on the head while shouting racist comments. The teenagers can be seen walking on a sidewalk in Queens while holding and/or carrying multiple objects

In New York City, felony assault is up from 2021 by 19% with 2,310 more reported incidents, according to NYPD statistics.

The year-to-date statistics show 14,461 felony assaults have been reported in comparison to 12,151 during the same time last year.

Crime overall in the state across various spectrums, including murder, rape, and robbery, is up by 36.9% with 18,618 more reported incidents to date than last year.

Grand larceny is the top crime in the city with felony assault following shortly behind.

Various hate crimes have been reported throughout the city this year.

A New York man who allegedly shouted racist comments at two Asian American women and doused them in liquid in a subway station was indicted for a hate crime earlier this month.

Derrick Johnson, 40, approached two women inside the Rockefeller Center subway station in Manhattan on May 8, where he doused them in an unknown liquid and pushed one to the ground and spat on her.

After pushing the woman, he allegedly yelled at her: 'You f**king Chinese. I don't know why you're here in America,' law enforcement sources said, according to the New York Post.

The woman, 26, experienced 'significant bruising' and had 'substantial pain and swelling' in her head and jaw, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, 48, said in a statement on July 13. It is unclear if the other woman suffered any physical injuries.

On July 13, he was charged with assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He will remain at Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward in Manhattan on a $15,000 bail or a $30,000 bond, according to NYC inmate public records.

Derrick Johnson, 40, reportedly approached two women inside the Rockefeller Center subway station in Manhattan on May 8, where he doused them in an unknown liquid and pushed one to the ground and spat on her

Meanwhile, Madeline Barker, who was filmed in a viral video pepper spraying four Asian women in a racially motivated attack in Manhattan last month, was also formally charged with assault on July 13.

The incident, which transpired in a public plaza in the Meatpacking District, left one victim 'unable to open her eyes,' comes amid a rash of anti-Asian violence in the city.

Barker yelled racial remarks at the women, telling them to 'go back' to their country.

She was charged earlier this month with eight counts of assault in the third degree as a hate crime and four counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree, a misdemeanor hate crime, according to the New York District Attorney's office.
Police are unfairly criticized as heavy-handed and long prison sentences are reserved for hardened criminals, says a new book that takes aim at liberal calls to empty prisons and defund the police.

Author Rafael Mangual says his study, Criminal (In)Justice, debunks dominant narratives that black and brown men unduly suffer at the hands of police and a criminal justice system that is stacked against them.

It runs counter to dozens of studies that have found that black people disproportionately suffer from police stops, searches and deaths in custody. A recent opinion poll found that 89 percent of Americans wanted police reforms.

Mangual, however, says he has crunched the numbers and found a glaring incongruity between what the harshest critics of law enforcement were saying  about imprisonment and police use of force  and reality.

A sober examination of the data on who goes to prison reveals that lengthy terms of incarceration are reserved for chronic, violent offenders whove already been given multiple second chances, said Mangual.

Crime researcher Rafael Mangual says police use force and fire weapons during arrests far less than is appreciated, and that the justice system works well at locking up persistent and violent offenders

A police officer tapes off a crime scene after a shooting in Oakland, California. Researcher Rafael Mangual says crime is hyper-concentrated in run-down parts of towns and cities that warrant police attention

The author, who was raised in Brooklyn and Long Island, says 60.1 percent of prisoners in state-run centers were behind bars for violent or weapons offenses  not low-level or non-violent criminals.

They are very often repeat offenders, he added. Some 36 percent of violent convicted felons were on parole, probation, or pretrial release at the time of their offenses; and 80 percent of state prisoners commit new crimes within a decade of their release.

Rafael Mangual, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute think tank, says he's battling 'calls for mass decarceration and de-policing'

Crime, says Mangual, is hyper-concentrated in run-down parts of towns and cities that warrant police attention. In New York, where rising crime rates alarm residents, about half the citys violent crimes are concentrated in only 4 percent of its streets, he says.

The author, a fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute think tank, said the examples of heavy-handed policing were overblown, and that moves to cut funding or lift police immunity would do little to reduce the use of force.

He cites data from North Carolina, Louisiana and Arizona that found officers used force in only 0.78 percent of arrests. Other research from 2018 showed police fired weapons in only 0.03 percent of arrests, he added.

The book has won plaudits from Republican heavyweights like Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and former Attorney General William Barr, as well as Bill Bratton, New Yorks former police commissioner.

Cotton said it countered soft-on-crime policies from the left's jailbreak movement. Barr called it a powerful case against dropping the law-and-order approach that helped end Americas crime wave in the early 1990s.

The book comes amid widespread criticism of cops using deadly force on unarmed black men, notably George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, which stoked huge Black Lives Matter protests and calls to defund police forces.

Protesters march in downtown Brooklyn, New York, and call for defunding police forces over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer

Two former Minneapolis Police officers  J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao  were on Wednesday each sentenced to at least three years in prison, after being convicted of federal charges of failing to intervene as Floyd was restrained.

Floyd's death was a 'tragedy and a murder', Mangual told DailyMail.com.

'Legal police use of force is extremely rare, illegal police use of force is rarer still that doesn't mean it doesn't happen and is not a problem. But how do we tackle it in a way that doesn't impose the serious cost of diminished public safety on communities that cannot afford it?'

Critics have long bashed the justice system for disproportionately caging minorities  black people are imprisoned at nearly five times the rate of whites, while Latinos are imprisoned at 1.3 times the rate of whites, according to The Sentencing Project.

Half of Americans polled by Gallup earlier this year called for 'major changes' to policing, while a further 39 percent wanted minor changes. Only 11 percent said there was no need for change.

Black Americans felt more strongly, with 72 percent seeking broad reforms.

Still, there has also been a blowback against soft-on-crime policies as rates of homicide and violent crime rose during the Covid-19 pandemic, stoking fears that Los Angeles, New York and other cities would revert to the crime-ridden 1990s.

Voters in San Francisco last month ousted in a recall election a progressive district attorney who was blamed for a spike in gun violence and other crimes. Likewise, New Yorkers last year elected former cop Eric Adams, a tough-on-crime Democrat, as mayor.

Prisoners from Sacramento County await processing after arriving at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California. Scholar Rafael Mangual says most prisoners are inside for serious crimes, and many re-offend
Tarjit Singh, 32, was born as a female named Hannah Walters but now identifies as a transgender male

A transgender man who tricked three women including a 16-year-old girl into sexual relationships by using a fake penis has been jailed for 10 years.

Tarjit Singh, who was born a female named Hannah Walters but now identifies as a man, lured victims into relationships after meeting them on Facebook and Plenty of Fish.

The 32-year-old insisted on having sex in the dark so he could use strap-on devices without their knowledge.

Singh, from Enfield, would keep his clothing on during sex and when his partners asked questions, he flew into a rage and assaulted them.

'Cruel, calculating and controlling' Singh threatened to set fire to one woman after dousing her with lighter fluid, left her with a fractured nose, beat and strangled her.

The offending took place over six years between 2010 and 2016 but the sexual assaults took place in the first four of those years.

Describing the sexual contact, one victim said: 'He looked like a guy, he acted like a guy.'

She only discovered Singh had female genitalia after finding a sex toy months into their relationship, and told police she felt 'so stupid' that she had fallen for such lies.

Snaresbrook Crown Court was told that he lured in his first victim on Facebook in 2010, just weeks after she had turned 16. He was 20 at the time.

He met his second victim in a chicken shop and his third, who has learning difficulties, on dating site Plenty of Fish. Two women had previously been sexually abused.

The judge told Singh he had been 'aware that these women were vulnerable' and had deceived them by 'not truly revealing' that he had been born biologically female.

A view of Snaresbrook Crown Court in London where Singh was convicted of three counts of assault by penetration, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of making a threat to kill

Judge Oscar Del Fabbro told Singh he represents a 'risk to the public of serious harm in the future' and described him as a 'dangerous offender' who had committed repeated acts of violence and assaults against three 'vulnerable' victims.

The victims lived with him and this was a 'dangerous environment for them, riddled with violence' and problems Singh caused them emotionally, the judge said.

He added that Singh had not been 'open and honest' with them about his gender issues and described him as 'an accomplished and manipulative liar'.

He said: 'Instead of opening a frank and honest discussion about your gender and how you wanted to live your life, you chose a different path - you chose a path of deceit.

'You persuaded them you were male and acted like you were male.'

His troubled victims, who included a girl who had just turned 16 and two women who had previously been sexually abused, were probably taken in by his charm, humour and the fact that he appeared willing to lend them a 'sympathetic ear, but nothing could be further from the truth'.

The judge praised the victims and their families for 'reliving the trauma' of the 'gruelling' events by giving evidence during the trial to ensure Singh faced justice.

The court previously heard that when the victims began to ask questions, Singh became abusive and manipulative and told one of them there was more to a relationship than sex and that she should learn to talk about her feelings more.

Singh told another victim he had been born male, had a sex change to become female, and now wanted to be male again.

The third victim met Singh after receiving a message through the dating website Plenty of Fish in 2014.

The 16-year-old who had become involved with Singh had previously been sexually abused, was estranged from her family and needed a shoulder to cry on.

Her 'naivety was plain', the judge said, and she was taken into care by the age of 17.

In an impact statement, she told the court how she felt she had been used by Singh in his 'sick games' and she feels 'ashamed'.

The victim, who has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, said: 'For a long time I was afraid of going out and I felt I had to look over my shoulder.'

Another of Singh's victims said she suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and questions whether she should be alive as she struggles with what happened to her.

She is 'scared of new people' and the relationship with her new partner has been affected.

She said: 'I used to be a fun-loving girl but I feel that she (Singh) stole my 20s from me.'

Singh left his victim with a fractured nose and a cut on the head. She was also doused with lighter fluid and threatened with being set alight.

The court heard Singh has previous offences including false imprisonment, perverting the course of justice, administering a noxious substance, having a Taser, going equipped, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
A British-American who was jailed in Iran on spying charges has been released from prison with an electronic tag.

Morad Tahbaz, an environmental campaigner with UK and US citizenship, is currently at his family home in Tehran, according to the Foreign Office.

'The Tahbaz family have confirmed Morad has been released from Evin prison on furlough and is at their home in Tehran,' the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

Tahbaz, who has Iranian citizenship as well, remained in prison in Tehran while British-Iranian dual nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori flew home in March after the UK government repaid a historic debt to Tehran.

Morad Tahbaz (pictured with his daughter Roxanne), an environmental campaigner with UK and US citizenship, is currently at his family home in Tehran, according to the Foreign Office

His daughter Roxanne has criticised the British government for leading them 'to believe all this time that he was to be a part of any deal they were making for the other hostages'.

'Yet he's still there. He's been abandoned by his government,' she told AFP.

The UK government maintains that it cannot secure his release because he is also a US citizen, and that the Iranians are also having discussions with Washington officials.

'Morad is a tri-national and we continue to work closely with the United States to urge the Iranian authorities to permanently release him and allow his departure from Iran,' the Foreign Office said Wednesday.

A Tehran court in 2020 jailed Tahbaz for 10 years on charges of spying, conspiring with Washington and damaging national security.

'The Tahbaz family have confirmed Morad has been released from Evin prison on furlough and is at their home in Tehran,' the UK Foreign Office said in a statement. Pictured: Roxanna Tahbaz, Morad's daughter

He and seven others convicted on similar charges worked with environmental group Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation to track endangered species and were arrested on suspicion of espionage in early 2018.

Britain's foreign ministry told Tahbaz's family that when the other hostages were released, Iran had agreed to free Tahbaz on unrestricted curfew.

But he was returned to Tehran's Evin prison within 24 hours of his partial release, prompting him to go on hunger strike.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released on furlough in March 2020, but was taken back to Evin prison after two weeks, before being fully released two years later.
The fifth juveniles counsel produced the bail orders of four other juveniles who were granted bail on Tuesday, before the High Court. (Photo: PTI/Representational Image)

HYDERABAD: The High Court on Wednesday granted conditional bail to the fifth juvenile accused in the sensation gang-rape of a minor at Jubilee Hills on May 28. With this all five juvenile accused in the case were released on bail. The Nampally court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to four juveniles accused in the case.

The counsel of the fifth minor, son of a legislator, who was also remanded at the Juvenile Home had already filed the bail petition at the High Court and the court heard the bail argument on Wednesday.

The fifth juveniles counsel produced the bail orders of four other juveniles who were granted bail on Tuesday, before the High Court. Assistant public prosecutor Sudershan Sara, raised an objection on technical ground that the application was not maintainable as the petitioner directly approached the High Court instead of filing an appeal petition at an appellate court of the Juvenile Justice Board, Nampally.

However, the counsel of accused Pradduynna Reddy, during the argument, stated that his client was the fifth accused in the FIR and it should be brought to the notice of the court that already four juveniles had been granted bail and there was no point of rejecting his clients bail.

Despite the investigation agencies trying to file a counter, the counsel of the accused during the argument, finally got bail for his client, a police officer said.

However, all five juveniles were granted conditional bail whereas the prime accused Mohammed Saduddin is still in Chanchalguda prison. Based on the bail orders of the juveniles, and as he already spent more than 50 days in remand, his counsel also filed a bail petition on Wednesday that was dismissed by the High Court.

The prosecution opposed all bail petitions during the argument, stating that releasing them might be a threat to the victims life and tamper the investigation, but the court dismissed prosecutions argument and granted conditional bails, sources revealed.

Before granting bail, the Juvenile Justice Board ordered their counsels to cooperate with the investigation officers, sign before west zone deputy commissioner of police (DCP), record their attendance before DCP once a month and if inquired, be available before the court and the investigation officer, without fail.

As their passports have already been blocked, they cannot leave the country and the city without obtaining prior permission of the investigation officer. Apart from that, they were also warned not to tamper the investigation and try to contact the victim in any chance. All the accused had to furnish two sureties each of Rs 5,000.

After the juveniles came out on bail, some political leaders and women's organisations approached top officials in the police department to suggest that the victims family members be shifted to a secure place, police sources revealed. However, the victim was suggested not to go alone anywhere. Her previous number is still active but she is not using it. The police kept it activated deliberately to check if the accused tried to threaten her so that they could be prosecuted, police sources said.

Five of the accused hired separate counsels. Around 6.30 pm, no blood relatives had come to pick up the accused from Juvenile Welfare and Correctional Centre. Only drivers with some unfamiliar faces came in separate cars to pick the juvenile accused.

Parents of the accused hired city's high profile advocates who, apart from their fees, charge a minimum of Rs 10 lakh for a hearing, sources revealed.
Fisherman found John Joseph Sheridan, 74, from Pennsylvania floating on the rocky part of the shore in Windmill Viewpoint in Phuket, Thailand, on Wednesday. Officers found a hotel key card and a South Korean residency card on his person

Locals found the body of an American tourist floating in the water off an island in Thailand after he apparently fell on sharp rocks and bled to death.

Fisherman found John Joseph Sheridan, 74, from Pennsylvania floating on the rocky part of the shore in Windmill Viewpoint in Phuket, Thailand, on Wednesday.

Lifeguards took at least two hours to pull the tourist's body ashore as he was already decomposing after being estimated dead for seven days.

The pensioner was wearing a Heineken beer logo shirt and green shorts with a fanny pack that held his passport and 30,000 baht (675) in cash.

He was taken to the Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy while the US embassy was informed of the incident.

Chalong Police Chief Colonel Karat Plaidueng said: The body was found in the water among the rocks in front of a viewing deck, just north of Yanui beach.

Fisherman found John Joseph Sheridan, 74, from Pennsylvania floating on the rocky part of the shore in Windmill Viewpoint in Phuket, Thailand, on Wednesday

The pensioner was wearing a Heineken beer logo shirt and green shorts with a fanny pack that held his passport and 30,000 baht (675) in cash

His shoe was left behind after the fall, which the authorities bagged up as evidence

We believe he fell from the viewing deck and hit the sharp rocks below before bleeding to death. CCTV around the area would be checked in an ongoing investigation.'

His body was lying face down, his face stuck in between the rocks, while his legs were folded.

There were worms all over the man's body, his skin was swelling, and bones were sticking out.

Officers found a hotel key card and a South Korean residency card on his person.

Lieutenant Colonel Jarus Lempan, who was investigating the case said: We have checked the CCTV on the route the tourist had walked past. The hotel said that the elderly tourist had been missing.

We will coordinate with the American embassy and proceed to the next steps.' Officers said the US Embassy in Bangkok had been informed of John's death so officials could contact the relatives.
Two teenagers grinned as they were sentenced to life in prison after they stabbed a schoolboy to death with a sword concealed inside a walking stick.

Fares Maatou, 14, died after being confronted and stabbed by the two teenagers on Barking Road in Canning Town, east London, on Friday 23 April last year.

The two boys, who cannot be named, were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the attack involving the cane which had been taken from the younger boy's grandfather without his knowledge.

Fares, who died just days before his 15th birthday, 'offered no threat at all' and was trying to escape the defendants, jurors were told during the trial.

The pair, now both aged 16, denied murder but were convicted by a unanimous jury earlier this month. They were detained for life on Wednesday (July 27) at the Old Bailey.

In a victim impact statement, Fares's mother Amel Maatou, said: 'Never did I believe my son would be taken away from me I this way while living in London. He came here to escape murder and rape and killing.'

Fares Maatou, 14, (pictured) died after being confronted and stabbed by the two teenagers on Barking Road in Canning Town, east London , on Friday 23 April last year

The younger of the two killers beat the aspiring engineer with the black metal cane which was used to conceal a sword - secretly taken from his grandfather's home (the sword is pictured)

The teenager who inflicted the fatal wound was handed a minimum term of 13 years while his co-defendant, who hit Fares with the sheath of the sword before fleeing the scene, was locked up for at least 11 years.

Both defendants had a history of offending, with the former being subject to a youth rehabilitation order at the time of the murder.

The pair went to a police station to turn themselves in a few days after the incident but one of them ran away before officers came out to meet them.

Judge Sarah Munro QC told the defendants no punishment could undo the 'irreparable harm' they had caused, and said there was no suggestion Fares was involved in any violence leading up to his death.

In CCTV footage of the attack, Fares was seen to retreat when the older youth brandished the sword. Prosecutor Julian Evans QC said during the trial: 'Fares was not holding anything. He was completely unarmed.

'Fares offered no threat at all to [the first boy], armed with a sword and advancing towards him, nor did he offer any threat at all to [the second boy], who was now carrying the sheath and was also moving forward towards Fares.

'Fares reacted by bringing both of his hands up towards his face and head to protect himself.

'As he, Fares, tried to escape, he turned his back on [the defendants] and he, Fares, moved away. Despite that action, [the defendants] continued to attack him.'

The younger boy continued beat Fares with the casing of the swordstick (pictured, the sheath)

'I grieve and mourn Fares' death every day and I ask myself could I have done anything to prevent it': Grief-stricken mother pays tribute to her happy-go-lucky child In a victim impact statement, Fares's mother Amel Maatou said: 'Fares never harmed anyone and was just a happy-go-lucky child,' she said. 'Everyone liked Fares, he liked everyone in return. 'Fares was never in trouble with the police and was not involved in gangs or crime. He had high hopes for his future.' She added that he had loved cars and could have gone on to become a mechanic or an engineer. 'Me and my family did our best to keep Fares safe and to keep him away from bad people and bad company,' she said. 'Until 23 April we succeeded in this. 'I have seen death and experienced misery and loss. My family and I left Algeria due to the Civil War there and I have friends and family who died there. 'We came to Great Britain because I wanted my friends and family to be safe and not to be killed for their beliefs or religion. 'Never did I believe my son would be taken away from me in this way while living in London. He came here to escape murder and rape and killing. 'I grieve and mourn Fares' death every day and I ask myself could I have done anything to prevent it. 'How was I to know that when I said goodbye to him on that Friday afternoon I would never see him again and, when I would next see him, he would by lying dead in a morgue. 'This pain and loss of Fares does not compare to anything that has gone before or will come in future.' Fares's sister, Amira Maatou, told the court her father had been put into an induced coma after contracting coronavirus. He woke at the end of March and saw his son for the last time just two days before he was killed. 'Before leaving, Fares gave his father a kiss on the cheek, then returned and gave him a second one,' she told the court. 'Come home soon dad, we miss you' he said.' Advertisement

The victim briefly managed to get to his feet once the attack stopped but he lost his footing again and fell against a parked car nearby.

In a victim impact statement read to court, Mrs Maatou said the family came to Britain to escape the 'death and misery' of civil war in Algeria.

She described her youngest child as 'the light of [her] and [her] family's life.'

In a letter addressed to the judge and read to the court, one of the defendants said: 'I lie awake at night thinking about how [Maatou's] mother will never see him again. 26 seconds can change everything.

'I want to say to the family of Fares that I am sorry for their loss [but] I am not sure I will ever be forgiven by them.

'What hurt me most is not the fact that I have been found guilty of murder, but the fact that the family of Fares will never see their son or their brother again.

'Every time they would leave the court because they couldn't watch the footage of the incident it gave me a sickening feeling.

'My family has lost me to prison and Fares' family has lost him to death.'

Francis Fitzgibbon, defending the 15-year-old said: 'His siblings include a trainee lawyer and a medical researcher, so they are an ambitious family.

'It's a tragedy for them that he cannot join in their ambitions.

Jennifer Dempster, defending the other killer, said: 'Trouble visited the defendants that day, not the other way around and that has an impact on the fact that this was an incident which took place in daylight, on a busy street.'

Sentencing, Judge Munro said to the teenagers: 'Fares was the light of his mother's life. He was her youngest child and a well-behaved young man who had never been in any trouble.

'Fares's parents came to this country from Algeria to escape the violence that they had experienced there, only for them to lose their son on the streets of London where he had hoped he and his family would be safe.'

'The lives of Fares' parents and siblings have been changed forever. They feel as though they have failed Fares, but of course they have not.

'There is no punishment I can give the two of you which can bring Fares back or undo the irreparable damage you caused on that afternoon.

'All I can do is recognise the dignity and courage with which they sat through your trial and the strength they showed as the CCTV of the last moments of Fares' life were played over and over.

'Neither of you knew Fares and there is no suggestion whatsoever that Fares was involved in any incident of violence involving you or anyone else.

'Both the sword and the sheath were bent due to the force of the blows which were delivered.

Judge Munro described Fares as 'defenceless and totally unable to defend himself from the joint attack' and ordered both boys be detained for life.

Both boys smiled as they were led to the cells while Mrs Maatou and Fares's siblings wiped away tears.
A family-of-five say they were forced to camp at the side of the M25 for nine hours because RAC failed to show up.

Nicola Bolt said her three boys, 11, 10, and five, cried as they were left on the side of the motorway near Brentwood with no water as red ants ate them.

The 32-year-old, who is expecting another child, said her family also including her partner Steven Higgins, 32, had been at the beach taking advantage of the 30C temperatures on Sunday, July 17.

Then on the way back the family's Vauxhall Insignia stalled between J28 and 29 at around 7pm.

She rang the RAC, who she pays 300 a year for their breakdown service, and was told it would 45minutes and then after not hearing anything for a few hours was updated at 9.30pm.

The company said the ETA would be 'extended' and Ms Bolt told the Sun they spent a 'stressful' night hearing the lorries bounding down the M25 as they slept in their beach tent on the hard shoulder until National Highways rescued them at 5.30am.

Nicola Bolt (pictured with partner Steven Higgins) said her three boys, 11, 10, and five, cried as they were left on the side of the motorway with no water and eaten by red ants near Brentwood after going for a family day out at the beach

Their five-year-old Harry seen on the hard shoulder as the family slept in their beach tent

Her and her Mr Higgins, a painter and decorator, said they were first told by RAC that no one was available after their car stalled on the way back from Southend-on-Sea.

They then used an SOS phone after their phones went dead and were given an ETA as 45minutes before they were told later that evening it had been extended.

They did have some picnic leftovers which they ate while the family said they went to the toilet in the bushes.

'It was the worry, the stress, the not knowing, the anxiety - it was just unimaginable,' Ms Bolt said. 'My kids were crying their eyes out at the side of the road.'

She said the worst was that her children, Alfie, 11, and Oliver, 10, who both have Autism and Harry, five, 'didn't have a clue what was going on'.

The family heard nothing for seven hours before RAC informed them that National Highways, formerly Highways England, would pick them up and take them to Markyate.

Ms Bolt claimed National Highways said it would destroy their car if the breakdown service did not pay them to release it from a compound and later RAC said they could have a free hire car for two days.

She also says they have no access to the possessions in the car including a blue disabled badge.

'My partner is fuming, absolutely fuming,' Ms Bolt said.

Their bundles as they camped at the side of the ground

Nicola and partner Steven filmed themselves inside the beach tent after they came back from Southend-on-Sea

A spokesman for RAC told the MailOnline: 'Weve apologised to Nicola for what happened.

'We realise what a difficult situation it mustve been for her and her family.

'Weve extended her hire car entitlement from two days to two weeks and have taken her car to a garage. Well also be agreeing a suitable gesture of goodwill with her.'

A spokesman for National Highways also told the MailOnline: 'The customer called in to our regional operational centre as a breakdown at 1847.

'The RAC told the customer they would send a recovery vehicle in 45min to collect them. At 21:30 the RAC extended their ETA to the customer.

'After the customer had been waiting over 7 hours the RAC contacted our regional operations centre to request a Statutory Recovery for the customer which we provided.'
The family of Archie Battersbee will file an urgent application to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal controversially prevented them for taking their case to the United Nations.

Responding to the families' application for a stay of execution, the Court of Appeal responded that the stay would be extended until 2pm tomorrow - only for the purpose of making an application to the European Court of Human Rights, but not to the United Nations.

The ECHR has a track record of rejecting applications from parents in end-of-life cases such as Archie's.

The family will tomorrow apply to the Supreme Court for permission to appeal the decision to block them from making an application to the UN.

The UK has joined the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which permits individuals and families to make complaints about violations of rights of disabled people.

The UN, like the ECHR may ask the UK government to delay the withdrawal of life support while a complaint is being investigated.

Archie's mother and father, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had mounted an appeal bid and said Mr Justice Hayden had made errors after the High Court hearing.

Archie Battersbee and his father Paul Battersbee, who are from Southend-on-Sea in Essex

Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London last Friday

But on Tuesday, appeal judges Sir Andrew McFarlane, Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Peter Jackson upheld the ruling that doctors could lawfully stop providing life support.

The ruling stated: 'I recognise the outcome is not the one the family hoped for.'

It added that "Archie's religious beliefs were insufficient" to justify the continuation of life-support and that continued treatment "would not be lawful."

Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head on April 7 and believes that he might have been taking part in an online challenge. He has never regained consciousness since then.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel think he is brain-stem dead and say continued life-support treatment is not in his best interests.

Bosses at the hospital's governing trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, had asked for decisions on what medical moves were in Archie's best interests.

Archie's mother, Hollie Dance, said: 'It feels wrong that the Court of Appeal have tried to force us down a road which they know will fail and have taken away our rights of taking the case to the UN.

'All we have asked for from the beginning is for Archie to be given more time and for Archie's wishes and ours to be respected. As long as Archie is alive, I will never give up on him, he is too good to give up on.

'When he is to die, we believe it should be in Gods way and in Gods time. What is the rush? Why is the hospital and the courts so keen to push this through as fast as possible?

Archie was found with a ligature over his head in April and has not regained consciousness

Archie with his mother Hollie Dance (left), brother Tom Summers and sister Lauren Summers

Another High Court judge, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, initially considered the case and concluded that Archie  who has never regained consciousness - was dead.

But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge by his parents against decisions taken by that judge and said the evidence should be reviewed by Mr Justice Hayden.

Mr Battersbee, who is in his 50s, was feared to have suffered a heart attack or stroke outside a courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday.

But a spokesman for campaign group the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting the family, said today that Mr Battersbee had now left hospital.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'The pace at which this case is running is troubling and there appears to be an unexplained urgency from the hospital and courts to end life support for Archie.

'There needs to be a wholesale review of how the system works in this kind of case. Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee are remarkable in the way in which they have advocated for their son.'
Gas prices have soared today after Vladimir Putin further throttled supplies to Europe as revenge for sanctions that have crippled Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Prices in Europe have already soared to levels not seen since war broke out, and are climbing sharply amid fears the Kremlin could close the tap completely.

That has a knock-on effect on the UK, which buys gas from Europe, where prices have risen 7 per cent today and are now six times higher than they were in July 2021.

Experts now predict the average UK household energy bill could top 500 per month from January.

UK gas prices are soaring after Russia began throttling off supplies to Europe, causing a global shortage as EU leaders scramble for supplies

EU prices are at near-record levels amid fears Russia could soon turn off the gas tap completely, with leaders already discussing energy rationing

UK gas 'spot market' prices - meaning prices to get gas delivered today - are now $460 per therm, which is about the same level seen last December as costs soared amid an energy shortage in the wake of Covid.

But they are rising sharply, prompting consultants BFY to predict the average yearly household bill will soar to 3,850 from January - triple what it was in 2021.

That would mean the average household paying around 500 per month this winter.

Europe's spot price is around $212 per megawatt hour - a much smaller unit than therms - which is close to the record level it hit as the war broke out.

And costs are expected to keep rising as winter approaches and energy demand increases, with Germany already discussing rationing in order to get through.

European leaders yesterday struck a voluntary deal to cut gas use by 15 per cent this winter - an admission that there will not be enough to go around otherwise.

Germany, which is hugely reliant on Russian gas, will be worst-hit - with regional leaders already dimming street lights and shutting swimming pools to save energy.

Putin is thought to be cutting gas as revenge for European leader defying him over the Ukraine war, but the move could backfire as his economy depends on money from sales

Klaus Muller, head of the federal energy network, has said that household bills couple triple 'at least' as a result.

The same is true of the UK, which imports just five per cent of its gas from Russia but still buys large amounts from overseas - primarily Norway, Qatar and the US.

With Russian supplies dwindling, EU nations are also turning to the same sources to shore up their own supplies, driving prices up.

And the UK has just a fraction of the gas storage facilities of similar-sized European nations - less than a tenth of Italy's capacity, for example - meaning we are forced to buy at high prices rather than relying on cheap stored energy.

Putin began choking off Europe's gas supply last month, when he cut the amount of gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipe - the main supply route to Germany - to around 40 per cent capacity.

The pipe then closed for routine maintenance at the end of last month, sparking fears it may never reopen.

Thankfully those fears were not realised, but Russia has announced another cut in supply which is now down to just 20 per cent capacity.

Russia has reduced flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipe which goes to Germany to just 20 per cent capacity, sparking panic

Officially, the Kremlin blames huge turbines which pump the gas - saying two have been taken offline for repairs.

But German experts have rubbished that reasoning, saying there is no technical explanation for the shortage.

European leaders are in little doubt that Putin is seeking to punish them for defying him over Ukraine, and is trying to break Western resolve as his war fails.

But the move could backfire, as the Kremlin is hugely reliant on revenues from its energy exports to keep the economy - already battered by sanctions - afloat.

America, which has warned for years that Europe is too reliant on Russian energy, is now desperately trying to help the continent go cold-turkey.

Amos Hochstein, Biden's coordinator for global energy, was dispatched to Europe yesterday to help coordinate efforts to move away from Russia.

His itinerary includes trips to Paris and Brussels to discuss contingency planning with a US-EU energy task force created back in March, CNN reported.

Washington hopes weaning Europe off Russian fuel will cripple its old foe whilst also shoring up support for Ukraine.
Legal history will be made at the Old Bailey tomorrow as for the first time ever a sentencing hearing will be televised, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

Tomorrow Judge Sarah Munro QC will be filmed as she sentences 25-year-old convicted paedophile Ben Oliver for the manslaughter of his grandfather David, 74.

A Sky News cameraperson will be in court, with the live footage shared with broadcasters the BBC, ITN and PA.

Only the judge will be filmed in order to protect the privacy of witnesses, victims and jurors.

There will also be a ten-second time lag to allow broadcasters to cut the feed should anything go wrong.

A change in the law in 2020 allowed cameras to enter Crown Courts, but implementation was delayed due to the pandemic.

Convicted paedophile Ben Oliver, 25, will be sentenced on Thursday for the manslaughter of his 74-year-old grandfather. He admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsiblity

David Oliver, 74, was killed in his South London home in a 'brutal attack', prosecutors said

Judge Munro, who presided over the high-profile inquest of the four victims of serial killer Stephen Port, was among an intake of female judges in recent years that brought gender parity to the Old Bailey for the first time.

The footage will be broadcast on leading UK news channels and made available online.

It will open up some of the most high-profile courts and allow the public to see and hear judges explain the reasoning behind their sentences.

Only the judge will be filmed during any sentencing to protect the privacy of victims, witnesses and jurors.

There will also be a ten-second time lag in order for broadcasters to cut the feed should anything unexpected happen.

Oliver killed his grandfather after he discovered historic allegations that he sexually abused young girls.

During his trial in May, the Old Bailey heard how the pensioner was bedbound and immobile after suffering a stroke years before.

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Burnett of Maldon, has hailed the move as a 'very positive' step in promoting open justice

Oliver was arrested at the property he shared with his grandparents David and Susan Oliver

Lord Chief Justice said: 'The broadcasting of the sentencing remarks will focus solely on the judge who will be sitting in court in the normal way, wearing his or her robes in the normal way'

Prosecutor Louis Mably QC told jurors: 'He was attacked and killed as he lay helpless in bed, in his bedroom on the first floor of the house.

'He had been repeatedly stabbed and slashed with a knife in the face, and in particular in the neck, which had effectively been cut open.

'It was a brutal attack, plainly carried out with the intention of killing him.'

Mr Mably said the identity of the killer was not disputed and Ben Oliver had told his grandmother, Susan Oliver, what he had done immediately afterwards.

Jurors heard that Oliver had been 'very close' with his grandparents and had his own room at their house.

He said the issue for the jury was the defendant's mental state at the time and whether his responsibility was diminished, meaning he was guilty of manslaughter and not murder.

Mr Mably told jurors that the defendant grew up in 'troubled and difficult times'.

In 2016, Ben Oliver was convicted of sexual offences against a young girl when he was aged 15, the court was told.

He was released from youth detention in September 2019.

The court heard Oliver was on anti-depressants, had thoughts of suicide and instances of self-harming at the time of the killing.

Mr Mably said: 'He was a troubled and angry young man.'

The 25-year-old defendant from Bexleyheath, south London, admitted the manslaughter of 74-year-old David Oliver, in Mottingham, south London, on January 19 last year.

Ben Oliver was said to have Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which combined with other emotional and mental factors, diminished his responsibility for the killing.

Oliver was ultimately found guilty by jury of manslaughter, and not murder. His sentencing tomorrow will mark the beginning of a new era for British justice.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'Opening up the courtroom to cameras to film the sentencing of some the country's most serious offenders will improve transparency and reinforce confidence in the justice system.

'The public will now be able to see justice handed down, helping them understand better the complex decisions judges make.'

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Burnett of Maldon, hailed the move as a 'very positive' step in promoting open justice.

He said: 'It's something that I was really keen should happen and I started working on it when I became Lord Chief Justice in 2017.

'I think it's an exciting development, because it will help the public to understand how and why criminals get the sentences that they do in these very high-profile cases.'

Cameras already operate in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court but bringing them to the Crown Court is a 'significant development', he said.

Despite the bar on TV in criminal courts, in 2004 a few cases in the Court of Appeal were filmed on a trial basis. The Supreme Court allowed it in 2009 and filming in the Court of Appeal has become common since 2013.

Filming or taking pictures in or in the vicinity of a Crown Court case in the UK had been banned from 1925.

Prior to this, photographs within court rooms had been allowed, and the infamous Dr Crippen is perhaps the most well-known example.

He was photographed in court while on trial for murdering his wife - which he was eventually found guilty of before being hanged in Pentonville Prison on 1910.

'Sentencing of serious criminal cases is something in which there is a legitimate public interest.

'And it's always seemed to me that this is a part of the criminal process, which can be recorded and broadcast in many cases, but not all, without compromising the administration of justice or the interests of justice.'

He countered critics of bringing cameras into criminal courts by saying judges already pass sentences in open court, with the press and public present.

He added: 'The broadcasting of the sentencing remarks will focus solely on the judge who will be sitting in court in the normal way, wearing his or her robes in the normal way.

'The solemnity of the proceedings are preserved entirely.'

But he stopped short of advocating televising trials, saying: 'My own but fairly strong view is that what we see happening around the world illustrates why that can be quite damaging.

Dr Crippen and Ethel Le Neve on trial in London, 1910. Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen murdered his second wife Belle Elmore at their home in London. After being found guilty at the Old Bailey, he was hanged at Pentonville on 23rd November 1910

'The thing about sentencing remarks is that broadcasting those doesn't have an impact on the way witnesses and others involved in the trial process - complainants, victims and so on - are immediately affected.

'If you broadcast the trial proceedings themselves, it's very difficult to avoid that.'

But critics of the plans argue not even sentencing remarks should be broadcast.

The law change did receive cross party support, despite some resistance in the House of Lords.

While Labour former attorney general Lord Morris of Aberavon welcomed the 'putting our toes in the water' approach, former Conservative minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth welcomed the change but warned about the risk of creating 'celebrity judges'.

He told the Lords: 'We don't want a Disneyland legal forum as they have in the USA.'

Among broadcasters planning to televise Oliver's case tomorrow, Sky, BBC and ITN will be able to apply to film and broadcast sentencing remarks.

John Battle, head of legal and compliance at ITN, and chairman of the Media Lawyers Association, said it was a 'landmark moment for open justice'.

'This reform reflects the public's right to see justice being done in their courts.

'Court reporting is vital to democracy and the rule of law and this long overdue change is welcomed,' he said.

John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: 'Filming judges' sentencing remarks in the Crown Court of England and Wales is a victory for the viewer.

'It will allow for greater transparency in our courts and is something that broadcasters, including Sky News, have campaigned for more than a decade to achieve.'

Interim director of BBC News Jonathan Munro said: 'Justice must be seen to be done, so this is a crucial moment for transparency in the justice system - and for our audiences, who will be able to understand the judicial process better by witnessing it for themselves.'

Joe Pickover, head of video at PA said it was a 'crucial milestone'.

He said: 'Audiences across the UK will gain a much better understanding of the criminal process by witnessing the judicial system first hand, and PA is delighted to be playing its part in this vital development.'

The Central Criminal Court in London routinely hears some of the most complex cases, including murders and terrorism trials.

The sentencing of Ben Oliver will take place in Court Two, one of the Old Bailey's oldest courtrooms.
A female Cincinnati police officer has been suspended after using a racial slur to describe a black student who gave her the middle finger.

Rose Valentino was 'suspended' for reportedly calling a black student a 'n***a' after he reportedly flipped her off while she was driving near the Western Hills University High School on April 5.

Police confirmed she will be placed on desk duty while the disciplinary hearing takes place. She will not be allowed to patrol the streets, wear her badge, or carry a firearm.

Bodycam footage picked up audio of her yelling 'f**king n***a, I f**king hate them,' after she flipped on her cruiser lights to get the cars waiting in line to pick up their kids to move.

The encounter with the student was not released by the police department, but Valentino, who appeared on the TLC series Police Women in Cincinnati, reportedly rolled down her window and yelled at drivers to move when the student flipped her off.

Valentino, who has been on the force for 14 years, was driving her cruiser back to the police station when she became agitated and could be heard screaming: 'God, I hate this f**king world. I f**king hate them.'

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Rose Valentino was 'suspended' for reportedly called a black student a 'n***a' after he reportedly flipped her off while she was driving near the Western Hills University High School on April 5

Valentino reportedly got caught behind a group of cars waiting to pick up their kids at Western Hills University High School on April 5 while trying to get back to the station (pictured). When she flipped her cruiser lights on for them to move, the cars reportedly didn't move and a black student flipped her off, causing her to become agitated and yell: ''F**king n***a, I f**king hate them'

It is unclear if she there was an emergency when she flipped her lights on, as bodycam footage shows there was nothing blocking the entrance to the police station.

According to an internal report, viewed by WLWT 5, the officer recalled being frustrated because 'individuals [were] not taking her seriously.' She also reportedly cited that modern music and 'hearing people talk on the street' has 'desensitized' her to the slur.

'Constant exposure has allowed this slur to slip into Officer Valentinos vernacular,' the internal report stated.

Valentino reported, denied that she has any racial bias and 'sought treatment' after the incident, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

'Officer Valentino believed that she was being affected by her profession and has since sought treatment,' an internal report said.

The officer is now facing a backlash, not only from the public, but from the police organizations and the mayor.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval criticized her use of the slur, calling it 'hateful, angry, and racist language.'

Cincinnati Police Union President Dan Hils also said the officer should have avoided using the term.

Cincinnati NAACP said Valentino does 'not deserve the privilege of serving the citizens of Cincinnati' and that her 'true bias' has been exposed.

'She should not be a police officer,' the organization said in a statement.

This isn't the first time the naughty police officer has been subject to disciplinary action, despite performance reviews, viewed by WCPO, showing she has been marked as having exceeded standards.

Valentino has been reprimanded for failing to turn on her body camera several times, reports show, and she was one of the three officers involved in a lawsuit involving race in November 2018, WCPO reported.

She also appeared on Police Women of Cincinnati (pictured), which aired on TLC

She and the other officers were accused of illegally detaining relator Jerry Isham and buyer Anthony Edwards, who are both black, while they were viewing a home in West Price Hill.

A retired police officer called 911 to report a break-in, and court documents indicate that Valentino escalated the situation by aiming her gun at the two men and putting them in handcuffs.

The city later settled the lawsuit.

In March 2020, she was convicted by a plea of disorderly conduct after punching two relatives and using an umbrella to damage a vehicle, WCPO reported. She was off-duty at the time.

She was referred to a behavioral health center for anger management.

DailyMail.com has requested the records from the Cincinnati Police Department.
Meta staff are scared stiff they will lose their jobs following a furious Q&A session from CEO Mark Zuckerberg - fearing their high salaries and long-enjoyed perks such as free food may be a thing of the past.

The concerns were aired by workers in an internal message board, who complained about issues such as job security and work culture in posts viewed by The Washington Post.

Those protests came in response to criticism aired by a fed-up Zuckerberg last month during a scathing companywide question-and-answer session, where he seemingly slammed employees for becoming complacent during the pandemic.

The 38-year-old's tough approach to 'coasting' staff served as a continuation to a leaked memo revealed earlier this month, where managers were told to cut low performers amidst the company's devastating downturn in value.

That downturn, largely blamed on increased competition for young users' attention from platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, can also be traced back to generous policies implemented by Zuckerberg during the pandemic that have since backfired, such as hefty cash bonuses and extra time off.

Since then, the Facebook founder's once $120billion net worth has diminished by half - and the company's stock plummeting this year by more than 50 percent, to $167.27 from $338.54 at the start of the year.

Footage of the June 30 Q&A, obtained by The Verge, shows a visibly frustrated Zuckerberg accuse employees of coasting, and that there are a 'bunch of people' who 'shouldn't be here.' He went on to warn of an 'intense' period ahead.

'Were sort of in this pretty intense period for the next 18, 24 months,' he said during the all-hands meeting, adding, 'Its possible its even a little bit longer.' Those unprepared, the mogul said, will be forced to come to the realization that 'this place isn't for you.'

Staff are scared they will lose their jobs following a furious Q&A session from CEO Mark Zuckerberg - and complained their high salaries and long-enjoyed perks such as free food may be a thing of the past

Those protests came in response to criticism aired by a fed-up Zuckerberg last month during a scathing companywide question-and-answer session. The impromptu appearance saw the 38-year-old Facebook founder slam employees for becoming complacent during the pandemic

The warning, however, did not bode well with some of the Silicon Valley based firm's more than 70,000-strong workforce - who quickly took to a workplace app to gripe about the meeting.

One such staffer wrote of the increased anxiety within the company following Zuckerberg's session, which saw the CEO snap when a staffer asked about whether increased vacation days allowed during the pandemic would carry over into 2023.

Zuckerberg, visibly annoyed, responded by citing the serious nature of his address, dismissing the question.

Shortly after the address, the staffer seemed to confirm that unrest - writing that he could feel the tension swelling within his fellow workers.

'The atmosphere is intense,' the unidentified employee wrote, in messages viewed by the Post. 'People know budgets are being cut.'

Since then, the Facebook founder's once $120billion net worth has diminished by half - and the company's stock plummeting this year by more than 50 percent, to $167.27 from $338.54

Another complained of a shift in company culture, as managers continue to clamp down on staff.

'It is sad [that] after many years in Meta things [are going down] this path, the culture is going to hell,' the user wrote, adding that he had decided to leave the company - but was waiting until September to collect a bonus.

'Before you say it, I am leaving,' the staffer remarked. 'Just waiting for my Sept bonus pay as I did work hard to earn it.'

Another simply asked: 'Does anyone feel secure here?'

The Silicon Valley-based company has famously provided free food and drinks to staffers since it opened its first office in Palo Alto in 2005. Staffers complained about potentially losing the long-held perk

Zuckerberg appeared to staffers on June 30 for the now leaked Q&A, where he appeared visibly frustrated and fed-up with workers at the company

Others, meanwhile, have argued that executives focus on targeting low performers stems from a desire to return to the rigorous, pre-pandemic culture seen at the company in prior years.

During the pandemic, Facebook suspended its performance review process and instead gave all employees an 'exceeds expectation' grade and a $1,000 cash bonus - as well as extra time off.

The policy was largely implemented so that employees suffering through the pandemic felt free to juggle the demands of home with their jobs.

The company also championed the concept of remote work early on - with Zuckerberg going as far as to tell The Verge in May 2020: 'Were going to be the most forward-leaning company on remote work at our scale.

The policy has since remained for all staffers - with workers who can do their jobs from home permitted to work remotely for the foreseeable future.

The period also saw the company set off on a sprawling hiring spree - with its number of full-time employees swelling by 62 percent, from 48,000 at the end of 2019 to more than 77,800 as of 2021.

However, since then, Facebook's value has plummeted, declining nearly 52 per cent since the start of 2022 - and Zuckerberg, during the June 30 call, made it clear that his company had become too soft during the period of pandemic-era policies.

A Meta staffer pours free coffee in the kitchen of Facebook's Cambridge, Massachusetts office. Staffers are fearful that a return to a more rigorous company culture will see perks such as free food disappear as the firm continues to lose value

'I think during a lot of the COVID period, I kind of bias[ed] towards more flexibility and convenience for people.'

The exec went on to concede that policies he had implemented to benefit people during this unprecedented span had backfired, with people making personal appointments in the middle of the day, making it hard for even him to get required staff to attend a meeting.

Employees, however, remained defensive on the internal messaging app, complaining that the return to a more rigorous company culture may be a guise for cost-cutting, which will make it more difficult to gain promotions, better pay or more lucrative bonuses.

The company currently offers some of the highest salaries across the technology sector, despite its current, embattled state.

One wrote: 'Did Mark just say there are a bunch of people at this company that dont belong here,' while another added: 'This is war-time, we need a war-time CEO.'

Another added: 'Im honestly just thinking about taking a break and live off savings or do something low key until this economic cycle passes. I dont want to work under constant pressure.'

After the controversial transcript was published, Meta spokesperson Joe Osborne said: 'Any company that wants to have a lasting impact must practice disciplined prioritization and work with a high level of intensity to reach goals.

'The reports about these efforts are consistent with this focus and what we've already shared publicly about our operating style.'

The comments come after Zuckerberg fell out of the top ten list of the world's richest billionaires in March due to his plummeting Meta stock. He currently ranks No. 17 on the list and has lost a marked $64.4 billion - more than his current net worth of $61.1 billion.
A female police officer will stand trial accused of mocking George Floyd by sharing racially-offensive WhatsApp messages.

PC Joann Jinks, 40, was a serving officer at West Mercia Police at the time the messages were allegedly sent in June 2020.

The former officer will stand charged with three counts of sending grossly offensive messages on 4, 5 and 10 June 2020.

Earlier this year, Jinks was accused of sending offensive messages under the Communications Act 2003 along with another serving officer James Watts - also of West Mercia Police.

Watts was jailed for 20 weeks in May after he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sending a grossly offensive or menacing message by a public communication network.

He was found to have posted racist WhatsApp memes mocking the death of George Floyd in May and June 2020.

West Mercia Police Constable Joann Jinks pictured outside Birmingham Magistrates' Court on May 13 earlier this year

James Watts (pictured outside Birmingham Magistrates' Court) was jailed for 20 weeks earlier this year

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis during an arrest in which he was detained on the floor for almost nine minutes

His name was also added to the College of Policing's barred list, meaning he will not be able to work in any policing role across the country for life.

PC Jinks did not attend Westminster Magistrates Court for a hearing today, but her lawyer, Ian Bridge appeared via video-link.

He applied for Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram to recuse himself from the case, arguing there was a 'real possibility of bias' against PC Jinks as he had sentenced Watts.

Referring to the sentencing hearing earlier this year, Mr Bridge told the judge: 'You are quoted as stating that these are the most serious offences.

'You concluded that this was so serious that only immediate custodial sentence will deal with it.

'It is inevitable...that my client will feel...that you have already made your mind up.'

But the Deputy Chief Magistrate refused to recuse himself from the case.

He told the court: 'I take objection to the last comment that I have made my mind up.'

He added that he had not sat on a trial for Watts, had declared no findings and the sentence he delivered was not appealed.

PC Jinks, of Redditch, Worcestershire, will appear at the same court for a two-day trial on August 23.
Thousands of Ukrainians have signed a petition to make Boris Johnson their Prime Minister in recognition of his support for the country.

Some 2,500 people have signed the tongue-in-cheek petition, which also wants to grant the British Prime Minister Ukrainian citizenship, since Tuesday.

Despite losing domestic popularity and eventually having been forced to announce his resignation after dozens of ministerial departures in early July, Johnson remains a cult figure in Kyiv for his vocal support of Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion.

Some 2,500 people have signed the tongue-in-cheek petition, which also wants to grant the British Prime Minister Ukrainian citizenship, since Tuesday. Pictured: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes Boris Johnson for a meeting in Kyiv

The petition (pictured), addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, lists Johnson's strengths as: 'Worldwide support for Boris Johnson, a clear position against the military invasion of Ukraine, (and) wisdom in the political, financial and legal spheres'

Despite losing domestic popularity and eventually having been forced to announce his resignation after dozens of ministerial departures in early July, Johnson remains a cult figure in Kyiv for his vocal support of Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion

Paintings, murals, and even cakes in Ukraine's capital bear the likeness of the man some Ukrainians affectionately call 'Johnsoniuk.'

The petition, addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, lists Johnson's strengths as:

'Worldwide support for Boris Johnson, a clear position against the military invasion of Ukraine, (and) wisdom in the political, financial and legal spheres.'

Paintings, murals, and even cakes in Ukraine's capital bear the likeness of the man some Ukrainians affectionately call 'Johnsoniuk'

Several hours after the petition was put up on Tuesday, Johnson presented Zelenskiy with the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award for what his Downing Street office described as 'incredible courage, defiance, and dignity' in the face of Russia's invasion.

Zelenskiy did not mention the new petition when accepting the award, but he will be obliged to officially respond if it receives 25,000 signatures.

Accepting the award via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskiy quoted wartime British premier Churchill, saying that Johnson 'had no thought of quitting the struggle' when the going got tough.
Hyderabad: Demanding that the welfare schemes should cover tenant farmers, Congress MP and former PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy accused both the Telangana government and the BJP-led Union government of neglecting tenant farmers.

The state Congress leader claimed that Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar responded to a question he asked in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with a "generalised reply" and "misleading facts," claiming that this only highlighted the central government's indifference and injustice toward tenant farmers.

Uttam further pointed out that the Union minister did not respond to questions regarding the exclusion of tenant farmers in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). By merely stating that landholding is the primary criteria for eligibility for PM-KISAN, the Central government is stating that it doesn't care about the millions of landless tenant farmers. Is the minister stating that millions of tenant farmers do not qualify as Kisan? Dont they deserve the same Samman as the land owners with pattas, he asked.

Tomar, in his reply, claimed that JLGs of Bhoomi Heen Kisan were informal groups of 4-10 members who were engaged in similar economic activity and were willing to jointly commit to repay the loans obtained by the group. In the 2014-15 Union Budget, it was declared that five lakh Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of Bhoomi Heen Kisan will be financed through NABARD.

Uttam stated that the Union Minister shared a chart showing figures of JLGs, but the data did not indicate how many of them were made up of tenant farmers or Bhoomiheen Kisan (landless farmers). Tenant farmers in Telangana are suffering since neither the TRS government nor the central government are offering them any assistance. The organisations for farmers have estimated that 350 tenant farmers have committed suicide in the past two years as a result of despair. In Telangana, around 5,912 farmers committed suicide between 2014 and 2019. Around 1,478 of whom were tenant farmers, Uttam claimed.

Further, demanded that the state and central governments change their policies toward tenant farmers by including them in welfare schemes, provide crop loans, and insurance coverage for crop damage due to natural disasters or other factors.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited Republicans to accompany her on her expected trip to visit Taiwan  the latest indication that she intends to go despite pushback from China and resistance from the Pentagon.

She has invited Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as panel chair Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) to accompany her, McCaul said amid the uproar over the trip.

'Any member that wants to go, should. It shows political deterrence to President Xi,' McCaul said, NBC News reported.

'But she should also pay attention to the military if it's going to cause a blowback and escalate things,' he added.

McCaul said he couldn't go for scheduling reasons. He was invited as part of a 'small group' of lawmakers Pelosi evidently is assembling as a congressional delegation. The trip is expected during the August recess, although Pelosi's office has refused to confirm it on the record, citing security reasons.

If Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said. Pelosi has invited Texas GOP Rep. Michael McCaul on the trip, McCaul said

The speaker rarely announces trips until shortly before or even after she travels. She has recently popped up in Italy and in Ukraine during congressional breaks.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich was among numerous Republicans who offered rare support for Pelosi over the trip, after President Biden said Pentagon officials had told him the trip was 'not a good idea right now.'

'She cannot allow the Chinese communist dictatorship to think that it can bully an American Speaker of the House,' Gingrich told Fox & Friends Monday. 'And frankly, she ought to tell the Pentagon and the State Department to shut up. They're always timid. They're always risk-averse. And they don't get it. It's very important to show strength. So the Chinese communists understand that we're real, and we're not, just as Mao called us a paper tiger,' he added.

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt (R) also backed Pelosi in comments to NBC.

'If she wants to go, I certainly think she should go,' Blunt said. 'And I think she should be more motivated to go now that she's been discouraged, and colleagues should join her.'

But Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democratic ally of President Biden's, expressed reservations about the trip in an appearance on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.'

'It could be a significant distraction if we ended up in an escalatory situation around Taiwan and its status, but I have confidence that the speaker will do the right thing at this moment. I do think it risks escalating tensions with China,' he said.

U.S. officials today said they have little fear that China could attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island.

If Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said.

The officials declined to provide details of their plans, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

The US military is also reportedly considering deploying a multi-domain task force that would utilize missile, electronic and cyber capabilities in an integrated manner in Asia, according to the Japanese news outlet Nikkei News.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi - who would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit the island since 1997 - would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

It comes as China warned today that Washington would 'bear the consequences' if Pelosi visits Taiwan - days after threatening to take 'resolute and forceful measures' against the US if the trip goes ahead.

'If the US pushes ahead and challenges China's bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences arising therefrom,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference.

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders.

U.S. officials have said they have little fear that China will attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island. Pictured: Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 2

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it.

Beijing and Chinese military experts have warned that a visit could lead to an unprecedented risk of conflict between China and the US.

'As the No 3 leader of the US administration, if Pelosi insists on coming to Taiwan... it will inevitably cause extremely serious damage to ties between the Chinese and US governments, as well as the two militaries, leading to further escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait,' China's defense ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said yesterday.

'The Chinese military will not turn a blind eye to it, and will respond by taking strong measures to thwart any external interference and 'Taiwan independence' secessionist attempts, to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Tan said.

Under its one-China policy, Washington does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The White House has been quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Pelosi.

U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the US military will 'ensure' Pelosi's visit would be safe, whilst adding that discussion of any specific travel is premature.

He added: 'If there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I'll just leave it at that.'

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims.

The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it. Pictured: China's President Xi Jinping, who will speak to President Biden in a call on Thursday

Tensions over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan China is warning it will respond forcefully if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proceeds with a visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. Here's a look at what's happening. WHY DOES PELOSI WANT TO VISIT TAIWAN? Pelosi has been a staunch critic of China throughout her more than three decades in Congress, once unfurling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square memorializing those killed in the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. Taiwan enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Pelosi said last week it was 'important for us to show support for Taiwan.' Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has defied Beijing's threats and her administration has favored core democratic values and liberal policies close to Pelosi's heart, including same-sex marriage and a strong social security net. WHY WOULD THE VISIT CAUSE A RISE IN TENSIONS? China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and its military buildup in recent years has largely been oriented toward such a mission. Beijing objects to all official contact between Taipei and Washington, and routinely threatens retaliation. This time, the stakes appear to be higher. While experts say it's unlikely China would use force to prevent Pelosi's U.S. government plane from landing in Taipei, its response remains unpredictable. Threatening military drills and incursions by ships and planes are considered potential scenarios that would set the entire region on edge. WHY IS THE TIMING SENSITIVE? The administration of President Joe Biden, who will speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, is keen to keeping America's crucial but often turbulent and highly complex relationship with China on an even keel. Pelosi had planned to visit in April but postponed after getting COVID-19. She has declined to discuss reported plans to travel to Taiwan in coming weeks. That could coincide with China's celebrations of the Aug. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party. A more robust Chinese response could also be driven by Xi's desire to bolster his nationalist credentials ahead of a party congress later this year at which he is expected to seek a third five-year term in office. Xi's expansion of his powers into every sphere and his hardline zero-COVID response to the domestic epidemic has sowed a degree of resentment and appealing to raw patriotism, particularly over Taiwan, might help him fend off criticism. WHAT IS TAIWAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD A VISIT? Tsai has been welcoming of all foreign dignitaries, serving and retired, from the U.S., Europe and Asia, using such visits as a bulwark against China's refusal to deal with her government and relentless campaign of diplomatic isolation. Still, her rhetoric on such occasions has generally been relatively low-key, reflecting her own calm demeanor and possibly a desire not to further antagonize China, which remains a crucial economic partner, with around a million Taiwanese residing in mainland China. The capital Taipei staged a civil defense drill Monday and Tsai on Tuesday attended annual military exercises, although there was no direct connection with tensions over a possible Pelosi visit. While the Taiwanese public strongly rejects China's demands for unification, the ability of the island's military to defend against the PLA without U.S. help is highly questionable, so shoring up the armed forces has been a hallmark of Tsai's term in office. Advertisement

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident - even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but postponed the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is 'not a good idea right now.'

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months.

'Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere,' White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the topics to be discussed.

'This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there's already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,' he said.

Kirby said that Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and as such, her overseas travel was a matter of U.S. national security. But only she could make decisions about her travel.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit.

But they don't rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they don't preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force 'gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action,' said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp.

'So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when youre doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.'

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety.

'Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions,' Pavel said. 'She's not going to go with an armada.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

'It is very possible that our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send,' Cozad said.

'And so you get into some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.'

Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Studies at China's Nanjing University, said a Taiwan visit by Pelosi would be 'playing with fire'.

'This is the issue that irks China the most,' he said.

Speaking about the upcoming call between Biden and Jinping, Feng said: 'On the call, both sides need to give each other a positive signal that says we can have basic trust in each other, which is especially needed as the world remains fragile and volatile.

'Not condoning Pelosi's Taiwan visit is a prerequisite to building this trust.'

Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, said the Taiwan issue had the makings of a real crisis, without any U.S.-China mechanism to prevent that from escalating into conflict.

He said it was not clear how much pressure the Biden administration was exerting on Pelosi, but Xi was likely to push hard on the issue in the call, and added: 'We are in a high-risk moment and it behooves leaders in both countries to tread carefully.'

Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 26

Taiwan's M60A3 tanks manoeuvre during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island on July 27 in New Taipei City, Taiwan

Nonetheless, Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Xi would likely seek to project calm as he faces a slowing economy under pressure from strict domestic COVID-19 measures ahead of a key Communist Party Congress later this year.

'While Xi will be clear and direct in raising China's objections about Speaker Pelosi's trip, he will probably not allow that one issue to derail the entire conversation, as doing so would further complicate his already difficult governing agenda,' Singleton said.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its 'solemn position' over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to 'take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years.

He said Beijing's military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane's engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi's flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.
The West and China could risk stumbling their way into a nuclear war as the world enters a 'dangerous new age', the UK's national security chief has warned.

National Security Adviser Stephen Lovegrove urged caution amid a changed 'security order', with advances in tech making weapons more lethal and abundant.

He said there the risk of nuclear war with Russian or China was because communications between conflicting world powers have broken down.

In a striking speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, Mr Lovegrove added that NATO's 'strategic stability is at risk'.

Speaking of the bipolar international order of the Cold War, he said: 'The monolithic blocks of Nato and the USSR were able to reach a shared understanding of doctrine.

'This gave us a higher level of confidence that we would not miscalculate our way into nuclear war.

'Today, we do not have the same foundations with others who may threaten us, particularly China. We must create space for dialogue to build trust and counter disinformation. The UK strongly supports US President Biden's proposed talks with China as an important step.'

Now, Mr Lovegrove warned, the West faces 'a much broader range of strategic risks and pathways to escalation'.

Mr Lovegrove said 'regionally-aggressive powers' Russia and China pose a new threat to the West because in the post-Cold War world order, continuous dialogue is no longer needed. Pictured: a Chinese frigate and missile destroyer take part in a parade in St Petersburg, Russia

Left: The Washington DC headquarters of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Right: National Security Adviser Stephen Lovegrove made the striking warning this afternoon

He said: 'During the Cold War, we thought in terms of escalation ladders thanks to Herman Kahn: largely predictable, linear processes that could be monitored and responded to.

'These are all exacerbated by Russia's repeated violations of its treaty commitments, and the pace and scale with which China is expanding its nuclear and conventional arsenals and the disdain it has shown for engaging with any arms control agreements.'

There are no fewer than 23 countries in possession of dedicated land-attack cruise missiles.

That's not to count the growing list of nuclear powers, with Iran reportedly at a 'breakout moment' in proliferating the apocalyptic missiles.

NATO must be 'eternally vigilant' to rogue states developing the weapons, he added, which can spark nuclear arms races among regional neighbours.

'We have clear concerns about China's nuclear modernisation programme', Britain's national security head explained, 'that will increase both the number and types of nuclear weapon systems in its arsenal.

'Combined, this is a daunting prospect.'

Commenting on the recent passage of 150 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr Lovegrove described the war as 'a manifestation of a much broader contest unfolding over the successor to the post-Cold War international order'.

'We have clear concerns about China's nuclear modernisation programme', Mr Lovegrove added. Pictured: Chinese soldiers sit atop rocket launchers in Tiananmen Square, Beijing

'This contest has profound implications', he said.

'It will decide whether we live in a world in which regionally-aggressive powers such as China and Russia can pursue 'might is right' agendas unchecked  or a world in which all states can ensure their sovereignty, competition does not spill over into conflict, and we cooperate to protect the planet.'

The Whitehall security chief also proposed four 'principles for integrated arms control' to protect the West against erratic moves by enemy states.

NATO members and their allies must bolster 'red lines' against bad behaviour, 'widen the conversation' involving traditional great powers to include all countries, focus on dialogue to - as Churchill said - 'jaw-jaw, not war-war', and lastly 'take early action to renew and strengthen confidence-building measures'.

That means growing trust in the international order, he said, to 'eliminate the causes of mistrust, fear, tension and hostility'.
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Britain's 'Summer of discontent' is set to continue next month after the Aslef union announced train drivers will go on strike on August 13, potentially ruining the journeys of thousands.

Workers from nine rail companies will walk out of their jobs for a 24-hour period in a row over pay, as industry-wide industrial action looks set to continue.

The strike will take place on a Saturday potentially hitting people travelling to sporting events and those trying to travel on their holidays during the summer break.

One of the UK's most popular bands, Coldplay are due to perform at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, August 13, in front of as many as 90,000 fans - who may be affected by the planned strike.

The announcement was made today by Aslef on the same day as other strikes by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association crippled services, with only around one in five trains running and some areas having none at all.

Train drivers' union Aslef today announced its members will go on strike on Saturday, August 13, potentially ruining the journeys of thousands

The announcement was made today, just as other strikes by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association crippled services, with only around one in five trains running (Pictured: King's Cross station earlier today)

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: 'Strikes are always a last resort... We don't want to lose money by going on strike but we've been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Government'

One of the UK's most popular bands, Coldplay are due to perform at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, August 13, in front of as many as 90,000 fans (Pictured: Coldplay's Chris Martin performing at Wembley in 2009)

As many as 90,000 fans are expected at Wembley for Coldplay's concert on Saturday, August 13 - the same day that train drivers are due to strike

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: 'Strikes are always the last resort. We don't want to inconvenience passengers  our friends and families use public transport too  and we don't want to lose money by going on strike but we've been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Government.

'Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay rise since 2019.

'With inflation running at north of 10% that means those drivers have had a real-terms pay cut over the last three years.

'We want an increase in line with the cost of living  we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.'

They will strike on August 13 alongside drivers at Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

A row broke out between unions and the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps after he laid out plans to curb industrial action, including stopping coordinated industrial action, limiting picketing and having a cooling off period after strikes.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'I'm looking at banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period. We should also place an absolute limit of six pickets at points of Critical National Infrastructure, irrespective of the number of unions involved, and outlaw intimidatory language.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) visited rail today's picket line, along with shadow transport minister, Sam Tarry (left)

'Ballot papers should also set out clearly the specific reason for industrial action and the form of action to be taken. In addition, before strike dates are announced, employers should have the right to respond to the issue cited on the ballot paper.'

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'If Grant Shapps had his way we would all still be in the workhouse.'

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'The Government wants to turn the clock back to Victorian times when children were sent up chimneys and working people ruthlessly exploited.'

WHICH RAIL FIRMS ARE OUT ON STRIKE ON AUGUST 13? The Aslef union has announced train drivers at nine rail companies are to go on strike on August 13 in a row over pay. It will affect staff at the following rail operators: London Overground

Greater Anglia

Great Western Railway

Hull Trains

LNER

London Northwestern Railway

Southeastern

West Midlands Railway

Avanti West Coast

Crosscountry Advertisement

The action could see a repeat of scenes from today, where train stations across Britain were left deserted as commuters chose to work from home during the rail strikes and experts said industrial action was becoming less effective - despite it crippling services again.

Morning rush-hour traffic congestion in the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester was significantly down today on the same time last week as many people decided not to travel into the office by train, car or any other method.

Figures from location technology firm TomTom showed the congestion between 8am and 9am in London today was 40 per cent, down on 55 per cent in the same period last Wednesday.

In Birmingham, it was 27 per cent today compared to 44 per cent last week; and in Manchester it was at 40 per cent today, down from 53 per cent.

The data, which represents the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions, was released as rail passengers suffered fresh travel chaos after thousands of workers went on strike.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: 'The action announced by the Aself leadership shows a cynical approach to talks, a total disregard for passengers and is putting everyone's summer plans at risk. This action will bring the total number of strike days on the railway to 10, disrupting plans in June, July and August.

'Like any public service we have to change with the times, and it's only by making necessary reforms that we can give our people a pay rise.

'Now is not the time for further strikes, so we urge the Aslef leadership to resume talks to reach a deal that is fair to staff and taxpayers, and which secures a better, safer and more affordable railway.'

Disputes in the bitter row over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions are worsening, with more strikes due in the coming days, and a wave of industrial action planned next month on the railways and London Underground.

But HR expert Sam Alsop-Hall pointed out that the new era of working from home means striking is a 'dangerous game for rail services as they might end up eliminating the demand for their services which in turn limits their ability to negotiate for a pay increase'. Another said it was 'relatively easy for business to continue as usual.

We operate a hybrid working policy. If we're notified the trains are going on strike we just tell everyone they can work from home on that day.

GLASGOW: Passengers make their way through Glasgow Central station this morning amid the nationwide RMT strike

LONDON WATERLOO: People read an electronic board at London Waterloo station this morning during the UK rail strike

LONDON ST PANCRAS: A lone commuter prepares to pass through a ticket gate at London St Pancras station this morning

SHEFFIELD: A handful of passengers wait at Sheffield station today as members of the RMT take part in a fresh strike

LONDON EUSTON: The near-empty station concourse during the morning rush-hour period at London Euston station today

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET: Very few people walk around Birmingham New Street train station this morning during the strike

LONDON VICTORIA: Passengers sit in a waiting area during rush hour at London Victoria railway station this morning

BASINGSTOKE: A near empty Basingstoke station in Hampshire this morning as members of the RMT begin fresh strikes

'We also had a situation last week where two train tickets to London from Birmingham were almost 400 - so we just moved the meeting online with an hour's notice.'

Angela Rayner's militant union-backing boyfriend dares Keir Starmer to sack him as he defies Labour leader to join rail strikers (and Jeremy Corbyn) on picket line demanding a 7% payrise Angela Rayner's hard-left Labour MP boyfriend has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to fire him as he joined Jeremy Corbyn and union baron Mick Lynch on a picket line in London to support a rail strike that has left just one in five trains running today and millions unable to travel in another 100million-plus hit to the economy. In a clear act of defiance to Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Tarry turned up at Euston station 'in solidarity' with the 40,000 RMT members who have shut down at least half of Britain's rail network after a week of disruption in late June with more planned for August. Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Tarry at London Euston today The Ilford South MP, 39, a former TSSA union official, is in a relationship with Ms Rayner, 41, having become close to after he ran her campaign to become Labour's deputy leader. She separated from her husband Mark in 2020 and Mr Tarry, a father of two, has also parted from his wife. Mr Tarry's stand is another blow to Sir Keir's authority amid rumours that his girlfriend Angela is after his job. It came hours after the Labour leader again ordered his frontbenchers to resist joining striking rail workers on picket lines today after 25 MPs defied similar orders last month. He failed to sack any of them. He has also been accused of flip-flopping over whether he backs the strikes or not. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, with Mick Lynch in the background, Mr Tarry said that if Labour was in power then the RMT would not be striking - in a clear pledge that if he was transport secretary he would offer railway workers the 7 per cent pay rise they are demanding. Asked whether he expected to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: 'I've no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this - if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn't be happening.' And asked if Sir Keir should be with him at the picket, he added: 'I have absolutely 100% confidence that any Labour Party MP would be in support of striking workers who have given up a day's pay, a week's pay or even longer.' Sir Keir Starmer has been silent on whether he will sack Tarry - and Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said it is up to the whips to decide whether Mr Tarry loses his job for insubordination. Asked what Sir Keir should do about his minister defying his orders, Ms Dodds told Sky News: 'Ultimately, as I said, it's a decision for that individual, but I'm sure that the whips will be looking at this in terms of it being a disciplinary matter. But, quite frankly, for me, the big issue here is why, in England, we've got people's transport being disrupted so substantially with industrial action'. Advertisement

Only around one in five trains are running today, on around half the network, with some areas having no trains all day.

Picket lines were mounted outside railway stations as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike.

But barrister Tahina Akther, who is co-founder of London-based legal firm Wildcat Law which does nearly all of its client meetings as video conferences on Microsoft Teams, said it was 'relatively easy for business to continue as usual' despite the strikes.

She told MailOnline: 'The legal industry has always been very traditional in its approach. Pre-pandemic it was unusual for lawyers to work anywhere other than in an office or chambers or physically in court.

'The pandemic changed all (that), now more and more lawyers are working either remotely or via a hybrid model. This means that when things like train strikes occur it is relatively easy for business to continue as usual.

'It was once thought that clients would never take legal advice other than in an office, face to face. That myth has been thoroughly debunked, with many clients now preferring to meet virtually. Thus removing the necessity for the crowded commutes via train or car. Train strikes and road congestion will merely accelerate this evolution.'

And Ed Rimmer, chief executive at Bath-based funding firm Time Finance, told MailOnline: 'With offices in some of the UK's major cities, including Manchester, Bath, and Cardiff, our company has always been vulnerable to rail strikes. In the past, it's made our employees' commutes to work or attending important meetings quite tough.

'The world's evolved since then and the working from home culture and option to hold virtual meetings really helps office-based businesses like ours to better prepare for any type of rail strike interruption. It's very unlikely this would cause any disruption to us now.'

Meanwhile, experts at airport parking comparison firm Airport Parking Shop said they had noted a 23 per cent increase in bookings over the last few days as people plan to drive to airports instead of taking the train, with many making last-minute changes to their plans and the average booking time now down to just ten days before.

And broadband providers said they expected an increase in both 'downstream' and 'upstream' traffic of up to 15 per cent, making usage broadly in line with the levels seen during the pandemic.

Tony Hughes, chief executive of full fibre provider 4th Utility, told MailOnline: 'Due to the nationwide rail strikes, a surge in usage across our networks for much of today is absolutely inevitable.

'Millions more people are expected to be abandoning their commutes and working from spare bedrooms and studies - using video call platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Google Hangouts.'

Transport for London told MailOnline that there were 1.12million entries and exits on the Underground up to 10am today, which was down 21 per cent compared to the same time yesterday when the total was 1.42million.

On London buses today, there were 1.02million journeys up to 10am, which is up 4 per cent compared to the same time yesterday when there were 981,000.

Passengers on the rail network were urged to only travel by train if they must, and, if it is necessary, to allow extra time and check when their last train will depart.

Trains will also be disrupted tomorrow morning with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has also announced a strike by its members at Avanti West Coast today, while members of the drivers' union Aslef at seven companies will strike on Saturday.

Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at London Euston station, in defiance of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's orders to stay away.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'If we don't make a stand today, people's lives could be lost.'

Asked whether he expects to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: 'I've no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this - if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn't be happening.'

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that Mr Tarry's actions are 'clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir' and 'no doubt he'll want to remove him from his job'.

Many passengers turning up at stations are unaware of the strike. Fabian Ward was sat on the Birmingham New Street concourse planning how to get home to Telford 34 miles away. He said: 'I didn't know about the strikes to be fair, otherwise I would have driven.'

London Waterloo station is quieter than normal, although hundreds of passengers left trains arriving at 8.10am and 8.30am. A few dozen protesters are on a picket line at the main entrance to the station.

Some are waving RMT flags, others are selling copies of socialist newspapers and wearing RMT-branded T-shirts. Members of the National Education Union are also there in support.

Ola, one of the pickets, said: 'We have been here since 7am. The support from the public has been particularly good.'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said union members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

A Network Rail map shows the disruption on trains today with limited services running between 7.30am until 6.30pm

'Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,' he said.

Mr Lynch added: 'RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.'

Mr Shapps said in his three years as Transport Secretary there has not been a single day when unions have not been in dispute by threatening or taking industrial action, with around 60 separate disputes in 2022 alone.

'Today, union bosses are once again trying to cause as much disruption as possible to the day-to-day lives of millions of hardworking people around the country,' he said.

'What's more, it has been cynically timed to disrupt the start of the Commonwealth Games and crucial Euro 2022 semi-finals, in a deliberate bid to impact the travel of thousands trying to attend events the whole country is looking forward to.'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch joins the picket line at London Euston railway station this morning

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Shapps dubbed the strikes an example of 'union collusion', adding he would seek to ban 'strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period'.

He said he would also look at implementing a 60-day cooling-off period after each strike, as well as ensuring critical industries like rail maintain minimum service levels.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: 'Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I'm afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.

'I can only apologise for the impact this pointless strike will have on passengers, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the Uefa Women's Euro 2022 semi-final (on Wednesday) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (on Thursday).'

Members of the RMT and TSSA will launch co-ordinated strikes on August 18 and 20, while the RMT announced a strike on London Underground on August 19.
Poland's intelligence services say they have identified camps where thousands of Ukrainian children have been held and adults brutally beaten by invading Russian forces.

Special Services minster Stanislaw Zaryn said on Wednesday that over 1.5 million Ukrainians including 'thousands of children' were being held in various locations inside occupied territory where 'Ukrainians are sent en masse' and 'subjected to torture'.

Posting satellite photos and exact coordinates of 'locations where there are Russian torture chambers used against Ukrainians', he said: 'The Kremlin has organised a network of prisons and filter camps in which it is holding detained Ukrainians.'

It comes as Human Rights Watch confirmed it had interviewed dozens of Ukrainians who were detained by Russian forces, many of whom had injuries and signs of torture.

Buildings that were once occupied by Ukrainian government and state organisations have been taken over and repurposed by Russia's secret service and armed forces

This building in Donetsk is believed to be the location of one of several alleged detention and torture camps being ran by Russian forces in occupied Ukraine

This building, in Novoazovsk, was named as the location of one of Russia's detention centres for Ukrainian civilians

Zaryn continued: 'The aggressors carry out a verification of the detained, looking for people with combat experience and officials of the Ukrainian administration.

'They also study the attitudes of specific people towards Russia.

'Those who do not raise any objections from the invaders are generally deported to Russia.

'Some of these people are forcibly conscripted into the Russian army and then sent to the front.

'People who raise doubts are brutally repressed. They are tortured, they are forced to testify or make statements against Ukraine, or they are brought to court as part of propaganda, show political trials.

'Russian FSB officers are responsible for the described actions against the civilian population, and they also ''interrogate'' the detained Ukrainians.

'The involvement of the most important Russian secret service in the repression against Ukrainians shows how much importance the Kremlin attaches to these actions.'

According to the official, the locations are based in the former headquarters of Ukrainian police and the State Migration Service of Ukraine.

Photos show five locations in different parts of southeastern Ukraine controlled by Putin's forces; Donetsk, Starobesheve, Dokuchayevsk, Manhush and Novoazovsk.

The special forces minister continued: 'According to intelligence data, the process of filtering and verifying detained Ukrainians lasts from several hours to several days.

'During this time, interrogations by the FSB take place, the analysis of confiscated items, including data carriers, and even social media activity is carried out.

'The Russians check whether the detainees have traces of fights on their bodies, and even what tattoos they have.

'If someone arouses even a shadow of suspicion, he becomes the object of repression, which may result in death.

'A terrible fate awaits also those who, after 'positive verification', are ordered to fight in the ranks of the aggressor.'

These are the locations of several detention centres set up by Russia's secret service in occupied Ukraine, where Ukrainian children are held and adults are 'interrogated'

Clarifying the location of the camps in an official statement, Zaryn said: 'The apparatus of repression aimed at Ukrainian society was organised on the basis of a system of prisons located in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

'The Russians use the former headquarters of local Ukrainian authorities, in particular the local police and the State Migration Service of Ukraine.

'In regions where the Russians have not managed to adapt buildings taken over as a result of aggression, filtration sites are organised in the form of towns and tent camps.

'The Polish services managed to identify the places that are used for the described actions against Ukraine.'

Zaryn's claims that thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being unlawfully detained and tortured by the invaders tallies with findings released just days ago by Human Rights Watch.

The organisation said it has interviewed scores of Ukrainian citizens and POWs detained by Putin's troops in the occupied southern regions of Ukraine and had received detailed accounts of barbaric treatment they endured.

'Russian forces have turned occupied areas of southern Ukraine into an abyss of fear and wild lawlessness,' said senior researcher Yulia Gorbunova.

'Torture, inhumane treatment, as well as arbitrary detention and unlawful confinement of civilians, are among the war crimes we have documented.'

A press release on the organisation's website stated its members had interviewed 71 people from Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Skadovsk and 10 other cities and towns in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

They described 42 cases in which Russian occupation forces either forcibly disappeared civilians or otherwise held them arbitrarily, and many instances in which they were beaten, tortured and hospitalised with severe injuries.
He teaches three courses at Magnifi U and is engaged to his best friend from high school from 35 years ago

He retired from active military service in 2014, before being hired as a gun instructor at a shooting range

He served in Mosul and Ramadi, Iraq, from 2003 until 2004 and 2005 until 2006

SEAL veteran and author Eric Muller is helping other former military members with turning their lives around by helping them transition back into civilian life through three life lessons he learned himself after he left active duty.

Muller, who is originally from Santa Monica, California, served 20 years in the Navy, 18 as a SEAL, and completed seven foreign tours, including two combat tours in Iraq in the cities of Mosul and Ramadi, respectively from 2003 until 2004 and 2005 until 2006.

During his time in the military, he was briefed on hundreds of counter terrorism operations and was part of several SEAL Team tied to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

SEAL veteran and author Eric Muller (pictured), 51, served in Iraq from 2003 until 2004 and again, between 2004 and 2005 before retiring from active duty in 2014

Retired from the Navy in 2014, Muller's first job outside of active duty was being a full-time instructor at Mid-South Combat Shooting in Mississippi, which only books training courses for U.S. Military, government and state or local law enforcement agencies.

The 20-year Navy SEAL, who has four kids from two previous marriages and is now engaged to his best friend of 35 years from high school, speaks about the lessons he learned in moving from long-term military life into the civilian world, and how little veterans do not realize the skills they have learned in uniform are in demand.

He also runs a new online micro-learning platform Magnifi U since this year, to help and teach veterans how to successfully move into non-military life. For the course, he draws on his 2017 book, Set Up for Success, A Veteran's Guide to Re-acclimation, and his own career to help and inspire others.

For now, here are three life lessons Muller recommends to follow for those seeking a successful career post-military:

Muller also wrote about his post-military struggles and experiences in a book called Set Up for Success, A Veteran's Guide to Re-acclimation, published in 2017

1. Plan your plan

'If you don't have a plan, you're just blown in the wind. Whatever storm comes, you're going to go in, you're flapping in the wind, you're going to drown, right? That's why it's so important to establish a plan,' Muller told DailyMail.com

The California native added that whichever path you choose, whether that's staying at home to take care of family, seeking employment or going to college, it's vital to stick with your plan until the end.

Jessica Di Ponzio, Director of Learning and Development at Magnifi U, works with Muller on further developing his courses and specified: 'In all courses offered, it is all about navigating separation and finding your motivation. [...] And also how to harness your motivation to go after what really matters to you,' she exclusively told DailyMail.com.

'Our second course is about finding direction, use your motivation to find what job field work, what will be fulfilling to you, what do you really care about? What do you want to explore? And then the third course is pulling that all to action, creating a plan, creating a resume, and really learning how your skills translate, like we've been talking about what role you had in the military, what branch you're in the things that you did and what that translates to, and then have, you know, a curated custom skills translator.'

2. Make adjustments to your plan

After coming up with a plan, Muller recommends to stick with it and to make adjustments to fulfill it. He says that little too often, veterans tend to give up on their plans 'because life and things happens.'

'If you're going to school wanting a degree, and have a plan until the end but now all of a sudden [your] wife's pregnant, now [you] have a baby thrown into the mix. You then ask yourself "Do I just stop that plan?" No, you don't have to stop that plan.'

'Instead, maybe you have to get a night job for a little bit because your wife won't be able to work for two months or three months. So there's an adjustment there.'

The veteran said people often think adjustments 'paralyze you or put you in a spot where you just throw that plan in the garbage.'

However, he says that's mostly not the case and speaking to others about personal difficulties can make one overcome these feelings and stick to the right path.

'I think that having an individual that you're able to openly talk to and use as a mentor, like I did with my brother, is super important and super helpful.'

Muller was living in his car after divorcing from his second wife, two years following his retirement from the military in 2014. He remembers that as being one of his life's lowest points before turning to tapes made by motivational speakers.

He then realized that he could openly talk about his struggles with his brother.

'I finally had someone that was able to help me mentorship wise, but if I had realized that at the beginning then I think that would have mitigated a lot of things that I went through.'

Now teaching veterans how to transition into civilian life after their releases from the military, Muller is also engaged to his high school best friend of 35 years (right)

3. Translate and showcase your value and military skills in a corporate setting

'I guess as a veteran most companies don't see or don't understand the actual value of a veteran because they don't understand the terminology on what we (veterans) did in the military versus what you know, is in the civilian world, and how it translates from one to the other,' Muller told DailyMail.com.

He added that companies are doing themselves a disservice 'by not knowing that because there's so many people out there that are more than capable of doing a job.'

Muller also revealed that the military only offers classes focusing on resume building and job interviewing, before active service members are officially released.

'They give a 10-day class to everyone before you get out. It's two weeks long but the courses weren't up-to-date. The resumes were old school [format].'

'Now you have companies that have a seven second look or 15 second look, and they look over a cover page and if they don't like what they don't see right off the bat, then they set it aside.'

Muller found his first job as an instructor at a gun range in Mississippi due to his ties within the military. He said he enjoyed the job at first, finding it 'super easy' before realizing how unprepared he had been to work a normal job.

'I never took account, like the finances, of how much I was getting paid. And I really didn't understand it until I got my first paycheck. And it was kind of shocking and then it really hit me probably two or three months down the line after that. That financially like I didn't set myself up for success at all.'

He added that the sudden realization had 'put a strain on his the relationship with his ex-wife.

'For me, trying to figure out who I was was the hardest party, because you know for 20 years, I was a Navy SEAL. That was my identify and then all of a sudden I come out and I'm trying to figure out who I am again. You know, it was it was as if I just graduated high school, right, because you know, I don't have a college degree,' Muller said.

Father of four kids (pictured with one of them), Muller is now a Risk Management and Business Development Contract in Mississippi

After leaving his job at the gun range, Muller finally wrote a book about his struggles and experience to find his own identity post-military life. Then, he was offered to teach at Magnifi U, which made him realize that he could make a difference by helping out others in a similar position.

'Our courses teach veterans how to write an elevator pitch, how to talk about themselves in an interview setting and and what to put on their resume,' Jessica Di Ponzio, Director of Learning and Development at Magnifi U, told DailyMail.com.

'We have plans for a ton more. There are endless possibilities for these courses for veterans and for everybody else struggling but specifically what we're talking about today is veterans,' she added.

'From soft skills and self awareness, understanding your values, relationships, communication, mental health, well being all the way, are skills that lead to being able to work functional jobs.'

Muller is now planning to re-enroll at San Diego State University, where he went to college before dropping out and signing up for the Navy. He said he was inspired by his fiancee, who just obtained her Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University.

He is also a Risk Management and Business Development Contractor for a private company in Mississippi.
Former President Donald Trump ranted on Truth Social Wednesday about a report that said the Department of Justice was looking into his actions as part of a criminal probe into the January 6 Capitol attack.

'Just more disinformation by the Democrats, like the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, the long running Mueller Report, which ended in No Collusion, and so much more,' Trump wrote.

The ex-president continued to falsely claim the election was stolen from him in the Truth Social posts, which followed Tuesday night's Washington Post report that the DOJ was asking witnesses about Trump's behavior in the run-up to January 6.

'Now that we have found the answers to these crooked, election changing events, why is the Justice Department not prosecuting those responsible?' Trump asked. 'Plenty of time left!'

He continued by saying that 'people forget' that 'this is all about a Rigged and Stolen Election.'

'But rather than go after the people that Rigged and Stole it, they go after the people that are seeking Honesty and Truth, and have Freedom of Speech, and many other defenses, on their side!' Trump said.

'Justice Department should look at The Crime of the Century. Evidence is massive and irrefutable!!!' the ex-president added.

Former President Donald Trump ranted on Truth Social Wednesday about a report that said the Department of Justice was looking into his actions as part of a criminal probe into the January 6 Capitol attack

The former president sent out two 'Truths' on Wednesday ranting about a Washington Post report that said investigators with the Department of Justice's criminal probe into January 6 are focusing on Trump's actions

Trump also pointed to a phone call he made to Georgia election officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he pressured the Republicans into 'finding him votes,' and said it was 'PERFECT'

There is no evidence of widespread election fraud as Trump has repeatedly claimed.

Trump also pointed to a phone call he made to Georgia election officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he pressured the Republicans into 'finding him votes.'

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is looking into the Georgia-based election interference claims.

'The Georgia phone calls were PERFECT,' Trump wrote Wednesday.

'Many people and lawyers, on both sides, were knowingly on the one call, I assumed the call was taped, there were Zero complaints or angry "how dare you" charges made during the call, and no "hang ups" by anyone aggrieved or insulted at what was said,' the ex-president wrote.

'THEY WERE PERFECT CALLS,' he wrote.

'I was just doing my job as President, and seeking Fairness and the Truth,' Trump added. 'The Election was Rigged and Stolen!' he falsely claimed again.

Rioters loyal to former President Donald Trump are seen surrounding the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that sources told the paper that federal prosecutors have interviewed witnesses before a grand jury and asked them about conversations between Trump, his lawyers and members of his inner circle about a plot to replace Electoral College members with pro-Trump alternate electors in states President Joe Biden won.

Prosecutors have asked detailed questions about meetings Trump held in December 2020 and January 2021, gathering information on his campaign to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results, and what instructions - if any - Trump gave his team about the fake electors scheme.

That scheme was led by Trump's election lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, but prosecutors wanted to know the extent of the now ex-president's involvement, The Post said.

Specifically, what did Trump tell his allies to do as he sought to overturn the 2020 election result.

While it had been previously reported that investigators were looking into the conduct of some in Trump's inner circle - including Giuliani and Eastman - The Post was first to report that DOJ officials were looking into Trump's actions.

The paper also reported that investigators received the phone records of Trump's former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Two subpoenas obtained by The Post issued to two Arizona state lawmakers who posed as fake electors asked for communications with 'any member, employee, or agent of Donald J. Trump or any organization advocating in favor of the 2020 re-election of Donald J. Trump, including "Donald J. Trump for President, Inc."'

On Monday, ABC News reported that Pence's former Chief of Staff Marc Short was spotted leaving D.C. District Court on Friday, alongside his lawyer.

Sources told the network that Short testified before a grand jury, compelled by a subpoena, as part of the DOJ's probe.

Additionally, Pence lawyer Greg Jacob also appeared before a grand jury, The Post said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out prosecuting former President Donald Trump for his role in January 6 in a new interview airing Tuesday on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

In an interview that aired Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out prosecuting Trump.

'We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable,' Garland told NBC's Lester Holt. 'That's what we do.'

The DOJ probe is separate from the investigation being conducted by the January 6 House select committee - which may make criminal referals to the Justice Department as well, the top Republican on the panel, Rep. Liz Cheney, said in an interview last month.

'The Justice Department has been doing the most wide-ranging investigation in its history and the committee is doing an enormously wide-ranging investigation as well,' Garland said on NBC's Nightly News.

So far the DOJ investigation has led to charges against more than 840 individuals over their roles in the Capitol attack.

Sources told The Post that there are two legal areas where Trump could get ensnared.

Like the rioters, the DOJ could pursue charges like seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding.

But the Justice Department could also try to prove Trump committed fraud with the fake electors scheme or the campaign he and his allies mounted to pressure DOJ officials to say the election was fraudulent when it wasn't.

Garland said the DOJ has been 'moving urgently' since the start of its investigation into the Capitol riot and surrounding events.

'It is inevitable in this kind of investigation that there'll be speculation about what we we are doing, who we are investigating, what our theories are - the reason there is this speculation and uncertainty is that some fundamental tenet of what we do as prosecutors and investigators is to do it outside of the public eye,' Garland said.

He said this was done to 'protect civil liberies' and 'ensure the success and the integrity' of the investigtion.

No former president has ever been charged with a crime in the country's history.

While former President Richard Nixon stepped down over his involvement in the Watergate break-in, President Gerald Ford, who had served as Nixon's vice president, pardoned him.
House Democrats launched an effort to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices on Tuesday, saying it would restore legitimacy to a branch of government that is out of step with public sentiment.

It follows a string of controversial decisions - from throwing out gun control measures in New York to overturning national protections on abortion rights - made by the court's conservative majority.

Now a group of Democrats is proposing to cap justices' service at 18 years.

Their legislation, the 'Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act' would empower the president to nominate judges for the Supreme Court every two years.

With a bench of nine, it would completely renew the court every 18 years.

Rep. Hank Johnson, of Georgia, said it would restore public support for the court, which has plunged in recent years.

'This Supreme Court is increasingly facing a legitimacy crisis,' said Johnson, chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.

'Five of the six conservative justices on the bench were appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote, and they are now racing to impose their out-of-touch agenda on the American people, who do not want it.'

Republican-appointed Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett (circled) all voted to strike down Roe along with Samuel Alito

The result of the Supreme Court decision was a rash of protests, and questions about the legitimacy of a branch of government that was drifting from public sentiment

Democrats are grappling with a court that took a rightward lurch under President Donald Trump. His nominees gave it a 6-3 conservative majority.

Joe Biden, his successor, set up a commission to examine reform but has made clear he does want to pack an expanded court with liberal justices - knowing that a Republican could simply reverse the balance in years to come.

In the meantime, public sentiment is turning against the court.

Last week liberal Justice Elena Kagan warned it could lose its legitimacy altogether if its conservative majority moved too far away from American public opinion.

In her first public appearance since the court last month struck down nationwide protections on abortion rights, she said t was vital that the justices stuck to their role as judges rather than dictating public policy.

'I'm not talking about any particular decision or even any particular series of decisions, but if over time the court loses all connection with the public and with public sentiment, that's a dangerous thing for a democracy,' she said at a judicial conference in Montana.

The new bill would mean that justices would retire after 18 years, assuming senior status, with offices, official duties and pay.

If any vacancies arise - through death, retirement, illness - the most recently elevated senior justice would drop back down to resume duties as an associate justice.

Justice Elena Kagan told a judicial conference in Big Sky, Montana, last week that it was 'a dangerous thing for democracy' for the court to lose any connection with public sentiment

Social media users pointed out after the Roe v Wade decision that Americans had lost faith in the Supreme Court in recent years

'With all the harmful and out-of-touch rulings from the Supreme Court this last year, legislation creating 18-year terms for justices is essential,' said Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

'Otherwise, we will be left with backwards-looking majority for a generation or more. Instead, under this bill, each president would be entitled to appoint two justices.'

But Republicans accused Democrats of a politically motivated attack.

'When the Democrats get their way on rulings they're happy with the Supreme Court,' said Rep, Steve Scalise, House Republican Whip.

'When they don't get their way they want to pack the Supreme Court, they want to change the Supreme Court.

The court's conservative majority has asserted its power in a string of recent rulings, including overturning New York's restrictions on concealed carry firearms.

But it is the abortion decision, at a time when most Americans support abortion rights, that has raised questions about the role of the court.

Opinion polls suggest that about a quarter or a third of adults believe abortion should always be legal, while fewer than 15 percent think it should never be legal.

The rest believe it should be most legal, but with limits and safeguards.

Overall, the latest Pew Research Center's poll found some 54 percent of adults had a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court while 44 percent had an unfavorable view.

That reflects a 15-point decline in the court's approval rating during the past three years, according to the poll of more than 5000 American adults conducted in January.

Polls suggest public approval dipped further in the wake of the abortion ruling, which capped its blockbuster term that ended last month.

In other rulings, the court expanded religious rights and curbed the ability of President Joe Biden's administration to issue broad regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants.

The court's new term begins in October with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by Biden to replace fellow liberal Stephen Breyer, who retired last month.
Gun makers defended their product on Wednesday during a tense House hearing on mass shootings, saying 'murders are responsible' for the deaths.

Democrats revealed American gun manufacturers earned more than $1 billion from the sale of AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons over the last decade, as lawmakers grilled gun makers after a recent series of mass shootings led to multiple deaths in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Highland Park, Ill.

Marty Daniel, chief executive officer of Daniel Defense - which made the gun used by the shooter to kill 19 school children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas - defended his company's practices as he was questioned by Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

She asked him: 'Will you accept person responsibility for your company's role in this tragedy and apologize to the families of Uvalde?'

'These acts are committed by murderers. The murderers are responsible,' Daniel responded.

Family members of the Uvalde shooting sat in the audience of the House Oversight Committee hearing as the gun makers defended their product.

Marty Daniel, chief executive officer of Daniel Defense - which made the gun used in Uvalde shooting - blamed the shooter: 'These acts are committed by murderers. The murderers are responsible,' hee said

Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney revealed American gun manufacturers earned more than $1 billion from the sale of AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons over the last decade

'The stated implied purpose of this hearing is to vilify, blame and try to ban over 24 million sporting rifles already in circulation that are lawfully possessed and commonly used by millions of Americans to protect their homes and loved ones,' said Daniel, who appeared virtually.

'I believe our nation's response needs to focus not on the type of gun but on the types of persons who are likely to commit mass shootings,' he said.

Daniel Defense raised its revenue from $40 million in 2019 to more than $120 million last year. Sturm, Ruger & Co.'s gross earnings have gone from $39 million to over $103 million since 2019, and Smith and Wesson reported that its revenues from all long guns doubled from 2019 to 2021.

Christopher Killoy, president and CEO of Sturm, Ruger, also argued it was the shooter not the weapon.

'A firearm, any firearm, can be used for good or evil. The difference is in the intent of the individual possessing it,' he said.

Mark Smith, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands Inc , had been invited and had initially committed to attend the hearing but then changed his mind, Maloney said.

Maloney said she intends to subpoena Smith and other executives. A Smith & Wesson rifle was used in the Highland Park killings, where seven were killed and 25 wounded.

Democrats hammered the gun makers on the way their products were used in mass shootings.

Gun sales are up in the United States, rising from an average of 1 million guns sold monthly in 2019 to nearly 2 million a month in 2020.

But deaths from guns are also on the rise. Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. in 2020, surpassing deaths by car crashes, drug overdoses and cancer, according to The New England Journal of Medicine.

'The gun industry has flooded our neighborhoods, our schools and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons and has gotten rich doing it,' Maloney, the chair of the Oversight Committee, said.

'Even as guns kill more Americans than ever, none of those companies take even basic steps to monitor the deaths and injuries caused by their products,' she noted. 'This is beyond irresponsible.'

Felix and Kimberly Rubio, whose 10 year old daughter Alexandria Rubio was killed in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting n Uvalde, were at the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Hearing: Examining the Practices and Profits of Gun Manufacturers

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on gun violence, such as in the July shooting at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 died

Republicans argued that semi-automatic weapons use was rare with most purchases being hand guns for protective purposes. They also labeled gun ownership a second amendment issue.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spoke passionately about the issue during the more than four hour hearing.

'Never in my life have I had a gun get violent with me,' said Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, who described himself as a gun owner. 'It's by mentally ill people. It's by deranged people.'

He said of Democrats: 'We're going to try not to let them strip the second amendment.'

President Joe Biden has called on assault weaons to be banned. House Democrats are moving toward passing such legislation but not right away.

Democratic leaders said Wednesday that any House floor action on the assault weapons ban and police funding bills will now come next month.

Any assault weapon ban is likely to fail in the Senate.

There have been 15 mass killings this year, according to the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database. According to that research, those incidents have left 86 dead and 63 injured. Guns were used in all of them.
A traumatised victim of transgender predator Tarjit Singh told how police turned a blind eye as she was held prisoner for more than a year.

The terrified victim said she fell into the clutches of the controlling abuser after meeting on a dating site.

The woman, who is in her early 30s, ended up trapped in an abusive relationship with Singh who was born Hannah Walters.

She was tricked into having sex with Singh who used a specially-made prosthetic penis and refused to get undressed in the bedroom.

Singh, 32, hid her true identity by strapping down her breasts while insisting sex took place in the dark.

An investigation finally began after a woman contacted police as Singh continued to stalk her.

Tarjit Singh, 32, was born as a female named Hannah Walters but now identifies as a transgender male

She gave the names of five other women who had been targeted by Singh after discovering letters they had written to her.

Last week Singh was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court of three counts of assault by penetration, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of making a threat to kill.

During their relationship, it was months before the victim discovered the truth when she heard Singhs father say call him Hannah and told me he was a girl'.

By then Singh had already taken control of the victims life and the revelation only enraged her further.

Speaking of her gruelling ordeal the woman told MailOnline: I was forced to live with her. I wasnt allowed to leave her. I wasnt allowed to leave the house. I was under her control for over a year. I didnt go out. I wasnt allowed to speak to friends or family.

I had a mobile but I wasnt allowed to control it. She had the phone all the time.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told how the police were called at least five times before her ordeal came to an end. But each time she said they took no action forcing her to return to her tormentor.

She said: My mother reported me missing four times because she wasnt allowed to talk to me and didnt know where I was. One time there was an incident where the police were called and they just left me there.

The neighbours heard her hitting me. They pulled me out of the window because I was getting beaten up. They called the police but they did nothing. They didnt believe my story.

The police didnt take it seriously. They just thought it was normal abuse.

The woman told how she met Singh through the dating website Plenty of Fish. She said her date was 'very caring and very nice to begin with' and within a matter of weeks she moved into the house Walters shared with her father in Hackney, East London.

She quickly found herself trapped and unable to leave. Asked why she did not try to escape she said: All I can say was that it was fear, pure fear. The abuse started within weeks. I was hit within the first few weeks but by then I already felt trapped.

The woman told how a storyline on Hollyoaks about transgender issues had helped her to understand Walters was lying and she later confirmed the truth after finding her birth certificate.

She said: She was very convincing. She always dressed in boys clothes, jeans or tracksuit bottoms. Her breasts were strapped down so she didnt appear to have any.

I didnt know that she was a woman for months. She was angry before but she was angrier after I found out. She wouldnt discuss it with me. She has never admitted to being born a woman.

She claimed she was born a man and became a woman but then wanted to be a man again.

A view of Snaresbrook Crown Court in London where Singh was convicted of three counts of assault by penetration, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of making a threat to kill

The woman told how she finally plucked up the courage to leave but was again held hostage by Singh after returning to the house to collect her belongings.

She said: I had taken a friend. She was waiting outside. I told her to give me 10 minutes and when nothing happened she called the police. The police finally opened the door. They came in and they let me go.

Singh's offending took place over six years between 2010 and 2016 but the sexual assaults on several women took place in the first four of those years.

He met his second victim in a chicken shop and his third, who has learning difficulties, on dating site Plenty of Fish. Two women had previously been sexually abused.

The judge told Singh he had been 'aware that these women were vulnerable' and had deceived them by 'not truly revealing' that he had been born biologically female.

Judge Oscar Del Fabbro told Singh he represents a 'risk to the public of serious harm in the future' and described him as a 'dangerous offender' who had committed repeated acts of violence and assaults against three 'vulnerable' victims.

The victims lived with him and this was a 'dangerous environment for them, riddled with violence' and problems Singh caused them emotionally, the judge said.

He added that Singh had not been 'open and honest' with them about his gender issues and described him as 'an accomplished and manipulative liar'.

He said: 'Instead of opening a frank and honest discussion about your gender and how you wanted to live your life, you chose a different path - you chose a path of deceit.

'You persuaded them you were male and acted like you were male.'

His troubled victims, who included a girl who had just turned 16 and two women who had previously been sexually abused, were probably taken in by his charm, humour and the fact that he appeared willing to lend them a 'sympathetic ear, but nothing could be further from the truth'.

The judge praised the victims and their families for 'reliving the trauma' of the 'gruelling' events by giving evidence during the trial to ensure Singh faced justice.

The court previously heard that when the victims began to ask questions, Singh became abusive and manipulative and told one of them there was more to a relationship than sex and that she should learn to talk about her feelings more.

Singh told another victim he had been born male, had a sex change to become female, and now wanted to be male again.

The third victim met Singh after receiving a message through the dating website Plenty of Fish in 2014.

The 16-year-old who had become involved with Singh had previously been sexually abused, was estranged from her family and needed a shoulder to cry on.

Her 'naivety was plain', the judge said, and she was taken into care by the age of 17.

Singh left one of his victims with a fractured nose and a cut on the head. She was also doused with lighter fluid and threatened with being set alight.

The court heard Singh has previous offences including false imprisonment, perverting the course of justice, administering a noxious substance, having a Taser, going equipped, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and assault occasioning actual bodily harm
The Duke of Cambridge has shared a heartfelt tribute to a wildlife ranger who was reportedly shot dead outside his home in South Africa on Tuesday.

Anton Mzimba was the one of the head rangers at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa's Mpumalanga province and a technical advisor for the Global Conservation Corps.

Prince William connected with Mzimba last autumn when the royal, who is a keen conservationist and has long campaigned against illegal wildlife smuggling, paid a visit to Microsoft HQ in Reading to learn about a new device to combat ivory smugglers.

In a message posted on his official Twitter account, and signed off by William, he said: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn of the killing of Anton Mzimba who I spoke to in November.

'Committed and brave, rangers like Anton are central to the conservation of Africa's fantastic wildlife. Those responsible must swiftly be brought to justice. My thoughts are with his family. W'

Anton Mzimba (L) was the one of the head rangers at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa's Mpumalanga province and a technical advisor for the Global Conservation Corps

A keen conservationist, The Duke of Cambridge met Mzimba on a conference call during a visit to Microsoft HQ in Reading to learn how new AI scanning technology can increase detection of illegal wildlife products being trafficked through international airports

Timbavati reserve also tweeted in tribute to the ranger: 'Anton, you have left a legacy - one which we will, in your honour, hold up high and never forget.

'We mourn the loss of Mr Anton Mzimba, Head of Ranger Services, who dedicated 25 years of his life to the Timbavati. A true testimony of a wildlife warrior.'

In a tweet posted on its official account, the charity Helping Rhinos said: 'Head of Ranger at Timbavati, Anton Mzimba, was shot and killed outside of his home last night.

'This follows recent death threats and highlights the daily threat facing Rangers. Our deepest condolences to Anton's loved ones and co-workers at this difficult time.'

Rangers in national parks and wildlife reserves in South Africa have dramatically bumped up anti-poaching protocols in recent years, which has led to a significant decline in the rate of poaching.

But this has made the rangers a target for criminals who stand to gain wild profits from illegal trading of wildlife items and animal products.

Prince William in November spoke with Mzimba about the difficulties faced by rangers in combatting poaching, and observed Microsoft's SEEKER technology which is able to detect illegal wildlife items concealed in baggage and cargo.

The Duke also heard about the potential of this technology as part of his work with The Royal Foundations United for Wildlife, whose partners helped the project in development.

United for Wildlife was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2014 with the aim of protecting endangered species and their habitats from the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

Mr Mzimba reportedly told William about the involvement of criminal gangs in targeting wildlife: 'This is a very well-organised crime. It involves local people. But, down the line, it goes across the border of the country,' he said.

The illegal wildlife trade is among the five most lucrative global crimes and is often run by highly organised criminal networks.

Getting hands on! The father-of-three touched a screen during a visit to the Microsoft headquarters (pictured)

The Duke was shown a video of a wildlife ranger during his visit to the software company's UK headquarters earlier today

The Duke could be seen studying the scanning technology which can detect illegal wildlife products being trafficked through airports

While in Reading, Prince William was led through examples of several poaching cases from end to end, and learned how United for Wildlife partners are helping to disrupt this criminal network at each stage.

He then heard from Rangers at the Southern Africa Wildlife College about the latest situation on the ground there, where nearly 400 rhinos are poached each year.

UK Border Force officials visiting Microsoft HQ also told William how criminals aim to exploit the transport network to move their product around the globe and how SEEKER can help to thwart this.

SEEKER has a proven successful detection rate of over 70 per cent on ivory products, but importantly it can be trained on any species and integrated into current airport screening and scanning infrastructure.

It can build intelligence for global enforcement teams to better see what is being trafficked, where it has come from and where it is going.

The Duke also heard from United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce partners and the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force how seizures at airports are just the start of a complex financial investigation.
Automotive

ASIL D certification supporting angle sensor from TDK for automotive motors

Date: 27-07-22

High reliability sensor specialist TDK has launched a new less space occupying tiny tunnel magnetoresistance ( TMR) angle sensors TAS4240 targeting automotive motor applications such as Brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) commutation used in electronic power steering, brake booster of automotive vehicles. The sensor can also be used for industrial servo motors, industrial automation, encoders, robotic applications.

Available in compact TSSOP8 package with dimensions of 3 mm x 6.4 mm x 1.1 mm, TAS4240 provides two redundant analog single-ended SIN/COS outputs for extra safety. This high reliable sensor measures motor rotation angle precisely by taking very less space. TDK is presently sampling this device and production is expected to start in the month of April 2022.

TAS4240 packs four TMR half bridges and provides two separated SIN/COS outputs. ASIL D certification of the system using this device is possible, where fail-operational concepts can also be supported by the sensor.

TDK says this sensor also offers stable output even at different temperatures and over the sensors lifetime. The deterministic behavior of the TAS4240 in extended magnetic-field ranges opens up new application possibilities, even in demanding environments, as per the release by the company.



Here below are some more key specifications, features, and benefits:

Contactless 360 angle measurement

High angle accuracy of 1.0 in an ambient temperature range of -40 C to +150 C

Redundancy: 2x single-ended output

Low power consumption

Supports radial sensing concepts

Optimized for automotive (AEC-Q100) and industrial applications

Angle accuracy 1.0 degrees or less (over temperature)

0.3 degrees (TA= 25 C, typical)

Temperature range 40 C up to +150 C (ambient)

Analog output Single-ended, redundant, 1.5 Vp-p (at Vcc 5.0 V, Ratiometric)

Bridge resistance 5 k

Magnetic-field measuring range 20 to 80 mT (recommended)0
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Investigators have ruled out the possibility that Greek helicopter victim Jack Fenton was attempting to take a selfie when he tragically died.

Police and air accident investigators are now exploring the theory that the 22-year-old former public schoolboy forgot his mobile phone while disembarking from the helicopter and rushed back to get it, accidentally turning towards its spinning tail after retrieving it.

Ioannis Kondylis, Chairman of Greeces Accident Investigation and Flight Safety Committee, which is investigating the accident, revealed in an interview with local media: From the testimonies we have collected, it does not appear from anywhere that the young man wanted to take a selfie but he found himself at the back of the helicopter.

What is reported is that the 22-year-old was holding a mobile phone and had it to his ear, but it has not yet been clarified whether he was talking or simply returning to join his friends.

Daisy Fenton (right) the grieving sister of Greek helicopter victim Jack Fenton (left, pictured with his father) has furiously hit back at claims he recklessly defied security regulations and caused his own horrific death

Jack Fenton (circled) is pictured on holiday in Mykonos with his friends before the tragic accident. Also pictured is Max Savage (left), Jack Stanton-Gleaves (top), Max Stanton-Gleaves (middle left), Tom Aitkin (middle right) and Robin Stanton-Gleaves (right)

Jack, a former pupil at the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school near his home in Kent, was travelling with a group of friends in two private Bell 407 helicopters, where they were scheduled to take a chauffeur ride to the airport for a private jet back to London.

The group had just been on holiday on the party island of Mykonos and had landed on a helipad run by Superior Air just outside Athens on Monday night.

The dismissal of the selfie theory by Greek officials follows denials by Jacks sister Daisy and friends that he was attempting to take one when tragedy struck.

Daisy told MailOnline: 'No one knows exactly what led him back [towards the tail rotor]. Perhaps he forgot something. But the line that he went back to take a selfie is rubbish. It's a lie.'

Jacks friend Jack Stanton-Gleaves, who was in the same helicopter which had flown from Mykonos, also hit back at the police version of events.

Greek authorities yesterday suggested the 22-year-old former public schoolboy rushed towards the spinning tail rotor of the helicopter (pictured) in Athens to take a selfie and was killed instantly

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos has been named by local media as the pilot who has been asked to testify over yesterday's tragedy

Mr Kondylis also provided a more detailed account of the moments leading up to Jacks death and said that staff from the air company that flew them to Athens insisted that all safety protocols were followed.

He said: We have taken statements from both the pilot and the two ground staff. These are testimonies that must then be cross-referenced. According to them, it appears that all the regulations stipulated by the helicopter's manual were observed. That is, as they said, one ground employee went to the left door, one to the right, they disembarked and escorted them 20 metres to the building.

He added: The young passenger, unknown for what reason, returned to the helicopter. We don't know why he came back. What is written and said about selfies is baseless, he didn't say anything to anyone. According to the testimonies, he was holding a mobile phone which he had to his ear, without us knowing if he was talking to someone.

Mr Kondylis claimed that after one of the ground staff saw Jack walking back towards the helicopter he shouted in English: stop, stop, stop.

He added: The ground staff's voices were also heard by the captain who was inside the helicopter and was wearing headphones. So they shout out loud.

The air safety chief claimed that according to eye-witnesses, after returning to the helicopter to possibly retrieve something, Jack was on the left side of the helicopter and then went under the tail section when he was hit by its rotor, which was still spinning.

Emergency services are pictured on Monday night at the scene of the incident involving the Briton who died when a rear helicopter rotor hit him in Spata, near Athens, Greece

According to Greek legal sources, a total of ten statements have been taken from eye witnesses, some of whom were passengers waiting to board another helicopter that was about to take them to the Greek islands.

Mr Kondylis also revealed that investigators have still not viewed cctv from the helipad and are not even sure if the accident was recorded by cameras.

He admitted: There is a camera outside the waiting hall. We do not know if this camera has a memory card. We have submitted a request to the Police to examine whether there is audio-visual material, which would help us understand the circumstances of the accident.

Investigators have also applied for permission to a Greek court for Jacks mobile phone records to establish if he was speaking to anyone at the time of the accident.

Pictured: The Bell 407 which was involved in the accident, with red police tape wrapped around the tail

The tourists had flown from Mykonos to the helipad in Spata and were due to take a private limousine to Eleftherios Venizelos airport

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, was at the controls of the ill-fated helicopter.

Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police after giving statements testifying that Jack was escorted inside the airport before he ran back outside.

The trio could face negligence or manslaughter charges if they told the passengers to disembark when it was not safe.

Daisy added: 'No one knows exactly what led him back [towards the tail rotor]. Perhaps he forgot something. But the line that he went back to take a selfie is rubbish. It's a lie.'

She also stuck up for the Oxford Brookes student's character, saying: 'Jack wasn't some rich, obnoxious kid. He was invited on this holiday. It was his first helicopter ride ever.'

The Oxford Brookes university student, who went to the 36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school in Maidstone, Kent, walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engine was still engaged

She said her parents, Miguel and Victoria and other family members were all in the UK and that the helicopter following Jack included the father of one of his friends, businessman and Bromley FC chairman Robin Stanton-Gleaves.

The group included six in total. The others returned to the UK late Tuesday.

She said there were no plans for the family to come to Greece.

'We are just waiting for his remains to be shipped back. But we still do not know when that will be.'

Pilot Christos Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, was at the controls of the ill-fated helicopter.

The young Briton horrifically killed in a helicopter accident in Athens was on holiday with a group of friends

Fragkopanagos (pictured), head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police

Fragkopanagos, head of training at Superior Air in Athens, and ground technicians Salim Milat and Spyros Andriopoulos were arrested but later released by police after giving statements testifying that Jack was escorted inside the airport before he ran back outside.

The trio could face negligence or manslaughter charges if they told the passengers to disembark when it was not safe.

But Jack Stanton-Gleaves, 20, who was in the helicopter along with friends James Yeabsley, 19, and former Bournemouth University student Max Savage, 20, rubbished the authorities' version of events.

Jack told MailOnline: 'No instructions were given when exiting the helicopter and no one escorted us to the lounge. All they did was open the doors for us.

'We disembarked on our own and no one stopped Jack from going to the rear of the helicopter. None of us reached the lounge before the accident happened.

'I've heard people say Jack was on his phone and ran back to the helicopter and this is totally untrue. He was not on his phone and why he turned towards the rear of the helicopter I don't know.'

Jack's mother Victoria, speaking from her home in Tonbridge, Kent, told MailOnline how the family are 'completely devastated' by the loss of their 'wonderful boy'.

Ioannis Kandyllis, president of Greece's committee for aviation accidents probing the incident, said yesterday that Jack defied orders by running back towards the helicopter with his phone to his ear.

He claimed: 'All four passengers had disembarked and were escorted to a private lounge awaiting a private flight for London.

'But as they were in the lounge the victim broke away and returned to the tarmac rushing to the helicopter at a fast pace.

'Witnesses we spoke to said he was had a phone to his ear and was walking fast to the aircraft, defying ground crew shouting to him 'Stop! Stop!'

'Within seconds the tragic accident occurred. It was horrific.'

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old is thought to have been killed instantly.

Greek investigators will study the footage from a surveillance camera at the landing field for evidence.

They revealed there were several other people who witnessed the tragedy from the lounge.

'They have yet to be interviewed but we will reach out to them to gather additional testimony as we piece this puzzle together' an aviation official said.

His mother Victoria said yesterday: 'We only found out what happened at 10pm last night. We are completely devastated. He was the most wonderful boy.

'It was the most horrible of accidents by the looks of it.

'Jack had travelled to Greece with some of his friends, a couple who were celebrating birthdays out there.

The man reportedly walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engines were still engaged and was struck by the aircraft's tail rotor

Emergency services were called to the private heliport on the outskirts of the Greek capital but the 22-year-old was killed instantly

Jack's three friends - Yeabsley, Savage and Stanton Gleaves - returned to Britain in a private jet from Athens' Spata airport (pictured: the scene yesterday)

Police sources did not reveal the family involved but it is understood they are extremely wealthy and were enjoying a holiday on the luxury Greek island of Mykonos (pictured)

The rotors tend to continue for around two minutes after the engine has been switched off, unless the pilot presses a button to stop them at around 50 seconds.

Pilots should thoroughly brief their passengers to stay inside until all movement has ceased, but the helicopter has no locks and no crew other than the pilot to shepherd the passengers.

The President of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica George Kaliakmanis told MailOnline: 'To my knowledge the type of helicopter Bell 407 doesn't lock from the inside.

'So now the investigation will focus on the safety measures taken from the pilot. Did he tell them to wait or not?

'There are two propellers on the helicopter. One that operates on 500 turns/second and one that operates at 2500 turns/second. These propellers run for about 2 minutes from the time he turns the engine off unless he presses a button which stops them at 50 seconds. Also keep in mind that the propellers are not visible because of the speed.'

Sources said the 115-mile trip in two helicopters would have cost more than 15,000.
Josh Hawley says he doesn't regret pumping his fist at the Trump supporters storming the Capitol on January 6 even after video was shared of him running through the halls the day of the attack.

'I don't regret anything I did on that day,' he told CNN in a quick stop-by interview at the Capitol Wednesday.

The House January 6 select committee released footage during its 'series finale' hearing Thursday showing two different angles of Hawley running through the Capitol as protesters stormed the complex last year.

Laughter erupted in the hearing room when the videos were played  and Hawley immediately jumped on the fundraising potential by pushing coffee mugs with the image of him with his fist raised.

Senator Hawley also said that he isn't worried about the 'attempted troll' from the January 6 committee.

'It's a privilege to be attacked by the January 6 committee,' he said. 'And I want to say thank you for all the help with my fundraising. It's been tremendous.'

Senator Josh Hawley said Wednesday that he doesn't regret pumping his first on January 6 at the crowd attacking the Capitol

The January 6 select committee shared an image of Hawley with his fist raised in the air on the day of the Capitol attack last year

A US Capitol Police Officer told Jan. 6 committee that Josh Hawley "riled up" the crowd before the riot began.

Critics say he gave false hope to the rioters that the results could be overturned.



Asked Hawley about J6 revelations:

"I don't regret anything I did that day." pic.twitter.com/8QYBWVAJIC  Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 27, 2022

The panel also showed never-before-seen footage of Hawley running through the Capitol during the riot

'The reason I'm being attacked by the January 6 committee is because I'm in their way,' he added.

Virginia Democratic Representative Elaine Luria said during Thursday's hearing that the select committee had spoken to a Capitol Police officer about the moment. That officer said, according to the panel member, that it 'bothered her greatly' to see a politician 'riling up the crowd.'

'The stand that I took is one that I don't regret and one that I won't back down from,' Hawley said Wednesday of that moment.

The Missouri senator shared a link to Twitter Friday  the day after the hearing  where supporters could buy a $20 coffee mug depicting Hawley outside the U.S. Capitol that day.

One image shows him swiftly walking down the stairs to the congressional subway that shuffled lawmakers, staff and press to Senate office buildings in the midst of the riot

'It's a privilege to be attacked by the January 6 committee,' he said. 'I want to say thank you for all the help with my fundraising. It's been tremendous,' Hawley said on Wednesday. He shared a link Friday to where supporters could buy a $20 coffee mug depicting Hawley outside the U.S. Capitol that day with his fist in the air

'Josh Hawley - Show-Me Strong,' the mug reads.

Hawley tweeted out an image of the mug accompanied with a kiss emoji.

The clip showed Thursday at the primetime hearing exhibits a suited Hawley rushing through the hallways of the Capitol Building and down the steps into the basement where a subway shuffles lawmakers, staff and press to Senate office buildings in the midst of the riot.

Hawley fleeing is juxtaposed with the image of him memorably raising his fist in support of the gathering pro-MAGA crowd outside the Capitol earlier in the day on January 6, 2021.

'As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters already amassing at the security gates,' Congresswoman Luria said at the hearing Thursday night, adding that he felt emboldened to do so because he was in a 'safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers.'

Hawley was one of the first Republicans who said he would publicly object to certifying election results on January 6 of last year.

Following the riot, Simon & Schuster dropped Hawley's then-upcoming book The Tyranny of Big Tech. The publishing company said it couldn't 'support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.'

At the time, Hawley said his fist pump was a way for him to 'represent my constituents.'
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Tory leadership debate host Kate McCann said she is feeling a 'little embarrassed' and a 'little bruised' upon her return this evening after fainting last night in front of a stunned Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Ms McCann presented The News Desk this evening, filling in as planned for regular presenter, Tom Newton Dunn, she joked 'after all the excitement from last night's leaders debate, thank goodness I'm sitting down'.

The host discussed Rishi Sunak's U-turn to scrap VAT on energy bills, McDonald's rising the price of a cheeseburger and rail strikes next month.

She started by joking again: 'There was plenty of speculation in run up to last night's The Sun's showdown about whether anyone would be the victim of a knockout blow, what no one predicted was it might well be the presenter.'

The show began with a recap of the key points from last night's short debate between the two Conservative candidates.

The Sun's deputy political editor Kate Ferguson, a guest on tonight's show, said 'I think there's plenty to get stuck into about last night's debate but before we do that, I'm wondering how are you feeling today ?'

McCann said: 'A little embarrassed a little bit bruised but glad to be back and totally fine. Not necessarily what any of us expected to happen I don't think.

'It was one of those moments that no one can really prepare for.'

She added that she thought both candidates were shocked and that they have agreed to a rematch at a later date.

Host Kate McCann said she is feeling a 'little embarrassed' upon her return after fainting during a Conservative leadership debate last night

Kate McCann announced the news on Twitter, prompting fellow TalkTV host Piers Morgan to joke: 'You didn't dent my studio floor, right?'

Ms McCann (pictured last night) presented The News Desk this evening, filling in as planned for regular presenter, Tom Newton Dunn, TalkTV said

Video filmed by GMB's Richard Gaisford shows onlookers including Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab staring intently at the screen following the interruption

One man is seen with one hand cradling his head and the other holding the person next to him

There are about 20 seconds of almost total silence inside the room - which is set aside for reporters to quiz debate participants and their supporters

Revealing the news she would be hosting, the journalist tweeted earlier: 'Well that wasn't how last night was supposed to end! Thanks everyone for the lovely messages- I'm fine now - and apologies to @trussliz and @RishiSunak for cutting the debate short. Tonight I'll be unpicking the debate with some new polling from 7pm ( ...yes, sat down!)'

Reacting to her announcement, fellow TalkTV host Piers Morgan joked: 'You didn't dent my studio floor, right?'

Today it emerged the channel is holding an inquest into why there was no 'plan B' to keep the debate on air - with other presenters on hand to jump in and take Ms McCann's place.

'There were plenty of experienced on-screen talent already there who felt they could have taken over - they could have winged it,' a source told the I.

'All the News UK bigwigs were there. There was a panicked pow-wow. Some said ''who can we get to fill in?'' but they decided against it.'

A video emerged of the reaction in the 'Spin Room' to the incident, with onlookers including Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab filmed staring at the screen in silence. One man is seen with one hand cradling his head and the other holding the person next to him.

Ms McCann fainted as Ms Truss was answering a question around half-an-hour into the TalkTV/The Sun event.

A loud noise caused the clearly worried Foreign Secretary to hold her face in shock as she exclaimed: 'Oh my God!'. Ms Truss was then seen leaving her podium and walking towards where Ms McCann had been standing. Mr Sunak also went over to hold her hand.

The broadcast feed was swiftly cut, with viewers shown the message: 'We're sorry for the disruption to this programme. We're working hard to fix the issue and will return to normal programming soon.'

There was a long pause in the broadcast while viewers wondered what had happened in the studio, before a 'medical issue' was cited as being the cause of the disturbance and the rest of the event was cancelled.

Ms McCann, who left her role as political correspondent at Sky News to join TalkTV as its political editor in January, is a highly popular figure among Westminster journalists, and considered a 'rising star' in her industry.

The presenter, who is in her early thirties, graduated from Newcastle University in 2009 with a degree in Politics, and after a short stint as a parliamentary researcher joined the Guardian.

After short stints as a political correspondent at financial newspaper City AM and as a Whitehall correspondent at The Sun, she joined the Telegraph as one of its top political reporters.

Among her other achievements, Ms McCann was chair of the Press Gallery in 2018. She was only the second woman to hold the title in over 200 years.

Talking to Press Gazette about her move to TalkTV earlier this year, Ms McCann said she was excited the network is able to 'rip up all the rules and start again'.

She added that her family motto, which felt appropriate for the new venture, is: 'Dare to be different.'

Discussing Ms McCann's appointment, Scott Taunton, CEO of News UK Broadcasting, said that the journalist was 'the perfect choice' to be its political editor'.

He added that she is 'one of the sharpest rising stars in the Lobby'.

Kate was highly commended at the Press Awards in 2017 for obtaining a copy of the Labour manifesto - the first time a party's manifesto had been leaked to a newspaper in its entirety.

Fellow journalists have sent their best wishes to Ms McCann following last night's incident - which happened as she was presenting alone after co-host Harry Cole contracted Covid.

Piers Morgan wrote: 'I've seen some sneaky ways to make yourself the biggest star at @TalkTV but this is ridiculous @KateEMcCann  seriously, glad you're OK.

'You were brilliant until this happened, and will be brilliant in the rematch.'

Friends said Ms McCann was doing well today following last night's incident (she is pictured with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss)

Mr Sunak, Ms Truss and Ms McCann before the start of yesterday's showdown at Ealing Studios, west London

Kate McCann is a highly popular figure among Westminster journalists, and considered a 'rising star' in her industry

Fellow TalkTV host Tom Newton Dunn said: 'I know from working with @KateEMcCann every night that she is one of the very best in the business at holding politicians to account.

'She proved that in the first half hour of the debate, and she will prove that again. She is a fantastic talent and I'm hugely proud of her.'

And Sky News presenter Kay Burley added: '@KateEMcCann was doing a sensational job. So relieved to hear she's OK. I'm sure the candidates will return to continue the debate under her expert stewardship. Get some rest Kate x.'

Ms McCann's dramatic moment tonight happened as Ms Truss was answering a question around half-an-hour into the TalkTV/The Sun event.

A loud noise caused the clearly worried Foreign Secretary to hold her face in shock as she exclaimed: 'Oh my God!'. Ms Truss was then seen walking towards where Ms McCann was standing, while Mr Sunak went over to hold her hand.

The broadcast feed was swiftly cut, with viewers shown the message: 'We're sorry for the disruption to this programme. We're working hard to fix the issue and will return to normal programming soon.'

A worried Liz Truss reacts as a large crash was heard in the TalkTV studio during her live debate with Rishi Sunak

The loud noise caused the Foreign Secretary to hold her face in shock as she exclaimed: 'Oh my God!'

There was subsequently a long pause in the broadcast while viewers wondered what had happened in the studio, before a 'medical issue' was cited as being the cause of the disturbance.

Confirming the rest of the debate would no longer go ahead, TalkTV later said in a statement: 'Kate McCann fainted on air tonight and although she is fine, the medical advice was that we shouldn't continue with the debate. We apologise to our viewers and listeners.'

Both Tory leadership candidates raised the prospect of resuming their debate on TalkTV at a later date.

Posting to Ms McCann on Twitter, Mr Sunak wrote: 'Good news that you're already recovering. It was a great debate and I look forward to getting grilled by you again shortly!'

Ms Truss tweeted: 'Relieved to hear @KateEMcCann is fine. Really sorry that such a good debate had to end. Look forward to catching up with Kate and the rest of the @TheSun @TalkTV team again soon.'

The Foreign Secretary and ex-Chancellor were going head-to-head for a second time in two days
An Idaho sheriff slammed the Biden administration for claiming that the southern border is secure as he claimed that his county is 'on the brink of collapse' due to surge of drug overdoses as a result of Mexican cartels crossing into the US.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue appeared on 'Fox & Friends First' on Wednesday to discuss the 'crisis level' of drug overdoses in his county.

His remarks come a week after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke at the Aspen Security Forum and made claims that the southern border is secure - even as Border Patrol agents are facing historic migrant numbers.

'This is absolutely ridiculous to think this border is secure, that we're safe in our communities. We are not,' Sheriff Donahue said in response. 'We are on the cusp of complete collapse.'

Donahue added that the Secretary an 'idiot' if he believes that the border is secure.

Donahue explained that his county - which is 2,000 miles from the southern border - is experiencing a 'crisis level' of drug overdoses, mainly fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue appeared on 'Fox & Friends First' on Wednesday to discuss the 'crisis level' of drug overdoses in his county

Donahue explained that his county - which is 2,000 miles from the southern border - is experiencing a 'crisis level' of drug overdoses, mainly fentanyl and methamphetamine

'We're at a crisis stage, quite frankly,' he told 'Fox & Friends First' host Carley Shimkus. 'We have never seen the numbers of seizures and the amounts of any drug, including methamphetamine, like we're seeing in fentanyl. And of course, we're still dealing with the methamphetamine crisis we've been in for years.'

There have been numerous hospitalizations of deputies in the county just from coming in contact with potent drug.

Donahue, who spent six years on an FBI gang task force before becoming sheriff, explained that these cartels exist in all communities across the United States.

'There is not a day or night goes by that we're not dealing with someone associated with the Mexican cartels, at least in our community and communities throughout the state of Idaho,' he said, as he agreed with the host that they are 'at war with the cartels.'

'We're at a crisis stage, quite frankly,' he told 'Fox & Friends First' Carley Shimkus this week

Donahue's remarks come just a week after Mayorkas declared the southern border as 'secure'

Donahue, who spent six years on an FBI gang task force before becoming sheriff, explained that these cartels exist in all communities across the United States

Donahue also described how the cartels attempted to kidnap his then 16-year-old daughter during his time on the task force, but added that the plot was not carried out.

'My family's been threatened by these gangs, by the cartel membership,' he said. 'They tried to kidnap my daughter years ago. She was 16 years old. Thankfully, that case got unraveled before it actually happened.'

When asked about the remarks made by Mayorkas at the Aspen Security Forum last week that the border is secure, Donahue said that 'if he believes that, he's an idiot in my opinion.'

Figures for June show that CBP encountered 239,416 migrants last month alone. It means that in the last three months there have been 200,000 crossings each month

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week that the southern border is 'secure' but made sure to clarify that does not mean it is 'safe'

Mayorkas acknowledged that the situation is a 'historic challenge,' but claimed the border is secure.

'Look, the border is secure,' he said. 'We are working to make the border more secure. That has been a historic challenge.'

He clarified that 'safe and secure are two different words,' adding there is still work to be done.

But insistence that the border is secure comes amid a prevailing rise in crossings as well as complaints from New York City and Washington, D.C. that the crisis is finally hitting home after Arizona and Texas starting busing migrants to the city hubs to deal with them.

Crossings are at an all-time high at this point in the year with nearly 1.75 million crossings in Fiscal Year 2022 with the release of June figures last week  and there are still three more months left to go before a total roundup for the year is counted.

The last quarter's figures show that 200,000 migrants passed through the southern border every month for the last three months.

A child asylum-seeker pours water on his head to cool down after waiting on the U.S. side of the southern border wall to be transported to a processing center by CBP

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed that a lot of work remains in making sure the southern border, which has seen a massive uptick in migrants, is safe

At least 4,000 migrants have arrived in D.C. Texas started busing migrants there in April and Arizona followed their neighboring state's lead in May. Another 3,000 have arrived in NYC in recent weeks.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released numbers last week for June showing that there were 207,416 encounters with migrants last month alone compared to the 189,034 in June of last year.

The last year of Trump's presidency, there were 33,049 encounters in June 2020.

With the latest June figures, Fiscal Year 2022 has now seen 1,746,119 total encounters at the southern border, which already outpaces the previous year when 1,734,686 migrants were encountered by CBP.
A customer in his 30s died following an altercation at luxury jewellery store in York.

Three men, two aged in their 40s and one in his 50s, were arrested and later released on bail in relation to the incident.

Police were called to Mappin & Webb, in Coney Street, at around 4.40pm on July 26, following multiple reports of a 'disturbance'.

North Yorkshire Police said a man was being restrained by a member of shop staff and members of the public when they arrived.

A spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately the man, who has been named as Samuel Diatta, aged 39 and from York, began to have medical difficulties and was taken to York District Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced deceased shortly after 6.40pm.'

A medical investigation is being conducted into the cause of his death.

They confirmed he was first rushed to hospital in an ambulance, before later sadly being pronounced dead.

A man who was shopping at high-end jewellery store Mappin & Webb (pictured) has died after a suspected robbery yesterday in York

Three men have been arrested and released on bail while investigations continue

A spokesperson from the company, which sells watches from exclusive brands including Rolex and Breitling, said: 'We can confirm there was an incident in our Mappin and Webb showroom in York on Tuesday, 26 July.

'Our thoughts are with the client's family at this time. We are assisting the police with their investigation and providing support to our colleagues and clients.'

Joanne Irvine, 53, manager of a nearby Cancer Research UK store, said she'd noticed police sirens at around 4.40 pm yesterday next the shop which stocks Rolex

Joanne decided to lock up her shop as the situation became more concerning and reports after the incident suggest it was an attempted robbery but police have since said there is no evidence this is the case.

She added: 'My heart goes out to them. Knowing that somebody died at the scene is traumatic. You can't imagine what was going through their head. They must have been terrified.

'York is such a beautiful place. It's a diverse place and its a posh, affluent area and a very historic area.

'Realising the severity today, you can't take it in. It's absolutely shocking, and it's worrying that this could happen in such a lovely place.'

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Steve Menzies of North Yorkshire Police's Major Investigation Team said: 'This is a very tragic incident. The three men who were arrested in connection with the report have been interviewed and released on bail pending the results of police and medical investigations.

'Samuel's family are being supported by specially trained officers and I would ask that their privacy is respected to allow them time to grieve their loss.

'I am also aware that there has been some incorrect reporting as to what has happened, which is distressing for the family. We ask that people do not speculate or spread incorrect information. However, it is important that we speak to anyone who has witnessed this incident, or who saw Mr Diatta immediately before the incident.'
Two former Minneapolis police officers convicted of violating George Floyd's civil rights were sentenced Wednesday afternoon to less than the maximum penalty allowed.

Minnesota federal Judge Paul Magnuson gave former officer J. Alexander Kueng, 28, three years behind bars, and ex-cop Tou Thao, 35, three and a half years.

The former officers were convicted of helping then-Officer Derek Chauvin as he held down Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes in May of 2020, killing the 46-year-old Black man.

The death of the unarmed man, who was accused of passing counterfeit money at a local deli, sparked massive protests and looting across the country and a call for top-to-bottom reforms of the criminal justice system. Video of the murder was circulated widely on TV news and social media.

Tou Thao, left, and Alexander Kueng, rigt, were sentenced to less than the maximum penalty allowed on Wednesday

Tou Thao, 35, a nine-year veteran of the Minneapolis police department, stood watch as ex-officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd

Ex-officer Alexander Kueng was a rookie officer when he helped pin down George Floyd's legs

Kueng pinned down Floyd's legs and Thao held back a crowd of bystanders who gathered to watch and protest the officers' use of force.

A fourth officer, Thomas Lane, had only been on the job a few days when the incident occurred, held Floyd's feet. He was sentenced last week to two and half years, a sentence that the dead man's brother called 'insulting.'

The lower sentences for Kueng, who is black, and Thao, who is Hmong American, raise questions about whether they would consider a plea deal or risk a state court trial on Oct. 24, when they face counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

'You were truly a rookie officer,' Magnuson told Kueng at the federal hearing.

Thomas Lane had only been on the job a few days when the incident with Floyd occurred

George Floyd's brother was upset former officer Lane didn't receive a lengthier sentence

But federal prosecutors argued that the officer should have known better and called for him to spend up to five and a quarter years in prison.

Kueng 'didn't say a word' as Floyd told officers that he couldn't breath.

The judge cited 'an incredible number' of support letters to Kueng in issuing his sentence.

Floyd's girlfriend, Courtney Ross, gave a victim impact statement during the hearing, offering words of reconciliation to the former cop.

'This sentence will not define you,' she said in court and told him to 'define your purpose,' ABC News reported. 'This does not mean you cannot find your footing to stand up for what's right in the future.'

Bodycam footage from May 2020 shows George Floyd being arrested

Chauvin, now 46, knelt on the neck of George Floyd for over nine minutes as he lay dying on the street in May 2020

Floyd's cousin, Sabrina Montgomery, was less empathetic and called for the maximum sentence.

'All of these men deserve to serve longer sentences,' she said, according to news station KSTP. 'The system these officers operated in is flawed, but again, where is their humanity?'

Kueng did not speak, but his lawyer called him 'a nice young man that attempted to help the community by taking on a difficult role  and now he's being sentenced for that,' according to the station.

Chauvin is already serving 22.5 years of his state sentencing, which was handed down in June

Thao was sentenced in a separate hearing.

He stood watch as the other three men subdued Floyd, but had 'a bird's-eye view of what was going on' and had the experience  9 years on the force  to know how to stop Chauvin, prosecutor LeeAnn Bell said.

'You had a difficult childhood and have done well to become a good police officer, father and husband,' the judge said.

Thao spoke for 20 minutes at his sentencing, telling the court that his arrest and subsequent jail time had inspired him to turn toward God.

He did not address the Floyd family or talk about the crime.

Chauvin will be transferred from a state prison, where he is currently incarcerated, to a federal prison, which is considered by many to be a far safer and less restrictive place to serve time

The federal government brought the civil rights charges against all four officers in May 2021, a month after Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in state court.

The civil rights charges were seen as an affirmation of the Justice Department's priorities to address racial inequities in policing, a promise made by President Joe Biden before his election.

Thao and Kueng are due to report to federal prison on Oct. 4, though Magnuson noted that could change because of their state trial.

Magnuson said he would recommend that they be allowed to serve their time at minimum-security federal facilities in Duluth or in Yankton, South Dakota, so they could be near family.

The final decision is up to the Bureau of Prisons.

Chauvin, who is white, was the most senior officer at the scene and was sentenced to a 22 1/2-year state sentence that he's serving concurrently with his federal sentence.

He's been held in solitary confinement in the state's maximum security prison at Oak Park Heights for his own safety and will eventually be transferred to federal prison.
Miami is considering moving homeless people out of the streets and into city-sponsored encampments on an island next to a sewage plant.

Earlier this year, Miami-Dade's Board of County Commissioners asked city officials to pitch ideas on how to mitigate its homeless population in the city, which was recently recorded at 1,525 people.

On Thursday, the board will discuss the latest plan detailed by City Manager Art Noriega's staff, which calls for an encampment to be established on the northern tip of the Virginia Key island, beside a sewage treatment plant and a biking trail.

Details of the plan were published on Tuesday, just as former President Donald Trump suggested a similar concept nationwide during his first speech back in Washington D.C.

Miami-Dade's Board of County Commissioners will study a plan to create a homeless camp on the northern tip of the Virginia Key island (pictured)

The camp would be located just north of a sewage treatment plant and bike trail

The plan offers options to establish 50 to 150 rooms for homeless people through tents, with prices ranging from more than $719,000 to nearly $1.68 million

Pictured: A mockup of the dormitory structure tents proposed for the Miami project

Miami's proposal details a plan to establish as many as nine large tents, which can hold up to 22 people, and a parking lot in the northern tip of the Virginia Key.

The plan offers a 50-room set-up within three of the tents, at $719,573. A plan for 100 rooms within five tents would cost more than a $1 million, and 150-room setup with the maximum allowed tents would cost more than $1.6 million.

It would include air conditioning units for each tent, as well as bathrooms and showers for the occupants.

Aside from the tent-dormitory style encampment, the plan also lays out options to build tiny homes on the island tip that would be more 'visually appealing.

Officials, however, warn that the houses could be perceived as permanent dwelling by the homeless and reduce the changes of them leaving as the encampment is ultimately seen as a transitional home.

Other options include setting up collapsible trailers or small sheds that can fit up to two beds.

The city also has four our possible, albeit less desirable locations as options, including three parking lots, two of which are located near residential buildings.

The County Board did not immediately reply to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The plan also has options for tiny homes on the island that would be more 'visually appealing

Other options include setting up collapsible trailers that cost more than $11,000

Last September, the city banned homeless encampments on public spaces (pictured)

Since the bill was passed, Miami officials reported more than 194 clean ups around the city, with 56 arrests at homeless encampments

This is not the first time the city has proposed setting up a homeless encampment on the island, as one of its commissioners, Joe Carollo, first suggested the concept last year, the Miami Herald reported.

The plan drew backlash when a bill Carollo co-sponsored that banned homeless encampments and empowered police to arrest vagrants if they refused to be moved to shelters passed last September.

Since the bill was passed, Miami officials reported more than 194 clean ups around the city, with 56 arrests at homeless encampments.

It also reported 883 cases where homeless individuals were placed in shelters, as well as 13 referrals to mental health centers and 21 for substance abuse centers.

The new plan has already drawn backlash from the public, as the Miami Bike Scene group argued that the Virginia Key location is not ideal for the homeless population.

'We are strongly opposed to ANY type of Temporary Shelter Option (Tiny Home, Dormitory Structure, Modular Unit Structure, Folding Unit Structure) on Virginia Key,' the group, wrote in a statement.

Along with complaints that the encampment would border the island's bike trail, the group argued that it was two-miles away from the nearest bus stop and that they island was filled with mosquitoes and vermin.

The plan was published on the same day former President Donald Trump suggested a similar concept nationwide during his Washington D.C. speech (above)

Trump called on homeless encampments with 'high quality tents' to be build on the outskirts of cities. Pictured: Homeless camps in Phoenix, Arizona

The details of the proposed plan for Miami's homeless population came just as Trump put forth a similar solution for the nation's homeless population.

'Open up large parcels of inexpensive land in the outer reaches of the city,' Trump said of his plan for the homeless, calling his real estate developer background into the forefront. 'Create thousands and thousands of high quality tents.'

He said it was the 'only way you're going to remove the hundreds of thousands of people, and maybe throughout our nation millions of people,' referring to the homeless.

'It can be done in one day,' Trump added.
Liz Truss has promised she will always deliver - just like Postman Pat, notes CRAIG BROWN

Fifteen surprising things about Ms Truss

1 She recently revealed her passion for Bruce Springsteen to a group of Young Conservatives. 'Bruce was a great all-round entertainer, a terrific song-and-dance man and to my mind the best Strictly presenter we ever had.'

2 She considered the slogan In Liz We Truss for her leadership campaign, but decided against it.

3 She is proud of her knowledge of economics. Its all about money and stuff, she informed a group of sixth-formers.

4 As Foreign Secretary, she thinks her expertise in geography comes in very handy. Without consulting officials, she can point to where Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland and Israel are on a map. And drop by next month, and Ill be ready with Jamaica, Japan and Jordan, she adds triumphantly.

5 As assistant head of her local primary school, she presented the school governors with what she called a clean break with the past. Her 15,000-word document, involved keeping everything exactly the same, or, as she put it, offering a clear vision for the future.

6 To those critics who maintain that she speaks only in cliches, she says: Thats 100 per cent incorrect. I think out of the box, and thats why Im rolling out the red carpet to steer our way through the storm by hitting the ground running.

7 As Foreign Secretary, she travelled from London to Calais in under three days  a full two days faster than the average Briton.

8 Look carefully, and you can see that she has cultivated at least two different sets of eyebrows. Its so much easier than constantly having to change your facial expression, she explains. The higher eyebrows are for expressing surprise, and the lower eyebrows are for expressing concern. I offer the full gamut.

9 Liz Truss has always prided herself on her capacity for making successful predictions, reaching an apogee in 2021 when she successfully predicted that all her previous predictions would turn out to be inaccurate. And thats why you can trust me to tell the truth, she explains.

10 Once a keen Remainer, she now sees the error of her ways. You only have to look at the massive queues in our ports, the rise in the cost of living and the understaffing in our NHS to see the world of opportunities opened up by Brexit.

Liz Truss (pictured in Woodford Green yesterday) now sees the error of her Remainer ways

11 Liz Trusss tax plans have been backed by a group of leading economists led by Sir Michael Mouse and Lord Homer of Simpson. The only way we can save more is by spending more money, she says. Its as simple as that.

12 Every day during the leadership election she plans to unveil a new plan. Tomorrow, she will announce plans to double down on levelling up. The day after tomorrow she will extend those plans to levelling down on doubling up. The next day, she plans to level up on doubling down, and the day after she will double up on levelling down. I want more plans than ever before, Liz says. Thats my plan.

13 Liz remains tremendously proud of her Yorkshire roots. I say what I mean  and I mean what I mean, not what I dont mean. Which is not to say that I dont mean what I mean to mean. But Im not mean. I tell it like it is, or rather what it could be if only it stopped being like it is. And I couldnt be clearer than that.

14 She has been photographed riding in a tank, sitting in a fighter jet and wearing a furry hat in Moscows Red Square. In the first televised leadership debate she wore a pussy-bow blouse. Small wonder, then, that many see her as a second Margaret Thatcher. But she insists that she is her own woman, adding that her husband Denis and children Mark and Carol are in full agreement. I fight, she adds, and I fight to win. Rejoice!

15 It is a little known fact that Liz Truss once took a holiday job as a postal worker. She passed her interview for the job after promising: I will work day and night to deliver for families up and down the country. After a week of delivering letters and parcels in her local village, she applied for the job of Postmaster General. Under my watch, the Post Office has delivered millions of letters and parcels around the world. Yes, I have met the challenge!
A Mexican border agent was forced to jump into the river to rescue a migrant from being swept downstream.

The agent was patrolling Mexico's side of the Eagle Pass International Bridge 1, that connects Piedras Negras, Coahuila with Eagle Pass, Texas, when he heard the man's cries for help on Tuesday, Mexico's National Institute of Migration said in a statement.

Footage released by the immigration agency showed the agent swimming across the river with a life jacket.

The agent was able to place the personal flotation device on the Venezuelan man and lead him back to shore.

A Mexican immigration agent (left) approaches a Venezuelan migrant (right) who struggled to stay afloat in the middle of the Rio Grande while trying to reach the United States border in Texas on Tuesday. The individual was escorted back to the Mexican town of Piedras Negras and provided medical treatment before he was transferred to a local immigration agency for processing

A Venezuelan migrant is escorted to by Mexican immigration agents moments after he was rescued for nearly drowning in the Rio Grande in a failed attempt to cross from Piedras Negras, Coahuila to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Tuesday

The migrant received medical treatment and was taken to a local National Institute of Migration, where he was processed.

His rescued came on the same day immigration agents encountered two migrants from Venezuela, one from Peru and another from Uruguay from possibly having drowned in the Rio Grande in the Coahuila town of Ciudad Acuna.

For the most part, migrants stopped in Mexico's northern border region with the United States are sent back to the southern state of Chiapas, which borders with Guatemala, and await the approval of a 30-day permit to remain in the country while their immigration process plays out in.

The Venezuelan migrant cried for help when he was not able to advance towards the U.S. border in Texas while trying to swimming across the Rio Grande on Tuesday. An immigration agent from Mexico swam out to him and gave him a life jacket before escorting him to the shore in the border town of Piedras Negras

A Mexican immigration agent (left) assists a Venezuela migrant (right) moments after he prevented him from being swept away by a Rio Grande rip current

Many object to the Mexican strategy of keeping them in the south, away from the U.S. border.

They say the process of normalizing their status - usually through applying for asylum - takes too long and they cant provide for themselves while waiting weeks in the Chiapas city of Tapachula because jobs are scarce.

The increased delay in processing permits frequently leads to the forming of caravans composed by children, adults and the elderly marching towards Mexico City to apply pressure on officials before continuing on to the U.S.-Mexico border.

On Monday, as many as 2,000 migrants set out from the Chiapas town of Tapachula after they had grown tired of the slow paperwork at overcrowded Mexican immigration offices.

Some caravans have dispersed after traveling 28 miles to the town of Huixtla, where migrants, most of them from Venezuela and Central American. have received permits.

'It is tough, but we'll keep on going in hopes they'll let us through,' said Nicaraguan migrant Moises Chinchilla, who like most hopes to get a temporary residence permit.
Joe Rogan blasted China-owned TikTok over it's 'crazy' terms of service, alleging the platform serves as a way for communist Beijing to harvest users' private data.

Rogan expressed his concerns Tuesday on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, alleging the popular social media site can easily gain access to 'all the things you have filed away on your phone.'

He also accused Bytedance, the app's parent company, of monitoring users' keystrokes and knowing 'every f***ing thing you type.'

Rogan's remarks come as mothers on TikTok are removing pictures of their children after raising concerns about the amount of videos of the youngsters that are being saved by potential pedophiles online.

Earlier this month, TikTok confirmed its China-based employees can access U.S. user data through robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols.

U.S. government officials have believed TikTok 'is spying' on Americans for quite some time and are urging Apple and Google to remove the platform 'from their app stores for its pattern of surreptitious data practices.'

Joe Rogan blasted China-owned TikTok over it's 'crazy' terms of service on his podcast Tuesday, alleging the platform serves as a way for the Communist Party to harvest private data

Rogan has been in the news for a plethora of comments recently, which have included him joking that homeless people in Los Angeles be shot and that he's a 'bleeding heart liberal' on many issues

'I read TikTok's terms of service, I went down a TikTok rabbit hole yesterdayThis is so crazy,' Rogan told his podcast guest, comedian Theo Von, Tuesday.

'Is it good or bad?' Von asked, to which Rogan exclaimed: 'Bad!'

'Listen to this, this is from TikTok's privacy policy,' Rogan read. 'It said, "We collect certain information about the device you use to access the platform, such as your IP address, user region." This is really crazy.'

The podcaster alleged that TikTok created its app just so the Chinese government can spy on people across the globe.

'It's insane Do you think they created TikTok just on purpose to have all that?' Von questioned.

'100 percent,' Rogan responded. 'I think they saw that people are addicted to social media and created the most addictive version of social media - which is TikTok. It's the best at sucking people in.'

'Just tell me how it ends man,' Von said.

'It ends with China having all of your data,' argued Rogan. 'User agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purpose, model of your device, the device system, network type, device IDs, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types.'

'So all your apps and all your file names, all the things you have filed away on your phone, they have access to that.'

'File names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms. So they're monitoring your keystrokes, which means they know every f***ing thing you type.

Rogan, reading the app's terms and conditions, continued: 'Battery state, audio settings and connected audio devices, where you log in from multiple devices, we will be able to use your profile information to identify your activity across devices.

'We may also associate you with information collected from devices other than those you use to log into the platform.'

Rogan also alleged that TikTok created its app just so the Chinese government can spy on people across the globe

Rogan also argued that controlling data is nothing unusual for China, citing the country's Central Bank Digital Currency.

'What's going on in China, I don't know if you've seen this, but they pulled tanks in front of banks to stop people from f***ing rioting because they just took all their money,' Rogan told Von.

'They have shut down people's accounts and they're doing a social credit score system and they have digital currency.'

He then accused the country of weaponizing its digital currency to control citizens.

'If you see what's going on over there, with the digital currency, what they have is the ability to tell you, you can't buy gas,' he explained.

'Like, "Hey Theo, we don't like the way you're living your life, so you're not going to be able to buy a plane ticket,"' Rogan said.

'China's just dumb, man,' Von responded. 'It has cool people and I like some of the food but I don't like the way they're doing it all.'

Von then questioned: 'Do you think the people there even know what freedom is anymore? Or do you think they're just so brainwashed?'

'They've never had freedom like we have, so no,' Rogan stated. 'They weren't even capitalist for a long time. It was a communist country and then they realized "you know what, in order to compete, we gotta loosen this up a little bit and let some people get greedy and make a s**t load of money."

The podcaster then argued the Chinese government currently utilizes a 'hybrid of capitalism and communism' to run its country.

He argued people are allowed to get wealthy if they work in conjunction with the government.

'Every business that exists in China - you are an arm of the government,' he stated.

Earlier this month, TikTok confirmed its China-based employees can access U.S. user data through robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols

Earlier this month TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew issued a letter confirming its China-based employees could access U.S. user data.

The letter was addressed to nine Republican Senators who raised concerns about privacy data following a recent BuzzFeed News investigation that found such issues.

It does not clearly state U.S. user data has been or can be accessed by employees outside of the country, but it answers 11 questions that the senators requested answers to by July 18.

'[W]e are confident that when you review our responses, you will see that TikTok has not, at any point, misled Congress about our data and security controls and practices,' Chew wrote.

Chew's note also confirmed TikTok's 'Project Texas' program, named in the BuzzFeed News report, saying it aims to safeguard US user data by running TikTok from servers in Texas owned by Oracle.

However, the CEO wrote that the 'allegations and insinuations' from the BuzzFeed News article are 'incorrect and are not supported by facts.'

The BuzzFeed News report, published on June 17, claims to have listened to leaked audio of more than 80 internal TikTok meetings.

The recordings, which were captured from September 2021 through January 2022, include 14 statements from nine TikTok employees who met to discuss 'Project Texas'  the classified effort to stop engineers in China from retrieving the data.

On June 28, Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), posted on Twitter urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores for its pattern of surreptitious data practices

An audio clip is of a director at TikTok who referred to a ByteDance engineer as a 'Master Admin' who 'has access to everything', according to BuzzFeed News.

One of the 11 questions in the Senators' letter asked if China-based employees have or had access to US user data, which Chew said such staff 'can have access.'

This is possible through a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols, according to TikTok's letter.

Chew reiterates the implementation of Project Texas, noting that this program was specifically designed to stop such access.

The letter also states that employees can access non-sensitive data, such as public videos and comments, but notes access to this content is extremely limited.

Chew also tells the senators that TikTok's algorithm will only be trained on data from the Oracle storage and the company will 'ensure appropriate third-party security vetting and validation of the algorithm, he wrote.

Senator Marsha Blackburn told NBC News that Chew's response confirms fears that their 'fears regarding [Chinese Communist Party] influence within the company' are valid.

'Americans need to know that if they are on TikTok, Communist China has their information. TikTok needs to come back and testify before Congress,' she said.

US government officials have believed TikTok 'is spying' on Americans, but they cannot ignore the issue now that BuzzFeed released its report.

On June 28, Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), posted on Twitter urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores for its pattern of surreptitious data practices.'

Carr included a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, expressing why TikTok needs to be removed, citing a report from last week that shed fresh light on the serious national security threats posed by TikTok.

He is giving the tech giants until July 8 to remove TikTok or explain why they chose not comply.

Users have been urging parents to remove any videos of their children doing seemingly innocent things, for fear that they will be targeted by predators and pedophiles

Little Wren Eleanor, 3, is featured in hundreds of videos on TikTok in an account run by her mother Jacquelyn. The mom has been accused of ignoring the warnings from other parents about the safety of her daughter

Meantime, parents of young toddlers are removing pictures of their children off of TikTok after raising concerns about where the footage will end up.

The movement was sparked after the mothers spotted a worrying trend with TikToks most popular three-year-old girl, Wren Eleanor.

Wren, whose mom Jacquelyn has posted photos and videos of her on the social media site since she was born, has more than 17 million followers on the platform.

Her account features hundreds of seemingly innocent videos of the blonde toddler playing and enjoying days out with her mother and grandma, along with sponsored content.

Jacquelyn began receiving an onslaught of abuse after online sleuths pointed out that videos of the three-year-old playing in the bath and holding tampons were being saved by hundreds of thousands of people.

TikTok allows users to save content that they like to their accounts. Some mothers, however, warn the feature is being used as a catalogue for pedophiles to share images of children.
Highland Park shooter Robert 'Bobby' Crimo has been indicted on 117 counts, including first-degree murder, for shooting seven people dead and injuring more than 40 earlier this month.

The 21-year-old - who gunned down his victims during a Fourth of July parade in Illinois - was charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, which includes three counts of first-degree for each deceased victim.

Crimo is expected to appear in court on August 3.

Illinois State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement today: 'I want to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today.

'Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed today.'

Crimo is also charged with 48 counts of attempted murder - as well as being charged with 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each victim who was struck by a bullet.

Robert 'Bobby' Crimo, 21, has been indicted on 117 counts, including first-degree murder for shooting seven people dead and injuring more than 40 earlier this year

He fatally shot seven people and injured dozens more who had gathered for a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, earlier this month

This is the moment Crimo was finally arrested at 6.30pm, eight hours after unleashing terror at the parade in Highland Park. His family had by this point spoken to the FBI and confirmed his identity

Seven people were killed and dozens more were injured in the July 4th attack after gunman Crimo opened fire at 10.14am from a roof and took aim at paradegoers.

Among those killed were Irina McCarthy, 35, and her husband Kevin McCarthy, 37, whose two-year-old orphaned son was pulled from underneath his father's body.

Crimo used a rifle 'similar to an AR-15' to spray more than 70 rounds from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the Lake Michigan shore, police said.

It was later revealed that Crimo had dressed as a woman to carry out the deadly Independence Day attack and was able to flee in the crowd because of the disguise.

The 21-year-old owned multiple weapons, including two rifles - one that was used in the attack and another that was found in his vehicle when he was arrested at 6.30pm the same night.

Among his seven victims was also synagogue teacher Jacki Sundheim, a married mother, and grandfather Nicolas Toledo, 78.

Dr. David Baum, a long time obstetrician in Highland Park, was attending the parade with his wife and children to watch his two-year-old grandson participate. When the shots rang out and others fled, he ran into the fray to try to help the victims.

In an interview following the fatal attack, Baum described seeing victims with 'wartime' and 'unspeakable' injuries.

The aftermath of the scene in Highland Park after a shooter opened fire on the parade. Chairs and strollers were abandoned by attendees

The shooter was on the roof of Ross Cosmetics, left, and fired into the parade after gaining access from a fire escape stairway in a nearby alley

The family of an eight-year-old boy have since confirmed their son was 'paralyzed from the waist down' and will likely never walk again after being shot during the Highland Park parade attack.

Cooper Roberts' spinal cord was severed during the attack. His twin brother and mother were also wounded in the incident.

'It's going to be a new normal for him moving forward,' family spokesman Anthony Loizzi said in a statement earlier this month. 'It sounds (like) he'll have significant issues moving forward, especially with walking.'

Due to the severity of his spinal cord injury, doctors have now confirmed that it is unlikely Cooper will ever walk again.

'At this time, the doctors do not believe that he suffered any brain damage or cognitive impact from the shooting,' Loizzi told CBS.

Twin brother Luke was also hospitalized with shrapnel wounds in his lower body but was discharged after doctors removed some of the debris, although they were unable to remove it all.

Police do not yet know exactly what his motive for the killing spree was, but they previously confirmed his fixation on the numbers 47 - the inverse of 7/4, the date of July 4th.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said after Crimo's court appearance earlier this month: 'His motivation isn't necessarily clear, I don't want to go into specifically what he told investigators, however he had some type of affinity towards the number 4 and 7, and inverse 7 and 4.'

It was revealed earlier that Crimo's father supported his application for a FOID card - the license needed to buy guns - in 2019 when he was 19 and just two months after an incident when police were called to the family home.

Police confiscated 16 knives after that incident because Crimo had 'threatened to kill everyone'.

He was not arrested and his family say cops gave the knives back two weeks later.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration has ordered an investigation of a Miami restaurant that hosts drag brunches after a viral video showed a nude dancer flaunting around a little girl.

The short video taken around July 3 shows a girl - who appears to be aged between two and four - wearing a tiara as a drag queen exposing her bare breast with pasties and a thong filled with money walks her around the R House Wynwood restaurant.

The drag queen posted the video on TikTok with the caption, 'Children belong at drag shows!!!! Children deserve to see fun & expression & freedom.'

DeSantis' administration filed a complaint against the Miami restaurant claiming, 'The sexualized nature of the Brunch performances is pervasive' while citing multiple instances in which children have been present to observe the performances of dancers nearly naked.

The complaint obtained by DailyMail.com argues that 'Florida Statutes, prohibits unlawful exposure of sexual organs. Specifically, it provides that "exposing or exhibiting ... sexual organs in public or on private premises of another... in a vulgar or indecent manner" is unlawful.'

The investigation opens up the possibility of the restaurant losing its liquor license, an act that could put it out of business.

A video of a nearly naked drag queen with a little girl at a Miami Restaurant went viral. The video prompted a state investigation

The video had a caption inserted saying, 'Children belong at drag shows!!!! Children deserve to see fun & expression & freedom

DeSantis spoke on the manner at a Wednesday press conference.

'There was a video out of Dallas where they had all these young kids putting money in the underwear of these drag queens at a bar, and that's totally unacceptable, and I said that at the time,' DeSantis said.

'Then what happened was a week or two later there was a video from a place who had similar stuff and then that was identified as being in Florida.'

He continued, 'So we said, "wait a minute, having kids involved in this is wrong, that is not consistent with our law and policy in the state of Florida and it is a disturbing trend in our society to try to sexualize these young people. That is not the way you look out for our children. You protect children. You do not expose them to things that are inappropriate.'

After the video from R House Wynwood restaurant went viral, the state started an investigation.

'They actually had agents going to this place and conducting effectively just gathering information - getting intelligence - seeing what's going on. What they found was not only were there minors for some of these, and these are sexually explicit drag shows, the bar had a children's menu.'

DeSantis was referring to the restaurant's' Drag Brunch' menu that shows a kids selection for those up to 12 years of age.

'Choice of any 2 items from above selection, soft drinks and of course our fabulous show,' the menu reads.

Investigators were able to collect evidence that would validate the possibility for the restaurant to lose its liquor license, DeSantis said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the controversy at a Wednesday's press conference claiming, 'You protect children. You do not expose them to things that are inappropriate'

A R House Wynwood spokesperson told DailyMail.com that they 'are aware of the complaint and are currently working with the Department of Business... to resolve the situation.'

'We are an inclusive establishment and welcome all people to visit our restaurant,' a spokesperson said. 'We are hopeful that Governor DeSantis, a vociferous supporter and champion of Florida's hospitality industry and small businesses, will see this as what it is, a misunderstanding, and that the matter will be resolved positively and promptly.'

The R House Wynwood restaurant said the situation was a 'misunderstanding' and they hope 'the manner will be resolved positively and promptly'

The Florida drag show is one of many that have come into the spotlight. Recently, a video from 2021 surfaced of a young girl tipping a drag queen baring a huge set of synthetic breasts during a 'family-friendly' event at a Michigan gay venue.

The child, whose age was not disclosed, passed a bill to RuPaul's Drag Race star Yara Sofia at Hamburger Mary's in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the clip.

She was sat on the knee of an adult woman at the time, who smiled warmly as the youngster tipped the performer, whose real name is Gabriel Burgos Ortiz.

Sofia strutted around the bar wearing a pair of large fake breasts that hung outside her costumes, complete with tiny yellow pasties covering the nipples in what appeared to be an arch attempt at modesty.

It was originally posted by a TikTok user DavidLovesDragOk and has since been re-shared by anti-woke Twitter account Libs of TikTok amid growing concern about children being brought to sexualized shows in the name of diversity.

The Grand Rapids outlet of Hamburger Mary's closed in January of this year, but its Facebook page is still active, complete with scores of fliers for events.

Many of them are explicitly advertised as being for audiences aged 18+ only.

Moment shows a little girl sitting on the knee of an adult at a Michigan drag show, tipping a performer displaying large, synthetic breasts during what was supposed to be a 'family friendly' event

DeSantis' comments come amid rumors that his re-election campaign in Florida may be a stepping stone to the White House in 2024.

Rumors of his run are gaining momentum in the state of Michigan, according to a poll released Tuesday, where more than four in 10 Republicans said they'd prefer him over Donald Trump.

Winning Michigan was critical to President Joe Biden's 2020 victory, after the state narrowly went to Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

And it appears the former president's influence over GOP voters there is continuing to slip, the new survey from WDIV and Detroit News suggests.

Out of a choice between DeSantis and Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, 45.2% said they would back the commander-in-chief.

DeSantis is less than four points behind with a 41.6% share of support. Just over 12% said they were undecided.

Donald Trump helped DeSantis win the Florida governorship with his endorsement, but the popular Republican leader has since carved out his own name as one of the biggest Biden administration critics

This poll taken of Michigan GOP voters shows Ron DeSantis' national profile rising in key battleground states

Florida's Republican leader has built a national brand for himself as one of the most vocal opponents of the Biden administration.

He's clashed with the president on a number of fronts, from refusing to implement COVID-19 measures to Florida's Parental Rights In Education law, which Democrats and other critics have dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill.

But despite clinching the governorship with Trump's endorsement in 2018, DeSantis has not ruled out challenging the ex-president for the White House.

In his home state of Florida, a poll taken on July 15 projects DeSantis soundly walloping Trump at the ballot box.

Just 33% of Republican Sunshine State voters said they'd back Trump, while 51% support DeSantis, according to the Victory Insights survey released Monday. The rest were undecided.

A straw poll in Wisconsin taken in May also shows DeSantis with a 38% share of a wider pool of GOP candidates. Trump followed closely behind with 32% and Nikki Haley came in at a distant third.

In New Hampshire, where the first presidential primary is traditionally held, DeSantis bests Trump by a modest two points to secure 39% support among voters there. The poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center in June.

But in Tuesday's Michigan poll, it appears Trump has voters' support to run again - at least for now.

Sixty-four percent of Republicans surveyed said they support Trump running for re-election a third time - 48% who 'strongly' believe in him, while 16% said they 'somewhat' back him.
A West Virginia man has admitted spraying chemicals on three cops during the January 6 riots - including one who died of natural causes three days later.

George Pierre Tanios, 40, admitted two misdemeanor counts at a court Wednesday against three cops. Each of the charges he admitted to carries up to a year in prison.

Tanios was originally indicted on felony charges last year, but was able to escape with much less serious convictions thanks to a plea deal he struck with prosecutors.

One of the cops that Tanios sprayed was Brian Sicknick, who died of natural causes three days after the Capitol riots.

Another man accused of attacking the officer with bear spray is weighing a stricter plea deal that calls for a prison sentence exceeding six years.

George Tanios, 40, owner of a West Virginia store called 'Sandwich U,' pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misdemeanor offenses that could allow him to avoid more jail time

A federal grand jury indicted Tanios last year on felony charges that he conspired with a Pennsylvania man, Julian Elie Khater, to assault and injure Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with chemical spray during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors also have extended an offer for Khater to plead guilty to felony assault charges.

If he accepts the offer, estimated sentencing guidelines will recommend a prison term ranging from six years and six months to eight years and one month.

Khater hasn't decided whether to accept that plea offer, one of his lawyers said Wednesday during a virtual hearing.

Tanios owns the 'Sandwich U' shop in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he is said to have a reputation for being combative and aggressive

Tanios is accused of buying bear spray that was used against US Capitol police on January 6, including Officer Brian Sicknick (pictured), who later died

The medical examiner's office in Washington, D.C., determined in April 2021 that Sicknick, 42, suffered a stroke and died from natural causes.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan is scheduled to sentence Tanios on Dec. 6. Hogan said the estimated sentencing guidelines for Tanios range from no jail time to six months of imprisonment for both counts. Tanios was jailed for about five months after his arrest and could get credit for time served.

Khater has remained jailed while awaiting a trial in October on felony charges, including assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors' offer to Khater would require him to plead guilty to that charge. The offer expires on Aug. 17.

Tanios, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Khater, of State College, Pennsylvania, weren't charged in Sicknick's death.

But the case against them has been among the most prominent brought by the Justice Department, which is prosecuting hundreds of people for their conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Sicknick and other officers were standing guard behind metal bicycle racks as the mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.

Prosecutors have said Khater sprayed Sicknick and other officers with bear spray after retrieving a canister from Tanios' backpack.

Tanios' former employer and a former business partner confirmed his identity to the FBI, leading to his arrest

Tanios (left) and a friend, Julian Elie Khater (right), were arrested on multiple criminal counts stemming from the deadly riots

Tanios' attorneys have said he brought the chemical spray to Washington for self-defense at the 'Stop the Steal' rally on Jan. 6.

In a court filing last year, they said there was no evidence that Tanios and Khater planned to use the spray in 'an ultra-coordinated attack' on police.

'Indeed, had Mr. Tanios been a violent member of a mob and a willing participant in a riot, he would have been running around spraying people himself. He never did because that was not the reason for his travel to Washington, D.C.,' they wrote.

Tanios pleaded guilty to two counts: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Both are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum sentence of one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000.

Tanios isn't accused of entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. A trial for Khater is scheduled to start on Oct. 5.

In one of the clips Sicknick, who died the day after defending the U.S. Capitol, can be seen doubled over, his hands on his knees, dumping water into his eyes

Another clip shows a different officer, her eyes shut in pain, saying she was struck right in the face, as someone dumps water into her eyes, and she is helped aside by officers

Hogan had refused to free Tanios and Khater from jail before trial, calling them dangerous. The judge said Tanios 'coordinated the direct assault' on Sicknick and two other officers.

'Mr. Khater did the spraying. Mr. Tanios did not, but he obviously worked with him on that despite (defense) counsel's arguments,' Hogan said during a May 2021 hearing, according to a transcript.

But a federal appeals court ruled in August 2021 that Tanios could be released from pretrial detention.

A three-judge panel concluded that Hogan erred in assessing the danger posed by Tanios, who didn't have any felony convictions or ties to any extremist organizations.

This screenshot from body camera video shows the moment a man believed to be Khater deploys the bear spray against the police, including Sicknick

Sicknick is seen rubbing his face after he was struck by bear spray during the riots

Another view of Sicknick shows the officer touching his face after being sprayed

Tanios operated a sandwich restaurant in Morgantown near West Virginia University's campus. Khater told investigators that he drove from New Jersey to pick up Tanios in West Virginia before they traveled to Washington on the eve of the riot.

In a court filing last year, prosecutors said Tanios and Khater 'carefully timed their assault on the officers to occur in tandem with an attack on the police barrier.'

'This allowed the defendants to assault the officers while they were distracted, maximizing their chances of landing chemical spray in their eyes and thus incapacitating them to the point where the police line would break,' they wrote.

More than 100 police officers were injured at the Capitol.

More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6. Pictured: Insurrectionists breach the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021

The medical examiner's office concluded that a medical condition alone - not an injury - caused Sicknick's death. U.S. Capitol Police said the medical examiner's findings didn't change the fact that Sicknick had died in the line of duty, 'courageously defending Congress and the Capitol.'

'The attack on our officers, including Brian, was an attack on our democracy,' police officials said in a statement last year.

More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6. Over 340 have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and over 200 have been sentenced.

More than 260 people are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement during the riot, according to the Justice Department.

The longest prison sentence for a Capitol rioter so far is five years and three months.
Ministers must pilot menopause leave to stop women being forced out of the workplace, MPs have urged.

In a report published today, the Commons women and equalities committee finds many women receive little support with their symptoms.

Some are forced to cut back hours and responsibilities, while others leave work altogether because of insensitive and rigid sickness policies, the MPs said.

They urged ministers to launch a menopause leave policy pilot and come up with plans to roll it out within a year.

Menopause symptoms can have a significant and sometimes debilitating impact on women at work, the committee said.

A survey found two-thirds of women suffered a 'loss of confidence' as a result of menopausal symptoms, with a further 70 per cent reporting increased stress levels (file image)

The Government should work with a large public sector employer with a strong public profile to develop and pilot a specific menopause leave policy and provide an evaluation of the scheme and proposals for further rollout within 12 months of commencing the scheme.

A survey commissioned by the committee found 67 per cent of women reported a loss of confidence as a result of menopausal symptoms and 70 per cent reported increased stress.

Yet only 12 per cent of respondents said they had sought workplace adjustments  with a quarter citing fears about how their employer would react as their reason for not doing so.

The MPs recommended ministers consult on how to make the menopause a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, as with pregnancy or maternity.

And they called on the Government to remove dual prescription charges for oestrogen and progesterone  both components in hormone replacement therapy (HRT)  and bring in a single charge incorporating both hormones.

Ministers were also urged to appoint a menopause ambassador to champion good practice.

Tory MP Caroline Nokes, who is chairman of the committee, said: Menopause is inevitable. The steady haemorrhage of talented women from our workforce, however, is not. Stigma, shame and dismissive cultures can, and must, be dismantled.

It is imperative that we build workplaces  and a society  which not only supports those going through the menopause but encourages some of the most experienced and skilled workers in our economy to thrive. Women with menopausal symptoms were last week allowed to access a type of HRT without a prescription for the first time in the UK.

The landmark decision means post-menopausal women will be able to get hold of a low-dose HRT product over the counter from their local pharmacy without visiting their GP first.

It follows a Daily Mail campaign calling for women to have better access to HRT products and menopause information.

The announcement by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency applies to Gina 10-microgram tablets containing estradiol and follows a safety review.
The number of non-binary police officers in the UK has jumped from nine to more than 100 in only a year, figures show.

Home Office data reveals that 117 officers in England and Wales described themselves as neither male nor female in the year ending June  a 1,200 per cent increase on the previous year.

Sussex Police recorded the highest number, with 18 officers describing themselves as non-binary, while Avon and Somerset and West Midlands Police both recorded 17.

This years data on officers gender, which the Home Office started collecting in April 2020, was completed by only 44 per cent of forces, meaning the true figure could be much higher.

Non-binary is a term used to describe someone who does not always identify as the sex they were born as, or who chooses to identify as more than one gender.

The jump in the number of non-binary officers comes as police recruitment appeared to slow down in the Governments bid to hit its target of recruiting an extra 20,000 officers by March 2023.

Between April and June, just 234 extra police officers were recruited to forces across England and Wales, bringing the total number of new recruits to 13,790.

The jump in the number of non-binary officers comes as police recruitment appeared to slow down

Just nine months is left to recruit the remaining 6,210 officers for the Government to hit its manifesto pledge by March 2023.

But the Home Office claimed that it was ahead of the target and the new recruits meant police officer numbers were at a ten-year high, with 142,000 officers on the streets.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: We promised the British public 20,000 more police before March 2023 and that is what we are delivering.

'The total number of officers is now already at a ten-year high, with thousands more still on the way to protect the public from harm.

That means more officers out patrolling our streets, bearing down on anti-social behaviour and violent crime, and helping to level up communities across the country.

A spokesman for the Home Office, which described the 2021 data as incomplete, added: Police forces should reflect the communities they serve and diversity in police forces is improving.

The figures come after new guidelines issued earlier this year state that female detainees can be strip-searched by transgender officers who were born male.

Guidelines from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) say once officers have transitioned they can search persons of the same gender as their own lived gender.

The guidance was revealed by recently retired police officer Cathy Larkman. The more I read it, the more shocked I was, she said.

This is a devastating blow to womens trust in the police.

Everything is geared towards the sensitivities of the officer doing the searching.
The White House on Wednesday said it was up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whether she travels to Taiwan, despite public pushback by China and Pentagon reservations.

Tensions are running high over the future of the autonomous island, which is claimed by Beijing as its own.

Such a high-profile visit could be seen as provocation by Chinese authorities, who have been flexing their muscles all year, ramping up military flights around the island and toughening their rhetoric.

But John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman, told reporters that the White House did not tell Pelosi where she can and cannot travel.

'The Speaker makes her own decisions about travel,' he said.

'We present her with facts, context, analysis, geopolitical realities she'll be facing wherever she goes.'

But last week President Joe Biden himself said the Pentagon had concerns over the reported trip saying, 'the military thinks it's not a good idea right now.'

Shortly before Kirby spoke, the Associated Press reported that the Pentagon plans to step up military activity in the region.

It reported that officials said fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems be pressed into action likely to secure buffer zones protecting Pelosis flight.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications said it was up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make up her own mind about travel to Taiwan

The USS Benfold is in the South China Sea as military officials say they will step up movement

If Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said. Pelosi has invited Texas GOP Rep. Michael McCaul on the trip, McCaul said

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary

Tensions over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan China is warning it will respond forcefully if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proceeds with a visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. Here's a look at what's happening. WHY DOES PELOSI WANT TO VISIT TAIWAN? Pelosi has been a staunch critic of China throughout her more than three decades in Congress, once unfurling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square memorializing those killed in the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. Taiwan enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Pelosi said last week it was 'important for us to show support for Taiwan.' Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has defied Beijing's threats and her administration has favored core democratic values and liberal policies close to Pelosi's heart, including same-sex marriage and a strong social security net. WHY WOULD THE VISIT CAUSE A RISE IN TENSIONS? China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and its military buildup in recent years has largely been oriented toward such a mission. Beijing objects to all official contact between Taipei and Washington, and routinely threatens retaliation. This time, the stakes appear to be higher. While experts say it's unlikely China would use force to prevent Pelosi's U.S. government plane from landing in Taipei, its response remains unpredictable. Threatening military drills and incursions by ships and planes are considered potential scenarios that would set the entire region on edge. WHY IS THE TIMING SENSITIVE? The administration of President Joe Biden, who will speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, is keen to keeping America's crucial but often turbulent and highly complex relationship with China on an even keel. Pelosi had planned to visit in April but postponed after getting COVID-19. She has declined to discuss reported plans to travel to Taiwan in coming weeks. That could coincide with China's celebrations of the Aug. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party. A more robust Chinese response could also be driven by Xi's desire to bolster his nationalist credentials ahead of a party congress later this year at which he is expected to seek a third five-year term in office. Xi's expansion of his powers into every sphere and his hardline zero-COVID response to the domestic epidemic has sowed a degree of resentment and appealing to raw patriotism, particularly over Taiwan, might help him fend off criticism. WHAT IS TAIWAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD A VISIT? Tsai has been welcoming of all foreign dignitaries, serving and retired, from the U.S., Europe and Asia, using such visits as a bulwark against China's refusal to deal with her government and relentless campaign of diplomatic isolation. Still, her rhetoric on such occasions has generally been relatively low-key, reflecting her own calm demeanor and possibly a desire not to further antagonize China, which remains a crucial economic partner, with around a million Taiwanese residing in mainland China. The capital Taipei staged a civil defense drill Monday and Tsai on Tuesday attended annual military exercises, although there was no direct connection with tensions over a possible Pelosi visit. While the Taiwanese public strongly rejects China's demands for unification, the ability of the island's military to defend against the PLA without U.S. help is highly questionable, so shoring up the armed forces has been a hallmark of Tsai's term in office. Advertisement

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to comment on specific travel plans.

But, he added: 'If there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I'll just leave it at that.'

He spoke soon after Pelosi invited Republicans to accompany her on her expected trip.

She has invited Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as panel chair Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) to accompany her, McCaul said amid the uproar over the trip.

'Any member that wants to go, should. It shows political deterrence to President Xi,' McCaul said, NBC News reported.

'But she should also pay attention to the military if it's going to cause a blowback and escalate things,' he added.

McCaul said he couldn't go for scheduling reasons. He was invited as part of a 'small group' of lawmakers Pelosi evidently is assembling as a congressional delegation. The trip is expected during the August recess, although Pelosi's office has refused to confirm it on the record, citing security reasons.

The speaker rarely announces trips until shortly before or even after she travels. She has recently popped up in Italy and in Ukraine during congressional breaks.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich was among numerous Republicans who offered rare support for Pelosi over the trip, after President Biden said Pentagon officials had told him the trip was 'not a good idea right now.'

'She cannot allow the Chinese communist dictatorship to think that it can bully an American Speaker of the House,' Gingrich told Fox & Friends Monday. 'And frankly, she ought to tell the Pentagon and the State Department to shut up. They're always timid. They're always risk-averse. And they don't get it. It's very important to show strength. So the Chinese communists understand that we're real, and we're not, just as Mao called us a paper tiger,' he added.

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt (R) also backed Pelosi in comments to NBC.

'If she wants to go, I certainly think she should go,' Blunt said. 'And I think she should be more motivated to go now that she's been discouraged, and colleagues should join her.'

But Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democratic ally of President Biden's, expressed reservations about the trip in an appearance on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.'

'It could be a significant distraction if we ended up in an escalatory situation around Taiwan and its status, but I have confidence that the speaker will do the right thing at this moment. I do think it risks escalating tensions with China,' he said.

U.S. officials today said they have little fear that China could attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island.

If Pelosi does travel to Taiwan, which is still an uncertainty, the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said.

The officials declined to provide details of their plans, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

The US military is also reportedly considering deploying a multi-domain task force that would utilize missile, electronic and cyber capabilities in an integrated manner in Asia, according to the Japanese news outlet Nikkei News.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi - who would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit the island since 1997 - would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

It comes as China warned today that Washington would 'bear the consequences' if Pelosi visits Taiwan - days after threatening to take 'resolute and forceful measures' against the US if the trip goes ahead.

'If the US pushes ahead and challenges China's bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences arising therefrom,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference.

U.S. officials have said they have little fear that China will attack Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan as Beijing doubled down on their threat to take 'firm and strong measures' if the House speaker visits the island. Pictured: Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 2

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders

Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday in what will be the fifth call between the leaders.

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it.

Beijing and Chinese military experts have warned that a visit could lead to an unprecedented risk of conflict between China and the US.

'As the No 3 leader of the US administration, if Pelosi insists on coming to Taiwan... it will inevitably cause extremely serious damage to ties between the Chinese and US governments, as well as the two militaries, leading to further escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait,' China's defense ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said yesterday.

'The Chinese military will not turn a blind eye to it, and will respond by taking strong measures to thwart any external interference and 'Taiwan independence' secessionist attempts, to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Tan said.

Under its one-China policy, Washington does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The White House has been quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Pelosi.

U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the US military will 'ensure' Pelosi's visit would be safe, whilst adding that discussion of any specific travel is premature.

He added: 'If there's a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I'll just leave it at that.'

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims.

The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

China said yesterday that any visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would be seen as a move to 'support Taiwan independence' and Beijing would not 'turn a blind eye' to it. Pictured: China's President Xi Jinping, who will speak to President Biden in a call on Thursday

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident - even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but postponed the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is 'not a good idea right now.'

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months.

'Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere,' White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the topics to be discussed.

'This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there's already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,' he said.

Kirby said that Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and as such, her overseas travel was a matter of U.S. national security. But only she could make decisions about her travel.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit.

But they don't rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they don't preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force 'gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action,' said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp.

'So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when youre doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.'

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety.

'Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions,' Pavel said. 'She's not going to go with an armada.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

'It is very possible that our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send,' Cozad said.

'And so you get into some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.'

Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Studies at China's Nanjing University, said a Taiwan visit by Pelosi would be 'playing with fire'.

'This is the issue that irks China the most,' he said.

Speaking about the upcoming call between Biden and Jinping, Feng said: 'On the call, both sides need to give each other a positive signal that says we can have basic trust in each other, which is especially needed as the world remains fragile and volatile.

'Not condoning Pelosi's Taiwan visit is a prerequisite to building this trust.'

Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, said the Taiwan issue had the makings of a real crisis, without any U.S.-China mechanism to prevent that from escalating into conflict.

He said it was not clear how much pressure the Biden administration was exerting on Pelosi, but Xi was likely to push hard on the issue in the call, and added: 'We are in a high-risk moment and it behooves leaders in both countries to tread carefully.'

Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 26

Taiwan's M60A3 tanks manoeuvre during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island on July 27 in New Taipei City, Taiwan

Nonetheless, Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Xi would likely seek to project calm as he faces a slowing economy under pressure from strict domestic COVID-19 measures ahead of a key Communist Party Congress later this year.

'While Xi will be clear and direct in raising China's objections about Speaker Pelosi's trip, he will probably not allow that one issue to derail the entire conversation, as doing so would further complicate his already difficult governing agenda,' Singleton said.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its 'solemn position' over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to 'take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years.

He said Beijing's military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane's engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi's flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.
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Energy bills could hit 500 for the month of January after Russia cut back gas supplies to Europe.

Wholesale gas prices surged yesterday after Vladimir Putins regime halved supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, in what Germany condemned as a duplicitous game.

The move pushed up the price of gas across Europe, with many countries drawing up contingency plans to cut gas and electricity use by 15 per cent in order to conserve supplies and protect families through the winter.

These include turning off street lights, not heating public swimming pools and shutting down production at some major manufacturers, however more drastic measures may be necessary.

Germany and other European nations are racing to buy consignments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via container from the United States, Africa and the Middle East, however this is pushing up prices and will be insufficient to fill the gap left by Russia.

Wholesale gas prices surged yesterday after Vladimir Putins regime halved supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline

UK gas prices are soaring after Russia began throttling off supplies to Europe, causing a global shortage as EU leaders scramble for supplies

Many countries are drawing up contingency plans to cut gas and electricity to conserve supplies and protect families through the winter. Pictured: A file image

Contingency plans being drawn up by many nations include saving gas by no longer heating public swimming pools and turning off street lights

There are concerns about the UKs ability to generate enough electricity to keep the lights on this winter. Pictured: A no street light warning in Yorkshire

Wood-burning plant in eco-probe A controversial wood-burning power station faces a greenwashing probe for claiming to be a source of renewable energy despite incinerating millions of trees a year, it emerged yesterday. The Drax power plant in Selby, North Yorkshire, produces around 6 per cent of the UKs electricity and is classed as a source of renewable power, allowing it to claim 900million a year in public subsidies. But the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found yesterday there is a complaint to answer brought by environmental lawyers claiming that Drax is misleading consumers by portraying itself as a source of green energy. The inquiry will assess whether Drax can legitimately claim this when it burns millions of trees a year. Drax claims burning wood is renewable because trees regrow. The claim will be assessed by a government body, the UK National Contact Point for the OECD. A Drax spokesman said: We are engaging with the NCP on next steps. Advertisement

Any increase in the wholesale cost of gas is pushed through to electricity as it is used as fuel in around 40 per cent of UK power stations.

Separately, there are concerns about the UKs ability to generate enough electricity to keep the lights on this winter, with the gap between maximum supply and maximum demand said to be tight.

The Electricity System Operator has indicated the situation could be particularly difficult in the first half of December.

The current price cap on energy tariffs is due to rise from just under the equivalent of 2,000 a year  based on typical use  in October and again in January.

Initial estimates suggested it would reach around 3,400 in the New Year.

However, analysis by energy industry experts at consultants BFY suggests the new increase in wholesale prices could see the figure hit the equivalent of 3,420 in October and 3,850 in January.

Given that energy use is heavy in January as people keep the central heating and lights on for longer, the bill for that month alone could potentially top 500.

Wholesale gas prices rose to all-time highs of 530p per therm for the coming winter on Wednesday morning.

Moscow has blamed maintenance issues, but the Nord Stream move is widely seen as Moscow weaponising gas and deliberately limiting European supplies in retaliation for western sanctions.

There are fears that Russia could cut off supplies entirely.

Gemma Berwick, senior consultant at BFY, warned that any further drops in flows will cause further price increase.

While Britain has typically received only 4 per cent of its gas from Russia, it is linked by pipelines to Europe and is also reliant on securing LNG cargos, meaning prices in the UK are closely correlated with those on the continent.

EU prices are at near-record levels amid fears Russia could soon turn off the gas tap completely, with leaders already discussing energy rationing

Russia has reduced flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipe which goes to Germany to just 20 per cent capacity, sparking panic

Earlier this week, MPs on the business select committee demanded urgent action to improve the help offered to millions facing punishing energy bills this winter.

The Government has announced support for households, ranging from 400 to up to 1,200, but the MPs said this failed to take account of the rises coming this winter.

Committee chairman Darren Jones said: Once again, the energy crisis is racing ahead of the Government.

To prevent millions from dropping into unmanageable debt, its imperative that the support package is updated and implemented before October, when the squeeze will become a full-on throttling of household finances and further tip the economy towards recession.

A Government spokesman said: Unlike Europe, Britain isn't dependent on Russian gas. The UKs secure and diverse energy supplies will ensure households, businesses and industry can be confident they can get the electricity and gas they need.

However, we are vulnerable to volatile gas markets. While no national government can control the gas price, we have introduced an extraordinary 37 billion package to help households, including 1,200 each for 8 million of the most vulnerable households.
It will also be a crime for men to take intimate photos of women without consent

Rishi Sunak today promises a 'major crackdown on grooming gangs' as well as wider efforts to protect women if he wins the Tory leadership contest.

The former chancellor will create new laws to target members of child sex abuse rings and set up emergency task forces in towns and cities where they have taken hold.

Writing in today's Daily Mail, he also warns that fears over racism must not deter the fight against grooming gangs, after an inquiry revealed that police failed to tackle widespread abuse by south Asian men in Telford for fear of looking 'politically incorrect'.

In a separate move, Mr Sunak will make it a crime for men to take intimate photos of women without their consent.

'Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until it has been defeated,' he said last night. 'As a father of two girls, I want them to be able to go for a walk in the evening or to a shop at night without any fear of threat.'

Britain's former chancellor to the exchequer and candidate to be the Leader of the Conservative Party, and Britain's next Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, gestures as he delivers a speech during a campaign event in Newmarket, on July 27, 2022

He said that as Chancellor he boosted support for victims but will go further if he becomes prime minister.

'I will make it a criminal offence if you harass women by taking intimate images of them without their consent and will introduce a major crackdown on grooming gangs,' he added.

'We cannot let sensitivities over race stop us from catching dangerous criminals who prey on women and I will not stop until we live in a society where women and girls can go about their daily lives feeling safe and secure.'

Under his plans, the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be ordered to set up investigations anywhere where significant grooming gang activity is known to have taken place. The NCA is already leading a huge inquiry called Operation Stovewood into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. Mr Sunak would also launch a National Grooming Gangs Whistleblower Network to make sure that cases are properly investigated, ending the scandal of public bodies ignoring evidence of abuse.

And the NCA would set up a database to help police monitor gang members, especially those who operate across force lines.

It would become a criminal offence to belong to a grooming gang or facilitate its actions, while those directing the abuse would face life sentences.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are contesting a run-off to be the Conservatives' new leader, and thereby prime minister, with the ruling party's approximately 200,000 members set to vote next month

Officers would also get the power to force suspects to explain why they had the contact details of under-18s in their mobile phones.

It would be a criminal offence for those arrested for child sexual exploitation not to reveal their ethnicity or nationality, or to lie about it.

Mr Sunak would press ahead with the Bill of Rights proposed by Boris Johnson's Government last month, making it more difficult for foreign members of grooming gangs to resist deportation.

Frontline police officers would also get new training to help them identify victims of exploitation, which would remind them that they must serve without fear or favour  and must not let their fear of being accused of racism allow criminals to avoid punishment.

Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until it's been defeated, writes RISHI SUNAK

By RISHI SUNAK for THE DAILY MAIL

How serious are we as a society about protecting women and girls? There is a strong cultural consensus, backed up by legislation, that deplores and forbids any form of sexual violence. And yet women and girls continue to be subject to attack. Every case is an outrage that seriously undermines the sense of security to which every female is entitled.

As a man, I wouldn't think twice about walking to the shops at night yet my wife and daughters would hesitate because of the threat posed by other men. That's something I am determined to change.

As Chancellor, I made it one of my priorities to boost support for victims. By 2024/25, we will invest 192million a year into victim support, including 1,000 independent sexual violence advisers and 24/7 support for rape victims. I also funded Operation Soteria, a ground-breaking new approach to policing, making police investigations less intrusive for victims and putting them at the forefront so that more perpetrators face justice.

But we must go further. A failure, both moral and practical, of our so-called civilised society is that the authorities often turn a blind eye to sexual violence which occurs in marginalised communities. The recent report into grooming gangs and child exploitation in Telford was only the latest in a long line of investigations and inquiries into the industrial scale rape of young girls by criminal gangs. This is something that has happened in dozens of towns and cities across the UK. It goes back many years and there is no doubt that it continues today.

What angers me beyond measure is the fact  and this is backed up by clear evidence  that a misplaced fear of being accused of racism has led the authorities in these areas to stand by and let the most disgusting crimes happen. Thousands of girls could have been spared rape, drug addiction and coercion at the hands of these grooming gangs.

It has taken heroic efforts by people like Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, and the pioneering journalist, Andrew Norfolk, to expose the scale of the abuse. For that they have been accused of cynicism and racism. Sarah Champion was forced off the Labour front bench by her own side that said even discussing grooming gangs was 'incendiary and irresponsible'.

Conservative Party Leadership Candidate Rishi Sunak leaves Ealing TV Studios in west London after attending a TV debate, July 26, 2022

Bravest of all have been the victims who survived and have spoken out about the terrible things that were done to them.

Nor should we assume that domestic rape and sexual coercion is a thing of the past. It can happen in all communities but there is no doubt that it is the more marginalised ones that the police and social services find it more difficult to get a handle on.

If Britain is serious about fighting these scourges then public authorities including Parliament need to exhibit a higher level of determination.

Many criminals convicted of sexual violence are repeat offenders. Once is enough. If I become Prime Minister, I will impose tougher sentences for gang members and greater post-incarceration monitoring and control. It's time to put the interests of victims above those of perpetrators.

Rehabilitation is a laudable aim but must never be sought if it poses a risk to women.

I will direct the National Crime Agency to establish an emergency taskforce to hunt down the criminal gangs that continue to rape and abuse girls across Britain.

Those predators found to be foreign nationals should be deported  something the Bill of Rights that I will pass will make easier. There must be much greater emphasis on victim support which means not only more resources but also a more open national conversation to break the silence.

I came into politics to do good but making things better isn't just about improvement and innovation. It's about having the determination to fight evil.

Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until it has been defeated.
The Californian man arrested outside the home of Brett Kavanaugh last month had Googled 'assassin skills,' 'how to be stealthy,' and 'Reagan assassination attempt,' and hoped to murder three of the justices in total, according to the FBI report,

Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, California, was arrested on June 8 armed with a gun, knife and burglary tools after he phoned his sister, who encouraged him to call 911 and hand himself over.

On June 22 he pleaded not guilty to an attempt to assassinate the Supreme Court justice, and is set to go on trial on August 23.

On Wednesday it emerged that Roske had logged on to Reddit forums, using a variety of different emails, to get advice on murdering a 'HVT' - believed to be 'high value target'.

The FBI search warrant application states: 'Roske said that he used his Reddit account to ask individuals, who were unknown to him, questions in order to refine his plan to kill the Justice.

'Roske also stated that on Monday June 6, 2022, he attempted to use the settings menu on the Acer laptop to conduct a data wipe of the device because Roske did not want anyone he conversed with to be implicated as a result of his actions.'

Nicholas John Roske, 26, (left) was arrested in June for allegedly trying to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (right). On Wednesday a FBI warrant said he had researched how to murder someone, and solicited advice on online forums

Roske was arrested on a street nearby Kavanaugh's Maryland home (pictured), where security has been reinforced following the incident

Among the questions Roske posed on the Reddit forum 'Two X Chromosomes', which describes itself as offering a female perspective, were: 'Would Kavanaugh being removed from the SC help women long term?'

His emails also included messages thanking him for attending a rifle range and training facility.

On his cell phone, he searched for 'quietest semi-auto rifle' and 'most effective place to stab someone', the document states.

Roske also used the messaging app Discord to discuss his plans, chatting for four weeks prior to his arrest about the plot.

On May 25, Roske, who had been using the screen name 'Sophie42,' allegedly wrote to Person #1: 'im gonna stop roe v wade from being overturned'

The other person replied: 'what u tryna do'.

'remove some people from the supreme court,' Roske allegedly replied.

'u gonna Tun? Run?' Person #1 wrote back.

'after you mean?' wrote Roske.

'oh haha good one,' wrote Person #1.

'Two dead judges ain't gonna do nothing The whole government is f*****. There's no fixing that You would die before you killed them all'.

Roske then replied: 'yeah but I could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3. all of the major decisions for the past 10 years have been along party lines so if there are more liberal than conservative judges, they will have the power'.

On May 27, Roske received an email from an online gun store called Southern Ordnance, confirming his order for a Snap Gun Lock Pick - used by locksmiths to open locks - costing $49.95.

The warrant was filed by the FBI on Wednesday, and seeks access to all the email, Reddit and Discord accounts used by Roske.

Roske allegedly discussed his wish to murder three Supreme Court justices, chatting on a forum to a person he did not know

An FBI affidavit states that Roske told investigators that he was looking to kill Kavanaugh and himself on June 8. FBI agents are seen inside Roske's Simi Valley, California, earlier this month

According to an FBI affidavit, Roske had flown from California to Washington and was spotted arriving at Kavanaugh's home in the middle of the night on June 8.

He was carrying a suitcase armed with a Glock-17 pistol, two magazine clips, a speed loader, a tactical knife, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch and a crowbar.

Shortly after arriving on the scene, however, police said he called 911 saying he was having suicidal thoughts.

He told the operator that he was going to kill Kavanaugh and then himself because he did not expect to get away with the crime.

Roske was quickly taken into custody following the call and allegedly confessed to investigators that he was upset about the leaked Supreme Court draft decision, indicating that Kavanaugh and his fellow conservative justices were poised to overturn Roe V. Wade and women's federal right to abortions.

Investigators added that Roske told them that he believed Kavanaugh would loosen gun laws in the country in the wake of the deadly Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.

'Roske stated that he began thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice,' according to the affidavit.

Roske (above) allegedly told detectives that he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and planned to give his life to stop Kavanaughs' votes

Protesters returned to Kavanaugh's Maryland home just hours after Roske was arrested while carrying a disturbing arsenal of weapons and equipment

A woman holding a 'liar' sign with Kavanaugh's face on it and another saying 'mind your own uterus' on June 8

A Catholic native of Washington, Kavanaugh's nomination in 2018 to the high court drew particularly heated debates over his views toward women and abortion rights.

He was forced to angrily deny sexually assaulting a woman at a party while attending school in a series of confirmation hearings that electrified - and divided - much of the U.S.

His confirmation gave conservatives a 5-4 majority on the court, which grew further when Catholic, stridently anti-abortion Amy Coney Barrett joined in October 2020 following the death of abortion-rights champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24, and protests have continued ever since.

Congress has since passed legislation to bolster security around the nine justices, with Biden signing off on a bill to extend the protection to their families.
How serious are we as a society about protecting women and girls? There is a strong cultural consensus, backed up by legislation, that deplores and forbids any form of sexual violence. And yet women and girls continue to be subject to attack. Every case is an outrage that seriously undermines the sense of security to which every female is entitled.

As a man, I wouldn't think twice about walking to the shops at night yet my wife and daughters would hesitate  because of the threat posed by other men. That's something I am determined to change.

As Chancellor, I made it one of my priorities to boost support for victims. By 2024/25, we will invest 192million a year into victim support, including 1,000 independent sexual violence advisers and 24/7 support for rape victims. I also funded Operation Soteria, a ground-breaking new approach to policing, making police investigations less intrusive for victims and putting them at the forefront so that more perpetrators face justice.

'As a man, I wouldn't think twice about walking to the shops at night yet my wife and daughters would hesitate  because of the threat posed by other men. That's something I am determined to change'

But we must go further. A failure, both moral and practical, of our so-called civilised society is that the authorities often turn a blind eye to sexual violence which occurs in marginalised communities. The recent report into grooming gangs and child exploitation in Telford was only the latest in a long line of investigations and inquiries into the industrial scale rape of young girls by criminal gangs. This is something that has happened in dozens of towns and cities across the UK. It goes back many years and there is no doubt that it continues today.

What angers me beyond measure is the fact  and this is backed up by clear evidence  that a misplaced fear of being accused of racism has led the authorities in these areas to stand by and let the most disgusting crimes happen. Thousands of girls could have been spared rape, drug addiction and coercion at the hands of these grooming gangs.

It has taken heroic efforts by people like Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, and the pioneering journalist, Andrew Norfolk, to expose the scale of the abuse. For that they have been accused of cynicism and racism. Sarah Champion was forced off the Labour front bench by her own side that said even discussing grooming gangs was 'incendiary and irresponsible'.

Bravest of all have been the victims who survived and have spoken out about the terrible things that were done to them.

Candidate Rishi Sunak arrives for the BBC Conservative party leadership debate at Victoria Hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, July 25, 2022

Nor should we assume that domestic rape and sexual coercion is a thing of the past. It can happen in all communities but there is no doubt that it is the more marginalised ones that the police and social services find it more difficult to get a handle on.

If Britain is serious about fighting these scourges then public authorities including Parliament need to exhibit a higher level of determination.

Many criminals convicted of sexual violence are repeat offenders. Once is enough. If I become Prime Minister, I will impose tougher sentences for gang members and greater post-incarceration monitoring and control. It's time to put the interests of victims above those of perpetrators.

Rehabilitation is a laudable aim but must never be sought if it poses a risk to women.

I will direct the National Crime Agency to establish an emergency taskforce to hunt down the criminal gangs that continue to rape and abuse girls across Britain.

Those predators found to be foreign nationals should be deported  something the Bill of Rights that I will pass will make easier. There must be much greater emphasis on victim support which means not only more resources but also a more open national conversation to break the silence.

I came into politics to do good but making things better isn't just about improvement and innovation. It's about having the determination to fight evil.

Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until it has been defeated.

Rishi Sunak vows to launch a 'major crackdown' on grooming gangs plus wider efforts to give women the freedom to go out at night without fear

By MARTIN BECKFORD POLICY EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Rishi Sunak today promises a 'major crackdown on grooming gangs' as well as wider efforts to protect women if he wins the Tory leadership contest.

The former Chancellor will create new laws to target members of child sex abuse rings and set up emergency task forces in towns and cities where they have taken hold.

Writing in today's Daily Mail, he also warns that fears over racism must not deter the fight against grooming gangs, after an inquiry revealed that police failed to tackle widespread abuse by south Asian men in Telford for fear of looking 'politically incorrect'.

In a separate move, Mr Sunak will make it a crime for men to take intimate photos of women without their consent.

'Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until it has been defeated,' he said last night. 'As a father of two girls, I want them to be able to go for a walk in the evening or to a shop at night without any fear of threat.'

Candidate Rishi Sunak takes part in the BBC Conservative party leadership debate at Victoria Hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, July 25, 2022

He said that as Chancellor he boosted support for victims but will go further if he becomes prime minister.

'I will make it a criminal offence if you harass women by taking intimate images of them without their consent and will introduce a major crackdown on grooming gangs,' he added.

'We cannot let sensitivities over race stop us from catching dangerous criminals who prey on women and I will not stop until we live in a society where women and girls can go about their daily lives feeling safe and secure.'

Under his plans, the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be ordered to set up investigations anywhere where significant grooming gang activity is known to have taken place. The NCA is already leading a huge inquiry called Operation Stovewood into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. Mr Sunak would also launch a National Grooming Gangs Whistleblower Network to make sure that cases are properly investigated, ending the scandal of public bodies ignoring evidence of abuse.

And the NCA would set up a database to help police monitor gang members, especially those who operate across force lines.

It would become a criminal offence to belong to a grooming gang or facilitate its actions, while those directing the abuse would face life sentences.

Officers would also get the power to force suspects to explain why they had the contact details of under-18s in their mobile phones.

It would be a criminal offence for those arrested for child sexual exploitation not to reveal their ethnicity or nationality, or to lie about it.

Mr Sunak would press ahead with the Bill of Rights proposed by Boris Johnson's Government last month, making it more difficult for foreign members of grooming gangs to resist deportation.

Frontline police officers would also get new training to help them identify victims of exploitation, which would remind them that they must serve without fear or favour  and must not let their fear of being accused of racism allow criminals to avoid punishment.
This would ensure the 56 Commonwealth countries act as a bulwark to China

f she becomes PM, Truss said she would launch a 'New Commonwealth Deal'

Liz Truss has pledged to counter China's dominance by forging stronger Commonwealth trade ties if she becomes prime minister.

The Foreign Secretary said she wanted to offer nations 'a clear alternative to growing malign influence from Beijing'.

By prioritising trade with countries across the Commonwealth, she said economic and security ties would be strengthened  and British businesses would receive a major boost.

Miss Truss said she would launch a 'New Commonwealth Deal' to ensure the 56 Commonwealth countries act as a bulwark to China.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives at her offices in central London, Britain, 27 July 2022

Announcing her proposals as the Commonwealth Games gets under way, Miss Truss said: 'I will ensure the Commonwealth sits at the heart of my plans for Global Britain.

'As one of the largest groups of freedom-loving democracies, we must ensure there are clear benefits to remaining a member of the Commonwealth and offer nations a clear alternative to growing malign influence from Beijing.

'Prioritising trade with countries across the Commonwealth will strengthen economic and security ties whilst also turbocharging opportunities for British businesses to access one of the world's largest economic blocs.'

Miss Truss accused her rival Rishi Sunak of pushing for a closer relationship with China during a heated TV debate on Monday.

Conservative Party Leadership Candidate Liz Truss leaves Ealing TV Studios in west London after attending a TV debate

Mr Sunak said there was a need to acknowledge that Beijing is a 'threat to our national security, it is a threat to our economic security'.

Miss Truss challenged his comments, saying: 'As recently as a month ago you were pushing for closer trade relationships with China.

'This is not something you've advocated in government, I'm delighted that you've come round to my way of thinking but it has been driven by the Foreign Office  the tougher stance that we've taken on China.'
Ministers have been urged to scrap plans for more defence cuts after a collapse in army recruitment left Britain unable to tackle major international crises.

Army recruiting has crashed by more than a fifth in the last year, in line with plans to reduce the Army to just 73,000 troops by 2025  its smallest size since the Napoleonic era.

Last night, the government was told it risks looking arrogant and unwilling to learn lessons should ministers press ahead with cuts at a time of open war in Europe.

A report by the Commons defence committee warned that Russias invasion and the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, have demonstrated the UK was manifestly not prepared for major international crises.

The committees chairman Tobias Ellwood said: It is clear now is not the time for personnel cuts or budget shortfalls in our armed forces.

A report by the Commons defence committee warned that the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan showed the UK was manifestly not prepared for major international crises. Pictured: British soldiers in Kabul in August last year

In these uncertain times our capabilities and readiness must be ironclad. We need to spend more and spend it wisely.

'Anything less would be denial of the reality we face.

Squaddie numbers have been in freefall since 2010, when the Armys fulltime strength was 100,000. This year it is just 77,190.

A further 4,000 posts will be removed in the next three years. As no soldiers are expected to be sacked, the required reduction will be achieved by enlisting fewer recruits.

Figures obtained by Labour reveal Army recruitment has collapsed across the country, with the South West and the East of England seeing the biggest falls in the last year, of 35 per cent.

Last night shadow defence secretary John Healey accused the government of weakening the UKs armed forces when the UK is facing greater threats and greater obligations to Nato.

The Armed Forces are also being called upon to provide troops to support other public services, such as the NHS during the pandemic and UK Border Force anti-migrant operations in the Channel.

In a recent speech the head of the Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, suggested he agreed with those calling for proposed cuts to the Army being reversed.

Sir Patrick told an audience at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) military think tank that while technology was revolutionising warfare, certain tasks could only be performed by soldiers.

But, for the time being, the MOD remains committed to lowering its manning levels.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood (pictured) said: It is clear now is not the time for personnel cuts or budget shortfalls in our armed forces'

In the years ahead UK defence spending is also predicted to fall, with what Britain spends on its military falling below the Nato target of 2 per cent of GDP.

Such a reduction in investment would also see the UK going from being Europes biggest defence spender to the eighth, as a percentage of GDP.

Last night, the Defence Secretary warned that, in the face of rising threats, the UK must commit to increasing defence spending by tens of billions of pounds.

Ben Wallaces comments were significant as he is yet to back either of the candidates hoping to become the next Prime Minister.

He told Sky News: We are forecast to be below 2 per cent probably by 2026. We are going down and will carry on falling.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged to increase UK defence spending to 3 per cent of GSP if she is appointed.

Rishi Sunak has been less explicit about spending commitments, suggesting he was opposed to arbitrary targets.

Last night, a MOD spokesperson said: The Army met 98 per cent of its recruitment target for regular soldiers and 100 per cent of its target for regular officers last year. It continues to have the people needed to fulfil all its operational commitments.

The Army will have over 100,000 personnel made up of a trained Regular Army of 73,000 and a total Army Reserve of over 30,000.
Boris Johnson might be quitting as British prime minister, but he could make an instant return to frontline politics if the people of Ukraine get their way.

Fan Roman Maksymchuk has launched a petition on president Volodymyr Zelenskys website for Boris to be made a citizen of Ukraine so he can lead the Kyiv government.

I ask you to consider the possibility of granting Ukrainian citizenship to Boris Johnson, and to submit his candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of Ukraine, he wrote.

At present, there is no vacancy as the job is held by Denys Shmyhal, a former regional governor.

The petition lauds Mr Johnson for his clear position against the military invasion of Ukraine where he has become a cult hero for Britains staunch support in the fight against Russia.

Thousands of people have signed a petition to make British Prime Minister Boris Johnson the Prime Minister of Ukraine (pictured with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky

The petition (pictured), addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, lists Johnson's strengths as: 'Worldwide support for Boris Johnson, a clear position against the military invasion of Ukraine, (and) wisdom in the political, financial and legal spheres'

Mr Zelensky will be obliged to officially respond if it receives 25,000 signatures over the next three months. Last night, it had garnered just over 5,000 names.

A source close to the Ukrainian leader joked that the tongue-in-cheek campaign was a good idea.

The two men formed a close bromance after Mr Johnson made two surprise trips to Ukraine during the war, including an impromptu walkabout in Kyiv, the capital city.

The Prime Minister could make a third before he leaves Downing Street in September.

President Zelensky said of Boris Johnson: I want him to be somewhere in politics in a position to be someone. I dont want him to disappear'

Mr Zelensky, who has not commented on the petition, told TalkTV on Wednesday that he hoped the winner of the Tory leadership race will offer Mr Johnson a top job.

I want him to be somewhere in politics in a position to be someone. I dont want him to disappear, but the decision is in the hands of the British people, he said.

His comments come after Mr Johnson gave the Ukrainian president the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award on Tuesday, drawing parallels between the two wartime leaders.
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Think you know what lurks beneath you when you take a dip in the ocean? Think again!

Scientists have discovered 39 species that are 'potentially new to science', while exploring up to 16,700 feet (5,100 metres) underwater.

A robot was sent down to the abyssal plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the central Pacific Ocean - one of the least explored regions of the world - to collect specimens of deep sea creatures.

The researchers, from the Natural History Museum in London, recovered 39 brand new species of megafauna as well as nine known species.

Amongst those found were spindly starfish, tulip-shaped sea sponges, prickly urchins and 'gummy squirrel' sea cucumbers.

The new study was conducted in order to prove the level of biodiversity in the area, which is of interest for deep-sea mining.

'I was definitely not expecting to find so many animals,' said lead author Dr Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras.

'We were not certain that there would be any known species from the area as so many species are yet to be described.'

Gummy squirrel, or Psychropotes longicauda, at 5,100 m depth on abyssal sediments in the western CCZ. This animal is ~60 cm long (including tail), with red feeding palps (or 'lips') visibly extended from its anterior end (right)

The Natural History Museum researchers recovered 39 brand new species of megafauna, and nine that were referable to known species. Pictured: Hyalonema  sea sponge  on the ocean floor that appears to be shaped like a growing tulip

The CCZ spans 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometres) between Hawaii and Mexico, and is one of has been the focus of study since its discovery in 1950. Pictured: Peniagone vitrea  a type of sea cucumber

WHY DO SCIENTISTS STUDY THE CCZ? The CCZ is one of the world's largest unexploited collections of rare minerals and metals like manganese, nickel, copper and iron. These are a target for seabed miners, who want to exploit them to make batteries and electronics. As a result, scientists are focusing on the CCZ to evaluate to what extent these activities will impact ecosystems. It is hoped their discoveries will be able to inform decisions relating to future seabed mining projects. Advertisement

Dr Bribiesca-Contreras added: 'This research is important not only due to the number of potentially new species discovered, but because these megafauna specimens have previously only been studied from seabed images.

'Without the specimens and the DNA data they hold, we cannot properly identify the animals and understand how many different species there are.'

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), over 80 per cent of the ocean is still unexplored.

The CCZ spans 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometres) between Hawaii and Mexico, and has been the focus of study since its discovery in 1950.

It is around 18,000 feet (5,500 metres) at its deepest, which is nearly as deep as Mount Kilimanjaro is high.

However, it also contains one of the world's largest unexploited collections of rare minerals and metals, including manganese, nickel, copper and iron.

These are all held in packages the size of a potato known as polymetallic nodules, that sit on the vast seafloor, and are the targets of deep-sea miners.

The heavy metals are in demand to make batteries for smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles, and are largely seen as a solution to move away from fossil fuels.

There are not enough of these metals available to recycle in the medium-term, so seabed mining has been suggested as one way to meet demand.

However the mining techniques can be destructive; ships and robots use vacuum hoses to suck up the nodules, extract the metal and then discard what is left back into the water.

Not only does this pose a direct risk to any deep-sea wildlife, but the polymetallic nodules themselves are considered 'critical for food web integrity'.

As a result, scientists are focusing on the CCZ to evaluate to what extent these seabed mining will impact ecosystems.

The CCZ is one of the world's largest unexploited collections of rare minerals and metals like manganese, nickel, copper and iron. These are a target for seabed miners, who want to exploit them to make batteries and electronics. Pictured: Psychronaetes sea cucumber

In 2018, researchers used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to collect 55 specimens from three protected Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) in the CCZ. Pictured: Kamptosoma abyssale  a type of sea urchin

'The deep sea is pretty understudied,' said Dr Bribiesca-Contreras.

'It's very expensive to go out on research cruises, and they don't generally return to the same areas.

'One problem is that in the CCZ, areas have been protected but we know rather little about them.'

In the past, surveys of the area have been conducted using video and still images, rather than sample collection.

In 2018, researchers used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to collect 55 specimens from three protected Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs).

The ROV also took a video of its journey across the abyssal plains and undersea hills, that was analysed by Dr Thomas Dahlgren, from the University of Gothenburg.

He said: 'As they drove the ROV across the seafloor it first appeared that the animals were incredibly rare.

'There were times when we did not see a single animal for quite a while.

'But incredibly, each animal we found was almost always a different species. It's a very unusual ecosystem.'

Map of the abyssal Pacific seafloor targeted for seafloor nodule mining showing the areas where mining contractors will work and areas protected from mining (APEIs). This expedition studied three protected areas in the west of the Clarion Clipperton Zone

The gripping tool of the remotely operated vehicle is seen alongside a Psychropotes verrucicaudatus sea cucumber

Merit Researcher Dr Adrian Glover added: 'It is as important to sample the protected APEI regions as it is the commercially-contracted regions,

'Without comparative data on value of the regions we are protecting, we can't properly assess the impacts of mining.

'We must also communicate the value of the protected regions to society so that we can see the importance of marine conservation.'

In a paper, published this month in ZooKeys, it was revealed that of the 55 specimens recovered, 48 were of different species.

This suggests a high level of species biodiversity in the CCZ.

Dr Glover said: 'We know that small millimetre-sized animals called macrofauna are extremely biodiverse in the abyss.

'However, we have never really had much information on the larger animals we call megafauna, as so few samples have been collected.

'This study is the first to suggest that diversity may be very high in these groups as well.'

Rare minerals and metals are held in packages the size of a potato known as polymetallic nodules, that sit on the vast seafloor in the CCZ, and are the targets of deep-sea miners. Pictured: A polymetallic nodule recovered from 5,000m depth in the Pacific Ocean (stock image)

Only nine of these 48 species were known to science, and it is thought the other 39 may be new species.

However the scientists say they are difficult to assess definitively, as they do not yet have enough samples to understand the variation in their DNA.

Additionally, the known specimens they would nominally compare them to - known as 'type specimens' - are not in the best condition.

Dr Bribiesca-Contreras said: 'Older deep sea specimens are often damaged, as they were collected by less gentle methods such as trawling,

'For instance, brittle stars have delicate arms which are often snapped, such as those collected on the Challenger expedition.

'This is a problem because these individuals are often used as type specimens.

'If characteristics are missing when comparing two similar animals, it's difficult to tell whether this is because they were lost during collection or because they are a different species.

'Many older specimens were also put straight into formalin preservative, which makes it difficult to extract DNA.'

The team want to overcome these difficulties by comparing their specimens to megafauna collected in another recent voyage, alongside broader-scale imagery surveys by the National Oceanography Centre.

It is hoped their discoveries will be able to inform decisions relating to future sea-mining projects.

Dr Glover said: 'Whilst deep sea mining is a very valid environmental concern, we are in a very positive situation where we have been able to conduct a lot of fundamental research while the industry is held back from full-scale exploitation,

'This is very different to what has happened in the past with other ocean resources, such as fisheries.

'A big societal decision with regard deep sea mining is on the horizon and our role is to provide as much data as we can to inform that decision as best we can.'

In a paper, published this month in ZooKeys , it was revealed that of the 55 specimens recovered from the 2018 CCZ expedition, 48 were of different species. Pictured: A new species of soft coral called Chrysogorgia

The scientists say the new species are difficult to assess definitively, as they do not yet have enough samples to understand the variation in their DNA. Pictured: A sea cucumber of the type Oneirophanta
Dogs may be using their highly-sensitive noses to 'see' as well as to smell, a new study suggests.

Researchers have discovered an 'extensive pathway' in the brains of domestic dogs linking areas that handle smell and vision.

This allows dogs to have a remarkable sense of direction and awareness even when they can't see - explaining how some blind dogs can play fetch.

Dogs' strong sense of smell may help them detect and distinguish between different objects and obstacles, even if they're blind.

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Researchers have discovered an 'extensive pathway' in the brains of domestic dogs linking areas that handle smell and vision - which likely helps them know where things are even if they can't see

WHAT IS THE NEWLY-FOUND PATHWAY? Researchers have an 'extensive pathway' in the brains of domestic dogs running between the olfactory bulb to the occipital lobe. The olfactory bulb is a structure located in the forebrain of vertebrates that receives neural input about odours. Meanwhile, the occipital lobe is the brain's visual processing area, associated with distance and depth perception, colour determination and more. Advertisement

The new study provides the first evidence that dogs' sense of smell is integrated with their vision and other unique parts of the brain.

'We've never seen this connection between the nose and the occipital lobe, functionally the visual cortex in dogs, in any species,' said study author Pip Johnson, assistant professor of clinical science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

'When we walk into a room, we primarily use our vision to work out where the door is, who's in the room, where the table is.

'Whereas in dogs, this study shows that olfaction is really integrated with vision in terms of how they learn about their environment and orient themselves in it.'

The new research corroborates Johnson's clinical experiences with blind dogs, which function remarkably well despite being unable to see.

'They can still play fetch and navigate their surroundings much better than humans with the same condition,' she said.

'Knowing there's that information freeway going between those two areas could be hugely comforting to owners of dogs with incurable eye diseases.'

However, how exactly blind dogs use smell to see objects is not understood, Johnson added.

'Veterinarians have long wondered how dogs with complete blindness have navigated so well in their environment, even in foreign and new environments,' she told MailOnline.

'The olfactory connection we identified gives us an answer to this, and shows that they are less dependent on their eyes alone and likely use olfactory information to help navigate their world.'

In the dog brain, information pathways run from the olfactory bulb (bottom left) to five different areas. The newly-found connection (shown in orange) links the olfactory system to the occipital lobe, the brain's visual processing area. Other networks (in blue and pink) connect the olfactory bulb to brain areas associated with memories and emotions

Eileen Jenkin, a vet at Huntsville Veterinary Specialists & Emergency in Alabama who was not part of the study, described the new findings as 'fabulous'.

'There have been lots of people who theorised that this connection existed, based on the behaviour of trained dogs and detection dogs, but nobody has been able to prove it,' she told Science News.

For the study, the team performed MRI scans on the brains of 23 dogs  20 mixed breeds and three beagles  to create digital 3D 'maps'.

Researchers then identified tracts of white matter that carry signals between brain regions, each of which is a bit like a 'road network'.

The map showed roads that connect the olfactory bulb to brain areas associated with memories and emotions.

Humans also have this network, which is why smelling certain scents seems to transport us back in time.

But what was surprising was a new information pathway running between the olfactory bulb to the occipital lobe, the brain's visual processing area.

Video: Orange structure shows whole of the olfactory pathway in dogs going to multiple different regions of the brain, including the occipital lobe

'This is the first documentation of a direct connection between the olfactory bulb and occipital lobe in any species and is a step towards further understanding how the dog integrates olfactory stimuli in their cognitive function,' the team say.

Identifying new connections in the brains of canines also opens up avenues for further study, such as in other mammal species  possibly even humans.

'To see this variation in the brain allows us to see what's possible in the mammalian brain,' Johnson said.

'Maybe we have a vestigial connection between those two areas from when we were more ape-like and scent-oriented, or maybe other species have significant variations that we haven't explored.'

Johnson also told Science News that they aim to explore olfactory tracts of cats.

'Cats have the most amazing olfactory system too, and probably more connections than the dog that I can see,' she said.
An e-bike that was engulfed in flames on a busy Manhattan street earlier this month is one of at least 166 lithium battery fires reported in the last seven months across New York City - four happened in just 24 hours - killing two and injuring 61 people.

The group of lithium battery fires, one in Brooklyn and three in Manhattan, scorched through residential areas in April, leaving behind burnt homes 12 injured people.

The deaths, one in February and another in March, were two men who were burned by a flames that started while their e-bikes were plugged in at home. They both died from the injuries weeks after the incidents.

The grave statistics led the the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to issue a stark warning to e-bike owners that urges them to stop using an overheating battery immediately and follow the manufacture's instructions for charging and storing.

Experts are blaming the fires on cheap e-bikes, the volume of delivery drivers using them and overuse of a battery that is damaged.

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New York City has seen more than 100 fires started by e-bikes this year. This is due to damaged or faulty batteries. This incident was captured earlier this month

The e-bike sat engulfed in flames on a busy Manhattan street as pedestrians and cyclists passed

Mike Mike Fritz, co-founder of Human Powered Solutions, a bicycle consulting firm, told DailyMail.com that New York City has become the epicenter of e-bike fires and it is due to a massive influx of delivery personnel using the battery-powered cycles to zip from one drop off to the next. There are at least 65,000 delivery bikers in the city.

Because many are of low-income status, they are unable to afford a new $900 battery or purchases one from third-party sites that are pushing out defective cells and battery management systems that are vital to regulating the function of the battery pack and temperature.

A cheap pack is a prominent incident and is the cause of most of the fires, Fritz told DailyMail.com.

This year has also surpassed 2021 in battery fires - there were 100 fires all of last year.

E-bikes are the go-to vehicle for delivery workers because it provides them with an added push that does not require them to exert themselves while peddling.

This is obtained through an electrical component on the cycle, which is in turn powered by a lithium battery.

A battery is made up of an anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte and two current collectors  a positive and negative.

The lithium is stored in both the anode and cathode.

The electrolyte carries positively charged lithium ions from the anode to the cathode and vice versa through the separator.

However, when the separator is compromised heat builds up and boils the electrolytes.

Pressure then builds up in the cylinders and when it cannot take anymore, electrolytes leave out in a gas that combusts as soon as it hits the air.

Fritz explains that it is a slow burning fire that quickly turns into a giant blaze.

The fires are not just happening with e-bikes on the go, but are becoming a major problem for those plugged into New York City homes and apartments.

The FDNY issued a warning recently, after it battled four fires in just 24 hours. Pictured right is the damage inside the house after the fire was put out

The fire was started by an e-bike that was allegedly left in the wall charging

The dramatic uptick in e-bike fires is due to a massive influx of delivery personnel using the battery-powered cycles to zip from one drop off to the next. Pictured are a group of charred e-bikes laying on a Brooklyn street. The fire happened in May of this year

It is impossible to put out a lithium fire, said Fritz. You need to interrupt the cell to cell propagation or just let it run out of fuel.

One precaution is never charge a battery unattended, dont plug it in and walk away. If a failure occurs you have time to intervene.

Fritz, who is an advocate for e-bikes, hopes these incidents are not deterring the public from owning an e-bike.

This is a serious issue and awareness is the best short term solution, he said.

There are technical solutions on the horizon, but until theyre here, we have to raise awareness.
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If you ever wanted to have a martini in space - here's your chance.

Space Perspective has finalized its design for Spaceship Neptune, a sleek-looking capsule that will offer epic views 20 miles above Earth and luxury amenities - if you don't mind forking over $125,000 per ticket.

Unlike Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, which have the all the flight turbulence one would expect from a rocket and a plane - plus the ability to float free thanks to zero gravity - Space Perspective promises a calm experience since its spherical pod is being propelled into the planet's stratosphere by a balloon.

The Florida-based company, which is constructing Spaceship Neptune near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, is planning to offer up to eight passengers at a time the chance to soak up panoramic views of Earth during the six-hour round trip.

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The Florida-based company is offering a unique experience that's smoother than the ride on the spacecrafts of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, owing to the balloon that's used to lift the capsule to space. Pictured above is the new design

The ultimate balloon ride: Space Perspective will take up to eight space tourists on a $125,000 per person, six-hour journey 20 miles above Earth

Space Perspective, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are each offering different types of space tourism with varying price points, flight times and experiences. Pictured above is a visual representation of who far above Earth each company is aiming to send space tourists - as well as labels identifying what each layer of the atmosphere is called

The new design is a product of 'thousands of in-depth analyses' done in collaboration with a software firm called Siemens Digital Industries. Space Perspective's offering is the latest in the ongoing space tourism effort - with some key differences from rivals Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.

The Spaceship Neptune will go 20 miles above Earth, as opposed to Blue Origin's 65 miles and Virgin Galactic's 50 miles, and it will stay at the edge of space for two hours. You'll also be able to hold your martini steady since you won't experience zero gravity, whereas during Blue Origin's launch last year the crew experienced about three minutes of weightlessness in a trip that only lasted 11 minutes from start to finish. Virgin Galactic's trip was about two and a half hours with Branson and his team only weightless for five minutes.

Space Perspective trips cost far less than Virgin Galactic's, which are $475,000 a pop, and Blue Origin's, which have ranged as high as $28 million for one seat at auction in June 2021.

'Centuries of balloon and parachute operation and development demonstrate that always flying with the balloon from launch through landing, with traditional parachutes as a reserve backup system, is by far the simplest, safest and most robust solution,' said Taber MacCallum, founder, co-CEO and CTO of Space Perspective, in a statement.

Space Perspective's balloon is fueled by hydrogen and the company notes that this makes for a safe experience because the air itself isn't mixing with hydrogen.

'We now also have an exterior aesthetic that is every bit as powerful as the interior ... the engineering team have delivered an unsurpassable outcome in relation to performance and safety,' the company's lead designers said. Pictured is a conceptual view of the interior, showing panoramic windows and a bar area

Space Perspective has already sold 900 tickets, has targeted commercial flights to being in late 2024 and is taking reservations for 2025 as well. Pictured above is a conceptual view of the interior, showing ample space for passengers and their belongings

The larger capsule allowed for a roomier interior that can hold two more passengers that previous design shown in October of last year, the Florida-based firm announced. Pictured above is a conceptual view of the interior, showing large reclining seats

Space Perspective, which bills itself as the world's first 'luxury spaceflight experience company,' has sold 900 tickets but you'll need to have some patience once you've put down your deposit, since commercial flights won't begin until late 2024.

'Our proprietary flight system means that the capsule and SpaceBalloon always remain connected, and take-off and landing conditions are always within our control. The team has come together to create an amazingly robust, safe, and incredibly elegant and luxurious system for Spaceship Neptune.'

The larger capsule allowed for a roomier interior that can hold two more passengers than the design shown in October of last year. The interior has deep seats that recline, what the firm calls 'mood lighting,' a restroom and a bar. There will be satellite imagery and 360-degree cameras on the capsule to allow passengers to zoom in and out on our home planet.

Space Perspective is privately funded and has raised a total of $65 million in two rounds since November of 2021.

Space Perspective's co-founders Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter are pictured above

Space Perspective, which bills itself as the world's first 'luxury spaceflight experience company,' has already sold 900 tickets but you'll need to have some patience once you've put down your $1,000 deposit since commercial flights won't begin until late 2024.

MacCallum also announced the two team members leading the design team for Spaceship Neptune - Dan Window and Isabella Trani, who have worked on design for the New Tube for London as well as Elon Musk's Hyperloop train.

'As design specialists we have integrated the travel experience and aesthetic  from head room and groups of Explorers being able to move around comfortably within Spaceship Neptune from chair to restroom to bar  to, of course, maximizing the once-in-a-lifetime views,' Window and Train explained.

'We now also have an exterior aesthetic that is every bit as powerful as the interior ... the engineering team have delivered an unsurpassable outcome in relation to performance and safety.'

The manufacturing of Spaceship Neptune has already begun in a massive area of the NASA KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

'The Apollo era inspired two generations of scientists and engineers, not just to pursue careers in space but reminded us that we could do anything we set our minds to,' Jane Poynter, a co-founder of Space Perspective, previously told DailyMail.com.

'That was the saying  'if we can go to the moon, then surely we can do x.' Spaceflight has an extraordinary power to inspire people of all ages.'
It's an issue that plagues an estimated 3.7 billion people globally, and now scientists have uncovered the history  or should we say 'kiss-tory'  of cold sores.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have sequenced ancient genomes from herpes  the virus that commonly causes lip sores.

Their findings suggest that the strain of the virus behind facial herpes as we know it arose around 5,000 years ago, amid the advent of 'sexual-romantic kissing.'

Dr Christiana Scheib, co-senior author of the study, said: 'Every primate species has a form of herpes, so we assume it has been with us since our own species left Africa.

'However, something happened around five thousand years ago that allowed one strain of herpes to overtake all others, possibly an increase in transmissions, which could have been linked to kissing.'

It's an issue that plagues an estimated 3.7 billion people globally, and now scientists have unravelled the history  or should we say 'kiss-tory'  of cold sores

In the study, the team extracted viral DNA from the teeth of four individuals. One sample (pictured) came from a young adult male from Holland, and dates back to 1672

Forget brushing your teeth... KISSING is just as good, claims dentist Kissing could help keep your teeth healthy and prevent bad breath, according to an orthodontist. However, not just any quick peck will do. Dr Khaled Kasem, of the international dental chain Impress, recommends snogging for four minutes a day. 'The main benefit of kissing is that it produces more saliva in your mouth,' he said. 'Saliva is important because it helps you chew, taste, swallow, fights germs in your mouth and prevents bad breath  which is definitely ideal when kissing.' Saliva also neutralises acids that sit on your teeth, helping to cut your risk of getting tooth decay. Read more Advertisement

The strain of the virus that is common today is called HSV-1 and is typically transmitted by oral-to-oral contact, such as kissing.

'Cold sores are caused by a virus called herpes simplex,' the NHS explains on its website.

'Once you have the virus, it stays in your skin for the rest of your life. Sometimes it causes a cold sore.

'Most people are exposed to the virus when they're young after close skin to skin contact, such as kissing, with someone who has a cold sore.'

While the herpes virus dates back millions of years, the researchers set out to understand when the HSV-1 strain first arose.

'The world has watched COVID-19 mutate at a rapid rate over weeks and months. A virus like herpes evolves on a far grander timescale,' said Dr Charlotte Houldcroft, co-senior author of the study.

'Facial herpes hides in its host for life and only transmits through oral contact, so mutations occur slowly over centuries and millennia.

'We need to do deep time investigations to understand how DNA viruses like this evolve.

'Previously, genetic data for herpes only went back to 1925.'

In the study, the team extracted viral DNA from the teeth of four individuals.

The oldest sample dates back around 1,500 years and came from an adult male excavated in Russia's Ural Mountain range.

Another dates back to the 6-7th centuries CE and came from a female from an early Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Cambridge.

One sample dates back to the late 14th century and came from a young adult male buried in the grounds of Cambridge's charitable hospital

The third dates back to the late 14th century and came from a young adult male buried in the grounds of Cambridge's charitable hospital.

And finally, one sample came from a young adult male from Holland, and dates back to 1672.

After extracting the viral DNA, the researchers compared their results with herpes samples from the 20th century.

This allowed them to analyse differences and estimate a mutation rate, and thus create a timeline for evolution of the virus.

The findings suggest that HSV-1 first emerged around 5,000 years ago.

According to the researchers, the earliest known record of kissing is in a Bronze Age manuscript from South China.

They suggest the custom may have then travelled westward as humans migrated into Europe from Eurasia.

'The primary mode of HSV-1 transmission is vertical, from parent to child,' the team wrote in their study, published in Science Advances.

'However, the addition of lateral transmission as population density increased during the Bronze Age, potentially linked to the introduction of new cultural practices such as the advent of sexual-romantic kissing, may have contributed to a shift in the dominant lineages, which have continued to circulate to this day.'

While HSV-1 usually only causes cold sores for most people, it can prove fatal when carried in combination with other ailments, such as sepsis.

For example, in 2018, two women died of HSV-1 infection in the UK following Caesarean births.

The team now hopes to trace HSV-1 even deeper through time.

'Neanderthal herpes is my next mountain to climb,' Dr Scheib added.
A study has found that high-ranking Danish Vikings wore beaver furs to show their social status, in a similar way to how designer clothes are used today.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have determined that the rodent's fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th century.

This is because beavers are not native to Denmark, and would have thus been seen as a luxury item.

Analysis of animal remains left at high-status graves indicated the Norsemen also donned clothes made from weasel and squirrel hides.

Study lead author Dr Luise rsted Brandt said: 'In the Viking Age, wearing exotic fur was almost certainly an obvious visual statement of affluence and social status, similar to high-end fashion in today's world.

'This study used ancient proteins preserved in elite Danish Viking burials to provide direct evidence of beaver fur trade and use.'

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have determined that beaver fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th Century

The researchers analysed animal remains used to furnish six graves of vikings from the top of society in 10th Century Denmark. A: Map of studied sites, B-D: Examples of included fur

As beavers are not native to Denmark, their furs would have thus been seen as a luxury item

WHO WERE THE VIKINGS? The Viking age in European history was from about 700 to 1100 AD. During this period many Vikings left their homelands in Scandinavia and travelled by longboat to other countries, like Britain and Ireland. When the people of Britain first saw the Viking longboats they came down to the shore to welcome them. However, the Vikings fought the local people, stealing from churches and burning buildings to the ground. The people of Britain called the invaders 'Danes', but they came from Norway and Sweden as well as Denmark. The name 'Viking' comes from a language called 'Old Norse' and means a pirate raid. The first Viking raid recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was around 787 AD. It was the start of a fierce struggle between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. Advertisement

Written sources indicate that fur was a key commodity during the Viking Age, between 800 and 1050 AD.

However, as it does not often survive well in the archaeological record, little direct evidence is available to determine the kinds of furs the Vikings preferred.

Previous studies have used the microscopic anatomy of ancient fur to identify species of origin, but that method is often inexact.

For the new study, Dr Brandt and her colleagues analysed animal remains used to furnish six graves of Vikings from the top of society in 10th century Denmark.

Ancient DNA was not able to be recovered from the samples, which the researchers believe could be because of the treatment processes performed on furs and skins or their preservation conditions.

Fortunately, identifiable proteins were recovered using two different analytical techniques.

The proteins indicated the skins were of domestic animals, and that were used as grave furnishings or footwear.

The pieces of clothing exhibited fur from wild animals - specifically a weasel, a squirrel and beavers - and were worn by both sexes.

The findings, published today in PLOS ONE, support the idea that fur was a symbol of wealth during the Viking Age.

Beavers are not native to Denmark, so their furs were likely luxury items acquired through trade.

The fact some outfits from the graves included fur from multiple species demonstrates that the Vikings had knowledge of the functions of different animal hides.

The variety of imported animals utilised may also indicate that they had a desire to show off exclusive furs.

As comparative protein databases expand, the researchers hope more specific identifications of ancient animal skins and furs will be possible.

The fact some outfits from the graves included fur from multiple species demonstrates that the vikings had knowledge of the functions of different animal hides. The variety of imported animals may also indicate that they had a desire to show off exclusive furs (stock image)
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Greenland experienced a 'spike melt' from July 15 through 17, which saw its massive ice sheet lose enough water to fill 7.2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools  and the dramatic event was captured in a satellite image that reveals how 18 billion tons of runoff water completely changes the landscape.

The European Union's Copernicus satellite captured the the climate change-induced scene that shows areas of turquoise and different shades of blue, which are melting water flowing along the bedrock surface that should be a whiteish color because it is typically frozen.

The astonishing melt was due to a heatwave gripping the country that enveloped the area in a steady 60 degrees when temperatures are typically no more than 50 degrees around this time of year, according to CNN that first reported on the matter.

Although there have been numerous melts in previous years, the recent one is two times the larger than normal and experts warn it has greatly contributed to an increase in the global sea level.

Melting of Greenland's ice sheet has contributed about a half an inch in sea level rise over the past 30 years, but if the entire 695,000-square-mile structure completely melts it would increase levels by 20 feet, which would flood many of the world's coastal cities.

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Greenland's dramatic melt that took place on July 15-17 was captured in a satellite image. The shades of blue are actually melted ice that is making its way through the bedrock surface and out to sea

Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado's Earth Science and Observation Center and National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), told USA TODAY that much of the melting was due to warm air flowing in from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago is located north of the Canadian continental mainland, which was also hit with a heatwave that sent temperatures soaring to above 60F - they are usually negative in July.

However, the warm wind was joined by a high-pressure dome over Greenland, which led to calm winds and sunny skies  both of which increase temperatures.

According to Weather and Climate: 'In July the average maximum daytime temperatures are cold and range from 6C (43F) in KapTobin to 10C (50F) in Angmagssalik. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 2C (36F) in Angmagssalik and 0C (32F) in KapTobin. It is one of the warmest months of the year.'

This 'spike melt,' was due to temperatures being 10 degrees warmer than normal. Greenland experienced a steady 60 degrees for three days straight

Greenland has a massive ice sheet that is melting rapidly due to rising temperatures. Experts say that if the entire ice sheet melts, it will increase sea levels by 20 feet

The melting event saw six billion tons of water pour into the surrounding sea

This resulted in six billion tons of ice being lost in just three days.

The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest mass of freshwater ice on the planet, second only to Antarctica.

The Artic has been rapidly warming due to climate change. Recent data from April shows this region could be warming up to four times as fast as any other area in the world.

The melting of Greenland's ice sheet started in 1990 and has accelerated since 2000.

On July 27, 2021, Marco Tedesco, a climate scientist at Columbia University reported Greenland's ice sheet lost 8.5 billion tons of surface mass in a single day, which was enough ice to cover Florida in two inches of water.

However, this extreme melting event occurred with temperatures over 68 degrees.

But it was 2019 that shattered all the melting records so far.

Researchers with the Center for Polar and Marine Research, found the ice sheet lost 532 gigatons of mass overall, which is 15 percent higher than the previous record holder, 2012.

And Scambos told USA Today that more melting is coming.

'We can expect on the order of 100 billion tons of water going into the ocean. Greenland as a whole is losing a tremendous amount of ice every year now,' he said.
NASA Wednesday announced plans to send two more mini choppers to Mars in 2027 to collect samples on the Red Planet that will be brought back to Earth in 2033 and analyzed for ancient signs of life.

The new innovations pull inspiration from Ingenuity, which is already on Mars, but will be fitted with wheels and grappling arms to help it scoop up rocks and Martian soil.

The samples will then be collected by the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission that was initially set to bring a second rover to the Red Planet. However, NASA is riding on the successful curtails and believes eyes in the Martian sky will be a great addition to the search.

If Perseverance breaks down, the two helicopters would load the samples onto the returning rocket instead.

Jeff Gramling, director of NASA's Mars sample return program, said in a statement: 'We have confidence that we can count on Perseverance to bring the samples back and we've added the helicopters as a backup means.'

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NASA is sending two more choppers to join Ingenuity ( pictured) on Mars in 2027. The new technologies will be designed with wheels and grappling arms to collect rock and Martian soil samples

The samples, as many as 30, are set to be brought back in a joint mission with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The last minute switch to copters means a 20 percent price increase from the original $5.3 billion cost of the historic mission - but this is only a little more than $1 million.

ESA plans to launch the Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander in fall 2027, along with the shiny, new choppers.

The Sample Retrieval lander will house the two new copters, as Perseverance did with Ingenuity when it landed on Mars on February 18, 2021.

The new choppers will assist NASA's Perseverance (pictured) rover in collecting rocks on Mars

If Perseverance (pictured) breaks down, the two helicopters would load the samples onto the returning rocket instead. The initial plan was to send another rover, but NASA believes more eyes in the Martian sky will be better at finding ancient signs of life

Since then Ingenuity has conducted 29 successful flights and Perseverance has already gathered 11 samples with more rock drilling planned.

The most recent sample, a sedimentary rock, holds the greatest promise of containing possible evidence of ancient Martian life, said Arizona State University's Meenakshi Wadhwa, chief scientist for the retrieval effort.

There's 'a diversity of materials already in the bag, so to speak, and really excited about the potential for bringing these back,' she said.

The rover is currently exploring an 820foot-deep crater called Jezero, a dried up river delta that would have been filled with water 3.5 billion years ago.

The car-sized Mars rover is tasked with seeking traces of fossilized microbial life from Mars' ancient past and to gather rock specimens for return to Earth.

Last month, it reached a key phase of its mission  climbing up an ancient delta known as 'Three Forks'.

The samples will then be collected by the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. Pictured is Ingenuity, Perseverance and other robots that are not yet on Mars but will help with the return mission

This ascent will be for reconnaissance, as Perseverance goes 'walkabout' looking for rocks with the best chance of holding secrets about whether alien life once existed on Mars.

As it makes its way back down, the rover will then collect some of these specimens from the Jezero Crater and leave the samples at the base of the delta to be retrieved by future missions.

Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement last month: 'The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life.

'The answers are out there  and Team Perseverance is ready to find them.'
Cristiano Ronaldo's chances of being granted his exit from Manchester United dwindled on Tuesday night when Atletico Madrid ruled themselves out of a move for the Portugal forward.

The 37-year-old returned to United on Tuesday after missing the clubs 17-day tour of Thailand and Australia on compassionate leave.

He held showdown talks with new manager Erik ten Hag, their first meeting since Ronaldo told the club he wants out.

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Carrington at 10am on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his agent Jorge Mendes in preparation for crunch talks with Man United boss Erik ten Hag

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo said his club could not afford any move for Ronaldo

The players agent Jorge Mendes is trying to engineer a move, but with Bayern Munich and Chelsea having already said no, Ronaldos options decreased again when Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said his club could not afford the striker.

Talking to Spanish radio, Cerezo said: I dont know who invented this story about Cristiano Ronaldo to Atletico Madrid.

'Its not true. Its practically impossible for him to come to Atletico Madrid.

United maintain that their star forward is not for sale.

Ronaldo has a year left on his 360,000-a-week contract and has vowed to remain professional as talks over his future continue.

Ronaldo has missed all of the club's pre-season so far after being given compassionate leave and did not travel with the rest of the squad to Thailand and Australia

New manager Erik ten Hag gave a debrief of the pre-season tour to Ronaldo on Tuesday

He was part of Manchester Uniteds tour debrief on Tuesday and proved his willingness to remain professional when he joined United team-mates plus new signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez for manager Ten Hags 90-minute analysis of their recent tour of Thailand and Australia.

Ronaldo also stopped briefly to greet former boss Sir Alex Ferguson and captain Bryan Robson in the club restaurant ahead of the meeting at 11.30am.

Ferguson and Robson were at Carrington for a scheduled lunch with chief executive Richard Arnold and David Gill, the clubs former CEO.

Arnold was expected to meet Mendes later on to discuss the strikers future but the club were unwilling to go into detail.

Mendes has indicated he has been impressed by Arnolds approach and willingness to listen. There has also been an attempt from Arnold to convince Ronaldo to stay and, as of Tuesday night, the clubs official stance remains the same: he is not for sale.

United face Wrexham in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday but Ronaldo is unlikely to feature.
Barcelona believe they have beaten Chelsea to the signing of highly-rated Sevilla defender Jules Kounde after agreeing a deal worth 46million plus add-ons.

The Spanish club look to have got their man, dealing a huge blow to Chelsea and manager Thomas Tuchel.

Kounde had been one of Tuchel's top defensive targets but the player now appears bound for Barcelona, triggering fury among club officials at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona look to have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Sevilla star Jules Kounde

Kounde is set to become the latest player to join Xavi's Barcelona, despite their financial issues

Chelsea have moved to block Marcos Alonso's transfer to the Catalan giants in response to Barca snatching the 23-year-old star.

According to reports, the Blues are also reluctant to allow fellow defender Cesar Azpilicueta to complete his move to the Nou Camp in what is becoming an increasingly fractious and complicated set of negotiations.

It comes after Barcelona swooped for Kounde even after Chelsea had seen their offer accepted.

Andreas Christensen has already made the switch from Chelsea to Barcelona this summer, but there is now doubt over whether fellow defenders Alonso and Azpilicueta will follow.

Chelsea believed they had secured the France international after Sevilla agreed to their 55m offer but Barcelona gazumped them at the eleventh hour.

Barcelona swooping for Kounde is likely to further anger Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel

Barca had pulled off a similar move to hijack Chelsea's move to sign Raphinha from Leeds United earlier in the summer.

Chelsea came close to signing Kounde, 23, last summer and earlier in this window there was a strong belief in Spain that the Frenchman moving to Stamford Bridge was inevitable once the Todd Boehly takeover was completed.

The player has always preferred to join Barcelona and the club even briefly had his shirt name available for purchase on their online store. It was quickly deleted.

Kounde is believed to have preferred a move to Barcelona over joining Tuchel at Chelsea

Tuchel had already strongly suggested that Barcelona's move for Azpilicueta may be blocked.

Asked at a press conference in Orlando ahead of their 4-0 defeat by Arsenal whether he was annoyed by Barcelona's approach, Tuchel replied: 'Maybe a little bit.'

Chelsea have signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli in a deal worth 34million but had long been pursuing Kounde as Tuchel looks to reinforce his backline after losing Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who has joined Real Madrid.

The Blues are also weighing up a move for Leicester's Wesley Fofana after missing out on Kounde.

Chelsea are plotting a move for Leicester's Wesley Fofana after missing out on Jules Kounde

Bayern Munich thwarted their attempts to buy Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus and they were frustrated in their bid to land Manchester City's Nathan Ake.

Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe and Inter's Milan Skriniar are among the other centre backs on Chelsea's radar. RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol is another but the Germans are determined to keep him.

Barca adding to their raft of signings in the summer window will raise further eyebrows given their well-documented financial situation.

The move for Kounde is being bankrolled  just like the acquisition of Christensen, Franck Kessie, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Dembele  by the club's bold but risky decision to mortgage its future with investment funds.
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Croatia has opened a long-awaited bridge connecting two parts of the countrys Adriatic Sea coastline, while bypassing a small sliver of Bosnias territory.

It allows for easier access to the country's most important tourism destination - the stunning medieval walled city of Dubrovnik.

Early on Tuesday, braving summer heat, many Croats rushed to be among the first to cross the Peljesac Bridge on foot as it opened for pedestrians ahead of the formal opening ceremony. It was to open to road traffic after the ceremony.

Croatia's Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge opened on Tuesday. It connects two parts of the countrys Adriatic Sea coastline, while bypassing a small sliver of Bosnias territory

In a video message aired at the opening ceremony, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said the bridge 'illustrates friendly relations' between his country and Croatia, but also between China and the EU

Co-funded by the European Union and built by a Chinese company, the elegant, cable-stayed bridge with six pylons is a rare venture of its kind amid concerns in Europe over Chinas bid to boost its economic influence through investment in infrastructure.

The 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) bridge spans the Adriatic Sea to link Croatias mainland to the Peljesac peninsula in the south.

State HRT television described the bridge opening as a historic day that generations awaited.

This is a big day for Croatia, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Tuesday.

Lets enjoy it today!

In a video message aired at the opening ceremony, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said the bridge 'illustrates friendly relations' between his country and Croatia, but also between China and the EU.

Fireworks illuminated the sky over the Peljesac Bridge on Tuesday. State HRT television described the bridge opening as a historic day that generations awaited

The bridge finally became a reality in 2017 when the EU allocated 357million euros (300million) for it, which covered much of the 526-million-euro (444million) cost

The Yugoslav federation had no internal borders between its six republics, including Croatia and Bosnia.

But when it broke up in the early 1990s, the two parts of Croatias Adriatic Sea coastline were split by a narrow strip of Bosnia.

Both residents and tourists had to pass border checks, which slowed down traffic and left the inhabitants of the southern area feeling isolated from the rest of the country.

That area includes Dubrovnik, which is on Unescos protected heritage list.

The bridge finally became a reality in 2017 when the EU allocated 357million euros (300million) for it, which covered much of the 526-million-euro (444million) cost.

Croatian Air Force planes flew over the Peljesac Bridge on Tuesday to mark the structure opening to the public

The bridge allows for easier access to Croatia's most important tourism destination - the stunning medieval walled city of Dubrovnik (above)

The bridge cuts out the need for residents and tourists driving along the coast to pass through border checks in Bosnia

The China Road and Bridge Corporation in 2018 won an international tender to construct the bridge.

The project, however, had faced criticism from Bosnia, whose officials complained of unresolved border issues and said the bridge would hamper access to its part of the coastline.

Known for its stunning nature and hundreds of Adriatic Sea islands, Croatia is a major tourism destination, attracting millions from Europe and all over the world every summer.

Tourism is also key for Croatias economy, which remains among the weakest in the EU.
They've been dating for four years, and have largely kept their romance out of the public eye.

But Gemma Chan has given some rare insight into her relationship with Dominic Cooper, gushing that she feels 'very very lucky' to be in such a 'supportive' partnership.

The Crazy, Rich Asians actress stars on the cover of Harpers Bazaar UK, where she speaks about her blossoming career in front of and behind the camera, and Dominic's support of her passions.

Romance: Gemma Chan has given some rare insight into her relationship with Dominic Cooper, gushing that she feels 'very very lucky' to be in such a 'supportive' partnership

Gemma gushed that her beau was particularly supportive when she spoke out on behalf of Asian communities during the pandemic, launching the #StopESEAHate campaign with GoFundMe that fought back against racially-motivated crimes aimed at those of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) heritage.

'I think I'm so fortunate to be in a relationship where we can talk about anything,' the actress said of her boyfriend.

'Dom was very understanding and empathetic. I was quite open about how I was feeling during that time, and he was just incredibly supportive.'

Going strong: Gemma and Dominic have worked to keep their romance out of the public eye since they got together in 2018 (pictured together in June 2021)

'I definitely didn't feel I had to shoulder everything on my own. I'm really, really lucky.'

Gemma and Dominic have worked to keep their romance out of the public eye since they got together in 2018.

After months of dating rumours, the couple made their first public appearance at an afterparty for the British Fashion Awards four years ago.

They've been together ever since, though neither are big on flaunting their relationship or speaking about their love life to the press.

Star power: The Crazy, Rich Asians actress stars on the cover of Harpers Bazaar UK , where she speaks about her blossoming career in front of and behind the camera

Gemma also told Harpers Bazaar UK about the cultural problems inherent in the film industry, admitting: 'It's really difficult in my industry to speak up, with the power structures that are there.'

'I know you can be penalised in a way that means your livelihood has gone. Even if you try to do the right thing, speaking up against bad behaviour, all it takes is someone to interpret what you say the wrong way, or decide that you're trouble.'

'It's a hierarchical, word-of-mouth kind of industry where, traditionally, bad behaviours have been indulged. There's a lot of fear. It's hard to change that culture. It takes years.'

Using her platform: Gemma gushed that her beau was particularly supportive when she spoke out on behalf of Asian communities during the pandemic

Next up for Gemma is a role in Olivia Wilde's anticipated big screen drama Don't Worry Darling, alongside Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.

The actress admitted though that despite her huge success, there was a period of time where she worried if she could make it as an actress.

'At the beginning, the question was very much, 'Will I be able to make a living? Will I be able to survive doing this job?' I would do anything  bit parts, one-line parts,' she explained.

A big moment for the star came during rehearsals for the 2020 movie Let Them All Talk, which saw her tasked with doing an improvised scene with the Hollywood legend Meryl Streep during their first meeting.

'I don't know how much I slept the night before,' Gemma said.

'I was honestly so nervous  that's when I wished there was a script. I was like  this could be absolutely crash-and-burn time.'

Away from her acting roles, Gemma is also producing the upcoming biopic of the first Chinese-American Hollywood star Anna May Wong.

'Her struggles and triumphs are reflective of the conversations we're still having now,' the multi-talented star explained of the project.

'She was seen as the perpetual foreigner, even though she was third-generation American.'
Joey King battled imposter syndrome as she filmed her new movie Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt, with the actress insisting she was like a 'fish out of water' next to the Hollywood star.

The actress, 22 - who stars as Prince in the flick while Brad, 58, plays Ladybug in the film which is set for released on August 3 - told Digital Spy she didn't feel competent enough for the role despite her experience.

She explained: 'Ive been acting for almost 19 years now, which is actually insane, but I feel like this movie, stepping onto this set, I felt like I had just touched down in Los Angeles and it was my first [movie].

In the wrong place? Joey King, 22, battled imposter syndrome as she filmed her new movie Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt, 58

'I felt so fish out of water, imposter syndrome, I was like, "What am I doing here? I don't deserve to be here".

'But working on this movie with the entire cast and of course Brad, I mean he's f**king Brad Pitt at the end of the day, we love Brad Pitt.

'It was truly an honour, not just because they're so talented and have such cool careers, but because they're the coolest humans to work with.

'Brad became someone that I was so comfortable with and feel so lucky that I was able to share this time with, I just absolutely adore him.'

Hollywood heavyweights: The actress insisted she was like a 'fish out of water' next to the Hollywood star

The upcoming thriller flick tells the story of 'five assassins aboard a fast moving bullet train', who 'find out their missions have something in common'.

Karen Fukuhara, Sandra Bullock, and Logan Lerman are also starring in roles.

Joey and Brad have been spotted together on a number of occasions in recent weeks at screenings and premieres for the film, with the actress saying Brad has been a mentor to her.

Telling the tale: The upcoming thriller flick tells the story of 'five assassins aboard a fast moving bullet train', who 'find out their missions have something in common'

'I learned a lot from Brad, some incredible personal life lessons,' she shared with Men's Journal this month.

'He's been in the public eye for so long. It's such a weird thing to balance. Only a niche group knows exactly what it feels like. Brad was so gracious in helping someone like me.'

She added: 'Bullet Train is a truly larger-than-life film that I cant believe I got to be a part of.

In character: Joey stars as Prince in the star-studded flick, with the actress seen here in the trailer for the film

Comeback: Brad - who has not starred in a movie since 2019's space saga Ad Astra - looked grungy as he fought bad guys on a speeding train in Japan in the trailer

'Ive been acting for a long time, but I had a zoom-out Hollywood moment of "Wow, this is insane. Im in an action film directed by David Leitch [John Wick, Deadpool 2] with Brad Pitt."

'Brad is absolutely hysterical in this movie.'

The full interview with Joey King can be read on the Digital Spy website.
Audrina Patridge has released her newest book, titled Choices: To The Hills And Back Again.

The Hills star, 37, doesn't hold back in the tell-all memoir, and gives an in-depth look at her life of fame, 'toxic situations,' and past relationships.

The author also discussed celebrities she had met throughout Hollywood, including actors who made a move on her, such as Leonardo DiCaprio  who tried to get her number when they met in a club  Chris Pine and Chace Crawford.

New book: Audrina Patridge, 37, just released her new memoir titled, Choices: To The Hills And Back Again, which delves into how 'intimidating' it was when Leonardo DiCaprio asked for her number while surrounded by 'supermodels'

In a part of her book, which was released on July 26, she discussed her Hollywood life, and the celebrities she came across.

She wrote about the time renowned actor DiCaprio approached her one evening years back when she stopped by a club in Las Vegas.

Audrina stated that a bouncer came to inform her multiple times that the actor wanted to buy her a drink at his table.

'I looked over at his table, and he was just surrounded by supermodels. It was intimidating!' When the reality star didn't attempt to meet him, The Revenant actor approached her instead.

Potential fling: 'I looked over at his table, and he was just surrounded by supermodels. It was intimidating!' she said of their meeting at a club in Las Vegas; seen in March 2021

Wouldn't work: Due to the beauty's constant work on the reality show, The Hills, and the actor's need for privacy, the two never met up after meeting in Las Vegas; seen in December in NYC

After the two chatted and got to know each other, 'He asked for my phone number, and we texted a little after the trip to Vegas, but we never actually hung out.'

Audrina explained in her memoir that due to their conflicting schedules, and Leonardo's desire for privacy, 'it just felt too tough to make anything work.'

Later on, when the beauty delved into acting, she came across up-and-coming Hollywood hunk Chris Pine while she was promoting her film Sorority Row.

Last year, the reality star claimed she went on several dates with the Star Trek actor back in 2009, after he approached her at an awards show and gave her his phone number earlier in the year.

However, she has now elaborated that things didn't work out with the Don't Worry Darling actor because filming the reality series got in the way, and he preferred to keep a low profile and didn't like being followed by paparazzi.

Almost: Audrina wrote that Chris Pine, 41, was another Hollywood celebrity that showed his interest in her; seen in January 2020 in Los Angeles

Conflicts: With her role on The Hills and knowing he would not want to be on the show, Audrina knew that she 'couldn't date him'; pictured July 21 in San Diego

'I loved to go out, and of course, I was usually filming The Hills, so our lifestyles were complete opposites in that sense,' she wrote.

'With my filming schedule, and the fact that there was no way Chris would want to be on The Hills, I just knew that after a couple months that I couldnt date him.'

'He was a big up-and-coming actor with demands on his time, and it didnt seem like our lives were lining up, even though we really liked each other.'

The pair's break-up was amicable and she looks back on their brief romance with fondness. Audrina added, 'We talked and stayed in touch a little after we stopped seeing each other. I have nothing but fond memories of Chris.'

'He was truly one of the most normal people Ive ever met in LA, and I mean that as the highest compliment.'

Missed chance: The Bling Ring star wrote about Gossip Girl actor, Chace Crawford, and how they also almost had a relationship ; seen in 2019 in Las Vegas

Connection: While spending a weekend in Malibu, the actress ran into Chace and the two spent time together and were 'inseparable'; pictured in March in Austin, Texas

Another actor who almost became a part of her life was Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford.

'I ran into him in Malibu at a friend's house, and what can I say, sparks were flying,' she stated. 'We ended up staying there with our friend at this gorgeous mansion right on the beach for a long weekend, and we were just inseparable.

'I genuinely liked him after these incredible few days together, and I had the feeling it was mutual.'

Around the time the two realized they had a strong connection, Audrina had been seeing dirt bike rider, Corey Bohan on and off.

She explained that after the outing, the model returned to her home to see Corey waiting for her. 'A big part of me wishes I'd told Corey to kick rocks and just gone out with Chace.

'He's such a gentleman and so normal and kind. It would have been fun, if only I hadn't let Corey back in and screwed up our chance.'

Regrets: In her memoir, Audrina wrote that she had wished she had told her ex-husband, Corey Bohan, to 'kick rocks'; pictured in February 2020

Audrina and Corey share one daughter together, Kirra, and tied the knot in 2016, although they had been dating on and off since 2008.

However, barely a year into the marriage, the TV star filed for divorce in 2017 along with a restraining order.

The divorce was finalized a year later, and the mom of one goes into detail about the 'toxic' relationship in her book.

In an interview with People, the star talked about dealing with such a separation. 'A divorce is like a death,' she stated.

'Everything was released publicly so I felt like I had to include that in my book because it was such a big part of my life,' Audrina added.
Viewers of Channel 10's hit reality show Hunted Australia were blindsided on Tuesday when two contestants were caught by chance.

It was a case of bad timing for friends Sonny-Joe, 37, and Grace, 26, who had been hiding out in a Ballarat caravan park after evading capture for over a week.

The pair were getting ready to board a train out of the regional city when they were spotted by two hunters who were chasing a different pair of fugitives.

Viewers of Channel 10's hit reality show Hunted Australia were blindsided on Tuesday when two contestants, Sonny-Joe and Grace, were caught by chance

The surveillance ground crew of Team Alpha had been tracking contestants Jake and Rob and were about to pounce.

But the best mates managed to give them the slip by boarding a train out of the city just in time.

Meanwhile, the team of intelligence specialists at Hunted HQ had lost track of Sonny-Joe and Grace.

It was a case of bad timing for the friends who had been hiding out in a Ballarat caravan park after evading capture for over a week. The pair were getting ready to board a train when they were spotted by two hunters (pictured) who were chasing a different pair of fugitives

The duo had gone off the grid by leaving a phoney trail of hotel bookings across regional Victoria, before hiding out in Ballarat, 114km from Melbourne.

As a result, the hunters investigated a series of bogus leads in Gippsland, 250km from the pair's actual location.

So Team Alpha was shocked to discover Sonny-Joe and Grace, disguised as tradies, in a side street near the station in Ballarat moments after Jake and Rob slipped away.

Taking off on foot, the team was eventually chased down by the hunters.

The latest elimination comes as Hunted Australia continues to be a major ratings winner for embattled Channel 10.

The real-life thriller scored a surprise victory over Nine's Beauty and the Geek upon its launch two weeks ago and continues to pull in strong numbers.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr is battling another illness, just days after recovering from Covid-19.

Barr, 54, returned to Sunrise on Wednesday after completing her seven-day isolation, only to tell her co-anchor David Koch she'd been diagnosed with yet another ailment.

'Nat is back! How are you feeling?' Koch, 66, asked her at the start of the show.

'Good, except I've got a sinus infection and am a bit lightheaded. Apart from that, I'm great,' she responded sarcastically.

'What? You have a sinus infection as well?' Koch asked, backing away from Barr as if to avoid catching her illness.

'I did a telehealth [appointment] with the doctor yesterday and he said, "Don't worry, you're not contagious,"' Barr assured him.

Sunrise host Natalie Barr (left, with co-anchor David 'Kochie' Koch) revealed on Wednesday she'd been struck down with another illness after recovering from Covid-19

Sunrise viewers were concerned for Barr after she failed to show up for work on Monday, despite being scheduled to return after taking a week off to visit family in Perth.

Addressing the elephant in the room, Koch explained that his colleague wasn't in the studio because she had tested positive for Covid.

'Well, everyone's been asking, "Where's Nat?" Well, you may have noticed she's been missing over the past week or so,' Koch began.

Barr said she had a 'sinus infection' and felt 'a bit lightheaded', prompting Koch to back away

'She's at home in isolation after testing positive for Covid.'

Monique Wright, who was filling in for Barr on Monday, added: 'During her time off, Nat's been very busy: she's been trying new recipes, she has also been working her way through her new wardrobe, doing some early spring cleaning and organising, due to being stuck in her bedroom.'

Koch joked that Barr was so bored in isolation she even 'cleaned out the bathroom cabinets' and reorganised her sock drawer.

Barr gave fans an update on her health while isolating at home on Tuesday, posting a photo to Instagram of a meal her husband had prepared

Barr, who is fully vaccinated, has almost no symptoms except for a cough, which is nearly gone, and is feeling 'pretty good' overall.

She gave fans an update on her health while isolating at home on Tuesday, posting a photo to Instagram of a meal her husband had prepared.

'Losing my appetite a bit but getting used to this breakfast in bed situation,' she wrote.

'Husbands really come in handy sometimes,' she added, alongside a laughing emoji.
Five-time Grammy winner Shania Twain struggled with Lyme disease during her $87M-grossing, 113-date Up! Tour after being bit by a tick in 2003 while horseback riding.

'My symptoms were quite scary because before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy. I was losing my balance, I was afraid I was gonna fall off the stage,' the 56-year-old 'Queen of Country Pop' confessed in her new rock-doc Not Just a Girl.

'I was having these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds.'

'My symptoms were quite scary': Five-time Grammy winner Shania Twain struggled with Lyme disease during her $87M-grossing, 113-date Up! Tour after being bit by a tick in 2003 while horseback riding (pictured January 23)

Shania (born Eilleen Edwards) claimed the chronic illness contributed to her developing the voice disorder dysphonia, which she treated with multiple throat surgeries and therapy.

'My voice was never the same again,' Twain admitted.

'I thought I'd lost my voice forever. I thought that was it, [and] I would never, ever sing again.'

On August 12, the Canadian crooner will celebrate the 21st birthday of her son Eja D'Angelo with five-time Grammy-winning producer Robert 'Mutt' Lange.

The 56-year-old 'Queen of Country Pop' confessed in her new rock-doc Not Just a Girl: 'Before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy. I was losing my balance, I was afraid I was gonna fall off the stage. I was having these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds'

'My voice was never the same again': Shania (born Eilleen Edwards) claimed the chronic illness contributed to her developing the voice disorder dysphonia, which she treated with multiple throat surgeries and therapy

Shania and the South African 73-year-old's 14-year marriage famously ended in 2008 after she discovered his affair with her longtime secretary and best friend, Marie-Anne Thiebaud.

Twain likened the end of her first marriage to losing her parents in a 1987 car crash when she was only 22.

'It was like the death was the end, a permanent end to so many facets of my life. And I never got over my parents' death,' the Let's Go hitmaker said.

'So I'm thinking, "S***, I'm never going to get over this." Like, how do you get over that? So all I can do is determine how I'm going to carry on from there. How am I going to crawl out of this hole that I've fallen in? Just like that, you know?'

'It was like death': Twain and the five-time Grammy-winning producer Robert 'Mutt' Lange's (pictured in 2003) 14-year marriage famously ended in 2008 after she discovered his affair with her longtime secretary and best friend, Marie-Anne Thiebaud

The Canadian crooner (pictured in 2000) said: 'In that search to determine what was causing this lack of control with my voice and this change in my voice, I was facing a divorce. My husband leaves me for another woman. Now I'm at a whole other low. And I just don't see any point in going on with a music career'

'Happy Valentines': In a bizarre couple's swap, Shania went on to wed Thiebaud's ex-husband Frederic (L, pictured on February 14) in 2011, and they're still going strong

Shania continued: 'In that search to determine what was causing this lack of control with my voice and this change in my voice, I was facing a divorce. My husband leaves me for another woman. Now I'm at a whole other low. And I just don't see any point in going on with a music career.'

In a bizarre couple's swap, Twain went on to wed Thiebaud's ex-husband Frederic in 2011, and they're still going strong.

The brunette beauty didn't record again until 2017 after Mutt co-wrote and produced her hits Any Man of Mine, You're Still the One, Man! I Feel Like a Woman! and That Don't Impress Me Much.

'It was really more about taking independence, [and] just being able to listen to myself back on my writing tapes was difficult,' Shania explained.

'I was petrified': Twain (pictured October 5) didn't record again until 2017 after Mutt co-wrote and produced her hits Any Man of Mine, You're Still the One, Man! I Feel Like a Woman! and That Don't Impress Me Much

'I hope you enjoy watching it!' The brunette beauty said filming Joss Crowley's rock-doc Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl - which premiered Tuesday on Netflix - was 'pretty surreal and even more so during a pandemic'

'It was an exercise of saying, "Okay, look, you can't just not ever make music again because you don't have Mutt. You gotta just dive in." And I was petrified, I really was. So now I said, "Okay listen, I'm going to not only get back into the studio without him, I'm going to write all the music alone, and just discover myself again as individual creative, like I'd been all of my youth."'

Twain said filming Joss Crowley's rock-doc Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl - which premiered Tuesday on Netflix - was 'pretty surreal and even more so during a pandemic.'

'We started this whole thing in 2020,' the Forever and Ever, Amen songstress - who boasts 13.6M social media followers - Instastoried on Tuesday.

New record! Shania's compilation album Not Just A Girl (The Highlights) was released digitally on Tuesday and it will physically hit shelves on September 2

Next gig! Twain is next scheduled to headline the Books & Hearts Music Festival on August 7 at Burl's Creek Event Grounds in her native Ontario

'And did a lot of interviews and prep stuff over Zoom, while trying to film as much as we could during the moments when the world opened up a little more and people were able to travel. All of that has resulted in Not Just A Girl I hope you enjoy watching it!'

Shania's compilation album Not Just A Girl (The Highlights) was released digitally on Tuesday and it will physically hit shelves on September 2.

Twain is next scheduled to headline the Books & Hearts Music Festival on August 7 at Burl's Creek Event Grounds in her native Ontario.
Summer Botwe and Josh Le Grove appeared to confirm their relationship as they stepped out hand-in-hand to The Prey gala screening in London on Tuesday.

The former Love Island stars hinted there was a spark between them when they were interviewed on Aftersun on Sunday by host Laura Whitmore, with the pair enjoying a date live on the show.

And after Josh declared he couldn't 'wait to see' what happened between the pair during his Aftersun appearance, the pair put on a cosy display as they stepped out in the UK capital just 48 hours later.

Getting cosy: Summer Botwe and Josh Le Grove, both 22, appeared to confirm their relationship as they stepped out hand-in-hand in London on Tuesday

MailOnline has contacted Summer and Josh for further comment.

Summer, 22, looked sensational in a peach-hued off-the-shouldered dress with a gathered texture.

The garment finished just above her knees and she wore a pair of white open-toed heels with wraparound straps to add a few inches to her stature.

Romance? The former Love Island stars hinted there was a spark between them when they were interviewed on Aftersun on Sunday by host Laura Whitmore

Linking up: After Josh declared he couldn't 'wait to see' what happened between the pair during his Aftersun appearance, the pair put on a cosy display at The Prey gala screening

The television personality wore lashings of make-up and smiled as she walked alongside Josh.

Josh, 22, showed off his edgy sense of style in a black leather waistcoat and a pair of matching trousers with white stripes down each leg.

He wore a white T-shirt and accessorised with a chunky silver chain, while wearing pair of sunglasses on his head.

Looking good: Josh showed off his edgy sense of style in a black leather waistcoat and a pair of matching trousers with white stripes down each leg

Rise to fame: Josh joined Love Island as the girls moved into Casa Amor earlier in the current series

Giving it a go: Josh and Summer were in good spirits as they appeared on Aftersun on Sunday, hinting they were getting to know one another (pictured on show)

The model completed his look by wearing a pair of red and white trainers.

Josh joined Love Island as the girls moved into Casa Amor earlier in the current series.

He left the show alongside fellow former islander Coco Lodge earlier this month after he was coupled-up with Danica Taylor.

Summer and Billy Brown were dumped from the Love Island villa last week, after the rest of the contestants chose to save Dami Hope and Danica Taylor.

The pair were booted off the show after the rest of the villa travelled to the Vibe club for a VIP party, having received the fewest votes from the public.
Scheana Shay dropped in on Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes look at her wedding dress fitting ahead of her nuptials with Brock Davies on Monday.

In the photos taken from the same fitting session, designer duo Patrik Simpson and Pol' Atteu held their hands over lacy white fabric so as not to give away too much of the look.

She wore a cream-and-black snake-print shorts and tank top set to the fitting in Beverly Hills at the Pol' Atteu fashion boutique, though she appeared to be trying on some kind of white bustier that was partially covered by Pol'.

Sneak peek: Scheana Shay shared a hint of her wedding dress veil and bustier from a fitting on Monday, though the celebrity designer Pol' Atteu did his best to hide it until her big day

The mother-of-one looked beautiful in a face of full-coverage makeup that highlighted her beauty.

She flaunted thick, carefully arched eyebrows that framed her big, brown eyes and fluttery eyelashes.

Scheana warmed her cheeks with a rosy blush and matched it to a matte lipstick in the same shade.

Wedding content: She wore a cream-and-black snake-print shorts and tank top set to the fitting in Beverly Hills

Shay, who rose to fame starring on the popular Bravo TV series, wrote over one image, 'Wedding dress in progress.'

Her rich, brunette hair was styled in a center part and worn pin straight to accentuate her precise shoulder-length blunt-cut bob.

She was joined by a blonde female friend who appeared by her side as she uploaded a short video snippet at a second location.

'From one dress fitting to the next!' she said to the camera as she filmed herself at Casablanca Bridal.

Night out: Scheana and her beau attended the Prime Video Summer Solstice Party in LA last month; seen June 21 in Santa Monica

Earlier this year the reality TV star shared some of her wedding plans while appearing on the podcast Spilling Tea Live.

'We've set a date,' she proudly announced. 'It's in August and I really hope that all of you will be able to see it on season 10!'

The pair also confirmed that the upcoming ceremony will be held in Mexico.

Scheana welcomed her first child with Brock, a daughter named Summer Moon Honey Davies, in April of last year.
Ryan Gosling recently heaped some major praise on his partner Eva Mendes' mother Eva Perez Suarez's cooking skills while promoting Netflix's The Gray Man.

After being what food he'd choose 'If [he] could only eat one thing for the rest of [his] life,' the 41-year-old actor quickly named his mother-in-law's Arroz con leche.

'It would be Eva's mom's Arroz con leche. It's like an angel is crying on your tongue,' he gushed.

All praise: Ryan Gosling recently heaped some major praise on his partner Eva Mendes' mother Eva Perez Suarez's cooking skills while promoting Netflix's The Gray Man; Ryan seen on July 13

Arroz con leche is described as a 'Mexican-style' rice pudding made of rice mixed with water or milk, as well as flavorful ingredients like ground cinnamon, vanilla and raisins.

Showing off his humorous side, Ryan revealed that his 'favorite word in Spanish is cono.'

The word directly refers to female genitalia but it is 'often used in everyday speech with the versatile force of "damn" or "f***,"' according to Dictionary.com.

'You can't use it incorrectly,' Ryan explained. 'Like cono is just always there for you.'

Clearly amused by her longtime partner's appreciation for Latin American culture, Eva eagerly shared his interview clip to her Instagram on Tuesday.

Easy choice: After being what food he'd choose 'If [he] could only eat one thing for the rest of [his] life,' the 41-year-old actor quickly named his mother-in-law's Arroz con leche; Eva and her mother Eva in 2010

Heavenly: 'It would be Eva's mom's Arroz con leche. It's like an angel is crying on your tongue,' he gushed

Typing out her caption in Spanish, the 48-year-old actress - who is of Cuban descent - called on her Latino followers to check it out and poked fun at cono's double meaning.

'Hey my Latinos! They have to hear this! It's so sweet! It includes my Mommy and p****!' Eva's caption reads when translated to English.

Back in May, Eva revealed during an appearance on the TODAY show that her mother Eva was 'doing too well' but did not elaborate on her condition.

The Hitch star did state that her mom is 'a survivor in every way' as she thanked hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager for wishing her a happy Mother's Day on the air.

Yummy! Arroz con leche is described as a 'Mexican-style' rice pudding made of rice mixed with water or milk, as well as flavorful ingredients like ground cinnamon, vanilla and raisins

Days later, Eva took to Instagram to honor her mother on Mother's Day by penning a heartfelt post.

She called Eva a 'Tough' but 'Loving' mother who is 'Creative. Fiercely protective. Always supportive. And funny AF!

'Like really. Really funny. This woman is everything. If I can be half the Mami she is, I'll be ok,' she wrote.

Eva became a mother, herself, at age 40 following the birth of her and Ryan's now seven-year-old daughter Esmeralda Amada in September 2014.

A little over two years later, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Amada Lee, age six, in December 2016.

Cheeky: Showing off his humorous side, Ryan revealed that his 'favorite word in Spanish is cono.' The word directly refers to female genitalia but it is 'often used in everyday speech with the versatile force damn or f***,' according to Dictionary.com

Spreading the word: Clearly amused by her longtime partner's appreciation for Latin American culture, Eva eagerly shared his interview clip to her Instagram on Tuesday; Eva and Ryan seen in 2013

Even before bringing their daughters into the world, Eva and Ryan have been tightlipped about their private lives.

She did recently open up about her experience with motherhood earlier this year while chatting with TODAY's Hoda Kotb.

Despite appearing in a lengthy list of blockbuster films since the early 1990s, Eva told Hoda that she considers parenting to be the 'most creative thing' she's ever done.

'I'm an actress, I've designed clothes, I've done a number of different things. But this is the most creative thing, is to create life with them.'

Well-being: Back in May, Eva revealed during an appearance on the TODAY show that her mother Eva was 'doing too well' but did not elaborate on her condition. The Hitch star did state that her mom is 'a survivor in every way' as she thanked hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager for wishing her a happy Mother's Day on the air

She also discussed her decision to step away from acting following the birth of her daughters, noting that her own childhood inspired her to be a stay-at-home mom.

'I really took it back to when I was little. My mom was able to be there for me at home until I was about 8 or 9 and those memories for me, that just formed who I was, those years with her,' she explained.

Eva considers herself 'lucky' to have the ability to stop working and focus on being a hands-on mom during her girls' formative years.

'And so I just felt lucky enough, I'm like, "Damn, I really want this time with them." And then now, you know, I'm obsessed.'

Motherhood: Eva became a mother, herself, at age 40 following the birth of her and Ryan's now seven-year-old daughter Esmeralda Amada in September 2014; Eva seen in 2018

Though she's mostly stayed out of the spotlight, Eva has maintained a presence on Instagram and has even been involved in a number of business ventures.

Most recently, Eva became the co-owner of the small, female-owned business Skura Style which is a line of 'smart, stylish, antimicrobial sponges, cleaning tools.'

In a post published to Instagram on Tuesday, the Place Beyond The Pines star explained that 'within a year' she went from 'an obsessed customer' to a Skura Style co-owner.

'It was really a very organic collaboration,' she added.

While Eva has been focused on backing small businesses she believes in, Ryan has continued on with his thriving Hollywood career.

Business woman: Though she's mostly stayed out of the spotlight since becoming a mother, Eva has maintained a presence on Instagram and has even been involved in a number of business ventures

Skura Style: Most recently, Eva became the co-owner of the small, female-owned business Skura Style which is a line of 'smart, stylish, antimicrobial sponges, cleaning tools'

Most recently, the La La Land star is the leading man in the recently-released Netflix film, The Gray Man.

The action-thriller premiered on the streaming platform on July 22 and stars the likes of Ana de Armas and Chris Evans.

Fans have been praising the action-packed film and the directors Anthony and Joe Russo have already confirmed that Ryan will return for a sequel.

'The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal,' the Russo brothers said in a statement, obtained by Variety. 'We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film.'

The original film, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney and follows CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling) as he battles it out against his former ally, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), is currently Netflix's most expensive film ever made, with a whooping budget of around $166millon.
Luxe Listings Sydney star D'Leanne Lewis has spoken of her miracle pregnancy, after choosing to have a third child on her own at the age of 50.

The celebrity real estate agent, who had her first child at 42, is seven months pregnant after undergoing IVF with the help of a sperm donor.

She told Women's Health's Uninterrupted podcast 'everybody thinks I'm crazy' to be having another baby in her fifties.

Luxe Listings Sydney star D'Leanne Lewis has spoken of her miracle pregnancy, after choosing to have a third child on her own at the age of 50. (Pictured with her daughters Nava and Myka)

'It's much bloody harder. It's a little bit mental,' she said of the fertility process.

'Look, my IVF doctor said, "If you don't do it now, then you won't be able to because they won't inseminate after 51."'

D'Leanne, the Principal of Laing & Simmons Double Bay, said she was having a good pregnancy but still had 'concerns' as she's going it alone.

She revealed her unborn child won't have 'a present father', having chosen to go down the sperm donor route.

The celebrity real estate agent, who had her first child at 42, is seven months pregnant after undergoing IVF with the help of a sperm donor (not pictured)

'I decided to do this because I was very determined to have this baby on my own and I did not want any dramas,' she said.

'Obviously, having the sperm donor, there isn't going to be a present father, but she's got two godfathers and four godmothers.'

D'Leanne announced her pregnancy in April.

D'Leanne announced her pregnancy in April

She posted a video on Instagram of her growing bump as she explained to her daughters Nava and Myka they were going to have another brother or sister

She posted a video on Instagram of her growing bump as she explained to her daughters Nava and Myka they were going to have another brother or sister.

'My little family is growing and I couldn't be happier,' she wrote in the caption.

During her time on the Amazon Prime series, D'Leanne said being a woman in a male-dominated industry meant she had to work 'three times as hard' to succeed.

During her time on the Amazon Prime series, D'Leanne said being a woman in a male-dominated industry meant she had to work 'three times as hard' to succeed

She revealed she was once told she could never work in top-tier real estate because she was a woman and 'too young'.

'I thought, "Well, that's bulls**t", and now I am number one in my company and I've been number one for the last 18 years,' she proudly said on the show.

'I've had to work twice, three times as hard to show that I'm absolutely capable.

'I thought, "Well, that's bulls**t", and now I am number one in my company and I've been number one for the last 18 years,' she proudly said

'[Managers] were like, "No girls are going to do real estate; you're too young." It was so misogynistic. It was crazy.'

D'Leanne continued: 'You can have the confidence of 100 men, but if you don't have the results it counts for nothing.'

'I have been called a Rottweiler in heels, but I don't think I'm a pooch. I'm certainly not a Rottweiler,' she added with a laugh.
Dakota Fanning looked relaxed after her workout Tuesday.

The 28-year-old was spotted in an oversized black top and black leggings which highlighted her long legs as she left a sweat inducing Pilates class in West Hollywood.

The First Lady actress let her trademark blonde hair fall down her back in loose waves.

Relaxed: Dakota Fanning, 28, looked relaxed after her workout Tuesday. She was spotted in an oversized black top and black leggings which highlighted her long legs as she left a sweat inducing Pilates class

Her alabaster skin appeared to be makeup free and she donned some old fashioned round sunglasses to protect her eyes from the bright Los Angeles sunshine.

The Alienist actress carried a personalized orange Goyard tote with her initials on it.

Dakota and her sister, Elle, 24, have been signed to star in the upcoming film The Nightingale.

Personalized: The Alienist actress carried a personalized orange Goyard tote with her initials on it

No makeup: The Ripley star's alabaster skin appeared to be makeup free and she donned some old fashioned round sunglasses to protect her eyes from the bright Los Angeles sunshine

The film is based on the best selling novel by Kristin Hannah.

Dakota will star as Vianne, a young mother who is forced to house a Nazi officer in her home after the invasion of France.

Elle has been set to take on the role of Isabelle, a rebellious young woman who joins the resistance to fight the enemy.

The Nightingale: Dakota and her sister, Elle, 24, will star together for the first time in the upcoming film The Nightingale

Historical drama: The Nightingale is a historical drama set in France in World War Two. Dakota will play a young mother forced to house a Nazi officer after the invasion of France

The historical drama set during World War Two is currently listed as being in pre-production, after being delayed due to the pandemic.

Dakota is also set to reunite with her Man On Fire co-star Denzel Washington for the upcoming The Equalizer 3.

It's been nearly 20 years since the two acted together. Reacting to the news on her Instagram stories, the Critics Choice Award winner shared a humble message of thanks.

'My gratitude to share the screen once again with the legend of all legends is endless. Can't wait.'

Reunion: The Man on Fire actress will reunited with her Man On Fire co-star Denzel Washington, 67, for Equalizer 3
Bella Hadid transformed into a cyborg butterfly in a teaser for her upcoming NFT collection CY-B3LLA created by NFT minting platform, reBASE.

The 25-year-old IMG Model's slim 5ft9in figure went through a 3D body scan in order to create 11,111 unique 4K NFTs spread across 10 real-world regions, which will be revealed every seven days from July to September.

Fans that purchase CY-B3LLA will also receive identity passes to the CY-B3R GALA, which will be in person with Bella in attendance.

'Coming soon!' Bella Hadid transformed into a cyborg butterfly in a teaser for her upcoming NFT collection CY-B3LLA created by NFT minting platform, reBASE

Hadid's fixation with butterflies goes as far back as her 22nd birthday bash in 2018, which had a butterfly theme including winged insects decorating her four-tiered cake.

Butterflies are a symbol of transformation and the half-Palestinian, half-Dutch beauty's face has totally transformed since she underwent rhinoplasty at age 14, but she denied having any other cosmetic procedures to Vogue in March.

The first chapter of CY-B3LLA's journey will be set in Japan with themes including robotics, manga/anime, shibari, and cosplay.

Bella - who boasts 60.7M social media followers - said on the website: 'CY-B3LLA is a digital revolution that seeks a revival of human connection. It is a celebration of high fashion, women in web3, and love that has no borders.'

Swarmed: The 25-year-old IMG Model's slim 5ft9in figure went through a 3D body scan in order to create 11,111 unique 4K NFTs spread across 10 real-world regions, which will be revealed every seven days from July to September

New frontier: Fans that purchase CY-B3LLA will also receive identity passes to the CY-B3R GALA, which will be in person with Bella in attendance

Symbolic: Hadid's fixation with butterflies goes as far back as her 22nd birthday bash in 2018, which had a butterfly theme including winged insects decorating her four-tiered cake

2022 vs. 2010: Butterflies are a symbol of transformation and the half-Palestinian, half-Dutch beauty's face has totally transformed since she underwent rhinoplasty at age 14, but she denied having any other cosmetic procedures to Vogue in March

CY-B3LLA awakens in a Tokyo alley 'motionless and propped up against the wall' before being brought back to life in a lab where she mutters about how a 'butterfly is so kawaii' and how she used to 'slay the titans.'

The description read: 'Upon realizing that she is not a main protagonist, a devastated turned determined CY-B3LLA #01 vows that she will become one. After glowing up, she now heads to the CY-B3R GALA to prove herself.'

In another sign of her branching out from modeling, Hadid will soon make her acting debut with a recurring role in the third season of Hulu's critically-acclaimed series Ramy.

Thousands of varieties! The first chapter of CY-B3LLA's journey will be set in Japan with themes including robotics, manga/anime, shibari, and cosplay

Bella - who boasts 60.7M social media followers - said on the website: 'CY-B3LLA is a digital revolution that seeks a revival of human connection. It is a celebration of high fashion, women in web3, and love that has no borders'

Storyline: CY-B3LLA awakens in a Tokyo alley 'motionless and propped up against the wall' before being brought back to life in a lab where she mutters about how a 'butterfly is so kawaii' and how she used to 'slay the titans'

The description read: 'Upon realizing that she is not a main protagonist, a devastated turned determined CY-B3LLA #01 vows that she will become one. After glowing up, she now heads to the CY-B3R GALA to prove herself'

'Aka the local backgammon tournament,' the avid glassblower gushed on April 1.

'Best cast, best crew, best show! Honored & excited. Yallaaaa @ramy! If you haven't watched the first two seasons, go run now.'

Two-time Emmy nominee Ramy Youssef writes, directs, produces, and stars as American Muslim Ramy Hassan in the semi-autobiographical dramedy.
M Lamar emerged to reveal he's the twin brother of Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox on Monday's edition of the ABC series Claim To Fame.

M Lamar - who was identified on the series as 'X' - praised the Orange Is the New Black star, 50, upon his elimination from the series.

'I have so much respect for my sister,' he said. 'Ive never really spoken about her, but since shes the reason why Im here, I want to say in front of the world: I love her so much.

The latest: M Lamar, 50, emerged to reveal he's the twin brother of Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox on Monday's edition of the ABC series Claim To Fame

'I think she is the most extraordinary person Ive ever met. She has endured all kinds of insanity and continues to; she continues to stand with so much dignity and pride and go forward and be an inspiration for so many people.'

M Lamar said that the success of Cox, who played Sophia Burset on the Netflix hit, 'is so much bigger than her,' noting the many doors she's opened up with her ascent.

'The number of Black trans actresses who are on the covers of magazines, who are starring in television shows, all of that did not exist before my sister,' he said. 'And I just want to thank her and praise her.'

M Lamar, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama with the Inventing Anna star, made a pair of appearances on Orange Is the New Black in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

M Lamar - who was identified on the series as 'X' - praised the Orange Is the New Black star upon his elimination from the series

M Lamar called his twin sibling 'the most extraordinary person Ive ever met'

M Lamar said that the success of Cox 'is so much bigger than her,' noting the many doors she's opened up for Black trans actresses with her ascent to stardom

He has a background in music and art, as he describes himself in a bio on his website as 'a composer who works across opera, metal, performance, video, sculpture and installation to craft sprawling narratives of radical becomings.'

Cox took to Instagram with a clip of her twin brother's appearance on the show, saying she didn't 'have words to express what his words' on the ABC show meant to her' and that she is 'immensely blessed' to have known him her whole life.

She added: 'My brother's love, support and counsel are part of the reason I am who I am. And this reaffirms for me that there is a God, a higher power, a blessed energy force bigger than us.'

Cox described her sibling as 'brilliant, talented, charismatic, visionary, revolutionary [and] genius' in a response on Instagram

Cox described her sibling as 'brilliant, talented, charismatic, visionary, revolutionary [and] genius.'

Claim to Fame, which is hosted by Kevin and Frankie Jonas, features 12 relatives of celebrities - who don't reveal who they are related to - residing with one another and attempting to suss out their identities.

Claim to Fame airs Mondays on ABC at 10/9c.
Adelaide Kane has joined the cast of hit U.S. medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

The Australian actress, 31, will play an idealistic doctor-in-training with a troubled family past, reports Deadline.

Adelaide rose to fame on Aussie soap Neighbours and is best known to international audiences for playing Mary, Queen of Scots, in the historical drama Reign.

Adelaide Kane (pictured) has joined the cast of hit U.S. medical drama Grey's Anatomy

Adelaide's character, Jules Millin, is the daughter of hippie parents whose drug use created household havoc while she was growing up.

According to the official synopsis, Jules has her 'heart in the right place' when she arrives at Grey Sloan Hospital to begin her residency.

But since she had to care take of herself and her parents while she growing up, Jules can be a little bossy.

Adelaide rose to fame on Aussie soap Neighbours and is best known to international audiences for playing Mary, Queen of Scots, in the historical drama Reign (pictured)

Fans can expect to see Jules get into trouble, since she is unafraid to break the rules.

Adelaide will join the 19th season of Grey's Anatomy, a show that helped bolster the careers of stars including Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey.

Debuting in 2005, Grey's Anatomy is set in a fictional hospital in Seattle and centres on medical residents as they battle life-and-death issues amidst personal challenges.

Beginning her career on Neighbours in 2006, Adelaide later moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in the United States. (Pictured: Adelaide and Catherine Hill in Neighbours)

Beginning her career on Neighbours in 2006, Adelaide later moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in the United States.

She earned plaudits for her role of Mary, Queen of Scots, in Reign, which aired on The CW network in the U.S. and on Stan in Australia.

Adelaide also starred in ABC's Once Upon a Time and the CBS series SEAL Team.
Elle MacPherson drew attention to her age-defying complexion on Tuesday in a series of flattering mirror selfies taken during a trip to Paris.

The Australian supermodel, 58, snapped photos of herself looking chic in a striped shirt, cinched at the waist with a black belt, and a beige skirt with a floral hem.

She uploaded the pictures on Instagram with the caption, 'Back to work,' and tagged Miami-based fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi.

Elle MacPherson drew attention to her age-defying complexion on Tuesday in a series of flattering mirror selfies taken during a trip to Paris

The glamorous mother of two left fans confused earlier this month when she posted a photo of herself posing at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris.

Clad in a long-sleeved black gown, Elle posed with her back turned slightly in front of a large gilded mirror - where eagle-eyed fans noticed a portion of the reflected wall appeared to be warped.

One follower commented: 'How do celebrities of all people not check for warping when they Photoshop?'

The Australian supermodel, 58, snapped photos of herself looking chic in a striped shirt, cinched at the waist with a black belt, and a beige skirt with a floral hem

They continued: 'How many times have the Kardashians been called out? Have some self confidence and don't bend walls.'

While everything else in the mirror appeared normal, the small area behind Elle's back and derriere seemed to bend unnaturally towards the right - a telltale sign the image has been edited.

The most common use of the Photoshop liquify tool is to change a person's shape, and in this case would have given Elle a slimmer, more curved waist.

The glamorous mother of two left fans confused earlier this month when she posted a photo of herself posing at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris

Clad in a long-sleeved black gown, Elle posed with her back turned slightly in front of a large mirror - where eagle-eyed fans noticed a portion of the reflected wall appeared to be warped

However, this 'bending effect' could simply be an optical illusion caused by a fault in the mirror's surface.

Elle's photo was taken moments before she made an appearance alongside Naomi Campbell and French filmmaker Farida Khelfa at Paris Fashion Week.

The trio, who are long-time friends, attended the Alaia runway show, and posed for an Instagram snap to commemorate the reunion.
Sydney Paight broke down crying when she learned Isaiah Campbell had already kissed someone else on Tuesday's episode of Love Island USA on Peacock.

The 22-year-old redhead from Houston got visibly upset when Mady McLanahan, 26, of Dallas, blurted out that Isaiah kissed her goodnight on the lips.

'I'm not happy about that,' Sydney said as she started sobbing.

Tears flowing: Sydney Paight broke down crying when she learned Isaiah Campbell had already kissed someone else on Tuesday's episode of Love Island USA on Peacock

'I don't want to watch him do that,' she added.

Courtney Boerner, 24, of Florida, and Deborah 'Deb' Chubb, 26, of Dallas, tried to comfort her as she cried.

The seventh episode of season four opened with Andy Voyen, 23, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, talking to Sydney about him choosing her in the recoupling.

'You f***ing smell good,' Andy said.

Missing him: The 22-year-old redhead from Houston got visibly upset when Mady McLanahan, 26, of Dallas, blurted out that Isaiah kissed her goodnight on the lips

Good night: Black-and-white surveillance video showed Mady and Isaiah kissing

Not happy: 'I'm not happy about that,' Sydney said as she started sobbing

'Your speech almost made me tear up a little bit,' Sydney said.

In a confessional, Andy said he just followed his heart in deciding to go with Sydney.

'I'm excited to explore and see where this can really go,' Andy said.

Timmy Pandolfi, 29, of New York City, told Isaiah, 21, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that he was surprised by Andy's decision.

Surprised reaction: Timmy Pandolfi, 29, of New York City, told Isaiah, 21, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that he was surprised by Andy's decision

'I'm calling bulls*** on him having one final conversation with her and then knowing he is going to pick her,' Timmy said.

'He didn't like one time pull me aside and say I might be thinking of this,' Isaiah said.

Isaiah then grabbed Andy aside to talk about Sydney.

Private chat: Isaiah then grabbed Andy aside to talk about Sydney

'It's bro code, bro,' Isaiah said. 'You should have told me that. I just don't get it, bro.'

In a confessional, Andy said he didn't feel that he broke the 'bro code.' He said he really did think he was going to choose Mady up until the last moment.

'I knew I was stepping on toes,' Andy said to Isaiah. 'You are one of my f***ing homies.'

'Am I though?' Isaiah said. 'It's just blatant disrespect.'

Blatant disrespect: 'Am I though?' Isaiah said. 'It's just blatant disrespect'

Isaiah told him that things between them were going to be awkward.

'You know his sorrys don't mean s***,' Isaiah said to the camera.

Sydney told Zeta Morrison, 29, a model from Surrey, England, that Andy kissed her, but that she was still sad about Isaiah.

Mean nothing: 'You know his sorrys don't mean s***,' Isaiah said to the camera

'I'm excited to see if I feel some type of way with Andy, because right now the thought of Isaiah cuddling somebody else really just makes me upset,' Sydney said in a confessional.

Mady thanked Isaiah for choosing her, while Isaiah said he just wished that Andy had been more up front with him.

'He kind of f***ed me two ways you know what I'm saying?' Isaiah said. 'I would definitely have chatted up with you if I would have known this.'

Timmy spent his time talking to Zeta.

Going strong: Timmy spent his time talking to Zeta

'I don't want anybody else to enjoy Baby Zee,' Timmy said. 'I like you a lot.'

Zeta asked him if he could see them together outside of the villa and Timmy said 'yeah.'

'My whole thing coming into here is I don't want to hurt anybody, and I don't want to sell any dream or anything that's just too far to call it,' Timmy said in a confessional. 'I was a little drawn back from that, if I'm being honest.'

Too soon: 'My whole thing coming into here is I don't want to hurt anybody, and I don't want to sell any dream or anything that's just too far to call it,' Timmy said in a confessional. 'I was a little drawn back from that, if I'm being honest'

Andy pulled Mady aside to talk about his recoupling with Sydney. Mady told him that she didn't appreciate that he talked about being 100 percent honest, but then he wasn't.

'I wanted to say that I'm sorry,' Andy said. 'I ultimately just followed my heart.'

'There is no having your cake and eating it too with me,' Mady said. 'We can be friends but romantically the bridge is burned.'

Bridge burned: 'There is no having your cake and eating it too with me,' Mady said. 'We can be friends but romantically the bridge is burned'

The couples each got in bed with their partners for the night.

In the morning, Deb told the other women that she was happy.

'It's good to be able to share a bed with Deb,' Jesse said. ' I'm just going to keep my eyes on the prize, which is Deb, and try to be the best man I could be to her.'

Shared bed: 'It's good to be able to share a bed with Deb,' Jesse said. ' I'm just going to keep my eyes on the prize, which is Deb, and try to be the best man I could be to her'

Timmy later told Jesse that he was taken aback when Zeta asked him if he could see them as a couple on the outside.

'It's week one!' Timmy said. 'I don't know what you do on your nine to five.'

Timmy said to Jesse that he was trying to be responsible and not hurt anyone.

'I move sloth like outside of the villa,' Timmy said.

Slow mover: 'I move sloth like outside of the villa,' Timmy said

Sydney went to talk to Isiah and told him she was shocked about what happened.

'But obviously some s*** was cosigned,' Isaiah said. 'Let's be real.'

'Clearly you also want to get to know other girls,' Sydney said.

Catching up: Sydney went to talk to Isiah and told him she was shocked about what happened

Other girls: 'Clearly you also want to get to know other girls,' Sydney said

Sydney told him that she knew that he kissed Mady. Isaiah said he was going to try to get to know Mady, but that he also knew it wouldn't go anywhere.

WWE star Dolph Ziggler appeared on the show to host a tag-team wrestling challenge where the couples slammed themselves into six slime coated balloons.

Felipe Gomes, 32, of Brazil, and Courtney Boerner, 24, of Florida, riled Andy up before they entered the ring.

Not going: Isaiah said he was going to try to get to know Mady, but that he also knew it wouldn't go anywhere

'Andy you just love your shiny new toys, don't you motherf***er,' Courtney yelled.

They then proceeded to pop all slime balloons in the ring and then Courtney sat on his face when they finished.

'I'm ready baby,' Felipe said.

Summer slam: WWE star Dolph Ziggler appeared on the show to host a tag-team wrestling challenge where the couples slammed themselves into six slime coated balloons

Popping balloons: Deb smiled as she tried to crush a balloon

Good job: Jesse and Deb gave each other a high five

'I don't need an excuse to sit on his face,' Courtney said.

Timmy and Zeta went next. Zeta sat on a balloon to pop it and then passionately made out with Timmy when they were both covered in blue slime.

Dolph ultimately judged Mady and Isaiah were the winners.

The pin: Felipe Gomes and Courtney Boerner were down for the count

The champs: Dolph ultimately judged Mady and Isaiah were the winners

Back at the villas, the women and men changed for the evening.

'Mady, I'll keep Isaiah company for you,' Sydney said.

'You just want Isaiah,' Zeta said.

Everyone drank and danced. Sydney and Deb sat down to talk.

'I just wish I was with Isaiah,' Sydney said. 'I'm trying to give Andy a fair shot, but I can't help it.'

Strong feeling: 'I just wish I was with Isaiah,' Sydney said. 'I'm trying to give Andy a fair shot, but I can't help it'

In a confessional, Sydney said Isaiah feels like fireworks.

'I always want to look at him,' Sydney said. 'I want to be around him, and he always makes me laugh.'

Timmy told the rest of the men about how Zeta put him on the spot with her question and that he still was open to meeting new people.

Still open: Timmy told the rest of the men about how Zeta put him on the spot with her question and that he still was open to meeting new people

Sereniti Springs, 28, of Clovis, California, probed Tyler Radziszewski, 23, of Cleveland, on what he was like sexually.

'Are you that type of person that likes to lead?' Sereniti asked.

'Yeah, I like to take control,' Tyler said.

Sex questions: Sereniti Springs, 28, of Clovis, California, probed Tyler Radziszewski, 23, of Cleveland, on what he was like sexually

'I need you to elab, Tyler,' Sereniti said.

Chazz Bryant, 21, of Clifton, New Jersey, arrived then with his sister Bria Bryant, 24.

'Buckle up,' Deb said in a confessional.

New arrivals: Chazz Bryant, 21, of Clifton, New Jersey, arrived then with his sister Bria Bryant, 24

'The villas is not prepared at all for the Bryant sibs to take over,' Chazz said.

'Bria is definitely one of my types,' Timmy said. 'She fits the protocol.'

The group was shocked when Chazz and Bri revealed they were siblings.

Big surprise: The group was shocked when Chazz and Bri revealed they were siblings

'How are we going to do kissing challenges and s***?' Courtney wondered. 'It's going to be f***ing weird.'

Bri received a text announcing that America wanted her to go on a date with Isaiah and Chazz got a text saying America wanted him to go on a date with Mady.

Love Island USA will return on Wednesday on the Peacock streaming service.
Chinese premier sends congratulations to Sri Lankan new PM

Xinhua) 09:28, July 27, 2022

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday sent a message to Dinesh Gunawardena to congratulate him on taking office as Sri Lankan prime minister.

In his message, Li said that China and Sri Lanka enjoy a profound traditional friendship, and are friendly neighbors and strategic cooperative partners.

Since the establishment of their diplomatic ties 65 years ago, the two sides have always treated each other with respect and as equals, continuously strengthened mutual political trust and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation, and joined hands to deal with difficulties and challenges, said Li, adding that bilateral relations have maintained sound and steady development.

The Chinese side firmly supports the friendly cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, empathizes with the Sri Lankan people regarding the current difficulties facing them, and stands ready to continue to provide them support and assistance within its capacity, Li said.

The Chinese premier said he would like to work with Prime Minister Gunawardena to strengthen solidarity and mutual support among developing countries, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Since it was rehabilitated on 16 June, over 19 500 people around the Salama borehole in North Galkayo can now access safe water again. Credit - WHO/Somalia 24 July 2022  For just over a month, from 7 May to 16 June 2022, Fatumo Yusuf Diriye spent 3 hours every day, walking to and from the nearest water source, 6 km away, to fetch water for her family. As she could carry only 2 jirigaans or pails of water at a time, and had to wait her turn in a long queue, her family had to use this water sparingly. They resorted to using ashes or sand to clean their hands.

Fatumo knows that having to deal with unsafe water has contributed to her 3 children under 5 falling sick with diarrhoea many times before. On many occasions, she has had to rush them to the nearest health facility for support. This is one burden that families like Fatumos, who depend on her daily earnings from a local market, can do without.

Visit from the Government and WHO officials

One day, early in May 2022, Fatumo heard there was a team of high-level officials from the Government and World Health Organization (WHO) visiting the camp where she lived, in North Galkayo, to assess the effects of the ongoing drought. Even though she could not go to see them, later on, she heard a few community members had requested the heads of the high-level team to support them to fix 2 water pumps which were not functioning for longer than she could recall. The Salama water pump, which is a borehole close to Fatumos home, was one of them, and the Halaboqad borehole was the second one that hadnt been functioning for quite some time.

The visiting high-level team was led by HE Dr Fawziya Abikar Nur, the Federal Minister of Health and Human Services, and HE Abdi Nasir Yusuf Haji, the Vice Minister of Health for Puntland state. Representing WHO, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean, and Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative to Somalia, were also part of the team.

Delivering swiftly on a promise

WHO conducts regular surveillance to test water quality, as water is linked with public health. Credit - WHO/Somalia

Fatumo, who has been living in a camp for the internally displaced since 2017, had heard the WHO team agreed to provide support, but was not sure how this would pan out. To her joy and surprise, within a few days, an expert came by to assess the Salama borehole. Around a month later, the Salama borehole was functioning again.

Our lives have changed thanks to having water now from the Salama borehole, for drinking and also for all our household purposes, says Fatumo, as it takes her just 30 minutes to fetch water now. The Diriye family can now collect at least 4 buckets of water, as their source, the borehole, is just above half a kilometre away. Hers is just one of the families living in one of 6 camps and 2000 households that now have access to clean water from the Salama borehole.

With WHOs interventions to rehabilitate both the Salama and Halaboqad boreholes, 19 716 people now have access to clean water. This will translate to clean drinking- water, fewer waterborne diseases, like cholera and diarrhoea, healthier populations, and better sanitation. By protecting their families from preventable diseases, Fatumo and many parents like her can devote their time and resources to raising their families instead of coping with the stresses related to fighting diseases.

Access to water is a recognized human right

Fatumo carries water back home to top up her supply for the day. Credit - WHO/Somalia Currently, only 52% of the population in Somalia has access to improved drinking-water (the population using safely managed drinking-water services). In the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps like Salama, this number is staggeringly low. Recurring droughts, such as the one ongoing, make water an even more scarce resource.

Around the world, WHO and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) found that in 2019, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking-water services. In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized access to water and sanitation as a human right. The Health Assembly acknowledged that every human needs to access between 50 and 100 litres of safe, acceptable and affordable water a day for personal and domestic uses. The General Assembly also stated that families main water source should be within 1 km of their home and that it should not take longer than 30 minutes for a family to access water.

To complement this, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. This will reduce the burden of waterborne diseases, and advance progress towards universal health coverage.
Becki Newton is expecting her fourth child with husband Chris Diamantopoulos.

A representative for the 44-year-old actress confirmed the happy news to JustJared.com.

Becki unveiled her burgeoning baby bump while taking a stroll through Los Angeles with Chris, 47, on Tuesday afternoon.

Expecting: Becki Newton is expecting her fourth child with husband Chris Diamantopoulos. A representative for the 44-year-old actress confirmed the happy news to JustJared.com; Becki and Chris seen Tuesday

For their outing, Becki rocked a fitted black tank top and a pair of matching capri leggings.

The Lincoln Lawyer star trekked along the sidewalk in a pair of white lace-up sneakers and with a cup of hot coffee in hand.

Her wavy blonde hair was parted to one side and flowed behind her as she strolled jovially beside her longtime husband.

Becki sported a number of shiny gold bangles on her wrists, as well as several gold pendant chains around her neck.

Bumping along: Becki unveiled her burgeoning baby bump while taking a stroll through Los Angeles with Chris, 47, on Tuesday afternoon

Comfy: For their outing, Becki rocked a fitted black tank top and a pair of matching capri leggings

She shielded her eyes from the intense afternoon sun with a pair of brown-tinted aviator shades.

Becki was captured with a huge smile on her face and appeared excited to have finally revealed the news of her pregnancy to the world.

Chris, who famously starred in the hit HBO series Silicon Valley, showcased his chiseled chest by going shirtless for their time out in the open.

He donned a pair of green camouflage shorts and some trendy beige sneakers.

Longtime love: Becki is said to have met her actor husband Chris in a New York subway station, and the pair eventually married in May 2005. The couple are already parents to an 11-year-old son, an eight-year-old daughter and a two-year-old baby girl

Chris was in charge of manning their dog's leash while Becki soaked up the sun and sipped on her coffee.

Becki is said to have met her actor husband Chris in a New York subway station, and the pair eventually married in May 2005.

The couple are already parents to an 11-year-old son, an eight-year-old daughter and a two-year-old baby girl.

Though she no longer has an Instagram page, Becki previously used the social media platform to confirm the birth of their youngest daughter in March 2020.

Last time: Though she no longer has an Instagram page, Becki previously used the social media platform to confirm the birth of their youngest daughter in March 2020; Becki seen in May

Surprise! She uploaded a snapshot of the newborn's hands as she remained swaddled in a colorful knit blanket. 'Sharing a little glimpse of Hope...' captioned Becki, seemingly hinting at their baby daughter's name

She uploaded a snapshot of the newborn's hands as she remained swaddled in a colorful knit blanket.

'Sharing a little glimpse of Hope...' captioned Becki, seemingly hinting at their baby daughter's name though it's never been confirmed by the couple.

She further discussed the baby's arrival during an Instagram Live chat in April 2020, where she revealed to her former Ugly Betty co-star Michael Urie that she'd given birth 'a few months ago.'

Dishing: She further confirmed the baby's arrival during an Instagram Live chat in April 2020, where she revealed to her former Ugly Betty co-star Michael Urie that she'd given birth 'a few months ago'; Becki and Michael seen in 2006

Though she's most known for her iconic role in ABC's Ugly Betty, Becki has been most recently seen in shows such as HBO's Divorce, How I Met Your Mother, and American Dad!

Despite the hugely popular show Ugly Betty, ABC announced it was cancelling the series due to low ratings.

Since the show's cancellation, it has gained a cult following and there has been talk by Ana Ortiz and America Ferrera for an Ugly Betty movie.
Garrett Hedlund treated fans to a rare glimpse at his and Emma Robert's 19-month-old son Rhodes in photos shared to Instagram on Tuesday.

In the snaps, the 37-year-old actor hilariously recreated an iconic scene from Disney's The Lion King as they visited a Bass Pro Shop store together.

Holding up Rhodes so he could get a closer look at a stuffed buffalo in the store, Hedlund couldn't help compare it to when Rafiki held up Simba on Pride Rock.

Rare: Garrett Hedlund treated fans to a rare glimpse at his and Emma Robert's 19-month-old son Rhodes in photos shared to Instagram on Tuesday

Writing on Instagram, the Mudbound actor posted, 'A Very 'Simba-bolic' momentMeet the BASS PRO SHOP BUFFALO. Daddies Spirit Animal.'

The Modern Love actor shares the tyke with ex-partner Emma, 31.

The pair began seeing each other in March 2019 and Rhodes arrived in December 2020.

The couple announced they had broken up earlier this year.

Simba-bolic: In the snaps, the 37-year-old actor hilariously recreated an iconic scene from Disney's The Lion King as they visited a Bass Pro Shop store together

Iconic: Holding up Rhodes so he could get a closer look at the stuffed buffalo, Hedlund couldn't help compare it to when Rafiki held up Simba on Pride Rock (seen here)

Audrey McGraw, 20, responded with a delighted 'Awwwwww.'

She is the daughter of country music superstars Faith Hill, 54, and Tim McGraw, 55, and the It's Your Love artist just happens to be the boy's godfather.

A second snap shows the Tulsa Night crooner, who was wearing a form fitting white shirt and blue jeans, holding the blonde toddler and pointing at the animals.

The Screen Actors Guild nominee also posted a short video him and his son enjoying an exhibit inside the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.

Museum: The Modern Love actor shared a video of a trip he and his son took to the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, OK

Holy: The Tulsa Night crooner seemed awed by the experience, posting, ''All Rhodes have Lead to Moments like this. Mind BLOWN. Coco melon got to take the back seat today:) Thank You (prayer emoji) Holy.'

Posting on Instagram, the proud papa wrote, 'All Rhodes have Lead to Moments like this. Mind BLOWN. Coco melon got to take the back seat today:) Thank You (prayer emoji) Holy.'

Hedlund has kept a low profile on and off social media over the past several months after he was arrested for public intoxication in February.

He was already on three years probation over a previous DUI case at the time of the arrest.

The alleged public intoxication incident occurred just days after it was revealed that he split with girlfriend Emma.

Co-parenting: The Modern Love actor shares the tyke with ex-partner Emma, 31. The pair began seeing each other in March 2019 and Rhodes arrived in December 2020. The couple announced they had broken up earlier this year; Emma and Hedlund seen in 2019

A source told Us Weekly that Emma, who's the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and the niece of Julia Roberts, gave Hedlund multiple ultimatums about his drinking before they went their separate ways.

'Garrett and Emma have a great co-parenting relationship. When hes sober, he's a great guy and they've been handling co-parenting very well.' the source shared.

The split has been amicable, as the former couple appear to be on the same page in their commitment to their son.

Mother's Day message: Hedlund made it a point to publicly express his gratitude and appreciation for Emma this past Mother's Day

Hedlund made it a point to publicly express his gratitude and appreciation for Emma this past Mother's Day.

He published a written letter to Emma on his Instagram, where he called her 'the most beautiful mother' in the lead in.

'You gave us a gift who never ceases to melt our hearts, amaze our minds, and make all the anythings just fly away, from morning till night,' he wrote out with pen and paper, before ending by sharing 'all my love.'
The Bachelor's Jessica Brody was assaulted on Wednesday after a man punched her in the face near Southern Cross station in Melbourne.

The tattoo artist, 32, was walking out of her local supermarket with milk when a 40-something guy pushed past her and punched her.

'He was obviously stealing,' she said in an Instagram video while wearing a filter over her face.

The Bachelor's Jessica Brody (pictured) was assaulted on the streets of Melbourne on Wednesday: 'He punched me in the face for walking too slow'

She continued: 'I could tell he was right behind me. He could have just walked around but instead he pushed past me and then clocked me in the face for walking slow.

'It really f***ing hurts. So if anyone around Southern Cross station sees a man with tribal head and face tattoos - that dude just punched me in the head.'

Jessica went on to say she was no threat to the man and had he asked her nicely, she would have bought the item he was stealing for him instead.

The tattoo artist, 32, was walking out of her local supermarket with milk when a 40-something guy pushed past her and socked her. 'He was obviously stealing,' she said in an Instagram post

She went on to say she was no threat to the man and had he asked her nicely, she would have bought the item he was stealing for him instead

The Bachelor in Paradise star uploaded several more photos of the incident, including one of her AirPods which 'didn't survive the punch'.

Jessica said some people asked if she was okay, but didn't reveal if any action was taken against the man by police or the supermarket.

As of now, she is physically fine but shocked and concerned about long-lasting effects to her Botox after she shared a message she received on Instagram.

The Bachelor in Paradise star uploaded several more photos of the incident, including one of her AirPods which 'didn't survive the punch'

Jessica said some people asked if she was okay, but didn't reveal if any action was taken against the man by police or the supermarket

It read: 'I know this is probably the last thing on your mind, but hope he didn't punch the Botox.

'I had a lopsided face freeze once and it was three months of looking like a rock.'

Jessica captioned the screenshot: 'I am panicked. Let's wait and see if my face is f***ed.'
A beer brand promoted by social media stars Jack Steele and Matt Ford is at the centre of a battle over 'false claims' now being fought out in Australia's Federal Court.

Better known as the Inspired Unemployed, the best mates with millions of followers launched the low cal alcoholic beverage 'Better Beer' last October.

Now a rival company whose stakeholders include Mick Molloy and Eddie McGuire have launched a legal action, reports News.com.au.

Better Beer promoted by social media stars Jack Steele and Matt Ford (pictured) is at the centre of a battle over 'false claims' now being fought out in Australia's Federal Court

At the centre of the saga is the claim that Sidewinder Hazy Pale, produced by Brick Lane Brewing, can be confused with Better Beer.

Brick Lane Brewing launched proceedings in December saying that Better Beer, 'made false, misleading or deceptive representations' about its product.

The company is seeking damages against the Torquay Beverage Company and Mighty Craft, makers of Better Beer.

The court heard on Wednesday how the rival brands feature similar designs, and logos, might confuse consumers.

A rival company whose stakeholders include Mick Molloy (pictured) and Eddie McGuire have launched legal action against the makers of Better Beer, reports News.com.au

Brick Lane's barrister Justine Beaumont also told the court how its Sidewinder beer was launched ahead of Better Beer on Instagram in July 2021.

Meanwhile, Ed Heerey QC representing Better Beer told the court that it was not possible to confuse the products.

'If you're ever going to go back looking for it, you'll need the name,' Mr Heerey said. The three-day trial continues.

Ford and Steele have a 20 per cent stake in the Torquay Beverage company.

At the centre of the saga is the claim that Sidewinder Hazy Pale, produced by Brick Lane Brewing, can be confused with Better Beer

The court heard on Wednesday how the rival brands feature similar designs, and logos, which might confuse consumers. Pictured: Better Beer

Ford and Steele, from New South Wales' south coast, are the 'Aussie battlers' behind the iconic social media account, The Inspired Unemployed.

After launching the page last year, they rose to fame during COVID-19 by sharing hilarious skits that are now seen by their 1.3million Instagram followers every day.

Deciding to take advantage of their new celebrity status, they quit their day jobs where they'd been working as a plasterer and carpenter.

Since then, the boys have had collaborations with The Iconic, Fendi, featured in GQ Style and Better Beer.
Jamie Chung and husband Bryan Greenberg shared a sweet picture of their two baby twin boys relaxing in a tub during bath time on Tuesday.

'Rub a dub dub' wrote The Mindy Project actor, 44, followed with a repost by Jamie, 39, to her Instagram stories where she explained, 'Two baths a day in NYC weather.'

The shy tykes seemed to be playing a game of peek-a-boo, showing only the tops of their heads and their big brown eyes above the rim of the tub.

Twins: Jamie Chung, 39, and Bryan Greenberg, 44, shared a sweet picture of their two little men in a tub with the Mindy Project actor writing ' Rub a dub dub' next to the photo on social media

The proud mom's Reunion co-star, Jillian Bell commented, 'This is so dang cute,' and artist Tim Okamura wrote, 'Amazing photograph.'

The couple, who have been married since 2015, welcomed the boys in October via surrogate.

The busy mom, who bragged to US Weekly that should could 'change a diaper in under five minutes,' has also spoken openly about choosing surrogacy because she was 'terrified' that becoming pregnant would sideline her career.

Peek-a-boo: The shy tykes seemed to be playing a game of peek-a-boo, showing only the tops of their heads and their big brown eyes above the rim of the tub

The actress told Today, 'I was terrified of putting my life on hold for two-plus years. In my industry, it feels like youre easily forgotten if you dont work within the next month of your last job.'

'Things are so quickly paced in what we do. So its a compromise that we made together as a couple.'

The Misfits actress publicly shared her experience about freezing her eggs in 2019, but kept the surrogacy under wraps.

Surrogate: The tykes were born in October 2021 via surrogate. The Reunion actress has been open about the process, admitting she was 'terrified" becoming pregnant would sideline her career; Bryan and Jamie seen in 2020

'Its still not a very common thing and we werent ready for judgment. We really just did it to protect ourselves.'

Since the twins have arrived, the parents admit that it's 'all hands on deck,' telling People that extra help is often necessary. 'With twins especially, you need at least three adults for it to be doable. For you to do all of your work stuff.'

The couple also shared that they've gone to therapy to prepare for the strain that having twins could put on their relationship.
Britney Spears will reportedly not be called to testify over allegations her father Jamie abused his position as conservator.

According to TMZ, the singer's attorney Mathew Rosengart has filed legal documents that state he will be going forward with documents, physical evidence and just Jamie's testimony.

Rosengart insisted that Britney's testimony would not be relevant to any legal proceeding and he will not call her as a witness if the case goes to trial as the fact she would not be called 'eviscerates' any reason why she would need to be deposed.

Staying out of it: Britney Spears (pictured on Tuesday) will reportedly not be called to testify over allegations her father Jamie abused his position as conservator

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Jamie and Britney for comment.

The ongoing legal battle centers around Britney's allegations that her father abused conservatorship regulations and stole from her when he was supposed to be managing her finances.

Britney has been unbridled in her public criticism of her family, and last month Jamie's attorney Alex Weingarten called for the Grammy-winning singer, 40, to be deposed over the 'incendiary allegations of various factual matters' that she has made via social media.

However, Britney's attorney told the court that he felt that the move to push Britney into a deposition was 'retaliatory' and 'abusing the legal process,' amid an attempted probe of Jamie's handling of funds and alleged surveillance of the singer.

The lawyer said the ...Baby One More Time singer cannot testify to matters about the conservatorship since she was the one living under it, and that she would be traumatized again in facing questions about it.

Rosengart, who has represented the Toxic artist since last year, suggested that Jamie's legal team should either depose Jamie or Britneys ex-business manager Lou Taylor for information on the arrangement.

Under oath: Earlier this month, Jamie was ordered by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to take part in a deposition about his actions heading the conservatorship

Earlier this month, Jamie was ordered by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to take part in a deposition about his actions heading the conservatorship the pop star was under for more than 13 years.

Judge Brenda Penny ruled that Jamie, 70, must schedule a deposition by August 12 after he was previously served with notices to sit for a deposition from Britney's lawyer and did not appear, Page Six reported.

Rosengart said in legal docs filed in May that Jamie had been 'running and hiding' from being deposed, and must account 'for his misconduct - under oath - as required by law.'

Another issue heard before the court was Jamie's request Britney's estate cover his attorney's fees in the wake of the termination of the conservatorship this past November.

After Jamie was dropped by his former legal team, he hired Weingarten at an hourly rate of around $1,200, Variety reported last year.

Rosengart told Page Six Jamie's petition was 'not only legally meritless' but 'an abomination' under the circumstances of the case.

'Mr. Spears reaped many millions of dollars from Britney as a conservator, while paying his lawyers millions more, all from Britneys work and hard-earned money,' Rosengart said of the previous arrangement.

Jamie was loaned $40,000 in 2008 - just before the conservatorship started - by Lou Taylor's organization Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, the outlet reported, adding that Taylor's attorney Charles Harder said that Jamie had 'repaid' the 'small loan' and that it had no impact on 'Tri Stars work for the estate in later years.'

The ongoing legal battle comes eight months after Britney was finally freed from the controversial legal conservatorship her father and a court-appointed guardian held over her for years.

Favorite hobby: As the news broke that Britney will not testify at trial, the singer shared yet another video of her dancing by herself inside her new $11.8M Calabasas mansion on Tuesday

As the news broke that Britney will not testify at trial, the singer shared yet another video of her dancing by herself inside her new $11.8M six-bedroom Calabasas mansion on Tuesday night.

The newlywed - who boasts 156.4M social media followers - posted a 30-second video of herself showing off her moves to pop rival Rihanna's 2016 song Love on the Brain.

In it, Britney - who rocked a messy ponytail - flaunted her taut tummy in a cinched black T-shirt, red plaid shorts, and pastel sneakers.

Britney captioned her hastily-edited clip with three rose emojis, indicating she's still dreaming up the mysterious 'Project Rose.'

Having fun! In it, Britney - who rocked a messy ponytail - flaunted her taut tummy in a cinched black T-shirt, red plaid shorts, and pastel sneakers

Obsessed! Spears captioned her hastily-edited clip with three rose emojis, indicating she's still dreaming up the mysterious 'Project Rose'

On Monday, Page Six reported that the Mississippi-born beauty secretly recorded a duet of the 1971 classic Tiny Dancer with legendary pop star Elton John in Beverly Hills last week.

The remix produced by Andrew Watt will reportedly be released by Universal Music next month.

'They've already played it for people at their record label, and everybody is freaking out. It is so good,' a music industry source told the site.

'They are saying this is going to be the song of the summer. Britney is officially back. She's back to work, and she's super excited.'

Dream team? On Monday it was reported that the Mississippi-born beauty secretly recorded a duet of the 1971 classic Tiny Dancer with legendary pop star Elton John (pictured in 2013)

Britney has shared two videos of herself singing a cappella - on July 15 and on December 22 - but she hasn't released a full-blown record since her ninth studio album Glory back in 2016.

Spears will next portray a mystery role in Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim, and The Weeknd's six-episode drama The Idol for HBO.

The former Mouseketeer also signed a $15M deal with Simon & Schuster in February to publish her tell-all memoir - according to Page Six.
Aaron Paul and his wife Lauren Parsekian have been enjoying a British getaway in Whitstable over the last few weeks.

And sharing a slew of snaps from the Kent seaside town, 35-year-old Lauren gave her 511k followers an insight into the relaxing getaway with her beau, 42.

Detailing the gorgeous views, the Director penned: 'Find someplace beautiful and take a pause.'

Golden hour: Aaron Paul, 42, and Lauren Parsekian, 35, shared a carousel of snaps from their Whitstable holiday on Tuesday

One shot showed the married couple bask in the golden hour sun, as Lauren planted a kiss on Aaron's head.

The Breaking Bad actor wrapped an arm around her as he beamed for the sunny shot.

Another picture showed Aaron gazing out onto the beachy views as he lay back on a window ledge to watch the sunset.

Relaxed: Another picture showed Aaron gazing out onto the beachy views as he lay back on a window ledge to watch the sunset

Views: Lauren added a selection of gorgeous scenery snaps alongside the post, showing off sunsets across many different evenings

And detailing this in the caption, Lauren explained that the couple sat at the window ledge for 15 nights in the 'exact same spot'.

'For 15 nights, we sat in this exact spot to watch the sunset. Most of the time we talked, but some times we didn't. Some times we just watched and listened. It's nice, the quiet. Not feeling the need to fill a space with words.

'We all talk too much. Scream. About everything. All the time. Without even thinking. Find someplace beautiful and take a pause. You probably need it. I needed it.

'I'll think about this window for the rest of my life and the gentle pause it gave me during a time that constantly feels out of breath,' she wrote in the caption.

Sweet! And taking to her Instagram Stories, the mother-of-two gushed over her husband as she shared a candid picture of Aaron - penning 'I love you'

Lauren added a selection of gorgeous scenery snaps alongside the post, showing off sunsets across many different evenings.

And taking to her Instagram Stories, the mother-of-two gushed over her husband as she shared a candid picture of Aaron - penning 'I love you'.

While she wrote: 'Spent the last couple weeks in one of my new favourite places. Whitstable, England.' in another of the beach.

The relaxing getaway comes just two months after Lauren and Paul became parents for the second time and welcomed their new son, Ryden.

The couple are already parents to four-year-old daughter Story Annabelle, who they welcomed back in 2018, after five years of marriage.
Lisa Vanderpump beamed as she attended the Shadow of the Cat film screening in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 61, donned a classic black dress with a matching cape for the event.

She displayed her megawatt pearly white smile as she walked the step-and repeat at the Laemmle Royal.

Shadow of the Cat - which follows two men in their quest to rescue one's daughter as she searches for her estranged mom - was first released in Argentina in 2021.

Cheery: Lisa Vanderpump beamed as she attended the Shadow of the Cat film screening in Los Angeles on Tuesday

The entrepreneur looked gorgeous as ever as she wore her brunette hair in her signature voluminous, free-flowing style.

The thick tresses spilled over her shoulders in loose, fluffy curls that beautifully framed her visage.

The fashionable personality showed off her stellar style in the form-fitting number, which was cut just below her knees.

A long jacket that had grey sleeves with small, delicate, black floral embroidery was layered on top of it.

Her look: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 61, donned a classic black dress with a matching cape for the event

Vanderpump's ensemble was punctuated with a timeless pair of pointed-toe black heels.

She accessorized with a stunning pair of drop earrings that boasted chunky emerald stones.

The SUR restauranteur glowed with her face highlighted in soft hues of pink that flattered her complexion.

Her rosy, blushed cheeks matched her glassy pink lip gloss, which outlined her pout.

Lisa, who was born in the United Kingdom, carried a pink and black printed purse with black leather accents.

She was joined on the red carpet by her business partner and actor Guillermo Zapata, 54

Trio: Guillermo and Lisa took a moment to pose with Hollywood veteran Danny Trejo, 78

She was joined on the red carpet by her business partner and actor Guillermo Zapata, 54.

The entrepreneur looked handsome in a monochrome green suit and a pair of matching sneakers with a white sole.

His look was elevated by his full but short white beard and neatly cut salt and pepper hair.

Guillermo and Lisa took a moment to pose with Hollywood veteran Danny Trejo, 78.

Bright: The renowned actor commanded attention in a royal blue suit that was finished with a slight sheen

Full look: Danny accented his fashionable look with a black shirt, black belt, and black dress shoes

The renowned actor commanded attention in a royal blue suit that was finished with a slight sheen.

He accented the fashionable look with a black shirt, black belt, and black dress shoes.

The longtime entertainer wore a long silver-toned chain around his neck with a sizable cross pendant.

Pretty in pink: Also at the premiere was actress and model Elena Goode, 38, who appeared in a pink mini dress

Also at the premiere was actress and model Elena Goode, 38, who appeared in a pink mini dress.

The long-sleeved number was reminiscent of the 80s and had a subtle leaf-like pattern.

The dress featured a sash that tied at her waist and extended down over her leg with a ruffle.

She walked the carpet in a pair of netted, pointed-toe heels that had stringy straps that tied at her ankles.

Feeling flowery: Sharon Leal made her presence known in a black mini dress that was covered in a floral print

Sharon Leal made her presence known in a black mini dress that was covered in a floral print.

The look had a plunging neckline that bared her perky cleavage and showed off her smooth legs.

The sleeves were long and sheer and she accentuated her waist with a thick belt that had a round buckle.

She rounded out the getup with a pair of strappy black heels that showed her shimmer pink pedicure.

Date night: Yadi Rivera and Emilio Rivera put on a united display as they both showed up in coordinating black outfits

Star power: Also in attendance was Australian actress Miranda Otto, 54, who wore a navy dress with opaque black tights

Yadi Rivera and Emilio Rivera put on a united display as they both showed up in coordinating black outfits.

Yadi showed her shape in a body-hugging, floor-grazing gown with a halter neck and short side slit.

She and her beau held hands as he rocked a collared short-sleeved shirt, slacks, and shiny dress shoes.

Also in attendance was Australian actress Miranda Otto, 54, who wore a navy dress with opaque black tights.

Her frock had an eyelet pattern throughout and a skirt with pleats that cropped above her knees.

Light-hearted: Lisa and Guillermo shared a laugh as they arrived at the movie premiere in Hollywood
Neil Patrick Harris showed off his bold new arm tattoo as he attended the premiere of his new show Uncoupled on Tuesday.

The actor, 49, sported a black sleeveless top at the event which highlighted the inking of a rabbit sat on the top of a hat with a red card on his left arm.

The How I Met Your Mother star looked in good spirits at the premiere where he was joined by his husband David Burtka.

Inking: Neil Patrick Harris showed off his bold new arm tattoo as he attended the premiere of his new show Uncoupled on Tuesday (pictured with his husband David Burtka)

Neil also sported a pair of black trousers and matching boots as he posed for the cameras alongside David, 47.

David opted for a purple sheer top which he wore with a navy sequinned blazer and dark trousers.

In Uncoupled, a Netflix comedy, Neil portrays a real estate agent who is suddenly single again after his parter of 17 years (played by Tuc Watkins) unexpectedly leaves him.

It comes after Neil unveiled his bold new arm tattoo on Instagram on Wednesday.

Art: The actor, 49, sported a black sleeveless top at the event which highlighted the inking of a rabbit sat on the top of a hat with a red card on his left arm

Couple: Neil also sported a pair of black trousers and matching boots as he posed for the cameras alongside his husband David

The actor posted snaps of the inking which he got during a visit to a tattoo parlour in London during his summer trip to Europe.

He penned in the caption: 'I got some ink. Wanted a second tattoo for a while, and thought London was the ideal place to get a proper magician's top hat.

'@thomascarlijarlier is simply remarkable, and a true gentleman. Check out his larger work, I'm just amazed by the detail. #grateful @noireinklondon.'

He also shared a snap with tattoo artist Thomas as they posed together after the design was complete.

Show: In Uncoupled, a Netflix comedy, Neil portrays a real estate agent who is suddenly single again after his parter of 17 years (played by Tuc Watkins) unexpectedly leaves him

Outfit: David opted for a purple sheer top which he wore with a navy sequinned blazer and dark trousers

It comes as Neil is reportedly set to take on the role of nostalgic villain The Toymaker during his guest-starring stint in Doctor Who's 60th anniversary special.

The star will play the 'greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced', as previously confirmed by showrunner Russell T Davies.

But now, rumours of the character - who last appeared on the drama in 1966 - making a return have been swirling after a shop with the name, Mr Emporium, sprung up on the Bristol set.

Inking: It comes after Neil unveiled his bold new arm tattoo on Instagram on Wednesday

Bold: The actor posted snaps of the inking which he got during a visit to a tattoo parlour in London during his summer trip to Europe

Creative: He also shared a snap with tattoo artist Thomas as they posed together after the design was complete

According to The Mirror, it features a sign claiming the owner is 'Toymaker of the Year' and appears to flog 'magical items, games and tricks'.

Originally played by Michael Gough in The Celestial Toymaker four-part storyline, it is the mostly missing sixth serial of the third season, with only the final episode held in the BBC archives.

An enigmatic being from outside of space and time, he caused William Hartnell's first Doctor to become invisible for two episodes and had a number of living toys as his servants.

Exciting: It comes as Neil is reportedly set to take on the role of nostalgic villain The Toymaker during his guest-starring stint in Doctor Who's 60th anniversary special

Having, at one time, been expected to make a comeback in 1986 in an episode filmed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, plans were scrapped after Doctor Who went on hiatus for 18 months.

Having caught on themselves, one fan wrote on Twitter: 'Neil Patrick Harris better be playing the Celestial Toymaker! I can't bring myself to have it any other way! #DWSR #DoctorWho.'

Another added: 'Neil Patrick Harris is so playing the Celestial Toymaker. #DoctorWho.'

Someone else said: 'Is it just me who thinks from the costume that Neil Patrick Harris is playing the Toymaker? #DoctorWho.'

A fourth wrote: 'Okay, I have a theory about Neil Patrick Harris in the #DoctorWho 60th anniversary specials. What if hes playing a new version of the Celestial Toymaker from the William Hartnell era?'

The BBC declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Three-time rape survivor Ashley Judd has revealed that she sat down with one of the men who raped her to have a 'restorative-justice conversation', detailing how she tracked down her attacker and ended up 'sitting in rocking chairs by a creek' with him.

Several years after she was raped and assaulted in 1999, the actress, 54, said that she 'tried to find' her attacker, explaining that he 'surfaced very easily', allowing her to arrange a meeting with him.

Speaking on the Healing with David Kessler podcast, Ashley said: 'To make a long story short, we ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together.

'And I said, "I'm very interested in hearing the story you've carried all these years". And we had a restorative-justice conversation about that.

'I wanted to share that story because there are many ways of healing from grief, and it's important to remind listeners that I didn't need anything from him.

Three-time rape survivor Ashley Judd (pictured in 2019) has revealed she sat down with one of her rapists to have a 'restorative-justice conversation'

Assault: The actress, 54, was sexually assaulted in 1999 and, several years later, 'tried to find' her attacker, who 'surfaced very easily' so they were able to meet (pictured in May 1999)

'It was just gravy that he made his amends and expressed his deep remorse, because healing from grief is an inside job.'

Podcast host David explained people 'may not realize' that grief applies to the fallout of being assaulted. He added: 'You lose innocence.'

Ashley - who also accused convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in 2017 - agreed: 'One loses safety. I lost a sense of trust.'

The A Time To Kill actress called her rape 'crazy-making' because she 'knew better' as an 'empowered feminist woman' with 'boundaries'.

She said: 'I was very clear, my boundaries were intact. I was already an empowered, adult feminist woman.

'And that this could happen under these circumstances was unconscionable, unforeseen, and yet I have had a restorative-justice process with this person out of how replete my soul is today.'

The actress was keen to stress she didn't need the 'cooperation' of her rapist when he agreed to have the meeting, or for him to 'make amends' or 'do anything differently in order for me to have a process that was independent from that previous asymmetry of power.'

Speaking on the Healing with David Kessler podcast, Ashley (pictured in 1999) said, 'To make a long story short, we ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together'

The actress (seen in May) revealed in 2019 that she was a 'three-time rape survivor', sharing at the time that she had an abortion after getting pregnant by one of her rapists

She added: 'Because I had the opportunity to do my trauma work, to do my grief work, to do my healing work, to have all these shifts in my own consciousness and to bond in these female coalition spaces with other survivors.'

In 2019, while she was advocating for abortion rights, Ashley shared that she is 'a three-time rape survivor,' and recalled how one assault led to a pregnancy which she terminated.

Speaking at the Women in the World conference on a panel being moderated by Katie Couric about the current state of feminism, Ashley said that, should she have made the decision to keep the baby, the father would have been granted custody rights by the state, despite the fact that he raped her.

She explained that she would have ultimately been forced to 'co-parent with a rapist' under the existing laws of the state of Kentucky, where both she and her attacker are from.

'What I like to talk about is my personal experience with abortion because as everyone knows - and I'm very open about it - I'm a three-time rape survivor,' said Judd.

'And one of the times I was raped there was conception, and I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion because that rapist, who is a Kentuckian, as am I, and resides in Tennessee, has paternity rights in Kentucky.

In 2017, Ashley accused convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein of sexually harassing her (seen together in 1997)

In her 2011 memoir Ashley (pictured with her mom Naomi and sister Wynonna) wrote that she was exposed early and inappropriately to sex because of her mother's affairs with men

'So having safe access to abortion was personally important to me, and as I said earlier, you know, democracy starts with the skin,' explained Judd.

'We're not supposed to regulate what we choose to do with our insides.'

It was unclear at the time whether the rape resulted in a conviction, which would have prevented the attacker from having custody or visitation rights in both Kentucky and Tennessee, according to the National Conference of State Legislature.

Judd has become a force in the women's rights movement over the past few years, with the actress having been the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein years before other women went public with their own stories.

She first wrote a piece for Variety in 2015 that did not name Weinstein, then gave an overview of her experience to The New York Times before sitting down for a tell-all about the mogul's alleged misconduct.

Double Jeopardy star Judd also spoke out about the abuse she has suffered at the hands of numerous men, including an unnamed family member, in her 2011 memoir, All That Is Bitter and Sweet.

In the tome, she wrote that she was exposed early and inappropriately to sex because of her mother's affairs with men. She said that she also witnessed her mom Naomi - who passed away in April - getting involved in fights with men, including one incident when her mother pulled out a gun.

The star detailed attacks against her in 1984, when she was raped twice by one man while another watched on, and then molested by another adult man, revealing that she was 15, at the most 16, at the time.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
She touched down in Croatia this week for a sun-soaked getaway with her fiance Ercan Ramadan.

And Vicky Pattison took to Instagram on Tuesday to share body positive bikini-clad snaps as she soaked up the sun on her holiday.

Donning a chocolate brown bikini with metal ring detailing from brand Pour Moi, the 34-year-old displayed her taut torso and toned physique in one shot.

Body positive: Vicky Pattison took to Instagram on Tuesday to share body-positive bikini-clad snaps as she soaked up the sun on her holiday in Croatia

In a follow-up picture, the former Geordie Shore star showed off her figure from a sitting down angle and reminded her followers that 'all bodies look different'.

In a candid body positive caption, she urged her fans to 'be kind' to themselves as she spoke about how different camera angles can make bodies look different.

She penned: 'Just a gorgeous little reminder that all bodies move, all bodies look different from different angles and that is perfectly ok... Be kind to yourself always.'

Earlier in the day, Vicky had detailed day one of her sun-soaked holiday, sharing more stunning bikini snaps to Instagram.

Candid: In a follow-up picture, the former Geordie Shore star showed off her figure from a sitting down angle and reminded her followers that 'all bodies look different'

Inspiring: In a candid body-positive caption, she urged her fans to 'be kind' to themselves as she spoke about how different camera angles can make bodies look different

For the pictures, Vicky had her brunette locks falling freely in a soft wave, as she opted for a glowing palette of makeup.

Adding a pair of oversized sunglasses to her look, she posed for an outdoor mirror snap alongside Ercan.

While the TOWIE star opted for swimming trunks to complement Vicky's ensemble - alongside a pair of Dolce and Gabbana sliders.

Sun-soaked: Vicky Pattison, 34, displayed her gorgeous physique in a chocolate brown plunging bikini on Tuesday as she touched down in Croatia with fiance Ercan Ramadan

Taut: Donning a chocolate brown bikini with metal ring detailing from brand Pour Moi, she displayed her taut abs and toned physique in the shots

Stunner: Vicky had her brunette locks falling freely in a soft wave

Writing over the Boomerang, Vicky jested: 'I already know I will delete this tomorrow / @ercan_ram you do look great though'.

Spending the day in Hvar, the pair headed to lounge bar and seafood restaurant Laganini.

And making the most of what the venue has to offer, they tucked into a lunch of lobster, potatoes, feta salad and more.

Hitting the waves: Ercan also shared snaps of his own as they took to the water on a speedboat

Beauty: Vicky covered up with a chocolate crochet dress and shielded her eyes with sunglasses

Vicky and Ercan also enjoyed some cocktails in the sun, as they were joined by pals Martin Brown and Bash El-Cherif.

Following lunch at the a la carte lounge bar, the group headed out on a speedboat as Vicky covered up with a chocolate crochet dress.

Sharing an insight to the day with his 225k followers, Ercan covered up with a white T-shirt as he posed for a video with Vicky.

A la carte: Spending the day in Hvar, the pair headed to lounge bar and seafood restaurant Laganini

Drinks in the sun: While they also sipped on cocktails and Moet champagne

While the latter dubbed their two pals 'our boys' alongside a heart face emoji over a snap of them on the boat.

Vicky took to her travel page, dubbed VickysVacays, to detail why she chose Hvar for the trip - explaining it's her second visit to the island.

'I'm sure some of you guys might remember I visited last year- buttttt, I went with the girls and not @ercan_ram and honestly felt like I'd just scratched the surface of the beautiful island so I am so excited to be heading back and giving exploring it another go!!!'
Sharna Burgess and her boyfriend Brian Austin Green welcomed their first child together, last month.

And on Wednesday, the Dancing With The Stars performer, 37, revealed she was eating her own placenta to help her recovery following the birth of her newborn.

During an Instagram Q&A, one fan asked Sharna: 'Can you give more info on your placenta pills? Mama to be and thinking about doing it.'

Brian Austin Green's girlfriend Sharna Burgess revealed she's eating her own placenta to help her recovery following the birth of her first child

'I highly recommend this. So I had my placenta picked up by our baby nurse who is also doula,' Sharna responded.

'She processed my placenta in whatever way it needs to be done and put it into capsules for me. I take two a day like a vitamin,' she continued.

'It's said to help with hormone balancing, milk production, PPD prevention and all round recovery. My old testimony I can give is that my recovery has been amazing and my mood and milk the whole time have been positive.'

During an Instagram Q&A, one fan asked Sharna: 'Can you give more info on your placenta pills? Mama to be and thinking about doing it'

Sharna returned to Instagram this week after welcoming her son Zane on June 28. Zane is the first child for the Australian star and the fifth for Brian, 48.

The actor already has three children, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, and Journey, five, with ex-wife Megan Fox, 36, as well as a son, Kassius, 20, with his former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil, 53.

Sharna recently shared a snap of Brian, whom she has been dating since 2020, taking a nap alongside Zane.

'I highly recommend this. So I had my placenta picked up by our baby nurse who is also doula. She processed my placenta in whatever way it needs to be done and put it into capsules for me. I take two a day like a vitamin,' Sharna responded

'I couldn't be more in love with this stage in our lives,' she began.

'The bliss, the snuggles, the excruciating love. The exhaustion the pain and even the adult diapers,' she said.

'Having Brian at my side throughout all of this and being everything and more we could possibly need is something I am grateful for beyond words,' she added.
The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy went for a bike ride in the bush on Wednesday in New South Wales' Wolgan Valley.

The 26-year-old actress is currently staying at the luxurious One & Only Resort while on break from filming the Mad Max prequel Furiosa.

Anya looked thrilled to take in some true blue Australian scenery, including scenic gorges and a fierce looking wallaroo.

The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy went for a bike ride in the bush on Wednesday in New South Wales' Wolgan Valley

She posted a gallery of cute videos to her Instagram which chronicled her fun day out.

The Split actress was dressed for comfort in an oversized brown jumper and green beanie.

She let her long blonde hair flow freely in the breeze for her outdoor adventure.

Anya took in some sightseeing on her day out and caught sight of a buff looking wallaroo

The highlight of her expedition was catching a buff looking wallaroo on camera.

Anya wrote on Instagram 'hes a bit smaller than his compadres but you gotta love an underdog'.

Anya and husband Malcolm recently married in secret after one year of dating, according to a Page Six report.

The Split actress was dressed for comfort in an oversized brown jumper and green beanie

They are staying in Australia for several months as she shoots Furiosa with co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke, with the film slated for a 2024 release.

She will star as a young Imperator Furiosa, the war captain previously played by Charlize Theron in 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.

The Miami-born actress is best known for playing the lead role in Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, as well as the films Emma and The Northman, in which she stars alongside Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman.
Most teenagers would be terrified to come face to face with a lion, but Freya Aspinall is made of sterner stuff.

The 18-year-old, who spent her childhood at her father Damian's wildlife parks in Kent, has shared an Instagram photo of her pet lion Azi nibbling her arm.

Freya, whose mother is actress and TV presenter Donna Air, says she has a close bond with the one-year-old after following her father into conservation work.

Wild behaviour: Donna Air's daughter Freya Aspinall, who spent her childhood at her father Damian's wildlife parks, has shared an Instagram photo of her pet lion Azi nibbling her arm

'We had to hand-raise Azi because his mother rejected him,' she says. 'From this, I was able to develop a completely natural relationship with him. No training, no taming. Pure love and trust.'

Freya is the only daughter of Damian and Donna, was just 21 when she met and fell in love with the multimillionaire, who was 40 at the time.

They were introduced at a dinner party in 2000 by their mutual friend, former It Girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, and went on to have a seven year relationship.

Bond: Freya says she has a close bond with the one-year-old after following her father into conservation work

Mum: Freya is the only daughter of Damian and Donna, was just 21 when she met and fell in love with the multimillionaire, who was 40 at the time

The couple famously hit the headlines when Freya was a baby, announcing they were planning to place their daughter in a gorilla enclosure at Damian's animal park and allow her to be carried off by the female of the group.

It was a ritual Damian had carried out with his first two daughters, Tansy, 33, and Clary, 30, from his 15-year marriage to Louise Sebag-Montefiore.

Damian has carried on the legacy of his late father John Aspinall who encouraged close contact between animals and keepers at Kent park Howletts and its sister site Port Lympne.

Damian's dad John bought Howletts with his gambling winnings in 1956 and moved his family there from central London.

Working together: Freya has entered the family business, with Damian and Donna backing their daughter's decision to drop out of school and follow him into conservation

Natural talent: Freya recently part in a rewilding mission in the Congo and Damian made her the star of his documentary Freya & The Gorillas: An Incredible Rewilding Journey

Following his father's death, Damian has has managed the parks through the John Aspinall Foundation, a charity named for his father.

Now Freya has entered the family business, with Damian and Donna backing their daughter's decision to drop out of school and follow him into conservation.

Freya recently took part in a rewilding mission in the Congo and Damian made her the star of his documentary Freya & The Gorillas: An Incredible Rewilding Journey.

Established in 1989, the Aspinall Foundation's gorilla orphanage was the first of its kind in the world, and has rescued over 80 gorillas since then.

The Foundation has also reintroduced over 70 gorillas back into the wild, including 26 that were raised in its two parts, Port Lympne and Howletts.
Strictly lovebirds Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova looked as smitten as ever as they arrived at rehearsals with their professional co-stars on Tuesday.

The couple, who have been dating since January, looked stylish as they chatted to each other while arriving at group rehearsals for the upcoming series of Strictly.

This week, the 19 professional dancers returned to the studios for group rehearsals, which will run throughout the summer, ahead of the 2022 instalment of the show.

Chic: Strictly lovebirds Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova looked as smitten as ever as they arrived at rehearsals with their professional co-stars on Tuesday

Couple: The couple, who have been dating since January, looked stylish as they chatted to each other while arriving at group rehearsals for the upcoming series of Strictly

Arriving at the studios for the second day of rehearsals, Nadiya looked effortlessly chic in black shorts and a white T-shirt with a face across it.

The Ukrainian-Slovenian ballroom dancer, 32, styled her outfit with a grey blazer and kept comfortable in a pair of grey trainers.

She slung a grey handbag across one arm and shielded her eyes from the sunshine with a pair of oversized black sunglasses.

Nadiya styled her golden tresses loosely in a straight fashion and clutched a cup of coffee in one hand as she chatted to her beau.

Outing: Dancer and choreographer Kai kept comfortable in a pair of black trainers and kept his essentials in a black backpack, while he also held a Tom Ford shopping bag

Looking good: Ukrainian-Slovenian ballroom dancer Nadiya, 32, styled her outfit with a grey blazer and kept comfortable in a pair of grey trainers

Kai, 26, kept it casual in black trousers and a dark graphic T-shirt, which he wore underneath a cream jacket.

The dancer and choreographer kept comfortable in a pair of black trainers and kept his essentials in a black backpack, while he also held a Tom Ford shopping bag.

He appeared to be in jovial spirits as he flashed a huge smile and styled his brunette locks in a slicked-back style.

The couple were joined by their fellow Strictly professionals and newcomers to the BBC series as they arrived for rehearsals.

Jovial: Amy Dowden - who tied the knot with her fiance Ben Jones this month - cut a casual figure as she sported a light blue long-sleeved midi dress along with a pair of gold sandals

Friends: She stepped out with her pal Cameron Lombard (centre), who opted for a laidback look as he wore a navy jumper with a pair of black trousers

Just married: Amy gave a flash of her glitzy wedding ring and appeared in jovial spirits as she grinned at the studios

Amy Dowden - who tied the knot with her fiance Ben Jones this month - cut a casual figure as she sported a light blue long-sleeved midi dress along with a pair of gold sandals.

The professional dancer, 31, let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders and completed her look with a light pallet of make-up.

She stepped out with her pal Cameron Lombard, who opted for a laidback look as he wore a navy jumper with a pair of black trousers.

Cameron is a recent addition to the Strictly cast, joining the show during last year's series while Amy has been a part of the programme since 2017.

Fashionista: Elsewhere, Dianne Buswell cut an elegant figure in a dusty pink satin maxi skirt and a white T-shirt as she arrived at the studios

Arrival: The Australian dancer, 33, paired her ensemble with brown sandals and kept her essentials in a black handbag and a larger shoulder bag

Elsewhere, Dianne Buswell cut an elegant figure in a dusty pink satin maxi skirt and a white T-shirt as she arrived at the studios.

The Australian dancer, 33, paired her ensemble with brown sandals and kept her essentials in a black handbag and a larger shoulder bag.

She showed off her signature rouge tresses, which she wore in a straight fashion, and showed off her natural good looks.

Dianne clutched a water bottle in one arm and accessorised with a gold pendant necklace and an array of rings.

Good look: Luba Mushtuk looked edgy in black leggings and a sheer top, which she wore underneath a black leather jacket

Luba Mushtuk looked edgy in black leggings and a sheer top, which she wore underneath a black leather jacket.

The Russian dancer, 32, completed her stylish ensemble with a pair of black trainers and slung a beige handbag over one arm.

She styled her golden tresses loosely in a straight fashion and accentuated her striking features with a light dusting of make-up.

Luba accessorised her outfit with a pair of silver hoop earrings and clutched her phone in one hand.

They're back: Giovanni Pernice also kept it casual in Dolce and Gabbana jogging bottoms and a white T-shirt as he arrived at the second day of rehearsals with Johannes Radebe

Greeting: The Italian dancer, 28, looked ready to rehearse in a pair of green trainers and kept his essentials in a black backpack as he kissed his fellow pro Lauren Oakley

All smiles: Elsewhere, Graziano Di Prima kept it casual in black trousers and a dark T-shirt as he posed for photographs outside the studios

Giovanni Pernice also kept it casual in Dolce and Gabbana jogging bottoms and a white T-shirt for the second day of rehearsals.

The 31-year-old gave a thumbs-up as he left the studios, while he shaded his face with a black baseball cap.

He was joined by his fellow pro Johannes Radebe, who showed off his style in blue jeans and a mint green T-shirt.

The South African dancer, 35, also sported a black bucket hat and slung various bags over his arms as he prepared for rehearsals.

Pals: The Italian dancer, 28, looked ready to rehearse in a pair of green trainers and kept his essentials in a black backpack

Newcomers: Lauren wore her pixie cut in a tousled style and accessorised her laidback ensemble with silver hoop earrings as she walked with Michelle

Stylish: Newbie Lauren, who has joined the cast this year, showed off her sensational sense of style in flared black trousers and a blue crop-top as she stepped out with Michelle Tsiakkas

Elsewhere, Graziano Di Prima kept it casual in black trousers and a dark T-shirt as he posed for photographs outside the studios.

The Italian dancer, 28, looked ready to rehearse in a pair of green trainers and kept his essentials in a black backpack.

He shielded his eyes in a pair of round sunglasses and styled his signature curls in a loose fashion, while he gave the camera a peace sign.

Graziano was seen greeting his fellow professional Lauren Oakley with a kiss on the cheek as they arrived at the studios.

Newbie Lauren, who has joined the cast this year, showed off her sensational sense of style in flared black trousers and a blue crop-top.

Exciting: She styled her ensemble with a black jacket and slip-on sandals as she arrived for the first week of Strictly rehearsals

Style icon: Meanwhile, Nancy Xu looked effortlessly chic in wide-leg blue jeans and a grey knitted cardigan, which she paired with a jumper

She styled her ensemble with a black jacket and slip-on sandals as she arrived for the first week of Strictly rehearsals.

Lauren wore her pixie cut in a tousled style and accessorised her laidback ensemble with silver hoop earrings.

She was seen chatting to her fellow newcomer Michelle Tsiakkas, who cut a laidback figure in black jogging bottoms, an Adidas hoodie and pink trainers.

Another newbie Carlos Gu was also seen arriving at the studios for the second day of Strictly rehearsals.

Meanwhile, Nancy Xu looked effortlessly chic in wide-leg blue jeans and a grey knitted cardigan, which she paired with a jumper.

Grinning: Gorka Marquez appeared in jovial spirits as he gave a thumbs up outside the studios, while he wore a beige T-shirt, black shorts and white trainers

Casual: And Neil Jones put on a vibrant display as he stepped out in cream jogging bottoms and a Rolling Stones black jumper

The 30-year-old kept comfortable in a pair of silver slip-on shoes and shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized beige sunglasses.

And Gorka Marquez appeared in jovial spirits as he gave a thumbs up outside the studios, while he wore a beige T-shirt, black shorts and white trainers.

And Neil Jones put on a vibrant display as he stepped out in cream jogging bottoms and a Rolling Stones black jumper.

The 40-year-old added a pop of colour to his look with orange Nike high-top trainers as he chatted on the phone.

He slung a black backpack over his shoulders and sported a well-groomed rouge beard and a buzz-cut.

Co-stars: Also seen at the second day of rehearsals were Nikita Kuzmin and newcomer Carlos Gu

Also seen at the second day of rehearsals were Nikita Kuzmin, who cut a stylish figure in beige trousers and a brown hoodie, and Katya Jones.

It comes as AJ Pritchard has warned Strictly pros that the new arrivals could be a threat.

Four new professional dancers have joined the line-up, which means that 20 in total are ready to bring their skills to the BBC show's dancefloor later this year.

And the former Strictly star, 27, revealed he knows two of the new dancers and spoke on how 'competitive' they are.

AJ, who left in 2020, told the Sunday Mirror: 'I know Lauren and Carlos  because he was taught by one of my teachers, so it's exciting.

Busy: This week, the 19 professional dancers returned to the studios for group rehearsals, which will run throughout the summer, ahead of the 2022 instalment of the show

Warning: It comes after AJ Pritchard has warned Strictly Come Dancing professionals that the new arrivals could be a threat

'I used to compete against Lauren. I think a fresh buzz could be interesting. I think everybody who does dancing is competitive. It will be interesting who gets partnered and who doesn't. That's the waiting game.'

The four new world class dancers completing this year's professional troupe are European cup winner Vito Coppola, Chinese National Champion Carlos Gu, former Under 21 British National Champion Lauren Oakley and Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas.

They join the professional dancers already revealed for the upcoming series: Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Giovanni Pernice, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu.

Show favourites Alijaz Skorjanec and Oti Mabuse both quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this year.

Not every pro dancer will be paired with a celebrity with four traditionally performing only in the pro routines.

New faces: The four new world class dancers completing this year's professional troupe are European cup winner Vito Coppola, Chinese National Champion Carlos Gu, former Under 21 British National Champion Lauren Oakley and Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas

Vito Coppola said of his new role: 'I am really excited to become part of this family. I cannot wait to start this new adventure and to challenge myself. Strictly sto arrivando! (or: Strictly I am coming!)'

Carlos Gu added: 'I'm thrilled to join Strictly and very excited to get started. It's a new chapter of my life and a new challenge as well. I'm absolutely ready to take on this journey and to shine.'

Former Under 21 British National Champion Lauren Oakley gushed: 'I've grown up watching Strictly, always hoping that one day I could be part of the best show on television, doing what I love the most.'

'Now that it's happening, it doesn't quite seem real. I can't wait to start this new sequined adventure and join this incredible family.'

Saying goodbye: Aljaz Skorjanec announced earlier this year that he has quit Strictly Come Dancing following nine years on the show as a professional dancer

Latin champ Michelle Tsiakkas said: 'Being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has been my dream ever since I was a little girl.'

'I cannot believe my dream has come true! I'm so grateful to be joining this incredible family and I can't wait to step on that magical dance floor and give it my all!'

The upcoming series will be the first in three years to be broadcast without Covid measures, which forced bosses to introduce restrictions including 'bubbles' for training and limited audience numbers.

The celebrity competitors won't be confirmed until later in the year with the latest rumours including Channel 4 presenter Steph McGovern, Coronation Street star Kym Marsh and former footballerv Tony 'Donkey' Adams.
Love Island's Dami Hope left fans disgusted as they witnessed a filthy habit of the microbiologist on Tuesday night's episode.

While lying in bed before getting ready to treat the girls to a pamper day, Dubliner Dami broke wind for seven seconds right next to Gemma Owen.

Gemma left the room telling him: 'Right, I'm off out,' while Andrew gaped: 'Oh wow' as the other boys continued to laugh at the Irish islander.

Unimpressed: Love Island's Dami Hope left fans disgusted when he broke wind for seven seconds straight in the villa on Tuesday night

However, viewers of the show were less than impressed and took to Twitter in their hundreds to share their reactions.



One person wrote: 'Damis fart was disgusting #loveisland #LoveIslandUK #LoveIsland2022.'

Another commented: 'Damis farts are not of this world. My goodness. #LoveIsland.'

Disgusted: However, viewers of the show were less than impressed and took to Twitter in their hundreds to share their reactions

Seeing the funny side of things someone joked: 'Damis farts sound better than Indiyahs recorder ngl #LoveIsland. joked another.'

A fourth tweeted: 'Damis farts are unhinged! #LoveIsland.'

Another sarcastically posted: 'Damis could hold the Guinness book of records for the longest farts #LoveIsland.'

'Dami has them uncle farts. #LoveIsland,' another simply put.

Reaction: Viewers were quick to take to Twitter and comment on the unexpected moment

One social media user urged: 'Someone has to check on why Dami farts like that. #LoveIsland.'

Another horrified user said: 'Eww Damis fart literally lasted the entire episode #LoveIsland,'

While another suggested: 'Dami gotta be lactose intolerant or something these farts are not normal #LoveIsland.'

Shocked: The social media giant was flooded with countless memes in reaction to his habit

Elsewhere in the show Luca Bish and Gemma became embroiled in a tense row after he 'pushed' her aside during a raunchy challenge.

The fishmonger, 23, and the dressage champion clashed over a Mile High-themed challenge that saw Gemma lick Adam Collard's chest.

But Luca appeared to become annoyed and 'pushed' Gemma on to the next boy, with the couple later getting into a row over the moment as Gemma criticised him for his 'moody' reaction.

Tension: Luca Bish and Gemma became embroiled in a tense row after he 'pushed' her aside during a raunchy challenge during the episode

In the challenge, Gemma transformed into a sexy flight attendant and threw herself into the task, licking 26-year-old Adam's chest as the other boys laughed.

But as Gemma moved over to Luca, he was seen 'pushing' her on to the next boy, Dami, as he appeared to be visibly annoyed by the raunchy moment.

Speaking in the Beach Hut, he said: 'I'll be honest, I don't want to see Gemma licking any other bloke.'

Annoyed: The fishmonger, 23, and the daughter of Michael Owen, 19, clashed over a Mile High-themed challenge that saw lick Adam Collard's chest

Fuming: Viewers were quick to deem Luca's reaction to the challenge as 'wild', but his family were quick to flock to his defence and claim that he was in a 'crazy intense environment'

Gemma laughed and continued with the challenge, going back to her partner at the end, with Luca smiling as he appeared to have gotten over the moment.

But after returning to the villa, Gemma pulled Luca aside to discuss his reaction during the challenge, saying he was acting like a 12-year-old for 'pushing' her away.

Luca initially denied that he was irritated, saying it was 'just banter', but then went on to admit that he couldn't 'stay annoyed' at her.

During their heated row, Gemma said: 'You can sit here and say that you're not in a mood... you're in a mood.'

Raunchy: Dressage rider Gemma transformed into a sexy flight attendant and threw herself into the challenge, licking 26-year-old Adam's chest as the other boys laughed

Oh dear: But as Gemma moved over to Luca, he was seen 'pushing' her on to the next boy, Dami, as he appeared to be visibly annoyed by the raunchy moment

As Luca insisted he wasn't, Gemma protested: 'Luca don't play thick... you were pushing me off, had a face like a slapped a**e, are you 12?!'

He then admitted that he had been irritated by her 'licking' the other boys in the challenge, saying he wouldn't 'stay annoyed' at her for it.

He said: 'It's obviously not nice to see but it's a challenge. Licking other boys, putting your head down there, but it's a challenge. I can't exactly stay annoyed at you for it.'

Yet Gemma was quick to pick up on his wording, responding: 'So you can't exactly 'stay' annoyed at me for it - so you were annoyed at me for it.'

Row: But after returning to the villa, Gemma pulled Luca aside to discuss his reaction during the challenge, saying he was acting like a 12-year-old for 'pushing' her away

Their argument then became even more heated as Luca snapped: 'I do not care what the f**k you've done in the challenge.'

Walking away from the conversation, Luca muttered 'it's doing my head in', before removing his microphone and storming out of the villa.

Gemma sarcastically quipped: 'Well that went well.'

Speaking to her fellow Islanders, Gemma had also branded Luca a 'p***k' for getting annoyed at the challenge, while Indiyah Polack said he was being a 'baby'.


Ioan Gruffudd smiled contentedly while on a dog walk with his crop top clad girlfriend Bianca Wallace in West Hollywood, on Tuesday.

The Fantastic Four actor, 48, kept things casual for their morning stroll, dressed in stone chinos and trainers, which he teamed with a plain white T-shirt.

His Australian girlfriend, 29, showed off a glimpse of her toned abs in a light green crop top and a black pair of skin tight leggings as she linked arms with her man.

Ioan and Bianca's latest outing came after his estranged wife Alice Evans, 53, launched another attack on her ex, amid the ugly custody battle over their two children.

Low-key outing: Ioan Gruffudd, 48, smiled contentedly while on a dog walk with his crop top clad girlfriend Bianca Wallace, 29, in West Hollywood, on Tuesday

Ioan and Bianca looked at ease during their low-key dog walk with their adorable pet pooch, which sported a cute blue bandana around its neck.

The couple put safety first with their eyes shielded from the morning sunlight with classic shades as they merrily pounded the pavement arm-in-arm.

Ioan and Bianca's latest outing came after his estranged wife Alice Evans launched another attack, claiming she must 'speak her truth' on social media as she 'doesn't have the money' to afford a lawyer.

Gruffudd filed for joint custody of his two daughters Elsie, eight, and Ella, 12, earlier this month, after his estranged wife, Evans filed for sole custody amid a bitter divorce.

Happy: The couple put safety first with their eyes shielded from the morning sunlight with classic shades as they merrily pounded the pavement arm-in-arm

Simple styling: The Fantastic Four actor kept things casual for their morning stroll, dressed in stone chinos and trainers, which he teamed with a plain white T-shirt

Activewear: His Australian girlfriend showed off a glimpse of her toned abs in a light green crop top and a black pair of skin tight leggings as she linked arms with her man

Dutiful: Bianca took care of their pet pooch's muck

In Instagram posts on Tuesday, Evans accused Gruffudd of using money that should have been spent on their daughters' wellbeing on his legal case and insisted he was not telling the truth by calling her a 'bad parent' in legal filings.

Evans, who has previously claimed that her ex stopped paying their daughter's private school fees, then shared a text exchange that she alluded was between Gruffudd and one of his daughters.

In a lengthy Instagram rant, Evans began: 'You see - I have no money. I gave up my career because i wanted the love of my life to have an amazing career and that leave him being away most of the time. And I gritted my teeth and I got through it.

'I missed working oh hell I missed working but I didnt want a day to go by without seeing my two incredible girls. So their was an upside. [sic]'

Cute pup! Ioan and Bianca looked at ease during their low-key dog walk with their adorable pet pooch, which sported a cute blue bandana around its neck

'He's spending money that should have gone to our girls': On Tuesday, Alice Evans launched another blistering attack on estranged husband Ioan amid their ugly custody battle

The 102 Dalmatians star went on to claim that her ex was trying to 'ruin' her name, stating: 'Ask my kids. As anybody that knows us. Being called a bad parent when I gave up everything for them and dont sleep at night in case and worry about how to feed them, check their health, take them to the dentist.'

She continued: 'Those of you who might think well why is she CONTINUING to post on Instagram when his lawyers are going to take her down for it?

'But think about it. He is spending money that should have gone to the girls education, sports, college, on using a lawyer to gag me.'

Evans added that she had been 'shut up' by the domestic violence restraining order that Gruffudd has been granted against her.

Father: Fantastic Four actor Gruffudd filed for joint custody of his two daughters Elsie, eight, and Ella, 12, earlier this month, after his estranged wife, Evans filed for sole custody

She went on: 'HE gets to say it. HE get so to lie about me being s bad parent ( you couldnt get further from the truth. )

'But me? I get threatened with fines, with jail if I tell MY TRUTH about what is really happening. And all I have is social media because I cant afford a lawyer.

'Isnt that a microcosm of rich and poor America? I will likely go to court for posting this. ( another example of the way he treats his children)

'He may well be lauded for doing the right thing. For going through the courts. He well may get to take my kids away from me ( good luck with that dude)

'Either way I have done nothing wrong and I will continue to fight. [sic]'

Allegations: In Instagram posts on Tuesday, Evans accused Gruffudd of using money that should have been spent on their daughters' wellbeing on his legal case

In a follow up post, Evans shared a picture of court filings that seemed to relate to her social media activity.

The context of the filing was not clear, with just Alice's name and the words 'Instagram' and 'Twitter' visible.

Evans captioned the images: 'Insane. Check his OWN Instagram account.

'Its a picture of him and Bianca entitled FINALLY somebody who makes me smile'.

Alice's statement was incorrect, however, as the picture in question - posted in October last year when Ioan went public with his actress girlfriend Bianca Wallace - was actually captioned: 'Thank you for making me smile again.'

Filings: In a follow up post, Evans shared a picture of court filings that seemed to relate to her social media activity

Inaccurate: Evans captioned the images, 'Insane. Check his OWN Instagram account. Its a picture of him and Bianca entitled FINALLY somebody who makes me smile'

Despite her inaccuracy, Evans continued: 'By your own admission, Mr Gruffudd, your kids have access to Instagram.

'Your swore in their lives when you left us that there was no other woman.

'Yet when it turned out there WAS, ( somebody from Harrow that you suddenly met up with in June ha ha ha) YOU CHOSE TO TELL YOUR KIDS VIA INSTAGRAM?

'You broke their hearts.'

Evans has previously accused her ex and Wallace of conducting a three-year affair - there is no evidence to suggest Gruffudd was unfaithful.

MailOnline has contacted Gruffudd's representatives for comment.

Accurate: Alice's statement was incorrect, however, as the picture in question - posted in October last year when Ioan went public with his actress girlfriend Bianca Wallace - was actually captioned: 'Thank you for making me smile again'

Gruffudd filed a joint custody request in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday July 8, asking for custody and visitation rights to see his children.

The actor claimed in the filing that Evans had been purposely trying to cut communication between himself and the children.

He also petitioned that the girls attend in-person therapy and reunification therapy via zoom with him pending court-ordered mediation about custody.

Last month, Evans claimed to be 'completely out of money for food and bills' but declared she is focused on being 'the best mother I can possibly be.'

In an Instagram post with one of her daughters pictured, she wrote made scathing comment about her lack of funds as the court case between her and her estrange husband continues on.

She claimed she would receive no financial support from Ioan and that she was struggling to pay her legal fees and would be unable to 'feed or clothe' their daughters.

'Trying to hold it all together whilst being threatened, completely out of money for food and bills and just found out somebody tried to break down our outside door last night,' she said.

'But it's all worth it for this! (And the one who currently doesn't want to be photographed.)

'Whatevs. Most of all, I will be the best mother I can possibly be. Forever. They will never lose me. Thank you everybody for so much love and support! Having a bit of a rough moment!'

New love: Gruffudd filed for divorce from Evans in March 2021, citing irreconcilable differences. He is now living with Bianca Wallace, 30, in Los Angeles (pictured in June)

Evans claimed in June that Gruffudd had been successful in having his domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) against her extended, yet she denied any claims of abuse and insisted he was 'chasing Johnny Depp-style fame.'

It has since been revealed that Gruffudd was seeking a a continuation of a restraining order against Evans.

Gruffudd requested a temporary restraining order against Evans in February 2022, offering up 113 pages of abusive text messages, emails and social media posts from Alice.

In a bid to bring matters to a close, Gruffudd, engaged Brad Pitt's divorce lawyer, Anne Kiley, who is believed to have requested that the order - which requires Evans doesn't contact or harass him or his girlfriend - carries on for at least another year.

Gruffudd filed for divorce from Evans in March 2021, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their split. He is now living with girlfriend Bianca Wallace, 30, in Los Angeles.

The pair went Instagram official in October, after he posted a picture of them together with the words: 'Thank you for making me smile again.'

Evans and Gruffudd met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000, when the actress was in a relationship with Pablo Picasso's grandson Olivier.

The former couple became engaged six years later after she gave him an ultimatum about their relationship, and they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mexico in September 2007.

Gruffudd hasn't publicly addressed the couple's divorce.
Kurt Coleman shot to fame in 2016 as Australia's first self-proclaimed influencer.

And on Wednesday, the social media star surprised many of his 104,000 Instagram followers when he ditched his fresh-faced look and embraced a more rugged style.

Kurt posted two new images to the social media platform that highlighted his physical transformation over the past 12 months - complete with unshaven face, toned forearms and a curious expression.

Kurt Coleman (pictured) surprised many of his 104,000 Instagram followers on Wednesday when he flaunted his unshaven, rugged new look

In the two frames, Kurt is seen standing atop a staircase in a black singlet and track pants.

The blond star accessorised his look with a pair of pink slippers and facial hair on his famous visage.

The 24-year-old captioned the images: 'I look like a different person when I dont shave my face.'

He jokingly added the reason he doesn't adopt this look more often is because 'it feels dirty so I dont like it.'

In the two frames, Kurt is seen standing atop a staircase in a black singlet and track pants. The blond star accessorised his look with pink slippers and facial hair on his famous visage

The handsome Gold Coast native made headlines earlier this year when openly gay Kurt revealed he rejected 'identity labels'.

Posting a video message to his Instagram, Kurt said he was happy to just identify himself by his name rather than use a particular label.

He explained while he is gay, he doesn't see himself as part of the wider LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community).

The handsome Gold Coast native made headlines earlier this year when the openly gay Kurt revealed he rejected 'identity labels'

'I'm just saying what I think, and I don't even ever want to be involved with the "LGBT community" either. I just can't relate,' Kurt said.

'It's amazing that people have their communities but I just don't relate to it... I just see myself as me. I don't think into it at all,' he added.

Kurt also said he also has no interest in being a 'role model' to other gay people, and is happy just being himself.
Brad Pitt has started dating again six years after he split from Angelina Jolie.

The 58-year-old Bullet Train actor has been seeing a new woman, but is not in a 'serious' relationship, a source told People on Wednesday.

'He's dating, but is not in a serious relationship,' the insider said about the Hollywood icon who was previously wed to Friends vet Jennifer Aniston and engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow.

Who could the lucky lady be? Brad Pitt has started dating again. The 58-year-old Bullet Train actor has been seeing a new woman, but is not in a 'serious' relationship, a source told People on Wednesday. Seen July 18 in Paris

After Jolie he was linked to 29-year-old Polish native Nicole Potur - short for Nicole Poturalski - who works as a model but the relationship seems to have been brief.

This new relationship comes six years after he split from Jolie and three years after the Oscar winning actor was declared legally single amid a bitter custody battle for five of their six children - eldest Maddox is now an adult.

The kids are Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

It has not been an easy six years with his divorce battle with Jolie but he has tried to find the silver lining: 'He's living his best life under the circumstances.'

He has moved on: 'He's dating, but is not in a serious relationship,' the insider said about the Hollywood icon who was previously wed to Friends vet Jennifer Aniston and engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow. Seen July 20 in London

He has a type: After Jolie he was linked to 29-year-old Polish native Nicole Potur - short for Nicole Poturalski - who works as a model but the relationship seems to have been brief

The site went into detail about how Pitt spends his time.

One of the joys of his life is seeing his kids as often as he can.

'Brad has dinner with his younger kids when they are all in L.A. Since the kids are older now, they have their own life and friends. Brad still has a pretty good relationship with them,' it was shared.

And he likes to visit his Chateau Miraval mansion in France which he snapped up in 2008.

His last love: This comes six years after he split from wife Angelina Jolie and three years after the Oscar winning actor was declared legally single amid a bitter custody battle. Seen in 2007

The end of Brangie: Here they are seen on their last red carpet together in 2015

'He's really enjoying Miraval and always poured the profits back into it,' shared the insider.

Jolie sold her half of the home and wine business in October 2021 to liquor giant Stoli, but Brad was not happy with her buyer so he tried to end the sale but lost out according to PageSix.

And then there is his movie career.

'Brad is having a great time promoting Bullet Train,' shared the insider.

The family: from left, Shiloh, Zahara, Jolie, Vivienne, Maddox and Knox, missing is Pax; seen in 2021 in London

'It was a great project for him to film after months of COVID lockdown. The shooting schedule was intense and challenging for him. He loved it. He feels great about the movie.'

This comes after DailyMail.com shared that he has bought a home in Carmel, California for $40million.

It is the historic D. L. James House known as 'Seaward' overlooking California's central coast.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor bought the 1918 house in celebrity hotspot Carmel, and the purchase is thought to be the highest priced property ever sold in the area.

Locals are 'thrilled to have another big-name celebrity in their midst', especially after the property has sat empty for years.

Not her: He has been getting close to his Bullet Train costar Joey King but she is already 22 and is engaged to Steven Piet; seen on July 16 in Paris

Architecture fanatic Brad is understood to love Craftsman-style homes.

The abode was designed by 20th century architect Charles Sumner Greene for Kansas city businessman Daniel James Jr.

According to The Wall Street Journal, before Brad, the luxury property was owned since 1999 by Searock, a limited liability company tied to the late Chicago financier Joe Ritchie, a trader and founder of the private investment group Fox River Partners.

Built from locally quarried sandstone and granite from cliffs, the D.L. James pad has arched windows and a tiled Mediterranean-style roof that is dominated by muted terracotta colours.

All good with her: Meanwhile, Jolie has been doing very well with her career as her last film, The Eternals, was a hit; seen in 2021 in Italy

Its outer walls are said to have been designed to look as if they were growing out of cliffs.

Photographer Alexander Vertikoff, who photographed the property in 1997, said it's 'awfully private' and visitors 'can't just walk in there'.

Brad already has a $5 million (4 million) beach house in Goleta, California, which he purchased in 2000 when he married Aniston.

The property was last year dangerously close to the Alisal wildfire and has been included in the evacuation warning zone, meaning it is at significant risk from the fire.

Not on again: There have been claims that he is back with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston but People has said this is not true; seen in 2000
MasterChef judge Melissa Leong has torn shreds off Pauline Hanson for storming out of the Senate during the opening acknowledgment of country on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old, who is of Chinese-Singaporean heritage, said Hanson's walk-out was not only 'bigoted' but stole the spotlight from Fatima Payman, who just minutes later would become the first Muslim woman to address the Senate in a hijab.

Describing the day's events as 'a step forward and several back' for multicultural Australia, Leong blasted Senator Hanson for 'robbing' Payman, the Labor Senator-elect for Western Australia, of her moment of glory.

MasterChef judge Melissa Leong (pictured on June 19) has torn shreds off Pauline Hanson for storming out of the Senate during the opening acknowledgment of country on Wednesday

'On a day we should only be cheering the first hijab-wearing woman giving her inaugural speech to Parliament, we are in many ways robbed of that full glory by another woman, this one an ugly-hearted bigot, who walked out of the Senate - during and because of - acknowledgement of country,' she wrote on Instagram.

The food critic continued: 'This typifies where we are as a nation. We have come so far, yet we have so far to go. I am hopeful and yet so very angry all at once. The only comfort I have is knowing I'm not alone.

'Sending power, congratulations and support to Senator Fatima Payman. To the short-sighted hateful bigot, hope the door hit you on the way out. Feel free not to come back.'

Senator Hanson angrily left the Senate during the opening acknowledgment of country, which she interrupted by yelling, 'No, I won't and never will', before storming out of the chamber

The 40-year-old, who is of Chinese-Singaporean heritage, said Hanson's walk-out was not only 'bigoted' but stole the spotlight from Fatima Payman (pictured), who just minutes later would become the first Muslim woman to address the Senate in a hijab

'On a day we should only be cheering the first hijab-wearing woman giving her inaugural speech to Parliament, we are in many ways robbed of that full glory by another woman, this one an ugly-hearted bigot, who walked out of the Senate - during and because of - acknowledgement of country,' she wrote on Instagram

Leong was supported by fellow Channel 10 presenter Barry Du Bois, who commented below her post: 'We have so many strong, smart, empathetic, free-thinking women doing great things to be wasting time on this racist bigot.'

Du Bois, who has cancer, pulled out of his run for federal parliament earlier this year.

Leong, whose parents emigrated to Australia from Singapore, was a teenager when Hanson delivered her infamous maiden speech to parliament in 1996 in which she warned Australia was 'in danger of being swamped by Asians'.

The divisive politician had just secured a victory in the Queensland lower house seat of Oxley, and her speech sent shockwaves through the country's political landscape.

Leong was supported by fellow Channel 10 presenter Barry Du Bois (pictured), who commented below her post: 'We have so many strong, smart, empathetic, free-thinking women doing great things to be wasting time on this racist bigot'

Hanson angrily left the Senate during the opening acknowledgment of country at the opening of Wednesday's sitting.

Senate President Sue Lines acknowledged the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people as traditional custodians of the Canberra area and paid respect to elders past and present.

Senator Hanson interjected, yelling, 'No, I won't and never will', before storming out of the chamber in a huff.

The One Nation leader later said she could not accept the welcome to country or a proposal to be moved later in the day that would raise the Indigenous flag in the Senate chamber.

'I've been feeling this way for a long time,' she said. 'I have called from the first day for equality for all Australians. I see this as divisive.'

She said if anyone needed acknowledgement it was 'our people that have fought for this country. People who have sacrificed their lives.'

'Sending power, congratulations and support to Senator Fatima Payman. To the short-sighted hateful bigot, hope the door hit you on the way out. Feel free not to come back,' said Leong

Senator Hanson added the Indigenous flag had 'never been voted on'.

'I will never pay respect to (the flag). I find this flag divisive,' she said.

She also criticised the acknowledgement to country being so widespread, saying: 'We are now hearing it on flights and aeroplanes. I'm sorry, this is my country as well.

'This is heading towards division in our nation. A them and us. And we'll never close the gap if we continue down this path. All Australians should be treated equally and the same.'
Ankara is looking to buy Dassault Rafale fighters, a 4.5++ generation fighter, because the US government could block an F-16 defense deal.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Emmanuel Macron of France discussed a plan to buy the cutting-edge French fighter.

Turkish Air Force Acquires New Aircraft

According to a press release issued by the Turkish Directorate of Communications on July 16, President Erdogan spoke with President Macron about a variety of issues, including grain exports from Ukraine and a joint defense program with France and Italy based on Eurosam's SAMP/T air-defense missile system, reported The Eurasian Times.

The Rafale combat jets were not mentioned in the official release, though. Retired Lieutenant General Dr. Erdoan Karakus, a well-known Turkish military analyst, quickly commented on the news of the two Presidents' conversation. Discussions included the modern Dassault delta wing, noted Ahaber.

According to Karakus, Turkey is thinking of purchasing French Rafale fighters in case the US decides to reject its request for 40 US F-16 Viper jets and 80 old-generation F-16C/D aircraft.

Although US Vice President Joe Biden supports selling the F-16 defense deal, US lawmakers are opposed to this transaction.

US Lawmakers Might Block F-16 Sale

When the House of Representatives passed legislation banning the US administration from delivering or exporting F-16s to Turkey unless the administration determines that doing so is essential to US national security, two days after the call between Erdogan and Macron, noted The Daily Sabah.

Another is taking serious measures to ensure that fighter jets are not used for unauthorized overflights of Greece.

Read Also: Xi Jinping: 5 Things To Know About China's President

According to Karakus, Biden seems unable to approve the purchase due to legislative pressure and his anxiety over offending the Greek and Armenian lobbies. He added that the US president truly wants to approve the transaction.

The French jets were a possibility because the US Lower House had not approved them, which explains why. Will France be able to sell the jets without US interference? Turkey and Greece have turned to international nations for assistance to strengthen their militaries as a result of tensions between the two nations.

If the claims stated by the analyst are accurate, it would appear that France wants to gain from both sides. Six of the 24 Rafale fighter jets that France has already agreed to provide to Greece, of which there will be two, were delivered in January 2022.

According to a previous report, Turkey supposedly started to train its fighter pilots on Rafale fighter jets of the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QeAF) for Turkish fighter pilots to be acquainted with the console and its capabilities to combat the threat from the Hellenic Air Force's fleet of Rafales.

French Jet Better Than the F-16s

As opposed to the F-16s, which are 3.5-generation fighters with 4th-generation capability, Turkey would be better off obtaining the 4.5-generation Rafale fighter jets.

According to an expert responding to the EurAsian Times, the French planes possess semi-stealth technology and nuclear capacity, something Turkey's current F-16 fleet lacks.

Greece has already asked the US for a squadron of fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets, and Turkey may choose the Dassault Fighters. Getting the Rafale fighters would be better over the problems caused by the US F-16 defense deal; Turkey will do better without Washington.

Related Article: US Says Ankara Will Not Get Last Generation F-16s Easily After Trashing F-35 Program

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Christine Quinn displayed her immaculate sense of style on Wednesday as she stepped out in New York City.

The Selling Sunset star, 33, showed off her toned torso and leggy figure in a barely-there, all black ensemble.

Opting for a black micro skirt with a hip-grazing slit, she teamed the number with a PVC single-strapped crop top.

Svelte: Christine Quinn, 33, displayed her physique in a barely-there PVC crop top and micro skirt on Wednesday as she stepped out in New York City

The beauty added a cropped PVC gilet on top, elevating her height with open-toed wrap around heels.

While Christine added a pop of sparkle with a glimmering mini handbag as she held onto black sunglasses.

She amped up the glamour with a Balenciaga BB chained silver necklace and complementing earrings, which retail for almost 3000 combined.

Height boosting: The beauty added a cropped PVC gilet o top, elevating her height with open-toed wrap around heels

Couture: She amped up the glamour with a Balenciaga BB chained silver necklace and complementing earrings, which retail for almost 3000 combined

Christine's bright blonde locks were chicly blowdried into a bouncy style as they fell to collarbone level, while the TV personality opted for a pretty palette of makeup.

She's had a busy summer so far, recently returning from a trip to the UK and touring around the US to promote her book, How To Be A Boss B*tch.

Admitting she 'doesn't know what state or time zone' she's in most of the time, the beauty detailed her hectic book tour to The New York Times.

Beauty: Christine's bright blonde locks were chicly blowdried into a bouncy style as they fell to collarbone level, while the TV personality opted for a pretty palette of makeup

'Its been a whirlwind. I dont know what city Im in, what state, what time zone. No clue,' she told the publication.

Christine has recently partnered with husband Christian Richard, to start their own brokerage, RealOpen.

The company allows anyone to buy a house using cryptocurrency, the first business of its kind to so - with the couple having big plans to take it higher.
She jetted off to Lebanon for a friend's wedding earlier this week with her boyfriend Mark O'Connor.

And Montana Brown showcased her bronzed physique as she packed on the PDA with her real estate beau ahead of their friends big day on Tuesday.

The former Love Island star, 26, flaunted her sensational figure in a selection of skimpy swimsuits from her sustainable brand Swim Society.

Loved-up: Montana Brown showcased her bronzed physique as she packed on the PDA with her real estate beau ahead of their friends big day on Tuesday

The TV favourite swept her brunette tresses back from her face in a high-bun keeping her hair out of her face placing a pair of square black sunglasses on her head.

Meanwhile, ex-rugby player Mark showcased his lean physique in a pair of black board shorts as he placed a tender kiss on his stunning girlfriend.

Another image showed Montana looking sensational in a green bikini - with it's ring feature accentuating her gorgeous hourglass figure.

The reality star cooled down wearing a straw hat as she shielded under from the sun under a parasol while enjoying a day a beach day.

Cooling down: The reality star cooled down wearing a straw hat as she shielded under from the sun under a parasol while enjoying a day a beach day

Stunner: Another image showed Montana looking sensational in a green bikini - with it's ring feature accentuating her gorgeous hourglass figure

The former ITV2 star founded the luxury sustainable swimwear brand in 2019 to be inclusive for all body types.

The reality star also donned an aztec print swimsuit as she cooled down at their resort ahead of her friends wedding.

Getting all dolled up for the big day, Montana wowed in a metallic green gown as a dapper Mark placed an amorous around her.

Unique: The reality star also donned an aztec print swimsuit as she cooled down at their resort ahead of her friends wedding

Recently Montana proudly displaced her 'cellulite' and 'leg hairs' as she spoke about embracing the female body in an Instagram post in March.

The influencer admitted the pictures were 'unposed' and although she 'didn't think they were the best ones' she shared how important it is to share natural images.

Montana wore her brunette locks up for the pictures, which showed her taking a hot tub dip at luxury mountain resort Six Senses Residences Courchevel in the French Alps.

Venue: Getting all dolled up for the big day, Montana wowed in a metallic green gown as a dapper Mark placed an amorous around her

Talking to her followers, Montana wrote: 'Monday motivation today is embracing the female body. Everything Swim Society represents is loving your body as it is TODAY. Including skin texture, stretch marks, cellulite, wonky boobies and all the rest.'

'I've fluctuated with my weight, loving the gym, not loving the gym, dealing with depression/anxiety and I refuse to feel bad about what I see in a picture.

'Bit of cellulite on my a**, you can zoom in and see my little hairs on the tops of my leggies and if you scroll to the end my armpit legit looks like a vagina for no apparent reason / our new collection for all women is now available, all bodies welcome,' she concluded.

Natural: Last month Montana proudly displaced her 'cellulite' and 'leg hairs' as she spoke about embracing the female body in an Instagram post

Montana was open in the post, talking about her weight fluctuating and struggling with mental health issues, as she showcased off her 'real' body - talking candidly on cellulite and body hair.

Montana rose to fame on season three of Love Island, making it to the final with ex Alex Beattie and ultimately coming in fifth place.

While the Hertfordshire-born beauty ended things with Personal Trainer Alex, she has since found love with real estate guru Mark O'Connor.

Whilst Montana keeps the relationship fairly quiet, the pair were first spotted together in early 2021.

Montana reportedly met her beau through a gym in London, as friends of Mark told MailOnline last year: 'He played rugby for Chiswick and Wales 1st Teams as a prop, and has a proprietary interest in Forge Gym London. That's likely how he met Montana.'
Frankie and Demi Sims were sure to send temperatures soaring on Tuesday as they shared a plethora of sizzling snaps from their recent Ibiza getaway.

Demi, 25, flashed her underboob as she posed up a storm in a skimpy metallic bikini which featured a crisscross detail.

Meanwhile, her older sister Frankie, 27, sizzled as she leaned against a tree while rocking a white two-piece and a matching crochet co-ord.

Hot stuff: Frankie and Demi Sims were sure to send temperatures soaring on Tuesday as they shared a plethora of sizzling snaps from their recent Ibiza getaway

Demi oozed confidence as she modelled the silver swimwear, which she teamed with a black double bum bag, a black satin shirt and matching bottoms.

The TV star wore a pair of jazzy sunglasses on top of her poker straight platinum locks, while she highlighted her features with a generous palette of make-up.

Meanwhile, Frankie showed off her figure and in a bandeau crochet top and coordinating bottoms as she posed for seductive pictures.

Work it: Frankie, 27, sizzled as she leaned against a tree while rocking a white two-piece and a matching crochet co-ord

The stunner allowed her tresses to cascade down her back, while she finished off her look with minimal make-up.

Frankie also wowed in a bright blue crop top teamed with a matching mini skirt in a selection of additional snaps shared to her social media.

It comes after their Chloe Sims has said she and her family are going to 'live out our dream' on their new reality show, with Frankie promising it will be as raw as possible'.

Sizzling: Demi, 25, flashed her underboob as she posed up a storm in a skimpy metallic bikini which featured a crisscross detail

Strike a pose: Frankie showed off her figure and in a bandeau crochet top and coordinating bottoms as she posed for seductive pictures

Gorgeous: Frankie also wowed in a bright blue crop top teamed with a matching mini skirt in a selection of additional snaps shared to her social media

Chloe, 40, Frankie, Demi and their brother Charlie, 30, will all be appearing in the new reality series House Of Sims on OnlyFans' new TV venture.

Speaking on Tuesday's episode of Good Morning Britain, Chloe, who has left TOWIE to appear on the new show said: 'I'm so excited that I took the leap...we're going to get to live our dream out together.'

Frankie added that fans will see a different side to the Sims family on the new show where they will be in control of how they are edited.

Excited: Chloe Sims previously said she and her family are going to 'live out our dream' on their new reality show, with sister Frankie promising it will be as raw as possible'

She said: 'Having a camera in your face first thing in the morning, no makeup. We're always seen in full glam, hair and makeup done so it'll be completely different. I'm excited.

'I want people to see the real us and this is the best opportunity. We will be in full control of the edit which is amazing.

'We'll be in control of what we say, where we go, which we've never had before.'

Frankie added that TOWIE fans can expect the family to be completely themselves on the show.

She said: 'We do want to keep it as raw as possible. We have spoken and that's how we want it. We want it completely authentic.'

New gig: Chloe, 40, Frankie, Demi and their brother Charlie, 30, will all be appearing in the new reality series House Of Sims on OnlyFans ' new TV venture

The family's deal with the OFTV platform is a 'six-figure' sum set to rise to millions with extra add-ons and earnings, MailOnline has been told.

The new show starts shooting within weeks and is slated to be broadcast around the start of next year on the free viewing app.

Just like that hit, this series will follow the principal family The Sims as they attempt to 'go global' away from Essex and on their travels in the USA.

The series will go out on the free OFTV app, which unlike the parent site features no nudity and can be watched on a smart TV.

And as part of the deal the family will also open OnlyFans accounts, but will feature Instagram-style pictures, with no explicit content.

Wow: The family's deal with the OFTV platform is a 'six-figure' sum set to rise to millions with extra add-ons and earnings, MailOnline has been told
Fans of the ITVBe show are eagerly awaiting the upcoming series.

And on Tuesday, Chloe Brockett and Amber Turner slip into skimpy swimwear while filming spa day scenes for TOWIE, at the Glass House Retreat in Upminster, and posted their looks to Instagram.

Brunette bombshell Chloe showcased her slim waist and surgically-enhanced cleavage in a red patterned bikini, which she teamed with sandals from her namesake designer label.

Spa day: on Tuesday, Chloe Brockett slipped into skimpy swimwear while filming spa day scenes for TOWIE, at the Glass House Retreat in Upminster, and posted the look to Instagram

Platinum beauty Amber opted to put her boosted curves on display in a shimmering gold high-legged swimsuit featuring a thick waist belt.

Chloe and Amber were also joined at the spa day by TOWIE newcomers Hannah Voyen and Mia Sully.

Mia showed off her deep bronzed body in a bright red swimsuit boasting a branded waistband as she shared a heavily filtered snap of herself.

Earlier this summer, Hannah, Mia and their pal Pia Smith, who often share glimpses of their glamorous lifestyles on social media, took to Instagram to share they were joining the show.

Wow! Platinum beauty Amber opted to put her boosted curves on display in a shimmering gold high-legged swimsuit featuring a thick waist belt

Alongside a sizzling snap of the girls in the Dominican Republic, where the Essex-based show filmed special episodes, Mia penned: 'Brunette Trio. So happy to be working with my 2 best friends that are more like sisters.

'17years of friendship, we've done everything together and so much more to come! Love you both to the moon and back. So excited for our new chapter [sic]'.

According to The Sun, Mia only wanted to partake in the show if she could do so alongside her friends, with a source explaining: 'As soon as bosses met all three of them, they knew they were onto a winner.

'They are a force to be reckoned with and will bring so much drama to the new series. They know some of the cast already and there is beef between some of them, so expect some explosive telly.'

It has been said that the original plan was for the newbies to join the cast after the episodes abroad had been filmed, but that has now changed.

Hannah, who is the CEO of Millionaire Medical - a business which provides dermal fillers and BTX injections - recently updated her over 10,000 followers of her venture.

'First Day Of Filming [sic] @towie  Let's Go [sic],' she captioned a stunning full-length shot.

Pia, who owns a similar business to Hannah, Plumped By Pia, also took to the photo-sharing site with a gorgeous snap and wrote: 'The secret is finally out.. you'll be seeing some new faces on @towie [sic]'.

The insider added: 'It was a no-brainer to get the girls out in the sunshine and make a big impact on the opening episodes of the new series. Sparks are already flying and it will be great TV.'
She's no stranger to showcasing her enviable physique on social media.

And Georgia Steel was at it again on Sunday as she slipped into a blue and white striped bikini to pose for a plethora of sizzling new Instagram snaps.

The Love Island star, 24, oozed confidence as she posed this way and that showed off her figure in the skimpy two-piece which featured bow details.

Work it: Georgia Steel was at it again on Sunday as she slipped into a blue and white striped bikini to pose for a plethora of sizzling new Instagram snaps

Georgia, who appeared on the fourth series of the ITV2 reality show in 2018, was seen kneeling on a sofa and rocking a pair of jazzy beige-tinted sunglasses while gathering her brunette locks atop her head.

She finished off her look with a pair of gold studded earrings, while she highlighted her stunning features with a rosy make-up palette.

Her post garnered plenty of appreciative comments from her Instagram followers.

Hot stuff: The Love Island star, 24, oozed confidence as she posed this way and that showed off her figure in the skimpy two-piece which featured bow details

Days previously, Georgia once again wowed and looked nothing short of incredible as she flaunted her figure in a white bikini while on holiday in Dubai recently.

Soaking up the sun and surrounded by palm trees, Georgia was full of confidence in the sultry snaps as she posed with her stylish Fendi bag - costing a cool 2,500.

The barely-there two piece featured ruched detailing and drawstring bottoms as the colour accentuated Georgia's sun-kissed skin.

Flaunt: Georgia was seen kneeling on a sofa and rocking a pair of jazzy beige-tinted sunglasses while gathering her brunette locks atop her head

Strike a pose: She finished off her look with a pair of gold studded earrings, while she highlighted her stunning features with a rosy make-up palette

She layered the beach look with a nude crochet co-ord which featured a bralette and figure hugging mini skirt.

The television personality accessorised the look with a generous helping of gold jewellery, including a chain around her svelte waist.

The trip comes after Georgia gave her first hand insight into the show's Casa Amor contestants.

She detailed her experience when her partner Josh Denzel returned from the house with a new girl, Kaz Crossley in 2018.

'Nothing but short short skirts': Days previously, Georgia wowed and looked nothing short of incredible as she flaunted her figure in a white bikini while on holiday in Dubai recently

Speaking to The Sun, Georgia explained: 'I feel like the people sent into Casa Amor are sent in to really test you and your relationships.

'Producers must choose based on the girls' types, because they literally got my type down to an absolute tee, especially with this one boy Jordan [Adefeyisan].'

Georgia admitted that she felt she 'owed it' to her original partner, Josh, despite being interested in Jordan, however staying loyal did not pay off for the TV personality, who was 'shocked' to find that Josh had chosen to re-couple with Kaz.
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Sebastian Stan was completely unrecognizable under a full face of prosthetics for his latest role as a man suffering from a genetic condition while filming the psychological thriller, A Different Man, in New York City on Tuesday.

As cameras rolled, the 39-year-old Romanian-American star, who recently received his first Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Pam & Tommy this month, shot a scene with actor Adam Pearson.

In the scene, the Fresh actor, whose character has neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on nerve tissue, had a bandage around one hand and sported a green jacket, khaki pants and sneakers.

Transformation: Sebastian Stan was unrecognizable under a full face of prosthetics for his latest role while filming the psychological thriller A Different Man in New York City on Tuesday

The psychological thriller follows Edward (Stan), an outcast who is seeking a new life and fresh start. After he undergoes facial reconstructive surgery, he becomes fixated on a man (Pearson) starring as him in a stage production based on his former life,' according to Deadline.

Later, Stan's character gave Pearson a reluctant hug as they stood on the sidewalk together, following his surgery.

He was wearing a green plaid button-down, brown bucket hat, velvet trousers, glasses and a pair of dressy trainers.

A whole new role: As cameras rolled, the 39-year-old Romanian-American star, who recently received his first Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Pam & Tommy this month, shot a scene with actor Adam Pearson

Hug: In the scene, the Fresh actor, who has neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on nerve tissue, had a bandage around one hand and sported a green jacket, khaki pants and black sneakers

Pearson, 37, who has neurofibromatosis type I in real life, wore a quilted floral jacket with orange flowers and red leaves.

Pearson suffered a blow to the head at age five that resulted in a bump that persisted instead of healing.

He was eventually be diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type I.

Filming: The psychological thriller follows Edward (Stan), an outcast who is seeking a new life and fresh start. After he undergoes facial reconstructive surgery, he becomes fixated on a man (Pearson) starring as him in a stage production based on his former life,' according to Deadline

On set: As they filmed around New York City, Stan was seen sitting on a park bench as he ate lunch

Successful: The Romanian-American star was recently received his first Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Pam & Tommy this month

On set: As they filmed around New York City, Stan was seen sitting on a park bench as he ate lunch

His identical twin brother, Neil Pearson, also suffers from the condition, but his manifests in a far different way than Adam.

Pearson is also set to test his cooking skills when he participates in Celebrity MasterChef. He will be among 20 celebrities to try and create some delicious dishes and impress the judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

As they filmed around New York City, Stan was seen sitting on a park bench as he ate lunch.

Meanwhile, Pearson was recorded running around.

Running around: Pearson, 37, who has neurofibromatosis type I, wore a quilted floral jacket with orange flowers and red leaves
I Am Jazz star Jazz Jennings has called out the discrimination she faces as a trans woman as her children's book, I Am Jazz, continues to be banned from libraries nationwide.

In a video shared to her Instagram account on Tuesday, the 21-year-old made it clear she was furious with legislators who were prohibiting the inclusion of her 2014 book from libraries due to their fears it might 'recruit' kids into being LGBTQ+.

The YouTube personality - who is one of the youngest people to publicly come out as trans - began in the clip: 'My name is Jazz and I was assigned male at birth. At age two, I expressed I knew I was a girl. At age five, I began my social transition.

Stop this: Jazz Jennings has called out the discrimination against LGBTQ+ authors as her children's book, I Am Jazz, continues to be banned from libraries nationwide

'And today, despite living my life as a proud trans woman, my childrens book I Am Jazz is banned all over the country.'

She continued: 'Legislators ban the book out of fear that it will recruit or brainwash kids into being LGBTQ+. It does not.'

In March, Jazz's home state Florida passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, which bans teaching gender ideology for children at elementary schools.

The American Library Association then revealed in April that there were over 700 challenges to materials in 2021.

Not true: The 21-year-old made it clear she was furious with legislators who were prohibiting the inclusion of her 2013 book from libraries due to fears it might 'recruit' kids into being LGBTQ+

Inclusion: Jazz co-wrote the book with Jessica Herthel when she was just 14-year-old

This is the most the organization has seen since it began compiling data 20 years ago, and it confirmed that most of books targeted had Black or LGBTQ authors or subjects.

Jazz continued: 'The book is about identity and it helps so many transgender youth learn about their personal self identity and who they are and it helps families better support their transgender child and friends better support their transgender friend.

'LGBTQ+ people belong. Allowing us to share our stories creates a more inclusive and welcoming world for all people.'

'STOP BANNING MY BOOK. LGBTQ+ PEOPLE BELONG', she captioned the clip.

Famous face: The reality television personality is one of the youngest people to publicly come out as trans

Role model: Jazz was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of five and has documented her journey in various forms over the years

Sharing her story: Jazz sat down with Barbara Walters in 2007 at the age of six where she talked about being born male but living as a female since Kindergarten - also pictured with Meredith Vieira

Jazz co-wrote the book with Jessica Herthel, which details her life as a transgender child, when she was just 14-year-old.

However, it quickly proved to be controversial and soon ended up on multiple banned lists across the country.

It even appeared on the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom's list of Top 10 Banned and Challenged Books by 2015, while the book sat as number 13 on the association's list of the 100 most banned or challenged books of the decade, from 2010 through 2019.

Big name interview: Jazz's profile was raised by Oprah Winrey in 2011 when I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network

TV star: The seventh season oh her hit TLC series, I Am Jazz, premiered on November 2021

Jazz was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of five and got gender confirmation surgery in 2018.

She first sat down with Barbara Walters in 2007 at the age of six where she talked about being born male but living as a female since Kindergarten, and she was later given her own TLC series, I Am Jazz, in 2015.

The reality show was groundbreaking as it followed her navigating life and her transition with the support of her family, and the seventh season premiered in November 2021.

As an adult she continues to speak up about the discrimination being faced by the trans community and advocate for LGBTQ rights.
Amber Portwood has lost custody of her four-year-old son James as her bitter three-year court battle with ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon comes to an end.

An Indianapolis judge granted the 32-year-old Teen Mom OG star's ex sole legal and primary physical custody of their child, according to a report by The Sun on Wednesday.

In addition, the judge approved 38-year-old Glennon's request to move with James from Amber's home state of Indiana to his family home in California.

The latest: Amber Portwood has lost custody of her four-year-old son James as her bitter three-year court battle with ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon comes to an end

Sole custody: An Indianapolis judge judge granted the 32-year-old Teen Mom OG star's ex sole legal and primary physical custody of their child, according to a report by The Sun on Wednesday

Per the outlet, the judge ordered Glennon to 'seek out and consider the mother's opinion before making any major decisions relating to the child's medical treatment, education and religion.'

Portwood and Glennon were both ordered to undergo monthly drug screenings for the next six months with the television personality also ordered to 'participate in individual counseling with the counselor of her selection and follow any recommendations made by the counselor.'

However, the judge approved a new custody arrangement that will allow Portwood to have overnight visits with James for the first time since 2019.

Relocating: In addition, the judge approved the 38-year-old videographer's request to move with James from Amber's home state of Indiana to Glennon's family home in California

Order: Per the outlet, the judge ordered Glennon to 'seek out and consider the mother's opinion before making any major decisions relating to the child's medical treatment, education and religion.'

The new arrangement will be rolled out in incremental phases and will begin with three days a month of visitation for Amber alternating between California and Indiana.

The former couple's custody battle began in July 2019 when Portwood was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon after she was accused of assaulting Glennon while he was holding James.

In October 2019, Portwood pled guilty to two felony charges of domestic battery and intimidation. She was sentenced to 906 days of probation and ordered to take 26 weeks of parenting classes.

Teen mom: Amber is also mother to 13-year-old daughter Leah Leann, whom she shares with her ex Gary Shirley, 35

The 16 and Pregnant alum and Glennon began dating in 2017 and welcomed James in May 2018.

Amber is also mother to 13-year-old daughter Leah Leann, whom she shares with her ex Gary Shirley, 35.

Portwood has a long history of legal troubles which include felony convictions for inflicting domestic battery on Shirley and drug possession.

Troubled: Portwood has a long history of legal troubles which include felony convictions for inflicting domestic battery on Shirley and drug possession. Seen in 2017

After news of the custody ruling broke on Wednesday, the Marriage Boot Camp star took to Instagram Live to share her thoughts.

According to Page Six, Amber, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, slammed the court's decision and said that her mental illness was 'used against' her.

She vowed to stay 'positive' and 'fight this' while telling her fans that she was working to improve herself and should not be punished for 'past' mistakes.
Cindy Crawford posted a sensational bikini photo to Instagram on Wednesday where she looked to be in perfect shape.

The 56-year-old Vogue model had a toned tummy with abs and shapely legs as she wore a dark blue triangle bikini from Melissa Odabash with a cream colored coat over it.

The catwalk queen has been able to maintain her good looks even though she has been in the modeling business for 40 years.

A 10! Cindy Crawford posts a sensational bikini photo to Instagram on Wednesday where she looked to be in perfect shape

The mother to supermodel Kaia Gerber also looked wrinkle free as she wore light makeup with her highlighted hair down over her shoulders.

The star has been on vacation at her lake house with her family.

The mogul has been savvy about parlaying her modeling success into big business.

Her most successful brand is the skincare line called Meaningful Beauty.

She told Vanity Fair, 'Meaningful Beauty is called Meaningful Beauty for a reason. Dr. Sebagh and I really thought about how we want each and every product to be meaningful, to have real, efficacious results,' she said.

She never goes out of style: The Vogue model had a toned tummy with abs and shapely legs as she wore a dark blue triangle Melissa Odabash bikini with a cream colored coat over it. The catwalk queen has been able to maintain her good looks even though she has been in the modeling business for 40 years; seen right in 1995

The hottest model in the world: Crawford, wearing outfit by Versace, attends the Ninth Annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1992

Crawford went on to remark that, after using her beauty and anti-aging products, the confidence levels of her many users were likely raised as a result.

'You look in the mirror like, "You know what? I look pretty good today." And then you go out and whatever else you do, you're going to do it better,' she said.

She also expressed that cosmetics could be seen as a method of raising self-esteem.

'The only reason it matters is: How does it make you feel? If you feel more confident, that confidence infuses everything you do,' she said.

Crawford has had a busy summer.

Her first husband: The siren with Richard Gere at a red carpet event in 1991

She has also several snaps from her trip to the south of France to her Instagram account .

The model was accompanied by her husband, Rande Gerber, during her vacation and the happy couple made sure to pose for a few photos with each other.

She also wrote a short message in her post's caption that read: 'Not a bad start to summer.'

In her first snap, Crawford and Gerber, who recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary, were seen relaxing on a picturesque beach.

Crawford, who shares daughter Kaia, aged 20, and Presley, aged 22, with her husband, also included a shot of herself that she had taken in a bathroom during her trip.
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Naomi Watts looked radiant and sun-kissed as she paraded her incredibly toned legs in a gold sarong wrapped around her trim waist during a beach for a photoshoot in The Hamptons on Wednesday afternoon.

After changing out of a cozy blue sweater and ripped jeans, the 53-year-old British actress slipped into a low-cut pullover, layers of gold necklaces, several bangles and her golden blonde hair in loose waves.

The stunning shoot is for NEWBEAUTY's upcoming Fall issue.

Beautiful: Naomi Watts looked radiant and sun-kissed as she paraded her incredibly toned legs in a gold sarong wrapped around her trim waist during a beach for a photoshoot in The Hamptons on Wednesday afternoon

She also sported a bright red lipstick for a touch of Hollywood glamour and a sweep of blush along her sculpted cheekbones.

As a photographer snapped away, the Mulholland Drive star smiled and posed with one arm behind her head as she closed her eyes as the sun beat down on her.

Earlier, the five-foot-five beauty relaxed on set as she grabbed a bite to eat before getting in front of the camera.

He latest sighting comes just a day after she penned a loving tribute to her son Sasha on his 15th birthday.

Posing away: After changing out of a cozy blue sweater and ripped jeans, the 53-year-old British actress slipped into a low-cut cozy pullover, layers of gold necklaces, several bangles and her golden blonde hair in loose waves

Modeling: Earlier, the five-foot-five beauty relaxed on set as she grabbed a bite to eat before getting in front of the camera

'Happy birthday, darling. Thank you for the special soul that you are,' she wrote on Instagram.

'Fifteen today!! How did you get there So fast!! HOW?!'

The King Kong star concluded: 'Well, you continue to amaze and inspire me. And I cannot wait for all the adventures ahead.'

Golden goddess: Watts looked sun-kissed as she flashed plenty of skin

Modeling: Earlier, the five-foot-five beauty relaxed on set as she grabbed a bite to eat before getting in front of the camera

Naomi then took to her Instagram Story to share several candid snaps of her son.

'Happy birthday, darling boy,' she wrote alongside one photo of the pair smiling.

'I love you,' she wrote next to a photo of her son asleep with her Yorkshire terriers.

Cozy: Earlier, the five-foot-five beauty relaxed on set as she grabbed a bite to eat before getting in front of the camera

She also shared a throwback photo of herself as a young mum cradling Sasha as a newborn, captioning it: 'My baby.'

The Impossible star shares Sasha and 13-year-old Kai with her ex Liev Schreiber.

Naomi, 53, and Liev, 54, were together for 11 years until their split in 2016. The pair never married.

Back in 2019, Naomi opened up about co-parenting with Liev after their separation.

'Having a good relationship has always been our endgame, and we've put a lot of energy and effort into making that so,' she told Sunday Times Style magazine.

Lookalike: He latest sighting comes just a day after she penned a loving tribute to her son Sasha on his 15th birthday

She also shared a throwback photo of herself as a young mum cradling Sasha as a newborn

'It's not always a cakewalk, as they say in America. But it makes complete sense that it is an absolute priority, because it really matters to the children.

'You can see how there are so many things that can make a kid feel anxious, and knowing that their parents can be in the same room and joyfully, it means a lot to them.'

Liev is dating model Taylor Neisen, 29, while Naomi is with actor Billy Crudup, 54.
Russia announced its plan to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS), ending its more than 20 years of collaboration with NASA, according to Moscow's space agency.

Yury Borisov, the newly appointed chief of Roscosmos, informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the space agency has made "the decision to leave this station after 2024," as reported by CNN.

In the readout provided by the Kremlin, Borisov told Putin, "You know that we are working within the framework of international cooperation at the International Space Station."

Borisov continued, "Undoubtedly, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners but the decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made.

No Official Pronouncement From Russia Yet

Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station for NASA, said that the American space agency had not received any "official word" from Russia about the decision to abandon the ISS.

The officer stated: "The Russians, just like us are thinking ahead to what's next for them. As we are planning to transition after 2030 to commercially operated space stations in low earth orbit, they have a similar plan. And so they're thinking about that transition as well. We haven't received any official word from the partner as to the news today, so we'll be talking more about their plan going forward."

The declaration comes amid heightened hostilities between Moscow and the West over the Russia-Ukraine war and many rounds of previously unheard-of sanctions against Russia, according to NDTV.

The International Space Station, which has been in orbit since 1998, has been jointly developed by Russia and the United States.

Read Also: California Wildfire Photos, Satellite Video Show Devastating Destruction; Raging Fire Now 16% Contained

Moscow Fulfills Its Promise

Russia has previously threatened to leave the ISS in the face of punishing the US and European sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine. Before he was removed from office earlier this month, Borisov's predecessor Dmitry Rogozin, pledged to do so numerous times.

However, this most recent threat is more potent and appears to have Putin's approval. According to the meeting's transcript, Putin responded positively when Borisov informed him that Roscosmos would start developing its own space station beyond 2024.

Tuesday, a senior NASA source told Reuters that Russia has not made its intention to leave the ISS known.

Despite widespread criticism of Russia's activities in Ukraine, space cooperation remained one of the final opportunities for Moscow and the west to work together.

An agreement between NASA and Roscosmos earlier this month allows astronauts to continue using Russian rockets while allowing Russian cosmonauts to begin using SpaceX's commercial US rockets to travel to the ISS, per The Guardian.

According to representatives from NASA and Russia, the agreement guarantees that there will always be at least one American and one Russian on the ISS to maintain the outpost's flawless operation on both sides.

Nevertheless, given Moscow's increasing isolation, Borisov's most recent statement that Russia would be leaving the ISS was not shocking.

When the Russian space agency sparked outrage when it published photos of its cosmonauts on board the ISS celebrating Moscow's conquest of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine earlier this month.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelensky Accuses Vladimir Putin, Moscow of Starting 'Open Gas War' To Terrorize Europe

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The conflict in Ukraine is making ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) more expensive to manufacture and procure, says UNICEF

Under an acacia tree in Kenya's drought-ravaged north, malnourished infants feed on sticky mouthfuls of a nutrient-dense peanut paste long used to prevent child starvation in disasters across the globe.

This wonder food can mean the difference between life and death for a child in hard-hit Marsabit, where aid workers say young children are perishing in conditions that border on famine.

"If we ran out of these, more deaths would be recorded very soon," James Jarso of aid group World Vision said of the sachets being distributed by charity workers in the parched and isolated village of Purapul.

But just as 1.7 million children face starvation in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, the cost of these life-saving supplements is skyrocketing because of another crisis unfolding thousands of miles away.

The conflict in Ukraine is making ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) more expensive to manufacture and procure, says UNICEF, which buys almost 80 percent of the world's supply.

Ukraine is a major exporter of sunflower oil, wheat and other grains. The war has affected the price and availability of staple foods, driven up fuel prices, and disrupted supply chains already off-kilter because of the pandemic.

World Vision says RUTF is 'life-saving' in places like the Kenyan village of Purapul

A knock-on effect has been higher prices for powdered milk, vegetable oils and peanuts -- all key ingredients in RUTF, said Christiane Rudert, a nutrition adviser for UNICEF for southern and eastern Africa.

Even the materials used to make RUTF packaging have become scarcer and costlier, she said.

- Power paste -

UNICEF, which purchases around 49,000 tonnes of RUTF every year, is starting to feel the pinch.

"The cost has definitely gone up already, which affects our orders," Rudert told AFP.

French company Nutriset told AFP it raised the cost of its leading RUTF product "Plumpy'Nut" twice in the past year, including a 13-percent hike in May.

About 1.7 million children in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are suffering the most severe form of malnutrition

It could not attribute this directly to Ukraine but a confluence of factors, including the war but also the pandemic, higher shipping costs, and environmental disasters, Nutriset said in a statement.

Overall the price of "Plumpy'Nut" -- which reached 9.7 million children last year -- had risen 23 percent since May 2021, it said.

UNICEF forecasts that by November, prices for RUTF will have risen 16 percent from pre-war levels.

Russia's invasion has also raised fuel prices, making it costlier to deliver RUTF to where it's needed.

The timing could not be worse.

More than 1.7 million children in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are suffering the most lethal form of malnutrition as the Horn of Africa experiences its worst drought in generations.

The rising cost of RUTF means treating those children "will cost $12 million more than it would have cost before Ukraine", Rudert said.

A sachet of RUTF contains 500 calories and essential vitamins and minerals

It is money that is sorely lacking, she said, with donations to address the hunger crisis in the Horn falling well short of need.

"This product... is literally what saves children's lives when they have already reached that really severe form of malnutrition.

"It's not just peanuts and milk and sugar and oil... it's therapeutic," Rudert said.

- 'It's life-saving' -

Invented a quarter of a century ago, RUTF proved revolutionary in treating severe wasting, a deadly condition where underfed children are too thin for their height.

A single sachet of RUTF delivers 500 calories and essential vitamins and minerals.

RUTF does not require refrigeration and can be eaten from the packet without preparation or assistance from a healthcare professional

Eaten directly from the packet, RUTF helps malnourished children quickly regain weight and energy, and requires no refrigeration or preparation by a healthcare worker.

This is essential in remote and impoverished regions like northern Kenya, where clean water and health workers are in short supply.

On a twice-monthly visit to Purapul, government doctor Mohamed Amin said most women and children were surviving on little else than the packs of paste he prescribed.

"It has really been a challenge," he told AFP at a mobile health clinic, where mothers were handed two weeks' worth of supplements to feed their children between screenings.

"At least it boosts them."

UNICEF buys enough RUTF to feed at least 3.5 million children a year. But at current funding levels, a 16-percent price rise could mean 600,000 miss out on this life-saving treatment, Rudert said.

This would have disastrous consequences not just for the Horn but elsewhere in Africa such as South Sudan, where 300,000 children are expected to require RUTF treatment this year.

UNICEF forecasts a 16-percent increase in the cost of RUTF by November

Jarso, from World Vision, said the impact of RUTF in a place like Purapul could not be overstated.

"There is no milk. There is no meat... there is no food for them. Therefore, it is life-saving."
Anger: Anti-UN demonstrators in Goma on Tuesday

Soldiers and police officers were deployed across eastern DR Congo towns Wednesday after days of deadly anti-UN protests that have claimed at least 19 lives in the volatile region.

Calm appeared to have returned to several towns in North Kivu province, according to AFP reporters, after unrest broke out in the provincial capital Goma on Monday and quickly spread.

Crowds had stormed a United Nations peacekeeping base and a supply centre in the city of Goma in North Kivu on Monday, looting valuables and chanting hostile slogans.

Three UN peacekeepers were then killed on Tuesday after protests spread, in an attack on their base in the town of Butembo.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said during a televised news conference on Tuesday night that 12 protesters in total had been killed during the unrest, in addition to the peacekeepers.

"In no case is violence justified," he said.

The UN mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO, has come under regular criticism in the troubled east, where many accuse it of failing to stop decades-old armed conflict.

More than 120 armed groups roam the volatile region, where civilian massacres are common and conflict has displaced millions of people.

Even as tensions began to dissipate in North Kivu on Wednesday, a deadly anti-UN protest erupted in the town of Uvira in neighbouring South Kivu province.

Four people were killed, according to Uvira town hall spokesman Dominique Kalonzo -- raising the total death toll from the anti-UN protests to 19.

Youngsters had attempted to besiege a MONUSCO base in the town on Wednesday morning, he said, before being dispersed by police officers firing warning shots.

A bullet pierced a high-voltage cable, however, which collapsed on protesters about 100 metres (yards) from the UN base, Kalonzo said, killing four.

- 'Very volatile' -

On Wednesday, AFP correspondents saw tighter security in the North Kivu towns of Beni and Butembo, as well as in Goma, the provincial capital.

Armed police and soldiers were patrolling Beni in jeeps and a highway leading out of the town towards several MONUSCO bases was heavily guarded.

Relative calm had also returned to Goma, where shops were beginning to open again as security forces deployed across the city.

Most the fatalities have occurred in Goma and Butembo, key trading hubs in North Kivu province

In the town of Sake about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Goma, Congolese police fired tear gas to deter protesters from approaching a UN base, which was ringed with soldiers and police officers.

"We will protest until they leave," said Jackson Kibuya, a protester in Sake, holding up a banner reading "Bye Bye MONUSCO".

On Tuesday, MONUSCO released a statement strongly condemning the attacks on its peacekeepers, which it called unjustifiable.

Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman, also warned reporters in New York on Tuesday that the situation on the ground is "very volatile".

- Rebel advances -

The latest protests come after the president of the senate, Modeste Bahati, told supporters in Goma on July 15 that MONUSCO should "pack its bags".

They also coincide with the resurgence of the M23 -- a militia that lay mostly dormant for years before resuming fighting last November.

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The rebels have since made significant advances in eastern Congo, including capturing the North Kivu town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border.

The UN first deployed an observer mission to eastern Congo in 1999.

In 2010, it became the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO -- the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- with a mandate to conduct offensive operations.

It has a current strength of about 16,300 uniformed personnel, according to the UN.
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State to look at changes to Texas history curriculum

Bill Early, left, and Jeff Opperman fire off their black powder rifles from the steps of the Old University Building during a 2019 Texas Independence Day celebration for fourth graders hosted by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Daily Sentinel file photo Daily Sentinel file photo Fourth grade students from Nacogdoches County schools file into the Old University Building beneath a Texas flag during a Texas Independence Day celebration in 2017. A proposal change in state curriculum would eliminate fourth grade Texas history classes.

The Texas Board of Education next month will discuss eliminating a yearlong Texas history course for elementary students by 2025.

The board is set to meet in special session at 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 1, when they will discuss overhauling school standards for social studies courses, which includes removing Texas history from the fourth grade curriculum.

Instead, students in kindergarten though second grade would discuss themes in Texas, U.S. and world history.

Students in third though fifth grade would focus on world history from the end of the Stone Age  around 5000 BC  to Christopher Columbus voyages  around 1500.

In-depth study of those topics is now reserved for middle school students or high school students taking Advanced Placement courses.

It just concerns me. I dont think they understand the young mind, said Susan Aikin, a retired teacher and member of Daughters of The Republic of Texas.

Middle school students would focus on Texas and U.S. history from 1500 to present. Texas history is currently taught in fourth and seventh grades.

The board of educations proposal says that taking on world history in early grades prepares students for fuller understanding of Texas and U.S. history in later grades and is consistent with research on memory formation.

Opponents of the change, including some members of Daughters of the Republic of Texas, say the proposal waters down curriculum and leaves middle school students without a solid foundation for in-depth learning while talking complex subjects at too early of an age.

In Nacogdoches, Daughters of the Republic of Texas hosts a Texas Independence Day celebration for fourth grade students each year at the Old University Building.

No vote will be taken doing the Aug. 1 meeting.

Registration for in-person testimony begins at 8 a.m. Thursday and ends at 5 p.m. Friday at https://tinyurl.com/RegisterHistory.

Public comments can be sent to the board at teks@tea.texas.gov.
Centerville is not ready for summer to be over! Additional shows added for AUG 7 & 14

Additional shows added to City of Centerville Summer Concert Series

We arent ready for summer to be over! The City of Centerville is proud to announce two additional Summer Concert Series shows for the 2022 season.

The extra shows kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Amphitheater at Stubbs Park, 255 W. Spring Valley Rd., with the SUMMER CONCERT SERIES BEACH PARTY. Sail On, the most booked Beach Boys tribute band in the world, will perform. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive free leis and there will be sand art activities for kids.

The final Summer Concert Series show for the 2022 season will feature a performance from the band Risk Factor on Sunday, Aug. 14 at 7:00 p.m. Risk Factor is a Northeast Ohio based band that plays sing-along / dance-along hits from the 70s to today.

We are thrilled to be able to extend our 2022 Summer Concert Series shows for two more weekends, Centerville Community Resources Coordinator Drew Simon said.

The Summer Concert Series shows are free to the public and organized by the Centerville Arts Commission.

Food and beverages are available from Centerville Pizza and BBQ, and residents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Food trucks will also be available to guests. Beer sales will benefit the Centerville High School Jazz Band and Dugout Club.
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland sent a stern warning to former President Donald Trump and the culprits of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, that he would pursue charges against them for the insurrection.

The Justice Department has no qualms about the political blowback that would result from the agency criminally indicting the Republican businessman. This comes as authorities continue to investigate the attempt to block Joe Biden from assuming office following his win in the 2020 elections, said Garland.

Prosecution of Donald Trump

The chief of the DOJ also discussed the investigation in a new interview, an excerpt of which was released ahead of the full interview. When Garland was asked whether or not prosecutors would consider the potential for mass civil unrest as a result of indicting Trump, he indicated they would not.

"We pursue justice without fear or favor. We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. That's what we do," said Garland, as per Independent.

The attorney general's remarks did not depart significantly from those few that he made previously about the efforts of the department to respond to the Capitol Hill riot. However, his notion that the investigation centers on the "attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power" is significant because it leaves open the possibility that the DOJ's probe includes more than just the siege of the Capitol building.

Read Also: Hunter Biden Probe: Whistleblower Reveals DOJ, FBI's Suspicious Effort of Labeling Evidence Against US President's Son as Disinformation

It leaves the possibility open that the efforts of the former president and his allies to convince state lawmakers and other officials to support false slates of electors could be in the line of sight of the department. Furthermore, they could be looking at Trump's personal efforts to encourage his supporters to amass in Washington D.C., for the insurrection itself.

According to USA Today, Garland's remarks also come as he has become the target of increasing pressure following last week's disclosure of a Justice memo that urged prosecutors to proceed with caution in potentially sensitive investigations with elections approaching.

Investigating Criminally Involved Individuals

At the time, the DOJ chief reiterated that he would pursue investigations wherever they led after some advocates worried that the document signaled he would avoid investigating the former president. He said that no person is above the law in the United States.

Garland added that there was nothing in the principles of prosecution and any other factors that prevented authorities from investigating anyone who is criminally responsible for an attempt to undo a democratic election.

The DOJ chief has repeatedly said that he would follow the facts and law while investigating the details of the Capitol Hill riot. On the other hand, legal analysts said attorney generals of both parties have issued similar memos for years to avoid taking steps that may appear timed to influence elections.

A flashpoint came when former FBI Director James Comey announced that he was reopening an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton days before the 2016 election, which she argued could have tipped the results. Garland noted that it was important not to downgrade or suppress how crucial the day of the riot was, Fox News reported.



Related Article: Donald Trump Returns to Washington for the First Time Since Defeat as SCOTUS Prepares Expected 2024 Election Campaign

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Two months after a minor girls gang rape at Jubilee Hills which shocked the city, the police said they had completed a chargesheet against the rape accused  Representational Image/DC

HYDERABAD: Two months after a minor girls gang rape at Jubilee Hills which shocked the city, the police said they had completed a chargesheet against the rape accused and were waiting for orders from senior officials to file it in the court. Police described the 400-page chargesheet as foolproof.

The case is being investigated by Jubilee Hills inspector Rajasekhar Reddy. Police sources said they had an upper hand in the case as most important evidence against the accused  the test of identification parade (TIP) in which the victim had identified all the accused who had raped her.

The police will also add videos collected from the accused persons mobile phones, CCTV footages with the car number collected from various points where the victim was taken on the day she was raped, circumstantial and forensic evidences, semen samples collected from the seats of the car and tissue papers and confession of the accused during the arrest and police custody, will be added as exhibits during the prosecution.

The inputs gathered from the accused during the reconstruction of the crime scene would also support the prosecution in the trial, police sources said.

On May 28, the victim was gangraped in a car stationed near the Peddamma temple in Jubilee Hills. On May 31, the victim who was in trauma, lodged a complaint with the police. Based on her information, five accused including four minors were separately arrested from their hideouts.

Prime accused Mohammed Saduddin Malik, during a five-hour interrogation not only confessed to the crime but also revealed many facts about the other accused on the day the minor was raped. The four minor accused whose mobiles are in police custody also confessed to the crime during interrogation and reconstruction of the scene.

On June 10, all the accused were subjected to potency test and were proved to be sexually active. One June 27, during the test of identification parade, the victim identified all the accused before the magistrate.
Major roads in Hyderabad were flooded, forcing motorists to wade through knee-deep water with extreme caution. Extensive water-logging also resulted in traffic gridlocks at several stretches in the city.  DC File Image

HYDERABAD: Following heavy rainfall for the past few days, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) lifted six gates of Himayatsagar by two feet and eight gates of Osmansagar by five feet on Tuesday.

A total of 3,910 cusecs of water was released from Himayatsagar to the Musi and 4,648 cusecs from Osmansagar. This apart, the officials released 1,793.64 cusecs of water from the Hussainsagar.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior GHMC official said about 80 families comprising 400 members were shifted to safer locations. He said the authorities would provide free food to them from Annapurna canteens until the outflows from the twin reservoirs stopped.

The official said the municipal staff, in coordination with the HMWSSB, revenue and police, had been monitoring the situation. He said though the majority of gates were opened in Himayatsagar and Osmansagar, inflows were on the rise from Monday evening and more gates will be eventually lifted based on the inflows.

The Hyderabad police advised people on the banks of the river to be alert. Due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of the Musi river, flash floods may occur at midnight. It was better to be alert in the low-lying areas of Musi banks including Kishanbagh, Ziaguda, Puranapul, MGBS, Chaderghat, Amberpet, Puranapul, Attapur and Golnaka, the police said.

The GHMC asked all deputy commissioners and zonal commissioners of Golconda, Asifnagar, Bahadurpura, Nampally, Charminar, Himayathnagar and Saidabad to be on high alert for inundation and evacuation if the need arose.

Major roads in Hyderabad were flooded, forcing motorists to wade through knee-deep water with extreme caution. Extensive water-logging also resulted in traffic gridlocks at several stretches in the city. A large number of low-lying areas in the city are facing flood-like situations and the GHMC workers and personnel from police and traffic are doing their best to provide relief and ensure there are no water logging points.

Traffic police personnel were seen clearing water-logging at many places including Bahadurpura, Rajendranagar, Nagole, LB Nagar, Mehdipatnam and several other low lying areas.

Apart from this, Hussainsagar reached beyond its full tank level (FTL) 513.41 feet on Tuesday. The GHMC's irrigation wing official said it still had a buffer of 0.3 metre to reach the maximum water level (MWL) of 514.91 feet. At present, the lake reached 513.47 feet and another 30 metres rise in the water level would be a matter of concern.

Officials said that if the rain continued for more days, it had to lift the sluice gates apart from rehabilitating residents living in the low lying areas.

However, corporation authorities claimed that there would be no need for panic as the corporation had been maintaining FTL on any given day. Excess water would be released through the sluice gates and diversion nala near Marriott Hotel.

Officials said there was no danger, but residents would be alerted and requested to shift to nearby rehabilitation centres if the level crossed 514.91 feet.

Hussainsagar has two outflow points, one near the Marriott Hotel and another near the GHMC head office. A total of 21 channels that lead to the vent near the hotel ends up in the surplus nala that winds its way over 5.5 km to Golnaka.

Release of a large quantity of water could endanger people especially those living along the canal in Ambedkarnagar, Sabarmatinagar, Arundhatinagar, Subash Chandra Bose Nagar, parts of Domalguda, Bapujinagar, parts of Himayatnagar, Dattanagar, Sriramnagar, Satyanagar, Ratnanagar, Shivanandanagar and Ganganagar. The situation would depend on the inflows from Kukatpally nala and other upstream lakes which are mostly encroached.
KHAMMAM/HYDERABAD: A 40-year-old patient from Kamareddy who was suspected of having monkeypox tested negative for the virus. However, another case of suspected monkeypox was reported in Khammam district at the same time.

Samples of the patient undergoing isolation at the Government Fever Hospital in the city were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, where the samples tested negative for the virus on Tuesday, said Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao. According to sources, doctors at the Fever Hospital are under the impression that the patient may be infected with chickenpox, which also causes lesions on the body.

The patient, who returned from Kuwait on July 6, developed the symptoms on July 20 in Kamareddy. After a doctor at a private clinic suspected him of having monkeypox, the patient was directed to the Kamareddy Government Hospital, from where he was sent to Fever Hospital, the nodal centre for monkeypox in the state.

The second suspected case of monkeypox was reported at Arempula in Khammam Rural mandal on Tuesday. The patient, a native of Uttar Pradesh and a worker in a granite factory, suffered some symptoms similar to monkeypox, including small red blisters on his body and fever, following which he went to a private hospital.

The doctors at the hospital informed the Khammam district medical and health officer (DMHO) G. Malathi about the patient. The patient was then immediately sent to the district headquarters hospital in Khammam, where doctors conducted some tests.

Superintendent of the hospital Venkateswarlu said the patient had symptoms similar to those caused by monkeypox, but they could not come to a conclusion at present. We are not ready to take the risk at this hour and are shifting the patient to the Government Fever Hospital in Hyderabad, where further tests will be conducted. If necessary, the blood samples will be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune, he said.

Until Tuesday, four cases of the virus, declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), have been confirmed in the country  three in Kerala and one in Delhi. The patient in Delhi has no history of recent international travel, unlike the three in Kerala.
According to US officials, the Biden administration is working furiously behind the scenes to keep European allies united against Russia as Moscow cuts its energy supplies to the European Union further, causing panic on both sides of the Atlantic about potentially severe gas shortages heading into winter.

Russia's state-owned gas corporation Gazprom announced on Monday that it will restrict flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany in half, to barely 20% of capacity.

Russia Limits Europe's Natural Gas Supply

The decision was in retribution for Western sanctions, and it places the West in an "uncharted area" in terms of whether Europe would have enough gas to get through the winter. In reaction to the upheaval, the White House sent the presidential coordinator for global energy Amos Hochstein to Europe on Tuesday, according to officials. He will fly to Paris and Brussels to meet with the US-EU energy task group, which was formed in March, one month after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The United States and the European Union have been pleading with EU members to save gas and store it for the winter; and on Tuesday, energy ministers agreed in principle to reduce gas use by 15% from August to March.

Officials also stated that there would be conversations in the coming days about raising nuclear power output across Europe to counter gas shortages. Germany planned to phase out nuclear power by the end of 2022, but US officials are seeking to persuade Berlin to prolong the life of its three remaining nuclear power reactors in the face of the energy crisis, according to CNN.

Russia's Gazprom has justified its latest cut on the necessity to cease the functioning of a turbine, which EU energy head Kadri Simson has rejected as politically driven.

As per Simson, the arrangement should ensure that nations conserve enough gas to survive an ordinary winter if Russia completely cuts supply today, but an extremely cold winter might necessitate more drastic measures.

Read Also: Donald Trump Returns to Washington for the First Time Since Defeat as SCOTUS Prepares Expected 2024 Election Campaign

Russia Warns To Abandon ISS

Russia provided 40% of EU gas before invading Ukraine on February 24 in what Moscow describes as a "special military operation." The EU agreement would remove Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus from the binding 15% gas reduction - nations that are not linked to other member states' gas networks and hence cannot exchange extra gas with other countries in a supply emergency.

Nations with limited capabilities to sell gas to other EU countries might ask for a lower objective as long as they export what they can. Spain, which does not rely on Russian gas and initially rejected the EU proposal, might be among those affected, as per Reuters.

As Europe prepared to stockpile gas, Russian airplanes attacked sites near the strategically important port city of Odesa in Ukraine's Black Sea area. The attacks have raised concerns that a breakthrough agreement reached by Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend to allow grain supplies from Ukraine's Black Sea ports may be jeopardized.

The Kremlin is still prepared to hold the world food supply hostage as part of its larger war strategy in Ukraine, and any deals reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration cannot be trusted.

The Kremlin appears to exult in using its power, boasting that the US and Europe can do nothing to stop it. Just as Russia announced its withdrawal from the International Space Station, top Kremlin officials stated that the West is fast running out of methods to hold Russia accountable for the terrible conflict in Ukraine.

To punish Russia for invading Ukraine, the United States and its NATO partners have used unprecedented financial penalties. The sanctions have had an impact on the Russian economy, but they appear to have had little impact on Mr. Putin's overall agenda, The Washington Times reported.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Health Scare: Russian Officials Panic Over Shocking Late Night Emergency

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HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court dismissed the plea of K.V. Brahmananda Reddy, a former officer retired from the Indian Railways Accounts Service (IRAS), who requested the court to quash the case registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to the Vadarevu and Nizampatnam Industrial Corridor (Vanpic) project.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the plea of Brahamananda Reddy and observed that the trial could not be aborted and the petitioner could not be discharged at the threshold.

There are materials on record which may or may not lead to conviction of the petitioner at the end of the trial but in the opinion of the court is those are adequate to sustain a criminal trial, Justice Bhuyan said.

While working with Eastern Railways, Kolkata, Brahmananda Reddy was brought on deputation by the government of Andhra Pradesh, when Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister and was posted as the officer on special duty in the transport, roads and buildings department. Subsequently, he was transferred to the infrastructure and investment department in which capacity he played a key role in allotting thousands of acres of land in Prakasam district to Vanpic projects.

Later, a CBI probe was ordered into Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys disproportionate assets cases in which the CBI made Brahmananda Reddy an accused in the charge-sheet filed in relation to Vanpic projects and was arrested on May 15, 2012 and remained in custody till he was released on bail on October 10, 2013.

Brahmananda Reddy filed a discharge petition before the CBI court requesting the court to discharge him from the cases. However, the CBI court on August 5, 2016, held that there was prima facie case against the petitioner with reference to the allegations made against him in the charge sheet and that the case could not to be quashed. Therefore, the discharge petition was dismissed.

Challenging it, Brahmananda Reddy filed a criminal revision petition before the High Court to set aside the orders of CBI court and requested to quash the case against him. However, the High Court rejected his plea.
ndian Coast Guard vessel and local fishermen deployed to trace the married woman who went missing on Monday evening, at Ramakrishna Beach, in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. (DC Photo)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Helicopters flew over Bay of Bengal to trace a young married woman who went missing at RK Beach two days ago.

The operation costing more than 60 lakh went pointless after authorities traced the woman in the company of her paramour at Kavali in Nellore district on Wednesday.

The lady has cheated all of us, wasting our time and energy, said a senior police officer.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation deputy mayor G. Sridhar, who also joined the team monitoring the search operation with helicopters, said, Yes, as per information, the woman, reported missing on July 25, has been located in Nellore district on Wednesday. Police are further investigating the case.

According to police, 21-year-old N. Sai Priya married Srinivasa Rao on July 25, 2020. She resides in Sanjeevayyanagar Colony near NAD here.

Srinivasa Rao's hometown is Srikakulam, but he has moved to Hyderabad for a job. Priya returned to Vizag four months ago for joining a computer course. As their second wedding anniversary happened to be on July 25, Rao arrived in Vizag on July 24.

The couple first visited Simhachalam Temple on Monday morning to mark their wedding anniversary. They arrived at RK Beach in the evening. Around 7 p.m., Srinivasa Rao realised that Priya is missing. He immediately alerted everyone including police and her parents. On Tuesday, a team comprising deputy mayor Sridhar and police alerted the Coast Guard, who commissioned Chetak helicopters to search for the woman along the beach and on the sea.

On Wednesday, Sridhar announced to media that the woman has been found safe in Nellore and is coming to Vizag.

When contacted, a police officer told DC that the woman had first gave her whereabouts to her friend in Visakhapatnam and then to her parents. She had eloped with one Ravi from the beach on July 25.

The woman is coming back to Vizag. We will be able to share more details about the case once she reaches Visakhapatnam, police stated.

A Naval official said they launch search operations with helicopters on request from the collector. A one-hour search operation over the sea would cost around 5 lakh. However, it is the governments responsibility to take up such search operations.
Hyderabad: Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy on Monday continued to remain non-committal on quitting the party as well as his Assembly seat even as the legislature party leader Bhatti Vikramarka reached out to him with a plea to calm down and stay put.

Bhatti went to Rajgopal Reddys residence and held discussions amidst rumours that a section of Congress leaders had complained to the party high command against Rajgopals outburst and pressed for initiating disciplinary action. Sources said the CLP leader had a word with the party in-charge Manickam Tagore on his truce attempts and the need to retain the Komatireddy brothers in Congress in the larger interest of the party.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting the CLP leader said Rajgopal Reddy had respect for Congress and the Central leadership. We all know his familys contribution to the party as well as Telangana movement. I tried to convince him on the need for strengthening the party and fight against TRS and BJP and am confident that he would remain a Congressman, Bhatti said.

However, in his presence, the unhappy Congress MLA reiterated his claim that the BJP alone could take on the TRS. I have been warning the Congress leadership of BJPs upsurge and replacing Congress as the principal opposition in Telangana. The Central leadership has chosen to leave the party in the hands of outsiders ignoring strong and young leaders like him, Rajgopal Reddy said.

Reacting to reports that he was in confusion, Rajgopal Reddy blamed it on the social media campaign engineered by the TRS. I am not confused. I have clarity on what to do, he said. On the question of resigning as MLA, he reiterated that he would abide by the decision of the Munugode people.
HYDERABAD: Creation of 14 new mandals in various districts by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in less than a week has spurred the demand for creation of more new mandals in districts. Rallies, dharnas, padayatras and other protests are being held in front of mandal revenue offices (MRO), revenue divisional offices (RDO) and district collectorates in several villages and towns across the state, with a demand to declare their village or town as a mandal. Locals are forming Mandala Sadhana Samithi in respective areas to hold rallies and dharnas to press their demand.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders in districts are facing the heat with the people questioning their failure in securing new mandals from the Chief Minister when their counterparts in other districts could secure 14 new mandals.

The creation of new mandals in Telangana started with the Chief Minister issuing orders on July 23 creating 13 mandals in nine districts.

The newly-created mandals are Gundumal and Kothapalle in Narayanpet district, Dudyal in Vikarabad district, Kaukuntla in Mahbubnagar district, Alur, Donkeshwar and Salura in Nizamabad district, Serol in Mahabubabad district, Gattuppal in Nalgonda district, Nizampet in Sangareddy district, Dongli in Kamareddy district and Endapalli and Bheemaram in Jagtial district.

On July 26, the Chief Minister issued orders creating one more new mandal Inugurthy in Mahabubabad district. This fuelled demand for new mandals in other districts. People in Vallampatla, Galipalli and Repaka villages in Illanthukunta mandal in Karimnagar district held dharnas, bike rallies and padayatras demanding mandal status to their villages.

In Adilabad district, the demand for creating Sonala and Satnala mandals got louder. Villagers held a rally to press their demand. They met TRS Boath MLA Rathod Bapu Rao and expressed anger over his inability to secure new mandals from the Chief Minister when other TRS ministers and MLAs succeeded. They argued that these proposals were pending with the government for three years.

In Jagtial district, villagers of Mannegudem held a rally before the district collectorate demanding mandal status for their village.

Villagers of Gunjapadugu took out a rally to district collectorate demanding mandal status to their village after Kasipatnam. Villagers

of Garrepalli in the same district held another rally and submitted a representation to the collector demanding mandal status for their village.

The number of mandals in Telangana increased to 608 with the creation of 14 new mandals recently.
Huge waves were created in Thailand, on June 9, when the Thai public health minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul legalised cannabis and removed it from the list of narcotics, the first country in Asia to do so.

The Thai health minister has been prominent in the public eye, during Covid, thanks to his regular reports and messagesto the public.

Thus, his announcement created a big stir in the media, especially because the official Cannabis Act has not been passed as yet.

The minister headed a panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), to explain his new cannabis policy.

He referred to the election-promise made by his Bhumjaithai Party (which is part of the ruling coalition government), three years back, that they would campaign for the legalisation of marijuana. After all, the greatest quantities of the weed are grown in the northeastern part of the country, where the party has a stronghold.

The health minster pointed out that his ministry had done an intensive study of the drug for three years, after which they had become convinced of its efficacy in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, Parkinsons and mental disorders. It was because of the urgent need for cannabis in healthcare that he decided to legalise the drug, even before the official law could be passed.

According to him, This is only the first stage of legalising cannabis. The second stage, which is in progress, is all about it being reviewed by a House Scrutiny Committee. After that, we will come the final stage, when the regulations and controls for the proper use of the plant will be formulated, and the law will be passed probably by September.

He stated that the main social benefit of the legalisation of cannabis was that many prisoners who had been arrested for drug charges, would be released.

According to the Thai health minister, only a 0.2 per cent extract of the cannabis plant would be used for medicinal purposes, and not the root or flower.

Soon after legalising the drug, they had opened an online Lets Grow Cannabis page, inviting registrations. It was immediately viewed by 30 million people! One million licences were approved within the week.

The health minister informed that the legalising of cannabis would help farmers, communities and entrepreneurs, and was expected to fetch a revenue of $3 billion, within five years.

The general criticism in the panel discussion was that cannabis seemed to be a cash cow, with most of the speakers being cannabis entrepreneurs. This included Cameron Forni, one of the best-known figures in the North American cannabis industry, and founder of Select Oil, the best selling cannabis brand on the US West coast. In his detailed presentation, Forni spoke of the various aspects of the cannabis industry, including taxes, licenses and job opportunities. But he warned that the licensing would need to be streamlined, and also that the potency of the drug needed to be tested regularly, especially due to the humid conditions in Asia. But the economic impact is huge, he said. This is a huge tax opportunity for Thailand, which could raise as much as $129 billion baht by 2025 and generate as much as 4,87,000 job.

In conversation with this writer, Forni informed her that he had been asked to research on the future of the marijuana industry in India, too, where ganja was used widely, and he had met many people in this connection, including a well-known Bollywood actor.

Meanwhile, cannabis dispensaries have sprung up at various places in Thailand, especially in tourist spots like Khao Sam Road in Bangkok, Walking Street in Pattaya, and so on. Its obvious that recreational cannabis is the buzzword now. Thats why, the Thai government is suddenly planning to ban the sale of all cigarettes that use cannabis extract, as per the recommendation of the National Tobacco Products Control Committee. Without proper guidelines, tourism professionals are also worried about its negative impact on the tourism industry.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, felt that recreational cannabis should have regulated zones which would benefit the tourism industry.

With marijuana not being legalised in other countries, tour operators felt it imperative to explain to their clients the risks of consuming or carrying the drug, when they travelled outside Thailand. One heard of a Brazilian student being arrested in Bali for carrying cannabis he had acquired in Thailand, a crime that could fetch a 15-year jail term in Indonesia.

There are media reports in Thailand almost every day about the free availability of cannabis in markets, shops, roadside dispensaries and so on. A monthly publication listed out at least 20 bars, cafes, shops where it was freely available in Bangkok. One even heard of the discovery of newly sown cannabis plants on the grounds of Parliament!

With the Health Ministry having approved about 1,181 products containing cannabis extracts, including cosmetics and food,they were freely available in many shops. Infact, one heard of a child being sick from a food-product laced

with cannabis,bought from a 7-11 store!

This writer noticed a cannabis kiosk outside an Indian restaurant announcing Food, Beer, Weed available and pointed it out to the Thai health minister during the course of the discussion.

Indian tourists form a large section of tourists in Thailand.

Governor of TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Yuthasak Supasorn said that there were no plans to promote cannabis tourism. However, one heard from travel agencies that there was a demand for cannabis tours and packages from many countries, including India. One also heard that there were many enquiries from business entrepreneurs to inspect cannabis farms.

On a recent visit to the spectacular EECi-headquarters at Rayong, noted for their hi-tech systems following a BCG model, one noticed their expansive glasshouses growing a series of medicinal plants. They said they expected to grow a lot of hemp too, after the recent cannabis regularisation.

The minister said, Im here to assure you that our aim is not to use cannabis for recreational purposes, but only for medical and health purposes. We want to establish Thailand as the hub for alternative healthcare.
Pakistans two leading car assemblers, Toyota and Suzuki, plan partial plant shutdowns next month due to unavailability of raw material amid import restrictions and exchange rate volatility, officials at both companies said on Wednesday.

The government in recent weeks has attempted to curb imports in the face of fast depleting foreign reserves, a declining currency and a widening current account deficit, because of which the rupee has lost over 20 per cent of its value this year.

The move has had a cascading effect on industries that rely on imports to complete finished goods as they say the central bank has delayed the clearance of letters of credit with banks facing a shortage of dollars, affecting their ability to import materials.

Also Read | Markets bounce back after 2-day decline; Sensex, Nifty climb nearly 1%

There will be 10 working days next month, only if central bank allows us to open letter of credit based on the quota they promised, Ali Asghar Jamali, chief executive at Indus Motor Company Ltd which assembles Toyota vehicles in Pakistan, told Reuters.

He said the company was offering refunds to customers facing delays and markups on their payments, with deliveries likely to be delayed by at least three months and prices to be revised as the country does not have dollars available.

Reserves with the central bank have fallen to as low as $9.3 billion, enough to cover less than two months of imports. The current account deficit for the last financial year touched 5 per cent of GDP with imports hitting record highs.

Also Read | Tata Motors reports Rs 5,000 crore loss in June-quarter

Pak Suzuki, which assembles Suzuki vehicles locally, echoed the sentiment, citing the central bank's new mechanism for prior approval for imports.

"Restrictions had adversely impacted clearance of import consignments from ports," the head of public relations for Pak Suzuki Motors, Shafiq A. Shaikh, said.

He said the unavailability of materials may result in a plant shutdown in August.

Also Read | Indian wheat prices jump to record high, limit scope for govt-to-govt deals

"If the same situation continues, then from August 2022 we have big problems," Shaikh said.

State Bank of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment.

The sale of locally assembled cars in Pakistan surged by around 50 per cent from July 2021 to May 2022 compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the data of Pakistan Automotive Manufactures Association.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hit out at the judiciary, accusing some judges of having "double standards" towards his coalition government, a day after the Supreme Court removed his son as the chief minister of politically crucial and most populous Punjab province.

"I respect the judiciary but one has to speak the truth on the floor of the National Assembly," Sharif said while addressing a session of the National Assembly here.

He said that people expect the judiciary to make decisions with justice and the standard for justice should be the same for everyone.

His remarks came a day after a three-member Supreme Court bench - comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar - on Tuesday night ruled that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi will be the new chief minister of Punjab, paving the way for a change in the country's political heartland.

Elahi, the 76-year-old leader backed by ousted prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was sworn in as Punjab chief minister early Wednesday, in a major blow to Prime Minister Sharif-led coalition.

Read | India's stand on CPEC shows its 'insecurity': Pakistan

"When the courts summon then I think we should go with great respect  but if you have to decide then it should be on the basis of truth and justice. It cant happen that you treat me one way and treat someone else differently, said Sharif, who is also the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Sharif reiterated that he greatly respected the judiciary and was only talking about double standards.

He said that during the previous Imran Khan governments tenure no one took notice of various scandals such as the wheat and sugar crisis, the violation of its agreement with the International Monetary Fund as well as irregularities in the Peshawar BRT project.

"Who planned to attack this parliament in 2014, who hung dirty clothes on the building of the Supreme Court, who asked the public to set fire to electricity bills  no one took notice, everyone was quiet," he said, in an apparent reference to Khan.

Sharif asked the question that how long could such double standards continue.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented a resolution for a parliamentary committee for judicial reforms in the session, which was unanimously approved, Dawn newspaper reported.

The resolution said the Parliament would not allow any other institution to transgress and encroach on its powers. It said that the NA resolved to make a special joint committee of the upper and lower houses to institute requisite judicial reforms, adding that they were the need of the hour.

Punjab is Pakistan's second-largest province and any party ruling the key province controls the politics of the country. For the PML-N, losing Punjab means losing the Centre. Political pundits believe that the ruling coalition is now vulnerable.
Sri Lankas newly-appointed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Wednesday said the government is ready to listen to the demands of democratic public protesters, but denounced acts of terrorism, calling it the greatest threat to democracy.

Gunawardena, 73, an ally of the Rajapaksas and a school friend of the newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was sworn in as the Sri Lankan Prime Minister last week amid an unprecedented economic and political crisis.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Gunawardena said the Sri Lankan government is ready to listen to the democratic public protests, but they could not accept acts of terrorism.

Read | Former president Rajapaksa to return to Sri Lanka from Singapore: Cabinet spokesman

Terrorism was the greatest threat to democracy, and the Parliament which upholds democracy would not support such acts of terrorism, the Daily Mirror newspaper quoted him as telling the lawmakers.

There could be different political ideologies but the Parliament should work in unison to address the issues faced by the people, he added.

Sri Lanka's security forces forcibly evicted anti-government protesters camped outside the presidential office in Colombo in a pre-dawn raid on Friday on the order of President Wickremesinghe that left more than 50 people injured.

The assault on the protesters evoked widespread criticism, including from foreign envoys stationed in Colombo.

At least nine persons were arrested in the incident at Galle Face protest site where several key government offices are located.

On July 9, anti-government protesters occupied the residences of former President Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe after storming into their premises and setting fire to one of the buildings protesting the governments handling of the unprecedented economic crisis.

Wickremesinghe said he respects the rights of the protesters to peacefully undertake their demonstrations, but he asserted that he will not allow another government building like the Presidential Palace or the Prime Ministers private residence to be occupied.

Protesters were camping outside the presidential office for months, demanding the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country on July 13, and Wickremesinghe, a key Rajapaksa ally.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to the Uzbek capital Tashkent on a two-day visit beginning Thursday to attend a foreign ministerial conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and their Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto are also expected to attend the SCO meet.

It is expected that Jaishankar will have bilateral meetings with some of his counterparts from the SCO nations including Wang and Lavrov.

Announcing Jaishankar's visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the SCO foreign ministers' meeting will deliberate on the SCO summit in September scheduled for September 15-16 in Samarkand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Uzbekistan to attend the summit.

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Uzbekistan on July 28-29 at the invitation of Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov to take part in the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers," the MEA said in a statement.

"The meeting will discuss preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State on September 15-16 in Samarkand," it said.

The MEA said the foreign ministers will review ongoing cooperation in the expansion of the SCO and exchange ideas on regional and global developments of common concern.
Egypt has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with an Indian company to build a green hydrogen factory in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, a cabinet statement said on Wednesday.

According to the MoU, Indian ReNew Power Private Limited will build a factory to produce 20,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year, with investments worth $8 billion.
Former Vice President Mike Pence talked about the future of America in a recent speech and teased a potential 2024 presidential bid that would rival former President Donald Trump who has repeatedly hinted at the same.

The two officials made addresses from two hotel ballrooms less than a mile apart in Washington and put on clear display one of the most uncomfortable splits within the Republican Party. The competing speeches that were made on the same day would have been inconceivable for a former president and his own vice president not long ago.

Pence vs. Trump

The incident also illustrated many Republicans' frustrations and reservations about a potential 2024 Trump presidential campaign. A recent poll suggested that it could cause a large number of GOP voters to defect from the party in a general election.

Trump, in his 90-minute speech, repeatedly veered off script to complain about "hoax" investigations, boast about surviving two impeachments and lied about his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. On the other hand, Pence urged the GOP to look ahead and unite for the next political battles, as per the New York Times.

Pence noted that some people may choose to focus on the past, but elections are about the future of a nation. But Trump, on the other hand, scowled and leaned on menacing imagery of an America that is besieged by violent crime and in desperate need of a rescue that only he could provide for the people.

Read Also: US Capitol Riot: Attorney General Sends Stern Message to Donald Trump, Culprits of Jan. 6 Attack Amid Hearings

The two separate speeches also underscored the wide gap in enthusiasm among Republicans between Trump and any other potential primary rival in the 2024 elections. Pence drew tepid applause during his 30-minute address that was attended by roughly 250 people at an event that was hosted by the Young America's Foundation.

According to CNN, he said that he came with the intention of speaking about a broad range of topics but noted that the weather had different plans for him the day before. He then took the opportunity to speak about an agenda for the future.

The Future of America

Pence said that conservatives "must focus on the future to win back America" and laid out what he called a "freedom agenda" of conservative policy goals including everything from the economy to immigration to cultural fights over education.

The former vice president said that he believes the freedom agenda provides a clear roadmap for conservative leaders like all of the attendees to connect deeply with the American people on their top priorities.

His aspirations put him in direct conflict with the former president, who is also considering a 2024 presidential run. The two officials split since the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot when Trump put public and private pressure on Pence to delay the counting of electoral votes that favored Biden.

The situation comes as on July 23 after Trump took the stage at Turning Point USA's annual Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida. During the event, he proceeded to mock the Jan. 6 House Select Committee and called Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney "unhinged," the National Review reported.



Related Article: Donald Trump Returns to Washington for the First Time Since Defeat as SCOTUS Prepares Expected 2024 Election Campaign

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Job-seeking 10th-pass youth are overwhelmingly from rural-agricultural communities, which constitute about 60% of our 1.35-billion people. They are from small-farmer  owning less than 2-hectares land kisan families. Other job-seekers are from towns and cities, hailing from worker  karmik  families associated with the organised or unorganised sectors, or are part of the unorganised, migrant labour, who are again mostly from rural-agricultural landless kisan background.

The many millions of unemployed youth hail from kisan or karmik families, and seek jobs in the commercial or industrial sector, or preferably in state or central governments.

The recently-announced Agnipath scheme is for recruiting youth of 17.5 to 21-years age for below-officer-rank 4-year-service engagement in the Armed Forces, in the rank of Agniveer. Every Agniveer will invariably belong to a kisan or karmik family. On completing the 4-year service, selected Agniveers (maximum 25%) will be offered retention as regular Jawans in the Armed Forces. The Agniveers not thus selected will become job-seekers in the age group 21.5 to 25 years, starting 2026-27.

A Jawan completing 15-year service retires at age 38-42 years. He understands that when he returns to his kisan or karmik home on retirement, he will probably join the ranks of the unemployed, because securing a job is extremely difficult.

Read | Caste still decides who holds agri land, and how much

Ex-Jawans have a difficult life, because their pension and retirement benefits are inadequate for the financial needs of a growing family, typically with children aged 6-10 years at the time of their retirement. Very few from land-owner kisan families revert to their former kisan life  most ex-Jawans seek urban employment in the interest of their childrens education. Ex-Jawans who fortunately secure a state or central government Group D job are relatively better off.

Jawans remain linked with their kisan or karmik home community, and most ex-Jawans maintain regular contact with their serving comrades. Thus Jawans  serving and retired  comprise an organic whole.

Farm laws and Kisan

The government passed three farm laws as Ordinances in June 2020, as part of agricultural reforms. Farmers objected to these as being against their interests and demanded their repeal. However, the government enacted the farm laws against this opposition, making them effective September 27, 2020.

Farmers began an unprecedented peaceful agitation at the gates of Delhi and elsewhere in the country, starting November 26, 2020, with clearly stated demands. Among the agitating farmers were large numbers of ex-Jawans back in their kisan communities.

The agitating farmers braved winter, summer and monsoon rain hardships. Many died. Farmers and government held several rounds of talks, with the government adamant that farmers withdraw the agitation, and farmers equally adamant that they would withdraw their peaceful agitation only after the farm laws were repealed and other demands satisfied.

After the government agreed to form a committee comprising members of the farmers groups and government officials to settle MSP and other core issues, the farmers withdrew the agitation 380 days later, on December 11, 2021.

The government notified the formation of the committee. But today, months later, farmers say that the government has failed to respond to their questions (sent on March 24, 2022) concerning the committees Terms of Reference, the names of its chairman and members from the governments side, the time for the committee to submit its report, and whether the recommendations would be binding on the government. Importantly, farmers allege that the committees agenda does not include the farmers demand of legal guarantee of MSP to assure fair price for crops. Thus, farmers reject this committee and will not send names of their representatives on it.

It remains to be seen how this stand-off pans out, but it is very clear that the Jawan-Kisan is deeply unhappy.

Labour Codes and Karmiks

On November 26, 2020, an estimated 250 million workers from different sectors belonging to 10 central trade unions and hundreds of workers associations, struck work in what may have been the biggest nationwide strike, protesting against the anti-worker and pro-corporate policies and labour laws, as well as the farm laws. Possibly for the first time in post-Independence India, this displayed the kisan-karmik bond.

The government introduced four new Labour Codes to amalgamate and refine 29 existing laws and simplify and modernise labour regulation. There is undoubted benefit in simplifying working around multiple labour laws, and this was welcomed by the industrial lobby. But the new Labour Codes were drafted without consultation with workers organisations and unions. Unorganised sector workers remain out of focus.

Workers unions claim that the Labour Codes make it even more difficult for workers to unionise, strike, and demand wages, and worsens their already unequal capacity to bargain. They call the Labour Codes as anti-labour codes of bondage. The disaffection of karmiks with the Labour Codes is abundantly clear.

Peoples unrest

Our countrys economic downturn, magnified by the governments social-economic-political policies and executive decisions, was intensified by the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war. Today, the majority of 1.35 billion Indians live in very difficult conditions. Our youth  about 40%, or 540 million  see no viable future for themselves. NYP-2014 (National Youth Policy) for empowering youth, has failed them.

Unemployed kisan and karmik youths are growing in numbers, especially including those who cannot pass 10th Class for whatever reason, and there is growing public discontent and anger. As prices rise, kisan and karmik families are cutting back on food, and hunger is added to endemic hardship.

Jawan, Kisan and Karmik youths have come together with their real-life economic concerns. PM Lal Bahadur Shastris rousing 1965 call of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, expands to Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Karmik, representing 70% of our population, including the youth.

The government would do well to step back and re-assess the economic and financial distress that people are undergoing. It has led to high levels of countrywide economic discontent, pain and suffering, with consequent unrest. The farm and labour laws have aggravated their problems, instead of solving them. Using police-military force to suppress protests can only exacerbate the situation.

Neglecting peoples unrest cannot be in the national interest, especially since China and Pakistan benefit from it.
Police resorted to lathicharge the crowd queuing up in large numbers to pay their final respects to departed soul of BJP Yuva Morcha committee member Praveen Nettaru in Bellare, Karnataka on Wednesday.

A crowd also gheaored RSS leader Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel who had arrived in Bellare to pay their final respects.

Angry youth even went to the extent of toppling a car. After intervention of senior leaders, the crowd ran away after puncturing the tyres of a car.

#WATCH | Police lathi-charge those protesting against the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettar in Bellare of Dakshin Kannada district#Karnataka pic.twitter.com/oun3ciZbVm  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022

Security has been beefed up across the communally sensitive district following the murder. Police have formed four separate teams to nab the culprits. The incident has threatened to take a communal turn with suspicions being raised by right wing outfits that the murder is in retaliation for another killing of a youth belonging to minority community in the same locality recently.

Stone Pelting, schools shut

Movement of private buses in Puttur, Sullia and Kadaba taluks came to a grinding halt after miscreants pelted stones at a KSRTC bus in Bolwaru near Puttur after the BJP Yuva Morcha leader's death.

Sensing trouble, a few private colleges like Vivekananda English medium school declared holiday for students. In the absence of bus services, students and those commuting to their workplaces were left stranded. Shops and establishments in Puttur and Sullia taluks were shut.

(With inputs from PTI)
The family of a young Dungiven father-of-two who died suddenly aged just 24 years old, are holding a charity walk in aid of Air Ambulance to mark the first anniversary of his death.

Niall Murray suffered cardiac arrest at home just two days before his 25th birthday. He had no previous history of heart disease.

Niall's mum Brona, who is an experienced theatre nurse, spoke to the County Derry Post about how the Air Ambulance came to Niall's aid.

We called 999 and a neighbour is a paramedic and so we got an air-way into Niall first and we were able to do CPR, then the police arrived and then an ambulance.

I don't know who sent the Air Ambulance but it landed at the back of the old police station in Dungiven here, and set off running on foot towards our house. A neighbour lifted them in the car and they got here and just took over straight away.

The Air Ambulance is consultant led so the paramedic and consultant then took over Niall's care.

Even when we got the defibrialtor onto him we couldn't shock him. It was an unshockable rythm and so it was the drugs that the Air Ambulance team gave Niall that brought him back to us, that gave him a heart beat, said Brona.

Niall was then taken by Air Ambulance to the Altnagelvin ICU, and later transferred to the Ulster Hospital in Belfast where he eventually passed away a week later.

Even though Niall didn't survive - the drugs the Air Ambulance team gave him allowed us a week with him, and that allowed us to donate his organs which was very important, added Brona.

The Air Ambulance is reliant on charity donations.

The Murray family were undergoing unimaginable shock at what was unfolding, and Niall's partner Sinead and daughters Enya and Olivia were at the centre of their concerns.

Those days were crititcal in a sense of the organ donation and for us all to adjust to the shock of what was happening. Niall's partner Sinead and Olivia were able to be in with him  she was just coming up to four months old at the time, and Enya would have been was five.

It was absolutely a consolation to us to know Niall's organs could be donated, and I'm sure a consolation to the families of the people who were able to receive the organs as well.

Niall's family could have raised funds for any of the emergency services that helped them last August, but the Air Ambulance is totally reliant on charity donations and so they opted to donate to their operating costs.

Whoever took my call at ambulance control that day were amazing. Even though I'm a nurse, with loads of experience, they took me through every step. The way you see it on TV, that's how it was. They counted me through every step and honestly I don't think I could have done that without them, and obviously the neighbours that helped me, added Niall's mum.

They talked me through every step that day, things that I would be teaching at work, and telling colleagues. They were brilliant  I don't know who the lady was on the phone but the help was just brilliant.

You are just in shock, and that help from them was critical. It was only afterwards that I realised how important it was. There was a lady police officer there that day called Gail and she was just brilliant particularly because once she arrived I withdrew from the CPR, and once the paramedics came she came out to us and was very much involved in looking after us. She was just amazing.

Brona describes her youngest son as a 'cheeky chap', Niall was just great. He loved his cars and his two girls. He said after Olivia was born that every morning was like Christmas morning, he was just so devoted to Enya and Olivia. He was a cheeky wee chap who loved life, loved his friends and Sinead and the girls.

Niall had great friends, and they still call and visit Sinead and call with me which is lovely, said Brona.

Holding the walk on the day of Niall's first anniversary will not only raise funds for charity, but also allow Niall's friends and family to come together and just talk about him and share the day together while raising much needed funds for the cause.

The walk is actually the day of his first anniversary. That makes it significant really to us all.

I'm really hoping that people from all over will be able to come out on the day and just be there with us, and remember him.

We can't change the past. Nothing we will say or do will change what has happened here. I just wanted something positive to come out of his first anniversary rather than dreading it, and so we welcome anyone at all to come out with us.

People can walk, run, cycle, take their dog, push a pram whatever they want to do. We will just be happy to get people out and maybe we can talk about Niall and tell stories, and just physically be there, added Brona.

The walk will take place at Banagher Dam on Sunday, August 7 at 2pm. Donations to the fundraiser can be can be made via Facebook.
Sunday, July 31 marks the 50th anniversary of the Claudy massacre, which saw three bombs rip through the village claiming the lives of nine innocent people and injuring numerous others.

Among the victims of the atrocity, which happened in one of the North's most violent years of the Troubles, was an eight year-old girl and two teenage boys.

No-one has ever been charged with offences arising from the bombing of Claudy, nor has any paramilitary organisation claimed responsibility for the attack.

To mark the 50th anniversary, a series of events will be held in the coming days.

South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) has been supporting the families over the last 12 months in developing a range of projects and events designed to honour the memory and legacy of those whose lives were stolen away from their families.

Kenny Donaldson

SEFF's Director of Services Kenny Donaldson explained: "We have enjoyed a relationship with the Claudy families for a number of years but over the last 12 months we have worked collaboratively with all nine bereaved families, injured persons, the churches, schools and a range of others in developing a series of events designed to mark a milestone anniversary, of 50 years.

"The bombings of Claudy were an attack upon the full community of the area and so it proved with nine innocents dying, young and older, male and female, Protestant and Roman Catholic - these neighbours died together and Claudy as a small village was forever changed.

Kenny continued: "Patrick Connolly, Kathryn Eakin, Arthur Hone, Joseph McCloskey, Elizabeth McElhinney, James McClelland, Rose McLaughlin, David Miller and William Temple were all people who mattered; they mattered to their families, to their circle of friends and colleagues and also to the community."

Among the events organised to mark the anniversary is a public service at the Claudy Memorial.

A publication featuring contributions from the families will also be launched on the day of the anniversary.

"The bereaved families have shared their lived experiences over recent months with an appointed Project facilitator culminating in the production of a publication which will be launched on the day of the Anniversary, the Schools have also developed a digital-based project, working together in partnership looking at the past within Claudy, the present and what they desire for the future. There will also be a community-based public service held on Sunday 31st July at the Claudy Memorial and within the main car park at Claudy, commencing at 3pm, said Kenny.

Plans are also afoot to develop the existing memorial, according to Kenny.

"The families are also working collaboratively with SEFF and Derry and Strabane District Council in drawing up plans for a fresh development of the existing memorial, ensuring its' longer-term sustainability as well as making the space more intimate for bereaved families and others visiting to pay respects.

The families are also working collaboratively with SEFF and the local council in drawing up plans for a fresh development of the existing memorial.

"The Claudy families and all others connected have worked together in a spirit of genuine partnership, developing solutions which work for the common good, it has been our organisation's privilege to be there to assist in providing resources and other practical-based support.

"Over the coming week many family members and other individuals impacted will recount the happenings of Claudy and the continued legacy, let us all ensure that they are the focus of the debate and discussions," concluded Mr Donaldson.
If youre a Flipkart customer, then heres some good news for you: the Indian e-commerce giant (owned by Walmart) is now going to sell you audiobooks and other streaming audio content, thanks to a partnership with Pocket FM.

This move by Walmart-backed Flipkart brings it on par with its single biggest competitor in the e-commerce space  Amazon India. As we all know, Amazon is one of the earliest companies to have an audiobook business through its Audible platform.

How to buy audiobooks on Flipkart

The partnership between Flipkart and Pocket FM has already gone live on the e-commerce giants mobile app and website  if you search for audiobooks it will show you search results from Pocket FMs library of audiobooks and audio content.

According to reports, Flipkart users will also be able to access Pocket FMs library of audiobooks, audio stories and podcasts through a subsection on the main Flipkart app.

Furthermore, if Flipkart users purchase any of the Pocket FM-powered audiobooks, it will result in a unique link being emailed to users registered email addresses. That purchase link sent to Flipkart users will then need to be ultimately claimed through Pocket FM. Users will be able to listen to the Flipkart-purchased audiobook on Pocket FMs own app  not on Flipkart itself, claim reports.

Why is Flipkart partnering with Pocket FM

As per a report by Redseer Consulting at the end of 2021, Indias estimated to have 95 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the overall audio content category space. A separate report pegs the Indian audiobooks market to have 25 million people who listen to audiobooks.

According to Kanchan Mishra, Business Head for FMCG, Home and General Merchandise at Flipkart, audiobooks have gained prominence during the pandemic and this collaboration with Pocket FM will help authors publish their work on its platform with the aid of audiobooks. It will also help the e-commerce giant address its users growing desire for Indian and regional content consumption, he added, as per a Business Standard report.

What do you think about this partnership between Flipkart and Pocket FM? Are you into audiobooks and podcasts, and think this space will continue to grow? Let us know in the comments below and for more technology news and reviews, keep following Digit.in.
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When Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) began donating money for the construction of libraries he probably could not have predicted the impact he would have on the civic architecture of American cities, Seattle included. Eight Carnegie libraries were built in the city between 1904 and 1921. Seven still stand. Six remain libraries operated by The Seattle Public Library. These are the Fremont, Queen Anne, Green Lake, University, Columbia and West Seattle branches. The seventh is home to the Kangaroo & Kiwi bar in Ballard.

Today, SPL works hard to steward and maintain these striking 19th century properties whilst also ensuring they are fit to serve patrons in the 21st. This means providing modern-day services that Carnegie himself couldn't have imagined, such as computers and multipurpose community rooms, and ensuring that the buildings are compliant with current safety, accessibility and energy codes. This is no simple task especially considering that all of SPL's Carnegies are landmarked, meaning that any work and/or changes must be approved by the city's Landmarks Preservation Board.





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MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP)  A tech millionaire offered to buy it. A U.S. senator suggested that the government should force manufacturers to make it.

But so far, Klondike isn't budging from its plan to discontinue the Choco Taco.





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WASHINGTON (AP)  South Korea's SK Group plans to invest $22 billion in the United States on industries including semiconductors, green energy and bioscience.

The White House says that initiative will create tens of thousands of new domestic jobs while helping ease global supply chain snarls.





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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, produced a horror film depicting the horrors of the 'Narco slave trade' along the US-Mexico border.

Ted Cruz and border officers begin the film by responding to a group of migrants who entered the border late at night. He emphasizes that the great majority of migrants are economically exploited by the drug gangs who bring them into the United States.

Sen. Ted Cruz Reveals Horrible Situation in Southern Border

Sen. Ted Cruz said that these youngsters arrive in thousands of dollars in debt to nasty cartels, and the teenage guys labor for the gangs in every city in America, and the teenage girls endure a hell worse than that, with far too many of them human trafficked into sex slavery, Cruz says in the film. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are to blame for America's greatest slave pandemic since the Civil War," said Cruz.

While the southern border has experienced an uptick in migration each spring, the surges in 2021 and 2022 greatly surpassed prior years. Biden said in March 2021 that the border surge was what occurs every year, even though the United States had 1.7 million border crossings by the end of that year, an all-time high, Fox News reported.

In a violent video broadcast Monday night, Sen. Ted Cruz claimed to have evidence of a narco slave trade taking place at the southern border, stating that thousands of migrant minors are working in gangs or being transported into sex slavery across the US.

Read Also: China Confirms Stern Warning on Pelosi's Possible Taiwan Visit; House Speaker's Plane Might Get 'Shot Down'

Migrant Children in Southern Border Recruited for Human Trafficking

In recent months, border agents have detained hundreds of migrants as part of human smuggling operations along the southern border, though the government has yet to produce statistics from the fiscal year 2022 on how many foreign national minors and foreign national adults were recognized as victims of sex or labor trafficking.

According to the State Department's 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, the Department of Health and Human Services issued 527 certification letters to foreign national adult victims of severe forms of trafficking in FY 2021, up from 508 in FY 2020.

Of those, 14 percent were recognized as sex-trafficking victims, 68 percent as labor-trafficking victims, 16 percent as victims of both trafficking forms, and 2 percent as victims of an unknown severe type of trafficking, as per New York Post. The Biden administration is dealing with an unprecedented volume of border crossings.

According to the most recent Department of Homeland Security estimates, an average of 441 unaccompanied minors will cross the border and wind up in custody each day this year. A leaked estimations indicate that as many as 161,000 adolescents are likely to cross the border this year.

This is an almost 50% increase over the previous year. As a result, the crisis is far from over, with Republicans continuing to criticize the White House and Democrats. With the announcement of June numbers last week, crossings are at an all-time high, with approximately 1.75 million crossings so far in the fiscal year 2022.

As stated in the most recent quarter's numbers, 200,000 migrants have traveled via the southern border per month for the previous three months. However, officials continue to argue that the border is closed, despite Republican claims, according to Daily Mail.

Related Article: January 6 US Capitol Attack: Harvard Study Concludes Donald Trump 'Summoned' Mob, Sparked Riot

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The latest SEEK Urban Art Festival's mural has been completed.

French illustrator, painter and muralist Licea, from Paris, created the spectacular art piece entitled 'Les Papillons Dans Le Ventre' which means 'Butterflies in Your Stomach' at Carrolls Village on the wall of the IMC Cinema.

TCCM Manager Martin McElligott, speaking to the Dundalk Democrat, said: This is a SEEK collaboration between Sarah Daly of Creative Spark, SEEK and Dundalk Outcomers.

Licea is from Paris and who better than a Parisian woman to talk about love, right here in Dundalk.

It is a wonderful opportunity to show how Dundalk has changed and it is great to be part of a generation of change. This piece of art fits in perfectly to that brief for us.

There has been a great reaction. It can't be described as anything but a really beautiful mural.

I think this mural has changed the SEEK project this year  it has taken it on a step and I feel we really needed to do that.

It is a step forward. Last year the tallest mural in Ireland was created and this mural this year is a milestone for Dundalk.

It is supporting the LGBT+ community  it could be the second mural of this scale in the country supporting this community.

Dundalk Outcomers manager Bernadine Quinn said they are 'thrilled' with the mural.

It is an amazing piece of art, it is just fantastic, she said.

With the success of the Pride celebrations recently and then this beautiful mural; we are over the moon  it is the icing on the cake.

The people of Dundalk are very embracing and accepting and this mural is a symbol of that. Love is love and this piece or art captures that beautifully.

Artist Licea, who has been creating street art for two years, said she had a great experience in Dundalk while creating the mural.

People were really interested and came to see how it was progressing and have a chat. I really enjoyed creating this piece of art in Dundalk.

Martin McElligott thanked the IMC Cinema and the Carroll Village management team for their support.
Mariupol occupiers have distributed "drinking" water that was found to have been contaminated with fecal bacteria as residents of the region struggle to survive due to the water supply not being restored.

Volunteers were able to take a liquid sample of the water and sent it to Ukrainian-controlled territory for testing. The results of the analysis showed that it contained coliform bacteria, which is usually found in feces.

Contaminated Drinking Water

Experts from Vodocanal, the water utility, explained that based on the rules and regulations on sanitation, no coliforms may be present in drinking water. These types of bacteria fall into the e-coli group and are frequently found in surface waters. An official said that the distributed water is not sufficiently decontaminated for human consumption.

A doctor, Oleksandr Lazarenko, stated that the contaminated water is not fit for human consumption because it risks infecting a person with dysentery, cholera, or other pathogenic microorganisms. Health experts said that the water must at least be boiled first for it to be decontaminated for consumption, as per Pravda.

The situation comes as Mariupol residents continue to struggle to live among the ruins of their hometown. The fighting in the region ended two months ago when Russian troops claimed victory after thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee.

Read Also: Russia Hits Back at Europe, West with Gas Punishment, Raises Fears of Electricity Price Hike and More Issues

After the brutal fighting in the region, the previously estimated population of 430,000 was reduced to roughly in the tens of thousands. Five residents who were interviewed said they were struggling to get by every single day despite efforts by the city's Russian-installed administrators to try and rebuild.

According to Reuters, one resident, Tatyana Khandeldy, sat outside on a stool with her neighbors surrounded by apartment blocks with their windows blown out, and walls covered in bullet and shell holes. They noted that they were still hoping for the best but argued that their optimism was slowly fading away every day.

Restoring Water Supply

Residents who were left in Mariupol boiled kettles and fried potatoes on open fires in their yards as people's belongings still lay on the street where they had been blown by blasts that gutted some apartment blocks.

According to the United Nations, 90% of the city's buildings were destroyed after Russia used tanks, artillery, and air strikes to try to dislodge Ukrainian defenders. Last month, a UN top official said that at least 1,348 civilians were killed, including 70 children, and that the final toll was probably thousands higher with Kyiv estimating 22,000 civilian losses.

Russian troops that have occupied Mariupol said that the restoration of water supply in the region is currently impossible due to the destruction of water supply systems that were struck by their shellings.

In a Telegram post, Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, said that the occupiers have admitted the problem with the water supply. The same issue applies to a large part of the Tsentralny and Prymorsky districts. The funnel from a Russian FAB-1000 air-dropped bomb in the city center clearly shows why it is impossible to restore the water supply, Ukrinform reported.



Related Article: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelensky Accuses Vladimir Putin, Moscow of Starting 'Open Gas War' To Terrorize Europe

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Historian Catherine Corless has said she is relieved the Government has given the green light to the excavation of infant remains at the former mother and baby home in Tuam.

The Government approved a proposal on Wednesday to establish an independent office to oversee the exhumation.

The work at the burial site  by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam  will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible, and re-interment of the remains at the site.

Ms Corlesss research revealed that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution between 1925 and 1961.

She said she was delighted with the Governments decision.

Its more than welcome, she told RTEs Drivetime programme. We have to wait until September for the Oireachtas to pass it as well but Ive no doubt that will happen and a director will be chosen to oversee the exhumation.

It is good news for survivors and for people who have family in that sewage facility so it is indeed a good day. Im very relieved its come to this.

Its been very long journey. We couldnt give up. It had to be done so we are very relieved indeed.

Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said affected families had waited a long time for this development.

He said he intends to appoint a director of the independent office in the autumn and start excavation as soon as possible.

Mr OGorman said his proposal for an intervention at the Tuam site under the Institutional Burials Act and a draft order directing intervention will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval.

These are the final steps necessary in order to appoint a director and start the excavation in Tuam, he said.

Affected families, and indeed the people of Ireland, have waited a long time for this.

If approved by the Houses (of the Oireachtas) I will appoint a director in the autumn with a view to starting the excavation as soon as possible.

It follows the signing into law of the Institutional Burials Act 2022 earlier this month.

The Act, which provides the underlying legislative basis for the intervention, allows the Government by order to direct an intervention at a site where manifestly inappropriate burials of people who died in residential institutions took place.

The Government may make an order when the criteria set out in the legislation are met. Ministers confirmed on Wednesday that they were satisfied that the criteria are met at Tuam.
Russia announced its intention to pull out of the International Space Station by 2024 and focus on creating its own orbiting outpost in space.

The remarks were made on Tuesday by the country's new space chief and come amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over the invasion of Ukraine. The newly-appointed Yuri Borisov now leads the state space agency, Roscosmos.

Russia To Leave the ISS

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Borisov said that Russia will continue to fulfill its obligations to its partners before it leaves. The official noted that the decision to leave the station by 2024 has already been made.

The space chief's statement reaffirmed previous declarations by Russian space officials regarding Moscow's intention to leave the space station after 2024 when the current international agreements for its operation end.

NASA and other international partners hope to keep the space station running up until 2030, while Russian authorities have been reluctant to make commitments beyond 2024. The space agency did not immediately comment on Moscow's decision to split from the ISS, as per the Associated Press.

The ISS is jointly run by the space agencies of Russia, the United States, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The first piece of the station was put in orbit in 1998 and that outpost has been continuously inhabited for more than two decades. It is used to conduct scientific research in zero gravity and test out equipment for future space journeys.

Read Also: Mariupol Occupiers Distribute Water Contaminated With Fecal Bacteria as Residents Struggle To Survive

Typically, the station has a crew of seven individuals, who spend months at a time aboard the station as it orbits about 250 miles from our planet. Currently, there are three Russian, three American, and one Italian astronauts on board.

According to CNN, after the end of 2030, the ISS would be deorbited and crashed into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. NASA said that commercially operated space platforms would replace the ISS as a venue for collaboration and scientific research.

NASA's Future Plans

But the director of the ISS for NASA, Robyn Gatens, said that the space agency had not received any official word from Russia about the decision to split with the ISS. He said that Moscow was most likely thinking of what is next for them.

Gatens argued that Russians are probably thinking about transition after 2030 when the ISS is scheduled to be decommissioned. He noted that NASA is committed to the safe operation of the ISS and is already coordinating with its partners.

A spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, said that authorities are exploring options to mitigate any potential impacts that Russia's potential withdrawal will have on the ISS beyond 2024. The State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said during a briefing on Tuesday that everyone was taken by surprise by the announcement and called it an "unfortunate development."

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement on Tuesday that Borisov's words provide wiggle room for Russia to extend its participation beyond its current commitment. "This could be bluster from the Russians. It could be revisited, or it could come to fruition," said Phil Larson, a White House space adviser during the Obama administration, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Russia Hits Back at Europe, West with Gas Punishment, Raises Fears of Electricity Price Hike and More Issues

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EBRD makes US$ 50 million convertible loan to Uzbekistans second-largest lender, SQB

Investment to promote better corporate governance and management, green investments

In support to the countrys efforts to reform banking sector

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a US$ 50 million convertible loan to Ozsanoatqurilishbank (SQB), Uzbekistans second-largest lender. The loan can be converted, in full or in part, into ordinary shares of SQB.

SQB will on-lend the funds to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and at least 20 per cent of the proceeds will be channelled to support green investments, including energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. As part of the transaction, SQB will receive corporate climate governance (CCG) technical assistance, resulting in the development of an action plan to manage climate risks, in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia, Zsuzsanna Hargitai, said: This transaction is part of a broader commitment of the EBRD, alongside fellow international financial institutions, to support the transformation and privatisation of the Uzbek state-owned banks. This is the EBRDs first convertible debt transaction in Uzbekistan. With this transaction, in these troubled times marked by volatility in the broader region, we send an important message of confidence to investors.

Since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken major reforms, particularly in its banking sector, aiming to reduce state involvement and modernise its economy. This convertible loan supports that strategy. The EBRD investment, if conversion take place, will pay the way to gradual reduction in state ownership below 50 per cent, while also strengthening SQBs corporate governance and resilience.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than 3.38 billion through 111 projects in Uzbekistan.
Flood death toll rises to 131 in Bangladesh

Xinhua) 09:46, July 27, 2022

DHAKA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 131 people had been killed in floods caused by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water in parts of Bangladesh, said a government report on Tuesday.

According to the daily flood report of the country's Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room, 103 people died by drowning, 16 from lightning strikes, two from snake bites, one from diarrhoea, and nine others due to other reasons between May 17 and July 26.

The floods have left a trail of death, misery and destruction.

According to the daily disaster situation report prepared by the country's National Disaster Response Coordination Center under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, tens of thousands of families were forced to flee home.

However, the country's overall flood situation has reportedly now improved in most of the districts with water levels in many rivers receding. And flood waters have also reportedly continued to recede, improving the situation considerably.

Millions of people in Bangladesh, criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers, suffer from flooding as the low-lying country experiences seasonal floods every year during the June-September monsoon.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Two new studies have identified an animal market in Wuhan, China being the true epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings, published in Science journal on Tuesday, claimed to have changed the course of the argument over the virus' origins-specifically, whether the illness originated in animals and spread naturally to people or whether it was the result of a lab mishap.

The first study looked at the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in the first month of the epidemic, December 2019, and found that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the area with the highest concentration of early cases, per CNA.

The second concluded that it was improbable that the coronavirus had spread significantly among humans before November 2019 after examining genetic data from the virus' initial cases to analyze its early evolution.

Both were formerly available as "preprints," but they are now peer-reviewed and published in a respected scientific publication.

Lab Leak Unleashed COVID-19, Possible

In an earlier letter, University of Arizona researcher Michael Worobey, who co-authored both articles, urged the scientific community to be more receptive to the possibility that the virus originated from a lab leak.

Worobey stated in an interview with journalists that the findings made him "also think it's just not plausible that this virus was introduced any other way than through the wildlife trade at the Wuhan market."

Even though the live animal market had been the subject of prior studies, more evidence was required before researchers could conclude that it was the actual COVID-19 Origin and not just an amplifier.

Read Also: China Confirms Stern Warning on Pelosi's Possible Taiwan Visit; House Speaker's Plane Might Get 'Shot Down'

Localized research within Wuhan was essential to strengthen the case that the virus was "zoonotic," or that it was transmitted from animals to humans.

"The raw ingredients for a zoonotic virus with pandemic potential are still lurking in the wild, according to Joel Wertheim, a viral evolution specialist at the University of California, San Diego, and co-author of the study. "

He believes the world needs to do a far better job in monitoring animals and other possible hazards to human health.

In one study, Worobey and his colleagues estimated the locations of more than 150 of the earliest recorded COVID-19 cases from December 2019 using mapping technologies. The study included data gathered by Chinese researchers.

Research Findings Hope To Help Prevent Future Pandemics

Using information from a social media app that had established a pathway for patients with COVID-19 to receive assistance, they also mapped cases from January and February 2020.

Professor Worobey explained to members of the media: "Of all the locations that the early cases could have lived, where did they live? It turned out when we were able to look at this, there was this extraordinary pattern where the highest density of cases was both extremely near to and very centered on this market."

He added that the findings "crucially" applies both to all cases in December as well as to "cases with no known link to the market ... And this is an indication that the virus started spreading in people who worked at the market but then started to spread into the local community," as per a report from ABC.

To reduce the chances of future pandemics, the researchers hope they can determine exactly what animal may have first become infected and how.

Study co-author Kristian Andersen of The Scripps Research Institute remarked that though outbreaks cannot be prevented, there is a need for the world's scientists to work together to distinguish a disease with minimal impact from one that can result in millions of fatalities, per CNN.

Read Also: Joe Biden Gets Infected with COVID-19, White House Says POTUS Exhibits Mild Symptoms Despite High Risk For Severe Case

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
 

United States of America contributes US$ 500 million in donor funds to the EBRDs response to the war on Ukraine

Funds to accelerate the roll-out of the Banks Resilience and Livelihoods Framework for Ukraine and neighbouring countries

EBRD channelling donor support through the Crisis Response Special Fund

The EBRD and the United States of America have joined forces to respond to the impact of the war on Ukraine. With a contribution of US$ 500 million to the EBRD Crisis Response Fund, the USA is confirming its strong commitment to support Ukraine through the Banks Resilience and Livelihoods Framework.

The funding comes in the form of grants to support investment. It marks a significant milestone in the Banks fundraising efforts, which have mobilised some 1 billion for Ukraine and affected countries so far.

The United States of America is a founding member of the EBRD, the Banks single largest shareholder and a very important contributor to its work. Prior to this new contribution, its donor funding had totalled more than 153 million.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said: This is an extraordinarily generous contribution and we are humbled by the confidence that the United States, our single largest shareholder, has put in us. The contribution agreement we are signing today between the USA and the EBRD has come at exactly the right time. We will start deploying it in Ukraine and neighbouring countries as soon as we can.

US Assistant Secretary for International Trade and Development Alexia Latortue said: This contribution reaffirms our support for the people of Ukraine as they defend their country from Russias unprovoked and unjustifiable war. It is a signal of our solidarity with countries affected by Putins war of choice, which has increased food insecurity and raised energy prices around the world, particularly in developing countries. The United States is proud to support EBRD in its vital role, and in assisting the Government of Ukraine in bolstering Ukraines private sector  positively impacting the lives of Ukrainians.

The EBRD has a unique role to play in this crisis. After more than 30 years of promoting economic transition in Ukraine, the Banks emergency response to the war focuses on support for the countrys economy today and preparing for reconstruction in future.

The Banks actions complement those of other international financial institutions helping the Ukrainian government, as well as those of humanitarian agencies.

The EBRD will match the new resources provided by donors with donor funding from its own capital.

The funding will go towards trade finance to maintain the flow of essential goods, to ensuring energy security, providing emergency liquidity to small businesses, pharmaceutical companies and vital transport providers, and to enabling Ukrainian municipalities to maintain basic public services for citizens.

Critically, the EBRD is targeting food security through substantial support for the Ukrainian agricultural sector for planting, crop maintenance, harvest and food supply.

The funding will also be used to help refugees in neighbouring countries and to assist the municipalities hosting them.

To prioritise and efficiently manage donor resources entrusted to the Bank in support of Ukraine and neighbouring countries, the Bank has set up the EBRD Crisis Response Special Fund to channel donor support.

Ukraine is one of the Banks largest recipients of investment. From the beginning of the war in February, the Bank has moved swiftly, from condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine, facilitated by Belarus, to preparing an immediate financial response.

Its assistance aims to ensure the resilience of Ukraine and the countries that are welcoming refugees, combined with a plan for the countrys reconstruction when circumstances allow.

So far, the EBRD has invested 650 million in response to the war on Ukraine and is on track to utilise 1 billion by the end of the year.
CAMPAIGNERS in Cork who are backed by a UK protest group have campaigned outside the newly opened BrewDog pub in Cork city to raise awareness of past allegations of mistreatment by the franchise.

The new pub, located by the courthouse on Washington Street, is being operated by Westside Leisure Ltd, a local company with a long history of running bars and venues around Cork, but the campaigners wish to highlight issues with the Brewdog parent brand.

Speaking to The Echo, one of the protest organisers said they are a group of individuals, working in the industry, along with friends, who want people to know the full story.

They have been backed by Punks with Purpose, a UK group creating awareness around the claims of former BrewDog staff.

I followed the brand closely when it set up in 2007, as a worker-focused brand, and I was disappointed by what I learned, a Cork campaigner said.

We felt people needed to hear the full story, 61 staff members spoke out about their mistreatment and they are still waiting for an apology.

In a statement to The Echo Brewdog said its people are its most important asset.

We took the claims of some former employees very seriously and embarked on a cultural review of the business last year and in May we launched our new Blueprint, announcing a host of new benefits for staff and venue workers, which has set a new standard for the hospitality industry.

Westside Leisure Ltd has been operating bars and clubs in the city for the last 40 years, including the Brog, BarBarossa, Voodoo Rooms, Popscene, Alibi and BarBarella.

As a local company operating bars and clubs in Cork for 40 years with almost 200 team members, we are proud and excited to bring BrewDog here to the city, the company said.

Since the initial announcement of our franchise partnership, the community reaction has been hugely positive, and booking enquiries have been pouring in.

Additionally, despite the current nationwide staffing crisis, we have had a huge response from those wanting to work with us, which is not only a testament to our own reputation as an employer in Cork, but also to the popularity of the BrewDog brand.
A MAN who is serving a sentence for assaulting a Bus Eireann driver in Ballincollig was sentenced for being threatening to another bus driver in Crosshaven asking him  What are you doing in my country?

John Long, who is living at a Simon Community facility called J&A on Anglesea Street, Cork, appeared by video link from prison at Cork District Court.

He pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening behaviour onboard a bus at Camden Road in Crosshaven.

Sergeant Pat Lyons said the defendant had a ticket to travel as far as Carrigaline but he failed to get off the bus and was still upstairs when the bus stopped at Crosshaven.

The bus driver approached him. Long responded by asking him what he was doing in Ireland and made related comments in the course of a 10-minute verbal altercation.

At one stage he attempted to grab a bag from inside the drivers cab. But he failed to get it. He then left the bus.

He has 111 previous convictions including 40 for Section 6, Sgt Lyons said, referring to the section of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act related to threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the accused might dispute one or two facts in the prosecutions outline but he was pleading guilty nonetheless.

Judge Olann Kelleher sentenced Long, aged 35, to two months in prison.

Last week Long was jailed for three months for assaulting a bus driver in Ballincollig, consecutive to a four-month jail term for engaging in threatening behaviour towards staff at a shop in Cork city centre.
A CORK-BASED GP and founding member of Doctors For Choice Ireland, an alliance of independent medical professionals and students advocating for comprehensive reproductive health services in Ireland, has welcomed Cabinet approval for plans to legislate for safe access zones around facilities that provide abortion services.

Dr Mary Favier, who is also a member of the Southern Task-Force On Abortion and Reproductive Topics (START) group, said the forthcoming legislation is much-needed.

It is not acceptable that patients, both those seeking abortion care and not, should have to tolerate protesters and potential abuse. Neither should practice staff who have been incredibly supportive of the abortion service in general practice.

Irish society voted for a safe accessible service. This legislation will help ensure it can be provided both safely and with appropriate protections, she said.

The heads of the Bill, a general scheme of a Bill before it is finalised, designate specified healthcare premises and 100 metres surrounding their perimeter as safe access zones.

It proposes to designate safe access zones around any site that can provide termination of pregnancy services, not just those that do.

Nobody should be harassed, insulted, intimidated or interfered with in any way, or have their decision to access lawfully available healthcare services subject to attempted unsolicited influence by strangers, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said.

Pictured is Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly speaking to the media outside Dublin Castle ahead of the last scheduled Cabinet meeting of the summer. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The introduction of safe access zones will protect the freedom to access termination of services without impediment and the privacy and dignity of women accessing health services, as well as the service providers, and their staff in the course of their duties and responsibilities, he continued.

Following the Governments decision to approve the heads of bill, a formal Bill will be drafted by the Office of the Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Health.

Mr Donnelly said his intention is to see the legislation enshrined in law by the end of the year. A range of penalties will be available to the courts where a person is convicted of an offence under the proposed legislation ranging from fines to imprisonment for more serious offences.
Eoin Reynolds

The Court of Appeal refused to hear a bail application on Wednesday afternoon for Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier who was sentenced just five days ago for joining Isis when she travelled to Syria in 2015.

However, the three-judge court did agree to take the "unusual step" of first hearing an appeal against the severity of her 15-month sentence when the courts return from their summer break on October 4th, before an appeal against her conviction is heard.

Smith watched via video-link from prison as her lawyers asked the court to consider an immediate bail application.

Mr Justice George Birmingham, presiding at the three-judge court, said that the application would require "considerable preparation" and said he has not yet received a copy of the verdict and sentence judgments delivered by the Special Criminal Court.

He said at this point there is "no possibility to deal in a substantial way with all the issues".

While Smith intends to appeal her conviction, Mr Justice Birmingham said the court would be willing to hear the sentence appeal on October 4th, before hearing the conviction appeal.

One of the grounds of appeal against the severity of her sentence will be that the Special Criminal Court did not give enough credit to Smith for the time she spent in refugee camps in Syria before she returned to Ireland in 2019.

Her lawyers argued that the time she spent in "appalling conditions" in the Al-Hawl and Ain Issa camps in Syria, combined with a nightly curfew she has lived with since returning to Ireland, meant she had already served about four years.

Precedence

At Wednesday's hearing, Mr Justice Birmingham told the lawyers on both sides to look at a recent judgment by the appeals court relating to a man who fled this jurisdiction and ended up in immigration detention in the Philippines before returning to Ireland.

He said it might be of assistance to Smith's lawyers as the judgment states that a sentencing court here "should have regard" to time spent in detention in such cases.

Earlier this year, Smith became the first person to be convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad when the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court found that she joined Isis when she travelled to Syria in 2015.

The 40-year-old from Dundalk, Co Louth had pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015 and December 1st, 2019.

Sentencing her to 15 months in prison, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted that while Smith is a low risk for re-offending, she was persistent and determined in her efforts to travel to Syria and join Isis and has shown no remorse for her actions.

He said it was "serious" for an Irish citizen to take up allegiance with a terrorist organisation and persist with it.

He added that "she may have been easily led by circumstances and other people" but she had also shown resilience and determination to join and remain with Isis "to the bitter end".

Custodial sentence

She had rejected her family and one of her husbands, who refused to swear allegiance to Isis, and had aligned herself with terrorists such as John Georgelas, an American Isis fighter and propagandist who was killed during fighting in Syria.

He said that a custodial sentence was necessary to mark the seriousness of the offence and to deter others from offering support to dangerous organisations.

During Garda interviews, Smith accepted that she travelled to Isis-controlled Syria in 2015 but denied she had ever joined Isis or any other group.

She said she believed she had a religious obligation to live inside the Islamic State created by terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Mr Justice Hunt, delivering the court's verdict, said Smith went to Syria with her "eyes wide open" having watched videos of Isis atrocities and having taken part in online discussions about Isis with jihadis from Germany, Australia, America and parts of the Middle East.

He said her journey to Syria was in itself an act of allegiance and pointed to evidence that she swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi and that she urged her former husband to do the same and divorced him when he refused.
ITS that time of year again: the sun is out, the nights are long, and we have a new Cork Rose.

Jenny Byrne, who lives near Cork Airport, was selected out of 32 participants to represent the Rebel County in this years Rose of Tralee pageant.

Excitement is already building for the festival, it has been postponed due to Covid-19 since reaching its 60-year milestone, back in 2019.

Even though the preparations are well underway, Jenny is still coming to terms with her new title.

I was not expecting my name to be called in the slightest, she says with a laugh.

I was sitting in front of the stage and the MC called my name and my brain shut off. My body went into auto pilot.

I picked up my dress and walked up the stairs but I dont remember any of it. I only came around a couple of minutes later when the girls hugged me and I was completely overwhelmed.

Its only now that things have calmed down that its starting to sink in. I still cant believe its actually happening.

This years festival will run from August 19 to 23. While Daithi O Se will again return to host the famed event, the Roses will this year be heading to an even bigger stage at MTU Tralee for the first time.

The road to Tralee

The road there seems like a long one, with Jenny having almost four months between her county selection (back in May) and the final, but she says that she prefers having the extra time to prepare.

Cork Rose Jennifer Byrne at Fitzgerald's Park, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

The process is longer in Cork than it is in most other counties, which I think is actually a really good thing, she says.

We had our information evening at the end of April, about a month before the final selection, so it was lovely to actually get to know each other.

It also allowed the participants to learn more about what they were getting themselves into.

I had no idea what it really entailed. You really dont know what its like until you get involved. You see the selection process and the road to Tralee as an outsider but so much goes on in between. We got to do loads of different events in the lead-up; dinners, cocktail-making classes, and the Rose Tour, Jenny says.

It gave us such a great chance to get to know each other and form friendships before we even got to the selection process. It makes it feel like its not a competition, it feels like youre just getting together with friends and getting dressed up.

There was never any bad atmosphere, which was amazing. Were hoping to get together again in July and loads of them are planning to come to Tralee.

Empowerment

Its those friendships and good attitudes, Jenny says, that really set the Rose of Tralee apart from other pageant-style competitions.

I feel bad when I use the P-word during our call, conscious that many participants mightnt be fans of such a title.

By definition, a pageant is a beauty contest, but Jenny doesnt believe its an accurate way to describe the Rose of Tralee.

I think a lot of people consider it to be a bit of a pageant because there really isnt anything else like this that exists, she says.

Its much more about celebrating Irish women and what makes us interesting and unique. Its about forming friendships and being proud of yourself and each other.

Its not at all about how beautiful you are or how well-spoken, its about your attributes and achievements, which I think is really different from anything else youd see in the pageant world.

Having worked in inclusion and diversity, Jennys says that shes also come to see the concept of the Rose of Tralee as a tool for womens empowerment.

When you stand up on a stage, you gain so much self-confidence, she says.

You have to think about your positive attributes and that makes you reflect, which is a really powerful thing.

As Irish women, were so bad for taking compliments and believing that we should be recognised for our achievements. Even when people were congratulating me on becoming the Cork Rose, I didnt know how to respond. We have to get better at it.

A whirlwind few weeks ahead

Jenny completed her undergraduate studies at University College Cork in international development and food policy and is currently completing her PhD in NUI Galway, where she studies employment opportunities for women with disabilities.

I knew from when I left school that this was the area I wanted to be involved in. I did an internship with Self Help Africa and absolutely loved it. I love the idea of helping people and also travelling, Jenny says.

Cork Rose Jennifer Byrne

She plans to go to Rwanda and Cambodia in the coming years for her research. First, however, shell have to make her way to the Rose of Tralee stage.

The next few weeks will be hectic. I have to get outfits together, which is really exciting, and Ill also be going to other selection nights to support the other girls taking part.

Then well have the Rose tour in August and it will be a total whirlwind after that. Its just mad. One minute, youre thinking to yourself maybe Ill enter the Rose of Tralee and the next thing youre off buying dresses to be on national television.

She is feeling the pressure slightly but says that the support from around Cork has been amazing.

I go out walking the dog and people will shout congratulations across the road. Ive been floored by the support. Corks businesses have been amazing as well. I just cant believe how many people know about it and want to support me, she says.

It really helps with the pressure, especially having the other girls from the Cork Rose process being there for me, and Ill have the girls from around the country once we get to know each other as well. It makes you forget that its a competition, which takes the pressure off.

Jennys family has also been a huge help. I really did not think I was going to win the Cork Rose. My mum was on holidays and my dad and sister and boyfriend only came on the first night of the selection. I told them not to bother to come on the second night because I wouldnt be on stage and then I had to go and text them all after my name got called, she says.

My mum went absolutely mad, she couldnt believe she wasnt there, but theyve already all booked to come down to Tralee and are on about all of the banners theyre going to make already.

As for the possibility of becoming the next Rose of Tralee, Jenny hasnt allowed herself to think that far ahead.

Im definitely a bit nervous. Id say this years festival will be bigger than ever because of the pause. But Im also very excited. I cant wait for it all to get started, she says.

Ive never done anything like this before, but the Cork selection process does prepare you really well. Ive done the interviews and the walking on stage. Now I just have to go do it on a bigger scale I suppose.
In 2018, multiple prominent Michigan Republican legislators flew to Hawaii on at least two separate occasions, paid for by the California-based Institute for Research on Presidential Elections. As reported by Bridge Magazine, the trips, which also included trips to Puerto Rico and elsewhere, were part of an effort to change the way our presidents are elected:

More than 20 Michigan Republican lawmakers traveled to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other vacation spots in the past two years where, on one day, they attended a seminar sponsored by a California group pushing to change how Michigan awards its electoral votes for president. In September, weeks after several flew to Hawaii, GOP lawmakers introduced bills supporting the effort to decide U.S. presidential contests by a national popular vote. At least one primary bill sponsor, Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw, attended the seminar in Hawaii, at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. Rep. Lee Chatfield, a high-ranking House Republican from Levering, also attended that seminar. Meanwhile, the top Senate Republican, Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, participated in a 2017 trip to Puerto Rico.

Triston Cole, a Republican House member from the Traverse City area, currently running for state Senate, was among those who enjoyed the free trip. Because the trip was labeled as educational rather than as a lobbying effort, very little is known about what happened at the seminars. According to Bridge Magazine, while the institute itself doesnt lobby, a sister nonprofit, the National Popular Vote, is registered to lobby in Michigan.

As Bridge Magazine points out, the educational effort seemed to have its intended effect of swaying Republicans to get behind changes that have largely been supported primarily by Democrats over the years:

When a Senate bill to have Michigan join the national popular vote compact was introduced back in 2015, only five Democratic senators and zero Republicans signed on as sponsors. In 2018, 11 Republican senators and 10 Democratic senators signed on as sponsors.

A non-profit accountability group calling itself Liberty Group, Inc. is now sponsoring a sweepstakes to send the winner on a trip to Hawaii of their own and to travel like Triston!. From their press release:

Residents of Northern Michigan have the chance to live the lavish lifestyle of local politician Triston Cole, with a sweepstakes that will send the winner on a vacation for two to Hawaii similar to one special interests bought for Cole while he served in the State House. The Travel Like Triston sweepstakes is free to enter for all Michigan residents and will run from Friday, July 21 to Friday, August 12. Residents can visit www.travelliketriston.com to enter. Cole, currently running for election to the Michigan State Senate to represent the new District 37 (Mackinac, Chippewa, Cheboygan, Emmet, Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties), took a lavish, special-interest-funded trip to Hawaii in 2018 while serving in the State House. A special interest group paid the way for Cole and fellow Michigan Republicans to attend a seminar with lobbyists in Hawaii at a luxury resort. The special interest group, California-based Institute for Research on Presidential Elections, works with lobbyists trying to change Michigan law so that the states Electoral College votes are awarded to the winner of the national popular vote  not the winner of the states popular vote. And just weeks after Triston Cole met with these lobbyists on his Hawaiian vacation, he co-sponsored a bill to this effect. Many political observers note that such changes are likely to advantage Democrats in presidential elections. The Travel Like Triston sweepstakes winner will be chosen on August 19, 2022, with the winner receiving travel and lodging for two at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort in Waimea, Hawaii, the hotel used by the special interest group who funded Coles trip.

The effort is clearly designed to draw attention to Coles participation in this trip and expose his self-dealing in the lead up to the November election.

And its hilarious.
Extreme heat in Kansas last month killed so many cattle that carcasses were dumped in landfills or buried in unlined graves, Reuters reports. Normally processed as pet food or fertilizer, the 2,117 cows that died from heat exhaustion the weekend of June 11 overwhelmed standard operating procedures. Burying cattle in unlined pits is a risky option and last resort because of the potential for waste to seep into groundwater.

According to the Global Methane Initiative, landfills are among the top-5 biggest sources of methane emissions, accounting for 11% of all human-caused annual emissions. The damage is not done. Heat has continued to bake the Plains, and the June heatwave continues to take its toll on animals and farmers (and landfill operators) alike. Cattle are somewhat still struggling, Kansas veterinarian Tera Barnhardt told Reuters. We really compromised them.

For a deeper dive:

Reuters

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Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Portland residents fill a cooling center with a capacity of about 300 people at the Oregon Convention Center June 27, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Nathan Howard / Getty Images

The average temperature in late July for Seattle, Washington, is 79 degrees Fahrenheit. But this week it could see 90 degree temperatures four days in a row, as National Weather Service (NWS) Seattle meteorologist Jacob DeFlitch told The Washington Post.

The Pacific Northwest is the latest region of the U.S. to brace for record-breaking temperatures as the climate crisis makes its effects known in heat waves around the world. Its residents joined the people of the Southern Plains to make up a total U.S. population of almost 40 million people under heat alerts Tuesday, The Washington Post reported. The region is not expected to bake as hotly as it did during the historic heat wave that soared past records there in 2021, but it could close in on daily reocrds and records for the length of time it swelters under higher than usual temperatures.

To have five-day stretches or a week-long stretch above 90 degrees is very, very rare for the Pacific north-west, Portland State University professor of climate adaptation Vivek Shandas said, as The Guardian reported.

A dangerous heat wave, with widespread excessive heat warnings and heat advisories, will impact the Northwestern U.S. this week, before some relief by late in the weekend/early next week.



Visit https://t.co/Ynl3VCdFFD for info on how to protect yourself, family, and neighbors. pic.twitter.com/MQJ5IflNgS  National Weather Service (@NWS) July 26, 2022

NWS Seattle said that Tuesday was the day most likely to break heat records, as it posted on Twitter Sunday. The Seattle Times further reported that the city was projected to hit 94 degrees Fahrenheit and break the previous record for July 26set in 2018by two degrees.

Tuesday is the best day for possible record breaking highs. Here is a list of the records for Tuesday thru Friday.

Seattle

Tue. 92/2018, Wed. 95/1998, Thurs. 97/2009, Fri. 103/2009

Olympia

Tue. 96/1998, Wed. 99/1998, Thurs. 101/2009, Fri. 104/2009. #wawx  NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) July 25, 2022

Meanwhile, Portland is expected to hit 101 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday and stay in the upper 90s for the rest of the week, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Further inland, things are expected to get even hotter. NWS Spokane in Washington said its highest temperatures would likely come Thursday and Friday, with highs of 101 and 103 predicted.

Here's a look at the high temps for the week. We expect Thursday & Friday to be the hottest days. Although it won't be quite as hot as it was in 2021, it will still be a potentially dangerous situation, so we want you & your pets to play it cool if you can. #wawx #idwx pic.twitter.com/EREWpGVa0D  NWS Spokane (@NWSSpokane) July 26, 2022

In northern and inner Oregon, temperatures could hover between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, The Washington Post reported. Medford, Oregon, tied its 107-degree-Fahrenheit record high on Monday, while Dallesport, WAacross the state bordertied a record high of 108.

However, the most distinctive aspect of the current heat wave is not its heat but its projected length.

Its the duration thats really noteworthy for this event, NWS Portland meteorologist Colby Neuman told The Washington Post. The most consecutive days of 95 degrees at Portland on record is six, and well certainly be in the running to approach, tie or exceed that record. The next few days were going to be right around 100.

The most consecutive days of 100F is 5 days beginning on 07/13/1941. 2nd most is 4 days beginning on 08/07/1981. There are six streaks of 3 consecutive days. #pdxtst #orwx (4/4)  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) July 23, 2022

A lengthy heat wave is a health concern in the usually mild region because it is less common for people to have air conditioning there. In Portland, 78 percent of households have it, and that number falls to 44 percent in Seattle. High nighttime temperatures mean that people cannot cool their homes simply by opening their windows after the sun sets, Neuman told The Washington Post.

No relief from the heat. Sea-Tac's temperature dropped below 70 around 4:50 AM and it's already back up to 70 at 6:25 AM. pic.twitter.com/73RfaNgXtM  NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) July 26, 2022

Residents without air conditioners will experience a buildup of heat within their home through late in the week, the NWS warned, as The Guardian reported, adding that this will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses.

The 2021 heat wave caused nearly 100 confirmed deaths in both Oregon and Washington, though the real toll could be higher, as The New York Times reported. In neighboring British Columbia, the death toll was as high as 619 people, as CBC News reported.

Since then, Portland has mandated that all new subsidized housing be built with air conditioning and anything built later than 2014 to have air conditioning in at least one room, The Guardian reported. It has also begun distributing cooling units and heat pumps to people especially at risk from high heat but has only installed 750 of a 15,000 goal. And that doesnt cover unhoused people, who will have to rely on cooling centers being set up throughout the city.

Unfortunately theres this intersection of our climate crisis and our housing emergency, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management chief resilience officer Jonna Papaefthimiou told The Guardian.

Seattle has also set up cooling centers in libraries and other public buildings, The Seattle Times reported.




Loans provided for new aquaculture project in Mekong Delta, Vietnam





The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the World Bank have agreed to provide loans for a new 5,500 hectare aquaculture project in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

Due to take place in Hon at district of Kien Giang province in 20232026, the project is budgeted to cost 624 billion (US$26.6 million)  enough to provide infrastructure like irrigation works, roads and power supply systems.

The project is set to include shrimp/rice farming and production of giant river prawns.

According to Viet Nam News, Kien Giang province is aiming for its aquaculture sector to annually produce 484,800 tonnes of seafood by 2030.

- The Fish Site
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky encouraged US President Joe Biden to visit Ukraine to send a huge signal of sympathy for his war-torn country as it faces Russia. Other world leaders have previously done so.

Zelensky offered the invitation to US President Joe Biden in an exclusive, televised chat with Post writer Piers Morgan in Kyiv. Olena Zelenska, his wife, had just returned from Washington, DC, where she addressed Congress and sought additional armaments to assist beat off Russian invaders.

Zelensky Believes Biden Would Come in Ukraine if He Had a Chance

The president acknowledged that the decision was based on security, but he claimed that if Biden had a chance, he would come. Zelensky stated that if Biden, 79, visited Ukraine, it would send the biggest statement that can be conveyed in favor of Ukraine.

Since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, several politicians, corporate tycoons, and prominent personalities have risked their lives to go to Kyiv. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are among them.

In the interview, Zelensky also addressed his arch-enemy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that the strongman is, in reality, rational and he understands what he's doing. Zelensky, whose two children haven't seen their father in more than five months due to security fears, and whose 9-year-old son, by her admission, now wishes to be in the military, struggled to express her disdain for Putin.

Zelensky said that his country is now plagued with hate for Russia and Russians, which he claimed was unsurprising given the toll the conflict has had on people's lives. Zelensky, a former comedian-turned-politician, has used his nightly social media speeches and regular media appearances to rally support for the war effort and bolster morale. When asked if he thought Ukraine could win, Zelensky said definitely, according to New York Post.

Olena, the wife of besieged President Volodymyr Zelensky, has used social media channels as well as worldwide meetings to rally support for the Ukrainian military fighting to protect Kyiv's sovereignty. Furthermore, her choice of clothes has conveyed a strong political signal in every one of her appearances.

Read Also: Russia Announces Its Plan To Leave International Space Station, End Decades-Long Deal with NASA

Ukraine First Lady Issues Strong Message During US Visit

Earlier that day, on July 20, the mother of two left many in tears when she addressed the United States Congress in Washington, DC, and pleaded for more guns from the West. "We want every father and mother to be able to say to their children, 'Go to sleep quietly, there will be no more air raids, no more missile strikes.' Is this too much to ask?" " Zelenska said that weapons will only be used for defense.

Ukraine's First Lady has become a representation of the war's human cost. Zelenska reappeared in the public eye on May 8, Mother's Day, after being missing for several weeks. The 44-year-old issued a powerful message to the people while visiting a shelter for displaced individuals with US First Lady Jill Biden, as per Republic World.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, this year, the supply of Western armaments has been critical to the country's defense. During the fight for Kyiv, when Russian ground troops attempted repeatedly to encircle the city and decapitate Ukraine's government, the US-made Javelin and UK-made Next generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) helped reverse the tide.

When Russia abandoned its advance on Kyiv and concentrated all of its forces in the southeast, seeking to seize the Donbas area instead, it regained the upper hand. Artillery, for which Russia had more modern systems and ammunition, dominated the conflict.

Ukrainian casualties piled up swiftly. Mykhailo Podolyak, a top Ukrainian presidential adviser, said in early June that between 100 and 200 Ukrainian forces were killed on the Donbas front line every day, Independent reported.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Health Scare: Russian Officials Panic Over Shocking Late Night Emergency

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Major Brazilian meatpacker says animal health risk assessments blocking trade





Joao Sampaio, the director of institutional affairs at major Brazilian beef processor Minerva SA, said unfair health risk assessments are blocking the global meat trade, Reuters reported.

Sampaio used Turkey as an example, which does not import beef from Brazil but does purchase live cattle there.

During a panel discussion on animal health, Sampaio said they don't import beef, claiming the risk of foot-and-mouth disease, but live cattle imports into Turkey are even riskier.

He said because of religious reasons, Turkey would prefer to import live cattle and slaughter the animal at home.

Brazil, which exports more beef than any other country in the world, was deemed to be vaccinated-free of foot-and-mouth disease by the OIE in 2018.

The state-run news agency Agencia Brasil reported that Brazil's agriculture ministry decided this year to halt the vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease in six states starting in November 2022.

According to Agencia Brasil, who cited the ministry, this would result in 113 million cattle and buffaloes, or nearly half of the nation's total herd, no longer receiving vaccinations.

The suspension is a part of an initiative to increase areas that are immune to foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination. By 2026, the Brazilian government hopes to have completely eradicated the illness there without the use of vaccinations.

Sampaio said that Indonesia is a another market with which Brazil could expand its beef trade. He said that although Indonesia selectively imports beef from Brazil, it forbids the use of specific plants and locations due to zoonotic concerns.

He said Indonesia is currently dealing with an outbreak of the foot-and-month disease. The health scare coincides with a decline in Indonesia's live cattle imports from Australia, which hastened the disruption of internal supplies.

Sampaio said they need to negotiate more, and open more markets.

- Reuters




Malaysian consumers association calls for long-term plan to address poultry shortage



The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the Malaysian government to focus on methods to lower poultry input costs instead of importing frozen chicken, to address a poultry shortage in the country, The Edge reported.

Mohideen Abdul Kader, president of CAP, said local universities have conducted research on converting palm oil waste to livestock feed.

He said that the cost of feed accounts for about 70% of the cost of producing chicken and eggs, adding that the government should consult with academics and business professionals to determine how they can help solve the issue.

Mohideen drew attention to the fact that the Selangor state government had declared that it would be implementing a novel approach to animal feed production that had been investigated by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia two years prior.

He said with the new approach, the cost of producing chicken feed may drop from the current MYR 1.70 (~US$0.38; MYR 1 = US$0.22) to just MYR 0.70 (~US$0.16)

Mohideen said this would result in a 60% cost reduction and in the state of Kedah, the technique for producing feed has been put into practise.

Since the nation urgently needs to increase its food security, he said, it does not make sense why the government must consider importing frozen chicken when it is supposed to identify and develop long-term solutions.

- The Edge




Pakistan looking to export dairy products to China



Pakistan is looking to export its dairy products to China, as Pakistan's dairy industry is on a contemporary path of development thanks to the cooperation between both countries on the dairy sector and rising demand for high quality dairy products in China, Urdu Point reported.

Wang Zihai, president of the Pakistan-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI), said they have learnt that Chinese technologies are inexpensive, whereas Pakistan is the most significant exporter and producer of dairy products in South Asia. Pakistan could advance in this industry if we adopt the methods and tools that China uses.

According to the president of PCJCCI, China wants to learn more about Pakistan's dairy industry to determine whether it might be able to join Pakistan in this area. China's dairy imports increased at a compound annual growth rate of 12.3% from 2011 to 2022, and the demand was still growing. The Chinese market has a high demand for milk powder, liquid milk, and high-value dairy products like whey, cheese, butter, and cream.

Ehsan Choudhry, senior vice president of PCJCCI, New Zealand (40.44%), the Netherlands (17.15%), and Australia (7.38%) currently account for the majority of China's dairy imports. The government of Pakistan should support this sector in order to increase exports and domestic production, particularly in order to prevent loose milk from being tainted.

He said that the government should step forward to train and educate the local farmers in the use of contemporary technology because they are currently facing many issues, including a lack of education, modern storage facilities, milk transportation, and cold storage. In this way, the needs of Chinese consumers for premium dairy products will be met.

Sarfaraz Butt, vice president of PCJCCI, said animal husbandry is one of Pakistan's foundational industries. Balochistan, where Gwadar Port is situated as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has special advantages for breeding dairy cattle and beef cattle. He further stated that the development of an area in Gwadar Port free from epidemics is proceeding in a systematic manner. Both Pakistan and China's dairy industries are predicted to benefit if the Chinese industrial chain can be extended there.

Salahuddin Hanif, the secretary general fof PCJCCI, said with an annual production of more than 60 million tonnes of milk, Pakistan is one of the top five milk-producing nations in the world.

- Urdu Point
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said Tuesday that he will back President Joe Biden if he runs for re-election, but he did not suggest whether his former colleague should.

"I've said I'll back him if he runs," Schumer said on a day when Democrats were able to secure 17 Republican votes to advance a Biden goal during a year in which other key Biden proposals had stalled.

Schumer Supports Biden Despite Democrats' Doubt

Schumer was replying to a question on whether Biden should run for president in 2024, despite surveys showing that many Democrats believe he should not. After receiving the question, he swiftly went on to another - during a news briefing apparently on legislation to grant billions to stimulate US semiconductor manufacture.

According to a new University of New Hampshire survey released Tuesday, only 20% of respondents in the state believe Biden should run, with just under a third believing he should run.

A recent New York Times/Sienna College survey found that nearly two-thirds of Democrats chose someone other than Biden as the party's nominee. Biden, who is being isolated in the White House on Day 5 after testing positive for COVID-19, has stated repeatedly that he plans to run for president. In March, Biden stated that if 2020 contender Donald Trump runs against him, he would be extremely lucky.

For months, his approval ratings have been in the low 40s. Schumer was elected to the House for the first time in 1981, and he and Biden worked together in Congress for decades. Trump was in Washington, DC on Tuesday to make a furious address at the America First Policy Institute's summit. It was his first visit to Washington since skipping Biden's inauguration days after the Capitol brawl on Jan. 6.

Trump delivered a series of slashing attacks on Biden, a day after Biden tore into Trump. On Monday, it was Biden tearing into Trump in a virtual speech before black law enforcement executives at their conference for inaction on Jan. 6, Daily Mail reported.

This week, the president is recuperating after being diagnosed with COVID-19. According to the White House doctor, Biden's symptoms have now nearly totally disappeared, as per The Hill.

According to a recent Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 17 percent of prospective 2024 Democratic primary voters in the state would favor Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the Democratic nomination, while 16 percent would prefer Biden. Following the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire hosts the first primary of the presidential election cycle.

Read Also: Pence Talks About Future of America as He Teases Potential 2024 Presidential Bid That Could Rival Trump

Anti-Big Tech Protesters Confront Schumer

Meanwhile, roughly two dozen anti-Big Tech protestors, some dressed in character, stormed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's DC fundraiser on Tuesday evening, demanding that he convene a vote on pending antitrust legislation. Schumer ended up hunkering down in the Kimpton George Hotel near the Capitol until the demonstration ended - while his guests filtered out and honestly informed the mob that he had already departed.

A source at Schumer's Impact PAC's 5 pm fundraiser reported the New York Democrat left at 5:56 pm - so most of the protesters went back to a neighboring pub, mistakenly assuming he had sneaked out a back door. There are two big pending antitrust laws that would prohibit businesses like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google from engaging in anti-competitive behavior, and campaigners intend to pressure Schumer into scheduling a vote, assuming that it would pass.

In an earlier attempt to put pressure on Schumer, the group Fight for the Future hired mobile billboards to park outside the Senate majority leader's New York and DC homes last month. Although the proposed antitrust legislation would not dismantle the large corporations, it would be a huge step toward limiting their influence and may pass with broad bipartisan backing.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January by a vote of 16-6, with all Democrats and five Republicans voting in favor. The Open App Markets Act, a companion law, is anticipated to be discussed at the same time, according to the New York Post.

Related Article: Joe Biden's Health Improving? POTUS' Doctor Reveals What His Sore Throat After COVID-19 Infection Means

@YouTube

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Series of drop-in sessions for travel and tourism industry

A series of drop-in sessions will be held for members of the local Travel and Tourism industry.

The sessions, termed Coffee and Cake, are designed to be relaxed and informal and will provide an opportunity for the Travel and Tourism industry to network with fellow businesses and meet members of the newly appointed Visit Agency Board.

Representatives from the Visit Isle of Man team will also be in attendance.

In addition to the Visit Agency Board and team, representatives of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man will be available for industry to find out how they can become a Biosphere partner, as the Agency work towards contributing to a more sustainable Island.

There will be four sessions around the Island to make it as easy as possible for industry partners to find a suitable session.
Due to the terrible royal history of the name Charles, Prince Charles may change his name to King George when he ascends to the throne.

On November 14, 1948, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born in Buckingham Palace to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. There have been two past kings with the name Charles, but both had questionable reputations, which may deter the heir to the throne from adopting his name when he ascends to the throne.

The Bad Reputation of 'Charles' to British Royal Family

Charles I is most remembered for being deposed by Oliver Cromwell following Parliament's triumph over the Crown in the English Civil War in 1645. He was also a firm believer in the divine right of monarchs, which held that he was appointed by God and was not accountable to Parliament.

In 1649, the King was tried for treason, found guilty, and executed outside the Palace of Whitehall. Between 1649 to 1660, England was without a ruler for the first time in its history, as Oliver Cromwell reigned as Lord Protector, followed by his son Richard.

However, in 1660, Charles I's son, Charles II, was returned from exile and the monarchy was restored in what became known as 'The Restoration.' Charles II, on the other hand, maintained a contentious private life with several mistresses.

Although Prince Charles may use his name to become King Charles III, it is considered that he would like to avoid the bad connotations associated with the previous two Charles'. The prince will also be following the longest reigning king in British history, so he may want to avoid anything that may bring him into disrepute, according to Express.

For the past 70 years, Prince Charles has been the heir apparent to the throne. It is expected that he will one day become King Charles III, although he may choose a different regnal name to escape the same destiny as his forefathers.

Because he will be succeeding the longest-reigning king in British history, Prince Charles will wish to prevent any bad connections that may be associated with him throughout his reign.

Several renowned kings have previously selected a regnal name that differed from their given name. Queen Victoria was born Princess Alexandrina but acquired the name Victoria because Alexandrina sounded too foreign for a British queen's name.

The Queen's father likewise changed his regnal name. On December 14, 1895, he was born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George. Following the resignation of his elder brother, King Edward VIII, Prince Albert chose the name George and became King George VI, as a show of stability and continuity from his father, King George V.

While it is doubtful that Prince Charles will alter his name because of the confusion it would cause, he may opt to become recognized by another name, such as King George VII, as per Mirror.

Read Also: Artificial Intelligence and Its Widespread Examples of Use in 2022

Prince Charles' Reputation Damaged in Other Way

Meanwhile, previous royal-led Netflix series have allegedly harmed Prince Charles' reputation. The Prince of Wales has been at the center of plotlines in both The Crown and Diana: In Her Own Words, but one royal expert says both shows have represented the 73-year-old royal negatively.

It highlights Prince William and Harry's mother's tribulations as a member of the royal family in the 2017 documentary centered on the late Princess Diana, who was married to Charles for 15 years before their divorce in 1996.

While The Crown, which has broadcast for four seasons since its debut in 2016, is based on real events involving the royal family, the program has received criticism for its contentious filming techniques, according to Marie Claire.

Related Article: Princess Eugenie Feuds with Prince William, Kate Middleton After Royal Disgrace Over Prince Andrew Scandal

@YouTube

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In 1917, Marcel Duchamp submitted a sculpture to the Society of Independent Artists under a false name. Fountain was a urinal, bought from a toilet supplier, with the signature R. Mutt on its side in black paint. Duchamp wanted to see if the society would abide by its promise to accept submissions without censorship or favor. (It did not.) But Duchamp was also looking to broaden the notion of what art is, saying a ready-made object in the right context would qualify. In 1962, Andy Warhol would twist convention with Campbells Soup Cans, 32 paintings of soup cans, each one a different flavor. Then, as before, the debate raged about if something mechanically produced  a urinal, or a soup can (albeit hand-painted by Warhol)  counted as art, and what that meant.

Now, the debate has been turned upon its head, as machines can mass-produce unique pieces of art on their own. Generative Artificial Intelligences (GAIs) are systems which create pieces of work that can equal the old masters in technique, if not in intent. But there is a problem, since these systems are trained on existing material, often using content pulled from the internet, from us. Is it right, then, that the AIs of the future are able to produce something magical on the backs of our labor, potentially without our consent or compensation?

The new frontier

The most famous GAI right now is DALL-E 2, Open AIs system for creating realistic images and art from a description in natural language. A user could enter the phrase teddy bears shopping for groceries in the style of Ukiyo-e, and the model will produce pictures in that style. Similarly, ask for the bears to be shopping in Ancient Egypt and the images will look more like dioramas from a museum depicting life under the Pharaohs. To the untrained eye, some of these pictures look like they were drawn in 17th-century Japan, or shot at a museum in the 1980s. And these results are coming despite the technology still being at a relatively early stage.

Open AI recently announced that DALL-E 2 would be made available to up to one million users as part of a large-scale beta test. Each user will be able to make 50 generations for free during their first month of use, and then 15 for every subsequent month. (A generation is either the production of four images from a single prompt, or the creation of three more if you choose to edit or vary something thats already been produced.) Additional 115-credit packages can be bought for $15, and the company says more detailed pricing is likely to come as the product evolves. Crucially, users are entitled to commercialize the images produced with DALL-E, letting them print, sell or otherwise license the pictures borne from their prompts.

Open AI

These systems did not, however, develop an eye for a good picture in a vacuum, and each GAI has to be trained. Artificial Intelligence is, after all, a fancy term for what is essentially a way of teaching software how to recognize patterns. You allow an algorithm to develop that can be improved through experience, said Ben Hagag, head of research at Darrow, an AI startup looking to improve access to justice. And by experience I mean examining and finding patterns in data. We say to the [system] take a look at this dataset and find patterns, which then go on to form a coherent view of the data at hand. The model learns as a baby learns, he said, so if a baby looked at a 1,000 pictures of a landscape, it would soon understand that the sky  normally oriented across the top of the image  would be blue while land is green.

Hagag cited how Google built its language model by training a system on several gigabytes of text, from the dictionary to examples of the written word. The model understood the patterns, how the language is built, the syntax and even the hidden structure that even linguists find hard to define, Hagag said. Now that model is sophisticated enough that once you give it a few words, it can predict the next few words youre going to write. In 2018, Googles Ajit Varma told The Wall Street Journal that its smart reply feature had been trained on billions of Gmail messages, adding that initial tests saw options like I Love You and Sent from my iPhone offered up since they were so commonly seen in communications.

Developers who do not have the benefit of access to a data set as vast as Googles need to find data via other means. Every researcher developing a language model first downloads Wikipedia then adds more, Hagag said. He added that they are likely to pull down any, and every, piece of available data that they can find. The sassy tweet you sent a few years ago, or that sincere Facebook post, may have been used to train someones language model, somewhere. Even Open AI uses social media posts with WebText, a dataset which pulls text from outbound Reddit links which received at least three karma, albeit with Wikipedia references removed.

Guan Wang, CTO of Huski, says that the pulling down of data is very common. Open internet data is the go-to for the majority of AI model training nowadays, he said. And that its the policy of most researchers to get as much data as they can. When we look for speech data, we will get whatever speech we can get, he added. This policy of more data-is-more is known to produce less than ideal results, and Ben Hagag cited Riley Newman, former head of data science at Airbnb, who said better data beats more data, but Hagag notes that often, its easier to get more data than it is to clean it.

Craiyon / Daniel Cooper

DALL-E may now be available to a million users, but its likely that peoples first experience of a GAI is with its less-fancy sibling. Craiyon, formerly DALL-E Mini, is the brainchild of French developer Boris Dayma, who started work on his model after reading Open AIs original DALL-E paper. Not long after, Google and the AI development community HuggingFace ran a hackathon for people to build quick-and-dirty machine learning models. I suggested, Hey, lets replicate DALL-E. I have no clue how to do that, but lets do it, said Dayma. The team would go on to win the competition, albeit with a rudimentary, rough-around-the-edges version of the system. The image [it produced] was clear. It wasnt great, but it wasnt horrible, he added. But unlike the full-fat DALL-E, Daymas team was focused on slimming the model down so that it could work on comparatively low-powered hardware.

Daymas original model was fairly open about which image sets it would pull from, often with problematic consequences. In early models, still in some models, you ask for a picture  for example mountains under the snow, he said, and then on top of it, the Shutterstock or Alamy watermark. Its something many AI researchers have found, with GAIs being trained on those image libraries public-facing image catalogs, which are covered in anti-piracy watermarks.

Dayma said that the model had erroneously learned that high-quality landscape images typically had a watermark from one of those public photo libraries, and removed them from his model. He added that some early results also output not-safe-for-work responses, forcing him to make further refinements to his initial training set. Dayma added that he had to do a lot of the sorting through the data himself, and said that a lot of the images on the internet are bad.

Got sent some moody Russian ruDall-E GAN images last week from my dev piotr, that had shutterstock logos generated in them, oh how we laughed....now looks like the real Dall-E is doing the same... pic.twitter.com/6A2yLFHelw  @amoebadesign (@amoebadesign) June 8, 2022

But its not just Dayma who has noticed the regular appearance of a Shutterstock watermark, or something a lot like it, popping up in AI-generated art. Which begs the question, are people just ripping off Shutterstocks public-facing library to train their AI? It appears that one of the causes is Google, which has indexed a whole host of watermarked Shutterstock images as part of its Conceptual Captions framework. Delve into the data, and youll see a list of image URLs which can be used to train your own AI model, thousands of which are from Shutterstock. Shutterstock declined to comment on the practice for this article.

Several results from the bigger GAN models, like StyleGAN are even able to recreate the watermark on images from certain websites, namely @Shutterstock It looks like hardly anyone doing ML really cares about privacy or copyright at the moment pic.twitter.com/ADrKzzOzMH  A Wojcicki (@pretendsmarts) March 16, 2019

A Google spokesperson said that they dont believe this is an issue for the datasets were involved with. They also quoted from this Creative Commons report, saying that the use of works to train AI should be considered non-infringing by default, assuming that access to the copyright works was lawful at the point of input. That is despite the fact that Shutterstock itself expressly forbids visitors to its site from using any data mining, robots or similar data and/or image gathering and extraction methods in connection with the site or Shutterstock content.

https://t.co/j6uDEuFgMn



You got to love how the GAN has the shutterstick watermark trained it and tries hard to put it into the image. Also apparently a certain subset of images of horses have all the shutterstock address placed in the same position on the bottom. pic.twitter.com/I7iW1kcuYz  datenwolf  @datenwolf@chaos.social (@datenwolf) January 9, 2021

Alex Cardinell, CEO at AI startup Article Forge, says that he sees no issue with models being trained on copyrighted texts, so long as the material itself was lawfully acquired and the model does not plagiarize the material. He compared the situation to a student reading the work of an established author, who may learn the authors styles or patterns, and later find applicable places to reuse those concepts. He added that so long as a model isnt copying and pasting from their training data, then it simply repeats a pattern that has appeared since the written word began.

Dayma says that, at present, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people are playing with his system on a daily basis. That all incurs a cost, both for hosting and processing, which he couldnt sustain from his own pocket for very long, especially since it remains a hobby. Consequently, the site runs ads at the top and bottom of its page, between which youll get a grid of nine surreal images. For people who use the site commercially, we could always charge for it, he suggested. But he admitted his knowledge of US copyright law wasnt detailed enough to be able to discuss the impact of his own model, or others in the space. This is the situation that Open AI also perhaps finds itself dealing with given that it is now allowing users to sell pictures created by DALL-E.

The law of art

The legal situation is not a particularly clear one, especially not in the US, where there have been few cases covering Text and Data Mining, or TDM. This is the technical term for the training of an AI by plowing through a vast trove of source material looking for patterns. In the US, TDM is broadly covered by Fair Use, which permits various forms of copying and scanning for the purposes of allowing access. This isnt, however, a settled subject, but there is one case that people believe sets enough of a precedent to enable the practice.

Authors Guild v. Google (2015) was brought by a body representing authors, which accused Google of digitizing printed works that were still held under copyright. The initial purpose of the work was, in partnership with several libraries, to catalog and database the texts to make research easier. Authors, however, were concerned that Google was violating copyright, and even if it wasnt making the text of a still-copyrighted work available publicly, it was prohibited from scanning and storing it in the first place. Eventually, the Second Circuit ruled in favor of Google, saying that digitizing copyright-protected work did not constitute copyright infringement.

Rahul Telang is Professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University, and an expert in digitization and copyright. He says that the issue is multi-dimensional, and that the Google Books case offers a sort of precedent but not a solid one. I wish I could tell you there was a clear answer, he said, but its a complicated issue, especially around works that may or may not be transformative. And until there is a solid case, its likely that courts will apply the usual tests for copyright infringement, around if a work supplants the need for the original, and if it causes economic harm to the original rights holder. Telang believes that countries will look to loosen restrictions on TDM wherever possible in order to boost domestic AI research.

The US Copyright Office says that it will register an original work of authorship, provided that the work was created by a human being. This is due to the old precedent that the only thing worth copyrighting is the fruits of intellectual labor, produced by the creative powers of the mind. In 1991, this principle was affirmed by a case of purloined listings from one phone book company by another. The Supreme Court held that while effort may have gone into the compilation of a phone book, the information contained therein was not an original work, created by a human being, and so therefore couldnt be copyrighted. It will be interesting to see if there are any challenges made to users trying to license or sell a DALL-E work for this very reason.

Rob Holmes, a private investigator who works on copyright and trademark infringement with many major tech companies and fashion brands, believes that there is a reticence across the industry to pursue a landmark case that would settle the issue around TDM and copyright. Legal departments get very little money, he said. All these different brands, and everyones waiting for the other brand, or IP owner, to begin the lawsuit. And when they do, its because some senior VP or somebody at the top decided to spend the money, and once that happens, theres a good year of planning the litigation. That often gives smaller companies plenty of time to either get their house in order, get big enough to be worth a lawsuit or go out of business.

Setting a precedent as a sole company costs a lot of money, Holmes said, but brands will move fast if theres an immediate risk to profitability. Designer brand Hermes, for instance, is suing an artist named Mason Rothschild, who is producing MetaBirkins NFTs. These are styled images on a design reminiscent of Hermes famous Birkin handbag, something the French fashion house says is nothing more than an old-fashioned rip-off. This, too, is likely to have ramifications for the industry as it wrestles with philosophical questions of what work is sufficiently transformational as to prevent an accusation of piracy.

Artists are also able to upload their own work to DALL-E and then generate recreations in their own style. I spoke to one artist, who asked not to be named or otherwise described for fear of being identified and suffering reprisals. They showed me examples of their work alongside recreations made by DALLl-E, which while crude, were still close enough to look like the real thing. They said that, on this evidence alone, their livelihood as a working artist is at risk, and that the creative industries writ large are doomed.

Article Forge CEO Alex Cardinell says that this situation, again, has historical precedent with the industrial revolution. He says that, unlike then, society has a collective responsibility to make sure that anyone who is displaced is adequately supported. And that anyone in the AI space should be backing a robust safety net, including universal basic income and free access to education, which he says is the bare minimum a society in the midst of such a revolution should offer.

Trained on your data

AIs are already in use. Microsoft, for instance, partnered with OpenAI to harness GPT-3 as a way to build code. In 2021, the company announced that it would integrate the system into its low-code app-development platform to help people build apps and tools for Microsoft products. Duolingo uses the system to improve peoples French grammar, while apps like Flowrite employs it to help make writing blog posts and emails easier and faster. Midjourney, a DALL-E 2-esque GAI for art, which has recently opened up its beta, is capable of producing stunning illustrated art  with customers charged between $10-50 a month if they wish to produce more images or use those pictures commercially.

For now, thats something Craiyon doesn't necessarily need to worry about, since the resolution is presently so low. People ask me why is the model bad on faces, not realizing that the model is equally good  or bad  at everything, Dayma said. Its just that, you know, when you draw a tree, if the leaves are messed up you dont care, but when the faces or eyes are, we put more attention on it. This will, however, take time both to improve the model, and to improve the accessibility of computing power capable of producing the work. Dayma believes that despite any notion of low quality, any GAI will need to be respectful of the applicable laws, and that it shouldnt be used for harmful purposes.

And artificial intelligence isnt simply a toy, or an interesting research project, but something that has already caused plenty of harm. Take Clearview AI, a company that scraped several billion images, including from social media platforms, to build what it claims is a comprehensive image recognition database. According to The New York Times, this technology was used by billionaire John Catsimatidis to identify his daughters boyfriend. BuzzFeed News reported that Clearview has offered access not just to law enforcement  its supposed corporate goal  but to a number of figures associated with the far right. The system has also proved less than reliable, with The Times reporting that it has led to a number of wrongful arrests.

Naturally, the ability to synthesize any image without the need for a lot of photoshopping should raise alarm. Deepfakes, a system that uses AI to replace someones face in a video has already been used to produce adult content featuring celebrities. As quickly as companies making AIs can put in guardrails to prevent adult-content prompts, its likely that loopholes will be found. And as open-source research and development becomes more prevalent, its likely that other platforms will be created with less scrupulous aims. Not to mention the risk of this technology being used for political ends, given the ease of creating fake imagery that could be used for propaganda purposes.

Of course, Duchamp and Warhol may have stretched the definitions of what art can be, but they did not destroy art in and of itself. It would be a mistake to suggest that automating image generation will inevitably lead to the collapse of civilization. But its worth being cautious about the effects on artists, who may find themselves without a living if its easier to commission a GAI to produce something for you. Not to mention the implication for what, and how, these systems are creating material for sale on the backs of our data. Perhaps it is time that we examined if its necessary to implement a way of protecting our material  something equivalent to Do Not Track  to prevent it being chewed up and crunched through the AI sausage machine.
A federal court has ruled that Uber does not need to provide wheelchair-accessible service in every US market, ABC News has reported. The company's decision to provide such a service only in certain cities was not in violation of federal law and would be overly burdensome, said Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the federal San Francisco Court.

Two users of motorized wheelchairs in New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi sued Uber over the lack of accessible services in those cities. Since Uber couldn't accommodate non-foldable wheelchairs, they claimed that it was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that prohibits businesses from discriminating against people based on their disabilities. They further argued that Uber has a "deep-rooted accessibility problem," treating it as an "afterthought." The trial for the case lasted nearly five years.

Uber said in its defense that it would be too expensive to offer wheelchair service in every city if it needed to contract with providers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Judge Seeborg agreed, saying that the plaintiffs gave "scant evidence" that Uber could do so cost-effectively and that wait times would still be "significant" if it did. "The anticipated cost here is too high for the limited service that would result, making the proposed modification unreasonable," he said.

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The judge did reject Uber's argument that it didn't need to provide wheelchair-accessible services everywhere because it has done so in some cities, noting that the ADA looks at each modification for reasonableness.

Uber does accommodate wheelchair users in other cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. New Orleans considered mandating the service, but Uber lobbied against those efforts, according to the court records. "We welcome the outcome and are proud of our efforts to improve accessibility for all users, including through Uber WAV, said an Uber spokesperson in a statement.

Noting that the decision arrived on the eve of the anniversary of the ADA's passage into law, lead plaintiff Scott Crawford decried the ruling. "Uber made no sincere attempt to provide accessible service, but instead claimed it was too burdensome," he said. "This could have been economically resolved years ago.'
Doing just about anything in space is expensive, but a group of MIT scientists has found a way to bring down some costs  and perhaps help accelerate climate change research. The team has developed what MIT said are the first 3D-printed plasma sensors for use in satellites. The sensors can detect the chemical composition and distribution of ion energy in plasma in the upper atmosphere.

The researchers used a printable glass-ceramic material called Vitrolite to make the sensors, also known as retarding potential analyzers (RPAs). It's said to be more durable than other materials that are commonly used in sensors, such as thin-film coatings and silicon. Using a 3D-printing method, the team created sensors with complex shapes that MIT said can "withstand the wide temperature swings a spacecraft would encounter in lower Earth orbit." Vitrolite can handle temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius without melting, while polymers used in other RPAs start to break down at 400 degrees Celsius.

That means these sensors could be a good fit for low-cost cubesats. When they're used on orbiting satellites, RPAs can carry out chemical analysis and measure energy, which can help with weather predictions and monitoring climate change.

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The scientists claim the sensors perform as well as similar devices that use semiconductors and are made in a clean room. Assembling RPAs in a clean room is an expensive process that can take several weeks. Making them with 3D printers and laser cutting takes just days and costs "tens of dollars."

Luis Fernando Velasquez-Garcia, a principal scientist in MITs Microsystems Technology Laboratories and senior author of a paper on the sensors, already sees room for improvement. He wants to reduce the thickness of the layers or pixel size of the glass-ceramic vat polymerization in the hope of creating more complex and precise devices. There's also the belief that "fully additively manufacturing the sensors would make them compatible with in-space manufacturing."

NASA has been working on space-based 3D printing for several years. It has printed wrenches on the International Space Station. As early as 2024, NASA plans to launch a demonstration spacecraft that can build, assemble and deploy a surrogate solar array to learn how the approach can benefit the Artemis program.
Instagram's TikTok-like test feed is underwhelming, and a lot of people hate it. But its not going anywhere. Social network head Adam Mosseri posted a Twitter clip acknowledging the video-focused trial feed is "not yet good." He also said Instagram would invariably become more video-centric over time, as that was the content being shared on the network.

Mosseri also defended the rise of recommended posts in users' feeds. He said they were the "most effective and important" way for creators to grow their audiences. Users can pause all recommendations for a month, but is that a priority for creators, or the audience? Its a bit of a chicken-or-egg situation.

 Mat Smith

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The biggest stories you might have missed

The country will focus on building its own space outpost.

The head of Russia's space program says the country will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. It will instead focus on building its own space station as a successor to Mir. Russia, and its cosmonauts will remain on the ISS for at least the next two and a half years to fulfill obligations to partners. Earlier this month, NASA and Roscosmos signed an agreement to swap seats on flights to the ISS starting in September.

Continue reading.

They offer new colors, designs for smaller hands and pricey accessories.

Logitech

Logitechs Aurora Collection is a line of "gender-inclusive" gaming accessories: a mouse, keyboard and headset. The devices are built around "comfort, approachability and playfulness," based on "feedback from women gamers across the community," the company said. There are some interesting features but at relatively high prices, indicative of a pink tax for products designed for women.

Continue reading.

Zoe arrived this week.

The city of Seville is trying something new to raise awareness of climate change. With oppressive heat waves becoming a fact of life in Europe and other parts of the world, the Spanish metropolis has begun naming them. The first one, Zoe, arrived this week, bringing with it expected daytime highs above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (or 43 degrees Celsius). Its a system akin to ones organizations like the US National Hurricane Center have used for decades to raise awareness of impending tropical storms, tornadoes and hurricanes. The idea is that people are more likely to take a threat seriously and act accordingly when it's given a name.

Continue reading.

The Line is part of Saudi's controversial Neom mega-city project.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government has released image renders of what The Line could look like. The linear city was designed to only be 200 meters (656 feet) wide, but 500 meters (1,640 feet) tall and 170 kilometers (105 miles) long. It will house multiple communities encased in a glass facade running along the coast and will eventually accommodate up to nine million residents. The plans feature no roads or cars, and the city would run purely on renewable energy. The Line is part of Saudi's $500 billion Neom mega-city project, beset with controversy from the time it started. Around 20,000 people will be forced to relocate by its construction.

Continue reading.
It's not just students and internet debaters who lean on Wikipedia in a pinch. MIT CSAIL researchers have conducted a study revealing that Wikipedia can influence the legal decisions of judges when there are articles covering relevant cases. The existence of a Wiki page for a case increased its citations by over 20 percent, the scientists said. The boost was pronounced when a case supported a judge's argument, and the language of the articles sometimes manifested in the decisions.

The team conducted the study by having law students write over 150 articles on Irish Supreme Court decisions. Half of the pieces were randomly chosen to be uploaded where judges, lawyers and clerks could use them, while the rest were kept offline to help understand what would happen in the absence of a Wikipedia article. The randomized nature showed a true causal link between articles and citations, according to lead researcher Neil Thompson.

CSAIL also noted that the Irish legal system was an ideal testing ground. Higher courts' decisions bind lower courts, as they do in the UK and US, but there aren't nearly as many articles on Irish Supreme Court decisions as there are for its US counterpart. The researchers increased the number of relevant articles "tenfold" just by writing examples for the study.

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As to why people might turn to Wikipedia? It might come down to a simple matter of time. The spike in citations mainly came from lower courts (the High Court) rather than the Supreme Court itself or the Court of Appeal. To CSAIL, that suggested judges and clerks were using Wikipedia to cope with busy court dockets  it was easier to find precedent-setting cases through a quick online search.

The findings are potentially problematic. While the cases themselves might be sound, Wikipedia isn't always accurate. There's a risk that a judge might issue a ruling based on a flawed article, or that malicious actors could manipulate entries to skew a trial's outcome. Study co-author Brian Flanagan argued that the legal community should verify that any online analysis, whether it's from Wikipedia or elsewhere, is both comprehensive and comes from expert sources.
Leading gun industry executives are slated to appear before a US House of Representatives committee conducting an inquiry on the recent gun violence in Texas and New York.

The House Oversight committee's inquiry, according to its chairwoman, Democrat Carolyn Maloney of New York, will "examine the responsibility that the firearm industry bears in contributing to the gun violence epidemic in the United States and the steps Congress can take to hold manufacturers accountable."

Mark P. Smith, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands Inc., as well as Christopher Killoy, president and chief executive of Sturm, Ruger & Co Inc., and Marty Daniel, CEO of Daniel Defense LLC, were invited to the hearing on Wednesday, according to a report from US News.

Her committee initiated an investigation into firearms manufacturers following the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, and requested information from the businesses regarding their selling and marketing of AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles and related firearms, she wrote.

What Will Be the Hearing's Point of Discussion?

The gun killings, which occurred in May barely ten days apart, left 31 people dead and shook a nation infamous for its high rate of gun violence, per Reuters.

The legislator informed the CEO in letters that the hearing's main topic would be the contribution of the arms industry to the rise in gun violence. This, according to her, includes the selling and marketing of assault weapons as well as the "broad civil immunity that has been unfairly granted to manufacturers."

According to Maloney, the CEOs' products had been used for years "to carry out homicides and even mass murders," such as the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, which resulted in seven fatalities and numerous injuries.

Read Also: New COVID-19 Studies Pinpoint Real Epicenter of Deadly Virus That Has Caused 6.3 Million Deaths

Rep. Maloney Believes Gun Manufacturers Are Liable

Rep. Maloney spoke with ABC News about the situation before the oversight committee meeting with the gun manufacturers on Wednesday regarding their role in the epidemic of gun violence in the US.

She disclosed that two of the gun manufacturers' CEOs had accepted the invitation, and "one is dodging" and does not communicate with the panel. "And we intend to hold them accountable eventually in some form," Maloney noted.

The legislator also implied that gun manufacturers have a "responsibility" for the problem of gun violence in the United States.

"We have liability on our cars. Every time there's a car wreck, we study it. We should do the same thing with guns. We should have liability for guns. They're far more dangerous than cars," she said.

"And then the drug industry, they keep a record of how much problems result from their drugs. We should be doing the same thing with guns. There are ways to hold them accountable. Stay tuned. You'll hear more information from our hearing this weekend. And we are working on additional legislation that will be coming forward hopefully that will make America safer for our citizens," Rep. Maloney added.

House Democrats are drafting new gun reform legislation one month after President Joe Biden signed a bill enacting expanded background checks, targeted red flag measures, and bipartisan gun reform.

Related Article: Sen. Chuck Schumer Expresses Support for Joe Biden If He'll Run in 2024 Presidential Election

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Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Consumer Safety Concerns

We previously posted an article addressing the crack down on Delta-8 THC products and other synthetic derivatives. The lack of specificity in the 2018 Farm Bill left room for deliberate misinterpretation of the legislation and caused mass confusion with Delta-8 and other synthetic cannabinoids. Kazmira believes this rise of synthetic cannabinoids, mixed with a lack of regulation, leads to major quality and safety concerns for these products. Consumers need to be aware of these safety and quality issues before ingesting these synthetic and intoxicating products.

The loophole in which Delta-8 currently resides allows companies to dodge regulations in place for retail cannabis products. Without regulation, the quality and safety of these products come into question. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone as far as releasing a consumer update with 5 things you should know about Delta-8 THC.

They caution that Delta-8 THC products have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA for safe use and may be marketed in ways that put the public health at risk. They state that adverse event reports involving products containing Delta-8 THC are increasing. They warn consumers that Delta-8 THC has psychoactive and intoxicating effects, potentially even more concerning than the intoxicating effects of naturally occurring hemp compounds. They warn that Delta-8 THC products often involve the use of potentially harmful chemicals to manipulate the concentrations of delta-8 THC claimed in the marketplace. Delta-8 THC products should be kept out of reach of children and pets.

Delta-8 Products Not Approved by FDA (1)

The FDA is aware of the rise of Delta-8 THC products and wants consumers to be aware of the misleading marketing practices by companies and manufacturers. The consumer update states, Some concerns include variability in product formulations and product labeling, other cannabinoid and terpene content, and variable delta-8 THC concentrations. Additionally, some of these products may be labeled simply as hemp products, which may mislead consumers who associate hemp with non-psychoactive. The main concern with these deceptive practices is when they involve medical claims, considering Delta-8 has not been approved by the FDA.

They have also recently issued warning letters to five companies selling products labeled as containing Delta-8 THC in ways that violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This is the first time the FDA has issued warning letters for products containing Delta-8 THC. They state, there are no FDA-approved drugs containing delta-8 THC. Any delta-8 THC product claiming to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent diseases is considered an unapproved new drug. The FDA has not evaluated whether these unapproved drug products are effective for the uses manufacturers claim, what an appropriate dose might be, how they could interact with FDA-approved drugs or other products, or whether they have dangerous side effects or other safety concerns.

Increases in Delta-8 THC-involved Adverse Events (2)

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory, to alert public health departments, healthcare professionals, first responders, poison control centers, laboratories, and the public to the increased availability of cannabis products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the potential for adverse events due to insufficient labeling of products containing THC and cannabidiol (CBD). They warn that Delta-8 THC intoxication can cause adverse effects like those seen with Delta-9 THC intoxication including but not limited to lethargy, uncoordinated movements and decreased psychomotor activity, slurred speech, increased heart rate progressing to slowed heart rate, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, sedation, and coma.

In just over a year, the FDA has received over 100 reports of adverse events involving Delta-8 THC products. Over half of those reports required some sort of intervention, such as evaluation by emergency medical services, or hospital admission. In that same timeframe, the National poison control centers received 2,363 exposure cases of Delta-8 THC products. 40% of these cases involved unintentional exposure and 82% of those unintentional exposure cases affected pediatric patients less than 18 years of age.

Delta-8 is Psychoactive and Intoxicating (3)

Its no surprise that safety concerns are abundant with Delta-8 THC due to its psychoactive and intoxicating effects. Colorado has even passed a bill recently concerning hemp compounds and the regulation of cannabis-related products that may potentially cause a person to become intoxicated when used. The bill was proposed to regulate these psychoactive hemp cannabinoids and determine what amount of these compounds is enough to intoxicate someone.

The U.S. Cannabis Council released a report on Delta-8 THC stating, like any medication or intoxicant, particularly one with psychoactive properties, it should be carefully regulated to ensure that it is (a) sold to adults or those authorized by law to purchase, and (b) safe for consumers and patients to use through testing, labeling, and the other regulatory requirements that are part of effective state cannabis programs. The cannabis council clearly understands that Delta-8 is intoxicating and therefore needs regulation.

States are beginning to restrict THC isomers that are psychoactive and intoxicating. For example, New York cannabis regulators have sent warning letters saying THC isomers derived from hemp are strictly prohibited. The letter from the New York Office of Cannabis Management explains to hemp licensees and applicants that hemp-derived THC products contain intoxicating qualities which are more appropriately regulated by New Yorks Cannabis Control Board, the agency that oversees medical and adult-use marijuana. In Oregon, effective as of July 1st, they became the first state to ban synthetic cannabinoids sold at grocery stores and other retailers, leaving Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commision (OLCC) dispensary networks as the only option for retail of these products.

Furthermore, a case study done on Delta-8 THC found,  Hemp-derived ?8 -THC and ?9 -THC from cannabis display similar impairment profiles, suggesting that recent use of ?8 -THC products may carry the same risks as cannabis products.

Production of Delta-8 Products Involve Potentially Harmful Chemicals (4)

Kazmira has discussed the risks with synthetic cannabinoids and how novel cannabinoid molecules created through synthesis are chemically very different from their naturally derived counterparts. The HAN Health Alert states, CBD can be synthetically converted into delta-8 THC, as well as delta-9 THC and other THC isomers, with a solvent, acid, and heat to produce higher concentrations of delta-8 THC than those found naturally in the cannabis plant. This conversion process, used to produce some marketed products, may create harmful by-products that presently are not well-characterized. Delta-8 products are then being marketed as naturally derived, although any products on the market with D8, have been synthetically produced. Synthetically produced compounds contain enantiomers when created in the lab. Enantiomers may have an inherent toxicity and interact with the human body in a unique and potentially harmful way, since they do not exist in nature.

According to an article by Project CBD, When synthetically producing a molecule, its often the case that it will spontaneously form into equal proportions of every possible chirality; in chemistry this is called a racemic mixture. This means that a significant portion of synthetically made cannabinoids may exist in a non-natural chirality. Nature makes one chiral version of a molecule whereas synthetically produced compounds could contain multiple chiral versions. Without studying these non-naturally occurring compounds, we have no way to know how theyll interact with the human body.

John Eickhoff, CSO and chief chemist at Rocky Mountain Extraction Services, says, Its absolutely paramount to differentiate between chiralities, because our bodies experience them as different molecules. Its about getting the customer the information on what theyre actually buying and what theyre actually ingesting. This topic is so nuanced that its difficult for the run of the mill consumer to look at a CBD product and ask, which enantiomer is this? Is this a racemate or is it natural? We have to look out for the consumer that may not even know to ask these questions.

The FDA warns further that, final Delta-8 THC products may have potentially harmful contaminants due to the chemicals used in the process, and there is uncertainty with respect to other potential contaminants that may be present or produced depending on the composition of the starting raw material. The U.S. Cannabis Council backed research done by ProVerde Laboratories on 16 unlicensed Delta-8 THC products. According to the report, several products contained compounds not allowed by state law in regulated cannabis products. Compounds included the metals chromium, nickel, copper, and lead. Several of the products even contained residual traces of solvents at levels not safe for human consumption. Some of these solvents included methanol, hexane, ethyl acetate, heptane, acetone, and isopropanol.

Delta-8 THC Not for Children or Pets (5)

Possibly the most obvious of the FDAs 5 things to know about Delta-8 THC and potentially the most dangerous, is that Delta-8 THC products should be kept out of reach of children and pets. The warning letters sent out by the FDA are not only to address the illegal marketing of unapproved delta-8 THC products by companies as unapproved treatments for various medical conditions or for other therapeutic uses in humans and animals, but also violations to drug misbranding and Delta-8 THC being infused into edibles such as gummies, chocolates, and caramels. FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. even states, It is extremely troubling that some of the food products are packaged and labeled in ways that may appeal to children.

One article addresses chemically made THC from CBD, specifically Delta-8. Since its derived from hemp, Delta-8 is ending up in candies and other products sold at gas stations and convenience stores, even in states that have not yet legalized marijuana. The marketing of these products can be deceptive and appealing to children. Another article goes on to say, a big issue with delta-8 is that its not required to follow the same rules as cannabis. Thats why delta-8 products can look like childrens cereal or gummy bears. The packaging can be flimsy, and people can even sell open items, cookies, in stores. Aside from no quality control and safety checks, a huge concern with Delta-8 products showing up in these types of stores is that there might not be an age limit on who can purchase these products. This can result in children purchasing and consuming Delta-8 products unknowingly.

Because of FDA Inaction, More States are Stepping in to Ban Delta-8 THC

With lack of regulation from the FDA since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, states are having to step up to try and sanction these intoxicating hemp compounds. According to a MJBizDaily article, over a dozen states have already begun passing legislation regarding banning or regulating the synthesizing of hemp extracts into intoxicating cannabinoids, specifically Delta-8. The article goes on further to explain how Tennessee couldnt decide on whether to ban Delta-8 THC or pass a bill that sets safety standards to address the surge of unregulated and potentially dangerous lab-synthesized products. Ultimately, they didnt do anything, and the state was left with unregulated intoxicating THC products sold without age requirements or safety control.

The confusion surrounding Delta-8 THC makes it hard for states to regulate these intoxicating compounds and ultimately doesnt allow much order when it comes to sanctioning final products with Delta-8 THC. One example is the recent SB22-205 bill in Colorado that was amended therefore it pushed this issue to state health authorities, delaying regulations, and requiring a decision to be made only after more research has been done. Virginia had decided to limit certain intoxicating hemp extracts, but due to politicians not being able to agree on criminal penalties for cannabis offenses, has put a pause on this bill until 2023.

Its not enough to have the FDA release a consumer update and send out warning letters about products containing Delta-8 THC. The FDA needs to address and sanction the major concerns surrounding the quality and safety issues of this unregulated intoxicating hemp cannabinoids market. Since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, the FDA was given permission to control CBD use in food and drugs yet has not authorized any cannabinoid products without a prescription. Furthermore, not much has been done on the FDAs part to regulate sales of hemp extracts including CBD, despite repeated efforts from the industry to do so. If the FDA is not going to do their part, we will look to the next Farm Bill to clarify and regulate the growing concerns around consumer safety and quality issues when it comes to Delta-8 THC.
CPS Energy bills jumped more than 50 percent in June, shocking customers whove been struggling to stay cool amid record-high temperatures.

The city-owned utilitys average residential bill was $225, up from $147 a year ago.

Half of the increase  $37  was the result of San Antonians consuming more power to keep their homes and businesses air-conditioned as high temperatures regularly exceeded 100 degrees.

That increased the sting for some whove been trying to conserve.

I keep the A/C at 78, mostly use natural light and keep the windows open, so imagine my surprise at receiving a $230 CPS Energy bill, Isabella Briseno told CPS trustees and management Monday at the utilitys board meeting. Maybe over $200 isnt a big deal to you, but it is to my community.

The June increase comes on the heels of a 25 percent bump in May  and temperatures keep rising.

After enduring 17 days of 100-plus-degree heat in June, San Antonio topped 100 degrees on 19 of the first 20 days of July, CPS said. Four of those were record highs.

On ExpressNews.com: CPS customers bills jump 25 percent in May from a year ago, a windfall for city of San Antonio

So far, weve had a record May, a record June and a record July in terms of heat, Interim President and CEO Rudy Garza said. Our customers are suffering through what is an oppressive record heat this summer.

Amid the intense heat, CPS customers are buying more electricity to power their air conditioners. From February through June, CPS electric sales were $200 million higher than the utility expected.

But the heat wave was responsible for less than half of the June increase. CPS said expensive natural gas  which added $31 to bills  and higher rates the utility began charging customers in March were responsible for more than $38 of the June increase.

The spot price of natural gas  the main fuel CPS uses at its power plants  was about $7.70 per unit in June, up from $3.26 a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administration. From February through June, CPS expenses for fuels such as natural gas were $199 million higher than the utility budgeted.

Gas prices have been driven up in part because of elevated exports of liquefied natural gas from the United States to buyers in Europe, where it can fetch more since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Because the city of San Antonio receives about 13 percent of CPS revenues each month, the high bills that households are facing are providing a windfall for City Hall: CPS is on track to pay the city an extra $60 million this year as a result of the elevated bills.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the blame for higher bills rests both on state officials whove failed to fortify the states creaky power grid and natural gas suppliers.

The revenue coming into CPS is going right back into the wires and the generators, Nirenberg said. Gas suppliers selling natural gas onto the market are the ones getting rich off this heat.

But he stopped short of suggesting the city might dip into the extra revenue its receiving from CPS this season to reduce the burden on ratepayers.

District 1 City Councilman Mario Bravo cautioned against permanently reducing the revenue the city collects from CPS, but he said it should use the additional money its receiving this year to provide relief to residents.

S.A. VOTES Voter Guide: What to know for the Texas runoff election A breakdown of key state and local races and candidates in the May 24 primary runoff.

The first thing that we should do is look at deeper property tax cuts, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: As Texas gets hotter, grid operator leaning harder into wind and solar energy to keep up with demand

CPS finance department has been pulling levers to ease household bills, but with limited effect. Cory Kuchinsky, the utilitys chief financial officer, said CPS will try to cut financing costs by issuing tax-exempt debt and seeking lower rates on existing debt.

Its all about savings on a relative basis, he said. Our responsibility is to make (bills) as low as possible.

Going forward, CPS is poised to sign a five-year tolling agreement with a natural gas power plant this year. The agreement, in which CPS will provide natural gas to the facility and receive the electricity it generates, will allow the utility to close some of its own aging gas-fired power plant units.

Beyond that, Garza and city officials said its unlikely CPS will build or buy its own gas-fired power plant in the future.

I could tolerate a tolling agreement in order to increase reliability, Bravo said. But not purchasing or building a new asset. Thats way too long of a commitment, and way too risky.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
NEW YORK (AP)  A Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire businessman Warren Buffett's company discriminated against potential Black and Latino homebuyers in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware, the Department of Justice said Wednesday, in what is being called the second-largest redlining settlement in history.

Trident Mortgage Co., a division of Berkshire Hathaway's HomeServices of America, deliberately avoided writing mortgages in minority-majority neighborhoods in West Philadelphia like Malcolm X Park; Camden, New Jersey; and in Wilmington, Delaware, the Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in their settlement with Trident.

As part of the agreement with the government, Trident will have to set aside $20 million to make loans in underserved neighborhoods.

Tridents unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth, and devalued properties in their neighborhoods, said Kristen Clarke, an assistant Attorney General of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, in a prepared statement.

Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Philadelphia Democrat, grew up a few blocks from the West Philadelphia park where a news conference on the settlement was held Wednesday. Hughes said portions of his life have been framed by the discriminatory lending practices that prevent Black and brown communities from building wealth.

Hughes father worked for one of the oldest Black-owned savings and loans, a company name Berean that would finance mortgages for Black families when they were turned away by other banks and lenders.

Ive had people come up to me and say, Vince, your dad gave me a mortgage for my first home when I was turned down everywhere else. If it wasnt for Berean and your dad, I wouldnt have been able to buy my home, Hughes said. We witnessed that discrimination in real time.

Redlining is a term used to describe when banks deliberately avoid making loans to non-white communities. Banks and the U.S. government used to draw on maps in red marker those neighborhoods that were deemed undesirable to make home loans. The neighborhoods were almost always areas where racial minorities lived, and even included other historically discriminated-against communities such as Jewish neighborhoods.

The practice effectively cut off entire communities from the primary pathway for wealth generation in the U.S.: homeownership. To this day, Black and Latino households are far less likely to own their home compared to their white counterparts.

The alleged redlining activity happened between 2015 and 2019  Trident stopped writing mortgages in 2020. Along with avoiding making mortgages in minority neighborhoods, the Trident employees made racist comments about making loans to Black homebuyers, calling certain neighborhoods ghettos. One manager of Trident was photographed posing in front of the Confederate Flag. The marketing materials used by Trident involved exclusively white individuals, and nearly all of the company's staff were white.

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's attorney general who is running for governor, called the behavior by Trident systematic racism, pure and simple.

Philadelphia has a long history of racism toward Black homebuyers. The Philadelphia City Council released a report Wednesday that found that 95% of all of the city's home appraisers were white and a racial gap remains between how homes owned by Black homeowners are valued versus homes owned by white owners.

Hughes said he and other legislators were furious about revelations of the redlining by Trident and others in a 2018 investigation by Reveal into Buffett's mortgage companies. They pressed Shapiro during an appropriations hearing, and the Attorney General responded by setting up a hotline to gather personal stories.

As part of the settlement, Trident agreed to hire mortgage loan officers in impacted neighborhoods as well as pay a $4 million fine. Since Trident no longer operates a lending business, a separate company will be contracted to provide the $20 million in loan subsidies, the Justice Department said.

The largest redlining case involved Wisconsin-based Associated Bank, which was charged with discriminatory practices between the years 2008 and 2011. The bank settled with regulators in 2015 for $200 million.

The Trident settlement also involves the first redlining case against a nonbank mortgage lender. Since the Great Recession, roughly half of all mortgages in the country are underwritten by companies that immediately sell off the mortgage to investors. These nonbank lenders include firms like Quicken Loans, Rocket Mortgage and Loan Depot, among many others.

Credit discrimination is illegal regardless of whether the lawbreaking company is a traditional bank or a nonbank lender, said Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a statement, HomeServices of America said they strongly disagree with the Justice Department's and CFPB's findings in the settlement, noting that Trident did not have to admit to wrongdoing as part of the case. Buffett himself did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but historically has deferred any comment to Berkshire's subsidiary companies.

Hughes said he did not have personal experience with Trident, but he said he was not surprised to learn the companys statement after the settlement was announced denied there was wrongdoing.

Thats what these companies do, right? None of them admit it, they just wind up paying the money, he said.

____

AP Reporter Claudia Lauer contributed to this report from Philadelphia. AP Business Writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.
A San Antonio physician has been sued for allegedly performing unnecessary and expensive spinal surgeries and procedures on patients injured in auto accidents to inflate the value of their insurance claims.

Dr. Sanjay Misra recommended and/or performed spinal injections on 300 patients and, of those, about half were advised to undergo spinal surgery, the lawsuit alleges. The complaint was filed Tuesday in San Antonio federal court.

Plaintiffs State Farm Mutual Insurance Automobile Insurance Co. and State Farm County Mutual Insurance Co. of Texas say Misra submitted hundreds of fraudulent bills and supporting documentation to the companies.

He didnt immediately respond to a message left with an answering service Wednesday. The Texas Medical Board website shows Misra has no criminal history and no disciplinary actions against him. Hes been a licensed physician for almost three decades.

On ExpressNews.com: One measure of USAAs financial strength dipped last year for the first time since 1999

In their causes of action, the insurers cite a federal law often associated with prosecutions of mob bosses  the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

Submitting fraudulent bills through the U.S. mail amounts to a pattern of racketeering activity meant to defraud the insurers, the companies allege. They say the fraudulent bills and supporting documentation were at the very least a substantial factor in inducing them to settle bodily injury and uninsured/under-insured motorist claims they otherwise might not have settled.

The companies say they paid more than $6.5 million to settle the claims. They are seeking restitution, though they dont know precisely how much Misra received. The companies suspect the amount is substantial based on Misras $2.5 million in charges for the associated claims.

They say they are entitled to damages of more than $1.1 million.

Auto insurers are very vigilant about fraudulent billing, said Michael Barry, spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade group. Companies have special investigative units that look into this so as to protect honest policyholders from people who try to take advantage of the system, he said.

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Illinois-based State Farm Mutual was the states second largest auto insurer in 2020, with a 13.4 percent market share, ranking just behind Progressive County Mutual Insurance Co. Dallas-based State Farm County ranked 33rd with a market share of less than one-half of 1 percent, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.

The State Farm companies say in their complaint that Misra falsely purports to legitimately exam individuals (patients) reporting neck and/or back pain and prescribe spinal injections, namely medically unnecessary epidural steroid injections (ESIs) in at least one region of the spine, for nearly all such patients seen by him.

He performed the injections without regard to whether they are needed to exaggerate the severity and inflate the potential value of personal injury claims, the insurers add. Each injection costs $3,300.

When the injections dont resolve patients complaints, the insurers say, the doctor recommends expensive, medically unnecessary surgeries. The surgeries cost more than $50,000  not including anesthesia and related items that can double the cost  and are intended to inflate the value of insurance claims, the insurers say.

Treatment plans for individuals who suffer neck or back pain as a result of a car accident generally start with conservative care that is not invasive, the insurers say. That includes prescribing anti-inflammatory medications, chiropractic care or physical therapy. If those dont work, injections may be appropriate, they add.

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The State Farm companies identified 335 patients treated by Misra for neck and/or back pain. They say his medical evaluations were performed as a pretext to perform the injections.

The evaluations do not reflect the patients legitimate examination findings or a medically necessary treatment plan tailored to each patients unique circumstances, the suit says. Rather, they are boilerplate, include nonspecific information about the patients conditions, and reveal noncredible patterns.

The complaint adds, Misra virtually always documents patient complaints of Radiating Pain and Numbness.

The suit recounts various patients interaction with the doctor. One patient, identified as A.M., a 16-year-old female who was seen by the doctor in 2019, said she told Misra she didnt like his recommendation that she receive an injection.

He said something along the lines of, Well, no shot, no money or something, she said. And I was like, Okay. Thats not what Im here for.

That was Misras way of telling her that she should receive the injection so she could receive more money in her insurance claim, the companies allege.

State Farm declined to comment.

pdanner@express-news.net
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Filmmaker Max Good spent seven years immersed in an obscure aspect of the investigation into the Kennedy assassination, and he reached some conclusions.

But he intentionally left those out of "The Assassination and Mrs. Paine," which will be screened Aug. 6 as part of the San Antonio Film Festival. The documentary digs into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the story of Ruth Paine, a friend of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's wife, Marina. Some believe Paine helped frame Oswald, who spent the night before the assassination in her house.

"Theres such polarized viewpoints, and its a very controversial area  its almost like people live in two different worlds, where they're convinced there was no conspiracy and the government is telling the truth, or where they see that there was a conspiracy and all the evidence the other people point to, they think can be debunked or countered," Good said. "I wanted to cover it honestly with an open mind and hopefully reach people on both sides of this divide, and didn't want to be too heavy-handed either way.

"And I decided not to reveal what my conclusion is, at least for now, because I think the films more powerful when people watch it and they have to be on their toes wondering and thinking about who they trust."

On ExpressNews.com: Christian musician Crowder eager to play (and eat Tex-Mex in) San Antonio

"The Assassination and Mrs. Paine" is one of more than 45 feature films that will be screened during the festival, which opens Tuesday and runs through Aug. 7.

It is the 28th year for the festival. This time around, there are many foreign films in the mix, including offerings from Thailand, China, Slovakia, France, Italy, Mexico and Venezuela.

Adam Rocha, founder and executive director of the festival, said he isn't sure why so many foreign directors submitted films.

"It could be that this is the best place to find tacos," he said.

The festival includes comedies, documentaries, romances, horror movies  name a genre, and it's probably somewhere in there.

"The theme is indie film rules," Rocha said. "We're fighting against the tent-pole films in the studio system."

In addition to the feature-length films, the festival includes dozens of shorts, which are broken into blocks including showcases for Latino and Black films as well as comedies, food-themed offerings and stories focused on women.

Lana Dvorak

San Antonian Lana Dvorak's "A Definitive Ranking of My Closest Friends," the first short she's directed, is part of the Pride block that will be shown on Aug. 6. The fast-paced film focuses on a group of friends and the aftermath of the discovery of a ranked list one has made of their nearest and dearest.

San Antonio Film Festival When: The festival takes place 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 3 through 6 and 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 7. Where: Radius Center, 106 Auditorium Circle, No. 120. Tickets: $10.99 for individual screenings. Single-day badges cost $59; a weekend badge costs $99. VIP badges, which grant admission to any film in the festival, cost $149.99. Find a full festival schedule and buy tickets at safilm.com. Festival highlights "Leftover Feelings: A Studio B Revival": The documentary follows the recording of "Leftover Feelings," an album that John Hiatt and Jerry Douglas made during the pandemic. They worked in RCA's Studio B, a storied space that was Elvis Presley's favorite place to record. 7 p.m. Aug. 2. "Backstreet to the American Dream": Documentary about two Los Angeles food trucks: El Pescadito, a seafood truck that's been around for 40 years, and Grill 'Em All, a newer burger truck that won the first season of the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race." 3 p.m. Aug. 3. "The Sound of Us": This film, which was shot over two months during the pandemic, explores the power of music as a uniting force. It includes performances by and interviews with such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Patti Smith and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. 7 p.m. Aug. 4. "Holidays at All Cost": A father trying to give his wife and son an amazing vacation makes it happen by offering to do a day's work at a resort for every day that they stay. 12:30 p.m. Aug. 4. "Old School": A screening of the 2003 comedy will be followed by a discussion with film editor Michael Jablow, who worked on that movie as well as "Throw Momma From the Train" and "Boomerang," will talk about his work. 10 a.m. Aug. 5. "Electric Jesus": The coming-of-age story follows a Christian rock band trying to make it big. 7 p.m. Aug. 6. "The Ugly Truth": A seemingly happy family is roiled when an attractive 18-year-old comes to visit their idyllic villa near Berlin. 12:30 p.m. Aug. 7. "Sandra's Return": The film follows a woman as she returns to her native Nicaragua 30 years after civil war prompted her to leave. 5 p.m. Aug. 7. See More Collapse

Dvorak, a North East School of the Arts graduate who now lives in Los Angeles, said it means a lot to her for her directorial debut to premiere at a festival in her hometown.

On ExpressNews.com: NESA grad takes top prize at National High School Musical Theatre Awards

"It hasn't played any other festival yet," she said. "It feels like a full-circle moment for sure to be able to to go home and be with my family and have some old acting teachers there. It's really special."

Festivals are important, she said, since they create opportunities for filmmakers that don't exist elsewhere.

"Its an independent art-making space," she said. "Theres no big donors, and not a lot of funding, so the visibility comes from festivals."

"The Assassination and Mrs. Paine" has screened at a few film festivals across the country. Good spent seven years working on it, and is glad that it's now out in the world.

"I was stuck in a room editing the film by myself mostly for years, so its a big change to now be sharing it with people and getting responses and being able to talk to people about it," he said. "Independent filmmaking like this is strange like that. You can be totally holed up by yourself, not sure if anybody will ever see what you're making. You get to the final stage, and its a different world  you actually get to share the experience with audiences."

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
San Antonio may be the seventh-largest city in America, but you wouldn't know it if you go looking for that stalwart bastion of the metropolitan lunch hour: a hot pizza sold by the slice.

Bustling pedestrians shuffling to and from their apartments or offices while noshing on a slice are easy find in places such as New York City or Chicago. But San Antonio is just built differently  literally. The population density of those two behemoths stands at 27,000 and 12,000 people per square mile, respectively. In San Antonio, that number is 3,000 people per square mile according to the latest U.S. Census data.

Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Pizza by the slice works in cities where people's homes, jobs and after-hours fun are all within a quick stroll of each other. In San Antonio, there are a few parts of town like that such as downtown, the Pearl and the St. Mary's Strip, but for the most part. we're hopping in our cars and cruising across the city's sprawling 505 square miles  more than twice the size of Chicago  for our commutes and our meals.

In those areas of town where people do walk to commute or workers are willing to walk to lunch, pizza by the slice entrepreneurs have found some success.

Paul Stephen/Staff

Arnold Mendoza opened Broadway Delicatessen in late 2021 on Broadway just a block off of Houston Street. The San Antonio native fell in love with the pizza by the slice restaurants he was exposed to while working on the East Coast and wanted to bottle that magic for diners here.

Related: Mike Sutter's Top 10 best pizza by the slice in San Antonio

His earliest intention for what eventually became Broadway Delicatessen, which serves slices of pizza, sandwiches and hot dogs, was to launch it as a spot exclusively dedicated to slices. That plan changed as he entered discussions with his landlord, who suggested opening a deli instead. But pizza remains close to Mendoza's heart, and he wasn't about to give up that dream.

What resulted was a place modeled in the spirit of a New York pizza by the slice restaurant, but modified to fit the space. Instead of a sprawling display case loaded with a dozen or more prebaked pies for customers to choose from, he only makes cheese pizzas, which customers can top as desired before the slices are reheated. Those slices are brought to a gooey crisp in a small but high-powered convection oven instead of a massive deck oven.

The results, he said, have proven a hit.

"We put a lot of effort into this pizza," Mendoza said. "I've had people from NY tell me, 'Wow, this is the best.' That means a lot to me."

Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

While his restaurant is only a few steps away from Houston Street and the Alamo, Mendoza said tourists aren't a huge part of his customer base. The most dependable patrons, he said, have turned out to be office workers and a legion of valet drivers from nearby hotels who drop in for a quick slice before hoofing it back to their respective posts. Mendoza said the pizza by the slice part of his business has grown slowly but steadily, and now accounts for roughly 50 percent of his revenue.

"It took at least a good two to three months before we saw a good lunch business," he said. "I'm just now starting to see people from the Frost Tower and The Rand Building who are making the trek over. I do get it because of the time constraints. They have to walk 10 to 15 minutes to and from their offices."

Broadway Deli occupies a petite space on the ground floor of a building on Broadway downtown with many small storefronts, and that's what makes the math work selling $4 slices. That equation starts to fall apart in larger restaurants, even if they are located downtown in an area with lots of pedestrians.

On ExpressNews.com: Broadway Delicatessen brings East Coast sandwiches, pizza to S.A.

Restaurateur Stefan Bowers opened the sprawling 2,900-square-foot Playland on Houston Street in 2018, and the pizzeria quickly earned acclaim for its rustic wood-fired pies topped with high-quality ingredients. Bowers briefly sold those pies by the slice, an effort that only lasted six months. At $5 per slice, the numbers simply didn't add up to cover Playland's five-figure rent.

Ultimately, he dropped slices altogether before closing the restaurant for good last month.

Paul Stephen/Staff

The profit margins on pizza, whether whole or by the slice, are relatively low, Bowers noted. At Playland, pizzas were priced at $11 to $19 and multiple customers would often fill up by sharing a single pizza. By contrast, he said, the dinners he puts out while serving as chef at the swanky seafood spot Rebelle in The St. Anthony hotel could cost $60 or more per person.

"Four people can share a single pizza, but four people are not going to share a plate of halibut, and that's where pizza gets you," Bowers said. "With seafood you have a very high food cost, but you make a drastically higher margin."

On ExpressNews.com: Discover San Antonio's best pies with 52 Weeks of Pizza

Slices of pizza were never on the table at the celebrated restaurant Il Forno in the Lone Star Arts District. While the area does receive some spurts of pedestrian traffic during monthly ArtWalk events, the neighborhood is largely devoid of foot traffic during the day. Instead of high volume slices, Garcia serves whole, painstakingly crafted Neapolitan-style pies that are worth a drive.

That decision, Garcia said, had as much to do with Il Forno's small kitchen space as the nature of pedestrian traffic in the area.

Il Forno cooks its entire menu that includes meatballs, salads pasta and more in addition to pizza, in a small wood-fired oven that takes up a comparatively tiny four-by-four-foot space as opposed to the hulking gas-powered deck ovens that can cook a dozen or more pies at a time found in many New York-style slice joints. Those ovens burn at a much lower temperature, typically around 500 degrees, instead of the scorching 900 degrees Garcia's oven hits.

Jacqueline Han/EyeEm/Getty Images

"That New York slice requires a certain type of pizza to be made in advance, and you have to have a certain type of oven to reheat that slice, and thats not what I have," Garcia said. "The main difference is were cooking a product we can't reheat. Everything we do is done to order."

That a la minute approach results in a spectacular pizza rated one of the best in San Antonio during the Express-News's 52 Weeks of Pizza series. But Garcia would never sell those pies by the slice. His blazing-hot oven and dough recipe create a pie that's best enjoyed on the spot the second it emerges blistered and bubbling from the oven.

Back at Broadway Delicatessen, Mendoza remains bullish on pizza by the slice. The uptick in sales has spurred plans to add a second oven in the near future. The equipment will allow him to prepare twice as many pizzas, which means a whole lot more slices downtown, and that's a win for all of us.
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University Healths board of managers has approved budget adjustments to facilitate building a pediatric pharmacy inside the countys under-construction womens and childrens hospital.

Bexar County Hospital Districts has so far allocated $837.9 million to pay for the major expansion, which includes a 12-story tower, a 900-space parking garage, an advanced diagnostic center and a podium expansion that will be used for a new kitchen, servery, dining room and conference rooms.

Don Ryden, vice president for planning, design and construction, told the board Tuesday night that the $14.4 million pharmacy would be built into shell space and would largely be funded by project cost savings that include unused contingency funds from the podium and parking garages construction. The hospital is slated to open in mid-2023, with the pharmacy to follow late next year, he said.

The new pharmacy will include space for compounding, prescription review and processing, patient and staff dispensing windows, and the installation of robotic equipment that can fill syringes and intravenous treatments.

Elliott Mandell, senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer, said the new pharmacy will support the increase in neonatal intensive care and pediatric patients that is anticipated with the opening of the new hospital, as well as help to keep up with the systems growing demand.

When I first came to the hospital, we were filling 3,000 prescriptions a month, Mandell said. Now were doing almost 35,000 prescriptions a month, so we needed something dramatically bigger.

Since taking over the pharmacy program, hes added a meds to beds program that delivers medications to patients before they are discharged from the hospital, which eliminates financial and transportation barriers.

On ExpressNews.com: A look inside San Antonios future womens and childrens hospital, due summer 2023

Even with the use of more automation, Mandells pharmacy staff has grown from just over 200 employees to 515.

The health system is planning to build a bigger off-site central pharmacy that would remotely serve patients and employees at pharmacies in University Healths hospitals and clinics.

The board approved a recommendation from staff to amend contracts with its construction manager at risk agreement with Joeris+JE Dunn and adjust the project schedule with two other contractors.

The new 628,000-square-foot womens and childrens hospital tower adjoins University Hospitals 10-floor Sky Tower, which opened in 2014 and was part of the largest construction project in the countys history at a cost of $899.4 million.

The architectural design from Marmon Mok plans for 30 intensive care unit rooms, 68 neonatal intensive care unit rooms, 30 acute care rooms, 60 rooms for OB-GYN services and 30 antepartum rooms.

The Bexar County Hospital District did not raise its property tax rate to fund this expansion. Money for the new womens and childrens hospital comes from cash reserves and certificates of obligations, which is debt issued by local governments to finance projects without voter approval.

On ExpressNews.com: University Health makes plans to build two new hospitals

University Health is moving forward with another major expansion approved last month that would add two community hospitals to the system  a 140-bed hospital on the Southwest Side near Texas A&M University-San Antonio and a 140-bed hospital on the Northeast Side at Retama.

The total cost for both proposed hospital projects is estimated at $950 million, to be funded with $450 million in cash reserves and $500 million in tax-exempt municipal bonds.

Hospital officials said there will be no increase in property taxes, but they are required by law to inform residents through a notice in the newspaper and wait 45 days before the Bexar County Commissioners Court can proceed with the bond transaction.

An April Express-News investigation on health inequities found that medical facilities in San Antonio are heavily concentrated in the northern parts of the city, placed in areas where patients generally are healthier and more affluent and where providers can collect higher reimbursements from insurance companies.

The report found that for every eight hospitals and freestanding emergency room facilities in the northern parts of the city, there is only one on the South Side.

The Retama hospital could open as soon as 2026, and the Texas A&M hospital as soon as 2027.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
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If you're looking for a last-minute summer getaway, it doesn't have to cost a fortune to fly out of San Antonio International Airport.

For just $50, you can fly to Denver to hike the Rocky Mountains, catch a concert at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater, or even explore the conspiracies behind the city's airport.
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Pieces of San Antonios African American heritage have disappeared over the years.

Many of the hotels, gas stations and other San Antonio businesses in a 1930s green book, which listed safe places for Black travelers to visit, no longer exist. An 1870s foundation of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Texas, was discovered near San Pedro Creek downtown only two years ago.

But the city is launching a three-year effort to identify, preserve and protect cultural resources tied to local Black history. It will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Little Carver Civic Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., to give residents a chance to share their own thoughts and experiences and provide guidance on the project. Three university scholars also will discuss identity and nomenclature dating to the Spanish colonial period.

An online survey available through Aug. 15 allows the community to submit information on people, places, stories and events that should be recognized. Photos can be uploaded on the online survey form.

Shanon Shea Miller, director of the citys Office of Historic Preservation, said her office has begun gathering stories, photos, videos and family reunion books at community meetings. Seventy people scheduled appointments to give oral histories.

On ExpressNews.com: Renowned sculptor among first Black customers at desegregated lunch counter

Wed love to hear from as many people as possible, Miller said.

The 5-year-old San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum is providing guidance on the initiative, with its CEO and director, Deborah Omowale Jarmon, serving on an advisory committee. Although SAAACAM is focused on preserving stories of people of African descent  including those with Mexican, Caribbean or Indigenous lineage  the citys process is important to the nonprofit community archives mission.

When we look at growing SAAACAM and sustaining SAAACAM, we recognize these policies need to be in place to help to honor those stories, Jarmon said.

Jarmon encourages people to get involved in the process.

They are initiatives that complement each other, she said. The citys is to drive policy. SAAACAMs is to ensure that our history doesnt go away. We take pride in stewarding the stories of African descendants in San Antonio.

The city recently secured $50,000 through the National Park Services Underrepresented Community Grant Program to develop an inventory of historical African American sites and resources in neighborhoods within a 3-mile radius of downtown that remain intact, largely unaffected by urban renewal and modern development.

Neighborhoods with schools, churches, homes and other places connected to Black history dating to the 1800s include West Side communities around West End Baptist Church and todays St. James AME Church site, along with areas near the historic Baptist Settlement on the near East Side.

The federal grant program was created to diversify nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.

The city also has a $30,000 grant from the Texas Historical Commission that is being matched locally with a National Trust for Historic Preservation grant awarded to the Conservation Society of San Antonio to identify historic structures, places and historical assets.

Possible results of the work include historic landmark designations, historical markers, naming of streets and public places and designation of heritage trails.

Using archival directories and insurance maps, the preservation office tracked a dramatic increase in Black churches built from post-Civil War Reconstruction to the early 20th century, when segregated schools were added in those neighborhoods. Many of those structures have since been demolished.

On ExpressNews.com: Scholar discusses Alamos potential for racial reconciliation

The initiative also will explore intangible heritage  food, music, festivals and forms of spiritual expression that are important to San Antonios African American community.

In the online survey, Anthony Gordon of San Antonio identified the Rev. Samuel Horace S.H. James Jr., a Baptist pastor and San Antonios first Black city councilman, who served from 1965-1971, as instrumental in the eventual desegregation of the city. But Gordon felt acknowledgment also should be extended to the reverends daughter, Angela James, who was bussed from the East Side to Jefferson High School in the late 1950s when schools in San Antonio were desegregated. She died in 2007.

She was only 12 years old when she entered as a freshman and graduated at 16 at Jefferson, Gordon wrote in comments posted on the survey.

The project is expected to wrap up in spring 2025. The advisory panel of scholars and community members also includes Gregory Hudspeth, Maria Greene, Nettie Hinton, Everett Fly, Charles Gentry, Pamela Walker and D.L. Grant.

People can also send comments to ohp@sanantonio.gov; call 311; or write to the Office of Historic Preservation at P.O. Box 839966, San Antonio, TX, 78238.

shuddleston@express-news.net
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci sneered at the prospect of being investigated by Republicans if the party retakes control of Congress in the crucial midterm elections, defending his record and urging GOP legislators to take their best shot.

The 81-year-old career bureaucrat who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 and was recently infected with COVID-19 has been laying low but has recently resurfaced with a string of media appearances as the fear machine over Monkeypox and the latest variant is revving up.

Fauci Dares Republicans To Investigate Him

He appeared on CNN's "New Day" on Tuesday and chatted with anchor John Berman. The primary topic was whether a public health emergency declaration over Monkeypox - which has been largely spread through homosexual male group sex - is in the works, but the good doctor was also asked about the prospect of being forced to testify before GOP-led committees if the Democrats lose in November, as most analysts predict.

While Fauci remained defiant about his performance throughout the horrific years of the COVID-19 issue, several attempted to clear the air, like Tom Elliott of multimedia marketplace Grabien, who tweeted a recording of the program.

Elliott rattled off a laundry list of things President Joe Biden's top medical adviser could be held accountable for, including accidentally creating and then covering up COVID-19, engineering the destruction of civil rights through lockdowns and mandates, lying to Congress, weaponizing the government to suppress dissent, impairing the development of a generation of children, spewing contradictory advice at every stage of the pandemic, and profiting from his position, according to BPR.

His reaction comes after Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul vowed an inquiry. If Republicans obtain a majority, Paul, a former ophthalmologist, will be head of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The current ranking member, Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, is retiring from the Senate.

Paul and Fauci are no strangers to squabbles, having sparred publicly over the previous three years of the coronavirus outbreak. Paul has specifically questioned Fauci about the virus's origins, and the gain-of-function study at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, which the senator alleges is how COVID-19 came to be.

The Kentucky legislator has accused Fauci of being involved in the virus's creation since the National Institutes of Health funded a group doing research at the Wuhan facility. Fauci has frequently denied these allegations, as per Daily Mail.

Read Also: Russia Hits Back at Europe, West with Gas Punishment, Raises Fears of Electricity Price Hike and More Issues

Fauci has stated that he maintains an open mind on claims that the coronavirus may have spilled from a Chinese facility. Despite his long-held belief that the virus originated in nature, he told Fox News' Brett Baier on Friday that he has not discarded the lab leak scenario altogether.

Baier questioned Fauci about his statements two years ago when he dismissed the lab leak scenario as a shiny item that will go away after receiving a series of letters questioning if the virus may have been genetically produced at the Institute of Virology in Wuhan. The Republican Party revealed the emails a year later, New York Post reported.

Related Article: Will Monkeypox be the Next COVID-19? Lawmakers Demand Biden Administration Reveal Its Plan on How To Handle New Outbreak

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Carey H. Latimore IV had so many things he wanted to do: create a civil rights institute in downtown San Antonio, lead discussions on racial reconciliation and provide a deeper understanding of the Alamo and the complex history of Texas.

Latimore, who held a doctoral degree in history from Emory University in Atlanta, had just built a new house in Somerset that he and his wife, Almie, planned to surround with a vibrant flower garden.

A Virginia native and author of books on African American history, Latimore died at his home about 3 a.m. Tuesday. He was 46 and had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

His church pastor said Latimore kept working, showing unshakable faith  the title of his latest book  and attended a Juneteenth event at the Alamo, despite looking quite frail.

He said, Look, Ive been blessed more than I ever expected. Im a country man from Virginia, recalled the Rev. Otis I. Mitchell, senior pastor at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church. He counted it a privilege to walk in the circles that he walked, and to be able to do the things that he did. He didnt take it for granted. He appreciated it all.

On ExpressNews.com: Scholar sees Alamos potential for racial reconciliation

Latimores death has come as a blow to those who knew him.

This has hit us really, really, really hard. Im quite frankly still in shock, Mitchell said.

David Lesch, a Trinity University history professor who was best man at Latimores wedding, described himself as devastated by the loss of a friend with such a promising future.

His voice was getting stronger and stronger in the community. Professionally, he was doing quite well, Lesch said. I think he was really on the cusp of taking off in many different, wonderful directions. Beyond the personal, its just hard to see that and realize what couldve been.

A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Mt. Zion church, 333 Martin Luther King Drive.

Latimore tackled controversial issues, including removal of Confederate monuments and the role of slavery in the Texas Revolution. He was an independent thinker and a tenacious researcher, but was also respectful of those who differed with his conclusions or remarks in research papers, lectures and media interviews.

He put other people at ease when talking about difficult subjects. He always listened and was always willing to hear different perspectives, even if they were competing or contrasting perspectives, on a number of controversial topics, Lesch said.

Latimore chaired Trinitys history department for nine years, providing strong mentorship to young professors, and he was one of the more popular professors on campus, Lesch said.

He had a very distinct method of leadership that really worked, and it was a combination of patience, understanding, empathy and compassion, he added.

Several members of the Alamo Citizen Advisory Committee, on which Latimore served, gasped when his death was announced at a committee meeting Tuesday night.

Im very sad that we have lost him and his contributions and his knowledge, and his, in my opinion, level-headedness, said Sue Ann Pemberton, a tri-chair of the 30-member committee, which is helping to guide a makeover of the Alamo mission and battlefield.

People who treasured his classroom lectures at Trinity or his sermons at Mt. Zion church, where he was an associate pastor, say he imparted wisdom while inviting students and congregants to share their own views and pursue their own paths. He encouraged people with differing opinions to engage in respectful dialogue rather than withdraw into ideological silos.

He wanted to do his part to ensure that people understood that were all in the same boat together, and we need to work together, Mitchell said. He was big on harmony, big on unity, big on togetherness.

His most recent book, Unshakable Faith: African American Stories of Redemption, Hope and Community, released in January, chronicled the spiritual journeys of famous and lesser-known Black Americans who sometimes reached across ideological lines toward a common good. Latimore shared his own past struggles with depression and the inspiration he drew from the biblical Book of Jonah.

Without counseling, I slowly learned how to claim my voice, Latimore wrote.

Before the pandemic, he hoped to open a civil rights institute in the historic Kress Building on Houston Street, site of a lunch counter that was peacefully desegregated in 1960.

When discussing the role of slavery in the Battle of the Alamo, Latimore said, We cant cancel the Alamo.  We need to learn from it and speak to it bluntly, honestly and openly.

As part of that process, he hoped to promote healing and reconciliation.

Maybe Im crazy. But to me, I love the idea of people who are in different places becoming brothers, he said in an interview in March.

On ExpressNews.com: Professor sees third way to talk about slavery in Texas

Aaronetta Pierce, a friend and tri-chair of the Alamo citizen panel, said Latimore relished moving to Somerset, in rural southwestern Bexar County, because he always called himself a country boy, and he liked land around him.

He was a force for progress on the Alamo project, serving as a kind of mediator who could hear all of you and really process what you were saying, Pierce said.

He was able to hear all sides and try to bring us to a stronger place. That is so valuable, is so important, she said. I hope that as we continue in this project, we take Carey with us, and his thoughts, and that some part of him helps us to get to the place where we have to get to in order to have a shared history and project.

Former City Councilwoman and committee tri-chair Rebecca Viagran said Latimores death gives a different urgency and impact to the work that were doing and about the legacy that we leave.

Tom Butler, associate vice president of Broaddus & Associates, the projects program manager, grew emotional as he told the Alamo committee how he phoned his son to share the news of Latimores death. His son recently graduated from Trinity with a major in history and a minor in African American studies  a minor he added after having Latimore as his faculty adviser.

The Alamo has lost a great friend, Butler said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
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UVALDE - Two months after a mass shooting that claimed 21 lives at Robb Elementary School, the Uvalde City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling on the Legislature to raise the age young people can buy assault-style weapons from 18 to 21.

Mayor Donald McLaughlin Jr. and Councilman Ernest Chip King III, both gun owners, predicted before the meeting that the resolution asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session would be approved.

Another council member, Hector Luevano, dismissed it as a waste of time, given the power of the gun lobby. He still voted for it.

The National Rifle Association has invested more than $2.8 million with senators and legislators in the state of Texas. That includes the governor, Luevano said after the meeting. You dont bite the hand that feeds you, unfortunately, in this case.

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District board had adopted a similar resolution a day earlier.

Uvalde is a conservative, rural county seat between the Hill Country and West Texas. But the ease with which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School has crystallized local opinions in the debate over gun rights vs. gun restrictions, officials said.

There was a tragedy that occurred in our community  with a rifle that an 18-year-old can walk in and purchase, Hal Harrell, the school superintendent, said at the school board meeting. Theres no reason for an 18-year-old to have something like that.

McLaughlin had to miss the meeting because of family business but said he supported the city resolution. A Republican who has been on the council for a decade, he spelled out a far more moderate position on gun control issues than Abbott and most GOP lawmakers have shown in recent years.

Donald Trump drew 59.7 percent of the vote against Joe Biden for president in Uvalde County. McLaughlin holds a concealed handgun permit and has hunted much of his life.

But he said he believes most locals support raising the age to buy AR-15 or AK-47-style weapons  rapid firing, with a high muzzle velocity and capable of carrying large ammunition magazines.

On ExpressNews.com: Abbott signs slew of gun bills in San Antonio

I dont think anybody in Uvalde before the shooting or after the shooting was ever against an expanded background check. I dont think anybody would have been against raising the age limit to 21, the mayor said in an interview.

I would support raising the age, and Im a gun owner, but still, theres nothing wrong with raising the age, McLaughlin said. You used to have to wait three days before you could get a gun. I didnt like it, but when we grew up thats what we had to do so we did it. What they used to call a cooling-off period.

Of course people want a special session to tackle the issue, said Luevano, who represents District 2.

We all do, but I dont believe we have to ask the governor to have a special session. I think as the leader of the state he needs to take the initiative and do the right thing, he said.

Abbott, who resisted similar calls in 2019, then spearheaded legislation allowing Texans to openly carry firearms without holding licenses, has defended the law allowing 18-year-olds to take assault-style weapons into public spaces, saying theyve long been allowed to own long guns like hunting rifles.

McLaughlin said hes always been in favor of stronger background checks, and believes you ought to close the deal at the gun shows where you can go and buy a gun with just showing your drivers license to a private seller. I dont agree with that. I think it should be closed.

Though undecided on banning assault rifles outright, he said perhaps the state could require classes to ensure gun owners are capable of handling such weapons responsibly, and make applicants take a mental competency test.

Saying he was not a fan of assault rifles, McLaughlin said prohibiting teenagers from buying them was no different from other laws limiting the rights of young people.

You cant buy cigarettes, you cant buy tobacco, you cant buy beer. You cant buy any of those things, so why should you be able to buy an automatic rifle or a semi-automatic rifle? You shouldnt, he said.

The Robb Elementary gunman, Salvador Ramos, was able to legally purchase his rifle even though he had a troubled history well known to his family, friends and some acquaintances.

He held off more than 400 local, state and federal law enforcement officers for more than an hour because of slipshod, almost nonexistent leadership, but also because of the perception among some officers that they were outgunned, a Texas House investigation has found.

Some of the wounded inside the school might have survived if someone had gotten to them sooner, observers say, which has added to the fury against local officials for the pace of investigations that could hold police leaders accountable for the delay.

The council revealed Tuesday night that it had hired an Austin-based investigator to look into the actions of Uvalde police officers who responded to the shooting. Councilman Everardo Lalo Zamora told one speaker, Diana Olvedo-Karau, that the police chief and DiPiazza would determine disciplinary action once the report is in.

He said little about Lt. Mariano Pargas, the acting police chief in charge of Uvalde officers at Robb, who remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The timeline for the probe was open-ended, but King told the crowd of roughly 40 people, Its not six months.

I know it gets hard, it gets frustrating because it moves really slow, Zamora said. We dont want to do it wrong. We want to do it right.

About a dozen speakers addressed the council, some of them angry but a few soft-spoken and even complimentary. One ended her comments with a sermon and lengthy prayer. Some in the audience responded with an amen.

As at other council sessions since the May 24 shooting, retired florist Eloise Castro was among those at the lectern.

I have been to several meetings and Im seeing the families and the citizens of Uvalde ask the same questions over and over and over again. I find it appalling that they do not get answers. You guys already have the answers  Im sure of that, Castro, 75, said.

How do I know  how do we know  that youre going to not just kind of kind of wash it, wash it, out the truth from this? she continued. And you want us to trust you guys. You need to trust us, too, with the answers. Were not children. Were not children. We need to know whats going on.

On ExpressNews.com: Wolff urges Abbott to call special session on gun violence

Daniel Myers told the council of a weekend meeting of families whose children had survived the school massacre. Some of them were sleeping with their parents, hoping not to return to school, he said, adding, Two months later and these kids are hurting.

He had kind words for the council, however, saying, Thank you for talking to us.

Staff writer Claire Bryan contributed to this report.

sigc@express-news.net
When I first held a printed copy of the preliminary report wed produced as the House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting, I thought about how smooth and clean the thick paper was  a slick veneer for the rough, messy facts inside.

The reports biggest takeaway is multiple systemic failures, which is the roughest, messiest explanation possible.

The drumbeat has always been accountability  someone to pin guilt on  and while the report does highlight individual faults, broken systems deserve the most blame. Thats disturbing because we want to believe our societys structures work, that problems have the simple solution of rooting out a bad apple to keep this from happening again.

Our report shows that isnt true, but thats also a call to action: We can change systems.

Sometimes thats clear, like with information sharing. From the first press conferences onward, authorities shared unreliable accounts then retracted them, undermining government credibility and leaving people unsure what to believe.

On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde City Council, school board ask lawmakers in Austin to change Texas gun laws

Information was also unacceptably distributed in English only  our Spanish language report may be the first official document that was translated. We need to develop clear, inclusive statewide protocols about how information is vetted and shared, or were going to continue damaging public trust.

The report also shows that our school safety policies dont work in the real world. Keep doors locked breaks down with faulty, decades-old doors, a key shortage and areas people need to access constantly. Requirements that dont match realities or resources are doomed. In 2022, theres no reason we dont have modern doors with easy-to-use electronic locks teachers can swipe a card to open and lock down remotely.

As obvious as the law enforcement failure at Robb was, the solution is anything but simple. An officer or two not engaging might mean a lack of courage or competence, but when different officers from different agencies all make the same decisions, that signals a wider problem. Training and culture that relentlessly drill officer safety above all make it hard to turn that off in the one scenario where officer safety is ignored.

Thats a difficult organizational psychology issue we need experts engaged on immediately, but first we need to possess the humility to accept it. Numerous officers have reacted to Robb with I wouldnt do that. Maybe. But many experienced officers did that day, so I challenge everyone to question whether they just might have reacted to Robb in a similar way  and then do whatever it takes not to.

Mental health is something else thats easy to say but hard to address. Its almost a red herring  mental health issues arent the same as mental illness, and the overwhelming majority of people experiencing mental illness arent violent, but there should have been interventions for the Robb attacker. The fix isnt obvious, but I do know its not simply piling more onto teachers or counselors plates. We need funding and incentives to place trained professionals in schools, where they can proactively identify who needs help.

Finally, the elephant in the state remains guns. The attacker unsuccessfully sought guns several times before he turned 18, stockpiled 60 magazines and a hellfire trigger instead, then bought two AR-15-style rifles and more than 2,000 rounds right after his 18th birthday.

We can talk about sea change all day, but those facts suggest solutions for which there should be common ground. One is raising the age to own a long gun from 18 to 21. Our laws worked here, and 21 means this shooting wouldnt have happened. We should ban hellfire triggers just as we did bump stocks. Multiple rifle sales should be reported to the local sheriff (right now, thats done for handguns) along with mass magazine purchases (right now, thats not even tracked).

And while our report said a great deal about no one reporting the warning signs they saw, the attacker didnt break any laws until he began his shooting spree. Reporting red flags is only useful if its possible to address them, so we need that kind of legal option.

These are real challenges, but systemic failures demand reforms toward systemic success. We have a moral obligation, and if we do less, its only a matter of time before another committee is investigating another preventable school shooting.

State Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat, represents much of north and west El Paso County and serves as vice chair of the Texas House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting.
The monarch butterfly, majestic and beloved, was listed as endangered last week.

The listing from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature was expected yet jarring, a reflection of all that has been lost. Yet the formal designation is an opportunity to protect monarchs and a reminder of how humans impact the planet at a time of intense warming.

The listing was hardly surprising given the rate of decline among the monarch population over the past decade. That rate ranges from 22 percent to 72 percent depending on the estimate, and it is unsustainable. Monarchs, who journey thousands of miles, spanning generations, fly from Mexico in the winter to Canada in the summer before journeying south again. They are frequent flyers in San Antonio.

Threats to them are well-known and understood: habitat loss in Mexico, herbicides and pesticides, climate change. All of these forces have fueled population decline, or as the Associated Press so aptly described it, the monarch butterfly fluttered one step closer to extinction.

The United States should formally list the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.

The butterflys story is not over yet, and every action big and small can make a difference. Here in San Antonio, we can plant milkweed to feed caterpillars and foster new generations of monarchs. We can push for habitat preservation and for agriculture to move away from herbicides and pesticides. We can understand that climate change, left unmitigated, poses a threat to the natural world in ways big and small.
The kid could play, but it was the voice that got you, not the guitar.

He could bend it as if his throat were a saxophone, a sweet warble one note, a deep bellow the next.

Born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, the boy would change his name to Freddy Fender, after the guitar manufacturer. But the one thing that never changed was the voice that could evoke joy and misery, sometimes within the same song.

Fender, who began playing and singing on the radio when he was 10, died of lung cancer in 2006. He was 69.

There is a push, years after his first hit, to induct him into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

It is a laudable, necessary effort. But the big question is: What has taken them so long?

Fender is one of the giants of country western music.His songs are so iconic they invite comparisons to the greats  Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn.

He scored 21 country hits between 1975 and 1983, including Wasted Days and Wasted Nights and Before the Next Teardrop Falls. Like all great country songs, they are fresh and organic, as if they existed long before artist set pen to paper.

Fender won three Grammy awards, and his star was placed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.

He also played with Doug Sahm and Flaco Jimenez, great musicians from San Antonio, in two Tex-Mex all-star combos, the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven.

All of those achievements and accolades scream Hall of Fame, so what is the problem?

Veronique Medrano, a Tejano artist from Brownsville, has launched a drive to get Fender inducted into the Hall of Fame, saying his exclusion may represent a bias against Latino artists by the Country Music Association.

To think that this man at the end of his life, all he wanted was this and they still couldn't give it to him and still have not had the respect to give it to him, Medrano said.

In an interview with the Washington Post in 1997, Fender said he knew how to deal with prejudice.

I smile and feel sorry for them, and I say to myself, Theres one more argument for birth control.

Two years before his 2006 death, Fender told the Associated Press what it would mean to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hopefully, he said, Ill be the first Mexican American going into Hillbilly Heaven 

That dream remains elusive.

Induct the man. He deserves it. And it is long overdue.
A teen Democratic activist from Houston has capitalized on a Twitter insult from Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz by directing supporters to give to an abortion rights fundraiser that's raked in more than $1.5 million this week.

Although your intentions were hateful, your public shaming of my appearance has done nothing but benefit me, tweeted Olivia Julianna, 19, political strategy specialist and founding member of the nonprofit Gen Z For Change. Your hateful comments toward me will quite literally help pay for abortion services. Lol. Get rekt.

Olivia, who goes by her first and middle names on social media due to safety concerns, was among a handful of abortion rights activists who sabotaged a website encouraging people to anonymously report violations of the states six-week abortion ban as it went into effect in September 2021.

IN-DEPTH: Meet the Texas teen who helped sabotage an anti-abortion tip line

The spat between the two began after Gaetz took aim at abortion rights activists at a rally last weekend in Tampa, fat-shaming them and saying their looks made them less likely to get pregnant.

Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb, he said.

Gaetz continued: These people are odious on the inside and out. They're like 5'2, 350 pounds, and they're like, 'Give me my abortions or I'll get up and march and protest,' and I'm thinking, 'March? You look like you got ankles weaker than the legal reasoning behind Roe vs. Wade.' A few of them need to get up and march. They need to get up and march for like an hour a day, swing those arms, get the blood pumping, maybe mix in a salad.

Olivia quipped back that she is 511. 64 in heels and I wear them so the small men like you are reminded of your place, adding a reference to the ongoing Justice Department investigation into allegations of his involvement in sex trafficking and prostitution. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing; a spokesperson for him called the accusations blatantly false" and said they "were rooted in a criminal shakedown of Congressman Gaetzs family, to which one person has already plead guilty.

Gaetz then reweeted a story with a headline about how his comments from the rally had angered abortion rights activists and pasted Olivias profile picture into it with the words Dander raised ... 

The viral tweet sparked loads of hate and harassment sent Olivias way, but the teen says the vitriol doesnt faze her.

When you have to resort to bodyshaming or physical insults, its because you cant back up your arguments with logic and intellectual facts, she said. Honestly, I love getting hate comments. Because when I get hate comments, it means that Ive won the argument and you know that Im right.

Olivia said as a political strategist and social media influencer, she knew she had to take advantage of this moment in the spotlight by turning it into a fundraiser, something I could do to tangibly help people in the community I care about.

A spokesperson for Gaetz responded to the fundraiser by saying that with Roe v. Wade overturned, America is now a pro-life nation. No amount of solicitations will change that.

The spokesperson added: Congressman Gaetz never mentioned the adults weight. Leftist media did.

The fundraiser that Olivia referred people to was organized by Gen Z for Change, a progressive youth-led group with more than 500 members, who use social media and other internet platforms to educate our generation and make tangible change on issues that disproportionately affect young people.

The group had raised about $26,000 prior to the blowup with Gaetz. By late morning Wednesday, its amassed more than eight times that.

I think a lot of people assume because Im young that Im very naive or ignorant of how politics work, she said. But Im a political strategist for one of largest youth nonprofits in the country, so Matt Gaetz shining a spotlight on me like that was actually a gift because he gave me an even bigger platform to talk about me and the work that I do.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
WASHINGTON  The manufacturers of the assault-style rifles used in mass shootings, including in Uvalde and Sutherland Springs, made more than $1 billion on those weapons over the last decade as their profits skyrocketed, according to a House investigation released Wednesday.

Daniel Defense, the company that made the gun an 18-year-old used to kill 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May, saw revenue from AR-15-style rifles triple from $40 million in 2019 to over $120 million in 2021, according to a report issued by the House Oversight Committee.

The company, which made $528 million off those weapons between 2012 and 2021, has been accused of directing its ads at children and teens by activists who filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission earlier this month.

IN-DEPTH: Daniel Defense, makers of gun used in Uvalde massacre, face complaint for deceptive teen marketing

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., which manufactures the gun that was used to kill 25 people in Sutherland Springs, raked in $514 million from AR-15-style firearms, according to the report. The companys gross earnings from those rifles also nearly tripled from 2019 to 2021, from $39 million to over $103 million, the House panel found.

It seems to me that if a company really cared that its products were being used to kill scores of Americans, it would stop selling them, said U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the committee. But of course the gun industry wont do that because they're making lots and lots of money from these weapons. That is the very definition of putting profits over people.

The CEOs of both Daniel Defense and Ruger, who testified before the committee voluntarily, insisted repeatedly that the gunmen are to blame, not the guns or the companies that make them.

RELATED: AR-style rifles like the one used in Uvalde shooting often leave victims unrecognizable, experts say

These acts are committed by murderers, Daniel Defense CEO Marty Daniel said when asked by Maloney whether he feels any personal responsibility for the killings committed with weapons his company made. The murderers are responsible.

With all due respect, while I grieve like all Americans at these tragic incidents, again to blame the firearm  and the particular firearm in use here that were talking about, modern sporting rifles  to blame the firearm, it is an inanimate object, said Christopher Killoy, the Ruger CEO.

The House panels investigation is the latest fuel for a growing effort to hold gun manufacturers, which are shielded from liability for a range of conduct, to the same standards as other industries. The companies do not track the deaths or injuries caused by their firearms, the report said, as other industries, such as drug companies, are required to do.

Maloney said Wednesday she plans to introduce legislation to hold the gun industry accountable for the damage inflicted by their products, just like the car industry, pharmaceutical industry or any other American business.

Gun safety advocates, meanwhile, have urged the Federal Trade Commission to regulate weapons manufacturers like it has the tobacco industry by cracking down on deceptive marketing practices, especially those aimed at children and young adults.

House takes up assault-rifle ban

A complaint filed earlier this month by the legal arm of Everytown for Gun Safety claimed Daniel Defense was violating Federal Trade Commission rules by marketing assault weapons with violent and militaristic imagery that misleads consumers  especially young men  to believe they can use the weapons for combat-like missions.

The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, meanwhile, agreed to a $73 million settlement earlier this year of a lawsuit against Remington, makers of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012. The families had argued that Remingtons advertising appealed to troubled men, according to the New York Times.

The House investigation found that was a common marketing tactic among gun manufacturers. For instance, Smith & Wesson advertisements mimic first-person shooter video games such as Call of Duty that are popular with young men. Sig Sauer describes one of its guns as an apex predator that meets the demands of the Special Operations community, according to the report.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The report comes as House Democrats prepare to vote on legislation banning the sale of assault-style weapons, something the parents of Uvalde victims have begged lawmakers to do. The weapons, which have become a common tool for mass murderers, fire bullets at much higher velocity than ordinary handguns, and do far more damage.

Roy Guerrero, the Uvalde pediatrician working the E.R. the day of the Robb Elementary School shooting, described children whose bodies had been pulverized and decapitated, who could only be identified by blood-splattered cartoon clothes in testimony before the committee last month as he urged lawmakers to act.

Inaction is harm. Passivity is harm. Delay is harm, he said at the time.

But even some House Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, have said they oppose such a ban, and legislation to enact it would stand virtually no chance of passing the evenly divided Senate.

The CEOs of the gun manufacturers argued on Wednesday that the focus on assault-style weapons is misguided. They said Congress should instead focus on making sure evil people cannot purchase them.

I dont consider the modern sporting rifles my company produces to be weapons of war, Killoy said. In the case of Sutherland Springs, he said, the evil person who perpetrated those crimes and committed those murders was allowed to buy a firearm that frankly he should not have been allowed to do.

Daniel blamed an erosion of personal responsibility in our country.

Mass shootings were all but unheard of just a few decades ago. So what changed? Not the firearms. They are substantially the same as those manufactured over 100 years ago, Daniel said in his opening testimony. I believe our nations response needs to focus not on the type of gun, but on the type of persons who are likely to commit mass shootings.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Pregnant patients at two Dallas hospitals faced almost double the risk of serious health complications after the states abortion restrictions took effect and caused doctors to delay care until their lives were in immediate danger, a new study shows.

Researchers at Parkland Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center found that the Texas laws, which create criminal and civil liability for doctors who perform abortions beyond about six weeks gestation, led to uncertainty about when doctors are legally able to end a pregnancy and profoundly affected their patients.

Senate Bill 8, the six-week ban, has since last September empowered private citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone who aids or abets an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected. Another law enacted last year limits the circumstances in which a doctor can administer a medication abortion and threatens them with felony charges.

THE ONLY RATIONAL CHOICE : A Houston mother's terrible choice: deliver Theodora and watch her die or terminate her pregnancy

The Parkland/UT Southwestern study looked at 28 patients at the hospitals from September to mid-May who were less than 23 weeks pregnant and were treated for dangerous pregnancies.

Because of the intense politicization of these issues nationally, some have questioned, What does the threat of death have to be? and How imminent must it be? the study reads. As large academic medical centers prepare to navigate the potential for loss of access to services, more questions are raised than answers.

Parkland did not respond to requests for interviews with the researchers. UT Southwestern declined an interview, saying the findings speak for themselves.

A more strict Texas law  triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned federal protections for abortion  will go into effect 30 days from Tuesday, banning nearly all abortions except those that pose a risk to the mothers life or major bodily functions.

Abortion restrictions and the exceptions they make for the health of the mother are based on politics rather than science, which oftentimes makes it difficult for doctors to determine the clinical meaning, said Dr. Jen Villavicencio, lead for equity transformation at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The progression of pregnancy is gradual, as are the complications associated with it, whether they are newly emergent complications or the worsening of chronic conditions, Villavicencio said. In some cases, the life of a pregnant person may indeed be imminently in danger, but in other cases, that line may be harder to identify.

Texas state Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored the states six-week ban, did not respond to a request for comment.

John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion nonprofit that had a hand in crafting the six-week ban, has acknowledged the confusion among physicians but contends there is no need to change the law.

I definitely understand there may be some misunderstandings or lack of knowledge from the practitioners side of what is and is not included in the legal definition, Seago said in an interview in May. What weve heard from lawyers but also practitioners looking at it is that language allows them to follow best practices.

MORE COVERAGE: Overturning Roe v. Wade poses risk to women with complicated pregnancies, Houston OB-GYN warns

Prior to the abortion restrictions, women treated for dangerous pregnancies were counseled and offered the option of either watching and waiting or ending the pregnancy. The new restrictions mean that all of them now have to stick with a watch-and-wait approach, the Parkland/UT Southwestern study found.

All but one of the 28 patients lost their fetus within 24 hours, and the remaining one was hospitalized, the study showed. They waited a mean of nine days before getting infections, going into spontaneous labor or losing their fetuses.

About 43 percent of them experienced complications such as a hemorrhage or serious infection and 32 percent required intensive care admission, surgical abortion or readmission to the hospital.

Delayed treatment due to the abortion laws led 57 percent of patients to experience serious health complications  nearly double the number of complications experienced by patients in other states who were able to get immediate abortions.

Although limited by sample size, our findings offer a glimpse into the possible not-so-distant future, the studys authors concluded.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
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You have probably noticed retail stores offering CBD products popping up practically everywhere since 2018 and 2019, using clever images and phrases to indicate that CBD  a completely legal extract of the hemp plant  might offer an effect similar to marijuana.

My 12-year-old daughter recently asked me about a billboard near our house.

Daddy, what does it mean when the sign says Smokerz: Dont leave hemp-ty handed?

Kids ask the darndest questions.

So much I didnt know

I explained to her what I knew from my very limited experience with cannabis. But I didnt know then what I know now.

Until very recently, I thought CBD was a kind of marijuana-adjacent, mostly placebo product derived from legal hemp, that people would take and then semi-imagine getting some relaxing effect. Or maybe it had a mild effect, but nothing like actual pot.

I was wrong. But explaining how I was wrong takes some telling.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios CBD king and queen talk growth

There are many claims about legitimate medical uses for CBD, including treating anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia, as well as suppressing appetite. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration basically hasnt evaluated these medical claims, and its only approved medically in Texas for a rare genetic disease that causes seizures.

To me, though, that has always sounded like noise. I continue to believe the attention given to CBD is driven primarily by the somewhat universal human interest in getting high.

And that prompts the question: Do products in CBD stores get you high?

Legal issues, technicalities

The federal farm bill made hemp legal in 2018, and Texas followed suit in 2019. The legal distinction between marijuana and hemp  both derived from the same species of cannabis plant  is the concentration of the psychoactive extract THC. In Texas, a product that contains less than 0.3 percent THC by weight is considered legal hemp, while one that exceeds 0.3 percent THC is considered illegal marijuana.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of many cannabis plant extracts, as is THC. So is HHC, which is sold in CBD stores and has psychoactive properties similar to traditional marijuana.

Around 2018, hemp-derived CBD products started out much as I thought they were  basically, pots equivalent of nonalcoholic beer. Today, however, that is not what people are buying in CBD stores. Ill get to that.

On ExpressNews.com: San Marcos voters to tackle marijuana decriminalization in November

While marijuana remains illegal, enforcement in Texas varies.

Shortly after Texas legalized hemp in 2019, the district attorneys in Harris and Bexar counties announced they would not prosecute most cases of marijuana possession, citing fear of not being able to distinguish between hemp and marijuana without rapid and accurate testing. In 2020, the Austin City Council ended arrests, fines and testing for marijuana possession, further effectively decriminalizing use, at least in big cities in Texas. People could claim they were holding legal hemp, so law enforcement drastically reduced arrests.

The Delta difference

Enter Delta-8.

Around 2019, hemp manufacturers figured out how to produce a cannabis extract called Delta-8, which has some psychoactive properties, kind of like THC. But because it has less than 0.3 percent THC, its technically not marijuana. That became the main product sold in CBD stores, and it wasnt a placebo. It was sold in leaf, vape and edible forms.

In 2020, the Texas Department of State Health Services attempted to ban Delta-8 through a regulatory publication. The hemp industry in Texas filed a lawsuit led by Austin-based Hometown Hero, a CBD retailer. In November, the industry won a court-ordered injunction against the Health Services Departments ban on Delta-8, ensuring its continued legality, probably at least until the next legislative session.

In late 2021 and early 2022, CBD manufacturers  whether as a workaround to the temporary Delta-8 ban in 2021 or as a natural evolution of the industry  began to introduce edible products with a cannabinoid called Delta-9. Now, Delta-9 is just another name for THC, according to an industry manufacturer who insisted on speaking off the record. But in a heavy enough edible  such as a chocolate bar, large gummy or Rice Krispies treat  the concentration of THC per dry weight can be kept under 0.3 percent, rendering it legal under current rules. Delta-9, because of this THC dry weight ratio, cant be sold in leaf or vape forms, which are too light to circumvent the rules.

S.A. VOTES Voter Guide: What to know for the Texas runoff election A breakdown of key state and local races and candidates in the May 24 primary runoff.

Getting stoned legal here

Heres the main thing I learned: Delta-9 in a chocolate bar, sold legally and openly in the first CBD store I walked into, gets you stoned.

I know this because, as a professional, I dedicated a Sunday afternoon in mid-July to doing my research. I did not operate  nor could I have even remotely imagined operating  heavy machinery during that hazy afternoon.

When I returned to the CBD store a few days ago, the kid behind the counter confirmed that the majority of store customers buy Delta-9 products  essentially, legal pot in Texas in edible form.

This week, I asked a couple of regular marijuana users I know whether they have switched to using Delta-8 or Delta-9 products from a CBD store instead of illegally acquired marijuana. Neither had done so, citing the practical ease of acquiring illegal marijuana and the low risk of possessing it in a low-enforcement city. But they also werent aware of the potency of the CBD store-bought products as I described it to them.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller this month called for legalizing marijuana for medical use, although that is unlikely to move forward under current state leadership. Miller cites more than 850 hemp-growing or -processing entities in the state under the commissioners licensing purview. Its a big and rapidly growing industry in the state.

On ExpressNews.com: Ag Commissioner Sid Miller calls for expanding marijuana use in Texas

But what Ive learned this month is that the hemp and CBD industry in Texas has made legalizing marijuana irrelevant. Delta-8 and Delta-9 are just technical workarounds for pot. Your fellow Texans are getting high whenever they like with products from their neighborhood CBD store.

This is a peculiar snag in the situation that Texas has gotten itself into by not facing national trends. While I understand it is in service of preserving some conservative value around avoiding intoxication, marijuana is legal in most of the country. And as Texans, we are not getting the benefits of taxing marijuana to fund state coffers, the in-state economic development of the product and the honest reckoning with legalization.

But that train has left the station. Im a little late in understanding what is clear to me now: Getting stoned from cannabis is already legal in Texas.

Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates and host of the podcast No Hill For A Climber.

michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com | twitter.com/michael_taylor


Lufthansa has cancelled more than 1.000 flights today due to a one-day walkout by ground staff, affecting almost all of the carriers operations to the former Yugoslavia, as well as Croatia Airlines services to Germany. More than 130.000 passengers have been impacted, Lufthansa said, adding that there could be a few more cancellations and delays on Thursday and Friday, after the end of the strike. The industrial action was called by labour union Verdi in pursuit of a 9.5% pay claim. Overall, some 80% of the airlines flights have been cancelled today. Staff shortages have already forced Lufthansa and its subsidiaries to cancel hundreds of flights this month. Lufthansa has cancelled more than 1.000 flights today due to a one-day walkout by ground staff, affecting almost all of the carriers operations to the former Yugoslavia, as well as Croatia Airlines services to Germany. More than 130.000 passengers have been impacted, Lufthansa said, adding that there could be a few more cancellations and delays on Thursday and Friday, after the end of the strike. The industrial action was called by labour union Verdi in pursuit of a 9.5% pay claim. Overall, some 80% of the airlines flights have been cancelled today. Staff shortages have already forced Lufthansa and its subsidiaries to cancel hundreds of flights this month.





Lufthansas biggest market in the former Yugoslavia over the summer - Croatia - will witness over twenty flight cancellations today from almost all major cities. In addition, its Star Alliance partner Croatia Airlines has also been forced to halt services to Germany as its aircraft are handled by Lufthansa in both Frankfurt and Munich. Overall, Lufthansa has cancelled three of its return flights to Zagreb, two each to Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar, as well as one return service to Pula and Rijeka. On other hand, Croatia Airlines has been forced to shelve five return services from Zagreb, two from Split and one from Dubrovnik. In total, 38 flights have been cancelled today between Croatia and Germany.





In Serbia, Lufthansa has cancelled all but one of its planned operations to Belgrade, including two return flights from both Frankfurt and one return flight from Munich, although one return service from the Bavarian capital will operate to Belgrade. Air Serbia will maintain its service between Belgrade and Frankfurt today, as well as other German cities including Dusseldorf, Berlin and Stuttgart. Wizz Air plans to operate its flights from the Serbian capital to Dortmund and Hamburg. In Ljubljana, Lufthansa has cancelled all of its services for today, which include two return flights from Frankfurt and one from Munich. Similarly, its service between Frankfurt and Sarajevo has also been cancelled today. Wizz Airs operations from Bosnia and Herzegovinas capital to Hamburg, Cologne and Dortmund are expected to operate as per schedule. The German national carrier has no flights scheduled for Tivat today, nor does Air Montenegro operate between Podgorica and Frankfurt on Wednesdays.




In a statement issued on Wednesday 23 March, the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) denounces the kidnapping of its member, Bongi Nkambule, by police forces. This incident is added to the kidnapping of children by Swaziland's security forces a few days ago in Lubuluni community.

The Communist Party of Swaziland's statement reads:

"Wednesday 23 March 2022:- Today, around 13:00, Mswati's police kidnapped Communist Party member, Bongi Nkambule - fondly known among his comrades as "Comrade Bongo".



The police who were travelling in a police truck kidnapped Comrade Bongi at the Mbabane Park on his way home after attending a court case of Comrade Bakhe Sacolo and Comrade Sethu Nkambule which was held in Manzini this morning.



The police did not state their reasons for kidnapping Comrade Bongi. Thus far, no one knows where they have detained him.



The CPS has been under heavy attack from the regime's security forces for some time now. On Sunday, they kidnapped the children of one of our organisers, CPS member Comrade Ayanda Ndwandwe, whose home remains under surveillance, while also pursuing CPS comrades who were leading rallies at Lubulini community in the eastern part of Swaziland.



This action by the regimes forces is a clear indication of desperation to torture and kill as many comrades as they can in order to keep oppressing the people.



The CPS calls upon democracy activists to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Bongi. We know that the police will torture him for his relentless fight for freedom in our country."

cp-swa.org


The 'clock is ticking' for Scottish seed potato exports as Ireland launches a major investment scheme to help their growers capitalise on the import ban.

The Irish government has put in place a 3 million scheme for their domestic potato growers, as an EU import ban on Scottish seed potatoes remains in place.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: This presents a timely opportunity for the Irish seed potato sector to develop capacity and expand to ensure a reliable supply of domestically produced high grade seed potato material.

Before the UK left the EU, Scotland exported around 20,000 tonnes of seed potatoes, worth almost 11 million, to Europe each year.

More than 75 percent of Britain's seed potato exports comes from Scotland.

However, the Trade and Co-operation Agreement with Europe, announced at the end of 2020 as part of Brexit, failed to agree equivalence on seed potatoes.

The UK and the EU remain at loggerheads on this matter, and it is Scottish growers who are paying the price for an issue that is becoming increasingly political.

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has warned Defra Farming Minister Victoria Prentis that the clock is ticking for Scottish seed potato exports.

He said that if action was not taken soon then there may be no going back to established markets such as Ireland because they would have developed their own domestic capacity.

We were told there would be huge benefits to agriculture from Brexit. In this case, the benefits are entirely flowing to seed potato growers in Ireland," the Scottish MP said.

"Their government recognises a Brexit opportunity and has stepped-up to inject a 3 million boost to their own farmers and growers."

He added: This is an entirely predictable response from the Irish government  and one which is no more than you would expect from a government which takes farming seriously and recognises an opportunity to benefit its farmers when it sees it.

The difficulty is that this UK government has taken its eye off the ball. It was already distracted by the poor behaviour of its Prime Minister and is now consumed with the contest to see who will succeed him."
A competition looking to celebrate diversified farming businesses in Scotland has launched, with nominations now being accepted.

AgriScot, in partnership with SAC Consulting, has today launched the Diversified Farm of the Year 2022 award, open to any Scottish farm.

The competition looks to celebrate businesses which have invested in time and resource to develop an additional income stream, alongside day-to-day farming practices.

The judges are keen to see a wide range of applicants come forward, who can demonstrate excellent customer service, collaboration, support for their community and a willingness to adapt to the changing landscape.

The 2021 award was won by Louise and Graeme Nicol from Newton Farm Holidays and Tours in Angus, who offer four-star holiday accommodation and farm experiences, including alpaca walking.

Sascha Grierson from SAC Consulting, part of SRUC, said the judges would be casting the net wide to attract and discover a range of different diversified businesses across the country.

"Whether your business is operating a meat box scheme, farm shop, vending machines, holiday cottage, wellness retreat, cookery school or clothing and textile business, to name but a few, they all contribute to Scotlands economy.

"Winners and finalists will receive widespread recognition, offering the opportunity of new customers, increased sales and a chance to celebrate all they have achieved.

Robert Neill, AgriScot chairman, said the award demonstrated how important diversification was for engaging with the public.

With increased costs in agriculture, and a strong desire for many to return to the family farm, diversification is crucial within the agricultural sector.

"It brings with it opportunities to expand, create new income, inspire generations and connect directly with our consumers.

Whether the business is public facing and inviting people on to the farm, or behind closed doors and working in partnership with others, every diversification is helping celebrate the work of Scotlands farmers and building trust for the future.

Applications for the award close on Monday 19 September and can be found on the AgriScot website. To nominate a business, email info@agriscot.co.uk.
More than 50,000 people have signed an NFU petition calling on the government to ban sky lanterns amid rising concerns about livestock health and fire risks.

As the weather continues to remain extremely dry, the threat of fires posed by sky lanterns landing in fields of crops or grassland has been brought into sharp focus.

The petition urges the government to follow the lead of hundreds of local councils and introduce a nationwide ban in England and Wales.

Launched in May, it is supported by organisations such as the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), RSPCA and Keep Britain Tidy.

The NFU has been campaigning for years to introduce a ban and so far, has succeeded in encouraging 185 councils out of 333 across England and Wales to voluntarily ban sky lanterns.

The union has heard from farmers about the devastating impact sky lanterns can have, such as their ability to cause distressing injuries to livestock.

The products can cause injury and death to horses and livestock by ingestion, entanglement and entrapment.

Sky lanterns, which increase in popularity on Bonfire Night and around New Year, also bring an added risk of fire damage to farms and the wider countryside.

They are constructed from paper with a wire or wooden frame and contain a lighted candle.

When they land, they have been known to set fire to sheds, causing serious damage and loss to the farm business.

NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said the amount of signatories from the public demonstrated the urgent need for a ban on sky lanterns.

He said: As we continue to experience very dry weather in many places, alongside some of the highest temperatures on record over the past few weeks, this has increased the risk of fires being started by items like sky lanterns.

"Even in the past week, there have been reports of some farmers finding released sky lanterns on their farms, which is unbelievable when you think of the fires these could have started."

At this time of year in particular, a fire caused by a sky lantern would be devastating to crops, Mr Bradshaw warned, as well as buildings and machinery, and pose a risk to life.

He added that countries around the world, including Germany, Austria and Brazil, had all implemented a ban on the products.

"We urge the government to follow in their footsteps and create a safe, cleaner, greener countryside, by introducing a total ban on sky lanterns.

According to guidance from the NFCC, sky lanterns should be not used under any circumstances, at any time.

NFCC wildfire lead, Paul Hedley said: We have seen devastating fires caused by these lanterns, as well as posing a risk to wildlife and property.

"Fires caused by a sky lantern are likely to be complex and large-scale incidents, putting huge pressure on fire services.

"The current conditions across the country means there is a higher risk of wildfires than usual in many parts of the country; just one sky lantern fire could cause untold damage, while posing a threat to lives.

The NFUs sky lanterns petition has received over 51,000 signatures as of Wednesday 27 July. The petition can be completed online.
A network established to offer a space for Scottish farmers and crofters to showcase the work they are doing to tackle climate change is looking for more members.

The Agriculture, Biodiversity and Climate Change Network aims to promote the actions farmers are already taking to combat climate change, and support wider environmental priorities.

Methods and stories can be shared on the page with an aim to inspire others in the agriculture sector to adopt more climate and nature-friendly working practices.

The website contains testimonies and videos of farmers stories as well as an interactive map showing farms and crofts that are participating in the project.

It is intended that the experiences shared across the network will go on to inform future Scottish government farming policy.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: Land managers and the agriculture sector have an important role to play in mitigating and adapting to climate change and improving biodiversity.

Many farmers and crofters are already taking action, and their knowledge and experience of how to make practical changes that really work is one of the most valuable resources we have in helping achieve our vision for agriculture.

"The network is helping to facilitate this peer-to-peer support, offering farmers and crofters the chance to share their experiences and learn from one another.

We want to showcase the vast knowledge and experience within the agriculture community in one place so that farmers can find out what has worked for others and inspire climate change action.

The ABCC Network is a joint government and industry initiative with NFU Scotland, SAC Consulting, Soil Association Scotland and Quality Meat Scotland.

Rebecca Audsley, of SAC Consulting said the network was a great way for farmers to showcase practical actions that they have already put in place to support mitigate climate change.

"Its always good to see what others have done, how its worked for them and also benefitted their farm business, sometimes in unintended ways," she said.
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Tesla's Cybertruck design proved polarizing some loved the design, while others hated its computer graphics alike structure.

Tesla Exhibits Cybertruck Divisive Design

The intriguing design of the Tesla Cybertruck surprised at the first independent simulation test of aerodynamic performance. It has an unofficial drag coefficient of 0.39.

The Cybertruck was a divisive design when it was presented by Tesla. Some people had a deep affection for the design, while others had a fierce hatred for it. Both parties may agree that the structure is highly unique; in fact, genuine photos of the electric pickup truck nearly seem to be the product of computer graphics.

There are several reasons for the innovative design. The main one is probably because Tesla intends to construct the truck with an exoskeleton made of stainless steel, which places certain restrictions on the design. Tesla drew design inspiration for the pickup truck from cyberpunk science fiction, such as Blade Runner.

According to a recent research on the Tesla Cybertruck's aerodynamic capabilities, its drag coefficient is now 0.39 Cd.

Aleix Lazaro Pratt, a CFD engineer with Digital Systems, conducted a research that was shared on LinkedIn using the organization's aerodynamic modeling technology.

The engineer presented the advantages of the design based on his analysis, and he also recognized a lot of space for development.

The Cybertruck is finally scheduled to begin production in mid-2023 after multiple delays, and Tesla is anticipated to announce a production version of the vehicle shortly.

Read Also: A Chinese Rocket Uncontrollably Plummets to Earth; Crash is Still Undetermined by Specialists

Tesla Seemingly won't Deliver Ceybertrucks to Australia, Despite Several Reservations

Despite the fact that hundreds of Australian drivers had made reservations in advance, Tesla reportedly decided against bringing the electric pickup there. However, at least one source is already disputing that claim, with Teslarati.com adamantly stating that "the Cybertruck has NOT been canceled in Australia."

What is certain is that Tesla will provide refunds to the thousands of Australian drivers who have made reservations in advance for the electric pickup, backed by a $150 Australian deposit, if desired. There have been conflicting accounts regarding whether Tesla has contacted reservation holders and offered refunds.

The carmaker also modified the Cybertruck page on its Australian website, but left it standing. However, before users could make several appointments, the website now only allows one and provides a link to "Get Updates."

No specific justification has been given, and Tesla often turns down queries from the media. However, new questions are being raised regarding plans for the Cybertruck, which has been continually postponed since its announcement over three years ago, regardless of whether Tesla is genuinely halting Australian sales or only restricting new orders.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has said that the electric pickup won't go into production until at least next year. Potential purchasers may have to wait until 2024, according to analysts like Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solution.

Musk has said the business might stop taking new orders for its backlogged cars. It may take 2 to 4 years to turn all 1.2 million reservations into sales. This also suggests that Cybertruck's future in Australia could be in jeopardy.

Related Article: Tesla Cybertruck Release Date, Exterior, Specs and More: Production Schedule Confirmed!
Bangladesh finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has sought more funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) foralong with necessary budget support considering future global uncertainties. Kamal met JICA president Akihiko Tanaka in Dhaka recently. Japan is the single largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh.

Tanaka lauded the countrys economic progress , saying Bangladesh is an important country for JICAs support programmes.

"Bangladesh is now far ahead than its neighboring countries in different social and economic indicators. Due to successful implementation of the support, the country's position is now very good in terms of (utilising) the development support extended by Japan," he was quoted as saying by Bangladeshi media reports.

Bangladesh finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has sought more funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for key projects in his country along with necessary budget support considering future global uncertainties. Kamal met JICA president Akihiko Tanaka in Dhaka recently. Japan is the single largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The UK Low Pay Commission (LPC) recently recommended reviewing Operation Tacit (investigation into hundreds of factories) by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) by engaging with a wide variety of relevant stakeholders. In a July report on the Leicester textiles sector, it urged DLME to take a view on whether there is a case for further regulation of the textiles sector.

It recommended that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should address previous LPC recommendations made in 2018 to improve and promote third-party complaint protocols.

There should be a specific policy aim to increase complaint volumes. Retailers, auditors and non-governmental organisations LPC members spoke to remained unhappy about the responsiveness of enforcement bodies and thought intelligence they supplied had been ignored, it said.

The UK Low Pay Commission has suggested reviewing Operation Tacit (investigation into hundreds of factories) by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) by engaging with a variety of stakeholders. In a July report on the Leicester textiles sector, it urged DLME to take a view on whether there is a case for further regulation of the textiles sector.#

Enforcement bodies, on the other hand, felt low levels of intelligence had been shared. These are irreconcilable accounts and therefore, enforcement bodies need to bridge this gap by making clearer the standard of information they require to act, the LPC report noted.

The problem of insecure work and uncertainty over hours and schedules was central to the difficulties faced by the workers LPC spoke to. Unpredictable hours and incomes meant workers were less likely to exercise their rights and more likely to find themselves trapped with exploitative employers.

Leicester is the United Kingdoms largest hub for textile manufacturing and has long been characterised by the large number of manufacturers.

Rigorous auditing and restrictions on complicated chains of subcontracting have narrowed the space for non-compliance, but this consolidation has not only created opportunities for better jobs but also brought risks of a narrower manufacturing and employment base, the report noted.

While the exact impact of all this change on compliance is impossible to know, whats clear is that the sector has changed substantially, it said.

It is possible, perhaps likely, that had Operation Tacit taken place before the COVID-19 pandemic, it would have identified more breaches. HMRC told LPC that large numbers of businesses closed either before they were due to be visited or part way through an investigation. Its possible that some of these businesses were non-compliant and closed to avoid detection, the report added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
India can explore vast market for textile products in Africa if it signs a trade agreement. Currently, India exports less than 5 per cent of its textile products to the continent. Recently, Indias commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyan focused on exploring a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Subrahmanyan told the 17th Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Exim Bank conclave that Indian officials will engage with African counterparts on the issue so the country can have better access in the worlds largest free trade area.

Last year, India shipped $0.743 billion of apparel to Africa, which was 4.99 per cent of its total exports of $14.912 billion, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro. In January-April 2022, apparel exports to Africa stood at $231.328 million.

India can explore vast market for textile products in Africa if it signs a trade agreement. Currently, India exports less than 5 per cent of its textile products to the continent. Recently, India's commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyan focused on exploring a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).#

In home textiles, Africas share was 3.81 per cent in Indias total export of $8.782 billion in 2021. The figure stood at $131.690 million in the first four months of this year, as per TexPro.

In terms of Indias share in Africas import, apparel and home textiles stood at 3.33 per cent and 9.83 per cent respectively during last year.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
One of the most celebrated maestros of the fashion kingdom  Yves Saint Laurent, had once very famously quoted  Fashions fade but style is eternal. Rightfully so, with the ever-evolving landscape of how clothes are worn, and trends are forecasted  whats fashionable now might not be as enticing to the critics tomorrow. But style is an embodiment of your unique personality. It is what you have curated over time, and it effortlessly becomes an extension of your identity.

Kriti Sanon has left critics and audiences equally impressed with her body of work as well as her fashion escapades, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to serving looks with utmost grace and panache. There can hardly be any occurrences when she has not been a keen observer of fashion and quite dutifully hopped onto the bandwagon to strut out, donned in the trend from head to toe, and managed to score those brownie points on how she aces it.

As her film Bachchhan Paandey has just been released, throughout the past few weeks, Kritis wardrobe saw a mix of ethnic and western attires. Some shimmer mixed with glamour and some prints mixed with patterns  the styling for her films promotional tour was replete with versatility and was quite refreshing, for it came with a lot of experimental picks. On her birthday, here's looking back at her Sartorial Styling.

Birthday Special: Kriti Sanon's Hawk-eyed Fashion Obsessed Vision:

Pretty in Pink

Its true when they say  first Impression is the last impression. And in the world of fashion, that often holds a good quantum of value. Kriti Sanon started her Bachchhan Paandey promotions in a body-sculpting pink ruched dress that highlighted her curves effortlessly. The dress came with straps on both sides and the silhouette consisted of a sweetheart-neckline as well which had a satin fabric. As for footwear, she paired her outfit with silver pointy gladiator heels. She kept her accessories to a bare minimum with a dainty chain and a stack of rings that rounded off her look that in brief was all things uber glam.

Saree Saga

As mentioned earlier, the promotional tour saw Kriti fashioning elegance with a horde of sarees on display. She was seen in a couple of saree looks, and each one more versatile and in tandem with the kind of vibe she was exuding. Her first two picks were a sight for sore eyes with their perfect pop of colours. Both the sarees were stitched with sustainable fibres that came in a vibrant colour palette and floral prints. While one was in green, the other one had a nice tangy orange base. Perfect ethnic jhumkas rounded off both the looks.

She took it a notch higher with a classic black sequined saree paired with a halter neck blouse. Letting minimalism take a front seat next, she opted for a dreamy icy-blue hand-printed saree with sequin-encrusted borders  satin sleeveless blouse and crystal blue drop earrings rounded off her look. Just in time for spring  the last choice in this saree saga was a red and black floral printed saree with a tie-up blouse. All her desi looks were accessorised with statement jhumkas; however, the last look was further accentuated with carefully tucked in red roses into her hairdo.

Agent Orange

Sequins were a big hit in Kritis wardrobe for the Bachchhan Paandey promotions. Ditching her ethnic outings, she put on her diva avatar as she was styled in a ruched bodycon sequined orange dress. This tailormade midi-cocktail dress had an exquisite spread of sequin work across its bodice with a ruched silhouette. A high neckline and cinched waist lining further accentuated her figure. As for other detailing  there was a slightly pleated structure seen across her bustline and a subtle puffy-sleeves structure on the shoulder. Chunky golden earrings and strappy heels were the perfect icings on the cake as she wrapped off another glam look.

Sunny Side-up

Whats summer without the perfect hint of summery yellow? Kriti made for the brightest sight on a summer morning in her summery-yellow halter-neck jumpsuit that radiated off a beachy vibe altogether. The multi-coloured bralette having a little peek-a-boo underneath her plunging neckline jumpsuit was the perfect pop of colour to break the monotony of the solid shade. The silhouette of this comfy jumpsuit was wide-legged from waist down and more fitted at the top. Tousled waves, chunky earrings, and a chic display of rings rounded off her look.

Rompers on the Ramp

Whoever said formal looks cannot have the sheen of understated glamour, clearly did not look deep enough. Kritis dusty rose romper look was class apart. This double-breasted attire gave off an illusion of that of a blazer dress. The colour palette was a little out-of-the-box that struck a chord with fashion critics. She accessorised her look with chain-like accessories and went for soft-glam makeup. Half-tied hair was perfect for this look as she went for a top knot, leaving the remaining tresses cascading beneath it.

Leather-weather

A burst of colours is all well-embraced on a bright summer morning. However, fashion demands diversity and Kriti sure served us with looks that are being discussed long after theyve been "donned" and dusted. Making an unexpected entry was her two-piece black leather ensemble. A sexy off-shoulder black corset top that had a zipper detail in the front and a wide black leather belt to go with it. The high-waisted leather pants gave of a major punk-rock vibe and a concert-ready look. Intricate dragon-print details on it with silver buttons encrusted on the pockets on either side were eye-catching. Dark smokey eyes, metallic hoop earrings, and beachy tresses left open  were the perfect way of finishing off this millennial look.

Jeans Junction

One of the trends that are never out of vogue is the denim-on-denim look. Kriti was all glam done right in her blue denim-on-denim co-ords set. Her strapless top had a corset-like silhouette. The top also came with a triple hooked centre and reverse-V neckline. She paired it with classic wide-legged and high-waisted trouser pants. Hoop earrings were a must in the trinkets collection for accessorising. Sky Blue heels further balanced the darker-hued shade of the denim.

Black and White combo

Want to know the inner secret to break the monotony of a monochrome outfit whilst you dont compromise on being chic? Then Kritis black and white chequered pantsuit was the highlight of all her Bachchhan Pandey promotional looks. Sharp silhouetted and ready to take over the world  this edgy look consisted of a full-sleeved top with high-waisted trouser pants  both in matching black and white chequered print. She even matched her outfit with a tote bag with the same chessboard print. Black strappy heels and golden earrings spelled formal fashion as fluently as showcased.

Vision in White

A little melange of fashion trends might always be a happy surprise to succumb to. Opting for a white shirt dress with an interesting corset detail around the waistline was Kritis next look. As for the silhouette  there were balloon sleeves, and the skirt was that of vegan leather. Ditching the pants, she went for a skirt look that was perfect to embrace the warm summer. White strappy heels and chunky gold hoops were the cherries on top to wrap up this stylish avatar.

Style is synonymous with glamour if only you make it look effortless. Every outfit showcased by Kriti during the promotions of her film Bachchhan Paandey was an extension of a style that suits her and that which she carried off with unfaltering confidence. A closet so complete  from everyday looks to glam party looks to girl-next-door looks to desi-girl looks showed she could pretty much carry off any style assorted for her, and so she did at her striking best.
Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - July 26, 2022) - Assuras is an emerging management consulting firm that provides business and technology solutions which has recently partnered with the non-profit A Voice From Prison for prisoners' educational purposes. Assuras offers its services to solve challenging business problems with durable solutions. The company is globally known as a management consulting firm, business practice efficiency leader, and technology solutions provider.

In the recent development, based on prevalent criminal justice reform issues, Assuras has partnered with the non-profit organization A Voice From Prison to provide a possible better future and prisoner's education, as well as to help decrease the prevalent ratio of recidivism in the United States.





Assuras

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8621/131698_7b50a1d4e49949bb_001full.jpg.

"A Voice From Prison" is a non-profit organization that advocates for criminal justice reform and constitutional rights, providing education and training for recently released prisoners returning to society. In this partnership, Assuras - a global management consulting firm, is providing the education materials and assessments, which have been developed at no cost for previously released prisoners within the United States.



A Voice from Prison



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8621/131698_7b50a1d4e49949bb_002full.jpg.

To apply, a prisoner must reach out to A Voice From Prison via their website, which is doing the enrollments following verification of their incarceration. The time a previously incarcerated individual has to access the training online will be for 12 months.

Many of the programs which have been developed include popular business certification preparation and education for topics such as Project Management or Lean Six Sigma. An inmate could then receive certification to prepare them for potential opportunities in the marketplace. Two major series are currently being developed for inmates: an Entrepreneurship series for those interested in starting a business, and a Professional/Personal Development series focusing on growth and mindset.

Those who are interested in learning more about either organization or those who want to avail the exclusive management services of Assuras, visit the following links:

Assuras | A Voice from Prison

Media Contact: Susan Smith

Company Name: Assuras

Email: pr@assuras.com

Website: https://www.assuras.com

Country: United States

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/131698
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German sportswear maker Adidas AG (ADDYY.PK, ADDDF.PK) cut its outlook for financial year 2022 reflecting slower recovery in Greater China and potential slowdown in other markets. adidas now expects currency-neutral revenues to grow at a mid- to high-single-digit rate in 2022. Previously, it was expected at the lower end of the 11% - 13% range. The company now projects annual net income from continuing operations to reach a level of around 1.3 billion euros. Previously, it was expected at the lower end of the 1.8 billion euros - 1.9 billion euros range. adidas now expects revenues in Greater China to decline at a double-digit rate during the remainder of the year. The company reported that its preliminary net income from continuing operations for the second quarter declined to 360 million euros from last year's 387 million euros reflecting a one-time tax benefit of more than 100 million euros due to the reversal of a prior year provision. Currency-neutral revenues grew 4% in the second quarter. The increase was driven by strong double-digit growth in North America and Latin America, high-single-digit growth in EMEA as well as a return to growth in Asia-Pacific. In euro terms, sales increased 10% to 5.596 billion euros. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


PETAH TIKVA (dpa-AFX) - An Israel-based drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) reported a loss in the second quarter compared to profit in the prior year. It reaffirmed its fiscal year 2022 earnings per share outlook, but cut annual revenues outlook mainly due to continued foreign exchange headwinds. Meanwhile, the company reached a settlement of over $4 billion in a lawsuit for their alleged role in the opioid crisis in the United States.



The company still expects earnings per share to be in the range of $2.40-$2.60 for fiscal year 2022.



The company lowered its annual revenues outlook to a range of $15.0 billion - $15.6 billion from the previous range of $15.4 billion - $16.0 billion.



The company also cut its annual COPAXONE revenues outlook to about $700 million from the previous outlook of approximately $750 million, mainly due to increased competition and foreign exchange fluctuations.



Teva said it has reached an agreement in principle with the working group of States' Attorneys General, counsel for Native American Tribes, and plaintiffs' lawyers representing the States and subdivisions, on the primary financial terms of a nationwide opioids settlement.



Teva will pay up to $4.25 billion plus approximately $100 million for the Tribes, spread over 13 years.



The settlement amount includes the supply of up to $1.2 billion (wholesale acquisition cost) of its generic version of the life-saving medication, Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray)-which can reverse an overdose from opioids-over 10 years, or cash at 20% of wholesale acquisition cost ($240 million) in lieu of product.



Teva reported that its net loss attributable to the company for the second quarter of 2022 was $232 million or $0.21 per share, compared to net income of $207 million or $0.19 per share in the second quarter of 2021.



Net loss in the second quarter of 2022 was mainly affected by goodwill impairment charges and legal settlements and loss contingencies, partially offset by a tax benefit.



In the second quarter of 2022, the company recognized a GAAP tax benefit of $900 million, on pre-tax loss of $1.160 billion. In the second quarter of 2021, it recognized a tax expense of $98 million, on pre-tax income of $308 million.



Non-GAAP net income attributable to the company for the second quarter of 2022 were $754 million or $0.68 per share, compared to $651 million or $0.59 per share in second quarter of 2021.



Revenues for the second quarter were $3.786 billion, a decrease of 3% from the prior year. In local currency terms quarterly revenues increased by 1%, mainly due to higher revenues from generic products in our Europe and North America segments, partially offset by lower revenues from COPAXONE and BENDEKA/TREANDA in North America segment.



For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

TEVA-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's foreign trade surplus decreased notably in June from a year ago, as imports grew more rapidly than exports, preliminary figures from Statistics Sweden showed on Tuesday. The trade surplus shrank to SEK 3.1 billion in June from SEK 8.8 billion the corresponding month last year. In May, there was a deficit of SEK 3.7 billion. Both exports and imports climbed by 26.0 percent and 32.0 percent, respectively, in June from last year. The non-EU trade balance showed a surplus of SEK 21.8 billion in June, while the trade balance with the EU revealed a deficit of SEK 18.7 billion. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the trade deficit was SEK 3.9 billion in June compared to a deficit of SEK 3.7 billion in May. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - Fresnillo plc (FRES.L) reported that its second quarter attributable gold production was 158,960 ounce, down 20.6% from the prior year mainly due to a lower recovery rate and the expected decrease in the volume of ore processed at Herradura. Quarterly attributable silver production was 14.4 million ounce (including Silverstream), down 3.6% from the previous year due to the expected lower ore grade and decreased volume of ore processed at San Julian DOB. This was mitigated by the increased contribution of ore from Juanicipio. The company said it remains on track to meet its 2022 full year guidance of 50.5 million ounce to 56.5 million ounce of attributable silver (including Silverstream) and 600 thousand ounce to 650 thousand ounce of attributable gold production. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The Zoox robotaxi's breadbox-like surface conceals a similar carbon fiber as a McLaren, and which cube shields passengers from impacts on and off the racetrack.

Zoox's Breadbox-Like Exterior Hides Similar Carbon Fiber to McLaren

Contrary to popular belief, the Zoox robotaxi has more in common with a Ferrari. If you can get beyond the breadbox-like appearance of the Zoox, you'll see that its inside is made of the same carbon fiber as a McLaren.

Zoox's autonomous cube uses lightweight, extremely durable material to protect passengers from collisions on or off the racetrack. The Amazon-acquired company has updated safety safeguards to its prototype vehicles as it prepares to test its robotaxis in San Francisco, Seattle, and Las Vegas.

Sensors allow the automobile to scan its surroundings alone or with networked displays. Zoox systems give 360-degree world views. On the vehicle's roof are lidar, radar, and cameras.

This structure, which protrudes from the main body like antennas, does more than improve visibility. It can also be altered without damaging the automobile. As the company improves its sensor array, the automobiles may be upgraded.

The overall battery capacity of the car is 133 kWh since each has a battery pack with a 66.5 kWh capacity. Zoox won't provide predicted range figures but has said that keeping the vehicle operating for at least 16 hours is the objective.

The cars run on a 400-volt system and can sustain 100kW of DC rapid charging. Given the size of the battery and the usual route, which would go through dense urban traffic, driving for 16 hours is feasible, and the charging speed would be more than sufficient to recharge the battery throughout a single night.

In addition to the typical sensor, Zoox will provide a live, high-definition city's map. The Zoox training team and the Zoox ride-hailing team will use sensors to drive around and capture the environment to ensure the map is up to date.

Read Also: Google, Microsoft, 11 Other Companies Registered Their Global Headquarters in Japan to Avoid Penalties

Cruise Commits to Deliver Autonomous Cars in Dubai

Cruise, an autonomous vehicle firm funded by General Motors, has formally begun operations in San Francisco. This is a component of their pledge to provide autonomous driving in Dubai.

In order to prepare for a debut slated for 2023, Cruise reportedly deployed two of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric cars to Dubai to begin mapping the city.

These two Chevrolet Bolts will be used for the first time in the city's Jumeirah neighborhood, and drivers with specialized training will operate them. With the use of lidar, radar, and cameras in Cruise's sensor suite, the autonomous driver may create a virtual map by gathering information about the area around the car.

The business said that Cruise Originals, a specially designed all-electric shuttle without pedals or steering wheels, would be used for the robotaxi service in Dubai. By 2030, they want to have 4,000 Cruise Origins in Dubai.

Origins are not now operational since the corporation has only used it to test closed courses so far. However, it's probable that the business will begin operations in Dubai using Chevy Bolts.

Related Article: Elon Musk: Tesla Robotaxi Mass Production Targeted in 2024 | Cheaper than Bus Tickets?
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - TotalEnergies (TTE, TTE.L) said that it has signed an agreement with Veolia to start the construction of Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems providing power for a desalination plant in Oman, in the city of Sur. TotalEnergies stated that the power plant will be located on the site of the Sharqiyah Desalination plant, which is a reference in Oman and in the gulf region, supplying drinking water to more than 600,000 inhabitants of the Sharqiyah region. According to TotalEnergies, the 17-megawatt peak solar project will be the first of its kind to be installed in the region. It produces annually over 30,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of green electricity, or more than a third of the desalination plant's daily consumption, enabling it to avoid close to 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Recognising its Role in Fuelling Digital Transformation in the Greater China Region with Cutting-edge Technology

HONG KONG, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Macroview Telecom, the digital technology solutions arm under HGC Global Communications Group (HGC), announced it has won the Greater China Theater Awards in Technology Excellence: Security, the South China Partner of the Year, and the Hong Kong Partner of the Year awards at the Cisco Greater China Partner Conference Digital 2022. The three awards reflect Macroview's strong presence in the region.

As one of the largest digital technology solution and managed service providers in Hong Kong, Macroview collaborates with over 30 leading technology providers, including Cisco, to deliver the best solutions, covering digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud, for its valued clients across Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. Macroview's suite of all-around solutions is also widely trusted by customers from multinational enterprises, finance and banking, retail, telecommunications service providers and governmental utilities.

HGC Group continues to thrive in the digital era with its robust global telecommunications network and one-stop ICT solutions, accelerating digital transformation for its customers with superb services that add a competitive edge to help enterprises stand out in the market. With 700+ digital technology and cybersecurity professionals, Macroview can offer clients from different industries in-depth analysis, giving detailed insights and suggesting customised solutions based on their needs to make the most out of digital transformation. For instance, clients that want to cost-effectively improve network performance could benefit from Cisco's Software-Defined Cloud Interconnect (SDCI). In contrast, those who target securing all access across their networks, applications, and environment can adopt Cisco's Zero Trust approach.

With the work-from-home trend growing, Macroview and Cisco joined hands to launch the Hybrid Workplace solution, boosting the hybrid office mode's productivity with an efficient, secured solution - a self-help workstation/meeting room booking system. The solution combines Macroview's Smart Workplace Platform, LUCAS, with Cisco's unified communications and collaboration system, supporting the features including video conference, network management, and room reservation in one go. Several local enterprises and organisations have adopted the Hybrid Workplace solution to enhance employees' smart experience cost-effectively.

"We are honoured to be crowned as the winner of three Cisco awards," said Mr Alvin Wong, Executive Vice President of Solutions and Product Development at HGC Group. "The awards not only reflect our long-standing collaboration with Cisco but also underscore our clients' trust in our services and solutions. Macroview Telecom will continue to work with Cisco and other technology partners to deliver a range of leading-edge, customised cloud and network security solutions for our customers, fulfilling their wide range of business needs for attaining great business results."

About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate, SME and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. In 2019, HGC Group completed the acquisition of Macroview Telecom Limited (Macroview), a leading digital technology solution and managed services provider. The addition of Macroview further accelerates HGC Group's digital transformation path and positioning as a pioneering ICT and digital services leader. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.

To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk

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A provincial government in the Philippines has installed a solar pump that will move water to a reservoir where fish can now be bred. The $124,000 system will also irrigate vegetables and high-value crops for two farmers' groups.The provincial government Negros Occidental - the western province of the island of Negros in the Philippines- has provided farmers with a solar-powered irrigation system that can also produce farmed fish. The PHP 6.9 million ($124,000) system will also irrigate vegetables and high-value crops for two farmers' groups. An aquaculture and aquaponic aspect of the system ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SOITEC'S ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING HELD ON JULY 26, 2022 - FULL APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTIONS - PIERRE BARNABE SUCCEEDS PAUL BOUDRE AS CEO

Bernin (Grenoble), France, July 27, 2022 - Soitec (Euronext Paris), a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials, announces that today its shareholders held an Annual Shareholders' Meeting on first notice, under the chairmanship of Eric Meurice.

A 77,232 % quorum was reached, and all resolutions proposed by our Board of Directors were adopted.

Shareholders notably approved:

the reappointment of KPMG S.A. and Ernst & Young Audit as Statutory Auditors

the amendment to Article 12.2 of the Company's by-laws to (i) permit staggered terms of office for directors, and (ii) add an age limit for directors

the appointment of Pierre Barnabe, Delphine Segura, Maude Portigliatti and the reappointment of Christophe Gegout as directors, for a four-year term

the appointment of Fonds Strategique de Participations ("FSP"), CEA Investissement, the reappointment of Bpifrance Participations and Kai Seikku as directors, for a three-year term

the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Board of Directors, for the Directors, for Paul Boudre in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer and for Pierre Barnabe in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer

the information relating to the compensation of the Company's corporate officers referred to in Article L. 22-10-9, I of the French Commercial Code, and

the compensation paid during or granted for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 to

Paul Boudre, Chief Executive Officer and to Eric Meurice, Chairman of the Board of Directors.





Furthermore, and as announced by Soitec's Board of Directors on January 19, 2022, Pierre Barnabe, who was appointed director of the Company at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting today, succeeds Paul Boudre as Chief Executive Officer. Pierre Barnabe joined Soitec on May 1, 2022 and has worked closely since then with Paul Boudre and the Executive Committee to ensure an effective transition. The Board expressed its gratitude to Paul Boudre for his leadership and his important contribution.

The slideshow of the Annual Shareholders' Meeting and detailed result of the vote are available on the Company's website) under the section Company - Investors - Shareholders information - Annual General Meetings - 2022 - ASM 07.26.2022. The minutes of the meeting will be soon available under the same section of the Company's website.

About Soitec

Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics markets. With more than 3,500 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Fully committed to sustainable development, Soitec adopted in 2021 its corporate purpose to reflect its engagements: "We are the innovative soil from which smart and energy efficient electronics grow into amazing and sustainable life experiences. 

Soitec, SmartSiC and SmartCut are registered trademarks of Soitec.

For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN.

Investor Relations:







investors@soitec.com (mailto:investors@soitec.com)











Media contacts:







Isabelle Laurent

+33 1 53 32 61 51 isabelle.laurent@oprgfinancial.fr (mailto:isabelle.laurent@oprgfinancial.fr)







Fabrice Baron

+33 1 53 32 61 27

fabrice.baron@oprgfinancial.fr (mailto:fabrice.baron@oprgfinancial.fr)

# # #

Soitec is a French joint-stock corporation with a Board of Directors (societe anonyme a conseil d'administration) with share capital of 70,301,160, having its registered office located at Parc Technologique des Fontaines - Chemin des Franques - 38190 Bernin (France), and registered with the Grenoble Trade and Companies Register under number 384 711 909.

# # #

Attachment
Regulatory News:

Reference is made to Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise's ("SFL") (Paris:FLY) 500,000,000 2.25 per cent. notes due 16 November 2022 (Common code: 132033617; ISIN: FR0013053030) issued on 16 November 2015 (the "Notes") and governed by the terms and conditions set forth in the prospectus dated 12 November 2015 which was granted visa no. 15-577 by the French Autorite des marches financiers (the "Terms and Conditions

All capitalised terms used herein and not defined shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the Terms and Conditions.

Pursuant to Condition 6(d) (Residual Maturity Call Option by the Issuer) of the Terms and Conditions, SFL hereby gives notice to the Noteholders of the redemption of the outstanding Notes, in whole, at their principal amount together with interest accrued to but excluding the date of redemption, as follows:

The redemption date for the Notes will be 1 September 2022 (the "Redemption Date The total principal amount of the Notes being redeemed is 289,600,000 and the aggregate amount of accrued and unpaid interest payable on the Redemption Date for all of the outstanding Notes shall be 5,159,252.96. Noteholders are advised to inform themselves on the specific conditions relating to redemption and interest calculation provided for in the Terms and Conditions. The Fiscal Agent and Paying Agent is BNP Paribas Securities Services (Euroclear France Affiliate number 29106). Payment of the principal and interest in respect of the Notes on the Redemption Date shall be made for the benefit of the Noteholders to the Account Holders (including Euroclear France, Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg) and such payment so made to the relevant Account Holders shall discharge the liability of SFL under the Notes to the extent of the sums so paid.

About SFL

Leader in the prime segment of the Parisian commercial real estate market, Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise stands out for the quality of its property portfolio, which is valued at 8.4 billion and is focused on the Central Business District of Paris (cloud.paris, Edouard VII, Washington Plaza, etc.) and for the quality of its client portfolio, which is composed of prestigious companies in the consulting, media, digital, luxury, finance and insurance sectors. As France's oldest property company, SFL demonstrates year after year an unwavering commitment to its strategy focused on creating a high value in use for users and, ultimately, substantial appraisal values for its properties.

Stock market: Euronext Paris Compartment A Euronext Paris ISIN FR0000033409 Bloomberg: FLY FP Reuters: FLYP PA

S&P rating: BBB+ stable outlook

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005432/en/

Contacts:

SFL Thomas Fareng T +33 (0)1 42 97 27 00 t.fareng@fonciere-lyonnaise.com

www.fonciere-lyonnaise.com


Proton therapy equipment combined with Hitachi's 360 rotating gantry and Leo's upright system

MADISON, WI, July 27, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - UW Health has selected Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi") to provide the infrastructure to support proton therapy at UW Health Eastpark Medical Center.Hitachi will provide equipment and technology to support UW Health's traditional proton therapy room equipped with spot scanning irradiation technology, a 360 degrees rotating gantry with cone-beam CT(1), and Real-time image Gated Proton Therapy (RGPT)(2), as well as the revolutionary upright proton therapy coming to UW Health from Leo Cancer Care, according to Dr. Paul Harari, radiation oncologist, UW Health, and chair of the Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health."We're excited to reach this important milestone to offer state-of-the-art proton therapy at UW Health," Harari said. "It's particularly significant in linking together Hitachi, an experienced proton provider, a new technology from Leo Cancer Care and a major academic medical center with a track record of cutting-edge technology development and implementation, all working together on behalf of cancer patients."UW Health worked closely with Proton International, a consulting organization dedicated to connecting hospitals and physicians with proton specialists and developing state- of-the-art proton therapy facilities."The team at Proton International is excited to help UW Health bring this important technology to the people of Wisconsin," said Chris Chandler, CEO, Proton International. "We also believe that the Leo Cancer Care's upright treatment room is an important innovation that will help patients and we look forward to working on the project implementation.""We feel privileged that we were selected by UW Health, one of the top healthcare institutions in the nation," said Hiroyuki Itami, General Manager of the Smart Therapy Division of Hitachi. "We are also thrilled to partner with Leo Cancer Care and Proton International to achieve a new innovative proton therapy solution. Hitachi is committed to supporting people's quality of life through technical advancement."UW Health broke ground on Eastpark Medical Center in May and it is expected to open in 2024.(1) Cone beam CT provides three-dimensional anatomical images of patients, at isocenter immediately prior to being treated. Information on the location of bone is obtained from traditional orthogonal x-rays and the motion of tumors is captured by RGPT. These are then combined with the ability to identify healthy tissue surrounding a tumor, particularly the location and shape of soft tissue, via Cone beam CT.(2) RGPT allows real-time beam irradiation to the tumor while compensating for movement associated with respiration. This technology was collaboratively developed between Hokkaido University and Hitachi and supported by the Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Thanks to this operation, that is subject to the approval of the competition authorities, the Group will reach 1,300 employees in Spain and 3,500 globally, with a consolidated turnover of over 1 billion euros.

Thanks to Lacer's 5 leading brands in Spain, Italfarmaco will become the most important player in Spain's health and personal hygiene sectors

This merger represents an excellent opportunity for Italfarmaco's growth both in Spain and internationally

Italfarmaco, an Italian multinational company in the chemical-pharmaceutical sector, has acquired 100% of Lacer Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading companies in Spain in the area of health and personal hygiene.

With an experience of over 70 years, a turnover in 2021 of over 150 million euros and almost 500 employees, Lacer is the market leader in practically all the areas in which it operates, in particular in the oral and dental sector with the Lacer brand, and brands such as Thrombocid, Pilexil, Anso and Talquistina. Lacer also has a broad portfolio of drugs in the cardiovascular and urogynecological sectors.

With this acquisition, Italfarmaco is strengthening its presence in the Spanish healthcare market, where it is already present with established brands, and is consolidating its current business areas in which it has been successfully operating for over 30 years in Italy and around the world. These include the thrombosis and critical ischemia sector, with brands such as Ghemaxan; gynecology with Natalben, Nuperal Cariban and Ainara; and neurology and psychiatry sectors with brands such as Sonirem and Gliatilin. The Company recently achieved a major breakthrough with Givinostat, the first product that has been shown to be clinically significant in a Phase 3 study of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), for which registration in the United States and Europe will be requested in the following months.

Furthermore, Italfarmaco, by incorporating the Lacer production plant in Cerdanyola del Valles, will add an important asset to the industrial activities of the Group which already has 5 production plants.

The integration into Italfarmaco will allow Lacer to consolidate its leading position in Spain, actively investing in existing brands and expanding its product portfolio, both in the healthcare sector and in the Prescription Medicines division. Furthermore, Lacer, benefiting from Italfarmaco's global sales network of branches and distributors, will be able to increase its growth internationally.

Francesco De Santis, President of Italfarmaco, comments: "This acquisition represents a strong consolidation of our company in the Spanish market and represents a further impetus for our growth at international level. Lacer's business, brands and our pool of talented people represent a strong element of continuity to Italfarmaco's spirit of growth both in the areas where we are already present and in new therapeutic alternatives that can improve people's health.

Lacer comments: "Lacer will benefit from the support of a new experienced partner that will allow both companies to grow towards the creation of a European pharmaceutical leader. This integration will allow Lacer to continue its success story and ensure the continuation of its legacy that started over 70 years ago.

Italfarmaco

ITALFARMACO is an Italian multinational based in Milan that operates in Italy and abroad in the pharmaceutical and chemical-pharmaceutical sector, with products with a high therapeutic content which mainly fall into the cardiovascular, immuno-oncological and gynecological areas.

With over 80 years of history (it was founded in 1938), Italfarmaco is directly present in 30 countries, with 5 production sites and more than 3300 employees (at Group level).

The company has modern and sophisticated industrial plants where it produces medicinal specialties in pre-filled syringes, sterile preparations for injection, oral, solid and liquid products.

The mission of the company, within the scope of business logic and fair competition, is to contribute to the improvement of quality and the prolongation of human life through the creation of pharmaceutical products and services relating to pathologies with the greatest impact on personal health, such as immuno-oncological, haemato-oncological, and rare diseases.

Much of its pipeline is the result of internal research and development, including the Givinostat project, the first product to be clinically significant in a Phase 3 study in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), for which registration in the United States and Europe will be requested in the coming months.

Lacer

LACER is a pharmaceutical company founded in 1949 in Barcelona that operates through two segments: personal care and prescription drugs. The company, with over 70 years of history, is a leader in the pharmacy channel, specializing in segments such as oral hygiene, the treatment of varicose veins and hair loss. Owner of well-known brands such as Lacer, Thrombocid, Pilexil, Talquistina and Anso, Lacer has an annual turnover of over 150 million euros, employs 476 people, and is present in 18 countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005429/en/

Contacts:

For more information

Veronica Carminati v.carminati@italfarmacogroup.com

Cell. 351 7623422 Tel. 02.6443.3502
PARIS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- How can biodiversity be brought back into the urban setting and in particular in and around hotel and office spaces? The question has become an essential one in the post-Covid world; not only with the aim of reducing carbon emissions, but also, quite simply, to improve the quality of life.

Paris-based IBPC (International BiodiverCity Property Council) is dedicated to the transformation of urban spaces for the betterment of mankind and the environment. It is described as a "meeting place for a new sector integrating biodiversity, urban planning and real estate, aiming to gather the support of all forward-thinking actors within the urban space, real estate and all those living in an urban environment. Today, it has 85 members, including four architectural firms, major French corporate groups, several international (non-French) groups and the city of Paris.

Following on from their ground-breaking roundtable at this year's MIPIM conference in Cannes, whose theme was "Driving Urban Change", IBPC has released a "deep dive" into how hotel and office spaces are being revolutionised in this manner.

In the MIPIM conference session, "Hospitality & commercial real estate: How nature trends hospitality & amenity issues", a group of panellists from a broad range of backgrounds looked at how to take into account biodiversity and the relationship between humans and nature in living spaces for the benefit of all concerned.

Guests included: Neil Jacobs, CEO of Six Senses (speaking remotely from Singapore); Clemence Bechu, Director of Development and Innovation, Bechu & Associates; Michel Gicquel, Architect - Former Design Director, Accor Group, Founder of Global Concept, Hana Narvaez, Director, Stefano Boeri Architetti, Olivia Conil Lacoste, CSR Director, Bouygues Immobilier, and Duncan Lewis, Architect founder, Duncan Lewis Scape Architecture. The session was hosted by the Australian journalist and presenter Richard Barnes, internationally renowned in the hospitality field.

As a follow-on from the session, IBPC has now released a "deep dive" document, with all the participants giving exceptional insights into how they see the future of urban living - with the hospitality sector leading the charge.

The eight-page report is an excellent resource for any media interested in how the urban space is evolving, and in particular how hotels set the scene as mini-models for urban living in their own right.

Click here to read the full report

Media Contact:

Richard Barnes - Barnes Media International - rbarnes@monaco.mc

Contact - IBPC (CIBI) - +33 6 35 19 15 48

info@cibi-biodivercity.com

http://cibi-biodivercity.com/en/le-cibi/
MADRID, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seedtag, the leader in contextual advertising in EMEA and LATAM, has today announced that it has raised over 250M in funding from private equity investor Advent International.

The company intends to use the funds to further scale its Contextual AI technology, LIZ, as well as for innovation and worldwide operations, advancing its expansion into the US, the world's largest advertising market, and providing additional firepower for further M&A activity as Seedtag embarks on its next phase of international growth. Growth in the United States is a key strategic focus, with Albert Nieto, co-CEO and co-founder of Seedtag relocating, and offices in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles now established.

Over the past eight years, Seedtag has built a privacy-first advertising solution, pioneering the use of AI and machine learning to create the best contextual product in the market. Seedtag's solution is currently the leading contextual solution in Europe and Latin America, with its AI and programs such as Seedtag LAB providing advertisers with a much deeper understanding of user interest without the use of personal data.

Seedtag aims to continue moving forward on its mission to become the global contextual advertising partner for brands and publishers. This investment represents a large step forward, following the outstanding success during the past year. This includes the acquisition of French adtech company KMTX (previously Keymantics), a leading French company specialized in building AI models to optimize and automate performance marketing campaigns, and securing funding from Oakley Capital last year.

As part of the transaction, Seedtag's core existing institutional investors - Oakley Capital, Adara and All Iron Ventures - will remain investors, supporting the company in its next phase of growth.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, will continue as investors, leading the business from both its Spanish and US headquarters.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, stated: "We're very excited about this partnership with Advent. This investment will massively accelerate our US expansion, boost our growth and reinforce our team and the development of our technology. This move further supports our mission of building the global leading platform for contextual advertising, offering an effective solution for cookieless advertising on the open web."

Gonzalo Santos, Managing Director at Advent International and Head of Spain, said: "Seedtag has established itself as a leading player in Europe and Latin America in the very dynamic contextual advertising sector. We are delighted to partner with Jorge and Albert as they continue to build on this momentum. With our international presence and deep sector expertise, Advent will work with the Seedtag management team to further expand the business internationally. We look forward to supporting this hugely exciting business to grow and scale-up and to taking it to the next level."

LionTree acted as exclusive financial advisor to Seedtag. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Seedtag. Uria and Citigroup acted as advisors to Advent.

About Seedtag

Seedtag is the leading Contextual Advertising Company that creates highly impactful and engaging solutions for relevant premium visual content, powering targeting and returns for top publishers and the finest brands. The company's contextual A.I. allows brands to engage with consumers within their universe of interest on a cookie-free basis.

Seedtag was founded in Madrid in 2014 by two ex-Googlers who wanted to get the most out of editorial images and to this day it is a global company that more than 300 employees and an important international presence with offices in Spain, France, Italy, UK, Benelux, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Chile and the US.

About Advent International

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 395 private equity investments across 41 countries, and as of March 31, 2022, had 68.6 billion in assets under management. With 15 offices in 12 countries, Advent has established a globally integrated team of 270 private equity investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology. For over 35 years, Advent has been dedicated to international investing and remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies.

Advent is an experienced investor in the media, marketing and digital transformation sectors, with deep expertise and global experience. Relevant investments in this space include Ansira, a Leading data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions provider, specializing in the integration of local and national marketing programs; CI&T, the leading provider of digital transformation services in Brazil; Encora, a global digital engineering services company specializing in software product development; Nielsen IQ, a comprehensive data, analytics and insights company for global retailers and brands and Tag, an omnichannel content production partner.

Advent began investing in Spain in 1990, making it one of the first international private equity firms to operate in the Iberian Peninsula and has invested over 900 million in the country in total to date.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Torr Metals Inc. (TSXV: TMET) ("Torr" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of an Exploration Agreement (the "Agreement") with the Tahltan Central Government (TCG), covering the Company's 100% owned Latham Copper-Gold Project located within the Golden Triangle region and Tahltan Territory of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Agreement facilitates collaborative and efficient engagement regarding all aspects of the exploration programs on the Latham Project and will ensure meaningful participation as well as associated economic benefits for the TCG. The terms provide for ongoing discussions and build upon an earlier Communications and Engagement agreement signed by the Company and TCG on January 5, 2022.

Malcolm Dorsey, President and CEO commented, "This agreement continues to demonstrate Torr's fundamental commitment to developing a strong and collaborative relationship with the Tahltan Nation. We are very pleased to have made this progress in ensuring Tahltan interests are addressed in good faith and look forward to the shared benefits this agreement will bring as we continue exploration on the Latham Project."

About Torr Metals

Torr Metals is a Vancouver based mineral exploration company focused on defining and developing the substantial exploration and resource potential of the ~689 km2 Latham Copper-Gold Project, located within the prolific Golden Triangle of northern British Columbia. Year-round access is provided by Highway 37 with the project being favourably located 16 km south of the regional airport in Dease Lake. For further details about the Latham Copper-Gold Project, please refer to the Company's website or current geological Technical Report (August 24, 2021) filed on November 25, 2021 under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Torr Metals Inc.

"Malcolm Dorsey"

Malcolm Dorsey

President, CEO and Director

For further information:

Malcolm Dorsey

Telephone: 236-982-4300

Email: malcolmd@torrmetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings, and the future plans or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis which is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132000
An antivirus team has identified a new batch of malicious Android apps that contain adware and malware, which were available on the Google Play Store.

On Tuesday, the Dr. Web antivirus team released a report revealing a list of malicious Android apps that had adware and malware in them. These Android apps were available on the Google Play Store and have concerningly been downloaded almost 100 million times on mobile devices.

According to Bleeping Computer, the malicious Android apps posed as either image-editing tools or virtual keyboards, system optimizers or wallpaper changers, and others. But the main function of these malware and adware-ridden Android apps was to "push intrusive ads, subscribe users to premium services, and steal victims' social media accounts."

While Google has removed a number of the Android apps from the Play Store, some applications remain available for download. Those who have downloaded and installed the malicious Google Play Store apps with malware and adware are advised to uninstall them manually and run an AV scan to ensure any remnants of the applications are completely removed.

Intrusive Malware and Adware Found in a Number of Android Apps on the Google Play Store

The Dr. Web antivirus team revealed that the questionable adware apps they discovered were in fact modifications of existing families that were first made available on the Google Play Store in May 2022. When installed, these malicious Android apps request permission from the user to overlay windows over an app and even add them to the battery saver's exclusion list to enable them to freely run in the background when the user closes the app.

Moreover, these malicious Android apps hide their icons from the app drawer or show a symbol that resembles a core system component, like "SIM Toolkit" to fool users. Some of the malicious Google Play Store apps have been downloaded millions of times despite having very low scores and numerous negative reviews.

Read Also: Android Users Beware: These Google Play Store Apps Spread Malware

Google Attempts to Combat Malicious Apps Riddled with Malware and Adware

Users' common assumption is that an app is safe to use because it is hosted on the Google Play Store, which upholds transparency by showing key information like the number of downloads, user reviews, app permissions, last update, and more. Recently, Google removed app permissions from the Play Store and replaced it with a Data Safety section.

The decision appears to have been reversed however. According to Make Use Of, Google said it would roll out a Data Safety section that would replace app permissions in May 2021. This came to fruition this month.

Now, Google Play Store app pages show a Data Safety section that shows the data the app collects and how it will be used. Viewers criticized the new feature and questioned why Data Safety replaced app permissions after the Data Safety information for some major apps were not updated.

This forced Google to reinstate app permissions, with the Data Safety feature working in tandem with it. Now, users can better combat Android apps with malware and adware, such as the Joker apps that incur fraudulent charges on users' mobile numbers by subscribing them to premium services and image editing apps that perform malicious actions in the background.

Here is a full list of the Android apps that were found to have malware and adware.

Related Article: Google Play Store Is Banning Third-Party Call Recording Apps - When Will It Be Implemented?
A mentoring community designed to support people with hearing loss is now available globally

MED-EL's Hearpeers initiative connects people with hearing loss and their families with a community of hearing implant users

The new Hearpeers platform launches today, July 27 th

SHEFFIELD, England, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today MED-EL, a global leader in hearing implant technology, has made its mentoring initiative Hearpeers available worldwide. Under the theme "Together for a Hearing Future," the initiative connects people living with hearing loss to an online community of volunteers who themselves are hard of hearing and use hearing implants such as cochlear implants.

In the UK, there are 12 million people living with hearing loss and this figure is estimated to rise to 14.2 million by 2035, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNID). Hearing loss can be seen as an invisible disability, and public awareness is relatively low. However, the consequences of permanent hearing loss are extensive and, if left untreated, have a significant impact on quality of life, employment and health.

The Hearpeers initiative: connecting people worldwide

MED-EL first launched the Hearpeers mentoring initiative in the UK to support people living with hearing loss and their families. The initiative offered the opportunity to connect with local volunteers, who share similar experiences, and get answers to individual questions about life with a hearing implant. Since it's initiation in 2015, the number of volunteers has grown considerably, with mentors worldwide, 12 of which are based in the UK. This growth has made possible to launch the new global community that connects people regardless of where they live.

"Experiencing hearing loss and selecting a hearing solution can be challenging, and some may need additional support during this time. This is where the Hearpeers initiative can help. Our Hearpeers mentors are dedicated to supporting those considering a hearing implant, those who have already chosen a hearing solution and are available at all stages of surgery, offering support every step of the way,' says Charles Dippenaar, Managing Director - UK and Southern-Africa, MED-EL.

The Hearpeers mentors: the core of a global, vibrant community

The Hearpeers mentors provide one-on-one support to a range of people, including those recently diagnosed with hearing loss, their relatives and people who have just started using a hearing implant.

All mentors are volunteers who are eager to give something back to improve the lives of others. The mentors differ in age and all have different, individual stories about life with hearing loss and hearing implants.

Colin, a cochlear implant user from the UK, explains how his personal experience inspired him to become a Hearpeers mentor: "During my assessment process, I had the opportunity to speak to a cochlear implant recipient. This was an invaluable experience and really supported me as I adapted to living with hearing loss, so I wanted to offer other people the same opportunity."

Mentors like Colin live in 15 countries including, the UK, the US, India, Australia, the Philippines and Germany. The mentors speak multiple languages and with a new interactive website, connecting to someone who understands more about life with hearing loss has now become even easier.

"Our mission at MED-EL has always been to improve the quality of life for people around the world. By setting up the Hearpeers initiative, we want to expand the community, build new relationships and provide support, especially in countries with limited access to hearing solutions," says Patrick D'Haese, Corporate Director of Awareness and Public Affairs, MED-EL.

If you think that you have hearing loss, you can connect to the global MED-EL Hearpeers community or Mentors in the UK at www.hearpeers.com.

About MED-EL:

MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world's first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 2,400 employees from around 80 nations and 30 locations worldwide.

The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 134 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL's hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined Electric Acoustic Stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1862898/MED_EL_UK_Ltd_HearPeers.jp

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1860202/MED_EL_Logo.jpg
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Gambier Gold Corp. (TSXV:GGAU) ("Gambier" or the "Company") announces an update on the Company's mineral claims and properties as well as a corporate update.

Completion of Detour West Option Agreement

Gambier issued the final two million shares to complete the Detour West option agreement with the vendors of its flagship gold property near the Detour Mine in Ontario, Canada and now owns 100% of the project. These shares along with the assessment report filed with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, keep the property in good standing. The vendors of the Detour West property will retain a 2.5% Net Smelter Returns royalty (NSR), of which 1% can be repurchased for $500,000. The Company will continue to put its exploration efforts into this flagship property, and we expect to announce the exploration plans for the Detour West property in the coming months.

Termination of Hemlo Pic River Claims Option Agreement

Gambier and Rudy Wahl, the vendor of the one hundred and twenty-five (125) mining cell claim units Hemlo Pic River Claims have agreed to terminate the option/acquisition agreement. The decision to terminate the agreement was due to previous management not maintaining the property in good standing. The previous management did not meet the minimum required expenditure during the claim holdings period. Gambier no longer holds any claims in the Hemlo region as the previous management also allowed the other Hemlo claims to expire in February 2022.

Sale of Wicheeda Carbo Claims

On Sep 21, 2021, the Company came to a Mineral Property Acquisition Agreement with Eagle Bay Resources Corp, an Exploration Company in British Columbia, to sell the Carbo Property for $150,000. The Company received $150,000 cash in the sale of the property, which was recognized as other income during the year ended March 31, 2022. The sale was never disclosed to shareholders via news release and was considered non-material information which was only disclosed in the November 29, 2021, MD&A.

Corporate Update

The new management team completed the financial audit with the auditors Crowe Mackay LLP. The financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2022, along with the MD&A have been filed on SEDAR (link attached). https://www.sedar.com/DisplayProfile.do?lang=EN&issuerType=03&issuerNo=00026505

During the audit process, several items were found that were not properly managed by previous management, including one cashed cheque issued with no payee, several cheques issued to insiders without invoices and above previously paid monthly amounts, and invoices that were not recorded or handed over after the June 1st AGM. The Company took steps to freeze the bank accounts but the bank balances had been drawn down to a negligible balance with certain payments, while other creditors remained unpaid. After several requests, previous management handed over the cheque books a month after the AGM at which they were removed.

As of July 27, 2022 the Company has a small cash balance. The Company will work to settle any outstanding accounts payable, including one large creditor that previous management did not pay due to an internal dispute. It is expected that the accounts payable will be able to be reduced significantly.

Looking Forward

Daniel Rodriguez, CEO of Gambier Gold, commented, "Detour West remains the focus of the Company, and issuing the two million shares completes our transaction with the vendors making Detour West property 100% Gambiers. We will continue to build the team to explore the Detour West property as I believe there are a lot of unanswered questions that merit proper exploration. Losing Hemlo was not expected when I started this process but is a part of the unfortunate legacy that previous management has left behind. We will move forward with the remaining properties while considering the addition of other high-impact assets."

For further information contact:

Daniel Rodriguez

CEO & Director

Phone: (604) 353-4080

Email: drodriguez@gambiergold.ca

Forward-Looking Statement (Safe Harbor Statement): This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the Company's exploration plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals. Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward-looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Gambier Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709914/Gambier-Gold-Provides-Property-and-Corporate-Update
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden has completed his five-day course of the antiviral Paxlovid and his Covid symptoms 'have now almost completely resolved,' his doctor said in the latest update. Dr.Kevin O'Connor, the White House physician who treats Biden, said in a letter to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre, 'His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.' Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had another busy day of working on Tuesday. 'All of his tests remain normal, and the President now feels well enough to resume his physical exercise regimen,' she told reporters. Biden, who is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, has been working from his residence and attending planned meetings at the White House virtually since he tested positive last Thursday. Tuesday, Biden met virtually with the Chairman of the South Korean conglomerate SK Group to discuss the company's investment plans in American manufacturing sector. The 79-year-old President who continues to remain in isolation will reportedly undergo a diagnostic test Wednesday to confirm if he has turned Covid negative. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
- New regulatory certainty and technology upgrade allows GlobalBlock to scale rapidly -

London, United Kingdom and Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Service led digital asset broker GlobalBlock Europe, UAB ("GBE"), a subsidiary of publicly listed GlobalBlock Digital Asset Trading Limited (TSXV: BLOK) (OTC Pink: BLVDF) (FSE: BD4) (the "Company" or "GlobalBlock"), is pleased to announce that GBE has successfully launched its new mobile trading app. The enhanced technology and feature rich app complements GBE's service led provision of digital asset services, which includes a dedicated and personalised telephone service.

This customer focused approach has allowed GBE to navigate the recent volatility in crypto markets, affording its clients the service and protection expected of respectable and traditional, well risk managed brokerage companies. GBE also ensures client assets have no inappropriate exposure to leverage, stablecoins or yield products and takes no proprietary positions against them.

The new enhanced features of the app include:

- Live in-App support bringing you even closer to the trading and support teams

- Major assets tradable in-App, with multiple tradable pairings denominated against USD, GBP, EUR and USDT

- Circa 100 other assets available for trading over the telephone and via our new in-App 'contact' function

- All your crypto balances and digital asset positions viewable in-App

- Seamless in-App fiat and crypto deposits

- Free withdrawals at any time

- Responsive, intuitive and user friendly experience guaranteed

As of today, the app is downloadable from both the iOS App Store (link here) and Android Play Store (link here). In a week's time GBE will undertake its marketing push to drive downloads and client acquisition, with a focus on the UK market to start with.

Rufus Round, CEO of GlobalBlock, said:

"At a time when many other crypto firms are under pressure from the recent developments within the industry and reining in investment in their technology, here at GlobalBlock we are preparing for the continued adoption of digital assets with the launch of our new app.

"Our technology upgrade is a foundational development for us as we continue to expand our digital asset product and service offering. We now have the ability to scale quickly, a development that has been delayed slightly whilst awaiting regulatory clarity. Now that we have this clarity, having established the business in Europe, we can commence our marketing efforts in earnest.

"As a highly experienced team from traditional finance and investment management, we understand the importance of risk controls and safeguarding client assets. It is worth reiterating that GlobalBlock does not partake in any lending, nor does it have any exposure to stablecoins or yield products that could put client assets at risk."

ABOUT THE COMPANY

GlobalBlock Digital Asset Trading Limited is a publicly traded holding company (TSXV: BLOK) whose subsidiary, GlobalBlock Europe, UAB (https://www.globalblock.eu), is a European Union based digital asset broker that provides a personalised telephone brokerage service, trading platform and mobile app. Established by an experienced team of financial services professionals, GlobalBlock Europe, UAB acts as a trusted agent serving the digital asset needs of individuals, corporations, institutional financial firms and intermediaries, providing best execution trading and safe custody of digital assets. At this time, clients or customers based in Lithuania and the UK can be onboarded to its digital asset broker and trading services.

For further information please contact the Company at:

Rufus Round, CEO

c/o 65 Curzon Street, London, W1J 8PE, United Kingdom

Tel. +44 20 3307 3795

info@globalblockdigital.com

https://globalblock.eu/ and http://www.globalblockdigital.com/

https://twitter.com/Globalblocknews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalblock/

Media Contact

Angus Campbell

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Angus.Campbell@citigatedewerogerson.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements or information. Forward looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements in respect of among other things: the continued and successful development of the businesses and technologies of each of the Company and its subsidiaries, the continued adoption of digital assets, the exposure that the Company and its subsidiaries have to stablecoin and yield products and plans, future action and future successes of the Company, and its businesses, technologies and products described herein. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information provided or disseminated by third parties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, and that information obtained from third party sources is reliable, they can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this document, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risk factors set forth in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis, a copy of which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and readers are cautioned that the risk factors disclosed therein should not be construed as exhaustive. These statements are made as at the date hereof and unless otherwise required by law, the Company does not intend, or assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132029
Helping pharmaceutical companies increase production efficiency and manage risk more effectively

MOTIV can blend buffers from concentrates in small, single-use bags and is controlled with sensors to maintain/assure precision in pharmaceutical development.

MOTIV offers greater efficiency and productivity, allowing medicine to get to patients faster, to be produced in larger quantities and be made more available globally.

Asahi Kasei Bioprocess will be showcasing MOTIV at ACHEMA 2022, Hall 4.1, Stand G27.

Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America, subsidiary of diversified Japanese multinational company Asahi Kasei, will be featuring their MOTIV Buffer Management Technology at ACHEMA 2022 in Frankfurt this August. Winner of "Best in Show" at Interphex in 2017, "Technology of the Decade" from Bioprocess international in 2012 and originator of the concept for inline buffer formulation (IBF), Asahi Kasei Bioprocess is a market leader that keeps pharmaceutical production moving efficiently and precisely through solutions like MOTIV with built-in automation software so that medicine can get to patients sooner and safer.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005074/en/

MOTIV is a buffer management technology for the vast majority of processes in pharmaceutical development that can maintain conductivity based on what the operator defines, and how well the set point is recovered after a process interruption. In this example, a simulated disruption of 45 seconds was introduced to the process, and once resolved, the MOTIV was able to get back to the target setpoint within about one minute. (Photo: Business Wire)

Buffers are used for the vast majority of processes in pharmaceutical development, which has traditionally required storage in extremely large tank farms to be utilized as necessary. MOTIV can blend buffers from concentrates in small, single-use bags and is controlled with sensors to maintain and assure precision. It is also able to blend buffers to exact specifications as needed during a downstream development process and can handle a wide variety of buffer formulations. In addition, it is automated by the integrated OCELOT1 System Control software to be repeatable and also helps to reduce waste created in the development process, so it is a more sustainable means of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

"We have been working to 'standardize' system designs as much as we can, to make them more readily available with shorter lead times; but are also very capable at building custom systems to meet the specific needs of customers," says Chris Rombach, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America. "One of our strengths is not only having an innovative product, but also an extensive family of MOTIV systems to choose from. Buffer is the lifeblood of pharma manufacturing and with the R&D opportunities of being a part of the Asahi Kasei Group we have been able to develop MOTIV to be the most reliable and efficient IBF technology in the market today. Not to mention, Operation Warp Speed helped push capacity to expand globally and billions of dollars are being invested by manufacturers to ramp up production as quickly as possible. This drives a new sense of value for systems like our MOTIV family that can streamline processes."

1 The OCELOT System Control is an Asahi Kasei Bioprocess proprietary technology that integrates and/or interfaces with plant-wide control systems in a universally compatible format, allowing for far-reaching data collection and analysis.

Key benefits of MOTIV IBF Systems

Much smaller footprint, no need to store vast amounts of buffer

Buffers generated as needed, in precisely the correct formula controlled by pH and conductivity monitoring

Compact system takes up little space

MOTIV line is broad from small console units to larger space-saving skids

Full automation by OCELOT System Control built into every machine

ACHEMA 2022 Booth Information Dates: 8/22-8/26/2022 Location: Hall 4.1, Stand G27 Venue: Frankfurt am Main, Germany

About Asahi Kasei Bioprocess

The Fluid Management Business Unit of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess is devoted to solving therapeutic product safety, efficiency and purity challenges within the pharmaceutical and bioprocessing industries. With technology platforms for virus filtration, chromatography, inline buffer formulation and oligonucleotide synthesis, our bioprocessing systems, columns, and automation solutions advance GMP manufacturing of critical drug substances around the world. Built with pride, built with quality, built to exceed your high expectations. "Built for You." For more information, please visit www.fluidmgmt.ak-bio.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com.

Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005074/en/

Contacts:

Media Inquiries North America

ATTN: Jonathan Todd

Asahi Kasei America, Inc.

aka-info@ak-america.com

https://www.asahi-kasei.com

Media Inquiries Europe

ATTN: Sebastian Schmidt

Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH

AKEU-Info@asahi-kasei.eu

http://www.asahi-kasei.eu
SAO PAULO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FinanZero, ( finanzero.com.br ), Brazil's leading online credit marketplace, announces today that it has closed a US$ 4 million funding round in its fourth round of funding. The round was led by the Swedish investors VEF, Dunross & Co, Atlant Fonder, and Webrock Ventures, all previous investors in the company. The use of proceeds will be used to expand FinanZero's leading market position in Brazil.

FinanZero empowers consumers to choose the loan that best fits their financial needs by comparing multiple offers from a network of 60 lenders in one search. With over 1.5 million loan applications per month, a growing database of 31 million individuals and 900 million reais in generated loan volume, the company is well equipped for continued growth. In the first half of 2022, loan applications increased by 82% compared to the first half of 2021.

FinanZero was founded by Swedish-Brazilian investment firm Webrock Ventures and Swedish entrepreneurs Olle Widen and Kristian Jakobsson. In total, FinanZero has raised US$ 27 million and the largest shareholders today are Webrock Ventures and VEF.

FinanZero has built a strong brand over many years and is today the fifth most searched credit brand on Google in Brazil. Thanks to this, FinanZero has become an important customer acquisition channel for Brazilian lenders. With the new proceeds, FinanZero will primarily focus on product development and further deepen the technical integration to its bank partners.

Comment from Olle Widen, Co-Founder, and CEO at FinanZero:

"This funding round is a testament to the strength of our business model and the strong support from our owners, who share our long-term vision of being the leading platform for loans in Brazil. With this funding we can choose to be profitable in 2023."

"Our mission is to empower Brazilian consumers by providing more transparency through a one-stop-shop for loans and we will continue to democratize access to the credit market by offering more accessible loans to consumers who previously had a hard time receiving financing."

Comment from David Nangle, CEO at VEF:

"We continue to back the FinanZero team in their journey to build Brazil's leading credit marketplace. Brazil remains the most attractive fintech opportunity globally and within that, lending is the biggest opportunity set with the most generous unit economics. With a strong track record of delivery behind them, this capital should pave the way for continued robust growth and a controlled path to profitability for Olle and the team."

About FinanZero

FinanZero is Brazil's leading online credit marketplace for Personal Loans, Car Equity, and Home Equity. The company acts as an independent broker where consumers choose the loan that best fits their financial needs by comparing multiple offers from a network of 60 lenders in one search. Headquartered in Sao Paulo, FinanZero currently has 75 employees.

Finanzero.com.br.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Fabled Copper Corp. ("Fabled Copper" or the "Company") (CSE:FABL)(FSE:XZ7) announces additional results of 2021 surface field work on its Muskwa Copper Project. See Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - General Property Location

The Muskwa Project is comprised of the Neil Property, the Toro Property and the Bronson Property located in northern British Columbia. See Figure 2 below.

Figure 2 - Location Map

Peter Hawley, President, CEO reports, "The Bronson property comprises 4 mineral tenures covering approximately 2,524.6 hectares and to date we have reported on the Book 6 UAV drone mission and related surface sampling and geophysical survey, plus property wide structural survey and ASTER compilation. In addition, we have reported on the Book 9 and 10 which may be the southern extent of the Book 6, the sampling on the 428 central and now the results of the 428 South copper occurrence, which may be the southern extension of the 428 Central. See Figure 3 below."

Figure 3 - Bronson Property, 428 South Location

428 South Copper Occurrence

A total of fourteen rock samples were collected on August 25, 2021 at the 428 Occurrence and the slopes hosting the veining and an east trending valley to the south were prospected.

An exposure of quartz-carbonate veining was discovered in a ravine trending southward into the valley, 1.65 kilometers along strike south from the southernmost exposure of the 428 Central Occurrence, (see previous release dated July 20, 2022).

The vein strikes 024 degrees and dips 85 degrees west, is exposed along ~20 meters and contains trace to 1% chalcopyrite. Two chip samples were collected at elevations between 1,549 and 1,726 meters, with sample D-723476 assaying 0.77% copper across 0.30 meters, see Photo 1 and Table 1 below.

Photo 1 - Bronson Property, 428 South Chip Sample 0.77% Cu / 0.30 meters

Chip sample D-723478 contained a higher copper content of 1.04% across 0.50 meters, see Photo 2 and Table 1 below.

Photo 2 - Bronson Property, 428 South Chip Sample 1.04% copper / 0.50 meters

The 2 grab samples (D-723486 & 489) taken of the vein had 0 to trace amounts of chalcopyrite and low copper assays of 0.001 & 0.01%, respectively. At lower elevations of 1,623 & 1,650 meters, in a parallel trending ravine, 200 meters to the east, 2 quartz-carbonate float samples (D-723487 & 488) were collected. Chalcopyrite content was 1% and the samples contained 1.58 and 0.81% copper, See Table 1 below.

Approximately, 350 meters south of the exposure sampled on the slope, 8 float samples (D-723474, 479 and 480-485) were collected in the east trending valley, at elevations of 1,539 to 1549 meters.

Mineralization of up to 40% sulphides was observed in these samples. Three samples (D-723481, 484 and 485)contained over 1% Cu, with samples D-723481, 484 and 485 assayed 5.22, 2.51 and 1.58%, respectively. The remaining 5 samples had a copper content between 0.51 and 0.93%, see Table 1 below.

Table 1 - Bronson Property 428 South Copper Occurrence Samples

Sample Number Elevation (meters) Sample Type Width (meters) Copper % D - 723474 1,549 Float 0.93 D - 723476 1,549 Chip 0.30 0.77 D - 723478 1,726 Chip 0.50 1.04 D - 723479 1,711 Float 0.28 D - 723480 1,514 Float 0.79 D - 723481 1,537 Float 5.22 D - 723482 1,540 Float 0.51 D - 723483 1,528 Float 0.55 D - 723484 1,536 Float 2.51 D - 723485 1,539 Float 1.40 D - 723486 1,711 Grab 0.001 D - 723487 1,623 Float 1.58 D - 723488 1,650 Float 0.81 D - 723489 1,711 Grab 0.01

All samples taken were photographic and a GPS location taken, plus a metal sample tag left in place for future reference if required. All this data plus the assay results were geotagged and placed in a .kml /.kmz file for use such as google earth for easy reference. See Photo 3 below.

Photo 3 - Bronson Property, 428 Central Geotagged data

QA QC Procedure

Analytical results of sampling reported by Fabled Copper Corp represent rock samples submitted by Fabled Copper Corp staff directly to ALS Chemex, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. Samples were crushed, split, and pulverized as per ALS Chemex method PREP-31, then analyzed for ME-ICP61 33 element package by four acid digestion with ICP-AES Finish. ME-GRA21 method for Au and Ag by fire assay and gravimetric finish, 30g nominal sample weight.

Over Limit Methods

For samples triggering precious metal over-limit thresholds of 10 g/t Au or 100 g/t Ag, the following is being used:

Au-GRA21 Au by fire assay and gravimetric finish with 30 g sample.

Ag-GRA21 Ag by fire assay and gravimetric finish.

Fabled Copper Corp. monitors QA/QC using commercially sourced standards and locally sourced blank materials inserted within the sample sequence at regular intervals.

About Fabled Copper Corp.

Fabled Copper is a junior mining exploration company. Its current focus is to creating value for stakeholders through the exploration and development of its existing copper properties located in northern British Columbia. The Muskwa Project comprises a total of 76 claims in two non-contiguous blocks and totals approximately 8,064.9 hectares, located in the Liard Mining Division in northern British Columbia.

Mr. Peter J. Hawley, President and C.E.O.

Fabled Copper Corp.

Phone: (819) 316-0919

peter@fabledcopper.org

For further information please contact:

info@fabledcopper.org

The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Peter J. Hawley, P.Geo. President and C.E.O. of Fabled, who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains any required regulatory approvals.

Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: impacts from the coronavirus or other epidemics, general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and globally; industry conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices; governmental regulation of the mining industry, including environmental regulation; geological, technical and drilling problems; unanticipated operating events; competition for and/or inability to retain drilling rigs and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; volatility in market prices for commodities; liabilities inherent in mining operations; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the mining industry; as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com . The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Fabled Copper Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709919/Fabled-Surface-Chip-Sampling-on-Bronson-Property-Continues-to-Report-Copper-Values-as-High-as-522-Copper
European office will allow for expanding the Corvus footprint and capabilities, bringing the focus on data and technology to new markets

Corvus Insurance, the market-leading specialty insurance MGA offering Smart Commercial Insurance products powered by AI-driven risk data, today announced the opening of a new continental European office in Frankfurt, Germany.

The newest office location for Corvus creates a presence in continental Europe for the company a first for a US-based insurtech allowing Corvus greater flexibility to expand its international footprint and capabilities through new markets.

"Frankfurt is located within the largest insurance market on the continent and the city has always been an international business hub across industries," said Oliver Delvos, Head of International at Corvus Insurance. "We will be able to spread our wings and develop our business with a true European focus."

The Frankfurt office will look to underwrite cyber insurance business for both small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and larger corporations. Coupled with product growth, Corvus seeks to increase employee headcount by attracting new talent to the industry and into tech. This will include offering positions for 'Werkstudenten' from universities as a way to provide graduates with potential career opportunities.

"Cyber by its very nature is a global risk, and by expanding our operations into Europe, this will create new opportunities for our team to help even more policyholders and support our foundational mission of making the world a safer place," said Lori Bailey, Chief Insurance Officer of Corvus Insurance.

To learn more about Corvus, please visit https://www.corvusinsurance.com.

About Corvus

Corvus Insurance is building a safer world through insurance products and digital tools that reduce risk, increase transparency, and improve resilience for policyholders and program partners. Our market-leading specialty insurance products are enabled by advanced data science and include Smart Cyber Insurance, Smart Tech E+O, and Smart Cargo. Our digital platforms and tools enable efficient quoting and binding and proactive risk mitigation. Corvus Insurance offers insurance products in the US, Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Current insurance program partners include AXIS Capital, Crum Forster, Hudson Insurance Group, certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London, R&Q Accredited, SiriusPoint, and Skyward Specialty Insurance. Corvus Insurance, Corvus London Markets, and Corvus Germany are the marketing names used to refer to Corvus Insurance Agency, LLC; Corvus Agency Limited; and Corvus Underwriting GmbH. All entities are subsidiaries of Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc. Corvus Insurance was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices across the US, in the UK, and Germany. For more information, visit corvusinsurance.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005038/en/

Contacts:

Inkhouse PR, Jen Weber

corvus@inkhouse.com
Manufacturing facilities in Germany, Italy earn ISCC-PLUS certification

Sasol Chemicals, a business unit of Sasol Ltd. (JSE: SOL; NYSE: SSL), has earned certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system for its three largest manufacturing facilities in Europe.

The company's facilities in Marl and Brunsbuttel, Germany, and Augusta, Italy, have earned ISCC-PLUS certification for the use of mass balanced bio-based and recycled feedstocks in the production of alcohols, ethoxylates, linear alkylbenzenes and derivatives key building blocks in a wide range of consumer and industrial products.

"This is an important milestone in our sustainability journey and a key enabler of our goal to reduce CO2 emissions," said Jens Straatmann, Senior Vice President, Eurasia Chemicals. "Our customers are increasingly calling for more products made from sustainable raw materials. Now, they can have confidence that Sasol's high-performing products meet international standards for the sourcing and inclusion of circular and renewable feedstocks."

ISCC is a certification system that offers solutions for the implementation and certification of sustainable, deforestation-free and traceable supply chains of agricultural, forestry, waste and residue raw materials, non-bio renewables and recycled carbon materials and fuels.

Sasol Chemicals' German facilities are using mass balanced bio-ethylene, made from plant-based biomass and waste, along with recycled ethylene. Its Augusta facility is using mass balanced bio-benzene, recycled benzene and bio-recycled benzene. These sustainable products are mixed with traditional feedstocks in a process called mass balancing, a major step in the transition to a fully sustainable economy. Using the mass balance approach, Sasol Chemicals traces the flow of materials through its value chain to ensure that its end products are ISCC-compliant.

"The use of mass balancing is critical today because it enables us to incorporate sustainable materials while still meeting the global demand for chemicals," said Shelley Grahmann, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Sustainability and Human Capital. "The current availability of bio and recycled materials is limited, but as their supply grows, we can increase their use and further reduce our dependence on fossil fuel-based feedstocks."

To earn the ISCC-PLUS designation, the facilities underwent independent third-party audits to ensure compliance with high ecological and social sustainability requirements, greenhouse gas emissions savings and traceability throughout the supply chain.

Sasol Chemicals is targeting a 30 percent reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It is also focused on reducing scope 3 emissions through collaboration with customers, suppliers and industry alliances to develop sustainable and circular solutions. These goals are part of parent company Sasol Ltd.'s commitment to net zero by 2050.

About Sasol Chemicals

Sasol Chemicals is a solutions provider focused on sustainability, circularity and specialties. It fulfills its purpose of "Innovating for a better world" by offering a broad, state-of-the-art portfolio of specialty and commodity chemicals for a wide range of applications and industries.

Our solutions are used by more than 7,500 customers, in 120 countries, in countless products that improve the quality of life for people around the world. They also provide the building blocks for a sustainable future by helping reduce energy usage, waste and packaging, and by providing solutions to the renewable energy industry.

Sasol Chemicals is a business of Sasol Limited, a leading chemicals and energy company focused on creating sustainable value for our stakeholders. For more information, visit the Sasol Chemicals website.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005083/en/

Contacts:

Global:

Russell Johnson

Head of Global Corporate Affairs

Sasol Chemicals

russell.johnson@us.sasol.com

In Germany:

Sunna Schulz

Sr. Manager, Corporate Affairs

Chemicals Eurasia

sunna.schulz@de.sasol.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Prismo Metals Inc. (CSE: PRIZ) (OTCQB: PMOMF) ("Prismo" or the "Company") today announced that its common shares have been approved for listing on the OTCQB  Venture Market ("OTCQB "), a US trading platform that is operated by the OTC Markets Group in New York. Effective today, the Company will commence trading on the OTCQB  under the symbol PMOMF.

The Company's common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol PRIZ. Investors can find real-time quote and other information on the Company on the OTC Markets Group website at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/PMOMF/overview

In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that it has filed an application with The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") for electronic settlement and transfer of its common shares in the United States. Prismo expect to become DTC eligible shortly.

Prismo's President and CEO Craig Gibson commented: "There is a large potential investor base in the U.S. with an appetite for exposure to mining exploration companies. We expect this will expand our shareholder base and the liquidity of the stock to the benefit of all shareholders."

The OTCQB  is the premier marketplace for entrepreneurial and development stage US and international companies that are committed to providing a high-quality trading and information experience for their US investors. To be eligible, companies must be current in their financial reporting, pass a minimum bid price test, and undergo an annual company verification and management certification process. The OTCQB  quality standards provide a strong baseline of transparency, as well as the technology and regulation to improve the information and trading experience for investors.

About Prismo

Prismo Metals Inc. (CSE: PRIZ) is junior mining company focused on precious metal exploration in Mexico.

Contact: Craig Gibson, Chief Executive Officer and Director

1100 - 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6

craig.gibson@prismometals.com

Jason Frame, Manager of Communications

jason.frame@prismometals.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the warrants exercise financing, the proceeds received from such warrant exercise financing, the use of proceeds of the warrant exercise financing, the future performance of our business, its operations and its financial performance and condition, as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, competitive risks, the availability of financing, the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132011
Chinese premier meets Indonesian president to discuss bilateral ties

Xinhua) 09:49, July 27, 2022

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday met with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo to discuss bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

As friendly neighbors and major developing countries in the region, China and Indonesia share broad common interests, which makes the two natural cooperation partners, Li said.

He noted that amid the current complex international situation, China is ready to work with Indonesia to consolidate political mutual trust, insist on mutual respect and equal treatment, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, and break new ground for all-dimensional, multi-tiered and high-level bilateral cooperation, so as to bring more benefits to both countries and the region.

Li said China is willing to accelerate the resumption of people-to-people exchanges on the basis of COVID-19 prevention and control, and pledges supports for Indonesia's hosting of this year's G20 Summit.

Hailing China-Indonesia relations as mutually beneficial and saying they have the potential to serve as a model for China-ASEAN cooperation, Li expressed the hope that Indonesia will continue to play a positive role in the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

He noted that peace and stability in the South China Sea conform to the interests of all parties. He called on all relevant parties to strive for an early conclusion to the Code of Conduct (COC), and to turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

For his part, Widodo said that Indonesia and China are comprehensive strategic partners, and that bilateral cooperation has achieved mutual benefits and win-win results. He said the Indonesian side is ready to work with China to push for the completion of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway as scheduled, and to push for more positive results in practical cooperation on trade and investment, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and maritime areas.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Tesla demanded a $4,500 ransom money from a client, which it undone after a social media uproar.

Tesla Tried to Squeeze $4,500 from a Customer

Tesla attempted to make a client pay a $4,500 ransom because the corporation had software-locked his battery pack's 80-mile range. After a social media outrage, the carmaker had just begun to reverse its $4,500 customer-squeezing plan.

Battery packs in Tesla's Model S cars were previously secured via software. For instance, Seth Weintraub of Electrek's first Tesla was a Model S 40, which was a Model S with a 60 kWh battery pack that had its capacity locked at 40 kWh.

This was a solution to provide several range choices without having to complicate manufacturing by using various battery pack sizes.

Tesla later offered software-locked vehicle owners a fee-based unlocking alternative. Tesla outlawed this approach over time, although it still uses software-locked battery packs when replacing battery packs under warranty for particular capacities it no longer makes.

Due to this, a client is now in a scenario that Tesla has treated wholly inappropriately.

A well-known Tesla hacker named Jason Hughes discovered the issue while attempting to assist a client who had purchased a secondhand Model S90 that had previously been a Model S60.

The customer attended a Tesla service center to get a computer upgrade so his older, 3G-only Tesla could be connected to the Internet. After visiting Tesla, he received a call indicating they found a problem in his car's setup and would "fix" it.

The repair modified Model S60's design and lowered battery pack range by 80 miles. Since he bought a Model S90, the customer wanted Tesla to re-enable the feature he had paid. Tesla said the option wasn't unlocked and he must pay $4,500 for it.

Read Also: Google, Microsoft, 11 Other Companies Registered Their Global Headquarters in Japan to Avoid Penalties

Tesla Plans to Make 4680 Battery Cells at Gigafactory Texas This Quarter

Tesla aims to begin manufacturing 4680 battery cells at Gigafactory Texas this quarter and build up to commercial production by year's end.

It hasn't spoken much recently about its new 4680 battery cell, which permits its new battery pack design. Investors are worried about Tesla's future automobile ambitions without the improved battery technology.

As the carmaker began producing the Model Y at the Gigafactory Berlin using the outdated design based on 2170 cells, and then at the Gigafactory Texas using 4680 cells, it recently expanded the production of Model Y automobiles using the previous architecture at the Austin factory as well.

Everything suggested that Tesla would have significant difficulties stepping up manufacturing a considerably larger cell.

Additionally, Tesla's Q2 2022 earnings call with analysts and shareholders centered on the 4680 cell. The manufacturer admitted it's having trouble implementing new cell technologies, particularly dry electrodes.

On the plus side, Tesla's powertrain and energy engineering senior vice president, Drew Baglino, said that the manufacturer would formally begin manufacturing the 4680 cell at Gigafactory Texas this quarter.

Related Article: Tesla Cybertruck's Design Astonished in Initial Aerodynamic Simulation Test
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Dollar General (DG) said it plans to build three distribution centers in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Aurora, Colorado and Salem, Oregon. The facilities are estimated to create up to 1,100 total career opportunities and represent an approximately $480 million combined investment. Dollar General said the North Little Rock dual distribution center facility represents an approximate $140 million investment in Pulaski County, and construction is slated to begin by fall 2022 with a late 2023 planned completion date. The company plans to invest approximately $172 million in the Arapahoe County facility. The Salem dual distribution center represents an approximate $168 million investment in the Pacific Northwest. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Frost & Sullivan Institute is dedicated to utilizing business practices to address key global challenges by 'innovating to zero'. Through its robust research methodology, the Institute has identified Companies that are moving the world in the right direction and awarded them with this year's Enlightened Growth Leadership Awards.

"Responsible growth begins with the commitment of a company's leadership team; commitment to innovation, leveraging technology and business practice to innovate to zero; zero waste, zero pollution, zero inequality. The recipients of the Enlightened Growth Leadership Recognition have demonstrated a successful balance between growth, sustainability and governance," said Aroop Zutshi, Director, Frost & Sullivan Institute.

Frost & Sullivan Institute follows its proprietary, measurement-based methodology, combined with extensive research. Being one of the few existing methodologies that equally weights growth and Environment, Social, Governance (ESG), this recognition is one of the Institute's most prestigious best practices recognitions. The winners represent the best of the best.

Frost & Sullivan Institute congratulates all recipients of the Enlightened Growth Leadership Best Practices Recognition. As we did last year, we will recognize and celebrate the 2022 recipients at our Virtual Awards Banquet in November.

Recipients:

Bumi Resources Tbk PT

Keppel Infrastructure Trust

LX Semicon Co Ltd

M3 Inc

Macmahon Holdings Ltd

Modec Inc

MonotaRO Co Ltd

Nexen Corp

NHN Corp

Northern Star Resources Ltd

NRW Holdings Ltd

Oil India Ltd

Perenti Global Ltd

Pharmaniaga Bhd

Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd

Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd

Razer Inc

Reliance Worldwide Corp Ltd

Samsung SDI Co Ltd

Saratoga Investama Sedaya Tbk PT

SD Biosensor Inc

Sea Ltd

Seegene Inc

SOLUM Co Ltd

Technovator International Ltd

Tokai Carbon Co Ltd

UPL Ltd

Zimplats Holdings Ltd

About Frost & Sullivan Institute

The Frost & Sullivan Institute (FSI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to utilizing business practices to address global priorities. The genesis of the institute goes back to the vision of either creating, or becoming part of, a solution that addresses threats to humanity. The Institute has identified strategic imperatives for transformation and believes that we can truly accelerate innovation to zero. To learn more about FSI, visit www.frostandsullivaninstitute.org

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Media Contact:

Prerna Mohan

Email: prerna.mohan@frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

www.frost.com

www.frostandsullivaninstitute.org

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Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) (the "Company" or "Austral") is pleased to announce exploration results at its Casposo-Manantiales project in Argentina.

Highlights:

At the Manantiales vein, the follow-up drilling program intercepted high gold grades for the first time, opening the upside at depth and indicating the continuity of mineralisation in the south ore-shoot. - MDH-02-63: 4.40 meters @ 18.65 g/t gold and 58 g/t silver - including: 3.12 meters @ 26.04 g/t gold and 37 g/t silver - sub-including: 0.75 meters @ 76.26 g/t gold and 75 g/t silver - MDH-02-64: 2.35 meters @ 15.61 g/t gold and 81 g/t silver - including: 1.58 meters @ 22.30 g/t gold and 116 g/t silver - MDH-02-60: 2.50 meters @ 9.73 g/t gold and 49 g/t silver - including: 0.90 meters @ 25.48 g/t gold and 125 g/t silver - sub-including: 0.45 meters @ 48.16 g/t gold and 192 g/t silver



At the Cerro Amarillo project, the delineation process continued with rock-chip sampling providing gold grades up to 149.74 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au and 622 g/t Ag at the La Puerta, Awada and Fabiola targets. Subsequent follow-up with channel sampling indicates high-grade mineralisation associated with intense silicification and the presence of multiple minor veining. The channels with the best results by area are: - La Puerta: 6.20 m @ 11.22 g/t gold and 76 g/t silver - Awada: 2.60 m @ 19.62 g/t gold and 54 g/t silver - Fabiola: 1.50 m @ 19.70 g/t gold and 12 g/t silver



The first phase of drill testing in La Puerta, Awada and Fabiola were completed. At La Puerta, the three holes drilled had no significant results, while the results from the three holes in Fabiola and one in Awada have not yet been received.

To date, a total of 2,321.3 meters were drilled in 12 diamond drill holes and assays from 8 drill holes have been received to date.

We plan to resume the drilling program in September 2022 when weather conditions improve, which we expect to include the following: (i) infill drilling program at the Manantiales vein; (ii) follow-up drilling program at the best targets at the Cerro Amarillo project; (iii) revisit of remaining mineral resources in the Casposo mine



Chief Executive Officer, Stabro Kasaneva, commented: "We are encouraged with the latest assay results from our exploration program at the Casposo-Manantiales cluster. These results indicate that we are on the path towards achieving our strategic objective of re-starting mining operations at Casposo. We will keep our shareholders informed on further drill results and our next drilling campaign starting during September 2022."

Manantiales Vein

The phase II drilling campaign commenced in 2022 as announced in the Company's press release dated 28 April 2022. The drill campaign covered 1,273 meters in 5 holes with 4 holes oriented to define the southern ore-shoot extensions and a fifth hole to explore the continuity of mineralisation in the northern ore-shoot at the lower contact of the flat intrusive.

The best result obtained to date is drill hole MDH-22-063, which intercepted a high-grade gold structure with a width of more than 4 meters. This intercept indicates that the best mineralisation control in Manantiales vein is related to the lower contact of the dacitic intrusive opening the potential along this discontinuity and at depth.

Results from the drill holes MDH-22-060 and MDH-22-064 confirmed the continuity of the blind ore-shoot previously intercepted by drill holes MDH-22-057/058. Drill hole MDH-22-060 opens the mineralisation to depth, while drill hole MDH-22-64 indicates mineralisation closer to the surface. Drill hole MDH-0061 intercepted a post mineral dyke using the same space of the structure in that segment and did not show veins or mineralised structure.

The next drilling campaign is being planned to define the upside of the northern and southern ore-shoots and to explore the potential to the South and North at the protected blocks related to the Vallecito reverse faulting.





Casposo - Manantiales District: Targeting and Location Map



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Manantiales Vein: Drilling results at longitudinal section



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Cerro Amarillo - Exploration Update

At Cerro Amarillo, the delineation process continued with rock chip sampling showing high gold values in the La Puerta, Awada and Fabiola sectors.

These results are related to multiple centimeter veinlets in at least three main directions, all predominantly hosted in a complex of exogenous rhyolitic domes. The largest known structures appear to be controlled by the N-S oriented fault contacts of the domes with an andesitic tuff (Oveja Negra Fm). Their formation is related to a low sulphidation system, likely developed as sheeted veinlets and stockwork of millimeter to centimeter veinlets of quartz and quartz-adularia with the presence of ginguro.

The results of reconnaissance sampling in veinlets and veins from 2 to 60 cm obtained the following results:

- La Puerta: - Sample 9935 - 149.74 g/t gold and 622 g/t silver - Sample 10098 - 106.39 g/t gold and 1,110 g/t silver - Sample 9959 - 89.11 g/t gold and 441 g/t silver - Sample 9897 - 68.11 g/t gold and 200 g/t silver

- Awada: - Sample 0122 - 38.22 g/t gold and 65 g/t silver - Sample 10124 - 27.36 g/t gold and 65 g/t silver - Sample 10125 - 6.61 g/t gold and 12 g/t silver - Sample 9411 - 6.52 g/t gold and 12 g/t silver

- Fabiola: - Sample 9207 - 5.12 g/t gold and 11 g/t silver - Sample 9589 - 1.03 g/t gold and 201g/t silver



Subsequent follow-up channel sampling confirmed high-grade mineralisation associated with intense silicification and the presence of veining. Highlights of the results from the channels are as follows:

- La Puerta: - Channel LP04 - 6.20 m @ 11.22 g/t gold and 76 g/t silver - Including 5.10 m @ 13.47 g/t gold and 91 g/t silver - sub-including: 2.90 meters @ 20.06 g/t gold and 127 g/t silver - Channel LP17 - 0.80 m @ 45.07 g/t gold and 206 g/t silver - Including 0.40 m @ 83.45 g/t gold and 353 g/t silver

- Awada: - Channel AW07 - 2.6 m @ 19.62 g/t gold and 54 g/t silver - Including 2.30 m @ 21.95 g/t gold and 60 g/t silver - sub-including: 1.05 meters @ 40.85 g/t gold and 118 g/t silver - Channel AW09 - 1.60 m @ 20.36 g/t gold and 62 g/t silver - Including 0.50 m @ 27.51 g/t gold and 61 g/t silver

- Fabiola: - Channel FA03 - 1.50 m @ 19.70 g/t gold and 12 g/t silver - Including 0.65 m @ 34.61 g/t gold and 21 g/t silver



At La Puerta, the first phase of drilling was completed including 3 holes without significant results. The drill testing program was completed in Fabiola and the results are pending. The three holes intercepted a structure with widths that do not exceed one meter.

At Awada, one follow-up hole was drilled to the high grade AW07 channel, intercepting the sheeted quartz veinlets with apparent presence of ginguro, continuing 50 meters below surface. We expect to receive the results from this drill hole shortly.

Upcoming work program priorities are focused on drilling the second phase in Fabiola and Awada, with the goal of finding the vertical continuity of high-grade mineralisation. In addition, the second drilling phase at La Puerta is being designed.





Cerro Amarillo: Channel and rock chip sampling results



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Competent Person

Technical information in this press release that relates to Exploration Results is based on work supervised, or compiled on behalf of Robert Trzebski, a Director of the Company. Dr. Trzebski, who is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and qualifies as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' consents to the inclusion of the technical information that he has reviewed and approved or has been compiled on his behalf.

Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD) and the Australian Securities Exchange. (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website at www.australgold.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva.

For additional information please contact:

Jose Bordogna

Chief Financial Officer

Austral Gold Limited

Jose.bordogna@australgold.com

+61 4666 892 307



Ben Jarvis

Director

Austral Gold Limited

info@australgold.com

+61 413 150 448



Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, and consist primarily of projections - statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include future exploration activities including resumption of the drilling program in September 2022 and detailed plans for the program, latest assay results indicate that we are on the path towards achieving our strategic objective of re-starting mining operations at Casposo, planning of next drilling campaign at the Manantiales vein and receipt of outstanding drilling results.

All of these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, business integration risks; uncertainty of production, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets especially in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus" uncertainty in the measurement of mineral reserves and resource estimates, Austral's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and management, potential labour unrest, reclamation and closure requirements for mineral properties; unpredictable risks and hazards related to the development and operation of a mine or mineral property that are beyond the Company's control, the availability of capital to fund all of the Company's projects and other risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on the ASX and on SEDAR. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Austral Gold Limited ABN 30 075 860 472 (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD)

Level 5 126 Phillip St, Sydney NSW 2000 | T +61 2 9380 7233 | F +61 2 9251 7455 | info@australgold.com | www.australgold.com

Table 1: Manantiales and Cerro Amarillo Drill hole Results

Hole East North RL Dip Azimuth EoH Sector Section Intercept Width (m) Depth (m) Au gpt Ag gpt Significant intercepts reported at 1 gpt Au cutoff; * include at 3 gpt Au cutoff; ** sub-include at 10 gpt Au cutoff LPO-22-001 2437811.00 6551998.00 2764.00 -60.00 135.00 224.0 La Puerta Section 1 0.30 36.30 1.79 14.4 LPO-22-002 2437774.00 6551967.00 2770.00 -60.00 135.00 182.5 La Puerta Section 2 No significant intercepts LPO-22-003 2437975.00 6552004.00 2724.00 -60.00 270.00 198.8 La Puerta Section 3 No significant intercepts AW-22-001 2437275.00 6552395.00 2738.00 -65.00 0.00 56.0 Awada E2437200 Results pending FDH-22-001 2437674.00 6552763.00 2703.00 -50.00 90.00 107.0 Fabiola N6552775 Results pending FDH-22-002 2437741.00 6553125.00 2687.00 -60.00 270.00 143.0 Fabiola N6553150 Results pending FDH-22-003 2437695.00 6553240.00 2636.00 -60.00 270.00 137.0 Fabiola N6553250 Results pending MDH-22-060 2432162.18 6552375.00 3356.00 -65.00 270.00 236.0 Manantiales Vein N6552375 2.50 188.00 9.73 48.6 Include* 0.90 188.00 25.48 124.8 sub-include** 0.45 188.45 48.16 191.8 MDH-22-061 2432220.75 6552275.9 3359.00 -65.00 270.00 261.0 Manantiales Vein N6552275 No significant intercepts MDH-22-062 2432227.7 6552374.9 3335.00 -65.00 270.00 308.0 Manantiales Vein N6552375 1.00 253.50 1.13 23.0 MDH-22-063 2432305.06 6552735.7 3342.00 -65.00 270.00 329.0 Manantiales Vein N6552725 4.40 290.85 18.65 58.0 include* 3.12 291.15 26.04 37.0 sub-include** 0.75 291.70 76.26 75.1 MDH-22-064 2432126.00 6552479.00 3334.00 -50.00 280.00 101.0 Manantiales Vein N6552500 2.35 57.50 15.61 80.8 include* 1.58 58.27 22.33 115.7

Table 2: Cerro Amarillo Channel sampling results

Hole East North RL Azimuth EoH Sector Intercept Width (m) Au gpt Ag gpt Significant intercepts reported at 1 gpt Au cutoff; * include at 3 gpt Au cutoff; ** sub-include at 10 gpt Au cutoff LP-01 2437870.00 6551995.86 2726.00 145.00 1.50 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-02 2437846.94 6551963.97 2754.00 100.00 8.00 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-03 2437837.00 6551960.00 2762.00 115.00 9.10 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-04 2437750.00 6552049.00 2763.00 120.00 7.20 La Puerta 6.20 11.22 76.15 Include* 5.10 13.47 90.91 sub-include** 2.90 20.06 126.62 LP-05 2437750.00 6552049.00 2763.00 135.00 40.00 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-06 2437773.00 6552011.00 2766.00 135.00 13.50 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-07 2437800.00 6551961.00 2763.00 135.00 37.50 La Puerta 1.00 4.39 19.30 LP-08 2437723.09 6551988.17 2769.00 135.00 21.00 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-09 2437683.33 6551993.43 2767.00 130.00 11.25 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-10 2437704.61 6552009.38 2767.00 123.00 10.80 La Puerta 0.20 1.69 4.10 LP-11 2437726.47 6552021.62 2771.00 135.00 2.20 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-12 2437723.90 6552139.86 2770.00 170.00 6.65 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-13 2437652.09 6552003.17 2746.00 145.00 16.00 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-14 2437653.20 6552003.79 2748.00 85.00 2.30 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-15 2437744.09 6551981.17 2699.00 155.00 8.00 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP-16 2437793.09 6551942.17 2760.00 140.00 7.90 La Puerta No significant intercepts LP17 2437833.00 6551980.00 2751.00 135.00 2.7 La Puerta 0.80 45.07 205.91 Include* 0.40 83.45 353.00 AW-01 2436782.00 6552488.00 2842.00 10.00 15.60 Awada 0.7 1.44 15.6 AW-02 2437108.00 6552446.00 2778.00 160.00 2.60 Awada 0.85 1.20 10.56 AW-03 2437175.00 6552450.00 2753.00 152.00 4.80 Awada No significant intercepts AW-04 2437489.00 6552467.00 2721.00 135.00 2.30 Awada 0.40 2.40 201.00 AW-05 2437771.00 6552625.00 2722.00 190.00 3.80 Awada No significant intercepts AW-06 2437761.00 6552638.00 2724.00 120.00 1.70 Awada 0.25 2.80 83.20 AW-07 2437274.00 6552440.00 2748.00 135.00 4.0 Awada 2.60 19.62 53.50 Include* 2.30 21.95 59.93 sub-include** 1.05 40.85 117.53 AW-08 2437279.00 6552434.00 2712.00 104.00 2.00 Awada 2.00 6.21 10.78 Include* 1.50 7.79 13.13 sub-include** 0.50 14.97 26.40 AW-09 2437281.00 6552434.00 2712.00 20.00 2.10 Awada 1.60 20.36 62.23 Include* 0.50 27.51 60.90 AW-10 2437290.00 6552425.7 2726.00 75.00 1.50 Awada 0.60 2.25 6.70 FA-01 2437732.00 6552907.00 2711.00 20.00 4.8 Fabiola 0.15 1.27 201.00 FA-02 2437666.00 6553052.00 2749.00 85.00 10.45 Fabiola No significant intercepts FA-03 2437699.00 6552765.00 2695.00 115.00 7.35 Fabiola 1.50 19.70 11.97 Include* 0.65 34.61 21.0 FA-04 2437651.00 6553271.00 2643.00 120.00 6.7 Fabiola No significant intercepts FA-05 2437663.00 6553306.00 2638.00 105.00 4.0 Fabiola No significant intercepts FA-06 2437671.00 6553204.00 2638.00 140.00 3.0 Fabiola No significant intercepts

Table 3: Cerro Amarillo Rock chip sampling results

Hole East North RL Sector Au gpt Ag gpt Samples reported at 2 gpt Au cutoff M9709 2437711.00 6552007.00 2741.00 Cerro Amarillo Sur 6.63 19.2 M9712 2437752.00 6551991.00 2758.00 Cerro Amarillo Sur 4.12 10.6 M9719 2437912.00 6552115.00 2730.00 Cerro Amarillo Sur 10.72 62.6 M9720 2437967.00 6552056.00 2743.00 Cerro Amarillo Sur 17.14 14.5 M9732 2438020.00 6551832.00 2652.00 La Puerta 4.22 18.2 M9745 2437893.00 6551990.00 2710.00 Cerro Amarillo Sur 7.15 84.5 M9773 2437741.00 6552615.00 2708.00 Fabiola 2.52 5.2 M9774 2437759.00 6552633.00 2698.00 Fabiola 4.32 152.9 M9848 2437715.00 6552132.00 2761.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.89 10.3 M9856 2437689.00 6551988.00 2766.00 La Puerta Oeste 6.59 25.3 M9858 2437655.00 6551999.00 2763.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.18 9.3 M9888 2437881.00 6551974.00 2724.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.25 11.0 M9889 2437888.00 6551985.00 2718.00 La Puerta Oeste 8.72 52.0 M9892 2437836.00 6551968.00 2756.00 La Puerta Oeste 29.98 120.9 M9897 2437831.00 6551965.00 2761.00 La Puerta Oeste 68.11 200.0 M9898 2437803.00 6551960.00 2766.00 La Puerta Oeste 7.89 37.0 M9901 2438010.09 6552054.17 2730.00 La Puerta Oeste 4.53 10.4 M9906 2438016.09 6551834.17 2652.00 La Puerta Oeste 7.03 25.8 M9935 2437835.00 6551983.00 2742.00 La Puerta Oeste 149.74 621.9 M9936 2437837.00 6551977.00 2749.00 La Puerta Oeste 4.16 29.0 M9940 2437827.00 6551957.00 2762.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.05 8.3 M9956 2437734.00 6551981.00 2764.00 La Puerta Oeste 28.21 232.9 M9959 2437825.00 6551965.00 2754.00 La Puerta Oeste 89.11 440.9 M9973 2437812.00 6551964.00 2762.00 La Puerta Oeste 10.99 65.2 M9978 2437834.00 6551927.00 2762.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.11 4.3 M9980 2437844.00 6551934.00 2754.00 La Puerta Oeste 5.55 17.5 M9988 2437850.00 6551944.00 2739.00 La Puerta Oeste 64.57 176.8 M9989 2437850.00 6551944.00 2739.00 La Puerta Oeste 21.27 59.4 M9995 2437862.00 6551955.00 2737.00 La Puerta Oeste 5.63 31.9 M10000 2437863.00 6551958.00 2735.00 La Puerta Oeste 2.83 12.0 M10085 2437725.09 6552703.17 2688.00 Fabiola 2.48 22.5 M10096 2437844.00 6551980.00 2750.00 La Puerta Oeste 16.35 110.4 M10097 2437840.00 6551981.00 2752.00 La Puerta Oeste 17.36 114.5 M10098 2437836.00 6551978.00 2753.00 La Puerta Oeste 106.39 1109.6 M10114 2437233.00 6552469.00 2781.00 Awada 4.00 32.1 M10122 2437289.00 6552426.00 2746.00 Awada 27.36 64.6 M10124 2437280.00 6552437.00 2751.00 Awada 38.22 62.3 M10125 2437275.00 6552437.00 2752.00 Awada 6.61 12.4 M10172 2437581.64 6552122.11 2777.00 La Puerta Oeste 3.22 7.8 M10195 2437898.00 6551997.00 2699.00 La Puerta Oeste 51.94 187.4

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132024
Top-ten Mexican bank goes live with Volante to fully automate cross-border payments and offer its customers a richer experience and wider variety of international payment methods

MEXICO CITY, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Volante Technologies, the global leader in cloud payments and financial messaging, is partnering with Banca Afirme, S.A. (Afirme), a subsidiary of Afirme Grupo Financiero, S.A. de C.V., to modernize its payments infrastructure. As part of an ambitious digital transformation initiative designed to enrich its customers' banking experience, the bank has begun its modernization journey by automating SWIFT cross-border transaction processing. ISO 20022 readiness and the addition of other cross-border payment types are next in line.

Cross-border payment volumes in Mexico are rising twice as fast as the global average. Since Afirme has numerous business customers that rely on fast and secure international transactions, the bank expects the volume of cross-border transactions to grow exponentially as a result of this international business surge and in anticipation of the opening of its own branches in North America.

Raul Arzate Ortiz, Director Comptroller's Office, Money Markets, Afirme, said, "As we seek to enhance our customers' experience and grow domestically and internationally, payments modernization is a top priority for us. Fully automating and accelerating cross-border payment processing with Volante is an important first step forward."

"Volante has helped us reduce SWIFT processing time from hours to seconds, so that our customers can receive international funds within a near-immediate settlement instance, even as the volume of requests continues to grow," he added.

Afirme selected Volante's VolPay over competing solutions because of its modern, low-code business-service architecture, deep functionality, and ease of integration with new and existing bank systems. By partnering with Volante, the bank can also accelerate its customer experience modernization roadmap by launching new value-added services based on the ISO 20222 messaging standard, and by offering next-generation cross-border payment types such as SWIFT and gpi.

"With Volante we have successfully automated all of our SWIFT processing. We also expect to be able to smoothly handle increases in transaction volume by an average of 20 percent annually. More so, we will be able to offer our customers a wider variety of international payment types and a data-rich experience as we prepare for ISO 20222 readiness - all with one solution," said, Raul Arzate.

With this deployment at Afirme, Volante's payments solutions are now live at multiple major banks and exchanges in Latin America, processing over 1,800,000 transactions per month on average.

"With half of the population in Latin America unbanked, there is significant opportunity for financial businesses in the region to grow market share through digital innovation, and at the same time expand financial inclusion. We are proud to be working as a trusted partner to Afirme, providing them with market-leading payments solutions to advance their customer experience and digital modernization goals. Together, we can realize our common vision of a world in which real-time digital financial services are easily and equitably available to all," said Vijay Oddiraju, CEO, Volante Technologies.

To read more about how banks in Latin America are leapfrogging their global peers, read Volante's latest blog. You can also meet the Volante team in person at FELABAN Guatemala on November 14 to 15, 2022.

About Volante Technologies

Volante Technologies is the leading global provider of cloud payments and financial messaging solutions to accelerate digital transformation. We serve as a trusted partner to over 100 banks, financial institutions, market infrastructures, clearing houses, and corporate treasuries in 35 countries. Our solutions and services process millions of transactions and trillions in value every day, powering four of the top five corporate banks, 40?percent?of all U.S.?commercial bank deposits, and 70?percent?of worldwide card traffic. As a result, our customers can stay ahead of emerging trends, become more competitive, deliver superior client experiences, and grow their businesses through rapid innovation. To learn more, visit www.volantetech.com. Follow us at linkedin.com/company/volante-technologies and twitter.com/volantetech.

About Afirme

Afirme Grupo Financiero integrates banking and financial services through subsidiaries such as Afirme Banco in 30 states of the Mexican Republic and an important network of ATMs. Afirme Seguros provides personal and property security to individuals (auto, home, life, and module life insurance) and companies (auto fleet life insurance, business life insurance). Afirme Arrendadora is a source of financing for individuals and companies for the purchase of domestic and imported fixed assets. Afirme Factoraje supports our clients in the rapid conversion of their accounts receivable and short-term working capital financing. Afirme Almacenadora, with modern facilities and strategic locations, offers companies and individuals warehousing, custody, and conservation services for domestic and foreign merchandise. Banco de Inversion has an offer that integrates a wide range of products that allow access to diverse financial markets. Microfinanciera offers a wide range of consumer loans. www.afirme.com

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New Alliance will Deliver Blockchain-Based Financial Messaging and Instant Transaction Settlement for Traditional Banks

Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Impel and Globiance are pleased to announce today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Oliver Marco La Rosa, Founder and CEO of Globiance, and Troy S. Wood, CEO and Founder of Impel. The MOU establishes a mutual partnership to bring blockchain technology to Globiance's traditional banking services that will improve customer experience, security and provide significant operating cost savings.

Globiance is one of the first leaders in the industry to pilot Impel's ISO 20022 financial messaging - a messaging standard that is already widely adopted in more than 70 countries and one the United States aims to implement by 2025. Globiance will implement Impel's API with optional instant settlement ability using $XDC, the native coin on the XDC Network, XRC- 20 tokens, such as Globiance's native token $GBEX, or stablecoins.

Both Globiance and Impel's projects are built and operate on the XDC Network, a Layer 1 blockchain protocol that is a highly optimized, bespoke fork of Ethereum. The network offers significant benefits, such as near-zero gas fees, and it reaches consensus through its delegated proof-of-stake (XDPoS) mechanism, thus using virtually no energy and allowing for fast processing at two second transaction times and over 2,000 transactions per second. The hybrid XDC Network is equipped with public and private states and provides cross-chain interoperability with its smart contracts. As an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain, project migrations to the network are seamless.





Globiance and Impel



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Impel offers a self-paced ISO 20022 financial message demo that allows anyone to create and send transaction requests over the XDC Network's mainnet. The demo is available on their website: https://impel.global.

About Globiance

Globiance is a banking and exchange platform complete with payment gateways, banking services, a stablecoin, and centralized and decentralized marketplaces. Globiance offers services for both corporate and retail customers from branches in 13 countries, servicing five continents with more in development. Users have access to crypto and fiat wallets in many currencies. The personal bank/debit card is a convenient way to access crypto, shop, transact, earn rewards and more. The Platform's deflationary token, GBEX, is the house-token of Globiance. Globiance is built on the XDC Network.

About Impel

Impel is a fintech innovator that uses blockchain technology to deliver financial messaging, instant settlement, and a bridge to the R3 Corda platform to future-facing banks and fintechs. Created to provide a cost-effective alternative to legacy solutions like SWIFT and SEPA, Impel's service offerings run on the XDC Network using a decentralized, enterprise-ready hybrid blockchain to securely and quickly send financial messages and payments using $XDC or XRC-20 tokens. Leveraging outstanding security, Impel offers real-time payment settlement, instead of the current 2+ day standard via the central banking system. Impel's financial messaging meets the ISO 20022 standard, with no cost other than the XDC Network's near-zero gas fee to send messages or payments. Utilizing a bridge to the R3 Corda platform, $XDC or XRC-20 tokens move to and from the public Corda Network and can be used as a settlement vehicle inside the Corda ecosystem. Financial institutions can use Impel as a catalyst to strategically transform their businesses and unlock value-added opportunities enabled by the new standard.

For more information please visit:

Impel.global

globiance.com

xinfin.org









Impel + Globiance



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Contact person: Terry Junior

Company Name: GLOBIANCE Holdings Limited

Website: https://eu.globiance.com

Email: contact@globiance.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/131996
BASEL, Switzerland, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investment company GENUI and Magnolia, a leading software vendor in the global digital experience and content management markets, today announce that GENUI acquires a majority stake in Magnolia and injects significant growth capital into Magnolia.

Magnoliais an emerging vendor pioneering the vision of "composable" Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs). DXPs sit on top of content management systems (CMS) and enable brands to orchestrate compelling digital experiences across multichannel customer journeys and devices. The global market for DXPs is forecast to reach 23 billion US dollars by 2028, with an average annual growth rate of above twelve percent from 2021 to 2028.

Magnolia already serves clients in more than 100 countries through nine regional offices and counts many global brands such as The New York Times, Sanofi, Sainsbury's, Ping An and Bechtle as its trusted customers. With the funding, the company will continue the expansion of its global sales and marketing footprint including its technology and channel partner ecosystems, accelerate product innovation and increase global market awareness.

Traditionally, DXPs have been purchased as a complete suite of marketing software from one vendor. These have proven to be slow, expensive and restrictive. "Magnoliais uniquely positioned to allow customers to integrate their key applications and platforms - from legacy to modern APIs - and compose a powerful digital experience architecture enabling the overall ease-of-use and agility now expected of modern cloud solutions," comments Magnolia CEO, Tim Brown. "With GENUI's support, we will now be able to fully leverage our recognition as a 'Visionary' in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for DXP to help an increasing number of marketers, authors and developers deliver fantastic multichannel digital experiences."

"By significantly strengthening the capital base, we are putting Magnolia in a position to even better exploit its market potential and sustainably increase its growth," says Boris Klenk of GENUI. Upon completion of the transaction, the entrepreneur Amit Shah, an established expert in the digital experience industry, will become Chairman of the advisory board of Magnolia. "We are seeing a shift away from monolithic application solutions toward modular approaches. This is an exceptional strategic opportunity for Magnolia, which offers a future-proof composable digital experience platform for the enterprise," comments Amit Shah.

Exiting investor Elvaston Capital Management GmbH secured a majority stake in Magnolia in 2017, which GENUI is now acquiring. "We have accompanied Magnolia during an extremely positive and high-growth phase in recent years," says Dr. Oliver Thum, Managing Partner at Elvaston. "We are pleased that the company will now take the next steps with GENUI."

The purchase price and other details of the transaction were not disclosed. GENUI was advised on this transaction by CMS (Legal) and Baer & Karrer (Structuring), while Morrison Foerster (Legal Germany) and Walder Wyss (Legal Switzerland) acted as advisors to Elvaston.

About Magnolia

Founded in 1997 with a vision to create the first truly open content management system, Magnoliais a world leading digital experience company. Brands who want to move fast and stay flexible choose Magnolia because the company blends the power of an enterprise DXP solution with headless agility. Magnolia operates globally with offices on five continents and more than 200 Magnolia-certified partners around the world.

About Elvaston

Elvastonis an investment company specializing in small-to-medium sized enterprise software companies in Europe. Elvaston accompanies profitable companies in various segments of enterprise software and focuses on organic growth as well as buy & build strategies.

About GENUI

GENUIis a company founded by renowned entrepreneurs and investment professionals who believe in "Good Entrepreneurship". GENUI exclusively makes long-term commitments to companies with the goal of creating sustainable growth and social value. Companies are given professional governance by getting access to entrepreneurs with industry-relevant expertise and their corresponding networks.

For more information, press only:

Sorina Mone

Magnolia

+41 61 228 90 00

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CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Eagle Plains Resources (TSXV:EPL) is pleased to announce that option partner Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSXV:ROCK) (OTCQB:RRRLF) (Frankfurt:RR0) ("Rockridge") has commenced a summer drill program of approximately 1,000m at the Knife Lake High-Grade Copper VMS Project located in Saskatchewan, Canada (the "Knife Lake Project" or "Property"). Rockridge is fully funded and permitted for this drill program.

Rockridge holds the exclusive option from Eagle Plains to acquire a 100% interest in the Property that covers the Knife Lake Cu-Zn-Ag-Co VMS deposit (details following). The contiguous claims are located approximately 50 km northwest of Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan. A 357kV powerline runs within 16 km of the Knife Lake Deposit area.

See Knife Lake VMS Project Location Map here

Using the results and interpretation from the recently completed geophysical programs, as well as the 2021 drill and field programs, the program will focus on targets at the Gilbert Lake zones as well as at the deposit. The Knife Lake Project, consisting of 82 claims totaling 56,865 hectares (140,516 acres), is an advanced-stage copper, silver, zinc and cobalt exploration property in Saskatchewan host to the Knife Lake Deposit.

Jon Weisblatt, Rockridge's CEO, commented, "We are excited to start this summer drilling program which will test highly prospective regional targets in addition to resource infill and expansion drilling at the Knife Lake deposit. There is robust potential for new discoveries and resource expansion at the Property which is the goal of this drill program. Knife Lake remains a noteworthy exploration opportunity that can offer investors exposure to a top mining jurisdiction and to commodities in high demand like copper and several other base and precious metals."

Summer Diamond Drilling Program

The focus of the 2022 drill program will be on the highly prospective Gilbert Lake target area as well as continued infill and expansion drilling at the Knife Lake deposit. The program will consist of approximately 1,000m in six to eight drill holes. The Gilbert Lake targets were identified from the results and interpretation of the previous geophysical, drill and field programs. Results from these programs show that airborne VTEM surveys can successfully identify zones of VMS-style mineralization hosted in favourable stratigraphy on the property.

See Knife Lake 2022 Drill Program Target Areas here

The drilling at the Gilbert Lake South target area will further investigate strike-length continuity of the mineralized horizon intersected in 2021 drilling, which remains open to the south. The holes will also evaluate potential zoning of mineralization, which is commonly observed in VMS systems. Additional drilling at a newly discovered copper showing at the Gilbert West Area has also been prioritized. The holes will target the down-dip extension of a mineralized and intensely altered volcanic package which is interpreted to be the Knife Lake stratigraphic horizon. The Gilbert West target has never been drill tested.

Rockridge is also planning drilling at the Knife Lake deposit area as infill and expansion drilling to upgrade the existing resource estimate. Rockridge has received its exploration permit which is good through February 2024.

Knife Lake Geology and History

The Knife Lake Deposit is interpreted to be a remobilized VMS deposit. The stratabound mineralized zone is approximately 15m thick and contains copper, silver, zinc, gold and cobalt mineralization which dips 30 to 50 eastward over a known strike-length within the claim area of 3,700 metres, and a known average down-dip extension of approximately 300 metres.

See Knife Lake Deposit Map here

The deposit is hosted by felsic to intermediate volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks which have been metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies. The deposit contains VMS mineralogy which has been significantly modified and partially remobilized during the emplacement of granitic rocks. The mineralization straddles the boundary between two rock units and occurs on both limbs of an interpreted overturned fold.

Rockridge has completed twenty-four holes consisting of 3096 metres of diamond drilling in the 2019 and 2021 winter drilling programs. This represented the first drilling on the property since 2001. Both programs have given Rockridge's technical team valuable insights into the property geology, alteration, and mineralization that will be applied to future regional exploration on the highly prospective and underexplored land package.

See Knife Lake Project VTEM and Grab Sample Survey Map here

Highlights from the drill programs include previously reported hole KF19003 which intersected net-textured to semi-massive sulphide mineralization from 11.2m to 48.8m downhole. This 37.6 metre interval returned 2.03% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au, 9.88 g/t Ag, 0.36% Zn, and 0.01% Co for an estimated 2.42% CuEq.

In August 2019, Rockridge announced a maiden NI 43-101 resource estimate for the Knife Lake deposit which consisted of a pit-constrained indicated resource of 3.8 million tonnes at 1.02% CuEq and an inferred resource of 7.9 million tonnes at 0.67% CuEq using a 0.4% CuEq cut-off. For more information, please refer to the News Release dated August 14th, 2019 or the NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Knife Lake Property, Saskatchewan dated September 27, 2019, filed on Sedar.

Knife Lake Option Agreement Details

To earn a 100% interest in the Knife Lake Project, Rockridge has agreed to make a cash payment to Eagle Plains of $150,000 (complete), issue up to 5,550,000 common shares of Rockridge (4,550,000 shares issued to date) and complete $3,250,000 in exploration expenditures over four years. Eagle Plains will retain a 2% net smelter royalty ("NSR") on certain claims which comprise the project area. Under the terms of the agreement Rockridge is designated as the Operator of the project.

Qualified Person

Kerry Bates, P. Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and a Geologist employed by Eagle Plains Resources, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release relating to the Knife Lake Project.

About Eagle Plains Resources

Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains is a well-funded, prolific project generator that continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada. The Company was formed in 1992 and is the ninth-oldest listed issuer on the TSX-V (and one of only three that has not seen a roll-back or restructuring of its shares). Eagle Plains has continued to deliver shareholder value over the years and through numerous spin-outs has transferred over $100,000,000 in value directly to its shareholders, with Copper Canyon Resources and recently Taiga Gold being notable examples.

The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team. Eagle Plains also holds significant royalty interests in western Canadian projects, covering a broad spectrum of commodities on projects controlled by Cameco Corp., Iso Energy Corp., Denison Mines Corp., Skeena Resources Ltd. and Alexco Resource Corp./Banyan Gold Corp., among others. Management's focus is to advance its most promising exploration projects. Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices.

Expenditures from 2011-2021 on Eagle Plains-related projects exceed $27M, the majority of which was funded by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 42,000m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim J. Termuende"

President and CEO

For further information on EPL, please contact Mike Labach at 1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)

Email: mgl@eagleplains.com or visit our website at http://www.eagleplains.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709893/Eagle-Plains-PartnerRockridge-Commences-Drill-Program-at-the-High-Grade-Knife-Lake-Copper-Project-Saskatchewan
Cannabis Bio-Pharmaceutical Research and Development company announces shareholder approval of pending Reverse Merger, Selection of Auditors for Fiscal Year End 2022, location for DrazCanna's Detroit Center of Excellence, and Appointment of Independent Director to DrazCanna's Board of Directors.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Cannabis bio-pharmaceutical research and development company, DrazCanna, Inc. (OTC:DZCA) announces results of Shareholder's vote electing Hussein Anani to DrazCanna's Board of Directors, approval of Reverse Merger Share Exchange Agreement, and approval of Bylaws for DrazCanna, Inc.

During the Special Shareholders Meeting, the shareholders voted to approve the updated Bylaws, the Definitive Share Exchange Agreement for the reverse merger, and the election of Hussein Anani to the Board of Directors.

"As part of our commitment to excellence in corporate governance, I would like to introduce our new independent member to DrazCanna's Board of Directors, Jamal Mosallam," said company president, Hussein Anani. "Jamal brings over 20 years of business advisory and financial consulting experience helping organization drive growth and profitability with hands-on operations, sales, IT, finance, and business development expertise." Mr. Mosallam will serve as an independent director and member of the Audit Committee through the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for August 2023. Mr. Mosallam added "I am very excited to be part of such a dynamic organization and I look forward to working with Hussein and other members of the board towards the advancement of our company."

Jamal Mosallam

As furtherance of DrazCanna's Corporate Governance objectives, the company is proud to announce the engagement of BF Borgers CPA PC ("BF Borgers") as its auditor for its fiscal year end June 30, 2022. The audit of the financial statements will be conducted in accordance with the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The Company plans to file for a registration statement in the United States upon completion of the audit to continue its expansion plans to be a leading cannabis cultivation and processing organization.

"The audit represents an important step by the new management group towards establishing a leading cannabis company to our stakeholders. The next steps of upgrading to OTCQB have begun along with the filing of a registration statement for our planned expansion to build a state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouse located in western Michigan," stated Hussein. "We are diligently working through the licensing process for our 1,500 plant cultivation operation at our Center of Excellence for bio-pharmaceutical research and development located in western Detroit. We seek to differentiate ourselves as one of the best cannabis emerging growth investments"

Early 2023 is targeted to beginning for operations as a startup in the high growth cannabis industry through DrazCanna, Inc.'s wholly owned cannabis bio-pharmaceutical research and development subsidiary, Lybull, Inc.

Cannabis Industry Leading Environmental Social and Governance - ESG

DrazCanna's Environmental, Social, and Governance commitment is a multifaceted approach to industry leadership in each component to be the best cannabis emerging growth investment to our stakeholders.

DrazCanna's cannabis industry leading environmental excellence is based upon it's patent pending Nutrient Optimizing Data-Driven Hydroponic System and Methods for Indoor/Hybrid Greenhouse application as measured by water consumption and kW consumed metrics. This innovation was developed upon cannabis cultivation with application to other flowering and fruiting plants within the food industry.

DrazCanna's cannabis industry leading social equity excellence is based upon its commitment to employee ownership and hiring practices to benefit the communities in which it operates. As part of DrazCanna's commitment to leadership in social equity, the company partnered in applications testing of a linguistic data analytics program to aid in reducing police related deaths.

"Our goal is to make a difference in the world we live in. We strive to be a responsible corporate citizen. Our environmental goal is to be the 'Greenest of the Green' in the cannabis industry through the continued evolution of our cultivation and processing operations" stated Ali Anani, Chief Executive Officer of reverse merger partner DrazCanna, Inc (Michigan based). DrazCanna's sights continue to be set on finding and utilizing unique ways in which to leverage the talents of their team members to develop approaches and methods to make a positive impact on the world.

DrazCanna's geographic location based in Michigan provides "cool" summer temperatures with available water sources provided by the country's Great Lakes is a strategic advantage over many regions of the US to capitalize upon the patent pending technology developed.

DrazCanna is committed to continue their journey to be the best environmental, social, governance investment, through our innovative application of data-driven solution to achieve cannabis industry leading Environmental Social and Governance - ESG. The challenge is to innovate tactical solutions to the problems that impact us all with the goal to be the best cannabis emerging growth investment.

Contact:

DrazCanna, Inc.

Hussein Anani, President

P.O. Box 600

Dearborn Heights, MI 48127

www.drazcanna.com

info@drazcanna.com

About DrazCanna, Inc.

DrazCanna, Inc. (OTC: DZCA) formerly known as Sibling Group Holdings, Inc., was operating in the educational sector until 2016 and was dormant until 2021 when the corporation filed its reports to achieve current status. For more information, visit www.drazcanna.com

Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning the plans and expectations of DrazCanna, Inc. These statements are only predictions and actual events, or results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are out of the company's control. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, that the company's expectations of future growth may not be realized. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the "Risk Factors" and other cautionary statements included in the company's annual, quarterly and current reports and other filings, including but not limited for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and filings with the OTC Markets.

SOURCE: DrazCanna, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709946/DrazCanna-Inc-OTCBB-DZCA-Announces-Actions-for-Entry-into-Emerging-Growth-Cannabis-Bio-Pharmaceutical-Research-and-Development-Supply-Chain
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Built exclusively for data clouds, the Tresata Digital Business Platformannounces the commercial launch of its Digital Business Platform, a first-of-its-kind software system that radically simplifies every businesses' ability to use their data.



DBP was designed to solve one of the toughest challenges facing businesses-delivering usable data that can effectively power digital transformations. This represents one of the biggest opportunities in software, addressing a $200 billion market of businesses that struggle to use all of their data. With 68% of available enterprise data unused today, DBP represents an opportunity for exponential growth by leveraging the exabytes of data in the cloud and putting them to work.

"Tresata presents a paradigm shift in how enterprises achieve, monitor and manage usable data assets. What would previously take enormous time and resources-in addition to heavy manual work by data teams-can now be automated as quickly as a business demands. By connecting data assets across a business, DBP provides users everything there is to know about their customers, processes, and products. The result is the ability to support and manage each of them in a unique way by adding loads of value in a differentiated and personalized way," said Mike Leone, senior analyst, data platforms, analytics and AI, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG).

As the first data usability system built exclusively for data clouds, DBP comes with pre-built integrations to internal data warehouses, data mesh architectures, external data sources, and transactional and analytics systems. The platform leverages advanced semantic data integration to make data collected across business systems instantly usable and relatable, freeing the data from its limitations to provide immediate business value. DBP has been shown to dramatically increase speed to market and amplify business value across the digital transformation initiatives a business must implement today.

Having worked with several of the largest companies in the world across multiple industries for the past decade, Tresata believes making data usable and available is key to every organization's digital transformation. DBP enables every business to create usable data immediately and automatically, to benefit all employees, systems, applications and processes.

"DBP puts the same data intelligence capabilities core to the success of digital vanguards like Google and Tesla into the hands of every organization, allowing them to become data-first organizations as well," said Abhishek Mehta, CEO, Tresata, "Having usable data to power every decision, product and process will be critical for businesses of all shapes and sizes to not just liberate their data, but also provide much-needed freedom to their people to succeed."

ABOUT TRESATA

Tresata automates the analysis of data at absolute scale. Its Digital Business Platform is used by Fortune 500 companies to leverage data as an asset and create products and services that Enrich Life for all their customers.

Contact:

Edward Lin

Merritt Group

Email: tresata@merrittgrp.com
Microsoft has recently released its Windows 10 KB5015878 update.

Microsoft's KB5015878 update is an optional cumulative update for devices running on Windows 10 21H2, Windows 10 21H1, and Windows 10 20H2.

According to BleepingComputer, the KB5015878 cumulative update preview is included in Microsoft's monthly "C" update for July 2022, allowing administrators to test anticipated changes issued in the August 2022 Patch Tuesday.

This Windows 10 update contains a slew of improvements to the system, including the Windows Autopilot fixes, as well as a new Focus Assist feature.

Furthermore, this update improves the service stack's overall quality. The servicing stack is the component that is responsible for installing Windows updates.

In order for your devices to be able to receive and install Microsoft updates, it is necessary to have a robust and dependable servicing stack.

Microsoft's Windows 10 KB5015878 Update

This Microsoft update for Windows 10 version 20H2, will unfortunately reach the end of service on August 9, 2022.

That means that devices that are running on version 20H2 will no longer receive regular security and quality upgrades that guard against the most recent security risks after August 9, 2022.

Microsoft advises updating to the most recent version of Windows Server in order to continue getting security and quality upgrades.

Furthermore, with the Windows 10 KB5015878 update, it is important to note that this update does not include any security updates. However, it does contain numerous quality improvements.

There are a plethora of improved features and fixes, and as noted by Microsoft, here are some of them:

The update enhances the dependability of a push-button reset following an OS upgrade and addresses issues that were causing port mapping conflicts for containers.

It solves a problem that had been preventing certain diagnostic tools from starting up properly before.

It fixes an issue that, in some docking stations, causes the loss of internet connectivity when the Sleep mode is exited and the device is woken up.

It improves the experience of upgrading the operating system by adding technology that caches additional information about audio endpoints.

This resolves a problem that could result in the failure to play successive video clip sequences in games that use the DX12 graphics API and fixes issues that also affect games that make use of the XAudio API to play sound effects.

This resolves an issue that caused Code Integrity to continue trusting a file after it had been edited even if the file had been changed.

Furthermore, this also resolves an issue that, in certain circumstances, might cause Windows to cease functioning properly when users enable Windows Defender Application Control while also having the Intelligent Security Graph feature enabled.

Read Also: Google Releases Patch for Chrome CVE-2022-2294 Exploit

Microsoft's New Features

Microsoft's newest feature in this Windows 10 KB5015878 update is that when the focus assist is activated, users have the choice to receive significant notifications. Focus assist hides notifications, similar to a do not disturb mode.

In addition, this update restores functionality for Windows Autopilot deployment situations that have lost functionality as a result of the security mitigation for hardware reuse.

Furthermore, the restriction that prevents users from using self-deploying mode (SDM) and pre-provisioning more than once has been lifted (PP).

This upgrade also allows certified manufacturers to show any User Principal Name (UPN) again in user-driven mode (UDM) installations.

Microsoft's Windows 10 Update

As announced by Microsoft, they will now integrate the most recent cumulative update with the most recent servicing stack update (SSU) for users' operating systems (LCU).

To update the Windows operating system, head over to the Settings, find and click the Update & Security button, then click Windows Update.

The link to download and install the update is located in the section titled "Optional updates available."

Related Article: Microsoft Discovers Connection between Holy Ghost Ransomware and North Korean Hackers
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Trend Innovations Holding Inc. (OTCQB:TREN), a company specializing in innovative technologies using artificial intelligence. One of the company's key projects is the Thy News application.

Thy News is an application with easy-to-use management features and the option to select topics of interest. Users get to choose among a wide range of news sources to subscribe to and group them in one of five news feed designs. For example, if a user is interested in technology and sports, they can access this content without being distracted by other news. The time of publication, as well as the sources, are indicated with each release. Also, it is easy to share an article with anyone. Thanks to additional features, the application is partially available when the user cannot access the Internet.

Once a user downloads the application, Thy News offers a selection of news in such categories as World, Politics, Business, Tech & Science, Sports, Health, Travel, Design, and Food with a link to the top news sources. If a reader does not like any of the sources included in the categories, they can exclude them from the selection. One of Thy News team's ideas is to give them a choice. Therefore, the application has all the necessary functionality so that a user can customize news feeds according to his preferences.

Trend Innovations Holding Inc. gives priority to providing users with the most current content in real time. To achieve this, it was decided to transfer the application's capacity to more productive equipment. This decision was also influenced by the growth of the popularity of the application and the increase in the number of users.

Achieved the pages have been updated rapidly and the user application has improved. The advantages of migrating to new servers were security, high performance, and on the technical side, centralized management was improved to ensure uninterrupted operation. The updated version of the application is already available for download in AppStore, Google Play.

Nowadays, the key priority of functionality is the diversity within news sources. Since information is the essential part, the accuracy and reliability of the information are highly appreciated by a user. Thy News's priority is providing both a choice and an opportunity to receive the desired information, only from those sources that the user has chosen to read.

The team, working on the application development explores not only the global news consumption trends but also analyzes the usability data. To ensure convenient interaction with the application on international markets, the team will soon begin to localize the user interface.

The app uses English as the default language of the application. Additionally, a user will be able to change the default language to German, French, and Spanish languages by going to settings.

Trend Innovations Holding Inc. expects that localization can significantly increase the value of Thy News, thereby acquiring a constant flow of new customers without losing existing ones.

About Trend Innovations Holding Inc.

Trend Innovations Holding Inc. (OTC Markets:TREN) is an expert in the field of information technology based on artificial intelligence. Thy News application is one of the key projects of the company. Thy News is a worldwide application for processing news from multiple sources. It is created for users who value their time and desire to keep up with the latest world news. The app provides the user with the opportunity to create their news feeds, only from those sources that are of interest to him, as well as to make several such feeds by dividing them into topics.

All the company's news:

https://trendinnovationsholding.com/news/

The company's website:

https://trendinnovationsholding.com

Forward-Looking Disclaimer

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Trend Innovations Holding, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein.

CONTACT:

Natalija Tunevic

Trend Innovations Holding Inc.

+15404950016

news@trendinnovationsholding.com

SOURCE: Trend Innovations Holding Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709953/Trend-Innovations-Holding-Inc-Presents-The-New-Release-Of-The-Thy-News-Application-And-Plans-To-Improve-The-Functionality
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - OBSIDIAN ENERGY LTD. (TSX: OBE) (NYSE American: OBE) ("Obsidian Energy", the "Company", "we", "us" or "our") announces that it has successfully closed the previously announced private placement offering (the "Offering") of $127.6 million aggregate principal amount of 11.95 percent five-year senior unsecured notes due July 27, 2027 (the "Notes"). In connection with the private placement of the Notes, Obsidian Energy also entered into a new $175.0 million revolving syndicated credit facility and a new $30.0 million non-revolving term loan (collectively, the "New Credit Facilities") with the Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal and Canadian Western Bank.

The Company has used the net proceeds of the Offering, together with initial draws on the New Credit Facilities, to repay its outstanding debt (including interest and fees), comprised of: US$35.8 million for all our senior secured notes that were due November 30, 2022; $227.2 million for all outstanding amounts under our previous credit facilities that were due November 30, 2022; and $6.6 million for all outstanding amounts under the Peace River Operating Partnership ("PROP") limited recourse loan that were due December 31, 2022. In addition, the Company also closed out hedges that were initially put in place for the PROP 45 limited recourse financing (US$3.5 million) and fees associated with the refinancing ($6.1 million).

Following these repayments, we have $287.6 million of long-term indebtedness, including $130 million drawn on our $175 million revolving syndicated credit facility and $30 million drawn on our non-revolving term loan. The syndicated credit facility has a revolving period ending on July 27, 2023, with a term out period ending on July 27, 2024, subject to customary annual extension terms. The term loan matures December 31, 2022 and is expected to be repaid in the third quarter of 2022 from free cash flow from our operations.

"We're pleased to complete our refinancing project," said Stephen Loukas, Obsidian Energy's Interim President and CEO. "The size and tenor of this issuance, combined with the New Credit Facilities creates a balanced senior and junior debt structure that provides Obsidian Energy greater operational and financial flexibility. Moreover, this structure provides us the ability to execute our corporate plans as well as act on opportunities to create further value for our stakeholders."

The Notes were issued at a price of $980.00 per $1,000.00 principal amount for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $125.0 million. The Notes have a 11.95 percent coupon, payable semi-annually in equal installments. The Notes will be direct senior unsecured obligations of Obsidian Energy ranking equal with all other present and future senior unsecured indebtedness of the Company. Certain directors, officers and employees of Obsidian Energy purchased an aggregate of $6.4 million under the Offering.

The Notes have a semi-annual repurchase offer feature whereby, subject to the terms and conditions of the new trust indenture governing the Notes, the Company must offer to purchase the maximum principal amount equal to 75 percent of excess free cash flow (as defined in the new trust indenture) up to and including July 27, 2024, and 50 percent of excess free cash flow thereafter at a price equal to 103 percent of the principal of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest. The repurchase offer feature remains in place until an aggregate amount of $63.8 million of Notes are repurchased by the Company. Additionally, Obsidian Energy may redeem up to 40 percent of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes at any time prior to July 27, 2024, for a redemption price equal to 111.95 percent of the principal amount of the Notes, together with accrued and unpaid interest, with cash received from equity offerings (provided that at least 60 percent of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes remains outstanding after such redemption). At its option, the Company may also redeem all or part of the Notes at: 105.975 percent from July 27, 2024 to July 26, 2025; or 102.988 percent from July 27, 2025 to July 26, 2026; or 100 percent from July 27, 2026, to July 27, 2027.

Stephen Loukas further commented: "The semi-annual repurchase offer feature from excess free cash flow allows us the opportunity to continue to maintain an appropriate balance between our revolving syndicated credit facility and the Notes outstanding. In this way, we can better manage overall interest costs as we continue to generate significant free cash flow from our operations. In turn, noteholders potentially benefit by having a known buyer for their Notes in Obsidian Energy."

RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets acted as joint bookrunners for the Offering. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada or in the United States.

ADDITIONAL READER ADVISORIES

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning: free cash flow generated by the Company, and the proposed terms and conditions and repayment, as applicable, thereunder; our ability to navigate market volatility; the terms and conditions of the Notes and New Credit Facilities; when we expect to repay the term loan; how the Company may exercise the redemption feature under the Notes; and our ability to navigate market volatility.

The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Obsidian Energy. Although Obsidian Energy believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because Obsidian Energy can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. By its nature, such forward-looking statements and information are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in commodity prices, changes in industry regulations and political landscape both domestically and abroad, and financial market volatility. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such forward-looking statements and information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements and information. Obsidian Energy gives no assurance that any of the events anticipated will transpire or occur, or, if any of them do, what benefits Obsidian Energy will derive from them. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Readers should also carefully consider the matters discussed that could affect Obsidian Energy, or its operations or financial results in Obsidian Energy's Annual Information Form (see "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" therein) for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is available on the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com), EDGAR website (www.sec.gov ) or Obsidian Energy's website.

Obsidian Energy shares are listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and the NYSE American exchange in the United States under the symbol "OBE".

All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

CONTACT

OBSIDIAN ENERGY

Suite 200, 207 - 9th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1K3

Phone: 403-777-2500

Toll Free: 1-866-693-2707

Website: www.obsidianenergy.com;

Investor Relations:

Toll Free: 1-888-770-2633

E-mail: investor.relations@obsidianenergy.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132026
MADRID, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seedtag , the leader in contextual advertising in EMEA and LATAM, has today announced that it has raised over 250M in funding from private equity investor Advent International .

The company intends to use the funds to further scale its Contextual AI technology, LIZ, as well as for innovation and worldwide operations, advancing its expansion into the US, the world's largest advertising market, and providing additional firepower for further M&A activity as Seedtag embarks on its next phase of international growth. Growth in the United States is a key strategic focus, with Albert Nieto, co-CEO and co-founder of Seedtag relocating, and offices in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles now established.

Over the past eight years, Seedtag has built a privacy-first advertising solution, pioneering the use of AI and machine learning to create the best contextual product in the market. Seedtag's solution is currently the leading contextual solution in Europe and Latin America, with its AI and programs such as Seedtag LAB providing advertisers with a much deeper understanding of user interest without the use of personal data.

Seedtag aims to continue moving forward on its mission to become the global contextual advertising partner for brands and publishers. This investment represents a large step forward, following the outstanding success during the past year. This includes the acquisition of French adtech company KMTX (previously Keymantics), a leading French company specialized in building AI models to optimize and automate performance marketing campaigns, and securing funding from Oakley Capital last year.

As part of the transaction, Seedtag's core existing institutional investors - Oakley Capital, Adara and All Iron Ventures - will remain investors, supporting the company in its next phase of growth.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, will continue as investors, leading the business from both its Spanish and US headquarters.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, stated: "We're very excited about this partnership with Advent. This investment will massively accelerate our US expansion, boost our growth and reinforce our team and the development of our technology. This move further supports our mission of building the global leading platform for contextual advertising, offering an effective solution for cookieless advertising on the open web."

Gonzalo Santos, Managing Director at Advent International and Head of Spain, said: "Seedtag has established itself as a leading player in Europe and Latin America in the very dynamic contextual advertising sector. We are delighted to partner with Jorge and Albert as they continue to build on this momentum. With our international presence and deep sector expertise, Advent will work with the Seedtag management team to further expand the business internationally. We look forward to supporting this hugely exciting business to grow and scale-up and to taking it to the next level."

LionTree acted as exclusive financial advisor to Seedtag. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Seedtag. Uria and Citigroup acted as advisors to Advent.

About Seedtag

Seedtag is the leading Contextual Advertising Company that creates highly impactful and engaging solutions for relevant premium visual content, powering targeting and returns for top publishers and the finest brands. The company's contextual A.I. allows brands to engage with consumers within their universe of interest on a cookie-free basis.

Seedtag was founded in Madrid in 2014 by two ex-Googlers who wanted to get the most out of editorial images and to this day it is a global company that more than 300 employees and an important international presence with offices in Spain, France, Italy, UK, Benelux, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Chile and the US.

About Advent International

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 395 private equity investments across 41 countries, and as of March 31, 2022, had 68.6 billion in assets under management. With 15 offices in 12 countries, Advent has established a globally integrated team of 270 private equity investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology. For over 35 years, Advent has been dedicated to international investing and remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies.

Advent is an experienced investor in the media, marketing and digital transformation sectors, with deep expertise and global experience. Relevant investments in this space include Ansira, a Leading data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions provider, specializing in the integration of local and national marketing programs; CI&T, the leading provider of digital transformation services in Brazil; Encora, a global digital engineering services company specializing in software product development; Nielsen IQ, a comprehensive data, analytics and insights company for global retailers and brands and Tag, an omnichannel content production partner.

Advent began investing in Spain in 1990, making it one of the first international private equity firms to operate in the Iberian Peninsula and has invested over 900 million in the country in total to date.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1867547/Seedtag.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1613054/Seedtag_Logo.jpg
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Livesilver, the UK-based Legal Tech Consultancy company, has announced a suite of services aimed toward its ultimate objective of promoting better access to justice. It intends to achieve this aim through its incorporation of cutting-edge legal technology, with the firm offering a range of cyber-security, blockchain and automation-based services.

The company, established in 2020, is setting out to streamline the path toward justice through a variety of measures, including the use of FinTech and eDiscovery. Senior officials at the firm underline that the latter will form a key part of its recently announced strategies, with the process of eDiscovery revolving around the location and obtainment of electronic data for the purpose of using it as evidence in legal cases.

Another integral aspect of Livesilver's newly unveiled offerings is its utilization of automation to speed up legal cases. Through the company's array of Legal Tech, clients can produce the quantitative outcome of a case much quicker than if they go via traditional channels.

As part of its announcement, Livesilver highlights that its cybersecurity policies will glue together its series of Legal Tech services. As a result, it will offer high-level protection from cyber threats, as well as being one of the first companies in the world to offer physical security solutions in tandem with this. These take the form of ID cards that people can scan in a linked app, enabling Livesilver to offer two-fold protection for the consumer against both physical and cyber threats. Livesilver has received ethical hacking and penetration testing certification from the UK government.

This statement of intent comes in light of reports that nine in ten top law firms are either 'extremely' or 'somewhat' concerned about the risk posed by cyber-security breaches. In addition to this, a significant portion of top law companies admit they are incapable of telling whether they have been the victim of a cyberattack or not. The shift to remote working during the pandemic produced a spike in cyber-crimes, with the volume of ransomware doubling in 2021 compared to the year before and surpassing 600 million.

Anthony Silver, CEO and Founder of Livesilver, underlines, "We are combining cybersecurity, science, data analysis and computing in order to utilize automation as a means of providing Legal Tech solutions. Our mission includes helping clients to gain access to predictive justice, virtual courts and eDiscovery, as well as aiding them as they strive to protect their assets. Livesilver's mission is to bring justice to consumers worldwide through innovative tech services. Cyber-security plays a crucial role in this, which is why we've made it a key pillar of Livesilver's extensive package of services."

Livesilver is an independent consultancy firm offering cybersecurity litigation and fintech analysis, eDiscovery, eDisclosure, GDPR automation, software & web development automation and consulting. It oversees globally minded projects such as Blockchain Legal Tech Africa, MetaverseJusticeVR, Livesilver Britannia Group, I~Quantum JusticeSoft 1.0 and RoboAdvisor.

Media Contact:

Name: Anthony Silver

Email: info@livesilver.net

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132067
Taiwan, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OEG Offshore is pleased to announce the expansion of their presence in Taiwan, starting with the appointment of Mr Kevin Wu as Regional Director for Renewables in the Asia Pacific region. This appointment, along with plans to set up a new company office in Taiwan, is part of the company's ambition to increase the group offering to the emerging Asia Pacific offshore wind market.

Mr Wu's role will involve general management of the company's regional activities, alongside client relationships and stakeholder management. Kevin joins the company with a varied background within offshore engineering in the Taiwan region, with an impressive track record of successful projects ranging from cable installations to consultancy works and construction installation work scopes. Kevin brings a valuable network of contacts to the company, along with vital local experience within the Taiwan region, which will be key in OEG Offshore's plans to bolster its presence in the area.

Dan Greeves, Head of Renewables at OEG Offshore said, "We are delighted to have Kevin join the team at OEG, spearheading the APAC renewables business. Through acquisition and growth, we have seen the business grow in the region and with Kevin's experience in the burgeoning Taiwan market he is well placed to manage the delivery of the full range of OEG products and services throughout Asia Pacific."

Kevin added, "I am delighted to be joining OEG and I'm looking forward to working with the team to develop and grow the business. OEG is well placed to meet the significantly growing global market in renewables; we can leverage the resources from our global teams to address the challenge of short supply of experienced specialists and professional equipment. Our local partners worldwide ensure that OEG is in a good position to contribute local content in compliance with localisation requirements to support renewables projects globally."

Issued by OEG Offshore, a leading provider of standard and bespoke offshore cargo carrying units, waste management, A60 modules, welfare solutions, radio communication systems, marine and subsea services.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1867560/OEG_Offshore_Kevin_Wu.jpg
ftrack reveals new UIs, improved Nuke and Maya integrations, and several other new features that will further reduce friction in today's post-production workflows.

ftrack, the creator of media review and team collaboration solutions for the creative industries, today announced its plans for SIGGRAPH 2022, the leading annual conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques. At this year's event, ftrack will celebrate its innovation-rich history with the release of several feature updates including a new UI and improved Nuke and Maya integrations and will host a theater where attendees can watch demos and hear firsthand from ftrack customers.

This year's event coincides with a significant milestone for ftrack; the 10th anniversary of its founding by CEO Fredrik Limsater and co-founders Bjorn Rydahl and Mattias Lagergren. Over ten years, ftrack has collected a Technology and Engineering Emmy, two Academy Sci-Tech awards, and has served 10 Best VFX Academy Award winners. Hundreds of studios worldwide have used ftrack products with thousands of projects delivered. Learn more about ftrack's 10th anniversary.

"We are thrilled to be able to celebrate ftrack's decade-long journey with our community of fellow creatives at SIGGRAPH," said Limsater. "When we introduced ftrack to the world in 2012, we were a team of just five. Now, 10 years on, and ftrack has scaled in both team size and output. Our love for this industry, dedication to the people working in it, and thirst for innovation have led to three strong products. We can't wait to introduce the many innovative new features we've added to each at SIGGRAPH 2022."

New Product Features, Integrations, and Beta Releases

Since 2012, ftrack has created industry-leading tools that streamline the production pipeline. In ftrack Studio, ftrack Review, and cineSync, ftrack offers seamless production management and review and approval solutions via approachable and effective tools. The suite of features announced at SIGGRAPH 2022 will further increase usability and reduce friction when delivering complex productions via simplified workflows and ergonomic updates.

Connect 2.0

At SIGGRAPH, ftrack will officially introduce Connect 2.0, the desktop application that enables users to integrate ftrack Studio with creative apps, publish assets, launch custom code, and more. Connect 2.0 supports today's VFX pipelines by making it easier to launch integrations and collaborate with artists. Features and benefits include:

A new widget system empowers users to create custom tabs inside Connect, which can contain any processes the user desires.

empowers users to create custom tabs inside Connect, which can contain any processes the user desires. The Plugin Manager massively simplifies the installation of Connect 2.0's widgets and ftrack Studio integrations.

massively simplifies the installation of Connect 2.0's widgets and ftrack Studio integrations. A vastly improved infrastructure, including a new code base, an updated build and packing system, and a new configuration-based application launcher.

New Maya and Nuke ftrack Studio Integrations

Connect 2.0 will launch alongside two new ftrack Studio integrations: Nuke and Maya. These integrations will work with the most recent versions of Nuke and Maya and stand as the first of many new integrations built using ftrack's new Pipeline Framework: a new way of building, delivering, and updating integrations in ftrack Studio. New features include:

Opener: Allows artists to open previously published scene files known as snapshots within the DCC application.

Allows artists to open previously published scene files known as snapshots within the DCC application. Asset Manager: For tracking assets and versioning up and down.

For tracking assets and versioning up and down. Assembler: Allows artists to 'Assemble' published assets by importing or referencing.

Allows artists to 'Assemble' published assets by importing or referencing. Log Viewer: Can be leveraged to debug situations arising within a studio's pipeline.

New ftrack Studio UI and Sidebar

At SIGGRAPH, ftrack will show for the first time the new sidebar coming to ftrack Studio. The new sidebar represents the first step toward a significant UX redesign of ftrack Studio, built on a new technology stack. The new ftrack Studio sidebar offers users an improved user experience with enhanced ease of use and ergonomics. Benefits include:

Improved design and flexibility.

Intuitive navigation capabilities.

New docking modes: docked and modal.

A new UI for client review in ftrack Studio

At SIGGRAPH, ftrack will beta release a new client review experience inside ftrack Studio. The new client review UI in ftrack Studio significantly reimagines what came before and adds new tools and workflows to reduce friction in client feedback sessions. Features include:

A new UI A larger media window, a redesigned feedback bar, and more.

A larger media window, a redesigned feedback bar, and more. An enhanced review experience: More responsive notes and faster session loading.

More responsive notes and faster session loading. New tools: Ghosted annotations, flip and flop images, resolution selection, and more.

ftrack will also launch three other new ftrack Studio features at SIGGRAPH: Split Tasks, Status Permissions, and a new review session Lightbox Player.

ftrack theater at SIGGRAPH

ftrack will run a theater at booth #403 at SIGGRAPH 2022, featuring presentations from the ftrack team and clients. Attendees will hear from ftrack users like The Mill and SWISS, who will discuss how ftrack and cineSync have benefited their pipeline. There will also be sessions on managing review workflows, cineSync 5, ftrack's new integrations, and more. See the full theater schedule.

On Wednesday, August 10, ftrack will host a social mixer, where guests will have an opportunity to show off their Nintendo skills against ftrack's Super Smash Bros. professionals.

When: 5.00pm Wednesday 10 August 2022

Where: Booth #403

The ftrack team will be well represented at SIGGRAPH. If you'd like to meet with the team to learn how ftrack can solve post-production problems today, you set up a meeting via this link.

About ftrack

ftrack, a Backlight business, is the creator of ftrack Studio, cineSync, and ftrack Review, the Emmy and Academy Award-winning production tracking, interactive media review, and team collaboration platforms for the creative industries. ftrack's solutions are designed for producers, supervisors, artists, and pipeline developers and make it easy to seamlessly and securely collaborate with anyone, anywhere. Both ftrack's products and company ethos are founded on the core belief that success results from great teamwork. ftrack has built a talented global team that works with honesty, flexibility, and inclusivity and seeks to build a future where process disappears behind progress. ftrack was founded in 2012 and acquired by Backlight in 2021. ftrack is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022. To learn how ftrack is helping creatives meet the ever-increasing demands of creative workflows, please visit ftrack.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005341/en/

Contacts:

Hotwire for ftrack, a Backlight Business

BacklightUS@hotwireglobal.com



Chris McMahon, ftrack

chris@ftrack.com
MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Critical Elements Lithium Corporation (TSX-V:CRE) (US OTCQX:CRECF) (FSE:F12) ("Critical Elements" or the "Corporation")is pleased to announce the filing on SEDAR of a National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") compliant technical report representing the qualifying report for the recently-announced Feasibility Study at the Rose Lithium-Tantalum Project located in James Bay, Quebec. For more information, please refer to Critical Elements' press release dated June 13, 2022. Highlights of the Feasibility Study are as follows:

Highlights

Average production, Year 2 to Year 16 of 173,317 tonnes of chemical grade 5.5% spodumene concentrate;

Average production, Year 2 to Year 16 of 51,369 tonnes of technical grade 6.0% spodumene concentrate;

Average production, Year 2 to Year 16 of 441 tonnes of tantalum concentrate

Expected life of mine of 17 years;

Average operating costs of US$74.48 per tonne milled, US$540 per tonne of concentrate (all concentrate production combined);

Estimated initial capital cost US$357 million before working capital;

100% equity basis for project;

Average gross margin of 68.3%;

After-tax NPV of US$1,915 million (at 8% discount rate), after-tax IRR of 82.4% and average price assumptions of US$4,039 per tonne technical grade lithium concentrate, US$1,852 per tonne chemical grade lithium concentrate, US$130 per kg tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5); and

Anticipated construction time to start of production of 21 months.

A copy of the technical report, which was filed on SEDAR on July 27, 2022, will be available on the Critical Elements' website at https://www.cecorp.ca/en/rose-43-101/.

Qualified Persons for NI 43-101 compliant report

The Feasibility Study was prepared in accordance to NI 43-101 standards by WSP Canada Inc ("WSP"), Bumigeme Inc., and InnovExplo Inc. InnovExplo Inc. was responsible for the resource estimate and the mine plan, Bumigeme Inc. was responsible for the mineral processing, and WSP was responsible for the environmental study, project infrastructure, financial modelling, and report integration. Information regarding the outlook for lithium comes from a market study prepared by Mr. Gerrit Fuelling on behalf of the Corporation. Mr. Fuelling is an independent consultant specializing in the lithium market.

The qualified persons for the study are:

InnoExplo Inc.;

Carl Pelletier, P.Geo, Geologist

Simon Boudreau, P.Eng, Mining Engineer

Bumigeme Inc.;

Florent Baril, Eng, Metallurgical Engineer

WSP;

Eric Poirier, Eng, PMP, Project Manager

Rick McBride, P.Eng., Mining Engineer

Olivier Joyal, Geologist

About Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

Critical Elements aspires to become a large, responsible supplier of lithium to the flourishing electric vehicle and energy storage system industries. To this end, Critical Elements is advancing the wholly owned, high purity Rose lithium project in Quebec. Rose is the Corporation's first lithium project to be advanced within a land portfolio of over 700 square kilometers. On June 13th, 2022, the Corporation announced results of a feasibility study on Rose for the production of spodumene concentrate. The after-tax internal rate of return for the Project is estimated at 82.4%, with an estimated after-tax net present value of US$1.9 B at an 8% discount rate. In the Corporation's view, Quebec is strategically well-positioned for US and EU markets and boasts good infrastructure including a low-cost, low-carbon power grid featuring 93% hydroelectricity. The project has received approval from the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change on the recommendation of the Joint Assessment Committee, comprised of representatives from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Cree Nation Government; The Corporation is working to obtain similar approval under the Quebec environmental assessment process. The Corporation also has a good, formalized relationship with the Cree Nation.

For further information, please contact:

Patrick Laperriere

Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Development

514-817-1119

plaperriere@cecorp.ca

www.cecorp.ca

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, P. Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

819-354-5146

jslavallee@cecorp.ca

www.cecorp.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is described in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary statement concerning forward-looking statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian Securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "scheduled", "anticipates", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to the completion of the 2022 exploration program and its related objectives, the completion of the provincial permitting process and its potential positive effects on the Corporation and the Project, the completion of engineering study for a chemical plant to produce high quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate, the preparation of the front-end engineering design work for the process plant and related infrastructure, the announce, on June 13th, 2022, of results of a feasibility study on Rose for the production of spodumene concentrate, off-take agreements and purchasers for the Corporation's products, securing sufficient financing on acceptable terms and continued positive discussions and relationships with local communities and stakeholders. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Although Critical Elements has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: results of the Corporation's 2022 exploration program and effects on the Corporation's stated objectives, results of the engineering study for a chemical plant to produce high quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate, issues encountered in connection with the front-end engineering work, impact of the Updated Feasibility Study on the Project, Critical Elements' ability to secure sufficient financing to advance and complete the Project, uncertainties associated with the Corporation's resource and reserve estimates, uncertainties regarding global supply and demand for lithium and tantalum and market and sales prices, uncertainties associated with securing off-take agreements and customer contracts, uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts, uncertainties with respect to optimization opportunities for the Project, as well as those risk factors set out in the Corporation's year-end Management Discussion and Analysis dated August 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available under the Corporation's SEDAR profile. Forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and Critical Elements disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709967/Critical-Elements-Files-NI-43-101-Technical-Report-For-The-Rose-Lithium-tantalum-Feasibility-Study


Groupe Gorge realized 97 million of revenues in the first half of 2022, 2/3 of which were generated by the Drones & Systems division. This activity continues to accelerate, with strong revenue growth in the naval and maritime sector (+16% in the first half of the year) in a context of rising defense budgets worldwide. The commercial successes of the first half of the year for this division are reflected in new orders of more than 60 million (+84% compared with the first half of 2021) across several defense programs. The end of the half-year was marked by an acceleration of commercial efforts. More than 200 million in tenders are underway for underwater mine hunting programs on which the Group is positioned and which should be decided within the next 18 months.

At the same time, the execution of the merger between ECA Group and iXblue is proceeding as planned and should be completed by the end of the third quarter 2022.





Revenues by division

(in million) H1 2022 H1 2021 Var. (%)1 Drones & Systems 62.9 58.8 +7.1% Engineering & Protection systems 34.1 32.2 +6.0% Structure and intra-group eliminations -0.5 -0.6 n.s Consolidated revenues 96.6 90.4 +6.9% Backlog at the end of the period 559.7 559.0 +0.1%





Drones & Systemes (ECA Group)

A ramping-up commercial activity: +84% order intake and more than 200 million in ongoing tender offers

During the first half of 2022, ECA Group has once again demonstrated its ability to leverage its strengths to build up its backlog. Relying on its long-term partnerships with its clients, the quality of its solutions and its track record in executing complex long-term programs, the Group won 62 million in orders, particularly in France, representing an increase of +84% compared to the first half of 2021. This performance is all the more noteworthy as it does not include any major contracts for drone systems.





Additional orders within existing contracts

This solid order intake is primarily the result of ECA's business model, which consists of proposing systems and maintaining them in operational condition, thereby generating recurring revenues. A significant proportion of orders in the first half of the year concerned the expansion of existing contracts: additional options for our systems, support services for customers, spare parts, etc.

As an example, the program for the Belgian and Dutch navies, initially worth nearly 450 million in 2019, now represents nearly 500 million in orders. This already significant amount will continue to grow in the future, with orders for consumables, maintenance and other possible future requirements.





New orders for strategic programs

ECA Group also knows how to leverage its technological bricks used in robotics to bring its value to other programs in the naval defense field. The group has won several orders in the first half of the year for strategic programs that will last several years or even decades. These contracts may also generate additional orders in the future.





A significant order potential in underwater mine-hunting

ECA Group has positioned itself as a key player on a global scale in the fight against underwater mines thanks to its autonomous robot systems. Several tenders are underway, notably in Australia and the Middle East. They represent a total of more than 200 million in potential orders for which the group is positioned and which should be decided within the next 18 months. These different processes have mobilized significant teams since the beginning of the year.

Strong revenue growth in the naval and maritime sector (more than 70% of Drones & Systems revenues): +16% growth

The increase in revenues in the first semester 2022 reflects the good execution of ongoing programs. The flagship program for the Belgian and Dutch navies is proceeding according to plan and is the main growth driver for the first semester. The new drones assembly site in Ostend, Belgium, was inaugurated in June and constitutes another important milestone.

In addition, revenues generated by the other drones and integrated systems programs in the naval and maritime domains have also increased compared to the first semester 2021. These revenues are generated by a diversified base of orders in France and abroad. They include modernization programs for underwater mine-hunting (such as the program for the Latvian Navy), the sale of equipment and services with high technological added value (piloting systems, energy conversion, naval architecture, etc.) as well as recurring revenues from the operational maintenance of all this equipment over long periods.

On-board equipment and associated solutions for the aerospace sector (c.20% of Drones & Systems revenues): +15% growth

The recovery in air traffic over the last few months has generated a significant order flow for emergency beacons. ECA Group has secured several major orders for the replacement of equipment in existing fleets with its ELITE beacon range. These retrofit programs involve several hundred beacons for major airlines, such as American Airlines.

In addition, the new ELITE-SC beacon, the latest addition to the ELITE range, is also attracting interest from many customers in different parts of the world. The commercial prospects for this product are significant and will fuel growth in the coming years.

Other activities, notably industrial, which account for less than 10% of Drones & Systems revenues, are down 41%, particularly in connection with aeronautical production lines (maintenance equipment, production tooling, etc.).





Engineering & Protection Systems

This division now represents 34 million of revenues in the first half of 2022, generated by two activities: fire protection and consulting in engineering and technology. As a reminder, the technical doors business for the nuclear industry is now classified as discontinued operations (IFRS 5) and does not contribute to the published revenues, including in the historical data. Groupe Gorge had previously announced during its 2021 annual results the plan to withdraw from this activity, which is still loss-making.

Revenue growth was driven by the continued development of the consulting in engineering business, whose specialized expertise in operational safety is valued by key players in several industrial sectors.

Revenues from the fire protection business are down slightly compared with the first half of 2021, with good sales momentum for active protection (sprinklers, water mist) offset by a slowdown in sales of passive protection (fire doors, etc.). The latter activity is penalized by certain projects that are complex to execute.

At the same time, order intake in this division remains at a good level and continues to fuel the backlog.





Q2 2022 revenues: a new record for a second quarter

Revenues for the second quarter of 2022 amounted to 51 million, up 5% compared to the second quarter of 2021 (see table with figures by division in the appendix). This solid performance surpasses the record second quarter of 2021 on an comparable scope (as a reminder, Groupe Gorge had achieved organic growth of 52% during this period to reach 48 million).





Outlook

Update on the timetable for the operation of combination of ECA Group and iXblue

In March, Groupe Gorge announced the operation of combination of ECA Group and iXblue in order to create a world leader in cutting-edge technologies for critical applications, particularly in the defense, space and maritime sectors. A presentation of the operation took place at the beginning of April with the management teams of both companies to explain the strategy and the growth perspectives (link to the presentation). As a reminder, the new ECA Group-iXblue entity has the ambition to achieve revenues of more than 500 million and an EBITDA margin of around 25% by 2025-2026.

In accordance with the timetable announced during this presentation, Groupe Gorge and iXblue signed a Sale & Purchase Agreement in April. The closing of the transaction is still subject to a final foreign administrative approval which should be obtained without difficulty. The closing of the transaction is thus expected at the end of the third quarter of 2022. The ECA Group and iXblue teams are now preparing to work together from the day after the closing in order to implement the numerous synergies between the two companies. As an example, a joint demonstration for the Polish Naval Academy took place in July to show the capabilities of subsea asset tracking by combining an ECA underwater drone with an iXblue acoustic positioning system (link to the dedicated press release).

Groupe Gorge will communicate more information on the 2022 guidance once the transaction is closed.







Next financial meeting: publication of the results for the first half of 2022 on September 19 (after the close of trading)

On this occasion, Raphael Gorge, Chairman and CEO, and Loic Le Berre, Deputy CEO in charge of Finance, will comment on Groupe Gorge's results to the financial community and answer analysts' questions during a video webcast.





About Groupe Gorge

Groupe Gorge is a high-tech industrial group driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture. The Group is present in drones, engineering and protection systems. The Group generated revenue of 178 million in 2021.



More information on www.groupe-gorge.com

Groupe Gorge is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment B (GOE).







Contacts:

Investor Relations

Hugo Soussan

Tel. +33 (0)1 44 77 94 86

h.soussan@groupe-gorge.com



Claire Riffaud

Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 79

criffaud@actus.fr



Media Relations

Manon Clairet

Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 73

mclairet@actus.fr

Appendix

Revenues of the second quarter by division

(in million) Q2 2022 Q2 2021 variation

(%) Drones & Systems 32.7 31.5 +3.6% Engineering & Protection systems 18.0 17.1 +5.2% Structure and intra-group eliminations -0.1 -0.4 n.s Consolidated revenues 50.6 48.3 +4.8% Backlog at the end of the period 559.7 559.0 +0.1%

1 The organic change is equal to the change on the basis of the current scope due to the application of IFRS 5 (discontinued operations) to the 3D printing business (Prodways Group) and the technical doors business for the nuclear sector (Baumert), whose contribution to sales has been restated including in the historical data.

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Revenue

In m - unaudited consolidated data 2022/23 2021/22 Change Change at constant scope* and on a constant forex basis Q1 122.0 115.2 +6% +3%

* Excluding Everest Group consulting consolidated since 05/01/2021, why innovation! consolidated since 11/01/2021, NewVantage Partners consolidated since 01/01/2022, and Nomadeis consolidated since 04/01/2022.

Revenue increased by +6% in Q1 2022/23, equivalent to 3% organic growth

In Q1 of the 2022/23 fiscal year (April 1 to June 30, 2022), Wavestone generated a consolidated revenue of 122.0m, an increase of +6%, in line with the firm's business plan.

At constant scope and exchange rates, the firm's organic growth reached +3%.

As a reminder, besides the effect of last year's acquisitions, growth in the quarter benefited from the contribution of Nomadeis, consolidated since April 1, 2022.

Strongly positioned sales prices and consultant utilization rate

The consultant utilization rate was 76% over the quarter, slightly above the firm's normative level, compared with 75% in the Q4 2021/22 and 77% for the whole of the 2021/22 fiscal year.

Sales prices confirmed their positive trend. The average daily rate in Q1 was 868 - an increase of 1.6% compared with the average sales price for the 2021/22 fiscal year (854).

Good recruitment momentum but continued pressure on staff turnover

At June 30, 2022, Wavestone had 3,683 employees compared with 3,732 at the end of March (the end of the 2021/22 fiscal year), a traditional downturn at this period of the year.

Recruitment momentum remained good throughout the quarter, in line with the firm's annual plan, which aims to recruit nearly 1,000 employees over the fiscal year.

Over Q1, pressures on staff turnover rate have increased further. On a rolling 12-month basis, this stood at 19%, compared with 18% for the whole of the previous fiscal year.

Despite these pressures, Wavestone is maintaining its objective of gradually bringing the staff turnover rate back to about 15%, although this goal will certainly be difficult to achieve during the 2022/23 fiscal year.

A start to the fiscal year in line with expectations, but a business environment that remains complex

Wavestone's start to the 2022/23 fiscal year was in line with its business plan. Even though growth is weaker than expected for the year as a whole, due to a demanding baseline effect, operating indicators are strongly positioned.

The issue of human resources is a core area of focus for the firm. As announced at the start of the fiscal year, the firm has made initial adjustments to its salary policy to maintain competitiveness. At the same time, Wavestone is pursuing further increases in sales prices, in order to optimally manage its sales price-to-salary ratio.

The economic downturn is a second focus of the year. Wavestone is therefore particularly alert to signs of a slowdown in demand. To date, however, such slowdowns have not materialized, apart from in transport and the public sector. Against this backdrop, the firm's order book at June 30, 2022 remained excellent - at 4.2 months of work, compared with 4.3 months at March 31, 2022.

Confirmation of the 2022/23 annual objectives

At the end of the first three months of the year, Wavestone confirms its financial objectives for the 2022/23 fiscal year: to achieve a revenue of over 505m for an EBIT margin of the order of 15%. These objectives include Nomadeis and are calculated on a constant forex basis, excluding new acquisitions.

Wavestone also intends to pursue its policy of targeted external growth over the year. The firm is still giving priority to acquisitions in the US and UK, such as the move to acquire a British consulting firm announced on July 20 (read the press release). At the same time, Wavestone does not rule out tactical acquisitions in other geographies.

Next events: Combined Ordinary and Extraordinary Annual General Meeting: July 28, 2022, at 9am; and H1 2022/23 revenue: Thursday, October 27, 2022, after Euronext market closing.

About Wavestone

In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large organizations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of a positive outcome for all stakeholders. This ambition is anchored in the firm's DNA and summarized in its signature approach -"The Positive Way."

Wavestone brings together nearly 4,000 employees in Europe - where it is one of the leading independent consultants - in the United States and in Asia.

Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris and recognized as a Great Place to Work.

Wavestone

Pascal Imbert

CEO

Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00

Benjamin Clement

Financial Communication

Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Actus

Mathieu Omnes

Investor and Analyst Relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92

Deborah Schwartz

Press relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 35

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Montigny Le Bretonneux, July 27, 2022

1ST HALF 2022 REVENUE

+ 115% to 4.3 million

Confirmation of growth input from 8.2 France

+34% at constant scope

Confirmation of the gradual recovery of the O&G business

DOLFINES, an independent specialist in engineering and services in the renewable and conventional energy industry, announces its consolidated revenue for the 1st half of fiscal year 2022, unaudited. The activity of 8.2 France, consolidated since October 1st, 2021, is included in the figures for the 1st half of 2022.

Euro million, French norms H1 2022 H1 2021

(with 8.2 France) H1 2021

(excl. 8.2 France) Group Revenue 4.3 3.2 2.0 o/w Oil & Gas 2.6 1.6 1.6 o/w Renewable energies 1.6 1.2 - o/w Engineering & Technologies 0.1 0.4 0.4

Revenue for the 1st half of 2022 was 4.3 million. It increased by 115% compared to the 1st half of 2021 revenue, which was 2.0 million and did not take into account the activities of 8.2 France, consolidated since October 1st, 2021.

Taking into account the 1.2 million in revenue generated by 8.2 France in the 11st half of 2021, the increase from one half to the next is 34%.

Conventional energies (DOLFINES Oil & Gas Services): +62 %

O&G revenue was 2.6 million, up 62% half-year-on-year. The recovery in exploration investment is now a reality. After years of low intensity, it had become essential in a context of continuous growth in global demand for oil and gas. The major U.S. oilfield services operators are now seeing a decoupling between a favorable outlook for exploration activity and the possible contraction of overall economic growth.

DOLFINES benefits from this promising context on two levels:

Revenue from Audit and Inspection activities increased by 67% to 1.5 million, validating our strategy of geographical positioning in regions with high activity with our presence in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Latin America, notably in Brasil.

In addition, the position gained in 2021 as an approved supplier with Saudi Aramco, the first Global oil producer, when activated by Saudi Aramco, could represent a high business potential in the context of the resumption of global exploration activities.

In Technical Assistance, revenue increased by 47% to 1.1 million. Business continued to benefit from the restart of some contracts suspended in 2020 during the pandemic, confirming the trend seen in 2021.

In addition, the resumption of exploration investment could serve the proposed disposal of the Rig Sedlar 160 in a market looking for immediately usable drilling rigs.

Finally, revenue from the Engineering and Technologies business was 0.1 million (0.4 million in the first half of 2021), with resources being redirected primarily to tomorrow's solutions on offshore wind and digitalization.

Renewable energies (DOLFINES On and Offshore Renewables Services)

The acquisition of 100% of the capital of 8.2 France, completed in September 2021, is one of the essential elements of the group's development strategy in the renewable energy axis.

In the 1st half of 2022, the activity generated a turnover of 1.6 million, up 33% compared to the turnover of 8.2 France in the 1st half of 2021, which was not then integrated into DOLFINES.

In addition to the natural organic growth of the flagship activity of 8.2 France around technical expertise, the increase in revenue from one half to the next is linked to the significant growth of the offshore activity with 8 people seconded in 2022 on the Banc de Guerande project in Saint-Nazaire, led by EDF RE, and the first French offshore wind project with 80 offshore wind turbines. 8.2 France carried out the inspection of the main components on the quay and nacelles during their manufacture. He also accompanied the project during the installation campaign at sea in follow-up of assembly and commissioning.

The consulting activity in renewable energies will benefit from the reinforcement of the teams with the arrival of 3 engineers, as well as the opening of 8.2 Madrid. The coming period will notably see the development of services related to improving the performance of wind turbines and the development of services around rotor inspections by drone.

About Dolfines: www.dolfines.com

Founded in 2000, DOLFINES is an independent specialist in engineering and services in the renewable and conventional energy industry. Faced with the challenges of decarbonizing the energy sector and capitalizing on its strong expertise, DOLFINES wants to play a key role in this energy transition by designing and providing innovative services and solutions for the exploitation of renewable energy sources onshore and offshore, above and below sea level. Respecting the highest standards of quality and safety, DOLFINES is labelled an innovative company certified ISO 9001 for its technical assistance, auditing, inspection and engineering activities.

Euronext Growth TM

DOLFINES is listed on Euronext GrowthTM - Code ISIN: FR0014004QZ9 - Mnemo: ALDOL DOLFINES is eligible to PEA-PME

Contacts :

DOLFINES: Delphine Bardelet Guejo, CFO - delphine.bardelet@dolfines.com

ACTIFIN : Loris Daougabel, Media Relations - + 33 (0) 1 56 88 11 16 - ldaougabel@actifin.fr

COMALTO: Jean-Francois Carminati, Shareholders Relations - + 33 (0) 6 63 87 57 60 - jfcarminati@comalto.com

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Russia said that it will withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 and will instead focus on putting up its own orbiting outpost.

As per CNN, newly appointed head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said that the country will end its decades-long partnership with NASA at the ISS. This is in the middle of Moscow and the West tension due to the war in Ukraine.

During a meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin, Borisov said that before it leaves ISS, it will fulfill its obligations to its partners, according to NPR.

Russia Expressed Reluctance to Commit to ISS Beyond 2024

"The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made. I think that by that time we will start forming a Russian orbiting station," said Borisov.

The statement of Borisov confirmed prior declarations of Russian space officials regarding the intention of Moscow to pull out from space station after 2024.

Based on current arrangements, NASA, together with other international partners, plans to keep ISS working until 2030. However, the Russians expressed reluctance to commit beyond 2024.

After 2030, NASA said that the ISS would be deorbited and eventually crashed into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

Afterwards, the space station would be replaced by commercially operated space platforms, which would be used as a venue for collaboration and scientific research, as per CNN.

Despite Russia's announcement, according to Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station for NASA, the agency is not yet receiving any official word from Russia about the country's decision to withdraw from the ISS.

As per CNN news, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Russia withdrawing from space station is "an unfortunate development given the critical scientific work performed at the ISS."

Read Also: SpaceX Successfully Launches 25th Cargo Mission to ISS - What is It Carrying?

Earlier, Russia Also Threatened to Withdraw From ISS

The threat to withdraw from the ISS does not happen for the first time as Borisov's predecessor, Dmitry Rogozin, made the same threat before he was ousted earlier this month.

Meanwhile, according to Scott Kelly, an American former ISS commander, the announcement of Russia may be "mere posturing."

Kelly said he believes Russia will stay because without ISS they have no human spaceflight program, as per Space.com.

However, it seems that Russia is serious about this most recent threat as Borisov's statement seems to earn the apparent approval of Putin himself.

As per CNN, the transcript of a meeting posted to the Kremlin's website, stated that Putin said "good" after Borisov told him of the plan for Roscosmos to start building its own space station after 2024.

On the other hand, former NASA associate administrator Doug Loverro said that he believes the threat to pull out from the space station is real.

The report about Russia's decision to withdraw from the ISS comes less than two weeks after NASA and Roscosmos made the announcement about the crew-exchange deal. It took four years of negotiation before this deal materialized.

Under the deal, starting in September, two Russian cosmonauts will take their flight on US spacecrafts from Florida. Meanwhile, two American astronauts will be launched from Russian rockets.

In December, the Biden administration expressed its commitment to extend the ISS from 2024 to 2030. However, Russia never signed onto it.

Related Article: NASA's Future Space Stations Might Not be Ready in Time for ISS Retirement
Whittier Trust Company hires Maria H. Marquez as a Senior Vice President, Senior Client Advisor

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / As Senior Vice President and Senior Client Advisor, Maria is responsible for assisting individuals and families in the achievement of their estate planning and wealth management goals. Maria seeks to help Whittier Trust clients to focus on what matters most to them. In congruence with their near and long-term objectives, she shows clients how best to enjoy and transition their wealth with intention and in a manner that connects to their values. Maria also coordinates the administration of trust and agency accounts to ensure the delivery of Whittier Trust's personalized, premiere wealth management services in partnership with investment management, tax and specialty asset professionals,

"Maria has a sterling reputation for devotion to the client experience. Her experience and skills add to our depth in trust administration and make Whittier Trust the standout leader in fiduciary services in the Bay Area. In addition to her direct work with clients, Maria's natural talent for mentoring and training the next generation of professionals will help us ensure that our bench is strong for the future. We are absolutely thrilled to have her on the team." - Tom Frank, Executive Vice President, Northern California Regional Manager at Whittier Trust Company

Prior to joining Whittier Trust, Maria enjoyed a 35-year career with Wells Fargo's Fiduciary Team, working with individuals and families to articulate their financial and estate planning goals. Maria earned her Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley, majoring in Sociology and Social Science with a focus in Mass Communication. She has also completed coursework through the Cannon Financial Institute and holds the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFATM) designation. Maria is a member of the San Francisco Estate Planning Council and serves on the board of Archbishop Riordan High School.

For more information, contact Brandi J. Fields at BFields@whittiertrust.com, or visit www.whittiertrust.com .

Collectively, Whittier Trust Company and The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc. (referred to herein individually and collectively as "Whittier Trust"), are state-chartered trust companies wholly owned by Whittier Holdings, Inc. ("WHI"), a closely held holding company. Whittier Trust is the oldest and largest private multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast. Whittier Trust works with 543 families and over 40 foundations throughout the US and advises on nearly $19 billion in assets. The firm has helped individuals and families manage, grow and transfer wealth intergenerationally for six generations. The firm has offices in South Pasadena, San Francisco, Newport Beach, West Los Angeles, Reno, Seattle, and Portland. To learn more, visit http://www.whittiertrust.com .

Contact:

Brandi J. Fields

Whittier Trust

Email: BFields@whittiertrust.com

SOURCE: Whittier Trust

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709979/Whittier-Trust-Welcomes-Maria-Marquez-as-Senior-Vice-President
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp (CSE: WOGC) ("WOGC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that on July 28, 2022, the common shares of WOGC will be listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and will start trading on July 28, 2022. For information about WOGC, please refer to the Filing Statement dated July 18, 2022 and filed on July 26, 2022 on www.sedar.com or on the WOGC website at www.waskahiganoil.com.

About Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp

Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp is a junior oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in the Western Canadian sedimentary basin. For further information, please contact:

Gregory J. Leia, President and CEO

Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp.

Suite 203 - 221 - 10th Avenue SE

Calgary Alberta T2G 0V9

T: (403) 265 4122

Email: gleia@waskahiganoil.com

www.waskahiganoil.com

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release states that readers should review the Filing Statement for further information on the Company. The Filing Statements includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting oil and gas operations, the Company's operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Filing Statement dated July 18, 2022 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this presentation or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132088
Miami, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Jozef Opdeweegh, published author of " Fair Value: Reflections on Good Business ", and international Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years of experience and former Chairman and Board Member of private and public companies, reflects on the milestone of becoming a published author, a year after its official launch , and what this meant for his career and individual growth.

Drawing on his knowledge and experience as a business front-runner across the globe, Jozef Opdeweegh has always kept a critical relationship between the values we live by and the values we create in order to make grounded, smart decisions in his professional (and personal) career. This philosophy or as he may call "values-based leadership" approach quickly became the lens through which Jozef Opdeweegh has constantly viewed the current state of events, and served as a formula for success that is influenced by great thinkers from the past.

"Fair Value is a collection of essays and reflections on how in a world of constant change it is the consistency of the values we live and work by that provide the foundations of our growth as individuals and organizations, said Jozef Opdeweegh in a recent interview with Authority Magazine . "Drawing on real-life examples I try to show how qualities such as trust, care, and integrity are essential for us to progress together and make the most of our collective talents."

Since writing Fair Value, Jozef Opdeweegh has built a platform of authority by curating a career that holds his views in a way that creates an opportunity for positive influence. As a business leader it's a unique opportunity to set out your personal manifesto and to capture the attention of your reader in a controlled manner that is otherwise rarely afforded. After an entire year of reflection, Jozef Opdeweegh recently shared the key traits that a newly published author should hold into consideration to help their authority:

Clarity: For writers to be able to use real-life examples, it's important to let go of the notion of constantly using clever jargon and terms that set out to impress. Instead, clarity comes from speaking from a place where authors feel comfortable expressing their shared values and not restricted to our workplace or churches, but embedded in our actions and communities, binding together all that we hold dear.

Adaptability: In writing a book we have to hold in tension a clarity about what we want to say with a willingness to respond and adapt as ideas and thoughts emerge. For example, in Fair Value, Jozef Opdeweegh included an essay previously published on the importance of nurturing talent in organizations. What followed was a complimentary essay on the building and blending of talent which added - and improved - to these thoughts. This is a good example of collective thinking for leading a business and writing a book: we shouldn't expect to have all the answers straight away!

Humility: Writing a book does not guarantee a formula to success, but rather an invitation to follow a path of discovery based on the values and virtues we believe to be good. When leaders share their findings and philosophies, it doesn't necessarily mean they have the right answers, but it is vital for their work to stand to them to test them out over time.

Writing a book, particularly on leadership has become one of Jozef Opdeweegh's most enriching investments and explorations of his beliefs and core values. As an author, Opdeweedh has been able to reflect on his truth to self and start sharing that approach more and more through following opportunities and current professional settings. Jozef Opdeweegh believes that whether you're a professional or a lifetime entrepreneur, building a personal brand has tremendous benefits. The more you intentionally invest energy in your brand, the greater return you'll experience in revenue and impact growth. An audience of tuned-in consumers gives leaders leverage that leads to growth.

"As high-performing leaders, our goal is to create freedom and build a legacy. Writing and publishing a book develops an asset that will outlive you and your work", Jozef Opdeweegh concluded.

In publishing Fair Value , Opdeweegh partnered with Koehler Books , an independent boutique publisher located in Virginia Beach, VA, with a track record of publishing more than twenty Amazon #1 sellers and recipients of dozens of literary awards.

The book is available through top online retailers Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound, and it is also available for Kindle. Interested readers can also order the book through the official book website here . Jozef Opdeweegh is also available for speaking engagements with professional groups, organizations, and universities.

Contact

Andrew Mitchell

Email: media@cambridgeglobalmedia.com

Phone: 404-955-7133

SOURCE: Jozef Opdeweegh

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710007/Jozef-Opdeweegh-First-Time-Author-Reflects-On-Writing-A-Book-To-Build-a-Legacy
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Lotus Ventures Inc. (CSE:J) (OTC:LTTSF) ("Lotus" or the "Company"), a licensed cannabis producer and wholesaler of premium cannabis flower in Canada is providing an update for its shareholders in regard to its sales and marketing strategy moving into the fall months of 2022.

Lotus in its initial two years of production achieved high sales volumes and profitability in the cannabis flower B2B market. Over the past six months Lotus has experienced a slowdown in its wholesale business due to several factors, including but not limited to, wholesale partners exiting the B2B space to focus on the adult-use recreational market, wholesale partners being acquired by other companies, or producers exiting the cannabis space altogether. Lotus is well along on implementing its original gameplan of adding the retail market channel to its sales approach. This new channel provides for both higher margins and a diversification of sales. The Company also recognizes the current state of the Canadian cannabis industry and has adjusted its strategy to further diversify sales channels away from solely B2B sales. The Company is confident it will be able to fulfill the current market demand with its diversified multi-pronged sales approach.

Production Update:

Thus far Lotus has made great strides in producing top-shelf cannabis along with sourcing and developing first-to-market and exclusive strains (The Kalifornia and Tranquil Elephantizer), both of which have been sold at the BC Cannabis Store and the Ontario Cannabis Store, as well as at participating retailers. Lotus recently harvested its largest single lot of the Tranquil Elephantizer with an over 50% greater yield than original expectations and we continually strive to push the quality and yield to even newer highs.

As Lotus obtained its Standard Processing/Sales license on September 8, 2021, the Company is working to obtain provincial sales SKUs. Lotus is currently looking at parallel direct-to-consumer packaging paths which include both in-house and outsourced options for these first steps. Outsourcing the mid-stream packaging and distribution responsibilities provides an expedited, and initially cheaper start-up capex. Direct-to-market creates additional sales channels and increases the margin potential without the need for a large capital influx. This in turn also reduces the volatilitythe industry has experienced in the B2B market.

Lotus has some traction with the Tranquil Elephantizer currently being sold in BC and Ontario but is preparing for the future with more exclusive cultivars that have already been placed into production. The Company is taking the reins to build a recognized brand that reflects the Lotus quality and pride put into the product that is grown in BC.

Lotus Steps Going Forward:

Lotus has started two new very promising cultivars with expected average THC levels of 25% and expects the first harvests to reflect this. The Company is looking for consistent THC levels and to push the THC% ceiling of these new cultivars even higher. Upcoming harvests can be expected in late August with the potential to be ready to ship bulk product in mid to late October if packaged given no unforeseen delays.

The Company is currently working to meet all supply chain requirements to achieve direct-to-consumer sales in the shortest time frame possible. (Registrations, Applications, vendor relations, compliance).

With a long-term focus on the BC, Alberta, and Ontario markets, Lotus has continued to evolve its sales strategy into a multi-pronged approach which should effectively increase sales in all channels while improving the internal control for Lotus. The Company initially expects SKUs to be applied for in BC with Alberta and Ontario to promptly follow.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

Lotus Ventures Inc.

"Dale McClanaghan"

Dale McClanaghan, President, and CEO

About Lotus Ventures Inc.

Lotus Ventures Inc. (CSE: J) is a BC-based licensed producer and wholesaler of premium cannabis. Lotus owns and operates the consumer brand Lotus Cannabis Co., which has had its flower sold by wholesale partners in nine Canadian provinces to date, not including Quebec. Lotus is an experienced cultivator in the North Okanagan and the Lotus flower is currently sold in BC and Ontario by Kolab Project.

To invest in the Company, Lotus Ventures Inc. is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol J and on the OTC Markets under the symbol LTTSF.

For Further Information:

President & CEO

Dale McClanaghan

dalemcclanaghan@gmail.com

604-644-9844

Investor Relations

Daniel McRobert

investors@lotuscannabis.ca

604-842-4625

General Inquiries

info@lotuscannabis.ca

Learn more by visiting our website at lotuscannabis.ca and by following our brand on social media.

Instagram:@lotuscannabisco

Twitter:@lotuscannabisco

LinkedIn:@lotuscannabisco

Facebook: @lotuscanna

Forward-Looking Information:

The information contained within this news release has been prepared by Lotus Ventures Inc. This document includes certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts but are forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, those concerning our expected financial performance and strategic and operational plans, our future operating results, our expectations regarding the market for medical and recreational cannabis products, our expectations regarding the continued growth of the medical and recreational cannabis market, as well as all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions, or beliefs about future events. Users are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that several risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties have not been documented or mentioned in this document nor other communications made by the company. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "targets," "optimistic," "intend," "aim," "will" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Lotus Ventures, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710005/Lotus-Provides-an-Update-for-Shareholders
LOS GATOS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Tenon Medical, Inc. ("Tenon" or the "Company"), a medical device company that has developed a proprietary, U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") cleared surgical implant system for sacroiliac joint ("SI Joint") fixation/fusion surgery, today announced plans to release financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022 after market close on Thursday, August 11, 2022. The Company will also hold a conference call the same day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results in further detail. The call with conclude with a Q&A session.

Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022 Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time Dial-in: 1-877-249-4692 International Dial-in: 1-212-271-4651 Conference Code: 22019821 Webcast: TNON Conference Call

Please dial in at least 10 minutes before the start of the call to ensure timely participation.

An audio playback of the call will be available through August 25, 2022, on Tenon's Investor Relations website at http://ir.tenonmed.com/ or via telephone replay by dialing 1-844-512-2921 (USA) or 1-412-317-6671 (International). The access code will be 22019821.

About Tenon Medical, Inc.

Tenon Medical, Inc., a medical device company formed in 2012, has developed a proprietary, FDA cleared surgical implant system, which is designed to optimize SI-Joint fixation / fusion surgery and corresponding outcomes. Tenon is preparing a national launch of this system to address the greatly underserved market opportunity that exists in this space. For more information, please visit https://www.tenonmed.com/.

Investor Contact

Shannon Devine

MZ North America

203-741-8811

tenon@mzgroup.us

SOURCE: Tenon Medical, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/709995/Tenon-Medical-Inc-Announces-Timing-of-Second-Quarter-2022-Financial-Results
Subsea inbound of $1.9 billion in the quarter; full-year now expected to approach $7 billion

Gross debt reduced by $530 million in the quarter to $1.5 billion

Shareholder distributions initiated with $400 million share repurchase authorization

TechnipFMC plc (NYSE: FTI) (the "Company" or "TechnipFMC") today reported second quarter 2022 results.

Summary Financial Results from Continuing Operations

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in financial schedules.

Three Months Ended Change (In millions, except per share amounts) Jun. 30, 2022 Mar. 31, 2022 Jun. 30, 2021 Sequential Year-over- Year Revenue $1,717.2 $1,555.8 $1,668.8 10.4% 2.9% Income (loss) $2.1 $(42.3) $(174.7) n/m n/m Diluted earnings (loss) per share $0.00 $(0.09) $(0.39) n/m n/m Adjusted EBITDA $186.5 $153.5 $144.3 21.5% 29.2% Adjusted EBITDA margin 10.9% 9.9% 8.6% 100 bps 230 bps Adjusted income (loss) $8.4 $(13.0) $(26.0) n/m n/m Adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share $0.02 $(0.03) $(0.06) n/m n/m Inbound orders $2,201.7 $2,184.9 $1,559.5 0.8% 41.2% Backlog $9,039.4 $8,894.1 $7,312.0 1.6% 23.6% n/m not meaningful

Total Company revenue in the second quarter was $1,717.2 million. Income from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC was $2.1 million, or $0.00 per diluted share. These results included after-tax charges and credits totaling $6.3 million of expense, or $0.01 per share, which included the following (Exhibit 6):

Restructuring and other charges of $7.1 million; and

Income from equity investment in Technip Energies of $0.8 million.

Adjusted income from continuing operations was $8.4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share (Exhibit 6). Included in adjusted income from continuing operations was a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $29.8 million.

Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes pre-tax charges and credits, was $186.5 million; adjusted EBITDA margin was 10.9 percent (Exhibit 8). Included in adjusted EBITDA was a foreign exchange loss of $0.8 million.

As announced earlier today1, the Company's Board of Directors has authorized a new share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to $400 million of its outstanding ordinary shares. The program represents 14 percent of the Company's outstanding shares at yesterday's closing price. In addition, the Company reaffirmed its intent to initiate a quarterly dividend in the second half of 2023.

Doug Pferdehirt, Chair and CEO of TechnipFMC, stated, "Our debt reduction reached an important milestone in the quarter, providing us with the flexibility to initiate shareholder distributions as evidenced by the new share repurchase program. We firmly believe that our shares are undervalued, and this action underscores our confidence in the long-term outlook for our Company."

Pferdehirt continued, "I am very pleased with our operational performance in the quarter, which drove total Company adjusted EBITDA of $187 million. We also experienced continued strength in Subsea inbound. Orders for the first half of the year grew to $3.8 billion, a book-to-bill of 1.4, with iEPCI, direct awards and subsea services representing approximately 70 percent of total orders."

"Earlier this month, we announced the award of an integrated front end engineering and design (iFEED) contract by Equinor for the BM-C-33 project offshore Brazil. This includes an option to proceed with a direct award to our Company for the iEPCI phase of the project. Upon final investment decision, this would be one of the single largest integrated awards to date for the industry. This will also be the first time Equinor uses our configure-to-order production systems and further underscores our view that more than 50 percent of our tree orders will be Subsea 2.0 over the next two years."

Pferdehirt added, "In the first half of the year, TechnipFMC was awarded 117 subsea trees. This is nearly double the volume of trees we sold in all of 2021 and serves as further indication that the industry is in full growth mode. This underlying strength is also displayed in our Subsea Opportunities List, which increased by 20 percent in value sequentially and now represents an opportunity set of $24 billion for the industry."

"Based on our results, the growing project pipeline, and the active dialogue with our large and expanding customer base, we expect full-year Subsea orders will be up as much as 40 percent versus the prior year, above our previous forecast of 30 percent, with orders now approaching $7 billion in 2022."

"In Surface Technologies, we saw solid growth in North America sales and profitability, and we continue to move pricing higher as needed to ensure we earn an acceptable return on our investments. Outside of North America, we have received our first in-country orders for the new facility in Saudi Arabia, setting the stage for improved financial performance as we ramp-up production in the second half of the year."

Pferdehirt concluded, "We remain focused on delivering on our commitments. The reduction in gross debt in the period was another step forward in restoring our balance sheet to our targeted capital structure. We have initiated shareholder distributions, with our near-term actions focused on value-accretive share repurchases. Finally, we reaffirmed our full-year guidance for 2022 and remain confident that our internal initiatives coupled with the strong market backdrop provide us with a clear path to achieve Subsea EBITDA of more than $1 billion by 2025."

_____________________

1 Please refer to the Company's press release issued July 27, 2022, titled TechnipFMC Announces $400 Million Share Repurchase Authorization. The press release can be found at www.TechnipFMC.com.



Operational and Financial Highlights

Subsea

Financial Highlights

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in financial schedules.

Three Months Ended Change (In millions) Jun. 30, 2022 Mar. 31, 2022 Jun. 30, 2021 Sequential Year-over- Year Revenue $1,414.6 $1,289.1 $1,394.3 9.7% 1.5% Operating profit $97.1 $54.0 $72.4 79.8% 34.1% Adjusted EBITDA $176.0 $129.0 $154.1 36.4% 14.2% Adjusted EBITDA margin 12.4% 10.0% 11.1% 240 bps 130 bps Inbound orders $1,928.0 $1,893.6 $1,291.3 1.8% 49.3% Backlog1,2,3 $7,926.3 $7,741.3 $6,951.6 2.4% 14.0% Estimated Consolidated Backlog Scheduling (In millions) Jun. 30, 2022 2022 (6 months) $2,030 2023 $3,226 2024 and beyond $2,670 Total $7,926 1 Backlog as of June 30, 2022 was decreased by a foreign exchange impact of $327 million. 2Backlog does not capture all revenue potential for Subsea Services. 3Backlog as of June 30, 2022 does not include total Company non-consolidated backlog of $534 million.

Subsea reported second quarter revenue of $1,414.6 million, an increase of 9.7 percent from the first quarter. Revenue increased sequentially primarily due to higher project activity in Africa, the North Sea and Brazil. Subsea services revenue increased versus the first quarter due to seasonal improvement, including higher installation activity.

Subsea reported an operating profit of $97.1 million. Sequentially, operating profit increased largely due to higher revenue, improved margins in backlog and increased installation and services activity.

Subsea reported adjusted EBITDA of $176 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 36.4 percent when compared to the first quarter. The factors impacting operating profit also drove the sequential increase in adjusted EBITDA. Sequentially, adjusted EBITDA margin improved 240 basis points to 12.4 percent.

Subsea inbound orders were $1,928 million for the quarter. Book-to-bill in the period was 1.4. The following awards were included in the period:

ExxonMobil Yellowtail Project (Guyana)

Awarded an additional contract and received notice to proceed for the Yellowtail development in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The newly announced significant* flexibles contract covers six risers which are qualified for high pressure and high temperature. The Company has also been given full notice to proceed with the previously announced contract for the subsea production system (SPS), following ExxonMobil's final investment decision in April. The initial award of the large* contract was announced in November 2021. TechnipFMC will provide project management, engineering, manufacturing and testing capabilities for the SPS, which includes 51 enhanced vertical deepwater trees (EVDT) and associated tooling, as well as 12 manifolds and associated controls and tie-in equipment. The majority of the total contract awards was included in the Company's second quarter inbound orders.

*A "significant" contract ranges between $75 million and $250 million; a "large" contract ranges between $500 million and $1 billion.

Equinor Halten East Project (Norway)

Significant* Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) contract by Equinor for subsea tiebacks for the Halten East development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The contract covers the manufacture and installation of flowlines and the installation of umbilicals and subsea structures. The development of Halten East consists of the Gamma, Harepus, Flyndretind, Nona, Sigrid and Natalia discoveries. Halten East is a subsea development tied back to the existing infrastructure on the Asgard field. The award is the latest call-off on a subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) framework agreement between the two companies. The contract is subject to government approval of the plan for development and operation.

*A "significant" contract ranges between $75 million and $250 million.

TotalEnergies CLOV3 Project (Angola)

Significant* contract by TotalEnergies EP Angola to supply subsea production systems for the CLOV3 development in Block 17, offshore Angola. It is the first contract under the companies' new framework agreement covering subsea trees for brownfield developments in Block 17 in Angola. The CLOV3 contract includes Subsea 2.0 trees and associated controls, umbilical termination assemblies, jumpers and services. Subsea 2.0 products use standardized components that are pre-engineered and qualified, which allows equipment to be rapidly configured according to each project's specific requirements. This optimizes the engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing processes, thus reducing the time to first oil and/or gas.

*A "significant" contract ranges between $75 million and $250 million.



Subsequent to the period, the following awards were announced:

Equinor iFEED Contract BM-C-33 Project (Brazil)

Integrated Front End Engineering and Design (iFEED) study on Equinor's BM-C-33 project offshore Brazil. The study will finalize the technical solution for the proposed gas and condensate greenfield development in the pre-salt Campos Basin before Equinor makes its final investment decision (FID). The iFEED study includes an option to proceed with a direct award to TechnipFMC for the integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (iEPCI) phase of the project. The major* iEPCI contract would cover the entire subsea system, including Subsea 2.0 tree systems, manifolds, jumpers, rigid risers and flowlines, umbilicals, pipeline end terminations, and subsea distribution and topside control equipment. TechnipFMC would also be responsible for life-of-field services.

*A "major" contract is more than $1 billion. Order inbound for the iEPCI phase of the project remains subject to FID and contract approval.



Energy Transition Highlights

Orbital Marine Power received two tidal energy contracts

Orbital Marine Power was awarded two contracts for difference in the UK Allocation Round 4 process. This significant milestone underpins the delivery of multi-turbine projects in Eday, Orkney. Capable of delivering 7.2MW of predictable clean energy to the grid once completed, these Orbital tidal stream energy projects will support the UK's security of supply, energy transition and broader climate change objectives. Orbital is collaborating with TechnipFMC to accelerate the global commercialization of its tidal stream turbine.

Surface Technologies

Financial Highlights

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are provided in financial schedules.

Three Months Ended Change (In millions) Jun. 30, 2022 Mar. 31, 2022 Jun. 30, 2021 Sequential Year-over-Year Revenue $302.6 $266.7 $274.5 13.5% 10.2% Operating profit $10.0 $3.7 $12.9 170.3% (22.5%) Adjusted EBITDA $32.4 $22.0 $30.2 47.3% 7.3% Adjusted EBITDA margin 10.7% 8.2% 11.0% 250 bps (30 bps) Inbound orders $273.7 $291.3 $268.2 (6.0%) 2.1% Backlog $1,113.1 $1,152.8 $360.4 (3.4%) 208.9%

Surface Technologies reported second quarter revenue of $302.6 million, an increase of 13.5 percent from the first quarter. Revenue increased sequentially primarily due to the accelerated growth in drilling and completion activity in North America.

Surface Technologies reported operating profit of $10 million. Operating profit increased sequentially primarily due to higher activity and improved pricing in North America, partially offset by higher restructuring and other charges. Outside of North America, operating profit increased modestly due to the impacts of the transition to a new manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia.

Surface Technologies reported adjusted EBITDA of $32.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 47.3 percent when compared to the first quarter. The factors impacting operating profit also drove the sequential increase in adjusted EBITDA. Sequentially, adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 250 basis points to 10.7 percent.

Inbound orders for the quarter were $273.7 million, a decrease of 6 percent sequentially. Backlog ended the period at $1,113.1 million. Given the short-cycle nature of the business, orders are generally converted into revenue within twelve months.

Corporate and Other Items (three months ended, June 30, 2022)

Corporate expense was $22 million. Excluding charges and credits totaling $0.2 million of expense, corporate expense was $21.8 million.

Foreign exchange loss was $0.8 million.

Net interest expense was $27.7 million.

The provision for income taxes was $19.8 million.

Total depreciation and amortization was $94 million.

Cash required by operating activities from continuing operations was $96.9 million. Capital expenditures were $36.1 million. Free cash deficit from continuing operations was $133 million (Exhibit 11).

In May 2022, the Company completed a tender offer for $430 million of its outstanding 6.500% Senior Notes due February 1, 2026. Gross debt declined by $530.4 million in the quarter to $1.5 billion.

The Company ended the period with cash and cash equivalents of $684.9 million; net debt was $789.8 million (Exhibit 10).

Investment in Technip Energies

The Company completed the partial spin-off of Technip Energies on February 16, 2021. Financial results for Technip Energies are reported as discontinued operations. The Company's investment in Technip Energies is reflected in current assets at market value.

Following the distribution of the majority stake, the Company retained ownership of 49.9% of Technip Energies' outstanding shares. The Company sold its remaining 4 million Technip Energies shares during the quarter for total proceeds of $50 million. The Company fully exited its position for total proceeds of $1,189.5 million.

2022 Full-Year Financial Guidance2

The Company's full-year guidance for 2022 can be found in the table below. No updates were made to the previous guidance issued on February 23, 2022.

All segment guidance assumes no further material degradation from COVID-19-related impacts. Guidance is based on continuing operations and thus excludes the impact of Technip Energies, which is reported as discontinued operations.

2022 Guidance (As of February 23, 2022) Subsea Surface Technologies Revenue in a range of $5.2 5.6 billion Revenue in a range of $1,150 1,300 million EBITDA margin in a range of 11 12% (excluding charges and credits) EBITDA margin in a range of 11 13% (excluding charges and credits) TechnipFMC Corporate expense, net $100 110 million (includes depreciation and amortization of ~$5 million) Net interest expense $105 115 million Tax provision, as reported $100 110 million Capital expenditures approximately $230 million Free cash flow $100 250 million

_____________________

2 Our guidance measures of adjusted EBITDA margin and free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures. We are unable to provide a reconciliation to comparable GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort because of the unpredictability of the individual components of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure and the variability of items excluded from each such measure. Such information may have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future financial results.



Teleconference

The Company will host a teleconference on Thursday, July 28, 2022 to discuss the second quarter 2022 financial results. The call will begin at 1 p.m. London time (8 a.m. New York time). Webcast access and an accompanying presentation can be found at www.TechnipFMC.com.

An archived audio replay will be available after the event at the same website address. In the event of a disruption of service or technical difficulty during the call, information will be posted on our website.

About TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a leading technology provider to the traditional and new energy industries; delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services.

With our proprietary technologies and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients' project economics, helping them unlock new possibilities to develop energy resources while reducing carbon intensity and supporting their energy transition ambitions.

Organized in two business segments Subsea and Surface Technologies we will continue to advance the industry with our pioneering integrated ecosystems (such as iEPCI, iFEED and iComplete), technology leadership and digital innovation.

Each of our approximately 20,000 employees is driven by a commitment to our clients' success, and a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry conventions.

TechnipFMC uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. To learn more about how we are driving change in the industry, go to www.TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statement usually relate to future events and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows, or other aspects of our operations or operating results. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as "guidance," "confident," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "intend," "foresee," "should," "would," "could," "may," "will," "likely," "predicated," "estimate," "outlook" and similar expressions, including the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs, and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on us. While management believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. All of our forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are significant or beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections, including unpredictable trends in the demand for and price of crude oil and natural gas; competition and unanticipated changes relating to competitive factors in our industry, including ongoing industry consolidation; the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the demand for our products and services; our inability to develop, implement and protect new technologies and services; the cumulative loss of major contracts, customers or alliances; disruptions in the political, regulatory, economic and social conditions of the countries in which we conduct business; the refusal of DTC and Euroclear to act as depository and clearing agencies for our shares; the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union; the impact of our existing and future indebtedness and the restrictions on our operations by terms of the agreements governing our existing indebtedness; the risks caused by our acquisition and divestiture activities; the risks caused by fixed-price contracts; any delays and cost overruns of new capital asset construction projects for vessels and manufacturing facilities; our failure to deliver our backlog; our reliance on subcontractors, suppliers and our joint venture partners; a failure or breach of our IT infrastructure or that of our subcontractors, suppliers or joint venture partners, including as a result of cyber-attacks; the risks of pirates endangering our maritime employees and assets; potential liabilities inherent in the industries in which we operate or have operated; our failure to comply with numerous laws and regulations, including those related to environmental protection, health and safety, labor and employment, import/export controls, currency exchange, bribery and corruption, taxation, privacy, data protection and data security; the additional restrictions on dividend payouts or share repurchases as an English public limited company; uninsured claims and litigation against us, including intellectual property litigation; tax laws, treaties and regulations and any unfavorable findings by relevant tax authorities; the uncertainties related to the anticipated benefits or our future liabilities in connection with the spin-off of Technip Energies; any negative changes in Technip Energies' results of operations, cash flows and financial position, which impact the value of our remaining investment therein; potential departure of our key managers and employees; adverse seasonal and weather conditions and unfavorable currency exchange rate and risk in connection with our defined benefit pension plan commitments and other risks as discussed in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

Exhibit 1 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(In millions, except per share data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31 June 30, June 30, 2022 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue 1,717.2 1,555.8 1,668.8 3,273.0 3,300.8 Costs and expenses 1,640.2 1,545.4 1,636.3 3,185.6 3,267.1 77.0 10.4 32.5 87.4 33.7 Other income, net 7.3 46.2 11.8 53.5 55.1 Income (loss) from investment in Technip Energies 0.8 (28.5 (146.8 (27.7 323.3 Income (loss) before net interest expense and income taxes 85.1 28.1 (102.5 113.2 412.1 Net interest expense (27.7 (33.9 (35.2 (61.6 (69.7 Loss on early extinguishment of debt (29.8 (29.8 (23.5 Income (loss) before income taxes 27.6 (5.8 (137.7 21.8 318.9 Provision for income taxes 19.8 28.5 34.9 48.3 59.4 Income (loss) from continuing operations 7.8 (34.3 (172.6 (26.5 259.5 Net (income) from continuing operations attributable to non-controlling interests (5.7 (8.0 (2.1 (13.7 (3.9 Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc 2.1 (42.3 (174.7 (40.2 255.6 Income (loss) from discontinued operations (19.4 7.7 (19.4 (52.5 Income from discontinued operations attributable to non-controlling interests (1.9 Net income (loss) attributable to TechnipFMC plc 2.1 (61.7 (167.0 (59.6 201.2 Earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations Basic 0.00 (0.09 (0.39 (0.09 0.57 Diluted 0.00 (0.09 (0.39 (0.09 0.56 Earnings (loss) per share from discontinued operations Basic and diluted 0.00 (0.04 0.02 (0.04 (0.12 Earnings (loss) per share attributable to TechnipFMC plc Basic 0.00 (0.13 (0.37 (0.13 0.45 Diluted 0.00 (0.13 (0.37 (0.13 0.44 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 452.2 451.1 450.6 451.6 450.4 Diluted 456.8 451.1 450.6 451.6 454.9

Exhibit 2 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

BUSINESS SEGMENT DATA

(In millions) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31 June 30, June 30, 2022 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue Subsea 1,414.6 1,289.1 1,394.3 2,703.7 2,780.8 Surface Technologies 302.6 266.7 274.5 569.3 520.0 1,717.2 1,555.8 1,668.8 3,273.0 3,300.8 Segment operating profit Subsea 97.1 54.0 72.4 151.1 109.4 Surface Technologies 10.0 3.7 12.9 13.7 21.1 Total segment operating profit 107.1 57.7 85.3 164.8 130.5 Corporate items Corporate expense (1) (22.0 (29.5 (30.3 (51.5 (59.1 Net interest expense and loss on early extinguishment of debt (57.5 (33.9 (35.2 (91.4 (93.2 Income (loss) from investment in Technip Energies 0.8 (28.5 (146.8 (27.7 323.3 Foreign exchange gains (losses) (0.8 28.4 (10.7 27.6 17.4 Total corporate items (79.5 (63.5 (223.0 (143.0 188.4 Income (loss) before income taxes (2) 27.6 (5.8 (137.7 21.8 318.9

(1) Corporate expense primarily includes corporate staff expenses, share-based compensation expenses, and other employee benefits. (2) Includes amounts attributable to non-controlling interests.

Exhibit 3 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

BUSINESS SEGMENT DATA

(In millions, unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Inbound Orders(1) June 30, March 31 June 30, June 30, 2022 2022 2021 2022 2021 Subsea 1,928.0 1,893.6 1,291.3 3,821.6 2,810.1 Surface Technologies 273.7 291.3 268.2 565.0 471.5 Total inbound orders 2,201.7 2,184.9 1,559.5 4,386.6 3,281.6

Order Backlog(2) June 30, 2022 March 31, 2022 June 30, 2021 Subsea 7,926.3 7,741.3 6,951.6 Surface Technologies 1,113.1 1,152.8 360.4 Total order backlog 9,039.4 8,894.1 7,312.0

(1) Inbound orders represent the estimated sales value of confirmed customer orders received during the reporting period.. (2) Order backlog is calculated as the estimated sales value of unfilled, confirmed customer orders at the reporting date.

Exhibit 4 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions) (Unaudited) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents 684.9 1,327.4 Trade receivables, net 1,097.8 911.9 Contract assets, net 1,025.0 966.0 Inventories, net 1,067.1 1,031.9 Other current assets 859.8 787.0 Investment in Technip Energies 317.3 Total current assets 4,734.6 5,341.5 Property, plant and equipment, net 2,391.3 2,597.2 Intangible assets, net 761.4 813.7 Other assets 1,399.8 1,267.7 Total assets 9,287.1 10,020.1 Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt 104.0 277.6 Accounts payable, trade 1,250.4 1,294.3 Contract liabilities 804.4 1,012.9 Other current liabilities 1,351.7 1,267.0 Total current liabilities 3,510.5 3,851.8 Long-term debt, less current portion 1,370.7 1,727.3 Other liabilities 1,061.5 1,022.6 TechnipFMC plc stockholders' equity 3,319.4 3,402.7 Non-controlling interests 25.0 15.7 Total liabilities and equity 9,287.1 10,020.1

Exhibit 5 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions, unaudited) (In millions) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 2022 2021 Cash provided (required) by operating activities Net income (loss) 7.8 (45.9 207.0 Net loss from discontinued operations 19.4 52.5 Adjustments to reconcile income (loss) from continuing operations to cash provided (required) by operating activities Depreciation and amortization 94.0 189.9 193.2 Impairments 1.1 19.6 Employee benefit plan and share-based compensation costs 9.2 17.1 10.5 Deferred income tax benefit (33.8 (10.8 (14.0 (Income) loss from investment in Technip Energies (0.8 27.7 (323.3 Unrealized loss on derivative instruments and foreign exchange 23.7 36.7 61.4 Income from equity affiliates, net of dividends received (3.9 (9.3 (20.4 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 29.8 29.8 23.5 Other (6.3 2.4 3.9 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions Trade receivables, net and contract assets (258.4 (322.8 (353.5 Inventories, net (27.6 (43.5 122.6 Accounts payable, trade 53.8 26.9 108.4 Contract liabilities 7.1 (176.4 (206.9 Income taxes payable, net (37.4 (35.6 173.6 Other current assets and liabilities, net 26.2 (134.8 34.5 Other non-current assets and liabilities, net 19.7 1.8 3.0 Cash provided (required) by operating activities from continuing operations (96.9 (426.3 95.6 Cash provided by operating activities from discontinued operations 66.3 Cash provided (required) by operating activities (96.9 (426.3 161.9 Cash provided (required) by investing activities Capital expenditures (36.1 (63.4 (83.9 Proceeds from redemption of debt securities 0.5 24.2 Payment to acquire debt securities (29.1 Proceeds from sales of assets 7.6 7.9 88.7 Proceeds from sale of investment in Technip Energies 50.0 288.5 458.1 Proceeds from repayment of advances to joint venture 12.5 12.5 12.5 Other (8.2 (16.5 Cash provided by investing activities from continuing operations 25.8 229.5 470.5 Cash required by investing activities from discontinued operations (4.5 Cash provided by investing activities 25.8 229.5 466.0 Cash required by financing activities Net change in short-term debt (165.5 (173.5 (23.1 Net change in revolving credit facility and commercial paper 170.0 170.0 (974.3 Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt 1,164.4 Repayments of long-term debt (451.7 (451.7 (1,065.8 Payments for debt issuance costs (53.5 Other (0.4 (5.5 (3.5 Cash required by financing activities from continuing operations (447.6 (460.7 (955.8 Cash required by financing activities from discontinued operations (3,617.7 Cash required by financing activities (447.6 (460.7 (4,573.5 Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents 0.6 15.0 (7.3 Change in cash and cash equivalents (518.1 (642.5 (3,952.9 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 1,203.0 1,327.4 4,807.8 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 684.9 684.9 854.9

Exhibit 6 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Charges and Credits In addition to financial results determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the second quarter 2022 Earnings Release also includes non-GAAP financial measures (as defined in Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) and describes performance on a year-over-year basis against 2021 results and measures. Net income, excluding charges and credits, as well as measures derived from it (including Diluted EPS, excluding charges and credits; Income before net interest expense and taxes, excluding charges and credits ("Adjusted Operating profit"); Depreciation and amortization, excluding charges and credits; Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, excluding charges and credits ("Adjusted EBITDA"); and net debt) are non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes that the exclusion of charges and credits from these financial measures enables investors and management to more effectively evaluate TechnipFMC's operations and consolidated results of operations period-over-period, and to identify operating trends that could otherwise be masked or misleading to both investors and management by the excluded items. These measures are also used by management as performance measures in determining certain incentive compensation. The foregoing non-GAAP financial measures should be considered by investors in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The following is a reconciliation of the most comparable financial measures under GAAP to the non-GAAP financial measures. Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 Income from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc Income attributable to non- controlling interests from continuing operations Provision for income taxes Net interest expense and loss on early extinguishment of debt Income before net interest expense and income taxes (Operating profit) Depreciation and amortization Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) TechnipFMC plc, as reported 2.1 5.7 19.8 57.5 85.1 94.0 179.1 Charges and (credits): Restructuring and other charges 7.1 1.1 8.2 8.2 Income from investment in Technip Energies (0.8 (0.8 (0.8 Adjusted financial measures 8.4 5.7 20.9 57.5 92.5 94.0 186.5 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc, as reported 0.00 Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc 0.02

Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 Loss from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc Income attributable to non- controlling interests from continuing operations Provision for income taxes Net interest expense and loss on early extinguishment of debt Income before net interest expense and income taxes (Operating profit) Depreciation and amortization Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) TechnipFMC plc, as reported (42.3 8.0 28.5 33.9 28.1 95.9 124.0 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 1.1 1.1 1.1 Restructuring and other charges (0.3 0.2 (0.1 (0.1 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 28.5 28.5 28.5 Adjusted financial measures (13.0 8.0 28.7 33.9 57.6 95.9 153.5 Diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc, as reported (0.09 Adjusted diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc (0.03

Exhibit 6 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Loss from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc Income attributable to non- controlling interests from continuing operations Provision for income taxes Net interest expense Income (loss) before net interest expense and income taxes (Operating profit) Depreciation and amortization Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) TechnipFMC plc, as reported (174.7 2.1 34.9 35.2 (102.5 98.0 (4.5 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 0.8 0.8 0.8 Restructuring and other charges 1.1 0.1 1.2 1.2 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 146.8 146.8 146.8 Adjusted financial measures (26.0 2.1 35.0 35.2 46.3 98.0 144.3 Diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc, as reported (0.39 Adjusted diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc (0.06

Exhibit 7 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Charges and Credits In addition to financial results determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the second quarter 2022 Earnings Release also includes non-GAAP financial measures (as defined in Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) and describes performance on a year-over-year basis against 2021 results and measures. Net income, excluding charges and credits, as well as measures derived from it (including Diluted EPS, excluding charges and credits; Income before net interest expense and taxes, excluding charges and credits ("Adjusted Operating profit"); Depreciation and amortization, excluding charges and credits; and Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, excluding charges and credits ("Adjusted EBITDA"); and net debt) are non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes that the exclusion of charges and credits from these financial measures enables investors and management to more effectively evaluate TechnipFMC's operations and consolidated results of operations period-over-period, and to identify operating trends that could otherwise be masked or misleading to both investors and management by the excluded items. These measures are also used by management as performance measures in determining certain incentive compensation. The foregoing non-GAAP financial measures should be considered by investors in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The following is a reconciliation of the most comparable financial measures under GAAP to the non-GAAP financial measures. Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 Loss from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc Income attributable to non- controlling interests from continuing operations Provision for income taxes Net interest expense and loss on early extinguishment of debt Income before net interest expense and income taxes (Operating profit) Depreciation and amortization Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) TechnipFMC plc, as reported (40.2 13.7 48.3 91.4 113.2 189.9 303.1 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 1.1 1.1 1.1 Restructuring and other charges 6.8 1.3 8.1 8.1 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 27.7 27.7 27.7 Adjusted financial measures (4.6 13.7 49.6 91.4 150.1 189.9 340.0 Diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc, as reported (0.09 Adjusted diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc (0.01

Exhibit 7 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc Income attributable to non- controlling interests from continuing operations Provision for income taxes Net interest expense and loss on early extinguishment of debt Income before net interest expense and income taxes (Operating profit) Depreciation and amortization Earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) TechnipFMC plc, as reported 255.6 3.9 59.4 93.2 412.1 193.2 605.3 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 19.6 19.6 19.6 Restructuring and other charges 7.6 0.3 7.9 7.9 Income from Investment in Technip Energies (323.3 (323.3 (323.3 Adjusted financial measures (40.5 3.9 59.7 93.2 116.3 193.2 309.5 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc, as reported 0.56 Adjusted diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to TechnipFMC plc (0.09

Exhibit 8 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 Subsea Surface Technologies Corporate Expense Foreign Exchange, net and Other Total Revenue 1,414.6 302.6 1,717.2 Operating profit (loss), as reported (pre-tax) 97.1 10.0 (22.0 85.1 Charges and (credits): Restructuring and other charges 2.6 5.4 0.2 8.2 Income from investment in Technip Energies (0.8 (0.8 Subtotal 2.6 5.4 0.2 (0.8 7.4 Adjusted Operating profit (loss) 99.7 15.4 (21.8 (0.8 92.5 Depreciation and amortization 76.3 17.0 0.7 94.0 Adjusted EBITDA 176.0 32.4 (21.1 (0.8 186.5 Operating profit margin, as reported 6.9 3.3 5.0 Adjusted Operating profit margin 7.0 5.1 5.4 Adjusted EBITDA margin 12.4 10.7 10.9

Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 Subsea Surface Technologies Corporate Expense Foreign Exchange, net and Other Total Revenue 1,289.1 266.7 1,555.8 Operating profit (loss), as reported (pre-tax) 54.0 3.7 (29.5 (0.1 28.1 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 1.1 1.1 Restructuring and other charges (3.4 0.5 2.8 (0.1 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 28.5 28.5 Subtotal (3.4 1.6 2.8 28.5 29.5 Adjusted Operating profit (loss) 50.6 5.3 (26.7 28.4 57.6 Depreciation and amortization 78.4 16.7 0.8 95.9 Adjusted EBITDA 129.0 22.0 (25.9 28.4 153.5 Operating profit margin, as reported 4.2 1.4 1.8 Adjusted Operating profit margin 3.9 2.0 3.7 Adjusted EBITDA margin 10.0 8.2 9.9

Exhibit 8 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Subsea Surface Technologies Corporate Expense Foreign Exchange, net Total Revenue 1,394.3 274.5 1,668.8 Operating profit (loss), as reported (pre-tax) 72.4 12.9 (30.3 (157.5 (102.5 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 0.6 0.2 0.8 Restructuring and other charges 0.4 0.8 1.2 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 146.8 146.8 Subtotal 1.0 1.0 146.8 148.8 Adjusted Operating profit (loss) 73.4 13.9 (30.3 (10.7 46.3 Depreciation and amortization 80.7 16.3 1.0 98.0 Adjusted EBITDA 154.1 30.2 (29.3 (10.7 144.3 Operating profit margin, as reported 5.2 4.7 -6.1 Adjusted Operating profit margin 5.3 5.1 2.8 Adjusted EBITDA margin 11.1 11.0 8.6

Exhibit 9 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 Subsea Surface Technologies Corporate Expense Foreign Exchange, net and Other Total Revenue 2,703.7 569.3 3,273.0 Operating profit (loss), as reported (pre-tax) 151.1 13.7 (51.5 (0.1 113.2 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 1.1 1.1 Restructuring and other charges (0.8 5.9 3.0 8.1 Loss from investment in Technip Energies 27.7 27.7 Subtotal (0.8 7.0 3.0 27.7 36.9 Adjusted Operating profit (loss) 150.3 20.7 (48.5 27.6 150.1 Depreciation and amortization 154.7 33.7 1.5 189.9 Adjusted EBITDA 305.0 54.4 (47.0 27.6 340.0 Operating profit margin, as reported 5.6 2.4 3.5 Adjusted Operating profit margin 5.6 3.6 4.6 Adjusted EBITDA margin 11.3 9.6 10.4

Exhibit 9 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Subsea Surface Technologies Corporate Expense Foreign Exchange, net Total Revenue 2,780.8 520.0 3,300.8 Operating loss, as reported (pre-tax) 109.4 21.1 (59.1 340.7 412.1 Charges and (credits): Impairment and other charges 16.3 0.3 3.0 19.6 Restructuring and other charges 4.4 3.5 7.9 Income from investment in Technip Energies (323.3 (323.3 Subtotal 20.7 3.8 3.0 (323.3 (295.8 Adjusted Operating profit (loss) 130.1 24.9 (56.1 17.4 116.3 Depreciation and amortization 159.1 32.2 1.9 193.2 Adjusted EBITDA 289.2 57.1 (54.2 17.4 309.5 Operating profit margin, as reported 3.9 4.1 12.5 Adjusted Operating profit margin 4.7 4.8 3.5 Adjusted EBITDA margin 10.4 11.0 9.4

Exhibit 10 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) June 30, 2022 March 31, 2022 June 30, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents 684.9 1,203.0 854.9 Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt (104.0 (281.8 (297.7 Long-term debt, less current portion (1,370.7 (1,723.3 (2,180.2 Net debt (789.8 (802.1 (1,623.0 Net debt, is a non-GAAP financial measure reflecting cash and cash equivalents, net of debt. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate our capital structure and financial leverage. We believe net debt is a meaningful financial measure that may assist investors in understanding our financial condition and recognizing underlying trends in our capital structure. Net debt should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, cash and cash equivalents as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of our operating performance or liquidity.

Exhibit 11 TECHNIPFMC PLC AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In millions, unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 2022 2021 Cash provided (required) by operating activities from continuing operations (96.9 (426.3 95.6 Capital expenditures (36.1 (63.4 (83.9 Free cash flow (deficit) from continuing operations (133.0 (489.7 11.7 Free cash flow (deficit) from continuing operations, is a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined as cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate our financial condition. We believe from continuing operations, free cash flow (deficit) from continuing operations is a meaningful financial measure that may assist investors in understanding our financial condition and results of operations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220727005920/en/

Contacts:

Investor relations

Matt Seinsheimer

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: Matt Seinsheimer

James Davis

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: James Davis

Media relations

Nicola Cameron

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Tel: +44 383 742 297

Email: Nicola Cameron

Catie Tuley

Director, Public Relations

Tel: +1 281 591 5405

Email: Catie Tuley
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2022 / Sceptre Ventures Inc. ("Sceptre" and/or the "Company") (TSXV:SVP.H)(NEX:SVP.H) announces that it has agreed to issue an aggregate of 6,806,192 common shares (each, a "Share") at a deemed price of $0.06 per Share to certain directors and officers of the Company (the "Insiders") and certain consultants of the Company as full and final payment of debt in the aggregate amount of $408,371.58 (the "Debt Settlement"), to settle certain amounts owed by the Company for unpaid consulting services.

Accordingly, the portion of the Debt Settlement with the Insiders constituted a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuance of the Shares to the Insiders was exempt from the valuation requirement of MI 61-101 by the virtue of the exemption contained in section 5.5(b) as the Company's Shares are not listed on a specified market and from the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemption contained in Section 5.7(1)(a) as the value of the Shares issued under the Debt Settlement did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

By reason of the Debt Settlement, Zimtu Capital Corp. ("Zimtu") acquired 4,302,626 Shares, which represents approximately 35.83% of the total issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. The Company is informed that Zimtu, and all persons acting jointly or in concert with it, did not hold any Shares prior to the Debt Settlement. Zimtu intends to hold the Shares for investment purposes. Depending upon market conditions and other factors, it may from time to time acquire additional securities of the Company, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional securities it holds in the Company, or will hold or may continue to hold its current position.

Additional information concerning the foregoing will be contained in the Early Warning Report to be filed by Zimtu on SEDAR under the Company's profile.

All securities issued in connection with the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring four months and one day after the date of issuance (the "Issuance Date"), as set out in National Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities.

The Debt Settlement has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange and, in the case of Zimtu, has been approved by disinterested shareholders of the Company because the issuance of the Shares caused it to become a "control person" as that term is defined under applicable securities laws.

About Sceptre Ventures Inc.

Sceptre Ventures Inc. is a Capital Pool Company ("CPC") within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. Sceptre is currently engaged in identifying and evaluating businesses and assets with a view to completing a Qualifying Transaction under the TSXV's CPC policy.

For Further Information:

Suite 1450-789 West Pender Street

Vancouver, BC, V6C 1H2, Canada

Tel: 604-688-4219

Email: mitchell@sceptreventures.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Sceptre Ventures Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710024/Sceptre-Ventures-Announces-Closing-of-Shares-for-Debt-Transaction
Top three New Zealand institution by asset size is live on nCino following implementation journey during pandemic

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, July 27, 2022.. ASB deployed nCino's Commercial Banking Solutionas part of their journey to create a single, cloud-based platform to better serve their business customers. The nCino platform will provide ASB with key insights and the automation necessary to deliver a faster response and streamlined experience for both their bankers and customers.



"Our business lending transformation is delivering user friendly, intuitive, compliance-by-design systems and technology. A big part of this is the nCino software platform, which is being configured by our team, to help simplify our lending processes. This frees up our people to provide guidance and advice to our customers, helping them achieve their goals. We are already hearing positive feedback from our pilot users, with the first loan approval completed shortly after go-live," said Tim Deane, Executive General Manager of Business Banking at ASB.

The New Zealand based $98 billion-asset bank (USD $64B) sought to replace and consolidate 16 existing legacy systems and tools, focusing on one platform that would streamline the lending process for their bankers, as well as provide opportunity to advance compliance by design for regulatory requirements and business processes. This consolidation will provide ASB's bankers more time with their customers, which can be spent helping them advance their financial progress. The implementation of nCino, alongside Salesforce for business origination, supports ASB's transition from legacy systems, with ongoing functionality releases as business lending transitions from existing platforms.

"We're excited to be able to partner with such an esteemed institution with a rich history and commitment to always doing the right thing for New Zealanders," said Mark Bernhardi, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand at nCino. "The introduction of nCino is one part of ASB's largest ever transformation of business and corporate lending. The team at ASB Bank was enthusiastic about learning and integrating nCino's technology, which empowered them with data-driven insights to serve their clients better. We look forward to our continued partnership with ASB Bank as they deliver seamless, personalised services and experiences for their communities."

About nCino

nCino.

About ASB

The ASB Group of companies is one of the largest providers of financial and insurance services in New Zealand. ASB Bank Limited is one of New Zealand's leading commercial banks, committed to delivering on our purpose of accelerating financial progress for all New Zealanders through our products, services and how we support our community. For more information, visit www.asb.co.nz

Media Contacts

APAC

Catalina Garcia, nCino

+61 418 215 423

catalina.garcia@ncino.com

Holly Ryan, ASB

021 234 7865

holly.ryan@asb.co.nz

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "could," "might," or "continues" or similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon nCino's historical performance and its current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent nCino's expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change and, except as may be required by law, nCino does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially including, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to the market adoption of our solution and privacy and data security matters. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect nCino's business and financial results are included in reports filed by nCino with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available on our web site at www.ncino.com or the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov). Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in other filings nCino makes with the SEC from time to time.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Myriad Metals Corp. (CSE: MMC) ("Myriad" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update respecting its proposed transaction which would give Myriad an option (the "Option") to earn a 100% interest in 1,822 km2 of uranium exploration licenses in the Tim Mersoi Basin, Niger (the "Loxcroft Properties") (see Myriad's news releases dated June 10, 2022 and July 5, 2022 for further details respecting the proposed transaction and the Loxcroft Properties). The parties have amended the binding letter of intent ("LOI") respecting the proposed transaction to extend the date by which the parties must enter into a further definitive agreement respecting the Option to August 17, 2022. Myriad will provide an update respecting the proposed transaction in due course.

About Myriad

Myriad is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company with a 50% interest in the Millen Mountain Property located in Nova Scotia, Canada, with the other 50% held by Probe Metals Inc. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact the Company by telephone at 778.999.7030.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Peter Smith, CEO

778.999.7030

###

This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132100
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - DNI Metals Inc. (OTC: SMNKF) ("DNI" or the "Company").

Decision of Madagascar Supreme Court

On February 15, 2022, the Cassation (Supreme Court, "the Court") of Madagascar held a trial (see Background to the case below). Neither Mr. Goertz nor his lawyers attended the trial.

On March 15, 2022, the Court rendered its decision, which cannot be appealed according to our counsel in Madagascar. The Court upheld the original sentencing of two years in prison for Mr. Goertz and he will be banned from staying in Madagascar for a period of three years after he has served his sentence. The Court also ordered Mr. Goertz to pay DNI 65,000,000 Ariary (sixty five million Ariary) in damages. All charges against Mr. Weir, that Mr. Goertz had brought forward to the police in Madagascar, were dropped in their entirety.

Mr. Goertz had already been removed as Gerant of DNIM Holding No.1 Sarl and DNI has applied to remove him as Gerant of DNI Metals Madagascar Sarl. Now that Mr. Goertz has been criminally convicted, he cannot serve as a Gerant of any company in Madagascar. His continued claims of having control of the DNI assets are baseless. DNI has also filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Goertz for U$2.5 Million in Madagascar representing some of the losses that he has caused DNI and its shareholders.

Background

Under Malagasy law, if a person becomes aware of a crime it must be reported to the police. Therefore, Mr. Daniel Weir, Chairman of DNI Metals Inc. reported the fraud to the police. The fraud being, that the former DNI Madagascar team led, by Mr. Steven Goertz, had apparently forged government documents and misappropriated funds.

On February 19, 2020, a trial was held. On March 5, 2020, the judgement and sentencing were released to us. The court found Mr. Goertz guilty of fraud and forgery of official government documents. He was sentenced to two years in prison and Mr. Goertz will be banned from staying in Madagascar for a period of three years after he has served his sentence. The same court also ordered Mr. Goertz to pay DNI, 60,000,000 Ariary (sixty million Ariary) in damages.

On October 6, 2020, an opposition trial was held for Mr. Goertz. Since Mr. Goertz nor his lawyers attended the original trial in February of 2020, he was entitled to oppose the length of the sentencing but not the fraud and forgery charges themselves. The court upheld the original sentencing of two years in prison and Mr. Goertz will be banned from staying in Madagascar for a period of three years after he has served his sentence. The same court also ordered Mr. Goertz to pay DNI, 60,000,000 Ariary (sixty million Ariary) in damages, plus court costs of 5,000,000 Ariary (five million Ariary)

On February 12, 2021, an appeal trial was held. The court upheld the original sentencing of two years in prison and Mr. Goertz will be banned from staying in Madagascar for a period of three years after he has served his sentence. The same court also ordered Mr. Goertz to pay DNI, 65,000,000 Ariary (sixty million Ariary) in damages.

Status of Mining Permits in Madagascar

According to Mining Review Africa, in an article dated November 4, 2020;

"Since assuming office in January 2019, President Andry Rajoelina has made reform of the mining sector one of his top priorities, yet his approach has drawn criticism from industry players."

"Approval of a new mining code by the government council on 20 November 2019, after no prior consultation with stakeholders, sent shock waves through the industry."

"Although the provisions were rejected at a subsequent cabinet meeting on 27 November 2019, the government's approach served to fuel distrust between Rajoelina's administration and mining operators."

"At the time, there were mounting frustrations within the government that big asset operators such as Rio Tinto, which had accumulated significant debts at QIT Madagascar Minerals, were under-performing."

"Pressure from the World Bank and the Chamber of Mines eventually led the Ministry of Mines to initiate a proper consultation process involving all stakeholders."

"The COVID-19 pandemic has stalled this review process."

The government of Madagascar continues to have the issuing of all licenses, permits and title cards on hold as they are still considering changes to some of the mining laws.

On August 15, 2021, a new Mines Minister was appointed in Madagascar, he then resigned 4 days later on August 19, 2021. The Prime Minister of Madagascar temporary held the position of Mines Minister.

On March 16, 2022, a new Mines Minister, Oliver Rakotomalala, was appointed. DNI has congratulated Mr. Rakotomalala on his appointment. Mr. Rakotomalala understands the Canadian public markets as he previously worked for a company that was listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Cougar Metals

On September 24, 2018, a Settlement Agreement (the "Agreement") was reached between DNI and Cougar Metals NL ("Cougar") with respect to the DNI Vohitsara Property in Madagascar.

On July 23, 2019, DNI issued Cougar a default notice claiming that Cougar had breached the non-disparagement provision in the Agreement. Cougar requested an arbitration to dispute the default. A hearing was held on November 18, 2019, in Toronto.

On December 2, 2019, a decision was handed down by the arbitrator in which it was decided that;

Cougar had breached the non-disparagement provisions of the Agreement; The DNI notice of breach was justified and the Cougar claim was dismissed; DNI was unable to prove that it had incurred financial damages as a result of the Cougar breach; DNI's request for a set off against, or cancellation of, the payment to be made by DNI to Cougar under the Agreement was dismissed; and The original payment that was due to Cougar on July 25, 2019, was now due two days after the date of the decision and the regular payment schedule under the Agreement was to commence thereafter.

However, on November 5, 2019 (prior to the arbitrator decision dated December 2nd) DNI was forced to issue Cougar a second default notice for continued failure to observe the non-disparagement and confidentiality obligations of the Agreement. As applicable with the first default notice, the Agreement provides that DNI is entitled to suspend payment of the balance of the amount owing under the Agreement pending determination of any dispute regarding Cougar's breach by an arbitrator.

On December 10, 2019, DNI was forced to issue Cougar a third default notice, a fourth notice was issued to Cougar on May 4, 2020, a fifth and sixth notice on March 16, 2021, a seventh notice on July 30, 2021, an eighth notice on October 18, 2021, and a ninth notice was issued on March 28, 2022.

Again, under the Agreement, DNI is entitled to suspend payment of the balance of the amount owing under the Agreement pending determination of any dispute regarding Cougar's breach by an arbitrator.

According to a news Bulletin from the ASX, dated Oct 5, 2021, Cougar Metals NL ('CGM') was removed from the Official List from the commencement of trading on Tuesday, 5 October 2021 in accordance with Listing Rule 17.12. The securities of CGM have been suspended from trading for a continuous period of 2 years. The removal has been undertaken in accordance with the policy set out in section 3.4 of ASX Listing Rules Guidance Note 33 Removal of Entities from the ASX Official List.

For further information, contact:

DNI Metals Inc. - Dan Weir 416-720-0754

DanWeir@dnimetals.com

Also visit www.dnimetals.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132102
"Alexa" was not the only name choice for what would become Amazon's voice assistant, which would respond to a "wake word" when summoned.

Amazon Alexa, simply known as "Alexa," first entered American and global households in 2014 and soon became synonymous with Apple's Siri. But not many people know that "Alexa" was in fact not the first name the folks at Amazon thought of when coming up with the persona of their digital assistant. So how did Alexa get its name?

In a book titled "Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire," writer Brad Stone revealed that Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was passionate about developing a voice-controlled assistant that would have to be initiated by a "wake word." According to Insider, the "wake word" required three syllables and a "distinct combination of phonemes" so that the device would not unnecessarily active itself but also had to be a marketable name.

How Did Alexa Get Its Name?

During development of their voice assistant, the Amazon team brainstormed on a name that would be the "wake word" to activate the device. The team wrote down ideas for names on flash cards that were spread across a conference room, where Bezos would go through them and pick out his favorites.

Bezos also had his own suggestions, including "Finch," the title of a fantasy book by writer Jeff VenderMeer and "Friday," the name of the personal assistant in "Robinson Crusoe" and a word that one would imagine can cause confusion when asking the digital assistant to book appointments on a Friday.

Bezos also suggested "Samantha," named after the main character "Bewitched" or "Amazon," to get people to feel feelings of goodwill towards the tech giant. The Amazon CEO was reportedly unhappy over how his mother's name, Jacklyn, was not "mellifluous" enough and was "too harsh" to be considered as the "wake word" and name of the digital assistant.

Eventually, Amazon chose another of Bezos' suggestions, "Alexa," which he came up with to honor the library of Alexandria, Egypt, a historical center for knowledge and learning in the ancient times. In 2019, an Amazon blog post described the introduction of Alexa as "a pivotal moment for artificial intelligence," bringing voice-activated technology outside of the lab and into people's homes.

Read Also: Tired of Siri? 1 Easy Way to Get Amazon Alexa for iPhone, How to Use It

Alexa's Impact on Culture and Society

Alexa was a groundbreaker in the sense that the 'affordable, always-ready, far-field technology" of voice computing at the time was close to non-existent. Fast-forward to 2019, Alexa grew from knowing how to do just 13 things to acquiring more than 100,000 skills from developers.

Alexa has permeated culture as well, as just one year from its inception, "Alexa" became the 32nd most popular female baby name in the U.S., the Seattle Times reported. But for those actual humans who are named Alexa and do not want their names to be used as the "wake word," they can actually customize the device and use other words such as "Echo," "Amazon," or simply, "computer."

Related Article: Amazon Alexa Integration for Land Rover and Jaguar Cars is Coming Soon


Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group", "PTM" or the "Company") reports that it has entered into a new equity distribution agreement effective as of July 27, 2022 (the "Distribution Agreement") with BMO Nesbit Burns Inc. (the "Canadian Agent") and BMO Capital Markets Corp. (the "U.S. Agent" and together with the Canadian Agent, the "Agents") for a new at-the-market equity program (the "2022 ATM Program").

The Distribution Agreement will allow the Company to distribute up to US$50.0 million (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars) of common shares of the Company (the "Offered Shares") under the 2022 ATM Program. The Offered Shares will be issued by the Company to the public from time to time, through the Agents, at the Company's discretion. The Offered Shares sold under the 2022 ATM Program, if any, will be sold at the prevailing market price at the time of sale. The net proceeds of any such sales under the 2022 ATM Program will be used for general working capital purposes, including Waterberg pre-construction site work, engineering and preparation.

Under the Distribution Agreement, sales of Offered Shares will be made by the Agents through "at-the-market distributions" as defined in National Instrument 44-102 - Shelf Distributions on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"), NYSE American, LLC ("NYSE American") or any other trading market for the Offered Shares in Canada or the United States. The Company is not obligated to make any sales of Offered Shares under the Distribution Agreement. Unless earlier terminated by the Company or the Agents as permitted therein, the Distribution Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) July 21, 2024 and (ii) the date that the aggregate gross sales proceeds of the Offered Shares sold under the 2022 ATM Program reaches the aggregate amount of US$50.0 million (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars).

The 2022 ATM Program is being made pursuant to a prospectus supplement to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated June 21, 2022 and U.S. registration statement on Form F-10 filed June 15, 2022, as amended on June 21, 2022. The prospectus supplement relating to the 2022 ATM Program has been filed with the securities commissions in each of the provinces and territories of Canada and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Company has relied on the exemption for "Eligible Interlisted Issuers" under Section 602.1 of the TSX Company Manual in connection with the listing of the Offered Shares on the TSX.

Copies of the prospectus supplement, the Distribution Agreement and other relevant documents are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the prospectus supplement relating to the 2022 ATM Program may be obtained, when available from:

Canadian Short Form Base Shelf Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement:

BMO Capital Markets

Mississauga Distribution Centre C/O

The Data Group of Companies

80 Ambassador Drive

Mississauga, Ontario L5T 2Y9

Facsimile: (905) 696-8457

or by emailing pgardner@datagroup.ca

U.S. F-10 Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement:

BMO Capital Markets

3 Times Square

New York, NY 10036

Facsimile: (212) 702-1205

Attention: Equity Capital Markets Desk

or by emailing bmoprospectus@bmo.com

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor will there be any sale of, the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and the Waterberg Project

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground palladium and platinum deposit located in South Africa. The Waterberg Project was discovered by Platinum Group and is being advanced by is being jointly advanced with the shareholders of Waterberg JV Resources (Pty) Ltd. ("Waterberg JV Co."), which include Platinum Group, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Hanwa Co. Ltd. and Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd. ("Mnombo").

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam

President, CEO and Director

For further information contact:

Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

Disclosure

The TSX and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures taken by governments create uncertainty and have had, or may have in the future , an adverse impact on aspects of the Company's business, including employee health, workforce productivity and availability, travel restrictions, contractor availability, supply availability, the Company's ability to maintain its controls and procedures regarding financial and disclosure matters and the availability of capital and insurance and the costs thereof, some of which, individually or when aggregated with other impacts, may be material to the Company. Effective April 5, 2022, South Africa lifted its National State of Disaster declared in relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic and moved to reduce COVID-19 restrictions to below Alert level 1, its lowest level of alert. In response to uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has implemented additional testing and monitoring protocols for its work at the Waterberg Project site and elsewhere in South Africa.

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "may", "plans", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the future issuance of Offered Shares sold under the 2022 ATM Program; the aggregate gross proceeds of the 2022 ATM Program; and the use of proceeds from any sales of Offered Shares under the 2022 ATM Program, and the Company's other future plans and expectations. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, the Company may not sell any of the Offered Shares or may raise less than the maximum offering amount under the 2022 ATM Program; management has broad discretion in the use of proceeds from the 2022 ATM Program; compliance with regulatory requirements; possible adverse impacts due the global outbreak of COVID-19 (as described above), the Company's inability to generate sufficient cash flow or raise additional capital, and to comply with the terms of any new indebtedness; additional financing requirements; and any new indebtedness may be secured, which potentially could result in the loss of any assets pledged by the Company; the Company's history of losses and negative cash flow; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's properties may not be brought into a state of commercial production; uncertainty of estimated production, development plans and cost estimates for the Waterberg Project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs, between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries and between estimated and actual production; fluctuations in the relative values of the U.S. Dollar, the Rand and the Canadian Dollar; volatility in metals prices; the uncertainty of alternative funding sources for Waterberg JV Co.; the Company may become subject to the U.S. Investment Company Act; the failure of the Company or the other shareholders to fund their pro rata share of funding obligations for the Waterberg Project; any disputes or disagreements with the other shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. or Mnombo; the ability of the Company to retain its key management employees and skilled and experienced personnel; conflicts of interest; litigation or other administrative proceedings brought against the Company; actual or alleged breaches of governance processes or instances of fraud, bribery or corruption; exploration, development and mining risks and the inherently dangerous nature of the mining industry, and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks and other risks and uncertainties; property and mineral title risks including defective title to mineral claims or property; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and South Africa; equipment shortages and the ability of the Company to acquire necessary access rights and infrastructure for its mineral properties; environmental regulations and the ability to obtain and maintain necessary permits, including environmental authorizations and water use licences; extreme competition in the mineral exploration industry; delays in obtaining, or a failure to obtain, permits necessary for current or future operations or failures to comply with the terms of such permits; risks of doing business in South Africa, including but not limited to, labour, economic and political instability and potential changes to and failures to comply with legislation; the Company's common shares may be delisted from the NYSE American or the TSX if it cannot maintain compliance with the applicable listing requirements; and other risk factors described in the Company's most recent Form 20-F annual report, AIF and other filings, including the short form base shelf prospectus, prospectus supplement and the Form F-10 registration statement, with the SEC and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively. Proposed changes in the mineral law in South Africa if implemented as proposed would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and potential interest in projects. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132075
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX: BTE) today released its 2021 Environment, Social and Governance ("ESG") Report, which demonstrates our commitment to transparency and accountability, and shows our progress in managing the environmental and social impacts of our business. Baytex has also released its inaugural Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD") Report. Both reports are available on the Baytex website at www.baytexenergy.com.

"We are pleased to share Baytex's ESG Report and our inaugural TCFD Report. Since 2012, we have proudly reported on our activities to reduce our environmental impacts, promote the safety and well-being of employees, contractors, and communities, and ensure effective governance. We remain focused on key ESG initiatives, including GHG emissions, abandonment and reclamation, strong and mutually beneficial indigenous community relations, safety, and climate risk management. Our focus on ESG is essential to drive sustainable outcomes and long-term viability, alongside shareholder returns," commented Ed LaFehr, President and Chief Executive Officer.

2021 Highlights

In 2021, we reduced our GHG emissions intensity a cumulative 52% from 2018 levels and 11% below 2020 levels. We have invested more than $20 million in GHG reduction initiatives over the past four years, and continue to pursue innovative and practical solutions to decarbonize our operations. We continue to target a 65% reduction in our GHG emissions intensity by 2025, relative to our 2018 baseline.

We advanced our abandonment and reclamation work, scaling up activities and achieving company record-level abandonment numbers and applications for reclamation certificates. In 2021, we completed 198 well abandonments, the most in company history.

We are committed to restoring our 2020 end-of-life well inventory of approximately 4,500 wells to zero by 2040, In doing so, we have made a five-year commitment to invest $100 million from 2022 to 2026, or approximately $20 million per year.

We are committed to pursuing water management strategies that minimize our fresh water use. In 2021, we displaced 40% of our fresh water usage for completion activities with non-fresh sources and decreased the fresh water intensity of our operations by 15% from our 2020 baseline.

We continue to make safety a priority. 86% of respondents in an occupational health and safety survey agreed or strongly agreed that Baytex has strong and effective programs intent on protecting its employees. We also set a baseline for employee engagement and key diversity variables, including gender identity, disability, and race/ethnic identity.

Our Clearwater appraisal program delivered extraordinary results in 2021. Our approach to this development applies best practices to minimize our impacts on the environment and promote social and economic benefits for the community. Building on our strong relationship with the Peavine Metis Settlement, the joint venture agreement continues to create opportunities for meaningful economic participation and inclusion.

In 2021, wet set a new short-term diversity target for our Board with the goal to reach 30% women Directors by our 2023 Annual General Meeting.

ESG is of the utmost importance to our Board of Directors. Having expanded the mandate of our Reserves and Sustainability Board Committee in 2020 to include the oversight for sustainability-related matters, in 2021, we added climate-related risks to our enterprise risk management program. Utilizing TCFD criteria, we completed our first transition scenario analysis and qualitative assessment of climate-related risks.

This year's report marks Baytex's sixth ESG report and our second year publishing this report annually. Our 2021 disclosures on our ESG performance are guided by three reporting frameworks: the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We also engaged a independent third-party to verify our 2021 reported GHG emissions data.

TCFD Report

Baytex has been reporting climate-related information since 2018, when the TCFD first published its reporting framework. We have expanded our disclosure this year with our inaugural stand-a-lone TCFD report.

Highlights from the 2021 report include:

Conducted enterprise risk assessment with a focus on climate risks.

Evaluated the qualitative impact of transition-related risks, and associated timeframes.

Conducted qualitative transition scenario analysis using the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 and Announced Pledges scenarios.

Conducted sensitivity analysis under various carbon prices and methane regulations.

Completed third party reasonable assurance of our 2021 emissions.

Advisory Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

In the interest of providing Baytex's shareholders and potential investors with information regarding Baytex, including management's assessment of Baytex's future plans and operations, certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "initiative", "intend", "may", "objective", "ongoing", "outlook", "potential", "project", "plan", "should", "target", "would", "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, events or performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date thereof and are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements relating to but not limited to: our key ESG initiatives, including GHG emissions, abandonment and reclamation, strong and mutually beneficial indigenous community relations, safety, and climate risk management; our target of a 65% reduction in our GHG emissions intensity by 2025, relative to our 2018 baseline; our target to reduce our 2020 end-of-life well inventory to zero by 2040 and our commitment to spend $100 million towards that target from 2022 to 2026; and our target to have 30% of directors be women by our 2023 AGM.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release and Baytex's 2021 ESG Report reflect several material factors, expectations and assumptions which Baytex believes are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these factors, expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct. Developing forward-looking statements involves reliance on a number of assumptions and consideration of certain risks and uncertainties, some of which are specific to Baytex and others that apply to the industry generally. The assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based and the risk factors and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially are discussed under "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Management's Discussion and Analysis contained in our most Interim Report and for a full discussion of our material risk factors, see "Risk Factors" in our Annual Information Form or Form 40-F for our most recently completed financial year, both are available at www.baytexenergy.com. Readers should also refer to the risk factors described in other documents we file from time to time with securities regulatory authorities, which are available at www.sedar.com, www.sec.gov and www.baytexenergy.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date of this document and are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. There is no representation by Baytex that actual results achieved during the forecast period will be the same in whole or in part as those forecast and Baytex does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law.

Baytex Energy Corp.

Baytex Energy Corp. is an oil and gas corporation based in Calgary, Alberta. The company is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and in the Eagle Ford in the United States. Approximately 81% of Baytex's production is weighted toward crude oil and natural gas liquids. Baytex's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol BTE.

For further information about Baytex, please visit our website at www.baytexenergy.com or contact:

Brian Ector, Vice President, Capital Markets

Toll Free Number: 1-800-524-5521

Email: investor@baytexenergy.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132083
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Xigem Technologies Corporation (CSE: XIGM) (FSE: 2C1) ("Xigem" or the "Company"), a technology provider for the emerging remote economy, today announced that the Company has cancelled 1,225,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") pursuant to its Stock Option Plan. The Options had been granted between January and April 2022 to several of the Company's directors, officers, consultants and advisory board members.

About Xigem Technologies Corporation

Established in Toronto, Ontario, Xigem is positioned to become a leading technology provider for the emerging near trillion-dollar remote economy, with software capable of improving the capacity, productivity, and overall remote operations for businesses, consumers, and other organizations. iAgent, the Company's patented technology, and FOOi, its proprietary peer-to-peer mobile payments app, are intended to provide organizations, businesses, and consumers with the tools necessary to thrive in a vast array of remote working, learning and treatment environments, while the Company looks to aggregate a portfolio of innovative technologies capable of disrupting traditional business models.

www.xigemtechnologies.com

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Twitter: @XigemTech

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Xigem undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Xigem, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Xigem believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Xigem's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and is made as of the date hereof. Xigem disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Xigem Technologies Corporation

On behalf of the Company:

Brian Kalish, Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Phone: (647) 250-9824 ext.4

Investors: investors@xigemtechnologies.com

Media: media@xigemtechnologies.com

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Twitter: @XigemTech

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

www.xigemtechnologies.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132098
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") Further to the Company's news releases disseminated on April 29 and May 18, 2022, Colibri is pleased to announce that it has filed: (i) audited financial statements for the period ending December 31, 2021; (ii) unaudited quarterly financial statements for the 3 month period ending March 31, 2022; (iii) management discussion and analysis for each period; and (iv) officer certifications (collectively, the "Required Filings") on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

As previously disclosed, the delay in completing and filing the Required Filings resulted from unforeseen cross border reporting and procedural requirements involving the Company's operations in Mexico.

Although the Required Filings have been made, trading in the Company's common shares will not resume until:

a cease trade order originally issued on May 11, 2022 by the Financial and Consumer Services Commission of News Brunswick has been revoked; and



the TSX Venture Exchange has approved the reinstatement of the trading of the Company's common shares.

A further news release will be issued as and when the foregoing matters have been completed. Management wishes to thank shareholders for their patience and understanding during this time.

The Company also wishes to announce that, further to its news release of May 18, 2022, it has rescheduled its annual general meeting of shareholders to Friday, September 9, 2022 for shareholders of record as of August 5, 2022. Meeting materials are currently in preparation and will be posted on www.sedar.com once they are available.

"We do thank shareholders for being so patient. Be assured that measures and processes have been added to ensure that this sort of event will not happen again in the future. In spite of the trading halt, the Company and its team have continued to advance its projects Mexico without interruption. In addition, to completing its Phase 1 exploration drilling program at the Evelyn Gold Project in June, Colibri and its partner Silver Spruce have initiated a 2,000m Phase 1 drilling program at the highly prospective Diamante Gold & Silver Project. Furthermore, its option partner Tocvan Ventures has completed an additional drilling program at the Pilar Gold & Silver Project and is swiftly advancing towards a resource estimate," said Ron Goguen, President & CEO of Colibri.

About Colibri Resource Corporation

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring and exploring prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company has six exploration projects of which five currently have exploration programs being executed in 2022. (1) The flagship Evelyn Gold Project is 100% owned and explored by Colibri, (2) the Pilar Gold & Silver Project (optioned to Tocvan Ventures Corp. - (CSE: TOC), (3) the El Mezquite Gold & Silver Project, (4) the Jackie Gold & Silver Project, and (5) the Diamante Gold & Silver Project. 3,4, and 5 are subject to 50% earn-in agreements by Silver Spruce Resources Inc. - (TSXV: SSE).

For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information may include financial and other projections, as well as statements regarding future plans, objectives or economic performance, or the assumption underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "except", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate", "outlook", or the negative thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to the reinstatement and/or trading of its common shares. Forward-looking information is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and other related risks as set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information or events after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law, including securities laws.

For further information, please contact:

Ronald J. Goguen, President, CEO and Director

Tel: (506) 383-4274

rongoguen@colibriresource.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132109
Secondary coolant blowing out of degass bottle

My 2017 6.7L in shop for third time in two weeks due to P026A code and loss of secondary coolant. We are on an RV trip towing 9K travel trailer for first time since I bought this truck which was in January and its turned into a nightmare. We were due back home last Friday. Truck has 52K on it.



First Ford dealer (eastern Utah) refilled with coolant, pressure tested when cold and said a couple hose connections needed crimped. Traveled 150 miles or so before coolant was gone and code returned.



Got into a diesel specialty shop (southwest Utah) as no dealer within 100 miles would look at it in less than two weeks. They found signs of coolant inside CAC which they replaced. Pressure tested and all looked good. Made it about another 200 miles towards home and problem returned.



Stopped at Ford dealer in small town and they suggested a new cap as it appeared the coolant was coming out of degass bottle area. Also said not to bother with coolant, just use water, until problem could be remedied.



Now at Ford dealer eastern Nevada. Troubleshooting as follows.

Put in dye, pressure test overnight. No sign of leak. Drove truck 40 mile round trip, no sign of leak. I hitched back up to travel trailer, went 30 mile round trip, dye and coolant present under degass bottle. Technician suspected bad seam in plastic bottle, ordered part. Waited over the weekend. They installed new degass bottle, put in dye and coolant. Tech pointed overflow tube up rather than down. I hitched up this morning and pulled trailer 20 mile round trip. Dye and coolant present on underside of hood so it's clearly being forced out of degass bottle.



Service writer says they checked the water pump, radiator and thermostats. I am desperate to get this resolved. Anyone have any suggestions? How do I question service about how they are troubleshooting problem? They don't want to just throw parts at it however there must be a conclusive way to verify flow through the system.

Is the coolant being forced out of the degass bottle due to heat? This mornings test run its 78 degrees outside, oil temp didn't go over 225, tranny temp didn't go above 205. Failed water pump?

Is it being forced out due to pressure because of blockage in the loop past degass? Thermostat? Radiator?



I'm not usually one to tell the doctor how to cure the patient however i need to get back home to Vancouver. I'm already a week late. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Mike




Apple iPhone 14 rear cameras are reportedly suffering from "quality issues" early on, forcing Apple to find a new supplier for the camera lenses of its upcoming flagship smartphone.

The next-generation iPhone is reportedly debuting this September or roughly two months from now. And as such, Apple is currently ramping up to kick off its production.

Apple iPhone 14 Rear Cameras Suffers 'Quality Issues '

As per the latest news from 9to5 Mac, the reputable analyst of all sorts of Apple stuff, Ming-Chi Kuo, now says that the upcoming iPhone 14 is grappling with "quality issues" with its cameras at the back.

Kuo says in his recent tweet that the rear camera lenses supposedly for the iPhone 14 come with "coating-crack quality issues."

The iPhone 14 lenses reportedly came from one of the primary suppliers of Apple that goes by the name Genius.

But the iPhone maker was swift to face the "quality issues," and has already transferred its orders totaling 10 million units of camera lenses to a Taiwanese firm, Largan.

Apple appears to be working to prevent any delays in the production of the successor of the iPhone 13.

That said, 9to5 Mac notes in its report that the latest news of quality issues is unlikely to derail the production of the iPhone 14.

But the upcoming Apple device might end up debuting with quite a limited number of supplies in the first months.

It is worth noting, though, that the renowned phone maker traditionally orders the components of the iPhone months ahead of its launch. Thus, it gives Apple some time to grapple with these stumbling blocks.

iPhone 14 Supply Issues

Meanwhile, no less than Kuo as well previously noted that the next-generation iPhone is suffering from supply issues in its panel and memory.

However, the analyst assured that the supply mess has little effect on the mass production of the upcoming Apple flagship mobile device.

It comes as the other suppliers of the Cupertino-based tech giant could readily fill the gap of its panel and memory suppliers.

Read Also: Apple's A16 Processor Is Speculated To Be Exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14: What to Expect

Although Apple has yet to introduce the next-generation iPhone, rumors and leaks suggest that the phone maker is launching four new mobile devices.

The base model is reportedly known as the iPhone 14, followed by the rumored "iPhone 14 Max," which essentially takes the place of the "mini" model.

On top of that, the high-end options, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to sport massive camera upgrades, as well as the new pill-shaped look.

Related Article: Apple Expands Roster of Suppliers in Preparation for iPhone 14 Launch
Preparing for natural disasters, especially those you don't expect, is becoming increasingly crucial. Thankfully, there are a growing number of apps on the market that provide comprehensive instructions on how to prepare for natural disasters and what to do during an emergency.

These 7 emergency applications will be of great use to you in the event of an emergency in your area (via CNET and Wired):

American Red Cross

There are numerous apps in the American Red Cross app that can assist you during specific disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes. To help you and others survive common emergencies and natural disasters, use this app to obtain priceless, life-saving advice and instructions.

Get the app for First Aid: American Red Cross on Android and iOS

Get the app for Tornado: American Red Cross on Android and iOS

Get the app for Hurricane: American Red Cross on Android and iOS

Disaster Alert

This app works in a simple manner. However, the information that it provides could possible save your life. In order to prevent being caught off guard, this app alerts you about impending hurricanes, tropical cyclones, tsunamis, as well as floods, storms, and wildfires.

Get Disaster Alert on Android and iOS

FEMA

It is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) app, which has information on more than 20 emergencies, including avalanches and winter weather. In addition, whether you're preparing for the worst or are in danger, you can get help all in one place thanks to the app's links to important numbers like 911 and FEMA.

Get FEMA on Android and iOS

Read More: Does Your Child Have Dyslexia? Take a Look at These 7 Reading Assistance Apps!

Find My Family, Friends & Phone

This app is one of the essential apps you should always keep on your phone. It uses GPS location information to show you your registered friends' and family members' current locations. This app works in a simple manner, but knowing the real time locations of your loved ones is very important, especially in times of disasters.

Get Find My Family, Friends & Phone on Android and iOS

ICE Medical Standard

With the help of this app, your emergency medical contacts and important medical information are shown on your lock screen so that first responders may see them right away.

Get ICE Medical Standard on Android and iOS

MyShake

As it contains information from recent earthquakes throughout the world, this app is excellent if you want to learn more about the science of earthquakes. The application will attempt to gauge the extent and distance of the quake's impact using the phones of all users when a seismic event occurs.

Get MyShake on Android and iOS

Natural Disaster Monitor

With this app, you can quickly keep an eye on tropical cyclones, tsunamis, floods, and more as color-coded icons that are distinguished by threat level in a list or Google Maps background.

Get Natural Disaster Monitor on Android

Related Article: 7 Best Personal Safety Apps for Women in 2022 - Keep Them on Your Phone In Case Of An Emergency
Writer Moon Ji-won, left, and director Yoo In-sik of ENA's hit series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," pose during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of ENA









By Lee Gyu-lee







The creators of the ongoing hit series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," said that they wanted to tell the story of a person on the autism spectrum. "Normally for a story that features an autistic person, many creators would set the narrative to be from a non-autistic person and depict the autism spectrum from that person's perspective," the series' writer, Moon Ji-won, said during a press conference at a hotel in Mapo District, western Seoul, Wednesday.







"I wanted to put Woo Young-woo as the sole lead (of the series) and let viewers resonate with her directly without having any mediator in between."







ENA's 16-part series, which also streams on Netflix, follows Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a genius lawyer on the autism spectrum, tackling challenges in and beyond the courtroom as a newbie at a top law firm.







The heartwarming series has been the talk of the town since kicking off on June 29, skyrocketing in its viewership rating from 0.9 percent to 13.1 percent in only eight episodes. It also topped Netflix's official non-English Top 10 chart for two weeks until slipping to second last week.







The director and writer expressed that the series' sensational popularity feels surreal, adding that they did not expect such an enormous response.







"We couldn't be sure whether the series' theme would appeal to the public  We just wanted the series to get known and attract viewers but it didn't feel real to get so enormous from the beginning," Yoo In-sik, the series' director, said.







The writer said the unique characteristics that people on the autistic spectrum have inspired her to write a story with an autistic lead.







"When I researched the autism spectrum, I was surprised to find out how intriguing their characteristics are. Although it may not be the case for autistic people, unconventional thinking, quirkiness, a strong ethical sense, extensive knowledge in a specific field, exceptional memory and processing of visuals and patterns are attributes that often strengthen people on the spectrum," she said.







"The word, 'extraordinary,' could have held a negative connotation, referring to the unfamiliar, different or things you want to avoid. But there's also the power to think creatively and to make our society better by being extraordinary."







A scene from the series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / Courtesy of ENA





However, despite its popularity, some viewers have complained that the character's genius ability is unrealistic and provides a false representation of autistic people.







The creators responded to such criticism by stating that they do acknowledge the series' shortcomings and hope it to be the start of a conversation on the topic that will further develop.







"Autism has such a diverse spectrum that Woo can't represent all of the autistic people in the world  The character of Woo is set to fit best in unfolding the story rather than putting more of a focus on making it realistic, as a creator. There were limitations in incorporating other factors beyond that," the director said.







"As our series' limitations are clear, it would be meaningful if this series helps open up chances, like people who have disabilities actually playing roles of people with disabilities for more realistic portrayals," she said.







The writer said that she believes there is a person like Woo somewhere in the world, noting that it is not impossible for autistic people to have attributes similar to the main character.







"What we intended with the character of Woo is that she has both an extreme advantage and an extreme weakness together. The reason we didn't set an antagonist is that the biggest difficulty for Woo to be a lawyer comes from autism itself and the prejudices that follow," she said, adding that she did try to incorporate the difficulties of autistic people in the story but took a cautious approach in its extent.







"I wanted people to support the character of Woo not because they feel bad for her or because she is pitiful, but because she is lovely, vibrant and cool. So I do understand those criticisms on the shortcomings that came from not being able to include the whole picture," the director said.


A Lebanon man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday morning, July 27 for a 2021 murder.

Linn County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wynhausen sentenced Ronald Andrew Mowdy, 28, for a second-degree murder conviction following a no-contest plea.

According to court documents, on Feb. 24, 2021, Mowdy killed Clayton Keith Reed III, 41. Previous Mid-Valley Media reports say Lebanon police made the initial arrest the night of the murder after Reed was found dead in a homeless camp.

The night of

On the night of the murder, two individuals were fishing near the homeless camp when they heard screaming, prosecutor Conor McCahill said during Wednesdays sentencing. Following the direction of the screams, they saw Mowdy holding Reeds leg and biting into it.

McCahill said Mowdy admitted to police he had killed a man. The victim suffered 56 stab wounds and had 14 injuries consistent with human bite marks, he said.

Mowdys attorney, Thomas Hill, said his client was clearly in a psychotic state during the incident.

Mental health examinations revealed that Mowdy had multiple mental illnesses including chemical dependency and unspecified schizophrenia and/or other psychotic disorder, Hill said.

Both the prosecution and defense said Mowdy had a history of using inhalants. Hill said it was unclear whether or not Mowdy was under the influence of inhalants at the time of the murder.

Making choices

Despite Mowdys recorded mental illnesses, Wynhausen said the defendant was still responsible for the loss of a life.

When you stabbed Mr. Reed multiple times, you made a choice, Wynhausen said. When you bit him 14 times, you made a choice. And your choice led to his death. You are responsible for taking that life.

Hill acknowledged that the mental health evaluations could not determine with certainty that Mowdy was unable to form the intent to commit a crime.

As a part of the parties plea agreement, Wynhausen included language in the sentencing judgment that indicated Mowdys mental illnesses.

This has no impact on your culpability in this case, Wynhausen added.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Lebanon Express.

Time in prison

Mowdys life sentence comes with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years. Wynhausen dismissed additional charges of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery.

In accordance with the plea agreement, Wynhausen said Mowdy could be eligible for mental health and substance abuse treatment while in custody.

My hope is that the Department of Corrections can assist with Mowdys treatment and placement to make his life more tolerable, Hill said during the hearing.

Despite Mowdys mental illnesses, McCahill agreed with Wynhausen that the defendant still committed the crime and had to be prosecuted.

As the judge stated, Mr. Mowdy made some choices, and one of the choices was to kill the victim, McCahill said. He received a sentence that was appropriate here in Oregon based on the charge, and hopefully that will bring some comfort to the family of the victim.
Advocates for psilocybin therapy visited the Benton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, July 26 to share expertise on the use of psychedelic mushrooms in therapeutic settings.

The Healing Advocacy Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to development, implementation and education regarding the first regulated psilocybin therapy program in the U.S., said Executive Director Sam Chapman, who also managed the campaign for Measure 109, which made Oregon the first state to legalize psilocybin.

In Benton County, Measure 109 passed with 63.4% support, the most from any county outside of Multnomah. The state passed the measure with 55.7% approval.

The Oregon Health Authority is setting rules for psilocybin mushrooms and their administration, a process expected to be finalized in December. The agency begins licensing providers on Jan. 2.

Citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, Chapman told the board that at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of five Americans were experiencing symptoms of clinical anxiety or depression, but now over a third of Oregonians say they are experiencing symptoms amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Here in Oregon, the mental health crisis is very acute, Chapman said. Oregons mental health crisis is actually the third worst in the country currently.

Research studies on psilocybin mushrooms in the last five to 10 years show promise in using the drug to treat depression, end-of-life anxiety and addiction, he said. The Food and Drug Administration granted it a breakthrough therapy designation, meaning it may surpass whats currently available today.

Measure 109 puts regulatory framework under the Oregon Health Authority, allowing trained practitioners to administer psilocybin at licensed facilities. A two-year development period was imposed before issuing licenses. The measure requires training and licensing for psilocybin facilitators, manufacturers and testing labs. It also requires a psilocybin product tracking system.

As the first state to legalize the drug, theres a responsibility to get the services model right, Chapman said. With all eyes on Oregon, the foundation of the program has to be rooted in safety and access, he said, adding for many who are suffering, the current options just dont work.

Measure 109 does not pretend to be a panacea; psilocybin therapy is not for everyone, he said. But we do feel strongly it could work for some people.

Chapman laid out four steps in the psilocybin services model:

Assessment: Participants are screened and matched with facilitators based on needs and fit.

Intention-setting: Participant goals are incorporated, and safety plans developed in preparation.

Administration session: Psilocybin is administered, and facilitators oversee and support participants.

Integration session: Participants meet with facilitators, integrate insights from experience into daily life.

No psilocybin will be leaving the premises, he said, nor will the participants who are receiving services.

Going into a list of what Measure 109 does not allow, Chapman said that includes no retail sales; no off-site consumption, possession, or production; no branding or advertising of products; no unregulated or untracked psilocybin production, delivery, or inventory; no service centers near schools and no access for minors.

The measure automatically opts-in counties and municipalities to permit psilocybin. Local governments can opt out by putting a ban or two-year moratorium on the General Election ballot before Aug. 19. Those accepting the states rules are still allowed to establish time, place and manner restrictions on the drug.

Restrictions on psilocybin include:

Service centers cannot be located within 1,000 feet of schools or within exclusively residential city zones.

Manufacturers cannot be located within a residence or mixed-use property that includes a residence or within an area zoned for residential use.

Psilocybin products must be secured within a licensed facility in locked storage accessible only to employees.

Sales or any other transfers of psilocybin must occur inside the licensed premises, and psilocybin and psilocybin products can only be ingested at licensed service centers.

Related articles:
New Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) Chairman and President Yoon Hee-sung delivers a speech during his inauguration ceremony at Eximbank headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Eximbank





By Yi Whan-woo







The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) is led by a figure who comes from its own ranks, marking a progressive step, unlike other public institutions that have been stirring controversy for their "parachute appointees," or heads who have been appointed due to their connections with the current government.







Eximbank said Wednesday that new Chairman and President Yoon Hee-sung took office after serving at the state-run lender for more than 30 years and retiring in January 2020 as a vice chairman.







Operating under the wing of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Eximbank has never had a chairperson with the record of having been internally promoted since its establishment in 1976.







The organization has mostly been led by retired high-ranking officials from the ministry, who had ties with the incumbent government at that time.







"This will be the first time Eximbank will be chaired by an internally-promoted figure, either retired or active," the bank said in a press release.







The lender expressed hope that Yoon's expertise on policy-based lending and international finance can help facilitate trade, overseas investment and other areas of economic cooperation abroad, and ultimately, contribute to the national economy.







Yoon joined Eximbank in 1988. He served in key positions as he moved upward in the organization, including in the public relations, international finance and financial markets, next growth engines and business innovation areas.







He most recently served as a vice chairman from January 2018 to January 2020.







He earned his bachelor's degree in economics and master's degree in public administration, both from Seoul National University.







In his inauguration speech, Wednesday, he said he is "extremely pleased to be back" at Eximbank.







"My heart has always been with the family-like members of Eximbank, even after I left," he said.







Based on his experience away from the bank for the past two years, Yoon said that there are "far higher expectations" of Eximbank in the outside world than it can imagine.







Accordingly, he listed four key objectives that he sees as necessary for keeping up with such expectations in the midst of the growing economic uncertainties.







The four objectives are: crisis management, preparation for the future, creativity and sustainability.







Concerning crisis management, Yoon vowed to launch an emergency response unit in line with the government's effort to tackle disrupted supply chains, to secure sufficient foreign exchange reserves and support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs.)







He pledged to take preemptive steps concerning climate change and strategic industries and to bolster financing to export nuclear energy plants, as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been pushing for.







Concerning creativity, he suggested linking various means of policy-based lending available at Eximbank to contribute to the economy, national security and diplomacy, which are increasingly interconnected.







Yoon said that Eximbank should strive to become an example for transparency and self-regulatory control as a part of efforts to enhance sustainable management.


Gettyimagesbank



IT, metaverse, funeral, pet care among list of possible new business opportunities



By Yi Whan-woo



Banking firms will soon be unrestrained as they search for their next growth engines  in non-financial sectors  under the government's latest deregulation plan, prompting speculation over possible new businesses that they may be interested in.



Announced by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) on July 19, the plan is aimed at easing a rule that restricts banks and industrial firms from stepping into each other's industries, as a part of efforts to curb unfair business practices by conglomerates.



Under the rule, industrial businesses can own up to a 4 percent stake in a bank, and the latter can own up to a 15 percent stake in a non-financial firm.



The FSC finds the rule outdated, especially during the "big blur" era, when barriers among businesses are becoming vague due to the rapidly-evolving nature of digital technology.



Under the newly released proposals, banks are looking at IT businesses as a way to compete against big tech firms that have been capitalizing on their digital prowess to expand their presence in the banking sector.



KB Financial Group, the parent company of the nation's leading lender KB Kookmin Bank, gradually yet persistently has nurtured startups in robotics, the metaverse and other sectors that are considered necessary to rev up the digital banking environment.



The parent firm of Shinhan Bank, Shinhan Financial Group has invested in artificial intelligence (AI), prop tech and blockchain.



Prop Tech is a technology tool used for real estate so as to optimize the way people buy, sell, research, market and manage a property.



Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network.



NongHyup Financial Group had its lending arm NH NongHyup Bank form a partnership with fintech company Finger to open a metaverse platform called, Dokdo-Verse.



The platform is noted for using non-fungible tokens (NFT), a cryptographic asset on a blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguishes it from one and another.



Two other banking groups, Hana and Woori, are in consultation with relevant firms to tap into the fintech business.



"The banks will aggressively advance into IT business once the rule on separation of financial and industrial companies is eased," a commercial bank official said on condition of anonymity, noting that the lenders could not cope with tech firms amid a shift toward digital banking.





Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Kim Joo-hyun, second from left, speaks during a meeting with economic and financial experts at Government Complex Seoul in downtown Seoul, Monday. The FSC seeks to ease restrictions to allow banks to advance to the non-financial sector. Yonhap
Don Lindsay announces retirement after fourth consecutive record quarter



Jonathan Price Appointed CEO; Red Conger Appointed President and COO

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) (Teck) announced today that Don Lindsay has informed them of his intention to retire as President and CEO of Teck effective as of September 30, 2022, following an outstanding 17 years. Tecks Board has unanimously appointed Jonathan Price to succeed Don as Chief Executive Officer and Harry Red Conger as President and Chief Operating Officer, also effective September 30, 2022. Mr. Price and Mr. Conger will also be appointed to the Board. Mr. Lindsay has agreed to stay on into the second quarter of 2023 as a resource to management and the Board to support with the transition in the role of Executive Vice Chair. This is the culmination of a multi-year succession process.

Don and the Board have been focused on succession for a number of years. We are delighted to have been able to recruit Jonathan and Red in 2020 and, under Dons leadership, position them for successful advancement into these roles, said Sheila Murray, Chair of Tecks Board of Directors. "Jonathan is an internationally recognized leader in the mining sector and brings the right background, skills and experience to the role of CEO to further advance Tecks balanced growth strategy.

On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Don Lindsay for his strong leadership, culminating with four consecutive record-setting quarters. Don has transformed Teck and today the company is well positioned for continued growth and value generation due to the strategy and solid foundation he has built, and the experienced and skilled leadership team he has put in place, said Ms. Murray. Dons commitment to health and safety and sustainability, and his passion for the value that responsible resource development can deliver to the world are deeply ingrained in Tecks culture, and he leaves an enduring legacy at all levels of the company.

Mr. Price, incoming Chief Executive Officer, is currently Tecks Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and is an experienced executive with a proven track record spanning over 20 years in mining, capital markets, business development and finance. Before joining Teck in October 2020, he worked at BHP for 14 years in a variety of senior roles including Chief Transformation Officer, Vice President Finance and Vice President Investor Relations working in Asia, Australia, and the U.K. He has also worked in the Metals and Mining team at ABN AMRO Bank, and previously held various production and technical roles with former Canadian mining company INCO.

Mr. Conger, incoming President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has served as Tecks Executive Vice President and COO since September 2020. Prior to joining Teck, Mr. Conger held the role of President and COO  Americas with Freeport-McMoRan and brings a strong background in operations leadership, financial performance and delivering large-scale projects throughout the Americas. Red will focus on operational performance and delivery of Tecks major projects including the final stage of construction at the QB2 copper project in Chile and advancing the QB Mill Expansion (QBME) project and other copper growth pipeline projects.

Reds extensive global mining experience and track record of operational excellence and successful project delivery is a perfect fit for the role of President and COO as we move through this transformational phase for Teck, said Ms. Murray. The Board looks forward to working closely with Jonathan, Red and the entire senior management team to execute on Tecks transformation into a major global copper producer to meet growing demand driven by the net-zero transition, while providing long-term, sustainable value for our shareholders and all stakeholders.

I am excited and energized by the opportunities ahead for Teck to build on our existing strong foundation and position the company for long-term success. We will continue to execute on Tecks strategy of balancing growth in copper with returning capital to shareholders and generating benefits for our people and the communities where we operate, said Mr. Price.

Teck has industry-leading growth potential with the impending completion of QB2 and advanced copper pipeline projects including QBME, Zafranal, and San Nicolas, which could be in production as early as 2026. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the talented teams across the company to deliver on that incredible potential and responsibly provide essential metals and minerals to the world, said Mr. Conger.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Tecks President and CEO for the past 17 years, and to have the opportunity to work alongside so many talented and dedicated people, said Mr. Lindsay. Together we have built Teck into an industry leader in sustainable resource development, with world-class operations, and an unmatched copper growth profile. Every day, our people and our products contribute to making the world a better place. I am extremely proud of what has been achieved during my tenure, and I look forward to supporting Jonathan and Red as they lead Teck into its next phase of growth and success.

Mr. Lindsay has served as Tecks President and CEO since 2005. Under his leadership, the company has delivered record financial and operational results, and returned significant capital to shareholders. During his tenure, Teck significantly expanded its resource base and production capacity and built one of the strongest copper growth pipelines in the industry, including the world-class QB2 copper project currently under construction in northern Chile. The company most recently achieved record annual revenues and earnings in 2021 and four record-setting quarterly results through Q3/Q4 of 2021 and Q1/Q2 of 2022. He has driven Tecks commitment to sustainability, positioning the company as an industry leader in ESG performance, including setting ambitious sustainability targets such as net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and Nature Positive by 2030.

Crystal Prystai, currently Vice President and Corporate Controller, will serve as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately, while a search to identify a new CFO is undertaken.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as forward-looking statements). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words will, estimate, expect, could and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our focus and strategy; our expectations regarding the completion of and timing of first production from QB2, QBME, San Nicolas, Zafranal, our advanced copper growth pipeline generally, and the return of capital to shareholders; and our goals to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to become a nature positive company by 2030, including the actions we intend to take to achieve those goals and the expected impact or effect of those actions.

These statements are based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions regarding the development of our business; commodity prices; our ability to realize value from our copper growth pipeline; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals; positive results from the studies on our expansion and development projects; the development, performance and cost of technologies needed to advance our goals; and general business and economic conditions. Factors that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, changes in general business or economic conditions or commodity prices; inaccurate geological or metallurgical assumptions related to our projects; and unanticipated difficulties in advancing our projects and sustainability goals, including those related to permitting and technology advancement.

Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, Teck undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements. Further information concerning risks, assumptions and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business can be found in our most recent Annual Information Form filed under our profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under cover of Form 40-F, as well as subsequent filings that can also be found under our profile.

About Teck

As one of Canadas leading mining companies, Teck is committed to responsible mining and mineral development with major business units focused on copper, zinc, and steelmaking coal, as well as investments in energy assets. Copper, zinc and high-quality steelmaking coal are required for the transition to a low-carbon world. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Tecks shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TECK.A and TECK.B and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TECK.

Teck Media Contact

Chris Stannell

Public Relations Manager

604.699.4368

chris.stannell@teck.com

Teck Investor Contact

Fraser Phillips

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Strategic Analysis

604.699.4621

fraser.phillips@teck.com
NEW ORLEANS, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until August 15, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL), if they purchased the Companys American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) between September 2, 2020 and July 21, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.



What You May Do

If you purchased ADRs of Unilever as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ul/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by August 15, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Unilever and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On July 19, 2021, the Companys wholly owned subsidiary, Ben & Jerrys, announced a resolution to end sales of its ice cream in Occupied Palestinian Territory upon the expiration of the current licensing agreement by which its products had been distributed in Israel for decades. Then, on July 22, 2021, media sources reported that the states of Texas and Florida were investigating Ben & Jerrys actions for possible violations of the states Anti-BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel) legislation.

On this news, ADRs of Unilever fell $3.19 per share, or approximately 5.4%.

The case is City of St. Clair Shores Police and Fire Retirement System v. Unilever PLC, et al., No. 22-cv-05011.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients  including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors  in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:
Dealers in Hana Bank's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap





By Lee Min-hyung







The local asset markets displayed lukewarm performance Wednesday, as investors took a wait-and-see approach one day before a possible giant rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve.







The benchmark KOSPI started with a slight drop of 0.02 percent, and remained weak throughout the day. But it later nudged up with a gain of 0.11 percent, closing at 2,415.53. The secondary Kosdaq also ended with a gain of 0.73 percent to close at 795.70 on the same day.







But the Korean won lost much ground against the U.S. dollar. The won-dollar exchange rate increased by 5.7 won from a day earlier and closed at 1,313.5 won.







Market participants appeared to sit on the sidelines ahead of the upcoming two-day-long Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, where the Fed is widely forecast to increase its key rate by 75 basis points again, repeating the scale of its June rate hike.







The crypto market also displayed a similar pattern. According to data from CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin was being traded at $21,197 as of 3:50 p.m., up 0.4 percent from the previous day.







"The Fed is expected to take a less hawkish turn by possibly taking a baby step with a rate hike of 25 basis points sometime after September, and the cycle of rate hikes will come to an end no later than June of next year," Hana Securities analyst Chun Kyu-yeon said.







Korea's financial regulators will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday morning to discuss possible effects of the Fed's upcoming decisions.







Attendees of the meeting include Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Joo-hyun, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun and Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok.







The authorities will pay special attention to any possible financial volatility here and take steps toward market stabilization when necessary.


NEW ORLEANS, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until August 5, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Teladoc Health, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC), if they purchased the Companys securities between October 28, 2021 and April 27, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.



What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Teladoc as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-tdoc/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by August 5, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Teladoc and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On April 27, 2022, the Company disclosed a host of negative financial results, including revenue of $565.4 million, below consensus estimates by $3.23 million, net loss per share of $41.58, primarily driven by a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $6.6 billion or $41.11 per share, and revised FY 2022 revenue guidance to $2.4 - $2.5 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $240 - $265 million, which the Company largely attributed to increased competition in its BetterHelp and chronic care businesses.

On this news, shares of Teladoc fell $22.48 per share, or 40.15%, to close at $33.51 per share on April 28, 2022.

The case is Schneider v. Teladoc Health, Inc., et al., No. 22-cv-04687.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients  including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors  in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
New York, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ninth annual Global Ethics Day , an initiative of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs , will be celebrated on October 19, 2022. The theme is Ethics Empowered.

In an increasingly polarized world, ethics can be used to improve our daily lives, strengthen communities, and address some of societys most pressing challenges such as climate change, the global refugee crisis, attacks on democracy, inequality, and more.

On #GlobalEthicsDay, Carnegie Council invites citizens, businesses, professional organizations, schools, governments, and nonprofits from across the world to demonstrate their commitment to using ethics as a force for good. Activities may include debates, panels, social media campaigns, exhibits, videos, pop-up events, and so much more.

In 2021, more than 170 organizations and institutions in 45 countries participated in the international day of ethical action. Last years Global Ethics Day highlights include:

Real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle engaging over 2,000 employees in ethics-related activations, including town hall discussions held by local offices;

over 2,000 employees in ethics-related activations, including town hall discussions held by local offices; Global nonprofit The Nature Conservancy taking to social media to discuss the importance of ethics using #GlobalEthicsDay;

the importance of ethics using #GlobalEthicsDay; PepsiCo releasing a series of #GlobalEthicsDay videos featuring its executives discussing the importance of ethical standards across the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry;

featuring its executives discussing the importance of ethical standards across the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry; The International Council of Nurses launching a revised code of ethics in response to COVID-19; and

a revised code of ethics in response to COVID-19; and The Research Ethics Program at the University of California, San Diego holding virtual events examining ethical questions in medicine.

These are challenging times  war in Europe, refugees on the move, a persistent pandemic, climate change worsening, and democracies on the brink. As realists without illusions, we believe that empowering ethics can break the doom and gloom cycle and help each of us find a way toward positive action in our daily lives, said Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal. Global Ethics Day provides opportunities to listen, learn, and contribute to a worldwide dialogue on the values and principles we care about in 2022. This year, we hope and expect that new voices will enrich Global Ethics Day with ideas for empowering ethics now and into the future.

Those interested in participating in Global Ethics Day 2022 should visit Carnegie Councils website to access resources such as key messages , a social media toolkit , and suggestions for ways to participate in this years event. Organizations are encouraged to share Global Ethics Day plans with Carnegie Council for amplification on social media ( Twitter , LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook ) and in Global Ethics Day events and materials.

For the latest on all things Global Ethics Day, be sure to subscribe to the Carnegie Ethics Newsletter, which will feature additional announcements on special programming and activations from Carnegie Council ahead of October 19.

Join us and help use the power of ethics to build a better future.

About Carnegie Council

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an independent, research-driven nonprofit that works to empower ethics by identifying and addressing the most critical ethical issues of today and tomorrow. Founded by Andrew Carnegie over a century ago, we set the global ethical agenda and work for an ethical future by convening conversations, producing materials in a range of media, and sharing resources for education, impact, and awareness. We are the worlds catalyst for ethical action. For more information, please visit carnegiecouncil.org and engage with us on YouTube , Twitter: @CarnegieCouncil , LinkedIn , Instagram: @Carnegie_Council , and Facebook .

###
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ninth annual Global Ethics Day, an initiative of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, will be celebrated on October 19, 2022. The theme is Ethics Empowered.



In an increasingly polarized world, ethics can be used to improve our daily lives, strengthen communities, and address some of societys most pressing challenges such as climate change, the global refugee crisis, attacks on democracy, inequality, and more.

On #GlobalEthicsDay, Carnegie Council invites citizens, businesses, professional organizations, schools, governments, and nonprofits from across the world to demonstrate their commitment to using ethics as a force for good. Activities may include debates, panels, social media campaigns, exhibits, videos, pop-up events, and so much more.

In 2021, more than 170 organizations and institutions in 45 countries participated in the international day of ethical action. Last years Global Ethics Day highlights include:

Real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle engaging over 2,000 employees in ethics-related activations, including town hall discussions held by local offices;

Global nonprofit The Nature Conservancy taking to social media to discuss the importance of ethics using #GlobalEthicsDay;

PepsiCo releasing a series of #GlobalEthicsDay videos featuring its executives discussing the importance of ethical standards across the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry;

The International Council of Nurses launching a revised code of ethics in response to COVID-19; and

The Research Ethics Program at the University of California, San Diego holding virtual events examining ethical questions in medicine.



These are challenging times  war in Europe, refugees on the move, a persistent pandemic, climate change worsening, and democracies on the brink. As realists without illusions, we believe that empowering ethics can break the doom and gloom cycle and help each of us find a way toward positive action in our daily lives, said Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal. Global Ethics Day provides opportunities to listen, learn, and contribute to a worldwide dialogue on the values and principles we care about in 2022. This year, we hope and expect that new voices will enrich Global Ethics Day with ideas for empowering ethics now and into the future.

Those interested in participating in Global Ethics Day 2022 should visit Carnegie Councils website to access resources such as key messages, a social media toolkit, and suggestions for ways to participate in this years event. Organizations are encouraged to share Global Ethics Day plans with Carnegie Council for amplification on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook) and in Global Ethics Day events and materials.

For the latest on all things Global Ethics Day, be sure to subscribe to the Carnegie Ethics Newsletter, which will feature additional announcements on special programming and activations from Carnegie Council ahead of October 19.

Join us and help use the power of ethics to build a better future.

About Carnegie Council

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an independent, research-driven nonprofit that works to empower ethics by identifying and addressing the most critical ethical issues of today and tomorrow. Founded by Andrew Carnegie over a century ago, we set the global ethical agenda and work for an ethical future by convening conversations, producing materials in a range of media, and sharing resources for education, impact, and awareness. We are the worlds catalyst for ethical action. For more information, please visit carnegiecouncil.org and engage with us on YouTube, Twitter: @CarnegieCouncil, LinkedIn, Instagram: @Carnegie_Council, and Facebook.

Contact:

Global Ethics Day Participation Inquiries:

Noha Mahmoud

nmahmoud@cceia.org

Media Inquiries:

Jordan Miller

212-784-5703

jmiller@groupgordon.com
New York, USA, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Textile Chemicals Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Textile Chemicals Market Information by Fiber Type, Product Type, Application and Region - Forecast till 2030, the market is estimated to grow at a 4.5% CAGR to reach USD 36 Billion by 2030.

Market Scope:

The chemicals used in textiles to increase productivity are known as textile chemicals. It serves a specific purpose throughout the production process and also contributes to the improvement of texture and aesthetic appeal, which increases demand for the cloth. They might be improved by it, which would increase consumer demand for the textile sector. These individuals are necessary for the manufacturing sectors to operate effectively. This is a crucial component for the manufacturing sector to function.

Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2063

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details 2030 Market Size USD 36 Billion CAGR 4.5% (20222030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Fiber Type, Product Type, Application and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers The factors are development in the apparel industry due to the high demand for the various dresses The high growth of consumers due to the rise of the population

Competitive Dynamics:

Numerous small and large producers and suppliers make up the majority of the market for textile chemicals worldwide. With extensive research and development efforts, the majority of businesses are using new technologies and techniques in order to grow their manufacturing processes. Key players frequently use mergers & acquisitions and product portfolio expansion as noteworthy strategy.

The major players of the market are:

Archroma (Switzerland)

Huntsman International LLC (U.S.)

DowDuPont (U.S.)

Wacker Chemie AG (Germany)

Evonik Industries (Germany)

TANATEX Chemicals B.V. (Netherlands)

Rudolf GmbH (Germany)

GIOVANNI BOZZETTO S.p.A. (Italy)

AkzoNobel NV (Netherlands)

Kemin Industries (U.S.)

Covestro (Germany)

OMNOVA Solutions Inc (U.S.)

FCL (India)

Croda International Plc (U.K.)

Indofil (India)

Market Dynamics:

Market Drivers:

The textile chemicals market is driven by a number of factors throughout the forecast period. Due to the increased demand for varied dresses and the expansion of consumers as a result of population growth, the apparel sector is developing, which will help the market grow over the forecast period. Consumers' increasing disposable income encourages house remodeling, which is a major factor in the market's expansion. The market for textile chemicals will have several prospects for expansion as a result of the increased need for ecologically friendly products and textiles as well as the rising demand for home furnishings. The market drivers also open up a number of windows and chances for market expansion. The market's growth in information, technology, and management, as well as in banking and financial services, is anticipated to create a number of opportunities for new participants. Growing awareness of safety, hygiene, and health is a significant element that will probably drive the need for clothing in the near future. Clothing manufacture and consumption have traditionally centered on China and India. In both of these nations, rapid economic growth is predicted to be a key factor in driving the apparel industry throughout the forecast period. A trickle-down effect in the local manufacturing value chain is anticipated to help national manufacturers as a result of the expansion of end-use industries.

Business Restrictions: The textile chemicals market will be challenged by the rigorous government regulations intended to enhance the environment. Numerous market issues and a labor shortage would also restrain expansion and present a challenge to the industry. The competitors must meet the challenge by outpacing the drivers over the projected period, according to the textile chemicals market Trend.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (135 Pages) on Textile Chemicals: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/textile-chemicals-market-2063

COVID-19 Analysis:

The COVID pandemic adversely affected the market for textile chemicals at a time when industry was suffering. The unique coronavirus infection spread to numerous nations, impacted a large number of individuals, and harmed numerous industries, which limited revenue. The pandemic had an effect on labor costs, material costs, and project cancellations because of the market downturn. Due to the pandemic affecting the major market producers, such as Asia Pacific and North America, chemical manufacturing was halted during the lockdown. According to research, the market for textile chemicals would expand rapidly during the prediction period.

Market Segmentation:

By Fiber

The cotton fiber will have the largest market growth in the natural section of the market as consumers are drawn to cotton because of its many benefits.

By Product Type

Due to the rising need for textile finishing, the finishing segment is anticipated to have the greatest CAGR.

By Application

The market for textile chemicals will be dominated by the garment industry. Share since there are many different appealing on the market. More than any other product, clothes is in high demand. Due to rising demand, the home textile market would also experience considerable expansion during the forecast period.

Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=2063

Regional Evaluation

The market is anticipated to be dominated by the Asia Pacific region, which will hold a sizable market share. The area experienced the greatest growth in 2018. Given that the area is a center for textile production, the development is ascribed to the high consumption of textile chemicals. In the area, there is a high demand for textiles. Some of the growth reasons include industrialization and rapid urbanization. Along with it, the market would benefit from benevolent government policies, the availability of inexpensive labor, a growing population, and rising exports during the projection period. Due to the region's large supply of raw materials and affordable manufacturing prices, manufacturers in the global textile chemicals market are concentrating on growing the production of textile chemicals there.

With the increased demand for technical textiles in the automotive and healthcare industries, which are anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period, Europe and North America are also predicted to experience growth in the upcoming years. The market for textile chemicals will see an increase in revenue during the forecasted time. The region's market is anticipated to be driven by the UAE's infrastructure center, enhancing market growth.

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Discover more research Reports on Chemical Industry , by Market Research Future:

Silica Aerogel Market Global Research Report: By Form (Blanket, Panel, Monolith, Others), The Application (Oil & Gas, Building Insulation, Industrial Insulation, Aerospace & Defense, Automobile And Others)  Forecast Till 2030

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Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Digital Lending Platform Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global digital lending platform market reached a value of US$ 8.6 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 20.3 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.39% during 2021-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Digital lending platform (DLP) is a mortgage point-of-sale (POS) tool that makes access to financial products and services fair and inclusive. It mainly relies on web platforms or mobile apps for managing loans. It provides several key benefits, such as increased efficiency, quick decision making, better loan disbursement and an easier application process. Presently, several companies are introducing next-generation, end-to-end cloud-based lending platforms. Moreover, advances in payment trends are encouraging financial institutions to adopt DLP to improve productivity, increase revenue, and deliver fast services.

Digital Lending Platform Market Trends:

Due to globalization and the rising popularity of online banking services, there is a rapid shift towards the digitalization of lending processes. This represents one of the key factors positively influencing the application of DLP in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) industry for better decisions, improved customer experience, and significant cost savings.

In addition, due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), financial institutions around the world are increasingly adopting digital channels for lending loans and meeting the pandemic challenges. Apart from this, as DLP offers the benefits of e-signing and easy accessibility, the growing dependence on smartphones and the rate of internet penetration are acting as other major factors stimulating the growth of the market.

Moreover, the rising emphasis on digital automation is contributing to market growth around the world as DLP involves minimum paperwork, thereby minimizing the chances of human errors. Several companies are also integrating advanced technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and analytics to mitigate fraud, which is strengthening the market growth. Furthermore, the growing instances of cyber threats are escalating its adoption across the globe.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Black Knight Inc., Finastra, FIS, Fiserv Inc., Intellect Design Arena Ltd, Intercontinental Exchange Inc., Nucleus Software Exports Ltd., Pegasystems Inc., Roostify Inc., Tavant Technologies and Wipro Limited.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

1. What is the expected growth rate of the global digital lending platform market during 2022-2027?

2. What are the key factors driving the global digital lending platform market?

3. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global digital lending platform market?

4. What is the breakup of the global digital lending platform market based on the type?

5. What is the breakup of the global digital lending platform market based on the component?

6. What is the breakup of the global digital lending platform market based on the deployment model?

7. What is the breakup of the global digital lending platform market based on the industry vertical?

8. What are the key regions in the global digital lending platform market?

9. Who are the key players/companies in the global digital lending platform market?



Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Digital Lending Platform Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Loan Origination

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Decision Automation

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Collections and Recovery

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Risk and Compliance Management

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Others

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Component

7.1 Solutions

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Services

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Deployment Model

8.1 On-premises

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Cloud-based

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Industry Vertical

9.1 Banks

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Insurance Companies

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Credit Unions

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Savings and Loan Associations

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Peer-to-Peer Lending

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast

9.6 Others

9.6.1 Market Trends

9.6.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region



11 SWOT Analysis

12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis



14 Price Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 Black Knight Inc.

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.1.3 Financials

15.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.2 Finastra

15.3.2.1 Company Overview

15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2.3 SWOT Analysis

15.3.3 FIS

15.3.3.1 Company Overview

15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.3.3 Financials

15.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.4 Fiserv Inc.

15.3.4.1 Company Overview

15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.4.3 Financials

15.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.5 Intellect Design Arena Ltd

15.3.5.1 Company Overview

15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5.3 Financials

15.3.6 Intercontinental Exchange Inc.

15.3.6.1 Company Overview

15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.6.3 Financials

15.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.7 Nucleus Software Exports Ltd.

15.3.7.1 Company Overview

15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.7.3 Financials

15.3.8 Pegasystems Inc.

15.3.8.1 Company Overview

15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8.3 Financials

15.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.9 Roostify Inc.

15.3.9.1 Company Overview

15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.10 Tavant Technologies

15.3.10.1 Company Overview

15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11 Wipro Limited

15.3.11.1 Company Overview

15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11.3 Financials

15.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k0981m

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Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "China Online Healthcare Market: Insights & Forecast with Potential Impact of COVID- 19 (2022-2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

China online healthcare market is forecasted to reach US$311.48 billion in 2026, experiencing growth at a CAGR of 36.89% during the period spanning from 2022 to 2026.

Growth in China online healthcare market is supported by factors such as aging population, rising health expenditure, support from Chinese government, technical innovations and rising internet penetration. However, the market growth is expected to be restrained by lack of motivation and lack of confidence trust of patients in online health care services.

China online healthcare market by type can be segmented as follows: online pharmacy, digital healthcare infrastructure, online enterprise service, online consultation, online consumer healthcare and others. In 2021, the dominant share of China online healthcare market was being held by online pharmacy, followed by digital healthcare infrastructure. China's online pharmaceutical sales (including prescription and OTC pharmaceuticals) are likely to record a strong growth, outpacing the entire pharmaceutical market.

China online pharmacy market can be segmented as follows: medical devices, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, nutrition products, prescription and other. In 2021, the dominant share of China online pharmacy market was being held by medical devices, followed by over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, driven by fewer restrictions from the authorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely accelerated the development of online healthcare China. The first quarter of 2020 witnessed rapid surge in both new registered users and daily consultations on major online healthcare platforms.

The competitive landscape of the market, along with the company profiles of leading players (Alibaba Group Holding Limited, WeDoctor, Ltd., Miao Health, DXY.cn, JD.com, Inc., and Ping An Good Doctor ) are also presented in detail.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Market Overview

1.1 Online Healthcare

1.1.1 Online Healthcare- Introduction

1.2 Benefits of Online Healthcare

1.3 Types of Online Healthcare Services

1.4 Value Chain Analysis

1.5 Advantages of Online Healthcare

1.6 Disadvantages of Online Healthcare



2. Impact of COVID-19

2.1 Impact of COVID-19 on China Online Healthcare Market

2.2 Increase in Online Healthcare Users

2.3 Increased Online Pharmaceutical Sales

2.4 Surge in Demand for Health Supplements

2.5 Favorable Policies

2.6 Post-COVID Scenario



3. China Market Analysis

3.1 China Online Healthcare Market by Value

3.2 China Online Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.3 China Online Healthcare Market Penetration

3.4 China Online Healthcare Market Penetration Forecast

3.5 China Online Healthcare Market by Type

3.5.1 China Online Pharmacy Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.5.2 China Digital Healthcare Infrastructure Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.5.3 China Online Enterprise Service Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.5.4 China Online Consultation Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.5.5 China Online Consumer Healthcare Market Forecast by Value

3.6 China Online Healthcare Market by Region

3.7 China Online Pharmacy Market by Segment

3.7.1 China Online Medical Devices Market Forecast by Value

3.7.2 China Online Medical Devices Market Penetration

3.7.3 China Online Over-the-counter (OTC) Drugs Market Forecast by Value

3.7.4 China Online Nutrition Products Market Forecast by Value

3.7.5 China Online Nutrition Products Market Penetration

3.7.6 China Online Prescription Market Forecast by Value

3.7.7 China Online Prescription Market Penetration

3.8 China Internet Hospital by Number

3.9 China Internet Hospital by Initiator



4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Growth Drivers

4.1.1 Aging Population

4.1.2 Growing Internet Penetration

4.1.3 Rising Health Expenditure

4.1.4 Growing Need to Provide Better Management for Chronic Diseases

4.1.5 Insurance & Membership Products

4.1.6 Growing Health Awareness

4.1.7 Support from Chinese Government

4.2 Key Trends & Developments

4.2.1 Increased Use Of Online Healthcare Services Among Millennial

4.2.2 Technological Innovations

4.2.3 Increasing Investments from Internet Companies

4.2.4 Popularization of Internet Hospitals

4.3 Challenges

4.3.1 Lack of Motivation

4.3.2 Lack of Confidence



5. Competitive Landscape

5.1 China Market

5.1.1 Revenue Comparison- Key Players

5.1.2 Market Capitalization Comparison- Key Players

5.1.3 Online Healthcare Services by Key Players

5.1.4 Key Healthcare Segments along the Online Healthcare Value Chain - Key Players

5.1.5 Online Healthcare Comparison- Key Players

5.1.6 Online Pharmacies Market Share - Key Players



6. Company Profiles

6.1 Business Overview

6.2 Financial Overview

6.3 Business Strategies

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

DXY.cn

JD.com, Inc.

Miao Health

Ping An Good Doctor

WeDoctor

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9jcj6w

Attachment
Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Bot Services Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global bot services market is projected to grow from USD 1.6 billion in 2022 to USD 6.7 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33.2%

Various factors such as initiatives toward the development of self-learning chatbots to deliver a more human-like conversational experience, ability to replace human agents in customer service, and increased user engagement on social media platforms are expected to offer opportunities for the bot services market across the globe.



Bots are primarily used as conversational tools to improve end user engagement, thereby enhancing user experience. Bots have become a predominant component of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technologies over the past few years. There have been continuous developments in building highly advanced frameworks and platforms catering efficiently to end users. Recently, the deployment of bots has increased significantly across various verticals.



Factors such as integration of chatbots with social media to augment marketing strategy, innovations in AI and ML technologies for chatbots resulting in better customer experience, rise in the need for 24x7 customer support at a lower operational cost, customer service automation during and post COVID-19, and minimization of human errors leads to an increase in accuracy to boost the demand for bot services in the market. Organizations across the globe are dedicatedly investing in AI and ML technologies to improve user experience and stay competitive in the changing market environment.



COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on people's lives and livelihoods across the world. Individuals and customer service teams found it challenging to handle client inquiries and maintain satisfaction metrics to respond to the urgent needs of their customers. Customer interactions with firms, particularly during times of crisis, can have an instant and lasting impact on their sense of trust and loyalty.

Customer experience (CX) leaders need to adapt and react to longer-term changes in customer behavior. Both the decrease in disposable income and the psychological impact of COVID-19 have an impact on consumer spending. Consumers in Brazil, Japan, Italy, and Spain, for example, have ceased making non-essential purchases and have become pickier, feeling more financially overwhelmed and prioritizing financial recovery.



The content management segment to register for the highest CAGR during the forecast period



Based on applications, the bot services market is segmented into customer engagement & retention, workforce management, agent performance management, content management, appointment scheduling, employee onboarding, and others. The content management segment is estimated to witness highest growth rate during the forecast period. Customers these days want to read bite-sized content.

Bots can be programmed to just offer news summaries and share specifics as users inquire about them. Thus, bots become a great technique for media publishers to communicate with their audiences and track engagement to acquire useful information about reader interests. Moreover, bot services provide users with a rich set of responses by incorporating various different response types to improve the user experience.



The social media segment to account for the highest CAGR during the forecast period



Based on mode of channel, the bot services market is segmented into website, contact centers, social media, and mobile applications. The social media segment is expected grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Social media platforms include messenger apps and social media networks, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, Kik, Telegram, WeChat, and Line.

A massive number of active users on social media platforms is driving businesses to communicate with the end users via bots on these social media platforms. Bots implemented on social media platforms help organizations deliver personalized, self-service, and social experiences to their customers.



Asia Pacific to hold highest CAGR during the forecast period



The Asia Pacific bot services market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 36.3% from 2022 to 2027, due to growing industrialization in this region.

This market is also expected to account for the significant adoption of bot services. Countries such as China, Japan, and India are leveraging information-intensive AI technologies, and bot service is one of the leading technology trends. IBM, Google, and AWS are the vendors operating in the market in the region, along with several other significant bot service providers.

The adoption of AI technologies by companies across different verticals, such as BFSI, travel, hospitality, and retail, is expected to contribute to the growth of the bot services market in Asia Pacific.

Premium Insights

Integration of Chatbots with Social Media Platforms to Augment Marketing Strategy and Innovations in AI and ML Technologies

The Content Management Segment to Grow at the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period

North America to Hold the Largest Market Share in 2022

The Customer Engagement & Retention Application and the BFSI Vertical to Account for the Largest Shares in the Market in 2022

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Integration of Chatbots with Social Media to Augment Marketing Strategy

Innovations in AI and ML Technologies for Chatbots Resulting in Better Customer Experience

Rise in the Need for 247 Customer Support at a Lower Operational Cost

Customer Service Automation During and Post COVID-19

Minimization of Human Error Leads to Increased Accuracy

Restraints

The Inability of Bots to Make Dynamic Decisions

Lack of Accuracy in Voice Authentication of Users

Opportunities

Increased User Engagement on Social Media Platforms

Ability to Replace Human Agents in Customer Service

Initiatives Toward the Development of Self-Learning Chatbots to Deliver a More Human-Like Conversational Experience

Challenges

Reluctance to Use Bots for Various Applications

Shortage of Skilled Workforce for Better Execution of the AI-Based Projects

Cumulative Growth Analysis

Industry Trends

Bot Services Market: Evolution

Ecosystem

Supply Chain Analysis

Market: COVID-19 Impact

Trends/Disruptions Impacting Buyers/Clients of the Market

Technology Analysis

Machine Learning and Bot Services

Deep Learning and Bot Services

Natural Language Processing and Bot Services

Cloud Computing and Bot Services

Case Study Analysis

BFSI

Case Study: Bradesco and IBM Worked Together to Develop a Team That Taught Watson About the Bank's Products and Services to Have Better Interaction with Clients

Case Study: Elevating Customer Support for the World's Leading Insurance Company Using AI

Case Study: Enabling Citibank to Provide Seamless Customer Experience

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Case Study: Simplifying Prescription Refills Through a Contextual AI Assistant

Case Study: Tia Selected Rasa's NLU to Incorporate HIPAA Compliance and Improve Efficiency

IT and Telecom

Case Study: Transforming Vodafone's Customer Care Strategy with a Digital Assistant Built on Azure Cognitive Services

Case Study: Elisa Estonia Deployed Mindtitan's Chatbot to Analyze Incoming Chats and Improve Customer Experience

Case Study: Indian Information Systems Company Processes Huge Number of Records a Day

Retail and e-Commerce

Case Study: Leading UK Integrated Digital Retailer and Financial Services Provider Fully Embraced Conversational Customer

Engagement

Case Study: Enabling Retailers to Deliver Personalized Conversational Experiences Across a Range of Customer Touchpoints

Government

Case Study: Built the World's Largest WhatsApp Chatbot for the Government of India's Ocial COVID-19 Helpline

Media and Entertainment

Case Study: Dream 11 Implemented Haptik's Support Bot to Enhance Customer Support During Seasonal Spike

Case Study: Pandorabots Provides Superfish with a Standardized Solution for English Language Learning in Rural Areas of China

Regulatory Implications

General Data Protection Regulations

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

SOC 2 Type II Compliance

ISO/IEC 27001

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

Companies Mentioned

[24]7.AI

Alvaria

Artificial Solutions

Avaamo

AWS

Baidu

Botego

Chatfuel

CM.com

Cognigy

Creative Virtual

eGain

Engati

Enterprise Bot

Google

Gupshup

Haptik

IBM

Inbenta

Kore.AI

Meta

Microsoft

Morph.AI

Oracle

Pandorabots

Pypestream

Rasa

SAP

ServisBOT

Webio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xwhux2

Attachment
Selbyville, Delaware, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



The oil and gas electrification market is expected to record a valuation of USD 23 billion by 2030, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc .

Rising concern toward carbon emission in line with continuous development of renewable technologies for energy generation will boost the market demand. Strict government norms and policies to reduce the dependency on conventional sources coupled with ongoing investments across private and public sectors to encourage the deployment of effective power generation systems will sway the industry trend.

Request a sample of this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/5291

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the oil and gas electrification market on halt owing to volatile oil prices along with the continuous decline in various industrial operations. The resumption of operations at manufacturing bases together with the introduction of various projects for electrification will lead to industry expansion. In addition, substantial efforts & strategies through government bodies toward the adoption of renewable solutions will propel growth.

Shifting focus toward renewable energy integrations and favorable government mandates & laws to achieve decarbonization targets will positively impact the industry scenario. Increasing requirement of energy-efficient sources of power generation and with constant advancements in digitalized solutions around the energy sector will complement the market statistics.

The underground cable segment is anticipated to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to the rising inclination toward sustainable electrification in the oil & gas industry to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Extensive research & development activities for reliable solutions in power transmission throughout long routes merged with continuous advancements in smart, efficient, and robust energy grid solutions will proliferate the industry potential.

Asia Pacific oil and gas electrification market is poised to register a 5% CAGR through 2030, credited to continuous introduction of advanced and reliable technologies and shifting focus toward the espousal of safe and efficient electrical solutions. Additionally, substantial strategies toward the decarbonization of production facilities to reduce carbon emission will enhance the industry landscape.

The LNG/FLNG application segment is estimated to showcase a significant gains during 2022 to 2030 on account of rising focus on decarbonization linked with ongoing government efforts to provide cost-effective substitutes for conventional fuels. Growing inclination to enhance the production efficiency and ongoing integration of advanced control units will spur the market expansion. Moreover, continuous research & development activities for infrastructure development combined with significant fundings to reduce carbon footprints will augment the business scenario.

Prominent oil and gas electrification market players operating in the industry include Schlumberger Limited, ConocoPhillips Company, Chevron Corporation, ZTT, LS Cable & System Ltd., Southwire Company, LLC, Prysmian S.p.A., Aker Solutions, Siemens, General Electric, Equinor ASA, Nexans, Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke GmbH, and ABB amongst others.

Request for customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/5291

Some of the key findings of the oil and gas electrification market report include:

Growing requirements for energy-efficient solutions along with the continuous introduction of advanced technologies will accelerate the market landscape.





Favorable government incentives & programs for the electrification of oil & gas platforms and the focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions will stimulate the business outlook.





Increasing research & development activities pertaining to the development of modern solutions will fuel the industry growth.

Partial Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Oil & gas electrification industry 3600 synopsis, 2018 - 2030

2.1.1 Business trends

2.1.2 Technology trends

2.1.3 Application trends

2.1.4 Regional trends

Chapter 3 Oil & Gas Electrification Industry Insights

3.1 Industry ecosystem analysis

3.2 Innovation & technology landscape

3.3 Regulatory landscape

3.4 COVID- 19 impact on the industry outlook

3.5 Key operational, upcoming and announced projects

3.6 Industry impact forces

3.6.1 Growth drivers

3.6.1.1 Stringent regulations toward emissions

3.6.1.2 Favorable regulatory policies toward renewable energy

3.6.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.6.2.1 High capital cost

3.7 Growth potential analysis

3.8 Porter's Analysis

3.9 Competitive landscape, 2021

3.10 PESTEL Analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/oil-and-gas-electrification-market

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.
Merced, California, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sisters of the Valley today launched a new line of products that incorporates the raw medicine of the hemp plant with the cooked medicine.

In February of this year, scientists from Oregon announced that they found evidence that the raw compounds in cannabis have the potential of fighting infections. Their discoveries were centered around the health benefits of the medicinal compounds: CBDa and CBGa. Since the announcement, the Sisters have been working with a lab in Colorado to formulate oil drops and gel caps that have higher levels of these raw compounds in the end product.

The Sisters are pleased to announce their new products, which they simply call CBD Plus, in liquid or gel cap form. These products contain the very compounds for which the scientists have uncovered health resiliency benefits.

Up until now, explains Sister Kate, We were only offering products with primarily cooked plant medicine, with only trace amounts of the raw or acidic forms of the medicine. We knew through reports from people that there are healing powers that are different in the raw plant from the cooked plant, but we needed those Oregon scientists to prove it.

The Sisters have developed a video and a blog article to help the public understand the nuances of the plant medicine, as the Sisters, themselves, have come to understand.

Sister Sophia said, Although we aren't doctors or scientists and can't give medical advice, we see the CBD Plus products as a means of staying healthy and fighting disease, and we see the standard CBD gelcaps as more focused on pain relief and healing. The medicine is new to most of us and all of us are different, so it requires experimentation, and we are fortunate that the plant is very safe to experiment with. It means that many suffering people can participate in this learning adventure.

The Sisters are among few in the marketplace who offer such a product. Said Sister Kate, It isnt very humble of us to say, but it appears we are one of the first to market with such a product. If you try to find products online that have the raw and cooked compounds present in the same gel cap or oil drop, you will find they are, at this time, very rare.

For more information about the Sisters and their products, visit sistersofthevalley.org.

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Pune, India, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to MarketStudyReport, global offshore wind turbine market share is projected to witness commendable growth by the year 2026. The favorable renewable energy policies, large untapped potential of offshore wind energy, rising demand for renewable sources, and increasing R&D activities among key players are primarily propelling the overall industry growth.





The document also elaborates on several market segments including by installation, by rating, regional perspective, and competitive landscape. The information is poised to guarantee the highest level of profitability for investors and other stakeholders looking to venture into this business vertical.

In general, small surges in the speed of the wind cause significant gains during energy production. For instance, a turbine placed in an area with 15-mph wind is expected to produce twice as much wind as compared to 12-mph wind region. The demand for offshore wind turbines has significantly increased since these farms can produce more energy due to the faster wind speeds.

Request Sample copy of this Report @ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/2842233/

Offshore wind farms are known to offer various benefits including a domestic energy supply, zero water consumption, employment generation, efficient renewable energy delivery, and no emissions of greenhouse gases or other environmental pollutants, which in turn are adding traction to the overall market size.

By rating type

Based on the rating, the  2 MW segment is anticipated to grow significantly over the upcoming years, primarily attributable to the increasing number of experiments among numerous government and research organization.

Meanwhile, global offshore wind turbine market share from the >10  12 MW segment is projected to register significant growth during the forecast timeline, owing to technological breakthroughs that have managed to improve the capacity of wind farms with a small component.

Ask Discount of this research report at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/2842233/

In terms of installation type

In terms of installation, the market is categorized into fixed and floating segments. Among these, the fixed offshore wind turbine market is estimated to record considerable growth in the upcoming years, ascribed to affordable costs and efficient power generating capabilities associated with the technology.

Overview of the regional outlook

Experts cite that North America offshore wind turbine industry will continue to witness significant growth in the ensuing years. Even Asia-Pacific and Europe will emerge as key revenue generators for the market participants given the positive outlook for renewable technologies and surging land acquisition costs.

To access a sample copy or view this report in detail along with the table of contents, please click the link below:

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/offshore-wind-turbine-market

Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market by Rating (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2026)

 2 MW

>2 5 MW

>5 8 MW

>810 MW

>10 12 MW

12 MW

Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market by Installation (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2026)

Floating

Component Tower Blades Other

Axis VAWT HAWT Down-wind Up-wind



Fixed

Component Tower Blades Other





Axis VAWT HAWT Down-wind Up-wind







Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market Regional Landscape (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2026)

North America

Canada

U.S.





Asia Pacific

Taiwan

Vietnam

South Korea

Japan

China





Europe

Belgium

Ireland

Netherland

Denmark

Poland

Sweden

France

U.K.

Germany





Rest of the World

Global Offshore Wind Turbine Market Competitive Sphere (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2026)

Enercon GmbH

Suzlon Energy Limited

Bergey Windpower Co.

Nordex SE

Shanghai Electric

Sinovel Wind Group Co. Ltd.

Eolink

CSSC Haizhuang Windpower

Hitachi Ltd.

Doosan Enerbility Co. Ltd.

Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Ming Yang Wind Power Group Limited

Envision Energy Limited

Senvion S.A.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.

Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. Ltd.

General Electric Company

MHI Vesta Wind Systems A/S

Table of Content:

Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope

1.1 Methodology

1.2 Market definitions

1.3 Market estimates & forecast parameters

1.4 Data sources

1.4.1 Primary

1.4.2 Secondary

1.4.2.1 Paid sources

1.4.2.2 Public sources

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Offshore wind turbine market 360 degree synopsis, 2015  2026

2.1.1 Business trends

2.1.2 Rating trends

2.1.3 Installation trends

2.1.4 Regional trends

Chapter 3 Offshore Wind Turbine Industry Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry Ecosystem

3.2.1 Vendor matrix

3.3 Innovation & sustainability

3.3.1 Enercon

3.3.2 General Electric

3.3.3 MHI Vestas

3.3.4 Siemens Gamesa

3.3.5 Nordex Acciona

3.3.6 Goldwind

3.4 Regulatory landscape

Chapter 4 Offshore Wind Turbine Market, By Rating

4.1 Offshore wind turbine market share by rating, 2019 & 2026

4.2  2 MW

4.2.1 Global market from  2 MW, 2015 - 2026

4.2.2 Global market from  2 MW, by region, 2015 - 2026

4.3 >2 5 MW

4.3.1 Global market from >2 5 MW, 2015 - 2026

4.3.2 Global market from >2 5 MW, by region, 2015 - 2026

4.4 >5 8 MW

4.4.1 Global market from >5 8 MW, 2015 - 2026

4.4.2 Global market from >5 8 MW, by region, 2015 - 2026

4.5 >810 MW

4.5.1 Global market from >810 MW, 2015 - 2026

4.5.2 Global market from >810 MW, by region, 2015 - 2026

Chapter 5 Offshore Wind Turbine Market, By Installation

5.1 Offshore wind turbine market share by installation, 2019 & 2026

5.2 Floating

5.2.1 Global market from floating, 2015 - 2026

5.2.2 Global market from floating, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.3 Axis

5.2.3.1 Global market from floating, by axis, 2015 - 2026

5.2.3.2 Global market from floating, by axis, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.3.3 HAWT

5.2.3.3.1 Global market from axis, by HAWT, 2015 - 2026

5.2.3.3.2 Global market from axis, by HAWT, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.3.3.3 Up-wind

5.2.3.3.3.1 Global market from HAWT, by up-wind, 2015 - 2026

5.2.3.3.3.2 Global market from HAWT, by up-wind, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.3.3.4 Down-wind

5.2.3.3.4.1 Global market from HAWT, by down-wind, 2015 - 2026

5.2.3.3.4.2 Global market from HAWT, by down-wind, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.3.4 VAWT

5.2.3.4.1 Global market from axis, by VAWT, 2015 - 2026

5.2.3.4.2 Global market from axis, by VAWT, by region, 2015  2026

5.2.4 Component

Chapter 6 Offshore Wind Turbine Market, By Region





Related Report:

Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Market Size, COVID-19 Impact Analysis, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2022  2030

The aeroderivative gas turbine market is projected to exhibit significant growth by 2030 owing to the rising investment in heat & power generation conveniences. In addition, favorable government norms, along with the restructuring of the existing electrical infrastructure, are likely to augment market growth in the forthcoming years. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the market negatively, posing a threat to business growth since oil & gas manufacturers had to cease operations in light of stringent safety norms. However, the relaxation in lockdowns and resumption of business operations have boosted industry growth in recent years. From the regional perspective, the Middle East & Africa aeroderivative gas turbine market is anticipated to exhibit steady growth over the forecast period owing to promising government norms, comprising tax rebates, financial subsidies, and incentives prevalent across MEA. Furthermore, the aeroderivative gas turbine industry in Latin America is speculated to surpass a valuation of approximately $600 million by 2030.



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Pakistan's Supreme Court overrules Hamza Shahbaz's election as chief minister of Punjab province

Xinhua) 09:53, July 27, 2022

ISLAMABAD, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday night overruled the election of Hamza Shahbaz from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as the chief minister of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province and declared Pervaiz Elahi as the winner.

A three-judge bench, including Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, rejected Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Dost Mazari's ruling days ago which excluded 10 out of 186 votes received by Elahi against 179 votes by Shahbaz, son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The apex court ruled that the decision by the deputy speaker was against the Constitution of the country and declared Elahi as the new elected chief minister of the province. Elahi was a joint candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of former prime minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

"The Ruling issued by the deputy speaker, Punjab Assembly is set aside and declared to be void, without lawful authority and of no legal effect," said the Supreme Court.

Elahi received 186 votes, including 176 from the PTI and 10 from the PML, but the deputy speaker excluded 10 votes of the PML after its chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wrote a letter to his party members to vote for Shahbaz.

The PTI and PML expressed reservations over the deputy speaker's ruling, saying that the party chief cannot order elected members to vote and filed a petition in the Supreme Court. Lawyers of the ruling PML-N and the deputy speaker appeared before the court and defended the ruling but all three judges expressed their dissatisfaction over the arguments.

The ruling coalition asked the chief justice to form a full court bench comprising all judges of the Supreme Court to hear the case but the demand was not accepted.

In its 11-page decision, the court canceled all orders passed by the outgoing chief minister and its cabinet members and also asked them to vacate their offices promptly.

The court also ordered Governor of Punjab Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman to administer an oath for Elahi at 11:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday night, adding that if he fails to do so, President of Pakistan Arif Alvi will manage the oath.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Deputy Governor Lee Joon-soo speaks during a press conference held at the headquarters of the FSS in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



Most money sent to corporate accounts in Hong Kong by unknown local corporations



By Anna J. Park



After a month of official investigations, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has found out that over 4.1 trillion won ($3.1 billion) worth of suspicious international money transfers took place at Woori Bank and Shinhan Banks over a one-year period, starting last year.



According to the FSS' announcement concerning its investigation of the matter on Wednesday, a total of 22 business entities are involved in the suspicious foreign exchange remittances.



At Woori Bank, a total of 1.6 trillion won of abnormal foreign exchange transactions were spotted at the bank's five branches over the course of May of last year to early June of this year. Another 2.5 trillion won of dubious international money transfers were also carried out at 11 Shinhan Bank branches from February of last year to early July of this year. The number of money transactions exceeded 931 at Woori and 1,238 at Shinhan.



"It's been confirmed that most of the abnormal remittances were sent from trade corporations' banking accounts after the accounts received money from local cryptocurrency exchanges," Lee Joon-soo, the deputy governor of the FSS, said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.



The FSS launched the investigation late last month upon receiving reports by the banks about the large sums of suspicious foreign exchange remittances.



The ongoing FSS investigation showed that most of the dubious money transfers were sent to overseas corporations' accounts, not any foreign cryptocurrency exchanges. It turned out that CEOs or key management members of both local corporations that sent money and overseas companies that received money were the same people or closely related family members.



"Some of the 22 trade corporations involved were nominally registered to operate jewelry or tourism-related businesses, yet their revenues or business operations remain very opaque and suspicious. And about $2.5 billion of the total $4.1 billion were sent to companies in Hong Kong," an official at the FSS said, following the press briefing.



However, the FSS hasn't yet figured out the source of the money.



"The FSS has almost figured out the money transaction flows stemming from local cryptocurrency exchanges but it hasn't yet figured out the source of the money coming into the coin exchanges in the first place," the FSS deputy governor said.



Believing that similar foreign exchange transactions could have been conducted at other banks, the FSS has ordered all banks in the country to submit the results of their internal investigations on the matter by the end of the month.



The financial authority asked the banks to look closely into international remittance transactions by unknown or new corporations that sent large sums of money much exceeding such companies' capital assets, or transactions that are related to cryptocurrency exchanges.



If more corporations are found to be involved in similarly dubious money transfer transactions, the FSS will report the cases to the prosecution as well as to the Korea Customs Service. While the FSS' current investigation is slated to be wrapped up by early August, the National Intelligence Service is also known to have launched its own probe into the cases.



When bank violations of the country's foreign exchange regulations and anti-money laundering law are confirmed, the financial authority can impose strict sanctions on them according to the law.


Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market (2022-2027) by Technology, Vehicle Type, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market is estimated to be USD 710.71 Mn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 1506.29 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 16.21%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service.

Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

Some of the companies covered in this report are Ballard Power Systems, Borgwarner, Ceres Power, Cummins, Doosan Group, Hyster-Yale, Hyundai Group, etc.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario.



Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score.

The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company.

The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, The analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Rise in Environmental Concern to Boost Market Growth

Technological Advancements in Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Restraints

High Initial Investment in Infrastructure

Opportunities

Increasing Government Initiative for Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Rapid R&D to Propel the Adoption of Hydrogen Fuels

Challenges

Performance Constraints

Market Segmentations

By Technology, the market is classified into Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell, and Others.

the market is classified into Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell, and Others. By Vehicle Type, the market is classified into Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle.

the market is classified into Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle. By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Company Profiles

Ballard Power Systems

Borgwarner

Ceres Power

Cummins

Doosan Group

Hyster-Yale

Hyundai Group

ITM Power

Nedstack

Plug Power

Powercell AB

Proton Motor Power Systems

Toshiba

Toyota Motor Corp

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/eyr056

Attachment
Pune, India, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global metaverse market is estimated to rise from USD 100.27 billion in 2022 to USD 1,527.55 billion by 2029 at 47.6% CAGR during the forecast period. Fortune Business Insights has delved into these insights in its latest research report titled, Metaverse Market Forecast, 2022-2029. As per the report, the global market size stood at USD 63.83 billion in 2021.

According to the analysis, the rising penetration of online shopping and gaming will have a notable influence on the business outlook. Notably, the emergence of blockchain technology has augured well for leading companies vying to expand their portfolios. For instance, in January 2022, Space Falcon raised around USD 4 million to boost traditional gaming with blockchain technology. Industry players are also likely to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global market.





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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/metaverse-market-106574





Key Industry Development

November 2021: Globant announced the acquisition of Navint to streamline end-to-end digital and cognitive transformations.

Report Scope & Segmentation

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2022 to 2029 Forecast Period 2022 to 2029 CAGR 47.6% 2029 Value Projection USD 1527.55 Billion Base Year 2021 Metaverse Market Size in 2021 USD 63.83 Billion Historical Data for 2018 to 2020 No. of Pages 140 Segments covered Component, Device, Application and Geography Metaverse Market Growth Drivers Leading Companies Emphasize Product Portfolio Expansion to Expand Footprint Expanding Footfall of VR Devices to Trigger Disruptions Flourishing Gaming Business in the U.S. to Propel North America Market





Trend for Online Gaming Brings Paradigm Shift

An exponential rise in online video game services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has aided the business forecast. According to Newzoo report, the global gaming audience for e-sports could reach USD 646 million by 2023. Moreover, in November 2021, Niantic, Inc. raised USD 300 million from Coatue Pokemon GO gaming company. Considering the investment trend, leading players could boost their portfolios in the ensuing period.





Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/metaverse-market-106574





Drivers and Restraints

Expanding Footfall of VR Devices to Trigger Disruptions

Stakeholders expect the metaverse market share to gain traction from the rising footprint of VR devices across developed and developing economies. The trend for mixed reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and blockchain across the end-use applications will be pronounced over the next few years. To illustrate, in February 2022, Decentraland raised USD 1.2 million with fungible tokens auction and marketplace. Moreover, a notable uptick in the e-commerce industry will encourage leading companies to inject funds into the landscape. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, the global e-commerce sale reached USD 26.7 trillion in 2020.

While the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies will bode well, lack of awareness, security concerns, and rigorous government rules are likely to mar the industry outlook.

Segments

Based on component, the metaverse market is segmented into software/platform, hardware, and services.

In terms of device, the market is segregated into mobile, desktop, console, and others.

With respect to application, the market covers gaming, online shopping, content creation, social media, conferences, and others.

On the basis of region, the market is segmented into Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World.

Report Coverage

The report provides a holistic view of the market size, share, volume, and revenue. It has also delved into Porters Five Force Analysis and SWOT analysis. The report has been prepared through qualitative and quantitative analysis to bolster the strategic approach. The primary interviews have been used to validate assumptions, findings and the prevailing business scenarios. The report has also been prepared through secondary resources, such as annual reports, press releases, white papers and journals.





Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/metaverse-market-106574





Regional Insights

Flourishing Gaming Business in the U.S. to Propel North America Market

Stakeholders are poised to explore opportunities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico during the assessment period. The prevailing trend is mainly attributed to the penetration of the gaming business and online shopping. The North America market forecast will be strong on the back of bullish strategies adopted by prominent companies. For instance, in September 2021, Meta injected around USD 50 million in global research and development of the platform.

The Europe metaverse market growth will be noticeable against the backdrop of technological advancements across gaming and social medical platforms. MejoresApuestas.com claims gaming audiences in Europe could reach 351.0 million by 2023. It is worth noting that leading financial service providers are seeking meta platforms to streamline their services.

Industry participants expect Asia Pacific to emerge as a lucrative hub in the wake of the surging popularity of smartphones and desktops for gaming, online shopping, and content creation. Specifically, in January 2022, Tencent Holdings Ltd rolled out Metaverse services to foster Japanese companies. Growth of the platform and services across Japan, China, Australia, and India will solidify the position of Asia Pacific in the global market.

Competitive Landscape

Leading Companies Emphasize Product Portfolio Expansion to Expand Footprint in Metaverse

Stakeholders are poised to infuse funds into product rollouts, technological advancements, and mergers & acquisitions. Well-established players and new players could invest in R&D activities to gain a competitive edge. In doing so, investments in geographical expansion could be pronounced over the next few years.

Major Players Profiled in the Report :

Tencent Holdings Ltd. (China)

NVIDIA Corporation (U.S.)

Meta (Facebook Inc.) (U.S.)

Roblox Corporation (U.S.)

Microsoft Corporation (U.S.)

Globant (Luxembourg)

Queppelin (India)

Alibaba Cloud (U.S.)

Netease Inc. (China)

Magic Leap, Inc. (U.S.)





Quick Buy - Metaverse Market Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/106574





Major Table of Contents:

Global Metaverse Market Size Estimates and Forecasts, By Segments, 2018-2029 Key Findings By Component (USD) Hardware Software/Platform Services By Device (USD) Desktop Mobile Console Other (Smart Wearables, etc.) By Application (USD) Online Shopping Gaming Social Media Content Creation Conferences Others (Virtual Runway Shows, etc.) By Region (USD) North America Europe Rest of World Middle East & Africa Asia Pacific South America

North America Metaverse Market Size Estimates and Forecasts, By Segments, 2018-2029 Key Findings By Component (USD) Hardware Software/Platform Services By Device (USD) Desktop Mobile Console Other (Smart Wearables, etc.) By Application (USD) Online Shopping Gaming Social Media Content Creation Conferences Others (Virtual Runway Shows, etc.) By Country (USD) United States By Application Canada By Application Mexico By Application

Europe Metaverse Market Size Estimates and Forecasts, By Segments, 2018-2029 Key Findings By Component (USD) Hardware Software/Platform Services By Device (USD) Desktop Mobile Console Other (Smart Wearables, etc.) By Application (USD) Online Shopping Gaming Social Media Content Creation Conferences Others (Virtual Runway Shows, etc.) By Country (USD)



TOC Continued!





Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the metaverse market size?

The global metaverse market was valued at US$ 63.83 in 2021

How fast is metaverse growing?

The metaverse industry will exhibit a CAGR of 47.6% during the forecast period, 2022-2029

What will the metaverse be worth in 2029?

The global metaverse industry will be worth US$ 1527.55 billion in 2029





About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

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UK: +44 2071 939123

APAC: +91 744 740 1245
Pune, India, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global downhole tools market size is projected to reach USD 5.30 billion by the end of 2027. The market size stood at USD 4.06 billion in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period, 2021-2027. The increasing hydrocarbon exploration activities will have a positive impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years, according to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Downhole Tools Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Tool Type (Drilling Tools, Pressure & Flow Control Tools, Handling Tools, Impurity Control Tools, and Others), By Application (Well Drilling, Well Completion, Well Intervention, Well Production, Formation & Evaluation), By Location (Onshore and Offshore {Shallow Water, Deepwater and Ultra-Deepwater}) and Regional Forecasts, 2020-2027.

Industry Developments:

April 2020: Maersk Drilling announced that it has received an early contract termination for two rigs. BG International Limited terminated the contract for the semi-submersible Maersk Developer with immediate effect.





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Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020-2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 8.6% 2027 Value Projection USD 5.30 billion Base Year 2018 Market Size in 2019 USD 4.06 billion Historical Data for 2016-2018 No. of Pages 160 Segments covered By Tool Type (Drilling Tools, Pressure & Flow Control Tools, Handling Tools, Impurity Control Tools, and Others), By Application (Well Drilling, Well Completion, Well Intervention, Well Production, Formation & Evaluation), By Location (Onshore and Offshore {Shallow Water, Deepwater and Ultra-Deepwater}) and Regional Growth Drivers Despite the Negativities, Few Companies Still Continuing Drilling Activities North America to Witness Significant Growth; Emphasis on Hydrocarbon Exploration Will Aid Growth





Market Growth Factors:

Despite the Negativities, Few Companies Still Continuing Drilling Activities

The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Although the coronavirus outbreak has had a negative influence on the overall market, the constant need for resources such as oil and gas will prove beneficial for large scale companies. In March 2020, Maersk Drilling secured a new contract for the offshore project in Egypt. The company announced that it secured a one-well contract for the semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer. The contract is said to be worth an estimated USD 3.8 million. The company is hopeful that the coronavirus outbreak will not affect its operations and plans to begin work in the March 2020. Maersks latest contract for offshore drilling in Egypt will not just benefit the company, but will have a direct impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years.

Segmentation:

Downhole tools are equipment used in oil and gas exploration activities, particularly for drilling. The equipment is also used for well intervention and workover activities. The massive global demand for oil and gas as well as hydrocarbon has led to a wider adoption for the devices across the world. The rising demand for oil and gas has attracted massive investments from large scale companies. The presence of several large scale companies will subsequently contribute to the growth of the overall market in the coming years. The increasing hydrocarbon exploration activities, coupled with the emphasis on the use of sustainable energy will open up a huge potential for the companies operating in the market. The ability of downhole tools to minimize the overall costs associated with oil and gas drilling activities will contribute to the growing adoption for the devices across the world.





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Regional Insights:

North America to Witness Significant Growth; Emphasis on Hydrocarbon Exploration Will Aid Growth

The report analyzes the ongoing market trends across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these regions, the market in North America is likely to emerge as the dominant region. The increasing emphasis on exploration of hydrocarbon reserves will aid the growth of the market in this region. Due to the high potential that hydrocarbons present, several large scale companies are focused on exploration of hydrocarbon and research activities associated with the same, with a bid to acquiring a wider consumer base. As of 2019, the market in North America was worth USD 1.47 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years. Although the market will witness a slight downfall in 2019, newer opportunities will help the market recover after the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control. The market in Asia Pacific derives growth from the constantly rising population and the subsequently rising demand for oil and gas resources in numerous countries across this region.

COVID-19 Impact:

The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic.

We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future.





To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/downhole-tools-market-102777





A List of Key Manufacturers Operating in the Global Market:

National Oilwell Varco

Schoeller-Bleckmann Sales

Weatherford

Core Laboratories

Baker Hughes

Hunting PLC

Schlumberger

RPC, Inc.

APS Technology Inc.

Flotek Industries, Inc.

TechnipFMC

United Drilling Tools Ltd

Rival Downhole Tools

Downhole Tools Market Segmentation:

By Tool Type:

Drilling Tools

Pressure & Flow Control Tools

Handling Tools

Impurity Control Tools

Others

By Application:

Well Drilling

Well Completion

Well Intervention

Well Production

Formation & Evaluation

By Location:

Onshore

Offshore

Table of Content:

1. Introduction

1.1. Research Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Research Methodology

1.4. Definitions and Assumptions

2. Executive Summary

3. Market Dynamics

3.1. Market Drivers

3.2. Market Restraints

3.3. Market Opportunities

4. Key Insights

4.1. Key Industry Developments - Merger, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

4.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3. SWOT Analysis

4.4. Technological Developments

4.5. Value Chain Analysis

4.6. Impact of COVID-19 on Downhole Tools Market

5. Global Downhole Tools Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2020-2027

5.1. Key Findings / Summary

Continued





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About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.

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EDMONTON, Alberta, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Visionstate Corp. (TSXV: VIS) (Visionstate or the Company) is pleased to announce that with its long-term partner Bunzl Canada Inc. (Bunzl) it has deployed its proprietary WANDA IoT technology in the European market at an innovative hospital in Belgium. The launch of the Companys mobile app represents the first installation in Europe and expands Visionstates reach beyond the installations already at 26 hospitals in North America.



The Picardy Wallonia hospital (CHwapi) is an ambitious, innovative hospital project designed to meet current and future health challenges. Its singular mission is to serve its community by promoting well-being and being well in a human-focused environment. That environment is comprised of clean, bright, and green spaces connected by an ultra-efficient digital architecture that includes a range of "intelligent" solutions such as digitized appointment making and signage, geolocation of equipment in real-time (RTLS), home automation and telemedicine, a new self-serve maternity support app and more.

The WandaNEXT IoT cleaning management platform is a natural addition to our state-of-the-art facility, said Rudy Varenne, Managing Director at Creche Les CHwaptis (ACBL). The CHwapi environment has been designed to provide a best-in-class experience for both patients and healthcare providers. This platform supports our ability to do that with better visibility and continuous improvements in quality and efficiency.

WandaNEXT enables healthcare, education, assisted living and commercial facilities to track and verify cleaning activities, validate quality through regularly scheduled audits, and alert cleaning teams to service requirements (such as discharge cleaning routines). It also facilitates schedule optimization, activity management, consumption tracking, end-user feedback and administrative reporting.

Hugues Robert, Managing Director of Global Net Belgium, a Bunzl cleaning and hygiene company, comments, We are convinced that through the use of WandaNEXT, the Belgian short- and long-stay healthcare market will be able to accelerate the digitization of its cleaning and facility management process in the broadest sense while simplifying the documentation and audit process. We are all very excited to participate in this project within CHwapi and are already very pleased to see the number of expressions of interest from other players in the healthcare market.

The pilot implementation at CHwapi began earlier this month and will be evaluated over a six-month period. Cleaning teams use cleaning trolleys equipped with tablets that enable them to refer to specific cleaning protocols required for each room type. Dynamic task assignments are delivered in real-time so that cleaning team members are aware of immediate service needs as well as scheduled daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Audit features are used to monitor quality and identify training and support requirements.

Now more than ever, facilities in critical environments such as healthcare, education, long-term care, and assisted living must verify and validate that cleaning and disinfecting is being done correctly and at the right intervals, said Margo Hunnisett, Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Bunzl Canada, where the WandaNEXT product was developed by Visionstate IoT.

Visionstate continues to work in partnership with Bunzl to develop new system features and functionality. The partners are currently completing a pilot project that includes surface diagnostics using ATP testing technology.

WandaNEXT has a growing installation base that includes healthcare, education, retail, commercial office, conference, airport and distribution facilities across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

About Visionstate Corp.

Visionstate Corp. (TSXV: VIS) is a growth-oriented company that invests in the research and development of promising new technology in the realm of the Internet of Things, big data and analytics, and sustainability. Through Visionstate Inc., it helps businesses improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and elevate customer satisfaction with its state-of-the-art devices that track and monitor guest activities and requests. The footprint of its WANDA smart device now extends to hospitals, airports, shopping centres and other public facilities across and beyond North America. Through building up a collection of synergistic technologies, Visionstate Corp. will continue to innovate, reduce environmental impact, and transform consumer experiences.

Issued on behalf of the Board of Directors,

John A. Putters

Visionstate Corp.

To learn more, please contact:

Visionstate Corp.

John Putters, CEO

(780) 425-9460

jputters@visionstate.com



CHF Capital Markets

Cathy Hume

(416) 868-1079 x 251

cathy@chfir.com

Follow Visionstate Corp. on social media:

Website: www.visionstate.com

Twitter: @visionstate

Facebook: @visionstate

LinkedIn: @VisionstateCorp.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this material may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.
English French

This first gold bar represents a major milestone for Monarch since its listing in January 2021

As of today, a total of 23,914 tonnes of ore averaging 4.76 g/t Au are currently stockpiled, ready to be processed.

Monarch will continue to ramp up the production rate at the Beacon Mill and expects to reach commercial production in the coming months.



MONTREAL, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MONARCH MINING CORPORATION (Monarch or the Corporation) (TSX: GBAR) (OTCQX: GBARF) is pleased to report the production of its first gold bar from its wholly-owned Beaufor Mine and Beacon Mill, located east of Val-d'Or, Quebec.

During the production for the month of July, the Beacon Mill achieved a record day of 765 tonnes of ore and ore recovery ranged from 96.3% to 98.7%. While this data is preliminary at this stage of the milling process, it is nonetheless a very positive result. After this first pour, the ore stockpile currently stands at 23,914 tonnes at an average grade of 4.76 g/t Au.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d41d530d-4155-4127-8959-f5d8b7fdb47b

This first gold bar is the most significant milestone for Monarch since our listing in January 2021. Over the past 18 months, we have successfully restarted the Beaufor Mine and refurbished the Beacon Mill with a new production and exploration strategy, while dealing with the many challenges caused by the pandemic and recent geopolitical and economic events. Despite some delays due to the plant's automation systems and lost time due to COVID-19, we are proud to have achieved our goals with a slight delay of only six weeks, said Jean-Marc Lacoste, President and CEO of Monarch.

This is quite a challenge that we have just met, and we are confident that well be able to create sustainable value for our shareholders and our 221 employees who have invested in this restart and in the future of Monarch. The next step will be to gradually increase the production rate of the Beacon Mill to reach commercial production, a goal we expect to achieve in the coming months. This will ultimately allow us to recoup our investment and fund the development of our other promising exploration projects, including McKenzie Break, Swanson and Croinor Gold, which continue to show excellent results.

The technical and scientific content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Christian Tessier, P.Geo., the Corporations qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Monarch

Monarch Mining Corporation (TSX: GBAR) (OTCQX: GBARF) is a fully integrated mining company that owns four projects, including the Beaufor Mine, which has produced more than 1 million ounces of gold over the last 30 years. Other assets include the Croinor Gold, McKenzie Break and Swanson properties, all located near Monarchs wholly owned 750 tpd Beacon Mill. Monarch owns 29,504 hectares (295 km2) of mining assets in the prolific Abitibi mining camp that host a combined measured and indicated gold resource of 478,982 ounces and a combined inferred resource of 383,393 ounces.

Forward-looking statements

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Monarchs actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied therein. Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jean-Marc Lacoste

President and Chief Executive Officer 1-888-994-4465

jm.lacoste@monarchmining.com

Mathieu Seguin

Vice President, Corporate Development 1-888-994-4465

m.seguin@monarchmining.com

Elisabeth Tremblay

Geologist  Communication Manager 1-888-994-4465

e.tremblay@monarchmining.com



www.monarchmining.com





Table 1: Monarch combined gold resources

Mineral resource estimates Tonnes

(metric) Grade

(g/t Au) Ounces Beaufor Mine1 Measured Resources 328,500 5.7 59,900 Indicated Resources 956,400 5.2 159,300 Total Measured and Indicated 1,284,900 5.3 219,200 Total Inferred 818,900 4.7 122,500 McKenzie Break2 In-pit Total Indicated 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 Total Inferred 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground Total Indicated 387,720 5.03 62,677 Total Inferred 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 Swanson3 In-pit Total Indicated 1,864,000 1.76 105,400 Total Inferred 29,000 2.46 2,300 Underground Total Indicated 91,000 2.86 8,400 Total Inferred 87,000 2.87 8,000 TOTAL COMBINED4

Measured and Indicated Resources

Inferred Resources

478,982

383,393 1 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Beaufor Mine Project, October 13, 2021, Val-dOr, Quebec, Canada, Charlotte Athurion, P. Geo., Pierre-Luc Richard, P. Geo., and Dario Evangelista, P. Eng., BBA Inc.

2 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report on the McKenzie Break Property, October 14, 2021, Val-dOr, Quebec, Canada, Alain-Jean Beauregard, P.Geo., Daniel Gaudreault, P.Eng., of Geologica Groupe-Conseil Inc., and Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., of GoldMinds GeoServices Inc.

3 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Swanson Project, January 22, 2021, Val-dOr, Quebec, Canada, Christine Beausoleil, P. Geo. and Alain Carrier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc.

4 Numbers may not add due to rounding.




TORONTO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Canadian businesses recover from the pandemic's effect on the economy and the workplace, many leaders are wrestling with implementing strategies that address and increase diverse representation. But most are employing misguided strategies to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to Matrix360, a premier Toronto-based talent management and workplace strategy firm.

Canadian businesses that are intentionally committed to examining their talent management strategies are more likely to create better processes and policies to succeed, according to Chandran Fernando, founder and managing partner of Matrix360. However, in most cases, businesses will either employ performative strategies that are ineffective or lack any solutions to minimize assumptions and biases. It is more than unconscious bias in training sessions; businesses need to examine the methods on how they recruit, retain, grow and advance all employees. Fernando believes organizations need to move away from thinking about underrepresentation and focus on overrepresentation.

"Without question, there have been strides made in certain areas of addressing representation," Fernando said. "There are greater intentions to address representation within businesses. However, the methods are slow, inconsistent or have stalled. Many workplaces address diversity through performative means - such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), celebrating X months, whether it is Black History, Pride, or Women's Months - and often employees are tokenised for their identities."

Matrix360's structured approach to developing inclusive workplace cultures is framed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Matrix360 team focuses on guiding and building diversity and equity into the ESG (environmental social and governance) strategy for businesses. It is essential for business leaders to recognize that achieving diversity and equity is more than a human resources project; it is about business strategy.

Now, during a time that has come to be known as the "Great Resignation," employee retention is a top priority for many Canadian businesses. In one recent Canadian study, 42% of respondents expressed that they were considering a job change in the next year, with inclusivity concerns being one of the major reasons for doing so.

Because employees are gravitating toward businesses that employ and promote DEI initiatives, it only makes sense for businesses to implement such programs strategically and thoughtfully. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce projected that improved participation in inclusivity initiatives could add 2.2 million workers to the labor force by 2040, including more women, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities, while simultaneously growing the economy by $101 billion. In addition to the clear economic benefit, DEI initiatives also provide competitive advantages in the form of improved innovation, creative thinking ability, and problem-solving processes.

"In this post-COVID era with so many Canadians returning to work, it is a perfect opportunity for businesses to revise their DEI processes and ESG strategies, demonstrate genuine commitment for their employees, and accelerate employee engagement and performance in the office," Fernando said.

To learn more about Matrix360's approach to improving DEI initiatives, please visit https://matrix360.ca.

About Matrix360

Matrix360 is a boutique diverse-owned talent management and workplace strategy firm. With two decades of experience, our structured approach is framed in the UN Sustainable Development Goals to evolve workplace cultures where all people thrive.

We collaborate with leaders to deliver solutions focused on people. With our unique solutions, we strive to set a new industry standard for what excellence in diversity looks like, where we are able to influence positive business outcomes: innovation, sustainable growth, and inclusive communities.

Media Contact

Maria Penaloza

maria.penaloza@newswire.com

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NORTH CONWAY, N.H., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digitunity and the Jersey City Housing Authority will give 75 computers to young people who need them for their education, in a public event at 11:00 AM Thursday, July 28, at the Booker T. Washington housing development in Jersey City, New Jersey. In total, over 300 computers will be provided to JCHA youth over the next year.

The event is one of several distributions in the New York City area for Digitunity, a national nonprofit organization that closes the technology gap by connecting low-income people with the computers they need. Digitunity believes access to a computer at home has become vital for people to succeed both in school and economically.

"In today's education system, children need a computer in their home to do research and run the applications they need for homework and projects. Yet, one-third of Black and Hispanic households don't have that resource," said Scot Henley, executive director of Digitunity. "Providing these computers helps close the digital divide. That is Digitunity's mission. We're thrilled to partner with the Jersey City Housing Authority and Electronic Access Foundation to help these young people."

The Electronic Access Foundation is a nonprofit organization and Digitunity partner that obtains surplus electronic equipment from corporations, universities, and other groups and donates them to other qualified charitable organizations.

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA), created in 1938, provides affordable housing for low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. It administers about 7,100 housing units, home to over 15,000 people. JCHA administrators thank both groups for their support.

"Digitunity and our local partner, Electronic Access Foundation, have played an essential role in the development of JCHA's digital inclusion initiatives since 2019," said JCHA Executive Director Vivian Brady-Phillips.

"Through donations of refurbished computers, EAF has provided computers that enabled JCHA to develop on-site computer labs at four of our public housing developments and provided computers directly to families. With these resources, JCHA leverages local nonprofit partnerships to host digital literacy classes and provide computer access to residents without devices at home. This latest initiative with AT&T will allow nearly 300 of its youngest residents in-home computers to truly access a 21st-century education."

A portion of the computer donations will be distributed to JCHA youth who attend the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County. Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fullop said the initiative was another example of how the city employs creative approaches to assist its citizens.

"In Jersey City, we've taken innovative approaches to expand opportunities for all residents, with a focus on eliminating the socioeconomic barriers disproportionately impacting communities of color," Fullop said. "From promoting homeownership and self-sufficiency, to place-based community programs that support children and seniors, provide vital resources and create powerful partnerships that deliver results, including this latest initiative. The work we're doing together today will impact residents for generations to come. We want to get local businesses involved in donating used computers to support digital equity for low-income families."

To learn more about Digitunity's mission to end the digital divide, please visit Digitunity.org.

About Digitunity

Since the 1980s, Digitunity and its predecessor organization have advanced digital inclusion by connecting technology donors with organizations serving people in need. Our mission is to ensure everyone who needs a computer has one, along with robust internet connectivity and digital literacy skills. To learn more about our mission, visit www.digitunity.org.

About Jersey City Housing Authority

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) is New Jersey's second-largest public housing authority. Serving 15,000 residents in Jersey City, it is the most diverse municipality in the country. JCHA is responsible for the administration of approximately 7,100 housing units, including 2,400 public housing units and over 4,700 Housing Choice Vouchers.

Recognizing that resident needs go beyond housing, JCHA established its Department of Resident Empowerment and Community Engagement (RECE) in 2018. It has developed innovative partnerships with government agencies, nonprofits, and institutes of higher education to offer a broad range of services to residents with a focus on youth, workforce development, seniors, and digital inclusion.

As a result of its contracts with internet service providers, including Starry and Andrena, and paired with the FCC's subsidy programs, nearly 1,500 JCHA households will have access to free, high-speed internet by late 2022.

The JCHA has been lauded as a champion of energy efficiency and green building practices, policies promoting Section 3 hiring, and an impeccable track record of revitalizing distressed public housing. In addition, its Section 8 program has been ranked among the best in the state.

Contact Information

Maria Penaloza

maria.penaloza@newswire.com

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Formerly Impossible Foods VP of R&D and VP of Strategic Ingredients, Varadan assumes new role as Shiru CSO next week.

Varadan will accelerate the buildout of the biotech startups high-value product pipeline and partner directly with the worlds leading food manufacturers.

Varadan is the latest addition to Shiru, which earlier this year launched a partnership with global ingredients company CP Kelco and has brought on advisors and board members from Tesla, Impossible Foods, Firmenich, Zymergen and Aduro, as well as former Tyson CEO Dean Banks.



ALAMEDA, Calif., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shiru Inc., a sustainable ingredient innovator for the food industry, welcomes Dr. Ranjani Varadan as its first Chief Scientific Officer.

Varadan was a key scientist and leader for 10 years at Impossible Foods. She was the first scientist hired by Impossible Foods Founder and Chairman Dr. Patrick O. Brown, and from 2011-2021 she took on a series of roles with increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Strategic Ingredients and Vice President of Research and Development.

As CSO at Shiru, Varadan will oversee all aspects of R&D, from discovery and screening to ingredient pre-production. She will serve as a key member of Shirus executive team and grow the companys talent base in producing gelation ingredients and structured fats for better-tasting baked goods, alternative meats, and more. Varadan will partner closely with Shirus upstream computational and downstream product teams to develop a high-value product pipeline for the worlds leading food manufacturers.

Varadan, whose first day is Aug. 1, will report directly to Shiru Founder and CEO Dr. Jasmin Hume.

Ranjani played an essential role in Impossible Foods trajectory, from its earliest days as a stealth lab to its mainstream, mass-market scaleup. That makes her uniquely qualified to help lead our team as Shiru scales up discovery and production of ingredients for the worlds largest food conglomerates, said Hume, who started Shiru with funding from leading venture capital firms such as S2G Ventures, Lux Capital, and CPT Capital. Also, after working closely with her as a trusted adviser, I know she is a team player, 100% mission-aligned with our growing workforce.

Top talent with an urgent mission

Shiru has world-class scientists, a growing reputation as a true partner to its corporate customers, and exceptional esprit de corps, Varadan said. The team shares my deep passion and sense of urgency to decarbonize our planet by making the food system sustainable. Shiru is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me  and for our planet.

Varadan left Impossible Foods in 2021 to spend a year teaching chemistry and other classes at her son's middle school in the San Francisco Bay Area. During that time, she took on a role as science adviser to Shiru, where she got to know the team, technology, and corporate culture. Shiru, which now employs about 40 people, has had virtually zero voluntary turnover since its founding in 2019.

Before Impossible, Varadan was an adjunct professor of chemistry at State University of New York Purchase. She was a postdoctoral associate at New York Structural Biology Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2007-2010) and a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine (2005-2006). Varadan received her PhD in biochemistry at the University of Maryland and received her masters and bachelors degrees from Indias Birla Institute of Technology and Science.

Another leap forward for Shiru

Varadans appointment comes as Shiru commercializes the first products from its Flourish platform , which combines machine learning, precision fermentation, and high-throughput testing to make functional ingredients to replace high-carbon, animal-based products  without sacrificing nutrition or taste.

In March, Shiru announced a new partnership with CP Kelco , a leading nature-based ingredient solutions company, to develop ingredients to improve plant-based meats. In June, Shiru announced that three industry leaders joined as advisors : former Tyson CEO Dean Banks, former Zymergen CTO Aaron Kimball, and former Aduro executive Blaine Templeman.

Last year, Shiru appointed two new independent board members: Mary T. Clarke, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Firmenich, the worlds largest privately-owned flavors and fragrances company; and Rachel Konrad, Chief Brand Officer at The Production Board and previously head of communication at Impossible Foods, Tesla and other companies. Additional board members include Hume, Deena Shakir of Lux Capital (seed financing lead), and Chuck Templeton of S2G Ventures (Series A lead).

About Shiru

Shiru is an ingredient innovator for the food industry on a mission to make our food system sustainable. Shiru discovers and scales naturally occurring proteins as functional ingredients that can replace animal-based products used in food today. Shirus Flourish discovery platform combines precision fermentation, machine learning, and high-throughput screening to build a pipeline of high-value functional ingredients, with an initial focus on gelation, egg replacement, and structured fats. Founded in 2019, Shiru is based in Alameda, California, and is backed by leading venture capital firms such as S2G Ventures , Lux Capital , and CPT Capital . For more information, visit www.shiru.com .

Shiru Media Contact:

Kevin Costa, Director of Brand & Communications

kevin@shiru.com
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chinova Bioworks (Chinova), a Canadian company addressing consumers demand for healthy, natural, clean-label ingredients, received a No Questions Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding their Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) Notice No. GRN 000997 application for Chiber Mushroom Fiber, a natural food and beverage preservative.



The FDA created the GRAS procedure to ensure companies performed the necessary research and testing, demonstrating their food ingredients are safe for the public at the intended levels and use specified within the application. A No Question Letter is the FDAs communication showing an ingredient is permitted for use. FDA GRAS status is recognized in many countries outside the U.S. and aids in garnering regulatory ingredient acceptance abroad.

Chiber is a natural mushroom fiber derived from the upcycled stems of white button mushrooms. This fiber functions as a natural preservative used to improve the quality, freshness, and shelf-life of various food and beverage products such as cottage cheese, plant-based meats, and hummus.

"Were excited to get this additional level of regulatory acceptance for Chiber, as it shows our commitment to making it a healthy and transparent ingredient for consumers. Mushrooms have long been overlooked by our food system for their incredible functional properties, but we have found a great use for this mushroom fiber as a natural replacement for artificial preservatives," said David Brown, Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Chinova Bioworks. "After years of preparation, analysis, and research needed to show the safety, quality, and natural processing, we are so pleased to have received this No Questions Letter from the FDA."

Prior to receiving the FDA No Questions Letter, Chinova Bioworks convened an independent expert panel of scientists to evaluate Chinovas GRAS conclusion in accordance with scientific procedures under 21 CFR 170.30(a)(b). The company also enlisted the guidance of Intertek, a leading provider of comprehensive science-based quality, safety and sustainability assurance solutions, to assist them in developing and implementing the necessary tests and to help the company prepare for its GRAS evaluation.

"Regulatory compliance can be intimidating for companies looking to expand into regions outside of their own country, since each one has its own guidelines," said Dr. Shahrzad Tafazoli, Director, Safety & Regulatory Food & Nutrition Group, from Intertek, the lead regulatory scientist for Chinova. "Chinova Bioworks and Intertek worked collaboratively to prepare the safety studies, toxicology reviews and show the effectiveness of Chiber in a variety of food and beverage products."

Chinova Bioworks also received FEMA-GRAS status for Chiber on June 10, 2019, from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association which has one of the longest and most widely recognized GRAS assessment programs in the world. With the GRAS uses of Chiber recognized by FEMA and through the FDAs GRAS voluntary GRAS notification program, Chinovas Chiber now has a global regulatory reach as a safe and effective natural preservative.

The positive evaluation of Chiber by the U.S. FDA comes on the heels of Chinova Bioworks receiving Series A funding, allowing the company to expand its manufacturing capabilities. The company is now working on another innovative functional mushroom ingredient that offers wine, beer, seltzer, and cider producers a vegan alternative to synthetic fining agents. This innovation is planned for a launch in mid-August of 2022.

About Chinova Bioworks:

Chinova Bioworks is a Canadian company that addresses the growing consumer demand for healthy, natural, clean-label ingredients. Chinova has developed a natural preservative extracted from the stems of white button mushrooms for various food and beverage products. Chinova's natural, clean-label technology reduces the reliance on artificial ingredients & improves quality, freshness, and shelf-life, encouraging healthier long-lasting effects, increased customer satisfaction, and reduced food waste. The company has raised $10M in investment with a team representing 90% of women in STEM.

For more information, please visit www.chinovabioworks.com

About Intertek

Total Quality. Assured.

Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers' operations and supply chains. Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.

For more information, please visit www.intertek.com .

Media Contact:

Julia Boyd

julia@chinovabioworks.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/28871be6-e927-47e5-9786-bb6ab4425ca8
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: ARK) (Arras or the Company) is pleased to announce the acquisition of five mineral exploration licences. The new licences held by the Companys 100 % owned Kazakh Subsidiary, Ekidos Minerals LLP, cover a total of 2,122 square kilometers (sq km) in northeastern Kazakhstan focussed on the Bozshakol-Chingiz and Baidaulet-Akbastau metallogenic belts.



Highlights:

A total of five new mineral exploration licenses (namely, Maisor, Aktasty, Elemes, Norgubek, and Akkuduk) totaling 2,122 sq km have been granted by the Ministry of Industry and Innovational Development, Government of Kazakhstan, increasing the Companys total land package in northeastern Kazakhstan by 70% to 3,028 sq km. All licenses are located within a 120 km radius of Arras' operational base in the city of Ekibastuz, Pavlodar facilitating cost-effective exploration.

Arras is now the largest license holder in the highly prospective Bozshakol-Chingiz metallogenic belt, and the third largest in the Republic of Kazakhstan, after Fortescue Metals Group and Rio Tinto.

The Bozshakol-Chingiz and Baidaulet-Akbastau metallogenic belts host the producing Bozshakol porphyry copper-gold mine and Maikain volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) mine, respectively, as well as Arras Beskauga porphyry-epithermal copper-gold project where an initial 10,000-meter drill program (permitted for 30,000m) is currently underway.

Compilation, digitization, and interpretation of Soviet-era geological and geophysical datasets for the new licenses has identified multiple targets for porphyry, epithermal, VHMS, and orogenic gold mineralization.

Historical, non-NI 43-101 compliant drill intercepts support the significant exploration potential, including: Berezski East  porphyry target (Elemes licence) 105 meters grading 1.17 g/t gold (Au) and 0.2 % copper (Cu) 93 meters grading 0.51 g/t Au and 0.12 % Cu 68.4 meters grading 0.95 g/t Au and 0.18 % Cu Quartzite Goka  intermediate sulfidation epithermal target (Elemes Licence) 143 meters grading 0.71 g/t Au and 0.42 % Cu 72 meters grading 1.06 g/t Au and 0.38 % Cu 84 meters grading 0.78 g/t Au and 0.34 % Cu Amankol  epithermal target (Akkuduk Licence) 14.5 meters grading 0.89 % Cu (no Au assays reported) 8 meters grading 1.42 % Cu (no Au assays reported) 10 meters grading 1.79 % Cu (no Au assays reported) Akkuduk-Norgubek porphyry-epithermal target (Norgubek Licence) 30.5 meters grading 1.65 g/t Au and 0.18 % Cu 40.5 meters grading 1.07 g/t Au (no Cu assays reported) 30.2 meters grading 1.19 g/t Au (no Cu assays reported)



Soil sampling, detailed geological mapping, and alteration mapping (using TerraSpec SWIR/NIR spectroscopy) are in progress at two of the new license areas, Elemes and Akkuduk. Fieldwork at the Norgubek license is scheduled to begin in late August.



Commenting on the acquisition of the new licence areas, Tim Barry, CEO of Arras stated, We are delighted to have been granted five new licences areas. Acquisition of these licences is core to our strategy of building a belt-scale portfolio focused on the Bozshakol-Chingiz belt. Acting on our first mover advantage we have been able to expand our footprint by 70%. This is a testament to the potential we recognize within this underexplored belt and substantially increases exposure to copper and gold for the Company and our shareholders. The new licences include prospective ground immediately adjacent to and along the same trend as KAZ Minerals' Bozshakol porphyry copper-gold mine, one of the largest copper resources in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Significantly, the two near-mine licences are both concealed by overburden and have not seen any post-Soviet-era exploration. This provides us with a unique exploration opportunity to search beneath cover by applying modern geochemical and geophysical techniques and top-of-bedrock drilling. Our field crews are now on-site at the newly granted Elemes and Akkuduk licences and we look forward to updating the market on the results of our regional exploration programs shortly."

Geological Setting of the New License Areas

Four of the newly granted license areas (see Figure 1) are located within the Bozshakol-Chingiz metallogenic belt. The belt hosts the giant Bozshakol porphyry copper-gold deposit (1.123 billion tonnes grading 0.35 % Cu, 0.14 g/t Au and 1.00 g/t silver (Ag)) operated by KAZ Minerals Ltd (Figures 1 and 2). It also hosts the Companys Beskauga porphyry-epithermal copper-gold project with a current Mineral Resource Estimate of 1.75 million ounces (Moz) of gold and 333.6 thousand tonnes of copper in the Indicated category, and 1.49 Moz of gold & 222.2 thousand tonnes of copper in the Inferred category (refer to Arras news release dated June 20, 2022). An initial 10,000-meter drill program is currently underway at the Beskauga project.

Akkuduk the southern-most of the newly granted licenses (see Figure 1) is located within the Baidaulet-Akbastau magmatic arc. The Baidaulet-Akbastau arc hosts several gold-rich VHMS deposits including the producing Maikain VHMS ore field with a non-NI43-101 compliant historical resource of 40 million tonnes grading 1.14 % Cu, 2.4 g/t Au, 43 g/t Ag, 2.5 % zinc (Zn) and 0.44 % lead (Pb) as shown in Figure 2.

The Bozshakol-Chingiz and Baidaulet-Akbastau metallogenic belts are both Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician age magmatic arcs that forms part of the larger Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) one of Earths most richly mineralized regions, which hosts several world-class deposits, including Muruntau in Uzbekistan, the largest known orogenic gold deposit in the world, the behemothian Oyu Tolgoi porphyry Cu-Au deposit in Mongolia, the super-giant Kalmakyr-Dalnee and Saukbulak (collectively Almalyk) porphyry Cu-Au deposits in Uzbekistan, and the giant Kounrad and Aktogai porphyry Cu-Au deposits of the Balkhash region in eastern Kazakhstan.

Figure 1. Arras mineral exploration licences in northeastern Kazakhstan. Also shown is the location of Arras exploration office in the city of Ekibastuz and the producing Bozshakol and Maikain mines.

Figure 2. Arras mineral exploration licences in northeastern Kazakhstan. Also shown is the location of neighboring current and historical mines, including several significant gold-rich VHMS and porphyry copper-gold deposits.

Qualified Person:

The technical disclosure included in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joshua Hughes, the Vice President Exploration, and a full-time employee of Arras Minerals Corp., who is also a Member and Chartered Professional Geologist (MAusIMM CP(Geo)) of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (FSEG) and a Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS). Mr Hughes is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim Barry"

Tim Barry, MAusIMM CP(Geo)

Chief Executive Officer and Director

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

+1 604 687 5800

info@arrasminerals.com

About Arras Minerals Corp.

Arras Minerals Corp. is British Columbia incorporated public company trading on the TSX-V exchange under the symbol ARK. The Company is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project.

Further information can be found on the Companys website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the use of net proceeds from the recent private placement, plans and expectations of the drill program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras management. Words such as expects, anticipates, targets, goals, projects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, continues, may, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond managements control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption Risk Factors in the Non-Offering Prospectus filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR on May 31, 2022 and in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 17, 2022 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.




North Korea held a national conference of war veterans to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, state media said Wednesday.







The 8th National Conference of War Veterans took place in Pyongyang the previous day without leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).







The North celebrates the anniversary of the Korean War armistice that was signed on July 27, 1953. The North calls the conflict the Great Fatherland Liberation War and designated the armistice signing date as "Victory Day."







The KCNA said members of the presidium of the political bureau, including Jo Yong-won, and other senior party officials attended the conference but made no mention of leader Kim. Kim has stayed out of public view for over two weeks.







It marked the third consecutive year for the North to hold the conference on the national holiday. (Yonhap)






Miami, FL, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. and MIAMI, Fla.  July 27, 2022  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Origis Energy (Origis) and Excelsior Energy Capital (Excelsior) announced today that construction has started on the Skyhawk Solar project  a 100-megawatt solar facility in Obion County that will supply carbon-free energy to Googles hyperscale data centers in Clarksville, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama.

Skyhawk Solar was developed through TVAs Green Invest, a utility-scale solar solution that offers business and industry an effective, timely, and cost-competitive solar solution to aggressively meet sustainability goals. The program matches customer-driven commitments for renewable energy with new utility-scale solar facilities to be constructed in the Tennessee Valley.

TVA has the cleanest power system in the southeast and we are helping attract sustainability-focused companies that bring jobs and investments to this region, said Doug Perry, senior vice president, TVA Commercial Energy Solutions. We are proud to collaborate with Google, Origis and Excelsior to bring more solar generation on the grid for a greener region.

Initially announced in November 2020, Skyhawk Solar creates an estimated 300 construction jobs, with additional employment for 8-10 full-time operations and maintenance staff. The solar facility is projected to be operational by the end of 2022. Origis will operate and maintain the facility.

Skyhawk Solar is generating a waterfall of economic benefits in the Obion County community, said Johan Vanhee, Origis Energys chief commercial and procurement officer. The net economic benefits include $16.9 million in estimated direct local economic benefits during construction and $30 million estimated over the life of the project. Skyhawk Solar helps power Googles significant local data center investments with clean energy. The leadership and foresight of TVA and Google to decarbonize the grid is and will continue to pay dividends for the environment and local economy for years to come. We look forward to serving Google and TVA alongside the Skyhawk project owner Excelsior.

"The Excelsior Energy Capital team is very pleased to partner with Origis Energy to provide TVA and Google with carbon-free solar to meet their collective clean energy objectives, said Chris Moakley, Managing Partner at Excelsior Energy Capital.

Google has announced a goal to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy globally by 2030. Solar projects like Skyhawk will help the company as it works toward meeting this goal.

"Skyhawk Solar is an important step towards achieving Google's 24/7 carbon-free energy goal in Tennessee and Alabama," says Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google. "Were excited to continue working with our partners on projects like this, which will help expand clean energy and decarbonize electricity grids to benefit all."

Origis Energy and Excelsior Energy Capital have selected Wanzek Construction, Inc. to construct the project. Origis Services will manage and maintain the plant. To track the projects development, see the Origis Energy Skyhawk Solar project page.

About The Tennessee Valley Authority

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

About Origis Energy

Origis Energy is bringing clean and cost effective solar and energy storage solutions within reach for utility, commercial and industrial as well as public sector clients. The Origis team has worked to ensure the interests of all stakeholders are upheld in 170 projects worldwide totaling more than 5 GW to date of developed solar and energy storage capacity. Headquartered in Miami, FL, Origis Energy delivers excellence in solar and energy storage development, financing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations, maintenance and asset management for investors and clean energy consumers in the US. For more information, visit us at www.OrigisEnergy.com.

About Excelsior Energy Capital

Excelsior Energy Capital is a renewable energy infrastructure fund focused on long-term investments in wind, solar and storage plants in North America. The Excelsior team brings over 100 years of combined experience and a comprehensive set of strategic, financial, legal and operational expertise; making Excelsior Energy Capital a valuable partner for developers and operators, and a trusted manager for investors. For more information, visit http://www.excelsiorcapital.com.

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CRANBURY, N.J., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- dvm360, the leading multimedia provider of animal health care communications, education and research for veterinary professionals, is pleased to announce that the Veterinary Emergency & Referral Center by Ethos Vet Health in Honolulu, Hawaii and Cole Veterinary Hospital at Harmony in Spring, Texas have been named the grand prize winners of the 2022 Hospital Design Competition.



Both grand prize winners are exemplary veterinary hospitals that we are proud to honor as the best of the best during this years Fetch Kansas City conference in August, said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, the parent company of dvm360. Veterinary Emergency & Referral Center and Cole Veterinary Hospital at Harmony exhibit meaningful and innovative design that allows them to deliver exceptional care while providing both a safe and healthier workplace for their team.

dvm360s Hospital Design Competition honors the most attractive, functional and efficient animal health care facilities in the United States, with an emphasis on designing an environment for both safety and wellness of patients, clients and staff. A panel of veterinary hospital design experts evaluated the strengths and standout features of each practice to ultimately crown a Hospital of the Year winner in each category, as well as five merit awards.





Veterinary Emergency & Referral Center by Ethos Vet Health (VERC) has been named winner of the 2022 Hospital of the Year award in the over-8,000-square-feet category. The first 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital in Hawaii, it is an advanced veterinary diagnostic and treatment center offering comprehensive and progressive patient care. VERC moved into a new building last year that is over 17,000 square feet, allowing the hospital to expand its services to offer neurology in addition to critical care, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, oncology and surgery.





Cole Veterinary Hospital at Harmony was named the 2022 Hospital of the Year in the under-8,000-square-feet category. It is a full-service veterinary hospital that offers services such as testing and diagnostics, advanced care, routine and advanced surgical procedures, urgent care and pet boarding. At 7,654 square feet, the facility was built to prioritize energy efficiency, noise insulation and humidity control, creating a quiet and comfortable hospital for its patients and staff alike. Cole Veterinary Hospital at Harmony creatively utilizes its .8-acre property to serve its current needs while planning ahead for future growth.

This year we were honored to receive double the entries from our prior years Hospital Design Contest, given the continued strain the health care industry has faced, said Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary officer of dvm360. The winning facilities display a clear commitment to supporting team wellness and combatting compassion fatigue, which remains a key issue in the veterinary community.

The following veterinary hospitals received 2022 Hospital Design Competition merit awards:

Animal Care Center of Downers Grove (Downers Grove, Ill.)

Animal Emergency & Referral Associates (West Caldwell, N.J.)

Cypress Fairhaven Animal Hospital (Cypress, Texas)

Veterinary Clinic of Myrtle Beach (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

South Creek Animal Clinic (Spring, Texas)



The winning hospitals and merit award winners will be featured in dvm360 magazine and on dvm360.com. The two grand prize winners will also receive a commemorative plaque and be recognized at a luncheon sponsored by Midmark during the Fetch Kansas City conference taking place in Missouri from August 26-28, 2022.

Learn more about the 2022 Hospital Design Competition winners on the dmv360 website.

About dvm360

Founded more than 50 years ago, dvm360 is the leading multimedia provider of animal health care communications, education and research for veterinary professionals. We engage audiences with top-of-the-line, in-depth digital and print news, medical information and veterinary resources focusing on every aspect of a veterinary professionals life. With our online learning platform, dvm360 Flex, we also deliver a 360 solution for continuing educationprint, digital, in-person and on-demand. dvm360 is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America. MJH Life Sciences is dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Media Contacts

Carl Baus

1 (609) 433-6301

cbaus@mjhassoc.com

Lisa Trapani

1 (410) 245-0094

ltrapani@rosecomm.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7069ce7-8969-49f8-8d1f-16103c9863b4

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14831266-6f31-4359-8727-abaa249d5b57
Luxembourg  27 July 2022 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) and Van Oord today announced the award of a substantial1 contract by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) for the Gas to Energy project offshore Guyana, in water depths of up to 1,450 metres.



The scope covers the project management, engineering, and installation of approximately 190 kilometres of pipeline, with an associated shallow water portion and onshore approach making landfall to the west of the Demerara River, along the coast of Guyana.

Craig Broussard, Vice President for Subsea 7 US, said: "We are honoured to have been selected for Guyana Gas to Energy. This is an important project to support the Guyanese people and we look forward to continuing our relationship with EEPGL in one of the most prolific and exciting development basins in the world.

Hans van Gaalen, Commercial Director for Van Oord, adds: Van Oord is honoured to have been selected for the Guyana Gas to Energy project in cooperation with Subsea 7. Developing the coastal infrastructure for the project will allow our Subsea 7 and Van Oord consortium to positively contribute to the development of Guyanas electricity supply which in turn will reduce Guyanas dependence on imported fuels.

(1) Subsea 7 defines a substantial contract as being between USD 150 million and USD 300 million (Subsea 7s share)







*******************************************************************************

Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Brs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

*******************************************************************************

Contact for investment community enquiries:

Katherine Tonks

Investor Relations Director

Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568

ir@subsea7.com

Contact for media enquiries:

Ashley Shearer

Senior Communications Advisor

Tel +1-713-300-6792

ashley.shearer@subsea7.com

www.subsea7.com

Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; and (xvii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

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NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine have honored The Lifetime Value Company (LTVCo) as one of this year's Best Workplaces in New York. This is LTVCo's second win as a Great Place to Work-Certified company, and first being named to the prestigious New York list, coming in 36th place. Earning a spot means that The Lifetime Value Company is one of the best companies to work for headquartered in New York.

The Fortune Best Workplaces in New York award is based on employee feedback collected through America's largest ongoing annual workforce study of over one million employee survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million U.S. employees. In that survey, 99% of LTVCo's employees said The Lifetime Value Company is a great place to work. This number is 42% higher than the average U.S. company.

"We're thrilled for LTVCo's second win as a Great Place to Work-Certified company," said Josh Levy, CEO and co-founder of LTVCo. "Since March 2020, our company has doubled its workforce while continuing to maintain a high degree of employee satisfaction. This certification is a true indicator that our efforts to build a company that emphasizes culture, engagement and impact not only resonates with our existing employees but the many new team members we hired in the last two years."

The Fortune Best Workplaces in New York list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization and headquartered in the New York metropolitan statistical area.

Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.

"As employee demands and expectations have dramatically changed over the past year, these companies have risen to the occasion  and it's not been easy," says Kim Peters, executive vice president of global recognition, research & strategic partnerships at Great Place to Work. "Their hard work and dedication to listen to and care for the well-being of every employee, and support them in a way that's meaningful to all, is the standard all organizations will be held to."

In 2022, LTVCo made the list for Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2022 and the National Association for Business Resources Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. Previously, LTVCo ranked 25th in the Fortune and Great Place to Work's 2021 Best Small & Medium Workplaces, was the 2021 Best Tech Work Culture Regional Timmy Winner and ranked among highest-scoring businesses on Inc. magazine's annual list of best workplaces and earned the prestigious 2021 Great Place to Work Certification.

WE'RE HIRING

Looking to grow your career at a company that puts its people first? Visit our careers page at https://www.ltvco.com/careers.

About The Lifetime Value Company

The Lifetime Value Company is a tech company with a culture of innovation and passion for data. We build and ship best-in-class apps and web-based products and tools that put the power of information into the hands of our customers. Our mission is to help people discover, understand and use data in their everyday lives. Learn more at www.ltvco.com and on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact: press@ltvco.com

About the Fortune Best Workplaces in New York

Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces in New York by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from its study of thousands of companies representing more than 6.1 million U.S. employees at Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. Companies must be headquartered in the New York metropolitan statistical area to be eligible. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work Trust Index survey. Read the full methodology.

To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything it does is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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New York, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InfoComm, Las Vegas, NV, June 8, 2022  Pig Beach is more than just another barbecue restaurant. The companys newest location, in the New York City borough of Queens, in between the neighborhoods of Long Island City and Astoria, is like the city itself: it can take you to a lot of culinary places without ever having to hail a cab (or an Uber). Highlighting Italian, French, Middle Eastern, Asian, and of course American barbecues classic techniques and ingredients, and applying them to NYC-style pastrami, Italian-style charcuterie, Zaatar rubbed leg of lamb, Yuzu glazed smoked duck or good old Buffalo chicken wings, the focus is always on the best ingredients and thoughtful cooking. Not surprisingly, Pig Beach BBQ also chose its AV carefully, with close to 50 flat-panel displays, ranging in size from 55 and 65 inches to a 260-inch-diagonal Jumbotron in the courtyard to the 3 X 2 video wall behind the main bar. Throughout the venues indoor and outside areas patrons can view upwards of 20 broadcast, streaming, and cable sources for sports, or look over the restaurants fabulously eclectic and dynamic menus. Video might get much of the attention, but Pig Beach BBQ also has six discrete zones of audio to keep its four bars singing  lots of AV, and all of it controlled via an iPad courtesy of encoders, decoders, switchers and software from Key Digital, an award-winning developer and manufacturer of leading-edge digital video processing and video signal distribution solutions.

You can control each zone individually, from the outside veranda to the inside bar to the islands, all from a single iPad running Key Digitals Compass Control Pro software, says Ralph Quimby, the Owner and President of TPG-IP Communications, the Belleville, NJ-based AV systems integrator that designed and installed all of Pig Beach BBQs audio and video, and has completed projects all over the country from Maine to Hawaii. DirecTV, streaming devices  everything. TPG-IP programmed the Compass Control Pro software to exactly fit the restaurants AV design and to carefully limit access to that control, using password-protected security. However, once a managers identity is validated, that control is complete, allowing access to video and audio input sources, display configurations, and audio levels in every zone. Come on out and see  and hear  Pig Beach BBQ, says Quimby. Youre going to love it!

For more information:

Key Digital

ends 384 words

Photo File 1: Pig-Beach_video-wall.jpg

Photo Caption 1: The 3 x 2 video wall behind the courtyard bar at Pig Beach BBQ is the highlight of the venues expansive Key Digital-enabled AV system

Photo File 2: Pig-Beach_rack.jpg

Photo Caption 2: Encoders, decoders, switchers and software from Key Digital control the feeds to nearly 50 video displays throughout Pig Beach BBQ

Photo File 3: Pig-Beach_bar.jpg

Photo Caption 3: Sources for nearly 50 video displays at Pig Beach BBQ can be easily and intuitively fed from 20+ sources via Key Digital hardware and the unifying Compass Control Pro iOS app.

About Key Digital:

Established in 1999, Key Digital designs and engineers intuitive digital A/V connectivity and control solutions that embody excellence. Key Digital delivers reliable, superior-quality, easily-implemented, versatile, high-performance products for corporate, education, government, house-of-worship, bar & restaurant, digital signage and residential A/V applications.

Founded by innovator Mike Tsinberg, holder of over 40 digital video and HDTV patents, Key Digital designs and engineers its products in-house at its USA headquarters in Mount Vernon, New York. The result of meticulous research, development and testing, Key Digital products showcase the companys extensive, unparalleled technical knowledge and expertise, as well as its market-driven approach, serving as a partner to consultants, designers, and system integration firms in the A/V industry. Key Digital works as its clients extended engineering team, developing customized solutions for specific applications. Key Digital is an lnfoComm, CEDIA, CES, and NAHB award-winning manufacturer.

Key Digital, Engineered For Your Success

For more information, visit our webpage at www.keydigital.com.

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BOCA RATON Fla., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Remote workers returning home could slow Floridas devastating rent increases while simultaneously creating more affordability issues in New York, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University and two other schools.

The Fort Myers and Miami metropolitan areas once again rank as the nations two most overvalued rental markets, with renters this June paying about 29 percent more than they did in June 2021, figures from the Waller Weeks and Johnson Rental Index show. In fact, the top eight of 109 overvalued markets all are in Florida and had year-over-year rent jumps exceeding 21 percent.

In normal conditions, rents traditionally increase only 3 to 5 percent a year.

But the research from FAU, The University of Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast University indicates that sharp rent increases in Fort Myers, Miami and the other six Florida markets are on pace to slow dramatically in the next year. At the same time, rents in the New York metro area are poised to rise about 21 percent by June 2023.

The main reason for this trend appears to be temporary Florida transplants returning home to New York, said Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D., an economist in FAUs College of Business. Many workers fled New York because of COVID-related restrictions and worked remotely from Florida, but now firms are requiring their employees to come back to the office.

Those COVID refugees placed a significant burden on the demand for rental units in Florida, and rents spiked to historic highs while New York became slightly more affordable, Johnson said. With those workers returning home, Florida should see a cooling in its rent hikes, and New York renters will again have to deal with much higher rates.

The researchers use leasing data from Zillows Observed Rental Index to determine existing rents and statistically model historical trends from 2014. The analysis covers the entire rental stock of homes and apartments.

The lowest rent increase in June was in Jackson, Mississippi, where renters paid only 5.8 percent more than they did last year. Other markets with moderate increases included Wichita, Kansas; Des Moines, Iowa; and Youngstown, Ohio. The full rankings of the 109 metros can be found here.

By and large, areas with the lowest rent increases are places with stagnant or declining populations, said Shelton Weeks, Ph.D., of FGCUs Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance. In markets with growing populations, such as most of Florida, landlords can charge what they want because theres always somebody willing to pay it.

As rents rose in Florida, frustrated consumers and affordable housing advocates called for rent control, but Johnson and other economists said a price cap typically leads to unintended consequences.

Falling rents should help quiet talk of rent control in Florida, but itll ratchet back up in New York as rents climb higher there, said Bennie Waller, Ph.D., of UAs Culverhouse College of Business. In the long run, rent control is a bad idea because it leads to poorly maintained buildings, and it incentivizes developers to go build somewhere else without an artificial cap on their revenues.
Chicago, Illinois, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHICAGO  July 27, 2022  The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is humbled and honored to announce that the Museum & Library will bestow its first posthumous Citizen Soldier Award to Hershel Woody Williams. Woody, who passed on June 29, 2022, at the age of 98, was the last living WWII Medal of Honor recipient. His family has graciously accepted his nomination and the invitation to receive his honor at the 2022 Liberty Gala: Honoring Strength Through Diversity on Saturday, November 5, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel.

Woody graciously donated his Medal of Honor to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in 2009. It plays an integral role in our permanent Medal of Honor gallery, which explores his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Woody will be honored for his bravery and leadership on the battlefields of World War II, as well as his tireless work on behalf of Gold Star families.

Woody was a true American hero, and we are honored to preserve his legacy and hold his Medal of Honor for all to see, stated Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired). He was a shining example of the spirit and ideals of the citizen soldier tradition. Adding Woody to the prestigious list of those with the Citizen Soldier designation is really an honor for us.

Woody Williams served in the Civilian Conservation Corps for a year and a half during the 1930s before enlisting with the Marine Corps in 1943, where he served for 26 years. Until recently, Williams had been active in honoring and remembering the sacrifices of Gold Star Families - the immediate family member(s) of service members who died in the line of duty - through his foundation, the Woody Williams Foundation, established in 2010.

It will be such a tremendous honor to accept the Citizen Soldier Award on behalf of our family's patriarch and visionary leader, Woody Williams, the Williams Family said in a quote provided to the PMML. To join this list of distinguished honorees speaks to the legacy of his life and service in the tradition of the citizen soldier. We know that Woody will be smiling down full of gratitude and humbled by having this honor bestowed upon him by the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, an organization that holds a special place in the hearts of our family and our foundation.

Woody Williams will be honored alongside Lieutenant Colonel Enoch Woodhouse, Colonel Jack Jacobs, and General Ann Dunwoody as recipients of the Pritzker Military Museum & Librarys 2022 Citizen Soldier Award. The Citizen Soldier Award stands to honor a person who exemplifies the traditions of the citizen soldier set by George Washington, a person who served the nation as a leader in war and in peace, for the betterment of the common good. The recipients must have a national or international reputation and have served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, active, guard or reserves, and is either active or honorably discharged. The honorees must also display a commitment to non-partisan issues and demonstrate the ability to bridge political divides.

The Citizen Soldier Award recipients are selected by a committee comprised of members of the Board of Directors and non-Board volunteers of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and by Col. Jennifer N. Pritzker, Chair and Founder of the Museum & Library.

The 2022 Liberty Gala, to be held on Saturday, November 5, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, will celebrate the work of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and honor the achievements and services of the U.S. Armed Forces citizen soldiers, past and present.

For more information on the Liberty Gala or to learn more about the nominees for the Citizen Soldier award, please visit the website at PritzkerMilitary.org.

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About Pritzker Military Museum & Library

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library aims to increase the publics understanding of military history, military affairs, and national security by providing a forum for the study and exploration of our military - past, present, and future - with a specific focus on their stories, sacrifices, and values. With national and global reach, these spaces and events aim to share the stories of those who served and their contributions as citizen soldiers, helping citizens everywhere appreciate the relationship between the armed forces and the civilians whose freedoms they protect. A non-governmental, non-partisan organization, the Museum & Library features diverse collections, scholarly initiatives, and public programs from its flagship center in downtown Chicago to its world-class research center and park currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eight small businesses will come together from across the globe for the Catalyst Accelerators cohort focused on International Space Domain Awareness (SDA).

The Catalyst Accelerator, powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), was developed to promote technology advancement for the warfighter and guide technology transfer for the government to industry and vice versa. With private sectors around the world accelerating new capabilities for Space Domain Awareness, the US and its partners are interested in increasing the ability to support and enhance the awareness of the space environment with commercial data and tools for shared security and prosperity. Therefore, both US and international solutions, with commercial market viability, were sought out across a wide array of relevant technologies to participate in the Catalyst Accelerators International SDA cohort.

The International Space Domain Awareness cohort will meet in-person for 2 weeks at a time over a 3-month period beginning on August 9th. Each company will collaborate with subject matter experts, work with government liaisons and commercial Sherpas, and complete an intensive customer discovery process. Each of the eight companies will receive grant funding thanks to the Catalyst Accelerators corporate sponsor, ONE Dev. The cohort will conclude with a Demo Day on November 3rd where they will pitch their technology to government and industry partners.

KiMar Gartman, Program Director for The Catalyst Accelerator, stated, The Catalyst Accelerator had applications from around the world for this Accelerator. It was exciting to read through the capabilities being developed on a global scale. We have selected eight companies that we feel will fit well together and offer capabilities that will assist the international effort to detect, track, and characterize space objects. We are looking forward to an amazing Accelerator session! Capt Jake Singleton, SSC SDA Acquisition Delta, expressed, "As the acquisition arm of the US Space Force, Space Systems Command prioritizes global partnerships to deliver space capability for shared security. We recognize that space technology development today is accelerating in a global marketplace, and we are excited to bring together a cohort of companies from around the world to accelerate innovative dual-use SDA capabilities in that market. "

The Catalyst Accelerator team, with technical advisement from both government and industry experts, selected the following small businesses to participate in the upcoming International Space Domain Awareness cohort:

Astrosite (Sydney, NSW, Australia) uses advanced high speed optical sensors and AI to rapidly deliver new insights into the space domain. Their neuromorphic sensors coupled with advanced AI techniques create unique data and insights for SDA and EO applications. The system is low power and produces only relevant data which enables their proprietary algorithms to rapidly produce unique insights from the ground or in space. Astrosite solutions enable the design of an agile global sensor network that can be redeployed in 24 hours. The system provides synchronized microsecond resolution across a network and creates digital fingerprints of resident space objects, these advanced characterization

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/icns/astrosite

Clutch Space Systems Limited (Guildford, United Kingdom) is leading the revolution for the next generation of spacecraft operations on low earth orbit, with persistent connectivity, and real-time situational awareness for tangible improvements in mission efficiency and utility. They are providing global coverage through their network of micro-ground stations, each with a simultaneous capacity of twenty satellites, for telemetry, tracking and control, and for real-time spacecraft situational awareness position and attitude.

https://www.clutchspace.com/

HEO Robotics (Sydney, Australia) has a mission to image anything within the Solar System on demand. They provide resolved images and analytics of space objects to governments and commercial satellite operators that provide critical insights, such as object identification, satellite damage assessment and more. They do this through using their flyby inspection technique, where they use Earth observation satellites during their downtime to image other space objects as they fly past. They have 33 satellites that they have access to today and are building towards 2,500 cameras to provide ubiquitous and on-demand coverage of all Earth orbits.

https://www.heo-robotics.com/

Katalyst Space Technologies (Flagstaff, Arizona) develops modular spacecraft designs and mission architectures that interact with on-orbit robotics to increase responsiveness, and mission flexibility. Katalysts mission is to advance innovations with in-space servicing and assembly while solving existing problems like space congestion and space traffic management. Katalyst's retrofittable SDA module is designed to non-invasively attach to spacecraft without prepared interfaces to provide local awareness. The project is planned to launch a demonstration mission in May 2024. Katalyst also develops automated software for use with existing SDA infrastructure like ground and space-based sensors to characterize resident space objects for space, size, and attitude.

https://katalystspace.com/

LMO (Luxembourg) uses sensors and artificial intelligence to enhance space domain awareness. Their vision is to enable satellites to see and operate autonomously in space. By combining sensors and artificial intelligence, they provide satellites the capability to autonomously understand their surrounding in real time and act upon them. By identifying, characterizing, and understanding the movement of other objects, they enable autonomous Space Surveillance, In-Orbit Services and Threat Detection providing a safe and sustainable in-space economy to flourish.

https://www.lmo.space/

Lumi Space (Yateley, United Kingdom) is enabling sustainable space activity for future generations with precise space surveillance data. They are deploying a global network of ground-based systems for satellite tracking, including Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR). By measuring the position of satellites in orbit precisely, they can predict their paths more accurately than existing methods. In doing this, they are critical to minimizing uncertainty in collision warnings and enabling exciting new space applications. They see data uncertainty as the biggest risk to global space activity, and a significant limiting factor for many novel space companies (active debris removal, in-space manufacturing, rendezvous, and proximity operations to name a few).

https://www.lumi.space/

Meta Mission Data (Lincoln, United Kingdom; Washington, DC) looks beyond sensors, terminals, and platforms to put data first in C4ISR mission effects. They combine deep operational ISR experience with mission-focused engineering across Tactical Data Links, complex Data Analytics, and Information Assurance to create adaptive solutions for multi-domain customers. Their unique Low Earth Orbit Airborne Space Surveillance Operations (LASSO) software optimizes traditional lookdown EO/IR camera systems for the detection, tracking, imaging, and classification of Resident Space Objects. LASSO delivers an innovative solution for Space Domain Awareness that can be rapidly re-tasked and networked into a game-changing global system for the Space sector.

https://meta.aero/

Silentium Defence (Adelaide, Australia) is a global leader in the design and deployment of passive radar systems for tactical and strategic surveillance scenarios. A disruptive technology, designed and developed in Australia, their unique situational awareness solutions enable customers to detect without compromise and act with confidence across sea, air, land, and space domains. Their MAVERICK S-series sensors provide the ability to persistently track objects across a wide arc of space, providing accurate, independent data for space traffic management. In an increasingly congested domain, MAVERICK S-series provides globally unique, cost-effective space surveillance data. Silentium Defence is on a mission to change the way the world does surveillance and help keep people, places, and critical assets safe.

https://www.silentiumdefence.com.au/

About Catalyst Accelerator

The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate and United States Space Forces Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors intersect with Colorados aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation, and stimulate business growth.

Author: Kate Menendez, Catalyst Accelerator Marketing Specialist

Attachment
SALISBURY, N.C., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Lion, in partnership with its customers, helped to provide more than 16 million meals* to fight child hunger through its third annual Summers Without Hunger campaign. Nearly 22 million children count on school-provided meals, but less than 17% have access to summer meal programs.



From June 1 to July 5, 2022, Food Lion neighbors were able to make a $5 donation to Feeding America, the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and 33 local Feeding America member food banks across Food Lions 10-state operating area. Donations were accepted both in-store and through Food Lion To Go. In addition, all customers donations were matched by 10 Food Lion suppliers: Campbell's, Coca-Cola, Frito Lay, Gatorade, General Mills, Kellogg's, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Pepsi Beverages and Unilever.

One in six children face hunger, and our Summers Without Hunger campaign aims to change that, said Kevin Durkee, Manager, Food Lion Feeds. We care about nourishing our neighbors in need and fighting child hunger. We are grateful for our neighbors and participating supplier partners who supported this critical cause to help us fight summer hunger and make a difference in the lives of children who are food insecure.

Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailers hunger-relief platform, Food Lion has helped to provide more than 970 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals** by 2025.

For more information on Food Lion Feeds commitment to fight hunger, visit www.foodlion.com/feeds.

*$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.

**Food Lion Feeds helps provide meals through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; capital campaign support for feeding agencies; and volunteer hours by associates, based on various meal equivalent formulas.

About Food Lion

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 970 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com or job applicants may visit www.foodlion.com/careers.

CONTACTS:

Food Lion Media Relations

704-245-3317

publicrelationsteam@foodlion.com

An image accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0add9b9d-f2c5-4621-8225-9546623ea8a3
TORONTO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madison Metals Inc. (the Company) (CSE: GREN) is pleased to announce the closing of its non-brokered private placement (the Placement). The Company issued 1,598,996 units (the Units) at a price of $0.60 per Unit for gross proceeds of $959,398.

Each Unit issued consists of one common share and one half () of one (1) common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one common share for a period of two (2) years from the date of issuance (the Warrant Expiry Date) at an exercise price of $0.90 per common share. The Company paid a cash commission in the amount of $37,163.88 and 62,239 finders warrants to various eligible finders in connection with the Placement.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Placement for general working capital purposes and exploration on the Companys Rossing North Uranium Project in Namibia, Africa.

All securities issued under the Placement, including securities issuable on exercise of the Warrants, will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day in accordance with Canadian securities laws.

The participation by Duane Parnham, Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director in an amount of $99,999.80 constitutes a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in Section 5.5(b) and Section 5.7(1)(b) of MI 61-101, respectively, on the basis that the Company is not listed on the specified markets and the fair market value of the securities does not exceed $2,500,000.

Additional information about Madison Metals Inc. can be found on the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Madison Metals Inc.

Duane Parnham, Director

+1 416.489.0092

duane.parnham@gmail.com

Forward-looking Statements

This news release is not to be distributed in the United States nor does it constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the timing and amount of estimated future exploration and the anticipated use of funds by the Company that were received from the Placement.

Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, schedule, estimates, forecasts, intends, continue, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, will, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions and other important facts that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future.

Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, currency fluctuations, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility, competition, labour shortages, and unanticipated expenses of the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the impact the COVID 19 pandemic may have on the Companys activities and the economy in general; the impact of the recovery post COVID 19 pandemic and its impact on precious metals; receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future metal prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; environmental risks; and other risks of the mining industry.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

You can find further information with respect to these and other risks in filings made with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities that are available on the Companys SEDAR profile page at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Chairman of SK Group Chey Tae-Won, right, react during a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden (on screen) in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 26. EPA-Yonhap



U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on all Americans to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War.



The call came in a proclamation, declaring the day of Korean War armistice.



"On this day, I encourage all Americans to reflect on the strength, sacrifices, and sense of duty of our Korean War Veterans and bestow upon them the high honor they deserve," said the proclamation, released by the White House.



"I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War Veterans," it added.



The 1950-53 Korean War ended 69 years ago on Wednesday. South and North Korea continue to be at war, technically, as the war ended with an armistice that has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty.






VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simply Better Brands Corp. ("SBBC" or the "Company") (TSX Venture: SBBC) (OTCQB: PKANF) is pleased to inform that, starting this week, their No B.S. Skincare (No B.S.) brands Award-Winning skincare line can be found in 3,200 CVS stores nationwide. Simultaneously, the brand will be featured as a prominent ambassador for Julianna Pena on her fight to defend her title. The event will take place this Saturday, July 30, 2022, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, which houses 21,000 people and will be broadcast on Pay-Per-View over a million PPV viewers expected.



Early CVS launch results show above category average sell-through rates for the No B.S. Skincare line. The revolutionary skincare company is thrilled to offer clean, vegan and gluten-free skincare products through brick and mortar CVS stores across the country in a beautiful display endcap located strategically at the front of the stores. The No B.S. skincare line is also already available for purchase online at CVS.com. Launching in CVS is a significant milestone in our mission to strip away the B.S. in the beauty industry with safe and healthy skincare that actually delivers skin improvements. Our strategy to expand No B.S. omni-channel is driving our year to date revenue growth to over 48% vs. year ago., says No B.S. Skincare Founder and CEO, Diana Briceno.

The No B.S. women-led team is pleased to broaden its awareness, consumer base, and product availability by providing consumers with a skincare alternative that differentiates itself from traditional beauty brands by offering clean formulas, visible results, and a B.S.-free beauty culture we can all get behind. Fans can visit @livenobs on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to learn more and share their skincare journey with the brands community.

No B.S. Skincares sponsorship of fight UFC277 is part of its successful partnership with UFC Womens Bantamweight Champion and first woman to win the Ultimate Fighter, Julianna Pena. The campaign has been well received by the fighters and brands community of over 550K followers on Instagram (click here to watch it). The companys logo will be prominently featured during her anticipated fight week with Amanda Nunes, which has a potential reach of 1.1 billion households in 163 countries worldwide based on the UFCs global fan base statistics (Source: Fast Company). The fight carries special significance for the over 278 million UFC fans around the globe as it is viewed as a type of rematch for the December 11, 2021, fight between the two fighters where Julianna surprised everyone by snatching the title from Nunez, long-reigning Champion and considered the greatest female MMA fighter of all time (Source: Fast Company).

The No B.S. Skincare philosophy promotes a product line that contains absolutely no harmful or questionable ingredients like parabens, sulfates, artificial colorants, fragrances, or phthalates. It includes the most effective ingredients found in nature, paired with science-made ingredients worth geeking out over. No B.S. Skincare products are responsibly made in America with no animal testing, ever.

Simply Better Brands is positioned for over 300% growth versus year ago and positive adjusted EBITDA in 2022 driven by not only No B.S., but also our TRUBAR, and PureKana Wellness brands. Our model to acquire and build emerging brands in the clean ingredient space is working. We now have all three of the core brands in growth mode of both distribution and channel." says SBBC CEO, Kathy Casey.

About No B.S. Skincare

No B.S. is on a mission to strip away the B.S. and change beauty for good with safe and healthy skincare that actually does what it says and says what it does. A line of vegan and gluten free products with no harmful petrochemicals, parabens, sulfates, artificial colorants, fragrances, or phthalates - and no animal testing, ever.

The No B.S. brand is committed to ousting beauty industry B.S. with clean ingredients that work smarter to give us healthy, glowing skin. They do not promise a miracle in a bottle: they promise clean formulas, visible results, and a B.S.-free beauty culture we can all get behind. They proudly partner with organizations striving to affect real, positive change such as She Recovers, Feeding America, Project Glimmer, and Lotus House.

For more information:

About Simply Better Brands Corp.



Simply Better Brands Corp. leads an international omni-channel platform with diversified assets in the emerging plant-based and holistic wellness consumer product categories. The Companys mission is focused on leading innovation for the informed Millennial and Generation Z generations in the rapidly growing plant-based wellness, natural, and clean ingredient space. The Company continues to focus on expansion into high-growth consumer product categories including plant-based food, clean ingredient skincare and plant-based wellness. For more information on Simply Better Brands Corp., please visit: https://www.simplybetterbrands.com/investor-relations.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Simply Better Brands Corp.

Brian Meadows

Chief Financial Officer

+1 (855) 553-7441

ir@simplybetterbrands.com

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward looking statements" as such terms are used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information are based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and are subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, among others, that the Companys financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulatory climate in which the Company operates, the Companys ability to execute on its business plans, distribution plans, reliance on a consistent supply chain, and claims relating to the efficacy and results of the Company's products. Specifically, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to, but not limited to, the statements with respect the potential viewership of the UFC277 fight week.

Forward-looking statements and information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking statements and information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, changing consumer preferences, the impacts of COVID-19, that the Companys financial condition and development plans change, ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and product viability and risk, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company and the industries in which it operates, and as set forth in the Companys filings available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. 

There is no representation by the Company that actual results achieved will be the same in whole or in part as those referenced in the forward-looking statements and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/81912017-d2a1-43d7-b0b9-b7f89c46e1e6

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/358dc6e7-7713-4ee2-98ee-189567545b37
Investors with losses of $100,000 or more can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses



LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises that a class action lawsuit has been filed against IonQ, Inc. ("IonQ" or the Company) (NYSE: IONQ) and certain of its officers, on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased, or otherwise acquired IonQ securities between March 30, 2021 and May 2, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period).



Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. IonQ had not developed a 32-qubit quantum computer. The Companys 11-qubit quantum computer was rendered useless by frequent errors. The Companys quantum computer failed to be reliably accessible despite its availability through major cloud providers. The Company derived a significant portion of its revenue from improper transactions with related parties. Based on these facts, the Companys public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about IonQ, investors suffered damages.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) subsidiaries California Water Service (Cal Water) and Washington Water Service (Washington Water) have signed agreements to acquire the water system assets of two utilities near the companies existing service areas. Cal Water intends to purchase Kings Mountain Park Mutual Water Company (Kings Mountain), while Washington Water intends to acquire Bethel Green Acres Water Association (Bethel Green Acres).



Adjacent to Cal Waters Bear Gulch District, Kings Mountain currently serves 23 residential connections near Skyline Boulevard in the Bay Area. Because the system relies on customers to voluntarily maintain system operations, the State Water Resources Control Boards Division of Drinking Water (DDW) has worked with Cal Water to bring the Kings Mountain system and customers into Cal Waters Bear Gulch District. Bethel Green Acres, which is located in Graham, Wash., and borders Washington Waters Rainier View water system, serves about 200 residential customer connections.

Both purchases are subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by the California Public Utilities Commission and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, respectively.

We appreciate the confidence DDW, Kings Mountain, and Bethel Green Acres have in us to provide not just a life-sustaining product, but also quality, service, and value to these residents, said Martin A. Kropelnicki, California Water Service Group President and Chief Executive Officer. We look forward to working with Kings Mountain, Bethel Green Acres, and our California and Washington commissions to complete these transactions and serve our new customers.

About California Water Service Group

California Water Service Group is the parent company of regulated utilities California Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, Washington Water Service, and Texas Water Service, a utility holding company. Together, these companies provide regulated and non-regulated water and wastewater service to more than 2 million people in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington. California Water Service Groups common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CWT. Additional information is available online at www.calwatergroup.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("Act"). The forward-looking statements are intended to qualify under provisions of the federal securities laws for "safe harbor" treatment established by the Act. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information, expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections, and management's judgment about the Company, the water utility industry and general economic conditions. Such words as would, expects, intends, plans, believes, estimates, assumes, anticipates, projects, predicts, forecasts or variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from what is contained in a forward-looking statement. Factors that may cause a result different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to: ability to close the acquisitions of Kings Mountain and Bethel Green Acres, integrate the businesses, and operate the Kings Mountain and Bethel Green Acres systems in an effective and accretive manner; natural disasters, public health crises, pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks of a contagious disease, such as the outbreak of coronavirus (or COVID19); governmental and regulatory commissions' decisions, including decisions on proper disposition of property; consequences of eminent domain actions relating to our water systems; changes in regulatory commissions' policies and procedures; the timeliness of regulatory commissions' actions concerning rate relief and other actions; changes in water quality standards; changes in environmental compliance and water quality requirements; electric power interruptions; housing and customer growth trends; the impact of opposition to rate increases; our ability to recover costs; availability of water supplies; issues with the implementation, maintenance or security of our information technology systems; civil disturbances or terrorist threats or acts; the adequacy of our efforts to mitigate physical and cyber security risks and threats; the ability of our enterprise risk management processes to identify or address risks adequately; labor relations matters as we negotiate with unions; changes in customer water use patterns and the effects of conservation; the impact of weather, climate, natural disasters, and diseases on water quality, water availability, water sales and operating results, and the adequacy of our emergency preparedness; and, other risks and unforeseen events. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements included in this paragraph, as well as the annual 10-K, Quarterly 10-Q, and other reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Company assumes no obligation to provide public updates of forward-looking statements.

Media Contact

Tom Smegal (analysts)

tsmegal@calwater.com

408-367-8200

Yvonne Kingman (media)

ykingman@calwater.com

310-257-1434
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DELTA 9 CANNABIS INC. (TSX: DN) (OTCQX: DLTNF) (Delta 9 or the Company) announces that Joanne Duhoux-Defehr has resigned from the board of directors of the Company effective today.



Ms. Duhoux-Defehr has been instrumental in her support of Delta 9 at the board level since 2017 as we have scaled the Company into one of Canadas largest vertically integrated cannabis operators, said John Arbuthnot, CEO. On behalf of the Company, I wish to thank Ms. Duhoux-Defehr for her years of service on the board of directors.

For more information contact:

Investor & Media Contact:

Ian Chadsey VP Corporate Affairs

Mobile: 204-898-7722

E-mail: ian.chadsey@delta9.ca

About Delta 9 Cannabis Inc.

Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on bringing the highest quality cannabis products to market. The Company sells cannabis products through its wholesale and retail sales channels and sells its cannabis grow pods to other businesses. Delta 9s wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc., is a licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis and operates an 80,000 square foot production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Delta 9 owns and operates a chain of retail stores under the Delta 9 Cannabis Store brand. Delta 9s shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol DN and on the OTCQX under the symbol DLTNF. For more information, please visit www.delta9.ca.
CALGARY, Alberta, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acceleware Ltd. (Acceleware or the Company) continues to advance and validate its heavy oil electrification technology on its commercial-scale, RF XL pilot project at Marwayne, Alberta (the Pilot). The Company is pleased with progress at the Pilot to date, and based on initial observations, remains confident that RF XL will become viable as a critical technology in the effort to decarbonize heavy oil and oil sands production.

To date, the RF XL technology has been performing well, in-line with expectations:

The clean tech inverter (CTI) has been operational for four consecutive months, which is a significant achievement and something that has never been done before; and The Company has observed sustained heating of the formation around the RF XL well.

Recently, the fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system in the heating well was damaged during a maintenance operation at the site. Though not a core component of the RF XL technology itself, the DTS is important to data gathering and to regulate injected power such that the system operates within specified parameters. The DTS will need to be removed from the well, inspected and repaired. In conjunction with repair of the DTS, the Company will take the opportunity to remove and inspect certain downhole components of the RF XL system, to gain valuable data regarding the initial performance of the RF power transmission system.

The next steps for the Pilot are anticipated to involve pausing heating while the Company: 1) retrieves, inspects, and repairs the damaged DTS and 2) inspects and analyzes various downhole components of the RF XL system. Upon completion of these steps, heating operations and further testing will immediately resume. The Company intends to continue to produce oil while executing these steps.

The Company will set out to complete this work as soon as services and parts are available. Learnings from the operation are expected to result in additional IP that could further refine RF XL and the CTI design, performance, and economics in the future.

CEO Geoff Clark says, As is generally the case in a commercial pilot, we are continually adjusting and incorporating new learnings into our technology. This is the nature of research and development, and we remain very pleased and excited with our progress. We are going to have these repairs done as soon as we possibly can and look forward to providing an update once theyve been successfully completed.

Added Michal Okoniewski, CSO, To have an in-situ RF heating system running for four consecutive months is a major milestone and is something thats never been done before. We remain confident that, with the resolution of a few mechanical issues, we will see meaningful progress in the near term. Frankly, weve already made significant progress; we have demonstrated initial heat driven by RF XL in the formation as we expected, and are looking forward to the coming weeks and months to further develop and assess the technology.

Acceleware continues to produce oil at rates consistent with the gradual ramp up of heating, with no freshwater use and no solvent injected into the ground.

Funding for the Pilot has been provided in part by grants from Alberta Innovates, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, and Emissions Reductions Alberta.

ABOUT ACCELEWARE:

Acceleware ( www.acceleware.com ) is an innovator of clean-tech oil and gas technologies comprised of two business units: Radio Frequency (RF) Enhanced Oil Recovery and Seismic Imaging Software. Acceleware is developing RF XL, its patented low-cost, low-carbon production technology for heavy oil and oil sands that is materially different from any heavy oil recovery technique used today. Acceleware's vision is that electrification of heavy oil and oil sands production can be made possible through RF XL, supporting a transition to much cleaner energy production that can quickly bend the emissions curve downward. Further, Accelewares RF XL technology could be a key component of an end-to-end integrated carbon management system that can eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy oil and oil sands production, whether for fossil fuels, or for future clean bitumen by-products such as petrochemicals, carbon fibre, and blue or green hydrogen production. RF XL uses no water, requires no solvent, has a small physical footprint, can be redeployed from site to site, and can be applied to a multitude of reservoir types. In shallow oil sands implementations, no tailings ponds will be required.

Acceleware has partnered with Saa Dene Group (co-founded by Jim Boucher) to create Acceleware | Kisastwew to raise the profile, adoption, and value of Acceleware technologies. The shared vision of the partnership is to improve the environmental and economic performance of the energy sector by supporting ideals that are important to Indigenous peoples, including respect for land, water, and clean air.

The Companys seismic imaging software solutions are state-of-the-art for high fidelity imaging, providing the most accurate and advanced imaging available for oil exploration in complex geologies. Acceleware is a public company listed on Canadas TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol AXE.

ABOUT ALBERTA INNOVATES:

Alberta Innovates invests in research, innovation and entrepreneurship to drive provincial economic growth and diversity. We ignite the power of innovation through our work with researchers, industry and entrepreneurs to move Alberta to a lower-carbon future, promote the responsible use of land and water, and contribute to the improved health and well-being of Albertans. Alberta Innovates provides technical expertise, entrepreneurial advice and support, opportunities for partnerships, and funding to advance the best ideas. We support a broad range of research and innovation activity  from discovery to use. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do  bringing together bright minds and great ideas.

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY CANADA (SDTC):

At SDTC, we support companies attempting to do extraordinary things.

From initial funding to educational support and peer learning to market integration, we are invested in helping our small and medium-sized businesses grow into successful companies that employ Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We are relentlessly focused on supporting our companies to grow and scale in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The innovations we fund help solve some of the worlds most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, regeneration through the circular economy, and the well-being of humans in the communities they live in and the natural environment they interact with.

ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA:

For more than 12 years, ERA has been investing the revenues from the carbon price paid by large final emitters to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative clean technology solutions. Since ERA was established in 2009, they have committed $796 million toward 220 projects worth $6.5 billion that are helping to reduce GHGs, create competitive industries and are leading to new business opportunities in Alberta. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative reductions of 42.3 million tonnes of COe by 2030.

NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND OTHER ADVISORIES

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally means information about an issuers business, capital, or operations that are prospective in nature, and includes disclosure about the issuers prospective financial performance or financial position. The forward-looking information in this press release can be identified by terms such as believes, estimates, plans, potential, and will, and includes information about the timing of the execution of the Pilot, and the anticipated benefits of the RF XL technology. Acceleware assumes that current timelines will not be delayed by either internal or external causes, and that research and development effort including the commercial-scale test plans will result in commercial-ready products.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this press release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors are described in detail in Accelewares continuous disclosure documents, which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Acceleware assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this press release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this release in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

DISCLAIMER

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information:

Geoff Clark

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099

geoff.clark@acceleware.com

Acceleware Ltd.

435 10th Avenue SE

Calgary, AB, T2G 0W3

Canada

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099

www.acceleware.com





RF XL Commercial Pilot Test at Marwayne, AB.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf10f874-ef85-443b-879e-20178c1b8dbc
Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses

LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Tupperware Brands Corporation (Tupperware or the Company) (NYSE: TUP) investors that a class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Tupperware shares and lost money are encouraged to contact the firm to discuss their legal rights.

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

On May 4, 2022 the Company announced poor operating results, coming in far below estimates: Adjusted EPS from continuing operations 12 cents, estimate 53 cents. Net sales $348.1 million, estimate $362.5 million. Furthermore, the Company withdrew its full year 2022 guidance, and named a new CFO. The Company attributed the poor performance to arcane events in Russia and Ukraine. Interestingly, when pressed by analysts on a conference call, the Company acknowledged that Russia and Ukraine only accounted for 2% of its revenue.

On this news, the Companys shares fell sharply in value, thereby injuring investors.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. / Courtesy of the veterans affairs ministry



A new Korean War monument is set to be unveiled in Washington, D.C. this week, the veterans affairs ministry said Wednesday, as Korea and the United States mark the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 conflict.



Some 3,000 people, including Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall at 10 a.m. on Wednesday (local time).



The wall bears the names of 36,634 U.S. troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation Troops to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) who died during the war. It was completed after 16 months of construction work.



The Korean government offered 26.6 billion won ($20.28 million) for the 27.4 billion-won project to build the wall. Other sponsors include the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, the Korean Veterans Association and Korean businesses and citizens.



The ceremony has been timed to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the armistice.



During the event, Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik plans to read out President Yoon Suk-yeol's congratulatory message about the new monument, which Seoul officials hailed as another symbol of the Korea-U.S. alliance.



"The wall is an emblem of the two countries' relationship woven through the war and of their friendship, and a symbol of the bilateral alliance based on which the two governments and their people can cement their greater solidarity," Park was quoted by his office as saying.



A total of 100 72-centimeter-thick granite panels were used for the wall. Of the total, 53 panels were used to inscribe the names of private or private-first-class soldiers  a telltale sign that many young troops were killed in action during the first major armed conflict of the Cold War.



The wall is the first U.S.-based memorial monument carrying the names of the KATUSA members. (Yonhap)




Foreign Minister Park Jin, third from right, front row, poses for a commemorative photo with 10 ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the ministry building in Seoul's Jongno District, May 27. Yonhap



Korea on Wednesday suggested a new agreement on digital technology and systems with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries under their free trade pact in a move to further bolster bilateral economic ties, Seoul's trade ministry said.



The proposal was made during a virtual meeting of the two sides' FTA implementation committee, which was meant to discuss ways to revise their free trade deal that was signed in 2006 and came into force the following year.



Korea called for ways to work closely on new trade issues, such as supply chains and food security, as well as the revision of norms regarding goods and services trade, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.



It also proposed the addition of a chapter on the digital sector to their FTA, which is expected to deepen trade ties and to better support Korean firms' advance into the ASEAN market, it added.



ASEAN is Korea's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral transactions reaching $176.5 billion in 2021, nearly tripled from $61.8 billion tallied in 2006.



The economic bloc comprises 10 nations  Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.



"It has been 16 years since the launch of the FTA. We will continue consultations to reflect changing trade circumstances to the agreement so as to make the deal useful for companies," the ministry said in a release.



Currently, the two sides are carrying out joint research on how to improve the bilateral FTA, after the regional mega trade pact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) took effect this year.



The RCEP has 15 members, including Korea, China, Japan and 10 ASEAN nations.



Korea and ASEAN agreed to further lower trade barriers in 2016, but related talks have been delayed as they decided to focus on clinching the RCEP. (Yonhap)






remaining of

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Congress has gradually surrendered its law-making role to the President, to the Supreme Court, and to the state governments. That isnt working well.

Early in the American experience the founders of our government realized that 13 colonies could not govern a nation. Central authority was required. Consequently, they formed the United States. Today, we need to recognize that 50 states cannot govern a nation. They can only produce chaos. We need to send people to the U.S. Congress who are willing to establish laws that govern the nation and not abdicate that responsibility to the 50 states.

The founders had to compromise when they established our United States. The slave colonies feared that a future Congress might abolish slavery. The solution was that each existing state would have two senators regardless of the size of the population. The southern states generally had fewer people than the northern states. This anti-democratic system still prevails. The U.S. Senate can block legislation desired by a majority of U.S. citizens. The U.S. Senate even allows a single senator to block legislation. If we want a fully functioning democracy, we will need to change the U.S. Senate, and that will require a constitutional amendment.

The U.S. Supreme Court has become a law-making institution, and that was definitely never intended. The Supreme Court became a law-making institution by assuming the role of judging the constitutionality of laws. The Supreme Court function of determining constitutionality of laws is not established by the U.S. Constitution, and it was not granted by Congress. The constitutional review function was assumed by the court in the 1803 Marbury v. Madison decision.

The fact that the court inevitably exercises a political viewpoint when deciding the constitutionality of law has been recognized. The number of seats on the Supreme Court has been changed seven times to influence the decisions of the court. The number of seats was changed from the original six to five; then from five back to six; then from six to seven; then from seven to nine; from nine to ten; from ten to seven; and, finally, from seven to nine. This type of solution still leaves the Supreme Court determining law of the United States, a function that should be exercised by the U.S. Congress. Supreme Court justices hold their office for life, and they are accountable to no one. It would be difficult to imagine a more anti-democratic system. The U.S. Congress can reclaim this law-making function if we elect congressmen and congresswomen who are willing to accept their responsibilities.

A responsibility that the U.S. Congress has abdicated to the Executive Branch is the war making power including a declaration of war. Congress allowed the President to exercise that function for Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Assigning the authority to declare war to the U.S. Congress is a constitutional safety feature. Congress needs to resume sole authority for this function.

Money is not legitimate free speech, and a government controlled by money is not a democracy. Congress needs to write a law that abolishes the Supreme Court decisions that made money a form of free speech.

Election procedures to elect members of Congress, president, and vice president need to be standardized, the same procedure in every state. Who can vote and how the voting procedure is administered when choosing national officers should be uniform in every state.

The electoral college is a serious threat to the stability of America. The Congress needs to start the process to amend the constitution and abolish the electoral college. Citizensthat is you and me  need to carefully select and elect members of Congress who are willing to update our governmental procedures to ensure Americas future well-being.

Jack Stevenson is a retired infantry officer, civil service and private corporation employee who now reads history, follow issues important to Americans and writes commentary from his home in Pensacola, Florida.
President Yoon Suk-yeol's Facebook page shows the Wall of Remembrance in Washington, July 27. Screeencaptured from President Yoon Suk-yeol's Facebook page



President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Wednesday to defend the value of freedom through a firm alliance with the United States, in a message marking the completion of a new Korean War monument in Washington.



The Wall of Remembrance, which bears the names of 36,634 U.S. troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation Troops to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) who died during the 1950-53 war  will be unveiled in a ceremony attended by the two countries' defense chiefs on Wednesday morning (Washington time).



The unveiling has been timed to coincide with the anniversary of the armistice signing in 1953.



"Seventy-two years ago, numerous young people from the United States jumped into the gunfire of war in order to defend the Republic of Korea," Yoon wrote on his Facebook page. "They had to leave their loving families behind in order to defend the freedom of the Republic of Korea from the invasion of Communist forces."






Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and Indonesian first lady Iriana Widodo arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap



Korea advised to expand ties with Southeast Asian countries



By Kang Seung-woo



President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to take advantage of his Indonesian counterpart's visit to Korea in Seoul's pursuit of diplomacy to strengthen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and promote foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region.



Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived here Wednesday night for a two-day trip, during which he will sit down for a summit with Yoon and hold a roundtable with the leaders of Korean business groups.



The presidential office is currently seeking to patch up the nation's existing diplomacy with ASEAN countries, represented by the New Southern Policy initiated by Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in, rather than completely reversing the policy.



Earlier this week, a senior official of the presidential office described Widodo's trip as the "full-fledged" beginning of the Yoon administration's diplomacy toward ASEAN countries, adding that it will take shape in the frame of his Indo-Pacific regional strategy, which will be announced within this year.



"Indonesia is a leading country among the ASEAN member nations and in the Indo-Pacific region, so we need to cooperate closely with the country on how to engage in diplomacy with the ASEAN countries and build an Indo-Pacific strategy, while Widodo is here," a diplomatic expert, who is a former diplomat, said on condition of anonymity.



According to the presidential office, Indonesia is the only ASEAN member nation to have a special strategic partnership with Korea, accounting for 41 percent of the bloc's population and 34 percent of its total gross domestic product. In addition, the country is also a member of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) along with South Korea and plays an important role for the stability of supply chains involving core minerals.



"Given that Korea and Indonesia belong to the IPEF, the two leaders can discuss ways to prevent the initiative both from countering China and from turning into a U.S.-led one," the expert said.





President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during an emergency economic meeting at a healthcare innovation facility in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
By most measures, production of uranium concentrate (U 3 O 8 ) remained at or near all-time lows in the United States during 2021, at 21,000 poundsless than 1% of the post-2000 production high of 4.9 million pounds U 3 O 8 in 2014, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). As domestic production has declined, an increasing amount of the uranium purchased for use in US commercial nuclear power reactors has been from other countries.





In 2021, owners and operators of commercial nuclear power reactors bought 46.7 million pounds (lb) U 3 O 8 equivalent (U 3 O 8 e) at an average price of $33.91/lb U 3 O 8 e. Purchase volume in 2020 was only slightly higher than in 2021, although the purchase price was slightly lower48.9 million pounds at an average price of $33.27/lb U 3 O 8 e.

Most of uranium purchased in the United States in 2021 was imported (95%), which is typical under conditions of low domestic uranium production. Kazakhstan was the top source for uranium in 2021, accounting for 35% of total US uranium purchases, followed by Canada at 15% and Australia at 14%.

Domestic nuclear power plant operators purchased enrichment service contracts for processing 14 million separative work units (SWU) in 2021. SWU is the measure of effort required to separate uranium isotopes during the enrichment process. The average price of $99.54/SWU in 2021 was nearly the same as in 2020.

Most of the uranium used in the United States is processed abroad. In 2021, 19% of SWU originated in the United States, and 81% originated in other countries. Most SWU that originated in other countries came from Russia (28%), the United Kingdom (17%), Germany (13%), and the Netherlands (11%).

Commercial uranium inventories include uranium in different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle: in-process for conversion, enrichment, or fabrication. Total US commercial inventories were 141.7 million pounds U 3 O 8 e at the end of 2021, up 8% from 131 million pounds at the end of 2020.
Volkswagen of America (VWoA) has started of production of its all-electric ID.4 compact SUV in Chattanooga, Tenn., the companys first electric vehicle assembled in the United States.





The ID.4 is Volkswagen Groups most popular all-electric model, with 190,000 units delivered to customers globally since its launch in 2021. Volkswagen aims to ramp up ID.4 assembly in Chattanooga to 7,000 vehicles per month later this year, with the goal to further increase output through 2023. Consumers can expect vehicles to be delivered as early as October 2022.

Initially, the American-assembled ID.4 will be available in either rear-wheel- or all-wheel-drive 82kWh battery form. In addition, a rear-wheel-drive version with a 62kWh battery will go into production later in 2022, with a lower MSRP.

The start of production is the result of Volkswagens $800-million investment into the electrification of its Chattanooga factory, including dedicated facilities for vehicle and battery pack assembly. The factory in Tennessee is now the sixth global site to produce vehicles for Volkswagens electric line-up.

The American-assembled ID.4, Volkswagens electric SUV flagship, will be mainly sourced in the North American region, particularly the United States. The vehicle includes materials and components assembled in 11 US states, from steel in Alabama and Ohio, to interior parts in Indiana and South Carolina, and electronics components in Kentucky and North Carolina. The EV battery will be supplied by SK Innovation located in Georgia.

As part of the preparation to launch the ID.4, suppliers have invested $2.7 billion throughout the North American continent, including the battery partnership with SK Innovation. More than 3,000 US jobs on supplier side have been created.

Volkswagen Chattanooga employs more than 4,000 people, and is actively hiring more than 1,000 new production team members through 2022, to help meet high customer demand for the ID.4 and Atlas SUV family. To prepare for the EV transition, the factory has organized more than 75,000 hours of workforce training on battery-powered vehicle and high-voltage systems.

Volkswagen has committed $7.1 billion over the next five years in the North American region to boost its product portfolio, regional R&D and manufacturing capabilities. The brand will advance its electric line-up through 2030, including the American-assembled ID.4 in 2022, a fastback sedan and the ID. Buzz electric microbus in 2024, and new electric SUVs from 2026. Volkswagen aims for 55% of US sales to be fully electric by 2030.




The Chinese government pressed South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol administration Wednesday to maintain a policy on the advanced U.S. missile defense system called THAAD.







It was referring to the so-called three "No"s  no additional THAAD deployment in Korea, no participation in a U.S.-led missile defense network and no involvement in a trilateral military alliance with Japan  a principle held by the liberal Moon Jae-in government.







"South Korea expressed its respectful stance on the THAAD issue in 2017," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for Beijing's foreign ministry, said during a press briefing. "It played an important role in cooperation and deepening of mutual trust."







He was responding to a question about recent comments by South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin that the three-no approach was not any formal agreement or promise with China.







He added that a new leader "can't turn a blind eye to past debts" and urged Seoul to "act with prudence" with regard to a highly sensitive issue affecting the security of a neighboring country.







When he was on the campaign trail, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party raised the need for South Korea to get an additional THAAD battery deployed on its soil to counter growing missile threats from North Korea. China, in particular, is known to be sensitive about the powerful radar operated for THAAD. (Yonhap)


GREENWICH  Fridays in the summer are a bit more special along the Avenue with the addition of a free outdoor concert series at Greenwich Common.

Everyone is invited to drop by the Common and even set up chairs to enjoy the music.
GREENWICH  A group of teenage advocates who are pushing the town to adopt a new resolution to spur local action on climate change has hit a crossroads.

How do they craft language for the proposal that the Board of Selectmen will approve while also making sure the resolution will be effective?

We want a sustainability and resiliency plan for the town that will allow different town departments to respond to climate change, Isabelle Harper, founder of the Greenwich Environmental Advocacy Group, told Greenwich Time.

We want that to be fleshed out and (we want to) be involved in the process of making this sustainability and resiliency plan be a comprehensive plan that will make Greenwich more sustainable and make it more climate resilient. I think right now were lacking that comprehensiveness, said Harper, a recent Greenwich High graduate.

When appearing before the Board of Selectmen in June, the teens requested that Greenwich declare climate change a town emergency and offered a resolution that would do so.

Their first attempt at a resolution failed; the board at its July 14 meeting refused to vote on it with First Selectman Fred Camillo taking specific issue with the use of the word emergency in the resolution as well as with language that he said was not inclusive enough.

Camillo told the petitioners they could submit a revised version for Thursdays selectmen meeting to be considered for a vote.

While the resolution was not complete as of last Friday, its advocates say it will be entirely different.

Harper, who will be starting her first year of college next month, has taken the lead on revising the language. She led a Zoom meeting with town officials and fellow activists last week to craft the updated petition.

The activists went through the entire draft line by line to get suggestions and make revisions; nearly all of the petition has been changed, she said.

Im actually pretty happy with the language thats in it now, Harper said. I think its language that is much more inclusive and based around Connecticut instead of focusing more broadly on how climate change is affecting the world. We want to make it very specific to Greenwich and I think it still has the teeth that we want it to have.

The new language represents a compromise that she said she hopes will gain approval from the Board of Selectmen. Since the word emergency was a major sticking point, it has been removed she said, but they are still trying to emphasize the need for action, Harper said.

Reworked resolution

Camillo, who was part of last weeks Zoom meeting, said he was encouraged by the progress that was made.

This is citizen government in action, he said. In this case, it involves high school students, which is really nice. I think the students were very eager to hear what the concerns were and at the same time I think there is a lot of support for what theyre trying to do.

While praising the towns previous efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Camillo said the town is looking to do more. The resolution is headed in the right direction, he said.

No one is drawing a line in the sand and saying that its all or nothing, Camillo said. People are really eager to address these issues but do it in a way that will gain support in the community. Youre never going to have 100 percent agreement, and Im not looking for that. Im looking for my concerns to be addressed, which I feel do not affect the ultimate goal. I just didnt want to have any unintended consequences or overuse the word emergency.

Margarita Alban, chair of the town Planning and Zoning Commission who was also a part of the Zoom meeting, said the commission members are optimistic about the groups focus.

We saw a commitment to inclusion, respecting diverse viewpoints, building on common ground and articulating a positive set of goals, Alban said. The dedication of the students is to be admired.

Members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation and Representative Town Meeting also took part in the Zoom meeting.

Opposition to resolution

But there has also been some sharp pushback against the proposed resolution.

At the Board of Selectmens July 14 meeting, Gail Lauridsen, secretary of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee, said that declaring a state of emergency would be submitting to globalists. The town should retain local control of the issue, she said, while noting that students could reduce emissions by requiring any student living more than a mile from GHS to take the school bus instead of driving.

Lauridsen, who said she was speaking on behalf of herself only, said Greenwich residents are extremely conscientious about responsible stewardship of the environment and do not need or want the heavy-handed actions of a documented state of emergency. She said a resolution would subject the town to outside mandates that would take away personal freedoms.

The Greenwich Patriots group declared its opposition to the proposal in an eblast. An email sent July 14 quoted RTM member Philip Dodson in an opinion piece that questioned whether the Greenwich students actually wrote the proposed resolution and claimed it contained tenets of critical race theory, a graduate school level legal theory that critics have falsely claimed is taught in Greenwichs public schools.

Dodson also linked the effort to George Soros, who has been a frequent target of criticism from the right wing.

According to the email: Many members of the community were shocked to see the tenets of critical race theory (CRT) making an appearance in this student-sponsored resolution, while others noted the apparent ties between the Greenwich group and an international activist organization named 350.or g, which is backed by globalists including George Soros, Michael Bloomberg and three different Rockefeller Foundations.

Harper said she was aware of the resolutions critics.

There are people that dont really like the idea of this resolution, but I think we have also seen a lot of people who are very, very understanding and we are trying to keep this non-aggressive, Harper said. We dont want this to be a partisan thing that creates division and aggression. We want it to help all the people of the town to have a safer, more sustainable community.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
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HONOLULU (AP)  A U.S. defense contractor and his wife who lived for decades under the identities of two dead Texas children have been charged with identity theft and conspiring against the government, according to federal court records unsealed in Honolulu.

Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, both in their 60s, who allegedly lived for decades under the names Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, respectively, were arrested Friday in Kapolei on the island of Oahu.

Prosecutors are seeking to have the couple held without bail, which could indicate the case is about more than fraudulently obtaining drivers licenses, passports and Defense Department credentials.

Those documents helped Primrose get secret security clearance with the U.S. Coast Guard and as a defense contractor and old photos show the couple wearing uniforms of the KGB, the former Russian spy agency, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck said in court papers. Faded Polaroids of each in uniform were included in the motion to have them held.

A close associate said Morrison lived in Romania while it was a Soviet bloc country, Muehleck said.

Morrison's attorney said her client never lived in Romania and that she and Primrose tried the same jacket on as a joke and posed for photos in it. Even if the couple used new identities, attorney Megan Kau told The Associated Press, they have lived law-abiding lives for three decades.

She wants everyone to know shes not a spy, Kau said. This has all been blown way out of proportion. Its government overreaching.

Prosecutors said there is a high risk the couple would flee if freed. They also suggested that Primrose, who was an avionics electrical technician in the Coast Guard, was highly skilled to communicate secretly if released.

The couple is also believed to have other aliases, Muehleck said.

A lawyer for Primrose declined comment. A bail hearing was scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court.

The secret clearance Primrose had provides access to information that is enormously valuable to our enemies, said Kevin OGrady, a Honolulu defense attorney not involved in the case.

The Coast Guard works closely with the Army and Navy, helps with counterintelligence and serves as the countrys maritime border patrol, said OGrady, an Army reservist and lieutenant colonel judge advocate.

The Coast Guard has a unique perspective on our vulnerabilities, he said, including how to infiltrate the country through water ports. Hawaii, a major military center, is a prime target for a lot of espionage and such, he said.

For one family whose deceased child's name was stolen, the news Wednesday came as a shock.

John Montague, who lost his daughter Julie in 1968 at 3 weeks of age, was stunned to learn someone had been living under her name for so long.

I still cant believe it happened, Montague, 91, told AP. "The odds are like one-in-a-trillion that they found her and used her name. People stoop to do anything nowadays. Let kids rest in peace.

Primrose and Morrison were born in 1955 and they attended high school together in Port Lavaca, Texas, and then went to Stephen F. Austin University, according to court records. They married in 1980.

There is no indication in court papers why the couple in 1987 assumed the identities of deceased children who would have been more than a decade younger than them. But an affidavit filed by Special Agent Dennis Thomas of the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service noted that the couple lost their home in Nacogdoches, Texas, to foreclosure that year.

They remarried under their assumed names in 1988, Thomas said.

Court records don't provide any information about what happened from the time they assumed their new identities until 1994, when Primrose, then about 39, enlisted in the Coast Guard as Fort, who would have been about 27.

If there was an obvious age discrepancy between what Primrose looked like and the birth certificate he presented, thats an abject failure, OGrady said.

Thats something if they can figure it out now, they should have caught it then, he said.

Montague said that somebody's not doing their jobs.

Primrose and Morrison applied for and received multiple passports under their assumed names, according to court records. But in 1999 Primrose also applied for and was issued a passport under his legal name while also holding a passport in Fort's name.

Primrose was in the service until 2016, when he began work for an unnamed defense contractor at the U.S. Coast Guard Air station at Barbers Point.

While he held that secret clearance with the U.S. Coast Guard, defendant Primrose was required to report any foreign travel," prosecutors wrote. Investigation has revealed that defendant Primrose did not report several trips to Canada while he did report other foreign travel.

The couple lived in a Honolulu suburb in a modest two-bedroom bungalow beneath palm trees. They owned a neighboring house they rented to military personnel, said Mai Ly Schara, who lived next door.

She knew them as Bob and Lynn, with Morrison apparently Julie Lyn Montague's middle name.

Primrose did yard work for Schara for $50 a month, she said. Morrison took in, fed and spayed and neutered cats. She also had several rabbits and dedicated a room to the pets.

They kept to themselves, but they were friendly, Schara said. They just kind of were, like, a little nerdy.

Schara wasnt sure what Primrose did for a living, but thought it was military related. Morrison once worked as a parking attendant at a Waikiki hotel but had been tutoring neighborhood children.

The FBI created a scene in the quiet neighborhood when they searched the house and took photos.

It was just shocking, like, oh my gosh, Schara said. It was pretty crazy.

The State Department declined to comment on the arrests.

The couple is charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., false statement in passport application and aggravated identity theft.

Fort, who lived fewer than three months, died in October 1967 at the same hospital where Julie Montague passed away about three months later in January 1968. They are buried 14 miles (23 kilometers) apart.

When Tonda Ferguson learned from her father that Morrison had used her late sister's birth certificate to create an alias, she thought of her mother, who died in 2003, and how many years had gone by.

For all the mothers who are living and have to know this happened to their babies, I cant even begin to imagine," Ferguson said. "Im glad my mamas with the Lord. This would be so traumatic for her.

Ferguson was in eighth grade when her sister died. She never got to see her little sister or hold her. She was buried in Burnet, Texas, the small town where they lived at the time outside of Austin.

She came from a place of love, deep love, Ferguson said. For someone to turn around to steal her identity for evil, its tough. Its hurtful. ... I hope they rot.

___

Melley reported from Los Angeles. Caleb Jones in Kapolei, Hawaii, and Rhonda Shafner in New York City contributed to this report.




A senior U.S. State Department official met here with South Korea's vice foreign minister Wednesday for discussions on a range of pending issues, including the alliance and North Korea.







Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong shared the same view that the allies need to hold the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) at an early date to follow up on summit accords between the leaders of the two sides in May, according to Cho's ministry.







Later in the day, she had consultations with Seoul's top nuclear envoy Kim Gunn on the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korea policy.







In a separate meeting the same day, Nuland and Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon agreed to cooperate closely in responding to global supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine.







They also discussed ways to cooperate on a range of other issues, including rebuilding Ukraine, food security and a price cap on Russian oil, according to officials.







Nuland also paid a courtesy visit to Foreign Minister Park Jin at the foreign ministry.







Nuland arrived in Seoul the previous day for a three-day stay. (Yonhap)


SYDNEY (AP)  Defense chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific gathered this week to bolster their connections against a backdrop of China's ongoing campaign to expand its influence and military presence in the region.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military leaders meeting for three days in Sydney are focused on the whole situation with the rise of China, a free and open Pacific and ensuring a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.

Its a big conference to coordinate our mutual security interests and discuss national security issues that apply to all of us, said Milley.

Military leaders from 26 nations are participating in the conference, and most of those are chiefs of defense. China was invited but said it would be unable to attend.

During a press conference Wednesday, Milley said the chiefs of defense discussed how they can cooperate more and make their militaries more interoperable, including with advanced technologies. He added that they also talked about military exercises.

He and Gen. Angus Campbell, Australias chief of defense, didn't go into details. But Milley expanded on comments he made late last week about China's increasing aggressiveness in the region and the need for nations to ensure that the Pacific remains free and open to all.

Chinese intercepts of allied and partner aircraft in international airspace in the Pacific region have increased several-fold over the last five years, Milley said, calling Beijing's behavior much more confrontational" than five to 15 years ago.

China's activity, he said, seems to imply that they want to bully or dominate, as opposed to having a free and open Pacific.

Asked whether the U.S. would increase its military presence in Australia or in other partner nations, Milley and Campbell said the discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been made. There are about 2,200 U.S. Marines in Darwin.

En route to the conference, Milley told reporters traveling that the Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous in recent years.

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to a U.S. official who declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement.

The U.S. is also grappling with reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering a trip to Taiwan  roiling China and setting off waves of worry in the Biden administration.

Asked about the potential Pelosi trip, Milley would only say that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, if theres a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And Ill just leave it at that.

The conference also coincides with the massive Rim of the Pacific naval exercise going on near Hawaii. RIMPAC is the world's largest maritime exercise and is hosted by the U.S.
Google's latest Pixel is having some issues, which is a statement you may have heard us say often but this time it may be a bit serious. Reviewers have noticed that the fingerprint sensor on the newly launched Pixel 6a seems to be unlocking even with unregistered prints.

The issue was first brought to light by Beebom on YouTube. In their testing, the Pixel 6a unlocked with the thumb prints of two addition team members even though their prints were never registered.

The findings were corroborated by Geekyranjit on YouTube, where he was able to unlock the phone with both his thumb prints, even though only one was registered.

Needless to say, this does nullify the security benefits of having a fingerprint lock on the device in the first place. The good thing is that this is mostly likely something that Google can fix in software, so it's worth keeping an eye out for that.

In the meantime, if you own the device and are worried about its security, you should probably just set a strong passcode.
Frank "Ko" San Nicolas was found not guilty of rape because the jury did not believe his accuser, according to attorney Joaquin "Jay" Arriola.

"Quite frankly, they (jury) didn't believe the victim. When the jury says they didn't believe the victim, it's a strong sign to the government they should reconsider their cases," Arriola said in the Superior Court of Guam Wednesday after his client was found not guilty of all charges connected to a reported May 2020 criminal sexual conduct case.

Throughout the monthlong trial, jurors heard San Nicolas was accused of taking a woman to a cave in Tanguisson to "connect with the ancestors." However, the visit led to a massage and sexual encounter, despite the woman saying she "did not want to be penetrated."

Arriola argued the woman agreed to a "nuru massage" which is a massage that usually ends in a sexual act.

In addition, Arriola said there had been vindictive, malicious and ineffective efforts to convict San Nicolas.

Arriola filed two motions for a mistrial, one of which was related to the resignation of the lead prosecutor Assistant Attorney General Richelle Canto while the jury was deliberating.

Thankful

Through two trials where San Nicolas was accused - and cleared - of sexually assaulting two women, he sat quietly in the courtroom.

Then on Wednesday afternoon, he shared his thoughts on the proceedings.

"It's very overwhelming. It affected me and my family for over two years," San Nicolas said. "I'm ready to move on and I want to thank God and the sainas, my ancestors, for this victory."

San Nicolas lost his job as a Port Authority of Guam police officer following the charges against him in 2020.

Arriola said they will now work on getting him reinstated in light of the not guilty verdicts.

Prosecution

Assistant Attorney General Grant Olan said he was disappointed in the verdict.

"I want to commend the bravery and courage of the victim in this case for coming forward because her actions will help prevent others from getting victimized from sexual predators," said Olan.

"The Attorney General's Office won't stop protecting sexual assault survivors," Olan added.
Dr. Samir Ambrale holds a masters degree in public health and is president of the Guam Medical Society. He submits this letter to the editor on behalf of the organization.
Flowers left by family and friends of the fallen are seen at the new Wall of Remembrance during a special ceremony ahead of the official dedication of the wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, U.S., Tuesday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap





By Nam Hyun-woo







In this photo, deceased Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) veteran Han Sang-sun, holds his son, Han Shin-hee. Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

Han Shin-hee, the son of deceased Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) veteran Han Sang-sun, attended a memorial ceremony for Korean War veterans in Washington D.C., Tuesday (local time), a day before the two countries commemorate the completion of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance in the U.S. capital.







According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Han, 72, and 800 other bereaved family members of Korean War veterans attended the memorial ceremony at Korean War Veterans Memorial, where the Wall of Remembrance was first revealed before its official completion ceremony.







Han was the only bereaved family member of a KATUSA soldier who attended the ceremony.







"My father joined the war about one-and-a-half years after I was born, and the last photo of me and him was taken in January 1953, when he went on leave to come home," Han was quoted as saying by the ministry. "I don't have memories of him because I was very young, but I've lived to this day thinking about him by looking at the photo."







Han's father, born in 1931, began his service in May 1952 with the U.S. 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He died on July 10, 1953, while fighting in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill, in which the U.S. 7th Infantry Division and Chinese 67th Division fought for three months across Mount Cheondeok in Gyeonggi Province. Han's father died just 17 days before the fighting ended with an armistice on July 27.







During the memorial ceremony, bereaved family members dedicated white roses to the fallen soldiers and took rubbings of the soldiers' names inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance.







"I believe the Wall of Remembrance will be a monument that will commemorate the war veterans and it will be visited by tourists across the world," Han said, adding he appreciates how the South Korean government shared the construction cost.







The wall, which will be officially dedicated on Wednesday, will include the names of 36,574 American service members and more than 7,200 members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army who gave their lives defending the people of South Korea.






iciHaiti - Thomazeau : Rehabilitation works of road sections





As part of the execution of the labor-intensive project, the West Departmental Directorate (DDO) and the Ministry of Public Works (MTPTC) are intervening in the municipality of Thomazeau (Croix-des-Bouquets) in carrying out rehabilitation works on sections of road in the municipality, in particular on the section of road leading to the "Etang" neighborhood located at the western tip of Lake Azuei.



More than 1,000 linear meters of road, in deplorable conditions, have already been rehabilitated (reprofiling) allowing users, residents and pilgrims from various backgrounds to take this route to get to the city center at the dawn of the celebration of Sainte-Anne, the patroness of the commune.



The DDO and the MTPTC are committed to supporting the populations of the 146 communes of the department, together with the established authorities, to restructure the road infrastructures in a critical situation.



IH/ iciHaiti






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Shipwreck : The State will pay for the funeral

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deplores the tragic death of 17 compatriots which occurred during the sinking of a boat off the Bahamas Islands on Sunday July 24, 2022 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37234-haiti-flash-shipwreck-in-the-bahamas-16-haitians-dead-and-21-survivors-provisional-report.html. The Chancellery informs that all arrangements have been made to ensure a dignified funeral for these compatriots in search of a better life in a foreign land.



Armored vehicles, Canada does not obstruct

Tuesday on the airwaves of a radio station of the Capital, Sebastien Carriere the Ambassador of Canada accredited to Haiti, denied the information circulating suggesting that Ottawa would hinder the process of ordering from Haiti armored personnel carriers. He said that the process for the purchase of military equipment was following its normal course according to the rules for this type of equipment and reiterated Canada's solidarity with Haiti.



"Haiti, a world tourist destination"

"Haiti, a World Tourist Destination" (Haiti, une destination touristique Mondiale) by the author Eunice Cincir (CEO of Sco Tour Haiti), a 234-page book divided into five chapters, presents all the assets available to the 10 departments of the country that can enable it to win a place of choice on the world tourist map, but above all offers reflections on the consequences of the socio-political crises on the tourism sector in Haiti while suggesting possible solutions.



DR : The repatriation of pregnant women continues

The Support Group for Returnees and Refugees (GARR) deplores the repatriation from the Dominican Republic to the border point of Belladere / EliasPina, of a 6-month pregnant Haitian woman who took refuge 3 months ago in neighboring territory to flee insecurity in Haiti. Recall that since November 2021, pregnant Haitians of more than 6 months non-resident in an irregular migratory situation or wanting to cross the border are no longer admitted to the Dominican Republic territory (except in the case of transit) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35275-haiti-news-zapping.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35396-haiti-dom-rep-despite-protests-expulsions-of-pregnant-women-continue.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35275-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35236-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35171-haiti-dom-rep-end-of-health-services-to-illegal-haitians-except-in-emergencies.html



NOTICE : The BNC is restarting its services

"Dear Customers, we inform you that the technical problem is solved https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37248-icihaiti-flash-technical-problem-at-the-bnc.html . All our services are available again through our branches. Banque Nationale de Credit (BNC) thanks you for your patience and understanding."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Odessa port strike shouldn't affect grain export deal, says Kremlin

Xinhua) 09:55, July 27, 2022

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

A recent strike carried out by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian military infrastructure in the port of Odessa should not affect the start of grain exports, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced Sunday that the country's armed forces launched a missile attack on the territory of a shipyard in Odessa, destroying a Ukrainian military ship and a depot with U.S. Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

"This (strike) is only linked to military infrastructure. This is in no way connected with the infrastructure that will be used to fulfill the agreements and export grain," Peskov said commenting on the attack.

- - - -

In accordance with the Russia-Ukraine grain export deal, a joint coordination center in Istanbul has begun its work, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

A group of Russian experts would arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday and start work in a quadripartite format in a bid to promptly resolve all the necessary issues for the practical implementation of the deal, it said.

- - - -

The bodies of twenty-five Ukrainian servicemen killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been returned to Ukraine, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories said Tuesday.

The operation to hand over the bodies to the Ukrainian side was carried out by joint efforts of Ukraine's Commissioner for Missing Persons Oleg Kotenko and the country's law enforcement agencies, the ministry's press service said in a statement.

- - - -

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that their armed forces have used high-precision air-based missiles to hit a temporary deployment point of foreign legion units near Donetsk's Kostantinovka and killed over 40 foreign mercenaries, most of them Poles.

Russia also used high-precision weapons to strike one artillery battalion of Ukraine, destroying more than 70 percent of its personnel and weapons, it added.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Soldiers lift the flags of 22 nations that fought for South Korea during the Korean War during the celebration of the Korean War U.N. Veterans Day at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho



South Koreans honored the sacrifices of the heroes who fought under the flag of the United Nations Command during the Korean War (1950-53) as they celebrated the Korean War U.N. Veterans Day in Seoul, Wednesday.



"Korea was a country barely known 72 years ago. Many did not know where it was. Yet, 1.95 million soldiers from 22 countries came here under the United Nations Command's flag and fought for this country," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a speech during the ceremony at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. "To this day, North Korea has not stopped its provocation, threatening the security on the Korean Peninsula  We will protect the security through the strong U.S.-South Korea alliance and defense capabilities."



Protecting freedom and democracy, which the veterans fought to defend, is now the way to honor their sacrifices, he added.



During the event held on the 69th anniversary of the end of the war, musical bands from the Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Eighth Army jointly performed the traditional Korean song of "Arirang," which was played for the U.N. delegation that signed the armistice.



By the time the agreement was reached, more than 37,000 troops from the U.N. Command were killed, 9,767 missing and 103,460 injured, according to the National Archives of Korea. South Korean military casualties amounted to 137,899 killed, 450,742 injured and 32,838 missing or captured.



Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik, who did not attend the ceremony as he was visiting Washington due to the completion of a Korean War memorial monument, expressed his gratitude in a statement: "We will remember the great promise of the war veterans who tried to safeguard the freedom of the Republic of Korea."



British Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, deputy commander of the U.N. Command, appreciated the Korean people and the nations that came to their aid.









"Since that day 69 years ago  through danger, dispute and provocation  nothing has been more tested than the armistice agreement," Harrison said.



"It has underpinned the world's commitment to peace and the ROK-U.S. alliance. Now, we will not falter. We are stronger together. We are all proud to stand with you."





War veterans and government officials celebrate the 69th anniversary of what they claim to be victory in the Korean War at the 8th National Conference of War Veterans in Pyongyang, Tuesday. Yonhap
Photograph by Ralf-Finn Hestoft

In 2005, parents and school officials in Dover, Pennsylvania, were locked in a courtroom debate over a school-board mandate that intelligent design be presented as an alternative to evolution in ninth-grade science classes. The judge in the case ultimately ruled in the parents favor, deciding that the requirement was unconstitutional. Throughout the trial, paleontologist Neil Shubin, Ph.D. 87, Bensley professor in the department of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, struggled to remain quiet in his office: on his desk lay the bones of a strange flat-headed, fish-cum-crocodile-like creature-with-a-neck that he and colleagues had found the year before while scraping away at ancient rocks in the Canadian Arctic.

Roughly 375 million years old, from the Late Devonian period, the fossilized creature was a genus of the extinct sarcopterygian (lobe-finned) fish that shares several key features with tetrapods (early four-legged animals). In addition to the neck and non-conical head, Tiktaalik roseae, as it was named, boasted expanded ribs and parts of a shoulder, along with webbed finsinside which were also primitive bones corresponding to an upper arm, forearm, and pieces of a wrist. All are explicitly non-fish features. Shubin and other scientists say Tiktaalik helps bridge the gap in our understanding of what changes occurred as sea animals crept ashore, and plays a critical role in understandingand provinghuman origins.

During the Dover trial, I couldnt tell anyone apart from colleagues about our find, Shubin says now, with a smile: the news was an exclusive, scheduled to be announced in Natures April 2006 cover story. Most of the nations news media, major publications, and science magazines followed up with articles about Tiktaalik (the word means large, freshwater fish in the Inuktitut dialect of Inuit).

Hailed as the fish that crawled out of the water and the missing link, Tiktaalik is by far the most important discovery of Shubins career, which has centered on the evolution of limbed beings. Ive devoted my life to this evolutionary biology stuffI love it, he exclaims. I enjoy going to work because its fun working with worms, fish, and salamanders. I think its beautiful that remedies for the problems we suffer from will be found by seeing pieces of us nestled in the most primitive and humble creatures that live on the earth.

Photograph courtesy of Neil Shubin

His new book, Your Inner Fish, is an infectious exploration of the 3.5-billion-year history of the human body. It traces our organs back to fossils and prehistoric DNAhow our arm and hand bones came from fins; how our teeth first formed as spiky structures in the mouths of tiny, ancient, jawless lamprey-like fish known as conodonts; and how major aspects of our genome are similar to those of worms. Our ability to talk, for example, depends on the larynx, which is composed primarily of cartilage akin to the gill bars in a fish or shark. Even hiccupsa nerve spasm and inhalation, followed almost immediately (35 milliseconds, Shubin writes) by the hic soundare the product of our shared history with fish and tadpoles, respectively. And the process through which teeth first formed in fishat base, from the interaction between two layers of tissueis the same process involved in the subsequent development of scales, hairs, feathers, and sweat glands.

Shubin says he wrote the book to explain his work to his father, Seymour Shubin, who still writes crime novels and thrillers for a living at 87. I gave him the first draft and he said, I dont understand it, Shubin said at a winter reading at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge. He told me, Neil, nobody ever lost money writing a page turner. I said, Dad, Im a scientist. We dont write page turners. But I wrote it over again. And this time he liked it.

Your Inner Fish, in fact, is something of an adventure tale. It pulls in the reader even though the Tiktaalik discovery took six years and four often frustrating, error-filled trips into deep wilderness to complete. For starters, there were polar bears, says Shubin, a city boy from Philadelphia. And polar bears eat people. On the groups first expedition to the Canadian Arctic, in 1999which Shubin calls a colossal bad choice all aroundthey took rifles and motion detectors, which they set up in their tents before going to sleep. Not long after, the detectors went off and everyone jumped up, cocked their guns, and raced outside. Nothing was there. This scenario played out at least four times before someone realized that it was not lurking man-eaters setting the detectors off, but ferocious winds. These detectors were made for suburban New Jersey, not the Arctic, Shubin jokes. Youve just got to learn in fieldwork that you never get it just right.

That wasnt the first field trip to leave a strong impression on him. As a child, he loved going to museums, especially the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and the Natural History Museum in New York City. In high school, he worked on an urban archaeological site and loved ancient Egypt and Tutankhamen and seeing the past inside the dirt, he explains. Paleontology pulled me into the immediacy of discoveries. If you know where to look, and crack inside the rocks, and find a physical piece of evidence that can change the way we look at our pastthis struck me as very powerful. At Columbia, he majored in biology and anthropology, which led to paleontology and then doctoral work at Harvard.

In the 1980s, academic research in anatomy and development focused on the relationships between living creatures and fossils on the cellular level, using embryos. Only a handful of people were doing it, and few as well as those at Harvard, Shubin points out. (This was before new technological tools enabled scientists to work on the molecular level.) His first Harvard-affiliated expedition came in 1983, on the field team of professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology Farish A. Jenkins Jr., who was working in the American West, looking for new sites and early mammals that could help explain how humans developed the ability to chew. Shubin writes that the mammalian method for chewing first emerged in fossil records dating from 225 million to 195 million years ago, in big-headed reptiles that walked on all fours and had bony jaws with teeth that fell out and re-grew throughout their lives.

Having finally learned how to spot bones in the dust, mud, and dirt, Shubin grew eager to lead his own trip. He explored 200-million-year-old Connecticut rocks a half-days trip away from Cambridge before expanding to Nova Scotia; ultimately, he found enough bones to fill a few shoeboxes among the sandstone cliffs in the Bay of Fundy. Among them was a significant find: a piece of an early mouse-like mammal with a tiny jaw and a few teeth best seen under a microscope. The remains of this tritheledont, previously linked only to South Africa, showed it had a human way of chewing food. I had an idea for field research and Harvard had the resources to support this independent research, he says. If that hadnt existed, I wouldnt be here talking about all of this today.

By now, his main academic interest was the morphology of the tetrapod limb. Working with the embryos of salamanders, frogs, and fish, Shubin wrote his dissertation on developmental biology and the similarities between fins and limbs. He spent the next two years doing postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also met and married geologist Michele Seidl 85 (now director of planning for biological sciences at the University of Chicago). An 11-year stint at the University of Pennsylvania followed.

At Penn, and still searching for the origins of limbed creatures, Shubin focused his sights on the already well-studied Catskill Formation of Pennsylvania. In the Late Devonian age, when Shubin and others say some animals were making the switch from sea to land, this region was akin to todays Amazon River delta, he notes, with many streams draining into a large sea where Pittsburgh now stands. In 1993, he and one of his graduate students, Ted Daeschler, began visiting rock zones recently blasted out by the state transportation department to prepare for more roadways. To their surprise, Shubin relates in Your Inner Fish, Daeschler one day found a marvelous shoulder bone that they named Hynerpeton, Greek for little creeping animal from Hyner, Pennsylvania.

The two men formed a dynamic partnershipShubin always pushing on to the next target; Daeschler patiently working to examine a given spot thoroughly. In 1998 they were in Shubins office, having an academic argument about the next most plausible search sites, when one of them pulled out a geology textbook to prove a point and found a diagram that stopped them short. It showed three places on earth with known Late Devonian freshwater rocks: eastern North Americahome of Hynerpeton; the east coast of Greenland (where the earliest known tetrapods had already been found); and well-exposed rocks in the Canadian Arctic that, the duo realized, were unexplored. No paleontological field guides existed for that area, but Shubin knew one man who had led previous trips to Greenland and was experienced enough to help them: Farish Jenkins. (Later that day, Shubin adds, he and Daeschler went to a Chinese restaurant where Shubins fortune cookie held this gem: Soon you will be at the top of the world. This slip of paper was taped to his office door for years.)

That first outing, in 1999the time of the motion-detector debacle, when terrible weather kept the researchers inside tents for three weeks rereading every book theyd broughtwas on Melville Island in the western part of the Canadian Arctic. They found plenty of fish fossils, but all appeared to be deep-water dwellers, not the shallows skimmers that ultimately crept on shore.

The following year, better prepared for five weeks in the wild, Shubin, Daeschler, and their team set up camp on Ellesmere Island, with permission from the Inuit people of the Nunavut Territory. One evening, an undergraduate in the party, Jason Downs, failed to return to the base camp on time. We were very worried, but then he came limping into the cook tent with a wild-eyed stare, like hed been chased by polar bears, Shubin recalls. But we knew he hadnt been, because his pockets were full of bones. That same night, the team spent hours (in the Arctic summer, the sun never sets) documenting the site and gathering fragments.

Fast-forward to July 2004. With grant money running out, and the prognosis looking poor, Shubin and Daeschler opted for a fourth and final trip (their third to Ellesmere). Shubin describes cracking ice and rock in the bottom of a quarry one day when he saw a patch of fossilized scales and a jaw-like blob in ice unlike any fish mouth hed ever seen. The next day, while foraging at the top of the same quarry, Shubins colleague and former fellow graduate student Stephen Gatesy, Ph.D. 89 (now a biology professor at Brown), dug out a piece of rock and we realized we saw a flat-headed something, something unknown, Shubin reports. It was a snout sticking straight out from the rock.

The team spent the rest of the summer painstakingly chipping away at the rock around the creature so they could wrap up the boulder-cum-fossil and transport it thousands of miles to the lab where, for two months, preparers used dental tools to pick apart the specimen. What was revealed was a creature with eyes on top of its flat head, a neck, upper arm bones, a wrist, parts of a palm, and an elbow joint that Tiktaalik wouldve used to push itself up off the substrate, as if it were doing push-ups, Shubin explains. And it had ribslarger and more expandable ribs than youd ever see on a fish. In short, Tiktaalik is not a random find, he says. It is a piece of the human story.

To date, the core research team has found about 20 individualsbased on isolated fins, jaws, and other piecesbut only about four really good specimens. Were the only people working up there and were going back this summer, in July, in hopes of finding more bones, Shubin says. You never know whats going to happen when you get there, because of the weather, but the goal is to go to the original site and work on new areas around it to find slightly younger or slightly older rocks and see if any bones they contain shed light on further developmental changes. The group has found other water-based creaturessome really bizarre-looking armored fish, some eight- or nine-foot-long predatory fish, and some fish as tiny as a fingernail.

Shubin is excited that the Tiktaalik find has also inspired other scientists, who are looking at new, undisclosed geological locations for more Late Devonian specimens. We are beginning to unlock the mechanisms that underlie evolutionary change, so we can ask what is the genetic and developmental recipe that built the human, and how is it different from fish? he says. Were at a moment in scientific discovery where we can begin to see that that kind of understanding is possible within our lifetimes, that the basic tool kit and developmental processes are very ancientthat a version of same tool kit that builds a worm builds a human. Its been a remarkable time for paleontology, a very powerful revolution on a lot of scientific fronts.

After his talk at Harvard Book Store, the audience asked Shubin questions that ranged from specifics about Tiktaaliks anatomy to his arctic experiences and plans for the future, to his views on intelligent design and creationism. Did he think his discovery would sway religious beliefs? What should teachers say about Tiktaalikhow is it a scientific tool for students? No degree of evidence will shift the views of a creationist,  Shubin responded, then added with a laugh, but if, next to my Tiktaalik, Id found a human skull, then that would be truly devastating to evolutionists. What about intelligent design? I dont have time for it because its not testable, its not science, Shubin explained. I have a job to do and thats making hypotheses and going out in the field and finding out if they are true. I became a scientist because I like looking at creatures and discovering new things that tell us about the history of life.

~Nell Porter Brown
Korea Aerospace Industries President Ahn Hyun-ho, from left, Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae, Poland Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, Hanwha Defense CEO Son Jae-il and PGZ CEO Sebastian Chwalek pose at the Polish defense ministry in Warsaw, Wednesday (local time) after the country signed a framework agreement with the three Korean firms to purchase FA-50 fighter jets, K2 battle tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers. Joint Press Corps



Poland on Wednesday signed basic deals with South Korea to acquire Korean-made FA-50 light attack fighters, K2 battle tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers.



Under the "framework contracts," Poland is to procure 48 FA-50 jets, 980 K2 battle tanks and 648 K9 howitzers, the Polish government said, describing the deals as one of the country's "most important and largest" defense orders in recent years.



The contracts came as Poland has been striving to "fill the gap" created by its delivery of weapons systems to Ukraine that has been fighting against Russia. Warsaw did not disclose its cost estimates for the contracts.



The delivery of 180 K2 tanks is expected to begin this year, while 800 K2 tanks will be manufactured in Poland. Poland also plans to first purchase 48 K9 howitzers and order 600 more afterwards.



Poland's Ministry of National Defense said earlier that the country plans to buy 48 FA-50 light attack fighters, with the first batch of 12 jets to be delivered in the middle of next year.






A THEATRE company established 50 years ago is staging two plays with quintessentially British themes at Goring Lock, arriving as part of a UK tour on an old working narrowboat.

Mikron Theatre Company, which is based in the village of Marsden, at the foot of the Yorkshire Pennines, has been touring up and down the UK annually since 1972 on the boat, which is named Tyseley.

A double bill is to be presented over the two evenings of next Thursday and and Friday. The first, Red Sky at Night, tackles that ubiquitous British conversation starter, the weather, while the next nights Raising Agents takes a humorous but affectionate look at the inner workings of the Womens Institute, which is 125 years old.

Both plays will be performed by a cast of four actor-musicians, who are Hannah Bainbridge (flute), Thomas Cotran (guitar), Alice McKenna (guitar) and James McLean (accordion).

Producer Peter Toon says that the actors have an affection for Goring as a stop on the tour. He says: We perform near the road bridge in Goring, next to the lock. Its a beautiful enclosed area, its like a natural amphitheatre. So we perform, our actors face the river and everyone brings picnics and chairs and sits and looks, towards the trees and bushes behind us, and its just absolutely idyllic.

Red Sky at Night (The wild and wonderful world of weather), written by Lindsay Rodden, which is in its premiere run, is an ode to all things meteorological.

Directed by Marianne McNamara, the music has been composed by Sonum Batra, with musical direction by Rebekah Hughes and costume design by Celia Perkins.

Peter says: Mikron tells uniquely British stories, whatever that means to whoever that means. Weve got an obsession with the weather, havent we? Weve tried to encapsulate hundreds of years of humans trying to work the weather out in an hour-and-a-half, so theres lots of fast-paced script.

In the story, Hayley (Hannah Bainbridge), a weathergirl with a PhD, takes the audience on a tour through the history of studying weather phenomena. Accompanied by Eileen (Alice McKenna), or Mother Nature, theres also bumptious TV channel producer Nigel (James McLean) and green cameraman Zeph (Thomas Cotran).

Marianne says of Hayley: Shes not the most charming  shes quite strait-laced and all about the information. She has to learn to be more charismatic to present the show.

The play presents people from history and interesting footnotes, such as Sir Francis Beauforts wind scale and details of the formation of clouds. Marianne says: When audiences come to see Red Sky at Night, they will be entertained, they will laugh and they might learn something along the way, too.

Theres plenty of food for thought on climate change and the need to look after the environment, illustrated through the song Nobody Owns the Skies.

Meanwhile, the next evening, the theatre company is reprising 2015s Raising Agents, written by Maeve Larkin, directed by Rachel Gee and designed by Celia Perkins. The music has been composed by OHooley and Tidow, who also wrote The Fragile for BBC Ones series Gentleman Jack.

The play tells the story of Bunnington Womens Institute, which is in need of new members, extra funds and a bit of rejuvenation. When a new member with a background in PR joins, they welcome her as a breath of fresh air  until she suggests they become the Bunnington Bunnies. The WI fights to define its future  will it be reconfigured and will it save itself?

Director Rachel Gee says that the play shows the WI to be a formidable force and this is augmented by Maeve Larkins naughty humour, with choice lines such as You leave my aspirations out of it. They drop when you get to my age.

Peter says: Theres more to the WI than just jam and Jerusalem. Theres a brilliant line in the play: We dont get on bandwagons, we drive them. Theres a big anniversary and the things the WI campaigns for, theyre amazing.

The Mikron Theatre Companys only interruption in 50 years was been down to the coronavirus pandemic. Peter Toon says: We were very grateful, we got some of the Culture Recovery Fund and that meant that we didnt haemorrhage money. Then we diversified  we helped run a food bank and we helped with food deliveries and all sorts of things. It was a mad time for everyone.

There has been a resurgence in recent years of a liveaboard lifestyle, with more and more people being attracted to houseboats. Peter says: Theres a great new community of people that are literally owning their bit of the water and its a good way to live. I tell you what, its a brilliant way to tour.

 Mikron Theatre Companys production of Red Sky at Night comes to Goring Lock on Thursday, July 28 at 7pm, while Raising Agents will be performed there on Friday, July 29 at 7pm. No tickets required but there will be a collection after the show. Bring a picnic, chair and blanket. For more information, call 01484 843701 or visit mikron.org.uk
Daedong High School in Gwangju / Yonhap



Two high school students in the southwestern city of Gwangju are under investigation after being caught hacking into their teachers' notebook computers to steal exam papers, police and municipal education officials said Wednesday.



The two unnamed second-year students of Daedong High School in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, are accused of breaking into the teachers' room at night before hacking into the laptop computers, and stealing midterm and final exam papers as well as answers this year.



The students reportedly told police and school officials that they had committed the misdeed to improve their grades by any means to get into their desired universities.



Separately from the police probe, the two students will likely face disciplinary punishment, such as expulsion from the school, education officials said.



According to investigators at the Gwangju Seobu Police Station, the two students first drew up plans to steal school exam papers and answers from their teachers' laptops in January this year.



One of the two students, who is said to be good at programming, used his coding skills learned in school and hacking methods learned on the internet to make his own malware capable of stealing internal information from laptops. The malware was reportedly programmed to periodically capture and save screens when installed onto a laptop.



Then the students were surprised to find their school's crime prevention and security systems far poorer than expected, police said.



Closed-circuit TVs installed on campus were not covering the teachers' room, and a private security company's alarm system did not detect the intruders. The windows of the teachers' room were not locked properly, and school guards failed to find the two students who sneaked into the school compound several times at night prior to the midterm and final exams.



Each teacher's laptop had a password, but one of the students simply cracked the laptop passwords using a method that he found through an internet search.



After the teachers completed the exam questions and answers, the students again broke into the teachers' room to move the captured files to their USB devices and completely delete their malware.



But the two students' crimes came to light accidently due to their poor management of the stolen exam answers.



One of the two, who could not memorize all the answers, secretly wrote down the answers on a slip of paper, tore it into pieces after the exam and threw it in the trash can, which was witnessed by a suspicious classmate. (Yonhap)




Lim Tae-hoon, right, director at the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, speaks during a news conference in the group's office in Seoul, July 27. Yonhap



A note left by a female Air Force noncommissioned officer who died in an apparent suicide last week indicated she may have been bullied by someone in her unit, a human rights group claimed Wednesday.



The 21-year-old technical sergeant, surnamed Kang, was found dead on July 19 in her official residence in the 20th Fighter Wing in Seosan, some 120 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The cause of her death is being investigated by the Air Force.



Her residence was where a female master sergeant, Lee Ye-ram, killed herself last year after being sexually harassed by her superior.



The Center for Military Human Rights Korea made public what is believed to be a suicide note left by Kang during a news conference.



The note reads, "I did nothing wrong, but all the blame is put on me," and "the master sergeant takes his anger out on a technical sergeant who looks easy."



"Based on the content of the diary presumed to be a suicide note found at the scene, and other circumstances, it is believed that the reason for Kang's death was within the unit," the group said.



Kang, commissioned just over a year ago, moved into the residence in January. It was vacant since Lee's death in May 2021.



"It was not until April this year, three months after she moved in, that Technical Sergeant Kang got to know that it was the place where Master Sergeant Lee died," the group said. "Since then, she had expressed her fear and stress to her colleagues."



The group called for a probe into why the unit assigned the room to her without informing her that it was used by Lee and whether the authorities were aware of her distress. (Yonhap)








Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday he will ask President Yoon Suk-yeol to pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, who is currently on parole from a prison term for bribery and embezzlement.







Han was responding to a question during a parliamentary interpellation session about whether he has any intention to propose pardons for Lee and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin.







The president is widely expected to grant pardons on the occasion of Aug. 15 Liberation Day. (Yonhap)


Ruling People Power Party acting Chairman Kweon Seong-dong sends a Telegram message to President Yoon Suk-yeol during a National Assembly interpellation session on Tuesday. The messages sent from Yoon read "our party (the PPP) is doing well" and "the party has changed after replacing the chairman who was pointing guns inwards at us."



By Nam Hyun-woo





Choi Young-bum, the senior presidential secretary for public relations, takes a question from reporters during a news conference at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Choi Young-bum, the senior presidential secretary for public relations, said Wednesday that it is "inappropriate" to "politicize" President Yoon Suk-yeol's Telegram messages with the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) acting leader Kweon Seong-dong, in which Yoon portrayed suspended ruling party Chairman Lee Jun-seok as a troublemaker who had attacked the PPP itself, rather than those of its rival, the main opposition party.



Yoon was not seen while on his way to the presidential office, where he used to answer questions from reporters, a day after his private message with Kweon was made public.



"I think it is inappropriate to disclose (President Yoon's) private text messages and let them become a matter of political interpretation," Choi said during a news conference. "I assume that the president made those comments while trying to encourage PPP acting Chairman Kweon to keep working hard."



Choi's reactions came after a photo of the messages on the screen of Kweon's smartphone at the National Assembly on Tuesday created a stir. The messages were photographed while Kweon opened his smartphone to reply to Yoon's Telegram messages. Yoon wrote, "our party (the PPP) is doing good (in the interpellation session on Tuesday), and "the party has changed after replacing the chairman who was pointing guns inwards at us."



Although he didn't specify who the chairman in question was, it was obvious that Yoon was referring to Lee, whose party membership was suspended earlier this month over allegations of having received sexual services as bribes for political favors and destroying the evidence. Kweon has been acting as the party's chief since then. Lee had been critical of Yoon's key associates in the party.



"As far as I know, the president believes the party's tasks should be addressed within the party's leadership, and has never delivered his guidelines on the party's path," Choi said. "Also, we have discussed the matter of Lee several times, but I have never heard of the president saying negative things about him."



Choi added that Yoon did not make any specific comments on the disclosed Telegram messages.



"Lee, who has the experience of serving as the party's chairman, will know what the circumstances were, and I believe he will not misunderstand the comments," he said.



A day after his Telegram messages were exposed, Kweon apologized to the public for "causing concerns due to my negligence in exposing the private conversation."





People Power Party acting Chairman Kweon Seong-dong vows after he apologized to the public for his Telegram messages with President Yoon Suk-yeol at the National Assembly, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps
On Tuesday, a magnificent Hindu temple was inaugurated in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, a vast island in the Indian Ocean with a population of over 26 million people. The occasion was attended by Abhay Kumar, the Indian ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros.

Devotees flocked to the temples inaugural event, which included the unveiling of sculptures of several Hindu deities, aarti, and the singing of devotional songs. Sanjeev Hematlal, president of the Hindu Samaj, spoke on the occasion, saying that the opening of the majestic temple is a source of great pride for the Hindu community in Madagascar.

The freshly constructed temple is Antananarivos first Hindu temple. The long-awaited temple by Madagascars Hindu diaspora was under construction for a long time. Earlier, in Antananarivo, a magnificent Hindu temple hall was also opened on the occasion of Navratri in 2020. Over 20,000 individuals of Indian origin, primarily from Gujarat, are settled in Madagascar.

The Gujarati diaspora in Madagascar is widely dispersed. Many of them practise Hinduism, and the Hindu Samaj has constructed a beautiful Hindu temple in Antananarivo for the first time. Small Hindu temples may be found in Madagascars other main cities, including Mahajunga and Antsiranana.

Indians, particularly those from Gujarat, arrived in Madagascar in small boats in the late 18th century to partake in Indian Ocean region commerce. Since then, they have significantly aided the expansion of trade and business both inside Madagascar and between India and Madagascar.

India is Madagascars major trading partner, with two-way commerce expected to reach 400 million USD in 202021. The two Indian Ocean neighbours partnerships are expanding in many areas. The two nations have healthy and strong connections that are deepening, and multiple MoUs in crucial sectors such as health, education, culture, information, and travel have been inked.

Source: OpIndia
By Javier Solana





MADRID  Last month's NATO summit in Madrid was a resounding success, demonstrating the West's enduring resolve to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin over his war on Ukraine. But the value of Western unity against Putin will be diminished in a world that is becoming increasingly divided, as the recent meetings of G20 finance and foreign ministers in Indonesia showed. This trend could carry incalculably high costs, because a highly polarized world cannot meet the most important task of our century: ensuring the provision of global public goods.



Such goods  including a clean environment, international security, and global health  cannot be provided without effective global institutions. One might expect a crisis, with major global consequences, to spur cooperation, as was the case with the G20's emergence after the 2008 global financial crisis. But, while crises may have a unifying effect, the Ukraine war is stalling efforts to manage its global consequences.



Globalization has brought great advances for humanity. But it has also brought new risks and challenges, which can be managed only through effective multilateral institutions. As former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott observed in 2001, not long after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, "Globalization is like gravity. It's not a policy; it's not a program. It's not good; it's not evil. It's happening."



But, as the last decade has shown, even if globalization is an inescapable historical phenomenon, geopolitical rivalries can fracture and fragment the institutions on which it depends, making it impossible to mount effective responses to shared challenges like climate change.



Pursuing the global agenda is incompatible with a fragmented global economy. Already, an economic decoupling is underway. As a result, it has heightened the most important systemic risk the world faces: the shift to "two globalizations," one organized around the U.S., and the other around China. If this decoupling is completed, the multilateral institutions that were created to manage globalization will become obsolete.



But the economy is just the beginning. The war in Ukraine is bolstering the narrative that an inescapable ideological struggle between democracies and autocracies has taken hold. If this perception prevails, the world will inevitably split into geopolitical blocs.



This would be a tragedy for the countries of the Global South, in particular. These countries would face a fateful choice between two mutually exclusive geopolitical blocs. But regardless of which bloc they chose, global problems would still prove to be unmanageable  let alone solvable  without the other bloc. After decades of seeking to assert their sovereignty above all, developing countries are finding that the biggest threats they face  from pandemics to food insecurity  are unaffected by their geopolitical affinities.



It is worth noting, however, that those affinities are not, by and large, to the democratic bloc. Most of the world looks with indifference  and often suspicion  at the West's robust measures to isolate Putin. For example, as Europe works to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, India is exponentially increasing its purchases of Russian oil at discount prices.



Unlike the West, the Global South does not view the Ukraine war in existential terms. Instead, the conflict represents, above all, increased food shortages and higher energy prices. The political crisis in Sri Lanka, for example, cannot be interpreted solely through the prism of domestic developments. Interdependence remains a central and powerful feature of the international order.



In a culturally and politically diverse world, democratic exclusiveness is not the most effective way to build bridges  especially with those whose immediate material needs are not being met. In this sense, Western countries are doing themselves no favors by giving the impression that the fora in which they convene are, essentially, "democracy summits."



A better approach would recognize that the most consequential global division today is not between democracies and autocracies, but between rich and poor countries. The COVID-19 pandemic threw this division into sharp relief. In September 2021, just over 3 percent of people in low-income countries had received at least one vaccine dose, compared to more than 60 percent in high-income countries. Though the worst of the pandemic is over, the Global South's resentment toward the vaccine-hoarding North remains. If the North fails to convey a greater sense of urgency to strengthen the provision of global public goods, that resentment will only grow.



Of course, tensions with Russia will complicate the main multilateral organizations' efforts to reach agreements on shared challenges. But they do not preclude cooperation. That much was clear at last month's ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, where several valuable agreements were reached. For example, eligible countries can now override patents for the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines.



It is useful to remind ourselves of the reason and purpose underpinning sanctions on Russia. The West did not impose sanctions against Putin's regime merely because it does not meet a particular democratic standard. The measures are a response to Putin's decision to violate the principle  fundamental to international law  that the borders of an independent and sovereign state cannot be changed by force.



For most of my life, relations between the West and Russia have been defined by mutual suspicion  and sometimes, such as now, open enmity. This will not change for a long time. We must stand up to Putin. But we must also extend our hand to the Global South, by making all efforts to preserve the institutions that are so essential to protect the public goods on which all of us depend.





Javier Solana, a former EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain, is president of EsadeGeo  Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Time to join forces to stop Japan's unilateral move



Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has approved a plan to release into the ocean more than a million tons of treated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The approval came 15 months after the Japanese government decided to release the wastewater as a necessary step for the plant's ongoing decommissioning.



Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said the treated water would meet national standards for radionuclide levels, except for tritium. TEPCO plans to dilute the water to reduce tritium levels through an advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) for radionuclide removal and begin releasing it offshore over several decades via an underwater pipe starting next spring.



Our government said it would convey its concerns about the planned wastewater discharge and urge Japan to act responsibly. In fact, foreign ministry officials from neighboring countries have been holding a series of working-level meetings on the issue since December. And director-level talks were held virtually for the first time in June with the participation of related ministries. However, it's doubtful if these moves are sufficient to allay public concerns.



Japan's urgency in dealing with the contaminated water is understandable, considering that the contaminated facility produces 140 cubic meters of wastewater every day with space expected to run out in a year. Nonetheless, this cannot be a plausible reason for Japan to decide on the release unilaterally. TEPCO plans to release the water by using seawater to dilute its concentration down to below one 40th of the threshold for discharge. But this approach doesn't actually change the amount of tritium in the seawater. Moreover, it will take only seven months for the contaminated water to reach the shores of Jeju Island.



The Yoon Suk-yeol administration should join forces with regional neighbors, including China, to stop Japan from beginning the discharge of the wastewater. What's needed first is to hurry to secure scientific evidence that can support the peril of Japan's unilateral water release. Japan, for its part., ought to withdraw its discharge plan that even many Japanese oppose.






By Kim Jae-heun







POSCO International will supply 23,000 tons of steel for the expansion of Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2, the company said Tuesday.







POSCO and POSCO Steeleon plan to provide a steel curtain wall and roofing made of low-carbon materials until the expansion work is completed in 2024.







The firm collaborated with small and medium-sized companies that received POSCO Innovilt certification for their external panel processing technologies. The steelmaker gives Innovilt certification to products that are 100 percent made with POSCO steel and have passed the company's strict evaluation on the product's technology and marketability.







A curtain wall refers to an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural. Most of the time, it is made mainly of aluminum and steel. Steel has better insulation and fire resistance than other materials such as aluminum. It is an eco-friendly material that generates less carbon and can be recycled.







POSCO's Innovilt-certified steel curtain wall is highly preferred at construction sites for its strength and structural performance. It can also provide wide views and openness. The company will use the country's largest amorphous product with a height of up to 22 meters for this project's curtain wall.







"The 80,000-square-meter roof of the passenger terminal will be made of high-performance materials like MosMac, a steel material with excellent corrosion resistance, and aluminum-fluorinated steel sheets made by POSCO Steeleon," a POSCO International official said.





Furthermore, POSCO International plans to supply PosMac non-flammable color steel plates to build the Inspire Resort Complex near Incheon International Airport on Yeongjong Island.






Sheraton Boston Needham Hotel, a 247-room full-service hotel located in Needham, Massachusetts on the I-95 Corridor has announced the completion of a $10 million renovation to all guest rooms, lobby, restaurant, indoor pool and meeting space. Refurbishments include new interior design elements, bedding, furniture, and carpeting. Bathrooms have been updated with shower conversions in all King rooms. Extensive upgrades were also made to all common areas and food & beverage offerings.

According to Rodriquenz, the hotel, which recently hosted participants of the US Open, is a sought-after destination for corporate, social, education, and sporting groups, as well as business and leisure travelers. Function facilities at the hotel comprise 18,751 square feet of flexible meeting space, including two ballrooms that can accommodate events for up to 300 and 150 people.

Group One Partners was the architect and interior designer for this project.

Hotel website
A holder of dual Swiss and Belgian nationality, Serge Cuypers is very familiar with the Anantara brand, starting as Hotel Manager at the flagship Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel in Thailand in 2019 as well as General Manager of Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from 2021. Serge brings over 22 years of professional experience in high-profile international luxury hospitality properties. With a career spanning the globe, he is comfortable leading a multicultural workforce and has several luxury hotel openings under his belt.

Over the years, Serge, whose background is in Food & Beverage, has worked at some of the most illustrious properties around the world, including The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Armani Hotel Dubai in the UAE, and Conrad, Seoul in South Korea, among others. Serge holds a degree in Hospitality from Lausanne Hotel Management School and in Economics and Marketing from Lemania School in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas appoints Steven M. Silverman as Senior Vice President of Sales. In this role, Silverman will develop and lead the group and leisure transient sales team by setting goals to achieve revenue targets.

An industry veteran, Silverman brings to Atlantis over two decades of experience as the Director of Sales for hotels and resorts in Florida and the Caribbean. Most recently, he led sales initiatives at Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Fl., where he was responsible for over $110 million in group, convention, and banquet revenues. He also successfully shifted market share from established competitors for a $26 million revenue increase.

Prior to his role at Diplomat Beach Resort, Silverman served as Managing Director of Sales and Marketing at El Conquistador Resort & Las Casitas Villages, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and as Director of Sales at The Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and The Roney Palace Beach Resort.

Silverman received his associate degree in business administration and management at the University of Florida before attending the New School for Social Research, where he studied culinary arts training and hotel and hospitality management.
Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems and guest-centric technologies, today announced an expanded partnership with Stoney Creek Hospitality, a hotel group that owns, operates, and manages two major hotel brands across the American Midwest. Stoney Creek Hospitality chose Stayntouch to deploy its mobile PMS and contactless solutions to 11 of its premier properties.

Founded in 1994, Stoney Creek Hospitality delivers rustic luxury and genuine hospitality to an active and adventurous traveler base. Stoney Creek properties embody an eclectic cabin by the lake aesthetic, with each location featuring unique decor and modern amenities. Stoney Creek chose Stayntouch because they needed a flexible cloud PMS system that was intuitive and easy to adopt, could be deployed quickly and efficiently across multiple locations, and would facilitate operational efficiencies through automation and contactless check-in.

Mark Creger, Vice President of Revenue Management at Stoney Creek Hospitality commented, Before Stayntouch, we were using an inflexible on-premise system that was difficult for staff to learn and operate and lacked the customization we needed as a brand with multiple properties. The Stayntouch system is easy to use and train on, and its mobile communication and automation have greatly enhanced the productivity of our front desk and housekeeping teams. Our guests love the mobile check-in function that allows them to skip the front desk and check in from their smartphone. Also, Stayntouchs implementation team is top-notch: They were able to deploy their PMS at 11 separate properties in under six weeks. Impressive work!

Priya Rajamani, the Vice President of Implementation & Support for Stayntouch, replied, We are excited to partner with Stoney Creek Hospitality and are delighted that our cloud-native PMS gives them the flexibility to deliver the home away from home experience that is embedded in their brand and realized across multiple unique properties in their chain. Our dedicated implementation team members take pride in deploying our PMS platform quickly and efficiently, while also ensuring that hotel staff have the training and support they need to get the most out of our platform and services. We look forward to continuing to support Stoney Creek Hospitality in their mission to deliver genuine hospitality.

About Stayntouch

Stayntouch delivers a fully mobile guest-centric hotel property management system (PMS) with a comprehensive library of over 1100+ best-of-breed integrations. Our cloud-native PMS platform empowers hotels to drive revenue, reduce costs, enhance service, and captivate their guests. Backed by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry, Stayntouch is a trusted partner to industry-leading management companies such as Sage Hospitality, HEI Hotels & Resorts, and EOS Hospitality, world-class boutique brands such as Village Hotels, Pacifica Hotels, and First Hotels, and iconic independent properties such as the TWA Hotel, Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, and Zoku Amsterdam. For more information, visit www.stayntouch.com

About Stoney Creek Hospitality

We own, operate, and manage two main hotel brands located in 5 states across the Midwest. Results from 25 years of strategic planning and genuine hospitality has allowed Stoney Creek Hotel brands to be top competitors in each market. With Stoney Creek as a partner, you'll find a commitment to personal and professional growth through genuine, passionate hospitality that results in an authentic home away from home experience for your employees and guests.

Elliott Mest

MFC PR
Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailands leading hotel operator, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinas Luxemon Hotel Group that will accelerate the expansion of Centaras portfolio in China and support its goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years.

The MoU, which was signed in a ceremony attended by Markland Blaiklock, Deputy CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts, and Liang Xiao Jing, CEO of Luxemon Hotel Group, will focus on brand cooperation to create a strong and mutually beneficial business partnership. The overall aim is to leverage the regional expertise of both hotel groups to enable the development of their respective brands within China and Southeast Asia.

For decades, our two countries have enjoyed a warm friendship with strong bilateral trade relations. China has been a priority market for future growth and our new partnership with Luxemon Hotel Group represents a significant step forward for Centara, Blaiklock commented. Luxemon is one of the most renowned and fast-growing hotel groups in China, with 60 properties. I am confident that our visions and philosophies are perfectly matched to meet our business objectives.

Liang Xiao Jing said The recent MoU signing ceremony represents a new chapter in the important partnership between China and Thailand. I sincerely believe that through our cooperation we will grasp many new opportunities in the future that will take our businesses to the next level. I am confident that together we can contribute to the development of tourism between China and Thailand and the hotel industry. Our team in China is really thrilled about the opportunity to be a part of this agreement and we can't wait to see the developments that come from this exciting partnership.

In recent years, Centara has introduced its unique style of heartfelt Thai hospitality to many new international destinations. Its portfolio of 91 properties now spans the length and breadth of Thailand and other key markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Indian Ocean, covering six intuitive brands: Centara Reserve, Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara and COSI Hotels. This MoU will now support the development of these concepts in China  the worlds largest travel market.

About Centara Hotels & Resorts

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand's leading hotel operator. Its 90 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, China, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Cambodia, Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE. Centara's portfolio comprises six brands  Centara Reserve, Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara and COSI Hotels  ranging from 6-star hotels and luxurious island retreats to family resorts and affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology. It also operates state-of-the-art convention centres and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara's distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travellers of nearly every age and lifestyle.

Over the next five years Centara aims to become a top 100 global hotel group, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company's unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara's global loyalty programme, Centara The1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.

Find out more about Centara at www.CentaraHotelsResorts.com

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HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (AP) _ UDR Inc. (UDR) on Tuesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results matched Wall Street expectations.

The real estate investment trust, based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, said it had funds from operations of $197 million, or 57 cents per share, in the period.
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An affiliate of global real estate powerhouse Hines has scooped up a swanky new office tower in the River Oaks area for $145 million in what could be a record-setting deal for Houston's commercial real estate sector that is still recovering from the pandemic.

Hines Global Investment Trust announced Tuesday it acquired the 15-story, 206,000+ square-foot office tower known as 200 Park Place from developer Stonelake Capital Partners. The sales price equates to roughly more than $690 per square foot, which could be one of the highest, if not the highest prices per square foot for an office building in Houston across publicly-known deals, not including medical office space.

Previously earlier records have been set by Skanska USA's 2019 deal when it sold a 90 percent stake in the downtown tower 800 Capitol for $531 per a square foot, according to commercial real estate data firm CoStar. (Skanska later sold its remaining stake.) Including medical office space, the priciest office deal for years in Houston has been the 2018 sale of Memorial Hermann Plaza in the Texas Medical Center, which sold for about $793 per square foot, according to CoStar.

The fact that Hines was willing to pay a premium for the fully-leased space is a vote of confidence for Houston's office market that is still facing uncertainty as it recovers from the pandemic. Despite Houston's chronically high office vacancy rates, leasing activity is beginning to recover and more companies are sending workers back to the office, albeit mostly in a hybrid fashion.

While there is a glut of empty office space in Houston, particularly older buildings that have not been updated, new buildings such as 200 Park Place continue to attract tenants.

"When you dial down into what tenants are designing and wanting, its not that (older) office space," said William Peeples, principal at Stonelake Capital Partners in an interview. "Its new, its efficient, its thoughtfully designed. It provides access to outdoors, is walkable and has brand recognition."

Stonelake substantially completed construction on 200 Park only a month into the pandemic, and then managed to fully lease up the office space despite the challenges of the past two years for the sector.

RELATED: Real estate transactions: Renovated Memorial Tower One lands energy tenants

200 Park Place adds to the more than $3 billion portfolio of Hines Global Investment Trust, which invests in industrial, office, residential/living, retail and other properties worldwide.

As high-profile companies continue to look to Houston for best-in-class, well-amenitized buildings, and Houston continues to lead the U.S. on return-to-office rates, our acquisition of 200 Park Place allows us to strategically capitalize on these trends and the ongoing evolution of commercial real estate, said Janice Walker, chief operating officer of Hines Global Income Trust, said in an announcement. We are focused on continued diversification of the portfolio with institutional-quality, next-generation assets in dynamic locations, because tenants are eager for this kind of product.

The tower is located inside Loop 610, about a mile east of the Galleria between shopping and dining venues Highland Village and River Oaks District. Tenants include JLL, Buckeye Partners, Compass Real Estate, Stonelake Capital Partners, plus Charles Schwab, Veritas Title Partners and the upcoming Ten Sushi + Cocktail Bar on the ground floor. The office tower sits above eight levels of parking with additional office and retail on the ground floor.

RELATED: Hines' ambitious net zero carbon goals could impact 27 million square feet of real estate in Houston

Jeff Hollinden, Kevin McConn, Marty Hogan and Rick Goings of JLL Capital Markets represented Stonelake Capital in the sale.

The 200 Park Place building has a landscaped terrace for tenants, a conference center and tenant lounge. Stonelake Capital broke ground on the building in February 2019 when there was already a surplus of empty space on the market. It was substantially completed in April 2020 as many companies started to downsize their offices as employees worked from home and the demand for oil plunged as people stayed home early in the pandemic.

RELATED: MetroNational starts on 9-story office building at mixed-used development in Memorial City

"Substantial completion was four days after oil went to negative $37 a barrel," Peeples said. "At the end of the day, we leased it up 100 percent within eight months of delivery."

Houston ranked 16th in the nation for office investments in the first half of 2022, with investors spending nearly $1.2 billion on office properties, according to MSCI Real Assets, a commercial real estate research firm. The investments were up 95 percent compared to the first half of 2021. Dallas and Austin ranked higher at No. 4 and No. 13, respectively.

Hines has experienced the "flight to quality" trend at its own developments as employers seek spaces with amenities and locations where their employees want to be. Hines, which completed Texas Tower in downtown Houston at the end of 2021, recently announced several tenants, including a new headquarters for Cheniere Energy.

Houstons River Oaks District is a centrally located submarket that is continuing to see interest from those looking to work and play in an engaging, upscale neighborhood, said John Mooz, senior managing director at Hines. 200 Park Places modern design and walkable amenities differentiate it from other office and retail opportunities along Westheimer Road, making it a strategic location for investment in this key submarket.

Stonelake Capital, which has offices in Houston, Austin and Dallas, plans to break ground on 100 Park Place, a 17-story, 260,000-square-foot office building on a 1.4-acre site next to 200 Park Place. The time frame has not been set, but construction will likely start in 2023, according to Peeples.

The Park Place River Oaks mixed-use development also includes The Ivy and The James apartment buildings on 11.5 acres at Westheimer and Mid Lane.

Stonelake Capital recently leased the top two floors of its new 24-story Domain Tower 2 building in north Austin to PayPal.
Only months after making a splash in Cypress, Passerella, a new restaurant from the owners of The Union Kitchen and Jax Grill, is ready to expand with a new location in Houston. A second Passerella will open in September at 6011 Washington, the site of The Union Kitchen which closed in July.

We saw an opportunity and we took it, said Paul Miller, owner of Gr8 Plate Hospitality. After seeing such wild success at our Passerella location in Cypress, we knew that we had to bring the concept a little closer into town. We think that the change will breathe new life into the space, and will provide folks in the neighborhood with easy access to some fine Italian dining. We couldnt be happier to do this in an area that we have come to know and love over the years.
South Korea's SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is seen speaking in a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on July 26, in this image captured from the website of the White House. Yonhap



Chey Tae-won, chairman of South Korea's SK Group, on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to invest an additional US$22 billion in the United States in a rare meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.



Biden welcomed the announcement, calling it one of the most "significant investments" ever seen in the U.S.



"Today we are announcing another $22 billion in new investment in the U.S.," Chey told the U.S. leader.



"This means that SK will invest nearly $30 billion going forward, expanding on our recent announcement of $7 billion investment in EV batteries," he added.



Biden's one-on-one virtual meeting with the South Korean business leader took place at the White House, also involving U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.



Biden, however, took part virtually as he continues to recover from COVID-19 since being diagnosed late last week.



He hailed the South Korean conglomerate's investment plan, noting it will create some 16,000 new jobs in the U.S. in the next three years.



"SK has already committed $30 billion in investment here, and today they are announcing another $22 billion in addition. That will grow their U.S. workforce from 4,000 to 20,000 workers by 2025," Biden said.



"Today's announcement is also proof that America's back to working with our allies," he added.



In the meeting with Biden, Chey said SK will spend $15 billion to boost the semiconductor ecosystem, including research and development programs, materials, advanced packaging and test facilities.



"Our countries fought side-by-side during the terrible conflict, and now we have worked side-by-side to build the technologies and infrastructures that will power the 21st century economy around the world," Chey said at the meeting as shown in a White House release.



"Our cooperation will make the supply chain in both our countries more resilient in critical technologies," Chey said.



SK will invest $5 billion in green energy  a key area of SK's future growth drivers  such as green hydrogen, battery components and recycling, and electric vehicle (EV) charging systems and small modular reactors.



The rest of the investment will be spent on bolstering its edge in bioscience and biopharmaceutical sectors in the U.S. market, including the development of treatment for cell and gene therapy.



Chey, the chief of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate after Samsung, said last year that SK plans to invest $52 billion in America through 2030.



SK On Co., the battery-making arm, has formed an $8.9 billion joint venture with Ford Motor Co. to build three EV battery production plants in the U.S. by 2025, one in Tennessee and two others in Kentucky.



SK On is also building two battery cell plants in Georgia, with the construction set to be completed by next year.



SK Siltron Co. is spending $300 million in Michigan to build its second facility to produce silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, the next-generation semiconductor material designed to make lighter, smaller and more efficient chips.



In May, SK announced it will invest 247 trillion won (US$188.4 billion) in semiconductor, EV battery and bio businesses in its blueprint for the next five years, including 68 trillion won earmarked for foreign markets.



At the meeting, Biden also sought advice from the South Korean business leader on ways to attract more foreign investment to the U.S.



Chey highlighted the need for more trained workers with the right skill set who can work in high-tech industries, such as semiconductors and EV batteries.



"One of the things you are promised we are going to do is, we are going to continue to invest in the education side of this," Biden responded. (Yonhap)


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When Thomas Graham texted me about an opinion poll revealing what outsiders really think about Texas, I asked the public relations executive to send me the details.

While I found negativity in many of the findings, he found reasons for optimism in others.

These numbers might as well be a Rorschach, I wrote in an email.

Man alive, I agree with you! replied Graham, who is close to former Gov. Rick Perry.

While the co-founder of Crosswind Media and Public Relations is conservative, his firm is apolitical and conducts polls on the Texas brand to advise companies within and outside the state. The poll of people living outside of Texas is not about politics but consumer research.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Texas needs a rebranding away from racially charged myths

Ive known Graham for years, and despite our very different perspectives on most things, we like and respect each other. We agreed to discuss where he saw a glass half-full and I saw one half-empty.

Top line, 45 percent of Americans have a very positive or somewhat positive view of Texas, while 31 percent have a very negative or somewhat negative view. The rest were neutral or not sure.

Outsiders evenly split on whether Texas was going in the right direction: 38 percent said yes; 38 percent said no.

Those numbers looked dismal to me, proof that Texass reputation was slipping. But Graham pointed out that a New York Times poll found that only 13 percent of registered voters thought the United States was going in the right direction.

When you consider the factors that matter to the daily lives of Americans, the job they have, the entrepreneurial opportunities they consider, the family theyre trying to raise, where they are going to spend their vacation, theres a general positive sense around Texas, he said.

A polls crosstabs reveal the demographics behind the data. Texass greatest fans were older, conservative, white men. Sixty-six percent of Republicans have a positive view of Texas, and 46 percent of men thought the state was going in the right direction, compared with 31 percent of women.

Rasmussen conducted the poll in early July for Crosswind after headlines about the abortion law, the Uvalde school shooting and Texass electric grid problems. While I harped on the partisan divide, Graham highlighted some surprising results around business and livability.

Almost two-thirds of Black respondents and 60 percent of Hispanics said Texas is a very or somewhat good place to do business. About 60 percent of Black and Hispanic respondents said Texas is an excellent place to raise a family.

Remember, these are among 845 people who live outside the state.

Fifty-seven percent of millennials ages 18 to 30 said Texas was a good place to start a business. Opportunity, adventure and diversity are what attract people to Texas, Graham said.

Texas is on the verge of being a cultural superpower, and we need to recognize that as a state, Graham said. If youre looking for adventure and experiences, thats Houston, man; you can have the worlds most diverse experiences in Houston, Texas.

Women, on every question, were far less enthusiastic about the state. Its hard to know what they find objectionable, except that the states reputation hasnt changed much since journalist Betsy Hamilton in 1885 wrote: Texas is fine for men and dogs but hard on women and hogs.

The Crosswinds poll comes on the heels of CNBCs annual rankings of the best places to do business and the worst places to live. Texas ranked fifth for business but second from the bottom for quality of life. Graham quickly points out that CNBC added new 22 rating categories for social conditions only this year.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Forget the Alamos myths, do not risk San Antonios reputation

Those of us in the media often forget that politics are not the most essential things to most peoples lives. Making money, providing for our families and living comfortably matters more to most Americans.

You should not be surprised that a conservative Republican would view Texas favorably or a liberal Democrat would view the direction of Texas negatively, Graham said. When people are making decisions about their daily life, theyre factoring some of this political stuff into it, but really its everyday decisions.

Graham and I agree that politicians should track these polls. Theyll learn average Americans do not get as excited about the issues that motivate their political bases.

What matters more is what many people find attractive about Texas, an affordable cost of living and plenty of jobs and business opportunities. If politicians promised to build on those basics instead of pandering to the activists, they might not rank so low in the polls.

We may argue over whether its half-full or half-empty, but Texas remains a tall glass of water.

Tomlinson, named 2021 columnist of the year by the Texas Managing Editors, writes commentary about money, politics and life in Texas. Sign up for his new Tomlinsons Take newsletter at HoustonChronicle.com/TomlinsonNewsletter.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Beyonce is coming. And Twitter is prepping the #BeyHive.

STAR STRUCK: All Stars 7 queen Shea Coulee thinks this might be her time to meet Beyonce

The social media platform has created a custom fandom emoji to celebrate "Renaissance," the Houston superstar's new album. It was released Wednesday morning and will appear alongside the hashtag #BeyHive, the name given to Beyonce's fans.

The custom emoji features a bee wearing a crown.

Twitter

This is just the second time that Twitter has created an emoji for a fandom. The first was for the BTS Army when the group reached 10 million followers in 2017.

A GOAT emoji was created for Simone Biles, another Houston native, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

"Renaissance" is scheduled to drop late Thursday/early Friday. Keep close to houstonchronicle.com for nonstop coverage.
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Klein ISD Police Chief Marlon Runnels has worked for various county and city agencies over the years. But it was upon entering a school district police department that he felt hed found his calling.

Theres just something that speaks to me about working in a school setting and being able to support kids, he said.

Runnels has more than 15 years of law enforcement experience with past roles including Harris County Sheriffs Department detention officer, Galveston County Sheriffs Office deputy and Montgomery ISD chief of police.

During the 10 years hes served in Klein ISD, Runnels was a police officer, sergeant of police, assistant chief of police, and as of July 1, the districts new chief of police.

Klein ISD announced Runnels appointment as police chief in June following the retirement of Chief David Kimberly, who Runnels considers a mentor.

Chief David Kimberly, he lived by the notion  and I embody it as well  that if you take care of your people, theyll take care of you. Everything else seems to work itself out, Runnels said. Ive been very deliberate about being relational and collaborative with the members of my team and our other district partners.

That belief has served him well in the leadership roles hes held, Runnels said, as well as during his time serving as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps.

MAKING HISTORY: Klein High School among the first in Space Force JROTC program

Now, Runnels takes the helm of the Klein ISD Police Department at a time when school safety is at the top of families minds, following the Robb Elementary mass shooting in Uvalde.

The department has spent the summer months reviewing their emergency operations plan, looking for potential opportunities for improvement. Its a routine process, Runnels said, though this years began a little earlier on the heels of the Uvalde tragedy.

All summer long weve been collaborating with stakeholders internally and externally to look at our processes, our plans, and if we identified anything, obviously take those opportunities to address them, Runnels said.

The department cannot detail certain aspects of their safety operations as doing so may present security risks. However, with the first day of school coming up on Aug. 10, Runnels wants the community to know their loved ones in Klein ISD are protected.

They can rest assured that we have a robust emergency ops plan and response plan thats reviewed frequently to ensure that were meeting the safety needs of our district, he said.

Security on campuses

Klein ISD schools are equipped with security features such as controlled access doors, safety vestibules and security cameras with more updates on the way courtesy of the districts $895 million bond approved by voters last year. The bond provides for campus safety enhancements which include improvements to security monitoring, cybersecurity, exterior and parking lot lighting, and security vestibules.

Bond 2021: Klein ISD voters approve $895M for new schools, tech, security upgrades

Runnels noted that police officers are stationed at every secondary campus daily and random patrols are provided throughout the day to each elementary school.

The districts school board also authorized additional officers and police vehicles for the 2022-2023 school year  a decision that came as no surprise to Runnels as the board has a history of supporting the department, he explained.

They made it clear to me that safety will always be a priority for them. Were thankful that we have that kind of support, he said.

Another resource used by Klein ISD to promote campus safety is the Keep Klein Safe anonymous reporting tool which may be accessed through the districts website.

Anyone can use the tool to report suspicious activity, or if they simply just need some support, Runnels said.

In addition to the reporting tool, Klein ISD uses the CrisisGo app for campus drills and emergency situations. Staff members may have the app on their phones or classroom desktops.

You press a button, and an alert goes out to specific groups that theres an emergency situation that needs to be addressed, Runnels said.

Weve been very intentional about building multiple layers of safety measures in Klein ISD.

Holistic approach

The departments focus on planning and preparing officers for a variety of situations is a practice that predates the Uvalde school shooting, Runnels said.

This has been something thats been engrained in Klein ISD and Klein police department for years, he explained.

As Texas peace officers, the departments officers have the authority to carry firearms, he said, and the importance of training is embedded into the culture of the department.

Officers undergo Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, or ALERRT, which is a program offered through Texas State University.

It is the gold standard, if you will, for active attacker, active shooter response training, Runnels said.

The department has 13 ALERRT instructors who not only train Klein officers but help train surrounding school district police as well.

Klein ISD officer training also goes beyond active attacker response as the department employs what Runnels describes as a holistic approach to school policing. It includes training in first aid, CPR, how to stop life-threatening bleeding, and addressing mental health.

Were living in difficult times, but we want our officers to have a very balanced approach to school-based policing, he said.

Mental health resources

A focus on mental health is among Runnels priorities as the districts new police chief.

Mental health issues in high schools have been on the rise nationwide since before the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among U.S. high school students had increased 40 percent from 2009 to 2019.

The CDC published a new analysis this year showing 37 percent of high school students said theyve experienced mental health issues during the pandemic. In a press release, CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry said the data echo a cry for help.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students mental wellbeing, Houry said in a statement. Our research shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and help our youth now and in the future.

Given these troubling trends, one of Runnels priorities is developing an integrated mental health response team for Klein ISD.

Were very early in that process given the fact that I just took the seat here July 1, but were already having those internal discussions within the police department, Runnels said. We have site visits planned for other districts who have a similar model that we are looking to model or adopt. So thats going to be a priority.

He added that Klein ISD already has a solid group of counselors, behavioral interventionists and mental health officers ready to help.

We have this really, really robust team of individuals who are informed on ways to triage mental health issues when they arise in our district, he said. We have our behavioral threat assessment tool that we use to keep track and make appropriate determinations for how to support kids who may be in crisis.

We have really sound processes here in Klein ISD.

Building relationships

The department also works to establish relationships between students and Klein ISD police officers through programs such as the districts Leadership Academy. Police officers partner with school counselors to develop students leadership skills.

Its been very successful for us  so much so that the Texas Municipal Police Association adopted the program and tried to scale it out across the state, he said. A similar program, the HEROES program, has been implemented at the intermediate school level as well.

We want our kids to have a trusting adult and if its one of our police officers, thats a good day in Klein, he said.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
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KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  At least 15 people were killed and dozens of others injured during two days of demonstrations in Congos east against the United Nations mission in the country, officials said Tuesday.

The United Nations said one peacekeeper from Morocco and two international policemen from India serving with the U.N. peacekeeping force were slain and a policeman from Egypt was injured at the U.N. base in Butembo in North Kivu province when violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police and fired on U.N. personnel.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Butembo attack and violence targeting multiple U.N. bases across North Kivu since Monday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Haq said that on Tuesday hundreds of assailants attacked bases of the U.N. force in Goma and other parts of North Kivu, fueled by hostile remarks and threats made by individuals and groups against the U.N., particularly on social media.

Mobs are throwing stones and petrol bombs, breaking into bases, looting and vandalizing, and setting facilities on fire, Haq said. We are trying to calm things down including by dispatching quick reaction forces but there is no evidence the violence has ended.

In addition, Haq said at least four incidents targeted the residences of mission staff, who have now been relocated to U.N. camps. A mob also tried to enter the compound of the U.N. Development Program Tuesday but was rebelled by security guards, he said.

Demonstrators on Monday set fires and forced entry into the U.N. mission offices in Goma, accusing the peacekeeping force of failing to protect civilians amid rising violence in Congos eastern region. They are calling for the U.N. forces, present in Congo for years, to leave.

Congos police said at least six people were killed in Goma on Monday, and eight civilians in Butembo. Earlier, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said at least five people were killed and about 50 wounded by Monday.

Protesters blamed shots fired by the peacekeepers for the deaths.

The secretary-general regrets the loss of life of demonstrators" and affirms the U.N. peacekeeping mission's commitment to work with Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents, Haq said.

Guterres underscored that any attack directed at U.N. peacekeepers might constitute a war crime and called on Congolese authorities to swiftly investigate the killings and bring those responsible to justice, the spokesman said.

Congos mineral-rich east is home to myriad rebel groups and the regions security has worsened despite a year of emergency operations by a joint force of the armies of Congo and Uganda. Civilians in the east have also had to deal with violence from jihadi rebels linked to the Islamic State group.

The government spokesman didnt say what caused the deaths but on Twitter, he described the response by security forces and peacekeepers as warning shots to disperse the demonstrators and prevent any attack" on U.N. installations.

The government has instructed the security forces to take all measures to ensure a return to calm and the normal resumption of activities in Goma, he said. He also reiterated that steps are already being taken for the peacekeeping forces to be withdrawn.

In June 2021 and June 2022, the peacekeeping mission closed its office in Congos Kasai Central and Tanganyika regions. The mission has more than 16,000 uniformed personnel in Congo, according to the U.N.

The protests are taking place as fighting has escalated between Congolese troops and the M23 rebels, forcing nearly 200,000 people to flee their homes. The M23 forces have shown increased firepower and defense capabilities, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Khassim Diagne, acting head of the peacekeeping mission, and Haq condemned the killings of U.N. personnel. Haq said U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix, who is currently in Mali, will be traveling to Congo at his earliest opportunity.

Diagne described the violence against the U.N. as absolutely unacceptable and counterproductive, given the U.N. force's mission to protect civilians, deter armed groups and build the capacity of state institutions and services.

Haq responded to a question asking whether the U.N.s effort had been a failure because armed groups still roam the country saying our presence has provided protection but it has not solved the problem which involves the region and armed groups vying for control of mineral and resource-rich regions.

Within that, he said, the U.N. has been doing our best to ensure that peoples lives and basic freedoms arent taken away.

Haq said the U.N. has had plans to draw down its peacekeeping force and even withdraw from Congo but we have stayed because the situation on the ground is is far too dangerous for us to contemplate leaving and putting that many people at risk.

Guterres later reaffirmed the U.N.'s strong commitment" to Congo's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the U.N. peacekeeping mission's support for the Congolese government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability in the east of the country."

___

AP writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro in Beni, Congo, contributed to this report.
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PRAGUE (AP)  Hundreds of firefighters were battling wildfires in eastern Germany and neighboring Czechia on Tuesday as tourist regions and residential areas were being evacuated.

A large wildfire was spreading quickly in the eastern German state of Brandenburg in a region with lots of bone-dry pine forests where firefighters have to be especially careful because of old World War II ammunition thats still buried there, German news agency dpa reported.

The large fire in the Elbe-Elster district has already destroyed an area of about 850 hectares and continued to spread quickly because of gusty winds blowing from changing directions.

Seven firefighters were injured, four of whom had to be treated in a hospital for smoke inhalation. No residents were injured, but a pig breeding farm burned down and several animals died.

The states explosive ordnance disposal service has designated a small area near the village of Rehfeld as a site where old ammunition could be buried, deputy forest fire protection officer Philipp Haase told dpa. Two German military firefighting helicopters were on site trying to extinguish the flames from the air because firefighters were not allowed to access the area for fear that the ammunition could explode.

Authorities said it was not clear when the fire could be brought under control. More than 350 firefighters were battling the flames and around 300 people from various villages had to be evacuated.

The situation is still serious. We still have pockets of fire, local district fire chief Steffen Ludewig told dpa.

Further southeast, firefighters from several countries have joined forces to battle a fire in a national park in northern Czech Republic that has spread to the state of Saxony in neighboring Germany.

The fire in the Bohemian Switzerland park broke out on Sunday and was mostly contained before windy weather caused it to spread again on Monday afternoon and overnight. Despite their efforts, firefighters said the fire had spread from 30 hectares earlier Tuesday to 1,000 hectares.

No injuries have been reported, but around 100 people had to be evacuated Tuesday evening from the Czech town of Vysoka Lipa.

Earlier, some 80 people have been evacuated from the border town of Hrensko, and more from the village of Mezna, where the flames have destroyed or damaged several homes, firefighters' spokesman Lukas Marvan said.

Dozens of German children were evacuated from a summer camp on the Czech side of the border and transported back to Germany.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan were visiting the area on Tuesday.

Rakusan said some 400 firefighters have been in action and the blaze was not under control by midday Tuesday.

"The situation is very serious, Rakusan said adding that several neighboring countries had responded to the Czech Republic's call for help to extinguish the fire.

Poland and Slovakia said they were sending helicopters while Italy offered special Canadair planes designed for firefighting.

The German military announced it would send four helicopters to the border region to help fight the flames, dpa reported.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said the smoke has spread 100 or more kilometers (60 miles or more) from the fire.

___

Kirsten Grieshaber reported from Berlin.

___

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District Attorney Kim Oggs office is seeking the death penalty against a man accused of killing three people, including a child, in a murder-for-hire plot  the second time since 2017 that prosecutors have sought the punishment on a recent case.

Xavier Davis was charged in July 2021 with capital murder in the shooting deaths of Donyavia Lagway, Gregory Carhee and Harmony Carhee, their 6-year-old daughter. The couples 10-year-old girl survived the attack by playing dead.

LATEST FROM COURT: Defense lawyer says Houston officer Sean Rios didn't identify himself before he was fatally shot

The Capital Review Committee, which consists of about 15 senior prosecutors, voted to seek the death penalty in Davis case, said Sean Teare, a division chief for the district attorneys office, and the defendant was ordered to the 209th District Court to hear the decision as a formality.

Its not something that we take lightly  its not something that we do very frequently, Teare said of the decision to seek capital punishment. The death penalty is, I think, in this administration rightly reserved for the worst of the worst, the worst criminals, the worst crimes. And I think Xavier fits in both of those categories.

Teare is a member of the death penalty committee but he did not vote in this case, since he is leading the prosecution.

The district attorneys office has sought the death penalty twice on cases filed since Ogg took office in 2017. The other recent case involves the slaying of Harris County Sheriffs Office Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal during a traffic stop, with defendant Robert Solis facing a capital murder of a police officer charge.

The office has sought the punishment during older cases against Ronald Haskell, convicted in the massacre of six family members in Spring, and serial killer Lucky Ward.

Judge Brian Warren grew increasingly annoyed as an hour and a half went by Davis scheduled 9 a.m. appearance  and he had yet to be brought to the courthouse from the Harris County Jail. Davis defense attorney Casey Keirnan and Teare were on time and waited in the courtroom amid most of the delay.

Exasperated, the judge then ordered that Davis be brought over immediately.

QUADRUPLE KILLING: Judge agrees to sign execution order for Houston killer but seeks to push back death date

Who do I have to talk to over there, Warren told the bailiffs. Start rattling some cages.

Two hours became three. Minutes before 1 p.m, the bailiffs led Davis out of a holding room and brought him before the judge.

A third prosecutor and defense attorney, who will handle the appellate process, will be added to the case in light of the state pursuing the death penalty, Warren said, adding that he would like the trial to happen next spring.

As the appearance wrapped up, Davis tried shaking Teares hand before being pulled away.

Good luck to everybody who wants to kill me, Davis said.

Keirnan said in the last 40 decades, he has defended more than 50 defendants facing the death penalty  most of whom were tried during prior administrations. He noted that one of those defendants has since been executed.

(Those cases) are very few and far between, Keirnan said. Although we don't have Roe v. Wade, we still have the death penalty ... I promise you, Texas will be the last one to get rid of it. They're gonna hang on to it til the bitter end. Until they can kill as many people as they can for no good reason. The penalty is abhorrent. It does nothing.

A woman who authorities believe orchestrated the killings is also charged with capital murder in the deaths. Alexus Chenelle Williams, 29, had a prior relationship with Lagway and may have lived at the couple's apartment for some time, authorities said. A week before the killings, their relationship soured.

Williams knew Davis from childhood. Prosecutors believe she may have watched the killings on a video chat with Davis at the apartment.

GUN BUYBACK: Houston gun owners offered chance to hand over weapons for gift cards

Police outlined the killings in court documents: The surviving child called her grandmother to report the shooting at their Brays Oaks-area apartment.

The child told authorities that Davis went into the apartment and demanded money.

She heard her father say, "This is all I've got," before the gunman opened fire, striking the victims at point-blank range.

An anonymous tip led investigators to Davis and linked him to the shooting by matching ammunition and ballistics.

At the time of the shooting, Davis was out on bond on an aggravated assault of a family member in connection with an attack on his girlfriend. The assault was unrelated to the triple homicide, according to authorities.

During that assault, Davis accused the woman of having an affair and pulled out a gun, according to court records. In 2014, Davis was sentenced to eight years in prison for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
A Houston man convicted of human smuggling on Tuesday was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department

Alex Chamie, 49, pleaded guilty to a charge of smuggling undocumented aliens in April, according to a press release. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton sentenced Chamie to serve 51 months in prison and another 3 years on probation, according to the release.

Chamie was arrested on Feb. 23 near Falfurrias, about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.

He was accused of picking up a group of people who were hiding in the brush along U.S. Highway 281 and then running from police as they tried to pull him over.

During the chase, Chamie stopped and let the people out of the car.

At that point, Chamie had driven on to the shoulder of the road, and his vehicle was digging into the sand and "slowly inching forward", according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Agents struggled with Chamie while he was still in the car, and eventually managed to reach in and turn the car off, according to the complaint. He was ta

More on houstonchronicle.com: Lawyer says Houston police officer didn't identify himself before he was fatally shot

He was arrested and border agents eventually stopped four people who ran from the car, according to the complaint. The agency later confirmed the people were all in the country illegally, according to the Justice Department.

Chamie had previous convictions, including for burglary and theft. In 2018, he was convicted of conspiring to transport undocumented aliens and sentenced to 30 months in prison, according to court documents.

Chamie was in custody on Tuesday evening and will be transferred to a federal prison in the near future, according to the Justice Department
Houston Police Department.

Houston police Wednesday released a composite sketch of a man suspected of shooting a man and woman who were driving in a Westwood parking lot.

The suspect was described as a man with the left side of his head shaved, police said. Officers found the shooting victims, a 38- and a 58-year-old, about 2:15 p.m. on July 3. Both were taken to a local hospital in stable conditions.
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A Houston man who stuffed the dead body of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter in an apartment closet has been sentenced to prison, authorities said.

A jury last week convicted Santiago Esparza, 32, of tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse, in hiding the body of Sierra Patino, court documents show. On Tuesday, Harris County 351st District Judge Natalia Cornelio sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

Sierra's body was found on Sept. 2, 2019 after two relatives visited the couple's northwest Houston apartment after they hadn't seen the girl in a few days, according to authorities. The girl's body had been decomposing for days and was wrapped in blankets inside of a closet while the apartment's air conditioning was set so high that the temperature inside was 45 degrees.

TRENDING: Two arrested after alleged road rage shooting in north Harris County, sheriff says

That same week, both Esparza and Sierra's mother, 30-year-old Priscilla Torres, were arrested and charged with tampering with evidence, namely a corpse.

Torres has given different accounts about what happened to her daughter, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

She initially told investigators that she was giving Sierra a bath and had stepped out for a few minutes before returning to find toilet-bowl cleaner floating in the tub with the girl, the agency said in a news release.

She then said Esparza gave the child a bath while she cooked dinner and when she checked on the girl, the child had chemical burns, bruising and redness on her face.

Torres' case is still pending and she is currently out on $25,000 bail, according to court records. She is scheduled to appear in front of a judge again on Aug. 5.

More on Crime: Judge agrees to sign execution order for Houston killer but seeks to push back death date

Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, who prosecuted the case and is in charge of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Child Fatality Section, said Esparza was the mastermind in the plan to hide the dead girl's body.

They concealed the body through a variety of different ways, like sight, smell and physical access, Sawtelle said. They worked together for six days, but he was the one calling the shots and she was easily manipulated.

Esparza's lawyer, Diana Simms, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Because Sierra's remains were decomposed, the Harris County medical examiner could not determine the cause of death and prosecutors could not pursue a murder charge, the district attorney's office said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Execution date nears for ex-Missouri City cop convicted in wifes murder-for-hire killing

Esparza, who prosecutors say is a known member of the Tango Blast street gang, has been previously convicted of hurting and endangering children, court records show.

In 2007, Esparza pleaded guilty to striking a child under the age of 15 with an unknown object, grabbing (him) with his hand and throwing (him) against an unknown object, according to court documents. He went to prison for four years for that conviction, court records show.

In 2015, Esparza drove off in a truck with a 5-month-old baby unsecured on his lap after a fight with his ex-girlfriend, court filings say. Esparza ran a red light and collided with another car, according to the documents. He pleaded guilty to the charge and served 180 days in jail, according to court records.

He also had been convicted of two counts of assault causing bodily injury, assaulting a family member and evading arrest, among other charges.

Joel.Umanzor@Chron.com
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Residents at Timber Ridge Apartments in east Houston said theyve complained for months about roaches, rats, trash and crime without hearing a peep from their landlord. So on Tuesday, they took their fight to Houston City Council.

We chose to live here willingly, but we didnt know when we got here that there was nobody to protect us or address our concerns, Jenny Robles, a resident at Timber Ridge Apartments, said in Spanish, addressing council members.

Robles was one of about a dozen Timber Ridge tenants who attended Tuesdays City Council meeting with representatives from the Texas Organizing Project to voice their concerns about the substandard conditions theyve been living with for months.

Rats eat through their food and roaches crawl through their walls, residents said. Gunshots fly through windows, and their mail room is in such disrepair that the U.S. Postal Service has stopped delivering the mail. One after the other, residents took turns addressing the council and pleading for action.

Nothing is being done, and Im not sure what makes this right, said resident Ariane Hubbard.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said he would send a legal team this week to the apartments at 12200 Fleming Dr., and he might possibly visit himself to determine whether the city could take legal action against the property owners. He noted that the city health department has already issued citations about the tenants living conditions.

Turner said regardless of their rental costs, residents should not have to live in squalor.

It doesnt matter if you pay $50 a month, youre not entitled to live in filth and substandard conditions, Turner said.

One of residents key concerns is they dont know how to register complaints because the property has been overseen by four management companies since January. Residents said they have no way to contact the property owners, a Dallas-based company registered as Timber Ridge Houston DE LLC.

The company could not be reached for comment. When the Houston Chronicle attempted to reach the leasing office by phone Tuesday afternoon, a woman who identified herself only as a temporary worker said that there were no managers on duty at the 704-unit complex.

The Houston Solid Waste Management Department inspected the property on July 19 and sent two notices of violation to the management office, which has not responded, according to city spokeswoman Mary Benton. The city will conduct another inspection on Wednesday, Benton said, and continue our efforts to make contact with the management office or property management group.

Residents said mounds of trash left on the property have been cleaned up since KPRC2 first reported the issues earlier this month. On Tuesday, though, a reporter could still see a gutter a dangling off of the roof and a pool filled with filthy, green water. Nearly every mailbox in the mailroom was falling off its hinges, held together by scotch tape or left gaping open.

Were paying good money and they dont tell us anything, said one 50-year-old woman, who declined to share her name for fear of retaliation.

Were living in the worst conditions a human being can live in, she said.

Residents at other Houston apartment complexes are going through similar ordeals. At Cleme Manor in Fifth Ward, residents recently spoke out about power outages, pest infestations and sewer backups, forcing the property owners to bring in new management to the complex.

The situation led Pct. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis to delay funding for another of the companys developments in Midtown until the Commissioners Court can pass tenant protections for county-funded properties.

sam.kelly@chron.com
Interview: China expo on consumer products to boost global brands' access to huge market, says L'Oreal China CEO

Xinhua) 10:00, July 27, 2022

PARIS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in the southern Hainan Province, as a signal of China's greater opening-up, is of great significance and contributes to promoting consumption, said the chief executive officer of L'Oreal China, one of the leading French brands present at the expo.

"The CICPE helps promote high-level opening up, contributes to dual circulation new development pattern by enabling global consumer product brands to get access to China's huge consumption market, and facilitates consumption upgrading and consumption return," said Fabrice Megarbane, who is also the president of L'Oreal North Asia Zone, in an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.

China has a dynamic market, in terms of both scale and growth speed, with a strong digital ecosystem enabling "online + offline" shopping experience, and Chinese consumers are the most sophisticated consumers in the world, noted Megarbane.

"The development of open innovation has contributed to a dynamic market in China and indeed China has a unique open innovation ecosystem," he said.

Bringing its 16 brands to the expo for the second time, L'Oreal Group will release a number of debut products in Hainan this week.

"Hainan Province's strategic position helps unleash the great potential of the Chinese consumption market," said Megarbane, adding that "Hainan's newly upgraded duty-free consumption policy and free trade port policy have accelerated the boom of the beauty industry."

He believed that the CICPE will help the Hainan free trade port become a circulation place for domestic and foreign goods and factors, boost consumption and promote the high-quality lifestyle in local and international markets.

The six-day expo has attracted 1,107 overseas companies and 1,643 brands from 61 countries and regions, as well as over 1,200 domestic brands.

As the guest-of-honor country, France brought some 50 enterprises with 244 brands to the expo, covering fragrance, clothing, jewelry, food, wine, and trade in services.

"As a French company, L'Oreal expect to see more economic and trade cooperation between the two countries," said Megarbane.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
HiteJinro CEO Kim In-gyu, right, poses with the head of Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters, Lee Young-pal, at the fire station in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, after signing a community service partnership on April 8. Courtesy of HiteJinro





By Kim Jae-heun







HiteJinro said Wednesday that it will continue to pursue corporate social responsibility (CRS) activities this year as a representative company in the local liquor industry. It will mainly focus on projects such as improving the treatment of firefighters, promoting public safety campaigns and planting trees.







The brewer, which opened in 1923, recently held an online fitness contest inviting 23,000 participants, including the company's employees and firefighters.







Participants competed in four categories: walking, running, hiking and group walking with family members. The winners were picked according to the records kept by GPS-based apps on their mobile phones.







In 2018, HiteJinro signed an agreement with the National Fire Agency to improve the treatment of firefighters' families and raise awareness of public safety.







In April of this year, the company donated fire safety equipment to vulnerable households living in mountainous areas of North Gyeongsang and North Jeolla Provinces.







Also, as boilers used in homes have caused a number of forest fires to break out in the country, HiteJinro decided to provide 1,000 sprinklers to people living in mountainous Gangwon Province. The company said that the sprinklers have prevented three cases of forest fires in the region.







The brewer also established a foundation called "Beautiful Store" to restore the damaged forests of Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province, where a fire broke out in March. It will cooperate with the "Peace Forest Work" corporation to care for the forest for the next three years.







HiteJinro will plant 3,000 trees from the second half of this year and sponsor tree-planting activities until 2024 in the fire-ravaged areas.







"We will find what we can do for the community and continue to support various sponsorship activities for our neighbors in need," HiteJinro CEO Kim In-gyu said.










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Despite limited funding, Harris County has performed surprisingly well in its outreach to vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to undocumented immigrants, according to a new report by the bipartisan think tank the Migration Policy Institute.

The organization took a deep dive into the countys success in serving its 1.2 million foreign born residents, including more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants.

More from Elizabeth Trovall: Hundreds of thousands of Texas newly naturalized citizens could swing upcoming elections

Immigrant communities were especially hard hit by the pandemic due to factors that included poor health care access, increased comorbidities and multi-generational housing, and at the same time many in these communities worked in jobs that were deemed essential.

Getting resources to immigrant communities can present challenges  like language barriers, limited internet access and transportation and mistrust  but Harris County and the city of Houston managed to pull it off, according to the report released Wednesday.

Here are six key takeaways from the national report.

1. Federal COVID-19 relief funding was not sufficient.

Non-citizen families in Houston who were struggling throughout the pandemic had far fewer options for financial aid than citizens, especially undocumented immigrants who were not eligible for unemployment or federal COVID-19 assistance.

Roughly 70 percent of COVID-19 direct assistance in Harris County was federally funded and therefore was only available to U.S. citizens, green card holders and some other immigrants.

LATEST VARIANT: What to know about BA.5, the newest COVID variant leading to a rise in Houston cases

Catholic Charities received the bulk of those relief funds and according to the report, denied 30 to 40 percent of applicants due to documentation problems, including 4,500 people who were prevented from receiving funds due to their immigration status.

These limitations left some immigrant families  many of them among the poorest people in the county  unable to access financial aid.

2. Harris County stepped up to fill in the gap, and so did private donors.

Harris County provided $30 million in COVID-19 relief through a program that used county revenues and did not restrict applicants based on their immigration status, as did federal funds.

Private philanthropists also filled in vital gaps. Donations allowed for immigrant communities to receive funds with fewer restrictions and without having to meet citizenship requirements.

IMMIGRANT LABOR: Essential workers demand a voice in Harris County Commissioners Court in the wake of COVID-19

3. The countys pandemic response benefited from lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

The report points out that the Houston region is disaster tested  which gave local governments a road map for ensuring aid reached the most vulnerable communities during the pandemic.

The region learned so many lessons from Harvey and it improved on the lessons that it learned from Harvey in terms of targeting and inclusion and in terms of the fundamental thing here, which is to have in an immigrant aware policy, said report author Michael Fix.

The organizations analysis cites the Greater Houston Community Foundation, which raised millions of dollars for 123 nonprofit organizations after Harvey and created a system called Harvey Home Connect (now operating as Connective) that targeted the elderly, low-income people and undocumented immigrants. That model was revived to distribute cash and housing assistance to immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Data helped officials target the most vulnerable communities.

During the pandemic, Harris County used a data-driven approach to reach communities in need  which often included immigrant communities  to distribute assistance and also to deliver COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.

Harris County Public Health deployed mobile units to provide COVID-19 testing, and then vaccines, in high-need areas based on data from local Census tracts.

ON THE BORDER: New stats show a record number of border crossings this year

Mobile units were a more inclusive and flexible option than the mass testing centers, which necessitated more free time and transportation access for people to reach them.

5. Community-based organizations worked together to offer a more equitable response

A number of coalitions  including the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative and Houston in Action  played vital roles in connecting community organizations with government and private resources that resulted in the overall response being more equitable and intentional across the county.

Houston in Action, which had been working on Census outreach, activated its community-based organizations to access hard-to-reach residents, such as refugees, and helped them get vaccinated by using text messaging, phone banks and door-to-door canvassing through an effort called Safer Together.

The U.S. Treasury Department specifically praised Harris County and the city of Houstons efforts to distribute emergency rental assistance, in particular because they utilized culturally and linguistically relevant services through well-known local nonprofits.

Every time policymakers think about the needs and the concerns and the challenges that immigrant communities face, then the outcome would be more inclusive, said Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative director Zenobia Lai. She said it was meaningful that county leaders were open to bringing immigrant voices to the table for the pandemic response. It made a difference that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, an immigrant herself, understands the unique needs of these communities.

TEXAS POLITICS: Democrats call for investigation as Texas spends COVID relief on Gov. Abbotts $4B border plan

Immigrants will find a way to do their part and give back to their communities and all of us in government must work to make sure were inclusive in our policy making and crisis response, Hidalgo said, in response to the report. Immigrants rise to the task at hand, and we should too.

6. Regardless of the efforts, a lot of people still fell through the gaps due to limited funds.

In spite efforts from private sector and local government, the countys limited funding was not nearly enough to cover the needs of the regions more than 400,000 undocumented people.

Its not a heroic amount of money to serve an extremely large population, Fix said. The reports author said about $50 million in COVID relief funds were unrestricted by immigration status in Harris County, but that paled in comparison to New York, where the state government set aside $2.1 billion for undocumented immigrants impacted by the pandemic.

elizabeth.trovall@chron.com
The U.S. pandemic response is evolving much more slowly than viruses and diseases around the globe, as the recent monkeypox outbreak illustrates.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. Several months in, were just beginning to take monkeypox seriously. And Americans, particularly those in the LGBTQ community where most of the initial monkeypox cases have occurred, are paying with unnecessary suffering. The slow action will ensure the virus will continue to spread beyond the original LGBTQ community. In fact, this week the CDC reported the first two monkeypox cases in U.S. children.

We know how to combat infectious viruses, and we know how to control pandemics, especially because of our leadership on the global response to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria: Mobilize rapidly and involve the communities at highest risk, then overcommunicate, overtest and overvaccinate. Collect data, make it transparent, and use it to set clear goals and drive subsequent decisions and recommendations, evolving as necessary to address new barriers and reach all populations.

As U.S. global AIDS coordinator, I saw how this formula enabled the U.S. Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, to successfully partner with communities and foreign governments to control the HIV pandemic without a vaccine. Theres no reason we cant effectively control pandemics here using these lessons learned.

Were lucky that we dont have to start from scratch in responding to monkeypox as we did with COVID-19, when I served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator. Theres already a powerful weapon in our arsenal: the smallpox vaccine.

Monkeypox is from the family of viruses that includes smallpox, which makes it a serious threat to health. But the vaccine is highly effective and can protect recipients for years, creating herd immunity and shielding entire populations from infection. The COVID-19 vaccine, in contrast, provides transient protection from infection, though its protection against severe disease is longer lasting. Since the United States halted routine smallpox vaccinations more than 50 years ago when the disease was eradicated here, those born after 1970 are at risk. Rapid mobilization of the vaccine stock from the National Stockpile is critical.

Like SARS-CoV2, the virus behind COVID-19, monkeypox spreads silently in the beginning. Asymptomatic and presymptomatic people can infect others long before skin lesions develop, contributing to community transmission. And characteristic pustules can be hard to see or may not look exactly like pictures in the media.

All LGBTQ community members who had not previously been inoculated for smallpox should have been offered the vaccine when the first reports of the virus spreading in Europe surfaced in May. We knew that monkeypox was likely to travel to the United States and should have made tests available through primary care providers, urgent care centers and emergency rooms.

While were behind in our response, its not too late, and we can learn from our COVID-19 mistakes. Finally, monkeypox tests are available nationwide after weeks of the CDC once again restricting tests to public health laboratories. Because the lessons of COVID-19 werent learned, the virus spread virtually undetected for weeks before commercial laboratories were finally engaged. We can move into proactive identification through aggressive testing, saving lives and preventing spread. We can provide clear information about how the disease is transmitted, where and how frequently to test, and available treatments and vaccination options. And we should warn all Americans that the virus will spread beyond current affected populations. Routine tests for all community-acquired infectious diseases should be widely available throughout the health care delivery system.

We need the data to immediately act with smart response plans. That means establishing the political will to create a national infectious disease data system working with all clinics and hospitals to blur identifying patient information while allowing Americans to see infectious disease spread in real time and take protective action. This requires a willingness to knock down silos between public health and clinic care and develop partnerships with the private sector. Health care providers, the CDC, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and state and local officials need access to electronic community-acquired infectious disease data with lab-confirmed diagnosis.

Elevating the DHHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response to equal status with the CDC will hopefully result in proactive and more aggressive, responses just as elevating and supporting the Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief within the State Department would strengthen the global pandemic response. Local community organizations also need more support and funding through the HRSA to improve on-the-ground programming and combat the misinformation that accompanies pandemics. And Congress needs to act quickly to hold agencies accountable for continued failures and ensure mistakes arent made again.

We will continue to see viruses, bacteria and funguses produce more severe and different manifestations in the years ahead since populations have been weakened by COVID-19. These evolving infectious threats will require humans to adapt and evolve, too.

Dr. Deborah L. Birx is a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. She previously served as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and White House coronavirus response coordinator.
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LG Energy Solution employees examine battery cell products at the company's factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in this file photo. Courtesy of LG Energy Solution



LG Chem to supply battery material to GM until 2030



By Park Jae-hyuk



LG Energy Solution (LGES) seeks to triple its annual revenue and achieve a double-digit operating profit margin within the next five years, aiming to post 22 trillion won ($16.7 billion) in sales this year, the company said, Wednesday.



The electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing unit of LG Group also plans to focus more on the fast-growing North American market, while adding a cylindrical battery production base in the European market.



"We will triple our revenue in five years through joint ventures and OEMs in North America, scaling up the supply of cylindrical batteries, developing a new form factor and discovering new business opportunities," an LGES official said. "We also aim to achieve a double-digit operating profit margin by obtaining technological leadership with differentiated materials and processes."



These strategies were disclosed during Wednesday's conference call on its second-quarter earnings.



Although its quarterly revenue dropped 1.2 percent year-on-year to 5 trillion won, and its operating profit plunged 73 percent to 195.6 billion won, LGES was confident of achieving its long-term goals.



"This quarter's profitability has shown a moderate drop, mainly due to the impacts from lockdown measures in China, global supply chain disruptions and a belated hike in our product prices after the rise in raw material costs," LGES chief financial officer Lee Chang-sil said.



The battery maker expects its second-half revenue to reach 12.6 trillion won, up 48 percent from the previous year, as demand from carmakers will increase and Ultium Cells, its joint venture with General Motors (GM), will begin its phase 1 operations of the Ohio plant.



"Our ultimate goal is to provide the world-best QCD (quality, cost and delivery) to our customers, thereby becoming the number one company in terms of profitability  loved and trusted by our customers," LGES CEO Kwon Young-soo said in a statement. "Going forward, we will continue to secure technological leadership and reinforce our product competitiveness."




Facebooks upload filters fail to work again

Facebook continues to attempt to seek out copyright infringement, but seems to be looking in the wrong places. Here is an example of how this strategy is not very effective.

by Glyn Moody of Tech Dirt

Its hardly a secret that upload filters dont work well. Back in 2017, Felix Reda, then Shadow Rapporteur on the EU Copyright Directive in the European Parliament, put together a representative sample of the many different ways in which filters fail. A recent series of tweets by Markus Possel, Senior Outreach Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, exposes rather well the key issues, which have not improved since then.

Facebook muted 41 seconds of a video he uploaded to Facebook because Universal Music Group (UMG) claimed to own the copyright for some of the audio that was played. Since the music in question came from Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier, and Bach died in 1750, theres obviously no copyright claim on the music itself, which is definitely in the public domain. Instead, it seems, the claim was for the performance of this public domain music, which UMG says was played by Keith Jarrett, a jazz and classical pianist, and noted interpreter of Bach. Except that it wasnt, as Possel explains:

Either I am flattered that a Bach piece that I recorded with my own ten fingers on my digital keyboard sounds just like when Keith Jarrett is playing it. Or be annoyed by the fact that @UMG is *again* falsely claiming music on Facebook that they definitely do not own the copyright to.

This underlines the fact that upload filters may recognize the music  thats not hard  but they are terrible at recognizing the performer of that music. It gets worse:

OK, Ill go with very annoyed because if I then continue, Facebook @Meta DOES NOT EVEN GIVE ME THE OPTION TO COMPLAIN. They have grayed out the option to dispute the claim. They are dead wrong, but so sure of themselves that they do not even offer the option of disputing the claim, even though their system, in principle, provides such an option. And that, in a nutshell, is whats wrong with companies like these today. Algorithms that make mistakes, biased towards big companies like @UMG.

This absurd situation is a foretaste of what is almost certainly going to happen all the time once major platforms are forced to use upload filters in the EU to comply with Article 17 of the Copyright Directive. Not only will they block legal material, but there will probably be a presumption that the algorithms must be right, so why bother complaining, when legislation tips the balance in favor of Big Content from the outset?

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In addition to the former duplexes that make up Porches, the hotel has preserved two other buildings for back of house and customer amenities. The building to be demolished can just be seen to the left. PreviousNext

Porches Inn Gets OK to Proceed With River Street Demolition, New Restaurant



An illustration of the proposed restaurant on River Street. It was been approved by the Planning Board and ZBA. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A proposed new restaurant building on River Street is set to move forward after getting final approvals last week.

The project by Berkshire Hill Development Corp., parent company of Porches inn, had already been approved by the Planning Board in June. It received permits and variances (largely dealing with parking) from the Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday and the OK to demolish a building, reluctantly, from the Historical Commission on Friday.

Commissioners had initially opposed the demolition of 273-275 River St. to make way for a new building. The commission, which meets a few times a year, alerts members of demolition permits so they can individually review the buildings and then email whether they approve or not within the required 15 days.

The response on the two-story River Street building was a resounding no.

The 1901 storefront and apartment building was the site of a fatal fire in 1958 that killed a child and saw the top two floors removed afterward. It housed a number of different entities over the years including a plumber, a grocer and, lastly, a soup kitchen. Ely Janis, a history professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, provided a history of the building, which is on the city's historic survey, to the ZBA and the commission's Justyna Carlson and Peter Siegenthaler also attended that meeting to indicate their body's opposition.

At best, the commission could have voted for a one-year demolition delay to see if an agreement on how to reuse the building could be reached. Berkshire Hill's attorney, Jeffrey Grandchamp, had said repeatedly that the company was willing to wait out the delay if imposed.

On Friday, the commissioners voted to approve the demolition after Grandchamp said there would be an effort to incorporate the structure's lintels into the new building in some way as well as a history of the building and neighborhood in terms of signage or accessible links. Historical Commissioner Paul Marino had done a great deal of work on the area's history and Grandchamp said the company had engaged Janis to do a history of the site that includes the new building.

Marino voted for the demolition "with misgivings" because he felt it would happen anyways. But if asked if it were possible Berkshire Hills could reconsider the contemporary architecture of the new restaurant.

"If the building were in somewhat the same architectural style as the Porches or if it were like a classic house with two sides," said Marino. "If it was designed to look like that so would blend in with the neighborhood."

Siegenthaler thought reuse of the current structure with its big front windows would offer a more inviting aspect than the proposed building with its stone wall separation from the sidewalk that seemed "less friendly" to the neighborhood.

Commissioner Christopher Wondoloski, however, disagreed.

"I thought I voted to let River Street go," he said. "My heart is with the [older] building but when I see what their plan is, I kind of like it."

The plan was also backed by developer David Moresi, who is renovating the nearby Johnson School as high-end apartments, and Kristy Edmunds, the new director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Both wrote letters in support of the project to the ZBA, with Edmunds saying, she was convinced it will be an asset to the city and the museum.

"Mass MoCA and our visitors embrace the historical and contemporary in architecture as well as in art," she said. "New and old is Mass Moca's DNA," she wrote. "The contemporary building envisioned by Berkshire Hills and the adjacent historically preserved Porches will provide a view that reflects the spirit of Mass MoCA."

Grandchamp said the building was designed with pedestrians in mind since it is to serve not only Porches but the surrounding community.

"As far as the design of the building goes, I think that I will defer to the architects and the owner to decide what looks best," he said. "I think it's clearly different than most of the other buildings in that neighborhood. But it's, I think, as the director of MoCA said, that contrast can be appealing."

Not everyone is going to like the building, he acknowledged, just like not everyone likes every style of art. This is a different phase of the Porches campus, which has restored and preserved a number of historic buildings. Plus, he added, it's not going to be a Taco Bell but a structure by award-winning Canadian architects MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects.

"The building that's there now is different than the buildings which preceded it," Grandchamp said. "So I think change is inevitable and becomes part of the historical fabric of the city."

Siegenthaler said it was the role of the Historical Commission to preserve the past.

"You're absolutely right that life is change, and preservation can seem like it's standing in the way of change," he said. "I like to think that it's a matter of balance. ... It's about how you can maintain as much of the atmosphere as possible."

The Historical Commission also confirmed demolition permits for four Wheel Estates mobile homes at 2 Seneca, 4 Seminole, 17 Alan, and 14 and 22 Apache; 2438 Mohawk Trail, a barn at 440 East Main, the former rectory at 12 Union, 738 and 752 Curran Highway (two long vacant houses near Ocean State Job Lots), and 76 Tyler.

The commission also approved the demolition of residential properties at 22-24 Veazie and 28 Veazie. While also owned by Berkshire Hills, Grandchamp said they are not part of the restaurant project.

The ZBA approved three special permits for Berkshire Hills: one for the building's roof canopy to intrude into the setback, making the building less nonconforming than the current structure; a permanent easement for seven parking spots for Scarafoni Trust on land it is purchasing from Scarafoni; and for alterations of a parking lot on Lot 106 on Veazie Street that it is being purchasing.

It also received four parking waivers: for 22 parking spots (based on restaurant square footage that does not include storage and offices); sharing nine spaces with Porches using them during the day and the restaurant in the evening; reducing setback from the walls from 5 to 4 feet; and to allow the paved parking on Lot 106. Berkshire Hills says it expects its patrons to largely arrive by foot or bicycle during the warmer months, which are its busiest seasons.

The project is made up of several lots to the west of Veazie and along River Street.
Springfield Man Found Guilty of Shooting Pittsfield Woman in 2020

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A Springfield man has been found guilty of shooting a woman two years ago.

Judge John Agostini found Myron Crapps, 31, guilty of assault and battery with a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm after a two-day trial. Agostini scheduled sentencing for Sept. 28.

"I thank the victim and witnesses for their powerful testimony, the Pittsfield Police Department for their diligent investigation into this daytime shooting, and our trial team for giving a strong presentation of the evidence," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.

"My office prioritizes holding those who commit violence in our community accountable for their actions. There is no place for gun violence in Berkshire County, and this conviction sends a strong message to our community and protects public safety."

The Pittsfield Police Department responded to Kent Avenue after a ShotSpotter activation and multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting at approximately 1:46 p.m. on July 7, 2020. Police found the 43-year-old victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim reported that she confronted a group of men who allegedly sexually propositioned a preteen girl. Following a brief argument, Crapps got into a vehicle's passenger side and, as the car was leaving the area, he leaned out of the window and shot the woman three times.

The Pittsfield Police Department secured an arrest warrant for Crapps, and law enforcement in Springfield took Crapps into custody on July 13, 2020.
Williamstown Select Board Forming Charter Review Committee

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  A month after town meeting took small steps to amend the town charter, the Select Board is commissioning a full-scale review of the 1956 document that provides the structure for much of town government.

At Monday's meeting, the board issued a call for nominees for a charter review committee that will be asked to engage in a more than year-long process to review and, potentially, recommend changes to the governing document.

Andy Hogeland, who along with Jeff Johnson formed a working group of the board to look at charter review, said the board would like nominations submitted to Town Hall by Aug. 15 with the hope that the Charter Review Committee could be up and running as early as September.

It would be the first time the town has undergone a comprehensive charter review since it was enacted more than 60 years ago. But last month, town meeting did approve two articles asking the Legislature to OK alterations to the charter: one to remove gender-specific language (chairman, for example) and another to strike a requirement that the town manager must be a town resident and cannot be elevated from another position at Town Hall.

Hogeland noted that the town charter is just one control on town government, albeit an important one. The structure of local government also is subject to Massachusetts General Law and the town code.

He noted that there are provisions in other towns' charters that Wiliamstown residents may decide they want to adopt.

"Some towns have a referendum process, which we don't have," he said. "Some towns have a recall provision."

Johnson and Hogeland estimate that the initial charter review committee would work from this fall until January 2024 with any potential changes that emerge heading to the annual town meeting that May. After that, Hogeland said they would recommend regular reviews every five to 10 years  less time consuming tasks that would ensure the charter keeps up with the town's needs as they evolve rather than waiting for six decades.

"We need to have minds open to the 'no action' alternative," Hogeland said. "We may decide everything is wrong and we change everything, we may decide to change nothing, and there's everything in between. Everyone has to check their biases at the door."

Johnson agreed.

"Review doesn't necessarily mean change," he said. "It means look at what we have. We want to know best practices. We want to be informed."

Hogeland said the town may want to hire a consultant well-versed in those best practices for local government in Massachusetts to advise the charter review committee.

"A consultant might give us expertise on what are the pros and cons of a particular item," he said. "For example, we have two 'judicial' boards, the Zoning Board and the Conservation Commission. The Select Board appoints one and the town manager appoints the other. Why?"

The board did not decide Monday on a size for the Charter Review Committee, though Hogeland recommended capping it at seven because larger groups can be difficult to schedule. The Select Board asked that nominations be submitted to Town Manager Bob Menicocci or his assistant Linda Sciarappa by Aug. 15.

In other business Monday, Randal Fippinger gave his colleagues a report from the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee on the panel's response to a Select Board-driven process to review DIRE's purpose and processes.

Several members of the Select Board emphasized that the review process does not have any predetermined outcomes and that they hope to be able to work collaboratively with the DIRE Committee members to reflect on the advisory body's mission.

"The big thing is we're trying to work together," said Johnson, who served on the DIRE Committee before his election to the Select Board in 2021. "As a two-time member of the DIRE Committee, one thing I felt we were missing [recently] was a trained facilitator.

"I don't think, in any way, the form of that [June 23] meeting was: You need to do what the Select Board says. Dire has the autonomy to work on its own projects, and we were trying to focus DIRE on things we need help with."

Hugh Daley, who established a framework for discussion at the June 23 meeting, said he was disappointed by the DIRE Committee members' reaction to what he conceived as a team building exercise.

He also said he thought the Select Board in the summer of 2020 did a disservice to the DIRE Committee by giving it an overly broad scope of work and noted that DIRE was created to be an advisory panel to the Select Board.

"Not once did I hear any DIRE Committee members say, 'How can we help the Select Board?' " Daley said.

"We're trying to bring the DIRE Committee into a set of focused areas  so we'll be able to look back at the end of the year and say we accomplished something."

Daley set a listening session for Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Log at 78 Spring St., to solicit public input on the purpose of the DIRE Committee.

"One of the things we want to hear is, 'How has DIRE benefited you?' " Daley said. "Let's find those out and say: Do more of those things."

The Select Board took the relatively rare and often routine action of sitting as the town's Cemetery Commission and considering a request for a non-resident to be buried in one of the town's graveyards.

It ultimately approved the request, but not before a couple of members expressed concerns about the process and policy involved in granting such requests and whether the town's cemeteries have the capacity to continue accepting non-residents. The board asked Menicocci to bring back more information on the latter question.

The Select Board made two appointments to town committees on Monday.

In a joint meeting with the current trustees of the David and Joyce Milne Public Library, the two bodies appointed Tamanika Terry Steward to an open seat on the Milne board. And the Select Board appointed Patrick Izidro to the Municipal Scholarship Committee.
Mohawk Theater Fails to Attract Bidders

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Mohawk Theater failed to attract even a single bid in this last request for proposals.

Bids were initially due on July 1 but then extended to Tuesday, July 26. The RFP, the third for the 1938 moviehouse, has been issued in early June and an open house attracted a handful interested bidders.

"We're not totally discouraged," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. "We're a little disappointed, but we're going to take a pulse on the people who did our tours and try to figure out why there weren't any applicants."

She speculated it might have been the asking price of $100,000 for what is essentially an empty shell.

"We might have outpriced ourselves," the mayor said. "But again, I'm not going to give that building away. It's very important to us."

The city spent nearly two decades attempting to revive the moviehouse, a landmark location on Main Street. Theater has an assessed value of $437,000 but there is nothing inside. It has been vacant since 1991 and currently has no plumbing, heat or insulation, and limited electricity. The art deco interior has been completely ripped out and the roof is nearly 30 years old.

Fifteen years ago, it was estimated that it would take $1 million just to bring it up to code. The city has already invested about $2.7 million in grant funding to purchase all parts of the building, stabilize the structure and pursue several studies on reuse  none of which amounted to anything.

Requests for proposals were solicited twice last year after the council agreed to declare the building surplus property the year before. The first two rounds did attract a total of five bids, but only one was considered viable by the administration of then Mayor Thomas Bernard.

But his attempt to sell off the moviehouse for $21,000 for use as a multipurpose venue as part of a project to renovate the adjacent 103 Main into a hotel came to naught. The combination of a lame-duck mayor, a council angry at an attempt to cut it out of the approval process and a community that felt a beloved icon was being sold off cheap pushed the final decision to the incoming administration

Macksey killed the deal almost immediately on entering the corner office and solicited community opinion from residents who fondly remembered the moviehouse and its brief life as a theater. That feedback was to be incorporated into a newly written request for proposals released in June.

The mayor thought the process had been successful, saying there had been six viable candidates.

"We got a slew of questions after the open house, which was exciting," she said.

Macksey said her team had been talking a lot about the timing and the price, and would be following up with those who showed some interest. This could be an opportunity to look at other avenues or reissue the bid, she said.

"So while it's a little disappointing, it's not the end of the road for the Mohawk Theater," the mayor said. "This is just a sign, I think, of the climate and it's a sign for us to regroup. But again, we're not going to give that building away.




A manufacturing plant of Samsung Biologics in Songdo, Incheon. Korea Times file





By Lee Kyung-min







Samsung Biologics has recorded over 1 trillion won ($821 million) in sales in the first six months of this year, buoyed by the rapid growth of its contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) business, the biotech affiliate of Samsung Group said, Wednesday.







Its sales in the April-June period came to 651.4 billion won, up 59 percent year-on-year, and operating profit came to 169.7 billion won, up 1.75 percent over the same period. Net income stood at 152 billion won, up 25.11 percent.







Underpinning the all-time high in sales was the robust performance of its new subsidiary, Samsung Bioepis, a biosimilar developer purchased in April from Biogen, a U.S. multinational biotech firm. The operating profit of Biologics almost doubled from sales of Bioepis biosimilars in the April-June period.







"We were able to achieve a strong performance, thanks to growing global demand from clients, coupled with robust growth of the new subsidiary," a Samsung Biologics official said.







Among its clients are global multinational pharmaceuticals and biotech firms including Janssen, Merck, GSK, Eli Lilly and Novartis, all of which signed business deals with the firm in the first six months of this year.







Samsung Biologics is fortifying its research and development (R&D) activities, a major strength that will cement its lead in the CDMO field.







The company plans to expand its booming CDMO business further, as illustrated by the purchase of 357 million square meters of land in Songdo in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, July 18, to build its second bio campus.







Also thriving is its contract manufacturing organization (CMO) business. A total of 73 CMO orders secured as of June since the launch of the firm in 2011 have raised its total amount of orders to $7.9 billion.







The firm's manufacturing plants 1, 2 and 3 are in full operation. Plant 4 is under construction with plans to begin partial operations in October of this year. Samsung Biologics will account for 30 percent of global CMO production once all four plants are fully operating.







Local brokerages say Samsung Biologics will see even larger profits in the months to come, lifted by the rapid depreciation of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar, offsetting lower production output due to manufacturing plant maintenance in the first six months.







"The strong U.S. dollar is expected to persist throughout the second half of the year, which is an upside for the firm, as it has significantly high exposure to dollar transactions," Yuanta Securities researcher Ha Hyun-soo said in a report.














France is on track to experience its driest July on record, the national weather service said Wednesday, with drought-like conditions leading to increasingly severe water restrictions around the country.







"The month of July will very likely be the driest July ever recorded since 1959," spokesman Christian Veil from Meteo-France told AFP.







On average, just eight mm (0.3 inches) of rain fell across the country from July 1-25, less than the previous low of 16 mm which was clocked in 2020, he said.







"We're in a very difficult situation even though we're only at the end of July," he said, saying soil humidity was at record lows and many trees were losing their leaves prematurely.







Farmers across the country are reporting difficulties in feeding livestock because of parched grasslands, while irrigation has been banned in large areas of northwest and southeast France due to water shortages.







The flow of the river Loire for example, which empties into the Atlantic in northwest France, has fallen by a quarter since the start of July.







On the eastern river Rhine, which forms the France-Germany border, commercial boats are having to run at a third of their carrying capacity in order to avoid hitting the bottom because the water level is so low.







A total of 90 out of 96 administrative regions in mainland France have water restrictions of some sort, a record number, according to the environment (AFP)






A female journalist was allegedly assaulted and threatened by Taliban officials on July 20 and another detained on July 26 amid continuing attacks on Afghanistans media. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association (AIJA), condemn the assault and detainment of the journalists and call for an immediate investigation into the incidents.

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in Kandahar on April 23. An Afghan journalist was allegedly assaulted by the Taliban on July 20 and another was detained on July 26. Credit: Javed Tanveer / AFP

Dost Radio presenter Selagi Ehsaas was attacked by unknown assailants while she returned home in Moi Mubarak village of the Surkh Rod district, Nangarhar province, on July 20.

The unidentified gunmen stopped Ehsaas, stole her phone and beat her with a gun, leaving her unconscious. Ehsaas was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

It is alleged that the assailants were Taliban fighters who threatened the journalist to quit her job. The Information and Culture Department of the Taliban in Nangarhar province has denied its involvement in the assault.

Ehsaas, a reporter for Dost Radio, was formerly a presenter at the Enikaas radio and television network prior to the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Sahar Sirat Safi, manager of Dost Radio, was also detained on June 6 for 28 days by Taliban officials.

In a separate incident, Taliban intelligence agents detained Salam Watandar senior reporter Alaeddin Erkin in the Faryab province on July 25. The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported that the journalist was held for two hours after being questioned at the General Directorate of Intelligence. Taliban officials did not provide a reason for Erkins detainment.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported a worsening situation for Afghanistans media including, an exodus of journalists, mass closures of free media, and rising threats, violence and restrictions toward journalists.

The AIJA said: We will investigate the matter thoroughly in coordination with the local authorities, and our demand is to prevent such incidents in future because they are repeated. The incidents will weaken freedom of expression and self-censorship among the Afghan media community.

The IFJ said: Attacks on Afghan journalists and media workers by both the Taliban and other actors are blatant violations of press freedom. The IFJ calls for an immediate investigation into the attack on Selagi Ehsaas and detainment of Alaeddin Erkin.
As the world economy recovers from the pandemic, businesses now face another challenge  the Great Resignation, a phrase coined in 2021 to describe the trend of millions of employees worldwide leaving their jobs.

In the Philippines, for instance, resignation was the top reason for unemployment in 2021. In its Mission: Rebooting Economic Activities through Community Engagement (RACE) program survey, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that 85,045 of the over 2.39 million unemployed workers resigned from their work last year.

Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, the countrys capital, the labor turnover rate, which refers to the difference between hiring (accession) and the rate of job termination or resignation (separation), has implied negative growth in employment in the first half of 2021.

The Labor Turnover Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported a labor turnover rate of -3.1% in the first quarter of last year. It continued to weaken during the second quarter at -1.2%. These numbers translate to reductions of 31 workers in the first quarter while 12 workers in the second quarter for every 1,000 persons employed in establishments.

How is this trend affecting SMEs?

According to a study released by SAP SE, the Great Resignation is real and impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region today.

The study, Transformational Talent: The impact of the Great Resignation on Digital Transformation in APJs SMEs, surveyed 1,363 SME owners and decision-makers across eight countries in the region, including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand.

Nine in ten (91%) SME respondents in APJ say workforce volatility, including the Great Resignation, has directly impacted their digital transformation plans. These plans are critical since 69% of SME respondents say that digital transformation is significant to their organizations survival over the next year.

Meanwhile, four in ten (40%) respondents agreed that more employees are resigning now than just 12 months ago, while almost two-thirds (64%) of SME respondents said they are not finding it easy to cope with the impact of the Great Resignation.

The talent crunch is impacting organizations ability to transform their businesses digitally. According to the study, the lack of skilled talents also ranks as the top challenge to achieving successful transformation for SMEs across APJ. It topped traditional obstacles, such as cyber security, lack of budget, and lack of understanding of available digital solutions.

This study shows how the Great Resignation can be an existential challenge to organizations. At SAP, we believe that having the right people is important to ensuring digital transformation success. As part of retention efforts, SMEs must invest in talent as much as they invest in innovation to thrive amid these uncertain times, said Rudy Abrahams, Vice President, Head of SAP SuccessFactors, South East Asia and interim Managing Director SAP Philippines.

How are SMEs mitigating the effects of the Great Resignation?

To alleviate the Great Resignations effects and boost their organizations ability to deliver digital transformation, SMEs across APJ are investing in their workforce.

Survey respondents said they are improving their financial incentives (43%) and introducing flexible working arrangements (43%) to ensure talent retention over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, four in ten (40%) SME respondents said they would provide upskilling opportunities to retain key talents.

SMEs in the region also focus on training, with more than two-thirds (68%) of the respondents noting that upskilling to support digital transformation is urgent, leading to 72% of SMEs who will focus on digital training throughout this year.

Despite these challenges, SMEs in the region remain optimistic. Having managed significant challenges over the past two years, they are looking beyond a focus on resilience. Almost half (49%) of the respondents say that their organization is highly or fully resilient in weathering the pandemics impact. On the other hand, 4% believe they are not resilient.

The confidence in their ability has also resulted in optimism about their growth prospects. 81% of the respondents said they are moderately, very, or extremely confident in their growth over the next 12 months.

The Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) sector accounts for over 97% of all businesses and employs over 50% of the workforce in the region according to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. By harnessing their growth potentials and optimism and combining it with innovations that help foster talents and a strong partner ecosystem, we can help ensure their success in the years to come, said Abrahams.

The full report of the Transformational Talent study is available on this link.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.
The Bangladesh government is keen to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India to expand bilateral trade and investment.

The CEPA will be among trade agreements Bangladesh is prioritizing with its major trade partners, as it will lose duty benefits once the country graduates to developing nation status in 2026.

Besides India, Bangladesh was also reportedly seeking to close trade deals with Indonesia and Sri Lanka within a year.

While the timeline indicates political expediency on Bangladeshs part, all stakeholder regions are confronting major economic headwinds and financial pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war, with Sri Lanka among the worst affected.

Why the urgency to sign trade deals, secure tariff concessions

On July 25, Bangladesh media reported that senior government officials from the countrys foreign, labor, commerce, home affairs ministries held a meeting to discuss starting CEPA negotiations with India. The CEPA framework will not be limited to free trade issues like tariff reductions and market access but also cover foreign investment facilitation and employment.

The Bangladesh government also reportedly signed a law on signing free trade agreements (FTA), preferential trade agreements (PTA), and CEPA with potential and leading trade partners. This is because, in November 2021, the United Nations approved that Bangladesh would graduate from its Least Developed Country (LDC) status in five years. The LDC status carries along with it many trade benefits.

Eligibility for GSP Plus

Negotiations are also underway between Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) for access to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Plus after the expiry of the European GSP in 2029, according to Bangladesh Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghoshs remarks to the media in September 2021.

Bangladesh would need to make changes to its labor law and regulations covering economic processing zones (EPZs) to secure GSP Plus eligibility.

Status of Bangladesh CEPA talks with India

India and Bangladesh first discussed signing the CEPA in 2018 and the matter was addressed during a high-level meeting between March 1-4 in New Delhi. Prior to that a Joint Study Group (JSG) had submitted its recommendations regarding the feasibility of the CEPA.

Following that, in April, Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi mentioned during his visit to India that he would like the two countries to sign a deal within a year.

Munshi also called for finalizing the joint study by May, as per Indian officials  though no official timeline has been set. New Delhi has, however, noted the political push from Dhaka.

Indias position on a CEPA with Bangladesh

On March 7, Indias Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal noted the governments intentions to advance a CEPA with Bangladesh. India would be pushing for greater cooperation with Dhaka in various sectors, such as defense and pharmaceutical production.

Goyal suggested the two countries should also work on building resilient supply chains and exploring investment growth opportunities in areas like textiles, jute products, and leather and footwear.

India has extended US$8 billion through three lines of credit to Bangladesh  this is the largest concessional credit India has given any country.

Bangladesh-India bilateral trade and investment

Trade profile

India currently dominates the bilateral trade relationship and Bangladesh is Indias sixth largest trade partner. In FY 2020-21, Indias trade with Bangladesh accounted for about 3.3 percent of exports and 0.3 percent of imports. India exported goods worth US$9.7 billion to Bangladesh and imported goods worth US$1.3 billion from Bangladesh.

Major exports to Bangladesh include petroleum products, agricultural commodities like rice (other than basmati), cotton, and cereals, vehicle parts, and machinery and mechanical appliances. Diplomatic efforts, duty reduction, such as on rice imports by Bangladesh, and strengthening rail connectivity are among key factors facilitating bilateral trade.

Bilateral trade has thus been showing steady improvement but there is enough room for more growth. Some studies show there is scope to lift bilateral trade to reach US$25 billion via an FTA. In fact, in as recently as 2018-19, Bangladesh exports to India had jumped 52 percent from 2017-18 to cross the US$1 billion mark. Dhaka is now working to diversify its exports; in 2020, Bangladesh exported two large cargo vessels  handed to the Indias Jindal Steel Works  in a boost to the local shipbuilding industry.

The two countries currently have a goods agreement in place under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), under which New Delhi has granted Bangladesh duty-free, quota-free access on all items except for alcohol and tobacco. A CEPA would introduce agreements on service trade and investment.

Bangladesh is the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments worldwide (counts for about 80 percent of its export profile) and India is a key market. Bangladesh also has a significant consumer market of around 170 million people, whose spending power is growing.

Recent developments facilitating trade between Bangladesh and India

Detailed project proposal (DPP) approved for developing a container handling facility at Sirajganj Bazar

900 meter new siding line constructed at Benapole for running freight trains between Bangladesh and India

Construction of loading and unloading platform completed at Darshana to enable import of all commodities from India by rail via Darshana

DPP approved for developing inland container depot (ICD) at Ishwardi (rail and road based ICD)

Reopening border haats  closed due to COVID restrictions

Petrapole-Benapole Integrated Check Post (ICP) to soon become operational 24/7

Investment facilitation

Bangladesh is keen to attract greater Indian investments. On April 24, Commerce Minister Munshi stated: We are in advanced talks with Tata Group that already has plants in Bangladesh, for a large automotive investment, as also with Ashok Leyland, when speaking to the media. Dominos India has opened 25 outlets in Dhaka and will grow that number 10-fold and more as well as establish a major factory. Munshi is also seeking investment from the bordering Indian state of West Bengal.

Bangladesh has also set aside multiple special economic zones (SEZs) for Indian companies and investors, targeting sectors like telecom, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). In fact, India, Japan, and China have all shown interest in setting up economic zones in Bangladesh as a way to stimulate bilateral trade and investment.

As per reporting by The Hindu in November 2021, Bangladesh has offered to establish two Special Economic Zones for Indian companies besides allowing Life Insurance Corporation to start operations in the country. These are located in Mongla and Bheramara. This year, on April 3, Bangladesh media reported that the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) had signed an agreement with Adani Ports and SEZ Limited to set up an Indian Economic Zone at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Mirsarai in the port city of Chattogram.

On the other side, Bangladesh companies want to invest in India, such as the Walton Group, which makes consumer durables, computer and telecom equipment, among others. India currently imposes restrictions on foreign investments from countries with whom it shares a border and clearances granted on a case-by-case basis.

In December 2020, the India-Bangladesh CEO Forum was launched to generate policy inputs on facilitating smoother business relations between the two neighbors. However, as of March 2022, the Forum was yet to hold its first meeting, likely set back due to the pandemic.

Other areas of strategic cooperation

Besides trade and investment, New Delhi and Dhaka are also prioritizing partnership in areas of artificial intelligence, cyber security, start-ups, fintech, and hydropower  as seen during the 7th Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting between the two foreign ministers S Jaishankar and AK Abdul Momen in June. The JCC meeting took place after two years.

Cooperation in expanding railway connectivity and cross-border river management and environmental conservation are other important objectives in the bilateral relationship; India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers. Energy security is also a matter of concern to both India and Bangladesh, which at present includes managing crude oil imports from Russia despite global sanctions.

Bangladesh also provides connectivity between Northeast India with Southeast Asia after the route via Myanmar close following a military coup in that country in 2021.

Calibrated approach required from Dhaka

Bangladesh imports from India amount to about 14 percent of its total imports, with average tariffs of more than 20 percent.

However, Bangladesh also generates significant revenue from its international trade tariffs, with India and China being major sources. Such revenue dependency will need to be factored when Dhaka negotiates its trade deals to ensure fiscal stability amid market gains.

At present, various economic headwinds, such as rising fuel prices following the Ukraine crisis, have pushed Dhaka to apply for a US$4.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to meet balance of payment and budgetary needs. The countrys central bank, Bangladesh Bank, recently discouraged imports of luxury goods, fruits, non-cereal foods, and canned and processed foods to preserve dollars.

According to Al Jazeera, in the first 11 months of the fiscal year that ended June 30, Bangladesh imports had jumped 39 percent, but exports grew only 34 percent. Travel disruption and job losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic also caused remittances to fall five percent in June to US$1.8 billion. As a result, the Bangladesh taka has declined approximately 20 percent against the US dollar in the last three months.

Also Read
Exterro, a legal governance, risk, compliance software, and portfolio company of Leeds Equity Partners, stated that it secured an undisclosed amount of equity capital commitment, taking the companys valuation at over $1 billion.



The funding round was jointly led by institutional investors Coller Capital and Glendower Capital. Leeds Equity also made a significant new equity commitment from its latest fund Leeds Equity Partners VII to the company.



The company intends to utilize these resources to streamline more resources for the growth of companys Legal GRC portfolio of products via M&A and product development.



Exterro strives to continue its journey to develop new initiatives for law firms and service providers and expand the reach of its digital forensic products. Further, it aims to expand its presence to new geographies by delivering its new products.



The company further stated that it is targeting an IPO in 2023. It believes that for now, it has everything in place from high growth, profitability, and strong cash flows as its major strengths. All these factors will enable the company to go public with ease when the company determines the right timing.



Exterro carries on its Research & Development activities in a Coimbatore facility in India, under the leadership of Kavitha Thangasami, Chief Research and Development Officer.



Companys global employee base comprises over 50% of the Indian workforce, and the company envisages a double increase in Indian hiring next year.



As per the company, the Indian market is one of its most prominent areas for significant growth, and it is seeking to build a concrete team to capitalize this opportunity.



Since 2018, after a major investment from Leeds Equity, Exterro managed to quadruple its revenue and now has an attractive base of over 3,000 active customers around the world.
An uncommon blood group was found in a 65-year-old man in Gujarat who required blood before having heart surgery. The doctors had to perform several tests on the man's samples since they could not find blood that matched his blood group.



The doctors were astounded when the test results revealed that the man had the blood type "EMM negative"the ninth instance of this kind worldwide.

Unsplash

As per an NDTV report, the discovery was made at Surat's Lok Samarpan Raktadan Kendra and Research Center. The patient was referred by the Prathma Blood Bank in Ahmadabad, as per Dr. Sanmukh Joshi.



When the man from Rajkot went to the hospital for surgery last year, the discovery was made. The four most common blood groups are A, B, O, and AB. A rare blood group called "EMM negative" was identified in the man earlier this month.

Representational Image/Unsplash

Here is all the information you need to know about the blood type EMM:



1. Individuals with an EMM negative blood group cannot donate or accept blood from any other donor.

2. The lab analysis of the blood sample taken from his body was unusual and dissimilar from the other groups.

Due to an antibody present in his plasma, according to Dr. Joshi, no blood was discovered to match. He, therefore, made a conscious decision to send the man's and his family's samples to New York for extensive analysis.

Indiamart

"In further collaboration with the scientist at Harvard Medical School in the USA, the patient was typed EMM negative and it was deliberated at the International Society of Blood Transfusion and recognized and assigned under the new blood group system called EMM with symbol EMM042," he added.



EMM is the 42nd blood group system, according to OMIM, an online archive of human genes and genetic disorders.

BBC

According to the OMIM article, people with this blood group have an EMM phenotype due to homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the PIGG gene. During routine blood type and cross, anti-EMM antibodies naturally present in them are detected.



As per the report, these antibodies can lead to acute hemolytic transfusion responses.

(For more trending stories, click here.)


Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCL Technologies, has maintained her position as the wealthiest woman in India, with a 54% increase in her net worth to Rs 84,330 crore in 2021.



According to the Kotak Private Banking-Hurun list released on Wednesday, Falguni Nayar, who left her position in investment banking to launch the beauty-focused business Nykaa almost ten years ago, has emerged as the wealthiest self-made woman with a net worth of Rs 57,520 crore.

Image Credit: vogue

According to the report, Falguni Nayar, 59, saw a 963 percent gain in her wealth over the year and is now the second richest woman overall after Malhotra, 40, the daughter of HCL Technologies' founder, Shiv Nadar.



The wealthiest women of India are here! This year, two new names made it to the top ten of the Kotak Private Banking Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List 2021. The top 10 cut-off is at INR 6,620 crore, up 22% from the last year. Three women from the top ten are based in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/kdHULq1y6f  HURUN INDIA (@HurunReportInd) July 27, 2022

Nayar is also India's richest self-made woman and the world's tenth richest self-made woman.

LinkedIn

Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw witnessed a 21 percent decline in her fortune and has moved down one rank to be the third richest woman in the country with a wealth of Rs 29,030 crore, it said.



The list of 100 women accounts for only Indian women, defined as born or brought up in India, who are actively managing their businesses or are self-made.

The cumulative wealth of these 100 women have increased 53 percent in a year to Rs 4.16 lakh crore in 2021 from Rs 2.72 lakh crore in 2020, and they now contribute 2 percent of India's nominal GDP.

Nykaa

The cut-off for making it into the top 100 has increased to Rs 300 crore from Rs 100 crore earlier, and the top 10 cut-off is at Rs 6,620 crore, which is a 10 percent jump from the previous year.



The highest number of entrants in the list is from Delhi-National Capital Region at 25, followed by Mumbai (21) and Hyderabad (12).

From a sectoral viewpoint, consumer goods came in third with nine women in the top 100 wealthiest women in India, followed by healthcare with 11 and pharmaceuticals with 12.

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise contributed four entrants to the list, making it the highest contribution by a single company. It was followed by Metro Shoes and Devi Sea Foods, with two entrants each.

Kanika Tekriwal (33 y/o) of Bhopal-based Jetsetgo is the youngest on the list, with a 50 percent increase in wealth at Rs 420 crore.

The list also includes three professional managers and is led by Indra Nooyi, who was associated with Pepsico and has a fortune of Rs 5,040 crore, followed by Renu Sud Karnad of mortgage lender HDFC at Rs 870 crore and Shanti Ekambaram of Kotak Mahindra Bank at Rs 320 crore.

(With PTI inputs)

(For more trending stories, click here.)
RStudio is changing its corporate name to Posit, signaling the companys plans to expand its focus beyond R to include users of Python and Visual Studio Code. The public announcement came this morning at the companys annual user conference in Washington, D.C.

The company has been stressing that its commercial products are bilingual for both R and Python for several years. However, the RStudio brand has made it more difficult to convince companies to consider its products for Python users.

That name has started to feel increasing constraining, Hadley Wickham, RStudio's chief scientist, told me shortly before todays announcement.

However, both Wickham and company founder and CEO J.J. Allaire stressed that the name change doesnt signify a shift away from R or a belief that Python is somehow supplanting R for data science, as some argue on social media and elsewhere. Were not pivoting from R to Python, Wickham said. "I'll learn a little bit about Python but I'm not going to stop writing R code."

Instead, Allaire said they believe theyve found a model that can reliably fund open source software with revenues from related commercial products, one thats sustainable and not growth at all costs -- the latter being something Allaire told conference attendees can cause a company to drift away from its initial mission.

I think there is an opportunity to impact the practice of science more broadly, Allaire said.

About 40% of the companys engineers work full time on open source software -- a total of 43, he said, not counting employees who work on open source but not 100% of their time. In 2020, RStudio announced it had reorganized as a public benefit corporation, allowing it to consider the needs of the broader user community when making decisions instead of having the legal responsibility to focus on maximizing shareholder value.

While perhaps 90% of the companys engineers work on R now, Allaire estimates that might be around 75% in three years or so.

But while the company plans to keep a majority of its development work R-related in the short term, it no longer wants to be known by the name of its first product, the RStudio IDE. Posits open source IDE will still be known as RStudio, even though it supports several languages, because it is targeted specifically to R users. RStudio IDE is multilingual  but always from the standpoint of the R practitioner who needs to use other languages, Allaire said.

However, Posits commercial products will be renamed Posit Connect, Posit Workbench, and Posit Package Manager.

RStudio RStudio's new corporate name and logo as Posit.

The company is also doing work on VS Code for open source users who dont primarily use R. RStudio recently released a VS Code extension for its new Quarto publishing platform, a next-generation version of R Markdown that makes it easy to combine text with code and export results to multiple formats. While R Markdown documents can run several other languages in addition to R, they were designed for use in R. Quarto runs Python, Julia, and Observable JavaScript natively, as well as R.

"There's never going to be one language to rule them all," Wickham said. "R has always been about building bridges, combining tools to get things done."

Other VS Code-related work is underway at the company, but Posit is not focusing on VS Code for R as a replacement for the open source RStudio IDE.

The Posit name comes from the English word posit, which means to propose an idea or theory. Data scientists spend much of their day positing claims that they then evaluate with data, according to a company blog post.
I was kind of in awe when it all ended, the San Diego insurance professional shared with Insurance Business. We knew where our team was going into that night [in terms of amount raised], but we didnt know where anybody else was.

The achievement marks a special milestone for Sherod: the 10th anniversary of her husband beating Hodgkins lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

At the time [of his diagnosis], we were introduced to LLS by our doctors. I didnt get too involved because we were focused on getting him through the treatment, Sherod explained.

It wasnt until six years later that she began to get more involved in the charity organization after a friends young daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Fast forward to 2022 and the same friend, Liberty Mutual division vice president Akbar Khan, was with Sherod on awards night as Man of Year runner-up.

Fundraising is no easy feat, but Sherod said she received extraordinary support  not just from friends and family but from her employer and the San Diego insurance community.

Insurance brokerage firm Cavignac hosted a charity event to aid Sherods efforts, inviting many local insurance carriers to participate through sponsorships and attendance. The event generated over $90,000 for Sherods campaign.

It was just amazing to see the community come together. It was a nice way for us to come together and support the greater good, said Sherod.

If she had one piece of advice for other professionals who want to get into philanthropy, Sherod said: I would say take the time to learn more about the organizations that can be beneficial.

We're all busy with our jobs and families, but there is extra time to give back to others. Dont be scared to talk about it and ask [for support] because people do want to help.

Read more: The culture of the insurance industry and raising money for charity go hand in hand

I think that we can never underestimate the amount of support people want to give. When I first started talking about my goal, people didn't think it was achievable, Sherod admitted. Her initial goal was to raise $150,000 during the 10-week campaign.

I quickly learned that there are so many amazing people that want to support this cause. I think if people advocate for what they believe in, they'll find much more support out there than they anticipated.

Sherod plans to continue contributing to LLS as a member of the board of trustees. Her efforts will focus on increasing awareness of blood cancer and the organizations work. According to Sherod, LLS funding will be funneled into three areas: research for new treatments and ways to minimize treatment side effects, patient support, and advocacy efforts.

One of the best things out of this campaign has been raising awareness. Many people I spoke to weren't aware of the advances that have been made because of LLS. If I can continue to push that message out there and get more company involvement, that would be amazing, said Sherod.

Though shes not looking to break her fundraising record next year, she said the experience made her more aware of the people skills she uses as an insurance professional.

The [insurance] industry is heavily driven by relationships. The more we can get out there and create new relationships, the better it is for the industry and our business, Sherod told Insurance Business.

Being authentic about things were passionate about helps clients see that we will also have the same authenticity when working with them. If I can find a way to deeply connect with my clients and deepen those relationships, that helps me do my job better.
Read more: Ratings downgrade of 17 insurers granted stay of execution  for now

The reinsurance arrangement will be run through the states last resort carrier Citizens, FLOIR updated. The solution would enable insurers to meet an exception offered by federally backed mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure homeowners insurance coverage can be maintained during hurricane season.

OIRs greatest priority is ensuring consumers have access to insurance, especially during hurricane season; and because of the uncertainty with the status of Demotech's ratings, weve been forced to take extraordinary steps to protect millions of consumers, said Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier.

This innovative arrangement satisfies requirements set by the secondary mortgage market. In the event we need to implement this temporary solution, consumers will not need to seek coverage elsewhere, agents will not need to move policies, and lenders can have confidence that these insurers continue to meet the mortgage qualifications.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require that insurance policyholders who have a mortgage backed by them must have property insurance policies underwritten by insurers that meet financial ratings requirements.

They would be required to have an A rating, but under ratings changes mooted by Demotech a slew of carriers could find themselves with an S rating (substantial) or an M rating (Moderate).

However, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer an exception for insurers covered by a reinsurer that assumes 100% liability for payable losses in the case the carrier enters insolvency.

In the event an insurer is declared insolvent, the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association will carry out its statutory duties and pay claims as set out in the statute, FLOIR said.

Altmaier had previously decried the potential ratings move by Demotech as an example of inconsistent, monopolistic power of a select rating agency.

Read more: Property insurers cull  17 downgraded in one swoop

Kyle Ulrich, CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, also criticized Demotech in a blog last week.

It is abundantly clear that Floridas property market has been held hostage by unscrupulous trial lawyers, public adjusters, and contractors for years, Ulrich said in the blog.

Now, the actions of one rating company could add to the list.

Demotech president Joe Petrelli has labelled the criticism misinformation.
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Global insurance broker HUB International Limited (Hub) reported that it has acquired the assets of Stop Loss Insurance Brokers, Inc. and Berkeley Insurance Brokers, Inc.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Stop Loss Insurance Brokers is an independent broker for medical stop loss for the self-funded municipal market and businesses throughout Massachusetts and New England.

Shawn McLaughlin, president of Hub New England, said that Denise Doyle, president of Stop Loss Insurance Brokers, and the firms team will join Hubs benefits practice.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Hub International has more than 14,000 employees in offices located throughout North America.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies Profit Loss Massachusetts
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The Plymouth Rock Co., parent company of auto and home insurance providers in the Northeast, announced that Andrew McElwee is its new president and chief operating officer, having taken over responsibility for the firms day-to-day operations from Hal Belodoff, following Belodoffs planned retirement.

Based in Boston, McElwee reports directly to Jim Stone, founder and chief executive officer of The Plymouth Rock Co.

Stone said that McElwee, whom he has known for years, will oversee all group presidents in formulating and executing strategies for profitable growth.

McElwee joins Boston-based Plymouth Rock from American Family Insurance, where he was most recently the enterprise chief underwriting officer. Prior to that, he was president and chief operating officer of Homesite Group, an affiliate of American Family.

Plymouth Rock launched Homesite Insurance, a direct writer of homeowners, renters and condominium insurance, about 25 years ago and sold it to American Family Insurance in 2013 for $616 million.

McElwee has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, 25 of which were spent within the Chubb Corp. in various roles of increasing responsibility, including executive vice president of Chubb & Son and chief operating officer of Chubb Personal Insurance and Chubb Accident and Health.

McElwee and Belodoff have been working on the transition since February.

Belodoff retired as Plymouth Rocks president and chief operations officer after serving the company in various roles for 31 years. He continues to serve a member of Plymouth Rocks board of directors and in an advisory role.

Stone said the decision to hire Belodoff some 30 years ago was one of the best he has made in his life.

The Plymouth Rock Co, which is privately held, owns and manages property/casualty insurance companies, specializing in coverage for personal automobiles and homes. Taken together, the companies write and manage more than $1.7 billion in auto and home insurance premiums across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Its subsidiaries include Bunker Hill Insurance Co., Plymouth Rock Assurance Corp., and Pilgrim Insurance Co. in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It also provides insurance and investment management services for insurance entities in those states and elsewhere in the country. Among its largest businesses is the management of the Palisades Reciprocal Group in New Jersey. Plymouth Rock does not own members of this group.

Each Plymouth Rock underwriting and managed insurance company is a separate legal entity that is financially responsible only for its own insurance products.

Topics Leadership
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Insured losses from global natural disaster events were estimated at $39 billion during the first half of 2022, 18% higher than the 21st century average of $33 billion, driven by persistent severe convective storm (SCS) events, according to Aon in its latest catastrophe report.

SCS events in the U.S. and Europe alone accounted for 54% of total insured losses, said the report titled Global Catastrophe Recap: First Half of 2022, which is published by Impact Forecasting, Aons catastrophe model development team.

With global natural disaster events causing estimated total economic losses of $92 billion, the report revealed an insurance protection gap of 57%, which means that 43% of total economic losses were covered by insurance. The overall economic loss was 24% lower than the 21st century average of $121 billion. (Economic losses, or the overall costs of natural catastrophes to economies, include the insurance price tag).

Meanwhile, 21 individual billion-dollar economic loss events were registered during the period  led by the U.S. (nine) and EMEA (seven), followed by APAC (three), and the Americas (two)  and at least nine additional billion-dollar insured events. All of these events were weather-related, apart from the Fukushima Earthquake in Japan, which resulted in a $8.5 billion economic loss, of which $2.7 billion was insured, Aon said.

Despite a notable reduction from last year, H1 insured losses in the U.S. were close to the 21st century average, accounting for nearly half of the global insurance industry impact, Aon continued.

Insured losses in EMEA were 86% above the average, which was driven by a very costly windstorm season and relentless thunderstorm activity in May and June, said Aon, noting that first-half SCS losses in Europe exceeded $5.0 billion for the second year in a row, which is without precedent in the historical record.

The 197 notable natural disaster events recorded by Impact Forecasting during H1 2022 was above the 21st century average of 192, with seasonal flooding in China registering as the costliest economic loss event, totaling at least $8.7 billion.

The continued effects of La Nina conditions, amplified by climate changes influence on global weather patterns, not only increased volatility and intensified many events, but also dictated the location, commented Steve Bowen, managing director and head of Catastrophe Insight for Impact Forecasting.

While the re/insurance industry remains resilient in handling elevated loss costs, the focus now shifts to the upcoming peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which may bring new challenges during the second half of the year, he added.

Natural disasters were responsible for approximately 4,400 fatalities during the first half of 2022, significantly below the 21st century average of 26,700 and the median of 6,400. The single deadliest disaster was the earthquake on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan in June, which claimed 1,089 lives.

Climate Change

From a hazard perspective, the fingerprints of climate change continued to become more evident in individual event behavior and longer-term temperature and precipitation trends in 1H 2022, said the report. Warmer than average temperatures were cited

across a broad swath of the globe which aided in more unusual weather patterns that were already set in motion by the primary influence of La Nina conditions which have been ongoing for nearly three consecutive years.

Source: Aon/Impact Forecasting

Photograph: Emergency workers use boats on a flooded road to help people stranded by flood water in Windsor, northwest of Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Photo credit: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

Topics Carriers Natural Disasters Aon
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at broker Acrisure Re and two insurers: HDI Global Specialty and Tokio Marine Europe.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Acrisure Re Hires Carpenters Furlong

Acrisure Re, the re/insurance division of global insurance broker and fintech platform Acrisure, announced the appointment of Chuck Furlong as senior vice president and broker, effective immediately.

In his new role, Furlong will focus on expanding Acrisure Res reinsurance capabilities in its North American property & casualty classes of business. He will also work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure quality solutions and service is provided to all its reinsurance clients.

Furlong has more than 25 years of industry experience and has held various management level roles. He joins Acrisure Re from Guy Carpenter, where he was most recently head of U.S. casualty facultative reinsurance. Prior to this, he was an executive vice president at JLT Re for 13 years until the company was acquired by Guy Carpenter in 2018. Furlong also spent five years as executive vice president at Willis Re, working mainly with complex casualty and professional liability treaty placements.

The reinsurance market is becoming increasingly complex, requiring brokers to be that much more knowledgeable and experienced when providing solutions and service to their clients, commented Simon Hedley, CEO of Acrisure Re. Chuck has a proven track record of offering solutions backed by extensive expertise in the property & casualty sector, growing revenue and meeting production targets in the process. I am excited to welcome him to our team and I look forward to working with him.

***

HDI Global Specialty Promotes Button for Global Distribution & Business Devel.

HDI Global Specialty SE announced the appointment of John Button as head of Global Distribution and Business Development for its global operations, effective immediately. Button will report to Richard Taylor, member of the Executive Board and chief marketing officer.

Button succeeds Alan Waters, who held the position for the last three and a half years and left the company by mutual agreement last month. Button, who previously reported to Waters, has worked for HDI Global SE for eight years and has held the position of strategic relationship manager at HDI Global Specialty for the past three years. The role will work alongside its parent company HDI Global SE to align its distribution strategy as one face to HDIs broker partners.

***

Tokio Marine Europe Names Former QBE Exec for Board

Tokio Marine HCC (TMHCC) announced that Renaud de Pressigny has been appointed as a non-executive director to the board of its European company, Tokio Marine Europe (TME).

Renaud joins the TME Board from his previous position as managing director of QBE Europes French branch. Renaud has 40 years experience in the insurance industry, holding senior roles with brokers, insurance and reinsurance companies and is known for his wide network of contacts and successful track record in transformation, growth and customer focus.

Christian Kanu, CEO of TME, commented: We welcome Renaud to our Board and are delighted to be able to count on his diversity and wealth of experience at a time when TMHCC is growing rapidly in Europe.

Topics Excess Surplus
An employee of Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri has died from head injuries while working at the park, federal officials said.

The employee was hospitalized Wednesday with head injuries allegedly sustained during maintenance and testing of a rollercoaster, said Rhonda Burke, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Labor.

The person was declared dead with blunt force trauma on Thursday, the Springfield News-Leader reported.

No one else at the park was injured.

The park did not release the persons name. The person worked at the park since 2017 in maintenance and construction.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into the death on July 22.

Burke said OSHA has six months to complete its investigation, issue citations and propose monetary penalties.

Topics Missouri
Jurors heard closing arguments last week in the only trial to arise thus far from the Flint water crisis, a dispute over whether two engineering firms should be held partially responsible for the citys lead contamination in 2014-15.

Attorneys representing four Flint children said Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN, didnt do enough to get the city to treat the highly corrosive water or to urge a return to a regional water supplier.

Veolia and LAN, which performed work for Flint, were not part of a landmark $626 million settlement involving Flint residents, the state of Michigan and other parties.

Flints water became contaminated because water pulled from the Flint River wasnt treated to reduce the corrosive effect on lead pipes.

Citing cost, city managers appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder stopped using water from a Detroit agency and switched to the river while awaiting a new pipeline to Lake Huron.

One of the plaintiffs lawyers, Moishe Maimon, told jurors that Veolia should be held 50% responsible for the lead contamination of the four children and that LAN should be held 25% responsible, with public officials making up the balance.

Veolia, also known as VNA, was a second set of eyes brought in a year after the water switch while complaints about water quality were mounting, Maimon said.

Co-counsel Corey Stern said the contractors didnt want to rock the boat.

Did VNA and LAN act with integrity? Did VNA and LAN act to protect the health, safety and general welfare? he said.

But LAN attorney Wayne Mason said an engineer repeatedly recommended that Flint test the river water for weeks to determine what treatments would be necessary.

He said outside engineers were getting lumped in with a platoon of bad actors, namely state and local officials who controlled all major decisions and seemed more concerned about the cost of water than its quality.

Every single government agency that touched this problem made it worse, Mason said.

Veolia attorney Daniel Stein said the firm was briefly hired in the middle of the crisis, not before the spigot was turned on. He also questioned whether the children actually were poisoned by lead in the water, citing blood results.

VNA was there for one week _ a one-week assessment _ and youre supposed to believe the fault lies with this consultant? Stein argued.

Snyder was summoned as a witness but declined to answer questions, citing his right against self-incrimination. He was indicted on misdemeanor charges in a separate Flint water investigation.

The jury instead watched a video of Snyders 2020 interview with lawyers.

I wish this never would have happened, he said of the water mess, acknowledging mistakes by government.

July 25 was the first full day of jury deliberations in federal court in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The trial began in February and lasted months with occasional days off.

Topics Michigan
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Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday announced a $4.35 billion proposed nationwide settlement that could resolve thousands of lawsuits over the drugmakers alleged role in the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The proposal calls for Teva to pay state and local governments up to $3.7 billion in cash over 13 years plus a contribution of $1.2 billion worth of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. Israel-based Teva also will pay approximately $100 million to Native American tribes and pay attorneys fees incurred by the states, local governments and tribes.

Tevas proposed settlement would allow state and local governments to opt for additional cash in lieu of an allotment of the overdose medication, at a value of 20% of the drugs list price.

The settlements cash portion is higher than Tevas chief executive suggested in May. CEO Kare Schultz told analysts at the time that he expected the company to pay around $2.6 billion in cash and medicine to reach a nationwide settlement.

The proposed settlement comes as Tevas New York traded shares have fallen 11% so far this year under a cloud of uncertainty over an opioid settlement.

Teva, which still has net debt of some $20 billion, had sought a deal featuring less cash and more medicines, but some states and counties were opposed, questioning the value of the medicine, produced far more cheaply than the prices used in the settlement agreements.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a lead negotiator for the states, called it another major step in addressing the opioids crisis.

We expect these funds to make a significant difference in preventing fatal overdoses and treating opioid addiction disorder, Miller said.

Tevas settlement is contingent on separate settlements by AbbVies Allergan unit. Teva acquired Allergans generic drugs business in 2016.

For the Teva deal to take effect, Allergan must reach its own nationwide opioid settlement, and the two companies must settle a dispute over the amount Allergan owes Teva for claims filed prior to the 2016 sale.

Allergan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Teva settlement will not be finalized unless a sufficient number of state and local governments agree to accept the terms. Teva has already agreed to settlements with West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Rhode Island and Louisiana, and the value of those will be included in the proposed $3.05 billion cash payout.

The state of New York will not participate in the settlement, and continues to seek a judgment against Teva. A New York jury found the company responsible for the states opioid crisis in December.

New York Accuses Drug Firm Teva of Lying About Opioid Role

U.S. states, cities and counties filed more than 3,000 lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies, accusing them of downplaying their addiction risk and failing to stop pills from being diverted for illegal use.

The U.S. opioid crisis has caused more than 500,000 overdose deaths over the past two decades, including more than 80,000 in 2021 alone, according to government data.

The companys insistence on including drugs as a major component of its opioid settlements has been a sticking point in past negotiations.

Teva in 2019 proposed to settle its nationwide opioid liability for $250 million in cash and $23 billion in contributed medicines that was rejected by state and local governments.

Topics Lawsuits
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3M Co. put its Aearo Technologies unit into bankruptcy in a bid to resolve more than 230,000 lawsuits brought mainly by US military veterans over allegedly faulty combat earplugs.

The conglomerate has already spent nearly $350 million defending the sprawling litigation, according to court papers. Putting the unit into bankruptcy is the fastest and most equitable way to resolve the claims, 3M said.

The case is the latest in a string of so-called mass tort bankruptcies, in which profitable companies use insolvency proceedings to settle onerous legal liabilities. Lawsuits against a bankrupt company are paused as soon as a Chapter 11 petition is filed and the claims are moved in front of a bankruptcy judge.

3M plans to funnel $1 billion to a trust that would pay people suing over the earplugs and has set aside $240 million to fund the bankruptcy itself. The strategy is similar to those proposed by other lawsuit-addled companies like Johnson & Johnson and Purdue Pharma LP. 3M itself is not in bankruptcy.

The Chapter 11 filing will reorganize a business with healthy operations that has become saddled with unsustainable tort liabilities, John R. Castellano, chief restructuring officer of Aearo, said in a sworn declaration. Outside of bankruptcy, the lawsuits could go on for decades, continue to consume millions of dollars in defense costs annually, and continue to result in highly disparate outcomes for plaintiffs, he said.

The company is likely to face pressure to pay more than $1 billion, analysts said.

The $1 billion that is being seeded by 3M to cover claims should be viewed as a first installment, Nigel Coe, senior research analyst with Wolfe Research, said in a note. We maintain that $10 billion is more realistic.

Victims will fight the bankruptcy filing, attorneys for one of the leading law firms representing veterans said in a statement.

3Ms bankruptcy maneuver is further proof that they value their profits and stock price more than the well-being of veterans, lawyer Bryan Aylstock said in the emailed statement. Instead of negotiating in good faith, 3M decided to move its relentless attack on US soldiers from the civil courts to the bankruptcy system.

Those suing 3M and Aearo  primarily military veterans  claim they suffered hearing injuries after using noise reduction earplugs designed for and sold to the US military. Aearo began selling the earplugs in significant quantities in the early 2000s and continued selling them until 2015, Castellano said.

So far, only a handful of the 3M earplug cases have been tried, according to court documents. A jury in one case said the company should pay $77.5 million. The company has lost 13 of the 19 cases that went to trial, with juries awarding more than $300 million in damages, according to Aylstock, the victims lawyer.

Such bankruptcy cases can take years to complete, in part because setting up a victims trust typically takes a vote of 3/4ths of creditors. Getting that much support typically takes negotiations including top victim lawyers, insurance companies that have to help pay claims and the company.

Should 3ms proposal win enough victim support and approval from a bankruptcy judge, all current and future claims would be paid by the company-funded trust.

3M purchased Aearo in 2008. The company has more than 300 employees and generated $108 million in direct sales last year, according to court papers. It is based in Indiana.

The bankruptcy is Aearo Technologies LLC, 22-02890, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana (Indianapolis).

Photo: Signage outside 3M Co. headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photographer: Mike Bradley/Bloomberg

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits Numbers
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United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Stacie Wheaton, age 51, of Fairburn, Georgia, pled guilty on July 21, 2022 to count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. In exchange, the government has agreed to dismissfour counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 2. In pleading guilty to Count 1, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years imprisonment; a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years; and a fine up to $250,000.00, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Todays guilty plea bring the total number of defendants convicted in Operation Sideswipe to 38.

According to court documents, Stacey Wheaton served as an intermediary who recruited and directed passengers to participate in staged automobile collisions with tractor-trailers on May 17, 2017 and June 6, 2017. The passengers in these collisions filed fraudulent lawsuits that falsely claimed that the tractor-trailers were at fault. Stacey Wheaton coordinated with co-conspirators including slammer Damian Labeaud and attorney Patrick Keating to arrange the staged collisions.

The Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing in this matter for October 26, 2022.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Topics Auto Louisiana
New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles!

A third person has died from injuries after a suspicious house fire in Nashville, Tennessee, police said.

Michael Young, 44, was pronounced dead at at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville police said Sunday in a statement. Two others died Saturday at the scene of the blaze. Angela Burgess, 35, and Johnny Young, 60, were presumed to be the individuals found inside the home following the fire, police said. Six others were in the home at the time of the blaze, but werent injured, authorities said.

Homicide detectives were assisting arson investigators in trying to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

The homeowner rents out single rooms of the residence, police said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles!

Floridas insurance commissioner announced today that his office has found an unprecedented solution to the looming property insurer rating crisis  let Citizens Property Insurance Corp. provide a level of reinsurance to companies in case they are downgraded, at least temporarily.

Insurance industry advocates called it innovative and an elegant solution. And Citizens officials have agreed to the arrangement.

Weve been working closely with stakeholders, from OIR, the governors office, and the CFO over the past several days and are on board with OIRs plan, said Citizens communications director, Michael Peltier.

The Florida statute governing Citizens authorizes the state-created insurer to enter into quota-share agreements with other insurers for hurricane coverage and other eligible risks. Having that in place will now let carriers take advantage of an exception in otherwise strict federal home lending rules, the OIR said in a statement.

The Florida insurance market was thrown into an uproar last week when rating agency Demotech sent letters to 17 Florida property insurers, warning that they will soon face financial strength downgrades. Demotech has since said it will hold off on the ratings until further notice.

The downgrades are problematic for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the quasi-governmental secondary mortgage-lending corporations. Without strong ratings, the lenders wont back mortgages, which could have forced thousands of Florida homeowners to seek new coverage or be moved into expensive force-placed policies, state regulators have said. But Fannie and Freddie both offer loopholes to the rating requirements if the insurer is covered 100% by a reinsurance endorsement for any loss payable, the OIR said.

OIR, in conjunction with Citizens, has formed a program that meets the exceptions to the Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, the OIR statement reads. Therefore, there should be no reason for lenders to require a replacement policy, or force-place coverage based solely on the ratings downgrades.

The Florida Insurance Guaranty Association would remain responsible for paying claims for any insolvent carriers going forward, up to its statutory limit. But the OIR plan appears to let Citizens cover liabilities above the FIGA limit.

This innovative arrangement satisfies requirements set by the secondary mortgage market, OIR said. In the event we need to implement this temporary solution, consumers will not need to seek coverage elsewhere, agents will not need to move policies, and lenders can have confidence that these insurers continue to meet the mortgage qualifications.

The announcement quickly raised questions around the industry, including concerns about how long would the arrangement will remain in place; and if it proves workable, would that mean financial ratings are no longer needed? If the mortgage requirement is the chief reason for financial stability ratings, perhaps regulators have found a new way to meet the unique needs of the Florida market.

The ultimate impact on Citizens was not made clear Wednesday. Commissioner David Altmaiers office said in the release that the arrangement will help keep Citizens from assuming more homeowner policies. The 20-year-old corporation, established to be an insurer of last resort, is growing by more than 30,000 policies a month and is on track to be the largest property insurer in the state with at least 1.2 million policies in force by years end.

But taking on ceded policies from some struggling private insurers could ultimately affect Citizens exposure.

Despite that, the plan is a good one, said Paul Handerhan, president of the Florida-based Federal Association for Insurance Reform. He noted that it is similar to a cut-through endorsement that essentially guarantees an insurers obligations.

Ratings downgrades likely would not have cost Fannie Mae significantly, but the new arrangement should give the lenders confidence that loans are fully protected, Handerhan said.

Demotech and Florida regulators have not named the 17 carriers facing potential downgrades. Several reported to be on the list have declined to comment.

A number of companies rated by Demotech have made major changes this year to try and manage the turbulent Florida waters. This week, Southern Oak Insurance notified agents that it had instituted a $250,000 coverage limit, and will only write structures built in 2022. The carrier, which covers about 1% of the Florida market and holds $134 million in direct written premium, also said it would no longer write policies in 10 counties.

The changes are set to take effect July 30. New quotes meeting the current guidelines must be bound by 6 p.m. on Friday, July 29.

Thanks to a flourish of positive growth so far this year, we are outpacing our projected reinsurance growth and feel that temporarily limiting our capacity will maintain the level of financial responsibility and exposure management that our policyholders and agency partners know and trust, Southern Oaks bulletin reads.

Topics Florida Reinsurance
Written premium for 2021 was 1.4% below that for 2020 and is the lowest since 2012, a new report shows.

The Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California issued its quarterly report on written premium, which declined sharply beginning in the second quarter of 2020 due to the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic.

The modest decrease in written premium for 2021 is driven by continued insurer rate decreases offsetting growth in employer payroll, according to the WCIRB.

Written premium for the first quarter of 2022 was 22% above that for the first quarter of 2021 and 5% above that for the first quarter of 2020, the bureau noted.

The average charged rate for the first quarter of 2022 is 3% below that of 2021 and is the lowest in decades, the report states.

In its Sept. 1 filing, the WCIRB proposed an average 7.6% increase in advisory pure premium rates. In his decision on the filing, Insurance Commissioner Lara did not approve any change in the average advisory pure premium rate.

Related:

Topics California Trends Workers' Compensation Pricing Trends
Los Angeles, CA., June 27, 2022  The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, on June 1, 2022, launched their new Global Membership program to insurance professionals in the US and worldwide. The IICF Global Membership program represents an opportunity for individuals working in insurance to amplify their efforts to advance social good through IICF. For the first time, those who are passionate about giving back in their communities and forward-thinking about their careers have the unique opportunity to engage on an individual basis with the foundation that serves to unite the insurance industry in philanthropy and leadership.

Membership is open to all industry professionals currently working in insurance or supporting businesses, retired industry professionals who wish to remain active, as well as to interns and apprentices working in insurance or related fields.

IICF Global Membership offers any industry colleague an alternative means of engaging with the Foundation, irrespective of their employers involvement or stage in their career, said Hank Watkins, President and Regional Director, Americas, Lloyds and Chair, IICF International Board of Governors. An industry dedicated to assisting policyholders in their time of need is much more than that and now, through IICF Global Membership, were providing everyone with an opportunity to expand their outreach beyond the scope of an insurance claim. You bring the commitment to helping others and well provide the volunteer and philanthropic initiatives our board members and IICF staff have launched in your neighborhood. Were excited to share the unique networking and leadership development opportunities available through IICF Global Membership, in the process doing our part to develop the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Those wishing to join the membership can select from three tiers of benefits:

Global Member: For $100 a year, members have access to philanthropic opportunities, a nonprofit directory resource, professional development programming such as IICFs new quarterly Insight Series and monthly virtual mentoring Coffee Chats, and networking with exclusive access to industry leaders.

For $100 a year, members have access to philanthropic opportunities, a nonprofit directory resource, professional development programming such as IICFs new quarterly Insight Series and monthly virtual mentoring Coffee Chats, and networking with exclusive access to industry leaders. Executive Member: For $250 a year members enjoy all Global Member benefits, plus the opportunity to be featured in exclusive professional development sessions, access as an Executive Member on the Membership portal and the ability to give one complimentary IICF Membership annually to a friend, colleague, employee or anyone they designate.

For $250 a year members enjoy all Global Member benefits, plus the opportunity to be featured in exclusive professional development sessions, access as an Executive Member on the Membership portal and the ability to give one complimentary IICF Membership annually to a friend, colleague, employee or anyone they designate. Founding Circle Member: For $1,000 the first year and then $250 each consecutive year, this esteemed group has access to all Global Membership benefits, recognition as a Founding Circle Member, an exclusive Founding Circle Member badge for LinkedIn or a company website, prominent placement on the IICF Membership hub, opportunities to contribute to Insight Series programming and the ability to gift up to three Global Memberships in the launch year.

In addition to these benefits, members will have opportunities to connect with like-minded socially conscious insurance professionals, including peer-level to executive leadership, across the globe through the IICF Membership Directory, and will have access to educational content such as whitepapers and impact reports through the Member Resource Library. Additionally, members can connect through exclusive volunteer and professional development events including:

July 8: The Importance of Philanthropy in Building your Career Coffee Chat featuring Hank Watkins, Regional Director and President, Americas, Lloyds and Chair, IICF International Board of Governors

August 4: Insurance, Society and Giving Back Insight Series featuring Brian Duperreault, Former CEO, AIG

August 18: Cards & Coffee with Covenant House  a new volunteer opportunity to provide encouragement and connection with at-risk teens

August 25: How to Caffeinate your Career Coffee Chat featuring Carmen Duarte, Vice President Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact, Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions

We are excited to launch IICF Global Membership as a natural extension of our nearly thirty-year history convening the insurance industry in volunteerism, awarding community grants and leadership initiatives, said Melissa-Anne Duncan, IICF Western Division Executive Director and head of IICF Global Membership. Weve long heard from individuals working in the industry who would like to give back and be involved more directly through IICF. With the support of global industry leaders and valuable feedback from the Founding Circle members, we are confident the benefits and programming were offering will fulfill unique networking, professional development and community engagement interests of todays insurance professionals. To learn more about the Global Membership Program and how to join, give back and enjoy unique professional development and networking opportunities, please contact Melissa-Anne Duncan at maduncan@iicf.com. Registration and more information, including an informative video, can be found here: https://membership.iicf.org/

About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic foundation of the insurance industry for more than twenty-five years, contributing $42 million in community grants along with 300,000 volunteer hours by more than 110,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact. IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at www.iicf.org or follow us on social media: @doubleicf.

Topics Market New Markets
A grass fire apparently sparked by a mower swept about 300 yards across a tinder-dry open field to a suburban Dallas subdivision Monday, burning through wooden fences and torching as many as 20 homes, officials said.

The blaze in Balch Springs was the latest in drought-stricken North Texas, which has been vulnerable to explosive wildfires for at least two weeks.

The mower was being used in the open field to trim the brush when its blade struck some debris and generated a spark that ignited the blaze, said Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis. The fire spread quickly north from the shoulder of Interstate 20 to the subdivision about 4 p.m. Monday, causing varying degrees of damage to 14 to 20 homes before the flames were contained, Davis said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, he said.

Aerial video showed the fire spread up and down the street as firefighters and homeowners working in 103-degree heat tried to prevent the fire from spreading to more of the bricked frame homes. One end of the fire spread to a home where a panicked dog ran back and forth before running through a pet door at a neighboring home. The fate of pets was not immediately known, Davis said.

Fire crews from Dallas and other nearby suburbs have gone to the scene to assist Balch Springs crews.

Firefighting teams have thrown dozens of extra crew members into the fight over the weekend against a North Texas wildfire that has destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others, officials said Monday.

The crews have held the Chalk Mountain Fire effects in check at 10 1/2 square miles (27 1/4 square kilometers) since last week, according to the Southern Area Blue, Type-I Incident Management Team.

Team leaders say they have added 126 firefighters and extra fire engines and bulldozers to the 190 already clearing fire lines over the weekend 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth, expanding the containment from 10% to 20%.

Meantime, firefighters are mopping up the Possum Kingdom Lake fire that destroyed five homes 70 miles (112 kilometers) west of Fort Worth. That fire is now 95% contained, team leaders said Monday.

This year has been plagued by wildfires fostered by severe to extreme drought throughout the West.

In California, a huge wildfire spread to a forest near Yosemite National Park, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate mountain communities. The fire is the second to strike the area. Another fire that broke out in the area earlier this month burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias.

In New Mexico, a prescribed burn in early April got out of control and grew to the biggest wildfire in the states history, blackening more than 500 square miles (1295.00 square kilometers) in the north of the state.

Topics Texas
News

Global market trend 2024-2030 The surge in monkeypox cases has also had an impact on the market for qpcr no amplification by Newsintegra927

The U.S. has reported more than 3,800 cases of monkeypox, the most of any country, according to government health data. The increase in the number of cases has reportedly prompted the Biden administration to consider declaring a national health emergency. The virus has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). To date, more than 18,000 cases have been reported in 75 countries.

As of July 25, there were 3,846 confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox in the United States, according to data published online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure, which comes amid an expansion of testing amid ongoing outbreaks of the virus, is now ahead of Spain, which has reported 3,105 cases so far. Germany and the United Kingdom, the two other countries with the highest number of infections, have reported 2,352 and 2,208 cases, respectively.

With cases rising in the United States, The Washington Post reported on July 25 that the Biden administration was considering declaring a public health emergency. The measure would allow the government to use federal funds to fight the pandemic, raise public awareness and better collect related health data. In addition, the administration is reportedly preparing to appoint a coordinator to oversee the government's response to White House monkeypox.

On July 21, 50 Democratic lawmakers sent an open letter to President Joe Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency and ship millions of doses to the United States from overseas manufacturing facilities. Although officials say gay and bisexual men and health care workers are most at risk so far, there is growing concern that the virus could spread to other populations.

On July 22, the first case of monkeypox in a child was confirmed in the United States. So far, the U.S. response to the virus has been plagued by a shortage of vaccines and a slow start to testing, leading some to compare the situation to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

In Washington, D.C., for example, officials warned that a "rapid increase in cases" combined with "very limited" vaccine supplies meant authorities had to prioritize high-risk residents. The city now has the highest total number of infections per capita, with 172 cases reported in the region. Most cases of monkeypox are mild, with initial symptoms including high fever, swollen lymph nodes and blisters, a varicella like rash or lesion. So far, no deaths from the virus have been reported in the United States.

Global Industry Assessment (2016-2021) and Forecast (2022-2028). According to the report, the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) industry was valued at USD 5,341.6 million in 2021 and is projected to be valued at USD 8,860.22 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.80% from 2022 to 2028.

Market analysis of qpcr no amplification

The increasing number of genetic diseases, targeted infectious disease events, and the increasing use of biomarker analysis for disease diagnosis, as well as the successful completion of the Human Genome Project are major factors driving the development of digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR. The same goes for qpcr no amplification.

Continuous advances in PCR technology, growing investments, funding, and grants are expected to increase the demand for digital PCR (dPCR) in the coming years. The growth in the incidence of targeted diseases globally is related to the validation efficiency of digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market analytics in the diagnosis and valuation of pathogenic microorganisms, which will drive the use of clinical diagnostic tests, including digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market analytics, It is expected to contribute to the growth of the qpcr no amplification market during the forecast period.

Application of qpcr no amplification

The most important applications of PCR are to amplify DNA, quantify it, or do both in the same reaction. In conventional PCR, the target DNA is amplified as more than one copy, because single or double DNA molecules are not sufficient for downstream analysis. However, gene measurements were not available using conventional PCR, so gene expression and nucleic acid measurements were not available using conventional PCR.

As the frequency of irresistible and persistent diseases continues to rise, as does the expanding R&D drive to create imaginative genomic approaches such as qPCR and dPCR, the developing qpcr no amplification business segment is being relied upon to provide great growth opportunities. Emerging countries are seeing the rapid modernization of health service offices and the development of qpcr no amplifications for health service frameworks.

The qpcr no amplification market forecast

Rely on North America to dominate the qpcr no amplification market, followed by Europe. The development of the qPCR and dPCR market in North America will be achieved by expanding the acceptance of creative and novel investigative projects (computatively advanced qPCR and dPCR projects), access to R&D funding for genomic research (combined with the region's strong examination base), growing the application of PCR procedures in clinical diagnostics and legal sciences, And compared with the qPCR/dPCR projects in different fields, the development of commercial qpcr no amplification.

The growing investment and availability of funds for PCR-based research and the increase in targeted infectious disease events are driving the growth of the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) markets.

The qpcr no amplification Challenges:

High equipment costs, especially for dPCR, and the emergence of PCR technology constraints are the major factors hindering the growth of the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market during the forecast period.

Due to the rapid development of economy, and increase the government's support for life science research, the aging of the population growth and the increase of incidence of genetic disorders, research the growth and the growth of the clinical trials, the asia-pacific region is expected to top the compound annual growth rate of growth in the region of the qpcr no amplification in the market, market demand is expected to increase the qpcr no amplification in the asia-pacific region.

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Freya the walrus has much to teach us about celebrity culture.

The 750 kilogram pile of blubber is a star in Norway thanks to her recent antics in Oslo harbour. Having wandered many miles from her Arctic Circle habitat, Freya became a social media sensation after footage went viral of her wrecking small boats in comedic style.

Hoping to enjoy an afternoon sunbathe, she would clamber aboard some Norse bank managers weekend pleasure craft and duly sink it under her massive girth. Naturally the general public found all this adorable, though the bank managers were not best pleased.

Freya illustrates that fame is not just about what is being done, but who is doing it. Dog bites man - not a story. Adorable walrus larks about in Oslo harbour  hold the front page.

The adventures of Freya came to mind while watching Kerry celebrate their All-Ireland success. Talk of a famine being over for the Kingdom provoked eye-rolls throughout the land. Everyone knows its not a famine unless Eamon de Valera was alive the last time you won and there is some sort of curse involved, ideally featuring a crazy priest or a banshee.

Still, though many wait to get an ingrown toenail removed longer than Kerry have waited for an All-Ireland, the joy of the young Kingdom stars warmed the heart. One by one they came forward to spill their happiness into microphones. On TV and radio programmes in the days afterward, they chatted amiably in the afterglow of success. A startling amount were carrying their nappy-clad offspring, testament to a lack of alternative night-time activities over the long Kerry winter.

What was striking about all this, the walrus-on-a-speedboat newsworthiness of it, was that here were intercounty players being relaxed, normal  themselves  in the national media. For example, as he gassed away on the Sunday Game, I realised that between his captains speech and various interviews, I had heard Sean OSheas voice more in one day than in his previous five seasons of inter-county stardom. This is one of Gaelic footballs biggest stars, not Greta Garbo.

They were all at it  Stephen OBrien, Graham OSullivan, David Moran, David Clifford, Tadhg Morley, Jack Savage and more, on various outlets and in print  all being funny and interesting and intelligent, displaying that traditional Kerry canniness shot through with a modern, self-aware sensibility. And it seemed a shame that it took a rare day of, ahem, famine-ending jubilation, for them to be allowed to share those personalities with the rest of us.

An intercounty star doing an interview may not be a sensation on the scale of a blubbery beast causing wreck in Oslo harbour, but things seem to be going that way. Those on the GAA media beat have bemoaned this season as the worst yet for access to players during the championship. The GPA expenses row, the tight turnaround between games and the hyper-sensitivity of managers to the dangers of loose talk have meant ever fewer interview opportunities with players.

Most previews to big games this summer featured disinterred stories from the past or old players taking up the slack, in the absence of fighting talk from the actual protagonists. To some, this is the kind of shop talk whinge that should be kept to the canteen, like the plumbers union complaining about a lack of spanners. But it means that there has never been a generation of GAA stars less known than this one. Thats despite there being more games being televised and more general GAA chit-chat to consume than ever before.

In some ways we have the mirror image of professional soccer, where people complain that there is too much confected controversy and too little proper tactical discussion. By contrast, in GAA you can listen to hours of podcasts dissecting kick-out strategies and deep-lying half-forwards, but you yearn for a managerial spat or some tittle-tattle from the camp. No wonder everyone went gaga over the Cody-Shefflin handshake affair.

Does any of this really matter? I am reminded of one of the Dublin footballers something-in-a-row celebration nights a few years back. As the victorious team spilled off the bus with Sam Maguire, I was accosted for a chat by a roaringly drunk member of the Dublin starting 15. Though he had a solid 20 hours boozing done at this stage, it was obvious that this fellow, who I had previously thought of as one of Darth Gavins faceless stormtroopers, was a thoroughly good chap with real human thoughts and emotions.

Of course, the fact that the wider Irish public was unaware that the Dubs squad was full of jolly banter-merchants didnt stop them harvesting a pile of All-Ireland medals. Same goes for the great Kilkenny hurling team, whose personalities were stored away during their glory years like some sort of dangerous radioactive material. So what if the fans dont really know the players. Dont big crowds at GAA matches speak to a product capable of selling itself?

Still, at a time when many are worried about the effect that shortening the intercounty season will have on the promotion of Gaelic games, surely the games themselves could be better promoted when they are actually on?

If the fear is that the GAA is acting like a cuckolded husband, clearing off in August and September to allow a batch of leering suitors have it away with the general public, then why not use their best asset  the players themselves  to better effect? Especially when the new championship arrangements mean there will be more games to talk about next year. There are only so many legends of the 1990s to go around.

So then, farewell stars of inter-county GAA, we hardly knew ye. Which is a shame, as most of you come across quite well. And while it will not be your main goal, if you are looking for some more media coverage next season, I hear theres a walrus in Norway whos an expert in these matters.
With businesses recently coming to rely on technology in ways we would never have foreseen, the Dell Technologies Forum is confirmed to take place in Dublin on September 27th with a focus on helping businesses uncover how emerging technologies can unlock new possibilities for growth.

The annual conference, which has been held virtually for the past two years, will return to an in-person experience at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

By engaging in breakout sessions, interactive experiences and connecting with technologists and industry experts, attendants will gain valuable insights focused on everything from multi-cloud strategy delivered as-a-service to modernised and secure technologies and enabling AI decision making at the edge.

Over the course of the event, a series of keynote speakers, including Jason Ward, Managing Director of Dell Technologies Ireland, will discuss some of the most exciting trends in the world of technology today.

Cyber resilience

With the new world of work changing the way we tackle cyber threats, Forum speakers will analyse the findings of this years Cyber Resilience Survey. Developed by Dell Technologies in partnership with the Executive Institute, the study seeks to understand the changing attitudes of business leaders towards cybersecurity and the steps taken by Irish businesses to enhance their cyber resilience in a data-driven era.

Among the key findings are that 69% of businesses believe hybrid working arrangements will increase the chances of a cyberattack or incident, with the vast majority of businesses surveyed  91%  taking steps to enhance data protection in the past 12 months.

As the link between digital and cyber resilience increases, attendees can expect to acquire key insights into the strategies businesses can adopt to navigate an evolving cyber threat landscape and how Dell Technologies can partner with organisations to support them on this journey.

APEX

The company will also be showcasing the innovations afforded by APEX  the companys breakthrough portfolio of as-a-service offerings that can help simplify digital transformation for businesses across Ireland and reduce costs by increasing IT agility and control.

With the launch of Apex Data Storage Services into the Irish market earlier this year, Forum is the ideal venue for Irish business leaders to learn more about how to harness the value of this as-a-service solution for their business.

Commenting on the launch of Dell Technologies Forum 2022, Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland said:

Over the past two years, we have witnessed first-hand the impact that technology has had in empowering businesses to achieve continued growth at a level we hadn't imagined before. But for organisations of any size to succeed into the future, theyll need to unlock the value of data at the edge and invest in new and emerging technologies.

The Dell Technologies Forum provides the opportunity to discuss how businesses can achieve this while gaining valuable insights into how they can manage and analyse data. We will also discuss how Dell Technologies is investing in different solutions, including APEX, multi-cloud environments and cybersecurity, to help ensure that companies can secure their data while gaining a competitive edge.

By accessing the insights and solutions from the team of experts at this years Dell Technologies Forum, leaders across Ireland can harness new growth opportunities, unlock the true value of data and accelerate the pace of digital transformation in 2022 and beyond.

Register now

The Dell Technologies Forum is run in partnership with Intel and Microsoft. For more information and to register for this free event, visit www.dell.com
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he does not want Boris Johnson to disappear after he stands down as British prime minister.

The Ukrainian President noted he has no right to interfere in the UKs domestic affairs, but claimed he would like Mr Johnson to be somewhere in politics in a position to be someone.

Mr Zelensky made his remarks during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where he appeared alongside his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska.

The interview will be aired in full on TalkTV tonight at 8pm.

On whether he would support a campaign to have Mr Johnson back as prime minister, Mr Zelensky told Piers Morgan: I have no right to play in politics inside the UK. What I can say is he is a big friend of Ukraine.

I want him to be somewhere in politics in a position to be someone.

I dont want him to disappear, but the decision is in the hands of the British people.

But I am sure that whatever position he is going to take, he is always going to be with Ukraine. This is from the heart.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Ukrainian Presidential Press)

Mr Zelensky was also asked about Tory leadership hopefuls Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss and what message he would like to send them.

He said: What can I say? I would be happy to cooperate very closely like we used to have with Boris.

The same close relationship with the UK and Ukraine.

I know those two candidates are very respectful, and they have the support of the people and the society from the UK.

We know about this support. We know about the positive strength of those leaders. We would be happy to cooperate with whoever is elected as leader.

I used to have contact with Liz Truss. Whoever is the leader, the highest level of support will be provided from the Ukraine.
Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) and African First Ladies announced Call for Applications for 2 new categories of Fashion Awards: Merck Foundation FASHION AWARDS More Than a Mother 2022 to address issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and Women Empowerment at all levels; Merck Foundation FASHION AWARDS 2022 Diabetes & Hypertension to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes & Hypertension.

Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany announced the Winners of Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2021 in partnership with African First Ladies who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign. Winners were announced for the following Awards:

Merck Foundation FASHION AWARDS More Than a Mother 2021 the theme for which was to deliver strong and influential messages about Breaking Infertility stigma, Empowering Girls and Women through Education at all levels

Merck Foundation Make your own Mask Fashion Awards 2021 the theme for which was to create designs that display messages to encourage people to wear masks to show they and to protect themselves and their loved ones from the ongoing coronavirus global health issue

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, President of More than a Mother campaign emphasized, I am extremely happy and proud to announce the winners of Merck Foundation FASHION AWARDS More Than a Mother 2021 and Merck Foundation Make your own Mask Fashion Awards 2021, together with my dear sisters the African First Ladies. Big congratulations to our 21 winners, I loved all the designs they sent us and I appreciate their creativity. I also welcome them to our newly established Fashion with Purpose community, as I strongly believe that Fashion and Art play a significant role in raising awareness about health and sensitive social topics and can bring about a culture shift in Africa.

The Winners from Ghana were personally awarded by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej during her visit to Ghana. She will also be awarding the winners of Zambia during her upcoming visit to the country.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej also included the winners of past editions of Merck Foundation Fashion Awards More Than a Mother on Our Africa by Merck Foundation, a TV program to raise awareness on critical social and health issues through the Fashion with Purpose Community. The TV program is also being broadcasted on KTN, Kenya and NTV, Uganda, LNTV, Liberia, and also posted on all social media channels of Merck Foundation and of KTN, NTV, GH One TV and LNTV.

Merck Foundation FASHION AWARDS More Than a Mother 2021

Here is the list of Award Winners: GHANA

Solace Akos Sakah

Linda Mensah

Destinee Mouanda Biyeri

Pwatani Theresa

David Kwabena Appaih

Catherine NatangNAMIBIA

Ngatendwe Hope Gowera

Siuna Birindwa Genese

Rebecca Uukongo

Risto Elizabeth

Joel Musasa NIGERIA

Blessing Dangom

Elamah Ahmat

Adebayo Adedotun Promise ZAMBIA

Kasonde Makangila

Gibstar Makangila jr ZIMBABWE

Chewe Manase

Merck Foundation Make your own Mask Fashion Awards 2021 ZAMBIA

Tepwanji Mpetemoya & Mwiche Songolo

Linda Ngwira MAURITIUS

Neerooa Aalia Bibi Firdaus

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, We have announced Call for Applications for two Fashion Awards of Merck Foundation, this year.

The First one is Merck Foundation Fashion Awards More Than a Mother 2022, announced in partnership with African First Ladies. All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM and/or Stopping GBV at all levels.

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Interview Families Take Pride in Executed Loved Ones Sacrifice

From left Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw.

For the first time since their arrests in August and November last year respectively, 88 Generation student leader and pro-democracy veteran Ko Jimmy and former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw were allowed to speak to relatives through video conferencing at Insein Prison in Yangon last Friday.

They did not know it would be their last meeting. They happily greeted their long-time separated loved ones and asked what to bring next time.

Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, asked his mother to bring books, including English dictionaries, novels and reading glasses.

But he will never receive them. In less than 24 hours, the two were taken to the gallows without notification and hanged.

The two prominent activists, both of whom were popular with the public for their democratic activism, were arrested in August and November last year and sentenced to death in January by a closed military tribunal for their resistance to the regime.

Ko Jimmy, 53, is survived by a 15-year-old daughter and his wife, Ma Nilar Thein, who was herself an 88 Generation Student leader. Ma Nilar Thein is in hiding.

Two other activists who were hanged at the weekend, were Ko Hla Myo Aung, 41, and Ko Aung Thura Zaw, 27. Both from Yangons Hlaing Tharyar Township were executed for killing a woman accused of being a junta informant.

The families were told to keep a low profile and not to hold public funerals, according to sources.

On Wednesday, the homes of Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw were attacked by pro-regime thugs who denounced the two men for their anti-junta activities.

Below family members of the activists, who are regarded by the public as heroes in the struggle for democracy, tell The Irrawaddy how they found out about the deaths, their last meetings and their response to the hangings.

Daw Khin Win May, mother of Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw

Dr. Khin Win May said she was allowed to see her son for the first time since his arrest in November last year on Friday evening through video conferencing but only for 20 minutes.

It was our first meeting but I didnt know that it was our last too. He asked me to bring books, dictionaries and reading glasses next time. I told him that I could not bring those books from our home as it has been sealed off and that I would buy them. He said he was in good health and told us to take care.

The prison authorities then read out details about when he was arrested and sentenced and that appeals were rejected in February and May and the sentence would be carried out, she said.

Dr. Khin Win May was told she would be alerted before the execution.

On Monday, she was planning to go to Insein Prison to give her son money when she heard about the execution.

She asked the time of the execution so she could perform a Buddhist funeral ritual for him. The prison authorities only told her to look in the newspapers. His body or ashes were denied her.

I dont blame my son for what he did. He did it with good intentions and I am proud of him that he sacrificed his life for the country. We will do good deeds for him so that he can have better existence in the next life.

Thazin Nyunt Aung, wife of Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw

I complained that they should have alerted us about the execution and we had a right to know. And we want the bodies back. But they refused to return his body even though his mother pleaded. We were only allowed to see him on Friday, eight months after his arrest. And they announced executions on Monday. I ask the international community, ASEAN and all foreign embassies what they would do in response. I want to know that. It is the worst form of human rights violation.

They will have to pay for their wicked crimes. We will have to move on alone. This incident is awful but it must not harm our revolution.

Daw Myint Myint Than, mother of Ko Aung Thura Zaw

Daw Myint Myint Than said she was so happy to see her son on Saturday without knowing that that would be the last time.

I thought he would be scrawny but he had put on weight. I was relieved. He asked me to include toothpaste, toothbrush and shoes in my next package, she said.

I had toothpaste and toothbrush with me and said I will come soon with money and shoes.

Daw Myint Myint Than asked the prison authorities to alert her about any developments.

However, like the other families, she found out about the executions on Monday.

Ko Aung Thura Zaw never met his baby who was born after his arrest. His mother said the prison authorities said they would allow him to meet his wife and nine-month-old baby on Friday.

Daw Myint Myint Than could not see or collect her sons body.

She is proud of her son. I am overwhelmed by sorrow, which is unbearable. But I am proud of him for what he sacrificed.

I wanted to see his body. I want to hold a Buddhist funeral for him, she said.

Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Aung Thura Zaw were allowed to see their families for the last time but Ko Hla Myo Aung was not, according to his father-in-law U Myint Oo.

At the time he was arrested, his wife, son and mother-in-law were also arrested. His son and mother-in-law were released a month later. His wife was sentenced to three years in prison and is at Kyaikmaraw Prison in Mon State.

At first he was held in Taungoo Prison. From there he was sent to Insein after the execution orders were confirmed. We went to Insein three times and every time, we were told that he was not there. We were not informed about his death. We could not see him for the last time before his execution, he said.

Family members went to Insein on Monday to confirm the execution but could not see the body.

U Myint Oo said: I hope similar things do not happen to others. I dont want to see executions of others who are on death row. I pray for them to be free, he said.

Ko Jimmys wife Nilar Thein told Radio Free Asia on Monday that she views the executions as extrajudicial, unfair and blatant murder.

They have to pay for everything they have done, the bereaved wife said. He remained loyal to the revolution and the people until his last breath. He wrote his own history that will never die. Ko Jimmy will never die. They are heroes that will live forever in our hearts and the hearts of all the people. We will not hold a funeral for him, Ma Nilar Thein told the broadcaster.
Burma After Executions, Myanmar Anti-Regime Forces Issue Joint Vow to Topple Junta

NUG Acting President Duwa Lashi La visits frontline resistance troops in Myanmar on May 24.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG), ethnic armed groups and National League for Democracy (NLD) declared in unison that the endgame to uproot the fascist military had begun, in a joint statement released a day after the junta announced the hangings of four detained pro-democracy activists.

In an unprecedented joint announcement on Tuesday, the NUG, its parliamentary body the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, along with the Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Chin National Front (CNF), All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) and National League for Democracy (NLD), vowed to fight the regime on all fronts and by all means, unremittingly and with unity.

The seven leading groups said the announcement signaled that the final phase of the peoples revolution against the regime had begun. Besides the groups, several Peoples Defense Force groups and other ethnic armed forces also announced that they will escalate the fight against the regime to ensure the revolution succeeds as soon as possible.

Missing from the list were two of Myanmars other powerful ethnic armed groups, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Arakan Army (AA). Despite the absence of their names from the statement, both armies have assisted and fought along with resistance groups against the regime.

The junta on Monday announced that it had carried out the hangings of veteran democracy activist Ko Jimmy, former NLD lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Aung Thura Zaw and Ko Hla Myo Aung, for masterminding and being involved in the anti-regime armed struggle and related activities.

In Tuesdays joint statement, the groups said the juntas hangings of political prisoners were terrorist murders that were in total violation of the countrys laws.

It is yet another unforgivable crime committed by the fascist military, which has brashly been committing killings daily since the time Mya Thwet Thwet Khine [a 19-year-old peaceful protester] was shot in the head in Naypyitaw on Feb 9, 2021, and yet another reaffirmation of the brutal crimes long committed against the ethnic minorities, they said.

We hereby call on all political parties, revolutionary forces, and all those at home and abroad to cooperate with us and unitedly root out this fascist system, the statement reads.

The groups also called on foreign countries and international organizations to take concrete action against the terrorist regime, saying it has continually proved its determination to reject peaceful solutions, and called for practical support for the people of Myanmar and revolutionary forces.

The Myanmar junta has killed at least 2,123 people including children, students, activists, elected lawmakers, medics and peaceful protesters in its terror campaign against the entire population and arrested more than 148,000 people as of July 26, according to rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The countrys elected leaders State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, chief ministers and Union ministers of the ousted civilian government have been detained by the junta since the coup.
Burma Medicine Shortages in Myanmar as Junta Controls US Dollar

A drug store in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

The Myanmar regimes foreign currency restrictions are being blamed for increasing medicinal shortages.

The regime last week told pharmaceutical importers that they will only receive an import license if they buy US dollars at the official rate as drug prices rise and stocks decline.

Traders are suffering as their US dollar earnings are converted to kyats at 1,850 per dollar at the rate set by the junta-controlled Central Bank of Myanmar in April. But they have to pay around 2,500 kyats per dollar on the market.

Importers are making losses due to the regimes policy. It means the price of medicines will continue to rise, said a distributor.

Prices have increased up to 25 percent this month. Medicines for chronic diseases like high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, antibiotics for lung problems and diabetes are now unavailable in Yangon.

Even the private hospitals have run out of some drugs, a North Dagon Township resident told The Irrawaddy.

My doctor told me to buy medicines for two months but the pharmacy can only sell for one week, she said.

Most other pharmacies are out of stock, she said.

A hepatitis B sufferer said medicine prices had doubled by June.

If I dont take it every day, I might get liver cancer. However, I am not worried about the shortage. It is better to die than to deal with the problems in the country, said the resident.

Biogesic and decolgen prices have risen from 30 to 60 percent, according to a pharmacist.

Covid cases are also rising and the junta-controlled Ministry of Health announced 83 new patients between July 23 to 26, up from 43 before July 23. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the numbers.

COVID-19 might become more serious than last year due to medicine shortages, a general practitioner in Yangon told The Irrawaddy.

Last July panic buying of medicines increased prices during a coronavirus outbreak but prices fell rapidly afterward.

Pharmacists predict this years shortages will be a long-term trend because of the juntas dollar controls.

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Burma Myanmar Junta Says Executed Prisoners Deserved Many Death Sentences

Junta spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun / AFP

YANGONMyanmars junta lashed out Tuesday against international condemnation of the countrys first use of capital punishment in decades, saying the four executed prisonerstwo of them prominent democracy fightersdeserved many death sentences.

The executions announced Monday sparked condemnation from around the globe, heightened fears that more will follow and prompted calls for sterner international measures against the already-isolated junta.

But the military authorities were defiant, with spokesman Zaw Min Tun insisting the men were given the right to defend themselves according to court procedure.

If we compare their sentence with other death penalty cases, they have committed crimes for which they should have been given death sentences many times, he said at a regular press briefing in the capital Naypyitaw.

They harmed many innocent people. There were many big losses which could not be replaced.

The prisoners, who included a former lawmaker from ousted civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis party, had been allowed to meet family members through videoconferencing, he said, without providing details.

The regimes foreign ministry said it rejects in the strongest terms criticism doled out by international powers including the UN, EU, US and former colonial ruler Britain.

Such concerns and criticisms on the Myanmar governments legal actions could be tantamount to interfering in the internal affairs of the country and indirectly abetting terrorism, the ministry said in a statement.

Extremely troubled

Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD), was arrested in November and accused of orchestrating several attacks on regime forces, including a gun attack on a commuter train in Yangon that killed five policemen.

He was sentenced to death in January for offenses under anti-terrorism laws.

Democracy activist Ko Kyaw Min Yubetter known as Ko Jimmyreceived the same sentence from the military tribunal.

The junta had previously issued an arrest warrant, alleging he had incited unrest with his social media posts.

It would be up to prison authorities to decide whether their families would be permitted to retrieve their bodies, Zaw Min Tun said.

The two other men were sentenced to death for killing a woman they alleged was an informer for the junta in Yangon.

The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of its crackdown on dissent after seizing power last year, but Myanmar had not carried out an execution in decades.

After a chorus of international condemnation on Monday, there was fresh criticism of the junta on Tuesday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, which has led diplomatic efforts to end the crisis, said it was extremely troubled and deeply saddened by the executions.

In a statement issued by current chair Cambodia, it accused the junta of a gross lack of will to engage with ASEANs efforts to facilitate dialogue between the military and its opponents.

In Bangkok, hundreds of people staged a noisy protest outside the Myanmar Embassy.

Some held photos of Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as they chanted We want democracy.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah slammed the executions, calling them a crime against humanity.

He called for a review of the so-called Five-Point Consensus agreed by Southeast Asian leaders last year aimed at defusing the political crisis in Myanmar following a coup.

A spokesperson from the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Thailandanother ASEAN membersaid it regretted the loss of four lives which aggravates the vexing problems of Myanmar.
Burma Myanmar Regime Troops Kill Child and Resistance Leader in Sagaing Region

Khin-U PDF members escorting an anti-regime protest at a village in Khin-U Township, Sagaing Region. / CJ

A Peoples Defense Force (PDF) leader who tried to save a wounded child was killed by Myanmar junta forces along with the injured boy on Tuesday in Khin-U Township, Sagaing Region.

On Tuesday morning, 13-year-old Mg Khant Khant Nyein was wounded in his chest and arm when 80 regime soldiers opened fire on the residential areas of Magyi Oak Village in the west of Khin-U Township, according to local PDFs.

A Khin-U PDF representative told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that U Htay, 52, a leader of the villages resistance group, was shot dead while he was driving the injured boy to the nearest safe place for medical treatment along with the boys mother and another villager.

After encountering the regime sentries, the PDF leader was shot dead while the boys mother was beaten by the regime forces. The injured boy died later after being thrown into the irrigation canal, the Khin-U PDF representative said.

The other villager in the vehicle managed to escape. Junta troops seized the vehicle, as well as cash and cell phones from the victims.

The boys father said on Wednesday on his Facebook: My dear son, never come back to this inhumane country if you have other options.

Around 5,000 residents from five nearby villages were forced to flee their homes because of the junta raid.

On Wednesday morning, the same military regime soldiers were ambushed with eight land mines by local PDFs while raiding another village.

Khin-U PDF said that at least 12 regime troops were killed in the ambush.

Junta soldiers also torched houses during a raid on Latpan Hla Village in Khin-U on Wednesday.

With regime forces under daily attack from resistance groups and ethnic armed organizations nationwide, junta soldiers are increasingly committing atrocities including burning people alive, arbitrary killings of civilians, using civilian detainees as human shields, air and artillery strikes on residential areas, looting and burning down houses and acts of sexual violence.

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Myanmar Juntas Executions Unforgivable

Myanmar Regimes Execution of Democracy Activists Condemned at Home and Abroad

Executed Myanmar Democracy Activists Mother Recalls Last Meeting
Burma Pro-Junta Mobs Attack Homes of Executed Myanmar Democracy Activists

Pro-regime thugs in front of the apartment of the parents of recently executed democracy activist Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw in downtown Yangon on Wednesday.

The homes of recently executed pro-democracy activists Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw were attacked on Wednesday by mobs of pro-regime thugs who denounced the two men for their anti-junta activities.

The apartment of Ko Phyo Zeya Thaws parents in Bo Aung Kyaw Street in downtown Yangon was pelted with stones and other projectiles by nearly a dozen junta-backed thugs on Wednesday afternoon. They cursed the executed activists parents.

In a video shared by pro-junta groups they can be seen hurling projectiles at the apartment and condemning the lawmakers mother, Daw Khin Win May, for telling the media she was proud of her son following his execution.

She confirmed to The Irrawaddy that their apartment was under attack.

The regime executed Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, another democracy activist, Ko Jimmy, and two other men during the weekend after sentencing them to death under the counter-terrorism law for masterminding the armed struggle against the regime and being involved in anti-junta activities. The world has condemned the hangings.

On Wednesday, pro-regime Telegram channels said people against of violence perpetrated the attack and shared the video online.

A mob also gathered in front of the house of the late Ko Jimmy in Yangons Insein Township on Wednesday, hurling stones at the building while denouncing him for his anti-regime activism.

Pro-junta groups on social media shared a video of the attack and called it a demonstration by people who want peace and against violence.

The attacks came one day after the regimes spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said at a press conference that those executed were not democracy activists, but killers deserving of their punishment.

They have committed crimes for which they should have been given death sentences many times, said Zaw Min Tun.

In response to the international condemnations of the executions, the regimes Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that it protested in the strongest terms on the statements issued by certain countries and regional/international organizations.

The Ministry cautions that such concerns and criticisms on the Myanmar governments legal actions could be tantamount to interfering the internal affairs of the country and indirectly abetting terrorism, it said.

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From Left to Right: Galon U Saw, Salai Tin Maung Oo, Captain Ohn Kyaw Myint, Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Hla Myo Aung, Ko Aung Thura Zaw

The hangings of 88 Generation student leader and pro-democracy veteran Ko Jimmy, former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw have marked another horrendous entry in the grim history of executions in Myanmar.

Last Friday, July 22, Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw were allowed to speak to their relatives for the first time since their arrest via video conferencing at Yangons Insein Prison. They didnt know that it was to be their last meeting with their families.

Their relatives were not told about the planned executions, even though prison authorities had promised that they would be alerted before the men were taken to the gallows.

They were hanged over the weekend, the first executions in Myanmar in over three decades. Their family members learned about the executions only after junta-controlled media reported the news on Monday.

When their relatives asked the prison authorities for confirmation that the death sentences had been carried out, they were disrespectfully told to check the newspapers. When they asked if they could collect their corpses or ashes, they were told that there is no such tradition or law. The family members were also not informed exactly when the men were executed.

The prison manual allows relatives to visit prisoners on death row before their execution and to ask for the return of their bodies. The manual says that only if relatives or friends of the executed prisoner do not ask for the corpse, should prison authorities carry out the funeral. But in the case of Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and the other two men, the family members were not allowed to retrieve their bodies, a decision made by the junta and passed onto the prison authorities.

In modern Myanmar history, only two political prisoners had been hanged by previous regime until the executions of Ko Jimmy and the others. They were army captain Ohn Kyaw Myint and student leader Salai Tin Maung Oo.

The hanging of ethnic Chin student leader Salai Tin Maung Oo, along with executions of Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw, occurred under military rule and can be described as both extrajudicial killings and grave human rights violations.

Salai Tin Maung Oo was hanged on June 26, 1976 at the age of 25 for his opposition to the rule of General Ne Win. His body was not returned to his family. The then military regime also detained his parents and three siblings along with him in Insein Prison, so he was at least able to see them.

His parents were allowed to meet him the day before his execution, but they were not told by the prison authorities about the impending execution. Immediately after their final meeting, his parents were moved to other prisons. Salai Tin Maung Oos body was cremated immediately after he was hanged.

Captain Ohn Kyaw Myint was hanged in 1978 for his part in a plot to topple General Ne Wins regime. He was executed without his familys knowledge. Nor was his wife, who had regularly visited him in Insein, informed that the execution was going ahead, according to Daw Aung San Suu Kyis aide U Win Htein, who was then an army captain and had also been charged for withholding information about the plot.

However, prison authorities said the family was alerted about the captains execution, and his body was handed over to the wife and a funeral arranged at Yangons Kyan Taw Cemetery.

In the history of executions in Myanmar, dictators have never shown any sympathy towards the bereaved families.

But current coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has set a new, infamous low for treating the families of the executed with disdain. Far from returning the bodies, he didnt even tell the relatives the exact date of the executions, which made it difficult for the families to perform the Buddhist funeral rites.

It is a traditional custom for Buddhists to offer meals and other offerings to monks on the seventh day after the death of a relative.

Min Aung Hlaings cruelty has drawn condemnation around the world.

These reprehensible acts of violence further exemplify the regimes complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law, said United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement about the executions.

The regimes sham trials and these executions are blatant attempts to extinguish democracy; these actions will never suppress the spirit of the brave people of Myanmar, he added.
Commentary Myanmar Junta Chief Motivated Only by Cruelty and Revenge

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Two weeks ago, Myanmars murderer-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was in Russia with two high-profile Buddhist monks to consecrate a pagoda at the Ethnomir cultural center in Kaluga near Moscow. Since last years military coup, the general has spent much of his time trying to demonstrate that he is a ruler who will protect and preserve Buddhism. At home, his priorities include building a Buddha statuetouted as the worlds biggest sitting Buddha imageand hoisting Hti ornamental umbrellas at pagodas. But this flurry of religious activity has done little to hide the deepening turmoil sparked by his coup. Daily, the country descends deeper into its multiple crises, and Min Aung Hlaings soldiers continue to commit atrocities.

While he would have us believe he is a devout and good Buddhist, a week after the Russia visit he ordered the executions of four activists, including two prominent figures.

Prior to last weekends executions, physicians examined the four condemned convicts. Two of the inmates had for decades been high-profile figures in Myanmars nonviolent democracy struggle, but after the coup had been arrested and accused of terrorist acts including mine and urban guerrilla attacks. Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a former member of Parliament for the National League for Democracy, and Ko Kyaw Min Yu, 53, better known as Ko Jimmy, was a well-known activist. Both had already spent time as political prisoners under the previous military regime.

The other two were little known: Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw were accused of murdering a woman they believed to be an informant for the regime. Early this year, they were charged and tried by a military court under an anti-terrorism law and sentenced to death. None of the four received a fair and public trial.

Last week, the physicians who examined the prisoners reportedly concluded that they were not to fit to hang. Nevertheless, the executions went ahead. The order to proceed came from none other than Min Aung Hlaing.

The coup leader even sent trusted officers from Naypyitaw to oversee the executions to make sure they were carried out in secrecy. Lt Gen Soe Htut, minister for Home Affairs, reportedly supervised the execution.

With the executions, Min Aung Hlaing might have impressed his hardcore coup supporters in the military, but otherwise the act has shocked the entire nation and surprised governments in the region and beyond.

In a letter last month, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the current chairman of ASEAN, appealed to the junta leader not to execute Ko Kyaw Min Yu and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw.

Min Aung Hlaing and his officers ignored the appeal from Hun Senone of the few leaders in the region who seemed inclined to help him and his regime gain legitimacychoosing instead to kill his hostages. What is going on in his mind that he thought he could achieve anything from this heinous act?

Far from being persuaded to show restraint, Min Aung Hlaing in fact hardened his stance.

Since the coup, the regime has deployed a strategy of annihilation, conducting clearance operations against both the armed opposition and the civilian population.

In June, the junta chief sent detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose elected government he ousted, from house arrest to solitary confinement in a prison in Naypyitaw. ( Ko Zeya Thaw was close to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and accompanied her on her first trip to China in 2015. She has learned about his execution, which is believed to have been intended in part as a message to her, an attempt to break her spirit. A regime-friendly social media post even celebrated that Suu Kyis little husband had been hanged.)

Min Aung Hlaing has also tightened his grip on the country, sending jet fighters and helicopters to attack resistance forces and civilian areas. He and his regime seem to have little interest in winning the hearts and minds of the population.

Or were the executions a desperate move by the junta to show strength?

Like psychopaths, Min Aung Hlaing and some of his commanders seem to believe that showing brute force and sowing terror are the only ways to deal with the people and regime opponents.

However, they will never win. The executions will backfire, as he has simply poured more fuel onto the fire of opposition to his regime.

The junta does not seem to worry or care much about consequences. Overnight, the four executed prisoners have become revolutionary heroes, and Min Aung Hlaing has gained zero. Perhaps he is motivated solely by personal hatred for the democratic opposition? If so, this is the revenge he has long been waiting for.

With the military having enjoyed legal impunity in Myanmar for decades, the regime, like its predecessors, feels free to commit mass atrocities, human rights violations, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests and detention.

The fear is that the weekends executions wont be the last; dozens of Myanmar citizens have been sentenced to death since the coup.

The junta spokesman told a news conference in the capital, Naypyidaw, We proceeded with the laws to keep the stability of the country in line with the rule of law.

Striking a defiant note, he said the four were sentenced legally by the courts, adding: I will repeat that their acts should be sentenced to death multiple times.

Min Aung Hlaing knows he can get away with crimes. Before the coup, he famously said, There is nothing I dare not do.

He and his commanders know the outcry and condemnation from abroad will soon subside.

Last year, I encountered a mid-ranking military officer who scoffed at the international condemnation and protests in Myanmar against the coup.

Referring to the international condemnation and protests, he said that they can shout and scream if they want, but they will get tired and exhausted; then they will quieten down.

The US said there can be no business as usual with the junta following its execution of the four democracy activists, adding that all options were on the table as it considered further measures to punish the regime.

In reality, though, Min Aung Hlaing is feeling little pressure. If he did, he wouldnt order such cruel and cowardly executions. As former US ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel put it, after Cambodias Khmer Rouge, the Myanmar regime is the worst Southeast Asia has known.

US sanctions might have been tightened, but Min Aung Hlaing still believes he has friends and allies he can count on, including Russia, China, India and Japan, as well as Thailand and some others in the Southeast Asia region. He knows the international community is full of hypocrites.

No doubt Min Aung Hlaing was glad to hear from his subordinates that the executions were carried out successfully. But what did Kyaw Min Yu and Zeya Thaw utter as their last words? Along with their goodbyes to their families, perhaps they also cursed Min Aung Hlaing and the failure of ASEAN and all the other hypocrites.

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Une 23e seance qui sera consacree a la Private Notice Question et au Private Members Motions avec les vacances dhiver et pour le Finnace Bill, il faudra passer.

Ce sera la reprise des debats sur la notion de Johanne Tour sur lutilisation des voitures electriques qui va ouvrir les echanges apres la demi-heure consacree aux reponses a la PNQ de Xavier-Luc Duval.

1. Announcements

2. Papers

3. Question

4. Private Members Motionbr> (No. 1) The Honourable Third Member for Port Louis North and Montagne Longue (Ms Tour)br> This Assembly resolves that Government should continue its efforts to encourage the use of electric vehicles in Mauritius. (Resumption of Debate)

(No. 2) The Honourable Second Member for Vacoas and Floreal (Mr Bodha)

This Assembly resolves that, a National Crisis Committee be set up with the participation of experts to design a new roadmap for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of the emergence of new variants and in the light of the experience gathered since the outbreak of the pandemic in Mauritius in March 2020.

(No. 3) The Honourable Third Member for Mahebourg and Plaine Magnien (Mr Doolub)

This Assembly welcomes the reopening of our borders to international travelers and supports measures taken by Government to relaunch tourism and resolves that it will continue to protect employment and safeguard livelihood in the travel and hospitality sector.

(No. 4) The Honourable Second Member for Port Louis Maritime and Port Louis East (Mr Abbas Mamode)

This Assembly resolves that, in the prevailing context, opinion leaders should refrain from making statements such as to undermine trust in the democratic institutions of the Republic of Mauritius and tarnish the countrys image and reputation abroad.

(No. 5) The Honourable First Member for Port Louis Maritime and Port Louis East (Mr Shakeel Mohamed) (Under suspension pursuant to Standing Orders 48 and 49 of the Standing Orders and Rules of the National Assembly (1995))

This Assembly resolves that, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, headed by the Minister, has completely mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic since last year and, as such, the Minister should take full responsibility for same and step down as Minister.

(No. 6) The Honourable First Member for La Caverne and Phoenix (Mr Lobine)

This Assembly resolves that, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation, a Select Committee be set up to be chaired by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, to be known as the Cross-Party COVID-19 Pandemic Response Committee, consisting of eleven members, six of whom shall be members from the Opposition, to consider, inquire and report to the House on matters relating to Governments management and response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other matters related thereto.

(No. 7) The Honourable Third Member for Port Louis South and Port Louis Central (Dr Aumeer) This Assembly resolves that, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation since its outbreak in Mauritius in March 2020 and the high COVID-19 death toll among Mauritian Citizens, a Fact-Finding Committee be set up to look into the whole preparedness, response and management of the said pandemic in Mauritius. (No. 8) The Honourable Fourth Member for Port Louis Maritime and Port Louis East (Mr Juman)

This Assembly resolves that, in view of the alleged mismanagement of public funds under Emergency Procurement since the first confinement in March 2020 to date which necessitate emergency supply of medical equipment and drugs to cater for the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic, a Commission of Inquiry be set up to inquire therein and on matters related thereto.

(No. 9) The Honourable Third Member for Flacq and Bon Accueil (Mr Nuckcheddy)

This Assembly resolves that, in the light of the implementation of the Road Master Plan announced by Government and of the Light Rail Project connecting Port Louis to Curepipe, which is being extended to other parts of the country, the Road Decongestion Programme should be implemented through one single blueprint using a holistic approach.

(No. 10) The Honourable Third Member for Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle (Ms Ramyad)

This Assembly is of opinion that, in the light of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 25 February 2019 on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/295 of 22 May 2019 and of the judgment of the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea of 28 January 2021, the Government of Mauritius should pursue its efforts to ensure that the United Kingdom complies with the international law and terminates its unlawful administration of the Chagos Archipelago to allow the complete decolonisation of the Republic of Mauritius.

(No. 11) The Honourable Third Member for Vacoas and Floreal (Mr Ittoo)

This Assembly is of opinion that, digitalisation and innovation being key for Mauritius to step up to the next level of development, a Task Force comprising of stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology industry from the public and private sectors should be set up to come up with recommendations and a roadmap to allow Mauritius position itself as a regional Information and Communications Technology hub.

(No. 12) The Honourable Third Member for Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle (Ms Ramyad)

This Assembly resolves that, since the COVID-19 pandemic may have a lasting impact on the socio-economic conditions of developing countries, in particular, vulnerable countries, including the Small Islands Developing States, our diplomacy should continue to advocate for a fair, transparent and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments worldwide to ensure their prompt socio-economic recovery.

(No. 13) The Honourable Third Member for Curepipe and Midlands (Mr Dhunoo)

This Assembly resolves that, in the light of the recent trade agreements signed by the Republic of Mauritius, including, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with the Republic of India and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Peoples Republic of China, Government should create the appropriate environment and synergies with a view to providing enhanced opportunities for the business community in Mauritius to be able to take maximum advantage thereof, together with their counterparts in the relevant countries.

(No. 14) The Honourable Second Member for Savanne and Black River (Mrs Mayotte)

This House is of opinion that, following the removal of Mauritius by the Financial Action Task Force from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, the Assembly resolves that the Government of Mauritius should pursue its sustained effort to strengthen its position as an international financial center of repute by further implementing Anti-money Laundering/Combating Terrorist Financing measures.

(No. 15) The Honourable Second Member for Grand Baie and Poudre dOr

(Dr Gungapersad) (Under suspension pursuant to Standing Orders 48 and 49 of the Standing Orders and Rules of the National Assembly (1995)) This Assembly resolves that, in view of the mayhem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the COVID-19 death toll and casualties among the population, a Commission of Inquiry be set up to inquire into the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues since its outbreak in Mauritius.

(No. 16) The Honourable Second Member for Port Louis North and Montagne Longue (Mrs Luchmun Roy)

This Assembly resolves that Government should carry out an assessment of the demand for social housing in Mauritius and embark upon an accelerated programme of construction thereof to meet same.

(No. 17) The Honourable Third Member for Grand River North West and Port Louis West (Mr Armance)

That this Assembly resolves that, in view of the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic and the clear and present damage facing our citizens, a Select Committee be appointed to consider all matters relating thereto, including the quality of the information provided to the public, the state of our health services, latest medicines and medical treatment available, social distancing measures and border control.

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South Africa: DMRE welcomes international petroleum product price reduction

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

South Africa recorded 521 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the total to 4 003 502. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng reported 238 new infections, followed by 97 in the Western Cape, 79 in KwaZulu-Natal, 43 in the Eastern Cape, 21 in Mpumalanga and 20 in the North West. Meanwhil... See more
Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ChinaMy dream is to travel all over China

By Mao Li, Wu Zhengdan (People's Daily Overseas Edition) 10:21, July 27, 2022

Francois Nkuna Balumuene, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to China (Haiwainet/Lu Ningyuan)

I want to go to Shanghai for a week to visit the business and financial sector there. I also want to go to Guangzhou, where many DRC people do business. I also want to go to the major agricultural provinces to learn about China's advanced agricultural technology. China is a big producer of cars, so I also want to visit the major car-making provinces... My dream is to travel all over China, Francois Nkuna Balumuene, the DRC Ambassador to China recently gave a long list of wishes in an interview with People's Daily Overseas Edition. He said that it is an important task for him as an ambassador to deeply understand China's development and bring China's experience back to the DRC.

"The dynamic zero-COVID approach" is responsible to the people

Balomouene arrived in China in February this year to take office. He visited China for the first time in 2008. Talking about China's changes, Balomouene repeatedly expressed his admiration. He was impressed by what he saw on his journey from Shanghai to Beijing by high-speed train. There was almost no wasteland along the way. What you saw were bustling cities, large factories, high-rise buildings, highways, railways and power facilities everywhere. These are signs of development.

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, which Balumuene praised, is China's historical leap from a large country to a strong one in the field of transportation. From 2012 to the end of 2021, China's railways and highways have increased around 1.1 million kilometers, equivalent to 27.5 times the Earth's equator. High-speed railways and highways have covered more than 95 percent of the cities with a population of over 200,000. "The speed of infrastructure development in China is astonishing. The efforts of the Chinese people are admirable and they deserve to be a role model for other countries and regions," Balumuene said.

Balumuene is very optimistic about China's economic prospects. He said that strong productivity is an important manifestation of China's strong economic resilience. China boasts its products of various categories and grades and sells them all over the world. China's economy plays a critical role in the world economy. At present, China is an important engine for the world economic recovery.

Balumuene believes that it is the right choice for China to insist on coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic development. According to China's epidemic prevention regulations, I take nucleic acid tests on time. Balumuene said that "the dynamic zero-COVID approach" is responsible to the people and the effect is obvious to all. It can eliminate the negative impact of the epidemic on economic and social development to the maximum extent within a short period of time, rather than leaving the development affected by the epidemic. Recently, China's manufacturing enterprises have accelerated the pace of resuming work and production, which is a positive signal for revitalizing the world economy.

The 25th Chinese peacekeeping medical detachment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visited the International SOS Children's Village in Bukavu for International Children's Day. (Photo/Li Xiaolong)

Looking forward to deepening cooperation with China

China's steady development has benefited a wide variety of African countries, including the DRC. Balumuene feels deeply about this: The DRC has great expectations for promoting its own development by deepening cooperation with China.

In the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, one can see landmark buildings of China-DRC cooperation from time to time. Among them, the China-DRC Friendship Hospital, built with aid from China, is one of the most representative medical facilities in the city. The hospital is located in a large, densely populated neighborhood and provides lots of health services to the DRC people," he said. Over the years, China has made concrete and great contribution to the development of the cause of medical work and healthcare in the DRC. From the fight against Ebola to the fight against COVID-19, China has provided support and aid to the DRC, winning the praise of all its people.

The DRC, renowned as a geological miracle, is rich in mineral resources. Led by China's massive investment, abundant resources have been transformed into advantages for development. According to a report released by Congo Challenge, a DRC think tank, China-DRC mining cooperation has played a key role in developing the its economy, creating jobs and improving people's livelihood. Balumuene said that China is the biggest investor in the DRCs mining sector and that cooperation between the two countries in the sector is essential to unleashing the DRC's development potential. Talking about some Western media attacks on mining cooperation between the two countries, Balumuene said: Certain Western countries once occupied the African continent for long periods of time, but see what the African people have been left with. And now they smear Africa-China cooperation  out of jealousy and on no basis of facts. There is no need to waste time on this. Instead we should work together and move forward hand in hand. 

Balumuene believes that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a great opportunity for the DRC and China to expand areas of cooperation. He said that the DRC is the second largest country in Africa, and its forest resources, area of arable land and water resources rank first-tier in the world. The Congo River is the world's second biggest river, second only to the Amazon River in terms of discharge. The DRC has the potential to become the locomotive of economic development on the African continent and this goal will be achieved to a large extent through cooperation with China, he said. Balumuene said that the DRC attaches great importance to the implementation of projects under BRI and hopes that they will bring benefits to the DRC people. China's actions have shown that it is helping Africa achieve industrialization and economic and social development. Africa needs to find its way to prosperity through cooperation with China.

Wood carving artwork in the DRC. (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in China)

China's infrastructure is world-class

Balumuene sees experiences of development as well as opportunities from China. China's path has inspired many developing countries and the case of Chinas development is attractive to us, he said. My mission in China is to see and learn more from China's experiences of development in order to benefit our DRC people, Balumuene said.

The upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (20th NCCPC) this year is an important window for the international community to further understand China. "As Congolese and Africans, we also look forward to the 20th NCCPC. Balumuene believes that the 20th NCCPC will provide a strong impetus for China to build a modern socialist country in all respects and further enhance China's international influence.

Balumuene is strongly interested in the way China has modernized its agriculture and rural areas. In the past few decades, China has transformed from struggling for food to the world's No.1 grain producer. I am reading relevant materials to study the development of China's agricultural industry, another experience we need to borrow from China. He said that agriculture is an area they should prioritize in cooperation between the two countries. The DRC also hopes to become a big grain producer like China and achieve the goal of exporting grain for foreign exchange.

Chinas building of a modern infrastructure system is also an important object of observation for Balumuene to understand China. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has set a number of world's firsts. The Baihetan Hydropower Station is the largest and most technically difficult hydropower project under construction in the world. Chinas mobile network has made leaps and bounds in making breakthroughs of 3G, synchronizing with 4G and leading the world in 5G. One achievement after another shows the world China's accelerated pace towards an infrastructure power. China's infrastructure is world-class. Balumuene said the DRC has a big gap in infrastructure but it has launched a big number of major infrastructure projects, adding that whether it be highways, airports or ports, the DRC needs to learn from China's experience to diversify the countrys economy.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Ahead of "If You Wish Upon Me" premiere, Ji Chang Wook revealed he did THIS a lot to prepare for his new character.

Curious about what the K-drama heartthrob did? Then keep scrolling!

Ji Chang Wook Returns to Primetime With New Character

Following his first musical drama "The Sound of Magic," Ji Chang Wook continues to expand his world as he tries new genres that will challenge his acting. From romance-comedy to healing to melodrama, the actor is always able to transform into the desired role.

This August, the "Lovestruck in the City" lead star make his small screen return with "If You Wish Upon Me." But viewers should expect to see a new side of Ji Chang Wook in this new series.

Inspired by the Ambulance Wish Foundation in the Netherlands, "If You Wish Upon Me" follows the story of a troubled young man who enters a hospice hospital to do community service. But he finds himself fulfilling the cancer patients' wishes.

Ji Chang Wook takes the role of Yoon Gyeo Rae, a precarious man who lives a life without any will or goal. He has lived a tough life in an orphanage to a detention center and prison. He ended up with a habit of giving himself pain by getting new tattoos.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Choi Sooyoung Transforms Into Diligent Nurse in 'If You Wish Upon Me'

Why Did Ji Chang Wook Get Emotional With His New Role?

In one of the actor's recent interviews, which was released by Dailyan on July 26, the "Backstreet Rookie" star shared that he cried a lot after reading "If You Wish Upon Me's" script for the first time.

"I cried so much. The sad yet warm script really touched my heart. I was also attracted to Yoon Gyeo Rae's character."

He added that because of his strong immersion in the story, he's eager to portray the lonely and mysterious character of the protagonist.

He explained more about his new role in the series.

"Yoon Gyeo Rae is deeply scarred by the people and ended up with a negative view of this world. There are parts where he lacks, but definitely has something about him that makes you want to cheer for him and embrace him."

Ji Chang Wook confessed that he had fun portraying Yoon Gyeo Rae's character. The celebrity also emphasized that viewers should anticipate the process of Gyeo Rae entering the hospice and how his life will change after meeting "Team Genie."

Veteran actor Sung Dong Il and actress Choi Sooyoung (Girls' Generation) are the stars to look forward to watching in the drama.

"If You Wish Upon Me" is set to premiere on August 10 at 9:50 p.m. (KST) on KBS.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Choi Sooyoung Becomes Ji Chang Wook's Hope in 'If You Wish Upon Me' Teaser

Are you excited about Ji Chang Wook's upcoming drama "If You Wish Upon Me"? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, follow and subscribe to KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
Ji Sung and Seo Ji Hye expressed their thoughts about their reunion project during the press conference of the upcoming K-drama "Adamas" alongside co-stars Lee Soo Kyung, Heo Sung Tae, and director Park Seung Woo. Curious about what they had to say for each other? Then keep on reading!

The duo first worked in the 2010 MBC series "Kim Soo Ro," with the renowned actor taking the titular role and Seo Ji Hye portraying his love interest.

After ten years, Ji Sung and Seo Ji Hye are reunited for the thriller mystery K-drama "Adamas," and both stars expressed how excited they are to show viewers their chemistry and dynamics as lead stars.

Ji Sung and Seo Ji Hye on Being Reunited in 'Adamas'

At the press conference, Ji Sung dishes his thoughts and says it feels "new" to work with Seo Ji Hye again.

"It's been ten years since we last met each other. We've been healthy and doing well for the past ten years, so it's nice to see each other again. It feels new," he said, as obtained by the media outlet.

The same goes for the 37-year-old actress admitted that it is quite challenging to work with the same person twice, but she feels comfortable around Ji Sung.

"It's not easy to work with each other twice. It was nice to meet him after a long time. It felt comfortable, and I think there must have been a synergy effect."

After hearing his co-star's statement, the renowned actor praised Seo Ji Hye and said she flawlessly pulled off the character of Eun Hye Soo with "alluring charm."

In tvN's "Adamas," Ji Sung will play the dual role of twin brothers with the same appearance but different personalities.

Ha Woo Shin works as a best-selling mystery novel author who exudes calm and composure even when faced with a challenging situation, while Song Soo Hyun, a special forces prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutor's office and someone who is full of emotions.

The identical twins' mission is to expose the murder that transpired 22 years ago and clear the name of their biological father, who was accused of murdering their stepfather.

As for Seo Ji Hye, she took the role of Eun Hye Soo, who is described as a "flower in a greenhouse" and the daughter-in-law of Haesong Group's CEO.

'Adamas' Cast Spills their Most Unforgettable Scenes

As the press conference continues, "Adamas" cast shares which parts of the series are remarkable to them.

For Heo Sung Tae, who plays Haesongwon's general security manager Choi Tae Sung, says that he only had scenes with Ha Woo Shin but hints at the dynamics between him and Ji Sung's role.

On the other hand, Ji Sung shared that he and Seo Ji Hye, whose "characters are the ones who have to run a lot."

Set to premiere on July 27 at 10:30 p.m. KST via tvN, "Adamas" will be the newest Wednesday and Thursday K-drama that viewers will get hooked on.

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
The former Bank of Ireland premises at Market Street in Thomastown, recently purchased by Kilkenny County Council, will be leased to the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) for a period of twenty years.

This property is seen as an ideal opportunity to facilitate a Ceramics Centre of Excellence in conjunction with a new Jewellery & Goldsmithing Course to be located at the Sessions House in the town.

Cllr Deirdre Cullen was delighted to formally propose leasing the old bank premises to the DCCI at this weeks sitting of Kilkenny County Council.

DCCI have stated that having the Ceramics Centre located in close proximity to the Jewellery and Goldsmithing Centre of Excellence will allow the development of an accredited BA Degree programme through GMIT, she said.

The new Centres of Excellence, a gallery in the Sessions House and the establishment of international craft, art and design seminars, symposiums and professional training, will create a must see attraction in Thomastown in Ireland's Ancient East tourism initiative, she added.

This will contribute positively to the town centre and the local economy.

The proposal was seconded by Cllr Martin Brett.
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China calls for more influential peace conference to address Palestinian issue

Xinhua) 10:24, July 27, 2022

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday called for a more influential international peace conference to address the Palestinian issue.

"China calls for a larger, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference, in which permanent members of the Security Council and all stakeholders in the Middle East process are invited to participate in exploring effective ways and means to politically resolve the Palestinian issue," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Geng underscored that the Middle East peace process is "still at a standstill" and relevant UN resolutions have not been implemented for a long time, and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people have been continuously violated.

"The question of Palestine is the core of the Middle East issue that bears on regional peace and security. It should not be marginalized, much less forgotten," he said.

Geng called for reversing the situation on the ground, noting that Israel continues to expand its settlement activities in the occupied territories, thus continuing to squeeze the living space of Palestinian people and undermining the continuity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the prospect of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

"We urge Israel to abide by international law, implement Security Council Resolution 2334, and immediately stop all settlement activities," he said.

Geng highlighted the importance of achieving common security as well.

Since the beginning of this year, violent incidents have occurred one after another in occupied territories and it is disturbing that clashes happened in Gaza, he said.

"The security of Israel and Palestine is interdependent and indivisible. The two sides should uphold the common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, and find a way to live side by side in peace," he said. "Seeking absolute security by using one's advantageous position can only lead to greater security dilemma."

"Advancing the two-state solution brooks no delay," said Geng.

"The question of Palestine has dragged on for more than 70 years. Piecemeal crisis management is no substitute for a comprehensive and impartial solution. The international community should work earnestly to promote the Middle East peace process," he said.

"Countries that have influence on Palestine and Israel should shoulder the due responsibilities, uphold an objective and impartial position, and play the due role in promoting the early resumption of peace talks between the two sides," he said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
J. Alexander Kueng (R) and Tou Thao (L) were each convicted in February of violating Floyd's civil rights and of failing to intervene to stop their colleague Derek Chauvin during the restraint.
Residents describe having to flee their homes barefoot after record-breaking flooding in St. Louis. And there's more rain on the way
By Choe Chong-dae





The 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, drew much attention from around the world to its host country, including from Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who participated on June 29 and 30. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Spain's accession as a NATO member state.



It is a positive sign that an increasing number of European students have been learning Korean language and culture. Fever of the Korean wave is not hard to find anywhere in the world now. Currently, K-pop has gained international popularity transcending space and time. Spain is one of the countries with increased demand for the Korean wave such as K-pop, K-food, K-culture and K-dramas. This tremendous popularity has led many students of Spain as well as Latin Americans from Spanish-speaking countries to study Korean culture and language.



For me, it is hard to think of Spain apart from Miguel de Cervantes, a legendary writer who created "Don Quixote," one of the world's greatest and immortal literary masterpieces, in the early 1600s. Although it has been more than four centuries since that novel was written and published, it remains one of the most widely read classics of Western literature.



In particular, the modern musical "Man of La Mancha" has been loved for over six decades since its Broadway premiere in 1965. Thanks to the soulful, extraordinarily powerful melodies, it has attracted a great number of fans from around the world, enriching the lives of literary lovers everywhere. Notably, the Korean musical version of "Man of La Mancha" that was released in Korea in 2018 was so inspiring that it attracted a continuous stream of patrons. It portrayed in more detail Don Quixote's utopia and dream.



The novel "Don Quixote" was first introduced and translated into Korean by Choi Nam-sun in 1915. As Korean translations of "Don Quixote" had been based largely on the Japanese version of "Don Quixote," it had subtle discrepancies compared to the original Spanish version. At that time, there were not many Koreans studying Spanish or other foreign languages besides Japanese.



I myself am fascinated by Spain in many ways. To begin with, there was the first contact with our country, when a Spanish missionary landed on the Korean Peninsula in the late 16th century. Over a decade prior to Don Quixote's creation, Gregorio Cespedes, a Spanish Jesuit priest, visited Korea at the request of the Roman Catholic Church in 1593, accompanying a Japanese Christian general, Konishi Yukinaga, during the 1592-98 Japanese invasions of Korea. Cespedes was one of the earliest Westerners to arrive in Korea. He stayed for about one year in Jinhae (now part of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province), where Japanese troops were stationed. Although he mostly stayed with the Japanese and did not have much contact with Korean people, he played a significant role in introducing Korea to European countries.



Commemorating the 400th anniversary of Cespedes' visit to Korea, Cespedes Memorial Park was created in 2015 in Changwon, and today a memorial stands there.



Personally, I have had the opportunity to establish a close friendship with Duke Maura, who served as Spanish ambassador to Korea from 1983 to 1985. He was an enthusiastic admirer of Korean culture, art and history. While in Korea, Duke Maura joined my family's events including my brother's ceramic art exhibition, and he invited me to many receptions at his residence. Ever since then, my longstanding friendship with Spain has flourished and been maintained until today through Juan Ignacio Morro Villacian, the current Spanish ambassador to Korea. He is witness to how the bilateral ties have prospered since 1994 because he served at the Spanish Embassy in Seoul from 1994 to 1997.



My friendship with this European country will last forever.





Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.










By John J. Metzler





Visiting a bountiful farmers' market on France's western Brittany coast, you can't help but be dazzled by the choice and abundance of fresh fruit and food. Even in small towns, the sheer choice and selection is daunting. Now let's metaphysically transport ourselves to Ukraine's besieged Black Sea coast where for endless months, the bounty of wheat and grains have been blocked by the Russian occupiers from leaving ports and being shipped to the outside world.



But now there's finally been a breakthrough in opening the bottleneck and getting the blocked food to the outside world. At least hopefully. In what he optimistically called a "beacon of hope" in a world that desperately needs it, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres help broker a complicated diplomatic deal between warring parties Russia and Ukraine.



Speaking in Istanbul, Turkey, in that great city on the Bosporus, Guterres intoned, "Today there is a beacon on the Black Seaa beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever." Guterres stressed, "The question has not been what is good for one side or the otherthe focus has been what matters most for the people of our world."



The deal was facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose country controls the narrow and strategic maritime chokepoints connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Naturally the accord is clearly in Turkey's interest too as so much shipping transits Turkish waters. Brokering the grain accords helps Erdogan's tarnished global image too.



But while the landmark accord helps Ukraine regain its export markets slowly, a parallel agreement between the U.N. and Russia allows for reopening markets for Russian grain and fertilizer. Predictably Russia was not willing to help Ukraine unilaterally without gaining something substantial in return.



Still the U.N. was wise to keep this standalone agreement out of the deadlocked Security Council, where a plethora of competing political interests would have slowed or stopped any progress. Yet at the same time United States diplomacy was largely bypassed by this accord.



Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began five months ago now, global food markets have been buffered by spiraling prices, shortages and bottlenecks. Ukraine's food production is mostly exported to North African and Middle Eastern countries thus causing new rounds of food security instability and as importantly political reverberations.



Look at the numbers; Ukraine supplies 81 percent of Lebanon's wheat, 64 percent of Qatar's and approximately half of the supplies for Tunisia, Libya and Pakistan. Fully 80 percent of Egypt's wheat imports comes from Ukraine and Russia.



Following the Istanbul accords, at least 22 million tons of wheat from Ukraine's breadbasket is due to be shipped to international markets. According to the African Development Bank, both Ukraine and Russia supply nearly 40 percent of Africa's wheat. Since the war began, such shortages have seen food prices spike 40 percent.



Prior to the conflict Ukraine exported 7 million tonnes of grain per month; now the number has cascaded to 1.5 million.



Ukraine is among the world's largest grain exporters supplying 45 million tons to global markets according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Since Russia began its invasion, much of the grain has been bottled up and backlogged in grain silos. In other words the food is already produced, but Moscow's actions are blocking it from entering the open markets.



Following the agreement, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the U.N. was responsible for guaranteeing the accord; "We must trust the United Nations. Now it is their responsibility to guarantee the deal."



The Black Sea Grain agreement allows for a complex process of registering cargoes and ships which will be allowed to leave three Ukrainian ports including Odesa. The ports are mined by both belligerents and thus safe passage must transit through narrow channels.



Within hours of the humanitarian agreement, Russian missiles hit Odesa port sending a stark reminder that Moscow can still set the agenda. Ukraine's foreign ministry called the Russian action a "spit in the face" to the U.N. and Turkish efforts to reopen humanitarian corridors.



At the same time Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Egypt in a bid to maintain close if strained ties to the Cairo government. Moscow is courting a number of African "fence-sitting" governments that have not strongly condemned the Russian invasion.



So shall this work? As it appears that it's in the mutual interest of both countries, there's just the chance that humanitarian food corridors may operate. The alternative remains wider instability in places far from Ukraine's shores.





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@eathlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism: The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."






By Lee Jong-eun





In 1947, in the early days of the Cold War, U.S. diplomat George Kennan wrote a policy document proposing recommendations for a U.S. Cold War strategy. Kennan articulated that a long-term, patient "containment" against Soviet expansion would force the Soviet Union eventually to "break up" or "gradually mellow." Kennan's proposals became the basis for the U.S. containment strategy, and the eventual break-up of the USSR bolstered confidence in the West that "time is on our side."



The notion that "time is on our side" appears frequently in the West's political discourse. Multiple Western policymakers have formulated foreign policy strategies based on the prediction that the liberal world has a long-term advantage over non-liberal adversaries. The West's predictions often assume one of two geopolitical outcomes.



First, if the West engages non-liberal states with mutually beneficial arrangements, the latter would in time evolve and become more liberal. Alternatively, if a non-liberal state refuses engagement and attempts hostile, "rogue" behaviors, the West could counter with robust containment. In time, the rogue state would be crippled by the cost of its isolation and seek settlement or suffer regime change.



Northeast Asia's regional geopolitics have also been influenced by U.S. policymakers' future predictions. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration attempted to integrate China into the global economy, predicting that China would liberalize and become a responsible global stakeholder. The Clinton administration was also supportive of South Korea's Sunshine Policy to engage and transform North Korea.



The successive U.S. administrations, disappointed with the slow progress of China's liberalization, then shifted toward containing China's rise. The more confrontational strategy has been based on a prediction that China would be unable to sustain its growth, stagnating and declining eventually. Similarly, "strategic patience," "maximum pressure" later advocated by U.S. policymakers toward North Korea have predicted prolonged international isolation would pressure North Korea to either suspend its rogue behavior or suffer regime collapse.



The geopolitical actors engaged in rivalry against the West, however, also hold confidence in their advantages over time. In the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping invoked a proverb "tao guang yang hui" (hide strength, bide time) in patiently waiting for China's growth to catch up with the West.



China's current policymakers take the view that the U.S. is in irreversible decline in geopolitical influence, allowing for China to continue its steady challenges to U.S.-led international order. North Korea has also conveyed resolve to play the "long game" to endure U.S. "hostile policies" until the latter eventually grants the former's demands for regime security and recognition as a nuclear weapons state.



So, which side does the passage of time favor? The liberal West or its challengers? The end of the Cold War and the spread of globalization have often been cited as evidence of the durability of the West-led liberal order. In contrast, continuation of authoritarian states such as Russia and China, the Taliban's eventual victory in Afghanistan and growing political polarization within Western democracies have been cited as evidence of the West's declining capacity to integrate or contain revisionist geopolitical actors.



What past and current geopolitical conflicts have revealed is that both the West and its challengers have long-term vulnerabilities. The non-liberal regimes are vulnerable to institutional inefficiencies and domestic unrest over social and political demands. Yet, the Western democracies have also faced difficulties in sustaining long-term strategies toward their ideological rivals, whether it be engagement or containment.



To those who take a more philosophical outlook on history, the course of history might be seen as a trajectory favoring the side that is "virtuous," or "progressive." Predictably, Western liberals and their challengers have both espoused conviction that they are on the ascendant side of history. But from a more empirical outlook, geopolitical outcomes are shaped by individual policy choices and interactions of participating actors. A rising power might stop rising, and a declining power might make a comeback. A country with greater long-term vulnerabilities might still triumph, in large part due to policy blunders of its adversary.



As Sparta defeated more advanced Athens in ancient Greece, the Cold War's outcome might have been different had different Soviet and U.S. leaders made different policy decisions that instead exacerbated U.S. vulnerabilities over those of the Soviets. Subsequently, while it might be reasonable to predict that the West would eventually win a "new Cold War" against Russia and China, there is also realistic prospect that the latter could outmaneuver the West through mitigating their vulnerabilities and exploiting those of the West.



One benefit of geopolitical actors' optimism in their future is that it dissuades them from taking reckless actions in the present. As Kennan's prediction of the West's eventual triumph contributed to a more measured containment strategy, the current revisionist powers' predictions of their eventual triumph, accurate or not, might motivate them to avoid needless escalation of conflict with the West.



Perhaps, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, rather than over Taiwan, demonstrates that strategically more confident China is more likely to be prudent than less-confident Russia in geopolitical conflicts. Similarly, the West's faith in its long-term capacity to contain or integrate geopolitical adversaries might be integral to maintaining competitive coexistence with its rivals.



A prudent reminder, however, should be that in a geopolitical conflict, time does not irrevocably favor a particular side. Rather, the passage of time provides opportunities and challenges for each geopolitical actor to utilize its strengths, mitigate its vulnerabilities and exploit adversaries' vulnerabilities.



The actor that makes the better use of the opportunities given by time, then, is more likely to triumph in a geopolitical rivalry. In the past century, that actor was the U.S. and the West. In the current century, a new round of long-term geopolitical competition might be starting with an open-ended outcome.





Lee Jong-eun (jl4375a@student.american.edu), a Ph.D. candidate, is an adjunct faculty at the American University School of International Service. Prior to this, he has served as a Republic of Korea Air Force intelligence officer. His research specialties include U.S. foreign policy, South Korean politics and foreign policy, alliance management and East Asian regional security.


Angola, IN (46703)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
A front rendering for the West Commons apartment complex set to take over the University Inns land. A tentative timeline has construction beginning in March 2023 and ending around June 2024. Roughly 90 units and up to 120 parking spots. Several other amenities are planned to be included.
Several renowned K-pop artists - including top-tier acts like BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and more - have been announced as nominees at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) 2022. Keep on reading to see the full list of candidates.

MTV VMAs 2022: BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, LISA, More K-pop Artists Announced as Nominees

On July 26 local time, VMAs revealed the official list of nominees for this year's award ceremony. The awards show presented by the cable channel MTV honors the best in the music video medium.

BTS is nominated in four different categories, making them the most-nominated group of this year's ceremony. The group is a nominee for Best K-pop ("Yet to Come"), Best Choreography ("Permission to Dance"), Best Visual Effects (jointly nominated with Coldplay for their collaboration song "My Universe"), and Best Metaverse Performance (Minecraft).

For the past three years, BTS has taken home Best K-pop with "Boy With Luv," "Dynamite" and "Butter." It remains to be unseen whether the group will earn another one this year.

Apart from BTS, SEVENTEEN is also nominated at the MTV VMAs 2022. The group is running for Best New Artist, Best K-pop ("HOT"), and Push Performance of the Year ("Rock With You").

BLACKPINK also snagged a nomination for Best Metaverse Performance (PUBG), while band member LISA has been nominated separately for Best K-pop ("LALISA").

Moreover, TWICE's "The Feels," ITZY's "LOCO" and Stray Kids' "MANIAC" are all up for Best K-pop.

Overall, there are six K-pop songs nominated for the said category.

The MTV Video Music Awards 2022 will return to New Jersey's Prudential Center in Newark on Aug. 28. The award ceremony will start at 8 p.m. ET. Fans who would like to participate in the voting process can visit the MTV website.

MTV VMAs 2021: BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, More K-pop Artists Nominated + BTS Earns 3 Awards

At the MTV VMAs 2021, several K-pop songs also snagged nods for Best K-pop- such as BLACKPINK's "Ice Cream" with Selena Gomez, (G)I-DLE's "DUMDi DUMDi," BTS's "Butter," TWICE's "Alcohol-Free," SEVENTEEN's "Ready to Love," and MONSTA X's "Gambler."

BTS was also a nominee in six other categories, making them the group with the most nominations in last year's show. Apart from Best K-pop, the septet was also nominated for Group of the Year, Song of the Year ("Dynamite"), Song of Summer ("Butter"), Best Editing ("Butter"), Best Choreography ("Butter"), and Best Pop.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: TWICE Nayeon's 'Sunset' Similarities With THIS Song Sparks Plagiarism Rumor

During the awards show, BTS managed to win in three out of the seven categories. They were announced as the winners of the Group of the Year (Best Group), Best K-pop and Song of Summer for their mega-hit song "Butter."

This marked the septet's third consecutive year to take home Group of the Year and Best K-pop, while it's their first time earning the title of Song of Summer. The group wasn't able to receive the awards in person but they shared an acceptance speech for the Group of the Year award through a video.

So far, BTS has a total of nine awards from MTV VMAs. The first awards at the show are Group of the Year (Best Group) and Best K-pop ("Boy With Luv") back in 2019. Notably, these two categories were newly created that year, meaning BTS is the first-ever winner of the two awards.

For more K-pop news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Maria Scott
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A Polish scientific institute has classified domestic cats as an "invasive alien species," citing the damage they cause to birds and other wildlife.

Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to this month's decision and put the key scientist behind it on the defensive.

Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences, wasn't prepared for the disapproving public response when he entered "Felis catus," the scientific name for the common house cat, into a national database run by the academy's Institute of Nature Conservation.

The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections, Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Invasive alien species No. 1,787, however, is a creature so beloved that it often is honored in Poland's cemeteries reserved for cats and dogs.

Solarz described the growing scientific consensus that domestic cats have a harmful impact on biodiversity given the number of birds and mammals they hunt and kill.

The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species "are 100% met by the cat," he said.

In a television segment aired by independent broadcaster TVN, the biologist faced off last week against a veterinarian who challenged Solarz's conclusion on the dangers cats pose to wildlife.

Dorota Suminska, the author of a book titled "The Happy Cat," pointed to other causes of shrinking biodiversity, including a polluted environment and urban building facades that can kill birds in flight.

"Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," Suminska said, arguing that cats were unfairly assigned too much blame.

Solarz told the AP that some media reports about the listing created a false impression that the institute was calling for feral and other cats to be euthanized.

Earlier this month, his institute published a post on its website citing the "controversy" and seeking to clarify its position. The institute stressed that it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals." It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines.

As far as categorizing cats as "alien," the institute noted that "Felis catus" was domesticated probably around 10,000 years ago in the cradle of the great civilizations of the ancient Middle East, making the species alien to Europe from a strictly scientific point of view.

The institute also stressed that all it was recommending was for cat owners to limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird breeding season.

"I have a dog, but I don't have anything against cats," Solarz said.
The final step has been approved to establish a tax incremental district in the Village of Darien for a proposed cold storage facility.

Members of the Village of Darien Joint Review Board unanimously approved, July 26, to establish a tax incremental district for NewCold Darien LLC to help the company pay costs related to constructing a cold storage facility in the village.

The village board approved the tax incremental district, July 18, by a 5-2 vote, and the village plan commission had previously approved the district, June 29, also by a 5-2 vote.

Approval from the joint review board is the final step for allowing the tax incremental district to be established. The joint review board consists of representatives from local taxing bodies including the Village of Darien, Delavan-Darien School District, Walworth County and Gateway Technical College.

Representatives from NewCold Darien plan to construct a cold storage facility on 137 acres of land located near the southeast corner of County Highway X and Highway County C. The project is expected to cost about $118 million.

NewCold is a Chicago-based company that operates cold storage facilities on three continents. The Darien cold storage facility is set to employ about 40 workers after it is completed.

The tax incremental district, which is set to close in 2039, will offer up to $38 million in tax incentives to NewCold Darien to reimburse the cost of making infrastructure improvements related to the construction of the cold storage facility.

The developers pay for that site infrastructure and then get reimbursed through the agreement created, Brian Roemer, municipal advisor for Ehlers Public Financial Advisors, said. This is basically what is called a pay-as-you-go agreement. The village doesnt have to be the obliger of any debt.

Village Administrator/Clerk Lindsay Peterson said, despite the tax incremental district, the company will still have to pay annual taxes to the village.

The incentive to the developer comes from the taxes that this company will pay each year, Peterson said.

During the joint review board meeting, Board Member and Walworth County Finance Director Jessica Conley said she has received emails from several area residents regarding the project and the tax incremental district and asked questions on the residents behalf.

Would anyone benefit?

Conley said several people have asked her if there is a connection between village officials, NewCold representatives and the landowner regarding the project. Peterson said she has heard similar concerns, but there has been no evidence that any village official would benefit directly from the project.

There is no kind of agreement that they would somehow personally benefit from this, besides the benefit that any other resident would get, Peterson said. Honestly, we encourage anyone who may have that information to please come forward. Weve heard this statement over and over again, and nobody has been able to bring any details that would show any connection between any board member, company or the landowner.

Board Member Anthony Klein, who also is the business administrator for the Delavan-Darien School District, said the school district would not receive a direct financial benefit from the project.

We would not get any money from it, Klein said. In fact if this were to go onto all our property base, we might actually see our equalized assessed value go down in some respects.

Concerns about potential noise

Conley said some residents expressed concern about potential noise coming from the cold storage facility. Peterson said the Village of Darien has a noise ordinance in place, which the company would have to follow.

This company, like any other piece of property or developer or residential property in the village, will be required to adhere to those noise standards, Peterson said. Theres specific processes in place if thats violated and how it will be addressed. So that ordinance is in place to address any kind of noise from any commercial or industrial development.

Retention pond management

Conley said she also has heard concerns that the retention ponds that would be installed near the cold storage facility could attract insects which would bring diseases to nearby farm animals.

However, Conley said she has talked with village officials who said as long as the ponds are at the correct minimum water retention levels and are filtered that would not occur.

She said the retention ponds also would have to be reviewed by the village engineer to make sure they are installed properly.

Peterson said before the cold storage facility is constructed the company would have to enter into an agreement with the village that they would maintain the retention ponds.

If they didnt, the village has the authority to go in and maintain those ponds ourselves or hire someone for the maintenance, and we can charge that back to the company, she said.

Peterson said if anyone notices any concerns related to the retention ponds, they should contact the village.

If people had complaints that there was a swarm or something like that, they would bring those concerns to the village, and the village would deal with those, Peterson said.

Would taxes increase?

Several residents have questioned whether the villages water and sewer rates and taxes would increase as a result of the project and the tax incremental district, according to Conley.

Roemer said village taxes would not increase as a result of the project. He said NewCold officials would pay for any water and sewer infrastructural costs and then be reimbursed by the village through the tax incremental district.

This isnt a cheese manufacturer thats disposing serious items into the sewage system, Roemer said. This is simply kind of an office use, if you will, for water and sewer. So from that perspective they are paying for the tax incremental district, which is to pay for improvements to any utilities, and therefore there wouldnt be an increase to the current users. There wouldnt be a direct impact as a result of this.

Benefits to the community

Conley said the cold storage facility would bring about 40 jobs to the village after it is completed. She said the project also would attract construction workers who would visit the villages businesses.

Were bringing economic development. Theres going to be construction here, Conley said. Were going to have people come in to build something. Whether theyre Walworth County citizens or village citizens that are going to do that or whether theyre going to bring in people from the outside, that means theyre going to frequent our local businesses in the coming year to spend their money and help growth in that manner.

Conley said she also encourages village officials to distribute more information about the project and the tax incremental district to residents.

It takes awhile for the word to get out on some of these types of things. A lot has happened quickly for most people, Conley said. If this does occur and we move forward with this, then I anticipate that theyre going to have more questions. If a new neighbor is coming in, you want to have a good relationship.
Donald Trump will return to Waukesha days before the Aug. 9 Republican gubernatorial primary to support his chosen candidate Tim Michels and the entire Wisconsin Trump Ticket, the former president announced Tuesday.

The Aug. 5 rally was announced hours after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce rival turned close ally of Trumps, endorsed former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp., and Kleefisch, who served eight years under former Gov. Scott Walker, were leading the race in recent statewide polling, separated by 1 percentage point.

Trump has continued to pressure Wisconsin Republicans to decertify the 2020 presidential election while citing unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the 20-month-old vote, but earlier this week Michels said decertification would not be a priority if hes elected governor this fall.

Trump made more than a half-dozen trips to the battleground state in 2020, including a stop in Waukesha two weeks before his loss in the presidential election to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes.

Since then, Trump has made repeated allegations of widespread fraud in the election, most recently claiming that the Wisconsin Supreme Courts 4-3 decision that state law does not allow absentee ballot drop boxes was reason to decertify the elections results. The state Supreme Courts decision applies to future elections, not past ones.

On Friday, Trump issued a statement again touting his endorsement of Michels, who the former president said would End the well-documented Fraud in our Elections.

However, speaking at a debate two days later, Michels was asked if decertifying the results of the 2020 election would be a priority if he is elected governor in November.

Its not a priority, he said. My priorities are election integrity, crime reduction and education reform and then the continuous, always, from day one until my last day in office four years or eight years later, to make sure that we have a robust economy here in Wisconsin.

These are the biggest priorities that we have, this is what the governor should focus on, Michels continued. By the time I get sworn in in January, we will have already started the 2024 election cycle. I have to focus on beating Tony Evers this fall and thats what were going to do.

Kleefisch has described the presidential election as rigged, but also said she would not seek decertification.

State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, is also running in the primary and has echoed Trumps calls for decertification, which has become a key talking point for his campaign.

Proposals to decertify the states 2020 election have received bipartisan criticism as a legal and constitutional impossibility. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin.

While Michels has secured endorsements from Trump and former Gov. Tommy Thompson, Kleefisch received a key Republican endorsement on Tuesday from Cruz, R-Texas, who beat Trump in the states 2016 presidential primary. Trump went on to win the state in what proved to be a crucial part of his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, before losing to Biden in 2020.

Rebecca will fight for a stronger economy, school choice so parents are back in charge of their kids education, and she will work to protect Life and our Second Amendment, Cruz said in a statement. I ask my fellow conservatives to join me in supporting Rebeccas campaign for governor today!

Kleefisch has also been endorsed by Walker and more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.

The June Marquette Law School Poll found that 27% of Republican primary voters supported Michels, while 26% supported Kleefisch. Ramthun polled more than 20 points below Michels and Kleefisch in June. Business owner Adam Fischer, who was not included in the poll, is also running in the Aug. 9 primary.

The winner will go on to face Evers, who is seeking a second term, on Nov. 8.
Recent public mass shootings precipitated this column. We are all horrified by the shootings at a store in Buffalo, a school in Uvalde, a mall in Copenhagen, and a parade in Highland Park.

Mass shootings, however, are rare. Examining CDC data on shooting deaths, UC Davis researchers found in 2019 public mass shootings made up only 0.2% of these deaths while ordinary homicides made up 37%.

Mass shootings are likely to occur in clusters, as perpetrators idolize former mass shooters. They are usually alienated young men involved in violent internet communities. A Wall Street Journal review of 39 school shooters showed at least 22 communicated or hinted their plans to others who might have intervened.

We have clues to who the killers will be, but if nothing is done with the clues, we are no better off. If we ignore the clues and limit everyones access to guns, we are lumping the general population in with these killers.

I dont think limiting the general publics access to firearms is just nor do I think it will have much effect, so I do not favor the recent Safer Communities Act. Stringent gun laws, like Denmarks, did not prevent the mass mall shooting noted above. In Japan where there are almost no gun owners a former Prime Minister was assassinated this month with a gun made entirely by hand, and 36 people were intentionally killed by an arsonist in 2019.

My psychiatric career involved extensive use of Wisconsin commitment laws. Existing mental health commitment laws rather than red flag laws should be used for dangerous people. Every state has a variation of such laws, and rulings from the United States Supreme Court have made sure they follow due process.

Via Wisconsin mental health law an individual can be detained by a law enforcement officer at a mental health hospital or a general hospital for 24 hours, or up to 72 hours if determined probably mentally ill by a professional.

After this there must be a probable cause hearing within 72 business hours, with representation by a private or public defender. At the probable cause hearing witnesses, including a psychiatrist or psychologist, must present evidence. If that hearing results in further detention, a voluntary agreement for three months of outpatient treatment can be made.

Otherwise, a final hearing occurs in two weeks. At the final hearing a commitment order may be granted. It will expire after six months, no action on behalf of the patient is required.

What are commonly referred to as red flag laws generally fail to provide due process protections. Most of them allow individuals rather than law enforcement to petition for an order, increasing the risk of frivolous requests.

Some red flag orders remove weapons then delay probable cause hearings for several weeks, clearly not timely due process. Some allow guns to be held and gun purchases prohibited for a year or even long term, unless the person pursues court action to invalidate the order.

Wisconsinites should be made aware of existing civil commitment law. Even 24 hours in a hospital provides a cooling down period and voluntary mental health or other services can be arranged

The public should be encouraged to utilize the existing law. For certain professions reports of school violence threats became mandatory in 2018.

Currently a commitment order in all states results in a permanent federal prohibition against ever owning, buying or possessing a gun. Three-month agreements have no effect on gun possession.

I think we should change the law so that during the three-month period after the probable cause hearing, possession and purchase of guns be prohibited.

Mass shootings are rare, seeing the effect of this change would take years. Gun violence, however, is not rare in Democrat run American cities. We know that the cities where shootings occur almost daily, also have some of the strictest gun laws and the least police protection.

While Progressives continue to reduce police protection, gun ownership for personal protection among Blacks has skyrocketed, as reported by multiple sources. Per NBC News, data showed Black American gun purchases increased 58.2% between 3/2020 and 3/2021.

Black plaintiffs wanting to protect themselves filed the landmark Supreme court gun cases in 2008 and 2019, affirming the right to bear arms.

Public mass shootings naturally scare those who are unaccustomed to violence. In thinking about violence, though, consider who has a better reason to be afraid, someone in a high crime Chicago neighborhood, or a Progressive living on the Chicago Gold Coast.
Mangaluru (KTK), July 27 (PTI) Unknown motorcycle borne assailants hacked a local BJP youth functionary, police said on Wednesday, as tension gripped the town with the VHP calling for bandh in some of the taluks to condemn the killing.

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Police are probing various angles, including the assailants coming from neighbouring Kerala, into the killing of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha district executive committee member Praveen Nettaru.

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The victim, 32, resident of Nettaru in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada district was heading home after closing his shop Akshaya Poultry Farm late Tuesday evening when the unknown assailants hacked him to death, police said.

As soon as he was attacked, he tried to escape and ran but he fell down after a blow on his head, police said.

Local residents immediately informed police, which rushed to the spot and took the blood soaked Nettaru to the hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Dakshina Kannada Rural district Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Bhagawan Sonawane told PTI investigations are on though there is no breakthrough as of now.

To a query on the possibility of the assailants coming from Kerala, the officer said, "that is one of the possibilities. We are working on various angles. We are on it."

Following the incident, the BJP and many Hindu organisations staged a protest against the killing in front of the hospital where the body was kept.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has given a Bandh call in Kadaba, Suliya and Puttur Taluks of the district on Wednesday against the killing.

Local BJP leader Muralidhar Hamsatadka said the Hindus were in shock and dismay following the brutal murder of Nettaru. He appealed to the Deputy Commissioner of the district to console the bereaved family members.

Following the incident, four police teams have been constituted to nab the assailants.

Security has been beefed up in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts as additional forces have been deployed to ensure law and order.

Police also suspect the murder could have been carried out due to vengeance as a youth was murdered in the region a few days ago.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Jul 27 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court directed the state government to consider giving employment to a family member of Hathras gang rape victim within three months.

In its order passed on Tuesday, the Lucknow bench of high court also directed the state authorities to consider relocation of the victim's family outside Hathras but within Uttar Pradesh, keeping in mind the family's social and economic rehabilitation and also the educational needs of the children of the family, within six months.

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The bench of justices Rajan Roy and Jaspreet Singh said the state authorities should abide by their promise made to the victim's family in writing on September 30, 2020 wherein the family was assured an employment on a Group C post in the government.

The court passed the order on a PIL which was registered suo motu as Right to Decent and Dignified Last Rites/Cremation'' in the intervening night of September 29-30, 2020.

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The victim's family had demanded that they needed a job and rehabilitation outside Hathras. It was submitted that after the incident, brothers and father of the victim were rendered jobless and the family had meagre agricultural land for its subsistence.

It was also pleaded that due to the incident, it was difficult for the family to lead a normal life in Hathras.

In its order, the bench also directed the Hathras district magistrate to provide the travelling and maintenance expenses to the witnesses deposing in the trial.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14, 2020. She died on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital during treatment.

The victim was cremated in the night near her home. Her family had alleged that they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 27 (PTI) Church of South India (CSI) Bishop, A Dharmaraj Rasalam, is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday with regard to the probe over corruption allegations at the church's Karakonam medical college.

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The Bishop, who was stopped on Tuesday from travelling to England to take part in the Lambeth Conference, was also served a notice to appear before the ED in Kochi.

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Church sources told PTI that the Bishop has already reached Kochi and would appear before the ED at 11 AM the time mentioned in the notice.

On Tuesday, a church official had told PTI that the Bishop "was supposed to attend the Lambeth Conference which is convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It's a gathering of bishops from across the Anglican Communion."

"However, he was stopped at the airport without any prior notice. Even though the ED had conducted an inspection yesterday, they did not warn that the Bishop must not leave the country to attend the conference," the official had said.

The ED had on Monday conducted raids at institutions linked to the church over a case related to Karakonam medical college.

The raid was in connection with a case registered for allegedly collecting huge amounts of money from students, promising them a medical seat at the Dr Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College in Karakonam, which is run by the church.

However, Fr. C R Godwin, the Director of the Christian Education Board, had told the media that the Crime Branch had already conducted an enquiry in the matter.

Earlier, in February, the High Court had quashed a report of the Crime Branch giving the church authorities a clean chit in the Karakonam case.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Jul 27 (PTI) Youth Congress workers were detained after they staged a 'rail roko' protest at a station here on Wednesday against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), police said.

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A group of 10-15 Mumbai Youth Congress workers stopped a Gujarat-bound express train around 10.15 am on platform no. 6 of the Borivali station, officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said.

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The protesters shouted slogans against the Enforcement Directorate and the Narendra Modi-led central government, as Sonia Gandhi appeared before the ED in Delhi on Wednesday for the third round of questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

The GRP Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel removed the protesters from the tracks within a few minutes and the train departed for its onward journey, the officials said.

The GRP then detained some of the protesters, they said.

A Western Railway spokesperson said the agitation, which was staged for a few minutes, did not affect train services as the GRP removed the protesters from tracks and detained them.

Sonia Gandhi (75) has been questioned for over eight hours till now by the ED and she has faced 65-70 questions.

The questioning pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.

The Congress has slammed the ED's action against its top leadership and termed it as "political vendetta" and "harassment".

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and said it is not mandatory to give an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in every case to the person concerned.

It is enough if the Enforcement Directorate (ED) discloses grounds at the time of arrest, said a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar.

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The top court delivered its verdict on a batch of petitions concerning the interpretation of certain provisions of the PMLA.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Government has given indications that a discussion on price rise may be taken up next week in Parliament, sources in the opposition parties claimed on Wednesday.

They, however, said the government does not appear keen on a debate on the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and could evade the matter on the ground that it was sub judice.

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The opposition parties have conveyed to the government that no discussion on the price rise issue ''will be allowed'' till their MPs remain suspended, the sources said.

While four Congress MPs have been suspended in the Lok Sabha for the rest of the session for disrupting proceedings, 19 MPs, including seven from the TMC, six from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and one from the CPI were suspended for the rest of the week.

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On Tuesday, a Rajya Sabha MP from Aam Aadmi Party was suspended as well.

The opposition parties have been holding protests to press for an immediate discussion on price rise and GST issues, paralysing proceedings in parliament since the start of the Monsoon session on July 18.

The government has maintained that the matter can be taken up once Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovers from COVID-19 and returns to Parliament.

Opposition sources also claimed that feelers from the "other side" have indicated that there is a view within the government that suspending 19 opposition MPs at one go in Rajya Sabha was a "wrong strategic move" and should have been avoided.

In fact, in the morning, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu met leaders of the opposition parties and it was offered that if they express regret over their behaviour, a resolution will be brought to revoke the suspensions.

However, none of the leaders acquiesced. Instead, they said the government should express regret for not discussing price rise.

With the suspension of the MPs in Rajya Sabha concluding on Friday, a discussion on price rise is likely to be taken up after that, they said,

However, the government does not appear keen on discussing the Agnipath scheme that faced violent protests across the country, the opposition sources said.

Agnipath was introduced by the government on 14 June 2022 for the recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces.

Most of the protesters against the Agnipath scheme had attributed the anger to the fact that the Army had stopped recruitment for the past two years and the new model does not provide a job guarantee to 75 per cent of the recruits.

The sources indicate that the Opposition, which will try to push for a discussion on the issue, is expecting that the government will refuse, citing the sub-judice nature of the matter.

Petitions on the scheme are pending before the Supreme Court.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chandigarh, Jul 27 (PTI) Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij has recommended that sanction for investigation "may be denied" in a case registered against senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka by the State Warehousing Corporation in a 12-year-old matter.

A 1991-batch IAS officer, Khemka has been transferred over 50 times in his three-decade-long career and often alleged that he was targeted for being honest and speaking out against corruption.

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Vij has, however, recommended sanction for investigation in an FIR registered on Khemka's complaint earlier this year against the then MD of the Corporation Sanjeev Verma, also a senior IAS officer.

Hours after Verma lodged the complaint against Khemka on April 20, Khemka had filed the complaint against the former on charges of criminal conspiracy and fabrication of official documents.

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Interestingly, the Haryana government on Tuesday allowed the state vigilance and police department to proceed with an inquiry against a public servant without seeking prior approval when the alleged act of the public servant is "ex-facie" criminal in nature, that is where IPC offences are registered along with offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In trap cases, prior approval under Section 17-A of PC the Act will not be required.

Panchkula police had booked Khemka, presently an Additional Chief Secretary-rank officer, on the basis of a complaint given on April 20, 2022 by HSWC MD Sanjeev Verma, alleging irregularities in the recruitment of two officials in the warehousing corporation during Khemka's tenure as its MD over 12 years ago.

The alleged irregularities pertain to appointments made during Khemka's tenure as MD between October 2009 and January 2010. The case was lodged under section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Vij observed that the allegations do not make out any offence and do not bring forth an account of dishonest intention, which is necessary to construct an offence under Section 13 of the PC Act.

The home minister said that prior approval of the competent authority is a must before registering an FIR under the PC Act, while relying on State Advocate General's legal opinion in another similar matter.

"Hence, sanction under Section 17A of PC Act in FIR 170 may be denied," Vij has recommended in his note.

Vij has recommended sanction for investigation in the FIR registered on Khemka's complaint earlier this year alleging a false and mischievous complaint against him at HSWC MD and IAS officer Sanjeev Verma's behest pertaining to the over 12-year-old matter.

The case was lodged under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections including 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury) and 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure).

The police had added offence under section 13 of the PC Act in the FIR registered on Khemka's complaint at a later stage during the investigation.

"FIR No 171 was first registered under various Sections of the IPC. Hence, no prior sanction from the state government is required to investigate FIR No 171.

"Section 13 of the PC Act has been added at a later stage by the police. Prior sanction to investigate alleged offence under Section 13 of the PC Act in FIR No 171 may be accorded," Vij has recommended.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has ordered that the recommendation of the State Home Minister be routed through the Chief Secretary.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal challenging a single judge's order quashing a plea seeking the agenda of the Supreme Court collegium's meeting on December 12, 2018 when certain decisions were purportedly taken on elevation of judges to the apex court.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said the order of the single judge on a petition by activist Anjali Bhardwaj did not require any interference.

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Bhardwaj's appeal was filed challenging the single judge's March 30 order by which it had dismissed her petition against the Central Information Commission's order rejecting an RTI appeal seeking the agenda of the Supreme Court collegium's meeting.

The single judge had said that in the absence of any formal resolution being adopted and signed by the members of the Supreme Court collegium for the said meeting, the authorities rightly took the position that there was no material that was liable to be disclosed.

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The single judge had stated that the collegium is a multi-member body whose decisions stand embodied in resolutions which alone represent the collective decision taken or the majoritarian view which prevailed and was adopted and in the present instance, since the issues which arose for discussion remained unresolved or in an inchoate state, no formal resolution came to be drawn up.

The single judge had further said that the petitioner's submissions addressed in the backdrop of certain newspaper reports are noticed only to be rejected as such reports have no evidentiary value and it would be transgressing its limitations if cognisance were to be taken of such unsubstantiated and unverified reports.

Before the single judge, the petitioner had challenged the CIC's December 16, 2021 order by which her second appeal was dismissed and had sought a direction to the authorities to disclose the available information sought for under the February 26, 2019 RTI application.

The petition had said that on January 23, 2019, Justice Madan B Lokur, who was a part of the collegium meeting and retired on December 30, 2018, in an interview expressed his disappointment that the December 12, 2018 collegium resolution was not uploaded on the Supreme Court website.

According to former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi's autobiography 'Justice for the Judge', the names of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, the then Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, and Justice Rajendra Menon, the then Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, had received nod for the elevation to the Supreme Court in the collegium meeting on December 12, 2018.

The matter allegedly got leaked after which the issue was kept in abeyance by Justice Gogoi till January, 2019 because of winter break which started on December 15, 2018, the book said.

In January 2019, a new collegium got constituted after the retirement of Justice Lokur.

The new collegium, in its resolution on January 10, 2019, did not clear the names of Justice Nandrajog and Justice Menon for elevation to the Supreme Court, according to the book.

The petition did not mention names of any judges whose names were allegedly cleared.

Initially, Bhardwaj had filed an RTI before the Supreme Court seeking copies of the agenda, decisions taken and resolutions passed in the December 12, 2018 meeting.

However, the Supreme Court Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) refused to provide the information and while disposing the appeal against the denial by the CPIO, the First Appellate Authority (FAA) had held that in view of the subsequent collegium resolution of January 10, 2019, it was clear that though certain decisions were taken in the collegium meeting of December 12, 2018, the required consultations could not be completed and no resolution was formally passed.

The court was further told that in the second appeal, the CIC also relied upon the January 10, 2019 resolution and held that the agenda of the collegium's December 12, 2018 meeting was clear from the subsequent resolution of January 10, 2019 and the copy of the decision and the resolution of December 2018 did not exist on record in terms of Section 2 (f) of the RTI Act and therefore, could not be supplied to the petitioner.

The petition had sought setting aside of the CIC order on grounds that the petitioner has asked for "a copy of the agenda" of the collegium meeting and not a summary or reference thereof.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 27 (ANI): The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has been closed for vehicular traffic as it has been blocked due to shooting stones at Mehad Ramban area, informed the Jammu and Kashmir traffic police on Wednesday.

The officials also advised the masses to travel on the route only after confirmation from the concerned Traffic Control Unit (TCU).

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"Traffic update: Jammu -Srinagar NHW (NH-44) blocked at Mehad Ramban due to shooting stones. People are advised not to travel on Jammu -Srinagar NHW without confirmation from TCU Jammu/Srinagar/Ramban," tweeted the Jammu and Kashmir traffic police.

As per the traffic plan of the day earlier, passenger or private cars were to be allowed from both sides on Jammu-Srinagar NHW (NH-44) viz Jammu towards Srinagar and vice-versa, however, with the recent change in weather, the National Highway will be opened for traffic after confirmation of Ramban TCU.

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The vehicular movement on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH 44) was stopped on July 23 after the heavy rainfall lashed the Udhampur area of the Union Territory on Saturday.

Earlier, hundreds of trucks remained stranded in the Udhampur district due to the landslides caused because of heavy rainfall in the Ramban sector.

Recent incidents of heavy rainfall in the Union Territory, in July, have caused great damage to lives and property.

The India Meteorological Department in Srinagar issued warnings for heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir.

The weather forecasting department has predicted fairly widespread light to moderate rain and thunderstorm over the Jammu and Kashmir divisions and has also warned of scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rains and thunderstorms for the subsequent two days.

It said that Jammu needs to be prepared as isolated heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning in the area can disrupt the traffic, cause landslides, and might result in flash floods, while it also cautioned Kashmir to be aware of the deteriorating weather conditions until the further update.

Overnight heavy rain near the Kahara village of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Tuesday resulted in floods that damaged the area and destroyed properties including an educational body and the building and grounds of Tourism.

On July 14, heavy rains and flash floods damaged a foot-over bridge in the hilly areas of Rajouri causing much inconvenience to the people, due to which they were forced to cross the rivulet in waist-deep water for commuting.

The heavy rains in Rajouri had also damaged the crops of the local farmers.

A cloudburst that struck the holy cave area of Amarnath on July 8, resulted in a heavy discharge of water in the 'Nallah' adjoining the holy cave and claimed 16 lives. In the tragic incident, at least 36 people were also reported missing.

Amarnath Yatra was partially suspended after the said cloudburst incident and was later resumed from the Nunwan Pahalgam side on July 11.

Another cloudburst triggered by the heavy rains blocked the Srinagar-Leh highway on July 5, after flash floods occurred in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Flash floods also occurred in the Shah Mohallah Kullan area of Kangan in the Ganderbal district on July 3, thus inundating several houses and causing damage. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 27 (ANI): Taking note of the killing of BJP youth wing leader Praveen Nettaru, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said that there was a high chance that the accused may have escaped to neighbouring Kerala.

He added that a thorough probe will reveal if there was any political motive behind the murder.

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"A police search is underway to nab the accused. It's suspected that the accused have run away to Kerala and we're in touch with the police there. Probe will reveal if the murder was politically motivated or there were other reasons behind it," Jnanendra said.

Nettaru, a young BJP worker, was attacked with lethal weapons by unidentified persons on a bike in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada late Tuesday evening.

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Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the state police were in touch with their counterparts in Kerala as the crime took place close to the inter-state border.

"As the incident took place close to the Kerala border, our police are in touch with the Kerala Police. Karnataka DGP will speak to his Kerala counterpart, while SP Mangaluru has spoken to SP Kasargod. It looks like a pre-planned incident bearing similarities to other cases," said CM Bommai.

The chief minister also expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and assured them that they will get justice.

"People are outraged when an innocent person is killed. I appeal to everyone to stay peaceful and patient. Instruction has been given to arrest the murderers as soon as possible," said the chief minister.

Bommai also said that he had spoken with state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and police officials in connection with the incident.

"I have already spoken to the Home Minister and the SP regarding the murder issue. Now some things cannot be said openly...(He was) murdered by deceit," he added.

Earlier in the day, the body of the BJP Yuva Morcha worker, who was hacked to death by unidentified people in Bellare, was brought to his residence in Sullia.

Thousands of locals followed the ambulance that carried Nettaru's body as people expressed their collective grief. Local authorities made elaborate arrangements for the passing of the convoy. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): NITI Aayog's Member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul on Wednesday urged the people of the country to connect with technology faster.

"Central Government has developed many platforms for the ease of public and therefore, it is high time for people to get connected with technology faster and start using these platforms," Dr VK Paul said while addressing the people at the inaugural address of the first edition of Digital Health Summit 2022.

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The summit was organised with the theme of 'leveraging technology to build patient-centric, inclusive, integrated health' in the national capital today.

Highlighting the need for leveraging technology for early childhood development (children between age group 0 to 6 years), he said that the next frontier for technology intervention is the area of Home Care for patients.

Also Read | West Bengal: 38 Trinamool Congress MLAs in State Have Started Contacting BJP, Says Mithun Chakraborty.

Technology outreach coupled with Physical Outreach is the way forward for hospitals, he added.

Emphasising the need for a digital push, he underlined the need for digitization and shared his concern regarding the lagging behind of Public Sector Hospitals and Government Medical Colleges in digitization.

The CEO of National Health Advisory, Dr R S Sharma also emphasised the importance of technology and said that it can add immense value to the healthcare sector.

"One of the visions of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission was improving the healthcare services through digitization," he said while addressing the audience on the importance of digitization and mentioned that so far 71 billion Aadhar Card authentication has been done as of today (Wednesday).

"The next achievement of the government was developing a payment platform, called UPI. In June 2022 itself, 600 billion transactions have taken place on the UPI platform. During COVID, more digitization of healthcare took place due to the restrictions on visiting hospitals. But technology was used in a fragmented manner," he said.

He opined that digital elements need to be connected for applications to run smoothly and further mentioned that the Central government was developing a Health Exchange Platform for Hospital authorities and insurance companies to interact directly for disbursing insurance claims of a patient faster.

"NHA is working on developing a Unified Health Interface (UHI) which will be an open network designed to enable interoperable digital health service delivery. Unlike big hospitals, smaller hospitals, and clinics are not able to afford digital systems as they are expensive. To enable them to use technology, the Central government has developed Health Management Information System (HMIS) where the government is in talks with the Technology providers to enable the smaller players to store their data in the cloud at a reasonable price," he added.

Urging all healthcare service providers to come together for self-regulation, Shashank ND, Chairman, CII Subcommittee on Digital Health and CEO and Co-Founder of Practo, said that today more than 600 people have the access to the Internet. The rising usage of technology has given Indians better access to the health care cohort, he added.

However, the chairman of CII National Healthcare Council and CMD of Medanta Naresh Trehan, while delivering his remarks at the Inaugural session, said that the digital revolution has evolved over the years and we can now can monitor the various organs of the body easily with the help of technology.

He also emphasized the importance of value addition to patients and added that technology like video consultation can help in cutting down multiple travels of a patient to a different destination for receiving treatment. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Nagpur, July 27: An 11-year-old girl was gang-raped multiple times in a month in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, and police have arrested nine persons in this connection, an official said on Wednesday. The incidents occurred in a town located around 60 kms from Nagpur city between June 19 and July 15, he said.

The accused have been identified as Roshan Kargaonkar (29) and his friends/acquaintances - Gajanan Murskar (40), Premdas Gathibandhe (38), Rakesh Mahakalkar (24), Govinda Nate (22), Saurabh alias Karan Rithe (22), Nitesh Fukat (30), Pradumna Karutkar (22) and Nikhil alias Pinku Narule (24), the police said. Mumbai Shocker: 13-Year-Old Boy Sexually Assaulted for 5 Months in Goregaon; 6 Minors Booked Under POCSO, IT Act.

The victim's parents are labourers and Kargaonkar lives near the minor girl, they said. "On June 19, Kargaonkar went to the girl's house and asked her to accompany him to his place. Accordingly, she went along with him to his house, where he and his friend Murskar raped her. They gave some money to her and asked her not to reveal about it to anyone," the police official said.

A few days later, three others raped the minor at Kargaonkar's place, he said. On July 15, Murskar, Gathibandhe and their two friends threatened the girl and sexually assaulted her at some other else, he added. "Police received information about these incidents some time later and approached the victim, who narrated her ordeal to them and her parents," the official said.

An offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (d) (gangrape), 376 (2) (n) (repeatedly raping the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and the Protection of Children from Sexually Offences (POCSO) Act was registered, police said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) The Delhi High Court is scheduled to pronounce on Wednesday its verdict on a plea seeking suspension of arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain from the cabinet.

Jain has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.

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The high court is also likely to give its judgement on an appeal challenging a single judge's order dismissing the plea seeking the agenda of the Supreme Court collegium's meeting on December 12, 2018, when certain decisions were purportedly taken on elevation of judges to the apex court, under the RTI.

During the day, the high court is slated to hear several other important matters, including a plea by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging the legality of his police remand in a case related to an alleged objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity and bail pleas by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and Alumni Association Jamia Millia Islamia President Shifa-ur-Rehman in a UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the riots here in February 2020.

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A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad had earlier reserved order on a plea by former BJP MLA Nand Kishore Garg who has said in the petition that AAP leader Jain was arrested in the money laundering case on the allegation of his involvement in hawala transactions in 2015-2016 with a Kolkata-based firm which is repugnant and inconsistent to the rule of law as he is a public servant having a constitutional oath to uphold the rule of law in the interest of public at large.

However, the minister under custody is still enjoying the perks and privileges of cabinet minister despite having been allegedly indicted under the serious charges which may entail severe punishment, the plea said.

The high court is also scheduled to hear a plea challenging the privacy policy of instant messaging application WhatsApp.

Petitioner Chaitanya Rohilla has contended that the updated privacy policy violates users' right to privacy under the Constitution and they can either accept it or exit the app, but they cannot opt not to share their data with other Facebook-owned or third party apps.

The plea has claimed that the new privacy policy of WhatsApp allowed full access to a user's online activity without there being any supervision by the government.

In its response, WhatsApp has claimed that the new policy did not affect a user's privacy as personal messages continued to be protected by end-to-end encryption.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Dakshina Kannada, July 27: The body of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru, who was hacked to death by unidentified people in Bellare, was brought to his residence in Sullia on Wednesday.

Thousands of locals followed the ambulance that carried Nettaru's body as people expressed their collective grief. Local authorities made elaborate arrangements for the passing of the convoy.

Nettaru, a young BJP worker, was attacked with lethal weapons by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada late Tuesday evening.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed for peace and asserted that the murderers will soon be arrested.

"People are outraged when an innocent person is killed, I appeal to everyone to be peaceful and patient. An instruction has been given to arrest the murderers as soon as possible," the chief minister said. Karnataka: BJP Yuva Morcha Worker Praveen Nettaru Hacked to Death in Bellare, CM Basavaraj Bommai Condemns Killing.

Bommai added that he had already spoken with Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and the police officials in connection with the incident.

"I have already spoken to the Home Minister and the SP regarding the murder issue. Now some things cannot be said openly... (He was) murdered by deceit," he added.

Assuring a prompt response, Bommai said, "The accused will be arrested and given severe punishment. This murder is a conspiracy...the government will take all necessary measures." The state chief minister had earlier expressed deep condolences to the family members of the BJP worker and assured them that justice will be served speedily.

"The barbaric killing of our party activist Praveen Nettaru from Dakshina Kannada district is condemnable. The perpetrators of such a heinous act will be arrested soon and punished under the law. May Praveen's soul rest in peace. May God bless his family with the strength to bear this pain. Om Shanti," tweeted Bommai on July 26. Meanwhile, Bellare police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhopal, Jul 27 (PTI) The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh has claimed to have won the seats of president in 121 of the total 170 janpad panchayats, results of which were declared on Wednesday, while Congress said it has emerged victorious in 89 janpad panchayats.

Also Read | West Bengal: 38 Trinamool Congress MLAs in State Have Started Contacting BJP, Says Mithun Chakraborty.

In the rest 49 janpad panchayats, Congress-supported candidates won in 43, while the Gondwana Gantantra Party won the seats of president in two and Independents in four, according to BJP sources.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the BJP has given a stellar performance in the polls. He said in many districts not a single member of Congress got elected.

Of the total 313 janpad panchayats in the state, the elections for the post of the president and the vice president were held in 170 janpad panchayats on Wednesday. The voting for the remaining 143 janpad panchayats will take place on Thursday, an official said. These elections were held without party symbols.

Counting was taken up immediately after voting, the official said.

Elected panchayat members vote to elect the president and vice president of janpad panchayats.

Chouhan said the BJP-supported candidates have won 121 janpad panchayat president seats.

Madhya Pradesh Congress media cell chairman KK Mishra claimed candidates supported by Congress have captured 89 panchayats.

Mishra claimed local BJP leader Devi Singh Dhurve joined Congress in Nasrullaganj in Sehore, the home district of the chief minister, as he was not allowed to file the nomination and raised slogans in favour of the Congress party.

"Out of the total 170 results announced today, BJP's candidates won the post of president in 121 janpad panchayats and there are many districts in the state where not a single member of Congress got elected, Chouhan said in a statement.

Congratulating newly-elected janpad panchayat presidents and vice-presidents, Chouhan said BJP aims to make blocks and villages self-reliant while realising the larger goal of making India 'aatmanirbhar'.

The chief minister said the state BJP government has carried out a lot of development works in villages, but now it will focus on roads, drainage, anganwadis, schools and markets among others.

The government will focus on making villages clean, providing drinking water through the tap in each household and connecting left-out villages with roads like others.

The BJP had won a majority of corporators' posts in the local and urban body elections held in the first phase on July 6, the results of which were announced on July 17.

The ruling party had, however, lost key mayoral posts in Gwalior, Jabalpur, Chhindwara and Singrauli to opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the 11 civic bodies.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, July 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on the raising day of the force, and said it has distinguished itself for its unflinching courage and service.

The force was raised on this day in 1939 as Crown Representative's Police before a change in its nomenclature after Independence. It is the country's largest central police force and plays a critical role in counter insurgency measures.

Raising Day greetings to all @crpfindia personnel and their families. This force has distinguished itself for its unflinching courage and distinguished service. The role of CRPF, be it in addressing security challenges or humanitarian challenges is commendable. pic.twitter.com/lIaUp9hRXa  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2022

Modi said, "Raising Day greetings to all @crpfindia personnel and their families. This force has distinguished itself for its unflinching courage and distinguished service. The role of CRPF, be it in addressing security challenges or humanitarian challenges is commendable."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy in Gujarat's Sabarkantha and then travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai on July 28.

The Prime Minister's office informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat and Tamil Nadu on July 28-29, 2022.

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At around 12 noon on July 28, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha. Thereafter, Prime Minister will travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai at around 6 PM.

On July 29 at around 10 AM, Prime Minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of Anna University. Thereafter he will travel to Gandhinagar to visit GIFT City, where he will launch and lay the foundation stone of various projects at around 4 PM.

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PM in Gujarat

A key focus of the government has been boosting the rural economy and making agriculture and allied activities more productive. In yet another step in this direction, Prime Minister will visit Sabar Dairy, and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 crores on July 28th. These projects will empower local farmers and milk producers and increase their income. This will also give a boost to the rural economy in the region.

Prime Minister will inaugurate the Powder Plant at Sabar Dairy with a capacity of around 120 metric tonnes per day (MTPD). The total cost of the entire project is more than Rs. 300 crores. The layout of the plant meets global food safety standards. It is highly energy efficient with almost zero emission. The plant is equipped with the latest and fully automated bulk packing line.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Aseptic Milk Packaging Plant at Sabar Dairy. It is a state-of-the-art plant with having capacity of 3 Lakh Litre per day. The project has been executed with a total investment of around Rs 125 crores. The plant has the latest automation system with highly energy efficient and environment-friendly technology. The project will help ensure better remuneration to milk producers.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Sabar Cheese and Whey Drying Plant Project. The estimated outlay of the project is around Rs 600 crores. The Plant will manufacture Cheddar Cheese (20 MTPD), Mozzarella Cheese (10 MTPD) and Processed Cheese (16 MTPD). Whey generated during manufacturing of cheese shall also be dried at Whey Drying Plant, having capacity of 40 MTPD.

Sabar Dairy is a part of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which makes and markets a whole range of milk and milk products under the Amul brand.

On July 29, Prime Minister will visit GIFT City in Gandhinagar. GIFT city (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) was envisaged as an integrated hub for financial and technology services not just for India but for the world.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Headquarters Building of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the unified regulator for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India. The building has been conceptualised as an iconic structure, reflective of the growing prominence and stature of GIFT-IFSC as a leading International Financial Centre.

Prime Minister will launch India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX), India's first International Bullion Exchange in GIFT-IFSC. IIBX will facilitate efficient price discovery with the assurance of responsible sourcing and quality, apart from giving impetus to the financialisation of gold in India. It will empower India to gain its rightful place in the global bullion market and serve the global value chain with integrity and quality. IIBX also re-enforces the commitment of the Government of India towards enabling India to be able to influence global bullion prices as a principal consumer.

Prime Minister will also launch NSE IFSC-SGX Connect. It is a framework between NSE's subsidiary in GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). Under Connect, all orders on NIFTY derivatives placed by members of Singapore Exchange will be routed to and matched on the NSE-IFSC order matching and trading platform. Broker-Dealers from India and across international jurisdictions are expected to participate in large numbers for trading derivatives through the Connect. It will deepen liquidity in derivative markets at GIFT-IFSC, bringing in more international participants and creating a positive impact on the financial ecosystem in the GIFT-IFSC.

PM in Tamil Nadu

The 44th Chess Olympiad will witness a grand inauguration on July 28 as Prime Minister will declare it open in a launch programme organised at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai.

Prime Minister had also launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19, 2022. The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations in the country for over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 kilometres and culminating in Mahabalipuram, before heading over to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.

The 44th Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai from July 28 to August 9, 2022. The prestigious competition, which has been organised since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time and in Asia after 30 years. With 187 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad. India is also feilding its biggest ever contingent in the competition comprising 30 players across 6 teams.

Prime Minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of prestigious Anna University in Chennai on July 29. During the programme, he will award gold medals and certificates to 69 gold medalists. The Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Anna University was established on September 4, 1978. It is named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It has 13 Constituent Colleges, 494 Affiliated Colleges spread over Tamil Nadu and 3 Regional Campuses - Tirunelveli, Madurai and Coimbatore. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday alleged that a portion of a balcony and a ceiling in two separate hostels collapsed following the recent spells of rain.

An immediate reaction was not available from the university.

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JNU Dean of Student Sudheer Pratap Singh did not respond to calls and texts from PTI seeking a response.

In a statement, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said roofs collapsing has become a common sight in the varsity.

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In a statement, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said roofs collapsing has become a common sight in the university.

The incidents took place on Monday at Periyar and Kaveri hostels of the university. No one was injured in the incident.

The students, however, expressed concerns over the dilapidated condition of the hostels.

A portion of the balcony collapsed at the Periyar hostel.

"My room is on the ground floor and suddenly the balcony on the first floor partially collapsed. I was at the spot. Somehow I was saved," said a student who did not wish to be identified.

"In another incident, the roof of a hostel room partially collapsed in Kaveri hostel. These incidents have become quite common in the university. The hostels are in very bad condition. Everyday there is one or the other incidents," the student added.

On April 13, a student was injured after a portion of the bathroom ceiling collapsed at a hostel in JNU.

"Incidents of falling roofs of hostels are coming to the fore every day. At present, due to the rainy season, moisture has formed, in such a situation, water can be seen continuously dripping from the walls and roofs.

"On Monday, roof of Periyar Hostel collapsed on the previous day. A similar incident has also been seen in Kaveri Hostel," the statement by ABVP read.

In April, the JNU said it has received a grant of Rs 56.34 crores towards hostel repair and maintenance.

"JNU receives a grant of 56.34 crores towards hostel repairs and maintenance. VC Prof. Santishree D. Pandit, in keeping with her mission of a student-centric & friendly administration, thanks the UGC & MoE for the release of the grant," the JNU had tweeted just after April 13 incident.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): The committee constituted by the Bhartiya Janata Party, to investigate the death of Sadhu Vijay Das, who committed self-immolation in protest against illegal mining in Bharatpur on July 23, submitted its report to BJP President JP Nadda on Wednesday.

The committee visited the incident site in Bharatpur on Sunday to collect information. The report containing the findings was handed over to Nadda.

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The party's National General Secretary and state in-charge Arun Singh, MP Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati, former Union Minister and MP Satyapal Singh, former Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh and MP Brijlal Yadav have been included in the investigation committee.

The seer, who attempted self-immolation at Deeg in Bharatpur to protest against illegal mining, was declared dead in a Delhi Hospital.

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The incident was reported in Deeg on July 20 when Sadhu Vijay Das attempted self-immolation amid protests over illegal mining in the area.

The city officials had rushed to the spot to put out the fire and rescue Das.

The locals and sadhus had been demanding a ban on the mines for a long time.

The administration also assured the sadhus that mines will be shifted from the area and informed them about the state government's plans to transform the vicinity into a religious tourist spot.(ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its judgment on Wednesday on a batch of petitions concerning the interpretation of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The apex court is also slated to hear several important matters, including a suo motu case to mull laying down guidelines regarding potential mitigating circumstances to be considered while imposing death sentence.

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A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar would hear pleas relating to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 or the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 and the Ancillary Rules.

The court had earlier stayed further proceedings before high courts in matters involving challenges to the IT Rules, 2021 or the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 and the Ancillary Rules, which are the subject matter of proceedings before it.

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The top court would also hear pleas filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), including those challenging the August 13, 2021 order of the Kerala High Court that had granted anticipatory bail to former Gujarat director general of police (DGP) R B Sreekumar, two former Kerala police officers -- S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt -- and a retired intelligence official, P S Jayaprakash, in connection with the 1994 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) espionage case.

The matter pertains to the alleged framing of scientist Nambi Narayanan in the espionage case.

During the hearing on the pleas concerning the interpretation of certain PMLA provisions, the apex court had deliberated on section 45 of the Act as well as section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and also on balancing the rights of the accused.

While section 45 of the PMLA deals with the aspect of offences to be cognisable and non-bailable, section 436A of the CrPC deals with the maximum period for which an undertrial prisoner can be detained.

The apex court had also heard arguments on section 19 of the PMLA, which deals with the aspect of power to arrest, as well as section 3 that provides the definition of a money-laundering offence.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third round of questioning in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

She reached the federal agency's office in central Delhi at 11 am accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

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The 75-year old Gandhi has been questioned for over eight hours till now where she has faced close to 65-70 questions.

The questioning is expected to end Wednesday with the agency putting across a set of another 30-40 questions to Gandhi.

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The questioning pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.

The sessions are taking place with Covid-appropriate protocols in place and are being recorded in a audio-video mode, officials said.

The Congress has slammed the agency's action against its top leadership and termed it as "political vendetta" and "harassment".

The Delhi Police, like the last two times, deployed a huge force, including CRPF and RAF personnel, and barricaded the entire over one kilometre stretch between Gandhi's residence on Janpath-Akbar Road and the ED office. Traffic restrictions were also imposed in the area.

Rahul Gandhi has also been questioned by the ED in this case last month in sessions that clocked over 50 hours over five days.

The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

This was after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders in Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding.

Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Limited owed to the Congress.

In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis seeking their response on Swamy's plea. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were questioned by the ED in the case in April.

The Congress has maintained there has been no wrongdoing and Young Indian is a "not-for-profit" company established under section 25 of the Companies Act and hence there can be no question of money laundering.

It is understood that Rahul Gandhi, during his deposition before the ED, stuck to the position that there was no personal acquisition of assets by himself or his family.

According to the ED, assets worth about Rs 800 crore are "owned" by the AJL and the agency wants to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit company like Young Indian was undertaking commercial activities of renting out its land and building assets.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chennai, Jul 27 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday inaugurated an exquisite sculpture, carved out by artisans of the State-owned Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation) at the entrance to Mamallapuram, near here, ahead of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad set to commence on Thursday.

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The 45-foot high piece of art is meant to showcase the talent of the handicraft artisans for which the heritage town is famous for in addition to the ancient Shore Temple and an array of monuments.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Students in Seoni School Hold Umbrella Inside Classroom As Roof Leaks.

Also, the Chief Minister inspected the venues of the the Chennai Chess Olympiad in Chennai -- the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate a grand event in the presence of Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi -- and Poonjeri in Mamallapuram where the event would be conducted and reviewed the arrangements being made for it.

Extending his greetings and best wishes to the players, Ravi said in his message: "Let's participate, compete and set new benchmarks of sportsmanship bestowed with the true spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (world is one big family)."

He invited the chess players from various parts of India and from the globe to visit the historical and cultural sites and be part of the timeless, vivid and vibrant spiritual enrichment of Tamil Nadu.

"The threat of the global pandemic is not over yet, new variants are posing new challenges. Therefore, I urge all to take necessary precautions and follow the guidelines to ensure safety of selves and our loved ones," he said.

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) launched the "Hop-on and Hop-off" free tours from Chennai to Mamallapuram for the benefit of chess lovers and the public. The TTDC would operate five buses connecting 14 major tourist locations on the ECR from July 28 to August 10, an official release here said.

Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni legislator Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated an incentive trip for winners of the inter-school students' chess competition held in connection with the Chess Olympiad. The winners, studying in the government-run schools, were taken on a free trip to Bengaluru by a special flight from here.

As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - 75th Independence Day - Tamil Nadu will observe the Har Ghar Tiranga in all houses from August 13 to 15.

The campaign, being spearheaded by the Union Culture Ministry, aims to encourage the citizens to exhibit the tricolour with almost no restrictions. One can upload selfie on https://harghartiranga.com website.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mangaluru, Jul 27 (PTI) Unrest prevailed in Bellare and other places in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district after the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader, who was hacked to death by unidentified motorbike-borne duo.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: North India to Receive Heavy Rains, Says IMD; Widespread Rainfall Activity Likely Across India.

The youth was just about to return home on Tuesday night after closing his poultry shop when he was brutally attacked by the two assailants who were on a bike registered in Kerala.

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The news of the murder spread like wild fire and a large number of people gathered in front of the Bellare police station. Hindu organisations also staged a protest in front of the hospital where the body was kept.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for a bandh in Sullia, Kadaba and Puttur taluks in the district on Wednesday to protest the killing.

The murder is suspected to be a revenge act in retaliation to another killing in Bellare, police said. Security has been beefed up in Sullia and surrounding taluks to maintain law and order, the sources said.

A tense situation prevailed in Bellare after the murder and the police had resorted to shutting down all shops, establishments and hotels in the area amid protests by people.

DK district superintendent of police Rishikesh Sonawane told PTI that investigations are on and there is no breakthrough as of now.

To a query on the possibility of the assailants coming from Kerala, DK district superintendent of police Rishikesh Sonawane said the police are working on various angles.

Praveen Nettare, 32, was an active member of the Sangh Parivar who made his presence felt in social and political circles, said BJP DK district president Sudarshan Moodbidri.

Local BJP leader Muralidhar Hamsatadka said they were in shock and dismay after the brutal murder.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Jul 27 (PTI) AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of adopting a discriminatory approach by showering flower petals on kanwariyas but bulldozing the houses of Muslims.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Monday undertook an aerial survey of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra in western parts of the state where flower petals were also showered on kanwariyas.

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Kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) from different parts of the country collect water from the Ganga river at Haridwar in Uttarakhand to offer at Shiva temples back home in the month of Shrawan.

Referring to the showering of flowers, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief tweeted, "If flowers are being showered on them then at least don't break our (Muslims) houses."

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The Hyderabad MP also shared a newspaper clipping on the Kanwar Yatra and claimed that the state government meted out special treatment to kanwariyas.

"Why this distinction? There should be fairness. Why hate one and love the other? Why divert traffic for one religion and bulldozer for the other?" he said.

The Adityanath government had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth passage of Kanwar Yatra in the state after a gap of two years when it remained suspended because of Covid.

Traffic routes were reworked for the unhindered passage of the yatra.

During the yatra, according to the instructions of the chief minister, stat government officials showered flower petals from helicopters and other vehicles at different places, including Baghpat and Meerut.

There have also been reports of senior officials "serving" the kanwariyas at different places in the state.

Owaisi shared another news article, which claimed that the nameplate of a Muslim police officer in Khirwa, Meerut was blacked out by his seniors after kanwariyas passing by created a ruckus.

"The police showered petals, welcomed kanwariyas with national flags, applied lotion on their feet and treated them with kindness. Delhi Police talked about relocating blacksmiths (as they eat non-vegetarian food) so that kanwariyas would not get angry, while the UP government ordered close of shops selling meat along the routes of the yatra," he said.

"If a Muslim offers prayers even for a few minutes in an open place then there is a ruckus. Muslims are facing police bullets, custodial clashes, NSA, UAPA, lynching, bulldozers and sabotage just for being Muslims," the AIMIM leader said in another tweet referring to the action taken in different parts of the state against those offering namaz at public places.

"Is this not revadi culture?" said Owaisi referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent speech in which he cautioned people against what he called the "revadi culture" of offering freebies for garnering votes and said it is "very dangerous" for the development of the country.

Continuing with his offensive, Owaisi said in a tweet, "The BJP-led UP government is showering petals on Kanwariyas using public money. We want them to treat everyone equally. They don't shower flowers on us (Muslims). Instead, they bulldoze our houses," he said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government refuted Owaisi's allegations.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the AIMIM leader is known for practising divisive politics in the name of religion.

Weren't Muslims getting houses under government schemes or water under the "Har Ghar Jal" programme? BJP is following the mantra of "sabka saath, sabka vikas" he said.

BJP MP Subrat Pathak said Owaisi is trying to become a "future (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah" -- the founder of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi claimed that the state government also makes arrangements for 'Tajia' processions and Roza Iftars.

"These statement of Owaisi have been made to create communal division in the society and incite the sentiments of people," Tripathi said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Haridwar, Jul 27 (PTI) A 25-year-old army jawan who was part of a group of kanwariyas from Uttar Pradesh was killed allegedly by another group from Haryana here, police said on Wednesday, adding six persons were arrested.

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Kartik, a jawan from the Jat regiment of the Indian Army, succumbed to injuries on the way to a hospital, Haridwar Superintendent of Police (Rural) Pramendra Dobhal said.

Six persons were arrested in connection with the incident and booked under different sections of the IPC, he said.

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According to police, Kartik was attacked with batons and iron rods by the kanwariyas from Haryana when the two groups riding motorcycles were racing with each other and he drove past them. Angry with Kartik over this, the kanwariyas from Haryana thrashed him brutally, police said, adding that the army jawan was on leave.

Kartik hailed from Sisauli village of Muzaffarnagar district and was returning from Haridwar after collecting Ganga water along with other members of his group when the incident occurred on Tuesday, Dobhal said.

Police identified the arrested persons as Sundar (38), Rahul (20), Sachin (25), Akash (21), Pankaj (22) and Rinku (24). All of them are from Chulkana village in Haryana's Panipat district, the SP (rural) said.

A search is on to nab the other accused, he said.

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New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the Punjab government has sent a proposal to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to give cash incentive to farmers in the border state for not burning stubble.

The proposal says Rs 2,500 per acre should be given to farmers in Punjab to wean them away from stubble burning, the chief minister said after inaugurating charging stations for electric vehicles here.

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"The Punjab government has sent a proposal to the CAQM to give cash incentives to farmers in the state for not burning stubble. The proposal says that Delhi and Punjab should give Rs 500 each and the Centre should provide Rs 1,500. The Delhi government will do whatever is needed to curb air pollution," he said.

PTI had on Monday reported that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab and Delhi plan to provide cash incentive to farmers in the border state for not burning stubble and have requested the Centre to share the cost.

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Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is a major reason behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.

Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue before cultivating wheat and potato.

Punjab generates around 20 million tons of paddy straw annually.

"Delhi will share the cost since smoke from farm fires impact air quality in the national capital," a Punjab government official had said.

He had said the Punjab and Delhi governments will implement the scheme even if the Centre doesn't agree.

Under a Centre-sponsored scheme, farm machinery is provided to farmers at a subsidised rate for in-situ management of the stubble.

Farmers say a cash incentive can help them cover the cost of fuel used in operating the machinery.

This is not the first time Punjab will give cash incentives to farmers for not burning stubble.

The governments of Punjab and Haryana had announced a bonus of Rs 2,500 an acre for small and marginal farmers in 2019 too, following the Supreme Court's suggestion to incentivise farmers to stop farm fires.

However, a paucity of funds stalled the scheme and only a few thousand farmers could avail the benefit.

The Punjab government had even requested the Centre for financial assistance but to no avail.

The erstwhile Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had told the apex court that incentive should not be given to stop people from doing something bad.

Farmers can be incentivised in different ways by giving free machinery or buying stubble from them. An incentive for not burning stubble is a perverse incentive, it had said.

According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Punjab had reported 71,304 farm fires between September 15 and November 30 last year and 83,002 farm fires in the corresponding period in 2020.

Last year, the share of farm fires in Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution had peaked to 48 per cent on November 7.

According to an analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 every year, as unhelpful meteorological conditions trap pollutants from local sources and stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

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New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) After being the Chairman of realty firm Mahindra Lifespace Developers Lt for over 12 years, Arun Nanda has retired from the position, even though he will continue to be associated with the Mahindra group.

Nanda will continue as the Chairman of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts (I) Ltd and Holiday Club Resorts Oy, Finland and as a Director of Mahindra Holdings Ltd, the company said in a statement.

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On Wednesday, Mumbai-based Mahindra Lifespace said that Nanda, Chairperson (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of the company, will retire with effect from July 28.

He was appointed as the Chairman with effect from March 15, 2010, and was associated with the company since its inception in 1994.

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At the company, Nanda will be succeeded by Ameet Hariani, Non-Executive Independent Director, according to a regulatory filing.

"Arun has been an invaluable part of the Mahindra Group and been instrumental in its growth and expansion, especially in the services business. He spearheaded the Group's foray into real estate and hospitality and set up Mahindra Holidays and Mahindra Lifespace," Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said.

Mahindra also said that his leadership and guidance over the decades enabled these businesses to flourish and become key contributors to the diversity of the group.

"He has been a mentor to several other businesses within the group and his work in the social sector, particularly for senior citizens is laudable. Arun remains a trusted advisor and a friend and I wish him all the best as he continues his work within the group and with the industry," Mahindra said.

Nanda joined the Mahindra Group in 1973 and has held several important positions within the group over the years.

He was inducted to the board of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) in August 1992 and resigned as Executive Director in March 2010 to focus on the social sector and create a favourable ecosystem for senior citizens.

Nanda continued as a Non-Executive Director of M&M from April 2010 to August 2014.

On his retirement from Mahindra Lifespace, Nanda said he wants to spend more time with his foundations working with senior citizens and skilling youth, particularly in the tribal areas.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Capital markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday said it has entered into a pact with Mongolia's Financial Regulatory Commission for mutual cooperation and technical assistance in the area of securities market rules.

The objective of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is to strengthen cross-border cooperation in the area of securities regulation, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a statement.

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The pact will facilitate mutual assistance, contribute towards the efficient performance of the supervisory functions, help in sharing technical domain knowledge, and enable effective enforcement of the laws and regulations governing the securities markets, it added.

Sebi has signed bilateral MoUs with securities regulators of various jurisdictions. It is also a signatory to the International Organization of Securities Commissions' multilateral MoU and enhanced multilateral MoU.

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Manila [Philippines], July 27 (ANI/Xinhua): A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said.

In a report to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Abalos said that two of the deaths were from Benguet, one from Abra and one from the Mountain Province. He added that many of the injured were from Abra province.

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Abalos said the earthquake triggered nearly 60 landslides and made highways and roads impossible in the northern Philippine region. At least three bridges in Abra province, the quake's epicentre, were damaged.

He added the quake-affected three northern Philippine regions, including 15 provinces, 15 cities, 218 municipalities, and 6,756 villages.

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"There are road closures in some parts of Abra, power interruptions in Abra and Benguet, intermittent communication lines in Region 1, landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and minor damages in other regions," Abalos said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed the death of one person in Benguet province in the northern Philippines. Governor of Abra province

Jocelyn Bernos said a 25-year-old male was also killed after he was pinned by a concrete slab in Bangued town.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said a 7-magnitude earthquake rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT). The institute said the epicentre is located at Tayum town, with a depth of 17 km.

The tremor was felt in many areas on the main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila, where high-rise buildings swayed and train transport suspended operation. It was also felt in many provinces, including Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.

As of 1:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), the institute has recorded at least 120 aftershocks in the northern region.

In the capital region, panicked employees in offices, including the presidential palace, ran out of the buildings.

Mayor of La Paz town in Abra province Joseph Bernos said the quake damaged many concrete houses, buildings and infrastructure in the province. "I received reports that there were massive damages in our province," he told a radio interview, adding that some buildings at the University of Abra were also damaged.

The tremor also caused damage to the century-old structures in Vigan City, in Ilocos Sur province, a tourist destination known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture on the west coast of Luzon island.

A local disaster official of Baguio City, also in the northern Philippines, said Kennon Road, a major road connecting the city and Manila, was closed while the damage was being assessed.

Philippine President Marcos told a news conference that he will postpone his visit to the devastated region for Thursday. Marcos has sent Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo to the quake-hit region to attend to the victims.

PHIVOLCS chief Renato Solidum warned the tectonic quake would trigger aftershocks and could cause damage such as landslides. He urged the people and the local government officials to be vigilant.

"Make sure to inspect the buildings for cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains," he told a news conference, urging villagers to leave areas prone to landslides.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said China is ready to help Filipinos in the affected areas. "We are ready to extend helping hands to the Philippine side for disaster relief," he said in a statement.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

On July 16, 1990, northern Luzon was shaken by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a 125-km-long ground rupture that stretched from Aurora province to Nueva Vizcaya, killing around 1,200 people and damaging scores of buildings and houses. (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tehran [Iran], July 27 (ANI/Xinhua): At least six people died as two cars collided on a road in central Iran on Tuesday, official IRNA news agency reported.

In the accident on the Nain-Isfahan road, a car veered to the left and collided with a trailer coming from the opposite direction, Mohammad Zamani, head of Nain Red Crescent Society, told IRNA.

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A passenger was injured in the crash, said Zamani, adding other causes of the accident are under investigation.

More than 20,000 people are killed and 200,000 others wounded in traffic accidents annually in Iran, official figures show. Lack of driving experience and low efficiency of cars and roads are reportedly the top causes. (ANI/Xinhua)

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(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kabul [Afghanistan], July 27 (ANI): At least seven children were killed due to cholera outbreak and 667 others were infected with the disease in less than a week in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, media reports citing doctor in the province stated on Wednesday.

"A total of 9,500 patients affected with diarrhea have been taken to the healthcare center, where 667 of them were diagnosed with cholera disease," Mohammad Daud Ayubi as qouted by Xinhua News Agency said.

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The doctor also confirmed that seven children have died of the disease over the past several days in the province.

According to reports, cholera outbreak has earlier claimed the lives of 20 children in the neighbouring Helmand province, while hundreds of cases have been reported in Kandahar, Helmand and neighboring Zabul, and thousands of cases in northern Jawzjan and Kunduz provinces.

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A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, Sharafat Zaman had earlier said that over 100 cases of the disease have been recorded in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar and that more than 15 people have died as a result of severe cholera in Helmand province alone, Tolo News reported.

Health officials said that this disease, which causes severe diarrhoea and nausea, has been spreading in the small villages of Dasht, Giro Joy, Tak, Shina, and other areas for the past week or so.

A health official in Daikundi province, Sayed Ishaq Hosseini said, "The cholera-like disease, which has severe diarrhoea and vomiting as symptoms, has spread from 6th July in the border region between the Baghran district in Helmand and Nawa Mesh district in Daikundi province. In Helmand and Daikundi provinces, in central and southern Afghanistan, the cholera outbreak has recently killed 11 people in the districts of Nawa Mesh and Baghran."

Cholera is a highly infectious disease caused by consuming food or drinking water having certain bacteria. It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting, which causes dehydration and can lead to death within a few hours if left untreated.

According to the World Health Organisation, "Cholera remains a global threat to public health and is an indicator of inequity and lack of social development."

The spread of cholera had earlier threatened the Afghan people who continued to deal with the aftermath of the recent 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan, and now the unknown disease has also become a concern.

Afghanistan is also grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis as according to international assessments, the country now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world, with more than 23 million in need of assistance, and approximately 95 per cent of the population having insufficient food consumption. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Baghdad, July 27: Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdad's parliament Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.

The majority of the protesters were followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The demonstrators, all of them men, were seen walking on tables of the parliament floor, leafing through folders, sitting in the chairs of lawmakers and waving Iraqi flags. The incident raised the stakes in the political struggle for Iraq nearly ten months after federal elections.

No lawmakers were present. Only security forces were inside the building and they appeared to allow the protesters in with relative ease.

The demonstrators were protesting the recent selection of Mohammed al-Sudani as the official nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies. Iraq Protest: Protestors Storm Parliament Building in Baghdad (Watch Video).

It was the largest protest since federal elections were held in October, and the second time al-Sadr has used his ability to mobilize masses to send a message to his political rivals this month. Earlier in July, thousands heeded his call for a mass prayer, an event many feared would devolve into destabilizing protests.

Hours after his followers occupied parliament, al-Sadr issued a statement on Twitter telling them their message had been received, and to return safely to your homes," signaling there would be no further escalation to the sit-in. Shortly after, protesters began making their way out of the parliament building with security forces supervising.

The incident, and al-Sadr's subsequent show of control over his followers, carried an implicit warning to the Framework party of a potential escalation to come if the government forms with al-Sudani at the helm.

Al-Sadr's ability to mobilize and control his large grassroots following gives him powerful leverage over his rivals. In a similar fashion, his followers stormed the Green Zone in 2016 and entered the country's parliament building to demand political reform.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators breached Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the parliament and other government buildings, as well as foreign embassies.

Protesters chanted curses against Iran and said, Sudani, out!

Riot police had attempted to repel the protesters using water cannons, but demonstrators scaled the cement barrier walls and pulled down slabs using ropes to enter the Green Zone.

The demonstrators walked down the zone's main thoroughfare with little resistance from security forces. One security personnel was seen handing a protester a water bottle.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for calm and restraint, and for protesters to immediately withdraw from the area.

Al-Sadr recently stepped down from the political process despite having won the most seats in the October federal election. Protesters carried portraits of the cleric.

Al-Sudani was selected by State of Law leader and former premier Nouri al-Maliki. Before al-Sudani can face parliament to be seated officially as premier-designate, parties must first select a president. Protesters also chanted: Maliki, garbage!

The Framework, in a statement, said they had known of calls urging chaos, stirring up strife, within the last 24 hours since nominating al-Sudani.

Al-Sadr exited government formation talks after he was not able to corral enough lawmakers to get the majority required to elect Iraq's next president.

By replacing his lawmakers, the Framework leader pushed ahead to form next government. Many fear doing so also opens the doors to street protests organized by al-Sadr's large grass roots following and instability. (AP)
United Nations, Jul 27 (PTI) India has said it has vital stakes in peace and prosperity in the Middle East and through the newly-formed I2U2 grouping it is confident of making significant contributions to energy, food security and economic growth in the region and South Asia.

Four-nation grouping I2U2 comprises India, Israel, the UAE and the US. I stands for India and Israel and U for the US and UAE.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the first virtual summit of the coalition on July 14 and said the grouping would make an important contribution in areas of energy security, food security and economic growth.

With US President Joe Biden, Israeli Premier Yair Lapid and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan listening, Modi said the grouping has established a positive agenda and its framework is a good model for practical cooperation in the face of increasing global uncertainties.

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"India has vital stakes in peace and prosperity in the Middle East. During a recent virtual I2U2 summit, the leaders of India, Israel, the UAE and the US agreed to increase joint investment in six key areas of water, energy, transport, space, health and food security, Charge d'affaires in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said at the UNSC open debate on the 'Question of Palestine' on Tuesday.

We are confident that with I2U2, we will make significant contributions to energy security, food security and economic growth in the Middle East and South Asia, he said.

After the first virtual meeting of I2U2 on July 14, a joint statement said this unique grouping of countries aims to harness the vibrancy of our societies and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the Security Council meeting that "the I2U2 Virtual Summit of India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States the President showed the potential of closer cooperation between Israel and other countries in and outside the region.

Ravindra, however, expressed concern over the developments in Israel and Palestine, in particular, the continued violent attacks and the killing of civilians and the acts of destruction and provocation.

He said India has consistently advocated against all such acts of violence and reiterated New Delhi's call for its complete cessation.

He stressed that the absence of a political settlement between Israel and Palestine did not augur well for long-term regional peace and stability.

In addition to the stated political support for a two-state solution, the international community must expend energies and political capital to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process, he said.

Ravindra said India believes that the peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict would bring lasting peace and stability to the region.

He reiterated the need for an early resumption of the political course by launching credible direct negotiations on all final status issues.

India has consistently called for direct peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, which, we believe, is the best path towards achieving the goal of a two-state solution, he said.

He said that these negotiations must be based on the internationally agreed framework, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns.

Ravindra said all unilateral measures that unduly alter the status quo on the ground and undercut the viability of the two-state solution must be eschewed.

The international community and this Council must send a strong signal against any step preventing the possibility of durable peace between Israel and Palestine, he said.

India urged the parties to focus on addressing the urgent security and economic challenges, including the precarious financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, and chart a clear path for discussing key political issues.

We recognise the international community's recent confidence-building measures for the Palestinians and the important steps Israel has taken to ease Palestine's economic situation, he said.

Such initiatives are in the interest of both parties and help maintain stability and discourage the possible recurrence of terror and violence. Moreover, these initiatives should create a conducive environment leading to political dialogue, he said.

Intra-Palestinian unity is critical for the well-being of the Palestinian people, he said and expressed hope that efforts to achieve reconciliation between all Palestinian parties will bear fruit soon and help in overcoming the current stalemate, leading to legislative and Presidential elections in Palestine.

Given our long-standing and firm commitment to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, within secure, recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, India will remain fully supportive of all efforts to restart the peace process, he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York [US], July 27 (ANI): Ambassador of India to the UN, TS Tirumurti on Tuesday extended his condolences on the death of two Indian peacekeepers in Congo.

"India tragically lost two UN Peacekeepers from BSF in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Truly a great loss. My deepest condolences. India is striving its utmost to enhance safety, security and accountability of @UNPeacekeeping and to 'Protect the protectors,'" tweeted Tirumurti.

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Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on a UN peace-keeping mission in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo on Tuesday succumbed to fatal injuries they had received during violent protests.

The Indian peacekeepers were part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

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In a tweet, Jaishankar wrote, "Deeply grieved at the loss of lives of two valiant Indian peacekeepers of the BSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were part of the MONUSCO. The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice. Deepest condolences to the bereaved families."

A senior BSF officer said that they were in touch with the authorities and reinforcements of the UN Force (Army component) on their way to the site.

Earlier, some groups had given a call for week-long agitation throughout DR Congo. The situation turned violent in Goma (about 350 Km South of Beni and a big MONUSCO base) with looting and arson.

Both Beni and Butembo, where 2 BSF platoons were deployed, were on high alert.

However, on Tuesday the situation in Butembo turned violent. The camp of Morroco Rapid Deployment where BSF platoons were stationed was surrounded by demonstrators. Congolese Police (PNC) and Congolese Army (FARDC) troops arrived but could not control the violent crowd estimated to be over 500.

To contain the situation, Congolese troops fired in the air and BSF troops fired smoke to disperse the crowd but they managed to breach the perimeter wall in three different places. The crowd was repelled but they gathered again. There were reports that armed rebels had infiltrated the demonstrators.

The second attack was more fierce and was accompanied by fire from small arms (automatics). Morrocan and Indian troops fired in self-defence. Sporadic firing still going on.

Two BSF personnel succumbed to fatal injuries. MORRDB also suffered one fatality and one IPOs sustained gunshot injury. Reinforcements of the UN Force (Army component) are on their way. (ANI)

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London, Jul 27 (PTI) A 42-year-old Indian-origin company director who failed to account for around GBP 45,000 from a UK government COVID-19 support loan for businesses has been banned from operating a venture for seven years.

Rupinder Kaur Thaker from Essex in south-east England was appointed director of TKML Limited in April 2016 at the same time the company was incorporated.

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The UK's Insolvency Service said questions persist around what TKML Limited did with a GBP 45,000 Bounce Back Loan and whether the company was even entitled to a loan of that size.

Effective from next Tuesday, Thaker is banned from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

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Despite repeated requests for books and records, Rupinder Thaker failed to provide the liquidator with any evidence that could have helped explain the legitimacy of the company's financial affairs, said Lawrence Zussman, Deputy Head of Insolvent Investigations.

Especially the GBP 45,000 Bounce Back Loan intended to support viable businesses during the pandemic. Rupinder Thaker has been removed from the business environment for seven years and her lengthy disqualification provides a stark warning that failing to maintain company books and records is a serious offence, he said.

TKML Limited entered into creditors' voluntary liquidation in 2021 and the company's insolvency triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Investigators first uncovered several inconsistencies in the explanations provided by Thaker when asked about the company.

The entry for TKML Limited on the company register stated the nature of business as takeaway food shops and mobile food stands, and Thaker's occupation as a publicist.

But in the report to creditors the company was described as providing catering services and decor supplies for wedding ceremonies.

Further enquiries found that between May 2019 and when the company went into insolvency in June 2021, the company director had failed to preserve and/or maintain adequate accounting records or failed to deliver them to the liquidator.

This meant investigators could not verify several substantial transactions.

Besides the loan, more than GBP 250,000 paid out of the company bank account remains unexplained and doubts persist over whether GBP 11,000 stated by Thaker as being owed to her and a connected company were accurate.

Earlier this month, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng accepted a seven-year disqualification undertaking from Rupinder Thaker after she did not dispute that she "failed to ensure that TKML Limited preserved and/or maintained adequate accounting records, or in the alternative, failed to deliver up adequate accounting records to the liquidator".

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other business restrictions.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique

New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Parliament House on Wednesday.

The Memorandum of Cooperation aims to develop privileged relations between the Parliaments of India and Mozambique based on the principles of equality, reciprocity of benefits and mutual respect, and undertake to consult each other on matters of parliamentary interest.

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This comes as the first Mozambican Parliamentary Delegation arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The Parliamentary Delegation from Mozambique led by Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

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Meanwhile, the 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Mozambique was held in New Delhi on 4 July 2022. The Indian side was led by Puneet R. Kundal, Joint Secretary (East & Southern Africa) and the Mozambican side was led by Ismael Valigy, Director for Asia and Oceania in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique.

During the FOC, both delegations reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral relationship, covering political exchanges, development partnership projects, defence and security cooperation, trade and economic matters, consular issues, and cooperation in areas such as agriculture, sports, health, etc. The two sides agreed to enhance people to people exchanges, and cultural cooperation.

The Indian side congratulated Mozambique on its election to the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the term 2023-24. They also exchanged views on global developments and issues of common interest including cooperation in the United Nations, South African Development Cooperation (SADC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Both sides also agreed to continue high-level political exchanges and regular meetings of the joint institutional mechanisms to keep the partnership vibrant and mutually beneficial.

The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at mutually convenient dates in Maputo.

India and Mozambique enjoy close, friendly relations built upon traditional links dating back to pre-colonial period. With a sizable number of people of Indian origin among the Mozambican population, cultural relations between India and Mozambique have always existed for the past few centuries. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, Jul 27 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hit out at the judiciary, accusing some judges of having "double standards" towards his coalition government, a day after the Supreme Court removed his son as the chief minister of politically crucial and most populous Punjab province.

"I respect the judiciary but one has to speak the truth on the floor of the National Assembly," Sharif said while addressing a session of the National Assembly here.

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He said that people expect the judiciary to make decisions with justice and the standard for justice should be the same for everyone.

His remarks came a day after a three-member Supreme Court bench - comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar - on Tuesday night ruled that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi will be the new chief minister of Punjab, paving the way for a change in the country's political heartland.

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Elahi, the 76-year-old leader backed by ousted prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was sworn in as Punjab chief minister early Wednesday, in a major blow to Prime Minister Sharif-led coalition.

"When the courts summon then I think we should go with great respect  but if you have to decide then it should be on the basis of truth and justice. It can't happen that you treat me one way and treat someone else differently, said Sharif, who is also the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Sharif reiterated that he greatly respected the judiciary and was only talking about double standards.

He said that during the previous Imran Khan government's tenure no one took notice of various scandals such as the wheat and sugar crisis, the violation of its agreement with the International Monetary Fund as well as irregularities in the Peshawar BRT project.

"Who planned to attack this parliament in 2014, who hung dirty clothes on the building of the Supreme Court, who asked the public to set fire to electricity bills  no one took notice, everyone was quiet," he said, in an apparent reference to Khan.

Sharif asked the question that how long could such double standards continue.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented a resolution for a parliamentary committee for judicial reforms in the session, which was unanimously approved, Dawn newspaper reported.

The resolution said the Parliament would not allow any other institution to transgress and encroach on its powers. It said that the NA resolved to make a special joint committee of the upper and lower houses to institute requisite judicial reforms, adding that they were the need of the hour.

Punjab is Pakistan's second-largest province and any party ruling the key province controls the politics of the country. For the PML-N, losing Punjab means losing the Centre. Political pundits believe that the ruling coalition is now vulnerable. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 27 (ANI): Hours after Pakistan Muslim League (Q) leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was sworn in as the Punjab Chief Minister, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah threatened to impose Governor's rule in the province, media reports said.

The minister made these remarks on Wednesday following the Supreme Court verdict which declared Hamza Shehbaz's victory in the July 22 Chief Minister's election as void.

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During a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Sanaullah said that he has started working on the summary of the governor's rule in Punjab. "If I am banned from entering Punjab, then the implementation of governor's rule will be justified," reported ARY News.

Interior Minister Sanaullah said that there have been talks of arrests of a few people since after the Supreme Court's ruling which unseated PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz from the position of Chief Minister of Punjab province.

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If arrests take place, do remember a summary for the imposition of governor's rule in Punjab has to be made by the interior ministry, he added.

The minister said the SC's decision had "created complications and destabilised the political situation" because of which the rupee was tanking and the stock market was falling.

He further stated that the SC's recent verdict contradicted the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to de-seat 25 dissident PTI lawmakers who had voted for Hamza in the April 16 election.

"It is my opinion that the interpretation of Article 63-A will not sustain. Any lawyer will say it amounts to rewriting the Constitution. It is not the SC's authority to rewrite the Constitution and we will defend the parliament's authority," Sanaullah said.

"This situation is unfortunate and we want to restrict our words [...] An independent, uncontroversial and impartial judiciary is any country's basic need. No country can progress without it."

Meanwhile, PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif urged for early general elections while he discusses with the senior party leadership about quitting the government at the Centre.

In a massive defeat for Hamza Shehbaz after the Punjab bye-elections, the three-member Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Atta Bandial and Justices Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Muneeb Akhtar, removed Hamza as Punjab's chief minister.

It has put up a new scenario for the party where it has power in the Centre but Punjab, which is often known as the battleground province for the Sharifs, will now be ruled by Pervaiz Elahi with help from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Hamza Shehbaz, son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had defeated Pervez Elahi in the Punjab polls and Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Mazari had dismissed PML-Q's 10 votes after party head Chaudhry Shujaat urged them to vote in favour of Hamza.

Earlier, the Pakistan Supreme Court had allowed Hamza Shehbaz to stay as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab however Tuesday's ruling reversed this. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, Jul 27 (PTI) Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday warned of imposing governor's rule in Punjab if his entry into the province was restricted, a day after the Supreme Court declared former premier Imran Khan-backed candidate Pervez Elahi as the chief minister.

Elahi took oath as the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province following the apex court's verdict that saw Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Hamza Shehbaz, son of the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, losing his status of the "trustee" chief minister.

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The summary to impose governor's rule is being drafted, and I  personally  have started work on it," Interior Minister Sanaullah said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

If my entry is restricted, it will be grounds for governor's rule, he asserted, after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers had suggested prohibiting his entry to the Punjab province.

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In the widely anticipated judgement on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Elahi, the apex court on Tuesday declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari's controversial decision to reject 10 votes in the Punjab chief minister's election as illegal, citing Article 63-A of the Constitution.

Hamza was earlier declared the winner in the election though his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party did not have a majority in the Assembly after key by-elections held on July 17.

Sanaullah said the Supreme Court's decision had created complications and destabilised the political situation because of which the rupee was plummeting against the US dollar and the economy in a tailspin.

Even a second-grader would interpret Article 63-A  which is related to the disqualification of lawmakers over defection  as saying that the votes of dissident lawmakers would be counted in the election, the minister said.

He added that the apex court's verdict contradicted the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to de-seat 25 dissident PTI lawmakers who had voted for Hamza in the April 16 election, which was, in turn, based on the Supreme Court order.

Hamza should have remained the chief minister since the votes of those 25 dissident lawmakers would not be subtracted from his tally in the April election, Sanaullah said.

It is my opinion that the interpretation of Article 63-A will not sustain. Any lawyer will say it amounts to rewriting the Constitution. It is not the Supreme Court's authority to rewrite the Constitution and we will defend the parliament's authority, he explained.

This situation is unfortunate and we want to restrict our words [] An independent, uncontroversial and impartial judiciary is any country's basic need. No country can progress without it, the minister said.

Punjab is Pakistan's second-largest province and any party ruling the key province controls the politics of the country.

For the PML-N, losing Punjab means losing the Centre. Political pundits believe that the ruling coalition is now vulnerable.

Tuesday's outcome provides a "massive opportunity" to PTI chairman Khan to build further pressure on the rulers to call for fresh elections and also corner the PML-N in Punjab which is considered a stronghold of the Sharifs.

When asked whether the PML-N-led coalition government in Islamabad would find it difficult to continue after losing control of the Punjab province, Sanaullah said: The federal government has its own role. It is present everywhere."

"This kind of conversation is being done by people who neither have intelligence nor knowledge. The federal government is a coalition government and it is present everywhere," he added.

Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also criticised the court's decision and termed it judicial murder.

How will you justify this blatant injustice? This is judicial murder but the victim this time is justice. What have you done, chief justice? she said in a tweet.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Cambridge (UK), Jul 27 (The Conversation) Elon Musk's recent highly public back and forth with Twitter has given the market whiplash.

Twitter, while initially resisting the tycoon, went on to sign an agreement with him worth USD 44 billion (36.6 billion euros) in April 2022.

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The deal placed a 38 per cent premium on Twitter's then-share price. While the market would expect value to be added on a deal like this, more recent events have pushed the premium up even further. This will not benefit shareholders on either side.

Much has changed since Musk's April offer. Technology stocks have taken a beating due to fears of a recession.

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Big tech has lost an average of 26 per cent in value, while many smaller tech stocks have lost up to 70 per cent.

Tesla shares, which Musk was using to back his Twitter deal, have not been spared either as prices nearly halved between early April and late May, although they have recovered slightly since.

Share price gains made by Twitter following Musk's announcement have been lost, while its management says the platform has spent USD 33 million on the deal and has blamed the resulting uncertainty for a recent fall in revenues.

Accounting for the effect of the tech stock drop on Twitter's pre-deal share price, the premium to be paid by Musk will now be significantly higher than the original 38 per cent if the deal goes ahead.

The tycoon and his lawyers have cited reasons unrelated to the change in the deal financials for Musk's retraction of the offer in July  chiefly the need for more information on spam accounts.

Twitter is now using legal action to try to force Musk to complete the purchase and a US judge has set a trial date for October. But further legal wrangling that results in a continued dive in Twitter's share price will not benefit Musk  particularly if the court forces him to buy  or Twitter's management, employees and current shareholders.

Both sides should be open to renegotiating the deal to protect the company's current and future shareholders.

Finding value

Acquisitions are generally strategic moves made by a company to bolster its position within an industry.

Some buyers want to acquire new capabilities that would otherwise take years to build, others want to enter different markets or introduce new product lines.

Sometimes, if regulators allow, companies also acquire their competitors as a means of consolidating their position in a market.

These deals are typically done with the intent of mutually maximising shareholder value.

The acquired company's shareholders hope to benefit by selling at a premium, while the acquiring company's shareholders want to own a piece of a more powerful and competitive firm.

This applies even to Musk and his shareholders in this deal who, although a loose collective rather than a company, were set to gain quite a lot when they made the offer to acquire Twitter in April.

As it currently stands, however, the Twitter deal will not mutually maximise shareholder value. In fact, the gain of one set of shareholders could come at a clear loss to the other.

If Twitter can successfully enforce this acquisition through the legal system, Musk and his shareholders would have significantly overpaid for the social media platform based on its value in today's market.

The feud has also taken a significant toll on employee morale and retention at Twitter. As such, even if Musk is forced to buy the company, Twitter could be in a worse condition than when he originally bid for it.

It could be argued that this is Musk's own doing following his decision to walk away from the deal, but most shareholder-focused managers probably would have done the same given the shift in financial incentives.

On the other hand, if Musk does not buy Twitter, the current shareholders may see market capitalisation (or the value of all shares) slide further.

It is highly unlikely that in the current economic climate there are any other contenders who would be willing to pay Musk's original price for Twitter.

This is why Twitter management is aggressively pursuing a legal route as the only realistic option to maximise return for its shareholders.

If the deal does go through they will not have to deal with the ramifications of managing a disgruntled workforce, however, unlike Musk.

Protecting shareholders

A change of heart about an acquisition is certainly not uncommon. And safeguards are put in place to prevent deals from collapsing.

In the case of the Twitter deal, there is a USD 1 billion breakup fee.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been enough incentive for both parties to complete the deal. But given the financial chasm that exists between April and today, Musk may prefer to pay the breakup fee versus the USD 44 billion bill for Twitter.

One way to protect shareholders from the effects of this kind of market volatility is to strike a deal for a mix of stock and cash.

This way the value of the offer is spread between the two elements rather than being solely based on one or the other.

Unfortunately, the Twitter deal is entirely cash based because Musk wanted to take the social media platform private to protect free speech.

Leaving stock on the table could curtail such a plan and so he may be reluctant to renegotiate that element.

As such, buyers and sellers should keep an eye on the market and remain open to a price renegotiation if conditions change as significantly as they have in the past few months.

Since the legal opinion on whether Twitter will win its case is ambiguous, everyone involved may benefit more from collaboration.

Although a clear winner could be declared in court, both sets of shareholder interests are more likely to align in backroom negotiations. (The Conversation)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], July 27 (ANI/Xinhua): Operations have resumed in three Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny in line with a grain exports deal signed last week in Turkiye, the press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said in a statement on Wednesday.

Currently, the work is underway to prepare the ports for safe navigation, with military and civilian experts searching for underwater objects and installing special navigation equipment, the statement said.

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The ships navigating in the Ukrainian ports will form a caravan, which will be escorted by a lead ship for greater security, it said.

On July 22, Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

Also Read | China Warns Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak Not To 'Hype China Threat' Amid UK PM Race.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tons of last year's grain harvest and part of this year's harvest. (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kampala, July 27: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday donated 2,400 monkeypox test kits to Uganda to help with the African country's response to the infectious disease.

WHO Representative to Uganda Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam handed over the kits to Ugandan Minister of Health Ruth Aceng, saying that the WHO is committed to providing assistance to strengthen Uganda's testing capacity. Monkeypox in India: Centre Issues Guidelines To Contain Spread of Monkeypox Disease After Suspected Case in Kerala.

Aceng expressed gratitude for the donation, noting that Uganda has so far carried out 70 tests, which all turned out negative. The WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on July 23.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, July 27: The Centre will table 'The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022' on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha even as the opposition is likely to protest against the suspension of 19 members.

On Tuesday, 19 opposition Members were sMonsoon Session of Parliamentuspended from the Rajya Sabha for a week for disrupting the House proceedings. The 19 members include seven from the Trinamool Congress, six from the DMK, three from TRS, two from CPI-M and one from CPI. Deputy Chairman Harivansh had said that the Members were suspended for showing utter disregard to the House and the authority of the Chair.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will move the Bill 'The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022' as passed by the Lok Sabha to be taken into consideration. The Bill seeks to extend the application of domestic laws to research stations set up by India in the Antarctic region. India has two active research stations in the Antarctic -- Maitri and Bharti -- where scientists are involved in research. Under the provisions of the Bill, private tours and expeditions to Antarctica would be prohibited without a permit or the written authorisation by a Member country. Parliament Monsoon Session 2022: Lok Sabha Passes the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill 2022.

The Upper House also is expected to pass 'The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022'. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar moved the Bill on July 19 as passed by the Lok Sabha to be taken into consideration. On Monday, as members of the BJP continued to participate in discussion on the Bill amid sloganeering from the opposition benches, the Chair announced that the minister's statement on the Bill and its consideration and passing will take place on next day. However, it could not be taken up on Tuesday due to the opposition protests.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the motion to elect two Members for the Committee on Official Language in an existing vacancy and another that will arise on August 1, due to the retirement of Dr. Subhash Chandra from the membership of the Rajya Sabha.

Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste will make a statement regarding the status of implementation of recommendations contained in the 23rd report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development on Demands for Grants (2022-23) pertaining to the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development. Monsoon Session 2022: 19 Opposition MPs Suspended From Rajya Sabha for A Week For Disrupting House Proceedings.

Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi and Muzibulla Khan will lay statements of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy. Ministers will lay papers related to their respective ministries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2022 09:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Meanwhile, Ranveer is in news for his nude photoshoot for PAPER magazine.While some couldn't stop praising the actor for his bold experiment with his look, there's a section of people who have trolled him. Ranveer posted his nude pictures on Instagram last week and since then he has been the talk of the town.
Karnataka | Police deployed near government hospital in Puttur, where mortal remains of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru have been kept.



He was hacked to death with lethal weapons by unidentified people in Bellare, Dakshina Kannada yesterday. pic.twitter.com/z1df1bobAW ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) advises men at risk of monkeypox to consider limiting sexual partners for now to curb the further spread. According to reports, over 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been detected in 78 countries.

Check Tweet:

The head of the World Health Organisation advises men at risk of monkeypox to consider limiting sexual partners for now, reports AP  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 27, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
China willing to enhance ties with Lebanon, contribute more to regional peace: ambassador

Xinhua) 10:30, July 27, 2022

BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian said on Tuesday that China is willing to further enhance relations with Lebanon and between the two armies and contribute more to maintaining peace in Lebanon and the region.

"China will continue to hold high the banner of multilateralism to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Qian said during a reception held virtually to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Zheng Yuchong, defense attache at the Chinese embassy in Lebanon, noted at the reception that China has made important contributions to maintaining peace in Lebanon and the region over the past 16 years.

"China is the first country to provide vaccine assistance for the Lebanese army. The Chinese army is willing to continue to develop exchanges and cooperation with the Lebanese army in various fields to promote the healthy development of bilateral relations," he said.

Nemr Abi Nassif, representative of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun, expressed gratitude for the efforts the PLA has made to maintain security and stability in Lebanon, hoping for deeper pragmatic cooperation between the two armies.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Arizona U.S.-Mexico border agents discovered a huge load of several types of drugs on Saturday inside a gas tank and other parts of a vehicle.

Fox News reported that the drugs were containing 2.5 pounds of black tar heroin, nine pounds of heroin, and 89 pounds of methamphetamine. Authorities also found 320,000 fentanyl pills.

Officials noted that the drugs were allegedly hidden inside a gas tank, the side, and rocker panels of a vehicle trying to get inside the United States.

A separate bust on Saturday has resulted in the confiscation of more than 40 pounds of drugs and another 150,000 fentanyl pills inside the rocker panels of another vehicle.

More smuggling attempts are being seen by the border agents as the situation at the border continues to escalate.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 'Historic' Drug Bust Leads to Discovery of Drug-Smuggling Den, Half-Ton of Fentanyl

U.S. Mexico Border Drug Smuggling Attempts

In February 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has come up with a plan to scan 100 percent of arriving vehicles at the border with the rising drug overdose deaths in the U.S. The CBP intends to roll out new "nonintrusive" inspection systems to screen significantly more trucks, according to a Washington Post report.

Alberto Flores, the CBP director for the Laredo port of entry, said that the system will be a "game changer" for the agency. Flores added that the machine can scan eight times as many trucks per hour, saying that more scans will also increase the probability of a seizure.

CBP's Laredo field office confiscated 588 pounds of synthetic opioid fentanyl during the 2021 fiscal year, which is an eleven-fold increase over the 50 pounds detected the previous year.

Smugglers use false vehicle panels with hidden compartments and bulk produce shipments to hide the drugs from plain sight. In addition, vehicles' gas tanks, engines, and batteries can be used too with secret chambers.

Flores said that the agency will adjust with the cartels, the same way they adjust to CBP's inspections.

Drug Overdose in the U.S.

Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics showed that there were around 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in April 2021, which shows an increase of 28.5%.

Meanwhile, Black and indigenous people in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by drug overdose. The drug overdose deaths for American Indian and Alaska Native people saw a 39% increase over the previous year, as reported by NPR.

The CDC noted that the differences in overdose deaths cannot be fully explained by patterns of substance abuse.

Dr. Debra Houry, acting principal deputy director at the CDC, told the press at the time that the disproportionate increase in overdose death rates may be partly due to health inequities. Houry cited those as unequal access to substance use treatment and treatment biases.

CDC's Mbabazi Kariisa, the main author of CDC's report, highlighted that younger Black people had the largest increase in overdose deaths, which is at 86%. Kariisa said that the age range was 15 to 24 years old.

READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel in Mexico Is Creating Homemade Bombs Similar to Those Use by Islamic Militants Amid Drug War

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Massive $5 MILLION Dope Bust | Bordertown: Laredo | A&E - from A&E


The effects of Hurricane Maria are still being felt in Puerto Rico today, as many still do not have running water in their area. However, many on the island are hopeful that things will change with the visit of Michael Regan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator.

Regan is expected to continue touring several poor communities within Puerto Rico to learn how pollution has affected them. This is all part of a U.S. initiative called "Journey to Justice."

Michael Regan Wants To See Injustices Up-close

The Associated Press recently talked to Michael Regan regarding his Puerto Rico visit. He said that it is important for him to see what is on the ground and to see these injustices there up close. He added that it's important because these communities are on the frontline and are the ones facing the impact of climate change the most. Regan also said he wants to "listen and learn from the community so we can develop solutions together."

NBC News noted that the visit comes as Puerto Rico is about to receive $78 million in EPA funds. This is mainly for water infrastructure projects, as many of the island's water infrastructure was damaged during Hurricane Maria.

While the local government of Puerto Rico will be the one to ultimately decide the allocation, Regan has already sent them a letter that contains the outlines of the agency's expectations as to where these funds should go. He said that he wants "communities that have never had a seat at the table" to be eligible for those resources as well.

READ NEXT: Ricky Martin's Nephew Withdraws Sexual Abuse Case | Puerto Rican Singer Has a Message to His Accuser

'Journey to Justice' First Stop is One of Puerto Rico's Most Polluted Waterways

Michael Regan's first stop in his tour is often regarded as one of Puerto Rico's most polluted waterways, the Cano Martin Pena. It is home to about 25,000 people who lack access to clean water.

Community leader Lucy Cruz also spoke to the Associated Press and said that there is a lack of a sewage system in Cano Martin Pena. She said that while there is federal and local funding to clean up the waterway, they are not enough because of the sewage problem. She added that the change in their community would impact all of Puerto Rico.

That is not all Regan will be taking a look at during his visit to the U.S. territory. According to Politico, he will also be meeting with around 20 activists at a pier in San Juan.

Brenda Torres, executive director of Estuario de la Bahia de San Juan, said that they want him to get a "real sense" of what people on the island are facing, and that would be hard to do.

It is also noted that Regan will also have to turn his attention to various environmental issues, such as coal ash, permitting, and dredging concerns.

READ NEXT: Puerto Rico Police Bust Island's Biggest Marijuana Greenhouse

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan - Clean Energy and Protecting Communities | The Daily Show
Nicole Shanahan's lawyer has hit out at the rumors involving the wife of the Google co-founder in the Elon Musk affair that surfaced this week.

Speaking to the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Shanahan's lawyer, Attorney Bryan Freedman, called the rumors about the Tesla CEO and Sergey Brin's wife untrue.

"Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory," Freedman underscored in a statement. No further details were mentioned by Shanahan's lawyer.

READ NEXT: Elon Musk's Twitter Drama Takes New Twist: Tesla CEO Might Be Forced to Complete $44 Billion Purchase

Elon Musk Denies Affair With Nicole Shanahan

On Monday, Musk also denied having an affair with the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

The SpaceX founder took to Twitter to reply to a user who shared the article from the Wall Street Journal, the outlet that reported the affair, citing people familiar with the matter.

This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night!



Ive only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022

"This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night," Elon Musk underscored. The Tesla CEO furthered that he had only seen Shanahan twice in three years, and both times had a lot of people around them, contending that their encounters were not romantic.

On Tuesday, Musk lashed out at a tweet from a WSJ editor, the outlet that reported the alleged affair. Michael Siconolfi also tweeted the WSJ article, emphasizing that the Tesla CEO asked for forgiveness from the Google co-founder.

Sickonolfis pack of attack chihuahuas are burning up phone lines today for revenge after his bogus article   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 26, 2022

Musk then tweeted a photo of him with a group, including Sergey Brin. Musk captioned the photo with an emoji of pants and a flame. He then furthered that the article shared by Siconolfi is burning up phone lines over his bogus article.

In a different tweet, Musk shared how he feels about the attention he has gathered following the publication of the story.

The amount of attention on me has gone supernova, which super sucks. Unfortunately, even trivial articles about me generate a lot of clicks :(



Will try my best to be heads down focused on doing useful things for civilization.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022

"The amount of attention on me has gone supernova, which super sucks. Unfortunately, even trivial articles about me generate a lot of clicks," Musk said, placing a sad face at the end of the statement.

Despite that, the Tesla CEO highlighted that he will still try his best to do useful things for the civilization.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Wall Street Journal told the Daily Mail that they are confident in their sourcing and stand with what they reported.

Elon Musk Affair Involving Nicole Shanahan

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had an affair with Shanahan last fall, prompting Brin to file for a divorce in January.

Records from Santa Clara County Superior Court revealed that Brin filed for the divorce in January, citing "irreconcilable differences." The said filing reportedly occurred weeks after Brin allegedly discovered the affair between Musk and his wife.

The report also mentioned that Musk dropped to his knees to beg forgiveness. The Google co-founder reportedly acknowledged the apology from Musk. However, the two have not spoken regularly after that.

READ NEXT: Texas Airport Shooter Once Claimed to Be 'God's Prophet,' Married to Chris Brown

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Elon Musk Denies Being Romantic w/ Google Co-Founder's Wife - From Access
The Justice Department is now investigating former U.S. President Donald Trump's January 6 actions as part of the department's criminal probe of the Capitol riot.

Daily Mail reported that federal prosecutors have interviewed witnesses before a grand jury and asked them about conversations between Trump, his lawyers, and his inner circle about the plan to replace Electoral College members. The plan was to replace the members with pro-Trump electors in states where U.S. President Joe Biden won, as first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump's election lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman led the scheme. Prosecutors wanted to know how involved the former president was.

Investigators also reportedly received the phone records of Trump's former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

READ NEXT: January 6 Hearings Prove That Donald Trump Is a 'Master Gaslighter,' Political Expert Says

Justice Department Criminal Probe

Justice Department investigators had received phone records of key officials and aides in the Trump administration. The department is also looking at the conduct of Eastman and Giuliani, according to The Washington Post report.

Meanwhile, a Trump spokesperson has yet to comment on the matter, while Justice Department spokesman and Meadows' lawyers have both declined to comment.

One person familiar with the matter said that investigators also want to know what the former president told his lawyers and senior officials to do.

Former Vice President Mike Pence's former chief of staff, Marc Short, and lawyer, Greg Jacob, appeared before the grand jury in downtown Washington recently. Both refused to comment on the issue.

Short and Jacob testified in front of the January 6 select committee, noting that the former vice president resisted Trump's attempts to involve him in plans to overturn the election.

The House select committee does not have any authority to prompt criminal investigations or file charges against anyone.

Recent subpoenas were issued to two Arizona state legislators being ordered to turn over communications with "any member, employee, or agent" of Trump or any organization advocating for Trump.

January 6 Probe

Rep. Liz Cheney, a fellow Republican who is vice chair of the panel, revealed during the last hearing that the case against her party's president is being made not by Trump's political rivals, but by his friends, campaign officials, and people who worked for him.

Cheney said that the people from Trump's inner circle have come forward and "told the American people the truth."

New evidence also emerged that the Capitol riot was not a spontaneous event but one that was prompted by Trump's actions, as reported by WHYY.

Trump told the crowd that he will be there with them, adding that they will walk down to the Capitol.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone tried to stop Trump from going to the Capitol as it would be seen as the president interfering with the U.S. election.

Cipollone reportedly told Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, that they will be charged with every crime "imaginable" if they push through with that movement.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Mocks Joe Biden After Being Sanctioned by Russia, Says He Could Talk to Vladimir Putin to Prevent World War III

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: WaPo: DOJ Investigating Trumps Actions In Jan. 6 Criminal Probe - from MSNBC
Fox & Friends is usually regarded as former president Donald Trump's favorite cable news program, as the show often showers him with praise. However, Trump wasn't too happy with them following a recent report, as he went off on the show's hosts in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

In his Truth Social post, he claimed that Fox & Friends botched his poll numbers and added that it might be on purpose. He then went off on his former "besties" and said that the show has been terrible and they have now gone to the "dark side."

Trump Not Happy With Fox & Friends After They Pointed Out DeSantis Was Leading in Some Polls

According to the Daily Beast, Trump complained about the segment regarding poll numbers. Fox & Friends showed poll results from right-wing organization Turning Point USA's straw poll, where Trump had 79% of the votes.

However, that was not what Trump was angry about. He was mad at host Steve Doocy for pointing out similar polls from Blueprint, the University of New Hampshire, and the New York Times. Those polls showed that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading among Republicans.

Doocy explained that younger Republicans liked Donald Trump and voted for him in the Turning Point poll, while on the other polls, there was a much different result.

Trump's Truth Social post suggested that the former president did not take too kindly to Doocy's observation, though, and claimed that he is leading all other Republicans and Joe Biden in almost all polls "by a lot."

He then claimed that former House Speaker Paul Ryan "must be running the place." This is in reference to the former congressman's current position on Fox Corporation's board of directors. Trump added that Ryan was one of "the weakest and worst speakers EVER."

READ NEXT January 6 Hearing Day 8 Highlights: From Donald Trump's Inaction to Josh Hawley Running Away From Same Mob He Helped Incite

Not Just Fox News Turning on Trump, but Wall Street Journal and the New York Post as Well

It is not just Fox News that is turning on Trump, but also other right-wing news outlets owned by conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post both published separate scathing editorials following revelations of Trump's inaction during the January 6 Committee hearings. Both publications, along with Fox News, are owned by the Murdoch family trust, and it is noted that Rupert Murdoch had an alliance with Trump.

Both editorials asserted that Trump is unfit to return to office. The New York Post said in their editorial that the evidence revealed during the January 6 hearings has shown that he is unfit for office and added that he should not be welcomed back into the race for the White House.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal, another media publication under Murdoch's family trust, said that January 6 was a test of character for the former president, and he failed that test. Both editorials by these Murdoch-owned publications came just hours apart from each other.

READ NEXT: January 6: Dominican Rebublic-born Immigrant Capitol Police Officer Dealing With Pain After Capitol Insurrection

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: See Trump's Living Nightmare On Air: Fox News Turns On 'Horrible' Trump Over Jan. 6
Florida-born rapper Rollie Bands was slain near his residence in Tampa after challenging his opponents on social media to come at him. Shortly after his proud social media posts, the rapper was fatally shot and rushed to the hospital.

Rollie Bands is now one of the many rappers killed this year because of violence-related causes, leading cities like New York to enforce a massive crackdown on cases like this.

Rollie Bands' Cause of Death Revealed

In a recent report from Fox News, Hillsborough County Police officers received information that a man was shot at a Tampa apartment complex parking lot last weekend.

Later on, it was revealed to be Florida rapper Rollie Bands, who was fatally shot in his residence on IQ Apartments on Bruce B Downs Boulevard on Friday, July 22.

The critical shot to Rollie Bands left him severely injured. Shortly after the encounter, Bands was rushed to the hospital nearby but ultimately succumbed to his massive injuries despite receiving extreme lifesaving measures.

As of this writing, no arrests have been made in connection with Rollie Band's murder case as the suspect/s reportedly fled the scene after the crime was committed.

But the Hillsborough County Police Department assures that the suspect in the slain rapper's case is not random as they have reason to believe that they possibly know each other.

READ NEXT: Paul Sorvino Dead at 83; Fans, Celebrities Mourn Sad Passing of 'Goodfellas' Icon

Rollie Bands' Taunting Social Media Post Led to His Death

Rollie Bands' death came very shortly after he posted a taunting message on social media.

Based on the rapper's now-deleted Instagram story, he seemed to be alluding to his opponents, who he then wanted to settle the score once and for all.

"A lot of these n-ggas know where I live at fr. I sleep in peace. If a n-gga want smoke I'm at my crib in 5 minutes," Rollie Bands said at the time.

Five minutes after the taunting statement, Rollie Bands was shot in the parking lot outside his apartment complex in Tampa, Florida.

Rollie Bands has a small following on his Instagram account. He has released a few songs throughout his career - Close Ties, Too Easy, and Struggle.

The rapper is survived by his daughter, whom he claims to be the only person he lives for. No information is known about the whereabouts of his daughter or any other relative of the rapper.

Deaths in the Hip-Hop Community

These kinds of deaths are not new to the Hip-hop scene. In fact, rappers who exhibit violence on social media either become the one who pulls the trigger or the ones at the receiving end.

One of the most recent shocking deaths on the rap scene was Pop Smoke in 2020. The rapper, who was at the forefront of the Drill rap scene, accidentally shared his address on social media. Shortly after, he was killed in a home invasion in Hollywood Hills, California.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is imploring anyone who has information about the case to contact them at 813-247-8200.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Finally Turns on Fox & Friends, Says They Turned to the 'Dark Side'

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Written by: Ivan Korrs

WATCH: Aspiring Florida Rapper Shot to Death After Taunting IG Post - From Inside Edition




President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, talked on Tuesday in Brazil about militaries being under firm civilian control.

According to Reuters, the loyalty of the Brazilian Army to the Constitution has become a central issue in Brazil as the October presidential election gets near. During the formal launching of his reelection bid on Sunday, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said: "The Army is on our side."

Austin spoke at the 15th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) in the capital, Brasilia. He said credible deterrence needs military and security forces that "are ready, capable, and under firm civilian control."

Austin noted that the "more we deepen our democracies, the more we deepen our security." Austin is set to hold bilateral talks with Brazil's delegations on Wednesday.

A senior U.S. defense official said Austin will highlight the need for militaries to respect democracies. However, the official did provide details on what Austin will discuss with his Brazilian counterparts.

U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski told Reuters that the defense secretary should make clear that the military should stay out of the election.

Malinowski, a member of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, added the military should also allow any disputes about the election to be resolved by constitutional means.

READ NEXT: Brazil: UN Experts Call for Urgent Reforms Against Police Brutality Following Killings of 23 Brazilians in Raids

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Visits Brazil to Assert Role of the Military in a Democratic Society

Jair Bolsonaro recently told diplomats that the Brazilian military should be called in to help secure transparency in the election.

The Brazilian president also pushed electoral authorities to accept a parallel vote count to be done by the armed forces, which they have ruled out. Military leaders have reiterated their remark that the country's armed forces will respect any result of the election.

Aljazeera reported that Bolsonaro had been publicly casting doubt on the validity of the country's electoral system as some opinion polls showed him down almost 20 percentage points against his primary presidential opponent, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In a press release, the U.S. Department of Defense said that Lloyd Austin's visit will support "affirming the role of the military in a democratic society."

Some military officials have echoed Jair Bolsonaro's comments about Brazil's possible weaknesses in its voting system.

Jair Bolsonaro on Brazil's Presidential Election

According to BBC, Jair Bolsonaro promised to maintain a welfare program that makes cash payments to low-income Brazilians. On the other hand, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is known for his policies to lift people out of poverty.

The first round of the election is set for October 2, while the second round will be on October 30 if none of the candidates gets 50% of the votes.

The right-wing Liberal Party officially endorsed Bolsonaro's candidacy. Bolsonaro has repeatedly claimed that the current electronic system is open to fraud without providing any evidence to support the allegations.

In the formal launching of his reelection bid on Sunday, Bolsonaro said in his speech that the army is on their side, adding that the military does not accept corruption or fraud. Before becoming Brazil's president, Bolsonaro was an army captain.

Bolsonaro, who is often compared to former President Donald Trump, also announced during the event that former Brazilian defense minister General Walter Braga Netto would be his running mate for the vice president position.

READ MORE: Brazil: Human Remains Found in Area Where British Journalist and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Were Last Seen

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Officially Launches His Re-Election Campaign - From WION
Families of Uvalde school district students have called on the city council to suspend all police officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Texas on May 24.

A day after Robb Elementary School principal Mandy Gutierrez was suspended with pay, calls for suspending the city cops, who were on the scene during the massacre, are now rising.

Gutierrez joined Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo, who is still on unpaid administrative leave, and Lt. Mariano Pargas, the acting chief during the massacre, who was suspended pending the outcome of an internal probe into the police department's response.

In a council meeting Tuesday night, families of the victims and community members targeted the people responsible for the mismanaged response to the Uvalde school shooting.

The Uvalde school district meets almost every day to decide on the next steps and stricter measures for the upcoming school year.

Uvalde Police Who Responded to School Shooting Up For Suspension?

During the special council meeting on Tuesday, Uvalde community members and families of the murdered victims asked the city council to suspend the police officers who responded to the horrific Uvalde school shooting, ABC News reported.

The sentiment came days after an initial probe revealed that if it were not for the bungled response of the police force, more lives would have been saved.

One parent of the victims even pointed out during the meeting that until the investigation is done, police officers should be placed on administrative leave.

Uvalde resident, Diana Olvedo-Karau, said the administrative leave they wanted to enforce on the police officers is "minimum," proposing that they should be put on desk duty for the time being until the investigation concludes.

Responding to the call for suspension, Uvalde City Council member Ernest King III vowed to investigate every cop who responded to the shooting at the Robb Elementary School.

"This investigation is looking at every single officer and what his actions -- what he did, what our policy says -- and basically, we're gonna get a report on everybody... We will act on it, and we promise that to you," King said.

According to CNN, former Austin police detective Jesse Prado will be taking the lead in investigating the Uvalde police officers who responded to the scene.

King further noted that officers of the Uvalde Police Department who were there at the scene will be held accountable.

READ NEXT: Uvalde School Shooter's Mother Apologizes to Grieving Family After Tense Confrontation Caught on Camera

Uvalde Police's Bungled Response to Uvalde School Shooting

Based on the initial Texas House investigation of the Robb Elementary School shooting, a 77-minute delay in police force response led to more deaths.

In the same report, the first police in the area lost "critical momentum" after treating the shooting encounter as a "barricaded subject" instead of an active shooter scenario.

"Correcting this error should have sparked greater urgency to immediately breach the classroom by any possible means, to subdue the attacker, and to deliver immediate aid [to the victims]," the committee's report said.

Because of negligence, the school shooter Salvador Ramos managed to claim the lives of 21 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

READ MORE: Uvalde School Board Pushes For 'Symbolic' Gun Law Reform: Will Gov. Abbott Agree?

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Written by: Ivan Korrs

WATCH: Investigation Into Uvalde School Shooting Focuses on Police Action - From ABC News
A mom of an autistic boy, who was allegedly burned to death after she reported threats from her neighbors, had sparked outrage in Mexico. However, prosecutors from Jalisco state suggested on Tuesday that it may not be the neighbors' fault at all.

There have been a series of brutal killings of women in Mexico that prosecutors have yet to solve, and the death of Luz Raquel Padilla, the mother of an autistic boy, was among them.

Padilla had requested a restraining order against a neighbor last May. She complained about her neighbor's threats and vandalizing the walls of the building where they lived with messages including "I'm going to burn you alive."

The Mexican mom also complained about the neighbor's behavior, such as playing loud music, which she claimed had affected her son's health. According to the Associated Press, neighbors were angry over the loud noises her son made.

Mexico: Protests Following Luz Raquel Padilla's Death

A judge has granted the Mexican mom's request for the restraining order. She died while under supposed protection which fueled the public's anger.

According to authorities, Luz Raquel Padilla was doused in alcohol by three men and a woman and set alight on July 16, suffering burns on 90 percent of her body.

Witnesses described the four suspects launching the attack against Padilla in a park in Zapopan. The suspects fled the scene while Padilla was brought to a hospital, where she died.

Several activist groups in Mexico decried Padilla's death, heavily criticizing the police for their inaction. They were supposed to protect her after she filed the report and got the restraining order.

After her death, several women staged a protest outside the Zapopan police station, where she made the report. Police have detained a man believed to be connected to her death. WION reported that he was the neighbor believed to have written the threatening message.

This same neighbor was also the one who had been complaining about her autistic son's shouting. The case also got the attention of Jalisco state governor Enrique Alfaro, who said they are now investigating it as possible femicide. Mexico is recently experiencing a rise in femicide cases.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 6 Dead After Shooting in Jalisco Drug Rehabilitation Center

Security Footage of Mexican Mom's Neighbor Reveals Alarming Evidence

Jalisco state's chief prosecutor, Luis Mendez Ruiz, suggested on Tuesday that Luz Raquel Padilla might have burned herself.

Mendez Ruiz said security footage showed that Padilla had brought two bottles of alcohol and a lighter at shops near the park, where she was found burned.

Mendez Ruiz noted that he did not want to "re-victimize or criminalize anybody" but said the person detained also has rights. Authorities also said there was no evidence that the detained man was anywhere near where the Mexican mom was burned.

The mother of the detained man also came forward to authorities to present more evidence of her son's innocence. Mendez Ruiz said the mother gave them security footage of Padilla setting paper on fire outside her own door.

Another clip showed Padilla trying to change the angle of her neighbor's camera to hide the stairway where the threatening message was written. Following her son's arrest, Mendez Ruiz said the suspect's mother has been receiving threats.

Gender-based violence has been on the rise in Mexico lately. Feminist groups have been staging protests in order to call authorities to action.

Crime rates in Mexico also remain high, despite President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's claims that they are making progress in bringing down the country's high homicide rates.

According to the Associated Press, the homicide rate for men declined to 50 per 100,000 people this year, as compared to last year with 52 per 100,000. However, the homicide rates for women remained unchanged, at about 6 per 100,000.

READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel Leader 'El Senoron' Who Receives Orders From Boss 'El Mencho' Arrested in Mexico

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tras Feminicidio De Luz Raquel Padilla, Vecinos Se Sienten Inseguros - From NMAS
Diana Espinoza Aguilar, the wife of Guadalajara Cartel founder Rafael Caro Quintero, said there was no legal dispute between them due to a request for alimony as recently reported.

According to Milenio, Espinoza Aguilar denied having a legal dispute with her husband over an alleged alimony claim. Caro Quintero's wife said she only sought to replace the consent of her husband to obtain the issuance of a passport for her minor child.

Espinoza Aguilar noted that she sought to obtain it through an "act of voluntary jurisdiction," Politico MX reported. The Guadalajara Cartel founder reportedly needs to sign the necessary documents to process her son's passport.

According to reports, the hearing of the case will take place in a family court in the state of Jalisco on August 25. However, Caro Quintero will not have to appear in court.

A federal judge recently granted an injunction to Caro Quintero that prevented his extradition to the United States at the moment.

That means the Guadalajara Cartel founder cannot be handed over to U.S. authorities without a trial being held first. It is still unknown how long the trial will take, but any delays will likely disappoint U.S. officials.

READ NEXT: Mexico's Infamous Drug Lord Rafael Caro Quintero Arrested After Release in 2013

Guadalajara Cartel Founder Rafael Caro Quintero Meets Wife Diana Espinoza Aguilar

Rafael Caro Quintero had several relationships during his life. His most controversial relationship was with Sara Cosio, a daughter of a former Secretary of Education in Jalisco, who was with him when he was arrested in 1985 in Costa Rica.

But the Guadalajara Cartel founder's most recent romance was with Diana Espinoza Aguilar, and it blossomed inside a prison. Like Caro Quintero, Espinoza Aguilar was also imprisoned in the Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, La Opinion reported.

The Mexican drug kingpin reportedly first saw Espinoza Aguilar on television in 2010 when she was crowned beauty queen of the Jalisco women's prison.

Espinoza Aguilar was serving a sentence for drug trafficking at the time due to her romantic relationship with Colombian drug kingpin Ever Villafane Martinez.

She was known as "La Diva" inside the prison for her curvy body, white skin, full lips, large round brown eyes, and refined manners.

Caro Quintero's wife earlier told Mexican journalist Anabel Hernandez that a common friend introduced them to each other, and from there, their romance was born.

After completing her sentence in 2011, Espinoza Aguilar continued to be in contact with Caro Quintero, and when the Mexican drug kingpin was released due to a flaw in his criminal proceedings in 2013, they finally began to live together.

Guadalajara Cartel Founder Rafael Caro Quintero Forms Caborca Cartel

Rafael Caro Quintero is one of the founders of Guadalajara Cartel, along with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo. Caro Quintero was considered a pioneer in Mexico's drug underworld during the 1980s.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder had spent 28 years in prison for the brutal murder and torture of former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.

Caro Quintero was allegedly angry about a raid at Rancho Buffalo, a huge marijuana plantation in the Mexico's state of Chihuahua, at Camarena's demand. Mexican authorities seized the plantation.

Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara in February 1985. A month later, his lifeless body was discovered, with signs showing that he was tortured.

Caro Quintero, who was arrested in Costa Rica in the same year, has denied involvement in the killing of Camarena. In 2013, he was released by a Mexican judge on a technicality.

After his release, New York Post reported that the Mexican drug kingpin started the Caborca Cartel, named after a city in Sonora. The Caborca Cartel, which was reportedly locked in a battle against the Sinaloa Cartel, has recently specialized in selling fentanyl and cocaine.

Now that Caro Quintero is once again behind bars, it is unclear who is now handling the cartel's operations. Rafael Caro Quintero was arrested again in Sinaloa state last week. The U.S. government hailed the arrest and said it would waste no time requesting his extradition.

The Guadalajara Cartel is one of Latin America's most powerful drug trafficking organizations during the 1980s. The group started to split apart in the late 1980s, partly due to the murder of Camarena. The Sinaloa Cartel and Tijuana Cartel assumed control of what remained of the Guadalajara Cartel.

READ MORE: Sinaloa Cartel Founder 'El Guero' Is Still in Custody of Mexican Authorities

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WATCH: Familiares De Caro Quintero Se Convirtieron en Informantes De La DEA: The Washington Post - From Milenio
Police in Mexico City made a historic drug bust on Tuesday as they seized $20 million worth of cocaine, officials said.

According to Borderland Beat, police stopped two freight trucks carrying around 1.6 tons of cocaine on the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense highway in the Gustavo Madero neighborhood of Mexico City.

The cocaine was reportedly wrapped in 1,680 packets that were hidden inside secret compartments of the two large trucks.

City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch said the cocaine has a value of $12,500 per kilo on the street in Mexico. Harfuch noted that this was the largest cocaine bust in Mexico City history, Associated Press reported.

Harfuch said the cocaine came from Colombia and entered Mexico through Oaxaca's coastal city, Puerto Escondido. The police chief noted that some of the drugs were intended to be brought to the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City while the rest were heading to the U.S. West Coast.

Harfuch said a third vehicle was escorting the two trucks, and four men from the Mexico's state of Durango were arrested. Authorities said it is still unknown which Mexican drug cartel or criminal group coordinated this drug shipment, but it is now being investigated.

READ NEXT: Mexico Migrant Caravan: New Group of 2,000 Immigrants Launches March From Tapachula

Mexico City Police Arrested Sinaloa Cartel Members, Seized Firearms and Drugs

Mexico City officials have long acknowledged that Mexican drug cartels use the city as a shipping point. However, Harfuch claimed the cartels do not operate in the capital as dauntlessly as they do in other parts of Mexico since they were not looking to control the city.

Two weeks ago, 14 men from a cell affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested by the police in Mexico City. They were arrested after a gun battle with police and armed civilians.

Four officers were reportedly wounded in the shootout that occurred on the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway in Tlalpan municipality. Videos showed that authorities responded in force with armored vehicles and helicopters.

After the confrontation, authorities seized 13 firearms, 12 grenades, bulletproof vests, drugs, and other weapons paraphernalia. Two "victims" had also been freed.

Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico City

The presence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel has been reported in Mexico City. The Jalisco cartel or the Jalisco Cartel New Generation is currently the Sinaloa Cartel's main rival.

The Jalisco cartel is being led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known by his alias "El Mencho." On the other hand, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's four sons, known as "Los Chapitos," were reportedly left in command of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

The Jalisco cartel came out from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 after the death of former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, known as "Nacho," who was killed by Mexican security forces. Nacho's death resulted in the split into two factions - "La Resistencia" and "Torcidos" - of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The "Torcidos" became what is now the Jalisco cartel, which has since expanded rapidly in Mexico. The Jalisco cartel is involved in many criminal activities, including international drug trafficking.

READ MORE: Texas Airport Shooter Once Claimed to Be 'God's Prophet,' Married to Chris Brown

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: How Mexican Drug Cartels Make Billions | The War On Drugs - From VICE
Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

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Funeral details have been announced for toddler Hannah Kealy who tragically died at the weekend.

Hannah passed away in Temple Street Hospital in Dublin on Sunday after she was involved in a drowning incident in a paddling pool last week. She will be laid to rest in Timahoe on Thursday.

Her funeral announcement states:

AN ANGEL INTO HEAVEN

Hannah's funeral cortege will arrive at Saint Michael's Church, Timahoe on Thursday for Mass of the Angels at 1pm, followed by Hannah being laid to rest in the parish cemetery.

Those who wish to sympathise with the Family are requested to do so, only after the funeral is concluded in the cemetery. The family greatly appreciate your kindness and assistance at this sad time.

HOUSE STRICTLY PRIVATE PLEASE

Messages of comfort and condolences for Hannah's family may be expressed via the condolences link below.

Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Temple Street Hospital, Dublin Children's Hospital Temple Street / donation box at Church.

Hannah is survived by her adoring and heartbroken parents Marie and Denis and much loved sister Ella, grandparents Margaret and John Cahill and Margaret and Tom Kealy.

Hannah will be sadly missed by her parents, sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles Sharon, Orlaith, Brian and Kelley, Liz and Stephen, Aisling, and the late Liam (Kealy), cousins Shauna, Eve, Darragh, and Conor, and extended family and her dog Ruben.

Messages of comfort and condolences for Hannah's family may be expressed via the condolences the RIP death notice at: https://rip.ie/cb.php?dn=502841
Minister Pippa Hackett and Green Party Local Area Rep for Portlaoise, Rosie Palmer are encouraged undocumented migrants in Laois and Offaly to apply under the Regularisation Scheme before the July 31st closing date.

People in Direct Provision have until August 7 as there is a separate Strand for those who have already applied for international protection.

Minister Hackett said Earlier this year my Government colleague Minister McEntee opened a scheme allowing long term undocumented migrants in Ireland to regularise their situation, obtain residence permission (Stamp 4) and start the journey towards Citizenship. I fully appreciate how important this is for people who are undocumented, for the communities they reside in and for the children who know no other home.

With this in mind, I was delighted to hear that the first successful applications were processed within a few weeks. The closing date for application to this scheme is 31st July. I really hope that every eligible undocumented person or family will apply.

Ms Palmer, who is also Minister Hacketts Parliamentary Assistant and works from Bloom HQ in Mountrath said: The Regularisation Scheme has an International Protection Strand for those who have an outstanding application for international protection and have been in the asylum process for a minimum of two years. Laois Partnership and Failte Isteach volunteers alerted Minister Hackett to the need to support those in Direct Provision Centres with their applications. On the Ministers behalf, I was very happy to assist. I organised training and between Laois Partnership, myself and Failte Isteach more than 30 people have been supported in completing their application.

Minister Hackett said I wish all eligible applicants a successful outcome and full and meaningful lives in Ireland. We want you to be able to fully participate, to access services and not to be living in fear of detection.

There is no fee for making an application under this dedicated, international protection, strand of the scheme. Applications for this strand will be accepted until August 7, 2022.

The application details can be found here: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/regularisation-of-long-term-undocumented-migrant-scheme/
A new book has been published on the Irish prisons which it is claimed is a jaw-dropping and authentic account from a prison officer of life in the toughest of workplaces.



Unlocked by David McDonald, with Mick Clifford, is the prison officer's account of over thirty years serving in Ireland's biggest prisons. McDonald is a retired prison officer from Portlaoise. He was Assistant Chief Officer in the Midlands Prison. Unlocked is his first book.

A press release from Penguin Books says that as a young officer, McDonald got a baptism of fire in Mountjoy.

"In 1989 it was a chaotic, pungent and overcrowded place. He talks about one of the first ever jobs he was given: supervising the prisoners coming out with their chamber pots full of urine in the morning to empty them into a big trough. However, the most harrowing task of all came when he was assigned to a segregated block for prisoners dying of AIDS, " said the statement.

Two years later, he entered Portlaoise Prison, and, say the publishers, was amazed to discover the power the IRA prisoners had there.

"From 200 steaks landing in from a local butcher on a Friday night to conjugal rights, supervising 'subversives' was a different ball game. Portlaoise, and later the new Midlands Prison, were also where Ireland's emerging class of serious gangsters were housed. McDonald dealt with notorious household names like John Gilligan, Christy Kinahan, Dessie O'Hare and, more recently, killers like Graham Dwyer, in his average working day. He remembers Brian Meehan, who was convicted of Veronica Guerin's murder, approaching him to shake his hand after hearing of the death of David's brother in a car accident," say Penguin.

The book also recounts his work in a specialist team that led to him calling for action.

"David's work in a specialist security unit trying to stop drug trafficking into prisons sometimes brought him into conflict with his bosses. He questioned aspects of an often brutal and under-resourced system, particularly around how the bodies of those who die by suicide in the system are treated. Ultimately, concerns about poor handling of key issues led to him becoming a whistle-blower," he said.

Penguin say Mick Clifford, award-winning Examiner journalist, brings incredible pace, colour and humour to this story.

"Together, they brilliantly describe the boredom, the constant tension, the flashpoints of extreme violence, and the moments of comedy, tragedy and surprising humanity that are part and parcel of working in prisons," says the publisher.

Clifford is Special Correspondent for the Irish Examiner. He has been working in print and broadcast journalism for over twenty years. He is the author of three non-fiction books, including Bertie Ahern and the Drumcondra Mofia (with Shane Coleman), A Force for Justice: The Maurice McCabe Story, and two crime novels. He was named the newspaper industry's Journalist of the Year in 2016.
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Almost 50 library branches nationwide are set to benefit from over 3 million funding for self-service facilities.

The funding will bolster the 'My Open Library' service, allowing library members to utilise services via extended opening hours between 8am and 10pm 365 days a year.

The news was announced today (July 26) by the Minister for Rural and Community Development as part of the World Library Congress taking place in Dublin.

Among the library facilities to benefit include Tullow in Carlow, Tramore in Waterford, Clifden in Galway, Newcastle West in Limerick, Blanchardstown and Malahide in Dublin, and Cashel in Tipperary.

Minister Heather Humphreys said supporting Irish libraries is "a key priority".

She said, "[The 'My Open Library'] initiative allows people to avail of self-service library services between the hours of 8am and 10pm, seven days per week. Im delighted to make this announcement as the World Library Congress opens in Dublin, and runs over three days.

"Supporting our libraries is a key priority of mine as Minister for Rural and Community Development. They provide such essential services to people, both young and old, and this funding will give so many more people greater access to their local branch.

"It reflects the fact too that some people like to visit their library early in the morning or late in the evening due to work commitments. Im delighted that we are in a position to roll the initiative out in these additional branches.

Approximately 2.2m will be provided to roll-out the 'My Open Library' initiative in 17 branches, with 900,000 going towards enhancing the equipment in a further 29 branches which already have the service in place.

The initiative aims to complement regular staffed hours to ensure optimum delivery, support for customers, community engagement and the development of programming activities.

The minister concluded: "'My Open Library is the flagship initiative under the current Public Libraries Strategy Our Public Libraries 2022  Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities. It will also form an important part of the successor to the current public library strategy which my Department is currently working on.

"I would like to thank all those that took the time to respond to the recent public consultation on the development of the new strategy. I look forward to considering these responses and to the opening of further My Open Library facilities into the future.
A concerned mother from Maynooth has called on the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to help her two daughters.

Grainne Ui Luing is the full-time carer for her two daughters, Caoimhe (aged 8) and Fiadh (aged 6), both of whom have cystic fibrosis (CF).

CF is a disorder that damages ones lungs, digestive tract and other organs: it is an inherited disease caused by a defective gene that can be passed from generation to generation.

Explaining how her children manage with CF on a daily basis, Grainne said: "In order for our girls to lead a normal life they have to do daily probiotics, antibiotics, nebulisers, inhalers and constant physiotherapy; their therapies can take up to an hour a day before school and if the girls are unwell that has to be multiplied by two or three times a day.

"We have yearly bronchoscopies, CT scans, X-rays, blood samples, ultrasounds, lung function tests."

DISPUTE

Grainne explained that in May of this year, she discovered her daughters, along with 33 other children, are being denied a 'life-changing drug' named Kaftrio due to a pricing dispute between Vertex, the pharmaceutical company which is based in Boston, and the HSE.

This development greatly concerned Grainne, who said: "We have no idea why our children were excluded from the deal or how they were omitted from the contract, but these 35 children are being completely discriminated against.

She continued: "CF Ireland have continuously requested meetings with Minister Stephen Donnelly to push negotiations.

"We need this issue to be at the forefront of health conversations as everyday our children are without this drug is one day too many."

RESPONSES

Commenting on its decision, Vertex told the Leader: "The long-term reimbursement agreement for Vertexs cystic fibrosis medicines in Ireland took into account everything we knew about our medicines and our pipeline for CF at the time it was signed, five years ago in 2017 with the HSE.

"Approximately 1,000 patients have received reimbursed access to Vertex medicines through this agreement, the structure of which provided budget certainty to the Irish State.

Vertex added: "However, since the agreement was signed, the knowledge and data regarding how our medicines provide clinical value to CF patients with different genotypes and younger age groups, has evolved.

"The 35 patients in the 6 to 11-year-old patient population with specific genotypes were not included in the original agreement because it was not known at that time that our medicines would work in these patients."

Minister Donnellys office said: "Since his appointment, the Minister for Health has at all times prioritised the needs of patients and has, at every opportunity, made himself available to meet with patients and patient groups.

"Kaftrio has been a life changing drug for Cystic Fibrosis sufferers, and the Minister wants to see it made available to everyone who needs it."

INAPPROPRIATE TO ENGAGE

"We are advised that commercial discussions between the HSE and the manufacturer on extending the availability of the drug to these children are at a very sensitive stage, and that it would be inappropriate for the Minister to engage with CF Ireland while those discussions are ongoing."
A government minister who visited Newbridge has praised the efforts of the town's Youth Diversion Programme (YDP).

Minister of State with responsibility for Youth Justice, James Browne, visited the premises of the Curragh and Newbridge YDP, also known as CAN YDP, at Charlotte Street this morning.

CAN YDP is part of the In Sync organisation; the project, along with the BRIDGE project in Leixlip (also run by In Sync Youth and Family Services), recently received additional funding of 150,262 for Boundary Extension and Family Support.

This will allow the project to broaden their service to Kildare Town, Monasterevin, and Rathangan.

It will also allow for the appointment of a Family Support Worker.

FACE-TO-FACE MEETING

This morning, Minister Browne sat down with staff members, teenagers and local gardai involved with the YDP, where they discussed their interests and aspirations for the future.

The teenagers also gave the Minister an insight into social problems that are affecting numerous young people in Newbridge, which included drug addiction, self-harm and bullying.

In the case of drugs, the teenagers said that cannabis and cocaine were a big issue for many Newbridge teenagers, and they also noted an increase in vaping with THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive chemical found in cannabis).

Speaking about the YDP, one of the team leaders, Ciara Kinsella said: "The purpose of the YDP is to help young people, aged between 12 and 17, who have been involved in antisocial behaviour and/or petty crime.

"It was originally known as the Curragh/Newbridge Garda Youth Diversion Project, but we got a lot of teenagers telling us that this was too long, so we shortened it!" she added with a laugh.

She also said that the group has 25 teenagers, with slightly more boys than girls, and that while most are referred to the YDP by gardai, some are also referred from the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.

As for activities the YDP take part in, Ms Kinsella said that they run courses centering on drug awareness, sexual health and consent, behavioural support, employability skills, and driving theory.

The group also take part in fun and outdoor programmes, such as sea swims and day trips to venues such as Tayto Park.

Left to Right: Mick Donlon (Juvenile Liason Officer (JLO), The Minister, Ciara Kinsella (CAN Project Team Leader), Kate Kelly (CAN Project Member), Joyce Brennan (Youth Work Coordinator - In Sync Youth and Family Services), Rebecca Bogatu (Member), Martina Weir (Member), Roisin Leahy (Member), Jacinta Maguire (Youth Worker CAN Project).

"The CAN YDP is a safe place for young people to interact, and the government's extension (to funding) is a very welcome one, because now everywhere in Kildare will now be covered by a YDP."

Another team leader, Joyce Brennan, also praised the news of the extension: "More people in Kildare will be able to access the service, which is good news for those who need it, but wouldnt have previously had access to it."

Minister Browne also told the Leader that when he was appointed as Minister of State for Law Reform and Youth, he realised just how important the presence of YDPs was across Ireland, and wanted to support them as much as he could.

He also praised the central location of the CAN YDP, and said about its purpose: "No one is born a criminal; people who end up carrying out antisocial behaviour, (there is) something has lead them down that path, and what we are trying to do is provide a pathway for them."

The Minister added: "We did see a rise in antisocial behaviour following the pandemic, due to a lack of social outlets and thus a lot of pent-up frustration and mental health issues, but that is everywhere I was in New York in May visiting the police service over there and said the very same thing."

He further said that the government hopes to have a YDP in every county by early next year, and is looking into putting more funding into family support services and early-intervention courses aimed at pre-teens, as part of the govt's Youth Justice Strategy.

'A CRITICAL ASPECT'

Minister Browne also noted that was a 'consistency' between those who dropped out of education and those who ended up in prison in later life: "Prisons are full of people who left school at 11 or 12 years of age.

"It is a critical aspect, and we want to make sure that these young people stay in school."

Concluding his thoughts on the CAN YDP, he said: "I think this YDP centre is already making a huge difference in Newbridge, and it will only go from strength to strength."

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) engage with vulnerable young people through a range of supports, including education, training and employment support, social enterprise initiatives, as well as personal development and supports such as mentoring, and personal development activities.

The CAN YDP is one of two YDPs within In Sync Youth and Family Services, and was established in 2008.

As a part of the wider In Sync organisation, participants within the CAN YDP can access youth work programmes and supports, the Halo adolescent substance use project and In Syncs youth counselling service.

CAN participants can also become part of the In Sync Youth and Family Services Junior Board, where they have a key voice in the work of the organisation.

The project is managed and operated by Kildare Youth Services and funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (IJYS) and the European Social Fund.

Further information about the CAN YDP can be found here.
Specsavers Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Maynooth are encouraging donations in store with their newly installed Tap to Donate machines in aid of charity partner, The Hope Foundation. The Specsavers team are keen to drive donations for the Hope Foundation due to the store directors close relationship with the charity. Lisa Walsh, store director at Specsavers will be returning to Kolkata in November with the Hope Foundation to provide care and assistance to those in need.

Specsavers Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Maynooth have introduced Tap to Donate machines in-store to raise funds with the help of new and existing customers. Those willing to support can tap their debit or credit card at the machine in-store.

Specsavers relationship with The Hope Foundation began in 2017 when Lisa Walsh, decided to embark on a mission, along with other Specsavers colleagues, to help provide accessible eyecare to those less fortunate in Kolkata, India.

Through Lisas missions with Hope Hospital in Kolkata, Lisa witnessed first-hand how many people were suffering from lack of access to basic eye care. Thousands of people were suffering from easily preventable and treatable eye conditions, with many simply needing glasses to vastly improve their daily quality of life.

The Hope Foundation are Specsavers long term charity partner and with the help of donations from customers and Specsavers themselves, The Hope Foundation has so far been able to conduct over 161 free eye check-up camps treating over 27,110 people, dispensed over 15,000 pairs of glasses and provided over 9,910 free medicines to patients. It has also performed almost 1,300 eye surgeries in the Hope hospital and treated 7,552 patients through 430 eye clinics at Hope hospital which was only made possible because of customer donations in Specsavers stores across the country.

Specsavers stores are looking to fundraise as much as possible so that they can continue to support the running of the HOPE Eye Clinic in Kolkata and the purchase of much-needed equipment for the Hope Hospital to provide high-quality eye care to underprivileged people in Kolkata.

Speaking ahead of the mission to Kolkata in November, Lisa Walsh commented, In Ireland, we have access to excellent eye care but many people in Kolkata are not as lucky, making it vital that we do all we can to improve their eye health services. The eye tests in India will enable the team to provide glasses, where necessary, giving children and adults better vision. These people would otherwise have been deprived of this basic need. The gift of sight could significantly change many of these peoples lives. We would like to welcome all new and existing customers in store and encourage anyone who can, to donate to this amazing cause.'

The Hope Foundation spokesperson, Jennifer Foran Smyth said, We are thankful to every single store that helps to raise vital funds for our charity. Our partnership with Specsavers has been very important to us. It has allowed us to provide support to many people suffering with their eyesight in Kolkata and we are forever grateful for that. We wish Specsavers Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Maynooth the best of luck with their fundraising and trip to Kolkata in November.

The Hope Foundation Ireland is a registered Irish charity working with street and slum children in Kolkata. The charity works to free children and poor families from lives of pain, abuse, poverty and darkness and seeks to improve their lives by providing access to healthcare and nutrition, education, drug rehabilitation, protection, emergency response and life skills and training. With the help of Specsavers and The Hope Foundation, improved eye care will be made available to the children and families living in the slums and in HOPE hospital in Kolkata.
Nancy Pelosi in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2022. MARIAM ZUHAIB / AP

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plan to travel to Taiwan is not only drawing condemnation from Beijing, it is also rattling the White House and the Pentagon. "I think that the military thinks it's not a good idea right now," President Joe Biden said on July 20. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian condemned any such visit, saying it would "seriously harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations."

The 82-year-old Ms. Pelosi was originally scheduled to visit the island in April but had to postpone her trip after testing positive for Covid-19. It would be the first visit by a House speaker since the Republican Newt Gingrich went in 1997. The congresswoman's response to President Biden only made matters worse: "I think what the president was saying is maybe the military was afraid our plane would get shot down." It is customary for such trips to be made aboard a US military aircraft.

Unusual dissent

According to the New York Times, the White House would prefer it if Ms. Pelosi canceled her trip, fearing misinterpretation and risk of incidents at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is making preparations for the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). No one knows when the trip will take place, although Bloomberg reports that Biden is expected to meet with President Xi on July 28, a meeting that had been in the pipeline for 10 days.

Such public dissent is unusual, as US policy on China has for many years been built on cross-party consensus, even under Donald Trump. Running alongside this dispute is another that reflects Americans' anxiety about the possible infiltration of the Fed (the US Federal Reserve) by the Chinese. A report released on July 25 looks at 13 persons of interest identified in 2015 by the Fed itself. But it was written by employees of the Senate Republican minority and prompted US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell to push back strongly against the report: "In contrast, we are deeply troubled by what we believe to be the report's unfair, unsubstantiated and unverified insinuations about particular individual staff members," Mr. Powell wrote.

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It could not have happened at a better time for Beijing's propaganda, with Taiwan kicking off its annual military drills on July 25. These are designed to train its forces and administrations for the scenario of a Chinese invasion. Since July 20, the CCP's firm stance in response to any trip has been widely reported by Chinese state media, especially in their English-language editions and Western social media accounts. The matter gives the regime another opportunity to put out its usual nationalist rhetoric.

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The Colorado 119 (Diagonal Highway) Bikeway Project is making progress in obtaining funding, with another round due to be considered in the near future.

The project is to build an off-street, multi-use hard-surfaced bikeway from Boulder to Longmont on the median between the two directions of Diagonal Highway motor vehicle traffic. The design involves a wide concrete path to comfortably accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians with minimized conflict with motorists through underpasses at the busiest intersections.

The Diagonal travel corridor is the second most-used in Boulder County. It is also ranked second in unincorporated Boulder County for severe bicycle and pedestrian crashes. A community survey during the 2019 revision of the County's Transportation Master Plan found that hard-surface bikeways that are physically separated from motor vehicles are the most popular improvement desired by cyclists.

Most cyclists are not comfortable riding on the shoulder of the Diagonal. The Longmont-Boulder (LoBo) bike path is not a hard-surface, and so cannot be maintained for use year-round.

For more information, see the Courier article published June 29, 2022 and Boulder County's website:

https://bouldercounty.gov/transportation/plans-and-projects/highway-119-bikeway-project/

In 2019, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) funded the first design study for the bikeway project. The project is being developed in the context of CDOT's larger project, the CO 119 Safety & Mobility Improvement Project. The bikeway is a project of Boulder County's Transportation Planning Division. Consequently, Boulder County must find the funding to design and construct the bikeway.

The funding process is complex because there are many project partners and potential funding sources. The bikeway design is divided into segments, and funding requests can address one or more segments.

One of the funding sources for the project is the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). DRCOG is the Denver region's metropolitan planning organization. It distributes federal funds for transportation through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Municipalities and counties submit requests for funding and DRCOG decides which to fund.

In the first call for funding, Boulder County submitted a request to construct the section of the bikeway from Jay Road to CO-52 (Highway 52), but only the segment between Jay Road and 63rd Street was funded.

Courtesy of Boulder County Transportation Planning Page from Boulder County funding request showing attention to cottonwood trees and drainage.

The second call for funding is now in the works. Boulder County has requested funding to construct the bikeway segment that was left unfunded in the first call, namely from 63rd to CO-52, and also included the segment from CO-52 to Niwot Road.

The next step for this funding request takes place on Wednesday, July 27, at a meeting of technical advisors to the members of DRCOG representing Boulder County and its municipalities who will recommend which projects to fund. All of the Boulder County region's proposals have been ranked, including this bikeway funding request. The third call for requests will begin next month and will also be discussed at the Wednesday meeting.

The Diagonal Highway Project, including intersection improvements, Bus Rapid Transit and the Bikeway, is 90% funded. The remaining 10% has recently been requested from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program.
RTE together with ZDF Studies has announced that a new thriller drama Clean Sweep starring Charlene McKenna is set to premiere on RTE and Sundance Now in the US with ZDF Studios having secured international distribution rights to the thriller drama (6 x 52).



The series is being co-produced in Ireland, by one of Irelands biggest and most successful indie producers ShinAwiL (Dancing with the Stars Ireland, Miss Scarlet and the Duke) and Canadas Incendo (Be Mine Valentine, Terror Train), internationally renowned for producing and distributing high quality content.



RTE continues to be the home of quality Irish drama with filming now underway. The award-winning Irish actress Charlene McKenna (Bloodlands, Peaky Blinders, Vienna Blood) stars in the lead role as Shelly Mohan, a housewife, mother of three, married to a Garda detective, who kills her former partner in crime when he threatens to expose her dark past. With her unsuspecting husband hunting for the killer, Shelly must cope with pressures of the tightening noose as well as continue caring for an ailing son, her unfaithful husband and all usual burdens of motherhood. Inspired by true events, it is a compelling and relentless story of mothering and the price paid for long-buried sins. Clean Sweep is created by Gary Tieche who has written on Preacher for AMC, I Know What You Did Last Summer for Amazon as well as worked on Medium for CBS.

Dermot Horan, Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for RTE says: Clean Sweep is a compelling thriller with a rich backdrop of strong Irish characters and the unique Irish landscape. RTE believes it will attract a very large audience on RTE One and on the RTE Player, but that the story will be equally attractive to an international audience. As such we are delighted to be working with such a great range of partners - Incendo, Sundance Now, ZDF Studios and of course Shinawil, one of Ireland's most renowned production companies.



Larry Bass, CEO ShinAwiL and Executive Producer, says: When we first read Garys script we knew this was a story for a global audience, a classic why done it? that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. ShinAwiL are delighted to partner with Incendo and ZDF Studios in delivering this exciting modern thriller. From the time RTE first boarded Clean Sweep, we have been looking to find the best distributor to take this story to the world, we look forward to working with ZDF Studios on making this a global success. "



Yi Qiao, Director Drama, ZDF Studios, says: Clean Sweep is a binge-worthy addition to our growing slate of English language productions. Irish content has significantly gained in importance in the international market so we are proud to partner in this production, a thriller full of twists and turns that will captivate audiences worldwide.

Clean Sweep radiates elevated, smart writing, brought to life by an incredible cast led by Charlene McKenna. This gripping drama is sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats. Were thankful to Element 8 for bringing us into the fold, and elated to debut the series on Sundance Now, said Shannon Cooper, Vice President, Programming, Sundance Now.



Clean Sweep is written by Gary Tieche alongside Francesca Harris in Ireland. Executive Producers include Patty Lenahan Ishimoto, Larry Bass, Aaron Farrell, Mary Callery, Jin Ishimoto, Harvey Myman, Gary Tieche (ShinAwiL); David Crean and Dermot Horan for RTE; Shannon Cooper (Sundance Now); Graham Ludlow, Jean-Philippe Normandeau and Shari Segal (Incendo). Ronan Burke (Harry Wild) will direct.
START-UP business owners are being encouraged to apply for a place on a new programme at the Technological University of the Shannon (Tus).

The Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre, which is based on the colleges campus at Moylish, is inviting applications for its New Frontiers programme which supports entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas.

A full-time programme run over six months, it provides entrepreneurs with space to work both in and on their business.

Support will be provided to develop both your own skills and work on your business idea, with one-to-one mentoring sessions and milestone reviews.

Successful applicants will receive a 15,000 tax-free stipend to fund them.

Participants who successfully complete the 6-month programme will be eligible to apply for a further three-months of support and funding of up to 7,500.

An online information session will take place on Friday, August 5.

For more information, please email newfrontiers@lit.ie.

Interviews for the places on the scheme are scheduled to take place at the end of September.
GARDAI are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a burglary which occurred in a Limerick city suburb during broad daylight.

The incident - at Lower Church Road, Raheen - occurred sometime between 8am and 11am on July 15.

"The thief climbed up onto a balcony and forced a door to make his way into the house. He went through a number of drawers and closets in the house," said Garda John Finnerty.

According to investigating gardai, the culprit escaped from the property via the back door have taken a small amount of cash which he found inside the house.

Gardai at Roxboro Road are investigating and they are appealing to any witnesses to this burglary to the burglary to come forward.

The area would have been busy at the time and anybody who saw anything unusual or suspicious and who may have camera footage from around the time are also asked to contact gardai.

Roxboro Road garda station can be contacted at (061) 214340.
LONG-SERVING councillor Kieran OHanlon has indicated he may organise a protest march if government does not deliver on a new plan for St Johns Hospital.

The city hospital has unveiled a new five-year strategy to deliver a new 150-bed unit in the heart of its facility in Johnsgate.

If it goes ahead, its hoped it will significantly ease the pressure on University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle.

Fianna Fail councillor Kieran OHanlon, who deputised for Mayor Francis Foley at the launch of the strategy last week, told the audience he feels there are elements who do not want St Johns Hospital to succeed in its plan.

A long-serving board member of the hospital, he grew up in the area, and has given the government a deadline of September to back the strategy.

If there is not progress on this by September, I will look for a meeting with the minister. If progress isnt made thereafter, well have to consider petitions and a protest march in Limerick in support of St Johns, Cllr OHanlon said.

In the first instance, he intends to put down a motion at the next full council meeting to make sure this very ambitious plan comes to fruition.

Everybody recognises that University Hospital Limerick hasnt the capacity to deal with the amount of patients. Its well documented there are people waiting 24 to 48 hours on trolleys. A lot of capital money has been spent in Nenagh and Ennis over the past year. St Johns in my view has been overlooked, he said.

Launched last week, the new St Johns Hospital strategy was developed after consultation with a variety of groups and individuals in the region.

The central plank of the blueprint is the development of a new building with 150 beds .

The new development will add to the 89-bed hospital.

If the 60m building does go ahead, the hospital predicts that some 52 front-line roles will be created, comprising clinicians and support roles.

At the launch of the strategy, hospital bosses indicated that the overall development has the potential to generate 667 full-time equivalent jobs in the region.
A JUDGE has jailed recent Irish Traveller Pride Award winner and well known rapper, William Casey for his role in a fatal collision in County Clare four and-a-half years ago.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Brian OCallaghan imposed a 15-month prison term suspending the final 12 months on the Limerick-born 30-year-old who has an address at OBriensbridge in south east Clare.

Judge O'Callaghan also imposed a four year driving ban on Mr Casey who is better know as rapper Willzee.

He said the case involved "aggravating factor after aggravating factor" and that Mr Casey had maintained a lie that the now deceased Christopher Moran was the driver of the car when in fact he was the driver.

Mr Moran (27) was a back seat passenger in the car which crashed at Ardclooney, Killaloe on November 7, 2017. No other vehicle was involved and Mr Moran died three days later in hospital from his injuries.

In her victim impact evidence, Tracy Moran- a sister of Christopher Moran - said that for three years the family were left not knowing what happened on the night of November 7, 2017.

Ms Moran said that Christophers two young girls were left without a father and they lost their mother a number of months later through an overdose. She said that the family would have accepted an apology from Mr Casey over what happened as she understood that accidents happen.

Ms Moran recounted how when family members were at Christophers bedside in hospital, her brother got a phone call from William Casey who said that he wasnt driving the car but that Christopher was.

William Casey never apologised or showed any remorse," she said.

Mr Casey maintained the lie and went on trial for dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Moran in June of last year. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of careless driving causing death two days into the trial.

The rapper, the court heard, was disqualified from driving at the time of the fatal crash.

During the sentencing hearing, a worker with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project, Jack Griffin, gave character evidence on behalf of Mr Casey.

Mr Griffin said that William has been on the Claire Byrne show on RTE and other national media and has tried to be a positive voice for young travellers.

Judge O'Callaghan was told Mr Casey is a talented musician, poet and artist and won a National Traveller Pride award earlier this month.

Asked about the impact of the crash on Mr Casey, Mr Griffin said: I think what happened on the night was absolutely horrific. William for a long time found it hard to come to terms with his guilt and shame around it.

The witness said that what happened that night put William in a very dark place for a long time and he is working through that and he struggled.

Mr Griffin said that Mr Casey has worked tirelessly to bring something positive to his family and his community.

In a letter of apology read out in court, Mr Casey apologised to the Moran family for the hurt he has caused them.

He said: It was never my intention to hurt anyone," adding that he was fully responsible for my actions on the night.

He said: If there was any way of going back and trading places, I would in a heart beat.

Mr Casey said: I honestly hate myself for the decisions I made that night and it has taken me a while to come to terms with the disgusting way I behaved.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL said that because Mr Casey told gardai on the night that he wasnt driving he couldnt be tested for drink driving.

Mr Casey embraced and kissed on the cheek his foster mother in court before being led away to the courthouse cell by prison guards to commence his three-month prison sentence.
ALMOST 40,000 people are expected to travel through Shannon Airport this August Bank Holiday weekend.

This equates to 87% of passenger numbers for the same period in 2019.

Shannon Airports Operations and Commercial Director, Niall Maloney remarked with pride that this is the largest number of passengers for this period in three years.

He referenced a number of new summer services this year, among these are Malta, Barcelona-Girona, Budapest, Edinburgh, and Corfu. We are also excited to welcome Vueling Airlines, a new carrier to Shannon, with their Paris service due to start in September, he added.

The airports Summer 2022 schedule offers 27 destinations in 11 countries, with 108 weekly frequencies to the US, UK and Europe.

The pent-up desire to take off on an overseas break following the past two years is evident, with destinations like Malaga, the Canary Islands, Alicante, Barcelona and Malta proving popular with Shannon Airport passengers.

Those looking for a city break are jetting off to destinations such as London, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Marseille on last-minute getaways this weekend.

Facilities such as our US Preclearance, the airport sensory room, along with the short distance from our car parks to the terminal building, compliments our latest investment in high tech security screening and all adds to making the journey easier, Mr Maloney continued.

Passengers taking to the skies this bank holiday weekend from Shannon will experience the airports multi-million-euro passenger screening system, which eliminates the 100 ml rule and cuts time spent through screening by half.

Shannon is the first state airport in Ireland to introduce this time saving security screening system.
This year, July is the month of the best sales!

This summer, Tara Irish Clothing, a brand well-known for its high-quality, traditional clothing, is celebrating by offering up to 30% off the clothing during the entire month of July.

Since summer is the perfect way to prepare your wardrobe for the cold months of autumn and winter, Tara Irish Clothing offers high-quality Irish sweaters made of 100% wool that will not only make you look stylish but also last for a long time without losing their original charm.

Why Irish sweaters?

Wearing an Irish sweater is an easy way to celebrate your heritage day by day. Apart from being knit using authentic Aran stitching just as the ones the locals of the Aran Islands knit, they are also made with the finest locally sourced merino wool, which makes them warm, and lightweight.

An Irish sweater is the right garment to wear throughout the entire year in the unpredictable Irish climate. It also makes a wonderful gift for any of your close friends who live abroad, whether they are a part of the diaspora or just someone you care about and want to give them a keepsake that will remind them of you and your culture.

Why Tara Irish Clothing?

Tara Irish Clothing effectively combines the traditional with the modern whilst catering for the chic and contemporary individual. It has made its mission to provide the customer with locally sourced Celtic Knitwear that reflect Ireland and its culture so that everyone, Irish or not, can enjoy the quality, classic and modern designs. An online outlet with a large selection

of Irish sweaters, cardigans, tweed caps, as well as many accessories reflecting Celtic heritage, including scarves, throws, and blankets for your house.

If you've owned an Irish sweater for a while, this might be the best time to uplift it. Every Irishman's wardrobe must include a classic crew neck sweater, but you should also be open to new styles and combinations. Tara Irish Clothing has a new collection of modern colors and designs you wont be able to find in any other stores such as wine-colored ponchos with

rolled collars or teal zipper cardigans.

Want to make the most of the sales?

Almost all of the Irish sweaters from both the mens and the womens collection are on sale for the entire month of July. Want to save up to 30% per order? Just select the favorite items and place an order until July 31st!
One year after finishing their studies 99% of graduates get a job. Colleges around the world must focus on education to increase employability and TECH Ireland has this as its main goal. The World Economic Forum, published about the future of employment and how it will be directly connected to the fourth industrial revolution, in this way, the workers will need to achieve and keep new skills related to digitalization progress because it will have a significant role.

The study "The Future of Jobs" released by WEF explains the people who will keep their jobs in the next five years, half will need to be focused to get a new technological proficiency and TECH University specializes in give a qualified one hundred percent online postgraduate courses, which each year allow more than 100,000 professionals to update their knowledge and skills.

On the other hand, labour statistics indicate that 9 out of 10 professionals with a postgraduate degree have a job in the first two years after finishing their studies, mostly with a full-time contract and with a salary higher than the average for each sector.

Also, the latest report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), workers states that between the ages of 25 and 34 with a university education earn 38% more than employees who completed high school. A difference that reaches up to 70% in the case of senior professionals, in the age range that goes from 45 to 54 years.

About TECH Technological University

TECH is the largest digital university in the world. It belongs to the educational group TECH, a multinational company founded in Spain and recognized by the Financial Times as among the 200 fastest growing companies in Europe. Also being considered the highest-rated Spanish technology company in the last 15 years.

It has been recognized by Forbes as "the best online university in the world", due to an innovative 100% online learning system, which combines the Case Method from Harvard with Re-Learning system created by TECH University.

Purpose and academic offer in TECH University

The institution has become an international benchmark for distance learning because have more than 100,000 students per year and more than 500.000 graduates from more than 150 countries around the world. In addition to that, it has more than 10.000 university programs that include executive development programs, diplomas, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, professional master's degrees, language courses, advanced master's degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and doctorates.

All those degrees are online and supported by more than 6.000 leading professors in their fields of knowledge, including different disciplines related to Education, Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Design, Law, Economics and Business, Engineering, Technology, Communication, Journalism, among other faculties.

They have a large area around the globe and have implemented the latest technology applied to educational methods to offer an innovative academic experience. One of the challenges of the institution is to create a bridge between the student and the labour market. For this reason, they decided to establish their educational model based on key concepts such as academic demand, internationalization, and transversality to achieve this objective.

"We are leaders in employability. 99% of our students have a job after finishing their studies, and a similar number manage to improve their professional career. Explains TECH Technological University.
A LIMERICK city facility which offers training to disadvantaged youths has moved into new premises in a former water production factory.

Limerick City Build (LCB) has signed a 10-year lease at the former Shannon Minerals site off the Park Road, and this week, welcomed Minister of State Damien English to show off a new strategy which, it hopes, will see the number of marginalised youngsters it can help grow once more.

In its lifetime, LCB, founded by social entrepreneur Ray OHalloran has helped 160 people into employment.

It was forced to move from the Cahill May Roberts building at Bank Place due to the construction of the Opera Centre, and subsequently moved to Grove Island. Now it has found a more permanent home.

Its manager Catherine OHalloran said: This new space can accommodate a lot of the new elements of training wed hope to integrate over the coming months.

There are pretty exciting plans being drawn up for this buildings full use moving into 2023. What we had in the pipeline all the time was the ambition to expand our capacity in terms of the numbers we serve. There are epidemic level problems because of unemployment and the anti-social issues which accompany that, she said.

Ms OHalloran added: City Builds main purpose is to bring someone from unemployability to feeling motivated, purposeful, and they have the stamina and resilience to hold a job.
PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy in Gujarat's Sabarkantha and then travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai on July 28.

At around 12 noon, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha. Thereafter, he will travel to Chennai and declare open the 44th Chess Olympiad at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai at around 6 pm.

On July 29, the prime minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of Anna University at around 10 am. He will then travel to Gandhinagar to visit GIFT City, where he will launch and lay the foundation stone of various projects at around 4 pm.

PM in Gujarat

A key focus of the government has been boosting the rural economy and making agriculture and allied activities more productive. In yet another step in this direction, PM Modi will visit Sabar Dairy, and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 crores on July 28th. These projects will empower local farmers and milk producers and increase their income. This will also give a boost to the rural economy in the region.

The prime minister will inaugurate the Powder Plant at Sabar Dairy with a capacity of around 120 metric tonnes per day (MTPD). The total cost of the entire project is more than 300 crores and the layout of the plant meets global food safety standards. It is highly energy efficient with almost zero emission. The plant is equipped with the latest and fully automated bulk packing line.

He will also inaugurate the Aseptic Milk Packaging Plant at Sabar Dairy which is a state-of-the-art plant with having capacity of 3 Lakh Litre per day. Executed with a total investment of around 125 crores, the plant has the latest automation system with highly energy efficient and environment-friendly technology. It will help ensure better remuneration to milk producers.

Sabar Dairy is a part of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which makes and markets a whole range of milk and milk products under the Amul brand.

After which, PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Sabar Cheese and Whey Drying Plant Project. The estimated outlay of the project is around 600 crores. This plant will manufacture Cheddar Cheese (20 MTPD), Mozzarella Cheese (10 MTPD) and Processed Cheese (16 MTPD). Whey generated during manufacturing of cheese shall also be dried at Whey Drying Plant, having capacity of 40 MTPD.

On July 29, Prime Minister will visit GIFT City in Gandhinagar. GIFT city (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) was envisaged as an integrated hub for financial and technology services not just for India but for the world.

PM will lay the foundation stone of the Headquarters Building of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the unified regulator for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India. The building has been conceptualised as an iconic structure, reflective of the growing prominence and stature of GIFT-IFSC as a leading International Financial Centre.

He will also launch India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX), India's first International Bullion Exchange in GIFT-IFSC. IIBX will facilitate efficient price discovery with the assurance of responsible sourcing and quality, apart from giving impetus to the financialisation of gold in India. It will empower India to gain its rightful place in the global bullion market and serve the global value chain with integrity and quality. IIBX also re-enforces the commitment of the Government of India towards enabling India to be able to influence global bullion prices as a principal consumer.

PM Modi will also launch NSE IFSC-SGX Connect which is a framework between NSE's subsidiary in GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). Under Connect, all orders on NIFTY derivatives placed by members of Singapore Exchange will be routed to and matched on the NSE-IFSC order matching and trading platform. Broker-Dealers from India and across international jurisdictions are expected to participate in large numbers for trading derivatives through the Connect. It will deepen liquidity in derivative markets at GIFT-IFSC, bringing in more international participants and creating a positive impact on the financial ecosystem in the GIFT-IFSC.

PM in Tamil Nadu

The 44th Chess Olympiad will witness a grand inauguration on July 28 as PM will declare it open in a launch programme organised at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai.

He had also launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19, 2022. The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations in the country for over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 kilometres and culminating in Mahabalipuram, before heading over to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.

The 44th Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai from July 28 to August 9, 2022. The prestigious competition, which has been organised since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time and in Asia after 30 years. With 187 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad. India is also fielding its biggest ever contingent in the competition comprising 30 players across 6 teams.

He will attend the 42nd Convocation of prestigious Anna University in Chennai on July 29. During the programme, he will award gold medals and certificates to 69 gold medalists. The prime minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Anna University was established on September 4, 1978. It is named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It has 13 Constituent Colleges, 494 Affiliated Colleges spread over Tamil Nadu and 3 Regional Campuses - Tirunelveli, Madurai and Coimbatore.

(With inputs from ANI)
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Belgian-Congolese TV personality Kody Kim has signed with CAA for representation.

Kim is best known for hosting a flagship program on Belgian broadcaster La Deux from 2015 to 2017. The presenter, who was born in Belgium to Congolese parents, stood out for his impersonations of famous French stars such as Gerard Depardieu and Jean Paul Belmondo.

Hes also a comedian, actor and radio personality. Kim first appeared in the 2015 fantasy dark comedy The Brand New Testament, which was directed by Jaco Van Dormael and screened as part of Directors Fortnight in Cannes. The French-language movie, which also stars Catherine Deneuve and Benoit Poelvoorde, is centered on a cruel Belgian man who plays God from his tiny apartment in Brussells.

Since then, Kim has played various roles in multiple films, including Lucky in 2019, and Losers Revolution in 2020. He most recently wrapped Gaetan Liekens and David Mutzenmachers burlesque thriller Music Hole.

Kims career kicked off in 2003 with the theater group The Kings of Comedy, which led to his first, critically acclaimed show, My Way, in which Kim discussed his personal life, Congolese upbringing and various professional experiences in the industry.

Following My Way, Kim hosted radio shows for VivaCite and RTBF. In 2020, he also hosted the 10th annual Magritte Awards, which celebrate Belgian cinema and are modeled after the Cesar Awards in France.

The actor is currently shooting Season 2 of Lost in Traplanta. The new instalment of the show is titled Lost in California.

Kim continues to be represented by La Fabrique 67 and JVM Avocats.

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The question of what it means to be a Hong Konger is examined in Chan Tze-woos innovative and affecting hybrid documentary Blue Island. Artfully editing footage of the 2019-2020 protests with dramatic recreations of events that have shaped the British colony turned Chinese special administrative region since 1967, Blue Island . Winner of the international documentary award at Hot Docs this year, Blue Island will likely never be legally exhibited in Hong Kong or China, though specialty outfit Icarus Films is distributing the film theatrically in selected U.S. cities.

After capturing the street-level intensity and passion of student activists involved in the Umbrella Movement in his 2016 documentary Yellowing, Chan has taken a much more expansive and creative approach in this companion piece about sustained civil disobedience in his homeland during 2019 and 2020. While there is no shortage of frontline footage of arrests and protestors clashing with police, most of the running time is dedicated to placing recent events in historical and deeply personal contexts.

Chans inventive and engaging method involves casting student activists, many of whom are awaiting trial, in dramatic recreations of pivotal moments in Hong Kongs history. Adding an extra dimension to these re-enactments is the participation of real-life individuals involved in stories from the past. In the films terrific opening section we meet Chan Hak-chi, an elderly man who swam from China to Hong Kong with wife Git Hing in 1973 to escape the Cultural Revolution. Playing Chan and Git in flashbacks are young protestors Anson Sham Kwan-yin and Tin Siu-ying. Past and present come together in scenes such as a rural community education session in 1973, where party officials are furiously extolling the virtues of great leader Mao Zedong.

Midway through, this scene re-enactment stops and documentary begins when Chan appears in the crowd and begins talking to Sham about this very experience. Asked by Sham if people really responded with such enthusiasm when asked to show patriotism and loyalty, Chan describes the 1973 reaction as being not as fervent as depicted here.

Kenneth Lam, who fled to Hong Kong after taking part in pro-democracy protests that triggered the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989, is played by Keith Fong Chung-yin, a student leader in 2019. Excellent reconstructions of events from that terrible day are nimbly woven into footage of Lam attending the (now banned, ostensibly on Covid-19 grounds) annual Tiananmen remembrance vigil, and director Chan asking Fong to project his 2019 experiences into his dramatic portrayal of Lam in 1989.

The young activists feelings about the past and the bravery of Lam and his comrades advances the films thesis of what Hong Kong means to its citizens. Having undergone many changes since it was ceded to the British in 1842, it has never been easy to define Hong Kongs national identity. But everyone here can agree that a range of personal, political and economic freedoms have always been central to the character and personality of Hong Kong, even during British rule  but much less so now.

Chans hybrid technique is at its best when telling the story of Raymond Young. In 1967 Young was a Hong Kong teenager with deeply patriotic ties to the Peoples Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. After participating in anti-British riots in 1967, Young served time in jail. Playing Young is Kelvin Tam Kwan-long, an activist born after the 1997 handover, whose childhood education included textbooks instructing him to identify as Chinese.

The most illuminating and moving discussion takes place between these men in a prison cell. Young, who has chosen not to take part in the current protests, tells Tam to look at the big picture and think forward to the time when no one seems to care and some of his fellow protestors have moved into positions of power. Time will slowly erode your ideals, he says, adding that Hong Kong has never been able to control its destiny. Such sobering, brutally honest words from the older man to the young idealist play a crucial role in Blue Island avoiding the trap of unwarranted optimism about the future of Hong Kong for those who consider the 50-year one country, two systems policy already defunct.

As re-enactments and discussions between older and younger generations come to a close, Chan fills the screen with portraits of Hong Kongers from all walks of life  musicians, nurses, clerks, legislators, community organizers  who are awaiting trial for offenses such as conspiring to subvert state power. The long procession of faces and charges serves as a reminder that with legislation such as the national security law of 2020, and film censorship changes made in October 2021, it will be even more difficult, if not impossible, to make films such as this and other recent productions including When a City Rises and Revolution of Our Times. The sense of apprehension and mounting fear is emphasised in the end credits of Blue Island, which must surely hold the record for the highest number of cast and crew members listed as Anonymous.

Reviewed online, July 26, 2022. (In Rotterdam, Hot Docs festivals.) Running time: 97 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 97 MIN.

Production

(Documentary  Hong Kong) An Icarus Films (in U.S.) release of a Blue Island Production Company Limited production. (World sales: Blue Island Production Company Limited, Hong Kong.) Producer: Peter Yam. Co-producers: Andrew Choi, Sanshiro Kobayashi, Izutaro Managi.

Music By

Jacklam Ho Tsz Yeung, Guyshawn Wong

Crew

Director, writer: Chan Tze-woon. Camera: Szeto Yat-lui. Editors: Chan Tze-woon, Silen Wu.

With

Anson Sham Kwan-yin, Chan Hak-chi, Tin Siu-ying

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Bruce Springsteen fans have been asking to hear from the artist or his camp directly in the wake of a firestorm over extremely variable ticket costs for a 2023 U.S. tour that has gone on sale last week and this week. On Tuesday, six days into the controversy over platinum ticket prices  which had initially gone as high as $4,000-5,000  Springsteens manager, Jon Landau, spoke up to defend the way the ticketing had rolled out.

In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing, Landau said in a statement given to the New York Times Your Money columnist, Ron Lieber. We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others.

Landaus statement continued, Regardless of the commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more, our true average ticket price has been in the mid-$200 range. I believe that in todays environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation.

The official defense from Springsteens manager came two days after Ticketmaster  which has taken a lot of the heat from fans  issued statistics to Variety indicating that the majority of tickets that had already been sold, 88.8%. had been sold at fixed values of $60-400 before fees, considered reasonable in the current market. The Ticketmaster stats showed only 11.2% of tickets had been platinum tickets subject to the skyrocketing costs that raised fans ire.

Ticketmaster further said that the average price of all tickets sold in this first three days of on-sales was $262. The service reported that a majority of tickets, 56%, were priced at under $200.

But, of course, many fans have fixated on the dynamically priced tickets that are left over and come up in a search after the fixed-priced tickets all sell out in the first hour or so each time an on-sale occurs. Ticketmaster has not provided any average amounts for those tickets, but social media has been filled for the last six days with anecdotal reports and screen shots of tickets being offered for as much as 10 times the value of the fixed prices.

Sources contend that Ticketmaster is not responsible for setting ticket pricing, despite assumptions of an algorithm setting what can sometimes look like arbitrary prices for the platinum seats, and that all the prices are set by local promoters in coordination with artist reps.

Variety examined tickets that went on sale in several cities Friday and saw that, although top prices for platinum tickets had calmed down from top levels of about $4,000-5,000 to a peak of around $2,500 in several cities surveyed, the average cost of a platinum ticket in one city, Greensboro, NC, amounted to $903.39, before additional fees.

So the debate will continue to narrow down to whether fans see the glass as half-reasonable, with the reported $262 average price for all tickets, or half-outrageous, with the dynamic tickets that most fans see when they log in coming in closer to $1,000 on average, however small a piece of the pie those might represent.

It isnt clear how much attention the Springsteen camp has been paying to the uproar, which has been magnified more because of Springsteens populist image than it might be if the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney were offering platinum tickets at amounts in the thousands. But if anyone were going to offer Landau any advice, it might be: If you havent been reading the comments, dont start now.

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After a long and much-publicized interruption, Chris Cuomo wants to get after it again.

Cuomo, who made that phrase the mission statement for his 9 p.m. program on CNN, is taking his bulldog demeanor and lean-in anchoring style to NewsNation, the still-nascent news outlet backed by large station owner Nexstar Media, which has in recent months made a series of acquisitions aimed at bolstering its presence in the media sector. Cuomo will join the NewsNation primetime lineup in the fall.

Cuomo has something to prove. His departure from CNN was less than amicable. The anchor was caught up in an investigation of sexual harassment claims against his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and in late 2021, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released documents showing the younger Cuomo took an active hand in helping his brother defend himself, an act that is anathema to most journalism organizations.

Cuomo has been pursuing a $125 million payment from CNN as part of an arbitration filing. During an interview Tuesday night with Dan Abrams on NewsNation, Cuomo confirmed he is still in the midst of legal action against CNN.

Cuomo has expressed regret for the way he left CNN, where he was arguably one of the lead figures of the Jeff Zucker era, a time when anchors were given more leeway to express opinions and passions. Being number one at CNN was a proud moment for me, he told Abrams. It mattered more to me than I knew at the time when I was doing the job.

Now hes looking forward, not back. He vowed in a prepared statement to cover news wherever it happens and hold conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus.

NewsNation represents a big bet by Nexstar that it can crack the cable-news business dominated by Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNN. The networks ratings have, so far, been middling.  year to date, its primetime schedule captures an average of just 50,000 people per night  even though it has hired several anchors familiar to fans of those rival channels, such as Leland Vittert from Fox, Ashleigh Banfield from CNN and Dan Abrams from ABC News and MSNBC.

The company has positioned itself so far as staking out the middle ground when compared to its larger competitors. Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows. said Sean Compton, Nexstar Medias president of networks, in a statement.

Cuomo isnt the first popular TV news face to try new ventures after controversy. Megyn Kelly, whose career took her from Fox News to a much-scrutinized stint at NBC News, launched her own podcast and holds forth regularly on satellite-radio purveyor Sirius XM. Dan Rather exited CBS News after decades there following a flawed report on former President George W. Bush to launch several of his own programs on the cable network HDNet, which became AXS TV.

Cuomo enjoyed a long TV-news career. At CNN, he hosted both Cuomo Prime Time, for a time CNNs most-watched program, and helped launch New Day, a morning show. At ABC News, he co-anchored 20/20 and was the news anchor for Good Morning America. He may have ties to NewsNation through his ABC News roles. In addition to employing Dan Abrams, NewsNation is supervised by Michael Corn, a former longtime ABC News senior producer.

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AVOD service Amazon Freevee has set an Aug. 12 premiere date for concert tour documentary Post Malone: Runaway.

In Sept. 2019, Grammy-nominated musician Post Malone embarked on a 37-date tour of North America before COVID-19 shut the world down. The film features exclusive backstage access, live performances and interviews.

Produced by Pulse Films (Gangs of London), part of the Vice Media Group, and Federal Films, Post Malone: Runaway was created by BAFTA-nominated Hector Dockrill (Goldfish) and written and produced by Sam Bridger (Meet Me in the Bathroom) and Casey Engelhardt (Pillow Talk). The film is executive produced by Dre London, Austin Rosen, Bobby Greenleaf and Marisa Clifford.

Dockrill said: I already knew Post Malone was a force before going on tour. But then, after spending time with him, unfiltered, close, and personal, I very quickly realized hes unlike anything the world has seen before. Hes a polymath, loyal to his art, a true rock star. Being on tour with Post is like every emotion hitting you at once, its intense and its wild, and our vision was to pull fans into the experience just enough to get a glimpse of this, while leaving the rest to the imagination.

Sam Bridger, head of music documentaries, Pulse Films, added: Post Malone is a once-in-a-generation artist. A musician who has consistently defied categorization and set his own creative agenda. At Pulse Films, we have always been drawn to creatives that break the mold, and so working with Post, his team, and label to document this legendary tour has been a privilege.

Malone, who is nominated at the MTV 2022 VMAs for One Right Now, his collaboration with The Weeknd, has charted nine songs in the Top 20 of the Hot 100.

Watch the trailer here:

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As Donald Trump weighs his White House chances for 2024, theres one race where, at least in his own mind, hes already running: the Fox News primary.

In recent months, according to two people familiar with the matter, the twice-impeached ex-president has routinely obsessed over Foxs coverage of him versus his potential Republican primary rivals. That obsession kicks up a notch when it comes to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. One source recalled Trump suddenly dropping into conversation a question regarding how much Fox News airtime DeSantis had enjoyed lately.

In private discussions, Trump has cataloged which major on-air personalities, hosts, and shows he views as steadfastly all-in for Trump, which ones he sees as possibly defecting, and which he deems against Trump. For instance, Trump views Sean Hannity as firmly in his column, and has expressed some doubt about which camp Laura Ingraham might end up in come 2024. Per usual, the former president has also asked certain confidants for their opinions on which Fox News regulars and right-wing media stars might be jumping ship from Team Trump.

Trump, the sources add, is pushing a familiar argument for why he thinks Fox and the rest of Ruper Murdochs media empire will never truly abandon him: ratings. Trump of late says that Fox watchers love him and that he is better for ratings than any other Republican right now  including DeSantis  and if the Murdochs are smart, they wont ditch him, one of the people familiar with the matter tells Rolling Stone.

Trumps focus on Fox is in part a reflection of his lifelong fixation on his own press coverage. He is, after all, a man who once used fake names to talk to reporters about himself. But Fox News coverage moves voters in todays GOP. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) cited losing the fight for Fox News affections as a factor in his loss to Trump in the 2016 primary.

Former Fox News personality Eric Bolling tells Rolling Stone about how closely Trump monitored the network in those days. [During] the run-up to 2016, when I was on The Five, Trump had just announced, Bolling, now an anchor at Newsmax, says. I was a pro-Trump voice on [Foxs] The Five. Dana Perino disliked him a ton and therefore tended to get really heated up at me, even when we were live on-air.

In one episode in June 2015, the former Fox host recalled, things got especially hot. Trump was watching and called me after the show, Bolling says. He said I should sue Perino for libel, based on her accusations that I had motives [for sticking up for Trump] other than opining.

The current power of conservative media isnt lost on Trump either, and the president remains sore over the Drudge Report souring on him during his presidency. He didnt like losing Drudge, says a source whos spoken to Trump recently about the Fox News primary. He wants to keep as many in line as possible, but hes also convinced that the ones that drift away from him can always come back.

He may need them. After years of dominating the Republican Party, Trump once again has rivals. DeSantis has built his presidential prospects through an embrace of Trumpism  including many of the former presidents policies and his headline-grabbing style of politics. And right now, he has the advantage of being in office. Trumps increasing animosity toward DeSantis stems from the fear that, among prominent Republicans and donors, the governor is more palatable and comes with less baggage.

Trumps obsession with Fox News treatment of him was a hallmark of his administration, as well as his 2016 presidential blitz. When he would do, for instance, Fox News shows, he would always ask [his executive assistant] Rhona Graff to ask the Fox host or staff if they could send him the exact ratings data of his interview or hit that he had just done, Sam Nunberg, a former political adviser to Trump, told The Daily Beast in 2020. Sometimes hed just ask them himself. Often, they wouldnt send him the actual numbers but just transmit back something like, They were fantastic, you won. He kept very close track of his ratings, and always wanted the numbers so he could tweet them.

The Trump White House and Murdochs empire shared a revolving door of personnel, with Trump essentially vetting candidates for administrative positions through their appearances on the network. By the end of the administration, dozens of Trump staffers could both boast of having worked for the president and Fox News. Over the span of his presidency, the network became a loyal propaganda machine with a direct line to the executive. They were forced, alongside the president, to reckon with an unexpected loss in the 2020 election.

The former president has typically viewed Fox News as his ally, as he fought to find a way to rip the election from voters and maintain power the network abetted his election lies. The claims of election fraud made by Trump would culminate in the attempted sacking of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  and left conservative media to deal with one of the largest political cleanup jobs in the nations history.

The on-air allegations from hosts supporting the President  including Jeannine Pirro, Lou Dobbs, and Maria Bartiromo  landed Fox $4 billion in defamation lawsuits from voting machine manufacturers. The network was forced to tone down its on-air support for Trumps election conspiracies, which the former president continues to hold as a central tenet of his burgeoning reelection campaign.

It is abundantly clear to anyone who watches even a few hours of Fox News that the network remains extremely supportive of Trump and his policy agenda. Yet the former President has seen some typically friendly media outlets cool to him recently, and hes making his feelings known.

An op-ed from the New York Posts Editorial Board declared Trump unworthy to be this countrys chief executive again, following a slew of revelations from the Jan. 6 committee regarding Trumps refusal to intervene in the violence that took place during the congressional certification of electoral college votes. A separate piece from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board also lambasted the former President for failing to act on Jan. 6, declaring that Mr. Trump utterly failed the test of his character and loyalty to his oath of office presented on Jan. 6. Both papers are owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corp.

Trump responded to the criticisms on his social media platform, Truth Social.

On Monday, Trump aired his Fox fixation in public, attacking the Fox & Friends hosts for their coverage of a poll held at a gathering of conservative college group Turning Point USA. The poll found that 80 percent of attendees would vote for Trump.

Trump got angry on Truth Social over this clip from today's Fox & Friends of hosts discussing a poll finding Ron DeSantis ahead of him (1/2) pic.twitter.com/iTizdQOF3D  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2022

Trump accused Fox & Friends of having gone to the dark side.
One local band has its eyes sets on a contest that could land them the gig of a lifetime.

Created in July 2012, Laredo band Dos Leones is trying to gather as much support as they can to win a contest that would allow them to perform in a venue in Los Angeles and play alongside some of the greatest acts in the music industry today.

The contest is part of Audacy's (formerly Radio.com) annual concert. The winning artist or band also wins $10,000.

The lineup for the current Hollywood Bowl concert has not been released yet, but last years artists included Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Shawn Mendez, Lady Gaga and others. The lineup for this years concert will be announced on Aug. 1, 2022.

The band is asking for the publics support in efforts to get the spot. Locals can vote by visiting theopenact.com and have until July 28 to do so.

Dos Leones rhythm guitarist Justin White said that they found an advertisement for the contest on social media and jumped on the opportunity.

(With the ad), they were trying to skim out people who are not taking themselves professionally, White said. Some of them do not have the right recordings, as some recordings are not (up) to a professional level, and they got rid of them. This has all been step-by-step.

White said after the qualifying round, the band got an email from the contest organizers notifying them they had qualified to continue being part of the contest. The guitarist said they now have a good shot of being the opening band to a major mainstream artist at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles if they win.

Just the experience itself to say, 'Hey I opened up for this band and look at them now,' it is amazing, White said. But the fact that the community here in Laredo is behind us is a real tear-jerker for me, because I am in wow and awe how everyone is getting together for a common goal and aiming for that.

When the competition began, Dos Leones was put into various groups of 20 bands and artists, and the leaders of each group would then advance. Right now, White said Dos Leones is No. 2 overall of the 20 bands, which is good as they want to continue being part of the contest, but ultimately they will need to get first place to win the spot.

The band has been together for approximately 10 years and used to be called Two Lions. However, it changed its name to Dos Leones after they discovered another band from California had the title already and asked them to change it.

Dos Leones is a band mainly focusing on rock music with influences from Latin music, hard rock, psychedelic music and some funk and hip hop as well. Some of their main influences are Kings of Leon, Rage Against the Machine and a lot of current rock music. White said the local culture also has played a major influence in what they do musically.

The culture has definitely influenced us, White said. It is just beautiful how families get together, they care for their children, the language we use like 'te amo' and constructing a whole sentence in Spanish and English -- it is just cool and unique and really hits the spot, as not many people would understand us from outside the city.

Dos Leones has already toured in several parts of the United States, including in six states in the northeast. They have even played in New York City previously.

As the band continues to cross its fingers for the LA spot, the band is also working in new music.

We are working in an album right now, as we have songs already ready and written down and structured, but we are just trying to perform them live so we can kind of showcase them before we release them, White said.

As the voting cutoff approaches, White said locals can log in and vote for free with the "free daily vote" button, however, there's also a way to cast a "together vote." This is a paid approach which gives voters an additional vote per every single dollar they submit, with a minimum of $10 allowed.

White, however, said he does not wish people to donate any money for them, as he understands that $10 is a lot of money for a community who works to support their families. But he has seen some already cast these paid votes and expressed his gratitude.

All proceeds collected by the concert go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Laredoans have been making waves in the art, music and entertainment industries in recent weeks, and we've got another name to keep on eye on, this time in the fashion industry.

Jude Hinojosa, a student of the Central Saint Martins' Masters Fashion program in London, has been chosen as one of five students whose work will be featured in Dr. Martens' "All Access Summer" campaign, the famous footwear brand announced Tuesday.
A mother and grandmother of a 10-year-old girl did not believe the sexual abuse claims a girl made, according to an arrest affidavit.

But a report made to Laredo police by a Child Protective Services investigator resulted in the arrest of Rodolfo Lopez, 51, court documents state.

On July 20, Lopez was served with arrest warrants charging him with one count of aggravated sexual assault and three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Officers responded to a report of a sexual abuse of a child at about 6:23 p.m. May 17 at CPS on 1500 North Arkansas Ave. A CPS investigator stated a 10-year-old girl had cried out about Lopez sexually abusing her.

During a forensic interview, the girl stated Lopez had been sexually abusing her since she was 9 years old and the abuse continued until she was 10 years old. The child stated her grandmother and her mother did not believe her, the affidavit states.

The girl stated that one time, Lopez touched her chest as well as her private part. But her grandmother told her to stop lying. On Another occasion, the child awoke to the feeling of Lopez putting his hand under her pants and underwear to touch her private part, states the affidavit.

On June 6, police spoke with the girls mother. The mother told Lopez about the allegations and he denied them, according to court documents.

(The mother) stated they did not believe the allegations and did not file a police report, states the affidavit.

Investigators then spoke to Lopez on June 8. Lopez denied the allegations. He stated that about a year ago, he was informed about the allegations of sexual abuse by the childs mother and grandmother, according to court documents.

Lopez stated that (the child) was questioned as to the allegations by her mother and grandmother in his presence and that the child only sat there laughing, states the affidavit.

Investigators obtained arrest warrants for Lopez after presenting their findings to the Webb County District Attorneys Office.
Courtesy/Webb County Sheriff's Office

A routine traffic stop resulted in the seizure of more than $35,000, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Dania Alexa Berlanga, 17, was arrested in relation with the case. She was charged with money laundering.
Courtesy/U.S. Border Patrol

A woman believed to have crossed the border illegally was found dead near the City of Rio Bravo, south of Laredo, authorities said.

On July 21, Texas National Guard troops assigned to the Laredo South Station encountered an unresponsive woman near Rio Bravo.

Troops and U.S. Border Patrol agents administered CPR until EMS services arrived on scene.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced two former Minneapolis police officers who were convicted of violating George Floyds civil rights to lighter terms than recommended in sentencing guidelines, calling one truly a rookie officer and describing the other as a good police officer, father and husband.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced J. Alexander Kueng to three years in prison and Tou Thao to 3 years for violating Floyd's rights in the May 25, 2020, killing in which then-Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyds neck with his knee for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old Black man said he couldnt breathe and eventually grew still. The killing, captured in bystander video, sparked protests worldwide and a reckoning of racial injustice.

Kueng pinned Floyds back, Thao held back concerned bystanders, and a fourth officer, Thomas Lane, held Floyds feet. Lane was sentenced last week to two years  also below guidelines and a sentence that Floyd's brother Philonise called insulting  while Chauvin was sentenced earlier to 21 years. Floyd's immediate family members did not attend Wednesday's hearings in person or comment afterward.

Floyds girlfriend, Courteney Ross, made statements at both mens sentencing hearings and said afterward that she was disappointed, particularly with Thaos sentence. It didnt really seem to match the crime to me. I was asking for the maximum sentence, she said.

The lower sentences for Kueng, who is Black, and Thao, who is Hmong American, raise questions about whether they would consider a plea deal or risk a state court trial on Oct. 24, when they face counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Lane, who is white, pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing in that case.

Federal sentencing guidelines  which judges do not have to follow  recommended 4 to 5 years for Kueng and 5  to 6  years for Thao. For both men, prosecutors argued for sentences higher than that. Prosecutor Manda Sertich argued that Kueng didnt say a word as Floyd lay dying. Prosecutor LeeAnn Bell said Thao had a bird's-eye view of what was going on with Floyd, and had years on the force that meant he should have known better.

The federal government brought the civil rights charges against all four officers in May 2021, a month after Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in state court. They were seen as an affirmation of the Justice Departments priorities to address racial inequities in policing, a promise made by President Joe Biden before his election. They came a week after federal prosecutors brought hate crimes charges in the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and announced sweeping probes into policing in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky.

Magnuson said there was no question that Kueng violated Floyds rights by failing to get off him when Floyd became unresponsive. But he also mentioned what he called an incredible number of letters from other officers supporting Kueng.

You were truly a rookie officer, Magnuson told Kueng.

At his subsequent hearing, Thao spoke for more than 20 minutes, frequently quoting from the Bible as he said his arrest and time in jail led him to turn toward God, but did not directly address his actions or offer any words to Floyd's family. Thao  like Lane and Kueng  remains free on bond, but spent several weeks in jail after his 2020 arrest on the state charges.

Magnuson again acknowledged letters supporting the former officer, including one with 744 signatures, and cited what he called Thaos completely clean record.

You had a difficult childhood and have done well to become a good police officer, father and husband, the judge said.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist, said the sentences were especially light.

"This little punishment signals to other law enforcement officers that they could receive a slap on the wrist if they violate peoples rights and engage in extreme abuse towards defenseless people," she said.

But Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and former federal prosecutor, called the sentences groundbreaking and noted that it's rare for officers to be held accountable for killings they didn't directly commit.

We should hope that it has the impact of changing behavior and prodding them to intervene when a life can be saved, he said.

Osler said it's likely that Kueng and Thao will seek a plea deal on the state charges that would not exceed the federal sentence and would let them serve the sentences concurrently.

Both men are due to report to federal prison on Oct. 4, though Magnuson noted that could change because of their state trial. Magnuson said he would recommend that they be allowed to serve their time at minimum-security federal facilities in Duluth or in Yankton, South Dakota, to be near family. The final decision is up to the Bureau of Prisons.

Chauvin, who is white, was the most senior officer at the scene and was sentenced to a 22 1/2-year state sentence that hes serving concurrently with his federal sentence. Hes been held in solitary confinement in the states maximum security prison at Oak Park Heights for his own safety since his murder conviction and will eventually be transferred to federal prison.

___

Associated Press/Report for America reporter Trisha Ahmed contributed.

___

Find APs full coverage of the killing of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
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BEIJING (AP)  U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time in four months, with a wide range of bilateral and international issues on the table.

But a potential visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is looming over the conversation set for Thursday, with China warning of a severe response if she travels to the self-governing island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory.

On Wednesday, Chinas Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the presidential phone call. However, spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated China's warnings over a Pelosi visit.

If the U.S. insists on going its own way and challenging China's bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S."

Pelosi's office has yet to say when, or even if, she will proceed with the visit, but the timing is especially sensitive amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington over trade, human rights and Taiwan.

While the U.S. has in recent years sent a Cabinet secretary and high-ranking former officials to Taiwan, Pelosi's status as the top congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency puts her in a separate category. The speaker has made standing up to China a key feature of her more than three decades in Congress.

While Biden has no authority to prevent Pelosi visiting, China's authoritarian Communist government chooses to ignore the separation of powers in the U.S., saying Congress is beholden to the administration. In Beijing's perception, the fact both belong to the Democratic Party reinforces the notion that Pelosi is somehow working with Biden's assent.

Despite that, Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. The Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip that had originally been planned for April but was postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Pelosi would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to travel to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker. Gingrich and other prominent Republicans who are normally highly critical of Pelosi have offered their encouragement, saying China has no right to dictate where Americans can travel to.

China has given no details on what specific actions it would take in response, but experts say it could launch additional incursions into waters and airspace near Taiwan, or even cross the center line of the Taiwan Strait dividing the two. Some have speculated China might even attempt to prevent her plane from landing, something that would spark a major crisis and is generally considered unlikely.

U.S. officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan, the military will increase movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

A possible Pelosi visit makes it even more important that Xi and Biden hold a meaningful discussion, said Yu Wanli, a professor of international relations at Beijing Language and Culture University.

Although both their administrations are opposed to it, Pelosis visit has been hijacked by U.S. domestic politics, with Republicans and other forces exerting pressure not to show weakness to China," Yu said.

The issue of how China and the U.S. manage and control the Taiwan issue has become an urgent matter, and therefore the talk between the two leaders is very timely and necessary," he said.

The U.S. has only informal relations and defense ties with Taipei in deference to China, but remains the island's most important source of military and political support. Legally, the U.S. is obligated to ensure Taiwan can defend itself and regard threats to it as matters of grave concern."

China, which in recent years has boosted its threat to use force to annex Taiwan if necessary, objects to all U.S. arms sales and contacts with the island's government.

It regularly stages military exercises and flies warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, in what it calls warnings to supporters of the island's formal independence and their foreign allies.

The sides split amid civil war in 1949 and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has refused Beijing's demand that she recognize the island as a part of China. Public sentiment in Taiwan strongly favors maintaining the status quo of de-facto independence without further antagonizing Beijing.

Along with Taiwan, North Koreas nuclear program, Beijing's close ties to Russia, efforts by Biden to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. administrations review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration are likely to feature in discussions between the leaders.

Taiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xis last call in March, about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. China has refused to criticize Russia's move, blames the U.S. and NATO for provoking Moscow and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Vladimir Putin's government and political cronies.
Update: Olivia Julianna says she has raised more than $250,000 for abortion funds as of Wednesday afternoon following her exchange with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz's targeting a teen activist online appears to have backfired. Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old Houston activist who works as a political strategist with Gen-Z for Change, announced Tuesday that she's raised more than $50,000 for abortion funds after Gaetz tried to bully and body shame her on Twitter for criticizing his speech mocking abortion advocates.

Julianna announced on Twitter Monday that she started fundraising for the youth-led nonprofit's abortion fund "in honor of Matt Gaetz publicly body shaming me" and documented the progress as the donations rolled in overnight. The contributions will be split among 50 different funds across states where services are needed most, Julianna said.

"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade," Julianna said in an emailed statement. "When a sitting congressmen tries to weaponize your appearance because youre an abortion rights activist, you raise money for a cause he hates. Im a political strategist, but first and foremost Im a Texas activist, and my work will always come first. So whenever I have a chance to share it I will."

The Florida Republican faced backlash after he shared an article on Sunday from conservative media outlet Newsmax that described his rant about abortion rights advocates over the weekend as "sure to raise [the] dander of his political opponents," along with a photo of Julianna. "Dander raised..." the congressman captioned it.

Julianna has since accused Gaetz of directing his followers to harass her. "This is what happens when a sitting Republican congressman body shames and blasts you on social media," she tweeted along with a screenshot of an explicit message she received after Gaetz shared her photo.

Gaetz's attack came after Julianna blasted him online for comments he made at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday. "Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about abortions? Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb," Gaetz told the audience of students. "These people are odious from the inside out... They're like 5-2, 350 pounds, and they're like, 'Give me my abortions or I'll get up and march and protest.'"

Julianna responded to Gaetz on Twitter, writing: "I'm actually 5'11. 6'4 in heels. I wear them so small men like you are reminded of your place." She also brought up the fact that Gaetz is currently under federal investigation for allegations of sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl.

Meanwhile on TikTok, a platform where Julianna has more than 250,000 followers, she called out the Republican in a video that has since gone viral, having now been viewed more than a million times since Monday.

Julianna said she's also gained more than 20,000 followers across her social platforms following her rebuttal. "Let this serve as a lesson to all the Republican politicians out thereif its a battle of wit against me, youre going to lose," she wrote.

Despite the backlash, Gaetz has since doubled down on his comments about abortion rights activists, telling a reporter from WEAR-TV in Pensacola, Fla., on Monday that he believes all women who attend abortion rights rallies are ugly and overweight. "I find these people who go out in these pro-abortion, pro-murder rallies, odious and just, like, ugly on the inside and out," Gaetz said, "and I make no apology for it."

Asked what he would say to people who think those comments are offensive, Gaetz responded, "Be offended."

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for Gaetz responded to the Julianna's fundraiser, saying: "With Roe v. Wade overturned, America is now a pro-life nation. No amount of solicitations will change that."
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office the inmates who escaped Silverdale Detention Center last month went over the fence.
This was the unseemly sight locals from the south Longford village of Newtowncashel awoke to last week as one of the county's most scenic hotspots succumbed to the latest episode of illegal dumping.

Up to 20 bags of rubbish , plastic bottles and other household waste were found strewn across the ground at Newtowncashel's picturesque Barley Harbour.

Its remnants, which is believed to have stemmed from a weekend of camping, sparked a vociferous outcry from locals.

Cllr Mark Casey branded the discovery as nothing short of disgraceful, saying the incident was not the first time Barley Harbour has fallen foul to illegal dumping.

A lot of the problems down there is from people out camping and simply not bringing their rubbish with them, he said.

The Independent local representative revealed how council staff erected barriers and placed stones at the harbour's entrance several months ago to try and deter episodes like last week's from becoming a regular occurrence.

The issue, which is believed to also centre on a lingering ownership wrangle between the council and a third party, is expected to dominate proceedings at the next Ballymahon Municipal District meeting when it returns from its summer recess in September.

Stones were put in there but it hasn't added any value to the area or addressed the problem, he said.

His fellow Lanesboro local authority counterpart Cllr Gerard Farrell said the dilemma was one he had been working on for some time.

There is 50,000 to be spent there and while there is no quick or easy fix, if we can get the ownership side of things sorted out that would be a big help, he said.

The Fine Gael councillor said the almost weekly headache of large convoys of camping vans descending on the locality was already stymying a handful of local sporting and recreational groups from accessing the facility.

It is widely used with people coming down from Dublin, but then there are locals that can't even launch a boat, he said.

Cllr Farrell added that once clarity over ownership rights to the harbour are thrashed out, the likelihood of installing public bin facilities and even bye-laws might need to be considered in a bid to resolve the issue once and for all.
The Government has agreed to 100% match the proposed 84.5m allocation from the EU Just Transition Fund for the midlands region.

The Just Transition Fund is designed to support communities transitioning to a low carbon economy.

Senator Micheal Carrigy, speaking following Cabinets consideration of the draft Territorial Just Transition Plan today, welcomed Governments agreement to match EU funding as well as the details of the draft priorities for investment.

The decision confirms that the EU Just Transition fund allocation will be 100% matched with Exchequer resources, allowing for a combined total allocation of up to 168.9m over the period up to 2027.

Up to 84.5 million has been earmarked for Ireland under the EU Just Transition Fund over the period to 2027.

It had been stated that the Government would complement this with Exchequer resources at a co-funding rate of between 30% to 50%.

The decision was made as the Government considered the draft territorial Just Transition plan at Cabinet today.

The draft plan, which sets out how Ireland proposes to invest funding from the EU Just Transition Fund, followed a public consultation process earlier this year.

The plan after being agreed by Government is to be submitted to the European Commission for approval

Senator Carrigy said: This draft plan forms the basis for negotiations with the European Commission and ultimately the EU Just Transition Fund allocation for the Midlands region. Time is of the essence and I am delighted that the draft plan will now proceed to the European Commission for observations and negotiation.

He said the decision on the plan will allow organisations in the midlands to finetune their proposals for future funding.

Todays Government decision on the draft Territorial Just Transition Plan is a trigger point for agencies, local authorities, business communities and social enterprises to align their activities to one or more of the priorities and fine tune project proposals. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Midlands region to invest in our future, a future of vibrant and viable, inclusive rural and urban communities.

Senator Carrigy outlined that the draft Plan proposes 3 priority areas for investment:

Priority 1, with an indicative allocation of 94m, proposes to support local initiatives through a competitive grants scheme as well as regional tourism and enterprise strategies.

Priority 2, with an indicative value of 50m, supports innovative approaches to regeneration and repurposing of land. Priority 2 includes a particularly exciting proposal for the development of a Centre of Excellence to undertake research on farming on peat soils in the Midlands.

Priority 3 focuses on the development of sustainable transport in the territory through investments by the National Transport Authority in the decarbonisation of existing routes and fleets and will contribute to increasing the capacity of environmentally friendly public transport in the Midlands.
A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man in an incident in Co Louth.

Marius Juodenas, 44, died in hospital on Tuesday after sustaining injuries earlier this month.

The Garda said he was found with serious injuries at a house on Barrack Street in Dundalk shortly before 7pm on July 5 after gardai attended the scene.

He was brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda before being transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he was placed on life support .

He later died of his injuries.

A post-mortem was conducted at Dublin City mortuary on Wednesday. The results are not being released for operational reasons.

An incident room has been put in place at Dundalk Garda station. A family liaison officer has been appointed to keep the family informed of the investigation.

Gardai are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who was in the vicinity of Barrack Street between 6.30pm and 7pm on Tuesday July 5, to come forward.
Nature & Weather, Local News, Health & Wellness

By Chris Boyle Published: July 27 2022

Northrop Grumman and U.S. Navy Both Formally Committed to Implement Historic Cleanup that Prevents Further Spread of Contamination.

Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have announced the filing of a consent decree with the court that formally requires Northrop Grumman to advance a comprehensive plan to contain and clean up the groundwater plume associated with the Northrop Grumman Bethpage Facility and Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant sites in Bethpage. The full containment of this groundwater plume will prevent the further spread of contamination to water supplies in neighboring communities and provide peace of mind to local residents.

"Every New Yorker deserves access to safe, clean water, and we will continue to advance bold, aggressive efforts to protect our environment and ensure it is free of contamination," Governor Hochul said. "With this historic agreement, we are delivering justice to Long Island communities that for too long have been negatively impacted by the groundwater plume, while holding polluters accountable for their actions. Ensuring the health and safety of our communities is among our highest priorities in this state, and we will continue to make sure there is a reliable, clean water source for all New Yorkers for generations to come."

Attorney General Letitia James said, "For decades, Northrop Grumman knew its hazardous waste disposal sites leaked toxic substances into the only source of drinking water on Long Island, but for decades, Northrop Grumman denied responsibility. Long Islanders have paid the price for the company's negligence but today, we're finally forcing Grumman to address its environmental abuse by paying the municipalities and the state that had to clean up its mess. In the face the Supreme Court's irresponsible decision to restrict the EPA's ability to regulate companies for their dirty emissions, I am more committed than ever to mitigating the damage done by corporations like Northrop Grumman. I will continue to work with my partners in government to ensure that no one gets away with degrading our environment, our natural resources, and our children's futures."

"This consent decree is a necessary measure to ensure the safety of our environment and drinking water in the area of the Northrop Grumman facility," said Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. "It is incumbent upon us to ensure that our children will have a safe environment in which to grow and thrive and this measure will bring that comfort and peace of mind to the Bethpage community."

The final decree reflects the agreement between New York State and Northrop Grumman memorializing the scope of Grumman's cleanup and resolving reimbursement of State costs and Northrop Grumman's liability for Natural Resource Damages (NRD). The agreement also provides for a more robust citizen participation program, including funding by Grumman for a citizen participation working group that will enable all interested stakeholders to have better access to information and provide further input about the company's cleanup as overseen by DEC. For the first time the decree includes a schedule, which ends five years from the effective date of the decree once enacted by the court and requires Grumman to complete all construction documented in the agreement. It also reflects input received from communities during a public comment period on the draft consent decree by directing additional NRD payments by Northrop Grumman to the affected water districts and explicitly preserving the town of Oyster Bay's right to bring claims against the responsible parties.

As announced previously, NorthropGrumman agreed toaNRD settlement valued at $104.4 million that will be used to advance cleanup, public water supply, and aquifer protection projects associated with the plume. A total of $63.5 million in payments is included in the NRD, consisting of $29 million dedicated to the Bethpage Water District, $12.5 million dedicated to the South Farmingdale Water District, and $22 million dedicated to New York State for use on restoration projects. As part of the Consent Decree, Northrop Grumman was credited for $40.9 million for additional cleanup to be undertaken per the settlement agreement.

The consent decree commits Northrop Grumman to containing the eastern and southern edges of the plume, with enhanced contaminant removal in the central portion of the plume. Specifically, Northrop Grumman is designing and drilling containment wells in the east-central and southeast area of the plume to prevent further migration in that area and provide additional protection to nearby public water supply wells. These wells, along with other actions required under the consent decree, will help clean-up volatile organic compounds and hazardous substances released by these facilities, which include Trichloroethylene and 1,4-Dioxane.

Expedited work advanced by the finalization of the Consent Decree includes Northrop Grumman's launch of a preliminary investigation of the southeast quadrant of the plume. This investigation includes drilling of borings this summer to expedite installation of extraction wells.

In addition, the U.S. Navy, after negotiations with DEC, will implement elements of the comprehensive remedy in areas of the plume the Navy is responsible for cleaning up. These actions are specifically designed to address the western half of the Navy-Grumman plume. The U.S. Navy will perform its obligations in accordance with an Explanation of Significant Differences, which was finalized in September 2021.

Together, these actions and the Navy's work in the interior and margins of the plume will achieve containment and expedite cleanup of the plume. Furthermore, all parties have agreed to carefully monitor containment and movement of the plume to ensure the continued effectiveness of the remedy and to make any adjustments,within the scope of the agreements, necessary to achieve the objectives of the cleanup plan.

Since 2020, the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman have already made significant progress in implementing the required remedy, including starting installation of a network of extraction wells to hydraulically contain and remediate the contaminated plume. For instance, the Navy began construction of a state-of-the-art groundwater treatment plant that is expected to begin operating later this year, installed four of the required six extraction wells, began installing conveyance piping from extraction wells to the treatment plant, and rehabilitated two recharge basins for managing the treated water, among other ongoing work.

As part of a groundwater extraction and treatment system to address contamination south of the Bethpage Community Park, Grumman also began construction of a new groundwater treatment plant that is expected to begin operating by the end of summer 2022, completed the installation of 11,000 feet of conveyance piping, and began outfitting three extraction wells. Both Northrop Grumman and the Navy also continue to operate three existing groundwater extraction and treatment systems to effectively remove contamination from Long Island's sole source aquifer (greater than 200,000 pounds since the first system came on-line in 1998). Work on the remaining requirements is ongoing and will be closely overseen by DEC.

In addition to the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman's actions to implement the cleanup, New York State is pursuing additional potentially responsible parties to undertake needed efforts in areas that are not currently attributable to the U.S. Navy and Grumman. If DEC is unable to identify potential responsible parties to remediate these areas, New York State will undertake any necessary cleanup.
Community, Charity & Cause

By Ls Cohen Published: July 27 2022

Mother and her children received their new home recently in a dedication ceremony.

Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk held a dedication for a family in East Patchogue recently as a mother and her children were joined by local officials as they were given the keys to their new home. The home was built by volunteers working with Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk.

Its always a great day when a family moves into a new home, and I congratulate Allyson and her family and wish them many years of happiness, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine said. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk for making the dream of home ownership a reality for this family.

Back in April, MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, committed $436 million in funding to Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit whose mission is to build homes for the underserved. From that, the Long Island-based chapter of the organization was expected to receive $3.75 million. The money came after the Nassau and Suffolk County chapters of Habitat for Humanity decided to merge.

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity is an international, non-governmental, and nonprofit organization with a mission to build "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, and has addressed the issues of housing all over the world. The organization works in partnership with thousands of Suffolk County volunteers, to build and renovate homes in communities where people can live and grow.
Nature & Weather

By Ls Cohen Published: July 27 2022

Platform disc was constructed at West Meadow Beach for birds who refused to give up their home atop a utility pole.

A couple of Ospreys who refused to give up their nesting spot atop a utility pole got a boost as PSEGLI installed a platform on a utility pole at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook this month for the persistent pair of lovebirds.

According to a statement released by Brookhaven Town, the birds had started nesting on the pole when electric service was disrupted, and repairs were needed to restore power. The first few attempts at nest building by this pair of ospreys resulted in blown fuses on the pole, and PSEGLI made several attempts to introduce elements of hostile architecture to discourage them from further attempts.

With each repair came the removal of the Osprey nest. Stressed and displaced, the couple sought refuge in the salt marsh but never gave up on the home they built together. After several repairs and rebuilds, it finally became apparent that the persistence of these Osprey could not be matched. On July 14, PSEGLI installed an Osprey platform for the young pair to safely keep their nest upon.

Pictured left to right are beach stewards Roberta Fabiano and Frank Fountain; Councilmember Kornreich and Nicole Pocchiare, Town of Brookhaven Environmental Educator. Photo: Town of Brookhaven.

"The story of the Osprey nest at the West Meadow Nature Preserve proves the adage that you cant fight Mother Nature, said Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich.

The Osprey is a migratory bird species that returns to our area each year after overwintering in the south. Once they find a partner, they will mate for life and will do so at the same exact location each spring. So, when a young Osprey pair made their home atop a utility pole on Trustees Road last August, something needed to be done to help them survive and grow their family. The Osprey is a majestic and admirable bird. It bears many adaptations to survive in varying coastal environments, but it is due to their resilience that we are seeing their population once again thrive.

According to Nicole Pocchiare, Town of Brookhaven Environmental Educator, the installation of the platform for the Ospreys nest is a perfect example of how as a community we can be more understanding and appreciative of the natural space we share.

It is so important that we find the balance between our use of the land and the preservation of this beautiful coast, she said.
Crime

By Long Island Published: July 26 2022

FBI and DEA announced additional charges against six alleged members of a street gang known as the Young Bronx Money Getters or YBMG in the Bronx

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), today announced additional charges against six alleged members of a street gang known as the Young Bronx Money Getters or YBMG in the Bronx, New York. SHPENDIM HAXHAJ, a/k/a White Mike, YELTSIN BELTRAN, a/k/a Yells, BORIS BELTRAN, a/k/a Bebe, JEREMY CEDENO, a/k/a Jerm, FRANCISCO ORTEGA, a/k/a Fresh, and IVIS PERDOMO, a/k/a Light, all of whom are members of YBMG, were charged in a Superseding Indictment with racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. HAXHAJ, YELTSIN BELTRAN, BORIS BELTRAN, CEDENO, and PERDOMO were also charged with engaging in violent crimes in aid of racketeering. LUCAS CHAJECKI, a/k/a Luc Luc, whom members of YBMG allegedly hired to commit a murder, HAXHAJ, and BORIS BELTRAN, are additionally charged with the August 16, 2019 murder of Isael Lagares in the Bronx. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

SHPENDIM HAXHAJ, YELTSIN BELTRAN, BORIS BELTRAN, JEREMY CEDENO, FRANCISCO ORTEGA, and IVIS PERDOMO were already in custody in connection with charges contained in a previous indictment related to this prosecution. LUCAS CHAJECKI is in state custody in connection with his alleged murder of Isael Lagares and will be transferred into federal custody.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, YBMG was an extremely violent street gang that brutalized the Bronx with guns and drugs for at least 15 years. Among YBMGs many victims was Isael Lagares, who was allegedly gunned down at the age of 27 by Lucas Chajecki at the direction of Shpendim Haxhaj and Boris Beltran. With this superseding indictment, we take another step towards holding YBMGs members and leaders accountable for their alleged crimes.

Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of DEA Frank A. Tarentino III said: The DEAs mission is to keep people safe and healthy. We accomplish this by holding accountable those who cause the most harm in our communities. Just like defendants in this investigation who are charged with some of the most serious violent crimes imaginable. I applaud the tenacity of the investigative team in bringing these violent offenders to justice and holding them accountable.

According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment filed today in federal court:[1]

From at least in or about 2006 to in or about 2021, YBMG was a criminal enterprise centered in the Bronx, New York. In order to make money for the gang, protect the gangs territory, and promote the gangs standing, members of YBMG engaged in, among other things, narcotics trafficking and violence, including murder. To that end, YBMG members sold heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, promoted their gang affiliation on social media, possessed firearms, and engaged in shootings as part of their gang membership and narcotics trafficking.

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, on or about August 16, 2019, SHPENDIM HAXHAJ and BORIS BELTRAN hired LUCAS CHAJECKI to murder a rival gang member, and CHAJECKI then shot and killed Isael Lagares in the Bronx, New York.

YBMG members also participated in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics in New York and elsewhere. SHPENDIM HAXHAJ, YELTSIN BELTRAN, BORIS BELTRAN, JEREMY CEDENO, FRANCISCO ORTEGA, and IVIS PERDOMO participated in a conspiracy with other individuals to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, five kilograms of cocaine, and marijuana from at least in or about 2006 up to and including 2021.

Between in or about 2006 and in or about 2021, SHPENDIM HAXHAJ, YELTSIN BELTRAN, BORIS BELTRAN, JEREMY CEDENO, FRANCISCO ORTEGA, and IVIS PERDOMO also possessed, used, brandished, and discharged firearms in furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy in which they all participated. SHPENDIM HAXHAJ, YELTSIN BELTRAN, BORIS BELTRAN, JEREMY CEDENO, and IVIS PERDOMO are further charged with engaging in violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and using, brandishing, and discharging firearms in furtherance of these crimes of violence.

* * *

A chart containing the names of the defendants who were charged today, and the charges and maximum penalties they face, are attached. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI and DEA.

The case is being handled by the Offices Violent and Organized Crime Unit and White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Frank Balsamello, Christopher Brumwell, and Benjamin Gianforti are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Local News, Crime

By Long Island Published: July 26 2022

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating an incident during which a Smithtown woman was confronted outside her home this morning by two men

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating an incident during which a Smithtown woman was confronted outside her home this morning by two men who stole money and checks.

A woman was standing in her driveway at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Grandview Lane when two men, both wearing ski masks, approached her and displayed a gun. While speaking to the woman in Spanish, they motioned for her to go in the home.

The woman, who does not speak Spanish, attempted to run from the men who then grabbed her and engaged in a struggle with her. The woman was able to free herself and run toward the street. The men stole money and checks from the womans vehicle and fled the scene. The woman was treated by ambulance personnel at the scene.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Local News, Crime

By Long Island Published: July 27 2022

Two men stole approximately $4,200 worth of fragrances, from Ulta Beauty in Commack.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the publics help to identify and locate the men who stole merchandise from a store in Commack in June.

Two men stole approximately $4,200 worth of fragrances, from Ulta Beauty, located at 78 Veterans Memorial Highway, on June 2. The fled in a white Honda SUV with New Jersey license plates.
WH Ireland Group PLC - London-based broker and wealth manager - Pretax profit all but evaporates, shrinking to just GBP8,000 in the financial year that ended March 31 from GBP1.0 million the year before. Revenue rises by 11% to GBP32.0 million from GBP28.7 million, but administrative expenses grow by even more, up 16% to GBP33.1 million from GBP28.4 million. While WH Ireland books double the net gains on investments, up to GBP1.6 million in financial 2022 from GBP818,000 in financial 2021, finance expense multiplies to GBP511,000 from GBP96,000. More positively, underlying pretax profit slips only slightly to GBP1.4 million from GBP1.5 million. Proposes no dividend, unchanged.

Since the start of the new financial year, the number of quoted corporate clients increases to 94, and the newly created Debt Capital Markets business completes its first transaction. "We remain confident that we are ready to take advantage of conditions when they improve given our strengthened and improving platform across the Group, despite a cautious near-term outlook," says Chief Executive Officer Phillip Wale.

Current stock price: 35.15 pence, down 7.5% on Wednesday in London

12-month change: down 39%

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Rail passengers in the UK were suffering fresh travel chaos on Wednesday when thousands of workers walked out on strike, crippling services across the country.

Disputes in the bitter row over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions are worsening, with more strikes due in the coming days, and a wave of industrial action planned next month on the railways and London Underground.

Only around one in five trains will run on Wednesday, on around half the network, with some areas having no trains all day.

Picket lines were being mounted outside railway stations as members of the Rail, Maritime & Transport union at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike.

Passengers were urged to only travel by train if they must, and, if it is necessary, allow extra time and check when their last train will depart.

Trains will also be disrupted on Thursday morning with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association also has announced a strike by its members at Avanti West Coast on Wednesday, while members of the drivers' union Aslef at seven companies will strike on Saturday.

Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at London Euston station, in defiance of Labour leader Keir Starmer's orders to stay away.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "If we don't make a stand today, people's lives could be lost."

Asked whether he expects to be sacked by Starmer, Tarry said: "I've no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this  if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn't be happening."

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that Tarry's actions are "clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir" and "no doubt he'll want to remove him from his job".

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said union members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

"Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.

"In fact, Network Rail have upped the ante, threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work if we did not withdraw our planned strike action.

"The train operating companies have put driver-only operations on the table along with ransacking our members' terms and conditions.

"RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.

"The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us."

Shapps said in his three years as Transport secretary there has not been a single day when unions have not been in dispute by threatening or taking industrial action, with around 60 separate disputes in 2022 alone.

"Today, union bosses are once again trying to cause as much disruption as possible to the day-to-day lives of millions of hardworking people around the country," he said.

"What's more, it has been cynically timed to disrupt the start of the Commonwealth Games and crucial Euro 2022 semi-finals, in a deliberate bid to impact the travel of thousands trying to attend events the whole country is looking forward to.

"This country's taxpayers stumped up GBP600 per household to ensure not a single rail worker lost their job during the pandemic, but many of those very same people will be forced into losing a day's wages through no fault of their own but because of stubborn union leaders' refusals to modernise.

"Union bosses will claim they're willing to do a deal but how can anyone take them seriously when, earlier this month, the RMT dismissed a Network Rail offer worth 8% over the next two years without even consulting their members.

"Unfortunately, it's too late to call off today's damaging strikes, but I urge the RMT, and indeed all unions, to stop holding the country to ransom with the threat of further industrial action and get off picket lines and back round the negotiating table. If not, we risk passengers turning their backs on the railway for good."

Writing in The Telegraph, Shapps dubbed the strikes an example of "union collusion", adding he would seek to ban "strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period".

He said he would also look at implementing a 60-day cooling-off period after each strike, as well as ensuring critical industries like rail maintain minimum service levels.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I'm afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.

"I can only apologise for the impact this pointless strike will have on passengers, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the Uefa Women's Euro 2022 semi-final (Wednesday) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (Thursday)."

Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "We are incredibly disappointed that the RMT and Aslef leadership are continuing with this action, disrupting the summer plans of millions  including those attending the Commonwealth Games.

"While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption to passengers, our advice is to only travel if it is necessary, and if you are going to travel, please plan ahead."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "It's now clearer than ever that the RMT has no interest in engaging in constructive discussions and is hell-bent on creating further misery for passengers across the UK.

"This action is a cynically timed attempt to derail the start of the Commonwealth Games, one of the first major events the country has been able to look forward to since the pandemic."

Members of the RMT and TSSA will launch co-ordinated strikes on August 18 and 20, while the RMT announced a strike on London Underground on August 19.

By Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Rain showers in the morning will evolve into a more steady rain in the afternoon. Thunder possible. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Artilleryman fires towed howitzer

China Military Online) 10:56, July 27, 2022

An artilleryman assigned to a brigade of the PLA Air Force airborne troops fires the towed howitzer during a live-firing assessment of the artillery element on July 20, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Feng Shunli and Su Feng)

An artilleryman assigned to a brigade of the PLA Air Force airborne troops fires the towed howitzer during a live-firing assessment of the artillery element on July 20, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Feng Shunli and Su Feng)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
USAID Power Africa Enhancing Development Through Energy (EDE) - East & Central Africa (ECA)

Central Africa/DRC Technical Lead

Organization Overview

Abt Associates International Development Division (IDD) manages projects that are pioneering new approaches in governance, energy, health, agriculture, food security, climate change, and economic growthas well as monitoring and evaluating projects within these sectors. We work throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East for chiefly governmental clients, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Project Description

The anticipated five-year, USAID-funded Power Africa Enhancing Development Through Energy (EDE) East and Central Africa (ECA) project will support and assist USAID partner countries in East & Central Africa to increase the availability of and access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity in the region to connect more users to electricity on the grid and beyond the grid; support cleaner electricity generation delivered by the grid and accelerate distributed renewable energy; and work with target governments to improve the enabling environment for energy sector investment and innovation. Toward these ends, it is anticipated the project will be structured to include, but will not be limited to, the following objectives or tasks:

Addressing energy poverty

Promoting and linking to productive uses of off-grid power, especially SMEs

Developing and implementing new business models for DRE

Stimulating power demand to match supply

Supporting an improved policy and regulatory enabling environment

Driving the energy transition from coal and diesel to RE

Facilitating financing for energy companies, corporations, and productive uses

Increasing power supply and grid-based power connections

Strengthening utilities and other power sector entities

Increasing regional power trade

Job Summary

Abt Associates seeks a qualified Central Africa/DRC Technical Lead for the USAID Power Africa EDE ECA project. The position will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and is contingent upon project award.

Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership in delivery of expected results in the Central Africa region.

Manage, supervise, and coordinate technical services, prioritize the activities in the Central Africa region, and provide thought leadership and technical support as needed to accelerate activities.

Regularly liaise with the USAID missions in Central Africa, Power Africa Coordinators Office, and other USG agencies, as appropriate.

Maintain strong relationships with relevant regional organizations, including the African Development Bank and the Development Bank of the Central African States, and with private sector companies and host country governments.

Qualifications

Bachelors degree in economics, energy/environmental policy, engineering, or a related field and at least 9 years of experience implementing energy programs in Sub-Saharan Africa OR Masters degree and 7 years of relevant experience.

Work experience in Central Africa required.

Excellent analytical abilities, written and oral communications skills.

Demonstrated ability to promptly address ad hoc requests.

Experience in supporting governments, the private sector, NGOs and communities to increase power supply, increase grid-based power connections, strengthen utilities and other power sector entities, increase regional power trade, and expand on and off-grid energy access, including through deploying distributed renewable power.

Experience convening technical and management teams quickly to respond to client requests.

Experience with gender equity and social inclusion or women's empowerment on energy focused programming.

Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders including national governments, regulators, utilities, financial institutions, project developers, donor community, and private sector.

Knowledge of East and Central Africa renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change policies, laws, and capacity constraints.

Excellent interpersonal, diplomacy, and leadership skills, including the ability to manage relationships and motivate staff across large geographies.

Fluency in English and French is required.

Nationals of the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are encouraged to apply.

Interested and qualified applicants should submit an application through Abts Careers page (link below) by sunday, 31 July 2022.

Only qualified applicants will be contacted.

https://egpy.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/102127/?utm_medium=jobshare

Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Police investigating the slaying of prominent Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries have arrested another suspect in the Netherlands, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The arrest of a 27-year-old man Tuesday night in the southern city of Helmond brings to six the number of people detained on suspicion of direct or indirect involvement in De Vries' killing just over a year ago.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the man, whose name was not released in line with Dutch privacy guidelines, was suspected of taking part in a criminal organization that was paid to carry out violent attacks.

De Vries was shot at close range on a downtown Amsterdam street on July 6, 2021, shortly after he appeared on a Dutch current affairs television show. The campaigning reporter and television personality died of his injuries nine days later at age 64.

Two suspects were arrested less than an hour after the shooting on a highway near The Hague. Prosecutors have said the weapon used to shoot De Vries was found in the men's car and asked judges to convict the two of murder and sentence them both to life imprisonment.

Developments in the ongoing investigation into who ordered De Vries killed, including the arrests earlier this month of three other suspects, have delayed the verdicts in the pair's trial.

Prosecutors havent publicly identified whom they believe gave the order to kill the reporter.

Before his shooting, De Vries served as an adviser and confidant to a witness in the trial of the alleged leader and other members of a crime gang that police described as an oiled killing machine. The witness brother and his lawyer were killed.

The suspected gangland leader, Ridouan Taghi, was extradited to the Netherlands from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2019 and is currently in custody awaiting verdicts in his murder trial. He hasnt been charged in De Vries killing.
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ISLAMABAD (AP)  The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by a suffocating crackdown by the Taliban since they took power nearly a year ago, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday.

After they captured the capital, Kabul, in August 2021 and ousted the internationally backed government, the Taliban presented themselves as having moderated since their first time in power, in the 1990s. Initially, Taliban officials spoke of allowing women to continue to work and girls to continue their education.

Instead, they formed an all-male government stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule that has banned girls from attending school from seventh grade, imposed all-covering dress that leaves only the eyes visible and restricted women's access to work.

Amnesty said the Taliban have also decimated protections for those facing domestic violence, detained women and girls for minor violations and contributed to a surge in child marriages. The report also documented the torture and abuse of women arrested by the Taliban for protesting against restrictions.

Taken together, these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives, the report said. This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistans female population is increasing day by day.

The group's researchers visited Afghanistan in March as part of a nine-month-long investigation conducted from September 2021 to June 2022. They interviewed 90 women and 11 girls, between 14 and 74 years-old, across Afghanistan.

Among them were women detained for protesting who described torture at the hands of Taliban guards, including beatings and threats of death.

One woman told Amnesty that guards beat her and other women on the breasts and between the legs, so that we couldnt show the world. She said one told her, I can kill you right now, and no one would say anything.

A university student who was detained said she was electrically shocked on her shoulder, face, neck and elsewhere, while the Taliban shouted insults at her. One held a gun at her and told her, I will kill you, and no one will be able to find your body.

The report said rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are surging under Taliban rule.

The increase, Amnesty said, is fueled by Afghanistans economic and humanitarian crisis and the lack of education and job prospects for women and girls. The report documented cases of forced marriages of women and girls to Taliban members  under pressure by the Taliban member or by the womens families.

One woman from a central province of Afghanistan told Amnesty that she was compelled her to marry off her 13-year-old daughter to a 30-year-old neighbor in exchange for 60,000 Afghanis (around US$670). She said she felt relieved because her daughter wont be hungry anymore.

She said she was also considering the same for her 10-year-old daughter but was holding off in hopes the girl could get an education and eventually secure a job to support the family. Of course, if they dont open the school, I will have to marry her off, she added.

You have a patriarchal government, war, poverty, drought, girls out of school. With all of these factors combined  we knew child marriage was going to go through the roof, said Stephanie Sinclair, director of Too Young to Wed, who was quoted in the report.

The Taliban seized Kabul as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan, ending a nearly 20-year war against the Talibans insurgency. The world has refused to recognize the Taliban's rule, demanding it respect human rights and show tolerance for other groups. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets.

This sent the already shattered economy into freefall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort.

Amnesty called on the international community to take action to protect Afghan women and girls.

Less than one year after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, their draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of their right to lead safe, free and fulfilling lives, said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty secretary general.

If the international community fails to act, it will be abandoning women and girls in Afghanistan, and undermining human rights everywhere, she said.
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BEIJING (AP)  A Chinese cargo spacecraft that serviced the country's permanent orbiting space station has largely burned up on reentering the atmosphere, amid separate concerns over China's decision to allow a massive booster rocket to fall to Earth uncontrolled.

Only small parts of the Tianzhou-3 ship survived to fall safely Wednesday into a predetermined area of the South Pacific, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Until July 17, the spacecraft had been docked with the station's Tianhe core section and its return follows the addition of a laboratory module on Monday as China moves to complete the station in the coming months.

Chinas space program is run by the ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army, and has largely proceeded with the space station program without other nations assistance. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its military ties.

The booster that has drawn attention from the space community was part of the massive 23-ton Long March 5B-Y3 rocket  Chinas most powerful  that carried the Wentian module to the station, aboard which three astronauts currently reside.

China decided not to guide the booster back through the atmosphere and it's not clear exactly when or where it will come down to Earth. While it will largely burn up on return, there remains a slight risk of fragments causing damage or casualties.

While China is not alone in such practices, the size of the Long March rocket stage has drawn particular scrutiny.

China has allowed rocket stages to fall back to Earth on their own at least twice before, and was accused by NASA last year of failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris" after parts of a Chinese rocket landed in the Indian Ocean.

China also drew heavy criticism after using a missile to destroy one of its defunct weather satellites in 2007, creating a massive debris field.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday rejected such concerns.

Since the development stage of the space engineering program, China has taken into consideration the debris mitigation and return from orbit into atmosphere of missions involving rocket carriers and satellite sent into orbit," Zhao said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design that most of the components will be burnt up and destroyed during the reentry process," Zhao said. The possibility of causing damage to aviation activities or on the ground is extremely low."
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LOS ANGELES (AP)  The parents of a 14-year-old girl killed by Los Angeles police in a clothing store last year have filed a lawsuit against the department and the officer whose rifle round pierced a dressing room wall.

Valentina Orellana Peralta and her mother were shopping for Christmas clothes on Dec. 23 at a Burlington store in the San Fernando Valleys North Hollywood neighborhood. They were inside a dressing room when they heard screams and Orellana Peralta locked the door.

Elsewhere in the store, 24-year-old Daniel Elena Lopez was behaving erratically and wielding a bike lock. He brutally attacked two women, including one who fell to the floor before he dragged her by her feet through the stores aisles as she tried to crawl away.

Following 911 calls, Los Angeles police walked through the store in a formation, body-camera video shows. Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr., wielding a rifle, pushed to the front of the pack even as other officers repeatedly said slow down and slow it down.

The officers saw a woman crawling on the blood-stained floor and Lopez on the other side of the aisle, according to the video footage. Hold up! Hold up! another officer screamed just before Jones fired three shots.

One of the bullets went through the dressing room wall and fatally struck Orellana Peralta as her mother, Soledad Peralta, held her. Peralta felt her daughters body go limp and watched helplessly as her daughter died while still in her arms, the lawsuit states.

Police ordered Peralta to leave the dressing room and wait for what seemed like an eternity," according to the lawsuit. She was not told that her daughter had died.

Her family, who had left Chile to get away from violence and injustice in search of a better life in the U.S., remembered Orellana Peralta as a happy teen with many friends who loved sports, adored animals and excelled in school.

Her father, Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, and Peralta allege that LAPD failed to adequately train and supervise the responding officers and "fostered an environment that allowed and permitted this shooting to occur, the lawsuit states.

Filing this lawsuit is the first step for Soledad and Juan Pablo in seeking the transparency and justice promised to them by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti following the fatal shooting of their daughter, Valentina," the family's attorney, Rahul Ravipudi, said in a statement Tuesday.

Ravipudi added: "It is their deepest hope that those responsible for her death will be held accountable and that changes will be made to LAPD policies, practices, and standards for using deadly force that will prevent yet another senseless tragedy at the hands of law enforcement.

Lopez was also shot and killed by police. An autopsy report showed he was on methamphetamine at the time of his death.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 14, alleges wrongful death and negligence, as well as negligent infliction of emotional distress, and seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages. In addition to the LAPD and Jones, the lawsuit also names the city of Los Angeles and Burlington Stores Inc. as defendants.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore on Tuesday offered his condolences to Orellana Peralta's family.

The loss of her life is tragic, he said. It re`mains a point of grief for us as well.

The lawsuit alleges that Burlington Stores Inc. staff failed to use the store's intercom and made no effort to address his increasingly violent and erratic behavior or warn any of the customers inside the store that they may be in danger.

The company declined to comment on the litigation Tuesday but said in a statement that our customers safety and well-being is of paramount importance to us.

It was not immediately clear whether Jones had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The city attorney's office said it was reviewing the complaint.

The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting, as is the LAPD.
Stefan Rousseau/AP

LONDON (AP)  Morad Tahbaz, a U.K.-born environmentalist who has been jailed in Iran for more than four years, has been released on furlough, the British government said Wednesday.

The Foreign Office said Tahbaz has been allowed to leave Evin Prison and is at his familys home in Tehran. The 66-year-old wildlife conservationist is one of several people holding both Iranian and Western citizenship imprisoned by Iranian authorities over allegations of espionage. The West says the charges are a sham and claims Iran uses dual-national prisoners for political leverage.
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MANISTEE COUNTY  In many ways, Manistee County is defined by its natural resources.

From the regions ample water resources and expansive forested areas for outdoor recreation, to its fertile soil for agriculture and valuable mineral deposits  the regions economy is tied to its environment.

Maintaining that environment is a focus of the Manistee Conservation District, which is requesting a millage renewal on the Aug. 2 primary election ballot.

Without that funding, the districts executive director, Renee Mallison, says the county could be a less environmentally friendly place.

Ballot language for the Manistee Conservation District Millage The ballot language for the renewal is as follows: For the purpose of funding the operation of the Manistee Conservation District programs that assist Manistee County residents and landowners in the protection, enhancement and restoration of natural resources. The increased revenue will be applied to leverage funds, including grant match, infrastructure improvements for the District property, and to retain and support full-time staff to continue to provide forestry and wildlife habitat management; surface water and groundwater resources; invasive species management; federal cost-share program implementation; and educational programming on natural resources topics. Shall the tax rate limitation on general ad valorem taxes within the County of Manistee, imposed under Article IX Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution, and shall the County be authorized to:

a.) Addition of 0.125 of one (1) mill ($0.125 per $1,000 of Taxable Value) to the current .1 of one (1) mill ($0.10 per $1,000 of Taxable Value) levy to total .225 of one (1) mill ($0.225 per $1,000 of Taxable Value) for a period of two (2) years, 2022 through 2023 inclusive, and

b.) Renew .225 of one (1) mill ($0.225 per $1,000 of Taxable Value) for a period of nine (9) years, 2024 through 2032 inclusive.

If approved and levied in full, it is estimated that the addition of .125 mill, for a total of .225 mill, will raise $274,195 for Manistee Conservation District programs in the first calendar year of the levy, based on the 2021 County taxable value.

A portion of the millage may be subject to capture by tax increment financing authorities. See More Collapse

If the millage proposal is not approved by voters, the district would see a reduction in staffing, resulting in drastically reduced services offered to Manistee County landowners, Mallison stated in an email to the News Advocate.

The services that would be impacted include the districts watershed support program, lake and stream monitoring, educational programming at local schools, conservation workshops, water testing and more, according to Mallison.

The reduction in staffing would also result in less time spent on grant applications that provide state, federal and local funds into our economy, Mallison stated.

Grant applications take a considerable amount of time and technical knowledge to be successful, but are well worth the effort, according to Mallison.

They are a valuable and necessary resource for funding, she said. The loss of the technical knowledge to be able to apply for those grants could result in a large economic loss for the county.

Since its last millage renewal in 2018, the Manistee Conservation District has secured $419,839 in federal Farm Bill funds for work with landowners in Manistee County.

Through its partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, these Farm Bill dollars have been paid directly to residents to install conservation practices on their property, according to the district.

These funds are used to install conservation practices that have significant environmental benefits on local farms or forest land. In turn, local farms who purchase their project materials from local stores or equipment suppliers, or hire local contractors to install these environmental improvement practices, have a direct impact on Manistee Countys economy, said Kendra Dula, the districts communications administrator, in a news release.

Since October 2014, the district estimates over $500,000 was exchanged between landowners and private contractors in Manistee County, due to referrals by its forester and wildlife biologist Josh Shields.

Since 2018, Shields has led 259 on-site consultations with Manistee County landowners on an area which equates to 13,093 acres, according to the district.

Additional funding from grants total $26,435 over the past four years.

While the district has grant-funded employees, officials say that money is not enough on its own to support conservation district efforts.

The grant money alone is also not enough to pay our staff fair wages, benefits, mileage and costs associated with outreach events and projects, reads part of an email from the district.

The district's strategic plan outlines its priorities heading through 2025  most of which relies on continued millage funding. With that money, district officials say they'll be able to maintain many popular local programs and initiatives.

This includes things like the district's annual native tree sale and househould hazardous waste collection.

Since the millage was renewed in 2018, the district has sold roughly 24,330 trees through the sale and ensured that 86,795 pounds of hazardous waste was properly recycled through its annual collection day.

It also monitors nine stream sites in the lower part of the Manistee Watershed and 10 inland lakes in Manistee and neighboring counties, according to the district.

This monitoring program produces baseline water quality data that helps the district track the health of local streams that contribute a great deal to Manistee County tourism.

These efforts have earned recognition for the Manistee Conservation District among its peers in the states 74 other districts.

Conservation district employee Tyler Dula was recognized as the 2022 Technician of the Year and in 2020 Shields received the Conservation Pioneer of the Year Award by the Conservation District Employees of Michigan.

Shields has also been recognized as recipient of the national Outstanding Paper Award from the Weed Science Society of America, for a peer-reviewed scientific journal article on invasive species research.

Millage information

Manistee County voters will be asked for the continued support of their conservation district in the Aug. 2 primary election, through a proposed millage renewal that had previously been approved in 2018, as well as an increase to help fund its continued operations in the county.

The proposed language requests an addition of 0.125 mill for two years to coincide with the current millage and then to renew the current millage and the addition for nine years totaling 0.225 mill.

The millage increase will be applied to leverage funds including grant matching, infrastructure improvements for the district property and to retain and support its full-time staff, according to the ballot proposal.

The millage is estimated to raise $274,195 for Manistee Conservation District programs in its first year, if levied in full. If approved, the 0.125 mill increase will be levied for two years, and the 0.225 mill renewal will be levied for nine years.

The total amount per $50,000 of taxable value equates to $11.25 annually on your property tax bill. To calculate your annual cost, check your statement for the taxable value of your property. Multiply your taxable value by 0.225 then divide by 1,000.
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It was a stunning image: Pope Francis briefly wearing a full Indigenous headdress, its rows of soft white feathers fastened in place by a colorful, beaded headband after he apologized for the Catholic Churchs role in Canadas disastrous residential school system for Indigenous children.

Chief Wilton Littlechild, a residential school survivor himself, gave Francis the headdress Monday, placing it on his head amid cheering by an audience in Maskwacis, Alberta, that included many school survivors.

The Vatican and the pope clearly appreciated the gesture: Francis kissed Littlechilds hands after receiving the headdress, something he has done in the past as a sign of respect for Holocaust survivors, and has done on this trip for residential school survivors.

The Vatican obviously understood the symbolic significance of the moment, putting the photo on the front page of the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano under the headline I humbly beg forgiveness.

Headdresses historically are a symbol of respect, worn by Native American war chiefs and warriors. For many Plains tribes, for example, each feather placed on a headdress has significance and had to be earned through an act of compassion or bravery. Some modern-day Native American leaders have been given war bonnets in ceremonies accompanied by prayers and songs.

Yet this revered regalia also represents an image that has been co-opted from tribes in popular culture for decades, feeding stereotypes in everything from Hollywood films, to fashion runways to Halloween costumes.

Some members of Indigenous tribes said they found the gesture incongruous with the past transgressions at church-run schools that Francis apologized for.

Russ Diabo, a member of the Kahnawake Mohawk tribe in Canada and an Indigenous advocate and policy analyst, described the scene as pageantry and the pope's statements as facile."

Diabo said on Twitter it was "the Catholic Church and Canada collaborating in creating a mythology for a shared Reconciliation agenda narrated by prominent federal collaborators/residential school survivors!

I have so much to say about this, and all of it negative," tweeted Joe Horse Capture, vice president of native collections and curator of Native American History and Culture at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles.

"I am practicing If you cant say anything positive, dont say anything at all mantra. But Ill be honest, its difficult!, added Horse Capture, a member of the Aaniiih Nation.

More than 150,000 Native children in Canada were forced to attend government-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.

The discoveries of hundreds of potential burial sites at former schools in the past year have drawn international attention to the schools in Canada and their counterparts in the United States.

Leading U.S.-based Indigenous news outlet ICT made a deliberate decision to not make the war bonnet a focus of their papal visit coverage.

When I saw the headdress being placed on the Pope, I immediately thought absolutely not. We are not running that photo, said Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, editor of ICT, formerly Indian Country Today. It distracts readers from the Popes apology and survivors stories who sat in those chairs listening to his every word. Something theyve been waiting for, for decades.

It creates unnecessary noise regarding Indigenous peoples choices where the real scrutiny should be placed on the Pope and that entire institution.

Maka Black Elk, executive director of Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, described the scene on Twitter as a "#toosoon moment.

The discourse around the #PopeFrancis headdress is unfortunate," wrote Black Elk. "He did not request that. It wasnt his fault. But its also clear the givers did not consider how it would make other Indigenous people feel.

Black Elk said later in a telephone interview that the mixed reaction to the headdress being placed on the pope's head reflects the reality of native people and our need for more dialogue about the past.

I do think that Chief Littlechild felt it was important to honor this moment, and this was a significant moment, he added.

A spokeswoman for Littlechild didnt immediately respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment.

But Keeshon Littlechild used a Facebook post to defend his grandfather for giving Francis one of his own many headdresses.

Bugs me to see people bashing my grandfather and I understand how much respect is needed to be gifted one but at the end of the day that was him showing the pope respect for coming all the way to maskwacis to apologize, he wrote.

Among those coming to Littlechild's defense was Phil Fontaine, a former Assembly of First Nations chief and a residential school survivor.

Chief Littlechild followed his protocols, Fontaine said. "There is a protocol for that kind of gift. He went to the elders, he went to the leadership and requested permission to present that gift. It is entirely consistent with the way they follow their customs and protocol here.

Jon Crier, a First Nations elder and school survivor, said during a news conference after the apology that the gesture meant tribal leaders adopted him as one of our leaders in the community.

"Its an honoring of the man, its an honoring of the work he has done and its also recognizing  heres a man that belongs in our tribe, Crier said.

Marie-Anne Day Walker Pelletier, former chief of Okanese First Nation, told CTV, I thought it was pretty cool. The chief of all chiefs now I guess.

-

Nicole Winfield and Peter Smith in Maskwacis, Alberta, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed reporting. Snow reported from Phoenix.



Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with the family of a Palestinian-American reporter killed while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.

The State Department said Blinken met with relatives of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh and vowed that the U.S. would demand accountability for her death.

The secretary is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to meet with Shireens family, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. Not only was she an American citizen, she was a reporter whose fearless pursuit of the truth earned her the profound respect of audiences around the world.

Price said Blinken would use the meeting to underscore for Shireens family our deepest condolences on her tragic death and to reiterate the priority we attach to accountability, something we continue to discuss with our Israeli and Palestinian partners as well.

He could not say, however, what that accountability might mean.

After reviewing investigations by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, the U.S. concluded on July 4 that Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli fire, although not intentionally. But it has not conclusively blamed Israel for her death and has left the question of accountability to the Israelis, prompting anger from the Palestinians and her family.

Relatives  including her brother Tony Abu Akleh, her niece Lina Abu Akleh and her nephew Victor Abu Akleh  have been seeking a meeting with President Joe Biden to make the case for pressing Israel to account for her death. Blinken invited them to visit Washington after Biden was unable to see them while on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories earlier this month.

We are in Washington, D.C., to insist on a thorough, credible, independent, and transparent U.S. investigation into the Israeli militarys killing of our dear Shireen, the family said in a statement. It called the July 4 U.S. conclusion an affront to justice that enabled Israel to avoid accountability for Shireens murder.

This is totally unacceptable to us, they said. If we allow Shireens killing to be swept under the rug, we send a message that the lives of U.S. citizens abroad dont matter, that the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation dont matter, and that the most courageous journalists in the world, those who cover the human impact of armed conflict and violence, are expendable.

A reconstruction by The Associated Press lent support to Palestinian eyewitnesses who said she was shot by Israeli forces without making a final determination. Investigations by CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as monitoring by the U.N. human rights office, reached similar conclusions.

Abu Akleh, who was 51, had spent a quarter-century reporting on the harsh realities of life under Israeli military rule. Palestinians view her as a martyr to journalism as well as their national cause.
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In 1998, as nations around the world agreed to cut carbon emissions through the Kyoto Protocol, America's fossil fuel companies plotted their response, including an aggressive strategy to inject doubt into the public debate.

Victory, according to the American Petroleum Institute's memo, will be achieved when average citizens understand (recognize) uncertainties in climate science... Unless climate change becomes a non-issue... there may be no moment when we can declare victory."

The memo, later leaked to The New York Times that year, went on to outline how fossil fuel companies could manipulate journalists and the broader public by muddying the evidence, by playing up both sides of the debate and by portraying those seeking to reduce emissions as out of touch with reality."

Nearly 25 years later, the reality of a changing climate is now clear to most Americans, as heatwaves and wildfires, rising sea levels and extreme storms become more common.

Last week, President Joe Biden announced moves intended to expand offshore wind, though he stopped short of declaring a national climate emergency. A Supreme Court ruling last month limited the federal government's ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, meaning it will be up to a divided Congress to pass any meaningful limits on emissions.

Even as surveys show the public generally has become more concerned about climate change, a sizeable number of Americans have become even more distrustful of the scientific consensus.

The tragedy of this is that all over social media, you can see tens of millions of Americans who think scientists are lying, even about things that have been proven for decades, said Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science at Harvard University who has written about the history of climate change disinformation. Theyve been persuaded by decades of disinformation. The denial is really, really deep.

And persistent. Just last month, even with record heat in London, raging wildfires in Alaska and historic flooding in Australia, the Science and Environmental Policy Project, a pro-fossil fuel think tank, said all the scientists had it wrong.

There is no climate crisis, the group wrote in its newsletter.

Years before COVID-19 set off a wave of misinformation, or former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election helped spur an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, fossil fuel companies spent big in an effort to undermine support for emissions reductions.

Now, even as those same companies promote investments in renewable energy, the legacy of all that climate disinformation remains.

It's also contributed to a broader skepticism of scientists, scientific institutions and the media that report on them, a distrust reflected by doubts about vaccines or pandemic-era public health measures like masks and quarantines.

It was the opening of a Pandora's Box of disinformation that has proven hard to control, said Dave Anderson of the Energy and Policy Institute, an organization that has criticized oil and coal companies for withholding what they knew about the risks of climate change.

Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, as public awareness of climate change grew, fossil fuel companies poured millions of dollars into public relations campaigns denouncing the accumulating evidence supporting the idea of climate change. They funded supposedly independent think tanks that cherrypicked the science and promoted fringe views designed to make it look like there were two legitimate sides to the dispute.

Since then, the approach has softened as the impact of climate change has become more apparent. Now, fossil fuel companies are more likely to play up their supposedly pro-environmental record, touting renewables like solar and wind or initiatives designed to improve energy efficiency or offset carbon emissions.

Aggressive approaches to address climate change are now dismissed not on scientific grounds but on economic ones. Fossil fuel companies talk about lost jobs or higher energy prices  without mentioning the cost of doing nothing, said Ben Franta, an attorney, author and Stanford University researcher who tracks fossil fuel disinformation.

We are living within an extended multi-decade campaign executed by the fossil fuel industry," Franta said. The debate (over climate change) was manufactured by the fossil fuel industry in the 1990s, and we are living with that history right now."

The impact of that history is reflected in public opinion surveys that show a growing gap between Republicans and other Americans when it comes to views on climate change.

While the percentage of overall Americans who say theyre concerned about climate change has risen, Republicans are increasingly skeptical. Last year, Gallup found that 32% of self-identified Republicans said they accepted the scientific consensus that pollution from humans is driving climate change, down from 52% in 2003.

By comparison, the percentage of self-identified Democrats that say they accept that human activities are leading to climate change increased from 68 to 88 over the same time period.

Fossil fuel companies deny any intent to mislead the American public and point to investments in renewable energy as evidence that they take climate change seriously.

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods told members of Congress last fall that his company has long acknowledged the reality and risks of climate change, and it has devoted significant resources to addressing those risks. ExxonMobil's public claims about climate change, he said, are and have always been truthful, fact-based ... and consistent with mainstream science.

Asked about its role in spreading climate misinformation, a spokesman for the Southern Company pointed to recent expansions in renewable energy and initiatives meant to offset carbon emissions.

The 1998 victory memo laying out the industry's strategy was created by the American Petroleum Institute. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, API spokesperson Christina Noel said the oil industry is working to reduce emissions while also ensuring access to reliable, affordable energy.

Thats exactly what our industry has been focused on for decades, Noel said. "Any suggestion to the contrary is false.

The 1998 memo is one of several documents cited by climate activists and some Democratic lawmakers who say they could be used to hold them legally responsible for misleading ratepayers, investors or the general public.

"Its time for these companies to answer for the harm they have caused," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California.

Republicans, however, have said Democrats want to focus on climate misinformation to distract from failed environmental policies that are driving up gas and energy costs.
Connecticut saw the second highest increase in births from 2020 to 2021 in the United States, according to national data released by the CDC. The state had 33,460 births in 2020 and 35,646 in 2021  over a 6.5 percent increase  according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vital Statistics, which provides annual birth data by state. New Hampshire was in the top spot with a 6.9 percent increase, and in fact, six of the top 10 states are found in the northeast (and Rhode Island trailed just behind at No. 11). The state with the highest decrease in births in that time frame was New Mexico with a -4.5 percent change.

Before the pandemic, Connecticut had a relatively low birth rate. In 2019, the U.S. had a national birth rate of 11.4 births per 1,000 women, while Connecticut had a birth rate of 9.6 per 1,000 womenthe fourth lowest in the whole country. Now, the state is seeing a sudden increase of births. Yale University Assistant Professor of Sociology and Biostatistics Emma Zang said the current increase from 2020 to 2021 is largely due to delays in parenthood as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

At the beginning of COVID, a lot of people who were thinking about having babies decided to delay until the situation got better, Zang said. A lot of the fertility jump we see in 2020 to 2021 is very likely due to the postponing effects in the previous year.

Though COVID is still a part of daily life, most Americans have returned to some sense of normalcy. Zang says that once people realized the virus was here to stay, they developed coping strategies to live in the new reality. She says many people decided they no longer wanted to put off having a child.

Lindsay Fondacaro and her partner lived in New York City prior to 2021. She says that they were waiting to have a baby in the hopes that they could get a nicer apartment in the city. However, when the pandemic hit, they left New York and bought a house in Danbury, where the two decided the time was right to have a child.

Courtesy of Lindsay Fondacaro

"We were going to wait a few years, but I actually turned 30 in 2021 and I had been kind of feeling like we have this clock as ladies. I thought maybe now that we have a house, it might be a good idea," Fondacaro said. "We just decided that we would take away all of the boundaries and it happened pretty immediately."

Women in the U.S. as a whole had more births in 2021 than 2020. Although this increase in births nationally is not a large change, 1 percent, Connecticuts rate of increase is six times that. Zang says that Connecticut policies geared toward supporting working families seem to be effective, and that the target demographic must be feeling supported by them given the increase in births.

Fondacaro says that certain Connecticut policies made her feel supported during pregnancy and once her son was born in October 2021. She said during pregnancy she was on the Husky program, which provides healthcare coverage for eligible Connecticut women throughout their time carrying the child and 60 days postpartum. In addition, Fondacaro says that she felt her son was also well covered after his birth.

"My son had healthcare right off the bat. I didnt have to file any paperwork or really anything," Fondacaro said. "I felt instantly covered and was able to go to the pediatrician without any paperwork and that made me feel really comfortable."

In addition to herself, Fondacaro said four of her best friends were also pregnant at the same time as she was, with some of them having newborns just weeks apart. She says that her story is one of many, and that several people she knows made the same move from New York City to Connecticut once the pandemic hit. She guesses that this narrative could be behind the high change in Connecticut births for 2021.

Whatever the reasom, Professor Zang says she this increase in births is likely temporary, and that this baby boom is more like a blip. However, she does feel there is some potential for this trend to continue in Connecticut under the right circumstances.

During the pandemic, a lot of policymakers started to realize how hard working families had been hit by COVID, Zang said. We have already seen some policy changes in a good direction. In the long run, if that's the case, we may expect a continued increase in birth rate, but I don't expect the magnitude will be as big as we saw this year.

The U.S has been grappling with slow population growth for some time now. Last year, the country grew by 0.1 percent the slowest rate in the nations history. As a product of increased deaths from the pandemic and low birth rates, the U.S is becoming an aging population.

Zang said the same is true in Connecticut. She said in the past two decades, Connecticut has transitioned to a relatively aging population, with a higher proportion of older adults. Because of this, Zang said the high Connecticut birth rate is a good thing, and that the increased number of babies is bound to have positive effects on the state as a whole.

I think Connecticut is eager and ready to have more young people and more births in the state, Zang said. Having more working-age adults is very good for innovation; it would boost the economy and help with other policies once we have more taxpayers.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Max Reiss, the face of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's administration for the past three years, said Tuesday he is leaving next month to take a new position in the private sector.

Reiss, 36, will become a senior vice president at M&T Bank, which recently completed the acquisition of Connecticut-based Peoples United Financial, Inc. and will now have a presence in 12 states.
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Major railroads will be required to maintain two-person crews under a new rule announced Wednesday that will thwart industry efforts to cut crews down to one person.

The Federal Railroad Administration said in a rule published in the Federal Register that railroads will be required to continue using two-person crews in most circumstances as they haul all kinds of cargo, including hazardous materials, across the country. But there will be an exception to allow short-line railroads that have already been using one-man crews to continue using them and railroads can apply for permission to use smaller crews if they can prove it is safe.

Railroads have sought the discretion to operate trains with only one person and move conductors to ground-based jobs in places where automatic braking systems have been installed. It has been a key issue in deadlocked contract talks between freight railroads and their 12 unions, currently being reviewed by a special board of arbitrators appointed this month by President Joe Biden.

Labor groups have opposed one-person crews for years due both to what they say are concerns about safety and jobs. Labor agreements requiring two-person crews have been in place for roughly 30 years at major railroads, although many short-line railroads operate with one-man crews.

This proposed rule acknowledges that crew size is fundamentally a safety issue at its core, said Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department coalition that represents rail unions.

Arbitrators reviewing contract talks that began more than two years ago are listening to proposals from both sides this week. Federal law prohibits rail unions from striking until mid September while that board develops a set of recommendations. Both sides can negotiate a deal based on those recommendations.

Federal officials said the proposed rule will replace the existing patchwork of state laws on railroad crew sizes with a national standard.

This proposed rule will improve safety for Americas rail passengersand rail workersacross the country, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

A similar rule requiring two crew members was issued in 2016, but that was abandoned during the Trump administration because the Railroad Administration said there wasn't enough evidence to show it was safer.

Regulators said Wednesday that a second crew member in the cab of locomotives play a key role in monitoring train operations and making sure safety rules are being followed.

Freight railroads had argued that the installation of a system that can stop trains automatically in certain circumstances, called Positive Train Control, made a second person unnecessary.

The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, said the rule prioritizes politics over sound, data-driven policy.

Because of new braking technology, Jefferies said, there is no plausible safety justification for regulating the number of individuals physically located inside the cab of a locomotive.

The railroad industry has emphasized that crash data doesnt show that two-man crews are safer. But labor groups argued that the data can't show how safe one-person crews are because most railroads use two-person crews now.

A Union Pacific spokeswoman said crew size should be determined through negotiation with the unions  not by regulators. UP officials have argued that moving conductors out of locomotives into a ground-based position would make those jobs more attractive because conductors would be able to work more predictable schedules if they didnt have to be on trains.

Railroads have struggled to hire new workers this year amid ongoing worker shortages as the nation exits the worst of the pandemic.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York City jury was asked Tuesday to consider whether a neurologist used his thriving pain-management practice to sexually prey on six patients or if he is a victim of accusers with false stories.

The case against Dr. Ricardo Cruciani relied on survivor stories of six very different women, assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey said in closing arguments at Crucianis trial.

This is a trial about a doctor who raped, sodomized, hugged and manipulated his patients, Lucey said.

The prosecutor argued the evidence showed that Cruciani groomed patients by overprescribing pain killers, sometimes to treat serious injuries from car wrecks and other accidents.

The accusers testified that the sexual abuse often occurred behind closed doors during appointments in 2013 at a Manhattan medical center, where the doctor would expose himself and demand sex.

He didnt finish writing my prescriptions until I did something for him, one said.

The behavior was just pure evil, she said, adding, This defendant is nothing but a drug dealer who used his prescription pad as a weapon.

Defense attorney Fred Sosinsky countered by arguing the witnesses were unreliable, telling jurors, You should have every reason to doubt these accusations.

He added that the witnesses were willing to lie and dispute the indisputable.

Hospital records undercut the witness timelines for the assaults and supported defense claims that they were getting proper care, Sosinsky said. The lawyer also cited loving notes some witnesses had written to their alleged assailant, including one that read in part: I hope you have a nice holiday.  Youve truly been the best doctor Ive ever had.

Cruciani, 68, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including rape, sexual abuse and predatory sexual assault.

The jury worked for about an hour late Tuesday without reaching a verdict. It was to resume deliberations on Wednesday morning.

Among the witnesses at a trial that began seven weeks ago was Hillary Tullin, who helped fuel the case by calling a sexual abuse hotline in 2017 and reporting that Cruciani had abused her between 2005 and 2013. Tullin told The Associated Press in 2018 after the doctor's arrest that he needs to be locked up.

The AP does not typically identify people who say they are survivors of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Tullin has done.

Cruciani is also facing federal charges in an indictment accusing him of abusing multiple patients over 15 years at his offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Hopewell, New Jersey.

The federal charges and state trial follow years of public complaints by Crucianis accusers that authorities in some places werent taking his crimes seriously, particularly in Philadelphia, where he pleaded guilty to relatively minor misdemeanor groping counts involving seven patients.

Lucey, the prosecutor in the New York case, said Tuesday that Cruciani's accusers should be credited for having the courage to come forward.

They get to take back some of the power and control that he took from them, she said. Each were broken. Each are rebuilding.
EAST HAMPTON  The Board of Education held a public hearing on Monday to consider the possibility of adding armed security guards at some of its schools.

The board is looking at placing one officer each at the Center and Memorial elementary schools as well as the middle school. The high school already employs an armed security officer.

The decision to consider implementing armed security, Superintendent Paul K. Smith said Tuesday, was a direct response to the May shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 students and two teachers.

After the recent national news with Uvalde, there has been interest from parents in revisiting the idea (of armed security) for our elementary and middle schools, Board of Education Chairwoman Christina Tammaro-Dzagan said.

Tammaro-Dzagan said Tuesday that the board can choose between hiring an armed security officer  like the one used at the high school  or a school resource officer. Armed security officers are typically retired police officers or state troopers, while SROs are law enforcement officers who work at the local police department, Smith said.

Adding three armed security officers would cost about $150,000  or $50,000 per officer, Smith added.

It is unclear when the officers would begin their positions at the schools if hired by the board. The process for hiring and training a SRO would take about 18 months, or possibly longer, Tammaro-Dzagan said. An ASO could be implemented more quickly.

But because the board began looking into increased armed security after the town finalized its budget for fiscal year 2022-23, it would need to request an appropriation from the town to fund the position for the upcoming school year, Tammaro-Dzagan added.

Mondays public hearing gave parents with children in those three schools an opportunity to express their opinions about the matter. A total of 22 parents spoke during the hearing with a majority in favor of adding armed security, according to the meeting minutes.

To gather more opinions, the schools also emailed a survey to parents of students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Early results from the poll, which closes Aug. 12, showed that 80 percent of respondents support increased armed security, Smith said.

Were really interested in hearing from those parents who will be directly affected by it, he said.

Speaking Wednesday, resident Josh Cortez, 42, whose youngest daughter is entering kindergarten, strongly supported the idea of adding armed security officers. To not do so, he said, would be extremely irresponsible.

Nobody wants to admit that we live in a country where (armed security) is necessary. But its a fact, Cortez said. We have a duty ... to protect our children at all costs. If that one person can deter another tragedy, then so be it.

Not enforcing tighter school security given the current climate would be like playing Russian Roulette, Cortez explained. Why would anyone do that?

Resident Daniel Finn, 38, one of the parents who spoke during Mondays hearing, disagreed with the strategy of introducing more guns into the schools.

As a parent of six children, four in elementary school and two in middle school, Finn acknowledged that he constantly fears another school shooting will happen in his small town, where most such shootings seem to occur.

But on Monday, he told board members that fear cant drive the decision-making process. Instead, schools should invest in resources that allow students to develop positive relationships with adults, Finn said.

The investment needs to be not in having armed security as a last-ditch resource and hope that it might make a difference  but that you invest in adults who are going to have good relationships with kids, he said.

Following the Uvalde school shooting, the third deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, other local school officials have considered taking similar protective measures.

In June, the Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education approved employing armed security officers at all district campuses for the upcoming school year.

For Marlborough schools, a safety and security team is considering the addition of a SRO along with other measures, Superintendent Dr. Holly Hageman said in a statement.

The security team will make recommendations to the Marlborough Board of Education at its August or September meeting, she said.

Middletown schools have SROs stationed at some of their 10 campuses, a school spokesperson said.

Cromwell has two SROs that cover its four schools, police spokesperson Capt. Fred Sifodaskalakis said.

In addition to enhancing school security, the officers would also serve as extra adult mentors for East Hampton students, as theyd be someone with a police background who students can ask questions of or bring concerns to, Smith said.

But in no way are they involved in any type of discipline of students, he clarified.

The board will hold a special meeting Aug. 15 to further discuss the issue and take possible action, officials said.

austin.mirmina@hearstmediact.com
KILLINGWORTH  A woman died after her Toyota Yaris and a Ford Explorer collided head-on Tuesday, state police said.

The deadly crash happened about 6:50 p.m. on Route 81, when Martha Bernard, 79, of Middletown, was driving her 2009 Toyota Yaris north with a passenger. She swerved into the lane for northbound traffic, losing control, and collided head-on with a 2011 Ford Explorer XLT, police said.

She was taken to the Middlesex Health Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook, where she was pronounced dead. The pickups driver also went there to be checked for possible injuries, state troopers said.

The passenger of the Yaris was flown to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, state police said.

Anyone who saw the crash or who has information about the events leading up to it can call Trooper Kaitlyn Roussel at the Troop F barracks in Westbrook at 860-399-2100.
NEW YORK (AP)  A self-described manager and adviser to R. Kelly pleaded guilty Tuesday to an interstate stalking charge, less than a week after he was convicted of making a phone threat that gunfire was about to occur in a Manhattan theater where a documentary about the singer was about to be shown.

Donnell Russell, 47, of Chicago, entered the plea in Brooklyn federal court.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Russell used threats, harassment and intimidation to silence one of Kellys sexual abuse victims. Kelly, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month, was convicted last year of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Peace said in a statement that Russell sent threatening messages to the woman and her mother and later published explicit photos of the victim on the internet.

Russell could face up to five years in prison at a Nov. 17 sentencing.

Prosecutors said the harassment campaign stretched from November 2018 to February 2020 after the woman filed a civil lawsuit against Kelly.

Last Friday, a Manhattan federal court jury found Russell guilty of threatening physical harm through interstate communication.

The jury concluded that Russell made a phone threat that forced the evacuation of a theater where Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly series was to be shown, and a panel discussion was to occur featuring several women in the documentary.

Prosecutors argued during the one-week trial that Russell was trying to protect the lucrative career of Kelly, a Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling songwriter.

A trial witness had testified that a man with a deep voice had called the theater to warn that someone had a gun and they were going to shoot up the place. Prosecutors said the call was placed to the theater from Russell's home on a day when Russell made nine phone calls to the theater to try to stop the airing of the documentary.
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U.S. News & World Report released its annual report of best hospitals in Connecticut, which assessed 41 hospitals in the state. According to the report, three met "high U.S. News standards and are ranked in the state." One was named the top hospital in Connecticut: Yale New Haven Hospital.

Other hospitals in Connecticut received national rankings for either treatment in specialty care areas, like life-threatening or rare conditions, or treatment for commonplace procedures or conditions, like hip replacement or heart failure, according to the report.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  As West Virginia's Republican supermajority continued advancing a sweeping abortion ban bill Tuesday, Democrats failed for the second time in two days to garner enough support to add exceptions for rape and incest victims.

During an hourslong meeting Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans overwhelmingly rejected Democrats' amendment for a rape and incest exception, sending the abortion ban to the full House of Delegates. A similar proposal failed Monday in a different House committee.

Men perpetrating such horrific acts makes me unsettled at times, said Republican Del. Pat McGeehan, who noted he has a daughter. He voted against the exception. Its very disturbing and these are contentious questions we have to deal with. However, when we confront such evil, we cannot participate in evil itself.

McGeehan said by creating exceptions, even for rape and incest, lawmakers would be sending the message that the value of life is not unconditional.

An innocent life is still an innocent life, regardless of the evil act, he said. We have to have moral absolutism. The real question here is: Is it ever just to punish an innocent person for a crime committed by someone else? My answer is absolutely not.

The House, comprised of 78 Republicans and 22 Democrats, is next scheduled to meet Wednesday after a public hearing on the abortion bill.

Lawmakers were called by Gov. Jim Justice into a special session starting Monday to consider reducing the states income tax. As lawmakers were gaveling in, he abruptly added the abortion law to the agenda. The session began week after a Charleston judge barred West Virginia from enforcing an 1800s-era abortion ban, ruling it unenforceable and superseded by a slew of conflicting modern laws.

On Monday, Justice asked legislators to clarify and modernize the state abortion laws.

Similar to the 1800s-era ban, Republicans new proposal would bar abortion in almost all cases and makes performing one a felony. Physicians who provide abortions could face three to 10 years in prison.

The bill provides exceptions for an ectopic pregnancy, a nonmedically viable fetus or a medical emergency.

When Republicans greenlit the bill in the Judiciary Committee, Democratic Del. Kayla Young pointed out she's one of only three women in the group of 25 lawmakers. There are no people of color on the committee, and she said women and people of color will be impacted the most by a statewide abortion ban.

Were never going to have to deal with this because were incredibly privileged people, she said. We are making decisions about other people, and we shouldnt do that. If its your religious belief, if its your moral belief, that is great for you. But get it away from me, get it out of my body, get it out of my uterus.

Also during Tuesday's meeting, Democrats sharply rejected one GOP lawmakers proposal for a rape and incest exception that would have permitted abortion up to six weeks gestation and required the assault to be reported to law enforcement.

They said the time frame was too short to help most victims, who may not be able to immediately report to law enforcement. Some victims are children, and confiding in adults might not be safe. And, many people don't even find out they're pregnant until after six weeks, they said.

It may be well-intended, but I think this is a slap in the face, Democratic Del. Joey Garcia of Marion County said.

Republican Del. Steve Westfall of Jackson County said he limited his proposal to six weeks because he believes life begins when a fetus develops a heartbeat. He said he understood how the narrow time frame might prohibit victims from getting abortions, but that he sought a compromise.

I think unlimited time is too long, but Id like to see rape and incest get in there," he said.

Westfall said he doesnt support abortion, but would want his four daughters to have a choice if they were ever victims of assault.

Movement on the abortion bill came as work slowed on Justices proposal to reduce the state income tax rate by 10%. The bill was scheduled for a second reading Wednesday in the House. If it passes, it would move to the Senate.

Senate President Craig Blair prefers a cut in the state personal property tax. But the state constitution allows only addressing legislation specifically mentioned in the governors special session proclamation, so the Senate cant address those taxes this week.

A 10% reduction is the maximum cut allowed while remaining in compliance with funding stipulations in the American Rescue Plan Act, he said. Justice said the proposal would be retroactive to Jan. 1 and would put $254 million back into residents pockets when they file their 2022 taxes.

The governors pitch is the third attempt to cut personal state income taxes in the past year.

-

Associated Press writer John Raby contributed to this report.
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BRIDGEPORT  Colleagues of the 41-year-old Westport woman who was killed Sunday in a wrong-way crash described her as a loving mother who brought joy and kindness to everyone she knew.

Monica Wilson, the longtime office manager at Broad River Animal Hospital, will be laid to rest Friday following services at Raymond Funeral Home in her hometown of Norwalk, according to a funeral notice.

She was our cheerleader, said Michele Mason, who worked alongside Wilson for nearly two decades at the animal hospital. She handled everything. Even if it wasn't part of her job, shed try to do what she could to help you  shed even go out of her way.

Wilson, who died a day before her 42nd birthday, was among two killed in the four-vehicle collision on Route 8 near Exit 2. Police said the car she was driving was struck head on by a van driving the wrong way on the highway.

The passenger of the van, Ananias Castillo-Icabalzeta, 46, of Bridgeport, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, 35-year-old Wilber Martinez, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to a state police report.

The drivers of the two other cars involved in the crash sustained minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals, police said. Two of Wilsons young children, who were passengers in her vehicle, were also injured and transported to a local hospital. Police have said their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The crash comes as Connecticut continues to endure a surge in fatalities from wrong-way collisions. According to state data analyzed by Hearst Connecticut Media Group, more people have already died in wrong-way crashes this year than in each of the previous three years.

Dr. Michele K. Lamothe, who hired Wilson more than 18 years ago, called her the heart and soul of the animal hospital and said she was heartbroken by her colleagues untimely death.

She cared about everyone, Lamothe said. She cared about the pets. She cared about the people that worked here. She cared about her family. She just was a caring person.

Mason echoed Lamothe, calling Wilson a devoted mother who went to great lengths to ensure her three children had the best upbringing she could provide.

I dont think anybody out there could say a bad word about her, Mason said.

In a series of Facebook posts, Broad River said the hospital closed Monday in response to Wilsons death and to ensure the wellbeing of her colleagues. Hospital officials praised her endless enthusiasm and described her as our glue.

She touched everyone she knew, hospital officials wrote. We are saddened more than any words can describe and we send our deepest condolences to her sons and her friends and family outside of her Broad River family.

Dr. John A. Stramaglia, who said he shared Wilsons playful sense of humor, described her as deeply compassionate. He said she was uniquely skilled at working with clients who were worried or concerned about their beloved pet.

Monica was exceptional, he said. She would leave her problems at the door, and just be so professional and so upbeat.

Mason, who serves as the Broad Rivers client care coordinator, said the animal hospital has been flooded with messages from people mourning Wilsons death, including longtime clients who for years enjoyed Wilsons cheery and buoyant attitude.

It's just not the same without her, Mason said. We dont even want to go to work anymore. She was our sunshine.

richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com
Many Texas jurors said during the selection process that they could not be fair in the Alex Jones case because of their belief in free speech.

Which raises two important questions about a functional democracy:

1) Do people understand what defines free speech?

2) Why dont Americans want to sit on juries?

Yes, the second question is based on circumstantial evidence, an assumption that some members of the pool in Texas were merely saying whatever it would take to avoid becoming involved in a process that is likely to last for a few weeks.

But both matters are troubling.

First of all, the jury that was chosen Monday will be charged with determining how much Jones must pay the family of Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, because Jones called the massacre staged and completely fake with actors, among other things.

A Texas judge already ruled that Jones committed defamation by making the claims on his YouTube channel. Resisting serving on a jury by citing personal belief in free speech only reinforces that too many people dont really know what it means.

I believe people have to be accountable for what they say, but I think we are entitled to freedom of speech, juror No. 9 said while being questioned Monday in the Travis County Courtroom.

Freedom of speech is not an umbrella that shields any utterance. In addition to defamation, the categories not protected under the First Amendment include obscenities, genuine threats, child pornography, perjury and blackmail, among others.

Theres also an undeniable irony in clinging to the right to expression while avoiding opining on a jury.

Which brings us to the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury.

You dont need to be in the Austin courtroom right now to recognize the resistance to serving on a jury. Anyone who has been  or ever will be  summoned should consider this: It is patriotic to serve on a jury.

It represents the accuseds final hope for justice. In a nation saturation with Law and Order television shows, spin-offs and copycats since 1990, this is the part where jurors play a supporting role in ensuring order.

Once a jury is selected in Texas, the exercise will need to be repeated two more times in the cases Jones lost against other Sandy Hook families.

Attorney Wesley Ball, who represents Jesse Lewis family, eliminated some jurors by questioning whether they would be opposed to awards as high as $100 million.

Jones didnt show up, but his attorney, Andino Reynal, offered the observation that There is nothing I want more than for the 12 people who sit on this case to look back 20 years from now and say, This is a verdict I can be proud of.

Its asking a lot to expect a juror to be proud of a verdict. But anyone should be proud to serve on a jury.
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Manufacturing giant 3M is establishing a $1 billion trust to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of U.S. troops and veterans over earplugs the service members said didnt work, causing permanent hearing loss.

The company announced Tuesday that it was taking decisive action, even as it maintained that its dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs were effective and safe when used properly. In the announcement, 3M also said Aearo Technologies, the subsidiary that made the plugs, would file for bankruptcy.

Roughly 235,000 claims have been filed against 3M over the earplugs, and since 2019, 16 suits have gone to trial, with 3M winning six and losing 10. Plaintiffs in those cases collectively were awarded nearly $300 million, but they have not received payouts because 3M has appealed those verdicts.

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The devices in question were 3Ms Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2, issued to troops between 2003 and 2015. They were dual-ended, with one side that blocked out all sound and the other side designed to protect users from loud sounds such as gunfire or explosions while letting them hear speech and other softer noises.

The suits allege that the earplugs were too short for many users and the design had a flaw that allowed them to slip imperceptibly in the users ear, letting in damaging noise.

In 2018, the Justice Department charged 3M with knowingly supplying the Defense Department with earplugs that were too short to fit all service members and failing to disclose this information to the military services.

3M settled the case for $9.1 million but did not admit any wrongdoing.

In a press release issued Tuesday, 3M said the new trust would provide accelerated compensation to plaintiffs in a manner that is more efficient and equitable to all parties.

"We have great respect for the brave men and women who protect us, and remain committed to the military as an active partner and valued customer going forward," 3M Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Roman said in the statement.

But attorneys who have represented the plaintiffs say the trust and related bankruptcy may actually slow down the settlement process and decrease the size of payouts. A statement issued by the Maryland-based firm Miller & Zois called the $1 billion an insultingly low amount that would net each plaintiff a mere $5,000.

Right now, 3M is facing enormous pressure from the possibility of hundreds of trials next year. The bankruptcy stay will immediately relieve that pressure and give 3M more leverage in the negotiations, read the statement from the firm, which represents hundreds of troops and veterans who have filed claims.

In 3Ms release and during a conference call with investors on Tuesday, Roman said the company stands by the earplugs, which he said provided effective hearing protection when used properly.

The decision for Aearo to declare bankruptcy and the establishment of the trust, Roman said, demonstrate that 3M is taking action to resolve claims.

We want to do right by veterans, Roman said during the investor call.

 Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: One Vet Wins Big, Another Loses in 3M Military Earplugs Lawsuits
The Air Force has half a dozen F-22 Raptors en route to Poland as part of the latest effort to protect NATO allies against Russian land grabs following the invasion of Ukraine.

Air Force officials told Military.com that six F-22s arrived Tuesday evening at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England. The jets are from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Those F-22s will be heading to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in ask, Poland, "ensuring NATO Allies are better able to safeguard and protect Alliance territory," a press release detailing the mission said.

Read Next: Ukraine Official Says Country Doesn't Want Old American A-10s

The NATO summit in Madrid last month reinforced that countries needed to do more to convince Russia not to try to claim more territory beyond its borders. Two countries on Russia's doorstep, Finland and Sweden, are in the process of joining NATO, hoping the alliance can provide greater security.

Ukraine had talked for years about a possible bid for membership, but hadn't pursued joining NATO partially due to threats from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, threats that Putin has emulated in talking about Finland and Sweden's applications.

While an influx of aircraft was brought to NATO countries in Europe in February, the alliance is now focusing on the concept of air shielding -- deploying a variety of planes and missiles throughout Europe to create a "near seamless shield from the Baltic to Black Seas," according to the release.

Adding the Air Force's F-22s, the service's most advanced fighter aircraft which can reach supersonic speeds and carry a variety of guided missiles and bombs, sends a serious sign to Russia that NATO is keeping a close eye on its borders.

"It cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft, making it a highly strategic platform to support NATO Air Shielding," the press release from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa said.

The U.S. and allies are hoping to offer direct aid to Ukraine in the near future in the form of modern jets and training.

U.S. House lawmakers recently approved $100 million as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to train Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S. fighter jets as the campaign against Russia rolls into a fifth month.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said the U.S. has been providing the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, to the Ukrainians. With a range of about 50 miles, it has allowed strikes deep into Russian-held territory.

Milley described the fighting in eastern Ukraine as a "grinding war of attrition" with tens of thousands of artillery rounds being fired each day, resulting in a high number of casualties and little progress by either side.

"In terms of actual ground gained, [there's been] very, very little by the Russians, relative to all of Ukraine," he said.

-- Travis Tritten contributed to this report.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Ukraine Aims High with Request for F-15 and F-16 Jets. Here's Why It Probably Won't Happen
Gold Star families pressed forward Tuesday to find their loved ones' names listed on the new Wall of Remembrance added to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, just as families of the fallen from Vietnam did 40 years ago at the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

But there were major differences in how the names were arranged and who was listed between the Korea and Vietnam memorials, said retired Army Gen. John Tilelli, chairman of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation.

"It's the only one [memorial] with foreign names on it," Tilelli told Military.com on a brief walk Tuesday afternoon around the circular Wall of Remembrance. That wall lists the names of more than 36,600 U.S. troops who lost their lives in the Korea conflict, along with more than 7,100 Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers who died serving alongside them and were known as KATUSAs (Korean Augmentation To the U.S. Army).

Read Next: 3M Sets Up $1 Billion Trust to Settle Veterans' Suits over Earplugs

Tilelli, a two-tour Vietnam veteran and former commander of U.S. and ROK forces in South Korea, noted that Korean names were mixed in with the Americans, just as they had served together. "They're integrated, not separated," Tilelli said of the KATUSAs, "because they fought and died with those Americans."

He also pointed out the unusual arrangement of the names -- alphabetically and by rank and service branch -- with privates and privates first class taking up the first 44 of the 84 Army panels. They were the youngest, and "that's the cost of war, you've gotta' understand that," Tilelli said.

"It's these groups, these young men, who paid the ultimate price," he said. The name panels for the other service branches list the Americans who died, but the KATUSAs served only with the Army.

Tilelli also said several times that it was the South Korean government and its people who paid nearly the entire $22 million cost to build the Wall of Remembrance and renovate other areas of the memorial. "It would not have happened" without the funding support from South Korea, he said.

At the official dedication of the new Wall of Remembrance on Wednesday, the 69th anniversary of the armistice ending the Korean War, second gentleman Doug Emhoff represented President Joe Biden and told hundreds of guests that those who fought and died in Korea "laid the foundation for a thriving South Korea and an unbreakable U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance. Their names are now forever engraved here on our incredible National Mall."

In his remarks, Cho Tae-yong, newly nominated as the next South Korean ambassador to the U.S., said that the names of Americans and South Koreans engraved on the wall "side by side reminds us of the depth of their sacrifice" given "to ensure my country's freedom."

Cursing Gets the Job Done

One of those who could testify to the fighting ability of the KATUSAs was 91-year-old former Army Sgt. 1st Class Gates Briseno of San Francisco, who in 1952 was put in charge of four KATUSAs on the front lines near what was called Heartbreak Ridge, a few miles north of the 38th Parallel.

At first, there was a bit of a communication problem, but that was solved with the universal language of obscenity, Briseno told Military.com as the Gold Star families got their first look at the Wall of Remembrance.

"Well, you used cusswords; everybody understands cusswords," whether in English or Korean, Briseno said. "We got along fine," and "we had each other's backs" when the Chinese attacked.

"They were dropping rounds all around us", he said. At one point, he had to pull two of the KATUSAs out of a burning bunker. "I got a decoration for that," Briseno said, pointing to the Bronze Star replica ribbon pinned to his ballcap.

Gold Star family member Carol Boyer carried photographs of her uncle, Army Sgt. Charles Emory Zepp, 22, who was drafted in October 1951 and served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, as she waited to view the Wall of Remembrance.

Zepp, a farm boy from Severn, Maryland, went missing in action on Jan. 12, 1953, and "the area of Sgt. Zepp's loss lies in the modern-day Demilitarized Zone separating North Korea from South Korea, precluding search efforts there," according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

The family knew Zepp, who is among more than 7,100 Americans still listed as missing from the Korean War, as "a kind of happy-go-lucky person," Boyer said. She also shared part of his last letter home written to his parents on Jan. 8, 1953, four days before he went missing.

He wrote about how glad he was to receive a letter from his mother telling him how good Christmas had been for the family and added, "Well, I can't think of any more to write about just now and it's almost time for me to go out on patrol." He asked that the family say "Hi" for him to friends and relatives and then signed off, "As ever, Emory."

Another Gold Star family member, retired Coast Guard Capt. Steve Froelich, 71, of Virginia was the nephew of Army Cpl. Robert Schoening, of Blaine, Washington, who served with Company C, 65th Combat Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, in Korea.

Schoening had been wounded in September 1950, was sent back to Japan to recover, and three weeks later was back with his unit, Froelich said.

Then on Nov. 27, 1950, Schoening's Company C was holding a position near Hill 222 in what is now North Korea when they came under attack by the Chinese. "Cpl. Schoening was killed during this combat and his body was not recovered at the time," according to the DPAA. But in 2000, a joint U.S./North Korean team excavated a site near Hill 222 and recovered human remains.

Froelich said the remains were later identified as those of Schoening through DNA matching, and his uncle was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery in 2009.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct Boyer's name.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: A New Addition to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Will Be Unveiled on Korean War Armistice Day
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian artillery hit a strategic bridge essential for Moscow to supply its forces occupying Ukraines southern region, using a U.S.-supplied precision rocket system to deliver a morale-lifting punch.

The Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine late Tuesday, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said.

He said Wednesday the bridge was still standing but its deck was pierced with holes, preventing vehicles from crossing.

The 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) bridge sustained serious damage in Ukrainian shelling last week, when it took multiple hits. It was closed for trucks but had remained open for passenger vehicles until the latest strike.

Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to hit the bridge, Stremousov said.

The HIMARS system has precision strike capability and has added a more modern technological edge to Ukraines dated military assets.

The HIMARS have a longer range, a much better precision and a faster rate of fire compared with Soviet-designed Smerch, Uragan and Tornado multiple rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine.

The billions of dollars in Western military assistance have been crucial for Ukraines efforts to fend off Russian attacks, but officials in Kyiv say the numbers are still too small to turn the tide of the war.

While halting traffic across the bridge, at least temporarily, makes only a slight dent in the overall Russian military operation, the strike showed Russian forces are vulnerable and was a minor triumph for Ukrainians.

The bridge is the main crossing across the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at the hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open for traffic.

Knocking the crossings out would make it hard for the Russian military to keep supplying its forces in the region amid repeated Ukrainian attacks.

Early in the war, Russian troops quickly overran the Kherson region just north of the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. They have faced Ukrainian counterattacks, but have largely held their ground.

The accurate targeting of the bridge contrasted with Russias indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas since the invasion five months ago.

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, in the central eastern area of Ukraine, said Wednesday that Russian forces struck two regions with artillery. Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said that in the town of Marhanets, a woman was wounded and several apartment buildings, a hospital and a school were damaged by the shelling.

Chaotic shelling has no other goal but to sow panic and fear among the civilian population, he said.

The Ukrainian attacks on the bridge in Kherson come as the bulk of the Russian forces are stuck in the fighting in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland of Donbas where they have made slow gains in the face of ferocious Ukrainian resistance.

Russian forces kept up their artillery barrage in the eastern Donetsk region, targeting towns and villages, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The Russian army is using scorched earth tactics in attacking the Ukrainian cities, Kyrylenko said in televised remarks.

He said the region is without gas and power, while water supplies to some areas also have been cut.

In Bakhmut, a key city on the front line of the Russian offensive, the shelling damaged a hotel and caused casualties, Kyrylenko said. A rescue operation was under way.

Amid Moscows push to take full control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russians have gained marginal ground northeast of Bakhmut, according to a Washington D.C.-based think tank.

Russian forces, however, are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before the early autumn, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russian military losses have climbed to nearly 40,000, adding that tens of thousands more were wounded and maimed. His claim couldn't be independently verified.

The Russian military last reported its losses in March, when it said that 1,351 troops were killed in action and 3,825 were wounded.
SYDNEY  U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosis plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the U.S. House speaker would be entering one of the worlds hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency.

Officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan  still an uncertainty  the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi  she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997  would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi in the event of a visit, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, if theres a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And Ill just leave it at that.

China considers self-ruling Taiwan its own territory and has raised the prospect of annexing it by force. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident  even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but she postponed the trip after t esting positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Joe Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is not a good idea right now.

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months. A U.S. official confirmed plans for the call to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit. But they dont rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they dont preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosis trip is of some Chinese show of force gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action, said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp. So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when youre doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speakers safety. Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think thats why youre getting some of these suggestions.

Shes not going to go with an armada, Pavel said.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

It is very possible that ... our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send, Cozad said. And so you get into ... some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.

On Wednesday, Chinas Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the presidential phone call. However, spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated Chinas warnings over a Pelosi visit. If the U.S. insists on going its own way and challenging Chinas bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses, Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S.

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years. He said Beijings military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other planes engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosis flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and jailed Marine veteran Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.

Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, and it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.

Blinken said Washington would like a response from Moscow. Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the Merchant of Death, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons.

Blinken said he had requested a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. U.S. officials said the the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov.

Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a UN-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Griner, in Russian custody for the last month, acknowledged in court this month that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Moscow in February but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 25, 2022 (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP)

At her trial Wednesday, Griner said she did not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctors recommendation for it and had packed in haste. She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Marine veteran Trevor Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future and the Biden administration has been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.

There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reeds release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russias diplomacy was Kabuki Theater  all show and no substance.

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russias massive military build-up along Ukraines border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.

Blinken and Lavrov avoided each other earlier this month at the next time they were in the same place at the same time: at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.

The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion.

Military.com contributed to this report.
Megan Powell is a Dole Caregiver Fellow with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and a caregiver to her husband, a combat veteran and retired Army officer.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

The pandemic has been an extended education about how to protect ourselves against contagious diseases. The three years I have spent caring for my husband have taught me that some health challenges can sneak through the masks, gloves and incessant hand washing.

Like so many military caregivers, I have experienced the spread of emotional stress, anxiety and depression that often come with supporting a loved one. Fortunately, over time, my husband and I have figured out ways to suppress the contagion.

Caring for a service member or veteran can be extraordinarily difficult. It tests a caregiver's patience, emotions and capacity to handle stress. A Rand Corp. study commissioned by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation found elevated emotional distress across all generations of military caregivers, with those supporting veterans of the post-9/11 wars reporting distress at four times the rate of their civilian peers.

Experiencing mental health issues as a caregiver is particularly hard when your care recipient also struggles with mental health, which is common. About 42% of military caregivers support someone with mental health or substance abuse challenges. Additionally, 12% of military caregivers assist a service member or veteran with a traumatic brain injury, which can cause symptoms like mood fluctuations and depression.

I am among those caregivers who care for a veteran with both a TBI, or traumatic brain injury, and PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. My husband Jesse deployed to Afghanistan four times with the Army. Each was difficult, though the last would be the one that upended our lives.

During his final time in Afghanistan, he was troop commander on an "advise and assist" mission providing VIP security. His unit sustained an attack by an Afghan soldier. One of Jesse's soldiers was killed in action in front of him, and eight were injured. Four years after Jesse returned home, he realized that the depression, anxiety and irritability he was feeling were signs of PTSD and asked for help. During his treatment, it was discovered he also had a TBI. These conditions challenged his ability to live independently. Suddenly, I was not only his wife, but his caregiver.

For some, the experience of caregiving is the cause of emotional distress. Other caregivers sustain a very specific type of mental health challenge, commonly called "Secondary PTSD," which is when the caregiver begins to share in their veteran's anxieties and react to the same triggers. For me, I have experienced anxiety for most of my life, though the responsibilities of caregiving certainly make it worse some days.

Too many caregivers and care recipients fall into a constant loop of triggering one another's emotions. Often, my anxiety can activate my husband's, almost as if it is contagious. I have seen the dynamic strain families, break up marriages, and undermine a caregiver's ability to support their service member or veteran.

Earlier this year, I was selected as a Dole Caregiver Fellow with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. One of my goals is to help military caregivers navigate life with invisible wounds faster than my husband and I did. Here are a couple of key tips that I have learned through my own difficult experiences:

Help your veteran find a mental health professional.

Caregivers get into trouble trying to handle their veteran's emotional weight. We are not trained to manage it, nor is it our job as a spouse or caregiver. Your care recipient needs a professional whom they are comfortable talking to. You, as the caregiver, have a place in the process, but it is not to shoulder their burdens. Jesse and I have developed an understanding of what problems and emotions we can help each other with and which need to be saved for the therapist. Jesse's therapist also helps us determine when he is struggling with his PTSD or TBI, or when he is dealing with the normal stresses of life. Knowing the difference is a big help in determining how I respond.

Find YOURSELF a mental health professional.

Whether you consult the same therapist as your veteran, or you find one of your own, you need an outlet too! As a caregiver, I don't get to have a bad day because those can spread to my husband. I have to be there for him and often step up as the primary parent too. Having a regular therapy appointment gives me time and space to work on myself.

Don't be afraid of support groups.

Support groups are not all about sharing emotions and heavy conversations. They are places where you are free to be open and honest. During this caregiving journey, you need the support of others who understand what you are going through. A good group will also be a source of practical advice from peers and a space where you can laugh at the hard stuff that only caregivers understand. HiddenHeroes.org offers its own support group and can direct you to other mental health resources.

Enlist a friend to listen to you vent.

Even with a therapist, it is helpful to have that friend who will let you pour out your emotions or just complain, with no judgment or criticism. Sometimes, that is exactly what you need to get through the moment. A good friend will also set you straight when you have lost perspective, which happens to the best caregivers.
Revolutionary War history is filled with heroes and villains, and which is which depends on which side of the Atlantic you were sitting. Here in the United States, our history textbooks mention every one of the names on this list, a memory of their valuable contributions to the birth of our nation.

Those history books don't really get the chance to tell the whole story.

Nobody's perfect, and this was true even among the founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin wasn't allowed to touch the Declaration of Independence, because people thought he'd write jokes in it. Thomas Jefferson had a slave as a mistress. The entire American government didn't know whether those of Asian descent should be counted as "free whites."

It doesn't negate their accomplishments or contributions to the creation of the world's longest-standing democracy. The four people who follow have equally famous names, but ended their careers in a less-than-celebrated fashion.

1. Thomas Paine

More like a "Paine in the butt," according to contemporaries.

Paine is known today as the writer, philosopher and general rabble-rouser who published "Common Sense," one of the most influential works that led to the Revolutionary War. Along with "The American Crisis," he inspired the Declaration of Independence, but Paine continued being a thorn in everyone's side long after those works were published.

He moved to France, where he continued to spark outrage during the French Revolution. He was eventually jailed at the behest of his powerful enemies. When he was released, he attacked his former allies, who he believed betrayed him. He then denounced George Washington as incompetent in 1796, even though the general had won independence in 1783.

He died six years after attacking Christianity in another pamphlet, which led to only six people attending his funeral.

2. Horatio Gates

He even kinda looks like a shady character.

Gen. Horatio Gates is one of the most controversial figures of the revolution. He claimed responsibility for the American victory at Saratoga, which would cause the French to join the war against England and lead to Benedict Arnold's treason. The win also led many to believe that Gates should take over Washington's position as commander in chief.

Gates did little to quell those feelings. In fact, he is presumed to have taken part in two conspiracies to unseat the American command structure. The first, the Conway Cabal, saw letters criticizing Washington made public, suggesting a replacement. The second was the Newburgh Conspiracy, which was an attempted mutiny against the Congress when it was unable to pay for almost anything, including the troops fighting the war.

Both failed, and Gates lost his command after his defeat at the Battle of Camden in 1780, leaving his reputation in tatters.

3. John Paul Jones

A naval sex scandal centuries before Tailhook or Fat Leonard.

After the revolution ended in 1783, the "Father of the U.S. Navy" needed a job, so he went to work for Catherine the Great in Russia, where he was made rear admiral. He was successful against the Turkish fleet in the Black Sea, but the Russian nobility was less than thrilled with him.

They accused Jones of having indecent relations with the 10-year-old daughter of a noblewoman. Jones denied the accusation, saying the event in question was a deliberate setup, planned by the girl's mother. He nearly killed himself over it, but was exonerated in the end.

Despite the truth coming to light, he became a pariah in Russia. In 1789, Catherine discharged him and forced him to leave the country. He never held another command and was dead by 1792.

4. Paul Revere

No one is as surprised as Paul Revere's horse.

The man made famous for his midnight ride to rouse colonial militias before the Battles of Lexington and Concord was actually one of the organizers of this early warning system. When the war started, he became a militia officer and served on a few notable campaigns. Unfortunately, one of those was the worst loss the U.S. Navy would suffer until Pearl Harbor.

Lt. Col. Paul Revere was an artillery officer in command of 100 men during the 1779 Penobscot Expedition, a colonial effort to take parts of Massachusetts, now known as Maine, from the British. It was a fiasco with all 44 ships sunk, more than 474 wounded or killed and the survivors forced to make an overland trip back to Boston.

Revere was accused of disobedience and cowardice in the days that followed and was dismissed from the militia. He wasn't exonerated until 1782. Luckily, he was still a skilled metalsmith and became a successful manufacturer.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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For decades after the Civil War, Arizona miners, ranchers and cowboys shared stories of the Red Ghost, a mysterious beast that attacked humans in isolated areas. It was said the ghost was massive, aggressive and carried the pale white bones of its rider strapped to its back.

The story spread until 1893, when a farmer named Mazoo Hastings finally dispatched the creature with a single round from his rifle. The Red Ghost was actually a kind of camel, and its ghostly rider was just a man who was strapped so tightly to the animal that the straps scarred its body.

No one knows who exactly the man was, but the Red Ghost was most likely Army surplus, an escaped leftover from the U.S. Army's failed Camel Corps, an attempt at efficiently exploring and taming the vast expanse of desert that suddenly became part of the United States.

Sailors loading a Bactrian camel aboard the USS Supply. (U.S. Army)

After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, the United States received 55% of Mexico's territory. Along with the Gadsden Purchase, this set the border at the Rio Grande River and ceded the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, along with parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming, to the U.S. It also relinquished Mexican claims to Texas.

This large new territory of more than half a million square miles included massive deserts. The U.S. Army had fewer than 42,000 troops in all to keep more than 100,000 natives in the region at bay. The horse-mounted Army was simply outmatched.

At the time, the Army relied on cavalry for this mission, along with mules for supply trains. This limited the range of the cavalry to areas around known water sources. Meanwhile, the native tribes on their home turf knew about more sources of water and could travel farther and faster without it.

Maj. Henry Wayne saw this problem unfolding even while the U.S. was still at war with Mexico and later suggested to Sen. Jefferson Davis (who was also a Mexican War veteran) that importing camels to be used as supply animals was the solution. Davis agreed, and when he became secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce, he secured the funds needed to try it out.

The first joint Army-Navy expedition secured 33 dromedary and Bactrian camels from the Ottoman Empire, which were then shipped in a specially outfitted boat to Indianola, Texas. When it arrived, there were 34 camels, as one had given birth during the voyage to the U.S.

The whole enterprise was so efficient that there was money left over to return to the Middle East and get more camels. By 1857, the second expedition had returned with 41 more camels, bringing the total number of animals in the U.S. Army Camel Corps to 75.

Soldiers training with a dromedary camel. (U.S. Army)

As the Army departed for the second shipment of camels, Maj. Wayne began testing the first shipment of camels for their combat capabilities at Camp Verde, near San Antonio. What began as a hopeful experiment soon looked like a disaster. In short, they were useless in fighting the American way of war.

Camels, it turns out, have trouble breathing while exerting themselves and have a limited lung capacity. They also required a lot more care than horses and mules and didn't really get along with the other animals.

To make matters worse, camels aren't as easygoing as domesticated beasts of burden. They spit, vomit and poop at will, even on their handlers. They are also prone to biting passersby when provoked, even if that provocation is routine discipline.

What they lacked in combat effectiveness, however, they made up for in transportation. The camels carried two to three times as much as a pack mule. When riding with cavalry units, they easily kept pace with the horses, even while carrying a full load of baggage.

Wayne was transferred before the second expedition returned, but before he left, he sent 25 camels on a military survey mission to map a wagon road from Fort Defiance, Arizona, to the Colorado River. This route would take the camels across the driest areas of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona into the Mojave Desert.

The first camel expedition in the American southwest was led by a Greek-born Ottoman named Hadji Ali, now known as "Hi Jolly."

The camels performed the mission beautifully and crossed into California by October 1857. They were tested time and again but outperformed mules and horses, exceeding anyone's expectations. The Army wanted to expand the camel program, but the entire experiment was interrupted by the Civil War.

The Union camel company at Fort Tejon, California, was used mainly for local postal routes and not much else. The Confederate Camels, captured at Camp Verde in Texas, were used by some commanding officers, but many were killed by rebel soldiers for being generally unpleasant and hard to get along with.

After the war, any surviving Union camels were auctioned off to circuses, ranchers and farmers. Confederate camels were recaptured by the federal government. Many of these were also sold, but many were simply released into the wild.

Reports of camel sightings near Camp Verde persisted until 1875. One of the lead drivers of the Colorado River expedition, a Ottoman-born citizen named Hadji Ali, purchased some of the camels and established a freight service with them. When that business failed, he released them into the desert, leaving one camel (or its descendant) to become Arizona's famed Red Ghost.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Leaders of the Tomorrow Church,Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead was robbed of more than $1 million worth of jewelry on Sunday, July 24.

The days sermon turned into a $1 million dollar heist in Brooklyn, USA when livestream camera suddenly started shaking and showing masked men appearing in frame.

All right, Whitehead suddenly appears to say repeatedly in the video.

Everybody stay seated. Nobody move, someone else appears to say.

It happened on Sunday just after 11 a.m. at 922 Remsen Avenue in Brooklyn, according to the NYPD.

It was a heinous act. It was a violation of every code, Whitehead said on Facebook Live Monday.

Police say the robbers came in and stole more than $1 million worth of jewelry from Whitehead and his wife.

That's hard to process that he would have that amount in the community, a small community like that, said Melanie Walker, who lives in the neighborhood. That's pretty amazing. Wow.

She said she would think whoever did this had to have known Whitehead wears expensive jewelry.

Whitehead said people have wondered why he and his wife had more than $1 million in jewelry while delivering a Sunday sermon.

I help so many people out here on these streets, so why can't I buy what I want to buy? Why can't I wear what I want to wear? Whitehead asked.

Whitehead also said that he does not care about material things. He is happy that he is alive.

Now, he said he is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who can help police arrest the people involved.

When you put a gun up to my 8-month-old daughter who is just beginning life, you must be caught, Whitehead said.

Police are still investigating to find the people in the video.

Whitehead has called Mayor Eric Adams a mentor, and Monday, the mayor released a statement, which did not mention Whitehead by name.

No one in this city should be the victim of armed robbery, let alone our faith leaders and congregants worshiping in a House of God. The NYPD is investigating this crime and will work tirelessly to bring the criminals involved to justice, Adams said in the statement.

Video Source: CNN
Ghanaian Musician Quamina MP has allegedly rejected advice by legendary high life musician, Amakye Dede encouraging other musicians to smoke marijuana otherwise known as wee.

Last week, Amakye made a lot of headlines for asking musicians to smoke weed before going on stage because it gives the energy to perform. However, he added that he tried it and he didn't like it.

If you smoke weed you are not a bad person. Yeah, musicians should smoke it before their performance because its extra energetic, he said in an interview with Nana Aba Anamoah on Ghone TV.

However, speaking on Kastle FM, young star Quamina said he doesn't do stuff like that.

That's Amakye Dede and me too I am Quamina MP so everyone has got their own feeling maybe he feels that when he smokes before going to the stage he'll perform very well, he said.

According to him, he will overreact, if he takes anything to improve his performance on stage.

Sometimes I feel that if I drink alcohol before going on stage I might overreact because if I'm on stage I like to connect with the people so everyone has got their feeling, he indicated.

---DGN online
Kumawood actress, Tracey Boakye has finally unveiled the face of her husband to be following reports of their traditional wedding in Kumasi.

She shared beautiful photos of her beautiful moments with the man who is identified as Frank Badu Ntiamoah, a Ghanaian based outside the country.

Kwaku, @badufrank thanks for everything #Francey22, she wrote on Instagram Wednesday.

This was a response to an earlier post by Frank who also shared their beautiful pre-wedding photos on his page and thanked Tracey for accepting him.

Thanks for accepting to spend the rest of your life with me, YAA @tracey_boakye I LOVE YOU #francey22, he wrote on Instagram.

Tracey again commented under the post saying, I Love You.

Tracey Boakye early this week surprisingly announced she was getting married, suggesting she was therefore going to paint Kumasi red as Ghanaians witness her historic wedding.

The white wedding is scheduled for Saturday, July 30 in Kumasi but before that, there will be their traditional wedding.

On July 26, she hosted a bridal shower which was attended by some of her close friends.

On Wednesday she shared photos from the bridal shower thanking the friends for their support.

Many people didn't believe the Kumawood actress when she said she was getting married.

However, it has become obvious that she is indeed walking the aisle this weekend.

She earlier mentioned musicians such as Kwabena Kwabena, Becca, Ohemaa Mercy, Brother Sammy, Piesie Esther, Obaapa Christy and others will perform at the wedding.
Social media is on its crawl after fetish priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, known in private life as Stephen Osei Mensah, revealed how he named his two daughters after his favourite musicians, Sarkodie and Shatta Wale.

To pay his dues and honour the two musicians who always excite him with sweet musical melodies, Nana Bonsam has to name his daughters, Yaa Shatta Bonsam and Sark Bonsam after the two musicians.

Shatta Wale and Sarkodie are two of my all-time favourite musicians. To honour Shatta and Sark, Ive named my children after them. Yaa Shatta Bonsam and Sark Bonsam are my daughters names," he stated.

Modernghana News listened to his interview on Accra-based Onua FM's Anigye Mmere, during which he stated that he had already inserted the names into their birth certificates.

Its a done deal. Their birth certificate has it, Nana Bomsam started.

He stressed that I can show it to you immediately from my phone.

He also expressed his desire to meet his two ever favourite Ghanaian musicians in person.

Ive only met a few musicians. In Nkoranza during the program, I met Daddy Lumba and Samini, who I later met in America. Shatta and Sarkodie are two artists Id want to meet," he emphasised.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday declared his country would support Africa's need for security as he began a three-country tour marked by France's military revamp in the jihadist-torn Sahel.

"We will not relinquish the security of the African continent," Macron said in a speech in Cameroon, a former French colony and close ally that has been troubled by attacks.

"France remains resolutely committed to the security of the continent, acting in support and at the request of our African partners," Macron told a gathering of French expatriates in the capital Yaounde.

France is reconfiguring its posture in the Sahel after falling out with the military junta in Mali, the epicentre of a bloody 11-year-old jihadist campaign in the region.

After a pullout from Mali that is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, France's Barkhane anti-jihadist force will have around 2,500 troops in the Sahel, just under half of the deployment at its peak, say French officers.

The force will also make a tactical shift, acting more in a support role for local forces than in taking the lead, they say.

Macron landed late on Monday on a three-day tour that will also take him to Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

He headed into a meeting with Cameroon's 89-year-old president, Paul Biya, an iron-fisted ruler who has been in power since 1982.

In his speech, Macron said the changes in Barkhane had been prompted because "the political framework was no longer there" -- a reference to the dispute with the Malian junta.

The reconfigured mission, he said, will extend "beyond the Sahel, to the Gulf of Guinea and second-layer countries which now have to face terrorist groups which are expanding and shaking up the whole region."

The jihadist insurgency began in northern Mali in 2012 and hit neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Across the region, thousands of people have been killed and more than two million have fled their homes.

Sporadic cross-border attacks have also occurred on coastal countries to the south, sparking fears of an expansion by the jihadists to the Gulf of Guinea.

Macron also pledged French support for countries fighting jihadists in the Lake Chad region, where an older insurgency launched by Nigeria's Boko Haram is also raging.

These include Cameroon, whose Far North region, which reaches into the Lake Chad basin, has suffered repeated attacks.

Food crisis rebuttal

Macron also hit out at "nonsense" that he said had been doing the rounds as a result of the Ukraine war.

"We are being attacked by certain people who maintain that European sanctions (against Russia) are the cause of the world food crisis, including in Africa.

"This is completely false. It's just that food, like energy, have become Russian weapons of war," he said.

Macron's swing through central and western Africa is his first trip to the continent since he was re-elected in April.

France has followed with concern the emergence of Russia, China and others in seeking footholds in an area it still considers part of its sphere of influence.

The tour "will show the commitment of the president in the process of renewing the relationship with the African continent", a French presidential official, who asked not to be named, said ahead of the trip.

It will signal that the African continent is a "political priority" of his presidency, the official said.
Russia is the source of less than 1% of the foreign direct investment into Africa. Substantively, then, Russia brings little to the continent. But the fact that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is making a high-profile trip to Africa in the throes of Russia's war on Ukraine reveals how much Russia needs Africa.

A priority for Lavrov's trip to Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia is to show that Russia is not isolated internationally, despite expansive western sanctions. The objective is to portray Russia as an unencumbered Great Power that maintains allies around the globe with whom it can conduct business as usual.

Russia is also vying to normalise an international order where might makes right. And democracy and respect for human rights are optional.

Lavrov's Africa trip is significant, accordingly, for Russia's geostrategic posturing. Russian messaging recasts Russia's imperialistic land grab in Ukraine as a broader East-West ideological struggle. To the extent that Moscow succeeds in this framing, few African countries will criticise it.

This, in part, explains why 25 of Africa's 54 states abstained or did not vote to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine during the UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/1 in March. This ambivalent response was in stark contrast to the overwhelming condemnation of Russia's aggression from every other region of the world.

Lavrov can also be expected to portray the recent Ukrainian-Russian deal to unblock more than 20 million metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain for export as a humanitarian gesture by Moscow. This, even though it was Russia's invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports that has prevented the grain from reaching international markets. Russia's bombing of the Ukrainian port of Odessa the day after the agreement was signed suggests that Moscow will continue to try to weaponise the food crisis. All while blaming the west.

Egypt and Ethiopia  key countries on Lavrov's itinerary  have been particularly hard hit by this disruption in food supply. The Russian blockade has caused global grain prices to double this year, creating intense political and social strains throughout Africa.

What African hosts gain

Focusing on ideological themes helps obscure how modest Russia's official economic and diplomatic investments in Africa are.

This begs the question of what African leaders gain from hosting Lavrov at a time when Russia is under severe criticism for its unprovoked aggression and the destabilisation of global food, fuel, and fertiliser markets. The short answer is political support.

Russia's expanding influence in Africa in recent years is mostly a result of Moscow's use of unofficial means  deploying mercenaries, disinformation campaigns, arms for resources deals, and trafficking of precious metals. These low-cost, high impact tools are typically employed in support of isolated African leaders with dubious legitimacy. Russian backing of beleaguered leaders in Central African Republic (CAR), Mali and Sudan has been vital to keeping these actors in power.

Russia's asymmetric approach to gaining influence in Africa is also notable in that these partnerships are with the individual leaders Moscow is propping up  and not with the broader public. It's about elite co-option more than traditional bilateral cooperation.

Read more: Ukraine war: fresh warning that Africa needs to be vigilant against Russia's destabilising influence

Understanding these motivations brings Lavrov's trip and itinerary into sharper focus.

Egypt's President Abdel al Sisi is a key ally in Russia's efforts to install a proxy government in Libya. This would enable Russia to establish an enduring naval presence in the southern Mediterranean and tap Libyan oil reserves. Sisi has also been a Russian partner in attempting to derail the democratic transitions in Sudan and Tunisia.

Russia, moreover, is a major arms supplier for Egypt . A $25 billion Russian-financed loan for Russian atomic energy company Rosatom, to construct the Dabaa nuclear power plant in Cairo, makes little economic sense. But it does provide a potential windfall for cronies of Sisi and Putin. And it is a means for Russia to gain further leverage over Sisi.

Lavrov's trip to Uganda provides political cover for the increasingly repressive and erratic regime of President Yoweri Museveni as it attempts to orchestrate a hereditary succession to Museveni's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Russia's driving interest in Uganda is to pull another historically western-leaning African country into Moscow's orbit. For Museveni, drawing closer to Russia sends a none-too-subtle message that he will move further towards Moscow if the west is too critical of his deteriorating human rights and democratisation record.

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed is also fending off fierce international criticism for Ethiopia's alleged human rights abuses in Tigray and subsequent obstacles hampering the humanitarian response in the region. Russia's thwarting of UN Security Council resolutions drawing attention to the Tigray conflict and humanitarian crisis have been well appreciated in Addis.

Ethiopia has long maintained an independent foreign policy. But Addis Ababa is set to host the next Russia-Africa summit meeting later this year. The event would provide a high-profile platform to reinforce Moscow's message that it remains welcome on the global stage.

While in Addis Ababa, Lavrov can be expected to highlight Russia's close ties with the African Union. Fear of annoying Russia led the regional body to repeatedly put off a virtual meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky. When the meeting was finally (and quietly) held in July, only four African heads of state tuned in .

The Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso has led the Central African country for all but five years since he first came to power in 1979. The country is ranked 169 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's annual corruption perception index. It has been on Moscow's radar for expanding control of hydrocarbon exports from the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and CAR through Pointe Noire. This would further enhance Russia's influence over global energy markets.

Benefits to ordinary Africans?

Lavrov's visit demonstrates that there are African leaders who find political value in retaining ties with Russia, regardless of Moscow's tarnished international reputation.

Notably, most of the countries on his African tour maintain significant relations with the west. Hosting a high-profile visit from Lavrov is not intended to scuttle these ties. Rather, it is an attempt to gain more leverage vis-a-vis the west.

But this is a dangerous game for these African leaders. Russia has an economy the size of Spain's , does not provide significant investment or trade to the continent (other than grains and arms), and is increasingly disconnected from the international financial system.

Moreover, foreign direct investment is strongly correlated with upholding the rule of law. By signalling that they are open to Russia's lawless international order, these African leaders risk damaging their prospects for greater western investment.

Nine of the top 10 countries investing in Africa, comprising 90% of foreign direct investment, are part of the western financial system. It may take years for African countries to recover from the reputational damage of embracing the Russian worldview that rule of law is arbitrary.

Lavrov's trip to Africa is not an isolated event. It is part of an ongoing dance. Moscow is trying to gain influence on the continent without investing in it. This strategy can only gain traction if certain African leaders see Russia as a means to validate their hold on power, despite objectionable human rights and democratic norms.

The advantages to Moscow and these African leaders are clear. For ordinary African citizens, not so much.

Joseph Siegle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Joseph Siegle, Director of Research, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, University of Maryland
Managing Director of OLEA M&G Insurance Brokers Limited, Mr. Stephen Kwarteng Yeboah showcasing the two awards

26.07.2022 LISTEN

OLEA M&G Insurance Brokers Limited emerged as Ghanas Best General Insurance Broker and IT Innovative Broker of the year at the awards ceremony organized by the Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG) at Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday, 23 rd July, 2022.

The award ceremony was instituted to promote professionalism in the Insurance Industry and recognize the enormous contribution of deserving insurance/broking companies and personalities contributing to the development of the insurance industry and ensuring that insurance practice is raised to the highest international standards.

OLEA M&G received these two awards at the ceremony for its sterling performance in the year 2021 in the general insurance broking field and the innovative IT tools used in its operations.

The Managing Director of the Company, Mr. Stephen Kwarteng Yeboah expressed his appreciation to the CIIG for the recognition. He dedicated the two awards to loyal clients and the hard-working youthful team who work tirelessly to achieve this milestone. He noted that the company was established as Marine & General Brokers in the year 1969 as Ghanas first insurance broker. It joined a Panafrican Insurance Broking network-OLEA Insurance Africa present in 23 other African countries in the year 2018 and rebranded with a new name-OLEA M&G.

OLEA M&G, he stressed has experts providing insurance broking services in Property & Casualty, Life, medical, cyber, Marine and various fields. The company is a partner of over ten(10) multinational brokers globally and have both multinational and local clients in its books.

The MD mentioned that the company works via its own software with an extranet deployed to their corporate clients. It enables their clients to have full control of their insurance portfolio by having 24/7 access to a dashboard to view their policies and claims and also download copies of their insurance documents. The company was the first Insurance Broker to introduce a price aggregator platform, mybestquote.com to sell motor and travel insurance in Ghana.

The MD indicated that the award will spur them on to greater heights and promised that the company will continue to innovate with technology to provide seamless first-class broking services to their clients.
The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) calls for an amendment of the constitution to separate the Office of the Attorney General from the Ministry of Justice.

This according to the party will ensure that government officials who are found to have breached the law are properly investigated and prosecuted.

The party believes this is the only way in ensuring accountability and also help in the fight against corruption in the country.

The PPP is embarking on what it calls the reawakening of the Ghanaian populace as part of its 10th anniversary.

National Chairman of the Progressive Peoples Party, Nana Ofori Owusu, spoke to journalists in Kumasi after meeting some interest groups.

He maintained that the current definition of the Minister of Justice role was indicative of institutional failure.

You cannot have a Minister for Justice as Attorney General sitting with his colleagues where issues of corruption have been made against them.

The Attorney General is for you and me. The Minister for Justice advise the President and so you cannot be sitting at cabinet taking decision with his colleagues, Mr. Owusu said.

By Citi Newsroom
A protester was killed Tuesday as hundreds rallied against last year's military coup in Sudan and a recent spike in tribal violence which killed more than 100 people, medics said.

The unidentified protester was hit "by live bullets to the face by coup forces" during protests in Omdurman, the capital's twin city, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

Tuesday's death brings to 116 the number of protesters killed in the crackdown since last October's coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the committee said in a statement.

Sudan's main civilian group, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), had called for mass demonstrations with hashtags urging co-existence and a "unified nation".

In the capital Khartoum, demonstrators marched with the national flag and chanted "Sudan is a nation for all people!"

Protesters also chanted "No to tribalism and no regionalism!" while others called on the military "to go back to barracks", according to an AFP correspondent.

Former minister Khaled Omar Youssef (right) during an anti-coup demonstration in southern Khartoum on July 26, 2022. By - (AFP)

Senior civilian politicians including Mohamed al-Fekki and ex-minister Khaled Omar Youssef were seen at the demonstrations.

The two men, key leaders of the FFC, were among civilian officials who have been removed from power since the coup.

Some pro-democracy activists and protesters opposed the FFC's participation, saying the rallies should not be overshadowed by partisan motives, AFP correspondents said.

Near-weekly protests and deepening turmoil have rocked Sudan since last year's coup which upended a transition to civilian rule following the 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir.

Sudanese protesters supported the reinstatement of Abdalla Hamdok, the premier ousted in the October 2021 military coup, during a demonstration in southern Khartoum on July 26, 2022 Hundreds of protesters rallied on against last year's military coup in Sudan and a recent spike in tribal violence which killed more than 100 people, AFP correspondents said.. By - (AFP)

Sudan has since reeled from a spiralling economic crisis and a broad security breakdown which has seen a spike in ethnic clashes in its far-flung regions.

On July 11, tribal clashes over a land dispute erupted in southern Blue Nile state, leaving at least 105 people dead and 291 wounded.

The clashes between members of the Berti and Hausa ethnic groups have since triggered furious protests in several cities, with Hausa members taking to the streets including in Khartoum to demand justice for comrades who were killed.

On July 4, Burhan pledged to step aside to make way for Sudanese factions to agree on a civilian government, but the FFC dismissed his move as a "ruse".
27.07.2022 LISTEN

A Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana Professor Ransford Gyampo has called for the removal of Mr Koku Anyidohos name from late President John Evans Atta Mills bust.

According to the Political Science lecturer, Mr Anyidohos role in the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the death of the late President, cannot be disputed.

He is however, of the view that, having Mr Anyidohos name on the bust makes it look too clumsy and wordy.

In a Facebook post on Monday, 25 July 2022, Professor Gyampos said: A simple correction: This statue of Prof J.E.A Mills, 3rd President of the 4th Republic (Jan 2009-July 2012), was unveiled by H.E. Nana Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana Sunday, July 24 2022.

He added: Kokus role is known and can never be discounted. But in humility, it must be dropped in order not to make the writings on the statue too clumsy and wordy.

There have been public sentiments about the bust of the late President.

The monument was unveiled at the Asomdwe Park on Sunday, 24 July 2022 and did not bear the name of the late President.

At a Press Conference held on Monday, 25 July 2022, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu noted that it is offensive to have a bust that excludes the name of the late President.

The bust of him, John Evans Atta Mills, our respected President, beneath the bust is not his name. It is that of President Akufo-Addo and that is not his [Atta Mills] name and we find that incredibly unacceptable and offensive, the Minority leader stated.

He therefore called on government to correct the names on the bust.

Source: classfmonline.com
A policeman attached to the Formed Police Unit (FPU) dispatched to undertake an operation at the Atwima area in the Ashanti region descended heavily on a senior police officer.

A video that has gone viral on social media shows a junior police officer, Corporal Boakye grossly disrespecting a senior officer, Foase District Commander, Superintendent Albert Quansah.

Information gathered by this protal indicates that the purported incident occurred at Atwima Yabi-Dida in the Ashanti Region where the junior policeman who identified himself to be attached to the Formed Police Unit (FPU) was seen daring and harassing his superior officer.

The Cpl Boakye can be seen vehemently challenging the orders of the senior officer, asking Supt Quansah to do whatever he wanted to do because he was disgracing himself.

Part of the video also showed, the policeman refusing the instructions of the senior officer who is believed to be a commander as he even asked the senior officer to meet him at the FPU because he did not deploy him on the mission he is embarking on.

The junior officer said in the video when the commander requested for his service number, This is my name tag. Meet me at FPU. You were not the one who brought me here.

He left the scene in few meters when he further stated that You're disgracing yourself. You came to meet us trying to arrest a thief and you are giving us all these commands.

However, the senior officer continued to remain calm and asked who was in charge of the team.

He then moved to meet the in charge who happened to be an Inspector and directed them on how to conduct the operation.

But the senior officer promised to deal with the junior officer, indicating that if you know what will happen to you, you will keep quiet.

Apparently the FPU personnel were undertaking motor checks against their mandate which the senior officer advised them against.

Meanwhile, DGN Online gathered that the Ashanti Regional Police Command has begun investigations into the incident.

---DGN online
Nana Aba Anamoah, General Manager of the EIB Network has made an appeal to the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation Mrs Ursula Owusu regarding the deadline for the SIM card re-registration exercise.

She is pleading with the Minister to listen to the plight of those who do not have a Ghana Card and extend the deadline again.

The journalist's request in a tweet spotted by Modernghana News on Tuesday, July 26 was the results of the delays in the process to secure a Ghana card at the offices of the National Identification Authority (NIA).

Ursula Owusu kindly extends the deadline for the sim registration. Getting a Ghana card has been hectic for many. Its only fair they get another chance in the midst of the delays at the NIA, Nana Aba tweeted.

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation vowed never to extend the deadline for the SIM Card re-registration exercise by the end of this month, July 31 again even though many Ghanaians are still without the Ghana Card to go through the exercise.

The exercise was supposed to end on March 31 earlier this year but had to be extended to July 31 to make room for people who were still not done with the process.

With a few days to the new deadline, many Ghanaians, especially those who still haven't gotten their Ghana cards are pleading with the Ministry to extend it again if possible till the end of the year.

But while addressing a forum in Kumasi on Friday, July 22, the Minister urged Ghanaians who are yet to re-register their SIM cards to do so before the July 31 deadline.

According to her, the deadline will not be extended again.

We must make it difficult for the criminals who hack our systems and defraud us through multiple online channels to operate, and this SIM registration exercise is one of the steps the government is taking in that regard, she explains.

The Minister continues, this stresses the point that this exercise will enable the establishment of a subscriber database with integrity to keep the consumers safe from scams and fraud.

I, therefore, urge you to do so before the 31st of July," she stressed.
Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram has asked the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation to extend the SIM re-registration deadline.

He is requesting the Minister reconsider her decision in light of the economic impact on the telecommunication companies.

His comment follows the sector minister Ursula Owusu's refusal to extend the deadline again.

In two separate tweets spotted by this portal on Tuesday, July 26, on his Twitter handle, in which he described the Minster's decision as a political ego.

SIM re-registration. Ghana Card fiasco. Industry stagnation imminent. Policy incoherence. Political ego management. The case of the Republic on autopilot.

I just dey ask the Minister to put the interest of the telecoms space above ego or any other considerations, his tweets read.

The telcos may lose millions of their customers if the 31st July is made to stand since many still do not have the Ghana card which is the major requirement for the exercise.

Yet, Ministry for Communications and Digitalisation plans to end the SIM Card re-registration exercise by the end of this month, July 31.

The exercise was supposed to end on March 31 earlier this year but was extended to July 31 to make room for people who were still not done with the process.

With a few days to the new deadline, many Ghanaians, especially those who still haven't gotten their Ghana cards are pleading with the Ministry to extend it.

While addressing a forum in Kumasi on Friday, July 22, the Minister responded by appealing to all Ghanaians who are yet to re-register their SIM cards to do so before the July 31 deadline.

According to her, the deadline will not be extended again.

We must make it difficult for the criminals who hack our systems and defraud us through multiple online channels to operate, and this SIM registration exercise is one of the steps the government is taking in that regard, she explains.

The Minister continues, this stresses the point that this exercise will enable the establishment of a subscriber database with integrity to keep the consumers safe from scams and fraud.

I, therefore, urge you to do so before the 31st of July," she stressed.
Despite widespread criticisms over its funding, President Akufo-Addo insists there is no right time to build a national cathedral.

He said throughout history, there has never been a nation that built a national cathedral only when its economy was in good shape.

Speaking at a program dubbed Ownership of SECAM; security and migration in Africa and the islands, at the 19th plenary assembly of the symposium of episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), on Tuesday, July 26, the president noted it took many years and sometimes centuries for all the great cathedrals to be completed.

Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been, what can be called, an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries to complete, he stressed.

Mr. Akufo-Addo continued, The National Cathedral in Washington DC took eighty-three (83) years to complete; it took one hundred and fifty (150) years to build St Peters Basilica in Rome; and it took one hundred and eighty-two (182) years to finish the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Indeed, the reigning medieval monarchs of the time made significant contributions towards the construction of Notre Dame in Paris, and, in the case of the Basilica, construction began and was completed during the era of the Papacys greatest temporal power, again in medieval times.

In the president's opinion When these great Cathedrals were built, the societies that house them had not finished with the satisfaction of their major development needs  hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, homes needed to be built, and, I daresay, if one were to consider only those needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world. But, once they are built, they have proven to be instruments that brought people together, and deepened the spiritual and emotional experiences of people.

According to the President, though the national cathedral project has stirred controversies about funding, he said the cost should be shouldered by the Christian community.

The project has run into some controversy currently about the funding. My personal view has always been that, even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground, the President said.

The National Cathedral has been one of the most controversial projects under this government, with many believing that the project is a misplaced priority given the current economic woes in the country.

According to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu constituency, government has already financed the project to the tune of GHC200m, a project which was initially believed to be sponsored by private funds.

However, due to a lack of adequate funding, the project has stalled.
Under an acacia tree in Kenya's drought-ravaged north, malnourished infants feed on sticky mouthfuls of a nutrient-dense peanut paste long used to prevent child starvation in disasters across the globe.

This wonder food can mean the difference between life and death for a child in hard-hit Marsabit, where aid workers say young children are perishing in conditions that border on famine.

"If we ran out of these, more deaths would be recorded very soon," James Jarso of aid group World Vision said of the sachets being distributed by charity workers in the parched and isolated village of Purapul.

But just as 1.7 million children face starvation in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, the cost of these life-saving supplements is skyrocketing because of another crisis unfolding thousands of miles away.

The conflict in Ukraine is making ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) more expensive to manufacture and procure, says UNICEF, which buys almost 80 percent of the world's supply.

Ukraine is a major exporter of sunflower oil, wheat and other grains. The war has affected the price and availability of staple foods, driven up fuel prices, and disrupted supply chains already off-kilter because of the pandemic.

World Vision says RUTF is 'life-saving' in places like the Kenyan village of Purapul. By Simon MAINA (AFP/File)

A knock-on effect has been higher prices for powdered milk, vegetable oils and peanuts -- all key ingredients in RUTF, said Christiane Rudert, a nutrition adviser for UNICEF for southern and eastern Africa.

Even the materials used to make RUTF packaging have become scarcer and costlier, she said.

Power paste

UNICEF, which purchases around 49,000 tonnes of RUTF every year, is starting to feel the pinch.

"The cost has definitely gone up already, which affects our orders," Rudert told AFP.

French company Nutriset told AFP it raised the cost of its leading RUTF product "Plumpy'Nut" twice in the past year, including a 13-percent hike in May.

About 1.7 million children in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are suffering the most severe form of malnutrition. By Simon MAINA (AFP)

It could not attribute this directly to Ukraine but a confluence of factors, including the war but also the pandemic, higher shipping costs, and environmental disasters, Nutriset said in a statement.

Overall the price of "Plumpy'Nut" -- which reached 9.7 million children last year -- had risen 23 percent since May 2021, it said.

UNICEF forecasts that by November, prices for RUTF will have risen 16 percent from pre-war levels.

Russia's invasion has also raised fuel prices, making it costlier to deliver RUTF to where it's needed.

The timing could not be worse.

More than 1.7 million children in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are suffering the most lethal form of malnutrition as the Horn of Africa experiences its worst drought in generations.

The rising cost of RUTF means treating those children "will cost $12 million more than it would have cost before Ukraine", Rudert said.

A sachet of RUTF contains 500 calories and essential vitamins and minerals. By Simon MAINA (AFP)

It is money that is sorely lacking, she said, with donations to address the hunger crisis in the Horn falling well short of need.

"This product... is literally what saves children's lives when they have already reached that really severe form of malnutrition.

"It's not just peanuts and milk and sugar and oil... it's therapeutic," Rudert said.

'It's life-saving'

Invented a quarter of a century ago, RUTF proved revolutionary in treating severe wasting, a deadly condition where underfed children are too thin for their height.

A single sachet of RUTF delivers 500 calories and essential vitamins and minerals.

RUTF does not require refrigeration and can be eaten from the packet without preparation or assistance from a healthcare professional. By Simon MAINA (AFP)

Eaten directly from the packet, RUTF helps malnourished children quickly regain weight and energy, and requires no refrigeration or preparation by a healthcare worker.

This is essential in remote and impoverished regions like northern Kenya, where clean water and health workers are in short supply.

On a twice-monthly visit to Purapul, government doctor Mohamed Amin said most women and children were surviving on little else than the packs of paste he prescribed.

"It has really been a challenge," he told AFP at a mobile health clinic, where mothers were handed two weeks' worth of supplements to feed their children between screenings.

"At least it boosts them."

UNICEF buys enough RUTF to feed at least 3.5 million children a year. But at current funding levels, a 16-percent price rise could mean 600,000 miss out on this life-saving treatment, Rudert said.

This would have disastrous consequences not just for the Horn but elsewhere in Africa such as South Sudan, where 300,000 children are expected to require RUTF treatment this year.

UNICEF forecasts a 16-percent increase in the cost of RUTF by November. By Simon MAINA (AFP)

Jarso, from World Vision, said the impact of RUTF in a place like Purapul could not be overstated.

"There is no milk. There is no meat... there is no food for them. Therefore, it is life-saving."
The National Cathedral has been one of the most controversial projects under this government, with many believing that the project is a misplaced priority given the current economic woes in the country.

According to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu constituency, government has financed the National Cathedral project with public funds to the tune of GHC200m.

However, the project has stalled despite the seed funding.

But, President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo believes that once completed, the benefits to the country and the African continent will outweigh the drawbacks.

Speaking at the 19th plenary assembly of the symposium of episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), on Tuesday, July 26, themed Ownership of SECAM; security and migration in Africa and the islands, the president outlined its benefits.

We have embarked on the construction of a National Cathedral, which we hope would fill a missing link in the nations spiritual architecture, by providing a formal space for the religious activities of the state.

Our National Cathedral would provide an interdenominational space for worship, and will serve to insert God at the centre of our nation building efforts, providing an official venue of worship for state occasions in a nation that is predominantly Christian, that is a nation where more than seventy per cent (70%) of the people are self-confessed Christians.

It will also serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith, unifying the Christian community, and serve as a tribute to religious liberty. But, more importantly, it will serve as our collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on our nation, sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.

Just as the building of the Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event not only in Israel, but also in the whole world, we believe the building of the National Cathedral is an epochal event not only in Ghana, but also in the rest of Africa. Thus, although the National Cathedral was envisaged for Ghana, we have included elements to make it relevant to the African church," he stated.

Given the above benefits, the President reiterated his decision not to suspend the project with the explanation that, The project has run into some controversy currently about the funding. My personal view has always been that, even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground."

Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been, what can be called, an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries to complete, The President stressed.
Given the current economic hardships in the country, which have even prompted government to seek an economic bailout from the IMF, many are suggesting the free SHS policy should be scrapped or restructured.

Experts say government must conduct means testing to target only needy students.

But Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister delivering the Mid-Year Budget review in Parliament on Monday, July 25, said the Free SHS policy and the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) would not be scrapped or reviewed.

Speaking on the matter on the Accra-based GTVs breakfast show on Tuesday, July 26, monitored by Modernghana News, a Ghanaian lawyer and historian, Anokye Frimpong describes government's posture as a political mistake.

He explained that Ghana's struggling economy is not ready for a free SHS policy at the moment.

It's a very very big political mistake, especially if I should centre on the SHS. You see, Ghana really does not need a free and I say across-board free senior high school system," he stated.

He continued, Certain people must be identified as those who need help in order to be given free education. And it's so simple. You see, I have my son in a certain preparatory school in Accra. I pay a term of 5,000 Ghana cedis. In that same area, where my son attends school, there are people, or students, paying over $10,000 a term. So even mine is modest. So when my child leaves for SHS, where the fee is less than 1,500 cedis a term, and you say it is free. It does not affect me in any manner.

I do not appreciate it in any manner and I can assure you that there are thousands upon thousands of people in the country like me. Are you saying that judges' children, lawyers' children, Kennedy Agyapong, MPs, etc children should go to school free? No, you are not serious. But those Kayayei people whose children attend public schools and do not have money for trotro every morning."

Lawyer Anokye stressed It is so easy to identify them because when you are filling your BECE forms, the headmaster will make a remark and specify the fees you pay. So if it's a government school, it's automatic free education."
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ayawaso North Assembly, Aminu Zakari, has stressed the importance of the planned developments in Nima that would require the demolition of some properties.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Zakari noted that his district has struggled for revenue hence the need to demolish structures to create space for the construction of a market centre.

We don't have assets that will attract huge taxes and revenue, he said.

Some residents of Nima at the Senya Electoral area are protesting the governments decision to demolish buildings in the area.

Some affected residents plan to protest further this week, ahead of a deadline to move by next week.

The demolition was expected to begin on Tuesday, but residents stormed the area to express their displeasure.

One of the proposed projects is a new market. The [current] 1212 market is not for us. It is private property. Even the owner is moving them [traders]. He wants to develop the place.

Currently, the MCE said some Nima land is under litigation, so there is limited space for new development.

We believe that with the new market plan, it is going to generate not less than 10,000 jobs, Mr. Zakari added.

citinewsroom
The Okyeman Youth Association has registered displeasure at KOANS Estates Solutions for acquiring lease lands they describe as illegal.

The youth group led by its President, Archibald Ntiri-Acquah, says it is only Okyenhene Osagyefo Amotia Ofori Panin II, who has the sole right to lease lands under the stool lands regulations.

At a press conference in Kyebi, the youth demanded that the private developer produces receipt of payment of the lands within 48 hours or face legitimate confrontation.

KOANS Estate acquired an 8,000-hectare land on lease around the Nsawam area from two families  Mankata and Quansah  in Accra.

But the youth group says the procedure for the lease is fraudulent, null and void.

His claim of ownership, based on an alleged sale of his land to the Mankata and Quansah families by the Apedwa stool, is fraudulent and same is illegally untenable. The Okyeman is the immemorial allodial owner of all lands in the Akyem Abuakwa, thus per the record of the Ofori Panin, there has been no evidence of any land transaction with Mankata and Quansah families.

All the claims by Mr Kofi Anokye are a public admission of fraud and deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

The Okyeman Youth Association s press conference stems from recent claims by Mr. Kofi Anokye, a private estate developer, to the effect that he has acquired about 8,000 hectares of Akyem Abuakwa lands from the Mankata and Quansah families.

They served notice to the the private estate developer not to set foot at Okyeman for his personal safety following his recent attacks on the Okyenhene.

He has also been cautioned to refrain from his continued public assault on the dignity of the Ofori Panin Stool.

The Okyeman Youth Association said the orchestrated vilification of His Royal Majesty, the Okyenhene and Okyeman by Kofi Anokye and his surrogates has eroded the patience of the leadership of the Okyeman Youth Association .

OYA wants to state unequivocally that it will be unable to restrain its members from their legitimate confrontation to the theft of Akyem Abuakwa lands which was won by blood and sweat of our ancestors, Archibald stressed.

3news.com
The family of the late President John Evans Atta Mills is unhappy with the activities of the Atta Mills Institute run by Koku Anyidoho.

The head of the family and brother of the late President, Dr Cadman Mills, said the family is considering seeking legal advice to stop the activities of the Atta Mills Institute (AMI).

The so-called Atta Mills Institute is unauthorised, it is also unsanctioned, unappreciated and it is most unwelcome," Dr Cadman Mills said at the J.E.A. Mills Commemorative lecture in Accra on Tuesday evening (July 26, 2022).

The late Presidents family last week expressed anger at Mr Anyidoho and the Coastal Development Authority accusing them of desecrating the tomb of the former President.

Mr Samuel Atta Mills, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo Abirem and brother of the late President Atta Mills led the accusations.

A group calling itself Atta Mills Institute that the family doesnt even recognise, and Coastal Development Authority, have gone to break the grave of President John Evans Atta Mills".

"They have removed the tomb, and they claim that they are rebuilding it, the late Presidents brother told the Parliamentary press corps.

The brother of the late President described the action by the group as culturally offensive.

He also bemoaned the groups disregard for the family of the late President.

"My question is that: why will you touch someones grave without the familys permission?"

"We have traditions. Now that they have touched someones grave, is the body still in there? What did you put in that grave? What kind of rituals did you perform over there? Why will you go and touch the grave without informing us? Who has the body now? Coastal Development Authority under whose authority did you do this? Why do you always make us go through grief every time?" he asked.

"And you allow that Koku Anyidoho, that buffoon working with Atta Mills Institute, so-called, to go and touch this grave without informing our family head. This is a former president. Why will the government allow this to happen?"

"This is an insult to the family. This is an insult to [us], the Akans. This is an insult to the nation he added.

The Asomdwee Park, where the late president was buried, had been in a poor state due to lack of maintenance.

The Coastal Development Authority (CODA) and the Atta Mills Institute renovated the park and inaugurated it on Sunday, July 24, 2022, to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of Prof Mills.

In response, CODA and Mr Anyidoho denied tempering with the body and desecrating the tomb. Mr Anyidoho described the allegations as ridiculous and impossible.

John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was previously the Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings.

He is the first Ghanaian head of state to die in office.

Source: Classfmonline.com
A survey has ranked the Ghana Armed Forces as the most trusted public institution in the country by Ghanaians.

This is contained in the second public release of data from the Afrobarometer R9 Survey by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on Tuesday, July 26.

Besides, the Ghana Armed Forces, Traditional and Religious leaders, as well as the courts, also have the trust of Ghanaians.

Among key public institutions, the Ghana Armed Forces, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and the courts are the most trusted, a summary of the findings released by CDD-Ghana reads.

Find more in the attachment below:

Unfortunately, trust in other key public institutions has decreased astronomically in the past three years.

According to the findings of the survey, trust in the presidency has gone down by as much as 25%.

Trust in institutions declined between 2019 and 2022. Notably, trust in the presidency declined by 25 percentage points, the findings add.

Meanwhile, the presidency has been perceived as the second most corrupt public office.

The presidency is only second to the Ghana Police Service with Members of Parliament, Judges and Magistrates, as well as tax officials making the top five most corrupt institutions.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has reiterated Minoritys plan to cancel the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

Speaking to GTV on the Tuesday Breakfast Show, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament insisted that the E-Levy is a nuisance tax that is doing more harm than good.

He shared that just as the new tax has failed to rake in the projected revenue in the first two months, it will be the same in the coming months.

I have told them from day one that they were overly ambitious with E-Levy because that tax handle was not properly thought through and it was bound to crash.

E-Levy is the true definition of what we call nuisance tax. Upon all the noise, and the divisions it brought to us as a country it is generating only GHS50 million a month.

Its just a regressive tax with no proper revenue and I will urge the government to reconsider its position. They have to remove it, simple, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson stressed.

The Minority MP added, E-Levy will do more harm to Ghana than good. It is going to reverse all the gains we have made in the digital space, particularly with payment systems. Why do you charge medium of exchange? It is unacceptable.

He further noted that just as has been hammered in the past since the E-Levy was introduced, the NDC will repeal the tax as soon as it captures power from the ruling NPP in the 2024 general election.

We in the NDC believe that given the opportunity we will remove the E-Levy anyway and anytime. It will feature in our very first budget when we win power, Dr. Ato Forson noted.
27.07.2022 LISTEN

Two hundred and twelve Small Scale Enterprises are to receive GH13.8 million to expand their businesses under the GH145 million Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP) grant initiated by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA).

The beneficiaries comprise small-scale businesses in agro-processing, food and beverage, health care, and manufacturing.

The selected small-scale businesses will receive between GH10,000 and GH20,000 grants to support their operational costs, including purchasing raw materials and equipment.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, who disclosed this at an orientation and agreement signing ceremony in Accra, said the government would support small-scale enterprises to contribute their quota to national development.

She said the grant was a top-up to the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme Business Support Scheme (CAP-BuSS). It will help beneficiaries grow their businesses to create jobs to reduce unemployment in the country.

On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of the GEA, Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, said the fund was set up to support Ghanaian small-scale enterprises to unlock their potential to become global giants.

She disclosed that 21,000 businesses applied for the facility, but only 212 met the criteria after a rigorous selection process by the GEA, World Bank and other partners.

"The disbursement was a new stimulus package introduced by the government to cushion micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)," she added.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the shameful and condemnable brutality of some Africans who tried to enter Europe will continue unless African governments create an environment that engendered hope, peace and prosperity for its youth.

President Akufo-Addo said the incident of brutality and disrespect meted out to migrated Africans at Melilla would surely be added to the long list of incidents of young Africans humiliated and killed in their attempt to reach Europe.

Spanish and Moroccan police, on 24 June, killed 37 unarmed African migrants and wounded 100 others at the border of Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The incident occurred when some 2000 Africans, many of them from Sudan, tried to enter Melilla in search of a better life.

The African Union (AU) and Amnesty International have described photographic images and video footage from the crime scene as shocking showing bundles of people  dead and alive  piled up on the ground while Moroccan police walk among them, shaking and beating them with truncheons and batons.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said the incident is the highest recorded number of deaths in a single incident over many years of migrants attempting to cross from Morocco to Europe via the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta.

Speaking at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Accra Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said we the political leaders of our countries, carry the responsibility to help take Africa out of poverty, to help grow our economies and to help bring prosperity.

He said African leaders have the responsibility to make their countries attractive to the citizens, especially for the youth to believe they have a future here, and not risk their lives trying to get into parts of the world where they and their generations remain second class citizens.

We cannot build this happy and prosperous society we aspire to unless we lead rounded lives, we need a citizenry that pays equal attention to the head, the hand and the heart to be able to build a successful society, he stated.

President Akufo-Addo said since the majority of African countries gained their independence, some 60 years ago, many African peoples expected to live in secure and stable countries.

But after that great promise and excitement of the early years of independence, President Akufo-Addo said political freedom, unfortunately, did not deliver the economic prosperity hoped for, instead, the continent was plagued with political instability, manifested mostly by military coups and widespread poverty.

That disappointment, according to the President, led to young African people losing confidence that they could build a successful future in their home countries and migration to Europe and America became the main aspiration of African youth.

He said throughout the ages, migration had featured prominently in human activity, where some time back the migration traffic was from Europe into Africa, and Africans who ended up in the Americas were not willing migrants, but taken away against their will in the most infamous of trades, the barbaric and inhumane Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

But in recent times, young Africans have subjected themselves to the intolerable and inhumane conditions of crossing the Sahara and drowning in the Mediterranean, in the hope of making a living in Europe.

That, according to President, has elicited no chance of their being treated with respect when they do make it to Europe, nor can those of us left behind ever hope to be treated with respect by the rest of the world.

President Akufo-Addo said the reality today is if the country from which you start your journey of migration is prospering, you will be treated with respect wherever you go.

That, President Akufo-Addo indicated, had informed his government to invest a lot in education and other sectors of the economy.

The President said the government was creating the atmosphere for entrepreneurs to flourish and create jobs and for creative artists to have room to let their imagination take them to heights yet unknown.

President Akufo-Addo said before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ghana was building a strong economy, with an annual average GDP growth rate of 7%, one of the fastest rates of growth in the world at the time.

He said Ghana, in an attempt to build a modern and prosperous nation, had for the past 29 years of its 4th Republic, enjoyed political stability under a multi-party constitution and the longest period of stable, constitutional governance in our hitherto tumultuous history.

All these efforts, the President said had reinforced the countrys position as the 2nd most peaceful country in Africa, and ranked as the best trade and investment hub in West Africa, with 56% of the young people in Ghana believing Ghana is moving in the right direction.

Despite the severe devastation of COVID-19, the Russian -Ukraine war We will continue to work to realise the vision of our forebears who envisioned us to be the Black Star of Africa, he stated.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwao has called on the Akufo-Addo's government to do more in the fight against corruption in the country.

According to her, if leaders channel the same energy and commitment used to force the passage of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in Parliament into fighting corruption, the country will make progress.

Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwao said this at an event held by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Congress (CDD-Ghana) on Tuesday, July 26.

The event for the second public release of data from the Afrobarometer R9 Survey revealed that corruption in public institutions has worsened since 2019.

From the findings of the survey, the presidency is the second most perceived corrupt public office after the Ghana Police Service.

READ MORE: Presidency is second most corrupt public office after Police - Survey

Expressing worry about the revelation, Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwao warned that Ghana is sitting on a time bomb.

She said while the country already has good structures to fight corruption in place, it is important that leaders in various public institutions commit to fighting the act for things to change to prevent the time bomb from exploding.

We should see how possibly our institutions will help in fighting corruption. The structures are there. Its just a matter of low commitment, unwillingness, and sometimes its like the citizens lose confidence in them because they see corruption happening and we are not able to present and we are not also able to sanction.

We know what to do but its just a problem of the leaders not being ready to act. When they wanted E-Levy to pass within a short period they had itCorruption can be dealt with if they [leaders] show the same commitment. If sanctioning has been a problem that lets focus on the prevention aspect, the GII Executive Director said.

Mrs. Ofori-Kwao further urged Ghanaians not to sit unconcerned and watch for corruption to ruin the country.

She proposed that citizens should push for accountability from leaders and help institutions to name and shame public officers and institutions that engage in corruption.
The Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) Austria reprimands Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC and Atiku Abubakar of PDP for what the group described as continuous unwarranted verbal attacks and derogatory statements on Peter Obi and the Labour Party.

The group also asks APC and PDP to withdraw their candidates from the 2023 presidential election for lack of vision and in the best interest of Nigeria and to support Obi and Ahmed.

In a statement signed on behalf of the group by Prince Dyke Anyanwu, Mag. Leonard Kazie Obiagwu and Uzoma Ahamefule, the convener, it says,  Only trees that bear fruits get stoned .

Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu and their two parasitic parties (PDP and APC) know the value of Peter Obi and that is why they have kept on attacking him unnecessarily just to see if they could bruise his soaring image and personality. But no one can stop an idea its time has come. The more they attack Obi, the more they make him popular.

For the unity, peace, progress and general interest of Nigeria, we call on APC and PDP to look into the mirror, examine themselves very well and withdraw their presidential flag bearers from the 2023 presidential election and support Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed or get ready to be disgraced. We kindly appeal to Tinubu to jettison his self acclaimed life time ambition and accept to step down because the reality is that nature has turned against the desire. In the same vain too, Atiku should gently forget the desperation of wanting to become a president. Events have overtaken having a president like him who does not think of ranching but rather still believes in rearing cows from Sokoto to Benue, Ogun States and to cities like Abagana and Benin etc. without minding the millions worth of crops they have destroyed, people they have rendered jobless, homeless, useless and killed because of this analog way of life.

Tinubu had during the campaigning period of the just concluded Osun governorship election made not only a derogatory remark by calling the Labour Party a mushroom party, but he also made a shocking and embarrassing statement that members of the Labour Party will labour till they die. On the other hand, Atiku Abubakar of PDP in his own delusions of grandeur a few days ago said he really did not expect the Labour Party to get respectable votes as people think, because They have no structure at all levels, with no governor, and lawmakers. In his bid to further belittle LP and play down the mammoth crowd that follows Obi as only on social media, he ended up exposing his failure.

In the northern part of the country, about 90 per cent of the people dont have access to social media. Most of the electorates are not on social media, Atiku said. For Atiku who was a vice president for eight years to make such a lousy statement shows the kind of a leader he was and why the northern part of Nigeria remains not only the poorest in the country but equally one of the most backward in the world. Atiku should tell us what he achieved as a vice president for the northern people that should make them trust him again?

Tinubus deliberate action not to tell Nigerians the schools he attended and when he finished is a reminiscent of Buharis primary school certificate saga in 2014 where instead of him (Buhari) providing his certificate as requested by law, he went on to spend millions of the Nigerians tax payers money to employ SANs to defend him from answering a very simply question of: where is your certificate? And as a people we are yet to overcome the colossal effect of that quagmire and cannot afford to take the same path again. Therefore, Nigerian people have resolved never again will they allow someone who cannot simply tell them the primary and the secondary schools he attended and show them the certificates.

If one had a few months ago told Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC and Atiku Abubakar of PDP that they would today be acting like opposition parties to the Labour Party  or consider Peter Obi as torn in their flesh that would cause them sleepless nights  they would not have believed. How could they have? Because they believed that they were the only two parties that could challenge each other, that they had buildings as structures in every part of Nigeria, and that they had the money to influence and curry any political favor they want, but the reality of the huge followership of Peter Obi in every part of Nigeria has destabilized and shocked them, and it seems very difficult for them to accept the hard truth.

Take this message to all the Nigerian political parties and their presidential flag bearers and tell them to wake up from their delusional slumbers of thinking that when they shamelessly make Obi their cardinal points of campaign of disparagement in any given opportunity Nigerians will hate him. Tell them also not to be deceived by the Osun State governorship election results because Osun people voted Adeleke and not PDP, the same way Nigerians will vote for Obi and Ahmed in 2023, and that they should be prepared for fantastic defeats.

In their archaic method of campaigning, the camp of APCs Tinubu is packaging rice and garri in nylon bags, and perhaps would give tokens for tomatoes when the time comes as political strategies to win the vote of Nigerians, and they are in competition with PDPs serial presidential contestant, Atiku Abubakar, of who would give more rice and beans. These two failed political parties have nothing to offer Nigerians at the center, and they are consciously aware that Nigerians have woken up and that every plan of vote buying will fail, hence they are jittery, making rascal statements and telling lies against Peter Obi, the most popular and accepted candidate across the nation. Nigerians must reject every Greek gift they plan to offer during campaign and election times proper.

The collective decision of Nigerians to take back their country and to get out from the state of corruption, retrogression and abyss caused by PDP and APC is heightened by everyday events. And this resoluteness is closing up the nostril of PDP and APC that has irredeemably forced them into a very uncomfortable situation and they are choking, said POSN Austria.

The group (POSN - Austria) said they would be having their inaugural online zoom meeting this coming Sunday (31.07.22), by 7PM Nigeria time and 8PM Austrian time and urge the public especially those living in Austria to join the meeting.

Uzoma Ahamefule, a concerned patriotic citizen, purveyor of Peter Obi & Datti Baba-Ahamed 2023 presidential election and a refined African traditionalist, writes from Vienna, Austria.

+436607369050 (WhatsApp messages only

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In the wake of the recent eruption of communal violence in Bangladesh against Hindu minorities, a countless arguments and numerous criticisms have been brought to light. Something odd is happeningBangladesh is being painted by elements as a violent state from which Hindus are persecuting and fleeing away, into India continuously. Hindus are being tortured in Bangladesh Some claimed that Bangladesh has become quite a case of ethnic cleansing- subtly but forcefully ousting Hindu minorities across the border. Some even went further claiming that Bangladesh has failed to form a state where different religious and ethnic groups can coexist based on the principle of secularism- one of the four fundamental pillars of the liberation war in 1971. To cast evidence to those criticisms, most of them point fingers to the continuous decline of Hindu minority population in Bangladesh- a case drawn to demonstrate Bangladesh as a prolific ground of persecution against Hindu. But an objective discernment to those allegations, especially through comprehensive statistical appraisal, relative systemic endeavors and broader political landscape, makes them, in most part, lose their grounds.

A country of communal harmony like Bangladesh is rare in the world. Despite being a Muslim majority country, for thousands of years other religions have been living together in a very peaceful and harmonious environment. In the 50 years of independence, there were no communal riots like in another South Asian country. In Bangladesh and there were no incidents of killing, oppression or torture of people of different religions. Don't happen again. Even if there are some isolated incidents, the fuel and motivation of some anti-Bangladeshi people are behind it, only common people can understand. Those who are behind these incidents must be investigated and judicial action must be taken against them till date. The reason for this is not difficult to understand. Domestic and foreign conspirators always remain elusive. However, the government should be alert and aware of the fact that those behind-the-scenes. Some vested quarters have become active and may try to destabilize the government by questioning the communal harmony in the upcoming national elections. It is true that Bangladesh government tries to take all measures to maintain communal harmony in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony as people of different faiths have been living on this soil in peace from time immemorial. Members of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian communities have been living here from time immemorial in amity and peace

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said already the government will ensure strict action against people who disturb communal harmony in the country.

No communal disharmony will be allowed here. Government is firm to ensure punishment for those who ransack communal harmony creating anarchy, he said.

Khan said this while addressing Indian media personnel in Dhaka on Saturday in a view of the recent attack on the Hindu community in Narail over a social media post.

He said that Bangladesh was trying to achieve a long-lasting development but a vested quarter was trying to dismantle things.

Today's Bangladesh is Bangabandhu Sheik Mujib's non-communal Bangladesh. We are a united nation. No communal disharmony will be placed here and will never get the opportunity too to root here.

The government will take stern action against all such evils, the home minister said, claiming the number of minority communities, including Hindus was increasing in Bangladesh.

Statistics and Apparent Assumptions

According to the BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics) data, the percentage of Hindu community to total population was 13.5% in 1974, on Bangladeshs first population census, which, as of the latest census in 2011, stands at 8.5% , and again increases to 10.7% in 2015. Ostensibly, these statistical figures, continuous decline in percentage, seem to confer voice to predominant arguments about the decline of Hindu population. But, mere percentage estimation tells only the half truth about the broader demographic landscape of Hindu minority in Bangladesh. If we take the increase in total number, other than mere percentage, over the years along with other factors that have contributed to decline, into account, it will substantially clarify the whole picture and weaken the predominant narratives about persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Taking the total number into account, in 1974, the number of Hindu populations was 10.31 million which hit slightly above 12.7 million in 2011 and 17 million in 2015. It is seen that the total number has remained increasing whereas percentage to total Muslim population, due to relatively higher growth in the number of Muslim populations from 65.24 million in 1974 to135.4million in 2011, has kept decreasing. It is true that growth in numbers is a little slow among Hindu population and could hit 22 million by 2011 only if it increased linearly in terms of percentage as reported in 1974 (13.5%). But that is not because of any systematic persecution against the minority rather, in most part, of international economic migration, relatively lower birth and high mortality rate among Hindu population, higher rate of contraceptive use and particular political reality in the history of Bangladesh.

According to the study paper prepared by researchers from ICDDR, Bs Health Systems and Population Studies Division and the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), studying the population data of 1989-2016 of Matlab Upazila in Chadpur to find out why Hindus have lower population growth than Muslims, the birth rate of Hindu populace in every thousand falls short by 3 points comparing to Muslims. While the probability of having a child among the Muslim women is 35, it is 32 among Hindu women.

The study found that the tendency to late marriage and having not more than 2 children and relatively higher use of contraceptives also contribute to the low birth rate among Hindu populace. Even higher numbers of deaths, 4 more than that of Muslims in every ten thousand, can also be subscribed to the decrease in percentage. Finally, researchers concluded that 71 percent of low growth rate may be attributed to the the low rates of fertility and 23 percent to the international out-migration by Hindus.

In the report, they also observed that, since 2006, more Hindus have been opting for countries other than India for out-migration. Only 36 percent of the migrating Hindus of Matlab went to India between 2005 and 2012, but the bigger portion of them went to the states other than India for better living- a countervailing evidence against predominant propaganda that more Hindus have been leaving for India due to persecution.

Political Upheaval and Systemic liability

To be true, the percentage of Hindu minority comparing with that of Muslim has declined over last 50 years. But this estimation has overlooked a subtle but solid point: a fundamental political upheaval and constitution of Bangladesh from 1975 to 1991. Just take the number into account, from 1974 to 1991, percentage of Hindu minority to total population came down from 13.5 to 10.5 in 16 years. But, after the end of anti-secularism fueled military rule in 1991 and installation of constitutional democracy, percentage decline got little slower- 10.5 in 1991 to 8.5 in 2011 within 20 years of time span. In 2011, after the 15th amendment of Bangladesh constitution, secularism was restored which especially which has contribution to increase of percentage of Hindu people to total populace to 10.7% point in 2015. Unlike, its two bordering states- Myanmar and India, the former denying Muslim Rohingya minority of citizenship since 1982 out of pathological hatred and the latter rendering Muslims stateless through anti-Muslim laws, Bangladesh has never, particularly since 1991, intended to promote any discriminatory policy, be it in practice or by laws. Praiseworthy and prompt action taken by the Government of Bangladesh against the menace of recent Durga Puja incident, is a glaring example of this.

Minority is such a phenomenon which every country must possess, be it ethnic or linguistic or religious. But state sanctioned discriminatory policy, inherent ethnic or religious tension or historical schism mobilized by for political score usually contribute to violence against minorities. However, in Bangladesh mostly politically cornered vested groups have played out on minority to stoke crisis and tame the situation to their end. Besides long cherished pluralistic sentiment in Bangladesh is, rather in times, menaced by spill-over effect of politics and policies in proximate neighbors, of course by political fringe groups.

Samina Akhter, a Dhaka based women and human rights activist.
For the first time in history, Ghana joined this year's World Drowning Prevention Day celebration under the theme; 'Doing one Thing to Prevent Drowning.'

"Drowning has become an urgent disaster for the country, hence the need to be addressed. Today's celebration is to create awareness and to draw attention to drowning issues as we highlight how preventable drowning is and how cross-sector collaboration can save lives.

"According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimate, 236,000 people die from accidental drowning worldwide annually, 650 cases are registered worldwide daily with an average of 26 cases per hour. This has brought the problem of drowning to global attention and Ghana has not been exempted."

These were contained in a speech read by the Director of Policy Planning Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPRME), Mr. Koranteng Abrokwa on behalf of the Director General of National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Hon. Nana Agyeman Prempeh.

He noted that Ghana has a vast coastline, several rivers, lakes and ponds that provide livelihood, recreation and transportation, thereby increasing the risk of drowning.

Mr. Abrokwa further noted that, in Ghana, WHO estimate the number of drowning cases in 2018 as 1,200 with 4 people drowning every day.

"Apam has been on the nation's radar with high rates of drowning. We acknowledge the devastating impact drowning has on family, friends and the community. Drowning occurred mostly in Healthy people of young and productive ages. The family and friends of the drowned are not only traumatised in same cases breadwinners are also lost.

"The ripple effect of drowning is therefore numerous. As we celebrate World Drowning Prevention Day, we need to ponder on this year's theme of the celebration "Doing One Thing to Prevent Drowning" and see how we can contribute to its realization," he stressed.

The Director General's statement urged every individual community, group and associations to consider some of the risk factors that can lead to drowning and take preventive measures as much as possible.

The statement further identified some risk factors such as alcohol consumption, poor swimming ability, boat carrying capacity, lack of Supervision particularly of children when swimming, flood disaster and risk-taking behaviours.

He added that Nananom and Opinion Leaders must sensitize the people to prevent drowning. "Learning some basic water safety, survival skills and knowing the weather and water conditions when swimming, crossing water bodies or the sea can save us and others as well."

The Gomoa West District Chief Executive, Hon Bismark Baise Nkum tasked all and sundry to join forces with NADMO in the 'Drowning Prevention Drive' noting that it is an individual's obligation to be part of the sensitization programme.

"The theme 'Do One Thing to Prevent Drowning' is an invitation to take one tangible action to contribute to drowning prevention. That one thing, that we all can do individually or in groups.

"In effect, it seeks to increase awareness of the causes, effects and what can be done to advance drowning prevention, couldn't have come at an appropriate time than today's celebration, considering the devastating effects of Drowning on families, nation and the World at large.

"Our experience as a District from Drowning incident at Apam Beach on the 7th March, 2021 has taught us valuable lessons to periodically conduct sensitization programmes along the Coastal belt to educate communities on some water safety and safe rescue skills," he stated.

The Gomoa West DCE disclosed that following the recommendation from Ghana Psychological Association, the Gomoa West District Assembly has erected warning signposts at pro-drowning areas along the coastline to warn unsuspecting revellers.

"Am hopeful that at the end of this celebration, all present will be well-informed on causes and ways to prevent drowning," Hon. Baise Nkum noted.

The Gomoa West District Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Isaac Essuman Addison recounted a horrible incident that occurred in the District where 13 children drowned at Apam Beach describing it as sorrowful.

According to the Director, the incident was among numerous drowning cases that had been occurring in the District.

He called for all hands on deck to prevent drowning that has been recurring in the coastal communities, especially during occasions, holidays and other festivities like Christmas and Valentine among others.

Mr. Issac Essuman Addison appreciated the Director General of the National Disaster Management Organization, Hon. Nana Agyeman Prempeh for choosing Gomoa West District to host the maiden edition of World Drowning Prevention Day in the Gomoa West District.

He disclosed that NADMO was embarking on community engagement programmes on drowning prevention and other disaster-related issues to create awareness of 'Drowning Prevention and Natural Disasters.'

The Queen Mother of Apam, Nana Essel Botwe III who chaired the occasion assured that nananom would partner NADMO to carry out its assigned duties especially in drowning preventive measures.
Burkina Faso's former president Blaise Compaore, sentenced in absentia to life in jail for the 1987 assassination of revolutionary icon Thomas Sankara, has apologised to the ex-leader's family.

"I ask the Burkinabe people for forgiveness for all the acts I may have committed during my tenure, and especially the family of my brother and friend Thomas Sankara," he said in a message read out by government spokesman Lionel Bilgo on Tuesday.

The message was brought by a government delegation on a visit from Cote d'Ivoire, where Compaore has been living in exile since being ousted from power by mass protests in 2014.

Compaore seized power in the West African nation in a 1987 coup in which Sankara was gunned down by a hit squad.

The violent death of his former comrade-in-arms was a taboo subject throughout his 27 years in power.

A Burkina court handed him a life term in absentia in April for his role in the assassination.

"I take responsibility for, and regret from the bottom of my heart, all the suffering and tragedies experienced by all victims during my terms as leader of the country and ask their families to grant me their forgiveness," Compaore said.

The 71 year-old returned to Burkina Faso for several days this month, without facing arrest, after the country's military leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba invited him in the name of "national reconciliation".

The visit sparked an outcry among civil society groups and political parties, who said uniting the nation should not come at the expense of impunity.

Compaore expressed his "deep gratitude" to Burkina Faso's military-dominated transitional government.

National interest

He called on his compatriots to join "a sacred union, tolerance, moderation, but above all forgiveness so that the national interest prevails".

A Marxist-Leninist who blasted the West for neo-colonialism and hypocrisy, Sankara came to power as an army captain aged just 33.

He was assassinated little more than four years later on the same day as the coup which brought his erstwhile comrade-in-arms to power.

He and 12 colleagues were gunned down by a hit squad at a meeting of the ruling National Revolutionary Council on October 15, 1987.

Support for Sankara's belief in pan-Africanism and egalitarianism remains deeply rooted, and the country has erected monuments in his honour.

Diversion

However, Luc Damiba, secretary of the International Thomas Sankara Memorial Committee, blasted Compaore's apology as "a masquerade... a kind of diversion that he is sowing in people's minds".

Compaore's goal, he said, was "to be able to return to Burkina and get a presidential pardon".

Political analyst Siaka Coulibaly agrees that the return of Blaise Compaore seems inevitable, it's just a question of when and in what conditions.

"Given that this is only one file among many others in national reconciliation, it is possible that general measures such as amnesty will settle this case definitively," he told RFI.

Burkina's ruling junta took power in a January coup that ousted former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, amid widespread anger at the government's failure to deal with a jihadist insurgency that spread from Mali in 2015.

Thousands of people have died and nearly two million have been displaced, inflicting widespread economic damage to a country that is already among the poorest in the world.

(with newswires)
Building Lives: The daily life of a station master

(People's Daily App) 13:13, July 27, 2022

On the outskirts of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, a minimalist tollbooth called Lifoula is silently carrying out its duties. Several cars disappear into the distance as the red and white railings are raised.

This is the key entrance to the No. 1 National Highway. In an office with a pale yellow paint job, Aubierge is talking to her colleagues about their work. As station manager, her role is to supervise the whole team and improve the quality of the service. In the next two hours, Lifoula will see quite a lot of traffic, the first of two peak hours in a day.

Opened in 2016, the 535-kilometer-long No. 1 National Highway has built up a major transport artery from the capital Brazzaville to the key port city of Pointe-Noire, greatly enhancing land transport in the Republic of the Congo.

In the past there might have been just over 100 vehicles per day travelling between the two cities. The new highway will see an exponential increase in traffic of up to 4,000 vehicles per day, said Aubierge proudly.

The man who splits the mountain is what the local community said about China State Construction (CSCEC) when the No. 1 Highway was opened to public. It expressed the local peoples recognition of and praise for the top standard highway providing the best service experience. The highway took eight years to complete. It was built through a no-man's land, opening up the Mayombe forest, which had been secluded for more than half a century. The highway was hailed as the Road of Dreams by Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. In cooperation with CSCEC and a French engineering design consultancy, the government of the Republic of the Congo founded a tripartite joint venture company called La Congolaise des Routes (LCR) at the end of 2019, which stands for Roads for Congolese. The No. 1 National is the first high-grade highway operated by a Chinese enterprise in Africa. Since March in the same year, LCR has run it as the core vehicle for operations and has ensured road safety while achieving appreciation in asset values and sustainable development of the highway.

Aubierge has been working at the station for three years, starting in the first cohort. Her excellent communication skills and rigorous work ethic helped her to advance to become the station chief.

Luckily, my family is very supportive of what I do for a living. Given that theres never a dull moment, they are even surprised by my work because Im able to manage a whole station and there must be many problems to deal with for the customers, said Aubierge.

During the construction and operation of the project, China State Construction (CSCEC) has directly created a large number of job opportunities in the Republic of the Congo, with more than four hundred employees at the toll station at present.

This is a 30-year job and 30 years means that this job is very important and can benefit me and my family in the long run, as well as the Congolese people, said Babakila, the Deputy Station Manager.

The completion of the highway has brought unlimited potential. And as transport times and costs have been greatly reduced, a number of small markets along the route have begun to develop, creating the possibility for an increase in the income of the local population.

The highway helps society flourish, connecting our world with the outside as a whole. With its help, we can travel and go shopping more conveniently, said a merchant along the route.

Since its opening, the daily vehicular traffic on the No. 1 National Highway has increased more than 10 times on average. Over 90% of the import and export of important materials, minerals, and forest resources are transported to the Port of Pointe-Noire via this road, driving a 69% increment in local GDP.

It used to take three to six weeks to get from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, but now that the highway is open, it only takes a day to a day and a half, said a passing truck driver.

Not far from the entrance to the Lifoula toll station, a verdant tree sways in the breeze. The lifeblood symbol of friendship, planted by China, France and Congo, stands tall and green, as if telling the story of how the LCR is taking root here.

Aubierge ended her conversation with her colleagues and began a new busy schedule. Like the tree standing sentinel here, she will continue to guard and ensure the safety and free passage of the No. 1 National Highway, so that the Road of Dreams will enable the Congolese people to develop their economy and achieve their dreams, en route to a happy and fruitful future.

(Video source: China State Construction Engineering Corporation)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
THE RECENT reactivation of the commuter train service between Accra and Tema is welcome and relieving news.

For residents of cities worldwide, Ghana, not an exception, an efficient railway system, offers multifaceted opportunities to the people.

Besides the relative lower freight costs, it makes movement much easier than that what the road network offers.

The lull in the Accra to Tema service after it was reactivated as part of a general railway resuscitation now ongoing was a blow to residents, some of whom were having a feel of railway service for the first time.

For those in their late 60s, the advantages which come with an efficient railway system is still fresh in their memories. Even in their days of the old railway system, not the standard gauge model, the dividends were visible.

We have learnt that the current shuttle is a trial arrangement with the speed relatively shortened for engineering observations to be made and where necessary adjustments made.

We are longing to see a full-fledged functional commuter railway system between Accra and Tema and Accra to Nsawam.

So much money has been expended on the railway rehabilitation and modernisation system in the country. But being a capital intensive project, we can only call on government to expedite work on the total rehabilitation of the previously moribund railway system in the country.

While we acknowledge the efforts so far made in the rehabilitation project as evidenced by a ministry and authority created to execute the agenda, we will nonetheless ask for more action towards the realisation of the goal.

Commuters onboard the train, as t it headed to Tema, were excited about the relative low fares and prayed that the railway commuter system has come to stay as part of our transport architecture in the country.

Had political administrations done what the current government has initiated and continuing with, regarding railway rehabilitation, things would have been markedly different.

Unfortunately, the railway system was ignored for decades until the network of lines were taken over by traders and wild vegetation.

Isn't it amazing that the memory of a railway system is now a faded picture with many only seeing a working train in films and news bulletins? Now the honking horns of the train as it meanders its way to Tema and back is becoming a feature of Accra.

Now that the Accra to Tema line has received a lease of new life, we pray that the Accra to Nsawam route also receives this breath of engineering life.

That route will serve the needs of many persons for whom the cost of commuting in recent times is a hassle.

We recall the earlier test running of this route and the subsequent challenge which informed the suspension of service and hope this is addressed soon.

The many residents of Accra, now living in the various settlements along the route between Accra and Nsawam especially, Amasaman and Pokuase, the resuscitation of the service will minimise their daily hassles.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has insisted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo needs to ask for forgiveness over his governments bad decision to construct the National Cathedral at the time Ghanaians are suffering under unbearable economic hardship.

The Minority MP in the last few months has accused the government of allocating over GHS200 million to fund the project without parliamentary approval.

Addressing some Catholic Bishops at the 19th plenary assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, at Christ the King Church, in Accra, on Tuesday, 26 July 2022, President Akufo-Addo reacted to the brouhaha that has marred the project he personally pledged to God.

He said, there will never be an appropriate time to build a national cathedral.

My personal view has always been that, even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.

Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been, what can be called, an appropriate time to build a cathedral, President Akufo-Addo said.

Reacting to the President's comments, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says H.E Akufo-Addo deliberately failed to address the real and germane concerns of the Ghanaian people.

According to him, the Presidents speech was obfuscating and offensive.

He notes in a Facebook post that the President should have rather used the platform to ask for forgiveness for the utterly sinful cathedral scandal.

As Christians, we expect that at the very least, after President Akufo-Addo and his government have been so badly exposed in this utterly sinful cathedral scandal, that the President would have afforded the rare opportunity of coming before the revered clergy of the Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar yesterday to be contrite and ask the men of God to help him pray for forgiveness, even as he uses the occasion to apologize to the clergy he misled and the Ghanaian people he terribly deceived, part of the post by the MP reads.
Founder of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho says he will not engage in a fight with any member of the late President John Evans Atta Mills' family.

Mr. Anyidoho has been on the receiving end of backlash and insults from some members of the late President's family for among other things using the name Atta Mills to run an institute without their approval.

Speaking at a function as part of the 10th anniversary of the death of Prof Mills, in Accra on Tuesday, July 26, Mr. Cadman Mills noted that the family of Prof. Atta Mills will use legal means to stop Koku Anyidoho from using the name.

According to him, the family is unhappy Mr. Anyidoho is using the name of the former President to promote himself and his paymasters.

I saw his grave, where his name appeared a little bit except that it was spelt John Evans Atta Mills with a hyphen.

For somebody who claimed to know him very well to place a hyphen between the two names, even though the person who has the name himself has never put a hyphen in that name. They used this so-called refurbishment to promote themselves, to promote their institute and to promote their pay paymasters, Mr. Cadman Mills who is the Family Head of the Mills family said.

Reacting to the comments, Koku Anyidoho has disclosed that he will not fight the family of the former President.

He said because of the respect he has for the late President Mills, he is willing to set up a new institute to preserve the memory of his former boss.

Because of my deep respect for President Atta-Mills, I shall have no fight with the Cadman Atta-Mills and Sammy Atta-Mills. Let them live with their SHAME. Koku Anyidoho Institute will keep the legacy of President Atta-Mills alive. To God Almighty be the glory, Koku Anyidoho noted in a Tweet on Tuesday.

Another Tweet said, Koku Anyidoho Institute (KAI), lives to glorify God & to respect the memory of President Atta-Mills.
Jewish community representatives on Tuesday voiced alarm after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke out against creating "peoples of mixed race".

In a speech in Romania's Transylvania region, which has a large Hungarian community, the 59-year-old ultra-conservative prime minister spoke against mixing with "non-Europeans".

Terming Orban's speech "stupid and dangerous", the International Auschwitz Committee (IAC) called on the EU to continue to distance itself from "Orban's racist undertones and to make it clear to the world that a Mr. Orban has no future in Europe."

"It's not just Auschwitz survivors in Hungary who are alarmed and appalled by the recent statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Orban," according to IAC vice-president Christoph Heubner in a statement.

"The fact that Viktor Orban is now underlining his racist, right-wing populist and anti-European policies is further evidence . . . that he . . . wants to erase the values of the European Union, which is precisely why survivors of the Holocaust find Orban's sstatements dumb, stupid and dangerous."

Heubner called on Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to confront the Hungarian leader when he hosts Orban in Vienna later this week.

'Pure Nazi text'

Orban's speech also led a member of the prime minister's inner circle, sociologist Zsuzsa Hegedus, to resign. Hegedus described the speech as a "pure Nazi text", and, according to the website of the newspaper Heti Vilaggazdasag, wrote an open letter to Orban saying that she has to "end a relationship due to such a shameful position, which ... contradicts all my basic values."

Orban gave the controversial speech on 23 July at the Balvanyos Summer Free University and Student Camp in Transylvania, Romania.

The long expose focused on what he called the "demise of Western culture" which tries to export its ideas of democracy "loathed by other countries."

But, says Orban, over the last century, the global balance of power gradually shifted with countries that control the energy resources from the US and Europe in 1900 to Russia and the Middle East today, with "50 per cent of Africa's total raw material exports going to China."

French novel

The assets of the West - "military power and capital" - won't be enough to sustain superiority in the long term, he says. Moreover, anti-Russian sanctions over the Ukraine war are backfiring. "Now that we are not buying from the Russians, we have effectively shifted Russian energy towards China, and China has thus eliminated its energy dependence," dixit Orban.

In the most controverial part of the speech Orban says that "the most important challenge is population, or demography," in Hungary there are "more funerals than baptisms," the population of the original white, caucasian inhabitants is shrinking, and Europe is overrun by migrants, "splitting" the continent.

"Around 2050, the laws of mathematics will lead to the final demographic shift: cities in this part of the continent will see the proportion of residents of non-European origin rising to over 50 percent of the total," and he cites the 1973 novel Le Camp des Saints, by French writer Jean Raspail, a fictional account on the destruction of Western civilization through Third World mass immigration to France and the West.

'Misinterpreted'

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said Orban's speech had been misinterpreted by those who "clearly don't understand the difference between the mixing of different ethnic groups that all originate in the Judeo-Christian cultural sphere, and the mixing of peoples from different civilisations".

In his speech, Orban also seemed to allude to the gas chambers of the German Nazi regime when criticising Brussels' plan to reduce European gas demand by 15 percent.

"I do not see how it will be enforced -- although, as I understand it, the past shows us German know-how on that," he said.

Hungary's Jewish community has also slammed the speech.

"There is only one race on this Planet: the Homo Sapiens Sapiens," chief rabbi Robert Frolich wrote on Facebook.

'Zero tolerance'

In response to the criticism, Orban stressed "his government's policy of zero tolerance when it comes to anti-Semitism and racism.

"You cannot seriously accuse me of racism after 20 years of collaboration," he argued.

Bogdan Aurescu, foreign minister of fellow EU member Romania, said Orban's "ideas" were "unacceptable".

A spokesman for the European Commission said it never commented on statements by European politicians.

"What's clear is that the EU has a certain number of values which are enshrined in the treaties and it implements policies in line with these values and these treaty articles," spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters.

(With agencies)
A police officer and a final year student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have allegedly gang-raped a female student at Bomso in the Ashanti Region.

Information available to this portal indicates that the two suspects lured the victim into an off-campus hostel at Bomso and allegedly pounced on her, raped her in turns and video-recorded the whole process.

The issue is said to have happened on Wednesday, July 20 and one of the two suspects has been named as Frank Adu Poku. He and the final year student are being held in police custody.

The police officer was held at Apiadu Police Station while the accomplice student was also kept in custody at KNUST Police Station.

The two suspects after being in custody for almost a week were transferred to the regional command upon instructions from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for further investigations.

The police are yet to comment on the incident as at the time this report.

---3news.com
Brother of the Late Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Mr Cadman Atta Mills has accused the Director of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho of using the refurbishment of the Asomdwe Park, the burial place of Prof Mills, to promote his institute and his paymasters.

Speaking at a function as part of the 10th anniversary of the death of Prof Mills, in Accra on Tuesday July 26, Mr Cadman Mills said I saw his grave, there his name appeared a little bit except that it was spelt John Evans Atta Mills with a hyphen.

For somebody who claimed to know him very well to place hyphen between the two names, even though the person who has the name himself has never put a hyphen in that name. They used this so-called refurbishment to promote themselves , to promote their institute and to promote their pay paymasters.

On Tuesday July 19, another brother of Prof Mills, Sam Atta Mills accused Mr Anyidoho and the Coastal Development Authority (CoDA) of tinkering with the tomb.

A group calling itself Atta Mills Institute that the family doesn't even recognize, and Coastal Development Authority , have gone to break the grave of President John Evans Atta Mills. They have removed the tomb, and they claim that they are rebuilding it, the Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo Abirem said at press conference in Parliament.

He added My question is that, we have a family tradition. Now that they have touched someone's grave, is the body still in there? Who has the body? Why will you touch the body without informing the family head? Under whose authority?

Why do they want us to always go through grief? This is a former president, why will the government allow this to happen? This is an insult to the family and the nation.

Both Koku Anyidoho and CoDA all denied the claim.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the refurbished Asomdwoe Park on Sunday July 24.

He said he was happy that the burial place of the Late Professor John Evans Atta Mills who died on the seat as President some 10 years ago, Asomdwoe Park, has been elevated to a status befitting the final resting place of a President of the Republic of Ghana.

Mr Akufo-Addo indicated that sometime after becoming President, he became aware of the sad state of Asomdwoe Park, and, in 2020, I received a request from the late President's energetic Communications Director, Koku Anyidoho, who runs the Institute named after the President, for the assistance of Government to rehabilitate the facility.

He said he agreed, and, subsequently, instructed the Coastal Development Authority to undertake a thorough rehabilitation of the Park, with the close co-operation of the Institute.

It was not right that the Park had been allowed to deteriorate considerably over the years since his burial in 2012, and I am happy that it was under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo , allegedly his 'fiercest critic' that Asomdwoe Park has been elevated to a status befitting the final resting place of a President of the Republic of Ghana.

I did so with that objective solely in mind, and not to exploit or take advantage of any so-called divisions in the political party to which he belonged. Those alleged divisions are not of my making, and do not, in any way, inure to my benefit.

There have also been unfortunate accusations levelled by some against Government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the Park. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is good to note that these false, malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority , through the agency of its CEO, Mr. Jerry Ahmed Schaib, in a public statement under his hand.

My wife Rebecca and our children join me and the Government in reiterating our sincere condolences to his wife, Naadu, his son, his entire family, to the National Democratic Congress , and, indeed, to the people of Ghana for their great loss. The man from Ekumfi Otuam will not be forgotten. Accordingly, ladies and gentlemen, it is my singular honour, formally, to commission the Asomdwoe Park.

President John Evans Atta Mills, my good friend Fiifi, rest and abide in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty, until we all meet again on the last day of the Resurrection. May God continue to bless his soul, and us all, and may God bless our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong, he said.

---3news.com
Al-Qaeda jihadists are tightening the screws on Mali's military junta, extending their attacks to the south of the country and hitting a key garrison town on the outskirts of the capital.

Raids last week displayed coordination and operational complexity at a range that is unprecedented in the country's decade-long jihadist campaign, say analysts.

Last Thursday, six attacks unfolded simultaneously at 5 am, striking the country's troubled centre as well as the southern regions of Sikasso, Koulikoro and Kayes, which until now had never been targeted.

The following day, two explosive-laden vehicles smashed into the gates of an army building in Kati, a garrison town 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Bamako, killing a soldier.

The suicide raid was claimed by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel and an Al-Qaeda affiliate, according to monitoring group SITE.

The operation was "a way of telling (the authorities) that they can strike anywhere," a Malian analyst in the central town of Sevare told AFP.

The name of Kati has huge resonance in Mali. Its army base was the springboard for the country's August 2020 coup and reputedly houses the country's strongman, Colonel Assimi Goita, and Defence Minister Colonel Sadio Camara.

'Corridor' to south

GSIM was created in 2017 from several groups -- Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, an early pioneer of jihadism in the Sahel that was born in 2007, and Katiba Macina, Ansar Dine and Al-Mourabitoun, which were also led by veteran militants.

A UN-based expert in jihadist groups said the GSIM's southward push emulated its successful "strategy of contagion" in the centre of the country.

Jihadists first struck the north of Mali in 2012, joining a regional insurgency.

After being scattered the following year by French forces, they regrouped, in 2015 launching attacks in the ethnically volatile centre and cross-border raids on Niger and Burkina Faso.

Across the three countries, thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million have been displaced, and the economic damage has been devastating.

Heni Nsebia, a researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), said the recent attacks had had "modest results, bearing in mind the means that were deployed".

Mali. By (AFP)

However, they were also a potent demonstration of the GSIM's powers of coordination, proving the organisation is not "just a coalition of disparate groups", he said.

One insight that emerges is the "major freedom of movement" for jihadists between the centre and south of the country, demonstrating the GSIM's influence over a vast area that includes the border with Burkina Faso, said Nsebia.

A recent report by UN specialists described a "southwards corridor" enabling GSIM to "extend towards the Atlantic coast" and countries on the Gulf of Guinea beyond Burkina Faso, notably Benin and Togo, where cross-border attacks have been rising.

GSIM's targeted tactics contrast with those adopted by Islamic State jihadists in Mali, who are often blamed for indiscriminate massacres of civilians.

In areas where it wields special clout, such as the arid regions of the north, the GSIM tries to set up a parallel government to the state, say local sources.

They try to win over local people to their vision of a just and protective society, "proposing Islamic justice, access to health care and security", said a security source in Timbuktu.

'Mercenaries'

In early 2020, GSIM leader Iyad Ag Ghali declared he was willing to hold talks with the government in Bamako, as "between brothers", provided France and the UN withdrew their forces.

Mali has been run since August 2020 by a military-dominated government led by Colonel Assimi Goita. By ANNIE RISEMBERG (AFP/File)

Since then, Mali's elected government has been replaced by a military one, and French troops are close to pulling out after the junta brought in Russian paramilitaries.

But these major shifts have not been followed by any sign of talks. In fact, violence has risen.

In central Mali, civilians are caught between the jihadists on one side and, on the side, the Malian security forces aided by suspected operatives from the pro-Kremlin Wagner group.

In June at least 132 villagers were massacred -- an act that the authorities pinned on the GSIM's Macina Katiba component, but which the GSIM has denied.

The organisation's mouthpiece, in claiming the Kati attack, said on Saturday: "If you have the right to hire mercenaries to kill defenceless innocents, then we have the right to destroy and target you."
President Akufo-Addo has assented to a bill to introduce plea bargaining into Ghanas justice system for most cases.

The introduction of plea bargains is backed by the Criminal and Other Offence (Procedure) (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 1079).

This Act creates exceptions to plea negotiations for charges of high treason, high crime, rape, defilement, genocide, robbery, kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, abduction, piracy, hijacking and an offence related to public elections.

According to a statement from the Attorney Generals office, the exceptions were backed by strong public policy considerations.

It said the interest of the State and the need to protect the vulnerable in society were paramount.

Plea bargaining is a process in criminal justice where an accused person relinquishes the right to a full trial in exchange for some other benefit.

The benefits of plea bargaining to the State include a reduction in the caseload of the courts and of prosecutors, decongestion of the prisons due to reduced sentencing aiding in the reform of accused persons and the satisfaction of victims of offences through compensation and restitution, in addition to the punishment of the accused.

Other benefits include saving the State resources through the reduction of protracted trials.

For an accused person, benefits may include a reduction of the offence charged to a lesser offence, a reduction in punishment for an offence charged or a withdrawal of some of the charges against the accused person.

The statement noted that training programmes will be organised for judges, prosecutors in the Office of the Attorney-General, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service and other stakeholders in the legal profession before the law is fully implemented.

The enactment of the plea bargaining law represents one of the innovations by the Office of the Attorney-General to reform the criminal justice system in Ghana.

---citinewsroom
The Peoples National Convention (PNC) is marking its 30 years anniversary today, July 27, 2022.

On July 27, 1992, the party was registered at the Electoral Commission with a promise to contribute to shaping the political discourse and economic destiny of Ghana.

Although the party has been unable to win an election in the fourth republic to have the chance to rule, it says it is not relenting on its ambition.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the PNC, the leadership and membership have through a press release saluted the memory of its forebears and great visionaries whose sacrifice and foresight founded the party.

Despite facing challenges, the party says it remains true and undaunted notwithstanding the many low points that have characterized its existence.

It is the partys message to the Ghanaian electorate and entire citizenry that the PNC shall be inspired by its past in accepting the call to shape the countrys future, part of a release from the party signed by National Chairman Hon. Moses Dani Baah has said.

It concludes, Let PNC members and Ghanaians in general, in solidarity with the struggle for a nation of abundance, spend a minute of reflection in prayer for our collective future as a country in which we all have a stake. The challenges of our nation today are huge yet the PNC is equipped with palpable panacea, hence a call for our compatriots (Ghanaians) to vest their votes in us in the upcoming elections in 2024 for a prosperous Nation.

For Immediate Release

The Media

27th July, 2022

THIRTIETH (30TH) ANNIVERSARY OF THE PNC

On 27th July, 1992, the Peoples National Convention was registered at the Electoral Commission with a promise to contribute to shaping the political will and economic destiny of Ghana.

On the occasion of the thirtieth (30th) anniversary of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), the leadership and membership salute the memory of its forebears and great visionaries whose sacrifice and foresight founded this Nkrumahist party.

Whilst the past three decades have not been smooth and the PNC is yet to assume the reins of government since the start of the 4th Republic, this anniversary offers the party the opportunity to reflect on its very existence of seeking to pursue the unfinished Nkrumah-cum-Limann blueprint for development. The blueprint that assures every citizen a claim to the corporate Ghana we all belong to; that places the needs and aspirations of the Ghanaian at the centre of national policies; and establishes a nation that spearheads the great African project. The blue print that puts God and Country first, Neighbour second and self-Last, thus Service with Honesty.

Despite many challenges, the party remains true and undaunted notwithstanding the many low points that have characterized its existence. It is the partys message to the Ghanaian electorate and entire citizenry that the PNC shall be inspired by its past in accepting the call to shape the countrys future.

Let PNC members and Ghanaians in general, in solidarity with the struggle for a nation of abundance, spend a minute of reflection in prayer for our collective future as a country to which we all have a stake. The challenges of our nation today are huge yet the PNC is equipped with palpable panacea, hence a call for our compatriots (Ghanaians) to vest their votes in us in the upcoming elections in 2024 for a prosperous Nation.

PNC, Eye Kube!!!

.signed

Hon Moses Dani Baah

National Chairman
Parliaments Privileges Committee has recommended that the seat of Dome Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo, be declared vacant for her absence from the chamber without permission from the Speaker.

The majority of members on the Committee are in favour of that decision against those who recommend otherwise.

Portions of the report read: The majority was of the view that Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo failed to take advantage of the numerous opportunities and facilities offered her to provide reasonable explanation to the Committee with regard to her absence without leave.

A few days ago, Ms Safo, who is also the Minister of Gender, Child and Social Protection, said the NPP cannot give up on anyone as every single person and vote is needed to enable the party to retain power.

She, therefore, urged the leadership of the party to work to maintain a united front so they break the eight-year power-swing jinx.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, 17 July 2022, congratulating the newly-elected national executives of the NPP, the Dome Kwabenya MP reiterated that despite the clear political hounding and vendetta by certain elements within the party and parliament against her, she has never wavered in her commitment to the ideals and creed of the NPP and the Akufo-Addo-led government.

According to the Dome Kwabenya MP, during her time as Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament and Leader of the Womens Caucus, she, together with the leadership of the Majority, did our very best to protect a colleague female Member of Parliament who had to be away in London for close to two years to take care of family issues.

We did this on compassionate grounds because it involved children and didnt go round making hue and cry about her absence.

This is just one example of how we protected one of our own as leaders in parliament.

She however noted: In the last few months that I have been away from official duties albeit not intentionally, I have become a victim of a sustained political witch-hunt by certain elements in the NPP and in parliament to achieve their own parochial goals.

This has left me asking myself if this is happening because I am a woman, who, for just this one time, needed some time off to deal with a few personal issues which were too dear to share with the larger public.

She continued: As a member of the party, I have served with utmost diligence (both in opposition and in government) and have at all times put the fortunes of my family at the disposal of the party.

She added: At no point in time have myself nor my family withheld anything of ours from our great party, yet today, I am conveniently being called a traitor and all manner of names with several schemes being put to play and employed to oust me from my position as MP and minister.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Soldiers and police officers were deployed across eastern DR Congo towns Wednesday after days of deadly anti-UN protests that have claimed at least 19 lives in the volatile region.

Calm appeared to have returned to several towns in North Kivu province, according to AFP reporters, after unrest broke out in the provincial capital Goma on Monday and quickly spread.

Crowds had stormed a United Nations peacekeeping base and a supply centre in the city of Goma in North Kivu on Monday, looting valuables and chanting hostile slogans.

Three UN peacekeepers were then killed on Tuesday after protests spread, in an attack on their base in the town of Butembo.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said during a televised news conference on Tuesday night that 12 protesters in total had been killed during the unrest, in addition to the peacekeepers.

"In no case is violence justified," he said.

The UN mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO, has come under regular criticism in the troubled east, where many accuse it of failing to stop decades-old armed conflict.

More than 120 armed groups roam the volatile region, where civilian massacres are common and conflict has displaced millions of people.

Even as tensions began to dissipate in North Kivu on Wednesday, a deadly anti-UN protest erupted in the town of Uvira in neighbouring South Kivu province.

Four people were killed, according to Uvira town hall spokesman Dominique Kalonzo -- raising the total death toll from the anti-UN protests to 19.

Youngsters had attempted to besiege a MONUSCO base in the town on Wednesday morning, he said, before being dispersed by police officers firing warning shots.

A bullet pierced a high-voltage cable, however, which collapsed on protesters about 100 metres (yards) from the UN base, Kalonzo said, killing four.

'Very volatile'

On Wednesday, AFP correspondents saw tighter security in the North Kivu towns of Beni and Butembo, as well as in Goma, the provincial capital.

Armed police and soldiers were patrolling Beni in jeeps and a highway leading out of the town towards several MONUSCO bases was heavily guarded.

Relative calm had also returned to Goma, where shops were beginning to open again as security forces deployed across the city.

Most the fatalities have occurred in Goma and Butembo, key trading hubs in North Kivu province. By (AFP)

In the town of Sake about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Goma, Congolese police fired tear gas to deter protesters from approaching a UN base, which was ringed with soldiers and police officers.

"We will protest until they leave," said Jackson Kibuya, a protester in Sake, holding up a banner reading "Bye Bye MONUSCO".

On Tuesday, MONUSCO released a statement strongly condemning the attacks on its peacekeepers, which it called unjustifiable.

Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman, also warned reporters in New York on Tuesday that the situation on the ground is "very volatile".

Rebel advances

The latest protests come after the president of the senate, Modeste Bahati, told supporters in Goma on July 15 that MONUSCO should "pack its bags".

They also coincide with the resurgence of the M23 -- a militia that lay mostly dormant for years before resuming fighting last November.

MONUSCO is one of the UN's biggest peacekeeping operations, with more than 16,000 uniformed personnel. By John WESSELS (AFP/File)

The rebels have since made significant advances in eastern Congo, including capturing the North Kivu town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border.

The UN first deployed an observer mission to eastern Congo in 1999.

In 2010, it became the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO -- the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- with a mandate to conduct offensive operations.

It has a current strength of about 16,300 uniformed personnel, according to the UN.
A Businessman, who allegedly took GHS317,149.25 from one Mr Kelly Kotei, under the pretext of securing him six cars of various brands, but failed has been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court.

Mr Richmond Asante, charged with defrauding by false pretense, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Court, presided over by Mrs Patricia Amponsah, admitted the accused person to bail in the sum of GHS100,000.00 with two sureties.

The Court ordered one of the sureties to be justified.

The case has been adjourned to August 18, 2022.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Evans Kesse, prosecuting, told the Court that the complainant, Mr Kelly Kotei, was a Radiographer and a Businessman whilst the accused person was also a businessman and resided at Tema Community 18.

The prosecution said in 2019, the witness in the case introduced the complainant to the accused person as someone who dealt in second-hand cars from overseas.

Mr Kesse said the complainant met the accused person and he showed him a number of cars he wanted to buy.

The prosecution said the complainant indicated that he had 2014 Toyota Corolla, 2015 Toyota Corolla, 2016 Honda Civic, 2013 Ford Fiesta, 2020 Hyundai Santafe and 2017 Mercedes Benz, all amounting to GHS317,149.25.

The prosecution said the accused person gave his Ecobank and Fidelity bank accounts at Tanoso and Haatso branch respectively, which the complainant and the witness transferred the money.

Mr Kesse said after the accused person had received the money, he promised the complainant that in six months, he would deliver the said cars to him but failed.

The prosecution said the complainant's father met the accused person's father at his residence at Tepa in the Ashanti Region and had a discussion, but all yielded nothing.

On May 20, 2022, the complainant reported the case to the Police and the accused person was arrested.

During interrogation, the accused person admitted the offence in the presence of an independent witness.

GNA
27.07.2022 LISTEN

John Alan Kyerematen, the Minister of Trade and Industry (MoTI), has said a total of 282,792 direct and indirect jobs would be created under the government's One-District, One-Factory (1D1F) industrialization programme by 2023.

Presently, about 150,975 direct and indirect jobs have been created in about 125 factories, with 144 under construction and 29 awaiting financing support.

Mr Kyerematen disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr John Hawkins Asiedu, the Technical Adviser in-charge of Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones at MoTI.

He gave said this in his address at the opening of the Central Regional Trade, Tourism and Investment Fair 2022 at the Adisadel Park in Cape Coast.

The weeklong Fair dubbed "Central Expo 2022", has more than 200 exhibitors from the 22 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region.

Hinged on wooing investment to the most peaceful region in Ghana, the Expo on the theme: "Promoting Trade, Tourism and Investments in the Central Region: Challenges, Prospects and Solutions, seeks to showcase the investments potential of the Region.

The occasion was graced by Ministers of state, Members of Parliament, Council of State, the Diplomatic Corps, the business community, traditional leaders and religious leaders, among others.

Mr Kyerematen commended the Central Regional Coordinating Council and partners for the bold initiative towards bringing business, investors and customers together for mutual gains.

He indicated that the fair would provide an excellent opportunity for businesses to engage clients for determined market potential, conduct research and evaluate competition.

Also, to develop commercial structures by identifying new agents and distributors, and initiating joint ventures and project partnerships through partnerships, networking, and job creation.

Mr Kyerematen said the 1D1F industrial drive was in response to the private sector call to decentralize industrial development and spread job creation across the country.

In essence, he said, the 1D1F programme was a government-assisted private sector-led initiative that seeks to provide generous incentives to businesses to set up productive ventures, mainly factories.

Again, it is expected that the factories will increase the country's export earnings, while cutting down on imports due because the factories would produce much of the needs of the country locally.

According to the Minister of Trade, the policy has been reinforced by the establishment of various Industrial Parks or Special Economic Zones in every Region in partnership with the private sector to drive industrialization.

In addition to that, he said the Ministry has reformed the National Board for Small-scale Industries (NBSSI) Into the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) as the umbrella body for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to support them.

Besides, Mr Kyerematen said the country's industrialization agenda has further received a major boost with the establishment of 37 business resource centres (BRCs) across the country.

They were set up by the MoTI under the Rural Enterprises Programme (REP), to support the growth and competitiveness of MSMEs and 1D1F companies.

The Business Resource Centres (BRC) under the REPs will provide business development services such as the identification of business opportunities, business plan preparation, facilitation of access to finance/credit and business health check, otherwise known as business diagnostics.

Other services include the provision of training in management and entrepreneurship, business counselling and advisory services, productivity improvement programmes and capacity building for institutions.

The BRCs, to be run as profit-making entities, are to be managed by private sector operators under a franchising arrangement with the GEA the ultimate owners of the BRCs.

This is to ensure the sustainability of operations and maintenance of facilities of the centres and the aggressive and guided promotion of business activities in the country.

GNA
Ghana's Parliament has approved a 135 million euro loan facility for the design and construction of Phase One of the Suame Interchange and Ancillary works.

The facility is sourced from the Deutsche Bank. The agreement was laid in the house, a day after the Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was attacked in his constituents over the nature of roads in his constituency where the interchange will be constructed.

Speaking during the debate, the Majority Leader urged his constituents not to foment trouble due to the nuisance of dust pollution that may occur during the construction.

Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu recently assured that the project would start in September 2022.

Construction of the road started late in June 2022, but was suspended due to a shortage of bitumen.

The contractor is however said to have resumed work after the tensions that saw the MP accosted by artisans in the Suame Magazine enclave when he visited the area.

Residents have complained that the poor road is hampering business in the industrial hub due to the build-up of dust brought on by the moving cars.

---citinewsroom
Former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Benard Allotey Jacobs, has heaped praises on President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Putting aside political differences and ideologies, he describes Akufo-Addo as an "excellent-minded man."

Modernghana News monitored Accra-based Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' Morning Show today, July 27, where he urged Ghanaians to change their mindset and rally behind the President.

Let's put everything aside. I say Nana Akufo-Addo, as you see him, he's a mature man, excellent in mind and a visionary.

"We have to change our mentality, our attitude and our character as a nation. If you don't think about Ghana and you think about yourself and how you will come to power, power, one day, will be useless for us, he touted.

Mr. Allotey Jacobs stated, The politicians should let voters respect them and let us respect our leaders. We have come a long way.

Pressure has been mounted on the President in the face of the current economic crisis in the country, which has made life unbearable for the average Ghanaian.

The situation, extreme as it is, has prompted the country's 18th return to the IMF for a balance of payment support.
A soldier from the armed forces of the DRC on foot patrol in the village of Manzalaho near Beni. - Source: Alexis Huguet / AFP via Getty Images

27.07.2022 LISTEN

The conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the deadliest the world has ever witnessed . One report estimates the death toll at 5.4 million while a more conservative count puts it at one million dead. Much of the conflict is centred in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, which lie on the DRC's eastern border. The provinces border on Uganda in the north-east, Rwanda and Burundi to the east and Tanzania towards the south-east.

Different scholars have attributed the recurrent conflict to ethnicity and nationality . In recent years much of the focus has been on the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. However, this does not explain the prevalence of the other two drivers of the conflict.

For this reason, I set out to rethink the ongoing conflict in North Kivu and South Kivu as part of my PhD research . I sought to establish whether the conflict can be considered as a political struggle between indigenous Congolese and Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese. I also sought to investigate the contest for survival between Hutu and Tutsi elites.

Most scholarly works identify a conflict in North Kivu that dominated headlines in 1993 as the starting point of violence in the region. But based on my research , I have concluded that the conflict is two distinct conflicts that became intertwined over one-and-a-half centuries. The first is a much older conflict which started during colonialism and has as its source a local struggle for belonging.

The second is relatively new, and is a regional contest for survival between the Hutu and Tutsi elites.

The two conflicts

The first conflict is rooted in Belgian and German colonialism in present-day DRC, Rwanda and Burundi. Based on a racist notion popular among African colonists at the time , the two colonial administrations gave privileged status to some of the local population based on ethnicity. This explains how the Tutsi became the intermediate rulers for German and Belgian colonial powers in Ruanda-Urundi, the colony that gave birth at independence to Rwanda and Burundi.

In addition, when Belgium became the sole colonial power following Germany's exit in 1917, Tutsi overlords were brought into North Kivu as rulers over the Hutu-dominated Banyarwanda. The aim was to recreate the system in Ruanda-Urundi where the Hutu were deployed on menial jobs and hard labour under the watch of Tutsi overlords holding a brief for Belgian colonisers.

Since the 20th century Banyarwanda (or those from Rwanda) was the common identity for Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese in eastern DRC. As the latest arrivals from Ruanda-Urundi, the Tutsi transplanted in the 1930s were also considered Banyarwanda by the indigenous Congolese  primarily the Hunde, Nyanga and Nande.

It became clear after the second world war that colonial powers would not be able to hang on to their colonies. The African elites who instigated the independence struggles needed the support of the rural masses. This is the point at which the postcolonial contest over who had a right to belong began to shape the politics in the Great Lakes region.

Ethnic groups which claimed to have belonged to the region first  or the autochthones  branded others as foreigners even though they had lived in the region before Belgian and German colonialism. These so-called foreigners had to leave and return to where they came from.

Struggle between Hutu and Tutsi elites

The second conflict is postcolonial. As Belgium left the scene, Ruanda-Urundi was split into Rwanda and Burundi. In Burundi, the Tutsi maintained their control over the postcolonial state. However, in Rwanda, the Hutu gained control after a period of ethnic conflict between the majority Hutu and the Tutsi. The so-called Social Revolution lasted between 1959 and 1962.

Many Tutsi in Rwanda were subjected to violence, fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Burundi and DRC to escape death. This sparked the start of an inter-regional conflict of survival between Hutu and Tutsi elites. Subsequent events of political violence (from 1972 to the present) resulted in wave after wave of refugee migration between Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC.

The result is that ethnicity, nationality, allegiance, place of origin and current place of residence are not neatly separated; the question of who belongs where cannot be solved. But people continually try to do so through violence.

The subsequent events of political violence in Rwanda and Burundi resulted in a contest for survival between Hutu and Tutsi elites. Power changed between these two ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi. Up to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, the Hutu were in control of the Rwandan state and the Tutsi of the Burundian state.

However, after 1994 the Tutsi took control of the Rwandan state and the Hutu of the Burundian state.

'Foreigner' is a complex word

The consequences of years of conflict are twofold.

First, it has created two levels to being considered a foreigner in the Great Lakes. The first level is nationality. I found that the Banyarwanda and Barundi identities must be perceived as references to particular nationalities. For example, Banyarwanda must be seen as a reference to Rwandan nationality and Barundi to Burundian nationality.

Therefore, in the Kivus, the Banyarwanda and Barundi identities evoke a politics of belonging.

In the 1970s, Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese of Tutsi origin rejected the Banyarwanda identity and opted for the Banyamulenge identity. In response, Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese of Hutu origin also rejected the Banyarwanda identity and opted for the Banyabwisha identity.

Both these identities make them indigenous to Congo and evoke a counterclaim of belonging to the DRC.

At the second level is the notion that the Tutsi are not from the Great Lakes region. But this is not true.

The first level is restricted to the DRC, and the second level is regional. However, this complex regional politics of belonging is playing itself out in the eastern DRC, and it was here that it became intertwined after some time.

Will there be an end to the violence? It is possible if the geographical scope of the conflict is broadened to include all neighbouring countries and if the focus is a negotiated settlement followed by a period of reconciliation.

Jacob Cloete does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Jacob Cloete, Manager, Zone Learning, University of the Western Cape
French President Emmanuel Macron, on a visit to Benin Wednesday, branded Russia "one of the last imperial colonial powers" for its invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia launched an offensive against Ukraine. It's a territorial war, the likes of which we thought had disappeared from European soil. It's a war from the early 20th, even the 19th century," Macron said on the second leg of a trip to Africa to reset France's relations with the continent, where many nations are former French colonies.

"I speak on a continent that has suffered colonial imperialism," Macron said.

Delivering the verbal broadside at a press conference with Benin President Patrice Talon, Macron said "Russia is one of the last imperial colonial powers," for it had decided to "invade a neighbouring country to defend its interests".

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, sparking a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and sparked fears of a global food crisis over blocked grain exports.

Macron accused the Kremlin of launching "a new type of hybrid world war."

"It decided that information, energy and food were military instruments placed at the service of an imperialist continental war against Ukraine," he said.

Macron said he wanted to "describe what's happening today in the baldest terms".

He accused Russia of disruption through "disinformation", describing it as "one of the countries to make the most forceful use of instruments of propaganda". He referred specifically to the TV channels Russia Today and Sputnik.

Russia has cut back on gas deliveries to western Europe and Ukrainian grain has remained blocked in ports since the start of the war, driving a surge in global prices for energy and cereals.

Russia's energy giant Gazprom slashed its gas exports to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline on Wednesday to about 20 percent of its capacity, German authorities have said.

Ukraine, meanwhile, said it had restarted operations at its Black Sea ports, a key phase to resuming grain exports under a UN-backed deal.

African pledge

The French leader is on a tour of three African countries -- Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

His swing coincides with an African tour by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

In Cameroon on Tuesday, Macron said the archives on French colonial rule in Cameroon would be opened "in full" and asked historians to shed light on the period's "painful moments".

French colonial authorities brutally repressed armed Cameroonian nationalists before the country's independence in 1960.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in Ethiopia on Wednesday. By EDUARDO SOTERAS (AFP)

Tens of thousands of supporters of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) party died at the hands of French colonial troops and of the first post-independence president, Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Macron also pledged that France, "acting in support and at the request of our African partners", would stand by African countries facing security problems.

France is reconfiguring its posture in the Sahel after falling out with the military junta in Mali, the epicentre of a bloody 10-year-old jihadist campaign in the region.

After a pullout from Mali that is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, France's Barkhane anti-jihadist force will have around 2,500 troops in the Sahel, just under half of the deployment at its peak, French officers say.

The force will also make a tactical shift, acting more in a support role for local forces as opposed to taking the lead, they say.
No fewer than two hundred and fifty stakeholders, Wednesday, unanimously gave their nod to the steps towards enacting a principal Data Protection law for Nigeria.

Rising from a two-day Policy Dialogue on Nigerias Data Protection law, held in Abuja, the participants were of the view that a data protection law for the country was long overdue.

The Policy Dialogue, convened by the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, with support from Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project, had in attendance, representatives of relevant public institutions, the private sector and civil society.

Speaking at the event, World Banks Country Director to Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri charged the Nigerian Government to take urgent steps towards enacting a Data Protection Law for Nigeria.

Chaudhuri, who described digital identification key to unlocking the potentials of nations, argued that a data protection law was critical for Nigeria.

Digital identification is key to unlocking the potentials of nations. A data protection law is very critical for Nigeria. Nigerias potentials for a digital economy is high. We are hopeful that Nigeria will be able to enact a data data protection and privacy law soon.

Speaking at the event, Honourable Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami commended the Nigeria Digital ID4D project for supporting the event, describing data protection as very important for the country.

According to him, data has become a highly sought commodity and more people are concerned about how their data is stored, processed, and transmitted.

Represented by the Director General, National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, the Minister argued that a Data Protection Law would provide legal basis for challenging unlawful use of data.

Adding his voice, National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, Dr. Vincent Olatunji assured that the proposed law will help to secure the data of citizens.

Also speaking, Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development project, Musa Odole Solomon said Data Protection was a constitutional matter, even as he made a case for a principal privacy law for Nigeria.

Solomon highlighted the benefits of digital identification, adding that the drive for citizens enrolment for National Identity Number, makes timely enactment of the law expedient.

It is one thing to collate citizens data, and another to ensure that such data are utilized in a responsible manner. This can only be achieved through a proper legislation. We need to continue to enhance the trust of the people. We must assure citizens of the security of their data.

Assuring stakeholders of the commitment of the National Assembly to enact a Data Protection Law for Nigeria, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security, Senator Yakubu Oseni said the National Assembly was willing to enact a privacy law for Nigeria.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, represented by Acting Deputy Comptroller General, in charge of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dora Amahian; National Population Commission, represented by the Director General, Ugoeze Patience Mbagwu, National Information Technology Development Agency, National Pension Commission, and several other public institutions took turns to justify the need for a data protection legislation for the country.

Private sector and civil society actors all spoke in favour of a Data Protection Law for Nigeria.

Highlights of the event were panel discussions, break-out sessions, plenary, among others.

Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project is a Nigerian project, jointly funded by The World Bank, European Investment Bank and French Development Agency.

Walter Duru, Ph.D

Manager, Communications

Nigeria Digital ID4D Project

July 27, 2022
For over five years, Cameroun Republic, a member of the Commonwealth has been killing tens of thousands of English Speaking Cameroonians (Ambazonians), for simply using their constitutional right to assembly, free expression, and protest for a recognition of their unique identity and nationhood. More than 75,000 people have been killed, over 850 thousand driven into exile, millions displaced across the Cameroons, and over 500 communities razed to the ground.

It is because of the historic relation with the English speaking world and culture that people in the Former British Southern Cameroons decided in 1991 and pushed for admission of the Cameroun Republic into the Commonwealth in 1995. Our hope then, was to gain protection for the Anglophone minority from the gentlemen's club. We were convinced the Commonwealth would rally to the defence of all the peoples of its member countries. We were charmed to the Commonwealth because of its cardinal principles among which are human rights, governance, democracy and the rule of law.

Added to these cardinal principles, the Commonwealth games are expected go promote civil liberties, equality before the law, free trade, multilateralism and world peace. We are surprised that the Commonwealth has remained neutral, and has elected wilful blindness and deafness while massacres and a genocide is ongoing in the Former British Southern Cameroons. The only reason Cameroun President Paul Biya declared war on the people of Ambazonia is because they called for respect of their unique identity through peaceful means. When this failed and because of the continuous abuse of their civil liberties, and Cameroun government resolve to kill rather than grant these rights, Ambazonians decided to use their right to self defence to tackle Cameroon government.

As a Rotary Peace Fellow, imbued with Positive Peace values, which were originally a hallmark of the Commonwealth, we wish to invite all members of the Commonwealth to shun the participation of a country perpetrating massacres and genocide of the English Speaking minority of Cameroon. If Cameroon must participate in the XXII Commonwealth Games, the organizers must;

1. Observe a minute of silence for the tens of thousands killed in the Former British Southern Cameroons, also known as Ambazonia.

2. At the beginning of each game, organizers must read out a statement calling for END OF GENOCIDE in Amabzonia. Rwanda, a recent victim of genocide must lead the way in making this call.

3. Allow Ambazonians to protest peacefully with their flags in Birmingham, venue of the XXII Games.

4. Call on Commonwealth to review the membership of Cameroon in this club of gentlemen, to which it is not qualified to belong.

Unlike the Cameroun Republic, Ambazonia will be a country that subscribes to The Commonwealth Charter, which documents the values and aspirations which unite the Commonwealth. It is an expression of the commitment of member states to the development of free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all the people of the Commonwealth. Cameroun Republic works directly against all this, hence the Secretariat General of the Commonwealth should note with dismay Cameroun's disregard for an elegant charter which states that;

We the people of the Commonwealth

Recognising that in an era of changing economic circumstances and uncertainty, new trade and economic patterns, unprecedented threats to peace and security, and a surge in popular demands for democracy, human rights and broadened economic opportunities, the potential of and need for the Commonwealth  as a compelling force for good and as an effective network for co-operation and for promoting development  has never been greater,

Recalling that the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of our peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace, and influencing international society to the benefit of all through the pursuit of common principles and values,

Affirming that the special strength of the Commonwealth lies in the combination of our diversity and our shared inheritance in language, culture and the rule of law; and bound together by shared history and tradition; by respect for all states and peoples; by shared values and principles and by concern for the vulnerable,

Affirming that the Commonwealth way is to seek consensus through consultation and the sharing of experience, especially through practical co-operation, and further affirming that the Commonwealth is uniquely placed to serve as a model and as a catalyst for new forms of friendship and co-operation in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations,

Affirming the role of the Commonwealth as a recognised intergovernmental champion of small states, advocating for their special needs; providing policy advice on political, economic and social development issues; and delivering technical assistance,

Welcoming the valuable contribution of the network of the many intergovernmental, parliamentary, professional and civil society bodies which support the Commonwealth and which subscribe and adhere to its values and principles,

Affirming the validity of and our commitment to the values and principles of the Commonwealth as defined and strengthened over the years including: the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment, the Millbrook Action Programme, the Latimer House Principles, the Aberdeen Agenda, the Trinidad and Tobago Affirmation of Commonwealth Values and Principles, the Munyonyo Statement on Respect and Understanding, the Lake Victoria Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan, the Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles, and the Commonwealth Declaration on Investing in Young People,

Affirming our core Commonwealth principles of consensus and common action, mutual respect, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and responsiveness,

Reaffirming the core values and principles of the Commonwealth as declared by this Charter:

1. Democracy, 2. Human rights, 3. International peace and security, 4. Tolerance, respect and understanding, 5. Freedom of Expression, 6. Separation of Powers, 7. Rule of Law, 8. Good Governance, 9. Sustainable Development, 10. Protecting the Environment, 11. Access to Health, Education, Food and Shelter, 12. Gender Equality, 13. Importance of Young People in the Commonwealth, 14. Recognition of the Needs of Small States, 15. Recognition of the Needs of Vulnerable States, 16. The Role of Civil Society

Is this club of gentlemen still committed to ensuring that the Commonwealth is an effective association, responsive to members needs, and capable of addressing the significant global challenges of the future?

Does the club still aspire to a Commonwealth that is a strong and respected voice in the world, speaking out on major issues; that strengthens and enlarges its networks; that has a global relevance and profile; and that is devoted to improving the lives of all peoples of the Commonwealth?

For the Commonwealth to remain relevant and appealing, it must seek to enforce the respect of its charter and cardinal principles by its member states. Consequently, Cameroon must urgently be summoned to respect the rights of Ambazonia to Nationhood, human dignity, rule of law, and the right to choose its own leaders, and establish its own institutions and governance system.

The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth scribe under whose watch, The Cameroons degenerated into total chaos without her taking measured action to forestall it, must urgently reclaim her lost relevance by tackling the genocide of the English Speaking minority of The Cameroons. It is unfortunate that she visited Cameroun Republic in December 2017, at the beginning of the conflict without taking action to arrest the breaking violence.

I humbly call on Queen Elizabeth, Head of the Commonwealth and all principal actors to urgently act now to save the people of Ambazonia, former British Southern Cameroons from genocide.

Christopher FON ACHOBANG (Rotary Peace Fellow).
Yaounde 27 July  In the current context of emergency, France and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) yesterday reaffirmed their joint commitment to averting a global food crisis and investing in more resilient and sustainable agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the war in Ukraine have worsened the state of food security and nutrition. Already in 2020, more than 800 million people were chronically food insecure according to the United Nations; the situation is particularly worrying in Africa, where more than one in five people have faced hunger.

This joint mobilisation is part of the European initiative FARM (Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission). Launched during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the FARM initiative is structured around three pillars dedicated respectively to the fluidity of trade, solidarity with the countries most exposed to the consequences of the crisis and support for sustainable production in developing countries. IFAD has officially agreed to take over the secretariat of the third pillar of the FARM initiative. This "sustainable production" pillar will promote sustainable agricultural practices that ensure food security and nutrition, while combating climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation.

Four priority areas for action have been identified: increasing local production capacity, supporting the consumption of safe and quality local products, developing domestic markets and integrating regional markets, and combating food loss and waste. This roadmap will require the mobilisation of all food system actors, states and relevant regional and political organisations, international financial institutions, bilateral development agencies, but also farmers' organisations, research, local authorities and civil society. With IFAD's technical expertise, the third pillar of FARM will increase synergies between all stakeholders, strengthen the action of key actors such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), and federate donors around high-impact projects for food security and nutrition, particularly on the African continent.

The success of this ambition through FARM will rely in particular on the commitment of developing countries to transform their food systems, and of donors to support the initiative with an ambitious financing plan. It will also rely on strong coordination, within the framework of the efforts of the UN Global Crisis Response Group and the G7 Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS) initiative, of which actions through FARM will be an important component.

As reaffirmed by the President of the French Republic and the President of IFAD during a visit to the Cameroonian capital Yaounde yesterday, the role of the private sector will also be decisive in anchoring these partnerships in the long term, and it will be necessary to mobilise the appropriate financing tools to integrate companies into FARM's roadmap.

Finally, the production pillar of FARM will expend on existing initiatives to build more sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems, including, for Africa, the Great Green Wall, the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, and Team Europe's commitment to a transition to sustainable food systems, embodied in particular by the plant protein initiative launched at the African Union-European Union Summit on 18 February of this year.

France will support IFAD by fully funding for the first year of a secretariat dedicated to the initiative, for an amount of USD 3.2 million, and by providing technical support, with a particular focus on impact assessment. Furthermore, through a memorandum of understanding signed yesterday, the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) and IFAD are strengthening their collaboration and committing to maximizing synergies between the programs they support. As a first concrete and joint contribution to Pillar 3 of the FARM initiative, AFD has expressed its interest in engaging in a joint dialogue with the authorities in Cameroon and with IFAD around a five million euro financial contribution to the Agricultural Value Chain Development Support Project. This project demonstrates the potential for acceleration that the production pillar of FARM should allow.
The Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) officially kicked-off activities this Tuesday, 26 July 2022 in Lome, Togo. The workshop was formally opened by the Chief of Staff to the Minister of State for Energy and Mines in the Office of the President of the Republic and was attended by the ECOWAS Resident Representative to Togo.

Participants in the workshop were drawn from Togo's Ministry of Energy and Mines, the ECOWAS National Office in Togo, BOAD, banking and commercial institutions, financial and technical partner institutions, civil society, the private sector and the media.

The main objective of the workshop was to introduce, on the one hand, the new structure of ROGEAP to the stakeholders and to sensitise them, on the other hand, regarding the implementation of the policy framework for the development of solar technologies and the Off-Grid PV Systems market in Togo. More specifically, the participants discussed, among other things, the state of the off-grid solar systems; the institutional and regulatory framework of the off-grid solar systems sector in Togo; the activities planned under ROGEAP; the involvement of private companies in the electrification of public buildings and infrastructure; and the identification of technical assistance needs of key actors in Togo.

The workshop was officially launched by Mr. Banimpo Gbengbertane, Chief of Staff, representing Hon. Mila Aziable, Minister of State for Energy and Mines in the Office of the President of the Republic, and attended by H.E. Barros Bacar Banjai, ECOWAS Resident Representative to Togo and Mr. Elhadji Sylla, ROGEAP Senior Advisor, representing Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the ROGEAP Senior Advisor conveyed the sincere appreciation of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation to the Togolese authorities for accepting to host the workshop, to the participants for their presence and to Togo's Minister of State for Energy and Mines for her support to ROGEAP's activities and its success in Togo.

Delivering a speech on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Ambassador Barros Bacar Banjai reiterated the main objectives and goals of the project. "The objective of ECOWAS and its partners, through ROGEAP, is to help Member States establish an enabling framework for the establishment of an off-grid solar energy market and expand accessibility through increased participation and financing. from the private sector", said Amb. Banjai.

In his welcome address, Mr. Banimpo Gbengbertane recalled the pivotal role that energy plays in the economic, social and cultural development of a country. "Private sector mini-grids have an important role to play in the socio-economic development of rural Africa. Like stand-alone systems, they are an alternative to traditional rural electrification based on grid extension and off-grid solutions", noted the Chief of Staff, before formally declaring the workshop open.

During the practical phase of the workshop, several presentations were made on the national policy and regulations, the state of electrification, projects and programmes including the TINGA Fund in off-grid solar systems in Togo. The participants were then put into two working groups. The first group focused on the topic: "Policy, norms, standards and taxation of off-grid solar PV products". The second group focused on the topic: "Private companies and financial institutions".

At the end of the workshop, the participants made several recommendations including to: (i) improve the institutional framework of the energy sector in Togo by integrating legal provisions and incentives for off-grid activities to encourage banks to invest in the energy sector, (ii) ensure a wider dissemination and effective communication on the texts to allow the private sector to better understand the policies and projects initiated by the country, (iii) introduce quality standards and capacity building for inspection and laboratory facilities to protect and ensure the quality of the off-grid electricity market.

After Nigeria and Togo, the national sensitisation workshop for stakeholders on ROGEAP will also be conducted in The Gambia on 3 August, in Cote d'Ivoire on 4 August, in Benin on 17 August and in the other Member States where the project is to be implemented.
27.07.2022 LISTEN

I was a member of the 52nd Legislature when the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) was established on August 28, 2008. Our decision to create this institution was influenced by two factors: (1) the demand by some international partners for the establishment of an integrity institution to deal with issues of corruption as a precondition for aid, and (2) the consciousness of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the lawmakers that the lack of successful prosecutions exacerbated official corruption and promoted impunity. Under part II of the Act, we defined acts of corruption as bribery, embezzlement, extortion, fraud, influence peddling, insider trading, misused of entrusted public property and vested authority, and any economic and financial crimes which are now provided for under the Penal Code of Liberia, or may, hereafter, be defined and enacted. We went further under Section 5.2 (b) of the LACC Act to empower the institution to investigate any person irrespective of office or status, natural or otherwise, if the conduct of the person(s) constitute corruption.

The legislature was also fully cognizant of the broader historical consequences of corruption and the culture of impunity. We understood that the struggle between the Progressives (PAL, MOJA ) and the ruling True Whig Party in the 70s and early 80s was based on corruption  real or perceived. We also realized that Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe and the PRC summarily executed President William R. Tolbert and thirteen government officials because of what they termed as rampant corruption. Mr. Charles G. Taylor started a rebellion against the Doe government in 1989 because of alleged corruption while the LURD and MODEL created the condition for Taylors departure because of corruption. Simply put, we knew that corruption was the underlining factor that led to the civil war which took away the lives of more than two hundred and fifty thousand Liberians.

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I was particularly concerned about the huge task we were assigning to the Commission in the wake of historical complexities. How could we give teeth to the Commission? What should be the fate of LACC investigative reports? What role should the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) play in criminal procedures bordering on LACC findings? How can we make the LACC fearless in a post-war society where some of the violators may still have blood on their hands? We struggled to answer these questions by conducting several public hearings. The bill was read three times in plenary but we still did not adequately address the authority of the commission to prosecute. As a matter of fact, Section 5.2 (d) of the Act instructs the LACC to cause prosecutions in coordination with the Ministry of Justice. By not defining the scope of coordination between the LACC and the MOJ, we erroneously left the prosecutorial power to the MOJ. We also overlooked the material fact that decision makers at the Ministry of Justice are holding their offices at the pleasure of the President in keeping with Article 56 (a) of the 1986 Constitution.

Now after fourteen years of existence, the LACC is once again under the blades of political surgeons. They are piercing its organs with the hope of curing the malady of corruption. They are promising to correct the errors of the past government by strengthening the LACC prosecutorial power. The Senate recently concurred with the House of Representatives on the passage of an Act To Amend And Restate An Act To Establish The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission And To Re-Establish The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. This bill is currently before the President where any of the below outcomes may conclude the debate on the LACC:

The President could sign the new LACC bill into law; Alternatively, he could leave the bill on his desk without any action and the new LACC bill will automatically become law after twenty (20) days, unless the legislature by adjournment prevents it; The President could veto the entire bill (or certain items). It will then go back to the House in which it originated for further deliberations (in the LACC matter, the bill will go back to the House of Representatives); A vote of two thirds of the membership of each House can override the Presidents veto. They could do this by the re passage of the LACC bill; Finally, The lawmakers could pass a new version that takes into consideration the Presidents veto. Or, in the worst case, they could just send the new LACC bill to committee room for the second time and encourage the committee members to kill the bill by not reporting to plenary and the Speaker never placing the matter on the agenda.

In any case, the real benefit will come at the end of the process if the LACC power to prosecute is unimpeded. Government lawyers should also look at the issue of whether or not the tenure of the current commissioners as provided under Section 6.6 of the 2008 Act can be quashed by the restatement and reestablishment of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).

Amb. Rufus Dio Neufville is the Executive Director of the People Action Network (PAN-Liberia) and a former Member of the House of Representatives, Republic of Liberia. He can be reached at [email protected] .
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Communications and Digitalization

27.07.2022 LISTEN

The Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has reiterated Ghanas commitment to the strategic plans of the Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU).

The Minister said this when she led a Ghanaian delegation to attend the 2022 Africa Telecommunication Union Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CLP-22) at Algiers, Algeria.

She said Ghana showed commitment to the ATU when it hosted and attended the Africa preparatory meetings for the World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly in 2020 (WTSA-20) and Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU) preparatory meetings for WTDC-21 as well as the International Telecommunications Satellite Organizations (ITSO) General Assembly of Parties in 2022.

She added that the country sponsored at least three experts to participate in ITU study groups in all three sectors as well as ATU work groups.

Highlighting Ghanas readiness for collaborations, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful noted that Ghana remained available to host and support ATU activities and events over the next four years.

Indeed, we invite the Member States for internships, benchmarking visits and capacity building on our ITU collaborated programmes on cybersecurity, quality of service, conformity and interoperability assessment, spectrum management and monitoring, digital literacy skills development, innovation incubation and data market among many others.

In addition to that, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said Ghana has improved on the Girls-in-ICT and Rural Telephony and digital inclusion programmes as a further commitment to ATU strategic plan.

This year, Ghana has connected over 2.3 million people and will extend coverage to 6 million unconnected rural populace by 2023 through our rural telephony and digital inclusion programme. We have expanded our annual Girls in ICT programme from 1000 girls to 5,000 basic school girls and another 5000 in secondary, and tertiary institutions, she noted.

She, therefore, called for the support of African countries to Ghanas candidature for re-election to the ITU Council and the election of Engineer Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko for Radio Regulations Board Region D at the ITU 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference which would take place in Bucharest in September-October this year.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday stated that throughout history, there had never been an appropriate time to build a Cathedral, such as Ghanas National Cathedral, whose intrinsic value would be evident when it is completed.

President Akufo-Addo posited that when great Cathedrals such as the National Cathedral in Washington DC, St Peters Basilica in Rome and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris were being built, those societies that house them had not finished with the satisfaction of their major development needs  hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, homes needed to be built.

He said if those countries were to consider only those needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world.

President Akufo-Addo said once those Cathedrals were built, they had proven to be instruments that brought people together and deepened their spiritual and emotional experiences of people.

He made those statements at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Accra Tuesday.

The Presidents comments come in the backdrop of the recent controversy surrounding the cost of building the National Cathedral and whether or not its construction should be a priority for the country in light of prevailing national and global economic challenges.

He stated, "The construction of the National Cathedral in Washington DC took 83 years to complete; 150 years to build St Peters Basilica in Rome and 182 years to finish the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

"The reigning medieval monarchs of the time made significant contributions towards the construction of Notre Dame in Paris, and, in the case of the Basilica, construction began and was completed during the era of the Papacys greatest temporal power, again in medieval times."

President Akufo-Addo said if the history surrounding the building of these iconic cathedrals in these countries was anything to go by, then efforts need to be made both by the state of Ghana and the church, to ensure that the National Cathedral is built.

He added that the government started the construction of the National Cathedral, with the hope that it would fill a missing link in the nations spiritual architecture, by providing a formal space for the religious activities of the state.

Designed by the Ghanaian global architect, David Adjaye, who had designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture Museum in Washington DC, President Akufo-Addo said Ghanas National Cathedral would provide an interdenominational space for worship, which would serve to insert God at the centre of our nation-building efforts.

The Cathedral, according to the President, would provide an official venue of worship for state occasions in a nation that is predominantly Christian, that is, a nation where more than 70% of the people are confessed Christians.

He stressed that the iconic religious edifice would also serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith, unifying the Christian community and serving as a tribute to religious liberty.

But, more importantly, it will serve as our collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on our nation, sparing us the ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all our neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.

He stated that Just as the building of the Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event not only in Israel but also in the whole world, we believe the building of the National Cathedral is an epochal event not only in Ghana but also in the rest of Africa.

Thus, although the National Cathedral was envisaged for Ghana, we have included elements to make it relevant to the African church, he added.

The project, which had run into some controversy in recent times, specifically with regards to its funding, President Akufo-Addo maintained that though the Cathedral is a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.

President Akufo-Addo expressed optimism that the Christian community in Ghana and beyond, would take up the challenge and join in the fundraising for the construction of the National Cathedral.

I do not envisage that this project will take a century to complete like the great historical cathedrals of the world. Technology has transformed building methods dramatically and I am certain that, if the Christian community accepts the challenge, we shall construct this cathedral and quicklyand its value will be obvious to all, President Akufo-Addo emphasised.

The President urged all Ghanaians to help build the countrys National Cathedral to be the epicentre of our lives, the place for our great celebrations, our thanksgiving, our funerals, the place for great moments of silence and introspection, the place that symbolises the place of faith in our national psyche.

I give my undertaking that the funds raised for the building of the National Cathedral will be treated with the sacred trust that they deserve, with transparency and accountability, President Akufo-Addo added.

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) was born out of the wish of African Bishops during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) to establish a forum in which they could speak with one voice on matters pertaining to the Church in Africa.

The establishment of SECAM is therefore the result of the Bishops resolve to build a continental structure to bring forth the African vision to the whole Church.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways has explained that government has not reinstated toll collection across the country as reported in some sections of the media.

A statement from the Ministry of Roads and Highways to clarify the Finance Ministers statement on the collection of Road tolls in the mid-year budget said the Ministers reference to road tolls was in respect of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) roads and not all roads across the country.

The Ministry wishes to state categorically that the government has not reinstated toll collection across the country. We further wish to clarify that the finance ministers reference to tolls in the budget review was in respect to PPP road projects only, the statement emphasized.

It said the Ministers comment in that regard was emphatic to the financing arrangements for the Accra-Tema Motorway and Extension Project which stated that the road would be tolled after completion to recoup the cost.

The Ministry wishes to state for the avoidance of doubt that, the Finance Minister while speaking about the financing arrangements for the Accra-Tema Motorway and the Extension project stated that, when completed, the CA (Concessional Agreement) is expected to be approved by the PPP committee, Cabinet and Parliament. The completed road will be tolled to recover the whole life cost of the completed infrastructure as well as pay lenders and provide a return for equity investors, the statement added.

The Ministry assured the public that the government would continue to use innovative means to finance road projects across the country.
The Ghana Police Service is unhappy for always ranked the top most corrupt public institution in Ghana.

The findings of a survey by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has this month ranked public institutions that are most corrupt in the country.

The survey ranked the Ghana Police Service as the top most corrupt, followed by the Ghana Immigration Service, while the GRA, Lands Commission, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority make up the top five.

Having studied the survey by GSS, CHRAJ, and UNODC, the Ghana Police Service has released a statement today questioning why several other public institutions were not captured.

Be that as it may, we have read your report and after a review, we wish to state that we have serious concerns with the research and its findings. However, before we delve into these concerns, we wish to indicate that taking your research and its findings at face value, it is evident that all the institutions surveyed came up as corrupt.

Our discomfort therefore, is the use of a selective ranking methodology to project the outcomes in a manner that puts an unfair focus on the Police service with all the others in your corruption index escaping public scrutiny, parts of a release from the Ghana Police Service signed by IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare reads.

According to the Police Service, it finds the research and its findings as heavily challenged and corrupted from both the academic and practice point of view.

The Police Service is of the view that there is a real risk that the research may have been affected by a historically pervasive stereotyping of the Police Service.

The Service bemoans that it has now become the default institution of choice for such research and has therefore encouraged a deep-seated public stereotype over the years.

Due to the stereotype, the Police Service notes that people may easily be influenced to accuse it of corruption.

Read a copy of the Police reply from the attachment below:
28.07.2022 LISTEN

In an effort to bridge the gap which exists between academia and industry, the Design and Technology (DTI) has organized a two-day Career Fair to help its learners familiarize themselves with career opportunities available on the job market and how to secure them.

The two-day event brought together approximately 29 top-tier companies from various industries, including agriculture, information technology, manufacturing, oil & gas etc.

The event provided learners with the opportunity to network with potential employers to gain insights into internship and employment opportunities directly from the representatives of the participating companies.

Learners took part in speed interviews and networking sessions to test their technical and professional skills as part of their transitioning into the world of work.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Constance Swaniker, Founder and CEO of DTI, remarked, At DTI, we believe that it is critical to prepare and equip our learners with the necessary employability skills so that they can succeed in the workplace.

According to the Institute of Statistics, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), only 10% of graduates find jobs after their first year of completing their tertiary education. This raises questions over the impact of the various interventions instituted by the government and institutions to address the situation.

Ensuring that learners are employed or start their own businesses after completing their studies remains DTIs top priority. We are excited to use an event like this to connect our learners with recruiters to facilitate internship and employment opportunities, she further stated.

Interacting with the learners, Akua Bema Asante, Assistant Registrar at the University of Professional Studies, who was the special guest spoke on the relevance of soft skills in the world of work, and advised them to continuously reinvent themselves to add value to their professional careers. He believes that this will go a long way to guarantee that they become successful professionals in their chosen fields.

You must constantly pursue new and innovative ways to refreshen your knowledge and skills in order to keep up with the rapidly changing world of work. The world is constantly changing, and you must adapt in order to meet the changing demands of consumers and industry, he added.

The fair forms part of DTIs effort to provide learners with employment resources and opportunities in order to ensure their employability after completing their programme.

Since inception, the institute has proven its resolve to change the narrative for excellent TVET education in Africa and is committed to providing the best education attainable anywhere in the world.

The Industry and Workplace Coordinator at DTI, Mr. Mubarik Ahmed, reiterated the importance for academia to collaborate with industry. While the fair provides an opportunity for corporate Ghana to engage with DTI, it also helps the institute gain an understanding of the opportunities and challenges that exist within the corporate workplace.

The fair has not only provided a platform for companies to engage with students on various career development levels, but has also been an opportunity for them to get to know the learners beyond their CV and academic qualifications, he concluded.

Companies that participated in the fair expressed their excitement for the event and commended DTI for providing a forum for learners to learn about career opportunities and the requirements for professional success.

Learners also displayed some of the prototype products developed and other projects as part of the fair.
James Durbin / Midland Reporter-Telegram

Coming back to the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center for the second time, Midessanime unites Permian Basin anime fans for a weekend-long extravaganza, packed with cosplay (costume play) contests, dance parties, question-and-answer sessions and more.

Heres a breakdown of everything a person needs to know before attending.
Blue Bell Ice Cream doesn't appear to be as well-loved on a national scale compared to the adoration the brand is given by its fellow Texans.

The Brenham-based company, which sits in supermarket freezers across 22 states, was included on a list of ice cream brands that use the lowest quality ingredients by popular food magazine Eat This, Not That! The Texas brand was last on the list, coming in ninth behind Baskin Robbins, with Nestle Drumsticks and Great Value making the list.

According to the Blue Bell Ice Cream nutrition facts, the classic Homemade Vanilla flavor uses the tried-and-true milk, cream, and sugar (and they even are at the top of the ingredient list!), but also fills out the recipe with high fructose corn syrup, cellulose gum, and vegetable gums.

Blue Bell was also named the worst store-bought ice cream brand in the country, with 20% of people surveyed by Mashed putting it in last place. Contrary to the feelings of those surveyed, Blue Bell claims 52% of the ice cream market in Texas and is considered the third largest ice cream company by revenue in the country with $671.4 million, behind the massive industry of private label brands with $1.304 billion in revenue, and Ben & Jerry's in second at $863.1 million, according to Zippia.

The brand had to pull all of its products from shelves in 2015 after a listeria outbreak that killed at least three people and made 10 others sick. The company recalled 8 million gallons of ice cream and closed to deep clean and replace equipment at its three plants in Brenham, Sylacauga, Alabama, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The ice cream was back in stores by the end of the year.

Former Blue Bell CEO Paul Kruse was charged with conspiracy in 2020 after being accused of trying to conceal the outbreak following a five-year investigation. The trial begins August 1 in Austin. The company pled guilty in 2020 to a related case and agreed to pay a combined $19.35 million in fines, forfeiture, and civil settlement payments. The settlement is reportedly the second-largest amount ever paid in the resolution of a food safety matter.
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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece Tuesday on his first trip to a European Union country since the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi that triggered widespread international condemnation.

Bin Salman, who is traveling with a large government and business delegation, met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and will attend the signing of a series of bilateral investment and defense agreements.

Khashoggi, a U.S.-based journalist, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and his body was dismembered with a bone saw, according to Turkish officials.

A U.S. intelligence report, made public last year, said the crown prince likely approved the killing but he has denied any involvement.

Greece has forged close ties with Saudi Arabia in recent years as it seeks allies in the wider region to address long-standing tension with neighbor Turkey, mostly over sea boundaries and drilling rights. Last year, Greece and Saudi Arabia held joint military exercises out of the Greek island of Crete, and Athens lent the kingdom a missile battery from its Patriot air defense system.

I promise you that when I come to Greece, I'm not coming empty-handed. We have many issues that will be game-changers for both our countries and for the whole region, Bin Salman was quoted as saying in a transcript of his remarks distributed to reporters by the government.

He said the two countries were working on a project that would make Greece a hub for Europe in terms of hydrogen (fuel), but gave no further details.

Journalists were not invited to attend the meetings and were given no opportunity to ask the visiting Saudi royal questions.

The two countries are also planning a data cable link worth a reported 800 million euros that would run under the Mediterranean Sea and be completed in 2025.

The Saudi Princes trip to Greece follows his meeting earlier with month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with President Joe Biden. Mitsotakis visited Saudi Arabia last October and met the crown prince who also later received visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and the outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Midland ISD board members hired Angelica Ramsey in early 2021 to set up the district, its teachers and students for the type of success not experienced in more than a decade.

Midland ISD has ranked in the bottom quartile of larger school districts, dropping to 199th of 200 at one point. As recently as 2019, nine MISD campuses receiving failing grades, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Ramsey was hired from the Pleasant Valley School District in Camarillo, California, to fix that and succeed where other permanent leaders previously struggled.

The expectation is growth has taken place. In Midland ISD officials words, the hard work of the districts teachers and students  carrying out the plan from the District Service Center  has resulted in internal metrics that showed the district demonstrating an improvement not experienced in around five years.

The amazing results that have led to meeting all five LSG goals is due to the hard work of our students, teachers, staff and leaders, Ramsey stated in a message to the Reporter-Telegram on Monday. I'm thankful to work alongside amazing MISD educators.

Also demonstrated is a first round of STAAR scores that has district officials more excited about whats to come than any time in recent memory. That preliminary information showed academic performance growth, including the number of times that students in grades 3-8 surpassed 70 percent passage (from one time in 2021 to nine times this year).

We are optimistic for the Aug. 15 school ratings that will come out, MISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey previously stated. While we cannot yet accurately predict letter grades, the growth we are seeing across the school district shows the progress being made citywide. Based on this, I feel comfortable that we have exited several D- and F-rated schools and will have more A and B schools than MISD has ever had under the current accountability system.

It is because of gains seen when it comes to academic achievement, specifically Lone Star Governance program goals that the district met under Ramseys leadership, that resulted in a positive review. Bryan Murry, Midland ISD board president said Monday night that the board is extremely excited to where we are headed.

An increase to Ramseys salary also was part of the review process. Her salary moved from $275,000 to $310,000 (a 12.7% increase). Ramsey was hired in early 2021 with a $275,000 base salary, which was the same as her predecessor Orlando Riddick. Ryder Warren had resigned from his position in 2016, making $265,000.

The pay increase appears to move Ramsey up the rankings for superintendents across the state. According to a list on the Texas Education Agency, Ramsey was around the 92nd highest paid superintendent in the state during the 2021-22 school year. A salary of $310,000 would have put her tied for around 50th on that list and ahead of what Scott Muri was making as Ector County ISD superintendent ($309,927) and what Warren made last year at Northwest ISD ($309,054).

The pay increase also means Midland ISDs salary for a superintendent has jumped from $225,000 during the 2011-12 school year to $310,000 in just more than a decade.

We have confidence that we have the great leader we have been looking for, Murry said during the meeting.
Boaters on the Keweenaw Waterway and those passing by the north side of campus may notice a new vessel moored at the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC).

Gary Hagstrom 72 donated his 47-foot catamaran, previously named Crackerjack, to Michigan Technological University. This newest vessel to join the Universitys fleet will be renamed Lupine and will enhance research capabilities for students and researchers on the Great Lakes.

Hagstrom, a professional engineer who retired from Chevron Corporation after a 35-year international and domestic career in engineering and project management, earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech. He was inducted into the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Academy in 2017.

Techs education quality, its reputation amongst employers of engineers and the competence of its placement department were all instrumental in my initial selection of an employer and my long-term career success, he said. As a regular annual donor to Tech for several decades and utilizing the matching gifts program offered by Chevron, it was only natural to ask Tech if they had any use for the Crackerjack once I decided that it was time for me to find a new home for the boat.

As a donor to Michigan Tech, I have appreciated how important philanthropy is to the University. I am pleased that Michigan Tech and the Great Lakes Research Center can use the vessel for continued research and community outreach on the Great Lakes. Giving to Michigan Tech provides the University with resources to create exceptional student experiences. In this case, donating my boat was also helpful to me for tax purposes.

The Lupine, built in 2009 in Bremen, Maine, is a fiberglass-hulled vessel with an 18-foot beam and twin diesel engines. Its ability to house crew overnight, overall available workspace, and handling characteristics are far superior to current GLRC assets.

Other vessels in Michigan Techs fleet include the RV Agassiz, a 36-foot aluminum-hulled boat owned and utilized by MTU since 2002; the 24-foot SV Osprey; and the 22-foot SV Polar.

The Lupines extended range and ability to accommodate multiday research trips will open up many opportunities for additional research on the Great Lakes.

Tim Havens 99 00, the director of the GLRC, is excited by the possibilities the Lupine provides for research. The GLRC is so very grateful for Mr. Hagstroms generosity, and we very much appreciate that he thought of us in donating the Lupine. Because of its catamaran style and modern diesel engines, it is especially fuel-efficient for its size, which is consistent with our objectives. This vessel will significantly buoy our mission to be a leader in aquatic sciences and engineering, and we look forward to welcoming researchers and students on board very soon.

Possible near-future projects for the Lupine include small buoy deployments in the Marquette, Munising, Isle Royale and Duluth areas and use as a monitoring platform for autonomous vehicles, especially during long-duration missions.

Future plans of expanding the GLRCs reach include partnerships with Northwest Michigan College, including the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute and the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City.

The Lupine brings opportunities to expand the GLRC and MTUs presence in Lake Michigan by working with the only maritime academy on the Great Lakes. It also provides the GLRC with the capability to house a boat in Traverse City during select periods of the year while still maintaining capabilities in Houghton.

We are incredibly grateful for Garys ongoing generosity, partnership and commitment to Michigan Tech, said Eric Halonen, Michigan Techs assistant vice president for principal giving. His support extends across our campus, from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering to the GLRC.

The Lupine was sailed from Ashland, Wisconsin, to Houghton on Saturday, and will be put into service for Michigan Tech within the month.
The Federated States of Micronesia consulate office located on Route 16 in Harmon, Guam is seen July 20. The FSM government has announced plans to meet with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in order to discuss its local outbreak of Covid-19, which has infected more than 2,000 people in the FSM. More than 90% of total cases were identified over the last several days.
Candidate for Michigan's 3rd Congressional district John Gibbs waves to the crowd as he comes on stage during a rally held by former President Donald Trump in Washington Township, Michigan, D.C., April 2, 2022.
The CNMI Small Business Development Center at Northern Marianas College, together with the CNMI Department of Commerce and various local stakeholders, met with the International Economic Development Council in order to discuss ways to provide technical assessment and capacity building services to the CNMI. In photo from left are Ivan Mereb, Victor Garza, Mercilynn Palec, Jo Anna Ada, Ginny Gilliam, Delaney Luna, Nadine Deleon Guerrero, Aubry Hocog, Jonovan Lizama, Brett Doney, David Atalig, Dean Manglona, and Manny Camacho.
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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  As Pope Francis pays a historic visit to Canada, he is encountering a country that is less Catholic, more secular and more religiously diverse than the last time it hosted a pontiff two decades ago.

And the city where he landed on Sunday  Edmonton  reflects that diversity more than outsiders might expect from a provincial capital in Canadas prairie heartland.

Edmonton and its province of Alberta do have a large, long-settled population of Christians of European descent.

But Alberta also has had a religiously and ethnically diverse population from its early 20th century founding as a province, when small groups of Sikh immigrants arrived and Lebanese Muslims launched Al-Rashid Mosque, believed to be the nations oldest. Its original red-brick structure now stands in a city park featuring historical exhibits.

We always think of Ontario when we think of diversity, said Noor Al-Henedy, public relations director for the the mosque. Nobody ever thinks (Alberta is) such a diverse land with so many ethnic groups, so many religious groups that have lived here for a long time. 

The Edmonton metropolitan areas population of 1.1 million was about 59% Christian, including 26% Catholic, as of 2011, according to the most recent Canadian census figures for religious demographics.

About 10% belonged to other religious groups, such as Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or Buddhist. Their presence is reflected in multiple mosques, gurdwaras and temples in the region.

An additional 31% claimed no religion.

Those figures are echoed nationwide. In Canada overall, the 2011 census found 67% Christians, including 39% Catholics, with 9% belonging to other religions and 24% having none.

Thats fewer Christians overall and fewer Catholics than tallied in the 2001 census, a year before the last papal visit to Canada by St. John Paul II. In that decade, other religious and secular populations grew.

A 2018 Pew Research Center report indicates those trends have continued in recent years, as they have to a less rapid extent in the United States.

The Rev. John Dowds, chaplain for the city of Edmonton, has seen these changes in the increase in the number of folk from other traditions who really need to find a specific place at a specific time of day to offer prayer.

Dowds, a Presbyterian minister, worked to create sacred spaces in city workplaces for people of any faith to pray or meditate.

The very existence of his position  the only city chaplaincy that hes aware of in Canada, an expansion of his role as fire department chaplain  testifies to Edmonton's awareness of its diverse faith communities. He and others on the citys wellness team counsel people of all faiths or none.

That counseling can have a spiritual component, but we dont narrow that spiritual part down to anything specific, Dowds said. It can be as broad as having a conversation about Who am I and  what makes me tick and where I want to go with my life?

The Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action has provided training and cooperation among multiple religious and secular groups.

The center and the city host a rotating display of information on different religions  for July, its Zoroastrianism  in the skylit atrium of City Hall.

Dowds acknowledged there are challenges, including cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia. I think we counter that," he said, by "assertively addressing and then inviting opportunities for dialogue.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi added that, in a city with a substantial Indigenous population, some residents may not have a deep understanding of the struggle Indigenous communities are facing, given the history of colonialization and culturally repressive residential schools. That is being addressed through education, interfaith dialogue, intercultural dialogue, he said.

Those issues are central to Francis' visit to Alberta, where on Monday he made a formal apology for decades of abuse of Indigenous children at church-run residential schools they were forced to attend.

Sohi, who immigrated here from India four decades ago, is the first person of Sikh background and first person of color to be elected mayor. While he experienced prejudice early on, this is also a community that lifted me up, that provided resources to help him succeed, and he now wants to help create similar opportunities for newer arrivals.

In a sign of cross-religious cooperation, volunteers to help with the papal visit have come from the local Muslim community, the Salvation Army and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

More than 200 members of the latter have signed up for such tasks as coordinating park-and-ride lots.

The faith groups look out for each other, said John Craig, a church elder who oversees a region that includes Alberta.

The church has taken similar steps, he said, such as offering one of its buildings as a rest station along a Sikh parade route and providing supplies for refugees through a Ukrainian Catholic church.

A Salvation Army crew has been serving meals to workers preparing Lac Ste. Anne, a lake that was considered sacred for Indigenous peoples before colonization and remains a popular pilgrimage destination, for Francis visit.

This is going to be a historic moment in Canada, said Captain Peter Kim, pastor of the Salvation Army Church Community in Grand Prairie, Alberta. Were blessed just to be a part of it.

Within the Christian population, Indigenous ministries and recent immigration have boosted ethnic and denominational variety. Catholics celebrate Mass in at least 16 languages in the Archdiocese of Edmonton.

Worshippers used English and Cree liturgy at the recent dedication of a restored sanctuary at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, a Catholic parish oriented toward Indigenous people and culture. Eritrean worshippers, who also have regular Masses in the church, contributed a poignant, rhythmic hymn in their own language.

There is similar culture, especially in the Mass, said Simon Tekle, who is originally from Eritrea. Its very similar with the drums."

At the end of the service, Indigenous drummers sang robustly outside the church. Across the street, onlookers watched curiously from the steps of a Pentecostal church with roots in Nigeria. On adjacent blocks, others worshipped at a Ukrainian Catholic parish and a Lutheran church with a Danish-language liturgy.

Francis paid tribute to the region's diversity on Tuesday at Lac Ste. Anne, which he compared to the biblical Sea of Galilee, a cultural crossroads where Jesus began his ministry.

This lake, with all its diversity, thus became the site of an unprecedented proclamation of fraternity; not a revolution bringing death and injury in its wake, but a revolution of love, the pope said. Here, on the shores of this lake, the sound of drums, spanning the centuries and uniting different peoples, brings us back to that time.

The Sikh population began to grow in the 1960s and 1970s through immigration. Sikh elders say they experienced prejudice and vandalism early on.

The local community, I don't think they knew who we were, said Surinder Singh Hoonjanbut, a Sikh community leader. But he said that has changed greatly as the the Sikh population has grown, interacted with neighbors and engaged in community service.

Also, growing awareness of issues such as the Indigenous experience helps to build more general multicultural awareness, said Sikh community member Gagan Kaur Hoonjan.

Movements that help one group be understood opens everyone's mind up to conversations for other communities, she said.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
WINCHESTER  A 19-year-old Winchester woman is the first in a line of Scott County royalty.

The Scott County Fair crowned its first Miss Scott County Fair on Monday, despite a similar traditions that ended years ago.

"The feeling was unreal," Danette Strang said. "I feel so lucky to represent the county that I live in."

Strang was crowned the 2022 Miss Scott County Fair. This is the first year the fair has held a pageant that was open to the entire community.

Strang is a graduate of Winchester High School and will begin her freshmen year at Maryville University where she plans to double major in business and finance. She said she would like to become an investment banker and eventually move into real estate.

Heather Wardlow, the pageant director, said there has been a push for several years to bring an open pageant to the fair.

"They use to have a Miss Scott County 4-h competition that was only open to fair members, so this is the first time it's been open to the community."

Wardlow said she and others wanted to create a pageant for all and to find someone to represent Scott County at the state competition.

Though Scott County residents could go to the Western Illinois Fair and compete, they weren't representing Scott County.

"We wanted to have this opportunity for our girls for a long time," Wardlow said. "The pageant really encourages confidence. We want them to be a light, to encourage others and be a leader."

Now, Strang will be representing the county for the next year.

"I get to pledge more of my time to the community and represent my county," Strang said. "This community gives so much to each member and I want to give something back."

So far she said she has gotten a lot of support from the members of her community.

"I've had people coming up to me, 'hi, I don't even know your name, but I'm glad you won,' or people telling me I'm already doing a good job," Strang said. "I get to interact with and meet so many people."

She said she is also excited to spend time with her Little Miss.

"We've been partners for the whole pageant anyway," Strang said. "We've already started to bond and her energy is contagious, it's making me more energetic."

Ella Little, 6, was crowned as the first Little Miss Scott County.

While the parades and dresses, and of course throwing candy, are a big highlight for her, Little said she's excited for all the fun she's going to have.

During the competition, Little was asked who her favorite person was and said her mom, Megan, because they play games and cuddle.

She said she's preparing for her new role as a princess.

"You talk a lot and can't be shy," she said. "And I like the dresses."

Her mom, Megan Little, said she is proud of her daughter for taking the chance to do something new.

" I'm excited to see what the year will bring," Megan Little said. "She's pretty outgoing. She may be a little shy at first, but once she warms up to them, she'll talk to them forever."
Andrew Ah Liki/EyeEm

A narrow band of rain hit the southern portion of west-central Illinois hard Monday night, bringing flooding, road closures and damage to some areas.

The National Weather Service said the St. Louis area was particularly hard-hit. It saw 8.89 inches of rain from the storm, the most it has ever gotten in a 24-hour period. Flooding resulted in the temporarily closing of multiple interstates, including Interstate 70, I-44 and I-55.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Under the sweltering heat, Matthew Carr spent his lunch break in a fountain in downtown Portland, Oregon. The 57-year-old works outside picking up trash for the city and had to find a way to cool off.

This is pretty hot, Carr said. I can just take my uniform off, jump in there with my shorts for my break, and hang out for a good 10 or 15 minutes.

Temperatures soared to 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius) in Oregons largest city on Tuesday, which is expected to be the hottest day of a scorching spell that will be unusually long for this part of the United States. It was also a new daily record for the city for July 26, besting the previous mark set in 2020.

Seattle also reported a new record daily high of 94 F (34.4 C), breaking the previous record of 92 F (33.3 C) from 2018, according to the National Weather Service.

Elsewhere in Washington state, record daily temperatures were also registered in Bellingham and the capital Olympia, which experienced 90 F (32.2 C) and 97 F (36.1 C) respectively.

Oregon health officials said there has been an uptick in the number of people reporting heat-related illness in emergency departments, and the number of those calling emergency services numbers for similar symptoms.

Heat-related illness daily visits are above expected levels statewide, said Jonathan Modie, lead communications officer at the Oregon Health Authoritys Public Health Division. He said there were 32 such visits to emergency departments on Monday compared to three to five per day before the heat wave began.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency across much of the state, warning the extreme temperatures may cause utility outages and transportation disruptions.

With many parts of Oregon facing a high heat wave, it is critical that every level of government has the resources they need to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy, Brown said in a statement.

Portland officials have opened cooling centers in public buildings and installed misting stations in parks. TriMet, which operates public transportation in the Portland metropolitan area, will allow passengers who cannot afford fares to ride for free when heading to cooling centers.

Most of Portlands garbage companies began earlier pick-ups on Tuesday morning, starting as early as 4 a.m. to reduce drivers exposure to heat and health risks. The early rounds will likely continue through Friday morning.

Multnomah County, which includes Portland, plans to open four overnight emergency cooling shelters starting Tuesday night so people who cant get cool on their own can spend the night. The locations can accommodate a total of 245 guests, said Multnomah County spokesperson Kate Yeiser.

Were going to find space for anybody who needs it, Yeiser said, adding that the sites have a no-turn-away policy. She said the county may open an additional overnight center on Wednesday if there is high demand.

Many libraries are extending their hours, staying open until 8 or 9 p.m. to allow people more time to cool off.

As the northwestern U.S. heated up, the hot spell on the East Coast appeared to have broken, with few areas east of the Mississippi River under heat advisories on Tuesday.

Philadelphia hit 99 degrees (37 Celsius) Sunday before factoring in humidity. Newark, New Jersey, marked five consecutive days of 100 degrees or higher, the longest such streak since records began in 1931. Boston also hit 100 degrees, surpassing the previous daily record high of 98 degrees (36.6 Celsius) set in 1933.

On Tuesday, highs peaked in the 80s in New York and Boston.

Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summers deadly heat dome weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths.

In response, Oregon passed a law requiring all new housing built after April 2024 to have air conditioning installed in at least one room. The law already prohibits landlords in most cases from restricting tenants from installing cooling devices in their rental units.

About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the 2021 heat wave in late June and early July. The temperature at the time soared to an all-time high of 116 degrees F (46.7 C) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were elderly and lived alone.

While temperatures this week are not expected to get that high, the anticipated number of consecutive hot days has raised concerns among officials.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for large swaths of Oregon and Washington state, including Portland and Seattle, out of concern that nighttime temperatures wont help residents to sufficiently cool off.

The main reason for that warning is because of those low temperatures only getting into the 65 to 70 degree range, and the fact that this is such a long duration event, said Colby Neuman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland.

Portland seems to be on track to either tying or exceeding previous heat wave duration records, Neuman said. The record stands at six consecutive days of 95 degrees (35C) or higher, which has only been reached twice before.

Officials in Seattle and Portland have issued air quality advisories from Tuesday through Saturday, warning that smog may reach levels that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Cooling sites are open throughout Seattle, greater King County and throughout western Washington.

In Portland, an emergency cooling shelter provided relief on Tuesday for Rory Lidster, a veteran without housing who described the heat as uncomfortable.

I think these cooling shelters are a real good thing, that the elderly really need them and that all people really need them in this kind of heat, Lidster said.

The 55-year-old said he has been living in a tent on the street for the past two weeks. He described calling shelters every morning only to find no open spots. Now, he will be able to spend the night at the emergency cooling site, where he hopes to stay for a little while.

As long as we can be, I will be here, Lidster said.

___

AP photographer Craig Mitchelldyer contributed. Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington.

___

Claire Rush is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Carl R. Stark, 22, of 104 Woodfield Blvd. was arrested at 3:18 p.m. Tuesday on a criminal trespassing charge after police said he was at a location in the 100 block of West Independence Avenue from which he was prohibited.

 A juvenile was cited on a charge of possession of cannabis by a minor at 10:42 p.m. Monday in Nichols Park.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A bicycle was stolen from the front yard of a residence in the 700 block of Goltra Avenue between 10:30 p.m. Monday and 11:56 a.m. Tuesday.

Calhoun County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Zachary T. Blumberg, 36, of Kampsville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:15 p.m. July 15 on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a narcotics instrument and on a Calhoun County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Greene County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Brandon B. Benbrook, 38, of Chatham was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:56 a.m. July 9 on charges of driving under the influence, illegal possession or transportation of liquor by a driver, possession of a narcotics instrument, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of cannabis in a vehicle by a driver, possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine, improper parking on roadway and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

 Donald C. Kassing, 27, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:44 p.m. July 6 on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a peace office (three or more counts), aggravated battery and resisting a peace officer.

 Dekoda L. Matthews, 23, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:22 a.m. June 29 on a contempt of court charge.

 John J. Scheferkort, 30, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:19 p.m. June 22 on charges of trespass to a residence, aggravated assault and home invasion/dangerous weapon.

 Casey D. Presley, 34, of Eldred was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:12 p.m. June 20 on a charge of possession of a narcotics instrument and Jersey, Macoupin and Madison counties warrants accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Carrollton Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Donald D. Ennis, 36, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:11 p.m. Monday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Jeffery D. Shaw, 59, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:20 a.m. Thursday on an obstructing justice charge.

 Christina M. McAdams, 34, of Jerseyville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:12 p.m. July 19 on charges of residential burglary and theft/second offense.

 Alexander M. McAdams, 22, of Fieldon was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:09 p.m. July 18 on charges of aggravated battery and residential burglary.

 Christina M. McAdams, 34, of Jerseyville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:08 a.m. July 13 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Matthew A. McAdams, 22, of Fieldon was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:38 a.m. July 13 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Alyssa R. Willis, 18, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:49 p.m. July 6 on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Donald D. Ennis, 36, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:06 a.m. July 5 on a domestic battery charge.

 Matthew D. Wells, 26, of O'Fallon was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:17 p.m. June 28 on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle and obstructing justice.

Greenfield Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Monica E. McCollom, 39, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:15 p.m. July 17 on a charge of violating bail bond.

 Monica E. McCollom, 39, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:37 a.m. July 16 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Scott S. McDonald, 49, of Springfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:59 p.m. July 13 on a possession of a controlled substance charge.

 Gage M. Murray, 29, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:04 a.m. July 3 on a domestic battery charge.

Roodhouse Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Matthew T. Farris, 28, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:34 p.m. Saturday on charges of domestic battery and resisting a peace officer.

 Adam E. Gauges, 43, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:48 p.m. July 19 on a charge of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration.

 Steven D. Cunningham, 56, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:04 p.m. July 18 on a possession of methamphetamine charge.

 David A. Gillis, 68, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:20 a.m. July 18 on a charge of violating an order of protection.

 Matthew T. Farris, 28, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:03 p.m. July 13 on a domestic battery charge.

 Marya A. Radunzel, 37, of Chatham was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:14 p.m. July 12 on a driving under the influence charge.

 Richard E. Neff, 43, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:08 p.m. July 11 on an aggravated assault charge.

 Nathaniel M. Thornton, 30, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:17 p.m. July 7 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Herbert E. Stewart, 53, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:47 a.m. July 5 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended and a Pike County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

 Kimberly S. Pennington, 51, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:57 p.m. July 1 on a petition to revoke.

State police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jeffrey K. Seymour, 63, of Winchester was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:44 a.m. June 29 on charges of driving under the influence, illegal possession or transportation of liquor by a driver, improper lane use, speed too fast for conditions, failing to carry license on person while operating a motor vehicle and failing to give information to owner after striking an unattended property or vehicle.

White Hall Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Roger P. McFarlane, 33, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:54 p.m. Friday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Jamie L. Farris, 37, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:01 a.m. July 9 on a domestic battery charge.

 Shane M. Ingram, 45, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:32 p.m. July 8 on a domestic battery charge.

 Andrew J. Robertson, 18, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:45 p.m. July 6 on a criminal damage to property charge.

 Kari L. Schofield, 34, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:03 p.m. July 5 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Jennifer R. Hall, 49, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:56 a.m. June 27 on charges of obstructing justice-false information, criminal trespassing to a residence and criminal trespassing to a residence or rental property.

 Danny J. Newingham, 54, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:08 a.m. June 27 on charges of obstructing justice, criminal trespass to a residence and criminal trespass to land.

 Johnathan A. Campbell, 43, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:16 p.m. June 20 on charges of aggravated domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.

 Rayshawn E. Massey, 23, of St. Louis was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:20 p.m. June 19 on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Amelia J. Eddinger, 45, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:17 p.m. June 16 on a possession of methamphetamine charge and a Greene County warrant accusing her of failing to appear in court.

Scott County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Garld W. Jones, 80, of Alsey was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:21 p.m. July 18 on charges of assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

Winchester Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 David L. Hawkins, 69, of Winchester was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:09 p.m. July 10 on a battery charge.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian troops used American-supplied precision rocket launchers to knock out a strategic bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine's occupied Kherson region, officials said Wednesday.

Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed an enemy ammunition depot, artillery pieces and other military equipment in the region, killing 51 members of the Russian army. There was no immediate confirmation from the Russian side.

The Antonivskyi Bridge over the Dnieper River was attacked late Tuesday, according to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region. The bridge was left standing, but holes in its deck prevented vehicles from crossing the 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) span, he said.

After previous Ukrainian attacks damaged the bridge last week, it was closed to trucks, but it had remained open for passenger vehicles until the latest strike.

Russian forces in recent days have intensified their shelling of cities and villages in eastern Ukraine while also stepping up airstrikes in the south. At the same time, the Kremlins troops are facing mounting counterattacks from the Ukrainians in the Kherson region, which was captured by Moscow early in the war.

Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to target the bridge, Stremousov said. A Ukrainian military spokesperson, Nataliya Gumenyuk, told Ukrainian TV that surgical strikes were carried out on the bridge.

The HIMARS has greater range, much more precision and a faster rate of fire than the Soviet-designed Smerch, Uragan and Tornado rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine. The weapons were among the billions of dollars in Western military aid that has helped Ukraine fight off the Russians since the Feb. 24 invasion.

In other developments:

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia has lost nearly 40,000 soldiers in the war and that tens of thousands more were wounded. His claim could not be independently verified. The Russian military last reported its losses in March, when it said 1,351 troops had been killed.

 Turkeys defense minister said preparations were underway for the resumption of grain shipments from Ukraines Black Sea ports. Russia and Ukraine signed agreements last week to free up millions of tons of grain trapped by the fighting, potentially easing the global food crisis.

 At least two civilians were killed and three wounded when Russian forces shelled a hotel in the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian emergency authorities said. Bakhmut has been a focus of the Russian offensive in the region.

While halting traffic across the Dnieper River bridge makes only a slight dent in the overall Russian military operation, the attack was a morale-boosting victory for the Ukrainians.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that the occupiers should learn how to swim across the Dnieper or leave Kherson while it is still possible. There may not be a third warning, he tweeted.

The bridge is the main crossing over the Dnieper in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at a hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open.

Knocking the crossings out would make it hard for the Russian military to keep supplying its forces in the region.

We are doing all we can so that the occupiers have no logistical capabilities remaining on our land. Ukraine's president said during his nightly video address, noting the attack on the Antonivskiy bridge and other crossings in the region.

"Of course, they will all be rebuilt, but it will be us rebuilding them, Zelenskyy added.

The accurate targeting of the bridge contrasted with Russias indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas since the invasion five months ago.

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, in the east-central part of the country, said Wednesday that Russian forces struck two regions with artillery. Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said a woman was wounded in the town of Marhanets and several apartment buildings, a hospital and a school were damaged by the shelling.

Chaotic shelling has no other goal but to sow panic and fear among the civilian population, he said.

The bulk of the Russian forces are fighting in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, known as the Donbas, where they have made slow gains in the face of ferocious Ukrainian resistance.

They have taken some ground northeast of Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. But it said Russian forces are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before early autumn.

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Follow the APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
France pledges more security, education support to Benin View Photo

COTONOU, Benin (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged security cooperation and support to Benin as it fights rising threats of extremism, as well as investments in education and a cultural center for the West African nation.

Macron made the pledges after meeting with Benin President Patrice Talon as part of a three-country tour to improve relations with nations in west and central Africa. Benin is Macrons second leg of the journey after visiting Cameroon. He next heads to Guinea-Bissau.

France promises support in air, intelligence and equipment as well as training for the defense and security forces of Benin, said Macron in a press conference alongside Talon. We are also going to meet Benins needs in terms of equipment and help the country to structure how it arms its army.

Benin and neighboring Togo have suffered deadly recent extremist attacks, and are seeing increased risk of violence from al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked groups who are spreading further south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

As France withdraws from Mali, it is restructuring its deployment of troops.

Macron promised to follow the needs of the African states to fight against terrorism and come in to support in terms of training, equipment, and accompaniment.

Macron also announced investments by France in education and culture in Benin, where more than a dozen artifacts were returned in 2021 after being looted by French colonial forces in 1892. The two had earlier visited the returned works of the royal treasures of Abomey.

Talon lauded the support from France, which will also include increased educational funding, and said the two countries would also develop an artistic center in Cotonou.

By VIRGILE AHISSOU

Associated Press
In rare contact, US offers Russia deal for Griner, Whelan View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine to discuss the deal and other matters.

Blinkens comments marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial. He did not offer details on the proposed deal outlined to the Russians, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. government has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

The person insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Though it is unclear if the proposal will be enough for Russia to release the Americans, the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.

It also signals a growing acceptance by the White House of prisoner swaps as resolutions for cases of Americans jailed overseas, particularly after a trade in April that secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed and yielded a much-needed publicity win for the administration.

We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release, Blinken said. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and Ill use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, to move us toward a resolution.

President Joe Biden, who authorized the Reed prisoner swap after meeting with his parents, signed off on the deal the U.S. offered in this case, officials said.

The president and his team are willing to take extraordinary steps to bring them home, John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters.

Should the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov take place, it would be the first conversation that the men have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested a new call with Lavrov.

Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a U.N.-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

There is utility to conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us, including the release of Griner and Whelan, he said. They also include what were seeing and hearing around the world is a desperate need for the foods, the desperate need for prices to decrease.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Griner, in Russian custody for the last five months after authorities there said they found her in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at her trial Wednesday that she had no criminal intent in bringing them into the country and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBAs offseason.

During her testimony, the Phoenix Mercury standout said she still does not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her luggage but explained she had a doctors recommendation for using it to address chronic pain from her sports injuries.

She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

U.S. officials for months had sought to deflect criticism over the apparent lack of momentum in the Griner and Whelan cases by saying that work was proceeding in secret and out of public view. That stance made Wednesdays announcement all the more startling, but Kirby said the administration had decided to make clear that a deal was on the table.

We believe its important for the American people to know how hard President Biden is working to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home, he said.

Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the Merchant of Death, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons. Supporters of his release contend he was jailed after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation, and the judge who sentenced him told The Associated Press this month that she believed he had already served enough prison time.

The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future. The Biden administration has also been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.

There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reeds release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russias diplomacy was Kabuki Theater  all show and no substance.

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russias massive military build-up along Ukraines border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.

The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion.

By MATTHEW LEE and ERIC TUCKER

Associated Press
Judge puts hold on North Dakota trigger law banning abortion View Photo

FARGO, N.D. (AP)  A North Dakota judge on Wednesday put on hold the states trigger law banning abortion while a lawsuit moves forward that argues it violates the state constitution, ruling that the attorney general had prematurely calculated the date when the ban should take effect.

Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick sided with the states only abortion clinic, the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo, that Attorney General Drew Wrigley prematurely attempted to execute the trigger language. The clinic had argued that a 30-day clock should not have started until the U.S. Supreme Court issued its certified judgment on Tuesday.

Therefore the Court finds a temporary restraining order appropriate at this time, Romanick wrote.

The ban had been set to take effect on Thursday. Shortly after the ruling, Wrigley said he was heading to the North Dakota Legislative Councils office to drop off another certification of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reversed Roe vs. Wade. He did not comment about the judges order.

The ruling, which comes as various states grapple with potential bans and other restrictions often backed by Republican lawmakers, will give the Red River clinic more time to relocate a few miles away to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion remains legal. Clinic owner Tammi Kromenaker has said she will move there if litigation doesnt block the North Dakota ban.

Kromenaker has declined to say when the new clinic will be ready, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Planned Parenthood, which at one point had said it would step in if needed, has since said that Kromenaker has assured them that there would be no interruption in service due to the clinics relocation.

Attorney Tom Dickson said the clinic was gratified by the courts ruling and looks forward to the next hearing.

Destini Spaeth, the volunteer leader of an independent group that helps fund abortions in North Dakota, said it was an emotional day with the prospect of Wednesday being the last day for medical procedures at the clinic. She said she screamed when she heard about the order.

More time is what we need, in terms of getting all our ducks in a row, Spaeth said. Im not going to speculate on the rest of the lawsuit. We cant really depend on North Dakota in terms of legislation and the judicial branch. But this is a blessing.

Meetra Mehdizadeh, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is helping the clinic with the suit, said the plaintiffs will do everything in our power to fight this ban and keep abortion accessible in North Dakota for as long as possible.

As for the larger question in the suit, the clinic argues in its lawsuit that the North Dakota Constitution guarantees the rights of life, liberty, safety, and happiness, all of which protect the right to abortion. The judge did not address that part of the complaint in his order.

North Dakotas law would make abortion illegal in the state except in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother.

By DAVE KOLPACK

Associated Press
Workers at Massachusetts Trader Joes store take union vote View Photo

Employees at a Trader Joes in Massachusetts are casting votes over the next two days in an attempt to form the supermarket chains first union.

About 80 workers  or crew members in company parlance  at the Hadley store are scheduled to vote Wednesday and Thursday, said Maeg Yosef, a union organizer who has worked at Trader Joes for 18 years.

The workers are organizing under the name Trader Joes United, which if successful, would be an independent union, and not affiliated with a larger existing union.

Workers from at least two other Trader Joes locations have initiated unionization efforts. Employees at a Minneapolis location have a union vote scheduled for Aug. 11 and 12, while the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 on Tuesday filed a union election petition with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of crew members at a Boulder, Colorado store.

The Trader Joes workers are part of a nationwide wave of employees at major companies who have or are attempting to unionize in an effort to get a bigger say in their work conditions and compensation.

Workers at multiple Starbucks coffee shop locations across the country, as well as employees at Amazon, Apple and REI are among those who have joined unions in the past year.

Trader Joes management has engaged in what Yosef called classic union-busting tactics, including hiring a law firm specializing in fighting unionization to try and talk employees out of approving a union.

California-based Trader Joes, which has about 550 stores nationwide, also just announced an enhanced benefits package that includes more paid time off and better pay for some employees, which she said was an effort to head off unionization.

Trader Joes already has generous pay and benefits by industry standards, a company spokesperson said.

Trader Joes is a great place to work and our compensation, benefits, flexibility, and working conditions are among the best when compared to any retailer, Nakia Rohde said in an email. We welcome a fair vote by our crew members.

By MARK PRATT

Associated Press
BEIJING (AP)  China is warning it will respond forcefully if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proceeds with a visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory.

Pelosi is second in line to the presidency and would be the highest ranking U.S. politician to visit Taiwan since 1997. China has threatened unspecified resolute and strong measures" if she goes ahead, which analysts say could cause tensions to spike in the Taiwan Strait, considered a major potential Asian powder keg.

Here's a look at what's happening.

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WHY DOES PELOSI WANT TO VISIT TAIWAN?

Pelosi has been a staunch critic of China throughout her more than three decades in Congress, once unfurling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square memorializing those killed in the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. She was also a strong supporter of 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, making her a target of caustic criticism from Beijing.

Taiwan enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Pelosi said last week it was important for us to show support for Taiwan. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has defied Beijing's threats and her administration has favored core democratic values and liberal policies close to Pelosi's heart, including same-sex marriage and a strong social security net.

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WHY WOULD THE VISIT CAUSE A RISE IN TENSIONS?

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and its military buildup in recent years has largely been oriented toward such a mission.

Beijing objects to all official contact between Taipei and Washington, and routinely threatens retaliation. This time, the stakes appear to be higher. China launched military exercises and fired missiles into waters near Taiwan in response to a 1995 visit to the U.S. by Taiwan's then-President Lee Teng-hui, but it's military capabilities have advanced massively since then.

While experts say it's unlikely China would use force to prevent Pelosi's U.S. government plane from landing in Taipei, its response remains unpredictable. Threatening military drills and incursions by ships and planes are considered potential scenarios that would set the entire region on edge.

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WHY IS THE TIMING SENSITIVE?

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who will speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, is keen to keeping America's crucial but often turbulent and highly complex relationship with China on an even keel.

Pelosi had planned to visit in April but postponed after getting COVID-19. She has declined to discuss reported plans to travel to Taiwan in coming weeks. That could coincide with China's celebrations of the Aug. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.

A more robust Chinese response could also be driven by Xi's desire to bolster his nationalist credentials ahead of a party congress later this year at which he is expected to seek a third five-year term in office. Xi's expansion of his powers into every sphere and his hardline zero-COVID response to the domestic epidemic has sowed a degree of resentment and appealing to raw patriotism, particularly over Taiwan, might help him fend off criticism.

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WHAT IS TAIWAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD A VISIT?

Tsai has been welcoming of all foreign dignitaries, serving and retired, from the U.S., Europe and Asia, using such visits as a bulwark against China's refusal to deal with her government and relentless campaign of diplomatic isolation. Still, her rhetoric on such occasions has generally been relatively low-key, reflecting her own calm demeanor and possibly a desire not to further antagonize China, which remains a crucial economic partner, with around a million Taiwanese residing in mainland China.

The capital Taipei staged a civil defense drill Monday and Tsai on Tuesday attended annual military exercises, although there was no direct connection with tensions over a possible Pelosi visit. While the Taiwanese public strongly rejects China's demands for unification, the ability of the island's military to defend against the PLA without U.S. help is highly questionable, so shoring up the armed forces has been a hallmark of Tsai's term in office.

Speaking Tuesday during the exercises, Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the military was monitoring all movements of Chinese warships and aircraft around the island. At the same time, we have the confidence and ability to ensure the security of our country, Sun said.
Leaders and representatives of five Oklahoma-based tribes on Wednesday told a U.S. Senate committee that they have followed treaties and court rulings regarding the citizenship of Freedmen and that the federal government should respect their sovereignty.

Freedmen were the freed Black people enslaved by the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Chickasaw nations. They were guaranteed the rights of citizens of the tribes under separate 1866 treaties with the United States.

That happened in the territory that became Oklahoma and not the rest of the slaveholding South because the U.S. government enforced stricter terms on Native American nations with slave-owners, and fully or partially joined with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

History does not bode well in terms of efforts by the United States to impose its values, on Native American tribes, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ambassador Jonodev Chaudhuri told members of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. The testimony comes amid an ongoing reckoning over a history of racism in the U.S.

California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat, told the committee that Freedman have been denied services intended for tribal citizens, including housing assistance, COVID-19 vaccinations and federal stimulus funding, because some tribes do not include them as members.

We must stand by the rights promised to Freedmen in the treaties that guaranteed those rights over a century ago, Waters said.

Choctaw Nation attorney Michael Burrage said the nation does not recognize Freedmen as citizens, citing the Choctaw constitution that was adopted under a federal court order in 1983.

We think the Choctaw Nation as a sovereign entity should be able to determine its memberships, Burrage said. Tribal membership is based on blood, referring to the Certificate Degree of Indian Blood, or CDIB.

But Seminole Nation Assistant Chief Brian Thomas Palmer said the nation has recognized the right of Freedmen to become citizens since 1866.

This short testimony to discuss select provisions (of the treaty) is a disservice to the Seminole and warrants a deeper conversation, Palmer said.

In prepared comments to the committee, Palmer and Seminole Nation Chief Lewis Johnson said the tribe does not offer healthcare, life insurance, or the COVID-19 vaccine to tribal members because of a lack of funding. They said federal funding eligibility is determined by the funding agency, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

BIA Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland told the committee that the bureau relies on the tribes to determine tribal citizenship.

Among the tribes, only the Cherokee Nation has met its obligations regarding Freedmen citizenship, which came following a federal court ruling in 2017, Newland said.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe chose not to appeal the ruling because of its own actions regarding the Freedmen, including denying them the right to vote in tribal elections.

The enslavement of other human beings and the subsequent denial to them and their descendants of their basic rights is a stain on the Cherokee Nation, and it's a stain that must be lifted, Hoskin said.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an apology on behalf of the Cherokee Nation for these actions, Hoskin told committee Chair Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, of Hawaii.

Marilynn Vann, a Freedmen descendant and president of The Descendants of Freedmen of the Fives Tribes Association, called for congressional action to provide the descendants with funds from future appropriations to tribes, require the Interior Department register Freedmen descendants and to hold committee field hearings in Oklahoma to allow other descendants to attend.

Schatz said the goal of the committee is to start a respectful dialogue ... and to educate the committee and the public" about the removal of Native Americans from their native lands in the southeastern U.S. and enslavement of Black people in the U.S. He did not describe the next steps.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A respected Polish scientific institute has classified domestic cats as an invasive alien species, citing the damage they cause to birds and other wildlife.

Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to this month's decision and put the key scientist behind it on the defensive.

Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences, wasn't prepared for the disapproving public response when he entered Felis catus, the scientific name for the common house cat, into a national database run by the academy's Institute of Nature Conservation.

The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections, Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The uproar over invasive alien species No. 1,787, he said, may have resulted from some media reports that created the false impression his institute was calling for feral and other cats to be euthanized.

Solarz described the growing scientific consensus that domestic cats have a harmful impact on biodiversity given the number of birds and mammals they hunt and kill.

The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species, are 100% met by the cat, he said.

In a television segment aired by independent broadcaster TVN, the biologist faced off last week against a veterinarian who challenged Solarz's conclusion on the dangers cats pose to wildlife.

Dorota Suminska, the author of a book titled The Happy Cat, pointed to other causes of shrinking biodiversity, including a polluted environment and urban building facades that can kill birds in flight.

Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species, Suminska said, arguing that cats were unfairly assigned too much blame.

Solarz pushed back, arguing that cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland each year.

Earlier this month, the Polish Academy institute published a post on its website citing the "controversy and seeking to clarify its position. The institute stressed that it was opposed to any cruelty towards animals. It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines.

As far as categorizing cats as alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated probably around 10,000 years ago in the cradle of the great civilizations of the ancient Middle East, making the species alien to Europe from a strictly scientific point of view.

The institute also stressed that all it was recommending was for cat owners to limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird breeding season.

I have a dog, but I don't have anything against cats, Solarz said.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian troops used American-supplied precision rocket launchers to knock out a strategic bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine's occupied Kherson region, officials said Wednesday.

Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed an enemy ammunition depot, artillery pieces and other military equipment in the region, killing 51 members of the Russian army. There was no immediate confirmation from the Russian side.

The Antonivskyi Bridge over the Dnieper River was attacked late Tuesday, according to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region. The bridge was left standing, but holes in its deck prevented vehicles from crossing the 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) span, he said.

After previous Ukrainian attacks damaged the bridge last week, it was closed to trucks, but it had remained open for passenger vehicles until the latest strike.

Russian forces in recent days have intensified their shelling of cities and villages in eastern Ukraine while also stepping up airstrikes in the south. At the same time, the Kremlins troops are facing mounting counterattacks from the Ukrainians in the Kherson region, which was captured by Moscow early in the war.

Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to target the bridge, Stremousov said. A Ukrainian military spokesperson, Nataliya Gumenyuk, told Ukrainian TV that surgical strikes were carried out on the bridge.

The HIMARS has greater range, much more precision and a faster rate of fire than the Soviet-designed Smerch, Uragan and Tornado rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine. The weapons were among the billions of dollars in Western military aid that has helped Ukraine fight off the Russians since the Feb. 24 invasion.

In other developments:

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia has lost nearly 40,000 soldiers in the war and that tens of thousands more were wounded. His claim could not be independently verified. The Russian military last reported its losses in March, when it said 1,351 troops had been killed.

 Turkeys defense minister said preparations were underway for the resumption of grain shipments from Ukraines Black Sea ports. Russia and Ukraine signed agreements last week to free up millions of tons of grain trapped by the fighting, potentially easing the global food crisis.

 At least two civilians were killed and three wounded when Russian forces shelled a hotel in the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian emergency authorities said. Bakhmut has been a focus of the Russian offensive in the region.

While halting traffic across the Dnieper River bridge makes only a slight dent in the overall Russian military operation, the attack was a morale-boosting victory for the Ukrainians.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that the occupiers should learn how to swim across the Dnieper or leave Kherson while it is still possible. There may not be a third warning, he tweeted.

The bridge is the main crossing over the Dnieper in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at a hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open.

Knocking the crossings out would make it hard for the Russian military to keep supplying its forces in the region.

We are doing all we can so that the occupiers have no logistical capabilities remaining on our land. Ukraine's president said during his nightly video address, noting the attack on the Antonivskiy bridge and other crossings in the region.

"Of course, they will all be rebuilt, but it will be us rebuilding them, Zelenskyy added.

The accurate targeting of the bridge contrasted with Russias indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas since the invasion five months ago.

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, in the east-central part of the country, said Wednesday that Russian forces struck two regions with artillery. Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said a woman was wounded in the town of Marhanets and several apartment buildings, a hospital and a school were damaged by the shelling.

Chaotic shelling has no other goal but to sow panic and fear among the civilian population, he said.

The bulk of the Russian forces are fighting in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, known as the Donbas, where they have made slow gains in the face of ferocious Ukrainian resistance.

They have taken some ground northeast of Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. But it said Russian forces are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before early autumn.

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SYDNEY (AP)  Nancy Pelosi hasnt said if shes going to Taiwan, but if she does shed be entering one of the worlds hottest and most contentious spots. While U.S. officials say they have little fear that Beijing would attack the U.S. House speakers plane, they are aware that a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency.

Officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan  still an uncertainty  the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi  she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997  would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi, D-Calif., in the event of a visit, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, if theres a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And Ill just leave it at that.

Pelosi would be the highest-ranking American lawmaker to visit the close U.S. ally since a predecessor as speaker, Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., traveled there 25 years ago.

China considers self-ruling Taiwan its own territory and has raised the prospect of annexing it by force. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a South China Sea forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident  even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but she postponed the trip after t esting positive for COVID-19.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President Joe Biden last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is not a good idea right now.

A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months. A U.S. official confirmed plans for the call to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit. But they dont rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they dont preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosis trip is of some Chinese show of force gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action, said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp. So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when youre doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speakers safety. Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think thats why youre getting some of these suggestions.

Shes not going to go with an armada, Pavel said.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

It is very possible that ... our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send, Cozad said. And so you get into ... some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.

On Wednesday, Chinas Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the presidential phone call. However, spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated Chinas warnings over a Pelosi visit. If the U.S. insists on going its own way and challenging Chinas bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses, Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S.

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years. He said Beijings military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other planes engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosis flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.

___

Knickmeyer reported from Washington.
MERIDEN  New leaders will be at the helm of several city schools in the upcoming school year.

John Kuckel, who has led Lincoln Middle School as principal over the past three years, heads over to Nathan Hale Elementary School to become that buildings new leader.

Nathan Hales longtime principal Karen Dahn retired at the end of the last school year, opening the opportunity for Kuckel.

Meanwhile, James Flynn, most recently assistant principal at Maloney High School, has been named Lincolns new principal.

Platt High School will have a new assistant principal in Bethany McKie. McKie takes over the position previously held by Andrea Fonseca, who has been offered a position as principal in the Stratford Public Schools, said School Superintendent Mark D. Benigni.

The new leaders are settling into their roles. Flynn said Monday he officially started his new position the week before. He has met with Lincolns secretarial staff and some faculty.

Flynn, a Meriden native, said he is excited for the opportunity to work with a younger group of students as well as new colleagues at Lincoln after a long career at the high school level.

Flynn, a former social studies teacher, said he strives to be fair and empathetic, learning about the whole student.

As a teacher, you would try to meet them where theyre at, Flynn said.

In teaching U.S. history, he tried to incorporate real life experiences so that students could relate to the curriculum.

Flynn, who graduated from Platt in 1996 and later attended Central Connecticut State University and the University of New Haven, said he was inspired to go into education by his high school teachers.

They had a good way about them that made me want to pursue teaching, Flynn said. Their approach included patience, subtlety and humor.

Officials have not yet named a replacement for Flynn at Maloney.

Dan Crispino, who is director of school leadership for the elementary schools, described Dahn as a passionate, caring, hardworking and dedicated principal.

Karen will not be easily replaced, Crispino said.

Benigni described Dahn as having been a dynamic leader at both Nathan Hale and John Barry Elementary School.

She cares deeply about students, staff and the school community, Benigni said.

Crispino said he is looking forward to working with Kuckel at Nathan Hale.

Its a huge job, he said. I dont think people understand the amount of responsibility that falls on a principal. Thats your building. Its not just a Monday through Friday job. Its a 24-7 job in many ways.

Kuckel, who is in his 21st year as an educator and his 11th year in Meriden, has long worked at the middle school and high school levels.

He said hes always been interested in an elementary school principal position. So when the Nathan Hale position became available, Kuckel said he expressed his interest.

Kuckel said his experience working with students in upper grades allows him to talk to younger students about what to expect as they progress through school.

Whats coming up for them, the skills they need, Kuckel said.

Benigni said Kuckel will bring his experience building relationships with students, families and staff at the secondary to the elementary school level.

He will be joining a very strong team, Benigni said.

McKie, a longtime science teacher who taught biology and human anatomy at Maloney, heads to Platt as its new assistant principal overseeing the ninth grade transition.

McKie said she is looking forward to the new opportunity. She described the freshman year of high school as critical.

While McKie has taught science, McKie has also worked closely with families and fellow faculty members in special education planning and placement meetings.

Benigni said dealing with the social and emotional needs of students is a top priority in the coming school year.

How can we support whole child development? Benigni said, adding the district has added additional staff to support those needs and increased its summer program to help students begin the academic year already connected to their school communities.

The district is also looking to maximize its outdoor learning spaces.

At the high schools, officials plan to increase focus on ensuring students graduate college or are career ready.

What are we doing to prepare students for the competitive work environment after high school? Benigni said.

mgagne@record-journal.com203-317-2231Twitter:@MikeGagneRJ
(Bloomberg) -- Ivan Escogido is suddenly seeing gleaming BMWs, eight-cylinder Chevrolet Suburbans and luxury Lincolns stopping to fill up, paying in dollars, some proffering American Express cards. For Escogido, who pumps gas in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez on the Texas border, this is a reversal of everything hes known.

For their whole lives, people from here -- businessmen and everyone else -- have gone to buy gas in El Paso, said Escogido, 37, referring to the Texas city over the border. Now the tables have turned.

With a Mexican gallon a dollar less, gas sales in Ciudad Juarez were 52.6% higher in May than a year ago. Most of it is imported from the US, which is the single largest seller of refined petroleum products to Mexico.

As the world and the rising Latin American left have embraced a green future, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has seemed to some like a dinosaur -- building a huge over-budget refinery in his native Tabasco and investing heavily in Petroleos Mexicanos, his state oil company, the worlds most indebted.

And yet there he was, the populist leader known as AMLO, poking President Joe Biden at the White House the other day, telling him that hed generously welcome American drivers to come fill up. He offered to double the supply to border gas stations to help Biden while lawmakers consider the US presidents call to suspend fuel taxes. He said Mexican pipelines could provide fuel to California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

As nations across the globe scramble for energy in the face of a pandemic supply crisis, extreme weather and the Russian war on Ukraine, Mexico -- at least, right now -- is sitting pretty.

And although Lopez Obrador is a leftist, hes being briefly hailed by some on the right in the US who want more drilling and love seeing Biden squirm.

It has been a boon for AMLO at his daily press conferences. The increased tax breaks and subsidies that his government put into place for both customers and companies will cost an estimated $24 billion this year, but officials say theyve been able to cover the price with revenue from crude oil sales.

Gas prices topped $5 a gallon in the US in June and though they have dipped since, people who drive across the border say they dont remember a time when Mexican gas was so much cheaper. What costs $3.11 a gallon in Escogidos station in Juarez goes for $4.03 in El Paso and $5.78 in Fresno.

And people are coming even though some stations have a reputation for scamming clients.

Theres no gas station in all of Mexico that gives you a full liter for every one they charge, said Manuel Alfredo Aguirre, 53, astride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Even so, theres no beating the price.

One Texas woman filling her tank said her family told her she had to buy gasoline in Juarez, blaming the price difference on Bidens failures. A New Mexico construction worker with a disability tag swerved into the station after dropping his adult daughter off. A man shielding his eye from the sun because hed come to Mexico for eye surgery handed a few bills to the attendant. These folks didnt drive over just for the gas; they had a reason to be here but made it a point to find a pump.

The northern border states were never Lopez Obradors biggest voter base but lower gas prices could be helping him now. The question for the government is whether the wind in Pemexs sails  and the boost to its own reputation  will be worth it in the long run.

Governments change, wars change, illnesses change, but all of that is outside my control, said Faustino Alonso Maldonado, who oversees 79 gas stations in Juarez for Grupo Gazpro, a Pemex affiliate. Crises are a time of opportunity.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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Indiana-based developer Becknell Industrial is planning a big expansion to warehouse space at the Foster Ridge industrial park on the Eastside on Lancer Boulevard, a site that already has a 439,809-square-foot warehouse. Becknell plans to build two speculative warehouses at the site off I-10 totaling 280,055 square-feet, according to recent filings with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Becknell Industrial owns one warehouse at Foster Ridge 2 industrial park on 30 acres at 7015 Lancer Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78219, according to its website. These two new warehouses are set to include about 2,000 square feet of office space as well. The listings say construction is slated for January and February 2023.
NEW YORK (AP)  In Wes Studis potent and pioneering acting career, he has played vengeful warriors, dying prisoners and impassioned resistance leaders. For three decades, he has arrestingly crafted wide-ranging portraits of the Native American experience. But one thing he had never done in a movie is give someone a kiss.

I thought it was about time, yeah, Studi, 74, says chuckling.

In A Love Song, a tender indie drama starring another long-pigeonholed character actor, Dale Dickey, Studi is for the first time cast as a romantic co-star. Dickey plays a woman camping by a mountain lake awaiting the visit of an old flame.

Studi, the Cherokee actor who masterfully played the defiant Huron warrior Magua in Michael Manns The Last of the Mohicans and who got his first big break playing the character credited only as the toughest Pawnee in Dances With Wolves," hasnt been limited entirely to what he calls leather and feathers roles. But it's sometimes taken some extra effort. When he heard Mann was making Heat, Studi called up the director and got himself a part as a police detective.

But recently, Studi is increasingly getting a chance to play a wider array of characters. Along with Max Walker-Silverman's A Love Song, which opens in theaters Friday, hes a recurring, funny guest star on Sterlin Harjo's Reservation Dogs, the second season of which debuts Aug. 3 on Hulu.

Hopefully it has to do with creating a better understanding of Native people by the general public, Studi said in an interview earlier this summer. It does still exist, the misconception that we were all killed off and we dont exist anymore as peoples.

Thats essentially what I want to work on, and being a godfather to Native people in the industry, he adds.

With that Studi, sitting outside the lobby of his East Village hotel in New York, lets out such a howl of laughter that he nearly doubles over.

Why does that notion, one many would eagerly endorse, strike him as so hysterical? He entered Hollywood at a time when Indigenous people were regularly played by white actors. (" Sam Waterston is the one that kills me," Studi says, smiling.) A 2019 honorary Oscar made Studi the first Native American actor ever given an Academy Award.

I cant take myself seriously when I say that, thats why, he answers, wiping tears from his eyes. I guess it could be.

In person, Studi bears little resemblance to his fiercer screen roles. Hes more like his characters in A Love Song and Reservation Dogs. Amiable. Quick to laugh. Self-deprecating. A good storyteller. He exudes a bemused gratitude for the life hes found as an actor despite spending half his life without Hollywood ambitions. Studi grew up outside of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and spoke only Cherokee until he was 5. His father was a ranch hand.

I had never thought of acting, really, except once early in my life when I asked my dad when I saw Jay Silverheels on The Lone Ranger: Do you think anybody else can do what he does? Studi recalls. He said, Probably not. Most of the actors you find are 6-foot tall, blond and blue-eyed.

At 17, Studi joined the National Guard and volunteered to fight in Vietnam. He served one tour in South Vietnam, and saw heavy action. When he returned home, Studi became an activist and joined the American Indian Movement, taking part in the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee. It wasnt until after he got divorced in his late 30s that Studi gave acting a shot -- on a lark, he says -- with a Tulsa community theater company his friend was involved with. Studi thought: What do I have to lose?

The worst thing is that you could embarrass yourself. Thats about it," he says. "Theyre not going to shoot you for it.

Studi performed wherever the theater company could mount a stage or in gaslight dinner theaters. In one play, he co-starred with Will Sampson and David Carradine. After a few years, Studi headed out to Los Angeles. He was in his early 40s.

I still get the feeling of: Will I ever work again? Thats always been a part of it, said Studi. On the other hand, things have worked out that I have continued to work. I dont take that lightly. Im especially grateful that Ive been able to buy a home and stay in a good car for an extended period of time.

Studi remembers the Screen Actors Guild book of actors being a hefty tome while the then-newly founded American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts, listing Native actors, was a thin sliver. The parts available to him were also limited.

The only real opening for a guy who looked like me was in Westerns, says Studi. Thats the only real door that was open to us in that point in time. It was simply a matter of being able to deliver lines and look like you mean it.

After a few roles, Studi landed Dances With Wolves. Two years later, Mann cast him as Magua in The Last of the Mohicans," the cunning Huron warrior who fervently believes in fighting, ruthlessly, for survival. With time, Studis steely, determined performance has only grown more searing.

Any Native thats cognizant of history and the back and forth weve had with the colonizers, if you will, can have empathy with how he felt about things, said Studi. When youre backed into a corner, you gotta fight. Its one way or the other. All those things had an emotional consistency to them that I could identify with having been through the turmoil of the 70s.

When first-time director Walker-Silverman reached out to Studi, he had little reason to expect the actor of Geronimo: An American Legend" (1993), The New World (2005), Avatar (2009) and Hostiles (2017), would say yes to a production as small as A Love Song.

What are the chances hed want to come up here, eat my moms food, hang out with my friends and make this tiny film? says Walker-Silverman. But fortunately, Wes loves acting more than anything.

In the film, Studi and Dickey share a gentle duet, with Studi on guitar. Walker-Silverman planned for Studi to play a beat-up acoustic but Studi -- who has toured with his band Firecat of Discord -- came to the set with a red electric and a small amp. Walker-Silverman could tell the electric suited him better. During the Colorado shoot, Studi regularly strummed it with a big smile on his face.

Wes is goofy as hell, has a lovely smile and can play the hell out of a guitar. Im glad that some people will get to see that side of him, says Walker-Silverman.

Well over a hundred films between them," the director adds. "That this was maybe the first time they had ever kissed someone on screen says perhaps all sorts of sad things about whos been allowed to fall in love in movies.

Dickey, the actor of Winters Bone and "Hell or High Water, grants she was a little nervous about the romantic moments that neither actor was particularly experienced in.

Weve both played a lot of pretty rough people, she said in January during Sundance. But hes such a kind, sweet, gentle soul. It was our first screen kiss. We both laughed a lot about that.

Studi has goals beyond what he ruefully refers to as his first rom-com." One thing he'd like to do is play a main character with a full trajectory, something he feels he's only done in the Kevin Willmott 2009 film The Only Good Indian.

Id like to play a lead that takes me from really good to really bad or vice versa, something that has a long arc to it," says Studi. I want to continue to do this until I cant.

Press Studi and he'll grant that he sometimes gets letters from young Native American actors who say he inspired them to try. When Studi has been asked to talk to Native children, his message is simple: If I can do it, you can, too. And he's followed along  a supporter to the max," he says  as an explosion of young Native talent has emerged in series like Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls," which was co-created by Navajo showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas.

Studi, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Maura Dhu, has also seen one of his three children, son Kholan, pursue acting. Studi visibly brightens remembering when he and Maura mounted a one-man show with the kids helping out. Studi's son Daniel operated the lighting. His daughter, Leah, was backstage feeding him lines.

There were times she would get exasperated with me when I dropped something: Dad, thats not it! Studi says laughing. Oh, it was such fun.

___

This story restores dropped letter in graph 9 and corrects spelling in graph 13.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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Alyssa Farah Griffin, the former Trump White House director of strategic communications, is in final talks to join The View as the new conservative co-host of the daytime talk show, Variety has learned.

Multiple sources tell Variety that ABC executives have chosen Farah Griffin, 33, to join The View for its 26th season, which kicks off in the fall. She has sat at the Hot Topics table regularly this season, auditioning for one of the most high-profile jobs on TV.

Meghan McCain served as the conservative co-host of The View from 2017 through 2021, bringing a rating surge as she got into heated debates with the other co-hosts during the Trump era. Before that, Elisabeth Hasselbeck changed TV in 2003 as the first Republican arguing about the headlines of the day in daytime TV.

The View was created by Barbara Walters in 1997 as a talk show for women by women. In recent years, the daytime staple has excelled by leaning into politics, and solidifying itself as a go-to stop on the campaign trail.

Two sources caution that a deal for Farah Griffin has not been closed yet, but say its more-than-likely a matter of time. Should Farah Griffin officially get the gig  which our sources say she will  the announcement will probably arrive in the coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the show.

When contacted by Variety, a spokesperson for The View did not confirm nor deny Farah Griffins casting, simply stating: We do not have a co-host announcement to make at this time. Stay tuned.

A representative for Farah Griffin did not respond to Varietys request for comment.

Currently, the Hot Topics table is lead by moderator Whoopi Goldberg with co-hosts Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines. Ana Navarro, who is a part-time co-host, also auditioned for the permanent job, and is said to be disappointed that she wasnt selected, according to several sources.

Farah Griffins appointment to The View could be controversial on both sides, as she worked for Trump, only disavowing him after the Jan. 6 insurrection  as she began her television career. There was a brief period where I, you know, I drank the Kool-Aid, she told Vanity Fair.

On social media, some fans have threatened to boycott the show if shes selected. According to reports, comedian Wanda Sykes recently dropped out as a guest on The View because she didnt want to sit at the same table with Farah Griffin.

Farah Griffin served as former vice president Mike Pences press secretary for two years from 2017 to 2019, and then became press secretary for the United States Department of Defense, before joining the Trump White House in April 2020 where she helped engineer the presidents response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farah Griffin spent roughly eight months in her role working for the president, resigning one month after his lost to President Joe Biden.

At the time of her exit, Farah Griffin said that after three and a half years, she would be leaving the White House to pursue new opportunities, stating, I am deeply proud of the incredible things we were able to accomplish to make our country stronger, safer and more secure. But ever since she left the White House, Farah Griffin has condemned Trump, publicly disagreeing with his failure to accept the election results and blaming him for the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In late 2021, she joined CNN as a political contributor where she frequently speaks about her time in the Trump White House.

Farah Griffins father is the conservative editor and author Joseph Farah, who founded the far-right website, WorldNetDaily, and rose to prominence with his Clinton conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of Vince Foster, and then became known for promoting birtherism during Barack Obamas presidency. Farah has been singled out by the GLAAD Accountability Project for his repeated anti-LBGTQ and hateful comments. He called same-sex marriage one of the most radical ideas considered since child sacrifice, and has asserted that transgender people mutilate oneself sexually.

During one of her appearances guest co-hosting The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin spoke about political polarization tearing about families, revealing that her father refused to attend her wedding because of political differences after I spoke out against President Trump. Asked by Behar if her father is in the cult, Farah Griffin responded, Unfortunately. I mean, listen, the MAGA strength runs really far and deep.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trump's support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a complicated historical figure who many people misunderstand.

An Associated Press review of internet postings, court records and campaign finance disclosures depict a candidate with a more complicated biography than the compelling personal story that turned the 42-year-old Kent into a favorite of conservative media.

Square-jawed with wavy black hair and sleeve tattoos, the former Green Beret served 11 combat deployments before retiring from Special Forces to join the CIA. He also endured unspeakable tragedy: His wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria, leaving him to raise their two young sons alone.

But taken broadly, Kent's recent relationships and activities reinforce concerns about the GOP's ties to extremist groups. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has drawn attention to the role such organizations, particularly the Proud Boys, played in the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after Trump's reelection loss in 2020.

Theres a through line, said Dave Neiwert, an author and journalist who has covered right-wing extremism in the Pacific Northwest for decades. Many (Republican) politicians play footsie with it. Kent is just unabashed.

Kent's campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

Joe Kents platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda of rebuilding our industries, ending illegal immigration, and stopping stupid military interventions that dont directly support our national interest, Matt Braynard, a Kent strategist, said in a statement.

Ahead of the final slate of primaries that unfold in August, Kent is not the only House candidate worrying some Republicans who fear an otherwise favorable political climate to regain control of the House could be threatened by candidates seen as too extreme.

In Michigan, John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official challenging Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, once spread false claims that Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign chairman participated in a satanic ritual that involved bodily fluids.

In New York, Carl Paladino, a former GOP candidate for governor now running for the House, praised Hitler last year as the kind of leader we need today" and once emailed racist comments about Michelle Obama to a Buffalo newspaper for publication. And former Trump administration official Max Miller, the Republican nominee for an Ohio congressional seat, was accused of physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller denies the allegations and has sued Grisham for defamation.

A representative for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the organization responsible for helping the GOP regain control of the House, declined to comment, citing a policy of not interfering in primaries. A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Of those soon facing elections, Kent stands out for the breadth of his ties to a deep-seated extremist fringe that has long existed in the Pacific Northwest but is often obscured by the region's overwhelming liberal politics.

Campaign finance disclosures reveal Kent recently paid $11,375 for consulting over the past four months to Graham Jorgensen, who was identified as a Proud Boy in a law enforcement report and was charged with cyber stalking his ex-girlfriend in 2018. The charges were dismissed in late 2019. But a judge in Vancouver, Washington, issued an order of protection requiring Jorgensen to stay away from her, records show.

Kent's campaign said Jorgensen was a low-level worker who hands out literature and puts up signs and denied he has any current affiliation with outside organizations. They declined to make Jorgensen available for an interview.

Kent is also a close political ally of Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer. Since establishing the group in 2016, Gibson has organized demonstrations in Portland, as well as the citys Washington state suburbs, where he and his followers have clashed with left-wing groups. Many of the demonstrations were coordinated with the Proud Boys.

The often violent rallies organized by Gibson drew anti-government activists, extremists as well as white supremacists to unite in common cause  namely fighting left-wing activists.

Photos from the events archived online by the group Rose City Antifa demonstrate how in some cases Kent's allies have associated with people who have expressed white supremacist views. In numerous instances, Gibson as well as Jorgensen, the Proud Boy on Kents payroll, were recorded standing next to Jacob Von Ott, who has posted racist and antisemitic views online and expressed admiration for the founder of the American Nazi Party.

Von Ott did not respond to a request for comment sent to an email address listed to him, but he has previously denied that he's a white supremacist.

The danger with these groups is it can be an initial foray into this extremist space. And once youre in this extremist space, you can become further radicalized, said Emily Kaufman, an Anti-Defamation League researcher who tracks extremist activity in the Pacific Northwest.

Gibson regularly promotes Kents campaign on social media and spoke at a Kent fundraiser last year. When it was Kents turn to speak at the event, he lavished Gibson with praise, explaining that Gibson defended this community when our community was under assault from antifa.

Gibson was acquitted last week on felony riot charges after an altercation with left-wing activists at a Portland bar

Kent's ties to extremism aren't limited to the Pacific Northwest.

Braynard, one of Kent's top advisers, was the architect of a Washington, D.C., rally last year that sought to build sympathy for those arrested during the insurrection by rebranding them as political prisoners. Kent spoke at the rally, which was poorly attended.

And his candidacy is endorsed by far-right Arizona state lawmaker Wendy Rogers, who has identified herself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that played an outsize role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Kent publicly thanked Rogers for her endorsement and has raised doubts about the circumstances that led to the arrest of Oath Keepers over their role in the attack.

Kent has also sought support from figures associated with the white nationalist Groyper Army movement led by Nick Fuentes, an internet personality who has promoted white supremacist beliefs and attended the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Kent has acknowledged that a political consultant set up a call early in his campaign that Fuentes was part of, where expanding his campaign's reach on social media was discussed. But he denied that there was any sort of formal arrangement and distanced himself from Fuentes in March after their affiliation became broadly known. Kent tweeted at the time that he did not want want Fuentess endorsement due his focus on race/religion.

After the rebuke, however, Kent appeared on a far-right YouTube channel where he echoed sentiments similar to those held by many white nationalists.

I dont think theres anything wrong with there being a white people special interest group, Kent said during the YouTube interview with a group called the American Populist Union. He also said the immigration situation between the U.S. and Mexico wasn't as bad as in Europe because their version of Mexico is Africa and the Middle East.

In April, Kent was photographed at a fundraiser giving a thumbs-up with Greyson Arnold, a Groyper-aligned commentator who identifies as a Christian American Nationalist." Like Fuentes, Arnold was also at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection.

Arnold has shared memes online that refer to Nazis as a pure race" and has called Hitler a complicated" and misunderstood historical figure. He also hosted a White Boy Summer celebration in Lake Havasu, Arizona, in June 2021, drawing the events title from a popular meme that was circulating among white nationalists and racist groups.

Arnold did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Braynard, the Kent strategist, said the candidate does not know Arnold and the campaign does not do background checks on the thousands of people whove asked to take selfies with Joe.

Tom Davis, a former Virginia congressman who led House Republicans' campaign arm during George W. Bush's first term, said GOP leadership in Washington, D.C., faces a difficult set of choices when deciding what to do about candidates like Kent.

You dont want to go too heavy on this guy because if hes nominated you want to hold the seat," said Davis. The problem for Republicans is you can probably get away with this in 50 districts in the country. But this does not strike me as the kind of district where you dont pay a price.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
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A man who attacked police officers with poles during the riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Tuesday to more than five years in prison, matching the longest term of imprisonment so far among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions.

Mark Ponder, a 56-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., said he "got caught up in the chaos that erupted on Jan. 6, 2021, and didn't mean for any of this to happen.

I wasn't thinking that day, Ponder told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, asking her for mercy before she sentenced him to five years and three months in prison.

That was three months longer than the prison sentence requested by prosecutors. And it's the same sentence that Chutkan gave Robert Palmer, a Florida man who also pleaded guilty to assaulting police at the Capitol.

More than 200 other Capitol riot defendants have been sentenced so far. None received a longer prison sentence than Ponder or Palmer.

Chutkan said Ponder was leading the charge against police officers trying to hold off the mob that disrupted Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory.

This is not caught up, Mr. Ponder, she said. He was intent on attacking and injuring police officers. This was not a protest.

Chutkan has consistently taken a hard line in punishing Capitol rioters. She has handed down terms of imprisonment to all 13 riot defendants who have come before her, matching or exceeding the Justice Department's sentencing recommendation in every case, according to an Associated Press review of court records.

Prosecutors had recommended a five-year prison sentence for Ponder, who has been jailed since his arrest in March 2021.

In April, Ponder pleaded guilty to an assault charge punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines called for a prison term ranging from nearly five years to just under six years, but Chutkan wasn't bound by those recommendations.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot.

Defense attorney Joseph Conte said Ponder was caught up in the madness that was January 6. Conte asked for a sentence below the guidelines range.

Ponder swung a pole at a Capitol police officer on the Capitol's West Plaza, breaking it against the officer's shield. After retreating into the crowd, Ponder grabbed a sturdier pole colored in red, white, and blue stripes. He used it to assault two other officers, hitting one of them in the left shoulder, before police detained and handcuffed him.

Outnumbered officers released Ponder because they couldn't get a police vehicle to transport him. They told him to leave the Capitol, but Ponder stayed and joined a mob of rioters clashing with police at a tunnel.

Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, one of the officers assaulted by Ponder, said the force of Ponder's blow shattered his shield.

It was horrific, Gonell said during Ponder's sentencing hearing. That particular day will impact me for the rest of my life.

After his arrest, Ponder told FBI agents that he typically supports police but viewed the officers as part of the problem that day.

At some point in time, the way this country is going, you gonna have to pick a side, he said, according to prosecutors.

Ponder attended the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6 to hear then-President Donald Trump's speech and to peacefully protest the results of the election and the lack of attention to alleged voting irregularities, Conte wrote in a court filing.

He did so with no intent to do anything but add his voice to the vocal protests over the injustice he perceived had happened in the election," the attorney added. Unfortunately, he got caught up in the riotous atmosphere of the crowd and erroneously perceived the police as standing in the way of the crowds desire to protest the election results.

Ponder has a substantial criminal record spanning three decades, including a 2008 conviction for bank robbery, according to prosecutors.

More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Over 350 riot defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury or a judge after trials.

More than 220 of them have been sentenced, including approximately 100 who received a term of imprisonment. Ponder is the 15th to be sentenced to a prison term exceeding one year.

The prison sentences for Ponder and Palmer may not be the lengthiest for much longer. Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Guy Reffitt, a Texas man who was convicted of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich is scheduled to sentence Reffitt on Monday.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Ashu Tripathi, University of Michigan

(THE CONVERSATION) While humans evolved over a period of approximately 6 million years, breakthroughs in modern medicine as we know it today got going only in the 19th and 20th centuries. So how did humans successfully survive through millions of years of diseases and illnesses without modern drugs and treatments?

This was a question I came to wonder about when the COVID-19 pandemic reached my family in India in April 2020, when there was very limited access to vaccines and treatments. All of my years working as a biomedical scientist, requiring empirical evidence and formal safety testing before using a treatment, took a back seat as I scrambled for potential therapies from any sources I could find, be it scientific papers or folklore. I was ready to try any experimental or traditional medicine that might have a chance at helping my dad.

Luckily, my dad recovered. I cant say for sure if any of the traditional medicines we used actually helped him recover. But as someone whose entire scientific career has focused on discovering new drugs from chemical compounds found in nature, I wondered if there was a molecule in the traditional medicines we used that could be isolated and optimized to treat COVID-19.

Scientists like me have been looking for new drugs for various diseases by purifying existing compounds in nature instead of synthesizing completely new ones in the lab. From COVID-19 to antibiotic resistance, I believe that past successes and new technologies point to the tremendous potential of developing new drugs from natural products.

The natural product advantage

Humans have coevolved with the rest of nature over time, and obtaining medicine is perhaps one of the most important interactions people continue to have with the natural world. DNA analyses have shown that early humans may have treated dental abscesses with poplar, containing the active ingredient of aspirin, and Penicillium mold, containing the antibiotic penicillin.

Researchers call the molecules like the ones that give poplar and Penicillium their biological effects natural products because they are produced by living organisms such as microbes, fungi, corals and plants. These natural products have evolved to be structurally optimized to serve particular biological functions, primarily to deter predators or gain a survival advantage in a particular environment and over other competitors.

Because natural products are already made to function in living creatures, this makes them especially attractive as a source for drug discovery. While proteins may look different in different organisms, many have similar structural features and functions across species. This can help ease the search for related proteins that work in people.

Natural product hall of fame

Natural products derived from microbes and plants are the biggest resource for drug discovery for modern medicine. Case in point, the discovery of the antibiotic penicillin in 1940 from Penicillium mold allowed doctors to treat previously fatal infections and started the era of antibiotics.

As of September 2019, over 50% of currently available FDA-approved drugs are either directly or indirectly derived from natural products. One of the best-selling drugs of the past two decades, atorvastatin (Lipitor), an anti-cholesterol drug, is derived from a compound produced by the fungus Penicillium citrinum. From 1992 to 2017, atorvastatin sales in the U.S. totaled US$94.67 billion.

Other prominent examples of drugs derived from natural products currently used today include the anti-fungal amphotericin B, isolated from the soil bacteria Streptomyces nodosus, the chemotherapy taxol, isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, and the immunosuppressant cyclosporin, isolated from the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum.

I believe that undiscovered treatments for a wide range of diseases are lying right under our noses in natural products. In January 2021, the FDA approved voclosporin (Lupkynis), isolated from the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum, to treat lupus. Recently, researchers have been looking into cannabidiol and other cannabinoid compounds as a potential way to prevent or treat COVID-19. The FDA has not authorized any drug containing CBD for COVID-19 yet.

Challenges in natural product discovery

Researchers are increasingly able to use new screening technologies and methods to isolate previously unidentified natural products. Screening for natural products typically involves looking through a large library of extracts from natural sources. The Natural Product Drug Discovery Core, which I co-founded with my colleague David Sherman at the University of Michigan, for example, searches for potential drug targets in a library containing around 50,000 natural product extracts that each contain 30 to 50 molecules to test.

However, discovering natural product-based drugs is not without challenges. Since the 1980s, natural products have fallen out of favor because of a number of challenges. These include difficulty accessing expensive screening methods, and limitations in technology that isnt able to fully analyze the complexity of natural products. There are also ecological and legal considerations, such as accessing samples sustainably and maintaining biodiversity. Pharmaceutical companies have reduced their natural product-based drug discovery programs, and federal funding is also in short supply due to limited profitability.

Finding new drugs in nature

New drugs are often necessary for unprecedented health emergencies like COVID-19. They are also needed for a health emergency that began long before the pandemic  antibiotic resistance.

A September 2017 report from the World Health Organization reaffirmed that antibiotic resistance is a global health emergency that will seriously jeopardize progress in modern medicine. If current antibiotics lose their effectiveness, common medical interventions such as cesarean sections and cancer treatments may become incredibly risky. Transplantation could become virtually impossible. Antibiotic-resistant microbes were the direct cause of roughly 1.27 million deaths in 2019. Treating just six of the 18 microbes that pose an antibiotic resistance threat is estimated to cost over $4.6 billion annually in the U.S. alone. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed prior progress addressing this issue, with a 15% increase in antimicrobial-resistant infections from 2019 to 2020. In contrast, antimicrobial-resistant infections had fallen by 27% from 2012 to 2017. Among the likely causes of this backslide were increases in antibiotic use, difficulty following infection control guidelines and longer hospital stays.

As of recent estimates, roughly 75% of approved antibiotics are derived from natural products. There are thousands of microorganisms in the ocean left to explore as potential sources of drug candidates, not to mention all the ones on land. In the search for new drugs to combat antibiotic resistance, natural products may still be the way to go.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/nature-is-the-worlds-original-pharmacy-returning-to-medicines-roots-could-help-fill-drug-discovery-gaps-176963.
Demining hero Du Fuguo discharged from hospital

(People's Daily App) 13:17, July 27, 2022

Du Fuguo, a People's Liberation Army soldier who lost his arms and eyes in a mine clearance operation, was discharged from hospital after three years' treatment.

Intense daily rehabilitation training has helped Du build upper body strength and self-confidence.

(Produced by Sun Tianren and Li Peitian)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
AFD

Last Friday, July 22, an illegal dump caught fire at the 2100 block of Brandt Road. Nestled between I-35 and Onion Creek, just south of Slaughter Lane, it's a mess of empty jugs and old tires, discarded clothing and, well, a whole bunch of trash. As the blaze was contained by Austin Fire Department, with assistance by Travis County Fire Department and Manchaca Fire-Rescue, a thick plume of smoke rose above the tree line. AFD closed Brandt Road for more than an hour, and the department said that the column of smoke could be seen for miles. It was later ruled incendiary in nature.

Just a few days later, the same outcropping of detritus burst into flames once again.
UPDATE: The man who was found in New York last week has been identified and it is not Jason Landry, the Texas State student that has been missing since 2020.

The New York Police Department tweeted Wednesday that he was identified as a man from Yonkers, shooting down speculation that he may have been Landry. The police have reportedly contacted the Yonkers man's family.

Original story follows below.

New York police needed help identifying a man who was found unconscious last week and Texas investigators think it could be Texas State student Jason Landry, who has been missing since 2020. Investigators with Texas' Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit have sent identifying information for Jason over to the New York Police Department, the student's father, Kent Landry, told the Austin American-Statesman on Wednesday, July 27.

NYPD posted a photo of the intubated man to Twitter on Tuesday, July 26, saying he was found near University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue in the Bronx with no form of I.D. The man also had no apparent injuries.

Kent told the Austin American-Statesman that his son has surgery scars that could be used to see if the man is Jason. The father is holding out hope that it could be Jason.

"This whole thing has its ups and downs, Kent told the Statesman. We dont know if it's him, but I can say this feels a bit different because the picture does look a lot like him.

Jason went missing in December 2020 after Texas authorities found his vehicle crashed into a tree off a road in Luling. Jason was supposed to be traveling to be with his family in Houston. Authorities found Jason's backpack, cell phone, and clothes that police believe he wore the night of the accident.

Kent said he doesn't know how long it will take to identify the man.
SDI Productions/Getty Images

San Antonio Independent School District, which enrolls about 47,000 local children, is changing its student dress code for the upcoming school year. Starting in August, all grade levels will have the option to free dress or to wear a uniform.

The option to not wear a uniform became available to middle and high school students in 2021, but the policy change means that now extends to elementary students. A notice on the district's website says the change was made at the request of parents.
Steve Bennett / San Antonio Express-News

The sentencing of Jose Baldomero Flores III, 41, brings the murder cases of two San Antonio women to a close on Tuesday, July 26, after he pled guilty to the deaths. Here's what you need to know.

Flores received three life terms in prison after he pled guilty in district court to the rape and murders of Heather Ann Willms on February 21, 2005, and Esmeralda Herrera on March 2, 2011, the Express-News reported. Flores could have faced the death penalty if he went to trial and was convicted.
Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Dr. Carey Latimore, an esteemed voice on Black history and the African American experience, passed away on Tuesday, July 26, shocking the San Antonio community. KSAT anchor Steve Spriester, who became good friends and interviewed him multiple times, reported the news of Latimore's death. He was 46.

Latimore was a professor of history at Trinity University. Latimore said he grew up in rural Virginia raised by his parents Carey III and Ann Latimore. He moved to San Antonio in 2004 to take the teaching job and also became co-director of the African American Studies program. Latimore was also a past chair of the history department, according to a news release from Trinity University.
Theres a new meteorologist in town and he wants to help you save money, San Antonio. CPS Energy has hired a full-time meteorologist who is excited to share his passion with residents of his hometown.

Brian Alonzo is ready to connect with local residents and inform them about anything and everything weather and energy related. After working in television broadcasting for almost 19 years, Alonzo says hes ready for a new chapter in his career.

Ive been wanting to take things in a different direction, he tells MySA. A part of me has been wanting to know a little bit more about renewable energy such as solar and wind power.

Now, the San Antonio native is ready to communicate weather information in a new way.

I wanted to try something different here," Alonzo says. "When this opportunity came along, I jumped on it.

He says weather reports during TV news broadcasts are usually only a few minutes, and that having this platform with CPS will allow him to share more information and give more context to weather impacting the city than a regular TV forecast would.

As he gets settled into his new role, Alonzo says hes brainstorming on how to best share information both with CPS employees and customers. Hes looking forward to trying new methods for the company, such as a podcast and weather forecasts to keep local residents in the loop.

Weather is complicated, we all know that. Theres a lot of science behind it, he says. If theres ever a weather event or something of that nature that gets a little complicated, I can be in a position to go a little bit more in-depth, using our social media to explain to people the process of whats going on.

Courtesy of CPS Energy

In addition to letting CPS customers know about weather-related events that may impact their energy sources, he also wants to help them save money along the way.

My intention at this point is to learn about solar and wind power, the renewable energies, and I want to be able to help relay that to our customers so that they get a better understanding, he says.

For Alonzo, taking on this role with CPS not only benefits him, but his friends and family as well.

Im a firm believer that CPS Energy could have gone out and hired any meteorologist across the country, but they chose me, he says. Of course Ive got the experience in communicating to viewers, but at the same time its good to be back home.

It only helps that Alonzo is more familiar with South Texas weather patterns and the topography near the Alamo City. He says the trends and landscape in and around San Antonio have a major influence on the weather.

Youve got the Hill Country, youve got the Gulf of Mexico, the mountains of Mexico, they all play a role, at some point or another, into our weather, he says.

In transitioning into this role, Alonzo asks that local residents get to know him. After previously filling a position that had been held by a well-beloved meteorologist for quite some time, he noticed that viewers were hesitant to give him a shot. By the time he left the station just two years later, they loved him.

They loved my weather casts and the reason why is because I always threw in [something] a little extra, he says. You not only got a forecast, but at the same time I threw in a little bit more. Some facts, some statistics, or some explainers. They learned a lot.

Weather-loving residents can connect with Alonzo on his Facebook page.
Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war  both real fog and stage fog  in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.

And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.

Yves

P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:

Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.

* * *

Baffled scientists discover perfectly aligned holes punched into the ground 1.7 miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean that look like human-made excavations Daily Mail. Rlyeh?

Climate

#COVID19

Biogen agrees to $900 million drug kickback settlement on eve of trial and Prosecutors say FBI trainee stole tips from lawyer-girlfriend to trade on Merck deal Reuters. Sensing a pattern here.

Monkeypox

China?

Myanmar

Addiction and crime  How the Okinawa System harmed islands residents Okinawa Times

Syraqistan

UK/EU

Londons Square Mile Struggles to Find Its Way in Brexit Britain Bloomberg

Sunak vs Truss: a battle between two failed economic policies Mainly Macro

Hungarys economic woes force Viktor Orban to bow to EU and investors FT

New Not-So-Cold War

Biden Administration

Capitol Seizure

Healthcare

Big Brother Is Watching You

Sports Desk

Zeitgeist Watch

Guillotine Watch

Fear and loathing in Aspen Politico and Aspens World War III Rumblings (excerpt) Julia Ioffe, Puck. Puck is pay-walled, but I dont think I need to read any more.

Class Warfare

Scholars: In Lieu Of Hell, Unbelieving Introverts Will Be Sent To A Business Networking Event That Lasts Forever Babylon Bee. Unmasked.

Antidote du jour (TS):

Phoebe is lovely little girl that came to visit several years ago and decided to stay. Her favorite hobby is to make a racket at 3 am on anything she can bang on. A door, a box, a bedroom dresser and shes on it. After she wakes everyone she goes back to bed to finish her sleep.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
The US is run by spoiled children who wont take no for an answer. While I am not privy to what China has in the way of plans for Taiwan, and I welcome being corrected, I have yet to see any of the neocons make a substantiated allegation that China intended to invade Taiwan prior to the US meddling by arming Taiwan and supporting its nationalists. My impression from a considerable remove is that China was clearly not happy about Taiwanese declarations of independence, but was prepared to be patient and let time do its work.

Specifically, China over time is becoming more affluent, which more high-level, well-paid technical and professional positions. And China has been encouraging Taiwanese to take them. See this 2018 article from Forbes:

On February 28, Beijing announced 31 measures that make it easier for Taiwanese to work, invest and study in China. Wages are 60% lower in China than in Taiwan for ordinary, entry-level jobs, according to ManpowerGroup. But even without the new measures, Taiwanese can earn 1.2 to 1.3 times more pay in China than at home for skilled, non-entry level jobs.

The pay gap in favor of China for these skilled positions is even greater than it appears, since the cost of living is lower in China than Taiwan.

So if China could get more Taiwanese to live in China, or simply see it as not problematic to move back and forth, it would establish among the Taiwanese the notion that China and Taiwan were in practical terms not separate, and the Taiwanese would be worse off by denying themselves opportunities in China. In other words, China could over the long term, say a 20 year horizon, use commerce, not force, to achieve its ends.

But the US is frustrated at the China monster it has created. The US pushed to let China into the WTO even though it did not meet the requirements at the time. The US also ran sustained and large trade deficits with China, so our demand was a key driver of its rapid rise.

It boggles the mind that the US is now upset that turning China into its factory and seeking to enrich 1.4 billion citizens so we could sell them Disney movies and deodorant had led to China becoming a dominant economic and increasingly important military power. If it was obvious enough in 2007 for Putin to talk about a multi-polar order at the Munich Security Conference, it was obvious to anyone paying a smidge of attention.

The neocons above all seem unable to process that the days of US hegemony are over. It boggles the mind that they are not just eyepoking but escalating greatly with China via the still-planned Pelosi visit to Taiwan in August. As well explain, China is fully cognizant of the fact that Pelosi is number two in line after Harris should something happen to the increasingly addle-brained Biden. And they dont buy for a second that Pelosi is operating without the explicit approval of the Administration.

Note that its entirely possible that Pelosi revived her Taiwan trip plan (recall she put it off after coming down with Covid) all on her own. The Pentagon gave her a face-saving out by saying they didnt recommend it.1

China, which is routinely screechy when it is upset about what it perceives to be foreign transgressions, has managed to find new registers in its objections the proposed Pelosi visit. Weve cited this passage from an official editorial at the house organ Global Times on Tuesday July 19 (emphasis ours):

Unlike Washingtons opportunistic probing, all options are clearly on the table for the Chinese mainland. The noose around the neck of the Taiwan independence secessionist forces is tightening, and Pelosi has one foot on the stool of the gallows. If Pelosi, who has always been fond of playing tough on China, wants to insist on this way, we will definitely prepare sufficient consequences for her.

Well stick with Global Times. A week later, on Tuesday, the 26th:

After the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that China had made sterner warnings to US officials and China is fully prepared for any eventuality over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis planned Taiwan trip on Monday, the Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday vowed that if the US insists, the Chinese military will by no means sit idly by and strong measures will be taken to thwart any external interference and Taiwan independence separatist attempts. Tan Kefei, a spokesperson of Chinas Ministry of National Defense, said on Tuesday that if Pelosi, as the No.3 US politician, visits Taiwan, it will be a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and it will seriously damage Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the political basis for China-US relations China demands the US to fulfill its commitment of not supporting Taiwan secessionism and not arrange Pelosis visit to Taiwan, Tan said, noting that if the US persists, the Chinese military will by no means sit idly by. The New York Times reported on Monday that internal worries have sharpened in recent days, as the Biden administration quietly tries to dissuade Pelosi from going through with the proposed visit.

Another take from the Global Times:2

Yet after the Pentagon cleared its throat and Pelosi played dumb, Biden not only is not be intervening but now fully owns this visit. Biden is trying the lame-brained move of attempting to persuade Xi, via a phone call this Thursday. From the Financial Times:

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will hold a telephone call on Thursday. The planned call would be only the fifth conversation between the two leaders since Biden became US president 18 months ago. Biden and the Chinese president had been expected to discuss many contentious issues, from military challenges to technology competition. But those plans have been complicated by Pelosis intended visit to Taiwan in August. The White House is extremely concerned that her visit could spark a crisis across the Taiwan Strait. Biden has sent top officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, to explain the risks. But that has been complicated by the fact that Congress is independent and he has no formal power to block her visit.

Bloomberg reports that if Pelosis visit proceeds, it would happen within days of the Xi-Biden call.

As far as China is concerned, there is not putting lipstick on this pig. The US is demonstrating, just as Russia has charged, that it is not agreement capable. An April post summarized some of the recent cases of US overplaying its hand with China and not having the common sense to recognize its heavy-handed moves were backfiring:

.the US has tried at least twice (three times with China if you count the recent China-EU teleconference with Xi) to get China to side with the West against Russia, pushing China into What about no dont you understand? terrain. Rather than hewing to the convention of having summits only after groundwork was laid so that at least nothing visibly bad happens, Team Biden set out to pick a fight with China at their first get together, in Alaska in March 2021, with the US springing new sanctions on China the day before the session. This humble blog was featuring at least once a week examples of Biden Administration continuing its eyepoking of China in our Links before the war broke out. Then in March, Jake Sullivan was set to meet with Yang Jiechi in Rome and threatened China with sanctions. The pretext was disinformation in the form of a Financial Times story claiming that Russia had asked to buy weapons from China (this was clearly absurd because by the time the war had started would be way too late; Russia would have needed to procure and integrate equipment months prior).1 Needless to say, Yang didnt give any ground. So not taking no as an answer, Biden had the cheek to call Xi that very same week and ask for Chinas help. Xi effectively said this wasnt his problem: He who puts the bell on the tiger is the one to take it off. Biden also said he very much wanted better relations with China and gave lip service to the one-China policy in the chat. That allowed Xi to say he took that statement very seriously: What about all these American officials who were promoting a wrong understanding about Taiwan? Im not double checking the dates, but my recollection is that it was shortly after the EU-Xi talk that the US announced new sanctions against China, mainly against officials accused of oppressing Uighurs And we expect them to side with us? Its not the most important form of payback, but China has taken to stating regularly in official media that the war in Ukraine is Americas fault.

Needless to say, China is considering far more serious responses to the Pelosi provocation than just jerking Americas chain over Ukraine. But if the pink paper is any guide, the West is again in delusion land about what that might entail:

But he [Zack Cooper, an Asia expert at the American Enterprise Institute] said that if Pelosi proceeded, it would likely spark the biggest confrontation since the so-called third crisis in 1995 and 1996 when China fired missiles into waters around Taiwan to intimidate its government and citizens.. The US is also concerned about dangerous Chinese military manoeuvres. Milley told the FT and the Associated Press in an interview this week that China had significantly increased the number of dangerous intercepts of US military aircraft by Chinese fighter jets over the South China Sea. The White House and Pentagon are worried that China could send fighters to intercept Pelosis aircraft as she heads towards Taiwan in a provocative move that could bring US and Chinese aircraft into very close contact.

If the Chinese level of ire is any guide, having Chinese fighter jets deny Pelosi a landing in Taiwan is on the mild end of possible responses. If that were to happen and the plane was escorted to land in mainland China, I could see the Chinese rubbing salt in the wound by not letting anyone in the aircraft deplane.

China is considering how to use a Pelosi visit to set far more important precedents. Hu in the Global Times clip above mentioned declaring a no-fly zone or having PLA jets fly with Pelosis plane into Taiwan airspace. As the Global Times noted: That would set a great precedent for the PLA to patrol above the island, which would be far more meaningful than Pelosis visit.

As with provoking Russia, the US may be about to get what it sought with Taiwan and find out that the results are not to its advantage. And as an American, its depressing to see so much incompetence and arrogance on display.

____

1 Biden holds all the cards. He could have hauled Pelosi into his office and reminded her of the Supreme Court decision Haig v. Agee, which allows the Administration to cancel passports in matters of national security. The Pentagon warning gave Biden the needed cover, as do the additional threats by China of military action. Biden to Pelosi: How dare you challenge me over this. I will cancel your passport if you force me to. You can then see me in court. If you want to precipitate a Constitutional crisis and hand this country to the Republicans at the midterms, be my guest. Id rather have that than have you start World War III. LBJ or Nixon would not have hesitated to have that sort of chat even with no favorable Supreme Court ruling in hand.

2 I like that the Chinese publication uses a presumed political expert whose English is less than perfect rather than a polished talking head with lovely pronunciation. I take it as a measure of seriousness that they arent pandering to Western prejudices.
Yves here. OMG, the scheming! Rajapaksa trying to play off Washington v. Kremlin, with Victoria Nuland making multiple appearances, including a visit to Sri Lanka, to supply carrots and sticks.

By John Helmer who has been the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to have directed his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

The President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (lead image), was toppled from power in Colombo and forced to flee the country on July 13, leaving behind a prime minister he had appointed to succeed him, assuring his immunity from prosecution and delaying national elections for two years. A week earlier, on July 6, Rajapaksa telephoned President Vladimir Putin and requested emergency shipments of Russian fuel to the country on credit because Sri Lanka had run out of fuel and also the money to pay for it.

The last Russian shipment, 90,000 tonnes of Russian crude oil to restart Sri Lankas sole but bankrupt refinery, had been ordered from intermediary traders and then delivered to port in May. However, the oil could not be unloaded until the government produced the cash to pay for it. Rajapaksa followed in the last days of June by sending two officials to Moscow to ask for direct government-to-government oil deliveries without cash. There was no Russian agreement.

Rajapaksas prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had announced to the press that if the US or its allies in the Middle East wouldnt agree to deliver fresh crude oil or gasoline, he and Rajapaksa would go to Moscow. If we can get [it] from any other sources, we will get [it] from there. Otherwise [we] may have to go to Russia again, the prime minister said.

Behind the scenes Rajapaksa had been trying to get Putin on the telephone for weeks, announcing publicly in Colombo he was ready to fly to Moscow. Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded publicly that no face-to-face meeting was possible. On July 6, the Kremlin agreed to take the Sri Lankan call.

Rajapaksa was desperate; Putin non-committal. Had a very productive telecon with the #Russia President, Vladimir Putin, Rajapaksa tweeted. While thanking him for all the support extended by his gvt to overcome the challenges of the past, I requested an offer of credit support to import fuel to #lka [Sri Lanka] in defeating the current econ challenges. Further, I humbly made A request to restart @AeroflotWorld operations in #lka. We unanimously agreed that strengthening bilateral relations in sectors such as tourism, trade & culture was paramount in reinforcing the friendship our two nations share.

The presidents, reads the Kremlin communique, discussed current matters of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, in particular, in energy, agriculture and transport It was agreed to continue contacts at various levels.

In Moscow the Russians interpreted Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa to be making a public show of asking for Russian help in order to persuade Washington to rescue them instead.

The Kremlin was convinced the Sri Lankans were scheming and bluffing. The reason was that on June 2, at Colombos airport, an Aeroflot Airbus Flight SU-288, with more than two hundred Russians returning to Moscow from holiday in the country, had been prevented from departing; the aircraft had been stopped by an order from a judge of the Commercial High Court. Ostensibly, the court was acting on a lawsuit filed against Aeroflot by an Irish aircraft leasing company called Celestial Aviation Trading 10 Limited.

In fact, that entity was a front for AerCap, the dominant global aviation leasing corporation in the world, controlled by General Electric of the US; Celestial Aviation is an AerCap special purpose vehicle; its claim against the Aeroflot aircraft in Sri Lanka was part of Washingtons sanctions war  and Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were immediately told so by Russian officials. They claimed the court order was a commercial dispute with no involvement of the state; the Russians didnt believe them.

The aircraft was released on June 6 and a court official charged with corruption. But a month later, by the time Rajapaksa was appealing to Putin, Aeroflot had not restarted its flights. There would also be no Russian oil nor credit to save Rajapaksa.

In Moscow, Rajakpaksas downfall and his replacement by Wickremesinghe are not viewed as regime change  not yet. Russian officials are not saying whether they believe there is a continuing US plot in the country. Neither are the government officials who know best what has occurred already, and what is likely to happen next  they are the Indian government. The silence from Moscow and Delhi is telling.

Rajapaksa was a US citizen until his formal renunciation of citizenship took effect in 2020. By then Rajapaksa had been president of Sri Lanka for almost a year; for several years before, his dual citizenship had been challenged in the Sri Lankan and also the US courts. He had lived and worked in the US between 1998 and 2005.

For the time being Rajapaksa has not been allowed to return to the US. The Sri Lankan Air Force flew him to the Maldives, and from there he flew on to Singapore. Today, two weeks after his arrival in Singapore, there is no public report of his whereabouts. His ouster and replacement by Wickremesinghe are being reported in India as the first domino to fall in Americas mythical free and open Indo-Pacific?  to starve the islands economy from Russian oil, deepen the debt-trap and enable the IMF to set economic and trade policy in this island at the center of the Indian Ocean.

The State Department and the Pentagon were actively courting Rajapaksa during the weeks leading up his ouster. A delegation of US officials led by Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the Pentagon official in charge of Sri Lanka, Amanda Dory, were in Colombo on March 22-23. You are a vital partner of the United States at a key crossroads in the Indo-Pacific, Nuland declared, and we are eager to support you at this critical momentWe share a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and as the Foreign Minister said, to a rules-based, democratic, international order. That meant US opposition to Sri Lankas relations with China and Russia. I want, Nuland emphasized, to particularly make note of the fact that Russias brutal aggression in Ukraine just underscores for all of us the importance of the democracies, strengthening ourselves and standing together in the face of brutal autocratic behavior, coercion, aggression. Whether its coming from Russia, whether its coming from other autocracies around the world.

Nuland also meant tightening US military agreements with Sri Lanka in the security arena, which is already strong in the maritime domain, in the aviation domain. As you know, we have two US cutters which are now in service in the Sri Lankan Navy and we have another one on the way which is being outfitted now and your sailors and seamen will sail it here in the coming weeks.

Under Secretary of State Nuland met with President Rajapaksa in Colombo on March 23. Exceptionally in their talks Nuland included the Pentagon official, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Amanda Dory. Nuland was also accompanied at the meetings by her Washington deputy for the region and the US ambassador to Sri Lanka who are both ethnic Chinese.

In April Nuland followed with an official warning that if Sri Lankas relationships with Russia or China crossed Nulands red lines, Rajapaksa would face sanctions. Malign influence countries could displace any U.S. agreements being signed. We will mitigate this risk by staying tied in with our allies, friends and partners along with steady engagement across the Sri Lankan services to ensure the U.S. remains a partner of choice. Congressional scrutiny could limit the amount of funding available to Sri Lanka for Security Cooperation/Security assistance.

Source: https://www.state.gov -- April 6, 2022

Nulands strategy for the country concluded: [to] promote a virtuousness throughout the economy which will provide a further buffer against foreign nations who wish to prey on Sri Lankas financial struggles and use its location astride the Indian Oceans major sea lanes for their own benefit.

Rajakapsa understood the innuendoes; he missed the force of the warnings. Nuland, who in February 2014 had orchestrated the removal of Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich for making an agreement with Moscow she didnt approve, was warning Rajapaksa. He didnt pay attention: Rajapaksa has followed Yanukovich in the second of Nulands career coups detat.

Did Nuland decide Rajapaksas appeal to Putin in the July 6 telephone call had gone too far? Had Putin concluded Rajapaksa was too duplicitous to be worth supporting? Was the outcome of both calculations a US plot for Sri Lanka which Nuland and her subordinates control as unsteadily as they have in the Ukraine  and Moscow and Delhi know it?

Russian and Indian officials will not answer questions about the replacement of Rajapaksa by Wickremesinghe, and what they think is behind it. The day after the telephone call between the presidents, Peskov told the state news agency Tass the Kremlin would take time to study the situation before making a decision on opening a credit line for fuel exports to Sri Lanka. Indeed, such appeals were made during yesterdays conversation. But before we formulate any position, we still have to compare our capabilities, we have to study this issue. It is also necessary to assess the situation with the resumption of Aeroflot flights to Sri Lanka, Peskov added.

He was followed by a fresh quid pro quo from Alexei Tseleshchev, a Russian Embassy official in Colombo. Connecting Sri Lanka to the financial remittance system of Bank of Russia and introducing Mir payment system to the island would allow establishing direct financial communication and currency exchange, cutting transactional losses, and making the process of bank transfers secure and stable. The implementation of these mechanisms in Sri Lanka would have an advancing impact on the tourism industry.

Although Russian tourist numbers to the country have been declining for several years, in January and February of this year, Russia had become the largest market for Sri Lankas tourism sector.

The Islamic group bombings of April 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and then the military operation in the Ukraine have combined with the domestic economic collapse to stop tourism. Source: https://www.orfonline.org/

Tseleshchev went further: Sri Lanka can become a part of this process of restructuring Russian exports and obtain much-needed products. What is more, Sri Lanka may serve as a maritime hub for Russian export commodities, Alexey Tseleshchev said. In particular, he pointed out that Sri Lanka could gain access to critical imports such as wheat, fuel and fertilisers from Russia by playing a role in this exercise.

A second attempt by Sri Lankan officials to negotiate rescue terms in Moscow, due between July 10 and July 16, was cancelled.

Indian officials are reluctant to discuss the Sri Lankan developments in private. According to a well-informed Indian source, India is giving some aid but that is all. Indian Oil has 220 petrol stations [in Sri Lanka] but they are running dry. Same with the Chinese. Both the Chinese and Indians are waiting to see when there is political stability and they know who they can do business with. He reports no sign of a joint Indian-Russian oil supply deal to the country.

[Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam] Jaishankar is a Tamil. He is very keenly aware of every aspect of all the external influences. But the Indian Tamils do not want to talk about the situation now. Jaishankars Twitter stream has been silent on both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo has been non-committal.

July 15 -- source: https://twitter.com/

July 16 -- source: https://twitter.com/

The State Department in Washington has not commented on Rajapaksas ouster. US Ambassador in Colombo, Julie Chung, has had next to nothing to say. On the day of Rajapaksas flight, Chung tweeted twice.

Source: https://twitter.com/

With Gotabaya Rajapaksas resignation, she tweeted on July 15, two days after he had fled, we continue to urge all parties to work together, ensure the rule of law is upheld and find solutions to the economic crisis. The US remains committed to the democratic aspirations of the Sri Lankan people.

On July 21, mentioning Wickremesinghe by Twitter handle not by name, Chung tweeted: We look forward to working with new President @RW_UNP [Ranil Wickremesinghe] In these challenging times, it will be essential for all parties to redouble efforts to work together to tackle the economic crisis, uphold democracy & accountability, and build a stable & secure future for all Sri Lankans.

On July 25 Putin acknowledged Wickremesinghes succession to the presidency, sending Ambassador Yury Materiy to Wickremesinghe with a letter: Please accept sincere congratulations on the occasion of your election as President. The Russian-Sri Lankan relations are of traditionally friendly nature. I am counting on your activities as Head of State to foster further development of the constructive bilateral cooperation in various spheres for the benefit of our peoples and in the interest of strengthening the regional stability and security. I wish you every success as well as good health and prosperity.

The next day the Indian High Commission delivered a similar letter to Wickremesinghe from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

July 26  source: https://twitter.com/ and https://twitter.com/IndiainSL/

The evidence now materializing in Dublin is that the Kremlins suspicion of Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe was justified; Rajapaksas disclaimers and last-minute remedies came too little, too unbelievable, then too late. It is not yet clear how the scheme for seizing the Aeroflot aircraft was arranged; details of the corruption charge filed against a court official involved have not been made public. It is certain, however, that the orders for the operation came from AerCaps corporate headquarters in Dublin, and that US government officials have been actively working with AerCap and General Electric, its 46% stakeholder, to pursue Aeroflot aircraft wherever US intelligence can find them.

Follow the Colombo court action from start on June 2 to finish three weeks later.

Irish corporate registration records and the international aviation press reveal that Celestial Aviation Trading 10 Limited, the plaintiff in the Colombo court against Aeroflot, is a special purpose vehicle for AerCap.

Source: https://ie.globaldatabase.com/

This company was wholly owned by General Electrics affiliate, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the world leader in aircraft leasing until last November, when GE divested and GECAS was merged with its competitor, AerCap. In combination AerCap now claims to have about $70 billion in aviation assets  1,800 aircraft, 900 engines, 300 helicopters, and 300 airline and aircraft operator customers. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, AerCaps current market capitalisation is $10.7 billion. But a year ago, it was double that value. The US war against Russia is killing the companys value.

COLLAPSE OF AERCAPS SHARE PRICE, JULY 2021-JULY 2022

Source: https://markets.ft.com/

Financial Times of London, owned by Nikkei in Tokyo and a platform for the Japanese governments anti-China and anti-Russia propaganda, published this week its first endorsement of the change of government in Colombo, reporting Rajapaksas removal as the precondition for painful reforms to secure an IMF bailout and restructure more than $50bn of external debt The painful reforms are a prerequisite to sealing a $3bn bailout from the IMF, which would unlock another $4bn in financing from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. But the severity of the crisis means that Sri Lanka is also seeking up to $1.5bn from its biggest bilateral backers  China, India and Japan  in bridge financing to immediately resume imports of fuel and gas. This is a signal that Japan, with US backing, will not allow Wickremesinghe to pursue bilateral terms with Beijing, Delhi, or Moscow.

AerCap has told its shareholders and the New York stock market that Russia is to blame. AerCap executives, whose bonuses and options depend on AerCaps share price, are personally hostile. On May 17 the company reported it had written off a $2 billion loss on its Russian operations, adding a declaration of its own war against Aeroflot: we ceased all of our leasing activity to Russian airlines and took a charge primarily related to our aircraft and engines that remain in Russia. We have filed insurance claims related to these assets and will vigorously pursue all available remedies to recover our losses.

In AerCaps first-quarter report, issued a fortnight before the Colombo court case was launched, the company said: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries, we terminated the leasing of all our aircraft and engines with Russian airlines. Prior to the Russian invasion, we had 135 aircraft and 14 engines on lease with Russian airlines, which represented approximately 5% of AerCaps fleet by net book value as of December 31, 2021. We have removed 22 aircraft and 3 engines outside of Russia, and 113 aircraft and 11 engines remain in Russia.

During the first quarter of 2022, we recognized a pre-tax charge of $2.7 billion ($2.4 billion aftertax) to our earnings, comprised of flight equipment write-offs and impairments, which were partially offset by the de-recognition of lease-related assets and liabilities. We recognized a total loss on our assets that remain in Russia and Ukraine and impairment losses on the assets we have recovered from Russian and Ukrainian airlines. We had letters of credit related to our aircraft and engines leased to Russian airlines as of February 24, 2022 of approximately $260 million, confirmed by nine financial institutions in Western Europe. We have presented requests for payment to all these institutions. To date, we have received payments of $210 million related to these letters of credit. We have initiated legal proceedings against one financial institution which rejected our payment demands in respect of certain letters of creditWe have submitted an insurance claim for approximately $3.5 billion with respect to all aircraft and engines remaining in Russia and intend to pursue all of our claims under these policies with respect to our assets leased to Russian airlines as of February 24, 2022. However, the timing and amount of any recoveries under these policies are uncertain and we have not recognized any claim receivables as of March 31, 2022.

AerCap executives in Dublin were unprepared to answer press questions about their involvement in the attack on Aeroflot in Sri Lanka. Joseph McGinley, AerCaps investment relations spokesman, claimed at first there is no relationship or association between Celestial Aviation and AerCap. When challenged that the Irish corporate records show otherwise, McGinley cut the telephone line.

AerCaps media spokesman Gillian Culhane was then asked to clarify the relationship between Celestial Aviation and AerCap. She was also asked to say what involvement AerCap had had in the Colombo court application to arrest the Aeroflot aircraft, and whether the legal action had been authorized by AerCap. She acknowledged AerCaps involvement, noting: To your question on Celestial Aviation, we do not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. Culhane knew the court case in Colombo had ended a month earlier with dismissal of the AerCap claim and Aeroflots counter-claim.

Sergei Lavrov, Russias Foreign Minister, served in Colombo on his first career posting abroad, and he was fluent in Sinhala. On his last visit to the country in January 2020, a Sri Lankan reporter asked him: there is a concern that there is a proxy war in Iraq between the US and Iran. Could that happen here in Sri Lanka? Could there be a proxy war in Sri Lanka between the US and China, taking into consideration the focus on Sri Lanka right now from the international community?

Foreign Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena and Sergei Lavrov in Colombo, January 14, 2020. Source: https://mid.ru/

Lavrov replied: Needless to say, nobody can be satisfied with what is happening in the Gulf area, where nervous tensions are heightening and are already affecting actual actions that lead to the loss of human life. Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that everything started from the moment when the United States said unequivocally that all troubles of the region without exception are triggered by Iran, that Iran is the main terrorist (although nobody can prove this), and that Iran should stop exerting influence on anything that is happening around its borders.

In parallel, the United States walked out on its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Irans nuclear programme and began to impose sanctions on all those who conducted legitimate trade with Iran, which also escalated tensions. Washingtons illegal actions reached their peak with the murder of Qassem Soleimani, an official representative of the Iranian Government who was on a visit to neighbouring Iraq. This is beyond international law and humanism.

We are against the escalation of tensions no matter where they emanate from. We are not going to intervene, as you said, in US-Iran relations, if you mean physical action by this word. We are calling on the United States and Iran to display restraint and resolve all problems through dialogue. As far as I understand, the US is saying it is ready for dialogue with Iran but without any preconditions, although what it calls suffocating sanctions against Iran are ramping up during proposals on such dialogue. It so happens that while inviting Iran to dialogue without preconditions, the United States itself lays them out by subjecting Iran to pressure via sanctions.

We understand the concern of Sri Lanka over the negative consequences of the conflict in the Gulf area, which may affect exports of traditional goods. However, your producers will not be the only victim. The Gulf has many transport routes that are of strategic importance for the global trade of many goods, including energy sources. Therefore, it is in our common interests to build trust in the Gulf and beyond. This is the aim of the Russian proposal that we again presented at a special conference in Moscow last September. I am referring to the start of efforts to create a collective security system in the Gulf and around it.

At the time, Lavrov said, he and Gunawardena had discussed increasing Russian military and intelligence cooperation with Sri Lanka; participation of the Sri Lankans in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and support at the United Nations for their traditional support of Russian initiatives at the UN General Assembly on the unacceptability of glorification of Nazism. They continued to talk on these issues and on Russian financial aid when Gunawardena last spoke with Lavrov by telephone on June 7, 2021. He was removed by Rajapaksa a few weeks later.

Last week on July 22, Gunawardena, a friend of Wickremesinghe since childhood, returned as Wickremesinghes prime minister. Russian and Indian officials are watching how their plan for suppressing opposition across the country, and Nulands plan for their alliance with the US, will turn out.

NOTE: Kommersant has reported the unusual manipulation of Sri Lankas presidential constitution to arrange Rajapaksas succession without a national election until September 2024. This interval is the unexpired period of the term of office of the President vacating office  it is provided for by Section 40((a) of the Constitution. But a parliamentary impeachment vote, reviewed by the Supreme Court and triggering a prompt national election, has also been an alternative under Section 38. Avoiding this is what Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe, and Gunawardena have just pulled off, with backing from US Ambassador Chung in Colombo and Nuland in Washington.
Yves here. There are too many things in world for me to try to master, and I must confess to Myanmar being one of them. I did ask Lambert and he said, Anything that says the military is bad is not wrong.

By Rashmee Roshan Lall, who writes on international affairs. She has lived and worked in eight countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, Haiti and Tunisia, has a PhD, blogs at www.rashmee.com and is on Twitter @rashmeerl. Originally published at openDemocracy

On 25 July, Myanmars military junta put four pro-democracy activists to death, the countrys first executions in more than 30 years.

The killings have drawn widespread international condemnation, including a US warning that there can be no business as usual with this regime. The regionally influential Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, said the executions are highly reprehensible.

But Myanmars government, led for the past 17 months by military chief General Min Aung Hlaing, remains defiant. Defending its execution of the criminals, it said the killings werent personal, just entirely deserved. It added that this was justice for the people.

Britains Channel 4 coincidentally screened a long-scheduled documentary Myanmar: The Forgotten Revolution on 25 July, just hours after the executions became international news. Using footage shot by anonymous activists in the country, the chilling programme starts in February 2021, when protests erupted after the military coup against Aung San Suu Kyis elected government. It shows the overwhelmingly youthful protesters horror when their army starts to shoot them dead on the streets of Myanmars cities and towns.

The documentary, which seeks to force global attention onto what it calls the worlds forgotten civil war, comes amid growing calls for Myanmar to be internationally ostracised.

Malaysias foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has grimly noted the timing of the executions, saying they needed to be taken very, very seriously as they seemed to make a mockery of an ASEAN-led peace plan to facilitate dialogue between Myanmars military leaders and opponents.

The United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, said the execution of patriots and champions of human rights and democracy was depraved and must be a turning point for the international community.

Heres your guide to whats happening in Myanmar.

What Do We Know About the Executions?

The four people executed by the junta were an eclectic group that included a rapper-turned-politician and a middle-aged writer who rose to prominence as a student protesting against a previous military regime.

The junta accused all four of conspiring to commit terror acts, its omnibus term for the post-coup peaceful protests that soon escalated to armed resistance, which includes the campaign waged by the Peoples Defence Force.

Following secretive closed-door trials, the men were sentenced to death in January and April. The government affirmed its intention to execute all four last month, but did not set a date.

The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), an activist organisation that tracks killings and arrests in Myanmar, says that 113 others have also been sentenced to death  41 of whom were convicted in absentia. The organisation claims 14,883 people have been arrested and 2,123 killed by military forces since the coup in February 2021.

Who Were the Men Executed?

Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a rapper who briefly served as a member of parliament belonging to Suu Kyis party. He helped found Generation Wave, a youth movement that campaigns against military rule. He once said he wanted to express the peoples desire and in a lively documentary, raised his T-shirt to reveal the tattoo of a microphone set within a map of Myanmar on his back.

Kyaw Min Yu, a 53-year-old activist better known as Ko Jimmy, became prominent as a member of the so-called 88 generation, a group of students who, in 1998, rose up in protest against the long-ruling military dictatorship. He is the author of the 2005 bestselling self-help book, Making friendship, as well as the 2010 novel The Moon in Inle Lake, and a number of politically astute postmodern short stories, which were published in Japan under a pseudonym. He has also translated several English-language novels, including The Da Vinci Code, into Burmese.

Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw were protesters from Myanmars largest city, Yangon, according to the AAPP. Both were sentenced to death in April, accused of killing a woman who was suspected of being a military informant.

Why Has the Junta Done This and Why Now?

Some analysts say the junta may be in a bind, worried about the persistence and growing fury of the nationwide protests but seemingly without a face-saving way to de-escalate tensions.

The army said it seized power and declared a state of emergency because of concerns of widespread electoral fraud in the November 2020 election. Suu Kyi, who officially held the title of state counsellor, and President U Win Myint were detained, and have both since been sentenced to several lengthy prison terms.

On the streets, though, observers note that the situation has changed dramatically since the coup. What began as rallies and civil disobedience campaigns by largely peaceful protesters has become violent attacks in urban centres and guerrilla campaigns in rural districts.
(Natural News) China is currently facing a mortgage crisis, sparking protests from homebuyers who are threatening to boycott payments. However, social media companies have stepped up on censorship, blocking messages, keywords, and videos of demonstrations.

Frustrated buyers gathered in Wuhan earlier this month, outside the office of a bank regulator, saying that they wouldnt make payments for more than 300 unfinished properties across the country. These projects include some from developers such as Chinas Evergrande, whose chairman was just forced out.

Censors have also been deleting references to mortgage boycotts and online petitions, even as Chinas Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission asked banks to provide credit to developers that need more financing for their projects.

Overall, analysts estimated the total amount of at-risk mortgages in the country to be somewhere between $150 to $370 billion.

This move to censor news is hardly surprising for a communist country like China, where social media companies are required to censor or remove content that undermines social stability such as mortgage protests. (Related: Chinese developer Evergrande misses bond payment, default inevitable.)

In their Twitter-like app, Weibo, the hashtag #stopmortgagepayments has been blocked, while searching the hashtag brings a notice that says, Due to related laws and rules, the topic page cannot be displayed.

A protester from Henan province said a video he uploaded on ByteDance-owned Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) protesting the mortgage crisis was among the top trending videos at one point but has now become unavailable.

Douyin also blocked a video that showed homebuyers fingerprinted notices declaring a boycott of mortgage payments, as per screenshots obtained by Reuters, saying the video didnt pass scrutiny.

Another protester said he was unable to share videos about the crisis via their messaging app, WeChat.

Censorship is not limited to social media. Analysts at some securities and research firms were also advised not to discuss the protests because of an order from above. An employee at a developer firm was also told by his boss that staff had been banned from commenting on the crisis.

Mortgage payments unlikely to cause major stress in banking system

Owen Gallimore, head of credit analysis of the Deutsche Banks Asia Pacific flow-trading desk said the threats of stopping mortgage payments are definitely worrisome, but it is unlikely to cause major stress to the Chinese banking system.

Incomplete projects make up only a small portion of Chinas mortgage market, which is mostly limited to already struggling developers  more than 30 of which have already defaulted because they cant sell new offshore debt.

China also doesnt have many mortgage delinquencies, with banks often requiring large down payments. Their bad-debt ratio of mortgages was less than 0.5 percent in 2021. (Related: On the brink of economic collapse: How Chinas fall will affect the world.)

Housing officials in Xian, Shaanxi province, said they would begin monitoring developers use of escrow funds. In Tianjin, authorities are now asking developers how much money they would need to borrow to speed up construction on delayed projects.

Find more stories about online censorship at Censorship.news.

Watch the video below for more information about Chinas ongoing financial crisis:

This video is from the GoneDark channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Stock markets drop due to concerns over potential collapse of Chinese real estate market.

Evergrandes future in limbo amid debt repayment default.

Two Chinese real estate giants face financial disaster: Kaisa and Evergrande.

Chinese city confiscates land from defunct Evergrande as scandal over property developer grows.

Chinas Evergrande shares plummet as full-blown DEFAULT becomes inevitable.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

TheRealDeal.com
(Natural News) Former President Donald Trump said that the conservative movement must liberate Americas children from the sick educational system during a speech at Turning Point USAs Student Action Summit.

(Article by Jordan Dixon-Hamilton republished from Breitbart.com)

Trump called on young conservative activists to help finally and completely smash the radical left corrupt education establishment.

The former President also noted that the current education regime would rather teach students that men could be pregnant than biblical lessons. Trump said:

The current educational system is so sick. That school prayers is banned and drag shows are allowed and all sorts of things are happening. We have some great politicians in this country that are finding it very hard and we love them. You cant teach the Bible but you can teach children that America is evil and that men can get pregnant. A man can get pregnant. Cant even talk about the Bible.

Trump also said, You would not trust these people to babysit your children for 20 minutes.

Trump predicted that America would be in a very sad state if its education system is not reformed:

And why should we then let them educate millions of American students six hours a day, year after year after year. Whatever it takes, the conservative movement must liberate Americas children from the captivity of these boxes, teachers, unions, what theyre doing to our children and to our country is incredible.

This is a matter of national survival if we dont fix this country is going to be in a very sad state, he continued.

He also called for a strict prohibition on racial and sexual teaching in the classrooms. Trump said:

Our country has never been in a position like this before  happened all in a short period of time across the United States. We need to implement strict prohibitions on teaching inappropriate racial, sexual and political material to Americas children in any form.

He also pledged to keep men out of womens sports, alluding to the nationwide debate about transgender athletes competing in womens sports.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) NYC Mayor Eric Adams is growing frustrated by the number of migrant buses that are routinely arriving in his city under the Abbott-Ducey initiative.

(Article by Bo Banks republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Our schools are going to be impacted. Our healthcare system is going to be impacted. Our infrastructure is going to be impacted, he stated  WATCH:

NYC Mayor Eric Adams on migrants being sent to NYC: Our schools are going to be impacted. Our healthcare system is going to be impacted. Our infrastructure is going to be impacted. pic.twitter.com/IfEJi1Khgb  Forbes (@Forbes) July 25, 2022

Ironically, comments like these from Adams and other prominent Democrat figures would have been deemed dangerous xenophobia just a few years ago. Which just goes to show how far the corporate press is willing to go to protect the looming radical left-wing agenda that is plaguing American cities today.

I couldve sworn this was deemed dangerously xenophobic (and promoted as such by @Forbes) when Trump said similar just a few years ago. https://t.co/Px0tw5SY8y  MSM is complicit in trafficking (@ProudIdealist) July 25, 2022

For example, during an appearance on CBS News, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser claimed that the federal government should work to prevent illegal immigrants from being tricked into getting on buses headed toward the Nations Capitol  WATCH:

Mayor of DC says the federal govt should prevent illegal aliens from being tricked into getting on buses to Washington and flooding city servicespic.twitter.com/vhlwFViUV1  Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) July 17, 2022

The Washington Post reported last week that homeless shelters in DC were filling up and groups are getting overwhelmed by these buses that the governors of Texas and Arizona are sending here full of migrants. How significant is this influx? Asked Margaret Brennan, the host of the networks Face the Nation. How many people?

This is a very significant issue, Mayor Bowser responded. We have for sure called on the federal government to work across state lines to prevent people from really being tricked into getting on buses.

We think theyre largely asylum seekers who are going to final destinations that are not Washington DC I worked with the White House to make sure that FEMA provided a grant to a local organization that is providing services to folks, she added.

But I fear that theyre being tricked into nationwide bus trips when their final destinations are places all over the United States of America, she concluded.

Similarly, Mayor Adams voiced his frustrations at the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona, calling them cowards for their relocation initiative.

Our country is home of the free, land of the brave, Adams said during a City Hall news conference. We do not become cowards and send people away who are looking for help.

But while Mayors like Adams and Bowser become increasingly fed up with the ongoing migrant bussings, the Biden administration is allegedly ramping up this ease of travel for illegal aliens under the ICE Secure Docket Card program.

Put simply, they intend to offer illegal immigrants a temporary ID card that includes their name, nationality, and a QR code. Which will help illegal aliens travel domestically more easily and faster.

While it may seem like the Abbott-Ducey initiative is creating noticeable consequences for Democrat leaders, it is still aiding individuals and families who are crossing the US Southern Border illegally to get to their final destinations quicker.

According to an exclusive report from The Washington Examiner: 25% of Arizona migrants said they planned to go to New York after arriving in DC. While 23% said they intended on traveling to New Jersey.

Critics of the Abbott-Ducey initiative claim they fall short because of how they allow illegal aliens to be released into the American interior, thereby eroding US sovereignty.

This sort of growing known knowledge about how migrants are taking advantage of their free cross-country relocations has sparked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to denounce the operation entirely.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) The German government publicly admitted on Wednesday, July 20, that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines can cause severe side effects for one person in every 5,000 doses.

One in 5,000 people is affected by a serious side effect after a COVID19 #vaccination. If you suspect #sideeffects, get medical attention and report your symptoms to @PEI_Germany, a tweet from the German Ministry of Health said.

It later tweeted a correction that the number 5,000 refers to doses instead of individuals: Correction: According to @PEI_Germany, the reporting rate of serious reactions is 0.2 reports per 1,000 vaccine doses.

This is a strange and welcome admission from a government about the scope of injuries caused by the COVID vaccines.

Nevertheless, the one person in 5,000 doses figure is too low. The second tweet explained that it was a reporting rate of serious reactions, so probably it refers to the rate of adverse events reported to the German equivalent of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). If that is the case, then there should be an underreporting factor of around 10, which means the real number of severe side effects may be 10 times higher.

One reason why the one person in 5,000 doses figure is low is due to deaths being counted separately from severe side effects. Deaths are counted as deaths, so the one person in 5,000 doses figure only covers people who were severely injured by the COVID shots and survived.

If a person died from the shot, either instantly or a few months later, they were never registered as a vaccine-injured person. (Related: UK hospital data shocks the world: 80% of COVID deaths are among the vaccinated COVID deaths up 3,000% after vaccine wave.)

The Germans are in fact excellent at monitoring vaccine safety. Besides their passive reporting system, the German medicine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute or PEI, manages an active vaccine safety monitoring app called SafeVac 2.0. The data from this monitoring tool was incorporated in a Europe-wide report on vaccine safety last month and it showed that 0.3 percent of vaccine recipients in Germany reported at least one severe adverse reaction to the first dose of the vaccine.

1,838 participants reported at least one serious adverse reaction after receiving first dose of COVID vaccine

The report mentioned that of the 520,076 participants from Germany who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 1,838 (0.3 percent) reported experiencing at least one serious adverse reaction.

These German numbers are in accordance with the overall rates across Europe. It must be noted, however, that a rate of 0.3 percent is 15 times higher than the rate of 0.2 per 1,000 (i.e., 0.02 percent) as quoted in the tweet.

The big question is why the German government used the 0.02 percent figure instead of the 0.3 percent figure from its advanced vaccine safety monitoring tool when drawing attention to vaccine side effects.

Concerns about high rates of severe vaccine side effects have been raised before in Germany. In May, Professor Harald Matthes, a scientist heading an independent study into the safety of the vaccines, stated that based on his data around 0.8 percent of vaccinated people in Germany have experienced severe side effects.

The figure is not surprising since it agrees with what is known from other countries like Sweden, Israel and Canada. Even the manufacturers of the vaccines may have already known this during their studies.

Meanwhile, an Israeli government survey found that 0.3 percent of vaccinated people reported being hospitalized as a result of their COVID vaccination, while a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey discovered that 0.9 percent of vaccinated people reported seeking medical care as a result of their vaccination.

Follow VaccineInjuryNews.com for more news about the vaccine injuries and deaths caused by the COVID vaccines.

Watch the video below to know why the largest physician union in Germany warned that the COVID vaccine is deadly.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

As Boris Johnson resigned, UK officials quietly released data showing that covid death rate is highest among fully vaccinated.

Official government data from Germany suggests covid fully vaccinated people will develop AIDS.

A massive COVID wave in Germany and Central Europe despite high vaccination.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

AmericanLibertyReportNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) For Wayne Cook and Bob Sisson, people have to get away from the traditional concept of spectator Christianity. There should be no middle ground when it comes to ethical issues.

Its either the Word of God or the word of man. There are too many people that are relying on mans ways, and mans ways are not the way to go, Cook said during the July 17 episode of his program Coffee Talk with Wayne on Brighteon.TV.

One of the hot ethical issues over the past year are vaccine mandates. Because of these mandates, it became easier for governments to vaccinate the majority of global population. Billions of people around the world have received the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

But the efficacy of these vaccines is questionable at best. And they dont stop infections and transmissions.

Sisson, popularly known as Bob the Plumber, noted that Pfizer took over Israel by vaccinating everyone there. But people are dying left and right in Israel, he said.

Israel is widely considered as the ultimate proof that the COVID-19 vaccine experiment is a failure. Real-world studies conducted in Israel mostly show the vaccines inability to protect the population from the disease. (Related: Israel stands as greatest proof that COVID-19 vaccine experiment is a massive failure.)

Meanwhile, the U.S. intensified its own vaccine rollout as the number of cases soared during the last quarter of 2021 due to omicron.

Church leaders take different stance on vaccine mandates

Fortunately, there are people like Bishop Robert Brennan. He alleviated fears that the Diocese of Brooklyn might be locked down, saying in an interview that he is not considering closing churches because they already take special precautions to protect churchgoers against the spread of COVID-19.

I think were in a very different place than we were in the spring of 2020. We know a lot more about COVID. And we know how we can mitigate some of those concerns, he said at the time.

Church leaders have been responding to the vaccine mandates in various ways. Recently, the Archdiocese of Moncton, Canada, which was led by Archbishop Valery Vienneau, announced that all people over the age of 12 attending church or other events would have to be vaccinated, but dropped the requirement after several days due to the uproar.

The Archdiocese of Chicago under Cardinal Blase Cupich, meanwhile, required all its employees to be vaccinated.

There are also Catholic leaders pushing back against the vaccine mandates. In Australia, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli opposed the reopening plan in the state of Victoria that only permits fully vaccinated people to attend public worship services.

Religion is not the same as going to a sporting event or the theater. Different events have a different status, and the practice of ones religion is a human right, Comensoli said.

Still, Pope Francis has set broad support for public health measures from the beginning of the pandemic, and the Vatican itself imposed its own green-pass mandate that requires people to present their vaccine certificates. (Related: Pope Francis endorses coronavirus vaccines for all.)

So what does the Church actually think of vaccines? The vaccine mandate is among the most pressing issues in contemporary Catholicism.

For those who believe that abortion is a major moral issue and that no other concern could rival it, any degree of cooperation with the vaccine mandates reeks of hypocrisy  after all, the vaccines have been said to contain fetus cells.

Watch the video below for more coffee talks about society and Christianity with Wayne Cook.

Coffee Talk with Wayne airs every Sunday at 1 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Mystery Babylon churches taking government bribes to push covid vaccines on congregants.

SACRILEGE: Abortion activists use Bible as soccer ball in Seattle protest.

Archbishop Vigano denounces Catholic Churchs endorsement of dangerous COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Bryan Ardis warns: Pope Francis is influencing world leaders like Joe Biden on COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine policy.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheTablet.org

Angelus.news
(Natural News) The globalists are slowly but surely taking over the world through members of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the New Sri Lankan president, and Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the U.K.s top two candidates as prime minister, are all part of the WEF program. (Related: World Economic Forums Class of 2021 exposed: Klaus Schwabs effort to remake globe in authoritarian image continues.)

Wickremesinghe is a former prime minister, deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and minister of Youth Affairs and Employment of Sri Lanka.

He was elected by the Parliament as acting President of Sri Lanka after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned following a peoples uprising against the government.

The 73-year-old six-time prime minister received 134 votes in the 225-member House while his closest rival and ruling party leader Dullas Alahapperuma got 82 votes.

Wickremesinghe will have a mandate to serve out the remaining term of Rajapaksa, which ends in November 2024.

The voting done by secret ballot was held amid tight security in the wake of boiling tensions in the island nation ignited by economic and political crisis.

Wickremesinghe, however, is not very popular with the protesting Sri Lankans. Just over a week ago, thousands of people protesting the governments mismanagement of the economy called for Wickremesinghes resignation as prime minister.

Following the protests, Wickremesinghe offered to step down as the pressure increased. But that changed when Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka and he was elected as acting president by the Parliament.

Wickremesinghe will now try to bring the island nation out of its worst economic crisis in decades and it will not only require tough decisions but the support of the people.

So, a lot of people think he doesnt even have the credibility to be part of Parliament, much less to be a president. Many people saw this Parliament and government as out-of-touch, corrupt and illegitimate, said Alan Keenan, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics.

UK PM candidates are on the side of globalists

Meanwhile, the U.K. is up for another election with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing that he has stepped down from his position recently. The top two candidates to replace him, Truss and Sunak, are on the same side when it comes to the globalist agenda.

Truss is currently the secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, as well as minister for Women and Equalities.

She was elected as the Conservative MP for southwest Norfolk in 2010 and also served as secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She has also been a Lord chancellor, secretary of State for Justice and chief secretary to the Treasury.

Sunak, on the other hand, was previously appointed as chancellor of the Exchequer, chief secretary to the Treasury and Parliamentary undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

He was elected Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) in 2015 and served as Parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Both are long-term allies of the outgoing PM and WEF associates.

Backbench committee leader Sir Graham Brady will declare the final round of voting for parliamentarians in the race to replace Johnson, who is expected to commence the transfer of power on or before September 5.

Brexit leader Nigel Farage called Sunak the great globalist and Truss as Theresa May 2.0, alluding to the former U.K. Prime Minister.

The great globalist, the man who has family links and interests with businesses in China, who is happy working hand-in-glove with the big banks, who has helped raised our taxes to the highest in 70 years, Farage said, referring to Sunak.

Follow Globalism.news for more news about the globalists.

Watch the video below to know more about the true plans of the World Economic Forum.

This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

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World Economic Forum claims economic crisis is an opportunity to transition to green energy.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.com

WEForum.org

MoneyControl.com

CNBCTV8.com

Gov.uk

Gov.uk

Breitbart.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A small Canadian hospital lost three young doctors within a three-day period, right after a 4th COVID vax mandate was issued for healthcare workers. Trillium Health Partners in Ontario, Canada sent out three memos to their staff just three days apart  mourning the loss of three beloved doctors. The memos did not reveal the cause of these sudden and unexpected deaths, as the hospital continues to push out its 4th COVID vax mandate on healthcare workers.

Hospital CEOs, board members and administrators should be ashamed of themselves for not standing up for the innocent lives who have been lost to the COVID vaccines and all those who have been injured and killed by inhumane and deadly protocols. Hospital systems continue to facilitate needless medical experiments that perpetuate global genocide. These spineless administrators continue to persecute fellow healthcare workers who wont comply with these deadly and destructive medical experiments. Healthcare workers are literally killing themselves off in cult-like fashion. With each booster, they must prove their allegiance to this cult of vaccination. Booster after booster, they destroy themselves from the inside out.

Small hospital mourns the unexpected loss of three young beloved doctors

The first memo mourns the loss of Dr. Lorne Segall, an otolaryngologist who served as the Division Head of Otolaryngology from 2016 to 2017. Joined Trillium health partners in 2007 and served as an Otolaryngologist at Credit Valley Hospital. He passed away on July 17, 2022 and leaves behind a wife and three children.

The second memo mourns the loss of Dr. Stephen McKenzie, a neurologist at Mississauga hospital. Dr. McKenzie contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education at Trillium Health Partners and at the University of Toronto. He spent much of his time caring for multiple sclerosis patients. He passed away on July 18, 2022.

The third memo mourns the loss of Dr Jakub Sawicki, a member of the Surgical Assisting team at Trillium Health Partners. In 2013, he completed training at the Credit Valley Family Medicine Teaching Unit and began work at Trillium in 2014. He specialized in pain management and became Medical Director of pain medicine clinics within the region, while teaching family medicine residents. He passed away on July 20, 2022.

The cowardice of physicians around the world is daunting

The sudden and unexpected passing of three young medical professionals three days apart should raise alarms throughout the hospital system and throughout Canada, yet Trillium Health Partners will continue to ignore the obvious issue at hand, while pushing out another round of coercive medical malfeasance in their blind worship to vaccination.

The most recent government statistics out of Canada (from June 9 to June 19) show that the vaccinated account for 92 percent of covid-19 deaths. In that time period, there were 4,954 covid-19 deaths throughout Canada, and the vaccinated accounted for 3,796 of those deaths. With each additional booster, the percentage of deaths linearly increases. There were 135 deaths for people who took one vaccine, 1,174 deaths for people who took two vaccines, and 2,487 deaths for people who took three vaccines.

To make matters worse, the quadruple vaccinated are driving the majority of the new cases in 2022. Out of the 20,842 COVID-19 cases reported during the same period, the quadruple vaccinated accounted for 13,987 of them. The vaccinated account for 93 percent of the total case count. Not only is the vaccine not working to stop the spread of covid-19, but it is also the driving factor behind new variants that predominantly kill the vaccinated.

The 1,377 COVID-19 hospitalizations during the same time period were also predominantly in the vaccinated population. Approximately 85 percent of hospitalizations are coming from the vaccinated and its the quadruple vaccinated (65 percent) who are driving the majority of these hospitalizations.

The Trudeau dictatorship is still requiring these so-called vaccines in order for people to enter the country, and the government continues to pursue discriminatory policies to coerce more people into taking compounding clot shots. In most cases, hospital CEOs and administrators are too afraid to report the truth and stand up for their coworkers, patients and families. As they bow to medical tyranny at each and every turn, they will continue to unexpectedly die at the hands of tyrants.

Sources include:

SteveKirsch.substack.com

ExposeNews.com
(Natural News) Prosecutors in woke, left-wing, soft-on-crime New York drew new outrage from conservatives last week after a crazed man came on stage during a campaign event for a GOP gubernatorial contender and allegedly attempted to stab him.

According to the New York Post, David Jakubonis willfully assaulted Rep. Lee Zeldin with a dangerous weapon in Perinton, near Rochester, an FBI agent alleged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court.

The 42-year-old Zeldin was not hurt, but was clearly shaken by the incident.

Here is a video of the incident:

This if the clearest video of the assassination attempt of @leezeldin in his gubernatorial campaign against radical leftist @KathyHochul.pic.twitter.com/YDP0ws4FpX  MAGA GANG VISH ? (@VishBurra) July 22, 2022

The Post adds:

Jakubonis allegedly violated a federal law against intentionally assaulting a federal lawmaker or member of the Executive Branch, according to the six-page affidavit written by Special Agent Timothy Klapec.

Jakubonis claimed to sheriffs office investigators he did not know who Zeldin was, and that he must have checked out, but the federal statute doesnt require the prosecution to prove that a suspect is aware of a victims position to charge someone under that law. Jakubonis also told investigators that he had drunk whiskey on Thursday, according to the affidavit.

But he was only charged with attempted second-degree assault, which called for his immediate release under New Yorks criminal-friendly rules.

Just hours later, however, Jakubonis was released from jail, which sparked anger and frustration at New Yorks pathetically weak and politicized justice system that treats conservatives like former President Donald Trump much more harshly. That said, after Jakubonis appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson two days later, he was remanded to jail after the proceeding, a staffer at the federal court in Rochester told The Post.

Some proceeded to blame the current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose campaign put out an acerbic, inflammatory press release just ahead of Zeldins speech.

My team has informed me about the incident at Lee Zeldins campaign event tonight. Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody. I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible  it has no place in New York, her Twitter account posted following the incident.

But The Post Millennial investigative reporter Andy Ngo responded with a statement that included a screen grab of Hochuls inflammatory statement in which she referred to Zeldin as an extremist.

Governor, you seemed to suggest there should have been vigilante violence by inaccurately describing that campaign event as filled with far-right extremists. That is the same language and dog whistle used by Antifa militants to urge comrades to injure or kill targets, he wrote.

Governor, you seemed to suggest there should have been vigilante violence by inaccurately describing that campaign event as filled with far-right extremists. That is the same language and dog whistle used by Antifa militants to urge comrades to injure or kill targets. pic.twitter.com/OXhXh5J73c  Andy Ngo ???? (@MrAndyNgo) July 22, 2022

In a separate report, the New York Post added:

[F]ormer Manhattan prosecutor Mark Bederow said the details in the felony complaint against Jakubonis  whos accused of swinging a set of self-defense knuckles which had two sharp pointed ends at Zeldins throat after threatening, Youre done  make a case for attempted first-degree assault, which is eligible for bail.

If he had connected with [Zeldins] neck, he could have killed him, Bederow said. Certainly, they could have charged first-degree on a swing and a miss.

A second former Manhattan prosecutor, Jeremy Saland, also said, I think that this would constitute attempted assault in the first degree.

Hes not trying to inflict a black eye or cause a swollen lip, Saland said.

Hes trying to pierce a region of the body that could be fatal or inflict some sort of long-term impairment or disfigurement.

Democrats are trying to sow chaos in our cities so they can declare emergencies and impose authoritarian solutions. Thats what this is all really about.

Sources include:

NYPost.com 1

NYPost.com 2

CitizenFreePress.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden is now considering a proposal to issue identification cards to illegal aliens, dealing another serious blow to border security.

A July 22 report by Axios, which cited two sources familiar with the issue, mentioned that the ID cards sought to incentivize check-ins and more frequent communication with law enforcement during immigration proceedings. It added that the identification would grant illegal aliens easier access to government services and benefits.

The temporary photo IDs would be issued to illegal aliens who are awaiting decision on their immigration status. Alongside a picture of the bearer, the cards would have cutting-edge security features  including a QR code that would provide access to court information and documents via an app.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the details of the plan, dubbed as the ICE Secure Docket Card program. They described the program as part of a bigger initiative to modernize various forms of documentation provided to provisionally-released [illegals] through a consistent, verifiable [and] secure card.

Axios mentioned that the ID card would allow illegals to prove that their immigration cases are now pending in the system via the QR code. It also suggested that the card could be presented for plane travel or state benefits.

The spokesperson added that the ID card programs primary goal is to improve current, inconsistent paper forms that often degrade rapidly in real world use.

However, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pointed out that the plan to issue ID cards to illegals contradicts the governments responsibility to secure the southern border.

During the worst border crisis in history, the Biden administration is now handing out ID cards to illegal migrants to make it easier to travel throughout the U.S., he told the Daily Mail. [This is] the exact opposite of what [they] should be doing.

Biden admin giving smartphones to illegals

The administrations plan to issue ID cards for illegal aliens followed an admission by former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki that illegal immigrants were given free smartphones for monitoring purposes.

Back in April, Psaki outlined three technologies the administration was using to track illegals crossing the border in response to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy. Two of the technologies involved the use of mobile devices such as smartphones. (Related: Jen Psaki confirms that ILLEGALS are given FREE SMARTPHONES for tracking purposes.)

First, the telephonic technology. It uses a participants voice to create a biometric voiceprint during the enrollment process. When immigration officers call the participant to check in on their location, the latters voice is compared to the voiceprint on the database.

Second, the SmartLink technology. It utilizes facial recognition technology to monitor where an illegal immigrant is located using their smartphone.

Third, the global positioning system. It relies on satellite tracking through an ankle bracelet to track illegal immigrants location and movement patterns.

Doocy followed up by asking if the Biden administration was concerned about illegals throwing the smartphones away  subsequently rendering the tracking technologies useless. However, Psaki refused to answer his question.

[The Biden administration is] ensuring that individuals who irregularly migrate to the U.S. not only proceed through a process of being monitored, [but also participate] in (a) hearing to determine whether or not they will be able to stay, the press secretary told reporters during the same April 6 media briefing.

She added: I would note that nearly 80 percent of non-citizens released at the border from Department of Homeland Security custody under prosecutorial discretion have either received a notice to appear or are still within their window to report. So actually  the vast, vast majority of people are reporting. In part, we have these monitors and monitoring systems in order to do that effectively.

Watch this video about Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers plan to issue IDs and drivers license to illegals.

This video is from the End Times Prophecy News channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

As border crisis worsens, over 118,000 migrants got away from Border Patrol in less than six months.

Big tech platforms betray America, help lead Haitian migrants to U.S. so they can break our laws and enter illegally.

Jen Psaki gives completely unacceptable answer when pressed about why Americans must have vaccine proof but illegal aliens dont.

Sources include:

WND.com

Axios.com

100PercentFedUp.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to implement regulated fertilizer reduction policies that the provinces and agriculture groups are pushing back against, as this could drastically reduce fertilizer use by 30 percent.

This push to restrict farmers from growing food the conventional way is the Liberal Partys initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by up to 45 percent by 2030. The government is refusing to acknowledge that nitrous oxide emissions could be reduced without reducing fertilizer use.

Not everyone is on board with the initiative. The provincial governments of both Alberta and Saskatchewan released a statement expressing their dismay over the proposed initiative.

In a press release dated July 22, the Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture David Marit said the Trudeau government has moved on from its attack on the oil and gas industry and is setting its sights on Saskatchewan farmers.

Alberta Minister of Agriculture Nate Horner also said the world is looking to Canada to increase production and be a solution to global food shortages and that the Federal government needs to display its understanding of the situation. They owe it to our producers.

Ontarios Lisa Thompson said provinces are disappointed by the federal governments lack of flexibility and consultation regarding the target.

Several provincial governments and organizations representing farmers have already asked for emissions reductions from fertilizer to be measured via intensity  like how much food is produced compared to the amount of fertilizer used.

Fertilizer reduction could result in more food shortages

The Canadian government is demanding an absolute reduction in emissions, which could result in less food being produced at a time when the world is already suffering from shortages. (Related: Global rice production to plunge by 10%, hundreds of millions to be affected.)

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers group also commented on the development from the government, outlining the potential disasters that could occur if the guidelines are enforced, calling the proposal contrary to the UN goal of elimination of world hunger by 2030, adding that the requirements for the push are not attainable.

Fertilizers play a major role in the agriculture sectors success and have contributed to record harvests in the last decade. They have helped drive increases in Canadian crop yields, grain sales, and exports, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said in a press release.

However, nitrous oxide emissions, particularly those associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use have also grown significantly. That is why the Government of Canada has set the national fertilizer emissions reduction target, which is part of the commitment to reduce total GHG emissions in Canada by 40-45 percent by 2030.

This is a tacit admission that any attempt to lower emissions by reducing nitrogen fertilizer will lower crop yields over the next decade, hurting the agriculture sector and the farmers.

A report from Fertilizer Canada also noted that the Total Emission Reduction puts a cap on the total emissions allowable from fertilizer at 30 percent below 2020 levels. Because the yield of Canadian crops is directly linked to proper fertilizer application, this creates a ceiling on Canadian agricultural productivity well below 2020 levels.

Reduction in fertilizer usage could also result in massive income losses for farmers and their outputs could suffer. Fertilizer Canada has estimated a 30 percent absolute emission reduction for a farmer with 1,000 acres of canola and 1,000 acres of wheat, and stands to have their profit reduced by approximately $38,000 to $40,000 annually.

Fertilizer Canada also does not believe that forcibly decreasing fertilizer use could lower greenhouse gases. Instead, it could lead to carbon leakage elsewhere. (Related: Worlds largest fertilizer manufacturer sounds alarm, says shortages are liable to last throughout 2023.)

Yet, Trudeaus government is going forward with the move despite farmers concerns, leading to Farmers Forum questioning whether Trudeau is intentionally trying to cause a food shortage in the country, as he already previously told Canadians to prepare for such an event.

Watch the video below to know more about Justin Trudeaus climate policies.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

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Canadas tyrant Trudeau set to implement a policy that led Dutch farmers to revolt.

The food shortage crisis due to pandemic lockdowns and economic warfare may prove deadly for many.

What is the right amount of nitrogen in agriculture? Not enough contributes to hunger, too much damages the environment.

Globalists in the Netherlands are targeting farms to deliberately achieve GLOBAL FAMINE.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

PotatoNewsToday.com

TorontoSun.com

TheCounterSignal.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Sweltering heatwaves have been baking the European continent since June as temperatures inch near or above 40 C across western Europe. The heat is now moving east, where it is expected to linger until August.

We have had an outstanding increase in the number [and] intensity of heatwaves. The last one is just the continuation of the series, climate scientist Robert Vautard of the France Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory told the news outlet VOA.

Massive forest fires are happening in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, and other parts of Europe. More than a thousand people were reported to have died due to heat, mostly in southern Europe. The heat and the fires are destroying human lives, livestock and properties and essential crops.

Peter Koenig, a geopolitical analyst and former World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) senior economist, commented in a Global Research article: Are these fires the result of the heat, or could they be caused by an intentional and planned arson?

Koening presented some more instances that could be considered an engineered effort to destroy humanity. He said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, one of the World Economic Forums (WEF) young global leaders, is imposing on its farmers an up to 30 percent reduction of farmland and cattle farms. Rutte is one of the active proponents of the Great Reset.

Under close surveillance of the WEF and its green agenda, the order is under the pretext that the cattle manure releasing these horrible climate change gases, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide, will help accelerate climate change,' Koenig added. (Related: The Dutch governments claim that nitrogen is a pollutant relies on the same junk science fiction as vaccines and climate change.)

He said some 30 percent of the farmers would not only lose their source of living, but they are mandated to surrender their lands to the government in exchange for a minimal amount of money. The lands will be used for the administrations green purposes.

Who knows? Maybe Bill Gates will lease or buy it to produce insects and bugs for his new green insect burgers and other disgusting replacements of one of humanitys main and oldest staple food, the analyst said. This is criminally ridiculous.

Recently, roughly 40,000 Dutch farmers and supporters blocked highways to and from major cities and main distribution arteries in the country and between Holland and Germany. The protests have continued across the country with no sign of abating.

Pandemic Treaty to give WHO jurisdiction over 194 nations

Climate alarmists are programming the public minds with harsh climate conditions heavily compounded with the brainwashing efforts that food production destruction and energy supply disruption is caused by the extreme heat and the Ukraine war.

This narrative deviates the public attention from the WHOs Pandemic Treaty, a tyrannical pact that would give the agency unprecedented, undemocratic jurisdiction over its 194 member nations.

Under the said treaty, WHO could order mandatory vaccines, digital health IDs, lockdowns, isolation, testing regimes, no-jab-no-job rules or anything else it decided as a policy, irrespective of dissenting voices.

Apparently it is possible and likely, that the two-thirds law is quietly and silently being amended by a simple majority, Koenig noted.

He said the WHO could declare the common flu a pandemic and request absolute vaccine mandates under the said agreement. The agency would be empowered to impose mandatory fraudulent testing kits and require the people to take on the experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

Fortunately, people are showing signs that they are ready to fight back.

Member of the Austrian Parliament Gerald Hauser criticized Health Minister Johannes Rauch over the latters admission that health policy competencies are being handed over to WHO via the pandemic treaty.

This is a clear abolition of our parliamentary democracy. We want to retain national sovereignty and we dont want Bill Gates and company to decide on health measures in Austria in the future, Hauser said during a parliamentary session.

Watch the below video that talks about the 50 years of failed expert predictions about the climate.

This video is from the Light Bulb Initiative channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Climate change, diversity, and equity: its ALL a scam.

EU parliament declares fossil fuel to be green energy as climate change narrative self-destructs.

Dutch government conspiring with WEF to usher in Great Reset.

Amazon, Bill Gates, China buying up land all over the US in run up to Great Reset agenda.

Sources include:

VOANews.com

GlobalResearch.ca 1

FoxNews.com

WHO.int

Expose-News.com

GlobalResearch.ca 2

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) There isnt much that gets past investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, an originalist truth-teller who doesnt allow his personal liberal political and cultural views to stand in the way of accuracy and honesty.

And he showed that quality again in a recently posted Twitter thread that dropped some brutal truths about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leader the West has fawned over, showered weapons and money on, and the country where Hunter and Joe Biden managed to make a fortune, according to reports.

Before Russias invasion and since, Zelensky has abolished basic liberties: shuttered opposition media, outlawed parties, imprisoned dissidents. As Ukraine demands money and arms from the West, they now want to export this repression to our countries with McCarthyite blacklists, Greenwald began, noting that he, along with other figures including former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), have been banned from the country.

Before Russias invasion and since, Zelensky has abolished basic liberties: shuttered opposition media, outlawed parties, imprisoned dissidents. As Ukraine demands money and arms from the West, they now want to export this repression to our countries with McCarthyite blacklists: https://t.co/O2t03YHrMy  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2022

You can see the full Ukrainian blacklist, obtained by @unherd. Beyond the individuals listed above, officially maligned are @JeffDSachs, @RandPaul, former Brazil President @LulaOficial, Col. Douglas MacGregor, Caleb Maupin, Marine LePen and many others, he continued  the theme being that most of them are critics of Kyiv.

You can see the full Ukrainian blacklist, obtained by @unherd. Beyond the individuals listed above, officially maligned are @JeffDSachs, @RandPaul, former Brazil President @LulaOficial, Col. Douglas MacGregor, Caleb Maupin, Marine LePen and many others:https://t.co/tCEYDdc4TY pic.twitter.com/lDdKfhpoTS  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2022

It takes extreme audacity for Zelansky and his henchmen to go around the world demanding other nations send massive amounts of weapons and money to him, then try to suppress dissent in our countries by smearing journalists and citizens who question, Greenwald continued in a tweet containing a screenshot of his full statement to alternative media outlet Unherd.

It takes extreme audacity for Zelansky and his henchmen to go around the world demanding other nations send massive amounts of weapons and money to him, then try to suppress dissent in our countries by smearing journalists and citizens who question. My full statement to @unherd: pic.twitter.com/EY9CfbA8lJ  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2022

Greenwald went on to explain that he and the others blacklisted by Ukraine were being classified by Zelenskyys government as Russian propagandists  a familiar smear of anyone who dares to point out the obvious: Before the war, Ukraine wasnt the bastion of fairness, equality and democracy it is now being made out to be by Western globalists whose job it is to pick a side in such conflicts.

For her part, Gabbard  who has been critical of the United States and NATOs rank picking of sides in this war  says that she sees parallels between Russian authoritarianism and a growing authoritarianism on the American left.

Tulsi, it is striking when you see Putin propaganda and you line it up against Biden propaganda, Fox News host Jesse Watters said as he interviewed her in March. Do you think that were at risk of kind of moving in that direction right now?

Agreeing that under the left and Joe Biden the U.S. is definitely moving in that direction, she went on to claim, correctly (unlike the Poynter Institute fact check claimed), that U.S. leaders and media are afraid of even a single voice coming out as challenging the power elite.

This is why were seeing not only still most of the mainstream media very vigorously defending and pushing the Biden propaganda  Its not enough that they also have Google and Big Tech basically working for them and with them to control what information we see and what information we dont see, she said.

This is whats so dangerous about the place that were in right now as a country, where this idea, this principle, this foundation of freedom of speech, freedom of expression is directly under threat and under attack. And youre right, its not so different. Whats happening here is not so different from what were seeing happening in Russia, where youve got state TV and controlled messaging across the board. This is where were at, she added.

Read more news about Ukraine at UkraineWitness.com.

Sources include:

Poynter.org

ThreadReaderApp.com
(Natural News) In order to ensure that homosexuals, lesbians, transgenders, drag queens, and other sexual deviants are allowed to march through the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol for an upcoming Pride parade, LGBTs in Berlin and elsewhere are demanding that the West send more money and weapons to Ukraine stat.

Pride demonstrators say it is unsafe for males pretending to be females in Mariupol to dangle their genitals in front of children, as one example, without more Western support in the form of guns and cash, which can be used to fight back against Russian troops who are trying to keep the city of Mariupol Pride-free.

The LGBT cry for more guns and money to be hauled off to Ukraine immediately came amid an annual pan-European Pride celebration memorializing the Stonewall Riots. Some 350,000 people, according to local police, converged in Berlin to send a strong signal for diversity, freedom and respect against hate, war and discrimination.

Somehow, sending more weapons and money to Ukraine does not qualify as war in the minds of LGBTs because they feel this action is necessary to preserve their right to recruit more children as drag kids, and to promote more gender-bending pharmaceuticals and surgeries on gender-dysphoric minors.

ARM UKRAINE, read one of the English-written Pride banners spotted at the Berlin Pride event.

MAKE PRIDE IN MARIUPOL POSSIBLE, read another.

Of course, there were also plenty of Ukrainian flags being waved at Berlin Pride, as well as disgusting fetish gear such as dog masks, chains, leather suits, drag outfits, and many other perversions.

Germany is parading with Pride while the country collapses in real time

Germany, meanwhile, is on the verge of collapsing as Russia turns way down the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which is what keeps the countrys lights on and the economy going.

Officials in Germany continue to poke the Russian bear while pretending as though they have some kind of angle of attack against President Vladimir Putin. Little do they realize that it is already game over for Germany and possibly the entire West this winter.

The German political class has made it abundantly clear that it is fully aligned with LGBTs and their pro-Ukraine agenda, even at the cost of the nations economy and future, as demonstrated by the escalating energy and financial crisis.

At the Bundestag, Germanys federal parliament, a giant Pride flag featuring the usual six colors of the LGBT rainbow flag appeared for the first time this year, demonstrating Germanys commitment to all things Pride.

Other federal buildings in Germany, including one run by Antifa-linked politician Nancy Faeser, were also seen waving Pride flags  the infamous Reichstag building was another.

In Berlin, leftist Mayor Franziska Giffey declared that her city is and will remain the rainbow capital of the world. She is also demanding that all German citizens resolutely oppose what she described as hate and exclusion against Pride, which includes every flavor and color of the LGBT rainbow.

I think I finally understand what happened to the Roman empire, commented someone who reads Breitbart News, which reported on Germanys Pride festivities. A bunch of weirdos joined our communist enemies over the last couple of decades.

Gay people want something they can never have: they want to be liked, wrote another. Not loved by someone, but to be liked.

Most straight people dislike being around gay people and there arent many of them. Women dislike them slightly less than men, but straight men dislike them intensely.

You are ALWAYS going to feel alienated. ALWAYS, this person added, speaking directly to the Pride patrol. Stop bugging the rest of us. And now weve got the trans community. Again, generally not liked and you arent women.

The latest news about Pride can be found at Evil.news.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Dr. Peter Breggin has floated the possibility that the more infectious variants of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are being made in a laboratory.

The whole plan is constant terror, threats and fears, he said during the July 20 episode of ReFounding America on Brighteon TV. He said the COVID-19 vaccines are actually mutation generators.

Breggin pointed out that the vaccines provide a rom for mutations because they are not eradicating the virus. Theyre giving the virus a chance to react and evolve, paving the way for new variants.

The virus that makes it to Earth in the evolutionary process is the one that kills fewer people but spreads more rapidly. And one of the ways you spread more rapidly is by not killing off your host too soon.

So the tendency is for a variant that comes out of another virus to be less lethal, but more able to infect people. And its very possible that some of these [variants] are lab-made, he said.

His guest, Christian patriot and podcaster JD Rucker, agreed. He noted that the omicron variant is widely considered as the most contagious, with governments all over the world getting ready to revive the mask mandates because of it.

However, the thing that is the most concerning is the fact that theyre talking about having an omicron-specific vaccine. This means that if youve been double jab, triple, jab, quadruple jab, that doesnt matter. You start at square one, Rucker said.

On June 30, the Food and Drug Administration recommended that Big Pharma companies like Pfizer and Moderna move ahead with developing omicron-specific booster shots for the coming fall.

Both companies have already started designing boosters based on omicrons BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants, but the FDA is encouraging them to create new booster formulations targeting omicrons newer, more infectious BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

JD Rucker said it is already a well-known fact that the vaccines are not protecting people against the virus. As a result, the globalists are preparing the public to start over with brand new mRNA jabs, he said.

Were talking about pandemic panic theater 2.0. That, of course, and then theres the monkeypox, he said. (Related: Now its the ninja variant of COVID they want you to be scared of: WILL IT EVER END?)

Omicrons BA.5 subvariant causes 78 percent of COVID-19 cases in America

Reports show that lots of people are getting sick with COVID-19 right now, including President Joe Biden, who tested positive on July 21. The 79-year-old Biden is fully vaccinated and has received two booster doses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data tracker, around 78 percent of the current COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are caused by the BA.5 subvariant.

During a White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci explained how the virus that causes COVID keeps mutating. Fauci said the virus has essentially bumped one variant off the table after the other, which has led to a long parade of increasingly contagious subvariants of omicron.

Fauci advocated being up-to-date with boosters, but admitted that BA.5 substantially evades antibodies from prior infections and vaccines.

COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha also encouraged people to get a booster if theyre eligible.

BA.5 is a subvariant of omicron, which means its different from the original omicron but not different enough to constitute its own variant status. It is said to be the most contagious version of the virus yet.

Visit Infections.news for more updates on the spread of omicron in America and around the world.

Watch the full July 20 episode of ReFounding America with Peter Breggin below. Catch new episodes of the program every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Qatari study finds natural immunity is 97% EFFECTIVE against severe COVID even after 14 months.

New York back in high risk category as worst omicron subvariant ravages the state.

FDAs future framework can let Big Pharma bypass testing for vaccine efficacy and safety.

BIG PHARMA PAYDAY: US govt. mulls purchase of COVID vaccines that claim to target omicron.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

CNBC.com

Covid.CDC.gov

CNET.com
(Natural News) There are many troubling aspects to COVID-19 vaccines, but one that doesnt get enough attention is the presence of potassium chloride in the Pfizer jab, a substance that is known to compromise heart health.

Of course, not many people are given the vaccine insert and are therefore unaware that it contains this ingredient; even those who are familiar with the vaccines makeup cannot say just how much potassium chloride it contains because Pfizer has not disclosed the concentration.

Expose News reports that on the second page of the vaccines Safety Data Sheet, potassium chloride appears in the table of ingredients labeled hazardous. It has been given a classification in this table of Acute Tox 5.

A mineral that is found in many foods, potassium chloride is considered vital for proper heart function. In fact, it is sometimes given to people as a therapeutic to correct low levels of potassium. However, excessive intake can lead to a range of side effects, including severe stomach pain; tingling in the feet, mouth or hands; muscle weakness or limpness; and an uneven heartbeat. Therefore, people using it as a medication must be monitored closely.

When it is injected, however, the potential adverse reactions are even stronger. They include cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation, bradycardia, chest pain and other problems. For this reason, potassium chloride is not given via IV to people with cardiac disorders.

This could explain why some people, especially children, are experiencing heart problems like myocarditis after getting COVID-19 vaccines, particularly after getting the second dose. The first dose could be causing a cardiac disorder, which means that injecting them with potassium chloride is contraindicated; when they are given a second dose anyway, their heart damage will only be exacerbated. Therefore, one would expect Pfizer to disclose the concentration of potassium chloride in its vaccines for public safety reasons.

Graphene oxide is another dangerous ingredient found in vaccines

Another dangerous substance found in COVID-19 vaccines is graphene oxide, and it may be capable of passing to unvaccinated individuals via vaccine shedding. These graphene nanomaterials can penetrate natural barriers in the body, such as the blood-brain barrier, and cause damage to internal organs and the central nervous system, triggering cancer, altering gene function and damaging blood.

Forensic examinations and lab reports carried out in the UK of COVID-19 injection vials found evidence of the substance in vials of COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and these ingredients were not declared by the manufacturer, nor did they appear in their ingredients list. This means people were completely unaware they were being injected with this dangerous substance.

Dr. Mylo Caderian, a Greek scientist and WHO medical contributor, developed a patent for graphene oxide as a bioweapon back in 2015. Its hard to imagine why a vaccine maker would include a substance that is a potential bioweapon in their formulation.

Biomedicine expert Dr. Philippe Van Welbergen has warned that he is finding graphene and self-assembling nanoparticles in the blood of unvaccinated individuals, and he believes it is being shed by those who have gotten the jabs.

It is something that is being seen in unvaccinated children whose parents have been vaccinated. In young people, its effects are usually manifested as gastrointestinal complaints. Unfortunately, the damage caused to red blood cells by spike proteins cannot be reversed.

Despite all this toxicity, the CDC and health authorities in several other countries are pushing the masses to line up for yet another booster shot for the greater good  which, for many, will be a fourth vaccine full of questionable ingredients that does little, if anything, to stop the transmission of the virus.

Sources for this article include:

Expose-News.com

Expose-News.com
(Natural News) If youve blinked over the last month, you may have missed it

(Article by Quoth The Raven republished from QuothTheRaven.Substack.com)

China and Russia are taking their shot at the U.S. dollar. And as often happens with consequential news in the United States and the West, no one seems to notice or even care.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been writing about the possibility of Russia and China challenging the US dollars global reserve status. Now, its happening.

It shouldnt be any surprise to those paying attention that Russia and China are strengthening their economic ties amidst continued Western sanctions on Russia as a result of the countrys war in Ukraine.

What may surprise some people, however, is that Russia and the BRICS countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are officially working on their own new global reserve currency, RT reported in late June. Nobody even seemed to notice.

The issue of creating an international reserve currency based on a basket of currencies of our countries is being worked out, Vladimir Putin said at the BRICS business forum last month.

And of course, as Russia has been cut off from the SWIFT system, it is also pairing with China and the BRIC nations to develop reliable alternative mechanisms for international payments in order to cut reliance on the Western financial system.

In the meantime, Russia is also taking other steps to strengthen the alliance between BRIC nations, including re-routing trade to China and India, according to CNN:

President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is rerouting trade to reliable international partners such as Brazil, India, China and South Africa as the West attempts to sever economic ties. We are actively engaged in reorienting our trade flows and foreign economic contacts towards reliable international partners, primarily the BRICS countries, Putin said in his opening video address to the participants of the virtual BRICS Summit.

In fact, trade between Russia and the BRICS countries increased by 38% and reached $45 billion in the first three months of the year this year, the report says. Meanwhile, Russian crude sales to China have hit record numbers during Spring of this year, edging out Saudi Arabia as Chinas primary oil supplier.

Together with BRICS partners, we are developing reliable alternative mechanisms for international settlements, Putin said.

Putin continued, stating last month: Contacts between Russian business circles and the business community of the BRICS countries have intensified. For example, negotiations are underway to open Indian chain stores in Russia [and to] increase the share of Chinese cars, equipment and hardware on our market.

In June, Putin also accused the West of ignoring the basic principles of [the] market economy such as free trade. It undermines business interests on a global scale, negatively affecting the wellbeing of people, in effect, of all countries, he said.

President Xi echoed Putins sentiments, according to a June writeup by Bloomberg:

Politicizing, instrumentalizing and weaponizing the world economy using a dominant position in the global financial system to wantonly impose sanctions would only hurt others as well as hurting oneself, leaving people around the world suffering. Those who obsess with a position of strength, expand their military alliance, and seek their own security at the expense of others will only fall into a security conundrum.

The developments obviously further my long held belief that a gold backed global reserve currency is on its way  something I have been writing about for months.

Im also stunned that nobody seems to care that arguably the largest shift on the global macroeconomic playing field over the last half century may be taking place.

Sure, under the context of the conflict in Ukraine, the news may seem par for the course of sorts, which may result in the media and the financial world downplaying it. But put this piece of information out there on its own, without context  that there is a coordinated global challenge taking place to the U.S. dollar  and it would be the biggest news story in decades. Imagine if China and Russia just dropped this out of nowhere? Now, remember that both countries have been working on, and preparing for, this situation for years.

I mean, holy hell, look at Russias Treasury holdings as far back as 2018:

As Ive noted before, Russia was also increasing its holdings of gold over the same period:

And this headline came out in 2020, just months before Russias invasion of Ukraine

Does anyone think its a coincidence?

Read more at: QuothTheRaven.Substack.com
(Natural News) While skimming billions of dollars from US taxpayers, Ukraines puppet president Zelensky has issued a threatening blacklist that specifically names US lawmakers and journalists as being Russian propagandists who should be rejected by media and society.

To the shock of many, among those names are US Senator Rand Paul, congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Anyone who disagrees with Zelensky is now apparently going to be named a kind of Putin puppet, as if the installed leader of a European country is now allowed to dictate a kind of reputation score for US lawmakers and journalists.

This is the sort of tactic used in fascist, authoritarian states, smacking of Nazi Germany and the old Soviet Union under Stalin. And this is on top of Zelensky pursuing the following despicable tactics, all rooted in authoritarianism and tyranny:

banning all opposition political parties in Ukraine

outlawing all media except those outlets controlled by his regime

outlawing books, films, music, artwork and theatrical productions that reference the russo-ethnic history of Ukraine (essentially banning true history)

As Glenn Greenwald detailed in this Twitter thread:

Before Russias invasion and since, Zelensky has abolished basic liberties: shuttered opposition media, outlawed parties, imprisoned dissidents.

As Ukraine demands money and arms from the West, they now want to export this repression to our countries with McCarthyite blacklists:

You can see the full Ukrainian blacklist, obtained by @unherd. Beyond the individuals listed above, officially maligned are @JeffDSachs, @RandPaul, former Brazil President @LulaOficial, Col. Douglas MacGregor, Caleb Maupin, Marine LePen and many others:

It takes extreme audacity for Zelansky and his henchmen to go around the world demanding other nations send massive amounts of weapons and money to him, then try to suppress dissent in our countries by smearing journalists and citizens who question.

Zelensky is a raging lunatic tyrant, drunk with power and a danger to the entire world

In effect, Zelensky has become a raging lunatic tyrant who demands tens of billions of dollars from the USA under the false label of defending democracy while he actually marches in lockstep with the tyrants of history like Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

Zelenskys rightful place in the hierarchy of authoritarian history might be alongside Kim Jong-Un, Fidel Castro or Pol Pot. Yet somehow he is celebrated by the twisted, deceitful western media as a god-like hero who is tasked with saving western Europe from the ravages of Russia.

Yet Russia provides the only real hope for the people of Ukraine to escape their enslavement under Zelensky, a tyrant who spent nearly 8 years authorizing military strikes against the innocent people of the Donbass region, waging war against civilians while running secret police operations across the country, complete with assassinations of political opponents and secret disappearances of government critics.

This was all done with the full guidance of the CIA, of course, as has now been readily admitted by the Washington Post and other news outlets. Zelensky has been a puppet all along, which isnt surprising, given his background as a gay comedian and TV actor who was easily blackmailed into compliance with dirt from his sketchy past. So now, when Russia explains they are working to de-Nazify Ukraine, it all makes sense. Zelensky also worked to support the Azov Nazi battalion which has terrorized Ukraines civilians for years and was only beaten back when Russia initiated its Special Military Operation to demilitarize the Ukraine regime that was murdering innocent civilians (including children).

For the sake of the people of Ukraine, we can only hope that somebody removes Zelensky from power soon, whether that be achieved by the USA, Russia or a Ukrainian military coup. The sooner Zelensky is removed, the sooner negotiations can begin with Russia for a peaceful resolution. And that means the needless deaths of Ukrainian men can finally come to a halt, far too late and long after Zelensky has sacrificed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainians in order to try to protect his own lawless regime that panders to the west.

THANK GOD: Russia announces intent to help the people of Ukraine eliminate raging tyrant Zelensky

Fortunately for the people of Ukraine, Russia is now expanding the scope of its military operation and is apprently planning on removing Zelensky from power. As detailed by Zero Hedge:

Russia has for the first time stated as among its ultimate war aims achieving regime change in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Sunday remarks which were publicized Monday that Moscow will help the Ukrainian people get rid of the regime in Kiev.

Going into early summer, the Russian military had focused its battlefield goals on liberating the Donbas, but this latest Lavrov comment on removing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky represents the most expansive war aim yet.

We are determined to help the people of eastern Ukraine to liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime, Lavrov said while meeting with Arab League officials in Egypt.

In similar fashion, Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin has declared that Russia must now continue its military operation westward, eliminating the Nazis and fascists from Odessa, Kiev and all Ukrainian cities originally founded under the Soviet Union.

From NewsRND.com:

The President of the Donetsk Peoples Republic Denis Pushilin stated that it was time to liberate Russian cities such as Kyiv and other large cities.

The Russia Today website quoted Pushilin as saying: It is time to liberate the Russian cities founded by the Russian people again, such as Kyiv Chernigov, Poltava, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Lutsk.

Since the Donetsk Peoples Republic declared its independence from Kyiv in 2014, this region has been subjected to regular bombardment by Ukrainian forces.

Follow Sanas news on Telegram https://t.me/SyrianArabNewsAgency

As Zelensky, NATO and the USA have made quite clear, the only way for Russia to be safe from western aggression is to eliminate Ukraines fascist regime and allow the people of Ukraine to elect their own leaders (rather than having the CIA install obedient puppets).

We would estimate that Zelenskys days are numbered, one way or the other.

Ending the fascist Zelensky regime is the only way to stop the genocide against ethnic Russians in Ukraine

It is becoming increasingly obvious to Russia and the people of Donetsk that the only way to stop Zelenskys terrorism and anti-human mass killings of russo-ethnic civilians is to take Zelensky out and end his fascist regime once and for all. Like Adolf Hitler  also a crazed, power-hungry genocidal lunatic like Zelensky  at some point the honorable powers of the world must pay the cost of removing evil from this world, even if it means fighting a war to achieve that outcome.

In a previous era, America and the United Kingdom sacrificed to end Adolf Hitlers evil regime. Russia paid a heavy price in taking part in that chapter of history, losing over 20 million men fighting the Nazis. Now, it seems Russia is being called upon to repeat that sacrifice for the benefit of the future of humankind. A world run by CIA puppets like Zelensky is a tyrannical, despotic world that cannot be allowed to unfold. Zelensky and his controllers must be prevented from enslaving all of humanity.

In summary, Zelensky is the rendition of pure evil. He is 100% in alignment with the anti-human LGBT agenda, the woke demonic propaganda of the west, the climate change hoax that crushes human civilization, the vaccine death / depopulation agenda, extreme censorship of his own people and all the other horrific pillars of evil that now characterize western nations like Germany, France, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These western nations are steeped in satanism, child murder (infanticide), child grooming, transgender mutilations, rigged elections, extreme censorship, illegal persecutions of political enemies (J6) and similar crimes against humanity.

Truth be told, removing Zelensky is just step one of the course of action needed to save humanity from satanism and collapse. The illegitimate enemy occupying force currently running the illegitimate regime in America must also be democratically removed from power, prosecuted for their crimes and punished for their crimes against our world.

Only then can we all get back to peaceful coexistence, global free trade, affordable food, fertilizer, energy, farming and abundance.

Learn more in todays hard-hitting Situation Update podcast via Brighteon.com:

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(Natural News) Reports are increasingly circulating online and in print the baseless claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is suffering from major health issues, and the Ukrainian government has further inflamed those rumors.

According to the UKs Daily Mail, Ukrainian intelligence services  which would have every reason to foment and perpetuate this rumor, for propaganda purposes  claim that Putin did not really travel recently to Iran to meet with that countrys leaders along with Turkish officials.

While the Russian leader looked awkward as he came down the steps of his presidential plane in Tehran, Ukrainian sources noted he moved unusually quickly and was more alert than in prior public appearances, the outlet reported. The Russian premier looked animated when greeting the waiting party, before removing his jacket and clambering into a heavily armored limousine.

Ukrainian intelligence chief Major-General Kyrylo Budanov voiced heavy skepticism during a live interview that the man who landed in Tehran was Putin. The countrys media went on to report that Budanov believes Putin sent a body double to the meeting instead.

I will only hint. Please look at the moment of Putins exit from the plane; is it Putin at all? he said.

If anything, according to a video clip of Putins exit, it not only looks precisely like him, but it fed into previous reports that he could be suffering some medical problems. As Putin made the short walk to greet the Iranian and Turkish leaders, he swings his left arm as he walks but his right arm hangs motionless at his side. That said, as the clip plays, Putin does utilize his right arm, making a few gestures with his hand.

Putins trip to Tehran, where he met the Iranian president and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, attracted worldwide attention. So it makes no sense that he would send an imposter with the world literally watching.

The Daily Mail added:

It is only the second time Putin has been abroad since launching his brutal invasion of Ukraine five months ago.

In one video, Erdo?an kept Putin waiting, with the Russian ruler appearing ill at ease as he shuffled his feet and made strange facial movements.

But earlier Ukraine did not suggest this was a Putin double.

Erdogan made Putin wait during the meeting in Tehran, official Anton Gerashchenko posted on Telegram. The whole spectrum of emotions of the humiliated and insulted Fuhrer is on his face. The bunker is indeed the best place to stay with such a face.

Earlier, Putin dismissed the notion of using body doubles, the outlet reported.

I discarded the idea of any doubles, he has said in response to suggestions he does so after Russia was hit with terrorist attacks in the early 2000s for events where he was expected to be in attendance.

This was during the toughest time of our war against terrorism, he said.

Nevertheless, former Soviet leaders including Josef Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev did in fact use body doubles.

As for his health, political scientist Valery Solovey, a Russia expert, has pushed back on CIA Director William Burns claim that there is no evidence Putin is suffering from any medical issues.

The Americans, the CIA particularly, have information on the real state of health of the Russian president, Solovey, who has long suspected that Putin is ill, said. They definitely know that he has serious troubles, including mental ones.

He went on to speculate that Burns made his remarks about Putins alleged clean bill of health because the Biden regime is secretly negotiating with Russia regarding possibly withdrawing from Ukraine or at least ending its offensive. Time will tell, but Putin clearly has some issues.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The big question is why? Why are traffic accidents increasing to insane levels just since the pandemic began? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) even predicted it for 2021 when they estimated at least 44 U.S. states would see increases in traffic deaths. How could they have known this in advance?

Fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes in cities and on urban roads jumped 16 percent. For folks 65 and older, vehicle deaths rose 14 percent. For pedestrian fatalities, those skyrocketed 13 percent, including daytime deaths. Even motorcycle deaths went up nine percent, and bicyclist fatalities rose five percent.

270 million Americans getting clot shots coincides with two-year mass increase of traffic-related deaths

Coincidentally, as 270 million Americans get their blood infested with billions of sticky spike proteins and heavy metal nanoparticles that cause blood clots, myocarditis and sudden adult death syndrome (SADS), the communists in Washington, D.C. conveniently blame the infrastructure. Safety first! Except that theres nothing safe about experimental gene therapy injections that never passed clinical trials or got full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Biden Administration is blaming infrastructure problems, meaning suddenly potholes and old bridges are killing people en masse? These are the worst statistics for crashes since 2005, and the largest yearly percentage increase EVER in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Heres the lame excuse for the mass deaths, from the mouth of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: With our National Roadway Safety Strategy and the Presidents Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking critical steps to help reverse this devastating trend and save lives on our roadways.

43,000 Americans died on U.S. roads in 2021, hitting 16-year high

Up ten percent from 2020, automotive accidents are happening right and left, increasing now every year during the scamdemic of the Wuhan Flu. For 2022, it is projected now that up to 50,000 Americans will die in auto crashes, but the reasons for those crashes just dont add up.

NHTSA failed to even attempt to explain WHY it suspects all these crashes have reached a 16-year high since the pandemic began. California, Texas and Florida represent the largest numbers for those traffic-related deaths, as well as in Washington D.C., where Resident Biden cant even seem to find his way out of a room after a conference.

Oh, but the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) blames speeding, alcohol, drugs and distracted driving for the mass increase of traffic deaths. Its blame anything but the clot shots narrative time, and this will continue as more and more Americans get boosters that exacerbate these vaccidents (vaccine-injury-induced accidents) where people pass out, have panic attacks or die while driving, and the government blames anything else, including pot holes and texting.

The clot shots for COVID-19 have wiped out a decade and a half of progress regarding reducing traffic crashes, injuries and deaths, but nobody is allowed to talk about it or print statistics on it.

Vaccidents being disguised by MSM and government agencies as people functioning more haphazardly on pothole-ridden roads

Is this the black swan event that independent media has been warning about since the gain-of-function Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mass vaccination campaign began? Should we blame road rage and potholes instead for the mass increase of vehicle-related deaths? What about all these pilots, athletes and military members dying suddenly out of the blue, shortly after they get injected with billions of spike proteins or mRNA technology?

Maybe its time to do autopsies on all these suspected accidents happening all over the roads of America, and see if the drivers have mysterious blood clots that dont contain much blood at all, but rather rubbery, elastic materials and heavy metals that gather together in the vascular system, causing sudden adult death syndrome. Maybe next theyll just blame global warming.

Tune your scamdemic frequency to Censored.news for truth news thats being censored from the rest of media as you read this.

Sources include:

NHSTA.gov

NaturalNews.com

TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Every person who takes the vaccine for monkeypox is being automatically enrolled in a clinical trial to gauge its effectiveness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tim Nguyen, WHOs chief of infectious hazards preparedness agency, says nobody really knows what the monkeypox injections will do to people, meaning it is all just another big experiment similar to Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines and Operation Warp Speed.

Monkeypox injections, just like COVID injections, are new to the scene and have never before been used on a large scale. Thus, it is unknown how people with the disease will react post-injection. (Related: Government officials in the United Kingdom are pushing to jab children for monkeypox.)

I would like to underline one thing that is very important to WHO: We do have uncertainty around the effectiveness of these vaccines because they havent been used in this context and in this scale before, Nguyen is quoted as saying.

When these vaccines are being delivered  they are delivered in the context of clinical trial studies and prospectively collecting this data to increase our understanding of the effectiveness of these vaccines.

In other words, humans are once again being used as guinea pigs for Big Pharma to gauge the safety and effectiveness of experimental shots that otherwise never would have been allowed for public release apart from a global health emergency.

Is monkeypox an adverse effect of COVID mRNA injections?

Right now, there are two vaccines for monkeypox licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): JYNNEOS and ACAM2000, the latter of which is also known as Imvamune or Imvanex.

New York City just purchased several thousand doses more of the JYNNEOS shot to hand out to its residents.

Approximately 26,000 additional doses were delivered to New York City as part of Phase 2b from the federal government and state, and will be distributed via clinics, mass vaccination sites and community-based referrals. Individuals will be able to book appointments for July 24 through August 13, announced the New York City Health Department on July 21.

The order comes on the heels of an announcement by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who overruled the organizations advisory committee recommendation that monkeypox basically be ignored. Instead, Ghebreyesus decided to declare it a public health emergency of international concern.

Since the globalists faced no consequences for foisting experimental mRNA injections on the entire world for COVID, they are now doing it against with monkeypox.

Monkeypox is shingles, brought to you by Pfizer and pals, wrote someone who reads Infowars. Sure, go ahead and get the monkeypox injection  its the same soft kill that they already started with the COVID shots.

Maybe theyre hoping the vaccines for monkeypox will create more virulent strains, since its the vaccines that generally cause the mutations in diseases, or at least they did with COVID-19, wrote another.

Someone else wrote that all sorts of diseases stem from childhood vaccines, including SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), so-called shaken baby syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and more.

ALL of these syndromes only started appearing in large numbers AFTER the introduction of new childhood vaccines,' this person added.

The Geneva Convention is apparently now null and void, seeing as how it contains a provision stating that experimenting on humans in this manner is illegal and a crime against humanity.

Theres also a legal theory that says if one part of a law is never enforced then a reasonable person can assume the whole of the statue is unenforceable, another commenter added.

So if the government doesnt uphold all sections of the Geneva convention a court could very well invalidate it.

The latest monkeypox news can be found at Outbreak.news.

Sources include:

Infowars.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that monkeypox cases are likely to spread beyond the LGBT community soon.

Dr. Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer for the WHOs Europe regional office, issued the warning during her interview with CNBC.

At the moment, cases continue to be reported among men who have sex with men for the most part. But we should not expect that to remain [as] such, she said.

Smallwood added that the progression of monkeypox is alerting the world to a new disease threat that could spread from the LGBT community to other population groups, comparing it to the proverbial canary in the coal mine. If monkeypox does breach the confines of the LGBT community, she remarked that it could have an increased public health impact  especially for those prone to more severe illness.

It may be that this particular population group, as it is for any new disease spreading, it starts in one community  or one setting, and then it might spread, said the WHO official.

According to Smallwood, public health officials are paying attention to the spread of monkeypox as an emerging pathogen that began in the LGBT community among gay and bisexual men. The monkeypox virus had been endemic in Africa and had spread among animals until the spring of 2022.

The initial outbreak in Europe was connected to large-scale LGBT events in Spain and Belgium in June, alongside pride month celebrations. Disease experts put forward the theory of the monkeypox virus spreading via sexual transmission. Since then, it has spread to more than 75 countries and territories  infecting more than 16,000 and killing five. (Related: WHO declares monkeypox a global health emergency with just FIVE deaths in the world and 99% of cases afflicting homosexuals.)

Theyre trying to scare parents by claiming KIDS are at high risk of monkeypox

The spread of monkeypox prompted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare a public health emergency on July 23.

I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern, he said. However, Tedros acknowledged that the outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that two children in the U.S. caught the monkeypox virus. It added that both children, one from the East Coast and one from the West Coast, were living with adults who hail from the gay mens community.

Both of those children are traced back to individuals who come from the men who have sex with men community, the gay mens community, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. While both have monkeypox symptoms, they are in good health.

According to Walensky, both children could have contracted the virus through household transmission. She nevertheless reiterated that they are receiving antiviral treatments for the disease.

The CDC acknowledged the possibility of monkeypox transmission during LGBT pride month celebrations in June, but hesitated in calling for such events to be cancelled. Instead, it sent out guidance to the LGBT community warning of the infectious diseases dangers.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) expressed skepticism over Walenskys revelation about the two monkeypox-infected children. While she did not directly link the spread of monkeypox to pedophilia, she left a question for Americans through a social media post.

Greene tweeted: If monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease, why are kids getting it?

Watch Stew Peters and Dr. Jane Ruby talking about the WHOs July 23 monkeypox public health declaration below.

This video is from the Tanjerea channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UK authorities now trying to target CHILDREN with monkeypox vaccines, even though monkeypox is primarily spread through gay sexual behavior.

Study reveals monkeypox virus was MANIPULATED in a lab and released intentionally to cause an outbreak.

Monkeypox is clearly a gay disease, but the CDC is doing everything possible to avoid offending LGBTs.

PRIDE month kicks off with MONKEYPOX outbreak in the homosexual community.

Researchers find monkeypox virus in patients saliva, semen and other bodily fluids.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

WHO.int

TheEpochTimes.com 2

Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com
An employee of the GGD Haaglanden prepares the equipment to dispense the monkeypox vaccination in a vaccination centre in Rijswijk on July 25, 2022. - The GGD Haaglanden and Amsterdam start to vaccinate specific risk groups. - Netherlands OUT (Photo : Photo by PHIL NIJHUIS/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

The viral disease called monkeypox has been making headlines since its recent outbreak. The ongoing disease was confirmed in May 2022, when a cluster of cases was found in the United Kingdom, of which the confirmed case was linked to an individual traveling from Nigeria.

But what is monkeypox and how is it transmitted? ScienceAlert defined monkeypox virus as a pathogen in the Orthopoxvirus family, and a close relative of smallpox virus. It may spread through contact with contaminated body fluids or infected humans and other animals. In some cases, it can cause mild to severe illness - and even death.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disease which first occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Although this is exactly how it got its name, its true source remains unknown.

Monkeypox Symptoms

Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headaches, muscle and back aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion, approximately a week or two after contracting infection. The most common visible sign that you have monkeypox is the rash several days later, which goes through different stages before healing completely.

The rash looks like pimples or blisters that usually appear on or around the face inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. These can progress into blistery pustules that scab before it heals in the following weeks. Sometimes, the rash appears first in some people before the other symptoms, others experience the opposite.

As per CDC, monkeypox is not related to chickenpox at all. In fact, it is regarded as self-limiting, meaning it is less severe and rarely fatal. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Nevertheless, monkeypox is still a serious illness that carries a risk of ongoing complications. Its fatal effects may include sepsis and encephalitis to blindness from eye infections. Medical treatment or vaccination is still a must.

Also read: Single-Use Plastic Ban in London Gets Shoppers to Use Alternatives Made of Bamboo and Corn





The Next Pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the outbreak of monkeypox to be a global health emergency of international concern, with more than 16,000 cases across 74 countries at the time of its announcement.

Although experts are unable to reach a consensus on whether this highest level of caution was warranted, outbreaks in the past show that infections have been limited to a handful of people, with little to no human-to-human transmission, therefore spread has previously been restricted.

Unlike coronavirus, monkeypox virus is not airborne, which means it can't spread through the air. Having a smallpox vaccine is effective enough against the virus, and authorities already know what to do should concerns continue to escalate, so the virus's apparent spread does not equate to SARS-CoV-2.

What it does represent is that the viruses move with increased travel and relaxed hygiene. Although the disease is causing global concern, it is actually not the first time it has been detected outside of African populations.

71 cases of the illness were reported to the CDC across six US states in mid-2003, which were traced back to infected prairie dogs purchased from an animal distributor in Illinois. It was then infected by Gambian giant rats and dormice imported from Ghana.

Although the concurrent outbreaks may have had the appearance of a potential pandemic, there have fortunately been no reported deaths at the time of this writing, nor possible mutations observed.

Related article: Woman Recovered from 19-foot Crocodile's Stomach Shortly After Swallowing Her Whole Body in Indonesia




GANSBAAI, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 08: (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS DIGITAL IMAGE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO BLACK AND WHITE) A Great White Shark is seen in the Indian Ocean near the town of Gans Bay on July 8, 2010 in Gansbaai, South Africa. (Photo : Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Sharks may have been perceived as one of the most terrifying aquatic animals, as suggested by many thrillers we see on television. They have mostly been portrayed as epipelagic or living in the top region of the ocean, as their terrifying fins show on the surface of the water.

However, an entire world of deep-sea sharks also lives in the darkest parts of the water, and some of them are really big. "Deep sea" is actually very descriptive when grouping different species. It is generally referred to as anything below 1,000 fathoms or roughly 6,000 feet down, where no sunlight can reach but many unique creatures can thrive.

Meanwhile, the deepest layer of the ocean is called the "hadalpelagic" zone, which is 20,000-36,000 feet down.

AZ animals listed down 5 of the world's largest sharks venturing in or around the border of the deep sea.

5 Largest Deep Sea Sharks

5. Greenland Shark

These mysterious sharks live in the extremely cold waters around the northern pole, hence the name "Greenland". Due to the energy requirements in the cold, they are extremely slow-moving, but are still considered predatory by scientists. Generally, their sizes reach up to 24 feet and can stay around 3,900-foot depth, but they are often recorded at depths of up to 7,200 feet.

4. Megamouth Shark

According to Oceana, megamouth shark is a rare shark and a large species, reaching weights of 2700 pounds (1215 kg), but it is the smallest of the three species of filter-feeding sharks, behind the whale shark and the basking shark.

They have remarkably large, circular mouths, thus the name "Megamouth". Scientists believe they hunt for food in vertical columns, meaning they move up and down instead of around. The species have been seen occasionally around 600 feet, but can dive up to 15,000 feet in search of plankton and jellyfish.

3. Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

Often referred to as the cow shark, the bluntnose is an ancient shark that resides in the deep regions of the ocean. Scientists believe they are closer to the primitive Triassic sharks than any in the modern age. They have six gills instead of the standard five, thus the name "Sixgill". The species can grow up to 16 feet long, making them one of the largest deep-sea sharks in the world.

2. Pacific Sleeper Shark

Meanwhile, the giant "sleeper sharks" are similar to Greenland shark. Adult females can reach 12.1 to 14.1 feet in length, but it is speculated that the species' maximum length may be more than 23 ft, as per Shark Research Institute.

They generally prefer to inhabit the deep regions in the north Pacific and feed on a wide variety of surface and bottom animals, like seals and giant octopuses.

1. Goblin Shark

As the name suggests, the goblin shark has the creepiest look on this list. They are very ancient creatures and regarded as "living fossils" since they are the oldest species of shark alive.

Despite having evolved 125 million years ago, their looks did not seem to change at all - with a massive horn on their foreheads, haphazard teeth sticking out at odd angles, and a set of beady eyes. These "pink animals" can grow 12 feet long but are rarely seen. Scientists believe they are solitary, just like many other shark species.

Also read: Scientists Pinpoint Time When Our Earliest Ancestors Became Warm-Blooded





Limited Known Information

Generally, there is limited information known about deepwater sharks, since some may even live at unimaginable depths. However, it is believed that they are extremely vulnerable to any fishing pressure and risk of serious decline if not protected or managed well.

Related article: Tetrapods: The First Animals Who Left the Water to Live on Land but Turned Back
View of the fossile remains of a giant sloth nearby the Tomayate river in Apopa, 13 kms from San Salvador on December 11th, 2007. The pelvis, ribs and vertebras of the sloth were found in a paleontological site discovered in 2005 and in which the remains of other 18 species were also found, including the skull of a mastodon. (Photo : Photo credit should read Jose CABEZAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Well over 11,000 years ago, youngsters on a family hike across what is now White Sands Conservation Area in New Mexico saw the essence of childhood memories: muddy pools formed by the tracks of a massive ground sloth.

Giant 'Sloth Puddles' from 11,000 Years Ago





Many things are much more appealing to a child than a dirty pond. The kids, who were probably four in all, ran and plunged across the soggy sloth trackway, creating their own imprints in the playa, which is a parched-out sea floor, as per Live Science.

According to recent study, the footsteps were maintained over millennia, preserving proof of this ancient adventure. The discovery demonstrates that youngsters in North America throughout the Pleistocene period enjoyed a decent plunge.

In his interview Matthew Bennett, an ecological and geographical studies professor at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom, whom also is researching the circuit claimed that most children prefer to frolic in sloppy pools, which really is basically what it really is.

Bennett has visited White Sands more than a couple times in the last half decade, identifying and studying ice age human and large mammals' traces (animals heavier than 99 pounds, or 45 kilograms).

Together with his associates, Benneth have also previously uncovered a series of astonishing discoveries, notably human imprints ranging from 21,000 to 23,000 years ago, the oldest 'unambiguous proof' of human beings in the Americas.

The finding of the children's and sloth's swampy stencils, as shown in recent report from New Scientist, is yet to be released publicly in a peer-reviewed publication, however Bennett preparations to transcribe regarding them as a techniques article in the following months to assist experts researching comparable migratory paths in determining how many folks were prevalent and how old those private citizens were when they produced the trail.

For example, the footprints Bennett studied are not really an exact depiction of the children's footprints since the mushy dirt warped each impression, nevertheless Bennett nonetheless managed to infer the children's age range by comparing the retained, splotchy tracks with current development statistics.

Bennett discovered more than 30 imprints circumnavigating the sloth viaduct, which he believes were left by youngsters aged 5 to 8.

Also read: 30 Million-Year-Old Flower Preserved with a Wasp in Amber Hides a Gruesome Secret





Ice Age Kids Imprints

Upon traversing across the region on all fours, the now-extinct gigantic earth sloth, presumably Nothrotheriops, left its viaduct. According to Bennet, every sloth copy is basically a dual imprint. "As it places its forepaws downwards, the back paw steps on it," he stated. The kidney form is created by combining the front and back paws.

Both of the massive earth sloth tracks is over 16 inches wide, and the creature may have been the scale of a cow or as large as a bear, according to Bennet. The imprints are deep, approximately 1.2 inches deep, yet just deep to fill with water and pique the children's interest.

Furthermore, Benneth added that they discover kid's imprints extremely regularly in White Sands, quite probably since these youngsters, unlike today's children, ran throughout, producing hundreds of imprints every day, Flipboard update.

Benneth went on to say that the children and adults in the group were probably likely foragers who banded together while looking for food. In the previous, one would have simply brought their kid to work, and if employment involved trekking throughout the old surface of the lake to pursue a creature, you might have brought their baby with them.

Related article: Scientists Pinpoint Time When Our Earliest Ancestors Became Warm-Blooded
According to a study, having a dog decreases the risks of mental health issues. On the other hand, having a cat while pregnant raises the risk of postpartum depression.

Although the "dogs vs. cats" showdown is a "tale as old as time," this study proves which pet is better for expectant mothers.

Cat vs. Dog Showdown

The parasite toxoplasmosis, which results in an infectious disease that can cause miscarriage, infant anomalies, or brain disorders, is another risk for pregnant cat owners.

According to the study's lead author, Kenta Matsumura, a mother's mental health can be impacted by the type of pet she owns, both during pregnancy and after giving birth.

According to their research, cat owners should receive special attention because they are at an increased risk of toxoplasmosis and mental health problems.

Previous studies examined the connection between owning a pet and the mental health of various demographic groups.

But few specifically targeted pregnant women, who are more susceptible to mental health problems.

A questionnaire was created by Matsumura's team to examine the impact pet ownership has on pregnant women's mental health.

Surveying 80,814 Mothers

Demographic and socioeconomic data, medical and obstetric history, mental and physical health, and way of life were all topics that were gathered.

In both rural and urban areas of Japan, 80,814 mothers who owned either cats or dogs during their pregnancies completed the questionnaire.

Each of them took it five times: once during the first trimester, once during the second or third trimester, and once each at one month, six months, and 12 months after giving birth.

The results, which were released this month in Social Science & Medicine, showed that having a dog during pregnancy was linked to fewer depressive and anxious symptoms at one month and six months after delivery.

At one year after giving birth, new mothers who had dogs displayed signs of lessened psychological distress.

On the other hand, having a cat was linked to a higher risk of symptoms of depression six months after giving birth.

Both pregnant dog owners and pregnant cat owners reported experiencing symptoms of psychological distress in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

But compared to a reference group composed of mothers without pets, this was largely comparable in the study.

Read also: 7 Basics for Being the Best Cat Owner Ever

Depression During Pregnancy

Another study found that one in four expectant mothers experience mental health problems before giving birth, Mail Online reports.

Post-natal depression is becoming more widely known, but few people are aware that issues can arise before the baby is born.

27% of pregnant women had mental health issues, according to King's College London researchers.

They discovered that 11% of women had depression, 15% had anxiety, 2% had eating disorders, and 2% had obsessive-compulsive disorders. When a psychological screening technique is used at midwife appointments, these results are obtained. Many women also struggled with multiple problems.

These are frequently overlooked because it is a common misconception that pregnancy always results in a woman having a positive "glow."

Related article: Stress Management Gene in Dogs make them 'Man's Best Friend' - Japanese Study Reveals
Pilots photographed the mysterious red lights that produced an eerie glowing sky over the Atlantic Ocean at night.

The images show enormous patches of an unnerving red light over the Atlantic Ocean, as seen in a popular Reddit thread. The photographer, who is a pilot friend of theirs, claimed in the original poster to have never seen anything like it. The pilot requests anonymity.

Theoretical explanations for the strange lights were discussed in the Reddit thread's comments section. One commenter joked that it might be an entrance to the Upside Down from Stranger Things, but another thought the red glow might be caused by a novel fishing technique employed by boats pursuing Pacific saury, a species of baitfish.

Just Attracting Fish Here

Pacific saury, which can reach a maximum length of 12 inches, are found all over the Pacific Ocean and sporadically in the Atlantic. They are caught both for human consumption and as bait to catch larger fish. In the Atlantic, there are various other saury species.

Bright red lights are used at night to draw saury to the water surface where they can be quickly caught in the nets of commercial fishing vessels. Fishing lamps have long been used to lure fish species like saury toward fishing boats at night. However, according to Delta, a lamp manufacturer, these LED fishing lamps are far more effective and safe for use by fishermen because they produce less heat and ultraviolet light than filament bulbs.

Similar occurrences have previously been observed by other pilots as well as the International Space Station, which captured a photo of hundreds of fishing boats off the coast of Cambodia using green fishing lights, which are thought to be excellent for catching squid. Dmitriy, a pilot and photographer, captured a similar image of the amazing sight in 2020 while traveling from Seattle to Japan and is known online as @deltaoscarstudio.

He said that in his line of work, he has seen very many strange things, Newsweek reports.

Read also: Fireworks Paint the Skies with Color, Taint the Environment with Chemicals

Atmospheric Conditions + LED Lights

The sky above Zhoushan, China, turning a deep red color has been suggested to be caused by the bright boats, which are thought to be the cause of recent confusion elsewhere caused by fleets fishing boats that fish for Pacific saury using these LED lights. It is believed that the red light was refracted by the day's atmospheric conditions, causing the glow to cover the entire sky.

In response to the recent popularity of the photos, a YouTube video compiling the occurrences of the mysterious red lights was published in July 2022. This video makes a strong case for saury fishing being the sole cause of the glow.

Without further examination of the types of fishing vessels within that area at the time, the real cause of the eerie red glow in the sky that the unnamed pilot saw cannot be officially confirmed.

Related article: Mysterious Glowing Pink Sky Over Australian Town Leaves Residents in Awe
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The US has said recent military clashes between factions in Liba are "highly concerning to us" and urged all groups to refrain from violence
Ancient human footprints that were initially identified as ghost tracks were left in the present-day Utah desert by an Ice Age human.

In upcoming research, Cornell researcher Thomas Urban has found human footprints on the desert of the Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range (UTTR) that are thought to have been there dating from the last ice age's end.

When moisture conditions are ideal, "ghost tracks" can be seen when traveling to an archaeological hearth site at UTTR with Daron Duke of the Far Western Anthropological Research Group. When the conditions for moisture are right, ghost tracks briefly appear and then vanish.

Urban stopped to take a look, and as soon as he did, he recognized a familiar sight: unshod human footprints, like the ones he had looked into at White Sands National Park, where the earliest discovered human footprints that trod the Americas were found.

According to Urban, it was a genuinely fortunate discovery. Urban is a research scientist from the Cornell Tree Ring Laboratory and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ancient Human Footprint Hunt

The following day, the team went back to the area to start documenting the prints, and Urban used ground-penetrating radar to survey one of the two visible trackways. Urban was able to find the secret quickly because he had previously improved the use of geophysical techniques, such as radar, for imaging footprints at White Sands.

Urban emphasized that the apparent ghost tracks were only a small portion of the story, just as it had been at White Sands. By using radar, they found a lot more undetectable prints.

Duke examined a portion of the prints, establishing both their barefoot status and the existence of undiscovered prints. A total of 88 footprints, including those of adults and children, were found, providing information about family life during the Pleistocene.

According to Duke, excavations of several prints revealed evidence of adults walking with kids between the ages of five and twelve who left only their bare feet behind. The sand quickly filled in the footprints left in the wake of the people, but a layer of mud beneath the sand preserved the footprints even after the sand had quickly filled them in. This was stated by him as well.

The prints in this remote area of the Great Salt Lake desert, according to Duke, are likely older than 12,000 years because there haven't been wetland conditions for the previous 10,000 years that could have produced such detailed footprint trails.

The discovery is being confirmed by additional research. The team discovered more than they expected, according to Anya Kitterman, the local Air Force Cultural Resource Manager.

Read also: Scientists Find Oldest Footprints On Earth That Date Back Up To 551 Million Years

Archeological Hearth

Duke, who had previously discovered two open-air hearths in the UTTR dating to the end of the Ice Age, had asked Urban to work on his behalf. Duke discovered the earliest signs of tobacco use by humans at one of these hearth sites. The newly discovered footprints were about a half-mile away from those hearths.

According to Urban, the site has greater significance because it answers questions about whether there are other sites similar to White Sands and whether ground-penetrating radar would be useful for imaging footprints in places other than White Sands given that it was a very unique application of the technology.

The Utah site may not be as old or extensive as White Sands, but according to Urban, there may be much more to be discovered, Phys Org reports.

Related article: 'Ghost Fossils' Show Early Human Activity in North America Before the End of Last Ice Age
A grass fire has torched the suburban Dallas area in the drought-stricken North Texas, engulfing at least 20 homes but with no immediate reports of casualties.

The flames were likely caused by a lawnmower in the neighborhood, according to local authorities.

Since then, the fire has spread, but was put out already on Monday, July 25.

The blaze has covered hundreds of yards in an open field in a suburban Dallas subdivision in Balch Springs earlier this week.

A total of 26 structures, including homes, were damaged and destroyed. Other infrastructure such as roads and bridges, as well as power lines, were also at risk from the growing fire in the area.

The grass fire is one of the latest wildfires to have hit North Texas, which has witnessed a number of explosive wildfires in at least two weeks.

These North Texas wildfires include the so-called Chalk Mountain Fire and the Possum Kingdom Lake Fire, which firefighting teams are still attempting to contain.

This year alone, multiple wildfires have erupted in several regions across the United States, especially in the southwestern and south-central states, which include Texas.

While US weather authorities attribute fire weather conditions to be the trigger of these fires, a few reports suggested some are caused by human activities.

Balch Springs Grass Fire

Local officials said the Balch Springs grass fire burnt a total land area of 300 yards through wooden fences.

Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis told CBS News that the fire was already contained by late Monday night, confirming that people evacuated the area, and there were no reports of injuries.

Davis also stated the said mower, being used in open fields to trim the brush, and its blade struck a debris, generating a spark that led to the blaze.

From there, the fire spread rapidly from Interstate 20 (I-20) to the subdivision by 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

Also Read: 42 Dead as 50 Spontaneous Wildfires Blaze in Algeria, Authorities Suspect Arson

North Texas Wildfires

As mentioned earlier, other wildfires are ongoing across North Texas and still pose a threat to various communities and the environment, prompting local authorities to impose emergency measures.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, July 23, issued a disaster declaration for 10 counties in North Texas, including Somervell County, as a response to the ongoing Chalk Mountain Fire which already burnt over 6,700 acres since last week, the local news KXAN reports.

Meanwhile, the Possum Kingdom Lake Fire destroyed five homes located 70 miles west of the city of Fort Worth, Texas.

Aside from the mentioned fires, there are other ongoing wildfires across Texas, which the Texas A&M Forest Service listed below:

Mustang Fire, Williamson County

Pumper Road Fire, Caldwell County

Pigmy Fire, Caldwell County

San Gabriel Fire, Williamson County

Cat Fire, Clay County

Sky Diver Fire, Caldwell County

River Bottom 2 Fire, Hood County

Honey Creek Fire, Uvalde County

Fire Weather Conditions

In the past, the National Weather Service (NWS) along with other US agencies has been issuing weather forecasts regarding the risks caused by fire weather conditions, which promotes the growth and spread of wildfires, as well as smoke dispersion.

The NWS defines fire weather as a meteorological parameter which pertains to soil moisture, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, mixing height.

Related Article: US Forest Chief Calls to Stop Prescribed Fire that Went Astray and Joined Other Blazes
Pollination of red clover is not limited to bees. According to new research, moths visit flowers at night, approximately a third of the time.

Moths Taking Bees' Job At Night

The results, which are described in the July Biology Letters, are unexpected given that bees have traditionally received the majority of the credit for pollinating red clover.

The finding revealed what scientists may be missing during the night shift of pollination of plants, including a hitherto unrecognized benefit the moth pollination confers on the clover: an increase in seed output, as per ScienceNews

According to Daichi Funamoto, a pollination biologist at the University of Tokyo who was not involved with the current study, this research may assist scientists in better comprehending the pollination services offered by nocturnal moths.

Approximately a century ago, bees--and bees alone--were thought to be the primary insect participants in clover pollination.

Jamie Alison, a pollinator ecologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, said that clover is an important agricultural plant and has attracted much attention.

However, none of those studies mentioned the potential for moth pollination.

While researching how plants and the insects that pollinate them respond to climate change by maybe moving higher, Alison and his colleagues uncovered the pollination function of moths.

The team installed fifteen time-lapse cameras in the Swiss Alps to monitor pollinator visits to grassland plants.

The fact that moths frequently pollinate a variety of different plants is well known, but their contribution to clover pollination appears to have been missed, according to Alison.

He and his colleagues also looked at how many seeds the clover blossoms produced, and they discovered that the seed output was increased by moth visits at night.

According to Funamoto, it is evident that the significance of nocturnal moths as pollinators of crops has largely been disregarded.

Future research, in Funamoto's opinion, will show that nocturnal moths do fertilize many plant species that are assumed to be dependent on diurnal insects for pollination.

Also Read: Flowers Facing Upwards Attract More Pollinators, Researchers Say

The Importance of Moths' Pollination

The study, which was published in Biology Letters, demonstrated that networks for nighttime pollinators are smaller and less complicated than those for moths.

The research team discovered that while moths interacted with plants that were less frequently visited by bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, they also transported pollen from a significant percentage of those plants, as per ScienceDaily

The study also demonstrated that pollen is more frequently transported on the ventral thorax (chest) of the moth than on the proboscis (tongue), which makes it simpler for it to spread to adjacent plants.

The study's lead author, Dr. Richard Walton of UCL Geography, said that nocturnal moths play an essential but underappreciated ecological role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of plant populations as well as providing natural biodiversity backup.

Without them, many more plant species and the animals that depend on them for food, such as birds and bats, would be in danger.

However, settling moths sit on the flower while feeding, with their frequently noticeably hairy bodies touching the flower's reproductive organs.

This fortunate incident makes it easier for pollen to travel when people visit flowers in the future.

The proboscis of settling moths was the subject of earlier investigations on pollen movement.

This important work is released at a time when moth populations are declining rapidly all around the world, raising concerns that we could be losing vital pollination services just as we are starting to understand them.

Once a month, surveys were conducted to determine which plants nocturnal moth communities and daytime pollinators frequented.

381 moths (45.5%) of the 838 moths swabbed were found to carry pollen.

A total of 47 different plant species' pollen was found, including at least 7 that bees, hoverflies, and butterflies almost ever visit.

The ventral thorax of the moths contained 57% of the pollen carried by them.

Comparatively, 45 plant species were visited by a network of 632 bees, wasps, hoverflies, and butterflies during the day, while 46 plant species were visited by 1,548 social bees.

The research sheds light on a little-known world of nocturnal plant-insect interactions that might be crucial to the look and smell of people's precious countryside and to the crops that they grow, even though moths may seem to be less effective pollinators in comparison due to their high diversity and abundance.

Related Article: Wildfires Disrupt Important Pollination Processes by Moths and Increase Extinction Risks
A 26-foot crocodile was captured by locals in Indonesia after it ate a fisherman alive last week.

The villagers found the remains of 45-year-old Samul Bahri from the crocodile's stomach.

In a case of an unprovoked attack, it has been reported that the wild animal stalked the fisherman first before killing him while he was catching fish along the Semaja River in Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan, on July 19.

It took a three-day hunt before the captors were able to tie and subdue the colossal reptile, as the incident only went viral in international media over recent days.

The locals attempted to force the crocodile to vomit first to determine if it had signs of the Bahri's remains.

It was found it had partially-digested human bones and human limbs.

On July 22, the team reportedly lured out the culprit, which was tranquilized before being caught during the hunt, which also paved the way for the capturing of two other massive crocodiles; with one having a length of 13-feet and the other 16-feet.

Recent Crocodile Attack

Fisherman Nelwan Krisna, one of Bahri's friends and who also joined the search party during the hunt, said the river in the area is home to many crocodiles, as cited by the Daily Star.

Krisna also confirmed the victim's body was not intact as only pieces of him were vomited by the reptilian.

The identity of Bahri came upon confirmation of his said friend.

The gruesome news about the tragedy also reached his devastated wife and children, according to reports.

Following the hunt, Krisna added that officers could encounter problems if they let them search for the fisherman's body.

Dede Hariana, from the Tarakan rescue department, said the number of crocodile attacks have been increasing in the area, particularly in riverside villages, as cited the UK newspaper.

Also Read: Osama the Crocodile Feasts on 80 Villagers in Uganda: New Reports Emerge

Related Incidents

The latest crocodile attack in Indonesia came after a spate of crocodile attacks struck the Southeast Asian country in recent years.

It also occurred almost a month after an Indonesian villager captured a 13-foot crocodile that was terrorizing a local community by using only a rope in the Sulawesi island, as reported by Reuters.

In June, an Indonesian man's family and friends participated in a massive search mission only to find his half-eaten body, which was dragged underwater by a crocodile along the Lop River in North Penajam Paser Regency in East Kalimantan, according to Metro UK.

Last week, details of a crocodile attack back in 2020 reveal that a woman's body was recovered from the stomach of a 19-foot crocodile in North Kalimantan.

Saltwater Crocodile

Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) can be found all over the world but their stronghold is considered to be in Asia, especially in Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, as well as in Australia.

Being the largest living crocodilian and reptile species, the largest saltwater crocodile recorded was a male with a length of 23 feet and weight of 2,205 pounds, according to the Oceana, a non-profit organization.

Related Article: Woman Recovered from 19-foot Crocodile's Stomach Shortly After Swallowing Her Whole Body in Indonesia
According to information published by BAE Systems on July 27, 2022, the company has signed a five-year contract to support its ARTISAN Radar on the Brazilian Navys flagship, the multipurpose aircraft carrier NAM Atlantico.

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Signature of the contract between the Brazilian Navy and BAE Systems (Picture source: BAE Systems)

The new contract will provide through-life support for both the BAE Systems ARTISAN Radar and associated DNA2 Combat Management System (CMS) fitted to the NAM Atlantico, delivering class-leading operational availability to the flagship.

The ARTISAN Radar aspect of the contract will deliver corrective and preventative maintenance including the provision of spare parts, which will be manufactured by BAE Systems in the UK and held in Brazil. It will also provide a help-desk facility, which will be operated remotely from the UK to assist the team in Brazil.

Skills and knowledge transfer agreement will see the BAE Systems radar team provide hands-on training to the Brazilian Navy as part of regular, planned engineering visits to the Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ) in Guanabara Bay, near Rio de Janeiro.

We provide in-service support for ARTISAN radar which is currently in service with the Royal Navy on board the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and Type 23 frigates and selected for the Royal Navys Type 26 Global Combat Ship.

ARTISAN naval surveillance radar will provide NAM Atlantico surface & air surveillance and air traffic management of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.

Brazil became an operator of the radar with the purchase of LPH HMS Ocean from the United Kingdom in 2018. The DNA2 element of the contract will also deliver a planned modernization package of the ships CMS in order to address obsolescence.

About the Brazilian aircraft carrier Atlantico

NAM Atlantico (A140) (previously PHM Atlantico (A140)) is a landing ship and current flagship of the Brazilian Navy. Originally constructed in the United Kingdom for service with the Royal Navy as landing platform helicopter, she was commissioned on 30 September 1998 as HMS Ocean, serving until being decommissioned on 27 March 2018, and then commissioned into service with Brazil the following June.

The ship can reach a cruise speed of 10 (12 mph; 19 km/h) knots and a top speed of 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 8,000 miles (13,000 km).

The NAM Atlantico is powered by two Crossley Pielstick 16 PC2.6 V 200 medium-speed diesel engines, rated at 23,904hp, with two independent shafts and a five-bladed fixed-pitch propeller.

She is equipped with four 30 mm DS30M Mk 2 remote weapon systems, four miniguns, eight General purpose machine guns, and a KH1007 surface surveillance radar system.
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)  The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan has received US$ 100 million from the World Bank to implement its newly launched Sudan Emergency Safety Nets Project
The Illini Union COVID-19 testing site is currently the only place left to test for the virus on the University of Illinois campus. Its hours will expand before the academic year starts.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 82F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Research teams at Mass General Brigham's founding members, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), have been approved for more than $50 million in funding awards by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for studies focused on treating two important mental health conditions. Both projects are large-scale, high-impact research trials that will invite patients to participate at sites throughout the country, including at MGH, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital (BWFH), and McLean Hospital, all members of the Mass General Brigham system.

Reversing acute suicidal depressed state

The research team at BWH, led by Amit Anand, MD, director of Translational Clinical Trials in the Department of Psychiatry, will receive more than $28.5 million in funding for work comparing the effectiveness of two treatments for acute suicidal depressed state (ASDS). Each year, 10 million Americans seriously consider suicide and 1.5 million attempt it. Among people 18 to 34 years old, suicide is now the second leading cause of death.

People with ASDS have an intent of imminent suicide or have attempted suicide. Once ASDS has set in, it requires rapid reversal with medical treatment such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or subanesthetic intravenous ketamine (KET). But many patients receive inadequate treatment -; some are given antidepressants and discharged within 4-5 days of hospitalization. Anand and colleagues are proposing a real-world trial in ASDS patients to compare the effectiveness of ECT and KET to better inform patient care. Study participants will receive one of the two treatments as well as Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) psychotherapy, which develops a therapeutic alliance with the patient to decrease suicidal thoughts. The study will include 1,500 participants with ASDS, enrolled from sites across the country, including BWFH. The research team will also build a stakeholder committee consisting of patients, their families, and representatives from patient advocacy organizations to provide suggestions for the study's design and monitor its implementation.

Suicide rates have risen alarmingly, and we urgently need to improve our understanding of how to treat and reverse ASDS. Our study will be the largest clinical trial ever conducted with ASDS patients and will provide invaluable data regarding how we can treat this life-threatening condition." Amit Anand, MD, Director of Translational Clinical Trials, Department of Psychiatry

"This collaborative research aims to increase our understanding of effective interventions for optimal clinical outcomes that can decrease suffering and prevent suicides," said Bo Hu, Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute and co-primary investigator on the grant. "By conducting a study at this large of a scale and using state-of-the-art data analysis methods, we will address critical knowledge gaps about treatment for ASDS."

Treating bipolar depression

The team at MGH, led by Andrew A. Nierenberg, MD, director of the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation, and Andrea Foulkes, PhD, director of Biostatistics, will use their nearly $25 million in funding to compare the effectiveness of four treatments for bipolar depression. Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of depression that include low mood and energy, and episodes of mania that are associated with elevated mood, high energy, and lack of sleep. During depressive episodes, people may experience an increase in suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior, and death by suicide. To date, no studies have compared multiple approved treatment options for depression in bipolar disorder. The MGH team plans to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of four treatments: cariprazine, lurasidone, quetiapine and a commonly used, but unstudied, antipsychotic and antidepressant combination. They also plan to identify specific clinical features in patients that can help with choice of medication. The study aims to recruit 2,800 participants from sites across the country, including MGH and McLean Hospital. The research team will reach out and engage representative stakeholders (patients with bipolar depression, clinicians, insurance providers) and incorporate their input in all areas of study design, implementation, and dissemination of results.

"Comparative effectiveness studies are needed to address critical questions about how best to treat people with bipolar disorder who have major depressive episodes," said Foulkes. "Our goal is to provide robust, scientifically rigorous data to help clinicians and their patients make informed decisions about a treatment plan."

"The results of this study will help patients with bipolar depression who are seeking treatment, as well as the clinicians treating them, with deciding which medication to try first and what to choose next if the first option does not work or has unbearable side effects," said Nierenberg.

"These studies were selected for PCORI funding based on their scientific merit and commitment to engaging patients in conducting major research efforts on acute suicidal depression and bipolar depression," said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH. "The studies have the potential to fill important evidence gaps relevant to a range of health care decision makers and help them better assess their care options. We look forward to following the studies' progress and working with the research teams to share their results."

Both studies were selected for funding through a PCORI initiative to support large-scale, high-impact comparative effectiveness research trials in a multi-phase format that allows for testing and refinement of the study approach. The studies will involve an initial feasibility phase to maximize the likelihood of full trial success. The studies were selected through a highly competitive review process in which patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders joined scientists to evaluate the proposals.

Both awards have been approved pending completion of business and programmatic reviews by PCORI staff and issuance of formal award contracts.
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The transcript for this segment is being processed. Were working to post it four to five days after the episode airs.

Episode 9: Two Paths, Two Future Physicians

In 1890, Dr. Charles Eastman became the first Native person to graduate from medical school in the United States. Today, one of his descendants, Victor Lopez-Carmen, is a third-year student at Harvard Medical School. He described feeling isolated there.

I did feel alone. There wasnt any Native person around me I could turn to, said Lopez-Carmen.

Less than 1% of medical students in the United States identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Thats according to a 2018 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of American Indian Physicians.

Lopez-Carmen is working to change that. In 2021, he co-founded the Ohiyesa Premedical Program, which provides mentorship and support to Native American students as they navigate the medical school application process.

While Lopez-Carmen is mentoring future medical students in Boston, in Oklahoma, Ashton Glover Gatewood has found community at the first medical school in the United States affiliated with a Native tribe. Gatewood attends Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation.

I told my husband about it, and he said, That sounds like theyre building you a medical school. You have to go, Gatewood said.

Shes noticed a momentum in medical training that she said could one day lessen the health care disparities Indigenous people experience.

Episode 9 explores the barriers Indigenous people face to becoming physicians and includes the stories of two medical students working to join the ranks of Indigenous health care workers in the U.S.

Voices from the episode:

Victor Lopez-Carmen, student at Harvard Medical School  @vlocarmen

Mary Owen, director, Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota, and president, Association of American Indian Physicians

Ashton Glover Gatewood, student at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation  @AshtonGatewoo10
A Dartmouth-led research group, including investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, and Harvard Medical School, has received a five-year, $7 million funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Their project will assess the effectiveness of visit information provided to older adult patients and caregivers-;as an audio recording compared to reviewing the physician note of the visit using the patient electronic health portal-;on quality of life.

PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 with the mission of funding research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information they need to make better-informed healthcare decisions.

In the U.S., older adults attend more than 280 million office visits per year. The information exchanged in these visits guides the course of each person's care-; ensuring that this is effectively communicated is of great importance to patients and caregivers, especially for more vulnerable patients who are trying to manage multiple comorbidities.

"Providing written summaries of office visits through online patient portals is a widely adopted approach to close this information gap," explains Principal Investigator Paul Barr, PhD, an associate professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, and Center for Technology & Behavioral Health at the Geisel School of Medicine, who leads a talented multisite investigative team with Kerri Cavanaugh, MD, MHS (associate professor and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Effective Health Communication, Vanderbilt University Medical Center), Meredith Masel, PhD, MSW (assistant professor and director of the Oliver Center for Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare, University Texas Medical Branch, Galveston) and Cait DesRoches, DrPH (associate professor, executive director of OpenNotes, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School). For a full list of investigators, visit OpenRecordings -CHRONICLE.

But it hasn't been clear if this is the best way to share information. Visit audio recordings have emerged as another evidence-based strategy to share information. This has resulted in a decisional dilemma for patients and healthcare leaders who ask the question, 'What is the most effective approach to communicate healthcare visit information to older adults living in the community?'" Paul Barr, PhD, associate professor, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, and Center for Technology & Behavioral Health at the Geisel School of Medicine

To help them make that determination, the investigators will conduct the CHRONICLE Trial (Comparing Healthcare visit Recording and Open Notes to Improve the Chronic Illness Care Experience for Older Adults). In this trial, 900 older adults (65 years of age or older) with multimorbidity will be randomized to receive clinic provider notes through the patient portal alone or notes along with visit audio recordings for all primary care visits in a six-month period.

The research team also consists of an active group of patient partners who identified the need for the trial, "This project is very important to me in that I fall into the group that this project targets. With the medical issues I have, and the memory problems that result from some of them, finding ways to better access information from doctor visits is vital," says Sheryl Piper, patient partner.

This group, along with other key stakeholders will be actively engaged in all aspects of the trial. "It's really satisfying to give voice to how a patient perceives it [research] in the drawing board stages-;sometimes it all looks good until the patient sees it! I like that my voice influences the research," says Roger Arend, another patient partner.

"Along with our research team, Drs. Cavanaugh, Masel, and I have refined our visit audio recording procedures in recent trials and plan to recruit one-third of the patients to each of our sites-;Dartmouth Health, VUMC, and UTMB. We are excited to work with Dr. DesRoches, who with the OpenNotes group will provide expertise in accessing and using the information within the electronic patient portal during the trial," says Barr.

The investigators also aim to recruit about 300 caregivers under the project to see how they may use recordings to help them care for their loved ones. "Approximately 42 million Americans provide care for an older adult, typically a family member. Our inclusion of caregivers will allow us to address the identified gap in understanding how effective communication of visit information supports caregivers," says Masel.

"Knowledge gained from our study will improve the quality of evidence about the best strategy of communicating vital healthcare information in this vulnerable older adult patient population at high risk for adverse outcomes and lower quality of life," says Cavanaugh.

"There is high potential for the study findings to be adopted into clinical practice and transform delivery of healthcare," Barr says, "and I think our diverse team of patient partners, stakeholders, and investigators is uniquely positioned to attain that goal."

Dr. Barr's study was selected through a PCORI funding announcement specifically focused on comparative clinical effectiveness research that aims to optimize the physical and mental functioning of community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers across the aging continuum. Many older adults live with chronic health conditions and family and friends often serve as primary caregivers to aging individuals. Currently, the healthcare system is not well-equipped to address these complex care needs of the rapidly growing and diverse older adult population in the United States.

"This study was selected for PCORI funding for its potential to answer the need for real-world comparative clinical effectiveness research across the aging continuum that could inform evidence-based clinical practice for this important population," says PCORI Executive Director Nakela Cook, MD, MPH. "We look forward to following the study's progress and working with the Geisel research team to share the results."

Dr. Barr's award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and the issuance of a formal award contract.
Results from the largest prospective study of its kind indicate that in the initial days and weeks after experiencing trauma, individuals facing potentially threatening situations who had less activity in their hippocampus  a brain structure critical for forming memories of situations that are dangerous and that are safe  developed more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

This association between reduced hippocampal activity and risk of PTSD was particularly strong in individuals who had greater involuntary defensive reactions to being startled.

This research, published in the JNeurosci, suggests that individuals with greater defensive reactions to potentially threatening events might have a harder time learning whether an event is dangerous or safe. They also are more likely to experience severe forms of PTSD, which include symptoms such as always being on guard for danger, self-destructive behavior like drinking too much or driving too fast, trouble sleeping and concentrating, irritability, angry outbursts, and nightmares.

These findings are important both to identify specific brain responses associated with vulnerability to develop PTSD, and to identify potential treatments focused on memory processes for these individuals to prevent or treat PTSD." Vishnu Murty, PhD, senior author, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University

This research is part of the national Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) Study, a multi-institution project funded by the National Institutes of Health, non-profit funding organizations such as One Mind, and partnerships with leading tech companies. The organizing principal investigator is Samuel McLean, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and director of the UNC Institute for Trauma Recovery.

AURORA allows researchers to leverage data from patient participants who enter emergency departments at hospitals across the country after experiencing trauma, such as car accidents or other serious incidents. The ultimate goal of AURORA is to spur on the development and testing of preventive and treatment interventions for individuals who have experienced traumatic events.

AURORA scientists have known that only a subset of trauma survivors develop PTSD, and that PTSD is associated with increased sensitivity to threats and decreased ability to engage neural structures retrieving emotional memories. Yet how these two processes interact to increase risk for developing PTSD is not clear. To better understand these processes, Murty and colleagues characterized brain and behavioral responses from individuals two weeks following trauma.

Using brain-imaging techniques coupled with laboratory and survey-based tests for trauma, researchers found that the individuals with less activity in their hippocampus and greatest defensive responses to startling events following trauma had the most severe symptoms.

"In these individuals, greater defensive reactions to threats may bias them against learning information about what is happening so that they can discern what is safe and what is dangerous," said Busra Tanriverdi, the lead researcher on the study and graduate student at Temple. "These findings highlight an important PTSD biomarker focused on how people form and retrieve memories after trauma."

"These latest findings add to our list of AURORA discoveries that are helping us understand the differences between individuals who go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder and those who do not," said McLean, an author on the paper. "Studies focusing on the early aftermath of trauma are critical because we need a better understanding of how PTSD develops so we can prevent PTSD and best treat PTSD."

"Since initiating our financial support of the AURORA Study in 2016, we remain steadfast in our commitment to helping AURORA investigators make important discoveries and to bridge the gaps that exist in mental health research funding and patient support," said Brandon Staglin, president of One Mind.
In a presentation today at AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal, scientists with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and their collaborators described how their use of cutting-edge technology revealed new insights into cellular reservoirs of HIV and what those observations could mean for the next steps in HIV cure research. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.

An enhanced understanding of the HIV-infected, memory CD4+ T cells that persist over decades in individuals taking antiretroviral therapy has been a long-time goal of HIV cure researchers. However, technology limitations have made it difficult to isolate or analyze these individual cells in their natural state. As a result, scientists have been unable to determine whether the cells possess distinctive attributes that HIV-cure-directed therapies may exploit.

In the presentation, Eli Boritz, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section in the VRC Laboratory of Immunology, described NIAID's long-standing collaboration with a bioengineering research group at the University of California, San Francisco. The researchers developed a custom microfluidic sorting technology termed Focused Interrogation of Cells by Nucleic Acid Detection and Sequencing (FIND-Seq). This technology defines gene expression patterns from rare cells harboring latent HIV by generating millions of single-cell reaction containers in the form of water-in-oil emulsions, in which messenger RNA capture and virus DNA detection can be performed sequentially while maintaining segregation among cells. The scientists applied the FIND-Seq technology to blood cells from six people with HIV who had begun taking ART while chronically infected and who had experienced more than one year of viral suppression. Using data produced by FIND-Seq, the scientists compared the gene expression patterns of HIV-infected memory CD4+ T cells to those of HIV-uninfected memory CD4+ T cells in the same individuals.

The researchers found clear differences between the HIV-infected CD4+ T cells and their uninfected counterparts, including gene expression patterns linked to the suppression of multiple steps in the HIV lifecycle and to cell survival and proliferation. According to the scientists, these results indicate that the HIV-infected memory CD4+ T-cell reservoir is a distinctive cell population that may be uniquely susceptible to specific targeted therapies. In this regard, the study reinforces recent interest among scientists in improving upon HIV cure strategies that are based on latency reversal by incorporating drugs that relieve blocks at multiple HIV lifecycle steps, and by combining these with agents that potentiate physiologic cell death.
California Healthline senior correspondent Angela Hart appeared on KCRW's "Press Play With Madeleine Brand" and KJZZ, a public radio station in Phoenix, this month to discuss California's plan to reduce the cost of some prescription medications  starting with insulin  by diving into the generic drug market.

California lawmakers set aside $100 million in the recently adopted 2022-23 state budget to help launch the CalRx drug label, and the state could start producing generic insulin within the next few years, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration. The goal is to make the drug available to millions of Californians via pharmacies, retail stores, and mail order, administration officials say.

Initially, the state would contract with a drug manufacturer to make and distribute the drug, which currently costs about $300 to $400 per vial without insurance. Many questions remain unanswered, such as how cheaply insulin could be produced and what patients would pay.

"In terms of the cost, there are some companies that are talking about producing this for about  $30 a vial," Hart told KCRW.
A new clinical-grade collagen made from discarded bullfrog skin is leapfrogging from the lab bench to clinics soon.

The collagen is developed by materials scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) in collaboration with Singapore medical technology firm Cuprina Wound Care Solutions (Cuprina), which specializes in developing products that treat chronic wounds, such as those suffered by diabetes patients.

Through NTU's innovation and enterprise company, NTUitive, the patented technology for converting waste bullfrog skin into skin wound healing products has been exclusively licensed to Cuprina for scale-up and commercial production.

If successful, this new product will complement Cuprina's flagship product MEDIFLY, a bio-dressing made of live, medical-grade Lucilia cuprina maggots, which is used in Maggot Debridement Therapy.

MEDIFLY is clinically proven to eliminate chronic wound infections and reduce amputation rates caused by wounds, especially in cases associated with diabetic foot ulcers, and is used by hospitals and specialist clinics across Singapore.

Chronic wounds affect 1 in 20 patients in Singapore. Coupled with diabetes affecting 1 in 10 patients and a rapidly aging population, the risk of developing a chronic wound is high and demand for affordable chronic wound care is expected to increase.

As part of the scale-up, Cuprina has established a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant satellite lab at the Life Science Incubator in Singapore, to replicate NTU's collagen extraction and dressing product development.

Our focus is always on promoting and encouraging natural wound healing, intervening only to help the body do what it does organically. With NTU's patented technology, we can develop a line of natural, amphibian-derived collagen products that are highly compatible with the human body. It is this compatibility that leads to improved healing outcomes over what is currently available." Mr Carl Baptista, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cuprina Holdings

Mr Baptista added that existing research documents the complementary effects that maggot therapy and collagen have on instances of wound healing. These studies focus on bovine collagen, but what intrigued Cuprina about amphibian-derived collagen, was its potentially greater biocompatibility with humans compared to traditional collagen sources, and therefore its ability to improve the quality of wound healing.

Sustainable way to turn waste into treasure

Currently, 20 million tonnes of fishery by-products, such as fins, scales, and skins, are discarded every year, and the combined annual consumption of frog flesh and fish is estimated to be around 100 million kilograms.

Using this seafood waste to create valuable collagen is a sustainable way to up-cycle and reduce waste for Singapore, as the country is driving towards its Zero Waste Masterplan and encouraging a circular bioeconomy.

This research and commercialization effort will help Singapore to achieve its aim of becoming a sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient nation, says Associate Professor Dalton Tay from NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering, an expert in animal and plant biomass valorization, who developed the innovation.

"As part of the NTU 2025 Strategic Plan and its Sustainability Manifesto, we are developing innovative ways to turn waste into useful materials to tackle some of humanity's greatest challenges. NTU's expertise of transforming waste biomass into valuable feedstocks is now highly sought after by industry looking towards sustainable sources. In our partnership with Cuprina, we are glad to be able to fulfill both the circular bioeconomy aims and the healthcare demands of Singapore with one innovation," explains Assoc Prof Tay.

By using this collagen-rich marine by-product as a raw material, the team hopes to reduce wastage and the product cost of pure collagen at scale, so as to bring an affordable but effective wound-care solution to the public.

Earlier this year, Cuprina's joint proposal with NTU to develop and fast-track the commercialisation of this unique collagen product was announced as one of the winning entries of the Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge organised by Enterprise Singapore.

How the new collagen patch helps healing

Wounds typically go through three phases of healing  inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation  the process is highly complex and requires specific interventions at each phase. Cuprina designs and tailors products for each phase to optimize healing.

During the inflammatory phase, the body produces enzymes that prevent infection from entering the bloodstream. However, the enzymes also prevent unwanted matter from being pushed out of the body, thus making it difficult for the wound to heal. MEDIFLY works with these enzymes to clean up and disinfect the wound, and prepare the site for the next phase. This activity is vital to ensure the effects of the new collagen patch can be fully maximised to produce optimal healing results.

For the second phase, the collagen patch aims to provide a scaffold for the white blood cells and healing agents to coagulate and form a protective layer for the healing to begin. It will also encourage faster recovery by keeping the healing wound moist.

In the final phase, the collagen patch will continue to encourage faster recovery by keeping the healing wound moist and providing collagen as a "building block" material for skin to mature.

Mr David Quek, CEO of Cuprina Holdings said partnership with NTU is the perfect example of how cutting-edge medical products can be developed while simultaneously removing waste from the environment.

"The purpose driving our business is harnessing the power of nature to fuel sustainable development. Sustainability and development are not mutually exclusive, to us they are highly compatible. Our partnership with Assoc Prof Dalton Tay and his team at NTU provides a unique opportunity to combine sustainable practices in the form of waste valorization with novel wound care product development. Like Cuprina, pushing the boundaries of science is in NTU's DNA - we could not ask for a better partner," Mr Quek added.

The two-year research and scale-up partnership includes plans for the conduct of clinical trials in local hospitals to validate its safety and efficacy.
Researchers have worked extensively hard to understand various aspects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Several studies are available that have focused on pregnancy outcomes of women who were infected with COVID-19 during their hospital stay for pregnancy termination or delivery. However, very few studies are available that assess the pregnancy outcome of women who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 during different stages of pregnancy.

Background

Among the limited number of studies that evaluated the pregnancy outcomes of women infected with COVID-19 at varying stages of pregnancy, few reported their findings for the whole cohort. Further, this sub-group of studies failed to analyze the pregnancy outcomes by trimester of infection. Therefore, there is a gap in research related to pregnancy outcomes for women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the early phase of their pregnancy.

Researchers stated that the timing of viral infection might be important for the fetal development, birth, and other health outcomes of newborns. Prior studies on the effect of influenza infection on pregnancy reported adverse outcomes with a higher rate of caesarian delivery and preterm birth (PTB) in women who contracted influenza in their later stages of pregnancy.

Research related to other coronaviruses, namely, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) revealed a high risk of spontaneous abortion and preterm delivery.

Scientists conducted a comparative study to understand the difference between the pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19-positive women and healthy women. This study revealed that PTB and low birth weight (LBW) were more highly associated with COVID-19-infected pregnant women than in healthy pregnant women.

However, the relationship between the timing of COVID-19 infection and the extent of the pregnancy outcomes has not yet been uncovered.

A new study

In a new study published in PLoS ONE, researchers have focused on evaluating small-for-gestational-age (SGA) rates and PTB in a large cohort. Scientists followed the participants for SARS-CoV-2 infection during their pregnancy and gestational age of infection.

This Israel-based study was conducted in Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS), which contained 2.5 million members representing every section of the Israeli population. MHS is a computerized database that includes demographic data of each patient, and their medical records, including the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Researchers identified all pregnant female members with non-ectopic pregnancy from the database between February 2020 (the first reported COVID-19 case in Israel) and July 2021. The current study defined PTB as less than 37 weeks of gestation. SGA was defined as the body weight of the infant at birth less the gender-specific 10th percentile for the gestational age. LBW was considered in infants who were less than 2500 grams at birth. Pregnancy loss (PL) included spontaneous and induced abortions up to 20 weeks of gestation.

Findings

The current study revealed a considerable risk of PTB in women who contracted SARS-CoV-2 in their third trimester of pregnancy. However, such an outcome was not observed in patients infected with COVID-19 at their earlier stage of pregnancy. This finding is consistent with a previous study that reported an increased risk of PTB in pregnant women who contracted COVID-19 during the third trimester and exhibited symptomatic infection.

Scientists revealed that the rate of induced labor was higher in women infected in the third trimester compared to their matched healthy women. Although a higher rate of PTB was observed among COVID-19-infected women, no variation in SGA rates was observed between the infected and their matched healthy group. This finding is extremely reassuring because SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy does not affect intrauterine growth restriction.

Previous studies have reported an elevated risk of miscarriage during MERS and SARS-CoV outbreaks. However, in the current COVID-19 scenario, such an outcome was not observed, i.e., no difference in PL rates between infected and matched non-infected women was observed.

Conclusion

One of the main strengths of this study is its large cohort size, which is representative of the population of Israel. A limitation of the study is the non-assessment of the delivery mode, as it was not provided in the MHS database.

Additionally, hospital discharge records were not evaluated for the entire study cohort due to the lack of availability. However, the authors strongly suggested that gestational age at the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection plays an important role in pregnancy outcomes. It reports that women in their third trimester, particularly after 34 weeks of gestation, must strictly practice social distancing to avoid risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers assessed the duration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.5 neutralization in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated persons.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron clade has evolved into rapidly transmittable sub-lineages including BA.5, which proved to be more potent than BA.2 and BA.2. Various studies have reported that the neutralizing activity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines against BA.5 is lesser than that against BA.1 and BA.2, which necessitates an extensive study of vaccine effectiveness against BA.5 infections.

About the study

In the present study, researchers estimated the durability of the neutralizing antibody (nAb) response elicited by BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination among individuals with and without a history of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 breakthrough infection.

The team obtained a total of 35 nasal and 291 serological samples from 27 healthcare workers (HCW) in Orleans, France. Samples were collected three to 21 times from each eligible participant over the course of the study. The team estimated the nAb titers from the serological samples against the SARS-CoV-2 D614G strain, as well as the Delta and the Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 sublineages, approximately four to six months after the administration of the booster dose.

Furthermore, the team examined the evolution of cross-neutralization in the serum samples for up to 16 months after the initial vaccination. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels as well as nAb titers were represented at various time points post the second and third vaccinations and after the incidence of Omicron BA.1 or BA.1 breakthrough infection. Subsequently, the team estimated the nAb titers of six vaccines and three persons having no history of breakthrough COVID-19 infection. Moreover, the impact of vaccination, as well as breakthrough infections on different antibody responses, were also assessed by measuring anti-spike(S) IgG levels and cross-neutralizing activity in the participants.

Results

The study results showed that among the 27 healthcare workers assessed, 11 reported paucisymptomatic breakthrough COVID-19 infection approximately 60 to 178 days after the booster vaccination. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed that the breakthrough infections were caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

The team noted that the Omicron subvariants exhibited substantial immune evasion as compared to the D614G strain and the Delta variant. Among the Omicron infections, BA.5 neutralization was insignificant and was found to be reduced by 2.5 and 1.7 times in comparison to BA.1 and BA.2, respectively. Hence, breakthrough BA.1 or BA.2 infections increased Omicron-specific neutralizing antibody titers which were notably lesser against BA.5.

Furthermore, the team observed peak anti-spike IgG levels one-month post-second vaccination which waned over the following 10 months. A booster vaccination elicited higher IgG peak values as compared to those after the second vaccine dose. Moreover, the regression model showed that IgG concentrations were undetectable almost 1.91 years after the second dose and 1.95 years after the third dose. Notably, breakthrough infection boosted IgG levels without any significant reduction for up to five months.

The team also observed variations in the neutralization profiles of the variants. No neutralization was detected against Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 following the second dose while D614G and Delta exhibited substantial neutralization. After the administration of the booster vaccine, serum samples neutralized all the variants tested, while differences were noted in the peak values and the durations of neutralization. The nAb titers were undetectable against the D614G strain after 11.5 months, the Delta variant and BA.1 subvariant after eight months, and the BA.5 subvariant after 5.5 months.

The team remarked that breakthrough Omicron infections were reported two to five months after the booster dose vaccination and resulted in an improvement in nAb titers and anti-S IgG levels. However, non-infected persons showed a consistent reduction in nAb titers over time. Overall, this suggested that individuals vaccinated with the booster dose displayed shorter neutralization effectiveness against BA.5.

Furthermore, it was observed that concentrations of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG elicited by BNT162b2 vaccination were relatively low, which suggested the absence of strong local immunity. Moreover, breakthrough infections induced a moderate increase of 2.2 times in IgG levels while a 12 times increase was observed in IgA levels. Individuals vaccinated with the booster dose displayed no neutralization activity against Omicron or Delta. Notably, the neutralization activity was substantially higher against BA.1, BA.2, and D614G than against BA.5 and Delta. Additionally, Omicron breakthrough infection - not vaccination, elicited a local nAb response in the host at the time of viral entry.

Conclusion

Overall, the study findings showed that immunity induced by breakthrough COVID-19 infections resulted in higher neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants than by COVID-19 vaccination.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Monkeypox virus is a zoonotic DNA virus that was first discovered in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This virus is related to smallpox and has caused sporadic outbreaks in Africa due to direct contact with infected animals, and in particular, rodents.

A limited secondary spread outside the country has indicated that human-to-human transmission is not a potent route of disease spread. Although for many years, the monkeypox virus has caused an endemic outbreak, it has been left mostly neglected by researchers.

Background

Since early May 2022, around 3000 monkeypox virus infections from 50 countries across five regions have been reported. As a result, on June 23, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced monkeypox virus infection as an evolving threat of moderate public health concern.

The monkeypox virus is transmitted through direct contact with skin lesions, large respiratory droplets, or contaminated fomites. Sexual transmission of the virus through vaginal or seminal fluids has not yet been confirmed. The first symptom related to monkeypox virus infection is fever, followed by the manifestation of vesiculopustular, multiple papular, and ulcerative lesions on the body and face.

Severely infected patients with the monkeypox virus may suffer encephalitis, pneumonitis, secondary bacterial infections, and keratitis. Previous studies have stated that immunocompromised persons, patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and younger children are at an increased risk of severe infection.

The recent global outbreak of monkeypox virus infection in humans indicates changes in the biological characteristics of the virus and/or changes in human behavior (e.g., waning of smallpox immunity). Importantly, scientists observed that gay or bisexual men are mostly affected by this virus through their sexual networks.

Researchers have conducted phylogenetic analyses and found that the monkeypox virus has been circulating undetected for some time, beyond the areas where it has previously caused an endemic. The current international guidelines do not appropriately define the changing spectrum of clinical presentation of the viral infection, early detection, or clarify transmission routes.

A new study

Researchers have recently addressed the aforementioned research gap and analyzed the recent cases related to monkeypox virus infection. This study is available in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The current study used the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) definition for a confirmed monkeypox virus infection. According to this definition, a positive monkeypox virus infection is confirmed by polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assay, using a sample from any anatomical site.

In this study, researchers formed an international collaborative group of clinicians who handled monkeypox virus infection. The London-based Sexual Health and HIV All East Research (SHARE) collaborative contacted fellow researchers in the affected countries and formed a global collaborative group, namely, SHARE-net. Members of this group have focused on quickly identifying the virus.

Findings

The current study reports a series of human monkeypox virus infections containing 528 cases from four WHO regions, i.e., America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific, and 16 countries. The data was collected from these locations between April 2022 and June 2022.

The authors reported that sexual activity, particularly among gay or bisexual men, is a common route of monkeypox virus transmission. This finding is supported by the occurrence of primary anal, genital or oral mucosal lesions, which may be the inoculation site. Scientists were able to detect the virus DNA in the seminal fluid of the infected candidates, which further supports the hypothesis. However, whether the viral DNA present in the semen was replication competent should be confirmed in the future. International travel, attendance at large gatherings, and sex-onsite activities may be the reason behind the global transmission of the virus.

Scientists stated that the presence of solitary lesions in the palms and soles, or genital skin lesions, may lead to misdiagnosis as syphilis or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These misdiagnoses may delay the proper treatment of monkeypox virus infection. However, the authors reported a high risk of monkeypox virus infection in patients with STIs.

In the study series, the diagnosis of monkeypox was mostly confirmed through swab samples obtained from skin or genital lesions, as well as the throat or nasopharyngeal tract. The authors recommended that anal or rectal swabs be considered for those presenting proctitis.

Scientists revealed that the clinical outcomes of the study cohort were reassuring, with no deaths. Thirteen percent of patients required hospital admission due to pain and bacterial superinfection, showing no serious complications. The authors reported that similar clinical symptoms and severe monkeypox infection occurred in patients with or without HIV infection.

Conclusion

The authors strongly recommended that healthcare professionals must be provided with proper guidance to manage monkeypox virus cases more efficiently. Although the UKHSA recommends the use of condoms for eight weeks after infection, the exact duration of infectious viral shedding through semen, after healing of lesions, is not yet clear. The effectiveness of vaccines in protecting individuals from monkeypox infection is yet to be determined. At present, the United Kingdom, New York City, and Canada are vaccinating individuals who are at a high risk of this infection.
In an article recently published in The Lancet journal, scientists have described the prevalence of vaccine breakthrough severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in South Africa during the period of delta and omicron variant circulation.

Background

The most recently emerged omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been declared a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 26, 2021. Soon after its first detection in South Africa, the variant has transmitted exponentially across the globe, eventually replacing the previously circulating delta variant and sharply increasing the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Because of its heavily mutated spike protein, the omicron variant exhibits significantly higher transmissibility and immune evasion ability. Studies conducted in real-world settings have revealed that the variant is capable of escaping COVID-19 vaccine-induced immunity, leading to a sharp increase in breakthrough infections worldwide.

In the current study, the scientists have estimated the prevalence and clinical outcomes of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in South Africa during delta and omicron circulation.

Study design

The study enrolled healthcare workers in 360 vaccination centers across South Africa. A total of 477,234 participants received a single dose of the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) between February and May, 2021. In addition, a total of 230,488 participants received a second dose of the vaccine between November and December, 2021.

The study primarily determined the prevalence of vaccine breakthrough infection and COVID-19 related hospitalization and mortality in the study population between February 2021 and January 2022. The breakthrough infection was defined as laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection 28 days or more after vaccination.

Important observations

The study estimated the prevalence of breakthrough infection during the first 74 days of delta and omicron circulation when the participants received a single dose of the vaccine.

The findings revealed that the number of daily infections was 3-fold higher during the omicron period than that during delta period. Similarly, a significantly higher prevalence of breakthrough infections among participants was observed during the omicron period compared to that during the delta period.

The average duration between initial vaccination and detection of breakthrough infection was 98 days during the delta period and 259 days during the omicron period. A significantly lower risk of hospitalization was observed among men and elderly people during the omicron period compared to that during the delta period.

Regarding preexisting health conditions, a 1.5-fold higher probability of having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was observed among hospitalized participants with breakthrough infection during the omicron period. In contrast, a lower probability of having hypertension and diabetes was observed among participants during the omicron period compared to that during the delta period.

Overall, the proportion of hospitalized participants needing intensive care, oxygen supplementation, or ventilation was lower during the omicron period compared to that during the delta period. The average duration of hospital stay was also significantly lower during the omicron period.

Study significance

The study demonstrates that the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with more vaccine breakthrough infections in South Africa than the delta variant. However, omicron infections are less severe than delta infections in terms of hospital admission and requiring intensive care, oxygen supplementation, or ventilation.

A reduced disease severity observed among healthcare workers during the omicron period could be attributed to a high level of preexisting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 (about 68% seroprevalence) due to vaccination or infection. Thus, this observation is specific to a population with high seroprevalence and might not be generalized to all populations worldwide.

A sharp increase in breakthrough infections observed during the omicron period could be due to declining vaccine effectiveness or higher infectivity and immune fitness of the omicron variant.

As mentioned by the scientists, the study has certain limitations. Since the study has considered only the first 74 days of the omicron period, the findings might not reflect the full effect of the variant.

Furthermore, there might be an overestimation of the prevalence of COVID-19-related hospitalization among healthcare workers with breakthrough infection because some of the patients received incidental COVID-19 diagnosis while hospitalized for other reasons.
Graduates conquer series of tough challenges

(China Daily) 14:10, July 27, 2022

Huang Xinran, a law graduate from Chongqing University, has found work as an illustrator. [HUANG WEI/XINHUA]

Members of post-2000 generation map out career paths despite difficulties posed by COVID-19

The first group of university graduates from the post-2000 generation are determinedly mapping out their futures as they benefit from a stable economy.

For 22-year-old Chen Ze, who graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University this summer after studying industrial design, "growing up "are the keywords that sum up his four years at the institution, where he will begin postgraduate studies after the summer vacation.

"The post-2000 generation is no longer a symbol of immature young people, but of adults entering society while facing pressure to continue studying, look for jobs, settle down in big cities, and even get married," Chen said.

Four years ago, he decided to study industrial design for his major, as it is related to science and engineering, subjects that he is interested in. However, Chen started his first year by enrolling in courses in design, which he had never studied before.

"Learning from my failures has had the most impact on me at university. I had the courage to try harder and learn from others' strengths to enhance my own weaknesses," Chen said.

While he was in the second year, he opted to continue later with postgraduate studies. He worked extremely hard, sometimes studying throughout the night to gain high marks. He also took part in a variety of activities, such as being a volunteer for the 2021 China International Import Expo in order to qualify for a postgraduate recommendation.

"Many of my classmates chose to look for jobs, but they found it extremely difficult to land work. I don't think I am ready to face such fierce competition yet, as I haven't acquired enough knowledge, experience and ability to reach my goal of changing people's lives with my expertise," Chen said.

Choosing design for his major after winning prizes in design competitions over the past four years, Chen added that he aims to use his professional skills to design innovative products by combining technology and art.

This year's graduates experienced a hard time, as they had to take online courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Shanghai, Chen found life particularly difficult.

Due to outbreaks of the disease in the city, university students were confined to their campuses for two months, while local residents were not allowed to leave their neighborhoods.

Chen said, "On the positive side, I managed to arrange my study time properly and get everything well organized by taking online courses, but I regret there was no graduation ceremony at the university for millennials." He said this meant that he did not have the chance to say a "proper goodbye" to his undergraduate studies.

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates in China this year reached 10.76 million, surpassing 10 million for the first time. As of mid-April, only 23.61 percent of graduates had either found jobs, or were continuing their studies.

In addition to the impact of COVID-19, college students this year are facing some of the toughest challenges ever to find work.

Hu Jiahui, human resources manager at a cultural company in Shanghai, said: "There are not as many vacancies available in the market for fresh graduates as in previous years. However, the number of applicants continues to grow, which has forced us to raise our recruitment standards, such as requiring higher qualifications and more work experience."

Unlike previous generations, applicants from the post-2000 generation are more confident and clearer about the goals they want to achieve, and also prefer to stick with their own thoughts instead of listening to others, Hu added.

According to the latest report from 51job Inc, one of the biggest human resource service companies in China, 45.2 percent of graduates are planning to work after they complete their studies, down by 7.1 percent year-on-year, while 28.2 percent have decided to further their studies, a 2.6 percent year-on-year rise.

Like Chen, the student in Shanghai, Wang Yulu, 21, who graduated from Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art, where she studied music performance, has also decided to further her studies, as her college degree is not sufficient for her to become a teacher.

"I started thinking about applying for university in my first year at college, because if I want to find a promising job, then a bachelor's degree is essential, while a master's would be even better," said Wang, who started learning the guzheng, or Chinese zither, when she was 9 and chose it for her major at college.

In May, Wang received an offer to study music education at Wenzhou University in Zhejiang province, where she plans to apply for a postgraduate course.

"My three years at college taught me that I should keep fighting against pressure and failure, and that I should be strong-minded to face fierce competition. On the other hand, I was motivated to improve and learn step by step," said Wang, who believes that the word "fearless "epitomizes the post-2000 generation.

Luosang Yisi, 21, runs a restaurant in his hometown in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region. [JIANG FAN/XINHUA]

Business failure

To avoid the intense competition to find work, some new graduates are planning to return to their hometowns instead of moving to big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Si Yue, from Longyan, Fujian province, decided to return home to find a job after failing to launch her own film and television studio due to a lack of money.

"In the third year at university, I began making detailed plans to launch my own business. However, this was far more complicated than I expected, so eventually my dream ended with the collapse of my cash flow," said Si, who graduated from Jiangxi University of Technology in Nanchang after majoring in broadcasting and television directing.

Looking back on her four years at university, she said that filming a documentary with her team made the most impact on her. The project required the team members to get up at 2 am, after which they shivered on a street for three hours just to complete a single shot that lasted a few seconds.

"Over the years, I have learned to become dedicated, which has encouraged me to follow my passion for the film and TV industry through persistence and hard work. Dedication has also brought me back from rock bottom on a number of occasions," Si said.

She has been relatively fortunate compared with many other graduates who are still applying for jobs, for which they attend interviews, but fail to be offered employment. Si quickly recovered from her business setback, passing a job interview soon after applying for her first position.

Now working as a TV and film copywriter for a short-video company in Longyan, Si said, "Many graduates are struggling to achieve their dreams in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. My plan to return home didn't seem to be a good one initially, but I didn't have a better option."

Members of the post-2000 generation, born in the third decade of China's reform and opening-upa prime time for the nation's economic growthare considered to lead a more affluent and carefree lifestyle than previous generations.

Si said members of the post-2000 generation stand out for being personable and determined, despite being stereotyped as not having experienced suffering or hardship, lacking the ability to be grateful, and being too stubborn to listen to suggestions from others.

"I think members of my generation are like a star with sharp edges and corners, so we dare say 'no' to injustice, and express our points of view in public, but we also have a more tolerant way of looking at things," Si said.

The motto "never give up, just be yourself" is one that Si wants to share with future graduates. "As long as you do not give up, no one can give up on you, and the world will sooner or later belong to the post-2000 generation," she said.

Yu Hai, a sociology professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, said: "Graduates from this generation are facing challenges, so they shouldn't be viewed as not having experienced hard times. They will continue to face difficulties, but I believe they will make their own way because they are optimistic, determined and refuse to concede defeat."

Lowest point

For 22-year-old Lu Yue, who has just graduated from Shanghai Normal University after studying advertising, this year has been one of fluctuating fortunes.

She thought she had hit the lowest point of her life when she failed the postgraduate entrance exam for Fudan University in March, missing the enrollment mark by just six points.

"I was extremely disappointed and depressed when I got the result, as I felt it was a total denial of my hard work," said Lu, who spent nearly six months preparing for the exam.

However, she wasn't deterred by the failure. Instead of being unhappy about her career plans, Lu went looking for jobs, as she believes that postgraduate study is not the only path to success.

In April, while she was finalizing her dissertation, she started sending her resume to recruitment websitesreceiving the offer of an internship from an advertising company in Shanghai.

"My failure in the entrance exam was hard to take, but it proved that as a millennial, I am not the kind of person to be easily crushed by an unexpected setback. I think that refusing to give up is the strongest asset I have to get me closer to success," Lu said.

After working as an intern for two months, she ruled out becoming a full-time worker at the advertising company, as the salary was insufficient to support her in Shanghai.

Lu then decided to start job hunting again last month. She finally received an offer from a global marketing and advertising agency after attending at least five different interviews in a week.

"As the first batch of graduates from the post-2000 generation, we probably faced the toughest year for further studies and job recruitment, but we shouldn't use this as an excuse to give up. We should remain positive and confident to fight challenges," Lu said.

Recruits are instructed at a new energy vehicle training center at a Volkswagen plant in Hefei, Anhui province. [HAN SUYUAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]

Primary goal

Li Huayan, 22, graduated from Guangxi University of Finance and Economics this month after studying marketing. Finding a suitable job in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, is her main aim.

She decided to go to Guangzhou after she graduated, because she believes that big cities offer a more promising future.

However, she failed to receive an offer from a PR company she applied to in the past month.

"I left my hometown of Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, for Guangzhou on impulse, naively thinking that it would be easier to land a job in a big city, but I found it hard to find a decent position anywhere," Li Huayan said.

She is still confident of landing a job in Guangzhou, as she continues to receive calls from companies to attend interviews every day, even though she is not offered work after most of them.

"I received some job offers, but I didn't accept them, as I found out after the interviews that the positions I applied for were probably not suitable for full-time work," Li Huayan said.

She added that she will remain in Guangzhou for two months looking for work, because she believes she will soon find a fulfilling job at a company where there are friendly colleagues.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
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(Newser)  Khalid Ahmed Qasim, aka Prisoner 242, has been cleared for release after spending almost half his life detained without charge at Guantanamo Bay. Human rights organization Reprieve says the 45-year-old Yemeni national was taken into custody in Afghanistan in Dec. 2001 and brought to the American base in May 2002, CNN reports. The Periodic Review Board set up under the Obama administration has decided that there is no longer any cause to hold Qasim in custody and he should be released to a country "with a strong rehabilitation and reintegration program." Under US law, Guantanamo detainees can't be released to Yemen.

According to Reprieve, Qasim, long considered one of the detention facility's "forever prisoners," was "severely tortured" during his years in custody. He had said he spent his first nine years at Guantanamo in solitary confinement and was on hunger strike for years. Qasim has said he traveled to Afghanistan in 2000 to help people in need, and turned himself in to authorities after Northern Alliance warlords started hunting down anybody of Arab descent to turn over to US forces. He has said that after he was tortured, he falsely confessed to training with al-Qaeda.

The review board earlier determined that Qasim had, at most, a "low level of training and lack of leadership in al-Qaeda or the Taliban" but said he was ineligible for release because of an "inability to manage his emotions and actions" and a lack of plans for the future, CBS reports. It's not clear when or where Qasim will be resettled, but Reprieve lawyer Mark Maher says Qasim learned both English and Spanish during his 20 years at the facility so he should have a range of options. He says that when Qasim gets out, he plans to keep working on his art, some of which was displayed in an exhibition at CUNY Law School in New York in 2020. (Read more Guantanamo Bay stories.)
(Newser)  Only around 3% of people infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba survive, and the family of 13-year-old Caleb Ziegelbauer is praying that he can beat the odds. The Florida teen is fighting for his life at Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers, CBS reports. Relatives say Caleb started hallucinating and was hospitalized five days after a July 1 visit to Port Charlotte beach, where he swam in brackish water. They say doctors told them the rare amoeba entered his body through his nose. The CDC says the Naegleria fowleri amoeba is found in warm, fresh water and can cause infections when water goes up the nose.

"Hes just the kindest soul but hes so strong. Hes so strong. Like the fighting on the outside, thats what were doing," Caleb's aunt, Elizabeth Ziegelbaur said, per WESH. "He is fighting his little heart out on the inside." The CDC says the amoeba only infects an average of three people in the US every year, "but these infections are usually fatal." Officials said last week that a Missouri resident infected after swimming in an Iowa lake had died, CNN reports.

State health officials, however, apparently aren't sure about the diagnosis, NBC reports. Florida Department of Health spokesman Jeremy Redfern says the state has no confirmed cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, the illness caused by the infection, and it hasn't had one since 2020. Katie Chet, another aunt. tells WBBH that two samples sent to the CDC were "inconclusive," but medical staff last week "kind of said that theyre mostly sure this is what theyre dealing with" based on his symptoms over the last two weeks. (Read more brain-eating amoeba stories.)
(Newser)  A loud crash was heardand then the debate was canceled. The second head-to-head debate between the two Conservative Party lawmakers seeking to become Britain's next prime minister came to an abrupt end Tuesday night when the host fainted off-camera, the Guardian reports. Video shows candidate Liz Truss's shocked reaction when the crash was heard while she was speaking about Vladimir Putin. The Telegraph reports that Truss rushed over to help presenter Kate McCann.

Truss and rival Rishi Sunak chatted to audience members before TalkTV confirmed that the debate would not continue. "Kate McCann fainted on air tonight and although she is fine, the medical advice was that we shouldn't continue with the debate," the channel tweeted. The candidates said they were relieved to hear McCann was OK and they would be happy to have a rematch, the BBC reports. Harry Cole, political editor of the Sun newspaper, had been lined up to co-host the debate but he pulled out after testing positive for COVID.

Sunak and Truss are vying for leadership of the Conservative Party. The winner of a vote among party members in the coming weeks will replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Tuesday night's debate was scheduled to last an hour but it was halted around halfway through. The biggest clash before McCann collapsed involved Sunak's decision as finance minister to raise mandatory contributions to the National Insurance social security program to pay for health care and social care. Truss told Sunak it was "morally wrong" to "put up taxes on ordinary people" at a time when families are "struggling to buy food." (Read more United Kingdom stories.)
(Newser)  Millions of letters and packages sent to US troops had accumulated in warehouses in Europe by the time Allied troops were pushing toward the heart of Hitlers Germany near the end of World War II. This wasnt junk mailit was the main link between home and the front in a time long before video chats, texting, or even routine long-distance phone calls. The job of clearing out the massive backlog in a military that was still segregated by race fell upon the largest all-Black, all-female group to serve in the war, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. On Tuesday, the oldest living member of the unit was honored for her service nearly eight decades after the war ended, the AP reports.

Romay Davis, 102, was recognized at an event at Montgomery City Hall that followed President Biden's decision in March to sign a bill authorizing the Congressional Gold Medal for the unit, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight." Presented with the medal citation and a wartime uniform to replace hers, which was stolen out of a car soon after she returned stateside, Davis received a standing ovation; some in the crowd applauded with tears in their eyes. "I never thought anything like this would happen to me," she said. Davis, in an interview at her home Monday, said the unit was due the recognition, and she's glad to participate on behalf of other members who've already passed away.

"I think it's an exciting event, and it's something for families to remember," Davis said. "It isn't mine, just mine. No. It's everybody's." The medals themselves won't be ready for months, but leaders decided to go ahead with events for Davis and five other surviving members of the 6888th given their advanced age. Following her five brothers, Davis enlisted in the Army in 1943. After the war the Virginia native married, had a 30-year career in the fashion industry in New York and retired to Alabama. She earned a martial arts black belt while in her late 70s and rejoined the workforce to work at a grocery store in Montgomery for more than two decades until she was 101.

More than 800 Black women formed the 6888th, which began sailing for England in February 1945. Once there, they were confronted not only by mountains of undelivered mail but by racism and sexism. They were denied entry into an American Red Cross club and hotels, according to the history. Working under the motto of "No Mail, Low Morale," the women served 24/7 in shifts and developed a new tracking system that processed about 65,000 items each shift, allowing them to clear a six-month backlog of mail in just three months. "The mail situation was in such horrid shape they didnt think the girls could do it," said Davis, who worked mainly as a motor pool driver. "But they proved a point. (Read more World War II stories.)
(Newser)  Former President Donald Trump returned to Washington, DC Tuesday for the first time since he left officeand while he stopped short of announcing a 2024 run for president, he once again returned to his claim that his 2020 election loss to President Biden was tainted. The Guardian reports that Trump waited until about an hour into his largely "subdued and scripted" address to the America First Agenda summit before raising the subject. "I ran for president, I won, and I won a second time, but much better the second time, a lot better," said Trump, who described the 2020 election as a "catastrophe."

In the earlier part of Trump's speech, he set out proposals to combat crime and touched on issues including the economy and transgender people in sports, the Hill reports. But by the end of his 90-minute remarks, he had returned to a familiar series of grievances, including the Mueller report, the border wall, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. "I used to listen to Fauci and whatever he said, I did the opposite," Trump claimed. "I came out very good." The crowd at the Marriott Marquis included House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republican lawmakers, as well as Kellyanne Conway and other former Trump administration figures.

Trump told the crowd that the Biden administration's policies have "brought our country to its knees." He slammed the House committee investigating the Capitol riotwhich occurred after another Trump speechand said he was being attacked "so I cannot go back to work for you." He said that if he doesn't run for office again, "our country is doomed to become another Venezuela or another Soviet Union," per the Guardian. (In a speech in DC earlier Tuesday, former Vice President Mike Pence struck a very different tone.)
(Newser)  The so-called "murder hornet" used to have the common name of Asian giant hornet. But no more: The Entomological Society of America and the Entomological Society of Canada have agreed it should be rebranded as the northern giant hornet, and the ESA is now using that name in its Common Names of Insects database, CNN reports. "The usage of Asian in the name of a pest insect can unintentionally bolster anti-Asian sentiment," particularly amid a rise in hate crimes and discrimination against people of Asian descent," the societies said in announcing their decision. "Northern giant hornet is both scientifically accurate and easy to understand, and it avoids evoking fear or discrimination," says the ESA president. "Northern" is a reference to the hornets' natural range in Asia's northern regions, CNET reports.

The societies add that no unique information about the invasive species' biology or behavior was communicated by the old name, since all wasps are native to Asia. "Murder hornets," scientific name Vespa mandarinia, were found in Washington state in 2019, and scientists are working to eradicate them before they make it to more areas, where they could threaten local ecosystems including agriculture and honeybee colonies, not to mention potentially attack people with their toxic sting. They've also been found in Canada. The entomologist who proposed the name change says the wasps' previous common name "is at best a neutral and uninformative adjective, potentially a distraction from more salient characters of the organism, and at worst a racist trope." (Read more murder hornets stories.)
(Newser)  Another new poll has unfortunate news for President Biden when it comes to a 2024 re-election run: Most Democrats aren't into it. In the CNN poll, 75% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters said they want a 2024 presidential nominee who's not Biden. That echoes a New York Times poll from earlier this month that found just 26% of Democrats wanted Biden to run again. As for the "why," the CNN poll found that 24% don't think Biden can win and 32% simply don't want him re-elected.

The numbers are sharply worse than they were in a January/February CNN poll, when just 51% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters wanted a different nominee, and 45% wanted Biden as the nominee. On the other side of the aisle, the poll found 55% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters do not want Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee, up from 49% in the winter poll.

Meanwhile, a poll in New Hampshire, the first presidential primary state, found that Pete Buttigieg was the top choice of respondents when asked to choose their preferred 2024 candidate out of a list; he got 17% of the votes, compared to Biden's 16%, Fox News reports. Overall, that poll found just 31% of respondents likely to vote in the Democratic presidential primary want Biden to run. (Read more Election 2024 stories.)
(Newser)  Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest opioid painkiller producers during the opioid crisis, has reached a tentative settlement to end thousands of lawsuits against it. The deal, which some outlets are reporting as worth up to $4.25 billion while others put it at up to $4.35 billion, would involve payouts made over a period of 13 years to state, local, and tribal programs that are working to fight the ongoing US opioid epidemic, the New York Times reports. More than $1 billion worth of the payouts will be made with donations of the overdose reversal medication Narcan instead of cash. The total includes $650 million the Israeli company had already committed in prior settlements, Bloomberg reports.

"While the agreement will include no admission of wrongdoing, it remains in our best interest to put these cases behind us and continue to focus on the patients we serve every day," Teva said in a statement. The deal, which has not yet been finalized and is contingent upon the majority of governments involved voting in favor of it, was negotiated by representatives from the offices of about a dozen state attorneys general. Teva wanted a deal with less cash and more Narcan, but some of the governments involved in the negotiations pointed out that the drug can be produced for less than the value allotted to it in the settlement agreement, Reuters reports. (Read more Teva Pharmaceuticals stories.)
(Newser)  For the first time, a Sandy Hook victim's family has named a price they believe Alex Jones should pay for defaming them with his lies about the Dec. 14, 2012, mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. The lawyer for the parents of Jesse Lewis, one of the 20 first-graders killed that day alongside six educators, said in court Tuesday that Jones should pay $150 million for claiming the 6-year-old's parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, were part of a government scheme that orchestrated a fake shooting in order to justify confiscating firearms. The attorney said the large dollar amount was justified after Jones carried out "the most despicable and vile campaign of defamation and slander in American history," the New York Times reports.

Per USA Today, the attorney painted the amount of $75 million per parent as one dollar for every American taken in by Jones' lies, citing a poll that found 24% of Americans believe the Sandy Hook massacre was, or may have been, staged. Both sides gave opening statements Tuesday in the first of three trials this summer to determine how much Jones owes Sandy Hook families, and Jones was, per the Times, "visibly unnerved" at the $150 million figure. He railed against the "show trial" during a break, ranting in a corridor outside the courtroom that it was a politically motivated kangaroo court and witch hunt, an action that brought a reprimand from the judge. He also duct-taped his mouth before the trial started, with "Save the 1st" written on the tape, a reference to the First Amendment. (More on the trial here.)
(Newser)  A teen activist who received hateful messages after Rep. Matt Gaetz shared a photo of her online says she won the "rumble" in the end. Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old political strategist with Gen-Z for Change who uses her first and middle names, says she raised roughly $115,000 to support abortion rights in just over a day, per the Washington Post. "When a sitting congressmen tries to weaponize your appearance because you're an abortion rights activist, you raise money for a cause he hates," the Texas resident tells the Houston Chronicle. Gaetz, R-Fla., had tweeted Julianna's photo after she criticized a speech he gave Saturday at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa.

"Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about abortions? Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb," the congressman told the audience. "These people are odious from the inside out... They're like 5-2, 350 pounds, and they're like, 'Give me my abortions or I'll get up and march and protest.'" After Julianna addressed the comments and referenced sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz, he shared a Newsmax article that claimed his speech would "raise [the] dander of his political opponents" alongside Julianna's photo. "Dander raised" he wrote to his 1.4 million followers. She responded: "Am I not a little too old for you Matt? I know you have a thing for targeting teenagers but 19 is on the cusp don't you think?"

Julianna has accused Gaetz of urging his followers to harass her, and shared a screenshot of one horrifying message she received. "His insults and targeted attacks toward me do not deter methey make me thrive," she said, per the Chronicle. "In fact, I'd like to thank Gaetz for bringing attention to me and my work." She announced Tuesday that she'd helped raise $115,000, to be split between 50 abortion funds in various states, in 24.5 hours. "This is absolutely the most insane amount of donations we have had thus far from individuals," she tells the Post. Gaetz has only repeated his attacks on abortion activists, stating they are "ugly and overweight" and anyone offended by his remarks should "be offended." (Read more Matt Gaetz stories.)
(Newser)  Two peer-reviewed studies published Tuesday in Science arrive at the same conclusion: Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was where the COVID pandemic originated. The Los Angeles Times explains that after the lab-leak theory was dismissed last year, scientists pointed out there wasn't a plethora of published data on the subject. This is an answer to those complaints: a pair of analytical approaches that led to the same conclusion. The first mapped the locations of the earliest known COVID cases, thereby digging into a persistent questionwhy of the hundreds of early cases, only about 50 were definitively traced to the market.

The mapping found that, in a city that covers 3,000 square miles, the bulk of these patients did live near the market. That bolsters the market-as-epicenter theory, with the marketgoers who got infected setting off a "chain of infections" in the area around them. The second study, per the BBC, looked at the timing, concluding there were two variants that humans contracted in November or early December 2019. In that study, researchers analyzed the genomic diversity of the virus early on and found the genomic diversity before February 2020 "likely comprised only two distinct viral lineages ... [that] were the result of at least two separate cross-species transmission events into humans."

The papers do not pinpoint the species of animal in which the coronavirus originated, though the first study states "all eight COVID-19 cases detected prior to 20 December were from the western side of the market, where mammal species were also sold." Researchers say workers or shoppers contracted the virus in two separate "spillover events." The Times notes that Kristian Andersen previously voiced his concerns directly to Dr. Anthony Fauci that COVID might have been engineered in a lab; he's now one of the study co-authors.

"All this evidence tells us the same thing: It points right to this particular market in the middle of Wuhan," Andersen, of the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, says. "Any other versiona lab leak, for examplewould have to explain all this other evidence, and in my view thats just not plausible." Study author David Robertson adds that he hopes the studies "correct the false record that the virus came from a lab." (Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  US officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosis plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the US House speaker would be entering one of the worlds hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep, or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency. Officials told the AP that if Pelosi goes to Taiwanstill an uncertaintythe military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets, and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there. Pelosi would be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997. The BBC notes Pelosi has long been a critic of China and had planned a Taiwan trip for April; it was canceled after she was diagnosed with COVID. A Pelosi trip may well loom over a call planned for Thursday between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first conversation in four months.

And while the White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip, the AP separately reports that a growing number of Republicans are publicly backing the idea of her traveling there and are urging Biden to do the same. Among them: Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, at least two former Trump administration officials and the last speaker of the House to make the trip to Taiwan, also a Republican. Mike Chinoy takes the opposite view. In a piece for Foreign Policy, Chinoy shares an anecdote about being arrested thanks to Pelosi while covering her 1991 visit to Tiananmen Square when he was CNN's bureau chief.

The experience (read about it here) gave him a taste of what he sees as "Pelosis penchant for high-profile gestures designed to poke Chinas communist rulers in the eyeregardless of the consequences." He's not on board with the idea of a Taiwan visit at this "dangerous moment" and sees bad timing afoot: on her side, timing "linked more to the August congressional recess than any strategic planning," but also during a "politically sensitive" moment for Xi, who is set to be reelected for an unprecedented third term. (Biden wasn't effusive about the idea last week.)
(Newser)  Two more people seem to have successfully fought off an HIV infection. The victories provide a boost to the battle against AIDS, which has lost resources in recent years, in part because of the rise of COVID-19. Doctors treating a 66-year-old man at City of Hope in Southern California said they've seen no sign of human immunodeficiency virus that can replicate in his body since March 2021, the Wall Street Journal reports. That's when he stopped antiretroviral drug therapy after receiving a transplant of stem cells with a rare genetic mutation that blocks HIV infection. He was given the transplant for leukemia; people with HIV have a higher risk of developing the cancer.

The other patient is a woman in Spain who's in her 70s. The patient has dormant HIV in some cells, doctors say, but the amount is dropping, and the virus isnt replicating. She ceased antiretroviral therapy more than 15 years ago. A doctor in Barcelona said research indicates the woman keeps HIV under control naturally, with high levels of two types of immune cells that the virus normally suppresses. They apparently help control viral replication, the doctor said. Experts call it a "functional cure," per the Journal; the virus hasn't been eliminated from the patient's system but is under control without medication. Several people now appear to have been cured of HIV.

The transplant can't be used for all the 38.4 million people worldwide with HIV, said Sharon Lewin, an expert not involved in either case. It's a risky procedure that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the success is informing the work of scientists. "There are fancy new gene editing methods emerging that might one day be able to achieve a similar outcome with a shot in the arm," said Steven Deeks, a University of California professor working on a cure. Lewin said the two cases provide "hope for people living with HIV and inspiration for the scientific community." It's needed, a UNAIDS official said. COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine are among the reasons. "The last two years of crises have really blown the global AIDS response off track," he said. (Read more HIV stories.)
(Newser)  The Biden administration has settled on a proposal for Russia, offering to trade an imprisoned Russian arms trafficker for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. President Biden has agreed to the exchange of detainees, which has been under discussion for months, despite the Justice Department's opposition to such deals, CNN reports. An administration official said the proposal to Russia was made several weeks ago. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Wednesday that the US had proposed terms for the release of the two Americans, without providing names, per the Washington Post.

Griner, who appeared in a Russian court on Wednesday, is a WNBA star who has been held on drug charges since February. Whelan is a Marine veteran who has been held in Russia since 2018 and received a 16-year prison sentence in 2020 for espionage. He denies spying. They would be exchanged for Viktor Bout, who was arrested in 2008 and is serving a 25-year prison sentence in Illinois. He was found guilty of conspiring to kill US nationals and selling weapons to terrorists. Russia maintains a New York court wrongfully convicted Bout.

Blinken did not confirm that Bout was part of the deal, saying only that the US offer was substantial and that he plans to discuss it this week in a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. That would be Blinken's first conversation with Lavrov since the war in Ukraine began. A senior administration official told CNN that Russia has not yet engaged with the US on the exchange proposal. (Read more US-Russia relations stories.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Cassation Court has upheld the sentences issued against two Arab nationals who were convicted of fraud. They were sentenced to three years each, as they were buying and selling mobile phones using credit cards issued outside Bahrain which were obtained with the help of a Bahraini fugitive.

The Court of First Instance sentenced the fugitive to seven years in prison along with a hefty fine of BD20,000 after he was convicted of money laundering and electronic fraud. Meanwhile, the Court punished the second and third defendants with three years in prison and fined each of them BD10,000 on charges of money laundering and fraud.

The Court also ordered the seizure of a combined total of BD57,000 from the defendants wealth, while they were ordered to be deported after serving their punishments. All the sentences against the defendants have been confirmed by the Appeals Court as well as the Cassation Court.

The General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic & Electronic Security had received a report from an electronic sales company that discovered fraudulent operations within visa cards issued by an American bank. The duo were using the cards to purchase items online. It was found that the total amount of transactions completed reached BD8,000.

The defendants were caught in a sting operation while receiving items that they purchased online and were initially withheld. After the arrest of the accused men, the third defendant denied participation in criminal activity and stated that he had met with the Bahraini fugitive who offered him a job in trading phones, and he would get BD10 as commission for each phone sold.

He also added that purchases were made outside of Bahrain without his knowledge through the first accused and were unaware of the source of income. The second defendant added that he was invited to join by the third defendant, and he was unaware of the process of purchasing the phones.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

BDA Center for Medical Training organised its first annual Medical Dermatology Symposium, Bahrain Jeopardy meeting. The event hosted around 70 consultants and dermatologists from Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), in addition to health workers, laboratories and technicians.

BDA organised the meeting in cooperation with Global Dermatology and was sponsored by NOVARTIS. The symposium discussed the latest developments related to skin diseases, such as vitiligo, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and its sensitivity, bacteria and scalp fungi, in addition to the new treatments that have been proposed for complicated dermatology diseases.

A competition was organised for scientific research with the participation of dermatologists residing in many governmental and private hospitals. The event was accredited by National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), with six hours within its Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program.

The Head of the Scientific Committee Dr Amin Al Awadhi noted that this medical event is a platform for exchanging opinions and experiences, highlighting the latest dermatology developments, and exchanging expertise and discussions on the latest medical developments related to their specialties.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Court of Appeals upheld a 10-year prison sentence against an Asian who was convicted of drug trafficking along with a fine of BD5,000.

He was ordered to be deported after completing the punishment. The defendants activities were exposed after the security authorities received a tip-off, and investigations confirmed the validity of the information with the use of an undercover agent.

The latter contacted the defendant and offered him BD150 to buy maiijuana from him. The accused was arrested with the photographed amount, and force was used to control him. He was taken to his residence, and police officers seized other types of drugs.

When asked about the source of the drugs, he said he was getting them through the dead mail. The Public Prosecution charged him with selling marijuana and drug abuse.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Zain Bahrain, a telecommunications industry innovator in the Kingdom, continues making strides in sustainability through Ericsson 5G solutions to cut down the energy consumption of Zains 5G networks across the Kingdom.

Zain Bahrain has upgraded their network stations to the latest generation Massive MIMO radios, which have been developed with the goals of having industry-leading energy efficiency and the smallest size and weight possible while also improving the 5G network performance.

This made Zain Bahrain the first to deploy this solution in the MMEA region. Energy conservation comes as a key pillar of Zain Bahrains environmental sustainability strategy, and in this case, the new solution has been proven to save up to 15% of power consumption which contributes to achieving a more sustainable business as it aligns with three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

Amar Bu Ali, Network Access, IP, Cyber Security, and Building Services Manager at Zain Bahrain, said: The new simpler deployment with lower power consumption and better performance by Ericsson solutions is an important step in our strategy to make the transition to a clean energy future.

Zain Bahrain is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint in its business operations while building resilient networks and communities to deliver long-term values. Zain Bahrain has been committed to employing innovative sustainable solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of its operation.

Using Ericssons outdoor enclosures saved up to 60% of the consumed electricity, while also maintaining an improved and resilient network with wide coverage and high speeds, enabling Zain Bahrain to remain in a competitive leadership position in the Kingdom.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

To support the decarbonisation drive in Bahrain, Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)s Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali announced the Companys financial backing to the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) and the Supreme Council for Environments efforts in Ras Sanad Mangrove Nursery Project during a meeting with NIADs Secretary-General Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa on 21 July 2022.

The meeting was held at Alba premises where Al Baqali presented a cheque of BD134,000 to NIADs Secretary-General, which will aid NIADs joint efforts with the Supreme Council for Environment in biodiversity protection through the Ras Sanad Mangrove Nursery Project as part of the Forever Green National Campaign.

Several top officials from Alba and NIAD were present during this meeting, following which the delegation was given a tour in Alba campus which included a special visit to Albas HRH Princess Sabeeka Oasis.

Albas CEO Ali Al Baqali said: Collectively we can make a difference. Every step, no matter how small it is, counts. As one of the leading industrial companies in the Region, we fully endorse the objectives announced by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain at COP26 which includes quadrupling the mangrove coverage in Bahrain.

We are also pleased to support the NIAD and the Supreme Council for Environments efforts in developing Ras Sanad Mangrove Nursery Project. Our backing to ESG initiatives was made possible thanks to our Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa. Adding further, Secre - tary-General of NIAD Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa stated: We are pleased to receive Albas support for such an important project which is considered as a nature reserve in Bahrain.
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A grass fire spread to at least nine homes in a rural North Texas subdivision Tuesday, marking the second such damaging grass fire spread in the drought-ravaged region in as many days.

The fire in the rural Rendon community, 11 miles (17 kilometers) southeast of Fort Worth, came one day after a grass fire spread into a subdivision in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb.

The Rendon fire was reported about 7 p.m. Tuesday when a grass fire spread rapidly to one home on a rural back road. The fire, aided by flying embers, spread rapidly to neighboring homes. Video online showed homes completely involved in flames as the fire attack was hampered for a while when a primary water hose ruptured when vehicles drove over it, according to the Rendon Fire Department Twitter feed. Units relied on tanker trucks for water and had to shuttle to refill their tanks.

Units from Fort Worth and 13 other departments assisted the Rendon department crew.

High-voltage power lines were downed and propane tanks were set on fire, according to the feed. No injuries were immediately reported.

The fire came a day after the Balch Springs fire, which destroyed nine homes. Residents of the city's Spring Ridge subdivision said the fire swept from an adjoining open field after weeks of complaining to city officials about its owner failing to keep the field mowed.

The field owner finally sent a mowing crew to the field Monday after two unheeded requests by city officials culminated in a citation for a code violation, city Fire Marshal Sean Davis said.

That was when a spark from the mower blade striking debris ignited the tinder-dry grass, and a fire sped into the adjacent subdivision, damaging 26 homes, destroying nine of them, Davis said.

Damage estimates topped $6 million, according to a city statement.

Field-mowing crews had been urged to have a spotter watch for sparks and ignitions, Davis said.

North Texas has been vulnerable to explosive wildfires for at least two weeks with temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) with 20-mph (32-kph) wind gusts and 20% humidity.

Fire crews working a 10 1/2-square-mile (27-square-kilometer) wildfire that destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others turned their attention Tuesday toward hot spots inside the fire footprint, officials said.

In a statement, the Southern Area Blue, Type-I Incident Management Team said significant hotspots throughout the Chalk Mountain Fire involved unburned and partially burned fuels.

Fire crews are performing grid searches throughout the fire zone 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth, with particular emphasis given near homes within the fire zone.

With the fire 20% contained, crews also are working to secure fire lines around the fire zone.

And fire crews are standing down on the western shore of Possum Kingdom Lake after a fire that destroyed five homes was declared 100% contained.

This year has been plagued by wildfires fostered by severe to extreme drought throughout the West.

In California, firefighters were making progress Tuesday against a huge wildfire that spread to a forest near Yosemite National Park, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate mountain communities. The fire is the second to strike the area. Another fire that broke out in the area earlier this month burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias.

In New Mexico, a prescribed burn in early April got out of control and grew to the biggest wildfire in the states history, blackening more than 500 square miles (1295.00 square kilometers) in the north of the state.
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Bluestone Resources Inc. (TSXV: BSR) (OTCQB: BBSRF) ("Bluestone" or the "Company") regrets to announce the death of Mr. Lukas H. Lundin, in Geneva, Switzerland on July 26, 2022 at the age of 64, following a two-year battle with brain cancer.

Over the past 40 years, Lukas Lundin was the driving force behind the tremendous success of The Lundin Group of Companies. Lukas started his career in the international energy and mining sectors in the early 1980s working side-by-side with his father, the late Adolf H. Lundin.

Under the leadership of Lukas and his brother Ian, and in close cooperation with the rest of the Lundin family, the Lundin Group of Companies has grown into an internationally recognized group of energy and mining companies with operations around the globe, employing more than 15,000 people and creating opportunities for tens of thousands more.

The 11 companies that make up the Lundin Group of Companies have a combined market capitalization in excess of US$11 billion.

Lukas Lundin's sons Harry, Adam, Jack and William say in a joint statement:

"Our father is our biggest inspiration. His passion for the industries to which he devoted his life was unparalleled. Lukas saw people as the key to success and spent decades building some of the strongest management teams in our industries. He always strived to empower those working with him and continuously pushed us to aim higher. We could not have had a better father and mentor.

"Our family is deeply saddened about Lukas' passing but takes comfort in the knowledge that his legacy will live on for generations to come. Having worked side-by-side with Lukas for many years, all of us look forward to continuing to build on the successes of the companies within the Lundin Group - with the support of our shareholders and stakeholders, not least the members of the local communities where we operate. The companies in the Lundin Group stand stronger than ever and the Lundin family is united in our commitment to remain long-term shareholders."

Bluestone's President and CEO, Jack Lundin , further comments:

"We lost a great one last night. My Dad was a larger-than-life character who truly made a profound and positive imprint on the resource sector. I will always remember when he came to visit us in Guatemala City where we met with President Giammattei to discuss the robust Cerro Blanco Project. Lukas had the vision to build a successful mining business in Guatemala and we at Bluestone are driving that vision forward. He exemplified optimism, was never afraid of taking big risks, and was always respectful to everyone he encountered. His heroic spirit will live on."

About Bluestone Resources

Bluestone Resources is a Canadian-based precious metals exploration and development company focused on opportunities in Guatemala. The Company's flagship asset is the Cerro Blanco Gold Project, a near surface mine development project located in Southern Guatemala in the department of Jutiapa. The Company released the results of a Feasibility Study for the Project, outlining an asset capable of producing over 300 koz/yr at head grades of +2.0 g/t gold. The Project will produce 2.6 million ounces of gold over the life of mine at an all-in sustaining cost of $629/oz (as defined per World Gold Council guidelines, less corporate general and administration costs) over an initial 14-year mine life. The Company trades under the symbol "BSR" on the TSX Venture Exchange and "BBSRF" on the OTCQB.

On Behalf of Bluestone Resources Inc.

"Jack Lundin"

Jack Lundin | Chief Executive Officer & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the

TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events, or developments that Bluestone Resources Inc. ("Bluestone" or the "Company") believes, expects, or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation: the use of proceeds from the Loan; final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange; the estimated gold production volume per year from the Project; life of mine gold production amounts; average all-in sustaining costs ("AISC"); and length of initial mine life.

All forward-looking statements are made based on Bluestone's current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by Bluestone and information currently available to Bluestone. Generally, these assumptions include, among others: the presence of and continuity of metals at the Cerro Blanco Project at estimated grades; the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at estimated prices and within estimated delivery times; currency exchange rates; metals sales prices and exchange rates assumed; appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in economic analyses; tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operations; the availability of acceptable financing; the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); anticipated mining losses and dilution; success in realizing proposed operations; and anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Bluestone to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Bluestone. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: potential changes to the mining method and the current development strategy; risks and uncertainties related to expected production rates; timing and amount of production and total costs of production; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain, amend, or maintain necessary licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining development activities; risks and uncertainties related to the accuracy of mineral resource estimates and estimates of future production, future cash flow, total costs of production, and diminishing quantities or grades of mineral resources; changes in Project parameters as plans continue to be refined; title matters; risks associated with geopolitical uncertainty and political and economic instability in Guatemala; risks related to global epidemics or pandemics and other health crises, including the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); risks and uncertainties related to interruptions in production; risks related to Project working conditions, accidents or labour disputes; the possibility that future exploration, development, or mining results will not be consistent with Bluestone's expectations; uncertain political and economic environments and relationships with local communities and governmental authorities; risks relating to variations in the mineral content and grade within the mineral identified as mineral resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; developments in world metals markets; and risks related to fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates. For a further discussion of risks relevant to Bluestone, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Bluestone disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Although Bluestone believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures

The Company has included a non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") measure in this news release that is not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), being AISC per payable ounce of gold sold. Non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and, therefore, they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company and to compare it to information reported by other companies. The non-GAAP measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under GAAP, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

All-in sustaining costs

The Company believes that AISC more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold. The Company calculates AISC as the sum of refining costs, third party royalties, site operating costs, sustaining capital costs, and closure capital costs all divided by the gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce amount. Other companies may calculate this measure differently as a result of differences in underlying principles and policies applied. Differences may also arise due to a different definition of sustaining versus non-sustaining capital.

AISC reconciliation

AISC and costs are calculated based on the definitions published by the World Gold Council ("WGC") (a market development organization for the gold industry comprised of and funded by 18 gold mining companies from around the world). The WGC is not a regulatory organization.

SOURCE Bluestone Resources Inc.

For further information: Robert Eriksson, The Lundin Group of Companies, [email protected], +46701112615; Bluestone Resources Inc., Stephen Williams | VP Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Phone: +1 604-757-5559, [email protected], www.bluestoneresources.ca
GATINEAU, QC, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care will grow the economy, allow more women to enter the workforce and give children in Canada the best start in life. That's why the Government of Canada signed agreements with each province and territory to implement a Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, and Prince Edward Island's Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Natalie Jameson, celebrated the one-year anniversary of the signing of the CanadaPrince Edward Island Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

As part of the agreement with the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Canada is providing over $117 million over five years to help improve regulated early learning and child care for children under six years of age in the province. Through these investments, the governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island are working together to improve access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services, with the goal of ensuring that Prince Edward Island families have access to licensed early learning and child care for an average of $10 a day by the end of 2024.

Through the CanadaPrince Edward Island Canada-wide agreement and its investments, the Province has reduced child care fees to $25 a day as of January 1, 2022, representing a meaningful step in reaching an average reduction in fees of 50% by the end of 2022. This is one of the milestones toward achieving an average of $10 a day for early learning and child care within Prince Edward Island's designated Early Years Centres and Family Home Centres by the end of 2024, two years ahead of schedule.

To increase the supply of early learning and child care spaces, the Province will create 452 new licensed child care spaces by the end of fiscal year 202223 to ensure more families can access child care. The Province will create these new child care spaces predominantly in publicly managed early years centres, as well as in family home child care.

The governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island are creating an implementation committee that will monitor progress on early learning and child care commitments in consultation with partners and stakeholders. The first meeting for the CanadaPrince Edward Island implementation committee will be held in late August.

In addition, Prince Edward Island is supporting:

a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators, including initiatives to attract and retain highly skilled early childhood educators and to support opportunities for training and development;

an early learning and child care system that is inclusive of children with exceptional needs and children needing enhanced or individual supports, Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, as well as newcomers to Canada and official language minority communities;

and official language minority communities; the development of innovative flexible child care for families that work non-standard hours; and

the implementation of a data collection system to support future planning and reporting.

Building an early learning and child care system that works for families in every region of the country is a key part of the plan to make life more affordable for families while creating good jobs and growing the economy. Nearly all of Canada's provinces and territories, including Prince Edward Island, have already seen reductions in child care fees. By the end of 2022, average fees for regulated early learning and child care spaces will be cut in half across the country.

Quotes

"Prince Edward Island has already made important progress in reducing child care fees and providing more training opportunities for the early childhood workforce. I look forward to working with the Government of Prince Edward Island to build on this progress, and make high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care a reality in the province."

 Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould

"We are proud of our investments in the workforce, the expansion of early learning and child care spaces and initial reductions of parent fees. We look forward to continuing to work with our federal partners to strengthen Prince Edward Island's early learning and child care system."

 Prince Edward Island's Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Natalie Jameson

Quick Facts

Prince Edward Island signed its Canada -wide early learning and child care agreement on July 27, 2021 .





signed its -wide early learning and child care agreement on . With an average reduction in fees of 50% by the end of 2022, families in Prince Edward Island could save up to an estimated average of $3,390 annually per child thanks to the Canada -wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and an average of approximately $4,170 a year per child once fees reach an average of $10 a day.





could save up to an estimated average of annually per child thanks to the -wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and an average of approximately a year per child once fees reach an average of a day. In response to requests from provinces and territories, and to support the implementation of the Canada -wide early learning and child care system, Federal Budget 2022 proposes to provide $625 million over four years, beginning in 202324, for an Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This funding will enable provinces and territories to make additional child care investments, including the building of new facilities.





-wide early learning and child care system, Federal Budget 2022 proposes to provide over four years, beginning in 202324, for an Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This funding will enable provinces and territories to make additional child care investments, including the building of new facilities. Recognizing that early childhood educators are at the heart of a high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care system, wage grids and/or additional educational supports for early childhood educators are part of all Canada -wide agreements with provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec , which has an asymmetrical agreement.





-wide agreements with provinces and territories, with the exception of , which has an asymmetrical agreement. As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a Canada -wide early learning and child care system with the provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including investments in Indigenous early learning and child care, up to $30 billion over five years will be provided in support of early learning and child care.





made a transformative investment of more than over five years to build a -wide early learning and child care system with the provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including investments in Indigenous early learning and child care, up to over five years will be provided in support of early learning and child care. In total, the Government of Canada is aiming to create approximately 250,000 new child care spaces through Canada -wide agreements with provinces and territories, and has already achieved its goal of creating 40,000 more affordable child care spaces before 2020 through the 201718 to 201920 early learning and child care agreements. These new licensed spaces will be created predominantly among not-for-profit, public and family-based child care providers.





is aiming to create approximately 250,000 new child care spaces through -wide agreements with provinces and territories, and has already achieved its goal of creating 40,000 more affordable child care spaces before 2020 through the 201718 to 201920 early learning and child care agreements. These new licensed spaces will be created predominantly among not-for-profit, public and family-based child care providers. Investments in child care will benefit everyone across Canada . Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, the broader economy receives between $1.50 and $2.80 in return.

Associated Links

Toward $10-a-Day: Early Learning and Child Care

$10-a-day child care for families in Prince Edward Island

CanadaPrince Edward Island Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement  2021 to 2026

Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: Mohammad Hussain, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Autumn Tremere, Senior Communication Officer, Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Prince Edward Island, [email protected]
EDMONTON, AB, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Now more than ever, skilled tradespeople are in high demand to fill well-paying jobs and build rewarding careers. Approximately 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire in Canada by 2028, creating an ever-growing need to recruit and train thousands more. That is why the Government of Canada is making targeted investments to remove barriers and get more Canadians the apprenticeship training they need to build good, well-paying careers in the skilled trades.

Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced over $33 million over five years for the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness (STAR) program. The STAR program encourages Canadiansparticularly those facing barriers, such as women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, newcomers, persons with disabilities and youthto explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

As part of today's announcement, Minister Qualtrough highlighted $2.8 million in funding to Selections Career Support Services for their project, Get Ready in Trades (GRiT). This project will support youth with disabilities to overcome barriers to relevant training and meaningful employment within the skilled trades. GRiT will help youth pre-apprentices with disabilities in providing flexible and individualized career plans, skills enhancement and work experience opportunities to empower them to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

To further support hiring of new apprentices, the Government of Canada recently announced close to $247 million for 13 projects under the Apprenticeship Service that will help small and medium-sized enterprises hire more than 25,000 first-year Red Seal apprentices and provide them with the hands-on experience and training they need to become certified journeypersons.

Quotes



"Canada needs more skilled trades workers. We need more women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized Canadians, LGBTQ2S+ people and other marginalized people to consider a career in the trades, and to have the opportunity to start one. That's why we're investing in projects like GRiT and other initiatives across Canada that are helping to create a strong, skilled and diverse workforce in the trades."

 Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough

"Tourism is a significant generator of employment in our country and employs a higher proportion of women, newcomers, racialized individuals, youth and LGBTQ2+ people. Now more than ever, we need to actively recruit and train thousands of skilled workers as we recover from the pandemic, rebuild the tourism industry and reclaim our visitor economy. That's why today's announcement will help more Albertans and Canadians get good paying jobs and support local economies from coast to coast to coast."

 Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Randy Boissonnault

"The Get Ready in Trades project has been instrumental to Selections for the plethora of opportunities it has afforded to youth with disabilities who now have an opportunity to begin a career in the trades. This funding enables the organization to diversify services, create awareness and promote inclusion, which impacts our community in a meaningful way. The fundamental objective of the Get Ready in Trades program is to empower our youth to be a part of the future skilled trades workforce while contributing to a growing economy."

 Executive Director of Selections Career Support Services, Angie Amaris

Quick Facts

The Government of Canada is investing nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal program. Announced in Budget 2019, the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy will strengthen existing apprenticeship supports and programs by helping apprentices and key apprenticeship stakeholders, including employers, to participate and succeed in the skilled trades.





is investing nearly annually in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal program. Announced in Budget 2019, the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy will strengthen existing apprenticeship supports and programs by helping apprentices and key apprenticeship stakeholders, including employers, to participate and succeed in the skilled trades. According to the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, to meet the demand for skilled journeypersons in Red Seal Trades, an average of around 75,000 new apprentices will need to be hired per year in the next five years. Top trades most at risk of not meeting the demand include welder, industrial mechanic (millwright), bricklayer, boilermaker, cook and hairstylist.





Demand for construction trades is likely to remain high. According to Buildforce Canada, the industry needs to recruit 309,000 new construction workers over the next decade (2021 to 2030), driven predominantly by the expected retirement of 259,100 workers (22% of the current labour force).





The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Canada's apprenticeship systems. Apprenticeship data from 2020 shows the largest year-over-year declines in new apprenticeship registrations and certifications since the data series began in 1991.

apprenticeship systems. Apprenticeship data from 2020 shows the largest year-over-year declines in new apprenticeship registrations and certifications since the data series began in 1991. There were 55,455 new apprenticeship registrations in 2020, a decrease of 28.5% (-22,119) from 2019.



There were 26,376 apprentices who received a trade certificate in 2020, a decrease of 31.5% (-12,138) from 2019.





In Canada , young women continue to be less likely to express interest in a career in the skilled trades. According to a survey done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only 2% of 15-year-old female students indicated that they were definitely planning to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Related Products

Backgrounder: Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program

Associated Links

Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program

Budget 2022

Union Training and Innovation Program

Canada.ca/skilled-trades

Apprenticeship Service

Support for apprentices

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: Tara Beauport, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, [email protected], 343-576-1628; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - (TSX: LUC) (BSE: LUC) (LUC  Nasdaq Stockholm) Lucara Diamond Corp. ("Lucara" or the "Company") regrets to announce the death of Company founder and former Chairman and member of the Board of Directors, Mr. Lukas H. Lundin, in Geneva, Switzerland on July 26, 2022 at the age of 64, following a two-year battle with brain cancer. Please view PDF version

Related Documents View PDF LUCARA FOUNDER AND FORMER CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTOR LUKAS H. LUNDIN PASSES AWAY (CNW Group/Lucara Diamond Corp.)

Over the past 40 years, Lukas Lundin was the driving force behind the tremendous success of The Lundin Group of Companies. Lukas started his career in the international energy and mining sectors in the early 1980s working side-by-side with his father, the late Adolf H. Lundin.

Under the leadership of Lukas and his brother Ian, and in close cooperation with the rest of the Lundin family, the Lundin Group of Companies has grown into an internationally recognized group of energy and mining companies with operations around the globe, employing more than 15,000 people and creating opportunities for tens of thousands more. The 11 companies that make up the Lundin Group of Companies have a combined market capitalization in excess of USD 11 billion.

Lukas Lundin founded Lucara along with partners Eira Thomas and Catherine McLeod-Seltzer in 2007, and he served as a director and Chairman of the Board until May 2022. In 2010, Lucara acquired the AK06 kimberlite in Botswana and advanced the project through feasibility and construction, commencing open pit production at the Karowe diamond mine in 2012. The Karowe mine is renowned for its production of large, high quality, type IIA diamonds and is the only diamond mine in recorded history to have ever recovered three diamonds in excess of 1,000 carats each.

Lukas Lundin's sons Harry, Adam, Jack and William said in a joint statement: "Our father is our biggest inspiration. His passion for the industries to which he devoted his life was unparalleled. Lukas saw people as the key to success and spent decades building some of the strongest management teams in our industries. He always strived to empower those working with him and continuously pushed us to aim higher. We could not have had a better father and mentor.

Our family is deeply saddened about Lukas' passing but takes comfort in the knowledge that his legacy will live on for generations to come. Having worked side-by-side with Lukas for many years, all of us look forward to continuing to build on the successes of the companies within the Lundin Group - with the support of our shareholders and stakeholders, not least the members of the local communities where we operate. The companies in the Lundin Group stand stronger than ever and the Lundin family is united in our commitment to remain long-term shareholders."

Lucara founding partners, Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, Director and Eira Thomas, CEO said: "Lukas' passing is a profound loss for all of us at Lucara and we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Lundin Family at this difficult time. Lukas will be remembered as a visionary, a man of true conviction who was never afraid to swim against the tide once the value of an opportunity became apparent. His critical, financial sponsorship of the acquisition and development of the successful Karowe diamond mine in Botswana, which has operated continuously since 2012 and generated over $2 Billion in revenues to date, is a testament to this vision. Further, his commitment to innovation and willingness to take risks, pledging further support for Lucara's +$500 million underground expansion project, to access a rich portion of the orebody and extend the mine life out to 2040, will ensure that the full value of this remarkable asset is realized to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Business successes aside, Lukas was a true partner and friend whose energy and passion for living life to its fullest touched and enriched the lives of so many people in our Company and within our local communities of interest in Botswana. Africa was indeed one of Lukas' favourite places and through his work with Lucara and the Lundin Foundation, he leaves a lasting legacy of positive economic development that will benefit generations to come. We will deeply miss our intrepid and legendary leader, who will forever inspire us to be bold and think big."

On behalf of the Board,

Eira Thomas

President and Chief Executive Officer

Follow Lucara Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

ABOUT LUCARA

Lucara is a leading independent producer of large exceptional quality Type IIa diamonds from its 100% owned Karowe Mine in Botswana and owns a 100% interest in Clara Diamond Solutions, a secure, digital sales platform positioned to modernize the existing diamond supply chain and ensure diamond provenance from mine to finger. The Company has an experienced board and management team with extensive diamond development and operations expertise. The Company operates transparently and in accordance with international best practices in the areas of sustainability, health and safety, environment and community relations.

The information in this release is accurate at the time of distribution but may be superseded or qualified by subsequent news releases.

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, on July 27, 2022 at 8:30am Pacific Time.

SOURCE Lucara Diamond Corp.

For further information: Robert Eriksson, The Lundin Group of Companies, +46 701 112615, [email protected]
Ranveer Singhs nude photoshoot for a magazine has taken over the internet since last week. But now the actor is in problem due to that photoshoot. According to the sources, The Mumbai Police on Tuesday registered FIR against him over his nude pictures on social media.



A Mumbai-based non-governmental organization (NGO) had approached the Chembur police here with a complaint against the actor. The complainant said that the actor has hurt the sentiments of women and insulted their modesty with his photographs. The complaint was charged under the Information Technology Act and certain Indian Penal Code Sections like 292 (sale of explicit books), 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and 293 (sale of explicit objects to young people).



The actor paid tribute to iconic actor Burt Reynolds, who was regarded as a sex symbol and icon of American pop culture, through his photo shoots.



Ranveer Singh appeared in the Netflix special Ranveer versus Wild with Bear Grylls lately. The actor has given several hit films including Gully Boy, Bajirao Mastani, Band Baja Baraat and also preparing for his upcoming film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Love Story.
The death toll in the Gujarat hooch tragedy has risen to 38, as more people died after drinking illicit liquor in Botad district. Around 70 others are still hospitalised, with several in severe condition.

Police launched an investigation and three FIRs have been registered against 14 main culprits under sections 302 (murder), 328 (causing hurt by poison) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, said Bhatia, adding six persons have been arrested by police so far.

According to police officials, small-time bootleggers in Botad made hooch by mixing methyl alcohol with water, then sold it to the locals in potlis for 40 bucks each. An officer said, Such potlis are sold for anywhere between Rs 25 to Rs 50. These potlis were sold at Rs 40 each. Potlis are basically small plastic packets, like the ones sold during Holi. Many of these people died after consuming a single potli.

Some of the hospitalised persons who were in critical condition passed away overnight, police official Ashok Kumar Yadav told Reuters.

They had consumed methyl alcohol which was almost undiluted, believing it to be liquor.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday met the victims and their families.

A very sad incident came to my knowledge that more than 25 people have died in Bhavnagar after drinking spurious liquor and several others are admitted to the hospitals. I wish them a speedy recovery, said Delhi CM Kejriwal.

Delhi CM Kejriwal further questioned the Gujarat government that if the state is a dry state then how is alcohol being sold openly in the state and who is benefitting from this?

Why is the state government not looking after this or is there any internal conspiracy behind it? he said.

He further claimed, that there is a business of thousands of crores of liquor in Gujarat.

After meeting victims and their families, Kejriwal alleged that This is not the first time people of Gujarat have died due to spurious liquor.

Peoples lives are at stake, said Delhi CM.
A member of BJPs youth wing is said to have been hacked to death on Tuesday in Karnatakas Dakshina Kannada district under the jurisdiction of Bellare Police station.

The deceased was later identified as Praveen Nettaru.

Around 9 oclock at night, accused rode up on motorcycles and attacked him in front of his store.

According to BJP district president Sudarshan Moodbidri, he was a district member of BJPs Yuva Morcha and was involved in social and political circles.

Meanwhile, Basavaraj Bommai, chief minister of Karnataka sent his sincere sympathies and a promise of speedy justice to the BJP leaders family in light of this tragedy.

It is unacceptable that our party activist Praveen Nettaru from the Dakshina Kannada district was brutally murdered. The perpetrators of such a horrible conduct will soon be apprehended and prosecuted. The soul of Praveen may rest in peace. May God provide his family the fortitude to endure this suffering. Osho Shanti Bommai tweeted today.

            .         .

   ,        .   pic.twitter.com/kCk3W6hVc5  Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) July 26, 2022

A case has been filed with Dakshina Kannada district police. It is yet unknown what motivated such a behaviour.
Sonia Gandhi, president of Congress, was questioned by Enforcement Directorate for more than six hours on the second day of her appearance in connection with a money laundering case involving the National Herald newspaper, according to officials. The 75-year-old has been asked to appear once more on Wednesday.

She recorded her testimony on Tuesday and then left agencys office in the heart of Delhi shortly before 7 oclock. On Tuesday morning, Sonia Gandhi arrived to ED headquarters with her armed security protection, joined by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Priyanka Gandhi remained in the agencys office while Rahul Gandhi went to the demonstration.

National Herald newspaper and Young Indian Pvt Ltd, the organization under investigation, were two entities about which Sonia Gandhi was questioned on Tuesday, according to officials.

Her interrogation in central Delhi ED office lasted approximately 2.5 hours, starting at 11 am and going till 7 pm with a 90-minute lunch break. A group under the direction of assistant director Monika Sharma questioned her.

Lok Sabha member from Rae Bareli was questioned on Tuesday on the operation and management of newspaper, the duties of its different office holders, and her and Rahul Gandhis involvement in the business of National Herald and Young Indian.

The agency would also corroborate Rahul Gandhis remark, according to officials, as both are big shareholders in Young Indian Pvt Ltd.

Congress denounced agencys decision, calling it a political vendetta.

However, to avoid a disruption of law and order, Delhi Police deployed in large numbers and cordoned off the street leading from Sonia Gandhis house to the ED office. There were limitations put in place for the areas traffic flow.

When they were halted by police, Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs were marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan to alert President about alleged abuse of central agencies by the administration. They had congregated at Vijay Chowk.
In connection with money laundering case involving National Herald newspaper, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi made her third appearance before Enforcement Directorate headquarters in nations capital on Wednesday.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi arrived to ED office together. Congress supporters are protesting EDs interrogation of partys interim president Sonia Gandhi at AICC headquarters in Delhi.

Ashok Gehlot, chief minister of Rajasthan and a prominent member of Congress, said on Wednesday that Supreme Court needed to rule quickly on the panic that Enforcement Directorate is causing in the nation after once more summoning Sonia Gandhi for questioning.

While speaking at a news conference alongside Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh, and Anand Sharma, Gehlot added, They started by calling Rahul Gandhi. In five days, he was questioned for many hours. Todays summons is Sonia Gandhis third so far. How long it would endure is unknown. A swift SC ruling on the horror of ED in the nation is necessary.

At Mumbais Borivali railway station, Congress supporters also attempted to halt a train in protest at the EDs interrogation of the partys temporary president.

Sonia Gandhi was questioned by ED for more than six hours on Tuesday, the second day of her appearance.
A senior BSF officer stated that they were in contact with relevant parties and that UN Force (Army component) reinforcements were enroute to that area.

Earlier, some organisations had called for a week of unrest across DR Congo. In Goma, a major MONUSCO facility located roughly 350 kilometres south of Beni, situation became violent with looting and arson.

Two BSF platoons were stationed in Butembo and Beni, both of which were under a state of high alert.

Nevertheless, violence broke out in Butembo on Tuesday. Demonstrators encircled the Morroco Rapid Deployment base where BSF platoons were stationed. When they came, Congolese Army (FARDC) and Congolese Police (PNC) personnel were unable to manage the agitated gathering of over 500 people.

Meanwhile, Congolese soldiers shot in air to control the situation, and BSF soldiers used smoke rounds to scatter the gathering. The aggressive gangs, however, were able to break boundary wall three times. According to accounts, there were armed rebels among the protesters.

A second onslaught was more ferocious and was supported by small-arms fire. Indian and Moroccan soldiers opened fire in self-defense.

Two BSF members died as a result of their injuries.

S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, tweeted, Deeply saddened by the deaths of two brave Indian BSF troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They belonged to MONUSCO. These heinous crimes perpetrators ought to be held accountable and brought to justice.

MEA further shared his deepest sympathies to the departed families.
A senior WHO official on Tuesday stated that the outbreak of monkeypox, which is expanding quickly, may be stopped with the appropriate measures.

Dr. Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead on Monkeypox, stated during a press event in Geneva that We do at this point still feel that this epidemic of Monkeypox can be controlled with the proper policies in the right populations.

She did, however, emphasize that time was running out and that everyone needed to band together to fight the disease.

Spread of the virus was deemed a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the highest degree of notice, by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday.

Through this, we seek to improve coordination, international collaboration between nations and all stakeholders, and solidarity on a worldwide scale, Lewis said.

WHO rated the danger that monkeypox poses to public health as high in the European region but only moderate globally.

More than 75 nations have reported more than 16,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox this year. Lewis asserted that the actual figure was probably higher.

She mentioned that although there werent many testing facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there were likely thousands of instances there. Suspected incidents were not included on the worldwide dashboard, she claimed.

According to UN News, the monkeypox virus has just recently begun to move outside of Africa, where it is prevalent. But early May news of a few cases in Britain indicated that the outbreak had spread to Europe.

Lewis also emphasized the need to eliminate prejudice and stigma since they would undermine efforts to combat the disease.
As the war in Ukraine continues, Otis Elevator said Wednesday it sold its operations in Russia to a company based in that country.

Terms of the deal with Ice Development, which Farmington-based Otis announced on the companys web site, were not released. The sale comes after a March announcement by Otis Elevator officials that the company would stop taking new equipment orders and cease investing in Russia in the aftermath the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

After carefully considering the global impacts and consequences of the ongoing crisis and humanitarian tragedy across Eastern Europe, including supply chain disruptions and mounting regulations, we determined that Otis ownership of our business in Russia is no longer sustainable, Otis said in a prepared statement. The sale of the business will provide a more certain future for local colleagues, customers and Otis shareholders.

In its release, Otis Worldwide Corp., as the company is officially known, described Ice as a Russian-based investment company with a focus on the real estate sector and overseeing large-scale residential construction including building restoration projects.

The Russian company expects to resume full production at the Otis St. Petersburg manufacturing site, under a new brand name, Otis said.

The sale by Otis is complicated by the fact that the companys product line is based on technologies that a buyer would not be expected to have. It was unclear from Wednesdays announcement how, when and whether Otis would sell or transfer technology to Ice.

Since the war in Ukraine started earlier this year, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, at the Yale School of Management, has closely followed how corporations have reacted to the conflict. Sonnenfeld, a professor and senior associate dean for leadership studies, has created a web site that follows corporations responses.

More than 1,000 companies have curtailed their operations in Russia, he said.

Otis understands it is not feasible to continue doing business in Russia when Russia is needlessly killing thousands of innocent Ukrainian civilians, Sonnenfeld said Wednesday. Otis has superb, responsive and responsible leadership that tackled a vexing public safety challenge balancing off globally diplomacy and legal complications. Their response was brilliant, fair, and attentive to the needs of all stakeholders.

Corporate Americas response to the war in Ukraine is is parallel to what many of the great multinationals did when they pulled out of South Africa in the late 1980s, he said.

Its a moral decision but also financial, Sonnenfeld said.

Auditors are increasingly concerned and looking to investigate such risky Russian business operations exposure, Sonnenfeld said. In short, it simply does not benefit companies to stay in Russia.

An analysis Sonnenfeld and other Yale academics published in an academic paper at the end of May found companies that divest from Russia are actually rewarded by shareholders and the value of stock gains far outweighs the value of Russian asset divestitures.

Otis, in its release Wednesday, said, We remain hopeful for a return to peace and stability in the region. We will continue to contribute to the ongoing relief and humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Otis shares were up by 2.5 percent in mid-afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, with a sharp bump at the start of trading following the pre-market announcement.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
When Steven Cornell started in the banking industry more than three decades ago, there were over 100 banks with headquarters in Connecticut.

Now, according to the Connecticut Department of Banking, there are 25 state-chartered banks based here and another seven nationally chartered financial institutions that headquartered in the Nutmeg State. Cornell is president and chief executive officer of Salisbury-based National Iron Bank, where he has worked for the last 30 years, the last 10 as president and chief executive officer.

National Iron will celebrate its 175th anniversary by opening its a new branch in Litchfield in the Village Green Plaza. Bank officials filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency earlier this month.

We have a loan office there and it has done pretty well with home mortgages and home equity loans, he said. A lot people tell us if you had a branch, Id do all my banking here. Litchfield is similar to the other towns we serve: Small, rural communities where people still want to see bricks and mortar.

But National Iron is adding a branch in an era when many Connecticut banks are losing branches. A total of 59 bank branches in Connecticut closed in 2021, according to a report issued by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Serving the local community takes many forms, Cornell said, whether its donating to local environmental groups or sponsoring the local Little League team.

The comment period for National Irons branch application request ends Aug. 14, according to the filing with the OCC, which is an independent bureau of the U.S. Treasury.

National Iron has stockholders, according to Cornell, but the stock is tightly held.

Were a community bank, we remember who our customers are and reinvest back into the local community, he said.

When pandemic hit and the federal government responded by with the Paycheck Protection Program, National Iron did over $20 million worth of the forgivable loans, according to Cornell.

A lot of that went to mom and pop businesses, including a lot of restaurants, he said.

John Carusone, president of the Bank Analysis Center, a Hartford-based industry consulting firm, said National Iron is a boutique bank that is focused on serving a small geographic area.

They are something of an anachronism and I dont mean that in a bad way, Carusone said. They are well-run and there are plenty of banks that would be interested in acquiring them if their stock wasnt so closely held.

National Iron has an enviable record of profitability, capital strength, strong liquidity, and a pristine quality loan portfolio, Carusone said.

Although diminutive in overall size, it nonetheless is a powerhouse and competes mightily and effectively in very select geographic markets in Litchfield County, he said of National Iron. They are selective about their clients, and it shows in the quality of their balance sheet.

National Iron is unusual, according to Carusone in that they are a sub-chapter S corporation, meaning that the profits of the bank flow directly to the handful of owners of the bank for tax purposes.

National Iron was founded in 1847, the same year Samuel Colt sold his first revolver to the U.S. government. Its name comes from Salisburys historic role smelting iron for use in U.S. armaments.

Were one of the oldest private banks in the country, Cornell said.

While Colt was making a name for himself in Hartford, many of the Housatonic River Valley in northwest Connecticut worked in ore beds or in one of the many iron works in the area. Others were farmers.

To serve these businesses and others, National Iron opened on October 11, 1847 with assets of $193,725.

The Civil War started 14 years later and the National Banking Act was adopted in 1864 to help finance it. National Iron became a federally chartered bank on July 5, 1865.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
What are Connecticut drinkers ordering these days? Their cocktail of choice might have a smoky Mexican spirit, vegetable ingredients fresh from a garden  or it might be lacking alcohol altogether. We spoke to several state bar professionals about the most recent trends in the beverage industry. 

Espresso martinis

The caffeinated cocktail enjoyed a heyday in the 1990s and saw a resurgence in 202 1, and Connecticuts bar pros say its not stopping anytime soon. At The Charles in Wethersfield, bar manager Chelsea Solkowski batches coffee liqueur and vodka and pours it on draft from a keg, adding fresh espresso to finish. Its so much easier just to pull a keg tab, especially with our volume, she says. At the end of the night, its just espresso martini season, all night.

Bar consultant Khalid Williams of The Barrel Age says the espresso martini is absolutely staying popular, but hes seeing bartenders stepping away from using vodka as the base spirit. Instead, hes seeing them choose liquors like dark rum or bourbon.

Justin Morales, managing partner at Marlborough Tavern in Marlborough, says bartenders are trying to make espresso martinis next level with different flavor profiles. As the creator of the Up n Down rock and bourbon spirit, hes seen bar professionals use his liquor in their cocktails, finding that its birch, fig and honey flavors pair well with the coffee base. Youre seeing citrus in there, youre seeing different spirits in there altogether, he says. [Espresso martinis] have made their mark and theyre here to stay for a bit.

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Things are getting spicy

Its not out of the ordinary to find spicy margaritas or vegetable juices like carrot and beet on a Connecticut bar menu. But bartenders are moving beyond those to more intriguing savory applications.

At The Port of Call in Mystic, beverage director Jade Ayala infuses vegetal, umami and spice elements into unique cocktails, like the Curry Barbados with rum, ginger, curry and fennel bitters, and the La Jardinerx tequila and pineapple drink with extra-virgin olive oil, and a greenhouse cordial crafted with cilantro, mint, jalapeno and Thai green chile. Her Organic Woodland Matter savory Manhattan uses Rittenhouse rye whiskey, a clarified mushroom vermouth and umami bitters.

Jamie Oakes, a bartender at Millwrights in Simsbury, says shes experimented with cocktails featuring gin, saffron and red pepper syrup, and shes recently employed a miso-infused bourbon highlighted with corn bitters and charred pineapple.

A Providence-based distillery, Industrious Spirit Company, recently released a vodka distilled with New England oysters, which hit the shelves in Connecticut in mid-June. Founder Manya Rubenstein says its like a slightly oystery dirty martini in a bottle, ready to serve over ice with an olive or a citrus twist.

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The social media influence

Solkowski says she thinks TikTok and Instagram are exposing people to classic drinks of yesteryear. She started getting requests all of a sudden for Rusty Nails, a Scotch and Drambuie cocktail, and shes convinced the demand was driven by social media.

As a TikTok user herself, shell take note of cocktails that seem to be picking up a lot of interest, and shell note of what ingredients she needs to buy in case the trend makes it to The Charles.

In 2021, Morales says he thought the visual nature of social media helped elevate the popularity of the espresso martini. When shaken and poured carefully, the martini showcases an appealing layer of froth, or crema, on top, making it an ideal candidate for photos or videos.

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Mezcal brings the smoke

I have to have a mezcal drink on the menu, and its always the biggest seller, says Solkowski, noting that customers often (incorrectly) call it the smoky tequila. She uses the agave spirit in The Charles Bad Habit Rabbit drink, with corn liqueur, carrot and lemon juices and thyme, but sometimes her guests just want a bartenders choice-style cocktail showcasing the spirit.

Morales says he correctly predicted mezcal would be a trend in 2022, and says its on the rise.

Youre seeing it being used much more as a base spirit in cocktails, he says, noting that mezcal Palomas, with grapefruit juice, are becoming trendy. Mezcal is definitely starting to take a foothold. It definitely has to be blended properly. If mezcal is used right, its delicious. I think bartenders are starting to get more familiar with it, getting a lot better with it. Its going to start to grow as they know how to use it.

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The rise of low- and no-ABV

Morales says hes seeing a lot of spritz-type cocktails on menus: classic Aperol spritzes with prosecco, Campari sodas, or other aperitif and seltzer combinations. Now youre seeing riffs on them. People are infusing the Aperol, theyre sweetening up those aperitifs and sodas, and youre seeing that on menus, he says. I think that transcended from canned cocktails, because people were drinking things like High Noon [canned vodka sodas] and people started making low-ABV carbonated cocktails.

Connecticut bartenders are also keenly aware that some of their guests dont drink alcohol at all, for a variety of reasons. Theyre making sure their bars reflect that.

At The Charles, Solkowskis mocktail menu is popular, using Lyres non-alcoholic spirits and alcohol-free wines for versions of an Aperol spritz, sangrias and espresso martini. She says mocktails make up a quarter of her nightly drink sales. I feel its so important, she says. To sit and have a drink and chat, is such a habitual [activity]. I want them to look like drinks, so people dont ask questions.

Oakes says she also tries to have interesting non-alcoholic options available to her guests beyond water, soda and juices. As Millwrights is a special-occasion restaurant, she wants everyone to feel like part of the celebration. I feel like more and more people are creating a more inclusive environment for people that dont drink, she says. So their no-ABV cocktails have become more thoughtful, and well thought out, and just like at the same level as their cocktail program. I feel like thats going to keep trending.

Its its own category  its not just someone snatching booze out of a cocktail, Williams says. Things are being made extremely intentionally.
When Dale DeGroff was asked to create a cocktail menu featuring old and forgotten classic drink recipes for the restaurant Aurora and then the legendary Rainbow Room in New York City, he didnt know he was helping to start a revolution in the way Americans drink.

DeGroff worked for Joe Baum, who had pioneered seasonally changing menus at The Four Seasons and also operated Windows on the World. Baum tasked DeGroff with creating a new kind of cocktail bar, one featuring pre-Prohibition drinks with all fresh ingredients, no mixes.

He told me to get a book by Jerry Thomas, DeGroff says between mixing cold drinks on the porch of the home he shares with his wife, Jill, in Pawcatuck, a village in Stonington.

Thomas was a pioneering mid-19th-century bartender whose 1860s book Bar-Tenders Guide was an early and influential drink-recipe tome. But it had been out of print for decades. To find it, DeGroff had to hunt for a copy in used bookstores and then had to recreate and relearn many of the forgotten techniques and ingredients explained in the book.

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When the Rainbow Room reopened in 1987 with DeGroffs pre-Prohibition-inspired cocktail menu, the 65th-floor space at 30 Rock became a Camelot for cocktail lovers  ground zero in the craft cocktail revival that would eventually spread across the country, resulting in suspenders-wearing bartenders shaking and twirling drinks with the skill of chemists and the passion of painters.

DeGroffs menu featured then-almost-unheard-of drinks in New York City, such as pisco sours and mojitos, and shaped the modern cocktail bar. DeGroff tracked down the small martini glasses used by the main characters in the 1934 classic film The Thin Man and reintroduced them to the cocktail world as the Nick and Nora martini glass. His cosmo recipe became the definitive take on the cocktail and helped popularize it after Madonna was photographed by an Associated Press photographer drinking one at the Rainbow Room in the 1990s.

In 2002, DeGroff, by then known as the King of Cocktails, published the first edition of The Craft of the Cocktail. The most recent edition, The New Craft of the Cocktail, was released in 2020. Since it was first published, the book has helped train a generation of bartenders.

In 2004, DeGroff and his wife founded The Museum of the American Cocktail, a New Orleans-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of the cocktail. Partially raised just across the border in Westerly, Rhode Island, DeGroff moved to New York City to become an actor, dropping out of the theater program at the University of Rhode Island to do so. I was sure that Id be walking the Broadway boards in no time, he says. That didnt quite happen, but DeGroff kept his feet busy. I did walk a lot of other boards behind three feet of mahogany.

As he pushed to get his acting career off the ground, he worked in advertising and then the restaurant industry. He fell in love first with the social aspects of the New York City bar. In New York it takes you 30 seconds to realize that everything happens in the bars and restaurants, he says. Because many people had such small homes, much of their social life and time with friends and family takes place in the local bar. These neighborhood bars, in many cases people remain loyal to them for 30, 40, 50 years  this is like extended family, DeGroff says.

This social aspect of the bartending trade is whats on most display on his Pawcatuck porch during a recent visit as he regales visitors with stories of unionized New York City bartenders who wouldnt make the drinks on his menu and Associated Press reporters drinking before and after trips overseas. He serves a drink called the Punch Royale, which features freshly grated nutmeg and cognac and the Oude martini, a drink inspired by the precursors to the martini featuring Old Duff genever. Both drinks are incredible.

DeGroff is thrilled by the way craft cocktails have spread, adding that he enjoys cocktails in nearby Mystic and loves trying new drinks in his travels, preferring to sample the local specialties rather than order any specific drink. Im really a when in Rome kind of person, he says. We now have the luxury of amazing craft bars in almost any city or town.

DeGroff and his wife moved to Connecticut during the pandemic, and DeGroff has been sharing his knowledge and skill at book-signing events and trainings for local bartenders.

The secret to a good cocktail, he says, is, not surprisingly, balance. Its all about skillfully combining sweet, sour and bitter, strong and weak flavors.

However, DeGroffs advice for making drinks extends beyond ingredients and taste. Each drink he serves is steeped in history and lore  the liquid serving as a kind of fuel for storytelling and fostering human connection. This is part of the equation that DeGroff says new bartenders should pay attention to. He advises making sure youre stepping behind the bar for the right reasons. Its not so you can become famous, so you can become this or become that, but because you really are a sociable person, he says. You like to be in that environment, and you also have good powers of observation and like to make people feel good. You really need to have all that stuff going for you, and then you have to learn the profession. A person who doesnt have that stuff can be a brilliant, brilliant bartender technically, but theyll always have an empty bar.
For concert poster collectors, perhaps no artist has impacted the culture of the medium quite like Alton Kelley. The Connecticut-raised artist, who for some time worked as a welder at Sikorsky in Stratford, helped define the visual aesthetic of 1960s counterculture with his psychedelic-inspired posters and artwork.

During the era, Kelleys work with fellow-artist Stanley Mousse came to be synonymous with the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco and his stylings would constantly be employed by musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Grateful Dead, who he worked extensively with  famously designing the cover of the bands 1971 self-titled live album as well as the often-reproduced concert poster from the bands September 1966 shows at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

Kelleys artistic influence has spread to a whole legion of legendary modern concert poster designers including Emek Golan and Chuck Sperry. Though Kelley has since passed away, one Connecticut concert poster artist is keeping the ingenuity of New England-bred gig artists alive: AJ Masthay.

Masthay is a life-long Connecticut resident who operates out of his workshop in West Hartford called The Furnace. He has worked with some of the biggest touring bands including Black Sabbath, Grateful Dead, Foo Fighters and Dead & Company, for whom he recently produced 2022 tour posters. Additionally, a one-of-a-kind guitar designed by Masthay and played in concert by Bob Weir of Dead & Company during its last outing fetched $300,000 at a charity auction, with proceeds going to the voting registration non-profit HeadCount and environmental organization REVERB.

For Masthay, seeing Weir play the charity guitar with his design at their last show at Citi Field in New York was surreal to say the least.

Fans will get the chance to see Masthays artwork when be hosts an open house at his studio in West Hartford on Nov. 5  the first since 2019. There, Masthay will be selling new work, personalizing prints and giving demonstrations on how his printing press works.

Having graduated from the Hartford Art School in 1997 with a degree in printmaking, it wasnt until 2001 that Masthay established his own letterpress studio and began to test the waters of the concert poster scene

Ive been an artist my whole life. My parents have little drawings I did in kindergarten and stuff like that, Masthay said. It really clicked for me back in the late 90s, 99 or so, seeing one of Jim Pollocks pieces at a Phish show, and saying to myself, Wow, thats an actual print. Its not some digital thing. Im a printmaker. I like music. Hmm, maybe this could be something.

Masthay had been into the jam band scene since the early 90s when he began to follow around the Grateful Dead in 1992. I basically blew all of my money my first semester of freshman year going to see the Dead, he said.

His love for jam bands would continue with the band Phish, who he has seen roughly 240 times. Masthay said he would sell prints on what's known as "Shakedown Street," a spot where vendors sell everything from grilled cheeses to necklaces outside of the concert. And as Masthay was selling posters, he was collecting just as many.

I was collecting concert posters before I got into them. I was grabbing old Dead posters and specifically Phish stuff at the time. Back in those days, which were the mid-to-late 90s, you werent guaranteed a poster every night. This was pre-internet so there was no posting posters online or anything like that, Masthay said. You had to get there and get in early, and we would literally run to the merch tables to see if there even was a print and if there was, it was like winning the lotto.

As the appetite for gig posters increased, bands began to take notice and would employ different artists to design tour posters and in some cases, individual posters for specific shows.



Masthay said things really picked up for him after he was tapped to design posters for Fare Thee Well, the last run of shows by members of the Grateful Dead in 2015. Since then, Masthay prints thousands of posters a year out of his West Hartford studio for legendary musicians and upcoming artists alike.

The artist describes his medium of relief printing posters as analog and old school.

Follow AJ on social media AJ Masthay can be followed on Instagram and Facebook, where updates are often shared regarding what concert posters are coming up next. See More Collapse

It is literally me carving sheets of linoleum and inking those up. The best way to describe it is like a giant rubber stamp on steroids, Masthay said. Youre talking two weeks of printing and carving, never mind the design time and the original drawings. Its very time intensive [and] labor intensive but the results are unique and I think they speak for themselves.

The process of relief printing involves a reduction print in which Masthay must recarve the plate multiple times. Masthay explained that as the edition of any given poster moves along, he is actually destroying the plate with which he is pressing the poster with. Doing this removes the ability to get back to the plate to add new elements or attempt to reprint the poster.

Contributed by AJ Masthay

One of Masthays most recent pieces, a limited edition poster for The Black Keys show in Las Vegas, involved him carving each plate, running the prints through the press and then letting the posters dry overnight  and that is for each color on the seven-color poster. Luckily for this run, the poster was limited to 250 copies. Some posters, especially for Dead & Company, can climb to editions of 15,000 prints.

ThougRe-Submit to Writingh Masthay specializes in analog mediums, he said that editions of that size require him to utilize digital archival prints. However, the ability to work with a digital medium allows Masthay to do more artistically with his ideas and let them breathe as he is designing them.

Speaking of designing posters, Masthay said that it is simultaneously his favorite and least favorite aspect of making concert posters. I often tell my wife that I dont know what its like to give birth but sometimes I liken the coming up with concepts as giving birth. It can be incredibly painful and trying at times and other times, it comes real easy, Masthay said. Most of the time its painful.

AJ Masthay can be followed on Instagram and Facebook, where updates are often shared regarding what concert posters are coming up next.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine to discuss the deal and other matters.

Blinken's comments marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial. He did not offer details on the proposed deal outlined to the Russians, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. government has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

The person insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Though it is unclear if the proposal will be enough for Russia to release the Americans, the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.

It also signals a growing acceptance by the White House of prisoner swaps as resolutions for cases of Americans jailed overseas, particularly after a trade in April that secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed and yielded a much-needed publicity win for the administration.

We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release," Blinken said. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, to move us toward a resolution.

President Joe Biden, who authorized the Reed prisoner swap after meeting with his parents, signed off on the deal the U.S. offered in this case, officials said.

The president and his team are willing to take extraordinary steps to bring them home," John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters.

Should the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov take place, it would be the first conversation that the men have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested a new call with Lavrov.

Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a U.N.-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

There is utility to conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us, including the release of Griner and Whelan, he said. They also include what were seeing and hearing around the world is a desperate need for the foods, the desperate need for prices to decrease.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Griner, in Russian custody for the last five months after authorities there said they found her in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at her trial Wednesday that she had no criminal intent in bringing them into the country and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBAs offseason.

During her testimony, the Phoenix Mercury standout said she still does not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her luggage but explained she had a doctors recommendation for using it to address chronic pain from her sports injuries.

She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

U.S. officials for months had sought to deflect criticism over the apparent lack of momentum in the Griner and Whelan cases by saying that work was proceeding in secret and out of public view. That stance made Wednesdays announcement all the more startling, but Kirby said the administration had decided to make clear that a deal was on the table.

We believe its important for the American people to know how hard President Biden is working to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home, he said.

Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the Merchant of Death, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons. Supporters of his release contend he was jailed after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation, and the judge who sentenced him told The Associated Press this month that she believed he had already served enough prison time.

The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future. The Biden administration has also been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.

There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reeds release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russias diplomacy was Kabuki Theater  all show and no substance.

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russias massive military build-up along Ukraines border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.

The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  Police were investigating a report of a person shot on Jackson Lane Tuesday night.

Officers were called to the area at around 6:30 p.m., according to Officer Scott Shumway.
GENEVA (AP)  Independent human rights experts backed by the United Nations called Wednesday on authorities in Hong Kong to repeal a national security law that squelched protests and criticism over China's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous region.

The U.N.-backed Human Rights Committee added its voice to independent advocacy groups that have said the National Security Law was passed by the National People's Congress in Beijing without adequately consulting the people of Hong Kong.

Since its passage in 2020, the law has reportedly been applied in connection with the arrests of more than 200 people, the experts say.

The committee aims to ensure that signatories of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights uphold their commitments to respecting people's rights and freedoms.

The findings by the committee, part of a regular review of parties to the covenant, expose again the complexities of Beijing's control of Hong Kong for the last 25 years. The findings were published Wednesday after a string of hearings  including Hong Kong authorities  earlier this month.

The Chinese region of Macao, Georgia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Uruguay were also examined.

Hong Kong acceded to the covenant after Britain, the region's former colonial ruler, ratified it in 1976. After the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, Chinese authorities told the U.N. chief that the covenant would continue to apply to the region.

Hong Kong, China should ensure that the covenant prevails over local legislation and laws applicable in Hong Kong, including the National Security Law, and bring these laws and practices in full conformity with the Covenant, the experts wrote.

Addressing Hong Kong  and not China, which has not ratified the covenant  committee vice chair Christopher Arif Bulkan told reporters: The committee urged Hong Kong to take action to repeal the national security law and in the interim refrain from applying it.

Bulkan cited the unique context in which a country  like China  was in essence inheriting a commitment to the covenant that was made before it took control of Hong Kong and Macao.

He said Hong Kong's authorities, during the hearings, had indicated that they are considering enacting a new law  and he emphasized Beijing's past commitment to a one country, two systems policy with regard to the two regions.

In a statement, the Hong Kong government made no reference to any possible new law. It also said China had the right to legislate on issues of national security, which falls under central authorities, under the one country, two systems principle. It said the relevant parts of the human rights covenant were taken into consideration when the national security law was drawn up.

Last year, Amnesty International said the security law had decimated Hong Kongs freedoms and created a landscape increasingly devoid of human rights protections.

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This story corrects the day of the week to Wednesday.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  After weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, U.S. health regulators said Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have been too slow in deploying the vaccine, potentially missing the window to contain what could soon become an entrenched infectious disease.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration said it had finished the necessary inspections at Bavarian Nordic's facility in Denmark, where the company fills vials of the vaccine. The FDA said via Twitter on Wednesday that the certification had been finalized. The doses are already in the U.S. so that they would be ready to be distributed once the manufacturing changes were approved, the agency said.

The U.S. already has sent more than 310,000 doses of the two-shot Jynneos vaccine to state and local health departments. But clinics in San Francisco, New York and other major cities say they still dont have enough shots to meet demand.

There were more than 4,600 reported monkeypox cases in the U.S. as of late Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday officials would announce more vaccine allocations on Thursday.

Officials at the San Francisco Department of Health welcomed the news, saying they need many thousands more vaccine doses than the 7,800 they have received to date. Without enough vaccine supply, we would have trouble fulfilling our basic duty of keeping our communities safe, the agency said in a statement.

Washington, D.C., officials said Wednesday they would join their counterparts in San Francisco, New York City and other cities who have stopped offering appointments for second vaccine doses due to short supplies. They said the single-dose strategy would allow them to vaccinate more people at risk and slow the spread of monkeypox in the community more quickly.

The monkeypox virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection. The vast majority of cases reported have been in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed zit-like bumps on many parts of the body.

The sluggish federal response has drawn comparisons to the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, but experts have pointed out that the U.S. had one huge advantage: more than 1 million doses of vaccine in the strategic national stockpile.

But it turned out U.S. officials had only about 2,000 doses on hand when the outbreak was first identified in May. Shipping and regulatory delays have meant only a portion of the rest were deployed.

There's not enough doses, said Dr. Perry Halkitis, a public health specialist at Rutgers University. I think with some quicker action on the part of federal government we might not be in the situation we are now.

The doses previously shipped came from a separate facility in Denmark that already had FDA clearance. Another 786,000 doses made at a newly opened Bavarian Nordic facility were awaiting the U.S. certification announced Wednesday.

The FDA requires inspections of all vaccine manufacturing plants to assure safety, sterility and consistency of production.

U.S. officials announced orders this month for 5 million more doses, though most of those are not expected to arrive until next year

Officials have recommended the shots be given to people who know or suspect they were exposed to monkeypox in the previous two weeks.

The Jynneos vaccine has never been widely used in response to an outbreak like this, and the government will track how well its working,

___

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed from New York.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Superheros, villains and stormtroopers will be flying around Connecticut this weekend.

TerrifiCon will bring TV, anime and movie actors, as well as comic book artists and writers to the Mohegan Sun Expo Center from July 29 through July 31.

Some famous faces will be making an appearance include actors Tim Daly (from "Superman: The Animated Series" and "The Sopranos,") Adrianne Palicki (from "John Wick" and "The Orville",) Peter Macon and Jessica Szohr (from "The Orville,") Joe Pantoliano (from "The Sopranos" and "The Goonies",) Phil LaMarr (from "Futurama" and "Justice League",) Susan Eisenberg (from "Justice League" and "Star Wars: Force Unleased) and Marty Grabstein (from "Courage The Cowardly Dog").

Comic book creators and artists including John Romita Jr. (from "Spider-Man, "X-Men" and "Superman,") Garth Ennis (from "The Boys" and "The Punisher") and Esad Ribic (from "Thor,") will also be in attendance, among several others.

Some of the creators and actors will be hosting panels throughout the day to talk about their respective franchises. Attendees can pay for photo ops, autographs, selfies and voiceovers with some of the actors. Aside from panels, guests can also participate in lightsaber training, "Magic the Gathering" card games and video game tournaments.

Attendees are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters while they explore the expo. There will be a costume contest with awards for categories like Best in Show, Most Original and Fan's choice, where guests can win prizes like cash, Mohegan Sun Hotel stays or show passes.

Collectibles like comics, trading cards, artwork and toys will be available for purchase from around 350 vendors, including Chris's Comics, Figureheadz, Heroes and Damsels, Seven Arts Gallery, Geeknami and Geek Boy Press.

Tickets for one day are $15 for kids 7 through 13 and $30 on Friday, $35 on Saturday and $33 on Sunday for adults. Passes that give guests access on all three days are on sale for $40 for children ages 7-13 and $87 for adults, according to Ticketmaster. Children 7 and under are free.
The President Muhammadu Buhari, arrived at his official residence at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday at 09:00 pm. Journalists who were ...

The President Muhammadu Buhari, arrived at his official residence at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday at 09:00 pm.





Journalists who were on the ground spotted a retinue of escorts conveying Buhari into the premises from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.





Hours earlier, The President had been in Liberia where he was a Special Guest at the countrys 175th independence anniversary.





In his goodwill message, Buhari stressed that the deepening of democracy and good governance are essential antidotes to unconstitutional change of governments in Africa.





He also called on West African leaders to do their best possible to conduct elections in an atmosphere of trust, freedom and transparency.





This, he argued, is the only way the sub-region can be insulated from the scourge of unconstitutional takeovers recorded in Mali (2021), Guinea (2021) and Burkina Faso (2022).





Buharis visit to Liberia becomes his 13th foreign trip in the past six months.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday shifted till August 12, a suit instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the p...

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday shifted till August 12, a suit instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the propriety of the substitution of the running mates for the All Progress Congress (APC) and Labour Party.

The running mates whose substitution is being challenged by PDP are Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe for APC and Labour Party respectively.

In the suit filed by Gordy Uche SAN, on behalf of PDP, the party is claiming that the Electoral Act 2022 did not make provision for a place holder or temporary running mate and that time for resignation, withdrawal or substitution of presidential candidates.

PDP is also contending that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate and Peter Obi, Labour Partys presidential candidates can only qualify to contest the 2023 presidential election with Masari and Okupe, as their respective running mates.

The plaintiff further claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, lacked the power to accept any withdrawal or substitution of Masari and Okupe without APC and Labour Party conducting fresh primaries to substitute Tinubu and Peter Obi.

PDP averred that Masari and Okupe are not products of any primary election and as such were not validly nominated by APC and Labour Party.

PDP also stated that INEC cannot validly make any other election timetable for the change and substitution of Masari and Okupe as running mates to Tinubu and Peter Obi and that the candidacy of Tinubu and Obi are tied to Masari and Okupe and cannot be severed, altered or changed any day later than June 17, 2022.

At Tuesdays proceedings, PDP represented by Pius Damba Pius informed Justice Donatus Okorowo that his client has filed a motion on notice seeking to join more parties in the suit.

The counsel who held the brief of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Gordy Uche, further told the court that the motion on notice for joinder has been served on parties already on record.

The claim of service of the motion on the defendants was, however, disputed by the parties on record who claimed that they have not been served.

Mubarak Adekilekun who stood for APC, Peter Abba who stood for Tinubu and Masari as well as other defendants told the Judge that they have filed counter affidavits challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit and pleaded with Justice Okorowo to first entertain the opposition before proceeding to the substantive matter.

Due to lack of service of joinder motion on the parties, Justice Okorowo fixed August 12, to hear the matter and counselled the PDP to put its house in order before the adjourned date so as not to hinder the hearing.

Defendants in the suit with No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1016/2022 are INEC, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kabiru Masari, Labour Party, Peter Obi and Doyin Okupe and 1st to 7th defendants respectively.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliate unions on Tuesday defied warnings by the Federal Government and took to the streets of major...

The Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliate unions on Tuesday defied warnings by the Federal Government and took to the streets of major cities in the country to protest against the failure of the Federal Government to resolve the five-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Specifically, the NLC said the money the two major political parties  the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party  generated from the sale of forms to aspirants could address ASUUs demands.

In Akwa Ibom, Uche Nweke who represented the NLC National Chairman, Ayuba Wabba, faulted excuses that there were no funds to meet the demands of the university workers.

The money the two major parties realised from the sale of nomination forms would be enough to put ASUU, universities on their feet. We the Nigerian workers are the most understanding people. We call on the national leadership to listen to voice of reason, whatever it takes they should send our children back to school he said

Apart from Akwa Ibom, other states which witnessed protests included Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Enugu, Benue, Sokoto, Lagos and Plateau.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, last week had claimed that a security report also sent to his office by the Department of State Services, strongly warned against holding the protest.

Also, Ngige had in an interview with Channels Television in March said government did not have money to meet ASUUs demands, which included revitalisation funds for universities.

He stated, The N1.3trillion you are talking about was promised by the (Goodluck) Jonathan government. Oil was selling between $100 to $120 per barrel then and the revenue of the federation was rich.

However, the unionists expressed their anger over the Federal Governments inability to address their grievances, adding that it had become necessary for the current government to leave.

The university lecturers had shut down public institutions on February 14 over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the agreements it made with ASUU in 2009 as well as the refusal of the current administration to exempt lecturers from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

ASUU had also asked the government to increase funding of tertiary institutions and pay outstanding allowances.

The NLC president during a chat with journalists in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom, had earlier said the protest would be against government actions that led to the strike.

On Tuesday, labour union members, National Union of Air Transport Employees and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, civil society groups, and other affiliate unions gathered under the Ikeja Bridge in Lagos causing traffic congestion.

The teeming protesters expressed their concerns in songs and placards, some of which read; Stop importation of petrol. Revive the refineries; IPPIS destroys our refineries. Adopt UTAS now; Reduce the cost of governance. Save the masses from poverty and hunger; Stop the looting, Tax the rich and subsidise the poor; among others.

The Lagos NLC Chairman, Agnes Sessi, accused the Federal Government of neglecting education.

Its been almost a year. Our children are still at home. An idle hand is the devils workshop. Children who are not engaged will become internet fraudsters and prostitutes, she added.

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), who also took part in the protest, asked the Federal Government to invest the recovered loot in education.

We are telling the government, enough is enough. Let them stop deceiving our people, they have money. Buhari should collect money from 10 looters to resolve this problem. Just last week, one of them stole N119bn and others have stolen more.

In Abuja, they are using dollars to pay delegates and are distributing millions of dollars under the Central Bank of Nigerias watch.

Falana said rather than stay at home to fix the countrys problems, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), continued to engage in irrelevant travel like his recent trip to Liberia.

Also speaking, ASUU Zonal chairman, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, said Nigerians must join hands to force the governments hand.

The protesters, who marched from the Ikeja Bridge to the Lagos State Governors office, submitted a letter  which contained all their demands  to the governor

The Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs Ponle Ajibola, received the letter from NLC Chairman, on behalf of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Others who took part in the protest were: The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, Nigeria Union of Teachers, The Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria and other affiliate unions of NLC were at the protest.

The NLC President, Wabba, also said that the workers union would embark on a three-day nationwide strike should the Federal Government fail to accede to the demands of ASUU after the ongoing two-days warning protests.

Wabba who spoke in an interview with Channels TV, also stated that the workers union embarked on a two-day protest against the ongoing ASUU strike not just as a show of solidarity, but because the strike directly affects the NLC.
Nigerians on social media on Wednesday, reacted to the apology posted by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila via ...

Nigerians on social media on Wednesday, reacted to the apology posted by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila via his official twitter handle.





The speaker had apologised for posting pictures of himself attending a leadership course in Havard University in the United State of America.





He came under fire due to his post which many considered as insensitive as a result of the shutdown of academic activities in Nigerian universities due to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.





During Gbajabiamilas tenure as speaker, Nigeria witnessed one of its longest ASUU strike in 2020, the strike lasted for nine months.





But the speaker apologized by saying his tweet was not meant to mock Nigerian students who have been at home for months.





However, some Nigerians admonished the speaker to quit his studentship at the US based university and enroll in a Nigerian university.

A twitter user, Jide Omiyale tweeted, We accept ur apology and explanation, but more needs to be done. You could have undertaken ur course at OAU rather than the FX investment in Harvard.





What benefit is it to Nigerians except you alone. With all you said, I expect you to be at the front to resolve the ASUU matter as soon as possible, to show your love more.





Another twitter user, @deenfresh said, Withdraw from @Harvard and enroll in one of the leadership courses we have in Nigerian Universities (ABU Zaria, Unilag, Uniben etc).





This is the only way to show that you are with Nigerians. @femigbaja, do you think that Nigerian universities are meant for the less privileged?





Another twitter user, @abiolaasekun tweeted, Nigeria is a nation on its own. Does the apology change policies of government or stem the root in government.





1Apology is not needed, we need mindful leaders; policies on education like we had during Awolowo era, that enabled the child of nobody to get education and become somebody.
The police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos State have arrested a taxi driver who assaulted a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer. A...





The police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos State have arrested a taxi driver who assaulted a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer.





A statement by Public Education Officer, Olabisi Sonusi said the incident occurred Sept. 28, 2021.





Agboola Alabi was declared wanted after Marshal FW Igwe sustained injuries on Wempco Road, near Sunday Market in Ogba.





Alabi was arrested on July 25 on Ketu-Ikorodu road near Owode-Onirin, 10 months after absconding.





Lagos FRSC Commander, Olusegun Ogungbemide was quoted saying the offender was handed over to the police Area G office in Ogba.





His vehicle, a Volvo wagon with registration number DE 179 MUS, has been impounded for legal action.





Ogungbemide commended the police for the diligence shown in securing the offenders arrest.





The arrest is an indication that more than ever before, security agencies in the State are determined to collaborate to ensure that no criminal-minded person escapes the law, he said.





The commander assured the intelligence community that the FRSC would continue to collaborate and share information.
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Charles Crawford woke up in the middle of the night to a flash of light and the smell of something burning. The abandoned house next door to the duplex he rented in Central City was on fire, and the flames were spreading fast.

He shouted to his housemate, Edith Romero, and her visiting friend, and all three rushed outside of the house at Baronne and First streets, each grabbing nothing but a pair of shoes and a backpack. Crawford called 911 and waited for firefighters to arrive.

It was just unreal, Crawford, 29, said of the July 19 ordeal. It was a lot of just trying to be as present and as capable as I could at the moment.

Crawfords neighbors on the other side of the abandoned house, Mollie Ortega, 29, and Omar Ortega, 28, heard one of their dogs barking and got out of bed to look outside. They saw flames and left their home. The couple, who had planned to move to San Antonio, Texas, later that morning, had to push their trip back.

Each resident returned to the debris of the fire the next morning to find hardly anything left.

Now, one week removed from the tragedy, their friends and acquaintainces are rallying around those who lost everything, in hopes of encouraging them to move forward. The cause of the four-alarm fire, which drew 69 New Orleans firefighters and 24 Fire Department vehicles, is still under investigation, the Fire Department says.

Making do, moving on

Crawford, 29, and his housemate, Edith Romero, 29, both graduate students at Tulane University, are now staying with friends as they search for another place to live. Romero said that once they find a place to rent, shell be sure to get renters insurance, which she didn't have this time.

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It's crazy to wake up and be like, I have no home. And be like, I have no socks or a toothbrush. Then there's the uncertainty: "Am I going to be safe? Is it going to be OK? Romero said.

Mollie Ortega went to her mother's house in Metairie later on morning of the fire but was able to go back with her husband that afternoon to salvage what she could. The couple was met with a ladder, which they had left in the backyard, propped up against their bedroom window. Her husbands backpack and wireless listening devices were gone from the home, and the couple thinks someone broke in.

It was an absolute whirlwind, Mollie Ortega said.

The Ortegas managed to move to San Antonio the day after the fire, but with only 15 of the 40 boxes they had packed and none of their furniture. They've since created a wish list of things they want, as well as a GoFundMe, and they have already been able to replace much, Mollie Ortega said.

Its amazing how much these people care about us and each other, she said of her community.

Romero, who recently lost her job as a health care clinician, and who also has a GoFundMe with her housemates, said that the way people have cared for her since the fire has brightened her outlook.

I have so much more hope for humanity now than I had before, she said.
Joe Ramos, a renowned cancer biology researcher, has been selected as the new director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center. Ramos was welcomed by Gov. John Bel Edwards and the heads of several medical institutions on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at the Center's laboratory in New Orleans.
The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com asked New Orleanians how the rise in crime has changed their lives and their routines, their suggestions for w
Species of the horse genus Equus first appeared on the North American continent during the Pliocene era and spread to and across Eurasia beginning around 2.5 million years ago. They disappeared from the Western Hemisphere during the megafauna extinction event at the end of the Pleistocene and the last glacial period. The return of equids to the Americas through the introduction of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) is documented in the historical literature but is not explored fully either archaeologically or genetically. Historical documents suggest that the first domestic horses were brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caribbean in the late 15th century CE, but archaeological remains of these early introductions are rare. In new research, scientists from the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Georgia Museum of Natural History sequenced the mitochondrial genome of a 16th century horse from the Spanish colonial site of Puerto Real, northern Haiti.

Located on the island of Hispaniola, the town of Puerto Real was one of Spains first colonized settlements.

It was established in 1507 and served for decades as the last port of call for ships sailing from the Caribbean.

But rampant piracy and the rise of illegal trade in the 16th century forced the Spanish to consolidate their power elsewhere on the island, and in 1578, residents were ordered to evacuate Puerto Real. The abandoned town was destroyed the following year by Spanish officials.

The remnants of the once-bustling port were inadvertently rediscovered by the medical missionary William Hodges in 1975.

Archaeological excavations of the site led by the Florida Museum of Natural Historys Dr. Kathleen Deagan were carried out between 1979 and 1990.

Horse fossils and associated artifacts were incredibly rare at Puerto Real and similar sites from the time period.

Horses were reserved for individuals of high status, and owning one was a sign of prestige, said lead author Dr. Nicolas Delsol, a researcher at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

There are full-page descriptions of horses in the documents that chronicle the arrival of Hernan Cortes in Mexico, demonstrating how important they were to the Spanish.

In a new study, Dr. Delsol and his colleagues examined a tooth fragment, originally misidentified as cow, found at Puerto Real.

They sequenced the mitochondrial genome, not only allowing for a correct identification, but also making this the earliest known complete mitogenome of a post-Columbian domestic horse in the Americas.

According to the team, this horse belongs to a genetic lineage called equine haplogroup A, whose members are well known from Southern Europe, supporting the hypothesis that they originated on the Iberian Peninsula.

Furthermore, this horses closest living relatives are the feral ponies of Chincoteague Island, Virginia, said by local folk stories to have become stranded after a Spanish shipwreck.

Although the study presents only a single mitochondrial genome, the authors suggest the results are significant in multiple respects.

First, this horses position within a common Iberian lineage supports documentation of the Iberian Peninsula as the source of many early American domestic horses.

Second, the relationships between this horse and others in the Americas will help clarify our understanding of the path horses took as they colonized the Americas.

Our study highlights how ancient DNA can help us understand cultural and historical processes, not only in the remote past but also in understudied episodes of more recent history, the authors said.

The analysis of the introduction of European domesticates (e.g. the horse) in the Americas is such a fascinating yet understudied topic.

Our results support the Iberian origins of these animals but they also highlight another narrative: the exploration of the mid-Atlantic coast by the Spanish early during the colonial period.

The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.

_____

N. Delsol et al. 2022. Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti. PLoS ONE 17 (7): e0270600; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270600
Twitter leaker Yogesh Brar has shed light on the entire Redmi K50s Pro spec sheet. It will feature a 6.67-inch 120 Hz OLED screen, a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, 200 MP triple rear cameras and a 5,000 mAh battery with 120 W fast charging.

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Earlier this month, the Redmi K50s Pro got certified by the Chinese regulatory body 3C. As the name suggests, it is a refreshed version of the Redmi K50 Pro launched earlier this year. It does, however, bring forth some significant hardware improvements, which have been revealed by the Twitter leaker Yogesh Brar.

For starters, the Redmi K50s Pro will be one of the many Xiaomi-branded devices to run the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. Its predecessor, on the other hand, employed a MediaTek Dimensity 9000. Another major upgrade that the Redmi K50s Pro is slated to bring forth is in the camera department. It will be one of the first smartphones to feature Samsung's 200 MP camera sensor, a bog-standard 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2 MP macro/depth sensor, and a 20 MP selfie camera.

The Redmi K50s Pro will reuse the same 6.67-inch FHD+ 120 Hz OLED HDR10+ panel found on its non-S sibling. Similarly, it will be configurable with up to 12 GB of memory and 256 GB of internal storage. The smartphone will draw power from a 5,000 mah battery that supports 120 W fast charging, feature an under-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication and run Android 12 customized with MIUI 13.

Yogesh states that these Redmi K50s Pro specs are rumours and could change at the last moment. Redmi could, in all likelihood, substitute the 200 MP sensor with a 108 MP module, but everything else could likely remain the same. The prospects of an "Ultra" branded Redmi K50s device being launched are quite low, so the Redmi K50s Pro is likely to offer the best hardware in the series.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not gone down well with the erstwhile Soviet Bloc which is now drifting towards NATO

by Ashok K Mehta

For the last three weeks, I have been traveling in former Czechoslovakia (the Czech Republic and Slovakia now) and areas south including Hungary and Serbia. What stands out is that except for Serbia which has maintained strong ties with Russia and China, other countries in Europe especially those from the former Soviet Bloc have become united in their wholesome support for Ukraine which has strengthened Nato and united European Union.

Scorching summer temperatures make climate change hazards inevitable. But for now, all eyes are on Ukraine as its flag and mostly women and children have found space in some of these anti-migrant countries. Take Praha (Prague) in the Czech Republic with a population of 1 mn. It has taken 400,000 Ukrainian refugees but none from Afghanistan and Syria. To its credit and unlike many other countries, it brought along 150 Afghans (and families) who were helping its military contingent there after Kabul was overpowered by the Taliban last year.

It is unspoken anti-Muslim and the reason why it is free of any form of terrorism. Entry for anyone with an Islamic name, even from friendly countries like India, is not easy. One of the grandest crown jewels of Europe it hosts more tourists than its residents. Public transport of high excellence is free for all including tourists above 60. Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is an hour by train from Vienna which runs to the minute.What is noticeable is Soviet/Russian influence in Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, former Czechoslovakia, and other countries which were part of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. Their economies are not as developed as west Europe but the EU and the democratic spirit and values, they say, will certainly help their rise. Bulgaria is the poorest, struggling to weed out corruption and lethargy. Their Soviet connection makes them relevant and important for India's legacy Russian military equipment still in its inventory.

Russia has made India highly dependent on not just equipment and armaments but also spare parts, maintenance, and equipment upgrades. Although these countries are gradually converting from Russian to Nato standard equipment, they still have a high number of Russian weapons. They have taken hold of blueprints of Soviet equipment and continued to manufacture the ammunition and accessories that India is importing. Indian military delegations visit these countries to test and examine spares and maintenance equipment at the source for quality and reliability. Slowly we are weaning away from Russian equipment in favor of western, especially the US, Israeli and European armament.

Serbia was the heart and glue of former Yugoslavia. It is a very special country in this region. Under its dynamic leader Tito, it initiated and navigated the nonaligned movement along with India, Egypt, Indonesia, and others. It is the only country that balances its relations effectively with Russia and China alongside the EU. It has applied for EU membership but not Nato and probably will not join it though it cooperates with the Nato Advanced Office in Beograd. It retains its strategic autonomy. For the first time, China has supplied arms to a European country, Serbia - its latest air defense system. In many respects, Serbia and India play the same Swing Game with differing degrees of success.

Besides their preoccupation with COVID and climate change, the war in Ukraine dominates the mind-game, especially among former Soviet republics. On 24 February it was Ukraine. Will Czech be next? Or Hungary? People worry. The longevity of the war in Ukraine is a big uncertainty in Europe. Even if Putin decides to unilaterally end hostilities, Ukraine and its backers including the military-industrial complex are thriving may not. Ukraine has received more weapons than it has the personnel to employ them. Former Warsaw Pact countries have donated mostly their older Soviet weapons. Not all are supporters of Ukraine which has had problems with Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

During his recent visits to Czech Republic and Slovakia S Jaishankar was unable to convince his listeners in Bratislava and Praha, why India had not voted against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. People I met there said they had hoped that at least on one of the six times countries voted in the UN, India would vote at least once against Russia- at the UN Human Rights Council on humanitarian issues. They said while India has convinced itself of its choices, others are not convinced that it has followed the correct path. It appears India has not been able to make its case on Ukraine. "You are on the same side as China which has supported Russia. But you have serious challenges with it on your border" they comment. Europe has some 50 votes and these countries matter for their technologies and markets. India has to work harder to capture these assets in Europe and secure a favorable FTA.

(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal.)
The family of Ridge Alkonis, a U.S. Navy lieutenant who was sentenced in Japan to three years prison over a deadly car accident he was involved in last year, is calling on lawmakers and the White House to help bring him home.

Brittany Alkonis, the wife of the 34-year-old specialist in undersea warfare and acoustic engineering who has spent nearly seven years in Japan as a civilian volunteer and naval officer, told Fox News on July 26 that she made contact with Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago who was appointed by President Joe Biden as U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

So, it was a phone call, but I think it was a good one, she told the network, referring to her conversation with Emanuel. He does have a good relationship with President Biden and Im hopeful that that relationship will turn into my husband coming home.

Along with Emanuel, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has also called for Alkoniss release, saying the naval officers case is no way for a friendly nation to treat a friendly nation.

I find it nothing short of inexcusable that an American who experienced a medical emergency should be treated so poorly by an Allied nation that hes protecting, Lee said.

Clearly the Japanese judicial system is trying to make an example of Lt. Alkonisperhaps stemming from a history of disputes over our Status of Forces Agreement, he added. He is being targeted because he is an Americanand because he was in the unfortunate position of having suffered a medical emergency that resulted in tragedy.

Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said hes deeply concerned over the Japanese governments handling of Lt. Ridge Alkonis [and his case], adding that his office is working with the Pentagon to support Alkoniss family.

I will not be giving up on Lt. Alkonis and the Department of Defense must not either, he said.

In May 2021, Alkonis abruptly lost consciousness in his car after hiking and sightseeing on Mount Fuji with his family. They had climbed a portion of the mountain and were back in the car, heading to lunch and ice cream.

Alkonis was talking with his then-7-year-old daughter when his family says he suddenly fell unconscious behind the wheel. He was so out of it, they say, that neither his daughters screams to wake him up nor the impact of the collision roused him.

While he was incapacitated, the car veered into parked cars and pedestrians in a parking lot, striking an elderly woman and her son-in-law, both of whom later died. After the crash, he was arrested by Japanese authorities and held for 26 days in solitary confinement at a police detention facility, interrogated multiple times a day and was not given medical treatment or evaluation, according to a statement of facts provided by a family spokesman.

Alkonis was indicted on a charge of negligent driving, resulting in death, and sentenced last October to three years in prison. The charge carries up to seven years imprisonment in Japan. He has appealed the case.

English-language court records obtained by The Associated Press show that the judge expressed skepticism over the mountain sickness claim, citing an initial statement from Alkonis to police in which he said he felt drowsy after driving through mountainous curves.

Neurologists eventually diagnosed him with Acute Mountain Sickness, which can cause sudden fainting up to 24 hours after rapid altitudinal change.

However, Japanese prosecutors and the judge who sentenced him said that though it was conceivable Alkonis was suffering from light mountain sickness, it was difficult to imagine he went from not feeling drowsy at all to becoming suddenly incapacitated.

Meanwhile, Alkonis family told Fox News in June that their son had committed to offering a customary gomenasaior apologyto the family of victims and paid a record $1.65 million gomenasai settlement, a highly valued custom in Japans justice system to show remorse. However, the naval officer was still sentenced.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Google is moving into the Thompson Center, the iconic state building in downtown Chicago, officials announced Wednesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state is selling the building to a developer for $30 million in cash and also getting another downtown building valued at $75 million.

Google, which has more than 1,800 employees in Chicago, said it will eventually control the building after a major renovation and occupy it by 2026.

The Thompson Center gives us a presence in the central business district, enabling us to get in on the ground floor of revitalizing the Loop with its unparalleled access to public transit, which is so important to todays hybrid workforce, said Karen Sauder, Google's president of global clients and agency solutions.

The Thompson Center, a hulking all-glass building designed by Helmut Jahn, opened in 1985 as the State of Illinois Center. It was renamed in 1993 for James Big Jim Thompson, who served as governor from 1977-91.

JRTC Holdings LLC will renovate the Thompson Center to meet Google's needs.

The state, meanwhile, will move nearly 1,800 employees from the Thompson Center and other downtown office space to the newly acquired building on South LaSalle Street.

This transformative agreement will save our taxpayers nearly a billion dollars over the next thirty years and further Chicagos reputation as one of the great tech hubs not just of the United States, but of the world, Pritzker said.
Public security and its emergency law accompaniment are tools that can in many instances legalise executive action which would otherwise be considered illegal under the rule of law.

by Mass L. Usuf

What an irony? Presidents of other nations receive greetings, good wishes and congratulatory messages upon assuming the Office of Presidency of their country. Deservedly, to an unpopular President by default in Sri Lanka, what he received were messages of condemnation, twenty-four hours after assuming office.

The international community was quick to react to the brutal, vicious and merciless assault on peaceful civilians in Gotagogama in Galle Face Green, come dawn 22 July, by a contingent of heavily armed soldiers. This was a totally unprovoked attack. Certainly, a show of the arbitrary use of power and display of highhandedness on the innocent, unarmed and non-violent citizens of this country.

This is a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens enshrined in the Constitution. The same Constitution which the incumbent President on 21 July, solemnly declared and affirmed to faithfully perform the duties and discharge the functions of his office. This President also in his oath undertook to uphold and defend the Constitution. It is this very Constitution and this very oath that President Ranil Wickremasinghe disgracefully violated, when he unleashed the armed forces and the Police to attack the civilian population of this country. This is an act exceedingly abusing the purpose for which such power and authority had been conferred on that office.

Every citizen is entitled to express his views and opinions either individually or in association and these are considered basic principles of human rights in a democratic society. Specifically, Article 14 (1) (a) to (i) of the Constitution clearly states that every citizen is entitled to freedom of speech and expression including publication, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and among other things, the freedom of movement. These are fundamental rights conferred on the citizens in order to enable them to protest and demonstrate against wrong doings by public functionaries. They have the right to publicly express their voice of dissent against any authority and that includes the Lord and Master Ranil Wickremasinghe. It is important to note that the right to assemble, associate and move are all part of this entrenched list of citizens rights.

The Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said that Wickremesinghe had come into power stating that he would protect the Constitution. However, within 24-hours of his appointment, Wickremesinghe had violated the Fundamental Rights of the people.

Abusive Use Of PSO

Public Security Ordnance is a mechanism devised to protect the nation and its people at a time of emergency. It can be a threat to the life of the nation by external aggression or internal disturbance or even a natural disaster. Such powers bestowed on the executive by-passing legislative oversight are exceptional circumstances.

By virtue of the powers vested in the President by Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance (PSO) of 1947, as amended by Act No. 8 of 1959, Law No. 6 of 1978 and Act No. 28 of 1988, he has the power to declare a state of emergency by a proclamation to that effect. Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance (PSO) of 1947, provides the circumstance under which a state of emergency may be declared by the President. One important aspect for consideration prior to such a proclamation is that it is expedient so to do in the interests of public security and the preservation of public order

Terrorising The Innocents

If the PSO was invoked by the President for purposes of public security and the preservation of public order, what in fact he had deliberately facilitated was the terrorising of the unsuspecting innocent public in the early hours of that day. The State itself, with its machineries of force and intimidation, had been the primary source of public insecurity and not the civilians sleeping in Galle Face green. The State did not preserve public order on the contrary it disturbed public order.

Mainstream news channels widely reported the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) condemning the incident and calling it a brutal and despicable attack and that it is a total violation of the fundamental rights of the people by the actions of Executive. The HRCSL urged the government to identify the perpetrators and take appropriate action against them.

Among the target of this unrestrained attack were also journalists, other media personnel, women, differently able persons and religious dignitaries. The extent of the violent onslaught by the armed forces and their total indifference to the law of the country were manifested when even lawyers were brutally subjected to physical abuse. Reportedly scores of people in the Green have sustained grievous injuries.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka immediately issued a statement strongly and unreservedly condemning the use of force and violence. The statement further stated: It is apparent that hundreds of military personnel and police had blocked the access roads to Galle Face and prevented the public from entering the area. Attorneys-at-Law who tried to enter the area have been prevented from doing so by forces personnel. The BASL has been informed that at least two Attorneys-at-Law who sought to intervene in their professional capacity had been assaulted by service personnel. Video footage also shows unarmed civilians being assaulted by the security forces, The BASL demanded that President Ranil Wickremesinghe ensures that he and his government respect the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights of the people.

Rule By Gazette

The PSO cannot be used as a Machiavellian tool to oppress and suppress the freedom and liberties of the very people for whose protection these powers have been granted.

It is trite law that the State is the custodian of the fundamental rights of citizens therefore, the President, Public Officers, Police and the judiciary must do everything to uphold these fundamental rights. The Presidential directions should be such as only to impose minimum possible restrictions and not to ruthlessly brutalise protestors. When peaceful protestors are arrested and produced before the court, it becomes the duty of the Court to test the legality and validity of such arbitrary action, misusing the power given to the holder of that office, when an order is given preventing or stifling citizens from protesting.

Public security and its emergency law accompaniment are tools that can in many instances legalise executive action which would otherwise be considered illegal under the rule of law.

The past has provided several instances when the Pubic Security Act or Emergency Regulations had been invoked culminating in abuse of authority and depriving the citizens of their basic rights. This is an instrument which has been legally made available to governments to be used for the benefit of the country and its citizens. While many have used it for the purpose it was designed for, there are also those who have gone beyond by suppressing civil liberties, fundamental rights and imposing press censorship. There also hovers the fear that the freedoms of expression and the right for peaceful assembly of the people will be hindered by the misuse of the draconian and notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act which can be brought to bear on the protestors. Experience bears testimony as to how powers have been used by the executive to the extent of near unaccountability and abuse of authority.

Juristically, the extent to which these rights are fostered indicate that legitimate dissent as one of the distinguishable features of any democracy. There is no questioning of whether the issue raised by the protestors is right or wrong or it is justified or unjustified. The fundamental aspect that has to be emphasised is the basic right which is conferred upon the people in a democracy to voice their grievances.

*Mass L. Usuf, LL. B (Hons) UK, Attorney at Law (Ex-Advisor to former Presidential Private Department of UAE). Views expressed are personal
Jerry Davich Jerrys career began in 1995 as a political cartoonist/columnist with The Times of NWI, writing thousands of columns and stories through narrative storytelling, or shining a light on societys darkest corners, or provoking unpopular conversations. Follow Jerry Davich Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Mike Pennanen represents a substantial number of Region residents, as well as Hoosiers and Americans, regarding the thorny issue of abortion.

Can public opinion be neatly divided into two camps, those entirely pro-Roe and those entirely against? The loudest voices would lead us to think so, but polls point to a different conclusion, the Hammond man told me. Many of us find our place in a murky middle between those who shout the loudest.

The question is, how many is many and how many of these people will begin amplifying their feelings as Indiana lawmakers consider enacting a near-total abortion ban. Will this mostly silent majority in the murky middle emerge from the shadows to now voice their opinions or vote their core beliefs?

On Monday, we got a peek at this scenario when a special session of the Indiana General Assembly convened to discuss an issue that has been historically painted in black and white  pro-choice versus pro-life, or pro-abortion rights versus anti-abortion rights. Take your pick how you prefer to define these stances.

Pennanen, who describes himself as someone in that murky middle, is more interested in exploring the shaded hues of grayness about this topic.

It seems to me that, as a society, were struggling with how to regard the developing life in the womb, he said. To what lengths do we go to protect it?

Pennanen would err on the side of protecting vulnerable life  at any stage of the human journey  to the greatest extent possible. But since this is a kind of spiritual judgment without a general consensus, we struggle to properly legislate it, he said.

We might call my view pro-choice with reservations, Pennanen said.

I respect his honest self-description, and I wonder how many other readers feel the same way. I tend to have reservations about most complex topics too often painted with the broad brushstrokes of simplistic stereotyping or partisan politics, everything from religion and illegal immigration to homelessness and capital punishment.

I once wrote opposing back-to-back columns on the death penalty, from each side of the argument, after covering an execution at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Ive also written opposing columns on abortion, though my stance has not wavered throughout my lifetime. Im pro-choice.

Still, many people from the murky middle have changed their mind about this topic and other controversial ones. They evolve. They devolve. They experience challenging situations they didnt expect. They struggle with cognitive dissonance by attempting to balance two or more contradictory beliefs. Their brain tells them one thing, their heart tells them something different.

Even with the polarizing topic of abortion, there are detectable nuances.

After a certain point, even among those who support a degree of abortion rights, many have qualms about terminating the life of the fetus, Pennanen said. As messy as this is, and as unsatisfying as most of us would find it, maybe the reality is that we must find ways to compromise  to take us in a more humane direction overall.

I have no hope that we can reach such a compromise, legally or philosophically.

It may be the nature of the issue, and of our society, that this is the best we can do, Pennanen said.

He cited a Gallup poll showing a more nuanced breakdown of Americans viewpoints, with 67% saying abortion should be generally legal in the first three months, but only 36% supporting it in the second trimester, and 20% in the third trimester.

The polls suggest that as the fetus becomes ever more recognizably childlike, viewpoints shift, he said.

Yes, viewpoints can shift but many of us remain childlike with our opinions. What should be our end game? To stubbornly dig in our heels, or openly listen to counter arguments? Should we strictly obey biblical scripture or listen to the gospel of equality?

Since the birth of humankind, our slowly evolving species has had to choose to be either on the right side of history or the wrong side, regardless of our reasoning or religious dogma. The same choice holds true today with the issue of abortion.

On Monday, many of the loudest people from both sides converged at the Indiana Statehouse, including Vice President Kamala Harris, to voice their opinion on which side of history they stand.

The government should not be telling an individual what to do, especially as it relates to one of the most intimate and personal decisions a woman could make, Harris said.

Despite her appearance there, our state of Republican-majority lawmakers  the first to convene its Legislature in special session to address this topic  will likely enact a near-total abortion ban. Other loud voices showed up to lobby for an even stricter ban.

Hoosiers finally get the opportunity to have their voices heard in abortion policymaking, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

Shes referring, of course, to those Hoosiers who align with her organizations conservative stance. Im more interested in hearing the voices from those people lurking in the murky middle.

Now is the time for them to make a decision, take a stand, and start amplifying their opinion. Or at least vote their stance on Election Day.
CROWN POINT  A Hammond man was arrested Sunday on charges he gunned a man down in a children's play room as his family gathered to mourn the death of his relative's child.

Shavesz N. Johnson, 25, had been wanted since March 2021 on one count of murder in the homicide of Aaron Hawkins, 31, of Chicago Heights, on March 2, 2021, in the basement of a residence in the 2100 block of Vermont Street in Gary.

Johnson also is facing a firearm enhancement, which could add five to 20 years to any sentence he receives if he's convicted of murder. His case was unsealed Monday.

A Lake Criminal Court magistrate entered a not guilty plea on Johnson's behalf during an initial appearance. The magistrate also appointed a public defender to represent Johnson.

According to court records, Johnson arrived at a gathering where his relatives planned to release balloons for his aunt Jessica Johnson's child, who had died.

Witnesses told police Shavesz Johnson entered the home, hugged several relatives, walked up to Hawkins as he sat at a table and began shooting at Hawkins.

Hawkins ran into a room where children were playing and attempted to hide in a closet, but Johnson followed him and fired the gun at him several more times, according to court records.

As Hawkins his in the closet with his hands covering his head, Johnson yelled, "Oh, you thought we were cool," documents allege.

Witnesses told police Johnson walked out of the bedroom and apologized to the dead child's mother before fleeing the residence.

Jessica Johnson, 30, of Gary, was shot and killed April 25, 2021, in the 500 block of East 103rd Street in Chicago, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Her boyfriend, Edward Roscoe, 29, of Chicago, was charged in December in Houston on one count of murder linked to her homicide, Chicago police said.

Charging documents in Roscoe's case said Jessica Johnson's 4-month-old boy died of a skull fracture in December 2020 after Roscoe dropped the child, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Roscoe has not been charged in Lake Criminal Court in connection with the baby's death, records showed.
HAMMOND  A federal judge has sentenced two members of a violent street gang to prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon imposed a 23-year prison term Monday morning on Eduardo "Lalo" Diaz-Corral, 23, of Calumet City.

The judge then ordered a 19.5-year sentence later Monday afternoon for Gustavo Barkley Colunga, 29, of Hammond.

Both men pleaded guilty three years ago to being part of a racketeering conspiracy as members of the Latin Dragon Nation, a street gang based in Chicago with ties to Northwest Indiana.

They were among 19 men and women the U.S. Attorney and other federal investigators arrested and charged four years ago with trafficking illicit drugs and firearms for more than a decade.

The two men also were charged with murdering or attempting to murder rival street-gang members in a mission to protect the gangs illicit trade.

The U.S. Attorneys office prosecutors have won convictions of all 19, and prison terms for all but four of them, ranging from five to 35 years.

Diaz-Corral was charged with murder in aid of racketeering activity for his alleged role in the killing of Paul Cruz, a Chicago man and rival gang member. Diaz-Corral also was charged with using firearms during crimes of violence.

Diaz-Corral had been facing a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he entered into a plea agreement in late summer 2019, giving up his right to make the government prove his guilt in return for leniency.

He admitted in his plea agreement he was responsible for the homicide of Cruz, 31, who was gunned down the afternoon of Nov. 20, 2016 in the 10300 block of South Avenue M, on Chicagos Southeast Side by men who pulled up in a SUV.

Colunga pleaded guilty in December 2019 to racketeering conspiracy charges that he was involved in a number of drive-by shootings including one on March 21, 2015.

In that crime, Delia Colunga, 23, of Chicago was fatally wounded in an attack in the 10900 block of South Green Bay, the same Chicago neighborhood where Cruz was killed.

Defense attorney Adam Tavitas, who represents Colunga, said, It was a fair sentence.
HAMMOND  A federal court jury convicted a Hammond man Tuesday night of helping plan a street-gang shootout that killed two innocent bystanders.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts Tuesday night against 33-year-old Eduardo Count Eddie Luciano for the June 29, 2015, homicides of 16-year-old Lauren Calvillo and 33-year-old Christopher White, both of Hammond.

Jurors also found Luciano guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity and conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana.

Jurors arrived at their guilty verdicts about 7 p.m. on the seventh day of a trial that revolved around a tragic chapter in the murderous rivalry among the Latin Counts, Latin Dragons, Latin Kings, Imperial Gangsters and Two Six Nation, who were competing for turf on which to sell illicit drugs.

A federal grand jury first indicted Luciano in 2018 as a member of the Latin Counts.

The government alleges Luciano planned to have other Latin Counts ambush rival Latin Kings members within a crowd of about 20 who had gathered around a makeshift memorial for a Latin King member who had been gunned down the previous day.

Authorities say Latin Counts members traveled to the intersection of Kane Street and Wood Avenue near Hammonds Jacobs Square neighborhood and opened fire on a group.

At least one Latin King returned fire with a handgun.

Calvillo, a junior at Hammond High School, was fatally hit in the chest while sitting on her front porch in the 5500 block of Beall Avenue in Hammond as she was attempting to shepherd neighborhood children into her home to take cover.

White, who was visiting family on Bealle Avenue, was shot in front of the family members home. He died less than six months later at a Dyer nursing home.

Defense attorney John Cantrell denied his client had any involvement in that crime. He said Luciano wasnt present at the shooting and the two homicide victims may have been shot by Latin Kings members, not the Latin Counts.

Previously, co-defendant and Latin Count member Ivan Reyes pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering.

Co-defendant Jeron Williams pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted his involvement in and responsibility for the Cavillo and White murders.

Co-defendant and Latin Count member Robert Loya pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. All three are awaiting sentencing.

Federal prosecutors also argued Luciano had a leadership role in the Jackson Street Latin Counts, a Hammond affiliate of the larger Chicago-based Latin Counts gang.

A federal indictment alleges Luciano procured firearms for other gang members and was involved in the illicit sale of marijuana and cocaine.

Ryan Holmes, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office, said in a prepared news release that this case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives/High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Hammond Police Department.

It also received assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Gang Response Investigative Team Task Force, Gary Police Department, Indiana State Police, East Chicago Police Department and Chicago Police Department.
CROWN POINT  The last of four defendants charged in the homicide of an East Chicago man whose body was found dumped in a Lake Station pond in 2019 pleaded guilty Friday and was placed on probation for two years.

Nathaniel J. Ostapchuk, 24, of Hammond, admitted to one count of assisting a criminal, a level 6 felony.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez accepted Ostapchuk's plea agreement and sentenced him to two years in jail, suspended in favor of probation.

Ostapchuk's sentencing marked the end of a case that began Dec. 1, 2019, when 34-year-old Erik Lozano was stabbed to death in the parking lot of a BMO Harris bank branch in East Chicago.

Christian O. Mora, 21, of East Chicago, pleaded guilty last fall to voluntary manslaughter, a level 2 felony, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Mora admitted in his plea agreement he stabbed Lozano about 20 times during an argument about money.

Police later found Lozano's body submerged in shallow water in Grand Boulevard Lake in Lake Station. The body had been doused in bleach and wrapped in garbage bags.

Casey Hall, 22, of Merrillville, was sentenced to two years in prison for helping place Lozano's body in the pond.

Adam Martin, 22, of Lake Station, pleaded guilty in March to helping put Lozano's body in a car and serving as a lookout while others dumped the body in the pond. Martin was sentenced in June to two years in jail, suspended in favor of probation.

Lozano's brother, Ruben Lozano, said during Mora's sentencing it was painful to learn his brother had been stabbed so many times, including once through the heart, and "disregarded as nothing."

"My brother was a good guy," he said. "He's going to be missed."
GARY  A Portage man was flown to a Chicago hospital Tuesday night after he was shot while driving in the city's Glen Park section and crashed into a home's front porch, police said.

Gary police were dispatched about 8:15 p.m. for a report of a crash in the 1100 block of E. 45th Ave., Cmdr. Jack Hamady said.

Officers arrived to find a 23-year-old man outside a red 2014 Honda that had hit a porch, he said. The man had a gunshot wound to his back.

While nonfatal shootings remained down this year compared with last year, homicide numbers were up.

Tuesday's case marked the 75th nonfatal shooting so far this year in Gary, compared with 99 at the same time last year, Hamady said.

The city had logged 34 homicides as of Wednesday, up from 25 at the same time last year.

Anyone with information about Tuesday's shooting is asked to call Detective Sgt. Mark Salazar at 219-881-1209. To remain anonymous, call 866-CRIME-GP.
"I realize $40,000 is a lot of money. I'm not disregarding that, but when you look around the state and you look at other communities and the guidance we received; on average you should budget anywhere from 6 to 10% of an average grant for administration," Lyp said.

Council President Casey Schmidt, R-3, said working with consultants now will help the city follow the correct procedure "so we don't run into any problems down the road, which would essentially cost us a lot more money."
The future of One America News, which established itself as a powerful voice in conservative media by promoting some of the most outlandish falsehoods about the 2020 election, is in serious doubt as major carriers drop it from their lineups and defamation lawsuits threaten to drain its finances.

By the end of this week, the cable network will have lost its presence in some 20 million homes this year. The most recent blow came from Verizon, which will stop carrying OAN on its Fios television service starting Saturday. That will starve the network of a major stream of revenue: the fees it collects from Verizon, which counts roughly 3.5 million cable subscribers. In April, OAN was dropped by AT&Ts DirecTV, which has about 15 million subscribers.

OANs remaining audience will be small. The network will soon be available only to a few hundred thousand people who subscribe to smaller cable providers, such as Frontier and GCI Liberty, said Scott Robson, a senior research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence. OAN also sells its programming directly to users through its OAN Live and KlowdTV streaming platforms, but those products most likely provide a fraction of the revenue generated by traditional TV providers.
SAN FRANCISCO  In 2014, Twitter began building a system that would record when its employees viewed user information. It wasnt long before the system triggered alarm bells.

The new technology revealed that two Twitter employees had looked at the personal information of dissidents who criticized the Saudi Arabian government, a Twitter security executive testified Tuesday. But the logs also showed that the employees viewed information tied to other accounts, including the official account of King Salman and those that shared news from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Certainly it raised some red flags, said Seth Wilson, the director of information security at Twitter.
Hello from the final week of July! Summer is fully in swing  are you eating your daily ice cream?  and the requests keep coming. This week, Im helping a reader who will be in town for the U.S. Open and needs recommendations for where to dine in Manhattan and on the way back from the stadium in Flushing. Also, a reader is searching for great tamales in the Village, and another wants to eat whole lobster without breaking the bank.

Please send your own questions and recommendations to wheretoeat@nytimes.com, and you may see them shared here. And, most important, stay cool!
INTERNATIONAL

Because of an editing error, an article on Tuesday about Russias decision to reduce gas deliveries to Germany misstated the sea under which the Nord Stream 1 pipeline runs. It is the Baltic Sea, not the North Sea.

NATIONAL

An article on Tuesday about increased pressure on Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to move more quickly in the Justice Departments investigation of former President Donald J. Trump referred incorrectly to Mr. Garlands tenure as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He served on the court for nearly 23 years, not seven.

ARTS

A theater review on Monday of Anton Chekhovs The Seagull misidentified one character, Paulina. Paulina is Mashas mother, not Ninas. The article also referred imprecisely to the character of Irina. She is an actress, not a former actress.
Since then, the conditions appear to have deteriorated further. The foreign currency challenges spurred by the war in Ukraine and broader economic uncertainty cost Microsoft $595 million in the quarter as it converted sales in Europe, Japan and elsewhere back into U.S. dollars. And production slowdowns of personal computers in China and falling consumer demand caused a decline of more than $300 million in sales of its Windows operating system that comes preinstalled on new computers.

A slowdown in advertising spending on LinkedIn and on Microsofts search products caused more than a $100 million decline in revenue.

Were it not for currency problems, Microsofts flagship cloud computing platform, Azure, would have grown 46 percent. Instead, it grew 40 percent, short of what investors expected. Without the strengthening dollar, the companys two main enterprise lines of business, which it calls Productivity and Business Processes, and Intelligent Cloud, would have met the initial guidance it provided investors in April.

Commercial demand overall felt pretty healthy, Brett Iversen, Microsofts head of investor relations, said in an interview on Tuesday. The long-term thesis of people wanting to move to the cloud to digitize their business, to be able to do more or to be able to save money  all of that still feels intact.
Firefighters quickly contained and put out the fires, which had burned less than an acre, according to the Curry County Sheriffs Office. The authorities had a description of the man who set the fires from witnesses, and several agencies searched for him that afternoon. But it was the three Curry County residents who found him by a roadway near the fires, Sheriff John Ward of Curry County said in a statement.

Image Sheriff John Ward Credit... Curry County Sheriff's Office

The suspect became very combative with the three residents and had to be tied to a tree to subdue him, Sheriff Ward said. Mr. Smith was treated by an ambulance crew for injuries that he received from falling down, Sheriff Ward said. The suspect was charged with two counts of first-degree arson and one count of reckless burning.
Timothy Carey, 49, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and lives in Appleton, Wis., is one of four plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit. He said in an interview on Tuesday that he had voted absentee for 30 years, enlisting the help of a nurse or his parents to return his ballot. As someone who relies on a ventilator and cannot use his hands, he said a mandate that he return his own ballot presented a particular hardship.

I think that is shortsighted to not at least think about people with disabilities, said Mr. Carey, who uses his mouth to control his power wheelchair. Theyre not thinking about us.

Meagan Wolfe, the election commissions administrator, was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which cited her recent response to a reporters question about whether caretakers could return absentee ballots on behalf of voters.

As of right now, the voter is the one who is required to mail their ballot, Ms. Wolfe said during a July 14 news conference. She prefaced her answer by saying that voters should check with local election officials about the options available for returning ballots.
A former California correctional officer pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges, admitting that he had covered up the assault of two inmates, one of whom died, and then boasted about it in text messages.

The former officer, Arturo Pacheco, 40, of Elk Grove, Calif., pleaded guilty to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of falsifying records in a federal case. He could face up to 60 years in prison, but under a plea agreement, the government has agreed to recommend that he receive no more than 12 years and seven months when he is sentenced on Oct. 17.

A lawyer representing Mr. Pacheco did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Phillip A. Talbert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said he was glad to see that Mr. Pacheco was being held accountable for his actions.
A debate has long raged at universities and think tanks, through public diplomacy and state media outlets: Does democracy or an authoritarian system perform better in times of crisis?

There is no doubt as to democracys advantage on matters like individual rights or rule of law. Still, discussions about which system is more effective in addressing major national challenges draw heavy attention, especially given Chinas world-shaking rise and deepening frustration in the West over political infighting.

Now, two simultaneous crises  climate change and the pandemic  are putting governments to the test. Their performances are being scrutinized in a number of studies, with this result: While democracies do perform slightly better on average in dealing with these problems, neither democracy nor an authoritarian system has shown a clear and consistent edge.
If all goes to plan, a ship captain will weigh anchor at a wharf in Ukraines Odesa region in the coming days and steer a cargo vessel loaded with grain through the port before heading gingerly out into the Black Sea. A government vessel will lead the ship through a maze of mines and a rescue boat will follow.

Many eyes will be tracking the voyage. It would be the first since the signing of a deal last Friday to allow a resumption of Ukraines grain exports, which have been blocked since Russias invasion five months ago by Moscows dominance in the Black Sea and Kyivs decision to mine its southern ports to forestall a Russian amphibious assault.

Ukraine and Russia together supply more than a quarter of the worlds wheat, and Russia is also a major supplier of fertilizer. Ukraine is also a leading exporter of barley, corn and sunflower.
This is the second class of fellows in the program, which was established in 2020 as part of an effort to increase the visibility and elevate the voices of disabled artists. Originally conceived as an 18-month initiative, the foundations announced last year that they would commit an additional $5 million to support the program through 2025.

About one in four adults in the United States has a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dickie Hearts, a Deaf, gay and BIPOC actor and filmmaker known for his recurring role in Netflixs San Francisco-set series Tales of the City, said he hoped to use the funding to produce a live version of an original concept musical in American Sign Language that he had directed remotely on Zoom during the pandemic.

I would love to see more deaf people behind the scenes, as well as onscreen, he said in a video interview this week, which was conducted with the assistance of an ASL interpreter. I want to see more creative executives, deaf directors, executive producers and writers.
The following is an edited and condensed version of the conversation.

What pushed you to make this podcast?

I was inspired by the Krakoan era that [the X-Men writer and artist] Jonathan Hickman, my friend and client Tini Howard, and a number of other incredible writers had jump-started. It was a bold new era for the X-Men after the franchise had been downplayed for a long time. Theres lots of theories as to why, but I think fans did agree that it was not a great time for the X-Men. I think even writers and editors who worked on it during that time would agree that it wasnt the peak. Now were in a golden age.

The character format occurred to me in part because Tini was writing Excalibur, and Betsy Braddock was my favorite when I was a kid. So I was like, well, we could do the first episode on Betsy and I could have Tini on to talk about the book that shes doing. I wasnt expecting the response to me. I thought the guests were going to be the thing. It turns out people responded to me in a very flattering and appreciative way.

And talk about the guests. Youve had authors, comedians, a Pulitzer winner, an Emmy nominee.

Honestly, a lot of the time, my favorite episodes are the ones I do with fans who are not in the industry, who are just friends of mine or people Ive met through talking about the comics. Theres a joy, I think, in exploring what these stories can mean to readers specifically.
You know, say what you want, I love this pope. I really do. Yeah, because ever since he has come into office, or into power, or ever since he has gotten the gig, what do they even say? Whatever it is, he has done a really good job of trying to right the Catholic Churchs wrongs, you know? Hes reached out to other faiths, he said gay people can get into heaven, and dont forget he added a pop and lock to the sign of the cross.  TREVOR NOAH

And you know beyond the pope, the pope is great in all of this but you know who the heroes of the story are? The Indigenous people, yeah. For not just speaking to the pope but for forgiving him, even letting him wear their traditional headdress. That was amazing. It was gracious, you know? Unless they were just setting him up for a trap, you know? Like, We let bygones be bygones, please accept this headdress, snap photo, And youre canceled, mother [bleep]! We got you  cultural appropriation.  TREVOR NOAH

Now, apparently in addition to the apology the church has also agreed to pay a settlement for what they did, which I think is fantastic, especially on the tribe for actually insisting on it. Yeah, because so many peoples lives have been destroyed and a generation was thrust into poverty. So sorry is nice, but money goes a long way, yeah. In fact, you know what, they should put Im sorry in the caption of the Venmo payments, that is what they should do.  TREVOR NOAH
Romance has been up to its elbow-length gloves in inheritance problems since Longbourn was first entailed. Aristocratic titles, family fortunes and wills with unlikely marriage requirements are standard plot mechanisms by now, and theyre all over this months romances.

A CARIBBEAN HEIRESS IN PARIS (HQN, 368 pp., paper, $12.99) is Adriana Herreras first historical, and her larger-than-life characterization translates beautifully from the world of her contemporary romances. Fans of Sarah MacLeans Bombshell are sure to love the dazzle and drama of this series opener. And its grand to have a glimpse of belle epoque Paris in a romance; more of this, please!

The Dominican heiress Luz Alana Heith-Benzan is a rum distiller; Evan Sinclair makes whiskey and is the rebellious son of the Duke of Annan, a truly heinous human. Both our leads are in Paris for the Exposition Universelle, hoping to win acclaim for their products and expand their markets. Both are also dealing with complicated legal legacies that thwart their visions for the future. As is so often the way in romance, the solution is a marriage of convenience that both parties soon yearn to make a marriage in truth.
U.S. Senate passes $280 billion bill to counter China

In rare bipartisan fashion, the U.S. Senate passed an expansive $280 billion bill aimed at building up Americas manufacturing and technological edge to counter China.

The legislation would provide billions of dollars in subsidies for domestic manufacturers of semiconductors and fund scientific research into artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing  areas in which the U.S. fears it is falling behind China. It passed the chamber in a 64 to 33 vote and is expected to pass in the House with some Republican support.

The bills margin of approval illustrated how commercial and military competition with Beijing  and the promise of thousands of new American jobs  has drastically shifted party orthodoxies, generating agreement among Republicans who had eschewed market interventions and Democrats who had resisted showering big companies with federal largess.
During the second quarter, Boeing reached its goal of increasing production of the 737 Max, its flagship commercial plane, to 31 jets per month. Boeing had been turning out as many as 52 Max models per month until the jet was involved in two fatal crashes in late 2018 and early 2019. Those crashes, which killed 346 people, led to a global ban of the plane from March 2019 through nearly all of 2020. The Max was allowed to fly again on the condition that Boeing made certain fixes to the plane.

Since then, Boeings backlog of orders for the plane has recovered meaningfully, and the Max has carried out tens of thousands of flights and spent more than 1.5 million hours in the air, according to the company. Last week, Boeing announced that it had sold more than 185 of the jets to a handful of customers, including Delta Air Lines, which placed an order for 100 of the largest variant of the plane, the Max 10. That builds on the 233 Max orders that Boeing recorded through June.

But while the Max, a single-aisle plane, has enjoyed a solid recovery over the past year, another Boeing commercial airplane has been sidelined. Deliveries of the twin-aisle 787 Dreamliner have been on hold for more than a year amid quality concerns, but the company said it was close to reaching an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it to start shipping the plane again.

Our 787 team is in the final stages of preparing to restart deliveries, Mr. Calhoun said in a note to employees.
Credit Suisse slumped to a loss in the second quarter, it said on Wednesday, with results weighed down by its investment banking business. The Swiss bank also announced a change to its leadership and a shift to scale back the tarnished investment bank.

The bank lost 1.59 billion Swiss francs, or about $1.65 billion, in the quarter, compared with a profit of 253 million Swiss francs a year earlier, it said.

The banks weak performance for the three months that ended in June stood in contrast to more upbeat reports from European rivals Deutsche Bank and UBS.
A Food and Drug Administration official with considerable power over authorization decisions for e-cigarettes and products aimed at curbing smoking resigned on Tuesday to work for Philip Morris International, the global tobacco conglomerate and maker of Marlboros.

The official, Matt Holman, was chief of the office of science in the agencys Center for Tobacco Products. In a memo to the staff on Tuesday, Brian King, the centers director, wrote that Dr. Holman had announced that he would be leaving  effective immediately  to join Philip Morris. The memo said Dr. Holman had been on leave and, consistent with agency ethics policies, had recused himself from all tobacco center work while exploring career opportunities outside of government.

Mr. King lauded Dr. Holmans 20 years of work at the F.D.A., where he has in recent years been preparing for and overseeing review of marketing applications for e-cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products. Dr. Holman said in an interview on Wednesday that his exact role at Philip Morris had so far been broadly defined but added that he would work on tobacco harm-reduction efforts and provide some input on regulatory submissions to the agency.
Easing a shortfall that has plagued the fight against monkeypox for weeks, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it had cleared nearly 800,000 additional doses of vaccine for use. The Biden administration said it would announce allocations for states and jurisdictions on Thursday.

The new doses should greatly expand the supply in the United States, but some experts questioned whether they would be enough to meet the demand. Since May, the country has confirmed 3,600 cases, among the highest tallies in the world, and the figure is almost certainly an underestimate.

Stores of Jynneos, the monkeypox vaccine, have been constrained since the start of the outbreak. The vaccine is made by Bavarian Nordic, a small company in Denmark.
The research was part of a comprehensive vitamin D study called VITAL. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health and began after an expert group convened by what is now the National Academy of Medicine, a nonprofit organization, examined the health effects of vitamin D supplements and found little evidence. The expert groups members were supposed to come up with a minimum daily requirement for the vitamin but found that most clinical trials that had studied the subject were inadequate, making them ask if there was any truth to the claims that vitamin D improved health.

The prevailing opinion at the time was that vitamin D was likely to prevent bone fractures. Researchers thought that as vitamin D levels fell, parathyroid hormone levels would increase at a detriment to bones.

Dr. Rosen said those concerns led him and the other members of the National Academy of Medicines expert group to set what he called an arbitrary value of 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood as the goal for vitamin D levels and to advise people to get 600 to 800 international units of vitamin D supplements to achieve that goal.

Labs in the United States then arbitrarily set 30 nanograms per milliliter as the cutoff point for normal vitamin D levels, a reading so high that almost everyone in the population would be considered vitamin D deficient.

The presumed relationship between vitamin D and parathyroid levels has not held up in subsequent research, Dr. Rosen said. But uncertainty continued, so the National Institutes of Health funded the VITAL trial to get some solid answers about vitamin Ds relationship to health.

The first part of VITAL, previously published, found that vitamin D did not prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease in trial participants. Nor did it prevent falls, improve cognitive functioning, reduce atrial fibrillation, change body composition, reduce migraine frequency, improve stroke outcomes, protect against macular degeneration or reduce knee pain.
The elections board, in reviewing its records, identified at least 95 additional absentee ballot requests in the last week of May, which had been submitted in the names of other people, including recognizable politicians, media personalities and lawyers, the complaint said.

Vincent M. Ignizio, the deputy executive director of the elections board, said Mr. Kochs activities were detected in early June. The campaign of a sitting state official who was running for re-election told the board that the candidates name had been found on a list of people who had requested absentee ballots.

But the candidate had not requested one, Mr. Ignizio said. Authorities have not publicly identified the people in whose names prosecutors said Mr. Koch obtained the ballots.

The board began investigating, he said, and turned over its findings to the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan.

We take ballot security very seriously, Mr. Ignizio said. Were proud we uncovered a potential vulnerability and well continue to tighten up the process in order to ensure that security is paramount.

On June 30, the F.B.I. conducted searches of Mr. Kochs addresses, the complaint said. In his Manhattan apartment, agents found more than 100 absentee ballots in the names of other people, which had been issued by New York, California and Washington, D.C., for various elections, including the June 28 New York primary.
The boot, which conjured up the giant who creates mayhem in the story, was the work of Ann Slavit, who had done a 30-foot-tall pair of red shoes that hung on the Brooklyn Academy of Music as a tribute to the celebrated ballet movie The Red Shoes.

I dont think Michael David said to me, Oh, can you do a boot? she said. Maybe we were talking about the giant and I thought, You never see him in the show so we could have this ominous presence. There was a second shoe that looked as if it was coming over the parapet of the theater.

She said she suspected it had been discarded after it was taken off the Broadhurst on a day with particularly bad winter weather.

But Chic Silber, a special effects designer who was involved in installing and removing it at the Broadhurst in 2002, said it was neither destroyed nor thrown out when it came down. But it had been cut into at least a couple of pieces. What happened to either half after that, I dont know, he said.

Roth, the lead producer of the revival, put out an all-points bulletin for the boot almost as soon as the arrangements to move Into the Woods into the St. James were completed in late spring. He recalled seeing the boot the first time he saw Into the Woods, as a 12-year-old in 1988, with Phylicia Rashad in the cast. If it were found and mounted on the St. James, he said, the knee would bend right above my office window.

But Silber had advice for Roth: Call off the search.

Even if it could be found, he said, there is no way it would inflate again and work on the roof of any building. And making a new boot would cost far less, he said.
Update: This newsletter has been updated to reflect news developments.

In the energy scramble provoked by Russias invasion of Ukraine, American liquid natural gas has so far played the role of Europes white knight. If Europe manages to keep its lights on, homes heated and factories running this winter, when energy demand is highest, it will be in large part thanks to shipments of American gas, which have more than doubled since the war began. Today, two-thirds of American oil and even more of its gas come from hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, which has played this heroic-seeming role before, in the countrys long effort post-9/11 to get out from the grip of Middle Eastern producers and secure what is often described as energy independence. (Donald Trump preferred the term energy dominance.) It hasnt proved quite as useful as you might think: Because energy prices are set on global markets, domestic production doesnt mean Americans pay less at the pump. But thanks in large part to fracking, the United States has become the worlds largest producer of both oil and gas.

Perhaps the most striking fact about the American hydraulic-fracturing boom, though, is unknown to all but the most discriminating consumers of energy news: Fracking has been, for nearly all of its history, a money-losing boondoggle, profitable only recently, after being propped up by so much investment from Wall Street and private equity that it resembled less an efficient-markets no-brainer and more a speculative empire of bubbles like Uber and WeWork. The American shale revolution did bring the country energy independence, whatever that has been worth, and more abundant oil and gas. It has indeed reshaped the entire geopolitical landscape for fuel, though not enough to strip leverage from Vladimir Putin. But the revolution wasnt primarily a result of some market-busting breakthrough or an engineering innovation that allowed the industry to print cash. From the start, the cash moved in the other direction; the revolution happened only because enormous sums of money were poured into the project of making it happen.

Today, with profits aided by the energy price spikes of the last year, the fracking industry is finally, at least for the time being, profitable. But from 2010 to 2020, U.S. shale lost $300 billion. Previously, from 2002 to 2012, Chesapeake, the industry leader, didnt report positive cash flow once, ending that period with total losses of some $30 billion, as Bethany McLean documents in her 2018 book, Saudi America, the single best and most thorough account of the fracking boom up to that point. Between mid-2012 and mid-2017, the 60 biggest fracking companies were losing an average of $9 billion each quarter. From 2006 to 2014, fracking companies lost $80 billion; in 2014, with oil at $100 a barrel, a level that seemed to promise a great cash-out, they lost $20 billion. These losses were mammoth and consistent, adding up to a total that dwarfs anything in tech/V.C. in that time frame, as the Bloomberg writer Joe Weisenthal pointed out recently. There were all these stories written about how V.C.s were subsidizing millennial lifestyles, he noted on Twitter. The real story to be written is about the massive subsidy to consumers from everyone who financed Chesapeake and all the companies that lost money fracking last decade.
Schaffner provided data from the study showing that the Democratic share of the two-party vote rose from 54.5 to 63.5 percent in urban areas over the decade and remained low  35.2 to 36.1 percent  in rural America. The biggest shift, 12.5 points, was in suburban areas, which went from 41.8 percent Democratic in 2010 to 54.3 percent in 2020.

Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Elizabeth Warren explains her priorities and writes, if we fail to use the months remaining before the elections to deliver on more of our agenda, Democrats are headed toward big losses.

explains her priorities and writes, if we fail to use the months remaining before the elections to deliver on more of our agenda, Democrats are headed toward big losses. Mark Penn writes that without a U-turn by the Biden administration, voters increasingly motivated by fear over a variety of issues will generate a wave election like those in 1994 and 2010.

writes that without a U-turn by the Biden administration, voters increasingly motivated by fear over a variety of issues will generate a wave election like those in 1994 and 2010. Thomas B. Edsall asks, as the midterms approach, to what degree are Democratic difficulties inevitable, and which challenges stem from the partys strategic choices?

asks, as the midterms approach, to what degree are Democratic difficulties inevitable, and which challenges stem from the partys strategic choices? Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging.

Nolan McCarty suggested that these trends may prove beneficial to the Democratic Party:

The natural tilt of our single-member district system has shifted away from the Republicans as the rural vote moves toward the Republicans and the suburbs move toward the Democrats. But it is not clear what the aggregate effects of those shifts will be. It should help the House Democrats in November but it is not clear how much.

The effects of these shifts on the Senate and Electoral College, McCarty continued, will be slower in the short term but could eventually become significant: Once such changes push states like Georgia, Texas and North Carolina sufficiently toward the Democrats, they would be the party with the structural advantage in the Electoral College and Senate.

Jonathan Rodden, a political scientist at Stanford, noted in an email the possibility that very recent changes in suburban voting will hurt the future prospects of the Republican Party:

The most noteworthy change to political geography in 2020 was the success of Biden in pivotal suburban areas. In the most recent round of redistricting, when examining proposed districting plans  whether drawn by computer simulations or humans  the number of Democratic-leaning districts in a state was often greater if one added up the votes of Biden and Trump in 2020 than if one used past presidential results, Senate results, gubernatorial results, or some other down-ballot elections.

The geographic distribution of Biden votes, Rodden continued, was more efficient for the Democrats than that of other recent Democratic candidates. But, he cautioned,

what is unclear is whether this was a specific reaction to Donald Trump as a candidate in relatively educated suburbs, or a lasting trend in political geography that will outlive the Trump era. The latter is at least plausible, especially in the wake of the Dobbs decision, but it is too early to tell. Even in 2020, a non-trivial number of these suburban Biden voters split their tickets and voted for Republican House candidates.

I asked Rodden what it means for statewide elections in contested states if these trends continue. He replied:

This really depends on the numbers in each state, but in sun-belt states that are gaining educated and/or minority in-migrants, like Georgia and Arizona, we already have evidence that this was a pretty good trade for statewide Democrats, but in other states where in-migration is limited, like those in the Upper Midwest, this trade might work out better for statewide Republicans.

Along similar lines, William Frey, a demographer and a senior fellow at Brookings, emphasized in an email that Biden won the suburbs in 2020, I believe largely due to his gains among minorities and college whites. Even if Republicans and Trump made marginal gains among minority voters, the support of these voters for Democrats remained overwhelming.

In a 2021 Brookings paper, Bidens victory came from the suburbs, Frey pointed to Georgia, where

Demographic shifts  including brisk growth in the states Democratic-leaning Black population, gains in Latino/Hispanic, and Asian Americans voters, and an increase in white college graduates, especially in the Atlanta metropolitan area  served to make the state competitive for Democrats this year.

In a separate 2022 paper, Todays suburbs are symbolic of Americas rising diversity: A 2020 census portrait, Frey focuses on the continuing stream of minorities moving into the suburbs. From 1990 to 2020, Frey found, the percentage of Asian Americans living in suburbs grew from 53.4 to 63.1 percent, of Hispanics from 49.5 to 61.4 percent and of African Americans, from 36.6 to 54.3 percent, the largest increase.

Has geographic division, pitting a disproportionately rural Republican Party against an urban Democratic Party, added a new dimension to polarization making consensus and cooperation even more difficult?

I posed a series of questions to an eclectic group of political scholars.

Frances Lee, a political scientist at Princeton, replied by email:

Rather than claiming that the G.O.P. is becoming the party of the working class, what I see is a long-term trend away from a party system organized along class lines. Knowing that a person is wealthy (or low income) isnt very predictive of what party that person will prefer. The parties are much better sorted by other factors  region, religion, race  than by social class.

This isnt a new phenomenon, Lee noted, but Trump intensified these divisions: Trumps candidacy and presidency accelerated pre-existing trends undercutting the class basis of the parties. For a Republican, Trump had unusual appeal to working-class voters and was unusually alienating to well-off suburbanites.
Starting talks while the fighting rages would be politically risky and would require significant diplomatic efforts, particularly with Ukraine  and success is anything but guaranteed. But talking can reveal the possible space for compromise and identify a way out of the spiral. Otherwise, this war could eventually bring Russia and NATO into direct conflict.

The current U.S. approach assumes that would happen only if the Ukrainians are given particular systems or capabilities that cross a Russian red line. So when President Biden recently announced his decision to provide Ukraine with the multiple-launch rocket system that Kyiv says it desperately needs, he deliberately withheld the longest-range munitions that could strike Russia. The premise of the decision was that Moscow will escalate  i.e., launch an attack against NATO  only if certain types of weapons are provided or if they are used to target Russian territory. The goal is to be careful to stop short of that line while giving the Ukrainians what they need to defend their territory from Russian advances, as Mr. Biden said in a statement in June.

The logic is dubious. The Kremlins focus is precisely on making advances on Ukrainian territory. The problem is not that providing Ukraine with some specific weapon could cause escalation but rather that if the Wests support of Ukraine succeeded in stemming Russias advance, that would constitute an unacceptable defeat for the Kremlin. And a Russian battlefield victory is equally unacceptable to the West.

If Russia continues to push farther into Ukraine, Western partners would likely provide yet more and better weapons. If those weapons allow Ukraine to reverse Russias gains, Moscow may feel compelled to double down  and if it is really losing, it might well consider direct attacks against NATO. In other words, theres no mutually acceptable outcome right now. But talks could help identify the compromises needed to find one.
Thats because growth in these places doesnt feel like some kind of upwardly mobile Laura Ingalls-type westward migration; it feels as if an alien starship had beamed little chunks of coastal supergentrification down into the West. The median single-family home price in Bozeman costs around $900,000; the main street in a place like Sandpoint, Idaho, is a festival of liberal haute-bourgeois taste with Western flourishes. At least where I encountered it, the growing diaspora in the Mountain West isnt bringing the mountains to the middle-class masses; its red-state colonization by the blue-state rich.

Not that theres anything wrong with coastal rich people (perish the thought!). But in any city or region, whether its Whitefish, Mont., or Washington, D.C., the case for development and pro-growth zoning, for a yes-in-my-backyard spirit, depends, to a large extent, on the benefits to potential newcomers and migrants. That always makes YIMBYism a relatively hard sell to incumbents  and when all the newcomers seem privileged, when they make developers rich but start pricing normal people out, when they make your relatively egalitarian state a case study in zooming inequality, you can see why a politics of preservation would be as popular as a hit like Yellowstone.

But the problem is that preservationism in this context is likely to be self-defeating. If the rich really like your state or region, the rich will always find a way to come. What zoning limits and housing regulations really affect is whether anyone except the rich can afford your states nicest precincts. If they cant, then the attractiveness of purple-mountain-majesty to coastal elites will just recreate coastal inequalities and fuel working-class resentments, in a dynamic thats already visible in the Mountain States wherever the posh colonies give way to the alienation of Trump country.

If you look at zoning rules in Montanas most attractive cities, they point to this kind of Western future. For instance: According to the Frontier Institute, a Montana-based libertarian think tank, a city like Missoula, which is still more middle class and affordable than Bozeman, has exclusionary zoning  restrictions on town homes and multifamily units, minimum lot requirements  that make it difficult for young families and working-class newcomers to get a foothold in the city. That suggests that Missoulas relative middle-class-ness wont last: If I were a Silicon Valley or Seattle exile, I would already be looking there rather than Bozeman. If I were a property speculator, Id be buying there right now. And if I didnt have much money to spend, Id be drifting into the hinterlands or looking in a different state.

Part of the appeal of the Dutton family drama is the knowledge that the Yellowstone patriarch cant ultimately win  that youre watching and appreciating something familiar in Western lore, the doomed last stand. But in reality, when regions are experiencing growth they cant and shouldnt stop, they still have important choices to make: not whether change and new inhabitants will come but in what form, with what consequences for the society that takes shape next.

More Americans should live in the West, and more Americans assuredly will. The question for Mountain State incumbents  the real ones, not the Costner facsimile  is whether that more will include everybody or whether their glorious share of the American inheritance will pass on mostly to the rich.
A little over a year ago, Charise Millers commute to work increased  a lot. It now takes her about an hour and a half to get to her office in New York City, instead of 10 minutes. But shes fine with that, because it means she doesnt have to spend two hours finding a parking space after work, as she did when she lived in the Bronx, near Yankee Stadium.

In Stroudsburg, Pa.  a Monroe County borough 75 miles west of New York and just across the Delaware River from New Jersey  where she now lives, theres plenty of parking. Theres also plenty of breathing room.
Stories, like viruses, are transmissible. In the brain, in the blood, they mutate and change. Tragedies become comedies; dramas become myths. And in Anne Washburns visionary and wackadoo Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, revived by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, an episode of The Simpsons becomes an opera and that opera becomes a way for a post-apocalyptic society to reckon with all it has lost.

After a devastating contagion and concomitant nuclear meltdowns, the American population has shrunk to maybe a million, maybe half that. In the first act, set in the very near future, somewhere in the northeast, a few survivors have gathered around what should be a campfire (did the fire marshal not allow it?) to tell stories. Or as on this night, one particular story. Collectively, they piece together the events and jokes of Cape Feare, a Season 5 episode of The Simpsons.

Recalling Sideshow Bobs flourishes and Homers doofus behavior connects them to a lost world in a way that feels bearable. Real memories are too painful. Memories of a television show  in a time when televisions no longer work  are what they can manage. In the second act, these scattershot remembrances have been refashioned into a revue. The third act, set decades later and entirely sung through, with music from the composer Michael Friedman, transmutes them further.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  A former Minneapolis police officer who kept bystanders away from George Floyd and another who helped pin Mr. Floyd down as he struggled to breathe were each sentenced to several years in prison on Wednesday, the last of the four officers involved in Mr. Floyds death to be ordered to prison.

A federal judge sentenced the two former officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, after a jury convicted them earlier this year of violating Mr. Floyds rights by failing to provide medical aid and by failing to intervene as another officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Mr. Floyds neck for more than nine minutes.

Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Mr. Thao, who kept a crowd of people away from Mr. Floyd, to three and a half years in prison, and Mr. Kueng, who helped hold Mr. Floyd down, to three years. The judge noted that Mr. Thao was the more experienced officer  he had been on the force since 2008  while Mr. Kueng was a rookie officer.
The panel requested that the countrys top five gun manufacturers share information on their sales and marketing strategies, as well as any efforts they make to track safety data related to their products.

The business practices of these gun manufacturers are deeply disturbing, exploitative and reckless, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York and the chairwoman of the committee, said in a statement. We found that none of these companies bothers to keep track of the death and destruction caused by their products.

The hearing came weeks after President Biden signed into law the first substantial gun safety bill in decades, the product of a bipartisan compromise that beefed up background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21. Yet more sweeping measures, such as a ban on assault weapons, have gone nowhere amid solid opposition by Republicans.

The House was expected to vote on such a ban in the coming weeks, but the bill has no chance of passage in the evenly divided Senate. The vote had originally been expected on Friday but was delayed as House Democrats haggled among themselves over whether to tie it to a broader public safety bill that would increase funding for the police, according to a person familiar with the plans.

On Wednesday, the committee heard testimony from Mr. Daniel and Christopher Killoy, the president and chief executive of Sturm, Ruger & Company  the first time in nearly two decades that the chief executives of gun manufacturers have testified before Congress about their business practices.

But the questions from lawmakers produced little beyond the standard talking points from manufacturers defending their products.
On Wednesday, four Democratic lawmakers and half a dozen climate activists joined a chorus of others who have been demanding that Mr. Biden declare a climate emergency after the presidents ambitious legislation to address global warming fell apart in Congress. The best way to confront Big Oil, they said in a news release: Call it an emergency.

As the country faces ongoing and record-setting droughts, heat waves and floods, declaring a climate emergency would unlock a series of executive authorities that could have a major impact on driving down emissions and protecting communities from the impacts of fossil fuel development and climate disasters, the lawmakers wrote.

The advocates argue that declaring an emergency would give Mr. Biden broader power to make good on his promise to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. They say it would streamline his ability to reinstate a crude oil export ban, halt offshore oil and gas drilling and restrict U.S. fossil fuel exports, among other steps.

The president has hesitated to follow their advice, though Karine Jean-Pierre, his press secretary, says the idea is still on the table. In Massachusetts last week, he said this is an emergency, an emergency, and I will look at it that way. But instead of officially declaring one, Mr. Biden said he would spend $2.3 billion to enhance the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The president has also resisted the call from abortion rights advocates to declare a public health emergency in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade. Advocates say doing so would demonstrate the presidents commitment to finding ways to reinstate protections for women who want to get an abortion.

But Mr. Biden and his staff have been lukewarm to the idea.

It doesnt free very many resources, Jen Klein, the co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council, told reporters. Its whats in the public health emergency fund, and theres very little money  tens of thousands of dollars in it. So that didnt seem like a great option. And it also doesnt release a significant amount of legal authority.
For Republicans running for the Senate this year, Big Tech has become a catchall target, a phrase used to condemn the censorship of conservative voices on social media, invasions of privacy and the corruption of Americas youth  or all of the above.

But for three candidates in some of the hottest races of 2022  Blake Masters, J.D. Vance and Mehmet Oz  the denunciations come with a complication: They have deep ties to the industry, either as investors, promoters or employees. Whats more, their work involved some of the questionable uses of consumer data that they now criticize.

Mr. Masters and Mr. Vance have embraced the contradictions with the zeal of the converted.

Fundamentally, it is my expertise from having worked in Silicon Valley and worked with these companies that has given me this perspective, Mr. Masters, who enters the Republican primary election for Senate in Arizona on Tuesday with the wind at his back, said on Wednesday. As they have grown, they have become too pervasive and too powerful.
The Trump plan began with an effort to persuade Republican officials in the targeted states  Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  to help draft, or to put their names on, documents that declared Mr. Trump to be the victor.

That effort was largely led by lawyers close to Mr. Trump, like Rudolph W. Giuliani and John Eastman, who sometimes communicated directly with local points of contact in the state, or by lawyers who worked in the states themselves and dealt with Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Eastman or with Mr. Trumps campaign aides.

Their stated rationale was that Mr. Bidens victories in those states would be overturned once they could establish their claims of widespread voting fraud and other irregularities, and that it was only prudent to have the alternate slates of electors in place for that eventuality.

But, as Mr. Trump had been told by his campaign aides and eventually even his attorney general, there were no legitimate claims of fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the race, and the seven states all certified Mr. Bidens Electoral College victory on Dec. 14, 2020. Mr. Trump and his allies barreled ahead with the electors plan nonetheless, with an increasing focus on using the ceremonial congressional certification process on Jan. 6 to derail the transfer of power.

Ultimately, several dozen of Mr. Trumps allies in the states signed false slates of electors, and most were unequivocal in their contention that Mr. Trump had won. But in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, local officials who drafted the documents included a caveat, saying that they should only be considered if Mr. Trump prevailed in the many lawsuits he and his allies had filed challenging the election, and was legally the winner.

Once the false pro-Trump slates had been created, Mr. Trump and his allies turned to the second part of the plan: strong-arming Mr. Pence into considering them during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. The point was to persuade Mr. Pence to say that the election was somehow flawed or in doubt.
A West Virginia man who was charged last year with taking part in a high-profile assault on Officer Brian D. Sicknick during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two misdemeanor charges after reaching a deal with federal prosecutors.

The man, George Tanios, was initially accused of working with a friend, Julian Khater, to douse Officer Sicknick with chemical spray at a key moment in the riot, as a pro-Trump mob was overrunning the police at bike rack barriers on the west side of the Capitol.

While early reports suggested that Officer Sicknick died of his injuries one day after the attack, an autopsy later determined that he had died of natural causes, after suffering multiple strokes that were not directly related to the violence at the Capitol.
The effort has marked a foray into industrial policy that has had little precedent in recent American history, raising myriad questions about how the Biden administration and Congress would implement and oversee a major initiative involving hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.

The passage of the legislation was the culmination of years of effort that in Mr. Schumers telling began in the Senate gym in 2019, when he approached Mr. Young with the idea. Mr. Young, a fellow China hawk, had previously collaborated with Democrats on foreign policy.

In the end, the Senate support was made possible only by an unlikely collision of factors: a pandemic that laid bare the costs of a global semiconductor shortage, heavy lobbying from the chip industry, Mr. Youngs persistence in urging his colleagues to break with party orthodoxy and support the bill, and Mr. Schumers ascension to the top job in the Senate.

Many senators, including Republicans, saw the legislation as a critical step to strengthen Americas semiconductor manufacturing abilities as the nation has become perilously reliant on foreign countries  especially an increasingly vulnerable Taiwan  for advanced chips.

Mr. Schumer said it had been not too difficult to rally votes from Democrats, who tend to be less averse to government spending. But he also nodded to support from Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader: To their credit, 17 Republicans, including McConnell, came in and said, This is one expenditure we should make.

The legislation, which was known in Washington by an ever-changing carousel of lofty-sounding names, has defied easy definition. At more than 1,000 pages long, it is at once a research and development bill, a near-term and long-term jobs bill, a manufacturing bill and a semiconductors bill.
About 75 percent of the arms are sent to staging bases in Poland, where Ukrainian troops pick up their cargo and take it back across the border. Admiral Heinz declined to identify two other neighboring countries where shipments are delivered, citing security concerns by those nations. The planners use different border crossings into Ukraine for weapons and for humanitarian assistance, he said.

In nearly five months, the center has moved more than 78,000 tons of arms, munitions and equipment worth more than $10 billion, U.S. and Western military officials said.

Many Baltic and Eastern European countries have donated Soviet-standard weapons and ammunition that the Ukrainian military has long used. But given the intense fighting, those stocks are running low, if not already depleted. One factory in Europe is making some Soviet-standard munitions, including howitzer shells, and it is operating 24/7, Admiral Heinz said. The shortage has required Ukraine to begin transitioning to Western-standard weapons and ammunition, which are more plentiful.

Once the weapons are in Ukraine, U.S. and other Western military officials say they are not able to track them. They rely on Ukraines accounts of how and where the arms are used  although U.S. intelligence and military officials, including Special Operations forces  are in daily contact with their Ukrainian counterparts, U.S. officials said.

American and Ukrainian officials have downplayed reports that some weapons are being siphoned off on the black market in Ukraine, but Admiral Heinz acknowledged that we are not serial-number tracking these once they go across the border.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian train depots and warehouses but has not shown it can effectively strike moving targets  like weapons convoys  with its rapidly diminishing arsenal of precision-guided munitions, American officials said.
Whether or not the lawsuit proves successful, it is resonating well outside of the parks boundaries by raising larger questions about how to manage forests in the age of climate change.

Increasingly, leading forestry experts are propounding a view dissonant to a public accustomed to the idea of preserving the countrys wild lands: Sometimes you have to cut trees to save trees. And burn forests to save forests, they say.

The polarization during the Trump administration between climate scientists and a president who downplayed rising temperatures and stressed the need for greater forest management, or raking as former President Donald J. Trump once called it, has passed for now. It has given way to what many experts say is a consensus among scientists and political leaders on the need to thin and burn forests more proactively.

Most of us are absolutely convinced that this is not only a good thing to do, but is absolutely necessary, said John Battles, a professor of forest ecology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a science adviser to the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force.

In this years budget, Congress designated nearly $6 billion toward wild land fire management programs, adding to the $5 billion earmarked for hazardous fuels reduction and other fire-related programs in the infrastructure law signed last year. Last month, lawmakers introduced the Save Our Sequoias Act, which would expedite environmental reviews required for thinning projects. Though the bill is bipartisan, it has drawn opposition from a coalition of environmental groups.
TOKYO  The authorities in a western Japanese city said on Wednesday that they had killed a monkey they believe was responsible for a spate of attacks against humans.

That was a relief to people in the city, Yamaguchi, where 56 victims were attacked by a monkey this month, including a baby girl injured in her home and a 4-year-old girl pounced on at a kindergarten.

The marauding macaque killed on Tuesday will almost certainly not be the last to be executed in Japan for terrifying humans. Yasuko Sanada, the vice principal of the Yamaguchi kindergarten where the 4-year-old was attacked, said on Wednesday that monkeys were still running through the schools playground.
HONG KONG  On his first full day on the job, Hong Kongs new leader, John Lee, shared a picture of himself working at his desk with a printout of what he described as an important speech by Xi Jinping, Chinas leader, placed next to his notebook.

Mr. Lee is not the only Hong Kong official hanging on Mr. Xis words. Lawmakers held a six-hour session this month lauding Mr. Xis remarks on Hong Kong, with several also praising him for visiting the city recently despite an approaching typhoon and a Covid outbreak. And hundreds of top officials have attended group study sessions, including one titled Spirit of the Presidents Important Speech held by the Civil Service Bureau. In a government news release describing the session, the term important speech was used 10 times, in nearly every paragraph.

In mainland China, such displays of devotion to the countrys powerful leader are common, particularly under Mr. Xi, who moved early in his tenure to revive strongman politics and a cult of personality around him. But they represent a jarring shift for Hong Kong, a former British colony that was granted a high degree of autonomy when it returned to Chinese control 25 years ago.
BRUSSELS  As the number of politicians, activists and journalists hacked with spyware grew to include prime ministers and prominent dissidents in the European Union, the worlds biggest democratic club, the European Parliament in April started checking its members phones.

About 200 devices in, it hit its first positive.

A high-profile European Parliament deputy from Greece and leader of a major opposition party there was targeted with malicious spyware last year, an analysis of his phone by the Parliaments technology experts revealed.

The politician, Nikos Androulakis, who became leader of Greeces third-largest political party, the center-left PASOK-KINAL, at the end of last year, submitted his personal mobile device to the new spyware-detecting tech lab at the European Parliament in Brussels.
WILHELMSHAVEN, Germany  When a major energy company wanted to bring liquefied natural gas to Germany through the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven three years ago, the proposal hit a brick wall. The company couldnt find enough customers, the government offered only tepid support and residents denounced the scheme as a threat to a local apple orchard.

Apple juice, not L.N.G., protesters said. The company, Uniper, shelved its plans.

Now, steel pipes are being rammed into the sea floor to prepare for the arrival of a nearly thousand-foot-long L.N.G. processing vessel, the Hoegh Esperanza. Nearby, construction crews in bulldozers are digging along the perimeter of a forest to clear the way for a new 20-mile pipeline to connect to Germanys gas grid.

The hope is for gas to start arriving here before the end of winter, Uniper said, as the demand for heating homes soars.
Mr. Gudkov went into exile after what he described as credible threats that a criminal case against him would result in jail time. He said he had encouraged Mr. Yashin, a longtime friend, to go into exile as well.

Yevgenia M. Albats, a journalist and friend of Mr. Yashin who also decided to stay, took the opposite view, saying it was impossible to engage in politics seriously from abroad.

You cannot be a Russian politician in New York, in Manhattan, Ms. Albats said in a phone interview from Moscow. You cannot call yourself a Russian politician and be in London. Still, she conceded, The risks are very high and they are getting higher.

Mr. Yashin acknowledged as much in the YouTube interview posted shortly before his arrest, with the Russian journalist Yuri Dud. I understand that each day could be my last one as a free man, he said.

He later wrote on social media that he believed it was his clear refusal to leave, expressed in that interview, that resulted in his arrest.
A British citizen had his assets frozen by Britains Foreign Office on Tuesday as the government announced a raft of new sanctions on individuals, companies, and others supporting the government of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

Graham Phillips, 43, a pro-Kremlin blogger who was born in Nottingham, England, moved to Ukraine more than a decade ago and has spent the last several years recording and promoting videos from the country, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers to a YouTube account that has praised the Russian invasion. He worked briefly as a freelancer for the Russian state-owned television network RT, which many Western governments have accused of being a tool of the Kremlin and of spreading disinformation.

The Foreign Office, in announcing the freezing of Mr. Philips assets, characterized him as a video blogger who has produced and published media content that supports and promotes actions and policies which destabilize Ukraine and undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or independence of Ukraine.
A British tourist who was imprisoned for stealing ancient artifacts from an archaeological site has had his conviction overturned by an Iraqi court.

The tourist, James Fitton, a 66-year-old retired geologist, was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison and had been detained for more than four months. Looting antiquities with weapons or with other people is a crime that is punishable by death in Iraq.

Mr. Fitton was arrested in late March after airport security confiscated 22 pieces of pottery and stones found in his luggage as he was leaving the country.
A 27-year-old man from Dongguan, China, has been having trouble finding a job because he looks more like a child than a man in his late 20s.

Saying that Mao Sheng looks a little young for his years would be a serious understatement. He claims to be 27, but everyone agrees that he doesnt look a day over 10. And while some would consider that a blessing, the young man from Dongguan claims its a curse, because it prevents him from getting a job. Most employers dont believe he is as old as he claims to be, and those who do say that they dont want authorities snooping around and accusing them of child labor because of his youthful looks.

Mao Sheng became an overnight sensation in China last week, after a video shot on the streets of Dongguan went viral on Douyin (TikTok). In it, the young man revealed his age and complained that he couldnt find a job to support his father, who was recovering from a stroke. He had been asking for a job at local factories with a friend, but while they quickly found employment, he wasnt so lucky.

Shengs story touched the hearts of millions around China, many of whom accused employers for not giving him a chance because of his unusually youthful visage. Luckily, after he became famous online, plenty of entrepreneurs reached out and offered him jobs.

Another video posted on Douyin a couple of days ago revealed that Mao accepted one of the jobs offers he received, and hopes to earn enough to help his father recover. Once they get over that hill, he hopes to find a girlfriend and start a family.

Although Mao Shengs story was picked up by several news outlets in China, none of them mentioned any medical reason for the 27-year-olds youthful looks. We suspect that it must have something to do with his pituitary gland, which controls physical growth. Weve seen similar cases in the past, adults stuck in the bodies of children, and the pituitary gland was almost always to blame.
Arthid Duangsri, a 38-year-old man from Chiang Rai, Thailand, has become famous as the Thai Vin Diesel, a persona he has been carefully cultivating for almost a decade.

If you ever find yourself in Chiang Rai, the northernmost major city in Thailand, and see Vin Diesel drive by in his iconic black muscle car, know that you have had the privilege of seeing the Thai Vin Diesel in the flesh. Thats almost as cool as seeing the actual Hollywood star, as the people of Chiang Rai will tell you. The 38-year-old man is perhaps the most famous person in the city and has built this notoriety through years of trying to emulate Diesel and his Fast and Furious character, Dominic Toretto, as best he could.

Photo: Arthid Duangsri/Facebook

Calling Arthid Duangsri a Vin Diesel impersonator wouldnt do the 38-year-old man justice. He doesnt just pose as Vin Diesel when going out in public or at special events, he actually lives as the Thai Vin Diesel full time. Looking at photos of him from 2014, before a friend told him that he sort of looked like the Fast and Furious star, you would never recognize him.

Once a dancer in a local band, Arthid was much skinnier than he is today, sported long hair and a mustache, and was really struggling to be comfortable in his own skin. Then a friend told him that if he cut his hair, he would totally look like Vin Diesel. He was already a star of the actor, so he decided to give it a try. The rest, as they say, is history.

After shaving his head, Arthid Duangsri realized that he couldnt really emulate Dominic Toretto without hitting the gym. He started working out every day, bulked up to the point where he could wear Torettos iconic tight shirts, and even started working on his own muscle car with his brother.

Seeing the Thai Vin Diesels ride for the first time, youd be tempted to think it was an actual Dodge Charger, but, in reality, its a 1970 Toyota Mark II, but it looks pretty badass. Even though it may not be worth much, it has sentimental value to Arthid and his brother, as they put a lot of work into it.

Arthid Duangsri has been known as Vin Diesel in his home city of Chaing Rai for many years now, but he only became known to the rest of the world earlier this year, in February, when a photo of him driving his car went viral on social media, getting tens of thousands of likes. People said he looked like Vin Diesel, not knowing that he was actually the Thai Vin Diesel, but then more pictures of him hit the internet and people were intrigued.

About a month ago, VICE Magazine put out a short documentary on the now-world-famous Thai Vin Diesel, in which he tells his story and explains how he works on best imitating his idol from the clothes to the mannerisms and even his joyless expression behind the wheel.

At one point, Arthid became so hot online that people started sending his photo to the real Vin Diesel, who eventually replied with Stop sending me this, which we thought was hilarious.

Asked what he would say to his idol if he ever met him, the Thai Vin Diesel answered I love you! He credits the film star for changing his life and making him a celebrity in his own right.


NC Wine and Grape Council Wants PR Partner Mon., Aug. 15, 2022 The North Carolina Wine and Grape Council is looking for a firm to run a campaign aimed at changing the culture and knowledge surrounding wine produced in the state.
Readers should note that this article contains details which many will find upsetting.

LAST week in Dublin notorious former 'singing priest' Tony Walsh (68) was sentenced to another four years in prison for indecent assaults of three schoolboys in the 1980s. Judge Martin Nolan of the Circuit Criminal Court described the crimes of Tony Walsh, who was defrocked in 1992 and formally dismissed from the priesthood in 1996, as evil.

Walsh has spent about 20 years in prison since 1995 when he was first convicted of indecent assault involving a child.

Few cases illustrate so well why the Catholic Church has deserved criticism for its handling of clerical child sex abuse as that of survivor Darren McGavin and perpetrator Tony Walsh. At the time Walsh shared the presbytery in Ballyfermot with Fr Michael Cleary and his 'housekeeper' Phyllis Hamilton.

Walshs abuse of Darren took place in Ballyfermot from 1978 to 1983 (from when Darren was six) and was so extreme that he was sentenced in December 2010 to a total of 123 years imprisonment, (if taken consecutively).

Five of the 13 counts - for buggery - attracted sentences of 10, 12, 14, 16 and 16 years each. The remaining counts, for indecent assault, brought sentences ranging from four to nine years. As Walsh was to serve his sentences concurrently, 16 years was the maximum time he would spend in jail for those crimes. Four years were suspended as a psychologists report said it was unlikely he would offend again.

It was the most severe sentence imposed on a clerical child sex abuser in the Republic.

The Murphy Commission, which investigated the handling of clerical child abuse allegations in Dublins Catholic archdiocese between 1975 and 2004, described Walsh as the most notorious child sexual abuser to come to its attention. It is likely that he has abused hundreds of children.

It found that the archdiocese did not report child sexual abuse allegations against Walsh to the Garda for 17 years after it first received such complaints about him. It also revealed that in 1989 it had been suggested in the archdiocese that Walsh, then an admitted (to the archdiocese) child sex abuser, be appointed to the Churchs regional marriage tribunal, which deals mainly with annulments. This was not done, but two other child abuser priests were already on the tribunal.

In May 1988 Walsh admitted to the Dublin archdiocesean authorities that over the years he had been in Ballyfermot he was involved with boys about once a fortnight. That was 10 years after the first complaint about him was made to those authorities.

Walsh was sent to a treatment centre in England and returned to Dublin in November 1988 where he was appointed chaplain at a hospital for older people. He signed a contract of good behaviour with the archdiocese and nominated Fr Michael Cleary (yes, that Fr Cleary!) as his spiritual director.

In August 1989, there were further complaints about Walsh and children and he was returned to the treatment centre in England. In April 1990 then Archbishop of Dublin Desmond Connell removed Walsh from public ministry and gave him weeks to decide on either dismissal from the priesthood or voluntary laicisation.

By March 1991 there were further reports of Walshs and children. Then in August 1991, and for the very first time, a parent complained to gardai about Walshs attempt to pick up her son. It helped put the skids under the Church.

In August 1993 a church tribunal in Dublin decided Walsh should be defrocked. He appealed this to Rome and while the appeal was in train he abused a boy at the childs grandfathers funeral in west Dublin. The boys mother contacted gardai, alleging Walsh had also abused her son a year earlier. In late 1994 there were media reports about this case.

Early in 1995 Walsh admitted to gardai that he had abused two boys in the 1980s. He was charged in connection with his abuse of the boy at the funeral in 1994 and sentenced to 12 months. It was the first of many such sentences.

Meanwhile, and inexplicably, Rome rejected Walshs laicisation as recommended by the Dublin tribunal. Rome decided Walsh should remain a priest but spend 10 years in a monastery. That November, a by now desperate Archbishop Connell, petitioned Pope John Paul to dismiss Walsh from the priesthood. In January 1996, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, issued a decree confirming Walshs dismissal.

In December 1997, Walsh was sentenced to consecutive terms of six years and four years for assaults on six boys. On appeal, this became six years. He was in prison until 2001 on that occasion.

It was in December 2010 he was sentenced to 16 years, four suspended, in a case involving Darren McGavin. According to Darrens victim impact statement - prepared by psychiatrist Prof Ivor Browne - Walsh tied him up and raped him at the presbytery in Ballyfermot. Darren was crying loudly and hysterical. Walsh turned up the music to drown out the childs cries.

Another incident took place at Enniscrone, Co Sligo. About 50 children from Ballyfermot were taken there by Walsh and three other priests, including Fr Cleary. Walsh took Darren to the sand dunes where he raped him. Sand caused the child to bleed, so Walsh brought him to the sea where he washed the blood off and saltwater stung the childs wounds.

Darren was also raped by Walsh in Dublins Phoenix Park. Afterwards Walsh wiped him with a purple sash [stole] he had with him. When Walsh picked up his jacket a small receptacle for holding Holy Communion wafers fell out of his pocket. He brought Darren back to the presbytery in Ballyfermot and showed him a Bible with pictures of hell and said if he told anyone he would burn in hell and never go to heaven. Then he let him go home.

At the December 2010 trial the jury found him guilty, unanimously, after just 94 minutes and on all 13 counts.

Tony Walsh was born in 1954 and ordained in 1978. Even as a seminarian at Dublins Clonliffe College, as emerged years later, he abused children and at the home of another abuser, Fr Noel Reynolds, to whose house he had a key.

In July 1978, two days after Walsh took up his first appointment as a curate in Ballyfermot, a complaint was received in Archbishops House that he had sexually abused an eight-year-old boy.

The next complaint was in 1979 when a mother went to the parish priest of Ballyfermot, the late Canon Val Rogers. Fr Cleary was despatched to educate the womans son on male sexuality. In 1985, Canon Rogers admitted this case had been hushed up.

Walsh was moved to Dublins Westland Row parish in February 1986. In January 1987 the housekeeper at Westland Row found condoms and syringes in Walshs room there and said a number of boys had slept overnight in his bed and a boy from Ballyfermot had been visiting.

Following his 2010 conviction he pleaded guilty to two more abuse cases in 2013 and in 2015 he was convicted by a jury in relation to the sexual abuse of a girl. In July 2016 he was jailed for a further seven-and-a-half years for raping a boy three times, once with a crucifix.
The Irish government has approved the establishment of an office to oversee the excavation of a former Mother and Baby home.

The proposal - put forward by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic OGorman - was greenlit today (Wednesday July 27) and will involve the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification and re-interment of children's remains at the site in Tuam, Co Galway.

Speaking today the minister said, "The Government has today approved my proposal for an intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam under the Institutional Burials Act and a draft Order directing intervention will now be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval.

"These are the final steps necessary in order to appoint a Director and start the excavation in Tuam. Affected families and, indeed, the people of Ireland have waited a long time for this. If approved by the Houses I will appoint a Director in the Autumn with a view to starting the excavation as soon as possible.

Establishing the 'Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam' follows on from the signing into law of the Institutional Burials Act 2022 earlier this month.

The Act, which provides the underlying legislative basis for the intervention, allows the Government, by Order, to direct an intervention at a site where manifestly inappropriate burials of people who died in residential institutions have taken place.

A draft of the Government Order directing Minister O'Gorman to intervene, as well as a statement of the reasons for making the Order, will now be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas for a resolution.

If approved by the Houses on their return in the autumn, the Tuam Office will be established and a Director will be appointed.
Imagine extends its high-speed broadband connection area, providing immediate connectivity to over 36,148 homes & businesses in Co. Laois.

20 July 2022: Imagine Broadband are delighted to announce they have extended their high-speed broadband to an additional 36,148 homes & businesses across Laois. Of the over 36,000 homes & businesses in Laois now covered, 84% reside in the NBP intervention area meaning they were in urgent need of better broadband.

Imagines latest news comes as the company continues to receive strong demand showcased by the 60% of new customers being referred by existing customers!

Sandra Dinan, who heads up the Connecting Communities Team commented Our exclusive Advanced Hybrid Fixed Wireless Network along with our extensive coverage is a game changer, not only for the people of Laois but for all of regional and rural Ireland. Now more than ever, people need consistent and reliable broadband.

She continued, Irelands rural communities need better broadband now which is why we are seeing such demand for our service and why we will continue to invest our Community Engagement teams time and focus in the areas our Advanced Hybrid Fixed Broadband Network is needed the most. Our network can be deployed in these poor broadband areas within a matter of weeks ensuring we continue to meet this demand.

Local TDS, Broadband Officers and community action groups who are being contacted by families and business owners who need better broadband are urged to contact Sandra and her team on 1800938414 or via email at betterbroadband@imagine.ie.

Imagines commitment to providing better broadband for Irelands worst affected broadband areas continues with its exclusive Advanced Hybrid Fixed Broadband Network already connecting 284 live broadband Fibre Hub transmission sites, which has provided over 60,000 square kilometres of high-capacity, high-speed Broadband connectivity to over 1.2 million homes and businesses across 32,000 regional and rural townlands and communities.

Homes and businesses that need better broadband can simply check their Eircode for coverage at imagine.ie

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By Zhang Dan

Living in a peaceful environment is a good fortune for people around the world, and preserving peace is the incumbent duty of the military. By taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions, carrying out ocean-going escort missions, and providing humanitarian aid, the Chinese armed forces are actively making contributions to preserving world peace while resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Chinese nation loves peace by nature

The Chinese nation is always a peace-loving nation. Having suffered greatly from invasion and the scourge of war in modern times, the Chinese people feel more keenly the value of peace and the urgency of development, and would never impose upon others what they have suffered themselves. Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, the country has never waged a war or conflict; since it launched the reform and opening-up, it has been dedicated to promoting world peace and actively fulfilling its responsibilities as a major country.

Peace is the indelible legacy left by the Chinese military as it marches to the international stage. White Paper Chinas National Defense in the New Era states that China will pursue a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.China advocates addressing international disputes, hotspot issues, and difficulties through dialogues, consultations, and peaceful means, and opposes arbitrary use or threat of use of forces. The Chinese armed forces have also undertaken more international responsibilities and obligations within their capacity and provided more public security goods.

Chinese armed forces act on their vow of preserving peace

The Chinese armed forces, which are soon to embrace their 95th anniversary, have always practiced their vow to preserve world peace with concrete actions.

As the second largest peacekeeping fund contributor and fee contributor at the UN and the largest peacekeeper contributor in the UN Security Council, China has participated in more than 20 UN peacekeeping operations in the past 30-plus years. At the moment, more than 2,000 Chinese servicemembers are working at seven peacekeeping mission areas and the UN Headquarters. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, commented that China has played a vital role in enhancing the influence and performance of the peacekeeping cause.

The escort taskforces represent the friendship China extends to the world and a window of peace China opens toward the world. In the past 14 years, the PLA Navy has assigned 41 escort taskforces to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somalian coast, where they have escorted more than 7,000 Chinese and foreign ships in about 1,500 batches cumulatively, fulfilling Chinas responsibilities as a major country with concrete actions.

In recent years, the Chinese military has carried out multiple joint exercises, training, and contests with foreign militaries and intensified military and security cooperation. The Peace Mission 2021 joint anti-terror military exercise held at Donguz training range in Russia last year marked the 14th time that the Chinese military participated in the SCO joint exercise. By continuously taking actions beneficial to the world, the Chinese military has proved itself to be a mighty and civilized force committed to peace.

Chinese military lives up to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind

From seeking security for itself to promoting common security, the Chinese military has actively performed its responsibilities and obligations commensurate with Chinas international standing and made positive contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

It has taken an active part in the international anti-pandemic cooperation after COVID-19 broke out and swept across the world. In 2021, the Chinese military provided COVID-19 vaccines and aid to the militaries of more than 30 countries. Its pragmatic measures in the global fight against the pandemic, from fulfilling international obligations to providing public security goods, have been highly acclaimed by the international society.

In recent years, senior officials of the Chinese military have had frequent mutual visits with their foreign counterparts and established defense and security consultation mechanisms with surrounding countries in the joint endeavor to cope with various international and regional security challenges. At the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June 2022, the Chinese military delegation conducted an intense series of military diplomacy activities with the aim of making friends, forging friendly relations, and building mutual trust.

Today Chinese servicemembers are seen on the frontline of disaster rescue and relief, on the cutting edge of defending peace, and at the center of many events commonly concerned by the international community. The Chinese armed forces stand ready to provide the world with public security products and services, delivering its mission of safeguarding world peace.

The dream of the Chinese people and the dream of people in the rest of the world are intertwined. A peaceful, stable and prosperous China offers opportunities and benefits for the world, and a powerful Chinese military adds a staunch force for preserving world peace and stability and building the community with a shared future for mankind. Going forward, the Chinese military will make greater contributions to world peace and provide stronger support for ensuring a bright future for the whole humanity.
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  A strong earthquake set off landslides and damaged buildings in the northern Philippines on Wednesday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens. In the capital, hospital patients were evacuated and terrified people rushed outdoors.

The 7-magnitude quake was centered in a mountainous area of Abra province, said Renato Solidum, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, who described the midmorning shaking as a major earthquake.

The ground shook like I was on a swing and the lights suddenly went out. We rushed out of the office, and I heard screams and some of my companions were in tears, said Michael Brillantes, a safety officer of the Abra town of Lagangilang, near the epicenter.

It was the most powerful quake Ive felt and I thought the ground would open up, Brillantes told The Associated Press by cellphone.

At least five people died  mostly in collapsed structures. One villager died when hit by falling cement slabs in his house in Abra, where dozens of others were injured. In Benguet province, a worker was pinned to death after a small building that was under construction collapsed in the strawberry-growing mountain town of La Trinidad.

Hundreds of houses and buildings had cracked walls, including some that collapsed in Abra, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office less than a month ago, planned to travel Thursday to meet victims and local officials.

Marcos Jr. told a news conference he was in his office at the riverside Malacanang presidential palace complex when the chandeliers began swaying and making clanking sounds. It was very strong, he said of the ground shaking.

In a chilling near-death experience, Filipino photojournalist Harley Palangchao and companions were traveling downhill in two vans in Mountain Province when they suddenly heard thunder-like thuds and saw an avalanche of boulders as big as cars raining down just ahead of them from a towering mountain.

Amid screams of his companions in their van to back up, back up! the 44-year-old father of three raised his camera in the front seat and snapped what he feared could be the final pictures of his life. The van in front of them was grazed by a boulder, injuring one, but he and others in the second van drove backward fast enough and escaped unscathed.

I was thinking there should be at least a record if something happened to us, Palangchao told the AP. It was a horrific experience.

The Red Cross issued a picture of a three-story building precariously leaning toward a debris-covered road in Abra. A video taken by a panicking witness showed parts of an old stone church tower peeling off and falling in a cloud of dust on a hilltop.

Patients, some in wheelchairs, and medical personnel were evacuated from at least two hospitals in Manila, about 300 kilometers (200 miles) south of Lagangilang, but were later told to return after engineers found only a few minor cracks on walls.

The quakes strength was lowered from the initial 7.3 magnitude after further analysis. The quake was set off by movement in a local fault at a depth of 17 kilometers (10 miles), the institute said, adding it expected damage and more aftershocks.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the worlds earthquakes occur. It is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the worlds most disaster-prone countries.

A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.

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Associated Press journalist Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will speak Thursday, according to a U.S. official, their first conversation in four months coming amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over China's claims on Taiwan.

The planned talks between the two leaders  the fifth in a series of regular check-ins  have been in the works for weeks. But the possibility of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency, has added fresh strain to the complicated relationship.

Beijing is warning that it will take forceful measures should Pelosi visit the self-ruled island of Taiwan that China claims as part of its territory.

The U.S. official declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement. The schedule was first reported by Bloomberg.

Pelosi hasn't confirmed plans to visit Taiwan, but Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. Biden's comments came after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip she had originally planned to make in April but postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

The speaker has declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocol on her travel. But she said Biden's comment stemmed from military brass being "afraid our plane would get shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese. She would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker.

Its important for us to show support for Taiwan, Pelosi said. None of us have ever said were for independence when it comes to Taiwan. Thats up to Taiwan to decide.

Administration officials have privately stressed to Pelosi that traveling to Taiwan could further complicate a delicate status quo.

Chinese officials arent mincing words, sending a message that a visit by Pelosi would be viewed as a change in U.S. policy and treated as a provocation.

If the U.S. insists on going its own way, China will take forceful measures to resolutely respond and counter it, and we will do what we say, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

The U.S. has a longstanding commitment to the One China policy that recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan in recent years, and there are fears that its trying to intimidate the island into accepting Beijings demands to unify with the communist mainland.

The talks between Biden and Xi could also include discussion of North Koreas nuclear program, differences between Beijing and Washington over Russias war in Ukraine, efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. administrations review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration.

There are issues of tension in this relationship, John Kirby, a national security spokesperson for the White House, said Tuesday. But theres also issues where we believe cooperation is not only possible, but mandatory, for instance on climate change, which affects us greatly.

Long-simmering differences over Taiwan have come into intense focus in the aftermath of Russias invasion and ongoing efforts to annex swaths of eastern Ukraine.

As the U.S. scrambled to assemble a global coalition to hit the Russian economy with heavy sanctions following Vladimir Putins ordered invasion of Ukraine, Biden warned allies  particularly those in the Indo-Pacific  that Beijing would be watching closely how democracies responded as it considers its next steps on Taiwan.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday he fears that Beijing might be gleaning some concerning takeaways from the five-month-old war in eastern Europe. But he suggested the moment has also led to careful reflection in Taipei.

Not as many people ask Is Taiwan learning lessons from Ukraine? and you can bet they are, Sullivan said during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum. Theyre learning lessons about citizen mobilization and territorial defense. Theyre learning lessons about information warfare, and how to set the information space. And theyre learning lessons about how to prepare for a potential contingency involving China and theyre working rapidly at that.

Taiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xis last call in March, about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

China has repeatedly threatened to assert its claim to Taiwan by force, and has dispatched hundreds of sorties in Taiwanese airspace since Biden took office 18 months ago. The U.S. is legally obligated to ensure the self-governing island democracy can defend itself and treats threats to it with grave concern.

The conversation also comes as Bidens national security and economic aides near the completion of a review of U.S. tariff policy and prepare to make recommendations to the president.

The tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump applied a 25% duty on billions of dollars of Chinese products. The penalties were intended to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and force China to adopt fairer practices.
FILER TWP.  The Manistee area is one step closer to having a U-Haul Moving and Storage Store at the former Kmart building in Filer Township.

The Filer Township Planning Commission hosted a public hearing on Tuesday evening for a special use permit for the business to convert the former Kmart building at 1560 U.S. 31.

The commission members unanimously approved the permit application.

Arielle Breen/News Advocate

Jeff Steffani, U-Haul Business Consultants area district vice president, presented information on the business' plans at the meeting with Jon Gilmore, U-Haul Company of Northern Michigan.

Steffani said he has been involved with more than 13 conversions in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana changing former Kmarts into U-Haul store and storage facilities.

We are very good with our sustainability practices therefore we are very good with revitalizing these big boxes, he said.

He added that a lot of thought went into the planning for the proposed Filer Township site.

This is a unique community, we believe our need is here, thats why we are looking to come to this site here, Steffani said. Its going to be a state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility.

He said the location would also have a 5,000 square-foot retail store with moving supplies such as boxes and tape. RV and boat storage are also planned at the facility.

Steffani said we scrutinize every customer that stores with us, we actually have to see what youre storing before you store with us.

Someone with $0.5 million RV that they invested their money in, does not want to be next to a guy working on his boat project, Steffani said.

The pair noted that the project is roughly a $7 million investment for the company.

Steffani said the location would bring between 10 and 15 employees. Gilmore said there would also be about 10-15 jobs for construction.

Arielle Breen/News Advocate

The building has been dark for a while. Were looking to get in and get going immediately, getting it cleaned up, he said. It is a tough seller. We are in a very, very tight timeline.

Gilmore added that Houghton Lake was a good example of a former Kmart to U-Haul conversion that was extremely successful. Both noted that the Houghton Lake location is very similar to what Filer Township can expect to see.

Larry Thompson, Filer Township zoning administrator, previously told the News Advocate that U-Haul has been interested in Filer Township for at least a year.

The township is excited about it, Thompson had said. It just gets something in the building before it turns to a point where you cant use the buildings. Theyre going to be in there repairing the roof and everything, getting it back in shape.

Thompson had also pointed out that the reason the business needed to apply for a special use permit was because any time a business or entity is interested in Filers Downtown Development District, a special use permit is in order.

Gilmore said the estimated construction for similar projects is about one to one and a half years, depending on a facilitys previous upkeep.

The building has been vacant since 2016 when the Kmart store closed.

Unfortunately, in this situation its not great. The maintenance has been deferred probably beyond even just when the lights went dark here. I doubt they did much in the way of maintenance prior to that so that will all affect the timelines, he said. In the end, it will all be instead of a dilapidated building and a deteriorating parking lot  will be a state-of-the-art facility here for the community helping to draw in business.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trumps support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a complicated historical figure who many people misunderstand.

An Associated Press review of internet postings, court records and campaign finance disclosures depict a candidate with a more complicated biography than the compelling personal story that turned the 42-year-old Kent into a favorite of conservative media.

Square-jawed with wavy black hair, the former Green Beret served 11 combat deployments before retiring to join the CIA. He also endured unspeakable tragedy: His wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, leaving him to raise their two young sons alone.

Taken broadly, Kents recent relationships and activities reinforce concerns about the GOPs ties to extremist groups. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has drawn attention to the role such organizations, particularly the Proud Boys, played in the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after Trumps reelection loss in 2020.

"Many (Republican) politicians play footsie with it. Kent is just unabashed, said Dave Neiwert, an author and journalist who has covered right-wing extremism in the Pacific Northwest for decades

Kents campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

Joe Kents platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda, Matt Braynard, a Kent strategist, said in a statement.

Ahead of the final slate of primaries that unfold in August, Kent is not the only House candidate worrying some Republicans.

In Michigan, John Gibbs, a former Trump administration official challenging Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, once spread false claims that Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign chairman participated in a satanic ritual.

In New York, Carl Paladino, a GOP House candidate, praised Hitler last year as the kind of leader we need today." And former Trump administration official Max Miller, the Republican nominee for an Ohio congressional seat, was accused of physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend. Miller denies the allegations.

But of those soon facing elections, Kent stands out for the breadth of his ties to a deep-seated extremist fringe that has long existed in the Pacific Northwest.

Campaign finance disclosures reveal Kent recently paid $11,375 for consulting over the past four months to Graham Jorgensen, who was identified as a Proud Boy in a law enforcement report and was charged with cyber stalking his ex-girlfriend in 2018. The charges were dismissed. But a judge in Vancouver, Washington, issued an order of protection requiring Jorgensen to stay away from her, records show.

Kents campaign said Jorgensen was a low-level worker and denied he has any current affiliation with outside organizations. They declined to make Jorgensen available for an interview.

Kent is also a close political ally of Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer. Gibson has organized demonstrations in Portland, as well as the citys Washington state suburbs, where he and his followers have clashed with left-wing groups. Many of the demonstrations were coordinated with the Proud Boys.

The often violent rallies drew anti-government activists, extremists as well as white supremacists to unite in common cause  namely fighting left-wing activists.

Photos from the events archived online demonstrate how in some cases Kents allies have associated with people who have expressed white supremacist views. In numerous instances, Gibson as well as Jorgensen, the Proud Boy on Kents payroll, were recorded standing next to Jacob Von Ott, who has posted racist and antisemitic views online.

Von Ott did not respond to a request for comment, but he has previously denied that hes a white supremacist.

Gibson spoke at a Kent fundraiser last year. When it was Kents turn to speak at the event, he praised Gibson, explaining that he defended this community when our community was under assault from antifa. Gibson was acquitted last week on felony riot charges after an altercation with left-wing activists at a Portland bar

Kents ties to extremism arent limited to the Pacific Northwest.

Braynard, one of Kents top advisers, was the architect of a Washington, D.C., rally last year that sought to build sympathy for those arrested during the insurrection by rebranding them as political prisoners. Kent spoke at the rally.

And his candidacy is endorsed by far-right Arizona state lawmaker Wendy Rogers, who has identified herself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that played an outsize role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Kent has also sought support from figures associated with the white nationalist Groyper movement led by Nick Fuentes, an internet personality who has promoted white supremacist beliefs and was at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Kent has acknowledged that a political consultant set up a call early in his campaign that Fuentes was part of, where expanding his campaigns reach on social media was discussed. But he denied that there was any sort of formal arrangement and distanced himself from Fuentes in March after their affiliation became broadly known, tweeting that he did not want want Fuentess endorsement due his focus on race/religion.

After the rebuke, however, Kent appeared on a far-right YouTube channel where he echoed sentiments similar to those held by many white nationalists.

I dont think theres anything wrong with there being a white people special interest group, Kent said during an interview hosted by a group called the American Populist Union.

In April, Kent was photographed at a fundraiser giving a thumbs-up with Greyson Arnold, who identifies as a Christian American Nationalist. Like Fuentes, Arnold was also at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection.

Arnold has shared memes online that refer to Nazis as a pure race and has called Hitler a complicated and misunderstood historical figure. He did not respond to an email seeking comment.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Photo provided/Studio 23 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Photo provided/Studio 23 Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Studio 23s annual Painters & Potters exhibition is a celebration of the students and faculty that make up Studio 23. Instructors and students are dedicated to nurturing their creativity, improving their skills, and having fun in the process. The over 200 pieces of artwork on display are a showcase of their creative journeys through Studio 23's adult education program over the past year.

"Painters & Potters" features a wide variety of artistic styles and mediums, including painting, drawing, ceramic sculpture and mixed-media artwork, all of which can be learned at Studio 23. The faculty is comprised of working artists from the Great Lakes Bay Region with a passion for sharing their knowledge. Classes are offered year-round, with the daily bustle of students bringing energy and vitality to the classrooms and gallery.
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Shipping companies are not rushing to export millions of tons of grain trapped in Ukraine, despite a breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea. That is because explosive mines are drifting in the waters, ship owners are assessing the risks and many still have questions over how the deal will unfold.

The complexities of the agreement have set off a slow, cautious start, but it's only good for 120 days  and the clock began ticking last week.

The goal over the next four months is to get some 20 million tons of grain out of three Ukrainian sea ports blocked since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. That provides time for about four to five large bulk carriers per day to transport grain from the ports to millions of impoverished people worldwide facing hunger.

It also provides ample time for things to go awry. Only hours after the signing Friday, Russian missiles struck Ukraines port of Odesa  one of those included in the agreement.

Another key element of the deal offers assurances that shipping and insurers carrying Russian grain and fertilizer will not get caught in the wider net of Western sanctions. But the agreement brokered by Turkey and the U.N. is running up against the reality of how difficult and risky the pact will be to carry out.

We have to work very hard to now understand the detail of how this is going to work practically, said Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, representing national shipowners associations that account for about 80% of the worlds merchant fleet.

Can we make sure and guarantee the safety of the crews? Whats going to happen with the mines and the minefields, as well? So lots of uncertainty and unknowns at the moment," he said.

Getting wheat and other food out is critical to farmers in Ukraine, who are running out of storage capacity amid a new harvest. Those grains are vital to millions of people in Africa, parts of the Middle East and South Asia, who are already facing food shortages and, in some cases, famine.

Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil, with fighting in the Black Sea region, known as the breadbasket of the world, pushing up food prices, threatening political stability in developing nations and leading countries to ban some food exports, worsening the crisis.

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths says work at the newly opened Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul overseeing the export deal is nonstop with the aim of seeing the shipments heading out of Ukrainian ports quickly, safely and effectively.

He said Frederick Kenney, Jr., director of legal and external affairs at the International Maritime Organization and a retired U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral and judge advocate, is leading the U.N.s efforts to get the grain deal up and running.

The deal stipulates that Russia and Ukraine will provide maximum assurances for ships that brave the journey through the Black Sea to the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The primary risk thats faced is obviously going to be mines, said Munro Anderson, head of intelligence and a founding partner at Dryad. The maritime security advisory company is working with insurers and brokers to assess the risks that ships could face along the route as sea mines laid by Ukraine to deter Russia are drifting.

Turkey's defense minister on Wednesday said demining the waters was not immediately required but that could change.

Ukrainian officials have expressed hope that exports could resume from one port within days, but they also have said it could take two weeks for all three to become operational again. Experts in Ukraine are working on determining safe routes for ships.

Shipowners, charterers and insurance firms, meanwhile, are trying to understand how the deal will play out.

I think its going to come (down) to the position of the marine insurers that provide war risk and how much they are going to be adding in additional charges for vessels to go into that area, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, shipping and commodities analyst at Lloyds List, a global shipping news publication.

Bockmann said vessels carrying this kind of load typically have between 20 to 25 seafarers on board.

You cant risk those lives without something concrete and acceptable to the shipowners and to their charterers to move grain, she said.

Oleksiy Melnyk, an analyst with the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, said safety issues are largely unresolved because Russian rockets can hit warehouses storing grain and ports.

Shipowners and insurance companies are scared, they havent received any reliable security guarantees, Melnyk said. Were seeing just words and promises, which are worth little at a time of war."

Marine insurers reached by AP declined to comment on whether they would provide coverage for these ships.

The war has wreaked havoc on global trade, stranding over 100 ships in Ukraine's many ports.

At the three ports in the export agreement, 13 bulk carriers and cargo ships have been stuck at Chornomorsk, six in Odesa and three at Yuzhny, data from Lloyds List Intelligence shows. Some of those ships might still have crews aboard that could be mobilized to start exporting grains.

Ukrainian traders have been able to send some grain through the Danube River, which helped buoy exports to about 1.5 million tons in May and up to 2 million tons in June, though that is still less than half the monthly grain shipments of 4 to 5 million tons prior to the war, according to Svetlana Malysh, a Black Sea agriculture markets analyst with Refinitiv.

Over the 2021-2022 marketing year, Russia exported about 30 million tons of wheat, according to Refinitiv trade flows. That is the lowest level since 2017, in part because of the chilling effect of sanctions. Russian fertilizer exports also dropped 25% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, Malysh said.

For ships heading to Ukraine's three ports, smaller Ukrainian pilot boats will guide the vessels through approved corridors. The entire operation will be overseen by a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul staffed by officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations.

Once ships reach port, they will be loaded with tens of thousands of tons of grains before departing back to the Bosphorus Strait, where they will be boarded to inspect them for weapons. There will likely be inspections for ships embarking to Ukraine as well.

Because the process is so complex and slow-moving, its unlikely to have a significant impact on the price of grain worldwide.

The balance of power on this agreement still sits with Russia, said Anderson, Dryad's head of intelligence. Any Ukrainian ports outside the agreement face increased risk of attack, he said.

I think what Russia wants ... is to be seen as the state that controls the narrative within the Black Sea," Anderson said.

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Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Susie Blann in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb.
AP

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan says if youre trying to smuggle its prized native dog breed out of the country, youre barking up the wrong tree.

The government is now requiring that its celebrated Alabay dogs receive a passport before they can leave the country.
SHELBY, Mich. (AP)  A 10-year-old western Michigan boy who was shot by his mother before she turned the gun on herself home has died, authorities said Tuesday.

Tests performed on Ethan Anewishki of Shelby, found no brain activity, the Oceana County Sheriffs Office said.
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TO THE EDITOR:

I am voting for Bill G. Schuette in the Republican primary for State Representative in the 95th District.



Bill has worked tirelessly on this campaign, knocking on more than 7,500 doors throughout the district and attending countless meetings to connect and engage with voters. He will bring this same work ethic and boundless energy to the office of State Representative.
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - France has granted the Guinean government a 50 million euro-loan to build a landfill for solid and liquid waste in Conakry, where campaigns to combat insalubrity have recently been planned by the authorities
"The List" is PAPER's definitive roundup of the biggest fashion and art news, launches, capsules and collaborations of the month. Scroll through, below, to see July's newest arrivals.

Tiffany Atrium: New Social Impact Platform See on Instagram On Wednesday, Tiffany & Co. announced a new social impact platform called Atrium, whose mission is to create a more diverse and inclusive jewelry industry by advancing opportunities for historically underrepresented communities. The jeweler marked the launch by commissioning a new artwork from Baltimore-raised artist Derrick Adams called I Shine, You Shine, We Shine which the Tiffany Atrium logo is derived from. It will be auctioned by online art marketplace Artsy July 27 - August 10, with 100% of proceeds benefiting The Last Resort Artist Retreat.

Bernard James Summer 2022 Family Portraits Photography: Cesar Buitrago The next group featured in Bernard James' ongoing Family Portraits series includes designers Christopher John Rogers and Aisling Camps, photographer Quil Lemons and stylists Becky Akinyode and Matthew Henson. Each subject works in the fashion, music, arts and media fields and is a close friend of the jewelry designer. This year's theme is "talent behind talent" and focuses on industry tastemakers who work behind the scenes.

Austin James Smith x Planet i Courtesy of Planet i

Mixed media artist, jewelry designer and NYC nightlife fixture Austin James Smith, known via his social media handle Empty Pools, teamed up with eyewear brand Planet i to create the Spinal Sunglasses, an archive motif from Austin James Smith's Splice collection. It comes in three colors  Shadow, Sport, and Sunrise  and contrasts with reciprocal white, gold and black spinal design of the temple sides. Available now at austinjamessmith.com and planeti.world

SKIMS Swim Campaign With Bella Poarch, Paris Jackson and Madison Bailey Photography: Cobrasnake/ Courtesy of SKIMS

So far, the swim campaigns for SKIMS have had its founder Kim Kardashian front and center, including the most recent one where she channeled an '80s bombshell for its metallics line. But for its latest swim ads, the shapewear brand enlisted a trio of next-gen muses: Paris Jackson, Bella Poarch and Madison Bailey, all of whom star in the LA pool party-inspired campaign shot by alternative party photographer Cobrasnake. The new swim collection is available starting July 28 at SKIMS.com

Brandon Blackwood Launches First Men's Bag Courtesy of Brandon Blackwood Brandon Blackwood has added another bag to his accessories range: the Jordanis Trunk, their first bag designed for men. The boxy style is made of smooth black leather and comes with zipper pockets and an adjustable strap. Available now at BrandonBlackwood.com

Armani Exchange Gets the SmileyWorld Treatment Courtesy of Armani Exchange

SmileyWorld's iconic yellow smiling symbol is all over Armani Exchange's new feel-good capsule collection, part of the SmileyWorld's 50th anniversary celebrations (the company has teamed up with everyone from Moschino to Dior to Loewe). For this collab, Armani Exchanged swapped the eyes with its signature A|X logo, and they also referenced Giorgio Armani's recognizable glasses and smile for the other emoji. Available now at ArmaniExchange.com

ASHYA x t.a. New York Campaign photographer: Myesha Evon Gardner

ASHYA's Shema Slingback, the street-style It-bag that launched exclusively with t.a. New York in 2020 in a bold, red shade, is being released in another exclusive color with the fashion-favorite luxury concept store. The bag, the second collaboration between ASHYA co-founders Ashley Cimone/Moya Annece and t.a.'s Telsha Anderson, now comes in a brushed vegetable-tanned leather style named Trilogy while keeping its signature ring handle and compact, travel-friendly shape. Available now at shop-ta.com

Mr. Porter x Throwing Fits Courtesy of Mr. Porter James Harris and Lawrence Schlossman, founders of menswear podcast Throwing Fits (its tagline is "two grown dirtbags just tryna navigate the male zeitgeist"), have collaborated with Mr. Porter on a new capsule collection featuring 13 brands and over 70 pieces of clothing, shoes and accessories, all handpicked by the duo. There's also an edit of exclusive Throwing Fits merchandise. "Whether we've earned this privilege or it's simply karmic justice for a lifetime spent shopping and thinking more about men's clothing than anyone else on the planet is up to interpretation," the pair said of the partnership. "Either way, consider the bucket list checked. Finally garnering the respect of our friends and loved ones is just icing on the cake. Available now at Mr. Porter.com

Tommy Hilfiger Is Returning to NYFW After Three Years NYFW just got a big boost this season. Tommy Hilfiger will show its next see-now-buy-now collection on September 11 in New York City, its first show during New York Fashion Week in three years. It will also be live-streamed on Roblox with avatars dress in virtual pieces from the collection. "This season is all about the collision of my favorite archival inspirations with new live event concepts and virtual worlds," Hilfiger said. "Its the perfect expression of what we stand for as we pay homage to our roots with a return to NYFW."

Anyone Can Attend Diesel's Next Runway Show For the first time, Diesel is opening its upcoming Spring 2023 show to the public, inviting fashion enthusiasts, students, friends, and fans of the brand to attend. Registration to attend the live show in Milan is on a first come, first serve basis starting September 1 at Diesel.com.

Opening Ceremony Launches Collaboration With LUAR Courtesy of Opening Ceremony

New Luar bags just dropped! Well, in new colors anyway. The brand's popular It-bag, the Ana Mini, seen on everyone from Dua Lipa to Troye Sivan, is releasing two exclusive new colorways thanks to a collaboration with Opening Ceremony  ini tobacco pony hair-effect leather and black-and-cream snakeskin-embossed vegan leather. There's also a sweatshirt with artwork from Bony Ramirez's Feeding a Child of the Ocean." The collab is part of OC's 20th anniversary celebrations, which have included collabs with designer Peter Do and punk-rock band The Linda Lindas. Luar's Raul Lopez and OC's designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim go way back, when the retailer first stocked Hood by Air (which Lopez co-founded) and then Luar. When I started to take my first steps as a designer, OC was the first store to believe in me and support me, Lopez said. OC will forever be family to me.'' Available starting July 12 at OpeningCeremony.com and Farfetch.com

Acne Studios Musubi Bag Campaign by Talia Chetrit Photography: Talia Chetrit/ Courtesy of Acne Studios

Acne Studios tapped New York-based photographer Talia Chetrit, known for her still lifes and nude portraiture, to shoot a new campaign for their Musubi bag. She shot the bags on male dancers bodies which she chose because they resembled the figurative qualities in the bags.

Eckhaus Latta Launches Shoe Collection Courtesy of Eckhaus Latta/ Thomas McCarthy

Eckhaus Latta's first footwear collection, first seen on the brand's Fall 2022 runway, is here and features a mix of silhouettes (all made in Portugal), heel shapes and colors including the Mike boot and Zoe clog. The range builds upon previous collaborations with UGG and Camper Available now at EckhausLatta.com, Farfetch and Nordstrom

Givenchy Launches 101 Dalmations Capsule Courtesy of Givenchy
Photo: (Photo : Madlen Deutschenbaur)

A year ago, Vanessa Morgan gave birth to her son River via C-section, and she is honoring that empowering journey by getting herself a tattoo on her C-section scar.

The "Riverdale" actress had the word "kintsugi," a Japanese term for embracing flaws and imperfections, tattoed by tattoo artist Noah Lee.

Morgan said that it means you're more beautiful for having been broken and that it was the word that perfectly represents her C-section. She feels more beautiful for having gone through the surgery and having the scar, per ABC News.

Embracing real skin stories

Delivering her baby via C-section was not the birth story that Morgan wanted, as she had dreamed of having a natural birth. Despite having a hard time recovering, she still found what she had gone through as beautiful.

Learning to embrace herself entirely led her to get a tattoo and partner with Gold Bond for the brand's new campaign, "My Scar, My Story," intended to uplift others and embrace their real skin stories.

The point of this campaign is to encourage people to tell their real skin stories and "that our skin is a canvas and any imperfections on our skin are beautiful. It is our authentic self," said Morgan.

The Canadian actress hopes her story and the Gold Bond's campaign will encourage other people to tell their real skin stories and share their authentic selves.

"We're such a filtered social media society right now, and the standards are so high," the actress said.

"So I feel like if a hashtag like this, and a campaign like this can help, and us speaking out about experiences where we were warriors, scars on our skin and embracing those imperfections ... it'll move us in the right direction to being our authentic selves," the Canadian actress added.

Vanessa Morgan appeared in many television shows and series and was discovered at the age of nine while singing at a festival in California.

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The C-section

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a cesarean section is a surgical procedure performed to deliver a baby through the birthing person's abdomen instead of the vagina. It is a procedure that, in a few cases, may be planned and, in others, is done on a more emergency basis if labor is not progressing or if the health of the mother or infant is in danger.

More than 1 million children are birthed via cesarean deliveries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The incision on the skin may be Up-and-down (vertical), in which the incision extends from the belly button to the pubic hairline or across from side-to-side (horizontal) with the incision extending across the pubic hairline. The latter is used most often as it heals well with less bleeding.

Related Article: Having A Cesarean Delivery? Here Are 4 Big Surprises About C-Sections You Should Know About
Photo: (Photo : JONATHAN BRADY/AFP via Getty Images)

A daughter kidnapped at birth is set to get married and has asked both her biological dad and fake father to walk her down the aisle.

Miche Zephany, from Cape Town, South Africa, was only days old when she was taken from the hospital by Lavona Solomon. Her birth mother, Celeste Nurse, was sleeping next to her and was unaware of the abduction as Lavona was dressed as a nurse when she took the baby. Her birth father, Morne Nurse, was not in the room when it happened.

When Zephany turned 17, she was told that a new and younger girl, Cassidy Nurse, had arrived in school and had an uncanny resemblance to her. Zephany said that she and the new girl clicked immediately, and they became instant friends.

Cassidy grew up knowing about her kidnapped older sister and had a gnawing suspicion that Zephany might be the child her parents had been searching for all these years. So, she told her father, Morne, and Zephany about it, with the latter feeling that this was a story straight out of a Hollywood film, per She the People.

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Miche Zephany can't be angry at her fake parents

Zephany tried to find answers to Cassidy's theory, and they both discovered that Zephany's birth was registered only when she turned six years old. Zephany then decided to get a DNA test, which confirmed Cassidy's hunch. They were sisters, and Zephany was the long-lost daughter of Morne and Celeste.

Before Zephany's birth, the Solomons lost a child due to a miscarriage. Lavona faked her pregnancy without the knowledge of her husband, Michael Solomon. When she was ready to "give birth," she snatched a child at the hospital.

The couple raised the child with love and care. In an interview with Mirror, Zephany, now 25 years old and a mother of two children, said that she could not hate her fake parents because they gave her a good life.

She loves both sets of parents and wants them to be a part of her wedding to her long-term boyfriend, Justin Sheldon, in March 2022.

"I was raised by and lived with Michael," she said. "But I have my birth father Morne, too. My children know them both."

But Lavona was imprisoned for ten years in 2016, while Michael was not charged with any crime as he did not know about the kidnapping. Despite the turn of events, Zephany said that she has learned to love her fake parents even more because their actions showed that their motivation to abduct a child was driven by their desire to be parents and to love that child like their own.

Nurse's family still hurting but healing

Zephany's story has been turned into a documentary, "Girl, Taken," for the streaming platform Paramount+. Morne and Celeste heard their daughter's raw sentiments about her kidnappers for the first time via this program.

The Nurse family said they were shocked and hurt to hear that Zephany still longed for the Solomons despite their crime. Morne admitted via Metro that finding Zephany when she was already 17 was challenging to process after what he and Celeste had been through.

Zephany's abduction strained his marriage with Celeste, and they did divorce. However, Morne and Celeste reunited and remarried in 2020, as witnessed by their long-lost daughter.

But Morne said he and Michael have nothing but respect for each other. The birth father said this was the only way to deal with their family's issues so they could heal, reconnect, and rebuild a new future with Zephany and their grandkids.

Related Articles: Long Lost Family: Adults Abandoned as Babies Discover Their Biological Families in New Season
Photo: (Photo : DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

While everyone was in quarantine in 2020 due to the pandemic, the family of Haidyn Fowler, then five years old, had to learn to understand and live with her newly-diagnosed condition. She became sick with a rare condition called Sanfilippo syndrome, which has no known cure and still has a growing body of research to uncover.

Two years on, mom Carrie Fowler told 11 Alive that their journey to finding more answers for Sanfilippo syndrome has been challenging as Haidyn, now seven years old, has started losing her ability to talk. Her condition is also known as childhood dementia or childhood Alzheimer's disease, which means that her health deterioration is expected.

In the show "Good Morning America," Carrie said that Sanfilippo syndrome attacks the brain and the central nervous system. It can trigger anything to go wrong with the body.

Since the disease has no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cure, the Fowler family has been working harder to conduct awareness campaigns and raise funds to help with the research. They are hoping therapies would be developed to improve the quality or extend the life of Haidyn, if not cure her disease altogether. So far, the family has raised more than $8,000.

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Sanfilippo syndrome: The causes and symptoms

According to the Boston Children's Hospital, Sanfilippo syndrome, also known as mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III), is a rare genetic lysosomal storage disorder. The lysosomes are protein enzymes that break down the fats and sugars in the body, but a disorder will cause them to dysfunction.

In 1963, Dr. Sylvester Sanfilippo, a pediatrician, first described the disease in medical journals, thus the name.

Children who have Sanfilippo syndrome likely inherited defective genes from their parents. However, the parents won't know their child's condition until early childhood, as in the case of Haidyn, who was born as a perfectly healthy baby.

However, as she grew and developed, Haidyn failed to reach some milestones typical for babies. Her mother said she has the mental capacity of an 18-month-old baby as a 7-year-old. She has also been experiencing near-constant pain and has a long list of health issues since her symptoms appeared.

Sanfilippo syndrome may cause any of the following: seizures, movement disorders, developmental regression, intellectual disability, certain behaviors in the autism spectrum disorder, enlarged head and tongue, arthritis, visual impairment, hearing loss, frequent respiratory infections, and chronic diarrhea. The lifespan of a child with Sanfilippo syndrome is between 10 to 20 years.

Hope for Haidyn

On their fundraiser page, the Fowler family expressed hope that their daughter will live beyond her teenage years. While significant research is ongoing, Haidyn's parents said they want to focus on letting their child know that her family deeply loves her.

Their hearts are hurting because no loving parent wants to lose their child, but they also have plenty of realizations while tending to Haidyn's care. Carrie said they are fighting a lot harder for her daughter, who has been teaching them about not taking things for granted.

Relate Article: 1-Month-Old Baby Dies of Parechovirus; Heartbroken Connecticut Family Warns Other Parents
Photo: (Photo : JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

When Bien Nguyen arrived at Jamaica Hospital in Queens on Friday afternoon, she was carrying a bag of clothes for her oldest son, Jossiah. The picture she had seen of her 25-year-old son on July 5 showed him on a subway bench with tattered jeans. Jossiah appeared homeless, and the photo devastated her.

She said it was pretty hard not to start crying. The photo started a movement to find Jossiah, building up to a television story shown by PIX11 News on Tuesday. The emotional mother told Mary Murphy in an interview that if that is what it will take to make others look for him, and help him out, then she is thankful for that.

After getting a direct flight from Savannah, Georgia, Nguyen arrived at Newark Airport Friday morning. She tearfully recalled getting the call on Thursday evening, informing her that Jossiah had been found by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police at the Long Island Railroad station in Jamaica, Queens.

The couple created a Facebook page to help in the search

The worried mom said she dropped everything to find a flight to New York to reunite with her son, but the quickest direct flight took her to Newark Airport in New Jersey. She then traveled from Newark to Jamaica Hospital, where her son was undergoing a medical evaluation.

Nguyen said her son asked her during Thursday's phone call to help him get some airplane tickets to return home. The conversation transpired after her son was taken to the MTA police station.

Bien Nguyen and her husband, Yen, started a Facebook page called Missing Jossiah Nguyen this week. The couple received multiple tips on possible sightings of their son Jossiah, who suffered emotional problems after high school.

Bien and Yen said they had received one communication through Facebook Messenger from their son on May 13, five days after he disappeared. Jossiah said he was looking for a way to get home but had lost his wallet and phone. The parents' concerns grew when they did not hear from him again.

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Kim Crown saw Jossiah getting off the elevated subway in Brooklyn

They flew to New York City before Missing Persons Day and went to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. They talked to detectives that weekend, who told them their son had received a summons the same day outside a liquor store on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn.

When the couple made their way to Nostrand Avenue, their son was nowhere to be found. They got a huge break on July 5 when a cousin of Yen Nguyen, Kim Crown, noticed someone who looked like Jossiah when getting off the elevated subway at the Lorimer Street station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The young man said he did not want help, according to WGN 9. The cousin took his picture and sent it to his parents. Two days after media outlets reported his disappearance, Jossiah was found near the Long Island Railroad station at Sutphin Boulevard in Queens.

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Photo: (Photo : ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has called out Walt Disney Company for breaking its promise to keep R-rated movies off its family-friendly platform, Disney+.

On Friday, July 22, 2022, Disney+ unveiled its first selections on its R-rated library, with films like "Logan," starring Hugh Jackman, "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2," starring Ryan Reynolds. While these movies had a blockbuster run on the big screen and earned millions for the House of Mouse, their content ratings have not been considered kid-friendly.

In a press release, PTC President Tim Winter said that Disney promised three years ago that their R-rated movies would be up on Hulu, their other streaming platform meant for adult viewers. Winter accused Disney of lying to the parents because this latest movie line-up has veered away from its family-focused objective.

At that time, Bob Iger led Walt Disney Company, but the operations changed when she retired, and Bob Chapek took over. Insiders said that Chapek intends to expand the content of Disney+ with various programs for all ages.

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Disney+ has parental controls

"Logan" and the "Deadpool" movies contain profanity, nudity, gory and violent scenes, and implications of alcohol consumption and sex; thus, the films are not recommended for children's viewing. However, Variety stated that the streamer had included parental controls that allow the parents to prevent their children from navigating other shared accounts or picking contents that are not age-appropriate.

Parents can do this by accessing their children's profiles to edit and select "Parental Controls," where they can tweak the "Content Rating." The adjustment will also require a password or PIN input only known to the parents.

Winter acknowledged the parental controls on the Disney+ profiles but pointed out that "the mere presence of R-rated and TV-MA rated content violates the trust and sensibilities of families." He called out Disney for its "corporate U-turn," adding that this decision tarnished its credibility as the "most trusted brand for families."

Move to compete with other streamers

According to CNN Business, Disney+ managed to amass 140 million subscribers in less than three years with its family-friendly model. However, as the streaming industry is growing more competitive, it has to cater to other audiences.

Reynolds, the "Deadpool" star who is a dad-of-three, posted a funny take on this change at Disney+ on his Twitter account. The actor said that while his movies are some of the first R-rated movies on the platform, other popular Disney films have caused irreversible trauma to kids. He referenced the murder of Mufasa in "The Lion King" by his brother.

Were supposed to announce Logan and Deadpool will soon be the first R-rated movies on Disney+. But we all know some Disney movies should already be rated R for irreversible trauma. pic.twitter.com/FoIbiwKhiG  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 21, 2022

Meanwhile, the parenting group also commented on the new TV-MA rating of Netflix's "Stranger Things," up from a TV-14 rating. Winters said the show deserved a more restrictive rating as its current season introduced more adult content with increased use of profanity and graphic violence.

Winters noted that "Stranger Things" was not appropriately rated in the previous season despite its explicit content. He said that ratings should be accurate as this serves as a useful guide for the parents.

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Photo: (Photo : Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

The heartbroken parents of Timothy Fehring, who died on a school trip in Germany, said the school should have done more to prevent his death. It was meant to be a trip of a lifetime for the 15-year-old Blackburn High School student, but he never made it home alive.

Two staff members chaperoned the 17 students on their 2019 Europe trip. Timothy's death a week into the excursion prompted an overhaul of school staffing requirements on international tours, according to the Daily Mail.

Timothy instantly became ill after departing Melbourne and arriving in Berlin on June 23. He texted his mother, writing that he almost threw up. He added in his text that he is working on getting better to have a better time on the trip.

Parents reject claims their son died due to homesickness

His parents, Dale and Barbara Fehring, said their son was never one to complain. The couple rejected claims their son was simply homesick before his death. Barbara told 9News that Timothy was a super fit and healthy kid, and he would never want to make a fuss or bring attention to himself.

He persisted with activities during the trip but became violently ill, eating very little and vomiting in bins on excursions. A teacher took him to a chemist, and Timothy was given medication after explaining his symptoms. He woke up the next day and asked his mom to get him back home to Australia.

According to the coroner's findings, Timothy expressed dissatisfaction about how he was being treated. He was taken to the Munich Children's Hospital and was thoroughly examined by a doctor, who diagnosed Timothy's illness as a combination of constipation, gastroenteritis, and homesickness.

The group traveled to Vienna, Austria, on June 27 and went on a walking tour of the city that Timothy joined despite asking not to go. According to the coroner's findings, Timothy walked slowly and looked tired while carrying a vomit bag. He asked to go back to the hospital, but the staff denied his request.

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Fehrings call for change in teacher and student ratios on overseas trips

After Timothy vomited his dinner that night, the staff contacted his parents, and arrangements were made for him to fly back home. He was taken the next day to see a general practitioner to secure a fit-to-travel certificate so he could make the journey home alone on June 29.

Things took a turn for the worse as the sick teen was found unresponsive on the ground with blood trickling from his nose after walking into the hallway to get some air. He was hospitalized after that but later died on June 28.

An autopsy revealed he had a highly acute infection in his lungs and stomach, and he had suffered a heart attack. The Fehrings said they were not made aware of how sick their child was, and they are now calling for a change in teacher and student ratios for overseas trips, according to news.com.au.

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Photo: (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives received bipartisan support and passed the Respect for Marriage Act to protect same-sex marriage on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

The move was sparked by the concurring opinion of Justice Clarence Thomas in overturning the 50-year-old ruling on Roe v. Wade in June 2022, effectively prohibiting abortion in the country. In his opinion, the justice stated that the Supreme Court must also reconsider the so-called constitutional rights protected in the Obergefell vs. Hodges ruling, implying that this must also be overturned.

Before the controversy in the abortion ruling, LGBTQ activists have been saying that the overturn of Roe v. Wade will inevitably remove the protection and rights of same-sex marriage in Obergefell vs. Hodges. Brad Sears of the Williams Institute in Los Angeles told USA Today that LGBTQ groups have enough reasons to fear that conservative Supreme Court justices will vote for the overturn because the Roe v. Wade decision showed that even settled laws can be "litigated all over again."

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The nitty-gritty in the Respect for Marriage Act

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act, which covers same-sex and interracial marriages. If passed into federal law, it will repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which previously underscored that a marriage is only "between a man and woman" and a spouse must be of the opposite sex. Currently, the DOMA is not strictly enforced.

The new legislation also repeals any provisions that do not require the states to acknowledge same-sex unions, so same-sex couples will no longer be excluded from receiving Social Security survivor benefits or equitable tax treatment, per the ACLU. The repeal also extends to the federal requirements of the government. Instead, it will require interstate recognition.

However, if the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell vs. Hodges, the Respect for Marriage Act will not prevent states from denying a marriage license to same-sex couples; it will not violate the law. The purpose of codifying the law is to ensure that no federal laws will nullify same-sex unions.

Sears, however, believes that half of the states will still recognize same-sex marriage even if this is overturned. Thus, many couples can still get married in several nearby states of their choice.

Respect for Marriage Act for deliberation in the Senate

After the House, the legislation was transmitted to the Senate for deliberation. It will need at least 60 votes to pass. The Democrats have 50 Senate seats; thus, they need ten or more bipartisan support.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has already stated that he will not vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act. He believes that marriage laws have always been decided by the state and not the federal government. Thus, he sees this new legislation as a non-issue and a complete waste of time, according to Reason.

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, on the other hand, was not explicit on whether he'll vote yes or no. However, he told the press weeks before the House passed the bill that he didn't see a need for new legislation since same-sex marriage is legal in many states. He also doesn't believe the law will change in the coming years.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is voting no and supports the overturn of Obergefell vs. Hodges. Yet, Cruz also said he does not think the Supreme Court will act on it.

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Photo: (Photo : SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the resumption of baby formula production by Abbott Nutrition and formula being imported from around the globe, nearly 22 percent of these products were out of stock in the United States last week.

NewsNation's "Rush Hour" talked with a top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official on Friday, July 22, who said she expects things to improve by early to mid-August. FDA Food Safety Director Susan Mayne noted that the situation is improving, and more formula is showing up on shelves.

That is little consolation for families, who are still struggling to find what they need after closures due to a contamination problem and flooding at Abbott's Sturgis, Michigan, forced separate shutdowns in the facility earlier this year.

Feed the Babies Project doing its part to ease shortage woes

To address the baby formula shortage, a nonprofit organization distributed donated breast milk to mothers in need in St. Louis on Thursday, July 21. Dr. Jesse Davis of the Feed the Babies Project stated that in response to the infant formula shortage, they created this project to disseminate donor milk that is pasteurized through the Milk Bank.

He added that they organized their community partners to mass purchase that donor breast milk and distribute it to the people most in need. Data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), a market research firm, showed that the amount of formula out of stock increased in June. The out-of-stock rate was 23.7 percent in May, compared to nearly 30 percent in June.

The FDA points to 17 planeloads of international formula delivered to American hospitals and retailers since May, which are equivalent to nearly 61 million 8-ounce bottles of formula.

The federal agency said the formula has been cleared of bacteria concerns and inspected for proper nutrient levels. Mayne noted that American consumers could have confidence that the FDA has looked at these formulas that are coming in new to the United States both for food safety and nutrition.

Read Also: Baby Formula Shortage Still Persists in the US as FDA Admits it Will Take a While to Fix This Problem

President Biden signs Formula Act to help American families

But top agency officials have also given changing timelines on when things will be back to normal in the United States. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said during his testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in May that he expected things to be back to normal within two months. Sadly, that is a timeline that has nearly come and gone now.

When asked about a new timeline, Mayne said that by early to mid-August, they should continue to see significant improvement in on-shelf availability. President Biden recently signed the Formula Act, a bipartisan bill that temporarily suspends tariffs on imported formula, potentially making the cost of formula 27 percent cheaper for American families.

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Photo: (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California is extending financial help to the children by becoming the first state in the U.S. to create trust funds for kids who lost parents to COVID-19.

Over $100 million from the state's surplus budget will be set up for the kids of low-income families. According to KQED, the program "Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment for Children Trust Account Fund," also known as "baby bonds," will be intended to accumulate and grow as investments.

The children may be able to access the trust fund when they turn 18 years old. They can use the money for school, housing, and essential expenses.

Around 16,000 kids are expected to benefit from the trust fund, which could be tied to the state's Medi-Cal program. The eligibility details have yet to be clarified, but the children could receive between $4,000 to $8,000 in assistance, depending on their ages. The state treasurer will be tasked with managing their money.

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Gaining some security

Mom Laura Guerra, who was widowed in 2020 after her husband, Rigo Guerra, died of COVID-19, said the trust fund gives her child some security. Laura is now a single parent raising a 2-year-old girl, and she has constant fears about her daughter's future.

Laura said she doesn't want her daughter to grow up as a "victim of this virus forever." She has advocated for the trust fund and the group COVID Survivors for Change, per WFMZ.

COVID Survivors for Change director Emily Walton believes that the trust fund for kids who lost parents to COIVD-19 will go a long way to help them succeed as they embark on adulthood. The money set aside for the children can provide for their education or job prospects in places they know they can do well.

Siblings Martin Jr., Angel and Miranda Basulto were lost after both their parents died of COVID-19. Martin, a 44-year-old truck driver, was exposed to COVID in the first wave and infected his wife, Rosa, a 46-year-old hotel worker.

Now it's Martin Jr., 27, who heads the family and has been taking care of his youngest sister, Miranda, 17. Miranda said she was angry about what happened to her parents and didn't care much for school. Now, she knows they would want nothing more for her than to live up to her full potential. She can prepare for further school after high school with the trust fund.

Baby bonds were launched in the 1930s

In the 1930s, the U.S. government launched the first baby bonds for parents to invest in their children's future. In the modern period, parents no longer purchase these bonds as they have become benefits for low-income families.

According to Daily Mail, Connecticut was the first to approve a baby bonds program for low-income families, which has yet to receive funding. California, however, is the first state to tie the trust fund for kids who lost parents to COVID-19.

End Poverty in California hopes this trust fund is the first of many programs for the children of low-income families. Soon, the group hopes every child born in California will be able to receive guaranteed cash assistance for their future.

Related Article: Study Says 1.5 Million Children in 21 Countries Lost Parents, Grandparents to COVID-19
Photo: (Photo : ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

The man who claims to be the grandson of cult killer Charles Manson may be closer to winning his legal battle for his grandfather's estate after lawyers filed a birth certificate that established his ties to one of the most notorious criminals in the history of the U.S.

In an exclusive report, Daily Mail stated that the birth certificate filing prompted Nancy Claassen of Washington to withdraw her claim to Manson's fortune. Claassen has claimed she is the half-sister of the late killer because they have the same mother, which makes her his direct heir.

Claassen's withdrawal leaves just one other person with claims to the estate. Michael Channels, who was pen pals with Manson from prison, said that he was left all of his belongings and assets, as stated in one of his letters.

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How is Jason Freeman related to Charles Manson?

Judge Ruben Garcia asked Freeman in June 2022 to show additional proof of his claim that he is Manson's grandson after evidence from an Ohio court showed that Charles Manson Jr., the killer's first-born child with Rosalie Jean Willis, was asked to pay child support to Freeman's mom. Garcia said that while he believes Freeman, the claimant still needs to establish that his father was, in fact, the child of Manson Sr.

According to All That's Interesting, not a lot is known about the life of Manson Jr., but he died by suicide in 1993 as he couldn't shake off his father's infamous identity. He even tried to change his name so he would not be linked to his famous namesake.

But a group of lawyers supporting Freeman's long-standing legal battle for his grandfather's estate produced Manson Jr.'s birth certificate. Atty. Alan Davis obtained his birth certificate in Los Angeles.

However, Atty. Timothy Lyons, who represents Channels, argued in May 2022 that the previous judge presiding over the case, who has since retired, gave no weight to the evidence from the Ohio court over the child support payments. There is also no proof that Manson Jr. paid Freeman's mother.

Channels also sought a DNA test from Freeman, who said he would only do the test if it was a court order. So far, the court has not yet asked for the DNA test.

Freeman vs. Channels still not over

Freeman and Channels are due for another hearing in late July, per KFI. Freeman's lawyers have already filed probate on Channels' claims that Manson wanted his pen pal to inherit his estate, arguing that these pronouncements were made in a letter and were not the actual will of the notorious cult killer.

Manson Sr. died in prison in 2017 at 83 years old with an estimated net worth of $400,000. He was sent to prison in the late 1960s for instigating a mass murder that took the life of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and six other victims.

In 1972, Manson Sr.'s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Freeman said in interviews that he connected with his grandfather after his father died.

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Back to school deals on laptops, Chromebooks, MacBooks, and more are moving into their second phase, as students go back to class and learn what they need for school. Were still seeing some great back-to-school sales, however.

Weve examined and selected the best back-to-school deals at online retailers, with the best available deals on Chromebooks, laptops, MacBooks, iPads and tablets, plus monitors and displays. Weve taken our extensive laptop reviews coverage and applied that to help you make the best decision on what to buy.

Back to school laptop deals

Some great deals are on right now! Our back-to-school laptop deals focus mainly on productivity, generally emphasizing 1080p displays and long battery life. Students can add an external hard drive or SSD as well as cloud storage to add storage, too. Some of our recommended laptops arent new, but theyre all recent, with either Windows 10 or Windows 11. Consult our list of the best laptops for more ideas.

We had some issues with Acers earlier Swift 3, but the 11th-gen Swift 3 improves. HPs laptop looks pretty solid, though average. There are a couple of gaming laptops that might double as productivity machines, too. Other laptop back-to-school deals that feature Intel Celeron processors and 4GB of RAM are too underpowered for us to recommend. If you buy the HP.com (-15t-dw300) deal, double-check that it has the 1080p display option checked!

Back to school Chromebook deals

These back-to-school Chromebook deals are just as good or better than Prime Day deals. Weve picked the best Chromebook deals for you, not shying away from some older models. The latest gear doesnt matter as much, compared to laptops. Want more ideas? Start with PCWorlds list of the best Chromebooks.

College life generally runs on laptops, and not Chromebooks, but Chromebooks are still useful for elementary and even middle-school students, especially as secondary machines. If you can, prioritize a 1080p screen and 8GB of RAM when you buy a Chromebook. (Dont worry about MediaTeks Arm chip; its about as powerful as an Intel Celeron N4020.) Weve factored in the dates at which these Chromebooks will fall out of Googles support window, too.

Back to school MacBook deals

Apple is reluctant to discount MacBooks that much, but there are still back-to-school MacBook discounts out there. The MacBook back-to-school sales just arent as appealing as in Windows laptops.

MacBooks rarely carry heavy discounts, unfortunately.

Back to school iPad and tablet deals

If students need a tablet for when they go back to school, we think that these suggestions offer the best deals. Retailers discounted tablets and iPads a bit more earlier in the back-to-school season, but not so much now.

Amazon has some small discounts available for back-to-school tablets. Weve shied away from Amazons own Fire tablets only because students will need flexibility to add apps that they may use in school.

Back to school monitor deals

College dorm rooms and lecture halls dont offer an enormous amount of space for additional monitors, so there arent as many back-to-school monitor deals as you otherwise might expect. Samsung, though, appears to be having a sale.

Were going to assume that youre not going to college to game, so weve (mostly) emphasized 60Hz displays, with a mix of 1080p and 4K. (The Sceptre at the top offers 75Hz, which should be slightly more relaxing to work with over long periods of time.) Why do we add a monitor mount or two at the end of the list? Well, since dorm rooms dont often have a lot of desk space, a mount allows you to add an extra display by mounting it on an adjustable arm, via a desk clamp. Just pay attention to the weight of the monitor youre attaching.

Updated at 10:52 AM PT on August 15 to remove expired deals and add new ones.
Move over, Windows  Google Photos is getting its own video editor, which will arrive on Chromebooks this fall. And if thats not enough, the professional-grade LumaFusion video-editing app will be available on Chromebooks, too.

Like other developers, Google typically releases a bundle of new features, which roll out over time. The headliner for the fall, however, will be the new video editor, which will complement Google Photos in much the same way Microsofts own Video Editor (or Clipchamp, a superior alternative) complements Windows Photos app. Chromebooks will also get light and dark themes, as well as other personalization options.

If a still image of the video editor that Google released is indicative of the final feature set, however, than Microsoft has nothing to worry about. That screenshot only shows the option to adjust characteristics like contrast and brightness, add a soundtrack, and possibly stitch clips together. Google also says that youll be able to add a title card, too.

On the other hand, what Google is trying to do seems much more in tune with what it algorithmically knows about you and your movies and photos. The Photos movie editor will offer themes, as Clipchamp does; but it will also pull its own clips, apparently. Start by selecting a theme and the people (or pets!) youd like to feature, and Google Photos will make a movie with both video clips and photos, Google wrote in a blog post. It even intelligently selects the most meaningful moments from your long videos.

The Light and Dark themes within the Google Photos Gallery app. Google

But theres more: Google also said that its bringing the LumaTouch LumaFusion app to Chromebooks. Thats not only interesting as it gives Chromebook users a professional-level video editing application, but it also brings what has previously been an iOS app into the ChromeOS universe  Apple even awarded LumaFusion its app of the year previously. The app adds video transitions and distortions, graphics and sound effects, plus narration and color grading, according to Google.

Other, smaller upgrades are also coming to the Gallery and Photos apps for Chromebooks over the next few months. Like in Windows, youll be able to open a photo in the Gallery app and then open it within the Photos editor. Google also plans to add new PDF editing features to the Gallery app beginning in August, allowing users to fill out forms and highlight text.

Google is adding the capability for Chromebooks to be able to edit PDFs. Google

Finally, youll also be able to pull photos from Photos and use them as background images to personalize your desktop. Photos will also form the foundation of a new Light and Dark theme for Chromebooks in August, with wallpapers that can self-adjust for the change in tone  a nifty trick that can be programmed to take place as day turns into night, and vice versa.

Chromebooks are also gaining two new productivity features, including virtual desks (Google-ese for Windows virtual desktops, presumably) which will allow users to group tabs and apps together for specific tabs. Googles implementation will allow you to open and close them with a click. Finally, if you click on the date on the Chromebook shelf (taskbar), a calendar will open up that can be used to access Google Calendar dates. Google will launch the calendar feature in August, and add the desks by late September, the company said.
In appreciation of the medias influential role in its success over the last 15 years, senior executives of Fidelity Bank Ghana, led by its Managing Director, Julian Opuni, have engaged with editors from key media houses to thank them for their support.



The engagement, which was held at the Head Office of Fidelity Bank at Ridge  Accra, also served as an opportunity for the management of the Bank to tell the Banks success story and elucidate its future plans as it celebrates 15 years of Banking Excellence.



During the engagement, Mr. Julian Opuni highlighted the history of the Bank, noting that the Banks success is attributed in a large part to the ethos established by its founders  a customer-centric approach and a commitment to create value for all stakeholders. Mr. Opuni added that Fidelity success story proves that Ghanaians can achieve global standards of excellence right here in Ghana with the right mind-set, focus and determination.



Commenting on the Banks support to the SME sector, Mr. Opuni noted that As the largest privately-owned Ghanaian bank, we feel we have an even larger role to play in the SME space. We have therefore over the years invested in this area; accordingly, we established the Fidelity SME Academy to help SMEs build their capacity. We also launched the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund to support youth-led businesses with access to finance and non-finance resources among many other initiatives.



He also reiterated the Banks burgeoning partnership with Development Bank Ghana as a means to provide further financial muscle to the nations vibrant and growing SME sector.



To round up his exposition on the Banks progress over the past 15 years, the MD highlighted notable milestones chalked with respect to the Banks sterling financial performance, myriad global and local recognitions as well as the various outstanding initiatives introduced by the Bank to support economic growth and financial inclusion. He noted that these successes have been possible as a result of the collaborative efforts of the management team, staff and all stakeholders of Fidelity Bank Ghana.



Mr. Opuni also commended the media for its unflinching support for Fidelity Bank throughout the Banks meteoric 15year journey. He expressed the belief that with the continued support of the media, the Bank would continue to rise and emerge as a dominant continental and global force in the ensuing years.



He stated: We value the work you do as the media because we acknowledge that without your support, we may never have been able to publicise our products and services as well as the good work we do for our customers and Ghanaians in general.



On their part, the editors expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank for the opportunity to interact with its management team as it charts the way forward. They pledged their commitment to continue playing their critical role to tell positive stories regarding advances in the nations finance and banking sector, and serve as watch dogs to ensure ethical propriety, transparency and excellence.



The Management of the Bank announced that in the coming weeks, it will launch a social impact initiative dubbed Orange Impact in line with its culture of giving back to society. The Orange Impact initiative will also serve as a means of saying thank you to Ghanaians for keeping faith with Fidelity Bank.







Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The High Court in Hohoe in the Volta Region has thrown out one Nana Obiri Kwadjo who is said to be parading himself as the Youth Leader (Nnyasubi Owie) of the Nkonya Wurupong traditional area.



Nana Obiri Kwadjo, whose authority is being challenged filed a Counterclaim after Nana Komla Akploah II, the Adontenhene of Nkonya Wurupong had sued him for purportedly holding himself as the youth leader (Mmratehene).



The plaintiff Nana Komla Akpoah ll Adontenghene of Nkonya Wurupong Traditional Area.in the substantive application is seeking declaratory and injunction reliefs against the Defendant (Nana Obiri) over the legitimacy of his role.



But, moments after entering his appearance, the Defendant (Nana Obiri) filed a Counter application and asked the court to strike out the initial application against him for lack of jurisdiction.



However, his request for the court to strike out the substantive matter was dismissed.



By Court



The court presided over by Justice Ayitey Armah-Tetteh in its ruling on July 5, 2022, dismissed his application.



"The Applicant (Defendant) has not told the court which family or lineage he is from that has the sole right to be made the Mmratehehene of Nnyasubi or Youth leader within the Nkonya Wuropong Traditional area.



"The Youth leader within the Wurupong Traditional area as presently constituted and not hailing from any particular family or lineage within the Wurupong Traditional area cannot be a chief within the meaning of a chief as defined by Article 277 of the 1992 constitution and repeated verbatim in section 57(1) of Act 759 and as such any issue about his nomination, election installation or who has the right to nominated him cannot be a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy as provided for in section 76 of Act 759 section 117 of Act 459."



The court stated further that, "the plaintiff's claim as endorsed on the writ of summons is not a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy and is properly before the court.



"The court will therefore decline the invitation of the Defendant/Applicant to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction. The application is therefore declined."



Counterclaim



The Defendant in his Counterclaims sought the following reliefs.



a. A Declaration that the Plaintiff has neither traditional function nor vested power to appoint and install Mbrateahene and or Youth Leader in the Nkonya Wurupong Traditional Area.



b. A further declaration that the power to appoint and or install a Youth Leader and or Mbrateahene is a preserve of the paramount chief of the Traditional Area Nana Kwadwo Asiakwa II and with the aid of his council of elders.



c. A declaration that the Plaintiff as an Adontehene does not have as part of his traditional function the right to appoint and install Mbrateahene in the Traditional Area, neither vested power to appoint and install Mbratehene and for that matter lacked the requisite capacity to bring this action before the court.



d. General damages for affecting the peace and psyche of Defendant.



e. An order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Plaintiff, his family, clan and all other like minds from ever claiming authority and right to appoint and install Mbrateahene of the Nkonya Wurupong Traditional Area.

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Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has given the assurance that all preparations towards the 2022 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are on course, with the pre-printing of candidates details on the objective answer cards on-going.



Additionally, WAEC has moved the depots, where examinations question papers will be stored closer to examination centres by increasing the numbers to reduce the time taken in moving the question papers from depots to the centres.



Preparation

The Head of the National Office of WAEC, Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic said all depots have been inspected and the necessary fortification and refurbishment are being done to ensure that they meet the security requirements.



She said the council was organising fora to sensitise a cross-section of candidates to the rules and regulations for the conduct of the examination.



We are making sure that the schools with high numbers of irregularities last year are included, she said, adding that a webinar would be held on the topic, Promoting examination ethics in our schools.



Mrs Addy-Lamptey hinted that this year, school candidates caught indulging in examination malpractice will be named and shamed during the conduct of the examination.



The council will also give regular updates on the conduct of the examination to ensure the proper education of our public, she added.



Rogue websites



She cautioned candidates and the general public on the activities of rogue websites, WhatsApp and telegram groups, alerting the public that the scammers had already started their ploys to attract candidates.



Some have created sites requesting candidates to download the examination timetable. In doing so, they store the candidates' contact numbers to be able to get to them during the examination.



It has been noted that a number of these timetables have errors. All schools have been provided with hard copies of the timetable, and candidates are urged to use these or access it from the WAEC website, the HNO advised the candidates.



Malpractice



Mrs Addy-Lamptey revealed that WAEC had received a number of letters from students, tutors and some concerned citizens in communities informing it of monies being taken from candidates with promises of helping them during the examination.



She promised that the WAEC would be engaging those schools involved in the act, and would monitor them closely during the examination, saying that a list of the schools would also be submitted to the Ghana Education Service (GES).



Mrs Addy-Lamptey gave the assurance that WAEC was working with all the security agencies to enable it to track and arrest dealers and scammers who might be operating.





We are also appealing to the telcos to readily provide information to the security agencies to facilitate their work, she pleaded.



Advice to candidates



While wishing the candidates success in the upcoming examinations, she assured them that they could pass their examinations without cheating, adding, we urge our candidates to prepare well for the examinations, knowing that it is within their scope.



The key to excellent performance is advance preparation, obeying the rules and regulations of the examination, paying attention to the rubrics in the question papers, reading all your questions before selecting the right ones, and generally not wasting time on one question with the intention of killing the question so to speak, and further advised the candidates.



Mrs Addy-Lamptey called for support from all stakeholders, heads of school, tutors, invigilators, security agencies, media and all others to play their roles and support us promote examination ethics in our schools. It is a collective responsibility.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Senior High School (SHS) students have been advised to embrace the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to make an impact in today's world.



Mr Kwadwo Oppong-Ansu, the Assistant Headmaster in charge of Administration at the Sunyani SHS (SUSEC), gave the advice at the launch and orientation of the 2022-2024 cohort of the Scratch Education Collaborative (SEC), which was on the theme: "STEM Education: The Key to Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)."



The SEC is an initiative that supports and engages participating organisations or institutions in a two-year collaborative cohort experience to strengthen their organisation's commitment to implement equitable coding using Scratch and ScratchJr which is under the auspices of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



The 2022-2024 cohort had 88 organisations and institutions across the globe with SUSEC being the only institution from Ghana.



The participants are engaged in a series of collaborative learning experiences that are co-developed and co-facilitated by Scratch and SEC partner organizations as they work to create self-sustaining communities and establish models for equity-centred creative coding resources.



Mr. Oppong-Ansu said it was critical for one to have a lucrative job and a successful career, but since that could not be achieved without some level of expertise, STEM education was thus essential because it equipped students with the requisite skills to succeed.



"Even if you are not interested in a STEM job, the skills acquired would help you in other fields," he said.



Mr Oppong-Ansu explained that STEM helped in acquiring critical thinking skills and instil solving and exploratory mechanisms, which bring success in a variety of tasks and disciplines.



He said through STEM education all the SDGs could be realised, because of its innovative critical thinking and problem-solving skills based on inter-disciplinary projects related to SDGs to attain sustainable development solutions.



"Our presence on earth is to make an impact through problem-solving approaches, hence embracing the study of STEM would propel the individual to make that difference that the world required," he emphasised.



Master Gideon Boakye Yiadom, a second-year Science student of SUSEC told the Ghana News Agency that Scratch was an interactive software that enabled students to code, saying ''it has allowed me to make animation at ease, unlike other programming languages that I need to master before using.''





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Only 17 per cent of Volta Regions targeted population of 1.34 million have so far been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.



With a total population of 1.95million, only about a quarter of the target population have received one dose of the vaccine, while 11.8 per cent have taken their first booster jabs.



Health authorities have attributed the high level of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the region to widespread misinformation, disinformation and misconceptions about the vaccine among the populace.



The Regional Coordinator of the Expanded Programme in Immunisation (EPI), Emmanuel Bonsu, speaking at a media engagement and stakeholders meeting on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Ho, said as of July 21, the Regional Directorate of Health had received a total 192, 7454 vaccines, comprising Astra Zeneca, Pfizer BionTech, Moderna and J&J (Jansen).



However, 42 per cent of the vaccines expired due to the very low uptake among the people.



Open threats



Throwing more light on the challenges, Mr Bonsu said immunisation teams in the region sometimes faced open threats of harm in some communities from locals unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19.



According to him, some people had also misconstrued the presidents easing of the COVID-19 protocols as an end to the pandemic, and for that matter, disregarded the safety precautions.



Mr Bonsu said there was the urgent need to intensify risk communication, social mobilisation and periodic intensification of routine COVID-19 vaccination in the communities and at all health facilities.



A Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Charles Agbeve, said the vaccine hesitancy situation in the region was a great cause for worry.



This is more so, considering the fact that a whopping amount of GH200million was recently approved by Parliament to procure COVID-19 vaccines," he said.



Mr Agbeve, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Agotime-Ziope, urged the populace to ignore trending social media fallacies on the vaccine and go for the jab, which may come at a cost in future.



Another member of the select committee, Alex Hortodze, who is the NDC MP for Central Tongu, expressed similar sentiments and said it took healthy citizens to build a strong nation.



The acting Regional Director of Health, Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, pointed out that COVID-19 easily afflicted those with less immunity against it and that made the vaccination important.



The Paramount Chief of Ziavi, Togbe Kwaku Ayim IV, who presided over the meeting, attributed the vaccine hesitancy partly to disrespect for state authority by some citizens.



I have taken the vaccine and I am still alive, so others can also go for it now, he added.

Source: graphiconline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated four new justices to the bench of the Supreme Court.



The names of the four have been forwarded to Parliament in line with legal requirement for Parliamentary vetting and approval.



The nominations were made in line with the advise of the Judicial Council and in consultation with the Council of State as a result of the pending and projected vacancies on the bench of Supreme Court in 2022.



The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin made the announcement Tuesday morning.



He named the nominees as Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Justice George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Justice Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Justice of the Court of Appeal and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.



Suitability



Reading out the content of the letter, titled Reappointment of Justices to the Supreme Court", the Speaker said the Judicial Council advised the President on July 4, 2022 by a letter signed by the Chairman of the Judicial Council, Justice Kwasi Anim-Yeboah, of the suitability of his nominations for appointments of the nominees in accordance with Article 144 clause 2 of the Constitution.



Upon receipt of the Judicial Councils advice and in accordance with my duty under Article 144 clause 2, I consulted with the Council of State by submitting the names and the curricula vitae of the nominees for appointment to the court



The Council of State, by letter dated July 25, 2022, notified me of the successful completion of the consultation process.



I am therefore, in accordance with Article 144 clause 2, seeking the approval of Parliament for the appointment of the nominees as justices of the Supreme Court, the Speaker quoted the Presidents letter.



Per the letter, the Speaker said the President was fully satisfied that each of the nominees is duly qualified and imminently fit to discharge the functions of the Justice of the Supreme Court.



Mr Speaker, it is my respectful hope and expectation that the approval of the nominees will proceed expeditiously to enable them to assume office as soon as practicable, the letter read.



The Speaker subsequently referred the content of the letter Appointments Committee for consideration and report to the House.









Source: graphiconline.com









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Former President John Dramani Mahama and his wife Lordina will today inaugurate a newly built Maternity and Childrens Ward for the Bole District Hospital as part of activities to mark their 30th anniversary of marriage.



Ahead of the inauguration ceremony scheduled for 11 am today, the former first couple paid a courtesy call on Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso I at his palace yesterday.



"My wife, Lordina, and I arrived in Bole earlier today as part of activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our marriage," Mr Mahama posted on Facebook.



"Ahead of a ceremony to inaugurate a newly built Maternity and Childrens Ward for the Bole District Hospital on Tuesday, we paid a courtesy call on Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso I in his palace".



According to Mr Mahama's biography, he married Lordina Mahama (nee Effah on July 29, 1992. They have five children named Shafik, Shahid, Sharaf, Jesse and Farida.





It will be recalled that in July 2017, the couple renewed their marriage vows on the occasion of their 25th marriage anniversary.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Director-General of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA), Samuel Awuku, has said that the Authority although was rich some years back, it is currently facing some financial constraints, thereby, making it impossible to meet some of its obligations.



However, he is hopeful that the NLA will bounce back to its glorious days considering the number of reforms and or measures they are putting in place to generate more revenue.



Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, an emotional Awuku told the Committee how the Authority is even struggling to renovate its 215 housing units across the country.



One of the major challenges, he lamented, is the low rent rate residents are paying to live in the Authoritys housing facilities.



For instance, he said some residents living in a bedroom facility belonging to the NLA at Sakumono pay as low as GH40.00 a month as rent. Others, he added, also pay GH70 a month for a two-bedroom apartment at Sakumono also belonging to the NLA.



This, he noted, is unacceptable, further informing the PAC chaired by the NDC MP for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi, that it was about time to renovate all the housing properties of the Authority and ensure that they are properly maintained in order to get residents to pay prevailing rent charges to shore up revenue inflow of the Authority.



According to him, the NLA since 2017, has not conducted any major renovation of its facilities spread across the country. He said the buildings are deteriorating and there was a need to act swiftly to save the situation.



To this end, he said management has informed the Board of the Authority about the situation and is currently considering either embarking on a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement or use some of the Authoritys internally generated funds to renovate all their building facilities.



Currently, it is captured in our procurement plan for the year and we hope to start in the last quarter of the year. We cited issues budgetary constraints to the Board but these buildings definitely needed a facelift and human beings were living in it and are still living in it, he noted.



He added We are also taking steps to review our rent policy as an Authority because we have a situation where someone living in Sakumono pays GH40.00 a month to live in our facility. A two-bedroom going for GH70.00. Definitely, we wont be able to generate enough to help renovate these buildings.



Awukus comment follows a question that was asked by a member of the PAC as to why the NLA is not renovating its housing facilities across the country. The Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana: Public Boards, Corporations and Other Statutory institutions for the period ended December 31, 2019, cited in its report that a six-bedroom residential block owned by the NLA lacks maintenance.



Commenting further on the issue, the NLA Director-General said it is only a comprehensive rent policy together with some other reforms embarked upon that will help turnaround the Authority.



We are discussing with the Board. From next year, we need to have a comprehensive policy on rent so that the NLA will organize itself properly to generate more revenue and pay staff their rent allowances then we can go into proper management of our facilities and give them out. That then can bring us revenue but with the current arrangement, we keep subsidizing and the buildings are deteriorating. It is not sustainable, he underscored.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Professor Alfred Apau Oteng-Yeboah, a renowned botanist and Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Committee (NBC) of Ghana, is asking the Government to gather comprehensive primary data on Ghanas ecosystems, plant and animal species.



This, he explained, was critical to shaping initiatives, planning and informing policy directions in all sectors of the economy, including energy, tourism, agriculture and health.



He said data-deficits on nature undermined efforts for its conservation and sustainable use.



Prof Oteng-Yeboah, who was speaking at the Ghana Biodiversity Information Management workshop in Accra, said the countrys ability to compile its biodiversity data could serve as the basis to develop a green economy and attract direct foreign investment (FDI).



The three-day workshop, under the African Biodiversity Challenge (ABC), sought to complete a training on Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) using the red list of ecosystems, assist in the national invasive species plan using biodiversity assessment to highlight key areas and make input in the draft National Biodiversity Policy (NBP).



The ABC project is being coordinated by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) with funding from the JRS Biodiversity Foundation.



The project is being implemented in Ghana in collaboration with Conservation Alliance International, A Rocha Ghana, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Plant Genetics Resources Research Institute with mentorship support from the Ghana Biodiversity Information Facility of the University of Ghana and technical backstopping from the Biodiversity Information Management Forum (BIMF) of Ghana.



Prof Oteng-Yeboah, who is the winner of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity in 2014 said Ghanas ability to mobilize biodiversity data and mainstream it in the governance structures especially the local assemblies would address the current degradation of green belts.



Dr Simmy Bezeng, KBA focal person for Southern and West Africa, told the Ghana News Agency that Ghanas ability to obtain a comprehensive database on its biodiversity would help the country know the level of degradation, unique species, those endangered and critically endangered.



He explained such information would help the country to decide which ecosystem needed restoration and sought the requisite funding to undertake such activity.



A quick look at some sites using satellite imagery showed that some ecosystems were in poor state and needed urgent restoration, he said.



Mr Mathew Child, a Biodiversity Economy Scientist at SANBI, observed that not much investment had been made in gathering and managing data to promote the values of the countrys biodiversity.



Ideally, he noted that the country needed a biodiversity information system that could take data from multiple agencies to aid decision-making.



He said there was the need to invest in building the capacity of institutional scientists to gain the skill set to utilize the information for planning, managing, decision-making and monitoring.



As part of the African Biodiversity Challenge (ABC) initiative, new datasets were collected at Atewa forest. Due to the unique species found in that forest, it had been proposed as one of the Key Biodiversity Areas in the world, he said.





Source: GNA









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Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei, has said that anyone who blames the government, parent, school and any other external factor for his or her unemployment is irresponsible.



In an interview on the July 24 edition of the Springboard Virtual University show with Albert Ocran, Professor Adei stressed that every adult was responsible for their lives and thus should take blame or glory for whichever situation they find themselves in.



He disclosed that as a young man he vowed never to be unemployed  a commitment which led him to volunteer his time to help others with or without pay.



According to him, everyone must endeavour to find something worthwhile doing as it helps bolster self-esteem in an individual.



I think that ultimately an adult is responsible for their own lives. I think that if anybody who is unemployed is blaming the government blaming their parents blaming their school and everything else, excuse me to say they are being irresponsible because the essence of an adult is being fully and personally responsible for your condition.



When I was a young man, of course, I was a graduate and so, therefore, I used to say I will never be unemployed. What I meant by not being unemployed is that I will never at anytime be gainfully not engaged.



And even if it means my helping some old ladies, some children.whether Im paid for or not because people must learn for their own sense of self-esteem and security and so must always be gainfully engaged; paid or unpaid. The reason is that it is very important for you to feel that you are worth yourself and let me use a religious cliche that God never made [a] junk, Professor Adei said.



The country has over the years grappled with unemployment challenges, however, the situation has been made worse by the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic which took a toll on economic activities. At present, the government intends to roll out the YouStart initiative to provide support for small start-ups.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Mensah Thompson, Executive Director of pro-National Democratic Congress, NDC, think tank, the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability, ASEPA, has accused the government of economic mismanagement.



He mentioned specifically the role of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in what he says are instances of misreporting of economic data and cooking of figures.



Contributing to a discussion on Al Jazeeras The Stream programme which discussed the state of the Ghanaian economy and the return to the International Monetary Fund, IMF; Thompson stressed that Ofori-Atta's actions ultimately forced Ghana to return to the IMF.



He cited how Ofori-Atta had stressed that Ghana was not going to the IMF putting it down to fears of having to open the books to outsiders, I mean, part of that really is about the bad financial reporting that has been seen under this current Finance Minister.



He has been cooking his financial figures, he has been misreporting Ghanas economic data to the international market and other people just to create the impression that we are doing well when actually our economy was sinking.



That is why it was too late for a lot of people to see and for a lot of intervention coming late because some of these data that have been manipulated could be found out by the international players, he stressed.



Ghana on July 1 announced it was approaching the Washington-based outfit for a rescue programme.



An IMF team has since had initial contact with major stakeholders during a one-week visit to Accra between July 6  13, 2022.















Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has asked the Government to engage them in the implementation of the reintroduction of road tolls to avoid serious consequences.



Mr Abass Moro Ibrahim, the Spokesperson of the Union said government could not take such a decision without engaging a major stakeholder like GPRTU.



The spokesperson, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said GPRTU was unhappy with the Governments decision to reintroduce the tolls and stressed the need for consensus building ahead of the implementation.



We are unhappy about this and want an engagement to discuss the issues that bother us, he said, adding that the abolishment had not only significantly reduced the huge vehicular traffic on highways but also enhanced public transport system.



The reintroduction of the road toll, he said, would not only burden the driver but would also create a lot of inconveniences.



The Ministry of Roads and Highways abolished the collection of road tolls on all public roads and bridges after the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement on November 17, 2021, by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, which announced Governments decision to remove toll booths.



The Government said the decision was to improve productivity, reduce vehicular traffic and environmental pollution, and explained that the tolling points had become unhealthy market centres, which lengthened travel time and impacted negatively on productivity.



However, the Minister of Finance during the presentation of the mid-year budget review in Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022, announced the reintroduction of the road tolls.



The decision, he said, was to recoup expenditures for roads and highways, majority of which would be built through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).



The Minister said the tolls would be used to pay contractors and offer equity for investors.

Source: GNA









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has again made a strong case for the construction of the National Cathedral despite some controversies over funding and timing of the construction.



According to him, there is no appropriate time for the building of such monuments.



In his justification, the President said where great Cathedrals have been built, the societies that housed them had not finished with the satisfaction of their major development needs such as hospitals, schools, bridges and roads.



Speaking in Accra at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the president noted that if one were to consider only developmental needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world.



He stressed that the construction of the structure will fill a missing link in the nations spiritual architecture and the cathedral will not only benefit Ghana but Africa in general upon completion.



Akufo-Addo, however, said the cost should be borne by the Christian community with the states support.



He noted further that the National Cathedral will serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith, unifying the Christian community, and serving as a tribute to religious liberty.



My personal view has always been that even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.



"It will serve as a collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on Ghana sparing the nation of ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.



Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been what can be called an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries, to complete," the President said.



Just as the building of the Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event not only in Israel, but also in the whole world, President Akufo-Addo believes the building of the National Cathedral is an epochal event not only in Ghana, but also in the rest of Africa.



Background



Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu MP, has accused the government of using state funds to build the Cathedral; adding that the Finance Ministry has released an unapproved amount of GH200 million of the taxpayers money to be used for the building of the project.



The National Secretariat of the cathedral has however dismissed these claims by the MP.















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Absa Bank's commitment to youth empowerment in Ghana has received a massive boost with a partnership with Amazon Web Services on cloud computing skills in Ghana.



The Bank has been an active participant in supporting the youth over several years with transformative initiatives like ReadytoWork, which support skills development and the National Science and Maths quiz. The bank's strategy also embraces a drive to harness the potential of the Ghanaian youth in digital technology and vocational competencies.



Now, thanks to a partnership with Amazon Web Services, Absa can now embed cloud computing skills amongst many youth in tertiary institutions and empower them to embrace the future of technology with confidence and optimism.



The partnership allows Absa to identify an implementing partner in Ghana to train and equip youth in the tertiary sector with cloud computing skills and certification in readiness for the workplace.

In view of this, the bank has partnered IPMC to bring this collaboration with AWS to life in Ghana. As part of the agreement, 10 teachers from the institution will receive a trainer of trainers' programme to equip them to teach the cloud concept to 1,000 students. The training will be conducted by Absa and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Absa Bank has also committed to financially support the certification of 100 students of IPMC as part of the partnership.



Ultimately, the expectation by both parties is to embed cloud computing as part of the curriculum of IPMC to create a critical mass of expertise in Ghana.



At the MOU signing ceremony, Managing Director of Absa Bank, Abena Osei-Poku said: "This is an exciting time for Absa as we boldly seek to demonstrate the essence of technology as a force-for-good in Ghana. We are happy to bring possibilities to life by creating solutions that address the challenges of our time. The partnership with Amazon is to provide access to a wealth of information and programmes on cloud computing that can be accessed by selected institutions, like IPMC, in Ghana for their students. These students will also get hands-on experience in using Amazon's cloud services, forums, certifications and become part of a global community of like-minds to interact and share ideas."



Chief Executive of IPMC, Amar Deep S Hari said:"For an institution like Absa Bank to show an interest in a very core part of the technological future is impressive and very exciting for us. We look forward to a fruitful partnership that will benefit our students especially, the two institutions and ultimately, Ghana. The country has always shown a willingness to lead the digital technology agenda in the sub-region and this will be a further boost."

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has stated that numerous attempts have been made to get Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament Sarah Adwoa Safo to return to the country but all proved futile.



In an interview with Accra-based Okay FM, the Suame MP detailed that in of such instance, an unnamed revered person who is a close associate of Sarah Adwoa Safos family went to visit her abroad in a bid to persuade her to return but was unsuccessful.



According to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Dome Kwabenya MP said she did not have time to return to the country.



Post the visit of the revered person, the Majority Leader said that Sarah Adwoa Safo reached out to him saying that her return to the country was imminent however Covid-19 testing abroad was frustrating her.



He stated that he was in contact with Adwoa Safo but failed to return even though she indicated she will be in the country by Easter.



A respected person who is even friends with her father went to see Adwoa Safo [to] appeal to her. The respected person spent two weeks there. In the end, she didnt come. She said she doesnt have time to come to Ghana. She didnt come.



I was the when she called me and told me shes on her way but Covid test [frustrating her]. She sounded like she was at the airport already and it was only left with the Covid test to be done for her but they were saying a lot of things.



They said she didnt come early so unless she goes home and comes the following day before they can do it for her. In the course of that, she said she has moved the test to the weekend. The weekend too she said she thought they will do the Covid test for her. The matter was complicated.



The day she went, it was a public holiday so they couldnt do it for her and for that reason it had to move to the following day again. All this time I was engaging her on that. In the end, I wasnt hearing from Adwoa Safo for 2 weeks on whether or not she has been successful with the Covid test to allow her to come back to Ghana.



During that time, she mentioned that she will come back during Easter. This was in the first meeting of Parliament. She didnt come during Easter. May, June, and July is ending and she hasnt come. When she says shes been politically witch-hunted, I dont understand her, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.



Sarah Adwoa Safo has been absent from Parliament since the beginning of this year.



According to her, she needs time off to sort out family issues abroad.



Her absence made the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, direct her together with two other MPs to appear before the Privileges to respond to why they have been absent without permission



While the two MPs, Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey appeared, appeared Sarah Adwoa Safo did not appear.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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Former NDC Central Regional Chairman, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has heaped praises on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his administration of the State.



Bernard Allotey Jacobs labeled the President as a visionary "excellent in mind".



He called on Ghanaians and political opponents to change their mentality about President Akufo-Addo, saying, "let's put everything aside. I say Nana Akufo-Addo, as you see him, he's a matured man, excellent in mind and a visionary".



"We have to change our mentality, our attitude and our character as a nation. If you don't think about Ghana and you think about yourself and how you will come to power, power, one day, will be useless for us . . . The politicians should let voters respect them and let us respect our leaders. We have come a long way," he demanded.



Allotey Jacobs made these remarks while speaking about the economy and matters arising during Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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MBABANE - Swaziland Victims and Survivors Association (SWAVISA) has come out to apologise to business owners who suffered losses during the unrest last year June and urged the victims of the unrest to register with them.



This was said by SWAVISA Chairperson Madzabudzabu Kunene during an interview. He noted that many businesspeople were of the notion that all those who got injured last year, to the point of having some of their limbs amputated, had actually participated in the looting and vandalising of businesses.This is not the case. It is not everyone who got injured that was part of the demonstrations. Others were simply going about their own business when they got injured, he revealed.

Kunene further encouraged the affected victims to come and register with them at Caritas Catholic Centre situated at the corner of Sandlane and Ten Bergen Street opposite the Cathedral in Manzini, which was an office they obtained with the help of the Roman Catholic Church. He urged emaSwati to be united and join hands in assisting the victims. Most of us need counselling to bring back lost hope, Kunene said.

The chairperson said SWAVISA brought the victims together to share their experiences and build each other. It comforts me to share the stories with others because that is where one realises that God showered us with grace, he said. He further revealed that some of the victims still had a challenge passing by the locations where they were hurt.

Assistance

The interview with the chairperson was conducted after the non-profit organisation had issued a letter seeking assistance from members of the public. The letter stated that victims of the unrest found themselves with an array of issues; loss of income and livelihood, increased dependency on family members, which brought about a sense of helplessness and indignity. The letter further stated that some victims had found it hard to accept the sudden change in their lives, which had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. Through this objective, the association seeks to break the dependency syndrome, it reads.

SWAVISA is a fully registered non-profit making organisation that was formed as a result of the political unrest that took place in the Kingdom of Eswatini between June and July 2021. The organisation seeks to address the physical, emotional and psychological trauma that the massacred victims and survivors are going through. Its key objective is to advocate on behalf of, to promote and to protect the interest of all victims, survivors and their families.

SWAVISA kindly requested donations from as little as E20.00 into the SWAVISA mobile money account number 78105871, which will assist the victims and survivors. Kunene further thanked those who will contribute inviting them to contact them through their email: chair.swavisa@gmail.com or office cell number 7805 2945.
The Reklaws at the Juno Awards in London, Ont., Sunday, March 17, 2019. The Canadian Country Music Association Awards are tweaking the nominations in two categories this year  giving additional nods to MacKenzie Porter and the Reklaws. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
The scene at a water fight organized by the Penticton Fire Department on June 30, 2021, when the city experienced its hottest temperature on record. Round 2 goes this coming Thursday.
Pope Francis makes his way to the holy water to bless it as he arrives for the annual pilgrimage event in Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Healthcare workers with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene help people register for the monkeypox vaccine at one of the City's vaccination sites, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in New York. The World Health Organization recently declared that the expanding monkeypox outbreak is a global emergency. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
MANZINI  Lobamba Lomdzala Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo has eventually left the country to attend a political dialogue-oriented programme in the United States of America (USA).

The legislator undertook the trip following a rigmarole involving issuance of a press statement by the Government Spokesperson, Alpheous Nxumalo, which was subsequent to him, having to return from the O.R. Tambo International Airport after receiving communication from the Clerk to Parliament, Benedict Xaba, advising him to do so. Initially, MP Khumalo was set to travel on Saturday with Senator Mkhululi Dlamini, Hhohho Regional Administrator (RA) Princess Tsandzile and the Elections and Boundaries Commissions (EBC) Lungile Magagula.

The quartet was all informed on Saturday by the clerk to Parliament, which was the day of departure, that they were not permitted to travel. It was reported that the trip was part of the US governments International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and was designed specifically to support a productive and positive national dialogue.

In a press statement by MP Khumalo yesterday, he said after giving due consideration to the governments assertion suggesting that he was hallucinating that there was a royal command against a trip of respectable fellow citizens fully sponsored by the US Embassy, and added to that, it stated that he was prevented from travelling because of pending court cases; he had, therefore, resolved to use his valid air ticket and restarted the journey to the USA. The legislator reported that he had arrived safely yesterday morning to a gracious reception. MP Khumalo said throughout his political career, he had weathered multiple storms for him to be chastised or rather become a playground for clumsy civil servants, who had become too big for their boots and had no understanding of their responsibilities, save to appease their masters at his expense.

No man has a right to pull me down, he said.

MP Khumalo said as he had stated in his interview with the Times SUNDAY Assistant Editor, Welcome Dlamini, and against the belief of many, he still had some degree of respect for authority, like in this case. I sincerely believed that it was a genuine command by HMK (His Majesty King Mswati III) and expected to get the reasons in due course, until I was told otherwise and in the process unduly insulted. I also respect the views of the many fellow emaSwati who reached out to me and registered their unhappiness as to why I disembarked from the plane. Unfortunately, my late father instilled in me a lot, in terms of respect for others, not just authority, but that respect is not without revocation if its not reciprocated, MP Khumalo said.

The legislator said having served at the highest level of many international parliamentary forums in his career, he had never seized the opportunity to scandalise Eswatini despite its iniquities and shortcomings in the area of good governance. MP Khumalo said he had always believed that as an MP, he had a forum back home to discuss these issues, difficult as it was currently. The legislator said he was not in the USA representing the House of Assembly; at least, thats not how the invitation came to him.

He said had it been so, a letter would have been directed to the Speaker, Petros Mavimbela, requesting him to nominate an MP. The legislator said he had since informed the Speaker about his absence as it was procedural.

MP Khumalo concluded his statement by rhetorically asking why it should be an issue when he was invited by international partners that had diplomatic links with the country, whereas the airspace had become ministers and preferred parliamentarians second home, courtesy of the tax-paying citizens.

The legislator said as he was reading the Bible in the airplane, his eyes fell on Galatians Chapter 4 verse 16 which reads: Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Meanwhile, Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba said: As Parliament we are not aware that any of the MPs has travelled. I have received a call just now from people informing me that one MP has travelled. There is nothing I can say at this stage to be honest.
Sebastian Gaehl Denies Bryn Kenney Super MILLION$ Title

July 27, 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor

Bryn Kenney almost completed an epic comeback in the latest GGPoker Super MILLION$, going from eighth in chips at the start to finding himself holding the chip lead going into heads-up. However, a cooler of a hand towards the end of one-on-one battle that saw Sebastian "Weizen" Gaehl six-bet jam when both players held trip kings, ultimately resulted in Gaehl stopping Kenney in his tracks.

GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Sebastian "Weizen" Gaehl Austria $243,381 2 Bryn Kenney Canada $190,070 3 Yakov "YaNesterov" Nesterov Russia $148,437 4 Volodymyr "Leonardo23" Palamar Ukraine $115,923 5 Andras Nemeth Austria $90,531 6 Michael Addamo Hong Kong $70,701 7 Andrei "Mr-Doberman" Nikonorov Russia $55,214 8 Niklas Astedt Norway $43,120 9 Joseph Cheong Canada $33,675

Joseph Cheong was the first of the final table's stars to hit the rail. Cheong sat down at the Super MILLION$ final table as the third-shortest stack with a shade over 16 big blinds and in need of improving his position. He attempted to do that during the first orbit of play when he opened shoved for 428,780 with pocket fours from the button, with blinds at 15,000/30,000/3,500a. Unfortunately for Cheong, Yakov "YaNesterov" Nesterov was dealt pocket jacks in the small blind, and he called the shove. Cheong did not improve, and he headed to the sidelines.

Five-time Super MILLION$ champion Niklas Astedtwas the next player out of the door. Astedt moved his seven big blind stack into the middle from the cutoff with jack-ten, and Nesterov three-bet almost all of his stack in with king-queen of hearts from the button. Nesterov flopped a flush to leave Astedt drawing dead.

Andrei "Mr-Doberman" Nikonorov bit off more than he could chew in a clash with Nesterov. With blinds at 35,000/70,000/8,500a, Nikonorov moved all-in for 570,436 with pocket threes on the button, Nesterov called in the small blind with pocket jacks, and a jack on the flop left Nikonorov needing runner-runner cards; he was drawing dead on the turn.

That two-hour spell before losing a player left the average stack rather short, and it took less than 50 minutes for the tournament to go from six players down to the champion.

Michael Addamo

Michael Addamo, another five-time winner of this event, put his foot firmly on the has as he sought out Super MILLION$ victory number six. However, he came unstuck after opening to 640,000 with ace-eight and calling off the 453,836 chips he had behind when Gaehl jammed from the big bind with the superior ace-jack. Gaehl's jack-kicker played, and the dangerous Addamo fell by the wayside.

Fifth place and the final five-figure score went to three-time Super MILLION$ champion Andras Nemeth. Down to 391,508 chips, Nemeth moved all-in with jack-eight of clubs, and Kenney called from the big blind with suited king-deuce. Neither player improved their holding, and Nemeth was gone courtesy of his weaker kicker.

Volodymyr "Leonard23" Palamar became the fourth-place finisher three hands after Nemeth busted. Palamar lost all but 5.5 big blinds when he woke up on the button with pocket kings. Kenney min-raised to 200,000 and instantly called when Palamar three-bet all-in for 550,013. An ace on the flop proved more than enough to reduce the player count by one.

Heads-up was set when Nesterov ran out of luck in third place. Nesterov enduring a rollercoaster of a ride to his third place finish, and it was fitting that his run ended in a cooler. Kenney limped in from the small blind with the Doyle Brunson hand, ten-deuce suited, and Nesterov checked with six-five. The flop fell six-ten-deuce, giving Nsterov a pair but Kenney two pair. Kenney checked, Nesterov bet 100,000 and called Kenney's check-raise to 329,000. A five on the turn improved Neterov to what turned out to be a very expensive second-best hand. Kenney led for 494,000, Nesterov ripped in his 2,359,178 stack, and Kenney snapped him off. A seven on the river sent Nesterov to the showers and Kenney into heads up holding a 6,473,295 to 4,726,705 chip advantage over Gaehl.

Kenney increased his lead before Gaehl drew level, but Kenney nudged his way in front again. A huge cooler flipped the contest on its head. Kenney min-raised to 280,000 with suited king-eight, and Gaehl called with king-ten. The flop fell king-jack-king, and it lit the fireworks. Gaehl initially checked, opening the door for Kenney to test the waters with a 197,000 bet. Gaehl check-raised to 558,000, which Kenney clicked back to 1,079,790. Gaehl paused for a few moments before making it 1,960,000. Amazingly, that was not the end of the min-raising because Kenney came back with a raise to 2,840,210. Gaehl had seen enough, and he now jammed for 4,366,005, which Kenney instantly called. A ten on the turn improved Gaehl to a full house, and the river bricked to give Gaehl a 9,327,010 to 1,872,990 chip lead.

The final hand occurred a couple of hands after that crazy cooler, and saw Kenney commit his 14 big blind stack with king-queen. Gaehl called with ace-seven, and won with a pair of sevens by the river. Gaehl collected a cool $243,381, leaving Kenney to collect $190,070 for his first-ever cash in a Super MILLION$ event.
MANZINI  The TUCOSWA leadership will invoke Section 6 (4) of the Public Order Act of 2017 as they plan to march without seeking a permit from the local authority.

TUCOSWA is the trade union congress of Swaziland. Section 6 (4) of the Public Order Act of 2017, which is about notice of gathering, provides that the notification required under this section shall not apply to a spontaneous gathering or to an assembly, concourse or procession of fewer than 50 people. This was revealed by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) 2nd Deputy Secretary General, Sikelela Dlamini, when he was asked about the latest development regarding their planned march to deliver petitions to various government departments today, where they would be raising concerns over the continued hike of prices for basic commodities.

Ministry

The government departments which will be visited by the federation include, the Prime Ministers Office, Deputy Prime Ministers Office (DPMO), Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. In respect of the above cited piece of legislation, the unionist said their planned march would go ahead despite the fact that they did not approach the local authority; the Municipal Council of Mbabane to seek a permit to march along the citys streets. He said this was because the law permitted them to gather and march without seeking a permit from the municipality, if they would be less than 50.

He said in a bid to ensure that they adhered to the law, the protest march would be attended by the leaders of the workers federation and unions affiliated to it. It is worth noting that TUCOSWA has a total of 19 affiliates. As such, he said they would gather at the DPMs Office and deliver a petition before proceeding to the other government departments. On another note, Dlamini said it was public knowledge that it was relatively impossible to host a protest march in the country as the local governments usually turned down applications to march along the cities streets, for alleged security reasons.

Action

Therefore, he said they decided to use this petition delivery march as a build-up to a mass action which was in the pipeline. He said if the planned march would be successful, it would bring confidence among their members and they would attend when they rolled it out. In a statement which the federations secretariat released yesterday, it said they noted with great concern the ever escalating costs of goods and services, with the recent one being oil products and bread. It said their analysis, having been informed by historical price hikes, revealed that there was no end in sight for such exponential price increases.

Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, who was asked if the police would be deployed to ensure the safety of lives and property during the federations petition delivery march, she said they had not received anything about the matter. However, she said security issues were not for public consumption.
Mead Hall Episcopal School has announced two new leadership appointments.

The new appointments come following a restructuring of the middle and upper school administration for the upcoming school year, according to a news release from the school.

Dr. Michael Buck has been appointed as the head of the middle and upper school, and Lindsay Tucker has been appointed as the academic dean and registrar for 5th-12th grade.

Buck was previously the principal of upper school at Wardlaw. Before that he held several positions throughout Georgia, including as the superintendent of Rome City Schools, the chief academic officer of the Georgia Department of Education, an assistant superintendent in Rome Schools, principal at Rome High School, principal at Greenbrier Elementary School, and assistant principal at Lakeside High School.

+12 Students learn hands-on applications during cyber, coding camp at USC Aiken Learning how to code and about cybersecurity was the goal of the Cyber/Coding Patriot camp at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center this week.

He has enjoyed the transition to independent schools with a Christian ethos since his retirement from the public school system, according to the news release. Dr. Buck brings a wide range of experience to Mead Hall that will be a blessing to our upper school. He is passionate about developing high academic standards and has put his energy into this over the last few years at Wardlaw as well as over his career.

While at Rome High School, Buck oversaw an increase in SAT scores, better results for students in AP classes and saw scholarship offers for graduates triple.

Beyond academics, he also implemented a character development and parental involvement program which built community and good communication at Rome High School, the news release said.

+5 Mead Hall celebrates nine graduates Columbia, Atlanta, Clemson and Tampa are among the cities on the near horizon for this year's Mead Hall Episcopal School graduates  a college

Buck has a Doctor of Education, a Master of Education, and Bachelor of Science in education, all from the University of Georgia. He also has a Specialist in Education from Augusta State University, now known as Augusta University.

Tucker has worked at North Augusta High School for the past 14 where she has taught different levels of math, including AP calculus. She had been the department chair of mathematics at NAHS since 2015 and served on the School-Based Leadership Team for seven years.

We are particularly grateful to have an academic dean with this level of experience and leadership in mathematics, according to a news release from the school. Mrs. Tucker will also teach the Algebra 1 Honors course to 8th grade next year.

Tucker has two children at Mead Hall.
GREENVILLE  Gov. Henry McMaster announced a $25 million boost to an ongoing workforce scholarship program for South Carolina's 16 technical colleges, with a goal of providing opportunities for 40,000 state residents.

McMaster's Workforce Scholarships for the Future program will be combined with the General Assembly's allocation of $39 million in this year's state budget, bringing the total to $64 million.

It is what remains of the $48 million sent to McMaster's office as part of the first COVID aid package Congress passed in spring 2020. Unlike other federal COVID aid controlled by the Legislature, McMaster had sole authority over how to spend the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER).

In his executive budget proposal in January, McMaster asked legislators to invest $124 million from last year's American Rescue Plan to expand the workforce scholarship program. They instead allotted $39 million.

The workforce scholarships program was created by McMaster in November 2021 after he gave $12 million in GEER funds to the state technical college system earlier that year, resulting in the training of 5,000 residents for high-demand jobs.

During the announcement held at the Westin Poinsett hotel in downtown Greenville, McMaster noted that South Carolina has businesses from all over the world establishing operations in the state and using its talent base. He said it is the state's job to ensure the workforce is "prepared, educated and ready to do the work."

"The governor's announcement today of $25 million will change lives," said Tim Hardee, president of the S.C. Technical College System. "This will bring forth an opportunity for people to gain a skill, get a good job and work here in the state of South Carolina."

For adults or recent high school graduates looking to pursue an industry credential or associate's degree in several fields such as manufacturing, health care, computer science, construction or logistics, the scholarship program covers the cost of tuition and required fees.

The recipients of the scholarships must keep a 2.0-grade point average and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The student must also complete one of three other requirements: Complete 100 hours of voluntary time to a nonprofit or public-service organization, be employed, or take a financial literacy course offered at the technical college.

So far, almost 6,200 South Carolinians have trained through the workforce program.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Boeing Co. remains cagey about when it might be able to restart deliveries of its North Charleston-built 787 Dreamliner, but the aerospace giant is poised to ramp up production as soon as that approval is given despite supply chain issues that plague the industry.

"So, it's dangerous ground for me to suggest a date," CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC on July 27, referring to when the Federal Aviation Administration might sign off on deliveries of the twin-aisle 787, which has been sidelined for more than a year due to manufacturing defects and lax inspections by factory workers.

Calhoun was interviewed by the cable network after Boeing reported second-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street expectations but indicated the manufacturer is on its way back from the financial fallout of two deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

"We're in the middle of a momentum shift," Calhoun said during an earnings call with financial analysts.

Part of the comeback hinges on the return of the Dreamliner, which picked up nine orders during the Farnborough International Airshow in England this month.

"I do believe that relative to our history here and all the good work done by our customers, our employees and the FAA, we're on the verge. And I feel strongly about that," Calhoun said. "So, our job is to get to the finish line, start delivering and then because of demand  and because what we see is a fairly robust market, even for wide-bodies  we're going to increase that (production) rate as quickly as we can."

Boeing's plant off International Boulevard is currently making one or two Dreamliners a month, and the manufacturer has said that could rise to five per month within six months of a delivery restart.

Calhoun, during the earnings call, said he's "proud of our team" at the South Carolina plant.

"We're proud of the discipline and the detailed work they've done over this long course," he said. "And it'll be worth it. In the end, we'll have a predictable and high-quality line, and our customers will be pleased with the products."

Calhoun's comments followed the release of Boeing latest earnings report that included a smaller second-quarter profit that didn't meet Wall Street's expectations. Much of the shortfall came from the defense side of the business, where revenue fell 10 percent from a year ago.

All told, the planemaker had a profit of $193 million, down 67 percent from the second quarter of last year, on a 2 percent drop in revenue to $16.8 billion.

Boeing was able to generate more cash than in the first quarter by delivering more planes than it has since the start of the pandemic, and it sold more services to airlines and other airplane operators. Commercial airplane deliveries totaled 121 aircraft during the quarter, higher than the 79 brought to customers a year ago.

In addition to less revenue, the defense segment took charges totaling $240 million for an unmanned refueling plane being developed for the Navy and its Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to ferry crews to the International Space Station.

Second-quarter net income was $160 million, but the gain attributable to shareholders was $193 million. That was down from $587 million a year earlier.

"Things look a lot better for us, a little more predictable on all fronts," Calhoun told CNBC. "We have certification activity going on with our airplanes, we're confident and we feel good about how that's going. The FAA relationship has been constructive. So, these are all things that are favorable for us and thinking about our move forward."

Brian West, Boeing's chief financial officer, told analysts "we see a strong future for the 787 program," but cautioned that supply chain issues "remain a key watch item" for near-term production and future deliveries. The crunch is particularly being felt in engine production and with second- and third-tier suppliers who are facing labor and material shortages.

West said cash margins on 787 jets remain positive "and are expected to improve significantly over time," although there will be some fluctuations on initial deliveries once they resume because Boeing will be providing financial compensation to customers for delays.

This isn't the first time Calhoun has predicted a quick return for Dreamliner deliveries, but the Boeing chief said he's confident he's right this time.

"We track all the work and the issues that this team has wrestled with, and we are approaching closure on all of that," he said. "The number of documents, the number of analyses, the number of sign-offs has progressed at a fairly rapid rate here toward the close. So, we see that document phase, which has been the lion's share of the phase, as closing relatively soon."

He said work on 787 jets has paralleled the progress on documentation, and that customers are visiting the North Charleston plant "making certain that they are ready for delivery and acceptance."

While the FAA still has final say, "there's just been enough workload on both fronts ... that we feel like we're on the verge and reasonably confident on that front," Calhoun said. "We have felt like it was near-term in previous periods, but not with the same level of due diligence that I feel now."

Boeing had been building as many as 14 Dreamliners per month at factories in South Carolina and Washington state before a series of quality breaches forced the FAA to step in and all but shut down the program. Dreamliner production was consolidated at the North Charleston site early last year.

Boeing has delivered 1,006 Dreamliners since the first was handed over to All Nippon Airways in 2011. There planemaker has a backlog of 476 unfilled Dreamliner orders.

Boeing is predicting strong demand for medium-sized, twin-aisle planes like the Dreamliner, which offers buyers three variants ranging from roughly 250 to 350 seats. Almost all of the 7,230 wide-bodies the company thinks airlines will need over the next 20 years are in the small- to medium-sized category, according to a commercial market outlook it released at the start of the Farnborough show.
COLUMBIA  The Richland County School District One board and superintendent got an earful from parents, who were upset about the reassignment of a popular principal and doubled down on their calls for a state investigation of the district, at a heated public meeting July 26.

Columbia, Hopkins and Eastover residents formed watchdog groups earlier this month after the state's ninth-largest school district reassigned Ericka Hursey, the former principal of Lower Richland High School, to a position in Richland One's hearing office.

Close to 100 people attended the board meeting, during which a board member made a failed motion to fire the superintendent.

Believing the 22,000-student district's leaders have not answered questions regarding Hursey's reassignment, or questions about teacher vacancies or financial transparency, many came with protest signs displaying calls for a state investigation of the district and for Superintendent Craig Witherspoon to quit.

"We, the Lower Richland community and other supporters of Richland One, are now requesting the resignation of the superintendent," said Barbara Weston, a former teacher who recently helped write a request and petition to Gov. Henry McMaster for a state investigation of the school district.

"We will not stand back and allow our tax dollars to continue being wasted," Weston said.

Witherspoon did not respond to residents' questions or criticisms during the meeting.

Weston and others who spoke at the meeting echoed their letter and petition to the governor, which has over 800 signatures as of July 27. Parents said they want McMaster to act on two state laws: one giving the inspector general authority to investigate school districts and one giving the governor authority to oust school board members for misconduct or "wrongdoing."

Pleas for the state to intervene on Richland One come at the same time that its neighboring Richland Two, the state's fifth-largest school district, is going under investigation by the inspector general at McMaster's request.

Residents complained of the Richland One's spending on top-level management positions, and called back to the district allowing a former purchasing official to resign amidst accusations that he swindled over $41,000 in taxpayer money.

Weston said the district has also both failed to justify removals of school faculty and failed to provide exit interviews when board members requested them. She went on to say Witherspoon's time at Richland One has started to "mirror" his time as superintendent of schools in Birmingham, Alabama, and show a pattern of "knee-jerk decisions."

Twelve years ago, Witherspoon recommended the hiring of a new human resources officer to the Birmingham school board, who later rescinded the officer's contract after a news investigation found that he'd been forced to resign from his previous job, according to multiple Birmingham news publications. Two Birmingham school district officials also resigned in 2014 after it was discovered they weren't certified.

Some in the Lower Richland community believe Witherspoon greenlit Hursey's reassignment because of a speech she made at the high school's May graduation ceremony, during which the former principal spoke about having a traumatic year and wanting to quit the job before changing her mind. That portion of Hursey's speech was cut from the district's YouTube video of the ceremony.

"There are things that go through this board lickety-split, and there are people that get shut down just as fast," said Scott Barber, a parent who said he wanted to show support for Hursey. "I expect more from the leaders of this district."

While state law gives the governor power to remove school board members, the same is not true for superintendents, who are appointed by the school board.

But calls for Witherspoon's removal did not fall on deaf ears.

Board member Robert Lominack made a motion during the meeting to terminate Witherspoon's contract, but it failed in a 5-2 vote, with Lominack and fellow board member Beatrice King casting the two yes votes.

Teacher turnover was another elephant in the Richland One office's crowded meeting room. To no answer, parents asked how the board was going to fill the district's 218 teacher vacancies by the start of the school year.

Parents also brought up the relatively low turnover rate at Lower Richland High School, which is losing six of its 85 teachers, as a reason to give Hursey the principal job back.

"What are we doing about these teachers who are leaving? Are we finding out why they're leaving? Are we looking at their exit interviews?" said Veronica Morris, a parent.

Morris said her son's teacher at Hand Middle is one of 25 who left the school and the district after this past school year.

"I have specifically requested data regarding teachers leaving our district, and I have been met with the refusal to provide it or excuses for why it can't be provided," Lominack said at the July 26 meeting. "I think Hursey is only one example of us heading toward a ditch, and I think we need new leadership to steer us out of that ditch."

King, who voted "no" on the appointment of a new principal to Lower Richland High School after Hursey was reassigned, asked Witherspoon whether Hursey's new position as student hearings coordinator was "the best way to employ a proven certified employee."

Witherspoon answered that the district needed someone with "administrative experience" to fill the hearing office position.

Lominack, who abstained from the board's June vote to appoint Lower Richland High a new principal, said he abstains from all administrative hire votes because he does not feel like the board is given enough information to make those decisions.

Though the school board typically responds to public meeting comments in writing, Richland One Board Chairwoman Cheryl Harris addressed parent complaints during the meeting.

"A lot of misstatements have been put out," Harris said. "I don't want anyone to insult the intelligence of my community for expressing their concern about the leadership of their high school, with false statements such as 'p-card concerns,'" she said, referring to an audit of the district that found misuse of employee purchasing cards.

Harris also said her care for Lower Richland is evident by her advocacy for a $550,000 science, technology, engineering, and math program in the Lower Richland area, including the high school and Southeast and Hopkins middle schools. The board secured the funds despite being told there weren't enough students in the area for that much spending.

Accused of more top-heavy management after budgeting $800,000 for 16 new district security staff positions to man the schools' metal detectors, Harris said those jobs are necessary for student safety and security.

"Kids are dying," Harris said about the three shooting deaths of Richland One high school students the past school year. "And we're making this about everything that it should not be," the chairwoman said.

A grandparent of Richland One students, Weston said the bottom line is that she and a group of like-minded parents  who recently named themselves "Citizens Improving Richland District One"  want an overhaul of the district's leadership if their questions don't get answered.

"If you, our elected officials, continue to support someone who is not helping us move forward, you are showing us that you don't care about how your people feel," Weston said to the school board. "Stop supporting wrong, grow a backbone and stand for what is right."

Click here for more news from Columbia, South Carolina.
SITEKI  With only two days left ahead of the much-anticipated secondary by-elections at Siphofaneni Inkhundla, there were claims that one candidate has been told to withdraw from the race.

As such, the candidate claims to be under police protection. Sabelo Ngcamphalala, a candidate running for the position of Member of Parliament (MP) for Siphofaneni Inkhundla, alleged to have also been accused of being sponsored by Mangololo Eswatini. I am under constant police protection due to the serious threats that I have been getting, he said. These are the latest developments that have taken place since the nomination of the candidates to replace the erstwhile Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane. The nominations were held last month.

Replaced

Gawuzela is being replaced following that he missed 21 consecutive sittings, after he went into self-exile. Mangololo Eswatini is a pro-Monarch organisation that has made a footprint in the local political circles. On Saturday, electorates from the seven imiphakatsi under the Siphofaneni Inkhundla will cascade to their respective voting stations to vote for their chosen candidate to replace Gawuzela. Eligible voters under KaNgcamphalala Umphakatsi are 3 525, while at KaMkhweli they are 3 283, with Madlenya having 3 514 voters eligible to cast their votes on Saturday.

At Nceka, only 1 419 are registered to vote with 963 at Maphilingo and Mphumakudzes voters roll stands at 695 and there are 335 registered under Tambuti Umphakatsi. Quizzed about the allegations during an interview, Ngcamphalala said seemingly people thought he was sponsored, yet he had not even distributed any food parcels since the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) announced the opening of campaign sessions for candidates. The aspiring MP stated that he had reported the threats at Big Bend Police Station and that he had been afforded a protection unit that constantly made patrols at his homestead to ensure his safety. He also made it clear that he had not had any telephone conversations with any government official or a member of Mangololo Eswatini.

The aspiring MP alleged that former Siphofaneni MP Gawuzela asked him to withdraw his candidacy from the by-elections. He alleged that he succinctly told Gawuzela that he could not betray the electorate under his umphakatsi, who entrusted him with the task to represent them in Parliament. Most people think I am sponsored yet my bank account, as I am speaking with you now, is without cash and I am failing to refuel my car. It is unfortunate that there are people who think I am sponsored yet at first when I was nominated, our former MP told me to withdraw and give up the nomination or that I should have declined. I did not allow that to happen because I was nominated by the people, he alleged.

Elected

Ngcamphalala further alleged that he was nominated by the people and did not represent any political formation as he had not yet joined any. I was nominated by the people of Ngevini and I told the former MP that I would not withdraw my participation in the elections, Ngcamphalala claimed. The KaNgcamphalala Umphakatsi candidate added that he had been nominated to represent the people and be the voice and ear on the ground on issues that affected them at their different communities, more especially because Siphofaneni Inkhundla was surrounded by sugarcane farms. He further mentioned that the elderly people under the inkhundla had been neglected since Gawuzela went into self-exile, hence it was imperative that their plight be addressed, particularly those who were needy, inclusive of the youth and child-headed homes.

I have vowed that I will stand and fight for the people who nominated me to stand for the elections. I might not have money but I want to ensure that I represent the people and their grievances should be addressed, he said. When he was informed about the allegations purportedly made by Ngcamphalala, Gawuzelas response was; I do not have time for such petty unfounded stuff. My brother is just still young but he will grow and understand these things with time. He is now speaking from frustration but it will pass and he will come to his senses again.

Siphofaneni Indvuna Yenkhundla Mzimela Simelane said he was not aware of the threats but he only enquired about the aspiring MPs political affiliation after he was seen wearing a T-shirt belonging to a certain political party. He stated that when he enquired about his stance on the newly-formed political movement, the aspiring MP refuted that he was a member, but only indicated that he wore it because he liked it. He is my neighbour and I used to see him wearing a SWALIMO T-Shirt and I wasnt aware of the threats. He told me that he wore the T-shirt because he liked it, Mzimela said. Asked if he was indeed a SWALIMO member, Ngcamphalala did not respond to several calls made to his mobile phone and did not respond to a WhatsApp message. SWALIMO founder Gawuzela had not responded to a WhatsApp message when he was asked if Ngcamphalala was a member after being seen wearing a SWALIMO T-shirt.

Comment

SWALIMOs Spokesperson Thantaza Silolos mobile phone was constantly unavailable on the network when reached for comment. EBC Communications Officer Mbonisi Bhembe said the Commission had not received any formal complaint from the candidate. Bhembe said voters had the right to vote for their chosen candidate hence it was imperative that if there were threats under the current prevailing circumstances, the complaints should be lodged formally with the commission.

He said the commission would then forward the complaints to the institution tasked with dealing with such issues.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superitendent Phindile Vilakati said the police service did not discuss issues of security with the media. Vilakati, however, mentioned that there was a reported case of assault of two people who were found with fake guns two weeks ago, purported to have been assigned to beat an aspiring MP. We only have that report of two assaulted people who were found with fake guns and were found going to (allegedly) beat an aspiring MP, she said. Mangololo Eswatini Spokesperson Gcina Dlamini refuted allegations that they were sponsoring one of the candidates. He said he only knew of the aspiring MP through the newspapers but had never spoken to him. Bayasicala Nkhosi, I havent spoken to him, I only know him through the media, Dlamini said.
Lisa Ellis, the Democratic candidate for S.C. Superintendent, received an endorsement from one of South Carolinas top education associations.

The South Carolina Education Association announced during a July 27 press conference that it's supporting Ellis because her years working as a public school teacher make them believe she will put students' needs first.

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She has valuable experience as one of us, as a fellow educator, that has stepped into the ring to do whats right for our students and for all of our public schools," said Sherry East, president of the association.

Ellis worked as a teacher for two decades and founded SC for Ed, a teacher advocacy organization. In June, she announced she was taking a leave of absence from her role leading the organization to focus on her bid for superintendent.

In the November general election, she will compete against Republican nominee Ellen Weaver, the head of the right-leaning think tank Palmetto Promise Institute. She will also be up against Green Party candidate Patricia Mickel, a teacher and education consultant.

Superintendent races have garnered more attention over the past few years as education issues have become increasingly partisan. Across the country, educators and parents are divided over hot-button topics like critical race theory, masking in schools, and socio-emotional learning.

In her remarks following the endorsement, Ellis emphasized the importance of the superintendent race for education in South Carolina. She said there were two competing visions for the public education system.

Parents and families have supported my vision because it is one focused on students rather than politics, Ellis said.

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The superintendent race thus far has been heated. During the Republican primary, Weaver, a candidate who was backed by many federal and state legislators, faced off against Kathy Maness, head of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, who counted parents and teachers as her main supporters.

Maness came out ahead of Weaver during the primary, but neither got enough votes to win the Republican candidacy. During a runoff, Weaver received the most support and secured the Republican nomination.

So far Weaver has focused on a number of hot-button partisan topics such as critical race theory and anti-LGBTQ+ issues in her campaign. She has also criticized pandemic-related safety measures like masking in schools.

The Republican candidate does not hold a masters degree despite state law requiring one for the state superintendent position. Weaver has said shes on track to earn a masters from Bob Jones University by the election.

During the press conference, Ellis also talked about properly funding education so that high quality teachers can lead classrooms across the state. She said she wants to work closely with school districts to improve working conditions for educators and student academic achievement.

As part of her platform, Ellis also wants to raise teacher and staff salaries, get more in-school mental health counselors, and keep public funds in public schools.

The election will be held on Nov. 8.
Williamsburg County School Board members engaged in in-fighting at a meeting on July 25, the first meeting since a loose timeline was established for the board to regain control of the district for the first time in years.

Days earlier, State Superintendent Molly Spearman told The News that the state, which has been in charge of the district since April 2018, will be ceding control by the end of the year.

On July 25, board member Martin Cunningham stepped off the stage and took a microphone to accuse people of having a hidden agenda during the public comment section of the meeting. Board member Alfred Darby joined him.

Cunningham was upset that more people werent invited to C.E. Murray Elementary/Middle school last week when Spearman visited. He accused people of having a hidden agenda and that the state was trying to divide and conquer.

Everybody should have known about this visitation, Cunningham said during the meeting. Later, Cunningham said it was disrespectful that Spearman didnt speak to any parents during her visit.

Darby was more reserved when he stepped up to the microphone. He pushed to know an exact day as to when the board will regain control and how much money the district will have on that day.

The comments made by Cunningham and Darby were during the public comment period of the meeting, instead of the board member comments portion.

Earlier in the meeting, Cunningham wanted the agenda amended to include the board drafting a letter to Spearman asking for an exact date for when the board will regain control. The announcement of an amendment gained a second from Darby  before Cunningham even said what his amendment was. Darby and Cunningham were joined by Jerry Dicks and Carletta Scott-Israel in favor of the amendment, passing it 4-1.

Later in the meeting, Cunningham demanded to know the cost of the refurbishing done at C.E. Murray and Kingstree High to accommodate for the merger. He also said that the board was being used as puppets for having an attorney from the S.C. Department of Education approve of the boards new policies rather than the board approving the policies themselves.

Darby, who is Black, twice brought up connotations associated with slavery during the meeting.

In his first comment, Darby was responding to a comment made about him having served on the board that was taken over by the state. Darby mentioned low test scores and other issues but did not mention issues related to special education, a primary reason the state took over, by name.

I have no apology to nobody. I've served, and my father served the people of Williamsburg County, Darby, who was board chairman when the state took over in 2018, said during the meeting. I'm not no plantation negro for anybody.

Just before the meeting adjourned, Darby turned defiant. He said he would not be dictated to and that slavery ended with the 13th amendment in 1865.

Williamsburg County is a county that is roughly two-thirds African-American and whose trio of public schools serve a student body that is mostly African-American. Seven of the nine school board members are Black.

Board chairwoman Marva Cannion, who is also Black, said she was surprised and didnt see the relevance in the slavery comments.

"I felt those comments were divisive as well as unnecessary. It sends a signal to the state superintendent that were not working together as a board," board member Heyward Baker, who is white, said. "Those comments actually undermine the decision to return powers back to the board."

When asked for an interview following the meeting, Cunningham said he had another appointment. Darby agreed to an interview, then left before speaking to The News. When reached by phone, Darby said he was in another meeting and hung up. He did not answer a return call or respond to a text message.

Baker pushed for the board to move forward during the meeting.

Let's work together for the best of the kids. Why raise these issues that are said and done? Baker asked.

The meeting was similar to the first meeting the school board had in January, weeks after Spearman announced a transition process would take place.

In that meeting, Darby opposed the agenda without electing a new chair. During the meeting, he and Cunningham pushed for an exact date of local control and complained about the merging of high school students at C.E. Murray and Kingstree.

As part of the transition, the school board was, and has, undergone training from the South Carolina School Boards Association. Training that Cannion said was missing during the meeting.

The point in having trainings is you keep getting guidelines, you keep getting rules, Cannion said. Eventually we will learn them.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Mostly cloudy in the morning then periods of showers later in the day. High 83F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.
COLUMBIA  Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette has officially rejoined Gov. Henry McMaster's campaign as his running mate, marking the first time in South Carolina history that a joint ticket is seeking re-election.

Evette filed paperwork July 27 to be on the November ballot with McMaster.

"We are asking for four more years," Evette told reporters after signing the forms at the state Elections Commission in downtown Columbia. "I'm excited to be on this team with him and continue to serve the great state of South Carolina."

This fall is only the second time that South Carolina voters will elect a governor and lieutenant governor together. Prior to 2018, lieutenant governors were elected separately. Voters approved the change in a constitutional referendum in 2012, but the question legislators put on the ballot ensured it didn't take effect until after then-Gov. Nikki Haley left office.

McMaster initially chose Evette as his running mate in November 2017, seven months ahead of 2018's five-way GOP gubernatorial primary, making the Greenville County business owner the first person ever picked for a joint ticket in the state.

She became only the second woman in the office, 40 years after voters elected Democrat Nancy Stevenson, who served a single term before an unsuccessful bid for Congress.

McMaster's Democratic challenger, Joe Cunningham, is expected to announce his choice on Aug. 1 in Greenville.

Last week, he released a list of nine potential running mates that included seven women. But one of them, Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson, withdrew her name from contention soon after Cunningham's campaign announced who he's considering.

State law requires gubernatorial nominees to choose a running mate by Aug. 1 and file paperwork with the state Election Commission within 10 days.

The lieutenant governor is largely a ceremonial role, who can take on whatever duties the governor assigns and fill in for state's CEO at events around the state.

Evette's roles have included leading the South Carolina 2020 Complete Count Committee formed ahead of the decennial census.

The job used to involve overseeing the Office on Aging and presiding over the state Senate. But the switch to a joint gubernatorial ticket changed that too. The Department on Aging has been a Cabinet agency since 2019, reporting to the governor. And a senator elected president by his colleagues presides over the chamber.
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating claims that a former Colleton County sheriff's sergeant engaged in a sexual relationship with an alleged drug dealer and tipped her off about a warrant for her arrest.

The Sheriff's Office asked the state agency July 19 to investigate allegations of misconduct lodged against former Sgt. William Janicki, SLED spokeswoman Renee Wunderlich confirmed.

Wunderlich said she could not comment on the active investigation, but records obtained from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy provide details about the investigation of Janicki, who resigned July 11 from the Sheriff's Office during an ongoing internal investigation by the department.

Janicki, 39, could not be reached for comment.

The Sheriffs Office first opened an internal investigation into Janicki  who supervised the sheriffs narcotics division  after receiving reports that he was in a sexual relationship with a "known" drug dealer and user in the county, according to the sergeant's training file.

The reports alleged that Janicki rented the female drug dealer motel rooms, turned a blind eye to drugs in her possession while assisting other deputies on traffic stops, and informed her that deputies were seeking a warrant for her arrest.

Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Shalene Tindal said the internal investigation determined that Janicki engaged in conduct unbecoming of an officer, which the department defines as association with people under investigation or known to be involved in criminal behavior.

It's not the first time Janicki has come under scrutiny for his relationships.

Janicki was employed as an instructor for the Criminal Justice Academy until he was fired in 2016 for violating its policy against "fraternization," spokeswoman Capt. Florence McCants said.

Fraternization is defined in the policy as a social relationship between an instructor and student that may include interactions over social media, traveling for non-work activities, and engaging in sex.

McCants denied a request for the investigative report tied to Janicki's firing. She said the report was sent to SLED agents to review as part of their ongoing criminal investigation.

"We are not able to release it due to not wanting to interfere with the integrity of their investigation," she said.

Janicki was hired by the Colleton County Sheriffs Office less than a month after being fired by the academy, records show.

Tindal, the Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said the department was aware of Janicki's termination from the academy. She noted that the internal policy Janicki violated did not affect his law enforcement certificate.

Janicki was forthcoming about making a bad decision during his tenure, she said.

Colleton County Sheriff Buddy Hill Jr. said he was disappointed about the investigation  the department's integrity is "paramount" to the county's residents.

"We continue working with SLED in hopes of moving swiftly and justly in the matter," the sheriff said.

Janicki, a Walterboro resident, was a veteran law enforcement officer of the Palmetto State.

Janicki spent seven years at the North Charleston Police Department before brief stints of employment with the Richland County Sheriffs Department and the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy. He joined the Colleton County Sheriffs Office in 2016 and was with the county until his resignation.
North Augusta, SC (29801)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City has announced the start of construction of the 105,000-sq-m first phase of Al Mishraq, the citys central zone where businesses and residents will flourish. Al Mishraq will be the citys second largest zone, spanning 680,000 sq m.

The first phase of Al Mishraq will develop 105,000 sq m of retail, residential, incubator, and office space along with an 8-screen, 900-seat cinema and 1,500 underground smart parking spaces which will be integrated with the citys mobile app allowing drivers to search for the closest available parking space.

It will become a diverse, vibrant hub connecting the city with social activities and dynamic workplaces. Residential areas, public amenities, and flexible workplaces will be seamlessly integrated to create a vibrant work-live-play environment operating around the clock.

Heart of the City

David Henry, CEO of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, said: Al Mishraq lies at the heart of the city. It will be a laboratory for innovation and creativity, inspiring residents, visitors and businesses. The development of Al Mishraq will align with the wider goals of the city, embodying sustainability and smart technology, while nurturing future young Saudi leaders.

Designed by renowned architecture practice CallisonRTKL, the development embodies contemporary Salmani architecture and is modelled as a livable outdoor ecosystem. Al Mishraq will be a human-centered, linear open space that caters to the needs of all.

The rich and diverse environment of Al Mishraq will foster global partnerships and cross-collaboration of services and products, enabling the development of human capital, a vibrant knowledge economy, and the empowerment and engagement of young Saudi talent. Al Mishraq will incubate, showcase, and bring new ideas to market by encouraging people to meet, communicate, think, and innovate.

Unparalleled experiences

Al Mishraq will offer unparalleled retail, food and beverage, and leisure experiences. Global retailers are collaborating with local Saudi talent to bring truly unique retail outlets to the city. The city is providing a platform for retailers to pioneer innovative experiences that are creative, educational, engaging and transformational.

Visitors and residents of the city will benefit from new products and technologies, interactive retail environments, and immersive retail experiences that are exclusive to Al Mishraq. The city is welcoming leading global retailers to bring their visionary ideas to Al Mishraq and transform the retail sector in Saudi.

A diverse food scene will offer a plethora of dining options, from unique cafes to world-class fine dining restaurants with stunning views of Wadi Hanifa. Al Mishraqs leisure facilities will also enhance the lives of the young population, with a variety of health and wellness offerings as well as other activities to enable people to enjoy their valuable leisure time.

Central Spine

An iconic element of Al Mishraq will be the Central Spine, a unique shaded pedestrian zone that integrates the latest environmentally conscious shading and cooling technologies, including a series of active cooling wind towers, to enhance thermal comfort for pedestrians, all year round.

The architecture of the Central Spine has been inspired by both Saudi Arabias rich heritage and its bright future, representing the Kingdoms rapid transition to the future while honouring its past.

The creative arts scene will be nurtured at Al Mishraq, with the development of creative institutes and the display of artwork in public spaces. Artists will be encouraged to exhibit their work, providing unique experiences in art, design, and visual innovations for the enjoyment of visitors and residents of the City.

Manga HQ

The recently announced new headquarters of Manga Productions, a subsidiary of Mohammed bin Salman Foundation Misk which produces animations, video games and comics, will be located in Al Mishraq. Tamimi Markets, Saudi Arabias leader in Fresh and Healthy Foods, is also opening a Natural and Organic market in Al Mishraq zone.

This unique format, developed exclusively for the city, is part of Tamimi Markets commitment to building the future. As a Saudi family, serving the families of Saudi Arabia, its an honour to be part of the city community and vision said Abdul Aziz Tamimi, CEO of Tamimi Markets.-- TradeArabia News Service
It may be time for South Carolina to change its nickname.

The Palmetto State has a nice ring to it, but these days it might be closer to truth-in-advertising if we went by The Nanny State.

Because right now some conservative state lawmakers want to be in the business of deciding which websites we can  or more accurately, cant  look at.

Last month, some Upstate senators introduced legislation that is exactly what weve come to expect: It would outlaw all abortion in the state, and it outlines how a woman  or her doctor  could face criminal charges even if such a procedure was necessary to save the life of the mother.

As The Washington Post reported last week, that bill includes provisions for the attorney general to go after anyone who aids or abets anyone seeking an abortion  and outlaws any website or internet provider that points to where you can find information about how to get one in other states.

So many questions here, but lets start with this one: Is South Carolina going for the Chinese, Cuban or Russian model of internet censorship?

First Amendment lawyers and scholars blasted this proposal in the Post story, calling it unconstitutional and a horrible precedent that could lead to many more bad things. You think?

If it wasnt so ham-handed, it would be funny to see these self-proclaimed patriots  who incessantly claim they must save us from a radical socialist agenda  actually propose a hallmark of socialist state restrictions.

Not to mention, this seems like a particularly ambitious task from a bunch of people who have not yet mastered the ability to pave roads.

Of course, maybe this is all a big mistake. These senators didnt actually write the bill, and may not have read it. They got it from the National Right to Life Committee, a special interest group that should come with an asterisk attached to its name. But thats another story.

So perhaps these lawmakers dont realize how it completely upends their ideology.

Republicans used to take great glee in calling Democrats nanny staters. It was their way of fussing about pesky environmental regulations or FDA requirements to make sure food wasn't going to make people sick.

Smoking bans in restaurants, regulations on giant soft drinks in convenience stores and even texting while walking are all the work of the Nanny State. The Republicans were right; some of it got a bit silly.

But they really lost it when the Nanny State said they had to wear masks because, uh, pandemic. They took to the streets to declare their constitutional right to spread a wildly infectious disease that killed 1 million Americans because  and they said this without an ounce of self-awareness  no one can tell them what to do with their bodies.

You really cant make this up.

We should have seen this internet stuff coming, because the GOP is big on censorship these days. Some of their elected leaders want to ban schools from teaching civil rights, or any history that says slavery was bad or recounts how Native Americans had their land stolen.

They certainly dont want kids reading about how their grandparents fought the integration of schools. Or how, when they lost that fight, all the cretins in the Democratic Party jumped ship and took over the GOP.

But thats another, albeit related, story.

If the General Assembly starts policing the internet, where does it end? Are they going to shut down pornography? Seems unlikely, since most lawmakers are men.

And if someone mentions abortion on Facebook, would they shut down their biggest propaganda network? Seems like this bill would require it.

What about blocking white supremacist message boards, which give unstable young men the idea to murder people? Seems like that would be pro-life.

That probably would be the point at which they suddenly remember the First Amendment.

Normally, an asinine proposal from Sen. Richard Cash wouldnt be worth wasting ink to lampoon. Most state lawmakers tolerate, and ignore, the most self-righteous among their ranks.

Which is why South Carolina is not even in the top 10 craziest states nowadays.

But this is a serious threat, and these are strange times. Elected officials who demonstrate no understanding of human biology think they know more about health care than medical professionals. They claim to know better than law enforcement, and try to pass laws allowing anyone to carry guns anywhere  except, of course, in the Statehouse.

Now they want to police our internet.

Sorry, but these guys need to take a moment to read the Constitution. And maybe pave some roads.
GREENVILLE  Gov. Henry McMaster announced a $25 million boost to an ongoing workforce scholarship program for South Carolina's 16 technical colleges, with a goal of providing opportunities for 40,000 state residents.

McMaster's Workforce Scholarships for the Future program will be combined with the General Assembly's allocation of $39 million in this year's state budget, bringing the total to $64 million.

It is what remains of the $48 million sent to McMaster's office as part of the first COVID aid package Congress passed in spring 2020. Unlike other federal COVID aid controlled by the Legislature, McMaster had sole authority over how to spend the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER).

In his executive budget proposal in January, McMaster asked legislators to invest $124 million from last year's American Rescue Plan to expand the workforce scholarship program. They instead allotted $39 million.

The workforce scholarships program was created by McMaster in November 2021 after he gave $12 million in GEER funds to the state technical college system earlier that year, resulting in the training of 5,000 residents for high-demand jobs.

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During the announcement held at the Westin Poinsett hotel in downtown Greenville, McMaster noted that South Carolina has businesses from all over the world establishing operations in the state and using its talent base. He said it is the state's job to ensure the workforce is "prepared, educated and ready to do the work."

"The governor's announcement today of $25 million will change lives," said Tim Hardee, president of the S.C. Technical College System. "This will bring forth an opportunity for people to gain a skill, get a good job and work here in the state of South Carolina."

For adults or recent high school graduates looking to pursue an industry credential or associate's degree in several fields such as manufacturing, health care, computer science, construction or logistics, the scholarship program covers the cost of tuition and required fees.

The recipients of the scholarships must keep a 2.0-grade point average and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The student must also complete one of three other requirements: Complete 100 hours of voluntary time to a nonprofit or public-service organization, be employed, or take a financial literacy course offered at the technical college.

So far, almost 6,200 South Carolinians have trained through the workforce program.
According to the White House, President Biden has tested negative and recovered from his bout with Covid. This according to the announcement of of Bidens personal physician today. Precautions will be taken to protect him from a rebound infection.

Where is Kevin OConnor, the presidents personal physician? He appears to have adopted his own basement strategy a la the Biden 2020 presidential campaign. He has remained away from the press and issued daily written reports in lieu of any briefings where he might be asked uncomfortable questions such as what medications the president is on.

White House Covid response director Ashish Jha has done the talking. Why is that? Politicos Adam Cancryn gingerly addresses this question in his story on Jhas emergence as the spokesman on Bidens case:

[Jhas] briefing room stint wasnt without its bumps, including persistent scrutiny over the White Houses refusal to provide access to Bidens personal doctor, Kevin OConnor. Jha declined on several occasions to offer a straight answer as to why he, and not OConnor, was there, though three people familiar with the matter said he was chosen in part because aides believed hed be a more disciplined messenger.

That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

Yesterday Biden delivered recorded remarks to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Conference. The video had obviously been edited to string it all together. I am unable to find the text on the White House site. This is the best I have been able to come up with.

As many have observed on Twitter, Bidens speech was perhaps most notable for his unblinking performance. Even the animatronic Joe Biden would blink, wouldnt he? Here he looks like a character out of Night of the Living Dead. This is just weird.
The ginormous CHIPS Act has grown like Topsy into a $250 billion bill with a little help from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Touted as a benefit to American national security, not just another case of corporate welfare or crony capitalism, the Act is slated to pass the Senate this week. The Free Beacons Joe Simonson reports on developments that might affect this assessment:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) removed an anti-China security measure from a bill that invests billions of dollars in the U.S. technology sector, a move Republicans say would allow China to benefit from the spending bill and could kneecap the legislation. At issue are provisions written by Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) that bar U.S. companies from manufacturing products in China, such as semiconductors, that were developed using federally funded research. Myriad government and private investigations conclude that the Chinese government routinely steals trade secrets from U.S. companies, government agencies, and universities. Schumer earlier this month removed Portmans provisions from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act, throwing a wrench into the vote for Republicans who were under the impression it would be included and planned to vote for the bill, according to multiple interviews and internal documents viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

As always, one can draw his own inferences from Schumers response to Simonsons inquiry: Schumer did not respond to a request for comment. Simonson has done some digging to try to figure out what its all about, but its still not exactly clear. Simonsons story here is worth reading in its entirety.
Lawyers can come in handy. Just ask Charlie Kirk and his colleagues at Turning Point USA.

Turning Point held its Student Action Summit in Tampa last Friday through Sunday. The SAS is a huge event, attended by thousands of young people. On Saturday, a tiny handful of apparent neo-Nazi demonstrators showed up on the sidewalk outside the SAS venue. Who they were and why they were there is anyones guess, but the despicable crew on The View used the occasion to denounce Turning Point on Mondays show. Per Fox news:

On Monday, the daytime gabfest kicked off its program discussing the TPUSA Student Action Summit that occurred last weekend in Tampa, Florida. The View co-hosts mocked the elaborate event for taking a page from the WWE simply because of special effects, inaccurately portrayed the group as being officially tied to the GOP and Joy Behar criticized the group because neo-Nazi protestors were outside the venue. Neo-Nazis were out there in the front of the conference with anti-Semitic slurs and, you know, the Nazi swastika and a picture of a so-called Jewish person with exaggerated features, just like Goebbels did during the Third Reich. Its the same thing, right out of that same playbook, Behar said. She then said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did nothing, but failed to mention the Republican governor attended the event the day before neo-Nazis appeared.

Apparently someone got through to The View while the show was still in progress:

Later on the program, The View read an on-air legal disclaimer to inform viewers that Turning Point USA condemned the neo-Nazis protestors who had nothing to do with the organization. But you let them in, and you knew what they were, Whoopi Goldberg inaccurately said before the panelists were forced to read another disclaimer and explain the neo-Nazis were outside protestors and TPUSA didnt let them in. My point was metaphorical, Goldberg said.

Tell it to the jury. Turning Point followed up with a letter from its lawyer:

The View hosts intentionally and falsely associated TPUSA with neo-Nazi protestors outside the event placing TPUSA in denigrating and false light and negatively impacting its public perception. Such action will not be tolerated, the letter said. Specifically, The View hosts insidiously and cavalierly stated that TPUSA let [neo-Nazis] in to its SAS event, metaphorically embrase[d] them and that neo-Nazis were in the mix of people. The assertion that TPUSA is complicit or affiliated in any way with the neo-Nazi protesters outside the event is outlandish, false, defamatory, and disgraceful, the letter continued. Even after Ms. Haines reluctantly read the TPUSA statement that it condemns the group of neo-Nazis and that the group had nothing to do with TPUSA, its event, or its student attendees, Ms. Goldberg continued the false tirade against TPUSA, asserting that somehow the organization and its attendees were complicit and/or associated with the outside protest.

The letter went on to demand an on-air retraction and apology. Today, Turning Point got its apology, more or less:

The View apologizes for wrongly linking neo-Nazi protestors to Turning Point USA. pic.twitter.com/uVUo7Cfykr  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 27, 2022



Of course, the problem with the View hosts statements isnt that they were unclear. They were perfectly clear, the problem is that they were false and defamatory. Still, the apology, while grudging, will probably be enough to forestall litigation. It is remarkable how much can often be achieved through the credible threat of a lawsuit.
Edamah, the real-estate arm of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, has welcomed five Bahraini graduates for a two-month summer internship. This is aimed at further developing their skills and helping to nurture the next generation of local talent.

Coming from diverse educational backgrounds, the interns will be placed within departments at Edamah to help them gain practical experience and exposure to the types of careers they may be interested in pursuing.

During the internship, they will work under experienced team members to refine and develop their capabilities.

Talent pool

Head of Human Resources and Administration, Summaya Galadary said: The summer internship is part of Edamahs strategy to develop and grow Bahrains talent pool. The programme aims to prepare recent graduates for their professional careers by providing hands-on experience in a real-world environment that supports their growth and builds on their educational achievements.

She added: We received many outstanding applications for the programme, which reflects the high calibre of talent in Bahrain. However, we could only accept a limited number to ensure the interns benefit from more personalised guidance and mentorship. We hope this experience gives participants a broader idea of how Edamah operates, and how its activities support Bahrains social and economic development.-- TradeArabia News Service
On one mid-April morning at Kurebe community in the Shiroro area of Niger State, six girls were running after one another, carefree, in a manner expressive of the innocent exuberance of kids. As they huddled together at a borehole, which they had friskily raced to, a military fighter jet appeared high overhead, apparently hunting for military targets in an area that has fallen to the grips of the extremist violent group Boko Haram.

Then, the roaring jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force dropped explosive artillery shells covering the atmosphere with smoke as trees fell on roofs, forcing everyone to scamper for safety. In the wake of the bombing, the air force had killed the six children. And when parents and residents reached the borehole where the kids had huddled together, they were only able to collect their torn remains.

As PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed, the air force had worked with the intelligence  which our findings showed was bogus  that all human beings in Kurebe are terrorists. PREMIUM TIMES conducted on-the-ground reporting in the community and interviewed multiple civilian residents, farmers, and traders, who are already affected by terrorists.

But even if the intelligence was credible, children are not to be targeted in war situations, experts say, with residents decrying competence crisis in the military and lack of respect for international laws and conventions.

After their torn remains were collected, Maryam Lawal, Hafeezah Basiru, Shamsiyah Lawal, Shafaatu Jamilu, Asmau Isa, and Hakumi Danlami were buried in three graves dug by their parents and residents in three batches.

We were hardly able to identify the children after the shrapnels tore apart their bodies, Musa Dobi, one of the relatives of the bombed kids, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Dobi wore a smiling face as tears rolled down his cheek. He said his mixed gestures were a show of mixed emotions when asked why he appeared crying and smiling at the same time.

They killed my niece and five other girls during a raid on our village and denied it, the man said in the Hausa language. Now we dont know whom to fear between the militants and the military.

The deadly denial

On April 21, the news of the military airstrike in Kurebe dominated the media space. Salis Sabo, a youth leader in Shiroro, had broken the story to journalists, expressing his grief over the incident and calling on authorities to show accountability. Mr Sabo, on behalf of the Coalition of Shiroro Associations, a group of concerned youths in the state, had informed the public that the incident occurred on April 13, a week before the news broke.

Kurebe, a community in the remote area of Shiroro, is ravaged by Boko Haram terrorists, who commit atrocious crimes, including rape, kidnapping for ransom, murders, and forcibly recruiting boys into violent extremism.

We continue to vent, spleen, raise dust and even bring down the roof when the occasion calls for that  to get the government to do what it has sworn to do, Mr Sabo said in a statement. However, the continued pampering of these nefarious vermin who inflict terror straight from the gutter will leave us with so much to be inferred.

The activities of the bandits provoked military action. But it went wrong that April 13 morning.

On April 22, Ahmed Matane, the secretary to the Niger State Government, described news reports that claimed children were killed by the air force jet in Kurebe as fake news. Mr Matane wondered how newspaper outfits could have published such a sensitive security report without proper confirmation.

He lied, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

The costly cover-up

Disgruntled by the state governments denial, a group of youth in Shiroro led by Mr Sabo, assembled journalists in Minna and asked parents of the victims to come to the state capital to give accounts of the military raid in Kurebe. However, the government moved to scuttle the arrangement by ordering Kurebes local monarch to stop the parents from coming to Minna to grant such an interview with the media, Mr Sabo said.

So, the parents of the killed children had to go back following the order from the government, Mr Sabo said, echoing the claim by other youth PREMIUM TIMES interviewed in the state. That was how they buried the matter up till now.

Several local journalists in the state who tried to investigate the matter said their mission was futile because power-wielding individuals have blocked every means of evidence gathering. The state government is really interested in the matter and does not want any story on it, one local journalist in the state told PREMIUM TIMES. That is why you see that everyone is silent on the matter as if nothing happened.

NAF also denies

On May 9, PREMIUM TIMES placed a call to Edward Gabkwet, the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, to get the militarys side of the story but our correspondent was met with a rather elusive response. Since the incident happened a few weeks earlier, the air force had kept mum over the matter and failed to take responsibility for bombing the innocent children.

When reached for his official statement, Mr Gabkwet asked our reporter to stay with what the Niger government said on the incident.

Work with what the state government said on it and stop sniffing around for what you want to hear, do you understand me? the NAF spokesperson, an air commodore, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone conversation. What else do you want to hear? The SSG came out and told you that these allegations are unfounded, so what else do you want to hear from us? They own the state.

In an investigation that lasted several weeks, PREMIUM TIMES tracked down and interviewed parents and relatives of all the six girls killed by the Nigerian Air Force fighter jet in the Kurebe community. Their accounts shattered the narrative perpetuated by both the state government and the air force.

All the parents and relatives recounted how terrorists had made life miserable for them before the military bombing that hit their children and deepened their pains.

Orphaned by militants, killed by the military

When asked to describe how the air force jet killed his little niece, Musa Dobi, farmer and trader, threw a long look at the journalist, keeping mum for a while before finally breaking the silence.

Mr Dobi said he believed the fighter jet came from the neighbouring Kaduna area, scaringly coming towards us and then turned back again towards Kaduna. It was not the first time such a jet would hover in the villages sky, apparently surveilling the terrorised community, locals said.

When it started attacking, the victims were the Kurebe children; and Mr Dobi remains unpersuaded by suggestions that the bombing of the children was not targeted (though cases of civilian casualties as a result of airstrikes are not rare and militaries have evolved a pattern of bare-faced denial). Shafaatu, his nine-year-old niece, was one of them.

Save for when sent on an errand, Shafaatu lived a solitary life, her uncle said. She had chosen a lonely lifestyle since her parents died when the armed militants raided Sabon Gida, a neighbouring community, killing over 20 people in 2021.

Sadly, one year later, Mr Dobis little niece would be killed by armed forces sent to kill militants ravaging the terrorised area. She was a healthy child, Mr Dobi said. But the military has ended her life abruptly.

Two months after the militarys bombs killed their sister, Shafaatus siblings, Zaliha and Hauwa, still wallow in pain, Mr Dobi said. They have since avoided passing the route where the incident happened. Whenever they see an airplane flying in the sky, they run back home in tears, thinking they could be killed, he added.

In Kurebe, almost every child in each household has their share of the terrorists evils. Five-year-old Hakumi Danlami offered an example. Usman Madaki, her guardian and uncle, told PREMIUM TIMES that Hakumis parents were also killed by local bandits ravaging the community in 2020.

Apart from Boko Haram terrorists, Niger State, like the neighbouring northwestern states, is also a hotbed of armed criminals called bandits. Bandits and terrorists are believed to be collaborating to carry out some attacks, like the late March attack on a train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna.

She is an orphan, Mr Madaki said of Hakumi. I took over her care when bandits killed her parents.

Recalling, the uncle said he could only identify Hakumis little hand when they brought the torn bodies of the girls. He said her head had been displaced, and other parts of her body disfigured.

Those children are all neighbours, Mr Madaki said. The military sparked an explosion in the village leaving the children dead. Later, we started looking for the children; I was able to identify mine by her hand.

The military raid in the community has aggravated the conditions of villagers in the area, PREMIUM TIMES gathered. Several residents whose houses were destroyed by the fighter jet have also been displaced and rendered homeless.

Our village is in a tense atmosphere, we are all scared, the grieving uncle said. When a plane flies above our heads, we are usually scared since that incident happened. Several houses and a mosque were burnt.

The man who lost four children to the wrong military airstrike

Isah Zariah was on his farm when the killer fighter jet invaded their village. Upon his return, Mr Zariah received the news that his two daughters  Asmau and Shamsiyah  and two granddaughters  Maryam and Hafizah  had been killed in the strike. He said he cried when he saw the mutilated bodies of his kids covered with blood-soaked clothes before they were buried in the shallow grave dug for them.

Bashir Lawal, Mr Zariahs son-in-law and the father of Maryam and Hafizah, two of the victims, wept profusely as he recalled how his daughters died. He would respond to PREMIUM TIMES interview questions with a sad, long look and then burst into tears.

The killing of the four kids has put Mr Zariahs house in a permanent mourning mood, he said. These children were my only hope and now theyve been killed just like that, Mr Zariah told PREMIUM TIMES, his hands trembled as he looked at the pictures of the deceased. My sorrow knows no bound.

Niger govt claims only terrorists live in Kurebe  but its all lies

On April 22, Emmanuel Umar, Niger States commissioner for chieftaincy affairs and internal security, claimed only terrorists were occupying the Kurebe landscape during the military air raid. The narrative pushed by the state government to justify the militarys reckless bombing was that civilians in the community had vacated the place for displacement camps due to repeated terror attacks.

To the best knowledge of the state government, there are no civilians resident in these areas for some time now due to the infiltrations and activities of the terrorists which forced the locals to seek shelter as IDPs in other parts of the state, Mr Umar said in a statement. While the state government appreciates the victories recorded during these operations, it also looks forward to sustained operations to eradicate bandits from the state.

But PREMIUM TIMES investigation, including on-the-ground reporting, undercover filming, and interviews with dozens of people among Kurebe civilian population, countered the state officials claims. The Kurebe community is completely detached from the basic realities of the 21st century: no roads, no hospitals, no schools, and no good telecommunication network to connect with the people conveniently. These factors made it easy for the government to deny the military bombardment, claiming the community was occupied mainly by terrorists.

For two months  starting from the week the incident happened  we had deployed locals in Kurebe to film the scene of the airstrike and households affected by the military raid. We finally obtained a series of footage that established the community is dominated by vulnerable civilians at the mercy of invading Boko Haram terrorists.

In one such footage  shot moments before burying the girls  wailing mothers, who strapped their babies at the back, appear embittered by the military raid. Other women appeared shocked, amid tears, seeing the mutilated bodies of the girls covered with blood-soaked clothing. We accept our faith, one of them is heard saying in a mixture of the Hausa and Gwari languages. We believe this is the will of God.

In another short video, we see family houses destroyed by the air forces jet; fallen tall trees, armless men said to be caught in a catch-22 situation; children who appear too little to understand the tragedy that had befallen the land, and other personal effects belonging to the civilians  such as a local pepper-grinding machine and a motorcycle.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained pictures of persons badly injured during the military raid, including the footage of a boy whose back was hit and wounded by the flying shrapnels. A man, Danjuma Idris, whose house was destroyed by the military, said he now takes shelter in Gwada, a community near the state capital.

Also, for three days in June, our reporter monitored the movements of Kurebe residents, who had reasons to travel from the community to Minna city. Many of them whom we interviewed said the terrorists operating in Kurebe always emerge from the neighbouring Kaduna forests. Most of the terrorists could only speak foreign languages such as French and Arabic, the Kurebe villagers told PREMIUM TIMES.

Its all lies, said Haruna Kurebe, a community leader. The government gave wrong intelligence to the military by saying all civilians had left Kurebe. This is my son, he just came from the place last week. Look at this my daughter too, she also just came from the place.

From the Niger govt to the humanitarian ministry

On April 19, before the story of the military raid became public knowledge, a group of Kurebe youth wrote the Niger State Government, informing the governor of the bomb attack in the community. The letter, which was acknowledged by the government, was accompanied by pieces of evidence of the killing of the six children and extensive destruction of properties.

We call on Mr Governor to lunch investigation in order to find out why peace-loving people will come under attack from the military that is supposed to protect them, the letter reads. But rather than grant the appeal of the aggrieved people, the state government denied the incident despite indisputable pieces of evidence presented by the group.

Meanwhile, the young residents of Kurebe had also written to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, led by Sadiya Farouq, seeking its intervention, after providing proof of the bloody attack.

As a result of this attack, some residents of the Kurebe community deserted and relocated to the nearby village in the Udawa area of Chukun LGA of Kaduna State, the letter reads. In this regard, we are appealing to the Hon. Minister to assist our people who are now seeking shelter in Udawa with the provision of basic needs such as food items, blankets, mattresses, pillows, and so on.

Responding to the youths appeal on May 17, the humanitarian ministry wrote the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), asking its Director-General, Mustapha Habib, to assess the situation for your possible intervention. However, no intervention has been made for the victims of the air force attack as of the time of publishing this story.

Authorities evade PREMIUM TIMES questions

Contacted for reactions to the outcome of our investigation, the Niger State Government and the Nigerian Air Force failed to answer PREMIUM TIMES questions.

Mr Gabkwet, the air forces spokesman, who had earlier failed to comment when the incident happened, insisted that all questioning on the matter should be directed to the state government. Asked to say the stand of the air force on the attack, the spokesman asked the reporter to talk to the commissioner for (internal) security in Niger state.

Meanwhile, the journalist had earlier contacted Mr Umar, the states commissioner for internal security, multiple times over the phone but he failed to respond. A PREMIUM TIMES text requesting proof to back his claim that only terrorists were living in Kurebe at the time of the military raid was also ignored.

The culture of misfire and denial

The bombings of civilians in conflict zones by the Nigerian Air Force  due to operational errors or lack of proper intelligence gathering  are well documented but are hardly investigated. The military often denies killing civilians in place of terrorists, leaving several harmless communities devastated without accountability. One such scenario is the bombing of the little Kurebe children and the eventual denial. But this is not an isolated case.

In July 2021, an aerial bombardment by the air force left several wedding guests dead around the Genu town in Niger State but the authorities denied it and no accountability followed. A day after this fatal incident, a fighter jet targeting terrorists also claimed the lives of a woman and her four children in the Sububu area of Zamfara State.

The error of making civilians the victims of war during counter-terrorism operations are clearly violating international humanitarian laws. The Geneva Convention, for example, preaches the assurance of safety for civilians caught in armed conflicts. Article III of the convention enjoins the protection of persons taking no active part in hostilities And shall in all circumstances be treated humanely.

Experts said armed forces must take feasible precautions, in accordance with the international human rights statutes, to ensure the safety of innocent civilians in terror zones. When such accidental bombings happen, the standard is that the government should investigate to avoid future occurrences and compensate victims, said Daniel Ugwu, a Nigerian human rights researcher.

EDITORS NOTE: Some of the sources interviewed for this story have requested that their identities should not be revealed for security reasons. This is the first of a reporting series on the infiltration of Boko Haram elements in Niger communities and how the military intervention is causing civilian fatalities.

Page planned and produced by: Richard Akinwumi
The booming digital economy in many African countries like Nigeria and Egypt raises the hopes for more revenues for the countries in their COVID-19 fatigued economies.

More tax revenues derived from the digital economy could help governments of African countries save their crumbling education and healthcare systems.

But much of these funds from the digital economy are being sucked out of the continent by non-resident multinational enterprises (MNEs). These companies escape taxes on the profit they make in various countries because of the age-old international tax rules which require companies to be physically present in a country to be taxed by the country.

While the problem is global, there has yet to be a universally accepted consensus on how to tackle it. This collaborative report examines the different approaches of Egypt, which has joined a global plan to tax such companies, and Nigeria, which has decided to act unilaterally.

Countries lose between $100 billion and $240 billion annually to Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Cooperation (OECD), a group of 37 democracies with market-based economies.

BEPS activities refer to tax planning strategies adopted by companies to artificially shift profits to locations with no or low tax rates and no or little economic activity in order to pay less or altogether avoid paying income tax.

OECD says the estimated annual loss to BEPS is the equivalent of four to 10 per cent of the global corporate tax revenue.

Global solution

Since BEPS thrives on gaps and disparities in tax laws in various jurisdictions, the OECD in collaboration with G20, a forum of the worlds 20 most developed and emerging economies, established the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS in June 2016.

On October 8, 2021, the 137 member countries and jurisdictions (the list has since grown to 141) of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS unveiled a Two-Pillar solution deal to tackle the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy and introduce a global minimum tax.

Pillar 1 seeks to remove the requirement of the physical presence of firms in a country for the country to have a right to tax them. It sets thresholds of profit for big multinational enterprises (MNEs) to be allocated to market jurisdictions from which they derive significant sales.

Pillar 2 seeks to curb the incentives for MNEs to shift profits from high tax jurisdictions to tax-friendly jurisdictions through the introduction of a global minimum tax regime of 15 per cent.

It is expected that the agreement will generate approximately $150 billion in additional global tax revenues, annually.

Nigerias unilateral approach

Despite the mouth-watering promises of the Two-Pillar solution, four out of the 141 members of the OECD/Inclusive Framework on BEPS  Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan and Sri Lanka  have refused to sign the Two-Pillar solution plan.

One of Nigerias major issues with it is the high profit thresholds it sets for multinational enterprises (MNEs) to be taxed by various countries where they have a significant economic presence.

Under the multilateral arrangement, a company or an enterprise must have an annual global turnover of 20 billion (euro) and global profitability of 10 per cent to be so taxed.

The chairman of Nigerias Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, said in a press statement in May that most MNEs that operate in our country do not meet such criteria and we would not be able to tax them.

Instead of the Two-Pillar solution plan, Nigeria has introduced the Digital Service Taxation (DST) in its newly amended Financial Act.

The unilateral approach, which took effect in January, targets non-resident firms with a significant economic presence at a six per cent tax rate on the relevant MNEs turnover. Targeted services being sold to local customers include apps, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage and online advertising.

The new tax regime allows Nigeria to tax non-resident MNEs with gross turnover or income exceeding N25 million (naira) or its equivalent (about $65,000).

Some non-resident tech giants such as Twitter, Facebook, Netflix and Linked-In, have since registered with Nigerian authorities for tax purposes and now include value added tax as part of subscribers fees in Nigeria.

Egypt relies on multilateral approach

Nigeria and Egypt, like many countries of the world just recovering from the devastating impact of COVID-19, are in desperate need of money.

But, unlike Nigeria, Egypt rests its hope of raising its tax revenues from the digital economy on the Inclusive Framework Two-Pillar solution deal.

Ramy Youssef, Assistant Minister of Finance for Tax Policies and Development, said in an interview that his ministry is fully prepared to implement the two-pillar agreement.

The Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait, said in an interview that the Egyptian government aims to bring its budget deficit, which currently hovers around 6.8 per cent, to about 6.2 per cent by the end of the 2021/2022 fiscal year.

There are expectations that Egypts revenue from tax revenues resulting from the global multilateral agreement for taxes will reach between 3 and 4 billion (Egyptian) pounds annually, according to estimates of the current business volume, Mr Youssef, the Egyptian assistant minister, said.

He also said it is likely that the outcome will exceed these expectations in subsequent years.

How does that compare to Nigerias approach? Taiwo Oyedele, the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PwC, an international accounting firm, said it was difficult to estimate Nigerias likely earnings from its unilateral measure.

They have to consider the withholding tax, the company income tax, and then, some of those companies that have an entity in Nigeria have to separate the payments by their entity in Nigeria from the payments abroad, Mr Oyedele said in an interview from Lagos, Nigeria.

Alexander Ezenagu, a Nigerian lawyer and assistant professor of Taxation and Commercial Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar, said Nigerias digital service taxation law is in conflict with the OECD/G20 global deal. Nigeria is taking a unilateral measure as against the multilateral measures most countries would adopt. He said Nigeria has strong justifications, but warned that the unilateral measure would exclude the country from other beneficial provisions of the multilateral deal.

Josh Bamfo, Partner and Head, Transfer Pricing, at Andersen Nigeria, an independent tax and business advisory firm, also said that, with all its merits, Nigerias digital service taxation could earn the country trade isolation from trading partners embracing the Two-Pillar solution.

But Mr Oyedele of PwC argued that the advantages of Nigerias unilateral measure outweigh any disadvantages.

The tax expert said although about 100 multinational companies are expected to be captured under the OECD Inclusive Framework Two-Pillar solution globally, Nigeria would be able to tax only about six of them if it signs the multilateral deal.

The conclusion is that the money Nigeria would make from those few multinationals would be a lot less than what it is making on its own, he said.

Similarly, the Head of the Secretariat of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT), Tommaso Faccio, in an interview from Nottingham, the United Kingdom, said Nigeria will likely experience negative net revenue outcome if it adopts the multilateral deal. Why give up a revenue stream today for an unclear (or worse) one tomorrow?

Mr Faccio also pointed out the mandatory arbitration clause enshrined under Pillar 1 to ensure certainty to MNEs as disadvantageous to many countries. He said the clause offends the Nigerian constitution which makes tax disputes non-arbitrable. Nigerian laws grant certain courts and the Tax Appeal Tribunal the jurisdiction to adjudicate tax disputes.

Besides, the cost associated with international arbitration and unreasonableness of past arbitral awards will put government revenues at risk, Mr Faccio said, reinforcing the Nigerian tax chiefs earlier press comment that Nigeria is concerned about getting a fair deal from such process.

Mr Oyedele also noted that the commencement of the agreement could take longer than anticipated. If they start in the next two years, then theyre lucky; 2025 would be my expectation, he said.

The journey ahead is complicated and difficult, he said, explaining further that many signatories to the multilateral agreement still need to surmount legislative obstacles for it to be enforceable in their countries.

Former Egyptian Deputy Minister of Finance, Amr El Monayer, said he was confident Egypt could benefit from the multinational deal, but it must adopt a concrete policy and take immediate actions for the taxation of the digital economy.

Karim Emam, an international tax expert and chair of tax & customs committee at the French Chamber in Egypt, advised African countries to go beyond the multinational agreement and start the future journey by developing their tax policies, focus on capacity buildings and developing a new tax administration that is capable to operate in the new global tax system.

Mr Oyedele, the PwC official, said many African countries only joined the multilateral agreement for diplomatic reasons. He called on all African nations to come together as a people, speak in one voice and fight for the interest of the developing countries.

Similarly, Mr Faccio of the ICRICT advised that given the uncertainty surrounding the passing of Pillars One and Two into national legislation both in the EU and the US, countries should consider alternative measures such as the one already implemented by Nigeria and Kenya, either unilaterally or along the regional bloc.

This story was produced by PREMIUM TIMES in collaboration with DAILY NEWS EGYPT. It was written as part of Wealth of Nations, a media skills development programme run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. More information at www.wealth-of-nations.org. The content is the sole responsibility of the author and the publisher.
Across many Nigerian states on Tuesday workers were joined by students and parents in their thousands to protest the continued shutdown of the nations public universities over unresolved conflicts between the university-based workers unions and the government.

From Kaduna to Plateau, Edo to Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Ogun, Jigawa, Benue to Kwara, among other states of the federation, the protesting workers handed their list of demands to the state governors for onward delivery to President Muhammadu Buhari.

They condemned the prolonged closure of the universities, blaming the development on the failure of the government.

Led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), umbrella body of many workers union in Nigeria, the protesters also included leaders of human rights groups and civil societies including human rights lawyer, Femi Falana.

Also, members of the state chapters of the striking university-based workers unions- the Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), trooped out en masse to participate in the protest.

But the national leadership said the first day of the two-day protest would only take place across the states while a national protest would hold at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Wednesday.

The NLCs Head of Information, Benson Upah, told PREMIUM TIMES reporter in his office on Tuesday that the Wednesday protest would be peaceful but that the message would be very loud.

Enugu

In Enugu, the protesters gathered at the states office of the NLC, near New Market, Enugu North Local Government Area of the state before moving through the streets to converge on the government secretariat.

Meanwhile, heavily armed police operatives guarded the protesters without molestation but the mass movement caused gridlock within the Enugu metropolis.

The protest was led by the Chairperson of NLC in the state, Virginus Nwobodo, who handed the request of the union to the Secretary to the State Government, Simon Ortuanya, who represented Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Mr Nwobodo told the governor that they were at the secretariat to appeal to him to deliver their concerns to President Muhammadu Buhari, over the ongoing industrial action across the federal government-owned universities.

The labour leader said it was unfortunate that the Nigerian government had failed to prioritise education in the country, saying; Some of the Nigerian youths kept out of school have turned to kidnappers.

As I speak to you, ASUU members are hungry. A lot of ASUU members have been thrown out of their houses because they can no longer pay their rents and their utility bills, he said.

Responding, Mr Ugwuanyi assured the protesters that he would convey their message to the President.

He noted that the state government has always acknowledged education as the bedrock for national development.

He also commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct, noting that; Our job, just as you have pointed out, is to continue to engage the federal government to ensure that there is a peaceful and amicable resolution of all the contending issues.

NANS, others join protest in Ogun

The protesters, who moved through various roads in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, disrupted commercial activities in the city as they set up barricades.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as; Cant you see our sufferings; Must we be wiped off as a people before you decide to be reasonable?; Refine the refineries; Nigeria at 60 years of independence, more hunger in the land than ever.

The protesters trekked from Oke-Mosan, the government secretariat before converging on the NLC Secretariat on Abiola Way, in the state capital at about 1:22 p.m.

Speaking during the protest, the NLC Chairman in the state, Emmanuel Bankole, said if the government refuses to honour the agreement it signed with the striking unions, workers would not hesitate to shut down the country.

He also accused the Federal Government of a systematic attempt to destroy university education in the country just as they destroyed public primary and secondary schools across the country.

Never again shall we allow a charlatan to govern us or be in charge of the education sector in Nigeria, he said.

Also at the protest was the leadership of the state chapter of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Ekiti

In Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, the protesters were received by the Secretary to the State Government, Foluso Daramola, and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Funminiyi Afuye.

According to the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Akinyemi Omonijo, the protesters conducted themselves in a peaceful manner and appealed to the government officials.

The protesters, according to Mr Omonijo, appealed to the government officials to intervene and ensure that demands of the striking workers are acceded to by the Federal Government.

Plateau

In Jos, the Plateau State capital, the leadership of ASUU said salaries of university lecturers in the country have not been reviewed in the last 11 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the Chairman of the University of Jos chapter of the union, Lazarus Maigoro, addressed the protesters in Jos on Tuesday.

Mr Maigoro said the strike was to push for their demands and to enable the government address the lingering issues.

He said; It is not that we derive pleasure in going on strike, but it has become our last option and this is simply to salvage the decaying state of university education in Nigeria.

We entered an agreement with the Federal Government in 2009, till date this agreement has not been honoured by the government.

For instance, in the last 11 years, the salaries of university lecturers have not been reviewed. Where in the world is this done?

Committees were set up to look into our demands, but the government refused to consider the recommendations of these committees.

He accused the government of paying lip service toward the growth of university education, insisting that education remains the bedrock of development in any society.

Falana joins in Lagos

Meanwhile, Mr Falana was among the teeming crowd of participants at Tuesdays protest rally in Lagos.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the human rights lawyer insisted that the administration of Mr Buhari has seen the worst of development indices in the country.

Mr Falana said Nigerians are suffering under the current administration while the president is junketing the world.

Buhari must go, he said, adding that the fight was for quality education.

He also requested the President to reclaim Nigerias stolen wealth to pay the striking workers, even as he mocked the much touted fight against corruption by the incumbent administration.

Earlier, the chairperson NLC in Lagos, Funmi Sessi, announced a two-week ultimatum for the Nigerian government to resolve the conflict with the striking workers unions and reopen the universities.

She said the two-day demonstration is to prepare ground for further actions should the government fail to act, saying the ENDSARS protest will be a childs play.

She said; Our statement is simple. This is just a warning action. If the government fails to conclude all the negotiation and agreement within all the workers in our tertiary education within the frame of two weeks that they have promised to conclude it.

They will witness more protests and rallies all over the country, they will also witness the annoyance, anger, and frustration of Nigerians. This government has pushed so many Nigerians into depression. We say enough is enough, we can no longer bear this hardship again.

ASUU, other unions demands

Nigerian university workers under their various unions including the Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), had embarked on strike to protest what they termed poor funding of universities and poor welfare conditions.

ASUU, which commenced its nationwide industrial action on February 14, has continued to roll it over for more than five months.

The union had rejected the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as a payment platform for the workers as introduced by the government and sought its replacement with University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both SSANU and NASU has also rejected IPPIS, even as it presented an alternative said to have also been developed by its members to the government.

Buhari wades in

President Muhammadu Buhari last week ordered the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, to step down from negotiation with the striking workers to allow his Education Ministry counterpart, Adamu Adamu, to take over.

Mr Adamu, during the joint presentation of negotiation progress report to President Buhari, had explained the reason for his aloofness since the workers strike commenced and pledged to fast-track the process of the resolution.

Contributors to this report are Kemi Adelagun (Lagos), Chinagorom Ugwu (Enugu), Qosim Suleiman (Abuja), and Olasunkanmi Akinlotan (Abeokuta).

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba; former Senator and activist, Shehu Sani, and the Country Director of Actionaid Nigeria, Ene Obi, are leading hundreds of protesters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, against the continued shutdown of Nigerian public universities.

The protesters, who had converged on the Unity Fountain, a popular protest ground in the capital city, were on their way to the National Assembly, chanting solidarity songs and carrying banners and placards bearing various inscriptions stating their demands.

It is the second day of the two-day nationwide protest declared by the NLC, the umbrella body of workers in Nigeria.

Various state chapters of the union had mobilised their members, parents and allies on Tuesday to kick off the two-day protest, even as they presented a list of demands to the state governors for onward delivery to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Abuja protest

On Wednesday, as early as possible, protesters defied the precarious security situation in the capital city to demand the reopening of the universities. They said the more than five-month-old industrial action by the university workers is a contributory factor to the degenerating security situation across the country.

Joining the protest in Abuja are members of the national leadership of the striking university workers unions including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), among others.

Leading the protest on Wednesday, Mr Wabba urged participants not to relent until the goal of reclaiming the lost glory in Nigerias education, economic, health and other sectors are reclaimed.

In response, the crowd chorused; We would not be tired.

Save Teacher Education, Address Issues Now; We are Tired of Unfulfilled Promises, among others, are some of the inscriptions on their banners.

Also conspicuous at the protest ground are members of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), who were also armed with placards and banners.

Demands

The common demands by all the striking unions include the rejection of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as a payment platform for the workers.

They are also demanding better welfare for their members and improved funding for the university system.

The striking unions have consistently accused the Nigerian government of unfulfilled pledges, saying they could no longer bear the brunt of the neglect the nations education sector continues to suffer.

ASUU speaks

ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, said by the National Universities Commission (NUCs) regulations, the ratio for lecturer to students is 1:9 in medical and sciences and 1:15 in the humanities and social sciences, but that the reality is unimaginable.

He said; In the university today, there are 1 teacher to over 1,000 students. Thats what brought the earned academic allowance that they did not pay.

So we need to let them know that they dont have dominance over us. Universities are universal. Our universities used to have foreign students. You are a child of a governor, you sit and learn with the child of a driver. Eat in the cafeteria together. Stay in the same hostel. Today, it is not like that.

He recalled how the government had agreed to pay a revitalisation fund of N200 billion yearly, but that it never did.

ASUU accuses Babalakin

The ASUU President accused a former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Wale Babalakin, of attempting to commercialise education in Nigeria.

Mr Babalakin, who led the negotiation team between the government and ASUU from 2017 to 2020, when he angrily resigned, was accused of highhandedness, but Mr Babalakin has consistently denied this.

Mr Osodeke added that his unions protest against IPPIS has been proved right by the fraud allegations against the disgraced Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.

We have been vindicated by what happened to the accountant general, said Mr Osodeke.
The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaette Obot, has sent a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, to prison.

Mr Effiong who is handling a case for his client before Justice Obots court in Uyo disclosed this in a message he posted on his WhatsApp status around 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

I have been sent to Uyo prison by the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obot, for one month for defending Leo Ekpenyong in a libel suit filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel, Mr Effiong said in the WhatsApp message.

The lawyer, who is based in Lagos, flew into Uyo for the case.

Another lawyer in Uyo confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the judge pronounced the prison sentence against Mr Effiong.

Mr Effiong later posted details of the incident on his Twitter page.

The Chief Judge of Akwa Akwa Ibom ordered a Premium Times reporter to leave the court. I said my lord, we were thinking that since the proceeding is public, that members of the public should be allowed to observe the proceeding. My Lord asked me to proceed with cross examination, he wrote.

I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasnt even opportunity to say anything before the conviction. Two lawyers in court appealed to the Hon. Chief Judge but my Lord insisted that I must be jailed.

Justice Obot in previous proceedings had ordered court officials to temporarily seize phones from reporters and others in the courtroom, apparently to prevent the proceedings from being recorded secretly.

She had threatened to send Mr Effiong to prison.

This is a developing story, we will update our readers with details later.
The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaette Obot, on Wednesday, ordered a Premium Times reporter to leave the courtroom before pronouncing that a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, be arrested by the police and taken to the Uyo prison.

The reporters phone line is switched off as at the time of filing this report. His whereabouts is unknown for now.

Mr Effiong, in a series of tweets, disclosed what transpired inside Justice Obots court in Uyo.

The Chief Judge of Akwa Akwa Ibom ordered a Premium Times reporter to leave the court, Mr Effiong said in his tweet.

I said, my lord, we were thinking that since the proceeding is public, that members of the public should be allowed to observe the proceeding. My Lord asked me to proceed with cross examination.

I obeyed. I informed the court that I was not feeling comfortable and safe having two armed mobile policemen seated inside the courtroom, that it was strange and that I felt unsafe. I applied for the judge to excuse the armed policemen from the courtroom.

The Hon. Chief Judge then ordered me to step out of the Bar, that she was sending me to prison. She then ordered the policemen to take me to Uyo prison. And that I should be in jail for one month.

I am waiting inside the courtroom for them to bring the conviction warrant, the Lagos-based lawyer said in the tweets.

I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasnt even opportunity to say anything before the conviction. Two lawyers in court appealed to the Hon. Chief Judge but my Lord insisted that I must be jailed.

This is in the suit filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel against a lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong, for alleged defamation, Mr Effiong added.
Senators of the opposition parties walked out of the plenary session on Wednesday.

The lawmakers, numbering over 20, walked out of the chamber after the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, shot down a motion on insecurity and impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.

After spending over two hours in a closed session, the lawmakers began plenary for the day.

The Senate in a closed session deliberated issues bordering the workings of the Senate in particular and the National Assembly in general, Mr Lawan announced after the executive session.

They would go on to commence business for the day when the Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, raised a Point of Order, reminding the Senate of its resolutions taken after the closed-door session.

Mr Aduda said the Senate was meant to address the issue of insecurity in the country and the efforts made so far to curtail the menace.

He also reminded his colleagues that they were meant to give the president an ultimatum to resolve the issues of insecurity in the country and give an impeachment notice if the demands are not met.

He was, however, quickly interrupted by the Senate President who said he did not follow the right procedure for raising a point of order.

First, youre supposed to cite the order. Second, youre supposed to discuss the matter with me.

And we have passed that stage already, he said, noting that they have moved on to other businesses of the day.

Murmurings followed and the PDP senators  alongside other lawmakers of the opposition party  were seen leaving their seats, shouting and exiting the chamber.

Buhari must go

As they made their way out of the chamber, the seemingly angry senators were chanting the famous all we are saying solidarity song. Only this time, they were calling for the president to go.

All we are saying, Buhari must go, they sang as they made their way to the Press Centre to address journalists.

Six months ultimatum

Mr Aduda told journalists that they have given President Buhari an ultimatum of six months to tackle insecurity else he will be shown the way out.

He disclosed that they had agreed at the closed-door session to discuss insecurity in the country but Mr Lawan frustrated their efforts to discuss it at plenary.

At the closed session we agreed that we must give the President an ultimatum that if he failed to comply with our resolutions on how to tackle insecurity within six weeks, we would move an impeachment proceedings against him.

We expected the Senate President to brief the public on what we discussed at the closed session but he did not. He also ruled out our point of order to discuss it, he said.

An unbothered APC

The exit of opposition lawmakers from the chamber did not stop the plenary session.

The APC senators would carry on with proceedings for the day.

Minutes after the aggrieved lawmakers left, Mr Lawan suggested that they adjourn shortly to get a minority leader who would second issues being deliberated, but Kebbi senator, Bala NaAllah, quickly said it was not necessary.

If you look through this book, he said, raising the Senate Standing Rule booklet, there is no place that says we must have a minority support to move a motion.

His comment was sustained and seconded by Kwara senator, Ibrahim Oloriegbe.

In agreement, Mr Lawan noted that the presence of a minority to support motions is a convention and not law. He also said the parliament can operate without said convention.

At the time of this report, plenary is underway without a member of the opposition party to second issues being discussed.
The protesting workers led by the Nigerian Labour Congress President, Ayuba Wabba, on Wednesday presented a letter detailing their demands to the National Assembly.

Hundreds of protesters had marched from the Unity Fountain, a popular protest ground in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to the National Assembly, chanting solidarity songs to mark the second and last day of a two-day protest organised by the labour union against the continued closure of Nigerias public universities.

The protest was held by all state chapters of the NLC on Tuesday and the finale in Abuja on Wednesday.

However, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawanm and Femi Gbajabiamilia, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, were not there to receive the protesters letters of demand.

Instead, some senators and a member of the House of Representatives met the protesting workers to receive the letter.

A former Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Labour, Mohammed Wudil, who received the letter on behalf of the house, promised the crowd that the issues will be treated with urgency and will be resolved as soon as possible.

He said: As soon as possible the chamber will bring the Ministers, NLC, NANS to be on the same table to provide a lasting solution to the problem.

We are going to make it an emergency issue and treat it urgently. I assure you we are equal to the task, he added.

The four senators who received the document on behalf of the Senate President include Senators Robert Boroface, Utazi Chukwuka, and Haliru Jika.

Mr Utazi, who spoke on behalf of the Senate President, promised to work hard to resolve the lingering issues behind the closure of the universities.

We are going back and working harder so that all these things will end and everybody will be happy, said Mr Utazi.

Apart from the workers unions, Nigerian students under the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) also participated in the protest.

Closure

The university lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have downed tools for over five months, demanding better funding for the system.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other Associated Institutions (NASU) are also on strike, crippling activities on the public universities.

All the striking unions have rejected the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as a payment platform for the workers. They are also demanding better welfare for their members and improved funding for the university system.

NASU, SSANU speak

Speaking, SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said 13 years after the first 2009 renegotiation, the union has not seen anything worthwhile come out of it.

He said unlike ASUU, the union never had any opportunity to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with all the previously constituted panels.

What is happening now is a failure of a generation. Our leaders have failed, he said.

On its part, NASU wants all university-based unions to come together and negotiate with the government.

NASU accused the government of using divide and rule tactics to break the power of the unions.

Meanwhile, COEASU President, Smart Olugbeko, has said the problems at the colleges of education are the same as they are in the nations universities.

He said the government has willfully neglected the education of teachers.

Just like their university counterparts, workers at the colleges of education also faulted the continuous use of IPPIS for the payment of its members salaries.

He said: The situation in Nigerian Tertiary institutions is the same because we (COEASU) are dealing with negligence of the government on education.

At this point we have decided to take the bull by the horn. Our demand remains the revitalisation of colleges of education in Nigeria. They are yet to release a dime since 2014 after the needs assessment report was submitted.

NANS President, Sunday Asefon, said enough is enough of the unfulfilled promises by the Nigerian government.

He appreciated the Nigerian workers for taking the future of the Nigerian students seriously.

He added that he was not impressed by the turnout of the Nigerian students.

Enough is enough, he said. We have met a series of leaders on the issues. I met the Senate President on the issues but nothing happened. All we want now is that the issues be resolved.
Nigerian senators commenced Wednesdays plenary with an executive session.

Details of the closed-door meeting, which lasted over two hours, were not immediately disclosed.

At the end of the meeting, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, simply said the lawmakers discussed issues affecting the workings of the Senate in particular and the National Assembly in general.

The Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, however, disclosed during plenary that they had discussed the state of insecurity in the country and a possible notice of impeachment to President Muhammadu Buhari.

His revelation led to the drama that followed; with opposition senators walking out of the Senate chamber.

After his motion was dismissed by Mr Lawan, Mr Aduda and other opposition lawmakers walked out of the chamber in anger.

Addressing journalists afterwards, the lawmakers expressed their anger that Mr Lawan did not allow them to discuss the insecurity across the country, a matter that was deliberated upon extensively in the closed session.

Mr Aduda disclosed that they have given the president a six-weeks ultimatum else he would be shown the way out.

We agreed at the closed session that we should discuss the issue of insecurity in the country but the President of the Senate frustrated our efforts to discuss it at plenary, he said.

The minority caucus, he explained, noted at the executive session that the many resolutions passed on insecurity should be implemented.

At the closed session, we agreed that we must give the president an ultimatum that if he failed to comply with our resolutions on how to tackle insecurity within six months, we would move an impeachment proceeding against him.

We expected the senate president to brief the public on what we discussed at the closed session but he did not. He also ruled out our point of order to discuss it.

This would be the first time talk of impeachment of President Buhari will come up in the ninth Senate.

Although the lawmakers have repeatedly lamented the insecurity in the country and have, on several occasions, called for more action from the federal government, there has been no impeachment move.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that many lawmakers, including APC lawmakers, are aggrieved, scared and worried over the recent attacks and threats in the country  especially in the Federal Capital Territory.

However, an impeachment of the president would require the support of a two-thirds majority of the senators, as part of the process. That would be difficult even if all the opposition lawmakers support the move as the ruling party, APC, controls more than half of the 109 Senate seats in the country.
DP World has continued to perform strongly in Australia, demonstrating the resilience of its businesses and dedication of its workforce during the pandemic, while innovation and further integration beyond ports and terminals will take its supply chain offerings to the next level, the company said.

DP World Australia performed strongly throughout the pandemic with consistent operational performance and productivity, marked by minimal delays to shipping schedules. Waterside performance increased in 2021 compared to 2020, particularly in Sydney, where volumes increased 14% year-on-year, while crane productivity increased by 10%, it said.

All DP Worlds terminals in Australia lifted crane productivity, enabling the company to meet the unprecedented demands of higher volumes on our customers vessels and to assist with additional callers.

These results demonstrate not only the companys resilience, but also the dedication of its workforce which has been critical to achieving this success and business continuity, it said.

Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, is currently on a tour of the companys facilities across the country. His tour includes the Sydney Terminal and Port Logistics Park, Brisbane Terminal, Melbourne Terminal and Melbourne Logistics Park and Fremantle Terminal.

Speaking to management and staff at Brisbane Terminal, Bin Sulayem underlined the importance of end-to-end logistics solutions for customers who need greater supply chain resilience, from factory floor to the retail door.

"Innovation drives us, the integration of our four business pillars will make a strategic difference and set us apart from the competition. Diversifying beyond just Ports and Terminals with our expanding Logistics business is vital for growth", Bin Sulayem said. He added that Australia is well placed to take advantage of this diversification strategy.

Andrew Adam, CEO of DP World Australia, said: "It was a pleasure welcoming the Chairman on his Australian tour of our facilities across the country. We are extremely proud of our teams achievements in Australia and commitment to building on this momentum further, to continue to deliver value to our customers. As we move towards an end-to-end Logistics provider, we look forward to expanding our service offerings, particularly in our Logistics business, to ensure we are continuously delivering consistent and reliable end-to-end service performance for our customers and the Australian supply chain".

The chairman toured the AU$250 million (AED637 million) Brisbane Terminal, the only semi-automated facility in Australia, where he observed its automated stacking cranes (ASC), landside operations and discussed further growth for the business in Queensland. The terminal has the capacity to handle 720,000 TEUs per year and with the introduction of 3 new services calling in 2022, the terminal is set to achieve throughput of 650,000 TEU this year.

Brisbane Terminal currently has 16 ASCs, and DP World plans to increase the number to 20 by 2025. The terminal has achieved quay line productivity increases of 13% since introducing ASCs to the terminal, and an 18.6% growth in container throughput from 2019 to 2021. Growth is forecast at 4.5% per year over the next 5 years.

DP World Sydney also continues to meet the industrys demands as a manual terminal and successfully handled its one millionth TEU in early November 2021. This significant milestone occurred across 345 vessels, at an average exchange of 1,793 units.

DP World is also working to enhance its offerings across its terminals. Five new Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes have just commenced service at the Sydney Terminal with another five on the way in 2023. A new lease has also been agreed for Fremantle Terminal which has enabled additional forklifts and a new quay crane to be ordered.

This goes beyond just ports and terminals. Among the diversification projects are the expansion of the successful Sydney Port Logistics Park, which is adjacent to the terminal, and commencement of a transport service in Sydney. Ongoing investment in infrastructure as part of DP Worlds renewal programme to continue to service the Australia supply chain efficiently includes the opening of Melbourne Logistics Park in 2021 and further business offerings to enhance its service to our customers beyond the terminal gate, said the company. - TradeArabia News Service
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, has urged his colleagues to stay away from Abuja during their long holiday due to the security situation.

Mr Elumelu stated this Wednesday after the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, announced that the House will adjourn till September 20.

I want to beg members, Abuja is no longer safe, please, if possible, go back to your constituency. The place is so insecure, he said.

Mr Elumelus comment is coming at a time many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are living in fear over a spike in insecurity.

Recently, the government directed the shutdown of all unity schools in the FCT, while gunmen on Friday attacked some officials of the 7 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army Presidential Guards Brigade. PREMIUM TIMES reported how eight soldiers including two officers were killed in the attack.

Also, in early July, terrorists launched a daring attack on a prison in Kuje, Abuja, releasing hundreds of prisoners, including Boko Haram members.

Dont play politics with insecurity  Wase

In his reaction to Mr Elumelus remark, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary, cautioned the minority leader against politicizing insecurity.

He stated that such comments could drive away investors from the country.

Security is everybodys business and we should not play politics with security. I want to beg of us that we all need to come together, work together and think in a manner that we can work together to sort our issues.

I believe the minority leader, maybe was putting some jokes but I do not believe that it was a joke on the security in the lives and property of the people and by the grace of God Abuja is going to be secured.

I do not think we should scare investors who are coming into the country, I do not believe that we should scare people who could come to add value to us, he said.

Reps Minority caucus to meet Senate minority caucus

Before the lawmakers commenced their recess, Mr Elumelu announced that lawmakers from opposition parties in the House will meet with their counterparts in the Senate on Thursday.

Although he did not state the agenda of the meeting, it is believed to be in relation to the walkout staged by minority senators earlier on Wednesday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that senators who are members of opposition parties walked out of the Senate chamber after the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, shot down a motion on insecurity and possible impeachment of Mr Buhari.

One of the aggrieved senators, Philip Aduda (PDP-Abuja), said the senate had agreed at a closed-door session to give President Muhammadu Buhari six weeks to review the security situation in Nigeria or face impeachment.

The opposition lawmakers said they wanted the matter to be discussed at plenary, which Mr Lawan disallowed.
The Nigerian government withdrew $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to fund security amid depleting oil revenue, an official said on Wednesday.

Nigerias Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, made this revelation while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

Mrs Ahmeds intervention comes amid concerns raised by the reduction in the balance of the ECA.

Reports said Tuesday that the balance in account fell significantly from $35.7 million it was as of June 2022 to $376,655.09 as at July 25, 2022.

Reuters said the nations accountant general released the figures late on Tuesday but did not give a reason for the steep drop.

On Wednesday, Mrs Ahmed said the volatility in the global oil market accounted for the drop in the ECA balance.

On the issue of the excess crude account, in the past four years, because of volatility in the oil market, we have not had accrual to the excess crude account, she said.

So, what we have had has been gradually used up for different purposes and it is always used in consultation with the National Economic Council that is the governors because this is a federation account.

The last approval that was given by the council was the withdrawal of $1 billion to enhance security. We have been utilizing that and the last tranch of that has been finally released because deployment to security agencies are based on the contracts that are executed and its been used strictly for that security purpose. So, the utilization of the account is with the full knowledge of the Governors.

FAAC

The slump in the ECA came as allocation to the federal, state and local governments increased by N121.624 billion while FAAC shared a total sum of N802.407 billion for June.

The sum of N680.783 billion was shared in the preceding month of May and N656, 602 in April.

However, the rise in June allocation was attributed to tremendous increases in Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), although oil and gas royalties declined marginally.

Nigeria relies on oil revenue to fund infrastructure and settle overheads, but it has struggled to benefit from surging crude prices due to pipeline vandalism and low production.

Last week, details emerged of how Nigerias debt servicing costs outpaced public revenue, raising fears of debt crises.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has in recent times advised Nigeria and other African countries currently experiencing high debt levels to take proactive measures to restructure their debts in order to avoid fiscal crises.

Expenditure Framework

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning Wednesday presented a draft expenditure framework for the country, for the next three years.

Mrs Ahmed said the draft document is for 2023-2025, with an assumption crude oil price of $70 per barrel for 2023, $66 for 2024 and $62 for 2025. It also contained an estimated production rate of 1.69 million barrels per day for 2023 and 1.813 million barrels per day for 2024 and 2025.

She said: The assumptions that we made for the next medium term framework from 2023 to 2025 is that crude oil price will be at $70 per barrel for 2023, $66 per barrel for 2024 and $62 per barrel for 2025.

Crude oil production is projected to be 1.69million bpd for 2023 and 1.813million bpd for both 2024 as well as 2025.
The presidency has described as ridiculous, the threat by opposition senators to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari if he does not check the worsening security situation across the country.

Senators from opposition political parties staged a walkout from the Senate plenary on Wednesday after Senate President Ahmad Lawan refused to entertain discussion on a motion to mandate Mr Buhari to improve the security situation in six weeks or be impeached.

Killings and kidnappings have become the norm in many parts of Nigeria under Mr Buhari.

After their walkout, the aggrieved lawmakers told journalists that they had agreed with their colleagues from the ruling party, APC, at a closed-door session, that the president would be given the six weeks ultimatum.

In its response in a statement Wednesday evening, presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu described the actions of the opposition lawmakers as babyish and the impeachment motion as ridiculous.

The performative and babyish antics of those senators staging a walk out notwithstanding, Senate President Ahmad Lawans refusal on Wednesday to entertain the ridiculous motion to impeach our President was quite appropriate and correct, Mr Shehu wrote.

Rather than making a mockery out of voters by trying to imitate what they see in America, the opposition would be well advised that their time would be better spent tackling the pressing issues Nigerians face, such as the current global cost of living crisis.

Their continued failure to do so goes some way to explaining why they remain in opposition.

In contrast, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to the emerging security threats, including those left behind by the PDP in the South-South, the Northeast and throughout the federation. In the last 24 hours, two more Chibok girls were freed, in addition to the three brought home last week.

Mr Shehu described the action of the lawmakers as headline grabbing stunts for which the opposition is now well known.

We would respectfully remind them that it is those same constituents that they were elected to serve, and are paid to do so with public money.

We would welcome their collaboration in our efforts to solve the problems Nigerians face on a daily basis. No one is asking them to waste their time attempting to impeach a democratically elected President at the end of his second term  certainly not their constituents.

They should ask themselves: do they want to be in government or do they want to be in the headlines? If they want to be in government they should start acting like it and stop undermining Nigerian voters, he wrote.

Lai Mohammed

In his reaction, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, adopted a more conciliatory tone, saying there was no need for any ultimatum, as all is being done to address the security problem in the country.

The minister, who was responding to questions by State House Correspondents after Wednesdays virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, however lauded the senators for their patriotism and concerns, saying steps are being taken to address them.

 we thank them for their patriotism and their concern, but we are working round the clock, 24 hours, to ensure that the situation is brought under control, Mr Mohammed said.

I want to assure you that the president is aware of all these and as a matter of fact, I think tomorrow theres going to be another security council meeting. So, its not a matter the president is taking lightly and like Ill always, say some of the measures we are going to take are not measures that you can discuss openly here, but were as concerned as you are, were not going to abandon our responsibility.

The minister also described the reported threat by terrorists to kidnap the president as laughable and a mere propaganda.

As to those who have issued threats to Mr President, I think its more of propaganda than anything. Its laughable, he said.

Asylum Seekers

Mr Mohammed also said that the council approved a memo by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, for a standard operation procedure on maintaining the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum seekers in Cameroon.

According to him, You all know that due to the insurgency in Cameroon, Nigeria has witnessed an influx of Cameroonian asylum seekers and there are basic standard procedures for you to be granted status as an asylum seeker

This is what the council considered and approved today. And basically is that anybody from Cameroon who is seeking asylum in Nigeria must first convinced the authorities that he or she has actually renounced armed struggle, before you can even be considered as an asylum seeker.

Also they are cases of some of them who have come even when they claim to have surrendered their arms, go back at times, to join the separatist movement in Cameroon. So, the procedure was explained and approved today that will evaluate the basic criteria to grant asylum.

He said with the security challenges in some parts of the country, government was taking the step, to ensure that insurgents or terrorists do not take advantage of asylum to infiltrate Nigeria.

The issue of the standard operating procedure for asylum seekers from Cameroon is not a matter that started today. The issue of the separatist movement in Cameroon is many years old and every day, because of the proximity of Cameroon to Nigeria, weve witnessed an influx of refugees, seeking asylum, and under international regulations, there are certain procedures you must take for asylum seekers.

So, all we have done today is to establish the standard procedure to ensure that those who claim to be asylum seekers are actually not insurgents themselves that have come to destabilize Nigeria or people who will come and be launching attacks against their own country from the comfort of Nigeria, he said.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, has said that an aspirant for the party ticket for the Ebonyi South District, Ann Agom-Eze, withdrew from the race for Governor David Umahi, contrary to her claim.

Mr Okoro-Emegha said this on Tuesday in Abakaliki when he reacted to Mrs Agom-Ezes claim that she did not withdraw from the race.

He said Mrs Agom-Ezes withdrawal letter was sent to him from the party headquarters, Abuja.

The national secretariat acknowledged and forwarded the letter to me, he said.

It is therefore demeaning to say that the governor is fighting with the woman over the ticket.

We are, however, ready to obey the Abakaliki Federal High Courts ruling for a re-run of the primary election, he said.

He said the matter was an internal party affair, as Mrs Agom-Eze was a member of the APC.

We are ready to conduct the primaries anytime, provided it conforms to the timeline of the Independent Electoral Commission.

APC is a party which believes in the rule of law.

A Federal High Court in Abakaliki on July 22 dismissed a suit filed by Mr Umahi seeking INEC to recognise him as the APC candidate for the Ebonyi South District.

The court recognised Mrs Agom-Eze, who came second in the May 28 primary, but ordered INEC to conduct a re-run within 14 days and accommodate her.

(NAN)
Gunmen suspected to be cultists on Monday attacked a team of police officers at Ogun Radio, Mile 2 area of Lafenwa, Abeokuta in Ogun State.

The gunmen, who reportedly belong to the Aiye cult, engaged the police officers in a gun battle that lasted more than 30 minutes.

A patrol vehicle belonging to the Lafenwa Police Division was allegedly destroyed during the attack.

Also, one of the suspected cultists, identified as Ben, who was initially arrested by the police, escaped during the gun battle.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, police spokesperson in Ogun State, in a statement on Tuesday, said the police officers busted the suspected cultists while they were holding a meeting to launch an attack.

Ben, who had been involved in several cult clashes leading to the killing of not less than five persons, was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group at Ogun Radio, Mile 2 area of Lafenwa, Abeokuta, for the purpose of launching another attack in some parts of the metropolis, Mr Oyeyemi said.

READ ALSO: Police arrest suspected cultists in Ogun

The police spokesperson said Ben escaped with bullet wounds but officers arrested three of his men  Jonathan Oshinalu, Kola Bolugbe, and Jimoh Aliu (a.k.a Alaayan).

He noted that a Lexus 330 car was recovered from the suspected cultists.

The statement said the police commissioner in the state, Lanre Bankole, has ordered a manhunt for Ben and other members of his group while directing that the arrested ones be arraigned after investigations.
The Oyo State Government has reinstated 129 public primary school teachers, who were unlawfully sacked by the previous administration.

Nureni Adeniran, the Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, made this known in a statement by Olamide Adeniji, his media aide, on Wednesday in Ibadan.

Mr Adeniran said the state Executive Council had approved the reinstatement of 129 officers wrongly dismissed by the state government between 2011 and 2019.

He said it was subject to the dismissed teachers agreeing not to demand arrears payment for the period they were away which the state converted to leave of absence.

Mr Adeniran appreciated Governor Seyi Makinde for his kindness and selfless consideration in administering the pacesetter state.

He said that the recent reinstatement of the states 129 school teachers was a symbolic achievement that could not be neglected.

This is a plus for the education sector.

Apart from being an addition to the dwindling numbers of teachers in the public primary sector, thousands of family dependants who have been subjected to untold economic hardship due to the layoff of their breadwinners will now have a new lease of life, Mr Adeniran said.

He, therefore, called on teachers in the state to reciprocate Mr Makindes gesture, through a commitment to duties and redouble their dedication to work.

The executive chairman also urged them to key into the Makinde-led administrations goal to change the narratives in the education sector of the state. (NAN)
The leadership of the National Assembly on Tuesday met with the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, over the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper(MTEF/FSP).

The MTEF/FSP contain projections upon which the annual budget is prepared. The National Assembly would usually consider and approve the documents before the budget of the following year is presented.

Tuesdays meeting which had in attendance Ms Ahmed, Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Idris Wase, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, was tagged a consultative meeting and was held behind closed doors.

Initial revelations

The meeting comes barely a week after the minister presented a consultation paper for the 2023-2025 MTEF/FSP.

The paper reviewed the nations economic and budgetary performance from January to April 2022 and, in some instances, January to June.

It showed that the federal government spent N1.93 trillion on debt servicing in the first quarter  about 20 per cent higher than the retained revenue put at N1.63 trillion.

Oil production was 1.32 million barrels per day (mbpd) in April against the 1.60mbpd projected in the budget. The federal government blamed the low production on cases of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

The paper further disclosed that the government spent N4.72 trillion of the N5.77 trillion spending estimate for the period.

Consultative meeting

Before they went into closed doors, Mr Lawan noted that the conversation on the 2023-2025 MTEF/FSP, was to kickstart the budget process for 2023.

He said the lawmakers want to maintain an established trend  January to December budget cycle.

Mr Lawans stance was contained in a statement by his media aide, Ola Awoniyi.

This is, of course, very important to us, he said. For us, this is our last MTEF/FSP, because our tenure will come to an end on 11th June, 2023.

While he pledged commitment to the whole MTEF/FSP and budget passage process, he hoped that estimates for the 2023 budget will be presented between the last week of September and the first week of October.

Similarly, Mr Wase assured the readiness of the House to work with relevant stakeholders to give the best.

Earlier, Ms Ahmed had said urgent action is required to address revenue underperformance and expenditure efficiency at national and sub-national levels.

Others who attended the meeting include the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba and heads of government revenue generating agencies such as NNPC Limited, Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Custom Service and the Director General of the Debt Management Office.

Details of the 2023-2025 MTEF/FSP paper now emphasises the need for next steps for Nigerias economy.
Isaac Idahosa, the presidential running mate to Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said his 33 years experience in church politicking will add value to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in next years presidential election.

Mr Idahosa stated this on Tuesday while appearing on Politics Today, a prime-time political programme on Channels TV.

He was picked as running mate to Mr Kwankwaso on July 14 after the alliance talks with Peter Obi and Labour Party failed.

Mr Idahosa, who is from Edo State, is expected to provide balance to the candidacy of his principal who is from Kano State. However, the popular cleric has no political experience.

When asked about his lack of political experience, Mr Idahosa said in the church, managing people requires more than spiritual power.

He added that politicians who worship in his church also bring their problems, expecting solutions. All these, he said, have prepared him for the task ahead.

I have been a pastor for 33 years. There is what you call church politicking, that is to say, after your spiritual assignment, you deal with people across the nook and crannythe Hausas, the Igbos, the Edos, the Kanuris. So you have them in Church. You have to manage them, you have to learn how to manage people and their resources.

The preaching aspect of Christianity is different from day to day running  the management of the church is not left for the spirit, you have to use your mind. When you can engage your mind to resolve conflict in the church, wider space, you cannot over emphasise the need for human management in our churches today.

Politicians worship in churches and I have got politicians in my Church. They bring their problems, hoping to get a solution. If you cannot provide solution to problemsThat is the same thing you do to human capacity development, he said.

The cleric said all those in doubt of the chances of the Kwankwaso/Idahosa ticket would be shocked as consultations are in top gear.

ASUU strike

Meanwhile, he also talked about the plans of the NNPP on the ongoing lockdown of government-owned universities across the country and insecurity. He stated that the lack of sincerity on the part of the government has been a major factor in the lingering industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

ASUU has been on strike since February over the failure of the federal government to implement the agreement signed with the lecturers.

READ ALSO: Kwankwaso unveils Idahosa as running mate for 2023 poll

Mr Idahosa said if the NNPP is given the opportunity to lead the country, there will be sincerity when dealing with ASUU.

Generation to come will not forgive us if we dont do the right thing. ASUU is on strike because the deal struck with the government is not being kept. When you fail in your word, you fail in your worth. We are not doing them any favour solving this problem, we are doing ourselves favor. When they go on strike, productivity is stalled. Crime is perpetrated because people are less busy, he said.

Security

On insecurity, Mr Idahosa said lack of accountability has been the major problem with security in the country, adding that when people are held accountable for actions and inactions, the security situation in the country will improve.

The NNPP is relying on the Kwankwasiyya Movement founded by Mr Kwankwaso. Although the movement has strong followers in Kano State and some surrounding states in the North-west, it is still relatively weak in other parts of the country.

With this limitation, the NNPP will face the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) , the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the fast-rising Labour Party (LP) and others in the general elections in 2023.
An official of a commercial bank was, on Tuesday, killed when armed robbers ambushed a bullion van conveying money to Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the police have said.

The incident occurred around Ntigha Junction along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of the state.

The armed men were said to have opened fire at the bullion van, killing a cash officer of the bank who was accompanying the van.

The police spokesperson in the state, Geoffrey Ogbonna, provided details of the incident but left out the name of the bank.

He said police operatives, attached to the van, engaged the robbers in a shoot-out, but the robbers carted away some undisclosed sum of money.

Mr Ogbonna, however, said one of the gunmen was killed during the shoot-out with the operatives.

The cash officer accompanying the bullion van was shot dead on the spot, three policemen on escort sustained bullet injuries while one of the armed robbers was neutralised, he said.

The police spokesperson said the injured officers had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

He said the bodies of the slain bank official and the robber have been deposited in a morgue.

The police are investigating the incident, he said.

Mr Ogbonna urged residents to volunteer information to the police about anyone with bullet wounds in their area.

He also appealed to hospitals within and outside the state to report patients in their facilities with bullet wounds for interrogation and investigation.

One AK-47 rifle with 90 rounds of ammunition was recovered from the robbers, according to the police.
The PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, Olajide Jandor Adediran, has accused the Lagos State government of pulling down his campaign posters.

He made the claim when he appeared as a guest on the Arise TV programme, The Morning Show, on Wednesday.

He said the state government, through the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASSA), threatened two advert companies handling his campaign posters to pull them down or have their licenses withdrawn.

The moment that of Afromedia happened at Falomo here, I put a call through to the commissioner of police myself and I said to him CP, this just happened, it was removed, we didnt even know, we thought it was the hoodlums that removed them.

After investigating we now realised that it is the state government, through LASAA, that went to remove them.

And the company in question did say to us that we have been asked not to take anything from you, we will refund your money. Just like JCDecaux did refund our money.

The next day, I went to the commissioner of police with all our team. And said if you dont step in, we might be sitting on a keg of gun powder. Because we will never be allowed to put on the defensive. I know them, I was coming from there.

Mr Adediran, who is the lead visioner of the Lagos4Lagos movement, said his campaign would not be stopped. He added that they would find a way to put the campaign flyers in the public.

After paying for all of this, we wont allow that to happen. We will find a way to put our campaigns out there, he said.

They wont box us in a corner. It is our constitutional right to tell people that we are here, and this is what we want to do differently.

He said that the ruling party has been doing all it can to stop his campaign because his aspiration will put an end to their reign.

Mr Adediran explained further that on the 2nd of June, we got an offer from JCDecaux for a month, this is for us to run our campaign in Fadeyi. They have this electronic billboard in Fadeyi and Oworo if you are coming from the Third Mainland bridge. So we paid for one month  we paid N5.8 million, this is an evidence (he showed a draft on the programme).

JCDecaux had to stop our campaign. They had to call us and say we are sorry; we cannot run that campaign anymore because the state government threatened to take our license away from us. And they refunded part of the money to us via this draft they sent to us.

Afromedia gave us an invoice of 2.6 million to run this unipoll in Falomo. They removed the unipoll immediately. The Afromedia MD had to call to say we have to refund your money, we have been told not to take anything from you or the PDP'.

Lagos govt, advert agencies react

The LASAA spokesperson, Temitope Akande, in a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES said Mr Adedirans claim is false.

I want to debunk that statement, it is not true, he said. We did no such thing.

He added that the agency will soon make public its official position on the claim.

Abimbola Ijaniyi, the spokesperson of JCDecaux, told this newspaper that she cant comment on the claim.

He said that on Arise? We cant comment on that, she said. I dont know why he would say that.

This newspaper also tried to contact Afromedia but the contact on their website was not reachable.

An email was sent to the company for their reaction but they were yet to respond at the time of publication.
Leading energy services provider Expro has secured a contract for its first integrated services package to support a high-profile geothermal project in the Upper Rhine Graben area of SW-Germany.

A consortium formed by Ed. Zublin AG and Huisman Geo BV, drilling and geothermal energy specialists, have commissioned Expro to deliver an integrated well services programme for a new geothermal power plant in the Upper Rhine valley.

This eight well contract for Germanys largest private developer of geothermal energy plants, includes well construction services and a bespoke high-rate surface well test system.

Potential for a long-term extension

The contract which began in June 2022 has the potential for a long-term extension to follow the eight-well drilling and testing campaign of Deutsche ErdWarme (DEW) across four power plants that is that covered by the initially contracted work scope.

As part of its long-term strategy, Expro plans to continue to invest in transforming its business portfolio and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The Company, which recently published its environmental, social and governance (ESG) review, has also a stated aim of achieving Net Zero by 2050 with a 50% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030.

A member of the International Geothermal Association and the European Geothermal Energy Council, Expro has been supporting geothermal well services projects since 1986 and is recognised for its cost-effective, innovative solutions. This latest contract builds on the Companys strategic desire to help customers unlock new sources of cleaner, low-carbon energy and enhance its support of the global geothermal market.

Geothermal sector

Steve Russell, Expros Chief Technology Officer commented: This is a significant award for Expro and strengthens our position as an integrated services provider to the growing and increasingly important geothermal sector. Expro has been delivering discrete services to the geothermal market for many years. This project provides Expro with an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to deliver a bespoke, project-specific well services package for our customers particular requirements. This contract also demonstrates our enhanced offering and capabilities in the geothermal sector and our commitment to a more sustainable and lower carbon future.

Sebastian Homuth, Well Operation Manager, Deutsche ErdWarme, said: We are delighted to see well established oil and gas service companies like Expro showing real interest in the geothermal sector. The customer-oriented approach and dedicated back-office engineering expertise in conjunction with the broad experience in the execution of all kinds of well testing operations is exactly what our industry and DEW is looking for.

Solution-oriented approach

Martin Geissler, Project Manager, JV Drilling Campaign Rheingraben, Ed. Zublin AG  Huisman Geo B.V, commented: Expro's many years of experience, solution-oriented approach and great commitment were evident from the first meeting and are a great asset for the project. We are very much looking forward to a successful co-operation.

Ingrid Huldal, Expros Director, Portfolio Advancement, commented: "We look forward to collaborating with both Deutsche ErdWarme and the JV Drilling Campaign Rheingraben, Ed. Zublin AG  Huisman Geo B.V to provide high calibre well services and drilling support for their geothermal project. This is a key strategic opportunity for Expro as we look to expand our current portfolio and develop a more sustainable business. The geothermal industry will play an important role in the provision of clean energy security for our future. We are committed to helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals and reducing our own environmental impact.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, opposed the bail applications filed by the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, and his co-defendants charged with N109 billion fraud.

EFCCs prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), objecting to the bail applications at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, equated the alleged offences of the defendants to crimes against humanity.

But Mr Idris lawyer, Chris Uche, another SAN, along with other defence lawyers, urged the court to disregard EFCCs objection and grant bail to their clients.

The judge, O.A Adeyemi-Ajayi, fixed 28 July for ruling on the bail applications.

EFCC had last Friday, arraigned Mr Idris alongside three others  Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited  over alleged N109 billion fraud.

All the four defendants pleaded not guilty to the 14 charges filed by the EFCC.

Mr Idris lawyer, Mr Uche, made futile efforts to secure the defendants bail through an oral application he made to the court shortly after the defendants took their pleas.

The oral application was opposed by the prosecuting lawyer, Mr Jacobs, who insisted that the application must be in written form for the court to hear it.

The judge, agreeing with the prosecuting counsel, held that the court would not entertain an oral bail application.

The court then ordered the remand of the defendants, and directed the parties to file their position on the bail. It fixed the hearing of the bail applications for today (Wednesday).

Bail hearing

At Wednesdays proceedings, Mr Uche urged the court to admit Mr Idris to bail pending the determination of the suit.

Arguing that the charges are not capital offences and are bailable, Mr Uche prayed the court to disregard EFCCs opposition to the bail application.

The defence lawyer denied the prosecutions claims that Mr Idris flouted the conditions of the administrative bail granted by the EFCC.

The prosecution, which investigated and saw the seriousness of the case, still deemed it fit to release the defendants on bail. The charge did not grow weight overnight, Mr Uche argued.

He noted that Mr Idris made himself available by quickly returning to Abuja from Kano immediately he was invited for this trial, adding, we are therefore urging my Lord to grant the defendant bail on very liberal terms.

Similarly, Mr Idris co-defendants  Messrs Akindele and Usman  begged the judge to grant them bail.

But the prosecuting lawyer, Mr Jacobs, opposed the defendants bail requests.

He drew the judges attention to the nature and gravity of the charges, urging her to refuse the bail applications.

Mr Jacobs argued that misappropriating public funds is a serious crime  equating the alleged offence to crimes against humanity.

After listening to lawyers arguments, the judge adjourned the suit until Thursday for ruling.

Backstory

This newspaper reported in May how Mr Idris was arrested in Kano, following his refusal to honour EFCCs invitation concerning alleged fraud.

Subsequently, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, informed Mr Idris of his suspension, in a letter dated May 18.

His suspension is without pay, Mrs Ahmeds letter stated.

The suspension, Mrs Ahmed said, was in line with Public Service Rules to give room for a proper and unhindered investigation.

This newspaper also reported in June how the anti-graft agency confiscated multi-billion naira assets linked to Mr Idris suspected to be proceeds of crime.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has announced Sokoto senator, Ibrahim Gobir, as the new Senate Leader.

He made the announcement at the start of plenary on Wednesday. Some opposition senators would later stage a walk-out after Mr Lawan dismissed a motion on the state of insecurity.

Mr Gobirs appointment was contained in a letter from the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu.

In the letter, Mr Adamu asked that Mr Gobir replace Abdullahi Yahaya, who left the APC for the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in June.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Yahaya, who represents Kebbi North in the Senate, left the APC on grounds of crisis in the APC in his state.

He had said he decided to pitch his tent with the PDP to join forces with compatriots at home who are struggling against incompetence, imposition and violation of democratic norms, principles and practices.

The former Senate Leader also complained that the democratic challenges and deficits in Kebbi State, started last year when the governor illegally decapitated the state leadership of the party, imposed unelected ward, local government and state executives of the party.

So, after having failed to get justice in my former Party, the APC, I have jumped ship to the PDP together with our teeming supporters in a struggle to democratically bring to an end the misrule and tyranny currently gripping Kebbi State, he announced in a letter to Mr Lawan.

Mr Yahaya had exited the APC alongside another Kebbi senator, Adamu Aliero  a move Mr Lawan described as heartbreaking.

Mr Aliero, who cited similar reasons for leaving, said his defection is predicated on the fact that there is no internal democracy in the APC.

He also accused the state governor, Atiku Bagudu, of frustrating the efforts of party members in the state and giving them no chance.
The controversial Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) regulations bill is back to the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), seeks to establish the legislative framework to regulate the activities of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

In 2017, Buba Jubrin had similarly sponsored a bill that seeks to regulate NGOs and CSOs. The bill passed second reading at the House and was subsequently referred to the Committee on Civil Society Organisations and Development Partners.

On the day of the public hearing on the bill, scores of protesters marched to the National Assembly asking that the bill be dropped. Members of the CSOs interpreted the bill as an attempt by the government to gag civil movements.

The committee after the public hearing did not present its report to the lawmakers for consideration, thus indicating it died at the committee level.

However, in 2019, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the lower chamber would revisit the NGO bill following allegations by the Army against some NGOs in the North-east.

A statement by the Operation Lafiya Dole Theatre Command in Maiduguri, Borno State, said the army had credible intelligence that the NGO supplied food and medication to the outlawed armed group.

Therefore, the army blacklisted Action Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organisation operating in North-east Nigeria for allegedly aiding and abetting Boko Haram terrorists.

Bill to undergo public hearing

When the bill was presented on Wednesday for second reading, the Deputy Majority Leader, Peter Akpatason, said due to the sensitive nature of the bill, copies of the bill should be distributed to members.

I want to suggest that he (the sponsor) should present copies to the House, so that we will go through it and internalise it very well before we will make contributions on the floor of the House, Mr Akpatason said.

The Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who presided over the session, urged members to continue with the debate on the general principle of the bill. According to Mr Wase, the bill will still be subjected to a public hearing.

He added that the House agrees that there is a need to regulate CSOs operating in the country.

Mr Wase said: It is good we have regulations a kind of code of conduct that should guide their existence. I believe this is what the bill is talking about. It is the collective resolve of the House that we need to regulate the activities of NGOs, not to say that we are eliminating, but to regulate them. I believe that when it comes to consideration, it wont just go to committee of the whole. It will go for public hearing.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), insisted that members cannot afford to debate a bill without having a copy of the bill.

Mr Okechukwu stated that the sponsor of the bill should step it down, until members have studied the bill to make informed debate.

I think what we need its general principle of the bill. It should be discussed. It should be discussed from a position of knowledge. It is important that our colleague (Mr Soli) make the copies available to members so that we dont appear to be making laws ignorantly.

It should be withdrawn and stepped down to be presented another day, Mr Okechukwu said.

Following the comments by the members of the House, Mr Soli agreed to step down the bill to allow members the opportunity to study the bill.

Consequently, the bill was stepped down by the House.
The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the arrest of a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Saviour Imukudo, who was detained on Wednesday in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.

Mr Imukudo was arrested on the order of the Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Ekaette Obot, while covering a court proceeding.

Mr Imukudo was first ordered out of the court, even after identifying himself as a journalist, before the judge ordered his arrest.

While the investigation is ongoing, CWPPF said it condemns Mr Imukudos arrest and demands his unconditional release.

CWPPF noted that the judge has intentionally shown disregard for the constitution which gives journalists the right to gather and disseminate information in the public interest.

We wish to reiterate our position against any form of attack on journalists, media, and civil rights actors. We call on the security agencies and appropriate state institutions to carry out a thorough investigation and ensure the perpetrators of these heinous acts are brought to book, a statement from the coalitions secretariat read.

This is not the first time journalists, media professionals, press freedom advocates, and civil rights activists have been targets of assault by anti-democratic elements.

Recall that the officers asked to see the managing editor, Samuel Ogundipe, and reporter Adefemola Akintade, for reporting a story in relation to a corruption story and how the anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), raided the home of former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and recovered cash and luxury items.

These among several other attacks targeted at proactive individuals engaged in human rights and media freedom activism reflect the sustained assault on the civic space by elements resistant to being held accountable to the people.

CWPPF added that it sees the work of individuals as well as media and civil society groups who expose corruption by state institutions and officials as complementary to the federal governments fight against corruption.

In exposing corruption, these individuals and groups are acting in the public interest, and in the specific case of the media, it is constitutionally mandated to hold the government and public office holders accountable to the people. For this reason, the Federal Government and Nigerians should see the news media and civil society groups as partners and not adversaries.

Background

Mr Imukudo was in court Wednesday morning to cover the defamation case between the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, and a lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Ekpenyongs lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, was also controversially sent to prison for one month by Justice Obot.

The judge had repeatedly threatened to send Mr Effiong to prison and accused him of overstepping your bounds.

On Wednesday, Ms Obot ordered Mr Imukudos arrest after introducing himself as a reporter with the PREMIUM TIMES.

The journalist complied but as he was walking out of the courtroom, the judge ordered the police officer to search him and confiscate his phone.

Mr Imukudo was still detained as of press time.
The Federal Executive Council has approved the leasing of three aircraft by the countrys national carrier, called Nigeria Air to enable it to commence operations on a date to be announced soon by the government.

Aviation minister Hadi Sirika announced this while briefing journalists at the end of Wednesdays Federal Executive Council meeting.

We have said in our outline business case, which was earlier approved, that we are starting with three aircraft for the first instance and then we progress. We will have a mixture of Airbus and Boeings because every airline that will grow big uses the two, he said.

Mr Sirika said Nigeria Air will start with domestic flights before expanding to international routes.

We will start with domestic flights and then we grow to become international and then we move to become regional and intercontinental. There are challenges currently in our aviation industry but it is a global phenomenon and it will not last forever because aviation is a very resilient sector. Certainly, we will overcome these problems, he added.

Many Nigerians are suspicious of the plan to launch a National carrier, partly with public funds, at a time the government can no longer fund its essential operations.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Nigerian government, between January and April, spent more money to service its debts that its total earnings for the period.

However, the government has said the national carrier will be largely private sector driven.

On Wednesday, the FEC also approved N707. 9 million for the procurement of investigation tools for Nigerias Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

The AIB investigates accidents involving aircraft across Nigeria.

Mr Sirika said the tool, when procured, will aid investigations, whenever an aircraft is involved in an accident in any part of Nigeria.

The memo was for the deployment of an investigation tool by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). That tool permits the AIB to be able to record going-ons in flights; God forbid, should there be a need to investigate an accident, or a serious incident and the tool will help them to do so.

That procurement is in the sum of N707, 962, 854. 83, an equivalent of 1, 506, 285.70 Euros, inclusive of 7.5 per cent value added tax at the Central Banks exchange rate of N470 to a Euro, with a delivery period of 11 months, he stated.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has apologized for posting pictures of himself in a classroom at Harvard School of Government in the US at a time public universities in Nigeria have been shut down for about six months.

Yesterday, I posted a picture of myself at the @Harvard @Kennedy_School, undergoing a course. That post was not sensitive to the present feelings of fellow citizens, especially parents and students who are presently bearing the brunt of the ongoing closure of public universities owing to the unresolved issues between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government of Nigeria, he wrote on Twitter.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Gbajabiamila, a lawyer, on Tuesday posted pictures of himself in a class with other (non-Nigerian) students.

Back to class. In a leadership course at @Harvard @Kennedy_School. Forget the number of grey hairs one is never too old to learn, broaden or sharpen your skills, he wrote on his verified Twitter page.

Mr Gbajabiamilas Tuesday posts elicited condemnation from Nigerians who questioned the propriety of such an action when millions of Nigerian university students have been at home for about six months due to a strike by university lecturers (ASUU).

ASUU declared industrial action on February 14 after it accused the government of failing to implement previous agreements with the union.

That post not sensitive  Gbajabiamila

In a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday, Mr Gbajabiamila said it was not his intention to cause dissatisfaction with the post.

He said he has been at the forefront of trying to resolve the disagreement between the government and ASUU. He also listed other interventions he has done to improve public education in Nigeria.

Read his full statement below.

Yesterday, I posted a picture of myself at the @Harvard @Kennedy_School, undergoing a course. That post was not sensitive to the present feelings of fellow citizens, especially parents and students who are presently bearing the brunt of the ongoing closure of public universities owing to the unresolved issues between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

I apologize for the post at this time, and I hope you will understand that it was not my intention to cause disaffection. As Speaker of @HouseNGR,I have made multiple interventions within the powers of the legislature to avert the ongoing strike.

I had direct engagements with ASUU relevant government agencies. The House of Representatives is still keenly involved in seeking a resolution to the issues so our students can return to school. We all await the outcome of the 2-week ultimatum given for the conclusion of negotiations with ASUU.

I have long been a champion of public education in Nigeria, and I have consistently advocated programs, policies and investments to improve the quality of public education in the country. In my constituency and beyond, I have attracted a new international students hostel in UNILAG facilitated access to free internet WiFi in all public tertiary institutions in Lagos State; provision of modern ICT centres in 24 secondary schools across the state, provision of scholarships and grants to indigent students in selected tertiary institutions, provision of laptops to all secondary school teachers in my constituency and hundreds of students, facilitated the renovation of over 15 public schools in Lagos,

facilitated the ongoing construction of the Open University Campus and JAMB CBT Centre in my constituency, facilitated the ongoing construction of School Auditoriums in both LASU and School of Legal Studies, Katsina; facilitated the construction of a public library in Ondo;

Facilitated the ongoing construction of an emergency care centre for the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital amongst other numerous interventions. In keeping with my passion for education, I regularly take time to teach in some public secondary schools across the country.

I will continue to work within the remit of the legislature to provide our young people with access to quality education.
Nigerias former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said the nations current degenerating situation is beyond party politics and requires all hands to be on deck.

He said the country has lost direction in nation building, insisting that: As long as we dont get it right in nation building, we cannot get anything right in this country.

Mr Obasanjo made the remarks as the special guest of honour at Babcock Universitys 20th undergraduate and 11th postgraduate convocation lecture.

The guest lecturer, Kingsley Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the CBN, spoke on the theme; Knowledge, Vision, Passion and Innovation in the Context of Nigerias Development.

The event was held at the universitys amphitheatre in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State.

Mr Obasanjo noted that the situation in Nigeria has become so precarious that no individual can say he or she has a solution to the problems.

Moghalu harps on innovation

During his lecture, Mr Moghalu noted that the solution to Nigerias dire economic situation and foreign exchange crisis is to scale up innovation. He said such intervention can break the Nigerian economys structural dependency as an import- and consumer-driven one.

He said: Innovation-driven economies remain competitive, adapting to the needs of the future, while natural resource-dependent economies such as ours risk being left behind by global and market trends and thus condemning our citizens to poverty.

Nigeria has a national policy in science, technology, and innovation. The federal government has several technology and innovation-related agencies, but these public sector efforts have not yielded any innovation-driven impact on Nigerias economy.

Mr Moghalu, who is now the President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET), spoke on his presidential campaign in the 2019 election, and how he proposed the establishment of a N500 billion initial capital fund for innovation and start-up businesses, to be managed by the private sector.

For an innovation-powered economy to rise in Nigeria, we must create a social consensus. Innovation and its practical applications in society must be popularised, and specific conscious awareness of it as a prime path to Nigerias development, he added.

Knowledge society

Mr Moghalu also explained that to secure our future as a country, Nigeria must increasingly become a knowledge society.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says that knowledge societies are those with the capability to identify, produce, process, transform, disseminate, and use the information to build and apply knowledge for human development.

Speaking further, Mr Moghalu said the wealthiest countries in the world such as Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea, have no natural resources but they have the knowledge to import Nigerias natural resources to produce sophisticated products.

He explained that the countries have built a knowledge economy, defined as one in which intellectual property  knowledge and information systems that drive an ever-increasing pace of scientific and technological advances  is the basis of production and services.

Mr Moghalu also suggested restructuring as a solution to Nigerias economic development because the institutional arrangement where the majority of states depend on the federal government for allocations from natural resource revenues to pay workers salaries and provide basic services has had profoundly negative implications for Nigerias economy.
The Nigerian Army has announced the rescue of four ladies, two of whom are believed to be amongst the abducted Chibok girls.

The ladies who were rescued alongside their children are currently in a medical facility, according to a post by the Nigerian Army on Twitter.

Troops of 202 battalion during clearance operations on 25 July 2022 intercepted four abducted women including two girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from GGSS Chibok on 14 April 2014.

The intercepted Chibok girls & their children are currently in a military medical facility, the tweet reads.

The pictures of the rescued ladies with thier children were shared in the tweet, but their names were not given.

Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to speak with the army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general, were unsuccessful as he did not pick up calls to his mobile telephone.

The rescue of the two girls comes barely two months after the army announced the rescue of one other girl from the same group.

It also comes about five years after 81 of the school girls who were abducted by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, were released.

The extremist Boko Haram sect had on April 14, 2014, abducted 276 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok. A presidential committee said 57 of the girls immediately escaped from their abductors.

Two other girls were found separately, in addition to those who escaped on the night of their abduction, bringing to over 50, those who have regained freedom.

When the President Muhammadu Buhari administration came to power in 2015, it began negotiation with the Boko Haram sect.

That yielded the release of 21 of the girls in October 2016 and another 82 in May 2017.

Not much has been heard of the remaining 112 girls, although the federal government says it is still working on getting them released.

The mass kidnapping of students from their schools fast became a norm after the Chibok school kidnap.

The country has witnessed several cases of kidnapping of pupils and students from their schools since 2014, particularly in the North-west.

Over 700 students and pupils are believed to have been kidnapped since December 2020.

Recently, gunmen attacked a Baptist Secondary School in Kaduna and abducted dozens of students from their dormitories.
Nigerias naira rose slightly against the U.S. dollar at the official market on Wednesday, a day after the currency slumped to a record low at the spot market.

The currency strengthened to N430.00 per dollar on Wednesday from N431.00 it traded at the Nafex window in the previous session on Tuesday, data posted on the FMDQ website where forex is officially traded, revealed.

At the parallel market, the currency weakened to N705 per dollar amidst shortfall in foreign exchange supply as demand increases.

We bought the naira today at N700.00 and sold at N705.00 per $1, Shuaibu, a currency dealer at Uyo street market said.

Analysts have blamed the continuous weakening of the naira on rising import bill, dollar savings and the accumulation of cryptocurrencies by Nigerians who have lost confidence in the local unit due to its massive devaluation against the greenback currency.

However, Iniobong Williams, a crypto trader and founder of Willywealth Trading, blamed the Central Bank of Nigerias foreign exchange policies for the recent slump.

He said the announcement that Nigerians buying dollars with naira will be arrested made by the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, a few days ago also further weakened the naira.

I believe this has caused tremendous panic among middlemen who try to breach the gap for those in need of FX because CBN cannot meet the high demand, Mr Williams said.

Also, he said there is also a huge demand now for forex among students who want to pay their school fees and that most students resort to buying from the black market because of the long queue at the bank as a result of limited availability of foreign exchange.

The demand for FX is high right now while supply is limited, hence the hike in exchange rate, he added.

The Senate on Wednesday resolved to invite Mr Emefiele over the free fall of the naira in recent weeks.

Mr Emefiele was asked to appear before the Senate in plenary and address the lawmakers behind closed doors.

The lawmakers, however, did not fix a date for the governor to appear. On Wednesday, the lawmakers also resolved to embark on a two-month recess that will end on September 20.
a security expert, Jackson Ojo, noted that allowing civilians to use arms is against extant laws of the land. What the Zamfara State Governor has just declared is like a mutiny he said, while insisting that the law does not permit the citizenry to bear arms On his part, another security expert, Timothy Avele, said It is a direct call for anarchy at the highest level. You cant imagine the kind of extrajudicial killings that would result from this current governors statement.

Recently, Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria, has been in the news because the governor, Bello Matawalle urged citizens to apply for and obtain licences to bear arms to defend themselves from terrorists, simply known as bandits, who have turned the state into a banana republic, and the epicentre of armed banditry, where life is short and brutish.

The Ongoing Debate On Legitimate Self-defence in Nigeria

The governor, who made the statement as part of events to mark his two years in office, stressed that Zamfara would collaborate with security agencies and traditional leaders to ensure that credible persons (are)recruited from the communities.

Although some Nigerians supported the motion, it did not go down well with others across divides.

For example, the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, backed the call by the Zamfara helmsman for residents to arm and defend themselves against terrorists. According to him, We have called on our traditional rulers that we must all be ready to rise up to defend our land and defend our people. What I really mean by that is that, you cant fold your hands and say people (attackers) are coming and you are running away.

The governor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who was reacting to the recent Pentecost Day massacre of over 40 parishioners at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, South-West Nigeria, which he governs, added that: If they bring a fight to you, fight them back. There is no room to run away from it.

That was why when I heard my brother in Zamfara, who said people should carry arms and license people to carry arms, it might be to some a bit of extreme measure, but when you are pushed to the wall, there is nothing else you can say.

For Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, Matawalles call was essentially an adoption of the Benue option.

It could be recalled that in 2019, the governor advised residents of the state to defend themselves against armed invaders.

While Speaking to journalists in the state capital, Makurdi, he maintained that: The renewed killings and attack will not stop us from doing the right thing. We are not against anybody. But this intimidation must stop. I already told my people to arm themselves because the Bible also allows us to defend ourselves.

Ortom also stressed that, And those who kill by the sword should die by the sword. Those who kill by AK-47 or whatever means, should also die by AK47. I have told my people, dont waste your time, dont wait for anybody to kill you, kill that person first. Thats is my stand.

However, a security expert, Jackson Ojo, noted that allowing civilians to use arms is against extant laws of the land. What the Zamfara State Governor has just declared is like a mutiny he said, while insisting that the law does not permit the citizenry to bear arms.

On his part, another security expert, Timothy Avele, said It is a direct call for anarchy at the highest level. You cant imagine the kind of extrajudicial killings that would result from this current governors statement.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sets the tone for the theology of legitimate self-defence when it says, Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow: if a man in self-defence uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defence will be unlawful.

Clerics, Experts On Legitimate Self-defence

Rise up in prayer to God in vigilance and in legitimate self-defence, for the rights to life, to our homes, to our lands that is God-given, the Catholic Bishops of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province had said on this issue in August 2020.

In a related development, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins highlighted the fundamental right to self-defence when he said, If a person is under attack, he has the right to defend himself with equal force that he is being attacked. So, in principle every human being has the right to defend himself or herself.

He made the assertion amid multiple cases of violent attacks in Nigeria in a Thursday, June 3 news report, while speaking on the occasion of his 62nd birthday on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

On his part, a frontline evangelical pastor, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye recently said, Christians dont need guns. Samson did not fight with AK-47.

The cleric who cautioned that no one can be killed until Gods appointed time, stressed that no one should stay away from Church because of fear of being attacked.

Bishop Osadolor Ochei seems to agree with this position when he surmised that, it is my own personal opinion that Nigerians should rise up to defend themselves as the governor of Zamfara said.

Legitimate Self-defence, Just War Theory

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sets the tone for the theology of legitimate self-defence when it says, Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow: if a man in self-defence uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defence will be unlawful.

Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defence to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of ones own life than anothers (CCC #2264).

This simply means that killing should be the last resort after every other means has been exhausted.

By stating that killing ones assailant is justified provided one does not intend to kill him, the Angelica Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas laid a solid foundation for the theology of legitimate self-defence in the Catholic Church.

Also known as the principle of double effect, this position allows one to defend oneself without the intention of killing another person.

Here, the priority is to defend yourself; however, if in the process the Christian kills the person who attacked him, the act of killing the person who attacked him is not intended.

the guiding principles for legitimate self-defence laid out by the Church underlines that we have a legitimate right to self defence on the basis of rightly ordered self-love. We have a duty to protect those in our care, such as our families; force should be used in moderation  it should be met with like force; and the taking of a human life in self defense should be a last resort, when all other options have been exhausted.

As such, because his primary intention is to defend himself, his action, including its consequence, is justified. This leads us to the just-war theory.

The Hague and Geneva Conventions cover how rules are drafted and implemented for soldiers, as well as punishment for war crimes, on the basis of ethical considerations.

This is where war ethics attempts to investigate whether going to war is right or wrong, the appropriate time to engage in war, and the moral basis for declaring such a war.

Between the fifth and thirteenth centuries, Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas wrote about the morality of killing or waging a war.

These scholars seem to agree that a war could be morally justified if weapons of mass destruction or landmines, torture, chemicals and drones are not employed.

In the worst scenario, war must be based on ethical values, such that if it must be waged by a legitimate authority like a state, there must be a just cause, it be waged with the right intention, there must be some degree of success, it must be the last resort, and there must be a proportionate use of force.

In summary, the guiding principles for legitimate self-defence laid out by the Church underlines that we have a legitimate right to self defence on the basis of rightly ordered self-love. We have a duty to protect those in our care, such as our families; force should be used in moderation  it should be met with like force; and the taking of a human life in self defense should be a last resort, when all other options have been exhausted.

Conclusion

The scandalous killing of Abel by his brother Cain ( Cf. Gen 4:1-18) points to the sacredness of life on the one hand and the karma that awaits those who take life without qualms on the other.

That notwithstanding, there are Christians in Nigeria who feel that turning the other check (Cf. Luke 6:29) is suicidal cowardice, which can be likened to bathing with genocidal waters.

What did Jesus really mean when he said, he who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and get one? (Cf Luke 22:).

Well, perhaps it is crucial to end on an empathetic note that legitimate self-defence is not only a right but a moral imperative.

However, that right stops where murder defies logic and love, thus opening its mouth wide to shamelessly declare legitimate what is illegitimate.

Justine John Dyikuk is a lecturer in Mass Communication, University of Jos, editor of Caritas newspaper and Convener of the Media Team Network Initiative (MTNI), Nigeria.
With a healthy project bouquet, Samsung Engineering, a world-leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management (EPC&PM) firm, is sprinting to reach its annual order target of KRW8 trillion ($6.09 billion).

This is because the major achieved KRW4.28 trillion of new orders in the first half of 2022.

In the second quarter, new orders came in at KRW1.47 trillion and in the first half of the year, at KRW4.28 trillion, which is more than half of Samsung Engineerings annual order target of KRW8 trillion.

Order backlog of KRW16.7 trillion

As a result, Samsung Engineering has secured an order backlog of KRW16.7 trillion, which is more than two years' worth of revenue of last year.

Samsung Engineering signed an agreement with Aramco for the National EPC Champions Initiative under the Aramco Namaat Programme, which is to generate meaningful results in order to expand mid- to long-term orders.

In particular, Samsung Engineering took one step closer to its annual order target by winning the order for the KRW890 billion OGP (Onshore Gas Plant for Rosmari Marjoram) project in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia, with it the FEED to EPC success story was continued and the expansion into IOC market was further accelerated. In the second half of the year, we plan to continue participating in the FEED agenda and winning orders in key areas such as petrochemical plants in the Middle East and Asia.

Net profit hits KRW139.6 billion

Meanwhile the EPC major has posted a 2.1% rise in net profit to KRW139.6 billion in the second quarter of 2022.

Its operating profit for the quarter shot up 48.9% to KRW153.5 billion, achieving a surplus for 22 consecutive quarters and is continuing a solid earnings trend.

Through the provisional financial Q2 results today, Samsung Engineering announced a revenue of KRW2,493.4 billion. Compared to the previous year, the revenue increased by 47.0%. In the first half of 2022 revenue of KRW4.65 trillion, operating profit of KRW327.9 billion and net profit of KRW253.3 billion was recorded.

Exceeding market forecast

On the financial results, Samsung Engineering explained: "Even with the uncertain external environment, our performance exceeded the market forecast, due to our project management solutions and performance innovations such as automation and modularisation.

The revenue created by large-scale hydrocarbon plants in Mexico and Malaysia and in the Middle East, which were ordered through the FEED to EPC strategy, were reflected in the earnings in earnest, and the industrial environment sector also maintained a stable profit structure, showing solid earnings along with top-line growth.

A Samsung Engineering spokesperson said: Samsung Engineering expects further stable growth and additional profit for 2022. We are increasing productivity and efficiency by actively applying process innovations to projects to increase productivity and efficiency, and therefore secure future growth engines by continuously discovering new ESG businesses such as carbon-neutral and hydrogen businesses and environmental infrastructure.-- TradeArabia News Service
The unfolding anarchy and violence in Nigeria are serious matters, and every attempt must be made to keep the public informed. A documentary that investigates and examines government failures, while centring on victims and their families would have done that. Giving boastful, bloodthirsty criminals a global platform serves only two purposes. It provides free publicity for terror and enables the BBC to push viewership figures on social media.

It has simply gotten out of hand.

Journalists and now a global media organisation of repute, the BBC, which should know better, are becoming tools for terrorists, even if unwittingly, by amplifying the faces, voices and stories of killers and marauders who are still operating with impunity across Nigeria.

The public interest argument seems to have been misunderstood, some may even say misrepresented, to enable sensationalist reporting that is very unlikely to be allowed on screens in the United Kingdom. By not upholding the same standards as they would uphold in the UK, in their work in Nigeria, the producers of BBC Africa Eye, in their latest documentary titled The Bandits Warlords of Zamfara, have provided a global platform to terrorists and can be accused of becoming an accomplice to terror in the name of reporting it.

When Communications Professor at the University of Toronto, Mahmoud Eid, coined the term Terroredia, in his book Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves, Eid argues that there is now a relationship between terrorists and media professionals in which acts of terrorism and media coverage are exchanged, influenced, and fuelled by one another. Since it was written seven years ago, it would appear the case Eid was trying to make is now quite self-evident, especially in Nigeria, where, increasingly, propaganda videos and statements by terror groups, as well as features on terror leaders, are finding their way into mainstream media. We can now easily identify, for example, the faces of the major kingpins responsible for the widespread kidnappings and killings that are occurring on a daily basis in the Northern part of Nigeria, no thanks to having their pictures and videos splashed all over the pages of newspapers and on our television screens, almost as if they are Nollywood A-listers.

None of this has helped our inept government, led by President Muhamadu Buhari, to find and arrest these blood-thirsty criminals. The pressure has also not stopped the administration from playing ostrich and finding an effective way of tackling insecurity. These are some of the public interest arguments put forward by those defending the featuring of predatory criminals on national and now international media platforms.

The arguments also include an assertion that hearing from terrorists helps us understand the conflicts better and therefore come up with solutions. Under the guise of public interest, this is the argument that BBC Africa Eye seems to be presenting, to justify its decision to actively give copious screen time to self-confessed murderers and kidnappers, who are still actively involved in attacking communities, killing, kidnapping, pillaging and generally making life brutish and a living hell for the people of Nigerias North-western state of Zamfara and beyond.

The two promotional clips released for the documentary, the Bandits Warlords of Zamfara, feature a marauder who should remain nameless here, confirming that he was part of those who raided Jengebe girls secondary school in the state, abducting over 300 students, with the attendant horror these sorts of crime normally entail, and releasing them, after the payment of ransom. Evidently, the BBC Africa Eye team also had no problem utilising footage that appears to have been shot by these self-confessed criminals, because this makes it into the second trailer. No media of repute would take this decision because it is generally understood that these sorts of videos are recorded by terrorists for one thing only: propaganda.

Reports of the documentary in national newspapers also quote one of the featured criminals boasting, in the documentary, that he only kills, and doesnt kidnap for ransom. This is the nature of the programme that the reputable BBC Africa Eye is positioning as having a public interest imperative.

To be clear, the current state of insecurity and all that it entails is the fault of the Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, and he must be held responsible for the carnage and state of anarchy engulfing the nation. That does not however mean irresponsible reporting by the media, which after all should champion the common man, should not be challenged.

If terrorists were killing and kidnapping British citizens, especially young children, the BBC would not enable interviews by the perpetrators, particularly if they were still roaming footloose and fancy-free, without an iota of remorse for their crimes. The trauma to the psyche of the British public will be unbearable, and the BBC would not be willing to pay that price, or risk the legal consequences sure to ensue.

In the era of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), for example, the group didnt make it onto the airwaves of the BBC. Indeed, reporting of the activities of the political party seen as the political arm of the IRA, Sein Fein, was heavily censored. Every time they spoke, the BBC deleted their voices and replaced them with those of actors, in obedience to British Government directives, which were put in place because the authorities believed publicity is like air for terrorists groups, helping them to grow and thrive. And even though Sein Fein shared what many might argue is only an ideological position with the IRA, they were denied a presence on British airwaves in substantial ways.

The publics right to know is a sacrosanct tenant of journalists who are not and should not be in the job of censoring news. Finding the balance between that and ensuring media platforms do not provide the oxygen of publicity for terrorists and criminals is not easy, but it is at these difficult junctures that good journalism needs to stand its ground.

Here in Nigeria, concerns about the impact that the amplification of the voices of terrorists will have on victims, their families and the public, appear to be a secondary consideration to the BBCs insistence on hearing from the bandits first-hand accounts and justification for their murderous activities.

There is no good argument that can justify the damage this is doing to the public that includes the school girls in Jangebe, who can now, in perpetuity, watch the story of their abductions from the mouth of their abductors and relive the attendant trauma of that horrible crime.

For all of these school girls, victims and their families, the BBC Africa Eye has confirmed their attackers invincibility. By documenting and handing over on a platter of gold, one of the most respected media brands in the world to justify their actions, the BBC has iconised violent men leading marauding militias that are killing, abducting, maiming and leaving terror in their wake across large sways of Nigeria and who are clearly neither sorry for their crime nor looking to stop anytime soon.

It is hard to see how this will not contribute to deepening fear, mistrust, hopelessness and damage to the national psyche, while undoubtedly helping with recruitment  all ingredients that actively contribute to successful outcomes for terror groups.

The publics right to know is a sacrosanct tenant of journalists who are not and should not be in the job of censoring news. Finding the balance between that and ensuring media platforms do not provide the oxygen of publicity for terrorists and criminals is not easy, but it is at these difficult junctures that good journalism needs to stand its ground.

Recognising the importance of getting it right globally, experts, including those at the BBC, have taken the trouble to develop guidelines for reporting difficult stories, including stories of conflict and terrorism. The German Press Code, for example, says that, in reporting actual and threatened acts of violence, the Press should carefully weigh the publics interest in information against the interest of victims and other people involved. It should report on such incidents in an independent and authentic way, but not allow itself to be made the tool of criminals. Nor should it undertake independent attempts to mediate between criminals and the police. THERE MUST BE NO INTERVIEWS WITH PERPETRATORS DURING ACTS OF VIOLENCE.

The German guidelines are unequivocal about not giving airtime to criminals involved in ongoing criminal activities and for very good reason. The BBCs editorial guidelines are more watery, perhaps explaining why the BBC Africa Eye team is able to be cavalier about such a critical issue. But even these guidelines say, any proposal to approach an organisation (or an individual member of an organisation) designated a terrorist group by the Home Secretary under the Terrorism Acts, and any proposal to approach individuals or organisations responsible for acts of terror, to participate in our output must be referred in advance to Director Editorial Policy and Standard and also any proposal to broadcast content made by perpetrators of a hijacking, kidnapping, hostage-taking or siege must be referred to a senior editorial figure. The questions to answer therefore include: Did senior people in London at the BBC fully understand that they were authorising the recording of terrorists who are still active and who between them have been responsible for the abduction, rape and killings of thousands of people including school children?

There are other questions.

When homeland terrorists committed the inconceivable crime of hacking British soldier Lee Rigby to death in May 2013, would the BBC have considered it in the public interest to interview these terrorists? To compare apples with apples, imagine that hero Rigbys murderers were never held for their crimes, continued butchering people and collecting seven figure ransoms, would the BBC dare to send reporters to film the murderers gloating about collecting ransom, and then hold Twitter Spaces and bask in views, clicks and likes?

The answer is NO. The BBC would never dare this.

Why then is the BBC okay to fund, then publicise the glorification of practicing murderers still butchering hundreds across Nigeria and the Chad Basin? How did this three-year disregard for African lives come about, and why is this acceptable?

Given the programmes track record of dubious editorial decisions and accusations of unethical behaviour, including by local reporters who worked with them, BBC managers in London should also explain if the decision to put this documentary out on social media was designed to ensure its producers are not held to the high global broadcast standards the BBC is known for and which are applicable to content broadcast within the UK?

By their own admission, the BBC Africa Eye producers claim their reporting occurred over three-years. This is clearly well before the crime against the school girls in Jangebe occurred. These bandits and their factions commit cross-border crimes. Therefore, as a matter of urgent national and regional security, other questions which the BBC must answer publicly, in the actual interest of the public include:

1. In all these years it was conducting these investigations of terrorists, did the BBC harbour information on potential criminals or actual crimes they happened on? Did the BBC withhold this information from the relevant African security authorities?

2. After the particular interviews in which the murderers admit their collection of ransoms, and committing acts of kidnap, did the BBC hand over any of this footage to the authorities, and do so in a timely manner?

3. What footage and information has the BBC handed over to law enforcement, since the publication of this documentary?

In covering a subset of criminals for three years, the BBC has brazenly admitted that it was shooting criminals before, during and after the commission of dastardly crimes that have destroyed generations, present and unborn.

The BBC Africa Eye documentaries series have been designed specifically for release on social media platforms (Facebook and YouTube). Given the programmes track record of dubious editorial decisions and accusations of unethical behaviour, including by local reporters who worked with them, BBC managers in London should also explain if the decision to put this documentary out on social media was designed to ensure its producers are not held to the high global broadcast standards the BBC is known for and which are applicable to content broadcast within the UK?

When BBC Africa Eye did a story on drug addiction in Nigeria, there were attempts by a producer to sensationalise some of the reporting, to make it more gripping. On that occasion, he was working with a seasoned and brave journalist who pushed back. When they did a story on Sex for Grades, the two reporters responsible for the story ended up trading blame on social media over sex-for-by-line allegations. Again, the producers didnt come out smelling of roses. An investigative report by them on a popular talk show host in Nigeria, who is revered by millions, saw the journalist who did that reporting flee his home together with his family as a result of threats to his life. The BBC failed in its duty of care to this local journalist and in the end fellow journalists had to rally around to provide him with safe spaces.

In all, the team at BBC Africa Eye appear to be striving to do reporting that would be unacceptable in the UK for being unethical and transparently against public interest. The problem is they have capitalised on the justified anger of the people and the inconceivable failure of the government to, once again, resurrect the ugliest vestiges of colonialism, which one had hoped were long buried.

The unfolding anarchy and violence in Nigeria are serious matters, and every attempt must be made to keep the public informed. A documentary that investigates and examines government failures, while centring on victims and their families would have done that. Giving boastful, bloodthirsty criminals a global platform serves only two purposes. It provides free publicity for terror and enables the BBC to push viewership figures on social media.

It does nothing for public service. Even if it does not realise it, the BBCs reputation for stellar public service journalism is being damaged.

Black lives, their humanity and national security, should matter more than clicks.

Hopefully someone in London will take note.

Kadaria Ahmed was a Senior Producer at the BBC in London and is now CEO at Radio Now 95.3FM Lagos.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said that the Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, owned by the Reddington Hospital Group which successfully carried out leg surgery on Vice President Osinbajo recently is an exemplary model of Federal Government intervention through the CBN, in providing world class health facility in Nigeria to discourage medical tourism abroad by Nigerians.

Mr Emefiele made this statement at the press briefing following the recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting held in Lagos. While responding to questions from the media regarding CBN intervention funds in healthcare, the CBN Governor used the Reddington Hospital and Duchess International Hospital as examples of where the Central Bank of Nigeria has supported Nigerian healthcare institutions in building local capacity towards the reversal of medical tourism which costs Nigeria billions of dollars annually.

Emefiele thanked the Vice President for choosing to have his surgery done locally in Nigeria, setting an exemplary example, and for the confidence he reposed in our healthcare system.

Reacting to the CBN Governors statement, the Group Medical Director of Reddington Hospital, Dr Olutunde Lalude, explained that the Reddington Healthcare Group established the Duchess International Hospital Ikeja as a unique brand to promote access to affordable world-class healthcare for all Nigerians with its strategic location just 10 minutes drive from the Lagos airport and less than 90 minutes by air from Abuja and all state capitals in Nigeria.

In demonstrating affordability, Dr. Lalude emphasized that it costs N5000 for a patient to register and see a Doctor at the new Duchess International Hospital. This has been made possible due to the impact of the CBN intervention fund in establishing the hospital.

Lalude thanked the CBN Governor and Access Bank Plc for all their support in building our local capacity and transforming our healthcare institutions.
The abductors of a private medical practitioner at Gbede in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State, have released him after collecting N3 million ransom.

The chairman of the local government council, Isaiah Adegbite, confirmed the release.

The police spokesman in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso, also confirmed the release to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday, but was silent on the ransom payment.

The victim was abducted from his hospital premises on Friday and released on Tuesday.

A family source told NAN that the abductors demanded N30 million ransom on Monday, but settled for N3 million after intensive negotiations.

(NAN)
A delegation from Bahrains Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding) took part in the Future Energy Asia Exhibition and Summit 2022, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The delegation included representatives from Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), and Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas).

The aim of the delegation was to promote nogaholdings portfolio of companies internationally and attract potential commercial partners. The companys presence also supported strengthening economic relations between the two countries, building relations with prominent companies within the sector internationally.

During the event, Thailands Deputy Permanent Secretary of Minister of Energy, Premrutai Vinaiphat, paid a visit to the nogaholding stand, and was received by representatives of the company.

The Future Energy Asia Exhibition and Summit is one of Asias leading energy transition and transformation events that connects energy companies to the leading Asian Energy stakeholders and buyers, driving the regions energy transition mission forward.

The exhibition was attended by energy ministers, policymakers, major energy companies, power generation authorities, midstream gas and LNG players, and engineering and construction companies. -TradeArabia News Service
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 27 July 1700 GMT-5

QUITO, Ecuador, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecuador's Minister of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, Gustavo Manrique, is hosting a special event today to mark Earth Overshoot Day 2022 (July 28), featuring the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, authorities from different countries in the region, representatives of non-governmental organizations, businesses, scientists and academics. Global Footprint Network founder Mathis Wackernagel will be participating as the guest of honor.

"Earth Overshoot Day demonstrates that the current system of production and consumption is not compatible with the intention to continue to inhabit this planet. To better protect our natural resources and manage our demand for them, it is necessary to embrace a new development model based on sustainability and regeneration. From Ecuador, we call on the world to commit to this cause," explains Minister Gustavo Manrique.

Ecuador's unique tradition puts nature at its center. In 2008, it made history when it became the first country in the world to grant nature legally-enforceable constitutional rights to ''exist, flourish and evolve" through an overwhelming popular vote. Ecuador ranks as one of the countries whose Overshoot Day arrives the latest in the year (December 6 this year), which means its Ecological Footprint per person is only slightly higher than the worldwide average biocapacity per person.

The date of Earth Overshoot Day is calculated each year by Global Footprint Network, using National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts data. This day reminds us that the persistence of overshoot, now for over half a century, has led to huge declines in biodiversity, excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and heightened competition for food and energy. Symptoms are becoming more prominent with unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods.

The economic pressures are already playing out. Global Footprint Network research shows that more than 3 billion people live in countries which produce less food than they consume and generate less than world average income. This means they have inadequate food capacity and face a huge disadvantage in accessing food on global markets. If we include all resources, not just food, the number of people exposed to this double challenge climbs to 5.8 billion people .

"Resource security is turning into an essential parameter of economic strength. There is no advantage in waiting for others to act first. Rather, it is in the interest of every city, company, or country to protect its own ability to operate in the inevitable future of more climate change and resource constraints," says Mathis Wackernagel.

"Cities hold the key to clean infrastructure transformation: Quito for its conservation of protected areas, Santiago de Chile for its electric buses, or Bogota for its bike paths show how local governments give their cities a better chance to have a solid future," says Sebastian Navarro, Secretary General of CC35, the Coalition of Capital Cities of the Americas on Climate Change.

Turning the trends around is not just possible, but it economically benefits those who lead the charge. Possibilities include:

Cutting food waste in half worldwide would #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day 13 days.

Upgrading urban bicycle infrastructure worldwide, like the Netherlands , has the potential to move it 9 days.

, has the potential to move it 9 days. Producing power by cost-competitive on-shore wind, as practiced in Denmark and Germany , could move it at least 10 days.

More details, key facts behind Earth Overshoot Day, and translations at: https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/press-release-july-2022-english/

Contacts

Marta Antonelli, Ph.D.- Italian, English, (GMT+2)

marta.antonelli@footprintnetwork.org +41-78-656-28-44

Alessandro Galli, Ph.D.- Italian, English, (GMT+2)

alessandro@footprintnetwork.org +39-347-903-49-77

Laetitia Mailhes- French, English, (GMT+2)

laetitia.mailhes@footprintnetwork.org +33-650-979-012

Amanda Diep- English, (GMT-7)

amanda.diep@footprintnetwork.org +1-(510)-839-8879-Ext4

SOURCE GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK
Initiative Benefits Students Throughout Texas State in Time for 2022-2023 School Year

DALLAS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A-MAX Auto Insurance, an industry leader specializing in providing low-cost insurance to thousands of residents and businesses, is supporting Texan students at an all-day initiative this Saturday, July 30th. An approaching school year always puts pressure on families to provide not only supplies, but clothing, electronics, and other learning tools for their children and A-MAX recognizes that not every family has the means. To better serve the student community, A-MAX will be donating 37,000 school supplies, including 7,400 backpacks, in time for the 2022-2023 school year. Backpacks, notebooks, and other school supplies will be readily available at each of the 200 office locations for all students on a first-come, first-serve basis, and while supplies last.

A-MAX's Back to School backpack and supplies giveaway is on July 30, 2022 from 10AM to 5PM

A-MAX is committed to supporting the communities in which they serve. This backpack and supplies giveaway springs from A-MAX's MAXRespect Initiative which aims to bolster the lives of students - just one of the company's pillars about respect for drivers, workers, families, and students. Through the Respect for Students philosophy of the MAXRespect Initiative, A-MAX aims to stop bullying in our schools by training students and staff to prevent and address bullying problems.

A-MAX's President of Sales, Rick Genest said, "Giving back to the students in our communities is not only about improving their lives, but also strengthening their classroom learning experiences. You can never underestimate the value of a good education and if A-MAX can contribute even in a small way, we will always take that opportunity."

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

WHAT: Students are invited to visit their local office for the A-MAX Back To School Giveaway 2022 - a campaign where free backpacks, notebooks, and other school supplies will be available for pickup at every A-MAX office across the state of Texas.

WHEN: Saturday, July 30, 2022; 10AM-5PM

WHERE: All 200 A-MAX offices statewide - www.amaxinsurance.com/find-an-office

About A-MAX Auto Insurance: A-MAX Auto Insurance is headquartered in Dallas and has offices throughout Texas, including the DFW metroplex, Houston area, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, the Rio Grande Valley, and more. A-MAX acts as an independent insurance agency, which provides the ability to shop for the best prices and coverage options from multiple insurance carriers, including auto, renters, homeowners, and more. For more information or a FREE quote, call 800-921-AMAX or visit an office near you.

Nizar Babul

A-MAX Auto Insurance

972-884-4134

[email protected]

SOURCE A-MAX Auto Insurance
MILWAUKEE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating possible securities fraud claims against F45 (NYSE: FXLV). The investigation results from inaccurate statements F45 may have made regarding its business operations and prospects.

Click here to learn more about the investigation: https://www.ademilaw.com/case/f45-training-holdings-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

The investigation focuses on whether F45 properly disclosed that it was in default and having difficulties in obtaining waivers in connection with two previously announced franchise financing facilities.

If you wish to obtain additional information or have information about this investigation, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, https://www.ademilaw.com/case/f45-training-holdings-inc.

We specialize in securities fraud and shareholder litigation. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

3620 East Layton Ave.

Cudahy, WI 53110

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

www.ademilaw.com

SOURCE Ademi LLP
We've filled our flight menu with a range of fresh, bright flavors inspired by the West Coast

SEATTLE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, Alaska Airlines guests can veg out on board with more gluten friendly, plant-based and vegan meal options available in all cabins.

We're listening to our guests who told us that they are looking for more plant-based menu options when traveling. Our new vegan option, called the "Soy Meets World," is a vegan salad developed in partnership with Evergreens , a West Coast-based company that makes gourmet, freshly chopped salads.

We serve freshly prepared meals and snacks for breakfast, lunch and dinner & always include a vegetarian option. This summer, were excited to offer guests our Soy Meets World salad, a new vegan friendly option. Our Soy Meets World vegan salad includes roasted broccoli, fresh cucumber slices, scallions, pickled carrots, fried tofu and brown rice served over a bed of crisp romaine and baby lettuce greens, topped with roasted cashews, fried onions and paired with a Tamari Chili-Lime dressing.

"We're thrilled to offer our guests more healthy and nutritious choices when they fly with us," said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products. "We built our menu thoughtfully to offer more plant-based, vegan and gluten-free options, which include a range of fresh, bright flavors inspired by the West Coast and ingredients that are authentically healthy by nature such as roasted broccoli, crisp romaine and baby lettuce greens, quinoa, fresh fruit and more."

Most comprehensive menu in the sky

We're proud to offer our guests a variety of fresh and seasonal meal selections and thirst-quenching beverages on our flights.

Today, we have the most comprehensive domestic food and beverage program in the industry. We offer three meal options in First Class, including our Signature Fruit & Cheese on flights as short as 550 miles.

We also offer ample food options in Premium Class and Main Cabin, which include up to four fresh options on flights over 1,100 miles and up to five snack items on flights over 223 miles, such as the Mediterranean Tapas Pack (vegan and gluten-free).

Now through October, guests can enjoy fresh summer flavors that include berries, summer squash, corn, citrus and tomatoes. To see all of our food and beverage offerings, visit alaskaair.com .

Pre-order meals before takeoff

Alaska makes it easy to get the meal(s) you want. Enjoy fresh ingredients inspired by the West Coast, from snacks to freshly prepared meals, by pre-ordering your favorites ahead of your flight using your reservation on our app or alaskaair.com .

Meal orders can be made starting 14 days before your flight, and up to 20 hours prior to departure.

Snacks and Picnic packs do not require pre-order and are available on board most flights over 2 hours. Pro tip: Mileage Plan members can store a method of payment in their Mileage Plan account for touch-free inflight purchases, including food and beverages. Join/Sign in Mileage Plan .

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We emphasize providing low fares for our guests, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of the oneworld global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com . Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Airlines
BETHESDA, Md., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alley Cat Allies president and founder Becky Robinson denounced the classification of cats as an invasive species by the Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Nature Conservation.

"Make no mistake - labeling cats as invasive is a preferred first step in a broader strategy of killing them in huge numbers through ghastly cat hunts and poisonings, as Australia, New Zealand and other countries are doing," Robinson said. "But this idea of killing cats will never be accepted by the compassionate society in which we live. The idea that we must kill one species to save another is both scientifically and morally flawed. It will never be effective to kill cats, nor will it be morally acceptable.

"Leading biologists, climate scientists and environmental watchdogs agree that climate change, habitat destruction and development are the leading causes of species loss, so it is entirely improper to place the blame on cats for problems we have caused.

"It is perfectly normal for cats to live outside," Robinson added. "Cats have lived alongside us for thousands of years, only coming indoors with us in the last century after the invention of kitty litter. There is no future in which people can exist without cats  they are to stay. The only path forward is through humane, nonlethal programs such as Trap-Neuter-Return, the scientifically proven approach to effectively and humanely address community cat populations."

About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies is the leader of the global movement to protect and improve the lives of cats and kittens. Now in our 32nd anniversary year, we are joined by over 800,000 supporters worldwide.

Our President and Founder Becky Robinson is a leader whose vision, thought leadership and innovation have revolutionized humanity's understanding and respect for the intrinsic value of cats. Becky is working toward transformational societal change with a distinct, but not exclusive, focus on compassion for animals, community empowerment and community cohesion.

Alley Cat Allies believes every cat deserves to live out his or her life to the fullest. We exposed an entrenched system in which animal control agencies and shelters have been killing millions of cats for over a century. Today, the programs we introduced in the United States are mainstream.

To achieve our goals, we collaborate with grassroots advocates, animal shelters, municipal managers, and lawmakers to replace deadly laws and policies with ones that protect cats. We defend all cats by offering cutting edge education online, in person, and through one-on-one dialogue. We advance lifesaving innovations such as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and Shelter-Neuter-Return (SNR), high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter, microchipping, anti-declawing legislation, and any program that best serves the interests of cats.

Our website is www.alleycat.org, and we are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE Alley Cat Allies
Study Designed to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of the AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis to Treat Acute DeBakey Type I Aortic Dissections & Support U.S. FDA PMA Submission

ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Artivion, Inc. (NYSE: AORT), a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company focused on aortic disease, announced today that it has initiated enrollment in the PERSEVERE clinical trial to determine if patients with an acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissection can be treated safely and effectively using the AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis. The trial is designed to support the company's forthcoming application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for premarket approval of the AMDS.

The PERSEVERE trial is a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized clinical trial consisting of approximately 100 participants in the U.S., who have experienced an acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissection. Each participant will be followed for up to 5 years. The combined primary efficacy and safety endpoints will determine the impact of the AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis on reducing mortality, new disabling stroke, myocardial infarction, and new onset renal failure requiring dialysis, and also re-expansion of the true lumen of the aorta.

"We are pleased to announce that the first patient in our PERSEVERE clinical trial has been enrolled at Hartford Hospital," said Pat Mackin, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Artivion. "Through the PERSEVERE trial, we will study the safety and efficacy of the AMDS to treat patients suffering from acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissections, a life-threatening condition characterized by extremely high mortality rates."

Mr. Mackin added, "If the trial proceeds as planned and meets its endpoints, we believe we can achieve FDA approval for patient access to the AMDS in late 2024 or early 2025."

Dr. Wilson Szeto, the PERSEVERE National Principal Investigator, Chair of the Steering Committee and Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, said, "Acute aortic dissection is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality. The surgical treatment is technically demanding. With the PERSEVERE trial, we intend to show the benefits that AMDS brings to patient outcomes and expand the therapy to more surgeons."

Dr. Mohiuddin Cheema, the Principal Investigator and Cardiovascular Surgeon at Hartford Health, who implanted the first AMDS in the trial, said, "I'm thrilled to be participating in the PERSEVERE study and to have treated the 1st patient with the AMDS in the United States. Implantation of the device was simple and added minimal time to the surgery. On the post-op CT scan we saw expansion of the true lumen and resolved malperfusion. Additionally, there was no presence of distal anastomotic new entry (DANE), which gives confidence that the aorta will continue to remodel positively over time and decrease the risk of future re-operation."

About the AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis and DeBakey Type I Aortic Dissections

The AMDS is the world's first aortic arch remodeling device for use in the treatment of acute Type I aortic dissections. It is used as a complement to, and in conjunction with, hemi-arch replacement without adding technical complexity. The design of the AMDS allows for rapid deployment of the graft in the aortic arch during a standard replacement of the ascending aorta, adding less than five minutes to the procedure time. The deployment of the AMDS preserves the native arch, potentially allowing for minimally invasive re-interventions, including the repair of additional entry tears, rather than an invasive arch repair. AMDS is available in the markets of European CE Mark countries and Canada. In the clinical trial supporting the CE Mark and Health Canada approvals, the AMDS was shown to reduce mortality, complications and reoperations in comparison to published rates with the standard of care, thereby improving the care of patients and offering potentially significant cost savings for the health care system.

Globally, approximately 48,000 patients suffer from acute Stanford Type A aortic dissections annually, an estimated $540 million market opportunity pending regulatory approvals. Aortic dissection occurs when the innermost layer of the aorta tears and blood surges through the tear separating the layers of the aorta. In acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissections, a subset of Type A dissections, the dissection flap originates in the ascending aorta and continues down into the descending thoracic aorta. Left untreated, aortic dissections can lead to death. The current standard of care for repairing acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissections with a primary entry tear in the ascending is a hemiarch repair which involves open chest surgery during which the ascending thoracic aorta is replaced. Though this typically addresses the most critical and pressing issues resulting from acute DeBakey Type I dissections, it is often not enough. Hemiarch repair alone does not address downstream true lumen expansion or treating the false lumen beyond the ascending aorta, which could lead to costly and often fatal complications such as continued blood flow in the false lumen, an aneurysmal aorta, and malperfusion with subsequent end-organ ischemia resulting from a lack of blood-flow.

About Artivion, Inc.

Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, Artivion, Inc. is a medical device company focused on developing simple, elegant solutions that address cardiac and vascular surgeons' most difficult challenges in treating patients with aortic diseases. Artivion's four major groups of products include: aortic stent grafts, surgical sealants, On-X mechanical heart valves, and implantable cardiac and vascular human tissues. Artivion markets and sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide. For additional information about Artivion, visit our website, www.artivion.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements made in this press release that look forward in time or that express management's beliefs, expectations, or hopes are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made. These statements include our beliefs that, if the trial meets its endpoints, we can still achieve FDA approval for the use of the AMDS by early 2025; and that approximately 48,000 patients suffer from acute Stanford Type A aortic dissections annually, representing an estimated $540 million market opportunity for Artivion upon various regulatory approvals. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations including that the Company may discontinue the PERSEVERE trial at any time; the PERSEVERE clinical trial may be delayed, may not prove its endpoints or may fail; and that, even if successful, the FDA or other regulatory bodies may not grant approval for the AMDS or may grant an indication narrower than that sought by Artivion, reducing the market opportunity for the AMDS. These risks and uncertainties include the risk factors detailed in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2021. Artivion does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contacts:

Artivion Gilmartin Group LLC D. Ashley Lee Brian Johnston / Lynn Lewis Executive Vice President Phone: 332-895-3222 & Chief Financial Officer [email protected] Phone: 770-419-3355



SOURCE Artivion, Inc.
DOVER, N.H, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Athenium Analytics, a leader in climate intelligence for insurance carriers, today announced the launch of a new historical tornado data set available through the Esri ArcGIS Marketplace. This first-of-its-kind offering provides seamless access to 25 years of historical tornado insights, including two-dimensional damage swaths from all confirmed tornadoes in the contiguous United States between 1995 and 2019. The new Marketplace offering from Athenium Analytics expands its Esri Partner Network (EPN) Bronze partner relationship.

Esri is the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence and mapping. ArcGIS Marketplace is a curated digital geospatial channel of system-ready apps, content, solutions and professional services for ArcGIS users.

The comprehensive new tornadic data set allows Esri users to integrate high-resolution tornado insights within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online to better analyze and predict catastrophic losses. This listing helps Esri customers expand their access to patented weather-risk insights and satisfy the growing demand for enterprise climate intelligence.

"We're pleased to welcome Athenium Analytics to Esri's ArcGIS Marketplace," said Robert Laudati, Director of Global Partners and Alliances at Esri. "Athenium brings a decade of risk analytics expertise, including leading-edge weather and climate intelligence solutions that enable public and private organizations to mitigate the risks associated with climate change."

The growing need for climate intelligence

"2021 was a record year for severe convective storm activity, with an estimated US$3 billion in losses across the U.S., including from the unprecedented Quad-State Tornado," said Dr. Jonathan Fairman, Senior Director of Meteorology at Athenium Analytics.

The United States averages around 1,200 tornadoes annually, about four times more than in all of Europe in any given year. But despite their frequency and potential for destruction, tornadic storms are still notoriously difficult to forecast. By publishing 25 years of high-resolution tornado data, Athenium Analytics enables new organizations to better analyze these events while leveraging the ArcGIS technology they know and trust.

Dr. Fairman added, "Our historical damage footprints provide the geospatial insights needed to help businesses, governments and researchers better understand and model tornado exposures in a changing climate."

Helping organizations improve climate resilience

As a member of the EPN, Athenium Analytics can seamlessly deliver weather and climate risk intelligence through the ArcGIS Marketplace while benefiting from the platform's reach, security and existing integrations. The Esri community is a diverse network of data-driven public and private organizations, which includes a number of property & casualty (P&C) insurance carriers who are particularly vulnerable to losses from severe weather events like tornadoes.

"Many of our insurance clients already leverage Esri's ArcGIS software as part of their core workflows," said Lindsay Gray, Chief Product Officer at Athenium Analytics. "By offering our climate risk analytics through the ArcGIS Marketplace, we can expand the reach of our proprietary data sets while also enhancing the insights carriers trust as part of the claims and underwriting process. It's a win-win."

As more enterprises invest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and climate resilience initiatives, Athenium Analytics is positioned to expand its offerings even further in the coming months.

Gray added, "Athenium Analytics also offers nationwide property risk scores for 12 perils and decades of carefully curated global weather data. We're currently evaluating options for other Marketplace offerings in the future based on the needs of our clients."

To learn more about how Athenium's weather intelligence solutions can support enterprise climate resilience, visit the property risk analytics or weather risk API pages now.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

About Athenium Analytics

Athenium Analytics provides the solutions and expertise that organizations need to mitigate risk and drive growth in a changing climate. Our powerful suite of business and climate intelligenceincluding AI and predictive analyticsleverages trillions of data points to help business leaders increase profitability, enhance internal operations and manage assets most vulnerable to climate risk. Athenium Analytics is a portfolio company of In-Q-Tel, the non-profit strategic investment fund serving the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the broader U.S. Intelligence Community.

To learn more, visit www.athenium.com.

CONTACT: [email protected], www.athenium.com

SOURCE Athenium Analytics
North America's Leading Blow Dry Bar Franchise Continues to Expand, Growing with Existing Franchisees

ARLINGTON, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blo Blow Dry Bar, North America's original blow dry bar and blow dry bar franchise, has announced the signing of a multi-unit agreement with an existing franchisee that will mark its debut in Virginia and expansion in Texas. With this agreement, Blo Blow Dry Bar continues to extend its growth in the states and internationally with over 140 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Spearheading this growth in Virginia and Texas is existing Blo franchisee Velma McMillan. As a former Mary Kay employee with a passion for beauty and wellness, McMillan also holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, a Master's in Marketing and is a licensed personalized lines coverage specialist in 39 states and a claims adjuster in 10 states. A frequent guest to Blo herself, McMillan wanted a location closer to home, thus becoming a franchisee and opening her first location in Rockwall, Texas.

"I opened my first location after falling in love with the blow outs and concept at Blo," said McMillan. "As a big traveler, I kept finding myself in need of a place to get my hair done like I would at home. I saw an opportunity to bring Blo to Virginia, a frequent spot of mine, and open a second bar here in Texas. Being a long-time fan of Blo Blow Dry Bar, I'm excited for my blood to continue to run pink and introduce the brand to new communities across the nation."

With a favorable real estate landscape and vast opportunity for market growth, company executives are actively seeking franchisees to continue to expand in key markets across the country.

"As the brand continues to grow, we're seeing new and existing franchisees looking to expand with us," said, Patrick Pantano, Vice President, Franchise Development, Blo Blow Dry Bar. "We're excited to enter Virginia and reach a new demographic in Texas as we build off the great franchise development momentum we saw in 2021. Velma is a proven, passionate franchisee and we're confident she will keep building off the success of her first location."

Blo Blow Dry Bar creates a space where people of all ages, ethnicities and orientations are welcomed, represented and made to feel gorgeous while emphasizing the need for self-care and wellness. Combining a sophisticated design with a fun and energetic environment, the blow dry bar cultivates a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests upon their arrival, during and after their services. Expertly trained stylists are available for consultation seven days a week to meet the needs of all guests. The brand's hair menu includes their signature styles, ranging from sleek and straight to lively and bouncy curls, with customizable options such as braids, ponytails and updos for any occasion. Blo also offers makeup services from expert artists on-hand to help guests look and feel amazing for any occasion.

The growing franchise is just at the start of the runway, staking its claim as a leader in the $47 billion a year industry and continues to expand at a rapid rate. Every year, more cities across the globe are painted pink. Every day, a new guest discovers how wonderful the Blo Blow Dry Bar experience is. Superior service and consistent results are a top priority for all guests as well as franchisees. The brand goes beyond beauty  it is strategically positioned to meet growing customer demands within the wellness and self-care industries with an established foundation for business success.

"These new locations in Virginia and Texas will provide the opportunity for a new group of individuals to get catwalk-quality blow outs," said Vanessa Yakobson, CEO of Blo Blow Dry Bar. "Our proven business model, strong culture and exceptional franchisees allows for great growth opportunities for our sector-leading brand."

Blo Blow Dry Bar is currently seeking single- and multi- unit operators to join the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities visit https://franchise.blomedry.com/.

About Blo Blow Dry Bar

Blo Blow Dry Bar is North America's original blow dry bar and the world's largest blow dry bar franchise. The company transformed beauty norms and reinvented the salon industry when it launched the "no cuts, no color" concept: only blow outs. Since opening its first location in Canada in 2007, Blo has grown to over 140 locations across the U.S. and Canada and continues to expand rapidly. With a mission to enhance the lives of those in the community through the power of flawless blow outs and beauty services, Blo Blow Dry Bar offers perfectly styled hair and exceptional customer experiences seven days a week. For more information visit www.blomedry.com.

Media Contact: Emily Bax, Fishman Public Relations, 847.945.1300, [email protected]

SOURCE Blo Blow Dry Bar
Emirates has announced plans to boost connectivity and increase travel options for customers flying between Dubai and Tel Aviv with a second daily flight, starting October 30, 2022.



The additional morning frequency is in response to high demand for travel to/from Israel, and builds on the success of Emirates existing operation, as the airline reaffirms its commitment to growing its presence in the country.



The second daily flight will be served by the modern and efficient Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration. The new schedule will operate as follows: EK 933 departs Dubai at 0815hrs arriving in Tel Aviv at 0950hrs. EK 934 leaves Tel Aviv at 1150hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1650hrs.



The second flight provides Emirates customers from Israel with additional travel options to Dubai, as well as convenient onwards connections to popular destinations. The new flight also unlocks enhanced connectivity to a multitude of points within Emirates global network such as Auckland, Brisbane, Perth, Bali, Seoul, and Singapore, as well as points across India, among others, making it easier for Israeli travellers to discover new places with shorter transit times.



The service will also provide customers traveling to Israel with more flexibility when planning their trip with the choice of a morning arrival at Ben Gurion airport, in addition to the existing EK931 service which arrives in the evening. Customers can also take advantage of Emirates partnership with flydubai when planning their travel, which includes a robust schedule of multiple daily codeshare flights.



Emirates second daily flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv will also provide another 20 tonnes of cargo belly-hold capacity for businesses, further opening global trade lanes through enhanced import and export opportunities.  TradeArabia News Service
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a multi-state operator, is pleased to announce that two subsidiaries, NMG IL 1, LLC ("NMG IL 1") and NMG IL 4, LLC ("NMG IL 4") have been awarded conditional dispensary licenses in the Chicago area. NMG IL 1 and NMG IL 4 conditional licenses were awarded for BLS Region #5 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin) where 119 conditional licenses are available. The metropolitan Chicago area had a 2020 census population of 9.6 million people.

"Our license application strategy continues to create value and we are looking forward to working with our social equity partner to share our industry experience and expand the Body and Mind brand to the Chicago market," stated Michael Mills, CEO of Body and Mind. "Our strategy of license application in limited license jurisdictions continues to create shareholder value and we look forward to sharing details of our Illinois expansion strategy."

Body and Mind has the option to indirectly acquire all of the membership interests in each of NMG IL 1 and NMG IL 4 pursuant to a convertible credit facility between BaM's subsidiary, DEP Nevada, Inc. ("DEP") and each of NMG IL 1 and NMG IL 4, and membership interest purchase agreements between DEP and the members of NMG IL 1 and NMG IL 4, subject to obtaining all required local and state regulatory authorization.

About Body and Mind Inc.

BaM is an operations focused multi-state operator investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production and retail. Our wholly owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licenses and holds cultivation and production licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, oils and extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges. BaM cannabis strains have won numerous awards including the 2019 Las Vegas Weekly Bud Bracket, Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup.

BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, California, Arkansas, Ohio and Michigan and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing time and resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Please visit www.bodyandmind.com for more information.

Instagram: @bodyandmindBaM

Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Body and Mind Inc.
- Fast casual concept celebrates grand opening with free chicken salad for a year to first 100 guests on August 2-

ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today the grand opening of its newest restaurant in Wesley Chapel, Florida, which will feature a drive-thru and patio dining. This location marks Chicken Salad Chick's 31st restaurant in the Sunshine State and continued growth in the Tampa area. Located at 25038 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Chicken Salad Chick Wesley Chapel will celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday, August 2, and will offer free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests.

During grand opening week, guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for with specials and giveaways that include:

Tuesday, August 2  Free Chicken Salad for a Year  The first 100 guests will receive free chicken salad for a year! The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for 52 weeks, and the next 99 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for 12 months. * Guests may arrive at 8 a.m. for grand opening day only.

  The first 100 guests will receive free chicken salad for a year! The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for 52 weeks, and the next 99 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for 12 months. * Guests may arrive at for grand opening day only. Wednesday, August 3  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick Tumbler or Stainless-Steel Chick Water Bottle. **

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick Tumbler or Stainless-Steel Chick Water Bottle. ** Thursday, August 4  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick Tote Bag. **

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick Tote Bag. ** Friday, August 5  The first 50 guests to purchase 2 Large Quick Chicks will receive a free Large Chick Cooler. Those who can't make the first 50 giveaway can join the restaurant all day for their buy 2 get 1 free special. **

The new Wesley Chapel restaurant will be owned and operated by successful multi-unit franchise owners Tammy and Brad Cochran of Tampa Bay CSC. Introduced to Chicken Salad Chick in 2007, the Cochrans opened their first location in 2015. Just seven years later, the husband-and-wife duo are now proud owners of five locations in the Tampa area with restaurants already open in East Fowler, Lutz, South Tampa and Brandon.

"We're thrilled to expand Chicken Salad Chick to Wesley Chapel," said Tammy Cochran. "We've received such phenomenal support from the Lutz community and are really looking forward to opening our second location nearby. From our made-from-scratch menu to our warm and welcoming atmosphere, we strive to be a spot that our guests look forward to coming to. We have no doubt that our Wesley Chapel Chick family will fall in love with the food and hospitality just like we did."

Chicken Salad Chick Wesley Chapel will be open for dine-in Monday  Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., with the drive-thru open until 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

*Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age and are required to download and create an account on the Craving Credits app. Once the restaurant opens, guests will receive a unique code to enter into their Craving Credits app to receive their reward. All first 100 guests must make a purchase of The Chick meal or greater value.

**Must download the CSC App and be 16 years or older to purchase. Not valid with any other offers. Limit 1 reward per guest present.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickWesleyChapelFL/.

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama by Stacy and Kevin Brown in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 205 restaurants in 17 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in the 2022 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for the second consecutive year, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers from 2018 to 2022, QSR's Best Franchise Deals in 2019 and 2020, and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020 and 2021. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Paige Sclar

Fish Consulting

754-888-6309

[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick
The Canadian Food Manufacturer Is Proud to Create Its Traditional, Unique, and Family-Focused Recipes for Dinner Tables Everywhere

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cibona Foods has taken the concept of manufacturing condiments to the next level. The company has operated within the Canadian and U.S. markets for decades and has a rich history of delivering high-quality condiments with impeccable taste year after year. The remarkable nature of Cibona's past and its promising future come from its ability to deliver a product that is inexhaustibly consistent.

Cibona Foods started by processing olives, vegetables, and maraschino cherries. However, it was the introduction of the company's signature line of mayonnaise products in 2009 that really pushed the brand into the spotlight. Over time, Cibona's production capacity also grew to include a 15,000 sq ft warehouse to help build inventory.

As Cibona's product lines and business operations have matured, so has its commitment to its core operating principles. "We work hard to make sure Cibona stays synonymous with flavor, excellence, and growth," says Ljuban Ljubisic, Cibona's company founder and current president, "To this day, every ingredient is painstakingly sourced and processed with excellence. We maintain strict quality control measures throughout the process, as well."

Even on the marketing side of things, Cibona remains remarkably relatable and willing to adapt to the needs of its clients. "We can and do work with the big companies," says Ljuban, "we're also here for the future brands in the retail and food sectors that are just starting out. Our commitment to being flexible and working with others while still maintaining our strict standards is why so many companies want to work with us. They know that we'll remain versatile and will do what's needed to adjust to their needs, even though the end result will always be the same: traditional taste and impeccable quality."

This passionate yet unique combination of traditional cooking and cutting-edge entrepreneurship has enabled Cibona Foods to establish itself as one of the premier condiment brands in North America. It's a reputation that Ljuban is proud to have obtained and looks forward to continuing to develop in the future.

About Cibona Foods: Cibona Foods Inc. was established in Montreal, Canada in 1988 and began working on its signature marinades the following year. In 2009 it began manufacturing its flagship line of mayonnaise products. The Cibona brand has experienced steady growth over the years and imports and exports globally, including India, Spain, Greece, Italy, and the USA. Learn more at cibonafoods.com .

Mario Maillet

[email protected]

1-514-333-0196

SOURCE Cibona Foods
Scaredy Cubits Genesis, a collection of 500 unique PFPs, was created in collaboration with 3D artist, Misoo, and will be a featured collection on Coinbase NFT.

SALT LAKE CITY and VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Daz 3D and 3D artist, Misoo , have collaborated to release a collection of 500 unique PFP NFTs created during a difficult time for Misoo. Scaredy Cubits Genesis tells a story of hope among challenges, especially scary ones. The collection will drop as a featured collection in collaboration with Coinbase NFT on Friday, July 29, 2022, on the Ethereum blockchain.

Scaredy Cubits are a small but mighty (and fun) collective. They might be scared to bits about this new world they've found themselves in, but that won't stop them from facing their fears. These little guys know how to confront the things that intimidate them, and even laugh about them, and that's what they're here to share with all of us! Sometimes things get scary  especially when you're a little cubit  but each new fear is another opportunity for adventurous growth and something to smile about the next day.

From humans to orcs, elves, cyborgs, and more, you'll find the Cubits equally adorable and diverse. With over 180 accessories across 17 traits, Scaredy Cubits Genesis was handcrafted without any algorithmic assistance. That's rare in the PFP market.

Every Scaredy Cubit is unique, yet they all have one thing in common: they're scared to bits and not afraid to show it. They all share the same adorable, ironic, terrified expression!

When artist Misoo developed tinnitus, he found himself isolated and experiencing depression and anxiety. Through a lot of work, Misoo was able to overcome his difficulties and now lives more positively with his tinnitus. In response to overcoming a painful part of his life, Misoo created this collection of scared, yet strong, little characters who find hope in difficult situations. Daz 3D and Misoo want to inspire people through the story of Scaredy Cubits Genesis, showing them that they are not alone in difficult times, and that there is always hope.

Misoo's art has impressed me for a while, his sense of composition, detail, and overall presentation is among the best of our creators," said Ty Duperron, chief product officer of Daz 3D. When we put out a call to our creators for NFT artwork, he presented us with this project and we instantly fell in love. Everyone has been dealing with some mental fatigue or fears during the last few years and capturing that in these playful and fun  and hopeful  little characters felt really fitting. You can't help but smile when you look at them."

"I've been able use healing to inspire my art in this collection, and that really shines through with each of these Cubits," said Misoo. "Community is such a vital part of the NFT space, and the best communities support each other through real-life challenges, though they may only know each other in digital environments. Scaredy Cubits Genesis creates a space for holders to find they are not alone and that we will get through challenges together. The art is just the beginning, and the roadmap and message of this collection is going to give value to holders beyond the PFPs, and hopefully inspire them as this collection inspired me."

Find the Scaredy Cubits Genesis collection on Coinbase NFT dropping Friday, July 29, 2022. Learn more at the Scaredy Cubits Genesis website . And join the community on Twitter and Discord .

About Daz3D

Daz 3D is a leader in NFT strategy, marketing & full-stack development, including generative PFP collections. The company has worked with iconic brands like Warner Brothers, Champion, Coca-Cola, Louis Moinet, and others to create cross-chain NFT collections and wearables for the metaverse. In 2021, it partnered with RTFKT (now Nike) to bring 3D utility to CloneX, and Daz dropped Non-Fungible People, the first of several PFP projects for Daz in 2022.

Daz 3D offers proprietary avatar technology and its free-to-use 3D modeling software, Daz Studio, which has been used by millions of people worldwide. This powerful combination allows artists to create high-resolution stills and animations in 3D scenes and its digital marketplace showcases tens of thousands of products with more than 5 million cross-compatible 3D assets.

Website: Daz3D.com

CONTACT

Julie Solomon

[email protected]

SOURCE Daz 3D
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Deep-South Resources Inc. ("Deep-South" or the Company) (TSXV: DSM) announces that its Board of Directors will start the search to find and appoint a new Chairman or Chairwoman to replace the late Mr. John Akwenye who passed in May 2022. In the mean time, the Directors have nominated Mr. Jean-Luc Roy to the position of Acting Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Roy is a Director of the Board since May 2018. He has been a major contributor to the development of several important corporations in Africa during the last 30 years working for majors, mid-tiers and junior exploration companies.

Mr. Roy extensive exploration and mining company experience includes:

First Quantum Minerals Ltd: Managing Director in Democratic Republic of Congo ;

; El Nino Venture Inc: President & CEO, mainly focusing on Democratic Republic of Congo project acquisitions financing and management;

project acquisitions financing and management; Ampella Mining Ltd (division of Centamin PLC): Chief Operating Officer, supervising exploration and development of the projects in West Africa ;

; Resolute Mining Ltd: General Manager, Supervising all operations in Mali .

Mr. Roy is presently a Director for Can Alaska Uranium (TSX:CVV) and Nine Miles Metals (CSE: NINE)

About Deep-South Resources Inc.

Deep-South Resources is a mineral exploration and development company. Deep-South's growth strategy is to focus on the exploration and development of quality assets in significant mineralized trends and in proximity to infrastructure in stable countries. In using and assessing environmentally friendly technologies in the development of its copper project, Deep-South embraces the green revolution.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Information contained in this news release which are not statements of historical facts may be "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking information. The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "plan", "intends", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "schedule", "understand" and similar expressions identify forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: the Minister's refusal to renew the Company's Licence, the Company's intention to contest the Minister's decision before the Courts of Namibia and the outcome of such proceedings.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Deep-South, are inherently subject to significant technical, political, business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Factors and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: political risks associated with the Company's operations in Namibia; the failure of the Namibian Government to comply with its continuing obligations under the Act to allow for the renewal of the Licence; the impact of changes in, or to the more aggressive enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices; the inability of the Company and its subsidiaries to enforce their legal rights in certain circumstances. For additional risk factors, please see the Company's most recently filed Management Discussions & Analysis available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

There can be no assurances that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as many factors and future events, both known and unknown could cause actual results, performance or achievements to vary or differ materially from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained herein or incorporated by reference. Accordingly, all such factors should be considered carefully when making decisions with respect to Deep-South, and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release is made as at the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable legislation.

SOURCE Deep-South Resources Inc.
GLENVIEW, Ill., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Envoy Solutions announced today that it has acquired York, S.C.-based Sunbelt Packaging. Sunbelt Packaging is a highly valued distributor that offers a large and diversified inventory of flexible packaging materials and a broad range of automated packaging equipment. The company's strong relationships with industry-leading customers have contributed to its continued growth across the country, with four distribution centers from South Carolina to Utah. By joining forces with Sunbelt, Envoy Solutions continues to drive packaging growth in the Southeast where it already has a strong presence with a rapidly growing national platform. This new partnership advances Envoy Solutions' position as a specialized distributor and solution provider serving the U.S. market through a family of the nation's best regional distributors.

"Sunbelt Packaging will help us excel in the packaging space and build on our growth in the Southeast," said Mark M. Fisher, CEO of Envoy Solutions. "From a geographic perspective, this move makes perfect sense given our existing presence in that part of the country. I'm excited to work with Jade Boling and his top-notch team to capitalize on the synergies between our companies and bring the best products and services closer to our customers."

Since it was founded in 1980, Sunbelt Packaging has expanded from specialty products for niche applications in the textile industry to serving a broader customer base with packaging materials and equipment. Throughout its history, Sunbelt has thrived by having absolute reliability and by rapidly responding to its customers' needs. The scale and depth of Envoy Solutions' national platform will enable Sunbelt to respond to customers better than ever before.

"I am thrilled for the opportunity to maximize our future growth through this new partnership with Envoy Solutions as it redefines distribution across the country," said Jade Boling, President and CEO of Sunbelt Packaging. "With the resources and reach of Envoy Solutions, we are well-positioned to create better and more cost-effective solutions for our customers."

"Our investment in Sunbelt Packaging has been a wonderful experience for over 16 years," said Ed Fisher, Managing Partner at SouthPointe Ventures, the former majority owner of Sunbelt Packaging. "We are pleased to have Sunbelt's superior team join forces with national distribution leader Envoy Solutions and look forward to even greater success from them in the future."

About Envoy Solutions:

Envoy Solutions is a specialized distributor and solution provider serving the U.S. market through a family of the nation's best regional distributors. We specialize in Jan-San, foodservice, packaging, and marketing execution. Envoy Solutions offers a broad catalog of top brands and products, along with deep expertise and advice, to help our client-partners succeed. We are driven to make facilities cleaner and more sustainable, people safer, and operations more productive, every day.

Based in Glenview, Ill., Envoy Solutions is the parent company of North American Corporation, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, Southeastern Paper Group, Daycon, North Woods, PJP, Johnston, Next-Gen, Swish White River, Valley Janitor Supply Company, Weiss Bros., General Chemical & Supply, Bio-Shine, ATRA, Sigma Supply of North America, American Paper & Supply Company, Hughes Enterprises, and NVISION. For more information, please visit www.envoysolutions.com.

About Sunbelt Packaging:

Sunbelt Packaging, founded in 1980, is a customer-focused distributor of packaging materials and equipment, and other industrial supplies. The company has built its foundation upon a broad product offering, deep technical knowledge, and unique sourcing capabilities.

Based in York, South Carolina, Sunbelt Packaging currently serves all 50 states in the U.S. as well as Canada, Mexico, South America, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.sunbeltpackagingllc.com.

SOURCE Envoy Solutions
Second cohort of 20 disabled creative practitioners recognized with $50,000 grant for outstanding cultural contributions

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation announced the 2022 recipients of the Disability Futures Fellowship, an initiative administered by United States Artists that aims to increase the visibility of disabled creative practitioners across disciplines and geography and elevate their voices individually and collectively.

Mellon Foundation Logo

The Disability Futures Fellowship initiative supports 20 disabled creative practitioners whose work advances the cultural landscape. Each fellowship includes an unrestricted $50,000 grant, totaling $1 million for the cohort overall. Now in its second round, it is the only national, multidisciplinary award for disabled artists and creative practitioners.

Disability Futures creates a platform to prioritize the work of disabled artists, filmmakers, and writers in order to advance their stories, ideas, and practices, individually and collectively. The initiative addresses field-wide problems in arts and culture, journalism, and documentary film, including: a dearth of disability visibility in the cultural sector, lack of professional development opportunities accessible to disabled practitioners, and the unique financial challenges facing disabled artists and creative professionals.

"Disability Futures was first conceived as a way to center and elevate those in disabled communities across the country, and across culture," said Judilee Reed, President and CEO at United States Artists. "We're excited to see the stage expand with this new class of fellows, and are honored to celebrate together."

"We are delighted to reaffirm our commitment to this community of artists, advance their perspectives and ideas, and expand who is seen and heard in the creative landscape," said Margaret Morton, program director, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation.

"Mellon is honored to support Disability Futures, a program that is very close to our hearts," said Emil J. Kang, program director, Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. "Created out of conversation, collaboration, and care, Disability Futures offers a chance to honor and learn from generations of artists. It's wonderful to announce that this community just grew larger."

"I've received a number of fellowships in the past, but this one is particularly special for a few reasons," said Christine Sun Kim, artist and 2020 Disability Futures Fellow. "It comes with so much pride of being recognized alongside other extremely talented disabled fellows; it has undoubtedly expanded the meaning of 'disability' to something much less reductive; and a bit of financial freedom (money with no strings attached) goes a long way."

The intersectional cohort of recipients come from communities across the country, where they work as artists, activists, and educators. The 2022 Disability Futures Fellows are:

Alexandria Wailes (she/her) Actor and Theatremaker New York, NY

Alison O'Daniel (she/her) Visual Artist and Filmmaker Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA

Antoine Hunter, Purple Fire Crow (Purple Fire Crow) Choreographer and Human Advocate Oakland, CA

Camisha L. Jones (she/her) Poet Herndon, VA

Corbett Joan O'Toole (she/her) Activist Historian

Dickie Hearts (he/him) Actor New York, NY

JJJJJerome Ellis (any) Composer and Poet Norfolk, VA

Reverend Joyce McDonald (she/her) Artist Brooklyn, NY

Kenny Fries (he/him) Writer Kauneonga Lake, NY and Berlin, Germany

Khadijah Queen (she/her) Writer M.Eifler (they/them) Artist San Francisco, CA

Naomi Ortiz (she/her) Poet, Writer, and Visual Artist Tucson, AZ

Nasreen Alkhateeb (she/her) Filmmaker Los Angeles, CA

NEVE (they/them and he/she/him/her) Terpsichorean artist Seattle, WA (Duwamish and Coast Salish Islands)

QuestionATL (he/him) Artist and Music Producer East Point, GA

Sandie (Chun-sha) Yi (she/her) Artist Chicago, IL

Sandy Ho (she/her) Community Organizer Boston, MA

Tee Franklin (she/her) Artist and Screenwriter NJ

Wendy Lu (she/her) Journalist New York, NY

Yo-Yo Lin (she/they) Artist Brooklyn, NY

Disability Futures is the result of a yearlong research initiative commissioned by the Ford Foundation and conducted by United States Artists that interviewed dozens of disabled artists and creative practitioners across the country to learn how to better serve disabled artists and creatives. The fellowship operates on a nomination-driven basis, originating with a group of nominators who identify eligible creative practitioners. A group of panelists then selects finalists, who are confirmed by an advisory council of disabled creative practitioners assembled to guide the initiative. After incorporating feedback from the initial cohort, the fellowship no longer requires applications, in recognition of the additional labor and barrier this represents for creative practitioners across the country.

The 2022 Disability Futures panelists are: Petra Kuppers, Sean Lee, and Theri A. Pickens.

The 2022 Disability Futures advisors are: Allison Hedge Coke, Cara Reedy, Emily Sara, Jade Bryan, and Michelle A. Banks.

To learn more about the 2022 Disability Futures Fellows and their work please visit: fordfoundation.org/disability-future-fellows .

ABOUT THE FORD FOUNDATION

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

ABOUT THE MELLON FOUNDATION

The Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org .

ABOUT UNITED STATES ARTISTS

United States Artists is a national arts funding nonprofit that supports the country's most compelling artists and cultural practitioners. Since its founding in 2006, the organization has awarded more than 750 individuals with over $36 million of direct support.

SOURCE Ford Foundation
BEIJING, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Dulong ethnic group has been lifted out of poverty!"

At the end of 2018, the thrilling news spread across China via various media reports. It was not only a historic milestone for the isolated ethnic group of the Dulong, but also a reflection of the outcome of China's poverty eradication work under the leadership of the CPC.

The Dulong people, who had been mysterious to many along with their ancient face-tattoo custom, are one of the ethnic minorities that directly transitioned from an antiquated society to a socialist society in the early days of the founding of the New China in 1949.

Located in Southwest China's Yunnan Province bordering Myanmar, Dulongjiang township is the Dulong ethnic minority's ancestral home. It is a group that had long endured extreme poverty and was isolated from the outside world.

Since the start of the poverty alleviation battle, thanks to the firm leadership of the CPC, with the unremitting efforts of the Dulong cadres and masses, the Dulong people have shaken off poverty as a whole.

Only those who have experienced the process would understand the true hardship and value of this victory.

Kong Yucai is one of them. "People here have benefited from improved infrastructure and connectivity to eliminate poverty," Kong, now head of Dulongjiang township of Gongshan county in Yunnan's Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, told the Global Times.

A 'miracle' for the Dulong

Kong, now 42 and a locally born and bred Dulong man, has witnessed the changes in his hometown through his time growing up and working as a local civil servant, especially the stunning achievements in the past decade.

The Dulong people had long endured extreme poverty in history. They live in the mountainous areas nestled along the deep undeveloped forests that isolated them from the outside world.

This geographic remoteness has inadvertently made the area one of the least developed parts of China, as transportation would routinely be cut off for at least half a year from November to May due to heavy snowfall in the mountains, as Kong explained.

The Chinese know too well that development holds the master key to all problems. As the Chinese saying goes, building the road is the first step to become prosperous. For Dulong township and people in most of the impoverished areas in China, rural highways are the key to communicating with a modern world.

"However, this wasn't easy," Kong said.

With the launch of the poverty alleviation program in the village, the weakest link was determined to be poor transportation. "While relocating and resettling impoverished households along the Dulong river, transportation in the rugged mountains has been the biggest obstacle," Kong Said.

Moreover, the region would face seasonal water shortages, which would cause electricity outages, along with bad satellite signals, leading to slow construction progress. Construction workers would routinely quit their job because of such poor conditions.

Under such a difficult situation, in 2014, the first highway tunnel linking Dulongjiang township and Gongshan county was finally completed, which enabled the villagers to get timely healthcare services, education opportunities, and more conveniences.

The road became a lifeline, and it showcased the long-hidden village to the world. The Dulong people even grasped the opportunity the road had created for them and opened homestays for tourists.

In 2018, the total rural economic income of Dulongjiang Township hit 28.599 million yuan ($4.23 million), and rural per capita net income was 6,122 yuan which was up 23.5 percent year-on-year. A total of 2,297 people from 611 households were lifted out of poverty. The entire Dulong ethnic group achieved the goal of poverty alleviation, according to official statistics.

There are more than 1,100 households in the Dulongjiang township, and they all now live in new and better homes. The six administrative villages are all connected by paved roads, with radio, TV, and 4G coverage. Every villager is covered by the serious illness insurance policy. Aside from that, the younger generation enjoys 14 years of free education from pre-school to high school, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Our development path has become wider, people's income has also been greatly increased, and our life is getting sweeter," Kong said.

Dreams and dedication

Winning the battle against poverty in rural China reflects a people-centered philosophy, which would be absolutely impossible without the leadership and efforts of the CPC.

"The founding of New China on October 1, 1949, allowed our Dulong people to stand up and become the true masters of our land. I learned from my father and grandfathers how they had changed from an antiquated situation, and how the CPC united and led the Dulong people to strive to build our homeland with strong determination and concerted effort," Kong said.

Convinced of the strength of role models, strong will, and determination from the older generations, the 42-year-old Party official dedicated himself to helping impoverished Dulong villagers shake off poverty by providing extensive support.

"When I was a student in the university, joining the CPC was always an aspirational life goal. I joined the Party in 2011 and worked for the village Party committee in Dulongjiang in the following years," Kong said.

"To 'serve the people' wholeheartedly is an invariable promise that is implanted in my heart and soul. So I dedicated myself to the country's poverty reduction campaign with the aims of building a path to prosperity and ensuring people to have sufficient food and clothing, as well as access to proper education, basic medical services, and safe housing conditions. These are basic conditions for a quality life, and we have managed to attain them," he believes.

Poverty relief work has been put under the unified leadership of the CPC with more than 90 million members. Party chiefs at all levels were required to assume primary responsibility. Over 2.9 million public sector officials were sent from cities and towns to villages to fight poverty "on the front line."

To meet the anti-poverty deadline, since 2012, over 10 million people have had to be lifted out of poverty every year. This equates to about 1 million people every month or 20 people every minute.

Encouragement and inspiration

Shortly before of the New Year's Day in 2014, people from Gongshan county, where most of the Dulong people live, wrote to President Xi Jinping to report that the Gaoligong Mountains-Dulongjiang River highway tunnel was about to be completed

Xi, also the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, replied to their letter.

Xi said he was glad to hear of the good news about the tunnel and congratulated the community. "I have always been concerned about the well-being of the Dulong people as you used to live harsh lives."

In 2018, the six administrative villages in Dulongjiang township, Gongshan county, eradicated poverty.

People in the township wrote another letter to inform Xi that they had been lifted out of poverty as a whole and were enjoying a better life.

Xi replied he was very glad to hear the good news and congratulated the Dulong people on their success.

"Poverty alleviation must have genuine effects that can win the approval of the people and stand the test of practice and history," Xi said.

Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty. All the 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 impoverished villages have been removed from the poverty list in China, Xi said in February 2021 while addressing a grand gathering held in Beijing to mark the country's accomplishments in poverty alleviation and honor its model poverty fighters.

SOURCE Global Times
ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GP Cellulose is investing about $80 million to add fluff capacity at its GP Cellulose Alabama River mill near Monroeville, Alabama. The project is being implemented in phases and when complete in late 2023, will increase the mill's ability to produce fluff pulp.

The Alabama River mill operates two lines, one currently producing only paper pulp bales. This investment upgrades production by adding the ability for this line to also produce fluff pulp rolls. The mill's second line was upgraded to produce both paper pulp bales and fluff pulp rolls in 2011.

"This investment will enable GP Cellulose to address the increasing fluff pulp needs of our customers worldwide," said Munir Abdallah, President  GP Cellulose. "The completion of this project will add capability and flexibility to our system to meet a wider range of needs and position us to grow with our customers."

Major aspects of the project are complete, including investments in the headbox and forming table. The final phase is underway now and includes infrastructure as well as winding and wrapping components. Plans call for the newly upgraded line to have the ability to produce fluff pulp in late 2023. Fluff pulp is used in a variety of hygienic disposable products, including baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence and airlaid nonwovens.

The Alabama River mill directly employs approximately 470 people. According to a Troy University study, the economic impact of the mill contributes to 1,407 full- and part-time jobs, $103.6 million in labor income and $421.3 million in total economic impact.

About GP Cellulose

GP Cellulose is committed to growing responsibly by meeting the evolving needs of customers worldwide with quality products, global logistics and stewardship of natural resources. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, GP Cellulose operates state-of-the-art pulp mills in the southeastern United States and has sales offices strategically located in Switzerland, the United States, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company's trusted brands include Golden Isles fluff and Golden Isles CO. GP Cellulose maintains diverse forestry and ecolabel certifications for customers who care deeply about the sustainability of products they purchase. Learn more at gpcellulose.com.

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific
Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, has increased the weekly number of flights to Southeast Asia from its Muscat hub, offering 10 flights to Bangkok, 7 flights to Kuala Lumpur, 5 flights to Manila, and 4 flights to Jakarta.



The additional flights offer greater convenience and connectivity for Oman Air guests to discover more than 40 other exciting destinations in Southeast Asia and Australia.



Oman Air is optimizing its network through increased cooperation with alliance partners to link passengers to more locations as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. This will result in increased travel connections and an expanded network of destinations.



Oman Air currently has four partner airlines in Southeast Asia, allowing guests to fly to 44 destinations across Southeast Asia and Australia from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. In total, Oman Air has entered into strategic codeshare agreements with 18 different partner airlines. These agreements enable Oman Air to market 229 different sectors, which, when combined with the 45 sectors that the airline itself operates, brings the total number of sectors it serves to 274.



Oman Air offers wide-body service, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330, between Muscat and destinations in Southeast Asia.  TradeArabia News Service
Recognising its Role in Fuelling Digital Transformation in the Greater China Region with Cutting-edge Technology

HONG KONG, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Macroview Telecom, the digital technology solutions arm under HGC Global Communications Group (HGC), announced it has won the Greater China Theater Awards in Technology Excellence: Security, the South China Partner of the Year, and the Hong Kong Partner of the Year awards at the Cisco Greater China Partner Conference Digital 2022. The three awards reflect Macroview's strong presence in the region.

As one of the largest digital technology solution and managed service providers in Hong Kong, Macroview collaborates with over 30 leading technology providers, including Cisco, to deliver the best solutions, covering digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud, for its valued clients across Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. Macroview's suite of all-around solutions is also widely trusted by customers from multinational enterprises, finance and banking, retail, telecommunications service providers and governmental utilities.

HGC Group continues to thrive in the digital era with its robust global telecommunications network and one-stop ICT solutions, accelerating digital transformation for its customers with superb services that add a competitive edge to help enterprises stand out in the market. With 700+ digital technology and cybersecurity professionals, Macroview can offer clients from different industries in-depth analysis, giving detailed insights and suggesting customised solutions based on their needs to make the most out of digital transformation. For instance, clients that want to cost-effectively improve network performance could benefit from Cisco's Software-Defined Cloud Interconnect (SDCI). In contrast, those who target securing all access across their networks, applications, and environment can adopt Cisco's Zero Trust approach.

With the work-from-home trend growing, Macroview and Cisco joined hands to launch the Hybrid Workplace solution, boosting the hybrid office mode's productivity with an efficient, secured solution  a self-help workstation/meeting room booking system. The solution combines Macroview's Smart Workplace Platform, LUCAS, with Cisco's unified communications and collaboration system, supporting the features including video conference, network management, and room reservation in one go. Several local enterprises and organisations have adopted the Hybrid Workplace solution to enhance employees' smart experience cost-effectively.

"We are honoured to be crowned as the winner of three Cisco awards," said Mr Alvin Wong, Executive Vice President of Solutions and Product Development at HGC Group. "The awards not only reflect our long-standing collaboration with Cisco but also underscore our clients' trust in our services and solutions. Macroview Telecom will continue to work with Cisco and other technology partners to deliver a range of leading-edge, customised cloud and network security solutions for our customers, fulfilling their wide range of business needs for attaining great business results."

About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate, SME and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. In 2019, HGC Group completed the acquisition of Macroview Telecom Limited (Macroview), a leading digital technology solution and managed services provider. The addition of Macroview further accelerates HGC Group's digital transformation path and positioning as a pioneering ICT and digital services leader. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.

To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk

SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC)
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Zion Market Research study, The global neurodegenerative disease market was worth around USD 39892.5 million in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 47911.88 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.1% over the forecast period.

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Overview

The neurodegenerative disease market includes selling neurodegenerative illness therapeutics products and related services for neurological diseases. Neurodegenerative disorders are a group of incurable diseases that mainly affect the neurons in the human brain, resulting in progressive degenerative changes or the death of nerve cells. The global population's increased prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders contributes to the growth of the global neurodegenerative disease therapeutics market. The growing geriatric population leads to the rise in prevalence of neurological diseases. As per World Population Review, the number of individuals over 60 will rise to 2.1 billion in 2050, and people over 80 will triple to 425 million. According to the Alzheimer's Association, approximately 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, which is expected to rise to about 14 million by 2050. Clinical trial and research and development (R&D) failure rates have always been a significant challenge in the neurological disease treatment market. Companies are constantly investing in R&D to establish treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases, but very few treatments are currently approved. The lack of government and hospital reimbursement policies for treating dementia such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease restricts the market growth.

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Zion Market Research methodology

Key Industry Insights & Findings of the Neurodegenerative Disease Market Reports:

As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Neurodegenerative Disease Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 3.01 % (2022-2028).

(2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Neurodegenerative Disease Market was valued at approximately USD 39892.5 million in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly USD 47911.88 million by 2028.

million in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly million by 2028. North America dominates the global neurodegenerative disease market and accounts for more than 3.1% of the worldwide revenue. This expansion can be attributed to favorable health reimbursement policies, increased investment in research & development, elevated pricing, and rising demand for neurodegenerative disease drugs.

dominates the global neurodegenerative disease market and accounts for more than 3.1% of the worldwide revenue. This expansion can be attributed to favorable health reimbursement policies, increased investment in research & development, elevated pricing, and rising demand for neurodegenerative disease drugs. Neurodegenerative disease funding totaled USD 4,021 million in 2020, rising to USD 4,110 million in 2021. Most of the market's major players are anticipated to be attracted by the rising funding for research, leading to the market's quick expansion in North America .

in 2020, rising to in 2021. Most of the market's major players are anticipated to be attracted by the rising funding for research, leading to the market's quick expansion in . The Asia Pacific regional market is expected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period due to the high prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, an aging population, and rising demand for Alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease drugs in Japan and China .

regional market is expected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period due to the high prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, an aging population, and rising demand for Alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease drugs in and . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2022, more than 50 million people will have dementia, a frequent type of Alzheimer's disorder, with 10 million cases diagnosed yearly.

Zion Market Research published the latest report titled "Neurodegenerative Disease Market By Indication Type (Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington's Disease, and Other Indication Types), By Drug Type (N-methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonists, Cholinesterase Inhibitors, Dopamine Agonists, Immunomodulatory Drugs, and Other Drug Types), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2022  2028." into their research database.

Industry Dynamics:

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Growth Drivers

Increasing Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease Drives Market Growth.

Neurodegenerative diseases are those that dramatically impact the neurons in the brain. Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, characterized by loss of thinking skills, memory loss, and challenges with problem-solving and language. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2022, more than 50 million people will have dementia, a frequent type of Alzheimer's disorder, with 10 million cases diagnosed yearly. The rising prevalence of these illnesses also drives the development of new medications. Furthermore, the market is expanding as people worldwide become more aware of prescription medications for Alzheimer's. Moreover, the rise in awareness of the various novel treatment options is fueling the emergence of Alzheimer's drugs.

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Restraints

Inadequate reimbursement policies may hamper the global market growth.

The lack of government and hospital reimbursement policies for treating neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease restricts the market growth. On the other hand, patients are switching to generics due to the lower cost, which is expected to limit the use of patented drugs.

Expiration of patents on products used to treat the neurodegenerative disease to restrain the market growth.

Over the forecast years, multiple patent expirations are expected to constrain the global neurodegenerative disease market. Many novel drugs are predicted to lose their patents in the coming years. After the expiry of these drugs, the already authorized generic alternatives can be commercialized at a lower price. Furthermore, the occurrence of multiple generics bearing the same brand name is expected to be less expensive than the market value. Despite an increase in drug volume, the lower cost of generics hurts the market's overall value.

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Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Opportunities

A robust drug pipeline for treating neurodegenerative diseases brings up several growth opportunities.

The availability of a robust pipeline of drugs for neurodegenerative diseases is expected to bring up several growth opportunities for the global neurodegenerative disease market. For instance, GlaxoSmithKline Plc recently announced an agreement with Alector Inc. to establish antibody-based treatment options for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other similar diseases in 2021. This collaboration agreement is worth USD 2.2 billion and aims to build a robust drug pipeline.

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Challenges

The high cost of treatment continues to be a global challenge

The exceptionally high price is expected to stifle market growth by limiting access to quality treatment in middle and low-income countries. In the U.S., for instance, the estimated yearly medical cost for the treatments of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can exceed $70,000. This is prohibitively expensive, given the country's median household income of $67,521 in 2020.

High failure rates in clinical trials and research & development (R&D): Clinical trial and research and development (R&D) failure rates have always been a significant challenge within the neurodegenerative disorder treatment market. Companies are constantly investing in R&D to develop treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases, but very few treatments are currently approved.

Global Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Segmentation

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: Segmentation

The global neurodegenerative disease market is segregated based on indication, drug, and region.

The market is divided into Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's, and other indication types. Among these, the numerous sclerosis segment dominates the market, accounting for a revenue share of USD 25,680 million in 2021.

The market is classified into N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, cholinesterase inhibitors, dopamine agonists, immunomodulatory drugs, and other drug types. Over the forecast period, the immunomodulators market is expected to develop faster.

Get More Insight before [email protected]: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/neurodegenerative-disease-market

List of Key Players in Neurodegenerative Disease Market:

Biogen Inc

Abbvie Inc

UCB SA

Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc

Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbHF

Pfizer Inc

Hoffmann-La Roche

Novartis AG

aMerck & Co. Inc.

Key questions answered in this report:

What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Neurodegenerative Disease Market?

What are the key driving factors propelling the Neurodegenerative Disease Market forward?

What are the most important companies in the Neurodegenerative Disease Market Industry?

What segments does the Neurodegenerative Disease Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Neurodegenerative Disease Market sample report and company profiles?

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 39892.5 Million Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 47911.88 Million Growth Rate CAGR of almost 3.1 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016  2021 Forecast Years 2022  2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, And By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered Biogen Inc, Abbvie Inc, UCB SA, Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc, Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbHF, Pfizer Inc, Hoffmann-La Roche, Novartis AG, and Merck & Co. Inc. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/2147

Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/neurodegenerative-disease-market

Recent Developments

February 2022 - The Food and Medication Administration granted permission to Neurocentria Inc. to carry out a pivotal phase IIb/III human clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of its top drug candidate, NRCT-101SR, in comparison to an inert placebo in adults with ADHD.

- The Food and Medication Administration granted permission to Neurocentria Inc. to carry out a pivotal phase IIb/III human clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of its top drug candidate, NRCT-101SR, in comparison to an inert placebo in adults with ADHD. May 2021 - Biogen Inc. and Envisagenics announced a new partnership to advance RNA splicing research in central nervous (CNS) diseases. As part of the partnership, Biogen will use SpliceCore, Envisagenics' patented artificially intelligent (AI)-driven RNA splicing technology, to define and comprehend how various RNA isoforms are regulated in CNS cell types.

Regional Dominance:

Increasing investment in R&D activities will likely help North America dominate the global market.

North America dominates the global neurodegenerative disease market and accounts for more than 3.1% of the worldwide revenue. This expansion can be attributed to favorable health reimbursement policies, increased investment in research & development, elevated pricing, and rising demand for neurodegenerative disease drugs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has increased funding for research into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Neurodegenerative disease funding totaled USD 4,021 million in 2020, rising to USD 4,110 million in 2021. Most of the market's major players are anticipated to be attracted by the rising funding for research, leading to the market's quick expansion in North America.

The Asia Pacific regional market is expected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period due to the high prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, an aging population, and rising demand for Alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease drugs in Japan and China. International and domestic firms are employing various strategies to strengthen their market position in the Asia Pacific, including R&D, mergers & acquisitions, and product launches.

Global Neurodegenerative Disease Market is segmented as follows:

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: By Indication Type Outlook (2022-2028)

Parkinson's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

Multiple Sclerosis

Huntington Disease

Other Indication Types

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: By Drug Type Outlook (2022-2028)

N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor antagonists

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Dopamine Agonists

Immunomodulatory Drugs

Other Drug Types

Neurodegenerative Disease Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028)

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Europe

France

The UK

Spain

Germany

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Press Release For Neurodegenerative Disease Market: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-neurodegenerative-disease-market

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SOURCE Zion Market Research
Invesco Announces Second Quarter Diluted EPS of $0.26; Adjusted Diluted EPS(1) of $0.39

ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) today reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2022.

$6.8 billion of net long-term outflows, resilience in key capability areas with net long-term inflows of $4.8 billion from ETFs, $2.2 billion from Active Fixed Income and $2.2 billion from our China joint venture

of net long-term outflows, resilience in key capability areas with net long-term inflows of from ETFs, from Active Fixed Income and from our joint venture $1,390.4 billion in ending AUM, a decrease of 10.6% from the prior quarter

in ending AUM, a decrease of 10.6% from the prior quarter 22.5% operating margin; 35.1% adjusted operating margin (1)

Completed early redemption of the $600 million in Senior Notes due in November 2022

Update from Marty Flanagan, President and CEO

"The market environment for the first half of this year has been one of the most challenging in decades. Against this backdrop for the industry, and despite seeing the first net long-term outflow quarter in two years, our diversified product lineup maintained net inflows in key capability areas, notably ETFs, Active Fixed Income, and Greater China, where we maintain leadership positions.

"Our focus on building a stronger balance sheet has afforded us much greater flexibility as we weather this volatile period. In May, we took advantage of an economically attractive opportunity to redeem early $600 million of debt. As a result, total debt outstanding at the end of the second quarter was the lowest level in seven years and our leverage profile continues to improve. As we look to the future, we are committed to continuing to scale our global platform and delivering positive operating leverage as markets recover, while continuing to invest in our key capability areas.

"In this uncertain environment, clients seek an investment manager that can partner with them to meet a comprehensive range of constantly evolving needs and solve their most challenging problems. Our broad set of investment capabilities and the differentiated platform we've built position us well to continue to meet our clients' needs and compete in a dynamic market environment."





(1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 7 through 10 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

Net Flows:

Net long-term outflows were $6.8 billion for the second quarter of 2022, compared to inflows of $17.2 billion in the first quarter of 2022. Active net long-term outflows for the quarter were $11.3 billion, which were partially offset by inflows of $4.5 billion from Passive AUM.

Retail net long-term outflows were $8.3 billion while institutional net long-term inflows were $1.5 billion. Net long-term flows by asset class include net long-term inflows of $4.8 billion in fixed income products offset by outflows of $7.7 billion in equity products, $2.3 billion in balanced products and $1.6 billion in alternative products. On a geographic basis, the Americas, UK and EMEA ex UK experienced net long-term outflows of $3.9 billion, $1.9 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.

Net market losses and foreign exchange rate movements decreased AUM by $142.3 billion and $19.7 billion, respectively, in the second quarter. We had inflows of $3.5 billion into money market funds and outflows of $2.0 billion from non-management fee earning products during the quarter. Ending AUM decreased 10.6%, while average AUM decreased 5.7% in the second quarter compared to the first quarter.

Summary of net flows (in billions)

Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-21 Active

$ (11.3)

$ 0.8

$ 2.1 Passive

4.5

16.4

29.0 Net long-term flows

(6.8)

17.2

31.1 Non-management fee earning AUM

(2.0)

(1.0)

2.5 Money market

3.5

12.8

19.8 Total net flows

$ (5.3)

$ 29.0

$ 53.4













Annualized long-term organic growth rate (1)

(2.4) %

5.8 %

10.6 %



















(1) Annualized long-term organic growth rate is calculated using net long-term flows (annualized) divided by average long-term AUM for the period. Long-term AUM excludes money market and non-management fee earning AUM.

Second Quarter Highlights:

Financial Results Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-22 vs.

Q1-22

Q2-21

Q2-22 vs.

Q2-21 U.S. GAAP Financial Measures

















Operating revenues $1,530.4m

$1,629.4m

(6.1) %

$1,721.4m

(11.1) % Operating income $344.7m

$377.7m

(8.7) %

$470.9m

(26.8) % Operating margin 22.5 %

23.2 %





27.4 %



Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $121.0m

$197.7m

(38.8) %

$368.3m

(67.1) % Diluted EPS $0.26

$0.43

(39.5) %

$0.79

(67.1) %



















Adjusted Financial Measures (1)

















Net revenues $1,173.9m

$1,252.4m

(6.3) %

$1,302.9m

(9.9) % Adjusted operating income $411.9m

$494.6m

(16.7) %

$540.5m

(23.8) % Adjusted operating margin 35.1 %

39.5 %





41.5 %



Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $180.3m

$259.3m

(30.5) %

$364.7m

(50.6) % Adjusted diluted EPS $0.39

$0.56

(30.4) %

$0.78

(50.0) %



















Assets Under Management

















Ending AUM $1,390.4bn

$1,555.9bn

(10.6) %

$1,525.0bn

(8.8) % Average AUM $1,457.2bn

$1,545.1bn

(5.7) %

$1,480.2bn

(1.6) %



















Headcount 8,506

8,549

(0.5) %

8,483

0.3 %





(1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 7 through 10 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

U.S. GAAP Operating Results:

Second Quarter 2022 compared to First Quarter 2022

Operating revenues and expenses: Lower average AUM driven by market declines, changes in foreign exchange rates on AUM and net outflows resulted in a decrease in operating revenues of $99.0 million in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. Investment management fees decreased by $67.0 million during the period, which was net of the favorable impact of lower money market waivers of $20.5 million. Service and distribution fees decreased $25.2 million. Performance fees were $9.2 million for the second quarter, an increase of $8.2 million from the previous quarter. Other revenues decreased $15.0 million in the second quarter, resulting from lower front end fees and real estate disposition fees. Foreign exchange rate changes in the second quarter decreased operating revenues by $19.9 million.

Operating expenses decreased $66.0 million in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter. Third party distribution, service and advisory costs were down $37.6 million during the quarter resulting from lower average AUM. Employee compensation expense decreased $25.7 million in the second quarter. The decrease resulted primarily from lower seasonal payroll taxes and variable compensation costs. Marketing expenses were up $12.1 million, reflecting higher advertising and client event costs. General and administrative expenses were up $17.5 million in the second quarter, primarily driven by $14 million of net fund-related expenses. Increased travel costs also contributed to the rise in marketing and general and administrative costs in the second quarter as travel activity returned to more normalized levels with the easing of COVID-19-related travel restrictions. Transaction, integration and restructuring costs decreased $35.0 million in the second quarter to $0.2 million. During the quarter, restructuring costs were almost fully offset by $15 million of ongoing insurance recoveries related to the OppenheimerFunds acquisition-related matter. Foreign exchange rate changes in the second quarter decreased operating expenses by $17.8 million.

Non-operating income and expenses: Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates was $24.7 million, earned primarily from our China joint venture. Other gains and losses was a net loss of $90.0 million, driven by market value changes on deferred compensation and seed money investments. Other net income/(expense) of consolidated investment products (CIP) was a gain of $26.2 million, primarily driven by market gains on the underlying investments held by the funds, which are generally recorded on a one to three month lag.

The effective tax rate was 22.3% in the second quarter as compared to 25.9% in the first quarter. The decrease in the effective tax rate in the second quarter is primarily due to the increase in income attributable to interests in CIP.

Diluted earnings per common share: Diluted earnings per common share was $0.26 for the second quarter of 2022.

Second Quarter 2022 compared to Second Quarter 2021

Operating revenues and expenses: Lower average AUM driven by market declines, changes in foreign exchange rates on AUM and net AUM outflows resulted in a decrease in operating revenues of $191.0 million in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021. Investment management fees decreased by $133.9 million during the period, which was net of the favorable impact of lower money market waivers of $35.5 million. Service and distribution fees decreased by $47.2 million. Performance fees were $9.2 million for the second quarter, a decrease of $1.3 million from the second quarter of 2021. Other revenues decreased $8.6 million, resulting from lower front end fees. Foreign exchange rate changes in the second quarter of 2022 decreased operating revenues by $39.6 million.

Operating expenses decreased $64.8 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. Third party distribution, service and advisory costs were down $64.6 million resulting from lower average AUM. Employee compensation expense decreased $79.8 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was primarily comprised of fair value changes on deferred compensation liabilities and reduced variable compensation. Marketing expenses rose by $9.3 million, related to increased client events and advertising. General administrative expenses increased by $16.4 million primarily driven by a net $14 million of fund-related expenses. Increased travel costs also contributed to the rise in marketing and general and administrative costs in the second quarter as travel activity returned to more normalized levels with the easing of COVID-19-related travel restrictions. Transaction, integration and restructuring costs increased to an expense of $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2022 from a benefit of $47.1 million in the second quarter of 2021. Foreign exchange rate changes in the second quarter of 2022 decreased operating expenses by $37.6 million.

The effective tax rate was 22.3% in the second quarter of 2022 as compared to 23.7% in the second quarter of 2021. The effective tax rate was higher in the second quarter of 2021 primarily due to an increase in tax expense related to the remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities following the enactment of an increase in the UK corporate tax rate, which was partially offset by the change in the mix of income across tax jurisdiction in the second quarter of 2022.

Adjusted(1) Operating Results:

Second Quarter 2022 compared to First Quarter 2022

Net revenues decreased $78.5 million or 6.3% as compared to the first quarter, resulting from lower average AUM. The impact of decreased investment management fees, service and distribution fees and other revenues was partially offset by lower third party distribution, service and advisory costs.

Adjusted operating expenses increased 0.6% in the second quarter to $762.0 million from $757.8 million in the first quarter, reflecting increased marketing and general and administrative costs partially offset by lower employee compensation costs.

Adjusted operating income decreased $82.7 million to $411.9 million in the second quarter from $494.6 million in the first quarter. Adjusted operating margin declined to 35.1% from 39.5% for the prior quarter.

Adjusted diluted earnings per common share decreased to $0.39 as a result of lower operating income, net market losses on our investments and lower equity in earnings compared to the first quarter. The effective tax rate on adjusted net income increased to 24.8% in the second quarter from 24.2% in the first quarter.

Second Quarter 2022 compared to Second Quarter 2021

Net revenues decreased $129.0 million or 9.9% as compared to the second quarter of 2021, resulting from lower average AUM. The impact of decreased investment management fees, service and distribution fees and other revenues was partially offset by lower third party distribution, service and advisory costs.

Adjusted operating expenses decreased $0.4 million or 0.1% to $762.0 million from $762.4 million in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting lower employee compensation costs offset by higher marketing, general and administrative and property, office and technology costs.

Adjusted operating income decreased $128.6 million to $411.9 million from $540.5 million in the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted operating margin declined to 35.1% from 41.5% for the prior year quarter.

Adjusted diluted earnings per common share decreased to $0.39 as a result of lower operating income, net market losses on our investments and lower equity in earnings in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the second quarter of 2021. The effective tax rate on adjusted net income increased to 24.8% in the second quarter of 2022 from 22.8% in the second quarter of 2021. The rate increase is primarily due to the change in the mix of income across tax jurisdictions.





(1) Represents non-GAAP financial measure. See the information on pages 7 through 10 for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

Capital Management:

Cash and cash equivalents: $936.8 million at June 30, 2022 ($1,309.6 million as of March 31, 2022).

Debt: $1,671.2 million at June 30, 2022 ($2,085.7 million as of March 31, 2022). The credit facility balance was $184.6 million at June 30, 2022 (zero as of March 31, 2022).

On May 6, 2022, the company redeemed the $600 million Senior Notes due November 30, 2022.

Common shares outstanding (end of period): 454.9 million

Diluted common shares outstanding (end of period): 459.6 million

Dividends paid: $85.6 million (common); $59.2 million (preferred)

Common dividends declared: The company is announcing a second quarter cash dividend of $0.1875 per share to holders of common shares. The dividend is payable on September 2, 2022, to common shareholders of record at the close of business on August 12, 2022, with an ex-dividend date of August 11, 2022.

Preferred dividends declared: The company is announcing a preferred cash dividend of $14.75 per share representing the period from June 1, 2022 through August 31, 2022. The preferred dividend is payable on September 1, 2022 to preferred shareholders of record at the close of business on August 15, 2022.

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco managed $1.4 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of June 30, 2022. For more information, visit invesco.com/corporate.

Members of the investment community and general public are invited to listen to the conference call today, July 27, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. ET by dialing one of the following numbers: 1-866-803-2143 for U.S. and Canadian callers or 1-210-795-1098 for international callers, using the Passcode: Invesco. An audio replay of the conference call will be available until Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET by calling 1-888-566-0411 for U.S. and Canadian callers or 1-203-369-3041 for international callers. A presentation highlighting the company's performance will be available during a live Webcast and on Invesco's Website at invesco.com/corporate.

This release, and comments made in the associated conference call today, may include "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include information concerning future results of our operations, expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures, industry or market conditions, assets under management, geopolitical events and the COVID-19 pandemic and their respective potential impact on the company, acquisitions and divestitures, debt and our ability to obtain additional financing or make payments, regulatory developments, demand for and pricing of our products and other aspects of our business or general economic conditions. In addition, words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," and future or conditional verbs such as "will," "may," "could," "should," and "would" as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Forms 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may obtain these reports from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update the information in any public disclosure if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate.





Investor Relations Contacts: Media Relations Contact: Greg Ketron Matt Seitz Graham Galt 404-724-4299 404-439-4853 404-439-3070

Invesco Ltd. U.S. GAAP Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (Unaudited, in millions, other than per share amounts)



Q2-22

Q1-22

% Change

Q2-21

% Change Operating revenues:

















Investment management fees $ 1,113.5

$ 1,180.5

(5.7) %

$ 1,247.4

(10.7) % Service and distribution fees 353.8

379.0

(6.6) %

401.0

(11.8) % Performance fees 9.2

1.0

820.0 %

10.5

(12.4) % Other 53.9

68.9

(21.8) %

62.5

(13.8) % Total operating revenues 1,530.4

1,629.4

(6.1) %

1,721.4

(11.1) % Operating expenses:

















Third-party distribution, service and advisory 475.0

512.6

(7.3) %

539.6

(12.0) % Employee compensation 407.2

432.9

(5.9) %

487.0

(16.4) % Marketing 33.8

21.7

55.8 %

24.5

38.0 % Property, office and technology 135.0

132.0

2.3 %

127.2

6.1 % General and administrative 119.7

102.2

17.1 %

103.3

15.9 % Transaction, integration and restructuring 0.2

35.2

(99.4) %

(47.1)

N/A Amortization of intangible assets 14.8

15.1

(2.0) %

16.0

(7.5) % Total operating expenses 1,185.7

1,251.7

(5.3) %

1,250.5

(5.2) % Operating income 344.7

377.7

(8.7) %

470.9

(26.8) % Other income/(expense):

















Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates 24.7

33.4

(26.0) %

37.2

(33.6) % Interest and dividend income 2.1

1.2

75.0 %

0.4

425.0 % Interest expense (25.8)

(23.2)

11.2 %

(24.6)

4.9 % Other gains and losses, net (90.0)

(45.5)

97.8 %

43.4

N/A Other income/(expense) of CIP, net 26.2

(23.3)

N/A

122.0

(78.5) % Income before income taxes 281.9

320.3

(12.0) %

649.3

(56.6) % Income tax provision (63.0)

(82.8)

(23.9) %

(154.2)

(59.1) % Net income 218.9

237.5

(7.8) %

495.1

(55.8) % Net (income)/loss attributable to noncontrolling

interests in consolidated entities (38.7)

19.4

N/A

(67.6)

(42.8) % Less: Dividends declared on preferred shares (59.2)

(59.2)

 %

(59.2)

 % Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. $ 121.0

$ 197.7

(38.8) %

$ 368.3

(67.1) %



















Earnings per common share:

















---basic $0.27

$0.43

(37.2) %

$0.80

(66.3) % ---diluted $0.26

$0.43

(39.5) %

$0.79

(67.1) %



















Average common shares outstanding:

















---basic 456.5

459.5

(0.7) %

462.8

(1.4) % ---diluted 459.5

462.4

(0.6) %

466.2

(1.4) %

Invesco Ltd.

Non-GAAP Information and Reconciliations

We utilize the following non-GAAP performance measures: net revenues (and by calculation, net revenue yield on AUM), adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., and adjusted diluted EPS. We believe the adjusted measures provide valuable insight into our ongoing operational performance and assist in comparisons to our competitors. These measures also assist management with the establishment of operational budgets and forecasts. The most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures are operating revenues (and by calculation, gross revenue yield on AUM), operating income, operating margin, net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., and diluted EPS.

The following are reconciliations of operating revenues, operating income (and by calculation, operating margin), and net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (and by calculation, diluted EPS) on a U.S. GAAP basis to a non-GAAP basis of net revenues, adjusted operating income (and by calculation, adjusted operating margin), and adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (and by calculation, adjusted diluted EPS). In addition, a reconciliation of adjusted operating expenses is provided below, together with reconciliations of the U.S. GAAP operating expense lines to provide further analysis of the non-GAAP adjustments. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as substitutes for any U.S. GAAP measures and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. The tax effect of the reconciling items is based on the tax jurisdiction attributable to the transactions. These measures are described more fully in the company's Forms 10-K and 10-Q. Refer to these public filings for additional information about the company's non-GAAP performance measures.

Reconciliation of Operating revenues to Net revenues:

in millions Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-21

Operating revenues, U.S. GAAP basis $ 1,530.4

$ 1,629.4

$ 1,721.4

Invesco Great Wall (1) 106.1

124.1

110.9

Revenue Adjustments (2)











Investment management fees (193.1)

(205.9)

(212.8)

Service and distribution fees (240.3)

(257.7)

(269.7)

Other (41.6)

(49.0)

(57.1)

Total Revenue Adjustments $ (475.0)

$ (512.6)

$ (539.6)

CIP 12.4

11.5

10.2

Net revenues $ 1,173.9

$ 1,252.4

$ 1,302.9

















Reconciliation of Operating income to Adjusted operating income:

in millions Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-21

Operating income, U.S. GAAP basis $ 344.7

$ 377.7

$ 470.9

Invesco Great Wall (1) 62.2

73.7

62.0

CIP 16.1

14.8

19.2

Transaction, integration and restructuring (3) 0.2

35.2

(47.1)

Amortization of intangible assets 14.8

15.1

16.0

Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred

compensation plans (26.1)

(21.9)

19.5

Adjusted operating income $ 411.9

$ 494.6

$ 540.5















Operating margin (4) 22.5 %

23.2 %

27.4 %

Adjusted operating margin (5) 35.1 %

39.5 %

41.5 %



Reconciliation of Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. to Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd.

in millions Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-21

Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd., U.S. GAAP basis $ 121.0

$ 197.7

$ 368.3

Transaction, integration and restructuring, net of tax (3) 0.2

27.0

(34.8)

Amortization of intangible assets and related tax benefits (6) 18.6

18.8

21.8

Deferred compensation plan market valuation changes and dividend

income less compensation expense, net of tax 40.5

15.8

(7.6)

Impact of tax rate changes (7) 



17.0

Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (8) $ 180.3

$ 259.3

$ 364.7















Average common shares outstanding - diluted 459.5

462.4

466.2

Diluted EPS $0.26

$0.43

$0.79

Adjusted diluted EPS (9) $0.39

$0.56

$0.78



Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses:

in millions Q2-22

Q1-22

Q2-21

Operating expenses, U.S. GAAP basis $ 1,185.7

$ 1,251.7

$ 1,250.5

Invesco Great Wall (1) 43.9

50.4

48.9

Third party distribution, service and advisory expenses (475.0)

(512.6)

(539.6)

CIP (3.7)

(3.3)

(9.0)

Transaction, integration and restructuring (3) (0.2)

(35.2)

47.1

Amortization of intangible assets (14.8)

(15.1)

(16.0)

Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred

compensation plans 26.1

21.9

(19.5)

Adjusted operating expenses $ 762.0

$ 757.8

$ 762.4















Employee compensation, U.S. GAAP basis $ 407.2

$ 432.9

$ 487.0

Invesco Great Wall (1) 34.8

40.4

39.5

Compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred

compensation plans 26.1

21.9

(19.5)

Adjusted employee compensation $ 468.1

$ 495.2

$ 507.0















Marketing, U.S. GAAP basis $ 33.8

$ 21.7

$ 24.5

Invesco Great Wall (1) 2.6

4.4

4.1

Adjusted marketing $ 36.4

$ 26.1

$ 28.6















Property, office and technology, U.S. GAAP basis $ 135.0

$ 132.0

$ 127.2

Invesco Great Wall (1) 5.0

3.7

3.2

Adjusted property, office and technology $ 140.0

$ 135.7

$ 130.4















General and administrative, U.S. GAAP basis $ 119.7

$ 102.2

$ 103.3

Invesco Great Wall (1) 1.5

1.9

2.1

CIP (3.7)

(3.3)

(9.0)

Adjusted general and administrative $ 117.5

$ 100.8

$ 96.4















Transaction, integration and restructuring, U.S. GAAP basis (3) $ 0.2

$ 35.2

$ (47.1)

Transaction, integration and restructuring (0.2)

(35.2)

47.1

Adjusted transaction, integration and restructuring $ 

$ 

$ 















Amortization of intangible assets, U.S. GAAP basis $ 14.8

$ 15.1

$ 16.0

Amortization of intangible assets (14.8)

(15.1)

(16.0)

Adjusted amortization of intangibles $ 

$ 

$ 





















(1) The company reflects 100% of Invesco Great Wall in its net revenues and adjusted operating expenses. The company's non-GAAP operating results reflect the economics of these holdings on a basis consistent with the underlying AUM and flows. Adjusted net income is reduced by the amount of earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests.



(2) The company calculates net revenues by reducing operating revenues to exclude fees that are passed through to external parties who perform functions on behalf of, and distribute, the company's managed funds. The net revenue presentation assists in identifying the revenue contribution generated by the company, removing distortions caused by the differing distribution channel fees and allowing for a fair comparison with U.S. peer investment managers and within Invesco's own investment units. Additionally, management evaluates net revenue yield on AUM, which is equal to net revenues divided by average AUM during the reporting period, as an indicator of the basis point net revenues we receive for each dollar of AUM we manage.





Investment management fees are adjusted by renewal commissions and certain administrative fees. Service and distribution fees are primarily adjusted by distribution fees passed through to broker dealers for certain share classes and pass through fund-related costs. Other revenues are primarily adjusted by transaction fees passed through to third parties.



(3) In the second quarter of 2022, Invesco received an insurance recovery of $15.0 million related to the OppenheimerFunds acquisition-related matter, which was recorded as a benefit to the Transaction, integration and restructuring expense line item. During the second quarter of 2021, the company recorded an $85.4 million benefit to the Transaction, integration and restructuring line item resulting from an adjustment to the estimated OppenheimerFunds acquisition-related liability.



(4) Operating margin is equal to operating income divided by operating revenues.



(5) Adjusted operating margin is equal to adjusted operating income divided by net revenues.



(6) The company reflects the tax benefit realized on the tax amortization of goodwill and intangibles in adjusted net income. We believe it is useful to include this tax benefit in arriving at the adjusted diluted EPS measure.



(7) The second quarter of 2021 included a net non-cash income tax expense of $17.0 million related to the remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities due to tax rate changes.



(8) The effective tax rate on adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. is 24.8% (first quarter 2022: 24.2%; second quarter 2021: 22.8%).



(9) Adjusted diluted EPS is equal to adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. divided by the weighted average number of common and restricted common shares outstanding. There is no difference between the calculated earnings per common share amounts presented above and the calculated earnings per common share amounts under the two class method.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management

in billions Q2-22

Q1-22

% Change

Q2-21 Beginning Assets $1,555.9

$1,610.9

(3.4) %

$1,404.1 Long-term inflows 81.4

106.3

(23.4) %

114.4 Long-term outflows (88.2)

(89.1)

(1.0) %

(83.3) Net long-term flows (6.8)

17.2

N/A

31.1 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

(1.0)

100.0 %

2.5 Net flows in money market funds 3.5

12.8

(72.7) %

19.8 Total net flows (5.3)

29.0

N/A

53.4 Reinvested distributions 1.8

0.8

125.0 %

0.9 Market gains and losses (142.3)

(80.9)

75.9 %

65.6 Foreign currency translation (19.7)

(3.9)

405.1 %

1.0 Ending Assets $1,390.4

$1,555.9

(10.6) %

$1,525.0















Ending long-term AUM $1,063.7

$1,184.4

(10.2) %

$1,199.0 Average long-term AUM $1,117.2

$1,187.7

(5.9) %

$1,173.9 Average AUM $1,457.2

$1,545.1

(5.7) %

$1,480.2 Average QQQ AUM $169.0

$189.0

(10.6) %

$162.7

















in billions Total AUM

Active(d)

Passive(d) March 31, 2022 $1,555.9

$1,042.7

$513.2 Long-term inflows 81.4

48.8

32.6 Long-term outflows (88.2)

(60.1)

(28.1) Net long-term flows (6.8)

(11.3)

4.5 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)



(2.0) Net flows in money market funds 3.5

3.5

 Total net flows (5.3)

(7.8)

2.5 Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.8

 Market gains and losses (142.3)

(61.6)

(80.7) Foreign currency translation (19.7)

(17.2)

(2.5) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$957.9

$432.5











Average AUM $1,457.2

$989.2

$468.0













By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional March 31, 2022 $1,555.9

$1,044.7

$511.2 Long-term inflows 81.4

62.4

19.0 Long-term outflows (88.2)

(70.7)

(17.5) Net long-term flows (6.8)

(8.3)

1.5 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

0.2

(2.2) Net flows in money market funds 3.5

0.4

3.1 Total net flows (5.3)

(7.7)

2.4 Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.7

0.1 Market gains and losses (142.3)

(132.6)

(9.7) Foreign currency translation (19.7)

(7.3)

(12.4) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$898.8

$491.6















See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management (continued)

By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market (c)

Alternatives(b) March 31, 2022 $1,555.9

$780.0

$323.9

$79.5

$162.0

$210.5 Long-term inflows 81.4

35.9

29.1

3.1



13.3 Long-term outflows (88.2)

(43.6)

(24.3)

(5.4)



(14.9) Net long-term flows (6.8)

(7.7)

4.8

(2.3)



(1.6) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

0.2

(2.2)





 Net flows in money market funds 3.5







3.5

 Total net flows (5.3)

(7.5)

2.6

(2.3)

3.5

(1.6) Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.0

0.4

0.1



0.3 Market gains and losses (142.3)

(121.9)

(11.6)

(1.8)

0.6

(7.6) Foreign currency translation (19.7)

(6.8)

(6.2)

(2.6)

(2.1)

(2.0) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$644.8

$309.1

$72.9

$164.0

$199.6























Average AUM $1,457.2

$701.9

$313.4

$74.0

$159.7

$208.2

























By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK March 31, 2022 $1,555.9

$1,091.5

$239.8

$169.7

$54.9 Long-term inflows 81.4

49.0

15.4

15.1

1.9 Long-term outflows (88.2)

(52.9)

(15.3)

(16.2)

(3.8) Net long-term flows (6.8)

(3.9)

0.1

(1.1)

(1.9) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

(2.5)

0.9

(0.5)

0.1 Net flows in money market funds 3.5

4.0

(0.4)

(0.1)

 Total net flows (5.3)

(2.4)

0.6

(1.7)

(1.8) Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.7





0.1 Market gains and losses (142.3)

(116.3)

(3.5)

(19.3)

(3.2) Foreign currency translation (19.7)

(1.0)

(12.5)

(2.4)

(3.8) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$973.5

$224.4

$146.3

$46.2























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Active (d)

in billions Q2-22

Q1-22

% Change

Q2-21 Beginning Assets $ 1,042.7

$ 1,082.5

(3.7) %

$ 1,006.3 Long-term inflows 48.8

61.7

(20.9) %

61.1 Long-term outflows (60.1)

(60.9)

(1.3) %

(59.0) Net long-term flows (11.3)

0.8

N/A

2.1 Net flows in money market funds 3.5

12.8

(72.7) %

19.8 Total net flows (7.8)

13.6

N/A

21.9 Reinvested distributions 1.8

0.8

125.0 %

0.9 Market gains and losses (61.6)

(50.0)

23.2 %

35.3 Foreign currency translation (17.2)

(4.2)

309.5 %

1.6 Ending Assets $ 957.9

$ 1,042.7

(8.1) %

$ 1,066.0















Average long-term AUM $ 829.7

$ 895.6

(7.4) %

$ 921.4 Average AUM $ 989.2

$ 1,050.0

(5.8) %

$ 1,049.1

By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional March 31, 2022 $1,042.7

$581.9

$460.8 Long-term inflows 48.8

30.9

17.9 Long-term outflows (60.1)

(43.8)

(16.3) Net long-term flows (11.3)

(12.9)

1.6 Net flows in money market funds 3.5

0.4

3.1 Total net flows (7.8)

(12.5)

4.7 Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.7

0.1 Market gains and losses (61.6)

(55.5)

(6.1) Foreign currency translation (17.2)

(6.6)

(10.6) June 30, 2022 $957.9

$509.0

$448.9













By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market(c)

Alternatives(b) March 31, 2022 $1,042.7

$347.9

$283.3

$78.5

$162.0

$171.0 Long-term inflows 48.8

13.7

23.8

3.1



8.2 Long-term outflows (60.1)

(24.5)

(21.6)

(5.4)



(8.6) Net long-term flows (11.3)

(10.8)

2.2

(2.3)



(0.4) Net flows in money market funds 3.5







3.5

 Total net flows (7.8)

(10.8)

2.2

(2.3)

3.5

(0.4) Reinvested distributions 1.8

1.0

0.4

0.1



0.3 Market gains and losses (61.6)

(45.5)

(9.6)

(1.7)

0.6

(5.4) Foreign currency translation (17.2)

(5.1)

(5.7)

(2.6)

(2.1)

(1.7) June 30, 2022 $957.9

$287.5

$270.6

$72.0

$164.0

$163.8























Average AUM $989.2

$313.1

$274.4

$73.1

$159.7

$168.9



























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Active (d) (continued)

By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK March 31, 2022 $1,042.7

$703.2

$202.3

$83.3

$53.9 Long-term inflows 48.8

28.7

13.8

4.5

1.8 Long-term outflows (60.1)

(36.3)

(13.2)

(7.0)

(3.6) Net long-term flows (11.3)

(7.6)

0.6

(2.5)

(1.8) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 



0.1

(0.1)

 Net flows in money market funds 3.5

4.0

(0.4)

(0.1)

 Total net flows (7.8)

(3.6)

0.3

(2.7)

(1.8) Reinvested distribution 1.8

1.7





0.1 Market gains and losses (61.6)

(51.2)

(0.9)

(6.5)

(3.0) Foreign currency translation (17.2)

(1.0)

(10.4)

(2.0)

(3.8) June 30, 2022 $957.9

$649.1

$191.3

$72.1

$45.4























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Passive (d)

in billions Q2-22

Q1-22

% Change

Q2-21 Beginning Assets $513.2

$528.4

(2.9) %

$397.8 Long-term inflows 32.6

44.6

(26.9) %

53.3 Long-term outflows (28.1)

(28.2)

(0.4) %

(24.3) Net long-term flows 4.5

16.4

(72.6) %

29.0 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

(1.0)

100.0 %

2.5 Total net flows 2.5

15.4

(83.8) %

31.5 Market gains and losses (80.7)

(30.9)

161.2 %

30.3 Foreign currency translation (2.5)

0.3

N/A

(0.6) Ending Assets $432.5

$513.2

(15.7) %

$459.0















Average long-term AUM $287.5

$292.1

(1.6) %

$252.5 Average AUM $468.0

$495.1

(5.5) %

$431.1 Average QQQ AUM $169.0

$189.0

(10.6) %

$162.7

By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional March 31, 2022 $513.2

$462.8

$50.4 Long-term inflows 32.6

31.5

1.1 Long-term outflows (28.1)

(26.9)

(1.2) Net long-term flows 4.5

4.6

(0.1) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

0.2

(2.2) Total net flows 2.5

4.8

(2.3) Market gains and losses (80.7)

(77.1)

(3.6) Foreign currency translation (2.5)

(0.7)

(1.8) June 30, 2022 $432.5

$389.8

$42.7













By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market(c)

Alternatives(b) March 31, 2022 $513.2

$432.1

$40.6

$1.0

$

$39.5 Long-term inflows 32.6

22.2

5.3





5.1 Long-term outflows (28.1)

(19.1)

(2.7)





(6.3) Net long-term flows 4.5

3.1

2.6





(1.2) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

0.2

(2.2)





 Total net flows 2.5

3.3

0.4





(1.2) Market gains and losses (80.7)

(76.4)

(2.0)

(0.1)



(2.2) Foreign currency translation (2.5)

(1.7)

(0.5)





(0.3) June 30, 2022 $432.5

$357.3

$38.5

$0.9

$

$35.8























Average AUM $468.0

$388.8

$39.0

$0.9

$

$39.3



























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Quarterly Assets Under Management - Passive (d) (continued)

By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK March 31, 2022 $513.2

$388.3

$37.5

$86.4

$1.0 Long-term inflows 32.6

20.3

1.6

10.6

0.1 Long-term outflows (28.1)

(16.6)

(2.1)

(9.2)

(0.2) Net long-term flows 4.5

3.7

(0.5)

1.4

(0.1) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (2.0)

(2.5)

0.8

(0.4)

0.1 Total net flows 2.5

1.2

0.3

1.0

 Market gains and losses (80.7)

(65.1)

(2.6)

(12.8)

(0.2) Foreign currency translation (2.5)



(2.1)

(0.4)

 June 30, 2022 $432.5

$324.4

$33.1

$74.2

$0.8























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management

in billions June 30, 2022

June 30, 2021

% Change

Beginning Assets $1,610.9

$1,349.9

19.3 %

Long-term inflows 187.7

234.6

(20.0) %

Long-term outflows (177.3)

(179.0)

(0.9) %

Net long-term flows 10.4

55.6

(81.3) %

Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

2.6

N/A

Net flows in money market funds 16.3

27.1

(39.9) %

Total net flows 23.7

85.3

(72.2) %

Reinvested distributions 2.6

1.8

44.4 %

Market gains and losses (223.2)

90.2

N/A

Foreign currency translation (23.6)

(2.2)

972.7 %

Ending Assets $1,390.4

$1,525.0

(8.8) %















Average long-term AUM $1,152.4

$1,142.1

0.9 %

Average AUM $1,501.2

$1,437.7

4.4 %

















in billions Total AUM

Active(d)

Passive(d) December 31, 2021 $1,610.9

$1,082.5

$528.4 Long-term inflows 187.7

110.5

77.2 Long-term outflows (177.3)

(121.0)

(56.3) Net long-term flows 10.4

(10.5)

20.9 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)



(3.0) Net flows in money market funds 16.3

16.3

 Total net flows 23.7

5.8

17.9 Reinvested distributions 2.6

2.6

 Market gains and losses (223.2)

(111.6)

(111.6) Foreign currency translation (23.6)

(21.4)

(2.2) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$957.9

$432.5











Average AUM $1,501.2

$1,019.6

$481.6













By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional December 31, 2021 $1,610.9

$1,106.5

$504.4 Long-term inflows 187.7

143.5

44.2 Long-term outflows (177.3)

(141.4)

(35.9) Net long-term flows 10.4

2.1

8.3 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

0.6

(3.6) Net flows in money market funds 16.3

2.5

13.8 Total net flows 23.7

5.2

18.5 Reinvested distributions 2.6

2.4

0.2 Market gains and losses (223.2)

(206.9)

(16.3) Foreign currency translation (23.6)

(8.4)

(15.2) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$898.8

$491.6















See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Asset Under Management (continued)

By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market (c)

Alternatives(b) December 31, 2021 $1,610.9

$841.6

$334.8

$88.6

$148.8

$197.1 Long-term inflows 187.7

86.5

58.5

8.6



34.1 Long-term outflows (177.3)

(88.6)

(48.9)

(11.7)



(28.1) Net long-term flows 10.4

(2.1)

9.6

(3.1)



6.0 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

0.6

(3.6)





 Net flows in money market funds 16.3







16.3

 Total net flows 23.7

(1.5)

6.0

(3.1)

16.3

6.0 Reinvested distributions 2.6

1.2

0.7

0.2



0.5 Market gains and losses (223.2)

(188.4)

(24.3)

(10.1)

1.0

(1.4) Foreign currency translation (23.6)

(8.1)

(8.1)

(2.7)

(2.1)

(2.6) June 30, 2022 $1,390.4

$644.8

$309.1

$72.9

$164.0

$199.6























Average AUM $1,501.2

$739.3

$320.6

$78.8

$157.1

$205.4

























By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK December 31, 2021 1,610.9

1,132.5

247.3

171.5

59.6 Long-term inflows 187.7

110.5

36.8

36.6

3.8 Long-term outflows (177.3)

(106.5)

(31.1)

(31.8)

(7.9) Net long-term flows 10.4

4.0

5.7

4.8

(4.1) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

(4.7)

0.8

0.6

0.3 Net flows in money market funds 16.3

16.4

0.8

(0.9)

 Total net flows 23.7

15.7

7.3

4.5

(3.8) Reinvested distributions 2.6

2.5





0.1 Market gains and losses (223.2)

(176.3)

(15.9)

(26.5)

(4.5) Foreign currency translation (23.6)

(0.9)

(14.3)

(3.2)

(5.2) June 30, 2022 1,390.4

973.5

224.4

146.3

46.2























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Active (d)

in billions June 30, 2022

June 30, 2021

% Change

Beginning Assets $ 1,082.5

$ 979.3

10.5 %

Long-term inflows 110.5

137.4

(19.6) %

Long-term outflows (121.0)

(127.8)

(5.3) %

Net long-term flows (10.5)

9.6

N/A

Net flows in money market funds 16.3

27.1

(39.9) %

Total net flows 5.8

36.7

(84.2) %

Reinvested distributions 2.6

1.8

44.4 %

Market gains and losses (111.6)

49.5

N/A

Foreign currency translation (21.4)

(1.3)

1,546.2 %

Ending Assets $ 957.9

$ 1,066.0

(10.1) %















Average long-term AUM $ 862.6

$ 907.1

(4.9) %

Average AUM $ 1,019.6

$ 1,028.8

(0.9) %



By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional December 31, 2021 $1,082.5

$631.7

$450.8 Long-term inflows 110.5

68.0

42.5 Long-term outflows (121.0)

(87.2)

(33.8) Net long-term flows (10.5)

(19.2)

8.7 Net flows in money market funds 16.3

2.5

13.8 Total net flows 5.8

(16.7)

22.5 Reinvested distributions 2.6

2.4

0.2 Market gains and losses (111.6)

(100.9)

(10.7) Foreign currency translation (21.4)

(7.5)

(13.9) June 30, 2022 $ 957.9

$ 509.0

$ 448.9













By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market(c)

Alternatives(b) December 31, 2021 $1,082.5

$389.6

$293.1

$87.4

$148.8

$163.6 Long-term inflows 110.5

32.8

48.3

8.6



20.8 Long-term outflows (121.0)

(48.7)

(43.6)

(11.6)



(17.1) Net long-term flows (10.5)

(15.9)

4.7

(3.0)



3.7 Net flows in money market funds 16.3







16.3

 Total net flows 5.8

(15.9)

4.7

(3.0)

16.3

3.7 Reinvested distributions 2.6

1.2

0.7

0.2



0.5 Market gains and losses (111.6)

(80.7)

(20.3)

(9.9)

1.0

(1.7) Foreign currency translation (21.4)

(6.7)

(7.6)

(2.7)

(2.1)

(2.3) June 30, 2022 $957.9

$287.5

$270.6

$72.0

$164.0

$163.8























Average AUM $1,019.6

$335.9

$280.8

$77.7

$157.1

$168.1



























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Active (d) (continued)

By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK December 31, 2021 $1,082.5

$724.5

$208.8

$90.5

$58.7 Long-term inflows 110.5

63.2

33.6

10.2

3.5 Long-term outflows (121.0)

(71.8)

(27.9)

(13.9)

(7.4) Net long-term flows (10.5)

(8.6)

5.7

(3.7)

(3.9) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) 



0.1

(0.1)

 Net flows in money market funds 16.3

16.4

0.8

(0.9)

 Total net flows 5.8

7.8

6.6

(4.7)

(3.9) Reinvested distributions 2.6

2.5





0.1 Market gains and losses (111.6)

(84.8)

(11.4)

(11.1)

(4.3) Foreign currency translation (21.4)

(0.9)

(12.7)

(2.6)

(5.2) June 30, 2022 $957.9

$649.1

$191.3

$72.1

$45.4























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Passive (d)

in billions June 30, 2022

June 30, 2021

% Change

Beginning Assets $528.4

$370.6

42.6 %

Long-term inflows 77.2

97.2

(20.6) %

Long-term outflows (56.3)

(51.2)

10.0 %

Net long-term flows 20.9

46.0

(54.6) %

Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

2.6

N/A

Total net flows 17.9

48.6

(63.2) %

Market gains and losses (111.6)

40.7

N/A

Foreign currency translation (2.2)

(0.9)

144.4 %

Ending Assets $432.5

$459.0

(5.8) %















Average long-term AUM $289.8

$235.0

23.3 %

Average AUM $481.6

$408.9

17.8 %

Average QQQ AUM $179.0

$157.9

13.4 %



By channel: (in billions) Total

Retail

Institutional December 31, 2021 $528.4

$474.8

$53.6 Long-term inflows 77.2

75.5

1.7 Long-term outflows (56.3)

(54.2)

(2.1) Net long-term flows 20.9

21.3

(0.4) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

0.6

(3.6) Total net flows 17.9

21.9

(4.0) Market gains and losses (111.6)

(106.0)

(5.6) Foreign currency translation (2.2)

(0.9)

(1.3) June 30, 2022 $432.5

$389.8

$42.7













By asset class: (in billions) Total

Equity

Fixed

Income

Balanced

Money

Market(c)

Alternatives(b) December 31, 2021 $528.4

$452.0

$41.7

$1.2

$

$33.5 Long-term inflows 77.2

53.7

10.2





13.3 Long-term outflows (56.3)

(39.9)

(5.3)

(0.1)



(11.0) Net long-term flows 20.9

13.8

4.9

(0.1)



2.3 Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

0.6

(3.6)





 Total net flows 17.9

14.4

1.3

(0.1)



2.3 Market gains and losses (111.6)

(107.7)

(4.0)

(0.2)



0.3 Foreign currency translation (2.2)

(1.4)

(0.5)





(0.3) June 30, 2022 $432.5

$357.3

$38.5

$0.9

$

$35.8























Average AUM $481.6

$403.4

$39.8

$1.0

$

$37.4



























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd. Year-to-Date Assets Under Management - Passive (d) (continued)

By client domicile: (in billions) Total

Americas

Asia

Pacific

EMEA Ex

UK

UK December 31, 2021 $528.4

$408.0

$38.5

$81.0

$0.9 Long-term inflows 77.2

47.3

3.2

26.4

0.3 Long-term outflows (56.3)

(34.7)

(3.2)

(17.9)

(0.5) Net long-term flows 20.9

12.6



8.5

(0.2) Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM (a) (3.0)

(4.7)

0.7

0.7

0.3 Total net flows 17.9

7.9

0.7

9.2

0.1 Market gains and losses (111.6)

(91.5)

(4.5)

(15.4)

(0.2) Foreign currency translation (2.2)



(1.6)

(0.6)

 June 30, 2022 $432.5

$324.4

$33.1

$74.2

$0.8























See the footnotes immediately following these tables.

Invesco Ltd.

Footnotes to the Assets Under Management Tables

(a) Non-management fee earning AUM includes non-management fee earning ETFs, UIT and product leverage.



(b) The alternatives asset class includes absolute return, commodities, currencies, financial structures, global macro, long/short equity, managed futures, multi-alternatives, private capital - direct, private capital - fund of funds, private direct real estate, public real estate securities, senior secured loans and custom solutions.



(c) Long-term AUM excludes money market and non-management fee earning AUM. Ending AUM as of June 30, 2022 includes $164.0 billion in money market AUM and $162.8 billion in non-management fee earning AUM (March 31, 2022: $162.0 billion and $209.5 billion, respectively; June 30, 2021: $135.7 billion and $190.2 billion, respectively).



(d) Passive AUM includes index-based ETFs, unit investment trusts (UITs), non-fee earning leverage and other passive mandates. Active AUM is total AUM less Passive AUM.

Invesco Ltd. Investment Capabilities Performance Overview



Benchmark Comparison Peer Group Comparison % of AUM in Top Half of Benchmark % of AUM in Top Half of Peer Group Equities (1) 1yr 3yr 5yr 10yr 1yr 3yr 5yr 10yr U.S. Core (4%) 42 % 40 % 15 % 15 % 12 % 20 % 11 %  % U.S. Growth (6%) 28 % 43 % 43 % 43 % 18 % 41 % 29 % 36 % U.S. Value (7%) 91 % 59 % 45 % 52 % 81 % 41 % 40 % 38 % Sector (1%) 1 % 1 % 1 % 55 % 30 % 24 % 56 % 56 % UK (1%) 79 % 46 % 38 % 43 % 100 % 40 % 35 % 35 % Canadian (<1%) 100 % 77 % 77 % 37 % 88 % 77 % 40 %  % Asian (3%) 51 % 78 % 86 % 90 % 25 % 27 % 59 % 85 % Continental European (2%) 77 % 29 % 9 % 92 % 90 % 33 % 4 % 91 % Global (5%) 17 % 13 % 6 % 80 % 12 % 8 %  % 31 % Global Ex U.S. and Emerging Markets (9%) 11 % 18 % 10 % 91 % 18 % 1 % 10 % 12 % Fixed Income (1)















Money Market (23%) 19 % 77 % 96 % 100 % 78 % 80 % 79 % 98 % U.S. Fixed Income (11%) 31 % 74 % 83 % 97 % 27 % 67 % 82 % 92 % Global Fixed Income (7%) 49 % 83 % 78 % 92 % 66 % 69 % 74 % 87 % Stable Value (6%) 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 97 % 97 % 97 % 100 % Other (1)















Alternatives (7%) 29 % 48 % 41 % 34 % 66 % 51 % 49 % 44 % Balanced (8%) 41 % 94 % 65 % 65 % 37 % 62 % 87 % 94 %





Note: Excludes passive products, closed-end funds, private equity limited partnerships, non-discretionary funds, unit investment trusts, fund of funds with component funds managed by Invesco, stable value building block funds and CDOs. Certain funds and products were excluded from the analysis because of limited benchmark or peer group data. Had these been available, results may have been different. These results are preliminary and subject to revision.





Data as of June 30, 2022. AUM measured in the one, three, five and ten year quartile rankings represents 47%, 46%, 45% and 41% of total Invesco AUM, respectively, and AUM measured versus benchmark on a one, three, five and ten year basis represents 60%, 58%, 56% and 51% of total Invesco AUM. Peer group rankings are sourced from a widely-used third party ranking agency in each fund's market (e.g., Morningstar, IA, Lipper, eVestment, Mercer, Galaxy, SITCA, Value Research) and asset-weighted in USD. Rankings are as of prior quarter-end for most institutional products and prior month-end for Australian retail funds due to their late release by third parties. Rankings are calculated against all funds in each peer group. Rankings for the primary share class of the most representative fund in each composite are applied to all products within each composite. Performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends. Past performance is not indicative of future results and may not reflect an investor's experience.



(1) Numbers in parenthesis reflect AUM for each investment product (see Note above for exclusions) as a percentage of the total AUM for the five-year peer group ($632 billion).

Invesco Ltd. Supplemental Information (1)



For the three months ended

June 30, 2022

For the three months ended

June 30, 2021 Cash flow information $ in millions U.S. GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Excluding

CIP

U.S. GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Excluding

CIP Invesco and CIP cash, cash equivalents and

restricted cash, beginning of period (2) $ 1,614.1

$ 304.5

$ 1,309.6

$ 1,795.9

$ 429.6

$ 1,366.3 Cash flows from operating activities 123.1

(151.2)

274.3

507.7

(18.8)

526.5 Cash flows from investing activities (76.7)

(36.7)

(40.0)

(83.8)

(44.4)

(39.4) Cash flows from financing activities (477.7)

84.4

(562.1)

(482.7)

36.6

(519.3) Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (431.3)

(103.5)

(327.8)

(58.8)

(26.6)

(32.2) Foreign exchange movement on cash and cash

equivalents (50.0)

(5.0)

(45.0)



1.1

(1.1) Invesco and CIP cash and cash equivalents, end of the period $ 1,132.8

$ 196.0

$ 936.8

$ 1,737.1

$ 404.1

$ 1,333.0



























For the six months ended June 30, 2022

For the six months ended June 30, 2021 Cash flow information $ in millions U.S. GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Excluding

CIP

U.S. GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Excluding

CIP Invesco and CIP cash, cash equivalents and

restricted cash, beginning of period (2) $ 2,147.1

$ 250.7

$ 1,896.4

$ 1,839.3

$ 301.7

$ 1,537.6 Cash flows from operating activities (252.3)

(407.2)

154.9

480.8

(120.4)

601.2 Cash flows from investing activities (155.8)

(38.3)

(117.5)

(223.7)

(169.0)

(54.7) Cash flows from financing activities (533.0)

398.6

(931.6)

(344.9)

396.5

(741.4) Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (941.1)

(46.9)

(894.2)

(87.8)

107.1

(194.9) Foreign exchange movement on cash and cash

equivalents (73.2)

(7.8)

(65.4)

(14.4)

(4.7)

(9.7) Invesco and CIP cash and cash equivalents, end of the period $ 1,132.8

$ 196.0

$ 936.8

$ 1,737.1

$ 404.1

$ 1,333.0





























(1) These tables include non-GAAP presentations. Cash held by CIP is not available for use by Invesco. Additionally, there is no recourse to Invesco for CIP debt. The cash flows of CIP do not form part of the company's cash flow management processes, nor do they form part of the company's significant liquidity evaluations and decisions. Policyholder assets and liabilities are equal and offsetting and have no impact on Invesco's shareholder's equity. The impact of cash inflows/outflows from policyholder assets and liabilities are reflected within cash flows from operating activities as changes in receivable and/or payables, as applicable.



(2) There was no restricted cash during three and six months ended June 30, 2022. The beginning of period cash excluding CIP for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 included restricted cash of $208.0 million and $129.2 million, respectively. There was no restricted cash at the end of the period for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.

Invesco Ltd. Supplemental Information(1)



As of June 30, 2022

As of December 31, 2021 Balance Sheet information $ in millions U.S.

GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Impact of

Policyholders

As

Adjusted

U.S.

GAAP

Impact of

CIP

Impact of

Policyholders

As

Adjusted ASSETS





























Cash and cash equivalents $ 936.8

$ 

$ 

$ 936.8

$ 1,896.4





$ 1,896.4 Investments 884.6

(448.2)



1,332.8

926.3

(454.8)



1,381.1 Investments and other assets of

CIP 9,007.9

9,007.9





9,575.1

9,575.1



 Cash and cash equivalents of

CIP 196.0

196.0





250.7

250.7



 Assets held for policyholders 1,067.7



1,067.7



1,893.6



1,893.6

 Goodwill and intangible assets,

net 15,820.6





15,820.6

16,110.5





16,110.5 Other assets (2) 2,273.1

(8.4)



2,281.5

2,033.0

(6.4)



2,039.4 Total assets 30,186.7

8,747.3

1,067.7

20,371.7

32,685.6

9,364.6

1,893.6

21,427.4 LIABILITIES





























Debt of CIP 6,731.1

6,731.1





7,336.1

7,336.1



 Other liabilities of CIP 443.0

443.0





846.3

846.3



 Policyholder payables 1,067.7



1,067.7



1,893.6



1,893.6

 Debt 1,671.2





1,671.2

2,085.1





2,085.1 Other liabilities (3) 3,586.1





3,586.1

3,845.7





3,845.7 Total liabilities 13,499.1

7,174.1

1,067.7

5,257.3

16,006.8

8,182.4

1,893.6

5,930.8 EQUITY





























Total equity attributable to

Invesco Ltd. 15,113.7

(0.1)



15,113.8

15,495.8

(0.1)



15,495.9 Noncontrolling interests (4) 1,573.9

1,573.3



0.6

1,183.0

1,182.3



0.7 Total equity 16,687.6

1,573.2



15,114.4

16,678.8

1,182.2



15,496.6 Total liabilities and equity $ 30,186.7

$ 8,747.3

$ 1,067.7

$ 20,371.7

$ 32,685.6

$ 9,364.6

$ 1,893.6

$ 21,427.4





































(1) These tables include non-GAAP presentations. Cash held by CIP is not available for use by Invesco. Additionally, there is no recourse to Invesco for CIP debt. The cash flows of CIP do not form part of the company's cash flow management processes, nor do they form part of the company's significant liquidity evaluations and decisions. Policyholder assets and liabilities are equal and offsetting and have no impact on Invesco's shareholder's equity. The impact of cash inflows/outflows from policyholder assets and liabilities are reflected within cash flows from operating activities as changes in receivable and/or payables, as applicable.



(2) Amounts include accounts receivable, prepaid assets, unsettled funds receivables, property, equipment and software, right-of-use asset, and other assets.



(3) Amounts include accrued compensation and benefits, unsettled funds payables, accounts payable and accrued expenses, lease liability, and deferred tax liabilities.



(4) Amounts include redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities and equity attributable to nonredeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities.

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.
Adds Lazard veteran Adam Green as Director

CHICAGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Livingstone, the global middle-market investment bank, announced today that Adam Green has joined the firm as a Director. He is based in Chicago and will bolster Livingstone's growing Special Situations practice.

Livingstone Strengthens Special Situations Practice with Key Hire

Adam joins from Lazard Freres & Co., where he was a member of the Restructuring & Capital Solutions group. There he was engaged in restructuring transaction advisory for companies ranging in funded debt between $200 million and $8 billion, which included in-court and out-of-court comprehensive balance sheet restructurings, section 363 sales, debt-for-debt exchanges, and other capital markets transactions.

"We are delighted Adam has joined the firm to better serve our clients in this important and growing sector," said Joe Greenwood, Head of Special Situations at Livingstone. "Adam brings a wealth of bulge bracket restructuring investment banking expertise to Livingstone. His experience advising clients such as Peabody Energy, Forever 21, Claire's Stores, Westmoreland Energy Partners and more will prove a great supplement to the Livingstone Special Situations team."

"Livingstone has built a great brand in middle-market special situations investment banking, delivering best-in-class service to companies in various stages of financial distress. I look forward to partnering with Joe Greenwood as we continue to grow the Special Situations practice," shared Adam Green, Director at Livingstone.

"Expanding our Special Situations team has been, and will continue to be, a key priority, as we expect the ongoing economic headwinds to, unfortunately, increase the instances of financial distress throughout the middle market," shared Steve Miles, Managing Partner at Livingstone. "We intend to be fully staffed to help our clients navigate these complex situations."

Adam graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law and with high distinction from Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

About Livingstone:

Livingstone is an international mid-market M&A and debt advisory firm with offices in Beijing, Chicago, Dusseldorf, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, and Stockholm. We have deep industry expertise and extensive global coverage, with dedicated teams across our offices closing an average of 50+ transactions annually in the Business & Technology Services, Healthcare, and Industrial segments.

Visit the website to learn more.

Media Contact:

Sara O'Connor

3126705906

[email protected]

SOURCE Livingstone
SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh off the runway making a huge splash during Miami Swim Week The Shows, JAMS by Jillian is heading westward to debut the brand's boldly colorful 2023 women and men's swimwear collection at San Diego Swim Week on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 6:45 PM PST.

JAMS by Jillian's swimwear looks will hit the runway at the Luce on Kettner venue located at 2310 Kettner Blvd Suite A, San Diego, CA 92101 in front of hundreds of media officials, influencers, buyers and fashionistas.

JAMS by Jillian 3AM Collection on the fashion runway JAMS by Jillian is heading to the west coast to introduce the brand's latest swimwear line for men and women at San Diego Swim Week on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 6:45 PM PST/9:45 PM EST.

Designed by founder, CEO and Creative Director, Jillian Mangi, shares that "our newest swimwear collection from JAMS by Jillian was inspired by the nightlife, club vibes and dating culture prominent throughout Miami Beach. Don't fret The mantra of the new swimwear collection from JAMS by Jillian encourages women to hit the club, turn on DND, have a good time while and remember to stop answering that guy's call!"

The 3AM Collection features 16 sultry swimwear looks for men and women, many of which include a glow-in-the-dark effect when in blacklight. Each piece from JAMS by Jillian's latest collection is named after a dating term: From "Ghosted" or "The Twin Flame" or "The Streets," some of the looks are named after experiences that happen to everyone going through the dating journey in major cities like Miami, Los Angeles and New York City.

Not only are the new swimwear designs from JAMS by Jillian's new 3AM Collection unconventional, bold and colorful, but customers can feel great knowing that two dollars of every swimsuit purchase is donated to a variety of vetted nonprofits that further women's education and their future globally.

The 3AM Collection creative campaign video on vivo: https://vimeo.com/727044460

ABOUT JAMS by Jillian

JAMS by Jillian is an emerging Miami Beach swimwear line founded and designed by Jillian Mangi. Designed and made in Miami, JAMS by Jillian is an ethical brand, disrupting the industry with their unconventional, bold and colorful collections. $2 of every swimsuit purchase are donated to a variety of vetted nonprofits that further women's education and their future globally. To purchase your JAMS by Jillian swimsuit or learn more about the brand, please visit https://jamsbyjillian.com and follow the brand on Instagram @jamsbyjillian.

Learn more info about San Diego Swim Week online at https://www.sandiegoswimweek.com

And follow San Diego Swim Week @sdswimweek.

Media Contacts:

Timur Tugberk and Samantha Savory

3055825997, [email protected]

SOURCE JAMS by Jillian
NCODA University Offers Complimentary Accredited Learning Through Virtual and In-Person Events

CAZENOVIA, N.Y., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Empowering all stakeholders in oncology with easily accessible, patient-centered education and collaborative learning opportunities is fundamental to NCODA, Inc. Today, NCODA, launches NCODA University , a new division of the organization, which will allow medically-integrated oncology professionals to obtain top-tier training in a format that is accessible, functional, diverse, and addresses current practice needs.

NCODA University will utilize a four-column structure for encompassing educational initiatives specifically designed for each of the different facets: members, trainees (students, residents, and fellows), industry team members, and patients. "This new educational platform will help us continue providing quality education to a variety of different stakeholders in oncology - from our students and industry partners, to our clinical members and the patients they serve," said Michael Reff, RPh, MBA, Founder and Executive Director at NCODA.

Firmly committed to lifelong learning, NCODA University, led by Julianne Darling, PharmD, BCOP (Manager of Education), will build upon highly utilized NCODA-developed resources such as Positive Quality Interventions (PQIs), the Oral Chemotherapy Education (OCE) and Intravenous Cancer Treatment Education (IVE) sheets, PQI in Actions, and other member resources that strengthen oncology teams. In addition, the program will meet important needs of oncology professionals with continuing education (CE) activities, a virtual expert speaker library, Medically-Integrated Pharmacy (MIP) Significance Training, and learning modules designed to equip all participants with the information needed to excel in oncology.

Not only will NCODA University support clinical and industry professionals, the program will fill a gap in pharmacy student oncology education. Working closely with NCODA-affiliated schools / colleges of pharmacy, the need for enhanced oncology-focused coursework was identified. Pharmacy students, residents and fellows will be able to engage with NCODA University for learning opportunities designed to enhance important oncology curriculum prior to graduating.

NCODA University is a complimentary member benefit and is now available on NCODA.org .

The program will offer in-person CE at the upcoming NCODA Fall Summit on October 27-29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.

Corporate Engagement - Rob Ashford - [email protected]

Member, Trainee and Patient Education - [email protected]

About NCODA

NCODA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our Mission is to empower the medically-integrated oncology team to deliver positive, patient-centered outcomes by providing leadership, expertise, quality standards and best practices. For more information about NCODA, visit www.ncoda.org .

SOURCE NCODA
ROXBORO, N.C., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Book Extracts (OBX), a total solution provider for high quality cannabinoid ingredients, concept-to-market formulation services, and finished goods manufacturing, announced today an R&D and commercialization partnership with Nalu Bio, developers of a proprietary chemical synthesis platform that produces ultra-pure, high quality, sustainable cannabinoids.

The partnership with OBX will allow Nalu Bio to advance its THCV production method from research and development to commercial-scale manufacturing using their proprietary and scalable synthesis platform. With a 76,000 sf. NSF- and ISO 9001-certified research and production facility near Durham, North Carolina, OBX and Nalu Bio plan to begin initial production of THCV in September 2022 with market-ready compounds available before the end of the year.

Nalu Bio's vision for the synthesis and cost-effective mass production of cannabinoids mimics the history of aspirin  the therapeutic value of aspirin for pain relief was discovered, and while initially derived from willow bark, it is now mass produced at factory-scale with higher quality and dosage consistency, which has benefited billions of consumers worldwide as it has become the most commonly used drug in the world. THCV will be the first cannabinoid available at commercial scale through this partnership, allowing OBX and Nalu Bio to offer the highest quality, most consistent dosage of THCV to consumers across the globe. Both OBX and Nalu Bio envision a range of additional cannabinoids to be released through this partnership. The products manufactured using Nalu Bio's method will be a powerful addition to the current OBX portfolio, including a broad range of cannabinoids from hemp and natural sources, including CBD, CBN, CBC, CBG, CBT, CBDa, CBGa, CBDV, and THCV.

Matthew Roberts, CTO of Nalu Bio had this to say about these developments. "Our THCV is produced in highly scalable reactors at factory-scale, using low-cost, safe and effective starting materials. Nalu Bio and OBX are both innovators in their respective fields, and this partnership is mutually beneficial for two industry leaders. Nalu Bio prides itself on partnering excellence, and we're excited to deliver high-quality, safe, and low-cost cannabinoid ingredients and products to the market."

Since inception, OBX has taken a holistic approach to the cannabinoid industry, designing a cannabinoid ingredient portfolio to include botanical, synthetic, and biosynthetic cannabinoids. Certain jurisdictions, such as Japan, or certain industry segments, such as cosmetics, may prefer synthetic ingredients based on regulatory guidance. Synthetic ingredients offer the additional benefit of cost efficiency at scale, allowing for the production of bioidentical synthetic cannabinoids at significantly lower cost than agricultural extraction and refinement methods. The partnership with Nalu Bio will allow OBX to provide the industry with the highest quality synthetic rare cannabinoids at the lowest cost. At the same time, OBX will continue to offer rare cannabinoids such as THCV from hemp and natural sources, to support the diverse needs of their global customers.

Dave Neundorfer, OBX CEO, said, "I am excited about the value Nalu Bio and OBX will bring to the cannabinoid therapeutics market. This partnership is well-positioned to meet the needs of the growing synthetic cannabinoid market and deliver potentially life-changing products to consumers worldwide."

About Nalu Bio

At Nalu Bio , we learn from nature, and deliver through chemistry. Nalu Bio is creating a new category of cannabinoids for the wellness and pharmaceutical markets. Nalu Bio's proprietary chemical synthesis platform will set the industry standard for purity, consistency, quality and sustainability. Nalu Bio uses 700x less land, 70x less water, and 14x less energy to produce its cannabinoids, which is better for the planet. The company's platform utilizes readily available materials and reliable manufacturing technology, eliminating the low-quality inefficiencies and high capital investment costs of hemp extraction. There will never be any pesticides, heavy metals, or THC in any of Nalu Bio's ingredients. Nalu Bio's unique, scalable platform has the ability to keep pace with anticipated market expansion, and will reliably deliver high quality and widely-accessible cannabinoids to global retail and pharmaceutical markets.

About Open Book Extracts

Headquartered in Roxboro, N.C., Open Book Extracts is an NSF cGMP-certified manufacturer of premium cannabinoid products, aiming to be the industry's true north by delivering premium products, exceptional service, and industry-leading transparency. With control of the entire supply chain, a state-of-the-art extraction and manufacturing campus near North Carolina's Research Triangle, proprietary refinement and conversion methods backed by a growing IP portfolio, and a team of PhD chemists and seasoned business leaders, OBX is the trusted partner for global brands seeking to enter the marketplace. OBX offers concept-to-market formulation and manufacturing services, leveraging a broad portfolio of cannabinoid ingredients, leading water-soluble technology and unique delivery mechanisms to help its clients bring to market a wide range of finished goods, from core softgels, capsules, and gummies, to orally dissolving tablets, tongue strips, and aerosol sprays.

Media Contact:

Media relations - Sheldon Baker and Nicole Brown

914.645.0898

[email protected]

SOURCE Open Book Extracts
LEHI, Utah, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PCF Insurance Services (PCF), a top 20 U.S. insurance brokerage firm, announced today its acquisition of Zinc, a commercial-focused insurance agency based in Solon, Ohio. Founded in 2008, Zinc specializes in insurance and risk management solutions for the trucking, construction, contracting, and motorsports industries.

"We are excited to have Zinc join PCF as an Agency Partner," said Peter C. Foy, Chairman, Founder and CEO of PCF Insurance. "Zinc is based on an innovative, technology-driven business model providing complete transparency, high marketing performance, and an ability to connect with their clients and carriers, all being well-aligned with PCF's partner-centric culture."

To achieve long-term, sustainable growth, PCF Insurance is intentional in selecting Agency Partners who believe in the PCF business strategy, possess a proven track record of success, are highly entrepreneurial, and looking to grow beyond their current capacity. The team at Zinc shares in this belief, evidenced by crediting its fast-paced scale and growth to its continual investment in people, processes, marketing and technology.

"We built Zinc to perpetuate from day one," said Seth Zaremba, Founder and Principal of Zinc. "We are continually investing in the business because we want to be an attractive option for people who have helped build us and who will increase our value to customers and accelerate growth. PCF will allow me to continue expanding and be a part of something amazingly bigger with awesome people."

About Zinc

Zinc began as one man selling insurance out of a small office in 2008 in Solon, Ohio. Today, it's an agency building a new way to work with and for people powered by a business philosophy rooted in art, chemistry, and technology. Learn more at zincinsurance.com.

About PCF Insurance

Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, PCF Insurance Services is a leading full-service consultant and insurance brokerage firm offering a broad array of commercial, life and health, employee benefits, and workers' compensation solutions. A top 20 U.S. broker, PCF Insurance's agency-centric operating model and entrepreneurial environment support its tremendous growth profile, offering partners alignment through equity ownership, significant leadership incentives, and resources to over 2,500 employees throughout the U.S. Learn more at pcfins.com.

SOURCE PCF Insurance Services
Donations Support BackPack and Mobile Pantry Programs and provide nutritious meals for our neighbors

SALISBURY, Md., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to alleviate food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $30,000 grant and nearly 10,000 pounds of nutritious no-antibiotics-ever chicken products to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (SHFB), based in Nashville, Tenn.

As part of a commitment to alleviate food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $30,000 grant and nearly 10,000 pounds of nutritious no-antibiotics-ever chicken products to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (SHFB), based in Nashville, Tenn.

The funds provided by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation will support the food bank's BackPack Program for school children and mobile pantry programs in rural Putnam County, home to Perdue's further processing facility in Monterey. The protein will help feed children, seniors, and families throughout the region.

SHFB's BackPack program feeds more than 200 food-insecure children in Putnam County during the school year, providing them with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food on weekends and school vacations. Bags of healthy foods are discreetly placed in students' backpacks each week.

In addition, Perdue Farms will fund four SHFB mobile pantries, providing much-needed groceries to approximately 1,000 households experiencing hunger in Putnam County. Each mobile pantry distributes a truckload of produce, dairy, poultry/protein, and shelf-stable food, an average of 20,000 pounds to 250 households.

"According to Feeding America, 1 in 7 people in Putnam County  including 1 in 6 children  are at risk of hunger," said SHFB President and CEO Nancy Keil. "Thanks to Perdue Farms' generosity and continued support, Second Harvest is able to provide critical food resources to our neighbors in need."

The gifts from Perdue Farms are part of the company's Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities where Perdue associates live and work, and beyond.

"At Perdue, we are committed to doing our part to ease the burden of hunger in our communities, especially here in Middle Tennessee amid these tough economic times," said Gary DeVault, Perdue's Monterey director of operations. "We're proud to support Second Harvest Food Bank with our funds, food and volunteerism to help provide our neighbors the nourishment they need."

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee

For more than 40 years, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has followed its mission to provide food to people facing hunger and work to advance hunger solutions. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Second Harvest distributes food and other products to approximately 450 nonprofit partner agencies in 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Our partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, its mission, and programs, please visit secondharvestmidtn.org.

About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation

The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation , the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture.

About Perdue Farms We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE brand, Niman Ranch , Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats , Coleman Natural , and Yummy , as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms and Full Moon , is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com .

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.

Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com .

Photo caption: Associates from Perdue's operation in Monterey, Tenn. helped deliver a $30,000 grant, 10,000 pounds of chicken products to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee as part of the company's Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors initiative focus in part on hunger relief. The associates also packed boxes of non-perishable food for distribution to children, seniors and families. From left are Andrea Marin, Jackie Sherrill, Synthia Allen, Kim Beach (front), Hayden Floyd, Levi Blaylock, Ginny Caudle, Kay Cox, Angie Wood, and Tina Hall.

SOURCE Perdue Farms
DUBLIN , July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO), a leading provider of Consumer Self-Care Products, today announced that it will release its second quarter 2022 financial results on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. The Company will also host a conference call beginning at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).

The conference call will be available live via webcast to interested parties in the investor relations section of the Perrigo website at http://perrigo.investorroom.com/events-webcasts or by phone at 888-317-6003, International 412-317-6061, and reference ID # 4031017. A taped replay of the call will be available beginning at approximately 12:00 P.M. (EDT) Tuesday, August 9, until midnight Tuesday, August 16, 2022. To listen to the replay, dial 877-344-7529, International 412-317-0088, and use access code 3460338.

About Perrigo

Perrigo Company plc (NYSE; PRGO) is a leading provider of Consumer Self-Care Products and over-the-counter (OTC) health and wellness solutions that enhance individual well-being by empowering consumers to proactively prevent or treat conditions that can be self-managed. Visit Perrigo online at www.perrigo.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements." These statements relate to future events or the Company's future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of the Company or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "forecast," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, including: the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its variants and associated supply chain impacts on the Company's business; general economic, credit, and market conditions; the impact of the war in Ukraine and any escalation thereof, including the effects of economic and political sanctions imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and other countries related thereto; the outbreak or escalation of conflict in other regions where we do business; future impairment charges; customer acceptance of new products; competition from other industry participants, some of whom have greater marketing resources or larger market shares in certain product categories than the Company does; pricing pressures from customers and consumers; resolution of uncertain tax positions, including the Company's appeal of the draft and final Notices of Proposed Assessment ("NOPAs") issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the impact that an adverse result in any such proceedings would have on operating results, cash flows, and liquidity; pending and potential third-party claims and litigation, including litigation relating to the Company's restatement of previously-filed financial information and litigation relating to uncertain tax positions, including the NOPAs; potential impacts of ongoing or future government investigations and regulatory initiatives; uncertainty regarding anticipated regulatory approvals; potential costs and reputational impact of product recalls or sales halts; the impact of tax reform legislation and/or changes in healthcare policy; the timing, amount and cost of any share repurchases; fluctuations in currency exchange rates and interest rates; the Company's ability to achieve the benefits expected from the sale of its Rx business and the risk that potential costs or liabilities incurred or retained in connection with the transaction may exceed the Company's estimates or adversely affect the Company's business or operations; the Company's ability to achieve the benefits expected from the acquisition of HRA Pharma and the risks that the Company's synergy estimates are inaccurate or that the Company faces higher than anticipated integration or other costs in connection with the acquisition; risks associated with the integration of HRA Pharma, including the risk that growth rates are adversely affected by any delay in the integration of sales and distribution networks; the consummation and success of other announced and unannounced acquisitions or dispositions, and the Company's ability to realize the desired benefits thereof; and the Company's ability to execute and achieve the desired benefits of announced cost-reduction efforts and strategic and other initiatives, including the Company's ability to achieve the expected benefits from its supply chain reinvention program. An adverse result with respect to the Company's appeal of any material outstanding tax assessments or pending litigation, including securities or drug pricing matters, could ultimately require the use of corporate assets to pay such assessments, damages from third-party claims, and related interest and/or penalties, and any such use of corporate assets would limit the assets available for other corporate purposes. There can be no assurance that the FDA will approve the sale of daily oral contraceptives without a prescription in the United States. These and other important factors, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as the Company's subsequent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Perrigo Company plc
ASK Investment Managers elevates Sumit Jain to Deputy Chief Investment Office 16 Aug 2022 | 11:51 PM Mumbai, Aug 16 (UNI) ASK Investment Managers Limited (ASK), one of Indias largest asset and wealth management companies said that it has elevated Mr Sumit Jain as its Deputy Chief Investment Officer. He will be based in Mumbai. see more..

Concord Biotech files DRHP for IPO 16 Aug 2022 | 11:50 PM Mumbai, Aug 16 (UNI) Concord Biotech one of the leading global developers and manufacturers of select fermentation-based APIs across immunosuppressants and oncology in terms of market share has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO). see more..

ASPIRE -UoH and FABA organizes Biotech Startup Connect on Aug 18 & 19 16 Aug 2022 | 11:27 PM Hyderabad, Aug 16 (UNI) : Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) in association with ASPIRE  University of Hyderabad and other leading incubation centers in the country in the biotech sector is organizing Whale Tank Event, a Venture Capital  Biotech Startup Connect, which will be held virtually on August 18 and 19. see more..

Ikea group to open city center in Gurguram 16 Aug 2022 | 9:28 PM New Delhi, August 16, (UNI) Renowned retailer, Ingka Group (which also includes IKEA Retail and Ingka Investments) on Tuesday started the construction work of the 'Ingka Center' with a total investment of Rs 3500 crore in Gurguram, Haryana. see more..
The Business Research Company's precast concrete market research report expands on key drivers, trends, and growth opportunities in the market.

LONDON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Precast concrete manufacturing plants are increasingly using digital technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) to improve plant efficiency and productivity. IoT helps in remote monitoring and predictive maintenance of a precast concrete plant. IoT technology offers benefits such as increased asset uptime, efficient predictive maintenance, and faster processing and delivery time.

For instance, in 2020, Komatsu, a Japan-based construction equipment manufacturer, launched 4 IoT devices and 8 applications, which help construction managers to monitor and analyze the work. These applications and IoTs have capabilities to provide reports on fuel saving options, check completion of design execution according to the input design diagrams, and alert the user when consumable parts need replacement.

The global precast concrete market size is expected to grow from $95.86 billion in 2021 to $100.99 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.35%. The precast concrete market share is expected to reach $125.46 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 5.57%.

Request a free sample of the Precast Concrete Market Report

Industrialization Is A Major Driver For The Precast Concrete Manufacturers Market

Increasing industrialization has contributed to the growth of the precast concrete market. Industry 4.0 is a US-based initiative that aims to transform how businesses produce, enhance, and distribute their goods. Building materials manufacturers are being pushed by Industry 4.0 to expand capacity, use less energy and raw materials, and emit less CO2, while also promoting the creation of ecologically friendly products. For instance, in April 2022, according to Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation data, industrial production in India jumped 7.1% year-on-year, advancing from an upwardly revised 2.2% rise in the previous month and beating market expectations of a 5.1% rise.

According To Precast Concrete Industry Statistics, Holcim Group Was The Leading Competitor In 2021

Holcim Group was the largest competitor in the precast concrete market in 2021, with a 0.67% share of the market. Holcim's growth strategy focuses on developing its solutions and products business divisions through strategic acquisitions. For instance, in July 2019, Holcim entered into an agreement with ORESA for the acquisition of Somaco, a producer of precast concrete in Romania. Somaco offers precast solutions for subways, logistics platforms, tunnels, and bridges and also supplies products for the residential sector. Through this acquisition, the company aims to strengthen its position in the Romanian building materials market.

Health And Safety Issues Pose A Limitation To The Market's Growth

Health and safety issues have always been a major concern in any construction activity, including the making of precast concrete. Construction workers' duties include handling loads manually, managing dangerous products, being near falling objects, working at heights, in small spaces, underground, and near live electrical wires. The American construction industry comprises just 6% of US workers but witnesses around 20% of the fatalitiesthereby accounting for the largest number of fatalities compared to any other industry.

See more on the Precast Concrete Market Report

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Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Global Market Report 2022  By Type (Block, Lintel, Panel, Other Types), By Application (Construction Material, Roof Insulation, Roof Sub Bases, Bridge Sub-Structures, Concrete Pipes, Void Filling), By End User (Residential, Non-Residential)  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026

Cement And Concrete Products Global Market Report 2022  By Type (Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Concrete Pipe, Brick, And Block, Other Concrete Products), By Product (Rapid Hardening Cement, Low Heat Cement, White Cement, Hydrophobic Cement, Other Products (Colored Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement)), By Application (Residential, Non-Residential)  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026

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SOURCE The Business Research Company
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- QurAlis Corporation, a biotech company developing breakthrough precision medicines for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets, today announced that Kasper Roet, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, will present at the H.C. Wainwright Private Company Showcase on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 2:50 PM ET.

The QurAlis corporate presentation can be accessed by visiting the presentations section of the Company's website at www.quralis.com.

About QurAlis Corporation

QurAlis is trailblazing the path to conquering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets with next-generation precision medicines. QurAlis' proprietary platforms and unique biomarkers enable the design and development of drugs that act directly on disease-causing genetic alterations. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is advancing a deep pipeline of antisense oligonucleotides and small molecule programs including addressing sub-forms of ALS that account for the majority of ALS patients. For more information, please visit www.quralis.com or follow us on Twitter @QurAlisCo.

SOURCE QurAlis
ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rollins Inc. (NYSE: ROL), a premier global consumer and commercial services company, announced today that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved the Company's long-term leadership succession plan.

The plan provides that effective January 1, 2023, the Company's current President and Chief Operating Officer, Jerry Gahlhoff Jr., is expected to become Rollins' President and Chief Executive Officer. Gary W. Rollins, current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is expected to remain as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In preparation for this expected promotion, Jerry will spend the next 5 months working on this transition with Gary and John Wilson, Vice Chairman.

"I've had the pleasure of supporting the company and our pest control business for over 56 years and am fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead this great organization," said Gary Rollins, Chairman and CEO at Rollins. "I look forward to Jerry's advancement and my continuation as Chairman of the Board. I am extremely pleased with our succession plan and our outstanding leadership team."

Jerry joined Rollins during the Company's 2008 acquisition of HomeTeam, where he served in a variety of leadership roles including President. He was named President and COO of Rollins in 2020 and joined the Board of Directors in 2021.

"Jerry is an exceptional leader, with great vision and a deep understanding of our industry and our customers," Rollins said. "His years of service have been marked by outstanding performance, most recently as our President and COO. Jerry has had the unique opportunity to be intimately involved in most every facet of our organization. I have the utmost confidence he will continue to build on the strong heritage of our organization, and its track record."

Jerry Gahlhoff commented, "I am deeply honored to be named incoming CEO and look forward to leading this great organization into our next phase of growth and achievement. I am confident that the solid foundation Gary and others have created over the years  grounded in our culture of providing excellent customer service and business expansion  will serve us for years to come. Our entire organization is grateful for Gary's leadership, and I know we will continue to benefit from his vision and guidance as our Chairman."

ABOUT ROLLINS, INC.

Rollins, Inc. is a premier global consumer and commercial services company. Through its family of leading brands, Orkin, HomeTeam Pest Defense, Clark Pest Control, Northwest Exterminating, McCall Service, Trutech, Critter Control, Western Pest Services, Waltham Services, OPC Pest Services, The Industrial Fumigant Company, PermaTreat, Crane Pest Control, Missquito, Orkin Canada, Orkin Australia, Safeguard (UK), Aardwolf Pestkare (Singapore), and more, the Company and its franchises provide essential pest control services and protection against termite damage, rodents and insects to more than 2.8 million customers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia from more than 800 locations. You can learn more about Rollins and its subsidiaries by visiting our web site at www.rollins.com , where you can also find this and other news releases by accessing the news releases button.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release together with other statements and information publicly disseminated by the Company, may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning the business of Rollins, Inc. We have based these forward- looking statements largely on our current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions and projections about future events. Such forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans and expectations in connection with the CEO succession plan and transition of CEO leadership from Mr. Rollins to Mr. Gahlhoff, the relationship of Mr. Rollins to the Company post-transition and other plans and expectations.

It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results may differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in the section titled "Risk Factors" set forth in Part I, Item 1A of our 2021 Annual Report and in our other SEC filings. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and you should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. While we believe that such information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, such information may be limited or incomplete. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.

For Further Information

Julie Bimmerman (404) 888-2103

SOURCE Rollins, Inc.
Will Coordinate expansion into commercial and industrial markets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CLEAR 360 PRO is a next-gen workplace safety wearable that provides hearing protection, auditory situational awareness, and communication capabilities to commercial and industrial workers who operate in high-noise environments like construction, mining, transportation, and manufacturing. Mr. Paulson will provide leadership over Clear 360's growth in these areas.

The CLEAR 360 PRO is a new device, created by studio and sound engineers alongside medical doctors to address and solve multiple construction-environment hearing safety and communication issues. Tweet this Ronald E. Paulson, www.PaulsonAdvisoryllc.com www.Clear360Pro.com/construction

Ron draws on over 30 years of general management and commercial experience at W.W. Grainger, a Fortune 300 industrial supply company serving more than 3.5M customers. With experience managing P&L's up to $1B sales, he has successfully launched service offerings and strategic partnerships in facilities, safety, industrial hygiene, technical repair, energy, lighting, and more. Ron most recently served as Director of the Grainger Community Grant Program. He advises executive leadership teams, investors, and Boards of Directors of public and private companies on e-commerce, distribution and procurement strategies, commercial and sales growth, business development, general management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and philanthropy.

"I look forward to working with Clear 360 Ventures and the team of developers to bring to market a next-gen safety product. Their focus on auditory situational awareness and worker safety has been a priority in my career, and I am excited to continue that work with Clear 360," says Paulson.

"Ron is a perfect fit for our company. He is a growth architect with a proven record of starting and scaling up businesses throughout his career at Grainger and has successfully launched and managed multiple product and service offerings, and strategic partnerships on a global scale," said Ron Simmons, President of Clear 360 Ventures. "Ron's passion for workplace safety and his vast experience in the commercial/industrial space will serve us well as we expand our user footprint for Clear 360 safety and communication products".

The CLEAR 360 PRO is a new device, created by studio and sound engineers alongside medical doctors to address and solve multiple construction-environment hearing safety and communication issues. It incorporates patented hardware designs and proprietary audio processing software into a wearable that does not interfere with hard hats or other safety gear. It can be comfortably worn in harsh operating environments.

To find out more about CLEAR 360 PRO, visit www.clear360products.com/construction

Clear 360 Ventures, a subsidiary of Bongiovi Media & Technology, is a privately held company based in Port Saint Lucie, FL. Clear360 focuses on applying next-gen audio technologies to products and services that enhance the user experience and optimize workplace safety, communications, and productivity.

Paulson Advisory, LLC is based in Libertyville, IL., and is focused on strategic partnerships, leadership development, and philanthropy. Ron can be reached at www.paulsonadvisoryllc.com

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Bongiovi Media and Technology
The brand's $20,000 donation will continue to promote efforts that welcome diversity and opportunity within the state's signature industry

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Russell's Reserve Bourbon and Wild Turkey Distilling Co. today announced a $20,000 donation to benefit the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA) and its "Lifting Spirts Foundation." The Lifting Spirits Foundation was formed in 2020 with a focus on increasing diversity in distilled spirits by funding education credits for Black students, women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented students enrolled in Bourbon-related certification courses at the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, and Kentucky State University. This is the second consecutive year Russell's Reserve will work hand-in-hand with the KDA to benefit the community and propel the next generation of distillers in the spirits industry.

"'Reserved for All' is more than a slogan for Russell's Reserve  it's a philosophy that drives us," says JoAnn Street, Wild Turkey Distilling Co. Portfolio Ambassador and granddaughter of industry titan, Jimmy Russell. "We are committed to making the Bourbon industry a more welcoming and inclusive place. Through the work that the KDA is doing with the Lifting Spirits Foundation, we are seeing that happen in real time, and we are proud to continue our relationship in building a community of rising leaders who truly represent a shining light in the industry's bright future."

In addition to supporting the Lifting Spirits Foundation, Russell's Reserve and Wild Turkey Distilling Co. have a robust internship program aimed at furthering professional development for the Bourbon industry's next generation.

"Bourbon is more than what we do, it's a part of who we are as Kentuckians. Our scholarship aims to bring new voices, perspectives, and personalities to the industry," says Sara Barnes, Director of Industry Responsibility and Sustainability at the Kentucky Distillers' Association. "Support from heritage brands like Wild Turkey and Russell's Reserve allow us to grow this great program and enact long-lasting change within our industry. We are thankful for their unwavering support."

As a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, the Lifting Spirits Foundation works directly with KDA members to educate the public about the Commonwealth's distilled spirits industry through charitable, educational, literary, and scientific research efforts. With the support of its partners, the group is working to expand these scholarships to additional Kentucky colleges and universities, further increasing opportunities to grow the industry.

For over 100 years, the Kentucky Distillers' Association has advocated on behalf of the distilled spirits industry within the state bringing together distillers, businesses, educators, and governmental entities to ensure the Commonwealth remains the premiere Bourbon destination. As a result of the work from the organization's diverse membership, the state of Kentucky produces an overwhelming majority of the world's Bourbon. From household name brands to emerging distilleries, the KDA is committed to educating, encouraging, and supporting the next generation of distillers.

About Campari America

Campari America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano N.V. At the heart of Campari America are two legends in the American spirits industry. The first, Skyy Spirits, was founded in San Francisco back in 1992 by the entrepreneur who invented iconic SKYY Vodka. The second is the world-famous Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they have been making the world's finest whiskies since the 1800's. Both companies were purchased by Davide Campari-Milano and together they form Campari America, which has built a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Campari America manages Campari Group's portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY Vodka, SKYY Infusions, Grand Marnier, Campari, Aperol, Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon, American Honey, Russell's Reserve, Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Forty Creek Canadian Whisky, BULLDOG Gin, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Espolon Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Appleton Estate Rum, Wray & Nephew Rum, Coruba Rum, Ouzo 12, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Frangelico, Cynar, Averna, Braulio, Bisquit & Dubouche Cognac, Cinzano, Mondoro and Jean-Marc XO Vodka. Campari America is headquartered in New York, New York. More information on the company can be found at www.campariamerica.com, www.facebook.com/campariamerica, Twitter: @CampariAmerica, Instagram: @CampariAmerica, and www.camparigroup.com. Please enjoy Campari America brands responsibly and in moderation.

About the Kentucky Distillers' Association

Founded in 1880, the KDA is the voice for Bourbon and spirits issues. Its diverse membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world's Bourbon, from legendary, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are building the next generation of America's only native spirit.

Bourbon is one of Kentucky's most treasured industries, a booming $9 billion economic and tourism engine sustaining more than 22,500 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1.23 billion each year, over $285 million in local and state taxes and $1.8 billion in federal alcohol taxes.

A key export, the iconic industry is currently in the middle of a $5.2 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism experiences to expanded production facilities, bottling centers and aging warehouses, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky Bourbon.

Visit www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com to learn more.

Please enjoy Bourbon like a true Kentuckian  Responsibly.

SOURCE Russells Reserve
Funding will be used to hire world-class talent, expand development of new products and features, and accelerate the onboarding of new customers.

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shypyard, which provides modern brands and direct-to-consumer merchants with business planning products and services, announced it has closed a $3 million seed funding round led by Gradient Ventures . The round also included Liquid 2 Ventures and Position Ventures , and participation from notable angel investors including current and former executives and founders at Shopify, BigCommerce, and SnapCommerce.

"The pandemic and Great Resignation accelerated a historic burst in entrepreneurship and innovation in commerce, setting the stage for millions of merchants to follow their passion and launch modern, omni-channel brands," said Dan Li, co-founder of Shypyard. "We started Shypyard with the goal of empowering entrepreneurs with the right tools to grow their businesses."

Now, as many upstart brands and entrepreneurs face economic uncertainty  some for the first time in their brand's history  it is crucial for them to adopt fully-integrated tools like Shypyard for inventory, supply, demand, and replenishment planning.

"We're a company built by and for merchants," said Sam Chuang, co-founder of Shypyard. "Digital transformation in global commerce has completely changed the way we buy and sell, but the space is still very fragmented which makes seamless planning for a complex supply chain very challenging. We're here to change that."

Many businesses, especially those who lack large operations teams or access to heavily customized enterprise software to help forecast and adjust their inventory levels, often rely on complicated spreadsheets and inaccurate, stale data models to replenish their inventory and forecast demand  wasting valuable time and money in the process.

"The ability to streamline operations and accurately forecast inventory with supply chain constraints is critical for any business in today's macroeconomic environment," said Darian Shirazi, General Partner at Gradient Ventures. "We're proud to back this team as they solve a huge pain point that spans many different industries."

By providing merchants with accurate, integrated planning tools for inventory, supply, demand, and replenishment, Shypyard helps alleviate the most common, and costly, pain points  consistent stock-outs, too much inventory tying up cash, difficulty predicting and forecasting, to name a few.

To learn more about Shypyard's funding and its vision for the future of global commerce, visit https://www.shypyard.com/blog-resources.

About Shypyard

Shypyard helps modern, omni-channel brands grow, scale, and face economic uncertainty through better business planning. The company's suite of products and services helps improve decision-making and efficiency, putting advanced analytics and intelligence, traditionally available only to large enterprise organizations, in the hands of up-and-coming merchants to help accurately forecast and adjust demand, replenish stock, and more. Shypyard was founded in 2020, and is based across New York City and Taipei. For more information, visit www.shypyard.com .

About Gradient Ventures

Gradient Ventures, Google's AI-focused venture fund, helps founders build transformational companies. The fund focuses on helping founders navigate the challenges in developing new technology products, using the latest best practices in recruiting, marketing, design, and engineering so that great ideas can come to life. Gradient was founded in 2017 and is based in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit www.gradient.com .

Media Contact:

Julian Hannush

[email protected]

360.433.8909

SOURCE Shypyard
Financial uncertainty is harming people's health, job performance, relationships and more

MILWAUKEE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than six in 10 Americans (62%) say their financial planning needs improvement, yet only a third (35%) seek the help of a financial advisor according to the latest set of findings from the Northwestern Mutual 2022 Planning & Progress Study.

The data also revealed a more near-term trend showing a significant number of people have recognized the value of getting help over the last two years. Nearly one in five (18%) U.S. adults say they didn't have an advisor before the COVID-19 pandemic but now they either have started working with someone or plan to moving forward.

"There are some clear silver linings in these numbers," said Tim Gerend, executive vice president and chief distribution officer at Northwestern Mutual. "Despite the fact that too many Americans are still not getting financial help, we saw a spike last year in the number of people seeking professional advice and those numbers have held stable in 2022 rather than sliding back to pre-pandemic levels."

There are also some encouraging signs in the data that younger adults are valuing professional advice. Three-quarters of Gen Z and Millennials say their financial planning needs improvement. However, they are the most likely among generations to say they didn't work with an advisor before the pandemic but have since started doing so or plan to moving forward.



All US Adults 18+ Gen Z Millennials Financial planning needs improvement 62 % 74 % 74 % Work with an advisor 35 % 30 % 40 % Didn't work with an advisor pre-pandemic but do / will now 18 % 29 % 24 %

The study also revealed a difference in saving behaviors among people who work with an advisor versus those who go it alone. Eight in 10 (80%) people who get professional help say they were able to build their savings during the pandemic. Among people who do not work with an advisor, only half (49%) were able to save more.

The Price of Financial Uncertainty

The 2022 Planning & Progress Study found that people contending with financial uncertainty say it is impacting their health, job performance, relationships and more. They report that financial uncertainty leads to the following issues at least once a month:

Makes them feel depressed  36%

Keeps them up at night  34%

Impacts their relationship with their spouse / partner  28%

Causes them to miss out on social events and opportunities  28%

Creates issues with friends or family (other than spouses / partners)  26%

Makes them physically ill  24%

Impacts their job performance  24%

The study also explored levels of certainty across a broad range of factors  beyond just finances  and found people who work with an advisor feel like they're on more solid ground across the board. When asked to rate their certainty levels on a scale of 1-100, the discrepancies were stark:



Do not work

with an advisor Work with

an advisor Difference of

working with an

advisor The stability of your current housing situation 62.7 80.8 +18.1 Your ability to manage your level of debt 60.6 80.3 +19.7 Your ability to afford healthcare 57.8 77.7 +19.9 The stability of your employment situation / career 57.2 76.2 +19 Your ability to achieve long-term financial security 55.1 76.7 +21.6 Your ability to plan for retirement 54.6 77.5 +22.9 Your ability to pay for an unplanned financial emergency 52.9 77.6 +24.7 Overall certainty 57.2 78 +20.8

"Clearly, a range of factors impact the stability and certainty people feel in their lives," said Gerend. "But a good, trusted advisor can be an enormous help from a practical and emotional perspective, and that extends to people across all ages and circumstances."

In forthcoming data sets, the 2022 Planning & Progress Study will explore wide-ranging issues facing Americans spanning savings and debt, work and retirement, planning, priorities and more.

About The 2022 Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study

The 2022 Planning & Progress Study was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Northwestern Mutual and included 2,381 American adults aged 18 or older who participated in an online survey between February 8  17, 2022. Results were weighted to Census targets for education, age, gender, race/ethnicity, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $561 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual
DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Neonatal Ventilator Market (2022-2027) by Types, End User, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Neonatal Ventilator Market is estimated to be USD 36.01 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 49.34 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.5%.



Market Dynamics

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Neonatal Ventilator Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Air Liquide, Airon, Breas, Carl Reiner, Draegerwerk, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Fritz Stephan, General Electric, Getinge, Hamilton Medical, Inspiration Healthcare, Medtronic, Nihon Kohden, Philips, ResMed, Smiths Medical, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Neonatal Ventilator Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Neonatal Ventilator Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Neonatal Ventilator Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increase in Incidence of Preterm Births with Respiratory Disorders

4.1.2 Rise in Introduction of Non-Invasive Neonatal Ventilators

4.1.3 Surge in Government Expenditures on Healthcare

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 High Cost of Neonatal Ventilator

4.2.2 Limitations Associated with the Mechanical Ventilators

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Technological Innovations, Portability, and Design

4.3.2 Potential Demand from Emerging Economies

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Reluctance Due to Preference of Alternative Oxygenation Therapies

4.4.2 Potential Harmful Effects of Certain Devices on Neonates



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Neonatal Ventilator Market, By Types

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Invasive

6.3 Non-Invasive



7 Global Neonatal Ventilator Market, By End User

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Hospitals

7.3 Clinics



8 Americas' Neonatal Ventilator Market

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Argentina

8.3 Brazil

8.4 Canada

8.5 Chile

8.6 Colombia

8.7 Mexico

8.8 Peru

8.9 United States

8.10 Rest of Americas



9 Europe's Neonatal Ventilator Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Austria

9.3 Belgium

9.4 Denmark

9.5 Finland

9.6 France

9.7 Germany

9.8 Italy

9.9 Netherlands

9.10 Norway

9.11 Poland

9.12 Russia

9.13 Spain

9.14 Sweden

9.15 Switzerland

9.16 United Kingdom

9.17 Rest of Europe



10 Middle East and Africa's Neonatal Ventilator Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Egypt

10.3 Israel

10.4 Qatar

10.5 Saudi Arabia

10.6 South Africa

10.7 United Arab Emirates

10.8 Rest of MEA



11 APAC's Neonatal Ventilator Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Australia

11.3 Bangladesh

11.4 China

11.5 India

11.6 Indonesia

11.7 Japan

11.8 Malaysia

11.9 Philippines

11.10 Singapore

11.11 South Korea

11.12 Sri Lanka

11.13 Thailand

11.14 Taiwan

11.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Competitive Quadrant

12.2 Market Share Analysis

12.3 Strategic Initiatives

12.3.1 M&A and Investments

12.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

12.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



13 Company Profiles

13.1 Air Liquide

13.2 Airon

13.3 Breas

13.4 Carl Reiner

13.5 Draegerwerk

13.6 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

13.7 Fritz Stephan

13.8 General Electric

13.9 Getinge

13.10 Hamilton Medical

13.11 Inspiration Healthcare

13.12 Medtronic

13.13 Nihon Kohden

13.14 Philips

13.15 ResMed

13.16 Smiths Medical



14 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1r3ze6

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
Rock Island Auction Company to auction Wild Bill's favorite side-arm during its second Premier Auction of 2022

ROCK ISLAND, Ill., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A historic Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Old Army Revolver owned by Wild Bill Hickok will be offered by Rock Island Auction Company in its August Premier Auction, happening August 26-28. One of the legendary guns of the Old West, historians believe Hickok carried a Smith & Wesson the night he was shot and killed in Deadwood, South Dakota on August 2, 1876. The pre-auction estimate for Wild Bill's Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Old Army Revolver ranges between $150,000 - $350,000.

Will Bill Hickok's Deadwood Revolver

Reported to have been Wild Bill's favorite sidearm, this Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 is one of the Holy Grails of the American West and is an iconic collectible for the western firearms collector. The revolver features the standard 6-inch barrel, blue finish, and rosewood grips.

Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876), born James Butler Hickok, was a real-life legend of the American West who was a real gunfighter in addition to being a hunter, teamster, stage driver, army scout, spy, Wild West show performer, officer of the law, and gambler. His life story has since been told in many books about the Old West. As a young man he earned a reputation as the best shot in northern Illinois and as a talented fighter.

Rock Island Auction Company's August Premier Firearms Auction offers a spectacular selection of legacy firearms, historic masterworks, supreme rarities from across the ages and some of the most desirable treasures found in the world of fine arms collecting. Also offered in the auction will be a pair of pistols wielded by Angelina Jolie in the 2001 film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," as well as the BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster carried by Han Solo, portrayed by Harrison Ford, in "Star Wars: A New Hope."

About Rock Island Auction Company

Rock Island Auction Company is the world's #1 auction company for firearms, bladed weapons and militaria. Founded in 1993 by its current CEO Patrick Hogan, RIAC continues to lead the industry with record sales numbers and their extensive and beautiful marketing efforts. Their 150,000 square foot campus consists of two buildings and hosts around 18+ auctions each year. They actively seek consignments, be it a single weapon or a collection of hundreds, a thousand-dollar item or one million. For more information, please visit www.rockislandauction.com or call 1-800-238-8022.

Media Contact:

Lauren Witt, 817-721-5576, [email protected]

SOURCE Rock Island Auction Company
Study finds that an agency's good procedural reputation consistently reduced its termination risk

BEIJING, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a democratic system, the media plays a significant role in molding political and administrative organizations. The decisions of legislative bodies, politicians, bureaucrats, and other stakeholders can be significantly influenced by the preferences and agendas set by the media. This might cause agencies to change their structures, processes, and rules and also delay or accelerate policy-making in line with popular media opinion.

Researchers at Renmin University of China report that a government agency's media exposure and reputation is a critical factor in determining its chances of survival.

Similarly, the ability of organizations to garner media attention determines their legitimacy and survival. Studies have revealed that during public sector reforms, agencies with strong media salience among core voters had a high survival rate, highlighting the impact of the media on the survival of different government agencies. According to a seminal 2010 study by Carpenter, the reputation of an organization is divided into four distinct dimensionsperformative, technical, moral, and procedural. Yet, few studies have explored how these dimensions are affected by the media and how that, in turn, determines the survival or termination of the organization.

In a recent study, a group of researchers led by Professor Liang Ma of the Renmin University of China addressed these questions in the context of China. "To our knowledge, no quantitative studies have outlined the different types of organizational reputation in the context of media salience and agency termination. Answering these questions is important as it can help agencies learn about how reputation works in termination and implement necessary actions to mitigate the risk of termination," explains Prof. Ma. Their findings were made available online on 2 June 2022 in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

The team employed machine learning techniques to classify 4,95,384 agency-related articles published between 1949 and 2019 in the People's Daily (PD), the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, under the four aforementioned reputation types.

While selecting a media outlet like People's Daily, which rarely publishes any negative news regarding government agencies, a question arises: can PD be considered an accurate and reliable tool to measure agency reputation? The researchers provide two reasons to keep this concern at bay. Firstly, studies have pointed out that media coverage, despite its tone and sentiment, is vital for agency survival. Secondly, neutral communication also helps in setting different reputation dimensions, as different reputation dimensions may attract different audiences.

The team performed event history analyses on the news reports and found that media coverage reduced the risk of agency termination. Media coverage was important for the survival of administrative agencies as the study demonstrated that the total number of media stories adversely affected the probability of agency closure.

But this result wasn't constant across all dimensions. The team discovered that only the procedural dimension consistently reduced the risk of termination. While the performative and moral dimensions were significantly and negatively related to termination in a particular time-period; the technical dimension only slightly increased the likelihood of agency survival during mass reorganizations.

"This study is the first empirical research documenting the changing dynamics of reputation management of central agencies in China. We also established the link between reputation symbols and agency termination," concludes Prof. Ma.

Reference

Title of paper: Reputation Management and Administrative Reorganization: How Different Media Reputation Dimensions Matter for Agency Termination

Journal: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muac028

Media Contact

Yaran Guo

Email: [email protected]

State of Origin: China, Beijing

Telephone: 0086-18813198557

SOURCE Renmin University of China
HAP to procure cow milk from over 1 lakh farmers across AP, Telangana, Maharashtra

Hyderabad, July 26 (UNI) Hatsun Agro Product Limited (HAP), a leading private sector dairy company in India, with brands Arokya, Hatsun, Arun Icecreams on Tuesday announced its procurement expansion plans in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Having over 3,100 milk collection centres across various villages in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, HAP plans to aggressively expand this network of milk collection centres in these three states to effectively serve over 1 lakh farmers, the company said in a release.

The company procures 100 percent of the milk directly from farmers and has heavily invested in procurement infrastructure over the years to effectively handle a significant volume of milk.
For most businesses, accepting credit and debit card payments is essential, and this requires a credit card processing company. Choosing the best credit card processor for your business can be a headache and very time consuming.

MIAMI, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Daystar Payments is a global credit card processor that offers merchant services for businesses and ecommerce businesses of any size. They help businesses earn higher return on investment (ROI) by offering tailored plans, lower monthly fees, chargeback prevention strategies and more. Daystar Payments is an all-in-one business solution payment method for ecommerce processing as well as PCI compliant.

The payment gateway services any ecommerce platform that accepts digital payments. For example, credit and debit card processing, mobile payments, online store payments, retail store payments, and point of sale (POS) payments. The company provides easy global payments and electronic invoicing. The company is also a financial institution that offers funding and high-risk solutions to any ecommerce payment processing industry.

Their mission is to make the process of getting a merchant account simpler, faster, and more transparent for business owners. For that reason, Daystar has made significant investments into its payment technologies, customer experience, and partner programs.

Daystar's Partner program includes:

ISO Program

Referral Partner Program

Affiliate Partner Program

Technology Partner Program

Vendors Program

Daystar offers 80% of revenue directly to its contributors, an opportunity to earn residual income for the life of the account. They offer the highest revenue share percentage in the payment industry.

As part of their 100% transparency business model, every partner will have their own payment processing and commission report management portal. Daystar will also complete the applications for partners, so you do not need a staff member. Daystar Payments will create 1,000 new partner program agents ISO by the end of 2023.

Daystar Payment is giving back 5% of their profits to different charities as their social mission. The company is helping minority business owners get access to affordable financing, merchant processing assistance, and business resources.

Daystar Payments is a new company that earns businesses higher return on investment (ROI), tailored plans, lower monthly fees, and chargeback prevention strategies. Everything a business owner needs under one roof.

If you have any questions about this release, don't hesitate to reach us. Thank you.

Media Contact

Daystar Payment Systems

+1 (855) 282-2224

[email protected]

Daystarpayments.com

SOURCE Daystar Payment Systems
SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, a leader in high-performance field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, today announced that President and CEO, Robert Blake, will participate at the following upcoming conferences:

Oppenheimer Technology, Internet & Communications Conference - Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 . Virtual investor meetings with management will be held throughout the day.

- Virtual investor meetings with management will be held throughout the day. Jefferies Semiconductors, IT Hardware & Communications Infrastructure Summit  Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 , at the Magnificent Mile Hotel in Chicago . Management will be available to meet with attending investors throughout the day.

Interested parties attending these events who would like to schedule a meeting with Achronix should contact the respective firm's equity sales representative.

About Achronix Semiconductor Corporation

Achronix Semiconductor Corporation is a fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, California, offering high-end FPGA-based data acceleration solutions, designed to address high-performance, compute-intensive and real-time processing applications. Achronix is the only supplier to have both high-performance, high-density standalone FPGAs and licensed eFPGA IP solutions. Achronix Speedster7t FPGA and SpeedcoreTM eFPGA IP offerings are further enhanced by ready-to-use VectorPathTM accelerator cards targeting AI, machine learning, networking and data center applications. All Achronix products are fully supported by the Achronix Tool Suite which enables customers to quickly develop their own custom applications. Achronix has a global footprint, with sales and design teams across the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.achronix.com.

For more information, please visit:

Website: www.achronix.com

The Achronix Blog: /blogs/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Achronixcorp

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Contacts

Joel Achramowicz, Managing Director

Shelton Group

T: 415-845-9964

[email protected]

SOURCE Achronix
MONTREAL, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - AEPONYX Inc., a privately held developer of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) for telecom and datacom markets will be showcasing its technologies and product offerings at the European Conference on Optical Communications Conference and Exhibition (ECOC) in Basel, Switzerland, between September 19th and September 21st.

"AEPONYX is excited to return to the European Conference on Optical Communications and show the advances we have made on our Silicon Nitride (SiN) platform. Our photonic wire bonding and hybrid integration technologies have progressed as a result of our most recent funding round of March 2021. These advances have allowed AEPONYX to begin the sale of its first products into the telecom and datacom markets. Telecom was always our first target market, and we now have orders in hand to deliver upon," explained Philippe Babin, the Chief Executive Officer of AEPONYX.

On display at ECOC, AEPONYX will have its Tunable Optical Filtering/Switching (TOF/S) platform combining the low-loss Silicon Nitride (SiN) waveguides with an innovative, proprietary design for thermo-optically tuned wavelength selectivity.

AEPONYX will also display its Resource Optical Configuration System (R.O.C.S. 2) that combines optical sensing and switching in an innovative and user-friendly platform for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) data centers. The R.O.C.S. 2 improves quality of service where reliable high-speed communication directly to the servers is essential.

"AEPONYX is expanding its operations and reach by migrating its Silicon Nitride (SiN) platform and expertise in hybrid integration, photonic wire bonding and Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) into applications for life science, next-generation sensors, and quantum markets. We think our core technologies and expertise can provide size, power, and cost benefits to our customers and partners in these markets," explained Mr. Babin.

"AEPONYX will be looking for free space optics providers whose products could be used in conjunction with our photonics integrated circuits to address new opportunities," outlined Mr. Babin.

AEPONYX will have its Silicon Nitride (SiN) based telecom and datacom product lines on display at booth number 535. Also on display will be AEPONYX's SiN platforms for automotive sensors, life science applications, next-generation sensors, and the quantum market.

About AEPONYX, Inc.

Founded in 2012 and financed with 22M in venture capital money AEPONYX has built a team of photonics experts and Research and Development professionals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Having spent a decade in research and development, AEPONYX is now generating revenues and selling a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) platform combining the benefits of Silicon Nitride (SiN) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS). The AEPONYX PIC platform finds applications in telecom, datacom, life science, automotive, and quantum markets.

Working with leading-edge component suppliers, AEPONYX leverages expertise in hybrid integration and photonic wire bonding to bring to market products on a SiN platform with lasers with higher power output, bursting capabilities, ultra-low noise level, or a specific wavelength range. AEPONYX believes that it's photonic wire bonding capability is the technology to solve the industry's hybrid integration puzzle. Expertise in active or passive alignment of components has always been the traditional approach. AEPONYX's photonic wire bonding is the future. Building complex products, like next-generation sensors or quantum sensors, requires expertise in PIC design and manufacturing, electronic design, opto-electronic packaging, design for testing and for manufacturing. This is AEPONYX's expertise.

For more information or to access data sheets for the products built using AEPONYX Silicon Nitride (SiN) platform please visit www.aeponyx.com.

SOURCE AEPONYX inc.
Top-ten Mexican bank goes live with Volante to fully automate cross-border payments and offer its customers a richer experience and wider variety of international payment methods

MEXICO CITY, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Volante Technologies, the global leader in cloud payments and financial messaging, is partnering with Banca Afirme, S.A. (Afirme), a subsidiary of Afirme Grupo Financiero, S.A. de C.V., to modernize its payments infrastructure. As part of an ambitious digital transformation initiative designed to enrich its customers' banking experience, the bank has begun its modernization journey by automating SWIFT cross-border transaction processing. ISO 20022 readiness and the addition of other cross-border payment types are next in line.

Afirme

Cross-border payment volumes in Mexico are rising twice as fast as the global average. Since Afirme has numerous business customers that rely on fast and secure international transactions, the bank expects the volume of cross-border transactions to grow exponentially as a result of this international business surge and in anticipation of the opening of its own branches in North America.

Raul Arzate Ortiz, Director Comptroller's Office, Money Markets, Afirme, said, "As we seek to enhance our customers' experience and grow domestically and internationally, payments modernization is a top priority for us. Fully automating and accelerating cross-border payment processing with Volante is an important first step forward."

"Volante has helped us reduce SWIFT processing time from hours to seconds, so that our customers can receive international funds within a near-immediate settlement instance, even as the volume of requests continues to grow," he added.

Afirme selected Volante's VolPay over competing solutions because of its modern, low-code business-service architecture, deep functionality, and ease of integration with new and existing bank systems. By partnering with Volante, the bank can also accelerate its customer experience modernization roadmap by launching new value-added services based on the ISO 20222 messaging standard, and by offering next-generation cross-border payment types such as SWIFT and gpi.

"With Volante we have successfully automated all of our SWIFT processing. We also expect to be able to smoothly handle increases in transaction volume by an average of 20 percent annually. More so, we will be able to offer our customers a wider variety of international payment types and a data-rich experience as we prepare for ISO 20222 readiness  all with one solution," said, Raul Arzate.

With this deployment at Afirme, Volante's payments solutions are now live at multiple major banks and exchanges in Latin America, processing over 1,800,000 transactions per month on average.

"With half of the population in Latin America unbanked, there is significant opportunity for financial businesses in the region to grow market share through digital innovation, and at the same time expand financial inclusion. We are proud to be working as a trusted partner to Afirme, providing them with market-leading payments solutions to advance their customer experience and digital modernization goals. Together, we can realize our common vision of a world in which real-time digital financial services are easily and equitably available to all," said Vijay Oddiraju, CEO, Volante Technologies.

To read more about how banks in Latin America are leapfrogging their global peers, read Volante's latest blog. You can also meet the Volante team in person at FELABAN Guatemala on November 14 to 15, 2022.

About Volante Technologies

Volante Technologies is the leading global provider of cloud payments and financial messaging solutions to accelerate digital transformation. We serve as a trusted partner to over 100 banks, financial institutions, market infrastructures, clearing houses, and corporate treasuries in 35 countries. Our solutions and services process millions of transactions and trillions in value every day, powering four of the top five corporate banks, 40 percent of all U.S. commercial bank deposits, and 70 percent of worldwide card traffic. As a result, our customers can stay ahead of emerging trends, become more competitive, deliver superior client experiences, and grow their businesses through rapid innovation. To learn more, visit www.volantetech.com. Follow us at linkedin.com/company/volante-technologies and twitter.com/volantetech.

About Afirme

Afirme Grupo Financiero integrates banking and financial services through subsidiaries such as Afirme Banco in 30 states of the Mexican Republic and an important network of ATMs. Afirme Seguros provides personal and property security to individuals (auto, home, life, and module life insurance) and companies (auto fleet life insurance, business life insurance). Afirme Arrendadora is a source of financing for individuals and companies for the purchase of domestic and imported fixed assets. Afirme Factoraje supports our clients in the rapid conversion of their accounts receivable and short-term working capital financing. Afirme Almacenadora, with modern facilities and strategic locations, offers companies and individuals warehousing, custody, and conservation services for domestic and foreign merchandise. Banco de Inversion has an offer that integrates a wide range of products that allow access to diverse financial markets. Microfinanciera offers a wide range of consumer loans. www.afirme.com

SOURCE Volante Technologies, Inc.
TORONTO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - To support organizations that are struggling to fill vacant roles and bridge talent gaps within their teams, McLean & Company, one of the world's leading HR research and advisory firms, has released new research titled Preparing for an Internal Talent Marketplace. This data-backed blueprint was created to assist HR leaders in their efforts to prepare for an Internal Talent Marketplace  also known as an Opportunity Marketplace or Talent Intelligence Platform.

McLean & Company highlights how implementing an Internal Talent Marketplace positively impacts employee engagement and overall organizational performance. (CNW Group/Mclean & Company) McLean & Company has released Preparing for an Internal Talent Marketplace to help HR leaders address current labor market challenges, fill vacant roles, and bridge talent gaps. (CNW Group/Mclean & Company)

The new resource will help address current hiring and retention challenges by guiding organizations toward a skills-based talent-sharing model that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to match existing employees to a variety of opportunities based on skills, interests, and aspirations.

"An Internal Talent Marketplace is more than just a new piece of technology," says Janet Clarey, director of HR research and advisory services at McLean & Company. "With a focus on prioritizing people and culture, a talent marketplace has the ability to align both employee and business needs to fundamentally change how an organization grows and moves talent."

While the concept of matching talent profiles is not new, artificial intelligence provides a faster, more sophisticated matching process that allows organizations to scale at unprecedented levels. These new technology solutions facilitate an effective and efficient talent marketplace, making the Internal Talent Marketplace approach the next generation of talent management.

Organizations that are highly effective at rapidly moving internal employees to staff strategic priorities are 2.4 times more likely to be high performing in terms of overall organizational performance, as outlined in the 2022 HR Trends Report from McLean & Company. Implementing an Internal Talent Marketplace helps organizations to facilitate quick and efficient employee movements, leading to organizational success across the board.

Though talent marketplaces offer a variety of benefits when it comes to solving talent challenges, McLean & Company's research also suggests that some organizations are better suited for a talent marketplace than others and that implementation requires care and intention. When considering implementing a talent marketplace, the firm indicates that a cultural and mindset shift is required. Mindset shifts are never easy, but without a culture that values growth and talent sharing, the talent marketplace will not be successful. Working persistently toward growth and sharing mindsets is critical to drive and sustain this change.

"Many organizations aren't structured to keep up with the rapid changes in both internal and external environments, leading to challenges with preparing talent for the future of work," Clarey continues. "Organizations need to remain flexible and able to pivot quickly. An Internal Talent Marketplace can allow them to do just that."

For HR leaders considering if an Internal Talent Marketplace is the right fit for their organizational model, Preparing for an Internal Talent Marketplace is available to assist in assessment, design, and technology considerations.

To learn more about McLean & Company or to download all the latest research, visit hr.mcleanco.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

About McLean & Company

Through data-driven insights and proven best-practice methodologies, McLean & Company offers comprehensive resources and full-service assessments, action plans, and training to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and Industry analysts through the ITRG Media Insiders Program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE Mclean & Company
Minnesota-based company recognized nationally by Solar Power World

SAINT PAUL, Minn., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite concerns over supply chain interruptions, the U.S. solar industry saw record solar and energy storage demand in 2021. All Energy Solar , a solar installation leader in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and several other states, can attest to this, having its busiest year yet. Solar Power World has recognized the company's success by ranking All Energy Solar on the 2022 Top Solar Contractors list .

The Top Solar Contractors list is developed each year by industry magazine Solar Power World to honor the work of solar installers in the United States. Solar firms in the utility, commercial and residential markets are ranked by the number of kilowatts installed in the previous year. Companies are grouped and listed by specific services, markets, and states.

"The utility-scale solar market, of course, puts up huge installation numbers each year, but the majority of workers in the industry are constructing projects in the commercial and residential markets, which continue to break records," said Kelly Pickerel, editor in chief of Solar Power World. "Over 85% of the companies on the 2022 Top Solar Contractors List primarily work in the residential and commercial sectors, and they all reported closing out the last year in a positive light."

This year, Solar Power World ranked All Energy Solar at No. 30 on the publication's Top Solar Installers List. All Energy Solar came in at No. 33 for Top Residential Contractors with 9.6 megawatts (MW) installed on homes and about 11.45 MW overall in 2021. The company was listed at No. 71 for Top Solar + Storage Installers after placing 1 MW storage capacity. All Energy Solar ranked No. 141 overall.

"Last year was record-setting for All Energy Solar in various ways and we appreciate this recognition from Solar Power World," said Brian Allen, All Energy Solar's co-founder and president. "We're proud of our history of helping homeowners and businesses switch to solar and plan to continue doing so for many years to come."

All Energy Solar is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and employs 235 workers across five states. Since 2009, this organization has installed 59.55 MW of solar. Earlier this year, the company completed its 6,000th solar panel installation and hired its 200th employee .

About All Energy Solar

All Energy Solar provides a full-service solar energy integration experience for residential, commercial, agricultural, and government customers looking to make the transition to solar energy. To learn more, visit www.allenergysolar.com .

About Solar Power World

Solar Power World is the leading online and print resource for news and information regarding solar installation, development and technology. Since 2011, SPW has helped U.S. solar contractors  including installers, developers and EPCs in all markets  grow their businesses and do their jobs better.

SOURCE All Energy Solar, Inc
Exclugo Brings a New Level of "Identifier Data" to Sex Offender Monitoring

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Exclugo, the healthcare industry's provider of "fresher healthcare monitoring," is pleased to announce a breakthrough in the monitoring of sexual predators seeking employment within the healthcare industry. For the first time ever, Exclugo provides healthcare organizations with IDENTIFIERS that more accurately identify individuals who may appear on sex offender lists.

Exclugo's CEO, Michael Wenger, states "It's been a long road to incorporate identifiers into the healthcare monitoring sex offender watch lists. Until now, there was nothing that could distinguish one 'John or Jane Doe' from another. It's been a serious problem that many healthcare administrators and HR professionals been confronted with. So, in keeping with our "freshest healthcare monitoring" approach, we're pleased to offer this new level of service, which literally no other provider has at this time. It's all in a continuing effort to make healthcare monitoring easier and more accurate."

Exclugo is a stand-alone company that enjoys joint ownership with ApplicantSafe; a background screening firm that is considered by many to be a leader in the pre and post hire background check industry. It's with a deep, historical understanding of the multi-faceted background intelligence marketplace that the Exclugo team has been able to recognize opportunities for innovation and act on them; better assisting its clients.

"We're already hearing rave reviews about how the new sex offender identifiers product is performing and about Exclugo in general," added Wenger. "I'm so certain of the value of what our team has built that I'm offering new clients a free trial period. And I'm not talking about some watered-down version, but the entire suite of what Exclugo offers. It's that good a product!"

About Exclugo

Exclugo provides the freshest, most complete, monitoring data available to the healthcare industry. With time-tested best practices combined with the latest AI architecture, Exclugo delivers the data needed, exactly when & how it's needed. Exclugo's continuing journey is always to provide "Fresher" healthcare monitoring services and products to those front-line administrators tasked with making critical decisions.

About ApplicantSafe

Whether a Fortune 100 company or a small business that's just getting started, ApplicantSafe offers smarter, more approachable solutions for today's recruitment specialists.

For more information about ApplicantSafe visit www.applicantsafe.com or for more information about Exclugo, visit www.exclugo.com

Media Contact:

Michael Wenger

732-375-9181

[email protected]

SOURCE ApplicantSafe & Exclugo CEO, Michael Wenger
Ankura to offer its multidisciplinary services to support clients as the Firm expands its presence and capabilities in the Asia Pacific region

SHANGHAI, China, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ankura Consulting, LLC ("Ankura"), a leading global expert services and advisory firm, today announced the establishment of its wholly foreign owned enterprise, Ankura Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Limited in Shanghai, China. The expansion to Shanghai establishes Ankura's presence in the mainland and alongside its Hong Kong office, further bolsters the Firm's footprint in China.

Ankura's presence in Shanghai enhances its ability to help clients navigate a complex business landscape with a tailored, on-the-ground approach, enabling them to deliver support for market entry strategies, international joint ventures, data and forensic technology, and issues related to major capital and infrastructure projects, with best-in-class teams and first-rate expertise and advisory capabilities. Ankura now employs a team of experienced professionals across mainland China and Hong Kong.

Han Lai has been appointed as Senior Managing Director at Ankura in Shanghai and brings more than two decades of comprehensive cybersecurity and digital forensic investigation experience to the business and will be working closely with the Hong Kong and Global teams. Prior to joining Ankura, Lai held several senior roles at professional services firms across mainland China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.

Kevin Lavin, Chief Executive Officer at Ankura, said: "We are pleased to further our global expansion with another office opening in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, a key pillar of Ankura's growth strategy. There is significant demand in Shanghai for our strong local presence and Ankura is well-equipped to bring our collaborative culture, unique approach, and robust capabilities to the domestic market to meet client demands across the country and globally."

Han Lai , Senior Managing Director in Ankura's Data & Technology practice in Shanghai, said: "I am delighted to be joining Ankura and this critical office in Shanghai at such an exciting time of growth. There is significant and unmatched demand for Ankura's comprehensive suite of services and expertise in mainland China - for domestic as well as international companies. Ankura's agile and tailored approach will place us in an excellent position to support clients on cross-border mandates."

Simon Michaels, Chairman for EMEA and APAC at Ankura, added: "Our presence in Shanghai is an important next step in Ankura's global expansion. We are looking forward to supporting our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex business landscape. Under the excellent leadership of Han Lai in Shanghai, our team of talented experts and advisers will be able to drive local solutions and business impact while building on our global best practices."

The announcement follows a number of recent office openings for Ankura in Mumbai and Gurgaon, India, Frankfurt, Germany and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  as well as the launch of a European restructuring practice in London in 2021.

About Ankura

Ankura Consulting Group, LLC is an independent global expert services and advisory firm that delivers services and end-to-end solutions to help clients at critical inflection points related to conflict, crisis, performance, risk, strategy, and transformation. The Ankura team consists of more than 1,700 professionals serving 3000+ clients across 55 countries who are leaders in their respective fields and areas of expertise. Collaborative lateral thinking, hard-earned experience, expertise, and multidisciplinary capabilities drive results and Ankura is unrivaled in its ability to assist clients to Protect, Create and Recover Value. For more information, please visit, ankura.com.

SOURCE Ankura
Historic partnership between innovative market leaders will empower agents and advisors to deliver expanded holistic life, health and wealth solutions to American consumers

DALLAS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Marketing Group, LLC ("Integrity"), a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of wealth management and retirement planning solutions, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Annexus, the foremost independent insurance and financial product design and distribution company. As part of the transaction, Ron Shurts, Co-Founder and CEO of Annexus, will become a Managing Partner in Integrity. Previous Annexus investors, including funds managed by Blackstone, will sell their interests as part of the transaction. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Annexus and Integrity Join Forces to Transform Annuity and Life Insurance Product Design and Distribution

Annexus is an influential industry pioneer that develops financial and insurance products  including fixed indexed annuities (FIA) and indexed universal life insurance policies (IUL)  for leading insurance companies. In addition to product development, Annexus provides a full range of marketing, technology and illustration systems to its distribution partners. The company's innovative FIA and IUL products are designed to help Americans make the most of their retirement assets. They are developed with extensive input from carriers, as well as leading actuaries and asset managers, and they are distributed through an elite group of advisors and financial professionals. As former financial advisors and life-long industry innovators, Annexus Co-Founders Ron Shurts and Don Dady bring a specialized understanding of client needs and expectations to their product design. Since its founding in 2006, Annexus has served over half a million Americans with their retirement needs. In 2022, Annexus expects to place approximately $7 billion in annuity premium and $150 million in target life insurance premium.

"At Integrity, we are passionate about holistically serving the life, health and wealth needs of Americans to ensure they have the best solutions and coverage for every stage of life, including retirement," shared Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. "Since its founding, Annexus has been the market leader in developing annuity and life insurance products with the highest level of service in the industry. Joining the Integrity platform will provide the experienced team at Annexus with a comprehensive suite of technology, resources and support to layer on top of their already exceptional systems and processes. The partnership will give Integrity access to Annexus' deep product development and distribution partnership expertise, which will greatly enhance our mission to help more Americans prepare for the good days ahead. It's an ideal match that will elevate the way insurance and financial planning products are developed and distributed  we can't wait to get started!"

"We created Annexus around a unique vision to revolutionize product development and delivery in the annuity and life insurance space and provide better solutions to our stakeholders. Likewise, Integrity has transformed insurance distribution, wealth management and retirement planning by assembling an unsurpassed network of industry leaders and legends who are innovating every part of the industry," said Ron Shurts, Co-Founder and CEO of Annexus. "By leveraging our respective strengths, we see unbelievable growth potential for both of our companies. Carriers, advisors and clients need the products and services we provide more than ever. When it comes to improving lives, there is no finish line. We're committed to helping every American enjoy a safer and more secure retirement, and partnering with Integrity will help us amplify and accelerate toward that goal."

Visionary companies across multiple industries are choosing to align their expansive success with Integrity. The Integrity platform creates unprecedented opportunities for collaboration where leaders are thoughtfully innovating every aspect of life, health and wealth protection.

"When two innovators of this magnitude come together with a common goal, everyone wins," explained Tom Dempsey, Chief Distribution Officer at Integrity. "Ron Shurts has always been one of the hardest working, most respected leaders in the industry. Every move he makes is with the intention of improving lives  those of his coworkers, his carrier and financial services provider partners, and ultimately, the consumers who receive better outcomes from the products Annexus designs. With Annexus at our side, Integrity will be able to provide an even wider range of retirement solutions to meet the essential needs of the rapidly growing senior market. This partnership reinforces Integrity's commitment to improve retirement planning for all Americans."

Through Integrity's best-in-class platform, Annexus will gain access to a breadth and depth of proprietary technology and resources. These include industry-leading real-time quoting and enrollment systems, customer relationship management software and ongoing product development. Integrity partners are supported by a substantial infrastructure that streamlines business services and administration. Services include areas such as People & Culture, Technology & Innovation, legal and compliance, and access to Integrity's world-class advertising and marketing firm.

Enhancing all these benefits is the opportunity for Annexus employees to enjoy meaningful company ownership through Integrity's impactful Employee Ownership Plan.

"Connecting Integrity's vast scope and scale with the expansive products we're developing is very exciting  equally important is the alignment of cultures," explained Don Dady, Co-Founder of Annexus. "Annexus and Integrity both value hard work, creativity and putting people first. Integrity's Employee Ownership Plan was an important aspect of this partnership. Our talented and hardworking employees are key to our success, and the chance to own a piece of a dynamic and forward-thinking company like Integrity unlocks untold potential value for all our team members. We're incredibly excited about what the future holds with this partnership  it's a win-win for everyone."

"Our mission has always been to help consumers make the most of what life brings in a more holistic way, and to do so, we've partnered with some of the most trusted and respected names in the business," said Steve Young, Chairman of Integrity's Board of Directors. "The Annexus team have been pioneers in designing industry-leading retirement planning products and services for decades. By bringing their expertise into our Integrity family, we'll help more Americans save and retire with greater independence and security. This partnership signifies a new era not just for Integrity and Annexus, but for the industry itself. I believe it's a moment we'll look back on as transformative in the years to come."

For more information about Annexus' partnership with Integrity, view a video at www.integritymarketing.com/Annexus.

About Integrity Marketing Group

Integrity, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of innovative solutions for wealth management and retirement planning. Through its partner network, Integrity helps millions of Americans protect their life, health and wealth with a commitment to meet them wherever they are  in person, over the phone and online. Integrity's cutting-edge technology helps streamline the insurance and financial planning experience for all stakeholders. In addition, Integrity develops products with carrier partners and markets them through its distribution network of agencies, brokerages and RIAs throughout the nation. Integrity's nearly 6,000 employees work with almost 500,000 agents and advisors who serve more than 11 million clients annually. In 2022, Integrity will help carriers place nearly $20 billion in new sales and oversee more than $20 billion of assets under management and advisement through its RIA and broker-dealer platforms. For more information, visit www.integritymarketing.com .

About Annexus

As the leading independent product design and distribution company in America, Annexus designs solutions to help Americans grow and protect their retirement savings. Since 2006, Annexus has developed the industry's best-performing fixed indexed annuities and indexed universal life insurance policies, and they are leading the charge in the development of in-plan lifetime income solutions with plan sponsors. Annexus is recognized as a thought leader across the industry, winning multiple awards including Barron's Best Product for Seniors and most recently, the Annuity Innovator of the Year award from EQDerivatives. For more information, visit www.annexus.com.

SOURCE Integrity Marketing Group, LLC
BOCA RATON, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthology , a leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, and Yellowdig, a data-driven platform that helps institutions create more engaging student experiences, today announced a partnership to offer a deeper experience for students using Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Learn Ultra. The integration enables Anthology clients to deploy Yellowdig through Blackboard Learn to maximize the joint learning experience. Yellowdig's one-click access streamlines connections between students, making mutual support easier whether students are learning remotely or on campus. Learners are rewarded with participation points when they have meaningful interactions with both their peers and instructors.

"This partnership delivers a more interactive and inclusive experience by gamifying engagement and ultimately creates a deeper connection between students and instructors," said Rob Sparks, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Partnerships at Anthology. "By collaborating with Yellowdig and fellow organizations focused on student success, we're helping institutions take a more student-centric approach to teaching and learning using Anthology's Blackboard Learn solution."

Blackboard Learn Ultra delivers a simpler, more powerful teaching and learning experience that goes beyond the traditional learning management system (LMS). Learn Ultra fosters student self-expression, offers a leading test-taking experience, and delivers the ability to surface actionable data insights that help learners, instructors and institutions meet their goals. With a consistent cadence of new features driven by client feedback, Learn Ultra continues to build momentum as the learning environment of choice for higher education institutions globally.

Yellowdig's technology integrates seamlessly with existing LMS and student portals to create organic, student-led learning communities. The mission of these communities is to connect learners and their instructors while moving students from being passive receivers of information to active finders and creators of knowledge. This shift powers deeper learning and enables high-impact instruction while saving valuable faculty time. Yellowdig's ability to engage students and faculty will help Anthology clients improve academic outcomes and increase student success.

"Yellowdig's point system and community-focused design encourage meaningful connections and frequent visits," said Dr. Brian Verdine, Vice President of Academic Product Engagement for Yellowdig. "From these elements, a constantly active community forms that fosters natural, thoughtful, valuable conversations about course content. All too often this level of interaction is missing from courses, especially online classes or any course with more than 15 students."

About Yellowdig

Yellowdig is a Philadelphia-based EdTech SaaS company that believes in changing the way students engage with their education by offering a modern platform designed to foster meaningful interactions between students for in-person, blended, and online programs alike. We aim to turn every classroom, bootcamp, student club, or professional organization into an active learning community through our Yellowdig Engage platform. The platform was built on three main principles: Agency, Mastery, and Connectedness. This focus has resulted in a platform that turns learners into co-creators of knowledge and empowers them with robust performance analytics as they cruise through an enjoyable and enriching learning journey. Learn more about how we can help you build thriving communities at yellowdig.co.

About Anthology

Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, recently combining with Blackboard to support more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community, Anthology helps learners, leaders, and educators achieve their goals through over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. Discover more about how we are fulfilling our mission for K-12, higher education, business and government institutions at www.anthology.com .

CONTACT: Chelcee Coffman, [email protected], 704-615-7603

SOURCE Anthology
South Africa: President welcomes Serum Institute of India's funding initiative

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in his capacity as African Union (AU) COVID-19 Champion, welcomed the Serum Institute of India's (SII) groundbreaking initiative to provide an initial US$2 500 000 (R42 179 375) to galvanise investment into an African and global health workforce.

According to the Presidents Office, the money will go towards supporting the AU COVID-19 Commission as it implements the mandate to establish an AU Health Workforce Task Team (AU-HWTT), which will undertake the programmatic work, public engagement and consensus building towards a fit-for-purpose health workforce that can sustain Universal Health Coverage in Africa.

President Ramaphosa has welcomed this seed funding from SII.

I am pleased to see that Serum, as the producer of medical countermeasures, understands that it is the health workforce that delivers these lifesaving tools to the people. We welcome this contribution to kick start the continental health workforce initiative and call on businesses, donors and other investors to follow Serums example.

The AU COVID-19 Commission supports President Ramaphosa in his role as COVID-19 Champion and partners with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), SII and Seed Global Health to execute this mandate.

President Ramaphosa established the COVID-19 Commission in 2021 to strengthen the continental institutions established as part of the AUs continental response to COVID-19.

This includes the Africa Joint Continental Strategy on Africas COVID-19 Response, the African Medical Supplies Platform, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) and others established during South Africas tenure as AU Chair in 2020.

President Ramaphosa seeks to align political, health and economic leaders with a long-term transformational plan to train and retain a complete health workforce in Africa through a compact amongst member states. He has secured a mandate to prioritise the health workforce agenda and maintain political attention on the issue.

The AU-HWTT new initiative aims to develop a comprehensive framework to build a full African healthcare workforce  in pursuit of economic recovery and global health security.

Health workforce development is a critical pillar of the AUs New Public Health Order towards universal health coverage, pandemic preparedness and health security.

Data has shown the social and financial returns on investment for every dollar spent on training.

For countries or continents where the youth population make up over 50%, the health workforce represents a pathway for job creation, economic recovery and social inclusion.

The AU COVID-19 Commission will oversee Africa CDCs implementation of the initiative in partnership with Seed Global Health.

It is anticipated that SIIs initial donation will act as a catalyst and global rallying cry for other investors, charities and governments to step forward and help build the systems needed to recover from COVID-19.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla, said: We have a long history of providing healthcare support in Africa, including billions of affordable routine vaccines against diseases such as measles and polio, and the development of new vaccines to protect against meningitis and malaria.

But the pandemic has taught us the need not only for life-saving medicines but for the life-saving health workers to administer them.

He believes that the AU-HWTT will mark the first step in the building of the African healthcare workforce of the future.

Poonawalla has called on governments, charities and companies alike to contribute and empower the experts at the AU and Seed Global Health to make this lasting systemic change.

This will not only help to ensure more people in Africa get vaccinated to finally end the acute phase of COVID-19 and prepare the continent for the health threats of tomorrow.

President Ramaphosa also announced the introduction to Africa of the oral therapeutic Paxlovid that can now be purchased by the AU Member States at cost price.

Paxlovid is cheaper than other oral therapeutics, reduces death and hospitalisation by 89%, is easy to administer, has few side effects and works against the Omicron variant.

This, coupled with increased vaccination, will significantly reduce the burden on Africas health systems that are being rebuilt to recover routine services and for future pandemic preparedness.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Islamabad, July 27 (UNI) PTI-backed candidate Pervez Elahi was administered the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Punjab in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari, Geo News reported.

This after the top court declared Mazari's ruling in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Elahi will be the new CM of the province.

SC's three-member bench  comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar  had initially ordered Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman to administer the oath to Elahi, however, he refused to perform his duties. Consequently, President Arif Alvi administered the oath.
Onsite, energy-neutral wastewater treatment will clean the water without carbon emissions.

ESCONDIDO, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Distillers announced that they will use Aquacycl's BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) for wastewater treatment at the greenfield site. The energy-neutral, onsite wastewater treatment will treat effluent  or wastewater  generated onsite without carbon emissions and promote improved water quality and quantity to the Colorado River Basin. The project will provide the option for nutrient-rich, irrigation quality water that will be reused for agriculture on the adjacent farm.

Aspen Distillers' new facility aims to be the nation's most sustainable distillery. Aquacycl's BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) is a modular energy-neutral, onsite wastewater treatment as a service that will treat wastewater generated onsite without carbon emissions and promote improved water quality and quantity to the Colorado River Basin.

Aspen Distillers' new facility aims to be the nation's most sustainable distillery. Located in Pitkin County within the upper Colorado River Basin, the ability to meet all water quality discharge levels was paramount to obtaining permit approvals and support from the local authorities.

Will Sarni, CEO of Water Foundry and the Future of Water: Colorado River Basin Fund says, "The Aquacycl and Aspen Distillers partnership is an excellent example of how innovative technologies can solve water challenges within the Colorado River Basin. The watershed is acutely impacted by climate change and the commitment by Aspen Distillers to adopt innovative technologies is exactly what we need to build a more sustainable and resilient Colorado River Basin."

Founder and CEO of Aspen Distillers, Matthew Patel, says, "We are thrilled to partner with Aquacycl to realize the vision of a sustainable distillery with a direct vision on the environment. This partnership is one way that we are incorporating sustainability in all aspects of our distillery, from the initial design through operation."

The multi-year service contract provides wastewater treatment as a service for the wastewater produced at the distillery. Aquacycl's patented system removes the bulk organics in the wastewater, providing the availability of nutrient-rich water that will be used to support adjacent agriculture. The system does not generate methane and mitigates 90% more GHG emissions than conventional treatment technologies.

Aquacycl's BETT systems use naturally existing, locally-sourced bacteria that simultaneously break down organic matter in the wastewater and release electrons, which are captured as direct current and used to offset the power consumption of the system. Aquacycl's modular systems are remotely monitored and controlled in real-time. They also provide guaranteed permit compliance.

"We are excited to apply new, sustainable technologies that can improve watershed health within this critical basin," Orianna Bretschger, CEO and Founder of Aquacycl says. "This collaborative approach to treatment and distribution provides reuse opportunities with minimal impact on the basin, and simultaneously mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. This is a win-win-win for the community, Aspen Distillers and Aquacycl."

About Aquacycl

Aquacycl (www.aquacycl.com) helps companies take climate action by providing wastewater treatment as a service that mitigates up to 90% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Aquacycl enables industrial customers to maintain healthy watersheds by simplifying complex, tough to treat wastewater; and provides the only technology for treatment of high-strength organic wastewater without dilution. Aquacycl provides permanent and mobile systems through competitive service plans; and strives to be the leading global provider of climate-focused decentralized wastewater treatment applications.

About Aspen Distillers

Aspen Distillers (www.aspendistillers.com) was founded by Matthew Patel who assembled an ecosystem of talent to develop the first distillery in Pitkin County. The project is inspired by Aspen's beauty and is firmly anchored in the "Aspen Idea"  first articulated in the 1940s  that human beings reach their highest level when the mind, body and spirit are empowered by nature's beauty. Aspen Distillers has built its foundation on a commitment to protecting the environment, corporate responsibility and sustainability. The distillery will meet LEED Platinum certification and will go through a one-year audit governed by the International Living Future Institute to meet the Living Building Challenge, the most rigorous award for regenerative building practices.

Media Contact:

Juli Iacuaniello

858.405.6476

[email protected]

SOURCE Aquacycl
HAMILTON, Bermuda, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) ("Ardmore" or the "Company") today announced the planned departure of its current Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") Paul Tivnan and appointment of new CFO Bart Kelleher, effective 28 September 2022.

Anthony Gurnee, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"After 12 great years at Ardmore, Paul has decided to leave the company to broaden his experience and pursue further ambitions. Paul has been instrumental to what Ardmore has accomplished, from its start-up in 2010, through its IPO on the NYSE in 2013, to our position as a first-class shipping company today. Most recently he concluded the Element 1 and Maritime Partners transactions in mid-2021 and a complete refinancing of Ardmore's debt on favorable terms. Paul has been a core part of the senior management team and it has been a privilege to work with him over these many years. We wish him the best as he passes the torch and moves on to the next chapter of his career.

At the same time, I am delighted to announce that Bart Kelleher has agreed to join Ardmore as CFO. Bart brings to Ardmore a wealth of experience in shipping and related industries across many functions, including notable financial sector and CFO experience, as well as his expertise in the chemical sector as CEO of Chembulk Tankers. We are confident that he will play a pivotal role in driving Ardmore strategically and financially toward even greater future success.

Paul and Bart will overlap and work closely together from 1st September to achieve an orderly and well-planned transition, including a thorough handover of all internal and external relationships."

Bart Kelleher Biographical Information:

Bart Kelleher has over 25 years of progressive experience in the maritime, finance, energy, and industrials sectors. Most recently, Mr. Kelleher served as Chief Executive Officer of Chembulk Tankers, an owner and operator of stainless-steel chemical tankers, having previously served as both Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the firm. Prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Principal Maritime Management which owned and operated a fleet of Suezmax crude carriers and chemical tankers; he also functioned as acting Chief Financial Officer during the company's start-up and initial growth phases. In addition to his executive experience in the maritime energy transportation sector, Mr. Kelleher has held roles in investment banking, commercial banking, equity research, and capital markets in the maritime and energy-related industries at Bear Stearns and HSH Nordbank. Earlier in his career, he served as a deck officer onboard US-flag crude oil tankers and held management positions in both the cruise industry and with a leading naval architecture firm. Mr. Kelleher holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MS in Ocean Systems Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BE in Naval Architecture from New York Maritime College. Mr. Kelleher serves as an Advisory Board Member to OrbitMI, an innovative technology firm offering advanced AI-based fleet performance management solutions.

About Ardmore Shipping Corporation

Ardmore owns and operates a fleet of MR product and chemical tankers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 deadweight tonnes. Ardmore provides seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide to oil majors, national oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies, with its modern, fuel-efficient fleet of mid-size tankers.

Ardmore's core strategy is to continue to develop a modern, high-quality fleet of product and chemical tankers, build key long-term commercial relationships and maintain its cost advantage in assets, operations and overhead, while creating synergies and economies of scale as the company grows. Ardmore provides its services to customers through voyage charters, commercial pools, and time charters, and enjoys close working relationships with key commercial and technical management partners.

Ardmore's Energy Transition Plan ("ETP") focusses on three key areas: transition technologies, transition projects, and sustainable (non-fossil fuel) cargos. The ETP is an extension of Ardmore's strategy, building on its core strengths of tanker chartering, shipping operations, technical and operational fuel efficiency improvements, technical management, construction supervision, project management, investment analysis, and ship finance. Ardmore has established Ardmore Ventures as Ardmore's holding company for existing and future potential investments related to the ETP and completed its first projects under the plan in June 2021.

Investor Relations Enquiries:

Mr. Leon Berman Mr. Bryan Degnan The IGB Group The IGB Group 45 Broadway, Suite 1150 45 Broadway, Suite 1150 New York, NY 10006 New York, NY 10006 Tel: 2124778438 Tel: 6466739701 Fax: 2124778636 Fax: 2124778636 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ardmore Shipping Corporation
University partners with American Institutes for Research and CompTIA to help create career opportunities and address employers' tech staffing needs

TEMPE, Ariz., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arizona State University, recognized nationally as America's most innovative school, has launched a new apprenticeship program for aspiring information technology (IT) professionals in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and CompTIA.

Arizona State University is the latest organization to join CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech, a national initiative to help employers fill current and long-term IT staffing needs through an "earn and learn" apprenticeship program that is also creating employment opportunities for people from a diversity of backgrounds.

The university is a multi-employer sponsor serving employers and apprentices under a standards-based Registered Apprenticeship with the Arizona Department of Economic Security. ASU is actively recruiting employers and apprentices for tech project coordinator positions.

"IT projects are often challenging and require strong support to achieve project milestones and provide deliverables," said Raghu Santanam, Senior Associate Dean, Executive Education, Corporate Partnerships and Lifelong Learning & Principal Investigator, Digital Workforce Apprenticeship Partnership, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. "The body of knowledge for IT project management incorporates best practices to instill an agile mindset in the project team.

"Project coordinators fill a critical need in project teams and grow into leadership roles in managing large-scale IT projects," Santanam continued. "Apprenticeships in this technical role are ideal for beginning an exciting career path in IT. We applaud our AZNext employer partners for their innovative leadership in participating in this program."

In June, U.S. employers listed job openings for more than 29,000 positions in IT project management.[1]

"The strong demand for IT project management skills reflects the reality that technology is a critical component in virtually every project, whether small, medium or large," said Amy Kardel, senior vice president for workforce relations at CompTIA.

Training for tech project coordinator apprentices follows National Guideline Standards for the job role developed by CompTIA and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). Apprentices receive on-the-job experience and classroom instruction in the basics of project management, general IT terminology and concepts, business acumen, employability skills and other areas. The standards also include guidance on the qualifications and recruitment of prospective apprentices, the duration of training and a recommended wage scale.

The USDOL selected AIR, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health and the workforce, and CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the IT industry and workforce, to serve as a national Industry Intermediary for expansion of apprenticeship in tech occupations. More information is available at https://www.comptia.org/content/lp/apprenticeships-for-tech.

About Arizona State University

Arizona State University is the largest provider of lifelong teaching and learning in the world, with more than 74,000 students on four academic campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area and an additional 54,000 digital immersion students. https://www.asu.edu/

About CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech

CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech is a national initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to increase the number of skilled technology workers and expand tech career opportunities for diverse populations, including women, individuals with disabilities and people of color. https://www.comptia.org/content/lp/apprenticeships-for-tech.

Media Contacts

Shay Moser

W. P. Carey School of Business

[email protected]

480-965-3963

Steven Ostrowski

CompTIA

[email protected]

630-678-8468

CompTIA Tech Jobs Report, July 8, 2022 .

SOURCE CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) and Kenes Group will be partnering to host a new convention and exposition focused on airspace integration in Madrid the week of September 25th 2023. The new convention will showcase advanced air mobility, urban air mobility, space integration, and civil and military cooperation.

The convention will be co-located with Expodronica's live advanced air mobility and drone demonstration scheduled for the week of September 25th 2023 taking place at IFEMA Feria de Madrid and Cuatro Vientos Airport.

ATCA and Kenes will be partnering to host a new exposition focused on airspace integration in Madrid in September 2023. Tweet this

"We see hosting events around the world as a vital component of our organization's mission to work toward integrating all airspace users," said Brian Bruckbauer, President and CEO of ATCA. "Our goal at ATCA is to connect people to confront today's challenges and shape tomorrow's airspace and our Madrid conference will be one of the places where these conversations occur."

ATCA conducted 67 successful ATCA Annual events in the United States, and established World ATM Inc. in 2013 to expand ATCA's brand and initiatives globally. Since 2013, ATCA and World ATM Inc. planned and executed 9 innovative World ATM Congress events in Madrid that were a "must attend" for the global ATM community. The team from Kenes Group was with ATCA every step of the way as local operators in Spain. Kenes Group brings to the table over 50 years of experience as Professional Congress Organizers, having managed over 4,000 conferences around the globe.

"We are excited to partner with our friends at ATCA and create a continuation to the World ATM tradition," said Dan Rivlin, Executive Chair and Chief Vision Officer of Kenes Group. "Our joint experience and expertise will lead to a gathering which will facilitate knowledge exchange and showcase the tools to enable safer and better air traffic globally."

"We have appreciated Madrid's hospitality over the past years, and we're excited to continue working with the people of this great city," said Brian Bruckbauer, President and CEO of ATCA.

Airspace transportation of goods and people is on the cusp of a new golden age, and ATCA and Kenes Group are partnering to ensure the exchange of knowledge and services in our future skies are discussed and solutions are achieved.

CONTACT: Bridget Dongu, [email protected]

SOURCE Air Traffic Control Association
CLEARWATER, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BayCare Health System is planning to open Manatee County's first hospital north of the Manatee River by the end of 2025 to support expanding health care needs of the rapidly growing community.

Located at the northeast corner of Moccasin Wallow Road and Interstate 75, the hospital will provide northern Manatee County residents easy access to convenient, high-quality health care, including quicker, closer access to potentially life-saving emergency care.

BayCare Health System plans to open Manatee County's first hospital north of the Manatee River by the end of 2025. Tweet this BayCare plans to open a primary care office by the end of this year and a new hospital by the end of 2025.



BayCare, which currently operates 15 hospitals in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, is working on obtaining necessary zoning approvals as it finalizes construction details.

"As with all our hospitals and services, our mission in Manatee County is to improve the health of all we serve," said BayCare President and CEO Tommy Inzina. "That means when we build this hospital, we will extend to Manatee residents our longstanding tradition of Community Benefit."

The not-for-profit health care system is nationally recognized in the top 20 percent of U.S. health care systems based on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and efficiency metrics. It has been repeatedly recognized as a top employer in the Tampa Bay area. BayCare also returns to the community roughly 10 percent of its revenue each year in the form of direct charity care, patient financial assistance and direct community programming.

BayCare already serves Manatee County with its home health service, BayCare HomeCare, which provides effective and affordable service for people recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery and those who need help managing a chronic health condition. In-home care like skilled nursing, physical therapy and medical social services are designed to help people maintain independence and stay out of the hospital.

In addition, BayCare Medical Group, which is one of the Tampa Bay area's largest multi-specialty groups with more than 600 providers, will open an Adult Primary Care practice in The Shoppes of Moccasin Wallow (96th St East, Palmetto) by the end of this year.

BayCare's integrated network of services and its hundreds of locations across West Central Florida also include labs, imaging, ambulatory surgery centers and urgent care centers. It is the largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services in the region and offers a robust telehealth service and employer solutions.

"At BayCare, we put tremendous resources into keeping people well and out of hospitals," Inzina said. "While hospitals are a critical part of a community's infrastructure, BayCare strives to provide the right care at the right time for patients. Our extraordinary team members connect with people wherever we can support their health care journey."

BayCare is currently building a new hospital in Wesley Chapel and a replacement hospital for South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City. Both facilities are right sized for the current population with infrastructure that offers room for future growth. BayCare is taking a similar approach in Manatee County, where the building permit application requests up to 207 private patient rooms, but the initial construction likely will have a smaller bed count.

The Manatee County hospital will be BayCare's 17th acute care hospital. At this time, the exact hospital size, construction costs, employment opportunities and timelines are still undetermined as BayCare works to maximize the site's potential.

To learn more about BayCare and its impact on those it serves, visit: 2021 Report to the Community.

About BayCare

BayCare was formed in 1997 by a core group of local hospitals determined to continue providing not-for-profit health care to the Tampa Bay community with a unified mission: To provide high-quality, compassionate care to all we serve. Today, BayCare is recognized by FORTUNE/MERATIVE (formally IBM Watson Health) as being in the top 20 percent of large U.S. health care systems. Besides its 15 hospitals in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties, it includes an integrated system of ambulatory and physician services. The system's 16th hospital, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, is expected to open in 2023 in east Pasco County.

BayCare is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgery centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare.

BayCare is now one of the largest employers in the bay area, with 27,739 team members, with substantial economic impact. BayCare is also repeatedly recognized as a high-quality employer and has Great Place to Work Certification.

The BayCare Medicare Advantage insurance plan, BayCarePlus, is among the region's few 5-star-rated plans.

For more insight into BayCare's commitment to high-quality care and its community, read our 2021 Report to the Community.

CONTACT:Liza (Patterson) Razler, [email protected]

SOURCE BayCare Health System
RENO, Nev. and TORONTO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bendito Resources Inc. ("Bendito", the "Company", or "we") is pleased to announce that on July 22, 2022, it completed the previously announced share purchase agreement transactions (the "Transaction") to acquire a diversified Mexican project portfolio from Azure Minerals Limited ("Azure"). For additional information on the Transaction, please refer to the previously issued press release dated May 31, 2022, that is posted to the Bendito website. On July 18, 2022, the A$20 million Transaction was amended as follows:

Bendito and Azure amended the terms of the Transaction to change the initial consideration paid to Azure to A$8.0 million, consisting of A$4.0 million of cash (previously A$6.0M of cash) and A$4.0 million of shares (previously A$2.0 million of shares). The second tranche consideration, which remains payable within 18 months of the Transaction closing, will now total A$12.0 million and consist of A$6.0 million of cash and A$6.0 million of shares. The overall Transaction consideration payable to Azure of A$20.0 million did not change.

Bendito is currently pursuing an additional US$3.5 million financing to advance the acquired projects. Upon completion of its financing process, Bendito expects to commence drilling activities at its Alacran and Oposura projects. At Alacran, the Company's strategy is two-pronged: gold and silver mineral resource expansion at the near surface targets, connecting San Simon to Loma Bonita and Mesa de Plata; and pursing exploration of the copper porphyry targets to the south and south-east portions of the Alacran property. At Oposura, the Company's drilling will focus initially on regional geologic potential to determine scale of the zinc-lead-silver mineralization outside of the historical resource areas. Bendito plans to prepare technical reports on both Alacran and Oposura, followed by mineral resource statements in Q1 2023 inclusive of the Company's 2022 drilling campaigns. Both Alacran and Oposura have JORC mineral resource statements dated May 12, 2017 (Mesa de Plata) and t June 1, 2018, respectively that were prepared on behalf of Azure.

Mr. John Antwi, President and CEO of Bendito, commented: "The Bendito team is very excited to close this transaction and thanks Azure and its shareholders for their support and vote of confidence in the transaction and our business plan. We welcome all the Mexico employees, contractors, and local stakeholders of Azure Minerals to Bendito Resources. We have a target-rich geologic environment, and our team sees many opportunities to add substantial value to the projects. I look forward to providing many meaningful updates in the coming months on our efforts, progress, and milestones while our team advances the new Bendito project portfolio. I am also very honored to extend a special welcome to the new and potential investors of the Company."

About Bendito Resources Inc.

Bendito Resources Inc. is a private mineral resource company formed and led by experienced mining and exploration executives with headquarters in Reno, Nevada, USA and regional offices in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The Company fully-owns a portfolio of diversified mineral projects in Mexico, which includes the Alacran and Oposura projects, both of which have previously reported mineral resources. The Mexican property portfolio comprises the Company's sole mineral interests. For additional information please visit the Company's website at www.benditoresources.com or contact the Company at the below:

John Antwi

President & CEO

[email protected]

(775) 340-2719

Bendito Resources

6490 S McCarran Blvd

Building E, Suite 121

Reno, NV 89509

Jeff Stieber

Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

(775) 250-0300

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of management concerning performance, business, and future events, including the completion of the development of the Mexican property portfolio and the expected timing thereof; the growth potential of the Mexican project portfolio; the expected direction of project and exploration capital; anticipated operational and strategic plans pertaining to the Alacran Project and the Oposura Project and the timing thereof; the expected timing and amounts of future financing efforts; and timing of a resource estimate and related technical report with respect to the Alacran Project and the Oposura Project.

Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates, and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

SOURCE Bendito Resources Inc.
HANGZHOU, China, July. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BEST Inc. (NYSE: BEST) ("BEST" or the "Company"), a leading integrated smart supply chain solutions and logistics services provider in China and Southeast Asia, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30 2022, after the U.S. market closes on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results at 9:00pm U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, or 09:00am Beijing Time on Thursday, August 18, 2022.

Participants may access the call by dialling the following numbers:

United States: +1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong: 800-963976 or +852-58081995 Mainland China: 4001-206115 International: +1-412-317-6061 Participant Elite Entry Number: 3818072

A replay of the conference call will be accessible through Aug.24, 2022 by dialling the following numbers:

United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code : 8680053

Please visit the Company's investor relations website http://ir.best-inc.com/ to view the earnings release prior to the conference call. A live and archived webcast of the conference call and a presentation will also be available at the same site.

ABOUT BEST INC.

BEST Inc. (NYSE: BEST) is a leading integrated smart supply chain solutions and logistics services provider in China and Southeast Asia. Through its proprietary technology platform and extensive networks, BEST offers a comprehensive set of logistics and value-add services, including express and freight delivery, supply chain management and last-mile services, truckload service brokerage, international logistics and financial services. BEST's mission is to create a smarter, more efficient supply chain in the new retail era by leveraging technology and business model innovation. For more information, please visit: http://www.best-inc.com/en/.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACTS

BEST Inc.

Investor Relations Team

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Yang Song

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE BEST Inc.
Multi-brand portfolio continues to expand services to support people in wellness and well-being

TROY, Mich., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Life Brands, LLC ("Best Life Brands"), a franchised organization that includes Blue Moon Estate Sales , CarePatrol , ComForCare , At Your Side Home Care and Boost Home Healthcare , ended the first half of 2022 with multiple awards and 48 additional franchise agreements awarded across all brands.

"Everyone under the Best Life Brands umbrella has exceeded our expectations in the first half of 2022," said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands. "Our growth during the first half of this year continues to underscore the needs of a quickly growing senior population in the U.S. and Canada. Best Life Brands is reaching its goal to become a fully comprehensive senior care organization dedicated to helping our aging population along the continuum of care. I am thrilled to see that the work our team and franchisees are doing is helping more clients and customers engage in our senior care solutions."

Highlights across the Best Life Brands network from January to June 2022 include:

Best Life Brands:

Surpassed 500 open locations across all brands in the U.S. and Canada ;

across all brands in the U.S. and ; VetFran discount has increased from 15% to 20% for all brands to further support military franchisees both present and future;

ComForCare/AtYourSide Home Care:

Signed 13 new franchise agreements in existing markets;

Ranked 74th by Fortune Magazine as a 2022 Great Place to Work for Millenials ;

; Ranked 311th on Entrepreneur Magazine's annual Franchise 500 list;

CarePatrol:

Signed 11 new franchise agreements in existing markets;

Launched a new podcast, "My Care Advisors" ;

; Implemented a brand refresh , replacing the logo, creating a new franchisee starter kit, updating its website and more;

, replacing the logo, creating a new franchisee starter kit, updating its website and more; Named as one of the 200 best franchise opportunities by Franchise Business Review;

Blue Moon Estate Sales:

Won the Franchise Times Zor Award as the Top Brand to Buy ;

Zor Award as the ; Signed 21 new franchise agreements, entering the Columbus, OH , Lansing, MI , Napa Valley , and South Florida markets;

, , , and markets; Ranked for the first time in the Entrepreneur Magazine 's annual Franchise 500 list at #491;

's annual list at #491; Ranked 100th on Entrepreneur Magazine's worldwide Fastest-Growing Franchises list ;

Boost Home Healthcare:

Opened the brand's first franchise location in Culver City, California ;

; Signed three new franchise agreements, entering the Harlingen, TX and Austin, TX markets;

and markets; Launched the new Boost website ;

Media coverage for the brands appeared in Home Care Magazine , Senior Outlook Today , Home Health Care News , AARP , Generation Bold Radio , and more.

For the second half of 2022, Best Life Brands plans to continue its growth by entering the Northern and Southern California, South Florida, North New Jersey and Chicago markets across all brands.

To learn more about ComForCare, visit www.comforcare.com/ .

To learn more about CarePatrol, visit www.carepatrol.com/ .

To learn more about Blue Moon Estate Sales, visit www.bluemoonestatesales.com/ .

To learn more about Boost Home Healthcare, visit https://www.boosthomehealth.com .

About Best Life Brands, LLC

Based in Troy, Mich., Best Life Brands, LLC is a holding company that includes ComForCare and At Your Side , premier franchised providers of home care; CarePatrol , the nation's largest franchised senior care solutions organization; Blue Moon Estate Sales , the leading estate sale franchise in the U.S., and Boost Home Healthcare , dedicated to providing superior in-home nursing, therapy, and home care services, which together include more than 500 franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. With a private equity investment from The Riverside Company, Best Life Brands is a platform of award-winning complementary businesses that serve people along the continuum of care.

SOURCE Best Life Brands
SINGAPORE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bilibili Comics is proud to announce a partnership with Anime-Planet, providing free chapters of manga and webtoons to Anime-Planet's online reading portal. In addition, Bilibili Comics has added Anime-Planet's community ratings to their pages as part of a new third-party scoring feature.

At launch, Bilibili Comics has released sample chapters for a set of 60 series on Anime-Planet, covering a wide range of genres such as BL, GL, martial arts, science fiction, and comedy. More series and chapters will be provided on an ongoing basis moving forward. The community can read these chapters for free, add a rating, and track their reading progress on Anime-Planet, in addition to being able to follow links to Bilibili Comics to read the full series and to see Anime-Planet's combined community score.

A spokesman from Bilibili Comics said, "We are very optimistic about the cooperation with Anime-Planet, which will allow Bilibili Comics to connect with more comic users. In the future, users can directly have trials of comics in Anime-Planet, and rate their favorite comics. At the same time, this rating will also become an important reference and indicator for Bilibili Comic's evaluation system."

Kim Cameron, Anime-Planet's founder, said: "We are thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with Bilibili Comics. Bilibili Comics offers so many high-quality manga and webtoons that we know our community will love, and we're excited that users can make their voices heard in the ratings. We are looking forward to strengthening this partnership moving forward. "

The collaboration is expected to have a profound impact on Bilibili Comics. The majority of Bilibili Comics' works have versions translated into English, so Anime-Planet, one of the most influential anime and manga communities amongst English speakers, will enable more fans in English-speaking markets to read Bilibili Comics' highly-regarded series, and will continue to strengthen the legal manga industry. Anime-Planet has established strong credibility in the community and industry in the over 20 years of its operation, and as a result, displaying Anime-Planet's community ratings on the Bilibili Comics platform will optimize their user experience as well.

Bilibili Comics was launched in April 2021 and has more than 15 million monthly active users. More than 700 comics that are translated into English, Indonesian, and Spanish are available on the platform. The company's most popular series is Heaven's Official Blessing, which has an animated adaptation that has aired on streaming platforms such as Funimation and Netflix. Bilibili Comics plans to collaborate with additional animation platforms as a way of supporting content creators from different regions, so that they can continue to provide highly regarded comics works to readers worldwide. With a goal of respecting the cultures of different countries, Bilibili Comics actively promotes localization to support sustainable development of the animation community.

Founded in 2001, Anime-Planet was created by fans, for fans. Anime-Planet offers the ability to track the anime you've seen, and the manga, webtoons, and OELs that you've read; has personalized anime and manga recommendations; the ability to legally read and watch content online through industry partnerships; and has a vast content database for anime and manga, tags, characters, and staff. Learn more at Anime-Planet.com and follow the site on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

SOURCE Bilibili Comics
Community Focus on Expanding Programs for All Ages

DENVER, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- B'nai Havurah, Denver's only Reconstructionist congregation, today announced the hiring of Rabbi Katie Mizrahi as the new spiritual leader of the community. She will officially join the community in September.

"We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Mizrahi. She brings a keen rabbinic mind, warmth and an ability to engage people of all ages." Tweet this Bnai Havurah Hires Rabbi Katie Mizrahi

"We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Mizrahi into our community," said B'nai Havurah Board Chair Ben Honigman. "She brings a keen rabbinic mind, the warmth and proven ability to attract and engage people of all ages, and extensive experience of community leadership. Our entire community eagerly looks forward to her official start in September, leading the High Holy Days programs and services as we welcome the New Year."

ABOUT RABBI KATIE MIZRAHI

Ordained through the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2005, Rabbi Mizrahi had previously studied for several years in Jerusalem while devoting herself to human rights projects and peace education. Since 2007, she has been the rabbi of Or Shalom Jewish Community in San Francisco. Prior to that, she also served as a Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York City, a visiting rabbi for Kehilat Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem, and a sabbatical rabbi for West End Synagogue, also in New York City.

Rabbi Mizrahi grew up in Boulder, Colorado and attended Stanford University, majoring in philosophy and religious studies. As a rabbi, she has a rare combination of intellectual rigor, musicality and warm openheartedness.

"It is a deep joy to arrive at this moment of becoming the rabbi of B'nai Havurah," said Rabbi Mizrahi. "My cup overflows with gratitude, excitement, ideas, and hopes for our shared future. For me, coming to serve as the rabbi of B'nai Havurah will be both a new beginning and a homecoming, and I am so thankful for the blessing of this opportunity."

A PERFECT CHOICE FOR B'NAI HAVURAH

B'nai Havurah is an inclusive, participatory community with a 60+ year history of strong lay leadership, a vibrant music program, and a commitment to social justice. "We are currently at a crossroads," said Honigman. "Many of our members are older and we are eager to include more young families in our community. Rabbi Mizrahi is the perfect choice to help us innovate to meet the changing needs of our Jewish community. She is a musical, dynamic service-leader, with gifts for writing, speaking, counseling, and teaching. A believer in empowered community leadership in partnership with strong rabbinic vision, she is a community-builder with extensive experience fostering groups around tikkun olam (repair of the world) and lifelong learning. Rabbi Mizrahi is a perfect fit for B'nai Havurah."

For more information contact Becky Epstein at [email protected], 303-388-4441 ext. 15 or visit www.bnaihavurah.org.

ABOUT B'NAI HAVURAH

B'nai Havurah had its beginnings in 1961, as a fellowship/study group (havurah). The group grew and in 1963 officially affiliated as a havurah with the Reconstructionist movement, which is committed to the renewal of American Jewish life. Reconstructionism defines Judaism as an evolving civilization that encompasses history, literature, art, music, land, and language. At B'nai Havurah, this is achieved through study, worship and joyous practice, social justice, acts of kindness, and connection with the Jewish people. B'nai Havurah is an egalitarian and participatory community, open to a variety of perspectives and forms of religious expression.

For more information, visit www.bnaihavurah.org.

Media Contacts:

Grace Vogelzang

Media Director

Impact Communications, Inc.

[email protected]

913-649-5009

Becky Epstein

Executive Director

B'nai Havurah

[email protected]

303-388-4441 ext. 15

SOURCE Bnai Havurah
SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boardspan , the leader in board governance software and services, today announced the successful completion of its second round of institutional investment along with a strategic investment and new business partnership.

The financing was led by Aligned Partners. Other major investors include Teneo, the global CEO advisory firm, and Blake Grossman, a highly regarded executive and former CEO of Barclays Global Investors (BGI).

In connection with this investment, Teneo and Boardspan have entered into a go-to-market partnership for both companies to deliver their complementary expertise to each other's client base in a highly strategic manner.

"Board effectiveness is crucial to the strategic direction and success of our clients," said Diane McIntyre, CEO of Teneo People Advisory. "In partnership with Boardspan, Teneo is able to expand our current Board Advisory offering to include assessments, gap analyses and benchmarking solutions, offering a truly end-to-end, cloud-based advisory experience."

Jodi Jahic, Managing Partner at Aligned Partners, said: "Aligned Partners is excited about the impact Boardspan is having in this large, underserved market as it modernizes governance best practices for boards of all types. We are impressed by Boardspan's growth and client list and very pleased to continue to support the company as it continues to scale. The recognition by other investors who joined in this round is a reflection of Boardspan's momentum."

Boardspan CEO Abby Adlerman said, "We appreciate the continued support from Aligned Partners. Working with Jodi, Blake and other leaders of this caliber has made Boardspan even stronger as we bring new solutions to boardroom challenges. We're excited to count Teneo as a Boardspan advocate and to help support their clients. As a mission-driven business we take to heart our role in elevating board performance. The bar keeps going up and we're delighted to work with so many experienced, dedicated board members who undertake to thoughtfully govern and guide the entities they serve in this dynamic environment."

About Boardspan

Boardspan is the leading provider of digital governance solutions for boards across all sectors. Our cloud-based assessments, dashboards, benchmarking analytics and governance education programs complement our board search and advisory services to deliver a holistic approach to governance. Boards of all sizes and stages rely on Boardspan to deliver analytics, insights and outcomes that improve their effectiveness and performance. Clients include KKR, The Kellogg Foundation, Ingersoll Rand, Farfetch, Beyond Meat, Box, e.l.f. Beauty, Fortive, Satellite Healthcare and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

About Teneo

Teneo is the global CEO advisory firm. We partner with our clients globally to do great things for a better future. Drawing upon our global team and expansive network of senior advisors, we provide advisory services across our five business segments on a stand-alone or fully integrated basis to help our clients solve complex business challenges. Our clients include a significant number of the Fortune 100 and FTSE 100, as well as other corporations, financial institutions and organizations.

About Aligned Partners

Aligned Partners is an early-stage venture fund focused on highly capital-efficient companies in the enterprise, mobile, and SaaS sectors. Founded by experienced investors with deep venture and operating backgrounds, Aligned Partners helps its portfolio companies achieve tight product-market fit, clear value propositions, rapid growth, and strong company-investor alignment. Aligned Partners is based in Menlo Park, California.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Kaitlin Quistgaard, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions at Boardspan

TEL: 415.963.9832 x704

EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Boardspan Inc
TORONTO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Braxia Scientific Corp. ("Braxia", or the "Company"), (CSE: BRAX) (OTC: BRAXF) (FWB: 4960), a medical research company with clinics providing innovative ketamine and psilocybin treatments for people living with depression and related mental health disorders, is pleased to announce the addition of Jason Wolkove, Chief Information Officer and Daniel Herrera, Vice President, Research & Development and Growth.

These strategic hires bolster Braxia's senior leadership team and its ability to drive growth and innovation. Both roles will be integral to executing the expansion of the Company's clinical footprint, the rollout and expansion of novel ketamine and psilocybin therapy offerings, new special access programs, current and upcoming clinical trials, and the potential commercialization of future product development.

Braxia's new Chief Information Officer, Jason Wolkove, is a seasoned technology executive bringing more than 20 years of experience growing complex technical product, sales and service teams and building SaaS software systems. Jason also brings deep expertise in both revenue cycle, data management and mining, and a proven ability to manage product development. He has led teams from concept to delivery through the application, design, and delivery phases in addition to leading technology focused M&A during his tenure with two large financial institutions - Scotiabank and CIBC. Jason is also a founding board member for a rare disease foundation working towards building treatments for children with Neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Roger McIntyre, CEO, Braxia Scientific, commented: Jason brings deep technology expertise and a strong track record of success with a passion for solving problems through innovative technology solutions. We look forward to his guidance as we implement our technology vision and focus on scaling up our clinical ketamine and psilocybin therapy programs, as well as clinical trials, to meet increasing demand for affordable access to innovative treatments for depression."

As Vice President, Research & Development and Growth, Daniel Herrera brings extensive experience in the life sciences industry including more than 15 years of senior-level experience in the pharmaceutical industry serving in various commercial and strategic roles at Eli Lilly and Company. Daniel has also led various teams and divisions at high-growth start-ups and private multi-national companies in the pharmaceutical and cannabis industries. In these roles he has acquired regulatory and commercial knowledge and expertise in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic and mental health.

In this strategic role, Daniel will drive Braxia's R&D portfolio strategy and business development to further strengthen the Company's pipeline by leveraging internal and external opportunities.

Dr. McIntyre commented, "We are delighted to welcome Daniel, adding high caliber global pharmaceutical leadership to the Braxia management team. Daniel's significant experience in global clinical development and the marketing of innovative medicines across several therapeutic areas, combined with his experience as a key leader in the development of multiple innovative therapeutics, are important skill sets that complement Braxia's leading research team. His deep knowledge of the psychoactive segment and experience working with global regulatory agencies, including FDA and Health Canada among others, will be an invaluable contributor to our growth and the acceleration of our development pipeline."

Prior to joining Braxia, Daniel was Chief Growth Officer with Mindcure, a psychedelic focused R&D and technology company working on the development of various programs in the mental health space including a digital therapeutic. Prior to joining Mindcure, Daniel was the Chief Corporate Development Officer of Medcolcanna, a Canadian integrated medical cannabis company with operations in Colombia, where he managed global partnerships within the highly regulated medical cannabis industry. There he gained specific experience in the psychoactive medical cannabis segment as he helped lead the company's efforts to have the Colombian Government grant the company the authorization to manufacture psychoactive medical cannabis derivatives.

Prior to joining Medcolcanna, Daniel was with CannTrust Holdings Inc., where he served as Director of Global Strategy and Business Development as well as leading the Global Partnerships and Investments group, advising on several M&A and sales transactions helping to expand the company into Denmark, Germany, Australia and the US.

About Braxia Scientific Corp.

Braxia Scientific is a medical research company with clinics that provide innovative ketamine treatments for persons with depression and related disorders. Through its medical solutions, Braxia aims to reduce the illness burden of brain-based disorders, such as major depressive disorder among others. Braxia is primarily focused on (i) owning and operating multidisciplinary clinics, providing treatment for mental health disorders, and (ii) research activities related to discovering and commercializing novel drugs and delivery methods. Braxia seeks to develop ketamine and derivatives and other psychedelic products from its IP development platform. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence Inc., Braxia currently operates multidisciplinary community-based clinics offering rapid-acting treatments for depression located in Mississauga, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, and Montreal.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dr. Roger S. McIntyre"

Dr. Roger S. McIntyre

Chairman & CEO

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations, or beliefs of future performance are "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements include statements about the intended promise of ketamine-based treatments for depression and the potential for ketamine to treat other emerging psychiatric disorders, such as Bipolar Depression. Such forward- looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events, or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the failure of ketamine, psilocybin and other psychedelics to provide the expected health benefits and unanticipated side effects, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including acquiring and renewing federal, provincial, municipal, local or other licenses and engaging in activities that could be later determined to be illegal under domestic or international laws. Ketamine and psilocybin are currently Schedule I and Schedule III controlled substances, respectively, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, S.C. 1996, c. 19 (the "CDSA") and it is a criminal offence to possess such substances under the CDSA without a prescription or a legal exemption. Health Canada has not approved psilocybin as a drug for any indication, however ketamine is a legally permissible medication for the treatment of certain psychological conditions. It is illegal to possess such substances in Canada without a prescription. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, including the Amended and Restated Listing Statement dated April 15, 2021, which are available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Braxia Scientific Corp.
The Gateway to Asia initiative ensures quality and timely delivery through shorter lead times, temperature and humidity control, and streamlined urgent order processing

SAN ANTONIO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the pharmaceutical supply chain contract services industry, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Bushu Pharma with the 2022 Japan Customer Value Leadership Award. Bushu Pharma, the premier CDMO in Japan, offers pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain management (SCM) solutions, delivering pharmaceutical drug products, specializing in oral solid dosage and parenteral contract manufacturing, supporting clinical trial drug products, and commercial goods, along with packaging according to current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. It has established a flexible operational structure capable of handling all SCM functions from import/export to manufacturing on a 24-hour basis. The company mainly caters to pharmaceutical organizations focusing on emerging rare diseases in Asia, especially those without a Japanese subsidiary or limited resources in Japan.

Bushu Pharma works closely with its partners to help organizations successfully launch their products, even with minimal resources. It recently partnered with Suzuken, a Japan-grown specialty pharmaceutical distribution firm, to maximize support for new product launches by specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking to enter Japan's market. The partnership establishes a one-stop center for manufacturing operations and general logistics in Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, and uses Suzuken's drug traceability system named Cubixx, to deliver efficient and high-quality products to patients. Cubixx strictly monitors and controls the temperature of specialty drugs, providing an environment for medical professionals to offer medicines safely and securely without compromising quality and risking the patient.

"Bushu Pharma has made its mark in the Japan pharmaceutical supply chain contract services market with its expertise spanning well over two decades. With a track record of exporting drugs to more than 43 countries, the company holds global GMP certifications," said Azza Fazar, Best Practices Research Analyst for Frost & Sullivan.

Through setting up and utilizing the Kazo Pharmaceutical Joint Logistics Center's cold storage area of more than a thousand square meters, Bushu Pharma offers contract manufacturing focused on secondary packaging services, such as inspection and labeling. The company has gained substantial industry and operation know-how through its offerings and track record, making it highly sought-after by potential clients and recognized as a business's essential differentiator resulting in considerable growth. It develops its account management strategy and proposes improvement initiatives based on client feedback and evaluations to ensure high-standard customer service, which is the core to their business mission and delivery. The company listens to clients through personalized project teams and subject matter experts, establishing trust and long-lasting relationships. Bushu Pharma also enables flexible operations and responds to demands with short lead times through a systemic pharmaceutical supply chain in Asia-Pacific that does not rely on direct imports from Europe, thereby reducing the complexity of supply chain throughout Asia.

"Bushu Pharma launched Gateway to Asia in 2021 as an initiative and a value-added offering for international pharmaceutical companies to import bulk products, into Japan for quality inspection, labeling, packaging, and distribution throughout Japan and Asia-Pacific. It eliminates delivery delays, compromised drug environments, and long lead times," as noted by Surbhi Gupta, Senior Industry Analyst for Frost & Sullivan.

Customer-centric approaches, revolutionary contract services offerings, and exceptional supply chain strategies underpin Bushu Pharma's impressive growth momentum and trajectory, earning clients' trust and loyalty and more market share. The company's high client satisfaction rate, unsurpassed quality maintenance, and continuous improvement enable customer acquisition through word of mouth and offer immense value to existing and new customers, solidifying its reputation in the market. With its strong overall performance, Bushu Pharma earns Frost & Sullivan's 2022 Japan Customer Value Leadership Award in the pharmaceutical supply chain contract services industry.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognizes the company's unique focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices award recognizes companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Kala Mani. S.

P: +603.2023.2037

E: [email protected]

About Bushu Pharma

Bushu Pharma was established in August 1998 as an independent pharmaceutical contract manufacturer. Bushu Pharma, capitalized at 1 billion yen, carries out pharmaceutical drug product contract manufacturing and packaging of clinical trials and commercial products in accordance with the latest cGMP standards. Through the utilization of know-how and the latest industry information, Bushu Pharma prides itself in being able to offer added-value solutions to customers. For more information, visit www.bushu-pharma.com/en/.

Contact:

Hideyuki Tanaka, Deputy General Manager, Marketing Division

P: +81 49 273 6386

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
EAST NORWICH, N.Y., July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Climate crisis:

Environmental and Wild Horse Orgs File In Federal Court Against Lack of Data In Accelerated Wild Horse and Burro Removal Tweet this Chasing mares and foals Pregnant Burros on Public lands

The Bureau of Land Management to continue the gather of 1,000 wild horses and burros without analyzing significant environmental impacts, contrary to the law.

Today, CANA Foundation and Wild Horse Education filed suit in federal district court to protect the Blue Wing Complex from the antiquated and unscientific Environmental Assessment (EA) BLM is using to justify ten years of Wild horse and Burro removals without public process.

The US Government Ignores its own laws and continues the unchecked decimation of America's Public range lands, and its inhabitants. In violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the government is planning to round up 1000 wild horses and burros without the use of current data and planning documents necessary to make environmental assessments in properly managing the range particularly in this time of climate change and droughts.

Plans for monitoring and evaluating management actions and decisions, require the collection of timely data/information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of decisions such as removals of wild horses, water levels, and overall range condition that should effect the decisions for wild horse roundups and permitting for grazing, geothermal, hard-rock mining, as well as oil and gas.

The organizations reached out to the Nevada State Director in a letter challenging the agency justifications moving forward. After receiving no response, CANA and WHE had no choice but to file litigation.

The Secretary of the Interior is to use the best available science. In many cases, roundups are being run using archaic planning and vacant scientific analysis.

But with no collection of current data or environmental assessments as required by law, the BLM plans to remove 1000 wild horses and burros from their homes and disregard the destruction caused by the livestock and mining industry's on public lands, all at the tax payers expense.

Dr. Ross MacPhee Science advisor for the CANA Foundation and senior curator for the Mammalogy Dept. at the Museum of Natural History states "It has been completely forgotten, or ignored, by the BLM that the large herbivores of the past, like mammoths and ancient horses, were the ones that maintained North America's prairies by appropriate grazing and returning nutrients to the soil. The grasslands of the west are now only a faint echo of what they once were, with a much lessened capacity to sequester carbon or to resist wildfires. Horses are natural caretakers of the grasslands in ways that cattle are not and never will be."

Laura Leigh of Wild Horse Education explains, "Stakeholder engagement is skewed consistently to favor industry; if you represent an environmental interest you are repeatedly ignored. BLM has not updated environmental analysis for Blue Wing since 1987; they just carry over the dusty myths connected to their agenda and plow ahead. A lot has changed in the world in 40 years, except how BLM continues to ignore stakeholders for wild horses and burros, continues accelerated removals to suit big corporate politics, and fails at responsible management of a public resource."

With the use of required analysis and planning we can prevent the inhumane treatment of wild horses and burros on range and during capture, as well as all wildlife and critically important water sources.

"The deaths during roundups that we have seen so far this summer, are in part due to the sheer lack of science backed management planning. Including a data-based foaling season," Leigh continued, "In the last week two young foals died unnecessarily at Triple B. It is foaling season in Blue Wing as well. The BLM claims there is no foaling season at all for burros. The burros at Blue Wing are heavily pregnant and with very small babies, our team is out there now. What is getting ready to hit that complex is simply not 'ok' in a civilized nation."

CANA Foundation and Wild horse Education have taken next steps in trying to bring the Nevada state BLM to rectify their archaic system and have sustainable and science-based management be the driver of our lands, wild horses, burros and wildlife.

*Blue Wing is located 50 miles west of Winnemucca, Nevada. The Blue Wing Complex consists of approximately 1,230,364 acres; additional areas zeroed out for wild horses and burros bring the total acreage to over 2 million. The complex encompasses five Herd Management Areas that include Kamma Mountains, Seven Troughs Range, Lava Beds, Blue Wing Mountains, and Shawave as well as four Herd Areas that include Antelope Range, Selenite Range, Trinity Range, and Truckee Range and is the next target on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) accelerated removal schedule.

Case 2:22-cv-01200

SOURCE CANA Foundation
Ashutosh Nandeshwar, leading expert on data analytics solutions for fundraising, joins CCS as SVP of Data Science & Analytics

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, CCS Fundraising , the world's leading fundraising consulting firm, announced the arrival of Ashutosh Nandeshwar, the firm's new Senior Vice President of Data Science & Analytics.

Nandeshwar joins CCS with extensive experience and expertise in systems engineering, artificial intelligence, and design thinking, and has built solutions to improve fundraising results at the world's top higher education institutions, including the University of Michigan, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California. He is the author of multiple books, including a co-authored book titled Data Science for Fundraising, which has been lauded as an "invaluable addition to any serious data scientist's library" by fellow data scientist, Bala Deshpande, Ph.D.

Nandeshwar will lead CCS's Data Science & Analytics Practice, which helps nonprofit clients maximize their fundraising success by pairing critical technical capabilities  including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Design Thinking  with deep expertise in fundraising strategy and implementation. Nandeshwar's leadership will deepen CCS's ability to provide data science & analytics solutions for its clients, and over the next several months the firm will announce plans for expanding its service offerings to nonprofit partners.

Speaking about the impact that data science & analytics can have on CCS's clients, Nandeshwar said, "CCS works with many of the world's leading nonprofit organizations, and a data-driven approach is critical to their ongoing fundraising success. I am excited to have the opportunity to work closely with CCS's Data Science & Analytics Practice to build on their excellent work and help expand our offerings so that we can continue to deliver high-value, data-driven insights for our partners."

"We are delighted to have Ashutosh join our team of leading fundraising professionals," said Jon Kane, CCS President & CEO. "In our increasingly data-oriented world, it is critical that we keep building our unique expertise and cutting-edge offerings in this space to ensure we're delivering the best possible results for our clients. I look forward to working closely alongside Ashutosh to ensure CCS remains at the forefront of data science and analytics solutions for fundraising."

About CCS Fundraising

CCS Fundraising is a strategic consulting firm that has partnered with nonprofits for transformational change for 75 years. CCS provides a wide range of services that support and strengthen nonprofit fundraising programs, including campaign management, strategic planning, data analytics, and major gift strategy. The firm's experts, skilled in campaign and development strategy, work closely with organizations of all sizes across nonprofit sectors and geographies.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Owen Evans

[email protected]

SOURCE CCS Fundraising
Stock Market Symbols

GIB.A (TSX)

GIB (NYSE)

cgi.com/newsroom

Revenue up 11.5% in constant currency and EPS excluding specific items* up 13.2%

Q3-F2022 performance highlights1

Revenue of $3.26 billion , up 7.9% year-over-year or 11.5% year-over-year in constant currency;

, up 7.9% year-over-year or 11.5% year-over-year in constant currency; Adjusted EBIT of $519 .9 million, up 9.0% year-over-year;

.9 million, up 9.0% year-over-year; Adjusted EBIT margin improved by 20 basis points year-over-year to 16.0%;

Net earnings of $364.3 million , for a margin of 11.2%, consistent year-over-year;

, for a margin of 11.2%, consistent year-over-year; Diluted EPS of $1.51 , up 11.0% year-over-year;

, up 11.0% year-over-year; Net earnings excluding specific items* of $371.2 million , for a margin of 11.4%, up 20 basis points year-over-year;

, for a margin of 11.4%, up 20 basis points year-over-year; Diluted EPS excluding specific items* of $1.54 , up 13.2% year-over-year;

, up 13.2% year-over-year; Cash from operating activities of $419.2 million , representing 12.9% of revenue;

, representing 12.9% of revenue; Bookings of $3.41 billion , for a book-to-bill ratio of 104.7%; and

, for a book-to-bill ratio of 104.7%; and Backlog of $23.24 billion or 1.8x annual revenue.

*Specific items in Q3-F2022 include: $6.9 million in acquisition-related and integration costs, net of tax; Specific items in Q3-F2021 include: $0.5 million in acquisition-related and integration costs, net of tax. Note: All figures in Canadian dollars. Q3-F2022 MD&A, interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes can be found at cgi.com/investors and have been filed with both SEDAR in Canada and EDGAR in the U.S.

MONTREAL, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB)

Q3-F2022 results

"In the third quarter of fiscal 2022, we continued delivering on our build & buy profitable growth strategy with double digit increases year-over-year in both revenue and EPS," said George D. Schindler, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are well structured through our portfolio of services and strong balance sheet to help our clients navigate the current economic environment while continuing to drive the growth and profitability of our business."

For the third quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company reported revenue of $3.26 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of 7.9%. Revenue grew by 11.5% year-over-year, when excluding $109.5 million of unfavorable foreign currency impact.

As at the end of the quarter, the number of consultants and professionals increased year-over-year by more than 10,500, for a total of approximately 88,500 worldwide.

Adjusted EBIT was $519.9 million, up 9.0% year-over-year, with an EBIT margin of 16.0% representing an improvement of 20 basis points from 15.8% in the same period last year.

For the three months ended June 30, 2022, our effective tax rate increased to 25.5% from 24.9% for the same period last year.

Net earnings were $364.3 million, up 7.6% compared with the same period last year, for a margin of 11.2%. Diluted earnings per share, as a result, were $1.51 compared to $1.36 last year, representing an increase of 11.0%.

Net earnings were $371.2 million, when excluding acquisition-related and integration costs, net of tax. This represents an increase of 9.5% year-over-year and a margin of 11.4%. On the same basis, diluted earnings per share increased by 13.2% to $1.54, up from $1.36 from the same period last year.

Bookings were $3.41 billion, representing a book-to-bill ratio of 104.7%, or 104.9% on a trailing twelve-month basis. As of June 30, 2022, the Company's backlog stood at $23.24 billion or 1.8x annual revenue.

Cash provided by operating activities was $419.2 million, stable on a year-over-year basis. Over the last twelve-months ending June 30, 2022, cash provided by operating activities was $1,903.1 million, or 15.1% of revenue.

Financial highlights Q3-F2022 Q3-F2021 Change In millions of Canadian dollars except earnings per share and where noted





Revenue 3,258.6 3,021.4 237.2 Growth 7.9 % (1.0 %) 890 bps Constant currency growth 11.5 % 3.5 % 800 bps Adjusted EBIT 519.9 476.8 43.1 Margin 16.0 % 15.8 % 20 bps Net earnings 364.3 338.5 25.8 Margin 11.2 % 11.2 % - Net earnings excluding specific items* 371.2 339.0 32.2 Margin 11.4 % 11.2 % 20 bps Diluted earnings per share (diluted EPS) 1.51 1.36 0.15 Diluted earnings per share excluding specific items* 1.54 1.36 0.18 Weighted average number of outstanding shares (diluted) 240.8 249.5 (8.7) Net finance costs 22.9 25.7 (2.8) Net debt 3,073.0 2,956.6 116.4 Net debt to capitalization ratio 30.6 % 30.9 % (30 bps) Cash provided by operating activities 419.2 418.9 0.3 Days sales outstanding (DSO) 48 44 4 Return on invested capital (ROIC) 15.8 % 13.8 % 200 bps Return on equity (ROE) 21.1 % 18.4 % 270 bps Bookings 3,410 3,634 (224) Backlog 23,238 23,345 (107)

* Specific items in Q3-F2022 include: $6.9 million in acquisition-related and integration costs, net of tax; Specific items in Q3-F2021 include: $0.5 million in acquisition-related and integration costs, net of tax.

During the quarter, the Company invested $113.6 million (at a weighted average price of $101.31) under its current Normal Course Issuer Bid to purchase for cancellation 1,120,800 of its Class A shares and $414.4 million for the recent acquisitions of Umanis SA and Harwell Management.

Return on invested capital for the quarter was 15.8%, an improvement of 200 basis points when compared to the prior year.

As at June 30, 2022, net debt stood at $3.07 billion, up from $2.96 billion at the same time last year. The net debt-to-capitalization ratio stood at 30.6% at the end of June 2022, down 30 basis points when compared to the prior year.

With cash of $0.8 billion on hand at the end of June 2022, and a fully available revolving credit facility, the Company has $2.3 billion in readily available liquidity to pursue its Build and Buy profitable growth strategy.

To access the financial statements  click here (PDF)

To access the Q3-F2022 MD&A  click here (PDF)

Q3-F2022 results conference call

Management will host a conference call this morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight time to discuss results. Participants may access the call by dialing 1-888-396-8049 or 1-416-764-8646 Conference ID: 07482468 or via cgi.com/investors. For those unable to participate on the live call, a podcast and copy of the slides will be archived for download at cgi.com/investors. Participants may also access a replay of the call by dialing 1-877-674-7070 Passcode: 482468, until August 26, 2022.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2021 reported revenue is $12.13 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

1 Non-GAAP and other key performance measures

Non-GAAP financial metrics used in this press release: Constant currency growth, adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBIT margin, net debt, net debt to capitalization ratio, ROIC, net earnings excluding specific items, net earnings margin excluding specific items, and diluted EPS excluding specific items. CGI reports its financial results in accordance with IFRS. However, management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors regarding the company's financial condition and results of operations as they provide additional measures of its performance. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers and should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with IFRS. Additional details for these non-GAAP measures can be found on pages 3, 4 and 5 of our Q3-F2022 MD&A which is posted on CGI's website, and filed with SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

Key performance measures used in this press release: bookings, book-to-bill ratio, backlog, DSO, net earnings margin, and ROE. The composition of these measures can also be found on pages 3, 4 and 5 of our Q3-F2022 MD&A.

Forward-looking information and statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbours. All such forward-looking information and statements are made and disclosed in reliance upon the safe harbour provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information and statements include all information and statements regarding CGI's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking information and statements often but not always use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. These information and statements are based on our perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information and statements are, however, by their very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, of which many are beyond the control of CGI, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not restricted to: risks related to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is affected by economic and political conditions, additional external risks (such as pandemics, armed conflict and inflation) and our ability to negotiate new contracts; risks related to our industry such as competition and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, to develop and expand our services, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our intellectual property rights; risks related to our business such as risks associated with our growth strategy, including the integration of new operations, financial and operational risks inherent in worldwide operations, foreign exchange risks, income tax laws and other tax programs, our ability to negotiate favourable contractual terms, to deliver our services and to collect receivables, the reputational and financial risks attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents, and financial risks such as liquidity needs and requirements, maintenance of financial ratios, and changes in creditworthiness and credit ratings; as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). For a discussion of risks in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, see Pandemic risks in section 8.1.1. of our Q3 2022 quarterly MD&A. Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which these forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking information or statements. Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook as well as our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled Risk Environment of CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation.

SOURCE CGI Inc.
BEIJING, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With tourism as a pillar, Indonesia has long been a popular destination for Chinese tourists, and China became the Southeast Asian country's largest source of international tourists in both 2016 and 2017.

And now Indonesia is the second most popular destination for Chinese tourists, said Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a meeting with Indonesian First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo in Beijing on Tuesday.

CGTN: China, Indonesia are seeing robust people-to-people exchanges

At Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Peng told Iriana, who was accompanying Indonesian President Joko Widodo on his two-day visit to China, that as important neighbors, the Chinese and Indonesian peoples have enjoyed a friendship with a long history, and that both countries have witnessed robust people-to-people exchanges in recent years.

For instance, more than 2.05 million tourists from the Chinese mainland visited Indonesia in 2017, accounting for 14.95 percent of all of its international visitors, data by the country's Statistics Bureau Agency showed. In particular, Chinese tourists dominated foreign ones who visited Indonesia's resort island of Bali.

On Tuesday, Iriana said she welcomed more Chinese tourists to visit Indonesia and said she hopes for a lasting friendship between the two countries.

Indonesia has offered visa-free policies for Chinese tourists since 2015, enabling them to stay in the country for no more than 30 days.

In their acclaimed four-pillar cooperation, China and Indonesia have forged a new synergy through working together on people-to-people exchanges, as well as politics, economy, and maritime projects in recent years.

On Tuesday, Peng and Iriana also watched musical performances by students and teachers of the China Conservatory of Music. Peng talked about the history and techniques of traditional Chinese musical instruments.

Fascinated by the performances, Iriana said that she was deeply touched to hear young Chinese artists play Indonesian music.

Music knows no borders, links hearts and passes on friendship, said Peng. She also expressed the hope that cultural exchanges will play a greater role in enhancing the friendship between the two countries.

In a joint statement, China and Indonesia said both sides will accelerate the resumption of people-to-people exchanges, including the return of Indonesian students to China, open more direct flights, and beef up cooperation in such fields as education, tourism, youth and local exchanges.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-26/Peng-encourages-more-cultural-exchanges-between-China-and-Indonesia-1bZi4zLrhNC/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
- Earnings Call to Begin at 8:00 A.M. EDT -



SINGAPORE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Yuchai International Limited (NYSE: CYD) ("China Yuchai" or the "Company"), announced today that it will be releasing its 2022 unaudited first half financial results on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 before the market opens for trading.

A conference call and audio webcast for the investment community has been scheduled for 8:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time on August 10, 2022. The call will be hosted by the President and Chief Financial Officer of China Yuchai, Mr. Weng Ming Hoh and Mr. Choon Sen Loo, respectively, who will present on and discuss the financial results and business outlook of the Company followed with a Q&A session.

Analysts and institutional investors may participate in the conference call by registering at: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI7e8fd96be075437a82ae4672ba6b0a40 at least one hour before the call. A return email will be sent with instructions and numbers to join the call.

For all other interested parties, a simultaneous webcast can be accessed at the investor relations section of the Company's website located at http://www.cyilimited.com. Participants are requested to log into the webcast at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The recorded webcast will be available on the website shortly after the earnings call.

About China Yuchai International



China Yuchai International Limited, through its subsidiary, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Limited ("GYMCL"), engages in the manufacture, assembly, and sale of a wide variety of light-, medium- and heavy-duty engines for trucks, buses, passenger vehicles, construction equipment, marine and agriculture applications in China. GYMCL also produces diesel power generators. The engines produced by GYMCL range from diesel to natural gas and hybrid engines. Through its regional sales offices and authorized customer service centers, GYMCL distributes its engines directly to auto OEMs and retailers and provides maintenance and retrofitting services throughout China. Founded in 1951, GYMCL has established a reputable brand name, strong research and development team and significant market share in China with high-quality products and reliable after-sales support. In 2021, GYMCL sold 456,791 engines and is recognized as a leading manufacturer and distributor of engines in China. For more information, please visit http://www.cyilimited.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "project", "targets", "optimistic", "confident that", "continue to", "predict", "intend", "aim", "will" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements concerning China Yuchai's and the joint venture's operations, financial performance and condition are based on current expectations, beliefs and assumptions which are subject to change at any time. China Yuchai cautions that these statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors such as government and stock exchange regulations, competition, political, economic and social conditions around the world and in China including those discussed in China Yuchai's Form 20-Fs under the headings "Risk Factors", "Results of Operations" and "Business Overview" and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Among others, if the COVID-19 pandemic is not effectively and timely controlled, our business operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected due to a deteriorating market for automotive sales, an economic slowdown in China and abroad, a potential weakening of the financial condition of our customers, or other factors that we cannot foresee. All forward-looking statements are applicable only as of the date it is made and China Yuchai specifically disclaims any obligation to maintain or update the forward-looking information, whether of the nature contained in this release or otherwise, in the future.

For more information:

Investor Relations

Kevin Theiss

Tel: +1-212-510-8922

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE China Yuchai International Limited
GILBERT, Ariz., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Colonial Equipment Company has partnered with ZEVX to Repower Vehicles by providing EV conversions and warranty support throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and the Federal Government/GSA contract throughout the USA.

As a ZEVX Authorized Distribution and Service Partner (ADP / ASP), Colonial Equipment Company will be certified to ZEVX standards for the Athena program which provides repowering and on-going support of Class 2-4 commercial vehicles. Colonial Equipment Company is also an authorized distributor of ZEVX products. The "Athena" powertrain kit is the fastest path to electrification for commercial fleets - brings new life to existing assets, using trusted and proven industry components, and is typically completed in a 1-to-2-week turnaround in a certified shop.

Colonial Equipment Company Partners with ZEVX for Fleet Electrification Tweet this

Donald Combs, President of Colonial Equipment Company notes: "Colonial Equipment, is pleased to partner with technology innovators such as ZEVX to bring low-cost electric vehicle solutions to commercial fleets. Our partnership with ZEVX complements our comprehensive strategy for providing industry leading EV Services and conversion sales by tapping into the deep technical expertise and many years of experience our staff has in fleet vehicle service and support".

"Colonial Equipment Company' is ideally suited to provide Mid-Atlantic support to our fleet customers. This partnership helps accelerate Colonial Equipment's move into EV services while also bringing immediate scale and support capabilities to our customers.", advises Michael Mayfield, SVP of ZEVX Services and Support. "The synergies between our Companies will be easily developed, enhanced, and continuously managed to ensure a seamless service experience."

About ZEVX:

ZEVX aims to be the worldwide leader in battery electric power systems and data intelligence for e-mobility applications. ZEVX has a series of battery electric powertrain and power system products that quickly migrate commercial fleet assets to zero carbon. ZEVX has a service mission to support customers through a deep partner network using existing automotive service infrastructure. This provides rapid adoption through the service network to install and deliver advanced data intelligence from fleet assets to optimize the carbon transition.

About Colonial Equipment Company:

Colonial is a Maryland based vehicle dealer and final stage manufacturer specializing in fleets and transportation solutions. With experience in the hybrid/electric vehicle marketplace spanning 2 decades, Colonial is positioned to assist its customers with making the right decisions for their fleet electrification projects. Colonial's mission is to provide our customers with the best products and services at fair prices while helping our fleet operations meet their sustainability goals through technology and best practices.

Media Contacts:

Jessica Malatt

Colonial Equipment Company

+1 301-865-2400

[email protected]

Shannon Kendall

ZEVx, Inc.

+1 832-643-3459

[email protected]

SOURCE ZEVX, Inc.
VC-backed Benefit Corporation Expands Executive Team

SALT LAKE CITY, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified B Corporation and impact-driven adventure lifestyle brand, Cotopaxi , is proud to welcome Grace Zuncic as their first ever Chief People and Impact Officer. Zuncic brings decades of aligned expertise to the company and will be driving strategic employee-centric practices as well as impact-driven initiatives through her leadership of the People and Impact teams in the next phase of Cotopaxi's growth.

Grace Zuncic

Zuncic joins Cotopaxi as an advisor, beginning this week, and officially starts full-time in early October. She is based out of New York, thanks to Cotopaxi's employee-centered flexible and remote work policies. Zuncic will be working closely with Davis Smith, Founder and CEO; and Damien Huang, President of Cotopaxi; Marissa Magno, Cotopaxi's VP of People & Inclusion; and Annie Agle, Senior Director of Impact & Sustainability, to strategically work towards the brand's goal of giving back and doing good, internally and globally.

"Cotopaxi has created a community of employees, consumers, partners and retailers who are working together to realize something much bigger than themselves," said Zuncic. "I am proud to join a company that makes great sustainable outdoor lifestyle products, but uses those products as a platform to create systemic change in eradicating poverty while inspiring more adventure and community in people's lives. It's an honor to join Cotopaxi at this phase of its tremendous growth, and to support the incredible employees who are building a next-generation consumer brand."

Zuncic comes to Cotopaxi by way of an impressive tenure at wellness and values-driven food brand Chobani where she served in various executive leadership positions. Zuncic intentionally stepped down from her post as Chief People Officer amicably in April of 2022 to devote time to her family and adventure more. This brave move has led her to the high-growth consumer brand, prolific in the outdoors lifestyle industry, Cotopaxi.

"Putting people first and fighting extreme poverty underline everything we do at Cotopaxi, and Grace's thoughtful approach to leadership and deep passion for our mission to improve the human condition will make her a critical asset to our team," said Davis Smith, Founder and CEO of Cotopaxi. "Her background leading people at an employee first, impact driven brand will be integral to both her role combining people and impact, and our growth evolution here at Cotopaxi."

In bringing these two teams together under executive leadership, Cotopaxi is positioned to be a leader in employee-centric workplaces, creating sustainable environments and opportunities for the team to engage, thrive and grow. Zuncic's role will oversee both people and impact, redefining the traditional corporate structure and empowering employees to have an invested role in the brand's defining mission and vision.

Cotopaxi is backed by Bain Capital's Double Impact Fund along with a number of other incredibly impactful and progressive organizations. This work, centered around global poverty alleviation and humanitarian causes, is supported by the Cotopaxi Foundation, through which a portion of every product sold is routed to give back and do lasting good, and was a major component of Zuncic's decision to join the brand.

Media Contact: OutsidePR | Jess Fiaschetti | [email protected] | 415.565.9530

SOURCE Cotopaxi
ATHENS, Ga. and LOS GATOS, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CyanVac LLC, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing intranasal vaccines using a proprietary transformational parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5)-based vector, announced that Dr. Biao He, founder and CEO of CyanVac, participated yesterday as a panelist at the White House Summit on the Future of COVID-19 Vaccines. The event was held on the White House campus in Washington DC on July 26, and featured US scientists from academic institutes, organizations, and companies on the cutting edge of innovative next-generation COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. He spoke on a panel entitled "Innovation in Vaccine Delivery", moderated by Dr. Francis Collins, Acting Science Advisor to the President and Acting Co-Chair of the President's council of Advisors on Science and Technology and former director of the National Institutes of Health.

"We were truly honored to be invited by the White House to speak at this summit," said Dr. He. "COVID-19 is an ongoing challenge for the world, and as Dr. Fauci pointed out in his opening remarks yesterday, there is a need for a vaccine that generates mucosal immunity to help break the cycle of viral transmission. It is encouraging that the Administration and its scientific advisors have recognized that our intranasal COVID vaccine may be part of the solution."

The panel discussed innovative vaccines that use alternative delivery routes and elicit broad and durable immune responses, and the need for manufacturing infrastructure and funding for clinical trials to support the development of these vaccines. Intranasal vaccines were highlighted as perhaps the best way to generate mucosal immunity which could block transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and thereby help end the pandemic. CyanVac has previously shown that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVXGA1, generates mucosal immunity and reduces SARS-CoV-2 transmission between animals in a ferret cohabitation model (data which were peer-reviewed and published in Science Advances in July 2021).

CyanVac is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of CVXGA1, its PIV5-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Its subsidiary, Blue Lake Biotechnology, Inc., is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of BLB-201, a PIV5-based RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine candidate.

About CVXGA1 and BLB-201

CVXGA1 is a clinical-stage COVID-19 vaccine candidate that encodes the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. The PIV5 vector itself is a respiratory virus that is not known to cause disease in humans, although it has been commonly administered to dogs as part of combination distemper / kennel cough vaccines for decades. CyanVac and its subsidiary, Blue Lake Biotechnology, Inc., are developing CVXGA1 as a single dose, intranasal vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and serious complications associated with COVID-19. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that CVXGA1 is immunogenic, protective, and prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2. CVXGA1 is currently being studied in a multi-center Phase 1 clinical trial in adults and adolescents led by Dr. Paul Spearman, Director of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, with additional clinical trial sites in Rochester NY, Bardstown KY and Plano TX. Learn more about the trial at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05281263

BLB-201 is a clinical stage RSV vaccine candidate that has received Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration for prevention of RSV-associated acute disease in adults older than 60 years and children under 2 years. BLB-201 encodes a full-length RSV F protein and uses a proprietary PIV5 vector which is not known to cause disease in humans, although it has been commonly administered to dogs as part of combination distemper / kennel cough vaccines for decades. Blue Lake Biotechnology and CyanVac LLC are developing BLB-201 as a single dose, intranasal vaccine to prevent acute and severe disease associated with RSV infection. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that BLB-201 is immunogenic and prevents RSV infection in animal challenge studies. BLB-201 is currently being studied in a Phase 1 clinical trial also led by Dr. Spearman at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, with an additional clinical trial site in Charleston SC. Learn more about the trial at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05281263.

About CyanVac and Blue Lake Biotechnology

CyanVac LLC and its subsidiary, Blue Lake Biotechnology, Inc., are technology-driven companies developing lifesaving intranasal vaccines based on a proprietary PIV5-based vaccine platform licensed from the University of Georgia. Our COVID-19 and RSV vaccine programs are in Phase 1 clinical trials. In addition, the companies have early-stage proof of concept vaccine programs targeting norovirus and Lyme disease. CyanVac and Blue Lake Biotechnology are headquartered in Athens, Georgia, with a second site in Los Gatos, California.

Learn more at https://www.cyanvacllc.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to the clinical development of CVXGA1 and BLB-201, prophylactic vaccines to prevent COVID-19 and RSV-associated disease, respectively, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to the timing and success of clinical trials and potential complications thereof; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval; the labeling for any approved product; the scope, progress and expansion of developing and commercializing product candidates; the size and growth of the markets and the rate and degree of market acceptance thereof vis-a-vis alternative therapies; the establishment and maintenance of any applicable collaborations; and the ability to achieve business development transactions on favorable terms to the Company, if at all, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the events and circumstances discussed in such forward-looking statements or which are either made by or on behalf of CyanVac and/or Blue Lake Biotechnology may not occur, and CyanVac's and/or Blue Lake Biotechnology's actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied thereby. Factors which may affect CyanVac's and/or Blue Lake Biotechnology's results include, but are not limited to, uncertainties and/or unexpected results related to research and development and clinical testing, the timing, costs and uncertainty of obtaining any required regulatory approvals, changes in the regulatory landscape, uncertainties related to obtaining additional capital as needed to meet CyanVac's and/or Blue Lake Biotechnology's needs on acceptable terms, or at all, the absence of any guarantee of product demand, market acceptance or competitive advantage for any of CyanVac's and/or Blue Lake Biotechnology's product candidates, if approved, and certain trade, legal, social and economic risks. Any forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to CyanVac as of the date of this release, and neither CyanVac nor Blue Lake Biotechnology has any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statement.

CONTACT:

CyanVac LLC and Blue Lake Biotechnology, Inc.

Gary Titus

Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

(650) 862-9757

SOURCE CyanVac LLC
Precision manufacturers can now monitor Universal Robots workspaces in real time and over time to maximize ROI and realize continuous improvement

NASHUA, N.H., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Datanomix, maker of the industry's only Automated Production Intelligence software platform, announced support for monitoring Universal Robots for real-time visibility into robot performance. By partnering with Flexxbotics, a leader in robotics process improvement technology, Datanomix extends its automated production intelligence coverage to Universal Robot cells, helping power lights-out and automated operations at precision manufacturers.

As part of the technology partnership with Flexxbotics, Datanomix gains access to real-time operational data for Universal Robots from Flexxbotics via their FlexxConnect platform. Advanced utilization and performance data for Universal Robots is collected and displayed in the Datanomix platform, offering insights into both cobot and CNC machine cycle time, part counts, run time, and machine/robot status to allow precision manufacturers to make better-informed decisions around automating their factory. In addition, FlexxConnect provides truly centralized and revision controlled cobot and CNC program management capabilities, and guided workflows for both cobot operators and CNC operators.

"Datanomix customers are investing heavily in automation, and robotics are a key success factor in the automation movement," said Greg McHale, co-founder and CTO of Datanomix. "Our job is to provide manufacturers with the data and insights they need to help optimize their factory operations. Partnering with Flexxbotics delivers a turnkey integration with Universal Robots that offers deep insights into robot performance, cycle time, utilization, and capacity, satisfying pent-up demand from our customers. And this is just the start of our collaboration to help automate more of our combined customers' operations."

With this initial integration, existing Flexxbotics customers can add Datanomix to their deployments, and similarly, Datanomix customers can add the Flexxbotics management platform to Universal Robot installations. Using Flexxbotics' underlying technology, the Datanomix platform receives performance information directly from Universal Robots, and visualizes it alongside the performance data from the CNC machines the robots empower.

"The partnership between Datanomix and Flexxbotics was a natural fit," remarked Tyler Bouchard, CEO of Flexxbotics. "In addition to sharing several customers, more importantly, we share a common philosophy of delivering advanced functionality through a simple, intuitive user experience that complements manufacturing workflows instead of working against them. Customers who love Flexxbotics love Datanomix and vice versa, and the enthusiasm for the partnership has been overwhelming."

The Datanomix Platform automates the collection and analysis of manufacturing data and delivers deep insights into production performance, both in real-time and over-time. Designed for growth-oriented precision manufacturers, the Datanomix platform delivers industry-leading innovation of manufacturing productivity with no operator input required, and without burdening the end user with cumbersome analysis or data crunching.

The Flexxbotics platform significantly increases Cobot tended CNC utilization and productivity through a suite of robot redeployment, robot monitoring, robot to CNC connectivity, guided workflow and robot/CNC program management solutions.

Learn more about Datanomix by visiting their online resources center to explore blog posts, customer stories, news, videos, and more.To see Datanomix in action, please visit www.datanomix.io/schedule-a-demo/ .

About Datanomix

Datanomix delivers Automated Production Intelligence for discrete manufacturers with no operator input required. Its core product set includes its flagship Production Monitoring system, along with Digital GEMBA Boards, and Condition Monitoring systems. Based in New Hampshire, Datanomix exists to provide manufacturers with out-of-the-box reports and workflows that align with the way manufacturing people already work, without the need for manual data crunching or workflow disruption. Learn more at www.datanomix.io .

About Flexxbotics

Flexxbotics is a robotic process improvement company focused on breaking down the technical barriers to making automation equipment as active as machine operators. Flexxbotics' mission is to free robots from the complexities surrounding a dynamic robotic work cell so manufacturers can easily and flexibly deploy Universal Robots in a way that makes sense for their factory. To learn more, please visit www.flexxbotics.com .

SOURCE Datanomix
The leading Enterprise MLOps platform provider teams with leading data science consultancy to accelerate time-to-value for customers' model-driven business in highly regulated industries across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

SAN FRANCISCO and MUNICH , July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino Data Lab , provider of the leading Enterprise MLOps platform trusted by over 20% of the Fortune 100, and Alexander Thamm GmbH [at], a leader in strategic development and implementation of data-driven innovations and business models in German-speaking countries, announced a strategic partnership and a new joint service offering aimed at scaling data science in today's era of complex and constantly changing data regulations.

A new Data Science Journey Accelerator (DSJA) offering from the two companies will help customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland realize a model-driven competitive advantage faster by pairing Domino's platform with [at]'s data engineering and data science consulting services. DSJA delivers the foundation for data science at enterprise scale open and flexible Enterprise MLOps tooling to support the needs of both the data science and IT teams validated by data experts [at] to meet privacy and IT architecture requirements.

While most companies understand the promise of data science, knowing where to start is challenging. Balancing corporate objectives, organizational design, existing processes, current and future technology investments, all in the context of region-specific trends and stringent data regulations means "best practices" to do so are difficult to identify and follow. A recent study by leading European market analyst firm BARC found that 55 percent of companies have not deployed an ML model yet and only 10 percent consider themselves advanced in this area.[1]

"Siloed data and infrastructure represent some of the biggest reasons why high-performing ML applications are not yet the norm," said Dr. Carsten Bange, CEO at BARC. "With an overarching data strategy and change management regarding infrastructure and processes, plus flexible data and MLOps tooling that adapts to dynamic infrastructure needs, enterprises can more easily deliver high-performing ML solutions regularly and effectively."

Global Enterprise MLOps Leader, Local Data Science Consulting Expertise

Domino's Enterprise MLOps platform helps companies become model-driven by allowing large data science and IT teams distributed across the globe to work better together developing and deploying more models faster. [at] has completed over 1,500 projects for over 100 clients across 5,000+ use cases, using tried and tested consulting methodologies: benchmarking current data capabilities, developing roadmaps, designing data operating models, and executing data science projects. Together, Domino and [at] aim to use Domino's Enterprise MLOps platform to quickly tailor data science solutions for customers with operations in German-speaking markets and key highly regulated verticals: automotive and engineering, financial services, insurance and life sciences.

"By adopting MLOps and working with MLOps-platforms like Domino Data Lab's, enterprises can build more models, innovate faster, and address more use cases," said Andreas Gillhuber, Co-CEO and Head of Engineering for Alexander Thamm. "We are very much looking forward to working with Domino Data Lab, especially because we share the mindset: It is always about creating real added value from data for the customer."

"Alexander Thamm has built an impressive consulting practice of navigating cross-border data strategies and fine tuning the art of scaling data science for some of the world's largest companies," said Thomas Robinson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Development at Domino Data Lab. "Combining data science consulting with Domino's leading Enterprise MLOps platform presents a huge opportunity to help customers transform and scale data science across their operations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria."

A Foundation to Reach Data Science Scale Faster

The new Domino and AT joint service offering pairs the power of Domino's Enterprise MLOps platform with Alexander Thamm's data science consulting expertise, tailored to meet some of the world's most stringent privacy regulations. Together, Domino and [at]'s DSJA offers customers the key building blocks of a foundation for data science success:

Data Strategy Assessment - A workshop using Alexander Thamm's design-thinking methods to assess and develop a data operating model, covering organizational structure, processes, roles, data governance, and IT systems landscape.

A workshop using design-thinking methods to assess and develop a data operating model, covering organizational structure, processes, roles, data governance, and IT systems landscape. Data Science Lifecycle Assessment - Using Domino's methodology, this workshop helps to discover customers' existing data science lifecycle and processes - from data to ideation to model development to model deployment and monitoring - to ensure alignment on current processes and challenges.

Using Domino's methodology, this workshop helps to discover customers' existing data science lifecycle and processes - from data to ideation to model development to model deployment and monitoring - to ensure alignment on current processes and challenges. Business Value Assessment - A process to determine the financial benefits of Domino's platform and [at]'s services, developing a business case calculating ROI, net present value, and payback period with benefits communicated across stakeholder groups (line-of-business, data science, IT, operations).

- A process to determine the financial benefits of Domino's platform and [at]'s services, developing a business case calculating ROI, net present value, and payback period with benefits communicated across stakeholder groups (line-of-business, data science, IT, operations). Proof-of-Concept - A program that puts specific customer requirements into action to clearly demonstrate value by successfully implementing a use case.

The partnership comes at an opportune point in time for customers, both those based in German-speaking countries as well as global organizations with operations in highly regulated regions such as Germany. Domino's recently announced Nexus Hybrid MLOps architecture will provide companies the flexibility to rapidly scale, control and orchestrate data science workloads across different compute clusters, breaking down silos between environments across cloud and on-premises and preventing vendor lock-in. [at]'s expertise covers both data operations and the data science lifecycle, giving customers confidence that data science projects will balance German data locality and sovereignty requirements with future infrastructure investments.

About Domino Data Lab

Domino Data Lab powers model-driven businesses with its leading Enterprise MLOps platform trusted by over 20% of the Fortune 100. Domino accelerates the development and deployment of data science work while increasing collaboration and governance. With Domino, enterprises worldwide can develop better medicines, grow more productive crops, and build better cars, and much more. Founded in 2013, Domino is backed by Coatue Management, Great Hill Partners, Highland Capital, NVIDIA, Sequoia Capital and other leading investors. For more information, visit www.dominodatalab.com

About Alexander Thamm

Alexander Thamm GmbH is a leader in the development and implementation of data-driven innovations and business models in German-speaking countries. The service portfolio covers the entire data journey - from the data strategy to the development of algorithms and the construction of IT architectures to maintenance and operation. The company's Data Academy offers training courses on data science, big data and artificial intelligence. Alexander Thamm GmbH was founded in 2012 by Alexander Thamm and currently employs over 300 people. The head office is in Munich. Other locations are Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Cologne. Customers include more than half of the DAX 30 companies. Visit www.alexanderthamm.com for more information. Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alexander-thamm-gmbh/

[1] BARC, "Driving Innovation With AI: Getting Ahead With Dataops And MLOps," July 2022

SOURCE Domino Data Lab
America's IRA Experts honored for their thought leadership, education and impact in driving the wealth, investment and retirement industry forward

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ed Slott and Company, LLC, the nation's leading provider of technical IRA education for financial advisors, CPAs, insurance agents and attorneys, has been named to ThinkAdvisor's LUMINARIES Class of 2022 for the "Thought Leadership and Education" category. The award is designed to recognize firms making outstanding efforts to better understand and train new and existing industry participants. The recognition for Ed Slott and Company comes after it launched its on-demand, CE-approved, 12-course program, IRA Success, in partnership with The American College of Financial Services in the spring of 2021.

"I consider it a great honor for our team to receive this recognition for the second year in a row and I believe this year's nod is a testament to all of the hard work that was put in to create IRA Success," said Ed Slott, CPA, America's IRA Expert, founder of Ed Slott and Company, LLC and creator of irahelp.com. "Through our partnership with The American College of Financial Services, we have been able to take our timely, informative and entertaining tax-planning advice and make it easier than ever before to access, digest and implement. Thanks to the successful launch of this program, more advisors are better equipped to help families save more, keep more and make their retirement savings last."

IRA Success is the first of its kind, being an e-learning program on IRA distribution planning from two financial-education leaders. The goal in creating IRA Success was to make this education more accessible in a convenient, on-demand e-learning platform. The program delivers the applied knowledge advisors need to navigate retirement distribution complexities, manage for the end of the stretch IRA, help simplify the tax code and grow IRA rollover business. With an emphasis on the SECURE Act and all its game-changing provisions, this 12-course program covers everything from recognizing new backdoor Roth opportunities to identifying key beneficiary categories still eligible for stretch IRA provisions.

In addition to this new initiative, Ed Slott and Company has continued to provide a robust series of educational and training resources. Most recently, it hosted another sold-out 2-Day IRA Workshop in Nashville, TN where professionals learned how to answer the top questions from clients, prospects and centers of influence. Attendees also participated in Q&A segments, networking opportunities, received CE credits and a 400+ page course manual. Financial professionals interested in attending one of Ed Slott and Company's next 2-day IRA workshops, should visit irahelp.com/2-day.

ABOUT ED SLOTT AND COMPANY, LLC: Ed Slott and Company, LLC is the nation's leading provider of technical IRA education for financial advisors, CPAs and attorneys. Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM is comprised of more than 500 of the nation's top financial professionals who are dedicated to the mastery of advanced retirement account and tax planning laws and strategies. Slott is a nationally recognized IRA distribution expert, best-selling author and professional speaker. His latest books include The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb (Penguin Random House, 2021), Ed Slott's Retirement Decisions Guide: 2022 Edition (IRAHelp, 2022) , and Fund Your Future: A Tax-Smart Savings Plan in Your 20s and 30s (IRAHelp, 2021). He has also hosted several public television programs, including his latest, Ed Slott's Retirement Freedom! , and is a Professor of Practice at The American College of Financial Services. Visit irahelp.com for more information.

CONTACT

AdvisorPR

(702) 685-7450

SOURCE Ed Slott and Company
Former MegaChips Corporation CEO joins the EdgeCortix Strategic Advisory Board

TOKYO, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EdgeCortixInc. , the innovative fabless semiconductor design company with a software first approach, focused on delivering class-leading compute efficiency and latency for edge artificial intelligence (AI) inference; announced a key new appointment to its EdgeCortix Strategic Advisory Board.

Akira Takata, former CEO of MegaChips, appointed to EdgeCortix Strategic Advisory Board.

The company announced today the appointment of Akira Takata, former CEO and President of MegaChips Corporation who will serve as the Semiconductor Sector Advisor on the EdgeCortix Strategic Advisory Board (ESAB). The ESAB was created as a platform to enable exceptional business and thought leaders to provide EdgeCortix with guidance on core business and market strategies and product go-to-market initiatives based on their respective and unique areas of expertise.

"I am very pleased to be announcing Akira Takata's appointment to head the Semiconductor Sector Advisory role", said Sakyasingha Dasgupta, CEO and Founder of EdgeCortix, "Takata-san's expertise as a founding member of a Japanese semiconductor start-up, and his three decades of leadership of a publicly traded, fabless semiconductor company, focused on consumer, telecom/network and industrial applications, positions him perfectly to contribute as a leading member of the ESAB. While at MegaChips, Takata-san played instrumental roles in key strategic acquisitions like that of SiTime in 2014 and Kawasaki Microelectronics in 2012, both which have proved over time to be transformative decisions. Takata-san's knowledge and expertise gained from transforming MegaChips Corporation into a dynamic, growth oriented, global semiconductor leader will be especially helpful to EdgeCortix as we look to bring our unique industry leading AI acceleration IP and silicon to partners and customers worldwide."

Mr. Takata currently serves on the Board of Directors of SiTime, the market leader in the MEMS based precision timing market. Previously, he was the President and CEO of MegaChips Corporation, from 2011 to 2019, the second largest fabless semiconductor company based in Japan. During his three-decade tenure at MegaChips, Mr. Takata ascended the ranks of the company, from a member of the MegaChips founding team, through various senior positions, including director of Business Unit, director of production management, officer of alliance strategy office and officer of business strategy office, ultimately to the role of CEO. During his tenure, he facilitated the transformation of the company from a largely Japan focused business into a leading, global fabless semiconductor company. From 2014 to 2019, Mr. Takata also served on the Board of Directors of Global Semiconductor Alliance, a leading Semiconductor industry organization.

"I am very pleased to be joining the EdgeCortix Strategic Advisory Board at this transformative moment in the semiconductor business. Given the tectonic shift in information processing at the edge, companies are now seeking near cloud level performance where data curation and AI driven decision making can happen together. Due to this shift, the market opportunity for the EdgeCortix solutions set is massive driven by the practical business need across multiple sectors which require both low power and cost efficient intelligent solutions.", said Akira Takata " Given the exponential global growth in both data and devices, I am eager to support EdgeCortix in their endeavor to transform the edge AI market with an industry leading IP portfolio that can deliver performance with orders of magnitude better energy-efficiency and a lower total cost of ownership than existing solutions. I am very interested to share my perspective with partners and customers alike on the differentiated business value that the EdgeCortix solutions can deliver for their global end customers."

About EdgeCortix Inc.

EdgeCortix is a fabless semiconductor design company focused on enabling energy-efficient edge intelligence. It was founded in 2019 with the radical idea of taking a software first approach, while designing an artificial intelligence specific runtime reconfigurable processor from the ground up using a technique called "hardware & software co-exploration". Targeting advanced computer vision applications first, using proprietary hardware and software IP on existing processors like FPGAs and custom designed ASIC, the company is geared towards positively disrupting the rapidly growing AI hardware space across defense, aerospace, smart cities, industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles and robotics.

For more details or to schedule a demonstration, contact: [email protected]

 Copyright 2022 EdgeCortix, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. EdgeCortix and all EdgeCortix logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of EdgeCortix, Inc. (or its group companies) in the US and other countries. EdgeCortix Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of EdgeCortix Pte. Ltd.

SOURCE Edgecortix, Inc.
Thomas D. Fagan Jr. Appointed Vice President, U.S. Alzheimer's Disease Commercial at Eisai Inc.

NUTLEY, N.J., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., today announces the immediate appointment of Thomas D. Fagan Jr. as Vice President, U.S. Alzheimer's Disease Commercial. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of the commercial launch strategy for the company's Alzheimer's disease (AD) business in the United States, as well as accelerate the growth and expansion of the AD team. He will also serve as a member of the company's Executive Committee for the Americas. The appointment comes at an exciting time for the company as Eisai continues to advance a robust AD pipeline.

Thomas D. Fagan Jr.

Mr. Fagan joins Eisai with an extensive leadership background and strong record in driving business results. In his new position, he will work closely with internal teams and Eisai's partners to prepare for the potential launch and growth of a late-stage investigational anti-amyloid protofibril antibody. To fulfill our company's mission to best serve patients and their families, key responsibilities will include continuing to build and sustain trust with stakeholders across the AD community, pursuing new innovations to simplify the patient journey, and ensuring broad access for appropriate patients to benefit from potential new therapies.

"For four decades, Eisai has been at the forefront of AD research and development. We are very pleased to welcome Tom, whose knowledge and experience in AD will be essential as we seek to bring leading therapies and solutions to people living with AD, their families, and the health care professionals who serve them as soon as possible," said Ivan Cheung, Chairman & CEO of Eisai Inc., Global Alzheimer's Disease Officer, and Senior Corporate Officer, Eisai Co., Ltd. "Tom is the latest strategic hire as Eisai continues to add to our strong U.S. executive team in an effort to advance our human health care mission and social good."

Mr. Fagan joins Eisai with more than 20 years of experience serving the pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics industries during which time he accumulated roles of increasing responsibility across product and brand development, commercialization, business development and alliance management including seven years in roles dedicated to AD. He has held the role of Global Commercial Leader, Alzheimer's Disease, where he designed, built and led commercial teams in the launch of a first-in-class PET radiopharmaceutical used in the diagnosis of AD. He also served as the Global Brand Development Leader for AD, in which he was the commercial lead for an alliance on a late-stage molecule for the treatment of early AD. Mr. Fagan earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in general management from Stanford University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from DePauw University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Eisai's comprehensive investigational dementia pipeline includes disease modification and prevention compounds spanning the continuum of dementia: Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation (ATN). To learn more about Eisai's exciting pipeline, please visit www.eisai.com.

About Eisai Inc.

At Eisai Inc., human health care (hhc) is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies to help address unmet medical needs.

Eisai is a fully integrated pharmaceutical business that operates in two global business groups: oncology and neurology (dementia-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases). Our U.S. headquarters, commercial and clinical development organizations are located in New Jersey; our discovery labs are in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; and our global demand chain organization resides in Maryland and North Carolina. To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Eisai Co., Ltd.

The Eisai Corporate Philosophy is "to give first thought to patients and people in the daily living domain, and to increase the benefits that health care provides." Under this Philosophy (also known as human health care (hhc) philosophy), we aim to effectively achieve social good in the form of relieving anxiety over health and reducing health disparities. With a global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to create and deliver innovative products to target diseases with high unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology.

Under the medium-term business plan "EWAY Future & Beyond," which began in April 2021, Eisai is expanding its main role in healthcare, that is, we should contribute not only to people in the medical domain but also to people in the daily living domain. We aim to evolve into an hhceco (hhc philosophy + eco-system) company that empowers people "to realize their fullest life" by creating solutions based on science and data through building an ecosystem in collaboration with other industries.

In addition, we demonstrate our commitment to the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which is a target (3.3) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with working on various activities together with global partners.

For more information about Eisai, please visit www.eisai.com (for global headquarters: Eisai Co., Ltd.), and connect with us on Twitter @Eisai_SDGs.

Media Inquiries

Patricia Councill

Eisai Inc.

551-262-2686

[email protected]

SOURCE Eisai Inc.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Hanger, Inc. (HNGR), relating to its proposed acquisition by Patient Square Capital. Under the terms of the agreement, HNGR shareholders will receive $18.75 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/hanger-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in HNGR and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC
Net earnings of $766 million on revenue of $9.2 billion

on revenue of Operating margin 10.6%, up 20 bps year over year, 90 bps sequentially

Diluted EPS of $2.75 , up 5.4% year over year

, up 5.4% year over year Continued strong Gulfstream demand

RESTON, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today reported second-quarter 2022 net earnings of $766 million on revenue of $9.2 billion. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $2.75, a 5.4% increase from the year-ago quarter.

"Demand in the quarter was very strong in Aerospace, with margins showing steady improvement year over year," said Phebe N. Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our defense segments demonstrated solid operating performance and had several important wins."

Exhibit H-1 Exhibit H-2 Aerospace Backlog Exhibit H-2 Marine Systems Backlog Exhibit H-2 Combat Systems Backlog Exhibit H-2 Technologies Backlog Exhibit H-2 Backlog Key

Cash

Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter totaled $659 million. During the quarter, the company invested $224 million in capital expenditures, paid $349 million in dividends, and used $800 million to repurchase shares, ending the quarter with $2.2 billion in cash and equivalents on hand. For the first half of the year, net cash provided by operating activities totaled $2.6 billion, or 176% of net earnings.

Backlog

Orders remained strong across the company with a consolidated book-to-bill ratio, defined as orders divided by revenue, of 1.1-to-1 for the quarter, with particular strength in the Aerospace segment driven by strong order activity for Gulfstream aircraft. In addition to company-wide backlog of $87.6 billion, estimated potential contract value, representing management's estimate of additional value in unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options, was $38.7 billion. Total estimated contract value, the sum of all backlog components, was $126.4 billion at the end of the quarter.

Significant awards in the quarter for the three defense segments included $410 million with a maximum potential value of $1.1 billion from the U.S. Army to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle; $295 million for various munitions and ordnance with additional option value of $465 million; $525 million from the Army to upgrade Stryker vehicles; $500 million from the U.S. Navy for long-lead materials to support construction of two additional John Lewis-class (T-AO-205) fleet replenishment oilers; $355 million to produce Abrams main battle tanks in the system enhancement package version 3 (SEPv3) configuration for Australia; $160 million with a maximum potential value of $325 million from the U.S. Space Development Agency to build and operate ground systems for the new low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network; $315 million from the Navy for submarine industrial base development and expansion for the Columbia-class submarine program; a contract with a maximum potential value of $300 million for development and sustainment of applications and websites for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts; and $545 million for several key classified contracts.

About General Dynamics

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated $38.5 billion in revenue in 2021. More information is available at www.gd.com.

Certain statements in this press release, including any statements about the company's future operational and financial performance, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "forecasts," "scheduled," "outlook," "estimates," "should" and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. Additional information regarding these factors is contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made. The company does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

WEBCAST INFORMATION: General Dynamics will webcast its second-quarter 2022 financial results conference call at 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The webcast will be a listen-only audio event available at www.gd.com. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available by telephone one hour after the end of the call and end on August 3, 2022, at 866-813-9403 (international: +44 204-525-0658); passcode 671446. Charts furnished to investors and securities analysts in connection with General Dynamics' announcement of its financial results are available at www.gd.com.

EXHIBIT A



CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS



Three Months Ended

Variance

July 3, 2022

July 4, 2021

$

% Revenue $ 9,189



$ 9,220



$ (31)



(0.3) % Operating costs and expenses (8,211)



(8,261)



50





Operating earnings 978



959



19



2.0 % Other, net 40



31



9





Interest, net (95)



(109)



14





Earnings before income tax 923



881



42



4.8 % Provision for income tax, net (157)



(144)



(13)





Net earnings $ 766



$ 737



$ 29



3.9 % Earnings per sharebasic $ 2.77



$ 2.63



$ 0.14



5.3 % Basic weighted average shares outstanding 276.3



280.7









Earnings per sharediluted $ 2.75



$ 2.61



$ 0.14



5.4 % Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 278.9



282.2











EXHIBIT B



CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS





Six Months Ended

Variance

July 3, 2022

July 4, 2021

$

% Revenue $ 18,581



$ 18,609



$ (28)



(0.2) % Operating costs and expenses (16,695)



(16,712)



17





Operating earnings 1,886



1,897



(11)



(0.6) % Other, net 79



61



18





Interest, net (193)



(232)



39





Earnings before income tax 1,772



1,726



46



2.7 % Provision for income tax, net (276)



(281)



5





Net earnings $ 1,496



$ 1,445



$ 51



3.5 % Earnings per sharebasic $ 5.41



$ 5.12



$ 0.29



5.7 % Basic weighted average shares outstanding 276.7



282.4









Earnings per sharediluted $ 5.35



$ 5.10



$ 0.25



4.9 % Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 279.4



283.6





EXHIBIT C



REVENUE AND OPERATING EARNINGS BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS



Three Months Ended

Variance

July 3, 2022

July 4, 2021

$

% Revenue:













Aerospace $ 1,867



$ 1,622



$ 245



15.1 % Marine Systems 2,651



2,536



115



4.5 % Combat Systems 1,666



1,899



(233)



(12.3) % Technologies 3,005



3,163



(158)



(5.0) % Total $ 9,189



$ 9,220



$ (31)



(0.3) % Operating earnings:













Aerospace $ 238



$ 195



$ 43



22.1 % Marine Systems 211



210



1



0.5 % Combat Systems 245



266



(21)



(7.9) % Technologies 304



308



(4)



(1.3) % Corporate (20)



(20)







 % Total $ 978



$ 959



$ 19



2.0 % Operating margin:













Aerospace 12.7 %

12.0 %







Marine Systems 8.0 %

8.3 %







Combat Systems 14.7 %

14.0 %







Technologies 10.1 %

9.7 %







Total 10.6 %

10.4 %









EXHIBIT D



REVENUE AND OPERATING EARNINGS BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS



Six Months Ended

Variance

July 3, 2022

July 4, 2021

$

% Revenue:













Aerospace $ 3,770



$ 3,509



$ 261



7.4 % Marine Systems 5,302



5,019



283



5.6 % Combat Systems 3,341



3,719



(378)



(10.2) % Technologies 6,168



6,362



(194)



(3.0) % Total $ 18,581



$ 18,609



$ (28)



(0.2) % Operating earnings:













Aerospace $ 481



$ 415



$ 66



15.9 % Marine Systems 422



410



12



2.9 % Combat Systems 472



510



(38)



(7.5) % Technologies 602



614



(12)



(2.0) % Corporate (91)



(52)



(39)



(75.0) % Total $ 1,886



$ 1,897



$ (11)



(0.6) % Operating margin:













Aerospace 12.8 %

11.8 %







Marine Systems 8.0 %

8.2 %







Combat Systems 14.1 %

13.7 %







Technologies 9.8 %

9.7 %







Total 10.2 %

10.2 %













EXHIBIT E



CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DOLLARS IN MILLIONS





















(Unaudited)





July 3, 2022

December 31, 2021 ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and equivalents $ 2,223



$ 1,603

Accounts receivable 3,213



3,041

Unbilled receivables 7,819



8,498

Inventories 6,158



5,340

Other current assets 1,166



1,505

Total current assets 20,579



19,987

Noncurrent assets:





Property, plant and equipment, net 5,479



5,417

Intangible assets, net 1,867



1,978

Goodwill 20,002



20,098

Other assets 2,554



2,593

Total noncurrent assets 29,902



30,086

Total assets $ 50,481



$ 50,073

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt $ 1,754



$ 1,005

Accounts payable 3,138



3,167

Customer advances and deposits 6,531



6,266

Other current liabilities 3,313



3,540

Total current liabilities 14,736



13,978

Noncurrent liabilities:





Long-term debt 9,741



10,490

Other liabilities 8,623



7,964

Total noncurrent liabilities 18,364



18,454

Shareholders' equity:





Common stock 482



482

Surplus 3,466



3,278

Retained earnings 36,218



35,420

Treasury stock (20,632)



(19,619)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,153)



(1,920)

Total shareholders' equity 17,381



17,641

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 50,481



$ 50,073



EXHIBIT F



CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

























Six Months Ended

July 3, 2022

July 4, 2021 Cash flows from operating activitiescontinuing operations:





Net earnings $ 1,496



$ 1,445

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash from operating activities:





Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 278



280

Amortization of intangible and finance lease right-of-use assets 147



159

Equity-based compensation expense 120



72

Deferred income tax benefit (218)



(37)

(Increase) decrease in assets, net of effects of business acquisitions:





Accounts receivable (172)



(94)

Unbilled receivables 695



134

Inventories (816)



(58)

Increase (decrease) in liabilities, net of effects of business acquisitions:





Accounts payable (29)



(364)

Customer advances and deposits 1,402



(226)

Other, net (276)



(193)

Net cash provided by operating activities 2,627



1,118

Cash flows from investing activities:





Capital expenditures (365)



(306)

Other, net 



(2)

Net cash used by investing activities (365)



(308)

Cash flows from financing activities:





Purchases of common stock (1,094)



(1,352)

Dividends paid (679)



(651)

Repayment of fixed-rate notes 



(2,000)

Proceeds from commercial paper, gross (maturities greater than 3 months) 



1,997

Proceeds from fixed-rate notes 



1,497

Repayment of floating-rate notes 



(500)

Other, net 110



338

Net cash used by financing activities (1,663)



(671)

Net cash provided (used) by discontinued operations 21



(13)

Net increase in cash and equivalents 620



126

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period 1,603



2,824

Cash and equivalents at end of period $ 2,223



$ 2,950



EXHIBIT G



ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS

Other Financial Information:















July 3, 2022

December 31, 2021







Debt-to-equity (a) 66.1 %

65.2 %







Book value per share (b) $ 63.38



$ 63.54









Shares outstanding 274,246,220



277,620,943



























Second Quarter

Six Months

2022

2021

2022

2021 Income tax payments, net $ 550



$ 212



$ 565



$ 245

Company-sponsored research and development (c) $ 130



$ 93



$ 237



$ 183

Return on sales (d) 8.3 %

8.0 %

8.1 %

7.8 %















Non-GAAP Financial Measures:















Second Quarter

Six Months

2022

2021

2022

2021 Free cash flow:













Net cash provided by operating activities $ 659



$ 1,115



$ 2,627



$ 1,118

Capital expenditures (224)



(172)



(365)



(306)

Free cash flow (e) $ 435



$ 943



$ 2,262



$ 812



















July 3, 2022

December 31, 2021







Net debt:













Total debt $ 11,495



$ 11,495









Less cash and equivalents 2,223



1,603









Net debt (f) $ 9,272



$ 9,892































(a) Debt-to-equity ratio is calculated as total debt divided by total equity as of the end of the period.



(b) Book value per share is calculated as total equity divided by total outstanding shares as of the end of the period.



(c) Includes independent research and development and Aerospace product-development costs.



(d) Return on sales is calculated as net earnings divided by revenue.



(e) We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. We believe free cash

flow is a useful measure for investors because it portrays our ability to generate cash from our businesses for purposes

such as repaying debt, funding business acquisitions, repurchasing our common stock and paying dividends. We use

free cash flow to assess the quality of our earnings and as a key performance measure in evaluating management.



(f) We define net debt as short- and long-term debt (total debt) less cash and equivalents. We believe net debt is a useful

measure for investors because it reflects the borrowings that support our operations and capital deployment strategy.

We use net debt as an important indicator of liquidity and financial position.

EXHIBIT H



BACKLOG - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS





































































Funded

Unfunded

Total

Backlog

Estimated Potential Contract Value*

Total

Estimated

Contract Value Second Quarter 2022:



















Aerospace

$ 18,237



$ 549



$ 18,786



$ 877



$ 19,663

Marine Systems

26,965



14,873



41,838



3,904



45,742

Combat Systems

13,236



202



13,438



6,939



20,377

Technologies

9,448



4,120



13,568



27,028



40,596

Total

$ 67,886



$ 19,744



$ 87,630



$ 38,748



$ 126,378

First Quarter 2022:



















Aerospace

$ 17,114



$ 501



$ 17,615



$ 1,829



$ 19,444

Marine Systems

27,656



15,258



42,914



4,316



47,230

Combat Systems

12,760



299



13,059



6,298



19,357

Technologies

9,067



4,579



13,646



29,347



42,993

Total

$ 66,597



$ 20,637



$ 87,234



$ 41,790



$ 129,024

Second Quarter 2021:



















Aerospace

$ 13,155



$ 366



$ 13,521



$ 2,099



$ 15,620

Marine Systems

26,435



21,095



47,530



4,689



52,219

Combat Systems

14,157



271



14,428



7,711



22,139

Technologies

9,769



3,999



13,768



26,594



40,362

Total

$ 63,516



$ 25,731



$ 89,247



$ 41,093



$ 130,340







* The estimated potential contract value includes work awarded on unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity

(IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options associated with existing firm contracts, including options and other

agreements with existing customers to purchase new aircraft and aircraft services. We recognize options in backlog

when the customer exercises the option and establishes a firm order. For IDIQ contracts, we evaluate the amount

of funding we expect to receive and include this amount in our estimated potential contract value. The actual

amount of funding received in the future may be higher or lower than our estimate of potential contract value.

EXHIBIT H-1



BACKLOG - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

EXHIBIT H-2



BACKLOG BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

EXHIBIT I



SECOND QUARTER 2022 SIGNIFICANT ORDERS - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

We received the following significant contract awards during the second quarter of 2022:

Marine Systems:

$500 from the U.S. Navy for long-lead materials to support construction of two additional John Lewis -class (T-AO-205) fleet replenishment oilers.

from the U.S. Navy for long-lead materials to support construction of two additional -class (T-AO-205) fleet replenishment oilers. $315 from the Navy to provide submarine industrial base development and expansion for the Columbia-class program.

from the Navy to provide submarine industrial base development and expansion for the Columbia-class program. $100 from the Navy for long-lead materials to support construction of an additional Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) auxiliary support ship.

from the Navy for long-lead materials to support construction of an additional Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) auxiliary support ship. $55 from the Navy to provide ongoing lead yard services for the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer program.

from the Navy to provide ongoing lead yard services for the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer program. $50 from the Navy to improve submarine acoustic performance.

Combat Systems:

$410 from the U.S. Army to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) vehicle. The contract has a maximum potential value of $1.1 billion .

from the U.S. Army to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) vehicle. The contract has a maximum potential value of . $295 for various munitions and ordnance with additional option value of $465 .

for various munitions and ordnance with additional option value of . $525 from the Army to upgrade Stryker vehicles to the double-V-hull (DVH) A1 configuration.

from the Army to upgrade Stryker vehicles to the double-V-hull (DVH) A1 configuration. $355 to produce Abrams main battle tanks in the system enhancement package version 3 (SEPv3) configuration for Australia .

to produce Abrams main battle tanks in the system enhancement package version 3 (SEPv3) configuration for . $60 to produce M3 amphibious bridge systems for an international customer. The contract has a maximum potential value of $210 .

to produce M3 amphibious bridge systems for an international customer. The contract has a maximum potential value of . $90 from the Army for engineering and logistics support services for the Abrams family of vehicles.

from the Army for engineering and logistics support services for the Abrams family of vehicles. $50 from the Army to upgrade domestic Abrams main battle tanks to the SEPv3 configuration.

Technologies:

$545 for several key classified contracts.

for several key classified contracts. $160 from the U.S. Space Development Agency to build and operate ground systems for the new low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. The contract has a maximum potential value of $325 .

from the U.S. Space Development Agency to build and operate ground systems for the new low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. The contract has a maximum potential value of . An indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for the development and sustainment of applications and websites for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC). The contract has a maximum potential value of $300 .

. $280 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for several contracts, including work to provide cloud services and software tools.

from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for several contracts, including work to provide cloud services and software tools. $155 to provide ship modernization services for the Navy.

to provide ship modernization services for the Navy. $120 to provide global enterprise and digital modernization services under the Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM) Cyber Information Technology Enterprise Services (SCITES) contract.

to provide global enterprise and digital modernization services under the Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM) Cyber Information Technology Enterprise Services (SCITES) contract. $10 from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to provide information technology (IT) support to more than 500,000 VA personnel and contractors nationwide. The contract has a maximum potential value of $110 .

from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to provide information technology (IT) support to more than 500,000 VA personnel and contractors nationwide. The contract has a maximum potential value of . $105 from the Army for computing and communications equipment under the Common Hardware Systems-5 program.

from the Army for computing and communications equipment under the Common Hardware Systems-5 program. $85 to provide military information support operations for the United States Special Operations Command.

to provide military information support operations for the United States Special Operations Command. $75 to provide command, control and communications capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

EXHIBIT J

AEROSPACE SUPPLEMENTAL DATA - (UNAUDITED)





Second Quarter

Six Months



2022

2021

2022

2021 Gulfstream Aircraft Deliveries (units):















Large-cabin aircraft

17



18



38



43

Mid-cabin aircraft

5



3



9



6

Total

22



21



47



49



















Aerospace Book-to-Bill:















Orders*

$ 3,652



$ 3,292



$ 6,895



$ 5,749

Revenue

1,867



1,622



3,770



3,509

Book-to-Bill Ratio

1.96x

2.03x

1.83x

1.64x

* Does not include customer defaults, liquidated damages, cancellations, foreign exchange fluctuations and other backlog adjustments.

SOURCE General Dynamics
DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "2022 Global Marketplaces Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Marketplaces Annual is here and on the heels of skyrocketing e-commerce and transactions explosion, a recession may loom. Can marketplaces ride it out and thrive?

We interviewed dozens of experts across the globe, threw our mighty analysis machine into overdrive and came up with the unlikely conclusion: yes they can. But will they?

The report digs deep into the landscape of transactions, artificial intelligence, trust and safety, authentication, and user communities, with wide-ranging insights from major international operators to smaller companies in the classified space.

Inside the 126-page report, you'll find:

Strategies and tactics of some of the most interesting and largest general marketplaces in the world

Top 50 list identifies the largest general marketplace and classified sites worldwide

Top 20 multi-vertical marketplaces by revenue

Companies to watch

The leading general marketplaces/classified companies in 67 countries

And much more

Key Topics Covered:

Executive summary

Could a recession help horizontals more than it hurts them?

Marketplaces have to be cautious, but with the right framework they can keep growing in a recession

Industry trends

Horizontals and transactions: Is this the year?

Consumers are more ready than ever to pay and arrange delivery online, butmarketplaces still face logistical hurdles and cultural difficulties

Trust: Perhaps the biggest challenge facing marketplaces

Newer horizontals have been able to tackle trust issues from their very inception, learning from older examples

User communities: Generating content builds loyalty

Very few horizontals are developing or encouraging user communities on their marketplaces, but there are interesting opportunities in this space

Company spotlights

Multivertical marketplaces by revenue: The world's Top 20

Companies based in Asia and Europe dominate the rankings, with those from North America close behind

Adevinta: Incoming CEO has to sell sites, drive revenue

New CEO will need to implement Adevinta's "growing at scale" strategy, focused on transactions and building high-quality verticals

Frontier Digital Ventures: A growing force across the globe

With an expanding portfolio and growing revenue, the company has become an expert in running marketplaces in emerging markets

India: OLX-India defeated Quikr, but potential not reached

Cultural obstacles and limited demand for transactions in general goods make life for horizontals difficult in India

OLX-Brazil: Opportunities from addressing inefficiencies

OLX-Brazil has become a "growth engine" for both Adevinta and Prosus

Prosus: Two tasks ahead --- Avito sale, Tencent buyback

Prosus is currently in discussions to sell its prized classified asset, Avito, but is looking for a reasonable price

Schibsted: Blocket leaping into transactions

Blocket has joined Finn in ramping up its transaction capability, but horizontals in Finland and Denmark are lagging behind

South Africa: OLX shut down, Gumtree for sale

Rampant fraud and the growing strength of Facebook Marketplace is creating difficult conditions for local marketplaces

United States: The battle for third place, as Top 2 are set

With the top two horizontal spots seemingly locked in for the foreseeable future, the competition for third is harder to call

Companies to watch

Larixon Classifieds: Acquiring, building winning classifieds

Larixon built its network by locating and acquiring undervalued market leaders around the world

Tise: Fashion marketplace set to expand across Europe

Tise represents a new wave of resale marketplaces already enabled with transactions and chasing a younger audience

Top 50 marketplaces and classified sites

Top marketplaces/classified sites by country

Companies in this edition

Companies Mentioned

2DeHands/2EmeMain

58.com

88DB.com.hk

999.md

99Acres

Adevinta

Adverts.ie

Allegro

Alma Media

Anjuke

Auctions.Yahoo.co.jp

Aukro.cz

Auto Trader U.K.

Auto.ru

AutoMobile.it

Avito.ma

Avito.ru

Bakeca.it

Baraholka.Onliner.by

Bayut

Bazaraki.com

Bazos

BikeExchange

Bikroy

Bilbasen.dk

Blocket

Bunjang.co.kr

CarCheck

CarDekho

Carousell

Cars24

CarsGuide

Carvana

CashMyCar

Catcha Group

ChoTot.com

Classifieds.co.zw

ClickBD

Craigslist

CustoJusto.pt

Daangn.com

DBA.dk

DealerRefresh

Depop

Divar.ir

DPG Media

Drom.ru

Dubizzle

EBay

EBay-Kleinanzeigen.de

Emerging Markets Property

Encuentra24

Esam.ir

Etsy

Etuovi.com

Euromonitor International

European Internet Ventures

Facebook

Finn

FJ Labs

Flipkart

FreeList.gr

Frontier Digital Ventures

Ganji.com

GOglasi.com

Group

Grupo Zap

Gulf

GulogGratis.dk

Gumtree

HaloOglasi.com

Haraj.com.sa

HasznaltAuto

Holding66

Huuto.net

Info Edge

InfoCasas

InfoJobs

IProperty Group

Irr.ru

JaCars.net

JD.com

Jiji

Jmty.jp

Jobs.cz

Jofogas.hu

Jogo Consulting

Junk Mail Marketplaces Group

Juwai IQI

Kaidee

Kaspi.kz

Kijiji

Kolesa Group

Kufar

KupujemProdajem.com

LaendleAnzeiger.at

Lajumate.ro

Lalafo

Larixon Classifieds

LeBonCoin

LesPac

LetGo

Lifull

LinkedIn

Locanto

MagicBricks

Makler.md

Market.kz

Marketplacer

Markt.de

Marktplaats

MarocAnnonces.com

Mediahuis

MeineStadt.de

Meqasa

MercadoLibre

Mercari

Milanuncios.com

Mitula

Mobile.de

Monster.fi

Moteur

Motors.co.uk

Muaban.net

Mudah.my

Naspers

Naukri

Nextdoor

Njuskalo.hr

NullLeasing.com

OfferUp

Oikotie.fi

OList.ng

OLX

Opendoor

ParuVendu.fr

PetitesAnnonces.ch

Pin.tt

Poshmark

Preloved.co.uk

PropertyPro

PropTiger

Prosus

Q84Sale.com

QatarLiving.com

Quikr

QuintoAndar

REA Group

Realtor.com

Recruit Holdings

Red Arbor

Refash

Ria.com

Ricardo.ch

Ringier

Ruten.com.tw

SafeTradeSpots.com

SafeTradeStations.com

Sahibinden

SBazar.cz

Schibsted

SegundaMano

Sequoia Capital

Shafa.ua

Sheypoor.com

Shpock

Skelbiu.lt

Slando.com

Somon.tj

Spinny

Square Yards

Subito

Swiss Marketplace Group

Tencent

The Next Closet

Thoma Bravo

Tise.com

Tonaton.com

Tori.fi

Trade Me

Trader Corp.

Tradera.com

TradingPost.com.au

Trovit

Trulia

TweeDeHands.net

Unegui.mn

Vendora

Vinted

Vivanuncios

VivaReal

VivaStreet.be

VK Holding

VNV Global

Wallapop

WillHaben.at

XE.gr

Yandex

Yapo.cl

Yelp

Youla.ru

Z Holdings

Zameen

ZapImoveis

Zefo

Zhuan Zhuan

Zillow

Zozo

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a1grn3

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
SEATTLE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the global medical Carts market is estimated to be valued at US$ 3,479.2 million in 2022 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period (2022-2030).

Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Medical Carts Market:

Manufacturers in medical Carts market designs technologically advanced products such as mobile computer Carts with extensive battery life that provide hours of uninterrupted power for continuous working and offer many advantages over standard mobile computer Carts. Some medical Carts manufacturers have also started to incorporate app-type functionality into their solution offerings to enhance user convenience and provide added operational value. For instance, Stinger Medical offers a Clinical Adoption Support Technology (CAST) app that allows IT personnel to connect directly with the wireless board on each Carts and access important operational information about the device (such as utilization, location, and trending information). This tool provides IT with centralized and convenient point of management and control for healthcare facility's entire fleet of mobile Carts.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/2171

Key Market Takeaways:

The global medical Carts market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period owing to increasing number of patients visiting hospitals or clinics to get treatment for medical emergency, trauma, and other chronic diseases. For instance, in March 2021, according to the National Center for the Biotechnology Information, the prevalence of emergency room visits due to respiratory symptoms was 28.7% and 38.9% among adults and children, respectively. In adults, the rates of hospitalization and mortality were 21.2% and 2.7%, respectively, compared with 11.9% and 0.3%, respectively, in children. Moreover, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018, the data for the U.S., the number of emergency department visits resulting in hospital admission was 16.2 million and the number of emergency department visits resulting in admission to critical care unit was 2.3 million in 2021.

Among applications, emergency Carts segment is expected to account for major revenue share in 2022, owing to increasing cases of accidents and other trauma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) factsheet in 2018, each year there are around 37.3 million falls, which requires medical attention, whereas estimated 646,000 individuals die from falls globally every year.

Among region, North America is expected to hold the dominant position in the global medical Carts market over the forecast period, owing to increasing prevalence of chronic disease is increasing the hospitalization in that region . For instance, according to the American Heart Association, in 2020, 3,658 heart transplantations were performed in the U.S., the every year. The highest number of heart transplantations were performed in the states of California (496), Texas (302), Florida (288), and New York (250). In the U.S., the prevalence of PSVT is approximately 0.2%, and it has an incidence of one to three cases every thousand patients. The most common type of Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is atrial fibrillation, with a prevalence rate of approximately 0.4% to 1% occurring in men and women equally; it is projected to affect as many as 7.5 million patients by 2050 in the U.S.

Key players operating in the global medical Carts market include AFC Industries, Advantech Co., Ltd., Alphatron, Enovate Medical, Ergotron, Inc., Harloff Manufacturing Co., JACO, Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., and Scott-Clark Medical.

Request for Customization @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/2171

Detailed Segmentation:

Global Medical Carts Market, By Power Source:

Powered Carts



Non-powered Carts

Global Medical Carts Market, By Product Type:

Mobile Computing Carts



Emergency Carts



Procedure Carts



Anesthesia Carts



Medication Carts



Others

Global Medical Carts Market, By End User:

Hospitals



Clinics



Diagnostic Centres



Ambulatory Surgical Centres

Global Medical Carts Market, By Region:



North America



By Country:





U.S.







Canada



Europe



By Country:





U.K.







Germany







Italy







France







Spain







Russia







Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



By Country:





China







India







Japan







ASEAN







Australia







South Korea







Rest of Asia Pacific



Latin America



By Country:





Brazil







Mexico







Argentina







Rest of Latin America



Middle East & Africa



By Country:





GCC Countries







Israel







South Africa







Rest of Middle East & Africa

Buy this Complete Report Now @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/2171

Find related trending report below:

North America Medical Carts Market, By Product Type (Emergency Cart, Procedure Cart, Anesthesia Cart, Computer Medical Cart, Others), By Material Type (Metal, Plastic, Wood), By Energy Source (Powered, Non-powered (Mechanical)), End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Diagnostic Centers, Others) - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2019 - 2027

About Us:

Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients.

Contact Us:

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Coherent Market Insights

Phone:

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SOURCE Coherent Market Insights
DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Medication Management System Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Software, by Mode Of Delivery (On-premise, Web-based, Cloud-based), by End-use, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2022-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global medication management system market size is expected to reach USD 6.3 billion by 2030. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.2% from 2022 to 2030. A rise in the number of prescriptions globally, increase in investments by hospitals for workflow management, advanced technologies, and rise in government reforms and policies boosting the integration of IT in healthcare are estimated to drive market growth.

A rise in challenges faced by healthcare professionals for efficient management of clinical operations, streamlined workflow, and reduced healthcare costs drive the demand for automated solutions in healthcare facilities. Rapid growth in prescriptions has increased the burden on care providers to efficiently manage prescriptions of patients and minimize medication errors. Thus, increase in the number of prescriptions is one crucial factor driving the market growth. In addition, a shortage of pharmacists and healthcare professionals will further boost the adoption of IT solutions in healthcare facilities.

Also, according to a 2017 report by WHO, medication errors cost USD 42 billion per year globally. According to these numbers, there is a raising need for medication management systems as an essential component of comprehensive healthcare infrastructure. The population is at risk of adverse drug events due to the possibility of human error in delivering medication, which can be reduced by employing a medication management system. This would boost the worldwide medication management system market growth.

Reforms, policies, and initiatives are being taken by governments to increase the adoption of healthcare IT across the globe, which is expected to drive market growth. For instance, the German National Medication Plan is an initiative directed toward enhancing medication management software in hospitals and pharmacies in Germany.

To extend the geographic reach and client bases, key market players are using competitive strategies such as technology advancement, acquisitions and mergers, agreements, collaboration, and partnerships. For instance, in March 2022, Constellation Software, through N. Harris Computer (subsidiary), concluded its agreement for the acquisition of a net asset of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions' hospitals and large physician practices business for a payment of USD 700 million in cash.

Medication Management System Market Report Highlights

The inventory management solutions segment held a majority of revenue share in the market in 2021 due to the rising need to reduce issues such as stockout and overstock.

The hospitals segment held the largest revenue share in 2021 owing to the rise in investments by hospitals to upgrade their IT infrastructure.

The cloud-based solutions segment dominated the market owing to greater data security.

North America dominated the market owing to high adoption of healthcare IT and technological advancements.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Research Methodology

Chapter 2. Executive Summary

Chapter 3. Medication Management Market Variables, Trends & Scope

Chapter 4. Medication Management Market: Software Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 5. Medication Management Market: Mode of Delivery Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 6. Medication Management Market: End-Use Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 7. Medication management: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis, By Software, Mode of Delivery, and End-use

Chapter 8. Competitive Landscape

Companies Mentioned

Allscripts

Becton, Dickinson and Company (CareFusion)

GE Healthcare

Talyst, LLC.

McKesson Corporation

Cerner Corporation

ARxIUM

QuadraMed Affinity Corporation

Omnicell, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/41vvec

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
Transaction Solidifies a Global Ecommerce Strategy and Deepens Leadership in the MRO Segment

ARLINGTON, Texas, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GracoRoberts has acquired New York-based Styles Aviation, Inc. (dba SkyGeek.com) ("SkyGeek") to cement its standing as the largest, fastest, and most technically focused aerospace specialty chemicals distributor around the globe.

The combination with SkyGeek addresses the evolving needs of GracoRoberts' customers and supplier partners by significantly expanding GracoRoberts' global ecommerce capabilities and its offerings in the MRO segment. With the addition of SkyGeek's extensive online portfolio of shop and hangar products (including specialty chemicals, avionics and instruments, tools and equipment, and aircraft and engine parts), GracoRoberts now provides the global aerospace community with immediate access to over 100,000 products  with 25,000 in-stock at any given time  an offering that redefines the customer experience and works to ease industry-related supply chain challenges.

SkyGeek provides 30,000 online customers on-demand access to thousands of aerospace consumables, serving the aerospace community with digital sophistication, nimbleness, and family-style care. For GracoRoberts' existing customers, SkyGeek's website (www.skygeek.com) offers new procurement opportunities and a fast, simple, and convenient buying experience  at the same time, SkyGeek's customer base will benefit from a larger portfolio of products and channel partners in the specialty chemicals space from GracoRoberts. SkyGeek will maintain its operations in LaGrangeville, NY, and be an important distribution hub for the combined company in the Northeastern United States.

"We are thrilled to have the Styles and the SkyGeek team join the GracoRoberts family as we solidify our position as a global and digital leader in aerospace specialty chemicals distribution," said Jason Caldwell, President and CEO of GracoRoberts. "Together, we are laser-focused on bringing more products and solutions to our customers faster than ever before. Given the supply chain challenges we have all faced as an industry, our customers deserve a more streamlined and simplified buying experience  and we are ready to deliver."

Steven Styles, CEO of Styles Aviation, Inc., and Janelle Styles, President, both added, "The SkyGeek culture is centered on making Aerospace ecommerce transactions as frictionless as possible through great usability, exceptional service, and immediate access to products  we truly believe that our mission is to supply the skies. That 'do whatever it takes' mentality is fully aligned with GracoRoberts, which is what makes this relationship such a natural fit, and we are honored to be a part of GracoRoberts."

The acquisition of SkyGeek is supported by CM Equity Partners, the private equity sponsor of GracoRoberts and partner to the GracoRoberts management team. CM Equity Partners has assisted GracoRoberts in its global and digital strategic growth initiatives and in GracoRoberts' previous acquisitions of E.V. Roberts, Able Aerospace Adhesives and Sil-Mid Ltd. (known for its ecommerce leadership in the UK / EMEA). CM Equity Partners has over 30 years of experience providing growth capital to the aerospace, defense, and federal services sectors.

About GracoRoberts

Headquartered in Arlington, TX, GracoRoberts (www.gracoroberts.com) is the single largest and most technically focused specialty chemicals distributor to serve the global aerospace market. We are a full-service supplier of complex engineered materials for aerospace OEM and MRO segments, composites, electronics, and other advanced manufacturing industries. We are fully AS- and ISO-certified and authorized to distribute 3M, Airtech, Akzo Nobel, Castrol, Eastman, Henkel, Huntsman, ITW Polymers, Mask-Off, Momentive, Resin Formulators, Scott Bader, Sika, and Zip Chem, and can source other providers upon request. We differentiate by adding value: services include distribution, custom formulation, specialty packaging, vendor managed inventory, intermix paint services, turnkey classified program management, and an on-staff Chemist, lab, and testing facility. For 140 years, GracoRoberts has delivered superior engineered materials with impeccable support to thousands of customers from more than 65 countries and all seven continents around the globe.

About SkyGeek

Founded in 1969 and based in LaGrangeville, NY at Sky Acres Airport, Styles Logistics Inc., (www.skygeek.com) has served the aircraft community as well as the aviation industry at large for over fifty years. In 2003, www.skygeek.com debuted as an ecommerce-based stocking aerospace distributor. Since then, supplying the skies with tools and equipment, shop and hangar supplies (specialty paints and chemicals), aircraft and engine parts, avionics and instruments has been SkyGeek's mission providing access to nearly 60,000 aerospace products. And while their propeller hat-wearing mascot may indicate a sense of humor, make no mistake: SkyGeek has the market cornered on delivering the items they stock reliably, time and time again providing excellent service to over 30,000 customers in more than 100 countries.

About CM Equity Partners

CM Equity Partners (CMEP) (www.cmequity.com), based in New York, NY, provides capital to the Federal services and aerospace and defense industries. For over thirty years, CMEP has partnered with management teams to build value in its investment companies by leveraging its long-standing industry knowledge, relationships, operating experience, and its corporate finance, M&A, and private equity expertise. CMEP provides an active and collaborative management approach to its investments, developing long-term strategic plans and supporting re-investment of profits to grow and broaden a company's revenue base and capabilities. CMEP's investments are structured with flexibility across a broad spectrum of the capital structure, including equity, structured equity, and mezzanine debt.

SOURCE GracoRoberts
Security Researcher to Discuss the How to Go Beyond the Limits of the SIEM with a Security Data Lake

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Hat USA 2022, one of the leading computer security conferences in the world, provides security consulting, training, and briefings to hackers, corporations, and government agencies.

Security practitioners and leaders who want to learn why data lakes are becoming critical to improving security operations (i.e., SecOps) and how to use them to crunch massive amounts of security data, gain observability at light speed, and improve threat hunting should attend the session, "Go Beyond the Limits of the SIEM with a Security Data Lake."

Crunch massive amounts of security data, gain observability at light speed, and improve threat hunting. Tweet this

The session, led by Gravwell CEO and Cofounder Corey Thuen, will explore the fundamentals of time-series data lakes, how they differ from other ways of centralizing logs, and deep dives into some outlandish examples. The session will take place on Thursday, August 11 12:40pm-1:30pm PT at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Gravwell is also a sponsor at the Black Hat USA 2022 Conference. The company will demonstrate the latest innovations and technical enhancements to their enterprise data fusion platform that enables security teams to investigate, collaborate, and analyze data from any source, on-demand, all with unlimited data collection and retention. The company will discuss how the Gravwell platform is helping organizations prevent, detect and respond to the latest cyber attacks. The Gravwell booth is Booth #2817 and located in the Business Hall near Innovation City.

Interested parties can schedule a meeting with a Gravwell team member to discuss the latest in data analytics, get a platform demo and discover how Gravwell is transforming the way organizations interact and manage enterprise data. https://www.gravwell.io/blackhat

Who:

Corey Thuen, CEO and Cofounder, Gravwell

When:

Thursday, August 11th, 2022

12:40pm-1:30pm Pacific Time

Where:

Mandalay Bay K

Interview Opportunities:

Corey Thuen is available to discuss the security implications of data lakes and the impact of data lakes on SecOps and SecOps teams.

About Gravwell

Gravwell is an enterprise data fusion platform that enables security teams to investigate, collaborate, and analyze data from any source, on-demand, all with unlimited data collection and retention. Stop sacrificing security by limiting what you ingest. Ingest all your logs without being locked into consumption-based pricing models.

Media Contact

Tim Clise

[email protected]

(202) 681-7087

Gravwell

SOURCE Gravwell
An increase in the use of ground protection mats in the construction industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the growing demand for ground protection mat rentals might reduce the growth opportunities for market players. The growth of vendors also depends on market conditions, government support, and industry development. Therefore, vendors must expand geographically and revive domestic demand to achieve sustained growth over a period of time. Vendors can boost their profitability by practicing efficient production techniques to minimize product costs and prevent cost overruns. Competitors have to focus on differentiating their product offerings with unique value propositions to strengthen their foothold in the market. Market vendors also have to leverage the existing growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Technavio identifies CGK-Group, Checkers Safety Group, Ground Protection mats, Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo, Newpark Resources Inc., Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd., Quality Mat Co., Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd., Signature Systems Group LLC, and The Rubber Co. Ltd. as among some of the dominant market participants. Request Report Sample PDF Here

The ground protection mats market is segmented as below:

End User

Industrial



Commercial

The demand for ground protection mats is high among industrial end-users. The need to ensure safe access and walkways, reduce accidents such as slips and falls, and allow easy handling and movement of heavy machinery is driving the demand for ground protection mats from industrial end-users. In addition, the growth of the global construction industry is expected to positively influence the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

Geography

APAC



North America



Europe



South America



MEA

APAC is the largest market for ground protection mats, occupying 33% of the global market share. The increase in construction activities across the region is propelling the demand for ground protection mats in the region. The growth of utility, power, and infrastructure industries will further foster the growth of the ground protection mats market in APAC during the forecast period.

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The ground protection mats market report covers the following areas:

Ground Protection Mats Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist ground protection mats market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the ground protection mats market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the ground protection mats market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of ground protection mats market vendors

Related Reports:

Ground Protection Mats Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.39% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 314.79 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 3.75 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 33% Key consumer countries US, UK, China, Japan, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled CGK-Group, Checkers Safety Group, Ground Protection mats, Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo, Newpark Resources Inc., Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd., Quality Mat Co., Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd., Signature Systems Group LLC, and The Rubber Co. Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 01: Parent market



Exhibit 02: Market characteristics

2.2 Value chain analysis

Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Construction materials

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 05: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2020

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2020

5 Market Segmentation by End-user

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 15: End-user - Market share 2020-2025 (%)

5.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 16: Comparison by End-user

5.3 Industrial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 17: Industrial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 18: Industrial - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.4 Commercial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 19: Commercial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 20: Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 21: Market opportunity by End-user

6 Customer landscape

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 23: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 24: Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 25: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 26: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 27: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 28: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 30: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 31: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 32: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 33: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.8 Key leading countries

Exhibit 35: Key leading countries

7.9 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

Exhibit 37: Impact of drivers and challenges

8.3 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

Exhibit 38: Vendor landscape

9.2 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 39: Landscape disruption



Exhibit 40: Industry risks

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 41: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 42: Market positioning of vendors

10.3 CGK-Group

Exhibit 43: CGK-Group - Overview



Exhibit 44: CGK-Group - Product and service



Exhibit 45: CGK-Group - Key offerings

10.4 Checkers Safety Group

Exhibit 46: Checkers Safety Group - Overview



Exhibit 47: Checkers Safety Group - Product and service



Exhibit 48: Checkers Safety Group - Key offerings

10.5 Ground Protection mats

Exhibit 49: Ground Protection mats - Overview



Exhibit 50: Ground Protection mats - Product and service



Exhibit 51: Ground Protection mats - Key offerings

10.6 Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo

Exhibit 52: Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo - Overview



Exhibit 53: Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo - Product and service



Exhibit 54: Isokon proizvodnja in predelava termoplastov doo - Key offerings

10.7 Newpark Resources Inc.

Exhibit 55: Newpark Resources Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 56: Newpark Resources Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 57: Newpark Resources Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 58: Newpark Resources Inc. - Segment focus

10.8 Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd.

Exhibit 59: Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 60: Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 61: Oxford Plastic Systems Ltd. - Key offerings

10.9 Quality Mat Co.

Exhibit 62: Quality Mat Co. - Overview



Exhibit 63: Quality Mat Co. - Product and service



Exhibit 64: Quality Mat Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 65: Quality Mat Co. - Segment focus

10.10 Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 66: Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 67: Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 68: Shandong Ningjin Xinxing Chemical Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.11 Signature Systems Group LLC

10.12 The Rubber Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 72: The Rubber Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 73: The Rubber Co. Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 74: The Rubber Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 75: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.3 Research methodology

Exhibit 76: Research Methodology



Exhibit 77: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 78: Information sources

11.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 79: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Frontier Management is Celebrating Clairemont's first new senior's care housing in 35 years

SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 11, 2022, a ceremony will be held to celebrate the groundbreaking of a senior living community - Clairemont's first in three and half decades! The Pavilion at Tecolote Canyon is a $36 million assisted living and memory care community which, once completed, will provide residential living and support for the daily needs of about 94 residents in the heart of the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego.

The Pavilion at Tecolote Canyon Assisted Living & Memory Care Community, Clairmont's first in three and half decades!

Even before shovels strike the ground, The Pavilion at Tecolote Canyon is giving back by donating salvaged beams and lumber to the Freedom Ranch for Heroes, a project which gives veterans a place to learn new skills and enjoy the outdoors. The Pavilion seeks to invest in the neighborhood and help bring the community together. It's conveniently located just steps away from local restaurants and small businesses, and a short walk from several beautiful parks including Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center. The building will be LEED certified and will feature both assisted living and memory care services.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Thursday, August 11 at 4:30 PM at 3560 Mount Acadia Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111. It will include a traditional shovel ceremony and words from local developer John DeWald of RhodesMoore, LLC and Frontier Management CEO and partner in the development, Greg Roderick. John DeWald said, "It has been a long wait, but the Pavilion will be a great addition to this neighborhood and will allow seniors in the area an opportunity to remain in their community as they age." Greg Roderick stated, "Frontier Management is very excited about being a part of this beautiful community that will embrace the wonderful neighborhood and greater San Diego population with comprehensive services and our award winning and nationally recognized programs. We have carefully planned this community for over 7 years and to return to San Diego with such a lovely and dignified development is a life-long dream."

About Frontier Management:

With home offices in beautiful Portland, Oregon and sunny Dallas, Texas, Frontier Management provides guidance and ongoing support to senior living communities across the country. With more than 130 locations, Frontier is one of the largest senior housing operators in the United States. We're proud to be part of the thousands of lives of those who call our award-winning communities "Home." Learn more at frontiermgmt.com

About RhodesMoore:

RhodesMoore is focused on sustainable projects with untapped potential for development in both urban and rural settings. With extensive experience in concept development and management, architectural and community design, technical feasibility and community consensus building we bring a comprehensive approach and well-honed execution capabilities to potential development and redevelopment projects.

To RSVP, please contact:

Kathy Swann, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE Frontier Management
Record Quarterly Revenues of $4.1 billion , a 14.3% Increase

Record Quarterly Diluted Earnings Per Common Share from Continuing Operations of $12.11 per share, an 18.3% Increase

HOUSTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI) ("Group 1" or the "Company"), an international, Fortune 300 automotive retailer with 204 dealerships located in the U.S. and U.K., today reported record quarterly financial results for the second quarter 2022.

Current quarter total revenues of $4.1 billion, gross profit of $768.4 million and diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations of $12.11 were the highest in Company history. Current quarter diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations of $12.11, represents an 18.3% increase over prior year quarter diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations of $10.23.

"Our record second quarter results were driven by record U.S. revenues and gross profits. Our strength was demonstrated across the breadth of our U.S. business as evidenced by a 34.0% growth in parts and service and a 20.3% increase in finance and insurance. A major contributing factor to our performance was the extreme speed at which we were able to integrate a large number of new acquisitions over the past 18 months which will provide more than $3.0 billion in expected annual additional revenues in the year ahead," said Earl J. Hesterberg, Group 1's President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Hesterberg also added, "New vehicle supply continues to be constrained, with no discernible change in the flow of new vehicle deliveries to our dealerships as compared to the most recent quarters. In the U.S., we continue to see the majority of new vehicles either presold or sold shortly after delivery. In the U.K., we continue to maintain a forward order book for new vehicles which extends into 2023."

Reconciliations for financial results, non-GAAP metrics, and diluted earnings per common share between continuing and discontinued operations are included in the accompanying financial tables.

Current Quarter Results Overview

Total revenues for the second quarter of 2022 ("current quarter") were a record of $4.1 billion, a 14.3% increase compared to total revenues of $3.6 billion for the second quarter of 2021 ("prior year quarter").

Current quarter net income from continuing operations was $199.3 million, a 5.6% increase compared to net income from continuing operations of $188.8 million for the prior year quarter. Current quarter adjusted net income from continuing operations (a non-GAAP measure) was a record of $197.5 million, a 5.1% increase compared to adjusted net income from continuing operations of $188.0 million for the prior year quarter.

Current quarter diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations was a record of $12.11, an 18.3% increase over diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations of $10.23 for the prior year quarter. Current quarter adjusted diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations (a non-GAAP measure) was also a record of $12.00, a 17.8% increase over adjusted diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations of $10.19 for the prior year quarter. Current quarter and prior year quarter adjusted diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations excludes adjusted diluted earnings per common share from discontinued operations of $0.10 and $0.12, respectively.

Second Quarter 2022 Key Performance Metrics (year-over-year comparable period basis) Consolidated Same Store (a non-GAAP

measure) Reported: 2Q22 Change 2Q22 Change Total revenues $4.1B +14.3 % $3.4B (4.3) % Total gross profit ("GP") $768.4M +18.3 % $630.9M (1.4) % NV units sold 38,822 (6.3) % 31,204 (23.7) % NV GP per retail unit ("PRU") $5,416 +40.2 % $5,338 +38.5 % Used vehicle ("UV") retail units sold 48,907 +9.9 % 40,978 (6.8) % UV retail GP PRU $1,830 (24.7) % $1,829 (24.8) % Parts & service ("P&S") GP $277.7M +30.6 % $231.1M +10.6 % P&S Gross Margin 55.2 % (0.3) % 54.0 % (1.5) % Finance and Insurance ("F&I") revenues $190.2M +19.2 % $157.9M +0.3 % F&I GP PRU $2,168 +16.7 % $2,187 +17.9 % Selling, General and Administrative ("SG&A") expenses as a % of GP 59.9 % +313 bps 60.2 % +347 bps Adjusted SG&A expenses (a non-GAAP measure) as a % of GP 60.3 % +342 bps 60.2 % +347 bps

Corporate Development

In April 2022, the Company acquired a Toyota dealership in New Mexico, which is expected to generate $115.0 million in annualized revenues. In July 2022, the Company acquired three dealerships and a collision center in Louisiana, consisting of Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Volvo franchises. This acquisition is expected to generate $110.0 million in annual revenues, bringing year-to-date total acquired expected annual revenues for the Company to $660.0 million.

In June 2022, the Company disposed of one dealership in Texas and one dealership in Massachusetts. These stores generated approximately $75.0 million in annualized revenues.

In July 2022, the Company closed on the disposition of its Brazilian operations.

Share Repurchase

During the current quarter, the Company repurchased 799,033 shares, representing approximately 4.6% of the Company's current year beginning outstanding common shares, at an average price per common share of $173.90, for a total of $139.0 million. During the current year, the Company repurchased 1,437,729 shares, representing approximately 8.3% of the Company's current year beginning outstanding common shares, at an average price per common share of $176.74, for a total of $254.1 million. The Company has $139.0 million remaining on its Board authorized common share repurchase program. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had an aggregate 15.9 million outstanding common shares and unvested restricted stock awards. Future repurchases may be made from time to time, based on market conditions, legal requirements, and other corporate considerations, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, and subject to Board approval and covenant restrictions.

Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call Details

Group 1's senior management will host a conference call today at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the second quarter 2022 financial results. The conference call will be simulcast live on the Internet at group1auto.com, then click on 'Investor Relations' and then 'Events' or through this link: group1corp.com/events. A webcast replay will be available for 30 days.

The conference call will also be available live by dialing in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call at:

Domestic: 1-888-317-6003 International: 1-412-317-6061 Conference ID: 2917777

A telephonic replay will be available following the call through August 3, 2022, by dialing:

Domestic: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay ID: 7058394

ABOUT GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

Group 1 owns and operates 204 automotive dealerships, 273 franchises, and 47 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 35 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships and omni-channel platform, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations at www.group1corp.com , www.group1auto.com , www.group1collision.com , www.acceleride.com , www.facebook.com/group1auto , and www.twitter.com/group1auto .

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are statements related to future, not past, events and are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. In this context, the forward-looking statements often include statements regarding our strategic investments, goals, plans, projections and guidance regarding our financial position, results of operations and business strategy, including the annualized revenues of recently completed acquisitions or dispositions and other benefits of such currently anticipated or recently completed acquisitions or dispositions. These forward-looking statements often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should," "foresee," "may" or "will" and similar expressions. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. Any such forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, (a) general economic and business conditions, (b) the level of manufacturer incentives, (c) the future regulatory environment, (d) our ability to obtain an inventory of desirable new and used vehicles, (e) our relationship with our automobile manufacturers and the willingness of manufacturers to approve future acquisitions, (f) our cost of financing and the availability of credit for consumers, (g) our ability to complete acquisitions and dispositions and the risks associated therewith, (h) foreign exchange controls and currency fluctuations, (i) the impacts of COVID-19 and the armed conflict in Ukraine on our business and the supply chains upon which our business is dependent, (j) the impacts of continued inflation and any potential global recession, (k) our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to operate, (l) the risk that proposed transactions will not be consummated in a timely manner, and (m) our ability to successfully integrate recent and future acquisitions. For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our projected results, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES, SAME STORE DATA, AND OTHER DATA

In addition to evaluating the financial condition and results of our operations in accordance with U.S. GAAP, from time to time our management evaluates and analyzes results and any impact on the Company of strategic decisions and actions relating to, among other things, cost reduction, growth, profitability improvement initiatives, and other events outside of normal, or "core," business and operations, by considering alternative financial measures not prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In our evaluation of results from time to time, we exclude items that do not arise directly from core operations, such as non-cash asset impairment charges, out-of-period adjustments, legal matters, gains and losses on dealership franchise or real estate transactions, and catastrophic events, such as hailstorms, hurricanes, and snow storms. Because these non-core charges and gains materially affect the Company's financial condition or results in the specific period in which they are recognized, management also evaluates, and makes resource allocation and performance evaluation decisions based on, the related non-GAAP measures excluding such items. This includes evaluating measures such as adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, and constant currency. These adjusted measures are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP, but are instead considered non-GAAP financial performance measures. Non-GAAP measures do not have definitions under U.S. GAAP and may be defined differently by, and not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by, other companies. As a result, any non-GAAP financial measures considered and evaluated by management are reviewed in conjunction with a review of the most directly comparable measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on such non-GAAP measures, but also to consider them with the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures.

In addition to using such non-GAAP measures to evaluate results in a specific period, management believes that such measures may provide more complete and consistent comparisons of operational performance on a period-over-period historical basis and a better indication of expected future trends. Our management also uses these adjusted measures in conjunction with U.S. GAAP financial measures to assess our business, including communication with our Board of Directors, investors, and industry analysts concerning financial performance. We disclose these non-GAAP measures, and the related reconciliations, because we believe investors use these metrics in evaluating longer-term period-over-period performance, and to allow investors to better understand and evaluate the information used by management to assess operating performance. The exclusion of certain expenses in the calculation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual or infrequent. We anticipate excluding these expenses in the future presentation of our non-GAAP financial measures.

In addition, we evaluate our results of operations on both an as reported and a constant currency basis. The constant currency presentation, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We believe providing constant currency information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our underlying business and results of operations, consistent with how we evaluate our performance. We calculate constant currency percentages by converting our current period reported results for entities reporting in currencies other than U.S. dollars using comparative period exchange rates rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods. The constant currency performance measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Same Store amounts presented include the results of dealerships for the identical months in each period presented in comparison, commencing with the first full month in which the dealership was owned by us and, in the case of dispositions, ending with the last full month it was owned by us. Same Store results also include the activities of our corporate headquarters.

Certain amounts in the financial statements may not compute due to rounding. All computations have been calculated using unrounded amounts for all periods presented.

Investor contacts:

Jason Babbitt

Vice President, Treasurer

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

[email protected]

Media contacts:

Pete DeLongchamps

Senior Vice President, Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

[email protected]

or

Clint Woods

Pierpont Communications, Inc.

713-627-2223 | [email protected]

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)





















Three Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/(Decrease)

% Change REVENUES:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 1,851.3

$ 1,805.5

$ 45.8

2.5 % Used vehicle retail sales

1,505.4

1,183.8

321.6

27.2 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

95.8

93.7

2.1

2.3 % Parts and service sales

502.6

382.9

119.7

31.2 % Finance, insurance and other, net

190.2

159.6

30.6

19.2 % Total revenues

4,145.4

3,625.6

519.8

14.3 % COST OF SALES:















New vehicle retail sales

1,641.0

1,645.4

(4.4)

(0.3) % Used vehicle retail sales

1,415.9

1,075.6

340.3

31.6 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

95.1

84.8

10.3

12.1 % Parts and service sales

224.9

170.3

54.7

32.1 % Total cost of sales

3,377.0

2,976.1

400.8

13.5 % GROSS PROFIT

768.4

649.5

118.9

18.3 % Selling, general and administrative expenses

460.2

368.6

91.5

24.8 % Depreciation and amortization expense

23.0

18.4

4.6

24.9 % Asset impairments

0.8



0.8

100.0 % INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

284.5

262.5

22.0

8.4 % Floorplan interest expense

5.9

8.6

(2.7)

(31.8) % Other interest expense, net

18.5

13.6

4.9

36.1 % INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

260.1

240.3

19.8

8.3 % Provision for income taxes

60.8

51.5

9.3

18.1 % Net income from continuing operations

199.3

188.8

10.5

5.6 % Net (loss) income from discontinued operations

(3.4)

2.2

(5.6)

(253.0) % NET INCOME

$ 195.9

$ 191.0

$ 5.0

2.6 % Less: Earnings allocated to participating securities

5.4

6.4

(1.1)

(16.6) % Net income available to diluted common shares

$ 190.6

$ 184.5

$ 6.0

3.3 % Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations

$ 12.11

$ 10.23

$ 1.88

18.3 % Diluted (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations

$ (0.20)

$ 0.12

$ (0.32)

(267.9) % DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

$ 11.90

$ 10.35

$ 1.55

15.0 % Weighted average dilutive common shares outstanding

16.0

17.8

(1.8)

(10.2) % Weighted average participating securities

0.5

0.6

(0.2)

(27.7) % Total weighted average shares

16.5

18.5

(2.0)

(10.8) % Effective tax rate on continuing operations

23.4 %

21.4 %

1.9 %





Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)





















Six Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/(Decrease)

% Change REVENUES:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 3,596.4

$ 3,314.7

$ 281.7

8.5 % Used vehicle retail sales

2,865.3

2,071.9

793.4

38.3 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

189.3

172.0

17.4

10.1 % Parts and service sales

975.5

735.7

239.8

32.6 % Finance, insurance and other, net

363.2

285.3

78.0

27.3 % Total revenues

7,989.7

6,579.6

1,410.2

21.4 % COST OF SALES:















New vehicle retail sales

3,184.9

3,059.0

125.9

4.1 % Used vehicle retail sales

2,688.0

1,905.3

782.7

41.1 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

185.7

159.3

26.4

16.6 % Parts and service sales

438.0

325.3

112.7

34.7 % Total cost of sales

6,496.6

5,448.8

1,047.8

19.2 % GROSS PROFIT

1,493.1

1,130.7

362.4

32.0 % Selling, general and administrative expenses

878.6

680.0

198.7

29.2 % Depreciation and amortization expense

44.2

37.6

6.6

17.5 % Asset impairments

0.8



0.8

100.0 % INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

569.5

413.2

156.3

37.8 % Floorplan interest expense

11.2

16.1

(5.0)

(30.9) % Other interest expense, net

35.9

26.7

9.2

34.3 % INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

522.4

370.3

152.1

41.1 % Provision for income taxes

122.0

80.6

41.4

51.4 % Net income from continuing operations

400.4

289.7

110.7

38.2 % Net (loss) income from discontinued operations

(1.6)

3.2

(4.8)

(148.4) % NET INCOME

$ 398.9

$ 292.9

$ 106.0

36.2 % Less: Earnings allocated to participating securities

11.2

9.9

1.3

13.4 % Net income available to diluted common shares

$ 387.6

$ 283.0

$ 104.6

37.0 % Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations

$ 23.88

$ 15.70

$ 8.18

52.1 % Diluted (loss) earnings per share from discontinued operations

$ (0.09)

$ 0.17

$ (0.27)

(153.4) % DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

$ 23.79

$ 15.88

$ 7.91

49.8 % Weighted average dilutive common shares outstanding

16.3

17.8

(1.5)

(8.6) % Weighted average participating securities

0.5

0.6

(0.2)

(24.5) % Total weighted average shares

16.8

18.5

(1.7)

(9.1) % Effective tax rate on continuing operations

23.4 %

21.8 %

1.6 %





Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Additional Information  Consolidated (Unaudited)





















June 30, 2022

December 31, 2021

Increase/(Decrease)

% Change SELECTED BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION:











(In millions)















Cash and cash equivalents

$ 26.3

$ 14.9

$ 11.3

75.9 % Inventories, net

$ 1,125.5

$ 1,073.1

$ 52.4

4.9 % Floorplan notes payable, net (1)

$ 780.9

$ 531.0

$ 249.9

47.1 % Total debt

$ 1,970.4

$ 2,035.7

$ (65.4)

(3.2) % Total equity

$ 2,004.5

$ 1,825.2

$ 179.3

9.8 % (1) Amounts are net of offset accounts of $83.4 and $271.9, respectively.





Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

2022

2021 NEW VEHICLE UNIT SALES GEOGRAPHIC MIX:











United States

81.5 %

82.2 %

80.9 %

81.9 % United Kingdom

18.5 %

17.8 %

19.1 %

18.1 %

















NEW VEHICLE UNIT SALES BRAND MIX:











Toyota/Lexus

24.7 %

25.1 %

23.9 %

25.4 % Volkswagen/Audi/Porsche/SEAT/SKODA

15.8 %

15.8 %

15.5 %

15.3 % BMW/MINI

12.3 %

11.5 %

12.7 %

10.8 % Ford/Lincoln

8.6 %

7.8 %

8.4 %

8.8 % Honda/Acura

6.6 %

9.4 %

7.3 %

9.0 % Chevrolet/GMC/Buick/Cadillac

6.4 %

6.9 %

6.3 %

7.1 % Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter

6.5 %

4.7 %

6.2 %

4.9 % Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM

5.0 %

4.1 %

5.1 %

4.2 % Hyundai/Kia/Genesis

5.4 %

5.9 %

4.9 %

5.5 % Nissan

3.5 %

6.0 %

4.0 %

5.7 % Subaru

2.4 %

1.3 %

2.6 %

1.4 % Jaguar/Land Rover

1.5 %

1.6 %

1.4 %

1.8 % Mazda

1.1 %

 %

1.2 %

 % Other

0.3 %

 %

0.3 %

 %



100.0 %

100.0 %

100.0 %

100.0 %





June 30, 2022

December 31, 2021

June 30, 2021 DAYS' SUPPLY IN INVENTORY (1):











Consolidated











New vehicle inventory

15

12

19 Used vehicle inventory

35

42

32 U.S.











New vehicle inventory

11

9

16 Used vehicle inventory

32

36

29 U.K.











New vehicle inventory

31

33

31 Used vehicle inventory

43

66

39 (1) Days' supply in inventory is calculated based on inventory unit levels and 30-day total unit sales volumes, both at the end of each reporting period.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





Three Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 1,851.3

$ 1,805.5

$ 45.8

2.5 %



$ (32.5)

4.3 % Used vehicle retail sales 1,505.4

1,183.8

321.6

27.2 %



(34.5)

30.1 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 95.8

93.7

2.1

2.3 %



(4.1)

6.7 % Total used 1,601.2

1,277.5

323.7

25.3 %



(38.7)

28.4 % Parts and service sales 502.6

382.9

119.7

31.2 %



(6.4)

32.9 % F&I, net 190.2

159.6

30.6

19.2 %



(1.9)

20.4 % Total revenues $ 4,145.4

$ 3,625.6

$ 519.8

14.3 %



$ (79.5)

16.5 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 210.3

$ 160.1

$ 50.2

31.3 %



$ (3.0)

33.2 % Used vehicle retail sales 89.5

108.1

(18.7)

(17.3) %



(1.7)

(15.6) % Used vehicle wholesale sales 0.8

8.9

(8.1)

(91.4) %



0.1

(92.8) % Total used 90.3

117.1

(26.8)

(22.9) %



(1.6)

(21.5) % Parts and service sales 277.7

212.7

65.0

30.6 %



(3.9)

32.4 % F&I, net 190.2

159.6

30.6

19.2 %



(1.9)

20.4 % Total gross profit $ 768.4

$ 649.5

$ 118.9

18.3 %



$ (10.5)

19.9 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 11.4 %

8.9 %

2.5 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.9 %

9.1 %

(3.2) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales 0.8 %

9.5 %

(8.7) %













Total used 5.6 %

9.2 %

(3.5) %













Parts and service sales 55.2 %

55.5 %

(0.3) %













Total gross margin 18.5 %

17.9 %

0.6 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 38,822

41,442

(2,620)

(6.3) %









Retail used vehicles sold 48,907

44,502

4,405

9.9 %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 9,514

10,730

(1,216)

(11.3) %









Total used 58,421

55,232

3,189

5.8 %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 47,686

$ 43,567

$ 4,119

9.5 %



$ (837)

11.4 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,781

$ 26,601

$ 4,180

15.7 %



$ (706)

18.4 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 5,416

$ 3,863

$ 1,553

40.2 %



$ (78)

42.2 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,830

$ 2,430

$ (600)

(24.7) %



$ (36)

(23.2) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 81

$ 831

$ (750)

(90.3) %



$ 13

(91.9) % Total used $ 1,545

$ 2,119

$ (575)

(27.1) %



$ (28)

(25.8) % F&I PRU $ 2,168

$ 1,857

$ 311

16.7 %



$ (22)

17.9 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 460.2

$ 368.6

$ 91.5

24.8 %



$ (7.5)

26.9 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1) $ 463.3

$ 369.4

$ 93.9

25.4 %



$ (7.5)

27.4 % SG&A as % gross profit 59.9 %

56.8 %

3.1 %













Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1) 60.3 %

56.9 %

3.4 %













Operating margin % 6.9 %

7.2 %

(0.4) %













Adjusted operating margin % (1) 6.8 %

7.2 %

(0.4) %













Pretax margin % 6.3 %

6.6 %

(0.4) %













Adjusted pretax margin % (1) 6.2 %

6.7 %

(0.5) %













Floorplan expense:























Floorplan interest expense $ 5.9

$ 8.6

$ (2.7)

(31.8) %



$ (0.2)

(30.0) % Less: Floorplan assistance (2) 14.1

15.3

(1.1)

(7.4) %





(7.3) % Net floorplan expense $ (8.3)

$ (6.6)

$ (1.6)







$ (0.2)





(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures. (2) Floorplan assistance is included within New vehicle retail Gross profit above and New vehicle retail Cost of sales in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 3,596.4

$ 3,314.7

$ 281.7

8.5 %



$ (43.8)

9.8 % Used vehicle retail sales 2,865.3

2,071.9

793.4

38.3 %



(44.9)

40.5 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 189.3

172.0

17.4

10.1 %



(5.2)

13.1 % Total used 3,054.6

2,243.8

810.8

36.1 %



(50.0)

38.4 % Parts and service sales 975.5

735.7

239.8

32.6 %



(8.3)

33.7 % F&I, net 363.2

285.3

78.0

27.3 %



(2.6)

28.2 % Total revenues $ 7,989.7

$ 6,579.6

$ 1,410.2

21.4 %



$ (104.7)

23.0 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 411.5

$ 255.7

$ 155.8

60.9 %



$ (4.2)

62.5 % Used vehicle retail sales 177.3

166.6

10.7

6.4 %



(2.4)

7.9 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 3.6

12.7

(9.1)

(71.7) %



0.1

(72.9) % Total used 180.9

179.3

1.6

0.9 %



(2.3)

2.2 % Parts and service sales 537.5

410.4

127.1

31.0 %



(5.1)

32.2 % F&I, net 363.2

285.3

78.0

27.3 %



(2.6)

28.2 % Total gross profit $ 1,493.1

$ 1,130.7

$ 362.4

32.0 %



$ (14.2)

33.3 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 11.4 %

7.7 %

3.7 %













Used vehicle retail sales 6.2 %

8.0 %

(1.9) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales 1.9 %

7.4 %

(5.5) %













Total used 5.9 %

8.0 %

(2.1) %













Parts and service sales 55.1 %

55.8 %

(0.7) %













Total gross margin 18.7 %

17.2 %

1.5 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 75,555

77,134

(1,579)

(2.0) %









Retail used vehicles sold 92,713

82,045

10,668

13.0 %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 18,613

20,308

(1,695)

(8.3) %









Total used 111,326

102,353

8,973

8.8 %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 47,600

$ 42,974

$ 4,626

10.8 %



$ (580)

12.1 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,905

$ 25,253

$ 5,652

22.4 %



$ (484)

24.3 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 5,446

$ 3,316

$ 2,131

64.3 %



$ (55)

65.9 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,913

$ 2,031

$ (118)

(5.8) %



$ (26)

(4.5) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 193

$ 625

$ (432)

(69.1) %



$ 8

(70.4) % Total used $ 1,625

$ 1,752

$ (127)

(7.2) %



$ (20)

(6.1) % F&I PRU $ 2,159

$ 1,792

$ 367

20.5 %



$ (15)

21.3 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 878.6

$ 680.0

$ 198.7

29.2 %



$ (9.3)

30.6 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1) $ 903.2

$ 679.8

$ 223.3

32.8 %



$ (9.4)

34.2 % SG&A as % gross profit 58.8 %

60.1 %

(1.3) %













Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1) 60.5 %

60.1 %

0.4 %













Operating margin % 7.1 %

6.3 %

0.8 %













Adjusted operating margin % (1) 6.8 %

6.3 %

0.5 %













Pretax margin % 6.5 %

5.6 %

0.9 %













Adjusted pretax margin % (1) 6.2 %

5.7 %

0.6 %













Floorplan expense:























Floorplan interest expense $ 11.2

$ 16.1

$ (5.0)

(30.9) %



$ (0.2)

(29.7) % Less: Floorplan assistance (2) 28.2

28.5

(0.3)

(1.0) %





(1.0) % Net floorplan expense $ (17.0)

$ (12.3)

$ (4.7)







$ (0.2)



Adjusted floorplan interest expense (1) $ 11.2

$ 13.8

$ (2.7)

(19.3) %



$ (0.2)

(17.9) %

(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures. (2) Floorplan assistance is included within New vehicle retail Gross profit above and New vehicle retail Cost of sales in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  U.S. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





















Three Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change Revenues:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 1,561.7

$ 1,504.4

$ 57.4

3.8 % Used vehicle retail sales

1,197.6

882.9

314.7

35.6 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

59.1

61.2

(2.0)

(3.3) % Total used

1,256.8

944.1

312.7

33.1 % Parts and service sales

445.6

332.6

113.0

34.0 % F&I, net

173.1

143.9

29.2

20.3 % Total revenues

$ 3,437.2

$ 2,924.9

$ 512.3

17.5 % Gross profit:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 184.5

$ 141.7

$ 42.8

30.2 % Used vehicle retail sales

73.7

87.3

(13.6)

(15.6) % Used vehicle wholesale sales

1.9

6.4

(4.5)

(70.9) % Total used

75.5

93.7

(18.2)

(19.4) % Parts and service sales

243.1

181.7

61.4

33.8 % F&I, net

173.1

143.9

29.2

20.3 % Total gross profit

$ 676.3

$ 561.1

$ 115.2

20.5 % Gross margin:















New vehicle retail sales

11.8 %

9.4 %

2.4 %



Used vehicle retail sales

6.2 %

9.9 %

(3.7) %



Used vehicle wholesale sales

3.1 %

10.5 %

(7.3) %



Total used

6.0 %

9.9 %

(3.9) %



Parts and service sales

54.6 %

54.6 %

(0.1) %



Total gross margin

19.7 %

19.2 %

0.5 %



Units sold:















Retail new vehicles sold

31,627

34,047

(2,420)

(7.1) % Retail used vehicles sold

38,523

34,008

4,515

13.3 % Wholesale used vehicles sold

6,059

6,606

(547)

(8.3) % Total used

44,582

40,614

3,968

9.8 % Average sales price per unit sold:















New vehicle retail

$ 49,380

$ 44,185

$ 5,196

11.8 % Used vehicle retail

$ 31,089

$ 25,962

$ 5,127

19.7 % Gross profit per unit sold:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 5,834

$ 4,162

$ 1,671

40.2 % Used vehicle retail sales

$ 1,913

$ 2,568

$ (655)

(25.5) % Used vehicle wholesale sales

$ 307

$ 969

$ (661)

(68.3) % Total used

$ 1,694

$ 2,308

$ (613)

(26.6) % F&I PRU

$ 2,468

$ 2,114

$ 354

16.7 % Other:















SG&A expenses

$ 393.6

$ 312.6

$ 81.0

25.9 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1)

$ 396.8

$ 313.4

$ 83.4

26.6 % SG&A as % gross profit

58.2 %

55.7 %

2.5 %



Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1)

58.7 %

55.9 %

2.8 %





(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  U.S. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





















Six Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change Revenues:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 2,994.9

$ 2,750.4

$ 244.5

8.9 % Used vehicle retail sales

2,235.5

1,579.4

656.1

41.5 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

116.4

111.6

4.8

4.3 % Total used

2,351.9

1,691.0

660.9

39.1 % Parts and service sales

854.0

628.9

225.1

35.8 % F&I, net

327.9

259.0

68.9

26.6 % Total revenues

$ 6,528.5

$ 5,329.3

$ 1,199.3

22.5 % Gross profit:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 357.8

$ 222.6

$ 135.2

60.8 % Used vehicle retail sales

142.3

137.6

4.7

3.4 % Used vehicle wholesale sales

5.1

10.3

(5.2)

(50.6) % Total used

147.4

148.0

(0.5)

(0.4) % Parts and service sales

464.1

346.8

117.3

33.8 % F&I, net

327.9

259.0

68.9

26.6 % Total gross profit

$ 1,297.2

$ 976.3

$ 320.9

32.9 % Gross margin:















New vehicle retail sales

11.9 %

8.1 %

3.9 %



Used vehicle retail sales

6.4 %

8.7 %

(2.3) %



Used vehicle wholesale sales

4.4 %

9.3 %

(4.9) %



Total used

6.3 %

8.8 %

(2.5) %



Parts and service sales

54.3 %

55.1 %

(0.8) %



Total gross margin

19.9 %

18.3 %

1.5 %



Units sold:















Retail new vehicles sold

61,125

63,199

(2,074)

(3.3) % Retail used vehicles sold

72,463

64,439

8,024

12.5 % Wholesale used vehicles sold

12,060

13,046

(986)

(7.6) % Total used

84,523

77,485

7,038

9.1 % Average sales price per unit sold:















New vehicle retail

$ 48,996

$ 43,520

$ 5,476

12.6 % Used vehicle retail

$ 30,850

$ 24,510

$ 6,340

25.9 % Gross profit per unit sold:















New vehicle retail sales

$ 5,854

$ 3,522

$ 2,332

66.2 % Used vehicle retail sales

$ 1,964

$ 2,136

$ (172)

(8.0) % Used vehicle wholesale sales

$ 423

$ 792

$ (369)

(46.6) % Total used

$ 1,744

$ 1,910

$ (165)

(8.7) % F&I PRU

$ 2,454

$ 2,029

$ 425

21.0 % Other:















SG&A expenses

$ 747.2

$ 574.3

$ 172.9

30.1 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1)

$ 769.1

$ 574.7

$ 194.3

33.8 % SG&A as % gross profit

57.6 %

58.8 %

(1.2) %



Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1)

59.3 %

58.9 %

0.4 %





(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  U.K. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





Three Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 289.5

$ 301.2

$ (11.6)

(3.9) %



$ (32.5)

6.9 % Used vehicle retail sales 307.8

300.9

6.9

2.3 %



(34.5)

13.8 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 36.7

32.5

4.2

12.8 %



(4.1)

25.4 % Total used 344.5

333.4

11.1

3.3 %



(38.7)

14.9 % Parts and service sales 57.1

50.3

6.7

13.3 %



(6.4)

26.1 % F&I, net 17.1

15.7

1.4

8.7 %



(1.9)

21.0 % Total revenues $ 708.2

$ 700.7

$ 7.5

1.1 %



$ (79.5)

12.4 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 25.8

$ 18.4

$ 7.4

40.2 %



$ (3.0)

56.8 % Used vehicle retail sales 15.8

20.8

(5.0)

(24.1) %



(1.7)

(15.7) % Used vehicle wholesale sales (1.1)

2.5

(3.6)

(143.3) %



0.1

(148.4) % Total used 14.7

23.3

(8.6)

(37.0) %



(1.6)

(30.0) % Parts and service sales 34.5

31.0

3.6

11.6 %



(3.9)

24.2 % F&I, net 17.1

15.7

1.4

8.7 %



(1.9)

21.0 % Total gross profit $ 92.1

$ 88.4

$ 3.7

4.2 %



$ (10.5)

16.1 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 8.9 %

6.1 %

2.8 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.1 %

6.9 %

(1.8) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales (3.0) %

7.7 %

(10.7) %













Total used 4.3 %

7.0 %

(2.7) %













Parts and service sales 60.5 %

61.5 %

(0.9) %













Total gross margin 13.0 %

12.6 %

0.4 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 7,195

7,395

(200)

(2.7) %









Retail used vehicles sold 10,384

10,494

(110)

(1.0) %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 3,455

4,124

(669)

(16.2) %









Total used 13,839

14,618

(779)

(5.3) %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 40,241

$ 40,727

$ (486)

(1.2) %



$ (4,517)

9.9 % Used vehicle retail $ 29,640

$ 28,672

$ 969

3.4 %



$ (3,327)

15.0 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 3,580

$ 2,484

$ 1,096

44.1 %



$ (423)

61.1 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,521

$ 1,984

$ (463)

(23.3) %



$ (168)

(14.8) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ (316)

$ 611

$ (927)

NM



$ 37

NM Total used $ 1,063

$ 1,597

$ (534)

(33.4) %



$ (117)

(26.1) % F&I PRU $ 973

$ 879

$ 94

10.6 %



$ (110)

23.2 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 66.6

$ 56.0

$ 10.5

18.7 %



$ (7.5)

32.1 % SG&A as % gross profit 72.2 %

63.4 %

8.9 %















NM  Not Meaningful

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reported Operating Data  U.K. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)



























Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 601.6

$ 564.3

$ 37.2

6.6 %



$ (43.8)

14.4 % Used vehicle retail sales 629.8

492.5

137.3

27.9 %



(44.9)

37.0 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 72.9

60.4

12.6

20.8 %



(5.2)

29.4 % Total used 702.7

552.8

149.9

27.1 %



(50.0)

36.2 % Parts and service sales 121.5

106.8

14.7

13.8 %



(8.3)

21.5 % F&I, net 35.4

26.3

9.1

34.5 %



(2.6)

44.4 % Total revenues $ 1,461.2

$ 1,250.3

$ 210.9

16.9 %



$ (104.7)

25.2 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 53.7

$ 33.2

$ 20.5

61.9 %



$ (4.2)

74.5 % Used vehicle retail sales 35.0

29.0

6.0

20.6 %



(2.4)

29.0 % Used vehicle wholesale sales (1.5)

2.4

(3.9)

NM



0.1

NM Total used 33.5

31.4

2.1

6.7 %



(2.3)

14.0 % Parts and service sales 73.4

63.6

9.8

15.4 %



(5.1)

23.4 % F&I, net 35.4

26.3

9.1

34.5 %



(2.6)

44.4 % Total gross profit $ 195.9

$ 154.4

$ 41.5

26.9 %



$ (14.2)

36.1 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 8.9 %

5.9 %

3.1 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.6 %

5.9 %

(0.3) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales (2.1) %

3.9 %

(6.0) %













Total used 4.8 %

5.7 %

(0.9) %













Parts and service sales 60.4 %

59.5 %

0.8 %













Total gross margin 13.4 %

12.3 %

1.1 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 14,430

13,935

495

3.6 %









Retail used vehicles sold 20,250

17,606

2,644

15.0 %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 6,553

7,262

(709)

(9.8) %









Total used 26,803

24,868

1,935

7.8 %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 41,689

$ 40,498

$ 1,191

2.9 %



$ (3,037)

10.4 % Used vehicle retail $ 31,101

$ 27,973

$ 3,128

11.2 %



$ (2,216)

19.1 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 3,721

$ 2,379

$ 1,342

56.4 %



$ (289)

68.5 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,727

$ 1,647

$ 80

4.9 %



$ (120)

12.1 % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ (230)

$ 325

$ (555)

NM



$ 23

NM Total used $ 1,249

$ 1,261

$ (12)

(1.0) %



$ (85)

5.8 % F&I PRU $ 1,020

$ 834

$ 186

22.3 %



$ (75)

31.3 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 131.4

$ 105.7

$ 25.7

24.4 %



$ (9.3)

33.1 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1) $ 134.1

$ 105.1

$ 29.0

27.6 %



$ (9.4)

36.6 % SG&A as % gross profit 67.1 %

68.4 %

(1.4) %













Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1) 68.4 %

68.1 %

0.4 %















(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures. NM  Not Meaningful

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)































Three Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 1,492.6

$ 1,781.6

$ (289.0)

(16.2) %



$ (30.0)

(14.5) % Used vehicle retail sales 1,266.7

1,170.2

96.6

8.3 %



(30.5)

10.9 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 78.8

92.9

(14.1)

(15.2) %



(3.8)

(11.1) % Total used 1,345.5

1,263.1

82.5

6.5 %



(34.3)

9.2 % Parts and service sales 427.7

376.7

51.0

13.5 %



(5.7)

15.1 % F&I, net 157.9

157.4

0.5

0.3 %



(1.8)

1.4 % Total revenues $ 3,423.7

$ 3,578.8

$ (155.0)

(4.3) %



$ (71.8)

(2.3) % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 166.6

$ 157.7

$ 8.9

5.7 %



$ (2.8)

7.4 % Used vehicle retail sales 74.9

106.9

(32.0)

(29.9) %



(1.5)

(28.5) % Used vehicle wholesale sales 0.4

8.8

(8.4)

(95.8) %



0.1

(97.0) % Total used 75.3

115.7

(40.4)

(34.9) %



(1.4)

(33.7) % Parts and service sales 231.1

209.0

22.1

10.6 %



(3.5)

12.2 % F&I, net 157.9

157.4

0.5

0.3 %



(1.8)

1.4 % Total gross profit $ 630.9

$ 639.8

$ (9.0)

(1.4) %



$ (9.5)

0.1 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 11.2 %

8.8 %

2.3 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.9 %

9.1 %

(3.2) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales 0.5 %

9.5 %

(9.0) %













Total used 5.6 %

9.2 %

(3.6) %













Parts and service sales 54.0 %

55.5 %

(1.5) %













Total gross margin 18.4 %

17.9 %

0.5 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 31,204

40,900

(9,696)

(23.7) %









Retail used vehicles sold 40,978

43,975

(2,997)

(6.8) %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 7,597

10,615

(3,018)

(28.4) %









Total used 48,575

54,590

(6,015)

(11.0) %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 47,834

$ 43,561

$ 4,273

9.8 %



$ (961)

12.0 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,912

$ 26,609

$ 4,303

16.2 %



$ (745)

19.0 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 5,338

$ 3,855

$ 1,484

38.5 %



$ (90)

40.8 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,829

$ 2,431

$ (602)

(24.8) %



$ (37)

(23.2) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 49

$ 829

$ (781)

(94.1) %



$ 14

(95.8) % Total used $ 1,550

$ 2,120

$ (569)

(26.9) %



$ (29)

(25.5) % F&I PRU $ 2,187

$ 1,855

$ 333

17.9 %



$ (25)

19.3 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 380.0

$ 363.2

$ 16.8

4.6 %



$ (6.7)

6.5 % SG&A as % gross profit 60.2 %

56.8 %

3.5 %













Operating margin % 6.7 %

7.2 %

(0.5) %













Adjusted operating margin % (1) 6.7 %

7.2 %

(0.5) %















(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)









Six Months Ended June 30,



2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 2,933.4

$ 3,272.0

$ (338.6)

(10.3) %



$ (40.3)

(9.1) % Used vehicle retail sales 2,429.8

2,048.5

381.4

18.6 %



(39.7)

20.6 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 158.4

170.4

(11.9)

(7.0) %



(4.7)

(4.2) % Total used 2,588.3

2,218.8

369.4

16.7 %



(44.4)

18.7 % Parts and service sales 832.7

723.8

109.0

15.1 %



(7.4)

16.1 % F&I, net 306.6

281.3

25.2

9.0 %



(2.4)

9.8 % Total revenues $ 6,660.9

$ 6,495.9

$ 165.0

2.5 %



$ (94.5)

4.0 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 330.2

$ 252.3

$ 77.9

30.9 %



$ (3.8)

32.4 % Used vehicle retail sales 148.9

164.9

(16.0)

(9.7) %



(2.1)

(8.4) % Used vehicle wholesale sales 2.2

12.6

(10.4)

(82.6) %



0.1

(83.6) % Total used 151.0

177.5

(26.4)

(14.9) %



(2.0)

(13.8) % Parts and service sales 449.9

403.7

46.2

11.5 %



(4.5)

12.6 % F&I, net 306.6

281.3

25.2

9.0 %



(2.4)

9.8 % Total gross profit $ 1,237.7

$ 1,114.8

$ 123.0

11.0 %



$ (12.8)

12.2 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 11.3 %

7.7 %

3.5 %













Used vehicle retail sales 6.1 %

8.0 %

(1.9) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales 1.4 %

7.4 %

(6.0) %













Total used 5.8 %

8.0 %

(2.2) %













Parts and service sales 54.0 %

55.8 %

(1.7) %













Total gross margin 18.6 %

17.2 %

1.4 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 61,464

76,163

(14,699)

(19.3) %









Retail used vehicles sold 78,393

81,067

(2,674)

(3.3) %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 14,974

20,072

(5,098)

(25.4) %









Total used 93,367

101,139

(7,772)

(7.7) %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 47,725

$ 42,960

$ 4,765

11.1 %



$ (656)

12.6 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,996

$ 25,269

$ 5,727

22.7 %



$ (506)

24.7 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 5,372

$ 3,312

$ 2,060

62.2 %



$ (62)

64.1 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,899

$ 2,034

$ (135)

(6.6) %



$ (27)

(5.3) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 146

$ 626

$ (480)

(76.7) %



$ 8

(78.0) % Total used $ 1,618

$ 1,755

$ (137)

(7.8) %



$ (21)

(6.6) % F&I PRU $ 2,192

$ 1,789

$ 403

22.5 %



$ (17)

23.5 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 747.1

$ 669.7

$ 77.3

11.5 %



$ (8.5)

12.8 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1) $ 747.1

$ 668.5

$ 78.6

11.8 %



$ (8.5)

13.0 % SG&A as % gross profit 60.4 %

60.1 %

0.3 %













Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1) 60.4 %

60.0 %

0.4 %













Operating margin % 6.8 %

6.3 %

0.5 %













Adjusted operating margin % (1) 6.8 %

6.3 %

0.5 %















(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  U.S. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)

















Three Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change Revenues:













New vehicle retail sales $ 1,225.1

$ 1,480.5

$ (255.3)

(17.2) % Used vehicle retail sales 994.6

869.3

125.3

14.4 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 45.2

60.4

(15.2)

(25.2) % Total used 1,039.7

929.6

110.1

11.8 % Parts and service sales 376.8

329.1

47.7

14.5 % F&I, net 142.1

141.7

0.4

0.3 % Total revenues $ 2,783.8

$ 2,880.9

$ (97.1)

(3.4) % Gross profit:













New vehicle retail sales $ 142.9

$ 139.3

$ 3.6

2.6 % Used vehicle retail sales 61.0

86.1

(25.0)

(29.1) % Used vehicle wholesale sales 1.3

6.3

(5.0)

(79.9) % Total used 62.3

92.4

(30.1)

(32.5) % Parts and service sales 200.4

179.4

21.0

11.7 % F&I, net 142.1

141.7

0.4

0.3 % Total gross profit $ 547.7

$ 552.7

$ (5.0)

(0.9) % Gross margin:













New vehicle retail sales 11.7 %

9.4 %

2.3 %



Used vehicle retail sales 6.1 %

9.9 %

(3.8) %



Used vehicle wholesale sales 2.8 %

10.4 %

(7.6) %



Total used 6.0 %

9.9 %

(3.9) %



Parts and service sales 53.2 %

54.5 %

(1.3) %



Total gross margin 19.7 %

19.2 %

0.5 %



Units sold:













Retail new vehicles sold 24,684

33,505

(8,821)

(26.3) % Retail used vehicles sold 32,071

33,481

(1,410)

(4.2) % Wholesale used vehicles sold 4,540

6,491

(1,951)

(30.1) % Total used 36,611

39,972

(3,361)

(8.4) % Average sales price per unit sold:













New vehicle retail $ 49,633

$ 44,186

$ 5,446

12.3 % Used vehicle retail $ 31,012

$ 25,963

$ 5,048

19.4 % Gross profit per unit sold:













New vehicle retail sales $ 5,789

$ 4,157

$ 1,631

39.2 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,904

$ 2,571

$ (668)

(26.0) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 278

$ 968

$ (689)

(71.2) % Total used $ 1,702

$ 2,311

$ (609)

(26.3) % F&I PRU $ 2,504

$ 2,115

$ 388

18.3 % Other:













SG&A expenses $ 320.5

$ 308.3

$ 12.2

4.0 % SG&A as % gross profit 58.5 %

55.8 %

2.7 %





Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  U.S. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)

















Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change Revenues:













New vehicle retail sales $ 2,380.9

$ 2,708.0

$ (327.1)

(12.1) % Used vehicle retail sales 1,872.6

1,556.9

315.7

20.3 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 91.5

110.1

(18.6)

(16.9) % Total used 1,964.1

1,667.0

297.1

17.8 % Parts and service sales 724.6

622.4

102.3

16.4 % F&I, net 274.0

255.1

18.9

7.4 % Total revenues $ 5,343.6

$ 5,252.5

$ 91.1

1.7 % Gross profit:













New vehicle retail sales $ 281.2

$ 219.1

$ 62.1

28.3 % Used vehicle retail sales 118.1

135.9

(17.8)

(13.1) % Used vehicle wholesale sales 3.5

10.2

(6.7)

(65.8) % Total used 121.6

146.1

(24.5)

(16.8) % Parts and service sales 384.8

342.6

42.2

12.3 % F&I, net 274.0

255.1

18.9

7.4 % Total gross profit $ 1,061.6

$ 962.9

$ 98.7

10.2 % Gross margin:













New vehicle retail sales 11.8 %

8.1 %

3.7 %



Used vehicle retail sales 6.3 %

8.7 %

(2.4) %



Used vehicle wholesale sales 3.8 %

9.2 %

(5.4) %



Total used 6.2 %

8.8 %

(2.6) %



Parts and service sales 53.1 %

55.0 %

(1.9) %



Total gross margin 19.9 %

18.3 %

1.5 %



Units sold:













Retail new vehicles sold 48,453

62,244

(13,791)

(22.2) % Retail used vehicles sold 60,972

63,518

(2,546)

(4.0) % Wholesale used vehicles sold 9,179

12,835

(3,656)

(28.5) % Total used 70,151

76,353

(6,202)

(8.1) % Average sales price per unit sold:













New vehicle retail $ 49,138

$ 43,506

$ 5,632

12.9 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,713

$ 24,512

$ 6,201

25.3 % Gross profit per unit sold:













New vehicle retail sales $ 5,804

$ 3,521

$ 2,283

64.8 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,937

$ 2,140

$ (203)

(9.5) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ 379

$ 791

$ (413)

(52.1) % Total used $ 1,733

$ 1,913

$ (180)

(9.4) % F&I PRU $ 2,504

$ 2,028

$ 476

23.4 % Other:













SG&A expenses $ 627.0

$ 566.9

$ 60.1

10.6 % Adjusted SG&A expenses (1) $ 627.0

$ 565.7

$ 61.4

10.8 % SG&A as % gross profit 59.1 %

58.9 %

0.2 %



Adjusted SG&A as % gross profit (1) 59.1 %

58.7 %

0.3 %





(1) See the section in this release titled "Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of these figures.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  U.K. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)



























Three Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency

% Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 267.5

$ 301.2

$ (33.7)

(11.2) %



$ (30.0)

(1.2) % Used vehicle retail sales 272.1

300.9

(28.7)

(9.6) %



(30.5)

0.6 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 33.7

32.5

1.1

3.5 %



(3.8)

15.1 % Total used 305.8

333.4

(27.6)

(8.3) %



(34.3)

2.0 % Parts and service sales 50.8

47.5

3.3

6.9 %



(5.7)

18.9 % F&I, net 15.8

15.7

0.1

0.5 %



(1.8)

11.9 % Total revenues $ 639.9

$ 697.9

$ (57.9)

(8.3) %



$ (71.8)

2.0 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 23.7

$ 18.4

$ 5.3

29.0 %



$ (2.8)

44.2 % Used vehicle retail sales 13.9

20.8

(6.9)

(33.3) %



(1.5)

(25.9) % Used vehicle wholesale sales (0.9)

2.5

(3.4)

(135.5) %



0.1

(139.7) % Total used 13.0

23.3

(10.3)

(44.3) %



(1.4)

(38.2) % Parts and service sales 30.7

29.7

1.0

3.4 %



(3.5)

15.1 % F&I, net 15.8

15.7

0.1

0.5 %



(1.8)

11.9 % Total gross profit $ 83.2

$ 87.1

$ (3.9)

(4.5) %



$ (9.5)

6.4 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 8.9 %

6.1 %

2.8 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.1 %

6.9 %

(1.8) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales (2.7) %

7.7 %

(10.4) %













Total used 4.2 %

7.0 %

(2.8) %













Parts and service sales 60.4 %

62.4 %

(2.1) %













Total gross margin 13.0 %

12.5 %

0.5 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 6,520

7,395

(875)

(11.8) %









Retail used vehicles sold 8,907

10,494

(1,587)

(15.1) %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 3,057

4,124

(1,067)

(25.9) %









Total used 11,964

14,618

(2,654)

(18.2) %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 41,026

$ 40,727

$ 299

0.7 %



$ (4,600)

12.0 % Used vehicle retail $ 30,554

$ 28,672

$ 1,882

6.6 %



$ (3,427)

18.5 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 3,634

$ 2,484

$ 1,150

46.3 %



$ (429)

63.6 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,560

$ 1,984

$ (425)

(21.4) %



$ (172)

(12.7) % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ (293)

$ 611

$ (904)

(147.9) %



$ 35

NM Total used $ 1,086

$ 1,597

$ (511)

(32.0) %



$ (119)

(24.5) % F&I PRU $ 1,024

$ 879

$ 145

16.5 %



$ (116)

29.7 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 59.5

$ 54.9

$ 4.5

8.3 %



$ (6.7)

20.4 % SG&A as % gross profit 71.5 %

63.1 %

8.5 %















NM  Not Meaningful

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Same Store Operating Data  U.K. (Unaudited) (In millions, except unit data)





Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Increase/

(Decrease)

% Change



Currency

Impact on

Current

Period

Results

Constant

Currency %

Change Revenues:























New vehicle retail sales $ 552.5

$ 564.0

$ (11.5)

(2.0) %



$ (40.3)

5.1 % Used vehicle retail sales 557.2

491.5

65.7

13.4 %



(39.7)

21.4 % Used vehicle wholesale sales 66.9

60.2

6.7

11.1 %



(4.7)

18.9 % Total used 624.2

551.8

72.4

13.1 %



(44.4)

21.2 % Parts and service sales 108.1

101.4

6.7

6.6 %



(7.4)

13.9 % F&I, net 32.6

26.2

6.3

24.1 %



(2.4)

33.2 % Total revenues $ 1,317.3

$ 1,243.4

$ 73.9

5.9 %



$ (94.5)

13.5 % Gross profit:























New vehicle retail sales $ 49.0

$ 33.1

$ 15.9

47.9 %



$ (3.8)

59.4 % Used vehicle retail sales 30.8

29.0

1.8

6.2 %



(2.1)

13.6 % Used vehicle wholesale sales (1.3)

2.4

(3.7)

NM



0.1

NM Total used 29.5

31.4

(1.9)

(6.1) %



(2.0)

0.3 % Parts and service sales 65.1

61.1

4.0

6.6 %



(4.5)

14.0 % F&I, net 32.6

26.2

6.3

24.1 %



(2.4)

33.2 % Total gross profit $ 176.1

$ 151.8

$ 24.3

16.0 %



$ (12.8)

24.4 % Gross margin:























New vehicle retail sales 8.9 %

5.9 %

3.0 %













Used vehicle retail sales 5.5 %

5.9 %

(0.4) %













Used vehicle wholesale sales (1.9) %

4.0 %

(5.9) %













Total used 4.7 %

5.7 %

(1.0) %













Parts and service sales 60.2 %

60.3 %

 %













Total gross margin 13.4 %

12.2 %

1.2 %













Units sold:























Retail new vehicles sold 13,011

13,919

(908)

(6.5) %









Retail used vehicles sold 17,421

17,549

(128)

(0.7) %









Wholesale used vehicles sold 5,795

7,237

(1,442)

(19.9) %









Total used 23,216

24,786

(1,570)

(6.3) %









Average sales price per unit sold:























New vehicle retail $ 42,461

$ 40,518

$ 1,943

4.8 %



$ (3,100)

12.4 % Used vehicle retail $ 31,985

$ 28,009

$ 3,977

14.2 %



$ (2,277)

22.3 % Gross profit per unit sold:























New vehicle retail sales $ 3,765

$ 2,380

$ 1,385

58.2 %



$ (294)

70.6 % Used vehicle retail sales $ 1,765

$ 1,650

$ 116

7.0 %



$ (122)

14.4 % Used vehicle wholesale sales $ (223)

$ 333

$ (556)

NM



$ 22

NM Total used $ 1,269

$ 1,265

$ 4

0.3 %



$ (86)

7.1 % F&I PRU $ 1,070

$ 834

$ 236

28.3 %



$ (79)

37.8 % Other:























SG&A expenses $ 120.0

$ 102.8

$ 17.2

16.7 %



$ (8.5)

25.0 % SG&A as % gross profit 68.1 %

67.7 %

0.4 %















NM  Not Meaningful

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)









Three Months Ended June 30, 2022



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Asset

impairments

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 460.2

$ 3.2

$ 

$ 463.3 Asset impairments

$ 0.8

$ 

$ (0.8)

$  Income (loss) from operations

$ 284.5

$ (3.2)

$ 0.8

$ 282.1

















Income (loss) before income taxes

$ 260.1

$ (3.2)

$ 0.8

$ 257.8 Less: Provision (benefit) for income taxes

60.8

(0.8)

0.2

60.2 Net income (loss) from continuing operations

199.3

(2.4)

0.6

197.5 Less: Earnings (loss) allocated to participating

securities

5.4

(0.1)



5.4 Net income (loss) from continuing operations

available to diluted common shares

$ 193.9

$ (2.3)

$ 0.6

$ 192.1

















Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from

continuing operations

$ 12.11

$ (0.15)

$ 0.04

$ 12.00

















Effective tax rate

23.4 %









23.4 %

















SG&A as % gross profit (1)

59.9 %









60.3 % Operating margin (2)

6.9 %









6.8 % Pretax margin (3)

6.3 %









6.2 %

















Same Store income from operations

$ 230.2

$ 

$ 0.8

$ 231.0 Same Store operating margin (2)

6.7 %









6.7 %





U.S. GAAP

Non-GAAP

adjustments

Non-GAAP

adjusted Net (loss) income from discontinued operations

$ (3.4)

$ 5.0

$ 1.6 Less: (loss) earnings allocated to participating securities

(0.1)

0.1

 Net (loss) income from discontinued operations available to diluted common shares

$ (3.3)

$ 4.9

$ 1.6













Net income

$ 195.9

$ 3.2

$ 199.2 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities

5.4

0.1

5.4 Net income available to diluted common shares

$ 190.6

$ 3.1

$ 193.7













Diluted (loss) earnings per common share from discontinued operations

$ (0.20)

$ 0.29

$ 0.10 Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from continuing operations

12.11

(0.11)

12.00 Diluted earnings per common share

$ 11.90

$ 0.20

$ 12.10

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (2) Adjusted operating margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and asset impairment charges. (3) Adjusted pretax margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and asset impairment charges.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)









Three Months Ended June 30, 2021



U.S. GAAP

Non-cash loss

on interest rate

swaps

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Tax rate

changes

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 368.6

$ 

$ 0.8

$ 

$ 369.4 Income (loss) from operations

$ 262.5

$ 

$ (0.8)

$ 

$ 261.7 Floorplan interest expense

$ 8.6

$ (2.3)

$ 

$ 

$ 6.3





















Income (loss) before income taxes

$ 240.3

$ 2.3

$ (0.8)

$ 

$ 241.8 Less: Provision (benefit) for income taxes

51.5

0.5

(0.2)

1.9

53.8 Net income (loss) from continuing

operations

188.8

1.8

(0.6)

(1.9)

188.0 Less: Earnings (loss) allocated to

participating securities

6.3

0.1



(0.1)

6.3 Net income (loss) from continuing

operations available to diluted

common shares

$ 182.4

$ 1.7

$ (0.6)

$ (1.8)

$ 181.7





















Diluted earnings (loss) per common share

from continuing operations

$ 10.23

$ 0.10

$ (0.03)

$ (0.10)

$ 10.19





















Effective tax rate

21.4 %













22.2 %





















SG&A as % gross profit (1)

56.8 %













56.9 % Operating margin (2)

7.2 %













7.2 % Pretax margin (3)

6.6 %













6.7 %





U.S. GAAP

Non-GAAP

adjustments

Non-GAAP

adjusted Net income from discontinued operations

$ 2.2

$ 

$ 2.2 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities

0.1



0.1 Net income from discontinued operations available to diluted common shares

$ 2.1

$ 

$ 2.1













Net income (loss)

$ 191.0

$ (0.8)

$ 190.2 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities

6.4



6.4 Net income (loss) available to diluted common shares

$ 184.5

$ (0.7)

$ 183.8













Diluted earnings per common share from discontinued operations

$ 0.12

$ 

$ 0.12 Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from continuing operations

10.23

(0.04)

10.19 Diluted earnings (loss) per common share

$ 10.35

$ (0.04)

$ 10.31

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (2) Adjusted operating margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (3) Adjusted pretax margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and a non-cash loss on interest rate swaps.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)





















Six Months Ended June 30, 2022



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Asset

impairments

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 878.6

$ 24.5

$ 

$ 903.2 Asset impairments

$ 0.8

$ 

$ (0.8)

$  Income (loss) from operations

$ 569.5

$ (24.5)

$ 0.8

$ 545.8

















Income (loss) before income taxes

$ 522.4

$ (24.5)

$ 0.8

$ 498.7 Less: Provision (benefit) for income taxes

122.0

(5.6)

0.2

116.5 Net income (loss) from continuing operations

400.4

(18.9)

0.6

382.2 Less: Earnings (loss) allocated to participating

securities

11.3

(0.5)



10.8 Net income (loss) from continuing operations

available to diluted common shares

$ 389.2

$ (18.4)

$ 0.6

$ 371.4

















Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from

continuing operations

$ 23.88

$ (1.13)

$ 0.04

$ 22.79

















Effective tax rate

23.4 %









23.4 %

















SG&A as % gross profit (1)

58.8 %









60.5 % Operating margin (2)

7.1 %









6.8 % Pretax margin (3)

6.5 %









6.2 %

















Same Store income from operations

$ 451.9

$ 

$ 0.8

$ 452.7 Same Store operating margin (2)

6.8 %









6.8 %





U.S. GAAP

Non-GAAP

adjustments

Non-GAAP

adjusted Net (loss) income from discontinued operations

$ (1.6)

$ 5.0

$ 3.4 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities



0.1

0.1 Net (loss) income from discontinued operations available to diluted common shares

$ (1.5)

$ 4.9

$ 3.3













Net income (loss)

$ 398.9

$ (13.3)

$ 385.6 Less: earnings (loss) allocated to participating securities

11.2

(0.4)

10.9 Net income (loss) available to diluted common shares

$ 387.6

$ (12.9)

$ 374.7













Diluted (loss) earnings per common share from discontinued operations

$ (0.09)

$ 0.30

$ 0.21 Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from continuing operations

23.88

(1.09)

22.79 Diluted earnings (loss) per common share

$ 23.79

$ (0.79)

$ 22.99

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (2) Adjusted operating margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and asset impairment charges. (3) Adjusted pretax margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and asset impairment charges.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures  Consolidated (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)

































Six Months Ended June 30, 2021



U.S. GAAP

Non-cash loss

on interest

rate swaps

Catastrophic

events

Dealership

and real

estate

transactions

Legal

matters

Tax rate

changes

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 680.0

$ 

$ (2.2)

$ 1.1

$ 1.0

$ 

$ 679.8 Income (loss) from operations

$ 413.2

$ 

$ 2.2

$ (1.1)

$ (1.0)

$ 

$ 413.3 Floorplan interest expense

$ 16.1

$ (2.3)

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 13.8





























Income (loss) before income taxes

$ 370.3

$ 2.3

$ 2.2

$ (1.1)

$ (1.0)

$ 

$ 372.7 Less: Provision (benefit) for income

taxes

80.6

0.5

0.5

(0.3)

(0.2)

1.9

83.1 Net income (loss) from continuing

operations

289.7

1.8

1.7

(0.8)

(0.8)

(1.9)

289.7 Less: Earnings (loss) allocated to

participating securities

9.8

0.1

0.1





(0.1)

9.8 Net income (loss) from continuing

operations available to diluted common

shares

$ 279.9

$ 1.7

$ 1.7

$ (0.8)

$ (0.7)

$ (1.8)

$ 279.9





























Diluted earnings (loss) per common

share from continuing operations

$ 15.70

$ 0.10

$ 0.09

$ (0.05)

$ (0.04)

$ (0.10)

$ 15.70





























Effective tax rate

21.8 %





















22.3 %





























SG&A as % gross profit (1)

60.1 %





















60.1 % Operating margin (2)

6.3 %





















6.3 % Pretax margin (3)

5.6 %





















5.7 %





























Same Store SG&A expenses

$ 669.7

$ 

$ (2.2)

$ 

$ 1.0

$ 

$ 668.5 Same Store SG&A as % gross profit (1)

60.1 %





















60.0 %





























Same Store income (loss) from operations

$ 408.3

$ 

$ 2.2

$ 

$ (1.0)

$ 

$ 409.5 Same Store operating margin (2)

6.3 %





















6.3 %





U.S. GAAP

Non-GAAP

adjustments

Non-GAAP

adjusted Net income from discontinued operations

$ 3.2

$ 

$ 3.2 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities

0.1



0.1 Net income from discontinued operations available to diluted common shares

$ 3.1

$ 

$ 3.1













Net income

$ 292.9

$ 

$ 292.9 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities

9.9



9.9 Net income available to diluted common shares

$ 283.0

$ 

$ 283.0













Diluted earnings per common share from discontinued operations

$ 0.17

$ 

$ 0.17 Diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations

15.70



15.70 Diluted earnings per common share

$ 15.88

$ 

$ 15.87

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (2) Adjusted operating margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above. (3) Adjusted pretax margin excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above and a non-cash loss on interest rate swaps.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures  U.S. (Unaudited) (In millions)









Three Months Ended June 30, 2022



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 393.6

$ 3.2

$ 396.8 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

58.2 %





58.7 %





Three Months Ended June 30, 2021



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 312.6

$ 0.8

$ 313.4 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

55.7 %





55.9 %





Six Months Ended June 30, 2022



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 747.2

$ 21.9

$ 769.1 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

57.6 %





59.3 %





Six Months Ended June 30, 2021



U.S. GAAP

Catastrophic

events

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Legal matters

Non-GAAP

adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 574.3

$ (2.2)

$ 1.7

$ 1.0

$ 574.7 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

58.8 %













58.9 %





















Same Store SG&A expenses

$ 566.9

$ (2.2)

$ 

$ 1.0

$ 565.7 Same Store SG&A as % gross profit (1)

58.9 %













58.7 %

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures - U.K. (Unaudited) (In millions)









Six Months Ended June 30, 2022



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Non-GAAP

Adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 131.4

$ 2.7

$ 134.1 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

67.1 %





68.4 %





Six Months Ended June 30, 2021



U.S. GAAP

Dealership and

real estate

transactions

Non-GAAP

Adjusted SG&A expenses

$ 105.7

$ (0.6)

$ 105.1 SG&A as % gross profit (1)

68.4 %





68.1 %

(1) Adjusted SG&A as % of gross profit excludes the impact of SG&A reconciling items above.

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.
Get a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. View a Sample Report

High-Strength Steel Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis and Scope

To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. Some of the major vendors of the high-strength steel market include ArcelorMittal SA, Essar Steel India Ltd., HBIS Group Co. Ltd., Hyundai Steel Co., JSW Steel Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., Nucor Corp., POSCO Group, Tata Steel Ltd., and United States Steel Corp. The key offerings of some of the vendors are listed below:

ArcelorMittal SA - The company offers Fortiform range of AHSS for the automotive industry.

Essar Steel India Ltd. - The company offers high-strength steel for manufacturing wheels, reinforcement bars and pillars, and different parts of heavy trucks.

HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - The company offers high-strength steel through its steel material sector, which provides high-strength cold-rolled sheets, ultra-strength rebars, heavy plates, steel pipes, and steel bars.

Hyundai Steel Co. - The company offers high-strength steel in the form of rolled sheets, ultra-strength rebars, heavy plates, steel pipes, and steel bars.

JSW Steel Ltd. - The company offers high-strength steel for automotive applications, such as the manufacturing of lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles.

The report also covers the following areas:

Get lifetime access to our Technavio Insights. Subscribe now to our most popular "Basic Plan" billed annually at USD 5000.

High-Strength Steel Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Application

Automotive



Construction



Aviation



Others

Geography

APAC



North America



Europe



South America

Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View our Sample Report

High-Strength Steel Market 2020-2024: Revenue-generating application segments

The automotive segment will contribute the highest market share growth during the forecast period. High-strength steel has superior performance because of its high tensile strength, toughness, and weldability when compared to conventional steel. Such properties help automakers attain consumer safety and fuel efficiency. Hence, the demand for high-strength steel is increasing in the automobile industry.

High-Strength Steel Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist high-strength steel market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the high-strength steel market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the high-strength steel market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of high-strength steel market vendors

Related Reports:

Sheet Metal Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Stainless Steel Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

High Strength Steel Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 10.14% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 14.51 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 8.82 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 50% Key consumer countries China, US, India, Japan, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled ArcelorMittal SA, Essar Steel India Ltd., HBIS Group Co. Ltd., Hyundai Steel Co., JSW Steel Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., Nucor Corp., POSCO Group, Tata Steel Ltd., and United States Steel Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 01: Parent market



Exhibit 02: Market characteristics

2.2 Value chain analysis

Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Steel

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 05: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2020

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces Summary

Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2020

5 Market Segmentation by Application

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 15: Application - Market share 2020-2025 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 16: Comparison by Application

5.3 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 17: Automotive - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 18: Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.4 Construction - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 19: Construction - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 20: Construction - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.5 Aviation - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 21: Aviation - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 22: Aviation - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 23: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 24: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.7 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 25: Market opportunity by Application

6 Customer landscape

6.1 Overview

Exhibit 26: Customer landscape

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 27: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 28: Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 29: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 31: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 32: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 33: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 34: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 35: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 36: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 37: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.8 Key leading countries

Exhibit 39: Key leading countries

7.9 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

Exhibit 41: Impact of drivers and challenges

8.3 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 43: Landscape disruption



Exhibit 44: Industry risks

9.2 Competitive Landscape

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 45: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 46: Market positioning of vendors

10.3 ArcelorMittal SA

Exhibit 47: ArcelorMittal SA - Overview



Exhibit 48: ArcelorMittal SA - Business segments



Exhibit 49: ArcelorMittal SA  Key News



Exhibit 50: ArcelorMittal SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 51: ArcelorMittal SA - Segment focus

10.4 Essar Steel India Ltd.

Exhibit 52: Essar Steel India Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 53: Essar Steel India Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 54: Essar Steel India Ltd. - Key offerings

10.5 HBIS Group Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 55: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 56: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 57: HBIS Group Co. Ltd.  Key News



Exhibit 58: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.6 Hyundai Steel Co.

Exhibit 59: Hyundai Steel Co. - Overview



Exhibit 60: Hyundai Steel Co. - Product and service



Exhibit 61: Hyundai Steel Co. - Key offerings

10.7 JSW STEEL Ltd.

Exhibit 62: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 63: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 64: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Key News



Exhibit 65: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 66: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Segment focus

10.8 Nippon Steel Corp.

Exhibit 67: Nippon Steel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 68: Nippon Steel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 69: Nippon Steel Corp.  Key News



Exhibit 70: Nippon Steel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 71: Nippon Steel Corp. - Segment focus

10.9 Nucor Corp.

Exhibit 72: Nucor Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 73: Nucor Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 74: Nucor Corp.  Key News



Exhibit 75: Nucor Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 76: Nucor Corp. - Segment focus

10.10 POSCO

Exhibit 77: POSCO - Overview



Exhibit 78: POSCO - Business segments



Exhibit 79: POSCO - Key offerings



Exhibit 80: POSCO - Segment focus

10.11 Tata Steel Ltd.

Exhibit 81: Tata Steel Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 82: Tata Steel Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 83: Tata Steel Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 84: Tata Steel Ltd. - Segment focus

10.12 United States Steel Corp.

Exhibit 85: United States Steel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 86: United States Steel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 87: United States Steel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 88: United States Steel Corp. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 89: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.3 Research methodology

Exhibit 90: Research Methodology



Exhibit 91: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 92: Information sources

11.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 93: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
In this newly formed role, Picard and the Investment Solutions group will support advisors by expanding access to best-in-class private-market investment opportunities and custom portfolio consulting.

CHICAGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hightower today announced that it has named Robert Picard to a newly created executive role of Managing Director, Head of Alternative Investments in the Hightower Investment Solutions group, where he will focus on providing Hightower advisors with expanded access to best-in-class private-market investments, preferred opportunities and custom portfolio consulting to support them in delivering differentiated strategies to their affluent clients.

Picard will focus on providing Hightower advisors with expanded access to best-in-class private-market investments. Tweet this Robert Picard, Managing Director, Head of Alternatives at Hightower

The Investment Solutions group is available to Hightower's nationwide community of advisory businesses as a value-added, optional resource they can utilize to enhance their portfolio construction and asset allocation in both public and private investments. In his new role focusing on alternatives, Mr. Picard will leverage his deep relationships with asset managers in private equity, private credit, real estate, venture capital and other alternative asset classes to identify a diverse range of opportunities for Hightower advisors and their clients. He will also collaborate with advisors to incorporate their own investment ideas, while working closely with Hightower's due diligence team on all alternative strategies.

"As our advisors look to attract more high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, the Investment Solutions group is here to support them in creating distinctive portfolios with institutional-class opportunities, preferred relationships and rigorous due diligence," said Stephanie Link, Hightower Chief Investment Strategist, Portfolio Manager and head of the Investment Solutions group. "Robert has many decades of experience consulting with advisors through multiple market cycles, bringing them new ideas to complement their portfolio allocations. He adds an exciting dimension to our team of senior investment leaders, and we're thrilled to welcome him to Hightower."

Mr. Picard has 32 years' experience on both the buy and sell side, having built multi-billion-dollar alternative investment programs at First Republic Private Wealth Management, The Carlyle Group/Rock Creek, Optima Fund Management, RBC Capital Markets and InfraHedge/State Street. In his most recent role as First Republic's managing director and head of alternative investments, he consolidated two alternative investment businesses into one platform and generated meaningful growth in both wealth management team participation and fund offerings across all asset classes. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade as founder and CEO of The Rumson Ridge Group, a consultancy focused on building alternative investment platforms. He is a graduate of the College de Geneve, and attended the University of Geneva Law School. Mr. Picard has spent much of his career performing due diligence on manager strategies, visiting over 1,000 firms globally in the last 25 years.

"Hightower's Investment Solutions group is playing an increasingly critical role in helping advisors identify new and disruptive private investments for families with complex financial needs," Picard said. "Through our expanded program, Hightower advisors will gain even greater access to preferred, hard-to-find alternative investment strategies with a level of professional portfolio consulting that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Those that choose to tap our group for ideas will gain significant additional insight that will help them distinguish themselves and grow their businesses."

The expanded alternatives program is part of Hightower's broader strategy of offering its advisory businesses streamlined access to institutional-class family-office services for their sophisticated clients. These services include access to a National Trust Company, estate & financial planning team and business management services such as personal CFO, bookkeeping, bill pay and tax preparation.

Hightower has 125 advisory businesses in 34 states and the District of Columbia. As of March 31, 2022, the firm's assets under management (AUM) were $117.7 billion, and assets under administration were approximately $141.5 billion.

About Hightower

Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower's capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their vision of "well-th. rebalanced." Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., the firm operates as a registered investment advisor (RIA). Learn more about Hightower's collaborative business model at www.hightoweradvisors.com.

Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC member FINRA/SIPC. Hightower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment advisor.

Media Contact:

Patty Buchanan

JConnelly

(973) 567-9415

[email protected]

SOURCE Hightower
RICHMOND, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group is proud to announce that for the second consecutive year it has partnered with the College of William & Mary's Raymond A. Mason School of Business to empower and encourage the development of future Hilb Group leaders through the Brad Post Leadership Institute.

Hilb Group created this informational video to share the value of the Brad Post Leadership Institute and demonstrate one of the many exclusive opportunities Hilb Group provides its associates.

Named to honor the memory and legacy of one of its former leaders, Hilb Group established the Brad Post Leadership Institute from a dedication to supporting, developing, and investing in its associates. The immersive, customized leadership program was designed both by Hilb Group senior management and faculty from the College of William & Mary to develop the foundation for future success by empowering leaders to build highly productive teams, be champions of change, and create a culture of high performance.

"Throughout this in-depth program, we focus on developing leaders and providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to prepare for challenges and opportunities they will face present-day and throughout their careers," said Rob Patton, Hilb Group Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

"There are a number of elements that make Hilb Group and the Brad Post Leadership Institute unique, and it begins with people. It is so clear that the senior management team at Hilb Group cares about the people within the organization," stated Ken White, Associate Dean of MBA and Executive Programs at the College of William & Mary. "They think very carefully about the people and about this program, and they are willing to make an investment in the future of their leaders."

"At Hilb Group, we know that our associates are our strongest assets," Hilb Group CEO Ricky Spiro said. "By offering such an outstanding learning experience, in conjunction with the resources that the College of William & Mary provide, we are able to present our associates with a particularly unique opportunity, while building relationships and a knowledge base that will last. This program reflects our belief in investing in our associates, and represents another offering and advantage to joining the Hilb Group."

The curriculum of the Brad Post Leadership Institute consists of nine targeted, in-person training sessions held over the course of a one-year timeframe. Topics range from operational effectiveness to business strategy, relationship management, and communication and presence. High potential associates throughout the company are eligible and must be nominated by their manager. Hilb Group created this informational video to share the value of the Brad Post Leadership Institute and demonstrate one of the many exclusive opportunities Hilb Group provides its associates.

###

About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 135 acquisitions with over 100 offices in 22 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Peter Lobred

804.548.4629

[email protected]

SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC
In two years, Atlanta-based joint-venture of Hyperion Bank has grown to serve customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and now, The Tar Heel State

ATLANTA, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperion Mortgage, an Atlanta-based home-lending provider, has been licensed in North Carolina. In addition to its home state of Georgia, Hyperion Mortgage also holds licenses in Alabama, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Charlie Crawford, Board Member, Hyperion Mortgage

"We're excited to continue expanding our reach in response to consumer demand and the strong referral networks of Hyperion Mortgage lending professionals," says Charles B. (Charlie) Crawford, Jr., one of the founders and a board member of Hyperion Mortgage. "In addition to our highly experienced loan originators, we offer comprehensive lending options, competitive pricing and tailored personal service."

Crawford notes that Hyperion Mortgage offers a complete range of conventional, jumbo, FHA, VA, home equity (HELOC) loans and other specialty products.

"We offer the highest level of service aligned to complement the existing best-in-class service provided by Hyperion Bank, with a breadth of loan products and competitive pricing," says Janet Farmer, Hyperion Mortgage Branch Manager. "And we strive to educate borrowers to help them achieve their short- and long-term financial goals, whether purchasing a home or refinancing."

Hyperion Mortgage is a joint venture between Hyperion Bank and a national mortgage partner. Available by appointment, online or through the Hyperion Mortgage App 24/7. Download the app to complete a loan application, upload documents, or see the current status of your loan.

3525 Piedmont Rd, Suite 5-215, Atlanta 30305/Piedmont Center, Building 5. Hyperion Mortgage, LLC, 678-909-7575 or [email protected]. www.Hyperion-Mortgage.com Equal Opportunity Lender. Offer of credit is subject to approval. (NMLS #1949389/AL #22770/FL #MLD1982/Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee 70666/NC # L-211156/NJ #1949389/PA #80467/TN #1949389)

Media inquiries:

Drew Plant

[email protected]

678-637-5532

SOURCE Hyperion Mortgage
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DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Smart Water Meter Market (2022-2027) by Meter Type, Technology, Component, Application, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Smart Water Meter Market is estimated to be USD 6.31 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 9.77 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.14%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Smart Water Meter Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Aclara Technologies, B Meter, Badger Meter, Baylan, Betar, Datamatic, etc.

Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Smart Water Meter Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Smart Water Meter Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Smart Water Meter Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increase in Need for Accuracy in Water Billing Solution

4.1.2 Need for Smart Water Metering to Optimize Water Consumption

4.1.3 Increase in Utilities Focus toward Reducing Non-Revenue Water

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 High Initial Investments and Long Payback Period

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Replacement of Aging Infrastructure

4.3.2 Surge in Digitization of the Water Industry Operations

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Lack of Government Initiatives



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Smart Water Meter Market, By Meter Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Electromagnetic Meter

6.3 Ultrasonic Meter

6.4 Mechanical Meter



7 Global Smart Water Meter Market, By Technology

7.1 Introduction

7.2 AMR(Automatic Meter Reading)

7.3 AMI (Advanced Meter Infrastructure)



8 Global Smart Water Meter Market, By Component

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Meters & Accessories

8.3 IT Solutions

8.4 Communications



9 Global Smart Water Meter Market, By Application

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Commercial

9.3 Industries

9.4 Residential



10 Americas' Smart Water Meter Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Argentina

10.3 Brazil

10.4 Canada

10.5 Chile

10.6 Colombia

10.7 Mexico

10.8 Peru

10.9 United States

10.10 Rest of Americas



11 Europe's Smart Water Meter Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Austria

11.3 Belgium

11.4 Denmark

11.5 Finland

11.6 France

11.7 Germany

11.8 Italy

11.9 Netherlands

11.10 Norway

11.11 Poland

11.12 Russia

11.13 Spain

11.14 Sweden

11.15 Switzerland

11.16 United Kingdom

11.17 Rest of Europe



12 Middle East and Africa's Smart Water Meter Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Egypt

12.3 Israel

12.4 Qatar

12.5 Saudi Arabia

12.6 South Africa

12.7 United Arab Emirates

12.8 Rest of MEA



13 APAC's Smart Water Meter Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Australia

13.3 Bangladesh

13.4 China

13.5 India

13.6 Indonesia

13.7 Japan

13.8 Malaysia

13.9 Philippines

13.10 Singapore

13.11 South Korea

13.12 Sri Lanka

13.13 Thailand

13.14 Taiwan

13.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Competitive Quadrant

14.2 Market Share Analysis

14.3 Strategic Initiatives

14.3.1 M&A and Investments

14.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

14.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



15 Company Profiles

15.1 Aclara Technologies

15.2 B Meter

15.3 Badger Meter

15.4 Baylan

15.5 Betar

15.6 Datamatic

15.7 Diehl Stiftung

15.8 Honeywell

15.9 Integra Metering

15.10 Itron

15.11 Kamstrup Water Metering

15.12 Landis+Gyr

15.13 Maddalena

15.14 Midomet

15.15 Mueller Water Product

15.16 Neptune Technology

15.17 Siemens

15.18 Xylem

15.19 Zenner



16 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tv4i77

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[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IQT Research foresees major commercial opportunities arising to protect blockchain against future quantum computer intrusions and agrees with the White House National Security Memorandum NSM-10, released on May 04, 2022, which indicates the urgency of addressing imminent quantum computing threats and the risks they present to the economy and to national security in our latest report "The Quantum Threat to Blockchain: Emerging Business Opportunities."

Quantum Enabled Blockchain: IQT Research Inside Quantum Technology

Although primarily associated with cryptocurrencies, blockchain has been proposed for a wide range of transactions, including in insurance, real estate, voting, supply chain tracking, gaming, etc. These areas are all vulnerable to quantum threats, which lead to operations disruption, trust damage, and loss of intellectual property, financial assets, and regulated data.

More details on this report can be found at https://www.insidequantumtechnology.com/product/the-quantum-threat-to-blockchain-emerging-business-opportunities/.

For a sample of this report, click on Request Excerpt.

About the Report:

Quantum computers threaten classical public-key cryptography blockchain technologies because they can break the computational security assumptions of elliptic curve cryptography. They also weaken the security of hash function algorithms, which protect blockchain's secrets. This new IQT Research report identifies not only the challenges, but also the opportunities in terms of new products and services that arise from the threat that quantum computers pose to the "blockchain" mechanism. According to a recent study by the consulting firm Deloitte, approximately one-fourth of the blockchain-based cybercurrency Bitcoin in circulation in 2022 is vulnerable to quantum attack.

This report covers both technical and policy issues relating to the quantum vulnerability of blockchain.

From the Report:

With NIST announcing a new set of PQC standards in July 2022 , PQC firms will soon be receiving major investments in the near term much of which will apply to blockchain. However, not all NIST-based PQC solutions will be feasible for blockchain use. Given the nature and intricacy of PQC, it will take years of planning for a successful migration to PQC-backed Blockchain protection.





, PQC firms will soon be receiving major investments in the near term much of which will apply to blockchain. However, not all NIST-based PQC solutions will be feasible for blockchain use. Given the nature and intricacy of PQC, it will take years of planning for a successful migration to PQC-backed Blockchain protection. The earliest of expenditures on quantum safe technology in the blockchain market will go to protecting data from attacks later, when quantum computing resources become mature. This issue becomes more important as we grow closer to the day when powerful quantum computers become a reality. But data theft today requires preemptive action. The quantum threat to the blockchain means that the business opportunities in this space are emerging right now.





There is a need for low-cost information-theoretically secure (ITS) solutions that instantly strengthen standardized cryptography systems used in blockchains. Already much discussed in this context are quantum-enabled blockchain architectures based on Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). Another important concept is quantum-enabled blockchain, which refers to an entire blockchain or some aspects of the blockchain functionality being run in quantum computing environments.





Mining is another aspect of blockchains vulnerable to quantum attacks. Mining is the consensus process that certifies new transactions and keeps the blockchain activities protected. One risk with mining is that miners using quantum computers could launch a 51% attack. A 51% attack is when a single entity controls more than half of the computational power of the blockchain. A quantum attack on mining would undermine the network's hashing power.

About IQT Research:

IQT Research is a division of 3DR Holdings, and the first industry analyst firm dedicated to meeting the strategic information and analysis needs of the emerging quantum technology sector. In addition to publishing reports on critical business opportunities in the quantum technology sector, Inside Quantum Technology produces a daily news website on business-related happenings in the quantum technology field. (https://www.insidequantumtechnology.com/)

3DR Holdings also organizes the Inside Quantum Technology conferences. The next conference is dedicated to quantum cybersecurity and will be held October 25-27 in New York City.

For more details on the report, contact:

Lawrence Gasman

[email protected]

Telephone: 434-825-1311

Press contact:

Barry Schwartz

[email protected]

212-677-8700 ext. 118

SOURCE IQT Research
Animation Explainers doubled its capacity for delivering explainer videos and B2B animation projects in 2022

DOUGLAS, Isle of Man, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Isle of Man-based Animation Explainers has consolidated its recent meteoric rise in the animation solutions industry by launching a range of new animation packages.

The B2B animation specialist has earned a stellar reputation for creating sleek, accessible and visually compelling explainer videos since its inception in 2018. Yet this relatively young company appears to be on the cusp of something even more exciting.

Following a period of breakneck growth, Animation Explainers now has ambitious plans to expand further in the US, the UK and Europe. The company has grown and evolved exceptionally quickly since founders Aaron Connolly and Dylan Healy started the business back in 2018. But it would appear the best is yet to come for this ambitious firm.

While the future is very much in the minds of AE's top team, 2022 is fast becoming the company's best year to date. With major projects for clients such as Mattel, Adventist Risk Management, Nuspire, Kemper Auto and Frasinus Kabi already underway, the company's animation solutions are proving a huge hit within the highly competitive explainer videos industry.

As well as making waves in the animation solutions industry, the fast-growing firm is also taking the time to deliver a range of projects for charitable organisations such as Sight Matters (Isle of Man), Fragile X (UK), Dressed for Success (Toronto) and Friends of the Children's Justice Centre (Salt Lake, USA).

AE 2.0 is the latest iteration of the company's suite of animation styles  designed to open up a brave new world of turnkey and bespoke animation solutions. Offering their clients a range of prices and fast turnaround times, AE 2.0 includes proprietary animation solutions such as AE Original, AELite, AEMedical, AE TypeFace and CyberPromo.

Animation Explainers also offers a range of advanced services for global blue chip brands such as Dell, DHL and Salesforce. KineticPROMO, AEScrapbook and AEAdvert give large corporations the tools they need to create sleek and informative explainer videos that can grow sales and brand awareness.

The Animation Explainers team is growing nearly as quickly as the firm's footprint in the US and the UK. Heading up sales in the US is Jessica Campbell, who takes care of both account management and sales.

Thanks to incredible growth in the US, five agents are now offering the company's full suite of new animation packages in Florida, Texas, Connecticut and the Carolinas.

A similar rate of growth in Europe and the UK has been made possible by a team of four sales agents based in London, Barcelona, Belfast and Scandinavia. Sustained growth in sectors such as IT, insurance, financial services and logistics has already given Animation Explainers a strong foundation from which to build for the future.

In just four years, the company already has an impressive portfolio of explainer videos under its belt  created for some of the world's leading companies. The meteoric rise of Animations Explainers as a force within the animation solutions industry has forced the company to expand its top team to guarantee quality and customer service for its clients.

Joining Animation Explainers as the company's new Marketing Manager is Calum McClurkin. Based in Newcastle, UK, Calum's role will be to bolster AE's social presence, marketing efforts and SEO strategy.

Co-founder Dylan Healy is proud of the company's achievements so far, but he has ambitious plans for the future. He said:

"Animation Explainers doesn't just provide animation solutions, it gives companies of all sizes a way to communicate with their customers in an accessible and engaging way. We've developed some very productive relationships with businesses in both Europe and the US, but we're ready to take the next step.

"We're looking for strategic partners to work alongside us to give media organisations around the world access to sophisticated animation solutions. While we're proud of how far we've come in such a short time, we're always thinking of the next stage of our journey."

Animation Explainers helps its clients to speak directly to consumers in a way that resonates. And the company is searching for new partners who can assist in the goal of giving media organisations access to premium-quality animation services.

About Animation Explainers

Animation Explainers is a team of like-minded creatives who take pride in delivering animation solutions for brands and media organisations. The ultimate goal of the Animation Explainers team is to communicate complex or in-depth concepts to consumers in a way that doesn't turn them off. They achieve this goal by designing and creating highly visual explainer videos tailored to the needs of both their clients and target audiences.

Contact Animation Explainers

Whether you'd like to find out more about AE's animation solutions or book a call with a member of the management team, you can contact Dylan Healy at [email protected] or +44(0)7787173547. Alternatively, complete the contact form on the Animation Explainers website, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

SOURCE Animation Explainers LTD
Global ingredient manufacturer marks six decades of transforming lives with community engagement, sustainability initiatives and events on six continents

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, is celebrating 61 years since the company's founding in 1961 with a year-long "61 since '61" anniversary campaign. The global commemoration kicked off earlier this year and continued today at Kemin's worldwide headquarters with the dedication of its solar array installation and a Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity build on the company's campus.

Kemin has been committed to improving the quality of life since the company was founded in 1961. R.W. and Mary Nelson established the company with USD$10,000 in savings, an old wool barn for product mixing and the family living room as the first corporate office. Initially focused on serving the agricultural industry within the Midwestern United States, Kemin quickly expanded into new industries and countries. Today, Kemin creates products for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuels and animal vaccine industries.

"Growing up, Kemin was a part of my life from the very beginning, and I'm proud to continue the work and legacy put forth by my parents and the Nelson family," said Dr. Chris Nelson, President and CEO, Kemin Industries. "In just six decades, Kemin has grown from a single-region operation to serving customers in more than 120 countries with more than 500 specialty ingredients. It's truly incredible to see what science, innovation and dedication can create to better serve the world and positively impact communities."

As a global company operating in diverse industries, Kemin made a commitment in 2021 to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Converting to clean energy, including solar power, is a key part of Kemin's sustainability journey.

Kemin's on-ground and roof-mounted solar arrays power 100% of its 90,000-square-foot headquarters building with more than 1.046 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. As one of the largest corporate solar installations in the state of Iowa, Kemin's on-ground solar panels are part of an active tracking system that follows the sun's path in the sky for 20% more production power and greater efficiency.

For 61 years, Kemin has focused on transforming tomorrow through its work today, and sustainability, as well as serving the community and those in need, is essential to fostering a better future.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, one of its longest-standing community partners both in the U.S. and globally, Kemin hosted an onsite build at its Des Moines campus, where employees volunteered to construct interior and exterior walls of a Habitat house that will be completed during the Iowa State Fair in August.

As the lead sponsor of Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity's first Iowa State Fair build since 2005, Kemin team members will also be assisting with two build days at the fairgrounds.

"As the impact of climate change continues to increase, we have an imperative to combat its effects and can do so with the use of clean energy, like our solar installations at facilities around the world," said Dr. Nelson. "We're also focused on supporting organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which uses construction methods that reduce waste, lessening our effect on the environment while creating sustainable housing within communities. The more we can work together to address serious issues like climate change, the bigger the impact of our shared efforts."

Kemin founders R.W. and Mary Nelson created Kemin to focus on serving customers and contributing to the community, which established a foundation of servant leadership. As they reflected on the last six decades, R.W. and Mary Nelson stated that, "While we're immensely proud of what Kemin has become over the past 61 years as a company, we're most honored and grateful for the efforts of Kemin employees who have dedicated their time and talents to help make the world a better place while continuing to give back within their communities."

For more than six decades, Kemin has used innovation, scientific expertise and its commitment to customers to create ingredients and solutions that have helped improve the quality of life for billions around the world. The worldwide headquarters' solar arrays are just one of several similar solar installations planned for Kemin locations around the globe, including at facilities in South Africa and China.

In addition to the solar arrays and Habitat for Humanity build at its headquarters, globally, Kemin has organized tree plantings, hosted customer events, expanded its employee day of service to include all global teams and will be donating funds to several nonprofit organizations in recognition of its 61 years of service since 1961.

To learn more about Kemin's "61 since '61" anniversary campaign, visit www.kemin.com/61since61.

About Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuels and animal vaccine industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 3,000 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Italy, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Media Contact:

Lauren Burt, Head of Worldwide Communications, [email protected], +1 (515) 249-4219

SOURCE Kemin Industries
DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Latin America Data Center Colocation Market - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Latin America data center colocation market is witnessing significant growth in the procurement of lithium-ion UPS systems. Most edge facility deployment will include single-phase lithium-ion UPS and monitored and switched PDUs. Therefore, the emergence of edge facilities will be a significant boost to the market growth.

Data centers invest more in power infrastructure with a minimum of N+1 redundancy. Most facilities are installed with N+N or 2N redundancy for power infrastructure with more redundancy for UPS and generator systems. AECOM, Aceco TI, Constructora Sudamericana, Fluor Corporation, Holder Construction, Jacobs Engineering Group, Quark, and ZFB Group are some construction contractors building data centers in Latin America



In 2021, local and global operators dominated the market through retail colocation and construction activities. However, the presence of cloud service providers is gaining traction and is expected to boost the wholesale colocation in the region. Brazil, Chile, and Mexico are witnessing growth in demand from cloud service providers; hence the wholesale colocation market is flourishing in these countries.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LATIN AMERICA DATA CENTER COLOCATION MARKET

Some of the primary drivers of the Latin America data center colocation market growth include increased digitalization across several countries, hyperscale cloud service providers' colocation data centers, and growth in connectivity.

data center colocation market growth include increased digitalization across several countries, hyperscale cloud service providers' colocation data centers, and growth in connectivity. Some colocation data centers are developing wholesale colocation space in their facilities across several countries to support growing colocation demand from cloud service providers such as Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Google, Huawei, AWS, and government entities.

The computing power in data centers has grown significantly due to an increase in the demand for cloud services, big data, and IoT, which has led to an increase in rack power density. The increase in data bandwidth and high-performance computing will drive the data center operators to procure efficient infrastructure to manage any downtime.

COVID-19 has been a boon across the industry, accelerating digital transformation initiatives across Latin America , increasing data center service demand, and driving the utilization of capacity among colocation facilities

, increasing data center service demand, and driving the utilization of capacity among colocation facilities The market attracts investments from cloud service providers such as Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and Tencent . These providers will continue to fuel the colocation demand across the region in the forecast period.

. These providers will continue to fuel the colocation demand across the region in the forecast period. Governments across the region are aiding the growth in the data center construction by offering several kinds of tax benefits.

The region is witnessing significant initiatives for connectivity with growth in submarine cable deployments. In Latin America , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Argentina , Peru , Uruguay , Venezuela , Mexico , Ecuador , and other Latin American countries have submarine cable connectivity, connecting Europe , Africa , and the US.

KEY TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY

Focus on Automation, and AI in Data Centers is Gaining Traction

In Latin America , almost 80% of large businesses use AI technology. It is expected that by 2022, AI will be implemented across 21%-40% of businesses. Many countries in Latin America developed or are developing national AI plans, but political volatility is interrupting the strategy

, almost 80% of large businesses use AI technology. It is expected that by 2022, AI will be implemented across 21%-40% of businesses. Many countries in developed or are developing national AI plans, but political volatility is interrupting the strategy The adoption of AI technology is significant in various industries, including data centers. The infrastructure maintenance demands preventing operational failure by automating data center facilities. UPS systems waste power for energy storage by converting AC to DC and vice versa

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

Latin America data center colocation market has been attracting significant investments in recent years, led by countries such as Brazil , Chile , Colombia , and Mexico , with emerging locations such as Uruguay , Bolivia , Argentina , and Peru .

data center colocation market has been attracting significant investments in recent years, led by countries such as , , , and , with emerging locations such as , , , and . In 2021, Brazil was the major shareholder in terms of market share as per investments with around 58%, followed by Mexico with a share of about 28% 2021.

was the major shareholder in terms of market share as per investments with around 58%, followed by with a share of about 28% 2021. Mexico data center colocation market will witness area addition with an absolute growth rate of 41% between 2022 and 2027. In 2021, Mexico had an industry share of around 27% in terms of power capacity addition.

data center colocation market will witness area addition with an absolute growth rate of 41% between 2022 and 2027. In 2021, had an industry share of around 27% in terms of power capacity addition. In terms of revenue, the primary revenue generation was witnessed in Brazil due to several local and global data center operators such as Equinix, Ascenty, ODATA, and Scala Data Centers.

due to several local and global data center operators such as Equinix, Ascenty, ODATA, and Scala Data Centers. The significant demand came from sectors such as telecommunication and internet service providers for the region's colocation of data center facilities.

Global colocation providers are entering the competition through strategic partnerships with local enterprises, government, and telecom service providers. For instance, global colocation data center operator Equinix entered the Mexico market after acquiring Axtel's business.

VENDOR ANALYSIS

Some major colocation operators in the Latin American colocation market include Ascenty, Claro, Equinix, HostDime, ODATA, Scala Data Centers, Millicom (Tigo), and others.

Vendors are increasing their presence in Latin American countries, which is likely to boost revenue growth, mainly due to the increased construction of large data centers in Brazil , Chile , Colombia , and Mexico .

, , , and . The market is expected to witness more mega data center constructions to cope with the demand for wholesale colocation by cloud service providers, which is likely to add revenue opportunities for infrastructure providers under their respective operating segments.

Many operators are also adopting units from different vendors to provide efficient cooling solutions for the facility.

Several data center operators depend on local resellers and skilled local expertise for installation, commissioning, and maintenance services. Several infrastructure providers in the market offer specific products or a complete range of infrastructure solutions suitable for Latin American data centers.

The construction of data centers is increasing significantly, and greenfield data center development is growing YOY and witnessing a strong contribution from the Latin America modular data center market.

modular data center market. The region has the presence of both global and local construction contractors, engineering, and architectural firms. The growth in the data center market will provide opportunities for local sub-contracts in construction, engineering, and architectural verticals.

Prominent Support Infrastructure Vendors

ABB

Alfa Laval

Assa Abloy

Axis Communication

Bosch Security Systems( Robert Bosch )

) Caterpillar

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Daikin Applied ( Daikin Industries)

Eaton

Generac Power Systems

Honeywell International

Johnson Controls

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Munters

Piller Power Systems

Panduit

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Stulz

Siemens

Vertiv

Prominent Construction Contractors

Aecom

Aceco TI

Constructora Sudamericana

Fluor Corporation

Gensler

HDOS

Holder Construction

Jacobs Engineering Group

PQC

QUARK

ZFB Group

Zeittec

Prominent Data Center Investors

Ascenty

AVA Telecom

CLARO

Edgeconnex

Hostdime

Globenet

GTD Peru

Internexa

IPXON Networks

Lumen Technologies

NABIAX

ODATA

Onex

Scala Data Centers

Telmex

Millicom(TIGO)

Quantico

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Premium Insights

7.1 Key Highlights

7.2 Segmentation Analysis

7.3 Key Trends in the Market

7.4 Geographical Analysis

7.5 Market Vendor Analysis



8 Introduction

8.1 Data Center Site Selection Criteria



9 Market Opportunities & Trends

9.1 5G Deployments Fueling Edge Data Center Deployments

9.2 Growing Rack Power Density

9.3 Implementation of Automation & Ai in Data Centers



10 Market Growth Enablers

10.1 Increased Deployment of Submarine Cables

10.2 Thriving Digital Economy in Latin America

10.3 Tax Incentives Enhancing Data Center Investments

10.4 Covid-19 Driving Data Center Demand



11 Market Restraints

11.1 Security Challenges in Data Centers

11.2 Location Constraints on Data Center Construction

11.3 Lack of a Skilled Workforce

11.4 Power & Network Outages



12 Market Landscape

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 Investment: Market Size & Forecast

12.3 Area: Market Size & Forecast

12.4 Power Capacity: Market Size & Forecast

12.5 Colocation Revenue: Market Size & Forecast

12.6 Five Forces Analysis



13 Colocation Service Type

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Retail Colocation

13.4 Wholesale Colocation



14 Infrastructure

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Electrical Infrastructure

14.3 Mechanical Infrastructure

14.4 General Construction



15 Electrical Infrastructure

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Ups Systems

15.3 Generators

15.4 Transfer Switches & Switchgear

15.5 Power Distribution Units

15.6 Other Electrical Infrastructure



16 Mechanical Infrastructure

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Cooling Systems

16.3 Racks

16.4 Other Mechanical Infrastructure



17 Cooling Systems

17.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

17.2 Crac & Crah Units

17.3 Chiller Units

17.4 Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

17.5 Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

17.6 Other Cooling Units



18 Cooling Technique

18.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

18.2 Air-Based Cooling

18.3 Liquid-Based Cooling Technique



19 General Construction

19.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

19.2 Core & Shell Development

19.3 Installation & Commissioning Services

19.4 Engineering & Building Design

19.5 Fire Detection & Suppression

19.6 Physical Security

19.7 Dcim/Bms Solutions



20. Tier Standards

20.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

20.2 Overview of Tier Standards

20.3 Tier I & II

20.4 Tier III

20.5 Tier IV



21. Geography

21.1 Investment: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

21.2 Area: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

21.3 Power Capacity: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

21.4 Colocation Revenue: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine



22. Brazil



23. Mexico



24. Chile



25. Other Latin American Countries

25.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

25.2 Market Overview

25.3 Investment: Market Size & Forecast

25.4 Area: Market Size & Forecast

25.5 Power Capacity: Market Size & Forecast

25.6 Colocation Revenue: Market Size & Forecast

25.7 Support Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1ikevn

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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SOURCE Research and Markets
New E-commerce Platform and Website Offers Technology to Help People of All Ages Live Independently

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LogicMark, Inc. , (Nasdaq: LGMK) (the "Company" or "LogicMark") (formerly Nxt-ID, Inc.), a provider of personal emergency response systems (PERS), health communications devices and remote care and activity monitoring technologies to create a connected care platform, today announces its new direct-to-consumer sales channel to broadly deliver its solutions to more people, including families and caregivers. The company is unveiling a new website and e-commerce platform which will facilitate its new direct-to-consumer distribution channel.

"For more than 10 years [LogicMark formed 12/6/2011], our company and technology have earned the trust of our customers by helping them live worry-free knowing we are there to help when they need it most," said Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of LogicMark. "Technology has made life easier and more convenient in many ways, and now we are building solutions that can support freedom for the whole family -- from caregivers to those needing care. We are excited to finally make our products available directly to consumers who need them."

LogicMark Launches DTC Sales ChannelNew eComm Platform and Website Offers Tech to Help People Live Independently Tweet this

Today LogicMark is working to disrupt the care economy and help people of all ages live with greater peace of mind. The new company website offers a user-friendly experience with the opportunity for consumers to purchase products directly from the online store. The website includes a fresh look and feel as well as the company's updated branding, messaging, and mission.

Consumers can directly purchase the company's best-selling products via the new website, including the GuardianAlert911+ , GuardianAlert911 and FreedomAlert . The simple, easy-to-use solutions provide safety and security for people both at home and on-the-go.

LogicMark's new website and e-commerce platform comes on the heels of the company's recent name change (from Nxt-ID to LogicMark) to reflect the company's enhanced focus on the care economy and technology.

"It's time for innovation in the care economy, allowing caregivers to confidently care for those they love, while helping their loved ones to continue to live independently," continued Simmons. "Peace of mind is priceless. Our new direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform is just the beginning of LogicMark's evolution."

To date, LogicMark has supplied more than 500,000 PERS devices to seniors, veterans and loved ones, providing them with the confidence to live independently at home for as long as possible. Through distribution via the Veterans Health Administration medical centers and outpatient clinics, LogicMark provides these devices to U.S. veterans at no charge . The U.S. government awarded LogicMark a GSA contract in July 2021, enabling the company to partner with federal, state and local governments to widen the distribution of its products.

To learn more about LogicMark, their products and services, visit www.logicmark.com .

About LogicMark, Inc.

LogicMark, Inc. (formerly Nxt-ID, Inc.) provides personal emergency response systems (PERS), health communications devices and remote care and activity monitoring technologies to create a connected care platform. The Company's devices give people the ability to receive care at home and confidence to age in place. LogicMark revolutionized the PERS industry by incorporating two-way voice communication technology directly into its medical alert pendant and providing this life-saving technology at a price point that everyday consumers could afford. LogicMark's PERS solutions are sold through the United States Veterans Health Administration and dealers/distributors. The Company was awarded a contract by the U.S. General Services Administration that enables the Company to distribute its products to federal, state and local governments. For more information on projects and services, visit LogicMark.com .

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements reflect LogicMark's expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements include but are not limited to statements regarding LogicMark's successful execution of its business strategy. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "upcoming," "plan," "target," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to LogicMark or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to LogicMark and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause LogicMark's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Media Contact:

Erica Zeidenberg

Hot Tomato Marketing

[email protected]

925-518-8159 mobile

SOURCE LogicMark Inc.
Project designed to enhance service reliability for nearly 2,300 customers

READING, Pa., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Met-Ed, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), recently completed a project to upgrade its distribution system in southern Monroe County to help prevent or minimize the length of service disruptions, particularly during severe summer storms. The work included rebuilding existing power lines to provide a second source of electricity to a substation near Snydersville and installing automated equipment on the local network to help prevent service disruptions and restore power faster for nearly 2,300 customers.

The upgrades are part of Met-Ed's Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan, a $153 million initiative to accelerate capital investments to the company's electric distribution system over five years to help ensure continued electric service reliability for customers.

"We've reconstructed three power lines to add a second source of electricity for the substation, providing redundancy that allows us to keep the lights on for many of our customers in Snydersville and Hamilton and Stroud Townships when our crews must make repairs or perform maintenance," said Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations. "This substation had been fed by a single power line that traverses dense forest, steep hillsides and swamps, increasing the potential for lengthy tree-related outages in hard-to-access areas."

Met-Ed created the new 34.5 kilovolt (kV) source line that runs four miles along South Easton Belmont Pike and Middle Easton Belmont Pike by:

Rebuilding a single-wire, 34.5-kV power line as a three-wire line with more electrical capacity

Converting part of a lower voltage electric line to a 34.5-kV line with taller poles, new wire, transformers and fuses

Installing new 55-foot poles on a lower voltage line to accommodate both the existing line and a new 34.5-kV line positioned overhead on the same poles

This new 34.5-kV power line parallels the roadway, providing easy access for crews to use bucket trucks to repair and maintain equipment.

Two devices enabled with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology were installed in the substation, with two others placed on key spots along the line. SCADA conveys real-time information about voltage and electric current conditions to distribution system operators. Based on conditions, operators can control the devices remotely to quickly isolate damage and transfer customer load from one substation source to the other, helping to keep the lights on for customers when problems occur.

The devices have smart capability that will allow them to sense conditions on the system and operate automatically in several years when Met-Ed installs more automated equipment on the local network.

Met-Ed serves approximately 580,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp .

Editor's Note: A photo of line workers replacing a utility pole and cross arms is available on Flickr.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
67% of Michigan Voters Say the Costs of Health Care are Going up More than Other Things They Need

LANSING, Mich., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of Michigan voters from Impact Research and EPIC-MRA reveals voters see high out-of-pocket costs as the biggest issue in the state's health care system. Michiganders are ready to support politicians who make lowering out-of-pocket costs a priority. Read more about the survey here.

"High health care costs and the unpredictability of what people must pay out-of-pocket are weighing on Michigan voters," said the Hon. Donna Christensen, CQC board member, physician, and former Member of Congress. "Patients are facing thousands of dollars in medical debt that often goes into collections, as Michiganders with insurance are being hit with rapidly rising deductibles, premiums, and other out-of-pocket costs when they go to their doctor, the hospital or pharmacy. Action from our lawmakers is overdue: it's time for them to prioritize lowering costs and improving access to quality care. It's time for insurance to act like insurance."

Michiganders' number one concern when it comes to health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high, and deductibles are the costs that people struggle with the most, followed by monthly premiums. Eighty-nine percent of Michigan voters believe it is more important now than ever that insurance cover mental health care, but more than half (58%) think it is difficult to find mental health providers that are affordable or covered by insurance.

More insights from the research include:

67% agree that the costs of health care are going up more than other things they need.

By more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters' main concern in health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high (35%).

A large majority of voters (84%) think there are problems with the state's health care.

Deductibles are the biggest specific pain point when it comes to cost (38%), especially for those with private insurance (44%).

Half of voters (50%) have either had their household finances seriously affected by medical debt or are close with someone who has.

58% of voters agree it's difficult to find mental health providers that are covered by insurance.

Michiganders want their elected officials to take action to lower out-of-pocket health care costs. More than 7-in-10 voters (73%) say they are more likely to support a candidate who makes reducing health care costs their top priority, including strong majorities of persuadable voters (63%) and Independents (54%).

When it comes to lowering health care costs, Michigan voters think the following measures would be effective:

Capping insurance deductibles at a level that is low enough that people don't go into debt when getting the health care they need (64%).

Capping the amount health insurers can charge patients overall (66%).

Requiring health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to pass the rebates or discounts they receive from drug companies on to patients (68%).

Michigan voters also support policies that increase access to health care, including expanding mental health care and mental health prescription drugs (82% support).

"It's clear that Michigan voters are feeling the effects of rising out-of-pocket costs and want to see lawmakers act to address the medical debt that many are facing," said Bernie Porn, President of EPIC-MRA. "Our poll shows that voters in the state are looking for sensible solutions to improve coverage and lower costs."

The Impact Research/EPIC-MRA poll on behalf of CQC was conducted June 15-20, 2022. The online survey sampled 609 registered voters in Michigan. Overall results were weighted to reflect the composition of registered voters in the state.

About Consumers for Quality Care

Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is a coalition of advocates and former policymakers working to provide a voice for patients in the health care debate as they demand better care. CQC is led by a board of directors that includes the Honorable Donna Christensen, physician and former Member of Congress; Jim Manley, former senior advisor to Senators Edward Kennedy and Harry Reid; Jason Resendez, community advocate and health care strategist; and Mary L. Smith, former CEO of Indian Health Service.

SOURCE Consumers for Quality Care (CQC)
Who: Moo Moo Express Car Wash







What: Moo Moo Express Car Wash is celebrating its 24th Central Ohio Grand Opening with 10 days of free car washes at the new Grove City Moo, located at 2615 London Groveport Rd.









From July 29  August 7, 2022 customers will receive a FREE signature Creme De La Creme VIP car wash ($18 value) when they bring a monetary donation to benefit The Marcus Project.









100% of all donations will help The Marcus Project continue their mission of assisting children and families in need by creating opportunities, sourcing necessities, and building a feeling of significance.









Other Grove City South Moo Grand Opening incentives include the following:



$50 Moo Moo Express Gift Cards will be available for purchase at the new Grove City South Moo for only $25 from July 29  August 7, 2022 with ALL proceeds being donated back to The Marcus Project.

Customers who sign up for a Creme De La Creme VIP Unlimited Wash Club Membership at the new Grove City South Moo will receive their first month for only 99 (regularly $32.99/month).

Moo Moo Express Car Wash 2615 London Groveport Rd. location only









Where:

When: Friday, July 29  Sunday, August 7, 2022 Hours: Monday  Saturday 7:00am  8:00 pm; Sunday 9:00am  6:00pm











** Ribbon Cutting with Moo Moo Express Founder John Roush scheduled for Friday, July 29, 2022 at 11:30am.
PALOS HILLS, Ill., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Moraine Valley Community College is the first college in the Chicago area to partner with the California-based cannabis curriculum experts Green Flower to offer two noncredit online programs for anyone looking to start a career in the rapidly-growing cannabis manufacturing and cultivation fields.

The demand is high for skilled and trained professionals in the cannabis industry. Illinois supports nearly 29,000 full-time jobs in the industry and recorded $1.78 billion in cannabis sales in 2021, according to the Leafly 2022 Jobs Report.

Whether working in the industry or looking to transition into a cannabis career, Moraine Valley's eight-week online programs provide the knowledge and skills needed to be successful. Students can begin their chosen program at any time and complete it in eight weeks.

Each online program features expert information and perspectives from industry-leading professionals, delivered in a format using best learning practices.

The Advanced Cultivation Technician program gives students advanced job skills and knowledge to excel in cannabis cultivation. Topics include:

Botany and genetics of the cannabis plant

Seeds, germination and cloning

Light sources

Pests, disease and threat management

Irrigation and watering essentials

The Advanced Manufacturing Agent program helps students learn the expertise and advanced skill set needed to succeed in manufacturing. Subjects include:

Product development

Formulation and plant ensemble

Extraction processes and principles

Production operations and transportation requirements

Recordkeeping and product testing

"These programs help ensure not only the continued explosive growth of the industry in Illinois but also growth in great part due to a well-trained workforce," said Daniel Kalef, vice president of Higher Education at Green Flower. "Like other highly regulated industries, the need to have expertise in material handling, quality control, patient care, horticulture and more is vital to the success of all aspects of the industry and all things people will learn in these programs."

Learn more about Moraine Valley's noncredit cannabis programs at mvcc.cannabisstudiesonline.com . For more information on noncredit classes, contact Corporate, Community and Continuing Education at (708) 974-5735 or [email protected] .

About Green Flower

Founded in 2014, Green Flower is the industry leader in cannabis education, empowering thousands of consumers, regulators, and professionals with the knowledge they need to succeed in the emerging cannabis industry today. Green Flower's content and technology platform powers the cannabis programs of top universities and colleges across the country, provides customized learning and compliance solutions for cannabis businesses of all sizes, and equips individuals with the skills and credentials necessary to make an impact in the modern cannabis industry.

About Moraine Valley Community College

Moraine Valley Community College is one of the largest community colleges in Illinois, serving 26 communities in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Since it opened in 1967, the college has grown to offer more than 130 associate degree and certificate programs at its main campus in Palos Hills and extension centers in Blue Island and Tinley Park. Students can enroll in classes to complete the first two years of a bachelor's degree and then transfer to a four-year university or college or quickly move into the workforce. Moraine Valley offers online, evening, weekend and short-term classes, as well as developmental education, adult basic education and English as a Second Language classes. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, is a member of the prestigious League for Innovation in the Community College and is one of 12 national Vanguard Colleges.

For news media inquiries, contact Jessica Crotty, assistant director of Communications, at (708) 974-5281 or [email protected] .

SOURCE Green Flower
MUNICH, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Crown Prince of Dubai has his eye on the digital world: This week, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced a new "metaverse strategy" that he says will create 40,000 new virtual jobs and add $4 billion to the city's GDP within five years.

"The strategy focuses on nurturing talent and investing in future skills by providing the necessary Metaverse training support for developers, content creators and digital platform users in the Metaverse community," the UAE's official news agency, WAM, said in a statement.

As for the Metaverse, some of Dubai's largest companies have said they are increasingly incorporating the technology into their businesses. And that's where METAYO, the German Metaverse holding company, comes in: with patented and proprietary software solutions, METAYO will be a key player in this new ecosystem.

As Matthew Ball, the world's leading Metaverse expert, said, a central task in the development of Metaverse worlds is interoperability. Only when the different worlds can be connected in the core applications can the Metaverse business grow. Building bridges between digital worlds is one of METAYO's core competencies. The patented software solution behind the Holoswitch app plays a central role in this.

But building Web3 communities using NFT technologies is also expected to play an important role for METAYO in Dubai. Especially when it comes to digitizing luxury goods and making them accessible for the web3.

In April, global investment bank Citi said the potential size of the global metaverse market could be $30 trillion by 2030. However, other firms such as the Big Four accounting firm KPMG have said that these figures may be too conservative. As for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), augmented reality and virtual reality technologies could generate $4 billion in sales in the UAE alone by 2030, according to a 2020 report by management consulting firm PwC. METAYO will participate in this fast-growing business.

Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)

Contact:

METAYO metaverse technologies SE

Oberfohringer Str. 75

81925 Munchen

Germany

[email protected]

SOURCE METAYO metaverse technologies SE
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report released by National Council For Adoption (NCFA) highlights the dramatic changes that have taken place in adoption in recent decades and answers key questions about the profile of adoptive parents as well as the needs and experiences of adoptive families.

The report, Profiles in Adoption Part One, points to important trends, namely: the cost of a domestic adoption process has doubled in the last decade, most international adoptions today are of children with special needs, the vast majority of adoptive and birth families stay in contact after completing a private domestic adoption, and many adopted individuals are likely to need post-adoption services in educational supports and therapeutic services.

"We anticipate the largest contribution being the insights into post-adoption experiences..." Tweet this

"This research report provides previously unknown information about who is being adopted and who is adopting," says NCFA President and CEO, Ryan Hanlon. "We anticipate the largest contribution being the insights into post adoption experiences, providing adoption professionals and prospective adoptive parents a clearer picture of what services and supports are needed post adoption."

The three main types of adoption  private domestic adoption, adoption from foster care, intercountry adoption  were near equally represented among the respondents. The result is the largest study of adoptive families ever conducted with responses from 4,212 adoptive parents who are parents to 6,608 adopted individuals, covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In addition to the characteristics and demographics of adoptive parents, the survey garnered insights about their motives to adopt, experiences with the adoption process, and adopting across racial and/or ethnic lines.

"There are clear implications from this data including the need to prepare parents for the types of challenges they are most likely to face, and the need to provide funded and accessible post adoption services for all adoptions." Hanlon said. "It is also further evidence of how important it is to make the adoption tax credit fully refundable so that qualified middle- and lower-class families can access the full benefit, which strengthens permanency options for the many thousands of kids here and around the world in need of a nurturing, safe family."

National Council For Adoption views this report as Part One of a three-part series examining profiles in adoption. NCFA intends to hear from birth parents and adopted individuals in upcoming research reports. Taken together, the three reports in this series will give us a fuller picture of adoption. The report is available at Adoptioncouncil.org/profiles.

About National Council For Adoption

Founded in 1980, NCFA is a leading authoritative voice for adoption and is passionately committed to the belief that every child, everywhere, deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family. NCFA's nonprofit work promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, advocacy, and collaboration that aims to serve children, expectant and birth parents, adopted individuals, adoptive families, and adoption professionals. adoptioncouncil.org

MEDIA CONTACT:

Ryan Hanlon

703-299-6633

[email protected]

SOURCE National Council for Adoption
X-NAND Gen2 enables 3D NAND flash memory with 20X faster write performance

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NEO Semiconductor, a leading developer of innovative architectures for NAND flash and DRAM memory, today announced the release of its second-generation X-NAND architecture. X-NAND Gen2 builds upon the award-winning X-NAND technology unveiled in 2020. New patent-pending technology developed by NEO advances X-NAND architecture, allowing 3D NAND flash programming (i.e., data writes) to occur in parallel using fewer planes. As a result, X-NAND Gen2 delivers twenty times faster performance than conventional 3D NAND flash. The X-NAND architecture deploys as a design solution compatible with current manufacturing technologies and processes, providing impressive competitive advantages to semiconductor manufacturers.

Today, NEO Semiconductor revealed the new X-NAND Gen-2, which doubles throughput over X-NAND Gen1, delivering SLC-like performance with larger capacity and lower cost QLC memory. X-NAND Gen2 incorporates zero-impact architectural and design changes that do not increase manufacturing costs while offering extraordinary throughput and latency improvements. "The launch of X-NAND Gen2 is a prime example of NEO executing on its market-disruptive approach," says Andy Hsu, Founder and CEO of NEO Semiconductor and an accomplished technology inventor with more than 120 granted U.S. patents. "Our goal is to give the industry a wide array of solutions that address the growing performance bottlenecks in IT systems and consumer products."

NEO Semiconductor designed and developed X-NAND, the world's fastest 3D NAND flash memory architecture, in response to the inefficiencies of conventional 3D NAND flash, which lead to performance bottlenecks in business systems and consumer devices. X-NAND improves the performance of all generations of 3D NAND flash, including SLC, MLC, TLC, QLC, and PLC. By making non-disruptive architectural and design changes to 3D NAND flash, X-NAND significantly increases throughput and lowers latency.

"NAND fab manufacturers have made major advances with 3D stacking technology by increasing the number of layers while delivering greater memory density and enhancing memory packaging," said Jay Kramer, President of Network Storage Advisors. "While each generation of flash memory substantially lowers costs, the 2nd generation of X-NAND significantly increases flash memory performance and enables NAND flash solutions that can achieve even greater compelling value."

In 2020, Flash Memory Summit presented NEO Semiconductor with the 'Most Innovative Flash Memory Startup' award. The company will attend Flash Summit 2022 in Santa Clara, California, on August 2-4, 2022, and showcase X-NAND Gen2 to visitors.

About NEO Semiconductor

NEO Semiconductor is a high-tech company focused on advancing 3D NAND flash and DRAM memory technologies. The company was founded in 2012 by Andy Hsu and a team in San Jose, California, and owns more than 20 U.S. patents. In 2020, the company made a breakthrough in 3D NAND architecture named X-NAND that can achieve SLC performance at TLC and QLC densities to provide high-speed, low-cost solutions for many applications, including 5G and AI. The company presented the X-NAND architecture at Flash Memory Summit 2020 conference and won the Best of Show Award for the Most Innovative Flash Memory Startup.

Additional Resources:

Schedule a meeting with NEO Semiconductor at FMS, contact: [email protected]

Visit the conference website for program details: https://www.flashmemorysummit.com/

Visit the NEO Semiconductor website at: www.neosemic.com

Media and Analyst Contact:

Maya Lustig

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +972 54 6778100

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1862994/NEO_Semiconductor_Logo.jpg

SOURCE NEO Semiconductor
Stock Market Symbols

GIB (NYSE)

GIB.A (TSX)

www.cgi.com/newsroom

HAMBURG, BOCHUM and DARMSTADT, Germany, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) announces CGI Sense360, its cloud-based, smart analytics platform that gives emergency responders holistic and accurate situational awareness in the event of a disaster. Using comprehensive data sources and augmented reality, the platform creates a visual situation overview that helps organizations more efficiently organize and accelerate rescue operations.

Whether a disaster is caused by natural or human hazards, up-to-date information is critical to safe and successful rescue efforts. CGI Sense360 creates a holistic picture of a disaster using data from a variety of sources across the ecosystem, such as satellites, drones and maps; infrastructure, geospatial, weather and environmental data; and online databases, blogs and social media. The platform's integrated and secure communications system combines augmented reality, situational images and other data to create a visual overview that is shared with emergency responders in a context-aware manner to enable faster, safer rescue operations.

International aid organization I.S.A.R. (International Search and Rescue) in Germany is a project partner in the design and development of CGI Sense360. I.S.A.R. is certified by the United Nations for international rescue operations.

"We provide international assistance in humanitarian missions; for example, after natural disasters and accidents or in war zones," says Dr. Steven Bayer, Project Coordinator at I.S.A.R. "The immediate availability of detailed situation images and current data is crucial for efficient, rapid rescue measures. And, it is precisely this information that the new cloud-based data analytics platform CGI Sense360 can provide."

Development of the platform also is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). CGI space experts have worked closely with the ESA for about 40 years, including in Bochum and Darmstadt, Germany. CGI's current projects include the development of a centralized "pooling and sharing" system for secure satellite communications services.

"In rescue operations, analog processes still dominate in many cases," notes Stefan Wichert, Senior Vice President of CGI's operations in Northern Germany. "However, an exact situation picture and an unrestricted flow of information are indispensable in the event of a crisis or disaster. In addition, the time factor is important. With CGI Sense360, we offer a high-performance, intelligent and secure platform that meets these criteria. It delivers all the information needed for time-critical coordination and relief operations in near real-time. We see a very large market potential for our new platform, which takes the benefits of digitalization a decisive step forward."

CGI Sense360 initially is designed to support disaster rescue teams, for example, in war zones or in the event of terrorist attacks, accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and forest fires. The solution draws upon CGI's extensive experience in supporting clients globally with natural disaster planning and recovery programs. This includes developing wildfire mapping services using artificial intelligence and space data for the ESA, delivering England's Future Flood Forecasting System, and working with U.S. states and territories to deploy data management systems for administering natural disaster recovery programs. CGI continues to develop the CGI Sense360 solution for additional situational awareness scenarios, such as for the military, police and fire departments, and organizations with critical infrastructure such as utilities, airports and container terminals.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2021 reported revenue is $12.13 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

SOURCE CGI Inc.
Funding will support the Crazy 8 Initiative aimed at accelerating the search for cures for hard-to-treat cancers

MILWAUKEE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the 10-year anniversary of its Childhood Cancer Program, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, has committed $2 million to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to support the organization's Crazy 8 Initiative. As the initiative's largest funder, Northwestern Mutual's investment will support research for innovative and rigorous approaches that address the most intractable issues in pediatric cancer research.

In partnership with Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, Northwestern Mutual is playing a critical role in funding breakthrough research discoveries and lifesaving treatment for children with cancer.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8976451-northwestern-mutual-childhood-cancer-crazy-8-initiative-donation/

"Ten years ago, our company was inspired by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Alex Scott, and her belief that every child with cancer deserves access to quality treatments and cures that were not available to her," said Northwestern Mutual Foundation President Steve Radke. "In honor of our Childhood Cancer Program's 10-year anniversary, we are proud to continue supporting Alex's mission by investing in the Crazy 8 Initiative to advance the search for life-changing treatments and cures for families across the country."

ALSF's Crazy 8 Initiative is designed to bring scientists from a variety of disciplines together to collaborate and accelerate the pace of new cure discovery. Northwestern Mutual's funding will support larger-scale collaborations aimed at creating innovative treatments for incurable cancers, identifying and characterizing challenging cancers and utilizing cellular barcoding to fight pediatric leukemia.

"For 10 years, we are honored that Northwestern Mutual continues to be a steadfast partner to us in its commitment to finding childhood cancer cures," said Liz Scott, co-executive director of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Alex's mom. "Their $2 million commitment to our Crazy 8 Initiative is the latest example of how they are true partners in making sure that all kids with cancer can reach their fullest potential."

Since 2012, Northwestern Mutual has supported the fight against childhood cancer through its Childhood Cancer Program by donating more than $45 million to support families and survivors and has funded more than 520,000 hours of research with partners like Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and other nonprofit organizations across the United States.

Spotlight: Dr. Yael Mosse, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Cancer Center

Through ALSF's Crazy 8 Initiative, Dr. Yael Mosse, pediatric oncologist at CHOP's Cancer Center and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is leading a research team of international scientists to develop a drug that directly targets MYCN  the protein that causes many of the most aggressive and lethal pediatric cancers, including high-risk neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. Dr. Mosse and her team aim to develop the MYCN-directed drug in four years, prove that it is effective against the most lethal pediatric cancers and launch a clinical trial shortly after. Successful completion of this project will lead to curative new drugs for children with currently incurable cancers by targeting an essential protein that, until now, has been deemed undruggable.

Funded by ALSF and grants from Northwestern Mutual, Dr. Mosse also led the research team and clinical trial that resulted in breakthrough research and made treatment possible for Edie Gilger, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was six months old. Neuroblastoma is the same cancer Alex Scott had, and recently, a biopsy of Alex's tumor revealed that her neuroblastoma was caused by a mutation in the same gene that caused Edie's, and the treatment that cured Edie of her neuroblastoma could have treated Alex's cancer.

For 10 years, Northwestern Mutual has almost exclusively funded childhood cancer research through ALSF to honor Alex's mission and legacy, and Edie is proof that this research saves lives.

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation

The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $400 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of 4-year-old Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who was fighting cancer and wanted to raise money to find cures for all children with cancer. Her spirit and determination inspired others to support her cause, and when she passed away at the age of 8, she had raised $1 million. Since then, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement. Today, ALSF is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada raising more than $250 million so far, funding over 1,000 research projects and providing programs to families affected by childhood cancer. For more information, visit AlexsLemonade.org.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP positioned as highest in "Ability to Execute" and furthest on "Completeness of Vision" in service-centric cloud ERP market analysis

AUSTIN, Texas, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle has been named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Service-Centric Enterprises for Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The Magic Quadrant, which evaluated 10 providers, recognized Oracle as a Leader for its "Ability to Execute" and "Completeness of Vision". A complimentary copy of the report is available here.

According to the Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Service-Centric Enterprises report, "Leaders demonstrate a market-defining vision of how service-centric ERP systems and processes can be supported and improved by moving them to the cloud. They couple this with a clear Ability to Execute this vision through products, services, and go-to-market strategies."

"Oracle Cloud ERP is the only proven solution on the market that has the product depth and vertical breadth to meet the unique industry needs of our customers." said Rondy Ng, executive vice president of applications development, Oracle. "We believe the Gartner recognition highlights the trust placed in us by our service-centric customers for their digital back-office transformations and underscores their successes in overcoming unprecedented global challenges to thrive and prosper by leveraging continuous innovation from our SaaS."

Part of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite, a complete set of cloud applications designed and built for changing customer needs, Oracle Cloud ERP allows organizations to quickly optimize their business with touchless operations, predictive insights, and embedded collaboration features. With machine learning, artificial intelligence, and customer-driven innovations added every 90 days, Oracle Cloud ERP helps organizations increase efficiency, embrace new business models, respond to shifting market conditions and capitalize on new opportunities.

Over 11,000 organizations turn to Oracle Cloud ERP and Cloud HCM applications to run their businesses. Oracle Cloud ERP offers a comprehensive set of enterprise finance and operations capabilities, including financials, accounting hub, procurement, project management, enterprise performance management, risk management, subscription management, and supply chain management & manufacturing. Oracle Cloud HCM delivers market leading capabilities for human resources, talent management, workforce management, payroll, and the award winning employee experience platform, Oracle ME. These self-updating platforms provide customers with the industry's most advanced technologies every 90 days, giving organizations the ability to build, innovate, automate, adapt, and leverage new business opportunities on-demand.

Oracle has garnered consistent industry recognition for its finance applications. Oracle was named a Leader for the third successive time in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises and was ranked a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large and Global Enterprises" for the fifth straight year. Additionally, Oracle was named a Customers' Choice in the 2021 Gartner  Peer Insights 'Voice of the Customer': Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions. Finally, Oracle was named a Leader for the sixth successive year in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises.

To learn more about Oracle Cloud ERP customers, visit www.oracle.com/erp/customers/

Gartner Disclaimer

GARTNER and MAGIC QUADRANT are registered trademarks and service marks, and PEER INSIGHTS is a trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences, and should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle
WAIMEA, Hawaii, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Ranch seeks information and ideas to be considered as part of a potential Request for Proposals (RFP) for lessees to lease, on a long-term basis, approximately 7,600 acres of forested land in the Pa'auhau and Kalopa areas in Hamakua, Island of Hawai'i that are currently leased for a term ending in March 2025. Roughly 4,500 acres of the lands contain densely planted eucalyptus timber (spp. Grandis).

"We believe the upcoming expiration of the lease on the Pa'auhau lands presents a tremendous opportunity for a broad range of possibilities for the lands. We are excited to explore creative ideas for the highest and best uses of the lands," said Dutch Kuyper, President & CEO of Parker Ranch, Inc. "Sustainability and our strategic priorities of forestry, renewable energy, and food production will be very important to any decisions we make."

A Request for Information (RFI) will be issued in advance of a potential RFP that may involve a long-term arrangement for the forested lands on a sustainable basis, contributing to Hawai'i Island's economic growth and development, preserving and enhancing the forest resources, and helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Parties interested in providing information in response to the RFI may contact Zachary Judd, Forestry Manager at [email protected]. Responders also will have the opportunity to provide feedback on what should be included in the RFP, to meet the needs and interests of potential lessees of the lands.

About Parker Ranch

Parker Ranch is one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. Parker Ranch is operated by Parker Ranch, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parker Ranch Foundation Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose beneficiaries are Queen's North Hawai'i Community Hospital, Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, Parker School, and Hawai'i Community Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.parkerranch.com or www.prft.org.

SOURCE Parker Ranch
ALAMEDA, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN) today announced that its management team is scheduled to present at the Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

Event: Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2022 Time: 8:30am ET / 5:30am PT

A webcast of the presentation will be available by visiting the investors' section of the company's website at www.penumbrainc.com. The webcast will be available on the company's website for at least two weeks following the event.

About Penumbra

Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.penumbrainc.com and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Investor Relations

Penumbra, Inc.

510-995-2461

[email protected]

SOURCE Penumbra, Inc.
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP research shows that Pennsylvania voters and small business owners support the creation of Keystone Saves, a retirement savings program for workers who do not have access to one through their employer. Voters age 50-plus said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate for governor who supports creating Keystone Saves, according to an AARP poll. Further, four in five small business owners surveyed by AARP agree that Pennsylvania lawmakers should support Keystone Saves.

Research shows the people are 15 times more likely to save when they can do so out of their regular paycheck. Yet, roughly 44 percent of hardworking Pennsylvanians - nearly 2.1 million workers  do not have a way to save for retirement at work. To address this, AARP Pennsylvania is advocating for House Bill 2156, which will create Keystone Saves. This program will provide Pennsylvania workers with an easy way to save out of their regular paychecks, helping them grow the savings they need to take control of their financial future.

"The results of our recent surveys are crystal clear, small business owners in the Keystone State and Pennsylvania voters 50+ want elected officials to empower millions of Pennsylvanians to save for a financially secure and independent retirement," said Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director. "Keystone Saves is a common-sense, business-friendly solution to a big problem, which if left unfixed will cost Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $14 billion over 15 years in public assistance costs."

Together, the survey findings reveal:

Majorities of voters 50+ across party lines support Keystone Saves  with support from nearly 79% of Democrats, 68% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans.

83% of Black voters 50+ are strongly in favor of Keystone Saves.

voters 50+ are strongly in favor of Keystone Saves. 79% of small business owners agree that Pennsylvania lawmakers should support Keystone Saves.

lawmakers should support Keystone Saves. 73% of small business owners express concern that some Pennsylvania residents have not saved enough money for retirement and could end up reliant on public assistance programs.

AARP commissioned Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research to conduct the voter survey. The firms interviewed 1,382 likely Pennsylvania voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 500 likely voters, with an oversample of up to 550 likely voters age 50 and older, and an oversample of up to 332 African-American/Black likely voters age 50 and older. The survey was conducted between June 12-19 via landline, cellphone, and SMS-to-web. The margin of error for the 500 statewide sample is 4.4%; for the 855 total sample of voters 50+ it is 3.3%. View the full survey results .

AARP Research conducted a survey of 500 small business owners in Pennsylvania with 5 to 100 employees was commissioned by AARP to gauge the support of small business owners in the state for a publicprivate retirement savings program. The survey was fielded AprilMay 2022. View the full survey results.

For more information on how, when and where to vote in Pennsylvania, visit aarp.org/PAvotes. For more information on Keystone Saves, visit action.aarp.org/secure/support-keystone-saves.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol, @AARPadvocates and @AliadosAdelante on social media.

CONTACT: TJ Thiessen, (202) 374-8033, [email protected]

SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania
SHANGHAI, China, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the investment division of Viva Biotech, Viva BioInnovator is committed to being a collaborative platform for Innovative Biotech companies from around the world. Over the past 2 month, its portfolio companies have had great progress.

AIxplorerBIO and the Institute of Immunology at Tsinghua University Reached a Strategic Collaboration Agreement to Explore and Promote the R&D of New Drugs in the Field of Autoimmunity

Recently, AIxplorerBIO, which invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, reached a strategic collaboration agreement with the Institute of Immunology at Tsinghua University in the field of autoimmunity on the pathogenesis of selected diseases, the selection and validation of relevant targets, and other topics of mutual interests. The two sides held their first pipeline strategy meeting in Beijing on July 19. Professor Xiaoyu Hu, the Executive Director for the Institute, Professors Zhihua Liu and Wenwen Zeng participated in the discussion. This strategic collaboration, combined with the AIxplorerBio team's rich experience in drug R&D, coupled with the company's comprehensive AI drug discovery platform AIxMol, will position AIxplorerBio at the forefront in the AI drug discovery race to bring better treatment options to patients with autoimmune diseases.

CDE Accepted the IND Application of Genhouse's ERK1/2 Inhibitor GH55

On July 12th, 2022, Genhouse Bio, a biotech company focusing on developing next-generation small molecule anti-cancer therapeutics and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, announced that the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) has recently accepted the IND application for the new Class I drug, GH55. At the same time, the company is actively preparing for the IND filing of this program in the U.S.

The clinical trial application of GH55 further improves the strategic layout of Genhouse Bio's 1.0 pipeline in the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway. GH55 is a dual-mechanism ERK1/2 inhibitor that inhibits not only the kinase activity of ERK1/2, but also the activation of ERK1/2 by MEK. It thus has the potential to overcome the acquired drug resistance caused by the negative feedback loop.

VVN539, an Innovative Dual-target Glaucoma Drug Independently Developed by VivaVision, Completed the Enrollment of the First Patient in Phase II Clinical Trials in the United States

On July 8th, VivaVision Biotech, Inc. (VivaVision), an innovative ophthalmic drug company focusing on differentiation and global new development and which was invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, completed a big milestone. It announced that its self-developed dual-target drug VVN539 has completed the first patient enrollment of the Phase II clinical study for patients with open-angle glaucoma in Rochester Ophthalmological Group, New York, USA. This also sets a new milestone of the first independent innovation drug for glaucoma in China entering a stage for rapid advancement. This clinical study is a randomized, double-blinded, vehicle-controlled, dose-exploratory, phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of VVN539 eye drops. VVN539 is an ophthalmic drug independently developed by VivaVision with global intellectual property rights. As a new-generation drug with a dual-target mechanism, VVN539 directly acts on the trabecular meshwork of the eye to increase the outflow of aqueous humor and achieve an ideal reduction in the intraocular pressure.

Domain Therapeutics receives a single digit multimillion development milestone payment from Merck for M1069 clinical development in immuno-oncology

On June 28, 2022, Domain Therapeutics, which invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the research and development of innovative drugs targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) in immuno-oncology (IO), announced that it obtained a single digit multimillion milestone payment from Merck as part of the 240m ($261m) milestone payments and undisclosed royalties collaboration and license partnership signed in 2017.

M1069 is an orally available small molecule antagonist of adenosine receptors discovered jointly by both companies. This productive and successful partnership, based on Domain's expertise in GPCR medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and drug discovery, led to the identification of the drug candidate M1069 to be included in the oncology pipeline of Merck. This drug candidate is the first out of Domain's pipeline to reach clinical development stage in immuno-oncology.

Amberstone Biosciences Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board

Amberstone Biosciences, one of the companies invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, is an emerging biotech company with expertise in developing a new generation of cancer therapies. Recently, it announced the formation of a scientific advisory board which is comprised of industry leaders in the top fields of drug delivery, oncology, immunology, and pharmaceutical sciences. The advisory board will work jointly with Amberstone to advance the company's therapeutic programs based on its Tumor Microenvironment Activated Therapeutics (T-MATE) platform. The members of the Amberstone board include: Robert Langer, ScD, a co-founder and board director at Moderna and a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as the "father of tissue engineering and drug discovery", Philip Tagari, the vice president of research at Amgen, and other top scientists.

Anji Pharma Provides Updates on Two Lead Programs

Recently, Anji Pharma, an emerging global medicines company which was invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, has posted updates on two lead clinical programs - ANJ908 and ANJ900. They shared the progress on these programs at two prominent scientific conferences: Digestive Disease Week (DDW) from May 21st-24th in San Diego and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 82nd Scientific Sessions from June 3rd-7th in New Orleans. ANJ908 and ANJ900 both have major potential to unlock significant value in Anji's clinical pipeline and fulfill the mission of improving lives globally.

-Completed patient enrollment in Phase 2 study of ANJ908 (pradigastat) in chronic idiopathic constipation.

-Currently enrolling type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with normal, mild, and moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD stages 1-3B) in global Phase 3 study of ANJ900 (metformin delayed-release). It's on track for Q4 2022 expansion of ANJ900 global program into T2D with CKD3B/4 in U.S., China, and rest of world.

QurAlis Announces the Appointment of Anne C. Whitaker as Chair of the Board

On June 21, 2022, QurAlis Corporation, a biotech company that invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator, focused on developing breakthrough precision medicines for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets, announced the appointment of Anne Clem Whitaker as chair of its board of directors.

Ms. Whitaker is a seasoned healthcare executive and director with more than 30 years of extensive leadership and commercialization experience in pharmaceuticals, biotech, consumer products, and medical devices. Her addition to the board advance the goal of halting disease progression and significantly improve outcomes for patients with ALS and other serious neurodegenerative diseases.

About AIxplorerBio

We are an AI-powered, structure-based drug R&D biotech company. We focus on the discovery and development of new medicines for immunological and neurodegenerative diseases. In the quest for the new medications, we are committed to creating a AI-powered, data-driven, structure-based, efficient drug R&D paradigm through introduction, cooperation and technological innovation.

About Genhouse

Genhouse Bio is a clinical-stage biotech company focusing on the development of global next-generation anti-cancer therapeutics, headquartered in the Suzhou Industry Park. The senior management team of Genhouse has multiple years of experience in new drug development, clinical research and corporate management. Genhouse has a clear focus on original innovation and overcoming those "undruggable" targets.

About VivaVivion Biotech

VivaVision is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on best-in-class and first-in-class therapies for ocular diseases. Besides VVN001 program, VivaVision is developing VVN539 for the treatment for Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension, and VVN461 for the treatment of non-infectious ocular inflammation of Uveitis. VivaVision is also engaged in discovery and development of novel therapies for the treatment of other anterior and posterior eye diseases. For more info, visit www.vivavisionbio.com.

About Domain Therapeutics

Domain Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company operating in France and Canada, is dedicated to the discovery and development of new drug candidates targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), one of the most important classes of drug targets. The company focuses on developing high-value drug candidates to tackle GPCR-mediated immunosuppression in immune-oncology. www.domaintherapeutics.com

About Amberstone Biosciences

Incorporated in 2018, Amberstone Biosciences is an emerging biotherapeutics company developing a novel class of tumor microenvironment activated immunotherapeutics to treat solid cancers. For more information, visit www.amberstonebio.com.

About Anji Pharma

Anji Pharma is a clinical-stage company dedicated to bringing life-changing therapies to patients across the globe. Anji's asset-centric business model allows for speed and flexibility in building value, leveraging a clinical and regulatory core that operates with "hub-and-spoke" efficiency. Anji's clinical pipeline includes gut-targeted metformin (ANJ900 in Phase 3) intended for glucose management in patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced chronic kidney disease, as well as pradigastat (ANJ908 in Phase 2) for treatment of functional constipation. For more info, visit www.anjipharma.com.

About QurAlis

QurAlis is trailblazing the path to conquering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets with next-generation precision medicines. QurAlis' proprietary platforms and unique biomarkers enable the design and development of drugs that act directly on disease-causing genetic alterations. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is advancing a deep pipeline of antisense oligonucleotides and small molecule programs including addressing sub-forms of ALS that account for the majority of ALS patients. For more information, please visit www.quralis.com.

CONTACT: Wei Ding, [email protected]

SOURCE Viva Biotech Holdings
SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global proteomics market size is expected to reach USD 70.56 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 13.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The major factors driving the industry growth are a rise in the demand for personalized medicine, an expansion of the pipeline of diagnostics utilizing proteomics mass spectrometry as well as biochip platforms, and discoveries based on genomics. Moreover, owing to the importance of proteomics in drug development, numerous pharmaceutical companies have established their own proteomic divisions, which are fueling the expansion of the global industry. For instance, in September 2021, Biognosys, announced the collaboration with Evotec, to promote the use of next-generation proteomics in clinical research and drug discovery.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

The reagent & consumables product segment held the largest share in 2021 due to rising research activities and the growing demand for protein separation from complicated mixtures for efficient analysis.

The clinical diagnostics application segment held a larger share in 2021 due to the development of sophisticated & specialized tests for early disease detection and disease management.

The spectroscopy technology segment held the maximum share in 2021 owing to the increasing usage in toxicological response profiling, basic molecular biology, biomarker identification, and pharmaceutical target screening.

North America led the global industry in 2021 due to a rise in demand for personalized drugs, the existence of major players operating in the U.S. and a highly developed healthcare research framework, and substantial expenditure on R&D.

led the global industry in 2021 due to a rise in demand for personalized drugs, the existence of major players operating in the U.S. and a highly developed healthcare research framework, and substantial expenditure on R&D. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR over the projected period due to factors, such as the rising prevalence of target diseases, increasing aging population, and rising proteomics adoption.

Read 175-page full market research report, "Proteomics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Services, Reagents & Consumables, Instruments), By Technology (Spectroscopy, Microarray), By Application, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Proteomics Market Growth & Trends

The COVID-19 outbreak is expected to have a significant impact on the industry, as researchers across the world are concentrating on decoding 3D structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. To create effective medications and biological products against COVID-19, scientists are also attempting to examine the identification techniques, structures, characterization, and interactions of these proteins. The protein structure of virus proteins and their specific locations must be understood to find a novel, efficient target treatment medication for a virus. Therefore, it will increase the demand for drug development for COVID-19 and propel industry growth. The growing need for customized medications increased R&D spending, and technological developments related to proteomics components are also driving the market.

In addition, attractive market expansion potential for proteomics is anticipated to come from improvements in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and lucrative opportunities related to biomarker identification. Thereby, propelling the market growth. The introduction of new and improved proteomics techniques by major industry participants is projected to further accelerate the growth of the industry. For instance, to provide quick data acquisition for shotgun proteomics, Bruker Corp. introduced the tipstaff Pro system for Parallel Accumulation and Serial Fragmentation (PASEF) mass spectrometry in September 2017. This system uses proprietary Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry (TIMS) technology. Furthermore, proteomic research advancements have accelerated the detection of protein biomarkers, protein biochips & pharmacoproteomics, and proteomics-based molecular diagnostics, which have all made significant contributions to the development of personalized medicine

Proteomics Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global proteomics market based on product, application, technology, and region:

Proteomics Market - Product Scope Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Instruments

Reagents & Consumables

Services

Proteomics Market - Application Scope Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Drug Discovery

Clinical Diagnostics

Others

Proteomics Market - Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Microarray Instruments

X-Ray Crystallography

Spectroscopy

Chromatography

Protein Fractionation Systems

Electrophoresis

Surface Plasma Resonance (SPR) Systems

Proteomics Market - Regional Scope Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany

Asia Pacific

Japan



China

Latin America

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

List of Key Players of Proteomics Market

Illumina, Inc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

GE Healthcare

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Bruker Corporation

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Promega Corp.

Merck KGaA.

Danaher

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Cancer/Tumor Profiling Market - The global cancer/tumor profiling market size is expected to reach USD 21.08 billion by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising research in the application of omics sciences in cancer detection is anticipated to influence market growth.

The global cancer/tumor profiling market size is expected to reach by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising research in the application of omics sciences in cancer detection is anticipated to influence market growth. Cancer Biomarkers Market - The global cancer biomarkers market size is expected to reach a value of USD 33.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 14.3% based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing initiatives for development of drugs targeting novel cancer biomarkers coupled with the introduction of technologically advanced companion diagnostic kits is estimated to provide the market with high growth potential. Increasing awareness about personalized medicines amongst patients is further anticipated to boost adoption of cancer biomarkers.

- The global cancer biomarkers market size is expected to reach a value of by 2025, at a CAGR of 14.3% based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing initiatives for development of drugs targeting novel cancer biomarkers coupled with the introduction of technologically advanced companion diagnostic kits is estimated to provide the market with high growth potential. Increasing awareness about personalized medicines amongst patients is further anticipated to boost adoption of cancer biomarkers. Protein Labeling Market - The global protein labeling market size is expected to reach USD 4.11 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2022 to 2030. The study of Post-translational Modification (PTM) of proteins has gained immense popularity in cell biology and disease treatment and prevention. The introduction of effective quantification methods of protein expression with the use of tagging strategies, such as iodoTMTzero Label Reagent that detects nitrosylation, has driven an efficient determination of PTMs. Therefore, a rise in PTM-related studies is driving the market. The emergence of novel techniques and the launch of improved products are expected to positively influence market growth.

Browse through Grand View Research's Biotechnology Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

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Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
New industry award program recognizes excellence in the nonprofit sector

DALLAS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pursuant, a leading fundraising and marketing agency serving the nonprofit sector, announces the winners of the inaugural 40 Over Forty Award, recognizing the work of nonprofit professionals who are driving lasting change around the world.The 40 Over Forty Award celebrates the longevity of impact by honoring those who consistently set a high bar for excellence in the nonprofit sectorelevating their organization, the people around them, and the lives of the people who are making a difference in the world.

"It's been a monumental time of change in everything from the way we drive community impact, engage donors, and support inclusive strategies," states Trent Ricker, CEO & President of Pursuant. "The 2022 40 Over Forty Award list highlights the influencers, creators, and executives who have shaped the philanthropic landscapeand are paving the way for what comes next."

Conceived by Pursuant, the award program was co-developed by a committee of nonprofit executives, including NonProfit Pro, Merkle RMG, and Barker & Scott. The collaboration blends industry experience, insights, and perspectives to identify and recognize the community of leaders.

"While we love celebrating rising stars, we can't forget about the nonprofit professionals who have committed their careers to driving positive change and impact," states Doug Barker, Co-Founder & Principal at Barker & Scott Consulting. "The 40 Over Forty Awards honor industry peers with noteworthy contributions across all philanthropic sectors  from groundbreaking creative work and innovative campaigns to impactful community mentoring and a commitment to DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion)."

Learn more about the 2022 40 Over 40 Award winners - https://info.pursuant.com/40-over-40-recipients

Pursuant

Founded in 2001, Pursuant is a leading fundraising and marketing agency serving the nonprofit sector, through direct mail, digital, and analytics. Powered by our GivingDNA platform, we extend an organization's impact by allowing more people to experience the joy of giving. www.pursuant.com .

Merkel RMG

Merkle Response Management Group (RMG) combines best-in-class direct response processing, customer care and fulfillment solutions with actionable data insights to create an improved donor and customer experience that ultimately increases retention and revenue. www.merkleresponse.com .

Barker & Scott

Barker & Scott Consulting (BSC) helps non-profits leverage the power of information technology for strategic advancement, operational excellence, and mission success.

www.barkerandscott.com

NonProft Pro

Developed for thought leaders and innovators, NonProfit PRO is the go-to media source for nonprofit management and strategy. www.nonprofitpro.com

Media Contact:

Meghan Wollack

Pursuant

214.866.7700

SOURCE The Pursuant Group Inc
As Congress extends pandemic school lunch waivers and a growing number of states pass or consider universal meal laws, Revolution Foods expands by 50% to ensure all children, seniors and communities can access healthy and fresh food.

OAKLAND, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Revolution Foods, a Public Benefit Corporation and B-Corporation committed to serving fresh, healthy, delicious, meals accessible to all, today announced the acquisition of Better 4 You Meals (B4YM), the leading provider of school and senior citizen fresh, vended meal services in California and Nevada. The B4YM acquisition will enable Revolution Foods to grow its production and community impact by approximately 50%.

"We wake up every day focused on how we personally feed students and families in the communities in which we live and operate," said Dominic Engels, Chief Executive Officer of Revolution Food. "Combining efforts with B4YM will better equip us to make good on the promise of California's new Universal Meals program, and the growing number of programs and initiatives taking aim at food insecurity around the country."

Food insecurity now touches more than 40 million Americans, including 22 million school-aged children who rely on schools for their meals. Despite the extension of federal waivers following the long-awaited and recent signing of the Keep Kids Fed Act in late June, community organizations and schools are continuing to struggle to meet demand amidst continued supply chain pressures in labor, raw materials and logistics.

Founded in 2006 with a commitment to providing healthy meals for all, Revolution Foods has delivered more than 800 million fresh meals that meet or exceed federal nutrition and ingredient standards. Crafted locally now with over 1,200 employees in Oakland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, New Jersey, and Washington D.C., Revolution Foods and B4YM now reach over 6,800 schools, community organizations, and seniors nationwide. The acquisition of B4YM strengthens Revolution Foods' impact and reach specifically in California and Nevada.

"Since day one, we have admired Revolution Foods' work here in California and nationally," said Fernando Castillo, B4YM CEO. "As Public Benefit Corporation with an abiding commitment to the communities we serve, I know that the combination of our philosophies and food can have an even more profound impact on providing more healthful alternatives to food insecurity."

About Revolution Foods

Founded in 2006, Revolution Foods is a B-Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation committed to serving fresh, healthy, delicious, affordable and culturally diverse meals accessible to K12 students and other food insecure consumer segments in the community via a network of 9 locations, supported by more than 1,200 team members. In 2021, the company was recognized as one of Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies 2021" and has consistently been named one of the fastest-growing inner city job creators in the U.S. In July 2022, B Lab recognized Revolution Foods as a "2022 Best for the World Company" for exceptional impact with our customers on transforming citywide wellness.

SOURCE Revolution Foods
MENLO PARK, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Katherine Spencer Lee, a 27-year veteran of global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

During her tenure at Robert Half, Lee has held many leadership roles, including executive director for the technology practice group, operational president for professional talent solutions in the Eastern United States and, most recently, operational president for U.S. technology and legal talent solutions.

Katherine Spencer Lee, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Robert Half

"Our company is built on exceptional people, industry-leading technology, innovation and inclusion," said M. Keith Waddell, president and chief executive officer of Robert Half. "Katherine's excellence in these areas and her extensive leadership experience and industry expertise position her for great success in this role."

Lee has been named to Staffing Industry Analysts' Global Power 150  Women in Staffing list multiple times. A champion for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, she serves as an executive sponsor of Robert Half's internal Black Employee Network group. Lee is also an advocate for community involvement and is active in several organizations, including the American Heart Association and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

About Robert Half

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions and business consulting firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Robert Half offers contract and permanent placement solutions and is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm. Visit roberthalf.com and download the company's award-winning mobile app.

SOURCE Robert Half
Released consolidated financial position of the company based on its full acquisition of Samsung Bioepis completed on April 20, 2022

Achieved record-high semi-annual revenue exceeding KRW 1 trillion

Recorded Q2'22 revenue of KRW 503.7 billion for the company's CDMO business

for the company's CDMO business Recorded Q2'22 revenue of KRW 232.8 billion for Samsung Bioepis's biosimilars business

for Samsung Bioepis's biosimilars business Business operations remain stable with expanded base for future growth

INCHEON, South Korea, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Biologics (KRX: 207940.KS), the world's leading contract development and manufacturing organization, today announced strong financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.

John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, stated, "Samsung Biologics delivered another strong quarterly performance ahead of our guidance with our revenue exceeding KRW 1 trillion for the first half of the year. Operations are seamless across all our plants, and the partial completion of Plant 4 is just around the corner, scheduled to commence operations in October this year. We completed a deal to fully acquire Samsung Bioepis, expanding and diversifying our revenue base and business portfolio. More recently, we have officially signed an agreement to purchase land for Bio campus II. All these factors signal that we have a strong momentum going, and that we are well on track in our expansion plans to serve the increasing market demands."

SECOND QUARTER 2022 RESULTS

Samsung Biologics demonstrated strong operational excellence and business agility in the second quarter with earnings exceeding initial projections.

Reporting under the consolidated approach for the first time since the acquisition in April, Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis in the second fiscal quarter recorded a revenue of KRW 651.4 billion, operating profit of KRW 169.7 billion, and net profit of KRW 152 billion with EBITDA margin of 39.7%.

On a standalone basis, the second quarter 2022 revenue for Samsung Biologics was KRW 503.7 billion, an increase of 22.2% from KRW 412.2 billion reported for the second quarter in the previous year, due to efficiency in operations despite a scheduled slow-down of Plant 2, and attributable to the expansion of product sales.

Samsung Biologics also reported an operating profit of KRW 171.9 billion, 3.18% higher than the prior-year period, and a net profit of KRW 101.8 billion with an operating profit margin of 34.1% for the same quarter.

On a standalone basis, Samsung Bioepis earned KRW 232.8 billion in revenue, 24.2% higher than the prior-year period attributable to the increase in sales of its biosimilar products in global markets including the US and Europe. Samsung Bioepis's operating profit increased significantly by 95.7% compared to the prior-year period, at KRW 58.5 billion.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 OUTLOOK

The construction of Samsung Biologics Plant 4 is on schedule with 6 X 10KL production capacity expected to commence operations in October. The company has secured a number of large scale manufacturing contracts with active presales activities for Plant 4, and at the close of Q2, in the first half of 2022 alone, the company had secured over USD 7.9 billion in sales backlog including deals with Janssen, Merck, GSK, Lilly, and Novartis to name a few.

Earlier this month, Samsung Biologics secured additional land sized at 357,366  and approximately 30% larger than its current site, to support the build out of its second campus. At the newly acquired site, the company will host additional large-scale manufacturing facilities as well as an open innovation facility.

Samsung Biologics also published its second annual ESG Report this month, reflecting the company's latest sustainability efforts to address a wide range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities related to its business. The company aims to build an eco-friendly business environment and achieve net zero GHG emissions in its operations, and continue to enhance its social contribution activities that strive to support the health of its local communities.

Samsung Bioepis has a total of six biosimilar products approved and commercially available in different markets[1], and its revenue has steadily grown driven by increases in global product sales and milestone payments.

Of the six products, SB4, a biosimilar to Enbrel (etanercept), which was launched in Europe in 2016, has surpassed its originator's sales in Europe by overtaking the majority of the market share, and the company recently launched SB11, a biosimilar to Lucentis (ranibizumab), in June 2022 in the US. With four additional biosimilar candidates in late stage development, Samsung Bioepis is solidifying its position as a leading company in the biosimilars industry.

For more details on performance and financials, please refer to the Earnings Release.

About Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Biologics (KRX: 207940.KS) is a fully integrated CDMO offering state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing services. With proven regulatory approvals, the largest capacity, and the fastest throughput, Samsung Biologics is an award-winning partner of choice and is uniquely able to support the development and manufacturing of biologics products at every stage of the process while meeting the evolving needs of biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. For more information, visit samsungbiologics.com.

[1] The number of launched products varies by countries.

Samsung Biologics Contact:

Claire Kim

Senior Director of Global Marketing Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Samsung Biologics
Gladstone scientists engineer living biosensors to track the genetic activity of cells

SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- If you want to track a person's activities for a day, you could call them up every ten minutes and ask what they're doing. Easier, though, would be to provide them with a journal to log their own actions. Scientists often rely on a method akin to the first to track how cells change over time; they pick cells out of a group at set time points and take a snapshot of their genetic activity.

Researchers at Gladstone developed a biological device, named a Retro-Cascorder, that logs a cells genetic activity for days at a time by recording data within strands of DNA. Photo: Michael Short/Gladstone Institutes

Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes have developed a tool more like a journal or receipt bookit logs a cell's genetic activity for days at a time. The biological device, named a Retro-Cascorder, records data within strands of DNA, which can then be analyzed at any time to get the cell's activity log.

"This new way of collecting molecular data gives us an unprecedented window into cells," says Gladstone Assistant Investigator Seth Shipman, PhD, senior author of the new study published in the journal Nature. "In addition to providing a new tool for basic research, it lets us engineer cells to be living biosensors that can record changes to their environment."

A New Toolkit

While all cells within an organism have identical genomes, they differ in which genes are turned on or off at any given time. Researchers can measure the degree to which a given gene is turned on inside a cell at different timepoints to track how the cell's behavior, function, or identity changes over time.

Shipman and his colleagues wanted to engineer a system that would automatically record every time a particular gene was turned on. This would provide a more detailed look at a gene's activity pattern. Shipman has long been interested in the use of DNA to store datain 2017, he encoded a movie into the DNA of living bacteriaso DNA was a natural medium for the cellular logbook.

"DNA is a flexible data storage medium in which you can really encode whatever you want," says Shipman. "It's also easy to use because it already exists within cells."

For the first step in creating the Retro-Cascorder, Shipman's group turned to retrons, bacterial elements that produce a specific sequence of DNA when activated. The researchers added a retron to the gene of interest. Every time the gene was activated, the retron machinery would also create a corresponding bit of DNA with a barcode unique to that gene.

"That retron acts like a receipt that tells you the gene was just turned on," says Santi Bhattarai-Kline, the first author of the new paper and a former research associate at Gladstone.

Next, the team wanted a molecular ledger to record these receipts in chronological order. For that, they used CRISPR arrays, long repetitive sequences of DNA where bacteria normally copy bits of genetic information they need for immune memoryin the order they receive this information.

By integrating these arrays into the same cells as the retron machinery, Shipman's group ensured that each DNA receipt produced by the retrons would be inserted into the CRISPR array. To retrieve the information contained in the CRISPR array, researchers just had to sequence the cell's genome and look at the succession of retron receipts in the array.

Cellular Sensors

To show the utility of their new Retro-Cascorder, Shipman and his colleagues engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells to contain retrons in genes that were known to be activated in the presence of certain chemicals. They showed that, over 48 hours, a CRISPR array could accurately record the order in which these genes were turned onand therefore the order in which the researchers added these chemicals.

"This kind of application is what we think our system will be most useful for in the short-term," says Bhattarai-Kline. "Researchers could install multiple biosensors in a cell and use them to monitor an environment over time, from a pond or wastewater facility to the inside of the human gut."

In its current form, the Retro-Cascorder only tells researchers the order in which genes were turned on, not the amount of time that elapsed between these events. However, CRISPR arrays are constantly adding small bits of free-floating DNA inside cells as part of their immune memory function. If researchers discover that they are added at a predictable pace, these DNA bits could offer a kind of molecular clock to time precisely when each retron is integrated, and therefore when each gene activated.

So far, Shipman's group has only used the system to track a few genes at a time, rather than the many dozens that researchers might want to simultaneously monitor in the future. But the team is actively working on ways to expand Retro-Cascorders and adapt the system for use in cell types other than bacteria.

"This is not a perfect system yet, but we think it's still going to be better than existing methods, which only enable you to measure one event at a time," says Shipman.

About the Research Project

The paper "Recording gene expression order in DNA by CRISPR addition of retron barcodes" was published in the journal Nature on July 27, 2022.

Other authors are Sierra Lear, Chloe Fishman, and Santiago Lopez of Gladstone; Elana Lockshin of Duke University; Max Schubert and George Church of Harvard University; and Jeff Nivala of the University of Washington.

The work was supported by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (1DP2GM140917-01), the UCSF Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research, the L.K. Whittier Foundation, the National Science Foundation (2034836), and a Berkeley Fellowship for Graduate Study.

About Gladstone Institutes

To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impactunsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco.

Media Contact: Julie Langelier | Associate Director, Communications | [email protected] | 415.734.5000

1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158 | gladstone.org

SOURCE Gladstone Institutes
Project aims to reduce shoreline erosion, enhance water quality and habitat, and increase the city's resiliency by restoring Sugarloaf Island with living shorelines and other natural shoreline stabilization techniques.

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, aquatic restoration specialists Sea & Shoreline , the North Carolina Coastal Federation, and the Town of Morehead City, NC announced a partnership to increase the resiliency of downtown Morehead City, NC by protecting nearby Sugarloaf Island from continual shoreline erosion. The project team is working with Quible & Associates and local experts to identify and design the best shoreline stabilization methods for the island that balance shoreline protection, public uses, and natural resource conservation. One of the methods being considered is a hybrid approach utilizing offshore wave attenuation devices (WADs) to reduce erosion, seagrass plantings to stabilize the sediment and create essential fish habitat, and a living shoreline to build salt marsh and upland vegetation. The $2 million project is being funded by the NC state legislature. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

Sugarloaf Island, Morehead City, NC

Sugarloaf Island is a vital destination for many local residents, tourists, and wildlife. Currently, the seaward shoreline of the Island is eroding, leaving uprooted trees and vegetation behind. In addition, wave exposure and swift currents are eroding the shoreline, sweeping nutrient-rich sediment into the water column, degrading water quality, and filling in navigational channels.

The restoration techniques will not impede normal vessel traffic because they will be installed in areas too shallow for boats to navigate safely at high speeds. Wave attenuation structures will be staggered so that fishing can occur in and around the structures.

The project is expected to:

Stop erosion and increase the shoreline

Increase fish habitat and fishing opportunities

Enhance the coastal resilience of Morehead City

Increase ecotourism opportunities

Enhance seagrass and water quality

Stop tree loss

Stop shorebird habitat loss

Increase carbon sequestration

According to Brian Henry, Director of Sea & Shoreline's North and South Carolina offices, "We are excited to partner with not only the Federation and the City on this project, but also other local companies to restore our beloved island."

"This is a wonderful opportunity to protect and restore Sugarloaf Island so that it continues to provide important recreation, fish habitat, and storm protection values," says Todd Miller, Executive Director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. "The Federation supports and appreciates the financial support provided by the North Carolina General Assembly to Morehead City to allow this project to move forward in preventing this island from washing away."

According to Morehead City Mayor Jerry Jones, "Protecting and restoring our island has been a priority for this City for years and now, thanks to the State Legislature, we finally have the funding to make it happen. We're looking forward to working closely with the professionals from Sea & Shoreline and the North Carolina Coastal Federation to see this project come to fruition."

The Federation has contracted with Sea & Shoreline to construct the project. Sea & Shoreline has completed over 150 aquatic restoration projects including offshore breakwaters, living shorelines, and seagrass restorations.

ABOUT SEA & SHORELINE

Sea & Shoreline, LLC is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that restores fresh and saltwater habitats to healthy and self-sustaining ecosystems. Services include seagrass restorations, oyster, coral and artificial reefs, dredging, living shorelines, vegetated retaining walls, shoreline stabilizations, and wave attenuation. For more information, please visit seaandshoreline.com , or follow us on social media LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube .

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL FEDERATION

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a member-supported 501(c)3 that focuses on protecting and restoring the North Carolina coast. Since 1982, the Federation has been in the field restoring miles of coastline; training and educating students, adults and communities to take actions that result in cleaner coastal waters and advocating for an accessible, healthy, productive coast. Created to give a united voice to the need for long-term coastal management, the Federation remains a collaborative, grassroots organization at its heart and brings together traditional and nontraditional organizations, government agencies and businesses in order to achieve what is best for the North Carolina coast and to leave a legacy of clean water for future generations. The Federation has 16,000 supporters and reaches almost 300,000 people directly each year. For more information, please visit nccoast.org , or follow us on social media LinkedIn , Facebook , and Instagram .

Photo by Fairley Cessna of Cessna Drone Services, courtesy of Randy Boyd of Atlantic Reefmaker.

Heather Herold Stacia Strong Alize Proisy Sea & Shoreline NC Coastal Federation Town of Morehead City [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] (321) 626-6760 (252) 393-8185 (252) 726-6848 ext. 157

SOURCE Sea & Shoreline, LLC
MADRID, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seedtag, the leader in contextual advertising in EMEA and LATAM, has today announced that it has raised over 250M in funding from private equity investor Advent International.

The company intends to use the funds to further scale its Contextual AI technology, LIZ, as well as for innovation and worldwide operations, advancing its expansion into the US, the world's largest advertising market, and providing additional firepower for further M&A activity as Seedtag embarks on its next phase of international growth. Growth in the United States is a key strategic focus, with Albert Nieto, co-CEO and co-founder of Seedtag relocating, and offices in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles now established.

Over the past eight years, Seedtag has built a privacy-first advertising solution, pioneering the use of AI and machine learning to create the best contextual product in the market. Seedtag's solution is currently the leading contextual solution in Europe and Latin America, with its AI and programs such as Seedtag LAB providing advertisers with a much deeper understanding of user interest without the use of personal data.

Seedtag aims to continue moving forward on its mission to become the global contextual advertising partner for brands and publishers. This investment represents a large step forward, following the outstanding success during the past year. This includes the acquisition of French adtech company KMTX (previously Keymantics), a leading French company specialized in building AI models to optimize and automate performance marketing campaigns, and securing funding from Oakley Capital last year.

As part of the transaction, Seedtag's core existing institutional investors - Oakley Capital, Adara and All Iron Ventures - will remain investors, supporting the company in its next phase of growth.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, will continue as investors, leading the business from both its Spanish and US headquarters.

Jorge Poyatos and Albert Nieto, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seedtag, stated: "We're very excited about this partnership with Advent. This investment will massively accelerate our US expansion, boost our growth and reinforce our team and the development of our technology. This move further supports our mission of building the global leading platform for contextual advertising, offering an effective solution for cookieless advertising on the open web."

Gonzalo Santos, Managing Director at Advent International and Head of Spain, said: "Seedtag has established itself as a leading player in Europe and Latin America in the very dynamic contextual advertising sector. We are delighted to partner with Jorge and Albert as they continue to build on this momentum. With our international presence and deep sector expertise, Advent will work with the Seedtag management team to further expand the business internationally. We look forward to supporting this hugely exciting business to grow and scale-up and to taking it to the next level."

LionTree acted as exclusive financial advisor to Seedtag. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Seedtag. Uria and Citigroup acted as advisors to Advent.

About Seedtag

Seedtag is the leading Contextual Advertising Company that creates highly impactful and engaging solutions for relevant premium visual content, powering targeting and returns for top publishers and the finest brands. The company's contextual A.I. allows brands to engage with consumers within their universe of interest on a cookie-free basis.

Seedtag was founded in Madrid in 2014 by two ex-Googlers who wanted to get the most out of editorial images and to this day it is a global company that more than 300 employees and an important international presence with offices in Spain, France, Italy, UK, Benelux, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Chile and the US.

About Advent International

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 395 private equity investments across 41 countries, and as of March 31, 2022, had 68.6 billion in assets under management. With 15 offices in 12 countries, Advent has established a globally integrated team of 270 private equity investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology. For over 35 years, Advent has been dedicated to international investing and remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies.

Advent is an experienced investor in the media, marketing and digital transformation sectors, with deep expertise and global experience. Relevant investments in this space include Ansira, a Leading data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions provider, specializing in the integration of local and national marketing programs; CI&T, the leading provider of digital transformation services in Brazil; Encora, a global digital engineering services company specializing in software product development; Nielsen IQ, a comprehensive data, analytics and insights company for global retailers and brands and Tag, an omnichannel content production partner.

Advent began investing in Spain in 1990, making it one of the first international private equity firms to operate in the Iberian Peninsula and has invested over 900 million in the country in total to date.

SOURCE Seedtag; Advent International
Factors such as the increased upgrading and modernization of aircraft, growing use of electronics in the military, and rising military expenditure will offer immense growth opportunities. However, the high cost associated with manufacturing, high-quality semiconductors required for military use, and the growing concerns over security will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Request a Sample Report Now

The semiconductor market in the military and aerospace industry is segmented as below:

Product

Memory



Logic



MOS Microcomponents



Analog



Others

The memory segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2021. The segment is driven by the increased use of processes in various devices. Also, the growing use of technology in weapon systems will drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

Geography

North America



Europe



APAC



MEA



South America

36% of the market growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. The increasing investments in defense by governments in the region is the prime factor driving the growth of the regional market. In addition, the expansion of semiconductor fabrication facilities will have a positive impact on the growth of the semiconductor market in North America during the forecast period.

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our semiconductor market in the military and aerospace industry report covers the following areas:

Semiconductor Market in Military and Aerospace Industry 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the semiconductor market in the military and aerospace industry, including some of the dominant vendors. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the semiconductor market in the military and aerospace industry is designed to provide entry support, customer profile, and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

Semiconductor Market in Military and Aerospace Industry 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist semiconductor market growth in the military and aerospace industry during the next five years

Estimation of the semiconductor market size in the military and aerospace industry and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the semiconductor market in the military and aerospace industry

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of semiconductor market vendors in the military and aerospace industry

Related Reports:

Semiconductor Market in Military and Aerospace Industry: Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 10.17% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 3.89 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 23.25 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 36% Key consumer countries US, France, China, Canada, and Taiwan Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Infineon Technologies AG, KCB Solutions LLC, Microchip Technology Inc., Micron Technology Inc., SEMICOA, Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, Semtech Corp., Teledyne Technologies Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., and Xilinx Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Memory - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Logic - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

MOS microcomponents - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Analog - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Product

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Infineon Technologies AG

KCB Solutions LLC

Microchip Technology Inc.

Micron Technology Inc.

SEMICOA

Semtech Corp.

Teledyne Technologies Inc.

Texas Instruments Inc.

Xilinx Inc.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Geek+ delivers four types of autonomous mobile robots in Siemens Switchgear's Shanghai warehouse to create end-to-end system.

warehouse to create end-to-end system. New robots power Siemens Switchgear's Plan For Every Part (PFEP) logistics model, which fully automates both picking and production line distribution.

SHANGHAI, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Geekplus, the global leader in autonomous mobile robots, has expanded collaboration with electronic components manufacturer Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai with the second phase of a smart manufacturing automation project. The expansion introduces more of Geekplus's goods-to-person picking and materials handling robots to the multi-robot configuration and opens up a further 3000m2 of automated warehousing space. The system achieved a delivery accuracy rate of 100%, with materials accuracy of over 99.98% in the production line.

Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai first joined forces with Geekplus in 2019 and successfully built a full-process flexible automated intelligent logistics factory using four types of Geekplus robots: P800R goods-to-person picking robots, MP1000R moving robots, RS2 tote-to-person robots, and X-series four-way shuttles for high-density storage. The entire manufacturing process is now automated with robots, from inbound receiving, to in-store stock management, outbound stock collection, and production line delivery.

Junzhe Yang, Vice President of China Region at Geekplus, said: "We are very proud of this end-to-end automation success with Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai. The company makes cutting-edge electronics technology, and Geekplus uses robotics technology to power their operations. The result is a beautiful example of how well smart intralogistics can function."

With the growth of Siemens Switchgear's business, new demands for storage capacity, material informatization, distribution timeliness, and accuracy have arisen. The implementation of a Plan For Every Part (PFEP) logistics model is a key step for Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai to react to this new reality. Entrusting the running of the site to Geekplus's smart technology and sophisticated software provides the 360 inventory oversight that this strategy requires. Geekplus has created a fully automated, flexible, multi-robot solution that represents a breathrough in intelligent manufacturing.

In this second phase of the project, Geekplus added more MP1000R moving robots equipped with laser-guided simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) capabilities to the production line without interrupting operations. Managed by Geekplus's warehouse management system, these robots autonomously carry out on-time delivery of raw materials to where they are needed in the production line. This precise matching of required materials and delivery times reduces line side warehouse space requirements by half and yields a material handling accuracy rate of over 99.98%.

In realizing this expansion, Geekplus engineers listened to Siemens Switchgear's experiences with the first-phase configuration. To better meet the client's needs, the Geekplus team optimized the paths layout of the four-way shuttle storage system and the layout of the picking workstations. The outbound throughput rate has increased from 500 pallets per day to 1000 pallets per day. They also added a steel platform to create a second storage level operated by the original P800R fleet, with a new cluster of P800Rs equipped with square pallet docking with low-level hoists in the materials receiving area on the ground floor. These additions, along with more MP1000R moving robots, have been seamlessly integrated into Siemens Switchgear's fully automated facility and freed up an additional 3000m2 of storage space.

Geekplus and Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai will further deepen their cooperation, expand application scenarios, explore innovative solutions, and continue to lead the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.

About Geek+

Geek+ is a global technology company leading the intelligent logistics revolution. We apply advanced robotics and AI technologies to realize flexible, reliable, and highly efficient solutions for warehouses and supply chain management. Geek+ is trusted by over 500 global industry leaders and has been recognized as the world leader in autonomous mobile robots. Founded in 2015, Geek+ has over 1500 employees, with offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore.

For more information, please visit: https://www.geekplus.com/

SOURCE Geek+
The Taliban government heading the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, which is still struggling for international recognition, got a boost after Russia decided to cancel duties on Afghan imports and also resume supply of oil and grain to the country.

News agency UNI reports that Zamir Kabulov, the Russian Special Envoy for Afghanistan, announced this at the 'Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development' organised by Uzbekistan to discuss the security and humanitarian situation in its conflict-ridden neighbour. Nearly 20 countries including India attended the two-day conference.

UNI reported that Russia said that as humanitarian aid was not enough to support Afghanistan, it was ready to develop economic relations and trade with Afghanistan.

The Taliban delegation led by acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi got the support it was looking for as Uzbekistan gave a call for unfreezing Afghanistan's blocked foreign reserves.

Afghan news agency Pajhwok reported that Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov also appealed for unblocking Afghanistan's foreign reserves which would enable the country to restart its economy.

Appealing to the Taliban delegation to heed calls for the formation of an inclusive government, Pajhwok quoted the minister as saying: "Afghanistan should no longer pose a threat to the region's countries and to the international community as a whole."

Participating countries at the conference, which include Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri, seek an assurance from the Taliban that the Afghan soil will not be used by terror groups against its neighbours. They are also keen that the Taliban government include minorities and women in the government to make it more inclusive.

India was represented by JP Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

Last month, India deployed a "technical team" at its embassy in Kabul after having withdrawn its officials in August 2021 after the takeover by the Taliban. New Delhi, however, held several meetings with the Taliban starting with Qatar talks as far back as August 2021 itself. India has been sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in the form of food and medical supplies.

India also delivered emergency relief to the country in the wake of the June earthquake that killed over 1,000 people.

The Tashkent conference took place even as a social media campaign "Ban Taliban" raged on Twitter the past three days. The hashtag "BanTaliban" was the top trend on Twitter in Afghanistan along with Pakistan, India, the US and many other countries. The campaign followed Meta, earlier called Facebook, banning Taliban-related content on its platform which prompted Afghans to launch the "Ban Taliban" campaign on Twitter.

The Taliban will complete one year of the takeover of Afghanistan after it toppled the Ashraf Ghani government on August 15, 2021. Since then, the Taliban has banned girls from education and have cracked down on former soldiers and minorities, igniting fears in the neighbourhood that the country may once again see a spill over of terror into the region.

Uzbekistan will be hosting a series of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meetings in the coming months, beginning with the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting which will be followed by the interior and defence ministers' meetings. As the Chair of the grouping, it will also host the SCO Leaders' Summit later this year.
The Company's Proprietary R&D Efforts Aim to Create Herbal Medicines That Are Potent and Predictable

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinoveda is a Canadian health-science brand committed to Western precision with roots that go directly back to Eastern medicine. This unique combination has allowed the company to blaze the trail as a provider of evidence-based natural medicines that are both synergistic and consistent.

"Sinoveda is filling the quality gap of Eastern medicine with Western precision," explains company co-founder Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman, "We are going about the business of drug discovery by decoding nature itself." Nuzhat adds that Sinoveda's process of creating evidence-backed, precise, natural health solutions is made possible thanks to the company's innovative Pharmaceutical Platform Technology  PPT for short  which Nuzhat explains "enables us to isolate, quantify and standardize the bioactives in botanicals."

Two of the primary goals of the PPT process are to tap into synergy and consistency. "Every time you'll have the same thing," says Nuzhat, "Because we go through all of the rigorous tests. We create the formulas. Every time, each herb in the products will have the same amount of the ingredients that we label."

PPT makes this remarkable consistency possible through the intensive study of various botanicals. The process utilizes in vitro testing as well as in-silico testing  which focuses on computer modeling that incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). The objective throughout this R&D work is to look at the database of a plant's basic elements to find the important bioactive ingredients. Sinoveda's team then fractionates the information and uses additional pharmacokinetics (what the body is doing to the drug) and pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) studies to narrow the data down even further.

This leads to a specific combination or recipe, as Nuzhat calls it, of three or four bioactive ingredients that are responsible for the medicinal effect of a plant. Nuzhat emphasizes that the result is never a single compound. It's a handful of elements that work in concert together and enhance one another. In comparison, synthetic medicine tends to isolate single chemical compounds. For Sinoveda, the combination of the right bioactive ingredients is what creates an extra-potent burst of medicinal power.

A good example comes in the form of the company's PPT technology validated formula for pain relief topical cream Proflexa . After a 60-patient survey, it was revealed that more than 90% of the subjects thought Proflexa does what it claims. The pain relief cream taps into the power of seven different traditional Chinese medicines. These work together to, among other things, effectively reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling.

The brand's soon-to-be-released patented and clinically tested Effecti-Cal also uses this synergistic approach. The calcium supplement is formulated with highly soluble and absorbable form of salts and also includes vitamin D to help with absorption. In addition, magnesium and zinc are present to aid in maintaining a positive balance of calcium in the body. The most unique property of Effecti-Cal  is that it is gentle on the GI tract and does not cause constipation gas and bloating like most products.

Sinoveda represents an important intersection between the worlds of Western and Eastern medicine. It brings precision and natural healing together in a form that consumers can count on to be consistent and effective with each and every supplement they consume.

About Sinoveda:

The name "Sinoveda" is derived from Chinese and Bangladeshi, the two cultures of the company's founders, renowned pharmaceutical scientists, doctors, and spouses Dr. Yun K. Tam and Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman. Sinoveda was founded in 2006 and is based in Edmonton, Alberta. The health-science company utilizes its founders' 50-plus years of combined experience in drug development to focus on R&D and further pharmaceutical progress, primarily through its proprietary vanguard PPT (Pharmaceutical Platform Technology). Learn more at sinoveda.com .

KENDAL SCOTT

Marketing & Administrative Assistant

O (780) 466-0086 | C (780) 394-3538

[email protected]

SOURCE Sinoveda
WINTER HAVEN, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SouthState today announced it has been named to Forbes' "Best-in-State Banks" list, earning the No. 1 ranking in Florida and the No. 3 spot in South Carolina, making SouthState one of only nine banks in the country to earn the distinction in two states.

This is the second consecutive year the bank has earned the top spot on the list in Florida and the fifth consecutive year the company has made the list in South Carolina.

SouthState has been named to Forbes' "Best-in-State Banks" list, earning the No. 1 ranking in Florida and the No. 3 spot in South Carolina, making SouthState one of only nine banks in the nation to earn the distinction in two states. SouthState was also named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by Best Companies Group, in partnership with SC Biz News.

In addition, SouthState was named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by Best Companies Group, in partnership with SC Biz News. The distinction comes as a result of the evaluation of company workplace policies, practices and demographics, as well as an employee survey.

"SouthState is a leading regional bank in the Southeast, thanks to the hard work of our 5,000+ employees who serve more than one million customers," said John Corbett, CEO. "When it comes to banking, we know our customers have lots of choices, and we are honored they choose us. It means a lot to us to repeatedly receive these top distinctions, both as the bank of choice and the employer of choice."

Between one and five banks and credit unions were awarded the best-in-state designation by Forbes. Nationwide, 133 banks, or only 2.7 percent of all banks in America, made the list, available here.

To identify the best banks in each state, Forbes and market research firm Statista conducted in-depth interviews with more than 26,000 U.S. citizens on their banking relationships. Respondents ranked banks on overall recommendation and satisfaction, as well as six key areas: trust, terms and conditions (including reasonable and transparent fees), branch services, digital services, customer service and financial advice.

SouthState Corporation (NASDAQ: SSB) is a financial services company headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida. SouthState Bank, N.A., the company's nationally chartered bank subsidiary, provides consumer, commercial, mortgage and wealth management solutions to more than one million customers throughout Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. The bank also serves clients coast to coast through its correspondent banking division. Additional information is available at SouthStateBank.com.

SOURCE South State Bank N.A.
Carrier once again named on list for its continued investment in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DALLAS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) proudly receives more accolades for its continued commitment to making Southwest a more diverse and inclusive organization, where Employees thrive, feel appreciated, valued, and have an authentic sense of belonging. For the fifth consecutive year, Forbes named Southwest Airlines as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity in 2022.

"At Southwest, it takes every single one of us to serve our Customers throughout our network every day," said Juan Suarez, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Southwest Airlines. "Being named to this list is humbling and continues to motivate us to improve our diversity efforts across the Company and provide the best workplace for our Employees, which in turn helps us serve our Customers."

Forbes partnered with Statista to select 2022 America's Best Employers for Diversity through an independent survey from a sample of more than 60,000 American employees and pinpointed the companies they identified as most dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The list is compiled using four criteria areas including employees' opinions about their own workplace, other companies in their respective industry, diversity among top executives and board members, and diversity indicators within a company.

Southwest Airlines was also recently honored by the Disability:IN Disability Equality Index with a score of 100 (perfect score) on its annual index. To learn more about the airline's commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, visit the Southwest One Report and DEI Report.

Southwest Airlines is dedicated to attracting prospective candidates and retaining Employeeskeeping this focus at the forefront of everything it does. It is all about a career with Heart and Purpose. Join the carrier's Talent Community to stay up to date on job opportunities from the Company with Heart.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Having celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than 61,0002 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among as many as 130 million Customers carried a year. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years3 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. Southwest is also continuing to develop tangible steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering Customers an opportunity to help the airline offset its carbon emissions. To be part of the solution, visit Southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon.

1) U.S. Dept. of Transportation most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded

2) Fulltime-equivalent active Employees

3) 1973-2019 annual profitability

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.
Due to its excellence in leadership, diversity and top women performers, Tampa General has climbed 12 spots from the 2021 ranking earning the top distinction.

TAMPA, Fla, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital has earned the distinction of being No. 1 in the country on Forbes' America's Best Employers for Women list. Forbes recognized the academic medical center for its commitment to advancing women at all levels of the hospital.

Due to its excellence in leadership, diversity and top women performers, Tampa General Hospital has been named 2022 No. 1 Best Employer for Women in the nation by Forbes.

"Tampa General has a deep commitment to diversity and the inclusion of all team members, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. This recognition showcases our commitment by highlighting the support we specifically provide to women," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. "Our priority is to understand what all our team members need and what is important to them in their lives so in return, we can provide support in ways that are most impactful to them."

Forbes magazine teamed up with market research company Statista to identify the companies liked most by female workers and looked at numerous dimensions. In the areas of atmosphere and development, image, working conditions, workplace, diversity, likelihood to recommend, family support, flexibility, representation and career and pay equity, Tampa General scored well over the 80th percentile.

One of the methods Tampa General utilizes to understand the needs of team members is through regular evaluations conducted by third-party professional surveyors. In 2021, the hospital's team member engagement survey and a 2022 benefits survey (in which team members self-identified their gender), showed that the top three most valued attributes by women within Tampa General were flexibility, growth and development opportunities, and health, wellness and benefits programs.

"Tampa General values every team member and their unique needs," said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief people and talent officer, Tampa General. "As a result, we use a variety of approaches to ensure that we are creating a fair, equitable and just culture, as well as fostering a sense of belonging. We know that our commitment to fairness and equity will continue to lead to a diverse workforce and catalyze the best possible patient outcomes."

Grounded in Tampa General's belief in caring for the whole person and understanding that team members have lives outside of work, the hospital continues to evolve programs that can be beneficial to the needs of women.

Flexibility: Tampa General offers a competitive time-off policy as well as remote working options and flexibility for part-time positions. Over the past two years, the hospital's team members have increasingly expressed a desire for part-time work schedules and those have been accommodated where possible.

General offers a competitive time-off policy as well as remote working options and flexibility for part-time positions. Over the past two years, the hospital's team members have increasingly expressed a desire for part-time work schedules and those have been accommodated where possible. Growth and Development Opportunities : In addition to competitive tuition reimbursement and clinical and non-clinical ladders that support skills enhancements, the hospital also offers scholarships. For example, more than $100,000 in nursing scholarships were awarded to Tampa General team members in 2022. Clinical and non-clinical ladders are structured systems to advance career development while the team member remains in a current position.

: In addition to competitive tuition reimbursement and clinical and non-clinical ladders that support skills enhancements, the hospital also offers scholarships. For example, more than in nursing scholarships were awarded to General team members in 2022. Clinical and non-clinical ladders are structured systems to advance career development while the team member remains in a current position. Health, Wellness and Benefits: In addition to competitive medical benefits, the hospital also provides team members access to wellness activities and tracking through a free app, an onsite gym, and online classes through the TGH Fitness Center. Additionally, Tampa General provides support in a variety of ways, including lactation rooms, team member lounges along with a spacious area to help team members decompress that includes massages chairs, and behavioral health support, both live and virtually.

In addition to competitive medical benefits, the hospital also provides team members access to wellness activities and tracking through a free app, an onsite gym, and online classes through the TGH Fitness Center. Additionally, General provides support in a variety of ways, including lactation rooms, team member lounges along with a spacious area to help team members decompress that includes massages chairs, and behavioral health support, both live and virtually. Family Support: The academic medical center offers a team member emergency fund to support team members in crisis. In 2020 and 2021, a $600 grant per eligible team member for back-to-school supplies has helped parents purchase essentials such as clothes, backpacks, tablets and laptops. An onsite day care center provides families with an education and development curriculum for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

Tampa General also focuses on education and professional development with programs unique to the academic medical center  the People Development Institute (PDI) offers classes through a partnership with the University of South Florida (USF) Muma College of Business at no charge. Thanks to a Tampa General Foundation grant, all Tampa General team members can access classes on topics such as technical and emotional skills, finance, and leadership competencies. Geared for Tampa General team members who are early in their careers or desire more training, the free LEAD (Leadership Enrichment and Development ) TGH program spans 12 months and creates career pathways and identifies future leaders. A Modern Advances in Leadership series facilitated through the University of Tampa's Sykes College of Business is designed to provide transformative and interactive learning experiences to advance the skills of current and future leaders. Several programs across the categories are supported through the Tampa General Foundation.

Kivett added that part of Tampa General's philosophy is to continuously develop and expand programs that support the needs of team members. "Part of our ability to do that is recognizing the unique needs of our diverse population and support them in the workplace, at home and in school, in a way that is meaningful to them. We strive to create a world-class environment for our patients and our team members," she said.

The list was compiled by surveying 50,000 Americans, including 30,000 women, working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees in their U.S. operations. The evaluation was based on four criteria:

Direct recommendations  General work topics: Employees were asked to give their opinion on a series of statements surrounding the likelihood of recommendation, atmosphere and development, image, working conditions, salary and wage, workplace, and diversity regarding their own employer.

Employees were asked to give their opinion on a series of statements surrounding the likelihood of recommendation, atmosphere and development, image, working conditions, salary and wage, workplace, and diversity regarding their own employer. Direct recommendations  Topics relevant to women: Women were asked to rate their own employers regarding parental leave, family support, flexibility, discrimination, representation and career and pay equity.

Women were asked to rate their own employers regarding parental leave, family support, flexibility, discrimination, representation and career and pay equity. Indirect recommendations: Participants were given the chance to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stand out either positively or negatively with regard to diversity. Only the recommendations of women were considered.

Participants were given the chance to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stand out either positively or negatively with regard to diversity. Only the recommendations of women were considered. Diversity among top executives/board: Based on extensive research, an index was built based on the share of women in executive management or board positions. At Tampa General, women comprise 50% of corporate suite executives and 70% of our senior vice president team.

This is not the first such accolade for Tampa General. In 2021, Forbes ranked the hospital 13th nationally in its review of America's Best Employers for Women, moving it up from 24th in the nation in 2020.

ABOUT FORBES

Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 32 licensed local editions in 71 countries. Forbes Media's brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit the Forbes News Hub or Forbes Connect.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings  first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and third out of 100 Florida companies in the 2021 America's Best Employers by State.Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org .

Media Contact:

Karen Barrera

Assistant Director of Communications & Partnerships

(813) 844-8725 (direct)

(813) 928-1603 (cell)

[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital
Recently Enacted Measure is a Victory for Working Families

RICHMOND, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters are lauding Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and the Richmond City Council for unanimously passing an ordinance that will extend collective bargaining rights to the city's municipal workers in response to mobilization by city workers, union members, and community allies. The ordinance is a major victory for working families in the city and represents the largest expansion of workplace rights in the city in nearly half a century.

"The Teamsters were there every step of the way working with the mayor and the council on crafting this ordinance, and it was an honor to do on behalf of these workers," said Brian Peyton, President of Teamsters Local 322 in Richmond. "Congratulations to these workers for securing collective bargaining rights. Throughout the pandemic and to this very day they made sure that the city where we live, work and play was able to stay safe, clean and healthy. They deserve the freedom to negotiate a union contract just as much as anyone in the private sector."

The new law gives city workers the freedom to join a union and negotiate with their employer over wages, benefits, and working conditions after 45 years of not being afforded that right. Under the ordinance, municipal workers will be divided into five different bargaining units  police, fire and emergency services, labor and trades, professional staff and administrative and technical employees.

"Having five separate bargaining units is the best outcome for city workers," Peyton said. "It will give them greater freedom of choice and more opportunities to address the issues that are specific to their crafts when they go to negotiate with the city. We look forward to continuing to have conversations with workers in order to address their issues."

Based in Richmond, Teamsters Local 322 represents workers in a wide variety of fields throughout the city and surrounding communities.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 322
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) announced today that Tenaris and the company's president over its U.S. operations, Luca Zanotti, have joined the association and its board of directors.

Tenaris operates multiple steel pipe facilities in the U.S. as well as an electric arc furnace steel mill in Koppel, Pennsylvania, with 430,000 tons of annual steelmaking capacity. Tenaris also operates the world's most technologically advanced seamless pipe mill in Bay City, Texas, with an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons.

Luca Zanotti, president of Tenaris in the U.S., said, "We are pleased to partner with the SMA and its member companies. Our company is committed to supporting low-emissions steelmaking with an agenda rooted in sound public policy, a strong safety culture, and environmental stewardship. This will benefit Tenaris and the steel industry."

Zanotti added, "We are dedicated to domestic manufacturing. Tenaris has invested more than $11 billion in our people, processes, and equipment since 2006. We will continue to innovate, invest and contribute to the sustainable development of our communities."

Philip K. Bell, president, SMA, stated, "We are pleased to welcome Tenaris to the SMA. It is important that the American EAF steel industry, comes together to address common challenges and to pursue common goals. We welcome Mr. Zanotti to our board of directors, and we look forward to Tenaris contributing as a producer member."

About the SMA

The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) is the largest steel association in America. Representing the electric arc furnace (EAF) steel industry, which accounts for over 70% of steel made in the U.S. today, we are the advocates behind public policy solutions and member services that enable steelmakers to build their businesses, employees to build their lives, and communities to build their futures. Vastly more energy-efficient than traditional steelmaking, EAF steel is made using electrical currents to melt scrap steel and other recycled metals. Beyond the improved environmental impacts, EAF steel can be produced at higher efficiency and with more flexibility than blast furnace steel. For more information, please visit our website at www.steelnet.org or our LinkedIn page.

Media Contact:

Philip K. Bell

202-296-1515

[email protected]

SOURCE Steel Manufacturers Association
SHANGHAI , July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE), as a major platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchanges and open cooperation, has been held successfully for four consecutive years and is widely regarded as an international public good and the multilateral trading system, as well as a pivotal carrier for building an open world economy and a community with a shared future for mankind.

The fifth China International Import Expo will take place from Nov 5 to 10 this year. (Photo/IC)

Since its inception in 2018, the CIIE has been growing in scale and influence. The area of its business exhibition increased from 270,000 square meters in 2018 to 366,000 square meters in 2021. Exhibitors at the past four CIIEs launched more than 1,500 new products, technologies and services and clinched tentative deals worth over $270 billion.

As the CIIE enters its fifth year, multinational exhibitors have continued to express hope in participating in this year's edition in November.

At an online ceremony held recently, more than 30 heavyweight companies and institutions signed agreements to attend the fifth CIIE, demonstrating their optimism about the Chinese market.

Marc-Antoine Jamet, secretary general of LVMH, hailed China as a vibrant, huge and growing market and a major source of inspiration for the group at the ceremony. He added holding the CIIE as scheduled against the backdrop of COVID-19 showcases China's confidence and its bright economic prospects.

Among the contracted enterprises were not only firms with longstanding ties to China and the CIIE like LVMH, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Marubeni but also newcomers such as Gilead Science, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.

So far, more than 80 percent of the planned business exhibition area has been reserved and more than 260 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders will attend the expo.

Many countries have confirmed their participation in the country exhibition, while a new World Openness Report and World Openness Index will be released at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a major part of the expo.

With so many showing their interest, space will be filling up fast. Be sure to sign up for the fifth edition before time runs out! Click here to register: https://www.ciie.org/exhibition/f/book/register?locale=en.

Contact:

Nie Qingxin

Tel.: 0086-21-67008870/67008988

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1867312/CIIE_Photo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1867311/CIIE_Logo.jpg

SOURCE CIIE
WYNNEWOOD, Pa., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens, law enforcement agencies, community groups and local officials in over 16,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide will join forces on August 2nd to mark the 39th Annual National Night Out (NNO)  a police-community partnership event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). Nationally, millions of people are expected to participate in NNO this year.

National Night Out 2022 corporate partners are AT&T/FirstNet, Starbucks, Ring, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Renewal by Andersen and Associa.

Local coordinators are anxious to showcase their strong relationships with neighbors and first responders. Tweet this

"Cities and towns are excited to get the NNO party started," said National Night Out creator, Matt Peskin, "Local coordinators are anxious to showcase their strong relationships with neighbors and first-responders. National Night Out is a celebration of neighborhoods who work year round to build safer, more caring communities."

National Night Out will feature thousands of block parties, cookouts, parades, potlucks, festivals, ice cream socials, neighborhood visits by first responders, flashlight walks and neighborhood meetings.

National Night Out is designed to:

Heighten crime prevention awareness; Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

For more information, visit natw.org.

SOURCE National Association of Town Watch
Fuel-efficient upgrades will cut 350 tons of carbon per locomotive annually

Modernization program will recycle 70,000 tons of steel  equivalent to 51,000 passenger cars

Investment puts UP on path to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

OMAHA, Neb. and PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) signed a historic deal with Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) for 600 locomotive modernizations featuring a suite of digital solutions and innovations. The agreement, worth more than $1 billion, is the largest investment in modernized locomotives in rail industry history, and part of Union Pacific's fleet strategy to move more freight efficiently and sustainably across its service territory.

Union Pacific modernized locomotive in Wabtec Fort Worth, Texas, plant

"Union Pacific is taking thoughtful, deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and to help our partners improve theirs," said Lance Fritz, Chairman, President and CEO of Union Pacific. "Wabtec's modernization program helps make our existing fleet more fuel efficient, capable and reliable. The resulting increased tractive power enables us to move more freight with fewer locomotives, which improves efficiency and reduces emissions."

Union Pacific's modernization initiative comes as the industry looks to sustainably meet the growing demands on the rail network by maximizing and extending the capabilities of locomotive fleets. It also helps place Union Pacific on a path to achieve its aggressive emissions target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, and on a path to net zero emissions by 2050. The modernizations also support UP customers' efforts to meet their own carbon reduction targets.

"Modernizations are a game changer for our customers offering the ability to realize significantly more value out of existing locomotive assets," said Rafael Santana, President and CEO of Wabtec. "By customizing these solutions for our customers and installing state-of-the-art technology, we are helping our customers realize outcomes including increased tractive effort, fuel efficiency, reliability, and adhesion, which reduce maintenance, repair and overhaul expenses. These fleet benefits will support Union Pacific's sustainable service improvements and long-term growth strategy."

The modernizations will provide approximately 350 tons of carbon reduction per locomotive per year. The total order will enable Union Pacific to realize approximately 210,000 tons in annual emission reductions. The reductions are the equivalent of removing emissions from nearly 45,000 passenger cars per year. The modernizations also support the circular economy with more than half the locomotive's weight being reused. Throughout the order, approximately 70,000 tons of steel will be reused and recycled  the equivalent of more than 51,000 passenger cars.

Wabtec will modernize 525 of Union Pacific's AC4400 and AC6000 locomotives, as well as 75 Dash-9 locomotives. The modernized locomotives will feature a suite of digital solutions and innovations such as the FDL Advantage engine upgrade and Modular Control Architecture, a next-generation controls technology that is applicable throughout Wabtec's locomotive installed base. The modernizations will extend the locomotive's life and provide benefits, including a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 18%; more than 80% increase in reliability; and haulage ability increase of more than 55%.

This deal is the third major modernization order from Union Pacific since 2018, with more than 1,030 locomotives upon completion in 2025. Wabtec will modernize the locomotives at its plants in the United States. The deliveries are expected to begin in 2023.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and businesses use every day with safe, reliable, and efficient service. Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union Pacific is available at www.up.com.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is focused on creating transportation solutions that move and improve the world. The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine, and industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry for over 150 years and has the vision to achieve a zero-emission rail system in the U.S. and worldwide. Visit Wabtec's website at www.wabteccorp.com.

SOURCE Union Pacific Corporation
DUBLIN, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "US Group II & III Base Oil Market - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The U.S. is emerging as a major supplier in the group II base oil Market

The U.S. is a crucial group II and III base oil market globally. The penetration of premium base oil products is high. The country is a major hub for production as well as consumption of group II and III base oil due to the strong demand by OEMs manufacturers for high-quality lubricants.

In addition, stringent regulations with respect to the emission standard, better fuel economy, and the growing trend of sustainability aspect is also the major factor driving the demand for group II and III base oil in the U.S. Chevron Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Phillips 66, HollyFrontier Corporation, Pure Performance, Neste, and Vertex Energy among others are the key players in the group II and III base oil market in the U.S.

U.S. GROUP II AND III BASE OIL MARKET TRENDS AND DRIVERS

Demand for Premium Base Oil is Gaining Momentum:

The demand for group II and group III base oil market is gaining momentum in the U.S. due to the rise in consumer preference for better fuel economy and engine oil durability and the need to minimize pollution levels. In addition, increasing stringency of automotive regulations to minimize carbon emissions in the environment has motivated automotive manufacturers to switch to high-quality lubricants based on group II and group III base oils. Therefore, U.S. manufacturers switch from group I base oil to group II and III base oil, i.e., premium base oil.



Rising demand from Bio-based Lubricant:

Bio-based lubricants are the replacement for petroleum-based lubricants. Increasing awareness regarding the ill effects of the chemical on the environment coupled with stringent government regulation boosts the demand for bio-based lubricants. Moreover, bio-based lubricants are renewable and benefit from being adjusted several times before they have an environmental impact. Thus, bio-based lubricants are favored, resulting in significant growth in the market for bio-based lubricants throughout the projection period.



SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS

Hydrotreating Is The Largest Segment Amongst Others In The U.S. Group II And III Oil Market

Hydrotreating is the largest segment and is projected to witness similar growth during the forecast period due to its ability to deliver quality base oil products more than other processes. It improves base stock quality, color, and color stability and reduces the level of sulfur, nitrogen, halogen, oxygen, and metals compounds. It is primarily used to produce group II base oil. HollyFrontier Corporation and Vertex Energy are some of the U.S. companies that use hydrotreating technology for producing group II and III base oil.



Automotive Oil Is The Fastest Growing Segment In The United States Group II And III Base Oil Market.



Since demand for efficient and high-performance vehicles is increasing, automotive lubricants' demand is increasing rapidly as these lubricants play a vital role in vehicle performance and efficiency. Automotive lubricants are the most important part of any vehicle, as almost every vehicle needs lubricants for the smooth functioning of the vehicle. Moreover, it also protects the engine metal surface from corrosion, reducing friction on moving parts and cleaning the engine from sludge. The increasing production and demand for vehicles in the U.S. supports market growth.



The Southern United States Is Dominating The Market

The Southern US is the largest group II and III base oil market in the U.S. The demand for premium base oil majorly comes from the automotive and construction industry in Southern US. BMW, Ford Motor, General Motors, Nissan Motor Company, Kia Motors, and Toyota Motor Corporation are some automotive players operating in the Southern region of the U.S. and consume a major chunk of base oil.

For instance, BMW prefers group III base oil for all its automotive brands produced and supplied by Shell. In terms of vehicle production, in 2021, BMW produced 433,810 BMW X series vehicles in its South Carolina plant, an increase of 20% as compared to 2020. Exxon Mobil Corporation, Vertex Energy, Motiva, and HollyFrontier Corporation are producing group II and III base oil in the Southern US.

Company and Strategies:

The U.S. group II and III base oil market is consolidated in nature as well as intensifying due to the changing landscape of the base oil market. The rapidly changing technological environment and sustainability scenario can adversely affect vendors as customers expect continual innovations and upgrades. The parameters on which vendors are competing in the U.S. group II and III base oil market are product portfolio, product quality, geographical presence, brand image, and cost differentiation.



The major companies operating in the market are Chevron Corporation (California, U.S.), ExxonMobil (Texas, U.S.), Phillips 66 Company (Texas, U.S.), Dodge (California, U.S.), and HollyFrontier Corporation (Texas, U.S.), and Puraglobe (Florida). These companies compete among themselves for the leading position in the market, with steady competition from local vendors.



The U.S. group II and III base oil market is provided for the forecast years 2022 to 2027 and the base year of 2021. The market is segmented as per Technology, Application, and Geography for the years considered. The report provides a holistic approach to the U.S. group II and III base oil industry to enable customers to analyze the market efficiently.

Recent Developments

In October 2021 , Chevron Global Energy Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Chevron Corporation, announced to acquire Neste base oil business.

, Chevron Global Energy Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Chevron Corporation, announced to acquire Neste base oil business. In August 2020 , Chevron Corporation announced to produce group oil from renewable.

Key Vendors

Chevron Corporation

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Philips 666 Company

Other Prominent Vendors

Dodge

HollyFrontier Corporation

Pure Performance

Resolute Oil

Neste

Puraglobe

AGC Refining and Filtration

Heritage-Crystal Clean

Safety-Kleen systems

Vertex Energy

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.2 Supply Chain Analysis

7.3 Criteria to Select Base Stocks

7.4 Automotive Insights

7.5 Us Economic & Demographical Analysis



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Increasing Demand for Premium Base Oil

8.2 Growing Demand for Imo-Compliant Marine Fuel

8.3 Growing Demand for Bio-Based Base Oil Products



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Rising Significance of Group Ii+ Base Oil

9.2 Growing Disposable Income

9.3 Increasing Urbanization Trends



10 Market Growth Restraints

10.1 Increasing Crude Oil Prices

10.2 Changing Climate Landscape



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Penetration of Group Ii & Iii Base Oil by Region

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Technology

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine (Value)

12.2 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine (Volume)

12.3 Market Overview

12.4 Hydrotreating

12.5 Hydrocracking

12.6 Catalytic Dewaxing

12.7 Others



13 Application

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine (Value)

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Automotive Oil

13.4 Industrial Oil

13.5 Process Oil

13.6 Others



14 Region

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Region Overview



15 West

15.1 Market Overview

15.2 Market Size & Forecast

15.3 Technology

15.4 Application



16 South

16.1 Market Overview

16.2 Market Size & Forecast

16.3 Technology

16.4 Application



17 Midwest

17.1 Market Overview

17.2 Market Size & Forecast

17.3 Technology

17.4 Application



18 Northeast

18.1 Market Overview

18.2 Market Size & Forecast

18.3 Technology

18.4 Application



19 Competitive Landscape

19.1 Competition Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sz7mez

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
The free Light & Matter: Vernier Supplement to OpenSciEd Unit 6.1 helps teachers incorporate data-collection technology into OpenSciEd's NGSS-aligned lesson

BEAVERTON, Ore., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vernier Software & Technology has launched Light & Matter: Vernier Supplement to OpenSciEd Unit 6.1 to support engaging, hands-on science learning for middle school students. This free e-book incorporates data-collection technology into the first lesson in OpenSciEd Unit 6.1, which is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), to help students gain a deeper understanding of the initial scientific concepts being taught and to motivate their learning throughout the remainder of the unit.

"It is so important for teachers to have high-quality content to help build students' STEM literacy at an early age," said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. "Our partnership with OpenSciEd gives middle school teachers access to free, standards-aligned, technology-integrated instructional materials to support this work. The new supplement, in particular, helps set the stage for the following lessons in the unit by encouraging students to collect and analyze data as they engage in three-dimensional learning and explore how light interacts with matter in the world around them."

After watching a perplexing movie involving a one-way mirror, Light & Matter: Vernier Supplement to OpenSciEd Unit 6.1 prompts students to use a Go Direct Light and Color Sensor to quantify amounts of transmitted and reflected light, then compare the sensor readings with what they perceive with their own senses. Using various models, students develop an understanding of two of the ways light interacts with matter. They also answer the question, "How can something act like a mirror and a window at the same time?"

OpenSciEd Unit 6.1 features a total of eight lessons. In addition to "What happens when light shines on the one-way mirror?" (featuring the Go Direct Light and Color Sensor), lessons include:

"How do similar amounts of light transmit through and reflect off the one-way mirror?"

"How do light and the one-way mirror interact to cause the one-way mirror phenomenon?"

Vernier Software & Technology offers a number of free downloadable teaching supplements that enhance the digital curricular units available through OpenSciEd. The free units explore common middle school science topics, such as weather, climate, metabolic reactions, forces, and sound waves.

Visit the Vernier website to learn more about Light & Matter: Vernier Supplement to OpenSciEd Unit 6.1.

About Vernier Software & Technology

Vernier Software & Technology has led the innovation of educational, scientific data-collection technology for over 40 years. Vernier was founded by a former physics teacher and employs educators at all levels of the organization. The company is committed to teachers and to developing creative ways to teach and learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using hands-on science. Vernier creates easy-to-use and affordable science interfaces, sensors, and graphing/analysis software. With worldwide distribution to over 150 countries, Vernier data loggers are used by educators and students from elementary school to university. Vernier technology-based solutions enhance STEM education, increase learning, build students' critical-thinking skills, and support the science and engineering practices detailed in the Next Generation Science Standards. The Vernier business culture is grounded in Earth-friendly policies and practices, and the company provides a family-friendly workplace. For more information, visit http://www.vernier.com.

SOURCE Vernier Software & Technology
BEIJING, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the vivo Communications Research Institute released its third 6G white paper, "6G Services, Capabilities and Enabling Technologies". The report explores the 6G framework and enabling technologies that vivo experts believe will shape people's lives beyond 2030.

vivo releases its third 6G white paper: 6G Services, Capabilities and Enabling Technologies

"As one of the world's leading smartphone vendors, we are dedicated to empowering consumers by making cutting-edge 5G smartphones affordable and accessible. At the same time, we have set our sights on the future - 6G," said Qin Fei, President of vivo Communications Research Institute. "At the forefront of R&D, we continue to explore what a 6G world might look like and what technologies we need to develop to get there."

Over the past two years, the industry has been gradually forming a consensus on the services that may be provided by 6G and the key capability indicators that need to be achieved. The research and development of related key enabling technologies is also gaining momentum. The vivo Communications Research Institute has been actively contributing to shaping the future of 6G with in-depth analysis and evaluation of 6G business models and drivers, application scenarios, system architecture, and enabling technologies.

vivo's latest white paper on 6G builds on two earlier works released in 2020, including 'Digital Life 2030+', which provides insights into some of the many potential 6G digital scenarios for the next decade, and '6G Vision, Requirements and Challenges', which outlines vivo's vision for 6G, namely that 6G will enable convergence of the digital and physical worlds.

Services and Capabilities

The white paper proposes that 6G will provide super communication, information, and converged computing services, becoming a base for an interconnected and converged physical and digital world. According to the analysis, 6G will converge communication, computation, and sensing in a single system. An integrated 6G network will not only connect humans to humans, but it will also connect humans to machines and machines to machines, helping create a whole new digital world. It can be expected that hundreds of billions of devices will be connected by 2030.

"6G will allow us to bring the next generation of connectivity into every aspect of people's lives. It will integrate more access technologies, cover a larger physical space, and provide better core capabilities, supporting more services," said Rakesh Tamrakar, 5G and 6G Standards Expert at vivo. "By seamlessly connecting industries, transportation, workspace, and homes, 6G will contribute greatly to society - from the democratization of professional talent to the enhancement of emergency and disaster response."

6G will expand basic telecom services to support completely new experiences, such as immersive mixed reality and holographic and multi-sensory communication. 6G mobile data connectivity services will continue to improve in capacity, data rate, latency, reliability, and many other aspects. This will broaden the range of customers and increase the value of services, with more end-to-end flexibility and adaptability to meet the needs of individuals and industries.

This means that every performance indicator, such as data rate, including peak data rate and user experienced data rate, communication delay, and area traffic capacity, will need to be improved several folds or more compared with 5G.

6G service capability definition requires careful consideration of demand, technology and cost, balancing performance metrics and efficiency indicators.

Enabling Technologies

New network functions need to be introduced to support the new 6G services and achieve integration of sensing and communication. 6G will converge mobile network and computing, cross-domain data interaction, and native AI network. Therefore, it requires a brand-new system architecture design.

Integrating sensing and communication taps into a new area of opportunity in cellular wireless networks - 6G native AI would improve network and air interface efficiency, enhance system flexibility and reduce cost. The introduction of an end-to-end cross-layer data plane is essential to support intelligent and basic information services. Extremely low-power communication reduces the barrier to terminal access, enabling truly ubiquitous connectivity. Currently, the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) evolution, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology and new waveforms are some of the exciting research areas, paving the way towards a more efficient and more flexible network that can support more application scenarios, and offer more advanced sensing functions.

The research and development of 6G technology standards is still in the early stage. The vivo Communications Research Institute is dedicated to continuing to refine 6G scenario use cases and technical indicators, carry out in-depth research and experimental verification of potential 6G technologies, and contribute to the development of a globally unified 6G technology standard.

Established in 2016, the vivo Communications Research Institute focuses on 5G technology research and standardization. To date, the Institute has submitted over 8,000 5G proposals to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), leading to 15 technical features and three technical projects being approved.

The "6G Services, Capabilities and Enabling Technologies" white paper is available for download in English and Chinese.

To download vivo's 6G white papers released in 2020, please visit the following links:

About vivo

vivo is a technology company that creates great products based on a design-driven value, with smart devices and intelligent services as its core. The company aims to build a bridge between humans and the digital world. Through unique creativity, vivo provides users with an increasingly convenient mobile and digital life. Following the company's core values, which include Benfen*, user-orientation, design-driven value, continuous learning and team spirit, vivo has implemented a sustainable development strategy with the vision of developing into a healthier, more sustainable world-class corporation.

While bringing together and developing the best local talents to deliver excellence, vivo is supported by a network of R&D centers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Xi'an, focusing on the development of state-of-the-art consumer technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial design, imaging system and other up-and-coming technologies. vivo has also set up an intelligent manufacturing network (including those authorized by vivo), with an annual production capacity of nearly 200 million smartphones. As of now, vivo has branched out its sales network across more than 60 countries and regions, and is loved by more than 400 million users worldwide.

*"Benfen" is a term describing the attitude on doing the right things and doing things right - which is the ideal description of vivo's mission to create value for society.

Stay informed of latest vivo news at https://www.vivo.com/en/about-vivo/news

SOURCE Vivo
BURR RIDGE, Ill., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SkinCure Oncology, the world leader in providing a comprehensive model for the delivery of Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy (Image-Guided SRT), the most advanced non-surgical technology for the treatment of common skin cancers, today announced the availability of the technology in Iowa. That state's first installation is at the Cedar Valley Center for Skin Cancer in Waterloo, where the announcement was made earlier today.

Image-Guided SRT is the only treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) that uses ultrasound images to help clinicians direct low-level X-ray energy to targeted areas of the skin, killing cancer cells. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Oncology and Therapy showed that Image-Guided SRT produces a 99.3 percent cure rate, making it just as effective as traditional Mohs surgery.

"I've been practicing medicine since 2003, and in all those years, no technological innovation has been as exciting for my team and my patients as this new non-surgical treatment for common skin cancers," said David Congdon, M.D., founder of the Cedar Valley Center for Skin Cancer. "I'm delighted to offer this breakthrough treatment, and I'm proud that Waterloo is home to the state's first installation of the technology."

Today's event comes as Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds formally proclaimed this as Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Week, noting that individuals with this disease "should discuss their treatment options with their doctors and other healthcare providers in a timely fashion."

Joining Dr. Congdon at the announcement was Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, Senator Charles Grassley via video remarks, and representatives of Senator Joni Ernst and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson.

Mayor Hart said, "As the regional hub for healthcare, the City of Waterloo congratulates the Cedar Valley Center for Skin Cancer on their expansion of services, and we thank them for their investment in our community and commitment to providing the most advanced treatments available to our residents and to the hundreds of thousands of Iowa residents who travel to Waterloo seeking specialized medical services. This investment demonstrates a strong level of confidence in the Waterloo economy."

Senator Grassley said, "We all need to be sun smart, protect our skin, and see our doctors regularly to minimize the chance of getting skin cancer. When we do get nonmelanoma skin cancer, it's good to know that the newest, non-surgical cancer [treatment] called Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy is available to us right here in the Cedar Valley. I commend you all for being the first healthcare provider in Iowa to offer this safe, effective, and gentle cure for common skin cancers."

"Some 32,000 Iowans are estimated to be diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer this year alone, and we're pleased to be partnering with the Cedar Valley Center for Skin Cancer to offer a highly effective, non-surgical treatment option for their patients," said Kerwin Brandt, CEO of SkinCure Oncology, the company which brought the technology to the state.

About SkinCure Oncology

SkinCure Oncology is the world leader in providing a comprehensive model for the delivery of Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy (Image-Guided SRT), the most advanced non-surgical technology for the treatment of common skin cancers. The company partners with quality-focused dermatologists and Mohs surgeons to bring cancer center-level radiotherapy treatment to physician offices. To date, SkinCure Oncology is working with more than 240 dermatology practice locations across the country, and more than 40,000 patients have been treated with Image-Guided SRT over the last five years. Learn more about the company at skincureoncology.com, and visit gentlecure.com for helpful consumer and patient information.

Media Contact:

Bill Sklar

Russell Public Communications

520-979-9400

[email protected]

SOURCE SkinCure Oncology
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National law firm Wilson Elser announced today it is certified a Gold Standard Firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). The WILEF recognizes women attorneys from the largest law firms and corporate law departments in the United States, London and Paris. The organization's highest honor, Gold Standard Certification, requires a U.S. law firm to have a total of at least 300 practicing attorneys and to meet certain mandatory criteria for women, and women of color, included among the equity partnership and serving as office heads, participating on governance and compensation committees, and relating to compensation. Wilson Elser met these stringent criteria and was granted certification on its first application.

"Wilson Elser is proud to be named a WILEF 2022 Gold Standard certified law firm," said Carolyn O'Connor, Chair of Wilson Elser's Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE). "The certification is further evidence of how Wilson Elser not only values creating a diverse, inclusive culture but also practices those values and, indeed, is among the industry leaders in supporting women attorneys." Angela Russell, Chair of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee, adds, "WILEF's recognition is especially gratifying given our strategic vision for the future and the integral role our women attorneys will play."

Learn more about the Women in Law Empowerment Forum as well as Wilson Elser's WAVE and related initiatives. Go to: https://wilef.com/ and https://www.wilsonelser.com/about/diversity/womens_initiative_wave

About Wilson Elser

Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. At any given time, our more than 900 attorneys are engaged in some 100,000 defense and coverage matters, with many defending clients in various local, state and federal courts. Indeed, over more than four decades, our litigation, coverage and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently "parachuting in" to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients' terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 105 in the Am Law 200, 145 in the Am Law Diversity Scorecard, 57th in the National Law Journal's NLJ 500 and 32nd in the National Law Journal Women's Scorecard. For more information, go to www.wilsonelser.com

PR Contact: Andrew Blum, AJB Communications

[email protected], 917.783.1680

SOURCE Wilson Elser
Partnership provides close collaboration on creating international trade opportunities together with WTCA Members in Turkiye

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), an international trade organization connecting over 300 World Trade Center (WTC) locations in nearly 100 countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) last week on July 21, to formalize its cooperation in facilitating and promoting global trade combining the strengths of both TOBB's and the WTCA's global networks.

Rifat Hisarckloglu, President of TOBB, and Robin van Puyenbroeck, WTCA Executive Director - Business Development, at the MOU signing on July 21, 2022.

TOBB is the highest legal entity in the country of Turkiye, representing and guiding the private sector. It consists of 365 local chambers of commerce, industry, maritime commerce and commodity exchanges in 81 provinces and 160 counties, encompassing 1.5 million enterprises. TOBB represents the Turkish business community in the international arena and assists small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing foreign markets.

Turkiye is open to international investments and is hoping the MOU and the power of the global WTCA network  along with its existing WTC businesses in Ankara and Istanbul  can help drive further corporate investments to the country and assist with trade efforts. Together with WTC Istanbul and WTC Ankara, the WTCA is excited to also collaborate with TOBB in Turkiye in support of mutual strategic initiatives and growth of the WTCA network in Turkiye.

The MOU establishes a preferred partnership between the WTCA and TOBB. Joint activities will focus on:

Organization of inbound and outbound trade missions.

Mutually offering service support for inbound and outbound trade missions to the members of each of the parties.

Augmentation of the WTCA's outreach efforts in Turkiye.

Exchanging networking opportunities that will benefit WTCA members.

"I am proud that together with WTC Istanbul and WTC Ankara we created a unique partnership with TOBB strengthening our respective organizations in their efforts to promote and facilitate international trade opportunities. The partnership between the WTCA and TOBB will be extremely beneficial to both parties," said Robin van Puyenbroeck, WTCA Executive Director - Business Development, "and the MOU between the two entities is going to usher in a new age of international business collaboration in a region that is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa."

"In the context of this MOU, exports of goods and services, joint investments within and outside the country are extremely important. We are striving to bring more direct investments to our country," said Rifat Hisarckloglu, President of TOBB. "With this MOU, the necessary platform will be provided for cooperation between our members. I hope that this agreement will be beneficial for the business world in our country."

Mr. van Puyenbroeck also added, "our mission to facilitate and promote trade is now more important and relevant than ever. This is not just a trade project, but a peace project through trade to bring the business community together."

MEDIA CONTACTS:

World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)

Chanelle Kasik

Phone: +1 212 432 2644

Email: [email protected]

Violet PR

David Margolis

Phone: +1 917 331 4855

Email: [email protected]

About World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)

The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) is a network of more than 300 highly connected, mutually supporting businesses and organizations in 92 countries. As the owner of the "World Trade Center" and "WTC" trademarks, the WTCA licenses exclusive rights to these brands for Members to use in conjunction with their independently-owned, iconic properties, facilities and trade services offerings. Through a robust portfolio of events, programming and resources that it offers its Members, the goal of the WTCA is to help local economies thrive by encouraging and facilitating trade and investment across the globe through Member engagement. To learn more, visit www.wtca.org.

About The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB)

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) is the umbrella organization in Turkiye representing the private sector. Small, medium and large businesses from each and every sectors are TOBB's members. TOBB has over 1.8 million companies as member of chambers and commodity exchanges. Today, TOBB has 365 members in the form of local chambers of commerce, industry, commerce and industry, maritime commerce and commodity exchanges.

TOBB also has sectorial councils in 61 different sectors. Back in 2005, TOBB established a university. Over the years, it has become one of the successful universities of Turkiye. TOBB established a think-tank organization, TEPAV. TEPAV focuses on economic policy issues. TOBB is a member of a wide international chamber network; EUROCHAMBRES, Islamic Chambers, Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce, D8 CCI, Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For more details, please check "TOBB in Brief" at: https://www.tobb.org.tr/ozetleTOBB/ozetletobb-en.pdf.

SOURCE World Trade Centers Association
RGHI to organise the world's first Global Hygiene Summit in Singapore February 15 th  16th 2023.

 16th 2023. The Global Hygiene Summit is being organised in partnership with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases ( Singapore ), and in collaboration with the World Bank.

), and in collaboration with the World Bank. The Global Hygiene Summit will create clarity around hygiene and the positive impact that improved standards could have on global health, including in the COVID-19 recovery period.

LONDON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Hygiene Summit 2023, organised in partnership with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (Singapore), and in collaboration with the World Bank, is being hosted in Singapore on the 15th and 16th February 2023.

Professor Yee Sin Leo, Executive Director, NCID said: "Hygiene generally refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. Despite its intimate link to health, hygiene is ill-defined and often intertwined with socioeconomic status, and cultural belief and practices. Hygiene is a fundamental pre-requisite for sustainable public health and with our dual mission of clinical and public health, NCID is pleased to partner for this inaugural summit in Singapore. Leveraging on prominent stakeholders, this summit will elevate hygiene to the highest global agenda in promoting and sustaining health."

The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI), a not-for-profit foundation that was established in 2020 with a multi-year $25 million grant from Reckitt, RGHI is focussed on plugging significant gaps in the health research space and improving access to information that will bridge epidemiology, public health, and behaviour change. The Global Hygiene Summit will align with this aim by informing the global health agenda stimulating discussion that could lead to the adoption of better and more sustainable hygienic practises globally.

The event will create a forum for multi-level and multi-disciplinary discussions around hygiene science, behaviour, economics, and real-world experiences and outcomes. It will bring together scientists, politicians, the private sector and civil society to generate impact through the intersection between health and hygiene ~ which is vital to safeguarding the physical and economic wellbeing of populations worldwide, both amid COVID-19 and beyond.

By articulating the shape, scope and importance of the hygiene field, motivating multi-level and multi-disciplinary working by bridging epidemiology, behaviour and policy, the Global Hygiene Summit intends to gain consensus on how to effectively measure and create behavioural change and economic impact (ROI), and how to present this to engage policymakers.

Global Hygiene Summit 2023 will also motivate the [Singapore] Declaration; a guide for structural change that will be brought about by co-discussion and global co-operation and set the agenda for future change.

Notes to editors:

For more information regarding the Global Hygiene Summit visit Global Hygiene Summit 2023

Regular updates will be made via the website and the Global Hygiene Summit 2023 Twitter

Delegate registration:

Full delegate rate - $825



Early bird discount[i ] - $755



Student rate[ii] - $345



LMIC discount rate[iii] - $310



LIC discount rate - $275

[i] Early bird registration is available until 7th September 2022

[ii] To benefit from the student rate, you will need to submit evidence of your student status.

[iii] To benefit from the LIC and LMIC rates, you will need to submit evidence that you are resident in one of these countries (as classified by the World Bank).

SOURCE RGHI
The Spanish tattoo artist is known for tattooing celebrities like Drake, LeBron James, and Odell Beckham Jr. and has a year long waiting list for his $100k artwork

BOSTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XSET , the world's fastest-growing gaming and lifestyle organization, announced today they have officially signed Joaquin Ganga. Joaquin, known by most as simply "Ganga", is a tattoo artist, entrepreneur, and artist born and raised in Spain. Ganga is well known internationally for tattooing celebrities such as Drake, LeBron James, Odell Beckham Jr, Canelo Alvarez, Tyga, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, Anthony Davis, Lil Durk, among many others.

XSET Makes History by Adding Pop Culture's Most Influential Tattoo Artist Ganga to their Gaming Organization

Ganga is the CEO and founder of two tattoo studios, one in Murica, Spain and the other in Los Angeles, California. He has also started two academies for aspiring tattoo artists, located in Murcia and Madrid.

"The amazing thing about tattooing and gaming is that both of these cultures have crossed paths and have even intertwined with different communities for many years," said Ganga. "XSET is the one esports organization who has truly brought together and cultivated communities of people from art, gaming, music, fashion and sports. It really is an honor to be officially partnering with a group of people who can appreciate how these communities can harmonize."

XSET plans to build gaming lounges in the Ganga Studio locations located in Los Angeles, California and Murcia, Spain. XSET also plans to form partnerships between Ganga and multiple gaming studios while also creating various forms of content in the process.

With the announcement of this partnership comes the drop of the first of three installments of Ganga x XSET merchandise. Ganga and XSET teased a matte black custom xbox skin which featured designs of Ganga's infamous "nomad" figurine and Dali artwork.

"We are incredibly excited to welcome Ganga to the XSET family," said XSET Chief Innovation Officer Lonnie Anthony. "When I came on as Chief Innovation Officer, I definitely wanted to make a splash with my first signee within the organization. Ganga is the best artist in the world, and he embodies the crossover between the different verticals that XSET represents (art, gaming, music, fashion, sports). The world is just beginning to wake up to the genius of Ganga and we look forward to helping him make his mark in the area of gaming."

About Joaquin Ganga

Joaquin Ganga is a tattoo artist, entrepreneur, and artist born and raised in Spain. His style has transcended borders, as he has taken his work around the world from Spain to the USA, England, Costa Rica, France and Italy. Ganga has great passion for tattoos and a preference for the hyper realistic style. He is well known internationally for tattooing celebrities such as Drake, LeBron James, Odell Beckham Jr, Canelo Alvarez, Tyga, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, Anthony Davis, Lil Durk, among many others. He is the CEO and founder of two tattoo studios, one in Murica, Spain and the other in Los Angeles, California. He has also started two academies for aspiring tattoo artists, located in Murcia and Madrid. Among his artistic projects, Ganga created a hyper realistic portrait of Salvador Dali called 'Metamorphosis' on synthetic syn, which is known to be the biggest tattoo in the world. With the help of "The Shoe Surgeon" and his team, Ganga has birthed an exclusive edition of the well known Air Jordan 1's. In addition, he has just launched the second edition of one of his biggest artistic projects: 'Nomad', a collectible toy designed and created by Ganga himself. Ganga has been featured in multiple publications such as Forbes, GQ, Complex, Billboard, and People.

SOURCE XSET
Acquisition adds significant expertise in multilingual capability and global reach

MUNICH, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- yoummday GmbH, the technology platform that matches independent entrepreneurs with companies needing customer service talent, has acquired Prague-based ICON Communication Centres s.r.o. (ICON), a multilingual business process outsourcer (BPO), from ESPIRA Investments s.r.o. (ESPIRA) and ICON's executive management team. The purchase of ICON is yoummday's first acquisition in its invigorated growth strategy since receiving a 30M funding round from Armira Growth and Project A in February 2022. yoummday's purchase of ICON accelerates the company's international expansion as it seeks to disrupt traditional BPO and contact centre models.

yoummday, ICON, and ESPIRA Investments celebrated the acquisition of ICON in Prague, Czech Republic.

yoummday offers a [email protected] operating system ([email protected] OS) which empowers independent entrepreneurs with the ability to choose when and where they work across a variety of customer experience functions for a brand they desire. As a result, companies of all sizes in any sector can take advantage of an engaged and scalable workforce contributing a wide range of skills and languages to the yoummday talent pool.

"The acquisition of ICON furnishes the opportunity to strengthen our growth strategy, which is predicated on integrating traditional BPO operators into our own proprietary marketplace platform. We look forward to working with the ICON team and weaving their unique capabilities into the yoummday brand", emphasized Dr. Klaus Harisch, CEO and Founder of yoummday.

yoummday customers can select from over 6,000 qualified entrepreneurs when building their workforce and may decide upon either a self-managed or yoummday-managed deployment of services. Within its platform, yoummday takes care of quality assurance, the onboarding of new independent entrepreneurs, and additional training.

Acquisition adds significant expertise in multilingual capability and global reach



ICON has provided international companies with outsourced customer operations functions since 2003. It brings significant benefits and expertise to yoummday with respect to native-level multilingual capability, global reach, and B2B customer experiences. Following yoummday's proven success within the EU, its penetration into both the US and UK markets is now expedited thanks to ICON's existing operations.

ICON was co-founded by CEO Helen Hickin after identifying Prague as an ideal nearshore location due to its geography, advantageous price point, and the depth of multilingual talent available. It is capable of providing complex customer interactions in 30 languages and counts several of the world's most well-known travel, telecommunication, and education technology companies within its client portfolio.

"We identified a gap in the market and opened the first outsourced BPO in Prague. Twenty years later, the BPO sector has changed significantly; through innovative technology, yoummday has found an exciting new way for companies to outsource operations with greater flexibility. It's the right time for ICON's next evolution and yoummday is perfectly positioned to ensure ICON's clients continue to benefit from innovative delivery solutions", states Helen Hickin, CEO, ICON Communication Centres.

ICON's C-Team will continue to operate alongside yoummday, and the ICON brand will remain in operation for the foreseeable future. yoummday purchased 100% of ICON from CEE Communications s.r.o. of which CEE-based private equity firm ESPIRA, is the majority shareholder. ESPIRA and ICON's executive management team acquired ICON in 2019 in a transaction that aligned with the private equity firm's diversity-oriented investment focus.

Emilia Mamajova, ESPIRA's Co-Founding Partner, stated, "Our goal together with the management team was to develop ICON on the international arena as a successful independent provider of high value-added services - and over the past three years Helen and her team have succeeded in reaching this objective. We congratulate them and wish the team continued success in their partnership with yoummday."

yoummday's acquisition of ICON Communication Centres was concluded on the 20th of July 2022, and all parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

About yoummday

yoummday.com has developed a [email protected] operating system ([email protected] OS) which allows it to leverage its 360 customer service platform. yoummday stands for 'you made my day'. The Munich-based company was founded in 2016 by telegate and GoYellow founder Dr. Klaus Harisch and his sons Pablo and Lion. On the yoummday platform, over 6,000 qualified customer service talents from 65 nations working remotely from home are matched with client companies in need of professional customer service. yoummday employs more than 250 people in Munich, Halle, Berlin, and Sofia.

About ICON Communication Centres

ICON is an agile contact centre based in Central Europe that recruits and manages multilingual teams specializing in sales, account management, and customer support services for B2B and B2C companies across various sectors. Companies wanting to scale or test new markets leverage ICON's award-winning knowledge of CX solutions and customer journeys to grow their market presence cost-effectively.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1866751/yoummday_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1866749/yoummday_ICON_Logo.jpg

SOURCE yoummday GmbH
Diversified Energy Company acquired another well-decommissioning business in the US Appalachian Basin, its third this year.

ConServ is a privately held plugging and well services provider run by David and Scott Freshwater based in Spencer, West Virginia.

Diversified Energy said the acquisition will allow it retire more wells, scale its own internal well plugging programme and provide additional third-party revenues from other operators and state agencies.

As part of the acquisition, the gas producer will add the ConServ well services and plugging division to the existing Next LVL Energy asset retirement platform.

Diversifiers plugging programme now includes 15 well rigs, an increase of 70% on the first quarter of 2022.

The company has made a commitment to retire at least 200 wells per year across its Appalachian footprint.

No details of the consideration for Conserv or its financial performance were released.

Brad Gray, chief operating offer said Diversified Energy is now one of the largest full-service plugging providers in the region.

"This acquisition serves to not only highlight our long-standing commitment as responsible assets stewards and operators from acquisition to retirement, but also our dedication to doing so in a manner that is beneficial to all of our stakeholders and the environment.
Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC (LSE:SSIT) saw its shares rocket after the market warmed to its latest trading update.

Shares in the SpaceTech investment company soared 7.32% to 77p as the Trust said investment in the space domain remained strong despite the macro-economic environment.

Whilst the space sector is not immune to the macro-economic backdrop, the last six months have demonstrated the crucial role space plays in global defence, food security and humanitarian support as well as addressing longer-term climate and sustainability solutions, said chief executive, Mark Boggett.

According to the statement, the group had net assets of 250mln as of March 31, with 75%, or 188mln, made up of investments and the remaining 25% made up of cash.

However, since the quarter ended June 30, the group made five private investments, meaning total cash fell to 57.7mln from 62.3mln.

Metal Tiger advances as 21% owned Cobre makes discovery

Metal Tiger PLC (AIM:MTR, OTC:MRTTF, ASX:MTR) shares advanced strongly after Cobre Limited announced the first intersection of significant copper mineralisation from its ongoing drill programme on Kalahari Metals Limiteds Ngami Copper Project licenses.

Metal Tiger has a 21% stake in Cobre and its shares jumped 16.07% to 16.25p on the back of the news.

Cobre Executive Chairman and Managing Director, Martin Holland, said: This new copper discovery represents a transformational moment for Cobre shareholders.

He added These results, which confirm the presence of significant copper mineralisation, validate the district scale opportunity of Cobres soon to be 100% owned, extensive licence package within the Kalahari Copper Belt.

Provident Financial (LSE:PFG) dips as costs increase more than expected

Provident Financial (LSE:PFG) topped the FTSE 250 fallers as a fall in profits and an increase in operating costs disappointed the market.

The group reported first half adjusted pre-tax profit of 54.3mln, 15% lower than the first half of 2021, while operating costs grew by 20% to 157mln.

Peel Hunt analysts Robert Sage and Stuart Duncan, commented that FY costs were now likely to total circa 314mln against their current estimate of 269m, although costs are seen falling back in 2023.

Lower impairment charges will offset some of this they said but they cautioned there was ground to be made up if the company was going to hit full year forecasts.

Quadrise deal provides fuel to share price

Quadrise Fuels International PLC (AIM:QFI, OTC:QDRSF) saw its shares advance strongly after announcing that it has signed a framework agreement with MSC Shipmanagement for proof-of-concept tests and operational trials.

By 10.50am shares were 15.94% higher at 1.60p.

Both bioMSAR and MSAR fuels will be tested on one or more commercial container vessel ahead of the intended commercial supply of the fuels to MSCs global fleet.

Jason Miles, CEO of QFI, commented:

This is an important milestone for the company as we progress our projects and deepen our relationships with leading energy suppliers and users to reduce energy consumption, costs and emissions.

House broker, Shore Capital, commented: We believe the scope to add value to one of the largest shipping companies in the world is huge, especially as environmental regulations in the industry are expected to tighten further.

The potential scale of the opportunities in Utah and Morocco are also huge and each potentially worth substantially more than Quadrise's current enterprise value.

Parsley Group dives as revenues and orders fall

Meal delivery service, Parsley Box Group PLC, saw its shares crash 30% to 12.25p after reporting a fall in revenues and order numbers.

Income fell to 9.6mln from 14mln in the first half while total order numbers in the first half were 212,000 against 385,000 in the first half of 2021.

As a result of the fall in orders, the company cautioned that it expects full year revenues of 19m

The cost of acquiring new customers also continued to rise, reaching 34 in the first half against 31 in 2021 and the cost of a repeat order increased to 6 from 3.

Kevin Dorren, CEO of Parsley Box, commented:

"We have continued our product innovation at pace to increase the opportunities for customers to order from us, and remain focused on balancing investment in customer acquisition and maintaining cash reserves, whilst we navigate the challenging consumer environment. 

We recently brought down the price of a range of customer favourite meals to 2.95 to help alleviate the rising cost of living, and have frozen all prices until September. We remain well funded and continue to deliver quality, good value, and nutritious food."
Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) shareholders will vote on Elon Musks bid to buy the social media platform in a virtual meeting on 13 September, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The social media giant informed shareholders in writing it will hold the virtual meeting on that date to decide the fate of Musks proposed US$44bn takeover of the platform.

This was after the Tesla chief executive attempted to pull out of the deal, citing an alleged breach of the merger agreement, and Twitter subsequently sought to enforce the deal by launching legal action.

According to the original deal documents, Musk would be potentially liable to stump up US$1bn if he terminated the deal, unless Twitter was proved to have materially breached the original agreement.

On 8 July, the business magnate told Twitter that he wanted to exit the deal, claiming that the social media platform had failed to provide sufficient information on the number of bots on the platform.

Musks lawyers said Twitter had not responded to his requests for further information around the number of fake or spam accounts on its site, claiming the social media platform breached provisions outlined in the merger agreement.

Twitter responded by pursuing legal action against Musk, who was listed as the worlds richest man this year by Forbes, to hold up the agreement and conclude the deal.

Its chairman Bret Taylor tweeted that the board was committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed with Mr Musk.

Twitter was granted an expedited trial in a Delaware Chancery Court this October and Musk has so far not succeeded in delaying the hearing until next February.

The original takeover proposal valued Twitters shares at US$54.20, a 38% premium to its closing share price on April 1.
The enhanced technology and feature-rich app complements GBE's service-led provision of digital asset services, which includes a dedicated and personalised telephone service

GlobalBlock Digital Asset Trading Limited has announced that its service-led digital asset broker subsidiary, GlobalBlock Europe, UAB (GBE), has successfully launched its new mobile trading app.

In a statement, Rufus Round, CEO of GlobalBlock, said: "At a time when many other crypto firms are under pressure from the recent developments within the industry and reining in investment in their technology, here at GlobalBlock we are preparing for the continued adoption of digital assets with the launch of our new app."

He added: "Our technology upgrade is a foundational development for us as we continue to expand our digital asset product and service offering. We now have the ability to scale quickly, a development that has been delayed slightly whilst awaiting regulatory clarity. Now that we have this clarity, having established the business in Europe, we can commence our marketing efforts in earnest."

"As a highly experienced team from traditional finance and investment management, we understand the importance of risk controls and safeguarding client assets. It is worth reiterating that GlobalBlock does not partake in any lending, nor does it have any exposure to stablecoins or yield products that could put client assets at risk," the CEO concluded.

The enhanced technology and feature-rich app complements GBE's service-led provision of digital asset services, which includes a dedicated and personalised telephone service.

This customer-focused approach has allowed GBE to navigate the recent volatility in crypto markets, affording its clients the service and protection expected of respectable and traditional, well risk-managed brokerage companies. GBE also ensures client assets have no inappropriate exposure to leverage, stablecoins or yield products and takes no proprietary positions against them.

The new enhanced features of the app include:

- Live in-App support bringing users even closer to the trading and support teams

- Major assets tradable in-App, with multiple tradable pairings denominated against US$, GBP, EUR and USDT

- Circa 100 other assets available for trading over the telephone and via its new in-App 'contact' function

- All users crypto balances and digital asset positions viewable in-App

- Seamless in-App fiat and crypto deposits

- Free withdrawals at any time

- Responsive, intuitive and user-friendly experience guaranteed

As of today, the app is downloadable from both the iOS App Store (https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/globalblock/id1572355871) and Android Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gb.globalblock). In a week's time GBE will undertake its marketing push to drive downloads and client acquisition, with a focus on the UK market to start with, the company said.

GBE is a European Union-based digital asset broker that provides a personalised telephone brokerage service, trading platform and mobile app.

Established by an experienced team of financial services professionals, it acts as a trusted agent serving the digital asset needs of individuals, corporations, institutional financial firms and intermediaries, providing best execution trading and safe custody of digital assets.

At this time, clients or customers based in Lithuania and the UK can be onboarded to its digital asset broker and trading services.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Higher oil and gas prices and newly supportive government incentives are creating new catalysts for investors in North Sea small-caps like Deltic Energy PLC (AIM:DELT).

Deltic on Tuesday saw its shares rise after Shell, the AIM-quoted firms North Sea exploration partner, greenlit Selene which will be the second well in the joint venture.

It comes as Shell is preparing to drill the Pensacola well in September.

Pensacola is a project that promises much excitement for the AIM-quoted firm which is carried for most of the well expenses, via its partnership deal with Shell, and, the same will apply when its time to drill Selene.

Changes to the UK tax regime, meanwhile, mean the multinational super-major will also have a substantial portion of its costs supported.

Indeed, reliefs rolled-up into Mays windfall tax are a discreet factor in Deltic Energys increasingly busy schedule in the UK North Sea.

Our projects that we have within our portfolio suddenly become even more economically and commercially attractive, and certainly [the reliefs] will facilitate further investment into those prospects, chief executive Graham Swindells told Proactive.

For companies like Deltic there's no doubt that this has actually presented an opportunity.

He added: It introduces a tax relief such that for companies or operators that are subject to the EPL they effectively have up to 91% cost saving for any new qualifying investments - like the Deltic opportunities and assets, such as Selene, Pensacola and our other opportunities.

Basically, it means that any companies making money by producing oil and/or gas in the UK can claim the vast majority of their tax back if theyre also investing in new projects.

Perhaps, then, there should be little surprise that Shell has decided to advance its second North Sea well with Deltic  or that Capricorn (formerly Cairn) may follow suite in due course. Capricorn in November agreed to take stakes in five gas licences in the Southern North Sea, for which drill decisions are anticipated.

I think the potential definitely exists there for us to see further investment into North Sea opportunities such as the ones which sit within the Deltic portfolio, Swindells added.

Stifel sees significant upside

Meanwhile, in a note, stockbroker Stifel upgraded its target price for Deltic  up to 6.9p from 4.3p (current price 2.99p)  and said the Shell drill decision was significant positive news.

Despite the attractiveness of the Selene prospect, we felt that there was still a risk that Shell may not elect to drill the well, given its focus elsewhere, Stifel analyst David Round said.

Deltic has exposure to some of the most exciting North Sea gas prospects being drilled in the next few years.

Given the comparatively high chance of success attached to these wells, we believe the risk-reward on the shares looks attractive at these levels; we reiterate our buy rating.

Selene: Among largest un-appraised structures

The timing of the drilling has yet to be decided but the North Sea Transition Authority, the UK regulator, has been informed of Shells decision to proceed with the well.

Deltic holds a 50% working interest in the licence but will be carried for 75% of the costs of drilling and testing of the Selene well up to total of US$25 mln.

Shell will be the operator of the licence, which Deltic said is one of the largest unappraised structures in the Leman Sandstone fairway of the Southern Gas Basin.

Selene is estimated to contain gross P50 prospective resources of 318bn cubic feet (BCF) with a geological chance of success of 70%.

The commitment to drill this material, high impact, low-risk gas prospect is another highly significant milestone for Deltic and our team," Graham Swindells, Deltics chief executive, said.

"Adding another committed well to our programme, following recent confirmation that Pensacola will be drilled in September, represents further endorsement of the quality of Deltic's assets."

But first, Pensacola

In June, Shell confirmed to Deltic that it had inked the rig contract for the Pensacola exploration well, with drilling set to start in September.

Pensacola will be drilled by the Maersk Resilient, a high-efficiency jack-up rig, which has already been under contract to Shell since the start of June.

The Pensacola project has the potential to unlock a significant new source of gas to the UK, according to Deltic, and as such has been highly anticipated by the industry.

Pensacola is an increasingly valuable asset in the current energy environment and confirmation that the JV has now secured a high-quality drilling rig with an experienced team for the well is another key milestone as our planning continues to progress towards the drilling of this high-impact prospect," it said last month.

Deltics estimates for Pensacola put the prospects gross P50 prospective resources at around 309bn cubic feet of gas. If proven, that would make Pensacola one of the highest impact gas exploration targets in recent years.

Investments into the drilling of Pensacola and Selene  and, if their successful, the subsequent field development work  would qualify as investments under the EPL and would benefit from the generous tax relief scheme brought in by Rishi Sunak alongside the controversial windfax tax.
Kraken was fined over US$1mln in 2021 for failing to register as a futures commission merchant

San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is under investigation by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for alleged sanctions violations, according to a New York Times report.

Five people affiliated with the company or with knowledge of the inquiry informed the NYT that the exchange has opened its doors to customers in Iran and other countries under US sanctions.

Krakens chief legal officer Marco Santori told Decrypt: Kraken has robust compliance measures in place and continues to grow its compliance team to match its business growth. Kraken closely monitors compliance with sanctions laws and, as a general matter, reports to regulators even potential issues.

Its not the first time Krakens business practices have come under fire.

In September 2021, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission imposed a US$1.25mln fine for failing to register as a futures commission merchant.

The US has imposed numerous sanctions on the Islamic republic ever since 1979, a policy which has continued through to the current Biden administration.
"As we begin to hit key milestones, we were able to generate positive operating cash flow this quarter and remain on track to achieve positive free cash flow for 2022, said CEO Dave Calhoun

The Boeing Company has posted lower-than-expected earnings and revenue for 2Q but reiterated its expectation to achieve positive free cash flow in 2022.

For 2Q, the company reported an adjusted loss per share of $0.37, compared to earnings per share of $0.40 in the same quarter in 2021 and falling below the consensus market expectation of a loss of $0.14 per share.

The Virginia-based airplane manufacturer also fell short of revenue expectations, reporting revenue of $16.7 billion compared to $17 billion in the year-ago quarter and below the $17.6 billion expected by market analysts.

The company attributed its reduced revenue to lower defence volume and unfavourable performance which it said was partially offset by higher commercial volume, with the company delivering 121 commercial airplanes during the quarter compared to 79 during the same period in 2021.

Boeing recorded a positive operating cash flow of $81 million, up from a negative cash flow of $483 million in the year-ago quarter, which the company said reflected higher commercial deliveries and the timing of receipts and expenditures.

"As we begin to hit key milestones, we were able to generate positive operating cash flow this quarter and remain on track to achieve positive free cash flow for 2022, said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.

While we are making meaningful progress, we have more work ahead. We will stay focused on safety, quality and transparency, as we drive stability, improve performance, and continue to invest in our future."

The company also noted it had nearly completed the global safe return to service of the 737 MAX, with the production of the 737 increasing to 31 airplanes per month during the quarter.

Regarding its 787 Dreamliner, the company said it continued to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to resume deliveries after they were suspended in May 2021 due to quality control and production issues. Boeing said abnormal costs related to the 787 would be approximately $2 billion by the end of 2023, including $283 million recorded in Q2.

Following the release of its results, Boeings shares were up about 0.5% at noon, trading at roughly $156.70 per share.

Contact the author Emily Jarvie at emily.jarvie@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @emilyjjarvie
As geopolitical tensions continue to rise, old trading partners become potential adversaries and critical mineral supply surety becomes a matter of national security.

China currently produces 70-80% of the world's graphite and 100% of the natural graphite used in lithium-ion batteries.

While there are hopes the recently elected Australian Federal Government might be able to restore relations with the superpower, we are nonetheless in a trade dispute with the Peoples Republic that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future.

Australia, the US, India, Canada and a plethora of European Union states have all declared graphite a critical mineral, in large part due to its importance as a battery anode material in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and similar energy storage technology.

Each of these countries is now looking to create domestic supply chains within or close to their own borders and inside their spheres of influence.

ASX listed International Graphite Ltd (ASX:IG6), an environmentally focused graphite company, is developing a fully integrated graphite supply chain entirely within Australian borders.

I really see it as supply chain surety, International Graphite founder and executive chair Phil Hearse said.

Phil Hearse, founder and executive chair of International Graphite.

The company intends to create a new source of graphite battery anode material for technologies needed to transition to a low-carbon renewable energy system, sourced from its own Springdale graphite mine in Western Australia.

Springdale holds a JORC-compliant inferred resource of 15.6 million tonnes at 6% total graphite content (TGC), with a particularly high-grade zone of 2.6 million tonnes at 17.5% TGC.

If our mine, for example, was overseas, then there's always the risk of your supply being cut off for one reason or another. That becomes highly unlikely here in Western Australia, and indeed, in Australia.

Adding to the fabric of society

Phil Hearse has enjoyed a long, successful career in the industrial minerals industry and in that time has developed a keen understanding of domestic supply issues.

He grew up by the beach in Victor Harbour, South Australia, where his love for both the ocean and metallurgy were born.

When I was going through high school, I met an old fellow called Claude MacDonald, Hearse remembered.

He was a retired metallurgist living in South Australia, in Victor Harbor, and he'd worked in the Port Pirie smelters. That was really what first led me into a career in the mining industry.

With mining engineering, you can achieve anything you want, I think. The industry has so much to offer, you're really adding to the fabric of society. It's been a wonderful career.

The said career began in the mines of Broken Hill but quickly moved beyond Australia to the Panguna copper mine in Papua New Guinea, run by Bougainville Copper (ASX:BOC).

At that point, it was just past the commissioning stages. It was a 'world's your oyster' moment really, for a very young bloke to be in that environment, both socially and from a career perspective it was just wonderful.

From there, Hearse moved from copper to nickel with Queensland Nickel, then to alumina with Gove Alumina as he toured various mining regions and worked with a raft of different metals and industrial materials.

In the mid-1980s, Hearse leveraged his extensive industry expertise to create the private contracting firm Normet with the goal of providing metallurgical services to mining companies.

That was sort of a new industry back in those times, he explained.

Hearse was something of a forerunner in the mining engineering sector during that period, feasibility and metallurgical contract services being a fairly new offering in the industry.

Once hed moved on from Normet and stepped down from a director advisory role with GRD Minproc, his next step was to create Battery Limits, another consulting firm that this time focused specifically on battery-related commodities from mineral sands to base metal and gold.

It didn't have the sort of meteoric rise that Normet had but solidly became a company that was relied upon for providing really niche and high-quality services to the mining industry, Hearse recalled.

Then, about seven years ago, we got drawn into the graphite industry, and that wasn't a conscious decision. It just sort of happened.

With seven years of experience under their belt, the Battery Limits team became graphite experts almost by accident.

Filling a void in material manufacturing

International Graphite was born from Phil Hearses experience as director of Battery Limits.

We were doing a lot of work in Africa for ASX and AM listed companies and as I was going through that process, it became apparent to me that outside of China there was essentially almost zero downstream processing capacity, particularly at that stage, in the battery anode materials, he said.

There were companies providing industrial products but from the viewpoint of battery anode materials, just about every kilogram of that material in one way or another is processed in China.

We thought, well, there's got to be another option for this.

The hunt was on.

Hearse flew from Perth to the Middle East, to China and back again, searching for the right place for a processing plant and graphite mine to begin manufacturing battery-grade graphite products.

After months of back and forth, Hearse and IG6 realised an overseas operation was more trouble than it was worth and began looking closer to home for better opportunities.

Collie became the obvious option. At the end of the day, that was the place for us to set up a downstream processing facility, and hence, that's the location that we are now focused on.

International Graphite is constructing the first vertically integrated, standalone graphite production facility in Western Australia.

A research and development and processing plant under construction in Collie, Western Australia, has been designed to manufacture spheroidised (the processed form of flake concentrate) graphite suitable for battery anode materials, fed by the Springdale Graphite Project.

Springdale is one of the highest-grade graphite resources in Australia, just 150 kilometres from the industrial port of Esperance, Western Australia.

IG6 chose these locations due to a combination of excellent infrastructure, access to major power stations and ports, and strong government support.

A matter of national security

In May, Western Australias governor Kim Beazley invited select critical mineral industry leaders to a roundtable event discussing the vital role that minerals and energy play in generating and securing economic growth, and the opportunities they offer Australia.

Unsurprisingly, Hearse was invited to participate in the roundtable, where the issue of strategic supply and energy security took centre stage.

That [the roundtable] really drove home to me the importance of strategic supply, Hearse said.

There was an interesting ideological shift potentially out of that, that goes from commercialism to strategy.

I think we would be very remiss if we didn't try to shore up our own supply of strategic commodities.

Leaving fears around China aside, the fragility of the critical minerals supply chain and of graphites supply, in particular, are a serious concern.

Source: Benchmark Intelligence Q4 2021 Forecast.

The supply-demand curves show that the demand exceeds supply from about 2025-27, particularly in graphite, but also in the other commodities as well, Hearse warned.

If the expected demand that all of the projections are showing becomes real, then suppliers are going to really struggle to meet that.

The issue of critical mineral supply as a strategic national objective was also highlighted in a US-Australian Net-Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership inked on July 12.

This partnership is designed to facilitate the development and deployment of zero-emissions technology, and cooperation on critical minerals supply chains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while supercharging economic growth.

The Australian Federal Governments Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen emphasised that the partnership was a huge milestone in ramping up the US and Australias shared commitment to ambitious climate action and energy security.

It prioritises not just development but deployment of the critical technologies that will underpin economic opportunity in the energy transformation of our two countries, Minister Bowen continued.

The sentiment is certainly one Hearse supports.

I think what we need people to understand is the strategic value of graphite, he stressed.

The fact is that the world is changing, Australia is changing. We're pushing heavily down the path of climate change; fossil fuels are on their way out.

The answer, at least for the next 10 years or more, is in the battery storage of lithium-ion batteries.
Drill chips from Mick Well drill hole showing weathered bedrock with areas of significant development of kaolinite clays.

Kingfisher Mining Ltd (ASX:KFM) has identified a new style of rare earth element (REE) mineralisation at the Mick Well Project in Western Australia, where broad zones of kaolinite clays and weathered bedrock have been unearthed in reverse circulation (RC) drilling.

Results of particular note from these areas are represented in parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxide (TREO) grades and include:

48 metres at 1265 ppm TREO, including 40 metres at 1367 ppm TREO from 8 metres; and

16 metres at 1156 ppm TREO, including 12 metres at 1301 ppm TREO from 8 metres.

REE mineralisation was also encountered in bedrock of all targets drilled in the Mick Well area, with results including:

68 metres at 631 ppm TREO from 36 metres;

44 metres at 754 ppm TREO from 152 metres; and

4 metres at 1704 ppm TREO from 48 metres.

Finally, the Kingfisher prospect  some 15 kilometres east of Mick Well  also yielded anomalous REE results up to 4 metres at 1924 ppm TREO from 172 metres.

REE mineralisation found in all targets

This is another great result for the company with all of the targets drilled in the recent drilling program returning anomalous REE mineralisation and significantly, all of the targets lie on structures within the companys 54-kilometre target corridor, Kingfisher Mining executive director and CEO James Farrell said.

In addition to the recent hard rock discoveries, we have also identified anomalous REE in the clays at the Mick Well Prospect.

This now presents a new opportunity that will be followed-up with metallurgy test work and additional drilling.

Geological mapping and sampling is ongoing at Mick Well and Kingfisher ahead of the next drilling program, which is scheduled to begin later in the year and will include, among other targets, the drilling of the recently identified 800 metres of outcropping mineralisation that returned rock chips of 21.13% TREO and 14.29% TREO.

Read: Kingfisher Mining higher as it hones in on drill-ready TREO mineralisation at Mick Well
Latin Resources Ltd (ASX:LRS) has demonstrated the prospectivity of its Colina prospect within the Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil with consistent, high-grade results from resource definition drilling, unearthing lithium intersections up to a peak of 4.22% lithium oxide.

LRS has completed a quarter of 100 planned diamond drill holes at Colina for 5,890 metres and continues to ramp-up drilling efforts with a fourth drill rig on-site, intended to accelerate a maiden resource estimate.

The latest results from Colina show a strong down-dip continuity of both grade and width of the logged pegmatites, with results including:

SADD017:

8.87 metres at 1.09% Li2O from 137 metres, including 1-metre at 2.02% from 137.00 metres; and

13.86 metres at 1.33% from 173.29 metres, including 7 metres at 1.93% from 178.00 metres.

SADD018:

9.16 metres at 1.68% Li2O from 133.84 metres, including 6.00 metres at 2.16% from 135 metres and 1-metre at 3.52% from 137 metres; and

16.00 metres at 1.29% from 189.00 metres, including 1-metre at 3.06% from 190 metres and 1-metre at 4.22% from 196 metres.

SADD019:

11.96 metres at 1.64% Li2O from 206.24 metres, including 8.2 metres at 1.82% from 210 metres.

SADD020:

2.35 metres at 3.57% Li2O from 120.33 metres; and

7.58 metres at 1.45% from 143.77 metres, including 1.6 metres at 2.45% from 144.4 metres.

Excellent high-grade lithium intersections

We are very pleased with the progress being made on-site in Brazil, with activity on multiple fronts including the systematic resource definition diamond drilling and our latest results continuing to show excellent high-grade lithium intersections and continuity of the pegmatites along strike and down dip, Latin Resources exploration manager Tony Greenaway said.

We now have our fourth drill rig operational on site, so we are up and running at full speed. We have a first-class drilling crew on site, who are maintaining high drilling production rates, and more importantly, excellent core quality coming out of the ground.

With around one-quarter of the holes now completed, we are well on track to deliver our maiden JORC resource estimate by the end of calendar year 2022.

I am also pleased to have our regional teams out mapping to the west of Colina and at Salinas South where we know we have more outcropping pegmatites. Our plan is to work up these areas to drill-ready status, and then in the near term commence drilling to begin testing these new areas.

Latins regional mapping teams have begun fieldwork in the area immediately to the west of Colina, targeting a parallel pegmatite system.

Further to the southeast, at the Salinas South tenement, mapping teams are also at work, investigating a lithium corridor identified in previous work that may stretch over 4 kilometres.
Examples of chrysocolla fracture fill (A) and disseminated sulphides in quartz veins (B) from NCP07.

Cobre Ltd (ASX:CBE) encountered a broad intersection of visual copper in the first diamond hole during exploration drilling at Ngami Copper Project in the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB), Botswana, with shares surging 125%.

The company has now confirmed that copper mineralisation on the tenure continues along strike from a historical hole that returned 2 metres at 1.8% copper and 8 g/t silver.

While Cobre has not had the opportunity to assay the drill core in a laboratory, it observed chrysocolla (hydrated copper phyllosilicate mineral) along with fine-grained disseminated copper sulphides over a 59-metre interval, with an increasing abundance of visual mineralisation in the lower 10 metres.

This drill hole (NCP07) was completed 1 kilometre along strike from the historical drill hole (TRDH14-16a) and has so far indicated that mineralisation increases and thickens along strike.

The company considers the results from these two drill holes to be anomalous for the KCB region and typical of intersections on the margins of copper deposits.

Represents transformational moment

This new copper discovery represents a transformational moment for Cobre shareholders. Cobre has never been in a better position from a project ownership, technical and operation perspective and now we have a promising copper intersection, on one of the most prospective copper belts in the world, executive chair and managing director Martin Holland said.

This result, 1 kilometre away from the previous historic hole, shows the current mineralisation thickens over a 1-kilometre zone to date.

The intersection of significant copper mineralisation in our diamond drilling campaign is testament to the high-calibre technical and operational expertise of our team in Botswana  led by Kalahari Metals Limited's (KML) newly appointed CEO Adam Wooldridge.

Our African exploration team has done a fantastic job getting the program underway, delivering positive results which have so far exceeded project expectations.

We have prioritised this portion of the belt due to its favourable geological setting. These results, which confirm the presence of significant copper mineralisation, validate the district-scale opportunity of Cobres, soon to be 100%-owned, extensive licence package within the Kalahari Copper Belt.

With diamond drilling ongoing in Botswana, we anticipate ongoing exploration updates to follow and look forward to updating our shareholders in due course.

Investors also welcomed the results, sending shares to an intra-day high of $0.11, an increase of 125% on yesterday's close, on volume of more than 34 million shortly before closing.

Cobre has identified 57 priority targets across the companys extensive licence holding on the northern margins of the KCB.

A second diamond-drilled hole is in progress, positioned a further 1-kilometre along strike from NCP07.
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Maximus Resources Ltd (ASX:MXR) shares opened trade about 8.7% higher at 5 cents after starting a ~3,500-metre reverse circulation (RC) drill program at its Wattle Dam Gold Project in Western Australia.

The companys drilling at the S5 / Golden Orb corridor is following up on the previously reported high-grade mineralisation.

Wattle Dam Project  showing Golden Orb and other gold prospects  looking north.

Maximus managing director Tim Wither said: It is exciting to be starting the S5/Golden Orb drill program, following up previous drilling success at both targets.

It was very encouraging to intersect 6m @ 8.8 g/t Au during the last program, which was outside of the known Golden Orb mineralised envelope.

Benefiting from learnings of previous drill programs, together with the newly acquired closer spaced magnetic surveys, provides valuable information in the targeting for further high-grade domains within the Wattle Dam Gold Project.

The drilling updates and assay results are expected through August and September 2022.

Plan view of drill collar location with aerial magnetic survey overlay.

Golden Orb drilling

Maximus recently completed an initial drill program at Golden Orb to confirm legacy drilling in the area.

The drilling intersected gold mineralisation of 6 metres at 8.8 g/t gold from 198 metres including 3 metres at 14.2 g/t gold from 199 (GORC058) metres adjacent to the Western Shear Zone analogous to the drilling of the S5 prospect.

Maximus intersection in hole GORC058 occurs outside the previously interpreted broad mineralised zone and indicates potential for a steeply dipping high-grade shoot at Golden Orb.

S5 Prospect drilling

The S5 Prospect is north of Golden Orb and ~300 metres south of the Wattle Dam Gold Mine pit crest.

Maximus initial drill programs at S5 intersected a high-grade gold interval of 3.0 metres at 83.3 g/t gold from 25 metres with follow-up drilling intersecting 32 metres at 3.2g/t gold from 105 metres.

The geological setting along the S5 / Golden Orb corridor is analogous to the Wattle Dam Gold Mine, which is not unexpected, with previous drilling passing through the Western Shear Zone (part of the regional Spargoville Shear Zone which also hosts the Hilditch Gold deposit) and into variably altered and veined ultramafics in the footwall of the shear zone.
GTI Energy Ltd (ASX:GTR) has finalised the planning for its 100,000 feet uranium drilling program at the Great Divide Basin ISR Project in Wyoming, USA, with permitting and bonding also close to completion.

This campaign will target known roll fronts for ISR amenable uranium at the project.

It will include 40,000 ft of follow-up at Thor and 60,000 ft of drilling collectively at Odin, Teebo, Loki and Wicket prospects.

Looking ahead, GTI anticipates to kick-off drilling in the coming weeks and have it completed by Christmas this year.

Advanced stage

GTI executive director Bruce Lane said Preparation for our follow-up drilling campaign in the Great Divide Basin is now at an advanced stage.

We have sequenced the drilling to deliver the full 100,000 ft program prior to Christmas as originally planned.

We are confident that we can successfully execute the drilling this year which will set GTI up to produce a uranium resource report in 2023.

We look forward to providing updates in the coming weeks as the program progresses.

Drilling at Thor

Thor is the most advanced of the GDB project areas and is adjacent to Ur-Energy Incs (URE) 18 million-pound Lost Creek uranium deposit and operating ISR uranium processing plant.

Exploration at Thor to date has identified mineralisation with economic potential based on widths, grades and depth of mineralisation.

The upcoming program at Thor is now planned, permitted and bonded to include follow-up drilling of up to 70 new holes totalling 40,000 ft to target extensions of the two miles of mineralised roll front identified from drilling completed earlier this year.

This new drilling will focus on the northeastern section of the project including the two Wyoming state leases northeast of the lode claim block which GTI previously successfully explored.

Drilling at Wicket East

The Wicket East claims abut the southern boundary of Ur-Energys Lost Soldier Deposit.

Drilling of up to 20 holes totalling 20,000-ft at Wicket East seeks to explore a projected mineralised trend extending from the southern boundary of UREs Lost Soldier property for about three miles, as defined by historic drilling information similar in nature to that used to plan the successful maiden drilling program at Thor.

Drilling at Odin, Loki and Teebo

Odin and Teebo are adjacent to Uranium Energy Corps (UEC), formerly Uranium One, Antelope Project.

The Loki claims sit south of UECs Antelope & north of UREs Lost Creek.

Drilling of about 40 holes totalling 40,000 feet collectively across Odin, Teebo and Loki also seeks to explore mineralised trends, over a combined length of five miles, as defined by the historic drilling information previously used to plan successful maiden drilling at Thor.
Haleon PLC (LSE:HLN, NYSE:HLN), the spin-out from GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) in which American giant Pfizer also has a significant stake, on Wednesday emulated its erstwhile parent by raising its revenue guidance.

The consumer healthcare group, which listed in London and New York last week with a value of around 30bn, said it expects the top line to grow by between 6% and 8% this year, an increase to the range of two percentage points.

The update was provided in a half-year trading statement, which recorded a 13.4% increase in sales to 5.2bn.

The group, which sells medicine cabinet staples such as Advil and Panadol and toothpaste under Sensodyne and Aquafresh brands, also cautioned that increased cost and the impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict would likely have a modest impact on operating margins going forward.

That said, newly-installed chief executive Brian McNamara, was largely upbeat on the companys prospects.

With two strong quarters delivered and continued momentum into the second half, we now expect to deliver full-year organic revenue growth ahead of our medium-term guidance range, he told investors.

We continue to invest to drive sustainable growth and remain confident in delivering on our medium-term guidance."
Delta 9 anticipates revenue for the six-month period ending June 30, 2022, to be between $29.9 million and $30.5 million

Delta 9 Cannabis Inc has provided guidance on its revenue forecast for the three-month and six-month period ending June 30, 2022, expecting solid growth based on preliminary results.

The company said it anticipates revenue for the three-month period ending June 30, 2022, to be between $17.4 million and $18.0 million compared with $12.5 million for the first quarter of 2022 and $16.7 million for the second quarter of 2021.

Delta 9 anticipates revenue for the six-month period ending June 30, 2022, to be between $29.9 million and $30.5 million.

"Sequentially and year over year, Delta 9 anticipates another record quarter with all three business units contributing to the success of the quarter," said John Arbuthnot, Co-founder, and CEO of Delta 9 in a statement. "We remain optimistic that the second half of 2022 will continue to outperform the first half of the year for Delta 9."

Delta 9 said it will provide investors with a full breakdown of its revenue and financial results as part of the second quarter news release which will be issued on August 15, 2022, after markets close.

This will be followed by a conference call the following day on August 16, 2022. The conference call will be hosted that day at 1.00pm. Eastern Time by John Arbuthnot, the company's chief executive officer, and Jim Lawson, its chief financial officer, followed by a question-and-answer period. Dial in number # 1-888-886-7786. Replay number 1-877-674-6060; replay passcode 599533 #; available until 12.00am Eastern Time, September 15, 2022.

The preliminary estimated revenues for the three-month period ended June 30, 2022, set forth are subject to the completion of the company's financial closing procedures. These preliminary estimated financial results have been prepared by and are the responsibility of the company's management.

The company said it currently expects that its final results for revenue will be consistent with the estimates set forth above, but such estimates are preliminary, and the company's actual results of operations and other data could differ materially from these estimates due to the completion of its financial closing procedures, final adjustments and other developments that may arise between now and the time such consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2022, are issued.

Convertible debenture cash repayment

In a brief separate statement, Delta 9 Cannabis also announced the completion of the cash repayment of its unsecured 8.5% convertible debentures issued on July 17, 2019, which had a maturity date of July 17, 2022. The $11.8 million cash repayment represents a full payout of the convertible debentures which were previously traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol DN.DB.

The company said it met the pre-disbursement conditions required to draw down $11.8 million under its credit facility with ConnectFirst Credit Union and concurrently made the cash repayment of the convertible debentures. The company's $11.8 million draw-down from its credit facility is subject to a 60-month repayment term at a fixed rate of 4.55% per annum, amortized over 144 months.

Delta 9 Cannabis is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on bringing the highest quality cannabis products to market. The company sells cannabis products through its wholesale and retail sales channels and sells its cannabis grow pods to other businesses.

Delta 9's wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc., is a licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis and operates an 80,000-square-foot production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Delta 9 also owns and operates a chain of retail stores under the Delta 9 Cannabis Store brand.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Metal Tiger PLC (AIM:MTR, OTC:MRTTF, ASX:MTR) hailed investee Cobre Ltd (ASX:CBE)s announcement it intersected significant copper mineralisation at Kalahari Metals Ltds Ngami copper project in Botswana.

The first drill hole intersected a broad zone of copper mineralisation starting from 214 metres and continuing for approximately 59 metres, based on visual estimates that were confirmed with readings from portable X-ray fluorescence analysers.

The drill hole demonstrated that mineralisation increases and thickens out significantly, Cobre said.

This new copper discovery represents a transformational moment for Cobre shareholders, said Cobre executive chairman and managing director Martin Holland. Now we have a promising copper intersection, on one of the most prospective copper belts in the world.

This result, 1km away from the previous historic hole, shows the current mineralisation thickens over a 1km zone to date.

Metal Tiger has a 21% stake in Cobre.
AGB contains a 619,000-ounce, 1.65 grams per tonne gold equivalent measured and indicated resource

Benchmark Metals Inc. (TSX-V:BNCH, OTCQX:BNCHF) said it has delineated several new drill targets adjacent to the AGB gold-silver deposit in British Columbia.

According to Benchmark, the new targets include a large kilometre-scale, fault-bounded geophysical target adjacent to the existing deposit.

AGB contains a 619,000-ounce, 1.65 grams per tonne gold-equivalent measured and indicated resource.

Benchmark CEO John Williamson told investors that the new targets demonstrate similar geochemical and geophysical characteristics to the known zones of mineralization in close proximity to AGB.

"We continue to develop large new targets in close proximity to the existing deposits that have never been drill-tested, Williamson said in a statement. The new targets exhibit significant new discovery potential and are high priority drill areas.

The targets are home to an untested resistivity geophysical anomaly which is interpreted as possible silicification related to mineralization associated with a large, steeply-dipping fault system.

Additionally, the area contains three soil anomalies situated approximately three kilometres to the north along-strike and within the same structural corridor as AGB, and coincident VLF geophysical anomalies, similar to those seen at AGB.

Benchmark told shareholder that the blind targets have not seen historical or contemporary drilling and have strong discovery potential to add additional gold-silver ounces given their proximity to existing deposit areas at Lawyers, according to a statement.

The company's flagship Lawyers gold-silver project is located within a road-accessible region of the prolific Golden Horseshoe area of north-central British Columbia, Canada.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
New Delhi, July 27 : The second phase of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG exam for the current year will be conducted on August 4 for students seeking admission in various undergraduate courses at different colleges across the country.

A total of nearly 14,90,000 candidates, including students within the country and abroad, have already registered for CUET-UG 2022.

The first phase of the exam has been conducted for which nearly 8,10,000 candidates appeared on July 15.

After the completion of the first phase of the exam, the second phase will be held on August 4 in which nearly 6,80,000 candidates will write the exam.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains examination is currently being conducted between the first and second phases of the CUET. To ensure that the dates of the JEE Mains examination and CUET do not coincide, hence the latter is not being conducted at present.

Both the CUET and JEE Main exams are being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The first phase of CUET exam was conducted on July 15, 16, 19 and 20.

According to the NTA, a gap of several days has been given to students due to the ongoing JEE Main exam. After this gap of several days, the second phase of CUET will be conducted from August 4 to 10. The CUET was also postponed as the NEET UG examination was held on July 17.

According to the University Grants Commission, those students who succesfully crack the CUET will be considered eligible for admission in 90 different universities. Such students can seek admission to Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, including 43 central universities across the country.

According to the NTA, keeping in mind the diverse number of subjects, a specific datesheet for the CUET has been prepared for the candidates.

Soon the notification regarding the CUET datesheet will be issued to all the candidates appearing for the second phase of the exam along with their date of examination and their location/city where they will be writing the exam.

The NTA is conducting this entrance test at various exam centres located in 554 cities across India and 10 cities outside the country.

UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar said that 98 per cent candidates are being assigned CUET exam centres based on their preferred choice.

According to the NTA, students have applied for 54,555 unique combinations of subjects under the new education policy. Under the new education policy, students have been given more freedom to choose the subjects of their choice. Due to this unique combination of different subjects have been created.

The CUET is being conducted on the basis of Class 12 academic syllabus for seeking admission to various undergraduate courses across different colleges in the country. There are no questions that will be asked in this entrance test apart from the syllabus of class 12. The marks obtained in class 12 will not be considered for seeking admission in various colleges through the CUET.

The CUET is taking place internationally as 10 different cities of the world outside India will also participate in this exam.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Union government has approved the arms procurement proposals worth over Rs 28,000 crore, including swarm drones, bulletproof jackets and close-quarter battle carbines, The proposals were cleared on Tuesday by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

These proposals will enhance the overall combat prowess of the armed forces along the northern and western borders.

"The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of the armed forces amounting to Rs 28,732 crore were accorded by the DAC," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The approval to the new procurement proposals came amid India's lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The Ministry said the approval to procure four lakh close-quarter battle carbines was granted to combat the "current complex paradigm of conventional and hybrid warfare" and terrorism at the borders.

"To combat the current complex paradigm of conventional and hybrid warfare and counter-terrorism at the borders, AoN for induction of approx. Four lakh of close quarter battle carbines for the services have also been accorded by the DAC," it said.

The Ministry said the decision is set to provide a major impetus to the small arms manufacturing industry in the country and enhance "Atmanirbharta" (self-reliance) in small arms.

"Considering the demand for enhanced protection against the threat of enemy snipers to our troops deployed along the Line of Control, and in close combat operations in counter-terrorism scenario, the DAC accorded AoN for bulletproof jackets with Indian Standard BIS VI level of protection," it said.

On the procurement of the armed swarm drones, the Ministry said these are being acquired as drone technology has proved to be a force multiplier in military operations.

"In the recent conflicts across the world, drone technology proved to be a force multiplier in military operations. Accordingly, to augment the Indian Army's capability in modern warfare, AoN for procurement of autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarms has been accorded by the DAC under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category," it said.

The DAC has also approved the Navy's proposal to procure an upgraded 1,250-KW capacity marine gas turbine generator for power generation application onboard the Kolkata class of ships through the Indian industry.

"This will give a major boost to the indigenous manufacturing of gas turbine generators," the Ministry said.

To enhance the security in the coastal region of the country, the DAC has also approved the proposal of procurement of 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) with 60 per cent indigenous content, the Ministry added.
Kanpur : , July 27 (IANS) Fifty-two years after he was charged with the alleged kidnapping of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi in 1980 and the murder of her paramour, Chheda Singh passed away at the Sefai Institute of Medical Sciences in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district at the age of 69.

He was being treated for tuberculosis.

Chheda Singh was declared an absconder in 1998 and was arrested from Bhasaun village in Auraiya district on June 5, 2022.

He was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. After arrest, he was sent to Etawah jail.

When arrested in Auraiya, he had told the police that he was living at an ashram near Janki Kund in Chitrakoot in the guise of a 'baba' (seer) where he worked as a 'sevadar' (helper) for more than two decades.

Etawah Jail Senior Superintendent Ram Dhani told reporters that Chheda Singh's health deteriorated while he was lodged in Etawah Jail on June 27, following which he was shifted to the Sefai medical facility.

Former Auraiya Superintendent of Police, Abhishek Verma said that Chheda had joined the Lalaram gang of dacoits in the ravines of Chambal when he was in his early 20s.

"He was among the most active members of the gang headed by Lalaram and his brother Sitaram. Lalaram killed his rival gang's leader Vikram Mallah and got Mallah's gang member Phoolan Devi kidnapped in 1980. She was also gang-raped. Later, Phoolan took revenge by executing the Behmai massacre on February 14, 1981, when she and her gang gunned down 21 people," he added.

Chheda and others also executed 16 Mallahs to avenge the Behmai killings at Asta in Auraiya district in June 1984.

"He was very clever. He had shown himself dead in the documents and had given the entire property to his brother Ajai Singh," said the police official.

He was wanted in more than 20 cases of murder, dacoity, abduction and extortion. Chheda was declared absconder by the court in 1998.

At the time of the arrest, the police had recovered fake ID proofs, including a PAN card, an Aadhaar card and other documents, made in the name of Braj Mohan from him. However, with the help of locals, police ascertained his real identity.

Meanwhile, Phoolan Devi evaded arrest for two years after the Behmai massacre before she and her few surviving gang members surrendered in 1983. She was charged with 48 crimes, including multiple murders, plunder, arson and kidnapping for ransom.

She spent the next 11 years in jail.

In 1994, the state government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party withdrew all charges against Phoolan, and she was released later.

She was fielded by the SP in the Lok Sabha elections from Mirzapur in 1996. She won and was re-elected in 1999.

In 2001, she was shot dead near her official bungalow in New Delhi by Sher Singh Rana.
Kiev, July 27 : Ukraine will receive nearly 1.6 billion euros (about $1.62 billion) from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced.

"Yesterday, the European Investment Bank agreed to disburse 1.6 billion euros to Ukraine, with 1 billion euros out of this sum to be allocated promptly," Shmyhal told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to the government's press service.

The Prime Minister said the funds will be directed for the activities to prepare Ukraine for the heating season, including the restoration of damaged electricity, water and heat supply facilities, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Ukraine will also use part of the funding from the EIB to finance projects in energy efficiency, roads, transport, education, infrastructure and other sectors.

Kiev plans to raise $20 billion in international aid from its Western partners by the end of 2022, said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at a public event in June.
Los Angeles, July 27 : At least 41 structures have been destroyed by the Oak Fire, now the largest wildfire this year in US western state of California, authorities said.

The fast-moving wildfire that began on Friday afternoon near the Yosemite National Park in central California's Mariposa County scorched 18,087 acre (73.2 square km) with 26 per cent containment as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Around 1,440 structures are still under threat as nearly 3,000 firefighters, with aircraft support, are continuing their efforts against the massive wildfire, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Fire crews continue providing structure defense, extinguishing hot spots, and building and improving direct fire lines," said Cal Fire in an update on Tuesday.

"Persistent drought, critically dry fuel and tree mortality continue to contribute to the fire's spread. Humidity levels were slightly higher overnight as monsoonal moisture began to move in," the agency added.

The Oak Fire has forced thousands of local residents to evacuate. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the explosive fire.

Another explosive wildfire, the Washburn Fire, has burned more than 4,875 acre (19.7 square km) to date with 87 per cent contained after nearly three weeks near the Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire has drawn national attention as firefighters are battling the blaze to protect some of the world's oldest and largest trees in the park.

Many of the largest wildfires, including the top five, in California's history have happened in the past few years amid severe drought.

"California continues to experience longer wildfire seasons as a direct result of climate change," said Cal Fire in its 2022 fire season outlook, noting that "continued dry conditions, with above normal temperatures through spring, will leave fuel moisture levels lower than normal, increasing the potential for wildland fire activity." Wildfires have swallowed more than 53,000 acre (214.5 square km) so far this year in the state, according to data released by Cal Fire.
Srinagar, July 27 : The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been closed for vehicular traffic due to landslides and shooting stones at Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, Police said on Wednesday.

"Jammu-Srinagar NHW (NH-44) blocked at Mehad Ramban due to shooting stones. People are advised not to travel along Jammu-Srinagar NHW without confirmation from TCU Jammu/Srinagar/Ramban," Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police said.

The highway is the lifeline of the Kashmir Valley and the main road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Kashmir-bound trucks laden with essential supplies and other vehicles pass through the highway and fruit carrying trucks from Kashmir head for rest of the country through this road.

Amarnath yatris take this road for travelling from Jammu to Kashmir for their journey towards the holy cave.
San Francisco, July 27 : After Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner criticised Instagram for trying to be like TikTok, the Meta-owned platform's head Adam Mosseri shared a video explaining the recent changes to the platform and said it will become more video-focused over time.

On the microblogging site Twitter, Mosseri shared a video and mentioned that "there is a lot happening on Instagram right now".

"I wanted to address a few things we are working on to make Instagram a better experience," Mosseri wrote on Twitter.

According to CNBC, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing into short videos, a market that TikTok dominates on mobile.

Many users have not responded well to the change, and a post urging the company to "make Instagram Instagram again," implying it should focus more on pictures friends post, has amassed over 1.6 million likes and resulted in nearly 140,000 petition signatures.

In the video, Mosseri said that he knows there has been a lot of change to Instagram.

He said the app will continue to support photos, but he believes it will become more video-focused over time since it is what people are liking, sharing and consuming on the platform.

He added that if users see a new, full-screen version of their feed, it is just a test.

Mosseri said that he has also heard a lot of concern about recommendations, which are posts that appear in users' feeds from accounts that they do not follow.

He said recommendations are meant to help users discover new content, and they act as one of the "most effective and important" ways to help creators reach more people.

Mosseri said if people are not interested in these posts, they can close them or snooze all recommendations for up to a month.

Meanwhile, recently, Jenner and Kardashian criticised Instagram, urging the app to stop mimicking rival TikTok.

To their hundreds of millions of Instagram followers, Jenner and Kardashian posted a message that read, "Make Instagram Instagram Again".
New Delhi, July 27 : Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have moved suspension of business notices on Gujarat hooch tragedy issue in Rajya Sabha under rule 267.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Congress MP Shakti Singh Gohil have given notices. While T. Siva of DMK has given notice on hike of petroleum products.

According to reports, after drinking illicit liquor 22 persons have died in Botad district, six in Ahmedabad rural areas, while two deaths are suspicious. In these connections, three FIRs have been lodged, one each with Barwala, Ranpura and Dhandhuka.

"Rojid Village Panchayat had earlier complained to local police about the hooch activity, and police carried out raids six times. I this regard, FIRs were filed and two bootleggers were arrested," Ashish Bhatia, Gujarat's Director General of Police (DGP) had said.
New Delhi, July 27 : A 30-year-old man died after his throat was slit by a Chinese manjha (kite string) in the national capital, an official said on Wednesday.

Chinese manjha is a thread used in kite flying, however, its manufacturers use glass coating over it which at times causes injury to humans and birds. Delhi government had banned the usage of glass-coated kite strings in 2017.

The deceased was identified as Sumit Ranga, a resident of Rohini, Delhi.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Usha Rangnani said a call was received at Maurya Enclave police station regarding a person who got injured with a string at Haiderpur Flyover. "The injured man was rushed to the Saroj Hospital where the doctor declared him 'brought dead'," the DCP said.

During enquiry, father of the deceased stated that his son Sumit was coming home from Burari on his motorcycle and when he reached Haiderpur Flyover, a sharp string slit his throat.

The police said they have registered a case under section 304A (death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and investigation of the case is in progress.
Los Angeles, July 27 : Filmmaker Martin Scorsese's western drama 'Killers of the Flower Moon', starring Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, will be hitting the silver screen in 2023.

Written by Eric Roth and adapted from the best-selling novel 'Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI' by David Grann, the film had been originally slated for 2023 by Apple, reports 'Variety'.

However, discussions between the filmmaker and the studio over bumping up the film's release to 2022 occurred after Will Smith's actions at the Oscars earlier this year changed Apple's release strategy for its Smith-starring slavery drama 'Emancipation'.

According to 'Variety', Scorsese is known for his arduous editing process with his frequent collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker.

Despite wrapping in September 2021, the $200 million 'Killers of the Flower Moon' won't be ready in time for this Oscar season, according to sources.

Instead, it's now rumoured to be eyeing a big 2023 festival debut at Cannes, Venice or another event.

Coming off its first best picture win for 'CODA', Apple still has multiple awards hopefuls in the cards for the upcoming awards season, including the Sundance Film Festival winner 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' and the animated feature 'Luck', plus upcoming features from star Jennifer Lawrence, director Peter Farrelly and producer Alfonso Cuaron.

There are ongoing discussions about whether and how Apple could release the Will Smith headliner 'Emancipation' from director Antoine Fuqua. Variety reported an impending move to 2023 back in May.
New Delhi, July 27 : Intensifying its efforts to popularise the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, the government has given green signal to spending of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for this purpose. The companies can undertake activities for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign under the CSR activities.

'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is aimed to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and to promote awareness about the national flag.

"In this regard it is clarified that spending of CSR funds for the activities related to this campaign such as mass scale production and supply of the national flag, outreach and amplification efforts and other related activities are eligible CSR activities under the item no. (II) of schedule VII of the Companies act pertaining to the promotion of education related to culture," said a circular issued by the Ministry of corporate affairs.

It further said that the companies may undertake aforesaid activities, subject to the fulfillment of the Companies (CSR Policy) rules 2014 and related circulars issued by the Ministry thereof, from time to time.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued a call for Har Ghar Tiranga campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Tricolour home and hoist it to mark the 75th year of India's Independence.

The campaign is being coordinated by the Union Ministry of Culture with state governments to make it a grand success in the 75th year of Independence.

To meet the huge demand for national flags, traders' associations are coordinating with textile manufacturers across the country to increase the supply of the national flags. Earlier, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had stated that people are already visiting markets in large numbers to buy the Tricolour to join the campaign.
Los Angeles, July 27 : Actor Joseph Quinn was held in a "dungeon" by a US immigration official but was finally released when he was recognised as Eddie Munson from the popular show 'Stranger Things'.

Facing the questioning when he arrived in New York City for an appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', the 'Stranger Things' was grateful when the man's colleague intervened and recognised him as the leader of the Hellfire Club from the show, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"It's so nice to be here because I very nearly didn't make it," the 28-year-old actor told the show's host Jimmy Fallon.

"I was taken into, I guess what you could call it more of a dungeon. And I was asked to wait there for about 20 minutes and then I was summoned to this desk where someone asked me, 'What are you doing in the United States, sir?' " "I said, 'I'm actually here to meet Jimmy Fallon on 'The Tonight Show.' And he didn't believe me," he went on recalling.

"One of his colleagues looked over at him, looked at me, and said: 'Leave Eddie alone!' And then (the colleague) said, 'It's Eddie from 'Stranger Things', and he was like, 'You're Eddie Munson?' " The officials eventually let Joseph go, but not before quizzing him for some spoilers.

He continued, "(The man asked), 'Do you come back next season?' I was like, 'I don't know,' and he said, 'You better,' and gave me my passport." During his debut appearance on the talk show, Joseph presented Jimmy with a Hellfire Club t-shirt, much to the delight of the talk show host, who said he was "honoured" to receive the gift.

He said, "I am honoured. I'm part of the Hellfire Club? I will wear this. I cannot wait." Joseph previously admitted he felt like a "sociopath" when trying to perfect an American accent for the show.

He said, "You feel like a sociopath. After a while I was so far down the rabbit hole, at points I'd be like, 'Do I sound good? Do you like this? Do you like what I'm doing?' " "I was talking to Joe Keery and at one point I was so deep in it," the actor added, "and he was like 'Dude, I can't save you, but I promise you it's gonna be fine.'"
Panaji, July 27 : Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday said that COVID vaccination is completely safe and nobody should have doubts about it.

In Goa, so far only 79,655 people have taken precautionary doses. Government has set a target to complete vaccination by September 30.

"Some people come forward (to vaccinate), some have doubts. I would like to request that you don't have any doubts in your mind, vaccination is completely safe," Rane said.

He said that the government has set a target to complete the vaccination in a specific period and hence people should come forward to have a precautionary dose. "India is the only country where vaccination is provided free of cost," he said.

According to Rane, people have taken the first dose and second dose, however they hesitate to take the booster dose.

He said that in all government health centres and hospitals the COVID vaccination is available and urged people to take advantage of it.

"We want all people to remain safe, hence everyone needs to take the precautionary dose," he said.

Goa Health Department has set a target of administering precautionary doses of the vaccine to 10.5 lakh people in next two months, for which it has decided to take assistance from various concerned departments.

Rane said that the government will carry out a campaign about why booster is important, through official video and messages, which will run on every available platform.
San Francisco, July 27 : During the company's earnings call, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that more than three billion monthly active devices are now running on the Android operating system globally.

Pichai mentioned that consumers had activated one billion Android phones in 2021."I am proud that Android remains the world's most popular operating system with more than three billion monthly active devices worldwide. Last year alone, consumers activated one billion Android phones," Pichai said during the company's earnings call on Tuesday.

The Alphabet and Google CEO also said that the company is currently taking preorders for Google Pixel 6A and Pixel Buds Pro, mentioning that "It is great to see the positive feedback so far".

Talking about Google Lens, Pichai mentioned that people use the service to do visual searches more than 8 billion times per month. He also talked about a new feature called multi-search that helps people find what they need using words and images at the same time.

Pichai mentioned that, later this year, multi-search will be able to help people find local results near them. "With the new monolingual approach to translation, we have added 24 new languages to Google Translate, spoken by 300 million people. And a new immersive view in Maps uses computer vision, AI and billions of images to create high fidelity representations of places around the world," Pichai said.

Meanwhile, the company also mentioned that YouTube Shorts is now being watched by over 1.5 billion signed-in users every month with more than 30 billion daily views. In the April-June period, YouTube TV surpassed 5 million subscribers, including trailers.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Income Tax Department was conducting search operations on the premises of four renowned private hospitals in Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram for allegedly evading taxes, sources said.

The I-T Department has so far not officially reacted to the raids.

The hospitals, which were being raided include ORG hospital, SSB hospital, Accord Hospital and Sarvodaya Hospital.

According to sources, the search operation was going on in Sector 11 and 12 of Noida and in different sectors of Faridabad and Gurugram.

A 14 - 15 member team of the I-T department was present at each hospital. They were scanning the transactions of the last three years of these hospitals.

The documents related to the business dealings were also being examined.

To assist the I-T officials, a team from the local police station was also present at the hospitals.
New Delhi, July 27 : Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi was interrogated for six hours on July 26 during the second round of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

She appeared for the probe agency for the third round of interrogation on July 27. The 75-year-old leader was cross-examined by the investigating agency during the first round of questioning in the case on July 21. Congress leaders and party workers had staged protests in different parts of the country on July 26 against the questioning of their leader alleging vendetta politics by the Modi Government.

Several Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were detained by the Delhi Police for protesting near the Parliament House. The country's grand old party had held similar protests during the first round of questioning of Sonia Gandhi as well.

CVoter - IndiaTracker held an opinion poll on behalf of IANS to know people's views about the intention of the protests by the Congress leader and party workers against the questioning of Sonia Gandhi. During the survey, people were divided in their views on the issue.

As per the survey data, while 52 per cent respondents said that Congressmen are holding protests to disrupt the cross-examination of Sonia Gandhi by the ED, 42 per cent respondents did not share the sentiment.

Predictably, the survey revealed a political divide in the views expressed by the NDA voters and opposition supporters on the issue. During the survey, 80 per cent of the NDA voters insisted that the Congress leaders and party workers held protests to create hurdles in the interrogation of Sonia Gandhi by the probe agency. At the same time, 67 per cent of opposition supporters disagreed and asserted that the senior Congress leader's questioning by the ED is a manifestation of vindictive politics.

During the survey, views of both the urban and rural voters were also divided on the issue. According to the survey data, while 51 per cent urban voters believe that Congress' protests aimed at creating disturbances in the ED action against Sonia Gandhi, 40 per cent urban voters disagreed with the sentiment. Similarly, while 53 per cent rural voters stressed that the main aim of the agitations by the Congress party is to create problems for the investigating agency, 47 per cent rural respondents expressed completely opposite views.
New Delhi, July 27 : Speaking at an event organised to commemorate 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' in Jammu on July 24, Defence Minister Rajnath asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was, is and shall always remain an integral part of India.

PoK is that part of the Jammu and Kashmir that was unlawfully occupied by Pakistan in 1947. The Indian Government's consistent and principled position on PoK, as also enunciated in the Parliament resolution adopted unanimously by both Houses on February 22, 1994, is that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and shall be an integral part of India.

While replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on March 11, 2022, the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs V. Muraleedharan stressed that India has "consistently called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal and forcible occupation".

CVoter-IndiaTracker conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS to know people's opinion about the steps India should initiate to take back PoK. During the survey, a whopping majority of respondents - 83 per cent stressed that the time has come for India to add PoK to Indian Territory.

However, only 17 per cent of respondents disagreed with the sentiment. Taking back PoK is one issue which reflected unanimity in the opinion of the majority of both the NDA voters and opposition supporters. During the survey, 90 per cent NDA voters and 77 per cent opposition voters stated that it is the right time to make PoK part of Indian territory both geographically and politically.

During the survey, the majority of respondents from different social groups echoed similar views. As per survey data, 85 per cent Upper Caste Hindus (UCH), 84 per cent Scheduled Tribes (ST), 82 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 77 per cent Scheduled Castes (SC) and 75 per cent Muslims opined that it is the appropriate time to make PoK part of India.
Bengaluru, July 27 : The probe into the activities of the arrested terrorists Akthar Hussain Lashkar and Juba has revealed shocking details of their network in the country. The investigative agencies have found that both the terror suspects were all set to join Al-Qaeda and become suicide bombers to take revenge against Hindus in India, sources said on Wednesday.

Police sources said that Akthar Hussain and Juba were ready to become suicide bombers in the "interest of Muslim brotherhood". Both claimed that Muslims were being treated as third grade citizens in India, police sources said.

Considering the seriousness of the case, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) will soon be interrogating the terror suspects and takeover the investigations, sources said.

The terror suspects were in touch with Al-Qaeda members on Snapchat multimedia instant messaging application. The accused persons tried to establish contacts in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. They were also attempting to organise the Muslim youth on Telegram and motivate them to carry out sabotage activities. They had also vented out their anger regarding the hijab crisis in Karnataka.

The police tracked the roots of Akthar Hussain Lashkar to Telitikar village in Assam. He had changed his house four times in Bengaluru as a precaution to escape vigilance of the authorities. The accused also shared information about sensitive and commercial places of Bengaluru to terrorist organizations of Jammu and Kashmir.

The terror suspect had put up a photo of Hindu Saint Swami Vivekananda in his residence. The police have recovered books on jihad and executions. The police have sent his three mobiles to FSL to retrieve more data.

The authorities seized 15 pages of conversation with Al-Qaeda from chats. He was all set to move to Afghanistan to join the Al-Qaeda terror outfit and get trained.
New Delhi: Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, KC Venugopal with party members protest against ED questioning of Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, KC Venugopal with party members protest against ED questioning of Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Security police detain a Congress member during a protest against price hike, at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, July 27 : Several Congress parliamentarians were detained near Parliament on Wednesday as they tried to carry out a protest march from the Parliament house to Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The parliamentarians had planned to give a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu over the Central government's alleged vendetta politics and no discussion of important issues like price rise in Parliament.

However, as they moved forward to give a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the Delhi Police stopped them midway near Vijay Chowk.

"We wanted to give a memorandum to President Murmu but the Delhi Police have for the second consecutive day stopped and detained us," party leader Manish Tewari said as he was detained by the police.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government is not allowing us to discuss the issues like GST and price rise in Parliament. "This is murder of democracy. Agencies are being used to muzzle our voice. For the third day, Congress MPs staging legitimate and peaceful protests at Vijay Chowk have been taken away to God (and PM & HM know) alone knows where," Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders alleged that the woman MPs were roughed up by the police while they were being detained. A woman parliamentarian's dress near knee was also torn off while she was being detained.
Manila, July 27 : A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said.

In a report to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Abalos said that two of the deaths were from Benguet, one from Abra and one from the Mountain Province. He added that many of the injured were from Abra province.

Abalos said the earthquake triggered nearly 60 landslides and made highways and roads impossible in the northern Philippine region. At least three bridges in Abra province, the quake's epicenter, were damaged.

The quake affected three northern Philippine regions, including 15 provinces, 15 cities, 218 municipalities, and 6,756 villages, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Abalos.

"There are road closures in some parts of Abra, power interruptions in Abra and Benguet, intermittent communication lines in Region 1, landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and minor damages in other regions," Abalos said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed the death of one person in Benguet province in the northern Philippines. Governor of Abra province Jocelyn Bernos said a 25-year-old male was also killed after he was pinned by a concrete slab in Bangued town.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said a 7-magnitude earthquake rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT). The institute said the epicenter is located at Tayum town, with a depth of 17 km.

The tremor was felt in many areas on the main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila, where high-rise buildings swayed and train transport suspended operation. It was also felt in many provinces, including Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.

As of 1:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), the institute has recorded at least 120 aftershocks in the northern region.

In the capital region, panicked employees in offices, including the presidential palace, ran out of the buildings.

Mayor of La Paz town in Abra province Joseph Bernos said the quake damaged many concrete houses, buildings and infrastructure in the province. "I received reports that there were massive damages in our province," he told a radio interview, adding that some buildings at the University of Abra were also damaged.

The tremor also caused damages to the century-old structures in Vigan City, in Ilocos Sur province, a tourist destination known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture on the west coast of Luzon island.

A local disaster official of Baguio City, also in the northern Philippines, said Kennon Road, a major road connecting the city and Manila, was closed while the damage was being assessed.

Philippine President Marcos told a news conference that he will postpone his visit to the devastated region for Thursday. Marcos has sent Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo to the quake-hit region to attend to the victims.

PHIVOLCS chief Renato Solidum warned the tectonic quake would trigger aftershocks and could cause damage such as landslides. He urged the people and the local government officials to be vigilant.

"Make sure to inspect the buildings for cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains," he told a news conference, urging villagers to leave areas prone to landslides.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said China is ready to help Filipinos in the affected areas. "We are ready to extend helping hands to the Philippine side for disaster relief," he said in a statement.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." On July 16, 1990, northern Luzon was shaken by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a 125-km-long ground rupture that stretched from Aurora province to Nueva Vizcaya, killing around 1,200 people and damaged scores of buildings and houses.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the Delhi Police on a plea moved by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging a lower court order allowing his police custody and seizure and examination of his laptop in connection with a 2018 contentious tweet case.

Zubair was seeking restoration of the device/laptop or document seized by the police, being beyond the allegation in the FIR.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav allowed four weeks' time for the Police to respond to the plea. The court also granted liberty to the fact-checker for filing rejoinder and additional documents in response.

On July 1, while dealing with the plea, a vacation bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula directed the police to file a counter-affidavit within two weeks.

In the last hearing, Zubair's counsel Vrinda Grover argued that her client was arrested in breach of the Arnesh Kumar guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and that it was an attempt to breach his journalistic freedom as the police seized his mobile phone and laptop.

The Supreme Court had last week granted bail to Zubair in all the six FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police in different districts over his tweets and clubbed these FIRs with the Delhi FIR.

The top court disposed of Zubair's plea by granting him bail in all the UP Police cases and also gave him liberty to move the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of the cases. The top court clarified that its directions will apply to future cases, registered on the basis of tweets that were part of the previous FIRs.

Last month, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Courts, Snigdha Sarvaria had allowed custody of Zubair to Delhi Police in connection with one of his tweets on the micro-blogging platform Twitter in 2018 in which he allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of a community.

In a follow-up of the case, the Special Cell of Delhi Police flew Zubair to Bengaluru to recover his laptop which he used for uploading various contents on social media sites.

Zubair was charged under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) for one of his objectionable tweets.

"Transmission and publication of such posts have been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with the intent to provoke breach of peace," read the FIR.

As per the FIR, accused Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading 'Hanuman hotel' instead of 'Honeymoon hotel'. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel".
Chennai, July 27 : Senthil Thondaman is the President of the Ceylon Workers Congress, the largest trade union in the island nation. He was the former Chief Minister of Uva province in Sri Lanka and also a former minister in the same province. His party, the Ceylon Workers Congress has two Members of Parliament. Thondaman is a passionate Jallikattu fan and has created awareness of Jallikattu across the globe. He spoke to IANS in a telephonic interview: Q: Sri Lanka is reeling under a crisis and the situation is grim. How do you rate the present situation and what is the future? A: Sri Lanka is indeed passing through a tough phase. However, we are a democratic country and we do have our own strengths. With a new government in place we have to see how they are able to tackle this issue. We are optimistic but there will not be solutions overnight and will take time. I feel that things will change for the better if the government gets its act together.

Q: There was stiff opposition to the Rajapaksa family and even Ranil Wickremesinghe faced a rebellion from the public. Your comments? A: There was public ire against the Rajapaksa family and people vented their anger. People were suffering from all sorts of problems including a shortage of food and all essential commodities. Jobs were not there and unemployment was at an all-time high. The foreign exchange reserve was woefully short and even essential commodities could not be imported including fuel and food items. This led to total chaos and the government was found wanting. As far as Ranil Wickremesinghe is concerned, he is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in the country and he should be given some time to perform and let us see how things turn out.

Q: Is your party joining the government? A: We have two Members of Parliament and at present, we are not in the cabinet. In future days, we will have to see about that proposition. Anyway, let us wait.

Q: How was the Indian government's response to the Sri Lankan crisis? A: The Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped us with all the support we needed under the "Neighbourhood first" policy. The timely support and help given by the Indian government and the specific interest shown by the Indian Prime Minister in our crisis have given a fillip to our position. We were provided with all the essentials by the Government of India and the people of Sri Lanka have high regard and respect for the Indian Prime Minister and the Indian government.

Q : China is having several commercial interests in Sri Lanka. How do you rate the relationship of the people with the Chinese and India? A: You see both are totally different. India and Sri Lanka have an umbilical cord and we are culturally, socially, and religiously bound by each other. People do consider Indians as our brothers and the love and respect for India are totally different from that of the Chinese. China is a country with whom we have commercial tie-ups but the relationship with India is totally different. Indians are like brothers to we Sri Lankans.

Q: There were reports of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) getting their act together and coming back to Sri Lanka. Your comments! A: I don't think that there is any possibility of the LTTE coming back in Sri Lanka. There are no such political moves as such in Sri Lanka at present and the possibility of the LTTE getting their act together is very untrue. Such reports don't give the correct grassroots picture.

Q: What are the main activities of the Ceylon Workers Congress? A: Ceylon Workers Congress is the largest trade union in Sri Lanka and as a political party, we have been relentlessly fighting for the citizenship rights of Indian origin people in Sri Lanka since the British left. We were able to get citizenship for Indian origin people in Sri Lanka because the Ceylon Workers Congress took up the issue since 1965 and got the people of Indian origin citizenship rights and the last batch got citizenship in 2003. This has been one of the major achievements of the Ceylon Workers Congress.

The Ceylon Workers Congress has been involved in working among the 6,00,000 tea workers and tea factory workers of Sri Lanka. We are the biggest organization among the tea workers including tea factory workers. You know in tea estates, the workers live in line rooms and we had taken the initiative to construct homes for them. Since 1987 when we took this up, till date we have constructed 39,000 homes for the tea workers. We are involved in all the activities of the Sri Lankan tea workers.
July 27 : Actress Shamita Shetty found love in Raqesh Bapat, during her Bigg Boss OTT stint. The duo was spotting together around the town and things were going serious between the two until they broke up. Shamita Shetty took to her social media profile and issued a statement claiming that she has broken up with Raqesh, and cleared the air about some pictures circulating online.

She wrote, "Think it's important to make this clear. Raqesh and I are no longer together and have not been for a while, but this beautiful music video is for all the fans who've given us so much love and support. Do continue to shower us with your love as individuals too. Here's to positivity and newer horizons. Love and gratitude to you all."

Image Source: News Helpline Shamita Shetty Issues A Statement Following Break-Up With Raqesh Bapat

Shamita Shetty and Raqesh Bapat started dating in Bigg Boss OTT house, where they were participants. Later, Raqesh appeared as a wildcard entrant on Bigg Boss 15, where Shamita was one of the finalists. However, he had to quit the show due to health issues. Shamita Shetty is best known for her performances in Mohabbatein, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, and Zeher. She has also participated in reality shows like Bigg Boss 3, Bigg Boss OTT, and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 8. She also starred in the web series Black Widows, alongside Swastika Mukherjee and Mona Singh.
Mumbai, July 27 : Marathi actor, writer and producer Subodh Bhave, who will be seen hosting a chat show, 'Bus Bai Bus', has talked about how it is going to be different from the usual dance and singing reality shows.

Subodh is known for his work in Marathi cinema and was recently seen in the romantic drama, 'Tula Pahate Re'. While talking about hosting a show, he said: "I always wanted to do something out of the box. Singing and dance reality shows formats are becoming monotonous nowadays, hence I was willing to do something different. When I was approached with the concept of 'Bas Bai Bas', I loved it and didn't think twice before saying yes." He shared that he had shot a few episodes with 'Nach Baliye 7' fame Amruta Khanvilkar, Amruta Fadanvis, a banker and wife of the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis and Supriya Sule, a politician. These celebrities will be appearing in different episodes and will share some secrets and interesting incidents of their life and profession.

He added: "I love to be a part of reality shows with original concepts. Although I'm playing just a mediator in this show, the celebrity guests and five women contestants who will be asking the questions to the celebrity will take centrestage." 'Bus Bai Bus' will be starting from July 29 on Zee Marathi.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 27 : Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) and BSNL on Wednesday joined hands for providing 100 Mbps Broadband Internet connectivity in High Schools, Higher Secondary Schools and Vocational Higher Secondary schools in the state, which will benefit close to 5,000 schools in the state.

The present 8 Mbps FTTH (Fibre to the Home) connections in schools will now be upgraded to 100 Mbps which is 12.5 times faster.

The MOU was signed by K.Anvar Sadath, CEO, KITE and C.V.Vinod, CGM, Kerala Circle, BSNL in the presence of V.Sivan Kutty, Minister for General Education.

The 100 Mbps Broadband Internet connectivity would benefit 45000 classrooms in 4685 schools included in the Hi-Tech school project, with better ICT enabled education.

As part of the Hi-Tech school project in 2018, KITE had deployed Laptops, Projectors, USB Speakers and Networking in these classes.

Even though at present Samagra Resource Portal and Sahitham mentoring portal is available in all classrooms in offline mode, with the availability of 100 Mbps connection in classrooms, all such Digital/Online systems can now be used more effectively.

This would also enable the availability of KITE VICTERS educational channel in all classrooms.

BSNL has agreed to enhance the broadband connection in schools to 100Mbsps without any additional cost and adhering to the existing rate of Rs 10000/- (+GST) by which the earlier 8 Mbps broadband connection was provided.

Each school can now use up to 3300 GB data per month as per this plan.

"This step would indeed strengthen the initiatives of the State towards becoming a Knowledge Society", said State Education Minister V. Sivan Kutty.
Chennai, July 27 : A total of $1.7 billion has been invested by private equity and venture capitals in the Indian electric vehicle (EV) industry in 2021, said a top official of Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA).

According to Rajat Tandon, President, IVCA, last year, a sum of $1.7 billion was invested by private equity funds and venture capitalists in the Indian EV sector.

He said during 2022, the investment has touched $66 million.

The IVCA also launched a report on 'Electrifying Indian Mobility' in partnership with EY and IndusLaw which estimated the Indian EV industry to create over 10 million direct and 50 million indirect jobs by 2030.

Many new and first-time investors are joining the bandwagon. However, experts feel that there is a need for the government and larger investor community to come together and work towards more sustainable solutions.

According to Srihari Mulgund, New Age Mobility Partner, EY-Parthenon, electrification of Indian mobility presents a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to reimagine the future of the Indian automotive sector.

Technology will be a key enabler for a successful transition and given that technology is evolving faster than ever, the players need to make multiple bets to survive and grow during this transition. Hence, capital becomes a strategic lever as we embark on this journey to electrify mobility, Mulgund said.
Bengaluru, July 27 : The ruling BJP in Karnataka faced the heat of Hindu activists on Wednesday over the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Kumar Nettaru in Dakshina Kannada district. The protesters laid siege to the vehicle of BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and did not allow him to step down.

The angry activists even attempted to turn Kateel's vehicle according to eyewitnesses. RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat was also booed and chided by the crowd, which also raised anti-BJP slogans.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mining and Coal, Pralhad Joshi stated on Wednesday in New Delhi that initial reports are suggesting the role of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) behind the murder. Media and social media reports also indicated their role, he added.

"The SDPI and PFI organisations are being supported in Kerala and in Karnataka also the opposition Congress party is supporting them. During his tenure as CM in Congress government, Siddaramaiah had withdrawn cases against the SDPI workers, thus encouraging their activities," Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said.

"Our government will take up strict action and the culprits will be booked," he added.

Praveen Kumar Nettaru's wife Nutana has said that there are many innocents like her husband who should be protected. "No other person should meet the fate of my husband," she said.

Authorities have clamped curfew orders in three taluks of Dakshina Kannada district. Police sources said that they have taken five suspects into their custody and are investigating the case.

Praveen Kumar Nettaru, 31, a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha and a resident of Sulia was hacked to death on Tuesday night. Two unknown bike-borne miscreants had attacked him with swords and fled the scene. Nettaru owned a chicken shop at Peruvaje Cross, Bellare village near Puttur.
Seoul, July 27 : A senior US State Department official met here with South Korea's vice foreign minister Wednesday for discussions on a range of pending issues, including the alliance and North Korea.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong shared the same view that the allies need to hold the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) at an early date to follow up on summit accords between the leaders of the two sides in May, according to Cho's ministry.

Later in the day, she had consultations with Seoul's top nuclear envoy Kim Gunn on the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korea policy, Yonhap news agency reported.

Nuland arrived in Seoul the previous day for a three-day stay.
Bhopal, July 27 : A five-year-old tiger named - 'Pancham', who was living at rehabilitation centre of Van Vihar National Park located in Madhya Pradesh's capital city Bhopal, was transported to Gujarat on Tuesday.

Now, tiger 'Pancham' will be living in Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRC) at Jamnagar in Gujarat, which is owned by Reliance Group. Newly established on over 280 acres of land, GZRC is considered the world's biggest zoo, in terms of number and species of wild animals at one place.

As per the officials in Wild Life Department in Bhopal, a team of GZRC had visited here to complete legal procedures of transformation of big cat and had taken 'Pancham' to Jamnagar on Tuesday. Officials said that tiger was sent to the Jamnagar-based facility in a healthy condition.

The tiger was transferred to Gujarat following the direction and approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi. "The Central Zoo Authority has permitted to transfer tiger to Jamnagar zoo in January this year. Some leopards from Van Vihar Bhopal will also be sent to Jamnagar," a senior official from Madhya Pradesh's Wildlife Department told IANS on Wednesday.

Before living in Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park, 'Pancham' lived in Pench Tiger Reserve, which is located in Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. Now, Van Vihar National Park is left with 13 tigers after Pancham's relocation.

As per the officials, Pancham was rescued and shifted to Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park in December 2020. Pancham was three-and-a-half-year-old when his canine teeth got damaged due to an unidentified reason.

Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand Central Zoo Authority has also allowed the transfer of two tigers named - "Betal and Shikha" from Nainital's Govind Ballabh Pant Zoological Park and Ranibagh Rescue Centre to Reliance group owned Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar in Gujarat.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the validity of Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which postulates the manner of arrest of a person involved in money laundering, saying that safeguards are provided in the Act and the preconditions to be fulfilled by the authorised officer before effecting arrest, are equally stringent and of higher standard.

A bench, headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar said: "We have no hesitation in upholding the validity of Section 19 of the 2002 Act. We reject the grounds pressed into service to declare Section 19 of the 2002 Act as unconstitutional." The bench added that such a provision has reasonable nexus with the purposes and objects sought to be achieved by the Act of prevention of money laundering and confiscation of proceeds of crime involved in money laundering, including to prosecute persons involved in the process or activity connected with the proceeds of crime.

The PMLA is a comprehensive legislation, not limited to provide for prosecution of persons involved in the offence of money laundering, but mainly intended to prevent money laundering activity and confiscate the proceeds of crime involved in money laundering, it said.

The bench added that this legislation is an amalgam of different facets including setting up of agencies and mechanisms for coordinating measures for combating money laundering.

"It is not as if after every inquiry, prosecution is launched against all persons found to be involved in the commission of offence of money laundering. It is also not unusual to provide for the arrest of a person during such inquiry before filing of a complaint for indulging in alleged criminal activity," it noted.

The top court said it is, thus, obliging the person to be obedient to law. "The safeguards provided in the 2002 Act and the preconditions to be fulfilled by the authorised officer before effecting arrest, as contained in Section 19 of the 2002 Act, are equally stringent and of higher standard," added the bench, in its 545-page judgment.

The top court said safeguards ensure that the authorised officers do not act arbitrarily, but make them accountable for their judgment about the necessity to arrest any person as being involved in the commission of offence of money laundering even before filing of the complaint before the special court under Section 44(1)(b) of the 2002 Act.

"Suffice it to observe that this power has been given to the high-ranking officials with further conditions to ensure that there is objectivity and their own accountability in resorting to arrest of a person even before a formal complaint is filed under Section 44(1)(b) of the 2002 Act.

"Investing of power in the high-ranking officials in this regard has stood the test of reasonableness." The top court clarified that the authorities under the 2002 Act are not police officers.

"Ex-consequenti, the statements recorded by authorities under the 2002 Act, of persons involved in the commission of the offence of money laundering or the witnesses for the purposes of inquiry/investigation, cannot be hit by the vice of Article 20(3) of the Constitution or for that matter, Article 21 being procedure established by law," it added.

The bench noted that in a given case, whether the protection given to the accused who is being prosecuted for the offence of money laundering, of Section 25 of the Evidence Act is available or not, may have to be considered on a case-to-case basis being the rule of evidence.

The petitioners had argued that the procedure being followed under the PMLA is draconian as it violates the basic tenets of the criminal justice system and the rights enshrined in Part III of the Constitution, in particular Articles 14, 20 and 21.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet before a court against arrested Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain and others in connection with a money laundering case.

It has alleged that Jain has assets disproportionate to his known source of income. The other accused have also been named.

The court has accepted the prosecution complaint. On the next date of hearing, the court is likely to take cognisance of the matter.

Jain was placed under arrest on May 30, 2022 by the central agency under sections 19 of the PMLA. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in the matter. His bail application was earlier rejected by the court.

On July 1, the ED had arrested Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain, the two associates of the health minister.

The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by CBI in 2017 under section 13(2) read with 13(1)(e) of the PC Act, 1988 against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

A charge sheet was filed by the CBI on December 3, 2018 against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and other accused. It was alleged that Jain, while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period February 14, 2015 to May 31, 2017 had acquired assets which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Jain, his wife and other accused, for commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Earlier, the ED had provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned and controlled by Jain on March 31, 2022.
Hong Kong, July 27 : The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Wednesday that it would distribute 315,000 Covid rapid antigen test (RAT) kits as part of a follow-up on the recent detection of the Covid virus in sewage samples.

The test kits will be distributed to residents, cleaning workers and property management staff working in the areas with positive sewage testing results showing relatively high viral loads in order to help identify infected persons, Xinhua news agency reported.

The HKSAR government also urged RAT kit users to report any positive results for Covid via the government's online platform.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong registered 4,288 confirmed locally transmitted cases of Covid and 220 imported cases, official data showed.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 27 : Thanks to French writer Claire le Michel, George, a Bengal Tiger who passed away last year has emerged as a rage in the European social media and has a game based on him.

By now George has become part of the French curriculum too and is titled 'The Story of George'.

Claire, a writer and dancer, came to the city in 2019 for a writing residency assignment and was attached to the Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum and her topic of assignment was "connect between nature and animals".

A chance meeting with the Trivandrum Zoo veterinarian Jacob Alexander appeared to be a turning point for George whom Claire decided to write about.

After going back, Claire's write up through a story about George was first published in a French blog, later aired in the radio and finally found its way into French curriculum and now has become hugely popular in the European social media and the new game has become even more popular.

Incidentally, in 2015, the tiger was brought from Wayanad, when it started entering human settlements.

Alexander, the Zoo vet, recalls that his condition was very bad and soon all the care was provided to him. The tiger started to recover and was named George.

"When the tiger was brought then, none expected it to survive, but we did our best and revived him well. When he was brought to us in 2015, he was around 16 years and when he passed away in the last week of 2021 December, he was 22 years and there was not a single teeth. It was a real touching experience we all had with George and we are all happy that he is again in the news," said Alexander, the Zoo vet who has been here for the past 11 years.

"The reason why George has suddenly become a hit in the European social media is a 'game' based on him.

Claire is expected to arrive here and the 'game' is being planned to go global," added Alexander.
Hyderabad, July 27 : Union minister of tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy has alleged that the family of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar is lying blatantly on Smart Cities funds released by Centre to Telangana.

He claimed that of more than Rs 1,000 crore allocated for Smart Cities Mission in Telangana, the Centre has released Rs 392 crore.

Kishan Reddy stated that 50 per cent matching state share of the Government of Telangana has still not been released for the Smart Cities of Warangal and Karimnagar.

Till date, the Government of Telangana has released only Rs 210 crore of the Rs 392 crore of its matching state share.

While the Centre has been making Smart City fund releases in Telangana since the financial year of 2015-2016, the Government of Telangana released its matching state share for the first time 6 years late in the previous budget of 2021-2022 after pressure from the Centre.

Even money released by Government of India towards the Smart Cities Mission has been transferred to the smart cities of Karimnagar and Warangal by the

Government of Telangana only after a severe lag.

Reddy, who is a Member of Parliament from Secunderabad, said that timely release of matching state share contribution of Government of Telangana would have ensured Warangal and Karimnagar to have better drainage and sewerage facilities and would have coped with the recent floods better.

He pointed out that the Government has allocated Rs 2,780 crore under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0. As many as 66 projects worth Rs 1,660 crore were a part of the approved plan for the first phase of ARMUT covering 12 cities in Telangana.

Reddy said in the Telangana Government, the important and critical ministries of Finance, Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Irrigation, Land and Revenue, Commercial

Taxes, Mining, Municipal Administration and Urban development, Information Technology, and Electronics and Communication are handled by members of one family.

"Never before have so much ministerial and administrative powers been vested on so few for so long in spite of such poor performance," he said.

He alleged that the State Government's Ministry of Finance and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Ministries seem to be giving conflicting information on Smart Cities. He said KCR family was deliberately propagating misinformation and lies through social media.

"The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) falsely claims that the Government of India did not release even 1 rupee in the last 3 years for Smart Cities in Telangana. However, when one ascertains the facts, it becomes clear that this blame should squarely lie on the State Government of Telangana which did not allocate its share as a part of the matching grant for the Smart Cities projects in Telangana," he added.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) on Wednesday signed an MoU with International Labour Organisation (ILO) to adopt the International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) for information dissemination to the chemical industry.

The International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) are data sheets intended to concisely provide essential safety and health information on chemicals. The primary aim of the Cards is to promote the safe use of chemicals in the workplace.

The department will use the International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) to disseminate the appropriate hazard information on chemicals at the workplace in an understandable and precise way.

The pact was signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya, and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, New & Renewable Energy, Bhagwanth Khuba, at a seminar on 'Safe use of Chemicals' organised by the DCPC along with ILO and FICCI.

Speaking on occasion, Mandaviya said that human safety and humanity are paramount for the nation. In this regard, he added, "India readily accepts any best practice that ensures safety and security of life, humanity, environment and the industry." "The MoU with ILO will ensure the safety of personnel in the chemicals and petrochemicals industry," the minister said adding that "the industry will follow these practices, and the government will monitor the implementation." "The MoU would seek to ensure that the workers and the chemicals sector grow together without harm and hazard", said MoS for Chemicals and Fertilisers.

"Nearly 1 billion workers worldwide, particularly in developing countries, economies in transition and the informal economy, are disproportionately exposed to hazardous substances, including pollutants, dust, vapours and fumes. An estimated 1 million workers die each year due to exposure to hazardous chemicals," said Kelvin A Sergeant, who spoke on behalf of ILO Director Dagmar Walter.
Chennai, July 27 : Actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday welcomed actor, producer and politician Udhayanidhi Stalin on board the 54th film of his production house, Raaj Kamal Films International.

Udhayanidhi Stalin will play the lead in this film which is going to be produced by Kamal Haasan and R Mahendran.

The film, tentatively titled Production #54, will be based on a real life, historical incident.

Taking to Twitter, Kamal Haasan wrote, "The history of that day. Let us remind it. I wish and welcome my younger brother Udhayanidhi Stalin." Sources say that the film will be made on a lavish scale.

Kamal Haasan had announced that Udhayanidhi would be playing the lead in his company's next film at a function organised by Udhayanidhi's Red Giant Movies.

Udhayanidhi in response to the announcement, had tweeted in Tamil: "As part of our celebrations to mark the 15-year film journey of Red Giant movies, we honoured those who had contributed at a function in Chennai yesterday.

"I thank Kamal Haasan sir, who gave me the honour of becoming the hero of the next film being produced by RKFI and for announcing it."
New York, July 27 : The lives of women and girls in Afghanistan are being devastated by the Taliban's crackdown on their human rights, Amnesty International said.

Since they took control of the country in August 2021, the Taliban have violated women's and girls' rights to education, work and free movement; decimated the system of protection and support for those fleeing domestic violence; detained women and girls for minor violations of discriminatory rules; and contributed to a surge in the rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan.

"Less than one year after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, their draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of their right to lead safe, free and fulfilling lives," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General.

"Taken together, these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives. Every daily detail -- whether they go to school, if and how they work, if and how they leave the house -- is controlled and heavily restricted.

"This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistan's female population is increasing day-by-day. The international community must urgently demand that the Taliban respect and protect the rights of women and girls." One of the women told Amnesty International: "We were beaten on our breasts and between the legs. They did this to us so that we could not show the world. A soldier who was walking next to me hit me in my breast, and he said, 'I can kill you right now, and no one would say anything'. This happened every time we went out: we were insulted -- physically, verbally, and emotionally." Detained protesters had inadequate access to food, water, ventilation, sanitary products and health care. To secure their release, the women were forced to sign agreements that they and their family members would neither protest again, nor speak publicly about their experiences in detention, Amnesty International said.

According to four whistleblowers from Taliban-run detention centres, the Taliban has increasingly arrested and detained women and girls for minor violations of their discriminatory policies, such as the rule against appearing in public without a mahram (male chaperone) or with a man who does not qualify as a mahram. Those arrested are usually charged with the ambiguous 'crime' of 'moral corruption'.

A prison staff member explained: "Sometimes they bring the boys and girls from the coffee shop... (Or) if they see a woman who is not with a mahram, she can be arrested... Before these kinds of cases were not in the prison... The numbers are increasing each month." One university student, who was detained in 2022, told Amnesty International that she was threatened and beaten after being arrested on charges related to the mahram restrictions.

She said that Taliban members "started giving me electric shocks... on my shoulder, face, neck, everywhere they could.... The one holding the gun said, 'I will kill you, and no one will be able to find your body'." According to Amnesty International's research -- corroborated by national and international organisations operating in Afghanistan, local activists and other experts -- the rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are surging under Taliban rule. The key causal factors for the increase include the economic and humanitarian crisis; the lack of educational and professional prospects for women and girls; families forcing women and girls to marry Taliban members; and Taliban members forcing women and girls to marry them.

Stephanie Sinclair, director of Too Young to Wed, an organisation working on child, early and forced marriage, explained: "In Afghanistan, it's a perfect storm for child marriage. You have a patriarchal government, war, poverty, drought, girls out of school -- with all of these factors combined -- we knew child marriage was going to go through the roof."
New Delhi, July 27 : A man was held on Wednesday at the VHP office at Delhi's Jhandewalan for allegedly threatening to blow it up as no one in the organisation or the RSS had helped with his grievances, police said.

A senior police official said that information was received at around 12.40 p.m. that someone had threatened the functionaries of Vishwa Hindu Parishad that he would blow up their office on the 2nd floor of the Jhandewalan Temple complex.

Immediately after receiving the call, a police team was sent to the spot and found that VHP office staff had caught hold of a man, identified as Prince Pandey.

He was then handed over to the police.

"Pandey claims to be a graduate. He came to Delhi on July 22 along with his aunt who is residing in Fatehpur Beri area. He went to the the RSS headquarters and claimed that he was having a grievance that one family in his village was got converted to Christianity but was angry that nobody is doing anything about it," the official said.

The police said that Pandey was claiming to be a supporter of the RSS wing but was aggrieved that the RSS were not doing anything on his grievance.

According to police, Pandey just made the threat to blow up the office "just to attract attention". He is being interrogated at police station Paharganj by the Special Cell and Special Branch, the official said.
Nairobi, July 27 : Kenyans have intensified efforts to promote peace and institute measures to avert conflict before, during, and after the general elections slated for August 9.

At the grassroots level, peace crusaders and community leaders are spreading messages of harmony and togetherness.

"Communities such as ours living in the slums are prone to violence arising from elections. It is for this reason that we have been engaging the community and making a clarion call to abide by peace. We are also using the youth to preach peace," Peter Kano Muasya, a local community leader told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.

Muasya hails from the expansive Kiambiu slum, east of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where the quality of life is low and poverty is rife. "Here the message of peace carries more urgency than anything else hence their efforts in recent days." Past election cycle's have been fraught with conflict. To forestall this occurrence during the electoral period, the government, election stakeholders, and the community have embarked on disseminating peace messages and breaking stereotypes, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It's important as leaders that we preach messages of peace right now, because we understand our election history where after every five years ethnical tensions are fanned unfortunately by politicians," Ruth Mucheru, aspiring deputy presidential candidate of Agano Party, told Xinhua on phone, urging Kenyans to turn out and vote and remain united after the polls.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), the state organ that fosters peaceful coexistence, has been implementing a guideline it drew up in 2020 dubbed Elections Bila Noma (violence-free elections) to guide the realization of peaceful elections.

The initiative has been able to identify areas highly prone to violence and effect mitigation measures as well as facilitate dialogue between sparring communities among other activities to quell clashes.

"We call on the nation and all its citizens to join us in urging social media users to desist from using old videos that portend the risk of reigniting negative emotions, thus inciting communities against each other," NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia told journalists on Tuesday.

The judiciary, on its part, is in the process of operationalizing special offenses courts that will address cases of hate speech and election-related offenses in areas identified by the NCIC as volatile in hate speech
New Delhi, July 27 : The number of Twitter URLs blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shown a rise during the last few years, the Parliament was told on Wednesday.

A total of 1,122 Twitter URLs were blocked till June 2022, 2,851 in 2021 as against 2,731 in 2020 and 1,041 in 2019 - up from 225 in 2018, 588 in 2017, 194 in 2016, 15 in 2015, and 8 in 2014, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 empowers the Ministry to block information in any computer resource in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above, he said.

For blocking of information, the MeitY follows the due process as specified in the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, he added.

In line with the objective of the government to ensure an open, safe, trusted and Accountable Internet for all its users, MeitY issued directions for blocking to Twitter to block URLs including accounts under provision of Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000. MeitY does not maintain data regarding the period of existence of accounts that were suspended by Twitter, the Minister said.
Mogadishu, July 27 : At least 10 people were killed and several others wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Marka town, Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia, a military official said.

Marka District Commissioner Abdullahi Ali Wafow was among those killed in the latest attack, Somali National Army (SNA) officer Abdullahi Ali confirmed.

"The suicide bomber... blew himself up in front of the district headquarters office. The district commissioner is among those killed in the blast," Ali told Xinhua on the phone.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting regional government officials.

The extremist group still controls some rural areas in southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in Mogadishu, the capital, and elsewhere, Xinhua news agency reported.

Allied forces have intensified military operations into territory formerly controlled by al-Shabab, which was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011.
Chennai, July 27 : The team of director Selvaraghavan's much-awaited film 'Naane Varuven' featuring Dhanush and Swedish actress Elli Avrram in the lead, on Wednesday released a poster from the film, seeking to mark the beginning of Dhanush's birthday celebrations.

Taking to Twitter, well known producer Kalaipuli S Thanu, sharing the poster, wrote, "My birthday wishes to Dhanush, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. May he attain greater heights. I am delighted to release a poster from 'Naane Varuven' to make the occasion more special." Dhanush's brother and the film's director Selvaraghavan too released the poster on Twitter and said, "A special birthday for a special person. Happy birthday in advance my dear brother Dhanush K Raja." 'Naane Varuven' has triggered huge expectations as Dhanush and Selvaraghavan are working together on a film after almost 11 years.

The unit completed shooting the film in April this year. Actress Elli Avrram had then said, "Feeling so blessed and excited to finally share this with you all. Yesterday was a wrap for me, completing my part in 'Naane Varuven' with my wonderful co-actor Dhanush K Raja, brilliant director Selvaraghavan sir and outstanding DoP Om Prakash. Thank you for having me onboard." Dhanush plays double action in the film, which has been by and large shot in Ooty.

Sources close to the actor say that the film is about a deja vu feeling experienced by two similar looking individuals.
Kolkata, July 27 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday once again made it clear that she has no connection with the arrest of state Commerce and Industries minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General, Partha Chatterjee by Enforcement Directorate in connection with the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.

"Some mistakes are bound to happen while running a big organisation. If anyone makes a mistake and it is legally proved, the errant will be punished," she said at a function of Titagarh Wagons Limited at Uttarpara in Hooghly district.

However, she also went on to launch a scathing attack against the Union government on the mode of operations of the ED in the matter.

"On July 1, we organised a mega rally at Kolkata which witnessed a record turnout. The ED operations started from 5 a.m. on the very next day. the ED can surely act. But was the necessity of that action early in the morning. This was a deliberate ploy to malign the image of my government by using the agencies," Banerjee said.

She also claimed that the Union government and BJP are using the central agencies to topple the democratically elected state government in West Bengal just as they did in case of Maharashtra.

"But in West Bengal, that effort will not succeed. BJP will have to confront the Royal Bengal tiger before they try to grab power through unfair means," the Chief Minister said.

She said that the approach of the current Union government is worse than that of the British in pre-independent India. "But all I can say right now is that BJP will not be able to regain power in India in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. I do not know how it will happen. But surely BJP will not be back in power in 2024," she said.

Banerjee also said that the Union government is trying to divert the attention of the people from all the development works undertaken by the state government. "They know that they will not be able to counter Trinamool Congress politically and so they are letting loose the central agencies. Even my Transport Minister, Firhad Hakim, was telling me that ED officials are regularly coming to the locality where he stays," the Chief Minister said.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Income Tax Department is conducting search operations at the premises belonging to four private hospitals in Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram in connection with alleged tax evasion.

The IT officials have recovered a few incriminating documents during the raids.

According to information, the search operation were carried out in Sector 11 and 12 of Noida and in different sectors of Faridabad and Gurugram.

Several teams consisting of fourteen to fifteen officials carried out the search operations. They scanned the last three years' transactions of the hospitals.

The documents related to business dealings were also being studied.

To assist the IT officials teams of police were also present at these hospitals.

Meanwhile, Marengo QRG Hospital in Faridabad contacted IANS and said that their office was not searched.

"The news that there has been an IT raid at Marengo QRG Hospital is factually wrong. No IT raid has happened here," said the ORG Hospital authorities.

The Income Tax Department has not commented on the matter yet. They did not disclose the name of any hospital.
Abuja, July 27 : Three military officers died in the ambush on the Nigerian Presidential Guards Brigade by suspected extremist militants in Abuja, the capital, sources said on Wednesday.

The Presidential Guards Brigade was on a patrol when they were ambushed overnight Sunday, a spokesman for the guards' brigade, Godfrey Abakpa, told Xinhua via telephone on Tuesday, saying a few military men were wounded in action while responding to the ambush.

On Wednesday, military sources told Xinhua that two officers were gunned down by the attackers who later fled the scene. Another died at a military hospital on Tuesday while being treated for a gunshot injury, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Presidential Guards Brigade, an elite brigade of the army, is responsible for the protection of the Nigerian president and his guests, guarding the president's residence, as well as performing ceremonial duties. It is also responsible for providing security around the Federal Capital Territory.

Abakpa told Xinhua on Tuesday that the troops were ambushed while combing the Kubwa-Bwari road to get rid of criminals who had been threatening the general area.

He said troops will continue to carry out their patrol of the area despite the attack.
Bengaluru, July 27 : The probe into the case of the murder of a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in Karnataka revealed that he was targetted for condemning the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, sources said on Wednesday.

Praveen Kumar Nettaru, 31, a member of BJP Yuva Morcha and a resident of Sulia in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district was hacked to death on Tuesday night. Two unknown bike-borne miscreants had attacked him with swords and fled the scene.

Though he was immediately rushed to a hospital, he succumbed to the deep injury he sustained on neck.

Praveen owned a chicken shop at Peruvaje Cross, Bellare village near Puttur.

Hindu activists had earlier claimed that Nettaru was targeted as a revenge to the incident of murder of a youth belonging to minority community four days ago.

Meanwhile, sources in the know of things related to the investigation said Nettaru did not have enemies, and he was leading a peaceful and harmonious life, adding he had been targeted for communal reasons.

His post on Facebook on June 29 used "strong language" against religious fundamentalism. The post condemned the act of beheading of Rajasthan tailor Kanhaiya Lal for supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma's statement on Prophet Muhammad, sources said.

Following the volatile situation in the state's coastal region, and amid the fear of protests spreading to other parts of the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conveyed an emergency meeting with Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and top police officers.

Jnanendra said the police have nabbed 10 suspects, and a police team has already left for Kerala.

"There is a pattern. Miscreants carry out murders here and escape to Kerala. This time Karnataka and Kerala will jointly take up operations," he added.

He further said the culprits would be arrested very soon and the state government would let the National Investigation Agency look into the case.

Meanwhile, the police had to resort to cane-charge to control the protesting Hindu activists to maintain law and order. Authorities have clamped curfew in three taluks of Dakshina Kannada district.

Hindu activists enraged by the killing laid siege to the vehicle of Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, and did not allow him to step down when he came to pay respect to Praveen's body.

The BJP Yuva Morcha workers in Chikkamagaluru have offered en masse resignation condemning the series of murders of Hindu activists.
New Delhi, July 27 : Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking suspension of Satyendar Jain, who is under the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since May 31 in an alleged money laundering case, as a Cabinet Minister.

The plea was turned down by the bench presided over by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad after the submissions were made on behalf of petitioner former BJP MLA Nand Kishore Garg.

The plea contended that Jain was arrested over his alleged involvement in hawala transactions in 2015-2016 with a Kolkata-based firm. The arrest is repugnant and inconsistent to the rule of law as he is a public servant having a constitutional oath to uphold the rule of law in the interest of the public, it stated.

"Such a scenario was contrary to the provision of law applicable to the public servant who is deemed suspended immediately after the custody of more than 48 hours as per Rule 10 of The Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965," it read.

Jain, whose bail was denied in various hearings since May 31, is currently admitted to a city government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital, as he complained of medical issues.

The CBI has accused Jain, his wife and others of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On March 31, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned and controlled by the minister.

On June 6, the ED conducted raids at multiple locations belonging to Jain, his wife and his accomplices, who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering. The recovery of Rs 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg was made during the raid.
Kiev, July 27 : One person was killed and four others injured in Russian shelling in Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine on Wednesday.

The Russian forces struck a two-storey hotel in Bakhmut, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration said.

The hotel has been partially destroyed, Pavlo was quoted as saying by Ukrainska Pravda.

A man was rescued from the rubble during search and rescue operations and hospitalised.

The State Emergency Services (SES) said that acoustic contact is being maintained with the injured, and the "body of the deceased can be seen".

Work on clearing the rubble continues, the SES added.
New Delhi, July 27 : Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet in Uzbekistan scheduled for July 28-29.

It would be the first time when Jaishankar will be meeting in person with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto who took the charge after the formation of the new Shehbaz Sharif government.

The first leg of the SCO summit, comprising an international conference on Afghanistan, was held on July 25-26, while the meeting of the Foreign Ministers will be held on July 28-29.

After the formation of the Sharif government, Bilawal Bhutto had expressed his desire to establish friendship with India again. However, there is no sign of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO meet yet. As far as talks with Pakistan are concerned, India has consistently maintained that terror and talks cannot go together.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar's participation in the SCO is yet to be officially announced. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also attend the meeting.

Jaishankar is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart to review the outcome of the recent 16th round of Corp Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The India-China talks, if taking place, would also pave the way for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as they are expected to attend the SCO summit on September 15 and 16 in Samarkand.
New Delhi, July 27 : Reacting to protests over ED questioning Gandhis in National Herald case, BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Wednesday said that the Congress party is trying to influence and pressurise law enforcement agencies in order to shield the truth.

Nadda suggested that if Congress is not happy with the investigation of our law enforcement agencies, they are free to approach courts. "The Congress party which is holding protests over the investigation into corruption cases against their top leadership, it is not 'satyagraha' but it is 'duragraha' in support of lies and corruption," he said.

Nadda stated that to protest against our law enforcement agencies and to try and sabotage investigation into corruption cases proves that the Congress party is legally on weak footing in the cases of corruption and they do not want the truth to come out.

"The Supreme Court has recently passed a judgment on the powers and jurisdiction of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Enforcement Directorate. The Supreme Court has upheld the PMLA and has also validated the jurisdiction of the ED. We honour and respect our Supreme Court and also our Constitution and our law," the BJP chief said.

Nadda noted that Congress president Sonia Gandhi is being questioned by the ED in the National Herald scam involving thousands of crores of rupees and the Congress party is doing so called 'satyagraha' against it.

"It is nothing but an unholy attempt to save the family. This is a political campaign to save one particular family. The Congress party is holding protests against the law enforcement agencies, the Congress party leaders are raising questions over our law enforcement agencies, all this is highly inappropriate and illegal. All this should stop immediately," he said.

Nadda mentioned that everyone knows that crores of rupees were swindled in the National Herald corruption case and all those linked with this scam should appear before the law enforcement agencies and give their statements, this is their primary responsibility. "But unfortunately the Gandhi family considers itself to be above the law and the country. They cannot tolerate if someone questions them. The Gandhi family considers itself above the law," Nadda said.

The BJP chief further noted that the nation runs as per the Constitution and as per law, but the Congress party holding protests against the ongoing investigation in the National Herald corruption case is unfortunate and uncalled for which also shows that the Congress party and one particular family, the Gandhi family, consider themselves above the law.

"This is not going to work in our country. Law is the same for all citizens. It is the duty and responsibility of every citizen to follow the law of the land and to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies," he added.
Sanji : , July 27 (IANS) Uyghurs prisoners in Xinjiang are forced to speak in Mandarin and perform obvious displays of subservience to their Chinese guards in monthly video calls with relatives, Uyghurs living in exile say, a report said.

A Uyghur now living in Europe told RFA that her siblings in Sanji Prison in the town of Sanji (in Chinese, Changji) were recently allowed to meet online with other relatives in Aksu (Akesu). Though neither the jailed Uyghurs nor their family members could speak Chinese well, authorities made them communicate in Mandarin for the entire meeting.

"They barely managed to speak in Chinese, according to my relatives who met them onscreen," the source said. "This is not just an isolated incident." Chinese authorities have banned the use of the Uyghur language in schools and government complexes as part of their efforts to diminish the culture and traditions of the largely Muslim community, RFA reported.

But Uyghur families still speak their native tongue inside their homes. The prohibition from doing so on the monthly virtual visits adds a level of frustration for family members who are already anxious about their loved ones' well-being.

Another Uyghur exile living in Turkey told RFA that her nephew, who was serving a sentence in a prison in Urumqi (Wulumuqi), was forced to speak Chinese to his mother and grandmother, though the latter had to rely on another relative to translate because she did not know Mandarin.

"They allowed them to meet onscreen once every few months for only three minutes," the source said. "My mother was there once to meet onscreen with my nephew. My mother was very uncomfortable hearing my nephew speaking to them in Chinese. My nephew's wife fainted at the time, hearing him speak only in Chinese." "On-screen, my nephew had to bow while walking backward saying goodbye in traditional Chinese fashion," she added. "He also had kowtow to the Chinese police for giving him the chance to see his relatives onscreen." Tahir Mutallip Qahiri, a Uyghur Muslim lecturer in the Uyghur language and literature at the University of GAttingen in Germany, said he noticed a difference in the way his detained father interacted with him during a video call.

His father, well-known Uyghur scholar and activist Mutallib Siddiq Qahiri, used to work at Kashgar University and wrote and edited more than 20 books on Uyghur and Arabic culture until he was arrested in 2018 and charged with "incitement to ethnic hatred," according to a September 2020 article in the Byline Times, In early 2020, authorities sentenced him to 30 months in prison with four years of probation.

Tahir said he was able to see his father after he was released from detention, but that the man "was not as free as the Uyghur prisoners who recently had spoken with their relatives onscreen." Although the two spoke Uyghur to one another, Tahir said he believed his father was under surveillance by authorities because he told his son to remain silent and to defend the Chinese state, RFA reported.
Beijing, July 27 : Tibetans returning from exile to their home regions in Tibet are being summoned for questioning by Chinese authorities watching for signs of disloyalty or separatist sentiment, Tibetan sources say, a report said.

Returnees living in Golog (Chinese, Guoluo) and Ngaba (Aba) counties, Tibetan-populated regions in western China's Qinghai province, have recently been called in by police without warning, a Tibetan living in exile told RFA this week.

"They are being asked about possible involvement in political activities," RFA's source said, citing contacts in the region and speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

"Frequent meetings are being held to tell them how to live 'a decent life' under Chinese government rule and to stay away from sensitive political issues, and they are also being questioned over the phone from time to time," the source said, RFA reported.

As part of a broadening Chinese campaign of political education, Tibetans returning from exile to their former homes have been taken on excursions to Chinese cities to show them what the authorities call evidence of progress and development under Communist Party rule, the source added.

Tibetans returning from exile to Tibet's regional capital Lhasa are kept under particular scrutiny, another source in exile said, with their cell phones regularly inspected and monitored and their movements restricted around politically sensitive dates like the July 6 birthday of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Efforts by China to bring Tibetans back to Tibet have escalated in recent years, with Chinese authorities reaching out to Tibetans living in India and Nepal about their plans to return and asking them what kind of work they are currently doing, sources say, RFA reported.
Ahmedabad, July 27 : Forty-year-old Kanubhai Sekhalia died at Devgana village in Barnala taluka in Botad's hooch tragedy that has claimed the lives of more than 40 people as of Wednesday afternoon. With his death, his four children have lost their father and a shelter too. The children became orphans as his wife was not staying with them.

After the hooch tragedy, officials including Karanraj Vaghela, SP of Botad district, reached Devgana village. The police spoke to the people of the village and adopted all the four orphaned children. They announced that the Botad police will bear the responsibility of the four children including their studies. After the death of Kanubhai, the four children are living with his elder brother.

Botad district SP Karanraj Vaghela appealed to the people who have complaints of vomiting, blackouts, or dizziness to come forward. The police said that even those who have not shown any symptoms after consuming the toxic brew should come forward and the police will get them treated.

The police said that more people have been affected in Barwala and Ranpur in Botad. At present five police teams are working in Barwala and five teams in Ranpur. The police have stationed ambulances outside all the villages. The police said that any person who does not come to work for two or three days should be reported to the police so that if that person has been affected by drinking toxic liquor, he can be shifted to the hospital for treatment.
Hyderabad, July 27 : Tollywood producers appear to be divided over the decision of one section of movie makers to halt shootings from August 1.

While the Active Telugu Producers Guild (ATPG) has announced they will be voluntarily withholding film shoots starting August 1, the Producers' Council has clarified that no decision has been taken yet to stop shootings.

The ATPG took the decision after a meeting with producers, exhibitors, distributors and studio owners, announcing that they would be withholding all shoots until they can sit down and discuss ways to find solutions to their problems.

The producers' body mentioned revenue and costs as their concerns. "Post-pandemic with the changing revenue situations and increasing costs, it is becoming important for producers to discuss all the issues we are facing as a community of filmmakers," the ATPG said.

However, Producers' Council President C. Kalyan said no decision has been taken on stopping the film shootings. Producers' Council, which claims to be the representative of the overwhelming majority of producers, is the producers' wing of the Film Chamber of Commerce.

The well-known producer claimed that the producers who are part of ATPG produce only 40 films a year while small producers make 240 films a year.

"If producers in the Guild want, they can stop film shoots. Our small and new producers run the film industry. They will continue the shoots," he said.

Kalyan also stated that the film industry has different organisations and every organisation is free to make its own decision.

Film Chamber of Commerce President K. Ramakrishna also stated that stopping film shoots is the Guild's own decision. Film shoots by the Telugu film industry will continue as usual, he said.

Film Chamber has also constituted a committee headed by Kalyan to look into various issues.

The committee met on Wednesday to discuss cinema ticket rates, production costs, new movies on OTT and other issues.

Dil Raju, Kalyan, Sunil Narang, Supriya, and Y.V.S. Chowdary were among the producers who attended the meeting.

If film shoots are stopped by leading producers, the upcoming films of actors like Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Junior NTR may face delays.

Industry analysts say this could deal another blow to Tollywood, which recently started recovering from setbacks caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

Post pandemic, Tollywood has seen few hits like "Pushpa: The Rise" and "RRR" but producers are wary of the changing revenue model.

There is a feeling among many producers that the increase of remuneration by leading stars post pandemic has affected the return on investment.

Theatrical revenues of a large number of movies fell to an abysmal low of 20 per cent. This has already dealt a blow to the industry.

Various sections of the industry are worried over the reduced four-week window between the theatrical and OTT releases. The release of the latest movies on OTT in four weeks is posing a big challenge to the industry.

According to T. S. Ram Prasad, the President, Exhibitors' sector, Film Chamber, that theaters and distributors are also suffering losses due to OTT releases.

He said big-budget films should not be released on OTT before eight weeks after their theatrical release. Similarly, he wants the OTT release of small and medium budget films to be allowed after four weeks.
Chennai, July 27 : "Kalaga Thalaivan", featuring Tamil actor, producer and politician Udhayanidhi Stalin in the lead, will be an action thriller and not a political film, its director Magizh Thirumeni has explained.

Talking to IANS, Magizh, who is known for his critically acclaimed superhit films such as "Thadam" and "Thadaiyara Thaaka", said: "Many people seem to have the opinion that 'Kalaga Thalaivan' will be a political entertainer, but the fact is that this will be an action entertainer. This film is not about a guy getting into politics and reforming society." Udhayanidhi, who is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's son, is a member of the state Legislative Assembly.

The film's title "Kalaga Thalaivan", which was disclosed only recently, got many to think that it may well be a political entertainer. Magizh, however, clarified: "Kalagam has many equivalents in English. The one that we think will be the most appropriate translation for our 'Kalaga Thalaivan' would be 'Rebel Leader'." Magizh said the unit has completed the work on the entire film. "Post-production is now on in full swing and is on the verge of being completed," he added.

Sources in the industry, meanwhile, have said the unit is considering getting actress Nidhhi Aggarwal, who plays the female lead in the film, to dub for her character as she has a good voice.
New Delhi, July 27 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday called for innovations in the field of ammunition for the creation of a "strong and self-reliant" base that keeps the Armed Forces fully prepared to deal with future challenges.

He was addressing the inaugural session of the second conference on Military Ammunition (Ammo India) on the theme "Make in India Opportunities and Challenges" in New Delhi.

The Defence Minister described advanced ammunition as the "reality of the new age warfare, which is a must for India, given its regional & global imperatives and security challenges".

"Scientific & technological as well as the economic development of a nation is reflected in the capacity of its weapons and ammunition. The development of ammunition is crucial not only for security, but also for socio-economic progress of the country. For India to become a world power and one of the leading countries in defence production, we must move forward in the indigenous design, development & production of ammunition," he asserted.

Singh noted that the government, realising the "crucial role" that the private sector can play in strengthening the defence sector, has removed "many barriers", which were earlier prevalent.

He said, from capping the participation of bidders, criteria of financial eligibility or the issue of credit ratings, the government has given considerable relaxation.

He exhorted the public and private sectors, research and development establishments, start-ups, academia and individual innovators to explore newer avenues which can create a base that caters to the needs of the Armed Forces, ensuring their enhanced preparedness.

Singh also emphasised the importance of precision guided ammunition, saying that it will play a major role in future warfare due to its constantly-evolving nature. "The employment of precision guided ammunition at 'Muntho Dhalo' base played an important role in India's victory in 1999 Kargil war. It also ensured success during 2019 strikes on terror camps in Balakot... Earlier, only the size and explosive capacity of bombs mattered, but now their smartness is equally important." The Defence Minister reiterated the government's commitment to achieve "Aatmanirbharta in Defence", and said that all efforts are being made to empower the domestic industry, which can equip the Armed Forces with home-grown world-class weapons/systems, crucial for bolstering national security.

He pointed out that the three positive indigenisation lists notified by Ministry of Defence clearly indicate the government's emphasis towards indigenous manufacturing of ammunition. "Be it Guided Extended Range rockets for Pinaka, Advanced Light Weight Torpedo, Anti-Radiation Missiles or Loitering Munition, there are 43 such items in the third list." Singh appreciated the fact that six of the seven new defence companies, which were carved out of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board, have reported profit within six months of their inception.

Munitions India Limited has received export orders worth Rs 500 crore, he said, terming the achievement as an indicator to the huge potential of the ammunition industry in the country.

The Defence Minister also inaugurated an exhibition showcasing products developed by the Indian Navy, DPSUs and the private sector.
London, July 27 : Outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being touted as a potential new boss of Nato after quitting No10 - amid warnings from Tories that he needs to stop encouraging a 'Trumpish fantasy' about staying in power, media reports said.

Allies of the Prime Minister have suggested he could replace Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of the military alliance when, as expected, the Norwegian steps down in September next year, Daily Mail reported.

The lure of the high-profile post might be attractive to the PM, but he would need to quit as an MP to take it.

It comes as other supporters continue a grassroots campaign to allow him a chance to stay in No 10, Daily Mail reported.

Some 10,000 people claiming to be Tory members are backing a petition calling for him to be allowed to enter the current leadership election.

No 10 has insisted that he intends to leave office in September but Lord Cruddas, the Tory donor behind the campaign, has said the PM is having second thoughts.

Johnson has personally yet to publicly comment on the claim, first made in the Telegraph UK.

However his former ally Steve Baker said he must quell any desire to reverse his departure.

It came as a new poll showed 70 per cent of all voters think he was right to quit - though Tory voters are evenly split, Daily Mail reported.

A second senior MP, Sir Charles Walker, has also suggested party members be stripped of their power to decide who becomes the next PM.
Los Angeles, July 27 : Joey King has said she felt intimated arriving on the set of "Bullet Train", but lead star Brad Pitt soon put her at ease.

The 22-year-old actress stars alongside Pitt in the 2022 action-comedy, and despite working in movies from the age of four, the "Kissing Booth" star felt like she was stepping onto a film set for the first time working with the Hollywood legend, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

In the film, Pitt stars as assassin Ladybug, who wants to give up the life, but is pulled back in by his handler Maria Beetle (Sandra Bullock) in order to collect a briefcase on a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Kyoto. Onboard the train, he and other competing assassins discover that their objectives are all connected.

King told 'Digital Spy': "I've been acting for almost 19 years now, which is actually insane, but I feel like this movie, stepping onto this set, I felt like I had just touched down in Los Angeles and it was my first (movie). I felt so fish out of water, imposter syndrome, I was like, 'What am I doing here? I don't deserve to be here'." Brad Pitt instantly put her at ease and she was "so comfortable" in his company.

She continued: "But working on this movie with the entire cast and of course Brad, I mean he's f****** Brad Pitt at the end of the day, we love Brad Pitt, it was truly an honour, not just because they are so talented and have such cool careers, but because they're the coolest humans to work with.

"Brad became someone that I was so comfortable with and feel so lucky that I was able to share this time with, I just absolutely adore him." King loved that her character of The Prince was "gender-swapped".

She said: "First of all, I loved my character, everything how she was written, how villainous she was, but then also that her name is so strong and powerful. Like you said, they gender-swapped me, but they kept her name as The Prince. It made me so happy because I was like, 'This name feels like the perfect way for me to build the character around her because it made me feel so strong and powerful'. I knew who I wanted her to be based on how strong I feel when I say, 'I'm the Prince'."
Shillong, July 27 : The District Magistrate of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district on Wednesday ordered a magisterial probe to find out details about the police raid on Saturday on a brothel reportedly owned by the state BJP vice-president Bernard N. Marak, officials said.

Meanwhile, a Meghalaya police team went to Uttar Pradesh to bring Marak, who was arrested by the police in Hapur district of the state.

District Magistrate of West Garo Hills district, Swapnil Tembe asked Executive Magistrate and Extra Assistant Commissioner, Rezia Ch Marak to conduct the inquiry to find out the details of the police raids in the farmhouse and submit the report within 15 days.

The Uttar Pradesh police arrested Marak soon after the Meghalaya police issued a look out notice after five children were rescued and 73 people arrested on Saturday from the Rimpu Bagan, the farm house of Marak at Tura in West Garo Hills district.

The BJP leader, who has been absconding following the Saturday's police raid at the farm house, had been booked under different sections under POCSO and the Immoral Trafficking Act.

A Meghalaya court had also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Marak, who through several statements and video messages denied the charge and accused Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma of political vendetta.

On Saturday, the police acting on a tip-off conducted an eight-hour-long raid at the farmhouse owned by militant-turned-politician Marak a.k.a. Rimpu.

West Garo Hills district police chief Vivekanand Singh had said that police rescued five minors -- four boys and one girl -- who were found locked inside dingy cabin-like unhygienic rooms at Rimpu Bagan, comprising 30 rooms.

The police also arrested 68 boys and girls and several farmhouse staff.

The police had also seized 36 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, liquor, 500 unused contraceptives (condoms) and other incriminating materials during the raid.

A day after the police raid on Marak's farmhouse, Meghalaya BJP in a statement on Sunday had said: "We have spoken with renowned and respected individuals from Tura and surrounding areas and we have come to the conclusion that Marak has been unjustly framed and maligned. It appears that he is a victim of a political vendetta." With two MLAs, the BJP is a part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, led by Sangma's National People's Party.

According to police, there are more than 25 criminal cases against Marak, the then self-styled chairman of now disbanded militant outfit Achik National Voluntary Council-B.
Kolkata, July 27 : As many as 38 legislators of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress have started contacting state BJP leadership again, megastar-turned-politician and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty claimed here on Wednesday.

Arriving here on Wednesday morning, he had a meeting with top state BJP leaders and then made the revelation at an interaction with media persons at the state BJP headquarters.

"As many as 38 MLAs of Trinamool Congress have started contacting the BJP leadership in the state again. Out of that 38 MLAs, 21 are directly in touch with me," Chakraborty claimed.

However, despite repeated requests, he refused to divulge the names of these ruling party legislators. However, at the same time, Chakraborty admitted that there are possibilities that some of the BJP's own elected representatives might also shift camp to the Trinamool.

"We had only three representatives in the West Bengal Assembly after the 2016 elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, we increased the tally to 77 and now we are 70. My appeal to those who want to join Trinamool Congress to do that right now. They are welcome to do that. Once they do that, we will have a clear idea on where we stand and accordingly, we can set up our new team," Chakraborty said.

Reacting to Chakraborty's comments, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, Santanu Sen said that probably he "was suffering from some sort of mental illusion which prompted him to make such absurd claims". "Rather if Trinamool Congress opens its doors, then BJP will be totally non-existent in West Bengal," said Sen.

Meanwhile, commenting on the recent arrest of the state Commerce and Industries Minister, Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam, Chakraborty said that if someone is not guilty, he should relax and will surely come out clean at the end of the investigation. "But if anyone his guilty, he will have to face the consequences," he said.
Bhopal, July 27 : A video has surfaced on social media, where a girl belonging to a Dalit family claimed that a group of upper caste people objected to her going to school and also snatched her school bag.

This incident was reported from a village in Shajapur district, around 150 km from the state capital Bhopal. As the video surfaced on social media, some politically connected locals raised this issue, alleging that "Some people belonging to the upper caste don't allow a Dalit girl to go to school." Later, the matter reached the police and an FIR was registered against some upper caste people. However, when the Shajapur police reached the village, it found that it was a land dispute issue.

During the investigation, the Shajapur police found that some land that was in the possession of a Gurjar family, was exchanged with a Rajput family. The Rajput family had put up a fence around the land.

There was a well on that piece of land and some Dalit families used to fetch water from it. But, due to the fencing of the land, the Dalit families' entry was restricted.

This led to a scuffle between the Rajput and Dalit families and both side attacked each other with sticks. Nearly half-a-dozen people got injured from both sides.

Some locals saw it as an opportunity to gain political mileage and they hatched a conspiracy to make it an 'Upper caste Vs Dalit' issue." Shajapur district is a Dalit populated area in the Agar-Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.

Talking to IANS, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shajapur, Jagdeesh Dabar said, "Both sides (Rajput and Dalit) had indulged in a scuffle over the land. Later, some other people also got involved in the matter and they made it a Dalit Vs upper caste issue." He informed that three-four people were injured during the clash. A case has been registered against the upper caste people and they have been booked for atrocities against Dalits. "A team under the town inspector has been tasked to investigate the matter. But, the preliminary investigation has revealed that it was a land dispute and not stopping a Dalit girl from going to school," Dabar added.
Mumbai, July 27 : Under pressure to expand the cabinet from his restless flock of 50 MLAs and the upcoming Supreme Court hearing pertaining to disqualification proceedings, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday again rushed to New Delhi.

Visiting the national capital for at least the 5th time in 28 days since he took office, Shinde is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party President J. P. Nadda and other leaders in the capital.

However, BJP's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis is not accompanying him on this trip to New Delhi, fueling fresh speculation in political circles.

Shinde faces a daunting challenge - balancing the clamour for ministerial berths from the rebel group which left him in June - besides many senior hopefuls from the BJP side which has a larger strength.

The repeated postponement of the cabinet expansion has also pushed back the Maharashtra Legislature Monsoon Session - normally held in July - to sometime in August.

There are also major concerns as many districts in the state have been ravaged with floods and the relief and rehabilitation packages have not yet been finalised.

These delays, coupled with the ensuing SC hearing on August 1, has unnerved the new regime and attracted huge flak from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party-Congress-Shiv Sena leaders.

Leader of Opposition, NCP's Ajit Pawar said that though Shinde is the CM, "it's the BJP's government" and for everything, the CM has to get clearance from Delhi.

Ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took a swipe by comparing Shinde-Fadnavis to a Dev Anand blockbuster, "Hum Dono", and the superhit song from "Bobby" film - "Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho".

"The two are locked in the room and the key is lost.. When people at the 'top' approve, the cabinet will be expanded," added Thackeray.

NCP's chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase wondered why there's a reluctance to expand the cabinet, especially when the state is reeling under heavy rains, over 8-lakh hectares of farmlands have been hit and farmers are in sorrow with the downpour.

Political circles rule out any possibility of the Shinde-Fadnavis team being expanded in view of the uncertainties till the apex court verdict is delivered on Monday.

After the MVA government collapsed with Thackeray's resignation on June 29, Shinde-Fadnavis were sworn-in on June 30 and are functioning as a two-man cabinet since the past 28 days now.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the validity of stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act related to power exercised by the Enforcement Directorate on arrest, search and seizure of ill-gotten wealth, posing a threat to economic stability, as it observed that money laundering is no less heinous than terrorism.

A bench, headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar, said: "The international bodies have been discussing the menace of money laundering on regular basis for quite some time; and strongly recommended enactment of stringent legislation for prevention of money-laundering and combating with the menace thereof including to prosecute the offenders and for attachment and confiscation of the proceeds of crime having direct impact on the financial systems and sovereignty and integrity of the countries." It added that money laundering is one of the heinous crimes, which not only affects the social and economic fabric of the nation, but also tends to promote other heinous offences, such as terrorism, offences related to NDPS Act, etc.

The top court affirmed the validity of Sections 5 (attachment of property), 8(4) (taking possession of attached property),3 (definition of money laundering), 17 (search and seizure), 18 (search of persons), 19 (powers of arrest), 24 (reverse burden of proof), 45 (offences being cognisable and non-bailable and twin conditions for grant of bail by court), 50 (statements made to ED officials), and 44 (offences triable by special court).

However, the top court left the question whether some of the amendments to the PMLA, 2002 could not have been enacted by the Parliament by way of a Finance Act, to be considered by a larger bench.

The bench said the offence under Section 3 of the 2002 Act is dependent on illegal gain of property, as a result of criminal activity relating to a scheduled offence and it is concerning the process or activity connected with such property, which constitutes the offence of money laundering.

"The authorities under the 2002 Act cannot prosecute any person on notional basis or on the assumption that a scheduled offence has been committed, unless it is so registered with the jurisdictional police and/or pending enquiry/trial including by way of criminal complaint before the competent forum," it added.

It further added that if the person is finally discharged/acquitted of the scheduled offence against him is quashed by the court, there can be no offence of money laundering against him or any one claiming such property being the property linked to stated scheduled offence through him.

The top court said: "Section 3 of the 2002 Act has a wider reach and captures every process and activity, direct or indirect, in dealing with the proceeds of crime and is not limited to the happening of the final act of integration of tainted property in the formal economy. The explanation inserted to Section 3 by way of amendment does not expand the purport of Section 3 but is only clarificatory in nature." The bench also declared that supply of a copy of ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) in every case to the accused is not mandatory, if the ED, at the time of arrest, discloses the grounds of such an action.

The top court upheld the twin conditions for bail as mentioned in Section 45 of the Act. "It was argued that the twin conditions of bail contained in Section 45 of the 2002 Act would act grossly disproportionate and illogical qua a person who is not directly connected with the scheduled offence but merely an accessory after the fact. Even this argument needs to be stated to be rejected for the same reason." The bench said the Parliament was competent to amend the provision in 2018 even after the Nikesh Tarachand Shah case judgment passed by the apex court, held those conditions as unconstitutional.

The top court judgment came on over 200 writ petitions including former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti among others.

A battery of senior advocates -- Kapil Sibal, Siddharth Luthra, A.M. Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi, Amit Desai - represented various parties in the matter. The Central government was represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
New Delhi, July 27 : The BJP's central leadership has promised "strictest action" to pacify the workers who are agitated over the killing of BJYM leader Praveen Kumar Nettaru in Karnataka.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka is facing the anger of its own cadre over the killing of Nettaru.

According to sources, anger among cadres ahead of next year's assembly polls, protests by BJP youth wing workers and leaders are turning out to be a concern for the party leadership, as the BJP is trying to retain power for another term.

Nettaru, 31, a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha and a resident of Sulia was hacked to death on Tuesday night.

Two unknown bike-borne miscreants had attacked him with swords and fled the scene.

Sensing the anger, some BJP MLAs, and officer bearers of party's youth wing are reportedly threatening to resign if justice is not delivered at the earliest.

The protesters laid siege to the vehicle of BJP's Karnataka chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and did not allow him to step down.

BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh said that the state government is working on to ensure strictest possible action to ensure justice.

"It was an unfortunate incident. Investigation is going on and strictest action will be taken. Our government has acted in previous similar incidents in the past and will also act in this incident," Singh said.

When asked about the threats of resignation, Singh said that the BJP government is investigating the incident and will take strict action so there question of anyone's resignation.

Hitting out the main opposition party Congress, Singh said: "Congress is issueless and leaderless party and Siddaramaiah has no right to speak as during his tenure, 32 Hindus were murdered." Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mining and Coal, Pralhad Joshi claimed that initial reports are suggesting the role of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India behind the murder.

"During his tenure as Chief Minister in the Congress-led government, Siddaramaiah had withdrawn cases against the SDPI workers, thus encouraging their activities," Joshi said.
Chennai, July 27 : A 17-year-school boy was found dead at his home in Chennai on Tuesday night by his neighbours, said police.

According to the police, a suicide note supposedly written by the boy was found wherein he had said he was not able to study well despite him desiring so.

With this, the number of student suicides in Tamil Nadu has gone up to five this month.

After the post mortem examination, the police handed over the boy's body to his parents.
Bengaluru, July 27 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will complete one year in office on July 28. Though, Bommai started his innings successfully generating high expectations in the party leadership that it would find a mass leader in him after old war horse B S Yediyurappa, but according to party leaders, after completion of one year much needs to be accomplished in this regard.

Bommai successfully managed the show until now by balancing between former CM Yediyurappa as well as the party and RSS leadership. Though he managed to convince the leaders to fight the upcoming assembly elections under his leadership, he will face the litmus test of bringing back the ruling BJP to power in the state.

The Congress has already proclaimed that it will capture power in the state and its leaders are vying with each other in announcing their candidature for the CM's post. The Opposition is confident of coming to power as no ruling party has managed to retain power since 1985 in Karnataka. Bommai is confident of creating history by emerging victorious this time riding high on the communal and development agenda.

The one year term of Bommai has been marked by tumultuous developments and social unrest. The hijab row started after students were denied entry into classes wearing a hijab. The crisis and related developments made international news.

The hijab crisis was followed by calls from Hindu organisations to boycott Muslim traders, artisans, businessmen in the state. Though the development helped the BJP to polarize Hindu voters, concerns were raised by industrial honchos. Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw warned the BJP government that a divisive communal agenda in the state would affect the global leadership of India in the IT and BT sectors.

Bommai's ambitious announcement of clearance of files within a time frame which raised expectations still remains a dream. Party insiders complain that most of the files are awaiting clearance at the CM's office. However, Bommai successfully implemented a scholarship programme to benefit children from agricultural families.

The central government's indecisiveness regarding the Mekedatu project to provide drinking water for Bengaluru and its surrounding areas and uncertainty over utilization of the state's share of the Mahadayi river waters have proved to be hurdles in boosting the leadership of Bommai in the state.

The BJP government is facing allegations of involvement in the Bitcoin and PSI recruitment scandals. The flak from the judiciary over corruption has dented the image of the BJP in the state. The textbook revision exercise antagonized various sections of the society and the government had to roll back its decision.

Bommai still has to make peace with former chief minister Jagadish Shettar who declined a cabinet portfolio saying he can't work under a junior. Hindu organisations are challenging the ruling BJP that it has failed to protect the interests of Hindu activists.

Yediyurappa who is focused on getting his son a good position in the party, though saying that the BJP would come back to power, is not saying a word on Bommai becoming the CM again. Party insiders say that Bommai will have to fight the insiders as well as face stiff competition from the Congress.
Bhubaneswar, July 27 : A total of 94.12 per cent of 76,604 students cleared the annual higher secondary (Class 12) science examination in Odisha, results of which were announced by School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash here on Wednesday.

Students can check their results on the official website of Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) at chseodisha.nic.in and orissaresults.nic.in.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the examination was delayed by two months and conducted during the last week of April. The papers have been evaluated via two alternative assessment methods, Dash said.

Under science stream, out of 78,077 enrolled students, 76,604 appeared in the annual Plus-II science examination and 72,106 cleared the exam, he added.

While 1,124 students have secured over 90 per cent, the pass percentage of boys and girls is 93.8 per cent and 94.52 per cent, respectively.

Out of 73,771 regular students, who had appeared for the science exams, 70,918 (96.13 per cent) have passed. Similarly, 41.93 per cent of the 2,833 ex-regular students cleared the Plus-II science exam.

The minister said that 393 schools have scored 100 per cent results. Nayagarh district has recorded the highest 99.11 per cent result while Phulbani district is at the bottom with a pass percentage of 76.81 per cent.

The Odisha government has also declared the Plus-II commerce results on Wednesday. Out of the 24,162 students, who were enrolled for the commerce stream, 23,726 have appeared in the exam and 21,165 have passed.

Under the commerce stream, 273 students have secured more than 90 per cent marks. The pass percentage of boys and girls stood at 88.32 per cent and 90.71 per cent, respectively.

The result of Plus-II arts and vocation courses will be declared on August 8, he said.
Visakhapatnam, July 27 : In a dramatic twist, a married woman who was feared drowned at Visakhapatnam beach two days ago was reportedly found in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore on Wednesday, officials said.

Authorities had conducted a large-scale search by deploying even a helicopter of the Indian Navy after the 21-year-old woman went missing on RK Beach where she had gone with her husband on their second wedding anniversary.

According to officials, the administration spent about Rs 1 crore to search for the woman by deploying resources of the Navy and the Coast Guard. An official said several government departments had participated in the search operations.

While on the beach on Monday night, the woman's husband received a call and he had moved aside while she was taking selfies on her mobile phone. After a few moments, he found no trace of his wife. He suspected that she was washed away in the sea with a tide and immediately alerted the police.

Authorities deployed speedboats and Navy helicopter the next morning as part of the search operation. However, all the efforts by the authorities were in vain as they found no trace of the missing woman. Doubts were being expressed whether she really drowned in the sea.

Meanwhile, police on Wednesday found the woman in Nellore with a man with whom she is said to be having an affair.

A resident of Visakhapatnam, she was married to a man from Srikakulam two years ago. On Monday, the second wedding anniversary, they went to Simhachalam temple and from there came to the beach, where the woman disappeared.

--IANS ms/sks/

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Chennai, July 27 : A 17-year-old boy has died by suicide in Tamil Nadu, the fourth such instance in the state over the last two weeks, the police said on Wednesday.

The deceased, a Class 12 student of a private higher secondary school, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday night in his home, near Karaikudi in Sivaganga district.

According to police, the boy's parents had gone out of town on Tuesday morning while he went to school.

However, after returning from school in the evening, the boy had locked himself up in his home.

When there was no response, neighbours informed the police.

When they broke open the house, the boy was found hanging dead.

A case has been registered by the Sakkottai police and investigation is on.

Of late, Tamil Nadu has been rocked by a series of suicides by school students, with as many as four Class 12 students committing suicide since July 13 this year.

Earlier, on Tuesday, a class twelve student had committed suicide at her home in Cuddalore.

The District Superintendent of Police had told IANS that the student had a rift with her mother and in a fit of fury she entered her room and committed suicide.

On July 13, a class twelve student of a private school at Kallakurichi jumped to death from the third floor of the hostel of the private school.

The suicide of the girl sparked violence in Kallakurichi with the hundreds of protesters vandalizing the school, torching school buses, burning a police vehicle, and destroying and setting afire several two-wheelers on July 17.

On July 25, a class 12 student of Tiruvallur district hanged herself to death in her hostel room on Monday, July 25.
Guwahati, July 27 : The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has been implementing special initiatives to attract more foreign students, officials said on Wednesday.

The IIT currently has 29 foreign students from nine countries - the UK, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Syria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Cameroon, and Seychelles and it is currently part of six foreign exchange programmes with five institutes of four countries - China, Germany, Japan and Australia.

Officials of the premier engineering institute said that it has been ranked at 384 by the QS World University Rankings 2023 and it has also gained rank 37 globally in the 'Research Citations per Faculty'.

A Joint Degree PhD Programme (JDP) for a student who gets PhD from IIT and a partner institute abroad and spends at least 12 months at each institute during the programme has also been initiated and more such JDPs are likely to be offered in the near future. The institute is also actively inviting foreign students for admission in courses across all disciplines of engineering, sciences, humanities and social sciences, design, healthcare and medicine, management and inter-disciplinary areas, an official statement said.

Highlighting IIT Guwahati's vision to become a global educational Institute of excellence, its Director, Prof. T.G. Sitharam, said, "With rapid internationalisation of the education sector, IIT Guwahati shall gain a strong foothold, across higher education institutes, worldwide and can play an active role in mitigating challenges associated with global issues." Dean, Alumni and External Relations, Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait, said: "To excel as a global leader, IITG must attract the best and brightest brains from around the world, retain home-grown talent within the limits of our country. It is a challenging job but we are hopeful that with small steps we will march ahead in becoming a destination for international students."
Kabul, July 27 : Days after a terror attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul, an explosion near the gurudwara triggered panic in the area -- predominantly inhabited by people of Sikh and Hindu communities.

Initial reports have suggested that there is no casuality in the explosion that took place at a Sikh hakim's shop located near the gurudwara.

President of the Indian World Forum Puneet Singh Chandok condemned the attack and sought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervention to ensure security and safety of Sikhs living in Afghanistan.

Earlier on June 18, three explosions ripped through the gurdwara, killing at least two civilians.

Despite claims by the Taliban-led government that it is working to ensure safety of the minorities, non-Muslim residents in the country have remained on the target of militants groups.
New Delhi, July 27 : In a major verdict delivered on Wednesday, the Supreme Court has declared that the Enforcement Directorate has the powers conferred under law to investigate people, conduct searches and raids and even arrest citizens under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

A number of petitioners, including Congress Lok Sabha member Karti Chidambaram, had approached the apex court challenging the powers of the ED under the PMLA.

The court declared the ED actions cannot be called arbitrary and it has the powers to attach properties of people suspected of money laundering. In recent times, opposition parties have accused the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "weaponising" the ED and misusing it to target dissidents, opposition leaders and intimidate them. The Congress has been organising protests all over the country even as the ED continues its interrogation of leader Sonia Gandhi CVoter conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS soon after the Supreme Court verdict came out to gauge what ordinary Indians felt about the controversial issue.

The survey was conducted using random sampling techniques and covered almost all demographic, ethnic, income and educational categories in the country.

In what could be a jolt to the opposition, 82.5 per cent of the respondents overall agreed with the verdict of the apex court. What should worry the opposition camp even more is the fact that 78.2 per cent of respondents who identify themselves as opposition supporters backed the apex court decision.

There is near unanimity across all categories of respondents; perhaps a signal that Indian citizens want genuine and concrete action against allegedly corrupt politicians and officials. The "least" enthusiastic response came from the Muslim community; though 69 per cent supported the apex court verdict upholding the powers of the ED.

In recent times, the ED has been very aggressive and pro-active in taking action against not just opposition politicians, but also many private sector companies and individuals allegedly involved in money laundering operations. According to a response provided by the government to the Parliament a few days ago, the number of ED actions have jumped 27 times between 2014-22 compared to the ten year UPA rule between 2002-14.
New Delhi, July 27 : On July 20, 2022, a virtual supply chain ministerial meeting was hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The meeting which was attended by representatives from 18 economies including India, the US and the European Union unveiled a four point roadmap for building collective long-term resilient supply chains, including steps to counter risks arising from supply dependencies and vulnerabilities.

Besides, India, the US, the EU, other partners of this initiative are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Spain and the UK. The meeting was a follow up to the supply chain summit convened by the US President Joe Bidden in October 2021.

The risks and vulnerabilities of supply chain dependency had also been witnessed in South Asia and South East Asian region during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which is visualised as a bridge between South Asia and South East Asia has already deliberated upon enhancing connectivity, developing a digital network and creating a multilateral Free Trade Agreement, it could serve as a platform to create an alternative supply chain at regional level.

India may lead such an initiative under the BIMSTEC which may be a feeder to a larger alternative supply chain conceived by advanced nations.

As BIMSTEC celebrates 25 years of existence, the world has changed and is changing, especially within the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic that all nations have been grappling with.

The low lying fruits of this vision of development of a regional supply chain could be plucked based on comparative advantages of the countries of the region. These could be listed as follows:- (i) Agriculture and Food Security -- A number of food exporting countries imposed ban on exports and put in place a number of protectionist policies driven by food security related concerns. This, and the recent hike in global food prices call for imperatives and initiatives by key stakeholders in the BIMSTEC to further cooperation in development of a regional supply chain.

(ii) Industrial raw materials and manufactured products -- The BIMSTEC economies are sufficiently diversified with regard to industrialization and manufacturing. While India is very strong in the core and basic industrial products including iron and steel, fertilizers and chemical products and engineering and IT products and services, other BIMSTEC countries have their own areas of comparative advantage including electronics, textiles, leather products and various raw materials.

Imperatives: (i) This would require cooperation in pro-active manner in land, marine and air connectivity as well as development of a digital network to facilitate development of a reliable regional supply chain. This would also require a wide port connectivity among BIMSTEC countries with trade facilities infrastructure, policies and laws.

(ii) India could play the most important role because it is a big producer of several agricultural and industrial products as well as a big market for the same. An India-centric supply chain through both the initiatives, i.e., initiatives of the advanced nations led by the US as well as BIMSTEC's regional supply chain led by India could reduce risks and vulnerabilities of supply chain dependencies. India also needs to lead the efforts to bring the envisaged vision of an FTA among the BIMSTEC countries to fruition.

BIMSTEC is an international organization of seven South Asian and South-East Asian nations including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
New Delhi, July 27 : Dismissing a plea to suspend the cabinet post of arrested Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday noted that it is not the Court but the Chief Minister who is to act in the best interest of the state and consider whether a person who has criminal background should be allowed to continue as a Minister or not.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was hearing the plea by petitioner former BJP legislator Nand Kishore Garg who has pointed out that Jain, a public servant having a constitutional oath to uphold the rule of law in the interest of the public, is arrested over his alleged role in hawala transactions.

"The Chief Minister exercises his/her discretion in choosing the Members of Cabinet and to formulate a policy pertaining to appointment of Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers has a collective responsibility to sustain and uphold integrity of the Constitution of India, and it is for the Chief Minister to act in the best interest of the state and consider as to whether a person who has criminal background and/or has been charged with offences involving moral turpitude should be appointed and should be allowed to continue as a Minister or not," the bench said in the order.

The court observed that good governance is only in the hands of good people.

"Even though the Court cannot sit in judgement of what is good or bad, it certainly can remind constitutional functionaries to preserve, protect and promote the ethos of our Constitution. There is a presumption that the Chief Minister would be well advised and guided by such constitutional principles," the order added.

It further referred B.R. Ambedkar, the Father of the Indian Constitution,who had stated during the Constituent Assembly debates: "...however, good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution." "This court wholeheartedly agrees with the observations of B.R. Ambedkar, and hopes that the Chief Minister upholds the trust reposed in him that forms the foundation of a representative democracy while appointing persons to lead the people," the order added.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Rajya Sabha is likely to discuss price rise early next week after it failed to function properly amid protests from the opposition parties. Sources said that an understanding has been reached in a meeting Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had with leaders of the Opposition and the government.

On the opposition demand to revoke the suspension of members, it is learnt that the Rajya Sabha Chairman said it could be considered only if the MPs realise their misconduct and regret it. Sources informed that Naidu said that naming and suspension of members are done as a last resort to uphold the dignity of the House and urged the opposition leaders to understand the agony that the presiding officer goes through before naming the erring members.

Ten leaders of the Opposition met Naidu on Wednesday over the suspension of 19 members of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and their demand for a discussion on price rise. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and MoS (Parliamentary Affairs) Muraleedharan were also present at the meeting.

The opposition leaders suggested that the suspensions may be revoked to have good attendance in the House. They also suggested that a specific date be indicated on which price rise could be discussed. It is learnt that some opposition leaders felt that unconditional revocation of the suspensions would be appropriate. Naidu urged the opposition leaders to advise their party members not to disrupt the House proceedings. 19 members were suspended on Tuesday and one more, Sanjay Singh was suspended on Wednesday.

Opposition members continuously disrupted the House proceedings since Day 1 demanding discussion on price rise, hike in GST and other issues.
Vijayawada, July 27 : A 31-year-old woman, a mother of four, eloped with a 14-year-old boy with whom she had extramarital relations.

The woman from Gudivada town of Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district eloped with the boy to Hyderabad. She had taken a house on rent in Balanagar area and was living with him.

A police team brought them back to Gudivada on Wednesday. The woman has been booked for kidnapping and also under various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Circle Inspector V. Durga Rao said the boy was handed over to his parents while the woman was produced before a court, which sent her to judicial custody.

Police investigations revealed that the woman used to play games on mobile phones with children in her neighbourhood. She got attracted to a 14-year-old boy and developed physical relations with him.

The boy, a student of Class 8 in an English medium school, was not attending the school regularly. His parents had also pulled him up for frequenting the house of the neighbor. When he revealed this to her, she planned to elope with him.

Police said on July 19, the woman took him to Hyderabad. Her husband and children had no clues about her whereabouts.

As the boy was also missing, his parents approached the police and suspected the involvement of the woman.

After the woman spent a few days with the boy in Hyderabad, he wanted to go back to Gudivada. When the woman told him that she has no money, he contacted a few friends, requesting them for financial help. When they did not respond, he called his parents and told them that he wanted to come back.

The police teams, which were searching for the woman and the boy at various places in Andhra Pradesh, traced their location with the mobile phone signals. A team reached Hyderabad on Tuesday night and apprehended them. The next day they were shifted to Gudivada.
Srinagar, July 27 : Cyber Police Kashmir Zone in its recent action against fraudsters have arrested two Nigerian fraudsters from Delhi involved in duping a man from Baramulla for Rs 36.35 lakh in an online scam, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said it received a written application from a resident of Baramulla alleging therein that while surfing Facebook, he came in contact with some unknown fake Facebook user T. Jessica, who impersonated as a purchase manager of a renowned pharmaceutical company Abbott.

"The said lady enticed the complainant through Facebook messages that she has been promoted as Secretary in the said company and eventually asked the complainant to start a business of (Kandu Nut/Palm Seeds/Sea Nuts). The complainant was convinced/motivated by using fake offers, orders, high returns and e-mails etc., to purchase the said product," police said.

Police said in order to purchase the said product, the said Facebook user forwarded the contact details of one seller namely Jyoti T. Kandu to the complainant.

"A business conversation started between the complainant and the fraudster Jyoti for selling/buying of the said Kandu nuts. The complainant was assured by the said fraudster that the said nuts are valuing very high in the pharmaceutical market owing to their medicinal benefits," police said.

"The complainant without knowing the plot behind the fraud invested a hefty amount of Rs 36.35 lakh by transferring the said amount in different bank accounts of fraudsters for purchasing 50 packets of Kandu Nuts." Police said on receiving the consignment of 50 packets of Kandu nuts the complainant received a fake call from Mumbai Customs office wherein the complainant was directed to deposit more money in order to be able to sell the said Kandu Nuts to pharmaceutical companies.

"This created doubt in the mind of complainant. The complainant then tried to contact on the provided contact details in order to verify the facts, however he did not got any respond and felt cheated/ duped by the Facebook user. The complainant then approached Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone Srinagar and lodged a complaint," police said.

A case has been registered and investigation set into motion.

"During the course of investigation, it was found that the fraud has been done by the fraudsters under a highly technically built setup and accordingly the digital footprints of the accused persons involved in the commission of offence were tracked by analysis of bank accounts that have been used for siphoning money of the complainant. Besides, CCTV footages and analysis of suspect phone numbers by employing high-end technical investigative skills was also carried out," police said.

"Subsequently, two Nigerians were found involved in the offences and were tracked at Vashist Park Sagerpur New Delhi, PS Sagerpur. Accordingly, on the directions of ADGP Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar a special team of Cyber Police Station Srinagar proceeded to New Delhi. After strenuous efforts and with the assistance of Delhi Police, the team was successful in nabbing these two Nigerians national culprits namely Isioma Steven and Collins," police said.

"The rented accommodation was raided and thoroughly searched and during searches incriminating material including 14 cell phones of different make and models, one laptop, 14 SIM cards, one Wi-Fi router, one Wi-Fi dongle, six debit/credit cards and 45 packs of Kondu nuts/palm nuts were recovered from their possession."
Srinagar, July 27 : Kashmir journalist Akash Hassan, put on the 'no fly list' by J&K Police, was to fly to Sri Lanka on Wednesday when his boarding pass was cancelled and he was offloaded from the aircraft.

Hasan belongs to south Kashmir Anantnag district and is the second local journalist restricted from travelling abroad.

Photojournalist Sanna Irshad was stopped from travelling to Paris on July 2 where she wanted to go to attend a photography exhibition. She has won the Pulitzer for her work as a photojournalist.

Hassan, who has done his PG from Turkey, told reporters that he was going to Sri Lanka to report the present crisis in that country for the Guardian newspaper.

He said he was questioned for four hours and afterwards, given his boarding pass with a red rejection stamp.

The 'no fly list' prepared by J&K Police, according to sources, contains names of journalists, writers, academicians etc from Kashmir whose travel abroad is deemed to be against the country's interest.
New Delhi, July 27 : A Parliamentary delegation of Mozambique, led by President of its Assembly, Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, called upon Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday.

Welcoming the delegation, Naidu said that India and Mozambique enjoy friendly relations with a regular exchange of high-level visits between the two countries. He also extended warm felicitations to Mozambique on their spectacular victory at the elections for the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) non-permanent seat for the term 2023-24.

Referring to the economic engagement between the two countries, Naidu said that Mozambique is a strategic partner and ally for India. Bilateral trade between the two countries during 2021-22 was $3 billion, with Indian exports amounting close to $2 billion.

He further stated that Indian companies have substantial investments in the LNG and mining sectors of Mozambique with three of Indian state owned companies - OVL, BPRL and OIL - investing in 30 per cent of the stakes in Rovuma Gas Fields of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.

Naidu expressed the wish that the work in the LNG projects, that had been stalled since April 2021, would start as soon as the security situation permits.

He also highlighted that the Indian government has extended LoCs amounting to $772 million for 14 different projects in Mozambique and had offered 60 ITEC civilian slots and 29 defence slots to Mozambique during the current year, in addition to 48 ICCR scholarships.

He also stated that India was the first responder after Cyclone IDAI had struck Central Mozambique in March 2019 with four Indian Naval Ships providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and rescuing more than 200 people and also providing medical assistance to around 2,300 people.

While highlighting Covid and Health cooperation between two countries, Naidu said that India donated 1,00,000 doses of Covishield and another 1.3 million of the same vaccine through the COVAX initiative.

"A consignment of Covid-19 relief material is being dispatched shortly," he said. The delegation led by Bias, appreciated the friendly relations between the two countries and hoped that such visits would further strengthen their existing ties.
Bengaluru, July 27 : The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in Karnataka has slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a series of recent murders in the state.

Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday criticised the Basavaraj Bommai-led government in the state in the backdrop of murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Kumar Nettaru in Dakshina Kannada district of the state.

"Why did the BJP government forget itself even after the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha?" Kumaraswamy questioned.

"What is the benefit of showdown and statements is after the murders: After every murder BJP is trying to wake up and why the party is not able to prevent murders?" Taking pot-shots at the BJP, the said: "As the elections are nearing there is bloodbath. Political play over the bloodshed is at its peak." "Masood, who was killed earlier, was a poor man. Now, Praveen who is murdered now also belongs to poor family. Only sons of poor men are getting killed.

"Few organisations are pushing youths into jaws of death after misguiding them. The families are losing their members who are sole earners of livelihood for the family. Parents and young people must be aware of this," Kumaraswamy warned.

He further criticised the BJP, saying the government has kneeled before murderous organisations and it does not have the power to take action against invisible hands behind these murders.

"There are no new industries being set up in the state. Who will take responsibility in case industries start exiting the state due to law and order failure," Kumaraswamy said.
New Delhi, July 27 : A Chinese knives smuggling racket was busted here with arrest of five people, Delhi Police said on Wednesday, adding that a total of 14,053 illegal button-actuated knives were seized from their possession.

The accused were identified as Mohd Sahil, 28, Mohd Waseem, 18, Mohd Yusuf, 29, and Ashish Chawla, 43.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, Benita Mary Jaiker said that the matter came to notice when a PCR call was received on July 18, reporting that a courier package having 80 knives was found dropped in C.R. Park area.

On investigation, when the police analysed CCTV footage, it was revealed that the bag with the knives in it had fallen off from motorcycle of a delivery boy. It was found that each recovered knife was packed in a courier packet having the sender's address in Malviya Nagar area.

A raid was conducted at the address and two persons namely Sahil and Wasim were apprehended from a warehouse. On checking the warehouse, 533 more illegal button actuated knives were recovered.

Accordingly, the police registered a case under section 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act at C.R. Park police station and both accused were arrested.

Accused Sahil disclosed that he registered himself on online shopping apps to sell these knives othrough his company, named My Style.

He disclosed that Yusuf was working for him and used to transport the knives from Sadar Bazar to Malviya Nagar. Yusuf was also arrested and revealed that he used to purchase the above illegal knives from Chawla, who was also then arrested and 13,440 more illegal button-actuated knives were recovered from his warehouse at Sadar Bazar.

Chawla disclosed that he used to place orders in China with a particular vendor for the knives. The payment used to be made by Mayank Babbar alias Mickey, owner of K2M Importer & Exporters, whose office is in China, from where the items were sent to India in containers.

The DCP said with the arrests and recovery of the knives, the Delhi Police have busted a nefarious Indo-Chinese module which has been bulk importing prohibited button actuated knives from China for sale in India. "The investigation now onwards will focus on the lapses, if any, on the part of regulatory and facilitating authorities like customs, DGFT and on the abettors of the crime which include leading online markets where the product has been listed for sale by the arrested accused," she said.

The police official also that they are now looking at the possibility of involvement of Chinese state actors who might be in collusion with the arrested Indians into pushing the contraband and to find out what else has been pushed into India under camouflaged names and titles.
Imphal, July 27 : At least 12 hardcore militants of Liberation Tigers of Tribals (LTT) on Wednesday surrendered before Manipur Chief Minister N.Biren Singh and deposited sophisticated arms and ammunition, officials said.

Defence spokesperson Lt. Col. A.S. Walia. said that the militants deposited one M-16 Rifle, two AK-56 Rifles, one double barrel gun, one point 22 Rifle, two 9 mm Pistols (one country made), one Lathode (country made), one CMG (country made), one Chinese hand grenade, 14 live rounds of AK rifle, and a Kenwood radio set.

He said that the Spear Corps of the Army along with Manipur Police successfully persuaded 12 members of the LTT to lay down their arms and join the mainstream.

"The homecoming ceremony was organised at Imphal where 12 cadres of LTT group laid down their arms before the Chief Minister. Security Forces compliment the cadres for their surrender to the government and impress upon all those who have chosen the wrong path to join back into the mainstream and live a happy and peaceful life. Families of the surrendered insurgents also expressed their gratitude to the Security Forces for safely bringing their loved ones back to the family," Lt. Col. Walia said.
Bongaigaon : , July 27 (IANS) A man, alleged to have link with the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) module, arrested in Assam on Wednesday.

The accused identified as Abbas Ali, 22, was nabbed by the police from Pakhiura village at Goalpara district. He has been accused of providing shelter and support to an ABT member at his home.

Luna Sonowal, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Bongaigaon district, said that the arrested accused is a sleeper cell man who works for the ABT. He provided all kinds of logistics support when the core ABT member Mehbub, who is happened to be a Bangladeshi national, came to Assam.

"Ali has also provided a SIM card to Mehbub. We are trying to trace Mehbub through him. We are also checking whether Ali is linked with other members of the ABT," she added.

The ASP further noted that Mehbub is a key member of ABT, and he provides training to youths and recruits new members for the radical group.

According to sources, Mehbub may be still active in the area and so the police have scaled up the search operation to nab him.
Kolkata, July 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Wednesday recovered Indian currencies worth over Rs 20 crore and three kg of gold bars from the one of the residences of Arpita Mukherjee at Belgharia in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

ED sources said that the counting process is still on and so far, cash worth Rs 20 crore have been recovered from a cupboard at the bedroom of the residence.

"The currencies recovered were in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations. The counting is still on and we expect that the amount finally will be somewhere near the amount of Rs 21.20 crore from Arpita Mukherjee's residence at Diamond Park Housing Complex at Tollygunge in South Kolkata. At the same time, we have recovered three kg of gold mostly in the form of bars and some in the form of ornaments," said an ED official.

On Wednesday evening, ED sleuths, escorted by central armed forces personnel, broke the entry lock of Mukherjee's residence and on opening the cupboard at a bedroom of the residence, the agency sleuths came across bundles of India currencies separately in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations.

The ED sleuths immediately contacted the Reserve Bank of India's regional office in Kolkata for help in counting the notes.

Within half-an-hour, four officials of State Bank of India arrived with four jumbo currency counting machines capable of counting 1,000 notes at a go.

"The counting will take some more time and we hope to complete the process by this night. There are two flats owned by Arpita Mukherjee in this housing complex. In the first flat, which has been purchased recently and was more or less empty, we did not get anything. But in the second flat, we came across such huge cash and gold," the ED official said.

On July 22, ED sleuths recovered Indian currencies worth Rs 21.20 crore, in addition to foreign currencies worth Rs 70 lakhs and gold ornaments worth Rs 90 lakhs from Arpita Mukherjee's Diamond Park Housing Complex residence in South Kolkata.

In addition to multiple high-end Apple iPhones, sale deeds of multiple flats and documents of multiple high-end passenger vehicles were recovered.

Soon after that recovery, first Partha Chatterjee, currently the state Commerce & Industries Minister, was arrested first on July 23 morning and then Arpita Mukherjee in the afternoon on the same day.
New Delhi, July 27 : A 18-year-old man in south Delhi had a miraculous escape when a group of men who tried to kidnap him, also fired two shots at him, a police official said on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, Benita Mary Jaiker said a PCR call regarding an incident of firing at J Block, Sangam Vihar near Kali Mandir was received at Sangam Vihar police station around 8.20 a.m. on Tuesday.

When the police reached the spot, complainant, Satyam Kumar Jha, 18, stated that he, was gossiping with his friend Sohail, when suddenly accused Amarpal, Nobita and their friends came on two motorcycles and a scooty and started pushing him on to a motorcycle.

"When the victim opposed this, he was beaten by them. On hearing the noise, people gathered there and tried to save him," the DCP said.

According to the complainant, Amarpal then took out his pistol and fired two rounds at him, but he escaped unhurt.

On seeing the gathering, Amarpal, Nobita and their friends ran away from the spot.

The DCP said that based on the complaint, an FIR was registered under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 365 (kidnapping), 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and section 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act at Sangam Vihar police station.

Meanwhile, the crime team examined the area and found two empty cartridges of 7.65 mm from the spot.
United News, July 27 : India has raised at the Security Council the killing of Border Security Force Head Constables Sanwala Ram Vishnoi and Shishupal Singh in mob violence against UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

India's Charge d'Affaires R. Ravindra expressed concern over the situation in DRC and the lack of adequate protection for peacekeepers - which India has consistently warned about - during a closed meeting of the Council held at the request of New Delhi, according to diplomatic sources.

Members of the Council expressed their condolences to India on the deaths of the peacekeepers.

A member of the Moroccan military was also killed in the attack on the UN peacekeepers, and, according to the Maghreb Agence Presse, 20 others were injured.

The two BSF personnel were stationed at a camp of the Moroccan Rapid Deployment Force in Butembo in Eastern DRC.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that at the Butembo base, "violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police and fired upon our uniformed personnel".

Ironically, Vishnoi and Singh died at the hands of those they were trying to save.

The UN created the peacekeeping operations in the DRC to rout the several rebel militias there and stabilise the government.

The protests were reportedly called by a section of the youth wing of the ruling UDPS complaining about the UN's inability to stop the attacks by rebel groups on civilians and the government.

There are 139 police and 1,888 military personnel from India in the DRC mission.

With the killing of the two BSF personnel, the number of Indians killed in peacekeeping operations rises to 177.

Of them, 19 have died in the current UN operation in the DRC, UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC known as MONUSCO for its initials in French, and 13 in the operation there before that called MONUC.

In addition, 39 Indian peacekeepers died in the UN operations there in the 1960s.

The DRC has been deadly for UN peacekeepers, claiming 650 lives in operations there since the 1960s.

Of them, 246 were with MONUSCO created by the Council in 2010, 161 with MONUC set up in 1999, and 243 with the operation in the 1960s soon after the country gained independence from Belgium in chaotic conditions that continue to this day.

In recent killings of UN peacekeepers, a Nepali was killed in April in an attack by the militia of the Cooperative pour le developement du Congo (CODECO).

And in March, six Pakistani peacekeepers were killed when a helicopter was shot down in March in an area where the M23 was active.
New Delhi, July 27 : Three Indians -- former head of National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) P.S. Raghavan, journalist Saeed Naqvi and telecom inventor Sam Pitroda were placed in the list for allegedly promoting pro-Russian narratives by a Ukrainian government body set up by its President Volodymyr Zelensky.

As per reports, the three individuals were named in a list released on July 14 by the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD), a subsidiary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.

Though the criteria for inclusion are unclear, each name in the report lists with the "pro-Russian" tag.

The CCD, established last year through a Presidential decree and headed by former lawyer Polina Lysenko is aimed to detect and counter "propaganda" and "destructive disinformation" and to prevent the "manipulation of public opinion." In the list published in its website, a list of politicians, academics, activists including several high-profile Western intellectuals and politicians who are "promoting Russian propaganda" are included.

Sam Pitroda, popularly known as the Father of India's Computer and IT Revolution as he helped in bringing computerisation was also an advisor to the Prime Minister during Manmohan Singh's tenure.

P.S. Raghavan, a retired foreign service officer who had also served as Indian Ambassador to Russia.

Naqvi was accused of disseminating two points; that the Ukraine army's "success" was an "illusion", and that the West was "waging a propaganda campaign" against the Russian President.
Patna, July 27 : After taking the remand of Yaqub Khan who was lodged in Bihar's Siwan jail, NIA is now searching four persons in the district who allegedly have links with him in an alleged terror nexus to supply arms and ammunitions to Jammu and Kashmir based militant organisation.

Sailesh Kumar Singh, Siwan's Superintendent of Police (SP) has issued a letter to all police stations of the district asking them to search for the four accused persons. The SP has mentioned in the letter that the "activities of those four youths are threats to unity and integrity of the country... They were involved in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir".

The NIA has taken the transit remand of Khan who was lodged in Siwan jail on Monday and taken him to Jammu and Kashmir for interrogation. He is a native of Basantpur village in the district.

Sources have said that he has reportedly revealed the name of four persons associated with him in supplying arms and ammunition to militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the recommendation of the NIA, Siwan police are scanning the history sheets of four persons who may be connected with Khan.

The SP office has written letters to police stations on Tuesday, asking the Station House Officers to submit reports within five days.
Patna July 28 : Dreaded gangster Kundan Singh, who is lodged in the Muzaffarpur Central Jail, was in touch with 5 MLAs of Darbhanga, Samastipur and Vaishali, police said on Wednesday.

Muzaffarpur SSP Jayant Kant made the revelation following analysis of a CDR report of a mobile number which was allegedly used by Kundan Singh to call more than 50 persons, including 5 legislators of the three districts.

The investigation also revealed that Kundan Singh hatched the conspiracy to murder Jail Superintendent Brajesh Singh and Assistant Jail Superintendent Pankaj Kumar. He reportedly hired two henchmen (sharpshooters) to eliminate them.

A raid was conducted in the Ashram ward of Muzaffarpur jail on June 14 and a mobile phone seized from the cell of Kundan Singh. Based on the seizure, the jail superintendent had registered an FIR against him.

"During the investigation, we have found that the SIM card was registered on the fake name and address of a woman. During the analysis of his call records, it was revealed that his phone was active between 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day and he was in contact with over 50 persons including 5 legislators. Some of the phone numbers are saved in the name of prominent personalities and politicians," Jayant Kant said.

"The investigation and cross verification of all phone numbers are currently underway," he said.

Kundan Singh is a dreaded gangster of north Bihar especially in Samastipur and adjoining district and faces number of criminal cases including murder, extortion, kidnapping etc. Police are claiming that he was running the extortion racket from jail.
New Delhi, July 28 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted searches at three locations of the suspects in Khunti and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand in connection with the killing of police personnel and looting of arms and ammunition by the banned terrorist group -- Communist Party of India (Maoist).

In 2019, the Jharkhand Police was attacked by CPI (Maoist) terrorists at Kukru Haat in Saraikela-Kharsawan district.

During the attack, five police personnel were killed and their arms and ammunition were looted.

A case was lodged with the Tiruldih police station and later on the NIA took over the probe in 2020.

"The searches conducted on Wednesday have led to seizure of digital devices, illegal weapons, and various incriminating documents and other materials," a police official said.

Further investigation in the matter is underway.
Ahmedabad, July 28 : Learning lessons from the recent hooch tragedy in Gujarat's Botad and Ahmedabad districts where 41 people lost their lives and 100 others have been hospitalised, several village panchayats along with Gujarat police are now working towards implementing liquor prohibition strictly across the state.

The village panchayats have now decided to voluntarily implement liquor prohibition strictly in their villages while the Gujarat Police are also conducting raids on liquor dens operating in the state.

On Wednesday morning, with help of beating a drum, the liquor ban in Juna Navda village of Botad district was announced to create awareness among people about the ill-effects of consuming alcohol.

The village Sarpanch has decided to lodge a criminal complaint against any person caught drinking, buying, selling or storing liquor.

Tapi district's Rani Amba group gram panchayat, too, has passed a similar resolution regarding liquor ban in the district.

On the other hand, Gujarat Police is taking swift action against the liquor mafia operating in the state. For example, Rajkot police have arrested 17 bootleggers and seized 155 litres of alcohol in 36 hours while Mehsana police conducted raids at 200 liquor dens under 20 police station areas and have registered 90 cases. Panchmahal police have registered 192 cases in seven days, said press statements of respective district police.

Chhotaudepur District Superintendent of Police, Dharmendra Sharma said that in just three days, 100 cases were registered against those violating liquor prohibition law implemented in the state.

Such liquor prohibition initiatives may not produce long-term results but they will send a strong message to the society after major hooch incidents reported in the state, these are not symbolic drives, said M.D. Chaudhary, a retired police officer.

Chaudhary had investigated the 2009 hooch tragedy in Ahmedabad where 143 people had died.

The police official added that it is impossible for the police to crackdown on liquor mafia throughout the year operating in the state as they are preoccupied with other crime cases. However, the major challenge the police faces is to make specific arrangements for checking the implementation of liquor prohibition in the state.

Liquor Prohibition Act or village panchayat's resolutions can't stop people from consuming alcohol, it can only be stopped only when an individual decides not to consume alcohol. If people stop consuming alcohol, nobody will supply liquor illegally and there will be no hooch tragedy, says Hasmukh Patel, a social activist from north Gujarat.

He himself has volunteered in various ways to see that people in his area stop consuming liquor but he says his efforts have not been 100 per cent successful.
VerImmune, Inc. (VerImmune), a biotechnology company developing new therapeutic modalities that aim to redirect the bodys pre-existing immunity toward cancer, announced today the close of $2.5 million in Seed funding. The round was led by SeedFolio, a seed series venture capital firm focused on innovative, early-stage companies with game-changing impact potential. The round also included participation from US and global investment venture firms such as Ulu Ventures, and Proxima VC as well as leading private investment syndicate funds such as the NuFund Venture group (previously Tech Coast Angels- San Diego), Gaingels, Mana Ventures, and others.

VerImmune intends to use this Seed round financing to further accelerate VerImmunes lead product development timelines as well as grow the companys team.

We are delighted to successfully complete this new seed financing round. Our ability to attract a high-quality diverse group of both US and international investors reflects the global enthusiasm for VerImmunes technology, management and plans to develop this potentially transformative immuno-oncology treatment for all cancer patients, said Joshua Wang, Founding CEO. This closing comes at an exciting time for VerImmune as it marks the third wave of deals VerImmune has been able to achieve in the last 6 months following announcements on collaborations with well-established global pharmaceutical companies earlier this year.

We are delighted to have led the financing for VerImmune. They have stood out due to their highly differentiated platform and mechanistic approach to target tumors for destruction, said Joe Gatto, Managing Director of SeedFolio and VerImmunes lead investor. Despite their founding during the Covid-19 pandemic and recent market uncertainties, I have been very impressed by their resiliency and continued ability to produce strong supportive preclinical data.

Another major investor, Haolin Sung, Partner at Proxima VC, a healthcare investment firm that focuses on outstanding enterprises with highly innovative technologies, also said the following: We are extremely excited for VerImmunes ViP (Virus-inspired Particle) platform technology. Cancer remains as a huge unmet medical need, and we see the potential pivotal role of benefiting cancer patients through the Anti-tumor Immune Redirection (AIR) approach. Importantly, we see the opportunity for the ViP to change treatment paradigms beyond oncology. Mr. Sung, will be joining VerImmunes board of directors and represent this round of seed investors.

VerImmune was founded in early 2020 and had been headquartered for the past two years at Fastfoward 1812, near Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus in Maryland. In early 2022, the company moved its research and development laboratories to Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JLABS @ Washington, DC and is now fully operational. The relocation of VerImmunes laboratory headquarters continues to be within the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) cluster which consists of Maryland, Washington D.C and Virginia.

As we contemplated expanding our presence and growth in 2022, remaining in the BHCR cluster was crucial for us given our strong existing relationships within this rich ecosystem of public and private institutions. This is an exciting time for us as we look towards expanding our team and maturing our company development pipeline with our funding, partnerships, and new state-of-the-art research facilities at JLABS @ Washington, DC, said John Troyer, COO.

About VerImmune

VerImmune is an early-stage biotechnology company developing a first-in-class cancer therapy known as Anti-tumor Immune Redirection (AIR). This strategy utilizes a proprietary virus-inspired particle (ViP) platform that redirects pre-existing pathogenic or childhood vaccine immune memory towards tumors. This unique mechanism of action allows differentiation within the competitive Immuno-Oncology market. Importantly, it potentially changes the treatment paradigm for many patients who have un-treatable cancers due to limited options or resistance.

For more information visit: http://www.verimmune.com
Oleg Vusiker, Salvador Technologies CTO, presents the air-gap solution for opational technologies The maritime industry, which is facing an increasing threat of cyber-attacks, can now ensure its operational continuity with a new technology recovery solution.

SECURING MARITIME OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY

Shipping is the lifeblood of the global economy, yet the industry's profit margins are tight, which makes operational continuity crucial. Over the years, the maritime industry facing a rising threat rate of cyber-attacks that results in downtime, causing damages to the port's profits, competitiveness, and reputation. OT systems currently rely on backward backup solutions such as external disks and tapes, which can cause a considerable loss of time- hours in the case of a malfunction and even weeks in the case of a cyber-attack. According to a study conducted by Accenture & Ponemon, you usually have to wait 23 days to recover from a ransomware attack.

New patented technology now ensures operational continuity, enabling a return to operation in 30 seconds: At the touch of a button  a single click on our CRU device, possibly done by a crane operator - with no IT knowledge required - explained Oleg Vusiker, CTO of Salvador Technologies.

The solution presented by Salvador Technologies offers complete and instant recovery from ransomware attacks and hardware/software malfunctions. It comprises a revolutionized air-gapped technology that dramatically reduces data loss and operational downtime risks.

Installation of the POC is carried out on critical OT (operational technology) stations in the port, such as cranes, control terminals, and logistics centers. This innovative technology allows cold, up-to-date backups to be performed autonomously and efficiently monitored 24/7, complying with NIST, CISA, and FBI guidelines. Quality control mechanisms ensure the integrity of the backups.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Following the successful POC at the Ashdod Port, Salvador Technologies is now collaborating with the New York and New Jersey Port - the busiest port on the East Coast in the US and one of the largest in the nation.

US Senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez: Im incredibly pleased that the University of New Jersey and the Port of Ashdod have agreed to work together. Communities in NJ, Israel, and around the world rely on the free flow of goods to our ports. Our ports face immerging challenges, ranging from physical and cyber security threats to logistics issues. The exchange of ideas and the building of relationships are crucial. I hope that we too can offer insights, experience, and support that will help build a more powerful, prosperous future back in Israel.

Cyber security is not just about preventing hackers from gaining access to systems and information. It also addresses the maintenance, integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data and systems, ensuring business continuity and the continuing utility of cyber assets. As these issues are becoming more and more critical, a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is now an essential proactive measure that needs to be taken by ports around the globe.

More info about operational continuity and BCP in maritime >>> http://www.salvador-tech.com
Partnering with Informed.IQ to integrate their leading AI-based technology allows us to advance our lending systems capabilities and performance, further streamlining the overall loan process for our credit unions and their members, said Brian Hendricks, chief product officer for Origence.

Informed.IQ, provider of AI-based software to financial institutions and Origence, the nations leading lending technology solutions and services provider for credit unions, have announced a new partnership.

Informed.IQ will power Origences Document Process Automation functionality for Indirect Lending to automatically identify documents and validate financing policies, creating a better credit union, and dealer experience. Through accurate consumer income calculations and validation of applicant data, loan documents, and documented classification and stacking, loans are processed faster and more accurately, with reduced human errors and fraud risk, and added operational efficiency.

1,130 credit unions serving over 64 million members nationwide utilize Origences industry-leading lending technology solutions, for direct and indirect lending, including its consumer LOS arc OS (previously Lending 360), and the CUDL dealer network.

Through Origences 15,000+ dealer network, Informeds technology will complement Origences technology to provide credit unions a way to streamline indirect loan processing, enabling faster loan funding, as well as provide dealers with a fast, convenient way to upload missing documents.

Over the last year, credit unions share of the auto lending market has increased from 18.6% to 22.1% YoY ending June 2022. The partnership with Informed.IQ will allow Origence to accelerate their continued growth in this market, while continuing to offer products and solutions that deliver an exceptional experience to credit unions in a rapidly evolving environment.

Informeds artificial intelligence modeling engine performs complex calculations ensuring accuracy, identifying omissions, and combating fraud. With a 99% accuracy rate, dealers and credit unions can now focus less on collecting and validating data and more on developing strong customer relationships.

Partnering with Informed.IQ to integrate their leading AI-based technology allows us to advance our lending systems capabilities and performance, further streamlining the overall loan process for our credit unions and their members, said Brian Hendricks, chief product officer for Origence.

In 2021, Origence helped credit unions fund $58 billion in new loans and over $390 billion since the companys inception. Credit unions funded a record 1.3 million loans through the companys lending platforms in the second quarter of 2022.

Were making it easier for credit unions to process auto loans, said Justin Wickett, CEO of Informed.IQ. Utilizing machine learning and accurate data to streamline the decision-making process enhances Origences end-to-end solution and their ability to improve staff efficiency, expedite their loan process, and enhance the member experience.

Informed.IQ's technology goes beyond image recognition and confirmation of information contained within the document. In addition to providing real-time, no-touch loan processing capabilities, Informeds AI software, integrated with Origences systems, will enable credit unions to comply with regulatory requirements and be audit-ready in a precise and uniform way. Credit unions interested in learning more about this new indirect lending capability can contact Origence at (833) 908-0121.

About Informed.IQ

Informed.IQ uses AI and ML to instantly verify income, assets, residence, insurance, auto and credit stipulations, and more, enabling real-time, reliable credit decisions without bias. Our Informed.IQ models can process hundreds of document types and consumer-permissioned data sources, automating stipulation clearance. In 2021, Informed processed over 3.4 million consumer credit applications, automating $110+ billion in loan originations to date. The solution automates verifications with 99% accuracy in seconds with no humans-in-the-loop.

Originally focused on auto lending, where six of the top ten auto lenders use Informed, financial institutions now use the solution for mortgages, credit cards, personal and student loans, and automated bank account openings. Founded in 2016, Informed.IQ raised $20M in 2021 from notable investors including Nyca Partners and US Venture Partners. To learn more, visit Informed.iq and follow Informed on LinkedIn.

About Origence

Origence, a CU Direct brand, provides lending technology that elevates the origination experience to increase loan volume, create efficiencies, and grow accounts. With Origence, financial institutions can originate consumer and indirect loans with greater levels of productivity and increased scale, while also delivering a convenient and personalized borrower experience. Solutions also include marketing automation, auto shopping, lending operations, and more. Origence is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, visit http://www.origence.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Image by Fabian_Agudelo via Adobe Stock "We are excited about Colombias skilled workforce and look forward to recruiting talented team members across the country," said Ravi Mehrotra, Evalueserve's CEO.

Evalueserve, a leading global analytics partner to more than 30% of the Fortune 1000 firms, announced today that it is opening its first Colombia office, the first step in a larger in-country strategy. The Bogota office will serve as Evalueserves in-country headquarters as it establishes a local workforce, drawing from Colombias strong data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, corporate and professional services, and financial services communities.

The announcement was made at ProColombias 30th anniversary event this morning in conjunction with President Ivan Duque Marquezs office. President Marquez, Evalueserve CEO Ravi Mehrotra and ProColombia President Flavia Santoro offered remarks.

"Evalueserves investment announcement in Colombia confirms the country's attractiveness in the software and knowledge-based services sector, due to our strategic location, investor protection, and sustained growth of its indicators, among other factors, said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia. This is the kind of investment that helps make our territory a location for large centers of excellence and supports the development of the sector and exports of IT services, which have great growth potential."

Evalueserve, which already operates across 5 continents, further expands its Latin America operations with today's announcement. Colombia will serve as the companys second center of excellence in the region, joining an operational center in Chile with more than 560 employees.

I know the entire company is honored by President Duques and ProColombias open and warm greeting, said Ravi Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer, Evalueserve. Our company is experiencing great demand for our award-winning solutions that enable data-driven decision making that elevates our clients impact. Our product-led solutions are powered by domain-specific AI and subject matter experts. As a result, we need to further strengthen our data analytics, AI, and industry specialist teams. We are excited about Colombias skilled workforce and look forward to recruiting talented team members across the country.

Certified as a Great Place to Work in multiple countries on three continents, Evalueserve plans to hire talent from across Colombia including future team members from established data analyst and technology development populations in Bogota, Medellin, Cali, and Barranquilla. As part of its robust economy, Colombia has strong bilingual talent in the financial, corporate and professional services industries, making it an ideal hub to serve Evalueserves clients throughout the hemisphere. The third-largest software market in Latin America, Colombia provides an ideal technology workforce for Evalueserve data analytics and AI-powered product teams.

We continue to experience solid growth in our regional and global business, fueling demand for the great technology capabilities available in Colombia, said Carolina Zamora, Evalueserves Head of Latin American Operations. In addition to the fantastic talent in Colombia, the country offers great business advantages, including its impressive banking and financial software markets. It is located at the center of the Americas, offering efficient connections to any destination in the region and convenient service hours within two time zones of all major cities in the Americas.

To learn more about Evalueserves career opportunities, visit Evalueserves careers page here https://www.evalueserve.com/careers/.

About Evalueserve

Evalueserve is a global company at the forefront of using product-led solutions to enhance and accelerate decision-making throughout enterprises. More than 30% of the Fortune 1000, including more than 25,000 platform users, rely on Evalueserves unique product-led solutions powered by domain-specific AI and more than 4,500 subject matter experts. Evalueserve is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. Learn more at evalueserve.com.

Contact Us

For interview requests and any other information, please contact Geoff Livingston at geoff.livingston@evalueserve.com.
Bates Security/Sonitrol of Lexington has been recognized as the 34th largest security provider among 3,000 commercial security firms nationwide, per the 2022 SDM100 Report.

Bates Security/Sonitrol of Lexington has been recognized as the 34th largest security provider among 3,000 commercial security firms nationwide, according to the 2022 SDM 100 Report. Since 2021, Bates Security has risen three positions from 37th to 34th in this annual report which ranks the largest commercial and residential security firms in the U.S.

Jeremy Bates, President of Bates Security, explained, "We are very excited to see the continued growth of our company recognized in these rankings. Our growth is a direct result of everyone on our team. We have great people that are very passionate about what they do on behalf of our customers and our company."

Bryan Bates, Vice President of Bates Security, echoed a similar sentiment, "The SDM ranking is something that we look forward to every year, and we continue to strive to improve how we can best serve commercial and residential customers. Like every industry, we have faced great challenges over the past 24 months, and our team was amazing at coming up with creative ways of dealing with new issues that seemed to develop daily."

Since 2008, Bates Security has been ranked on the SDM 100 Report, each year gaining a higher ranking. Bates Security enjoys year-over-year growth due to continuous support from customers, dedication to the employees across all branches, and acquisitions of companies. The Bates Security brands continue to grow and protect communities across the Southeast in Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia.

Jeremy Bates said, "We'd like to take this opportunity to say how thankful we are to all of the team members who made this possible. Thanks to them, we have the opportunity to continue to serve our clients with the high level of service and dedication they are accustomed to."

About Bates Security

Based in Lexington, Kentucky, since 1984, Bates Security is a locally owned and operated full-service electronic security provider offering service for residential,

business, educational, and industrial customers in Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia. Services include security systems, access control, video surveillance, fire detection,

medical alert, gunshot detection, temperature detection, and more. In 2011, Bates was recognized as Security Sales & Integration Magazine Installer of the Year and received

the Small Business of the Year Award in 2013 from Commerce Lexington and the 2018 Dealer of the Year Award from SDM Magazine. Bates first entered the SDM Top 100

rankings as #98 in 2008 and, over the last 14 years, has grown to now rank as the 34th largest security company in the nation.
Mployer Advisor announces the 2022 winners of the "Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards" for Georgia. We scored these brokerages utilizing sophisticated, industry-first algorithms, and we applaud the winners demonstrated commitment to service, quality, and positive employer feedback.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review, and evaluate insurance brokers is pleased to announce the winners of its Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards based in Georgia. Mployer Advisor has named more than 600 winners in over 50 regions as part of its second annual 2022 awards. The class of 2022 winners account for less than 5% of all brokerages nationwide.

Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards Program evaluates brokerages based on the breadth and depth of their experience across employer industries, sizes, insurance products, and employer reviews. We recognize esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers, and peers.

The team at Mployer Advisor is proud to honor this group of top insurance consultants as part of the 2022 class for our second annual Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards, said Brian Freeman, the Founder and CEO of Mployer Advisor. Employer-sponsored healthcare and benefits cover over 150M Americans. Who an employer selects as their benefits advisor has more impact on cost and quality than who they choose as the insurance carrier. We scored these brokerages utilizing sophisticated, industry-first algorithms, and we applaud the winners demonstrated commitment to service, quality, and positive employer feedback.

Mployer Advisor determined the winners of the second annual Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards by analyzing each brokerage based on historical data, online reviews, their M Score rating, and demonstrated business experience.

The Georgia job market is one of the most competitive in the U.S. Southeast, employing over 5.1 million people. Offering competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring top talent for the regions employers. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The recipients of the 2022 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for Georgia (excluding Atlanta) are as follows:



The above winners are a snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 1, 2022. To view a full list of consultants in Georgia, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

To view a complete list of the 2022 recipients of Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards, visit https://mployeradvisor.com/best-insurance-brokers.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate, and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Because Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Abbey Dean (Head of Content)

Abbey.dean@mployeradvisor.com
Ecrio, the leading supplier of mobile carrier communications and messaging software, and GigSky, the leading provider of global data connectivity solutions across land, sea and air, today announced that Ecrio will deliver Carrier Voice (4G VoLTE, 5G VoNR and VoWiFi) and IP Messaging capability across GigSky Mobile Services targeting Consumers and Enterprises.

The Ecrios FlexIMS Architecture delivers 3GPP and GSMA compliant secured communication and messaging to mobile Operators and Enterprise Private Networks. Ecrio solutions can run on the Edge (On-Premises or in the Operator MEC) or on Devices including Smartphones, Wearables, AR/VR Head-Mounted Displays, FWA/Edge Processing Gateways and Industrial IoT Devices.

GigSky is a leading provider of global data connectivity solutions for consumers and businesses. Through the companys 500+ carrier network, mobile app and GEM Platform, GigSky provides affordable and reliable coverage in over 190 countries and territories, including offshore locations. GigSky Private 5G/LTE Network is a compelling choice for enterprises that require high performance and security.

We are pleased to enter into this partnership with GigSky, the leading provider of worldwide cellular connectivity services, said Michel Gannage, Founder and CEO of Ecrio. We look forward to deliver our pre-certified, carrier communication and messaging solutions for GigSkys connectivity solutions.

We are excited about this collaboration with Ecrio to deliver standards-compliant communication applications on our services platform, said Ravi-Rishy Maharaj, CEO of GigSky. Working with Ecrio, we look forward to rapidly enabling carrier-grade voice and messaging into our cellular communication service offering.

About Ecrio

Ecrio is the leading supplier of 4G and 5G Communications and Messaging software serving Mobile Operators and Enterprise Private Networks. Ecrio offers a comprehensive suite of standards compliant 4G/5G Voice and Messaging Solutions (SIP/IMS, Push to Talk, Voice/Video and RCS) optimized to run at the Edge or to be integrated on Devices including Phones, Wearable/Mixed Reality, and Industrial IoT (IIoT) Devices. Ecrios Edge solutions enable 2-way interactive communication between humans and IIoT devices and runs on-premises or in the Operator MEC, enabling Industrial IoT monitoring and control in verticals such as Healthcare, Smart Building and Cities, Transportation and Manufacturing. With headquarters in Cupertino, California and presence in Japan, Korea and India, Ecrios global support team works closely with customers across the globe. For more information, please visit http://www.ecrio.com.

About GigSky

Founded in 2010, GigSky is a leading provider of global data connectivity solutions across land, sea and air for consumers and businesses. Through the companys 500+ carrier network, mobile app and GEM Platform, GigSky provides affordable and reliable coverage in over 190 countries and territories, including offshore locations. GigSkys innovative products include the GigSky App & eSIM service for iPhone and Android, GigSky for iPad, GigSky for Windows 10 Connected PC, IoT and DoD solutions, Enterprise Mobile Data Management solutions and Private Networks. Connect with GigSky on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact

Ecrio: Lina Martin lmartin@ecrio.com

FlexIMS is a trademark of Ecrio Inc.
Apollos best-in-class tooling is already used in production by over 30% of the Fortune 500.

In an ever more competitive digital-first economy, enterprise APIs have become critical to companies software delivery capabilities. While GraphQL is still a relatively new technology, it is increasingly popular among software engineers looking to solve the inherent problem of API busywork.

Apollo GraphQL is the leader in open source and commercial GraphQL technologies that help engineering teams build unified graphs to accelerate application development and deliver better, more cohesive experiences. Xolvio is a boutique consulting and development company that helps enterprises deliver higher quality software, faster. The two companies have worked together before on a number of occasions, including a pioneering distributed GraphQL implementation for Audi of America, which helped shape the product now known as Apollo Federation.

Following years of successful cooperation, Apollo GraphQL have now selected Xolvio as their first ever official development partner to offer dedicated GraphQL professional services to their customers. Apollos best-in-class tooling is already used in production by over 30% of the Fortune 500. As more and more enterprises seek to join the GraphQL API revolution, the demand for GraphQL expertise has become unprecedented. With a proven track record in enterprise-grade GraphQL development, Xolvio will now provide both consulting and staff augmentation to Apollo customers needing help in scaling their GraphQL APIs.

Earlier in 2022, Apollo GraphQL announced the supergrapha declarative, modular, and agile approach to architecting the graph. In the words of Matt DeBergalis, Apollo co-founder and CTO, the supergraph is a unified network of a companys data, microservices, and digital capabilities that serves as the composition layer for the whole organization. While such an enterprise-wide setup is a game-changer for a companys software delivery capabilities and consequently digital success, it is also very challenging to achieve in a multi-team environment.

Xolvio founder and CEO, Sam Hatoum, says, We have been part of Apollos amazing journey since the very beginning, which allowed us to create a unique methodology for deliberate and predictable supergraph design and implementation. Our holistic approach to software architecture and development ensures that we provide targeted support tailored to the organizations current GraphQL adoption stage and aimed at fast-tracking an enterprise-wide supergraph.

Xolvios new offering consists of 3 discrete stages:

Stage 1: Assessment & Enablement

Following a thorough assessment of the organizations situation and needs, Xolvio secures stakeholder alignment and creates a tailor-made Supergraph Enablement Plan: an implementation project roadmap.

Stage 2: Supergraph Jumpstart

Xolvio launches the implementation as per the Supergraph Enablement Plan. A dedicated team of experienced engineers will collaborate with the client team as part of a timeboxed service.

Stage 3: Supergraph Growth

With a supergraph in production, Xolvio continues to evolve it as needed by adding or refactoring subgraphs, as well as help with governance and tooling. Beyond the graph itself, Xolvio improves the customers cloud infrastructure and automation quality practices.

As part of stages 1 and 2, Xolvio provides dedicated engagements from 2 to 12 weeks. Selected deliverables include:



Creating readiness assessment and supergraph project roadmap

Conducting schema design sessions

Breaking monoliths into microservices

Joining existing REST services to the supergraph

Implementation of a federated supergraph

Integrating CI/CD pipelines with schema registry integration

Creating standard reference repositories with best practice patterns

Defining maintenance strategies

Marc Berman, Global Head of Partnerships at Apollo, says: Our main objective at Apollo is to ensure every company can build a successful supergraph. Having worked with Xolvio on a number of important projects before, we know we can rely on them to pave our customers way to company-wide GraphQL excellence.

Learn more about Xolvios supergraph professional services here.
FEV Tutor is what districts have been asking forindividualized tutoring plans that address all students needs. What sets it apart? FEV Tutors gives students access to 1:1 tutoring with individualized plans available 24:7. For districts, data are provided to measure that the program works!

FEV Tutor, the most comprehensive virtual tutoring solution in K-12, was selected as a 2022 winner in the Bridging the Gap: Tutoring Programs for STEM category. The 2022 Best of STEM Award provides EdTech companies with a fresh twistan awards program judged by STEM educators for STEM educators: The Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards. Winners were announced on July 21 at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education.

The awards program is run by market and product development company Catapult X in partnership with the Teich Group, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and MCH Strategic Data. Three years ago, we created the awards program EdTech was missingEducators Pick Best of STEM, said Daylene Long, CEO and Founder of Catapult X. The needs of educators are rapidly transforming as new teachers enter the field, administrators address learning loss, and educators search for modern solutions to engage students born as digital natives. This program is truly about creating connections between EdTech and the teachers they serve.

The Bridging the Gap series of awards acknowledges products and services that enable educators to help accelerate student learning. The evaluating judges stated, FEV Tutor is what districts have been asking forindividualized tutoring plans that address all students needs. What sets it apart? FEV Tutors gives students access to 1:1 tutoring with individualized plans available 24:7. For districts, data are provided to measure that the program works!

FEV Tutors live 1:1 online tutoring program delivers personalized academic intervention and is designed to naturally extend the instruction delivered by a specific school or district. The company has a proven track record of success in providing students with individualized instruction where its needed most. In addition to allowing students to work with a preferred tutor from the company or request tutors on-demand, FEV Tutor offers a variety of evidence-based program models such as targeted instructional support, 24/7 homework and coursework support, targeted test prep and remote learning support.

To accurately assess the effectiveness of interventions, FEV Tutors Academic Impact Analysis reports compare student response to the interventions with a districts benchmark and assessment data. Those findings are regularly shared with teachers to help them evaluate student growth and course success as well as deliver data-driven instruction.

The Best of STEM Award recognizes companies with a deep understanding of educators evolving needs, so we are deeply gratified to have our tutoring programs named as a top solution, said Daniel Hebert, Vice President of Innovation and Growth for FEV Tutor. Its further confirmation that we are indeed helping educators and their students  something were deeply committed to doing.

About Educators Pick Best of STEM

Educators Pick Best of STEM is an award program published by Catapult X in collaboration with the Teich Group, the National Science Teaching Association, and MCH Strategic Data. Winners are chosen solely at the discretion of science and STEM educators. For more information go to https://bestofstemawards.com

About FEV Tutor

Based in Boston, FEV Tutor is the leading research and evidence-based online tutoring platform working nationally to effect change in K-12 education. Its ESSA-approved programs are strategically designed in close collaboration with each partner school, district, charter school, and other organizations to accelerate learning for every student. FEV Tutor leverages technology to deliver 1:1 high-impact and transformative personalized learning pathways through live, virtual tutoring sessions. For more information on FEV Tutor, visit fevtutor.com or follow on Twitter

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Mercy College announced today it will receive more than $2.6 million from the Biden-Harris Administration to provide students and community members with access to high-speed internet, technological devices, and technology education and support.

The news follows an announcement made last week by the United States Department of Commerces National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), stating that Mercy College and four other grant recipients will be among the first to receive funding as part of the NTIAs Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves shared the news of the grant in New York on Friday, July 22 at a Digital Equity Roundtable, of which Mercy College Chief Information Technology Officer Camille Shelley was a participant. The CMC will provide more than $260 million to underserved colleges and universities, enabling them to purchase broadband service and equipment, hire IT personnel and create digital literacy programs.

The CMC program is part of the Biden-Harris Administrations Internet for All initiative, aimed at providing affordable, reliable high-speed internet to every household in America. The Internet for All initiative will create opportunities, increase productivity, and improve the lives of Americans, particularly in communities that have too often been left behind, said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves at last Fridays event with Mercy College.

We at Mercy are honored to be recognized for historically promoting a learning environment that ensures fair access to the technology required of every person in our society, said Mercy College President Tim Hall. I am extremely proud that Mercy was selected to be among the forerunners of the Biden Administrations commitment to digital equity.

The initiative provides nearly $3 billion in funding for the Digital Equity Act, which promotes digital inclusion and equity for communities that historically have been underserved. These include Hispanic-serving Institutions like Mercy, as well as historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions. These campuses are vital community centers that fuel job creation, entrepreneurship and economic growth, said Graves.

Ensuring every student has access to technology is a critical goal for Mercy College, a goal that can be especially difficult in marginalized communities, said Shelley. Mercy is committed to sustaining our ongoing efforts to ensure the digital equity students require for successnot only their own, but also for the health and growth of the community in which those students live, learn and work.

About Mercy College

Founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy College is an independent, coeducational college that offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region. The College offers campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx and Manhattan as well as online offerings.
The Atlas bodies will be built for shuttle, paratransit and Type A school buses on the Peterbilt 535 chassis, and for shuttle, paratransit and Type C school buses on the Peterbilt 536 and 537 chassis. Pegasus primary strategic objective is predicated upon bringing new, innovative and unique bus solutions to the marketplace, and our Atlas models are the culmination of our initial work.  Brian Barrington

Pegasus Bus Company, a Dunkirk, Ohio-based company spearheaded by veterans in the school and transit bus industries, announced details surrounding the design of its all-new Atlas models today. The advanced, feature-rich Atlas bodies will be built for shuttle, paratransit and Type A school buses on the Peterbilt 535 chassis, and for shuttle, paratransit and Type C school buses on the Peterbilt 536 and 537 chassis. At 48 seats, the Pegasus Type A school bus will offer the most seating of any bus in its class. Pegasus does business in the U.S. and Canada and will introduce the first Pegasus Type C school bus, which is expected in November 2022.

With their unique body designs and state-of-the-art standard features and options, the new Pegasus vehicles will give bus buyers greater freedom of choice. The broad availability of Atlas models through the Pegasus dealer network will enhance competitiveness that should broadly benefit transit and school bus players in much of North America.

Pegasus primary strategic objective is predicated upon bringing new, innovative and unique bus solutions to the marketplace, and our Atlas models are the culmination of our initial work, said Brian Barrington, president of Pegasus Bus Company. Our advanced bodies mounted on these reliable, fuel-efficient and customizable chassis will truly be a game-changer in the markets were focusing on.

With its galvanized steel cage construction, aluminum skins and one-piece, five-eighth-inch corrosion-resistant composite floor, the Pegasus Atlas is designed with durability and functionality in mind. While other bus manufacturers regularly compromise by using traditional plywood floors and invite rot and corrosion by bolting seats directly to and through them, the Atlas seats are track-mounted to the vehicles waterproof polymer floor. Because there are no wheel wells on the Atlas, the seats are able to be fully adjustable, providing users with greater flexibility. Seats from IMMI come with lap belt restraints standard, and seats with three-point restraints are optional.

The Atlas bodys generous 92-inch width allows for 14-inch-wide aisles, promoting easier maneuverability for children and drivers. The Atlas spacious 75-inch standard ceiling height can also be extended to 78 inches if desired.

The ample 34-inch-wide by 88-inch-tall entrance doors of the Pegasus Atlas are electronically controlled. The entrance doors push-button operation reduces a drivers exposure to the fatigue and the type of shoulder and arm strains often associated with repetitive manual door operation. Step wells are fully clad in stainless steel with diamond tread for superior traction.

Advanced LED interior and exterior lighting is standard on the Atlas, greatly reducing the possibility of lighting failures and the need to replace lamps. The vehicles also come with a full conspicuity tape package already applied. Windows come tinted with black frames standard, keeping bus interiors cooler and more comfortable and giving the vehicles exterior a clean finish.

The Atlas news comes on the heels of other significant announcements from Pegasus. The company recently placed its first order with Zeus Electric Chassis. Pegasus will use the Zeus Z-19 Power Platform to deliver shuttle and paratransit buses that they say will be categorically different from any gas or diesel conversions available today. The ground-up design of the Zeus Z-19 cab and chassis is purpose-built and optimized for bus body installation and system integration.

Pegasus also recently announced details of a newly penned agreement with the nations largest bus dealership, Creative Bus Sales. With 23 locations in the U.S., the deal with Creative Bus Sales will enable Pegasus to capture opportunities and win a portion of the abundant federal and state grant money incentivizing rapid electric-bus adoption. Now, with the addition of new Pegasus buses built on the Peterbilt 535, 536 and 537 chassis, Creative Bus Sales nationwide distribution footprint and deep market penetration, and the unique diesel, natural gas and electric bus offerings from Pegasus, the company is well positioned to compete.

Were very excited to help take the new Pegasus Type A school buses and their shuttle, paratransit and Type C school buses to market, said Jason Hohalok, sales manager for California for Creative Bus Sales. The Atlas offers innovative new body solutions on three very reliable Peterbilt platforms and we think our customers will be very receptive.

To access high-resolution product images of Pegasus buses on multiple vehicle platforms, please visit https://www.ridepegasus.net/new-page.



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About Pegasus Bus Company

Pegasus Bus Company is spearheaded by industry-proven leadership, experienced as reputable expert innovators in the school transportation and manufacturing industries. Its management team brings a culture of creativity, flexibility, effectiveness, efficiency and teamwork to producing competitively priced modern school and shuttle buses that address market needs that have been ignored by existing bus manufacturers. Located in West Central Ohio Pegasus is positioned to be able to service the entire U.S. and Canada from one location. The company provides buses for both school and transit bus industries. Pegasus Bus leadership is well recognized by bus dealers, school bus contractors, school district transportation operators, and decision-makers who have expressed dissatisfaction with current products that do not provide the features these buyers need and want. Learn more at http://www.ridepegasus.net
PIP New Logo The logo is true to the PIP traditionrepresenting speed, responsiveness and personalizationwhile also representing the modern, multidimensional, customer-focused brand that PIP has become.

PIPa marketing, signs, and print services provider since 1965has introduced a new logo that underscores the brands renewed commitment to advancing business communications and delivering an exceptional customer experience.

PIP was a pioneer of the quick printing industry and has remained at the forefront of whats evolved into the business communications industry. We felt it was time to update our look to better reflect what our company is todaya provider of a full spectrum of marketing solutions, said David Robidoux, chief marketing officer of Franchise Services Inc., the parent company of PIP. The new logo is symbolic of our commitment to innovation and delivering superior, personalized service to a broad range of clients.

The new logowith its strong, integrated mark; signature blue and orange color scheme; and speed-line accentpays homage to PIPs roots in quick printing while reflecting its transformation into a full-service marketing services company offering comprehensive design and print services; sophisticated signage and business graphics; direct mail and mailing services; labels, promotional products, fulfillment and more.

Shane Parker, managing partner of PIP in Peoria, Illinois, says the new logo is symbolic of PIPs evolution as an innovative provider of a wide range of products and services that support brand communications. The logo is true to the PIP traditionrepresenting speed, responsiveness and personalizationwhile also representing the modern, multidimensional, customer-focused brand that PIP has become.

For five decades, PIP has been a leading brand in the print industry and has now evolved into a technological leader in printing, signs and marketing services, said Richard Lowe, president and chief operating officer of Franchise Services Inc. With its bold and contemporary look, this new logo represents a brand that remains an innovator in business communications.

About PIP

PIP is marketing, signs and print services provider that specializes in the creation and execution of growth-oriented solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. Through a worldwide network of independently owned and operated franchises and affiliates, PIP offers robust digital and offset printing, variable printing, interior and exterior signage, direct mail and mailing services, fulfillment, finishing and binding, promotional products, graphic design, tradeshow and event marketing, and websites, including online ordering portals. Advanced solutions include integrated marketing campaigns, labels, packaging, video assistance, social media and mobile marketing. For more than 50 years, PIP has led the industry by offering innovative brand communication solutions. https://pip.com/
We are deeply grateful to Sandy Spring Bank for this life-changing philanthropic investment to support our patients and community, and for the wonderful partnership we have enjoyed with the bank throughout the years.

MedStar Health, today announced a $250,000 philanthropic gift from long-time community partner Sandy Spring Bank to expand cancer care services at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center. The gift will be used toward the development of the Oncology Pavilion at MedStar Montgomery to house oncology services such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and other treatment and support services.

Sandy Spring Banks support of MedStar Montgomery dates back to the founding of the then Montgomery General Hospital in the early 1900s and has continued for more than 100 years through various community, philanthropic, and volunteer support initiatives.

We are deeply grateful to Sandy Spring Bank for this life-changing philanthropic investment to support our patients and community, and for the wonderful partnership we have enjoyed with the bank throughout the years. With this gift, we will expand access to our world-class team of experienced oncologists, surgeons, researchers, specialists, and support cancer care services, said Thomas J. Senker, FACHE, President of MedStar Montgomery Medical Center.

Upon completion, the Oncology Pavilion will optimize coordination of patient care, enhance effective communication between providers, decrease length of time between medically necessary day-of services, increase patient care capacity, improve wayfinding, and more.

Sandy Spring Bank has supported MedStar Montgomery Medical Center since the hospital was founded over 100 years ago. Through our philanthropic gift toward the Oncology Pavilion, we will help the hospital expand the Cancer Center, improve the patient experience, and achieve another milestone in its storied history, said Daniel J. Schrider, President and CEO of Sandy Spring Bank. Our organizations have been pillars in the community for over a century, and this gift is our way of showing our appreciation for our original, hometown hospital.

About MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and MedStar Health

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center is a not-for-profit, acute care community hospital serving Montgomery County, Maryland. For 100 years, MedStar Montgomery has served as a medical care provider and community health resource offering high-quality, personalized care. MedStar Montgomery provides a broad range of healthcare specialties, advanced technologies, and treatments not traditionally found at community hospitalsincluding cutting-edge care in obstetrics, orthopedics, breast health, and oncology. MedStar Health is the region's largest non-profit and most trusted integrated healthcare delivery system, giving patients access to the latest in modern medicine and medical technology within a community hospital setting.

About Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., headquartered in Olney, Maryland, is the holding company for Sandy Spring Bank, a premier community bank in the Greater Washington, D.C. region. With over 50 locations, the bank offers a broad range of commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Through its subsidiaries, Rembert Pendleton Jackson and West Financial Services, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank also offers a comprehensive menu of wealth management services.
We are giving our faculty the tools to create new pedagogies while giving students the digital literacy proficiencies, skills and experience to stand out among their peers in the job market.

For its commitment to using technology to provide students with a transformative path to success, Seton Hall University has been named an Adobe Creative Campus  the first of its kind in New Jersey.

As an Adobe Creative Campus, Seton Hall is part of a select group of colleges and universities that are driving the future of digital literacy within the global higher education community. By recognizing the value of teaching creative and persuasive digital communication skills, the University actively advances these skills throughout all curricula to help our students succeed in the classroom and gain an edge in the competitive modern workplace.

Seton Hall continues its legacy of innovation in teaching with technology as we roll out the premiere multimedia suite of tools to our entire community, said Seton Halls Associate Chief Information Officer Paul E. Fisher, Jr., M.P.A. We are giving our faculty the tools to create new pedagogies while giving students the digital literacy proficiencies, skills and experience to stand out among their peers in the job market.

Beginning in Fall 2022, students, faculty and employees on all three Seton Hall campuses will have free access to all Adobe Creative Cloud apps and services, enabling them to create amazing images, graphics, publications, videos, animations, web and mobile experiences, and more.

Here are just a few examples of how institutions are integrating Creative Cloud into assignments campus-wide to teach digital literacy and essential soft skills:



Business: Create a podcast exploring a current topic in marketing or finance using Adobe Audition.

Chemistry: Design a mobile app that teaches principles of chemistry in the form of a simple game using AdobeXD.

Psychology: Create a multi-panel brochure in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or lnDesign.

History: Use Adobe lnDesign to write, design, and publish a magazine exploring events from a particular period in history.

Biology: Use Adobe Illustrator to create an infographic explaining the impacts of a public health issue.

English: Use Adobe Premiere Pro to script and produce a video essay that offers a critical response to a work of literature.

For many years, students in our Art, Design and Interactive Multimedia and Visual and Sound Media programs have benefited from enhanced digital literacy and the ability to create compelling content, including visual, audio, storytelling, and digital communication skills that accelerate their connection to disciplinary standards and post-graduation outcomes, said Renee Robinson, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Communication and the Arts. The proliferation as an Adobe Creative Campus will further emphasize our commitment to digital literacy, transferrable skills and student engagement, while similarly enhancing access and equity to these resources among our students, faculty and administrators.

Lecturer of English/Coordinator of Business Writing Greg Iannarella, M.A. added, With the Adobe Creative Suite, Seton Hall is investing in students ability to develop, pitch, and produce digital narrative in industry leading software. By the end of their college experience, students will have a maker mindset and a striking portfolio that will help them get jobs and be creative leaders in the digitally transformed workplace.

In addition to making industry-leading Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services available to students, the University will collaborate with other Adobe Creative Campuses to share ideas and innovations that expand digital literacy and help ensure student success.

Providing the Adobe Creative suite to the University community helps us to meet our goal to create a premier student experience that is equitable and consistent, noted Provost Katia Passerini, Ph.D. This program removes barriers to student success and faculty innovation, allows our administrative units to become more efficient, and broadens the digital skills of the entire community, fostering creativity across the entire University.

These foundational skills can help inspire students and transform the University community, according to Michael Taylor, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs, who also teaches in the Environmental Studies Program. He is the founding director of the interdisciplinary program in Environmental Studies and the Center for Mobile Research and Innovation, and his current research focuses on the emerging role of mobile technologies in the areas of environment and health as well as associated public policy issues.

Shared Taylor, The majority of our students are digital natives, born and raised within a digitally mediated world and are proficient consumers of digital content. Becoming a Creative Campus provides Seton Hall University with the ability to empower our students to become equally proficient as digital content creators who can lead the way to making the world a better place.

Training for select faculty has already begun in summer 2022 and will continue throughout the year as part of existing training opportunities and faculty development.

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An online version of this story may be found at https://www.shu.edu/technology/news/seton-hall-named-first-adobe-creative-campus-in-n-j.cfm
Dr. Amy Lee Harris is now accepting new patient appointments at SGF Colorados Colorado Springs office. SGFs patient-centered approach recognizes that fertility care differs for every patient. I empower my patients to ask questions and advocate for themselves so that they feel confident taking the next steps with me along their fertility journeys.

US Fertility, the largest, physician-led, integrated network of top-tier fertility practices in the United States, welcomes Amy Lee Harris, M.D., to Shady Grove Fertilitys (SGF) Colorado Springs, Colorado, location. Dr. Harris is now accepting new patient appointments.

I am honored to join the extraordinary SGF Colorado team that is dedicated to providing world-class fertility care, shares Dr. Harris. SGFs patient-centered approach recognizes that fertility care differs for every patient. I empower my patients to ask questions and advocate for themselves so that they feel confident taking the next steps with me along their fertility journeys.

Prior to joining SGF, Dr. Harris served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, working with patients at Wright Patterson Medical Center on Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. In addition to providing patient care as a fertility specialist, she held the position of REI Division Director on base as well as an assistant professor in the Department of OB/GYN at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.

As an avid researcher, Dr. Harris has contributed to numerous publications, presentations, and book chapters exploring topics such as in vitro fertilization success rates, uterine fibroids, and elective single embryo transfers. Dr. Harris is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.

Dr. Harris will provide comprehensive fertility services, including:



fertility and ovarian reserve testing and diagnosis,

semen analysis,

hysterosalpingogram (HSG),

low-tech fertility treatment options such as intrauterine insemination (IUI),

in vitro fertilization (IVF),

donor egg, sperm, and embryo,

genetic screening and testing,

gestational carrier,

egg freezing,

fertility preservation for patients with cancer, and

LGBTQ+ family building.

Were thrilled to welcome Dr. Harris to the SGF Colorado team, shares Alex Polotsky, M.D., Medical Director of SGF Colorado. Dr. Harris brings her commitment to compassionate patient care and dedication to evidence-based medicine, which are core values for SGF.

Patients may now schedule a new patient appointment with Dr. Harris by calling 720-778-3810 or by submitting this brief form.

About US Fertility

US Fertility is the largest, physician-led, integrated network of top-tier fertility practices in the United States, offering comprehensive fertility-market-focused non-clinical, administrative, and technical platforms that help domestic and international practices improve patient outcomes and increase patient access. To learn more about partnership- or affiliate-status benefits, call 301-545-1308 or visit USFertility.com.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 100,000 babies born from 30+ years of continuous innovation and patient-centered fertility care. With 46 locations, including new locations in Texas, as well as throughout CO, FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, TX, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients in-person and virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 to schedule a new patient appointment or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com for more information.
A Boys & Girls Clubs of America teen leader reviews the manual while a peer mentor demonstrates how to rewire the electric car that will be given to a toddler with mobility challenges. Through the generous support of the PPG Foundation, were launching a nationwide expansion of the X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program across Boys & Girls Clubs to bring STEM programming to youth who can explore these disciplines, said Elisa Avila, Executive Director of X-Bots Robotics Inc.

During Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas National Keystone Conference on July 24 in Anaheim, California, the X-Bots Robotics Inc. trained 100 Keystone Club teen leaders on its X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program presented by PPG to impact toddlers with mobility challenges.

The X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program that partners youth in a Robotics team with participating teens from Boys & Girls Clubs, challenging them to work together to build specially designed physical therapy cars for toddlers with cerebral disorders affecting their body mobility. Together, X-Bots Robotics, the PPG Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are facilitating an opportunity for hands-on STEM learning for teen participants to put their skills to work to serve families with toddlers who have mobility challenges. The training, held at the National Keystone Conference, will empower Keystones teen leaders to return to their hometown communities and Boys & Girls Clubs and encourage local leaders to offer this mobility program.

The STEM education program gives young people an opportunity to explore possible careers in fields they would not have otherwise learned about, said Oscar Hernandez, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Whittier. We want kids and teens to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens and this partnership enables them to plan for the future while giving back and serving others.

As Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas premiere teen character and leadership program, Keystone brings together young people between the ages of 14-18 to focus on service and leadership through involvement in Keystone Club. This unique leadership development experience provides opportunities for teens to participate in activities in four key focus areas: community service, academic success, career preparation and teen outreach. With the guidance of an adult advisor, Keystone Clubs aim to have a positive impact on members, the Club and community. This year, 1,000 teens gathered in Anaheim to empower one another and their local community.

Through the generous support of the PPG Foundation, were launching a nationwide expansion of the X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program across Boys & Girls Clubs to bring STEM programming to youth who can explore these disciplines, said Elisa Avila, Executive Director of X-Bots Robotics Inc. Were glad that together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we can offer this hands-on technical engineering programming that not only develops youths leadership skills and inspires them to pursue a career in STEM, but also serves their communities.

The training prepares youth leaders to become peer mentors at their local Clubs, encouraging kids to apply practical solutions and share immersive lessons in engineering all while having fun. As participating Keystone Conference leaders, all youth have demonstrated exemplary leadership in academic success, career preparation, community service and teen outreach, making them well-positioned to bring back this community service to their Clubs as this training workshop is the first step to national expansion.

National Keystone Conference community service brought by X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program presented by PPG reached an estimated 160 youth (combined X-Bots Robotics teams and Boys & Girls Clubs youth leaders), and youth modified 21 cars for toddlers with mobility challenges. Five additional cars reconfigured in training workshops leading up to the conference were given to physical therapists and occupational therapists, who volunteered, for use at their clinics. There were more than 100 volunteers at the workshop.

The PPG Foundation is supporting X-Bots Robotics in its expanded program of STEM educational opportunities to impact a greater number of students, toddlers, and their families. As a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, and specialty materials, PPG recognizes the importance of immersing young people in STEM concepts that are linked to real-world solutions and innovations, such as robotics and mobility technology that may one day redefine solutions for our global society.

At PPG, we know that education sits at the helm of the innovation that will shape our world for generations to come. Through this partnership, our aim is to open future opportunities to both the students who will find and explore their passions in STEM fields and families who will benefit from the new mobility cars, said Malesia Dunn, Executive Director, PPG Foundation and Corporate Global Social Responsibility. In all that we do, we aim to protect and beautify the world. The X-Bots Robotics program reinforces this by fueling future inventors with inspiration and the joy of experimentation and discovery while experiencing the immediate impacts both community service and STEM concepts make in the lives of others.

The X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program has focused on applying GoBabyGo!, an open-source movement focused on real-time, real-world solutions for mobility, to provide STEM education and leadership opportunities for middle school and high school students. The program is a unique combination of peer-to-peer learning paired with a half-day hands-on workshop that draws in the families and toddlers who benefit from the finished product.

Founded in August 2015, X-Bots Robotics Inc. aims to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders by developing a passion for STEM careers at a young age. The nonprofit organization provides students with a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on technical engineering training that develops their leadership skills to inspire others through outreach efforts. To learn more about the X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program, visit https://www.xbotsrobotics.com/gobabygo.

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Photo caption: A Boys & Girls Clubs of America teen leader reviews the manual while a peer mentor demonstrates how to rewire the electric car that will be given to a toddler with mobility challenges. The X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program, presented by PPG training workshop was held at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Keystone Conference in Anaheim, CA on Sunday, July 24.

Photo credit: Kimberly Guzman

Top Row: Boys & Girls Clubs of America Senior Executive Teresa Walch with X-Bots Robotics Inc. Executive Director Elisa Avila, BGC of Whittier CEO Oscar Hernandez, and their Director of Programs and Youth Development Frances Contreras pose with teen leaders who completed the reconfiguration of an electric car for a toddler with mobility challenges. The training workshop was offered by X-Bots Robotics Mobility Program, presented by PPG at the BGCA's National Keystone Conference held on Sunday, July 24.

Photo credit: Kimberly Guzman

Additional photos are available. Please contact Marisol Barrios Perez.

About X-Bots Robotics Inc.

Founded in August 2015, X-Bots Robotics Inc. aims to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders by developing a passion for STEM careers at a young age. We provide students with a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on technical engineering training that develops their leadership skills to inspire others through outreach efforts. Our X-Bots Robotics team members train high school club members from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whittier | Pico Rivera to help them build characteristics to be great leaders in the future while simultaneously expanding their knowledge of STEM careers. X-Bots has now moved into the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whittier | Pico Rivera facilities and they have become our strategic partner. Weve expanded our reach by networking with other Robotics teams to work in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs in other cities, including high school students with an interest in STEM. Learn more at http://www.xbotsrobotics.com.

About PPG Foundation

PPGs global community engagement efforts and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested $13.3 million in 2021, supporting hundreds of organizations across more than 40 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow todays skilled workforce and develop tomorrows innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at https://communities.ppg.com/.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (http://www.BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. More than 4,900 Clubs serve over 4.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.
Majors Reups with Multnomah

Karen Yates at Yates & Yates has negotiated a world rights deal with Laura Barker, v-p and publisher for Multnomah, for two nonfiction books and a devotional from Katie Davis Majors (Daring to Hope, Kisses from Katie). The first, Safe All Along, is tentatively slated for spring 2023 and will equip readers to experience peace that comes from trusting God in tumultuous times, according to the publisher. The untitled devotional is slotted for fall 2023, with the second nonfiction book TBD.

Revell Takes a Trilogy

Rachel McRae at Revell acquired world rights from Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such Literary Management to The Suitcase Sisters trilogy by novelist Robin Jones Gunn. The novels feature three best girlfriends in midlife who discover God as they travel the world. The first book, Tea for Elephants, is set in Kenya and will be released in November 2023. Details about the second and third novels, which are set to be published in May and October 2024, are to be determined.

IVP to Expand FNV Bible Translation

InterVarsity Press is planning a follow-up to 2021's First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament (FNV) by Terry M. Wildman. The First Nations Version is a new translation that aims to capture the simplicity, clarity, and beauty of Native storytellers in English, while remaining faithful to the original language of the Scriptures, according to the publisher. The new book, First Nations Version: Psalms and Proverbs is slated for release in 2024. It will VP said, feature songs and words from the wisdomkeepers. Wildman will receive input from the First Nations Version Translation Council and Native reviewers. English-language world rights were negotiated with help from Rain Ministries, the nonprofit Wildman founded that focuses on culturally significant ways Indigenous People can worship Jesus Christ.

Brazos Prepares to Fight

Robert Hosack, executive acquisitions editor at Brazos Press, took world rights to Fight Like Jesus by Michael Gulker. Chris Ferebee with The Christopher Ferebee Agency represented Gulker, who is an ordained Mennonite pastor and founder and president of The Colossian Forum, which offers churches a space to engage with todays cultural issue. The book, scheduled for publication in spring 2024, will present a theological framework for conflict transformation that displays the power of Christian teachings around reconciliation.

Good Deeds Land at Broadleaf

Broadleaf senior editor Adrienne Ingrum bought world English-language rights to The Art of Good Deeds: The Joy of Giving directly from author Dwayne Ashley, a philanthropist who has raised more than $1 billion to support Black and Brown communities. He is also a recent recipient of the NAACP Pride Without Prejudice Award. The new book is an adaptation of Ashleys The Art of Good Deeds Philanthropy Cards: 52 Cards to Guide Giving and Volunteering. It will be a four-color illustrated gift book that depicts a good deed on every page. The Art of Good Deeds is scheduled for publication in spring 2024.
Liane Hart, Verility CEO, works with a manager at a pork farm in central Indiana. Verility has closed a $3.5 million Series A round of funding, which will help the company prepare to commercialize its livestock fertility analysis platform. (Photo provided by Verility)

INDIANAPOLIS  Verility Inc., led by co-founder and CEO Liane Hart, has closed Series A funding worth $3.5 million. The round was led by Mountain Group Partners of Nashville, Tennessee, and includes a previous investment from Purdue Foundry.

Verility has created a global platform called Fertile-EyezTM that provides fertility analysis products that enable livestock producers and breeders to accelerate reproductive performance. It provides accurate, simple and cost-effective analysis to predict ovulation phase and sperm quality at the point of care. The company has licensed the intellectual property from Brigham and Womens Hospital, a nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, where it was originally created and validated in humans.

Hart said improving sperm analysis and improving ovulation detection for animal breeding are two of the most important ways to meet the critical need for more edible meat protein. She said conception rate is known to be highly correlated with producer profitability and food sustainability.

The Series A funding will allow us to develop our product for swine producers and breeders in a major segment of production, she said. The investment will allow us to reach the point of preparing for commercialization, which we anticipate in late 2023. Its extremely exciting to have the ability to bring automated mobile breeding technologies into a segment of the animal health industry that normally does not see much innovation.

Verility chief financial officer Brian Kopp said, We are extremely pleased that more investment is finding its way into animal health innovation to bring more efficiency to animal production. We have a real opportunity to make significant improvement in animal fertility, an area where more innovation is needed.

Rob Readnour, managing director at Mountain Group Partners, said Verility complements the groups investment portfolio. Its investment in Verilitys Series A funding round aligns with the groups overall goals.

Mountain Group Partners is excited to bring our expertise in animal health to help Verility develop the Fertile-Eyez technology to allow swine producers to be more productive through improved reproductive performance, he said. Producers are facing challenges from rising input costs and labor shortages only exasperated by the pandemic. They need innovation like Fertile-Eyez to help them meet the important mission of producing animal protein in a sustainable way.

Hadi Shafiee, faculty member at the Division of Engineering in Medicine and Renal Division of Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said artificial intelligence-assistive tools will play an important role in the path toward transforming traditional agriculture to precision agriculture.

The proprietary, AI-enabled, smartphone-based platform technology that my lab has created has broad applications in precision animal health and breeding, he said. This Series A funding will help us to commercialize our first AI-enabled product for accurate, affordable and real-time ovulation prediction in swine.

Verility received $100,000 as one of two winners of the Purdue Ag-Celerator, an agriculture innovation fund, in January 2022. Riley Gibb, director of business development at Purdue Foundry, said the company is a strong example of startups that bring Purdue-supported innovations to the market.

Liane Hart is one of many high-quality entrepreneurs bringing Purdue-supported startups to market, he said. Verility and other companies are already making an impact in plant sciences and animal sciences.

Futurology Life selected Verility as one of its top agriculture technology companies in Indiana earlier in 2022. Hart recently participated in Purdue Foundrys Women in Entrepreneurship Panel and AgriNovus Indianas Quadrant event for ag bioscience entrepreneurs.

About Verility

Verility Inc. is a central Indiana startup that is focused on disrupting and optimizing breeding and fertility in animal health by leveraging image recognition and proprietary algorithms in the global animal health breeding markets. This new fertility platform is considered a breakthrough product category, creating a much-needed niche, allowing industry players access to mobile product attributes never before seen at such an affordable rate. Verility is located in Maxwell, Indiana. More information about the company is available at online.

About Mountain Group

Mountain Group Partners (MGP) is an investor dedicated to investing in and actively guiding transformational businesses in the life sciences, animal health, and technology sectors. Founded in 2002, MGP has invested in more than 50 companies in these sectors. MGP invests in seed- and early-stage companies. Within life sciences, the firm focuses on MedTech, diagnostics, and opportunistic drug development. MGP places a premium on those innovations that have existing intellectual property or a novel scientific foundation for building intellectual property. Animal health investments focus on disruptive technologies that have a meaningful impact on global animal health and animal agriculture. Technology investments focus on business and health care technology, targeting those ideas with quantifiable development risk and a rapid path to market. For more information, visit www.mtngp.com.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. The Purdue Foundry is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

Contact: Liane Hart, liane.hart@verilityco.com
Closing the Blythe location and simply providing zero locations that are close in proximity creates an undue hardship for our constituents wishing to access in-person Social Security Services, noted California 36th District Congress Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz to Acting Social Security Commissioner Dr. Kilolo Kijakazi on the Blythe stations closure.
Alongside isolated 5G testing, RootMetrics assessed all network technologies with 642,296 tests UK-wide, across the four nations and within 16 major metropolitan areas. All of the reports testing was carried out using Samsung 5G-enabled handsets sold by retailers to accurately reflect the experience of consumers using 4G LTE and 5G networks.The studys overall finding was that all four operators delivered outstanding 5G reliability and latency that was low enough for smooth gaming and streaming  highlighting how competition is improving the experiences of 5G users in the UK.Yet while EE maintained the market leadership it has enjoyed for some time  and was the leader in UK-wide, nation-wide, and metropolitan testing in the first half of the year winning all seven UK-wide RootScore categories, including the UK Overall RootScore Award for the ninth year in a row - the gap between the BT-owned operator and its rivals is narrowing.In the 16 metropolitan areas, EE won the most RootScore Awards, but all four operators improved in 5G availability and speed. Across the 16 areas, Three UK saw significant gains in 5G download speeds and both Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone utilised newly acquired spectrum to boost 5G availability and speeds.Three UKs 5G availability results were similar to EEs, with both networks covering over 50% of the nation and while EE led in 5th percentile 5G speeds, an important measure of an operators overall speed consistency, Three UK had pulled ahead in 5G median download speeds, clocking in at nearly 200 Mbps.Virgin Media O2 delivered was the analyst called excellent text results, ranking first or second in all four nations, and Three UK performed especially well in Wales, sharing the Call RootScore Award and posting second-place finishes for both reliability and text performance in the country.
When citizens in London, Vienna, and Berlin are at risk of blackouts due to energy shortages, their governments turn to coal-fired plants to rescue them. We witnessed this as the Russian gas embargo forced European states to suppress their revulsion to coal  a bit like a produce shortage causing vegans to run to steak houses.

But what about Africa? Millions of Africans are being systematically forced by the elites of Europe and North America into a future free of fossil fuels and rife with poverty. This is carbon imperialism where Western leaders, who have embraced climate superstitions, control what kind of energy people in Africa use.

Philosopher Olufemi O. Taiwo calls the phenomenon climate colonialism, defining it as the deepening or expansion of foreign domination through climate initiatives that exploit poorer nations' resources or otherwise compromises their sovereignty.

The story of economic success is the same regardless of where one looks: North America and Europe during the industrial era or the India and China of recent decades. In all cases, fossil fuels have been the predominant drivers behind meaningful, long-term economic development.

To expect Africa to produce the same out of thin air (literally wind technology) is to display an arrogance that denies the physical realities of generating electricity and the energy poverty of millions.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest energy access rates in the world, reports the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Electricity reaches only about half of its people; roughly 600 million people lack electricity and 890 million cook with traditional fuels (polluting and harmful).

The online publication ESI Africa points out that a kettle boiled twice a day by a family in Britain uses 5x as much electricity as a person in Mali uses per year. A Tanzanian takes 8 years to consume as much electricity as an American consumes in 1 month, while a freezer in the United States consumes 10x more electricity than a Liberian in North Africa uses in 1 year.

Africans thus have the barest of energy supplies, far less than what is regarded as a basic convenience in rest of the world. And no end to abject poverty in sight.

The solution to Africas immediate energy needs and long-term economic improvement is more investment in coal, oil, and natural gas  fuels that offer reliability and affordability.

It is through manufacturing goods, be it value addition in agriculture, high tech components, tractors, machine tools, household goods or even bread that sub-Saharan African economies will reduce poverty by supplying productive employment and enabling economic growth, explains PD Lawton, a researcher committed to the continent's restoration.

The International Energy Agency notes that current investments in the power sector, especially fossil fuels, is well below the required levels, though easily achievable. However, Africa, already under-financed, faces campaigns to prohibit funding of fossil-fuel projects.

Climate crusaders accomplish their objectives both through international policies and domestic measures. Internationally, carbon imperialists use devices such as the Paris Agreement to ban hydrocarbons. Further suffocating development, major funding institutes are halting the flow of funds to fossil-fuel projects. The World Bank, African Development Bank, and numerous large donor organizations in Europe have stated that they wont finance any new such initiatives in Africa.

This is condemning African states to perpetual poverty and to dependence on pathetically unreliable renewable energy installations. At the domestic level, the climate crusade is led by environmentalists and and so-call climate-justice groups.

In South Africa for example, activists in 2021 told Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to abandon plans to develop 1,500 megawatts of new coal-fired generation or be taken to court. Grassroot activism and propaganda are key tools of global carbon imperialists to sway public opinion.

However, more and more leaders are standing up to the imperialists. In June, Niger President Mohamed Bazoum said, Africa is being punished by the decisions of Western countries to end public financing for foreign fossil-fuel projects by the end of 2022We are going to continue to fight, we have fossil fuels that should be exploited.

Let the African continent be allowed to exploit its natural resources. It is frankly unbelievable that those who have been exploiting oil and its derivatives for more than a century prevent African countries from reaping the value of their resources.

President Bazoum is right. To use naturally available energy sources is an inalienable right of every sovereign nation. Africas destiny should be decided by its people.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Va., and holds a masters degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, England. He resides in Bengaluru, India.
Speaking at an economic forum in June, President Joe Biden said Russias brutal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine had sparked a global crisis that has refocused attention on the need for energy stability and security. He noted that, In the United States, Im using every lever available to me to bring down prices for the American people.

Yet long before Russias attack, several alarming trends were well underway that contributed to the underinvestment in oil and natural gas development and increased the sizable gap between energy supply and demand as markets rebounded from the pandemic.

Far from using every lever available to lower prices or increase energy supply, the White House appears headed in the opposite direction. Three policies the administration is considering as part of an emergency action threaten to intensify the situation and should be scrapped.

First, the Biden administration should reject the idea of a ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters and immediately commit to a robust leasing plan for oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. The American Petroleum Institute (API), along with the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), recently conducted a study by Energy and Industry Advisory Partners that found that a delay in Gulf of Mexico leasing could result in reducing U.S. oil and gas production by nearly 500,000 barrels per day between 2022 and 2040 and cost approximately 60,000 U.S. jobs.

In addition to the lost jobs and reduced energy supply, banning leasing in the Gulf could eventually jeopardize significant revenues that flow to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), our nations most important federal program supporting the conservation of our nations parks, forests, coastal areas, and wildlife refuges. The LWCF provides critical conservation funding in every state totaling more than $40 billion from oil and gas development.

Second, the Biden administration should affirm its commitment to energy exports and specifically reject the idea of a ban on the export of refined petroleum products. U.S. energy exports have played a critical role in increasing supply and strengthening U.S. energy and national security. Additionally, they have been critical in supporting our allies during this current energy crisis. An export ban on refined petroleum products, such as gasoline and distillate, could have unintended consequences and negatively impact consumers, the economy, and the refining sector.

A recent study by American Council on Capital Formation (ACCF) reports that a petroleum product export ban would likely trap refinery production in the Gulf Coast region, resulting in shuttered capacity of about 1.3 million barrels per day. The study also notes that the loss of U.S. refinery product exports could result in reduced global supply and increased global market prices. Such a move could cause U.S. GDP to decline by more than $44 billion in 2023 and cause job losses of an average of 85,000 during the second half of 2022, according to ACCF.

Third, the Biden administration should protect Americas ability to export crude oil, which was put in place by bipartisan legislation signed by President Obama in 2015. Since the crude oil export ban was lifted, American energy security has been significantly enhanced. A recent ICF study commissioned by API and the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) found that, as a result of lifting the crude oil export ban, the United States has lowered gasoline prices and increased crude production by 1.8 billion barrels, reducing global oil prices and increasing U.S. employment by an average of 48,000 jobs.

Reimposing the U.S. crude export ban would likely lead to lower crude oil and natural gas production while increasing our nations U.S. trade deficit. Even worse, lowering U.S. crude production could reduce total global oil supply and put upward pressure on global oil prices -- the very thing the Biden administration is trying to alleviate.

In a recent opinion column, historian Daniel Yergin warned the current energy crisis could deepen. He proposed more informed collaboration between government and the industry that manages the energy flows on which modern economies depend. Yergin is correct and policymakers everywhere should pay heed. Sometimes, using every lever available includes the simple act of listening.

The solution to alleviating this crisis lies right under our feet. API recently released a 10-point plan to work with Congress and the Biden administration to increase U.S. oil and natural gas production and eliminate the barriers to infrastructure development. Solving the supply crisis will be no easy task for Washington, but restrictions on leasing and export bans are not the answer and will only make the problem worse.

Frank Macchiarola is Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs at the American Petroleum Institute.

Anne Bradbury is CEO of the American Exploration and Production Council, which represents the largest upstream independent producers of oil and natural gas in the United States.
Last week, a House Financial Services Subcommittee held an oversight hearing focused on the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) enforcement division. Despite the norm that ongoing enforcement cases are not discussed at these hearings, Subcommittee Chairman Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA) took it upon himself to put his thumb on the scale of the largest enforcement case in crypto: SEC vs. Ripple. Rep. Sherman's off-base remarks underscore the urgent need for sensible crypto legislation from Washington.

The case against Ripple, a U.S.-based crypto solutions company, has emerged as the bellwether to get clarity on how to classify and regulate digital assets in the U.S. A brief recap: in 2020, the SEC filed a misguided lawsuit against Ripple, its chairman, and CEO, alleging that XRP was a security. Ripple uses XRP (a cryptocurrency that exists on an open, permissionless, decentralized blockchain ledger) in its product offering to facilitate faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border payments.

During his opening and closing remarks at last week's hearing, Rep. Sherman asked why the SEC had not, in addition to suing Ripple, brought cases against the crypto exchanges that had traded XRP. Rep. Sherman stated: "the fact remains" that "XRPclearly is a security."

Here's the real fact: The filing of a lawsuit determines nothing.

Rep. Sherman, a Harvard trained lawyer, knows that. He knows that the SEC can't determine XRP to be a security. He knows that no country in the world has determined XRP to be a security. He knows the issue needs to be decided in the court. In short, he knows better.

As a Judge made clear last year: XRP is "no more a security after the SEC filed the enforcement action than it was before it," because "a determination resolves the question of whether XRP is a security. The enforcement action, by contrast, asks that question. The question is not yet resolved, so a determination has not yet been made. And when it is made, it will be made by the Court."

Rep. Sherman's comments also come fresh on the heels of the SEC recently being called out by another Judge in the Ripple case for its "hypocrisy" and for "adopting its litigation positions to further its desired goal, and not out of a faithful allegiance to the law."

Rep. Sherman's behavior highlights the pernicious effect of regulation by enforcement. Rather than provide regulatory clarity through rulemaking, the SEC seeks to bully the market by filing, or threatening to file, enforcement cases. Unproven allegations masquerading as regulation is bad policy that hurts consumers and markets who are whipsawed by the whims of an unchecked regulator. As a result, American innovation  and the jobs created  are fleeing the U.S.

But despite Rep. Sherman's comments, voices of reason do prevail. At the same hearing, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) criticized the SEC for, "using enforcement to unconstitutionally expand its jurisdiction."

This is all precisely why Congress needs to fix this mess and provide a comprehensive legislative framework for crypto. Two bipartisan proposals (the Digital Commodity Exchange Act and the Responsible Financial Innovation Act) that seek to define the line between securities and commodities in the digital asset space are a good start. The Wall Street Journal said it best last week when it urged Congress to "exercise its oversight authority over the SEC by demanding that Mr. Gensler halt his high-speed regulatory attack." Rep. Sherman and his comments do the opposite  with destructive effect.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/27/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Mari Pepin-Solis and Kenny Braasch have expanded their family.Mari and Kenny, who got engaged on 's seventh-season finale that aired in October 2021, recently moved in together in Chicago, IL, and they've since added a new family member.Mari took to Instagram on Tuesday and posted a slideshow of photos that she captioned, "IT'S A BOY!!!"Mari teased her Instagram followers, who probably initially thought that Mari was pregnant with a child, by showing off little sonogram-like images of her new puppy. The slideshow also featured Mari and Kenny posing with the tiny brown and black furbaby.Mari continued in her post's caption, "After a bunch of adoption applications and pre-naming every pup we applied for just on the 'chance' that we'd get to be their new pawrents, our lil family is now bigger by 4 legs and a wiggly little tail.""Everyone, meet our new baby, Eleven! (IYKYK) -- we're not set on his name yet tho, so give us your suggestions too!" she added.Mari proceeded to share how "Eleven loves following close behind feet, licking ears, and chewing cables.""He also loves 'trying' to play with [our other dog] Monster, but Monster is just worried about trying to eat the extra serving of food that gets put out now," she concluded.Kenny uploaded the same post on his own Instagram page, and celebratory and congratulatory messages poured in from Bachelor Nation, including Natasha Parker and Serena Pitt "My heart just stopped, I fully thought this was a pregnancy announcement!!" Serena commented.And The Bachelorette alum Ivan Hall admitted, "Y'all got me. Definitely got me."Mari and Kenny certainly have their hands full because they are also in the middle of planning their wedding "We agreed that we're gonna do it in Puerto Rico, definitely," Mari said on the "Talking It Out With Bachelor Nation" podcast in April, although she and her fiance hadn't set a date yet.Mari revealed that she and Kenny had "narrowed down" their wedding-venue options to four places and imagined having an outdoor wedding ceremony followed by an indoor reception with "tropical flowers" everywhere.After Kenny popped the question in Paradise, Mari moved to Kenny's hometown of Chicago.Kenny revealed in January 2022 that he and Mari were taking the next step in their relationship and moving in together."@Mari_Pepin and I have signed the lease on a new apartment here in Chicago," Kenny reportedly wrote on his Instagram Story at the time.Mari then reposted the announcement and added, "I can't wait to keep annoying you, and scaring you, and love you every day boo!"On 's seventh season, Mari, a marketing manager at the time, connected with Kenny, a boyband manager, right off the bat despite their 15-year age difference, and it seemed like love at first sight.But once things began getting serious, Mari pumped the brakes and suggested the couple should continue seeing each other while keeping their options open and pursuing other possible romances in Mexico.Kenny, a little heartbroken over Mari's lack of commitment, therefore dated Demi Burnett , with whom he went to "The Boom Boom Room," and he also went on a date with Tia Booth in which they played naked volleyball with strangers.Once Mari saw Kenny with other women, she realized how much she missed him and how she wanted him all to herself. Mari therefore apologized to Kenny and fought for him, and the pair became inseparable after their reconciliation."Obviously, I was very into Mari from the very beginning," Kenny explained to People in October 2021."So once I sort of knew she was in the same place I was is when I started thinking, like, we might end up engaged at the end of this."Mari said she and Kenny are in similar stages in life and want the same things, which helped bring them closer together and solidify their bond."I feel like I'm kind of in a different life stage than most people my age. And so for me, I think someone who is in a similar stage [works best]," shared Mari, who revealed on she's not interested in partying and had always wanted to get married young."We do the same things and we've got the same habits, and it just works really well for us. So I think that's ultimately what I was looking for, and I found it."Mari added of the significant age gap, "I think the only way that it's noticeable is when we talk about movies or music, because [we're] obviously [from] different generations."On the finale, Kenny popped the question with an oval-shaped diamond ring and said, "Mari, I am so f-cking in love with you! And I can't see my life without you. You are an amazing woman and you've changed my whole outlook on life."The pair couldn't wait to show off their love and be a couple in public.Although Mari and Kenny had to hide their relationship from the public for several months while the show was airing, they didn't exactly follow the rules of their contract."We actually snuck [out] to [got to] a concert together. We saw Journey here in Chicago," Mari revealed to People."We weren't supposed to, but we didn't get caught. We both wore hats. I wore a pair of glasses, and it was really late at night, so it worked out."In terms of having children, Mari said, "I think I just want to enjoy being married for a little bit first and then maybe in the next year to two years we'll start talking about that."In addition to Kenny and Mari, two other couples got engaged on the seventh-season finale: Serena and Joe Amabile as well as Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn.Maurissa and Riley have since split, but Joe and Serena are currently living together in New York City and thinking about their wedding.Before appearing on , Mari competed for Matt James ' heart on The Bachelor's 25th season and Kenny dated Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/27/2022



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Which couples are still together and which MAFS couples have broken up and divorced? And where are they now?

's first fourteen seasons featured 54 different couples who got married at first sight -- so which couples are still together, who broke up and divorced, and where are they all now?Each season of -- which premiered in the United States eight years ago and is based on a Danish series -- features couples (previously three couples, but four couples on Seasons 8 and 9, and five couples beginning with Season 10) being matched together by relationship experts and agree to marry when they first meet.Complete strangers become husband and wife in a matter of minutes, and the couples' lives are then documented by TV cameras over the course of the next four to eight weeks (eight weeks, in the case of 's most recent seasons).The couples typically enjoy their first night together in a hotel after exchanging vows -- with some couples deciding to consummate their marriage immediately -- and then embark on a honeymoon, move in together, and simply attempt to deal with the struggles of daily life as man and wife.At the end of the extreme marriage experiment, each couple must decide whether they'd like to stay married or get a divorce on "Decision Day."has experienced very mixed results over the years. While a significant number of couples decide to stay together and continue their new marriage at the end of their season, the real world seems to hit them hard after the cameras leave, resulting in the couple splitting up only months later.Do cast members see a different side of their spouses once cameras are gone, or do the romances naturally fizzle over time?Some couples are still together to this day and are extremely happy. Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner from Season 1, for example, have had two children.Several other couples have also had children -- including Ashley Petta and Anthony D'Amico Shawniece Jackson and Jephte Pierre Danielle Bergman and Bobby Dodd Deonna McNeill and Greg Okotie , and Jessica Studer and Austin Hurd However, there are also relationships that ended badly. Jessica Castro from Season 2, for instance, accused Ryan De Nino of alleged death threats, and she went on to file a restraining order and lawsuit against him.Some couples have also never even made it to "Decision Day" and ended their marriage prematurely, including Season 4 couple Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz as well as Season 6 couple Molly Duff and Jonathan Francetic Are the remaining couples now lovers, friends or enemies?! What about early season couples like Cortney Hendrix and Jason Carrion, Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone, Vanessa Nelson and Tres Russell, Sonia Granados and Nick Pendergrast, and Lillian Vilchez and Tom Wilson?And how about more recent season couples like Danielle DeGroot and Cody Knapek Sheila Downs and Nate Duhon Jaclyn Schwartzberg and Ryan Buckley Dave Flaherty and Amber Martorana , and Tristan Thompson and Mia Bally Keith Dewar and Kristine Killingsworth , and AJ Vollmoeller and Stephanie Sersen Click thelink below to see photos of each couple and find out!

BEGIN GALLERY >>

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/27/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Krysten has revealed that her groom Mitch seemed overwhelmed during their wedding ceremony and therefore displayed some "Mitchisms."Krysten, a 32-year-old sales representative, and Mitch, a 41-year-old environmental policy advocate, were matched by experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz to wed on Season 15 of the Lifetime reality series, which filmed in San Diego, CA.During the July 20 episode of : Afterparty, Krysten watched back a Season 15 clip of her wedding day."Mitch is a very passionate person, especially when it comes to saving the planet," the officiant reveals during the couple's wedding ceremony. "We hope you're ready to say goodbye to single-use plastics and find the joy in preserving our planet.""I recycle!" Krysten announces.Krysten cracked up laughing when watching the footage back, and Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam asked Krysten what she was thinking in that moment, after seeing Mitch for the first time."Gosh, Keshia, well, you know, it's feeling so crazy. It's such a rush! I am so excited. There is a lot of single-use plastic talk about. It was just beautiful to me," Krysten shared.Krysten said while standing next to Mitch at the altar, she was feeling "so excited.""My family is, like, shouting and I'm feeling from him that maybe he's nervous," Krysten revealed of Mitch's vibe during the ceremony."[I thought], 'Maybe he is thinking a lot of thoughts. He seems kind of quiet.' But I'm thinking, 'There's cameras, he's meeting so many people he's never met before,' and so I'm not reading too much into it."But Krysten confirmed she was "starting to pick up that maybe he is overwhelmed.""I call them 'Mitchisms,'" Krysten said with a laugh.When asked if Mitch -- who was sporting a Band-Aid on his bald head with a shorter beard than he had hoped -- is what she envisioned her husband looking like, Krysten replied, "In terms of looks, I'm thinking, 'He's tall, he has a nice beard.'"Krysten said she actually "didn't really notice" the bandage on the top of Mitch's head."I saw it but I didn't want to embarrass him. I thought, 'You know what? We'll get to it.' But it turned out a couple days prior, he had gotten into a pretty severe surfing accident where he had hit his head on some rocks," Krysten explained."And he had, like, an open wound. So I thought, 'Let's keep the Band-Aid on! We'll keep it covered!'"Fellow Season 15 star Justin joined Krysten on Afterparty and shared his opinion of Krysten and Mitch as a newly married couple."Mitch is a different breed, let me tell you," Justin admitted. "I love Mitch and Krysten. I think they're a very, in a positive way, a very awkward couple. But I think they're a good match."While Krysten and Mitch's wedding was a success, Mitch lost his cool a couple of times prior to the ceremony while getting dressed in his hotel room. A hairstylist cut Mitch's beard too short for his liking, which caused him to lash out at his groomsmen, and he also became flustered and annoyed when he couldn't tie his bow tie.Krysten, however, said on Afterparty, "I can't be knocked off my high horse.""I'm excited. I got married!" she added. "So the red flags are just raining down upon me and I'm doing snow angels in them. I don't care!"Krysten said she wasn't going to judge Mitch on a first impression because she wanted to give him "a true solid chance."Another red flag may have been the moment when Mitch thought Krysten's mother -- who dressed in a sexy, hot pink, cleavage-baring dress on her daughter's wedding day -- was his bride.After exchanging sweet self-written vows and sharing a kiss at the altar during the wedding ceremony, Krysten gushed, "I love it. [There is] 100 percent attraction and chemistry right off the bat. I am like hot for him, for real. I am!"But when a friend asked Mitch if he was happy with his wife, he looked like a deer in headlights and replied, "It's a little early."Mitch told the cameras, "At first glance, I thought she was really pretty, but I wasn't right off the bat attracted to her because my type is less physical and more lifestyle. She maybe seems a little more mainstream than me.""I'm much more attracted to a woman in her natural state than super dolled up for a wedding," he continued. "I don't want to take anything away from the fact she looked amazing and really lovely, but I want to see the more natural side... I'm happy I think she likes me."He added, "My hope for the future is that we really hit it off and that this little spark grows."Mitch didn't seem to have confidence that his marriage would work out long-term."I just need to take it day by day and relax," Mitch said, adding how he used to project everything he wanted a woman to be on his girlfriend and then that person would end up disappointing him."It's my fault because I made them up to be something that they're not, so I'm trying not to fall into that trap."Krysten, however, was pretty smitten, and she thought that she could potentially fall in love with Mitch.Krysten's mother, on the other hand, was apparently worried about Mitch's "environmental extremism" and how he said he measures success through his impact on the world rather than through income or wealth. Krysten's mom wanted her daughter and new son-in-law to have similar life goals.'s currently-airing season on Lifetime also stars Justin and Alexis, Stacia and Nate, Morgan and Binh, and Lindy and Miguel.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
FX announced Wednesday that its documentary Superspreader will premiere Aug. 19 on both FX and Hulu.

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The network also released a trailer for the upcoming feature.

Superspreader will be the latest in The New York Times Presents, a documentary series chronicling the investigative work of the New York Times.

Superspreader, which will be the second episode of Season 2, will focus on the spread of misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.

The documentary will examine the work of anti-vaccine theorists like Dr. Joseph Mercola, who FX said has "become a leading spreader of COVID-19 misinformation online, according to researchers, building a vast operation to push natural health cures and disseminate anti-vaccination content -- while reaping immense profits."

The first episode of Season 2 was released this past May, focusing on Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the controversy surrounding self-driving cars.

First announced in July 2020, The New York Times Presents has delved into the behind-the-scenes work concerning a number of investigative reports by the Times, and is produced by members of the newspaper's editorial team.

Topics throughout the first season included the creation of e-cigarette company Juul, the conservatorship of pop star Brittany Spears, and the killing of Louisville, Ky. woman Breonna Taylor.

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Superspreader will not be the first time that the show has covered the ongoing pandemic.

The effect of COVID-19 on New York City was the subject of the very first episode of The New York Times Presents. Subtitled They Get Brave, the episode examined the jobs of the doctors, nurses and frontline workers in the early days of the pandemic.

The series is a re-working of a 2019 show called The Weekly, which itself was based on The Times' daily news podcast, The Daily.

During its run, The Weekly won four News and Documentary Emmy Awards, and its coverage of predatory lending schemes among New York City taxis was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize.

While the remaining topics of Season 2 have not been announced, FX said that "The New York Times Presents will continue to tell those stories in a visual and unforgettable way."

The Times is not the first journalism outlet to give a behind-the-scenes look at their work.

Beginning in 2018, media company Axios collaborated with HBO to produce the documentary series Axios, which examined the lives of Axios' political reporters in Washington.

The show ended in December 2021 after 57 episodes.
The BBC on Wednesday announced that Season 2 of its crime drama The Capture will premiere on British screens in August.

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A slate of first-look photos from the second season was also released.

While it has been confirmed that Season 2 will air on BBC One next month, an exact release date has not yet been announced.

Created, written and directed by Bob Chanan, Season 1 of The Capture premiered in 2019 and followed a British conspiracy surrounding the murder of a well-known lawyer. While the crime is caught on CCTV, the conspiracy grows when it is discovered that the footage might not tell the whole story.

The BBC said that Season 2 of The Capture "will again question if we can really believe what we see."

"Britain is under siege: hacked news feeds, manipulated media, and interference in politics. Entrenched in the UK's own 'Correction' unit, DCI Rachel Carey finds herself in the middle of a new conspiracy - with a new target," the broadcaster said. "Escalating from the CCTV thriller of series one, the six-part run features 'invisible' assassins, the terrifying rise of deepfake technology, the ever-growing tension between government and Big Tech, and corruption at the heart of the British media."

A number of returning actors from Season 1 will be returning for the second installment.

This includes Holliday Grainger in the starring role as Detective Inspector Rachel Carey, along with Ben Miles and Hellboy's Ron Perlman.

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A group of new faces will also be joining the cast, headlined by Indira Varma , known for her work on Game of Thrones and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Other new players include Succession's Rob Yang and Peaky Blinders star Charlie Murphy.

The 11 exclusive pictures released by the BBC showed off many of these characters as they work to solve the mystery.

Season 1 of The Capture was released to positive acclaim in the U.K, and each episode drew an average of 7.7 million viewers, according to the BBC.

It was also the most-requested new show on the broadcaster's streaming service, BBC iPlayer.

The star of Season 1, Callum Turner, was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Turner, whose character went to prison at the end of the first season, is not currently listed to reprise his role in Season 2.
FILE - Richmond Police Chief Bisa French speaks at a news conference in Richmond, Calif., on May 7, 2020. French, a police chief in the San Francisco Bay Area who was put on administrative leave after a relative accused her and her police sergeant husband of abuse has been reinstated to her job, her attorney said. French was reinstated as police chief in the city of Richmond July 15, 2022, following a nine-month leave of absence, her attorney, Mike Rains, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

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Rain. High 69F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

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Periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
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NEW MILFORD  Weeks after a fire damaged the New Milford High School roof, Belfor, a recovery and restoration contractor, has been working daily to remove water-damaged drywall, detach lockers and pack classroom materials.

The New Milford Town Council was updated on Belfors progress at Mondays council meeting. New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said spoke to Belfor during a Sunday visit to the high school.
WATERBURY  Police are investigating after a local man was shot and wounded Sunday night.

Waterbury police said they were dispatched to the Berkeley Heights Housing Complex after a report of shots fired shortly before midnight.

At the scene police said they found a 52-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremity. The Waterbury resident was taken to Saint Marys Hospital in stable condition with what police said were non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said evidence of gunfire was also found at the Berkely Heights Housing Complex.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Waterbury detectives, or call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 203-755-1234.
WINDHAM  State police are looking for witnesses to a Route 6 crash that killed a 36-year-old Chaplin man Wednesday morning.

Another driver involved in the crash, a 36-year-old Willimantic woman, was taken to the hospital with suspected serious injuries, according to an incident report from state police.

The Willimantic woman was driving a 2021 Nissan Rogue SV east on Route 6 Wednesday morning while the Chaplin man drove a Mazda MX-5 Miata north on Crystal Road. As the Mazda approached the intersection with Route 6, the Nissan crashed into the drivers side of the Mazda, the incident report said.

The Chaplin man, Ian W. Bailey, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the incident report.

Paramedics took the Willimantic woman to Windham Hospital. Police said she has suspected serious injuries.

The crash took place around 8:20 a.m. and shut down traffic in both directions of Route 6, or Boston Post Road, for more than four hours, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The roadway reopened just before 1 p.m., the DOT said.

Any witnesses to this crash are asked to contact Trooper First Class Ferreira at Troop K in Colchester at 860-465-5400.
Deputies from Defense, State departments say Beijing has created security challenge in South China Sea.

A Chinese fighter jet comes in to land on the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier during open-sea combat training by Chinas navy, in this undated photo released on Dec. 31, 2021.

Chinas aggressive behavior in the South China Sea could lead to a major incident, U.S. government officials warned on Tuesday, while offering solutions for military and diplomatic deterrence during a forum at a Washington think-tank.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was the most consequential challenge for the region from a security perspective.

We see Beijing combining its greater military power with a greater willingness to take risks, Ratner told a policy conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

If the PLA continues this pattern of behavior, it is only a matter of time before there is a major incident or accident in the region, Ratner said, referring to Chinas Peoples Liberation Army.

Ratners keynote address mirrored comments from a senior State Department official who participated in an earlier panel discussion.

There is a clear and upward trend of PRC provocations against South China Sea claimants and other states lawfully operating in the region, said Jung Pak, deputy assistant secretary for East Asia.

Ratner discussed efforts by China to block Philippine supply ships, Chinese intercepts of Canadian aircraft in the East China Sea, and incidents involving Australian aircraft.

Last month, according to Australias Department of Defense, a Chinese fighter jet buzzed the nose of an Australian jet conducting a routine flight and released a round of chaff  aluminum coated glass fibers that could have damaged the jets engine and endangered its crew.

Beijing is systematically testing the limits of our collective resolve and advancing a new status quo in the South China Sea that flies in the face of our shared commitment to the respect for sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes and adherence to international law, he said.

Ratner said Beijing had been involved in dozens of dangerous events in 2021.

I want to be clear that these are not isolated incidents, he said, adding that the U.S. and its allies would take steps against Chinas actions.

From a defense perspective, what this demands of us is that we demonstrate the will and capability to credibly deter PRC aggression, he said.

Efforts will include working with reliable partners, he said, noting the Visiting Forces Agreement and Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. Ratner also called for a credible combat presence in the region.

Earlier this week, the top American military commander spoke out against Chinas military over more aggressive and dangerous behavior during the past five years against military forces from the U.S. and Indo-Pacific allies.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters as he traveled to Australia with a stopover in Indonesias capital on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

As he responded to a question during a daily press briefing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Milleys remarks sought to confuse people.

Some people in the U.S. have clung to the Cold War zero-sum mentality and kept making references to a China challenge, Zhao told reporters. Whos been challenging regional peace, security and stability? And who is more aggressive? The facts speak for themselves.

Diplomacy

Not all efforts will involve force.

We are actively seeking open lines of communication with Beijing and with Chinas defense leaders to ensure we can prevent miscalculations, Ratner said.

During the panel discussion, Pak discussed potential diplomatic efforts in the region around the contested waterway.

Countering PRC tactics in the South China Sea is not just a military issue. We are leading a government-wide integrated deterrent strategy that prioritizes diplomacy, development, economic engagement and compliance with international law, Pak said.

She said the U.S. has policies that establish multilateral support against unlawful Chinese maritime claims, voice support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and sanction PRC entities that jeopardize peace and security.

These policies have bolstered regional confidence in U.S. resolve and empowered South China Sea claimants to speak up publicly, she said.

An Indonesian academic who joined Pak as part of the panel discussion said his country turns to China for economic support and to the U.S. for security.

While China is giving money for its Belt and Road Initiative, the U.S. is pushing human rights concerns, said Yohanes Sulaiman, an associate professor of international relations at the University of General Achmad Yani in West Java.

Yohanes expressed fear that Indonesia could rely too much on the U.S. for security in the region.China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its own, including territory within Jakartas exclusive economic zone.

If we get closer to the United States, then the United States could dominate the region, he said.

Yohanes offered advice to President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials.

The United States needs to pay more attention to Indonesia.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.
However, one U.S. military expert says China will not go to war if the U.S. House speaker makes the trip.

China ratcheted up its already strong response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis plans to visit Taiwan, with the Ministry of Defense in Beijing threatening military action.

Ministry spokesman, Senior Col. Tan Kefei, told a media briefing on Tuesday that, should Pelosi insist on making the visit, the Chinese military will never sit idly by, and will certainly take strong and resolute measures to retaliate.

The U.S. must not arrange for Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region, he said.

China considers the self-governed, democratic island a breakaway province and its unification with the mainland a matter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Britains Financial Times first reported on the planned visit last week, saying it would be part of a tour that will also include Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Pelosi and her entourage will also make a stopover in Hawaii to visit the headquarters of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the paper said.

It would be the first time since Newt Gingrichs 1997 trip that a U.S. House speaker has visited the island.

U.S. officials have not confirmed the news but President Joe Biden indicated that the military did not think it was a good idea right now for Pelosi to visit Taiwan.

The much talked about trip by the speaker of the House of Representatives, the third-most senior figure in the political system, has created a huge headache for U.S. policymakers.

Biden is expected to discuss it, among other issues, with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a telephone call on Thursday. It would be the fifth such conversation since Biden became U.S. president in January 2021.

Fourth Taiwan crisis

Before the defense ministry delivered its official response, the Chinese foreign ministry had already protested against the reported trip, saying the U.S. must be prepared to assume full responsibility for any serious consequence arising.

Analysts say with so much tension over the alleged visit, U.S.-China relations are entering a perilous period.

Taylor Fravel, director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), wrote on Twitter that Pelosis visit seems likely as other members of Congress cast her visit as a question of what China can or cannot dictate to Congress.

This would create even stronger incentives for a forceful response, as Xi's policy, reputation and credibility will be seen to be at stake.

Were heading straight toward a Fourth Taiwan Strait crisis, Fravel warned, referring to previous crises in the Taiwan Strait. The last one was in 1996 when China tested missiles ahead of a Taiwan election. The crisis abated after the U.S. send aircraft carriers through the strait.

Some Taiwanese analysts disagree with the assessment of the current situation, saying the possibility of a war is low.

This is not good timing for Xi to wage a fourth Taiwan crisis, said Ming-Shih Shen, a senior expert at the Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

There are only a few months left before the opening of Chinas most important political event  the Chinese Communist Partys Congress  where Xi is believed to be seeking an unprecedented third term.

The situations being exacerbated perhaps by those who oppose Xis leadership within the Party in order to create troubles [for him], Shen said.

To go or not to go?

Despite Chinas hawkish response, Pelosi should still make the visit, said the Taiwanese expert, adding that it would work for her domestically, too.

Carl Schuster, a retired U.S. Navy captain and former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said that China's coercion tactics work only when countries allow them to do so and the United States should stand up to China.

China's economy is not in better shape than ours and China is not going to war over Pelosi's visit, he said.

Bowing down to Chinese bullying makes us look weak at a time when we need to appear strong. Weakness, like withdrawing our embassy and trainers, encouraged Putin to invade Ukraine. We can't make that mistake twice, Schuster added.

The current tensions over Speaker Pelosis putative visit to Taiwan puts the Biden Administration in a no-win situation, said Carl Thayer, a veteran regional expert.

If Speaker Pelosi decides to visit Taiwan, Xi Jinping will have no recourse but to provoke a crisis to demonstrate Chinas resolve. This will put further strain on U.S.-China relations and undermine efforts underway by Biden to find some common ground with China, the Canberra-based analyst said.

The Biden administration, in his opinion, has not yet had to respond to a major incident of Chinese bullying and also has not gone out of its way to provoke a confrontation with China.

If Pelosi decides to go and China throws down the gauntlet, this will be the first test for President Biden to call China to account and push back against its bullying, Thayer said.
Outspoken poet Lu Yang was detained shortly after posting a video clip making the demand to his WeChat account.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong province, April 23, 2019.

A court in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong have handed down a six-year jail term to an outspoken poet who called on ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping to step down, two years after his trial.

Zhang Guiqi, 49, who is widely known by his penname Lu Yang, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the Liaocheng Intermediate People's Court, which found him guilty two years ago of "incitement to subvert state power."

"They informed his family by phone that he has been sentenced," Independent Chinese PEN's freelance coordinator Zhang Yu told RFA. "He was convicted of incitement to subvert of state power, sentenced to six years in prison and deprived of political rights for three years."

Lu pleaded not guilty, and plans to appeal, Zhang said.

"[His family] wanted to see the judgment, but they wouldn't show it to them because they said it was a crime involving national security, and was a state secret," Zhang said.

Lu's arrest came after he posted a video of himself calling on Xi to step down, and calling for "an end to the CCP dictatorship."

"At least three years of that sentence is linked to his mention of Xi Jinping, because if he'd called on anyone else to step down, it wouldn't have been aggravated, which would have meant a three-year sentence," Zhang said.

"That's one year each for each character [in Xi Jinping's name]."

Zhang said the video had been seen by a fairly small number of people to start with.

"I'm guessing that he may have used his superior knowledge of the law to argue back, making them ... retaliate hard against him," Zhang said.

Lu Yang was among a group of rights activists who went to the Shandong Jianzhu University in January 2017 to support a former professor there, Deng Xiangchao, who was targeted by Maoist protesters after he retweeted a post satirizing late supreme leader Mao Zedong.

The Shandong authorities terminated Deng's teaching contract after the incident, while Maoist flash mobs attacked Deng's supporters at the scene, including Yang.

Independent Chinese PEN issued a statement condemning the sentencing of Lu on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Lu's wife, who gave only a surname, Zhang, said she has been barred from giving interviews to foreign media, and has been threatened with the loss of her job by her current employer.

"I was in a very dark place, in hell, after I got the news [on July 26]," Zhang said. "I have been threatened by my employer ... and they told me not to speak to foreign media."

"I can't lose this job because I have to support older relatives and my kids, who are studying abroad."

Zhang is currently struggling to do that on a monthly salary of just 1,200 yuan, and the couple's art and teaching business had been shut down by the authorities after Lu was detained, on the grounds that he had a share in it, Zhang Yu told RFA.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The United Nations on Wednesday called on China to repeal a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong from July 1, 2020, citing a lack of protection for civil and political rights under a citywide crackdown on political opposition and public dissent.



In a report following its periodic review of China's compliance with international human rights covenants, the UN Human Rights Committee said it was "deeply concerned" that the national security law is being interpreted too broadly, citing a lack of clarity about the meaning of "national security."



"Since its enactment in 2020, the [law] has reportedly led to the arrests of over 200 people, including 12 children," the report said, adding that there is also provision under the law for people to be sent to China for investigation, prosecution, trial and to serve sentences.



The committee said China hasn't ratified the international covenants on civil and political rights, or economic rights, so the treaties wouldn't apply to such cases.



It called on the Hong Kong authorities to "take concrete steps to repeal the current National Security Law and, in the meantime, refrain from applying the Law."



The report added: "The excessive power of the Chief Executive and other measures provided for in the Law ... can effectively undermine the independence of judiciary and procedural safeguards for access to justice and right to a fair trial."



It also called for an independent national human rights institution with a comprehensive mandate and appropriate powers to promote and protect human rights.



The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defines "national security" broadly, and its laws at home and in Hong Kong criminalize overseas contacts and fundraising, criticism of the authorities and peaceful political opposition.



The law ushered in a crackdown on Hong Kong that has seen several senior journalists, pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai and 47 former lawmakers and democracy activists charged with offenses from "collusion with a foreign power" to "subversion."



"National security education" -- a CCP-style propaganda drive targeting all age-groups from kindergarten to university -- is also mandatory under the law, while student unions and other civil society groups have disbanded, with some of their leaders arrested in recent months.



Civil society and elections



The U.N. report also highlighted "the excessive number of civil society organizations, such as trade unions and student unions, which have relocated or ceased to operate since the enactment of the [national security law]."



It called on the authorities to refrain from taking any action that could curb the freedom of association and to ensure that members of civil society will not be prosecuted under the law for taking part in the U.N. human rights review process.



And it highlighted recent changes to the electoral system that "give little or no chance for candidates of opposition parties to stand for election."



It called on the authorities to take "concrete steps, with a clear timeline, to introduce universal suffrage" and revise candidate eligibility guidelines to ensure diversity.



A Hong Kong government spokesman said the authorities rejected the report's findings.



"We are completely dismayed that the Committee continues to express unsubstantiated criticisms towards [Hong Kong] despite the delegation's efforts in addressing members' concerns and clarifying the misunderstandings of the human rights situation [here]," the spokesman said, before repeating much of the content of the government's original submission to the U.N. review.



"The National Security Law was enacted to restore the enjoyment of rights and freedoms which many people ... had been unable to enjoy during the period of serious violence between June 2019 and early 2020," he said in a reference to the 2019 protest movement, during which police were widely criticized internationally for excessive violence against protesters.



China's President Xi Jinping waves to school students before his departure from the international airport in Macau, which marked 20 years since the former Portuguese colony was returned to China, Dec. 20, 2019. AFP Jailed activist



The report came amid growing concerns for Hong Kong activist Tang Kai-yin, who is currently serving a three-year jail term for "organizing others to cross a border illegally" at Conghua Prison in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, after he and a group of 11 others were intercepted while trying to flee to the democratic island of Taiwan after the 2019 protest movement.



His family rely on a government app showing Tang's money credits, merits and demerits, as well as letters home, for news of him. But the app hadn't been updated since May, and letters to him from family members have been returned undelivered, they said.



However, the app was updated soon after the situation was reported by local media, Tang's brother told RFA on Wednesday.



It showed that Tang had a number of demerits for violating "study discipline," including "not listening carefully or sitting in a designated seat."



He had earlier had a 10-point demerit for "fabricating or spreading attacks on or defaming current laws and policies," the app showed.



Tang's brother said the Hong Kong families of those serving jail time in mainland China are often unable to visit their loved ones due to the zero-COVID policy.



Recommendations for Macau



Meanwhile, authorities in Macau have banned several peaceful assemblies as illegal, with police using "recording devices" during other demonstrations.



The U.N. called on Macau to "ensure that any restrictions imposed on assemblies should comply with the strict requirements set out in [the international rights treaties]."



"The Committee noted with concern that recruitment agencies continue to charge migrant domestic workers excessive agency fees and that the Law on the Minimum Wage for Workers does not apply to non-resident domestic workers," the report said.



It called on the authorities to enhance protections for migrant workers, especially domestic helpers, by setting up an effective complaint mechanism to report "abuse and exploitation."



It highlighted similar complaints of racial discrimination in Hong Kong, calling on the authorities to enact comprehensive anti-discrimination laws banning unfair treatment on the grounds of race or ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and gender identity.
With rise in deaths from COVID-19, forest supervisors patrol the hills to stop illegal burials, sources say.

Increased death tolls in North Korea due to the coronavirus pandemic have caused more people to bury their deceased family members clandestinely in remote areas by night to avoid high funeral costs, sources in the country told RFA.

In Korean culture filial piety is of great importance, and the head of the family usually has a duty to ensure that the graves of ancestors are well maintained. The costs associated with burial or the less-than-ideal, but still respectful, cremation, are causing North Koreans to bury their loved ones in unmarked graves.

In recent years, the death toll has risen sharply in our city due to COVID-19 and waterborne diseases, a resident of the city of Chongjin in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFAs Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons. City and district authorities have strict rules about how the dead can be buried.

Though North Korea maintained that it was completely virus free for the first two years of the pandemic, outside observers have widely doubted the claim.

Pyongyang finally acknowledged the virus in May 2022, saying that a large military parade at the end of April had spread the disease nationwide, and the government declared a maximum emergency.

While the countrys official COVID-19 death toll remains at six according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resources Center, sources say that the actual number of North Koreans who have died from the disease is exponentially higher. Reports have surfaced saying that people who die of COVID-19 symptoms are often quickly cremated before a cause of death can be confirmed.

But with more people dying, the living are suddenly hit with high burial costs, the source said.

The authorities demand that family members handle the bodies. They must be taken to their hometown, where the family gravesite is, or to the remote countryside. Otherwise the body must be cremated here in town. But people are reluctant to use the crematorium because it takes too long and its really expensive, he said.

The Chongjin crematorium is the only such facility in the entire 7,855 square mile province of North Hamgyong, home to 2.3 million people, according to the source, and cremating a body costs 430,000 won or U.S. $61, about the same as 50 liters (13 gallons) of diesel gas or 120 kilograms (264 lbs.) of corn.

Thats a huge cost for ordinary residents, who can barely earn enough for one or two kilos of corn [about 3,600 to 7,200 won or between $.50 to $1] on a good day, the source said.

Not only is the cost of cremation a problem, but the cost of transporting the dead body by car to the countryside is also high. Ordinary residents who cannot afford the costs are secretly buried [by their families] at a nearby hill in the early dawn. They bury the bodies without any marker or a burial mound to avoid the eyes of the authorities, he said.

Once the authorities learned that people were secretly burying family members in unmarked graves, they created a band of forest supervisors to more closely patrol the hills near Chongjins cemetery, according to the source.

If you are caught by a forest supervisor, you cant just talk your way out of it, you also need to bribe about 50,000 to 100,000 won [$7.10 to 14.30], the source said.

High-ranking officials can preferentially use the crematorium for free and do not understand the situation at all. Residents are outraged by the fact that even a square inch of land is not allowed to be used for a proper burial of people who have lived through such hardship and struggle their entire lives, he said.

Rural areas often lack easily accessible crematoriums, so authorities realize that burial is the only option, a resident of Pukchong county in eastern province of South Hamgyong, told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

Authorities prohibit the burial of bodies in the mountains if they can be seen from town or from roads and railroad tracks, the second source said.

There are no crematoriums in other regions in my province except in the city of Hamhung. The authorities allow burial in a nearby public cemetery if there is a death in rural areas without a crematorium nearby. Those must be flatground tombs without burial mounds, he said.

Korean graves usually are marked with a small earthen mound, upon which grass eventually grows.

Having the tomb near the home is convenient because it minimizes the costs of funerals and makes it easier for families to visit on special occasions, the source said.

On major holidays such as the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, which celebrates the autumn harvest, Koreans perform jesa, a memorial service for the deceased that includes a feast with extended family in front of the burial mound.

It bothers me that my familys graves are on flat ground, but I have no choice but to bury them in flat graves, the source said.

Instead, it is becoming fashionable to erect tombstones in cement or stone on a flat ground so that the graves of one's family can be easily identified. As the number of flat graves increases, it is not surprising that residents who have not yet erected a tombstone get confused and hold jesa in front of someone elses tomb, he said.

Authorities are pushing back on clandestine burials to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and waterborne illnesses, according to the source. Mandating flatground tombs for those legitimately buried is an attempt to preserve the aesthetics of nature, particularly if the burial area is visible from towns and roads.

The North Korean government has only reported a handful of confirmed COVID-19 cases, but it has been tracking fever symptoms since it declared a maximum emergency after the post-parade breakout.

According to data from the state-run Korea Central News Agency, more than 4.77 million people have come down with fever but only 74 people have died as a result.

The actual number of deaths is likely around 50,000 or even worse, Harvard Universitys William Hanage wrote in the medical journal Lancet in June.

He said the figure was a ball park estimate for what we would expect if North Korea were to see mortality like New York City did in the first wave. Essentially to illustrate a baseline for how serious it would be.

The number of daily cases continues to decrease and North Korea on July 19 claimed that the quarantine situation has entered a phase of complete stability.

But the decline in numbers could be due to several factors, including: reduced testing due to change in testing strategy by government, fewer people getting themselves tested or an increase in self testing, Edwin Salvador, head of the World Health Organizations Pyongyang office.

WHO continues to request [health authorities] clarify the definition of these fever cases including the management and treatment protocol, he said.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung O. Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Finding a political solution will be very difficult because of this, one opposition leader says.

A PDF member fires at government troops during an operation to capture the Moebye Police Station in southern Shan states Phekone township, May 23, 2021.

The execution of former student leader Ko Jimmy and three other democracy activists by Myanmars junta could become a serious obstacle to resolving the countrys political crisis, analysts and observers said Tuesday.

The official Global New Light of Myanmar on Monday announced the executions of Ko Jimmy, whose real name is Kyaw Min Yu, former National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw, and activists Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw without reporting the date and method of killings. It is believed the men were hanged on Saturday in Yangons Insein Prison.

The act drew widespread condemnation from Western governments, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), international rights groups and Myanmar-based democracy activists, as well as the Southeast Asian nations shadow National Unity Government and the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries that are fighting the junta on the NUGs behalf.

On Tuesday, political analyst Kyaw Saw Han told RFA Burmese that the ASEAN-backed proposal for a dialogue that would include all of Myanmars stakeholders is now less likely than ever, as the executions have lessened the oppositions interest in a peaceful resolution.

The ASEAN plan, which is being promoted by the international community, to meet with [deposed NLD leader] Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and then meet with the junta and all those involved in the conflict to find a solution, will be delayed, he predicted.

I think it will be very difficult to have a dialogue. Right now, the public is angry. Their emotions of anger have been stirred up, so it is harder than before to accept this. We can say it will almost certainly be delayed and that the probability for such a dialogue is very low at this point.

The junta has reneged on a five-point consensus (5PC) it agreed to with ASEAN in April 2021 to put the country back on the path to democracy. The consensus called for an end to violence; dialogue among all parties; mediation by a special ASEAN envoy; ASEAN-coordinated humanitarian assistance; and a visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN delegation.

Col. Khun Okkar of the Peace Process Steering Team of ethnic armies that have signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government since 2015 told RFA that his group will no longer meet with the junta if called for peace talks, as the executions show that the regime is not interested in upholding its promises.

Those who signed the NCA should not violate the points stated in the pact, namely, to respect human rights and to protect the lives and property of the people, he said.

And so, based on that, we will not respond without consulting among ourselves to [the juntas] calls for further discussions. We have made that decision.

Khun Okkar added that the actions of the junta could completely derail the peace process because public confidence in the process will be damaged beyond repair.

Ko Ko Gyi, a leader of Myanmar Prominent 88 Generation Student Group and current People's Party Chairman, talks to journalists during a press briefing at their 88 Generation Students Peace and Open Society Office, June 15, 2015, in Yangon, Myanmar. Credit: Associated Press Prior executions

Only three people have been executed in Myanmar in the past 50 years: student leader Salai Tin Maung Oo, who helped to organize protests over the governments refusal to grant a state funeral to former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant that resulted in a deadly crackdown in 1974; Capt. Ohn Kyaw Myint, who was found guilty of plotting an assassination of military dictator Gen. Ne Win; and Zimbo, a North Korean agent who bombed the countrys Martyrs Mausoleum during an attempted assassination of South Koreas then-President Chin Doo-hwan in 1983.

While Myanmars courts have sentenced people to death, there have been no executions carried out in the 30 years since the countrys 1988 democracy uprising and prior to the militarys Feb. 1, 2021, coup.

Ko Ko Gyi, the chairman of Myanmars lesser known opposition Peoples Party, said that the juntas decision to carry out the death penalty after more than 30 years will certainly impact the likelihood of a peaceful resolution to the countrys crisis.

For those who are trying to find a political solution, it will be very difficult because of this, he said.

The publics emotions are running very high. Thats why I objected and made appeals from the beginning not to [proceed with the death penalty]. Now that it has happened, I see that there will be many difficulties ahead for a political solution.

He said that public opposition to military rule is likely to become more fierce, which authorities will respond to with greater force, lessening the likelihood of any kind of reconciliation.

Myanmar-based political analyst Ye Tun said he also expects reprisals by Myanmars armed opposition to intensify following the executions.

This was a bit too serious. Retaliation is likely, he said.

Regional PDF groups have vowed to take revenge against junta forces for the weekends executions.

Despite the blowback, junta Deputy Information Minister Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told a press conference held in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday that the consequences of the executions had already been considered, but the decision was taken to mete out justice for those who died at their hands.

The crimes they committed deserved several more death sentences than the ones committed by those on the death row, he said.

Therefore, the government unavoidably decided to go ahead with the punishments in accordance with the law, for the sake of innocent people and their relatives. Itd be cruel and show a lack of empathy for us to be lenient to the accused perpetrators and let them go unpunished.

The four activists had been convicted of crimes that included contacting the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, PDF and NUG, which in September declared a nationwide state of emergency and called for open rebellion against junta rule, prompting an escalation of attacks on military targets by various allied pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed groups.

Other alleged crimes included advising local militia groups in Yangon and ordering PDF groups to attack police, military targets, and government offices, and asking the NUG to buy a 3D printer to produce weapons for local PDFs.

Moderate path destroyed

Political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe said that regardless of what justification the junta might offer, the executions are likely to seriously degrade domestic affairs.

It will be difficult for those people who want to negotiate peacefully along the political path. It will be difficult for them to follow that path right now, he said.

It has strengthened the minds of those who were calling for blood, especially those who want to settle the blood debt. Thats why we can now say a moderate path for a political solution has been destroyed by this act.

Late on Monday, the NUG announced that it will respond effectively to the junta by political, military, and other means for the executions.

PDF and other armed opposition groups, meanwhile, announced that there will be no talks to settle the blood debt and vowed to step up their military operations against junta forces.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Protests at three prisons turned violent when guards tried to shut them down.

Prison officials prepare for the release of prisoners outside of the Insein prison in Yangon on Feb. 12, 2022.

UPDATED 8.28 P.M. EDT on 2022-7-26

Inmate protests of the junta's decision to execute four democracy activists turned violent in three of Myanmar's prisons on Monday, disrupting a trial in one facility and prompting guards to discharge their weapons in another, according to sources with knowledge of the country's penitentiary system.

Tun Kyi, a spokesman for Myanmar's Former Political Prisoners Association, told RFA Burmese that the unrest occurred in Yangon's Insein Prison, Mandalays Oboh Prison, and Bago region's Pyay Prison following an official announcement of the executions of veteran democracy leader Ko Jimmy, former National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw and activists Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw. While no information was provided about the date and method of the killings, it is believed the men were all hanged on Saturday in Insein Prison.

"The riot in Insein Prison was the most violent," he said, adding that the incident had involved "a problem among the prison staff."

"There was also a protest in Mandalays Oboh that resulted in some shootings. It also happened in Pyay."

Tun Kyi said a political prisoner from Insein Prison had "escaped" while being brought to court on July 18, leading to "action taken against the guards," adding that reports suggested "officials have been ordered not to leave the prison compound."

He was unable to provide further details about the incidents of unrest at the three prisons on Monday.

Tun Kyi said he expects similar unrest to occur throughout the country in response to the executions, the announcement of which prompted widespread condemnation.

"These incidents will happen. In prisons as well as outside. They will also be more intense," he predicted. "The junta has declared war on the people."

A source in Pyay township with knowledge of the situation at the prison told RFA on condition of anonymity that inmates rioted when guards attempted to shut down their protest of the executions, causing authorities to suspend the proceedings of a trial being held in the compound.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shootings or whether anyone was injured in the incident or the unrest at the other two prisons.

RFA was not able to independently verify the reports of the prison unrest and calls to the Yangon Prison Department went unanswered on Tuesday.

Tight security in Mandalay two days after the military coup on Feb.1, 2021. Credit: RFA Mandalay arrests

The incidents of prison unrest came amid reports that junta forces conducted stop-and-search operations in Mandalay on Monday, carrying out house-to-house checks and arresting around 20 young people following the announcement of the weekend's executions.

The searches were carried out by fully-armed members of the military, checking identity cards, an official of the Urban Strike Movement Group told RFA on condition of anonymity.

Another Mandalay resident told RFA the soldiers were mainly targeting young people, checking their mobile phones for social media posts of a black logo mourning the four executed activists and a red logo supporting revolution against the military's Feb. 1, 2021 coup.

The entire city was searched day in and out, a Mandalay resident told RFA. Pyi Gyi Dagon township was searched in the night. Cell phones were searched. People didnt dare come out if they had the red and black logos on their social media profiles. Young people were arrested on suspicion by the regime forces. Now, no matter where people live, life is insecure.

Mandalay-based militia the Freeland Attack Force claimed responsibility for laying mines in a military compound near Amarapura township on Monday. The group said the attack was in retaliation for the weekend executions.

It is still not clear whether the military raids and arrests were connected with the attack.

RFA is still investigating the ages and names of the arrested youths.

Calls by RFA to junta Deputy Information Minister Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun went unanswered on Tuesday.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Updated to include reports of unrest amid prison protests of the weekend's executions.
UPDATED 4.46 P.M. EDT on 2022-7-27

Military troops have killed at least six people in a raid on a village in Myanmars Sagaing region, residents said Wednesday, amid reports that an anti-junta paramilitary group killed seven people in an attack intended as revenge for the executions of four democracy activists.

Sources from Salingyi townships Yae Mein (South) village said the bodies of six men were discovered when residents returned to the area on Wednesday following the raid a day earlier.

Four of the men were identified as Chit Shwe, 70; Aung Moe, 35; Aung Khaing, 40; and Moe Oo, a 30-year-old member of the anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF). The two others had yet to be identified, sources said, adding that they might have been brought along by the troops.

A resident who spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal, said that the body of PDF fighter Moe Oo was found buried in a shallow grave, while the rest of the bodies were discovered in nearby Yae Mein village (North).

"We found the body of the PDF guy and buried it. We found the bodies of the other three men from Yae Mein (South) village in Yae Mein (North) Village. Altogether, there were six bodies, the resident said.

After spending the night in Yay Mein, the soldiers killed them before leaving the village. They raided every village in their path and wreaked havoc. They arrested and tortured people in all of the villages, he added, without providing details of which other villages had been targeted by the troops.

Residents said the six victims all displayed signs of serious head injuries and gunshot wounds.

A family member of Aung Moe, who also declined to be named, said the troops had killed him as he returned home for a break from farming.

When the military entered the village, we all fled because we were afraid. But he came back from the fields for lunch and was nabbed, the family member said.

He was beaten up during interrogation the whole day and finally killed.

According to the relative, Aung Moes body was found shirtless with a scarf bearing the logo of the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) around his neck and covered with htameins, or womens sarongs.

His hands were tied at the back and his body was dumped in a [rice] paddy bin, they said.

Family members of Chit Shwe and Aung Khaing said the two men were also killed when they returned to the village following the initial raid on Tuesday. They said Aung Khaing's eyeballs had been gouged out.

It was not immediately clear which military battalion was responsible for the raid and the killings.

The military had yet to release any information regarding the incident and calls by RFA to junta Deputy Minister of Information Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun went unanswered Wednesday.

Houses in Yae Mein (South) village, Salingyi township, July 27, 2022. Credit: Citizen journalist Act akin to war crime

A Salingyi-based member of parliament for Sagaing region, who also requested anonymity for security reasons, said the killings in Yae Mein (South) village amounted to a war crime.

The military no longer sees members of the public as citizens, but as enemies, they said.

Not all people are PDFs or even armed. They are living their lives peacefully. But when troops enter villages  they act in ways that are not in line with a soldier's ethics. They shoot people in the heads or cut their throats. These are war crimes committed against innocent people.

A resident of Lin Sa Kyet village, situated nearby Yae Mein (South), told RFA the killings were so horrible that people of nearby villages are now terrified of the junta troops.

The military is brutal. When they enter villages, they kill anyone they find suspicious. They simply shoot people in the heads, he said.

The local people are suffering tremendously. They have no place to live. [Those who have fled] are still taking shelter in the jungle. They are finding life very difficult.

A member of the Salingyi Revolution Army (SRA), a local PDF group, said his group will confront the military to prevent troops from harming any more residents of the township.

[The troops] no longer have the ability to fight on the ground, so they are bullying and attacking innocent people, he said.

We will retaliate. Our focus will be on the military. Our plan is to attack their [supporters]. Weve been fighting them guerrilla-style in the past, but now we're going to start fighting them head-on.

Residents of Salingyi told RFA that two columns of around 150 junta troops are currently operating in the township. They said some 3,000 people from 10 villages have fled their homes because of the militarys presence, and are taking shelter in the jungle.

The discovery of the six bodies in Salingyi township came amid reports by state media and the PDF that seven people were killed in fighting in a village in Magway region, where homes were set on fire in a revenge attack.

Eight local PDF groups raided the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia-occupied village in Pauk township on Monday in retaliation for the weekend executions of four democracy activists, a statement from the PDF groups said.

Former student leader Ko Jimmy, former NLD MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, and two other democracy activists, were hanged Saturday in Yangons Insein prison - the first judicial executions in decades. That has further fueled opposition to the military council that seized power from an elected government in February 2021.

A PDF officer said the village had strong leanings towards pro-junta militias and locals were heavily armed.

Fighting started at 5.30 a.m. and continued beyond 7 a.m.," said the officer-in-charge of the Southern Pauk Guerrilla Force, who did not give his name for security reasons.

A PDF news release on Tuesday named the attack Operation Zeya Thaw.

It said eight joint PDFs, including the Southern Pauk Guerrilla Force, banded together to launch the attack. It said the seven people killed were Pyu Saw Htee militiamen.

Junta-aligned newspapers reported Tuesday that the seven fatalities were civilians, including two members of the village defense force and two children, and that 41 houses were burned down. Kyemon Daily newspaper printed blurred photos of blackened corpses.

The PDFs said they had warned the public about the attacks in advance and civilians had not been deliberately targeted.

This year has seen an upsurge in arson attacks and killings in Myanmar's Magway and Sagaing regions as violence has spiraled between junta forces and PDFs.

Last month, independent research group Data For Myanmar, which studies the effects of conflict on communities, said that at least 18,886 houses had been destroyed by military arson across the country since the coup.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane.

Updated to include reports of six dead in Sagaing region's Salingyi township.
The group was created to celebrate the birthdays of Tibetan religious leaders, a source in exile says.

Chinese officials in a Tibetan-populated region of Sichuan this month arrested a Tibetan man accused of setting up a group honoring Tibetan religious leaders on the popular social media platform WeChat, Tibetan sources said.

Lotse, 57 and a resident of Sichuans Sershul (in Chinese, Shiqu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, was taken into custody in July for creating the chat group, which was set up to celebrate the birthdays of revered Tibetan lamas, a Tibetan living in exile told RFA this week.

The group has around 100 members who come from all parts of Tibet, RFAs source said, citing local contacts and speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Chinese authorities called Lotses creation of the group unlawful, the source added.

Lotse, a single father of two sons, is now believed to be detained by authorities somewhere in Sershul, and local Tibetans were questioned about him and pressured by police in the period leading up to his arrest, the source said.

Chinese police also visited Lotse at his home before his arrest and threatened him for creating such a group without the governments permission, he added.

Banned birthday celebration

Sichuan authorities arrested two Tibetans in 2021 for celebrating the 86th birthday on July 6 of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, sources told RFA in earlier reports.

The pair, a man named Kunchok Tashi and a woman named Dzapo, both in their 40s, were taken into custody in Kardzes Kyaglung town on suspicion of being part of a social media group that shared images and documents and encouraged the reciting of Tibetan prayers on the Dalai Lamas birthday.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of a failed 1959 Tibetan national uprising against rule by China, which marched into the formerly independent Himalayan country in 1950.

Displays by Tibetans of the Dalai Lamas photo, public celebrations of his birthday and the sharing of his teachings on mobile phones or other social media are often harshly punished.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on Tibetan-populated regions of western China, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to imprisonment, torture and extrajudicial killings.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The detainees are also often forced to kowtow to police officers who closely monitor the meetings, sources say.

Uyghurs prisoners in Xinjiang are forced to speak in Mandarin and perform obvious displays of subservience to their Chinese guards in monthly video calls with relatives, Uyghurs living in exile say.

A Uyghur now living in Europe told RFA that her siblings in Sanji Prison in the town of Sanji (in Chinese, Changji) were recently allowed to meet online with other relatives in Aksu (Akesu). Though neither the jailed Uyghurs nor their family members could speak Chinese well, authorities made them communicate in Mandarin for the entire meeting.

They barely managed to speak in Chinese, according to my relatives who met them onscreen, the source said. This is not just an isolated incident.

Chinese authorities have banned the use of the Uyghur language in schools and government complexes as part of their efforts to diminish the culture and traditions of the largely Muslim community.

But Uyghur families still speak their native tongue inside their homes. The prohibition from doing so on the monthly virtual visits adds a level of frustration for family members who are already anxious about their loved ones well-being.

Another Uyghur exile living in Turkey told RFA that her nephew, who was serving a sentence in a prison in Urumqi (Wulumuqi), was forced to speak Chinese to his mother and grandmother, though the latter had to rely on another relative to translate because she did not know Mandarin.

They allowed them to meet onscreen once every few months for only three minutes, the source said. My mother was there once to meet onscreen with my nephew. My mother was very uncomfortable hearing my nephew speaking to them in Chinese. My nephews wife fainted at the time, hearing him speak only in Chinese.

On-screen, my nephew had to bow while walking backward saying goodbye in traditional Chinese fashion, she added. He also had kowtow to the Chinese police for giving him the chance to see his relatives onscreen.

Tahir Mutallip Qahiri, a Uyghur Muslim lecturer in the Uyghur language and literature at the University of Gottingen in Germany, said he noticed a difference in the way his detained father interacted with him during a video call.

His father, well-known Uyghur scholar and activist Mutallib Siddiq Qahiri, used to work at Kashgar University and wrote and edited more than 20 books on Uyghur and Arabic culture until he was arrested in 2018 and charged with incitement to ethnic hatred, according to a September 2020 article in the Byline Times. In early 2020, authorities sentenced him to 30 months in prison with four years of probation.

Tahir said he was able to see his father after he was released from detention, but that the man was not as free as the Uyghur prisoners who recently had spoken with their relatives onscreen.

Although the two spoke Uyghur to one another, Tahir said he believed his father was under surveillance by authorities because he told his son to remain silent and to defend the Chinese state.

In March 2019, I was able to talk to my father onscreen twice for a very short time, and what I sensed from those virtual interactions was that he had no freedom at all in his speech, he said. I didnt see any Chinese police present when I spoke to him onscreen, but what I knew was all he said was in a Chinese framework, even though it was uttered in the Uyghur language.

From the context of his speech and his body language, I was able to conclude that even though he didnt speak in Chinese, it was all Chinese propaganda, he added. I sensed a great fear he had for the Chinese authorities.

Tahir said that compared to the time he first spoke to his father when he was released from detention to house arrest, the current situation of Uyghur detainees appears to have gotten worse. Noting that authorities efforts to eradicate the Uyghur language is part of the genocide China has been committing against the ethnic and religious minority group in recent years.

'Culturally savage'

At least 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities are believed to have been held in a network of detention camps in Xinjiang since 2017, purportedly to prevent religious extremism and terrorist activities, though Beijing claimed they were vocation training centers, which are now all closed.

Credible accounts of the Chinese governments repressive policies in Xinjiang, including mass detentions, severe human rights abuses and efforts to obliterate Uyghur culture and religion have prompted the United States and some Western legislatures to declare a genocide and crimes against humanity in the region.

Forcing Uyghur prisoners to speak Mandarin and to bow in an outdated Chinese fashion is culturally savage and politically extremist, Tahir said.

In an audio recording provided to RFA by a Uyghur living in the U.S., a Uyghur woman living in Urumqi used an interpreter to speak in Chinese to her son, who is in a prison in Xinjiang.

The woman then cries as her son in Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center is forced to kowtow to Chinese police officers during his online meeting with her.

Her son is only 25 or 26, and now hes forced to speak in Chinese and bow to the Chinese while walking backward onscreen, said the Uyghur in exile.

According to the audio, the son was on his knees when he bowed his head in gratitude to the Chinese police, with his forehead almost touching the floor, his mother told the Uyghur in exile.

My sons forehead was almost on the floor when he bowed to the police, the mother told her Uyghur relative in exile. I hope my defenseless son will soon see sunshine [and] will meet his loving relatives in freedom.

Ilshat Hassan Kokbore, a political analyst based in the U.S. and vice chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress, told RFA that he also received a video of a Uyghur prisoner speaking in Chinese with a relative during a videoconference, though the person did not understand Mandarin.

Speaking in a mother tongue is a basic necessity and right of the people, though Chinese authorities have stripped that right away from the Uyghurs, he said.

Police officers take the relatives of Uyghur prisoners to government complexes each month to see their imprisoned relatives over video. Both the prisoners and their relatives meet under police surveillance, Uyghur sources and a police officer involved in monitoring the visits told RFA.

A police officer who is in charge of such surveillance in Kashgar (Kashi) said on two scheduled days each month he takes the family members of Uyghur prisoners to a neighborhood committee complex where they can virtually meet with the detainees.

Twice a month, we allow them to meet onscreen, he said. We take the relatives to the neighborhood community complex. Some months they were not allowed to meet because of COVID-19 prevention policy.

Relatives often have to wait one to two hours for their turn. The calls usually last about two minutes and are conducted in Chinese, said the officer, who did not give his name so as to speak freely.

Police officers do not allow detainees relatives to say anything except to express their well-being and to thank the Chinese Communist Party, he said.

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Citizens say the method of communication makes little sense in an era of smartphones.

A loudspeaker hangs from an electrical pole in Hanoi in this file photo.

UPDATED at 1:27 p.m. EDT on 07-27-2022

Residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi are opposing a controversial plan by the city to resume using public loudspeakers to make pronouncements, which many see as an archaic remnant of the Vietnam War era, sources told RFA.

At the height of the war in the 1960s and 1970s, the loudspeakers played an important role in North Vietnamese wards and communes to supply people with information about battles, including warnings about approaching U.S. bombers.

The loudspeakers were used on a daily basis as late as 2017, when then-Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung declared that the speakers completed their historical missions. The city then designated them for use only in emergency situations.

The Hanoi Peoples Committee recently approved a communication plan for 2022-2025 that would again employ the speakers for everyday announcements. The city plans to expand their use where necessary so that all residential units are within earshot of a loudspeaker by 2025.

But many residents say they dont want to hear it.

I was astonished by this news, as it took a lot of effort and time to get rid of the loudspeakers here in Hanoi, Nguyen Son, a resident of Hanoi, told RFA. I dont know why they want them back.

Opponents point out that the city already has a noise pollution problem that daily loudspeaker announcements would only make worse.

The ward-operated public loudhailers have been a nightmare to many people and one source of noise pollution in urban areas. Many residents strongly oppose this form of propaganda, Bui Quang Thang, another Hanoi resident, told RFA.

Nowadays, people living in urban areas have many tools to get information in a variety of ways, such as through television, internet, social media and smartphones, he said.

Reintroducing loudspeakers would be a waste of money, he said.

Many other areas such as health care, education and environmental protection need more investment and should be prioritized, Thang said.

RFA sent emails to the Hanoi Peoples Committee for comment, but received no response.

The Hanoi government on Wednesday however affirmed that the system of ward-operated public loudhailers were irreplaceable and that the system had never actually been abolished.

The loudspeakers are not only in Hanoi, but in more than 20 of Vietnams provinces, Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, deputy director general of the Hanoi Department of Communications and Information (DOIC) told a news conference, in reaction to the strong public objection to the plan to resume their use.

She also said that the system of public loudhailers was irreplaceable as it was different from other ways of communication.

She cited the need for residential groups to share information over loudspeakers, and downplayed concerns over noise pollution, saying the number of speakers in use would be fewer than in the past, and would only be employed twice per day, with a maximum broadcast length of 15 minutes.

She also denied that the city had ever abandoned the loudspeaker system in the first place, and that the plan to resume broadcasting is merely a change to how the system is operated, to encourage demands for information at the grassroots level are met.

Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.

UPDATE: Adds information about Hanoi government press conference on the subject
File photos of Ha Thi Hien and her two young children and the Police notice stating she refused access to a defense lawyer.

Authorities in Vietnams Nghe An province have officially charged seven people in connection with a clash with riot police over the demolition of a local road earlier this month, family members said Wednesday.

Ha Thi Hien, Tran Thi Nien, and Bui Van Canh were charged on July 22 with resisting against officers on official duty, while Tran Thi Hoa, Bach Thi Hoa, Ha Thi Thoa, and Ha Van Hanh were accused of disturbing public order, relatives told RFA Vietnamese.

Family members said they had only learned of the charges  each of which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison  after receiving a notice from the Nghi Loc District Police Department on Wednesday.

I am very worried about my wife. They [the police] said she would be held for two months before trial, Nguyen Van Duc, the husband of Ha Thi Hien, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

All of my neighbors feel sorry for her, saying that Hien had never said or done anything bad, and ask why she was taken away. Since her arrest, our two young kids have been crying and asking for Mom every night, he said.

Riot police guard a fence build to stop protestors preventing the demolition of a hundred-year-old road on July 13, 2022. Photo: Citizen Journalist

On July 13, hundreds of riot police descended on Binh Thuan parish in Nghe Ans Nghi Thuan commune as a similar number of protesters attempted to remove a fence blocking a road that connects the parish to an area highway. The road, which had been in use for more than 100 years, is located on land the government granted to a private company for a planned industrial zone.

Police tried to disperse the protesters with smoke grenades and explosives but they fought back.

Ten people were arrested in the clash, during which officials said protesters had "used bricks, stones, bottles, sticks [and petrol bombs], attacked and detained a police officer and injured five other police officers, according to a statement issued after the incident.

Authorities released one woman the same night and two men three days later. However, the other seven had remained in custody for two weeks before their families were notified of the charges against them on Wednesday.

The seven are being held at a temporary detention facility during an investigation of their case, which is expected to last until Sept. 10, according to the notice from the Nghe An Police Department, which also claimed that all of the accused had refused access to a defense lawyer, or did not request one.

Duc said his wife Hien is innocent and was only watching the protest when she was arrested. She did not act against the police, he said.

Duc said he has had to take leave from work to care for his two kids, aged three and six, and his mother, who is more than 80 years old.

Attempts by RFA to contact the Nghi Loc District Police and the lead investigator for the case, Hoang Doanh Toan, went unanswered Wednesday.

Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
One senior policeman tells a local news site the decision does not mean the case has gone away.

A file photograph of Peng Lai members. The group has been accused of incest, fraud and abusing democratic freedoms.

Police looking into accusations of incest, fraud and abusing democratic freedoms by a Buddhist sect in Vietnam say they are temporarily suspending their work.

Mondays announcement by the Investigation Security Agency of Long An province police follows a previous police announcement that Peng Lai Temple (Tinh That Bong Lai) leader Le Tung Van used the religion for years to benefit personally from charitable donations.

At his trial, last week, Le Tung Van said the people who leveled accusations against him should be brought to justice.

I did not offend the Vietnamese Buddhist Church in Long An province, nor did I offend the Duc Hoa district police. On the contrary, [we] were victims of horrible humiliation and slander for a long time. Whoever accuses me of offending them should appear in court. [We should] stand up to confront them and make it clear, don't deceive the court!"

Six members of the religious group were sentenced to a combined 23 years and six months in prison last week on charges of abusing democratic freedoms under Article 331 of the Criminal Code.

News site Thanh Nien reported that investigators said they decided to put their work on hold because they had received many accusations against Peng Lai, so they needed to be cautious and make separate studies into the differing claims. It said the agency is waiting for blood tests and genetic analysis before following up on incest allegations and will drop that line of investigation if the tests are negative.

The Zing news site quoted an unnamed Long An police official as saying the Investigation Security Agency had received accusations on three separate issues against Peng Lai but had only looked into the claims of abusing democratic freedom, while ignoring claims of incest and fraud. He said police are preparing to resume investigations into those two claims.

Mondays announcement that police were suspending their investigation prompted lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan to write on Facebook:

"From the very beginning, when I received information about the cases related to the Peng Lai Temple, I had a somewhat hostile view of them  Up to this point, through some information that the official newspapers have published, it seems that the accusations of incest in the Peng Lai Temple are inference, lacking solid scientific basis. This also means that my aversion to the people there is unfounded.

Earlier this year state media were accused of trying to influence public opinion with headlines such as Police investigating incest at Peng Lai Temple, and Peng Lai retreat: When morality has gone and ignorance leads the way.

The six sentenced temple members were convicted after prosecutors said they posted videos on social networks, including one defaming Thich Nhat Tu of the Vietnamese Buddhist Church.

The indictment said the six posted articles and clips on Facebook and YouTube from 2019 to 2021 containing lies, fabricated and distorted information, which insulted the Duc Hoa District Public Security Agency, offended Buddhism and harmed the honor and dignity of Thich Nhat Tu.
The looming transfer of a swathe of Abkhaz coastal land to Moscow is proving deeply controversial amid the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has condemned moves by leadership of the breakaway region of Abkhazia to transfer ownership of a sprawling coastal property to Russia. The Georgian leader called the step a "a form of annexation" of Georgian land in a tweet on July 26.

The coastal property includes several historic buildings and around 180 hectares of forest on a picturesque stretch of Black Sea coastline. The handover agreement was reportedly signed in Moscow in January but only became publicly known in July when Abkhazia's de facto parliament began discussing it. The deal stipulates that all buildings and structures on the isolated property near Pitsunda be handed to Russia on a 49-year lease.

The handover would be largely symbolic since an earlier agreement made in 1995 gave Russia use of the property indefinitely. But with the backdrop of Russia's violent takeover of parts of Ukraine, news of a handover of Abkhaz land to Moscow landed like a bombshell in the breakaway region. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the picturesque stretch of coastline where the property is located in August 2017.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has decried "Russia's nuclear terrorism" in a phone call on August 16 with his French counterpart, as Ukrainian and international nuclear experts continue to demand greater safeguards against catastrophe at the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy tweeted that he had also informed President Emmanuel Macron about the "situation at the front" and thanked Paris for its "tangible defense aid," as well as discussing economic aid and food-security challenges.

"We must increase sanctions on Russia," Zelenskiy said, continuing a recent push for harsher international penalties to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to call off his five-month-old invasion.

Macron's office said the French leader "underlined his concern about the threat posed by the presence and actions of the Russian armed forces and the context of war with the ongoing conflicts over security and safety of Ukrainian nuclear installations, and called for the withdrawal of these forces."

Champs-Elysees said Macron also stressed his support for the possible terms of the UN nuclear agency director-general's proposal to send a mission of experts to Zaporizhzhya as soon as possible.

Macron along with Zelenskiy also hailed the continued implementation of a UN- and Turkish-brokered deal with Russia and Ukraine on the export through Ukrainian ports of Ukrainian grain "essential for world food security."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked for a demilitarized zone to be created around Zaporizhzhya.

Both the UN and its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have said IAEA inspectors should be allowed to visit the plant.

Guterres reportedly spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on August 15, when Russia's Foreign Ministry also insisted it would do "everything necessary" to allow IAEA experts access to the facility, which lies near the front lines in southeastern Ukraine.

Exhausted Ukrainian workers at the plant have complained of being held at gunpoint, and the plant's operator, Enerhoatom, has said Russia is preparing a risky maneuver to divert Zaporizhzhya's energy production to a Russian-controlled grid.

Ukraine's nuclear power company Enerhoatom alleged on August 16 that Russian-based hackers had unleashed an hours-long attack on its website but said major problems had been avoided.

Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, acknowledged in a state TV interview on August 16 that the Zaporizhzhya situation represents "dangers all of us are facing... as major contamination or a Chernobyl-like disaster could occur there under certain conditions."

Russia's TASS also quoted him repeating Moscow's accusations that Ukrainian forces and its Western backers are behind the recent shelling around Zaporizhzhya, which Russian forces captured in March.

Kyiv has insisted that Russian troops are using Europe's largest nuclear plant as a military base, including storing dangerous weapons and shelling in the area.

On August 14, 42 countries condemned Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and said the presence of Russian military forces at Zaporizhzhya is preventing authorities from maintaining nuclear and radiation safety obligations.

"It is undeniable that Russia's invasion and its continued presence at Ukraines nuclear facilities significantly raise the risk of nuclear incidents and accidents," the statement on the European Union's website says.
On July 21, Russian authorities accused independent Novosibirsk city lawmaker Khelga Pirogova of disseminating "false information discrediting the armed forces" and launched a criminal investigation. The next day, she quietly left the country for Georgia.

"My friends informed me that a criminal case had been opened," Pirogova said in an exclusive telephone interview with RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities. "It all happened pretty quickly."



On the morning of July 21, she said, when she was still facing only an administrative charge, she had no intention of leaving Russia.



"I would have stayed," she said. "I was ready for interrogation and jail."



But a criminal charge and the prospect of a prison term of up to 10 years was another matter for the 33-year-old deputy who is several months pregnant with her first child.



"Then the choice was between [my desire to fight the charges] and not just my freedom, but my future child's," she said. "I could not allow it to be in jail immediately after its birth."

Prigorova was elected to the Novosibirsk City Council with the support of opposition political leader Aleksei Navalny's Smart Voting initiative in 2020. Since then, Navalny himself has been imprisoned on charges he dismisses as politically motivated, and many of his active supporters have been prosecuted or forced to flee the country. In June 2021, Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and his network of regional offices were shut down after being designated "extremist" organizations by the Russian government.



Earlier this month, prominent opposition politician Ilya Yashin was charged under the same law on "discrediting the armed forces," which President Vladimir Putin signed just days after launching the large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Moscow district council deputy Aleksei Gorinov, the first elected official to be convicted under the law, was handed a seven-year prison term.



The charges against Pirogova stem from a post on Twitter in mid-July in which she commented sarcastically about poor Russians expressing gratitude to the government for paying for the funerals of their relatives who were killed fighting in Ukraine.

"It seemed horrible to me that relatives who had just lost a husband or a brother or a son, instead of mourning the fact that their loved one is gone, are marveling that such a wonderful funeral had been organized for them with so much food that you could invite half the village," Pirogova said.



Pirogova quickly deleted the post, but a screenshot went viral. "I reread it and saw that it could be taken in the wrong way," she said. "And it was taken in the wrong way."



The post, she said, was "too emotional."



Even though she removed the post, Novosibirsk City Council Deputy Chairman Andrei Panfyorov, of the ruling United Russia party, denounced Pirogova to the Investigative Committee and set off the investigation against her.



But Pirogova believes her Twitter post was just a pretext to come after her as an outspoken critic of Putin and the war in Ukraine.

"Their only goal is to drive all opposition-minded people out of the country," she told RFE/RL. "It doesn't matter what pretext they use."



When Pirogova learned about the criminal charges against her, she made the decision to leave Russia immediately.



"I understood that I didn't even have time to gather my things," she said. "They could be waiting for me anywhere."

Now for the first time, without thinking or hesitating or filtering your words, you can just say war' and not be afraid.

"Since I was downtown, I went straight to the airport," she continued. "I can't say who helped me buy the ticket, but I didn't have any problem crossing the borders, neither in Russia nor in Georgia. They hadn't managed yet to put me on a no-fly list.That is one reason why I think their real goal was to push me out of the country."



Since she left, she has felt the burden of self-censorship being lifted from her. She recalled how strange it felt for her to openly call the war in Ukraine a "war" during interviews with journalists from Georgia.



"To be honest, it was quite odd," she said. "It has been going on for five months and now for the first time, without thinking or hesitating or filtering your words, you can just say war' and not be afraid."



She added that she has been going through her social-media posts from recent months and adding comments indicating what she had really wanted to say.



Pirogova plans to continue working as a city council member remotely as long as she is able.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities.
QARAGHANDY, Kazakhstan -- Daniyar was among some 150 Kazakhs featured in an infamous propaganda video that Islamic State (IS) released in 2013 bragging about the foreign recruits who joined the Islamic terrorist group in Syria.



Many of the men, women, and children in the video are thought to have since been killed in fighting or by the air raids in former IS-controlled territories in Syria and Iraq.



Daniyar -- whose full name wont be disclosed for privacy reasons -- survived the war and returned to Kazakhstan to face charges of involvement in a terrorist organization and its propaganda.

Speaking at a prison in the Qaraghandy region in central Kazakhstan, where he is serving a 10-year sentence, Daniyar told RFE/RL he wants to share his story of grave mistakes and his disillusionment with IS so that he can prevent others from falling victim to jihadi recruiters.



The 29-year-old Daniyar admits lying to his wife when he took her to Syria in 2013. He also acknowledges getting one month of IS military training but claims he took part in IS military operations only once.



Growing up in a small, impoverished town in the province of Qaraghandy, Daniyar became interested in Islam, attended mosque, and learned Arabic. In 2013, Daniyar and his friends started watching jihadi videos online.



The videos depicted Syrian Muslims as being oppressed and killed just for being Muslims, and that they needed help. It brought strong emotions and tears, he says.

In hindsight, he knows it was recruitment material designed to lure people in the name of Islam to follow IS in Syria, Daniyar says.



But back then, Daniyar -- who was 20 years old -- fell for the IS propaganda and headed to Syria along with his new wife to fulfill what he thought was his religious duty.



The Video



In the autumn in 2013, IS released a video that shocked many people in Kazakhstan.



The 20 minutes of footage -- titled The Muslim Family Of 150 People Who Moved To [Syria] -- featured children and gun-brandishing adults who said they had come to Syria for jihad at the Lords calling.



The group spoke Kazakh, Russian, and Arabic inside a villa with a black-and-white Islamic State flag hanging on the wall. At the time, the terrorist group was still relatively unknown to the rest of the world.



More videos of Kazakh-speaking IS recruits were released in the following years, depicting young boys and girls getting weapons training.



Kazakh-speaking men -- presented as fresh recruits from Kazakhstan -- were shown receiving specialist sniper training and assault courses while also jogging in a desert.



Another IS video purportedly showed a Kazakh child executing two men -- a Kazakh and a Russian -- accused by IS of being foreign spies.

The majority of those who appeared in the videos didnt wear face masks or balaclavas, subsequently making it easier for Kazakh authorities and relatives to identify them.



My mother saw the video and recognized me, says Daniyar, who appeared in the first clip.



Recalling the circumstances of how the footage was recorded, Daniyar told RFE/RL that initially he didnt know the video would be distributed internationally.



They filmed us and the children during a feast and shared it on the Internet, saying foreigners have brought their families here, theyre happy here, Daniyar says. I thought they were recording it just for themselves.



He said when he found out that the video was shown on news channels everywhere, he called his mother in Kazakhstan to tell her he was in Syria.

I want to make amends for my guilt in front of my parents. I want to look after my children. I dont want them to see war."

She cried and begged me to return or at least to send home my wife and our newborn son, he says. But Daniyar wasnt going to do that.



Daniyar got a second wife -- a fellow Kazakh -- in Syria. He fathered four children with his first wife and two with the second.



Daniyar was wounded in combat, which he claims was the only time he took part in fighting. Unable to fight because of his injuries, Daniyar says he was assigned to help IS widows, accompanying them to the bazaar and the hospital.



His claims cannot be independently confirmed.



Clean Slate



In the final days of the self-declared caliphate in early 2019, Daniyar managed to escape Islamic State's last stronghold, in Baghuz, by hiding among women and children who were given safe passage by Kurdish forces.



He eventually surrendered to the Kurds and Daniyar and his family were repatriated by the Kazakh government in a process that has brought back hundreds of its citizens from Syria and Iraq.



The Central Asian country has repatriated more than 700 Kazakh citizens in a special operation, called Zhusan, that began in 2018. Most of the returnees have resumed their normal lives after undergoing medical checkups, interrogations, and a stint in rehabilitation facilities.



But another 53 of the returnees have been imprisoned for terrorism-related offenses.



Daniyar has served three years of his 10-year sentence. He says he is happy to be alive and have his family in safety. He works as a barber in the prison and sends his salary to his family.



I want to make amends for my guilt in front of my parents. I want to look after my children. I dont want them to see war," he says. "I know how terrifying war is.



Daniyar wants to get a job at a mine or in trade once he is freed from prison so he can resume his normal life.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL Kazakh Service correspondent Yelena Veber.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the villagers of Moshchun covertly assisted the Ukrainian military by informing them of all Russian troop movements toward Kyiv. The director of the Madison Policy Forum in New York, Liam Collins, a retired Special Forces Colonel states, "The Russians were unable to overcome the intelligence network created by the Ukrainians." The result was Russia's inability to capture Kyiv.

On March 21, Ukrainian forces liberated the obliterated village from Russian control. RFE/RL Photographer Serhiy Nuzhnenko captures a community determined to rebuild and move on with their lives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his country will increase its export of electricity to the European Union and aim to become a guarantor of European energy security as Russia cuts gas flows to the bloc.

"We are preparing to increase our electricity exports to consumers in the European Union," Zelenskiy said on July 27 in his evening address to the nation.



"Our exports would not only allow us to increase our income in foreign currency but will also help our partners to resist Russian energy pressure," he said. Ukraine wants gradually to become "one of the guarantors of European energy security," he added.



The Ukrainian electricity grid was connected to the European network in mid-March, helping to keep supplies flowing despite Russia's invasion. Ukraine started exporting electricity to the EU via Romania in early July.



Germany's energy regulator said earlier that Russia's state energy giant Gazprom cut gas deliveries to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to about 20 percent of capacity as expected.



That put supplies through the Nord Stream 1 terminal -- a major artery for gas supplies to reach the European Union -- at about one-fifth capacity.

Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom had flagged the cut, with the Kremlin saying again on July 27 that it was due to "obstruction" of maintenance work caused by Western sanctions against Moscow for its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.



"We had counted on receiving one repaired engine from Siemens (Energy) as far back as May, but as of today we haven't got this engine," Gazprom's Deputy Chief Executive Vitaly Markelov told Rossiya 24 TV on July 27.



European officials have rejected Russia's excuses, accusing Moscow of weaponizing energy supplies and saying there was no technical reason for the disruption.

Reuters quoted a statement from Siemens Energy on July 27 saying that the turbine was in Germany "with all the necessary documents for the export of the turbine to Russia."



"What is missing, however, are the customs documents for import to Russia. Gazprom, as the customer, is required to provide those," it said.



Siemens's statement came a day after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told RFE/RL that the European Union won't give in to Moscow's energy "blackmailing."

She said Germany and the EU see Russias tactic as another attempt to divide the EU but that it will fail.

We want to get independent 100 percent -- independence from fossil energy from Russia as fast as we can, she said.

Zelenskiy on July 25 urged Europe to retaliate against Russia's "gas war" by boosting its sanctions against Moscow.

With reporting by AFP
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A little boy shows his grandmother's burned-out home in a blog post from Russian-occupied Mariupol, while a woman says the Russian ruble is replacing the Ukrainian hryvnya in most transactions. Numerous video bloggers are documenting daily life after Russian troops invaded and seized control of the city.
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A private research university, Central European University, has organized courses for Ukrainian students who were forced to interrupt their studies due to the war. The Invisible University started as an online program with summer courses now being held at CEU's Budapest campus.
Oh and it catches lots of waves too.
In global crisis, UofSC developing pipeline of supply chain experts

Hands-on experience, industry certification accelerate alumni career paths

Rony Ruiz is a conductor.

But as a supply chain leader, the University of South Carolina alumnus orchestrates teams and clients rather than instrumentalists, delivering a noteworthy $400 million in electricity for his employer, ABB.

Ruiz navigates an industry as complex as a symphony for a company that provides the critical power supply for businesses ranging from small strip malls to nuclear power plants, hospitals, airports and even pop-up COVID labs and clinics.

And like the best concert maestros, Ruizs decisions must be timed precisely to avoid critical delays in treatment or safety hazards.

Supply chain operations is a very dynamic environment, says Ruiz, a 2008 graduate of the Darla Moore School of Businesss operations and supply chain program. If you enjoy problem-solving, then this is the place for you.

A student works on their capstone project at Nephron Pharmaceuticals. UofSC alumni are among the highest compensated supply chain graduates in North America, according to Gartner Research Rankings.

The supply-chain industry has been thrust into the spotlight over the past three years as unprecedented demand and limited global supply have yielded consumer shortages in goods such as toilet paper, lumber, cream cheese and cars.

But as the demand for industry professionals to manage the crisis has grown, so, too, has recognition of the Moore Schools undergraduate and graduate programs. The undergraduate program climbed in June to No. 3 in the nation, jumping two spots from 2020 on the rankings list from global research firm Gartner, while the graduate program soared in July to No. 6, climbing 16 spots.

Tsvetelina Mueller chose the Moore Schools OSC program because it combines industry certification with classroom learning and hands-on experience. The 2009 international MBA alumna now applies that knowledge as a supply chain manager for Roche in Thailand.

The practical experiences of directly consulting with a customer was very beneficial, says Mueller.

Sanjay Ahire, Mungo distinguished professor and co-director of operations and supply chain management, ties the success of leaders like Ruiz and Mueller to the Sonoco-UofSC Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Initiative, which launched in 2008 and recently celebrated a milestone of 1,500 Green Belt graduates.

Through that industry-recognized certification, students learn to see everything as a process that can be streamlined, and then they apply statistics to ensure their redesigned and improved process can easily be repeated.

Liz Lafitte, a 2009 graduate, still uses the essential skills from the Green Belt curriculum in her current role as the global operations manager for Meta.

Define, measure, analyze, improve, control  that is the exact same thought process I take with everything I do, Lafitte says. That foundational understanding is the spinal cord of my job.

The Moore Schools undergraduate and graduate OSC students alike learn to apply the process to real-world scenarios by completing intensive capstone consulting projects with Fortune 500 companies. Every semester, teams of four to six students address a live operation and supply chain challenge with guidance from a faculty expert. The teams identify recommendations, pilot them as needed and then provide clients with a road map for execution.

Supply chain operations is a very dynamic environment. If you enjoy problem-solving, then this is the place for you. Rony Ruiz, 2008 graduate

Over the years, students have provided us some very good, implementable and practical solutions, says Jim Prescott, Sonocos industrial supply chain director. The capstone program creates a framework for a student to learn the specific skills theyre going to need when they go to a company.

In 14 years, the student teams have worked on more than 300 projects, identifying more than $315 million dollars in client-validated recurring savings.

We help companies not only solve their current challenges but also make their supply chains and operations robust for any uncertainties and unforeseen scenarios like what has happened with the pandemic-related issues of supply chain, Ahire says.

BMW project manager Chris King says he didnt realize the uniqueness of the Moore Schools capstone program until he entered the workforce.

It was unbelievably beneficial to have that kind of real-life experience, to get out of a classroom, to get out of theory, to get out of a textbook and see what it really looked like, says King, who graduated in 2013. That jumpstart was paramount for my career.

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(Photo : Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) A model of the Loch Ness monster stands outside a visitor centre on March 30, 2012 in Drumnadrochit, United Kingdom.

According to researchers, the Loch Ness monster may have been a long-necked freshwater dinosaur based on the fossils they unearthed from a 100-million-year-old river system that is now the Sahara Desert in Morocco Daily Star reported.

Experts from the University of Bath said that they found fossils of small plesiosaurs, a long-necked marine reptile from the dinosaur age, that would have lived in Loch Ness in Scotland. Dr. Nick Longrich, who helped produce the study, said that the plesiosaurs were found in freshwater, so they could have also lived in a lake.

Fossil Remains Points to Plausible Existence of Loch Ness Monster

Researchers from the University of Bath collaborated with experts from the universities of Portsmouth and Hassan II in Morocco to study the fossils, which included neck and backbones, as well as teeth and an arm of a 5-foot baby plesiosaur.

Daily Star reported that the team hinted the creatures used to live and feed in freshwater bodies alongside crocodiles, frogs, fish, turtles, and the aquatic dinosaur called spinosaurus.

Dr. Longrich noted that the isolated bones illustrate what ancient ecosystems might look like. He pointed out that although the plesiosaurs were always referred to as marine reptiles, they could have also invaded freshwater.

Scientists found the fossils in the river system in what is now the Sahara Desert. Most of the bones were believed to come from a 9.8 feet ( 3 meters) long adult plesiosaur, except for the shorter fossil that could have belonged to a baby plesiosaur.

Dr. Dave Martill, a professor of paleontology at the University of Bath, said that the site at the ancient Moroccan river contains various bones of many carnivores that once lived together, which is amazing since it was not a place to go for a swim.

The theory is one of the recent ones that aim to explain the existence of the Loch Ness monster, wherein another theory postulates that it could exist in an alternative universe like the Netflix show Stranger Things.

Ron Halliday, a Scottish, said that Loch Ness could have existed in another universe and that somehow interactions between portals have led some humans in the past to see the mysterious lake monster.

Despite this new claim, some skeptics say it would be impossible for plesiosaurs to live with the Loch Ness monster because they need a saltwater environment. Also, plesiosaurs died 66 million years ago when dinosaurs also died after an asteroid hit Earth.

ALSO READ: 10-Foot Monstrous Worm With a Cobra-Like or Dragon Head Rivaled the Mysterious Loch Ness Sea Creature [Report]

About Plesiosaurs: Size, Habitat, Facts

According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, plesiosaurs were long-necked marine reptiles that lived 215 million to 66 million years ago during the Triassic Period into the Cretaceous Period. They are widely found in the European seas and the Pacific Ocean, as well as in Australia, North America, and Asia.

Early plesiosaurs were estimated to have grown up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) long that had a broad, flat body and relatively short tail. It was able to swim using its fins, just like how sea lions swim. Experts believed that plesiosaurs used their flexible long necks to move side to side through schools of fish and used their sharp teeth to capture prey.

The early evolutionary line of plesiosaurs suggests that they split into two, wherein one developed a shorter neck and the other one retained its long neck that has become very flexible with 76 vertebrae in its neck. For now, there is no evidence yet to conclude that they were the Loch Ness monster, given that they went extinct alongside other dinosaurs millions of years ago.



RELATED ARTICLE: Bizarre Loch Ness Monster Theory Suggests It Could Just Be a Whale's 'Snake-Like Penis'



Check out more news and information on Loch Ness Monster in Science Times.
(Photo : Simon Delalande/Unsplash) Jolie nuit d'ete en France

Scientists discovered that the millisecond pulsar, Black Widow, is spinning 707 times per second, making it one of the fastest spinning neutron stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Based on the research, it consumed nearly the entire mass of its companion star, making it the densest and heaviest neutron star.

How are Neutron Stars Formed?

According to Roger W. Romani, an astrophysics professor at Stanford University, neutron stars are so dense that one cubic inch weighs more than 10 billion tons.

Astronomers generally believe that when a star with a core mass greater than 1.4 solar masses collapses at the end of its life, it produces a dense, compact object with an interior under such intense pressure that all atoms are smashed together to form a sea of neutrons and quarks.

These neutron stars are born spinning and, albeit too dim to be seen in visible light, expose themselves as pulsars, releasing light beams, waves, and rays that flash on Earth as they spin, much like a lighthouse's rotating beam.

Alex Filippenko, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, explained that a neutron star is like one giant nucleus. However, it is unclear how it will behave when it has one-and-a-half solar masses, which is about 500,000 Earth masses of nuclei clinging together.

ALSO READ: Did Scientists Just See A Black Hole Swallowing a Neutron Star for the 1st Time?





Black Widow Pulsar Star Features

Black widow pulsar was discovered in 2017. The name refers to the tendency of female black widow spiders to swallow the much smaller male after mating. The stars' cores are the densest matter in the universe short of black holes, which are impossible to study because they are hidden behind their event horizon. The neutron star is identified as a pulsar known as PSR J0952-0607. The data was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The neutron star's mass was determined through the high sensitivity of the 10-meter Keck I telescope in Maunakea, Hawaii. The telescope could record a spectrum of visible light from the blazing companion star, which had shrunk to the size of a big gaseous planet. The stars are approximately 3,000 light years from Earth in the Sextans constellation.

The researchers utilize the Keck I telescope six times in the previous four years, using the Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer in 15-minute chunks to catch the faint companion at certain points in its 6.4-hour orbit around the pulsar. By comparing the spectra to those of similar sun-like stars, they could determine the companion star's orbital velocity and calculate the neutron star's mass.

They have looked at approximately a dozen black widow systems so far, but only six of them had partner stars luminous enough to compute mass. All of the neutron stars involved were less massive than the pulsar PSR J0952-060.

"We can keep looking for black widows and similar neutron stars that skate even closer to the black hole brink. But if we don't find any, it tightens the argument that 2.3 solar masses is the true limit, beyond which they become black holes," Filippenko said.

Romani added that it is right at the limit of what the Keck telescope can do, so barring fantastic observing conditions, tightening the measurement of PSR J0952-0607 likely awaits the 30-meter telescope era.

RELATED ARTICLE: Black Hole or Neutron Star? Unknown 'Free-Floating' Compact Object in Milky Way Discovered Through Gravitational Microlensing

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
A California state auditors report slammed the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday for what it called a lethargic approach to funding projects that should be getting safe drinking water to nearly 1 million state residents who do not have it, many of them in disadvantaged communities.

The State Water Board has funding available to help these failing systems improve the quality of their drinking water, the auditor wrote. Nonetheless, the board has generally demonstrated a lack of urgency in providing this critical assistance.

The issue, the report said, is the increasingly long times the board is taking to get that money out the door to pay experts to upgrade and install clean drinking water systems.

Over the past five years, the average length of time for water systems to complete their applications and receive funding nearly doubled, from 17 months to 33 months, the report said.

And the issue is urgent. About 370 systems that provide water to 920,000 Californians did not meet water quality standards as of December. More than two-thirds of those systems were in disadvantaged communities, the report found.

Many agricultural communities in the Central Valley have been particularly affected, with farm-based contaminants like nitrate and arsenic contaminating drinking water.

The report said that nearly 240 of these water systems have been failing for three years or more, and more than 150 have been failing for five years, and that the longer they languish, the more expensive they become to fix, not to mention the mounting negative health effects.

The water board in response said it disagreed with the framing of the report, insisting the drinking water program  called Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience  had moved as quickly as possible to assist water systems and communities with managing complex drinking water challenges.

The boards statement outlined its successes since 2019, including providing access to clean water for 650,000 state residents.

The auditors report did not take into account the volume of applications the agency receives, the board response said, adding: Between the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 fiscal years, the number of projects identified for funding more than doubled, from 123 to 250, and we have received more than five times the number of applications compared to seven years prior (the 2014-2015 fiscal year).

The auditors report also included a lengthy response from water board Executive Director Eileen Sobeck.

Sobeck quibbled with the auditor reports title, which called out the board, saying, It Lacks the Urgency Necessary to Ensure That Failing Water Systems Receive Needed Assistance in a Timely Manner. She wrote, Holding ourselves, our funding recipients, and technical assistance providers accountable is critical, but she added that it was difficult to say whether delays were the result of the pandemic or supply chain issues instead of things in the boards control, like how quickly it processes an application.

Sobeck also pointed to the funding boost of $130 million annually for 10 years, provided by the state in 2019, that was aimed at helping smaller, disadvantaged communities, and an additional $650 million for drinking water systems set aside in 2021.

Sobeck and the auditors report both pointed to changes in state law that required it to focus on more smaller and less sophisticated water systems, increasing application processing times.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Sobecks response also said the boards technical assistance providers were overmatched by increased demand, but said five more had been added to the pool as of June.

The auditor also criticized the oversight, or lack thereof, of projects once they were finally approved and funded.

In one instance, the board assigned a provider for a technical assistance project for the South Kern Mutual Water Company in December 2019.

However, the State Water Board did not recognize until 10 months later that the provider had not performed work on the project, and eventually the State Water Board had to assign the project to another provider, the audit said.

Sobeck said the board supported the reports recommendation to create performance measures for those kinds of jobs, and that the Division of Financial Assistance intends to create an online funding dashboard to monitor progress.

In a response to Sobecks comments, the reports authors said they stood by their chosen title. They did also acknowledge that much funding had gone to disadvantaged communities.

However, our report demonstrates that the State Water Boards process for providing this funding is taking far too long and the State Water Board has not made sufficient efforts to address this problem.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
Most Bay Area cities have seen their youth populations decline over the past decade, likely a consequence of the regions increasingly staggering cost of living. But some cities have seen steeper drops in kids than others, and the cities with the fewest children and teens to begin with mostly appear to have stabilized.

Of the 102 Bay Area towns and places with 5,000 people or more, just 10 saw their share of people under age 18 grow, according to a Chronicle review of census data. And of these 10 cities, nearly all saw very small gains of under 1 percentage point.

The city that saw the largest drop in kids was East Palo Alto. The citys share of under-18s dropped 6.5 percentage points, going from 31.9%  the largest share of any city in 2010  to 25.4%, the eighth most of any city in 2020.

As of 2020, the Bay Area city with the largest share of kids is San Ramon. The midsize town in Contra Costa County, home to Chevrons corporate headquarters, is 27.3% under-18, so over a quarter of its population is underage. (San Ramons under-18 share of the population also dropped over the decade; in 2010, it was 29.6%.)

Just one place, in fact, saw its youth share increase: Dublin, an East Bay town of nearly 63,000 residents. The citys kid share went from 22.4% to 26.3%, a gain of about 4 percentage points. This shift caused Dublin to rocket upward in the kid-population rankings, going from roughly the middle of the pack in 2010 to the city with the fifth-highest share of kids in 2020.

It actually doesnt surprise me to hear that we gained in youth population, Linda Smith, Dublins city manager, told The Chronicle. She explained that the citys fast-paced development helped make room for young families. From 2010 through 2020, according to housing permit data from the census, Dublin approved construction for more than 9,000 new housing units, or about 1,244 units per 10,000 people as of its 2020 population  a rate nearly triple that of San Francisco.

What we have seen is that families are attracted to Dublin because it is a safe community, with master planned developments and a robust park system and trails, Smith continued, adding that the public school district has seen a recent influx of new students.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Meanwhile, most of the towns that started with very few kids gained a small share over the decade, though the impact of this growth on their overall rankings was negligible. Four of the 10 cities with the fewest kids as of 2020 saw their under-18 populations grow as a share of overall residents, including Sausalito (8.7% to 9.5%), Emeryville (10.2% to 10.8%), Berkeley (12.3% to 12.4%) and Walnut Creek (16.7% to 17%).

San Francisco, which fell into the bottom five for Bay Area cities with fewest kids in both 2010 and 2020, did see a decline in its under-18 share over the decade. But the decrease was small  kids went from comprising 13.4% of S.F.s population to making up 13% of it.

Chronicle data reporter Adriana Rezal contributed to this report.

Susie Neilson (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com
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Gov. Gavin Newsoms office renewed its commitment on Wednesday to launching Californias biggest water project in half a century, unveiling a newly configured plan for a 45-mile conveyance tunnel through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The estimated $16 billion pipeline, iterations of which have circulated for decades, is designed to better move water from the states wet, rural north to drier, more populated points south. The proposed tunnel would allow water shipments to bypass the deltas sensitive wetlands and aging water infrastructure, thereby protecting and even boosting water supplies for the Bay Area, Southern California and farmland in between.

The idea, however, has faced longtime opposition, as well as funding shortfalls. The Newsom administration hopes to clear these hurdles by altering the plans of his predecessors, notably downsizing the project to one tunnel instead of the two proposed by former Gov. Jerry Brown. The project is also routed farther east, close to Interstate 5, where construction would be less of a burden on delta towns.

You know that Gov. Newsom, when he took office, took a step back and looked at whether this project was necessary, Wade Crowfoot, the states natural resources secretary, told reporters this week. The assessment that we collectively made is that delta conveyance remains essential for our water future.

With drought and climate change, Crowfoot said the need for a more water-resilient water supply is only growing.

The new plan, officially called the Delta Conveyance Project, was released by the state Department of Water Resources as part of the projects draft environmental impact report.

The 3,000-plus-page document, which details the proposal as well as various alternatives, marks an early but critical stage of an initiative that could benefit 27 million Californians who receive water through the delta. The project, though, would have big and sometimes grave impacts on the 1,100-square-mile region and its many communities.

This vast estuary east of the Bay Area, now mostly farmland, is where Californias two largest rivers converge and where water is pumped off to cities and agricultural suppliers to the south. Because of the innumerable problems there, from endangered fish to increasingly salty water to crumbling levees, the water supply remains vulnerable. Often, water shipments are constrained.

The proposed tunnel would draw water from the Sacramento River at the north end of the delta, where most of the estuarys water enters, and carry it underground to the south end of the delta where its exported, hence skirting the region and theoretically its problems.

Crowfoot added that, without the upgrade of a tunnel, a major earthquake in the delta would upend Californias water supply and prompt an unprecedented public health crisis.

Critics, though, have long decried the push for new conveyance as a thinly veiled water grab. They say such a project would deprive the delta of needed inflows and leave the regions farmers, small towns and fish and wildlife with less.

Theres also concern about the inconvenience of years of construction and state land acquisitions, including the displacement of dozens of homes and buildings, that would be necessary.

Its not a good thing, said Glenn Burgin, a fourth-generation delta grower who produces alfalfa, corn, wheat and rice on Roberts Island, just west of Stockton.

Like many farmers in the area, who generally take an opposing view to the agricultural interests to the south that stand to benefit from more delta water, Burgin fears that freshwater exports from the region would increase seawater intrusion from San Francisco Bay.

If we get salt coming into our water, were done for, he said.

State officials insist that the project would not cut into local supplies. Existing regulation, they say, maintains flows for water users, water quality and fish and wildlife.

Only during wet periods would more water be sent off through the tunnel, officials say.

Part of the reason more water would be available is that exports are currently limited because the giant pumps that move water south are sometimes slowed or shut down to protect threatened chinook salmon and delta smelt.

The pumps can alter currents in the delta and suck up fish. With the tunnel able to move water past the pumps, water could be shipped even when the pumps arent operating.

The pumps would remain in use when they dont pose problems, offering a secondary method of pushing out water.

If the tunnel would have been in place during the big storms at the end of last year, state officials estimate that they would have been able to export an additional 236,000 acre-feet of water. Thats enough to supply about 2.5 million people for a year.

For the project to move forward, not only does the Newsom administration have to overcome opposition but it will have to make the case to supporters that there will be enough extra water produced, or at least enough current risk to supplies, to justify the cost. There are also numerous approvals and permits the state will need to obtain from local, state and federal authorities to address such items as water quality and wildlife.

The cost is being borne by the agencies that contract for the water, from Southern Californias huge Metropolitan Water District to the Bay Areas Santa Clara Valley Water District, Alameda County Water District and Zone 7 Water Agency. No state tax dollars will fund the venture.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

One of the reasons that former Gov. Browns tunnel proposal didnt get off the ground was that many benefactors didnt think the expense was worthwhile. Water contractors will likely have to raise customer rates to pay their share of the cost.

The estimated $15.9 billion price tag for the new project is approaching the estimated cost of Browns bigger, dual-tunnel proposal, which would have been able to move about 50% more water. However, that plan would likely have been billions of dollars more today due to rising costs.

Making things tougher, the federal government, which also moves water through the delta and operates one of the pumping stations there, has so far declined to participate in the project, meaning it wont help with the bill. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provides delta water primarily to farms in the San Joaquin Valley, which have been wary of shouldering the tunnel expense.

Santa Clara Countys Valley Water, which receives much of its supply from the state, said it supports the new project, and will continue to back it financially, because it adds reliability to water for nearly 2 million people in the South Bay.

We are pleased that the Delta Conveyance Project is reaching an important milestone, Valley Water Director Tony Estremera said in a statement to The Chronicle.

The idea of steering Northern California water around the delta dates back more than 50 years. One of the original brainstorms was to build a peripheral canal around the region, a proposal that was shot down by voters in a 1982 ballot initiative.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger more recently tried to jump-start the canal plan before Gov. Brown altered the vision, proposing a pair of massive tunnels.

State officials will take public comment on Newsoms plan and its environmental documents through Oct. 27. The draft environmental impact report will be followed by a final report, at which time the Department of Water Resources will make a final decision on whether to move forward with the single tunnel.

Permitting and final design could take through the end of the decade, with another 10 to 12 years for construction.

Brett Baker, a water and land-use attorney in Stockton whose family grows pears near Courtland in the delta, acknowledges that the region has problems. However, hed like to see a more surgical and less invasive fix than a tunnel, suggesting, for example, habitat restoration projects to contain saltwater and upgrades to levees to ensure the safe flow of water.

There are a lot of incremental things that can be done to improve the functioning of the delta, he said. Theyre just not as sexy.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
The relative calm that had marked Californias early wildfire season ended Friday with the explosion of the Oak Fire in Mariposa County.

Hot gusts of air engorged gray pyrocumulus clouds that spewed ash and firebrands. Fast-moving flames climbed and toppled trees. And while fire crews have quickly contained the majority of California wildfires this year, it took three days to get any containment on the fire.

Such extreme fire behavior has Californians wondering if the Oak Fire marks the start of a season of mega-fires. The answer largely depends on geography and weather.

This is effectively the start of peak fire season, said Neil Lareau, a University of Nevada Reno assistant professor of atmospheric science. The higher-elevation forest fires are kind of coming online at this time of year.

Wildfire season more frequently stretches into typical offseason months during winter and spring, prompting a now-commonly-heard mantra that wildfire season is year-round. But there are still routine peaks in California, when severity amps up.

Scientists like Lareau and others see the Oak Fire marking the beginning of the early season fire peak. Fire behavior during this first summer peak, which often picks up in July and August, is driven mainly by hot temperatures, dry air with low humidity levels and a buildup of parched vegetation from months without significant rain. Then autumn often brings a second and even more dangerous peak of wildfire activity, where blazes are largely driven by winds.

The way in which the Oak Fire has played out exemplifies the early summer fire-weather dynamic, said Tami Lavezzo, senior scientist of Petaluma environmental consulting firm Sonoma Technology, Inc., which specializes in wildfire and severe weather events.

The winds in that area right now are not very high. Temperatures are starting to heat up in the morning, and the landscape heats up so fast  thats whats fueling the fire growth, Lavezzo said.

For a fire to take off, the right mixture of ingredients needs to come together: high temperatures, low humidity and wind. But theres more than one recipe for extreme, dangerous fire behavior.

Its not a one-size-fits-all fire-weather pattern here in California, said meteorologist Jeff Beamish, also of Sonoma Technology, Inc. You have coastal climates, you have mountain climates, you have inland climates. Each and every one of them is going to have different weather behaviors that could influence fires and fire weather.

How devastating a fire is also hinges on longer-term factors, like drought.

These forests are just packed with dead fuels  downed trees, logs, branches just stacked on the ground, said Craig Clements, director of San Jose State Universitys Fire Weather Lab, speaking about the Central Sierra region, where the Oak Fire is burning.

Ethan Swope/The Chronicle

The Merced and Fresno areas have seen just about 60% of their annual average precipitation to date. Deeper into the Sierra Nevada near Sonora, only 45% of annual expected rainfall has fallen this water year.

As summer turns to autumn, downed logs, trees and shrubs dry out further.

Clements, Lavezzo and Lareau pointed to August, September and through the fall as being the highest-risk time of year for damaging wildfires to erupt in Northern California and the Bay Area.

Historically, the majority of Californias most destructive and deadliest fires have been in the late summer and fall. The Camp Fire in November 2018 caused 85 deaths and destroyed 18,804 structures. The fire was ignited by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines, but dry fuels and strong, gusty winds resulted in extreme fire growth conditions.

The fall fires are potentially a lot more damaging, a lot more dangerous, said meteorologist Jan Null, with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. Every little bit of brush and smaller branches have dried out.

On tap: peak temperatures for much of the Bay Area and Central Coast, as well as Diablo winds. These strong winds blow offshore from the northeast and are most frequent in the fall.

More than any other ingredient, wind drives intense and dangerous fire behavior, said Lareau with the University of Nevada Reno. Whereas winds blowing the Oak Fire around have averaged around 5 to 10 mph, fall Diablo winds can produce gusts that blow 60 mph.

Erratic fires driven by wind often mean homes are destroyed, firefighters injured and people killed.

Gusts also wick away remaining moisture that shrubs, grass and dead vegetation are holding onto, increasing the potential for flames to topple trees and spew embers in fire tornadoes.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The impact of daily weather is already playing out in what weve seen this fire season, Clements said.

While in the Central Sierra  where the Oak and Washburn fires have been burning  temperatures have routinely reached 100 and above in the last weeks, the Bay Area and large swaths of Northern and Central California have been sheltered from such highs.

Most of the state has seen cooler July temperatures compared with the average. There have been few major heat waves this summer.

Ethan Swope/The Chronicle

In general, fire risk has been high in the Sierra, its foothills and inland Northern California, and lower in the Bay Area and near the coast  but that could change.

Theres day-to-day variability in fire danger, fire risk that is weather-driven, Clements said. And thats what were seeing. Its been a little cooler, and thats why weve lucked out.

Don Bullard, battalion chief and fire marshal for the Woodside Fire Protection District, said how the rest of fire season goes will depend on that day-to-day weather.

I think the determining factor is how our weather pattern is going to play out between now and the end of October, Bullard said.

The Southwest is also still squarely in monsoon season. Theres a chance that such storms  which draw moisture from the gulfs of Mexico and California and can bring with them the threat of dry lightning  could stall out over California.

I think maybe weve been lulled a little bit into complacency with the slow start of fire season  we didn't flip the on switch as early this year, but were at that point now, Lareau said, Its hard to think were going to avoid some really significant fires as we move through the rest of the summer.

Hannah Hagemann (she/her) and Jack Lee (he/him) are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: hannah.hagemann@sfchronicle.com, jack.lee@sfchronicle.com
UPDATE: Here are the latest updates on COVID in the Bay Area and California.

Los Angeles officials signaled they may pause a plan to reinstate universal indoor masking rules now that coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have dipped slightly. Californias latest COVID-19 surge may have peaked, according to a Chronicle analysis of state data. The average income of people who moved out of San Francisco during the early days of the pandemic surged from a year earlier, as more wealthy, white-collar workers, many of whom could work remotely, left the city.

Latest updates:

Adults with young children were less likely to develop severe COVID, study finds

Adults with young children were less likely to develop severe COVID than adults without children, suggesting that exposure to their childrens colds could provide some protection against severe illness, according to a study published Wednesday by Kaiser Permanente researchers in Northern California. COVID-19 and about a quarter of viruses that cause the common cold are part of the coronavirus family. Every parent knows that young children are vectors for cold viruses, and adults who are exposed to them at home or through their work report getting sick often, lead author Dr. Matthew Solomon said in a statement. But exposed adults often report they dont get as sick after a few years. One possible explanation is that constant exposure to colds helps people develop some immunity to these viruses. The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that adults without children who got COVID were 49% more likely to be hospitalized and 76% more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit than adults with COVID who had children under five years old. The study looked at medical records for more than 3 million adult members of Kaiser Northern California from two years before the pandemic through the first year of COVID.

Woman sues L.A. schools, claiming son was bribed with pizza to take vaccine

A woman who claims her teenage son was bribed with pizza at a school event to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District. Maribel Duarte claimed at a news conference Wednesday that her 13-year-old boy, who attends Barack Obama Preparation Academy in South Los Angeles, received the shot without her consent and is suffering from unspecified side effects, according to TV station KTLA. He is not the same anymore. He is lacking rest. He doesnt sleep well, she said. Hes not normal to me. Duarte added that her son, whom she said forged her signature, previously suffered from asthma and a bleeding disorder. She believes the vaccine exacerbated those conditions, despite scientific research that shows the shots are safe and effective. This is not a conspiracy theory, this is not an anti-vax case, Duartes attorney Nicole Pearson said. This is about parental rights, about having the ability to protect your children.

Millions of U.S. children remain unvaccinated as school year approaches

About 9 million children aged 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 30% of that age group, according to data posted Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But fewer than 3% have received their booster shots. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, about 15 million are fully vaccinated, representing 60% of that age group, yet 10 million who are eligible for booster doses have not yet received their third shots. The vaccination rates for school age children are above the national average in California but millions of children remain vulnerable to the coronavirus as the BA.5 sublineage of omicron continues to gain dominance and protection from the primary vaccination series wanes. Bay Area health officials have renewed calls for families to keep their children up to date on their shots. Ready for back-to-school season? Well, COVID is. Get your little ones vaccinated before school starts, the San Francisco Department of Public Health tweeted Thursday.

Biden tests negative, exits isolation

President Joe Biden on Wednesday emerged from five days of isolation after contracting the coronavirus, telling Americans that COVID isnt gone but saying serious illness can be avoided with vaccines, booster shots and treatments. You dont need to be president to get these tools, he said. Biden had a mild bout with the virus that has killed millions of people around the world and disrupted daily life for more than two years. God bless you all, and now I get to go back to the Oval Office, he said as he finished his remarks in the Rose Garden and returned to the West Wing, according to the Associated Press. Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. He tweeted a photo of his negative coronavirus test Wednesday and said Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support.

UCSFs Wachter says its reasonable to hope for lull in U.S. cases by early fall

UCSF Chair of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter tweeted Wednesday that with no signs so far of a COVID surge in the U.S. driven by the BA.2.75 variant, it was reasonable to hope for a lull in cases in early fall across the country. If that holds true, it would mark a welcome break in what Wachter described as a relentless pattern: new variants  each more infectious & immune evasive  replacing prior virus, leading to our frustrating case plateau.

Late night host Meyers tests positive again, cancels shows

The host of NBCs Late Night with Seth Meyers has canceled his show for the rest of the week after testing positive for the coronavirus for the second time. After negative tests Monday and Tuesday I tested positive for COVID this morning, Meyers tweeted Wednesday. Canceling shows the rest of this week. Apologies to our scheduled guests and loyal viewers. The Saturday Night Live alum previously had COVID-19 in January.

NBA unlikely to mandate vaccines for the 2022-2023 season

The NBA will strongly recommend but not require that players, coaches and staff members get vaccinated against COVID-19 for next season, according to a league memo obtained by Yahoo Sports. The report said that unvaccinated players may be subject to periodic testing, pending discussions with the National Basketball Players Association. The policy would mark a continuation of last seasons policy, which allowed local jurisdictions to set vaccine requirements  though most population centers in the U.S. have now lifted those requirements.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Some COVID-19 trends improving in California, but hospitalizations and deaths rising

Californias BA.5 surge may have peaked, with new cases trending down, according to state data analyzed by The Chronicle. The state reported an average of 43 new daily cases per 100,000 residents on Tuesday, down from 49 per 100,000 two weeks ago. The Bay Area is also showing improvement, with 38 cases per 100,000 as of Tuesday, a 21% decrease since July 12. Californias average coronavirus test positive rate, which reflects the proportion of tests coming back positive, fell to 15% after peaking at 16.3% on July 15. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator of pandemic trends, are rising. There were 4,826 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state Tuesday  up from 4,377 two weeks ago  with 907 in Bay Area hospitals. Deaths are also up. Nearly 44 people die of COVID-19 daily in California, with the Bay Area reporting seven new daily deaths.

Los Angeles may be able to avoid new mask mandate this week

With signs that COVID-19 may be slowing down in Los Angeles County, health officials are now reconsidering what had appeared to be a march toward a new universal indoor mask mandate. Recent declines in case numbers and coronavirus-positive hospitalizations could pull the county back from the brink of such a mandate, news accounts reported. We may be positioned to pause the implementation of universal masking, Barbara Ferrer, the countys health director, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The county is set to decide on the mandate by Thursday.

Ferrer said if the countys hospital admission rate of new COVID patients falls to 10 per 100,000 residents, it would trigger a reassessment on the need to re-implement an indoor masking mandate. The county did not have current hospitalization data Tuesday due to a reporting delay from the California Department of Public Health. It is categorized by the CDC in the high transmission level, and the Los Angeles Times reported that the county was averaging about 6,100 coronavirus cases a day over the previous week, as of Monday, which was down 11% from the prior weeks average of nearly 6,900 cases a day.

Bay Area vaccination for babies and toddlers outpaces national average

About 24% of Marin County children ages 6 months to 4 years, who became eligible for COVID vaccination shots last month, have gotten their first dose  much higher than the 3% of children nationally. Several other Bay Area counties are reporting similar rates: in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, 21% of children in this age group have gotten their first dose. In Alameda County, 16% of babies and toddlers have gotten their first shot. Vaccine uptake for these youngest Americans has long been expected to be lower than that in older children and adults, and the latest local and national figures reflect that. The Bay Area had already gotten off to a fast start three weeks after the shots became available.

Marin case rates near January high, but hospitalizations stable

Wastewater surveillance data shows COVID-19 infection rates in Marin County are now similar to those reached at the peak of the first omicron surge in January, but hospitalization rates remain stable  which means the risk of an infected person being hospitalized is decreasing over time, county Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Death rates are down significantly thanks to immunity from vaccination and prior infection, widespread availability of the oral antiviral Paxlovid, and the most recent variants being less virulent, he said.
Sixth-grader Staci Edwards burst through the door of her East Palo Alto home to excitedly tell her parents about a plan to build a new youth community center in their community. Her dad had grown up in this chronically underserved city, and had heard this type of promise before.

Oh, yeah, cool, Edwards recalls her dad saying. I dont think my parents believed me.

But this is one promise that was kept and Edwards got to help design the building and choose its name, EPACenter (pronounced epicenter). Then she helped pick the names of the classrooms and the classes that would go into them. It took around 10 years, plus two lost to COVID-19, and by the time the center finally opened for summer school, Edwards had aged out of summer day programs.

But that doesnt mean she is done with the initiative: She has a paid summer job as a program intern and a smile so wide that an N95 mask cannot hide it.

I could not fathom this place being built, and now here I am, said Edwards, now 19 and a rising junior at the University of San Francisco. She was sitting in the courtyard at 5 p.m. with a view of the daily transition from youth classes in art and hip hop dancing to the centers evening session in sound engineering, drone photography and graphic design.

The summer session is at capacity with a trio of three-week sessions of 80 kids in the free daytime classes and 47 students in the evening program, which offers a paid internship for people ages 16-25 to learn a marketable skill. That is not counting the marketable skill the founding youth members like Edwards learned in getting the place built and operating to begin with.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

The only aspects that did not directly involve the founding youth members were purchase of the land and paying for the construction. That was handled by the foundation of Atherton residents and philanthropists Marcia and John Goldman. They didnt divulge their investment amount.

Our foundation decided to try something different  to listen to the young people we hoped to serve, said John Goldman, who comes from a long line of philanthropists. His parents, Richard and Rhoda Goldman, gave away $700 million over the course of 60 years. It seemed to us that promises were often made to the East Palo Alto community, but these promises were left unfulfilled.

To make sure this project does not follow that sorry pattern, the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation has pledged to contribute to the operating budget of more than $2 million a year thats also funded by other foundations and San Mateo County.

They wanted to take something that was a negative and turn it into a positive, said the new centers executive director, Nadine Rambeau.

The negative refers to the prior condition of the property. It was an industrial chemical plant that became a Superfund toxic cleanup site out toward the end of Bay Road where there are still corrugated steel warehouses and vacant lots. It took a long time just to get the site ready for construction, but Edwards and the other students involved from the start were patient in their planning.

A project this big in East Palo Alto, said Edwards. There is nothing even close.

The facility is 25,000 square feet of LEED platinum certified construction on two levels. It would have been cheaper to build it on one level, but the kids said, We dont get a chance to see our city, Rambeau said. So they put on a second story with a view of the bay on one side and the mountains on the other.

The founding youth group helped call the shots from the start. They selected the architect Kulapat Yantrasast and the landscape architect Walter Hood. They chose the color scheme, and they chose the names for the various rooms. The Vibe is where dance is taught and The Mix is where sound recording is taught. The Splat is for arts and crafts.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

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Construction started in October 2018. Edwards, who grew up and still lives three blocks away, would not allow herself to believe that EPACenter would actually happen until she saw a time-lapse camera set up on a post to record it. Only then did she race home and burst through the door for a second time with an update for her parents.

They are ready to show that they are actually doing this, she said of the time-lapse video posted to social media. She wont forget May 15, 2021, the date that the community design team was given an exclusive tour, a year before the center would open. There are no words to describe the emotions I was feeling, she said, willing to take a stab at it anyway. This starts a movement to amplify the voices of people of color and highlights our passions and goals and moves it forward.

One person putting the movement into practice is Cristina Velazquez, a teacher of arts and crafts. She came with her family from Mexico when she was 11, a non-English speaker. But the reputation of East Palo Alto in those days as a murder capital was easily translated into all languages.

Velazquez went through the public school system and got her bachelors degree in fine art from San Jose State University followed by two advanced art degrees from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is qualified to teach art anywhere and could certainly find a job closer to her home in the Central Valley.

But she makes the commute to the Peninsula every week and when the drive gets to be too much she sleeps over at her mothers home in East Palo Alto. She teaches four art classes five days a week, and expects to continue into fall, teaching after-school, evening and weekend classes, as the center becomes fully operational.

I tell my students all the time that I did not have anything like this growing up. This is a gift, she said at the end of a long workday. This place is my priority because I grew up here, and I was taught to give back. So I dont mind driving three hours to work.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com
Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle 2021

A man was shot and killed early Wednesday morning at a homeless encampment in West Oakland, authorities said, and police were investigating it as a suspicious death.

Oakland police officers responded to reports of a shooting at a homeless encampment on the 2300 block of West Street just after 1 a.m., police spokesperson Candace Keas said in a statement.
One of the Bay Areas few remaining roller skating rinks, which had been set to close permanently this month  and eventually be razed and replaced by a housing development  will remain open indefinitely, its owner said Tuesday.

The Golden Skate, a fixture for 47 years in San Ramon, had announced that Sunday would be its final day in business. City officials last year approved a proposal from owner Hassan Sharifi, who purchased the Golden Skate in 1995, to redevelop the site into 47 townhome units.

Over the past several decades, as skating rinks across the region have shuttered, the Golden Skate became a hub for the roller skating community in the Bay Area and surrounding regions.

Sharifi announced he was closing the rink in a letter in October 2021, saying the company had suffered enormous financial damages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rink closed when the pandemic shutdown began in March 2020 and reopened in May 2021, but the goal of breaking even or achieving profitability proved unrealistic, the letter said.

Sharifis age was also a factor in the decision, he told The Chronicle. Im in my 80s and I dont know how long I can continue, he said.

Since the closure announcement, throngs of people have flocked to the Golden Skate to bid their farewells.

Many shared memories of countless hours gliding around the hardwood floor, attending birthday parties or working their first jobs there.

Said goodbye to my hometown skating rink where I worked and played for many years in my teens, one person wrote in an Instagram post.

However, people will have the chance to continue skating at Golden Skate  for now.

Sharifi told The Chronicle on Tuesday that he had decided this week to keep the rink open until he can find a developer to build the proposed housing, or unless a buyer offers to keep the rink open. Recent news reports of the skating community sharing their memories and saying their goodbyes really got me, he said.

The overwhelming, kind response from our local patrons, Bay Area adult skaters and our local leaders and friends to what we have been doing for so many years has caused us to (reconsider) our decision to close the Golden Skate at the end of July, Sharifi said.

Our dedicated staff has agreed to stay for (the) unseeable future and enjoy the happiness of so many young and old adult skaters visiting our rink on a regular basis, he said.

A statement subsequently posted on the Golden Skates website said the rink plans to remain open through at least the end of 2022.

The San Ramon Planning Commission in December approved a proposal from Sharifi to build housing on the property where the Golden Skate is located.

Bay Area cities are under pressure to meet Californias ambitious, mandatory production goals to help ease the housing crunch.

The proposed development, called the Windflower Fields Townhomes, would include 47 for-sale townhomes and an additional 16 accessory dwelling units that would be built into the townhomes and rented below market rate.

As of Tuesday, building permits had not been issued for the San Ramon project, and it was not immediately clear when construction would begin, said Cindy M. Yee, a planner with the city. She said it can take years before a property owner finds a developer and starts construction on a project.

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Sharifi has a three-year time frame to find a developer for the Windflower Fields Townhomes, and can request an extension that does not exceed a total of three years, Yee said.

The fact that no developer has yet come on board and that construction has not begun is not something that would register as anything we would necessarily need to be concerned about, she said.

Sharifi said he has received offers from developers but none that could be completely mutually agreed on. He declined to elaborate further, saying negotiations between buyer and seller were confidential.

Grashan Austin of Oakland told The Chronicle that Golden Skate was where he first started skating, and he also began his DJ career there. Its a home for many newer and older skaters alike, he said.

Golden Skate remaining open for now could be like the rebirth of something new for the culture of skating in the Bay Area, he added.

Ive got a lot of memories here, said Austin, who started DJing at Golden Skate in 2017. If it wasnt for this rink, to be completely honest, I probably would not be the same skater and the same DJ that I am today.

Michelle Ritchie of Castro Valley told The Chronicle it was "amazing" that Golden Skate will remain open indefinitely.

"Skating is more than a hobby. It's an absolute way of life," said Ritchie, 43, who has been skating at Golden Skate since she was a child. "Saving our rinks is my big message."

Jessica Flores (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
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Oakland Chinatown leaders announced a $20,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to an arrest in the fatal shooting of a ride-hailing driver that occurred in broad daylight near the citys Little Saigon.

Kon Patrick Fung was shot and killed around 11 a.m. on July 17 while starting his shift as an Uber driver on the 2000 block of 13th Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a shooting, they found Fung, 52, with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier this month, Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said two people approached Fungs car and shot him within seconds in what police think was a robbery or carjacking. Police did not say whether anything was stolen or where they found his body.

On Tuesday, Armstrong joined Chinatown and Little Saigon community leaders to announce the reward if someone shares information that leads to an arrest. Oakland City Council members and mayoral candidates Loren Taylor and Sheng Thao also attended.

Amaya Edwards / Special to The Chronicle

At the press conference, Armstrong announced that he has appointed a Vietnamese-speaking liaison officer to Little Saigon, a neighborhood within the citys San Antonio District thats centered around International Boulevard and East 12th Street. Armstrong is also working with a business to open a police satellite station there.

Business owners, whove spoken out about robberies, break-ins and assaults, say the fatal shooting is alarming. Armstrong said in June there was an uptick in robberies in the neighborhood. Merchants and community members wrote a letter to the city requesting more resources.

Little Saigon has seen a 10% increase in robberies, from 42 at this time in 2021 to 46 so far this year, according to the Oakland Police Department. The neighborhood had a 33% increase in shootings, from 18 at this time last year to 24 so far this year. Little Saigon has had a 50% increase in aggravated assaults  from eight at this time last year to 12 this year.

The violence in Oaklands Little Saigon is reminiscent of the uptick in crimes in Chinatown last year.

Armstrong has described Little Saigon as the most violent beat in the city, but it has been under-resourced and doesnt get as much attention as other parts of the city. Armstrong, who noted that homicides and shootings throughout Oakland are down this year, said hes committed to addressing the crime in Little Saigon by using a strategy that was successful in Chinatown: Flood the area with police as a crime deterrent and call on the community to help. Chinatown also launched teams of civilian foot patrols in response to the crime spike last year. As a result, Armstrong said Tuesday, Chinatown is a lot safer than a year ago.

We are hoping this is a good example and a good way to keep the entire city of Oakland safe, said Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, who was at Tuesdays event.

Amaya Edwards / Special to The Chronicle

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Nolan Wong, owner of a laundromat at Ninth Street and International Boulevard, urged residents to work with police and to look out for one another.

This is not acceptable behavior, Wong said. This has to be stopped. We all want a better environment for our children.

Jennifer Tran, president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, said Wong witnessed a couple getting assaulted outside his business last year. She also urged more support from city leaders and called on the community to support one another.

While we really appreciate the sympathy and the work our leaders are doing ... we cannot wait for another tragedy to happen, she said.

Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Over the last half century, Napa Valley has fought to be recognized as one of the best places in the world to grow vines and make wine  and its safe to say its succeeded.

The valley attracts nearly 4 million visitors a year, according to Visit Napa Valley, who come to taste its famous Cabernet Sauvignon, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and take in the beautiful scenery. Wines from Napas top estates command as much praise  and as much money  as any in the world: Many of its bottles are so collectible, and represent such strong investments, that theyre traded at auctions.
Regarding Tallying the toll of 2020 S.F. exodus (Front Page, July 26): Instead of bemoaning the loss of taxpayers, focus on the fact that there is more space in San Francisco, probably fewer cars and fewer people using water. The supposed ideal of a larger population that just keeps growing, isnt good.

Fewer people likely means more places to rent out or buy. My guess is that it means a slightly older population. That should be taken into account in city planning. More slow streets should be made. John F. Kennedy Drive should stay closed.

Maybe life in the city could become a little calmer. As a longtime resident, I would like that.

Mary Gardner, San Francisco

Dems hurt by in-fighting

Regarding Citing attack ads, Assembly candidate leaves race (Bay Area & Business, July 24): I was sorry to see that my friend Giselle Hale dropped out of the state Assembly race but I understood completely why she felt she had to do it.

When the flyers filled with innuendo and lies began to arrive in my mailbox, I was appalled. Ive known Giselle since the 2008 Obama campaign and to imply that she supported Trump in 2016 turned my stomach. And the flyer was sent by the California Realtors Association.

However badly I felt for Giselle, what bothered me even more was that a Democrat was using MAGA tactics on a fellow Democrat, and if that continues, we are truly lost. No one will know what to believe. It will be hard for me to vote in November since Im not sure I want somebody representing me in the Assembly who uses such tactics.

Karen Canty, Redwood City

Save the great sequoias

Regarding Emergency steps to shield giant sequoias from wildfires (Bay Area & Business, July 25): It pains me to contemplate the fate of this venerable grove of towering trees. Seeing them is awe-inspiring.

The proposed legislation mentioned, although small in scale, would provide much-needed federal funding to enact fire preventative measures to protect sequoias. However, it must be part of more comprehensive strategies to address the perils related to climate change.

Many more forests besides our beloved sequoias are under threat. Once the trees are gone, global warming and loss of biodiversity will accelerate.

Only Congress can affect the bold measures required and it has been derelict in putting forth large-scale solutions. This proposal is one tiny step co-sponsored by Rep. Kevin McCarthy but the larger Republican Party is putting a straitjacket on Americas ability to neutralize the climate crisis. Tiny steps are not going to cut it.

Barbara Jue, San Francisco

Deportations unjust

Regarding Stop double-punishing immigrants (Open Forum, July 25): My heart goes out to Phoeun You, the Cambodian immigrant who had to spend 26 long years, the prime of his youth, in San Quentin State Prison, only to unfortunately end up awaiting deportation in an immigration detention center.

I endorse his viewpoint that double punishment meted out to immigrants must stop. As a man reformed and repenting for the crime he committed as a neglected youth, he does deserve a new lease of life to contribute to the society.

One could only wish for the smooth passage of AB937 that could put an end to this merciless incarceration of immigrants with no end in sight.

Vaithianathan Subramanian, Lafayette

Let police watch us

Regarding Dont allow surveillance state (Editorial, July 24): I totally disagree given the dramatic increase in personal and property crime. Police are hired to protect us and should be given all the latest tools, including using video surveillance, to do so. If one is in a public area, there is no right to privacy.

The rampant violence against people and property needs to stop and law and order restored.

Charles Chu, San Francisco

No to noncitizen voting

Regarding All parents have say in schools (Open Forum, July 26): The arguments for noncitizen voting in school board elections should be rejected. By extension, noncitizens could say that since they pay taxes and utilize government services, they should be able to vote for all elected officials and get voting privilege for everything.

Voting in America has been a privilege of citizenship. We cannot give the vote to anyone who steps off a jet or crosses the Rio Grande.
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, a moderate who has led the states highest court since 2011, announced Wednesday she will not seek a new term in November and will retire in January after 32 years as a judge. Gov. Gavin Newsom, if he wins re-election in November, will nominate her successor.

Cantil-Sakauye, now 62, took office in January 2011 after being appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. She had been a Sacramento County prosecutor and a staff aide to Gov. George Deukmejian before he appointed her as a county judge in 1990, and Schwarzenegger promoted her to the Court of Appeal in 2005.

A Sacramento native, she was a student government leader and homecoming queen at McClatchy High School, then attended UC Davis and its law school. Her father worked on sugar cane and pineapple plantations in Hawaii, and her mother, an immigrant from the Philippines, was a farmworker in the Central Valley. She is the second woman, after Rose Bird, and the first person of color to serve as chief justice.

My first interaction with our justice system was when my family faced eviction from our home and my mother felt helpless, Cantil-Sakauye said in her retirement announcement. As the daughter of farm workers, I experienced in my community what it was like to stand up for your rights and demand protections. As a wife I felt the impact of unjust Japanese internment on my in-laws.

As a judge I saw the devastating effects of family violence and established the first court in Sacramento dedicated solely to domestic violence issues. As Chief Justice I continue to keep in mind the faces behind the cases and remain focused on the goal of providing all Californians with equal, fair, and accessible justice.

The seven-member court currently has two Republican appointees, Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Carol Corrigan, and five appointees of Democratic governors, two of them by Newsom. Four of the justices are women.

Cantil-Sakauye leaves Californias courts in a far better state than when she arrived in 2011, when the judicial branch budget struggled to absorb major funding and services cuts as the state grappled with the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, said David Carrillo, executive director of the California Constitution Center at UC Berkeley Law School. He said the chief justice gained substantial funding increases and has also presided over a decade of increasingly consensus-driven decisions on the court, reversing a long trend of close vote splits and rancorous dissents.

If Newsom chooses one of the current justices as her successor, Carrillo said, the leading candidates would appear to be Goodwin Liu, the courts senior Democratic appointee, and Leondra Kruger, who was among President Bidens finalists earlier this year for the U.S. Supreme Court seat filled by Ketanji Brown Jackson. Both were named to the court by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The most likely approach is to appoint a sitting justice and then fill (that vacancy) to get a two-fer, said Clark Kelso, a professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. But then again, he might have a favorite candidate not currently on the court.

Speaking to reporters after her announcement, Cantil-Sakauye said she was proud to serve on a court in which all of us set aside our predisposed views, political positions. We work wonderfully together. The richest environment Ive ever been in.

The court has been relatively conservative on criminal justice issues, regularly voting to uphold death sentences, although Newsom has declared a moratorium on executions. But Cantil-Sakauye has been an outspoken advocate of eliminating cash bail, and a decision by her court last year prohibited trial judges from setting bail in amounts that a defendant cannot afford.

She was the author of unanimous rulings in the 2014 Garcia case, which allowed undocumented immigrants who pass the bar exam to practice law in California, and the 2018 Dynamex case, which limited the circumstances in which companies can classify their workers as independent contractors instead of employees.

She has the unusual combination of a spine of steel and a capacity for generous engagement with colleagues, said former Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, who served with Cantil-Sakauye from January 2015 until he left the court last October to become president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She could listen patiently but was also decisive when needed and could communicate with great clarity and eloquence.

She has also kept the court publicly accessible, streaming its hearings during the pandemic, and hosts annual meetings with reporters.

Asked to assess her own work, Cantil-Sakauye declined to single out a favorite ruling. But she said she particularly regretted sentencing juveniles to prison as a trial court judge, under laws that have since been amended. It causes me heart pain when I look back at that, she said, but the state is now moving in the right direction by reducing sentences for most young offenders and making the overall system less punitive.

She gave no specific reason for retiring, saying only that it was the end of my 12 years, the length of a justices term, and its just time. And she has no concrete plans, except that therell be no politics in my future.

Newsom issued a statement praising Cantil-Sakauye as a fierce defender of access to the courts, citing her work to reduce bail and fines on low-income defendants, and her vocal opposition to immigration officers raids on courthouses. He did not mention any plans or criteria for choosing her successor.

Cantil-Sakauye said she spoke with Newsom, congratulated him on his COVID-19 programs and offered to help in picking her replacement. But the governor did not ask for a list of names, and she did not provide one, she said.

In choosing her successor, the governor will have a diverse pool of exceptionally well-qualified jurists and legal professionals to choose from, and I believe the judiciary, the courts and access to justice in California will be in good hands, Cantil-Sakauye said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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Twitter canceled its Oakland office plans and downsized at its San Francisco headquarters and elsewhere, the latest example of cost cutting in the tech industry.

The social media network scrapped a lease signed less than a year ago at 1330 Broadway in Oakland for a satellite office. It is also shutting down its 1 10th St. office, which is connected to its main 1355 Market St. headquarters building in San Francisco. The company had most recently sought to sublease 174,000 square feet across five floors there, roughly a fifth of its entire headquarters. Twitter is exiting an additional four floors for a total of nine.

Twitter, which cut staff and enacted a hiring freeze earlier this month, said no layoffs were planned.

We are evaluating our global office portfolio and re-sizing certain locations based on utilization. Weve proven we can operate our business successfully with a distributed workforce over the years and remain committed to our employees, our customers, and the markets we serve, a spokesperson said. The company allows employees to permanently work remotely.

Bloomberg first reported the news.

Numerous tech firms have downsized by laying off employees or cutting down offices in recent months, as the once soaring stock market has struggled and growth has slowed. Layoffs have hit San Francisco companies like Lyft, Unity and Substack, while Twitters Mid-Market neighbor Block said it wouldnt renew its headquarters lease when it expires next year.

Twitter faces additional challenges, including an acquisition deal with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that imploded. Twitter and Musk are likely headed to court in Delaware in October as the company seeks to force him to complete it. The company reported a loss of $270 million in the second quarter as advertising spending dropped.

Twitter also plans to downsize in Tokyo, Mumbai, New Delhi and Dublin. In addition, offices could potentially close in Seoul; Wellington, New Zealand; Osaka; Madrid; Hamburg; Sydney; and Utrecht, Netherlands. A small Bay Area office in San Jose is remaining open.

Even big tech is slowing growth. Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebooks parent company, Meta, have all said theyre slowing hiring after two years of massive growth during the pandemic.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company would be disciplined in its spending as the global economy faces more uncertainty.

When youre in growth mode, its tough to always take the time to do all the readjustments you need to do, and moments like this gives us a chance. So I view it as an opportunity, he said during an earnings call on Monday.

The company is still growing. Last month, Google subleased 300,000 square feet in San Franciscos South of Market, the citys biggest pandemic-era deal.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Wednesday announced that longtime psychiatric nurse Monifa Willis will head the offices Victim Services Division, naming the offices latest high-ranking post after an upheaval of firings, demotions and terminations.

The Victim Services Division provides the offices main point of contact with crime victims and their families, helping them to find support and resources and navigating them through what can be complex legal proceedings.

Willis will step into a key position previously held by Kasie Lee, who was hired by Jenkins predecessor Chesa Boudin and whom Jenkins demoted to assistant district attorney in the juvenile unit two weeks ago. Lee had also helmed the juvenile division under Boudin.

In a Wednesday interview with The Chronicle, Willis said working with crime victims has been a crucial point in (her) career, and said her 20-plus years of experience in the field as a clinical care clinician has helped her understand the needs of the community.

I really want to increase communication and collaboration between the assistant district attorneys and the victims advocates, Willis said. Its crucial for them to have a healthy working relationship where theres transparency to ensure survivors have a voice and feel supported.

Most important, Willis said, she plans to draw from her own experience as a family member of a crime victim.

I lost a brother to violent crime, Willis said. So therefore, its very important to me. This is beyond books and articles.

In announcing Willis hire, Jenkins said she wanted to signal to victims and their families that her office will serve as a champion for them and their rights.

Jenkins, a former prosecutor under Boudin, quit the DAs office last year to help lead a successful recall against her old boss. After being tapped Mayor London Breed as Boudins successor, Jenkins initiated a massive personnel shake-up that included the terminations of 15 employees and at least six voluntary departures.

Willis marks the latest appointment who will fill in some of these high-ranking roles. Over the past two weeks Jenkins has also announced the new members of her top leadership team and the chief investigator for police misconduct cases.

Helping victims of crime and their families is a top priority for me and a critical service we provide for those who need support during the most desperate of circumstances, Jenkins said in a statement about Willis. No longer will victims be left in the dark about the services or support that they deserve.

Jenkins statement was a nod to what some former victims services staffers told The Chronicle was a lack of communication to victims while Boudin was in office.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Lee at the time said the office was working to ensure victims were kept in the loop as their cases progresssed, and Boudins team highlighted multiple expansions including multi-lingual staff hires and a division dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander crime victims.

Boudins 2021 appointment of Lee  who was the only Cantonese-speaking criminal law specialist in San Francisco  was viewed as a key win for the citys AAPI community amid a rash of high-profile attacks against elderly Asian victims. Criminal law specialists are certified by the state bar as experts in their field.

Willis will oversee a team of 20 to 40 victim services advocates and said her first goal is to review the policies as they stand. She may also need to make some new hires of her own, as four victim service advocates have announced their departures since Jenkins took office.

Willis most recently worked as an assistant clinical professor for the Department of Community Health Systems at the University of California San Franciscos School of Nursing.

She starts at the District Attorneys Office Aug. 8.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Standing on the side of Highway 116, which winds through the dense forests of western Sonoma County, John Dunlap looked across the Russian River into a stand of tall trees and pointed out one old redwood in particular.

Its really a hidden gem here thats kind of out of sight, out of mind, he said. But that doesnt mean it isnt deserving of our attention.

Up from the riverbank near Guerneville is the countys tallest tree, an estimated 2,000-year-old, 340-footer known as the Clar Tree. Once thought to be the highest tree in California, it carries the name of a timber family that lived in the area back when it was a logging capital. It is easily identifiable by its dead, forked crown  the result of a lightning strike some years ago.

Passersby wouldnt be able to glean the trees significance at a glance  its prominence is somewhat camouflaged by its brethren  yet the Clar is at the center of an impassioned dispute over how best to care for Californias iconic, old-growth coast redwoods, the towering titans that have inspired generations of naturalists but were nearly cut to extinction during Californias frenzied development 150 years ago.

The tree stands at the edge of a 224-acre property of redwoods, firs and oaks that has been logged in pieces for decades and is considered a high fire hazard severity zone. The Cloverdale timber company that owns the land, Redwood Empire Sawmill, is intent on harvesting redwood there sustainably and as soon as possible.

The company submitted its timber harvest plan two years ago to an environmental review team led by Cal Fire. Now, after a delay related to the public notification process, the agency is poring over several hundred public comments and is expected to issue its decision any day. It could approve the plan outright, which would allow the loggers to get to work, or it could return the plan with suggested changes.

The deluge of community responses is due in part to a grassroots effort led by Dunlap, who recently formed the Guerneville Forest Coalition, and other conservationists to persuade forest authorities to rethink logging practices around virgin redwoods.

The question is not whether the Clar Tree should be spared the saw. Everyone, including the timber company, acknowledges its historical significance and agrees it should be preserved  a change from the 1980s when a different timber company tried to harvest it but was stopped after legal action.

Its a legacy tree for the county. Its unique. We dont have any intention of affecting it, said Nick Kent, resource manager for Redwood Empire, which owns 200,000 acres in California. We feel were protecting the Clar Tree by just not operating around it.

Redwood Empires plan includes a 75-foot no harvest radius around the tree. But opponents say thats not nearly enough space. They want a radius equal to the Clars height, which would amount to a no-cut area greater than 8 acres.

For something as tall and majestic as that tree, 75 feet is just not adequate, Dunlap said. Since we dont have many old-growth trees left, we need to be more vigilant in protecting them.

Provided by John Dunlap / Guerneville Forest Coalition /

Redwood Empire aims to selectively cut about one-third of the trees  mostly redwoods  on the property. The company says it will aid the long-term health of bigger, older trees there.

But several locals worry that removing too many redwoods would compromise the visual aesthetic of the scenic highway corridor. Others harbor concerns about the possibility of erosion and landslides on the sloping terrain.

Redwoods often intertwine their roots for collective stability, and one argument holds that removing the Clars neighbors would increase its exposure to winds barreling down the river canyon that could uproot the tree.

Some residents argue the redwoods should be left alone entirely as habitat for flora and fauna that may include the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet, both threatened species.

Redwoods are a national treasure that take generations to cultivate, resident Casey Costello wrote in an email to Cal Fire last year.

A key point of contention is what effect logging might have on the possibility of forest fire.

Tens of thousands of acres have burned in Sonoma County in the past five years, and theres palpable angst in the public comments about heightened risk of wildfire if more flammable trees like tanoaks or bay trees grow back in place of cut redwoods.

Redwood Empire and Cal Fire, however, contend that the style of selective cutting outlined in the harvest plan will reduce the fire danger. In an email to The Chronicle, a Cal Fire staff chief wrote that the vegetative fuels reduction and slash treatment will result in a slight reduction in fire risk.

We feel like we really went above and beyond in designing the plan, said Kent, of Redwood Empire. The end result is, were going to stabilize the roads and reduce the fire hazard out there.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Dunlap and other environmentalists say they arent opposed to logging on principle but that there is more at stake near a 2,000-year-old redwood.

To bolster his argument, Dunlap contacted Todd Dawson, a UC Berkeley professor who has studied coast redwoods and giant sequoia forests for 30 years. Dawson believes science is only beginning to plumb the depths of the trees importance. For example, redwood forests critical ability to store more carbon dioxide per acre than any other forest on Earth was discovered only recently.

Dawson cited a nascent body of research showing that the roots of established trees swap nutrients and water with expansive subterranean fungi networks  linkages called mycorrhizal connections. The benefits of these symbiotic relationships are not fully understood, Dawson said, but researchers believe that below-ground disturbances can have consequences for the surrounding forest.

Scientists havent yet tested the activity of redwood root systems in this regard, Dawson said, because its so bloody hard to study.

But Dawson says some scientists believe redwoods are more sensitive than we know.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

He remembers conferring with other redwood researchers at a conference in 2004 about a troubling trend theyd noticed at Avenue of the Giants Parkway, the scenic roadway that snakes through a spectacular expanse of old growth redwoods in Humboldt County. Shortly after pavement had been laid along a segment of dirt roadway there, several of the trees crowns began thinning out  a puzzling change.

People who knew the trees before and after wondered whether putting in the roads was responsible for the change we saw, he said.

Redwood Empires harvest plan makes no mention of possible impacts to the root-fungi connections, which Dawson says almost certainly extend beyond 75 feet from the base of the tree and could be hurt by heavy equipment churning through the soil.

Thats not something we normally cover in the harvest plan, Kent said. Thats pretty speculative.

Dawsons ideas are referenced in some of the comments submitted to Cal Fire, including one authored by Sonoma County Natural Resource Manager John Mack. Mack submitted a note to Cal Fire requesting that the protective buffer around the Clar Tree be extended to at least the trees height, or that the agency or timber company provide a scientific justification of the efficacy of an approved buffer.

In my view, there should be a formal investigation to find out to what extent the tree would suffer negative effects if there was high activity outside that 75-foot buffer area, Dawson said. Until we know that, we should literally be treading lightly.

As the debate around the harvest area enters its third year, Redwood Empire has opened the possibility of cutting its losses by abandoning its plan and selling the land. However, the property isnt listed for sale and the company wont specify a purchase price for the 224 acres.

Wed accept reasonable offers from anybody, Kent said. We dont have it listed but if someone wants to buy it, wed listen.

To that end, the company invited Sonoma Land Trust and representatives from two Sonoma County supervisors out to survey the land. But no deal has been reached.

We assessed the feasibility for our successful involvement and decided since the Clar Tree is required to be preserved under the (timber harvest plan), we have other more urgent conservation priorities to pursue, Sonoma Land Trust Executive Director Eamon OByrne wrote in an email to The Chronicle.

The Bodega Land Trust has expressed interest in buying a slice of land surrounding the Clar Tree and also tried to persuade Redwood Empire to agree to a conservation easement over that part of the property, but the company isnt interested in either option.

Easements are a good tool, but they affect the property value, Kent said.

Cal Fire is expected to respond to the plan soon. If the harvest plan is approved, Dunlap says he would consider mounting a legal challenge.

Dunlap believes the tree isnt properly appreciated in part because its inaccessible to the public. Hed like to see the area turned into a nature preserve, perhaps with a hiking trail up to the Clar Tree.

Wed love to see a situation where people could raft or kayak along the river, dock along the bank and walk up and see the tree, he said. Clearly, the public hasnt been made aware of what we have here.

Gregory Thomas is The Chronicles editor of lifestyle & outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @GregRThomas
JERSEYDALE, Mariposa County  Firefighters continue to make progress against a huge California forest fire that forced evacuations for thousands of people and destroyed 41 homes and other buildings near Yosemite National Park, officials said Tuesday.

Crews battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County got a break from increased humidity and lower temperatures as monsoonal moisture moved through the Sierra Nevada foothills, said a Tuesday night report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

After minimal growth Monday and overnight, the blaze had consumed nearly 29 square miles of forest land, with 26% containment on Tuesday, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Although good progress continues on the fire, there is much work to be done," Cal Fire said.

Crews were able to strengthen some areas of fire line although steep, rugged terrain was challenging firefighters on the northern and northeastern sides of the blaze, making it inaccessible to bulldozers and requiring fire lines to be cut by hand, Cal Fire said.

Smoke from the blaze also was hampering aircraft, the agency said.

About 6,000 residents from mountain communities were still under evacuation orders, although a few places were downgraded to advisories Tuesday afternoon.

Heavy smoke from the fire drifted more than 200 miles, reaching Lake Tahoe, parts of Nevada and the Bay Area, officials said.

More than 3,000 firefighters supported by two dozen helicopters and 94 bulldozers were battling the blaze that erupted last Friday southwest of the park, near the town of Midpines. It exploded in size on Saturday as flames churned through tinder-dry brush and trees amid the worst drought in decades.

Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 thats one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

The Oak Fire burned as firefighters also made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite. The Washburn Fire, spanning a 7.6-square-mile area, was 91% contained on Tuesday after burning for more than two weeks and moving into the Sierra National Forest.
News

Senior housing labeled as affordable excludes many seniors

Craig Lee/The Examiner Rita Lui, a housing counselor with the Chinatown Community Development Center, leads a group that helps seniors find affordable housing. Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner The Ping Yuen Central housing project, a residential hotel owned by the Chinatown Community Development Center, is home to many seniors who cannot access affordable housing.

When 64-year-old Xue Mei Liang was, after a long wait, finally selected in The Citys lottery to move into an affordable senior housing unit at 735 Davis St., her initial excitement soon turned into despair. She discovered that her income wasnt considered sufficient to cover the rent for a majority of the senior housing units available, even though they were labeled affordable.

Liang now lives in private housing with her husband, who is in poor health and struggles to make any financial contribution. Despite working in a caretaking job, her monthly household income of $1,600 is not enough. Thats because under current rules, household income must equal twice the rent. This means an $800 per month unit is the most she can be eligible for, and such units are extremely rare. She also cannot retire, for that extra income is the only thing keeping her household afloat.

I feel disappointed and anxious, said Liang in Taishanese, a dialect native to Guangdong, China. The 735 Davis St. residence she had applied for had more than 2,800 applicants, but only 37 units, and even fewer that met her income level. My mother couldnt get affordable senior housing for such a long time that she passed away while waiting.

RELATED: Supervisors approve affordable housing measures, access for vets

At the Community Tenants Association organized by Rita Lui, Liangs story is not unique. Most elderly people who seek help from the association face language barriers and need help filling out applications. They also face geographical restrictions when it comes to housing, since they rely heavily on community services where their languages are spoken, like the Chinese Hospital in Chinatown. Lui has seen too many cases where elderly people who have applied everywhere for a decade never received a lottery, like 80-year-old Guo Ren Wang, who has been applying for affordable senior housing for more than a decade.

I still remember that half a year after my 90-year-old mother passed away, a letter came to inform us that she received her lottery, said Wang. He now lives in an SRO in Chinatown with his wife and depends on their daughter for groceries due to a walking difficulty. Relying solely on retirement pensions, his family is unlikely to ever be eligible even if they are to be chosen in a lottery. I cant help but feel like I might end up like my mother.

Based on a recent policy analyst report submitted to Supervisor Gordon Mar, approximately 25% of seniors aged 65 and older have incomes below 150% of the federal poverty level. The Planning Department also found in 2018 that nearly half of all senior-headed households earned less than 50% of Area Median Income (AMI). However, the rents charged for a majority of affordable senior housing units are based on the renter having an income of 50% AMI or above.

Take 735 Davis St. as an example. Most units for a two-person household are set at 50%, 60%, and 70% AMI, which would respectively mean a monthly rent of at least $1,048, $1,436, and $1,496. Data analysis done by the Senior Housing Research Project also found that most affordable senior housing in the city would require at least $2,100 of monthly income for a household to become eligible. But the vast majority of senior renters who live alone fall below this amount.

Many elderlies lose their partner, and when they do, they tend to lose their affordable housing, too, since the household has lost half of its income, said Lui. They often have to scramble for housing while going through grief and loss. This shouldnt happen.

Lui and many housing rights groups have been advocating to abolish using the AMI to set rent levels. They believe that lottery receivers should only pay 30% of their total household income, however much that is and however it may change, while the city subsidizes the remaining amount if there is a gap. This would prevent seniors from being permanently ineligible or losing housing when their circumstances change. She described the current situation as putting the city in a bind, since the senior population is projected to grow by more than 65% in 20 years, but affordable housing construction in the city costs between $700,000 and $900,000 per unit, making them expensive to rent.

The building cost of housing is high. We dont know where that kind of funding is going to come from to fill in the gaps if we adopt a 30% income flexible rent, which we should, she said.

The disconnect between needs and cost of building is further highlighted by an intensifying debate between the mayors office and the Board of Supervisors over housing plans.

Supervisor Connie Chans Affordable Housing Production Act (AHPA), which is co-sponsored by five other supervisors, aims to focus on increasing affordability and on accelerating review and approval of affordable housing projects.

Mayor London Breed has a similar measure called Affordable Homes Now, except that it would build both market-rate housing as well as more affordable housing, and it would allow the definition of affordable housing to go up to 140% AMI. While the city has already exceeded its state-mandated goals for market-rate units, critics argue that Chans AHPA measure sets the bar for affordability so high that it wont result in new housing at all, because it would not be financially feasible to build.

Were not the only California city thats facing a housing crisis, so its time we ask the state government to step in and solve this problem with us, said Chan, we are going to continue to push for the state to fund a higher per-unit building cost and reconsider their current criteria.

AHPA has received the support of a majority on the Board of Supervisors, while Breed aims to get her housing measure on the ballot through signature-gathering. These two dueling measures are now both expected to appear on the November ballot.

I hear a lot of stories in public comment sessions and it is heartbreaking, said Chan. She says she looks forward to having more conversations with all parties, including affordable housing managements, to work on preventing seniors from losing housing. Were going to have to make sure we build houses that are actually at affordable rates, because many that now identify as below market rate units are still out of reach.
San Francisco supervisors sent a unified plea to Washington on Tuesday evening, urging the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to halt patient transfers out of Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center as the facility seeks to regain certification.

Federal regulators at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, are requiring that Laguna Honda discharge as many patients as possible before Sept. 13, the soonest possible date of closure for the hospital if recertification is unsuccessful.

Laguna Honda had transferred 57 out of 681 residents as of Tuesday, according to a data dashboard updated by the hospital. Four of those who moved died within just a few days after their relocation. At least three were sent to homeless shelters.

We have been pressured aggressively  for not moving frail patients and transferring quickly enough. Now we have had four patients who have died after they transferred from Laguna Honda, said Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district includes Laguna Honda. We are urging them in light of this fourth death to reverse the decision.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pass a resolution that calls on U.S. Secretary Xavier Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services to suspend the requirement to relocate and transfer vulnerable patients at Laguna Honda Hospital while it is trying to regain certification.

The resolution urges Becerra to extend Medicare and Medicaid payments until the certification process is complete, likely at the end of the year.

The full board also approved asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and state public health chief Tomas J. Aragon to declare the closure of Laguna Honda an emergency and to stop the relocation of residents.

We cannot declare victory yet, but the pressure to stop this brutality was just increased significantly today, said Joseph Urban, whose mother-in-law lives at Laguna Honda. This cause isnt a theoretical problem. Four people from Laguna Honda have already died because of this CDPH & CMS program. More are about to die if it continues.

Urban started an online petition to stop the relocations at Laguna Honda which has gathered more than 1,400 signatures.

In April, federal regulators ordered Laguna Honda to relocate patients after cutting the hospital off from Medicare and Medi-Cal payments following a series of inspections that showed noncompliance on a number of safety issues. Those citations included finding illicit substances and drug paraphernalia on site, and failure to adhere to some hygiene and equipment safety protocols.

The resolution put forward by Supervisor Melgar is largely symbolic and does not carry any binding authority. The hospital must continue to implement its closure plan unless a change of action is approved by federal regulators.

Elder care advocates and medical and legal experts are baffled by the situation unfolding at Laguna Honda. Politicians are increasingly joining the chorus calling on government and regulatory officials to pause the relocations until the hospitals future is more clear.

If Laguna Honda wasnt doing the right thing, why not give them the time to get this done? You could give Laguna Honda time to get things in order before you move everyone out, said former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne. I just find it unconscionable to be discharging the residents under all of these circumstances.

The 156-year-old hospital is the largest skilled nursing facility in California, and one of the fewer and fewer places in San Francisco where low-income people and seniors with a wide range of medical needs can age in place or receive rehabilitative services.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Mayor London Breed and now the full Board of Supervisors have expressed their support for keeping the hospital open and extending Medi-Cal and Medicaid payments through the end of the year.

We now need to see some compassionate leadership from both Gov. Newsom and Secretary Becerra. Ultimately, this reflects poorly on Becerras boss, President Biden, Urban said. The Federal governments program has just killed four residents from the countrys largest skilled nursing facility. Stopping this program is the only option for a just society to consider.
San Francisco supervisors are going to have to decide who they disagree with more: one another or state legislators.

After Mayor London Breed vetoed the Board of Supervisors much-debated fourplex legislation, the supes will again contemplate how to increase housing development in residential neighborhoods.

The fourplex bill would have eliminated single-family zoning in The City and allowed up to four units of housing on any lot and up to six units on a corner lot. But Breed axed it, arguing it circumvented a state law meant to increase housing density.

That state law, SB 9, requires cities to allow duplexes on any lot zoned for single-family homes, and streamline the approval process.

The bill passed by supervisors and vetoed by Breed last week would have one-upped SB 9 by eliminating single-family zones and allowing fourplexes by default. But it was weighed down by so many amendments and conditions that its critics  including Breed  lamented it wouldnt lead to any new housing.

The supervisors could have overridden Breeds veto with support from eight members on Tuesday but failed to do so. Supervisors Matt Dorsey, Ahsha Safai, Shamann Walton and Catherine Stefani voted to sustain Breeds veto for varying reasons. Walton, for example, feared the measure would lead to gentrification of neighborhoods he represents, while Safai worried it ran afoul of SB 9.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who authored the bill, now wants to dismantle the legislation and pass as many of its components as possible  several of which he believes can secure a veto-proof majority of the 11-member Board of Supervisors, he told The Examiner on Monday.

Meanwhile, Safai now sees daylight to revive his own proposal, which also would have allowed fourplexes on every lot. Safai plans to amend his legislation, dropping affordability requirements for new units but ensuring they are subject to rent control.

If it does nothing, The City will be forced to comply with SB 9, co-authored by Sen. Scott Wiener. It effectively allows at least a duplex to be built in any single-family zone across California. It also allows single-family lots to be split into two and requires cities to not subject such developments to a laborious review process.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who played a key role in shepherding the local bill across the finish line, warned Tuesday that failing to override Breeds veto could force The City to go to the ballot to break the tie, which would be costly and could have unintended consequences.

Mandelmans strategy is built on the assumption that while a supermajority of the supervisors may not approve of his legislation, a supermajority will want to develop an alternative to SB 9. With its focus on duplexes, SB 9 is a fundamentally suburban approach to streamlining that isnt a good fit for a city like San Francisco, Mandelman said.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development backed Breed. In a statement, it argued the supervisors legislation maintained obstacles to development such as discretionary review, which allows neighbors to object to housing proposals.

Another controversial component of the bill, an amendment made by Supervisor Dean Preston, required a landlord own a property for at least five years before taking advantage of the additional density allowed under Mandelmans bill. Preston pitched it as a way to deter real estate speculation, but opponents claimed it was too onerous and would limit new housing development.

Breed signaled clearly she prefers the states approach to that of the supervisors.

Even more importantly, this ordinance shirks the citys obligation to comply with state housing laws and do our part to address the statewide housing shortage, Breed wrote in a letter accompanying her veto.

Mandelman believes his legislation would have been an incremental step toward increasing housing density in San Francisco. SB 9 contains its own tortured protections, Mandelman argued.

On Tuesday, frustrated supervisors called on Breed to specify which aspects of their bill drew her disapproval.

Ive been here for a minute or two, and Ive never seen political behavior like this, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

The debate over fourplexes is one piece of a larger, ongoing battle over the future of housing development in San Francisco. The City needs to develop a plan to add 80,000 new homes by 2031 under its Housing Element, and its leaders are still fighting over the details of fourplex legislation.

Were spending way too much time on this little piece, and we should be moving on and doing other things, Mandelman said.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of the company formerly known as Facebook, called his top lieutenants for the social network to a last-minute meeting in the San Francisco Bay Area this month. On the agenda: a work-athon to discuss the road map for improving the main Facebook app, including a revamp that would change how users browse the service.

For weeks beforehand, Zuckerberg had sent his executives messages about the overhaul, pressing them to increase the velocity and execution of their work, people with knowledge of the matter said. Some executives  who had to read a 122-page slide deck about the changes  were beginning to sweat at the unusual level of intensity, they said.

Facebooks leaders flew in from around the world for the summit, the people said, and Zuckerberg and the group pored over each slide. Within days, the team unveiled an update to the Facebook app to better compete with a top rival, TikTok.

Zuckerberg is setting a relentless pace as he steers his $450 billion company, which has been renamed Meta, into a new phase. In recent months, he has reined in spending, trimmed perks, reshuffled his leadership team and made it clear he would cut low-performing employees. Those who are not on board are welcome to leave, he has said. Managers have sent out memos to convey the seriousness of the approach  one, which was shared with The New York Times, had the title Operating With Increased Intensity.

Zuckerberg, 38, is trying to push his company away from its roots in social networking and center it on the immersive  and so far theoretical  world of the so-called metaverse. Across Silicon Valley, he and other executives who built what many refer to as Web 2.0  a more social, app-focused version of the internet  are rethinking and upending their original vision after their platforms were plagued by privacy stumbles, toxic content and misinformation.

The moment is reminiscent of other bet-the-company gambles, such as when Netflix killed off its DVD-mailing business last decade to focus on streaming. But Zuckerberg is making these moves as Metas back is against the wall. The company is staring into the barrel of a global recession. Competitors like TikTok, YouTube and Apple are bearing down.

And success is far from guaranteed. In recent months, Metas profits have fallen and revenue has slowed as the company has spent lavishly on the metaverse and as the economic slowdown has hurt its advertising business. Its stock has plunged.

When Mark gets super focused on something, it becomes all hands on deck within the company, said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook policy director and the founder of Anchor Change, a consulting firm that works on tech and democracy issues. Teams will quickly drop other work to pivot to the issue at hand, and the pressure is intense to move fast to show progress.

Meta declined to comment. The company plans to report quarterly earnings on Wednesday.

Zuckerbergs repositioning of Meta started in earnest last year, when he began rearranging his bench of lieutenants.

In October, he elevated a longtime friend and colleague, Andrew Bosworth, who is known as Boz, to chief technology officer, leading hardware efforts for the metaverse. He promoted other loyalists, too, including Javier Olivan, the new chief operating officer; Nick Clegg, who became president of global affairs; and Guy Rosen, who took on a new role of chief information security officer.

In June, Sheryl Sandberg, who was Zuckerbergs No. 2 for 14 years, said she would step down this fall. While she spent more than a decade building Facebooks advertising systems, she was less interested in doing the same for the metaverse, people familiar with her plans have said.

Zuckerberg has moved thousands of workers into different teams for the metaverse, training their focus on aspirational projects like hardware glasses, wearables and a new operating system for those devices.

Its an existential bet on where people over the next decade will connect, express and identify with one another, said Matthew Ball, a longtime tech executive and the author of a book on the metaverse. If you have the cash, the engineers, the users and the conviction to take a swing at that, then you should.

But the efforts are far from cheap. Facebooks Reality Labs division, which is building augmented and virtual reality products, has dragged down the companys balance sheet; the hardware unit lost nearly $3 billion in the first quarter alone.

At the same time, Meta is grappling with privacy changes from Apple that have hampered its ability to measure the effectiveness of ads on iPhones. TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app, has stolen young audiences from Metas core apps like Instagram and Facebook. These challenges are coinciding with a brutal macroeconomic environment, which has pushed Apple, Google, Microsoft and Twitter to freeze or slow hiring.

So, Zuckerberg has kicked his company into overdrive with a strong message: Its time to do more with less.

This month, Meta lowered its engineering hiring targets for the year to 6,000, from 10,000 to 12,000, and said it would leave some open positions vacant. Budgets that were once fat are being trimmed, and managers have been told not to expect unlimited head count for their teams. In a memo last month, Chris Cox, Metas chief product officer, said the economic environment called for leaner, meaner, better executing teams.

In an employee meeting around the same time, Zuckerberg said he knew that not everyone would be on board for the changes. That was fine, he told employees.

I think some of you might decide that this place isnt for you, and that self-selection is OK with me, Zuckerberg said. Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldnt be here.

Another memo circulated internally among workers this month was titled Operating With Increased Intensity. In the memo, a Meta vice president said managers should begin to think about every person on their team and the value they are adding.

If a direct report is coasting or a low performer, they are not who we need; they are failing this company, the memo said. As a manager, you cannot allow someone to be net neutral or negative for Meta.

Zuckerberg is focusing the efforts of those who remain on areas he believes will benefit Meta the most in the long term. Those include the metaverse, messaging, Instagram Reels, privacy, artificial intelligence and higher revenue from products that currently bring in little to none, according to Mr. Coxs memo, which outlined six investment priorities for the company in the second half of this year.

Meta is pulling back in some areas, including low-selling products like the Portal video chat device, which will no longer be offered to consumers and will instead be aimed at businesses. Mr. Bosworth has also halted development of a dual-camera smart watch, according to people with knowledge of the matter, though the company is working on other prototypes. Bloomberg reported earlier on the smart watch.

Just days after the work-athon with Facebook managers this month, Zuckerberg posted an update to his Facebook profile, noting some coming changes in the app. Facebook would start pushing people into a more video-heavy feed with more suggested content, emulating how TikTok operates.

Meta has been investing heavily in video and discovery, aiming to beef up its artificial intelligence and to improve discovery algorithms that suggest engaging content to users without them having to work to find it.

In the past, Facebook has tested major product updates with a few English-speaking audiences to see how they perform before rolling them out more widely. But, this time, the 2.93 billion people around the world who use the social networking app will receive the update simultaneously.

It is a sign, some Meta employees said, of just how much Zuckerberg means business.
Guadalupe Elementary School in southeastern San Francisco has less than $10,000 in its PTA budget. As a result, the school has been unable to complete a mural, unable to get computers and unable to rival the schools that have the means to raise millions to support supplemental programming for students.

Meanwhile, the excess Educational Augmentation Revenue Fund  the amount remaining after The City has met the minimum cost of funding local school districts  holds over $350 million, which traditionally has gone back to The City.

In an unanimous vote Tuesday the Board of Supervisors  with Hillary Ronen and Myrna Melgar at the forefront  approved a ballot measure that would appropriate $60 million of that money annually to the Student Success Fund for the next 15 years.

This funding source should have always been reinvested back into public schools and now is the opportunity to make this right, said Melgar in a press release. This Student Success Fund Charter Amendment will strategically support tools that have been proven successful in providing early interventions and addressing the learning setbacks students are facing.

Should the ballot measure pass in November, the Department of Youth, Children and their Families would award eligible schools with up to $1 million in funding for the next 15 years.

The idea behind the student success grant is that schools would implement supplemental programming based on the needs of their students, with the goal of improving academic achievement and social emotional wellness. This programming may include academic intervention, tutoring, arts and culture programs, social and emotional support or programs to address the needs of families facing poverty and trauma.

The hope is that such programming will increase grade level-proficiency, reduce understaffing and staff turnover and ultimately boost district enrollment.

We are finally returning our collective focus to student achievement and social/emotional wellness after a few rough years at the San Francisco Unified School District, said Ronen in a Tuesday press release. With a new Superintendent and school board who have committed to centering student outcomes and wellness, this fund will support schools to help students reach grade level in core academic subjects and provide wrap-around programs for emotional well-being.

Despite concerns and questions from parents and city workers, negotiations resulted in the third draft of the amendment. The current version has the support of the SF Parents Coalition, Parents for Public Schools, the San Francisco Youth Commission and the San Francisco Labor Council, among others.

Changes that were made include reducing the fund amount from $70 to $60 million, reducing the duration from 25 to 15 years and clarifying school eligibility to prioritize low achievement and vulnerable students.

Although the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families or the Board of Supervisors can establish additional eligibility criteria, schools applying for the grant must have a school site council that endorses its funding proposal, a community school coordinator or plans to hire one and a detailed plan to ensure they are serving students and families.

If Department of Children, Youth and Their Families determines the school is not ready to implement a student success grant, the department may award the school a technical assistance grant to help achieve capacity. The department can also award a district innovation grant to implement programs at low achievement schools or schools with a high number of vulnerable students.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey  who has historically been skeptical of charter amendments with budgetary set-asides like this one  was impressed by the safeguards in place. For example, if the city budget deficit is expected to exceed $200 million, The City can freeze appropriations to the fund at the prior years amount as low as $35 million. The same goes if there is a significant reduction in excess funds.

Funds can also be pulled from the reserve account that includes money left over from each year, the citys Budget Stabilization Reserve or other budget reserve accounts.

Despite the confidence of the supervisors, it will be up to voters in November to decide the fate of the Back on Track: Student Success Fund Charter Amendment.
Three decades ago, Sunny Schwartz says, San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey reached out to her with a simple message: He didnt want San Franciscos jails to be human warehouses.

Schwartz, who served for many years as Hennesseys director of programming, oversaw the establishment of a vast array of social, educational and vocational classes for inmates. Twenty years ago, it wasnt uncommon for several dozen inmates to be in a Roads to Recovery addiction treatment pod, with hours of daily programming that included relapse prevention, parenting classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Nothing like that is happening now. Last week, Tara Moriarty, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Sheriffs Office, confirmed that most programming at CJ3  County Jail No. 3 in San Bruno, which houses the overwhelming majority of San Franciscos nearly 800 inmates  has stopped due to staff shortages.

A generation ago, The Citys jails also moved away from the Cool Hand Luke model of a guard in a parapet watching the inmates from afar and adopted direct supervision. The deputies were in the pods with the inmates, interacting with them.

They were inside the inmates living quarters, said Schwartz. Instead of being in an outside tier reading Mad Magazine while people are beating the shit out of each other. Its very fundamental but it was pretty novel. It shouldnt be.

But, due to staff shortages, direct supervision may once more become a novelty. At County Jail No. 3, a pilot program was initiated on June 29 to, in the offices own words, reduce the number of required staffing positions. Instead of direct supervision  which calls for a deputy to be placed in both of the adjoining pods of 48 inmates each  a single deputy would observe all 96 inmates in Pod 5 from the Crows Nest.

In other words, back to the parapet.

In the cells for 23 hours a dayBecause it would be logistically impossible for one deputy locked in the Crows Nest to oversee nearly 100 inmates ambling around, the prisoners walk time outside their cells has been severely curtailed. Based on the literature explaining the pilot program, walk time has been reduced to 45 minutes  45 minutes for inmates to shower, visit the library, stretch their legs, whatever.

Deputies working inside tell me that, yes, thats 45 minutes a day, meaning inmates in this pilot program are in their cells for the other 23 hours and 15 minutes.

Inmates in other pods are getting more walk time  but, it seems, far less than what was once common. Deputies who worked CJ3 even only a few years back tell me that, even relatively recently, prisoners could walk around for about five to five-and-a-half hours in the afternoons, and perhaps nine hours total during the day.

To be clear, none of this appears to be intentionally punitive. It appears to simply be the outcome of a department that has been for years shedding workers faster than it can rehire them, and has fallen well below mandatory minimum staffing levels.

But, for those feeling the effects, thats a difference without a distinction. Its a bad combination when prisoners are held in tiny cells for the vast majority of every day without programming to not only pass the time but to make them healthier and more functional people. In-person family visits and religious services, too, are not currently available. The jail, in short, has devolved into a human warehouse. By the way, CJ3 is also currently suffering through its worst COVID outbreak yet.

And it doesnt require a soothsayer to predict that a likely outcome in San Francisco is for more inmates to soon be shunted into The Citys jails  and into these conditions.

The new DA Brooke Jenkins promise to increase prosecution i.e., of fentanyl pushers, as stated in her press interviews, means an increase in incarceration, wrote Ken Lomba, the president of the Deputy Sheriffs Association.

And we dont have the deputy staff to properly run the jail.

Deputies sleeping in the parking lot

On July 18, the deputies union sent the Sheriffs Office a cease and desist letter regarding the pilot program. Among other complaints, the letter noted less walking time for inmates, which will lead to more inmate aggression, outbursts, medical needs, and hospital runs (again, in turn increasing the potential risk to deputies who manage these inmates).

You do not have to be a bleeding-heart liberal to see trouble brewing here. Regardless of what you think about fentanyl and deterrence and accountability, it is problematic to funnel more people into a jail system enduring these problems.

On top of that, it is unclear how this citys drug and property crime problems will be solved by putting accused and convicted criminals into jails where they have little in the way of substance abuse treatment or educational, behavioral or vocational programming.

Its a deeply frustrating situation for the departments veterans. San Franciscos jail population is a third of what it was a generation ago, and longtime employees tell me that the deputies inside its jails are more polite, caring and humane than their predecessors. This is a department that, in the past, had its problems. But it does not seem that, in 2022, anybody is going out of their way to be cruel. Yet, with far less walk time and severe reductions in programming, its hard to say that conditions here are better than they were in the past.

Were going backwards, lamented Lomba. Were reducing inmates liberties within the jail.

Every union wants management to hire more workers. But its hard to argue with Lombas union here: The Sheriffs Office in May was down 176 sworn staffers, and hiring has not been brisk. The departments hiring goals are unlikely to even keep up with projected attrition.

As such, an astounding 25% of work hours are currently done on overtime  during an era with some of the lowest jail counts in history. Deputies are mandated to work so much overtime  three mandatory 16-hour shifts in a five-day period, deputies say, is par for the course  that some opt to sleep in a communal room at the jail annex. Others live in RVs parked in a lot outside the jail.

Earlier this month, I wrote in Mission Local that lockdowns in which inmates are restricted to their cells due to staff shortages are a regular occurrence at the jails. The Sheriffs Office has now provided statistics that show there were 44 lockdowns in the first six months of 2022. One of those lockdowns prevented lawyer Yolanda Huang from seeing a client; she was told they did not have the manpower to transport the inmate from his cell to the visiting area.

If we believe chickens should be cage-free, we need to ask: What are we doing to these human beings? Huang asked. If San Francisco does indeed move to increase incarceration levels  and fails to address the troubling conditions already plaguing its sparsely filled jails  then were going back to barbaric treatment of people.

Again, one neednt be a bleeding heart to see problems here. And one neednt be altruistic, either.

It makes the staff less safe, Huang continued. One day they will all be released. And what happens to us when they are more damaged than when they came in?

This City, it seems, is determined to find out.
OK, people. Thats enough. Its been well over two years now of working in your pajamas. Its time to find your pants and get back to the office.

I know. Working from home can be fantastic. No commute. Afternoon naps. The boss cant pop in on you. Theres plenty to be said for the remote lifestyle.

But San Franciscos current pace of return is not sustainable. Major systems are at risk, namely small businesses, restaurants, bars and commercial real estate. Our downtown could be in for a real meltdown, despite recent noise about populating our streets with festivals and events. That sounds nice, but what our city really needs is a workforce return. Sometimes, you have to think macro even if the micro solution is more comfortable.

Consider this. The Examiner obtained the latest numbers on workplace return from the Office of Economic Analysis, and the numbers are trending upward, but still dismal. Compared to cities with similar workforces  San Jose, Los Angeles, New York and Austin  our return rates remain low. For the week of July 20, just 39.1% of our workers had returned to the office, up from a miserable 30% in early July.

New York and Los Angeles arent doing much better, averaging about 41% of desks filled. Austin is the star of the show, with a 59% return rate. And San Jose? The worst of the bunch, with just 36.5 % of its workers back.

So this isnt strictly a regional issue, although our preponderance of tech companies seems to be holding us back. Recently, Salesforce announced it was dumping 40% of its office space at 50 Fremont St., marking the third time the massive employer has trimmed its workplace ambitions in San Francisco since the pandemic began. I was surprised by the move, as CEO Marc Benioff is a generational San Franciscan who should understand the importance of a vibrant downtown to The Citys fortunes. He just built the biggest building in town, for crying out loud. Youd think hed wanna it full. But, no. Its work where you want for many Salesforce employees, leaving San Francisco to find revenue where it can. Hope you rethink this, Marc.

I spoke to senior economist Asim Khan, at San Franciscos Office of Economic Analysis, to get his read on the situation. He sees what Im seeing.

If we continue with this rate, and it becomes a permanent model that workers can stay home, even part-time, its going to take a long, long time to surpass the pre-pandemic levels (of occupancy), said Khan. If the levels stay low, there will be pressure on real estate in the office market. That office space price is going to fall. ... If there are more workers in The City, of course they have to eat out, theyre going to be spending and helping the small businesses. That does have an impact.

The question of company policy, in relation to returning to the office, usually lands on productivity. There have been a ton of studies published in the past two years showing work-from-home actually improves productivity ... according to the workers. Most all of the studies I found cite worker surveys as the primary source. So do you do better work in your pajamas? Yes, I do! That seems to be the basis for this now widely held belief.

Im sorry, but I dont buy it. I know people prefer to work from home, avoiding long commutes. But Im not sure I believe the productivity paradigm. Weve all worked from home. Theres a bit of flexibility there that allows for some downtime. Just admit it. Its OK.

So we know working at home can be more relaxing. It helps work-life balance. But its also leaving our beloved San Francisco a barren wasteland at times, exposing us all to a larger economic catastrophe that no one wants. Whats the solution?

Get your ass back in the office. Here are five reasons why:

5

Your housemates are sick of you. I dont care if you live with your friends or your spouse, your cats or your mouse. If youve been working at home for over two years, theyre sick of you. And youre sick of them. Even if you live alone, youre sick of yourself. Its time to get out of the house and rejoin the world, because...

4

Youre becoming a hermit.

Remember the before times? When you used to go out and socialize with people. Remember happy hour? Believe it or not, its still going on out here, every single day. There are cafes and bars, restaurants and parks. Its quite nice in downtown San Francisco, despite what you might see and hear on Fox News. Humans are social animals and living a sequestered life is not great for our emotional well-being. Get out of the house and rejoin the party! Even if its around a water cooler.

3

The food sucks.

Dont tell me you prefer making tuna sandwiches and eating over the sink. You dont. I had a cup of Ukrainian borscht for lunch the other day. Then theres the dim sum place around the corner. Mexican. Vegetarian. Pescatarian. Theres a little bit of everything for the lunchtime palate in The City. Get out of the house. Break out the wallet. Your stomach will thank me.

2

Collaboration works.

Nothing can replace getting together with your co-workers, in person, when it comes to collaboration and cooperation. And if you dont believe me, I have one word for you: Zoom. Remote working taught us many things, and showed the world we can overcome many obstacles to get things done. But its hard to argue against face-to-face interaction. Again, its what were wired to do. And it forces us to put (respectable) pants on. Just do it. Because, most importantly...

1

San Francisco needs you.

The City is suffering without its workforce, which used to nearly double our population every day. We need this economic engine to get back on our feet. Do your part and get on BART. Dont be a meanie and get on the MUNI. Get off your seat and get on your feet. Stop being shitty and get back to The City. Whatever it takes, find your way back, people. Its the right thing to do. And its long past due.
A large fire swept through a 135,000-square-foot timber facility in Amador County on Monday, leveling it.

The Ampine lumber mill, a facility that employs over 150 people, was left in ashes after the blaze ignited at around noon on 11610 Ampine-Fibreform Road near the community of Martell, California.

Cal Fire planes joined local firefighters in the fight, making numerous retardant drops over the structure to no avail. They were able to extinguish a nearby grass fire that started up as the mill burned.

"It appears Ampine is a total loss," the Amador County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook. "The Sheriff and all staff offer our heartfelt condolences to all of the 150 plus Ampine employees."

AlertWildfire footage showed a towering black plume of smoke on Monday afternoon, as nearby Safeway and Lowes stores were evacuated.

"The #ampinefire definitely had its share of challenges for fire crews," Amador Fire wrote on Facebook on Tuesday alongside photos of the blaze. "Crews adapted and overcame every adversity that was handed to them on this incident and worked tirelessly to save as much of the property as they could. Amador Firefighters would like to thank all the agencies that responded to assist us with this incident."

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is as yet unknown.
Twitter has terminated its office lease in Oakland, abandoning four floors of space it planned to open in late 2022.

The social media company is also cutting its space at 1 10th Street in SoMa, where it leased several floors. The 10th Street building is attached to the company headquarters at 1355 Market St.

As the company continued to shift more of its operations to hybrid work, it began reducing its capacity in the 10th Street building in Sept. 2020, listing 104,850 square-feet for sublease. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that was for floors three to seven and now the other floors it occupies  2,8,9 and 10  will be vacated.

These Bay Area reductions are in tandem with Twitters efforts to reduce office space worldwide as part of cost-cutting measures. It will maintain offices in Tokyo, Japan, Mumbai, New Delhi, Dublin, Ireland and New York City, but reduce its footprint. It will also reconsider leases when they expire in Seoul; Wellington, New Zealand; Osaka, Japan; Madrid; Hamburg, Germany; and Utrecht, The Netherlands.

We are evaluating our global office portfolio and re-sizing certain locations based on utilization. Weve proven we can operate our business successfully with a distributed workforce over the years, and remain committed to our employees, our customers, and the markets we serve. These decisions do not impact our current headcount or employee roles, and well continue to support and regularly meet with our customers to help them launch something new and connect with whats happening on Twitter, a spokesperson wrote to SFGATE.

The company announced a hiring freeze in May.

Reductions in its real estate footprint would lead to major cash savings for the company, which is facing a legal battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk after he tried to buy the company earlier this year. After agreeing to a $44 billion sale price, Musk has since tried to renege on the deal and the two parties are expected to go to trial in the fall.

Twitter was one of the first large tech companies to embrace remote work after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The tax breaks the company received to establish its Mid-Market offices in San Francisco expired in 2019, a 1.5% payroll tax holiday that companies received after setting up shop in the area in an effort to invest in the SoMa neighborhood.
AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands (AP) _ Core Laboratories NV (CLB) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $7.1 million.

The Amstelveen, Netherlands-based company said it had net income of 15 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 12 cents per share.

The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of 12 cents per share.

The energy services company posted revenue of $120.9 million in the period, missing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $121 million.

For the current quarter ending in October, Core Laboratories said it expects revenue in the range of $123 million to $129 million.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CLB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CLB
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) _ MaxLinear Inc. (MXL) on Wednesday reported second-quarter profit of $32 million.

The Carlsbad, California-based company said it had net income of 40 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.11 per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.02 per share.

The chipmaker posted revenue of $280 million in the period, which matched Street forecasts.

For the current quarter ending in October, MaxLinear said it expects revenue in the range of $280 million to $290 million.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MXL at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MXL
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Dutch farmers protested government plans to reduce nitrogen emissions by dumping manure and garbage Wednesday on highways and setting fires alongside roads  the latest actions in a summer of discontent. Police urged them to stop for safety reasons and were investigating who was responsible.

Traffic authorities said several roads in the central and eastern Netherlands were completely or partially blocked by the early morning blockades and fire services rushed to clear roads as traffic built up. Cleanup operations were expected to take hours on some roads.

By the end of the day, some roads were still not cleared, in part because some companies involved in the cleanup had received threats, said Diederik Fleuren, a spokesman for the the government's roads and waterways organization Rijkswaterstaat.

We are doing everything to clear the roads but ... some contractors are being intimidated, Fleuren told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He said it was not clear when all the roads would be fully cleaned.

It is very extreme now that people are being threatened for assisting the cleanup, he added.

Dutch media reported that at one location, a sign was left behind that said: Sorry for the inconvenience, Rutte IV is driving us to despair, a reference to Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition government.

Police and security authorities appealed to farmers to halt what they described as dangerous situations.

Protesting is a fundamental right and as long as it stays within the limits of the law, a lot is possible, the emergency services said in a joint statement. But they said the latest actions seriously endanger road safety and can lead to life-threatening situations for road users.

The latest demonstrations came a day after a government-appointed mediator sent invitations to farmers' organizations to discuss with the country's ruling coalition ways of reducing nitrogen emissions.

I see the talks as a turning point: breaking the deadlock together, mediator Johan Remkes said. The cabinet has assured me that there is room and joint solutions are possible.

But some farmers have rejected the appointment of Remkes as an independent mediator because he is a member of Prime Minister Mark Rutte's center-right political party and a former deputy prime minister.

The farmers are angry at government targets for reining in emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia that they say threatens to wreck their agricultural way of life and put them out of business.

The government says emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, which livestock produce, must be drastically reduced close to nature areas that are part of a network of protected habitats for endangered plants and wildlife stretching across the 27-nation European Union.

The ruling coalition wants to cut emissions of pollutants by 50% nationwide by 2030, calling the measure an unavoidable transition to improve soil, air and water quality in a EU nation known for its intensive farming practices. It has called on provincial authorities to draw up plans to reduce emissions and earmarked an extra 24.3 billion euros ($24.6 billion) to fund the changes.

Farmers argue that they are being unfairly targeted while other industries, such as aviation, construction and transport, also are contributing to emissions and face less far-reaching rules. They also say the government is not giving them a clear picture of their futures amid the proposed reforms.

Earlier this year, the farmers blocked highways with tractors and blockaded supermarket distribution centers.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https/apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
NWS

The National Weather Service's Hanford office posted a computer model showing where smoke from California's Oak Fire near Yosemite will disperse in the coming days. You can view several models on the weather service's website and the one showing Wednesday's forecast on Twitter:

The Friday model shows the sooty air moving southward from the fire in Mariposa County into the San Joaquin Valley Wednesday afternoon and overnight.
Celebrities  theyre just like us. Well, at least William Shatner is.

Last Wednesday, in Gilroy, 91-year-old legendary "Star Trek" actor William Shatner lost his wallet while shopping at the Fruit Barn, a decades-old side-of-the-road market located at 2918 Pacheco Pass Highway, according to ABC7.

Shatner reportedly bought four baskets of cherries and $2 of corn.

"I thought about putting a sign up, 'William Shatner was here,'" Gary Tognetti, owner of B&T Farms, told ABC7 in jest.

Tognetti then enlisted the help of his friend Officer Mark Tarasco, of the Gilroy Police Department, to contact Shatner to return his wallet. Tarasco turned to his friend, Sgt. John Ballard, also of the Gilroy Police Department, and asked him, Hey, how do I get a hold of a celebrity?

SOPA Images via Getty Images

After two hours, the police officers were able to contact Shatners agent, who gave them the actors address so they could return the wallet via FedEx that night.

Shatner took to Twitter on Tuesday to thank Tognetti, Tarasco and Ballard for their kindness in returning the lost item. They are obviously good citizens, Shatner wrote.

The Canadian actor is known mostly for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" series. He also played Denny Crane, a pompous lawyer, in the comedy series "Boston Legal."

As Captain Kirk might say, Boldly go where no man has gone before  but don't forget your wallet.
WINDSOR LOCKS  A New York City woman scammed a local credit union out of $15,000 by presenting a bold and convincing deceit, according to an arrest warrant released Tuesday.

Tameka Inge Lee Charles, 41, was arrested on charges of first-degree identity theft and second-degree larceny. Charles posted bail of $100,000 and is due in state Superior Court in Enfield on Aug. 30. Police say the Bronx resident also is a suspect in a pair of similar incidents in Delaware.

The complex Connecticut case began with an online loan application received on March 2, 2020 at the 360 Federal Credit Union on Ella Grasso Boulevard. The applicant provided a full name and address, Social Security number, date of birth, phone number and an email address that included part of the victims first name and complete last name.

The loan was approved and a woman later identified as Charles came into the credit union on March 27, police said. She produced a Connecticut drivers license with her own photo and the victims name and received a check for $5,000 and a debit card for the $10,000 balance, the warrant stated. In the following weeks, $7,996 was withdrawn from the account using ATMs throughout New York City, according to the arrest warrant affidavit by Windsor Locks Detective Sgt. Jeff Lampson.

The victim, a Cheshire resident, reported her identity stolen on April 7 after a service that provides credit reports sent her an alert, police said.

Police traced the Yahoo email address on the loan application and found it was created on March 2, the same day of the loan application. Records of incoming and outgoing calls on the phone number on the application showed 30 calls between that number and another phone on March 27, encompassing the time Charles arrived at the credit union to claim the loan, police said.

Police traced the number on the receiving phone to Charles and then matched the photo on her New York identification card to surveillance images from the credit union, the warrant stated. Windsor Locks police also used the information to track down a Delaware woman who said a $10,000 loan had been taken out in her name in September 2020. Police notified Delaware state police, who had a fake drivers license with the same photo of Charles used on the bogus Connecticut license, the warrant stated. Lampson said the same scam was pulled on another victim in Delaware, also for a $10,000 loan.

Lampson contacted Charles in February of this year and set up a meeting with her at a Broadway coffee shop. Confronted with surveillance photos from the credit union and the bogus drivers license, Tameka remained speechless for several seconds before acknowledging it was her in the photos, Lampson wrote in the affidavit. An arrest warrant was approved in June and Windsor Locks police picked up Charles on July 19 at Rikers Correctional Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Lampson said hes sure there are other victims of the sophisticated scheme who have not come forward or been identified, most likely in the mid-Atlantic region. Charles said others were involved in the Connecticut scam, but she did not know their names and did not provide any information on how the personal information was harvested or who withdrew money from the credit union account, Lampson wrote.

Jesse.Leavewnworth@hearstmediact.com
During the regular July board meeting of Manistee County Transportation, Inc. board members learned for every operating dollar raised locally the transportation system receives $4 from state and federal sources. Donna Hargreaves, general manager of the local transit system, stated this amount translated to budget dollars realizes $400,000 for Manistee County.

60 YEARS AGO

Elementary plan

With contract obligations facing them, the Manistee Area Public Schools Board of Education approved this years elementary school staff plan, with an amendment to the original and also lined up a series of meetings for this week. At last nights meeting, Superintendent Thomas Culbert presented the board with a plan for the elementary school systems for the 1982-83 year and after some deliberation, the board accepted it. The plan calls for the district to lose three sections of classes from the system, which will cause minor overloads in other classes.

Deer hunting

If the Michigan Department of Conservation recommendations on the 1962 deer hunting season are approved by the Michigan Conservation Commission on Aug. 10, special permits to kill 645 antlerless deer in Manistee County will result. This information concerning Manistee County was received from a game biologist in Traverse City.

80 YEARS AGO

A librarians knowledge

Angie Messer, local librarian, has received an appeal from a former local resident for assistance in checking upon names of several former residents for use in establishing a birth record. Aletha Sophia MacPhee Wolfe, of Seattle, Washington has written Messner for help in discovering the 1890 address and occupation of Moses MacPhee. She would also like information regarding Sophia Ely and Aletha Goodrich.

Acting postmaster

Senator Prentiss Brown, of Michigan, has recommended that Martha Hasse be appointed acting postmaster in Arcadia.
Two years ago, during the George Floyd protests, the San Francisco Police Department put up barricades on the sidewalk outside its Mission Station on Valencia and 17th streets. The purpose of the barricades, according to Captain Michael McEachern, was to "protect the officers while they monitored the crowd that was at times hostile.

Two years later, the barricades are still up. Thanks to a recent Twitter thread by a Mission neighborhood resident, that might change. Except SFPD won't say when, if ever, the barricade will actually be torn down. Just that they're thinking about it.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Months ago, Luke Bornheimer, an organizer with Community Spaces SF, reached out to 311 to inquire about the purpose of the still-standing barricades. 311 followed up with SFPD, Bornheimer said, and was told the barriers needed to stay up due to unspecified ongoing protests. This week, still perplexed by SFPD's response, Bornheimer reached out to McEachern (the Mission Station captain) and tweeted about his back-and-forth. McEachern wasn't working at Mission Station when the barricades went up, but he told Bornheimer (and later confirmed to SFGATE) that he had previously inquired with the city about the possibility of having permanent barricades enacted, the polar opposite action item. These barriers would be more "aesthetically pleasing," McEachern wrote to Bornheimer, but "as of yet, our requests to the City have been ignored."

Bornheimer wrote back to McEachern that he didn't want permanent barriers on the sidewalk  he wanted them removed.

I live in the neighborhood and have seen the metal barricades outside SFPD nearly every day for over two years," Bornheimer told SFGATE on Tuesday. "Ive wondered about it many times. Over time, as Ive gotten more into community organizing and advocacy around public open space, it just bothered me more and more that we essentially had a wall enclosing the sidewalk.

On Tuesday, SFGATE also spoke to McEachern via phone, and asked about Bornheimer's complaint. At first, McEachern stuck to the original party line, that the barricades were necessary to protect cops.

"We have occasional demonstrations that have taken place, and we do occasionally have to shut down the station when those demonstrations come here," the captain explained. "Theres been no discussion about taking the [barricades] down, no complaints about them. The first one I received was yesterday.

SFGATE asked if any police officers were injured at Mission Station during the George Floyd protests. McEachern reiterated he wasn't working there at the time, but as far as he knows, no one was. SFGATE asked for examples of recent demonstrations that threatened the safety of police officers at Mission Station, since that's the stated reason for the barricades.

We just recently had the trans march that went by here," McEachern responded. "We didnt have any issues with that, but that was a march attended by 10,000 people that are not always very pro-law enforcement.

"Prior to that," he continued, "Im trying to think of other instances of lockdowns. I cant off the top of my head think of any, but I know weve had at least three or four since the beginning of the year. A variety of different demonstrations have happened. This is a gathering spot for those who want to aggressively demonstrate their First Amendment rights. Sometimes that involves taking their aggression out on the police.

If these "aggressive" demonstrations are planned on the calendar well in advance, as was the case with the only march McEachern could name, has SFPD considered removing the barricades except when large gatherings are already scheduled?

McEachern gave a surprising response  an about-face  indicating that yes, that was under consideration, and he actually thought Bornheimer's email raised good points.

Id be fine with that, I dont necessarily think we need to have them up," McEachern said. "I think we can store them at the station and if need be, take them back out... Ive asked the command staff if we can do that.

Progress! Except, in an email to SFGATE, a public information officer with SFPD threw a jargon-y bucket of cold water on the idea: "The command staff will take the appropriate time to consider this subject. This is a dynamic issue and we try not to commit to specific timelines and decisions as we know there are many moving parts and things can come up."

The Public Works Department  which sets up and removes the barricades  confirmed to SFGATE it hasn't received a request from SFPD to free the sidewalk of the public annoyance yet.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

So now, we wait, as SFPD deeply deliberates the "dynamic issue" of sidewalk barricades, which their own station captain is apparently fine with (mostly) removing.

Also in favor of getting rid of the barricades? Hillary Ronen, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors member whose district includes Mission Station.

"I think it is time that the Mission Station takes down the barricades," she wrote to SFGATE. "If there is no immediate threat justifying the barricades, they should come down."

Added Bornheimer: It seems like something that should be relatively easy to remedy. There seems to be no imminent threat to SFPD  unless its imagined in their heads or they know something we dont know  and its a clear issue for access and public space. I would hope this could be quickly resolved.
Etsy announced it will close its satellite office in downtown San Francisco after a significant number of its staff said they did not plan to go back following a shift to a hybrid work model.

Many who are currently remote have told us they do not plan to return to an office in the near future, Kim Seymour, chief human resources officer, wrote in a news release shared on Etsys website Monday. As a result, we are closing our offices in Hudson, NY and San Francisco, CA, where employee office utilization has been extremely low.

A spokesperson for Etsy confirmed to SFGATE the office will close in September.

The San Francisco branch of the online makers marketplace was on the third floor of 20 California St. in the Financial District, according to Glassdoor. Seymour said Etsy would consolidate its operations to a few key office hubs in centralized regions, including the companys headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, as well as offices in Dublin and Mexico City.

Employees based out of the San Francisco office will be expected to transition to a fully remote model. Well continue to ensure they are supported, able to work productively, and can effectively collaborate with colleagues, Seymour wrote.

Over 7,800 square feet of office space on the third floor of 20 California St., including a reception area, two conference rooms, two breakout rooms and four call rooms, will be available for lease later this October, according to Loopnet. Offices on the second, fourth and seventh floor of the building were also on the listing.

The news comes after Etsy received overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff in this years company-wide employee engagement survey, with more than 80% of employees favorably responding to the flexible work model policies and nearly all of them stating that they felt productive and part of a team, including remote employees, Seymour wrote in the news release.

One of our guiding principles is minimizing waste, and operating offices that go predominately unused is in direct opposition to that principle  wasting energy, capital and internal programming efforts, Seymour wrote.

Etsy follows a long line of Bay Area tech companies shuttering their downtown offices. On Wednesday, Twitter said it would terminate its office lease in Oakland in addition to vacating its remaining office space at 1 10th Street in SoMa, where it leased several floors. And earlier this month, Salesforce listed nearly half its office space at 50 Fremont St. for lease.

Meanwhile, Block, formerly known as Square, said in June that it would not renew the lease on its former headquarters in the Mid-Market neighborhood. And in April, PayPal said it would close its office at 425 Market St. between First and Fremont streets.

"The pandemic, in particular, has taught us there are many ways in which we can work effectively while providing our employees with flexibility," PayPal told SFGATE at the time.
President Barack Obama released his annual summer reading list on Tuesday, and it was heavy with Bay Area writers. Every year Obama makes a summer reading list and a summer playlist, which he releases to his massive social media following.

Ive read a couple of great books this year and wanted to share some of my favorites so far, Obama wrote Tuesday on Instagram. What have you been reading this summer?

Famed political analyst and podcaster Ezra Klein's most recent work Why We're Polarized made Obamas list. Klein, who went to UC Santa Cruz for two years, moved to Oakland from Washington, D.C., in 2019. As the title suggests, the book focuses on how weve arrived at this hyper-polarized political moment.

Novelist Jennifer Egans most recent work, The Candy House, about a tech billionaire who is able to monetize peoples memories, was named one of Times most anticipated books of the year. Apparently the work lived up to the hype for Obama, who added the Lowell High School graduates work to his summer reading list.

Charmaine Wilkerson, whose work Black Cake was praised by Obama, graduated from Stanford before writing her lauded debut novel. Based partially in present-day California, Black Cake focuses on two estranged siblings who delve into their mothers past and Caribbean upbringing. The novel is already in development as a TV series by Hulu.

Lan Samantha Chang, whose recent work The Family Chao focuses on the plight of an American Chinese restaurant-owning family in Wisconsin, also made the list. Chang was a Wallace Stegner fellow at Stanford.

One more author, Hanya Yanagihara, doesn't have a Bay Area connection but does have a very close tie to Obama. Like the former president, Yanagihara grew up in Hawaii and went to the elite Punahou School. Yanagiharas To Paradise spans multiple story lines and three centuries as it ruminates on America.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP)  A 15-year-old boy shot and killed three siblings at a home near Fairbanks and was found dead with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities announced Wednesday.

Alaska State Troopers in a statement said they received a report of shots being fired at a Fairbanks home on Tuesday afternoon. The report came from a neighbor, troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said.

Responding troopers found four children dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The children's parents were not home when the shooting occurred, the troopers said.

Three other children were at the home and were not injured, the statement said. DeSpain said the children who were not injured are all under the age of 7, while those dead were ages 5, 8, 17 and 15. He said all the children were siblings.

Troopers said the state Office of Childrens Services had been notified. Clinton Bennett, a spokesperson for the state Department of Family and Community Services, under which the office falls, said by email that the office will not provide any information due to rules and regulations involving the confidentiality of all involved in specific cases.

The office also will not provide any information involving a case with an open investigation, Bennett wrote.

Troopers said their investigation shows a 15-year-old boy shot three siblings and then shot himself. DeSpain said the question of motive is part of the investigation.

The bodies were being sent to the state medical examiner's office.

DeSpain said the gun was a family gun but beyond that, it's all still part of the ongoing investigation." He could not say if the 15-year-old had had any previous interactions with law enforcement, saying that would be part of the investigation.

Fairbanks is in central Alaska, about 360 miles (580 kilometers) north of Anchorage.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  The Attorney General's Office has declined a request by San Francisco's newly appointed district attorney to take over a case involving a relative of her husband and another related to Mayor London Breeds brother.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was appointed by Breed earlier this month to replace ousted District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Shortly after her appointment on July 8, Jenkins asked Attorney General Rob Bonta to take over the case of Breeds brother, Napoleon Brown, and the prosecution of two men charged in the killing of Jerome Mallory, a cousin of Jenkins husband.

The Attorney Generals Office told Jenkins in a July 22 letter the San Francisco District Attorney's Office has taken appropriate measures to establish an ethical wall around DA Jenkins, which remains in place and eliminates any ethical concerns about the cases.

In 2018, Breed was fined $2,500 for using official stationery to write Gov. Jerry Brown asking to commute her brothers sentence.

Brown has served more than half of a 44-year sentence and is asking for a reduction in his prison sentence for a 2000 armed robbery and the death of the getaway car driver, who was his girlfriend. A resentencing hearing for Brown is scheduled for Aug. 15 at a San Francisco court.

Mallory, 18, was fatally shot in San Francisco's Bayview District in 2020.

Jenkins said in a statement Wednesday that she will not get involved in the cases to avoid any appearance whatsoever of a conflict.

"I am exploring whether other local agencies may be an option. Regardless, these cases will be handled according to the law and with integrity, she added.
The worlds most influential banks need to substantially accelerate climate efforts if global temperature rise is to be kept within the targets of the Paris Agreement, an assessment released Thursday by an institutional investors group warned.

The efforts of 27 giant banks in North America, Europe and Asia to align their policies with global warming of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) are falling far short in every area measured in the pilot study, obtained exclusively by The Associated Press. The report said no major bank has committed to end financing for new oil and gas exploration, and only one has promised to cut all coal financing in line with International Energy Agency guidelines.

The evaluation was prepared by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), whose more than 350 members are mainly asset managers and owners. They include Barclay's Bank UK Retirement Fund, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs Asset Management International. Group members have 51 trillion ($52 trillion) in assets under management and advice, according to the IIGCC website. That amounts to roughly a tenth of total assets held by financial institutions worldwide. The Transition Pathway Initiative, a research group that tracks corporate emissions, was a co-author of the report.

The evaluation is significant because it comes from within the financial community, echoing the idea that fossil fuel investments must wind down, which environmentalists, climate scientists and energy experts have argued for years.

Witold Henisz, vice dean of the environmental, social and governance initiative at the Wharton Business School, said the study establishes convincingly that banks are not yet demonstrating substantive progress towards net zero, and often even their own commitments. A growing body of research suggests low public rankings shame companies into responding, he said  and investors may punish them.

Any quibbles over methodology will not alter the above high-level conclusion, he added.

The study assessed banks for six areas where they should be showing progress if their lending and other services were aligned with a sharp ramp down of emissions: the strength of net zero pledges; short- and medium-term emissions targets; decarbonization strategies, namely, plans for exiting polluting industries; lobbying on climate regulation; how climate risk is reflected in accounts and audits, and governance, meaning how climate risks are incorporated into leadership structures.

Evaluators set benchmarks for each area. Banks were graded on how many they hit. A 100% rating would mean a bank was completely aligned with the Paris goals in that category.

On their commitments to reducing emissions in their lending portfolios to zero, the banks, in aggregate, came in at 20%. On short- and medium-term climate targets, which demonstrate a pathway to net zero goals, they met just 10% of indicators. And the report found 1% of banks' lobbying practices are consistent with the 1.5 C goal.

The level of urgency must ratchet up," said Natasha Landell-Mills, head of stewardship at investment manager Sarasin and Partners, and co-chair of the IIGCC working group. Banks still have a long way to go.

As gatekeepers of the worlds money, banks play a critical role in climate change, the study said. They make new fossil fuel projects possible via financing. They decide whether to lend money for coal mines and for agribusinesses that fell tropical rainforest. There are other sources of finance, and private equity in particular has a growing role, but banks remain the most important.

Two-thirds of banks have committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions, the study found, but these commitments vary widely. Only UBS commits to net zero over its entire business, the study found.

The four Chinese banks in the report, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, have made no commitment to net zero emissions, the study found. They were the worst-rated institutions, each scoring zero in five of the six categories assessed.

The AP sought comment from these banks on several occasions, but none responded.

Each year, a body known as the Financial Stability Board, based in Basel, Switzerland and created by the Group of 20 heads of major economies, gauges which banks in the world are most influential based on their size and importance to the global financial system. The worlds four most influential banks in 2021  JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, Citigroup and HSBC  each were assessed at zero in two or three areas in the evaluation. Climate governance was the only category where all were judged to be making substantial progress.

By email, Citigroup and JPMorgan both declined to comment. Both banks published targets to align the companys practices with the Paris goal in spring 2021.

In a statement, BNP Paribas said it has made new climate commitments, including a 25% reduction in oil financing, since Feb. 25, the last date included in the research. The bank reasserted its commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5 C. BNP Paribas has implemented pioneering policies to protect the climate and biodiversity, especially in forests, it said. It will progressively reduce its exposure to companies that won't decarbonize fast enough.

An HSBC spokesperson said via email the bank is also committed to net zero, adding: We recognize that our global footprint means we can play a critical role. The IIGCC report acknowledges the progress we have already made," she said, including a commitment to phasing out coal financing. The bank is reviewing its climate and energy policies, the spokesperson said.

Scientists say emissions must sharply ramp down in the short and medium term, so benchmarks for 2030 and 2035 are crucial. Only three banks, Barclays, ING Bank and Societe Generale, have published short-term targets to reduce emissions from activities they finance, the study reveals. Nine have published medium-term targets. This is problematic, the study said, because targets help investors gauge how serious banks are about decarbonizing.

If too many banks plan to backload emissions reductions, global emissions will not be curbed rapidly enough, the authors wrote.

With regard to deforestation, which can release massive carbon dioxide when forests are burned, only HSBC has made comprehensive commitments to ending financing, the study says.

For all the awareness at board level, there are not yet changes at a strategic level, said James Vaccaro, executive director of the Climate Safe Lending Network, which pushes for decarbonization in the banking sector.

Vaccaro, who has 20 years management experience in sustainable banking and investment, added there are reasons to remain hopeful amidst the dismal assessment of the state of banking today." He singled out Barclays for praise, saying its targets were very comprehensive.

Bank lobbying, which can attempt to influence and weaken climate laws, also veered far from a 1.5 Celsius pathway, the study said. And it found banks dont ensure that their trade associations lobby in accordance with the agreement. Only the Bank of Montreal discloses all its trade association memberships on its website and in reports.

Bill Weihl, a former sustainability chief at both Facebook and Google, who campaigns against lobbying groups, said by email the findings explain why climate policy repeatedly fails to get enacted. We need to see the private sector step up and use its powerful influence for climate policy gains.

The report found that none of the banks links executive pay to emissions, although BNP Paribas disputed this.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  A Black repertory theater in Memphis says it plans to open a tuition-free school for at-risk students and other groups in a historic church that will be renovated after falling into disrepair.

Hattiloo Theatre said the new program is expected to begin in late 2023. Students will be accepted based on auditions, and two-thirds of admissions will be reserved for low-income and marginalized students, the theater said Tuesday.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgaria is heading to a new parliamentary election this fall after the three largest parties in parliament failed to find common ground for a coalition government.

Socialist Party floor leader, Georgi Svilenski, told reporters on Wednesday that efforts to form a viable coalition failed as a proposed governing strategy did not muster the needed approval in the National Assembly.

In this situation, tomorrow well return the mandate to the president unfulfilled, said Svilenski.

Earlier, the two main groups in parliament  the reformist We Continue the Change party and the center right GERB party  failed to end the European Union and NATO members latest political crisis amid soaring tensions with Russia.

The ouster of the pro-Western Cabinet of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who took office last December pledging zero tolerance for corruption, helped pave the way toward a new election, which analysts expect will bring a stronger presence of nationalist and pro-Russia groups into parliament.

Last month, Bulgaria ordered the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomatic staff from Bulgaria, exacerbating tensions between the two historically close nations.

Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, has claimed Moscow used hybrid war tactics to bring down his government.

In April, Russia cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria after officials refused a Moscow demand to pay gas bills in rubles, Russias currency.

Bulgarias defense minister was ousted in early March for referring to Russias war as a special military operation, the Kremlin-preferred description.

One of Petkovs main goals was to halt Moscows almost total energy grip by diversifying sources of supplies.

In one of his last moves as prime minister, Petkov on Wednesday discussed with experts from U.S. company Westinghouse possibilities to receive nuclear fuel for one of its two Russian-designed reactors.

I am concerned about what is happening in Europe and my forecast is that the war (in Ukraine) will continue for five more years, which is why I hope we will manage to continue (on) our path to diversification, Petkov said.

Political analysts expect that the new vote, likely to be held in October, could again produce a fragmented parliament, and deepen the political impasse that has gripped the EUs poorest member for months.

The country's president must now dissolve parliament, appoint a caretaker government, and set a date for Bulgarias fourth parliamentary vote since April 2021.
DOUALA, Cameroon (AP)  The Trondheim is a familiar sight off the coast of West Africa -- a soccer field-sized ship, plying the waters from Nigeria to Mauritania as it pulls in tons of mackerel and sardines, flying the red, yellow and green flag of Cameroon.

But aside from the flag, there is almost nothing about the Trondheim that is Cameroonian.

Once, it operated under the name of the King Fisher and sailed under the flag of the Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Then, it switched to Georgia, the former Soviet republic.

It was only in 2019 that it began flying the banner of Cameroon.

The Trondheim is one of several vessels that have been reflagged under Cameroons growing fishing fleet which have changed names and been accused of illicit activities at sea. Currently, 14 of these vessels are owned or managed by companies based in European Union member states: Belgium, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus, an investigation by The Associated Press found.

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This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The AP examined over 80 ship profiles on MarineTraffic, a maritime analytics provider, and matched them with company records through IHS Maritime & Trade and the International Maritime Organization or IMO.

Theyre interested in the flag, theyre not interested in Cameroon, said Beatrice Gorez, coordinator for the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements, a group of organizations highlighting the impacts of EU-African fisheries arrangements that identified the recent connection between companies in EU member states and the Cameroon fleet.

Each of the vessels changed flags to Cameroon between 2019 and 2021, though they had no obvious link to the country and did not fish in its waters. The Trondheim and at least five others have a history of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, according to a report by the environmental group, Greenpeace. Both the vessels and their owners conceal what they catch, where it goes and who is financially benefiting from it, maritime and company records show.

In recent years, Cameroon has emerged as one of several go-to countries for the widely criticized flags of convenience system, under which companies can -- for a fee -- register their ships in a foreign country even though there is no link between the vessel and the nation whose flag it flies.

The ships are supposed to abide by that nations fishing agreements with other countries. But experts say weak oversight and enforcement of fishing fleets by countries with open registries like Cameroon offer shipping companies a veil of secrecy that allows them to mask their operations.

That secrecy, the experts say, also undermine global attempts to sustainably manage fisheries and threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in regions like West Africa. Cameroonian officials say all the ships that fly its flag are legally registered and abide by all of it laws. But regulators in Europe recently warned the country that its inability to provide oversight of its fishing fleet could lead to a ban on fish from the country.

Cameroons flagged fishing fleet is minuscule compared to countries such as Liberia, Panama or the Marshall Islands. But the rapid adoption of the countrys flag by some shipping companies accused of illegal fishing is raising alarm.

This is a big issue, said Aristide Takoukam, a biologist and founder of the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization, a non-profit based in Cameroon that monitors illegal fishing. I dont think Cameroon is able to monitor these vessels that are flying Cameroon flags outside its waters.

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Cameroon has long been criticized for lax oversight of its fishing fleet. A study published last year in the journal African Security documented deep-rooted corruption in the ministries that oversee the fishing industry. In that same year, the European Commission issued a yellow card to the country, warning it to step up its actions against illegal fishing.

The commission identified a series of shortcomings, including that the country had registered several fishing vessels -- some of them accused of illegal fishing -- under its flag in the past months, raising concerns about the nations ability to efficiently control and monitor the activities of its fleet.

If Cameroon does not comply after its initial warning, the commission can issue a red card, effectively listing them as a non-cooperating country. And it can ban their fish products from entering EU markets.

The commissions report named a dozen fishing vessels registered between 2019 and 2020 whose names were not provided to them by Cameroonian authorities. At least eight of the 12 identified vessels are managed or owned by European companies. The AP found six more vessels not included in the EU report.

The European Commission did not respond to the APs requests for comment.

Data from Windward and Lloyds List Intelligence, two maritime intelligence companies, reveals an accelerated growth in the number of vessels that sail under the Cameroonian flag in the past four years, from 14 vessels in 2018 to more than 129 in 2022. According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, Cameroons fishing capacity is now nine times larger than it was before 2018.

While the number of flagged ships has grown, the resources to monitor them have not kept pace, a review of budget documents show. The documents show that the budget for the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries control and supervision of fisheries declined 32 percent from 2019 to last year.

While countries have a right to allow vessels to adopt their nationality and fly their flag, Article 91 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires a genuine link to be established between a vessel and its flag state.

Despite this, foreign vessels in countries with open registries often have little to no relationship with their flag state. The responsibility falls on the flagged country to control operations of the vessels in their fleet, including any illegal activity caused in other nations waters or on the high seas.

The very point of flags of convenience is that its easy, its cheap, you can do it quickly, and they are not necessarily looking at your history of compliance, said Julien Daudu, senior campaigner at the Environmental Justice Foundation, a British NGO focusing on environmental and human rights issues.

Paul Nkesi, a representative of the agency that oversees fisheries, the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, says that although the government recognizes the need to step up its surveillance of industrial trawlers, all vessels are registered lawfully in Cameroon.

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Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/
QUEBEC CITY (AP)  The Canadian government made clear Wednesday that Pope Francis apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the countrys church-run residential schools didn't go far enough, suggesting that reconciliation over the fraught history is still very much a work in progress.

The official government reaction came as Francis arrived in Quebec City for meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon at her Quebec residence, the hilltop Citadelle fortress, on the second leg of Francis' week-long visit to Canada.

The government's criticisms echo those of some survivors and concern Francis' omission of any reference to the sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous children in the schools, as well as his original reluctance to name the Catholic Church as an institution bearing responsibility.

Francis has said he is on a penitential pilgrimage to atone for the churchs role in the residential school system, in which generations of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and forced to attend church-run, government-funded boarding schools t o assimilate them into Christian, Canadian society. The Canadian government has said physical and sexual abuse were rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages.

Francis on Monday apologized for the evil of church personnel who worked in the schools and the catastrophic effect of the school system on Indigenous families. In a speech before government authorities Wednesday, Francis apologized anew and blasted the school system as deplorable.

Francis noted that the school system was promoted by the governmental authorities at the time as part of a policy of assimilation and enfranchisement. But responding to criticism, he added that local Catholic institutions had a part in implementing that policy.

Indigenous peoples have long demanded that the pope assume responsibility not just for abuses committed by individual Catholic priests and religious orders, but for the Catholic Churchs institutional support of the assimilation policy and the papacys 15th century religious justification for European colonial expansion to spread Christianity.

More than 150,000 Native children in Canada were taken from their homes from the 19th century until the 1970s and placed in the schools in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their families and culture.

Trudeau, a Catholic whose father, Pierre Trudeau, was prime minister while the last residential schools were in operation, insisted that the Catholic Church as an institution bore blame and needed to do more to atone.

Speaking before Francis, he noted that Canadas Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 had called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil, but that Francis visit would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of survivors of First Nations, Inuit and Metis who travelled to the Vatican last spring to press their case for an apology.

Apologies for the role that the Roman Catholic Church, as an institution, played in the mistreatment on the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuse that Indigenous children suffered in residential schools run by the church, Trudeau said.

The Canadian government has apologized for its role in the school legacy. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology over the residential schools in Parliament in 2008, calling them a sad chapter in Canadian history and saying the policy of forced assimilation caused great harm.

As part of a settlement of a lawsuit involving the government, churches and the approximately 90,000 surviving students, Canada paid reparations that amounted to billions of dollars being transferred to Indigenous communities. The Catholic Church, for its part, has paid over $50 million and intends to add $30 million more over the next five years.

Trudeau implied that much more needed to be done by the church, and that while Francis visit had an enormous impact on survivors, it was but a first step.

Aside from the content of his speech, Trudeaus remarks broke customary protocol for papal trips. According to diplomatic protocol, only Simon was supposed to address the pope in her capacity as the representative head of state. Simon, an Inuk who is the first Indigenous person to hold the largely ceremonial position governor general, did address Francis.

But the Vatican said Trudeaus office requested the prime minister be allowed to offer some introductory remarks, a request that arrived in the days before Francis left Rome but after the popes itinerary had been finalized and printed.

A senior Canadian government official said Trudeau typically delivers remarks during visits by foreign leaders and that it was important for him to address Canadians during Francis visit particularly given the importance of the matter. It was, however, added in at the last minute.

Before Francis arrived in Quebec City, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the gaps in Francis apology could not be ignored.

Echoing criticism from some school survivors, Miller noted that Francis didnt mention sexual abuse in his list of abuses endured by Indigenous children in the schools. Francis on Monday listed instead physical, verbal, psychological and spiritual abuse. In addition, Miller noted that Francis on Monday spoke of evil committed by individual Christians but not the Catholic Church as an institution.

Phil Fontaine, a survivor of sexual abuse at the schools and former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the additional reference Wednesday to local Catholic institutions went beyond Francis original apology and was significant and the closest he could get to apologizing for the entire Church in Canada.

It reflects the reality that the Catholic Church in Canada is not one institution. It is made up of about 73 different legal institutions, all of which were defendants in the lawsuits, Fontaine said in a statement.

Francis visit has stirred mixed emotions among survivors and their relatives, as well as Indigenous leaders and community members. Some have welcomed his apology as genuine and useful in helping them heal. Others have said it was merely the first step in a long process of reconciliation. Still others have said it didnt go far enough in assuming responsibility for institutional wrongs dating back centuries.

Francis himself has acknowledged that the wounds will take time to heal and that his visit and apology were but first steps. On Wednesday he committed himself and the local Canadian church to move forward on a fraternal and patient journey with all Canadians, in accordance with truth and justice, working for healing and reconciliation, and constantly inspired by hope.

It is our desire to renew the relationship between the Church and the indigenous peoples of Canada, a relationship marked both by a love that has borne outstanding fruit and, tragically, deep wounds that we are committed to understanding and healing, he said.

But he didnt list any specific actions the Holy See was prepared to take.

Trudeau, too, said the visit was a beginning and that reconciliation was the duty of everyone. Its our responsibility to see our differences not as an obstacle but as an occasion to learn, to better understand one another and to move to action.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
HARTFORD  A federal judge has ordered the detention of a pilot who is accused of trying to help smuggle nearly 2 tons of cocaine into the U.S. for a Connecticut drug ring.

Ronier Sanchez, 46, is facing a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

On Dec. 14, 2016, Sanchez and three others were indicted by a U.S. grand jury in Bridgeport in connection with the plot.

Authorities allege that between 2015 and 2016, a drug trafficking organization based in Wolcott was responsible for acquiring and transporting large quantities of cocaine from Venezuela and Colombia. a filing in federal court states.

The drugs were then flown to Guatemala and Honduras, before portions of the shipments were brought to the U.S. for distribution, prosecutors said.

The investigation identified Sanchez as one of the organizations illicit aircraft pilots based in Mexico with illicit ties to [drug trafficking organization]s members and coordinators based in the Dominican Republic and Wolcott, Connecticut, a prosecutor wrote in a memo seeking Sanchezs detention.

Sanchezs duties within this drug trafficking organization primarily focused on his role and expertise as a pilot, which would further the [organizations] smuggling routes between Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

Vicki Hutchinson, Sanchezs New Fairfield lawyer, said she did not oppose detention during the hearing on Monday. She said the only discovery she has received in the case is the sentencing memo, which she said she was given shortly before her clients appearance in court.

I dont know if they ever found the drugs, I dont know who owns the plane, Hutchinson said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

She said her client, who is a citizen of Mexico, has been in custody for one year and four months since his arrest by Paraguayan authorities.

To me, he appeared very healthy and mentally clear, she said, adding that he didnt seem to have any signs of ill treatment.

Hutchinson noted the case is scheduled for trial on Oct. 13  a date she said felt was very quick in the time of COVID.

In July 2016, Sanchez is alleged to have agreed to fly a private jet  serving as co-pilot  loaded down with cocaine from Venezuela to Honduras.

The plan, according to federal court filings, was for Sanchez and the pilot, Rupert De Las Casas, fly from the Dominican Republic to a secret landing strip in Venezuela. To cover their tracks, the crew filed a fake flight plan reporting the aircraft was headed to Brazil, when it actually was headed for Apure, Venezuela, prosecutors said.

Once at the secret airfield, the group would load between 1,600 and 1,700 kilograms onto the plane, refuel and head to Honduras where the drugs would be loaded onto trucks, prosecutors said.

A third man, the planes only passenger, would ensure the drugs were properly loaded on the plane during the flight.

The plan went south, however, after the jet made an emergency landing some 50 kilometers shy of the hidden runway.

That alerted Venezuelan authorities to the aircrafts presence  the plane had switched off its transponder shortly after takeoff  who ordered the aircraft be fired on to keep it grounded.

The three men hid in the treeline until they were ultimately rescued by members of the drug trafficking organization and provided safe passage and escort into Colombia, the detention memo states. The drugs were also diverted back to Colombia.

After the mishap at the clandestine airstrip, Sanchez disappeared from federal authorities radar until March 2021 when they learned he was in Paraguay where he was arrested.

Sanchez contested extradition, but ultimately lost his argument in the Paraguayan Supreme Court and was ordered deported, the U.S. Attorneys Office wrote in its detention memo.

He was brought to the United States with the help of U.S. marshals on Friday.

In a filing ordering Sanchez detained while his case is heard, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish noted he is facing a charge that carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Drugmaker Teva announced Tuesday that it has agreed to contribute more than $4.3 billion in cash and medications to settle lawsuits in the state and local governments and Native American tribes that claimed the company contributed to the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The deal in principle would rank among the larger ones so far in a yearslong trend of companies settling the complicated lawsuits over the toll from an addiction and overdose epidemic, which has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades.

In their lawsuits, state governments and others claimed the Israel-based company promoted Actiq and Fentora, prescription opioids approved to treat cancer pain, plus generic opioids including oxycodone for use for non-cancer purposes. The states also said the company downplayed the addiction risks and encouraged doctors to continue to increase the doses they prescribed. The states claimed the company and its distributor, Anda, failed to comply with requirements on monitoring and reporting suspicious orders.

The multibillion-dollar settlement is to be paid over 13 years, with most of the money going to fight the opioid epidemic. The settlement includes providing up to $1.2 billion worth of naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses, at no charge  although states could take a smaller amount of cash instead, if they choose. It also includes the payouts from several settlements the company has recently reached with individual states.

New York is not included in the settlement, although the parties say negotiations with that state are continuing. A jury there last year found the company liable in a trial involving claims from the state government and two counties. The trial will go to a damages phase if a settlement isn't reached with Teva before then.

Teva said it does not expect to stand trial on any other opioid claims this year, even as cases involving claims against other companies continue to go to court.

While the agreement will include no admission of wrongdoing, it remains in our best interest to put these cases behind us and continue to focus on the patients we serve every day, Teva said in a statement.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, one of the chief negotiators, said the settlement would help address the crisis, which has become more deadly in recent years. Every week I meet people whose lives have been torn apart by the opioid epidemic, Stein said in a statement. Far too many families and friends have experienced painful loss to overdose. But I also meet inspiring people who are living happy lives in recovery  and this agreement will help thousands more North Carolinians get the treatment and support they need to free themselves of addiction.

For the deal to be finalized, it needs approval from state and local governments and tribes.

While this agreement is a vital step, we also recognize that this alone will not put an end to the opioid epidemic," lead lawyers representing local governments said in a statement. "We will continue to work to hold companies up and down the opioid supply chain accountable.

There have been more than $40 billion worth of proposed and completed settlements over opioid claims in recent years, according to an Associated Press tally.

Earlier this year, drugmaker Johnson & Johnson finalized a $5 billion settlement, and the three national drug distribution firms  AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson  finalized one worth a total of $21 billion. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is trying to persuade a court to let it move ahead with a deal that could include up to $6 billion in cash from members of the Sackler family who own the company. That potential deal would also transform the company into a new entity with profits used to combat the crisis.
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MARIPOSA, Calif.  Nearly 3,000 firefighters and first responders have flooded the Sierra foothills of Mariposa County battling the explosive Oak fire, but its the guys in camouflage fatigues and surplus war vehicles that have most alarmed some evacuees and monitors of extremist groups.

As fire crews made headway Tuesday against a blaze that has roared through 18,000 acres, destroyed 25 homes and forced thousands to flee their homes, the presence of a self-described militia whose members handed out food and offered help to evacuees has raised concerns among some.

Calling itself the Echo Company of the California State Militias 2nd Regiment, the group had set up a field kitchen off Highway 140 recently and told the Merced Sun-Star it was offering food, water and a place to stay for those in need. Online, the group posts videos of members training with rifles, shields and other equipment, along with the groups tagline: We who dare.

The Mariposa County Sheriffs Office announced on Facebook on Sunday that it had been made aware of the presence of a local militia in the area. We appreciate their efforts and any of the efforts of other private groups or entities helping our community, the statement read.

But those who monitor extremist groups questioned whether their actions were truly altruistic.

Self-described militia groups have often inserted themselves into natural disaster zones, they said. Sometimes the groups claim to provide help and supplies, while actually promoting right-wing extremist ideologies, anti-government sentiment and conspiracy theories.

It puts these groups in a positive light and extends to them a type of de-facto authority that they really dont have under the law, which poses significant issues, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. When you have a system that allows unregulated extremists to cosplay at times of disaster, you get, well, unqualified extremists cosplaying at times of disaster.

The Sheriffs Office had not requested the militias presence and said members were acting on their own courteous accord.

The public should be aware that the militia has not been activated or requested to act for any purpose by the Sheriffs Office or any agency working the Oak fire, the agency said on Facebook. We are not unsupportive of groups helping those affected by the Oak fire, however, it is important that we inform the community of resources available to them by the incident and Mariposa County.

The groups presence came as firefighters appeared to make significant gains, even after the fire had destroyed 41 structures and kept thousands from their homes.

The northeast side of the fire was continuing to push against steep terrain and was at risk of bumping around the 2018 Ferguson fire burn scar, which could then ignite new brush and forest and make the fire harder to control, said Escondido Fire Department public information officer Dominic Polito, who was working with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on the blaze.

If it runs up around the Ferguson scar, then were off to the races, he said. If not, then were looking very good.

By Tuesday, the fire reached 26% containment, according to Cal Fire. Several residents were allowed to return to their homes by Friday evening as evacuation orders for some areas were reduced to fire advisements.

Still, about 1,440 buildings remained threatened as the fire continued to press on the eastern boundary, and firefighters continued to fight through steep terrain.

The terrain is very slippery, said Fresno Fire Capt. Chris Garcia. Even putting firefighters up there is very hazardous. What can happen when walking is a dislodged rock can hit another firefighter, and were currently hitting a lot of snags, which is what we call a burnt out tree that ends up falling.

Those residents that had been forced to flee were still reeling from the blur of packing up what they could and leaving their homes in uncertainty.

I had never seen [smoke] that close before, said Richard Perez, a 40-year resident of Mariposa County.

He and his wife packed their belongings and stuffed them into two cars, including their dogs and chickens.

Thats my dream home, you know, he said, I worked my whole life to finally get a place.

They ushered their three German shepherds into one car, and 11 of their chickens in the other. After one night at a local hotel, they stayed at the American Red Cross shelter at Mariposa Elementary along with about 40 other evacuees.

Ive been there for 20 years, and to lose everything, he said, his voice trailing off. Its just material stuff, but its home.

Its residents like Perez that the uniformed militia group said it was looking to help.

Daniel Latner, a member of the group, told the Mercury News that around 20 members arrived with large military-surplus vehicles to help feed residents. Members, he said, were not armed.

Yet some residents found their presence unsettling.

The last thing Im going to do is take a free tri-tip sandwich from a right-wing extremist group, a woman, who declined to be identified citing fear of provoking the group, told the Mercury News.

The group in Mariposa County had once been affiliated with a larger militia with a similar name, but the larger militia cut ties with Echo Company because of an incident in 2020, it said, when they inserted armed members between Black Lives Matter supporters and pro-police groups in a protest in Atwater.

In a 2020 statement, the larger group wrote online that it disavowed Echo Company because of potential legal liability in light of the continued militant activities of other units, and called the actions inciteful.

The Mariposa County Sheriffs Office did not respond to requests for comment.

The presence of militia in natural disaster zones can seem well-intentioned, but can in fact be harmful because members are taking on actions that can interfere with trained government agencies that are coordinating a response, Levin said.

Many extremists groups are also known to use similar incidents to gain media attention and recruit new members.

Militia groups have also gained newfound scrutiny after the involvement of similar groups in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. Members of groups including the Oath Keepers  which years earlier had appeared at hurricane zones and conducted trainings for local residents to prepare for natural disasters  have been indicted for their alleged role in the attack.

Levin said he is also concerned that, even if the group is providing assistance to residents, law enforcements subtle approval raises questions about the publics interaction with them.

If it turns out theres extremists within those ranks, thats a critical juncture where people are at their most vulnerable, he said. Vulnerable people at vulnerable times require a qualified response, and they dont need to be exposed to the possibility of extremism.
COTONOU, Benin (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged security cooperation and support to Benin as it fights rising threats of extremism, as well as investments in education and a cultural center for the West African nation.

Macron made the pledges after meeting with Benin President Patrice Talon as part of a three-country tour to improve relations with nations in west and central Africa. Benin is Macrons second leg of the journey after visiting Cameroon. He next heads to Guinea-Bissau.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Heavy gunfire echoed throughout downtown Port-au-Prince on Wednesday as suspected gang members set a church on fire and tried to kill their opponents in a bid to gain control over more territory.

The intense fighting erupted just blocks from the governments National Palace and Haitis National Penitentiary, where hungry prisoners tried to revolt because they thought gang members were coming to release them, Government Commissioner Jacques Lafontant told The Associated Press.

There is no mutiny or invasion, he said, adding that police are trying to stabilize the area. With the weak equipment and lack of resources for them to fight back, that could take a couple of days.

The once bustling downtown area of Port-au-Prince has become increasingly dangerous and deserted as violence escalates between a gang coalition known as G9 that is trying to seize control of the area from other gangs. In one social media post, men identifying themselves as G9 members filmed a man they supposedly killed amid the fighting and laid several firearms on his naked body.

The recent spike in violence in the downtown area has sent bullets flying into nearby residential areas and businesses, injuring at least one person. The State University of Haiti issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that it was forced to suspend classes: In less than a week, multiple bullets have been recovered in the courtyard as well as in classrooms.

The gunfire continued as firefighters put out a blaze that partially burned a transitional church built near the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption that was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.

The spike in violence comes as gangs grow more powerful following the July 7, 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Last month, one gang took control of a portion of Haitis Court of First Instance and on Tuesday, another gang set fire to a courthouse in Croix-des-Bouquets, which lies just northeast of Port-au-Prince. In addition, the United Nations said more than 470 people have been killed, injured or disappeared in less than a week during recent turf wars in the nearby Cite Soleil slum.

The U.N. has urged the international community to help Haitis National Police fight crime and violence even as the United States and other countries continue to train officers and provide resources to the roughly 12,800 police officers that serve a country of more than 11 million people.
Many people have heard of Julian Hall at MacMurray College, but fewer people know the story behind the man the building was named after, Percy Lavon Julian.

Jeffrey Seeman, a historian of chemistry at the University of Richmond in Virginia, is out to change that.

Julians name has been associated with the chemistry building at MacMurray since 1972. However, the names are disappearing as new owners take occupancy of the buildings as they are being sold in the wake of the college's closure in May 2020. Seeman's mission is to establish the tangible legacies of Julian and ensure his name doesn't fade as time passes.

Seeman's pursuit eventually led him to Jacksonville and there are signs Julian's legacy in Jacksonville will remain.

Erin Kleinlein, project manager for Turner Painting & Construction, said a sale of Julian Hall is being finalized and the new owner is open to working with the community to preserve history.

A piece of Julian history was preserved recently when a plaque praising Julian as a humanitarian, scientist and educator was removed from a wall in the building and placed with other items secured by the MacMurray Foundation & Alumni Association.

Julian was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1899 and has connections to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he earned his bachelor's degree and to Chicago where he was involved in private business, first with Glidden, a paint company, and then for himself. He earned his master's degree from Harvard University in 1923 and then a doctorate in 1931 from the University of Vienna, Austria.

"One question most have about Percy Julian and MacMurray is: What is the connection? It must have been substantial," Seeman said. "Somehow, the school and Julian connected."

Julian received a doctorate of humane letters from MacMurray in 1969 and gave the commencement address on June 1, 1969. The building named after him was dedicated on May 13, 1972.

There are other MacMurray connections. Julians wife had extensive academic credentials as well. Anna Johnson Julian was the first Black woman awarded a Ph.D. in sociology by the University of Pennsylvania in 1937 and was awarded an honorary degree from MacMurray. Seeman believes she may have served on the school's board of trustees but cant verify she did.

"My guess is they gave some money to MacMurray, but I don't know that for sure," Seeman said. "But they were philanthropists, so degree, money and named building would seem to make sense."

Seeman's interest in Julian intensified with an article he wrote for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal, which can be found at bit.ly/3OGgxW1. Proceedings is running a series of articles of past members and Seeman was asked to write a retrospective of Julian.

It's difficult to briefly summarize Julians career and achievements. In Seeman's words, Julian was an eminent chemist, and the first Black chemist to be inducted into the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants and received more than 130 chemical patents. As his business and fame grew, Julian became a major philanthropist, supporting academic institutions and a variety of charities.

"There are at least 70 essays online about Julian, but I wanted to go beyond that, so I did an intensive study of Percy Julian. I found there were far more interesting things about him that people had not written about," Seeman said. "That led to other projects. It has become a seed to the wonderful fruits of research."

Seeman found Julian to be an impressive chemist and businessman whose greatest challenge, according to Julians daughter, Faith, was persistent racism. Despite graduating Phi Beta Kappa and being valedictorian at DePauw, Julian was not permitted to follow the educational track of his white peers and was forced to fight obstacles based solely on skin color.

"Every step along his way he bettered himself, and he bettered those around him. He was a force for good. What endures beyond that is the role model Julian represents for Black students considering careers in science," Seeman wrote in Proceedings. "And too, the role model Julian can be for all of us, when facing serious roadblocks in our own lives and needing the courage to find a way around if not through them."

Seeman is involved in other projects to keep the Julian legacy alive. There was a road marker in Montgomery, Alabama, honoring Julian that was knocked down in a traffic accident. He cooperated with a historic road marker group, associated with the state Department of Transportation, to get it rebuilt.

"They sent me the text of the marker and they had planned to reuse it, but there were some errors, so I am working with them to make the marker accurate," Seeman said.

MacMurray is not the only college to honor Julian. Illinois State in Normal has its own Julian Hall. He served on the university's board of regents from 1967-1973. There is also a Percy Julian Science Building at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

What he might have achieved without the restraints and barriers of racism is a question Julian answered near his death in 1975.

"I still feel that my own good country, noble as she is, robbed me of the chance for some of the great experiences that I would have liked to live through. Instead, I had to do like many Americans, I took a job where I could get one, and I tried to make the best of it."
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  One of Viktor Orban's closest associates has resigned in protest over what she called a pure Nazi" speech given by the Hungarian prime minister in which he railed against Europe becoming a mixed race society.

It was a rare rebuke from within the governing ranks of the Hungarian leader, who has long been accused by the European Union of eroding democratic institutions and norms.

In her resignation letter, published Tuesday by Hungarian media, longstanding adviser Zsuzsa Hegedus compared Orbans rhetoric to the language used in Nazi Germany.

I am sincerely sorry that I have to end a relationship due to such a shameful position, said Hegedus, who worked with Orban for 20 years. I was left with no other choice.

While Orban's anti-migration stance and criticism of Western liberal values have long prompted backlash, Saturdays speech sparked a fresh wave of outrage throughout Europe and from the opposition in Hungary.

In it, Orban declared that countries with largescale migration from outside of Europe are no longer nations.

There is a world in which European peoples are mixed together with those arriving from outside Europe, he said in the speech in Baile Tusnad, a majority ethnic Hungarian city in Romania. Now, that is a mixed-race world.

In what he described as our world, Orban said people from within Europe mix with one another."

We are willing to mix with one another, but we do not want to become peoples of mixed-race, he said, adding: Migration has split Europe in two  or I could say that it has split the West in two."

"One half is a world where European and non-European peoples live together. These countries are no longer nations: they are nothing more than a conglomeration of peoples.

Hegedus' resignation was a rare criticism from within Orban's closest circle. The Hungarian prime minister and his conservative Fidesz party hold a comfortable majority and have sought to curb critical voices.

Hegedus told Orban that his comments were unacceptable even by the standards of the most bloodthirsty racist."

I dont know how you didnt notice that you were presenting a pure Nazi text worthy of Goebbels," she wrote, referring to Joseph Goebbels, the chief Nazi propagandist under Adolf Hitler.

"I cannot dispense with it this time, even for the sake of our nearly 20-year friendship, she added.

Hungary's hvg.hu news portal said Hegedus also sent a copy of her resignation letter to Hungarys chief rabbi, Robert Frolich, who also criticized Orbans remarks.

Orban accepted Hegedus' resignation but dismissed her criticism in a response letter.

You cant be serious about accusing me of racism after 20 years of working together," he said. "You know best that my government follows a policy of zero tolerance when it comes to antisemitism and racism in Hungary.

Orban will travel to the U.S. next week to address a gathering of conservative activists. Orban has become a hero to many on the American right for his push against immigration and LGBTQ rights.
People with a condition that restricts blood flow to the legs and feet may be able to improve their long-term walking ability by walking for exercise at a pace that feels painful or uncomfortable, new research suggests.

The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found people with peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, who walked at a speed that caused painful symptoms increased their walking speed and leg function more than those who walked for exercise at a more comfortable pace.

"We were surprised by the results because walking for exercise at a pace that induces pain in the legs among people with PAD has been thought to be associated with damage to leg muscles," senior study author Dr. Mary McDermott said in a news release. She is a professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

"Exercise that induces leg pain is beneficial, though difficult," she said. "We now are working to identify interventions that can make the higher intensity exercise easier  and still beneficial  for people with PAD."

An estimated 8 to 10 million U.S. adults have PAD, a condition characterized by reduced blood and oxygen flow stemming from a narrowing of the arteries that take blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The condition typically affects the legs and feet, causing symptoms during walking such as cramping, weakness, fatigue, aching, and pain or discomfort that fade within 10 minutes after resting.

According to a 2021 policy statement from the American Heart Association, Black people, American Indians and people with low social and economic status are disproportionately affected by PAD, which can lead to amputation.

Prior research has shown walking for exercise can improve walking ability and walking distance for people with PAD. This study explored whether doing so at a pace that caused symptoms such as leg pain could improve speed, strength and balance.

Researchers studied 264 adults with PAD from four U.S. medical centers who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: walking for exercise at home at a pace that induced pain and discomfort, walking for exercise at a more comfortable pace and not walking for exercise. Participants, who were an average of 69 years old, were followed for 12 months, with walkers wearing a device to monitor walking intensity and duration.

All participants took a set of leg function tests at the study's outset, at six months and after 12 months. They were tested for walking speed over a four-meter distance at their usual walking pace and fastest walking pace. Researchers also assessed participants' balance while standing and how long it took them to rise five times from a chair.

After six months, the group that walked at a pace that caused pain or discomfort was able to walk 11 feet per minute faster than the group that walked at a comfortable pace, and almost 13 feet per minute faster than the group that did not walk for exercise. After 12 months, the group that experienced pain walked 16 feet per minute faster than the more comfortable group. There was no significant improvement in walking speed for those who walked at a comfortable pace compared with those who didn't walk for exercise at all.

After 12 months, people who experienced leg pain or discomfort when walking also performed better in the additional testing that measured leg function than those who walked at a more comfortable pace.

"This finding is consistent with "no pain, no gain" with regard to walking exercise in PAD," McDermott said.

The authors noted that participants in the study walked at home and not on a treadmill in the presence of a health professional, which is considered the standard of care under clinical practice guidelines.

AHA volunteer expert Dr. Joshua Beckman, who was not involved in the research but was a member of the writing group for the AHA's 2022 PAD National Action Plan, said in the news release that people with PAD can lead active and long lives but should monitor their condition and consult with a health care professional if things change.

"If you notice walking is becoming more difficult, keeping up with others is hard, or you have pain when you walk, talk with a doctor and describe when it happens and how it feels," said Beckman, who also is a professor of medicine and director of vascular medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email editor@heart.org.

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CHICAGO (AP)  A northwestern Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday to making an illegal straw purchase of a handgun that was later used to kill a Chicago police officer during a traffic stop.

Jamel Danzy, 30, of Hammond, entered the plea to one count of federal firearm conspiracy during a videoconference before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman.
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MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP)  The eastern Iowa state park where police say a man killed three people and himself is set to reopen this week.

Maquoketa Caves State Park will reopen for day use starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said in a news release. A temporary memorial site will be located at the entrance sign near the park's visitor center.
AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  Israel's caretaker prime minister and Jordan's king met on Tuesday in the Jordanian capital Amman, both leaders' offices said.

A statement from the office of Israeli interim premier Yair Lapid said he and King Abdullah II discussed recent regional changes, an apparent reference to ties that have improved between Israel and several Arab nations in recent years.
Hatem Moussa/AP

EREZ MILITARY BASE, Israel (AP)  The Israeli army said on Wednesday that Hamas has rebuilt some of the capabilities that were damaged during last year's Gaza war, including three new tunnels and a series of weapons manufacturing and storage sites.

The army published aerial imagery and maps showing what it said are tunnels, weapons factories and arms depots. It said the installations were near al-Azhar University in Gaza City, a Pepsi factory, mosques, United Nations facilities and hospitals elsewhere in Gaza.
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (AP)  A Philadelphia man charged in a double murder in central Pennsylvania two years ago is asking a judge to bar prosecutors from using statements he said he made to police while dealing with drug withdrawal symptoms.

Isiah Payne, 34, is charged in the deaths of 28-year-old Mikal Jackson-Stevenson and 52-year-old Natalie Washington in Altoona in May 2020. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A federal judge on Tuesday threw out multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuits against five media companies brought by a Kentucky student involved in a 2019 widely viewed encounter with a Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

Nicholas Sandmann, then a 16-year-old student at Covington Catholic High School, sued several media companies, alleging they defamed him in their reporting of the incident. The lawsuits sought tens of millions of dollars in damages.

The actions of Sandmann and his classmates were intensely debated online after video and photographs emerged of them wearing Make America Great Again hats near a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, playing a drum.

Phillips accused Sandmann in media reports of blocking his way as Phillips moved through the crowd. Sandmann argued in the lawsuits that Phillips statement was defamatory.

But Phillipss statements that Sandmann blocked him and wouldnt allow (him) to retreat are objectively unverifiable and thus unactionable opinions, U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman wrote in a ruling filed Tuesday.

Sandmanns attorney, Todd McMurtry, said Wednesday that he is disappointed in the ruling and plans to appeal.

Sandmanns lawsuits against The New York Times, CBS News, ABC News, Gannett and Rolling Stone magazine were filed in March 2020. In the lawsuit against The New York Times, Sandmann sought $65 million in damages. He sought $60 million from CBS News.

Sandmann, who was standing with dozens of his classmates on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, argued in the lawsuit against the New York Times that the newspapers reporting conveyed the false and defamatory gist that Nicholas was the face of an unruly hate mob ...

Both Sandmann and Phillips have said they were trying to defuse tensions rising among various groups on a day when Washington hosted both the Indigenous Peoples March and the anti-abortion March for Life, which was attended by the Covington students. Video of the encounter showed Sandmann and Phillips standing close to each other, with Sandmann staring and at times smiling at Phillips as he sang and played a drum.

Sandmann reached undisclosed settlements with CNN and The Washington Post in 2020 and NBC News in 2021 over their coverage of the incident.
EDWARDSVILLE  A man who killed two Alton teens 25 years ago has avoided a life sentence and could be released in less than five years after the Fifth District Appellate court sent his case back to the circuit court two times.

In 1997, Terril Williams, 41, of East St. Louis, shot and killed two men in the Belle Manor apartment complex. The district court remanded the case for a third hearing because of questions about Williams' age, 15, at the time of the murders.

This week Associate Judge Neil Schroeder sentenced Williams to two concurrent terms of 60 years in prison, but Willians could get a day off for each good day he serves. He also will get credit for time served since Feb. 2, 1997.

According to court documents, Williams and several associates traveled to Alton after a heated argument over the phone. Upon reaching Belle Manor, Williams shot James Patterson, 17, of Alton, while Pattersons hands were in the air. He also shot Darryl Womack, 15, in the back of the head as Womack was running away.

Williams was initially sentenced to mandatory life under Illinois law because he had killed two people. In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court modified the mandatory life statute, finding the courts must acknowledge the differences between juveniles and adults.

In its most recent ruling, the Fifth District justices stated the trial court failed to consider that Williams, as a juvenile, had a different makeup than an adult would have, according to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

That decision ruled a juvenile had traits, like failure to appreciate risks and consequences and possible a poor background and family situation. However, the high court also ruled that a life sentence was allowable if the defendant was found to be irreparably corrupt.

The case was remanded to the trial court in Madison County, where the judge heard about the defendants background.

According to a pre-sentencing report, the defendant was primarily raised by his maternal grandmother," stated a court document in the case. "His father lived in another state and had not been involved in his life for several years prior to his arrest, and his mother had an issue with alcohol use over the years."

Williams testified he had a learning disability and had been in special education classes since the second grade. He was a high school sophomore when he was arrested in February 1997. Two of his brothers had died, one about a month before the Belle Manor murders.

While in custody Williams was disciplined 14 times between 2000 and 2012.

During his second sentencing hearing, he continued to maintain his innocence. Prosecutors argued that shooting someone who had his hands in the air or running away amounted to irreparable corruption.

He killed two unarmed, defenseless children and threatened two others," former Madison County Assistant States Attorney Jennifer Mudge argued in the second sentencing hearing in 2018. "If that isnt irreparable corruption, I dont know what is.

In its most recent ruling, the justices ruled the trial court failed to take into account the entirety of the rule defining irreparably corrupt, specifically immaturity, impetuosity or susceptibility to familial and peer pressure.

The Fifth District justices also stated the appellate court considers the crimes were senseless and did not intend for the sentence to be light.
The Korean War Veterans Association commemorated the 69th anniversary of the wars cease fire on Wednesday morning at Jarvis Plaza.

The Korean War was a civil conflict that became a proxy war between superpowers clashing over communism and democracy. No peace treaty was ever signed, although in December 2021, North and South Korea, the United States and China agreed to declare a formal end to the war.

However, many lives were taken by this conflict in which 32 Laredoan soldiers were some of whom sacrificed themselves for their nation.

Ernesto Sanchez, President of the Korean War Veterans Association, shared with the community a commemorating ceremony for all veterans who served and honored their families for their service and contribution to the nation.

We are celebrating this day, because 69 years ago when I was in Korea at the Battle of the Heartbreak Ridge, even though war isnt over yet, the fire was ceased, said Sanchez.

We lost more than 35,000 men, about a 100,000 wounded, but China, North Korea and South Korea lose a million, he said, Each one of us is precious, and it really hurts when right in front of you lose your best friends.

He highlighted that it is vital to continue celebrating this since 32 people gave their lives so we could live in freedom.

We are here to pay respect to ours and to give the condolences to the poor families that lost their kids and went far away to fight. We never left anybody behind.

He stated that about seven soldiers were lost when the war ceased. However, Ricardo Castor was one of the individuals who was able to return to Laredo after having his body recognized by this family, but there are still six Laredo soldiers missing.

The only thing that I would like to tell everybody is that those who have given their life for their country, we will never forget them. Never. Nunca los olvidaremos.

Jesus A. Segovia, who served at the Vietnam War in 1966, expressed his admiration to these noble soldiers.

What Mr. Sanchez does is very important, Segovia expressed. It is important to continue following the tradition so the youth and the Koreans who are still here in Laredo know that we remember them and continue honoring them.

Vietnam veterans, we get together on Memorial Day and soon we are exposing a monument for Gold Star Mothers. We are close friends with the Korean War veterans. We hang out on Fridays to get some coffee and have a good time wearing red shirts since we have an organization called RED, which stands for Remembering Everyone Deployed, and we support anyone whos serving the nation right now throughout the world.

On the other hand, Sanchezs grandchild, Zachary Reyna, supported his grandfather and expressed his appreciation to all the sacrifices he did during the war.

Its significant to continue honoring the veterans and being grateful for those who not only have fought for us but also have fallen in battle, honoring their lives and making sure their family know they are appreciated and remembered, Reyna said. It is great that my grandfather tries to embrace the veterans and embrace the culture and make sure that they are felt.

Thank you, grandfather. I am extremely grateful for you fighting for our freedom and putting your life on the lines, not only for our family but for all here in the United States, Reyna said to Sanchez.

Isidro Alaniz, District Attorney for Webb and Zapata Counties, also expressed his gratitude toward Korean War veterans.

The Korean War veterans are an older generation, theres not many of them left, Alaniz said. It is important for us as a community to recognize and thank them for all the things that we take for granted, all the freedom we have is because of the men and women that sacrificed so much in the military. It is imperative to commemorate the service and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms of our country.

Alaniz mentioned to have a son in the US Army serving so he could understand the sacrifice and appreciate all families who have loved ones serving.

In these very dangerous times that we live in, the United States is the most powerful military in the world, and it is a volunteer service, he said. We thank all of their families that separated their sons, daughters, husbands or wives.

karol.garcia@lmtonline.com
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A Roman Catholic priest is returning to active ministry after an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse, the Diocese of Portland said Wednesday.

The diocese said its investigation into the Rev. Robert Vaillancourt took a year. The allegations concerned sexual abuse of girls in the 1980s.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A man who admitted to calling in a bomb threat at the Michigan Capitol was sentenced Wednesday to one year in jail, Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

Michael Varrone, 49, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty last month to false report or threat of bomb/harmful device. Prosecutors dismissed two terrorism charges against him.
Michigan State Police in Wayland are asking for the public to help them locate a man Logan Thayer Sweet.

Police said on Twitter Sweet was last seen on Sunday, July 24 attending a concert at The Listening Room in Grand Rapids.

Sweet may be driving his 2022 Kawasaki 650 sport bike that is charcoal gray. He is six feet tall, 240 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes, according to police.

Photo provided/Michigan State Police Photo provided/Michigan State Police The bike and helmet associated with Sweet.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Sweet is being asked to contact Trooper Jeff Olney, the MSP Wayland Post at 269-792-2213 or Allegan County Central Dispatch at 269-673-3899.
The Midland Christian Women's Connection will host a luncheon, 12-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at the Midland Country Club.

Darlene Anderson, community leader of Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP), will present truths and myths of human trafficking in the community and nationwide.

Sherry Gray, of New Carlisle, Indiana, will present "Surveying the Winds of Life and Still Laughing." She is a restauranter and traveler who loves to laugh and enjoys time with family and friends.

Cost is $17, payable at the door either by cash or check; checks can be made out to CWC. Reservations are due by 9 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 7 and can be emailed to cjsweebe@gmail.com.
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BEIRUT (AP)  Lebanon plans to build two new grain silos to fight its its worsening food security crisis, the countrys caretaker economy minister told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Amin Salam said that several countries and international organizations have expressed an interest in funding and bidding for the new silos, which will cost a total of $100 million.

We have had very serious interest from Germany, the United States, France, and even more serious interest from the United Arab Emirates, Salam said, adding that he will visit Qatar soon to discuss the matter.

The small Mediterranean country is in the throes of a crippling economic crisis that has bankrupted the state and pulled over three-quarters of its population into poverty. Lebanons only grain silos in the Beirut Port are in ruins, after hundreds of tons of explosive ammonium nitrate in detonated there almost two years ago. The blast killed over 200 people and wounded over 6,000 others.

One of the silos has been on fire for weeks due to fermenting grain, as it heads towards collapse.

Sluggish wheat imports as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine and skyrocketing food and fuel prices have sparked panic and scuffles at bakeries for partially subsidized bread.

Salam said Lebanon in June received a technical feasibility study by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development greenlighting the construction of two grain silos north of the capital in the Tripoli Port and in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Building the silos will be serious crisis management, because we need the (grain) reserves, Salam told the AP. All the shipments that took one week to 10 days to arrive now take up to a month. And in some cases they are being canceled.

Salam said he is also in talks with the World Bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for funding.

The Lebanese Central Bank for years has subsidized wheat imports to keep bread prices stable, but bread prices has slowly increased as Lebanese pound lost over 90 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar. The Central Bank has slowly reeled back from its subsidies as its foreign reserves continues to shrink.

The minister last week accused bakery owners hoarding subsidized wheat for traditional Arabic bread, a local staple, to sell them at higher prices later for a higher profit.

Parliament on Tuesday voted to spend a $150 million World Bank loan on wheat imports, which caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam hopes would keep bread prices steady for at least six months. Lebanon should receive the funding within the next month, he said.

The minister said building the two new silos and having them fully operational could happen within a year. But new silos for Beirut will take time, pending a sluggish judicial probe and a virtually non-existent port cleanup and reconstruction plan.

Salam said the port silos held 125,000 tons. "We're seeking a similar number for Tripoli, and a smaller number in the Bekaa, he explained. This way, once we have the three of them, Lebanon is secure with nine months of reserves.

Lebanons economy for almost three years has been spiraling. Experts blame decades of poor economic planning and corruption with no accountability from the countrys numerous sectarian political parties. Meanwhile, the government has struggled to implement financial and structural reforms to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout program and unlock billions of dollars in financial aid.
OXFORD, Miss (AP)  A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing a bank in the northeast part of the state.

Jasper Michael Wagner, 56, of Tupelo, entered the plea onTuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal said. Aycock scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 1. Wagner faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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Small, ancient sculptures that have been gathering dust in an Albuquerque storage box are returning home to Mexico, where they are intertwined with the identity of Indigenous communities.

The Albuquerque Museum Foundation celebrated the repatriation of the dozen sculptures in a ceremony Wednesday. The local Consulate of Mexico accepted Olmec greenstone sculptures, a figure from the city of Zacatecas, bowls that were buried with tombs and other clay figurines that date back thousands of years.

The event came as Native, Indigenous and African communities have pushed for museums, universities and other institutions to repatriate items that are important parts of their cultures and histories.

Foundation President and CEO Andrew Rodgers said returning the sculptur es that have sat in storage for 15 years was the right thing to do. Even the foundation's board agreed. But some outside their organization had a different idea.

"We did encounter a couple people who suggested Oh you should just sell these ...'They may not be worth a ton so just keep them' or 'Mexico doesnt really care about this kind of stuff,'" Rodgers said.

Mexico, however, very much cares.

We appreciate and recognize actions taken by the Albuquerque Museum Foundation to voluntarily return these archaeological pieces back to the Mexican nation, Consul of Mexico Norma Ang Sanchez said in a statement. They are important elements of memory and identity for our native communities, and we are pleased they will be recovered.

The effort to research the artifacts' origins began over five months ago when they were discovered sitting in a box in storage. Rodgers' assistant obtained the original appraisal form from when a donor gifted them in 2007.

Immediately alarm bells started going off in our heads when they saw the label pre-Columbian, Rodgers said.

Playing internet detective, Rodgers found the original dealer. A New York woman in her 90s still had the original notecards from the items' sale to the donors in 1985. She said they either were purchased on a roadside in Mexico or from dealers in New England.

I dont think anybody had mal intent. I just think there was not much clarity or much transparency in that sort of a practice 30, 40, 50 years ago, Rodgers said.

Museum archaeologists at the University of New Mexico and Emory University in Atlanta authenticated the objects before talking with the local Mexican consulate. The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History, which will end up with the figures, believes they were made in western Mexico between 300 and 600 B.C.

There has always been a desire to reclaim pre-Hispanic culture and artwork, according to Tessa Solomon, a reporter for the online publication ARTnews who has covered dozens of stories on the topic.

When Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador became president of Mexico in 2018, his administration made retrieving artifacts a priority. Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto Guerrero has tried to stop sales of cultural items at auction. The efforts spawned a social media movement called #MyHeritageIsNotForSale. It's estimated more than 5,500 archaeological objects from Mexico have been recovered in the last few years.

(Mexican officials) definitely have the most concerted effort to stop auction sales of these pieces, Solomon said. Placing these objects in a European or American gallery or museum is creating these gaps in the art history of these places that is difficult to fill. It shouldnt be up to other countries to create these histories."

Campaigns to restore artifacts and artwork to a country or a people are happening worldwide. The U.S. Department of Interior is weighing changes to a federal law that ensures the repatriation of Native American remains and sacred objects. The proposed revisions include more clarity, specific deadlines and heavier penalties for violating the law.

Indigenous groups from Canada are calling on the Vatican Museums to give up tens of thousands of artifacts and art. The Vatican says the feathered headdresses, carved walrus tusks, masks and embroidered animal skins were gifts to Pope Pius XI.

Germany and Nigeria signed an agreement on July 1 to facilitate the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that the British stole from Africa over a century ago. Hundreds of bronzes were sold to museums all over the world. The Smithsonian had 29 at its National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. They will go back to the Nigerian government.

Other Smithsonian museums have been returning objects to their rightful owners for more than three decades, said Kevin Gover, undersecretary for museums and culture. Determining who owns the items can be a lengthy process.

Some of these things, remember, are often very old, said Gover, a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. So it does require a great deal of research to be sure we understand exactly what it is and exactly how it was acquired ...I 'm impressed that this Albuquerque Museum (Foundation) had it done in six months.

The racial reckoning that started in the U.S. in 2020 likely increased the number of calls for reclaiming antiquities and artwork. In April, the Smithsonian enacted an ethical returns policy" that requires a look at how an object came into the institution's possession.

Museums and other art venues must face they are in an age where they will be judged by their actions, not just their artwork.

The public is sort of expecting more from these institutions, Gover said. This is part of maintaining that trust, being able to say we came into possession of this object in an ethical way, in a fair way.

Rodgers, of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, is taking the ordeal as a key learning opportunity.

This experience has especially given us exposure to this world and a better understanding," he said. So I think were certainly much better prepared to make sure that we never accept anything we shouldnt.
CINCINNATI (AP)  An Ohio man who admitted threatening a witness after posting videos from the U.S. Capitol riots was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation.

Justin Stoll, of Wilmington, had pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to transmitting a threat to injure. Authorities allege Stoll breached the security barricades at the Capitol, but did not enter the building on Jan. 6.
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP)  A 6-year-old boy fatally shot his 5-year-old sister in their home in eastern Indiana and their parents have been arrested in the killing, police said.

First responders discovered the girl with a gunshot wound to the head early Tuesday afternoon at the home in Muncie, 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis. She was taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, The Star Press reported.
A new poll from the firm Morning Consult showed Gov. J.B. Pritzkers approval rating at 51% among Illinois voters, or 7 points above water in polling lingo.

Its the latest quarterly poll from the firm, and data included 14,258 registered voters polled from April 1 through June 30.

While its a truism of polling that any poll is just a snapshot in time, Pritzkers numbers have been remarkably consistent in the Morning Consult measurements since January 2021. His approval has ranged from 50% to 51% while disapproval ranged from 43% to 44%.

President Joe Bidens approval rating in Illinois as measured by the same firm, however, is an example of how quickly public sentiment can change.

Morning Consult distributed the polling results under the headline Democratic Governors Facing Re-Election Are Resisting Bidens Drag Effect. The firm measured Bidens approval at 47% in Illinois while disapproval measured at 50%.

It was a major drop from one year prior for Biden, who logged a healthy 58%-38% approval-disapproval rating in Illinois for the quarter ending in June 2021.

The discrepancies between the approval ratings of Biden and Democratic governors help explain the level of intrigue in national news outlets regarding Biden potentially being replaced atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 election cycle.

Pritzkers name  along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had a 53%-40% approval split according to the poll  has been floated time and again in that conversation. Many news outlets, including Capitol News Illinois, have asked him about his plans should Democrats seek a new presidential candidate next time around.

He hasnt directly denied an interest in a presidential run, but he told me at the end of June that Illinois remains his focus.

I'm not talking about running for president. I'm talking about running for governor, Pritzker said after the June 28 primary. And it's what I'm focused on. I really do believe that, you know  I love this state  and I love the job that I have. I believe there's a lot more to get done. I mean, you wouldn't look at me and say that Illinois doesn't have more to get done.

The intrigue has also been largely stoked by the governors recent speaking engagements.

In June he spoke at a gathering of Democrats in New Hampshire, normally one of the countrys first states to hold a primary, and last weekend he spoke at Florida Democrats Leadership Blue gala.

The Florida speech took an unapologetic tone, championing progressive policies passed in his first term in Illinois while also focusing on abortion rights and gun control.

It also included a faux apology from the governor to Floridians for defeating ex-Gov. Bruce Rauner by nearly 16 points in 2018, a win Pritzker said caused Rauner to move to Florida in humiliation, according to prepared remarks reported by Politico.

Pritzker also mentioned Ken Griffin, the Republican megadonor and founder of the hedge fund Citadel, who spent $50 million in an unsuccessful effort to nominate Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin in the GOP primary. Pritzker dedicated millions of his own personal fortune to attack Irvin.

Pritzker likened Griffin to a spoiled rich kid for announcing Citadels move to Florida amid Irvins primary struggles, and he attempted to tie the self-styled GOP moderate wing, as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to former President Donald Trump.

The funny thing is that both Rauner and Griffin claim they dont come from the Donald Trump wing of the Republican Party, Pritzker said. Instead they would say theyre DeSantis Republicans  which is a little bit like saying youve never been a fan of Darth Vader but you support the Empires political agenda.

Within days of returning home from Florida, Pritzker announced a positive test for COVID-19 Tuesday, and his team said he was experiencing mild symptoms. Prior to the Florida trip, he spent time at the White House last week and in Augusta, Maine, at a gathering of the National Governors Association.

State Sen. Darren Bailey, a Xenia farmer who gained the GOP nomination and has vowed not to be outworked in the race for governor, saw Pritzkers recent East Coast trip as a line of attack.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent the weekend hobnobbing in Florida with wealthy liberals and fueling his presidential ambitions, Baileys campaign said in a Monday news release. Meanwhile in Illinois, rampant crime continued unabated. Seven people were killed over the weekend in Chicago, and eight carjackings terrorized Chicago neighborhoods in the span of just one hour.

Baileys battle will be uphill on the fundraising front as he looks to knock off the incumbent, who is partial heir of the Hyatt hotel fortune and has a net worth of $3 billion-4 billion.

Pritzkers campaign fund had $60.8 million cash on hand as of June 30, while Baileys campaign fund had just $363,918. Pritzkers campaign spent $27 million from April to June, while Baileys camp spent $9.2 million.

Baileys main financial backer has been Richard Uihlein, founder of the shipping supply company Uline, having donated $9 million to the candidate and $8 million to other political action committees working on Baileys behalf during the primary. Uihlein gave another $5 million to the pro-Bailey People Who Play By the Rule PAC on July 6.

Irvins campaign ended June with $763,515 cash on hand, having spent $40.5 million.
A catalytic converter was stolen this week from a states attorneys car parked in the juvenile courthouse lot in New Haven, state police said Wednesday.

Theyre getting pretty brazen, Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Pedro A. Muniz, a spokesperson for the agency, said of cat thieves who have caused untold expense and lost time to vehicle owners throughout the state.

State police received a call around 1:30 p.m. Monday that a converter had been cut from a Toyota Prius parked in the Whalley Avenue lot in New Haven, Muniz said. Police are investigating, he said, and no other details were available.

Cashing in on valuable metals contained in the pollution scrubbing devices, thieves have been doing their quick surgery on cars parked in residential driveways and retail parking lots and from school bus yards and commercial businesses throughout the state. Several school buses in Wolcott were hit this week, according to police, about a month after thieves stole converters from the same yard.

Wolcott Police Chief Edward Stephens said three thieves early Tuesday sliced a converter from a U-Haul van parked outside Party Plus on Wolcott Road, then traveled down the road to All-Star Transportation, where they cut converters from seven small school buses before finally hitting two cars at AmeriVu Inn and Suites.

Thieves using the same car stole seven converters from All-Star buses in early June, Stephens said. The cost to the bus company per vehicle was likely about $1,500, he said.

Individual victims typically pay at least a $500 insurance deductible for replacement, but those with older, high mileage cars and trucks who lack the necessary coverage sometimes must choose between junking the vehicle and repairs that can easily rise above $1,000.

Using power tools, thieves can sever the exhaust system components in under five minutes. Some vehicles, such as Priuses, are prized targets because they emit fewer toxins, so the converters are cleaner and more valuable.

The thefts also are prompting confrontations between thieves, police and victimized vehicle owners. Milford police warned residents against confrontations last week after a masked thief pointed a gun at two people. That incident came one month after a Milford man needed 300 stitches when he interrupted a similar theft in his driveway.

Gov. Ned Lamont in May signed a bill into law meant to curb the illicit trade in converters. The law prohibits recyclers and scrap yards from receiving converters not attached to vehicles. The law also boosts record-keeping requirements and requires scrap metal dealers to submit all information on converter sales to state police weekly.

But critics say thieves can easily skirt the law by selling the devices online or going to out-of-state scrap dealers. Buying a converter without the proper paperwork, a Class C misdemeanor, should be a felony, said John Porriello, a leader of the public safety advocacy group Safe Streets CT.

This particular incident, Porriello said of the theft in New Haven, is an exhibit of how brazen the criminals in Connecticut have become  that they would steal from a parking lot of the juvenile court in broad daylight.

Although the identity of those responsible is not known, police around the state say many of the cat thieves are juveniles.

Oh, the irony, Porriello wrote in a Facebook post.

His group, along with law enforcement leaders and some legislators, have called for tougher penalties for underage criminals in the wake of car thefts and burglaries and other crimes around the state.

Jesse.Leavenworth@hearstmediact.com
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)  Russias foreign minister on Wednesday denied his country is responsible for the global surge in food prices following its invasion of Ukraine, dismissing the so-called food crisis" as he completed a visit to several African nations on a continent hit especially hard.

Addressing reporters and African diplomats in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sergey Lavrov accused the United States and European countries of driving up prices by pursuing reckless green policies and even hoarding food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation in Ukraine did additionally negatively affect food markets, but not due to the Russian special operation, rather due to the absolutely inadequate reaction of the West, which announced sanctions, Lavrov said.

Western countries, for their part, have repeatedly pointed out that food is exempt from their sanctions on Russia and have blamed Moscow for the global crisis.

Lavrov said last week's breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea for tons of trapped grain out of Ukraine could have been announced long, long ago if not for the Western stubbornness in insisting they are always right." He said Russian and Turkish ships will escort ships that have been trapped in Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea once Ukraine demines its coastline.

Many African countries rely heavily on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine, and African leaders weeks ago visited Moscow to express their food concerns while a looming famine stalks the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia, during the worst drought in decades.

But many African nations haven't openly criticized Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Experts have cited Moscow's support for some African nations dating back to the Soviet Union or Russia's role as a major arms supplier to the continent while sending relatively little humanitarian aid.

Ethiopia is Africa's diplomatic hub and second most populous country, and later this year it is expected to host the second Russia-Africa summit. Ukraine's president earlier this year addressed the Addis Ababa-based African Union continental body about Russia's invasion, but few heads of state reportedly tuned in.

Lavrov on his African tour has sought to reassure leaders concerned about a spike in grain prices and justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which he called a threat on Russias border.

He also claimed most countries do not support Western sanctions on Russia, calling it basically evident from the fact that, except for two or three countries, no one in Africa, Asia or Latin America has joined them.

Ethiopia's government made no public comment about the war in Ukraine or the food crisis during Lavrov's visit, with state media reporting only that Russia and Ethiopia had agreed to strengthen economic ties.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  A relative of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh said Wednesday that the Biden administration's top diplomat refused her face-to-face appeal to push for a full U.S. investigation into the killing of the veteran television correspondent.

Niece Lina Abu Akleh also said Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. officials declined in meetings with her this week to provide any more information than they had already made public about how Americans reached the findings about the killing that they released this month.

A July 4 statement issued by the State Department concluded that Israeli forces likely fired the shot that killed Shireen Abu Akleh in May, but that there was no indication Israelis intentionally shot the veteran Al Jazeera correspondent. The 51-year-old reporter, an American citizen, was highly respected in the Arab world for her decades covering Palestinians and other Arab communities.

I felt like we left the meeting with more questions. And our questions were still not answered," her 27-year-old niece told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday at the Capitol, where she pressed lawmakers for help obtaining more answers.

State Department spokesman Ned Price did not immediately address questions from the AP about the niece's account of her discussion Tuesday with Blinken.

Price referred instead Wednesday to his earlier remarks to reporters that Blinken was meeting with Shireen Abu Akleh's family to express a message of condolence ... and a message of the priority we attach to accountability going forward, as well as to hear from her survivors.

Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid on May 11 in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian eyewitnesses, including her crew, say Israeli troops killed her and that there were no militants in the immediate vicinity or any exchange of fire at the time she was shot.

Israel denies its forces deliberately targeted her, but says an Israeli soldier may have hit her by mistake during an exchange of fire with a militant.

U.S. lawmakers and Abu Aklehs family pressed the Biden administration to push for more of a accounting in the killing of a U.S. citizen.

U.S. security officials subsequently examined the results of separate Palestinian and Israeli investigations. That led to Price, the State Department spokesman, releasing the early July statement that Americans found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad." The acronym refers to Israeli defense forces.

U.S. officials have given no details on how they reached that decision.

Lina Abu Akleh said she asked Blinken that question when she met with him. He responded, she said, by saying, There was no one qualified to say if it was intentional or not.

Then why would they release a statement as such? she asked Wednesday. That is very damaging to the truth.

When she requested a U.S.-led investigation, she said Blinken said that decision was up to the Justice Department and not the State Department. She said Blinken declined to refer the family to other U.S. officials who had authority to undertake such an investigation.

A family statement released after the U.S. announced its conclusion this month called the explanation insulting and pointed to America's strong ties with Israel, an important ally.

Lina Abu Akleh was the family's main voice this week during the Washington trip to meet with administration officials, legislators and reporters.

Shireen Abu Akleh, who lived and worked in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, had spent Christmas with her niece in the United States. The journalist was supposed to have spent her summer vacation with her niece and other extended family in California.

She was a very proud citizen," the niece said. And unfortunately, that U.S. citizenship hasn't been helping her toward getting justice."

___

AP Diplomat Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP)  State police say an armed man shot and killed by a western Pennsylvania police officer over the weekend had fired at a home where a gathering was taking place.

Forrest Allison, a state police public information officer, told the (Washington) Observer-Reporter that 29-year-old Cody Bennett had been at the gathering at the Monongahela home Sunday night but was kicked out after a dispute.
SOUTHBURY  A state trooper is under investigation on sexual assault allegations, state police said in a news release Wednesday evening.

Trooper Jose Campos has been suspended while Connecticut State Polices Central District Major Crime Squad investigates the accusation. His police powers have been revoked, state police added.

Southbury constables were called to a home on Old Field Road around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The resident accused Campos of sexual assault, prompting an investigation from state police.

In order to protect the integrity of this active investigation, the Connecticut State Police will not be providing further information, state police said.

State police said further information about the case will be made available when the investigation is complete.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Stuart Woods, an author of more than 90 novels, many featuring the character of lawyer-investigator Stone Barrington, has died. He was 84.

Woods passed away in his sleep on Friday, July 22, at his home in Litchfield County, Connecticut, his publicist, Katie Grinch, said Wednesday.

Woods, a graduate of the University of Georgia in his home state, moved to New York in 1960 to pursue a career in journalism. He ended up instead with a career in advertising and eventually moved to London and then to Galway, Ireland, where he discovered sailing.

His first book, Blue Water, Green Skipper, was a non-fiction account of his 1976 adventure competing in the the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, which began in Plymouth, England, and ended in Newport, Rhode Island.

After W.W. Norton & Company acquired the American rights to the book, it also agreed to publish Woods' first novel.

That book, 1981's Chiefs, about three generations of lawmen and the murder of a teenager in a small southern town, won literary awards and was made into a CBS miniseries starring Charlton Heston, Danny Glover, Billy Dee Williams and John Goodman.

The book's success launched Woods' prolific career as a novelist that saw him write five books a year for G.P. Putnams Sons.

I write every day from 11 a.m. to noon, about one chapter a day, Woods told The Hartford Courant in 2015. "And I answer my emails. The other 23 hours I do anything but write  boating, lots of reading, watching old movies."

Woods received the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, Frances most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction, in 2010 for his novel, Imperfect Strangers."

Woods memoir, An Extravagant Life, was published in June. Putnam plans to release Black Dog, the 62nd book in Stone Barrington series on August 2 and Distant Thunder, the 63rd book in the series, on October 11.

Woods, who also had homes in New York, Florida and Maine, was a licensed pilot who flew his own private jet on his book tours.

He is survived by his wife, the former Jeanmarie Cooper of Key West, Florida.
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TOKYO (AP)  Japans minister for gender equality and children's issues called the countrys record low births and plunging population a national crisis and blamed indifference and ignorance in the male-dominated Japanese parliament.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Seiko Noda said the steadily dwindling number of children born in Japan was an existential threat, saying the nation wont have enough troops, police or firefighters in coming decades if it continues. The number of newborns last year was a record low 810,000, down from 2.7 million just after the end of World War II, she said.

People say that children are a national treasure. ... They say that women are important for gender equality. But they are just talking, Noda, 61, told the AP in a Cabinet office in downtown Tokyos government complex. The politics of Japan will not move unless (the problems of children and women) are made visible.

She said there are a variety of reasons for the low birthrate, persistent gender bias and population decline in Japan, "but being in the parliament, I especially feel that there is indifference and ignorance.

Japan is the worlds third biggest economy, a powerful democracy and a major U.S. ally, but the government has struggled to make society more inclusive for children, women and minorities. There are deep concerns, both within Japan and abroad, about how the country will reverse what critics call a deep-seated history of male chauvinism that has contributed to the low birthrate.

The gap between men and women in Japan is one of the worlds worst. It ranked 116th in a 146-nation survey by the World Economic Forum for 2022, which measured progress toward equality based on economic and political participation, as well as education, health and other opportunities for women.

Japan has fallen behind because other countries have been changing faster," said Chizuko Ueno, a University of Tokyo professor of feminist studies, referring to Japan's gender gap. "Past governments have neglected the problem.

Because of outdated social and legal systems surrounding family issues, younger Japanese are increasingly reluctant to get married and have children, contributing to the low birthrate and shrinking population, said Noda. She has served in parliament since 1993 and expressed her ambition to be Japans first female prime minister.

Noda criticized a law requiring married couples to choose one family name  90% of the time it is the women who change their surnames  saying it's the only such legislation in the world.

In Japan, women are underestimated in many ways, said Noda, who is one of only two women in the 20-member Cabinet. I just want women to be on equal footing with men. But we are not there yet, and the further advancement of women still has to wait.

The more powerful lower house of Japan's two-chamber parliament is more than 90% people who do not menstruate, do not get pregnant and cannot breastfeed, Noda said.

The lack of female representation is often referred to as democracy without women.

A quota system could help increase the number of female candidates for political office, Noda said. Male lawmakers have criticized her proposal, saying women should be judged by their abilities.

That made me think that there are men who lack the ability to be candidates, she said. But during the candidate selection process, men can just be men, and I guess, for them, just being male can be considered their ability.

Noda graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo and worked at the prestigious Imperial Hotel in Tokyo before she entered politics, succeeding her grandfather, who was a parliamentarian in central Japan's Gifu prefecture.

Noda had her first and only child, who is disabled, at age 50 after fertility treatments. She supports same-sex marriage and acceptance of sexual diversity.

She has many liberal supporters, calling herself "an endangered species in her conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan with little interruption since the end of the war.

Noda said she is frequently bashed by conservatives in the party, but also by women's rights activists, who don't see her as an authentic feminist.

Without the help of powerful male lawmakers in the party, Noda might not have come this far, Chiyako Sato, a Mainichi newspaper editorial writer, said in a recent article.

Comparing Noda and her ultra-conservative, hawkish female rival lawmaker, Sanae Takaichi, Sato said that despite their different political views, the women share some similarities. "Perhaps they had no other way but to win powerful male lawmakers' backing to advance in the Liberal Democratic Party at a time when women are not considered full-fledged humans."

One big problem, Noda said, is that Japan's Self Defense Force has had trouble getting enough troops because of the shrinking younger population. She said theres also not enough attention paid to what the dwindling numbers will mean for police and firefighters, who rely on young recruits.

To try to address the problems, she has created a new government agency dedicated to children, set to be launched next year.

Younger male politicians in recent years have become more open to gender equality, partly a reflection of the growing number of children who are being raised by working couples, Noda said.

But many male lawmakers, she said, think that issues related to families, gender and population dont concern them, and are reluctant to get involved.

The policies have been made as if there were no women or children, she said.
State Senate candidate Christian Velasquez intends to "vigorously defend" himself against a recent lawsuit that names him as one of the defendants.

Velasquez, of Midland, is one of two 35th District State Senate Republican candidates who were named in a lawsuit filed on July 21, communicated through a statement released by his attorney late Wednesday afternoon to the Daily News.

Sharon Schram, a former Dow Corning employee, is suing Velasquez, fellow State Senate candidate State Rep. Annette Glenn, and Dow, citing invasion of privacy (Velasquez), defamation (Glenn and Velasquez) and breach of contract (Velasquez and Dow). The lawsuit is seeking in excess of $75,000 in damages.

Attorney Zachary B. Mack of Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter, which has offices in Detroit and Chicago, wrote a 429-word statement on behalf of Velasquez.

"We are unable to comment in detail on the lawsuit given its early stages, and because it also has its origins in previous litigation between the plaintiff Ms. Schram and Dow to which Christian was not a party," the statement reads in part. "Further, the present litigation in the Midland County Circuit Court surrounds terms of an alleged agreement between Ms. Schram and Dow to which, again, Christian was not a party or signatory to. Efforts have been made to obtain a copy of that agreement from Ms. Schrams counsel, but they are unwilling to provide it at this time."

Schram filed the July 21 lawsuit after a series of public comments was made by both Velasquez and Glenn related to a 2016 lawsuit filed by Schram against Dow Corning Corporation in U.S. District Court. That lawsuit alleged retaliation by Dow Corning contrary to the federal Family & Medical Leave Act; disability discrimination under the Michigan Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act; retaliation under the Michigan Workers Disability Compensation Act; and gender discrimination under the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

Velasquez, a Dow Corning manager at the time, was one of multiple Dow Corning employees who were deposed in the lawsuit. Schram's case against Dow Corning was eventually settled out of court in 2018.

The statement from Mack concludes by defending Velasquez's reputation.

"Christian and his campaign intend to vigorously defend this present case filed in the last week  the timing of which is not lost on his campaign. In the meantime, Christian would simply like to reiterate that in his 29 year career with Dow and Dow Corning, he earned a solid reputation for being fair and strongly advocating for the advancement of others careers regardless of their gender. Suggestions to the contrary, including in the recent skewed attacks, are just further examples of career politicians and their supporters engaging in the type of mudslinging Christian would like removed from politics."
DENVER (AP)  A wealthy dentist accused of shooting and killing his wife in their cabin at the end of an African safari trip testified Wednesday that an unfamiliar shotgun they brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack early in the morning.

I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife, Lawrence Larry Rudolph told jurors Wednesday.

His voice cracked at times as he testified for over two hours about his open marriage to Bianca Rudolph and her death in October 2016 in Zambia. He said he was in the bathroom when he heard the shot and came out and found his wife on the floor, bleeding.

Rudolph, 67, is charged with murder and mail fraud in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. He faces a maximum term of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of murder in the trial, which is being held in federal court in Denver because the insurance companies that paid him nearly $5 million for his wife's death were based in Colorado.

Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, who is charged with lying to a grand jury and being an accessory after the fact. She is being tried alongside Rudolph. In opening statements, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out I killed my f---g wife for you!" during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020 after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife's death.

Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI's probe.

Rudolph said what he actually said was Now they're saying I killed my f---g wife for you."

After being close to divorce twice, Rudolph said he and his wife, who had two children, agreed to stay married in 2000 but pursue sexual relationships with other people. He said the tension in their marriage eased after that, describing themselves as reasonably happy in their arrangement. Rudolph said neither Milliron nor his wife issued him any ultimatums about ending his relationship with the other.

Rudolph's lawyer, David Markus, has argued that Rudolph had no financial motive for murder. Rudolph was worth more than $15 million when his wife died and the insurance payout went into a trust for their children.

Zambian authorities determined two days after the Oct. 11, 2016, shooting that it was accidental, according to the defense. Investigators for the insurers who later paid $4.8 million reached the same conclusion.

Prosecutors counter that evidence shows Bianca Rudolph's wounds came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet (1 meter) away.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels said Wednesday during a debate that he can be taken at his word that he won't raise gas taxes, as challenger Rebecca Kleefisch accused him of not taking responsibility for previously being in leadership roles for groups that backed increasing gas taxes.

Youve got to take responsibility for some of these organizations, Kleefisch, a former lieutenant governor, said during a heated exchange in the debate broadcast on WISN-AM. Do your people who you say you lead just not listen or are you not taking responsibility?

Kleefisch, Michels and state Rep. Tim Ramthun debated on the radio three days after a television debate and less than two weeks before the Aug. 9 primary. The winner will advance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November.

Michels, who is endorsed by Donald Trump and co-owns the state's largest construction company, Michels Corp., said he never once" said he wanted to raise the gas tax. He said the groups he was on that lobbied for raising the gas tax, including the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, came to a consensus on issues and he didnt always agree.

This is not an authoritarian rule when youre leader of an organization, he said. I still havent heard where you have evidence that I have ever said I raised the gas tax, and you dont have it because I never said it.

Michels said that his business consumes massive amounts of fossil fuel, of gasoline, of diesel. I would have to be the dumbest businessman in the history of the world to want to raise fuel costs.

Kleefisch and former Gov. Scott Walker have attacked Michels over the gas tax issue.

Kleefisch also referenced Michels for previously leading an organization that fought a proposal to get tough on people who were living in the country illegally. He now campaigns as someone opposed to illegal immigration.

Michels referenced his military service to say that you can take it to the bank that he won't raise gas taxes.

You dont get hand-selected as the commander of the Armys Honor Guard Company if you have an integrity problem, Michels said. You dont get to grow a business that has 8,000 employees if you have an integrity problem.

Kleefisch took another jab at Michels in her closing remarks.

What I've done in the past is make promises and function with integrity, Kleefisch said. I'll never lie to you about an endorsement.

Michels' campaign had to reprint a mailer sent earlier this month that had falsely claimed he had been endorsed by the National Rifle Association. His campaign spokesman, Chris Walker, called it an unintentional error that was immediately corrected.

Also on Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Kleefisch, saying she has a proven conservative track record." That came a day after Kleefisch won the endorsement of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who beat Trump in the 2016 Republican primary in Wisconsin. Trump went on to win the battleground state that year but lost in 2020.

Trump has scheduled an Aug. 5 rally for Michels in Waukesha, just four days ahead of the primary.
By Joe Rosenheim

Bay City News Foundation

It was tattoo city at the Cow Palace this weekend during the 13th annual Body Art Expo.

The three-day convention in Daly City began on Friday with about 1,000 attendees and a flowing sea of indelible ink.

Much bravado was on display in the form of head tattoos, stretched earlobes and high-flying mohawks. Yet, the event was mainly a low-key, down-to-business and congenial affair that showcased the increasing creativity within a medium whose migration into the mainstream, according to those interviewed, has spurred its fast evolution while also giving rise to modern problems.

"People nowadays are tattooing in ways they never did before," said Roman Abrego, a tattoo artist from Southern California. "They're mixing style and content -- complex shading and morphing everything together, where faces morph into city buildings and things like that. It's becoming more important for the artists to be their own visionaries."

Abrego was inking a cyborg-like character on the leg of Jarrod Aspegren, of Nebraska -- the tattoo showed a variegated machine, swirling with blood -- which he said wouldn't be finished until the next day and has a price of several thousand dollars.

Aspegren said he'd booked an appointment with Abrego six months ago after seeing some of his designs on the internet and tracking him down. In fact, Aspegren was one of several people interviewed who said they came to the convention in pursuit of a specific tattoo artist.

"I've been following this guy for years and always wanted to get tattooed by him," said Jonathan Meleham of San Jose, while his artist-of-choice, George Drone, worked on a speckled bear face that would cover his thigh. Meleham said he found Drone on Instagram three years ago while Drone was living in his home country of Greece; upon learning last year that Drone had just moved to Los Angeles, Meleham made an appointment.

Insiders say that graphic design programs, vast social media exhibitions, improvements in tattooing technology, easier access to good equipment and increased demand for tattoos have driven tattoo artistry to new heights.

"I like to say that I'm an advanced human specimen because I can tame a tattoo needle," said the 48-year-old owner of Tattoo 925 in Martinez, who began tattooing when he was 18 and goes by the name Fern "El Famoso." "But then I learn that I'm such an old man, I've been stuck in my ways. For hella long (my employees) wanted me to use an iPad (for sketching designs) and I wouldn't. People would say, 'Oh you're cute, you draw on paper.' But then I started using the iPad and it's been life-changing."

Fern said he nonetheless goes back to old-school methods.

"I like to do free-hand," he said, describing a style of tattooing that forgoes the aid of a stenciled print. "Then I can take the shape of your arm and fix (the design) to that."

While technology is propelling innovation in tattooing, it is also giving rise to new dangers. For example, while the internet is giving tattooists new ways to learn about tattooing and promote their work, it is also causing many aspiring artists to skip the multi-year shop apprenticeships that have long been considered a requirement for turning professional. Insiders say the resurgence of rogue artists is jeopardizing the reputation of an industry that has spent years cleaning up a shady image.

"The new youngsters are in a whole different world," said Richard "CrayZ" Alexander, the convention's bearded and leather-clad master of ceremony. "They're buying (tattoo) machines off the internet and learning at home. They're not doing apprenticeships and they start offering cheap tattoo work even though they're not ready."

Alexander acknowledged that his own first tattoo came from unpoliced mischief. He was 10 years old, he said, when he tattooed a tiny cross on his finger using a bottle of ink he'd stolen and his mom's sewing kit.

Alexander, now 62, never became a professional tattooist but does "pimp" other artists within his far-reaching network of tattooers and tattooees. His own tattoos are numerous and his favorite is a large self-portrait on his stomach where he appears to be bursting through the skin on a Harley.

The tattoos seen at Friday's event included many cyborgs (at least two inspired by the "Alien" movie franchise); various plants, animals and woodsy landscapes (including a mushroom patch designed to glow under black light exposure); dragons; Disney cartoons; cover-ups of old tattoos; self-portraits; the portrait of a famous jazz musician; a full-back portrait of an Native American face wrapped in an eagle; phrases in cursive; mystical geometry; and a stoned bumblebee.

"The tattoo field is constantly changing, and the old school artists go bankrupt," said artist Gio Angeles of Vallejo. "You have to adapt with the trends."

"I focus on variance in subject material, line weight, shading and colors -- I do a lot of bright colors," said artist Jodie Lowery.

Many artists referred to their tattooing styles with terms reminiscent of stodgy academia -- realism, hyperrealism, color realism, modernism, neotraditional, etc. Others described themselves as not adhering to a particular style.

"I like to do all types of style," said Claudia Roman of El Paso, Texas. "You pick it, I stick it."

The Body Art Expo debuted at the Cow Palace in 2005 and was held every year afterward until the past two years, when COVID-19 caused its cancellation.

Artists said conventions like this are not only a great way to meet potential new clients, but also to befriend other professionals with whom to talk shop, get referrals and do tattoo swaps. "Tattoo artists never buy tattoos -- we just trade with each other," Roman said.

This weekend's event attracted people from up and down California and around the country.

"You get all kinds of people who come to these conventions," said Nemo Adolph, an artist from Denver. "I've been tattooing for six years, and last year at a convention I tattooed my first police officer. Another time I had a guy, about 72, who just retired from driving buses. He'd had only one little tattoo in his life, about 30 years ago, and he came in and got his whole head (covered)."

The Expo also included various contests for best tattoo and edgy sideshows performed by a gothic quintet called "Agents of Lust." Aside from the many tattooing stations, some convention booths were selling piercings, t-shirts, prints, posters, skateboard decks, kinky paddles and after-tattoo CBD cream, among other items.

"Tattoos are like therapy -- when I'm going through a life transition I can express myself via my skin," said Valarie Keith, a generously tattooed high school teacher from Oakland. "But you still hear people ... talking about how unprofessional tattooed people are. So we've still got some ground to cover. I'd like to see some lawyers with tattoos, and some judges -- a Supreme Court judge."

Copyright  2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
This is my eleventh update to the citizens of the 111th district, as your state representative.

The summer has been busy with events, meetings and advocacy for constituents. Each day my office staff and I work on a wide variety of constituent services, policy issues, and pressing topics that affect peoples lives and livelihoods. Therefore, the job is always engaging and interesting and there is never a dull moment. Im often popping in and out of the office as I frequently go to meetings off-site.

I love being able to meet with groups, businesses, and non-profits in their offices so that Im out and about in the community as much as possible.

One memorable event I attended over the last couple of months was the Madison County Drug Court graduation. It is so inspiring to hear the difficult steps each graduate took to gain their lives and freedom back, and the impact it had on their entire family, especially those with children. The trajectory of the graduates and their families lives is now changed by their determination in this demanding program and our entire community can be proud of their success.

I was honored to speak at the Wood River Memorial Day ceremony and walk in the Alton Memorial Day parade. I enjoyed being in town on Memorial Day this year since last year was a session day in Springfield. We held a beautiful ceremony on Independence Day weekend to name part of Highway 111 in South Roxana for Chief Todd Werner. I attended the groundbreaking for Madison County Transits new administration building in Pontoon Beach and visited the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center to learn about river health, soil practices, and microplastics. My staff and I toured the Catholic Childrens Home and heard about the loving care they provide for youth. I visited the Ameren Operations center and toured local gas and electric infrastructure projects.

I have spent much time this summer researching mental health needs and resources in our community and the state. I believe the state currently does not have the capacity needed to ensure that people who need urgent mental health care, whether on an inpatient or outpatient basis, get timely care. We are so fortunate to have strong behavioral health organizations and facilities here in the 111th District, and the state should commit to improving capacity in all settings, including schools, and increasing the mental health workforce. Im working to understand the most urgent needs, where we can make the most impactful changes, and where our tax dollars should go to be most effective. I know how important this is to families in our state and will continue this work.

In June I was invited to speak to the membership of the Tax Executive Institute of Chicago via Zoom about my experience as a Certified Public Accountant on the House Revenue & Finance committee and other financial committees. Corporate tax professionals from some of Illinois large and medium sized businesses were represented on the Zoom, and we discussed recent Illinois changes that affect multi-state business sales and income taxes. Ive been appointed to the new Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers task force, which will study where our states professional licensing laws may be a barrier to access to certain professions.

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend the Emerging Legislative Leaders program this summer in Charlottesville, Virginia, led by faculty at the Darden Graduate School of Business. The program gathered fifty state legislators from all over the country to discuss the culture of contempt in American politics, ethical leadership, and coalition building.

A new term I learned in my readings and preparation for the program is exhausted majority, which describes the citizens that are not far right nor far left and are highly frustrated with the political climate and therefore prefer to avoid politics entirely. I gained valuable insight through this program and will use the lessons learned going forward.

While committee work has decreased since the end of the legislative session, we have had subject matter hearings on energy prices, transportation issues, and managed care organization billing problems for hospitals. The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force will finally meet again this week after a long hiatus. It is rumored that we may be called in for a special session this fall regarding abortion and guns, but nothing is definite at this time.

While I havent covered my entire schedule this summer, I wanted to give some highlights and let people know we are here for you all year round, not just during the spring legislative session. If we can help you navigate state government, please contact my office at 618-433-8046 or visit my website at RepElik.com.
Do I detect a faint glimmer of good news?

Trumps cult party still seems on track to capture the House, thanks to inflation (which is worldwide) and high gas prices (which are steadily declining). But Democrats best hope is to retain control of the Senate  and perhaps pick up a seat, or even two.

Thats important, because the Senate is the chamber that confirms judicial and presidential nominees. And if the Dems can somehow pick up two seats (giving the party 52), theyd be positioned to blow past their twin obstructionists  Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema  and abolish the ridiculous filibuster thats making it impossible to pass good stuff. Like, for instance, a bill codifying abortion rights.

Fifty-two blue seats may well be a foolish dream. But retention of the Senate is not. And thats because the Republicans, infected by their MAGA pandemic, have come up with some Senate candidates who can most charitably be described as incoherent, ill-credentialed, extremist, or all three.

Consider, for instance, the farcical doings in Georgia. The GOP have prioritized picking up the seat now held by the Rev. Raphael Warnock, but Trump successfully gave his seal of approval to Herschel Walker, the ex-pigskin jock whos vividly demonstrating that just because someone toted a ball and ran over people decades ago, it doesnt necessarily follow that this person would have the remotest clue about life in the public realm.

Aside from all his non-stop lying about his non-existent credentials and the revelations about kids he sired but never disclosed, whats perhaps most noteworthy  and perhaps the reason why hes trailing Warnock in the polls  is that he sounds dumber than a box of rocks. As Erick Erickson, a conservative Georgia-based radio host, remarked earlier this month, Walker doesnt have a deep grasp of the issues nor really the desire to learn those issues.

Republicans also want to pick up the Arizona Senate seat held by ex-astronaut (and Gabby Giffords spouse) Mark Kelly. Problem is, the featured GOP front-runner is a Trump-endorsed loon named Blake Masters, a first-time candidate who still insists that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election. Hes also on record saying that America was wrong to enter World World II and said recently that gun violence in America should be blamed on Black people, frankly. No wonder Kelly, the incumbent Democrat, is raising huge sums of money, far more than Masters, in a state that went blue in 2020.

So the Dems have a decent chance of holding the Georgia and Arizona seats  and potentially snatching at least one seat now held by the GOP. Like, for instance, Pennsylvania.

With conservative Pat Toomey departing, the GOP is stuck with Trump fave Mehmet Oz, the carpet-bagging quack doc from New Jersey. Hes far behind Democrat John Fetterman in the polls, mainly because his celebrity cachet is trumped by the fact that his ties to Pennsylvania are thinner than dental floss.



Simon Rosenberg is a longtime Democratic strategist and numbers-cruncher whos virtually alone these days contending that the much-predicted red wave is more more mirage than real  that Senate races are indeed leaning blue in 2022 and that Democrats even have a shot at making the House midterms competitive.

Rosenberg thinks the declining price of gas will allow Democrats to talk about their success on the economy and create more room for Democratic candidates to make the indictment of their opponents as too extreme.

"As weve been saying, opposition to MAGA has been the driving force of the last two elections, and with mass shootings, the end of Roe and fanatical abortion restrictions, a radicalized Supreme Court, extremist/terrible candidates, an unfolding criminal conspiracy involving dozens of top Republican officials to overturn an election, it is now likely to be the most powerful force in this election as well, Rosenberg sald.

His remarks may prove prescient. Or maybe in four months, Ill look back at this column and wince.
Karl Rove, the noted Republican political consultant and deputy chief of staff for the George W. Bush administration, praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom's political acumen during a Fox News program on Tuesday.

Speaking to Fox host Bill Hemmer during a segment of "America's Newsroom," Rove called Newsom's recent ad blitz in Republican-controlled states a "brilliant" move. Specifically, he praised Newsom's re-election campaign for spending just a fraction of its money on relatively inexpensive ads that, in turn, generated national news coverage for Newsom.

"He has spent less than half a percent of what he's raised, and he's going to dominate the media for two weeks," Rove said. "What could be better for a potential presidential candidate than spend $130,000 and get two weeks of national identification as a fighter and a Democrat who's willing to take it to the Republicans?"

Here, Rove is joining the crowd of political analysts who believe Newsom's ad buys in Florida and Texas are the first steps in a future presidential run. Despite repeated denials from Newsom about 2024, even if President Joe Biden steps aside, the news that Newsom's re-election campaign spent $105,000 on cable ads that would run on Fox News in Florida  a state thousands of miles from California  raised a lot of eyebrows.

In those ads, which began running on July 4, Newsom took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for conservative policies he's championed and encouraged Florida residents who are dissatisfied with the state's direction to move to California, where, according to Newsom, "we still believe in freedom."

The presidential rumor mill began churning again last week when it was revealed that Newsom purchased ads in three Texas newspapers: the Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman and El Paso Times. Those ads contrasted California's gun laws from Texas'  they highlighted the signing of a California gun bill modeled after Texas' so-called "bounty hunter law"  and criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his stances on abortion and gun control.

Praise from Rove, who was the architect behind several successful Republican campaigns in national and statewide races, is at least interesting if not significant. He said Newsom will "absolutely" run for president, all while other Republican analysts have been quick to dismiss Newsom as a serious presidential candidate, arguing that his popularity doesn't extend beyond California. Speaking to the New York Times, Mike Murphy  a Republican political consultant based in Los Angeles  said California Democrats have "never really been to college on how to win a Michigan or a Wisconsin, so their instincts tend to be wrong.

Of course, Rove's praise for Newsom lasted all of a few seconds. He quickly switched gears to one of the GOP's favorite talking points  the so-called "California exodus," for which he blames Newsom.

"And in the meantime, several thousand people a week have left California for Florida or Texas," Rove said. "California is going to continue to hemorrhage people because of liberal policies by Newsom."
Seth MacFarlane is a very wealthy man. Some estimates put his net worth around $300 million, a jaw-dropping amount that begins to make sense when you consider that he created "Family Guy," which has been on the air since 1999, and, unfortunately, the "Ted" movies, which have grossed more than $750 million combined.

What does MacFarlane do with his wealth? Well, he makes spin-off cartoons, he runs a production company called Fuzzy Door Productions  and he dumps Brink's trucks worth of money on Democrats.

MacFarlane's Democrat megadonor status isn't new; in 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported on his multi-million dollar commitment to the party. MacFarlane did take nearly a year off from federal donations, according to FEC filings reviewed by SFGATE, but he returned to the fray with a vengeance a few months ago.

In early May, the man who's voiced a talking baby, a talking dog and a talking teddy bear gave $365,000 to the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, a PAC that disperses funds mostly to state-level Democratic parties.

In late June, after House Majority Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out several much-criticized requests for donations in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, MacFarlane showed his appreciation by giving $263,400 to the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, a PAC that disperses the first $5,800 of every donation directly to Pelosi's campaign fund and sends the remainder to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

The Grassroots Victory Fund donation has a real shot at boosting local candidates in tough races. The Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund ... maybe not so much. Pelosi doesn't need any money for her general election, which she's almost certainly going to win without campaigning. At the moment, she seems busy creating an international incident by potentially visiting Taiwan, an idea President Joe Biden disapproves of, but conservative war hawks have quickly embraced.

The DCCC, meanwhile, has adopted some curious strategies of late, including intentionally boosting the electoral chances of a far-right candidate in Michigan on the grounds that he will be more vulnerable to defeat in November's general elections than his more moderate competition. It's a great plan  after all, giving media attention to a presumed laughingstock has never backfired on the Democrats before.

Read more of our coverage from the most recent quarter of FEC filings below.
WFO SACRAMENTO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, July 27, 2022

_____

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Sacramento CA

220 AM PDT Wed Jul 27 2022

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THURSDAY TO 9 PM

PDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Hot conditions with high temperatures 100 to 113.

* WHERE...Northern Sacramento Valley and adjacent foothills,

Northern Shasta County Mountains, and Burney Basin. Includes the

cities of Redding and Red Bluff.

* WHEN...From 11 AM Thursday to 9 PM PDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Widespread moderate to locally high heat risk

expected. Excessive heat will significantly increase the

potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those

working or participating in outdoor activities.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Warm overnight lows in the low/mid 70s are

expected in the northern Sacramento Valley and adjacent

foothills.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, July 27, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Norman OK

345 AM CDT Wed Jul 27 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT

THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values near 105.

* WHERE...Parts of northern, central and southern Oklahoma

* WHEN...From noon to 8 PM CDT Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, July 28, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Shreveport LA

242 PM CDT Wed Jul 27 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THURSDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 109.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Louisiana,

southeast Oklahoma, south central and southwest Arkansas and

east and northeast Texas.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM CDT Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat

illnesses to occur.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Hot temperatures and high humidity will

increase the risk for heat-related illnesses to occur,

particularly for those working or participating in outdoor

activities.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of Deep South Texas, including the following

county, Cameron.

* WHEN...Until 345 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 244 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to

thunderstorms. Overflowing poor drainage areas will cause

minor flooding in the advisory area. Between 1 and 3 inches

of rain have fallen.

- Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are expected over

the area. This additional rain will result in minor flooding.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Harlingen, Combes, Valley International Airport, Dishman

Elementary School, Combes Community Center, Lasana, Mccloud

Hood Reservoir and Avondale.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO PORTLAND Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 30, 2022

_____

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Portland OR

1249 PM PDT Wed Jul 27 2022

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT

SATURDAY...

* WHAT...High heat risk. High temperatures 98F to 103F. Low

temperatures 60F to 70F.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Upper Hood River Valley, Western Columbia

River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge. In Washington,

Western Columbia River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge.

* WHEN...Until 9 PM PDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the

potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those

working or participating in outdoor activities and for those

that do not have access to air conditioning.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is a 40% chance that high

temperatures will begin to drop into the low 90s or lower by

Sunday. Overnight lows in the mid to upper 60s across the higher

hills of the region will provide little relief for those without

air conditioning. Low temperatures in low lying areas,

particularly in the upper Hood River Valley will drop into the

upper 50s to low 60s most nights between now and Saturday.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances. If attempting to find relief from the

heat in rivers, lakes, or the ocean please apply safe water

practices and wear a life preserver.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

* WHAT...High heat risk. High temperatures 97F to 102F. Low

* WHERE...In Oregon, Greater Portland Metro Area. In Washington,

Greater Vancouver Area.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is a 50% chance that high

temperatures will drop into the low 90s or lower Sunday.

Overnight lows 65-70F in the Portland/Vancouver Metro and higher

air conditioning. Low temperatures in more rural low lying

areas, particularly in western Washington County and northern

Clark County will drop into the low 60s most nights between now

and Saturday.

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Moderate heat risk. High temperatures 90F to 95F. Low

* WHERE...In Oregon, Coast Range of Northwest Oregon and Central

Coast Range of Western Oregon. In Washington, Willapa Hills.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is a 70% chance that high

temperatures drop into the 80s Sunday.

under any circumstances.

* WHAT...Moderate heat risk. High temperatures 93F to 98F. Low

* WHERE...In Oregon, Lower Columbia and South Willamette Valley.

In Washington, I-5 Corridor in Cowlitz County.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur.

Overnight low temperatures will generally fall in the lower 60s

most nights between now and Saturday, but the higher hills of

the region will experience low temperatures between 65F to 70F.

* WHAT...Moderate heat risk. High temperatures 94F to 99F. Low

* WHERE...In Oregon, Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills and

Cascade Foothills in Lane County. In Washington, South

Washington Cascade Foothills.

temperatures will drop into the low 90s Sunday. Overnight low

temperatures will generally fall between 60F and 70F between now

and Saturday. The warmest low temperatures will occur near

hilltops.

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT SATURDAY BELOW

4000 FEET...

* WHAT...Moderate heat risk. High temperatures 90F to 95F below

4000 feet.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Northern Oregon Cascades and Cascades in

Lane County. In Washington, South Washington Cascades.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SPOKANE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 30, 2022

_____

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Spokane WA

214 PM PDT Wed Jul 27 2022

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT

SATURDAY...

* WHAT...High temperatures today on into Saturday will range between

100 and 111 degrees with the hottest conditions expected on

Thursday and Friday. Overnight temperatures will only cool into

the mid 60s to mid 70s.

* WHERE...Central Washington.

* WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential

for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or

participating in outdoor activities. Residents without air

conditioners will experience a build up of heat within their home

through late in the week.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of

the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose

fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning

or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and

heat stroke.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and

Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in

shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat

should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an

emergency! Call 9 1 1.

* WHAT...Afternoon temperatures will reach the mid 90s to lower 100s

today and then continue to warm through the end of the week.

Thursday and Friday will likely be the hottest days with highs

ranging from the upper 90s to around 108. Very hot temperatures

will continue through at least Saturday. Overnight temperatures

will be in the 60s to lower 70s.

* WHERE...Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

conditioners will experience a build up of heat within their homes

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures in the 90s

and lows in the mid to upper 60s. This will pose a high risk

of heat-related illness.

* WHERE...Tacoma Area, Bellevue and Vicinity, Everett and

Vicinity, Seattle and Vicinity and Bremerton and Vicinity.

* WHEN...Until 9 PM PDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the risk of

heat-related illnesses for much of the population, especially

those who are heat sensitive and those without effective

cooling or adequate hydration.

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

For sheltering information and other human services in your area,

dial 2 1 1 during business hours or visit wa211.org anytime.

* WHERE...East Puget Sound Lowlands.

Ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest

pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion. It can also

worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Ozone concentrations are expected to be

the highest in the afternoon and evening. We expect the ground-

level ozone pollution levels to come back down to healthy levels

as temperatures decline.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Page Content

Connecticut enacted the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act in 2019, which entitles eligible Connecticut employees to paid family leave.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (CT PFMLA) amended the previously existing Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA) and established the CT Paid Leave Authority to provide income-replacement benefits for eligible employees who take leave under the CT FMLA.

Among the changes made by the new law is a notice requirement that went into effect on July 1. The law requires employers to provide a written notice to employees at the time of hiring and annually thereafter. The notice must advise employees of:

the entitlement to family and medical leave and the terms under which such leave may be used.

the opportunity to file a claim for compensation under the paid leave program.

the fact that retaliation against employees for requesting, applying for, or using family and medical leave for which the employee is eligible is prohibited.

that employees have a right to file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner for any violation of the law.

The Connecticut Department of Labor recently released a sample notice, which employers can use to comply with the notice requirements. As an alternative, employers are permitted to prepare their own notice, assuming such employer-prepared notice meets all of the requirements provided in Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec.31-49q as outlined above.

Employers that have not yet complied with the notice requirements should take steps do so promptly. Employers must provide the notice to all existing employees on an annual basis, starting July 1, and to all new hires at the time of hire.

While CT FMLA permits notice to be distributed by inclusion in a handbook or electronic posting, the CT PFMLA appears to require individual distribution of the notice. However, neither the Connecticut Department of Labor, nor the CT Paid Leave Authority, has published interpretive guidance on this issue.

Lindsay M. Rinehart is an attorney with Littler in New Haven, Conn.  2022. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
T-Hub, which leads Indias innovation ecosystem, today announced its partnership with Swiss Re Global Business Solutions (GBS) India, an analytics and innovation hub of Swiss Re, one of the worlds leading providers of reinsurance, insurance, and other forms of risk transfers. With this partnership, T-Hub and Swiss Re GBS India aim to drive innovations in the insurtech space and to establish a presence in the worlds largest innovation campus.

T-Hub will work with Swiss Re GBS India to discover innovative technologies and trends, which allow them to accelerate the development of new business models and products, as well as adopt open innovation strategy, based on the exchange of ideas at the global level. The collaboration signals a strategic path offering the corporate a holistic synopsis of an innovation ecosystem and providing start-ups with growth opportunities by building a stack of products.

MSR (Mahankali Srinivas Rao), CEO, T-Hub, said, T-Hub always looks out for dedicated partners who are open to start-up innovation because their transformation will help not only their businesses but the entire industry. Our goal of this partnership is to create opportunities for our start-ups to be mentored by a distinguished company like Swiss Re GBS India so they can revolutionize the market and we are pleased to welcome them into our ecosystem. We look forward to connecting Swiss Re GBS India with the technology improvements our start-ups are offering to the insurance industry.

Amit Kalra, Head, Global Business Solutions (GBS) India said, We look forward to enhancing our tech proposition in the market by tapping into T-Hubs start-up ecosystem. Bringing together our robust digital, data and technology capabilities and T-Hub's innovative prowess, we are confident this unique collaboration will help us build more resilient communities and a stronger re/insurance ecosystem."

Swiss Re GBS India will leverage T-Hubs innovation expertise and ecosystem of start-ups, corporates, and investors to enhance its processes, products, and services while sharing valuable expertise with the start-ups. T-Hub through its T-Connect initiative will help Swiss Re GBS India in getting access to six to eight start-ups in the insurtech space. Access will be targeted and based on stringent selection criteria relating to start-ups that are focused on the development of unique and advanced insurance technologies. Four start-ups will be further shortlisted to pitch during the demo day and will stand a chance to collaborate with the corporate.

Till now, T-Hub has provided market access to 300+ Indian start-ups with 18+ international interventions It has conducted more than 10 market access programs and facilitated 200+ international start-ups from more than 42 countries. T-Hub will continue to drive collaboration between start-ups and leading innovation ecosystems across the world, providing global market-access opportunities to start-ups.

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based out of Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads Indias pioneering innovation ecosystem and is the worlds largest innovation campus. Over the six years, T-Hub has pivoted around the 6Ms (Mentors, Market, Motivation, Manpower, Money, Methodologies) and 2Ps (Partnerships & Policy advisory) framework with a mission of driving results and collaboration for entrepreneurs success. It has delivered 100+ innovation programs so far, creating an impact for start-ups, corporations, and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Since inception, it has provided over 2000 national and international start-ups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies.
India received bids worth $18 billion on the first day of an auction for the 5G airwaves from tycoons including Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani as the race begins for faster data in the worlds second largest internet market.

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Tuesday evening that bids went far beyond our expectations and it looks like [the bidding level] will be at the same level on Wednesday.

India expects the rollout of 5G networks to begin from September, he said. By the end of the year, residents of several Indian cities will be able to experience 5G, he said.

He said the government expects to fetch record revenue from the auction  allocation of which the government plans to complete before August 15  though he stopped short of sharing any figure. The auction and details of the top bidders are expected to become clearer tomorrow, when the auction is expected to reach its completion.

Ambanis Reliance Jio Infocomm, which counts Google and Meta among its backers, has long expressed enthusiasm about the 5G upgrade. The top Indian telecom operator, which launched five years ago, has said over the years that its infrastructure is 5G-capable already.

Adanis interest in the 5G bid has been surprising. The Asias richest man has increased his fortunes in recent quarters by leveraging its infrastructure empire. Adani Enterprises is Indias biggest coal trader.

The company has however clarified that it is participating in the spectrum auction to provide private network solutions with enhanced cyber security in in the airport, ports & logistics, power generation, transmission, distribution, and various manufacturing operations.

Other than Adani and Ambani, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are also in the race for the bidding, the telecom ministry said Tuesday. Telecoms are eyeing 5G airwaves to boost their own revenues as they anticipate consumption of data to grow.

India is offering to sell 72 gigahertz of airwaves for a 20-year tenure in various frequency bands ranging from 600 megahertz to 26 gigahertz, it has said.

4G is currently the dominant subscription type driving connectivity growth in India, but 5G subscriptions are expected to rapidly increase to reach around 50 million in the region by the end of 2023, Ericsson said in a report last month.

5G will represent around 39 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region at the end of 2027, with about 500 million subscriptions. As subscribers migrate to 5G, 4G subscriptions are forecast to decline annually to an estimated 700 million subscriptions in 2027.
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Based on a novel by Lawrence Osborne, this is one of those hypocritical fables which nominally sets out to critique First World privilege and myopia, but which derives whatever kick it has from the spectacle of well-off people behaving badly.

In John Michael McDonaghs The Forgiven, Fiennes seems ready to break out in a mirthless chuckle at almost every moment  and before long, the viewer may feel much the same way.

Fiennes character, David Henninger, is another Englishman abroad, a wealthy alcoholic (Ive always thought the high-functioning part should cancel out the alcoholic part) whose air of weary superiority recalls the upper-crust types played in a bygone era by David Niven or George Sanders.

On a weekend jaunt to Morocco, he staves off boredom by making moderately bigoted, typically unprintable quips about the locals and their customs, in between sniping at Jo (Jessica Chastain), his bored, brittle, much younger wife.

Jessica Chastain as Jo Henninger in The Forgiven. Credit:Nick Wall

Driving at night through the mountains outside Tangier, David and Jo run over a Berber youth who dies (David is at the wheel, having had a few too many). Rather than turning back and reporting the event, they press on for the party where theyre headed, shell-shocked but reasonably confident of getting away with it.

Once they arrive at the villa of their dandyish host, Richard (Matt Smith), Jo cant stop herself from blurting out the truth to the others present. But that doesnt stop the scheduled debauchery from getting under way, until the victims father, Abdellah (Ismael Kanater), shows up in person and insists on David accompanying him back to his village for the burial.
Well  street food stems from the culture, right? And what type of culture does Australia have? Not much, besides the immigrants who made the food really exciting. So if it did stem from the original culture, what would we be eating? Meat pies and stuff like that? Its just not natural for Australia to have their own street food, unless you talk about the multiculturalism and what we brought to the country. Whereas most of these other countries do have a big history, a food history and culture. Thats why I guess its more natural, its part of the culture, its part of the lifestyle, its part of their whole history. Maybe our street food is meat pies at the footy  thats our version. Yeah, maybe that is our street food. Our street food is the Bunnings snag sandwich. Turning to the question of showbusiness  Youre pretty used to the business of being a TV chef by now. But how was the transition, when you originally made it, between cooking for people, and then suddenly youre doing it on camera? It is hard, and even though I did shows like The Chefs Line and all that, between filming The Chefs Line and now was probably four or five years. So, actually, I was super rusty being back in front of the camera.

So youve got to learn the trade all again. Yeah  to be honest I did it all again. I had an idea of what to do, but it took me a while to get comfortable in front of the camera. You know what they say: youve gotta talk to the camera like youre really charged up, and it may seem awkward talking to the camera as if youre, like, bouncing off the walls. But when you watch it, it looks good because if you talk normally into the camera its quite boring. So I had to get used to myself sort of talking really loudly  and talking straight to the camera as well because even with shows like The Chefs Line, we didnt really need to look straight down the camera because we were talking to other people. But this one was totally new: all I had to do was talk to the camera. I found it a little bit weird. Loading Do you enjoy watching yourself? No! Of course not! I hate it. I mean I cant not  I might be watching a few episodes when it comes on, but I still find it a bit weird watching myself.
Time 

The conflict is unceasing in Time, a masterful British prison drama. At first it is a matter of eruptive violence and unceasing threat, seen through the eyes of a newly arrived inmate at Her Majestys Prison Craigmore, Mark Cobden (Sean Bean). Bewildered by merely the combative noise he hears on arrival, let alone the brutal power structure and institutional failings he soon encounters, Cobden can barely hold himself together. A school teacher by profession, sentenced to four years for a serious offence, Cobden even has to fight against his own instincts.

The struggle runs deeper than any jailhouse cliche. Cobden has to decide what parts of himself hes willing to give up to survive, or whether qualities society values are a hindrance to him inside. Its the same with Eric McNally (Stephen Graham), a veteran guard who prides himself on being a straight arrow. When his vulnerability is discovered by inmates, he has to decide what value his morals and beliefs are when a life is on the line. Theres little time for anguish or self-regret. You make up your mind and then you make do.

Sean Bean plays a school teacher sentenced to prison, while Stephen Graham is a warden facing a profound dilemma in the miniseries Time. Credit:BBC

Time was created by Jimmy McGovern, the Liverpool-born and bred writer who has captured, often with barbed wit and a refusal to write off any of his characters, telling depictions of British life. The legal system and its flaws have repeatedly featured in McGoverns work, and this three-part series (a second season has been commissioned) plays as a natural extension of that. The ageing brick corridors and dilapidated cells of the jail are an expression of a system thats fundamentally flawed. No one believes change is possible.
Man accused of killing German backpacker extradited

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The boyfriend of German backpacker Simone Strobel has been charged with her murder on the NSW North Coast, some 17 years after her death.

Toby Moran, formerly known as Tobias Suckfuell, was extradited from Perth on Wednesday afternoon by detectives investigating the 2005 murder of Strobel, who was last seen at a Lismore caravan park she was staying at with Moran, his sister Katrin Suckfuell and friend Jens Martin.

Toby Moran, previously known as Tobias Suckfuell, and Simone Strobel.

Her body was found six days later (Thursday, February 17, 2005), concealed under palm fronds at a sportsground less than 100 metres from the caravan park, NSW Police said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

Local detectives established Strike Force Howea in February 2005 to investigate the homicide with assistance from the homicide squad, and counterparts at the Wuerzburg Criminal Police and the Prosecutors Office in Wuerzburg, Germany.
They lived above a popular dessert bar and beside one of south-west Sydneys busiest roads, in a block with more than 200 apartments. Yet no-one noticed their deaths, and few knew much about the lives, of two young Saudi sisters whose bodies lay undiscovered for up to a month.

Asra and Amaal Alsehli, both in their early 20s, lived in one of the many apartment blocks that have cropped up across the once-sleepy suburb of Canterbury in the past few years, which have become home to people from all over the world.

Sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli (left) and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, whose bodies were found inside a unit in Canterbury last month. Credit:NSW Police

There are South American students, Mongolian families, and young couples from other parts of the city seeking an affordable flat. But for some, the sense of community has not grown as quickly as the population.

Thats one of the reasons why, one neighbour said, the bodies of the young women who likely died in early May were not discovered until early June.
A Mormon youth leader allegedly stabbed in the back by an NRL player in a church dance brawl has told a court he did not see who attacked him, but he was scared and left in unexplainable pain.

Manly Sea Eagles hooker Manase Fainu, 24, has pleaded not guilty to wounding Faamanu Levi with intent to cause grievous bodily harm outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wattle Grove, in Sydneys south-west.

Manase Fainu denies he stabbed a youth leader outside a church in 2019. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The Crown alleges Fainu stabbed Levi when a brawl erupted in the car park during a charity dance for young single adults on October 25, 2019.

The defence disputes Fainu was the man behind the stabbing, claiming he had no problem with anyone that night, and it was not his fight.
The body of Sydney adventurer and mountaineer Matthew Eakin was found on the worlds second-highest peak with a professional climber from Canada after the pair went missing last week.

Eakin was climbing in a group of three with Canadians Richard Cartier and Justin Dube-Fahmy and reportedly went missing last week on one of the worlds most challenging mountains to climb - K2.

Matthew Eakin was an experienced climber and administrator of Mountaineers Downunder. Credit:Facebook, Instagram

On July 21, Dube-Fahmy posted to Facebook that they were about to head back down to base camp after spending two days acclimatising and had reached Lower Camp 4 at 7600 metres.

Richard, Matt and I were burnt up. 16 hours of climbing, Dube-Fahmy wrote.
The devastated father of the toddler who died with COVID-19 has shared details of the tragedy, including that she died two weeks shy of her second birthday and before the birth of her brother.

Ruby Grace Edwards has died from COVID-19 in Queensland. Credit:Facebook

Steven Edwards wrote on Facebook his daughter Ruby Grace Edwards was surrounded by family when she died peacefully in hospital just after 4pm on Sunday.

She became suddenly unwell, eventually testing positive for COVID, he said.

This triggered a rare autoimmune condition, where her immune system, while trying to fight the virus, also attacked her brain, affecting her vital functions.
The states corruption watchdog added words into the statement of a witness who was threatened with jail time if he did not give damning evidence against a former colleague.

Former Queensland Health Metro North Hospital and Health Service chief executive Malcolm Frederick Stamp, 69, is accused of using his position to get his daughter a job in 2014.

Malcolm Stamp leaves Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Credit:Toby Crockford

Stamp was suspended from Queensland Health in September 2014, and he was sacked the following year, as a result of a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.

Stamp had been living in the United Kingdom but flew back to Australia to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court, four years after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Queensland will mothball its go-it-alone privately owned regional quarantine site and has told the federal government that a separate unfinished facility near the Brisbane airport will also not be needed, citing new health advice.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has also used a budget estimates session to reveal the $223.5 million cost incurred for the Wellcamp site, which took the first of its 730 guests so far in February, saying it pales in comparison next to the expected $400 million Pinkenba bill.

The purpose-built quarantine facility, dubbed the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre, at Wellcamp near Toowoomba. It will cease hosting guests from August 1, but remain available should the pandemic response settings change.

With increased vaccination coverage and community acceptance of COVID-19, the need for dedicated isolation facilities or for any contingency capacity to be held has decreased, Miles told the state development and regional industries committee on Wednesday.

Queenslands Chief Health Officer and Queensland Health have advised the Queensland government there is no longer a public health requirements for dedicated government provided quarantine and isolation facilities.
A former Brighton Secondary College teacher said if students were drawing swastikas at the school, it was because they were trying to be edgy 15-year-olds and not making a connection or thinking about the impact on Jewish students.

Five former students  Matt and Joel Kaplan, Liam Arnold-Levy, Guy Cohen and Zack Snelling  are suing the government-run school and the state of Victoria for negligence and failing to protect them as Jewish students under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Australias Racial Discrimination Act.

Former Brighton Secondary College students Matt Kaplan (left) and Liam Arnold-Levy have accused the school of ignoring complaints of anti-Semitism. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Among the students claims are that there were hundreds of swastikas at the school and a culture of anti-Semitism.

Teacher Lana Goldstone told the Federal Court she was hypersensitive to anti-Semitism as a Jewish woman whose family included Holocaust survivors, but did not experience a culture of anti-Semitism while teaching at the school between 2015 and 2018.
Islamic students at Monash University have vowed to pray outdoors on campus every day in protest against the universitys failure to provide a new dedicated prayer space.

They say that each day, hundreds of students cram into two small rooms designed for a maximum of eight people.

Islamic students pray outdoors in protest at inadequate prayer facilities at Monash University. Credit:Jason South

Students, who have been lobbying for a larger Muslim prayer space since 2018, were told last month that Monash University was multi-faith and any new communal space built there would be made available to all staff and students.

Those students said the refusal came just weeks after they were told two disused classrooms would be refurbished into prayer rooms.
West Australian authorities have called off their search for a fisherman several days after he went missing off the states Mid West coast.

Waikiki man Ian Gray, 46, was reported missing on Sunday evening after he went fishing off Green Head, three hours north of Perth.

Ian Gray was reported missing off Green Head, three hours north of Perth, on Sunday. Credit:Nine News Perth

The experienced fishermans vehicle and trailer remained at the boat ramp.

WA Police on Wednesday said the search would be suspended pending further information, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Hundreds of aged care providers will seek exemptions to the Albanese governments 24/7 nurse mandate as they struggle to fill shifts amid chronic staff shortages.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells on Wednesday introduced a bill into parliament containing the governments key election promise to require all aged care homes to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day from next July.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells says the governments reforms will deliver more care, but providers say they will struggle to meet staffing mandates. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

This bill puts nurses back in nursing homes [and] ensures more carers have more time to care, Wells told the chamber.

But the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 says providers will be able to get an exemption from the requirement, without giving details of who will be exempt.
Nick Kyrgios has hit a road block in his US Open preparations, withdrawing from his first singles tournament since his career-best Wimbledon finals appearance.

But the world No.47 is optimistic a knee complaint wont stop him continuing in the Atlanta Open mens doubles after he and partner Thanasi Kokkinakis won their first match.

One month before the US Open begins in New York, Kyrgios is named to play an ATP 500 event in Washington next week.

The Australian, however, has been summonsed to appear in court in Canberra next Tuesday on an allegation of common assault against former partner Chiara Passari. The offence carries a maximum jail sentence of two years.
Goma, DRC: Three United Nations peacekeepers and at least 15 civilians were killed and dozens of others injured during a second day of anti-UN protests in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said.

The protests were spurred by complaints that the UN mission, known as MONUSCO, has failed to protect civilians against militia violence which has raged for years.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence, deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement, adding, He underscores that any attack directed against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and calls upon the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and swiftly bring those responsible to justice.

The secretary-general regrets the loss of life of demonstrators and affirms the UN peacekeeping missions commitment to work with Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents, Haq said.
Almost 1 million people have been locked down in a district on the outskirts of Wuhan, the first time the Chinese city that saw the worlds first COVID-19 lockdown has imposed such a measure since 2020, underscoring how far the country is from post-pandemic normalcy.

More than two years since Wuhan was sealed off to contain what was then a mysterious pneumonia, residents of Jiangxia district have been told to stay in their homes and not go out unless necessary. Public transport has been stopped and entertainment venues shut for three days after four asymptomatic cases were found in the district on Tuesday.

Workers in PPE overalls guard an entrance to a community under lockdown in Beijing in March. Credit:AP

While so far the restrictions are contained to just the one district, the move is likely to spark concerns about a widening of curbs. Life in the pandemic-scarred city of 11 million people had largely returned to normal since its initial lockdown in 2020 -- which set a precedent for how Chinese authorities would handle flare-ups in other parts of the country -- with a small outbreak in April and a handful of cases in the past month.

China is sticking to its COVID Zero strategy of lockdowns, movement restrictions and mass testing despite it being challenged like never before, with more contagious variants circumventing the strictest of curbs. The country reported 604 local cases for Tuesday, down from 868 a day earlier.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, July 20th, 2022, after having learned of a New York Times article about unusual and questionable investments at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the organization that Sint Maartens Ministry of Justice and the Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) have been in talks with to build a new prison on Sint Maarten, Minister Richardson sent a communication to State Secretary Alexandra Van Huffelen to express great concern about the reports of the alleged misappropriation of funds at UNOPS Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation fund (S3i).

Although no formal agreements have been signed by Sint Maarten to start the prison project and discussions on finalization of the agreements are ongoing, Minister Richardson found it prudent to contact the State Secretary to emphasize the importance of maintaining the integrity of the current process. Additionally, Minister Richardson encouraged that swift action is taken by Sint Maartens Ministry of Justice and the Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) to jointly assess specifically the impact of these initial reports and the outcome of a UN investigation, on the development of a new prison on Sint Maarten and possible future cooperation with UNOPS.

As a result of the reports, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has asked for clear measures against fraud within UNOPS and has made the decision to pause payments on current projects. The Kingdom of the Netherlands will also temporarily exercise caution on entering into new legal obligations with UNOPS. As soon as possible, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands hope to obtain a better understanding of the effects of this case on the entire UNOPS organization and the measures that will be taken to strengthen the financial control mechanisms at UNOPS.

Minister Richardson stated the following: I am fully aware that UNOPS is a very large organization that operates on a global scale with several regional subdivisions, and that these reports do not concern its operations in this part of the world, nevertheless I do think this news gives serious cause for concern and requires action. Pending the outcome of the UNs investigation, we must determine along with our partners in the Netherlands what further safeguards can be put in place specifically for Sint Maartens prison project, to guarantee correct financial expenditures of our taxpayer's monies. I look forward to these discussions taking place forthwith."
PHILIPSBURG: --- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said that while being overseas, she took note of what transpired during her absence. The Prime Minister was referring to the Alegria water rights saga, between the Minister of VROMI and Member of Parliament Raeyhon Peterson.

Jacobs said that the Minister of VROMI was off the island this past week and is expected to return to St. Maarten today. She said that she is of the opinion that the Minister should be given the opportunity to respond to the partial recording that was used during a radio interview.

The Prime Minister informed members of the media that the Minister was recorded without his knowledge and only a part of the recording was made public. She said it is rather unethical for someone to record people and then use the recording on a public broadcast. The Prime Minister explained that while a person can record those recordings can only be used in court proceedings. Jacobs lamented that there are consequences for the Member of Parliament who already indicated that he is prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

The Prime Minister explained that even though she perused the media articles and radio interviews the full story is still not out to the public because the entire recording was not released.

Jacobs called on everyone to strive for peace. She said that both officials meaning the Minister and the Member of Parliament means well and it's time for peace. Even though the opposition has a job to do, they must be cognizant of the fact of recording people and leaking partial audios. She cautioned that St. Maarten is its own enemy and while the focus is placed on what is doing to the island it's time they begin to look at what they are doing to themselves.
~ Marlin hopes to return soon~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament William Marlin who is currently in Panama on medical in an interview with Andrew Dick said that he went to Panama some five months ago to seek medical treatment and was expected to return after three weeks. However, after a surgery there he was infected while in the hospital, thus he remained in the hospital on intravenous antibiotics.

Marlin said that he is not yet out of the woods relating to his medical condition however, he is hoping that he will soon get better and be able to return home.

In commenting on the issues taking place here at home, Marlin said that people are not listening to what is said in radio interviews. He said that just recently he received a number of phone calls relating to statements that were made by suspended Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper. He said when he listened the comments that the suspended MP made are not what he was told by other persons that called him.

In the case of the Minister of VROMI Egbert Jurendy Doran and the members of the Party for Progress (PFP) Marlin said the two members of parliaments namely Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson went to the ministers office to intentionally record the minister, and this is an outright shame.

Marlin said the same is the case with the partial recording that was released by the PFP. He said he even read in the daily newspaper that stated that the Minister threatened the member of parliament which is not the case.

Marlin said that what he has not heard from the people or the news medium is the premediating taping of the Minister. He said he felt that the Integrity Chamber should be called in on the matter while parliament needs to call a meeting on their way forward now that it is public knowledge that the PFP secretly tapes meetings. He questioned how many closed-door meetings of parliament were taped and will be used during an election campaign and how safe is this for the country and its national security.

Regarding the Ombudsman report which is an island-wide topic, he is of the opinion that the ombudsman should be called into a VROMI committee meeting or central committee meeting and question her on the report because there is information that he has that is not part of the report.

One example he gave is the reason the two committee members resigned; Marlin said the Members of Parliament that called the meeting did not ask the minister any questions about the report of the ombudsman even though she used the word allegedly in several instances.

Marlin said that MP Raeyhon Peterson is saying he is not against the minister and does not want to get rid of the minister and that he is only doing his job. Yet the member of parliament did not question the minister on the report. Marlin also questioned the report prepared by the ombudsman because the information he has is not in the report. In the report, the ombudsman used words like allegedly which means that she is not sure of the information she presented in the report. Because of these things Marlin said that he would have liked to pose questions to the ombudsman.

Marlin also called on MP Raeyhon Peterson to produce the negative advice he wrote on granting Alegria water rights. He said only then everyone would see that he was against the granting of water rights to the developer.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Decisions on Statia, are to be made by the people of Statia themselves, not by others, moreover, such decisions shall be made in full freedom, without outside pressure or interference. (Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2018, par. 2.2)

Esteemed Island Council Members of St. Eustatius

Esteemed Regeringscommissaris

Esteemed Members of the mediation team.

Oranjestad, St. Eustatius July 27, 2022

Geen enkele staat mag strijdig met jus cogens regels handelen, en elke staat is verplicht schendingen tegen te gaan!

L.S.

Introduction:

The report you are currently contemplating has been overtaken by events. In case you might not have noticed, on July 4, inst. State Secretary van Huffelen introduced two new words, jus cogens into the constitutional lexicon of the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, that have, unbeknownst to you, permanently and totally altered Kingdom relations. Indeed, as of that date the Kingdom as we knew it has ceased to exist. We are now in a transition phase, even though most people are not aware.

The New Paradigm in Kingdom Relations In the July 4th letter, the State Secretary confirmed that (a) the right to self-determination is a jus cogens or peremptory norm, and (b) in the event of a conflict between the peremptory norm and national or municipal (Kingdom) law, the peremptory norm prevails and (c) acknowledged the Written Statement as a legal source from which the islands may derive certain rights. In sum, the letter confirms that no law which violates Statias jus cogens right to self-determination can operate on Statia.

Can Statia claim the peremptory right to self-determination as a Gemeente?

In case the relevant people of the colonial territory have opted, in full freedom, for integration in or association with an existing State, this does not, however, end the applicability of the right of self-determination to that people nor does it terminate the corresponding legal obligation of the State in which the territory has been integrated, or with which the territory has become associated, to respect and promote the right of self-determination of those people in the new, post-colonial situation. (Written Statement of the Kingdom , 2018, par. 2.4)

Those are the words of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the peremptory right to self-determination does not terminate after integration!

Obligations erga omnes

Pro Soualiga takes the liberty to intervene in this matter because, as the Kingdom of the Netherlands explains in inter alia, paragraph 4.5 of its 2018 Written Statement:

because of the fundamental character of the right of self-determination under international law, the corresponding obligation on the part of the members of the international community must be deemed to have an erga omnes character as well.

Pro Soualiga as a lawfully constituted Civil Society organization under the laws of St. Maarten has an erga omnes obligation to take action whenever the right of self-determination is under threat.

Fatal flaw in the report

The report fails to question whether the Tijdelijke Wet meets the test as explained by van Huffelen. That is: Does the Tijdelijke Wet violate Statias jus cogens right to self-determination? By failing to apply this preliminary examination, the report has invalidated itself. We shall explore this in more detail below. The report makes the fatal error of assuming that the Tijdelijke Wet is lawful legislation.

Higher Supervison:

The report is on shaky legal ground where it recommends Higher Supervision. This concept is wholly opposed to the concept of thejus cogens right to self-determination and should be rejected out of hand.

What is meant by the peremptory or jus cogens right to self-determination?

First of all, please note that jus cogens, peremptory norm or super-customary norm are used interchangeably.

In paragraph 2.2. of its Written Statement of 2018, the Netherlands gives a succinct definition:

On the basis of these formulations, it must also be concluded that the decisions on the political status and economic, social, and cultural development are made by the people themselves, or its legitimate representatives, not by others. Moreover, such decisions shall be made in full freedom, without any outside pressure or interference.

This definition clearly makes the entire report obsolete. The report pretends to make decisions that under the jus cogens right to self-determination only concerns the people of Statia, not outsiders, and it endorses outside pressure and interference such as the Tijdelijke Wet and higher supervision. All of these instruments are clearly in conflict with thejus cogens right to self-determination, as defined by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Can Statia agree to violate a jus cogens norm?

Often the issue of a voluntary agreement to Dutch intervention is raised. Any agreement to violate jus cogens norms is null and void, ab initio as the Kingdom of the Netherlands explains in par. 3.8 of the Written Statement of 2018:

Given the peremptory character of the right of self-determination of peoples, any such title is null and void ab initio, in accordance with the principle ex injuria jus non oritur.

How the Hoge Raad views jus cogens norms

Het folterverbod heeft een absoluut karakter: geen enkele uitzonderlijke omstandigheid, ongeacht of het gaat om een oorlogstoestand, een oorlogsdreiging, binnenlandse politieke onrust of welke andere openbare noodsituatie ook, kan worden aangevoerd als rechtvaardiging voor foltering (art. 2 lid 2 Verdrag tegen foltering). (ECLI:NL:PHR:2014:369, r.o. 2.2 ) Omdat het folterverbod volkenrechtelijk tot het ius cogens wordt gerekend, moet een verplichting van Nederland op grond van het uitleveringsverdrag met de V.S. wijken voor een verplichting van Nederland op grond van het folterverbod. (ECLI:NL:PHR:2014:369, r.o. 3.16) While in the Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the International Court of Justice of February 27, 2018 the Kingdom posited: Those peremptory norms that are clearly accepted and recognized include the prohibitions of aggression, genocide, slavery, racial discrimination, crimes against humanity and torture, and the right to self-determination (par. 3.9) The Kingdom clearly acknowledges the right to self-determination and the prohibition against torture (folterverbod) both as peremptory or jus cogens (dwingend/absoluut recht) norms.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands to the rescue of Statia?:

. ..It could hardly be explained (to the people of Statia),.. that the right of self-determination was in their case a kind of constitutional fiction. Such an interpretation would deprive the [draft] Covenants [on Human Rights] and the United Nations of all moral authority). (par. 3.6 Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2018)

Conclusion:

In light of the novum contained in the letter from van Huffelen (which we have attached for your perusal) we recommend that this report be withdrawn as it conflicts with the contents of van Huffelens letter, but more important, it is probably null and void because it contemplates and recommends acts (Higher Supervision) that are clearly in conflict with a super-customary norm of international law.

Sincerely

Pro Soualiga,

Oriens ex Occidente Lux

Cc: Staatssecretaris van Huffelen

Rijksministerraad

Eerste Kamer

Tweede Kamer
SABA:--- Four Saba residents took the oath and accepted their new task as special enforcement officers (buitengewoon agent van politie) for the Public Entity Saba on Tuesday, July 26. They will be known as BavPol enforcers.

Bobby Zagers, Justin Yu, and Thompson Thomas are employees of the Public Entity Saba while Marijn van der Laan works at the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF). They will join the BavPol team already occupied by Alexandria Hassell and Randall Johnson. Caribbean Netherlands Police Force (KPCN) Chief Jose Rosales together with KPCN education coordinator Lionel Vrutaal performed the swearing-in on behalf of Dutch Minister of Justice and Safety Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius.

2-week course

The four new special enforcement officers took a 2-week enforcement course, they passed the exam and received the approval of the local triangle meeting between the Island Governor, the KPCN, and the Caribbean Netherlands Public Prosecutors Office. In total, Saba now has 6 active special enforcement officers. Special enforcement officers dont wear a weapon, but they can issue a warning and fine. When working, the BavPol enforcers will be clearly identifiable. They will either wear an official handhaving uniform or they will wear a formal Public Entity Saba or SCF-issued polo or shirt in combination with a BavPol ID card. The uniforms were kindly provided by the municipality of Amsterdam and will allow the enforcers to be visible as enforcers in the Saba community.

Inspection

Bobby Zagers said as a special enforcement officer, he could act in the inspection of the technical integrity of building structures and whether people have a building permit. Justin Yu said that being a special enforcement officer will contribute to his work at the Fort Bay harbor, to keep the premises cleaner and safer, and to see to proper docking management.

Traffic ordinance

Thompson Thomas is already an enforcer at the Public Entity. As a special enforcement officer, he will focus on people adhering to the general local ordinance (APV) and the new traffic ordinance. He can act in cases of nuisance, violations in the public space, and parking issues.

Park ranger Marijn van der Laan said being a special enforcement officer was important for his job in the marine park in enforcing the marine environmental laws. This gives me more possibilities to act when people commit a violation, such as anchoring in the marine park, damaging the corals or other marine life. We also keep an eye on invasive species, said van der Laan.

Investigative authority

The special enforcement officers that are now appointed for the Public Entity Saba have comparable investigative authorities as police officers, they can enforce certain local or national ordinances that require administrative enforcement and on a number of criminal matters. For matters that are of a criminal law nature, the Public Prosecutors office will extend the fine, just as they do for the police.

The line between criminal law enforcement and administrative law enforcement in practice does not always have to be strict. The special enforcers can also collaborate with the police officers and the Caribbean Netherlands Prosecutors Office in various situations.

Issue report

An example is the enforcement of nature and environment laws and regulations, where the special enforcement officer from the marine park can issue a report to the prosecutor's office of illegal activity such as anchoring in protected areas. In situations like that, the prosecutor's office will then decide to further prosecute or not based on the reporting that is done by the special enforcement officer.

Cooperation

Cooperation between police, the prosecutors office, and the Public Entity Saba, is imperative in the enforcement of local administrative laws. These three organizations have their own duties and responsibilities and expertise in certain fields.

The appointment of these four new special enforcers at the Public Entity Saba is most welcome. Having additional work capacity available for administrative law enforcement is another step in furthering our development on good governance as a local government body. Having the capacity to enforce the rules and regulations put in place by the Island and Executive Council increases the legitimacy and reliability of our local government, said Gerald Simmons, department head of safety and legal of the Public Entity Saba.
The winners of a low gold price

Since the gold price fell towards 1,700 US dollars, Chinese in particular have benefited.

Since March, the price of gold for the Chinese has gone down by more than 17 percent. For China, the world\-s largest gold consumer, this is of course a good time to buy. The country is still in the midst of a pandemic resurgence. So, things could get better in the long run. Because when the festival season starts, retail sellers will also need gold again. According to a representative of China Gold Group\-s flagship store, the number of consumers asking for gold bars has increased to almost double. Sales volume has gone up by 20 percent.

According to data from the World Gold Council, gold withdrawals from the Shanghai Gold Exchange totaled about 140 tons in June, up 37 tons from May and up seven tons from a year earlier  a significant increase. Gold prices have also been adjusted seven times since June as they have declined internationally. Government and corporate financing by central banks has been extremely high, partly in the shadow of the Corona crisis. As a result, many analysts have raised the target price for gold to as high as $2,000 per troy ounce. Due to the lack of investment alternatives, it is advisable to remain invested in gold, silver and precious metal stocks or to enter them. In the case of gold company stocks, it is worth taking a look at Skeena Resources or Revival Gold.

Skeena Resources  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uByunotmKIw  is reviving the formerly producing Eskay Creek gold-silver mine in British Columbia\-s Golden Triangle. A full feasibility study is due this year.

Revival Gold  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d24jQVrtkKE  is taking care of the Beartrack-Arnett gold project in Idaho. This project was once the largest gold producing mine in Idaho.

Current corporate information and press releases from Skeena Resources (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/skeena-resources-ltd/ -).

In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid.

Disclaimer:

The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998  312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/
Gaborone (Botswana) 27 July 2022 (SPS)- Gaborone City Mayor, His Worship Austin Abraham, paid a Courtesy Call to the Saharawi Embassy in Gaborone,Today morning, where he met with the Ambassador of the Saharawi Republic in Botswana and Permanent Representative to SADC, Mr. Malainin Mohamed .

The Saharawi Ambassador briefed His Worship on the overall situation in Western Sahara, focusing on the roots and aspects of the conflict that is still opposing his country with Morocco, and recalling that it is the last case of unaccomplished decolonisation in Africa.

On his side Gaborone City Mayor informed his host that he is reaching out to some foreign missions to learn from their countries experiences in municipal governance and to explore the best ways of touch base with peers abroad.
STAMFORD  Unarmed security guards could be stationed at all Stamford elementary schools starting in the fall, after the citys Board of Education voted to add 15 new positions during a virtual meeting Tuesday night.

Previously, nine of the the citys 11 elementary schools had no security workers. They will each get one guard now the board has voted. Among elementary schools, only Westover Magnet and Hart Magnet have previously had security workers onsite.

Of the other six new security guard positions, two each will be assigned to Rogers International and Strawberry Hill schools, respectively. Another will go to Cloonan Middle School, where there are already two guards, and the remaining new spot will go toward a guard at the districts early childhood education program Apples.

Two of the schools slated to get security help experienced lockdowns within the last two months when both Davenport Ridge Elementary and Rogers went into lockdown mode because of trespassers on their campuses.

Five of the eight board members present supported the measure, with Republicans Becky Hamman an Joshua Esses opposing it. Republican Nicola Tarzia abstained.

Board president Jackie Heftman was absent. Tarzia, who acted as president during the meeting, said Heftman had contracted COVID-19.

The total price tag for adding the new positions is $840,000; the money will come out of the COVID-19 relief dollars in the districts grant budget.

Last month, the board had discussed adding security workers, but at that time, the informal proposal was for 14 workers for a total cost of $784,000. Since that discussion, an additional position was added at Cloonan.

Member Joshua Esses questioned the use of short-term relief dollars to fund the new positions, as that money will dry up by September 2024.

Superintendent Tamu Lucero said school officials would have to advocate for preserving the positions during the budgeting season next year.

Esses pushed back.

I understand the agitation for security guards in light of national events and the events in our elementary schools, but my prediction is just like the last few years where nothing has happened in our schools that harmed our children, that will continue to be the case, he said.

Esses went on to predict that the positions would be cut as federal stimulus dollars go away.

Lucero responded that the increase of security guards is more than just a response to tragic events like the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers or the lockdowns in Stamford schools.

Most of our issues are around domestic violence, she said, adding that angry parents coming to the school to speak to staff also pose a threat.

Those happen more often than a person just walking onto our property, she said.

Member Ben Lee agreed, but said a security guard also plays an important role when there is a major threat to a school.

Having a dedicated security person on site in the most terrible scenario is really just about increasing response time, he said.

The district already has multiple security workers elsewhere: 14 divided between the middle schools, the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering high school and the Anchor program, and 22 between Stamford High School and Westhill High School.

Additionally, Stamford High and Westhill each have two school resource officers, or SROs, which are Stamford Police Department officers who police student behavior inside those schools. The Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, the smallest of the three high schools, has one SRO.

Now the challenge will be staffing the 15 new positions.

At a June meeting of the Board of Representatives Public Safety and Health Committee, the school districts security director Joseph Kennedy said hiring substitute security officers last school year was a struggle.

Kennedy, a Stamford Police officer for 35 years, was hired in February to head the school districts security efforts. He originally recommended the addition of security guards at the citys elementary schools.

We would definitely want this in (place) as early as the school year starts but I would not guarantee it, Kennedy said at that meeting. That is the goal, to get security in these buildings as soon as possible.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
STAMFORD  For about four hours between Tuesday and Wednesday, Stamfords former town clerk took the stand in the trial of a former city Democratic Party head accused of absentee ballot fraud, in part explaining how such ballots are ordinarily issued.

Under questioning, former clerk Donna Loglisci said that in 2015, she gave absentee ballots to John Mallozzi, who was the chairman of the Stamford Democratic City Committee at the time, and two other people even though the ballots were for voters other than them. She admitted that she broke the law by doing so.

Under state law, a town clerk is supposed to mail or hand an absentee ballot to the person who applied for it, though there are exceptions for situations like a person being hospitalized. Loglisci is not facing charges.

In court, Loglisci said that Mallozzi told her that those voters were unable to get out to vote because of sickness or other reasons.

Mallozzi has been charged with 14 counts of second-degree forgery and 14 counts of committing false statements in absentee balloting. Those felony charges are tied to the 2015 city elections. Since his arrest in early 2019, Mallozzi has pleaded not guilty.

According to an affidavit for Mallozzis arrest, Loglisci agreed to an arrangement with Mallozzi before the 2015 elections: He or a representative would drop off completed absentee ballot applications at her office on behalf of voters and then pick up the ballots for them.

During his opening remarks Tuesday, Mallozzis attorney argued in state Superior Court in Stamford that his client is a patsy in the states case and that Loglisci is no innocent pawn.

Attorney Stephan Seeger said that during an investigation by state officials, Mallozzi exercised his right to remain silent. Others cooperated, he said, and they were not charged.

During his opening argument, Deputy Assistant States Attorney Michael Bivona asserted that Mallozzi signed and submitted absentee ballot documents for people who were unaware that he was doing so.

One of those people tried to vote in person at his polling place on Election Day in 2015 and was initially turned away because he had been marked down as having voted by absentee ballot, Bivona said.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission launched an investigation that was eventually turned over to the states attorneys office.

Much of the questioning in court Tuesday was focused on the absentee ballot process and the duties of the town clerk. Loglisci, a Republican, served in the role for 16 years. She lost reelection in 2017 to Lyda Ruijter, a Democrat.

When Seeger questioned her, Loglisci said that she gave absentee ballots to Mallozzi as well as Democrats Robert Figueroa and Willy Giraldo in 2015.

According to the affidavit for Mallozzis arrest, Figueroa told investigators that he received one group of absentee ballot applications from Mallozzi and another group from Giraldo, who was a member of the Board of Representatives at the time. Figueroa said he was told to bring the applications to the town clerks office.

Figueroa said Mallozzi or Giraldo later called him and told him to pick up the ballots. He said he gave the ballots to the two of them.

Mallozzi initially refused to cooperate with investigators, according to the affidavit. After hiring Seeger, he did cooperate.

Seeger also questioned Loglisci about several absentee ballots applications from 2015 that investigators determined werent fraudulent and were from Giraldos family members.

On an absentee ballot application, a voter is supposed to check off a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. But the Giraldo applications, which Loglisci reviewed on the stand, had no reason marked. She said she didnt know why her office nevertheless issued ballots for them.

Superior Court Judge Kevin Randolph eventually interjected during Seegers questioning, saying that impugning the integrity of the town clerks office could only go so far. He asked Seeger to draw a clear connection between his line of questioning and the charges against Mallozzi.

The trial is scheduled to wrap up as soon as Friday.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
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TUPE, Peru (AP)  In the last town on a road in the Peruvian Andes, Maria Acevedo has a tiny convenience store but primarily lives off the crops and livestock she raises on her land.

Like many other residents of Tupe, where the indigenous language Jaqaru is still spoken, she voted for school teacher Pedro Castillo for president last year, drawn in part by the possibility of seeing the nation led by someone with rural roots like her own.

That sentiment proved to be shared by many people across Peru, which propelled the political neophyte Castillo to victory in a runoff election that stunned the South American countrys political class.

It also buoyed the hopes of many Peruvians that an outsider could bring needed changes to improve public services, including education and health, whose inadequacies were highlighted by the pandemic.

Now, after a year in the presidency, Castillo's popularity is in shambles, decimated by what critics characterize as a chaotic management style and corruption allegations.

Still, in rural areas many voters believe the fault for the executive crisis lies not only with Castillo, but with Congress, which has sought to remove him twice.

We want him to get to five years (in office), to work, to fulfill his promise. Why are they going to throw him out? said Acevedo, dressed in the red-and-black suit typically worn by women in her community. We want him to learn. Nobody becomes president knowing" what do do.

Acevedo, who is concerned about rising food and fuel prices that have led to regional protests, said the rich in Lima do not let Castillo work.

Castillo, 52, campaigned with the slogan no more poor in a rich country. He promised to fight corruption, raise taxes on mining profits, rewrite the constitution and end alleged monopolies that affect the prices of domestic gas and medicine.

But he was met by a Congress all too eager to continue the political squabbling that has seen presidents and lawmakers seek to cut short each others terms.

In 2019, President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress and called legislative elections. The following year, the new Congress removed Vizcarra. Manuel Merino was as president appointed by Congress but resigned less than a week later following deadly protests. He was succeeded by Francisco Sagasti, who after nine months handed the post to Castillo on July 28, 2021.

Since then, Congress has approved a commission to investigate allegations of fraud in the presidential election, claims that electoral authorities and independent observers dispute. On two occasions, lawmakers also tried to dismiss Castillo for purported moral incapacity but did not reach the necessary 87 votes to move forward.

Congress also has shelved Castillos proposed steps for a constitutional reform. But the president himself has not introduced a detailed agricultural overhaul that was among his top campaign promises.

Only about 19% of Peruvians approve of the job being done by Castillo, who defeated Keiko Fujimori in the runoff by about 44,000 votes. But that is higher than the 12% rating for Congress, according to polls by the Institute of Peruvian Studies.

Castillo has promised many things, such as structural changes. Many people have trusted (him), but acting as president he has many shortcomings, which makes people suspicious, said Arnulfo Casas, a retired teacher who worked for decades in the Amazon region and returned to Tupe to care for his sick wife.

But Casas also isn't happy with Congress.

The parties that have lost do not let (Castillo) work, everything is opposition, said Casas, who runs a juice store. Most of the residents of the mountains and the jungle want Castillo to continue legally.

The lack of achievement is hurting the president, analysts say.

In the various social sectors there are a series of unfulfilled expectations that have generated disappointment and a climate of discontent and exhaustion, said Rodrigo Gil, professor of political science at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University.

Castillo, at times, has hurt his own image by making mistakes, such as confusing Croatia for Ukraine when talking about Russia's invasion  a slip that drew mockery on social media and criticism by traditional media and politicians.

The president also faces five investigations. Four are looking into allegations of corruption and one is studying claims of plagiarism of his masters thesis in educational psychology that was presented in 2012.

Some think that here we are going to give in, even though they mess with your children, with your parents, with your family. In 11 months, they do not find a single piece of evidence, Castillo said recently about the corruption inquiries.

He has said that he did not seek to become president to stick his nails into the public treasury. He says that if he should be found guilty, his father will disinherit him, and he will submit to a type of peasant justice system that punishes cattle thieves with horrible whippings and other physical punishments.

Castillo's lack of experience in public management has shown up in a revolving door among his Cabinet secretaries.

In February, in the midst of a third wave of COVID-19 cases, he replaced a health minister who was promoting vaccination with a doctor who had touted a type of water that supposedly slows aging.

After the spill of thousands of barrels of oil in the Pacific, Castillo replaced the environment minister with an inexperienced geography expert who resigned in just eight days.

Since February, the Ministry of Agriculture has had four secretaries even as Peru grapples with the shortage and rising prices of Russian fertilizers due to the war in Ukraine.

It is a very precarious government, focused on sticking its neck out of the water and breathing day by day to survive, Gil said.
STAMFORD  A city teenager was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison after pleading guilty to an armed robbery-turned-shootout in the citys West Side in May 2021.

Judge Gary White sentenced Kevin Piersaint, 18, to a 12-year prison sentence suspended after five years during a disposition hearing at the Superior Court in Stamford Wednesday.

In March, Piersaint pleaded guilty to a charge of attempt to commit first-degree robbery that stemmed from a botched armed robbery that led to a daylight shootout in Stamfords West Side on May 6, 2021.

As a part of the deal with state prosecutors, Piersaint will also serve five years of probation upon his release from prison and be required to undergo substance abuse evaluation and have no contact with the two codefendants in the case, 16-year-old Saequan McCandies and 19-year-old Erik Chico.

Piersaints attorney Kevin Black said his client, who recently became a father while he was incarcerated, hopes this plea deal and prison sentence marks the start of a new chapter in his life.

He is hopeful to get out and not get back in trouble again and support his son, Black said.

Piersaint, McCandies and Chico were arrested two days after the alleged incident on charges of criminal attempt at first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Piersaint also faced an additional charge of attempt to commit first-degree assault.

According to an arrest warrant, McCandies, Piersaint and Chico conspired to rob a local marijuana dealer.

The warrant states that Chico allegedly set up a drug deal in a parking lot on Liberty Street. Once set in motion, McCandies and Piersaint hid in nearby bushes and waited to ambush the alleged dealer, the warrant said.

When the alleged dealer arrived, a shootout ensued, according to the warrant.

Investigator Damien Rosa wrote in the warrant that Piersaint was seen on surveillance footage exchanging shots with the other individual.

No one is believed to have been struck by the gunfire, according to police.

On July 6, McCandies was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of criminal attempt at first-degree robbery.

Chico was recently granted accelerated rehabilitation, a pretrial probationary program that could result in the charges hes facing being dropped.
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, July 27, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Shreveport LA

224 PM CDT Tue Jul 26 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 109 expected.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Louisiana,

southeast Oklahoma, south central and southwest Arkansas and

east and northeast Texas.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM CDT Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat

illnesses to occur.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Hot temperatures and high humidity will

increase the risk for heat-related illnesses to occur,

particularly for those working or participating in outdoor

activities.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out

of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young

children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles

under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Authorities at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point caught 26 migrants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan as they attempted to illegally cross into Hungary hidden in two long-haul trucks that were transporting metal parts and tires to Poland and Italy, the Arad Border Police informs.

The truck drivers, a Turkish and a Romanian citizen, had their trailers inspected based on the risk analysis.

"The persons in question were taken to the border police precincts for investigation, where it was determined that they are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan nationals aged between 18 and 42; most of them are asylum seekers in Romania," the release states.

Also, in the western border city of Chisineu-Cris - Arad County, a Border Police crew caught four foreigners who had no justifiable reason to be in the city. Checks determined that they are Indian asylum seekers and they will be directed to return to the Regional Accommodation and Procedures Centers for Asylum Seekers where they are registered. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca stated, on Wednesday, that the uptake rTE of European funds related to the financial year 2014 - 2020 reached by Romania is 64.5%, at an equal level with Germany and very close to France (65%).

"The uptake rate of European funds of 64.5% places Romania at the same level as Germany and very close to France (65%), surpassing old member states such as Belgium (59%), Italy, Spain or the Netherlands (each slightly over 56%). The percentage represents 22 billion euros, money coming into the country from the total of 35.2 billion euros allocated to Romania for the financial year 2014 - 2020", Ciuca wrote on Facebook.

According to him, since the National Liberal Party (PNL) took over the post of prime minister, 7.8 billion euros has entered Romania, Agerpres.ro informs.

"By comparison, from January 2014 to October 2019, Romania accessed 14.2 billion euros. The PNL government succeeded in bringing to Romania, in a period of one year and eight months, more than half of the money that was drawn by the governments that led in the first five years of this European financial exercise", added the prime minister.
Romania is benefiting from broad support from the United States of America, says Virgil Popescu, the Minister of Energy, on his Facebook page, after a series of work meetings with representatives of U.S. Department of State, on Tuesday.

"I had a series of work meetings with several members of the State Department. I met with C. S. Eliot Kang, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation at the U.S Department of State. His experience in the nuclear energy sector offered us the foundation for a consistent and applied dialogue regarding the project of reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda, but also regarding small modular reactors (SMR). Justin Friedman also took part in the talks, who is the Senior Advisor for the U.S Department of State, Director of the Office of Export Cooperation (ISN/ECC) in the State Department's Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation, who was present in Romania this May, when we announced that we will install the first SMR in Romania in the former thermal plant in Doicesti. We received assurance that our country has all the support for developing the civil nuclear program," Popescu further wrote on his Facebook page.

Furthermore, Virgil Popescu also met with Jose W. Fernandez, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the U.S Department of State, with whom he discussed, on the sidelines of strengthening strategic partnership in the energy sector, about deepening bilateral and commercial relations between the two states. There were also discussions about solutions for increasing energy security, as well as the current geopolitical context.

During his dialogue with Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs and leads the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S Department of State, the Minister of Energy said that Romanian authorities want to finish the financing stage of reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda until the end of this year, and the financial support of American partners is very important.

"He said that he is carefully watching the stage of the project's construction for the two new reactors in Cernavoda, as well as the first small modular reactor, and the USA will offer all required support in order for these projects to be finished," Virgil Popescu also wrote.AGERPRES
Romania's Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Transformation (MCID) on Wednesday released a call for individual Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowships worth 8 million euros under the country's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

All researchers holding a doctoral title who are EU citizens, holders of a Seal of Excellence certificate awarded under Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe in 2020 - 2022, scoring at least 85%, but having not obtained European funding, can apply for the call "I9. Support for holders of certificates of excellence received in the competition for individual Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowships, Component C9. Support for the Private Sector, Research, Development and Innovation, Agerpres.ro informs.

MCID says that the maximum value of the individual fellowship type of project is 141,768 euros gross, lei equivalent, and for post-doctoral fellowships type project is 149,568 euros gross, lei equivalent.

"Today I signed an order for the I9 investment projects under PNRR - the competition for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowships. Romania needs an injection of excellent human resources, of know-how, whether it comes from Romanian researchers in Romania, from Romanian researchers established across borders or from researchers from other EU member states. We are releasing this call to give a boost to the research ecosystem in Romania and to increase attractiveness of the national research, development and innovation system. There are 8 million euros invested in top rated projects already by European experts, projects that we want to bring to Romania," Minister of Research Sebastian Burduja is quoted as saying in a press statement.

The maximum estimated number of beneficiaries is 50, and the duration of a project is 24 months.

Submission of projects will be done in one step, using the platform https://proiecte.pnrr.gov.ro and on a first-come first-served basis until the funds are exhausted or by December 31 2023.

In order to be considered eligible, funding applications must be complete at the time of uploading to the online submission platform, as subsequent completions are not allowed. Incomplete funding applications at the time of application will be declared ineligible.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Wednesday that talks of his bid for President of Romania in the next presidential election are premature.

He said, at the end of a fact-finding visit to the headquarters of the 51st Vulturii Special Operations Battalion in Targu Mures, that at this moment he does not want to be disturbed by any other thought, adding that he will choose his future after he finishes his job at NATO.

"I am involved, as is natural, moral and ethical, in the position of high responsibility that I hold at the top of NATO. I am hundred percent dedicated to this moment of my career and I believe that the most important thing is that we each do our duty today and tomorrow. There are many rumours... I think it is much too early for such talks. There are many other problems that bother the Romanians and the allied countries; there is war on the border, this is a complicate time. That's why I don't give myself up to being disturbed by any other thought or insinuation about the future. The future belongs to all of us, and I am in a position to have the luxury of choosing what kind of future I want after I finish my job at NATO (...) and that is an open subject," said Geoana.

On Wednesday, the NATO senior official met the leadership of the 51st Vulturii Special Operations Battalion Command to discuss the capabilities of the special operations forces. He was shown around stands with weapons, defence equipment and military hardware and attended a special operations event. AGERPRES
The gap in morale between the Russian and Ukrainian troops is absolutely crushing in favour of the Ukrainians, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said Wednesday on a visit to the headquarters of the 51st Vulturii Special Operations Battalion in Targu Mures.

According to him, the Ukrainian army is "much more agile, much more flexible, much more adapted for modern warfare" and managed, after the outbreak of the conflict with Russia in 2014 to become "a modern, Western-type, NATO-type army."

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation are still of a post-Soviet type, with everything that means equipment, command and control, military doctrine and military philosophy, while the Ukrainian armed forces, with our support after 2014, after the invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea, is a modern, Western-type, NATO-type of forces, hence the difference in quality of the way the two sides are conducting war operations. That does not mean that the Russian Federation does not still have important resources, parts that should be of concern to Ukraine and to us, but if we look at the way the two types of military systems work, Ukraine's is much more agile, much more flexible, much more adapted for modern warfare," said Geoana.

He also mentioned the morale of the two combatant forces.

"And there is one more thing that goes beyond the type of weaponry, the type of ammunition, how accurately the artillery of one side or the other side hits. It is the intangible component of morale of the troops and the morale of the population. It's one thing to defend your country and fight for your country, and quite different when you embark on a military adventure in a country where you do not understand why you are sent there. The difference in morale between the Russian and Ukrainian troops is absolutely overwhelming in favour of the Ukrainians. That does not mean that the war is not complicated, that it is not long and that we see political elements that indicate too fast an end to the ongoing war, as we would like," added Geoana.

He gave assurances that the defence alliance he represents will continue to support Ukraine from all points of view.

"We will continue to help them. It is also in our interest and we believe that the bravery and sacrifice of the Ukrainians will receive from us military, financial, economic, moral, and political support, as it is happening now in a faultless manner," said Geoana.

On Wednesday, the NATO senior official met the leadership of the 51st Vulturii Special Operations Battalion Command to discuss the capabilities of the special operations forces. He was shown around stands with weapons, defence equipment and military hardware and attended a special operations event.
As many as 100,477 people entered Romania, on Tuesday, through the border crossing points, including 9,456 Ukrainian citizens (down by 18.9% from the previous day), the General Inspectorate of the Border Police informs in a press release sent to AGERPRES.

According to the quoted source, approximately 207,400 persons, Romanians and foreign citizens (both inbound and outbound), with over 53,560 means of transportation, have carried out verification formalities.

As of February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period), 1,703,825 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania.

Regarding the specific activities, in their areas of competence - the crossing points and the "green border" - the border police discovered 69 illegal acts (49 offences and 20 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign nationals, with the total amount of fines applied reaching over 36,000 RON," the same source shows.AGERPRES
Secretary of State George Niculescu from the Ministry of Energy gave assurance that Romania can manage with the 15pct cut in gas consumption recommended by the EU, also mentioning that, for now, this is a voluntary action and that there are "some flexibilities" taken into account in this reduction, such as the storage filling levels and the consumption of the non-energy industry.

"Romania has always supported energy independence, we have always wanted and we still want to diversify our sources of natural gas and electricity supply. Therefore, this voluntary reduction, basically, considering Romania's posibilities today, I think we can make it, we can manage with this voluntary cut in consumption. There are some flexibilities that are taken into account in operating this cut, in the sense that we have the storage filling level, which filling level (...) can lead to a reduction from the 15pct cut recommended and, also, we are also taking into account the consumption of the non-energy industry, as it is presented on the Eurostat website, another quantity of natural gas that can be reduced from this 15pct," said Niculescu, after the government meeting.

Asked if this voluntary 15pct cut would be imposed in Romania, Niculescu stated that "everyone is free to proceed as they see fit, as long as it is a voluntary action."

According to him, the Regulation that stipulates the emergency plan will be modified by October 31, alongside the role and responsibilities of companies operating in the natural gas field in Romania, the individual activities of the entities involved in the prevention of crisis situations.

Asked if the Government will ask companies to reduce consumption from August 1, Niculescu reiterated that it is not a mandatory measure at the EU level.

According to the Secretary of State, a recommendation for efficient consumption of electricity or natural gas is "a thing of common sense."

The member states of the European Union approved, on Tuesday, a plan for the coordinated reduction of gas consumption, in order to help Germany and reduce its dependence on Moscow, after a new drastic drop in Russian deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the Czech Presidency of the EU Council informs. AGERPRES
A 58 year old man is being searched by the mountain rescuers, on Wednesday, after he got lost for several hours in the Valea Gales area, in the Retezat Massif, the southwestern Hunedoara County Mountain Rescue Public Service informed.

The rescue action began on Tuesday afternoon and continued almost all night, the mountain rescuers' search in the areas of Pietrele, Bucura and Poiana Pelegii taking place in the upper cauldron of Valea Gales.

"The 58 year old man left the trail on an unmarked path, on Tuesday afternoon, and has not been seen since. This morning (Wednesday, ed. n.) searches have resumed, localization being attempted through drones," the quoted source specified.

Another rescue action took place during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, in the area of Gura Zlata, where three Czech nationals got lost on an unmarked path in a deep forest area that is hard to reach.

A team from Rausor Mountain Rescue took part in the search, managing to locate the group and bringing it back safely to Gura Zlata Cabin.

A 12 year old child and a 49 year old adult, both from Bucharest, were recovered by the Mountain Rescue team from eastern Neamt after they got lost on Tuesday evening, in the Ceahlau Massif.

The head of Neamt Mountain Rescue Service, Raul Papalicef, declared that the two were in the steep area on the eastern side of the mountain, named Jgheabul Cascadelor.

"The extraction intervention for the two tourists, aged 49 and 12, from Bucharest, ended around 03:00, when the rescue team took them to Dochia Cabin. When they strayed from the path and how they reached the great wall area from that zone, is pretty hard to explain, given the fact that the adult, since the alarm began, was confused and slightly incoherent because of fatigue.

He explained that technology has once again made the difference, that dispatch managed to guide the tourists and send a location from their phone.

"The rescue team followed a long night among vertical walls and beams and only due to special training and deep knowledge of the area have they managed to avoid a tragedy," said Raul Papalicef.

The two tourists were led to Dochia Cabin, exhausted, but safe.AGERPRES
As many as 9,802 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, down 2,551 from the previous day, with over 30,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.

Of the new cases, 1,900 were in re-infected patients, who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease.

Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 2,197, and in the counties of Cluj - 612, Constanta - 500, Timis - 457, Brasov - 419.

So far, 3,033,866 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

As many as 3,571 people with COVID-19, up 126 from the previous reporting, including 600 children, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities.

Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 233 patients, up 18, including 6 minors, are in intensive care.

Of the total patients admitted to ICU, 198 are unvaccinated against COVID-19.

- Deaths -

According to the ministry, 29 Romanians, 15 men and 14 women, infected with SARS-CoV-2 are reported dead in the last 24 hours.

Of the 29 deaths, two were recorded in the 40-49 age group, one was recorded in the age group 50-59 years, 5 in the age group 60-69 years, 10 in the 70-79 age group, and 11 in the over 80 category.

All 29 patients who died were unvaccinated had underlying medical conditions and 20 of them were unvaccinated.AGERPRES
The Bucharest police with the Economic Crime Investigation Service, district 2 Police, under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal, are implementing, on Wednesday, three search warrants in Bucharest and the neighbouring counties of Ilfov and Prahova and two warrants for bringing, in a criminal case of tax evasion, with a damage estimated at 13.5 million euros.

"From the data and evidence administered in question, it resulted the reasonable assumption that in the period 2014 - 2015, a man and a woman would have created and implemented a criminal mechanism by which, using three commercial companies, they would have omitted the registration and the declaration of the real incomes, which they would have obtained from the sale of imported goods," informs a press release of the General Directorate of Police of Bucharest Municipality (DGPMB) sent on Wednesday to AGERPRES.

From the investigations, it resulted that the total value of the goods sold is 188,227,360 RON, the damage thus produced to the general consolidated budget of the state being about 13.5 million euros.

"In order to recover the damage caused, the real estate owned by the suspects was identified, and the measure of precautionary seizure will be instituted, up to the competition of the amount of 66,954,973 RON," the source said.

The investigations are continued by the police with the Economic Crime Investigation Service, district 2 Police, under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal, under the aspect of committing the crime of tax evasion in a continuous and aggravated form.AGERPRES
The government decided, on Wednesday, to increase the maximum number of offices for the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), with 15 more offices of judicial officers and police having been approved for the Support structure of the European prosecutors assigned to Romania.

According to a press release from the Executive, the supplementing of the number of posts is necessary "to actively and optimally support the activity of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Romania."

"The need to supplement the maximum number of positions is determined by the dynamics of the European Public Prosecutor's Office's workload after the start of its operational activity in Romania, as well as the general expectation regarding the increase in the volume of activity in the following period, in the context of the multi-annual financial framework and the NextGenerationEU recovery tool. Currently, the number of prosecutors assigned to Romania is relatively limited, namely 7 out of the 20 assigned to the Romanian state, and the increase in the number of selected European prosecutors (a new selection procedure is underway) must be doubled by increasing the support that the judicial officers and police can bring him to support the EPPO activity in Romania," the same press release explains, Agerpres.ro informs.

The EPPO is an independent body of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting and sending to trial the perpetrators of crimes against the financial interests of the EU, including: fraud, corruption, money laundering, cross-border VAT fraud.

The EU institutions and bodies, as well as the relevant authorities of the 22 member states that have joined the EPPO, must report any criminal behaviour affecting the EU budget.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, had a telephone conversation, on Wednesday, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the discussions being aimed at bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on the interest of both parties to stimulate investments.

The discussion was also attended by Mariam Almheiri, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the UAE, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to AGERPRES.

Minister Bogdan Aurescu appreciated the consistency of the June talks in Abu Dhabi, emphasizing that there are prerequisites for a strategic development of cooperation in the sectors already addressed, as well as for the diversification of collaboration in a series of niche, innovative fields, Agerpres.ro informs.

He also highlighted the importance of coordination at the governmental level between the two states for the development of coherent follow-up actions and for the implementation in the best conditions of future joint projects and initiatives. Complementarily, the minister emphasized the interest of both parties to stimulate investments and direct contacts between the business environments of the two countries.

In this sense, the two ministers discussed the cooperation opportunities identified, pointing out the progress made and the necessary future steps. The most important projects considered are in the field of energy, including renewable energy, agriculture and food security, connectivity, infrastructure and transport, digitization, IT and cyber security.

Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan highlighted that the development of joint sustainable projects, for example in the field of renewable energy, and in the long term will be to the advantage of both states.

The telephone conversation also gave the opportunity to discuss the recent developments in the Black Sea region and the Middle East, with an emphasis on the implications of the illegal, unjustified and unprovoked invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine on global food security, including the difficulties in implementing the recent Istanbul agreement on facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grains.
NEW YORK  A Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reached a $24.4 million settlement to resolve U.S. government charges that it intentionally discriminated against Black and Hispanic families in the Philadelphia area.

The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Trident Mortgage Co. from 2015 to 2019 deliberately avoided writing mortgages and discouraged people from applying for mortgages in majority-minority neighborhoods, known as redlining.

Wednesdays settlement, including a $4 million civil fine, is part of an initiative announced last October by Attorney General Merrick Garland to combat discriminatory lending.

The agencies said that by denying minorities equal access, including through deploying loan officers almost exclusively in majority-white neighborhoods, Trident prevented them from building wealth through their homes, depressing property values in Philadelphia; Camden, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware.

They also said Trident tolerated a racist culture, citing its failure to discipline a senior vice president who posed for a photo in front of a Confederate flag, and employee emails that referred to underserved communities as ghetto and one that exclaimed BE PROUD TO BE WHITE!

Trident did not admit or deny wrongdoing. The company and its Fox & Roach affiliate also entered related settlements with Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

HomeServices of America, a Berkshire unit and Tridents parent, in a statement said it was committed to helping close the racial gap in homeownership, and that Trident never denied or discouraged access to mortgages based on race.

We strongly disagree with the agencies interpretation of Tridents prior lending practices, HomeServices said.

Buffett was not accused of wrongdoing.

In addition to paying the $4 million fine, Trident will spend $18.4 million to subsidize loans to minorities in Philadelphia, and $2 million on education and serving credit needs in redlined areas.

Trident stopped making mortgage loans last year, and will contract with another lender on the subsidies.

This settlement is a stark reminder that redlining is not a problem from a bygone era, said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general from the Justice Departments civil rights division.
The nations top public health agency is relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines and dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Thursday that people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others. The changes come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic. They are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected.
Connecting can mean sharing a hearty laugh. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

A woman and her fiance joke and laugh together while playing video games after a long day.

A college freshman interrupts verbal harassment aimed at a neighbor, who expresses gratitude as they walk home together.

A man receives a phone call to confirm an appointment, and stumbles into a deep and personal conversation about racism in America with the stranger on the other end of the line.

Each of these scenarios was recalled by a research participant as a moment of meaningful human connection. Ones sense of belonging and emotional safety with family, friends and communities is built through actual interactions. As these examples suggest, these connections can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Often small and fleeting and sometimes powerfully memorable, moments of connection occur with loved ones and strangers, in person and online.

I spent the past several years exploring moments of connection as a graduate student in psychology, with a particular eye toward how people experienced meaningful connection during the pandemic. Its not just a little bonus to forge these connections; they have real benefits.

Feeling well connected to others contributes to mental health, meaning in life, and even physical well-being. When loneliness or isolation becomes chronic, human brains and bodies suffer, straining a persons long-term well-being at least as significantly as major health risks such as obesity and air pollution.

Researchers know what kinds of behavior enhance feelings of social connection. Here are four ways to connect.

1. Heart-to-hearts

For many people, the first thing that comes to mind when asked about meaningful connections are heart-to-heart conversations. These are key moments of emotional intimacy. One person opens up about something personal, often emotional and vulnerable, and in return another person communicates understanding, acceptance and care  what researchers call responsiveness.

For example, I could open up to you about my current experience of becoming a new father, sharing complex and precious sentiments that I would not disclose to just anyone. If I perceive in that moment that you really get what I reveal to you, that you accept my feelings as valid, whether or not you can relate to them, and that I matter to you, then Ill probably feel a sense of closeness and trust.

In emotionally intimate moments, personal sharing is often reciprocal, though a sense of connection can arise whether you are the one opening up or offering responsiveness.

Lending a hand can be one way to build a connection. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

2. Giving and receiving help

A key way that people bond is by giving and receiving support. There are two kinds of social support that often figure in moments of connection. Instrumental support is tangibly helping with the practicalities of a solution. For example, if you bring me groceries when Im under the weather, we would be bonding through instrumental support.

Emotional support is nurturing anothers feelings. If you dropped by to give me a hug when Im stressed out, this would be emotional support.

Either way, your actions are responsive: You understand my situation and by taking action you show that you care.

While its perhaps no surprise that you might feel connected when someone offers you responsive kindness, it works in the other direction too. Supporting others builds that feeling of connection, especially if you sincerely want to help and feel your aid is useful.

To be effective, though, you need to be responding to another persons needs rather than your own idea of what they need. Sometimes this means offering emotional support to help another person calm down so they can tackle their own problem, despite your own desire to jump in and solve the issue for them.

3. Positive vibes

Vulnerability and support are no joke, but meaningful interactions need not be somber. Research shows that people gain a sense of connection by experiencing positive emotions together. And this sense of connection is not only in your mind. When two people share this kind of good vibe, their bodies coordinate too. They synchronize, with simultaneous gestures and facial expressions, and even biomarkers such as heart rate and hormones shifting in similar patterns.

Human beings rely on these positive, synchronous moments as a basic connecting force beginning in infancy, and people continue to seek out synchronous interactions throughout life. Think of enjoyable activities like singing and dancing together  theyre embodied forms of connection that actually release endorphins that help you feel bonded. Same goes for laughing together, which comes with the bonus that a shared sense of humor suggests a similar sense of reality, which enhances connection.

When someone tells you about a positive event in their life, a reliable way to enhance bonds is to sincerely and enthusiastically respond to their good news: celebrating, congratulating, saying Im so happy for you.

Affection and gratitude can be expressed through words or actions. Sarah Mason/DigitalVision via Getty Images

4. Affirming expressions

Those moments when you let people know how much you appreciate, like or love them can be brief but powerful. Expressing and receiving affection and gratitude are especially well-researched means of bonding. Outright manifestations of affection can come in the form of direct verbal declarations, like saying I love you, or physical expressions, like holding hands.

Imprecision and imperfection

Attempts at connection can be complicated by two peoples individual perceptions and preferences.

Humans arent mind readers. Anyones sense of what others think and feel is at best moderately accurate. To feel connected, its not enough that I genuinely understand you or care for you, for example. If you dont perceive me as understanding or caring as we interact, you likely wont walk away feeling connected. This is especially an issue when youre lonely, because loneliness can lead you to view your interactions in a more negative way.

Each person also has different preferences for ways of connecting that more reliably help them to feel bonded. Some people love to talk about their feelings, for example, and may gravitate toward emotional intimacy. Others may open up only with those they deeply trust, but love to connect more widely through humor.

Of course, not all interactions need to be meaningful moments of connection. Even well-bonded infants and caregivers, in that most vital of relationships, are in an observable connected state only 30% of the time.

Moments of connection also need not be extravagant or extraordinary. Simply turning your attention to others when they want to connect yields great relationship benefits.

Gaining insight into various ways of connection may allow you to practice new ways to engage with others. It may also help you simply pay attention to where these moments already exist in daily life: Savoring moments when you feel close to others  or even just recalling such events  can enhance that sense of connection.

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Dave Smallen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  General Assembly leaders acknowledged on Tuesday that a compromise for North Carolina to finally embrace Medicaid expansion likely won't come quickly and pinned success for a near-future agreement in part on buy-in from a key health care interest group.

Speaking separately to reporters while the legislature convened this week for no-vote sessions, Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore said top-level discussions have waned since its chief work period for the year ended 3 1/2 weeks ago.

By that time, the Republican-controlled House and Senate had passed different legislation that set the state on the path to accept federal funds to cover 90% of the medical expenses for as many as 600,000 low-income adults who earn too much for traditional Medicaid. North Carolina is one of 12 states that have yet to accept expansion since Congress first offered it over a decade ago.

The Senate proposal championed by Berger accepted expansion, but it also contained additional reforms he said would increase the number of providers and services. They included scaling back certificate of need laws that tightly regulate expansion plans by medical providers and allowing highly trained nurses to practice without a doctor's supervision.

The House plan left out those extra reforms, and instead envisioned the legislature returning in mid-December to vote on an expansion plan developed by Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers administration that contains several key fiscal and medical benchmarks.

The bill that the Senate sent over is just a nonstarter, Moore said. But Berger said his chamber won't settle for a measure that only contains expansion, but rather one that includes some supply-side increases" for health care providers and medical facilities. Berger placed blame upon the states hospitals for failing to accept a significant pull-back of certificate of need laws.

There remains a window to get something done, he told reporters. But quite frankly, as long as the hospitals remain as intransigent as they are, I dont see that were going to make any progress.

The North Carolina Healthcare Association, which represents for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, said Tuesday it looks forward to continue working with House and Senate leaders on advancing expansion and entry into a program that would let hospitals received higher Medicaid reimbursement rates.

But the group told Berger elements" of the Senate bill would be harmful to hospitals and erode the states safety net, NCHA spokesperson Cynthia Charles said in an emailed statement

As a sign of the association's influence, Moore said he would want to be sure that hospitals agreed to certificate of need changes before his chamber voted on them.

I think we need to be very careful (with) folks trying to blame hospitals, he said. These are the facilities that are there on the front lines, taking care of the sickest folks in our state.

While supporters of certificate of need laws say they prevent the use of expensive medical services from going out of balance with demand, critics say they limit competition, to the financial benefit of current health care providers.

Cooper, a strong supporter of Medicaid expansion and who would be asked to sign any final bill, told reporters earlier this month that he was hopeful for quick agreement on expansion.

Moore said Tuesday there was no need to rush on a solution. The legislature is already scheduled to return monthly for the rest of the year  the next meeting is Aug. 23  to address other potential topics. So there are opportunities to vote for any expansion agreement that surfaces. Berger expressed pessimism for now on a compromise by the end of the year, after which a new batch of 170 legislators will get sworn in.

An agreement can't come soon enough for participants at a Tuesday morning vigil outside the Legislative Building. They identified by name North Carolina residents whom they say died from severe illness while lacking Medicaid or insurance coverage.

I am angered, saddened and frustrated that we have to be out here again today doing another vigil and begging the lawmakers to do the right thing and expand Medicaid, said Rebecca Cerese with the North Carolina Justice Center. Health care cant wait. When it does wait  as you heard  people die.
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Had he been awake, Eric Stein would have known early that a devastating flash flood was on the way.

Thats because at 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, he received a text from an experimental early warning system hes helping to develop in University City, where the River Des Peres and Deer Creek frequently create flash flood dangers during heavy storms.

If I hadnt dozed off, I would have called 911 immediately, Stein says. If theres any bright side to this, we now know for sure that the system works. It did what it was supposed to.

Stein is a member of University Citys Storm Water Commission, which for the past two years has been developing an early detection system for first responders and citizens in case of rising waters. The goal is to help avoid deaths and dangers from floods, with people ending up in submerged vehicles or having to be rescued from homes or apartments in low-lying areas.

I wish there was some kind of warning, said Sahara Jamal on Tuesday. He is one of the residents of the University Commons apartment complex whose car was engulfed by floodwater.

Soon, that warning system could be active.

The system has three water gauges, including one at Heman Park, and features an algorithm created by Bob Criss, a retired Washington University professor and flooding expert. It predicts when rainfall is coming fast enough that river banks will overflow and create flash flooding.

Criss has long been a voice of reason when it comes to flooding issues in St. Louis, arguing against flood-plain development, pushing for policies that give rivers room to roam and warning officials that the water always wins.

We first met a few years ago, when we were part of a group examining rising waters in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers after devastating floods in 2015. Then, as now, Criss said part of the problem is that developers and elected officials always believe there is some engineering solution that will put off the next flood. But in most cases, the solution just makes the rising water somebody elses problem.

Indeed, thats the history of the River Des Peres, which was straightened and covered up and turned into a mostly underground beast more than a century ago. So Criss and Stein are working on the early warning system, which they hope will soon be integrated into the citys Code Red alert system operated by the fire department and dispatch center. When operational, it can send amber alert type warnings to citizens who sign up for it.

After that, Criss hopes the system is something that other cities can copy.

None of that will help University City recover from the current storm. Stein had 8 feet of water in his basement and spent all of Tuesday getting it pumped out. The cleanup will be a long haul for some folks.

But the next storm wont be far behind, Criss warns.

Were certainly having more intense storms more frequently, he says.

Two days after he said that, the next storm hit. Thursdays sudden afternoon rains also triggered the early warning system and signaled yet another round of flooding.

Criss blames climate change but also the regions history of development, where there is always another parking lot and another subdivision to be built. All that impervious surface adds to the citys existing stormwater issues.

Criss is often a naysayer at public meetings  think of recent plans in Maryland Heights or Webster Groves  where developers offer sure-fire plans to lift property out of a flood plain and generate tax dollars. Folks like Criss issue warnings, usually unheeded, that the proposals will exacerbate flooding.

The big lesson we never seem to learn is building in the wrong place, Criss says. But often when we try to fix these things, we do them in exactly the wrong way.

Earlier this year, Criss published a paper that builds on the same sort of research he used to develop the early warning system in University City. It suggests the maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to think in terms like 100-year or 1,000-year floods are obsolete. The water moves faster these days, with storms that are larger and more devastating.

Thats the lesson of the July 2022 flooding in the St. Louis region, Criss says. Leaders should not get complacent and think this was a once-in-a-generation event.

These sure the hell arent 100-year floods, Criss says. Theyre like two-year floods. Its staggering.

Post-Dispatch reporter Bryce Gray contributed to this column.
ST. LOUIS  A jury on Wednesday found a St. Louis man guilty in a 2020 homicide in the city's St. Louis Place neighborhood.

Jurors found Dexter L. Wiggley, 45, guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Oct. 12, 2020, fatal shooting of Bryant Wright.

Wright, 47, was shot four times at about 10 a.m. that day in the 2200 block of Sullivan Avenue.

Authorities said a liquor store's surveillance video showed three men exit a blue GMC Terrain and that two of them immediately opened fire on Wright, who had just stopped his vehicle on Sullivan Avenue. Police recovered shell casings from a 9mm and 40-caliber pistols and matched the 9mm shell casings in a federal ballistics database to Wiggley.

Wiggley did not testify at his trial. In March, Wiggley's codefendant Cortez Easterwood, 44, also of St. Louis, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the killing. A jury convicted Easterwood in February.

Wiggley was on probation at the time of Wright's death. He was previously convicted of robbery. Easterwood had served 23 years of a 25-year prison sentence for the 1994 murder of 17-year-old Ralph Hayes. Easterwood was 16 when he killed Hayes.

Wiggley will get the mandatatory sentence of life without parole.
UPDATED at 2 p.m. Wednesday with comments from victim's mother.

ST. CHARLES COUNTY  An OFallon, Missouri, man will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally stabbing a pregnant woman in St. Peters in 2020.

Damion Delgado, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Amethyst Ame Killian, 22, a mother of two. Circuit Judge Michael Fagras sentenced Delgado to the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Police in November 2020 found Killians body hidden under brush in the 100 block of North Church Street, near her home. Her family had reported her missing on Thanksgiving, telling police shed gone out for cigarettes about 1 a.m. Her boyfriend and relatives found her purse discarded near her home.

Police also found the blood of an unknown man at the scene. Killians boyfriend told police that Killian sometimes engaged in prostitution by advertising online. Investigators inspected Killians phone and found text messages between herself and Delgado arranging to meet that night, according to a police search warrant.

Killian had a 6-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son. She suffered stab wounds to her head, neck and abdomen. Prosecutors said Killians fully developed male fetus also was dead.

Killian's mother, Stacy Stezler, 50, was rescued by boat from her house during historic flooding in St. Peters on Monday night, but still managed to make it to the sentencing hearing Tuesday.

In a statement she read in court, Stelzer recalled seeing her daughter, whom she called her "miracle baby," for the first time through a glass microscope when she was just a clump of cells forming through in vitro fertilization. Twenty-two years later, Stelzer said she would see her daughter for the last time through a glass pane when Killian and the unborn body of Killian's third child were cremated.

"One hundred percent of the blame lies on Damion Delgado," she said.

Stelzer has been caring for Killian's two children  8-year-old Marley, named after Bob Marley, and 2-year-old Hendrix, named after Jimi Hendrix  since her daughter died. After Killian's death, she remembered holding Hendrix as he cried and repeated "Mama, mama."

"She was always the light of our life," she said.

Delgados lawyer Erika Wurst read a statement in court Tuesday saying shed never before represented someone who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder when the automatic sentence is life in prison without parole. She said Delgado refused to let his defense negotiate a deal, conduct depositions or interview witnesses.

I have never known a client to do that, to be so willing to give up their own life to try to atone for what theyve done, Wursts prepared statement said.

Wurst said Delgado wrestled with demons that led to multiple mental disorders, and he had several suicide attempts after killing Killian. Theres a lot of good in Damon, she said, calling his decision to plead guilty with a mandatory life sentence a monumental act of bravery.

Damon will spend the rest of his life struggling with what hes done, her statement said. He is very aware that theres nothing he can do or say to undo it, to undo the hurt hes caused.
JEFFERSON CITY  Despite pouring nearly $6 million into the effort, supporters of making marijuana legal in Missouri may have fallen short of getting the question on the November ballot.

Preliminary counts indicate the initiative may have narrowly failed to collect enough voter signatures in two of the six congressional districts needed to get on the ballot.

That could change, however. Secretary of State Jay Ashcrofts office is reviewing recently submitted reports from county election officials and will make a determination by Aug. 9.

And, he says, the outcome is not a done deal.

I cant say without any certainty whether it will make it or not. It is in no way certain that they will fail. This isnt dead, Ashcroft said.

In order to place the question on the ballot, backers of the plan need signatures from 8% of the registered voters in six of the states eight congressional districts.

The medical cannabis industry-backed group, Legal Missouri, submitted enough signatures in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th congressional districts.

But in two western Missouri districts, the 6th and the 7th, the latest county reviews show each falling short. KFVS-TV, the CBS affiliate serving Cape Girardeau, reported that District 7 was an estimated 400 signatures short, based on information from Newton County.

Legal Missouri 2022 campaign manager John Payne said supporters are not giving up.

The Legal Missouri 2022 campaign continues to work to ensure that every valid voter signature is counted properly, and is excited that Missouri voters will soon have their opportunity to decide for themselves, Payne said.

In May, the coalition submitted more than 700 boxes of petitions containing over 400,000 voter signatures to legalize adult-use marijuana and automatically expunge most nonviolent past cannabis offenses.

Those signatures were digitized and then distributed to county election officials to be verified. Payne said thats where the potential problem lies.

Our close review of voter signature totals submitted to the state by counties shows that we have more than enough signatures to qualify our citizens initiative for the November general election ballot  and that some counties, due to a reliance on temporary workers, mistakenly rejected thousands of valid voter signatures. To be clear, this is not to suggest or imply any wrongdoing on the part of counties, Payne added.

Ashcroft, too, said there could be a scenario where a temporary worker pushed the wrong button or miscounted a page of signatures.

There have been times in the past, when we went back and checked, weve found enough signatures, Ashcroft said.

After years of failing to convince state lawmakers to make pot products legal for recreational use, a coalition of medical marijuana companies operating in the state financed much of the cost of the ballot initiative.

Under the plan, Missouri would become the 20th state where recreational pot sales are legal.

Companies that hold medical marijuana licenses would get first crack at selling recreational cannabis products. The language also calls for the expungement of marijuana-related offenses from criminal records.

The ballot initiative was seen as the most likely route to legalizing marijuana after the Legislature again balked at a proposed law that would have removed marijuana and THC from the list of controlled substances. It also would allow people to petition the courts for expungement of pot charges.

But the effort fizzled in the House in the final days of the spring legislative session. It was not clear if it had enough support in the Senate either.

The sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, is term-limited and wont be returning to the House next year.

The potential troubles facing the marijuana initiative come after a separate proposed constitutional amendment on election changes apparently failed to collect enough valid signatures.

The Better Elections plan would abolish partisan primary elections and allow voters to rank their top four choices, regardless of party.

The top four vote-getters would advance to a general election, and voters would again rank their top four choices or just vote for their top pick.

While its shortfall is not yet official, Better Elections issued a statement in June acknowledging that they likely would not make the ballot based on their signature count.
ST. LOUIS  Flash flooding caused by record rainfall Tuesday closed parts of interstate highways and led to lengthy delays on MetroLink and damage to the light rail system that could keep it from operating normally for two weeks or longer.

The problems spurred Metro Transit late in the afternoon to encourage people who regularly use MetroLink in St. Louis and St. Louis County to seek alternative transportation options "until further notice."

One of the biggest problems for the transit agency was at its Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink station, where several feet of water covered the tracks. The station is a pivotal point where MetroLink's red and blue lines connect and riders can transfer.

Because of the flooding there and elsewhere, trains were unable to operate between the Central West End station and Lambert Airport stations. The agency also cited potential damage to tracks, cars, network communications and signals  especially at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere stop.

In addition, a train stuck in floodwater at the Delmar Loop station had what Metro called "significant damage."

Because of the problems, passengers were shuttled by bus between the Lambert Airport Terminal 1 and Central West End MetroLink stations and between the University City-Big Bend and Central West End stations.

That's expected to continue in those areas for two weeks or longer until Metro can assess the potential damage from the flooding to its equipment and make any needed repairs. Delays of up to an hour are expected to continue on these stretches.

Lesser delays also were instituted for people riding between the Central West End station and the Shiloh-Scott station in St. Clair County.

Trains began operating along that route every 20 minutes, up from the normal 7 to 10 minutes during peak ridership times along much of that route. That's also expected to continue in coming days.

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines scrubbed 71 flights into and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Tuesday, in part because the rain kept employees and customers from getting there on time.

While many roads affected by high water reopened by Tuesday afternoon, some MetroLink routes were still running up to an hour late, down from earlier delays of two hours or more.

There also were continued delays on some Metro Transit bus routes and the agency's Call-A-Ride vans.

Highways, roads

There also were widespread closures on highways but many were reopened by noon. To view current closures visit the Missouri Department of Transportation closure map at traveler.modot.org. The Illinois Department of Transportation posts closures and traffic cameras here.

One of the biggest road issues was in St. Peters, where heavily-traveled Interstate 70 was closed Tuesday morning in both directions near Mid Rivers Mall Drive. It was reopened by 10 a.m.

Other highways closed for a time Tuesday morning included a stretch of eastbound I-70 in north St. Louis; ramps onto I-70 from Highway 141 near Earth City and northbound I-170 lanes around the St. Charles Rock Road exit in North County.

Also closed by water was a segment of eastbound and westbound outer road lanes along Interstate 270 west of Interstate 170 in north St. Louis County.

St. Louis County transportation officials reported several streets closed due to high water, many in North County.

In the Maryland Heights area, the county said closures included Pritchard Farm Road between Creve Coeur Mill Road and Highway 141; Marine Avenue between 141 and Dorsett Road; Schuetz Road at Adie Road; Creve Coeur Mill Road at Old Farm Road and a segment of Lackland Road.

The county also said damage from flood-generated erosion forced the closure of a bridge on Pritchard Farm immediately south of 141. The 18-year-old span, over Fee Fee Creek, will be shut down indefinitely while engineers determine the extent of damage.

Among other closures reported by the county:

 A stretch of Banshee Road near Lambert Airport.

 Missouri Bottom Road between Highway 370 and Charbonier Road in North County.

 Washington Street between St. Ferdinand Avenue and Lindbergh Boulevard in Florissant.

 The intersection of Vernon and Ferguson avenues in University City, due to a broken water main.

In Metro East, a section of northbound Interstates 55/70 in East St. Louis was closed part of Tuesday morning.

Joseph Monroe, district 8 operations engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said that was for road crew workers' safety as much as for water across the pavement.

Monroe said IDOT crews spent part of Tuesday clearing trash, debris and vegetation from drains and culverts. "We're trying to get everything cleaned up before the next round of rains come," he said.

He also said parts of Illinois Highways 177 and 161 near Scott Air Force Base also were shut down due to flooding.

Lambert Airport

Chris Perry, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines  Lambert's dominant carrier  said the airline initially decided overnight to cancel 12 flights here due to the weather.

He said Southwest made another adjustment around 6 a.m., canceling 59 more flights "as we received the information that customers and employees were impeded as they traveled to the airport." He also cited "infrastructure challenges" related to the flooding.

By the afternoon, he said, Southwest's operations at Lambert had stabilized and no further schedule adjustments were anticipated due to the rain.

Gateway Arch, trams

Officials at the Gateway Arch National Park decided to not open the facility after some minor flooding in the west entrance and the tram loading area.

There is nothing that will cause any major long-term problem, said Jeremy Sweat, the parks superintendent. There is no concern about the structure. Its all just moisture.

Erin Heffernan of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Check back for updates.
ST. LOUIS  Debbie and Jeff Boshans awoke around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in their basement bedroom when their phones began blaring alerts. Then they stepped out of bed into water 3 inches deep  and rising fast.

They raced to find their cat, Elliot, before the flooding reached the first floor.

"We were literally praying, asking God to stop it," Debbie Boshans said.

Instead they were rescued by firefighters in a small boat, like hundreds of others across the region swamped by a downpour that shattered a century-old record and left a trail of chaos in its wake. Dozens of homes were flooded. Roads and rail lines were swallowed up for hours. At least one person, an unidentified man in his 60s, was killed when his car was submerged at Skinker Boulevard and Enright Avenue in St. Louis, near the Delmar Loop.

St. Louis fire Capt. Garon Mosby, in a video posted to Twitter early Tuesday, implored residents to avoid standing water. "We're being overrun here," he said.

In St. Louis County, residents woke up to see their cars floating across their neighborhoods. In the Metro East, police had to scramble to save nursing home residents threatened by a levee breach. And in St. Charles County, drivers got marooned on Interstate 70, a bridge collapsed and, after the floodwaters receded, neighborhoods looked like they'd been hit by a tornado.

Fire departments across the region rescued more than 400 people, mostly in St. Charles County and central and north St. Louis County, where the rain fell heaviest, and often near area creeks inundated by the deluge.

All told, the region got a record 9.07 inches of rain in 24 hours, smashing the old mark of 6.85 inches, set in 1915, by so much it blew even the experts away. "That is about as extreme as you can get," said Justin Schoof, a climatologist at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Leaders in St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jefferson City declared states of emergency, which could make the area eligible for federal aid down the line. "Communities throughout our region were devastated by last nights record rainfall, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said in a statement Tuesday.

The region's response began before sunrise, when firefighters fanned out with small boats to check vehicles and homes for anyone trapped.

'I ain't never seen something this bad'

In the Boshans' neighborhood on St. Louis' western edge, crews pulled at least six people and six dogs out in the early morning. They'd rescue at least 60 more citywide by day's end.

On the Maplewood border, a swollen River Des Peres surged up its banks, nearly reaching the bottoms of bridges crossing it. At its confluence with Deer Creek, tree branches, plastic bottles, and a small propane tank could be seen buffeted by the rapids.

In University City, 15-year-old John Trotter heard his neighbor screaming that her young son was trapped in their basement bedroom.

He took his mom's cast iron skillet, ran across the street, into the house, and started smashing the skillet into the floor above the bedroom, hoping to punch a hole into the basement below.

They could see the boy through the floorboards. "He'd go under water for a little bit and pop back up," John said.

The 5-year-old's mother repeated her son's name over and over to keep him conscious.

John succeeded in making the hole. Then firefighters arrived and pulled the boy out.

But on a day like Tuesday, not even that good deed went unpunished.

While John was working on the floor, his mother, Jennifer Thorpe, was watching in disbelief as her 2007 Toyota Camry floated down the street. She had been planning to make it John's 16th birthday present.

A few blocks away, Ruben Jones said he found his Chevrolet Silverado pickup in a neighbor's yard, more than 100 feet from where he'd parked it. "The water was just tremendous," he said. "I ain't never seen something this bad."

And even those who avoided the worst of the damage found their vehicles full of murky brown water. A quarter of St. Louis is going to be looking for a mechanic, said Damien Griffin, also of University City.

Crews rescued more than 100 from a Hazelwood apartment complex that backed up to Coldwater Creek.

One of them, Earlean Bruce, 72, was still clad in pink and gray flannel pajamas on Tuesday afternoon at a shelter in Richmond Heights. Her apartment, in a complex called The Reserve at Winding Creek, began to fill with water around 3 a.m., she said. By about 3:15 a.m., she said the police were knocking on doors, warning residents to leave.

Preparing for another round

She packed up, but by then the water was too high to get out. She waited on the second floor for a rescue boat.

It was horrifying, said Bruce.

It was the same story in the Metro East. Dozens of people in East St. Louis near Shoenberger Creek and Interstate 255 were forced to flee as the water rose, piling into boats with pets and the few personal items they could carry. A short drive away in Caseyville, a levy breach flooded a whole section of town, including a nursing home with residents in wheelchairs and on stretchers.

Police Chief Tom Coppotelli said city workers had to get some of them out in city dump trucks because other vehicles weren't big enough to make it.

And that wasn't where the rain fell hardest. In St. Charles County, Central County Fire & Rescue responders watched in awe as water levels rose more than a foot within minutes. Almost 13 inches fell in St. Peters, an unofficial record.

"Ive never seen it come up that quick, said Central County spokesman Jason Meinershagen.

Heather Thiele of O'Fallon started her day at 3 a.m., when the window above her gave way and water rushed in, and by the time she returned to her neighborhood, parked cars had been pushed into the middle of the street, a backyard shed sat on the curb and her possessions floated in chest-deep water in the basement.

Workers at Stray Paws Rescue in St. Peters spent the morning rushing to save their animals in 4-foot water. Ten puppies didn't make it. "We will never get over this," said Vicki Ferris, a shelter board member.

It may not be over.

By day's end, authorities were warning about more storms to come.

St. Charles County Ambulance District spokesman Kyle Gaines said he was worried about another bout of rain forecasted for the evening.

"We're preparing," Gaines said, "for another round."
ST. CHARLES COUNTY  Heather Thiele was asleep in her basement bedroom in OFallon when around 3 a.m. the window above her gave way and water started to rush in. Before long, her entire basement was flooded.

Stacy Stelzer heard running water outside her St. Peters home. She ran out to the backyard, where the water was up to her knees. It looked like a river, she said. Then the water began pouring down her basement stairs.

Don Andrews, of Wright City was on his way to work around 2:45 a.m. when floodwaters stranded him on Interstate 70 in St. Peters.

You couldnt see where you were going because it was raining so hard, he said. All of a sudden I just hit the water and my car shut off. I was a lame duck out there in the middle.

Record rainfall shutdown roadways and flooded homes across a swath of suburban St. Charles County. Emergency crews out on boats rescued dozens of stranded motorists and residents. By afternoon, I-70 and several other flooded roadways had been reopened. Authorities didnt report any fatalities or injuries.

But people forced to evacuate were wondering whether they could return home.

I dont even know where Im going to sleep tonight, said Stelzer, 50, on Tuesday morning outside a QuikTrip on Main Street, near the stretch of flooded I-70 that had stranded motorists. She was one of about 30 people who had gathered there. On Main Street, about 10 vehicles were left abandoned in high water.

Stelzer said she had woken up early Tuesday expecting it to be a difficult day.

Stelzer was preparing a victims statement for the murder trial of a man charged with murdering her daughter, Amethyst Ame Killian, 22, two years ago. Stelzers family and other relatives had gathered in the home to work on the statement together.

Then floodwaters started seeping into the house.

The basement contained a lot of my daughters stuff that Im never going to get back, she said.

This is just a devastation.

Never seen it come up that quick

The National Weather Service office in Weldon Spring said St. Peters saw almost 13 inches of rain, more than doubling previous records. Other suburbs across the county saw at least 10 inches of rain, including Flint Hill and OFallon.

St. Charles County spokeswoman Mary Enger said the Regional Emergency Management team had been activated early Tuesday to coordinate rescues in subdivisions along Dardenne Creek, where rainfall swelled creek waters and prolonged flooding in surrounding subdivisions.

St. Charles County Ambulance District helped with the rescues of at least 20 people, spokesman Kyle Gaines said.

In OFallon, firefighters rescued dozens of people from flooded homes overnight, and evacuated five families from Cherokee Lake Campground.

Fire crews were also sent to the area around Belleau Creek and Veterans Memorial Parkway to rescue 17 people, as well as several pet dogs, cats and rabbits.

Central County Fire and Rescue did 18 rescues by boat, said spokesman Jason Meinershagen, rescued motorists stranded on Premier Parkway, and responded to dozens of calls for downed power lines and gas leaks.

And Cottleville firefighters assisted with the rescue of a man who was stranded in Spencer Creek, clinging to a tree to avoid being carried off by the flood, Meinershagen said.

At one point, water rose 18 inches in just minutes, crews told Meinershagen. Ive never seen it come up that quick, he said.

Well get through it

Thiele, 41, her husband and 7-year-old daughter were rescued in the early hours Tuesday. They booked a hotel room.

When daylight came and the water had receded, the scene looked almost like a tornado had ripped through their neighborhood. Debris was everywhere. Cars had floated from their parking spots and landed in front yards or the middle of the street. A shed was lodged on a street curb.

Inside the house, Thieles possessions were floating in the chest-deep water in her basement. The carpet on the first floor squished with water on each step, and her brand-new car in the garage was almost certainly totaled. An army of friends arrived late Tuesday morning to help out, and Thiele said they were working as quickly as they could to salvage their possessions.

The street had flooded in the past, Thiele said, but not like this.

Her husband, Dustin Thiele, worked to load up the car and shook hands with an insurance agent when he arrived.

Well get through it, Dustin Thiele said.

In St. Peters, residents of the Deerfield Village mobile home just north of I-70 woke up to find water covering the steps to their front doors. Theresa Partrich, 44, was woken up by her daughter to see the water pooling around her home.

You just watch it rise and pray it doesnt come inside, Partrich said.

Officials in St. Peters, OFallon and St. Charles closed public services and suspended trash pickups. St. Charles reported that a pedestrian bridge in Frontier Park collapsed because of erosion made worse by the heavy rain.

St. Peters, which appeared to have experienced the heaviest flooding in the area, issued a precautionary water boil advisory shortly before 2 p.m. asking residents in the Savannah Country, Hill Farm and Southwood Drive subdivisions to boil water for the next two days before drinking it, while the city awaits test results.

Andrews, the Wright City man who was stranded on I-70 near Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters, said he eventually abandoned his vehicle and waded to safety.

I just got out and walked off the highway, said Andrews, 42. The water obviously kept getting deeper and deeper.

His wife was able to pick him up from the side of the interstate. They watched a tow truck pull his car off the roadway.

Andrews said his car was likely unrepairable.

I believe it to be toast, he said.
BANGKOK (AP)  A court in military-ruled Myanmar ruled Monday that there is sufficient evidence for the bribery trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to continue, a legal official said.

Suu Kyi, who was deposed last year by the military, has been charged with 11 counts of corruption, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The cases are one of many pursued by the military against her. If found guilty of all the charges, she could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.

Her supporters and human rights groups say it's meant to discredit her and keep her from running in an election that the military has promised in 2023.

A legal official who is familiar with Suu Kyis cases said she was formally indicted Monday on two corruption counts on charges of allegedly receiving $550,000 in bribes in 2019 and 2020 from Maung Weik, a tycoon who previously was convicted of drug trafficking.

State television last year showed a video in which Maung Weik claimed to have given payoffs to government ministers to help his businesses.

Suu Kyis trials are closed to the media and her lawyers were served with gag orders last year, restricting them from releasing information.

The legal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said Suu Kyi pleaded not guilty after the court approved the indictments against her and allowed the trial to continue.

Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment on charges of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, sedition and another corruption charge.

She is also being tried on a charge of violating the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years, and an election fraud charge, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.

The legal official said Suu Kyi appeared Monday to be in good health although she seemed sad when she was informed by her lawyers about the executions of four political prisoners before the trial began.

Myanmars military government announced earlier that it had carried out the executions of a former lawmaker from her party, a democracy activist and two men accused of a targeted killing. Suu Kyi did not issue any comments.
WASHINGTON  The week before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Missouris Josh Hawley became the first Republican senator to announce he would object to the certification of the 2020 election.

Texas Ted Cruz came next, dashing off his own plan on a flight from Houston to Washington days before the joint session of Congress to certify the election results.

In all, a dozen GOP senators initially planned to challenge Joe Bidens victory. But unlike their House GOP counterparts who have been subpoenaed for testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, the Republican senators have largely escaped the reach of the investigation.

While the committee did share highlights about the senators, including Hawleys raised-fist salute to the rioters that day  an image seared in history, and now on coffee mugs the senator sells  it has made the surprising, if pragmatic, decision not to call the senators for testimony. One dramatic video showed Hawley sprinting from the Senate chamber later that day as rioters swarmed.

Amid wider public scrutiny of Jan. 6, the senators have been left to explain their actions on their own terms, and have often done so defiantly.

I do not regret it, Hawley said to applause at Turning Point USAs Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, after he strode to the stage Friday to a standing ovation.

As the summer hearings of the Jan. 6 committee come to a close, Chairman Bennie Thompson has indicated that the panel is looking elsewhere. As work continues, the investigation is moving closer to the top ranks of the White House and the defeated presidents inner circle.

We continue to receive new information every day, Thompson, D-Mississippi, said last week, announcing the next round of hearings in September. We are pursuing many additional witnesses for testimony.

The House committee is investigating not only the grisly attack on the Capitol, but Trumps extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election by submitting fake slates of electors from the battleground states to vote for him, not Biden, when Congress convened Jan. 6 to tally the 2020 presidential election results.

The senators could provide information about the run-up to Jan. 6, including any conversations they may have had with Trump and his lawyers who were putting together the plan for the fake electors, said Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings and former top adviser to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.

In one dramatic screenshot of a text exchange, the committee told the story of how a top aide for GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin attempted to hand off a slate of false, pro-Trump electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence as he was presiding in his ceremonial role of certifying the election. Johnson has said he was not involved in that effort.

But having interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and having issued rare subpoenas to fellow House lawmakers, Eisen said the panel is trying to preserve its political capital by declining to compel senators to testify in what would be seen as an unusual House challenge to the upper chamber.

The Jan. 6 committees decision to issue subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama was a show of force by the nine-member panel. And it came after much deliberation among the lawmakers, who for weeks considered whether taking the unprecedented step of subpoenaing members of their own chamber would be worth further inflaming partisan tensions over the 2021 attack.

They only have so much committee time, said Eisen.

Cruz declined to say Tuesday if he would have appeared had the Jan. 6 panel asked for his testimony. Hawleys office has similarly said he wouldnt want to address a hypothetical situation.

But in recent conversations, the Republicans have stood by their efforts to challenge Bidens victory.

This country would have been much better off if Congress had taken up his plan, Cruz recently told The Associated Press.

Cruz had proposed forming a commission to audit voter fraud in the disputed states, even though Trumps own Justice Department said there was no voter fraud on a scale that could have tipped the 2020 election. Dozens of court cases claiming fraud had been rejected or gone unheard.

Cruz said he did not recall conversations with Trump ally John Eastman, the conservative lawyer who was the architect of the alternative electors plan. Last month, federal authorities seized Eastmans phone and issued subpoenas to electors in states nationwide allegedly involved in the scheme.

I wrestled for a long time with what was the best approach to take with regard to the certification on Jan. 6, Cruz said. He said he alone drafted the statement he put out with 11 senators, which he said he dashed off on the flight back to Washington.

Hawley has brushed off questions about the committees work, and declined last month to comment about Eastmans plans for the alternative electors.

One police officer testified to the committee that Hawleys raised fist on Jan. 6 riled up the crowd that day, said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia. During last weeks hearing, she played the video showing how Hawley fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol.

Johnson has downplayed his aides attempt to pass a fake slate of electors to Pence. The handoff never took place, but the moment showed how close the plan came to fruition. If it had been successful, the electoral votes for Michigan and Wisconsin could have gone to Trump, not Biden, the rightful winner in those states.

After police cleared the Capitol of rioters that night, seven Republican senators led by Cruz and Hawley stuck with the plan to challenge the election results. Several of the other GOP senators who had initially signed on backed out.

At least one Republican who voted to challenge the election results after the rioting, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, said Tuesday he would talk to the committee if they asked for his testimony,

Id go, said Tuberville, who took a phone call from Trump as senators were being swept to safety. Tuberville was also among senators who had received a voicemail from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that night, the committee has said.

Tuberville said he hasnt been watching the hearings. Theres nothing, anything, that Ive seen that would change my mind on anything that Ive voted on, he said.

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  As West Virginia's Republican supermajority continued advancing a sweeping abortion ban bill Tuesday, Democrats failed for the second time in two days to garner enough support to add exceptions for rape and incest victims.

During an hourslong meeting Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans overwhelmingly rejected Democrats' amendment for a rape and incest exception, sending the abortion ban to the full House of Delegates. A similar proposal failed Monday in a different House committee.

Men perpetrating such horrific acts makes me unsettled at times, said Republican Del. Pat McGeehan, who noted he has a daughter. He voted against the exception. Its very disturbing and these are contentious questions we have to deal with. However, when we confront such evil, we cannot participate in evil itself.

McGeehan said by creating exceptions, even for rape and incest, lawmakers would be sending the message that the value of life is not unconditional.

An innocent life is still an innocent life, regardless of the evil act, he said. We have to have moral absolutism. The real question here is: Is it ever just to punish an innocent person for a crime committed by someone else? My answer is absolutely not.

The House, comprised of 78 Republicans and 22 Democrats, is next scheduled to meet Wednesday after a public hearing on the abortion bill.

Lawmakers were called by Gov. Jim Justice into a special session starting Monday to consider reducing the states income tax. As lawmakers were gaveling in, he abruptly added the abortion law to the agenda. The session began week after a Charleston judge barred West Virginia from enforcing an 1800s-era abortion ban, ruling it unenforceable and superseded by a slew of conflicting modern laws.

On Monday, Justice asked legislators to clarify and modernize the state abortion laws.

Similar to the 1800s-era ban, Republicans new proposal would bar abortion in almost all cases and makes performing one a felony. Physicians who provide abortions could face three to 10 years in prison.

The bill provides exceptions for an ectopic pregnancy, a nonmedically viable fetus or a medical emergency.

When Republicans greenlit the bill in the Judiciary Committee, Democratic Del. Kayla Young pointed out she's one of only three women in the group of 25 lawmakers. There are no people of color on the committee, and she said women and people of color will be impacted the most by a statewide abortion ban.

Were never going to have to deal with this because were incredibly privileged people, she said. We are making decisions about other people, and we shouldnt do that. If its your religious belief, if its your moral belief, that is great for you. But get it away from me, get it out of my body, get it out of my uterus.

Also during Tuesday's meeting, Democrats sharply rejected one GOP lawmakers proposal for a rape and incest exception that would have permitted abortion up to six weeks gestation and required the assault to be reported to law enforcement.

They said the time frame was too short to help most victims, who may not be able to immediately report to law enforcement. Some victims are children, and confiding in adults might not be safe. And, many people don't even find out they're pregnant until after six weeks, they said.

It may be well-intended, but I think this is a slap in the face, Democratic Del. Joey Garcia of Marion County said.

Republican Del. Steve Westfall of Jackson County said he limited his proposal to six weeks because he believes life begins when a fetus develops a heartbeat. He said he understood how the narrow time frame might prohibit victims from getting abortions, but that he sought a compromise.

I think unlimited time is too long, but Id like to see rape and incest get in there," he said.

Westfall said he doesnt support abortion, but would want his four daughters to have a choice if they were ever victims of assault.

Movement on the abortion bill came as work slowed on Justices proposal to reduce the state income tax rate by 10%. The bill was scheduled for a second reading Wednesday in the House. If it passes, it would move to the Senate.

Senate President Craig Blair prefers a cut in the state personal property tax. But the state constitution allows only addressing legislation specifically mentioned in the governors special session proclamation, so the Senate cant address those taxes this week.

A 10% reduction is the maximum cut allowed while remaining in compliance with funding stipulations in the American Rescue Plan Act, he said. Justice said the proposal would be retroactive to Jan. 1 and would put $254 million back into residents pockets when they file their 2022 taxes.

The governors pitch is the third attempt to cut personal state income taxes in the past year.

-

Associated Press writer John Raby contributed to this report.
Kansas City Star. July 22, 2022.

Editorial: Fist pumper to fleeing coward: Jan. 6 video shows Missouri who Josh Hawley really is

Josh Hawley is a laughingstock.

During Thursday nights televised hearings of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Elaine Luria showed video of Missouris junior senator that will surely follow him the rest of his life.

In the clip, Hawley sprints across a hallway as he and his fellow senators are evacuated after insurrectionists had breached the Capitol building. When it played on the screen, the audience in the room with the committee erupted in laughter.

Of course, Twitter immediately dogpiled. Hawleys name was the No. 1 trending topic in politics that evening as users shared the hashtag #HawlinAss along with GIFs of a galloping Forrest Gump.

From now on, if political reporters ask Josh Hawley if hes planning to run, hes going to have to ask them to clarify, quipped one.

Hawley has become one of the defining figures of that day. A famous photo captured by Francis Chung shows him raising a fist in solidarity with the crowds that would soon break through doors, loot offices and assault law enforcement. Luria quoted a Capitol Police officer who was there and told the committee that Hawleys gesture riled up the crowd, and it bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space protected by the officers and the barriers.

And later, when the Senate reconvened after the halls of the Capitol had been cleared and secured, Hawley took to the floor as the very first voice calling to throw out millions of Americans votes cast fairly and legally for the rightful winner in a presidential election. And never forget: He was joined in his campaign to discard ballots by Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall.

A signature Hawley issue is masculinity  as in, how little of it American men seem to have these days. Its a frequent topic in his speeches and on his podcast, where the left-wing attack on manhood is a dire threat to our society. Regnery Publishing is set to release his book Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs next year. Twitter didnt see much virile bravado as he ran from the mob.

But funny as the visual of the self-proclaimed manly senators immediate retreat was, theres absolutely nothing amusing about Jan. 6, 2021. A bipartisan Senate report concluded seven people died as a result of the attack. Two more Metropolitan Police officers took their own lives shortly after. About 150 members of law enforcement were injured, and its impossible to know how many others caught up in the horrific event will carry scars for life, of body and mind.

We said that day Hawley has blood on his hands for his role in perpetuating the lies that drove thousands of people to violence. That remains true.

Beyond the physical toll, though, is the damage Jan. 6 continues to inflict on our democracy and our shared sense of truth. The House committee is systematically demonstrating how too many Republicans in Donald Trumps orbit allowed him to incite the riot, which he had promised in advance will be wild, and were then unable to get him to call his fans off until unimaginable damage had already been done.

SHAMELESS SENATOR STOLE COPYRIGHTED PHOTOGRAPH

Chungs photo of Hawley and his salute has become iconic. Taking a page from the Trump playbook, Hawley has co-opted the famous image, flagrantly violating copyright laws by slapping it on T-shirts and camouflage beer koozies for sale on his political campaigns fundraising website. Politico, owner of the image, sent a cease-and-desist demanding the merchandise be removed from sale. And duh, Hawley refused  a defiance shameful and shameless in equal measure.

Shame, clearly, is not a motivating factor for any number of Republicans still caught up in Trumpworld. Hawley has never apologized for attempting to reinstall a man who everyone around him knew had lost the election, as witness testimony continues to confirm. Surely the Yale and Stanford grad isnt gullible enough to believe the craven lies about tampering with voting machines and dead people casting ballots that ooze through social media.

And thats the reason watching Hawley racing away from the Capitol invaders struck so many people as blackly hilarious. Saluting the Trump posse was politically expeditious for him before the siege began. Yet once he realized his own safety was in real danger from the angry revolutionists swarming the building, he hotfooted it away from his people to the protection of the security forces charged with protecting him. Wheres that fist in the air now?

We realize Hawleys conscience wont make him suddenly do the right thing and tell the Jan. 6 committee what he knew and when he knew it. But as GOP Rep. Liz Cheney said Thursday while announcing more public hearings to come: Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued, and the dam has begun to break. We have considerably more to do. The committee has delivered on its promises so far.

Since Trump left office, many insiders have revealed in interviews and tell-alls that his administration really was as unethical and chaotic as its worst detractors claimed all along. (Gee, thanks guys, but why couldnt you have come clean back before the damage was done?) History will not look kindly upon the dead-enders who continued to defend Trump long after it became apparent his conduct was indefensible. When Cheney is saying even more birds are singing, believe her.

Sen. Josh Hawley might not fear a little mockery of his hasty flight from Capitol marauders. But hed be justified if hes afraid of what emails or text messages some previously-loyal staffer might be considering turning over to the House committee. Stay tuned to the hearings.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 24, 2022.

Editorial: Take a closer look at the top GOP Senate candidates before voting

Lets acknowledge up front that Republican voters are unlikely to turn to the mainstream news media for guidance on the 21 candidates in Missouris Aug. 2 primary election for U.S. Senate. In lieu of a candidate recommendation in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, we can only hope that Republican voters will head to the voting booth with their eyes wide open about what really matters when choosing their candidate to run in the November general election.

Voters should ask themselves whether prowess with a blow torch or assault rifle truly constitutes a qualification for the U.S. Senate. It doesnt. Not even during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, when Republican senators joined their Democratic counterparts in running for their lives, did anyone propose that senators defend themselves with flamethrowers or firearms.

The Republican frontrunners, ex-Gov. Eric Greitens and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, have actual records in office, and they deserve to be judged based on those records, not on their silly campaign ads.

When Greitens wasnt fending off allegations of campaign finance abuse and extramarital sexual abuse of his hairdresser, he used the governors office to completely alienate members of his own party. By the time he resigned, 18 months after inauguration, almost nobody in the Legislature stood to defend him. He continues to hone his most abrasive and combative tendencies. Even Sen. Josh Hawley cant stand Greitens. So why waste a vote on someone who would likely alienate the U.S. Senate as well? If anyone could throw the general election to a Democrat, its Greitens.

Schmitt, of blow-torch infamy, claims to be fighting for Republican values by suing China over the coronavirus and filing 47 lawsuits to prevent Missouri local jurisdictions from imposing mask mandates during the pandemic. His antics certainly helped win publicity to advance his Senate campaign  at taxpayer expense. Tax-conscious Republicans should shudder at the thought of what he would do at their expense on the national stage.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler has, for the most part, avoided silly campaign antics and focused on an actual record in Congress that defended her Republican constituents core values. She is a solid conservative. But shes not so big on defending democracy, having voted against confirmation of the 2020 presidential election result. A lot of good it did her. Ex-President Donald Trump threw her under the bus earlier this month.

Another candidate worth noting is state Sen. Dave Schatz, the Missouri Senates president pro tempore. His agenda is hardly one this newspaper supports  which might be his strongest Republican selling point  but hes strictly business and stays above the silly advertising fray that seems to place higher priority on candidates literal fire power than on their actual record of getting things done. Schatz, like Hartzler, deserves a much closer look before Republicans cast their votes.

END
Gov. Mike Parson recently signed House Bill 1878, an elections bill that included offering voters the option to affiliate with a political party. The sponsors of this provision, state Sen. Andrew Koenig and Rep. Dan Stacy, have also sponsored legislation to close Missouris primaries without much progress. The conventional wisdom has been that partisan registration is now a step in the direction of the Legislature closing the states primaries and restricting voter choice and mobility, particularly of independent voters. That its a step toward empowering the most partisan elements of the parties. But what the conventional wisdom has missed is that closed primaries could come a lot quicker to Missouri and without any legislative debate.

In case after case over the last two decades, both the Democratic and Republican parties have taken the position that, as private entities, they have a First Amendment right to decide who can and cannot vote in their primaries. That has meant, in cases such as the 1986 decision Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut, that a party can choose to open its primary even if the state passes legislation disallowing it. But it also means that parties can, under the right circumstance, sue the state to close their primary.

Indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court accepted the parties argument in the 2000 case of California Democratic Party v. Jones, where the late Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a decision striking down Californias primary, which consolidated party primaries into a single ballot. The court found that such a system forces political parties to associate with  to have their nominees, and hence their positions, determined by  those who, at best, have refused to affiliate with the party, and at worst, have expressly affiliated with a rival.

A more recent case, Democratic Party of Hawaii v. Nago, laid out the steps a party would need to take in order to close the primaries. Hawaii, like Missouri until recently and 19 other states, has nonpartisan voter registration and open party primaries. Ones partisan affiliation is no business of the state, which simply registers citizens as voters. This allows every voter, regardless of how they self-identify politically, to pick a Republican or Democratic party ballot on Election Day.

In the Nago case, the Democratic Party of Hawaii sought to have the states primary declared unconstitutional. In rejecting their claim, the court declared that whether the open primary burdened the Democratic Partys rights was a matter of fact, not law, since the simple act of choosing a party ballot could indicate voter affiliation. The party introduced no evidence of crossover voting, or other infringements of its rights. In essence, nonpartisan voter registration made it very difficult to challenge an open primary in court.

That will no longer be the case in Missouri. Indeed, the Missouri Republican Party began laying the groundwork for a potential legal challenge in 2020, when it officially dedicated part of its party platform to establishing closed primaries and requiring all voters casting a ballot to declare a partisan affiliation and make maintaining such declarations as public record.

Now, with the very next state primary using partisan voter registration, the Republican Party can begin collecting the evidentiary proof party leaders need to go to court and challenge the states open primary. And dont look to Republican Party leadership, which has failed to back closed primary legislation in the past, as any protection.

More than a decade ago, a faction of the Idaho Republican Party broke from the leadership and went to court to enforce the party platform of closed primaries. Idaho has partisan voter registration. The faction succeeded in legally imposing a closed primary on a public more than happy with the status quo. The state has fallen further and further into extremist politics ever since because, in a one-party state, controlling who gets the GOP nomination determines the winner in just about every election.

In at least nine states with nonpartisan voter registration and open primaries  Texas and Alabama most recently  the GOP has begun calls for party registration and closed primaries. This has become a national issue, with former President Donald Trump endorsing more closed systems.

Now Missouri may be taking the lead in this growing effort at voter suppression. With a recent initiative for nonpartisan primaries failing to qualify for the November ballot, there is only one thing left standing in the way of closing the states primaries: Missouris voters. If they cherish their open primary system, now is the time to let themselves be heard  before its too late.

Jeremy Gruber is an attorney, senior vice president of Open Primaries, a national election reform organization and the coauthor of Let All Voters Vote.
As the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they used thousands of American social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter) accounts to spread disinformation about their activities to people in Moslem as well as Western countries. This went largely unnoticed until recent studies of the use and impact of censorship or moderation by American social media revealed that over 80 percent of the money special media spend on moderation concentrates on the less than ten percent of English-speaking users in North America. The rest of the world is largely moderation free and users are able to say whatever they want.

Islamic terrorists and especially the Taliban take advantage of this. Before the Taliban made their move to take control of Afghanistan, the U.S. announced in April 2021 that all American forces would be out of Afghanistan by the end of August. Previous plans included leaving a small force in Afghanistan, along with economic aid to keep the Afghan government and security forces going. This change of American plans enabled the Taliban to implement an Information War campaign via the largely unmoderated (outside the United States) Internet social media.

At that point the Taliban had a few dozen social media accounts, mainly Facebook, that put out official announcements on real or imaginary Taliban activity and over 20,000 Taliban supporters, most of them in Afghanistan and other Moslem nations, took the Taliban version of things and amplified it. The American social media companies did shut down some of these Taliban-run accounts but new ones were ready to replace the lost (unjustly censored by infidels) accounts and continue the jihad (struggle against enemies of Islam). Internet jihad was popular with young Moslems everywhere because they could all participate without fear of physical retribution or death.

By mid-2021 the Taliban Internet Jihad had attracted nearly over 50,000 more followers and that number swelled to over 100,000 by the time the Taliban entered Kabul in mid-August and declared themselves in control of the country. During that growth period the Taliban used their social media presence to solicit monetary and other contributions, including volunteers who would come to Afghanistan and work for the new Taliban government. That last Americans flew out of Kabul airport at the end of August and the Taliban declared they controlled the entire country. They didnt, and still dont but reality takes a while to catch up with social media hype. That could be seen by the rapidly declining number of social media followers. Those who had gone to Afghanistan soon reported that all was not as the Taliban said it was. The volunteers left and made their reports after they were out of Afghanistan because to make such comments while in Afghanistan could get you killed.

Afghanistan is now an economic and political mess. There is hardly any foreign aid, but there is still plenty of fighting and anger against Taliban efforts to impose conservative Islamic lifestyle rules on Afghans who had been largely free of that form of oppression for two decades.
An M1A2 Abrams fires during the Sullivan Cup at the Army Armor School at Fort Benning, Ga., April 29, 2022. The biennial competition evaluates the performance of the best tank crews from across the Armor Branch, the Marine Corps and international partner militaries. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Taeckens)

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by Austin Bay July 27, 2022

Beijing's and Moscow's lawlessness and collaborative belligerence threaten all sovereign nations in Europe and Asia.

We still have time to respond with a war-deterring diplomatic stroke: extending NATO's Article 5 to committed nations in the Pacific and East Asia who already field NATO-ready military forces.

Background: The NATO treaty's Article 5 exemplified the hard, clear-eyed diplomacy that won the Cold War. Cheekily known as the Three Musketeers Clause, Article 5 told the Soviet Union "that an armed attack against one or more of them (NATO members) ... shall be considered an attack against them all."

Each member would then take "action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain" NATO security. The enemy had to attack a member's territory or member "forces, vessels or aircraft" operating "in or over" NATO territory.

Moscow and Beijing: Neo-Fascist Russia and Communist China are demonstrably lawless. Russia signed the 1994 Budapest Accords and guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for its nuclear weapons. In 2014 Vladimir Putin's Russia invaded and annexed Crimea.

China signed the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty. Ignoring the treaty, China construction barges and fishing boats invaded the Philippines. The barges built artificial islands with jet air bases; the fishing fleet poached Filipino reefs. As the invasion progressed, Beijing claimed Filipino seas as Chinese territory.

In 2016 a U.N. court backed Manila's accusations of robbery and invasion. Beijing still ignores the verdict.

China also broke the Sino-British Treaty and crushed Hong Kong.

Chinese-Russian collaboration is multifaceted but these germane diplomatic and military cases make the big points. China supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Chinese diplomats collaborate as they seek to create and exploit political rifts among targeted nations worldwide. In the Pacific, the Russian and Chinese navies, air and missile forces stage mock attacks against Japanese and American air bases and naval targets, from Hawaii to Tokyo Bay.

Does China encourage North Korea to threaten missile strikes on Guam and Hawaii?

That's a question with nuclear and NATO-less implications.

The U.S. is a founding NATO member. However, Guam and Hawaii are not covered by the NATO treaty and Article 5. The original 1949 treaty covered Europe and North America north of the Tropic of Cancer. Puerto Rico, Guam and Hawaii were outside the geographic zone.

When Turkey joined NATO in 1951 the treaty was amended and Article 5's reach extended. About 97% of Turkey is in Asia -- Anatolian Turkey.

2022's serendipity: Article 5 already covers a slice of Asia.

Expanding NATO and extending Article 5's geographic reach in order to deter war isn't a new idea. Though discussed for years, likely Asian members -- think Japan -- have favored strengthening deterrence using existing security arrangements, such as the bilateral and trilateral relationships that connect the U.S., Japan, Australia and Singapore.

Lawlessness and invasion, however, alter the calculus. In early June Japan's Nikkei.com featured a story with this quote from Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.: "Let's build a NATO for the Pacific. We need allies to get back on the offensive against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) ... as Chairman Xi (Jinping) looks to expand his sphere of influence, we need a new military alliance centered far out into the Pacific."

At the end of June leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand attended NATO's Madrid summit.

On July 3 Turkish journalist and foreign policy analyst Mehmet Kanci wrote (at aa.com.tr) that the Asia-Pacific four's attendance "confirmed that the alliance will go beyond its Transatlantic identity and wave a flag in the Trans-Pacific geography by 2023." Kanci noted NATO's new strategic concept document calls China a common threat. China's "malicious" hybrid operations and rhetoric (e.g., "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy) "harm the security of the alliance..." Kanci concludes NATO's "paradigm shift" has begun.

Let's speed up the shift and put the Pacific's P in NATO. North Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Treaty Organization. If NAPTO seems awkward, APTO is apt.
The Shia rebels say they will not renew the ceasefire that expires on August 2nd. This ceasefire was first agreed to in April and renewed in June for another two months. The UN sponsored peace talks were to consider a six-month extension but the Iran-backed Shia rebels have turned down that proposal, insisting that the ceasefire was not working for them. Iran is not openly participating in the current ceasefire talks but controls what the Shia rebels will agree to. Iran opposes any ceasefire terms that further disrupt Iranian weapons smuggling. Iran wants to continue smuggling in ballistic and cruise missiles, which are brought in broken down, to be assembled under Iranian supervision in Shia territory and then fired at targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Shia rebels have suffered heavy casualties since 2021 because of failed efforts to gain more territory as well as defending areas they have long occupied.

The April ceasefire was generally adhered to and that could be measured by the reduction (by more than 50 percent) in civilian casualties. This is not usually the case. Past ceasefires are seen as futile because the Shia rebels violated so many of them and, until recently, showed no interest in change, especially since Iran support is crucial to the maintenance of the Shia military efforts.

The current peace talks are different because the Shia and the Yemeni government both agree that allowing Yemen to be a battleground for the Iranian campaign to replace Saudi Arabia as the leader of the Moslem world is not good for Yemen. Then there is the situation in Iran. Yemeni Shia are aware of significant popular opposition in Iran to the Yemen war. The Saudis and UAE were always reluctant participants in the war but could not withdraw as long as Iran was attacking them from Shia rebel-controlled northern Yemen. This encouraged the Yemen government to seriously consider some kind of Shia autonomy and sufficient guarantees that the autonomy would not later be taken away. The problem with the autonomy proposal is that Iran has a veto.

Shia rebels risk an internal civil war if they attempt to defy Iranian orders. These orders are delivered by Iranian embassy in Sanaa, the rebel occupied Yemen capital. The current Iranian ambassador is a former Quds Force general and many other diplomats are veteran Iranian Quds Force officers. Quds Force is a branch of the Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), a separate military force formed in the 1980s to protect the religious dictatorship that has ruled Iran since the 1980s. The Quds Force is a component of the IRGC that specializes in instigating, supervising, and sustaining foreign rebellions and terror campaigns that might expand Iranian power and keep potential enemies on the defensive.

The IRGC is also the main component of the radical faction in the Iranian government. The radicals, who put the expansion of Iranian power above everything else, are at war with the nationalists in the Iranian leadership that want to emphasize improving the economy and living standards for Iranians. Most of the religious rulers of Iran see the nationalists as a threat and have given radicals, including the Quds Force, more authority, and resources since 2021. Yemen is seen as the cheapest and most successful of Irans overseas wars. Since late 2020 the Iranian ambassador in Yemen has been a former Quds Force general who is in Yemen more as a Quds Force commander than a diplomat. This ambassador doesnt make many requests, but he does issue a lot of orders. The ambassador also has access to Iranian intelligence reports on what Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Yemeni government are up to. Iranian intel may have concluded that an Arab coalition (Saudis, and the UAE) training program in southern Yemen was a success and is turning Yemeni Sunni volunteers into well trained, armed and led soldiers. There are about 14,000 of these well paid (by the Coalition) volunteers who are organized into seven brigades. These are referred to as Giants or Happy brigades and the first three were declared ready for action in June. Members of the other four brigades are still undergoing training and paying attention to how the first three brigades do in action. But there is no large-scale combat for these three brigades to participate in. Such combat would include a renewal of Saudi air support. These brigades include trained air controller teams that can quickly call in air strikes to support brigade advances and attacks, as well as defense. If these brigades perform as intended, the Shia rebels would be in trouble because they have never faced a Yemeni combat force like this before. Some of the volunteers for the brigades came from northern Sunni tribes that have been attacked or threatened by the Shia rebels and would like to see that threat eliminated.

These brigades are the latest effort by the Arab Coalition to train and equip Yemenis to fight effectively. Similar troops were used in 2018 to clear Shia rebels from the Red Sea coast south of the port of Hodeida. Similar forces were trained by the Saudis for use in eastern Yemen to limit Iranian smuggling efforts or protect Sunni tribes from Shia rebel harassment. Even before the current ceasefire efforts to recruit and train the seven new brigades were underway.

Iran sees these brigades as a real threat to the Iranian presence in Yemen and suspects the Saudis are planning to do what the Iranians would do in a similar situation, as in abandon the cease fire and unleash an unexpectedly effective attack on the enemy. Thats a possibility and the Shia rebel refusal to renew the ceasefire allows the rebels to unleash some their own Iran-supplied and Quds directed surprises.

Meanwhile the Yemeni government has also gone through some changes. In April 2022 president Hadi was forced to resign because of corruption and general ineffectiveness. Hadi agreed to officially transfer his power to a Presidential Council, whose eight members were selected earlier by the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) in consultation with many prominent pro-government officials. The council is led by Rashad al Alimi, a former interior minister. The other seven members include governors of Marib and Hadramawt provinces, STC (South Transitional Council) leaders, a Suuni tribal leader in the north who has formed an anti-Shia coalition, and several military commanders, including a member of the Saleh family that ruled Yemen before the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. The council members accurately represent the key pro-government factions in Yemen. All of these members want peace, but without the continued Iranian presence. This new government was able to use the ceasefire to reorganize and upgrade the Yemeni army.

The new Presidential Council made it easier for the Saudis and the UAE to negotiate with Yemeni factions, including many Shia ones, to work out a peace deal. The war has dragged on for eight years mainly because Iran got involved and injected religious issues. For most Yemenis the war was about maintaining the cohesion of the nation. For Iran and the Shia rebels its also about religion. The Iranian religious dictatorship is obsessed with replacing Saudi Arabia as the guardian of Mecca and Medina, the most important religious shrines for all Moslems. Arabs have always controlled these two cities near the Red Sea coast, 780 kilometers north of Yemen Shia territory. Even when the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) controlled the area, they put a proper (descendants of Mohammed) Arab family in charge of Mecca and Medina. The Turks profited from what the many annual pilgrims spent when they arrived. Iran wants to change all that and the Saudis, with the support of most Moslems, oppose Iranian claims.

The main battlefield for control of Mecca has become Yemen, where Iran-backed Yemen Shia rebels began a civil war in 2014 and with Iranian support have survived Saudi efforts to prevent the Shia-controlled northwestern Yemen from becoming an Iranian military base area. The Yemen Shia rebels are led by members of the Houthi tribe, which Iran supports because ultimately Shia controlled northwestern Yemen would be ruled by a religious dictatorship with the Houthi tribe providing the hereditary leaders of the Yemeni Shia state.

There are about nine million Shia in Yemen (40 percent of the population) and most belong, like the rebels, to the Zaidi sect that the Houthis dominate. In 2009 only a few hundred thousand Zaidi were up in arms against the government, and not all of them were actively resisting the advancing troops. The Houthi religious leaders, despite their disagreements with Iran over what form of Shia beliefs was superior, accepted Iranian offers of support in regaining self-rule for the Zaidi Shia in Yemen as well as the million Zaidi across the border in Saudi Arabia.

It was difficult for the Shia rebel leaders to realize they had made a mistake accepting Iranian weapons and guidance. The Iranians and the Shia rebels had different goals and priorities. It became obvious that most Iranians as well as most Yemenis opposed the war in Yemen. At that point it became preferable for the Shia rebels to negotiate with the Yemeni government without Iranian guidance and threats. Long ago the Shia and Sunni in Yemen learned that it was preferable to tolerate each other and unite when Yemen was threatened. That balance was disrupted during the 1990s as Yemen was once again a united country, The Sunni majority refused to address those complaints because many of the united government leaders were Shia. For many Yemeni Shia, those Shia government officials were out for themselves, not the Shia community in Yemen. Now that there is general agreement on that, there is an opportunity to end the war and create a more lasting peace.

Iran accepts ceasefire agreements they can exploit. The best example of Iranian and rebel disdain for ceasefire agreements was the 2018 agreement to halt the successful government campaign to take control of the Red Sea port of Hodeida. This is the second largest port in Yemen and the main entry point of foreign aid for Yemenis in Shia controlled territory. Despite UN monitoring, Hodeida was also where a lot of Iranian military aid was smuggled in. In 2018, as government forces were about to drive rebel forces from the Hodeida city and port, the rebels appealed to the UN for a timeout (peace talks). The UN persuaded the Yemen government and its Arab Coalition to halt operations and the rebels signed an agreement whereby they would withdraw their forces from the port area so that government troops could replace them. The rebels withdrew some of their forces then moved them back in and attacked the government troops. Rebels accused the government of violating the agreement. By 2020 it was clear that the rebels never intended to withdraw and the ceasefire deal was revealed as yet another ploy to enlist the UN to assist the rebels in avoiding a defeat. Not only did the rebels maintain their control of areas near the port, but increased their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea while denying that they were responsible. More key UN members came to conclude that the Shia rebels and their Iranian backers were intent on maintaining control of northwest Yemen so the rebels could use Iranian cruise and ballistic missiles to attack Saudi Arabia.

July 26, 2022: As the ceasefire nears its expiration date on August 2nf, the Shia rebels have increased the number of ceasefire violations. Most of this violence is directed at civilians, with several hundred dead or wounded in the last few weeks because of Shia rebel artillery, sniper and landmines placed near active roads or paths. The Yemenis accuse the UN officials of ignoring or playing down this increase in rebel violence in a desperate effort to get the rebels to renew the ceasefire. To many Yemenis the UN appears to consider placating the rebels and Iran as more important than preventing civilian casualties. UN personnel in Yemen are accused of being intimidated by Iran. Sometimes this intimidation gets personnel when UN officials traveling in rebel-controlled territory are prevented from moving about freely or are physically restrained and have their recording devices and collected evidence of violations seized. Iran officially denies they are in charge but the Iranian embassy in Sanaa is run by known Iranian military officers with a background in supervising Iranian operations in foreign countries like Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen.

July 22, 2022: In the northwest (outside the Red Sea port of Hodeida) seven children (10 to fifteen years old) were walking along the ceasefire line near the city airport when one of them triggered a Shia rebel landmine. The explosion killed four of the children and wounded the other three. The Shia rebels dont have enough gunmen to watch the entire perimeter and use mines to keep hostile forces out, or at least show them down and alert the rebels. Some of these mines do go when local livestock grave too close to the line. That has made it clear to the local civilians the mines are real and should be avoided. Children dont always pay attention to such warnings. Anti-personnel mines are a minority (a few percent) of the explosive objects children or livestock sometimes step on and detonate. The most common landmine is designed to destroy or damage vehicles. These are frequently placed in dirt roads and trails. Most (about 60 percent) of the explosive objects are grenades, bombs and shells that did not explode after landing or were never used and abandoned. The Saudi financed EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) project in Yemen has removed or destroyed over 250,000 explosive objects since 2010.

July 20, 2022: In central Yemen (Baida province) Shia rebels began firing on Khubzah, a remote pro-government Sunni village with about 2,000 inhabitants. This attack left 18 civilians dead or wounded so far. Rebels surrounded the village for a week before opening fire. The village is in rebel-controlled territory and the government is gathering a force large enough to reach the village before the Shia rebels can cause more death and destruction. The rebels dont consider this a violation of the ceasefire but rather an internal security matter.

June 30, 2022: There was an unpublicized meeting at an Egyptian resort town at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Military and air-defense experts from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel attended to discuss a U.S. sponsored regional air defense network called MEAD (Middle East Air Defense Alliance). All the nations involved have been using American air defense systems, especially Patriot and THAAD. In addition, Israel not only purchased Patriot, but also developed a similar but superior system called Davids Sling as well as the unique Arrow anti-ballistic missile system. Israel also developed and uses Iron Dome against rocket and mortar attacks as well as new systems that can detect and destroy low and slow cruise missiles which Iran has successfully used to evade Saudi air defenses and attack oil infrastructure targets. Israel is the only state in the region to manufacture and launch its own space satellites. Israel is also the only nation in the region with nuclear weapons and multiple methods for delivering them.

MEAD can either just share data between members about the presence and activity of Iranian missile and rocket threats to member states (especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE) or actively coordinate the use of each nation's detection and air-defense systems against the Iranian threat.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been regularly attacked by Iranian ballistic missiles and cruise missiles launched by Iran-backed Shia rebels in northern Yemen. This need for Israeli air defense systems played a role in the 2020 American sponsored effort to secure diplomatic recognition of Israel by Arab states in the Middle East, and led to Israel exporting some air defense systems to the UAE for protecting commercial aircraft from missile attacks. The Saudis are reluctant to actively participate in MEAD because they currently have a ceasefire in Yemen which, since April, has halted missile and rocket attacks on Saudi territory. The question is how long will the ceasefire last before the Iranians break it or fail to renew it because the Saudis fail to meet new Iranian demands. Keeping the Saudis out of MEAD is one Iranian goal, but not at the cost of weakening Iranian control over the Shia rebels. The Saudis are one of the most conservative states in the region, regarding that as a strength not a weakness. This means the fate of MEAD depends on what happens in Yemen.
SANTIAGO, Chile, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ITAU CORPBANCA (NYSE: ITCB; SSE: ITAUCORP) announced that it filed today a Material Event Notice with the Chilean Commission for the Financial Market reporting that at the ordinary meeting held today, the Board of Directors of Itau Corpbanca (the Board) was informed about the resignation of Mr. Jorge Andres Saieh Guzman as director of the Bank, which is effective as of this date.

Considering the above, the Board resolved to appoint Mr. Ricardo Villela Marino as its Chairman and Mr. Milton Maluhy Filho as its Vice Chairman.

Finally, and in accordance with Section 9 of the by-laws of Itau Corpbanca, the Board resolved that the alternate director Mr. Alvaro F. Rizzi Rodrigues will assume as director until the definitive appointment is made in the next annual general meeting of shareholders of the Bank.

The full Material Event Notice is available on the companys investor relations website at ir.itau.cl.

Investor Relations  Itau Corpbanca

+56 (2) 2660-1701 / [email protected] / ir.itau.cl

Source: Itau Corpbanca
Anaheim, CA, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In June 2022, Kepler sponsored the second Bay Area Metaverse Conference to gather with the world's technology giants to discuss the future of the Metaverse and aggregate the value of the digital age. It marks a solid step for Kepler to lead decentralized finance to the future economy of financial innovation. Kepler Vault is launching on August. Welcoming all retail investors to participate.

Redefining "Kepler"Humanitys exodus and journey to new frontiers in space might be far off, however, the revolution of the financial world is achievable and well within humanitys grasp.

Kepler-22b is the first of the Kepler exoplanets to be found in the habitable zone of its host star by NASA in December 2011. Thanks to the inexorable spirit of exploration of humanity, two planets separated by a distance of 600 light-years are inextricably linked, laying the foundation for the infinite hope and possibility of the future of mankind.The capable and ambitious ones among us have always had the foresight and drive to push the envelope and realize the revelations that they aspired to, thus, forging great journeys and careers in different fields. On this note, Kepler has brought a whole new different angle and meaning to the field of cryptocurrency - the DeFi aggregate income platform named "Kepler", adhering to the spirit of exploration, unyielding, innovation and fearlessness, is committed to building a simple, open and free financial world. Like a brand-new planet, it provides investors with a pure financial land to discover and create greater potential and value in the DeFi era.

Global sharing of Kepler's financial ecosystem

Although traditional finance is prosperous, many problems have gradually emerged: new investors and funds entering this sphere are faced with steep learning curves. It is difficult for users to evaluate and effectively utilize the revenue opportunities, and the high gas fees make it impossible for retail investors to realize the best strategies, etc., making it difficult for retail investors to gain profits. The decentralized financial ecosystem, which is supposed to be absolutely fair, is actually full of hidden barriers.

In Kepler, users can forego the complicated learning cost and operation process. They will only need to deposit funds into the Kepler automatized pool, while the system will track and analyze the data on the chain in real time and based on the rate of return of the entire network of DeFi projects, risk factors, transaction depth, TVL quota, transaction slippage, etc., the system will evaluate, formulate and implement the best investment strategy.

It is worth emphasizing that in Kepler, the principal deposited by users can be withdrawn at any time, ensuring flexibility of funds. In terms of security, which is of great concern to the majority of users, Kepler adheres to the principle of "code is law", all software is open source, and Kepler itself has been jointly audit by multiple auditing companies to ensure the security of contract execution.

With Kepler's influence on various encrypted financial derivatives fields, the Kepler income aggregator ecology is gradually divaricating and permeating every corner of Earth, and a global pattern of sharing Kepler's financial ecosystem has taken shape.The universe is vast and profound, and the pace of human exploration has never stopped. Likewise, the birth of Kepler marks the fulcrum of human financial history, and a great financial revolution will begin.

Contact:Jerry Lauhttp://keplervault.top/[email protected]

Source: Kepler Vault
Vancouver, BC, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ROCK) (OTCQB: RRRLF) (Frankfurt: RR0) (Rockridge or the Company) is pleased to announce it has commenced its summer drill program of approximately 1,000m at its Knife Lake High-Grade Copper VMS Project located in Saskatchewan, Canada (the Knife Lake Project or Property). Rockridge is fully funded and permitted for this drill program.

Knife Lake VMS Project Location Map:https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/Knife-Lake-Region-20210331-003.jpg

Using the results and interpretation from the recently completed geophysical programs, as well as the 2021 drill and field programs, the program will focus on targets at the Gilbert Lake zones as well as at the deposit. The Knife Lake Project, consisting of 82 claims totaling 56,865 hectares (140,516 acres), is an advanced-stage copper, silver, zinc and cobalt exploration property in Saskatchewan host to the Knife Lake Deposit.

Jon Weisblatt, Rockridges CEO, commented, "We are excited to start this summer drilling program which will test highly prospective regional targets in addition to resource infill and expansion drilling at the Knife Lake deposit. There is robust potential for new discoveries and resource expansion at the Property which is the goal of this drill program. Knife Lake remains a noteworthy exploration opportunity that can offer investors exposure to a top mining jurisdiction and to commodities in high demand like copper and several other base and precious metals.

Summer Diamond Drilling Program:

The focus of the 2022 drill program will be on the highly prospective Gilbert Lake target area as well as continued infill and expansion drilling at the Knife Lake deposit. The program will consist of approximately 1,000m in six to eight drill holes. The Gilbert Lake targets were identified from the results and interpretation of the previous geophysical, drill and field programs. Results from these programs show that airborne VTEM surveys can successfully identify zones of VMS-style mineralization hosted in favourable stratigraphy on the property.

Knife Lake Target Areas 2022 Drill Program:https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/KF-Target-Areas-20220329.jpg

The drilling at the Gilbert Lake South target area will further investigate strike-length continuity of the mineralized horizon intersected in 2021 drilling, which remains open to the south. The holes will also evaluate potential zoning of mineralization, which is commonly observed in VMS systems. Additional drilling at a newly discovered copper showing at the Gilbert West Area has also been prioritized. The holes will target the down-dip extension of a mineralized and intensely altered volcanic package which is interpreted to be the Knife Lake stratigraphic horizon. The Gilbert West target has never been drill tested.

The Company is also planning drilling at the Knife Lake deposit area as infill and expansion drilling to upgrade the existing resource estimate. Rockridge has received its exploration permit which is good through February 2024.

Knife Lake Geology and History:

The Knife Lake Deposit is interpreted to be a remobilized VMS deposit. The stratabound mineralized zone is approximately 15m thick and contains copper, silver, zinc, gold and cobalt mineralization which dips 30 to 50 eastward over a known strike-length within Rockridges claim area of 3,700 metres, and a known average down-dip extension of approximately 300 metres.

Knife Lake Deposit Map:https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/projects/KnifeLake-Fig2.jpg

The deposit is hosted by felsic to intermediate volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks which have been metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies. The deposit contains VMS mineralogy which has been significantly modified and partially remobilized during the emplacement of granitic rocks. The mineralization straddles the boundary between two rock units and occurs on both limbs of an interpreted overturned fold.

The Company has completed twenty-four holes consisting of 3,096 metres of diamond drilling in the 2019 and 2021 winter drilling programs. This represented the first drilling on the property since 2001. Both programs have given the Companys technical team valuable insights into the property geology, alteration, and mineralization that will be applied to future regional exploration on the highly prospective and underexplored land package.

Knife Lake VTEM and Grab Sample Survey:https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/maps/KF-FieldResults-20220110.png

Highlights from the drill programs include previously reported hole KF19003 which intersected net-textured to semi-massive sulphide mineralization from 11.2m to 48.8m downhole. This 37.6 metre interval returned 2.03% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au, 9.88 g/t Ag, 0.36% Zn, and 0.01% Co for an estimated 2.42% CuEq.

In August 2019, Rockridge announced a maiden NI 43-101 resource estimate for the Knife Lake deposit which consisted of a pit-constrained indicated resource of 3.8 million tonnes at 1.02% CuEq and an inferred resource of 7.9 million tonnes at 0.67% CuEq using a 0.4% CuEq cut-off. For more information, please refer to the News Release dated August 14th, 2019 or the NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Knife Lake Property, Saskatchewan dated September 27, 2019, filed on Sedar.

Qualified Person:

Kerry Bates, P. Geo., a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and a Geologist employed by Eagle Plains Resources, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release relating to the Knife Lake Project.

About Rockridge Resources Ltd.:

Rockridge Resources (TSX.V: ROCK) is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, specifically copper and gold. The Companys core copper project is the Knife Lake Project located in Saskatchewan which is ranked as a top mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake Deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface Cu-Co-Au-Ag-Zn deposit open along strike and at depth. There is strong discovery potential in and around the deposit area as well as at regional targets on the large property package.

The Company's secondary asset is the Raney Gold Project, which is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. Recently reported drill hole RN 20-06 intersected 28.0 g/t gold over 6.0 metres at a shallow vertical level of 95 metres, which is the best result from the project thus far. Rockridges goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Knife Lake Copper Project Location Map:https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/projects/KnifeLake-Fig1.jpg

Additional information about Rockridge Resources and its project portfolio can be found on the Companys website at www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com.

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Jonathan Wiesblatt Jonathan WiesblattCEO

For further information contact myself or:

Jordan Trimble, President orRiley Trimble, Corporate CommunicationsRockridge Resources Ltd.Telephone: 604-687-3376Toll Free: 800-567-8181Facsimile: 604-687-3119Email: [email protected]

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, expects and similar expressions. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

Source: Rockridge Resources Ltd.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simply Better Brands Corp. ("SBBC" or the "Company") (TSX Venture: SBBC) (OTCQB: PKANF) is pleased to inform that, starting this week, their No B.S. Skincare (No B.S.) brands Award-Winning skincare line can be found in 3,200 CVS stores nationwide. Simultaneously, the brand will be featured as a prominent ambassador for Julianna Pena on her fight to defend her title. The event will take place this Saturday, July 30, 2022, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, which houses 21,000 people and will be broadcast on Pay-Per-View over a million PPV viewers expected.

Early CVS launch results show above category average sell-through rates for the No B.S. Skincare line. The revolutionary skincare company is thrilled to offer clean, vegan and gluten-free skincare products through brick and mortar CVS stores across the country in a beautiful display endcap located strategically at the front of the stores. The No B.S. skincare line is also already available for purchase online at CVS.com. Launching in CVS is a significant milestone in our mission to strip away the B.S. in the beauty industry with safe and healthy skincare that actually delivers skin improvements. Our strategy to expand No B.S. omni-channel is driving our year to date revenue growth to over 48% vs. year ago., says No B.S. Skincare Founder and CEO, Diana Briceno.

The No B.S. women-led team is pleased to broaden its awareness, consumer base, and product availability by providing consumers with a skincare alternative that differentiates itself from traditional beauty brands by offering clean formulas, visible results, and a B.S.-free beauty culture we can all get behind. Fans can visit @livenobs on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to learn more and share their skincare journey with the brands community.

No B.S. Skincares sponsorship of fight UFC277 is part of its successful partnership with UFC Womens Bantamweight Champion and first woman to win the Ultimate Fighter, Julianna Pena. The campaign has been well received by the fighters and brands community of over 550K followers on Instagram (click here to watch it). The companys logo will be prominently featured during her anticipated fight week with Amanda Nunes, which has a potential reach of 1.1 billion households in 163 countries worldwide based on the UFCs global fan base statistics (Source: Fast Company). The fight carries special significance for the over 278 million UFC fans around the globe as it is viewed as a type of rematch for the December 11, 2021, fight between the two fighters where Julianna surprised everyone by snatching the title from Nunez, long-reigning Champion and considered the greatest female MMA fighter of all time (Source: Fast Company).

The No B.S. Skincare philosophy promotes a product line that contains absolutely no harmful or questionable ingredients like parabens, sulfates, artificial colorants, fragrances, or phthalates. It includes the most effective ingredients found in nature, paired with science-made ingredients worth geeking out over. No B.S. Skincare products are responsibly made in America with no animal testing, ever.

Simply Better Brands is positioned for over 300% growth versus year ago and positive adjusted EBITDA in 2022 driven by not only No B.S., but also our TRUBAR, and PureKana Wellness brands. Our model to acquire and build emerging brands in the clean ingredient space is working. We now have all three of the core brands in growth mode of both distribution and channel." says SBBC CEO, Kathy Casey.

About No B.S. Skincare

No B.S. is on a mission to strip away the B.S. and change beauty for good with safe and healthy skincare that actually does what it says and says what it does. A line of vegan and gluten free products with no harmful petrochemicals, parabens, sulfates, artificial colorants, fragrances, or phthalates - and no animal testing, ever.

The No B.S. brand is committed to ousting beauty industry B.S. with clean ingredients that work smarter to give us healthy, glowing skin. They do not promise a miracle in a bottle: they promise clean formulas, visible results, and a B.S.-free beauty culture we can all get behind. They proudly partner with organizations striving to affect real, positive change such as She Recovers, Feeding America, Project Glimmer, and Lotus House.

For more information:

About Simply Better Brands Corp.

Simply Better Brands Corp. leads an international omni-channel platform with diversified assets in the emerging plant-based and holistic wellness consumer product categories. The Companys mission is focused on leading innovation for the informed Millennial and Generation Z generations in the rapidly growing plant-based wellness, natural, and clean ingredient space. The Company continues to focus on expansion into high-growth consumer product categories including plant-based food, clean ingredient skincare and plant-based wellness. For more information on Simply Better Brands Corp., please visit: https://www.simplybetterbrands.com/investor-relations.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Simply Better Brands Corp.Brian MeadowsChief Financial Officer+1 (855) 553-7441[email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward looking statements" as such terms are used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information are based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and are subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, among others, that the Companys financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulatory climate in which the Company operates, the Companys ability to execute on its business plans, distribution plans, reliance on a consistent supply chain, and claims relating to the efficacy and results of the Company's products. Specifically, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to, but not limited to, the statements with respect the potential viewership of the UFC277 fight week.

Forward-looking statements and information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking statements and information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, changing consumer preferences, the impacts of COVID-19, that the Companys financial condition and development plans change, ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and product viability and risk, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company and the industries in which it operates, and as set forth in the Companys filings available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. 

There is no representation by the Company that actual results achieved will be the same in whole or in part as those referenced in the forward-looking statements and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/81912017-d2a1-43d7-b0b9-b7f89c46e1e6

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/358dc6e7-7713-4ee2-98ee-189567545b37

CVS Miami CVS Downtown Miami display Julianna Pena Julianna Pena

Source: Simply Better Brands Corp.
TORONTO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprott Inc. (NYSE: SII) (TSX: SII) (Sprott) announced today that it plans to release its 2022 second quarter results at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. Sprott will host an earnings webcast that morning at 10:00 a.m. to discuss its 2022 second quarter results. Sprott CEO, Whitney George, together with Sprott CFO, Kevin Hibbert and Sprott Asset Management CEO, John Ciampaglia, will host the webcast, which can be accessed as outlined below.

Webcast Details Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2022 Time: 10:00am ET Audio Webcast: Audience URL: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/nnm2fbz4. Pre-registration is now open.

Please note, analysts who cover the company should register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI3a8f92db523d446294ec50bcf3e57349 to participate in the live Q&A session.

About SprottSprott is a global leader in precious metal and real asset investments. We are specialists. Our in-depth knowledge, experience and relationships separate us from the generalists. Our investment strategies include Exchange Listed Products, Managed Equities, Private Strategies and Brokerage. Sprott has offices in Toronto, New York and London and the companys common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol (SII). For more information, please visit www.sprott.com.

Investor contact information: (416) 943-4394 or [email protected].

Source: Sprott Inc.
Luxembourg  27 July 2022 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) and Van Oord today announced the award of a substantial1 contract by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) for the Gas to Energy project offshore Guyana, in water depths of up to 1,450 metres.



The scope covers the project management, engineering, and installation of approximately 190 kilometres of pipeline, with an associated shallow water portion and onshore approach making landfall to the west of the Demerara River, along the coast of Guyana.

Craig Broussard, Vice President for Subsea 7 US, said: "We are honoured to have been selected for Guyana Gas to Energy. This is an important project to support the Guyanese people and we look forward to continuing our relationship with EEPGL in one of the most prolific and exciting development basins in the world.

Hans van Gaalen, Commercial Director for Van Oord, adds: Van Oord is honoured to have been selected for the Guyana Gas to Energy project in cooperation with Subsea 7. Developing the coastal infrastructure for the project will allow our Subsea 7 and Van Oord consortium to positively contribute to the development of Guyanas electricity supply which in turn will reduce Guyanas dependence on imported fuels.

(1) Subsea 7 defines a substantial contract as being between USD 150 million and USD 300 million (Subsea 7s share)







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Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Brs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

*******************************************************************************

Contact for investment community enquiries:

Katherine Tonks

Investor Relations Director

Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568

[email protected]

Contact for media enquiries:

Ashley Shearer

Senior Communications Advisor

Tel +1-713-300-6792

[email protected]

www.subsea7.com

Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; and (xvii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

Attachment
Don Lindsay announces retirement after fourth consecutive record quarter

Jonathan Price Appointed CEO; Red Conger Appointed President and COO

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) (Teck) announced today that Don Lindsay has informed them of his intention to retire as President and CEO of Teck effective as of September 30, 2022, following an outstanding 17 years. Tecks Board has unanimously appointed Jonathan Price to succeed Don as Chief Executive Officer and Harry Red Conger as President and Chief Operating Officer, also effective September 30, 2022. Mr. Price and Mr. Conger will also be appointed to the Board. Mr. Lindsay has agreed to stay on into the second quarter of 2023 as a resource to management and the Board to support with the transition in the role of Executive Vice Chair. This is the culmination of a multi-year succession process.

Don and the Board have been focused on succession for a number of years. We are delighted to have been able to recruit Jonathan and Red in 2020 and, under Dons leadership, position them for successful advancement into these roles, said Sheila Murray, Chair of Tecks Board of Directors. "Jonathan is an internationally recognized leader in the mining sector and brings the right background, skills and experience to the role of CEO to further advance Tecks balanced growth strategy.

On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Don Lindsay for his strong leadership, culminating with four consecutive record-setting quarters. Don has transformed Teck and today the company is well positioned for continued growth and value generation due to the strategy and solid foundation he has built, and the experienced and skilled leadership team he has put in place, said Ms. Murray. Dons commitment to health and safety and sustainability, and his passion for the value that responsible resource development can deliver to the world are deeply ingrained in Tecks culture, and he leaves an enduring legacy at all levels of the company.

Mr. Price, incoming Chief Executive Officer, is currently Tecks Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and is an experienced executive with a proven track record spanning over 20 years in mining, capital markets, business development and finance. Before joining Teck in October 2020, he worked at BHP for 14 years in a variety of senior roles including Chief Transformation Officer, Vice President Finance and Vice President Investor Relations working in Asia, Australia, and the U.K. He has also worked in the Metals and Mining team at ABN AMRO Bank, and previously held various production and technical roles with former Canadian mining company INCO.

Mr. Conger, incoming President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has served as Tecks Executive Vice President and COO since September 2020. Prior to joining Teck, Mr. Conger held the role of President and COO  Americas with Freeport-McMoRan and brings a strong background in operations leadership, financial performance and delivering large-scale projects throughout the Americas. Red will focus on operational performance and delivery of Tecks major projects including the final stage of construction at the QB2 copper project in Chile and advancing the QB Mill Expansion (QBME) project and other copper growth pipeline projects.

Reds extensive global mining experience and track record of operational excellence and successful project delivery is a perfect fit for the role of President and COO as we move through this transformational phase for Teck, said Ms. Murray. The Board looks forward to working closely with Jonathan, Red and the entire senior management team to execute on Tecks transformation into a major global copper producer to meet growing demand driven by the net-zero transition, while providing long-term, sustainable value for our shareholders and all stakeholders.

I am excited and energized by the opportunities ahead for Teck to build on our existing strong foundation and position the company for long-term success. We will continue to execute on Tecks strategy of balancing growth in copper with returning capital to shareholders and generating benefits for our people and the communities where we operate, said Mr. Price.

Teck has industry-leading growth potential with the impending completion of QB2 and advanced copper pipeline projects including QBME, Zafranal, and San Nicolas, which could be in production as early as 2026. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the talented teams across the company to deliver on that incredible potential and responsibly provide essential metals and minerals to the world, said Mr. Conger.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Tecks President and CEO for the past 17 years, and to have the opportunity to work alongside so many talented and dedicated people, said Mr. Lindsay. Together we have built Teck into an industry leader in sustainable resource development, with world-class operations, and an unmatched copper growth profile. Every day, our people and our products contribute to making the world a better place. I am extremely proud of what has been achieved during my tenure, and I look forward to supporting Jonathan and Red as they lead Teck into its next phase of growth and success.

Mr. Lindsay has served as Tecks President and CEO since 2005. Under his leadership, the company has delivered record financial and operational results, and returned significant capital to shareholders. During his tenure, Teck significantly expanded its resource base and production capacity and built one of the strongest copper growth pipelines in the industry, including the world-class QB2 copper project currently under construction in northern Chile. The company most recently achieved record annual revenues and earnings in 2021 and four record-setting quarterly results through Q3/Q4 of 2021 and Q1/Q2 of 2022. He has driven Tecks commitment to sustainability, positioning the company as an industry leader in ESG performance, including setting ambitious sustainability targets such as net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and Nature Positive by 2030.

Crystal Prystai, currently Vice President and Corporate Controller, will serve as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately, while a search to identify a new CFO is undertaken.

Forward Looking StatementsThis news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as forward-looking statements). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words will, estimate, expect, could and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our focus and strategy; our expectations regarding the completion of and timing of first production from QB2, QBME, San Nicolas, Zafranal, our advanced copper growth pipeline generally, and the return of capital to shareholders; and our goals to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to become a nature positive company by 2030, including the actions we intend to take to achieve those goals and the expected impact or effect of those actions.

These statements are based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions regarding the development of our business; commodity prices; our ability to realize value from our copper growth pipeline; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals; positive results from the studies on our expansion and development projects; the development, performance and cost of technologies needed to advance our goals; and general business and economic conditions. Factors that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, changes in general business or economic conditions or commodity prices; inaccurate geological or metallurgical assumptions related to our projects; and unanticipated difficulties in advancing our projects and sustainability goals, including those related to permitting and technology advancement.

Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, Teck undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements. Further information concerning risks, assumptions and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business can be found in our most recent Annual Information Form filed under our profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under cover of Form 40-F, as well as subsequent filings that can also be found under our profile.

About TeckAs one of Canadas leading mining companies, Teck is committed to responsible mining and mineral development with major business units focused on copper, zinc, and steelmaking coal, as well as investments in energy assets. Copper, zinc and high-quality steelmaking coal are required for the transition to a low-carbon world. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Tecks shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TECK.A and TECK.B and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TECK.

Teck Media ContactChris StannellPublic Relations Manager 604.699.4368[email protected]

Teck Investor ContactFraser PhillipsSenior Vice President, Investor Relations and Strategic Analysis 604.699.4621[email protected]

Source: Teck Resources Ltd
Charleston SC, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three College of Charleston faculty members have received Fulbright awards for the 202223 academic year: Brian Bossak, Narayanan Kuthirummal and mutindi ndunda are all spending the year learning and lecturing at universities around the globe through the international educational exchange program, and theyre hoping to share a world of knowledge with CofC students when they return.

Brian Bossak, associate professor of public health

The Fulbright Scholar Award will allow Bossak, an associate professor of public health, to teach two graduate-level public health courses  one focusing on the human health implications of climate change, and the other exploring the interaction of health and emerging technologies  at the University of Bologna in Italy, where he will also conduct research on the development and use of quarantine and isolation in historical pandemics in the locations in which they occurred.

Bossak says the University of Bologna is the perfect place for his research, since it has centuries of information on the Black Death that plagued Europe from 1347 to 1351.

The Black Death was a pivotal experience in human history, explains Bossak, who has authored and co-authored manuscripts exploring this historical pandemic. Interestingly, non-pharmaceutical interventions utilized during the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, such as quarantine and isolation, are derived from their development in Italy during the Black Death. In fact, many scholars suggest that quarantine and isolation efforts helped reduce mortality during the Black Death in localities where it was enforced, such as Milan, versus places where it wasnt, such as Florence.

While at the University of Bologna  which is the oldest university in the Western world still in operation  Bossak also plans to study the use of isolation and quarantine during the Plague of 1630, which ravaged parts of northern Italy.

I am excited about the opportunity to explore archival information on these epidemics, delve into the literature about these experiences and witness locations where these historical events took place, he says, noting that hes also looking forward to meeting colleagues in Italy with similar interests, learning about the Italian higher education system and engaging in cultural exchange and learning that goes beyond the classroom and traditional scholarship. I am hopeful that this prestigious and highly competitive award will represent just the first step in the process of establishing a nexus between myself, my program and perhaps even CofC itself with additional international experiences and academic exchange that broadens our continued development as a center for globally engaged students, staff and faculty.

I am most grateful, he adds, to have this opportunity for focused scholarship and exploration on pandemics that, as recent events have indicated, remain an evergreen possibility within the human experience.

mutindi ndunda, associate professor of teacher education

It is the most recent pandemic that is at the forefront of ndundas Fulbright project, too. Building on her first Fulbright award to study and teach in the Republic of Tanzania in 201213, this Fulbright opportunity allows the associate professor of teacher education to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning at the Muslim University of Morogoro (MUM) and examine the factors that contribute to the sustainability of the professional learning community she developed at a local elementary school there.

My sabbatical/Fulbright award of the 201213 academic year allowed me to see firsthand how privileged I was to teach at the College of Charleston and how important it was to share the knowledge and skills that I have developed and honed at this institution, she says, adding that during her first Fulbright year, she introduced the use of emails and wikis to share notes with students rather than sending hard copies of the class notes to a privately owned stationery store, where each student would go to buy copies if they had the time. That was 10 years ago! The work that we initiated  and the relationships that we developed throughout these years  its so important. But I have learned that change has to be sustained.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closures, most universities in Africa closed and students were sent home without opportunities to take courses online, ndunda continues. My goal is to continue working with the faculty members to use any available technology including smartphones to deliver effective online learning to all students.

She will also teach two courses in MUMs Master of Arts in Teaching program, for which she was the key curriculum developer in 2018 through a Carnegie Diaspora Fellowship Award.

I will be teaching courses and supervising theses writing for its first cohort, she says. This is very exciting, and Im looking forward to continuing to collaborate with faculty members to be change agents.

In her spare time, ndunda will conduct project-based learning workshops, attend church and visit her 103-year-old mother.

What I hope to get from this experience is the belief that each one of us has incredible gifts that can make a huge difference in the lives of the future generations, she says. I want the gifts that I have to serve my students, my department, my college: How can we move from good to best, and how I can use my gifts in building relationships in diverse settings in making this a possibility?

Narayanan Kuthirummal, professor of physics and astronomy

For his part, Professor Kuthirummal, chair of the Colleges Department of Physics and Astronomy, will be teaching and doing research with his host Shalina Begum at Farook College in India, where he will engage graduate students and faculty members in nanotechnology and nanomaterials characterization using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods.

Farook College is one of the most advanced coeducational Muslim-minority institutions in South India offering undergraduate and graduate level programs, says Kuthirummal, adding that his course will follow a student-centered backward design approach with the objective of introducing research-based teaching and learning strategies to a population that has minimal exposure to student-centered and project-based instructional strategies.

The Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar Award will allow him not just to teach at Farook College, but also to conduct research that will benefit CofC students, as well.

The Fulbright opportunity will help me significantly expand my ability in the synthesis of graphene nanocomposites, he says. The proposed research will also provide unique opportunities for our students here at the College of Charleston. They will be able to do research projects in graphene nanocomposites that they otherwise could not.

The proposed project is expected to provide me with an opportunity for strong future collaborations with some of the young minds from a minority Muslim community, he continues. Results obtained during our investigation will be published in international peer-reviewed journals, with participating faculty and students from both institutions included as co-authors.

All three professors are honored to have the opportunities granted to them by the Fulbright Program, which was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 400,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. Now the largest and most diverse international educational exchange program in the world, the Fulbright Program is funded primarily by an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Attachments

Mike Robertson College of Charleston 8439535667 [email protected]

Source: College of Charleston
FILE PHOTO: The offices of gene sequencing company Illumina Inc are shown in San Diego, California January 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are expected to veto U.S. life sciences firm Illumina's acquisition of biotechnology company Grail, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

There are doubts whether concessions offered by Illumina last week to address the European Commission's concerns about the $8 billion cash-and-stock deal will boost competition, the people said.

The concessions include royalty-free global licences for some of its patents and a three-year patent truce with Chinese rival BGI in Europe.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jan Harvey)
FILE PHOTO: A Spirit Airlines Airbuys A320-200 airplane sits at a gate at the O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. October 2, 2014.REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo

By Anirban Sen and Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) -Spirit Airlines Inc canceled its $2.7 billion sale to Frontier Group Holdings Inc on Wednesday after Spirit shareholders balked at supporting it, leaving JetBlue Airways Corp with an opening to clinch a deal.

The development, first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, came after Spirit pushed back a shareholder vote on the Frontier deal four times, hoping it could muster enough support. Spirit had earlier argued that antitrust regulators were unlikely to clear JetBlue's $3.7 billion bid.

The outcome was a setback for Frontier and its chairman Bill Franke, who was instrumental in kicking off talks between the sides last year. Franke's airline-focused buyout firm, Indigo Partners, is a major shareholder in Frontier.

"While we are disappointed that Spirit Airlines shareholders failed to recognize the value and consumer potential inherent in our proposed combination, the Frontier board took a disciplined approach," Franke said in a statement.

A Frontier-Spirit combination would have reshaped the domestic travel landscape and marked the most consequential U.S. airline industry merger since Alaska Air Group bought Virgin America Inc for $2.6 billion in 2016.

JetBlue sees Spirit as an opportunity to expand its domestic footprint at a time when the U.S. airline industry is dogged by labor and aircraft shortages.

A sale of Spirit to Frontier or JetBlue would create the fifth-largest U.S. airline. Negotiations between JetBlue and Spirit are progressing favorably and a deal is possible in the next few weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

"We are pleased that the merger agreement with Frontier has been terminated and we are engaged in ongoing discussions with Spirit toward a consensual agreement as soon as possible," JetBlue said in a statement.

But Spirit also could choose to remain independent.

ANTITRUST RISK

Spirit has expressed concern about JetBlue's Northeast Alliance (NEA) partnership with American Airlines. The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against American and JetBlue in September seeking to end the alliance, saying it would lead to higher fares in busy airports in the U.S. Northeast.

JetBlue so far has refused to pull out of the alliance and instead offered other sweeteners like a higher breakup fee and route divestments.

Frontier shares rose 6.4% to close at $11.27 as investors expressed relief that the company exited what had become a bidding war for Spirit. Spirit shares rose 4% to $24.30, while JetBlue shares rose 3.6% to $8.35.

With the end of the proposed Spirit-Frontier tie-up, Spirit will pay Frontier $25 million for merger-related costs that it incurred. As per the terms of the deal, Spirit would owe Frontier an additional $69 million if it ends up striking a merger deal with JetBlue or any other competitor within the next 12 months.

Now that Spirit Airlines has terminated the Frontier merger agreement, we hope that Frontier management will put aside its merger distraction and invest the same amount of resources and focus to improving conditions at their own airline," said the Frontier pilots' union, which is a subset of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

(Reporting by Anirban Sen and Greg Roumeliotis in New York, additional reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Chizu Nomiyama, Will Dunham, Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio)
San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2022) - Ambisafe, a blockchain software company that was founded by Andrii Zamovsky in 2015, announces the launch of a new product, Tabla.

Tabla is a capitalization table management software for companies and funds, which is built on blockchain. It allows different organizations to issue tokenized shares and sell them through multiple crypto exchanges. This way, businesses can launch private and public sales, raise funds, track their capital structure and boost asset liquidity.

Tokenized shares are a digital representation of traditional shares. With the help of blockchain technology, stocks are issued in digital form and become much easier to sell and transfer.

"Companies all over the world choose stock tokenization these days, and I'm sure this trend will get even more massive in the future. Tokenized shares are a perfect solution for all parties as they allow for easy fundraising and help retail investors get a hold of pricey shares," - Andrii Zamovsky, Founder & CEO of Ambisafe and Tabla.

Tokenized stock is a powerful tool both for companies and investors since it enables greater security, speed, diversification and full automation.

Companies can already benefit from all the Tabla features mentioned above and get a free consultation on the official website.

About Ambisafe

Ambisafe is a tokenized equity issuance services provider. Ambisafe's vision is to create the blockchain infrastructure to allow for direct access to financial markets globally. Ambisafe's founding team has been pioneering cryptocurrency development since 2010, launching the first multi-currency wallet in 2014 and the first initial exchange offering in 2017, before the term was coined.

Media contacts

Company: Ambisafe Inc.

Contact: Andrii Zamovsky

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ambisafeco

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: https://ambisafe.com/

SOURCE: Ambisafe Inc.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132079
FILE PHOTO: Workers work inside the clean room of U.S. semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology Inc where computer chips are made, in Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S., April, 2022 in this handout picture acquired by Reuters on July 19, 2022. SkyWater Te

By David Shepardson and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed sweeping legislation to subsidize the domestic semiconductor industry, hoping to boost companies as they compete with China and alleviate a persistent shortage that has affected everything from cars, weapons, washing machines and video games.

The House of Representatives plans to vote on Thursday on the long-awaited bill after the Senate passed it on a 64 to 33 bipartisan vote. If approved as expected, President Joe Biden plans to sign it into law early next week.

The "Chips and Science" act provides about $52 billion in government subsidies for U.S. semiconductor production and an investment tax credit for chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion.

The legislation would also authorize more than $170 billion over five years to boost U.S. scientific research to better compete with China. Congress would still need to pass separate appropriations legislation to fund those investments.

"This legislation is going to create good paying jobs, it will alleviate supply chains, it will help lower costs, and it will protect Americas national security interests," the Senate's Democratic majority leader, Chuck Schumer.

Senator Mark Warner said the bill would help fund 10 to 15 new semiconductor factories. "If we had not done this, there would not be another American semiconductor manufacturing plant ever built in this country," Warner said.

Others noted China had lobbied against the bill.

"This is a bad day for President Xi and the Chinese Communist party," said Senator John Cornyn. "The slumbering giant that is America has finally awakened to the challenge that we face from the People's Republic of China."

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said China "firmly opposed" the bill which it said was "entrenched in the Cold-War and zero-sum game mentality and runs counter to the common aspiration of people from all sectors in China and the US to strengthen exchanges and cooperation."

Most of the funding was slated for new factories that will take two or three years to build. Boeing Co said it still faces supply chain issues from chips shortages.

On Tuesday, General Motors Co said it had more than 90,000 unfinished vehicles, mostly trucks and SUVs, waiting for chips and other parts. Thousands are parked in southeast Michigan.

Lawmakers said they normally would not support hefty subsidies for private businesses but noted that China and the European Union have been awarding billions in incentives. They also cited national security risks.

"What we became convinced of is there was a real problem here," Senator Maria Cantwell. "When faced with what is really a threat to the United States competitiveness, we responded... There were people betting against us."

MONTHS OF WORK

The bill's enactment into law would come after well over a year of work. A more extensive version of the legislation passed the Senate with great fanfare in June 2021, but stalled in the House. This frustrated lawmakers from both parties who view competition with China and global supply chain issues as top priorities.

To spur Congress to act, Biden and other supporters of the bill cast the issue in national security terms, saying it was essential to ensure U.S. production of chips crucial to a wide range of consumer goods and military equipment.

Senator Mark Kelly said if the U.S. lost access to chips made in Taiwan it could shrink U.S. Gross Domestic Product by 10% and cripple auto production.

Biden urged the House to quickly pass the bill.

"As Americans are worried about the state of the economy and the cost of living, the CHIPS bill is one answer: it will accelerate the manufacturing of semiconductors in America, lowering prices on everything from cars to dishwashers," he said in a statement after the Senate vote.

Critics like Senator Bernie Sanders - the only member of the Senate Democratic caucus to vote against the bill - have called the measure a "blank check" to highly profitable chip manufacturers.

Lawmakers are working on other provisions that could address other supply chain vulnerabilities.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
Telix and BAMF Health use Illuccix (kit for the preparation of Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection) for the first time with uEXPLORER total-body PET scanner for prostate cancer imaging

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. and INDIANAPOLIS, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The PSMA-PET[1] imaging agent Illuccix from Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (Telix) has been used in combination with the uEXPLORER, a first-of-its kind total-body PET scanner from United Imaging for the first time. This week, nine men with prostate cancer underwent the procedure at BAMF Health on the "Medical Mile" in Grand Rapids.

The uEXPLORER is the world's first and only medical imaging 3D scanner capable of capturing the total human body in a single bed position and allows physicians to conduct a total-body PET scan in less than 10 minutes  compared to 30-40 minutes in a conventional PET/CT. The scan may potentially open significant testing capacity for physicians, with some medical facilities able to image up to 40 patients per day[2] with uEXPLORER.

BAMF Health is a leading "theranostics" (therapeutic and diagnostic) cancer treatment center that delivers precision medicine through artificial intelligence-enabled molecular imaging and theranostics. Telix launched Illuccix for prostate cancer imaging in April in the United States and has a pipeline of imaging and therapeutic agents in development to potentially detect and treat a range of cancers and rare diseases through targeted radiation.

Illuccix, after radiolabeling with Ga 68, is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:

with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy.

with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.

PSMA-PET is a diagnostic tool clinically demonstrated to detect advanced diseases that may not appear in conventional imaging[3] and is now included in key clinical practice guidelines for prostate cancer, such as the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.[4]

The molecular imaging and molecular therapy clinics at the BAMF Health Theranostics Center include an on-site dual cyclotron-equipped radiopharmacy. Dr. Matt DeLong, vice president, radiopharmacy at BAMF Health, said, "We are beyond excited to have been able to prepare and dispense the Illuccix doses on demand. The flexibility of the Illuccix kit enables us to leverage the capability of both the cyclotrons and generators within the radiopharmacy."

The uEXPLORER, which is manufactured by global medical imaging equipment provider United Imaging, includes increased geometric coverage of the body and improved timing resolution, thereby increasing sensitivity and reducing the time of a scan from 40 minutes to less than 10 minutes.[5]

Dr. Christian Behrenbruch, Group CEO and Managing Director of Telix Pharmaceuticals said, "This is an important technological development for patients and medical teams alike. PSMA-PET imaging has been one of the most important developments in prostate cancer detection and nuclear medicine in recent years  and is already being rapidly adopted by medical teams managing men with prostate cancer. We're excited to explore this approach to total-body PSMA-PET imaging with BAMF Health and to demonstrate our shared commitment to ongoing innovation in this field."

Dr. Harshad Kulkarni, BAMF Health Chief Medical Advisor, said, "At BAMF Health we are focused on bringing new theranostic technologies and treatment options to patients in the United States. This partnership brings together imaging hardware technology and radiopharmaceutical developments. The uEXPLORER has the potential to offer increased sensitivity and faster scan time. These efficiencies may help get patients vital information about their cancer and allow us to see more patients in need. The uEXPLORER may be useful for medical teams managing a high volume of patients, and for patients who prefer less time in a PET/CT."

Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer among men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 268,000 men in the U.S. will be affected this year by prostate cancer, and nearly 35,000 will die from the disease. Reliable and accessible diagnostic tools are essential for treatment teams in narrowing the gap between accurate staging and appropriate individualized treatment by health care professionals.

About Illuccix

Telix's lead product, Illuccix (kit for preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as 68Ga PSMA-11) injection) for prostate cancer imaging, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[6] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).[7] Telix is also progressing marketing authorisation applications for this investigational candidate in Europe[8] and Canada.[9]

Indication

Illuccix, after radiolabeling with Ga 68, is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:

with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy

with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATIONWARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Risk for Misdiagnosis

Image interpretation errors can occur with gallium Ga 68 gozetotide PET. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. The performance of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide for imaging of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels and by site of disease. The performance of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide for imaging of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by Gleason score. Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as non-malignant processes such as Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, and osteophytosis. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.

Radiation Risks

Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide contributes to a patient's overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer. Ensure safe handling to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and health care workers. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The safety of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide was evaluated in 960 patients, each receiving one dose of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide. The average injected activity was 188.7  40.7 MBq (5.1  1.1 mCi). No serious adverse reactions were attributed to gallium Ga 68 gozetotide. The most commonly reported adverse reactions were nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness, occurring at a rate of

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Androgen deprivation therapy and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, can result in changes in uptake of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide PET has not been established.

You are encouraged to report suspected adverse reactions of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report adverse reactions to Telix by calling 1-844-455-8638 or emailing: [email protected]

Please note this information is not comprehensive. Please see full Prescribing Information at illuccix.com

About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic products using Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR). Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in Belgium, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn.

About BAMF Health

BAMF (Bold Advanced Medical Future) Health is achieving Intelligence-Based Precision Medicine through Artificial Intelligence enabled Molecular Imaging and Molecular Targeted Radiation Therapy. The company's flagship location in Grand Rapids, Michigan will include the world's most advanced cyclotron-equipped Radiopharmacy, imaging clinic, and Theranostic clinic, and will open inside of the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building in Summer 2022. To learn more, visit bamfhealth.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About United Imaging

At United Imaging, we develop and produce advanced medical products, digital healthcare solutions, and intelligent solutions that cover the entire process of imaging diagnosis and treatment. Founded in 2011, our company has subsidiaries and R&D centers across the world. Our North American headquarters in Houston includes our corporate offices, factory, product showroom, service training center, and service parts distribution center. With a cutting-edge digital portfolio and a mission of Equal Healthcare for All, and with innovative purchasing programs like All-in Configurations and Software Upgrades for Life, we help drive industry progress and bold change. To learn more, visit united-imaging.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @UnitedImagingHC.

Telix Investor Relations

Ms. Kyahn WilliamsonTelix Pharmaceuticals LimitedSVP Corporate Communications and Investor RelationsEmail: [email protected]

Telix Media Relations (Americas Region)

Mr. Greg KuetermanEmail: [email protected]

This announcement has been authorised for release by the disclosure committee of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Legal Notices

This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. You should read this announcement together with our risk factors, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX or on our website.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Telix disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or a change in expectations or assumptions.

The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved).

[1] Prostate specific membrane antigen / positron emission tomography[2] Cherry et al, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2018, Vol 59, No 1[3] Kase, A, et al The Continuum of Metastatic Prostate Cancer: InterpretingPSMA PET Findings in Recurrent Prostate Cancer Cancers 2022, 14, 1361.[4] NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Prostate Cancer V.3.2022. Available at: https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/category_1.[5] Cherry et al, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2018, Vol 59, No 1[6] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021.[7] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021.[8] ASX disclosure 10 December 2021.[9] ASX disclosure 16 December 2020.

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SOURCE Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) generated net sales of $3.244 billion during the second quarter of 2022, growing 5.4 percent on a reported basis, 9.6 percent on an operational1 basis and 6.6 percent on an organic2 basis, all compared to the prior year period. The company reported GAAP net income available to common stockholders of $246 million or $0.17 per share (EPS), compared to $172 million or $0.12 per share a year ago, and achieved adjusted3 EPS of $0.44 for the period, compared to $0.40 a year ago.

"We had another quarter of excellent performance, a testament to the talent of our global team, the sustainability and diversification of our innovative medical technology portfolio and our strong market positions amid continued macroeconomic challenges," said Mike Mahoney, chairman and chief executive officer, Boston Scientific. "As we continue to execute our strategy, we have a tremendous opportunity to continue to deliver on our promise to bring life-changing devices and therapies to more patients who need them."

Second quarter financial results and recent developments:

Reported net sales of $3.244 billion, representing an increase of 5.4 percent on a reported basis, compared to the company's guidance range of 3 to 6 percent; 9.6 percent on an operational basis; and 6.6 percent on an organic basis, compared to the company's guidance range of 3 to 6 percent, all compared to the prior year period.

Reported GAAP net income available to common stockholders of $0.17 per share, compared to the company's guidance range of $0.19 to $0.23 per share, and achieved adjusted EPS of $0.44 per share, compared to the guidance range of $0.41 to $0.43 per share.

Achieved net sales growth in each reportable segment4, compared to the prior year period:

MedSurg: 4.5 percent reported, 7.9 percent operational and 4.8 percent organic



Cardiovascular: 6.0 percent reported, 10.8 percent operational and 7.8 percent organic

Achieved the following regional net sales growth/(decline), compared to the prior year period:

U.S.: 7.4 percent reported and operational



EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa): (0.3) percent reported and 11.8 percent operational



APAC (Asia-Pacific): 1.9 percent reported and 11.2 percent operational



Emerging Markets5: 18.9 percent reported and 26.0 percent operational

Received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for and launched the VersaCross Connect LAAC Access Solution developed by Baylis Medical, featuring a shapable dilator and the radiofrequency (RF) energy technology of the VersaCross RF Transseptal Solution, compatible with the WATCHMAN FXD Curve Access Sheath to provide safe and efficient access to the left side of the heart for WATCHMAN FLX implants.

developed by Baylis Medical, featuring a shapable dilator and the radiofrequency (RF) energy technology of the VersaCross RF Transseptal Solution, compatible with the WATCHMAN FXD Curve Access Sheath to provide safe and efficient access to the left side of the heart for WATCHMAN FLX implants. Received National Medical Products Administration approval in China for the Tria Firm Ureteral Stent . The Tria stent incorporates proprietary PercuShield technology engineered to provide protection against the accumulation of both urine calcium and magnesium salt deposits during indwell.

. The Tria stent incorporates proprietary PercuShield technology engineered to provide protection against the accumulation of both urine calcium and magnesium salt deposits during indwell. Late-breaking data from 54,000 patients in the NCDR-LAAO Registry presented at Heart Rhythm 2022 demonstrated that the WATCHMAN FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) Device was associated with a significantly lower (43% reduction) rate of in-hospital major adverse events compared with the previous-generation device driven by lower rates of pericardial effusion requiring intervention and major bleeding.

was associated with a significantly lower (43% reduction) rate of in-hospital major adverse events compared with the previous-generation device driven by lower rates of pericardial effusion requiring intervention and major bleeding. Late-breaking registry dataincluding a European study presented at TVT and the latest data from the Italian ITAL-neo Registry presented at EuroPCRsupported reduced paravalvular leak (PVL) and superior performance of the ACURATE neo2  Aortic Valve System over the previous-generation valve.

over the previous-generation valve. The investigator-sponsored ATLAS trial demonstrated a highly significant 92 percent reduction in serious lead-related complications at six months for the EMBLEM Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator (S-ICD) compared to single chamber transvenous ICD devices. ATLAS is the first prospective randomized controlled trial whose primary objective was to evaluate lead-related complication rates between the S-ICD and single chamber TV-ICD devices at six months after implant.

compared to single chamber transvenous ICD devices. ATLAS is the first prospective randomized controlled trial whose primary objective was to evaluate lead-related complication rates between the S-ICD and single chamber TV-ICD devices at six months after implant. Completed enrollment in the ADVENT clinical triala prospective, multi-center, randomized safety and effectiveness pivotal study comparing the FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System to standard-of-care ablation in patients with paroxysmalor intermittent atrial fibrillation (AF) with a primary endpoint of freedom from AF at 12 months after a single ablation procedure.

to standard-of-care ablation in patients with paroxysmalor intermittent atrial fibrillation (AF) with a primary endpoint of freedom from AF at 12 months after a single ablation procedure. Completed enrollment in the NEwTON AF clinical trial  a prospective, multi-center, single-arm study to establish the safety and effectiveness of the I NTELLANAV STABLEPOINT Ablation Catheter and Force-Sensing System in patients with symptomatic, drug-refractory, recurrent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

in patients with symptomatic, drug-refractory, recurrent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Announced agreement to purchase the majority stake of M.I.Tech Co., Ltd from Synergy Innovation Co., Ltd, subject to customary closing conditions, to broaden and complement the Boston Scientific portfolio of gastrointestinal and airway stents.

Released 2021 Performance Report, highlighting the company's achievements in advancing environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities to transform care, invest in employees, accelerate possibilities, protect the environment and create value responsibly.

1. Operational net sales growth excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. 2. Organic net sales growth excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and net sales attributable to acquisitions and divestitures for which there are less than a full period of comparable net sales. 3. Adjusted EPS excludes the impacts of certain charges (credits) which may include amortization expense, goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, acquisition/divestiture-related net charges (credits), investment portfolio gains and losses, restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits), certain litigation-related net charges (credits), EU MDR implementation costs, debt extinguishment charges, deferred tax expenses (benefits) and discrete tax items. 4. In the first quarter of 2022, we reorganized our operational structure and have aggregated our core businesses, each of which generate revenues from the sale of medical devices (Medical Devices), into two reportable segments comprised of MedSurg and Cardiovascular. Within the Cardiovascular segment, the newly formed Cardiology division represents the combined former Rhythm Management and Interventional Cardiology businesses. We have revised prior period amounts to conform to the current year presentation. 5. We define Emerging Markets as the 20 countries that we believe have strong growth potential based on their economic conditions, healthcare sectors and our global capabilities.

Net sales for the second quarter by business and region:

Increase/(Decrease) Three Months Ended June 30, Reported Basis Less: Impact of Foreign CurrencyFluctuations Operational Basis Less: Impact of Recent Acquisitions/ Divestitures Organic Basis (in millions) 2022 2021 Endoscopy $ 560 $ 551 1.6 % (4.3) % 5.8 %  % 5.8 % Urology and Pelvic Health 450 397 13.4 % (2.8) % 16.2 % 9.2 % 7.0 % Neuromodulation 239 247 (3.4) % (2.4) % (1.0) %  % (1.0) % MedSurg4 1,248 1,195 4.5 % (3.4) % 7.9 % 3.1 % 4.8 % Cardiology 1,517 1,410 7.6 % (4.8) % 12.5 % 4.0 % 8.5 % Peripheral Interventions 478 473 1.2 % (4.5) % 5.7 %  % 5.7 % Cardiovascular4 1,996 1,883 6.0 % (4.7) % 10.8 % 3.0 % 7.8 % Medical Devices4 3,244 3,077 5.4 % (4.2) % 9.6 % 3.0 % 6.6 % Net Sales $ 3,244 $ 3,077 5.4 % (4.2) % 9.6 % 3.0 % 6.6 %

Increase/(Decrease) Three Months Ended June 30, Reported Basis Less: Impact of Foreign Currency Fluctuations Operational Basis (in millions) 2022 2021 U.S. $ 1,933 $ 1,800 7.4 %  % 7.4 % EMEA 660 662 (0.3) % (12.2) % 11.8 % APAC 530 520 1.9 % (9.3) % 11.2 % Latin America and Canada 120 95 26.8 % (1.1) % 27.9 % Medical Devices4 3,244 3,077 5.4 % (4.2) % 9.6 % Net Sales $ 3,244 $ 3,077 5.4 % (4.2) % 9.6 % Emerging Markets5 $ 427 $ 359 18.9 % (7.1) % 26.0 % Amounts may not add due to rounding. Growth rates are based on actual, non-rounded amounts and may not recalculate precisely. Growth rates that exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and/or the impact of acquisitions / divestitures are not prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Guidance for Full Year and Third Quarter 2022

The company now estimates net sales growth for the full year 2022, versus the prior year period, to be in a range of approximately 6.5 to 7.5 percent on a reported basis, and approximately 8 to 9 percent on an organic basis. Full year organic net sales guidance excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and net sales attributable to acquisitions and divestitures for which there are less than a full period of comparable net sales. The company now estimates EPS on a GAAP basis in a range of $0.69 to $0.76 and estimates adjusted EPS, excluding certain charges (credits), of $1.74 to $1.77.

The company estimates net sales growth for the third quarter of 2022, versus the prior year period, to be in a range of approximately 6 to 8 percent on a reported basis, and approximately 8 to 10 percent on an organic basis. Third quarter organic net sales guidance excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and net sales attributable to acquisitions and divestitures for which there are less than a full period of comparable net sales. The company estimates EPS on a GAAP basis in a range of $0.20 to $0.24 and adjusted EPS, excluding certain charges (credits), of $0.43 to $0.45.

Conference Call Information

Boston Scientific management will be discussing these results with analysts on a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET. The company will webcast the call to interested parties through its website: www.bostonscientific.com. Please see the website for details on how to access the webcast. The webcast will be available for approximately one year on the Boston Scientific website.

About Boston Scientific Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "may," "intend" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our expected net sales; reported, operational and organic revenue growth rates; reported and adjusted EPS for the third quarter and full year 2022; our financial performance; our business plans and product performance; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's results of operations. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include, among other things: the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial results; the impact of foreign currency fluctuations; future U.S. and global economic, political, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; manufacturing, distribution and supply chain disruptions and cost increases; disruptions caused by cybersecurity events; disruptions caused by extreme weather or other climate change-related events; labor shortages and increases in labor costs; new product introductions; expected procedural volumes; the closing and integration of acquisitions; demographic trends; intellectual property rights; litigation; financial market conditions; the execution and effect of our business strategy, including our cost-savings and growth initiatives; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors. New risks and uncertainties may arise from time to time and are difficult to predict, including those that have emerged or have increased in significance or likelihood as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Note: Amounts reported in millions within this press release are computed based on the amounts in thousands. As a result, the sum of the components reported in millions may not equal the total amount reported in millions due to rounding. Certain columns and rows within tables may not add due to the use of rounded numbers. Percentages presented are calculated from the underlying numbers in dollars.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information A reconciliation of the company's non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures, and an explanation of the company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures, is included in the exhibits attached to this press release.

CONTACT: Media: Kate Haranis Investors: Lauren Tengler 508-683-6585 (office) 508-683-4479 (office) Media Relations Investor Relations Boston Scientific Corporation Boston Scientific Corporation [email protected] [email protected]

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, in millions, except per share data 2022 2021 2022 2021 Net sales $ 3,244 $ 3,077 $ 6,270 $ 5,829 Cost of products sold 1,011 945 1,966 1,839 Gross profit 2,233 2,132 4,304 3,990 Operating expenses: Selling, general and administrative expenses 1,165 1,121 2,225 2,139 Research and development expenses 335 298 654 574 Royalty expense 11 12 23 24 Amortization expense 204 180 402 365 Intangible asset impairment charges 7 45 7 45 Contingent consideration net expense (benefit) 36 (85) 48 (91) Restructuring net charges (credits) 11 3 14 8 Litigation-related net charges (credits) 42 298 42 302 Gain on disposal of businesses and assets  (2)  (9) 1,810 1,870 3,415 3,358 Operating income (loss) 423 262 889 632 Other income (expense): Interest expense (64) (86) (343) (168) Other, net (14) (26) (46) 11 Income (loss) before income taxes 345 149 501 474 Income tax expense (benefit) 85 (37) 131 (53) Net income (loss) $ 260 $ 186 $ 370 $ 527 Preferred stock dividends (14) (14) (28) (28) Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ 246 $ 172 $ 342 $ 500 Net income (loss) per common share - basic $ 0.17 $ 0.12 $ 0.24 $ 0.35 Net income (loss) per common share - assuming dilution $ 0.17 $ 0.12 $ 0.24 $ 0.35 Weighted-average shares outstanding Basic 1,429.7 1,421.3 1,428.8 1,420.0 Assuming dilution 1,437.8 1,432.5 1,438.1 1,431.7

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION NON-GAAP NET INCOME AND NET INCOME PER SHARE RECONCILIATIONS (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 (in millions, except per share data) Gross Profit Operating Expenses OperatingIncome (Loss) Other Income (Expense) Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes Net Income(Loss) Preferred Stock Dividends Net Income (Loss)Available toCommonStockholders Impact per Share (1) Reported $ 2,233 $ 1,810 $ 423 $ (78) $ 345 $ 260 $ (14) $ 246 $ 0.17 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization expense  (204) 204  204 175  175 0.12 Intangible asset impairment charges  (7) 7  7 7  7 0.00 Acquisition / divestiture-related net charges (credits) 23 (67) 91  91 95  95 0.07 Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits) 17 (18) 35  35 30  30 0.02 Litigation-related net charges (credits)  (42) 42  42 33  33 0.02 Investment portfolio net losses (gains)    4 4 2  2 0.00 EU MDR implementation costs 11 (6) 17  17 14  14 0.01 Debt extinguishment charges    0 0 0  0 0.00 Deferred tax expenses (benefits)      34  34 0.02 Discrete tax items      (1)  (1) (0.00) Adjusted $ 2,284 $ 1,466 $ 818 $ (74) $ 744 $ 649 $ (14) $ 635 $ 0.44 (1) For the three months ended June 30, 2022, the effect of assuming the conversion of Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock (MCPS) into shares of common stock was anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of EPS. Accordingly, GAAP net income and adjusted net income were reduced by cumulative Preferred stock dividends, as presented in our unaudited consolidated statements of operations, for purposes of calculating net income available to common stockholders. Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 (in millions, except per share data) Gross Profit OperatingExpenses Operating Income(Loss) Other Income(Expense) Income(Loss) Before Income Taxes Net Income (Loss) Preferred StockDividends Net Income (Loss)Available to Common Stockholders Impact per Share (1) Reported $ 2,132 $ 1,870 $ 262 $ (113) $ 149 $ 186 $ (14) $ 172 $ 0.12 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization expense  (180) 180  180 161  161 0.11 Intangible asset impairment charges  (45) 45  45 39  39 0.03 Acquisition / divestiture-related net charges (credits) 7 70 (63) (1) (64) (65)  (65) (0.05) Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits) 22 (16) 39  39 35  35 0.02 Litigation-related net charges (credits)  (298) 298  298 229  229 0.16 Investment portfolio net losses (gains)    6 6 5  5 0.00 EU MDR implementation costs 8 (4) 12  12 11  11 0.01 Deferred tax expenses (benefits)      25  25 0.02 Discrete tax items      (35)  (35) (0.02) Adjusted $ 2,169 $ 1,396 $ 773 $ (107) $ 665 $ 591 $ (14) $ 577 $ 0.40 (1) For the three months ended June 30, 2021, the effect of assuming the conversion of Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock (MCPS) into shares of common stock was anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of EPS. Accordingly, GAAP net income and adjusted net income were reduced by cumulative Preferred stock dividends, as presented in our unaudited consolidated statements of operations, for purposes of calculating net income available to common stockholders. An explanation of the company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures is provided at the end of this document.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION NON-GAAP NET INCOME AND NET INCOME PER SHARE RECONCILIATIONS (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 in millions, except per share data Gross Profit Operating Expenses Operating Income (Loss) Other Income (Expense) Income(Loss)Before Income Taxes Net Income(Loss) Preferred Stock Dividends Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders Impact per Share (1) Reported $ 4,304 $ 3,415 $ 889 $ (388) $ 501 $ 370 $ (28) $ 342 $ 0.24 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization expense  (402) 402  402 345  345 0.24 Intangible asset impairment charges  (7) 7  7 7  7 0.00 Acquisition / divestiture-related net charges (credits) 50 (112) 163  163 167  167 0.12 Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits) 35 (29) 64  64 55  55 0.04 Litigation-related net charges (credits)  (42) 42  42 33  33 0.02 Investment portfolio net losses (gains)    11 11 7  7 0.00 EU MDR implementation costs 21 (12) 33  33 28  28 0.02 Debt extinguishment charges    194 194 149  149 0.10 Deferred tax expenses (benefits)      63  63 0.04 Discrete tax items         (0.00) Adjusted $ 4,411 $ 2,811 $ 1,599 $ (183) $ 1,416 $ 1,224 $ (28) $ 1,197 $ 0.83 (1) For the six months ended June 30, 2022, the effect of assuming the conversion of MCPS into shares of common stock was anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of EPS. Accordingly, GAAP net income and adjusted net income were reduced by cumulative Preferred stock dividends, as presented in our unaudited consolidated statements of operations, for purposes of calculating net income available to common stockholders. Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 in millions, except per share data GrossProfit Operating Expenses OperatingIncome (Loss) OtherIncome (Expense) Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes Net Income (Loss) Preferred StockDividends Net Income (Loss)Available to Common Stockholders Impact per Share (1) Reported $ 3,990 $ 3,358 $ 632 $ (157) $ 474 $ 527 $ (28) $ 500 $ 0.35 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization expense  (365) 365  365 328  328 0.23 Intangible asset impairment charges  (45) 45  45 39  39 0.03 Acquisition / divestiture-related net charges (credits) 21 34 (13) (199) (212) (219)  (219) (0.15) Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits) 40 (48) 88  88 79  79 0.05 Litigation-related net charges (credits)  (302) 302  302 233  233 0.16 Investment portfolio net losses (gains)    152 152 117  117 0.08 EU MDR implementation costs 15 (8) 23  23 20  20 0.01 Deferred tax expenses (benefits)      43  43 0.03 Discrete tax items      (38)  (38) (0.03) Adjusted $ 4,066 $ 2,625 $ 1,442 $ (205) $ 1,237 $ 1,129 $ (28) $ 1,102 $ 0.77 (1) For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the effect of assuming the conversion of MCPS into shares of common stock was anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of EPS. Accordingly, GAAP net income and adjusted net income were reduced by cumulative Preferred stock dividends, as presented in our unaudited consolidated statements of operations, for purposes of calculating net income available to common stockholders. An explanation of the company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures is provided at the end of this document.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION Q3 and FY 2022 GUIDANCE RECONCILIATIONS (Unaudited)

Net Sales

Q3 2022 Estimate Full Year 2022 Estimate (Low) (High) (Low) (High) Reported growth 6.0 % 8.0 % 6.5 % 7.5 % Less: Impact of foreign currency fluctuations (4.0) % (4.0) % (4.0) % (4.0) % Operational growth 10.0 % 12.0 % 10.5 % 11.5 % Less: Impact of certain acquisitions / divestitures 2.0 % 2.0 % 2.5 % 2.5 % Organic growth 8.0 % 10.0 % 8.0 % 9.0 %

Earnings per Share

Q3 2022 Estimate Full Year 2022 Estimate (Low) (High) (Low) (High) GAAP results $ 0.20 $ 0.24 $ 0.69 $ 0.76 Amortization expense 0.12 0.12 0.48 0.48 Acquisition / divestiture-related net charges (credits) 0.05 0.04 0.19 0.18 Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits) 0.03 0.02 0.09 0.07 Litigation-related net charges (credits)   0.02 0.02 Debt extinguishment charges   0.10 0.10 Other adjustments 0.04 0.04 0.15 0.14 Adjusted results $ 0.43 $ 0.45 $ 1.74 $ 1.77

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our unaudited consolidated financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, we disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) available to common stockholders and adjusted net income (loss) per share (EPS) that exclude certain amounts; operational net sales, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations; and organic net sales, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations as well as the impact of certain acquisitions and divestitures with less than a full period of comparable net sales. These non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and should not be considered in isolation from or as a replacement for the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Further, other companies may calculate these non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, which may limit the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.

To calculate adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) available to common stockholders and adjusted net income (loss) per share we exclude certain charges (credits) from GAAP net income (loss) and GAAP net income (loss) available to common stockholders. Amounts are presented after-tax at the company's effective tax rate, unless the amount is a significant unusual or infrequently occurring item in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740-270-30, "General Methodology and Use of Estimated Annual Effective Tax Rate." Please refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report filed on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that we file thereafter for an explanation of each of these adjustments and the reasons for excluding each item.

The GAAP financial measures most directly comparable to adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) available to common stockholders and adjusted net income (loss) per share are GAAP net income (loss), GAAP net income (loss) available to common stockholders and GAAP net income (loss) per common share - assuming dilution, respectively.

To calculate operational net sales growth rates, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, we convert actual net sales from local currency to U.S. dollars using constant foreign currency exchange rates in the current and prior periods. To calculate organic net sales growth rates, we also remove the impact of acquisitions and divestitures with less than a full period of comparable net sales. The GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to operational net sales and organic net sales is net sales on a GAAP basis.

Reconciliations of each of these non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP financial measure are included in the accompanying schedules.

Management uses these supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate performance period over period, to analyze the underlying trends in our business, to assess our performance relative to our competitors and to establish operational goals and forecasts that are used in allocating resources. In addition, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to further its understanding of the performance of our operating segments. The adjustments excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures are consistent with those excluded from our operating segments' measures of net sales and profit or loss. These adjustments are excluded from the segment measures reported to our chief operating decision maker that are used to make operating decisions and assess performance.

We believe that presenting adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) available to common stockholders, adjusted net income (loss) per share, operational net sales growth rates and organic net sales growth rates, in addition to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides investors greater transparency to the information used by management for its operational decision-making and allows investors to see our results "through the eyes" of management. We further believe that providing this information assists our investors in understanding our operating performance and the methodology used by management to evaluate and measure such performance.

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SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation
DURHAM, N.C., July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bio Products Laboratory USA (BPL), our US affiliate located in Durham, NC, has been awarded as a 'Best Place to Work 2022' by the Triangle Business Journal. This is the second time that BPL USA has won this award, the first being in 2020.

BPL USA was one of 50 companies selected for the award based on employee survey results that examined communication and resources, manager effectiveness, personal engagement, individual needs, team dynamics, and trust in leadership. Eligible companies were required to have at least 10 employees in the 16 counties that make up the Triangle region.

The Triangle region is a thriving business community in a fast-paced, high-tech area of North Carolina, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham, and home to a hotbed of well-known and emerging healthcare & technology companies. North Carolina has received a number of recent accolades, including being ranked as the nation's "Top State Business Climate" in 2020 and 2021 by Site Selection magazine, and ranking No. 2 on CNBC's "America's Top States for Business" list for 2021.

"We are honored to be recognised again for this award," said Bob Rossilli, US President and Chief Commercial Officer, Global Business at BPL. "As a team, we have a razor-sharp focus on delivering high-quality and clinically differentiated medicines. These are underpinned by our values, which drive how we interact with each other, and how we work together to achieve results. We are very proud to work for a company that allows us to create a sense of purpose, team cohesion, and a sense of belonging and commitment.

I believe it's our strong and differentiating corporate culture that makes us such a great place to work. Congratulations to the BPL USA team and other finalists. We look forward to celebrating with all the winners in August."

This award is further testimony of BPL's increasingly positive impact in the rare disease space. By building a culture of integrity and teamwork, and with a patient-first approach, the BPL USA team look forward to continuing its commitment to patients by raising awareness and supporting the ongoing development of innovative medicines for the world's rarest conditions.

About Bio Products Laboratory (BPL)Recognising the importance of plasma and with many years of experience in the industry, BPL supplies high-quality plasma derived medicines to meet the needs of clinicians, patients, and customers globally. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, with a US affiliate in Durham, NC, and plasma collection centres across the United States, we are dedicated to producing medicines for the treatment of immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders and infectious diseases as well for critical care. BPL invests in the latest R&D, technology, and manufacturing methods, and continuously adapts to ensure that we continue to serve all our stakeholders effectively. For more information visit http://www.bplgroup.com or https://www.bpl-us.com.

BPL consists of two operating divisions  BPL Plasma and BPL Therapeutics. BPL Plasma, headquartered in Austin, Texas and operating in the USA, collects plasma from donors in around 29 centers across the U.S. BPL Plasma employs over 900 staff to support the needs of donors and to ensure high-quality plasma collection in all their centers. Plasma collection is regulated by both FDA and MHRA, and BPL Plasma follows industry guidelines. BPL Plasma operates plasma facilities, staffed with trained personnel, dedicated to supporting donors through the process that leads to the donation of plasma. Plasma is shipped to the headquarters of BPL Therapeutics in Elstree, United Kingdom. The plasma is fractionated, purified, and filled through the efforts of our over 1,000 employees involved in production, quality, R&D, commercial, customer services, and administrative activities. BPL's plasma-derived medicines are commercially available in the U.K., USA, and 30 plus other countries around the world through our network of local affiliates and distribution partners.

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SOURCE Bio Products Laboratory
MONTREAL, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE)  Representatives of the media, analysts and institutional investors are invited to attend CAE's 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually on Wednesday, August 10, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Management will review the activities of fiscal year 2022 and present the financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 ended June 30, 2022.

A conference call specific to CAE's fiscal year 2023 first quarter financial results will be held at 1:30 pm ET.

CAE's FY2022 Virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer When: Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET Where: The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held virtually via a live webcast available at cae.com/investors/ or at https://web.lumiagm.com/460315137. The webcast will be archived following the event.

Media availability

Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer will be available at the Four Seasons Hotel in Montreal to answer questions from the media following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders at 12:00 p.m. ET. Please confirm your presence at [email protected].

Representatives of the media who cannot join this media availability are welcome to join the usual conference call related to our first quarter financial results at 1:30 p.m. ET on the same day (see below).

FY2023 first quarter financial results

CAE will also release its fiscal year 2023 first quarter financial results on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. A conference call will be held at 1:30 p.m. ET to provide analysts and institutional investors with a review of CAE's performance.

Management will participate in this call intended for financial analysts and institutional investors. Members of the media will have the opportunity to ask questions immediately after the analysts' question period.

Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Arnovitz, CAE's Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management What: CAE's FY2023 Q1 financial results When: Wednesday, August 10, 2022 - 1:30 p.m. ET Webcast: The conference call will be audio Webcast live for the public at https://www.gowebcasting.com/events/cae/2022/08/10/first-quarter-financial-results-fy2023/play and will also be archived for 90 days following the event at www.cae.com/investors/

Conference call:

Country Phone Number NORTH AMERICA 8775863392 CANADA +1 416 981 9024 AUSTRALIA 1800003925 BELGIUM 080077657 FRANCE 0800919393 GERMANY 08001816101 NETHERLANDS 08000222280 SINGAPORE 8001012594 UNITED KINGDOM 08004960381

Instant replay (available three hours after the call ends for 48 hours): +1-800-558-5253 or +1-416-626-4100 - Access code: 22019893

About CAE

At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, airlines, defence and security forces, and healthcare practitioners to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us to be with more than 13,000 employees in more than 200 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents 75 years of industry firststhe highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators, surgical manikins, and personalized training programs powered by artificial intelligence. We're investing our time and resources into building the next generation of cutting-edge, digitally immersive training and critical operations solutions while keeping positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact at the core of our mission. Today and tomorrow, we'll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.

Read our FY22 Annual Activity and Corporate Social Responsibility Report

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SOURCE CAE INC.
QINGDAO, China, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, released a digital female figure on July 21, unveiling its first ever digital urban recommendation officer who is expected to help promote the image of the citypro

Named "Qingdao Xiaoman", which means "Qingdao girl", the digital figure was created by the Qingdao-based company GOLDON under the direction of the Information Office of the People's Government of Qingdao. She showed up in the huge outdoor naked-eye 3D screen at Parkson Shopping Center at Zhongshan Road on the night of July 21 as the "Cultural Tourism Ambassador of Shinan District".

It is reported that Qingdao Xiaoman is 22, and never ages. She can speak various languages, and is very knowledgeable. She can travel through time and space to serve the city and the public with her abilities and talents. She is a steady, independent, decent and warm-hearted girl who sometimes may be a little bit lazy and naughty. She loves reading, singing, dancing, traveling and spotting delicious food, and hopes that she can help more people in the universe.

The digital figure incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as computer graphics, speech synthesis, motion capture, artificial intelligence and algorithm-driven technology. The smart girl will serve as a "guide" to interact in real time with the users in a multi-modal, low-delay way, leading them to tour the virtual city of Qingdao to experience the charm of local culture, scenery and food. She will be surely a good travel companion and friend for the tourists and citizens.

The digital figure is an epitome of Qingdao's increasing application of digital technology in its development. The old city of Qingdao will transform into the big "Digital Culture Park". The naked-eye 3D screen at Parkson Shopping Center, the biggest of its kind in the city, came into use the same day as Qingdao Xiaoman made its debut. A large-scale projection show is scheduled at the Catholic church on July 22. Citizens and tourists can enjoy the breathtaking light projection show on the century-old church while drinking beer and experiencing the AR short videos and creative cultural products.

Qingdao Xiaoman has a number of different professions, such as news anchorwoman, festival guest, hostess, cultural promotion ambassador, museum docent, social security educator, and urban public welfare volunteer. She is expected to help the users know better about the city and its culture.

The newly-minted IP-based digital figure is also stylish, and full of youth and vigor. She manifests the vision of Qingdao as a "thriving, wonderful and livable coastal city", and shoulders the mission of carrying forward the cultural tradition of the city. It marks that Qingdao has entered the "fast lane" of digitalization. Digital technology is being applied everywhere from public services to the everyday life. Meanwhile, digital economy is growing, with new types of business springing up quickly. The picture of smart life is rolling out across the city.

Contact: Ms. Zhu YilingTel: 0086-532-85911619Website: http://www.qingdaochina.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/qingdaocityTwitter: https://twitter.com/loveqingdao

Video - https://youtu.be/66OMvvzwWjYLogo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1867509/Stadt_Qingdao_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Stadt Qingdao
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qontigo, a global leader in risk analytics and index solutions, has partnered with CEPRES, the leader in private market investment technology and data, to develop a suite of private market factor risk models for unique insights into private capital fund risk in multi-asset class portfolios.

The private market factor models will provide broad coverage of the private asset space in Qontigo's enterprise risk management system, Axioma RiskTM. Through the combination of CEPRES's verified private fund cash flow data and Qontigo's industry-leading Axioma Factor Risk Models, asset managers and asset owners will receive deep insights across both public and private assets for risk analysis, portfolio construction and asset allocation.

The core of the methodology rests on using verified fund cash flows instead of subjective and overly stable fund net asset valuations to derive historical returns by fund category. The exposures of the private returns to public equity market risk factors such as size and value are then estimated to create a unified risk model that covers private and public assets.

"As the private markets become an increasingly important asset class for investors, it is critical to widen the private investment aperture through new methodologies that allow investors to manage private markets within existing widely distributed risk-management frameworks that are linked to the public markets. Working with Qontigo allows us to provide additional risk insight into how those investments relate to the total portfolio and help unleash private markets' true potential," remarked Alka Banerjee  Global Head of Product, Market Data  who joined CEPRES earlier this year.

"Risk modeling for private assets is difficult due to lack of regular, standardized reporting and independent market valuation. CEPRES is the gold standard of private equity data and has over 20 years of experience obtaining verified private fund cash flow, valuation and investment data directly from fund managers. This partnership enables us to expand our coverage in Axioma Risk so clients can view their portfolio risk for private and public market assets on a unified platform," said Chris Sturhahn, Chief Product Officer for Analytics at Qontigo.

The Axioma North America Buyout Factor Risk Model (NA Buyout Model) is the first of the suite to be released and is available for testing with select clients. A broader suite of Axioma Private Market Factor Risk Models is planned for delivery later this year.

About CEPRES

CEPRES is the first platform built for the age of digital transformation in private markets. Our investment data platform provides real-time and predictive analytics to unlock better investment outcomes and drive better faster decisions. CEPRES clients leverage proprietary deal data and complete cash flows from the largest private market ecosystem, containing $33T in assets, 105K PE-backed companies, 10,500 funds, and more than 4,000 GPs and LPs. Accelerate your private equity digital transformation journey at CEPRES.com.

About Qontigo --- Optimizing Impact

Qontigo is a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions that optimize investment impact. As the shift toward sustainable investing accelerates, Qontigo enables its clientsfinancial-products issuers, asset owners and asset managersto deliver sophisticated and targeted solutions at scale to meet the increasingly demanding and unique sustainability goals of investors worldwide.

Qontigo's solutions are enhanced by both our collaborative, customer-centric culture, which allows us to create tailored solutions for our clients, and our open architecture and modern technology that efficiently integrate with our clients' processes.

Part of the Deutsche Borse Group, Qontigo was created in 2019 through the combination of Axioma, DAX and STOXX. Headquartered in Eschborn, Germany, Qontigo's global presence includes offices in New York, London, Zug and Hong Kong.

www.qontigo.com

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SOURCE Qontigo
 Companies Agree to 7-Year Extension of Patent Licensing Agreement Through 2030 

 Snapdragon Platforms to Power Future Samsung Galaxy Devices 

SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that the Company has strengthened its strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to deliver leading premium consumer experiences for Samsung Galaxy devices. Qualcomm Incorporated and Samsung have agreed to extend their patent license agreement for 3G, 4G, 5G and upcoming 6G mobile technology through the end of 2030. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and Samsung also agreed to expand their collaboration with Snapdragon platforms for future premium Samsung Galaxy products, including smartphones, PCs, tablets, extended reality, and more. These collaborations reinforce the Companies' track record of success and reaffirms their commitment to expanding technology leadership and delivering the world's best device experiences.

"The extension of our licensing agreement is further evidence of our mutual commitment to long-term collaboration," said Cristiano Amon, president and chief executive officer, Qualcomm Incorporated. "Our relationship with Samsung has never been stronger. For more than two decades we've worked together to lead the industry and we are pleased to continue this strategic partnership to develop innovative technologies and products using Snapdragon platforms to power more Samsung premium devices globally."

"Qualcomm's innovative technology has played a pivotal role for advancement of mobile industry. The collaboration between Samsung and Qualcomm spans many years and these agreements reflect our close and long-standing strategic partnership. We are committed to working with Qualcomm to advance the mobile industry and users' experiences for future Samsung Galaxy devices," said Dr. TM Roh, President and Head of MX Business, Samsung Electronics.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the world's leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Qualcomm Contacts:Pete Lancia, Corporate CommunicationsPhone: 1-858-845-5959Email: [email protected]

Mauricio Lopez-Hodoyan, Investor RelationsPhone: 1-858-658-4813Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated
Leading national learning solutions provider recognized for its commitment to a people-first culture

CHANDLER, Ariz., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Savvas Learning Company, a K-12 next-generation learning solutions leader, announced today that for the second year in a row it has been recognized as a top workplace in Arizona.

Savvas was named to Arizona's 2022 Top Workplaces list, published in the Arizona Republic and on its website, AZ Central, and produced by Energage, an employee engagement technology company. Arizona's Top Workplaces list showcases strong workplace environments and highlights companies for their commitment to their employees, customers, and corporate mission.

"We have always placed a high priority on building an inclusive, caring workplace culture in which our employees feel inspired, engaged, and valued," said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. "To be named a Top Workplace is especially gratifying because this recognition reflects our employees' own voices. Savvas employees are our company's greatest assets, and every one of them is vital to fulfilling our mission of helping all students achieve their full potential."

Top Workplaces, the premier employer recognition program by Energage, recognizes organizations for their commitment to a people-first culture through national and regional award programs. Selection for these programs is based solely on employee feedback gathered through anonymous, third-party surveys.

Earlier this year, Savvas earned the 2022 Top Workplaces USA award, which recognizes companies nationally for their strong workplace culture and its positive impact on business. The company also previously received the Top Workplaces Woman-Led Culture Excellence award, which honors outstanding women-led businesses, as well as the 2022 New Jersey Top Workplace award.

Organizations named as a 2022 Arizona Top Workplace were selected based on anonymous survey responses from their employees on 15 aspects of workplace culture, such as appreciation, direction, values, and leadership.

"Top Workplaces recognition shows that a company has built a strong connection with its employees," said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. "Because employees feel genuinely appreciated, they become invested in their company's mission. That's why it's important for companies to be intentional about a people-first culture. It drives commitment and performance."

ABOUT SAVVAS LEARNING COMPANY

At Savvas, we believe learning should inspire. By combining new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of interacting, we design next-generation learning solutions that help prepare students to become global citizens in a more interconnected, digital world. To learn more, visit Savvas Learning Company.

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SOURCE Savvas Learning Company
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- No hospital has a monopoly on good ideas. This is why the St. Baldrick's Foundation funds the most promising research  no matter where it takes place  from your backyard institution to other cutting edge research facilities treating childhood cancers around the globe. Since 2005, this philosophy has translated to more than 1,674 grants in 31 countries, totaling more than $322 million. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of volunteers, donors, partners and advocates across the country this past year, St. Baldrick's is proud to announce $8.9 million has been awarded in new grants.

Why is funding research critical?

Every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide.

In the United States, one in five of those kids diagnosed with cancer will not survive.

Of those who do survive, more than 99% of survivors have a chronic health problem and 96% have severe or life-threatening conditions.

"In the 1950s, almost all kids diagnosed with cancer died. Because of research, today about 90% of kids with the most common type of cancer will live. But for many other types, progress has been limited, and for some kids there is still little hope for a cure," explains Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. "These grants support the best of the best in childhood cancer research and will ensure that more progress is made so that kids have access to more treatments with less side effects. We will not stop until there is a 100% cure rate for all kids' cancers."

This newest round of grants includes seven new Scholars, nine current Scholars receiving continuing funding for another year of research, two new International Scholars from Egypt and Jordan, and one current International Scholar from India receiving funding for another year of research. Also included is a $4.4 million grant to the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to conducting childhood and adolescent cancer research, and another year of funding for projects already underway for two team science projects and one Strategic Initiative: The Pediatric Cancer Data Commons.

The following institutions will receive grants:

Alabama

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.

California

University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif.

Colorado

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo.

Florida

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

Georgia

Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Ga.

Illinois

University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass Gen), Boston, Mass.



Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.



Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.

Maryland

John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.

Minnesota

University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minn.

New York

Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, N.Y.

Ohio

The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

Ontario, Canada

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tennessee

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.

To learn more about the specific research projects, visit the St. Baldrick's blog.

For more details about the research St. Baldrick's is funding near you, a specific disease type or research focus area, visit the Grants Search page. The next set of grants will be announced in November, supported by donations between now and October.

To donate to critical childhood cancer research or to learn the many ways you can get involved, visit StBaldricks.org. Become an advocate and join the Speak Up for Kids' Cancer advocacy action network to encourage federal lawmakers to continue to fund childhood cancer research. Connect with St. Baldrick's on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About St. Baldrick's Foundation

Every 2 minutes a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to give kids a lifetime by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick's, you don't just give to one hospital  you support virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick's ensures that children fighting cancer now  and those diagnosed in the future  will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the development of new therapies, to lifesaving clinical trials. Join us at StBaldricks.org and help #GiveKidsaLifetime.

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SOURCE St. Baldrick's Foundation
Wealth advisory firm hires two employees as part of strategic growth plan

LAFAYETTE, La., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Financial Wealth Advisors ("Summit"), one of the largest independent wealth advisory firms in Louisiana, today announced the addition of Chris Breaux, investment advisor representative, and Kim Landry, client service representative, within the growing firm's Lafayette office.

Breaux, a Lafayette native, brings a decade of financial and entrepreneurial experience to his role at Summit. After receiving his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, followed by an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he returned to Lafayette, where he initially worked as a financial analyst before branching out on his own as a business owner.

Landry, who graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a degree in Business Administration, brings more than a decade of marketing and administrative experience from her work with accounting, wealth management and legal firms. She has been very active in the Acadiana community, having served 10 years on the board at Krewe of Bonaparte and six years with The Big Easel.

"We are excited to expand our team to support the growing financial needs of our multigenerational clients in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast region," said David Daniel, Managing Partner at Summit Financial. "Chris and Kim will be valuable additions to Summit and our team-based approach to helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals."

Breaux said: "I have long respected the Summit team and I'm excited to join the firm. I look forward to helping small business owners and successful families achieve their financial goals and dreams."

Landry said: "I am thrilled to join Summit and look forward to supporting client relationships and providing solutions to address account service needs that help them fulfill their financial ambitions."

About Summit Financial Wealth Advisors

Formed as an independent team within Legg Mason in 2003, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors provides custom and comprehensive wealth management services to clients in Louisiana and across the Gulf South Region of the U.S. With additional offices in Shreveport, Monroe and Ruston, Summit is one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the State of Louisiana. For more information about Summit, please visit summit-financial.com.

Media ContactJay Scott[email protected] 484-695-3774

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/summit-financial-announces-team-expansion-301594772.html

SOURCE Summit Financial Wealth Advisors
The brand is expanding its distribution in response to the growing demand for authentic Mexican products and new flavors

HOUSTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tajin International Corporation announced today the expansion of the distribution of its two leading sauces, Tajin Mild Hot Sauce and Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce, at Walmart locations. As part of this expansion, the products are found in their international/Hispanic aisle across Walmart shelves nationwide.

Tajin announced today the expansion of the distribution of its two leading hot sauces at Walmart locations nationwide.

This expansion responds to the growth in the demand of products that have been influenced by the increasing trend of trying new flavors in the U.S. For example, chamoy, a Mexican condiment made of dried chilies, lime juice and fruits like apricots, was named the Flavor of the Year 2022 by Food Network Magazine.

"We are excited to announce the continued expansion of Tajin Mild Hot Sauce with its unique hint of lime and Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce with its hint of apricot. Both Hot Sauces are already widely available at all Walmart stores nationwide. This step helps us reach our goal of making Tajin products available to consumers coast-to-coast," said Luis Alfaro, Brand Marketing Manager Sauces & New Developments for Tajin USA.

This year, the brand launched a marketing campaign to reinforce the market presence of its two hot sauces and to demonstrate the different ways consumers can pair them. For example, Tajin Mild Hot Sauce is great in companion with savory snacks like tortilla chips, chicken wings, pizza and even micheladas, while Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce is a great way to enjoy with sweet snacks like fruits, smoothies, mangonadas and ice pops.

As part of the new trends, Tajin has been inviting consumers to mix Tajin Clasico's chili-lime powder with either of these two sauces to create unique flavor combinations. The resulting message "MIX IT" is gaining great acceptance among consumers.

Tajin Mild Hot Sauce and Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce are also available nationwide in supermarkets and retailers like Kroger and HEB and on Amazon.

About Tajin Hot SauceTajin Mild Hot Sauce, with the red cap, is made with a blend of 100% natural chilies, lime juice and sea salt, but presented in a sauce product format and larger size of 15.8 ounces. Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce (orange cap) is made with the same natural ingredients but offers a unique fruity and tangy flavor that comes from apricots. Unlike other sauces in the market, Tajin brand sauces have no added sugar or coloring which make them perfect for the entire family.

About Tajin Industrias Tajin is a Mexican-owned company and market leader in both Mexico and the United States in the chili powder category, in addition to being one of the most important brands in the production and commercialization of products derived from chili worldwide. Today, it has a presence in more than 65 countries around the world. Tajin was founded in 1985, surprising consumers with the perfect blend of lime, chili, and sea salt. In 1993, Tajin made its first export to the United States and Tajin International Corporation was established in Houston, TX, from where all commercial activity of the brand in the U.S. is managed. The brand arrived in Central American and European markets in 2006.

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SOURCE Tajin International Corporation
The op-ed, penned by Corporate Citizenship Project National Chairman Terry Branstad, asks the Securities and Exchange Commission to increase the transparency requirements needed from proxy advisors' on ESG ratings.

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Citizenship Project (www.CorporateCitizenshipProject.com), a think-tank focused on a data-driven approach to corporate governance issues, released an op-ed in The Western Journal asking the SEC to adopt new regulations on proxy advisors on their Environmental, Social, Governance ("ESG") ratings. The op-ed was written by Corporate Citizenship Project National Chairman Terry Branstad, who previously served as Governor of Iowa and US Ambassador to China.

In the op-ed, Branstad discusses how ESG ratings have morphed from being a Public Relations issue to one with material impacts on shareholder value, given that many investment firms refuse to invest or limit their investments in public companies with poor ESG ratings. Branstad notes that ESG ratings often do not reflect a company's environmental and social impact because proxy advisors have a significant potential conflict of interest. Proxy advisors are currently allowed to have ratings businesses and provide consulting services for public companies to improve their ratings. These businesses, said Branstad, are in a direct conflict of interest.

"Investors may suffer from wrongly investing in companies that have high ESG ratings because they paid for consulting rather than because they are good corporate citizens," he warned.

As evidence of this, Branstad cited that proxy advisor Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS") appeared to award prime certification to Anglo American Plc, parent of the De Beers Group, which suffered from controversies over "Blood Diamonds" and indentured servitude.

On behalf of The Corporate Citizenship Project, Branstad calls on the SEC to adopt two regulations on proxy advisors.

First, proxy advisors should be required to spin off their ESG consulting businesses, which present a significant conflict of interest detrimental to investors and public companies that do not engage them. Short of that, proxy advisors should be required to disclose clearly, when releasing ESG ratings, how much money was paid to them by the public company.

Second, proxy advisors should be required to publicly disclose their quantitative and qualitative methodology in calculating ESG scores.

"Given the significant amount of money run under so-called sustainable investment strategies, the SEC must take appropriate action to protect American businesses and investors from being victimized by an arbitrary and conflict-of-interest-ridden ESG system enforced by proxy advisors," wrote Ambassador Branstad.

The op-ed can be found here: https://www.westernjournal.com/branstad-time-end-pay-play-esg-movement/

ContactGhada Salahuddin515-259-6929[email protected]

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SOURCE Corporate Citizenship Project
Oula's first location in Brooklyn reached full capacity within three months of opening

BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oula, the first of its kind end-to-end maternity center, will open a second state-of-the-art clinic in New York City. Located at 202 Spring Street in Manhattan, Oula's new 2,300 square-foot facility will offer a range of pregnancy services, including prenatal and postpartum care as well as delivery support, provided by a team of midwives and obstetricians. Like its sister location in Brooklyn, Oula's Manhattan clinic is designed with the patient at the center, providing a warm, inclusive space for maternity care that's personalized, evidence-based, and judgment-free.

For too long, maternity care in the United States has produced poor patient experiences, poor outcomes, and high costs, with some of the highest maternal mortality, NICU, and C-section rates in the world. Compared to women in other high-income countries, women in the U.S. report the least positive experiences in healthcare and are more likely to suffer from emotional distress.

Oula's collaborative care model, which brings together doctors and midwives, is supported by extensive data. According to the World Health Organization, expanding access to midwife-led maternity care is one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal mortality, lower C-section and preterm birth rates, and bring down healthcare costs. A 2014 study found that including midwives in healthcare systems could prevent more than 80% of maternal and infant deaths.

"New Yorkers expect to receive the best healthcare. Yet when it comes to pregnancy, they're forced to choose between false binaries: doctor or midwife, medicated birth or au naturale, hospital or birth center" said Adrianne Nickerson, Oula co-founder and CEO. "At Oula, we believe you shouldn't have to choose  you deserve an option that blends the best of midwifery care and obstetrics, human intuition and modern medicine."

"Too often, pregnancy is treated as a clinical condition instead of being recognized for the life event that it is," said Medical Director Dr. Ila Dayananda. "Instead of over-medicalizing birth, at Oula, we believe in combining evidence-based care with trusting our patients. That means taking the time to listen, share information, and help our patients make the choices that are right for them. Clinicians at Oula are able to spend twice as much time with patients compared to a regular obstetrician's office, and that makes a big difference."

"We need to recognize that 'alive' isn't good enough; we need a higher standard for maternity care where we recognize that the patient's experience matters just as much," added Joanne Schneider, Oula Chief Experience Officer. "We want our patients to feel supported, empowered, and cared for from the moment they make their first appointment in our patient portal all the way through the 'fourth trimester'."

Oula believes that having a great experience through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum isn't just "nice"  it's essential. As a result, easy-to-navigate digital tools make it easier for parents-to-be to make informed decisions as well as communicate with their care team between visits. Education is integrated into the patients' care, including group classes like a Birth Plan Workshop and Postpartum Office Hours. Since opening their doors in Brooklyn in 2021, Oula has earned a reputation among patients for stellar communication and great care.

"We opened our Brooklyn clinic just over a year ago, and we're proud to have reached full capacity within three months of opening our Brooklyn Heights location. We are expanding to Manhattan to be able to serve more patients, including families coming from all five boroughs and New Jersey," said Elaine Purcell, Oula co-founder and COO.

Oula is proud to accept insurance, including Medicaid, uncommon among patient-centered practices. Oula is located in Brooklyn at 109 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 and in Manhattan at 202 Spring Street New York, NY 10012.

To learn more about Oula please visit www.oulahealth.com. Prospective patients can book an in-person or virtual appointment here. Link to high res imagery here.

About Oula:

Oula is redesigning maternity care from the ground up. Our modern maternity center combines the best of obstetrics and midwifery care to deliver a more evidence-based and personalized pregnancy experience. We accept insurance including Medicaid. From our collaborative medical team, welcoming clinic, and remote care platform, we are setting a new standard for pregnancy that unifies modern medicine and human intuition. Oula is venture backed and has raised $18.3M to-date by investors including Chelsea Clinton's fund, Metrodora. Learn more at oulahealth.com.

Contact: Catherine Cuello-Fuente[email protected]WLDFLWR PR

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SOURCE Oula
RGHI to organise the world's first Global Hygiene Summit in Singapore February 15th  16th 2023.

The Global Hygiene Summit is being organised in partnership with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (Singapore), and in collaboration with the World Bank.

The Global Hygiene Summit will create clarity around hygiene and the positive impact that improved standards could have on global health, including in the COVID-19 recovery period.

LONDON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Hygiene Summit 2023, organised in partnership with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (Singapore), and in collaboration with the World Bank, is being hosted in Singapore on the 15th and 16th February 2023.

Professor Yee Sin Leo, Executive Director, NCID said: "Hygiene generally refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. Despite its intimate link to health, hygiene is ill-defined and often intertwined with socioeconomic status, and cultural belief and practices. Hygiene is a fundamental pre-requisite for sustainable public health and with our dual mission of clinical and public health, NCID is pleased to partner for this inaugural summit in Singapore. Leveraging on prominent stakeholders, this summit will elevate hygiene to the highest global agenda in promoting and sustaining health."

The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI), a not-for-profit foundation that was established in 2020 with a multi-year $25 million grant from Reckitt, RGHI is focussed on plugging significant gaps in the health research space and improving access to information that will bridge epidemiology, public health, and behaviour change. The Global Hygiene Summit will align with this aim by informing the global health agenda stimulating discussion that could lead to the adoption of better and more sustainable hygienic practises globally.

The event will create a forum for multi-level and multi-disciplinary discussions around hygiene science, behaviour, economics, and real-world experiences and outcomes. It will bring together scientists, politicians, the private sector and civil society to generate impact through the intersection between health and hygiene ~ which is vital to safeguarding the physical and economic wellbeing of populations worldwide, both amid COVID-19 and beyond.

By articulating the shape, scope and importance of the hygiene field, motivating multi-level and multi-disciplinary working by bridging epidemiology, behaviour and policy, the Global Hygiene Summit intends to gain consensus on how to effectively measure and create behavioural change and economic impact (ROI), and how to present this to engage policymakers.

Global Hygiene Summit 2023 will also motivate the [Singapore] Declaration; a guide for structural change that will be brought about by co-discussion and global co-operation and set the agenda for future change.

Notes to editors:

For more information regarding the Global Hygiene Summit visit Global Hygiene Summit 2023

Regular updates will be made via the website and the Global Hygiene Summit 2023 Twitter

Delegate registration:

Full delegate rate - $825



Early bird discount[i ] - $755



Student rate[ii] - $345



LMIC discount rate[iii] - $310



LIC discount rate - $275

[i] Early bird registration is available until 7th September 2022[ii] To benefit from the student rate, you will need to submit evidence of your student status.[iii] To benefit from the LIC and LMIC rates, you will need to submit evidence that you are resident in one of these countries (as classified by the World Bank).

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-first-global-hygiene-summit-to-take-place-in-singapore-in-2023-301594622.html

SOURCE RGHI
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the SEC on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hocks

By Katanga Johnson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Wednesday that he will not send public accounting inspectors to China or Hong Kong unless Washington and Beijing can agree on complete audit access.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, in an address before an accounting industry audience, said the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) would need to be able to bring "specificity and accountability" in audits of foreign companies listed on Wall Street.

"We are not willing to have PCAOB inspectors sent to China and Hong Kong unless there is an agreement on a framework allowing the PCAOB to inspect and investigate audit firms completely," Gensler said.

The PCAOB, which was established in July 2002 and overseen by the SEC, is tasked with policing the accounting firms that sign off on the books of the nations listed companies. Its problems with Chinese audit quality have festered since 2011, when scores of Chinese companies trading on U.S. exchanges were accused of accounting irregularities.

Washington and Beijing are in talks to settle the long-running dispute over the auditing compliance of U.S.-listed Chinese firms which, if unresolved, could see more than 270 Beijing companies kicked off New York bourses.

Authorities in China have long been reluctant to let overseas regulators inspect local accounting firms, citing national security concerns. Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, Chinese companies would be banned from U.S. trading if China fails to comply with audit requirements.

The total trading ban is broader than simply delisting from U.S. markets.

Reuters on Tuesday reported that the U.S. public company accounting regulator will not accept any restrictions on its access to the audit papers of Chinese companies listed in New York, including where firms have been delisted.

The Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing sources, that China is preparing to categorize U.S.-listed Chinese companies into groups based on the sensitivity of their data, in a potential concession to try to comply with the U.S. rules.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) denied the FT report on Monday.

Gensler also said he has asked the PCAOB to consider adding updates for auditor independence standards to its agenda, citing concerns around investor protections.

"I look forward to ensuring key investor protections in our markets  with China-based issuers, if the law is followed; or without China-based issuers, if it is not," Gensler said.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
0001575295 false false 0001575295 2022-07-20 2022-07-20 iso4217:USD xbrli:shares iso4217:USD xbrli:shares

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 27, 2022 ( )

Allied Corp. (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Nevada 0-27675 33-1227173 (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)

1405 St. Paul St. , Suite 201 , Kelowna , BC Canada V1Y 9N2 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code: ( 877 ) 255-4337

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

ITEM 4.01 CHANGES IN REGISTRANTS CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT.

Previous independent registered public accounting firm

(a) On July 20, 2022 Allied Corp. (the Registrant or the Company) notified Manning Elliott LLP (Manning Elliott) that it was terminated as the Registrants independent registered public accounting firm. The decision to terminate Manning Elliott as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm was approved by the Companys Board of Directors on July 20, 2022. Except as noted below, the reports of Manning Elliott on the Companys financial statements for the years ended August 30, 2020 and August 30, 2021 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, and such reports were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principle.

The reports of the Manning Elliott on the Companys financial statements as of and for the years ended August 30, 2020 and August 30, 2021 contained explanatory paragraphs which noted that there was substantial doubt as to the Companys ability to continue as a going concern as the Company had a history of losses and had nominal current income.

During the years ended August 30, 2020 and August 30, 2021 and through July 20, 2022, the Company has not had any disagreements with Manning Elliott on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to Manning Elliotts satisfaction, would have caused them to make reference thereto in their reports on the Companys financial statements for such periods.

During the years ended August 30, 2020 and August 30, 2021 and through July 20, 2022, there were no reportable events, as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.

The Company provided Manning Elliott with a copy of this disclosure set forth under this Item 4.01 and was requested to furnish a letter addressed to the Securities & Exchange Commission stating whether or not it agrees with the above statements.

New independent registered public accounting firm

Effective June 20, 2022 (the Engagement Date), the Company engaged M&K CPAS, PLLC (M&K) as its independent registered public accounting firm for the Companys fiscal year ended August 30, 2022. The decision to engage M&K as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm was approved by the Companys Board of Directors.

During the two most recent fiscal years and through the Engagement Date, the Company has not consulted with M&K regarding either:

1. the application of accounting principles to any specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Companys financial statements, and neither a written report was provided to the Company nor oral advice was provided that M&K concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or 2. any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement (as defined in paragraph (a)(1)(iv) of Item 304 of Regulation S-K and the related instructions thereto) or a reportable event (as described in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of Item 304 of Regulation S-K).

2

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Allied Corp. (Registrant) Dated: July 27, 2022 By: /s/ Calum Hughes Chief Executive Officer
0001794717 false 0001794717 2022-07-27 2022-07-27 iso4217:USD xbrli:shares iso4217:USD xbrli:shares

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

SCVX CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Cayman Islands 001-39190 98-1518469 (State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer of incorporation) Identification No.)

Attn: Strategic Cyber Ventures , 1220 L St NW , Suite 100-397 Washington , DC 20005 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(202) 733-4719

(Registrants telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange

on which registered

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

On July 27, 2022, SCVX Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (SCVX) held an extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders to vote on an extension of the deadline for SCVX to complete an initial business combination. The board of directors determined not to put such proposal forth to the shareholders and this meeting was concluded without conducting any business.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

Also on July 27, 2022, SCVX issued a press release and announced at its Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders that it will redeem all of its outstanding Class A ordinary shares, as SCVX will not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the time period required by its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the Memorandum and Articles of Association).

There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to SCVXs warrants, which will expire worthless. SCVXs initial shareholders waived their redemption rights with respect to the outstanding Class B ordinary shares issued prior to SCVXs initial public offering.

A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit No. Description 99.1 Press Release, dated July 27, 2022. 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated: July 27, 2022

SCVX CORP. By: /s/ Michael Doniger Name: Michael Doniger Title: Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

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Exhibit 99.1

SCVX Corp. Announces Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares

NEW YORK, New York  July 27, 2022  SCVX Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the  Company ), today announced that it will redeem all of its outstanding Class A ordinary shares (the  Class A Shares ), effective as of August 11, 2022, because the Company will not complete the consummation of an initial business combination within the time period required by its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the  Articles of Association ).

As stated in the Companys Articles of Association, if the Company does not consummate an initial business combination within 24 months of the closing of the Companys initial public offering, or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may determine, the Company will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Companys trust account (the  Trust Account ), including interest (less up to US $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then Class A Shares in issue, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the holders of Class A Shares as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to the Companys obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law.

Net of taxes and dissolution expenses, the per-share redemption price for the Class A Shares is expected to be approximately $10.03 (the  Redemption Amount ).

The Company had previously scheduled an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders ( EGM ) on July 27, 2022 to vote on a proposal to extend the time period under the Articles of Association during which the Company may consummate an initial business combination; however, no business was conducted at this meeting.

There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Companys warrants, which will expire worthless. The Companys initial shareholders waived their redemption rights with respect to the outstanding Class B ordinary shares issued prior to the Companys initial public offering.

Registered holders may redeem their shares for their pro rata portion of the proceeds of the Trust Account upon presentation of their respective share or unit certificates or other delivery of their shares or units to Continental. Beneficial owners of Class A Shares held in street name, however, will not need to take any action in order to receive the Redemption Amount. The redemption of the Class A Shares is expected to be completed within ten business days after July 28, 2022.

The Company expects to file a Form 15 with the SEC to terminate the registration of its securities under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

About SCVX

SCVX is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) created to fill what it believes is a tremendous void in the cybersecurity market for a scalable, comprehensive, integrated platform. It was created to acquire, partner with, and resource a cornerstone technology company capable of integrating with other best-in-breed security technologies.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby. These statements relate to future events or the Companys future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of the Company or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In particular, statements about the Companys expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, future events or future performance contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as may, will, could, would, should, expect, plan, anticipate, intend, believe, estimate, predict, potential, outlook, guidance or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology.

Please see the Companys documents filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-1, annual reports filed on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and any amendments thereto for a discussion of certain important risk factors that relate to forward-looking statements contained in this report. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys control. These and other important factors may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

SCVX Corp.

Michael Doniger, [email protected]

(646) 418-3081
TAIPEI, Taiwan  Taiwans military pledged it is action-ready for a Ukraine-style response to an invasion during annual drills this week, even as Taiwanese security experts downplay the odds of reckless Chinese aggression over a possible visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

On Wednesday on Bali beach, Taiwanese troops practiced repelling a potential amphibious assault along the stretch of waterfront connecting Taipei Port and the Tamsui River mouth, crucial to defending the capital city of Taipei.

The invasion drill comes at a high point of tension in the Taiwan Strait after Beijing lashed out at the United States over the potential Pelosi visit, sparking concern that the situation could spiral into the worst cross-strait crisis since the 1990s.

The drills, part of a five-day program of civil and military preparedness exercises, began with explosions that sent up clouds of black sand. The imitation enemy assault was met with helicopters, tanks and fighter jets, while army reservists manned a network of sandbag-lined trenches.

The exercises mimic wartime more closely than ever, and were designed after closely monitoring the international situation as well as the war in Ukraine, said Sun Li-fang, spokesman for Taiwans Ministry of National Defense.

Sun added that although the visit by Pelosi was only hypothetical, the Taiwanese army was already trained for Chinas possible response and was confident that Taiwan could deal with whatever the Peoples Liberation Army decided to do.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to seize the self-governing island of 23 million if Taipei formally declares independence. Neither the leadership nor the people of democratic Taiwan have shown any interest in submitting to Chinese Communist Party rule.

China has pursued a decades-long mission to diplomatically isolate Taipei, including voicing fierce opposition to international visits by other countries officials or lawmakers.

Speaking to the Taiwan-hosted Ketagalan Forum  2022 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue on Tuesday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen underscored that Russias invasion of Ukraine had shown that authoritarian regimes will not hesitate to violate the sovereignty of other states.

Without naming China, she warned against authoritarian actors that threaten to upend the regional balance and use gray zone tactics  coercive activities below the threshold of actual military combat  to weaken international norms.

Tsai did not address concerns in Washington that a possible trip by Pelosi could spark a major crisis in the Taiwan Strait. If it goes ahead, the visit would be the first by a U.S. House speaker to Taiwan in 25 years.

Chinas Ministry of Defense on Tuesday said it absolutely would not sit by and watch and promised forceful measures to thwart any interference by outside forces.

The escalating standoff is likely to feature in discussions during an expected call between President Joe Biden and Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, this week.

When asked whether intensifying cross-strait tensions have caused changes in Taiwans naval combat readiness drills, Maj. Gen. Feng Kuo-wei said in an interview Tuesday that standard procedures were followed, adding that national defense preparations are carried out every day.

As Taiwan seeks to strengthen its defenses and warn the world about a growing threat of Chinese authoritarianism, many Taiwanese security experts maintain that a Pelosi visit would not trigger direct military action by Beijing.

Shen Ming-shih, the director of national security research at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a think tank in Taiwan, said that Chinas sending warplanes over Taiwan to shadow Pelosis flight was very unlikely.

Chinas using military aircraft to press or come dangerously close to the aircraft carrying Pelosi would be unsafe and irrational behavior, especially since Xi wants stability in the run-up to the 20th Community Party congress in the fall, when he is expected to take on a precedent-breaking third term, Shen said.

Shen added that Chinas most likely response would be a large-scale show of force with jets to the north or southwest of Taiwan, similar to the saber-rattling last year when the Chinese air force repeatedly broke daily records for the number of fighter jets sent close to Taiwans airspace.

On Tuesday, Ely Ratner, the Defense Departments assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs, deplored direct, aggressive, unsafe behavior by China against U.S. and partner military forces in the skies above the South China Sea, including dangerously close aircraft intercepts.

Despite concern in Washington, Taiwans annual five-day exercises, although marginally scaled up, proceeded largely as usual.

Piercing air raid sirens began the Wanan air defense drills in Taipei on Monday afternoon, bringing the city to a halt as police urged pedestrians indoors and vehicles off the roads. The attempt to raise public awareness about how to respond to emergency warnings and avoid injury in the event of an attack is by now familiar to the Taiwanese.

On Tuesday, in the seas off Suao naval port, a missile launched from a navy frigate left a trail of smoke in the sky as depth charges threw up spray. F-16 fighter jets passed above as guided-missile destroyers fired booming cannons.

Taiwans coast guard also joined the annual Han Kuang exercises for the first time this year to highlight the importance of preparing nonmilitary agencies for war. Dressed in a military uniform, Taiwans president boarded a destroyer during the drills for only the second time since she took office.

Jaw-ling Joanne Chang, a research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica, a government-backed Taiwanese research institute, said that Chinas reaction of issuing loud threats may end up backfiring. If [China] takes drastic action, wont it cause more countries around the world to be concerned about the situation in the Taiwan Strait? she said.
Updated July 29,2022 4:18 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Navy and Marine Corps are replacing a potentially defective part used in ejection seats on some airplanes, such as Super Hornets and Growlers, the service announced.

Citing operational security, Navy officials Wednesday would not say how many planes are involved, how many replacements already had been installed or when the replacement process would be completed. They also wouldnt specify what the defect was and did not say if affected jets had been grounded.

On Thursday, the Air Force in a statement said it was grounding 279 training aircraft over the same ejection seat concerns.

The replacement is limited to aircraft with a cartridge-actuated device, or CAD, which is activated when a crew member pulls a handle to eject and deploy a parachute, Naval Air Systems Command said in a Tuesday statement.

Furthermore, only those aircraft that fall in a range of lot numbers need a CAD replacement, the Navy said. Planes affected include the F/A-18B/C/D Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler, T-45 Goshawk and F-5 Tiger II, according to the statement.

The CAD will be replaced at the aircrafts assigned squadron, and the aircraft will be inspected before its next flight, the command said in the statement.

There currently are no impacts to naval aircraft supporting operations worldwide, said Marcia Hart, a NAVAIR spokeswoman.

CADs and propellant actuated devices, or PADs, control a variety of functions. There can be as many as 20 of them in an ejection seat, controlling functions like jettisoning the canopy and time-delaying the parachute, according to Mesa, Ariz.-based Task Aerospace, Inc.

Shipping of replacement CADs to Navy fleet maintenance centers started Sunday and will continue through the week. Radiography was used to ensure each unit was properly manufactured, the Navy said.

On Friday, the British air force announced on Twitter it was grounding all nonessential flights of its Typhoon fighters and its Red Arrows aerobatics team because of a technical issue which may affect the safe operation of our ejector seats.

Red Arrows later were cleared but nonessential flying still was paused for Typhoon jets as a precaution, the air force said in subsequent tweet.

The Navy said it was notified of the potential defect by vendor Martin-Baker, an English manufacturer of ejection seats. The issue was discovered during routine maintenance of ejection seats, Hart said.

Among ejector seats Martin-Baker makes for the U.S. military is the MK-14, which is used in the F/A-18 and T-45 Goshawk, according to the companys website.

About 2,200 of those seats are in use. They are sold to Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia and Switzerland as well, the company said. Martin-Baker also makes ejection seats used in the Typhoon and the U.S. Air Forces T-38 Talon, among others.
RAF MILDENHALL, England  The Air Force is sending F-22 Raptor jets to Poland in support of NATOs air shielding mission, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa said.

Six Raptors from the Alaska-based 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived Tuesday night at RAF Lakenheath in England, Air Force officials said Wednesday. They will continue on to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, Poland, according to a service statement on Tuesday, and will supplement the mission to deter Russian aggression on the alliances eastern flank.

Plans to bolster defenses in Europe came out of the recent NATO summit in Madrid, where leaders mapped out a new security strategy that accounts for the situation created by Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Air shielding focuses on adding ground- and air-based missile defense systems to the alliances eastern borders, beyond what was deployed there following Russias Feb. 24 incursion into Ukraine.

The Raptor is considered the U.S. militarys first fifth-generation aircraft. It is capable of conducting both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
WASHINGTON  One of two men charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, chemical-spray assault on three police officers at the U.S. Capitol, including Brian D. Sicknick, is set to plead guilty to reduced charges Wednesday, court filings show.

West Virginia sandwich shop owner George Tanios was charged by criminal information Wednesday morning with two counts of misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds, a reduction from an earlier 10-count indictment that included felony charges of rioting, assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing of Congresss certification of President Joe Bidens 2020 election victory.

A plea hearing for Tanios was set Wednesday for 2 p.m. in federal court in Washington. A plea is not final until it is accepted by a judge, and Tanios can change his mind at anytime until then.

The case of Tanios and his co-defendant Julian Elie Khater is among the more high-profile Jan. 6 prosecutions, as both men were accused of assaulting Capitol police officer Sicknick, 42. Sicknick was injured while attempting to hold back a violent crowd on the west terrace of the Capitol, collapsing hours later and dying the next day of natural causes, officials said. Neither Tanios or Khater is alleged to have caused Sicknicks death.

It could not immediately be determined whether Tanios would be pleading guilty in a cooperation deal with prosecutors. In April, defense attorneys for both co-defendants said they were working toward plea deals with the government in successfully asking U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan to postpone a July trial to allow more time for talks.

Khater remains set for trial Oct. 5.

Attorneys for Tanios, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and for Khater, of State College, Pennsylvania, did not immediately comment.

We typically do not comment beyond public filings and statements to the Court and have no comment, said Bill Miller, spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office for Washington, which is overseeing the prosecution of Capitol riot cases.

Khater and Tanios, who ran smoothie and sandwich shops in their respective college towns, were arrested in March 2021 and pleaded not guilty to the assaults on Sicknick, a fellow Capitol Police officer and a D.C. officer.

Khater has been jailed since then, but an appeals court in August ordered Tanios to be released, saying that he had no past felony convictions, no ties to any extremist organizations, and no post-January 6 criminal behavior that would otherwise show him to pose a danger to the community.

Hogan had earlier ordered both men held pending trial, saying government videos of the assaults on the three officers showed a degree of premeditation and future dangerousness.

These two gentlemen are law-abiding, respected individuals in the community, and it makes it very difficult for the court to make this conclusion, but they still committed this attack on uniformed police officers. I dont find a way around that, Hogan said at the time.

Prosecutors in detention hearings alleged that Khater sprayed a canister Tanios had purchased and carried to the Capitol in his backpack, deploying it at close range against Sicknick, U.S. Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman from the police line, incapacitating them.

Give me that bear sh--, Khater allegedly told Tanios on video recorded nine minutes earlier, at 2:14 p.m. at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol, where Sicknick and other officers were standing guard behind metal bicycle racks, according to charging papers.

Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet . . . its still early, Tanios allegedly replied.

Tanios attorney Elizabeth Gross has argued that he was 30 feet away from Khater when he sprayed the officers and did not aid or abet any crime.

Sicknick had two strokes after his time at the Capitol that day, officials said. The medical examiner said an autopsy found no evidence Sicknick suffered an allergic reaction to chemical irritants. There was also no evidence of internal or external injuries, the medical examiner said.
(Tribune News Service)  The CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show is back at the Dayton International Airport with a high-flying lineup featuring the U.S Navy Blue Angels, returning to Dayton for the first time in four years.

In addition to the Blue Angels flying their new Super Hornets, the July 30-31 event, presented by Kroger, will offer an array of aerial shows, ground displays, a children's activity area and more.

Here's a closer look at this year's lineup:

SCHEDULE

Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. The feature show will be held from 12 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The show schedule will remain the same for both days. All acts and times are subject to change without notice. The air show will take place regardless of rain or shine. However, the flying schedule of the show will adjust if needed depending on the weather.

 Flag drop and national anthem

 U.S. Army Golden Knights

 Kevin Coleman

 U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo

 Vampire Airshows

 U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III

 Tora! Tora! Tora!

 Kent Pietsch

 USMC Fat Albert

 U.S. Navy Blue Angels

AERIAL SHOWS

U.S Navy Blue Angels

The Blue Angels' first performance was held June 15, 1946, in Jacksonville, Fla. Thrilling audiences for over seven decades with high-energy demonstrations, expect an exciting routine with sharp choreography. The fastest speed during their performance can reach up to 700 mph and can fly as close as 18 inches apart.

U.S Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team

This demonstration team from South Carolina performs precise aerial maneuvers to display unique and interesting abilities of the F-16, otherwise known as the Viper. The F-16 is a one-seater that can switch from an air-to-ground or to an air-to air role by using one button. The Viper Demonstration team appeared in Dayton over a decade ago.

U.S Air Force F-15C Eagle Two-ship Flyby

The F-15C Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter constructed for ground, support and air-to-air combat. This dynamic team will fly a number of bold patterns.

U.S Army Golden Knights

The 16-member Army Golden Knights will open the Dayton Air Show. The team is known for their detail-oriented canopy work along with their skydiving formations and landings that will need to be executed precisely.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

This performance will be a recreation of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. The recreation will involve realistic explosions, fire, smoke and more.

Kevin Coleman

Raised in a family of air show pilots, Kevin Coleman, 29, began airplane aerobatic flight lessons at the age of 10. He went solo at 16, earned his pilot's license at 17 and flew in his first air show at 18.

GROUND DISPLAYS

Aside from aerial performances, there will be many planes you will be able to see within arm's reach. With over 30 ground displays to choose from, the air show provides many different aircraft to appreciate. A few of them include but aren't limited to the U.S Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, U.S Air Force F-15 and the U.S Army CH-47F.

JUST FOR KIDS

The CenterPoint Energy Kid's Hangar will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Children will have the opportunity to play in sandboxes, enjoy face painting and participate in crafts. This free all-day activity for kids is a great time to take a break from the heat. Air Show performers might stop by the Kids' Hangar to sign autographs.

Food, beverages and restrooms will be nearby. However, all children must be under parental supervision.

HELICOPTER RIDES

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation will return again this year to provide rides. For a $110 donation, participants will be able to climb aboard a UH-1H "Huey." Anyone choosing to ride can fly with up to 10 passengers and a veteran pilot for 10 minutes.

If you're seeking an even more intense ride, a 10-minute solo ride on the AH-1F Cobra for $625 could be a true adventure.

Riders are first come first serve. No advance reservations will be accepted. You can find more information on helicopter rides at https://daytonairshow.com/huey-cobra-helicopter-rides/.

TICKET INFO

General admission tickets, priced at $20-$30, are available online or can be purchased at the gate. Tickets are to be used for one day. Children under the age of 5 have free admission.

All tickets sales are final. Refunds and rain checks are not available. There are a variety of ticket options to choose from. In particular, the Synchrony Family 4-Pack is available for $99 and includes four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four Cokes, one general admission parking pass and one official souvenir program.

Visit https://daytonairshow.com/2021-2/tickets/#gen for the family value pack or more ticket options. For more information call 800-514-3849.

(c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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WASHINGTON  As an Arizona county braced for monsoon rains last week, nearly 100 members of the states National Guard filled sandbags and helped with other flood recovery efforts.

That same week, Oklahomas governor deployed the states National Guard troops to support firefighters battling a raging wildfire.

Guard members are routinely called up for natural disasters and other emergencies. They have helped combat the coronavirus pandemic, patrolled the U.S. border with Mexico, contained protests over racial injustice in 2020, deployed to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and responded to countless fires, floods and hurricanes.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill worry these vital services could be curtailed if the tens of thousands of National Guard members and reservists who have not complied with the Defense Departments coronavirus vaccine mandate are discharged from the military.

For decades, the National Guard has served as the backbone of saving Americans across the country in times of crisis, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News on Monday. But when the next crisis comes to our shores, the U.S. will lack the number [of] Guardsmen and women to come to our rescue.

Some 40,000 National Guard and 22,000 Reserve troops missed the vaccination deadline on June 30 and were subsequently cut off from some of their benefits and barred from participating in federal training, drills and other military duties.

Nearly a month later, the numbers have ticked down slightly. About 10% of the 336,000 Army National Guard troops, or approximately 33,600 members, had not received at least one vaccine shot as of Monday. In the total National Guard force of 440,000 soldiers and airmen, about 39,600 remain unvaccinated, according to the National Guard Bureau.

The number of Army and Air Force reservists who are not fully vaccinated continues to hover at about 20,000, most of them soldiers. Army Reserve and Army National Guard members were given seven months longer to receive the vaccine than any other service member in the military.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year ordered all active-duty, Guard and Reserve service members to get vaccinated and has said unvaccinated troops could face expulsion.

The potential loss of those troops, particularly amid the worst military recruiting environment since the Vietnam War, has raised alarms on Capitol Hill. The Army is expected to reach only 40% of its recruitment target this fiscal year and miss its recruiting goals by 40,000 personnel in the next two years.

Only 23% of young people between the ages of 17 to 24 are eligible to serve in the military without a waiver, according to Pentagon officials. Even fewer have the desire to enlist.

The question is: Can the Army afford to discharge these soldiers in light of all those recruiting difficulties? Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., asked last week at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

More than 50 House Republicans sent a letter to Austin on Tuesday requesting he reconsider the Defense Departments vaccine mandate and issue guidance that considers natural immunity.

At a time when the department is struggling to recruit qualified young men and women fit for duty to fill the ranks, and while China is embarking on a massive military buildup which threatens American interests around the world, we should not be hindering our own readiness and capabilities by punishing and forcing out experienced and dedicated Guardsmen and reservists, the lawmakers wrote.

At a congressional hearing last week, Waltz, a colonel in the Army National Guard who is vaccinated, pressed Gen. Joseph Martin, the Armys vice chief of staff, for a contingency plan.

Were talking about states potentially losing up to 20% to 30% of their guardsmen and women, replacing them in a very difficult recruiting environment, much less getting them trained to the capability they once were, Waltz said. I dont know how you get there.

Martin cautioned a decision on possible separations is still pending and expressed confidence that the new Novavax COVID-19 vaccine could boost compliance. The two-dose vaccine is based on conventional technology used in vaccines for the flu, whooping cough and hepatitis B and will be available in the coming weeks.

[Theres] a lot of things to take into consideration as we move toward that decision, but each and every day, were making progress in terms of more soldiers choosing to vaccinate or their exemptions are approved, Martin said. We will have to manage our force but were talking about the future and we havent made that decision yet.

A National Guard Bureau spokesperson said Tuesday that soldiers and airmen are still providing documentation of their vaccination and said the numbers released publicly might be lagging behind those recorded internally.

Nearly 11,000 members of the Army National Guard and about 5,000 reservists have refused vaccination as of July 21, according to Army data. Six Guard members and two reservists were given exemptions for medical reasons and none have been exempted for religious reasons. More than 3,000 are requesting religious exemptions and nearly 80 have been denied.

The Army has discharged about 1,400 active-duty soldiers for refusing to be vaccinated.

Potentially adding thousands from the National Guard and the Reserve to that figure could have a sizable impact, according to experts.

The order of magnitude is very large, said Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society program at the Center for a New American Security, a left-leaning Washington think tank. When youre talking tens of thousands  thats ten battalions worth for 10,000 people and thats significant.

The loss of troops would be felt mostly domestically now that the war in Afghanistan is over, she said. During the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military heavily relied on the National Guard and reservists for combat support and logistics. But today, those soldiers and airmen are primarily deployed for local emergencies, she said.

Given that were in the middle of both wildfire and hurricane season, that could have potentially detrimental effects on the availability of manpower for dealing with domestic crises where we rely on the Guard, Kuzminski said. It raises more challenges for the ability of the United States to meet crisis moments here at home.

There can be workarounds, however. In certain states, Guard members banned from federal duties might still be able to participate in state-level operations through the authority of a governor, Kuzminski said.

Several Republican governors have fought the federal vaccine mandate for their National Guards, with at least seven seeking to allow their troops to refuse the vaccine. Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas filed lawsuits over the vaccination requirement.

Austin has refused to budge, writing to governors that Covid-19 takes our service members out of the fight, temporarily or permanently, and jeopardizes our ability to meet mission requirements.

Federal officials maintain that governors have no legal say over the fate of Guard members who do not get vaccinated while state officials argue the National Guard is under the jurisdiction of governors and is not subject to federal mandates unless federally deployed.

Trupti Brahmbhatt, a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corp. think tank and a Navy veteran, said those dueling viewpoints have influenced local National Guard vaccination rates, with members following the lead of their governors. In states such as Oklahoma, where the governor is an outspoken critic of the mandate, Guard members may believe they will be protected from separation, she said.

It is unlikely that the military will dismiss all the Guard and Reserve members who do not abide by the mandate, Brahmbhatt said.

Its not actually going to happen to the big, huge extent that we expect, she said. There might be some, but you also have to think about the recruitment and retention issue that active duty is having right now.

Kuzminski said the Defense Department must weigh those personnel shortfalls with what defiance of the vaccine mandate signifies: the failure to comply with an order.

The whole foundation of military action and conflict is based on the ability to follow through with a lawful order and so that is the conundrum that the services are in, she said. They dont necessarily want to retain people who have indicated that they wont follow a lawful order when it comes to a vaccination.

Waltz and other lawmakers have questioned the validity of that order, arguing service members should be able to decide the personal health risks that they are willing to incur from infection now that it is known vaccines do not stop the spread of the coronavirus.

I fully understand  as a 26-year veteran myself  good order and discipline and an order is an order, Waltz told Gen. Martin last week. You order the platoon to charge the machine gun on the top of the hill, theyve got to follow it. But I also think its incumbent on us as leaders to constantly evaluate the cost and the risk of our orders. Maybe charging that hill is going to be too costly to that unit.
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would provide $52 billion in subsidies to domestic semiconductor manufacturers, and invest billions in science and technology innovation, in a bid to strengthen the United States competitiveness and self-reliance in what is seen as a keystone industry for economic and national security.

In a 64-33 vote, the Senate passed the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, the final iteration of a bill that was years in the making. About $52 billion would go to microchip manufacturers to incentivize construction of domestic semiconductor fabrication plants  or fabs  to make the chips, which are used in a wide variety of products, including motor vehicles, cellphones, medical equipment and military weapons. A shortage of semiconductor chips during the coronavirus pandemic has caused price hikes and supply-chain disruptions in several industries.

This is one of the most significant, long-term thinking bills weve passed in a very long time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday. I told our caucus yesterday that our grandchildren will hold good-paying jobs in industries we cant even imagine because of what we are doing now. ... This is going to go down as one of the major bipartisan achievements of this Congress.

The bill also includes about $100 billion in authorizations over five years for programs such as expanding the National Science Foundations work and establishing regional technology hubs to support startups in areas of the country that havent traditionally drawn big funding for tech.

These investments will go a long way in reversing the decline in federal [research and development] that has dropped threefold since 1978, said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. And the more dispersed the innovation is, you never know where the next Bill Gates or Bill Boeing is going to be from and what innovation they might come up with.

The bill next moves to the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said it has support for passage. Key members of Congress have said they could have the bill on President Joe Bidens desk by the end of the week.

Biden has said the legislation is one of the top priorities on his agenda, and he called for Congress to get the bill to his desk as soon as possible.

Were close. Were close, Biden said Monday in a White House meeting with business and labor leaders. So lets get it done. So much depends on it.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who has been spearheading the White Houses efforts to lobby for the bill, noted Monday that the United States used to make 40% of the worlds chips but now makes about 12%  and essentially none of the leading-edge chips, which come almost entirely from Taiwan.

The United States has invested nearly nothing in semiconductor manufacturing, she said, while China has invested $150 billion to build its domestic capacity. Raimondo also said it was critical for the United States to be able to compete with countries around the world that have been providing subsidies to semiconductor companies to build factories.

The chips funding will be the deciding factor on where those companies choose to expand, Raimondo said. We want them, we need them, to expand here in the United States.

On Wednesday, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a key GOP negotiator on the legislation, argued there was no more important competition than the one for technological supremacy between the United States and China.

The outcome will shape the global balance of power for decades and will impact the security and prosperity of all Americans, Wicker said. Regrettably, at this moment, we are not in the drivers seat on a range of important technologies. China is. China and other nations are increasingly dominant in tech innovation, posing a massive threat to not only our economy but to our national security.

The White House has also pointed to the semiconductor chip shortage as a national security issue. In an interview Tuesday with Washington Post Live, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., an original co-sponsor of the bill, said that some senators joined a classified briefing a few weeks ago at which they learned about some of the geopolitical concerns the United States is facing.

And it helped create a greater sense of urgency, I hope, in both the House and the Senate . . . to help everyone see how important and how urgent this is, Sinema said. The good news is that we were able to respond to that quickly. And I expect, by the end of the week, our bill is going to be on the presidents desk.

The Senates passage of the bill Wednesday comes after months of debate and setbacks, and the measure was nearly hindered further by weather delays and the absence of several senators who tested positive for the coronavirus recently. The legislation resembles the sprawling United States Innovation and Competition Act, the original form of the bill, which cleared the Senate last year but ran aground in the House.

And although the bill saw bipartisan support, several key Republican senators voted no. Those opposed include retiring Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also opposed the bill, despite Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclets wholeheartedly endorsing the legislation in his meeting with Biden this week, emphasizing that semiconductor chips are a critical component of Javelin missiles, which are manufactured in Alabama.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has criticized the bill as one that would give blank checks to profitable microchip companies, also opposed the legislation and argued before the final vote that it needed stronger guardrails. The CHIPS and Science bill includes provisions that would prohibit companies from using the funding they receive for stock buybacks or the payment of dividends.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., a co-sponsor of the legislation, pushed back on Sanderss criticisms of the bill, saying he saw it as a national security investment.

Ronald Reagan used to say often that defense is not a budgetary issue, Young said in a Washington Post Live interview Tuesday. You spend what you need, and if this economy during the course of the pandemic until the present day has demonstrated anything, its that we need an economy that is more resilient.

Pelosi has vowed to move quickly on the bill once it arrives in the House. At an event in Michigan on Friday with labor leaders and the states congressional delegation, she said there was some support for the bill among GOP lawmakers in the House.

They understand the national security aspects of it, Pelosi said. I dont know how many [Republican votes] we get, but it will be bipartisan.

The Washington Posts Jeanne Whalen contributed to this report.
Hundreds of veterans, service members, families and others gathered Wednesday morning at the Korean War Veterans Memorial for a ceremony to dedicate the Wall of Remembrance, a newly added portion of the memorial that commemorates each person who died in the Korean War.

Called the "forgotten war," the Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953 but was largely overshadowed by World War II, which preceded it, and the Vietnam War, which came after.

At Wednesday's ceremony, retired Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., who chairs the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, emphasized that the Wall of Remembrance is an effort to change that narrative.

"With this dedication ceremony, I hope that it is no longer the forgotten war, but the remembered victory that was caused by the veterans," Tilelli said.

The ceremony, which took place on the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended combat in the Korean War, came after just over a year of construction on the Wall of Remembrance, which started in March 2021.

On Tuesday, the site hosted a visitation for family members of the fallen.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial itself was dedicated in 1995  but until the new Wall of Remembrance was finished this year, no parts of the memorial listed all the service members who died during the war.

A proposal to authorize the construction of a Wall of Remembrance was first introduced in Congress in 2016 by then-Reps. Sam Johnson, Charles Rangel and John Conyers, all Korean War veterans. Former President Barack Obama signed the bill into law.

That law also allowed for private contributions to fund the construction of the wall, which paved the way for several donations, including from South Korean corporations and individuals.

"It would not have been done without the major support of the people of the Republic of Korea and the Korean government," Tilelli said.

Korean service members also are recognized on the Wall of Remembrance. Integrated among the names of the Americans who died are the names of thousands of Koreans who also died. They were part of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, or KATUSA, a program created at the outbreak of the Korean War through an agreement between the United States and Republic of Korea.

"The Wall of Remembrance features 43,808 names of the war's fallen heroes  36,634 American soldiers and 7,174 KATUSA soldiers side by side," said Cho Tae-yong, the Republic of Korea's ambassador to the United States. "This wall reminds us of the depths of their sacrifice that instills in us the call of duty to carry on their fight."

The names on the wall are organized by rank and branch of service, which demonstrates how the burden of the war fell unevenly across the U.S. military, according to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation's website.

Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, who was a member of the official party at the dedication, said the ceremony marked "the culmination of efforts over many many years by American and Korean veterans, their families and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation to make this Wall of Remembrance a reality."

After laying wreaths and roses in front of the Wall of Remembrance with other members of the official party  including national security adviser Jake Sullivan  Emhoff also said that President Joe Bidens administration is dedicated to continuing the United States-South Korea alliance first forged during the war.

Last year, Biden awarded a Medal of Honor to Korean War veteran Ralph Puckett Jr. Former Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in was present at that ceremony, marking the first time in history a foreign leader participated in a Medal of Honor Ceremony, Emhoff said.

Additionally, on Monday, Biden issued a proclamation marking July 27, 2022, as Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.

"I've been privileged to witness the strong alliance between our countries firsthand," Emhoff said. "It's a testament to the unique bonds that our countries have."

To some Gold Star family members at the ceremony, such as Sarah Hesketh, seeing the Wall of Remembrance finally come to fruition was emotional.

Hesketh's great-uncle Maj. Hugh Casey  the name behind U.S. military base Camp Casey in South Korea  died when his plane was shot down by enemy fire near the 38th parallel. Seeing her uncle's name on the Wall of Remembrance was "very humbling" for her, she told Stars and Stripes.

"It's a very emotional experience to know that our family for generations to come will be able to come back and look at all the names and know exactly what the cost of freedom is," she said.
Keith ONeill (47) was sentenced to life after being found guilty of murdering Wilson (35) in 2012

A gunman who shot a father dead in front of his seven-year-old daughter has failed in a bid to have his conviction overturned at the Court of Appeal.

Keith ONeill (47) had pleaded not guilty to murdering John Wilson (35) on September 28, 2012, at Mr Wilsons home on Cloverhill Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.

A jury found him guilty, however, and he was sentenced to life by Mr Justice Tony Hunt at the Central Criminal Court in May 2015. O'Neill had 116 previous convictions at the time.

Lawyers for ONeill later claimed the conviction was unsafe and unsound and launched an appeal, claiming evidence from a forensic expert on the presence of gunshot residue found on clothes ONeill had dumped in a skip should not have gone before the jury.

In a submission to the appellate court, Ronan Munro SC, for ONeill, described how a single particle of a firearms discharge residue, located in the internal right pocket of a coat found hanging on Barry Georges kitchen door, had help convict the Englishman of Jill Dandos murder.

The BBC presenter had been shot dead as she stood on the doorstep of her house in south London in April 1999, in what was widely described as an execution-style killing.

Mr George, who has family in Cork and Limerick, was found guilty of Ms Dandos murder following a trial in 2001 but he successfully appealed against the conviction and was acquitted in 2008.

Mr Munro claimed the kernel of the case against his client had been circumstantial gunshot evidence. And had it not been made available to the jury, there would not have been a conviction, he added.

At one stage during his appeal ONeill, formerly of Lissadell Drive, Drimnagh, Dublin, but now a prisoner at Wheatfield Prison, was warned by Mr Justice John Edwards, presiding, to stop gesticulating and shouting at members of the court after the appellant attempted to address the three appeal judges directly.

Counsel for O'Neill had argued that firearm residue found on the clothing could have been contaminated by the garda who seized the bags because he carried a gun.

During the trial, O'Neill's barrister had also objected to being "interrupted" by the judge as well as objecting to the forensic evidence being put before the jury.

The grounds of appeal were that the judge engaged in "excessive commentary" during the defence's cross-examination. It was submitted that this could have undermined the cross-examination, which then could have misdirected the jury and rendered the conviction unsafe.

A second ground of appeal was that the judge wrongly ruled that the forensic evidence was admissible, despite objection from the appellant at the trial.

Today at the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said that O'Neill's trial was based on "circumstantial evidence" and that it was claimed by the appellant that the trial judge had "descended into the arena, rather than marshal events".

However, Mr Justice McCarthy said that in circumstantial cases, judges can be required to go further regarding evidence. He said the court found that in this case, the judge "did not go further than necessary regarding the charges as a whole".

"At no time were the jury led to believe that the decision on the view which they might take on any relevant fact was not solely a matter for them. The exchange with counsel which was the subject of criticism did not undermine or disparage the cross-examination as alleged. We are not persuaded accordingly that any fault can be found with the charge either," said Mr Justice McCarthy.

On the trial judge allowing the forensic evidence to go before the jury, despite defence objections based on contamination, Mr Justice McCarthy said this ground would also be dismissed.

"There is no reason to suppose that the jury approached this evidence with anything other than care and weighed it in the ordinary way. The judge's approach, when adjudicating on the issue of admissibility, was thorough, careful and well-founded. Later, he dealt with the matter adequately in the charge. We therefore dismiss this appeal, " said Mr Justice McCarthy.

Mr Wilson was shot in the back and a shotgun was used to carry out the murder. Six rounds were discharged but only two of them entered the deceased, one to fatal effect. Six cartridges were later retrieved at the scene by gardai. Mr Wilson died almost instantaneously in the front hallway of his home.

Gardai were notified of the shooting at about 2.55pm and within minutes of the event a vehicle similar to one described as leaving the scene was found to have been set alight using an accelerant at nearby Cherry Orchard Crescent.

The fire was put out and the registration was traced to an address in Kildare, which had reported a stolen car several days before.

Scarves and gloves with barcodes still on them were retrieved and traced to purchases made by O'Neill the day before that were captured on Dunnes Stores' CCTV.

Gardai had O'Neill under surveillance after the shooting and he was observed placing two JD bags into a skip that night, which were retrieved and found to contain clothing similar to that worn by the shooter.
Patrick McDaid (50) wished to attend yoga and sea-swim sessions in Donegal

Lawyers for Patrick McDaid, (50), with an address of Magowan Park in Derry, who was granted High Court bail last year, claimed the electronic tag may bring about some negative feelings towards him.

The co-accused are David and Sharon Jordan, and Damien Joseph McLaughlin from Dungannon; Kevin Murphy from Coalisland; Amanda McCabe and Shea Reynolds from Lurgan; and Joseph Barr and Gary Hayden from Derry.

All face similar offences with McLaughlin and McReynolds further accused of conspiring to possess Semtex and ammunition.

Scottish doctor Issam Bassalat is charged with addressing an IRA meeting. He has since been released on bail, as has Barr.

The offence allegedly occurred between February and July, 2020, and relates to covert surveillance recordings of alleged dissident republican meetings in a joint PSNI and M15 investigation, codenamed Operation Arbacia.

Previously, a prosecuting barrister stated McDaid held, a high-ranking role within the organisation The nature of the offences and criminal record are indicative of a deep-seated and entrenched mindset.

"The court will note the threat posed by violent dissident republican terrorists is serious and has produced substantial attacks on persons and property, raising public interest and safety aspects.

The defence claimed McDaid only attended one meeting, addressed by Dr Bassalat, in which he asked about Palestinian self-determination, and insisted: My client is a veteran of human and civil rights with an interest in republicanism. Hes not a person of violence.

This was disputed by the prosecution who contended McDaid discussed internal security and is allegedly recording saying, we need to f***ing put massive emphasis on security. Our enemy needs to know these people are f***ing cracking down.

He also mentioned the Green Book, a training and induction manual issued by the IRA to new volunteers.

On that occasion, bail was refused but McDaid was later freed by the High Court with a number of conditions, including the electronic tag.

At Dungannon Magistrates Court today, a defence lawyer requested removal of the tag and for McDaid to be permitted to travel to Donegal as, He wishes to take part in sea-swim and yoga mental health sessions.

"This takes place on a Donegal beach and my client will be in shorts. The fear is the tag may bring about negative feelings towards him.

The variation was opposed by the prosecution who remarked: "Clearly the bail conditions are onerous but were considered against a risk of flight and reoffending. Balance has to be reached between proportionality and necessity.

"Theres no evidence to suggest the removal of the tag would render the defendant to danger. The very nature of the charges faced and the fact they are in the public domain, mean the detail is out there.

"He may prefer not to have the tag but thats not what the court is dealing with.

It was agreed the mental health sessions are understandable, however the prosecution pointed out these are available for McDaid without the requirement to leave the jurisdiction and urged the court, Not to dilute the bail terms and therefore heighten risk.

While District Judge Michael Ranaghan said anyone suffering from mental health issues should avail of necessary treatment and support, he dismissed the variation.

He said: Those facilities are available for the defendant in the north. I understand the tag may cause embarrassment or concern, but there are ways of dealing with that, one of which is wearing a wetsuit and not shorts.
Last month, Willzee won the Music, Arts and Culture award at the Irish Traveller Pride Awards.

A judge has jailed recent Irish Traveller Pride Award winner and well known rapper, William Casey (30) for the careless driving causing the death of a back seat passenger Christopher Moran in a car.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Brian OCallaghan imposed a 15 month prison term suspending the final 12 months on Mr Casey of OBriensbridge in south east Clare.

Judge O'Callaghan also imposed a four year driving ban on Mr Casey.

Earlier this month, Mr Casey, better known as rapper, Willzee won the Music, Arts and Culture award at the Irish Traveller Pride Awards.

Judge OCallghan said that the case involved aggravating factor after aggravating factor and said that Mr Casey had maintained a lie that the now deceased Mr Moran was the driver of the car when in fact Mr Casey was the driver in the single vehicle crash at Ardclooney, Killaloe in east Clare on November 7th 2017.

Judge O'Callghan said that Mr Casey "is now fully remorseful".

Mr Moran (27) was a back seat passenger in the car that also had three other passengers and four ambulances arrived at the scene after 4am to take the injured away.

Mr Moran died three days later in hospital from his injuries.

In her victim impact evidence, sister of Christopher Moran, Tracy Moran said that for three years the family were left not knowing what happened on the night of November 7th 2017.

She said that Christophers two young girls were left without a father and they lost their mother a number of months later through an overdose.

Ms Moran said that the family would have accepted an apology from Mr Casey over what happened as she understood that accidents happen.

She recounted how when family members were at Christophers bedside in hospital, her brother got a phone call from William Casey who said that he wasnt driving the car but that Christopher was.

She said: William Casey never apologised or showed any remorse.

Mr Casey maintained the lie and went on trial for dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Moran in June of last year at Ennis Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death two days into the trial.

Mr Casey was disqualified from driving at the time of the crash in November 2017.

A worker with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project, Jack Griffin gave character evidence on behalf of Mr Casey.

Mr Griffin said that William has been on the Claire Byrne show on RTE and other national media and has tried to be a positive voice for young travellers.

Mr Griffin said that Mr Casey is a talented musician, poet and artist and won a National Traveller Pride award earlier this month.

Asked about the impact of the crash on Mr Casey, Mr Griffin said: I think what happened on the night was absolutely horrific. William for a long time found it hard to come to terms with his guilt and shame around it.

Mr Griffin said that what happened that night put William in a very dark place for a long time and he is working through that and he struggled.

Mr Griffin said that Mr Casey has worked tirelessly to bring something positive to his family and his community.

In a letter of apology read out in court, Mr Casey apologised to the Moran family for the hurt he has caused them.

He said: It was never my intention to hurt anyone.

He said that he was fully responsible for my actions on the night.

He said: If there was any way of going back and trading places, I would in a heart beat.

Mr Casey said: I honestly hate myself for the decisions I made that night and it has taken me a while to come to terms with the disgusting way I behaved.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL said that because Mr Casey told Gardai on the night that he wasnt driving he couldnt be tested for drink driving.

Mr Casey embraced and kissed on the cheek his foster mother in court before being led away to the courthouse cell by prison guards to commence his three month prison sentence.
There were no garda objections and the court heard the alleged victim was "comfortable with" the defence application.

A HUSBAND accused of attacking and injuring his wife at a Dublin hotel has had his bail terms relaxed so he can attend their wedding celebration.

A judge made the order this morning allowing Horacio Cavillo McCoy (37) to attend the event later today, after hearing his wife still wanted him to be there.

The married Mexican couple had invited 150 guests to the Covid-delayed wedding party in Ireland when Mr McCoy allegedly assaulted his wife at the hotel they were staying in.

Mr McCoy, from Mexico City, is charged with assault causing harm to Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez at Dublins Westbury Hotel, Balfe Street on July 24.

He had appeared in court on the charge on Monday and his bail terms included conditions that he observes a curfew, signs on twice daily at a garda station and stays away from the alleged victim.

Horacio Cavillo McCoy and right Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez

Yesterday, he applied to have these bail terms lifted so he could go to the wedding celebration. Ms Gonzalez told Judge Paula Murphy that despite pressing ahead with her assault complaint, she still wanted Mr McCoy to be at the celebration, due to take place at 4pm this afternoon.

Judge Murphy today said she was varying Mr McCoy's bail to suspend the conditions as requested by his solicitor Donal Quigley.

There were no garda objections and the court heard the alleged victim was "comfortable with" the defence application.

The accused is on bail and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

At yesterday's hearing, a garda sergeant told Judge Paula Murphy the circumstances were unusual.

Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez, of Mexico City, Mexico, leaving Dublin District Court. PIC: Collins Courts

Prosecutors had initial "reservations" about the defence application, saying a lot of people had travelled in for the event and this came with a certain amount of pressure." Ms Gonzaelz told the court she had married the accused in Mexico in March 2020 but the celebration was delayed by Covid. The couple now had a child together.

A lot of effort had been put into the celebration, Ms Gonzalez said. She knew the bail restriction had been put there to protect her, but she said she believed Mr McCoy would behave in front of 150 people.

She said she would be leaving the country on Friday.

I think he deserves to go to his wedding celebration, she told the judge.

The judge asked if Ms Gonzalez wanted to go ahead with the event and she replied: I would like him to come, yes."

The judge asked her if she felt under any pressure.

To have 150 guests is a lot of pressure, Ms Gonzalez replied, but added that she believed the accuseds brothers would take care of Mr McCoy and vouch for him."

Mr Quigley stressed that the accused would not be leaving the jurisdiction as he was on bail.
Last year the teen pleaded guilty to harassing BBC News Northern Ireland's Aileen Moynagh over four months

An "obsessive" Dublin youth has been spared jail and was handed a two-year probation supervision order for sustained online harassment of a BBC journalist.

Last year, the then 17-year-old pleaded guilty to harassing BBC News Northern Ireland's Aileen Moynagh over four months from October 2020.

In February, a deferred six-month detention order was made by Judge Paul Kelly at the Dublin Children's Court.

The youth, now 18 and an adult, faced sentencing on Wednesday evening. The court has heard he had a range of complicated disorders.

Following submissions from defence counsel Aoife McNickle, Judge Kelly accepted he had discretion and that it was appropriate to extend reporting restrictions on publishing the youth's identity because the case commenced when he was a minor.

During the hearing, he remarked that there were "stark" contents in a pre-sentence Probation Service report that the youth posed a risk to the community. However, he also accepted that incarceration would not help him.

The teen's distraught mother re-iterated comments about the help offered so far and being let down by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Describing her son as an "ill child", she said he was "not in control of his own thoughts" and added that he remains on a bottomless pit waiting list for mental health services.

The court heard on Wednesday that the youth has now agreed to take a specific medication recommended which the judge said was progress.

The youth had no further charges pending though concerns were raised about recent, but non-threatening, messages to two young women. One declined to make a statement, and the other womans complaint did not amount to harassment.

Judge Kelly noted he could no longer activate the deferred juvenile detention order and imposed a two-year probation bond with conditions.

He warned the teen he must engage with his probation officer and mental health services, take medication as directed by his treating doctor, continue education and use his free time constructively.

He praised investigating officer Detective Garda Ken McGreevy and wished the youths devastated mother well, adding she had done all she could.

Re-offending or breaking the terms could result in the case being re-opened with the risk of a jail term. However, Judge Kelly added that he sincerely hoped that would not happen.

The court heard the teen stalked the BBC reporter online after developing an "obsessive crush".

He had been previously cautioned about similar trolling of two RTE journalists and had an "unhealthy interest" in women journalists.

Detective Garda McGreevy said the boy, then aged 16, sent a litany of unsolicited and unwanted communications via email, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Despite being warned by gardai not to contact her, he travelled to Belfast and was a few hundred yards from her workplace.

Out of fear, she moved out of her house for five days and was concerned about her movements.

A psychiatric report stated he had no remorse; he was at high risk of re-offending, violence and continued stalking. In addition, it detailed how the boy was a "disabled, isolated, lonely and sometimes an angry young man" and presented "unique challenges".

Previously, Judge Kelly described Ms Moynagh's victim impact statement as "harrowing".

He also noted the heartache of the boy's father, who had told the court he had spent years trying to get specialist help for his son.

Earlier, the court heard the HSE identified an appropriate facility. However, budget issues prevented it from being available.

Ms Moynagh reported the harassment first to the PSNI, but the complaint was not passed on to the Republic, and the journalist later contacted the gardai.

The "high functioning" boy, who wants to be a journalist, had been barred from Twitter 150 times under various aliases.

In December, she gave a moving victim impact statement in court and said she hoped the case would "shine a light" on the dangers of social media and act as a deterrent.

Later, the youth entered another guilty plea to a threat to harm a female RTE journalist which happened last November. That resulted in another one-year probation bond.

He made the threat to a Garda and two other people at a youth justice project. He confessed that he once hid in bushes on the grounds of RTE in Dublin, watching her drive out of a car park.

Detective Garda Michael McCallion said the boy claimed he wanted to disfigure her and admitted he wanted her "off the air".

Concerns were raised beforehand that the boy also sent unwanted messages to a female student in Galway.

The court was told that he also caused a person to lose their job after he made a baseless allegation.

The teen had a breakdown and was hospitalised for two months after similar harassment of two other journalists in RTE, which did not result in court prosecutions.

The court heard there had been diagnoses of autism, Asperger's syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Trichotillomania hair-pulling disorder.
Dublin District Court heard Ouriachi took 432 worth of clothes at Penneys on Mary Street on June 18 this year and left without paying.

AN asylum seeker caught shoplifting clothes in Dublin had fled her home country because it was not accepted there that she was lesbian, a court heard.

Wassila Ouriachi (30) stole the goods out of desperation because she did not have enough clothing after leaving Algeria with her partner.

Judge Bryan Smyth dismissed the case under the Probation Act, sparing her a criminal record.

The accused admitted charges of theft and possession of stolen property.

Dublin District Court heard Ouriachi took 432 worth of clothes at Penneys on Mary Street on June 18 this year and left without paying.

When she was stopped by security, items from another Penneys store were found in her rucksack which she had not paid for. The goods were recovered.

Ouriachi left Algeria in hope of a better life because she was a member of the LGBTQ+ community and wasnt accepted there, her solicitor Evan Moore said.

She did not have enough clothes and the weekly asylum payment was 38.

The accused was university-educated and hoped to work here once she became eligible.

The accused had no previous convictions.
Dublin District Court heard his wife, Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez, was proceeding with the assault complaint but said: he deserves to go to his wedding celebration.

The married Mexican couple were due to hold the Covid-delayed wedding party in Dublin this week when the husband was charged with assaulting her at their hotel.

Horacio Cavillo McCoy (37) was released on bail yesterday but today his defence applied to ease the terms so he can go to the event. Dublin District Court heard his wife, Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez, was proceeding with the assault complaint but said: he deserves to go to his wedding celebration.

Mr McCoy, from Mexico City, is charged with assault causing harm to Ms Gonzalez at Dublins Westbury Hotel, Balfe Street on July 24.

A garda sergeant told Judge Paula Murphy the circumstances of the defence application were unusual.

Mr McCoy had appeared in court on the charge yesterday and his bail terms included a condition that he stay away from the alleged victim, the sergeant said.

A file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Horatio Cavillo McCoy (37) leaving Dublin District Court. PIC: Collins Courts

The court heard Ms Gonzalez wanted to follow up her complaint but was also anxious for the wedding celebration to go ahead.

The sergeant had reservations about the condition being lifted, saying the couple were married in Mexico and a lot of people had travelled in for tomorrows celebration in Dublin. This came with a certain amount of pressure, the sergeant said.

Although the accused was presumed innocent, the prosecutions view was that the allegation was serious enough for a file to be prepared for the DPP.

Defence solicitor Donal Quigley said tomorrows event was a wedding celebration with 150 guests, some coming from Mexico.

Ms Gonzalez told the court she had married the accused in March 2020 but the celebration was delayed by Covid. The couple now had a child together.

A lot of effort had been put into the celebration, Ms Gonzalez said. She knew the bail restriction had been put there to protect her, but she said she believed Mr McCoy would behave in front of 150 people.

Marina Tadea Armida Gonzalez, of Mexico City, Mexico, leaving Dublin District Court. PIC: Collins Courts

She said she would be leaving the country on Friday.

I think he deserves to go to his wedding celebration, she told the judge.

Do you want to go ahead with the celebration tomorrow? the judge asked.

I would like him to come, yes, Ms Gonzalez replied.

The judge asked her if she felt under any pressure.

To have 150 guests is a lot of pressure, Ms Gonzalez replied, but added that she believed the accuseds brothers would take care of Mr McCoy and vouch for him tomorrow.

Mr Quigley stressed that the accused would not be leaving the jurisdiction as he was on bail. The gardai had his passport.

The judge said she wanted to consider the issue overnight and adjourned it to tomorrow morning.
chancers | Spanish police launch probe into Irish 'asphalt' scammers after they rake in over 2m

The scam came to the attention of police in 2019 when a man lodged a complaint after he was scammed by the group.

Stock Image | Deposit Photos

Clodagh Meaney article.copyright.R_CK Thu 28 Jul 2022 at 09:10







Police in Spain have launched a major investigation into an Irish group of asphalt scammers.
Speaking on RTEs Morning Ireland, Mr OConnor said members were absolutely shocked and appalled, at what emerged and what the victim was put through.

The President of the GRA, Brendan OConnor, has said he would welcome change to the garda pensions system after evil Garda Paul Moody was able to resign last night with his Garda pension intact.

Paul Moody of St Raphaels Manor, Celbridge, Kildare, was yesterday sentenced to three years and three months in prison for coercively controlling the woman, known as Nicola.

The court heard Moody sent her thousands of vile, abusive and threatening messages over a three-and-a-half-year period starting in May 2017

Speaking on RTEs Morning Ireland, Mr OConnor said members were absolutely shocked and appalled, at what emerged and what the victim was put through.

It's a very difficult day for members of the Garda Siochana. It's very difficult for members to deal with, he added.

The fact that a serving member was involved in such a terrible thing, its hard for our members to comprehend. But our colleagues ensured that the victim got justice.

And they pursued this case and ensured it would be investigated to a very high level. The message from our members is that we want to reach out to victims and ensure that it doesn't matter who the perpetrator is or their perceived status, that if you make a complaint, it will be pursued.

You'll get your rights vindicated and support services will be there to get you to a place of safety, and accompany you through all the steps of the investigation and to the day in court where justice will be visited upon the perpetrators.

Mr OConnor also addressed the issue that people will be raising questions about how Moody was able to resign from the force last night on a Garda pension.

Mr OConnor said: I completely understand why people would be thinking like that.

But for change or to address this will require legislative change in relation to the finance regulations.

Its a very important that justice is seen to be done and certainly this is an element in this case. It certainly needs to be looked at going forward. I would see merit in change.

Meanwhile, Womens Aid has said that a higher level of sentencing should be considered in cases of coercive control, after Moody was jailed for three years and three months.

The law for the offence came into effect in January 2019.

Paul Moody. Collins Photo

Judge Martin Nolan noted that the maximum sentence available to the court for this offence is five years.

Speaking about the sentence of three years and three months handed down to Moody, and the fact that the maximum sentence is five years, Sarah Benson said: I think this is something we may need to reflect on in the future.

I think a case like this really does give us pause when you see that a relationship of four years, the vast majority of which was constituted through degradation, humiliation, violence and pain perpetrated against the victim and the sentence resulting, I think perhaps a higher level of sentencing should be considered.

I think that's something that we need to reflect on."

Speaking about the fact that the perpetrator was a garda, she added: We know through our direct services that it does have a chilling effect on somebody if the perpetrator is somebody in a position of standing.

That could be somebody, you know, in another profession where somebody may feel they won't be believed, that this person is a pillar of society, and nowhere more would that be in the case when the perpetrator is a member of the gardai.

It is not just about the position, it is also about the access to information, and access to the PULSE system. But I think I would take great confidence from the statements from the gardai that they did respond so thoroughly and without hesitation to this report.

Ms Benson added that this was not the first garda who has been convicted of coercive control.

We think that it's absolutely crucial that that message goes out there that, no matter what, whether it's discussing with your local support service with Women's Aid and with the guards, and the Garda Ombudsman, there are different avenues to support survivors to go through that very difficult and delicate process, she added.

As I mentioned, there was recent case where the Garda Ombudsman Commission was involved, so this is not the first case.

We would always encourage somebody to start that conversation first with a specialist support service to tease things out and then explore how to safely make a statement and pursue what they would like in terms of access to justice.

The court heard how Moody sent the woman over 30,000 messages over those years and in one 14-hour period, in July 2018, sent her 652 messages, amounting to one message every 90 seconds.

Paul Moody. Collins Photo

The messages were described in court as threatening, vile and abusive. In one message he described her as being riddled with cancer, in another, while she was on holiday without him, he said he hoped she would get raped and bleed.

In another, after they had a row while on holiday together, he messaged her the following morning and said she was flaunting your body around the pool calling her a dirtbox and a scumbag.

The man threatened to stick a knife in her in one voice message.

Judge Nolan said Moody's behaviour was at the highest end of the offence but the court had to take Moody's guilty plea into consideration and he reduced a five year headline sentence to three years and three months.

He said Moody had carried out a catalogue of vile and humiliating criminal misbehaviour. He said he abused his position as a garda to obtain information which he used to harass and humiliate the victim and he also endangered her life by driving recklessly at one point.

The guilty plea was accepted on the basis of full facts in relation to a further 19 counts including harassment, assault causing harm, criminal damage, threats to cause criminal damage, endangerment, theft and threats to kill.

Moody joined the gardai in 2000 but was suspended from duty in March 2021, following a search of his home arising out of this investigation.

Sean Gillane SC, defending, told the court that his client will resign from An Garda Siochana.
The list includes 72 public figures across the globe who Ukraine deems to be sharing harmful narratives.

Irish MEP Clare Daly is among a number of public figures around the world who have been put on a list compiled by Ukraines secret service, claiming they promote narratives consonant with Russian propaganda.

The list includes 72 public figures across the globe who Ukraine deems to be sharing harmful narratives.

Ms Daly is the only Irish figure on the list. Others include US Republican senator Rand Paul, former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and US journalist Glenn Greenwald.

The list, which is titled speakers who promote narratives consonant with Russian propaganda, was published by the Centre for Countering Disinformation, a unit within the national security and defence council of Ukraine which is headed by president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ms Daly is being accused of sharing two narratives - that sanctions against Russia make innocent people suffer, and that the Ukrainian conflict is a proxy war between Nato and Russia.

The left-wing MEP, who has been critical of Nato and Western countries response to the Russias invasion, as well as the invasion itself, told The Irish Times that the list includes a diverse range of people with nothing in common politically, except that they are critical of Nato and the Wests policies towards Ukraine.

Now comes an attempt at a blacklist issued by a government propaganda department, she told the publication.

But that is what a free and open discussion in a democratic society looks like. Ukraine trying to shut it down is a mirror image of the repressive behaviour we rightfully criticise in Russia. We shouldnt be encouraging it.
The disgraced ex-RUC Inspector has been committing child sex offences since the early 90s  targeting kids as young as eight-years-old to abuse

This is remorseless ex-top-cop Raymond Keith Lindsay  recently convicted yet again for child sex offences  pictured for the first time in 30 years.

The disgraced ex-RUC Inspector has been committing child sex offences since the early 90s  targeting kids as young as eight-years-old to abuse.

The shameless sex offender  who as recently as 2018 tried to lure an eight-year-old girl into a forest for sex  cant seem to stop himself from committing serious sex crimes.

He started off when he was a staff officer to the Deputy Chief Constable of the RUC in the early 90s during which he abused his position at RUC Headquarters in east Belfast by stopping schoolgirls, asking them if they needed help before abusing them.

His lifelong Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which prohibits Lindsay from entering amusement arcades and beaches, and from loitering in forest parks and caravan sites, was put in place in 2012 after the pervert was spotted hanging around Tollymore Park in Newcastle and Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor but that didnt stop him trying to have sex with a child in Castlewellan Forest Park six years later.

Ex-RUC man Raymond Keith Lindsay

The 63-year-old has been at the abhorrent behaviour for so long the only image of him was taken when he was jailed back in 1994 for 16 sex offences, including gross indecency and indecent exposure having been arrested after high-speed chase through Belfast.

Recently it emerged Lindsay had pleaded guilty to 15 counts of making indecent images of a child and five of possessing prohibited images of a child at Dungannon Crown Court.

So we confronted Lindsay at his home in Dungannon to ask him why he wont stop committing child sex offences.

The cocky ex-police officer tried to claim he wasnt aware hed pleaded guilty to the latest raft of offences.

You made me jump there ringing the doorbell, said Lindsay when he open the front door to us at his bungalow in the Killyman Road area of Dungannon on Wednesday.

Linsday seemed in good form for a man facing another trip back to prison and yet more public humiliation and embarrassment.

The case isnt over, he said in affable mood when asked about his most recent offending. Come back to me in September when its over.

When we pointed out he had already pleaded guilty he said, No not that Im aware of. In fact Im waiting to hear back from the court, I actually thought Id get a call from them this morning.

So the case isnt over so dont go making a big fuss about it. Ill talk to you about it in September.

In fact the well-practiced liar had pleaded guilty in person from his solicitors office last month and is now awaiting sentence.

When pushed about what makes him keep committing child sex offences and if he regrets destroying a promising career in the police he said he had nothing more to say.

Lindsay committed the most recent offences on various dates between 2016 and 2018.

A defence barrister told Dungannon Crown Court he had received a report from the Public Prosecution Service into the offences, and as a result requested the charges were put to Lindsay again.

Appearing by video-link from his solicitors office, Lindsay admitted 15 counts of making indecent images of a child and five of possessing prohibited images of a child, pleading guilty to each count in turn.

The change in position came just a week before he was scheduled to stand trial.

Judge Brian Sherrard QC ordered pre-sentence reports to be prepared with sentencing expected to take place in a few weeks.

He also ordered Lindsay to sign the Sex-Offenders Register, the duration of which will be decided at sentencing,

Lindsay was remanded on continuing bail of 500.

Just under three years ago he was jailed for trying to lure a child into woods at Castlewellan Forest Park on 26 July 2018.

The victim, who was on a camping holiday with her family, was walking with her four-year-old sibling and became aware Lindsay was following them.

Although unknown to her, he engaged in conversion asking her age.

On replying she was 8 he said, Youre too young.

Lindsay then enquired if a priest came to her school but she didnt reply.

He then asked the girl if she would like to take off her underwear.

She refused and he persisted in asking if she wanted to come into the woods and he would take off his underwear and show her his genitals.

The child hurried her sibling and away, reporting what occurred to her mother, who raised the alarm while pervert Lindsay cycled into the woods.

The Park Ranger was also alerted who discovered a white van on the site. This was registered to Lindsay who was arrested at his home that night but claimed Not to have left the house all day.

He then said he had taken his mother to Banbridge for lunch, but she denied being with him at all.

When this was put to Lindsay he contended his mother had memory problems thereafter providing no comment.

Raymond Keith Lindsay pictured in 1994

The court heard as a result of arrest for these matters Lindsay, who had been released from prison for similar offending in 2016, was recalled to serve out the remainder of his sentence

An application for parole was refused.

Defence counsel conceded there are very relevant convictions on record, the first in 1993.

Lindsay, it was heard, is highly intelligent, performing well at school and university. He joined the RUC in 1988, quickly moving up the scale and becoming an inspector in 1993.

But shortly after attaining this rank, he was arrested for his first sexualised offending.

He was jailed and on release a similar incident occurred in 1996 for which he was also jailed.

On release there was again further offending in 2012 with Lindsay serving another prison sentence, from which he was released in October 2016.

Defence counsel said it was difficult to know how someone of his clients intelligence and achievement Could have crashed like this.

The judge on that occasion remarked, Probably something to do with offending against children.

The defence said when pressed on his mindset at the time of the latest offending Lindsay claimed, I was in desperation  I didnt care anymore  I thought Id be better off in prison.

A court was later told Lindsay used his position as an RUC Inspector to target vulnerable victims. He would approach schoolgirls and ask them did they needed help, before abusing them.

On other occasions, he would sit half-naked in his car with a pornographic magazine at his side, beckon girls over and expose himself.

A prosecution lawyer said when he was jailed the policeman paedophile never expressed any "remorse, regret or concern for his victims".

While on day release from Magilligan Prison in 1996, Lindsay was convicted of assaulting a woman in Co Monaghan and stealing her clothes.

Lindsay will be sentenced later this year for the indecent images case.

Steven.moore@sundayworld.com
The woman victim was attacked by a taxi driver who had picked her up in his car and brought her home

Super-pimp Mucky Marty Heaney was once a suspect in an as-yet unsolved sex attack case, the Sunday World can reveal.

And Heaney, who was first exposed in this newspaper nearly 15 years ago, could well find himself before the courts yet again if a re-examination of the case turns up a DNA trace.

The woman victim was attacked by a taxi driver who had picked her up in his car and brought her home. She was able to give officers a full description of him.

At the time of the attack, Heaney worked as an illegal taxi driver in west Belfast.

During that period the IRA imposed its own version of law and order in areas under its control.

And the likely outcome for an individual accused of sexual offences was a so-called six pack shooting, unless of course they had republican connections.

Earlier this week, Judge Patrick Lynch sent 60-year-old Heaney to prison for five years, although it is understood he was freed within hours as a result of time served on remand.

Initially charged with 62 offences, Heaney eventually pleaded guilty to 28 charges spanning a period of eight years.

His rap sheet included 10 counts of controlling prostitution, 10 counts of human trafficking and seven counts of voyeurism.

But investigating detectives knew Heaney only pleaded guilty to a fraction of his crimes.

Our man Hugh Jordan confronts Mucky Marty a decade ago

Last Wednesday, Mr Justice Lynch told Craigavon Crown Court sitting in Belfast: The defendant was using women, many of whom were extremely vulnerable either through their young age, mental health difficulties, drugs misuse or general deprivation.

But taxi attack allegations predate those offences.

As the finger of suspicion swung in Heaneys direction, he did a disappearing act. He was well aware the IRA sometimes executed alleged sex offenders.

Heaney quit the marital home and rented a house in the Carryduff area of south Belfast.

The village had become a refuge for families wishing to escape the sectarian ghettos of Belfast.

But it also home to a new breed of wealthy drug dealers and others like Heaney who wished to stay out of the public eye.

He secured a job as a self-employed taxi driver with a company based in south Belfast. Other drivers thought it odd that he regularly declined fares to west Belfast.

Heaney quickly blended in with the more cosmopolitan and cross-community atmosphere where there was no IRA presence.

But when the taxi firms owners received complaints from female passengers, he was dismissed.

And when an artists impression of a taxi driver suspected of a vicious attack in west Belfast was flashed up on TV, alarm bells began to ring among his former work colleagues.

The police sketch bore a startling resemblance to Heaney. And two taxi drivers who had worked alongside Heaney were convinced it was him.

Independently they contacted the Crimestoppers helpline, where they passed Heaneys name and details to the police.

It isnt known whether Heaney was ever questioned about the crime But this week, we tracked down one of drivers who had passed Heaneys name to the police.

He told us: As soon as I saw the artists impression on TV, I was convinced it was Marty Heaney. I told the police and later that day, my work colleague did the same.

He added: Im not sure if reliable DNA testing was available at the time, but nothing has happened to make me change my mind about the sketch.

Heaney working as a Belfast tour bus guide

Since he was first exposed in the Sunday World 14 years ago, Mucky Marty  as we dubbed him  has appeared in this newspaper a total of 28 times.

Heaney had an ability to pass himself off as a nice guy, who was always willing to help anyone in need.

We first confronted Heaney as he helped elderly passengers from a city tour bus in Belfast.

At the time Heaney pleaded with us not to put his photograph in the paper: Please dont put my picture in the paper. My dad is an old man and it will kill him.

But in reality, Heaney was a ruthless, manipulative liar with an insatiable appetite for perverted sex. He exploited vulnerable young women who turned to him for help.

And he was determined to make money out of his sick obsession.

It emerged in court this week that he instructed one of his victims to continue working as a prostitute when she was pregnant.

Heaney placed adverts online encouraging women who were interested in working as cleaners, strippers or dancers to get in touch.

As business boomed, he even set up his own strip-o-gram service. And trading under the name Angels 2 Devils, Heaney promoted two women using the fake stage names Misty and Miss Spanky.

It was after Heaney was caught in a second Sunday World sting operation that police in Belfast moved against him.

In 2013, Heaney was found guilty at Craigavon Crown Court of kidnapping and holding two teenage girls captive in his locked car, while he performed a sex act in front of them.

As a result of the trauma, the youngsters tried to take their own lives.

A judge ordered Heaney to embark on a probation course for three years and he banned him from working with children for three years.

But as he sentenced Heaney to five years this week, Judge Lynch noted that it was when he was still engaged with a Probation Service course he was arrested in connection with the case which finally concluded this week.

As well as sending Heaney to jail for five years, Judge Lynch also imposed a seven-year SOPO.

Under the terms of the order, Heaney is barred from working or advertising in the sex trade or entering into any relationship without giving notice of his background.

But the day after Heaney was sent down it emerged the Public Prosecution Service is to consider appealing on the grounds that the sentence was too lenient.

Victims groups also criticised the sentence for similar reasons.

hjordan.media@btinternet.com
Corey Johnson (29) claimed to be on a mission from the president.

Corey Johnson (29) allegedly stole a 2013 Ford F150 from Riviera Beach, Florida, three days before he drove it into Patrick Drive Space Force Base last Tuesday.

Johnson told deputies the President of the United States had told him in his head that he needed to take the vehicle and drive to the base to tell the government that there were US aliens fighting Chinese dragons, according to the arrest affidavit.

Johnson was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail on grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Patrick Space Force Base is home to Space Launch Delta 45, the unit that is in charge of launching America's satellites into orbit on the East Coast. The unit also oversees the nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.

Patrick has a long history in the Department of Defense, initially being used as a naval air station during World War II. It was later transferred to the Air Force, renamed Patrick Air Force Base in 1950 and used as the service's missile test centre.

After the Space Force was officially designated in 2019, the installation was renamed Patrick Space Force Base.

The incident outside of the base comes two months after a man was killed outside of New Boston Space Force Station on May 13.

Michael Foley, 33 -- a civilian not connected to the Space Force -- was fatally shot on Galaxy Way, an access road that leads to the remote station in New Hampshire.
First images from the movie have been released in advance of the films world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month

They had a smash hit with the killer comedy In Bruges - now Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson have reunited with writer-director Martin McDonagh for their latest movie.

Several first-look images have been released for The Banshees of Inisherin, which filmed on Achill and the Aran Island of Inishmore last summer, and comes to cinemas this autumn.

Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan   Jonathan Hession

Film fans are hopeful the two leading men will share the same onscreen chemistry they did when they played hitmen sent to the Belgian city for a contract killing. Its the first time the two Dubliners have worked together since that 2008 film.

Set on an island off the west coast of Ireland, the movie tells the story of two lifelong friends, Padraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm abruptly decides to end their friendship.

Colin Farrell

With the support of his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), who along with the local policemans son Dominic (Barry Keoghan) has her own qualms within the small island community, a confused and devastated Padraic attempts to reignite their relationship. But when Colm delivers a shocking ultimatum, events start to escalate.

First images from the movie have been released in advance of the films world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. The glitzy festival is regarded as an early launchpad for an awards-season run.

Martin McDonagh and Colin Farrell on set   Jonathan Hession

Its the first time McDonagh has filmed a movie in Ireland, though many of his plays have been set here. The directors last movie, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, won Oscars for its lead stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.

McDonagh has revealed he wanted to bring his two leading men back together for what he describes as a break up story about their friendship.

Kerry Condon   Jonathan Hession

The pendulum swings wide with Brendan, Farrell told Vanity Fair of working with his co-star again. From the tenderness that hes capable of to the godlike wrath that he can exude if needs be. Hes always digging, always asking the big questions.

The film was shot on location on Achill Island in Co Mayo and the Aran Island of Inishmore throughout last summer, with the dramatic western landscape looming large in the first stills from the movie.

The Banshees of Inisherin, which is set in the fictional island in 1923, opens in cinemas this autumn.
The duo were filming the scene as part of the John Carney-directed movie Flora and Son.

Stunning Amy could be seen sporting a pair of denim shorts as she went back to work for the first time since her fathers death nearly two months ago.

Amy teamed up with Eve to shoot the scene as part of the John Carney-directed movie Flora and Son.

However, unlike the rest of the cast and crew, Amy didnt have far to travel as the scene was shot just six doors away from the home she shares with husband Brian ODriscoll and their three children in Dublins Rathmines.

Eve Hewson

Dundalk-born Carneys wife Marcella Plunkett, who starred in Bachelors Walk, is also in the flick and was seen taking part in scenes on Monday in Smithfield in the capital.

The director of photography for the Irish-made film is John Conroy, who is boyfriend of Yvonne Connolly, Ronan Keatings ex-wife.

After finishing her scenes, Amy changed out of her clothes she was wearing for her part and chose a pair of blue denim shorts matched with a red t-shirt and sandals while clutching a jacket and carrying a rucksack and her phone.

Even though the smiling actress lives just six doors away, she hopped into a people carrier, before being whisked a short drive home.

Amy Huberman

Her husband Brian was seen going to and from from their home earlier.

Eve (31), whose hair was in a bob, is also pictured here on the steps of the house wearing the clothes she wore for her role, which included an orange jacket, white cardigan, blue crop top, black joggers and white trainers.

In late May Amy mourned the death of her 84-year-old father Harold passed away four days after his birthday and had a traditional Jewish Kaddish ceremony this afternoon at a funeral home in Blackrock in south Dublin.

Amys husband Brian helped carry the coffin into the hearse before it was removed to Shanganagh cemetery.

Mourners included comedian Deirdre OKane, actors Laurence Kinlan and Leigh Arnold, and Stanley Townsend, father of actor Stuart Townsend.
The Monaghan native will grace screens in the six-part series Clean Sweep as Shelly Mohan.

The Monaghan native, who starred as Laura McKee in Peaky Blinders, will grace screens in the six-part series Clean Sweep as Shelly Mohan, a mother of three and wife of a detective, who kills her former partner in crime when he threatens to expose her dark past.

With her unsuspecting husband hunting for the killer, Shelly must cope with pressures of the tightening noose as well as continue caring for an ailing son, her unfaithful spouse and all usual burdens of motherhood.

Clean Sweep, which is inspired by a true story, is currently being filmed and is created by Gary Tieche, who has written on Preacher for AMC, I Know What You Did Last Summer for Amazon as well as worked on Medium for CBS.

The series is being co-produced in Ireland by one of Dublin-based indie producers ShinAwiL (Dancing with the Stars Ireland, Miss Scarlet and the Duke) and Canadas Incendo (Be Mine Valentine, Terror Train).

It is set to premiere on RTE and on Sundance Now in the US with ZDF Studios having secured international distribution rights.

Dermot Horan, Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for RTE, said: Clean Sweep is a compelling thriller with a rich backdrop of strong Irish characters and the unique Irish landscape.

RTE believes it will attract a very large audience on RTE One and on the RTE Player, but that the story will be equally attractive to an international audience.

"As such we are delighted to be working with such a great range of partners - Incendo, Sundance Now, ZDF Studios and of course Shinawil, one of Ireland's most renowned production companies.

Larry Bass, CEO ShinAwiL and Executive Producer, added: When we first read Garys script, we knew this was a story for a global audience, a classic why done it? that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

ShinAwiL are delighted to partner with Incendo and ZDF Studios in delivering this exciting modern thriller.

From the time RTE first boarded Clean Sweep, we have been looking to find the best distributor to take this story to the world, we look forward to working with ZDF Studios on making this a global success.
Tauranga's new MP is calling on the Port of Tauranga and local iwi to come to an agreement on how the port can expand.

Sam Uffindell wants the expansion to happen urgently saying the port has little more than two years of capacity left.

But the neighbouring marae says doing so would harm its community even further and Whareroa Marae environmental spokesperson Joel Ngatuere wants heavy industry to move from the area.

Whareroa Marae sits at the edge of Tauranga Harbour, encircled by an industrial area that's crept up to its back fence.

On one side there's the airport, on the other a motorway, and out back, the Port of Tauranga and a tank farm.

Whareroa Marae environment spokesperson Joel Ngatuere said his community - and the harbour - were being made very sick, and blamed emissions from the industrial area.

"We know that we've had two of our kaumatua that have died from related symptoms from exposure to these chemicals. The other end we've got kids that are having asthma attacks, we've got people getting sore eyes, throat, mouth, we've got people struggling to breathe. We've got high respiratory problems," says Joel.

Last year, the marae called for a managed retreat of heavy industry from the area.

In 2019, the air quality over the Mount Maunganui industrial area was classed as polluted and a working group set up to look at how to improve it.

But the Port of Tauranga is still looking to expand and that has ahi kaa of Whareroa Marae worried.

"They already know that we are struggling and fighting for our survival, yet they've gone ahead and they want to push ahead and bring ships within 200 metres of our marae. So if we look at what impact is that going to have on us, it's not just our health. You know, it's cultural genocide," says Joel.

Already one of the country's biggest, the Port of Tauranga has applied to dredge 1.8 million cubic metres from the harbour floor, and extend its wharf by nearly a kilometre.

Port of Tauranga

Port of Tauranga. Photo: RNZ / Joanne O'Brien.

It also wants to reclaim five hectares of land at Sulphur Point.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council, in a state of the environment report, says there has been a noticeable decline in kaimoana in the harbour.

Ngai Te Rangi Trust chief executive Paora Stanley had seen this happen.

"Lots of horse mussels which were prevalent around here are gone, scallops gone, and in addition, a lot of the traditional pipi beads are gone now," says Paora.

The Port of Tauranga declined to comment, saying it was waiting on its resource consent process currently before the Environment Court.





Paora Stanley. Photo: RNZ / Justine Murray.

Poara says he had been trying to negotiate with the port company for six months, with no success.

"I think there's a way through it where we can get a monitored process working on side of both the port and ourselves but we've got to enter this fully and wholesomely. And in this moment in time, our end are saying I've tried for six months to try and resolve this and keep it out of court and try and resolve it in the background and nothing's come about. So ok, let's take the gloves off and start scrapping."

Earlier this month, Paora wrote to the board of Port of Tauranga threatening to take the matter to the Waitangi Tribunal if grievances were not resolved.

He also would not rule out a possible blockade of the country's busiest port.

Rawiri Waititi, MP for Waiariki which covers Tauranga, said he would back that.

"If it goes ahead that is just total disregard for the mana of tangata whenua. If we go to Article 2 [of the Treaty of Waitangi] where we were to be undisturbed of our estates, of our rivers, of our oceans, of our mountains and of our land and of our taonga - 2022 and we're still breaching the contract that validates for these systems to be able to operate here in Aotearoa.



Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell wants the expansion to get under way. Photo: Supplied.

Meanwhile, Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is encouraging both sides to come to an agreement.

He urgently wants the expansion to get under way.

"It's got about two-and-a-half years capacity left. It takes two years to build that third berth so we need to speed up the process to make this happen. We need this to proceed not just for Tauranga and the region but for the country, he said.

The Port of Tauranga declined to comment on Ngai Te Rangi's letter.

Submissions on the proposed expansion closed on Friday and a date for the Environment Court hearing is yet to be set.

Ashleigh McCaull/RNZ
The Ministry of Health is today reporting 8730 new community cases of Covid-19, 808 current hospitalisations and 45 deaths.

There are 25 people in ICU. There are 38 people with Covid-19 in Bay of Plenty hospitals and 13 in Lakes hospitals.

"Of the 45 people whose deaths we are reporting today: three were from Northland, eight were from Auckland region, one was from Waikato, three were from Bay of Plenty, two were from Lakes, one was from Tairawhiti, one was from Hawke's Bay, one was from Taranaki, two were from MidCentral, three were from Whanganui, four were from Wellington region, five were from Nelson Marlborough, eight were from Canterbury, three were from Southern.

One was in their 40s, three were in their 50s, five were in their 60s, eight were in their 70s, 12 were in their 80s and 16 were aged over 90. Of these people, 25 were women and 20 were men.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 8,111.

There are now a total of 1,427 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. The seven-day rolling average of the increase in deaths attributable to Covid-19 is now 17.

Covid-19 Hospitalisations

Covid-19 cases in hospital: total number 808: Northland: 14; Waitemata: 114; Counties Manukau: 54; Auckland: 108; Waikato: 89; Bay of Plenty: 38; Lakes: 13; Hawkes Bay: 35; MidCentral: 51; Whanganui: 14; Taranaki: 14; Tairawhiti: 4; Wairarapa: 11; Capital and Coast: 26; Hutt Valley: 14; Nelson Marlborough: 18; Canterbury: 137; West Coast: 1; South Canterbury: 12; Southern: 41.

Weekly Covid-19 Hospitalisations - 7 day rolling average: 782 (This time last week 766)

Average age of current Covid-19 hospitalisations: 65

Cases in ICU or HDU: 25

Vaccination status of new admissions to hospital*: Unvaccinated or not eligible (64 cases); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (5 cases); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (80 cases); received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (428 cases).

*These are new hospital admissions in the past 7 days prior to yesterday who had COVID at the time of admission or while in hospital, excluding hospitalisations that were admitted and discharged within 24hrs. This data is from Districts with tertiary hospitals: Auckland, Canterbury, Southern, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Capital, Coast and Hutt, and Northland.

Covid-19 vaccinations administered

Vaccines administered to date: 4,029,125 first doses; 3,981,924 second doses; 33,971 third primary doses; 2,703,001 first booster doses: 273,192 second booster doses: 265,790 paediatric first doses and 144,074 paediatric second doses

Vaccines administered yesterday: 19 first doses; 35 second doses; 34 third primary doses; 767 first booster doses; 11,427 second booster doses; 21 paediatric first doses and 152 paediatric second doses.

More detailed information, including vaccine uptake by District, is available on the Ministry website.

Tests

Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 4,084

Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 16,393

PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 3,436

Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last seven days as of 25 July 2022): 1.9 million

COVID-19 Cases

Total number of new community cases: 8,730

Number of new cases that have recently travelled overseas: 394

Seven day rolling average of community cases: 8,111

Seven day rolling average of community cases (as at same day last week): 9,367

Number of active cases (total): 56,750 (cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered)

Confirmed cases (total): 1,577,414

New cases by District and other more detailed case information

Please note, the Ministry of Healths daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a District or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.

Covid-19 deaths

There are now a total of 1,427 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. This is the number that will be reported to the World Health Organization as it provides the most accurate assessment of Covid-19 related mortality in New Zealand.

In the past seven days there have been an average of 17 deaths confirmed each day as being attributable to Covid-19.

This is a very sad time for whanau and friends of those who have died and our thoughts and condolences are with them.

Information on the number of new deaths of people with Covid-19reported to the Ministry of Health in the last 24 hours, and the seven-day rolling average, is available on the Ministry of Health website. This includes information on the age band and location of these newly reported deaths.

COVID-19 case data

These newly reported deaths have not yet been categorised as to whether they are attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, or are unrelated to Covid-19. As this categorisation is made over coming days, the attributable deaths will be added to the total reported above.
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WTF?! The seventh most-played game on Steam right now isn't what you would expect: a wallpaper app called Wallpaper Engine. It's gained almost half a million Overwhelmingly Positive reviews, more than Elden Ring. But the app is being used for more than choosing wallpapers; it allows China-based users to view and distribute porn.

Steam's most-played games chart shows the usual names: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is still number one; GTA V continues to hang around; Apex Legend, Rust, Dota 2, and so on. But in seventh place sits Wallpaper Engine, which boasts almost 100,000 peak players and 45.2 million hours 'played.'

That's a lot of hours for a wallpaper app. But its popularity comes not only from creating, browsing, and sharing Windows desktop wallpapers but also because it's a way to evade China's ban on pornography, hence why over 200,000 of those positive reviews are written in Chinese.

MIT Technology Review writes that while the majority of user-submitted wallpapers in the app are safe for work, about 7.5% of the over 1.6 million contributions are labeled "mature," containing videos of anime characters having sex and occasionally pornographic photos and videos of real people.

Fan-made hentai videos remain popular on certain sites and subreddits; the genre made headlines last year when someone Zoom bombed an Italian senate meeting and streamed Final Fantasy VII porn. Like all pornography, it's banned in China, leading to many female characters from Overwatch, Genshin Impact, and Final Fantasy appearing on the app in images unsuitable as wallpapers (or maybe they areno judgments).

Around 40% of the app's users are in China, where uploading or reposting porn can be considered a crime. The country uses a combination of AI bots and human appraisers, called Jian Huang shi, to search the web for images and decide if they contain explicit content deemed illegal.

Unlike Facebook, Google, Instagram, and many other western sites, the global version of Steam isn't completely blocked in China (there's also a version of the platform made specifically for the country).

While Wallpaper Engine is very popular among porn-starved Chinese users, the increasing notoriety of the app means the sharing of these imagesor even the non-Chinese version of Steam itselfcould eventually be banned.

Earlier this month, we heard about Chinese researchers who had developed a brainwave-reading porn-detection helmet. The idea behind it is to help moderators who may miss any illicit material, but with some Chinese factories already using brain surveillance devices via monitors in helmets to improve productivity and decrease worksite accidents, the implications are pretty scary.

Thanks, Kotaku
A huge Chinese rocket is currently approaching the Earth at the moment. Scientists said that it's moving in an uncontrollable place, yet they still do not know where and when it will land.

Unpredictable Chinese Rocket

(Photo : STR/AFP via Getty Images)

A large rocket from the Wentian module will hit the Earth anytime, but no one exactly knows when it will happen.

Up to this moment, scientists still have no clue regarding the location or the time of the Chinese rocket's landing on the Earth.

On Sunday, July 24, the Wentian space station module successfully docked with the Tiangong space station. However, some experts grow concerned about the rocket that will be disposed of since it could be a "worse" one.

According to Space.com, this is the third time that China has been criticized for its irresponsible rocket disposal.

Back then, its disposal of the Long Match 5B rocket stage had caught a lot of attention. Some people said that these uncontrolled falls could result in a pile of space debris on the planet.

US Fares Better Than China When it Comes to Rocket Disposal

Jonathan McDowell from the Astrophysics department of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center made huge progress in tracking the Chinese rocket.

According to him, American launches perform a "better job" when disposing of the upper stage of a rocket than China does.

"Two objects cataloged from the CZ-5B launch: 53239 / 2022-085A in a 166 x 318 km x 41.4 deg orbit, 53240 / 2022-085B in a 182 x 299 km x 41.4 deg orbit. Orbital epoch of ~1200 UTC confirms that the inert 21t rocket core stage remains in orbit and was not actively deorbited," McDowell tweeted.

Two objects cataloged from the CZ-5B launch: 53239 / 2022-085A in a 166 x 318 km x 41.4 deg orbit, 53240 / 2022-085B in a 182 x 299 km x 41.4 deg orbit. Orbital epoch of ~1200 UTC confirms that the inert 21t rocket core stage remains in orbit and was not actively deorbited.  Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) July 24, 2022

In an emailed interview with Gizmodo, McDowell said that there's no way that they could predict when or where the rocket will hit the Earth.

Additionally, the astronomer added that the 21-ton rocket stage shouldn't be neglected by just allowing it to create an "uncontrolled re-entry." When this happens, the public is at a huge risk of being affected by it.

Related Article: China: Wentian Module Docks on Tiangong Space Station-Focusing on Research, More Room for Sleep

A Few Number of Casualties Might Be Hit

Although there's only a low chance that the rocket debris will hit a property or a person, the event shouldn't still be underestimated.

In the next decade, there's nearly a 10% chance that there will be more casualties because of this uncontrolled rocket disposal, per The Independent.

As of writing, the 18th Space Defense Squadron, the US Space Command, and the US Military have not yet issued any statement regarding this.

Let's say, for example, the Chinese rocket has already entered the planet's atmosphere. If it succeeds in hitting a populated area, the impact could be comparable to a minor plane crash that stretches more than 100 miles. It is enough to cause death to thousands of residents within the area.

Speaking of rocket re-entry, the risk of casualties should be under a 1-in-10,000 threshold. Although this is a requirement in many rocket launches, it's still not followed by some.

Read Also: NASA to Hold Key Insights Amid the 11th Annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference

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Written by Joseph Henry

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Hackers are now reportedly using Internet Information Services or IIS extensions as backdoors to getting into servers as it helps them hide deep in the environments they want to target and gives a durable persistence mechanism for them.

While there is past research published regarding these incidents, there is still very little known about how hackers use the IIS platform as a backdoor.

Using IIS as Backdoor

According to Microsoft, malicious IIS extensions are not often encountered in attacks against servers, with hackers often only using script web shells as the first stage payload.

This then leads to a lower detection rate for malicious IIS extensions compared to script web shells, as they are also harder to detect since they reside in the same place as legitimate modules used by target applications.

Malicious IIS follows the exact same code structure as clean modules, and in most cases, the backdoor logic is minimal, and it can't be considered malicious without an understanding of how legitimate IIS extensions work.

This then makes it more challenging to determine the source of the infection in the extension.

Also Read: Microsoft Offers $100,000 to Anyone Who Can Hack Linux OS

Usually, hackers first exploit a critical vulnerability in the application for initial access before dropping a script web shell as the first stage payload.

Next, they will install the IIS backdoor to provide covert and persistent access to the server. Hackers can also install customized IIS modules that fit their purpose.

As soon as they are registered with the target application, the backdoor can easily monitor any incoming and outgoing requests and perform other tasks like running remote commands or placing credentials in the background.

How to Combat the Attack

Security experts expect hackers to continue using IIS backdoors, so the incident responders must understand the basics of how the function of the attack to identify and defend against them.

Organizations can install defenders with protection capabilities and unique visibility into server attacks and compromise, according to Bleeping Computer.

With critical protection features such as threat and vulnerability management and antivirus capabilities, defenders can give organizations a comprehensive solution that protects identities, spanning email, domains, cloud, and endpoints.

How IIS Extensions Work

IIS is a flexible, purpose web server that has been the main part of the Windows platform for several years now.

These servers are easy to manage, modular, and extensible platforms for hosting websites, applications, and services, according to CryptoCompass.

ISS also serves critical business logic for several organizations. The modular architecture of IIS allows users to extend and customize web services depending on their needs.

These extensions can be through C/C++ and managed through C#, VB.NET code structures. The extensions can further be categorized as handlers and modules.

The IIS pipeline is made up of extensible objects that are initiated by the ASP.NET runtime to process a request. IIS modules and handlers are .NET components that serve as the main points of the extensibility in the IIS pipeline.

Each request is processed by several IIS modules before being processed by one handler. It is like a set of building blocks, modules, and handlers are added to give the needed functionality for the target applications.

Related Article: Microsoft Big Email China Hacked: How to Know if You're Affected, What to Do Next

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In a recent meeting with Meta employees, CEO and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg was not able to hide his annoyance with an employee who asked him about vacation days.

The meeting was set in order to reveal his plans to remove underperforming workers in the company.

Zuckerberg's Reaction to Vacation Question

According to New York Post, during a companywide Q&A meeting on June 30, Zuckerberg warned a recent market slump might be one of the worst downturns that the company has seen in recent history, and he explained the reasoning behind the cost cuts.

During the meeting, Zuckerberg reportedly appeared "frustrated" after an employee asked whether Meta Days or extra time off introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic would continue in 2023.

According to The Verge, Zuckerberg also revealed that Meta would be implementing higher standards for all of its employees, and the company will be cutting ties with anyone who won't be able to meet the new performance threshold.

Also Read: Facebook's Parent, Meta, Requires Employees to Get COVID-19 Booster Shot for Office Work Return

Zuckerberg has stated that, realistically, there are a lot of employees at Meta "who shouldn't be there." He added that part of his hope by raising expectations and having more aggressive goals is that some employees might decide that "the company isn't for them" and that he is fine with "self-selection."

Meta has enacted a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures as it contends with several downturns in the market and invests in an expensive shift toward the metaverse. The tech giant's stock is down 50% in 2022.

Meta Slows Down the Hiring

On June 30, Zuckerberg said during a meeting that Meta would slow its hiring plans for engineers by 30% in 2022, adding roughly 6,000 or 7,000 workers instead of the 10,000 that it first projected. Some empty roles will not be filled yet.

Zuckerberg's recent open declaration that workers were on the chopping block immediately drew stunned reactions and criticisms from some of the attendees of the meeting, according to the Independent.

The billionaire said that Meta did not plan to implement any layoffs but had not yet ruled them out completely.

Meanwhile, a Meta representative, Joe Osborne, downplayed Zuckerberg's comments in a statement.

The representative said that any company that wants to have a "lasting impact must practice disciplined prioritization" and that they should "work with a high level of intensity to reach their goals."

Osborne added that the reports about the efforts of Meta are consistent with their focus and what the company has already shared publicly about its operating style.

Meanwhile, employee faith in Meta's management has plummeted as the tech giant contends with market-related challenges as well as ongoing scrutiny from lawmakers over its strict business practices.

An internal survey said that 39% of Meta employees were optimistic about the tech giant's future, while only 42% had confidence in leadership.

Meta's plunging stock price in early 2022 after a downturn in users led some employees to gripe about wanting to change jobs, citing concerns that the company's performance was affecting their stock options.

Dave Wehner, Meta's CFO, acknowledged the turnover has stepped up since what the company experienced during the pandemic, though he noted that it was still broadly consistent with levels that they had seen pre-pandemic.

Related Article: Meta Employees No Longer Required To Get COVID Boosters To Return To The Office

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 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Apple-1 Prototype is one prized possession and is now available in an auction house for sale. The item claims that it is allegedly the legitimate technology that Steve Jobs owned, which co-founder Steve Wozniak worked on and "hand-soldered" in time for the first demo that helped it secure its ventures that stem up to now.

Apple-1 Prototype: Alleged Steve Jobs Original Now in Auction

(Photo : RR Auction)

An auction item appeared in the RR Auction house, and it claims to be the original Apple-1 Prototype that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak first presented to investors and buyers when introducing Apple's computers. Allegedly, this device helped Apple get a spot in the tech industry back in the days and helped it secure its sales.

It also helped ensure buyers would purchase the "big order" from Apple's offers in its computer lineup, focusing on the Apple-1 release.

The bidding is now at $278,005, and its next price would be $305,806 should another bidder buy the prototype. It began last July 20 and would end on August 19, with 15 bidders in the mix already.

Read Also: Check Signed by Apple Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak Goes on Auction-What Makes it Special?

Apple-1 Prototype and its Significance to Apple

According to SlashGear, the prototype is significant to Apple should it be the original one, as without it, the sale would not have gone through and secured a future for the company. Nevertheless, it is a device that may not have any technological advancements now, and it might not even be working as it has significant damages that are apparent on the device.

Apple's Auctioned Items in the Past

Apple is one of the most famous technology companies in the world, and its history of old devices is colorful, with many joining the vintage list and several auctions available before and now.

One of the most renowned auction pieces in Apple's history is a magazine signed by the late co-founder and long-time CEO, Steve Jobs, from Nate D. Sanders Auction. The piece was previously owned by a chauffeur that went around to drive and service the late Apple founder and asked for his autograph on a Fortune 1989 magazine.

Another one of the most prized auction pieces from Apple would be the wooden case and complete set of the Apple-1 that sold before, expected to reach $600,000 for the entire unit. It includes a Panasonic monitor and an NTI motherboard from the Cupertino giant.

It is a significant piece of device and history from Apple, something which Jobs and Wozniak worked hard on in their garage when they first started.

Now, another Apple-1 computer is coming to an auction, and this one claims that it is Steve Jobs' original prototype for the desktop device that was initially presented to its initial customers and investors. It is something that both Jobs and Wozniak worked on, and if it is a legitimate device, it would really mark up to a massive price.

Related Article: Steve Jobs' Signed Apple II Manual Hits Staggering Price of $787, 484 in an Auction

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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iPhone 14 rumors are everywhere, and the latest report came from known Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo. According to the tipster, the Cupertino tech giant is currently plagued with "quality control issues" surrounding the rear camera lens.

Because of this problem, the iPad maker might be now looking for a different parts supplier so it won't struggle with the future shipments of the handset.

Kuo Cites 'Quality' Issues With iPhone 14

(Photo : Jeremy Bezanger from Unsplash)

Reputable Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple is currently struggling with the "quality" issues surrounding iPhone 14's camera lens.

According to Macrumors, Kuo recently tweeted out that Apple is facing "quality" problems with its camera lenses. As Genius cited, the particular issue is all about the "coating-crack quality issues."

(1/2)

One more quality issue. My latest survey indicates one of Genius's iPhone 14 rear lenses likely suffered from coating-crack () quality issues. Apple had transferred about 10 million lens orders to Largan from Genius to avoid affecting iPhone 14 shipments. https://t.co/CsQtmHLZjy   (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 27, 2022

Additionally, the report says that the tech firm has already finished its negotiation with Taiwanese company Largan about the 10 million units of lens orders. Apple made this move to dodge the delayed shipments for the upcoming handsets potentially.

Furthermore, Kuo says Largan is more suitable for this adjustment since it could resume the production of the lenses for the iPhone 14 units. Meanwhile, Genius will need at least two months to fix the problem with the coating-crack lenses.

Since Apple has already made a huge move to avoid the shipment delays for the smartphones, we are still unsure if it will release supplies in other stores.

With that being said, there's a chance that the iPhone maker will only launch the handsets in limited numbers. Still, it's guaranteed that Apple will complete orders for phone parts before the iPhone 14 comes out to the public.

In another story from 9to5Mac, Kuo shared that Apple has expanded its list of suppliers for the iPhone 14 variants. It should be noted that the firm has already been certified with SG Micro's integrated circuits.

Related Article: Apple iPhone 14 Increases Suppliers Ahead of its Launch, Says Ming-Chi Kuo! Here's Why

iPhone 14 to Boast Faster SoC

In a similar report, the iPhone 14 Pro lineup is reportedly receiving significant upgrades this fall, including a faster processor and a pill-shaped cutout design.

Aside from that, the next-gen smartphone might get a 48MP wide camera, an ideal feature for quality video recording. You can potentially take advantage of the 8K clip shooting once this feature becomes available.

In other news, Tech Times wrote that the most coveted Apple-1 Prototype is currently up for auction sale. According to the source, Steve Jobs once legitimately owned this item. Interestingly, co-founder Steve Wozniak was the one who "hand-soldered" this prized technology.

At the time, the auction bid sat at $278,000. The event is expected to end on Aug. 19.

Elsewhere, a new rumor about Apple VR headset gloves surfaced online. As per the report, this virtual-reality equipment will sport a gesture-detection feature using fingers.

Read Also: iPhone 14 Pro Model to Bring USB 3.0 Lightning Connector For Faster Transfer Speeds [Rumor]

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Debris from a 25-ton Chinese booster rocket may crash on Earth before July ends. Some U.S.-backed space agencies warn about the effects of the spacecraft debris' impact. However, Chinese state-backed media find the claims exaggerated.

(Photo : Photo by STR/CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

This photo taken on April 23, 2021 shows the Long March 5B rocket, which is expected to launch China's Tianhe space station core module on April 29, at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China's Hainan province. - China OUT (Photo by STR / CNS / AFP) / China OUT

The rocket debris' uncontrolled re-entry was first predicted by the Aerospace Corp., a non-profit organization funded by the U.S. government.

"Our latest prediction for #CZ5B rocket body reentry is: 31 Jul 2022 07:34 UTC  22 hours," said the aerospace organization via its official Twitter announcement.

Our latest prediction for #CZ5B rocket body reentry is:

 31 Jul 2022 07:34 UTC  22 hours

Reentry will be along one of the ground tracks shown here. It is still too early to determine a meaningful debris footprint. Follow this page for updates: https://t.co/SxrMtcJnj0 pic.twitter.com/MwWiF85iPI  The Aerospace Corporation (@AerospaceCorp) July 26, 2022

Based on the data it provided, the debris field may include Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, India, Brazil, and the United States.

Chinese 25-Ton Rocket Booster Debris Earth Crash Might Happen

According to Bloomberg's latest report, debris is part of a Chinese Long March 5B spacecraft's booster (weighing 25 tons), launched on July 24.

(Photo : Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

A Long March 5B rocket lifts off from the the Wenchang launch site on China's southern Hainan island on May 5, 2020. - Chinese state media reported the "successful" launch of a new rocket on May 5, a major test of its ambitions to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the Moon. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT

Also Read: China's Asteroid Radar System-World's Largest-Now Being Developed; How Can It Protect Earth From Space Threats?

It is expected to make a re-entry on July 31, possibly causing some damages as it lands. However, it is still unclear how likely this is to happen.

The Aerospace Corp. only said there's a non-zero probability of the rocket debris landing on popular areas. Although the total weight and amount of debris are not yet confirmed, experts are still criticizing China.

They said that the uncontrolled re-entry of massive rocket booster's components shows the risks of China's space activities as it competes with the U.S.

Now, some state-backed media companies defend China, claiming that the warnings are exaggerated.

Warnings Over Chinese Rocket Crash are Exaggerated?

Fortune reported that state-backed media claims that the warnings are being exaggerated, saying that it is the way of the U.S. to defame China's space missions.

They also believe that the exaggerated warnings are obviously being announced with bad intentions. Among these China-backed media companies is Guancha.cn, Global Times, and other media entities.

If you want to see further details about the upcoming Chinese rocket crash, you can visit this link.

Meanwhile, the Roscosmos-NASA cooperation is expected to end as Russia confirmed its ISS departure this coming 2024.

On the other hand, China's Wentian Module was successfully launched, allowing it to dock on the Tiangong Space Station.

For more news updates about Chinese rocket debris and other space threats, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: 21-Ton Chinese Rocket is Falling to the Earth, But Scientists Can't Predict Where and When it Will Hit

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Apple bought a new campus located in San Diego in line with its land expansion. The tech giant acquired the 67-acre Rancho Vista Corporate Center for $445 million, so it could extend engineering jobs in the region.

Apple Finalizes San Diego Expansion

(Photo : Stephen Leonardi from Unsplash)

Apple has purchased a new campus in San Diego for $445 million in line with its employment expansion.

As part of its continuous land expansion, Apple recently completed the acquisition of a piece of land in San Diego. The space would be used for software and hardware engineering technology.

According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino firm had been planning to purchase a campus since 2019. At that time, the company said it would include about 1,2000 technology jobs in the city.

As a result, Apple continues to buy many buildings in Rancho Bernardo and University City. Finally, it came up to the point that it also purchased a $445-million Rancho Vista Corporate Center in San Diego.

The 67-acre campus is considered to be the company's first-ever "commercial property purchase" there, as The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote in its report.

The acquisition will not only help Apple in expanding its services in the region. More importantly, it will generate more jobs for the local residents in San Diego. Apple says that about 5,000 employees are expected to work there in 2026.

"We've been part of the community in San Diego for more than two decades and are thrilled to continue investing here as we expand our world-class teams," an Apple representative said in an interview with the local news outlet.

Will Apple Replace Qualcomm in San Diego?

So far, we know that Apple is heavily investing in this acquisition since it plans to land more available jobs for software and hardware specialists. However, the recent purchase would also mean that the company's self-made processors could prompt Qualcomm to look for another site for chip production.

If this rumor is true, the expectations will bombard Apple on how it will manufacture its processors for the mobile handsets. Although it's a big risk to gamble, it could also create a huge return for the iPhone maker.

As of writing, the jobs website of Apple has officially listed vacant positions for people with expertise in data science, software, and more areas.

IT firm Hewlett Packard, most commonly known as HP, once owned the Rancho Vista Corporate Center. Later, HP decided to sell the land for $69 million to The Swift Real Estate.

Related Article: Apple Tax-Free Shopping 2022 Guide: Products Included in Sales Tax Holidays and More!

Apple Downsizes Prices For Unsold iPhones

For the first time in several years, the iPad maker has slashed the prices of the unsold iPhones in the market. According to Sam Mobile, Apple announced that there would be a four-day discount event for the select smartphone models in China.

Aside from high-end iPhones, the company has also sold some of the notable earbuds and smartwatch models in the country. For those who could not purchase an iPhone 13 Pro before, this is now your chance to get it at an $89 discount.

Read Also: Apple iPhone 14 Rear Camera Lens Face 'Quality Issues,' Says Kuo

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(Photo : Unsplash/Viktor Avdeev) Uber

Ride-hailing company Uber is not required to provide wheelchair-accessible service in the United States market, according to a California federal judge.

Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the federal San Francisco Court said that Uber's decision to provide such service only in a couple of cities in the country was not in violation of federal law.

Uber Backed By Federal Judge

According to ABC News, two users of motorized wheelchairs in New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, sued the ride-hailing company over the lack of accessible service in the said cities.

Since the company could not accommodate non-foldable wheelchairs, they claimed that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits businesses in the country from discriminating against people with disabilities.

The two users argued that Uber has a deep-rooted accessibility problem and treated their needs as only an "afterthought." The trial for the case took five years before the federal judge announced his decision.

Also Read: D.C. taxis will soon have proper support for wheelchair-ridden passengers: Fears of Lyft and Uber

In its defense, Uber said that it would be too expensive to offer wheelchair service in every city in the country if it needed to contract with providers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, according to Engadget.

Judge Seeborg agreed with the ride-hailing company and said that the plaintiffs gave "scant evidence" that the company could do so cost-effectively and that wait times would be too long if it did.

The federal judge added that the "anticipated cost is too high" for the limited service, thus making the modification unreasonable.

The judge did reject the company's argument that it did not need to provide wheelchair-accessible services everywhere because it has done so in some cities in the country.

Uber does accommodate wheelchair users in other cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boston. New Orleans had considered mandating the service, but the company lobbied against the efforts.

An Uber spokesperson said they welcome the outcome and "are proud of the efforts that they've done to improve accessibility for all users," including Uber WAV.

Noting that the decision arrived on the eve of the anniversary of the ADA's passage into law, Scott Crawford decried the ruling. He said that the company had "made no sincere attempt to give accessible service, but instead claimed it was too burdensome.

Uber Expands EV

Before the ruling about its wheelchair-accessible service, Uber had made a move to expand its electric vehicle rides through the Comfort Electric option to more cities.

Since most of its electric rides come from Tesla vehicles, Uber has started sending notifications about how to open Tesla door handles, which can be confusing for new riders.

According to Electrek, in 2021, Hertz announced an important effort to electrify its rental vehicles, led by a massive purchase of Tesla Model 3 vehicles to be delivered in 2023.

After the purchase, Hertz announced that aside from adding 100,000 Tesla cars to its rental fleet, the company also made a deal with Uber to offer its drivers access to electric vehicles.

Around 50,000 Tesla vehicles will be offered for rent to Uber drivers, and the ride-hailing company has an option for more if the program succeeds.

Related Article: Wheeliz Startup Is The Uber Alternative For People With Disabilities: Peer-To-Peer Wheelchair Adapted Car Rental

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"If you go to Thailand, be careful about what you eat." Without realizing it, can I use hemp?
Though U.S. Magistrate Judge Dana M. Douglas, of New Orleans, wouldnt tell the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday how she personally felt about the recent high court decision that returned access to abortions to individual states, she promised to follow the precedent set if considering such cases on the federal appellate bench.

I understand it to be the current precedent for the United States Supreme Court, Douglas said during her confirmation hearing to join the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. As a sitting judge and also as a judicial nominee, I dont think it is appropriate for me to speak in terms of what I believe. But it has always been my position to follow any precedent that has been set forth by the 5th Circuit or the Supreme Court. I intend to do that.

The niece of Warren Woodfork Sr., the first Black superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Douglas would become the first Black female 5th Circuit judge, if confirmed by the Senate, according to the Federal Judicial Center database.

The appellate court based in New Orleans sits between the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal district trial courts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

The 5th Circuit was once known for appellate rulings that progressed the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Now with 17 active judges and nine senior judges, the 5th Circuit is known as a bastion of conservative legal thought, which sussed out the theories that led the Supreme Court to abolish federal protections for abortions.

Douglas is Democratic President Joe Bidens first nomination to the 5th Circuit. Republican President Donald Trump had named six of the appellate court judges. Douglas would replace Judge James Dennis, whose law clerks included Gov. John Bel Edwards, when the 86-year-old takes senior status.

Dana Douglas Senate questionnaire U.S. Senate Questionnaire of Judge Dana M. Douglas

The Senate Judiciary committee will need to vote to advance Douglas nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. She has the backing of both Republican senators, Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge, and John N. Kennedy, of Madisonville. Kennedy, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced Douglas for her confirmation hearing.

For the most part GOP senators, who combatively drilled Bidens other judicial nominees at Wednesdays hearing, left Douglas alone.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa and the committees ranking minority member, asked about the U.S. Constitution being a living document, a moniker that some legal scholars say means that because the founding document can be amended, it can also be interpreted differently as the times dictate.

I do not believe in the Constitution being a living document. I have approached each case that I have presided over by first reviewing the text of the statute or provision that is before me, Douglas said.

Grassley interrupted saying, Thank you. You have given a good answer.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was not as accommodating.

Blackburn noted that Douglas had celebrated the numerous members of law enforcement in her family, but that the nominee had also professionally interacted with attorneys supportive of reforming police procedures, like having a greater reliance on community policing.

So, do you share in the promotion of these progressive police reform policies? Or do you support the men and women in uniform? Blackburn asked.

I am not aware of the comments or policies that you just spoke of. I am very proud of my familys services, Douglas said.

Blackburn interrupted, then turned to another nominee.

Though the 5th Circuit courthouse on Lafayette Square in New Orleans is a stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, only seven women have served on the 5th Circuit bench and none of those women have been Black, according to the Federal Judicial Center database.

Compared with its general population, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is the least racially and ethnically diverse circuit court in the country, according to a recent Center for American Progress analysis of diversity on the federal bench.

But thats not unusual.

Of the 809 appellate judges to have ever served throughout history, 13 have been Black women, according to a February study by Pew Research. Out of 293 federal appeals court judges serving today throughout the country, 10 are Black women.

Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson, in a letter to the committee supporting the nomination, recalled how Douglas as a child often came to her court to visit her mother, who worked for the Orleans Civil Sheriff at the time.

Douglas received her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2000. She clerked for U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle in New Orleans, then joined Liskow & Lewis, one of the states largest law firms. She managed commercial litigation and intellectual property law for 13 years. She also served on the New Orleans Civil Service Commission and became a federal magistrate judge in New Orleans in 2019.
Two of Australias biggest banks have left the door open to financing new oil and gas projects as they pitched their climate credentials amid a national debate about funding for fossil fuel projects.

Westpac will pressure corporate borrowers to cut carbon emissions by setting new targets for clients in electricity generation, cement manufacturing and oil and gas, though it could still fund new fossil fuel projects if pushed by government, the bank said in an update to the market on Wednesday.

Westpac chief Peter King said Australias transition to renewables was critical. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Amid pressure from investors and regulators over climate risks, Westpac announced detailed targets for the carbon emissions released by its big corporate customers - known as financed emissions. Under the policy, customers in these sectors will be required to develop credible plans for cutting their emissions.

In oil and gas, Westpac wants to cut its financed emissions by 23 per cent by 2030, compared with 2021. However, the bank will continue to provide corporate loans (as opposed to finance for specific projects) to existing oil and gas clients, if they have a credible transition plan by 2025.
The firm, which posted a larger-than-expected 1.59 billion franc ($2.38 billion) second-quarter loss, said the review would include driving down costs and evaluating its securitised products business.

Credit Suisse said it would conduct a strategic review of its investment bank and other businesses as it seeks to exit from its worst period since the financial crisis.

Credit Suisse chief Thomas Gottstein has quit after being in the top job for two years. Credit:AP

Koerner, head of the asset management unit, takes over on August 1 from Gottstein, who is resigning after a two-year tenure marked by scandal and huge losses.

Credit Suissehas named Ulrich Koerner as its new chief executive, replacing Thomas Gottstein, in the next chapter of the Swiss banks turnaround effort.

Koerner, 59, is a Swiss banking veteran, spending more than 20 years at the nations two largest firms. He spent over a decade at Credit Suisse before moving in 2009 to crosstown rival UBS Group AG, where he worked with Axel Lehmann, now Credit Suisses chairman. Koerner rejoined Zurich-based Credit Suisse last year after losing out in a management reshuffle at UBS in 2019.

He now is set to go from running the smallest of Credit Suisses four main units to trying to regain investor confidence, something Gottstein has struggled to do since a series of scandals last year. Credit Suisse told investors last month to expect a third straight quarterly loss. The companys board held early-stage talks about replacing Gottstein as far back as May, Bloomberg News reported at the time.

Lehmann is seeking to steer the bank back to profitability - and stability - after scandals such as the blow-up of Archegos Capital Management and Greensill Capital eroded investor confidence, weakened key businesses, and prompted an exodus of talent. The Swiss lender has changed its entire executive team and half its board of directors in the past year in an effort to move past the crises.

Credit Suisse shares are down about 60 per cent since Gottstein took the top job in February 2020, the worst among major global banks in that period, and are trading near record-low levels. The cost of insuring the firms bonds against default soared to the highest since 2009 earlier this month.

More changes appear to be coming. Christian Meissner, who runs the firms investment bank after joining in late 2020, is also planning to exit, the Financial Times reported.
After a day of (mildly unnecessary) pomp and ceremony, Parliament returned in earnest on Wednesday, by which we mean the dismal theatre of question time is back.

Pauline Hanson shows Ralph Babet the ropes. Credit:John Shakespeare

But it was exciting enough for it to be standing room only in the press gallery, for Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and state Treasurer Cameron Dick, brother to new speaker Milton Dick, to make the trip south and for Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan to show up.

But not for some of parliaments glamorous new teals  both Monique Ryan and Kylea Tink were late to their first ever question time, the latter by 15 minutes!

Senate QT must have been dull though. CBD spotted two members, Pauline Hanson and the United Australia Partys Ralph Babet, wandering the corridors when they shouldve been in the chamber. The One Nation leader seemed to be giving the newbie a tour of the House.
Well, no one could accuse Chris Kenny of being inconsistent.

His Sky News investigation Your ABC Exposed may have been heavily promoted as if it were some sort of scoop, but the hour-long program merely restated the assumptions that consistently guide him and many of his fellow travellers at Sky After Dark  principally, that the national broadcaster is burning through $1 billion a year of YOUR money in its pursuit of an anti-conservative agenda.

That was the meat of his show on Tuesday night, heavily stacked with conservative talking heads but leavened ever so slightly by Quentin Dempster as a friend of the ABC and, briefly, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

Sky News host Chris Kenny has long been a fierce critic of the ABC.

This was all sandwiched between two slices of sentiment designed to appeal to Sky viewers who may still harbour some lingering emotional attachment to the ABC  especially those in rural and regional Australia, where Murdochs Sky offers its services free of charge in a bid to expand its reach.
The price of groceries has gone up. I stared in disbelief a few weeks ago as I shelled out $100 for my weekly groceries for a household of one. That same week, I saw a news feature on a woman called Norma, a 70-year-old disability pensioner making her food shopping fit within her $100-a-fortnight budget.

As the price of food, rent, utilities, and coffee have all gone up, but not my income, I have employed several tips from Norma. Ive also used a few tips Ive learned through the years to stretch my dollar to buy food and groceries.

The price of food, rent, utilities and coffee have all gone up. Credit:iStock

For the past month, I have become more mindful of my spending. I would look carefully at the prices of produce and meat before putting it in my grocery basket. Do I really need to eat broccoli this week or should I opt for a cheaper vegetable? I am accustomed to eating fresh vegetables. But a nutritionist on TV declared frozen vegetables to be a great alternative to fresh veggies. She says frozen vegetables are just as nutritious, but much cheaper.

For Norma to make her $50 weekly grocery budget fit, she visits Aldi, Coles and Woolworths. She buys most of her groceries from Aldi because its the cheapest. I dont have the time or patience to visit all three groceries. In the past month, I started buying my groceries solely from Aldi.
Id like to thank counsel for their submissions, Besanko said. The parties will be advised when Im in a position to hand [my judgment] ... down.

Public hearings in the war veterans defamation case against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times concluded on Wednesday after 110 days, 41 witnesses and more than $25 million in legal costs.

Allegations made against Ben Roberts-Smith in his Federal Court defamation case are based on mere suspicion, surmise and guesswork and should be rejected, his barrister has submitted on the final day of the trial.

Arthur Moses, SC, acting for Roberts-Smith, urged the court to reject the newspapers truth defence, telling the court that allegations of war crimes levelled against his client had their genesis in the corrosive jealousy of a handful of his former Special Air Service comrades. The media outlets case was based on mere suspicion, surmise and guesswork, he said.

On the first day of this trial, we submitted that this was a case about a man who had shown great courage, great devotion to duty, great self-sacrifice and great skill in soldiering, Moses said. We also said that it was a case about corrosive jealousy ... lies and rumours. We contend weve made good each of these propositions.

Moses said a war of words had erupted between Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, and some of his former comrades after he was awarded the Victoria Cross, Australias highest military honour, in 2011 for his actions in a 2010 battle in Tizak, Afghanistan.

He said the evidence revealed those men had embarked upon a campaign of rumour and innuendo against Roberts-Smith and the newspapers journalists had jumped on the rumours like salmon jumping on a hook and published them as fact.

Moses rejected an allegation, made by the newspapers in court, that Roberts-Smith and four of his witnesses had colluded to give false testimony about one alleged incident, and said the evidence demonstrated a clear absence of collusion.
For more than 40 years, Mark Billings family has carefully selected the genetic profiles of their milking cows, ensuring their physical attributes and production potential are finely matched to the conditions at his Colac farm in south-western Victoria.

But dairy farmers such as Billing fear their hard work over generations will be lost if the foot and mouth livestock disease ravaging Indonesia arrives in Australia.

Colac dairy farmer Mark Billing, a fourth-generation farmer, says he would need to euthanise all 420 of his cows if foot and mouth disease appeared on his farm. Credit:Jason South

If there was an outbreak on his farm, Billing would have to euthanise all 420 cows in his milking herd, which produces more than 3 million litres of milk a year. Billing said he could not imagine the emotional toll of losing his animals.

It would take years to get back to our productivity level, he said. I dont know how Id take it.
Police have charged the mother of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten as part of the ongoing investigation into the girls alleged murder earlier this year.

The schoolgirl was allegedly shot and killed by her mothers fiance, Justin Stein, 31, on January 11 with a small calibre weapon at the grounds of his familys remote Blue Mountain estate, Wildenstein.

Justin Stein was charged with murder over the death of Charlise Mutten. Credit:Facebook

He was charged with murder over the girls death on January 18.

As part of the investigation into the killing, police have now also charged her mother, Kallista Mutten, 39, over her alleged role in a home invasion in the Mount Wilson area in August last year.
Not knowing what questions could be thrown at you can be a daunting prospect, he said. But this can be combatted through completing lots of past papers and practice questions and accepting there will always be questions in the exam that you will have never seen before. All you can do is trust your preparation and feel confident that your knowledge will hold up against any question they throw at you. Mathematics Advanced was one of Kings favourite subjects. His approach to studying maths was to attempt the multiple-choice section first or to find a few short answer questions that he knew he could do, to help build confidence. I found this method, for me, helped to remove some of the nerves and got me off to a strong start in the exam hall, he said. In every subject it is extremely important to maximise your reading time and get the most out of it. A lot of students dont use this reading time to their advantage and suffer as a result.

Reading time can be valuable to help identify any questions that you may need to spend a bit more time on or make some mental notes on any question types that you may have slipped up on in the past. Before taking an exam, King would always take some deep breaths to help calm his nerves. And he emphasised that he never spent too long on one question, always mindful of the time. You never want to lose marks because you didnt have the opportunity to attempt a question due to bad time management, he said. I would also always try to finish my exams 15 minutes early so that I could go back over any questions I wasnt 100 per cent sure about. This also gave me some extra time up my sleeve to come back to a question at the end of the exam if Id struggled to find the answer in the moment.

Whenever King saw a challenging question, his first step was to break it down into components and work out which part of the syllabus was being tested. Using this process, he was able to make sure he was answering the question as best he could. Writing summaries of key information will help when its time to revise. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Despite being awarded the ANU Tuckwell Scholarship during the middle of 2021, King was still required to meet the Tuckwell ATAR eligibility requirement of above 95. So he continued to work just as hard with the reassurance that his work was going towards something tangible. During the interview process for the scholarship, the panel asked questions to gauge our character and personal qualities and values, he said. All the applicants had incredible academic achievements and a wide range of talents, but the scholarship is awarded not just for academic achievements but for personality and character as well.

King said his goal for the future was to work in a career that he enjoyed. I hope that my degree in bachelor of advanced science with honours is a good step in this direction. I have ambitions to potentially go into a career in science research and to try and make some contribution to Australia, giving back to the country that has provided me with such a great education. Finding a study partner can be helpful in keeping you on track. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Kings tips for Mathematics Advanced students: Learn from your mistakes During the year I made a list of question types that I repeatedly made mistakes on and then revised these before the exam to reduce any careless errors on the day. Minor mistakes can be avoided if you pick up on them early, and this will go a long way in maximising your mark. Complete past papers Maths is a subject that requires a lot of practice, and I found that the more past papers I did the more confident I became. Completing these past exams under timed conditions also helped in ensuring that I was working fast enough to make it through the HSC exam comfortably. Solutions to these past exams can be found online as well, so you can get instant feedback on your exam and identify areas of weakness. Summarise key information Writing summaries was another tip that I used to stay on top of maths throughout the year. I aimed to condense all of the Maths Advanced content into a few pages of summaries which I could then look over prior to the exam. Writing notes makes it extremely easy to revise and was a massive factor in helping me achieve highly in Maths Advanced. Prioritise what you study I found in maths that there were some areas that I didnt need to spend as much time on as others. This meant that I was able to prioritise trickier content and not waste time doing a bunch of questions on an area that I was already confident in. Show your thinking I would say that setting out in maths is very important and something that is often overlooked. I made sure to work a lot on my setting out so the marker could see all of the steps involved in my final answer. You cannot be marked for things that you didnt write down, so I would highly recommend spending time on setting out and structuring your answers clearly and with logical progression.

Top tips from maths teachers Michael Murton, Bowral High School and member of NSW Government Quality Teaching Practice Unit. Maths teacher Michael Murton. A guide to getting to the right answer To solve an HSC exam problem, look carefully at the information in front of you. Everything you need is there.

Here is a question that is common to both the 2021 HSC Examination for Mathematics Advanced (Q32) and Mathematics Standard 2 (Q41) courses. Credit:NESA Check how many marks the question is worth. Use the marks allocated to the question to guide the number of steps in your solution. This question has a value of 4 marks, which indicates that students are required to use multi-step reasoning and effective communication of mathematical ideas in their working to solve this complex problem.

Look for keywords and phrases to help direct you. The first sentence guides you to consider that this is a problem involving statistical analysis. There is a lot of information given. Read and re-read to be able to extract the relevant information. Part way through, and at the end of a problem, re-read the question, as you may need different information.

Use the tables and graphs to your advantage. Information has deliberately been provided in the tables and graphs. Look to which parts of a table and which parts of the graphs can be used. The question gives an instruction to mark points on the graph. This should be an indication that this is a useful thing to do.

Use familiar mathematics to guide you. The context of this problem would have been unfamiliar to the 2021 students, however, the symbols for mean () and standard deviation () should be more familiar and imply that the formula for z-scores is required.

Dont forget the Reference Sheet. Be familiar with the formula and information that is given on the Reference Sheet and be prepared to use it. Below is the z-score formula and the empirical rule percentages associated with a normal distribution which is located on the Reference Sheet. Credit:NESA Check to see where the given percentages match those in the problem, and if they dont, look again to see if you can make them work by exploring the remainders from 100% of the 68%, 95% and 99.7% values. Write this information on the graph provided in the question and include the position of the mean and relevant standard deviations. (Outliers are not considered in this problem).

Apply your skills and understanding For HSC exam problems, plan a strategy based on what you have and where you need to get to, thinking about the steps between. Break down the question in this way rather than just trying to go straight to the solution. To solve the given problem, write the z-score formula, substitute appropriate values and solve to find the missing value for the female standard deviation, and then use this with the information that is now written on the graph to determine the mean.

For HSC exam problems, plan a strategy based on what you have and where you need to get to, thinking about the steps between. Break down the question in this way rather than just trying to go straight to the solution. To solve the given problem, write the z-score formula, substitute appropriate values and solve to find the missing value for the female standard deviation, and then use this with the information that is now written on the graph to determine the mean. Check the reasonableness of your answer Carefully look over your working and assess whether your answer makes sense in regards to the information in the question. Also, importantly, re-read the question to check that you have answered what has been asked. Use a concluding statement with your answer. In the given HSC question, a concluding statement could be, The height of the male is 178.95cm (correct to 2 decimal places). Ask yourself, Does this seem reasonable and answer the question? Christopher Guy, Relieving Deputy Principal at Blaxland High School Question checklist Get to know your Reference Sheet The Reference Sheet wont tell you what the formulas are used to solve or what the symbols refer to. Find out as much as you can about what the formulas can be for. Make sure you know what they mean and when to use them.

The Reference Sheet wont tell you what the formulas are used to solve or what the symbols refer to. Find out as much as you can about what the formulas can be for. Make sure you know what they mean and when to use them. Show all working-out If a question is worth four or five marks and you have a page of working-out space, then there are probably a number of steps in getting to the answer. Show how you get from one step to the next, as you are unlikely to get full marks by writing down one number. Provide all your working out to support your answer.

If a question is worth four or five marks and you have a page of working-out space, then there are probably a number of steps in getting to the answer. Show how you get from one step to the next, as you are unlikely to get full marks by writing down one number. Provide all your working out to support your answer. Check the validity of your answer Answers need to make sense in the context of the question. For example, when calculating energy costs in running a household, the cost for one light globe should make some sense. You would have made a mistake if your cost was large (e.g. $500), as this is about how much a family would pay per quarter for all their electricity.

Answers need to make sense in the context of the question. For example, when calculating energy costs in running a household, the cost for one light globe should make some sense. You would have made a mistake if your cost was large (e.g. $500), as this is about how much a family would pay per quarter for all their electricity. Read the entire question  twice Check what the question is asking and in what form you need to present the answer. For example, you might need to round the final answer (decimal places, significant figures, scientific notation) or convert to an annual amount (from weekly, fortnightly, quarterly).

Check what the question is asking and in what form you need to present the answer. For example, you might need to round the final answer (decimal places, significant figures, scientific notation) or convert to an annual amount (from weekly, fortnightly, quarterly). Convert units Most students remember to convert common units like litres to millilitres and kilometres to metres. Dont forget to convert area units, volumes and energy.

Most students remember to convert common units like litres to millilitres and kilometres to metres. Dont forget to convert area units, volumes and energy. Double-check your calculation Know how to calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient, find mean and standard deviation and correctly calculate questions involving negative numbers. Mathematics

Top-scoring Mathematics exam answers in 2021 Mathematics Advanced Exam question: A right-angled triangle XYZ is cut out from a semicircle with centre O. The length of the diameter XZ is 16 cm and YXZ = 30, as shown on the diagram. Credit:NESA a. Find the length of XY in centimetres, correct to two decimal places.

b. Hence, find the area of the shaded region in square centimetres, correct to one decimal place. Student answer: Credit:NESA Marker comments: Both parts (a) and (b) have the correct answer with all appropriate working.

General feedback: (a) Credit:NESA

Mathematics Standard 2 Exam question: Credit:NESA After the eighth deposit, Simone stops making deposits but leaves the money in the savings account. The money in her savings account then earns interest at 1.25% per annum, compounded annually, for a further two years.

Find the amount of money in Simones savings account at the end of 10 years. Student answer: 8.2132 x 1000 = $8213.2 $8213.2 (1 + 1.25%) = 8419.81

 the amount of money Simone has in her savings account after 10 years is $8419.81. Though the answer could be made a bit clearer with: Money in account after 8 years = 1000  8.2132 = $8213.20 Amount after 2 more years = 8213.20 (1.0125)

= $8419.81 Marker comments: This response provides full working to show all steps in the calculation. General feedback: Credit:NESA
Small steps

Maybe the Greens have finally understood that to make progress on ending the climate wars, some small steps are necessary even if they are not the giant steps they wanted (Greens ready to back climate bill, The Age, 27/7).

Even though Labors legislation is not all that the Greens and Teals may want, it is an important first step to provide a legislated structure to advance action on climate change. The past decade of incompetent dithering by the Coalition resulted in the shambles in which our environment and the power industry have found themselves. Introducing a framework will provide a structured starting point from which further change can be built.

Ross Hudson, Mount Martha Like burning money

Once more, we hear the old furphy that digging up ever more coal in Australia is justified. Exporting our coal, even if it is marginally cleaner, adds to the total amount that will be burnt and will delay the urgently needed transfer to renewable energy here and around the world. We should be working zealously to transition away from current coal production in a sensible orderly way.

The long-term cost of compensating for every molecule of greenhouse gas released far exceeds the short-term financial gain from burning fossil fuels.

Peter Barry, Marysville Morrison a no-show

Surely, the main reason why Scott Morrison has failed to turn up at the opening of parliament is that he is just plain embarrassed.

The trip to Tokyo to speak at some conference or other is just a convenient excuse to ease himself into the reality that he has suffered an excruciatingly huge defeat as prime minister and now has to reside in relative obscurity as the lowly member for Cook, a job he doesnt seem to be doing very well. For a person of such self-importance to have to face the opprobrium of fellow MPs on opening day was most likely a bridge too far, and besides, there would have been little opportunity for him to avoid questions. Id just be happy if he retired.

Michael Slocum, Ascot Vale A welcome to all

Jenna Price nailed it exactly So much for mutual obligation: New job, first day, no show (Comment, The Age, 27/7). The hypocrisy of the former PM is unbelievable.

She is also right about the religious trappings of the opening of parliament. If there needs to be a ceremonial element, make the Welcome to Country the message to all, no matter what religion.

Peter Roche, Carlton Debate still alive

Julie Szego may have difficulty focusing on life after Morrison (Boring politics worth celebrating , Comment, 27/7) but there are plenty of people who arent satisfied with the idea that now the new government has been elected, we can all relax and forget about politics.

Most quiet Australians are vitally interested in how the government intends to bring about its promised reforms. We need to see evidence of policies being translated into legislative action.

The enlarged parliamentary crossbench gives hope, at last, of real consultation and informed debate replacing a polarised two-party system.

This should be a spectator sport worth waking up for.

Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale

Turn from gas guzzlers

The surging price of petrol was well outlined (Fuel prices driving up cost of commute, The Age, 27/7) and the link with vehicle fuel efficiency graphically illustrated.

While high fuel prices and climate concerns will see a dramatic rise in electric vehicle sales, many will not be able to go electric soon because of supply shortage and purchase price.

Efforts to reduce the petrol price impact should lead motorists to turn away from gas guzzlers and adopt smaller, more efficient models. Our vehicle fleet is among the least efficient in the world.

Any visit to Europe will show how families can operate without large SUVs and save themselves hundreds of dollars.

Peter Allan, Brunswick West EV rip-off

My husband and I are in the process of purchasing a new electric vehicle. This has been a dream of ours for many years and we are excited to be moving to a more sustainable vehicle.

But we are being punished for this simply because we live in Victoria which has no subsidies to encourage electric vehicle purchasing, unlike Queensland (the car costs $4000 more simply because we live here). Victoria also charges a road tax.

We knew all that but it did not deter us. What has been a shock is that car insurance in Victoria costs double that of the rest of the country. The same car to insure in Queensland is $1400  that car in Victoria is about $2800, for no reason other than it is an electric car. This is a rort.

I dont understand how the state government can allow this to happen. We are being let down by our government with no incentives to support electric infrastructure or to look to the future.

Mandy Herbet, Bentleigh East Elon-gated importance

The unthinking ease in which individuals with the ability to sell themselves are given credit for the skilled efforts of the many is once again shown in comments from your correspondent, (Letters, 27/7) extolling the virtues of Elon Musk for a car market he almost single-handedly created.

No, he did not. Granted, he was skilled at recognising an opening and presumably had, or was able to garner, the funds  and credit to him for that. But the creators were and are the untold and unrecognised thousands of skilled designers and builders without whom Musk would still be doodling ideas on pieces of paper.

Vaughan Greenberg, Chewton Unis losing focus

Women at universities hit hard by casual work (The Age, 27/7) seems to confirm the impression that universities have drifted from being places for ideas into the business enterprise model that has taken over the rest of our world.

Another challenge for our new government would be to restore the learning and research tradition and banish the business-driven philosophy which now seems to determine the choice even of vice chancellors.

Tony Haydon, Springvale Developers hamstrung

The research report by Prosper Australia (Land banking driving up prices, The Age, 26/7) has been prepared with a specific end-point in mind. Prospers reason for being is to increase taxes on land, so its not in its interest to consider a number of factors. Developers cant develop faster because of the slowdown in the civil construction industry, where contractors cant get staff and cant get materials to site. Developers develop as fast as possible to minimise interest on borrowings, thereby maximising profits. Lot prices have increased because of the increasing tax and contributions take by governments ($55,000 to $60,000 per lot), the drawn-out approvals process, and a shortage of supply of future development land.

For Prosper to report that developers are deliberately stalling development to make more money is just not correct. The property market has slowed, with lot prices starting to fall. Logically, if the Prosper report is correct, we should see a greater rate of lot production by developers. This just cant happen.

Ross Eva, Glen Iris

Emotional baggage

When groups of travellers gather, the conversation no longer is about family or politics or sport, but how their baggage went missing and how long they waited on airlines to locate their baggage and deliver it. Yet despite this, travellers learn the senior executives responsible for this part of the airline industry have received work bonuses.

These executives need to spend time at both the baggage drop areas and baggage carousels to appreciate customer frustration.

Or perhaps they accept, as baggage handling has been outsourced, it is no longer the airlines problem.

John Tingiri, Mornington Early learning

Can we stop calling it childcare (Childcare centres bend staff rule, The Age, 27/7)? Its much more than that. Early childhood learning centres stopped using the term childcare a long time ago, but it seems that most of us havent caught up yet.

As many parents will attest, modern early childhood learning centres do much more than just caring for children. They provide an incredibly important form of education, even well before the kindergarten years. With about 90 per cent of brain development occurring within the first five years of life, this form of education builds a range of social, emotional and cognitive skills, providing a key foundation for lifelong learning and development. So lets call it for what it is  early learning.

Chris De Gruyter, Hawthorn A day worth celebrating

Our local government members at the City of Melbourne are toying with changing the date of Australia Day. January 26, 1788, was when European settlers came to Australia. This was inevitable: it was the age of colonisation. If it had not been the British, it would have been another nation.

Let us celebrate the beginning of democracy, farming, urbanisation, literacy, a judicial system, medicine, health and rising living standards. Let us be proud of our European heritage. The Queens birthday holiday is a more appropriate date for a new holiday celebrating our Indigenous people. Lets leave Australia Day alone.

Brett K. Osborn, Mornington Beds for the vaccinated

It looks as though there wont be enough hospital beds for the likely numbers with COVID-19, so how will hospitals prioritise treatment? If an unvaccinated patient gets a bed while a fully vaccinated patient is left waiting, isnt this likely to cause resentment? To what extent can denying vaccination be regarded as self-infliction?

Prioritising fully vaccinated patients could be the biggest incentive yet for vaccination.

David Lamb, Kew East And another thing

Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Masks

Sensible opposition MPs (there must be some) may cross the floor just to get on the safe side.

Greg Curtin, Blackburn South The new independent MPs must have thought theyd joined a kindergarten instead of the national parliament.

Bernd Rieve, Brighton Will the Albanese government refuse a pair to any unmasked opposition member who comes down with COVID-19?

Judy Waters, Elsternwick Missing Morrison

Should Scott Morrison be paid only the JobSeeker rate of $46 a day because he is not working at the moment, but is busy looking for a new job?

Greg Tuck, Warragul

Did I miss Scott Morrison being awarded an MIA in the recent Queens Birthday Honours list?

Francis Bainbridge, Fitzroy North Federal politics

Pauline Hanson stormed out of the Senate chamber during an acknowledgment of Country. She didnt go far enough  she should have kept going out of the building.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill I agree with the politicians calling for prohibitions in First Nation regions of the NT ... once its been introduced at the national parliament.

Sean Geary, Southbank Has Albanese misspoken by stating that closing coal mines will have a devastating effect on the economy? Isnt it the inverse conclusion?

Patrick Alilovic, Pascoe Vale South Furthermore

Moscow is seeking regime change in Kyiv: Lavrov (The Age, 27/7) The world is seeking regime change in Moscow.

David Jensz, Templestowe Lower
The identity of a mysterious skeleton found in Melbourne more than 15 years ago could finally be determined thanks to facial recognition technology.

The male skeleton was found with the remains of a purple scarf, Country Road pants and shoes near Mount Erin Road and Janesdell Avenue at Ferny Creek on March 18, 2006.

Police hope facial recognition technology will help identify a male skeleton found at Ferny Creek in 2006. Credit:Victoria Police

No other forms of identification were found, according to Victoria Police.

With no DNA match or identifying features on the remains discovered in Ferny Creek, sadly we have been unable to provide the family and friends of the deceased closure, Yarra Ranges Leading Senior Constable Danielle Fleming said.
Western Australias Department of Communities has launched a review of its interactions with a mother accused of murdering her three children and setting their Port Hedland house on fire.

Margaret Dale Hawke, 36, briefly appeared in court on Tuesday, charged with three counts of murder over the deaths of her children, aged five months, and seven and 10 years old, as well as one count of criminal damage by fire over the blaze at the Pilbara home on July 19.

A growing memorial of teddy bears outside the Port Hedland house where three children were killed in a house fire. Credit:Nine News Perth

In a statement, a state government spokeswoman said it was a tragic case and their deepest condolences go to family and friends of the children at this difficult time.

The family was known to the Department of Communities, and the department immediately commenced a review into its interactions with the family, as is standard practice with any case of this nature, she said.
The head of the doomed construction watchdog says the governments move to slash his powers had only a negligible impact on his ability to prosecute unions and other industry players, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a fresh attack on the agencys credibility.

The Prime Ministers first question time was dominated by the foreshadowed removal of the controversial Australian Building and Construction Commission as the federal opposition accused Labor of greenlighting thuggery on worksites.

Outgoing Australian Building and Construction Commission head Stephen McBurney says he retains a raft of powers he must use. Credit:Eddie Jim

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday, commissioner Stephen McBurney said he retained a suite of statutory powers that he was legally obliged to use, and that his remaining investigations before he is stood down would look at coercion on worksites, underpayment and right-of-entry breaches.

McBurney said the move to scrap the building code has involved no change to our broader remit to police industrial laws in the building and construction industry.
Perth is no longer Australias most affordable capital city to purchase a home in, with house prices reaching a new record median of $651,956.

Domains June quarterly house price report released on Thursday shows house prices rose 1.4 per cent to a hit the new high. It follows last quarters record median of $622,000, which surpassed the last peak of $616,000 in 2014.

The news was less positive for units, with prices dropping for a second quarter by 1.1 per cent to $356,904, the steepest annual fall in three years at 5.9 per cent.

Domain chief of research and economics Nicola Powell said while Darwin was now the most affordable city to purchase a house in, Perth remained the most affordable city to purchase a unit, a title recouped in 2022 for the first time in 20 years.
Sao Paulo: Top Brazilian bankers and business leaders have issued a manifesto in defence of the countrys electronic voting system after unfounded attacks by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, warning that democracy was in grave danger.

The letter, signed by some 3000 leading figures, did not mention Bolsonaro by name, but clearly addressed the situation he has caused by questioning the voting system ahead of the October 2 election and attacking Supreme Court justices who oversee the elections in Brazil.

It referred to unfounded attacks on the voting system, which Bolsonaro claims is vulnerable to fraud, and insinuations that the election results would not be respected.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro formally launched his campaign for re-election on Sunday. After two years without a party, Bolsonaro joined the Liberal Party in 2021 - his eighth affiliation since 1989. Credit:Bloomberg

It was signed by Roberto Setubal, chairman of Brazils largest bank Itau Unibanco; Walter Schalka, chief executive of pulp and paper multinational Suzano Papel e Celulose; Guilherme Leal, and co-chair of cosmetic maker Natura & Co which owns Australian brand Aesop, among others.
Jessica Dickey isn't sure how many times the word "vagina" is spoken in her latest play. She guesses the total is 152. Whatever the number is, it's high, because Nan and the Lower Body is a play about Pap smears. Or, more accurately, it's about people who helped to create the Pap smear. Inspired by Dickey's grandmother and the playwright's desire to learn about reproductive health, the drama imagines what might have taken place in the lab of Dr. Papanicolaou, the pioneering doctor in early cancer detection and creator of the procedure.

Commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club and the Sloan Foundation, Nan and the Lower Body opened July 16 in a production of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, California. The play explores long-standing issues around gender equality in the home and workplace as well as conflicts between science and faith. It honors progress but also paints a portrait of how little has changed.

Daring, imaginative works are nothing new to Dickey. The actor and playwright's writing has explored feminism and religion (The Convent) and school shootings (The Amish Project), and has often examined how the past influences the present. Dickey sat down with TheaterMania to discuss family history, hospital labs, and unexpectedly becoming part of the zeitgeist.

Jessica Dickey

( Todd Cerveris)

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

The character of Nan was inspired by your grandmother. What inspired you to write a play about her and Dr. Papanicolaou?

The impulse was a very personal one because I grew up with my grandparents living with us, which was a very formative part of my childhood. My grandfather broke his hip early while living with us, and my grandmother had multiple sclerosis. My uncle, who has now passed, told me that he believed Nan worked with Dr. Papanicolaou, who created the Pap smear. I didn't really know a lot about her professional life. Despite how long of a tenure I had to ask those kinds of questions, I really didn't, and the failure to ask questions like that is part of the play.

It was a sort of stunning moment of realizing, despite being close with these people in my family, that I failed to really know them. In hindsight, the play was sort of built on the level of wondering, what if that was true? And then I imagined her in front of me as a full, hopeful, talented young person, ambitiously making her way into the world at a time when most women didn't have a job or any kind of career. She was making quite an interesting one at the cross section of when her own health situation was emerging.

In the meantime, I was struck with horror that I didn't really understand what the F a Pap smear was, which was horrifying, because I've been getting a Pap smear every year since I was 15. So there a double ignorance at play there. Apparently, I didn't know the things that I really should have tried to know about my grandmother, nor do I understand this very basic medical procedure that was pioneered by a very interesting and brave person. So I put those two things together.

Much of the play is set in Dr. Papanicolaou's lab. How did you prepare to write about his academic research, as well as stage the Pap smear that takes place in the play? Can you tell me a little bit about the scientific aspects of your research?

When I lived in New York, I had a wonderful gynecologist that I just adored. So I certainly had her to connect me with people. And then I spent the day at Sloan Kettering with a woman named Dr. Marcia Edelweiss. She sat with me in her office, talking me through the basics of the procedure of a Pap smear, walking me through and handing me over to the people in the cytopathology ward. They showed me some of the staining process.

When Dr. Marcia and I were sitting in her office, she had a microscope and she put a slide of a vaginal smear in the slides so that I could see what the cytologist would have been looking for. That was a stunning moment, because I realized how difficult that work is. I wanted the science to hold up in the play, and I felt that in the process of educating myself about the procedure, the play had an opportunity to offer that education to others.

A scene from Nan and the Lower Body

( Alessandra Mello)

You were in the cast of the 2012 Broadway production of Wit. Did your experience acting in a play about a woman living with ovarian cancer influence your writing Nan and the Lower Body?

Something that's kind of lucky about being a writer/actor is that when you have acted in so many plays, you're working with a fine-point pen in terms of what the medium can hold, what the actor can achieve, the journey the audience will go on. You have so many productions under your belt, you really can become quite hearty and courageous about the form because you've been a test driver for a lot of writing for a lot of audiences for a lot of years. In that sense, I'm sincere when I say I'm sure Wit is in there.

I think that [Wit] toggles between the science and, I would say, the academic rigor and the ticking clock of what a life can accomplish against the tidal pull of a disease. I guess there are elements of that in this play. But I wasn't conscious of that.

The play was first commissioned in 2016. Given the political turmoil of the past few years, especially with regards to reproductive justice, did your approach to the story change?

I don't think I was thinking that much about the politics at the time, probably because I knew I was riding an impulse I could really trust, which was a personal one that had to do with my grandmother. And I thought the rest [of the play] would speak for itself.

It is very interesting to realize that the play didn't come from a political impulse but has arrived at this moment when I feel that the heart space of the play is the right one or, at least, it's the most authentically mine to offer this moment.

Roe v. Wade was overturned while we were rehearsing this play, and, boy, was I very grateful that day to work on something that could lay its hand on this crisis in America. It's a political crisis, it's an identity crisis, it's a culture crisis, it's a civil rights crisis. Suddenly, this very personal play has arrived into the zeitgeist to meet a very political moment. And I know that the play takes good care of the audience, whatever the audience is carrying around these recent events, in their own questions or their own past.

The characters say the word "vagina" frequently throughout the play, and "vagina" also features prominently in the stage directions. What was your motivation to use the word so much?

I think I was conscious that it was very fun to make the audience sit with the word vagina and the subject of vagina, but also to take joy in piercing the call of their ignorance, which was my own call of ignorance. In terms of 'What is this thing called the Pap smear?' I was shocked to realize how little I knew.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High around 75F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Abortion, Democracy, and History

Commentary

When Sen. Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln faced off in a debate in Peoria, Illinois, in 1854, the issue tearing apart the nation was slavery.

A central issue was whether slavery would be permitted in new territories entering the union.

Douglas answer to the question was politics. Lincolns answer was morality and the Bible.

Douglas answer to slavery in new states, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, was democracy. Citizens would vote to permit or not permit slavery in their state.

Lincoln opposed the expansion of what he saw as the inherently evil institution of slavery.

In the Peoria speech, Lincoln stated, Judge Douglas interrupted me to say that the principle of the Nebraska bill was very old: that it originated when God made man and placed good and evil before him, allowing him to choose for himself, being responsible for the choice he should make.

Lincolns answer was, God did not place good and evil before man, telling him to make his choice. On the contrary, he did tell him there was one tree, of the fruit of which he should not eat, on pain of certain death.

Lincoln argued, essentially, that at the heart of political freedom stands mans free choice and that the choices man makes have profound importance and consequences.

Douglas argued that the most important thing is that we can choose. Lincoln argued that the most important thing is what we choose.

Now here we are, almost 170 years after Lincoln and Douglas faced off in Peoria, and the nation is at a similar crossroads in another issue of grave moral consequenceour responsibilities to the unborn.

Justice Samuel Alito, in his opinion in the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, argued from a legal, constitutional perspective. His conclusion, contrary to the courts conclusion in Roe v. Wade, was the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right for a woman to abort her child.

However, the practical, moral result of this decision is that Alito put the nation on the moral footing where Lincoln argued regarding slavery.

The moral consequence of Roe v. Wade was to institutionalize Douglas argument that our ultimate American value is choicenot what we choose.

The moral consequence of the Dobbs decision is to secure the notion that where, in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, it says its aim is to secure the blessings of liberty, that what the Constitution protects is our responsibility to make the right choices. Choice is not the ultimate end, but what we choose.

But its not over. Now we have clarification that it is not moral relativism that our Constitution secures, but deeper truths of right and wrong.

Now that we know what the Constitution does not do, we will find out what our 50 states will choose to do, meaning where the consciences are of the individual citizens in those states, who will determine these outcomes.

We are in a place eerily similar to what Douglas wanted regarding slavery. Now states will choose yes or no on abortion.

In other words, will states decide that the ultimate value is the ability to choose, or is the ultimate value what choices are made?

Is our ultimate value that a woman have the option to destroy her unborn child, or is our ultimate value sanctity of life?

These are the questions before us and that will define who we are as a nation and as a people.

Although in the 1850s the country was deeply divided on the issue of slavery, one would be hard-pressed today to find anyone who would agree with Douglas that democracy and the vote should decide whether slavery would be permitted.

I predict that history will take the same course regarding our increasing awareness regarding the sanctity of life and our responsibility to protect the unborn. But clearly, we are in for the long haul.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
About 1,700 People in France Infected With Monkeypox: Minister

PARISAbout 1700 people had been infected with monkeypox in France, Health Minister Francois Braun said on Monday.

Braun said the government so far had opened about 100 vaccination centers for monkeypox and that more than 6,000 people have received a preventive vaccination.

Braun called on patients who have lesions or other symptoms to self-isolate as soon as possible.

Braun said he did not see a major threat for the general public and said the government would focus its vaccination campaign on target groups considered the most at risk.

The profile (of the patients) is that they are mainly men who have had sexual relations with other men, but one can also be infected by contact with a patients blisters, Braun said in an interview with BFM TV in which he gave the number of infections.

Most of the infections have taken place in the Paris region, he said, adding that a dedicated major vaccination center would open in Paris this week.

The World Health Organization said on Saturday that the rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency. So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa.

The viral disease has been spreading chiefly in men who have sex with men in the recent outbreak, outside Africa where it is endemic.
Alameda County Sued Over Alleged Racial Quotas in Public Contracting

A California-based civil rights group sued Alameda County on July 25 for policies that allegedly grant racial preferences in government contracting.

Californians for Equal Rights Foundation and two individual co-plaintiffs, represented by the nonprofit Pacific Legal Foundation, filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court challenging two Alameda County public contracting programs that impose race-based preferences for minority-owned enterprises (pdf).

Racial quotas in public contracting, just as racial quotas elsewhere, are wrong and unconstitutional, Wen Fa, senior attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a July 25 statement. The government should not be depriving opportunities for small businesses engaged in public contractingand the Alameda County public contracting programs are particularly pernicious because they deprive opportunities based on race.

The Alameda County Public Works Agencys Construction Compliance Program and the General Services Agencys Enhanced Construction Outreach Program both allegedly impose a 15 percent participation goal, for minority-owned businesses on county construction projects, according to Californians for Equal Rights.

[This] force[s] general contractors to discriminate against subcontractors, and in many cases they work to exclude subcontractors in certain fields from obtaining jobs just because they are not minority-owned, reads a statement by Californians for Equal Rights.

An Alameda County spokesperson told The Epoch Times the county was advised by legal counsel not to comment on the case.

The foundations leaders claim both programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Californias constitutional ban on racial preferences.

Government favors on racial grounds have a pernicious past and do not belong in the 21st century, said Gail Heriot, the foundations executive vice president.

Chunhua Liao, a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement that no public agency should expend taxpayers money to hand out race-preferential construction contracts.

The government should not be picking winners and losers on the basis of race or color, Liao said.
American Motorists Changing Driving, Lifestyle Habits to Offset Soaring Gas Prices: Survey

Increasingly high gas prices have led Americans to change their driving habits in an effort to offset pain at the pump, according to a new survey from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The survey was conducted among more than 1,002 adults in the United States between June 2327.

It found that almost two-thirds, or 64 percent, of U.S. adults have changed their driving habits or lifestyle since March, with 23 percent making major changes.

The top three changes made among drivers to offset soaring gas prices include driving less, combining errands, and reducing shopping or dining out.

Overall, 83 percent of the motorists surveyed have been driving less, while 74 percent have been combining errands, and 56 percent have reduced shopping trips or dining out, according to the data from AAA.

The margin of error for the study overall is 4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

Volatile gas prices havent only affected the way in which Americans drive across the country but also their future travel plans, according to the survey, which showed that 29 percent of motorists have also had to postpone vacations this year.

Another 24 percent said high gas prices have changed the way they put aside money for savings.

The survey comes as gas prices currently stand at a national average of $4.302 per gallon as of July 27, up from $3.158 this time last year but down from the record high price of $5.016 per gallon on June 14, according to AAA.

A customer pumps gas into their car at a gas station in Petaluma, Calif., on May 18, 2022.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Pump Prices Driven Down

Prices at the pump have been steadily declining over the last few weeks, driven by a decline in domestic demand for gas and lower oil prices.

Consumers appear to be taking the pressure off their wallets by fueling up less, said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson on Monday. And theres reason to be cautiously optimistic that pump prices will continue to fall, particularly if the global price for oil does not spike. But the overall situation remains very volatile.

Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that gas demand rose from 8.06 million b/d to 8.52 million b/d last week. However, that rate is still 800,000 b/d lower than in 2021 and is on par with the demand seen during the middle of July 2020, when restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly curbed demand.

Additionally, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 3.5 million bbl to 228.4 million bbl, last week, suggesting that downward pressure on demand had boosted inventories.

If gas demand remains low as stocks increase, alongside a continuing reduction in crude prices, drivers will likely continue to see pump prices decline, AAA said.

The Biden administration says it has been working really hard to bring gasoline prices down.

In fact, gas prices have fallen every day this summer for 38 days in a row, President Joe Biden, who is currently recovering from COVID-19, said in a July 22 economic briefing on lowering gas prices.

Now, you know, you can find gas for $3.99 or less in more than 30,000 gas stations in more than 35 states. In some cities, its down almost a dollar from last month. Weve been working really hard to bring the price down, Biden said.

However, AAA has also warned that falling prices may be short-lived, stating earlier this month that demand for gas could increase from July as more Americans hit the road for the typically busy summer season.

Meanwhile, energy analysts warned in June that gas prices could reach apocalyptic levels if a hurricane or a tropical storm were to hit or damage refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Activist Drew Pavlou takes part in a protest in support of Hong Kong, outside the Chinese consulate in Brisbane, Australia, on May 30, 2020. (Dan Peled/AAP Image)

Activists Arrest in London Shows Changing Nature of Chinese Persecution Abroad

Commentary

Australian human rights activist Drew Pavlou was arrested in dramatic fashion recently outside the Chinese embassy in London. A media storm is now brewing.

On July 21, Pavlou, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), most often in his home country of Australia, arrived outside the Chinese embassy in London. His purpose was simple: to hold a protest against the Chinese governments campaign against Xinjiangs Uyghur people. It wasnt his first protest against the CCPs rampant human rights abuses, and it likely wont be his last.

Things took a surprising turn, however, when Londons Metropolitan Police arrived and arrested both Pavlou and a British journalistHarry Allenwho was covering the protest. Pavlou then spent about 23 hours incommunicado, under detention, and was interrogated without first being given access to legal counsel. Australias foreign service wasnt given early access either.

It turns out that someone, likely a Chinese netizen, had become aware of the planned protest and emailed the Chinese embassy a false bomb threat from a fake email address, signing it Drew Pavlou. The embassy, in turn, notified the police, and so the saga began. And its far from over.

As often is the case, Chinese authorities have managed to create a worldwide media sensation over what would likely have been a minor protest, attracting little to no attention. It has also put a spotlight on what appears to be a quickly growing and very recent phenomenon: fake emails sent by overzealous netizens to silence critics abroad.

These fakes are often laughably bad, as are the ones claiming to be from Pavlou. Since the initial email to the embassy, a flurry of emails have been sent to UK lawyers, politicians, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) workers. This morning, even though Ive never met him and cant claim to know him, one arrived in my inbox.

The email I received spoofs an email thats supposed to belong to him, and at the same time, purports to be from the UKs Crown Prosecution Service. Ive filed the email with the UK police for impersonating the UK prosecutor and impersonating an individual.

A Common Tactic

This is nothing new. We at Safeguard Defenders have received fake emails like this before. One claims to be from the Hong Kong national security police, threatens a co-worker of mine with arrest if she goes to Hong Kong, and warns of the possibility of being extradited there. In the UK, the hub for Chinese and Hong Kong human rights activism in Europe, lawyers, politicians, and NGO people alike have received similar emails, all within the past year.

With all this going on, its surprising that this knowledge doesnt seem to exist within the UK police force. If the UK police knew how common this tactic has become, its unlikely that they would have arrested a known human rights activist and a UK journalist so quickly. They would have simply stopped the protest and launched an investigation into the origins of the emails.

Luckily for Pavlou, the more of these fake emails that arrive, the more obvious it is that hes innocent. And the more attention this drama receives, the faster police can change their investigation: from investigating his alleged bomb threat to investigating Chinese netizens who (with or without Chinese government approval) campaign to silence critics abroad, including on UK soil.

Theres nothing surprising about these developments. However, its a lesson for both UK and other European police forces in how to handle whats certainly going to become a more commonand, in time, more sophisticatedtool for suppressing human rights here in Europe itself.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A copy of the Associated Press Stylebook and a reporter's pad in New York on July 27, 2022. (Epoch Times Staff)

AP Forbids Quoting People Who Say Grooming About Teaching Children Transgenderism

One of the worlds most influential newspaper writing stylebooks on July 22 advised against quoting people who use the word groomer to describe those who teach children about transgenderism, homosexuality, and other mature sexual issues.

The guidance is part of a lengthy transgenderism update by the Associated Press to its voluminous stylebook. Similar to other sensitive issues, APs new transgender guidance aligns with the language used by the political left.

For example, the stylebook now advises journalists to avoid writing descriptions like biological male when covering transgenderism.

For a major portion of the news media, the rules in the AP stylebook are the final authority when deciding which words and terms to use. With more than 1,000 newspapers and broadcasters using AP content often without citation, the guidance will promote the transgender agenda to millions of people who knowingly or unknowingly consume the wire services content.

Newspeak For News Speak

The Associated Press (AP) wields an incredible amount of influence. On an average day, it publishes 2,000 news stories, 2,739 photos, and 191 videos.

Its stylebook is the reason why many newspapers use god instead of God, antisemitism instead of anti-Semitism, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn instead of Aleksandr.

To keep this content consistent, it publishes the AP Stylebook, a manual of writing standards. But the AP Stylebooks influence goes far beyond its original publication.

Many American newspapers, magazines, and public relations offices use the AP Stylebook and its guidelines as a writing standard.

A basic knowledge of AP style is considered essential to those who want to work in print journalism, according to grammar website the Purdue Owl.

The APs recent stylebook changes on transgender terminology will likely impact the way that countless news stories cover transgenderism.

All the changes imply that men who claim to be women and women who claim to be men are what they claim to be.

Phrasing like is a woman is more to the point than identifies as a woman, the AP guidelines read.

The new guidelines also state that journalists should avoid terms like biological male.

Avoid terms like biological male, which opponents of transgender rights sometimes use to oversimplify sex and gender, is often misleading shorthand for assigned male at birth, and is redundant because sex is inherently biological.

The AP Stylebook now seems to suggest that there is nothing unusual about wearing the clothing of the opposite sex, injecting powerful hormones, and sex-change surgery.

Do not use terms like normal to describe people who are not transgender, the style guide reads.

The guidelines also tells journalists not to call telling children about homosexuality, transgenderism, and other mature issues grooming.

It further advises reporters to not quote people using grooming in this context without saying their statements are untrue.

Mentioning a transgender persons old name can be akin to using a slur, the stylebook reads.

Journalism authorities including the New York Times, Medium, The Conversation, and the Columbia Journalism Review have all praised skeptical journalism that checks sources instead of just believing them.

But the new AP Stylebook changes tell journalists not to imply doubt.

Dont use phrasing that misgenders people or implies doubt, such as former mens swimmer or currently competes as a woman. Instead, formerly competed with men, current member of the womens team  the stylebook states.

Although The Epoch Times uses many AP stylebook guidelines, it differs from the stylebook on many issues.

Changing Minds

According to Tim Graham, the executive editor of NewsBusters, the AP has long failed to be neutral, despite its role as the Bible of journalism.

The Associated Press is in no way an objective or fact-based media outlet, based on its stylebook, he said.

Graham noted that the AP Stylebook has also changed definitions to favor the pro-abortion movement, racial terms, and other topics.

He added that the change will probably most impact neutral journalists writing for outlets that use the AP Stylebook. Editors may not follow every AP Stylebook rule, but it often defines what is conventional.

Theres a danger there, I think, for conservative journalists, just like theres a danger for conservative Twitter accounts to say, Bud, theres two genders, he said. They get canceled.

The change to transgender terminology will also likely impact public opinion, Graham said.

The media believes that if it always uses all the proper terminology that it will change the minds of the people, he said.

A stylebook used to be about how to most accurately portray whats happening in the news. And I think that thats vanished.

Graham credited pressure from Left-wing activists including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for the change. Cultural trends also played a role, he said.

They figure this is the way to win the culture war, he said. You go to the people who define the terms and pressure them incessantly to redefine the terms.
A Qantas plane takes off from the Sydney International airport in Sydney, on May 6, 2021. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian Immigration Minister: Priority for Key Offshore Applications to Process More Visas Faster

Australian Immigration Minister said offshore applications would be prioritised to allow more migrants to contribute to the countrys economy.

Processing the backlog of visa applications is an urgent priority for the Albanese government, according to Andrew Giles, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.

The processing of visas will continue to be a major priority for this Governmentbut reducing the backlog of applications cant happen overnight, Giles said.

People reallocated to dealing with the visa applications on hand need to be trained and skilled before they can go about this important work.

Australias tourism industry has urged the department to speed up tourist visa processing as some travellers face months-long delays to enter the country after its fully reopening to the world in February.

If we make it difficult for them to get a visa and it takes forever, theyll take their money and trip elsewhere, Margy Osmond, chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, told the 7.30 program of ABC.

It is actually damaging our brand not to be able to get those visas out the door as quickly as possible in the most appropriate way.

It is estimated that the $60 billion Australian tourism industry lost 610,000 jobs during the pandemic.

People in front of the iconic Sydney Opera on Sept. 8, 2017. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

The number of visa applications has jumped 427 percent since parts of Australias borders were opened in November 2021, and 90 percent of tourist visa processing times have improved from 20 months to 37 days as the backlog of applications is processed.

The Department has deployed 140 extra staff since May to handle the caseload and is currently prioritising key offshore applications, including temporary skilled migrant, student, and visitor visas, in the hope that more overseas workers will support Australias tight job market and boost economic growth.

The number of applications received in June 2022 is 6.5 percent higher than May 2022  over the same period, there was a 10.6 percent increase in applications finalized, Giles said.

The Department has approved 745,000 visa applications since the beginning of June 2022, of which more than 645,000 were offshore applications, including 388,000 visitor visas, 62,000 study visas, and 9,550 temporary skilled migrant visas.

The Minister said the Morrison Governments devaluation of immigration led to a backlog of about 1,000,000 visa applications.

The Albanese Government is determined to reduce the backlog and restore the importance of the immigration function of our Government, he said.
Baby Killed When Semi Crashes Into Wisconsin Home

A baby was killed when a semi veered off an interstate in Wisconsin and crashed into a house in Winnebago County, according to sheriffs officials .

Authorities said it happened about 6 p.m. Monday when the semi left Interstate 41 southbound, crashed through a fence line, crossed a nearby frontage road and smashed into the house in the town of Vinland, just north of Oshkosh.

Officials say the baby boy who died in the crash was 8 months old, WLUK-TV reported.

The semi driver is a 63-year-old man from Little Chute who sustained minor injuries.

Investigators were on the scene for more than 10 hours. Winnebago County sheriffs deputies were assisted by ten other agencies, including Neenah and Menasha police.
American fugitive Louis Flood in a mugshot taken in 2000 and a picture taken by RCMP at his arrest in Creston, BC, in July 2022. (Handout via Creston RCMP)

BC RCMP Arrest American Sex Offender on the Run for 20 Years, Return Him to US

RCMP in Creston, B.C., has arrested a convicted American sex offender who was missing for over 20 years, and returned him to the United States, police say.

Louis Edward Flood, a 77-year-old man from Boise, Idaho, was convicted in October 1997 of lewd conduct with a minor under age 16 and sex abuse of a minor under 16. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Flood was paroled in 2001 after serving three years, but disappeared after failing to comply with his mandatory check-ins. Idaho State Police (ISP) later put out a warrant for Floods arrest.

In 2011, Flood was featured on the television show Americas Most Wanted, after he had remained missing for 10 years.

Floods whereabouts remained a mystery until RCMP in Creston, B.C.just over 10 kilometres from the Idaho borderreceived a tip earlier this month that an American fugitive was in the area.

Searching for details, Creston RCMP Constable Dave Bickle contacted the United States Marshall Service, Idaho State Corrections, and the ISP, who tracked the information to Flood.

I was contacted immediately after my initial request and [the agencies] provided me Floods records from 2001, said Bickle in the release. They outlined how he was not complying with his parole and they provided the warrant for his arrest. The agencies provided a photo from 2000 which I was able to use to confirm his identity.

Creston RCMP arrested Flood and Bickle worked with Canadian Border Services (CBSA) to have a removal warrant issued for Floods return to the United States. After keeping him in custody at Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver, B.C., for several days, the CBSA handed Flood over to a U.S. Marshall Service Fugitive Transport Unit at the American border on July 25.

Idaho State officials said Flood will now serve the remaining 13 years of his prison sentence, according to the RCMP statement.

Bickle said Floods arrest was a highlight of his career.

I never thought I would be involved with such an interesting arrest and to have the opportunity [to] work with so many different agencies, Bickle said.

Creston RCMPs Detachment Commander Corporal Evan Diachok praised Bickle for his work in arresting Flood.

This was excellent police work by Constable Bickle. I am proud of how well he worked with all these different agencies, said Diachok. Everyone pulled together to get Louis Flood into custody. I would like to thank our partners in the United States and Canada Border Services for their hard work on this file.
Aydin Coban is shown in this handout photo from the time of his arrest by Dutch police, entered into an exhibit at his trial in British Columbia Supreme Court in New Westminster, B.C.. (The Canadian Press/HO-Dutch Police)

BC Teenager Pushed Back Against Online Extortionist, Crown Attorney Tells Jury

A Crown attorney says British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd pushed back against the person harassing and extorting her online, sending them a message saying she hoped they felt guilty for ruining a young girls life.

Kristen LeNoble says Todd also made a post on Facebook, asking people she was connected with to support her, and not judge her, as she feared her harasser was about to distribute a link depicting her in a sexual manner.

LeNoble told the jury in the B.C. Supreme Court trial for Aydin Coban, the Dutch man accused extorting Todd, that the person had been threatening to distribute links to her family, friends and classmates unless she performed three sexual shows on a web camera.

Coban has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possessing child pornography.

LeNoble told the jury one of the numerous aliases used to harass and extort Todd told her she had until the end of the day until all hell breaks loose.

She says another Facebook post by Todd shows the teenager from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was worried the harassment would continue for the rest of her life.

This is such a horrible feeling for me, she read from one of Todds Facebook posts.

The extortion began just before Todd turned 13 in November 2009, LeNoble said.

Crown prosecutor Louise Kenworthy told the jury at the start of the trial almost two months ago that Todd had been the victim of a persistent campaign of online sextortion over three years before her death at age 15 in October 2012.

LeNoble told the jury on Tuesday that by the time the Crown has finished their closing argument, they will have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Coban was the person behind 22 separate online aliases used to harass and extort the teenager.
U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Nov. 15, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden, Xi to Hold Phone Call on July 28 to Discuss Taiwan

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to hold a phone conference with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) head Xi Jinping on July 28, with Taiwan expected to be a key agenda item, as well as a proposed trip to Taipei by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on July 26 that managing economic competition between the two countries also would be a focus of the call.

This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and theres already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about, he said during a press call.

Everything from the tensions over Taiwan to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere.

The call between Biden and Xi will be the fifth of its kind. It comes amid a continued bottoming out of SinoU.S. relations on issues of trade and security, as well as serious dustups over the role of Taiwan on the global scene.

Taiwan in the Crosshairs

The CCP claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province of China, and Xi has vowed to unite the island with the mainland and hasnt ruled out the use of force. However, Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949 and has never been under the control of the CCP.

The United States adheres to a One China policy, which means that it doesnt have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Though it doesnt maintain peer-to-peer ties, the United States is legally bound to provide Taiwan with the arms necessary to defend itself.

U.S.Taiwan relations have roared back to the fore in the past week after the CCP issued a series of aggressive remarks to the United States following reports that Pelosi was planning a trip to Taiwan.

CCP leadership threatened forceful measures against the United States and Taiwan should Pelosi visit. Following the remarks, Biden publicly stated that Pelosi shouldnt go to Taiwan as a matter of national security, in an apparent concession to the communist regime.

Kirby defended Bidens statement, noting that Pelosi is in the line of presidential succession, and because of that, her travel is a matter of national security. Only she can make decisions about her travel, he added.

China Rattling the Sabre

Kirby said that the CCPs bellicosity is unhelpful, underscoring the increasingly belligerent rhetoric from the Beijing regime in the past several months. The rhetoric, more often than not, has focused on Taiwan and the United States for special harassment and intimidation.

In June, a Chinese general went so far as to threaten U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, saying that the CCP would not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost to prevent Taiwans independence from being recognized.

Meanwhile, the CCP has renewed its own military provocations against Taiwan. Over the past month, the CCP has launched military sorties into Taiwans air defense identification zone and even went so far as to falsely claim that there were no international waters in the 100 miles of ocean between Taiwan and the mainland.

The provocations havent gone without a response from Taiwan, whose democratic government began a series of drills earlier in the week simulating a Chinese missile attack.

Neither Pelosi nor Taiwans foreign ministry has confirmed any travel plans. Pelosi would be the first sitting House speaker to visit the island since 1997. At that time, Speaker Newt Gingrich visited Taipei and issued a warning to Beijing that the United States would defend Taiwan.
Buzz About Buttigieg as 2024 Candidate Overlooks His Far-Left Agenda, Analysts Say

News Analysis

Amid renewed concerns over President Joe Bidens health and mounting speculation that he may not end up as the Democrats nominee for the White House in 2024, attention increasingly focuses on other potential candidates within a highly diverse and fragmented field.

Pete Buttigieg, who ran for president in 2020 and currently serves as Bidens secretary of transportation, has become the subject of considerable buzz, but expert opinion on Buttigiegs prospects as a 2024 presidential candidate is decidedly mixed. Some analysts praise the potential candidates intelligence and political skill, while others argue that he would not be able to compete successfully with even more prominent names in the Democrat field. Still other commentators say that Buttigieg is far from the centrist politician many take him to be and that his radical streak may alienate moderate voters under the intensive, constant scrutiny that Buttigieg will go through if he officially enters the 2024 primary field.

Factors in His Favor

For some analysts, Buttigieg has emerged as a strong potential candidate with demonstrated political savvy and connections that will serve him well in the coming months.

Buttigieg has already proved he can build national appeal. He didnt get across the finish line in 2020, but he got close. Hes already proven himself as a candidate for president, which is a long way from being mayor of South Bend, Michael OBrien, president of 1816 Public Affairs Group, a political consultancy and government relations firm based in Indianapolis, told The Epoch Times.

OBrien has followed Buttigiegs political career in Indiana, where Buttigieg served as mayor of South Bend from 2012 to 2020, and sees as one of its distinguishing features an ability to work with politicians across the aisle.

Governor Mike Pence was in office at the time, and Buttigieg had a really good relationship with the Republican governor, just trying to get stuff done. He was not particularly partisan, OBrien recalled.

Expect the Unexpected

OBrien said he thought that many people in Indiana were surprised when, in the midst of his second term as South Bend mayor, Buttigieg made the decision to run for Democratic National Committee chair early in 2017. But perhaps they should not have found the decision so surprising given how naturally ambitions for higher office come to a politician with Buttigiegs advantages, OBrien suggested.

Hes so smart, he has the talent. Going from South Bend mayor to candidate for president of the United States, he had an incredible path there. That speaks to his political skill, his intelligence, and his ability to read a situation, OBrien said.

In Indiana political circles, while Democrats loved the idea of him coming back to run for governor, they assumed that his path politically, in the future, was in Washington. Now hes moved out of the state. Well see how his career unfolds. Based on the average age of the candidates for president in the last 23 cycles, hes got 40 years ahead of him to run, OBrien continued.

Besides his ability to reach out across the aisle and work productively with then-governor Pence, OBrien believes, Buttigieg shares Pences ability to make use of a well-established network of party support and position himself for ever more ambitious runs.

Its what Mike Pence is doing right now. I dont know if Buttigieg is going to have a successful or credible run for the presidency in 2024, but hes going to be in a position where he can run if the opportunity is there, OBrien said.

Pete created that in 2020 practically out of thin air. He wasnt a household name, he wasnt Joe Biden who had been around forever, but he put himself in the top tier locally and nationally. Part of that was lightning in a bottle, OBrien added.

A Crowded Field

Other analysts say that the picture is complicated in a field with so many contenders, and that it is still possible Biden will run. Moreover, Buttigieg is far from the only politician with unfinished business from past election cycles.

The top-tier people we always talk about are Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, of course, and Gavin Newsom, because hes the governor of California. Theyre all well-known. Now, the question is if Biden runs or not. If he does, how is Harris going to run, how is Buttigieg going to run? Even Newsom is not a guy whos going to run against a sitting Democratic president, David Carlucci, a political commentator and former New York state senator, told The Epoch Times.

The reality is, I think that Biden is still running, and if he does, the Democrats will rally behind him. Part of it is about Donald Trump. Trump is the Democrats best friend right now. The January 6 hearings are proving to be detrimental to the Republicans on every level, Carlucci added.

If Biden ends up not running, that does not mean the path is wide open for Buttigieg. In that scenario, people will be looking for a candidate who can really excite the partys base, Carlucci said. They may go for an insurgent candidate, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Warren, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, or even, conceivably, a still-prominent party figure and perennial contender, Hillary Clinton.

If Biden isnt running, it opens up the floodgates. You have the administration people, like Buttigieg and Harris, and you have establishment people like Newsom. But then you have some wild cards. One of them could be Hillary Clinton, Carlucci said.

Clinton may have low approval ratings, but the same is very much true of Biden, not to mention Trump himself.

Now its a rematch, and Americans have seen what four years of Donald Trump looks like, and now Trump will have just as high negatives as Hillary Clinton or even higher. Thats one scenario where we could see heightened speculation over the next few months, because its fodder for the right and the left, its political junkie red meat, said Carlucci.

Buttigiegs Radical Streak

Though Buttigieg may have cultivated an image of a well-spoken, relatively youthful, moderate candidate with charisma and bipartisan appeal, the reality of his political identity is more complex, and in a general election, voters may decide he is on the wrong side of the culture wars, some analysts say.

Buttigieg is currently embroiled in a heated public dispute with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The transportation secretary has criticized Rubio for saying that trying to draft and pass laws protecting same-sex marriage would be a stupid waste of time, and has drawn vituperative comments in turn from Rubio, who has characterized Buttigieg as a member of a class of arrogant elite liberals and Marxist misfits not interested in addressing the problems and concerns of ordinary voters.

Rubios allusions to Marxist ideology are not hyperbole but, rather, an acknowledgment of actual influences on Buttigiegs beliefs and political agenda, some analysts believe.

Charles Steele, chair of the Department of Economics, Business, and Accounting at Hillsdale College in Michigan, notes that Joseph Buttigieg, the transportation secretarys father, was a professor at the University of Notre Dame who became the leading English-language scholar of the work of Antonio Gramsci, the Italian political theorist who lived from 1891 to 1937.

Gramsci developed the ideas of cultural Marxism, infiltration of the culture, and culture war as a way of promoting Marxism, since it had failed on economic grounds. All the things we call woke today, ideas on race, sexual preference, sexual identity, and the like, originate in this. Pete Buttigieg seems to have absorbed the Gramscian perspective. This is a very dangerous thing for our country and our freedom, Steele told The Epoch Times.

Ideas in Action

Steele sees direct parallels between Marxist, and specifically Gramscian, ideology and the agenda that Buttigieg has pursued.

Under Pete Buttigieg, the Department of Transportation is emphasizing so-called equity which requires the government to treat people differently according to race, net zero carbon policy which will place automobiles and inexpensive transportation out of reach of average Americans, and massive government spending on infrastructure which will increase governments control over the economy and citizens lives, Steele said.

All these priorities and policy goals are consistent with Gramscis advocacy of culture war as a means of advancing Marxist tenets, he observed.

Like Rubio, Steele views Buttigieg as more concerned personally with cultural issues than with the priorities that fall within his job description as secretary of transportation. It is hard to see how codification of same-sex marriage at the federal level is relevant to this cabinet position, Steele believes.

These issues have nothing to do with transportation and everything to do with top-down imposition of cultural change. As Senator Rubio recently noted, Buttigieg appears to have no understanding of the Constitutional difference between federal and state issues, a dangerous matter since hes a federal official. Buttigieg also promoted the false idea that bridges in New York City had been designed to prevent black citizens from traveling freely. Buttigieg really does seem to promote radical-left ideas, Steele concluded.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Buttigiegs office for comment.
Residents protest against the United Nations peacekeeping force (MONUSCO) deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Goma July 26, 2022. (The Canadian Press/AP/Moses Sawasawa)

Canadian Peacekeepers Safe, Sheltering as Deadly Anti-UN Protests Rock the DRC

The federal government says all Canadian peacekeepers are safe and accounted for following a second day of deadly anti-United Nations protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Department of National Defence and RCMP confirmed the safety of all Canadian personnel in the DRC on Tuesday as the UN reported three peacekeepers had been killed in the violence.

Dozens of other people have also been killed or injured during what UN officials described as several attacks on peacekeeping bases and facilities in the country.

Demonstrators have accused the peacekeeping mission of failing to protect civilians amid rising violence in Congos eastern region, calling for UN forces to leave.

There have been allegations that peacekeepers fired upon civilians, prompting UN officials to promise an investigation even as they scramble to protect their facilities and people.

The UN says Canada had nine police officers and eight military officers in Congo at the end of March.

The Defence Department said six Armed Forces members are there at the moment.

All CAF personnel are safe and accounted for, and there have been no reported injuries, department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said in an email.

CAF personnel were not involved in the violence and are currently sheltering in place at their homes.

The RCMP, through Global Affairs Canada, reported: All Canadian Police  are accounted for and safe. It did not add any details.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Tuesday that hundreds of assailants again attacked bases of the UN force, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, in Goma as well as other parts of North Kivu fuelled by hostile remarks and threats made by individuals and groups against the UN, particularly on social media.'

Mobs are throwing stones and petrol bombs, breaking into bases, looting and vandalizing, and setting facilities on fire, Haq said. We are trying to calm things down, including by dispatching quick reaction forces, but there was no evidence the violence had ended.

In addition, Haq said at least four incidents targeted the residences of MONUSCO staff, who have now been relocated to UN camps. A mob also tried to enter the compound of the UN Development Program earlier Tuesday, he said.
Former President Donald Trump is back in Washington for the first time since leaving office, as a potential 2024 rival gives a speech on the same day. What are their messages to the American people?

Law and order and border security are two key issues that will drive voters to the voting booth this November. Vice chair of the Republican Conference Congressman Mike Johnson will join us to discuss.

The White House is working to downplay the highly anticipated bad economic news that will be released this week. The director of the National Economic Council spoke to reporters about the state of the economy Tuesday. What are they saying?

A new government initiative is giving money to members of the U.S. House of Representatives so they can install home security systems.

Nearly half of young adults favor socialism, the segway to communism. One young woman is eager to change thatbidding to be the youngest member of Congress. Well hear from 24-year-old Karoline Leavitt.

A group of Republican lawmakers are questioning the Department of Defense. They want to know why the agency would be providing funds to colleges that maintain ties to the Chinese communist regime.

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A picture shows the damage at a house following artillery strikes purportedly carried out by the Turkish army in the village of Hrouri in Iraqi's Kurdistan near the Turkish border north of Dohuk on April 25, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)

Deadly Artillery Strike in Kurdish Region Throws Spotlight on Turkish Operations in Iraq

ANKARA, TurkeyThe U.N. Security Council met on July 26 to discuss an artillery attack that killed nine Arab tourists last week in Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region.

While Baghdad blames next-door Turkey for the attack, Ankara denies the accusation, pointing the finger instead at the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a militant group based in mountainous areas of the Kurdish region near the IraqIran border.

Theres no conceivable reason why Turkey would target a civilian area, Abdullah Agar, a Turkish security expert and retired special forces officer who served in Iraq throughout the 1990s, told The Epoch Times. Those opposed to Turkeys presence in northern Iraq are exploiting the incident for their own ends.

The incident has roiled Ankaras relations with Baghdad, which is accusing Turkey of violating Iraqi sovereignty and is calling for the withdrawal of all Turkish troops from its territory.

According to Iraqs Defense Ministry, the Turkish army currently maintains more than 100 outposts in northern Iraq, manned by upward of 4,000 soldiers.

Violation of Sovereignty

On July 20, nine people were killed and two dozen were injured when four artillery shells struck a tourist area in the Iraqi city of Zakho.

Located in the Kurdish regions Duhok Province, Zakho sits only a few kilometers from the Turkish border. All the victims, including two children, were tourists from central and southern Iraq.

Baghdad and the Erbil-based Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) immediately blamed the carnage on Turkey, which frequently conducts anti-PKK operations in the area.

Ankara quickly denied involvement, urging Iraqi officials to not believe PKK propaganda and to cooperate in bringing the real perpetrators to light.

Despite the denial, anti-Turkey demonstrations were seen throughout Iraq in the immediate wake of the incident. At one point, Turkeys embassy in Baghdad was surrounded by protesters calling for the ambassadors expulsion from the country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called the attack a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, while the KRG stated that Turkeys decades-long conflict with the PKK posed a constant threat to the lives of its citizens.

Currently based in northern Iraq, the PKK claims to seek the establishment of a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. It has carried out numerous attacks inside Turkey over its 45-year history and has been branded a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington, and Brussels.

Agar, who lectures on security issues at Istanbuls Bahcesehir University, was quick to note that last weeks attack in Duhok occurred in the run-up to a planned Turkish offensive in northern Syria against the YPG, the PKKs Syrian affiliate.

Despite opposition from the United States, Russia, Iran, and Israel, the Syria operation is still on the table, he said. All the groundwork has been laid.

Operation Claw-Lock

The incident has thrown a spotlight on Turkeys ongoing military activities in Iraqs Kurdish region, which has enjoyed relative autonomy since the First Gulf War in 1991. At about the same time, the PKK took the regions rugged Qandil Mountainsroughly 150 kilometers northeast of Erbilas its main base of operations.

Since then, Turkey has waged several campaigns in northern Iraq, with the aim of preempting attacks by the PKK on Turkish civilian and military targets.

In 2019, Turkey began a fresh round of operations, the most recent of whichdubbed Operation Claw-Locktargets PKK militants in the mountains of Duhok.

Baghdad has repeatedly criticized these operations, saying that they violate Iraqs national sovereignty.

On July 24, an Iraqi parliamentary committee held an emergency session to discuss what it described as repeated violations of Iraqi sovereignty by the Turkish military.

Notably, committee members also stressed the need to halt the PKKs activities in Iraq, calling for the deployment of federal troops to patrol Iraqs fraught border with Turkey.

In a recent interview with the Kurdish regions Rudaw Media Network, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein noted that Iraqs constitution expressly forbids the PKK from operating inside the country.

Its unacceptable for the PKK to organize military activities on Iraqi or Kurdistan Region territory and attack another country [such as Turkey], Hussein said. The PKK is a problem for Iraqbut this cant be resolved by Turkish attacks.

When asked about last weeks attack in Duhok, he said that all the military information that we have received indicates that it was [carried out by] the Turkish army.

Nevertheless, on July 25, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated the assertion that terrorists bent on derailing TurkeyIraq relations were responsible for the bloodshed.

On the same day, the U.N. Security Council vigorously condemned the attack, calling on member states to cooperate actively with ongoing investigations by Iraqi authorities.

At a follow-up meeting in New York on July 26, Hussein urged the Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding Turkey withdraw all its troops from Iraq. He also accused Turkey of broadening its military presence in Iraq, using its long-running war with the PKK as a pretext.

Agar contested this assertion, saying: Turkey poses no threat to Iraq. Its the groups Turkey is fightingthe PKK and the YPGwho threaten the sovereignty of their host countries.

On July 27, Turkeys consulate-general in the Iraqi city of Mosul, located directly adjacent to the Kurdish region, came under mortar attack by unknown assailants. No casualties were reported.
People participate in LA Pride Parade, an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration, in West Hollywood, Calif., on June 9, 2019. (David McNew/AFP via Getty Images)

Disney Changes Fairy Godmothers in Training to Be More Gender-Neutral

Disney theme parks in the United States recently changed the title of their employees in the Fairy Godmothers in Training program to Fairy Godmothers Apprentices to be more gender-neutral.

At special Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations in the parks, visiting children have been traditionally dressed and styled by the fairy godmothers in training as their favorite Disney characters. But now these workers will have a new name.

This way cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up & style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character, wrote Disney fan blog Streaming the Magic in a July 18 post.

The name has been switched to Fairy Godmothers Apprentices on the webpages for both Disneyland Park in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.

With the wave of a magic wandplus a few hands-on tricks of the tradeour Fairy Godmothers Apprentices will pamper and primp your child until they look storybook stunning, according to the attractions description for Walt Disney World.

A girl chooses her hair style at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Tokyo Disneyland hotel in Urayasu, Japan on July 2, 2008. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP via Getty Images)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is currently open for retail only at Disneyland, with the makeovers expected to return on Aug. 25. Reservations will open in early August. The boutique at Disney World is closed and will also reopen Aug. 25.

This is not the first time Disney has made such a change. In 2021, the Magic Kingdom Park in Florida removed the gendered greeting ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls during an evening fireworks and light projection show and instead used good evening, dreamers of all ages, according to WDW News Today.

After the more recent change was announced, some Disney fans expressed disappointment.

This is horrible  sad that we as society are changing things because of gender identity. Lets just rewrite all of our history to fit todays narrative, user James Myer wrote on Twitter.

However, other fans praised the company for the move.

I dont see the problem, Disney being more inclusive is a great thing. The world needs less of cookie cutter expectations and images of the world. Newsflash, its a big world out there and there are billions of people and everyone is different, another Twitter user commented.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz greets supporters after the primary race resulted in an automatic re-count due to close results on May 17, 2022, in Newtown, Pa. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Dr. Oz Supports Same-Sex Marriage, Campaign Spokesperson Says

As the U.S. Senate contemplates if it will vote to pass The Respect for Marriage Act, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz said that the celebrity surgeon supports same-sex marriage.

The proposed legislation, which was passed by the U.S. House, would codify same-sex marriage and interracial marriage at the federal level.

The Supreme Court legalized both in 2005 and 1967 respectively, but Democrats introduced the bill after Justice Clarence Thomas suggested when Roe v. Wade was overturned last month that rulings on same-sex marriage, contraception, and LGBT rights could be reconsidered.

Dr. Mehmet Oz believes that same-sex couples should have the same freedom to get married as straight couples, Oz campaign spokesperson Brittany Yanick said on July 26, responding to a question about his opinion about the bill.

On July 19, The Respect for Marriage Act, passed the House 267157, including support from 47 Republicans.

If every Senate Democrat votes for the measure, it will need backing from 10 Republican senators to pass.

Oz has not offered an opinion on same-sex marriage during his campaign. He has said he does not support transgenders playing in womens sports.

Social Media Battles

Oz and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman are vying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

Fetterman, who continues to recover from a stroke he suffered just before the Democratic primary in May, has peppered social media with barbs about Oz. Most of the posts claim that the celebrity surgeon is a carpetbagger from New Jersey.

The social media battle continued on Tuesday with a Twitter battle. It was sparked by a July 24 tweet from Fetterman about gas prices.

Filled up the ram Over $100  WHAT?!?! Dr. Oz wont stand up to the special interests + corporate executives who are raising prices on us, but I will pic.twitter.com/xmamUQDRo8  John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) July 24, 2022

Oz responded with a tweet that read, Curious as to why you have to fill up your tank so often when youre not out on the campaign trail meeting with Pennsylvanians.

On July 26, Fetterman wrote on Twitter, Dude, youre literally from Jersey. I bet you dont even know how to pump your own gas.

Self-service gasoline is not permitted in New Jersey, and this puzzles some out-of-staters who are not accustomed to attendants pumping their fuel.

Oz grew up in Delaware and lived in New Jersey for several decades. He earned a medical degree and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania at the same time.

He bought a home in the state this year and also owns properties in Florida, Turkey, and New Jersey, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pennsylvanians that I speak to are quite clear that they care much more about what I stand for than where Im from, Oz recently told reporters.

Oz toured a homeless shelter in Washington, Pennsylvania on July 26 and was accompanied by a Pittsburgh Action News 4, which asked him if Fettermans charge that Oz lives in New Jersey and is currently staying at a Huntingdon Valley, Pa. home owned by his in-laws so he can run for the Senate seat.

Just to answer the question, my father, whos an immigrant and lived the American dream, which is why I love this country so much, joined the faculty at Jefferson Medical School, which is in Philadelphia. We grew up just south of Philadelphia, Oz said. I went to medical school at Penn in Philadelphia, went to business school at Wharton in Philadelphia. I married my wife in the house we live in right now in Montgomery County, outside of Philadelphia.

Oz and his family relocated to New Jersey for the filming of his talk show but returned to Pennsylvania a few years ago, he added.

I have voted several times in Pennsylvania, Oz said. Im a resident of Pennsylvania.

We are having great food and even better conversations today at the Manna Church of God in Christ BBQ in Philly. Now more than ever, our nations leaders need to refocus on the policies and people who make our communities stronger. pic.twitter.com/iXcbQ8SAjw  Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) July 24, 2022

Snooki Trolls Oz

Last week, Fettermans campaign commissioned MTVs Jersey Shore star Nicole Snooki Polizzi to troll Oz about his New Jersey ties.

Fettermans campaign reportedly bought the widely-shared clip from Cameo, which is a personalized celebrity video site.

I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to look for a new job. And personally, I dont know why anyone would want to leave Jersey, Polizzi said in the video that was shared on Fettermans Twitter page. I know youre away from home and youre in a new place. Dont worry because you will be back home in Jersey soon. This is only temporary.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman campaigns in Lemont Furnace, Penn., on May 10, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Fettermans campaign has also hired a plane to carry a banner over the New Jersey Shore with a message that read Hey Dr. Oz, Welcome Home To NJ!

Fetterman has also encouraged his supporters to help Oz get inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame and has taken to Twitter to mock Ozs photo at Philadelphia cheesesteak locales that are considered tourist havens.

Basement Tracker

Ozs campaign has responded. Last week, it unveiled a daily John Fetterman Basement Tracker to monitor how long the candidate has hid in his basement.

Oz tweeted a photo of a milk carton with MISSING above Fettermans face on July 16. Earlier this month, he also released a video that showed him jogging while welcoming Fetterman back to the campaign trail.

You may have heard that John Fetterman is back on the campaign trail. As a surgeon whos performed thousands of these operations, I know how scary this can be for a patient, Oz says in his video. Ive been praying for him. Im glad hes OK.

Oz begins to jog and adds that Fetterman cant keep hiding from voters forever. I mean, Joe Biden hid in his basement. How did that work out for us?

Oz continues by chastising Fettermans radical agenda and his beliefs about drilling, fracking, and pipelines along with prison reform views.

Im glad Fettermans healthy so we can worry less about his heart and his hoodie and more about the crazy leftist ideas in his head, Oz says before jogging away from the camera.

Fetterman Recuperating

Fetterman has recuperated at home in the Pittsburgh area since he was released from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital on May 22. Last week, he made a surprise appearance to visit campaign volunteers.

He has said he will attend some upcoming fundraisers and recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that I might miss a word every now and then in a conversation, or I might slur two words. Even then, I think thats infrequent. So I feel like we are ready to run, and thats the only issue I have. Thats the absolute truth, 100 percent.

Fetterman decisively won the Democratic primary while Oz endured a recount after a slim number of votes separated him from David McCormick in the Republican primary. After the recount, Oz prevailed by less than 1,000 votes.

Fetterman has led Oz in multiple polls and also has a significant edge in fundraising. The Cook Political Report and Sabatos Crystal Ball call the race a toss-up while Inside Elections rates it as Tilt Republican.
Teva Pharmaceuticals workers pack drugs in a clean room at the company's manufacturing plant in Jerusalem on March 10, 2008. (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Drug Maker Teva Reaches Proposed $4.25 Billion Settlement Over Alleged Role in Opioid Crisis

Pharmaceutical company Teva has agreed in principle to pay $4.25 billion after reaching a nationwide settlement with multiple states and local governments over its alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis.

The Israeli-based pharma giant on July 26 announced the agreement, which is set to end thousands of lawsuits filed against the company.

The announcement came ahead of the companys earnings results.

Drug manufacturer Teva makes Actiq and Fentora, both of which are branded fentanyl products and used to treat breakthrough pain in adults who have cancer. It also makes a number of generic opioids including oxycodone which is used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Both drugs are highly addictive and Teva was one of the biggest producers of opioid painkillers during the height of the opioid epidemic.

The settlement is part of an ongoing effort by states to hold opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable for their alleged role in the opioid crisis, with overdose deaths reportedly costing the United States at least $1 trillion a year, according to a bipartisan congressional report released in February.

The United States had alleged that Teva had promoted potent rapid-onset fentanyl products for use by non-cancer patients, and engaged in deceptive marketing of opioids while downplaying the risks of addiction, and overstating their benefits. They also claimed that Teva, along with its distributor, Anda, had failed to comply with suspicious order monitoring requirements.

According to the company, the key financial terms agreed upon in the settlement will see $4.25 billion primarily go to states and local governments involved in the settlement, pending approval by a sufficient number of plaintiffs.

The outside of the factory of pharmaceutical company Teva in Jerusalem, Israel, on June 11, 2013. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

Costly Legacy Opioids Litigation

Teva will also pay approximately $100 million to Native American tribes and pay attorneys fees incurred by the states, local governments, and tribes over the next 13 years.

The final figure also includes $1.2 billion worth of generic Narcan, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioids, which would be supplied over the next 10 years or additional cash in lieu of the product, at a value of 20 percent of the drugs list price, which is $240 million.

Teva CEO Kare Schultz said the pharma giant was pleased to have reached a nationwide agreement in principle, pending participation by states and subdivisions, to resolve the majority of our costly legacy opioids litigation, and importantly, make critical medicines available to those most impacted by the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Despite coming to an agreement in principle, Teva stopped short of admitting to its alleged role in the opioid epidemic.

While the agreement will include no admission of wrongdoing, it remains in our best interest to put these cases behind us and continue to focus on the patients we serve every day, the company said.

Teva has already agreed to settlements with West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Rhode Island, and Louisiana.

In December, a New York jury found Teva responsible for contributing to the states opioid crisis. New York was not included in Tuesdays settlement as the company is engaged in ongoing settlement negotiations with city officials.

Other than New York, Teva said it has no pending trials for the remainder of the year.

Another Major Step

Teva acquired opioid manufacturer Allergan in 2016, and Teva noted that the agreement is also contingent upon Teva reaching an agreement with Allergan with respect to any indemnification obligations, and Allergan reaching a nationwide opioids settlement.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose state was among those who filed a lawsuit against the drug maker, praised the settlement as another major step toward addressing the opioid crisis and healing our communities.

Nothing can undo the harm opioids makers like Teva have inflicted on families across the country or the lives lost to the opioid epidemic, Bonta said in a statement. But this agreement will provide much-needed relief for its victims and importantly, critical funds for overdose prevention and opioid addiction disorder treatment.

Data from the nonprofit group Families Against Fentanyl published in February shows that fatalities from fentanyl have more than doubled in 30 states across the United States in just 24 months, while 15 states have seen fatalities more than triple.
A man arrives with two young girls for his shot at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto on May 11, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

EXCLUSIVE: Official Who Authorized COVID Vaccines in Canada Not Consulted on Mandate

The federal government official with final authority on approving vaccines in Canada did not advise, and was at no point consulted about, imposing or keeping in place the vaccine mandate in travel, court documents show.

Dr. Celia Lourenco, director general of the Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate within Health Canadas Health Products and Food Branch, provided this information in early June while being cross-examined as a government witness in support of the mandate.

Lourencos directorate is in charge of reviewing drugs like vaccines and she has the final say on their authorization.

So I want to be clear, nobody from the Canadian governmentand when I say the Canadian government, I include the Prime Ministers Office, the Ministry of Transport, minister of healthno one ever consulted with you as to whether or not the government should enact that vaccine mandate for travel? asked lawyer Sam Presvelos, who represents applicants Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard in their legal challenge against the mandate.

Thats correct, answered Lourenco.

Presvelos also asked Lourenco if any government department consulted her on the continued requirement for the vaccine mandate in travel since her authorization of the vaccines. She said it wasnt the case.

It is possible the government received advice from other sectors of Health Canada, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), but Lourenco and her teams knowledge of the ins and outs of the vaccines gives her authority to speak on the matter.

Lourenco said she communicates with PHAC regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccines but never discussed with them the requirement for a vaccine in travel.

Other government officials were also cross-examined as part of proceedings on the travel vaccine mandate legal challenge.

The government is attempting to declare the issue moot given the mandate was suspended (barring international arrivals), but applicants are fighting the motion and want their day in court.

Clinical Trials

Much of Lourencos cross-examination revolved around the issue of vaccine performance, discussed as efficacy in clinical trials and effectiveness in a real-world setting, and around the approval process.

Lourenco acknowledged that the current COVID-19 injections are all still under phase three of their clinical trials, with Moderna expected to complete its trial in December 2022 and Pfizer in December 2023.

She said, however, that they have completed the reporting-out phase for the purposes of regulatory authorization.

So for regulatory authorization they needed to complete the phase of the trial where they were able to provide data on efficacy and safety up to a median of two months of followup of all the participants in the clinical trial.

In order to bring these new drugs to market, the government issued a rare interim order in September 2020.

Before that, there were no alternative pathways to have vaccines or other drugs skip stages, Lourenco said.

There was no  other pathway prior to the interim order.  The regular pathway is what we had available for authorizing a drug under the Food and Drugs Act, she said.

She added that this has been the case for as long as shes been with Health Canada, 21 years, although she did mention the use of interim orders for the H1N1 flu vaccine in 2009.

Despite not following the usual pathway, Lourenco said the review process was still robust.

We did not change the requirements in terms of the evidence standard. The evidence and criteria for authorization for reviewfor assessing the safety of the vaccineswere not changed, she said.

What we changed with the interim order was to allow greater flexibility in terms of the review process, allow for, for example, rolling submissions to occur, so as data become available the manufacturers were able to submit it to Health Canadawhich is not something that can happen in the normal processand then allow for other tools like terms and conditions that could be imposed on the authorization.

Effectiveness

Lourenco was asked many questions about vaccine efficacy and effectiveness, since the governments argument was that unvaccinated individuals should not be sitting next to vaccinated individuals in transportation.

You cannot choose to put at risk the people sitting beside you on an airplane, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told CBC on June 23 in defending the mandate. The federal government had suspended the mandate on June 20.

Dr. Lourenco, do you agree that unvaccinated travellers pose a health and safety risk to vaccinated travellers? asked Presvelos.

I would answer that by saying that  they pose somewhat of a risk, but given that vaccinated travellers are vaccinated  their risk is reduced because they are protected by the vaccine, answered Lourenco.

On the issue of protection offered by COVID vaccines, Lourenco was presented with charts prepared by PHAC on their waning protection.

The charts reportedly showed that two doses, presumably of mRNA injections, offered a 50 to 80 percent protection against symptomatic disease in the first month.

Beyond 12 weeks, the vast majority of studies show effectiveness below 40 percent with a further decline [over] time to 20 percent or less; correct? Presvelos asked Lourenco about the charts.

Yes, thats correct, she said.

So I take it these figures here, these effectiveness figures, this wouldnt qualify for authorization of this vaccine if we had observed this at the trial? said Presvelos.

It would not, no, replied Lourenco.

Lourenco had previously explained that for vaccines to be authorized, they must demonstrate an efficacy superior to 50 percent in preventing infections during clinical trials.

Given the drastic fall in vaccine performance over time, Lourenco now says the prevention of serious outcomes is what justifies maintaining their authorization.

In the post-market, of course were concerned still about effectiveness against infection, but if a vaccine is showing waning protection against infection, what we look for is does it still protect against severe disease. And if it does, then that supports our analysis in terms of the benefits continuing to outweigh the risks of the vaccine, she said.

Yet Lourenco said there is no fixed-number threshold regarding protection against severe disease like there is for infection.

We dont have a corresponding number, no.
Police stand guard in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on June 4, 2022, near the venue where Hong Kong people traditionally gather annually to mourn the victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 which the authorities have banned. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

Extension of Control: Concerns Raised Over Hong Kongs New Cybercrime Legislation Proposal

The Hong Kong government recently published a 268-page consultation paper on a legislative proposal aimed at extending jurisdictions to information and communications technology.

However, experts have warned that the proposal, which they see as on par with Hong Kongs national security law, could be used by the Hong Kong government to set up mass internet surveillance and censorship over its citizens.

The consultation paper, published July 20, reiterated the importance of the national security law and proposed having jurisdiction over five categories of cyber-dependent offenses. Furthermore, such jurisdictions would have an effect in extraterritorial cases if they are related to Hong Kong affairs.

The national security law, imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Hong Kong in June 2020, was seen as draconian legislation that has drastically deteriorated the human rights situation in Hong Kong under the broad definition of safeguarding national security.

Cyber-Dependent Crimes

The five categories of cyber-dependent crimes include the following: illegal access to programs or data; illegal interception of computer data; illegal interference of computer data; illegal interference of computer system; making available or possessing a device or data for committing a crime.

The consultation paper, drafted by Hong Kongs Cybercrime Sub-committee, also states that interception, interference, access, disclosure, and use of data without lawful authorization or reasonable excuse would be a criminal offense under the new proposal.

Additionally, according to the paper, summary convictions will be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison, while convictions by indictment will be sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Broad Definition

In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Wong Ho-wa, data scientist and founder of the Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC HK), expressed concerns over the clauses within the consultation paper.

In particular, Wong emphasized that illegal use or possession of data is an incredibly broad term, and it is boundless as to whom and what it could pertain to.

This is very frightening; the public is bound to be afraid of how this will be implemented, with such broad definitions, he said. Even people who supply equipment could be targeted, say for selling routers or servers to others.

Sang Pu, a current affairs commentator, told RFA that the new proposal could be seen as an extension of Hong Kongs national security law.

They are extending their controls using computers and cybercrime as a pretext, he said. I am very worried that this will lead to internet blocks and censorship, and all of the AI censorship and keyword search term censorship we see in [mainland] China being implemented in Hong Kong.

Sang further stated that although this proposal is still in the consultation stage, it will likely pass in the Hong Kong legislature with tightened controls down the road.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks in Washington on May 11, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Fauci Claims He Never Recommended COVID-19 Lockdowns

White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci claimed Monday that he never recommended locking anything down when pressed about what he would do differently regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

First of all, I didnt recommend locking anything down, Fauci replied during an interview published by The Hills Rising program on Monday, suggesting it had been a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Go back and look at my statements, he added, that we need to do everything we can to keep the schools open and safe.

Although its unclear exactly what Fauci meant by lockdowns, in October 2020, Fauci had publicly recommended that former President Donald Trump shut the whole country down, although its not clear what he meant as presidents dont have the authority to hand down sweeping lockdowns.

When it became clear that we had community spread in the country  I recommended to the president that we shut the country down, he said in an event with students at the College of the Holy Cross in October 2020.

If the United States didnt shut down completely the way China did, then the spread of COVID-19 wouldnt be stopped, Fauci continued to say at the time. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since early 2020 has pursued a zero COVID strategy that some analysts say is tantamount to economic suicide.

Closing Schools and Bars

In August 2020, Fauci said that public schools should remain closed across the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Fauci also publicly suggested multiple times in 2020 that bars and restaurants should remain closed, then arguing that there was a binary choice between opening schools or bars.

You have a choiceeither close the bars or close the schools. Because, if you have people congregating in bars, its likely youre going to stay red, the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in November 2020.

Also during the interview with The Hill, Fauci said there should have been much more stringent restrictions imposed on asymptomatic people in 2020.

We know now, two and a half years later, that anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of the transmission occur from someone without symptoms, either someone who never will get symptoms or someone who is in the pre-symptomatic stage, he said.

Its not clear how Fauci came to this conclusion about asymptomatic spread. Physician Aaron Kheriaty wrote for the Brownstone Institute that no respiratory virus in history has been known to spread asymptomatically.

Had we known that then, the insidious nature of spread in the community would have been much more of an alarm and there would have been much, much more stringent restrictions in the sense of very, very heavy, encouraging people to wear masks, physical distancing or what have you, added Fauci, who again called for mask-wearing in schools, workplaces, and anything that brings people together in a closed environment in some areas.
Hunter Biden walks to Marine One on the Ellipse outside the White House in Washington on May 22, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

FBI Likely Did Intentionally Undermine a Congressional Probe on Hunter Biden: Senator

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) criticized the FBI on July 26, alleging that the bureau was weaponized against two U.S. senators when it arranged an intelligence briefing in August 2020.

Johnsons criticism was based on new revelations that surfaced a day earlier, when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) divulged that certain FBI officials had a scheme to wrongly label derogatory information on Hunter Biden as disinformation, based on what his office learned from highly credible whistleblowers.

By inaccurately labeling verified evidence as disinformation, FBI officials halted investigative activities related to Hunter Biden in 2020.

If these recent whistleblower revelations are true, it would strongly suggest that the FBIs August 6, 2020 briefing was indeed a targeted effort to intentionally undermine a Congressional investigation, Johnson wrote in a letter (pdf) obtained by Just the News. The letter was sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) departs from the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 21, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

If these whistleblower allegations are accurate, how can your agency, Director Wray, be capable of investigating the presidents son? Johnson continued. Unfortunately, the FBI can no longer be trusted to investigate Hunter Biden with integrity and the equal application of law.

2020 Briefing

Johnson and Grassley were probing the Biden familys financial transactions when they were asked to attend an FBI briefing on Aug. 6, 2020. According to Johnson, the briefing was completely unnecessary and completely irrelevant to their probe.

However, the contents of the briefing were leaked to media outlets, prompting Johnson and Grassley to question the motivation behind the briefing.

In his letter, Johnson concluded that the 2020 briefing was a set up to intentionally discredit our ongoing work into Hunter Bidens extensive foreign financial entanglements, pointing to an article published by The Washington Post on May 1, 2021.

Grassley also raised concerns about the same Washington Post article in his letter (pdf) to Garland in June 2021.

The Washington Post article inaccurately linked Russian attempts to spread disinformation to my and Senator Johnsons investigation into the extensive financial connections between the Biden family and individuals connected to the communist Chinese governments military and intelligence services, Grassley wrote.

Information relating to the [Aug. 6, 2020] briefing was also used by Democratic Senators last Congress to publicly malign us and our investigation for the purpose of slowing it down, painting it in a false public light, and undermining its integrity.

Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) speaks at a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on July 12, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

As such, Johnson said the FBI was weaponized against himself and Grassley, according to his letter.

The FBI being weaponized against two sitting chairmen of U.S. Senate committees with constitutional oversight responsibilities would be one of the greatest episodes of Executive Branch corruption in American history, Johnson wrote.

Johnson, former chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is now the ranking member on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Grassley, who was once chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is now the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On Sept. 23, 2020, about a month after the 2020 briefing, Grassley and Johnson released a report revealing that there was potential criminal activity relating to transactions among and between Hunter Biden, his family, and his associates with Ukrainian, Russian, Kazakh, and Chinese nationals, while Joe Biden was vice president during the Obama administration.

The two senators have continued their probe into Hunter Biden. In March, they presented bank records on the Senate floor showing CEFC China Energy, a now-defunct company, made payments to Hunter Biden.

Request

Johnson concluded his letter by saying that the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence havent responded to his request for information on the purpose of, and who ordered the 2020 briefing, despite his effort for nearly two years. He said the two agencies refusal to be transparent is deeply concerning.

The senator from Wisconsin suggested that the Office of the Inspector General could conduct an objective review or appoint a special counsel to address his concerns.

Johnson also reiterated his concerns over conflicts of interests, including how Nicholas McQuaid, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Departments criminal division, was a fellow partner in a law firm with an attorney who has represented Hunter Biden.

Currently, the U.S. attorneys office in Delaware is investigating Hunter Biden for possible tax violations.

Attorney General Garland, you have failed to provide Senator Grassley and me with assurances that any DOJ investigation into Hunter Bidens potential criminal activity will be free of conflicts of interest, Johnson wrote. The American people should not have to tolerate your silence any longer.

Department of Justice officials didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray prepares to testify in a hearing on the FY 2023 budget for the FBI held by the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 25, 2022. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

FBI Nixed Hunter Biden Probe in 2020 Over Dem Lawmakers Disinformation Claim, Sen. Grassley Alleges

News Analysis

In the heat of the 2020 presidential campaign, a group of Democratic lawmakers raised the allegation that foreign actors were spreading disinformation in order to sway Congress and the election.

The FBI ran with that allegation and used it to shut down a legitimate investigation of alleged crimes committed by Hunter Biden, son of then-candidate Joe Biden, according to a letter recently sent by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to the heads of the Justice Department (DOJ) and the FBI.

Grassley relies on information provided by multiple highly credible FBI whistleblowers, the July 25 letter said (pdf).

The allegations provided to my office appear to indicate that there was a scheme in place among certain FBI officials to undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation, it says, noting that the volume and consistency of these allegations substantiate their credibility.

The allegations indicate systemic and existential problems within the FBI and the DOJ, Grassley said.

If these allegations are true and accurate, the Justice Department and FBI areand have beeninstitutionally corrupted to their very core to the point in which the United States Congress and the American people will have no confidence in the equal application of the law.

Based on the timeline sketched out by the letter, the FBI developed information in 2020 about Hunter Bidens criminal financial and related activity.

Hunter Bidens activities were, at the same time, probed by Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who at the time headed the Senate Finance and Homeland Security committees, respectively.

In July 2020, a group of Democratic lawmakers that included Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) asked the FBI to give all Congress members a defensive counterintelligence briefing because of what they called an appearance of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November.

Based on leaks to The Washington Post, the supposed disinformation pertained to materials provided to Rudy Giuliani, then-lawyer for President Donald Trump, by a former Ukrainian official with historical ties to Russian intelligence.

Shortly after, Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking Democrats on the Finance and Homeland Security committees at the time, asked Grassley and Johnson to get a briefing for the committees from the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force, citing their concerns over the info from The Washington Posts article (pdf).

Then, in August, FBI supervisory intelligence analyst Brian Auten opened an assessment that was used by the Foreign Influence Task Force at FBI headquarters to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation, according to the Grassley letter.

Also that month, the FBI also gave an unsolicited and unnecessary briefing to Grassley and Johnson that purportedly related to our Biden investigation, the letter says.

Contents of that briefing were then leaked to the media to paint the probe as amplifying foreign disinformation. Grassley argued that nothing in that briefing was substantially relevant to the investigation.

In September, the Foreign Influence Task Force members began talking to FBI agents at the Washington Field Office who were looking into the Hunter Biden information.

The field office agents were interviewed in furtherance of Autens assessment and were told that the Hunter Biden info was at risk of disinformation, the letter says. Yet, according to the whistleblowers, all of the reporting was either verified or verifiable via criminal search warrants.

The task force members put together a file that supposedly justified the disinformation assessment, although they placed it in a restricted access sub-file reviewable only by the particular agents responsible for uncovering the specific information, Grassley said. He added that this is problematic because it does not allow for proper oversight and opens the door to improper influence.

In October, the Hunter Biden inquiry at the Washington field office was halted by the local assistant special agent in charge, Timothy Thibault.

Thibault allegedly ordered the matter closed without providing a valid reason, as required by FBI Guidelines, the letter says.

Despite the matter being closed in such a way that the investigative avenue might be opened later, its alleged that FBI officials, including ASAC Thibault, subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future.

The letter touches on a lineup of explosive issues.

Hunter Bidens foreign business dealings have been a subject of public debate for years, together with allegations of his selling access to Vice President Joe Biden during the Obama administration. Before the 2020 election, Democratic-aligned media and social media suppressed information about the younger Bidens foreign dealings and sordid personal life found on his laptop.

A group of former intelligence officials came forward backing the claim that the laptop was a part of foreign disinformation, even while John Ratcliffe, then-director of national intelligence, said there was no intelligence that supported such a claim.

Months later, the media with no fanfare acknowledged that not only was the information real, but Hunter Biden was still under FBI investigation. Polling indicated that if the public was aware of the suppressed story ahead of the election, it could have cost Joe Biden several percentage points of voterspossibly enough to thwart his bid for the White House.

The FBI actors involved prompt further questions.

Earlier this year, Thibault was referred to the FBI and the DOJ inspector general by Grassley for likely violating internal guidelines and regulations and possibly the law because he liked, posted, and reposted articles bashing Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr on social media. That could be a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity.

These illustrative social media posts call into question ASAC Thibaults ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of an FBI agent objectively and without bias, Grassley said in a May 31 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland (pdf).

Auten, meanwhile, is the analyst repeatedly criticized by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz in his report on the FBIs Trump-Russia 2016 investigation. Auten was responsible for vetting the Steel dossier, a collection of false allegations of TrumpRussia collusion that was paid for by the Clinton campaign and used by the FBI to get a spy warrant on Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Auten repeatedly failed to disclose to the surveillance court that the dossier was unsubstantiated and getting debunked the more the FBI tried to verify it, investigative journalist Paul Sperry detailed in his last years deep dive into Autens role.

Grassley stopped short of directly accusing the FBI of helping Democrats to undermine his investigation of Hunter Biden. His letter, however, promises credible evidence that the FBI spiked its own investigation of Hunter Biden before the election.

The FBI acknowledged receiving Grassleys letter when contacted by The Epoch Times but declined to comment further.

The DOJ didnt respond to a request for comment.

The offices of Grassley, Schumer, Peters, and Wyden as well as the offices of Pelosi, Schiff, and Swalwell didnt respond to requests for comment.

Update: The article was updated to more specifically describe how then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe responded to claims that the Hunter Biden laptop story was disinformation.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) listens as Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) speaks during a news conference on the introduction of their Protection from Abusive Passengers Act at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on April 6, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FEC Rules on Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwells Use of Campaign Funds

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday announced that it has denied a request by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Ca.) to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses when he travels to support other Democratic campaigns and at the request of foreign governments and entities.

In a statement, the FEC said that it approved a tally vote on Monday, upholding a previous ruling that campaign funds may only be used to pay for overnight childcare expenses when he travels for his own campaign and his spouse is not available to care for their young children.

The Commission did not approve a response by the required four affirmative votes as to whether Congressman Swalwell may use campaign funds to pay childcare expenses incurred when he travels for other campaigns or at the request of foreign governments or other entities, the FEC said (pdf).

Swalwell for Congress counsel Rebecca J. Olson on May 26 made the request, saying the congressman often travels to help other Democrats get elected and at the invitation of foreign governments and entities.

Olsen noted that Swalwell received many invitations from foreign governments and entities due to his well-known status as a congressman.

To provide for care for the children, on some occasions the Swalwell family have enlisted the support of a night nanny, when both are unavailable to care for the children, Olsen told the FEC in a letter (pdf).

She therefore asked if Swalwells campaign could pay for a night nanny to care for their three young children, who are all still in diapers, when they travel abroad at the invitation of foreign governments and when campaigning for other Democratic candidates.

Olsen said that Swalwell, as both a congressman and candidate for reelection, was a prolific fundraiser for other democratic candidates, which meant that he often is expected to travel and be away from home.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) asks questions during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington on Nov. 19, 2019. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

FEC Response, Scrutiny

The FECs advisory opinion did not provide a specific opinion in denying the request pertaining to travel at the request of foreign governments, noting that the rules of the House related to such travel was not within the FECs jurisdiction.

The Commission told the Swalwell for Congress counsel that campaign funds can only be used for authorized expenditures in connection with the campaign for Federal office of the candidate or individual, for ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with duties of the individual as a holder of Federal office, and for any other lawful purpose that does not constitute conversion of campaign funds to personal use.

The personal use of campaign funds is defined as to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidates election campaign or duties as a federal officeholder, the FEC said.

Swalwells campaign finances have come under scrutiny, with reports citing FEC filings detailing over $62,000 spent between April 1 and May 18 on travel expenses related to flights, Ubers, Lyfts, luxury chauffeured transportation, and hotels in the United States and France, NY Post reported.

He also previously came under scrutiny for his campaign finances during his 2020 presidential bid, spending thousands of dollars on alcohol and limousine services, according to filings.

The Democratic congressman also courted controversy over his past ties to an alleged Chinese Communist Party spy, known as Fang Fang or Christine Fang.

A report by Axios in December 2020 claimed that Fang built up an extensive network of contacts with up-and-coming politicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Swalwell. The report said Swalwell cut ties with the alleged spy after investigators gave him a defensive briefing.

Republicans sought to remove Swalwell from his position in the House Select Committee on Intelligence in May 2021, but Democrats in the House voted the resolution down.
Federal Climate Policies, Fertilizer Plan, Will Cause Devastation, Say Saskatchewan Farmers

Farmers in Saskatchewan, a province that has nearly half of Canadas arable land, say production will fall sharply if they are forced to use less fertilizer and pay increasingly high carbon taxes on fuel.

The government is moving ahead with its goal, first announced in December 2020, to reduce absolute levels of greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use by 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. Specifically, it aims to reduce nitrous oxide emissions associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use.

However, a report by Fertilizer Canada, which represents the fertilizer industry, says a 30 percent emission reduction for a farmer with 1,000 acres of canola and 1,000 acres of wheat would cut their profits by between $38,000 and $40,500 annually. Nationwide, this would mean $400 million of lost profit for wheat farmers and $441 million lost profit for canola producers.

A September 2021 report by consulting firm MNP calculated that Canadian canola, corn, and spring wheat farmers would lose a total of $48 billion in profits between 2023 and 2030 based on the premise that using 20 percent less fertilizer over that period would mean 30 percent less emissions by 2030. This loss far exceeds the $550 million over 10 years the federal government has announced to help farmers meet emission targets.

In the town of Abbey, Sask., Brian Bonogofski sells agricultural equipment and has six quarter-sections of farmland. He says the federal measures are an attack on mainly the West that provokes farmers.

Theyre probably the most easygoing people that are out there until you back them into the corner, and then theyve got to come for your jugular, he said in an interview. Theyve got to because theyre proud of producing food for Canadians, for the world.

According to the latest statistics from the World Bank, in 2018 Canada had 38,687,000 hectares of arable land, the third-highest among countries in the world. Provincially, Statistics Canada reported in 2017 that Saskatchewan had 46.8 percent of crop land, followed by Alberta at 26.8 and Manitoba at 12.7.

Its time the city people understand the severity of what is going to happen if we have a 30 percent cutback in fertilizer, in land usageeven electric tractors and combines, stuff like that. The productivity is definitely going to drop, Bonogofski said.

Youre not going to buy food. You can have $5 million set aside for your grocery bill for tomorrow, but if [theres no food] on that shelf, youre not going to get it.

Bonogofski predicts that lowering fertilizer use will be devastating for production. He thinks federal policies will do more to destroy people than save the Earth or the climate.

Were getting into too much government interference with a lot of things that we do, a lot of government involvement where it shouldnt be. The loss is going to outweigh the savings. Put it that way, because youre talking lives, youre talking more people going hungry at night, he said.

Its a concern when you got a country thats trying to supply food to not only Canada, but the world. It doesnt take long before youre short-supplied. And last year, our supplies were already low in most commodities.

Soaring Diesel Costs

The current carbon tax of $50 per tonne will rise to $170 by 2030. Farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, where Ottawa administers the carbon tax, will receive federal rebates. However, according to the Grain Growers of Canada, those farmers wont benefit equally from the rebate program and some will only get 20 to 30 percent of their carbon tax back. The Clean Fuel Standard will come into effect July 1, 2023, and increase the costs of gasoline and diesel by up to 13 cents per litre by 2030.

Thats not good news to Douglas Davidson, who says diesel costs are soaring at his farm south of Swift Current.

My first batch of diesel I bought in 2020 at 43.9 cents a litre. I had them topped off again here about a month ago, and that was at $1.739 a litre, Davidson told The Epoch Times.

If were in full go-mode, I can run through 1,000 litres per day, 2,000 litres some days. So just do the math.

Demonstrations followed a ban on chemical fertilizers in Sri Lanka and policies to reduce nitrogen oxide and ammonia emissions in the Netherlands. Davidson says hes on board with them boys protesting in the Netherlands because of the severe consequences for farmers.

Theyre getting cut down severely, like theyre going to lose their livelihood and their property and everything, he said.

I dont necessarily think were talking about Dutch farmers. I think were talking about farming in generalits all coming from the same place. Trudeau has got the same plans for Canada. And they will actually do this all over the world until theyre stopped.

John Graff, a sheep farmer in the Whitewood area east of Regina, is concerned about the pledge Canada and 50 other countries made in January 2021 to set aside 30 percent of the land and oceans in the name of biodiversity protection.

Those are already signed, sealed, and deliveredfinished things. The difference is that the Netherlands farmers know about it and are doing something. The Canadian farmer doesnt know, and therefore isnt doing anything about it, Graff said in an interview.

I cannot believe that the policy-makers would be this foolish or ill-informed to make decisions like this.

Graff says chemical fertilizers are essential to high-intensity food production, but government policies are also undermining alternatives.

Theyre also going after livestock producers, so that reduces the amount of manure available. Organic production can only keep up production levels through the use of manures and plowed-down [crops], like clovers and alfalfa. But in doing so they take land out of production for a year to do the plow-down, and then they only maintain just sustainable production levels in subsequent years.

So whatever way you cut this fertilizer, there is no argument where you can produce enough food to feed the world.

No Common Sense Whatsoever

Blair Brost, a farmer near Maple Creek in southwest Saskatchewan, cant understand the logic behind the policies.

You really wonder where these people get their information from. I dont know. They have no common sense whatsoever. Like, the tail is wagging the dog or something. None of it makes any sense at all, Brost told The Epoch Times.

They could have dealt with this cheaply and been way better for the environment than what theyre doing by just taxing the crap out of everybody and starving them out of their homes. Theres so many simple things that you can do to get past this hump, but they just seem to be digging the hole deeper and faster than we can keep up.

Brost says planting trees would be far more effective at addressing carbon issues. He says if Canadians swallow carbon B.S. instead of food, theyre going to pay dearly for it and theyre going to get hungry. He says farmers are trying to minimize their inputs already.

Theyre trying to grow as much crop as they canbecause land prices are insaneas cheaply as they can, with a maximum amount of production. And that maximum amount of production takes a maximum amount of carbon out of the air because plants need carbon to grow, he said.

This carbon thing is the greatest kick-start for a domino effect, he adds, referring to the pressure the tax is putting on farmers.

If [Trudeau] goes after the farmers and hits them hard with high carbon taxes and stuff, theyll just walk away. A lot of these guys are only running on such a tight wire that theyre only two bad crops away from bankruptcy at any given moment. And theyve already had two bad ones.
Sid Wolf (C) and his wife, Lindsey (L), pose for a picture with their two daughters. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

Former Andrew Cuomo Staffer Killed After Being Kicked out Lyft Ride on Highway

A Maryland man who used to work for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was killed by a passing car after being ordered out of a Lyft ride on a Delaware highway, according to authorities.

Sidney Wolf, 43, of Clarksburg died on July 24 during a fatal pedestrian crash that happened in Dewey Beach, Delaware State Police said in a news release.

[Wolf] and five of his friends hired a Lyft driver to pick them up in Dewey Beach and transport them back to their residence in Bethany Beach, police said.

As the group was traveling southbound on Coastal Highway all in the same vehicle, a disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft operator, they continued. The Lyft operator terminated the ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound left lane and demanded all six passengers exit the vehicle.

As the group exited the ride, a driver of a 2016 Toyota Corolla behind the Lyft changed lanes to avoid hitting the rear of the stopped SUV, hitting Wolf in the process.

Sidney Wolf was struck on Coastal Highway Route 1. (Courtesy of Delaware State Police)

The driver of the Corolla failed to see Wolf, who had just gotten out of the rear passenger side and was standing in the roadway.

As a result, the left front of [the] Corolla struck the pedestrian, police said. After impact, the Corolla immediately pulled over on the southbound shoulder and came to a controlled stop. The Lyft vehicle fled southbound on Coastal Highway immediately after the crash.

The five other passengers traveling with Wolf were not injured after exiting the Lyft vehicle.

Cuomo said on Twitter he was shocked [and] saddened after learning about the tragic news of his former senior policy advisers death.

Shocked & saddened to hear this tragic news. Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NYers My heart goes out to Lindsey & his two young daughters Gov Cuomo staffer killed after being ordered out of Lyft https://t.co/ODiGaWRez3  Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) July 26, 2022

Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NYers, Cuomo wrote. My heart goes out to Lindsey [and] his two young daughters.

Wolfs loved ones started a GoFundMe fundraiser for his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters. As of Wednesday morning, donations had exceeded $60,000.

Sid always had a smile on his face and was a great husband, father, friend, and neighbor to so many of us, the pages organizers wrote.

While neighbors organized this campaign, all funds are intended to and will go directly to Lindseys account, it added.

From NTD News
Former CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo Announces New Job at Rival Network

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is joining a rival network called NewsNation, he and the company announced on July 26.

Cuomo, who was fired by CNN in December 2021, will get his own prime-time show.

NewsNation has earned high-praise from multiple media watchdog groups by remaining true to its mission to bring viewers the fact-based news that impacts their lives without opinion or bias, Sean Compton, Nexstar Media Inc.s president of networks, said in a statement. Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows.

Cuomo said that he will be covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus.

Nexstar owns a number of media properties, including NewsNation and The Hill.

NewsNation is a rebrand of WGN America. The rebrand took place in 2021.

Terminated After Scandal

Cuomo was fired after an investigation ordered by New Yorks attorney general uncovered how he helped his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to sexual misconduct claims.

Before the probe, Cuomo claimed he had not contacted colleagues in the media world about the allegations. But the investigation showed he tapped sources, including some inside rival outlets, to try to figure out whether more women were coming forward against his brother.

It also found that Cuomo repeatedly messaged with members of his brothers team as they tried to determine how to respond to the allegations.

Rebecca Aguilar, the president of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), told The Epoch Times in an email at the time that Cuomos actions were not ethical and went against the SPJs Code of Ethics.

It is unethical for a journalist to use their position, contacts, and influence to help a family member or friend involved in an investigation by law enforcement, she said.

A lawyer later said that Cuomos termination also stemmed from an allegation of sexual misconduct, which Cuomo has denied.

CNN head Jeff Zucker, who Cuomo said knew about his involvement in defending his brother, resigned earlier this year, as did Zuckers paramour Allison Gollust.

Reflects on Actions

During an appearance on NewsNation on Tuesday nighthis first interview since being firedCuomo said he took the actions he did because he was concerned about his sibling.

In the moment of it, I was so worried about my brother, and what this would mean for my family, how it reflects on my father, and his legacy, that I didnt really see what was coming my way, Cuomo said.

It has been very difficult and it made me rethink things that I havent really touched in yearsyears and yearsabout myself, about why Im here, about what Im supposed to be doing and not doing. Im telling you. You keep using the word heavy, but its heavy. Its heavy, and its not something I would want people to go through. But you got to take what life brings out you. Thats what Im doing, he added later.

Cuomo said he did not regret interviewing his brother on his CNN show, a move that drew criticism from across the media spectrum. He also doubled down on the false claim that he did not contact the press about his brothers situation.

I never contacted any media who were covering my brother to try to affect their coverage. I talk to people in the media all the time, but most of the people in my life he said, before host Dan Abrams noted thats not what he claimed.

I think the distinction has a meaningful difference. The concern would be not that I called you and said, what do you thinks going on here? Its me calling you and saying, Hey, tonight, were going to segment I hope you remember different that is different. Thats what I meant. And thats what matters, Cuomo said. The idea that I never spoke to anybody in the media about my brother. Its an impossibility. Most of my friends are in the media, he also said.
Former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath speaks during an Ontario election campaign event at a park in Ottawa, on May 31, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Former Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath Announces Bid for Hamilton Mayor

Andrea Horwath, who helmed Ontarios NDP for more than a decade before stepping down last month, announced a plan Tuesday to run for mayor in her hometown of Hamilton.

Horwath said she thought long and hard about her decision and will be leaving her provincial seat to run in the October municipal election.

I really do believe that our city has its best days ahead of us  and that I have not only the experience, but the record of hard work and collaboration, things that Hamiltonians expect of each other, she said at a news conference Tuesday.

I look forward to using everything that Ive learned to help us realize the great potential that our city has.

Horwath stepped down as NDP leader after 13 years following the June provincial election that saw her party return to official opposition status for a second straight term in the legislature.

Since then, she had hinted she may be considering a bid to run for the mayors seat in her city, where she was re-elected as the MPP for Hamilton Centre. Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger has said he will not seek re-election in the fall after three terms in office.

Horwath grew up in the Stoney Creek community in Hamilton, the daughter of an autoworker, and graduated from McMaster University with a degree in labour studies.

Her first job after graduating was at a workers education centre in Hamilton, established to help people with literacy and numeracy. From there, she went on to work at a co-op housing company before entering politics.

Horwath was elected to Hamilton city council in 1997 and served three terms, before being elected to the Ontario legislature in a byelection in 2004. She served as leader of the Ontario NDP from 2009 until this June, after her fourth go at becoming premier of Ontario was unsuccessful.

Horwath said she looks forward to continuing to represent Hamiltonians and using her experience, networks and connections to serve the city.

Ive worked for the people of Hamilton for literally my entire life, and done so with passion and with pride, she said.

People know what theyre getting because Ive been doing this work for a while, loving every minute of it, and Im looking forward, hopefully, to have the chance to do that as mayor of Hamilton.

Premier Doug Ford praised Horwaths dedication to public service.

As I said the day after the election, let there be no doubt that Andrea wakes up every day ready to fight for what she believes in. I want to thank her for her years of public service, both as the leader of the opposition and as MPP for Hamilton Centre, he wrote in a statement.

When asked Tuesday about Fords proposed strong mayor system, which would give mayors in cities like Toronto and Ottawa greater powers, Horwath said she would like to see how that system would be rolled out.

If the premier decides to extend the system to other municipalities in Ontario, Horwath said she promises to collaborate with the provincial government.

What I can guarantee you, again, if Im given the honour to serve as mayor of our city, is that I will always continue to collaborate, she said.

Ontarios municipal elections are set to be held on Oct. 24.

By Noushin Ziafati
Some paintings encourage the viewer to ask questions about a mysterious subject that may draw the viewer even further into the mystery. An oil painting by Spanish painter Juan Andres Ricci (16001681), also known as Fray Juan Ricci, does this.

The Messenger (circa 1640) depicts a handsome young man, hat in hand, delivering a letter to an unknown recipient. The techniques used give the painting an air of mystery. The meaning of Riccis work, along with its unusual technique, are enigmatic and draw us in, making us feel a variety of emotions.

The Messenger, circa 1640, by Fray Juan Ricci. Oil on canvas, 69.1 inches by 38.2 inches. Santander Bank Collection. (Courtesy of Santander Bank Collection)

Light and Dark

The Messenger clearly uses the technique of tenebrism, which draws attention to the subject. The face, hands, and hat of the messenger are the first things seen in the composition. In the foreground, the figure is bathed in light while the background is covered in darkness.

Detail of The Messenger, circa 1640, by Fray Juan Ricci. Oil on canvas, 69.1 inches by 38.2 inches. Santander Bank Collection. (Courtesy of Santander Bank Collection)

Tenebrism, from the Italian tenebroso which means gloomy or dark, is a 17th-century Italian and Spanish dramatic pictorial style. The technique greatly impacted the Baroque painting style and spread throughout 17th-century Europe. Spanish artists particularly appreciated and used this it, as is the case with Ricci and his work.

The dark background of this composition seems to heighten the mysteries: what the message is, who the other figure is, and why he is delivering this message. The dark tonal background quite literally leaves the viewer in the dark.

While the meaning of this work remains a mystery, this painting shows how the technique of tenebrism works, which is the stark contrast of light and dark in proximity. Light bathes the messengers face and hands against a dark background.

Tenebrism uses the contrasting effects of light and shade to heighten the dramatic effect and the three-dimensional aspect of the character. It creates a spotlight effect on a single subject with the use of both light and dark tones.

This compositional approach also inspired the later candlelight tradition, where all light on a canvas emanates from a single candle. Pioneers of this style include Dutch painter Rembrandt and French painter Georges de la Tour.

Some art historians discuss tenebrism along with a similar technique known as chiaroscuro, which combines light and shadow to define three-dimensional subjects. Italian painter Caravaggio introduced and pioneered this technique.

Artistic Influences

The Messenger shows the influence of the great artists of the age: Velazquez and Rubens. The attitude of the messenger is respectful, as he bows and holds his hat. His dynamically inclined posture was most likely inspired by Velazquezs painting The Surrender of Breda, where the same posture can be found in a central figure.

Matias Diaz Padron, a renowned art historian specializing in 17th-century art, pointed out that the figure of the messenger was often used in other compositions outside of Spain, such as in Rubenss Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria at the Battle of Nordlingen (163435).

Ricci himself used the messenger figure in other paintings, such as Saint Benedict Blessing the Bread (circa 1655) commissioned by the Monastery of San Juan Bautista in Burgos, Spain. The painting depicts one of St. Benedicts miracles. In the corner of that painting, there is a messenger figure in the same posture, holding his hat.

This painting in turn influenced other painters of his time, such as Juan Carreno de Miranda, in his painting The Buffoon Francisco de Bazan (circa 1680), with a figure in a similar posture and angle.

The Buffoon Francisco de Bazan, circa 1680, by Juan Carreno de Miranda. Oil on canvas The Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain. (Public Domain)

Mysterious Method

In the Messenger, Ricci uses directed light and short brushstrokes, which sets him apart from other painters of his time. His technique is discussed to this day, as his paintings were often left unfinished and only had a very thin coat of paint, which greatly affected the conservation of his work. In fact, X-ray analysis showed that this specific painting was probably part of a larger work.

Padron studied the original painting of The Messenger while writing about Ricci, and he noticed cuts, grafts, and repainting on the canvas. He theorized that there could have been a fragment of the painting missing, possibly depicting a sideboard or a table, as well as another figure.

However, as X-rays later showed, his theory proved inaccurate. Further analysis showed four horses next to a man with a chariot under the figures seen. This could be a representation of the triumph of Hercules, when Hercules, stripped of his powers by Zeus, has to fight 10 bronze warriors and a sorceress.

This led researchers to conclude that the canvas was reused, which was very common among artists at the time. Further evidence of reuse comes from stitches on surface of the painting, which can be observed when the canvas is lit from the side. The artist most likely stitched several pieces of canvas together to make the painting we see.

It is surmised that The Messenger could have been part of a larger, more ambitious composition, but this is hard to decipher because of conservational difficulties due to Riccis unique technique.

Italian Painters in Spain

Juan Andres Ricci (16001681) was born in Madrid, Spain. His artistic education began with his father, Italian painter Antonio Ricci of Ancona, who came to Spain with his friend, artist Federico Zuccaro. Zuccaro, Antonio Ricci, and other Italian painters came to Spain to help with the decorative work of the historical residence of the king of Spain at the time, El Escorial.

Antonio Ricci decided to stay after others went back to Italy. In Madrid, he opened a workshop that produced and copied portraits. At his fathers studio, Ricci saw important painters of the Castilian court of Spain who visited his fathers workshop, among them, possibly, was Velazquez.

After the young Ricci took vows as a Benedictine monk in 1628, he still followed in his fathers footsteps as an artist. He received important church commissions from the monasteries of San Juan de Burgos, Medina del Campo, San Millan de la Cogolla, Silos, and San Pedro de Cardena. He also worked as a writer and architect. In 1662 Ricci left for Italy and died there.

The painting, temporarily exhibited in the first part of 2022 at the MNAA, the National Antique Art Museum in Lisbon, Portugal, is part of the Santander Bank Collection.
A logo of Google at its exhibition space, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 15, 2022. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

Google Search Ads Exceed Revenue Expectations Despite Low Expectations

Googles second-quarter revenue from its search advertisements beat expectations, enabling parent company Alphabet to report revenues in line with market forecasts.

Alphabets second-quarter 2022 revenue from Google Search & Other came in at $40.69 billion, up 13.53 percent from second-quarter 2021 revenue of $35.84 billion. It also beat financial data firm FactSets estimates of $40.15 billion. Revenue from YouTube ads rose, from $7 billion to $7.34 billion, while revenue from Google Network increased, from $7.60 billion to $8.26 billion during this period, according to second-quarter results published on July 26.

Alphabets overall revenue from Google advertising rose, from $50.44 to $56.29 billion, an increase of 11.6 percent.

Of the $69.69 billion in total revenue reported by Alphabet, 81 percent came from Googles ad business. This was also in line with market expectations of $69.88 billion, according to data by Refinitiv.

Despite the underwhelming quarter, expectations were so low that investors blew a sigh of relief, said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com, in a Reuters article.

Alphabet executives had warned that Google was not immune to the economic pullback. However, Google search ads are said to be better positioned to weather the uncertain market because they tend to be less expensive for ad buyers.

In addition, search ads are directed at people searching for a specific term, producing better results and adding to the incentive to publish ads via Google search. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai attributed the companys second-quarter performance to be driven by Search and Cloud.

The investments weve made over the years in AI [artificial intelligence] and computing are helping to make our services particularly valuable for consumers, and highly effective for businesses of all sizes. As we sharpen our focus, well continue to invest responsibly in deep computer science for the long-term, Pichai said.

Online Ad Sector

The Google Search ad results came following a spate of dismal performance by other tech companies offering online advertising.

Snap Inc., the developer of Snapchat, for example, reported only a 13 percent increase in revenue for the second quarter, the slowest growth rate in the companys history. Net loss was reported at $422.1 million, a massive jump from the $151.7 million net loss reported a year back.

In a call with analysts, Jeremi Gorman, Snaps chief business officer, said that digital ad spending is definitely easier to turn off. In an economic slowdown, digital companies tend to be the first to suffer negative effects because customers can easily switch off spending. Other ad channels like TV commercials are much harder to scale down or cancel immediately.

So, as companies are reevaluating their priorities and their cost structure, they are looking at things like digital ad spend, Gorman said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Twitters second-quarter revenue declined by 1 percent year over year. The company blamed advertising industry headwinds associated with the macroenvironment as one of the reasons for the poor performance.
Gao Fu, director of the China Centers for Disease Control, speaks during a State Council Information Office press conference in Beijing, China on Jan. 26, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Head of Chinas CDC Replaced Due to His Age

Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appointed Shen Hongbing as its new head, replacing George Gao Fu, according to an announcement made Tuesday.

Gao, 60, will no longer serve as director of the CDC due to his age, stated the announcement published on the CDC website.

Public information shows that Gao was born in November 1961 and that Shen, his successor, was born in May 1964. Gao was appointed director of the CDC in Aug. 2017.

Shen is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a former president of Nanjing Medical University.

Official retirement rules stipulate that male government officials can retire when reaching 60 years of age. But there are many cases of Chinese officials aged 60 who either stay in their positions or are transferred or promoted to positions in other departments.

Retrospective Analysis

Earlier this year, Gao stirred up online outcries with an essay Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia, that he co-authored with other scientists that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

[T]here is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since the middle of December 2019, the article published Jan. 29 stated in its conclusions.

This statement created a public outcry in China with netizens blasting the CDC and Gao for earlier hiding human-to-human transmission evidence from the public.

Gao responded saying the essay was a retrospective analysis, according to Yicai, a state-owned Chinese financial news portal based in Shanghai.

Vaccine Shortcomings

Earlier, Gao said at the 2021 National Vaccine and Health Conference held in Chengdu, Sichuan, that Chinas current vaccines had shortcomings with low protection efficacy.

He said China should focus on ribonucleic acid technology for mRNA vaccines used by some Western countries, Radio Free Asia reported on Apr. 11, 2021.

Sinovac Biotech vaccines are displayed at a press conference during a media tour of a new factory built to produce COVID-19 vaccines, in Beijing on Sept. 24, 2020. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Gao denied what was reported following online criticism, claiming that his comments had been completely misunderstood.

He said he was referring to efforts to improve the efficacy of vaccines worldwide, which was an issue that needs to be considered by scientists around the world, according to the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times a day after the meeting.

Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech

The level of antibodies produced is one of the primary indicators of a vaccines efficacy. Currently, the two most used vaccines in China are Sinopharms BBIBP-CorV vaccine and Sinovac Biotechs CoronaVac vaccine. The Epoch Times published an article in July, on how recent medical studies showed that COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in China by Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech lack the ability to cause the production of sufficient neutralizing antibodies to combat the rapid spread of Omicron variants of the virus.

Li Jing contributed to the article.
Despite experiencing the bitter fruits of racism, he never gave up on Americaor its Constitution

When individuals soar above their circumstances, they catch our attention. When they hold firm to timeless principles despite challenges and temptations, they inspire. When they speak the truth, do their duty, and adhere to high standards of character, they are models we should seek to emulate.

One such man was Henry Ossian Flipper (18561940). In so many ways, his story defies todays conventional wisdom, just as it did in the decades he lived it.

If this man were as praiseworthy as I suggest, you might well assume he was blessed with a head start by being born rich and privileged. Youd be sorely mistaken.

From Slavery to West Point

Flipper was born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, five years before the start of the Civil War. His parents, Festus and Isabelle, were owned by a slave dealer named Ephraim G. Ponder. Festus made shoes and, after the war, opened a small shoe business in Atlanta. Isabelle trimmed carriages, which means she installed and repaired the interior of carriages.

The Flipper family, both during slavery and afterward, never were rich in material things. They were, however, wealthy in what counts for so much more: They were a loving family that nourished excellence in every endeavor.

Flippers parents taught him and his four younger brothers to lift themselves up and never let anybody else get them down. This emphasis on hard work and character from an early age worked in every case. One brother became a successful farmer; another, a college president and bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church; another, a college professor; and the fourth, a physician. To the Flipper family, what we call the American Dream was as real and personal as it gets.

Flipper, you might suppose, must have been lucky enough to never stare down a major, life-altering test. Wrong. His dream was to become an officer in the U.S. Army. He achieved it, only to face racial discrimination along the way and, ultimately, an unjust court-martial that prematurely ended a promising military career. He proved that it isnt as much the problems you face in life that decide your fate, but how you choose to deal with them.

What did this man of sterling character do to prompt a court-martial by the Army? In 1881, he was falsely accused of embezzling funds while a quartermaster at Fort Davis, Texas. He was acquitted of that offense but found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and dismissed. Nearly a hundred years later, in 1976, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records overturned the second, racially motivated charge, and, in 1999, Flipper was granted a posthumous presidential pardon.

One can easily imagine Flipper turning against the country that enslaved his parents and subjected him to a humiliation he was never able to officially erase during his lifetime. If you assume that he became resentful, bitter, and anti-American, youd be wrong again.

Flipper loved America. He was a first-rate scholar of history. He knew America didnt invent slavery. He understood that while some Americans enslaved his parents, other Americans helped free them. Onea white Georgia Republican congressman named J.C. Freemanjudged Flipper on his character and abilities and secured his appointment to West Point. Flipper became, in fact, one of Americas most articulate defenders and a staunch proponent of the Constitution.

Before sharing with readers a few things Flipper had to say about this country and that document, consider these remarkable achievements of this American:

He was the first black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, earning a commission as a cavalry second lieutenant at the age of 21 in June 1877.

His memoirs are the only authenticated personal narrative of military and civilian life on the frontier written by an African American, in the words of biographer Theodore D. Harris.

As the U.S. Armys first and only black commissioned officer, he served admirably as a leader of the so-called Buffalo Soldiers in the American Southwest.

He put his extraordinary engineering skills to good use while stationed in Texas and Oklahoma. At Fort Sill, theres a National Historic Landmark (Flippers Ditch) that you can visit today. It commemorates his ingenious solution to a vexing malaria problem on the forts grounds.

During the 10-year Mexican Revolution (19101920), he supplied vital intelligence on Mexico to the U.S. Senate and was later named an assistant to the U.S. secretary of the interior.

Once, while in Mexico, Flipper was thrown into a filthy jail for reasons he discovered later when a friendly Mexican governor ordered his release. He had mentioned in a letter to a friend that a local priest was engaged in repeated sexual behavior with his own daughter. The charge was true and made its way into a newspaper, whereupon the priest arranged to have Flipper arrested. Flipper writes about it later and adds:

There was a wealthy man in Mexico City that married his sister. He got a dispensation from the Pope and paid $40,000 for it. Dont you show this to any newspaper man. It might get me in jail again.

Flippers adventures before and after his undeserved court-martial are worth reading aboutboth in his own words and in the writings of others. For more information about them, see the suggested list below this essay.

In the last decade or so of his long life, Flipper authored numerous articles and letters. Biographer Harris notes that they provide a record of Flippers belief in a strict constructionist view of the Constitution, especially those provisions that framed our federal system of states rights, individual liberties, and separation of powers. Harris writes:

On these issues, he was, paradoxically, an African American Jeffersonian. In letters from 1936 to 1940, he expressed a strong mistrust of the Democratic Party and an outspoken opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the policies of the New Deal. Many of Flippers views presaged the ideas expressed today by such prominent black conservatives as Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams.

Without a doubt, Thomas, Sowell, and the late Williams would cheer these words from Flippers pen in 1936:

No civilized people is so ignorant of their Constitution and functioning of their government as the American people, and this ignorance runs all the way from the college graduate to the most illiterate clodhopper. In our schools  we are taught everything except the language we imagine we speak and the Constitution of our country.

Flipper lamented Americas statist drift in the 1930s under FDR. He saw black Americas embrace of the Democratic Party as a betrayal of the Republicans, who had ended slavery. He rightly observed that by supporting Roosevelt and Northern Democrats, blacks were empowering the very Southern Democrats who had imposed Jim Crow segregation. He was particularly disgusted when FDR appointed a former Ku Klux Klan member to the U.S. Supreme Court. FDR also personally snubbed Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens by inviting only white athletes to the White House, a fact that rankled a lot of black citizens, not just those of Flippers political persuasions. Of Americas 32nd president, Flipper writes,

Roosevelt has led the people, the unthinking element, to believe the federal government would take care of them under all circumstances, guarantee them jobs or take care of them when no jobs were to be had, thus lowering their morale.

His perspective on the size and role of the federal government was perhaps best distilled in this passage from one of his letters:

You see, I believe in the States. They existed long before the Federal government, which they themselves made. We do not want a strong central government in this country. History has shown the numberless evils of such government.

Flipper died in Atlanta in 1940 at the age of 84. Just as he never gave up on America and the ideals which prompted its birth, we today shouldnt give up on learning about black Americans such as him. Through character, he rose above adversity. He saw enormous potential for America and the millions of good people in it, irrespective of color.

And he wasnt afraid to think for himself and to say so.

Additional Reading

Black Frontiersman: The Memoirs of Henry O. Flipper, edited by Theodore D. Harris

Henry Ossian Flipper: West Points First Black Graduate by Jane Eppinga

The Court-Martial of Lieutenant Henry Flipper by Charles M. Robinson III

The Colored Cadet at West Point: Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper

Henry Ossian Flipper (18561940) by Maceo Crenshaw Dailey

Barricades: The First African-American West Point Cadets and Their Constant Fight for Survival by Tom Carhart

This article was originally published on FEE.org
Dr. Ho and Dr. Cheng, specialists in traumatology, published a new book on trauma on July 16, 2022. At the book launch ceremony, they, together with Dr. Lee, discuss the 3-in-1 Hong Kong therapy and developments in traumatology. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times)

Hong Kong: New Traumatology Therapy Cures Fractures, Saving Lives

Hong Kong doctors share their life-saving findings in a new book discussing the development of traumatology treatments.

Dr. Lee Kin-yan and Dr. Mina Cheng, two specialists in general surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Hong Kong, have co-written a book that compiled years of their clinical experience. Their book entitled Current Practice and New Developments in Trauma was released on July 16, introducing the concept of traumatology with an interesting and simplified approach.

Development of Traumatology in Accident and Emergency (A&E)

Dr. Ho Hiu-fai, a consultant in the Department of A&E at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, has been practicing medicine for 36 years. He has dealt with many large-scale disasters and witnessed traumatology development in the A&E of Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Not long after Dr. Ho completed his surgical training, the head of the Department of A&E wanted to develop traumatology for the hospital, so Ho joined the A&E team in 1994. He also focused on improving the services of A&E Departments in other public hospitals.

Im 1995, Dr. Ho began treating traumatology in the Department of A&E of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He also formed a severe pelvic trauma medical team with the Department of Orthopedics, Department of Anesthesiology, and Department of Operating Room.

Dr. Ho also pointed out that 10 percent of the trauma cases admitted to public hospitals in Hong Kong are stabbing wounds; the rest are blunt trauma caused mainly through collisions.

Three-in-one Treatment

Dr. Mina Cheng, a specialist in general surgery who won the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection of Hong Kong in 2019, recalled her encounter with a victim of an industrial accident. She said the victim was pressed against the wall by a two-ton weight. Not only did he suffer from a pelvic fracture, but his blood vessels also ruptured, giving him little chance of survival.

The team of doctors decided to perform the three-in-one pelvic fracture treatment. It is an operation performed within the critical hour by orthopedics, surgeons, and radiotherapists to stop the bleeding promptly.

After the operation, although the patient seemed to have improved, his blood pressure dropped significantly. The doctors decided to use laparoscopy to check if there was any additional abdominal trauma. It was then discovered that the patients large intestine was damaged.

Fighting against the clock to repair, individual operations were performed to address the damage to the large intestine, blood vessel ruptures, and fractures.

The operation eventually saved the patient, who made a full recovery and could walk on his own.

Dr. Cheng felt accomplished and had a sense of relief when she saw the patient back after surgery.

Dr. Cheng explained that the three-in-one pelvic fracture treatment is primarily used for injured patients with severe pelvic fractures.

Orthopedic surgeons begin by building a metal fixture frame outside the pelvis to stop bleeding.

Then they put gauze into the pelvis, pressing it against the artery to stop bleeding. Once that is done, surgeons will block bleeding by embolizing blood vessels and inserting a stent from the patients thigh. This three-in-one treatment has greatly reduced the mortality rate from 60 to 12.5 percent.

Not only does it bring higher survival rates for trauma victims, but the dynamic treatment also has won the QHE Traumatology Team international praises in the industry. QEHs innovative and life-changing treatment has been known as Hong Kongs Therapy within the global medical field.

Dr. Cheng also shared some first aid tips on stopping bleeding. She said the first thing to do is to help the patient to stay calm during an emergency and call the police for help when it is safe. Then use the correct techniques to cease any bleeding. She said sprained limbs and finger cuts are common daily life traumas. Therefore it is essential to know the basics of treating or handling wounds.

Surgery specialists discuss developments in traumatology on July 16, 2022. (Adrain Yu/The Epoch Times)

New Book: a Gift to the Next Generation

Dr. Lee Kin-yan, honorary clinical associate professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong and a general surgery specialist, mentioned that there are currently no reference books on trauma in Hong Kong or only a few in the Asian market.

Both doctors also found that many reference books were written by foreign doctors, with content either outdated or failed to respond to the growing development of traumatology.

Dr. Lee said that the new book Current Practice and New Developments in Trauma, edited by Dr. Cheng and himself, contains clinical experience and findings of top surgeons in Hong Kong and worldwide.

He wanted to compile these experiences and achievements into a book to offer the coming generation of Hong Kong doctors and nurses new insight into the concepts and to expand their knowledge in traumatology.
The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 14, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

House Democrats Propose Bill to Place Term Limits on Supreme Court Justices

House Democrats on July 26 introduced a proposal that would set term limits on U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The bills sponsor, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), chair of the chambers Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, claimed that the nations higher court faces a legitimacy crisis.

Five of the six conservative justices on the bench were appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote, and they are now racing to impose their out-of-touch agenda on the American people, who do not want it, he said in a statement.

Johnson is joined by Democratic co-sponsors Reps. Jerry Nadler of New York, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, and Karen Bass and Ro Khanna of California for the TERM [Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization] Act.

Stung by rulings this last year, which he didnt name, Nadler said he wanted term limits to shift the balance of power away from the high courts conservative majority, which he considers to be radical, unrestrained.

Among its decisions this year, the Supreme Court in May overturned Roe v. Wade, the seminal 1973 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. That ruling was cheered by conservatives but was met with anger by politicians on the left as well as protests and vandalism by activists.

Since 1869, the Supreme Court has been made up of nine justices appointed for lifetime terms. But this tradition has been increasingly challenged by some Democrats and left-leaning advocates.

There are currently six conservative justices: Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. There are also three left-leaning justices, including Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

In this handout provided by the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. (R) administers the Constitutional oath to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (L) in the West Conference Room of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 30, 2022. (Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)

Opposition

Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman, who was part of President Joe Bidens Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court in late June, previously said substantial reforms could be disastrous.

The question is whether under our current circumstances, weakening the court through substantial reformand I have in mind court-packing, and most forms of jurisdiction strippingwould enhance or undermine the institutional legitimacy of the court, which legitimacy enables it to fulfill these functions, he said.

In my view, those sorts of firms would be disastrous for the capacity of the Supreme Court to engage in these roles that it currently engages in.

Republicans criticized Biden for creating the commission, calling it an assault on our nations independent judiciary and yet another sign of the far lefts influence over the Biden administration.

The president spent most of his campaign playing coy on the issue, but has now admitted from the safety of a four-year term that he views the judiciary as out of whack, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement at the time.

This faux-academic study of a non-existent problem fits squarely within liberals years-long campaign to politicize the court, intimidate its members and subvert its independence.

Biden created the commission by executive order on April 9, 2021.

Pro-abortion protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v. Womens Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision in Washington, on June 24, 2022. (Jim Bourg/File Photo/Reuters)

Democrats

The bills co-sponsors described the legislation in terms of restoring balance [and]  the publics trust in the Supreme Court, which some of them described as radical, unrestrained, and backwards.

They made no mention of any support among conservatives for the Supreme Courts rulings on gun laws and abortionsissues that typically divide Americans on the left and right.

Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, expressed concern that the United States would be left with a majority of conservative Supreme Court justices for a generation or more.

Instead, under this bill, each President would be entitled to appoint two justices, he added, expressing a view that under the proposed legislation there would be an opportunity over time to undo the current makeup of the bench to reflect left-leaning public views.

Cicilline claimed the Supreme Court is losing the publics confidence, and said the legislation is a way to restore the Courts important role in our constitutional system.

This isnt the first attempt to take aim at the Supreme Court by Democrats, who earlier this month called for legislation to add four more seats to the bench to work around the conservative majority.

The Bill

Under the TERM Act (pdf), a new justice would take the bench every two years and spend 18 years in active service.

Staggering term limits with nine justices means there would be a vacancy every two years, allowing each president two appointees per term.

The justices who retain office would assume senior status. The new appointments would happen in the first and third years following a presidential election as the sole means of high court appointments.

Justices on the current bench would assume senior status in order of length of service as each new justice is appointed. Thomas, who is currently the longest-serving justice on the court with a tenure of 30 years, would be moved to semi-retirement first under the proposal.

The proposal would also preserve judicial independence by ensuring that Supreme Court justices who assume senior status remain fully compensated members of the federal judiciary for life, capable of exercising official duties on and off the bench for as long as they choose.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced a similar bill in the Senate.
Hunter Biden: Will He or Wont He Be Indicted Soon?

Commentary

Based on hundreds of news and investigative reports over the past several years, not to mention well-researched books like Peter Schweizers Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by Americas Progressive Elite, Hunter Bidenthe second son of Joe Bidenhas allegedly been waltzing on the dark side of the law for most of his adult life.

Speculation has long run rife about Hunters corrupt business dealings. It was illuminated in Joe Bidens incriminating video of a speech made in January 2018 to the Council on Foreign Relations. The speech highlighted the pressure he personally placed on then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to remove a Ukrainian prosecutor who may have been investigating corruption potentially linked to his son: I looked at them [the Ukrainians] and said: Im leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, youre not getting the money. Well, son of a [expletive]. [laughter] He got fired. However, the lid was really blown off Hunters various corrupt dealings by The New York Post, in October of 2020, when it broke an influence-peddling operation involving members of the Biden family.

Tucker Carlson picked up on the Posts laptop disclosure with an interview of Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Bidens former business partner/associate, on October 27, 2020. In that interview, Bobulinski claimed that he was personally vetted by Joe Biden in two separate meetings to run the Bidens China business operations, which involved a joint venture called Bohai Harvest RST (BHR) between Rosemont Seneca Partners (in which Hunter was a partner) and the Chinese investment firm Bohai Capital. And as reported here and here, Rosemont Seneca subsequently secured a $1 billion investment from the state-owned Bank of China, which was later expanded to $1.5 billion.

A Two-Tiered Justice System

With the continuing drip, drip, drip of disclosures and media reports since then, the list of Hunter Bidens alleged crimes has grown to be rather long, and perhaps the chickens are finally coming home to roost, as a number of recent news stories (see CNN report here) suggest that a grand jury will return indictments against him soon. He could be potentially indicted for any number of crimes, as this July 23 article by legal scholar Jonathan Turley for The Hill suggests: lying on a federal form to hide drug use in order to obtain a gun, tax evasion, influence-peddling, money-laundering, and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). However, Turley does not mention the more sensational possible charges, given Hunters videos and emails from that laptop that show potential evidence of illegal drug use, child pornography, and links to prostitution and/or human trafficking rings.

It is not a stretch of the imagination to discern that there appears to be a two-tiered justice system at play here. Any regular American with similar evidence that has been compiled, on the public record, through news reports would have been charged, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced long ago. Imagine the feeding frenzy if Donald Trump, Jr., had been involved in any similar activities!

Hunter Biden walks to Marine One on the Ellipse outside the White House in Washington on May 22, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

In Hunter Bidens case, it is quite obvious that his familial connections to a top U.S. politicianand now sitting presidenthave long shielded him from prosecution. FARA prosecutions have become politically motivated and rare. Money laundering has become an art form for which very few in the political class are prosecuted. And influence-peddling has been virtually legalized over time by the Supreme Court, as noted here, to the point that anti-corruption laws have opened the doors for the behavior of the Bidens and other members of the U.S. political class.

There are lots of loopholes and workarounds to avoid federal rules and regulations, too. Take, for example, those associated with monitoring and reporting financial transactions for potential illegality. And while Turley alluded to money laundering in his article above, he did not go into details. Let us examine the issue further.

Avoiding Unwanted Scrutiny

The Treasury Department operates the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), whose mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use, combat money laundering and its related crimes including terrorism, and promote national security through the strategic use of financial authorities and the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence. The FinCEN enforces the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which was originally passed to prevent financial institutions from being used as tools by criminals to hide or launder their ill-gotten gains.

The FinCEN uses two tools to track large and/or suspicious financial transactions: the Currency Transaction Report (CTR), and the Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). CTRs are standard reports by banks and other financial institutions that are filed for all transactions over $10,000. SARs are filed when banks and other financial institutions have a reason to suspect suspicious activity associated with a given account. Receipt of a SAR initiates an investigation by the FinCEN, with the goal of identifying bank customers who are involved in money laundering, fraud, or terrorist funding.

Automatic CTRs can of course be avoided by limiting ones transactions to under $10,000. And unscrupulous overseas banks can be found that look the other way and do not send SARs to the Treasury Department, in order to profit from similarly unscrupulous account holders. Then there are the overseas tax havens that provide legal cover for sheltering large sums of money. In 2016, a window into that world was provided by the so-called Panama Papers, that is, the 11.5 million leaked encrypted confidential documents that exposed around 214,000 tax havens, involving people from nearly 200 different countries, including the United States.

In summary, money-laundering through overseas banks to overseas tax havens is a standard way that influence-peddlers and criminals hide money from the IRS. And simply under-reporting financial transactions below the threshold reporting requirement of $10,000 can be a way to avoid unwanted scrutiny by the FinCEN.

Hunters Suspicious Transactions

When Hunter Biden was on retainer as a member of Ukrainian gas conglomerate Burisma Holdings board of directors, an April 2014 bank transaction was recorded (pdf) between Privat Bank (Ukraine/Burisma) and Morgan-Stanley, an investment bank focusing on capital investments and wealth management that handled Rosemont Seneca (Hunter Bidens company). The Morgan Stanley statement highlights his monthly $83,333 retainer fee from Burisma Holdings. Also in April, a bank transaction record shows over $3,000,000 received by Morgan Stanley on behalf of Rosemont Seneca from Germanys Deutsche Bank. Could that large sum have been part of a $3.5 million payment [to Hunter Biden in February 2014] from the wealthy wife of Moscows former mayor, as reported by Newsweek in September of 2020?

Hunter Biden has also been linked to financial transactions with Ukrainian, Russian, Kazakh, and Chinese nationals, as previously reported here by the Daily Caller. Are there other SARs and financial transactions associated with Rosemont Seneca and other Biden family enterprises that are being examined by the FinCEN as part of that grand jury investigation?

It would be instructive to see the complete set of financial transactions associated with Rosemont Seneca, as well as all monies received by Hunter Biden from foreign sources over the last dozen or so years. Perhaps the complexity of reviewing these records is why the grand jury process has taken so long to determine whether probable cause exists to indict Hunter.

Concluding Thoughts

Hunter Biden is a poster child for influence-peddling and skirting accountability for corrupt actions under the law. Email, video, and photographic records from his laptop that have leaked into the public domain incriminate him in a wide range of potential criminal activities. That he has not been prosecuted for anything at this point is itself an indictment on our criminal justice system.

The latest is that the grand jury investigating Biden has been disbanded, according to a Fox News report on July 21. Reports that an indictment is imminent over Burisma, Rosemont Seneca, videos of him smoking crack cocaine, child pornography files on his laptop, a falsely filed gun background check, and other evidence already in the public record, are apparently being dropped down the memory hole with no further action forthcoming.

It pays handsomely to be the offspring of a U.S. president.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The logo of Hyundai Motor Company is pictured at the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York, on April 13, 2022. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Hyundai to Pay $19.2 Million for Widespread Credit-Reporting Failures: US Regulator

A U.S. regulator has ordered a Hyundai Motor Company affiliate to pay $19.2 million for repeatedly giving credit-reporting agencies inaccurate information about its customers, including that they were delinquent on loans and leases.

Hyundai Capital America, which serves about 1.7 million drivers of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles, agreed on Tuesday to pay a $6 million civil fine and $13.2 million in restitution to current and former customers.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau called the case its largest against an auto servicer under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

According to the regulator, Hyundai provided inaccurate information more than 8.7 million times across 2.2 million accounts from January 2016 to March 2020, tarnishing customers credit reports and often resulting in lowered credit scores.

The CFPB said the errors resulted from systemic procedural shortfalls that the South Korean automaker knew about, sometimes through internal audits, but did not fix or took as long as eight years to fix sufficiently.

In a statement, Hyundai Capital America said it has launched an end-to-end review of its credit reporting, and was committed to giving customers timely, accurate, high-quality service, and care.

The Irvine, California-based affiliate has a $45 billion customer portfolio, the CFPB said.

By Jonathan Stempel
Roxanne Tahbaz holds a photograph of her father, Morad Tahbaz, outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London, on April 13, 2022. (Rob Pinney/Getty Images)

Iran Releases US-British-Iranian Conservationist on Furlough

A British-U.S.-Iranian environmentalist who has spent more than four years in an Iranian prison has been released on furlough with an electronic tag.

Morad Tahbaz, 66, has been released from the Evin prison and is at his familys home in the Iranian capital Tehran, Britains Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on July 27.

An FCDO spokesperson said: Morad is a tri-national and we continue to work closely with the United States to urge the Iranian authorities to permanently release him and allow his departure from Iran.

Spying Charges

Tahbaz is a prominent wildlife conservationist and board member of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation that seeks to protect endangered species.

He was arrested during a clampdown on environmental activists in January 2018. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with his colleagues on vague charges of spying for the United States and undermining Irans security. His wife has also been placed under a travel ban by the Iranian authorities.

Tahbaz was initially released on March 16 along with two other British Iranian national detainees43-year-old Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and 67-year-old Anoosheh Ashooriafter months of intensive diplomatic negotiations between London and Tehran.

On the same day, Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori were allowed to return to the UK, and the UK government announced it had authorised the payment of a 393.8 million ($515 million) historical debt to Iran in parallel with the release.

However, London-born Morad Tahbaz remained in Tehran. British ministers said his U.S. citizenship had complicated the matter as that is seen in Iranian eyes as also meaning that the [United States] are involved.

Cruel Games

Tahbazs daughter Roxanne said she is glad he can be with his wife and get the medical care he urgently requires.

But she said the UK governments work remains unfinished.

My father is a UK-born national and he and my mother should have been on the flight with Nazanin and Anoosheh four months ago, she wrote in a statement.

She urged Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to stand by her promise and ensure his unconditional release.

The call was echoed by Eilidh Macpherson from Amnesty International UK, who said the UK should be pressing hard for Morads full, unconditional release and permission for him to leave Iran along with his wife Vida.

She said: Back in March when Morad was given a temporary release for just 48 hours, it was clear the Iranian authorities were once again playing cruel games with a British national for diplomatic gain.

It goes without saying that Morad should never have been jailed in the first place and it remains a matter of grave concern that British nationals continue to be held arbitrarily by the Iranian authorities like this.

Lily Zhou and PA Media contributed to this report.
Jan. 6 Prisoner Simone Gold Claims She Rejected Romantic Date From Judge, Alleges Bias

A prominent critic of COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Simone Gold, is claiming personal bias from the judge who sentenced her to 60 days in federal prison for entering the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

Gold personally knew Christopher Cooperthe judge presiding over her caseand says that she had previously declined a date with him while they were studying in law school, alleging that it could have been a reason for personal bias in the case.

The fact that I went to law school with this person and the fact that he didnt recuse himself and then [what] he revealed during sentencing  I felt was such incredible bias, Gold told The Epoch Times.

She also thinks that the judge was furious at her and her organization, Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) for raising money and thought it was very strange that he read her support letters.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper. (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

Gold and Cooper were both at Stanford Law School, class of 93.

We all knew each other. And we were in the same class. Gold said, adding that she knew him by his nickname Casey.

She went on saying they had regular pleasantries but a couple of times she remembers they spent a bit more time together.

One of those times I distinctly remember we took a long walk. It was maybe two hours.

And it was pleasant and it was nice. And I learned he went to Yale undergraduate. He struck me as very ambitious. And I think his family was somewhere from the south.

I thought he was cute. I could tell he thought I was cute, Gold said.

Gold then said that about two weeks after, they ran into each other at school and talked for about 10 minutes, adding that Cooper asked her on a real date and she declined.

And then he asked me on a real date, she said. And I declined, because I just didnt see any future for him and me, but I remember him fondly like, I didnt remember much at all, but to the extent I remembered him, it was perfectly pleasant.

Jan. 6 Involvement

Gold surrendered herself to the federal detention center in Miami at 2 p.m. on July 26.

Gold was initially charged with entering a restricted building or grounds, violent entry, and disorderly conduct, and arrested on Jan. 18, 2021. She spent two days in custody. On March 3, 2022, she pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of illegally entering the restricted building. Gold was sentenced on June 16 to serve 60 days in jail, one year of supervised release, pay a $9,500 fine, and $500 restitution.

While inside the building, Gold delivered a speech through a megaphone to a crowd gathered in Statuary Hall, where she stated her opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government-imposed lockdowns.

Members of the Oath Keepers are seen during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jim Bourg/Reuters)

Sentencing Hearing

During her June 16 sentencing hearing (pdf) Cooper told Gold that even though she had pled guilty, he doesnt think she had truly accepted responsibility.

Your organization has used your notoriety to raise money and garner support for you in connection with this sentencing and for its general operations by mischaracterizing what this proceeding is all about, Cooper said.

And its done so by telling your supporters that, quote, this is a political persecution of a law-abiding physician that is designed to threaten and intimidate any American who dares to exercise their First Amendment rights. And all of the letters that Ive read and emails have repeated that exact sentiment.

Gold says that her legal fees were completely paid out of her own pocket.

The fundraiser, which AFLDS set up ~January 2021 stated it was for my legal fees and any remaining funds would go to the lifesaving work of AFLDS, Gold said.

Despite raising the money I then took none of it. I paid the lawyers myself. The amount raised would have probably still been insufficient if I had gone to trialand that huge expense contributed to my decision to take a plea, Gold added.

Letters of Support

Cooper, during the sentencing hearing, then read parts of some letters showing support for Dr. Gold:

This is from a gentleman in California. Dr. Gold did nothing wrong that day except read her speech in regard to safe and effective treatments. Shes being suppressed and censored.'

She has a right to speak. Americans have a right to hear her. The J6 witch hunt is still raging.'

This is fromIm not sure where this supporter lives, but another supporter writes, She merely exercised her rights as a concerned citizen. Another, Dr. Gold did nothing wrong in expressing her medical opinions. Our Constitution proves and provides the right to free speech.'

She is only guilty of having compassion and humanity,' Cooper read.

Cooper then said: All of that may be true, all right, but thats not why were here, all right, and your organization is leading people to the misimpression that this is a political prosecution or is about free speech. It aint about free speech.

The judge said that Jan. 6 was not about the First Amendment and certainly not about COVID treatments or vaccinations.

You have obviously found many platforms from which to share your views about those topics, all right? And you are free to do so so long as you dont violate any laws. And I may have views about that message, but those views are absolutely totally irrelevant to this proceeding. The only reason youre here is where and when and how you chose to express your views, and I want to be very clear about that, Cooper said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, for comment.

Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.

Enrico Trigoso Reporter Follow Enrico Trigoso is an Epoch Times reporter focusing on the NYC area.
This illustration shows Tomohiro Kato (R), who killed seven people in a stabbing spree in Tokyo's neon-lit electronics district of Akihabara in 2008, sitting in the dock at the Tokyo District Court on March 24, 2011. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan Executes Man Convicted of Killing 7 People in 2008 Stabbing Rampage

Japan has executed a man convicted of killing seven people in a 2008 stabbing rampage, the Justice Ministry said on Tuesday, marking the countrys first execution since last December.

Tomohiro Kato, 39, plowed into pedestrians with a truck in a Tokyo commercial district on June 8, 2008, killing three people and wounding two. He later exited the truck and fatally stabbed four passersby and injured eight others.

Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said that Kato committed the crime in a cruel manner by killing seven people and injuring 10 others, demonstrating his strong intent to murder and careful preparation.

The death sentence was finalized after sufficient trial in this case. Based on the above facts, as the justice minister, I ordered the execution of the death penalty after careful consideration, Furukawa said in a statement.

A Callous Attack

Hideaki Nakagawa, director of Amnesty International of Japan, called the execution a callous attack on the right to life because it was conducted when Kato was pursuing a second retrial of his death sentence.

Carrying out an execution during a request for retrial clearly violates international safeguards set out to protect the rights of those facing the death penalty, Nakagawa said in a statement.

Nakagawa called on the Japanese government to implement a moratorium on executions and to commute all death sentences to jail terms.

2nd Execution Under Kishida

Katos execution was Japans first this year and the second under the leadership of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October 2021. Japan executed three men in December last year.

Yasutaka Fujishiro, 65, was executed for killing his 80-year-old aunt, two cousins, and four other relatives in 2004. Two other convictsTomoaki Takanezawa and Mitsunori Onogawawere executed for killing two victims at two pachinko gaming parlors in 2003.

In Japan, the death penalty is carried out by hanging.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Joe Rogan during UFC 274 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 7, 2022. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Joe Rogan Warns of TikTok Privacy Issues: It Ends With China Having All of Your Data

Podcast host Joe Rogan has warned TikTok users about the privacy and safety concerns posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform, saying that ultimately their data end up in the hands of the regime in Beijing.

Rogan said on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, that he had fallen down a TikTok rabbit hole reading the companys lengthy terms of service. This is so crazy.

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, and U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that American users data may be used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which could pose national security risks.

Listen to this, this is from TikToks privacy policy, Rogan said. It said, We collect certain information about the device you use to access the platform, such as your IP address, user region. This is really crazy.

User agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purpose, model of your device, the device system, network type, device IDs, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types.'

So all your apps and all your file names, all the things you have filed away on your phone, they have access to that, he said. File names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms.'

The download page for the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone in Washington, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

They Know Everything

So theyre monitoring your keystrokes, which means they know every [expletive] thing you type, Rogan said.

The host then reeled off a list of more user information that is collected by the short video app, including battery state, audio settings, and connected audio devices.

As stated on TikToks privacy policy, the video hosting service uses information including the device ID and user ID to identify user activity across multiple devices to give you a seamless log-in experience and for security purposes.

We may also associate you with information collected from devices other than those you use to log into the platform,' Rogan continued to read.

Meaning they can use other computers that youre not even using to log into TikTok, he said. They can suck the data off that. Thats what youre agreeing to when you download and start using TikTok.

When asked by his guest, podcaster and comedian Theo Von, if he believed TikTok had been created for the sole purpose of gaining such information on users, Rogan replied, 100 percent, adding that it ends with China having all of your data.

Rogans comments follow a new survey that indicates nearly 60 percent of Americans believe TikTok should be removed from app stores after revelations that nonpublic U.S. user data have been repeatedly accessed in China.

That poll was conducted by the Convention of States Action and Trafalgar Group, from July 7 to 10 among more than 1,000 likely 2022 election voters; the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

National Security Dangers

Officials have repeatedly warned of the potential dangers posed by TikTok, particularly in light of national security laws in China that compel local companies to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies when requested.

TikTok has repeatedly denied such allegations, stating that it stores U.S. user data on servers outside of China and doesnt and wont provide the CCP with access to that information.

However, the company appeared to backtrack on that statement following leaked recordings of internal company meetings obtained by BuzzFeed News that allegedly show that ByteDance was repeatedly able to access nonpublic data of U.S. users between September 2021 and January.

Employees outside the US, including China-based employees, can have access to TikTok US user data subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our US-based security team, the letter stated.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to BuzzFeed that the platform is among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint and that it aims to remove any doubt about the security of US user data.

The spokesperson added that TikTok continues to hire experts in their fields, continually work to validate our security standards, and bring in reputable, independent third parties to test our defenses.

Cathy He contributed to this report.
Acting Director of National Institutes of Health Lawrence Tabak testifies during a hearing before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of House Appropriations Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill May 11, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Judge Sides With NIH, Agrees to Redact Name of Chinese Researcher

A U.S. judge has sided with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and ordered the sealing of a Chinese scientists name, even though the name was made public by the NIH in 2020.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Anderson on July 22 ordered documents listing the name placed under seal, granting a motion by the NIH.

The documents had been released by the NIH to Empower Oversight, the plaintiff in the case.

Anderson said he found that the targeted and limited sealing was the least drastic alternative available and that First Amendment presumptions in favor of public access to records were outweighed for reasons set forth in the NIHs filings.

The NIH had said that it inadvertently failed to redact the names of the Chinese scientist and the NIH worker who corresponded with the scientist.

While the Freedom of Information Act requires agencies to disclose such information, the names were redacted elsewhere in filings under an exemption that covers the release of information that would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy, government lawyers conveying the NIHs position told the court.

Exemption 6 was applied here due to the heightened public scrutiny with anything remotely related to COVID-19. Consequently, all email addresses, direct telephone numbers, identities of the submitter and NIH database curators that the submitter dealt with, have been withheld, Gorka Garcia-Malene, an NIH official, said in a declaration to the court, adding that there is no public interest in the disclosure of this information.

Order Entered Too Soon

Empower Oversight responded in a motion on July 27, asserting that the judge entered his order too soon.

The order was issued before Empower Oversight timely filed its opposition to NIHs motion to seal, plaintiffs said in the filing.

The nonprofit noted that it had seven days to respond to the NIHs July 15 motion, but that Anderson entered the order before that period of time elapsed.

Opposition to the motion was filed on July 22. But Anderson did not consider the opposition because his order was entered five minutes earlier, according to the court docket.

Andersons chambers referred a request for comment to the clerks office for the U.S. courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. The clerks office said it would only respond to inquiries sent by mail.

Empower Oversight asked the judge to set aside the order and ultimately reject the governments motion.

No Compelling Government Interest

The Chinese scientist in question was identified as Kangpeng Xiao of South China Agricultural University in an exhibit that is now under seal. Xiao successfully lobbied the NIH to remove data his team submitted to the Sequence Read Archive, a database the agency manages.

The team had submitted sequencing data from a pangolin-derived coronavirus that researchers claimed was very similar to SARS-CoV-2. Also known as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19. The teams research, which was later corrected, was published in Nature.

Xiaos name has been public since 2020, when another nonprofit, U.S. Right to Know, published emails (pdf) showing his correspondence with the NIH. The messages were highlighted by Jesse Bloom, a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center researcher, in a preprint paper (pdf) he authored on the deleted data.

The emails and paper were released months before the NIH provided Xiaos name to Empower Oversight.

Thus, the information that NIH now seeks to seal was already public before it produced the relevant email to Empower Oversight, the nonprofit said in an opposition filing. Plaintiffs also said the Freedom of Information Act doesnt provide any heightened protections because of COVID-19 or any other matter.

The group argued that the NIH had failed to present a compelling governmental interest that supported sealing the name of Xiao and the NIH worker with whom Xiao corresponded.

Xiao could not be reached. His university did not respond to a request for comment.

Under Scrutiny

The NIH has been under scrutiny for its handling of requests from Xiao and other scientists, including one whose identity has not yet been confirmed.

That scientist asked in June 2020 for SARS-CoV-2 sequences to be pulled from the database, and the NIH complied.

The NIH has maintained that the data was still accessible, but only offline.

That was an error Dr. Lawrence Tabak, the agencys acting head, told lawmakers in May.

He said the data should have instead been suppressed, which would have kept it online but made it harder to find than normal sequences.
In this image taken from video, David Jakubonis (L) is subdued as he brandishes a sharp object during an attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) as the Republican candidate for New York governor delivers a speech in Perinton, N.Y., on July 21, 2022. (WHEC-TV via AP)

Liberal Media Sunday Shows Paid No Heed to Attack on Rep. Zeldin

The July 21 attack against Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) failed to catch the attention of liberal Sunday morning shows, Fox News reported.

The suspect, David Jakubonis, 43, reportedly swung the object described as a keychain with two sharp points, at the neck of the Republican nominee for governor when he was giving a speech during a campaign stop at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Fairport, New York, near Rochester.

Jakubonis was knocked to the ground and taken into custody right afterward. Zeldin wasnt injured.

The assailant was released on his own recognizance immediately after and was re-arrested on a federal assault charge on July 23 before appearing in front of Magistrate Judge Marian Payson.

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Zeldins opponent in the November gubernatorial contest condemned the violent behavior in the strongest terms possible and stated that, it has no place in New York.

The assault was also criticized by President Joe Biden.

Following the suspects initial release, the lawmaker criticized the states changes to its bail reform laws that Republicans and some law enforcement groups say have driven up crime.

Double Standard Reporting

The incident was addressed on Fox News Sunday show while other liberal news outlets mostly ignored it.

The news outlets, including ABC, NBC, and CNN, which typically recap the biggest political headlines of the past week on Sundays, mostly featured Jan. 6 hearing developments and/or Bidens COVID diagnosis.

Zeldin also ripped the left-wing media for their meager attention to the violence.

If the fact pattern flips on its head and  resulted in the victim being on the left side of the aisle, being Democrats, you would then see a completely different story, the congress said in comments to the Saturday Fox and Friends program.

It would be the number one story and it wouldnt just be the number one story for a day. It would be the number one story for an entire cycle, Zeldin said.

And they would actually also be calling every House Republican asking for us to comment and condemn what happened, demanding it  with protests in front of our office, he added.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gives a joint press conference with Turkey's Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara on June 23, 2022. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

Liz Truss Pledges New Commonwealth Deal to Counter Chinese Influence

The UKs Foreign Secretary, Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss on Wednesday said she will prioritise trade with Commonwealth countries to counter the growing malign influence from Beijing if she becomes the new prime minister.

Truss said she will launch a New Commonwealth Deal aimed at strengthening economic ties across the 56-nation group.

Her plan would expedite bilateral trade agreements with Commonwealth partners, which her campaign team argues would supercharge the Commonwealth trade cost advantage, which is already 21 percent lower on average for trade between Commonwealth countries versus non-members.

The leadership hopeful said she will ensure the Commonwealth sits at the heart of her plans for global Britain.

As one of the largest groups of freedom-loving democracies, we must ensure there are clear benefits to remaining a member of the Commonwealth and offer nations a clear alternative to growing malign influence from Beijing, Truss said.

Prioritising trade with countries across the Commonwealth will strengthen economic and security ties whilst also turbocharging opportunities for British businesses to access one of the worlds largest economic blocs, she added.

A spokesperson from Trusss campaign said the foreign secretary believes the Commonwealth is vital to countering the influence of the Chinese regime and other authoritarian regimes seeking to undermine democratic values and freedom.

She believes trade and investment has a key role to play in stopping the growing Chinese influence, where Beijing has used investment as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative, the spokesperson said, adding that Truss will maximise all opportunities to strengthen economic and security ties across the Commonwealth.

Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak (L) and Liz Truss during Britains Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate at Riverside Studios in London on July 17, 2022. (Jonathan Hordle/ITV/PA Media)

Trusss new announcement echoes a similar policy from November last year, when she launched the British International Investment (BII)a body previously known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation Group.

The BII was expected to prioritise infrastructure investment in low and middle-income countries, providing them with clean, honest, and reliable financing from freedom-loving democracies which Truss said is needed as too many countries are loading their balance sheets with unsustainable debt.

Truss has been increasingly vocal about the threat posed by communist China in recent years.

The foreign secretary called for a global NATO with a global outlook to tackle global threats in April, saying the alliance needs to increase defence spending, preempt threats in the IndoPacific, and must ensure that democracies like Taiwan are able to defend themselves.

In June, she warned that any attempt by Chinas communist regime to invade Taiwan would be a catastrophic miscalculation.

However, the Foreign Official faced criticisms last week from MPs over its inaction on sanctioning human rights abusers while focusing almost solely on Russian sanctions in the past year.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the other candidate hoping to become the prime minister, on Sunday called China and the Chinese Communist Party the largest threat to Britain and the worlds security and prosperity this century, seeking to boost his national security credentials by promising to face down China.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Make Schools A No-Go Zone for Closure, Says Education Expert

As Ontario and other provinces offer more tax dollars to help students catch up on schooling losses during the pandemic, some education experts say the more important consideration is to keep schools from ever closing again.

On July 25, the Ontario government presented a Plan to Catch Up that provides more than $26.6 billion in funding for the 202223 school year in support of K12 students on their education. The plan earmarks $14 billion to build schools and repair existing schools, $90 million for mental health supports, and $175 million to provide tutoring, focusing on reading, writing, and math. The program implements a more skills-focused curriculum to prepare students for employment and calls for schools to include a full set of experiences, such as clubs, band, and field trips.

An enthusiastic start to the school year is welcome news to Irvin Studin, chair of the Worldwide Commission to Educate All Kids (Post-Pandemic) and president of the Initiative for 21st Century Questions.

The new school year must start with huge energy and ambitionnone of this nonsense about safe schooling and steady as she goes with an abundance of caution. These are very Canadian pathologies that we have to overcome, the Toronto-area resident said in an interview.

It has to be huge energy, huge ambition to catch up on learning and prepare these kidsno zombie theatre or anything like that, none of this masks and social-distancing nonsense. All of it is school, school, school hyper-energy. Otherwise well never make up the learning loss.

Studin, a Rhodes scholar who has been a professor of public policy in leading universities and policy schools, says the loss of instructional time due to pandemic measures left many Canadian children with huge learning loss and huge learning lags in a wide range of categories.

It would be universal, from social skills and self-confidence and ability to navigate complex social and intellectual circumstances, to the basic curricular knowledge thats missing: reading and arithmetic, and basic civic literacy, problem-solving, social skills, and physical competence, he says. Also, the ability to play sports.

Studin estimates that Ontario students compose half of the 200,000 Canadian students who dropped out during the pandemic, never to return. He says Canada needs to emulate Argentina, Chile, Sri Lanka, and some U.S. states by seeking out lost students and returning them to school this fall.

All the school boards, all the schools need to go back to their [early 2020] attendance list. Who was in school at that time and where are they now? This is a huge national triangulation of attendance lists, he said.

If the child is not in school,  you reach out to community leaders, to families, and in the end to ministries of education to make sure that the [school attendance] law is enforced, that the child also has access to education.

Joanna VanHof, an education researcher with the Cardus think tank, says most Ontario public schools lost 29 to 33 weeks of education due to the pandemic, which is nearly a full year of school.

We know that the effect was definitely detrimental, and that now theres a lot of catch-up that needs to be done in order to regain the learning that was lost, and also to assist in the recovery for both educators and students, she told The Epoch Times.

Standardized testing here in Ontario was put on hold during the pandemic, so its difficult to even make the assessments of how much learning has been lost accurately.

View Schools as an Essential Service

VanHof says the tutoring dollars probably wont go far enough to substantially impact Ontarios 1.9 million kindergarten to Grade 12 students. She points out that independent schools that cant access the tutoring dollars or other taxpayer supports outperformed their public system counterparts during the pandemic.

Forty-eight percent of Ontario Christian schools didnt miss a single day of instruction. The shutdown happened in the March break [2020], and they were able to pivot immediately following the March break into remote learning, she said.

And then 84 percent of [independent] schools would miss less than four days of instruction. [They] took a few days to pivotthats it. And then, once the schooling was going, most of those schools received double the amount of instruction that the ministry had recommended, which was three hours per day.

VanHof, who has a masters degree in education leadership and policy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, is studying ways for the province to ensure schools stay open.

We could view schools as an essential service, so that it wouldnt be necessary to shut them down in future pandemic crises, or any type of crisis, really,  similar to the ways that hospitals stay open, she said.

Studin says independent schools were heroically counterintuitive and did a great service for young people by continuing education and maintaining regular hours of instruction during the pandemic. Now he wants decision-makers to establish all schools as a no-go zone for closure.

Never again must we imagine that were saving a life by closing the school, he said.

Unless theres war at the gates of the school, we do not close the school, not even for a daytheyre that central to the life of children. As soon as you close them for even a day, let alone a week, a month, very dark things happen to society, things that are medieval, that we just are only now coming to appreciate.
Maryland Schools Guidelines: Hide Childs Gender Transition From Parents

Teachers must have the child's consent

The largest public school district in Maryland is instructing teachers and staff not to inform parents about their childs gender transition at school without the childs consent.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), which serves more than 160,000 students in 209 schools, has provided employees with guidelines (pdf) on proactively working with transgender and gender non-conforming students.

According to the school districts latest Guidelines for Student Gender Identity, a school principal or staff member should help develop a gender support plan for students identifying as transgender. The plan involves addressing changes related to names, pronouns, and bathroom and locker room access, as well as howand to whomsuch information may be disclosed.

When it comes to communicating with families, school principals and staff are instructed to first speak to the student and ascertain the level of support the student either receives or anticipates receiving from home.

The fact that students choose to disclose their status to staff members or other students does not authorize school staff members to disclose a students status to others, including parents/guardians and other school staff members, unless legally required to do so or unless students have authorized such disclosure, the guidelines read.

The guidelines also acknowledge that some students may feel uncomfortable sharing sex-separated bathrooms, locker rooms, or sleeping areas during an overnight field trip with their transgender peers. In that case, schools are told to foster [an] understanding of gender identity with those students.

Some students may feel uncomfortable with a transgender student using the same sex-specific facility. This discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender student, the guidelines read.

The guidelines were issued in May 2021, but recently gained attention after a parent shared the documents with Parents Defending Education, an organization known for exposing radical leftist indoctrination in public schools.

The Lawsuit

In 2021, a group of parents sued MCPS over its gender identity guidelines, alleging a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Passed by Congress in 1974, FERPA prohibits the public disclosure of students personally identifiable information and gives parents the authority to access their childrens education records. Montgomery County parents argue that under the federal law, theyre entitled to know their childs gender and name preferences, even if the child doesnt want them to.

The central issue in the case is parental rights to their children and knowing whats going on in the school with their children, and by this policy, that is being denied, Rick Claybrook, an attorney representing the parents in the lawsuit, told Education Week. Kids have their parents to protect them because theyre not able to do so until they reach maturity, and I think [they] often will misunderstand whether the parents are supportive or not.

State Policies

The gender identity policy of MCPS appears to be in line with that of Marylands Education Department. As early as 2015, the department has been recommending that schools allow transgender students to discuss and express their gender identity openly and to decide when, with whom, and how much private information may be shared.

Note that while a balance between students rights to privacy and parents rights to information in the educational environment is vital, no provision of state or federal law requires schools to affirmatively disclose this sensitive information to parents, the department stated (pdf).

In recent years, school districts across the country have instructed educators to bypass parental consent and notification when it involves a students gender transition.

For example, New Jerseys official Transgender Student Guidance tells school districts to avoid work with transgender students to avoid inadvertently [disclosing] the transgender students status to their own parents. Similarly, the District of Columbia Public Schools guidelines note that students may choose to have their parents participate in the transition process, but parental participation is not required.

In Massachusetts, schools are instructed by the state to speak with the student first before discussing a students gender nonconformity or transgender status with the students parent and to discuss with the student whether to reflect pronoun or name changes in written communications with the parent.

Chicago Public Schools guidelines read, When speaking with other staff members, parents, guardians, or third parties, school staff should not disclose a students preferred name, pronoun, or other confidential information pertaining to the students transgender or gender nonconforming status without the students permission.
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education for Ontario makes an announcement on preparations underway for the return to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Jan. 12, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Michael Zwaagstra: To Keep Kids in School, Ontario Politicians Must Back Up Their Words With Action

Commentary

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce is determined to keep students in school this year. The Ontario government recently released its Plan to Catch Up, which prioritizes full-time in-person learning for all students.

This is a good sign. Ontario students have missed far too much school over the last two years. Between the pre-pandemic labour disruptions and the repeated public health shutdowns, there is a lot of catching up to do. Students need to be in class.

However, the Ontario governments record on the education file has, to date, been mediocre at best. Many of its grandiose promises of education reform have fallen flat over the last four years. To be blunt, there really isnt much difference between Ontario schools today and Ontario schools in 2018.

It doesnt help that school boards, particularly the Toronto District School Board and the Waterloo Region District School Board, are controlled by woke trustees who are more interested in pushing their progressive ideology than in helping students learn. Without clear and firm direction from the province, school board trustees and administrators are more than happy to make up their own rules.

Its time for action, not just mere words. Specifically, the Ontario government must do three things if it is serious about keeping students in class.

First, Ontario needs to declare teachers an essential service and prohibit them from going on strike. Teacher strikes are profoundly harmful to student learning since they result in students losing valuable class time. With teacher collective agreements expiring at the end of August, there is a real threat of a strike happening sometime during the upcoming school year.

Declaring teachers an essential service would also send a clear message that keeping schools open is essential for both students and parents. Just as police officers and firefighters cannot walk off the job when talks break down, teachers should stay in the classroom throughout the entire bargaining process. Outstanding contract disputes could be settled through binding arbitration.

This already happens in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, where teacher strikes have long been prohibited. Students and parents in these two provinces have the benefit of knowing that classes will not be disrupted during a labour dispute. As for concerns that this could lead to Ontario teachers being shortchanged, teachers in Manitoba and PEI receive similar salaries and benefits as those in the other eight provinces.

The second thing the Ontario government must do is publicly acknowledge that it was wrong to close schools down during the COVID-19 pandemic. While temporarily closing schools at the outset of the pandemic was understandable, there is no excuse for the extended school closures that followed. It is unacceptable that Ontario students missed more in-person learning days than students in any other province.

The problem is that the Ontario government listened to the voices of those who were unduly worried about COVID-19 while ignoring the experts who pointed out the serious harms of extended school closures.

Unless the Ontario government acknowledges that it was wrong to close schools in the first place, theres no reason to believe they wont shut down schools again when health officials raise concerns about the next COVID-19 variant.

In addition, keeping schools open means ensuring that they can operate normally. Imposing public health restrictions such as mask mandates and/or vaccination requirements would severely disrupt the learning environment.

Young people are the demographic group least impacted by COVID-19 and yet, in many ways, they have paid the heaviest price because of excessive public health restrictions.

Finally, the Ontario government needs to take control of rogue school boards. It must clearly state that trustees will not be allowed to proactively close schools out of fears about COVID-19. Its important that this be made clear before the school year begins so that there is no confusion on this matter.

Simply put, the Ontario government must put trustees in their place. Trustees should focus on running schools effectively, not on shutting them down or imposing unnecessary restrictions on students.

Ontario students deserve a normal school year. Education Minister Stephen Lecce is right to insist that students be in school on a full-time basis. Now it is time for Lecce to back up his words with action.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Millennials have been coined the job-hopping generation, and Ive contributed to that stereotype. I started my career at 22 and have job-hopped almost every year since. For many of those years, I was young and restless, and there was another part of me looking for more fulfilling work and pay that reflected what I was worth.

In some ways, changing jobs set back my retirement savings. There are things I wish Id learned earlier, like how to start retirement planning, the importance of developing high-demand skills, and the art of negotiating benefits. But it has also helped me improve my earnings. Once lifestyle creepwhen your income increases and your spending habits do, toostopped getting the best of me, earning more meant I could save more for retirement.

Here are a few scenarios where job-hopping can help your retirement savings, and where it may hurt.

Yesif Youre Improving Earning Potential

In one of my earliest writing jobs, I earned about $25,000 per year. As much as I enjoyed writing, I knew I was underpaid and overworked. My next move was looking for ways to earn more as a writer, and thats when I realized I had to develop new skills, such as optimizing my writing so it would be visible in search engines like Google. Within a year, I started a new job that paid me $45,000 and offered more benefits. Since I was no longer living paycheck to paycheck and finally had a 401(k) plan, I could start saving for retirement.

Changing jobs for a significant increase in income could potentially help your retirement savings, but it requires you to actually put some of that increased income toward your retirement savings.

What is the benchmark for a significant increase in income? Aim for a 10 percent increase, says Mary Beth Storjohann, a certified financial planner and co-CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners in Santa Monica, California. If a new job offer comes in below that, Storjohann recommends running the numbers to see how much your take-home pay actually improves when you factor in taxes and other living expenses.

Noif Company Matches and Equity Havent Fully Vested

If youre going to job-hop, you dont want to leave free money on the table, as that could hurt your retirement savings, says Jerel Butler, a CFP and CEO of Millennial Financial Solutions based in New Orleans. Before throwing up the deuces sign, consider getting your full retirement plan match, restricted stock units or other company equity if your employer offers it.

Typically, companies have a dedicated vesting schedule for the employees as an incentive to continue working at that particular company, Butler says. Sometimes, with companies that match contributions for 401(k) plans, they may ask you to contribute up to two, three, even four years before the company match is fully vested.

Butler also suggests hanging around long enough to get any potential bonuses, which are often distributed during the first quarter of the year.

Noif Benefits Dont Improve Retirement Savings

The right benefits package could improve long-term retirement savings, so its something to consider when changing jobs. When I accepted the job I mentioned earlier, I didnt think about this. Turns out health care premiums cost me around $500 a month, there were no flexible work arrangements, and the company offered no education stipends. These things indirectly affected my retirement savings, because I had less money to save and little growth potential.

Storjohann says benefits to consider that could improve your retirement savings include your work location, access to retirement accounts, employer match amounts, health insurance, education stipends, stock options and annual raises.

Yesif You Do a 401(K) Rollover

A few months after leaving the first job I had that offered a 401(k) plan, I got a check for around $300 in the mail. I remember thinking, Wow! Free money right in time for the weekend. Shortly after spending the free money, I realized it was the balance in my 401(k) account. I was supposed to roll it over into another retirement account within 60 days, but instead I squandered it on weekend festivities.

Cashing out 401(k) accounts or forgetting they exist altogether is a common mistake people make when changing jobs, and it can hurt your retirement pot, says Storjohann. Cashing it out or taking an unqualified early withdrawal could cost you a 10 percent penalty and income taxes on the amount withdrawn.

You think, Oh, the balance isnt that big, Ill just cash it out, so instead of having that money earmarked for retirement, it is typically then spent and then youre paying penalties on top of that, Storjohann says.

This was certainly the case for me and it has potentially set my retirement savings back a few thousand dollars. Lets say I had rolled that $300 into an IRA and earned a 7 percent annual returnafter 30 years, I would have over $2,200.

If I had a time machine, I still would have changed jobs, but I definitely would have done a 401(k) rollover to maximize my existing retirement savings.

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. The content is for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice.

By Elizabeth Ayoola of NerdWallet

The Epoch Times Copyright  2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
Americans have a love affair with trains. The Broadway musical On the Twentieth Century and the Cary Grant-starring feature film North by Northwest both glorify the heyday of the 20th Century Limited, the most famous sleeper train in the world.

Young children sit fascinated as they watch freight trains roll by. Even metropolitan subway systems have been featured in many movies, as well as The Kingston Trios song, M.T.A. and Duke Ellingtons classic song, Take the A Train.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington had a huge exhibit devoted entirely to decommissioned locomotives.

Generally, the love of something leads to the purchase (or adoption) of it. But almost no American can afford to buy a working railroad train, and even if he could, where would he drive it?

So the next best thing is a working scale model of one. Thats what model railroading is all about.

Train lovers build and display elaborate, detailed, miniature replicas of actual railroads from Americas heyday of train travel in their basements, garages, or any room they have that can hold such a setup. The trains actually traverse the tracks, often with sound effects of whistles and engines.

Additionally, the tracks may run across bridges or through towns, train stations, mountains, and wooded areas, all recreated with the same level of detail as the trains.

The not-yet-completed recreation of the Allentown, Pa., train station at the West Island Model Railroad Club on Long Island, N.Y. (Dave Paone/The Epoch Times)

Love of Trains

Members of the West Island Model Railroad Club on Long Island, New York, are all men, many of whom are retired or near retirement. One could argue that these guys in their 50s, 60s, and beyond are essentially playing with toys.

They agree without hesitation.

Its exactly what it is and a lot of us have earned the right to, the clubs president, Vic Grappone, says.

We are all babies at heart. We never grew up, and we love it, club member Alan Alcabes told The Epoch Times the day before his 81st birthday.

His attraction to trains is nothing new.

I cant remember a time when I didnt love trains. I was fascinated even when I was a little boy growing up in the City of New York, he said.

As a youth, Alcabes experienced the glory days of American railroads.

Some of us had the benefit of growing up in the golden age when there were still private railroads and passenger service, he said. It was really exciting, and we thought it was always going to be that way, but things change.

His father bought him a train set in 1946, and hes collected them ever since, although there was a long stretch of time when working and raising a family didnt allow him the luxury of playing with trains.

Alcabes got married in 1963, and his wife not only accepts his hobby, but partakes in railroad trips and excursions with him throughout the United States and Europe.

The club occupies a 5,600-square-foot space on a single floor in a building in Hicksville, New York, and just about all of it is one huge model railroad setup.

The simulation replicates actual historic rail lines from New York through New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The club currently has about 75 members, and different ones build and maintain the various locations throughout the lines.

The trains can get pricey. A single engine or club car can cost more than $300. Some cost up to $800. Thirty percent or more of the ones at West Island were donated by members.

Model railroading accessories for sale at Willis Hobby Shop in Mineola, N.Y. (Dave Paone/The Epoch Times)

Attention to Detail

Model railroading trains are generally used exactly as they come out of the box with no modifications. Its with the buildings, roadways, and people surrounding the train tracks that the hobbyist can get creative and make them his own.

He can purchase a building and use it exactly how it was made, or he can add whatever details he sees fit.

Another option is a scratch build, where he doesnt start with anything prefabricated but builds it himself from the bottom up.

Whichever option he chooses, its all about the details.

Alcabes is one of four club members who are working on recreating the train station of Allentown, Pennsylvania, circa the mid-20th century.

We are modeling a specific era on this railroad, he said. So everything right down to the vehicles, the way the people are dressed, the building styles, the type of taxi cabs  everything you see is all appropriate for the decade or so between the 1950s and 60s that we represent here.

Club member Rick Lederer conceded that sometimes they take a little poetic license in their recreations.

Sometimes a lot, Grappone said.

Member Mike Bowler quipped, Sometimes not even poetic.

Club member Rich Valente believes that once a model railroader takes on the task of recreating a specific location, the historical aspect gets added to the mix, and it becomes more than just playing with toys.

A replica of the Easton, Pa., train station on the Allegheny & Western line at the West Island Model Railroad Club on Long Island, N.Y. (Dave Paone/The Epoch Times)

Resurgence

Hobbyists have been model railroading for decades. The West Island Model Railroad Club has been in existence since 1947 and is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Willis Hobby Shop, also on Long Island, has been selling trains and accessories since 1949.

The shops current owner, Jason Siegel, estimates that about a third of his shop is dedicated to trains and that a third of his sales are to model railroaders.

Siegel has seen a gradual but steady decline in the publics interest in the hobby industry, particularly among children, which he blames on video games.

However, the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020 changed all that.

COVID actually brought people back to being family units, Siegel said.

Once he was allowed to reopen his store, he began selling train sets (as well as other items) to families who were stuck at home with each other.

Ive seen a lot of kids in the last year coming in for actual trains and train cars to build up the set that they built with Grandpa over the two years of COVID, and its a nice thing to see, Siegel said.

He even gifted his own father a train set during the lockdown.

Siegels mother told him that his father never comes upstairs anymore and that she yells down to him on occasion to confirm that hes still alive.

According to the website RailServe.com, the United States has 733 model railroad clubs and museums. There are about half a dozen on Long Island alone.

While the West Island Model Railroad Club is only one of them, Grappone, who designed signal systems for the real-life Long Island Railroad for 23 years, feels its because of the members common interest that the club thrives on.

We argue sometimes, but its all out of the passion of what were trying to do here, he said.

Alcabes feels a connection with all the clubs like-minded members.

We have like a brotherhood here, he said, Its great.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies before a House Armed Services Committee hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington on July 9, 2020. (Michael Reynolds/Pool/Getty Images)

One China Policy Has Outlived Its Usefulness: Former Defense Secretary

The United Statess so-called One China Policy is no longer realistic or tenable, according to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

It may have been the case in 1972 that the people of Taiwan saw themselves as Chinese, but they dont today, Esper said during a July 26 talk at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

A majority of them see themselves as Taiwanese. They have a new, distinct cultural identity.

The One China Policy is the United Statess longstanding diplomatic acknowledgment of Chinas position that there is only one Chinese government. It is separate from the One China Principle, which is communist Chinas doctrine that Taiwan is a de jure part of the mainland.

For some 50 years, the United States has recognized the status quo of one China, the original phrasing of which also acknowledged that Taiwans government, formally called the Republic of China, also had claims to the mainland.

Such a policy had outlived its usefulness, however, Esper said.

Aside from noting that the culture of Taiwan was fast becoming distinct from that of the mainland, Esper said that Taiwan had long ago relinquished all claims to the mainland and no longer contested its control. In that regard, the conflict which demanded the recognition of one Chinese government had long passed.

Ending Strategic Ambiguity

Furthermore, Esper said that the United States had always maintained that the peaceful resolution of ChinaTaiwan hostilities was of paramount importance, and that any effort to force or coerce a settlement between China and Taiwan would be seen as a grave concern by the United States.

Going back 50 years, our views on this issue [have] been clear in that regard, that this would be a matter of grave concern, which is often diplomatic language that we would be willing to go to war over this, Esper said.

Its China that is undermining the One China Policy as all sides have understood it now for 50 years, and its China changing the status quo through force. Those are just the facts of the matter.

Though the United States has long sworn off any right to play the mediator between Beijing, considering it a matter for Taiwan and China to settle amongst themselves, Esper said that Beijing was refusing to sit down with Taipei on high-level issues, undermining the entire purpose of the One China Policy.

Indeed, CCP leadership has become increasingly bellicose in its efforts to push international support for Taiwans de facto independence away, and to isolate the island from foreign assistance. In June, a Chinese general went so far as to threaten U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with a war no matter the cost, if Chinese demands on the Taiwan issue were not met.

As such, Esper said, the United States ought to re-evaluate our policy and how we go forward.

He added that the United Statess policy of strategic ambiguity, in which it neither confirms nor denies that it would militarily defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion, should be brought to an end.

At this point less strategic ambiguity is a good thing, Esper said.

The idea that there could be one China with multiple systems of government, he added, was proven wrong by the CCP crushing supporters of democracy in Hong Kong. The idea that such a system would work in Taiwan, he said, was foolish.

One Country Two Systems is a complete fallacy at this point, Esper said. Nobody believes in it and nobody ever will believe in it.

Further, theyre not going to believe in any other type of construct that the Chinese Communist Party puts forward.
Orange County Police Receive Cannabis Tax Grant for DUI Intervention Training

Five Orange County citiesAnaheim, Brea, Fullerton, Irvine, and Orangereceived funding this month from the states cannabis sales tax revenue for their police officers to be better trained in preventing tragedies caused by people driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs.

This year, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Cannabis Tax Fund Grant distributed over $12 million among 45 local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits that applied for the grant to fund DUI intervention and prevention projects.

This is an opportunity to work with various traffic safety stakeholders to help make Californias roadways safer for all who use them, CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said in a June 30 statement (pdf).

Students at Tesoro High School watch a mock DUI situation in Las Flores, Calif., on April 25, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Brea City Council voted on July 19 to accept about $133,000 from the grant, which can cover a years worth of DUI training program for its police officers, which focuses on education, prevention, and enforcement of laws related to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis, according to the councils meeting agenda. It will also include training for conducting effective investigations into traffic collisions.

Part of the funds would be allocated toward a mobile commands posta roadside testing site equipped to detect any influence of alcohol or drugs on driversfor officers to be trained out in the field, a spokesperson for the citys police department told The Epoch Times.

Anaheim Police Department in Anaheim Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Anaheim was awarded the $85,000, which will allow its officers to be trained on identifying and removing alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers from the street, as well as supporting public education to prevent DUI, according to a July 12 city staff report.

Fullerton approved its $500,000 CHP grant for three classes on DUI intervention, according to a July 5 council meeting agenda. The citys police department hosts schools that provide such classes for officers from all over Southern California.

The City of Orange also received about $255,000, which, besides covering DUI training, will backfill patrol officers attending training to ensure an adequate level of police presence to keep the community safe.

Sergeant Phil McMullin, spokesman for the citys police department, told The Epoch Times this grant would allow thirty officers to be trained.

Our goal is to save lives, he said. We have seen far too much tragedy lately due to impaired drivers.

In this file photo, a police car is seen outside the University of California Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., on Oct. 15, 2021. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)

Irvine was also awarded the grant, according to the CHPbut the city council has not discussed or disclosed the amount of the grant or how it will be utilized.

California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use Marijuana Actto legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. The proposition also includes a mandate for the state to set aside tax revenue from cannabis sales for the CHP grant to reduce impaired driving incidents in the state.

Local agencies can submit grant proposals in February to apply for funds for their projects in the following fiscal year, which starts July 1.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles most recent data, there were 127,437 DUI arrests across the state in 2018, and 10,934 were in Orange County (pdf)a 9.2 percent increase from two years before.

In 2018, DUI crashes led to over 3,800 fatalities statewide, with 437 deaths caused by drugs only and 307 deaths by a mixture of drugs and alcohol.

Anaheim, Fullerton, and Irvines police departments did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
Over 50 Republicans Call on Biden to Take Cognitive Test

Some 50 House Republicans on Wednesday called on President Joe Biden to take a cognitive test amid questions about his fitness and mental acuity.

The letter, led by former White House doctor and current Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), said that the lawmakers are concerned with Bidens cognitive abilities.

We again write to you to express concern with your current cognitive state and to urge you to submit to a cognitive test immediately, the letter (pdf) said. We believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all Presidents should follow the example set by former President Trump to document and demonstrate sound mental abilities.

Making note of recent New York Times articles that have been critical of Bidens abilities, the increased scrutiny surrounding your cognitive state has been fueled by your recent public appearances, they wrote.

Several gaffes made during Bidens speeches were also cited by the lawmakers, including one in which Biden said that we must keep alive the truth and honor of the Holocaust during a July visit to Israel.

These recent gaffes are not isolated incidents, as they are part of a larger history of your actions which exemplify cognitive decline, it said. The Alzheimers Association lists changes in mood and personality, including being more easily upset as one of ten signs of mental decline. You displayed this type of mood change during a cabinet meeting on January 24, 2022, when you apparently did not know your microphone was on after finishing your opening remarks.

Concerns Dismissed

The White House and Biden, 79, have dismissed Jacksons assertions as a politically motivated attack and a publicity stunt. Jackson previously served as physician to the president under the Obama and Trump administrations.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) as seen in a file photo. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

I honestly dont care about Ronny Jacksons look at me routine, White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox News in February about Jacksons claims about Bidens mental state. But if yall get any mail from Nick Riviera please dont be a stranger, he said, making reference to the Simpsons character, Dr. Nick, who often pushes inappropriate medical treatments.

A poll by ABC News and The Washington Post in February (pdf) found that 54 percent of Americans dont believe Biden has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president. About 40 percent believe Biden is mentally sharp enough to perform his duties.

While on the campaign trail in August 2020, Biden strongly suggested that he shouldnt take a cognitive test and hasnt taken one. It came as former President Donald Trump said that he should.

No, I havent taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man, Biden told CBS News at the time. Thats like saying you, before you got in this program, youre taking a test whether youre taking cocaine or not. What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brushing up against a stinging tree is no pleasant experience, but these inflictors of pain may also hold the key to unlocking new treatments for pain, researchers at Australias University of Queensland (UQ) have found.

The team from UQs Institute for Molecular Bioscience, including Dr. Sam Robinson, studied toxins from both Australian and New Zealand species, discovering that their nettle toxins activate pain receptors in ways not previously understood.

Robinson told The Epoch Times on Wednesday that a few years ago, himself and other researchers were studying an Australian stinging tree known as the gympie-gympie, which is found in tropical parts of Australia.

And we found a molecule in there that was responsible for the pain associated with those things. It is quite notorious, they cause quite severe pain for hours, he said, adding that they even cause sensitivity to cold in the affected area.

The team then worked out how the molecules work, learning that they target something in the nerves to cause the pain and therefore defend themselves.

They do it in a different way to anything thats been discovered before, so theyre telling us something new about how our nerves function at a molecular level, he said.

And essentially, theyve identified a new drug target, a potential drug target for treating pain.

Dr. Sam Robinson of UQs Institute for Molecular Bioscience. (Image supplied by Dr Robinson)

New Zealand Stinging Tree Causes Pain in a Different Way

Robinson said the logical next step from the gympie-gympie study was to look at other stinging plants to see if similar molecules could be found.

A Kiwi himself, Robinson went back to New Zealand to get samples of the ongaonga, a stinging tree notorious for causing severe pain and even death in rare cases.

And we sort of repeated the same strategy we used for the Australian stinging trees, and we were surprised to find that we found a molecule that was completely unrelated, in terms of its origin, to the one we found in the Australian stinging trees, he said.

So, the molecule thats responsible for the pain from the ongaonga sting has a different origin to the molecule thats responsible for the pain in the Australian stinging trees, so we were a little surprised at that.

The team then figured out how that molecule caused pain, discovering that even though the two trees have molecules that are genetically of different origins, they both converged on the same molecular target in nerves to cause pain, but in a different way.

Imagine a sort of a door with a bunch of locks on it, and to open that door, you can use a key in either of those locks, Robinson said. So theyre targeting the same door in this analogy, but a different key is targeting different keyholes.

The Potential for New Pain Treatments

Robinson told The Epoch Times the pain-causing chemicals identified in both the gympie-gympie and the ongaonga are going to be useful tools for studying pain signalling, helping researchers understand pain better at a molecular level.

And if we can do that, were going to be able to come up with new treatments, new drugs, he said, clarifying that its not the toxins themselves that will be used to treat pain but rather they will give researchers a deeper understanding of pain, which will, in turn, lead to the design of new pain treatments.

The teams research is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Peter Menzies: Under the Liberals, the Hammer Keeps Smashing Down on Western Canadas Leading Industries

Commentary

The Trudeau government has launched a fresh new offensive in its economic war on Western Canadaonce again under the guise of a brutally ill-conceived climate policy.

Oblivious to the consequences and unprepared to offer alternatives, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau let her provincial counterparts know last week that there would be no compromise on her plan to, effectively, reduce fertilizer use by close to one-third. That means farms will be less productive and will earn less money. Bibeau insists farmers, due to their love of the land, will embrace her plan.

While one supposes she had to say that, the reaction by Dutch farmers when their government imposed something similar indicates the minister may be mistaking raised fingers for open arms. The Netherlands, despite billions of euros in transition assistance, has been rife with blockades and violent protestspolice opened fire on a tractor at one pointsince it brought in its plan to reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 50 percent over the next eight years.

Holland is a volcano ready to erupt, is how Walter Joosten of the Farmers Defence Force put it to Le Monde.

Canadas plan calls for a 30 percent reduction from 2020 levels and the feds appear ready to ignore pleas for balance from the provinces, producers and industry. Fertilizer Canada has been particularly vocal in its promotion of something called 4R Nutrient Stewardshipa practice it claims can reduce fertilizer-based emissions by up to 25 percent while keeping farmers competitive and helping the country meet its goal of $85 billion in agricultural exports by 2025. Provinces have asked for intensity targetsthe volume of food produced compared to the amount of fertilizer consumed. But nope. As with so many things federal these days, there is no room for compromise.

Alberta Agriculture Minister Nate Horner, according to the Toronto Sun, said the federal government is oblivious to the fact the world is looking to Canada to increasenot decreaseits production in order to mitigate global food shortages exaggerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But so far, all indications are the feds simply dont care and are prepared to face consequences that include nationwide price hikes in groceries, reduced economic strength on the prairies, and worldwide food shortages rather than collaborate on their climate targets. Canada is responsible for about 1.5 percent of global emissions.

If that isnt enough of a gut-punch, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeaultthe man who as heritage minister tried to regulate free speech on the internetremains hell-bent on smashing the oil and gas industry in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

His plan calls for a 40 percent reduction in that sectors emissions (below 2005 levels), also by 2030. Again, this comes at a time when, just as with agriculture, there is a need for Canada to be increasing production to meet Europes energy needs, currently held hostage by Russian President Vladimir Putins pipelines.

Guibeaults plan is viewed as nonsensical by even those on the left of the spectrum such as Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley.

Its a fantasywere not going to get there, she told the media in March, adding on Twitter that we need Ottawa to work with Alberta, not around us.

Meanwhile, the prime minister continues to fly back and forth across the country, aimlessly dropping in for photo ops at summer camps and other random locations as if the world was one big Seinfeld episode.

If this government was serious about climate change, it would encourage the export of Canadian oil and gaswhile still working to reduce emissions per barrelin order to reduce the worlds dependence on far less environment-friendly products from places like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran and, yes, good old Russia.

If Canada was serious about addressing nitrous oxide emissions, it would be investing in the export of 4R-type and other ideas that maintain yields and enhance global security.

But the only thing this increasingly unserious government run by unserious people appears concerned with is sowing division and anger.

As Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe put it on Instagram: The same government who alienated our oil and gas sector is now putting global food security at risk by attacking the hard working agricultural producers across western Canada.

Of course it is.

Justin Trudeau could not have been more clear regarding his intentions when, in the 2019 French election debate, he implored people to elect more Liberal Quebeckers and more Liberal francophones so that he and they would have the power to bring Western Canadian leaders and the oil companies that support them to heel. Thus did he win an election by cravenly campaigning against part of his own country.

So its no surprise that when it comes to the Wests leading industriesno matter how necessary they are to the nations sustenance and worlds health and stabilitythe hammer keeps smashing down. Over and over again. And it wont stop.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Pope Francis meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Citadelle de Quebec in Quebec City, Quebec, on July 27, 2022. (Gregorio Borgia/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis Meets Privately With Trudeau, Governor General on Fourth Day in Canada

Pope Francis met privately with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and gave a courtesy visit to Governor General Mary Simon at her residence, the Citadelle de Quebec, located in Quebec City, on the afternoon of July 27, according to the prime ministers daily itinerary.

Unlike Pope Franciss activities in Alberta on July 25 and 26, his meeting with the prime minister was not streamed live on the Vatican websites Activities of the Holy Father media centre.

Pope Franciss meeting with Trudeau came on the fourth of his six-day apostolic journey to Canada. It is the popes first day in a province other than Alberta, as he spent his first three days in the Edmonton area and at the pilgrimage site, Lac Ste. Anne.

Pope Francis called his visit to Canada a penitential pilgrimage while speaking to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples at Maskwacis, Alberta, on July 25. The Supreme Pontiff apologized for the Catholic Churchs involvement in the Residential School System and said he will continue to encourage the efforts of all Catholics to support the indigenous peoples.

I trust and pray that Christians and civil society in this land may grow in the ability to accept and respect the identity and the experience of the indigenous peoples, he said.

The pope will publicly meet with civil authorities and representatives of indigenous peoples and members of the diplomatic corps after his meeting with the prime minister on July 27.

He will fly back to Rome on July 29 after a stop in Iqaluit.
George Tanios in an undated file photograph. (FBI via The Epoch Times)

Prosecutors Drop Assault Charge Against Jan. 6 Defendant Near Officer Sicknick

A Jan. 6, 2021, defendant who was charged with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and other officers saw his assault charge and five other charges dropped on July 27.

George Tanios, of West Virginia, pleaded guilty during a court hearing to disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.

Tanios said he entered and remained on Capitol grounds despite lacking the authority to be there.

He faces up to two years in prison. Per estimated sentencing guidelines, he could receive no jail time.

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Tanios was indicted by a grand jury in March 2021 on eight counts, including assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting.

Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Tanios supplying his co-defendant, Julian Khater, with chemical spray, although he didnt commit any violence himself.

But just before the July 27 hearing, prosecutors dropped six charges.

Sicknick

Video footage shows Khater spraying a chemical spray 5 to 8 feet away from Sicknick and two other officers, according to court documents. Khater and Tanios planned together to spray the officers, prosecutors had alleged. Defense lawyers said the men obtained mace and bear spray because they feared they might be attacked since past events held by supporters of former President Donald Trump have been subjected to violence.

Sicknick and the other officers all retreated from the police line and rushed to wash out their eyes, according to surveillance images.

Sicknick died on Jan. 7, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police said at the time that he died due to injuries sustained while on-duty during the breach, and media outlets, including The New York Times, falsely reported that Sicknick was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher during the mayhem.

However, an autopsy determined that Sicknicks death was natural and caused by strokes.

The Capitol Police still hasnt explained its initial statement, despite being urged to do so by lawmakers.

Khater

Khater was also extended a plea offer, prosecutors said in court.

He was told that if he pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer, the government would dismiss the other seven counts. He would face an estimated 78 to 97 months of incarceration if he took the offer, based on sentencing guidelines.

Khater, who confessed to FBI agents to spraying three officers with the chemical spray, hasnt yet decided whether to accept the offer, according to his lawyer, Chad Seigel.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures as he speaks during a press conference to preview the NATO Summit in Madrid at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 27, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

Put the Pacific Into NATO: NAPTO

Commentary

Beijings and Moscows lawlessness and collaborative belligerence threaten all sovereign nations in Europe and Asia.

We still have time to respond with a war-deterring diplomatic stroke: extending NATOs Article 5 to committed nations in the Pacific and East Asia who already field NATO-ready military forces.

Background: The NATO treatys Article 5 exemplified the hard, clear-eyed diplomacy that won the Cold War. Cheekily known as the Three Musketeers Clause, Article 5 told the Soviet Union that an armed attack against one or more of them (NATO members)  shall be considered an attack against them all.

Each member would then take action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain NATO security. The enemy had to attack a members territory or member forces, vessels or aircraft operating in or over NATO territory.

Moscow and Beijing: Neo-Fascist Russia and Communist China are demonstrably lawless. Russia signed the 1994 Budapest Accords and guaranteed Ukraines territorial integrity in exchange for its nuclear weapons. In 2014 Vladimir Putins Russia invaded and annexed Crimea.

China signed the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty. Ignoring the treaty, China construction barges and fishing boats invaded the Philippines. The barges built artificial islands with jet air bases; the fishing fleet poached Filipino reefs. As the invasion progressed, Beijing claimed Filipino seas as Chinese territory.

In 2016 a U.N. court backed Manilas accusations of robbery and invasion. Beijing still ignores the verdict.

China also broke the Sino-British Treaty and crushed Hong Kong.

Chinese-Russian collaboration is multifaceted but these germane diplomatic and military cases make the big points. China supports Russias invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Chinese diplomats collaborate as they seek to create and exploit political rifts among targeted nations worldwide. In the Pacific, the Russian and Chinese navies, air and missile forces stage mock attacks against Japanese and American air bases and naval targets, from Hawaii to Tokyo Bay.

Does China encourage North Korea to threaten missile strikes on Guam and Hawaii?

Thats a question with nuclear and NATO-less implications.

The United States is a founding NATO member. However, Guam and Hawaii are not covered by the NATO treaty and Article 5. The original 1949 treaty covered Europe and North America north of the Tropic of Cancer. Puerto Rico, Guam, and Hawaii were outside the geographic zone.

When Turkey joined NATO in 1951 the treaty was amended and Article 5s reach extended. About 97 percent of Turkey is in AsiaAnatolian Turkey.

2022s serendipity: Article 5 already covers a slice of Asia.

Expanding NATO and extending Article 5s geographic reach in order to deter war isnt a new idea. Though discussed for years, likely Asian membersthink Japanhave favored strengthening deterrence using existing security arrangements, such as the bilateral and trilateral relationships that connect the United States, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

Lawlessness and invasion, however, alter the calculus. In early June Japans Nikkei.com featured a story with this quote from Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.): Lets build a NATO for the Pacific. We need allies to get back on the offensive against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)  as Chairman Xi (Jinping) looks to expand his sphere of influence, we need a new military alliance centered far out into the Pacific.

At the end of June leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand attended NATOs Madrid summit.

On July 3 Turkish journalist and foreign policy analyst Mehmet Kanci wrote (at aa.com.tr) that the Asia-Pacific fours attendance confirmed that the alliance will go beyond its Transatlantic identity and wave a flag in the Trans-Pacific geography by 2023. Kanci noted NATOs new strategic concept document calls China a common threat. Chinas malicious hybrid operations and rhetoric (e.g., Wolf Warrior diplomacy) harm the security of the alliance  Kanci concludes NATOs paradigm shift has begun.

Lets speed up the shift and put the Pacifics P in NATO. North Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Treaty Organization. If NAPTO seems awkward, APTO is apt.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A lady is seen going for her morning walk wearing her mask at Southbank, Brisbane in Australia on Sept. 29, 2021. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Queensland Mothballs $223 Million Quarantine Camp Just 6 Months After Opening

Labor government also says 'no' to federal government's $350 million quarantine facility

The Queensland state government will shutter a $223 million (US$154.6 million) COVID-19 quarantine facility in Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba, just six months after it was opened.

In the same announcement, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said another multi-million dollar, federal government-funded quarantine facility in Pinkenba, Brisbanedue to be finalised in a few weekswould not be opened.

On July 27, Miles announced that the state would not continue leasing the Wellcamp-based Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre until Aug. 1.

Wellcamp is about 144 kilometres west of Brisbane, the state capital, while the federally funded $350 million, 800-bed Pinkenba facility is adjacent to the Brisbane Airport and cruise ship terminal.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles speaks at a press conference at an ambulance station on Bribie Island north of Brisbane, Australia, on Oct. 12, 2020. (Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Building of the Wellcamp facility has been contentious with the state government keeping a lid on the costs of the project amid concerns the facility would have little useincidentally, just weeks after its opening in February several state-wide vaccine mandates were lifted and as of July 27, just over 700 individuals have stayed in Wellcamp.

Having a dedicated quarantine facility provided the confidence we needed to open state and international borders, and it provided an insurance mechanism against an unknown future, according to a statement from Miles.

The expert advice was that we needed it so Queensland could cope with future unknowns and provide the certainty we needed to open up the state.

Costs Finally Revealed

During Budget Estimates hearings in Queensland, Miles was forced to reveal that the government had spent $198.5 million on capital and leasing costs for the Wellcamp facilityin partnership with the Wagner Group.

Around $9 million was paid to Compass Group for cleaning, catering, and security services, while another $16 million was paid to Aspen Medical for the provision of health services.

The state government says it is now looking to repurpose the facility.

The Labor governments decision to give the project the greenlight came during an ongoing disagreement with the then-federal Liberal-National Coalition government over providing quarantine facilities for COVID-19 infected travellers.

[Former Prime Minister] Scott Morrison failed to act and we now have a dedicated Quarantine facility for whatever may happen in the future, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

State opposition leader David Crisafulli said the cost of Wellcamp equated to around A$325,000 per guest.

The state government couldve bought a one-bedroom unit for each guest, he said in comments obtained by AAP.

This was a trigger-happy decision to try and wedge the former federal government, and this waste couldve funded nearly 2,500 nurses in the middle of a health crisis.
Simon Isherwood, who won his case against West Midlands Trains for unfair dismissal, in an undated file photo. (Courtesy of The Free Speech Union)

Rail Conductor Sacked for Questioning Black Privilege Was Unfairly Dismissed, Court Rules

A court has ruled that a British rail conductor who was sacked when he questioned black privilege in an online diversity training was unfairly dismissed.

The Free Speech Union (FSU), which backed his case, urged for more free speech training for employers.

In May, The Telegraph reported that rail conductor Simon Isherwood was dismissed for gross misconduct after he participated in a video-conference diversity training on white privilege.

At the end of the call, unaware his phone was still on and with 80 staff members still listening in, he said: You know what I really wanted to ask? And I wish I had, do they have black privilege in other countries? So, if youre in Ghana?

The 60-year-old added that he felt diversity trainers in the session were indoctrinating their view on us that implied all white people are racist, but Im not.

Colleagues complained to West Midlands Trains bosses and he was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct in March 2021.

His case was taken on by the FSU, which drafted civil liberties barrister Paul Diamond to represent Isherwood.

An employment tribunal has now judged that Isherwood was unfairly dismissed.

Freedom of Expression

Diamond said in a statement that freedom of expression, including a qualified right to offend when expressing views and beliefs (in this case on social issues), is a fundamental right in a democratic society and one that is protected by the Convention rights under the Human Rights Act 1998.

He added that in this instance, however, there is the added significance that these views were being expressed in the privacy of the claimants home to his wife.

They were never intended to be heard by those who attended or ran the course. Whilst undoubtedly contentious, the remarks he expressed (albeit in an unguarded fashion because they were made to his wife) were akin to expressions of views not infrequently heard on radio and television or read in some newspapers. A significant section of society may of course disagree with those views, consider them narrow minded and may also take offence at them but undoubtedly there will be another section of society who hold a contrary view, added Diamond.

In a statement, Bryn Harris, the FSUs chief legal counsel, said that this is a tremendous victory for Simon and for free speech.

The lesson is clear: if youre a member of the FSU, make sure your employer knows it. And if youre an employer, dont bully our members, or well come for you, he added.

Free Speech Training for Employers

Free Speech Union General Secretary Toby Young said: Im delighted we were able to help Simon win a landmark victory for free speech.

I hope this sends a message to other employers: you cannot dismiss staff for gross misconduct for mocking woke diversity training. Workers have rights, including the right to free speech, As the judge said, It simply cannot be right that employees are not allowed to have views that they privately express about courses they attend, however odious or objectionable others might consider them to be if they come to know of those views, said Young.

Forget about diversity training for employees. What we need is free speech training for employers, he added.

A West Midlands Trains spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that the company respects the decision of the Tribunal.

West Midlands Trains is an inclusive employer and there is no place for discriminatory behaviour within the rail industry, the spokesman added.
Chief Supt. Darren Campbell provides testimony related to support for family members at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia on April 1819, 2020, in Halifax on July 25, 2022. (Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press)

Senior Mountie Stands by His Notes Suggesting Political Interference in Nova Scotia Mass Shooting Probe

The senior RCMP officer whose handwritten notes have ignited the controversy about allegations of political interference in the investigation of the Nova Scotia mass shooting said on July 26 that he stands by his account.

Chief Superintendent Darren Campbell also said that any kind of interference in investigations, political or not, is unacceptable.

A day after RCMP Commissioner Lucki testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that there was no political interference in the investigation into the killings, Campbell said he stood by the notes he recorded at the teleconference he had with the commissioner on April 28, 2020.

What I will say is that my notes are an accurate description of my recollection of that conversation, said Campbell on July 26 to the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC), an independent public inquiry created to examine the tragedy that left 22 dead April 1819, 2020.

And some of the words that were used, what transpired between the commissioners office and anyone within government, Im not privy to that, I was never part of thatI stand by my notes.

Campbell had written that Lucki made a promise to then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and the Prime Ministers Office that the firearms information would be made public, and that it was tied to the forthcoming gun policy from the Liberal government.

Testimonies

In his testimony to the standing committee on July 25, Blair said he had not directed the RCMP to release any specific information nor did I receive a promise for them to do so.

Let me be very clear. At no time did I ask Commissioner Lucki to reveal that information. At no time did I direct her in any way in communications. She did not make any promise to me, the former public safety minister said.

Blair, now minister of emergency preparedness, was responding to Conservative MP Raquel Dancho, who asked if his office had received assurances from Lucki that the types of weapons used in the shooting would be released to the public at the press conference on April 28, 2020.

Blairs testimony was followed by Luckis, who said the minister asked her about the gun inventory beforehand, when probed by Dancho.

You made a promise to him that that information would be released on the April 28 press conference, correct? Dancho asked.

I confirmed, in fact, that they were going to be part of the media event, Lucki said.

In his notes, Campbell detailed his concerns that disclosing weapon details to the public could jeopardize the investigation being carried out by the RCMP and U.S. law enforcement, which he reiterated during the public inquiry.

I was very concerned because for me, as a former team commander who understands the need to protect certain information, so that you could advance your investigation and hopefully meet your objectives  there was a very good reason why we could not release those details, he said.

And we owe it toparticularly the victims or survivors and their familiesto do our very best to be able to meet those objectives, period.

Unacceptable

Campbells version of the conference call was backed by Lee Bergerman, former RCMP assistant commissioner and commanding officer of the H Division in Nova Scotia, and Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, director of criminal operations in Nova Scotia, who testified to the committee on the same day after Lucki.

So [Lucki] said the pressure was from [Blair] and the Prime Ministers Officethat she had promised them that that information would be releasedand the pressure was a result of it being tied to the forthcoming gun policy from the Liberal government. Is that correct? Dancho asked Bergerman.

Thats correct, Bergerman said.

Leather added that Lucki did reference the impending gun legislation by the Liberal government recorded in Campbells comprehensive and detailed notes.

I would agree with the statements made concerning the minister, the Prime Ministers Office, and the impending gun legislation, he said.

Campbell told the MCC that interference of any form would impede the investigation of the RCMP.

Any interference, whether it be political or otherwise, that would have deterred us from properly investigating these offences and seeking justice the families deserved was unacceptable to me, he said.

Whatever that would be, whether it was political or not, I was very concerned that if it was political, if it was politically motivated, how the families would perceive that. That bothered me.

Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrive at the National Museum of Korea for the state dinner in Seoul, South Korea, on May 21, 2022. (Lee Jin-man/Getty Images)

South Korea, US to Resume Joint Military Exercises in August

South Korea and the United States will resume their long-suspended live field training sessions in August, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced on July 22.

The joint drills are scheduled for Aug. 22 to Sept. 1. Exercises will combine computer simulation-based command post training, civil contingency, and field maneuver drills.

There will be 11 joint field exercises in total, including a brigade-level drill.

We plan to stage combined air carrier strike group training and drills for amphibious operations at an early date, among others, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup told reporters after briefing South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on policy matters.

In 2018, joint drills between South Korea and the United States were scaled down as part of the Trump administrations push for boosting diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

In the first half of 2020, bilateral drills were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020 and March 2021, only computer simulation exercises were carried out, which raised concerns about the two nations ability to respond in case of a crisis.

The United States has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea. As most U.S. military personnel are stationed in Seoul, South Korea, for roughly a year, the joint drills tend to be the only time theyre able to take part in real-world training with allies there.

Threat From North Koreas Nuclear Program

The joint drill announcement comes as North Korea has conducted a spate of missile launches throughout 2022, triggering tensions in the region.

Pyongyang is also believed to be preparing for a nuclear test, with Yoon saying that it could happen any time, according to Reuters. If true, this would be North Koreas first nuclear missile test since 2017 and its seventh nuclear missile test overall.

The South Korean Defense Ministry is focused on boosting its missile detection capabilities. The ministry has called for the early deployment of a missile defense system to thwart any long-range artillery attacks by North Korea against the Seoul metropolitan region.

Japans 2022 defense report (pdf) states that weapons tested by Pyongyang this year pose unique challenges to Japans defense networks.

North Korea is believed to have the capability to attack Japan with ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons, and it continues to develop ballistic missiles at an extremely rapid pace, the defense report reads.

In June, the U.S. State Departments special representative, Sung Kim, warned about North Korea preparing for a seventh nuclear weapons test.

Reuters contributed to this report.
SWAT Officers Happy Hunting Comment Deemed Isolated Incident

LOS ANGELESA Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officer saying happy hunting before two other officers fatally shot a barricaded suspect earlier this month was determined to be an isolated incident after an internal review of SWAT team operations over the last 10 years, Deputy Chief David Kowalski said Tuesday at a police commission meeting.

Kowalski, the commanding officer of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, added that he did not identify any patterns in the SWAT Team based on the incident and felt that the department took swift and appropriate action to discipline the officer for the May 3 incident. The officer was immediately removed from the field after the remark was discovered.

The incident is separately being investigated by the departments Internal Affairs unit, which will review the officers background within the SWAT unit, prior uses of force and performance.

The SWAT Team was responding to an armed suspect barricaded in an apartment building in the 100 block of West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles on May 3.

Two SWAT officers opened fire, killing the suspect, 54-year-old Leron James. Police said James fired a round at officers and they returned fire.

An LAPD Metropolitan Division commanding officer was reviewing body-worn camera footage from the incident when he discovered an officer, who did not fire at James, telling other officers happy hunting before the shots rang out.

The report discussed at Tuesdays police commission meeting found that over the last 10 years, 92 percent of the 1,350 SWAT deployments were resolved without use of force. That was an improvement from 83 percent of the 3,371 deployments between 1972 and 2005 ending with the suspects arrested without incident.

Law enforcement officials pointed to the positive trend as an indication that the officers comment was not the norm in how the SWAT unit behaves. Deputy Chief Al Labrada, the commanding officer for operations in the Central Bureau, said the report showed no patterns of behavior in which officers were continuously engaging in deadly force.

The remark was troubling to Police Chief Michel Moore because of the cavalier manner in which he expressed it. Moore said the entire platoon was stood down in a discussion about how damaging the comment was to the reputation and confidence of the SWAT unit.

It was also to monitor and evaluate and gauge peoples reception, Moore said. And their willingness not only to acknowledge it but to take it to heart and ensure that their actions remain professional, both on the camera and off the camera.

Moore said SWAT officers are placed in the most stressful situations, which means they are expected to be guided by the principle of preserving life.

Its not what weapon to use, Moore said. Its what mechanism to use in which to safely resolve the situation.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen walks on board a DDG-1801 as part of Taiwan's main annual "Han Kuang" exercises, as 20 naval vessels including frigates and destroyers fired shells to simulate intercepting and attacking an invading force, off Taiwan's northeastern coast, in Yilan, Taiwan, on July 26, 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Taiwan President Oversees Drills on Warship, Lauds Determination for Defense

SUAOTaiwan President Tsai Ing-wen boarded a naval warship on Tuesday where she lauded the militarys determination to defend the island while overseeing its largest annual naval and air exercises.

The military drills, which simulate the repulsion of an invading force, coincide with air-raid exercises across the island as it boosts combat preparedness in the face of rising military pressure from the Chinese regime.

Naval vessels are seen on water as part of Taiwans main annual Han Kuang exercises off Taiwans northeastern coast, in Yilan, Taiwan, on July 26, 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Anping-class offshore patrol vessel fires a JhenHai remote rocket as part of Taiwans main annual Han Kuang exercises off Taiwans northeastern coast, in Yilan, Taiwan, on July 26, 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

The Chinese regimes growing aggression toward Taiwan, combined with Russias invasion of Ukraine, have renewed debate about how to boost defense and prompted authorities to step up preparations in the event of an attack from communist China.

The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite Taiwan being a de facto independent country with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.

As part of Taiwans annual Han Kuang exercises, 20 warships including frigates and destroyers fired shells to intercept and attack a would-be invading force off Taiwans northeast coast, while fleets of F-16 fighter jets and domestically manufactured Ching-kuo fighters launched air strikes.

Tsai, on board a decommissioned U.S. Kidd class missile destroyer in waters off the port town of Suao, was seen wearing camouflage clothing and greeting soldiers.

The excellent drill just now demonstrated the ability and determination by the soldiers of the Republic of China to defend the country, Tsai told soldiers via a cabin broadcast, using Taiwans official name.

Lets continue to guard our homeland together. Good job, she said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, asked about the drills at a regular briefing in Beijing, repeated the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) warnings about any military moves by Taiwan.

Source of Tension

The five-day drills come amid rising concerns about the CCPs intentions towards Taiwan. The Chinese regime said on Monday it heightened warnings to the Biden administration about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis possible visit to Taiwan. Such visits are a frequent source of tension between Beijing and Washington.

The United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by U.S. law to provide the democratically governed island with the means to defend itself.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told CNN in an interview there should be no unilateral change in the status quo over the island, and that the United States one-China policy had not changed.

None of this has to devolve into conflict. Nothings changed with respect to one China or supporting Taiwans ability to defend itself. So theres no reason for this to be escalated, even in just rhetoric, Kirby said.

He added that as far as he was aware, Pelosi had not yet made a decision on the trip.

Although Taiwans military is well-trained and well-equipped with mostly U.S.-made hardware, the CCP has huge numerical superiority and is adding advanced equipment such as stealth fighters.

Speaking in a pre-recorded speech at a security forum in Taipei on Tuesday morning, Tsai said authoritarian forces were threatening to subvert the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region and Taiwan was standing on the geopolitical frontline to fight against the authoritarian aggression.

Island-wide drills this year include repulsion of an invading force at a major harbor near the capital Taipei, urban combat practice by the reservist force, and an exercise to transfer jets across Taiwan to bunkers dug out of the side of mountains on the remote east coast to withstand a first wave of missile attacks.

Among the warships on display were the islands new minelayer as well as a stealth corvette, which has been dubbed by Taiwans navy the aircraft carrier killer due to its complement of anti-ship missiles.
Pop culture has done a disservice to tequila, from the idea that one lines up shots with lime wedges and salt to the myth of worms in the bottle (that was mezcal, not tequila, and a marketing gag at best). But tequila-making is an art, and its production has strict guidelines both in ingredients and its geographical origins: It is only distilled from blue agave in the Mexican state of Jalisco and designated areas of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. In fact, the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila, in Jalisco, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Great tequila is fine in a margarita or paloma, but the finest ones are of such quality and flavor that they deserve to be sipped and savored as one would with Scotch or Cognac.

We chose bottles from three styles: blanco (also referred to as silver), which is clear and typically unaged; reposado, which shows some golden color from being aged in oak barrels at least two months, but less than a year; and finally, the golden-hued anejo, aged one to three years. There are also joven (young) varieties (a blanco blended with some aged tequilas), flavored tequilas, and extra anejo, which as the name may suggest, is aged longer than the three years of an anejo.

As with whiskey, if you want to get the full flavor, drink these at room temperature. But if you prefer them chilled, by all means, have it your way. In either case, you wont need to be slicing limes or rimming glasses with salt.

Inspiro Luna Blanco

$52.99 at InspiroTequila.com

(Courtesy of Inspiro Tequila)

Company founder Mara Smith collaborated with legendary Master Distiller Ana Maria Romero Mena to bring this highly approachable brand to market, and their first expression rests in oak barrels for a lunar quarter (7.4 days). Expect an aroma of vanilla and cooked agave, with tasting notes of mild vanilla, cooked agave, citrus, mint, and berries.

Asombroso El Platino Silver

$54.95 at AsombrosoTequila.com

(Courtesy of Asombroso Tequila)

Awarded double gold and designated Top Tequila in the World Spirit Competition in San Francisco, this is another blanco. The aroma delivers herbal, peppery, and anise notes, but on the tongue, it has a vanilla sweetness and rounded mouthfeel with a smooth mellow finish that lingers nicely.

Grand Mayan Reposado

$79.99 at TequilaMatchmaker.com

(Courtesy of Grand Mayan Tequila)

Sold in a handsome blue bottle, Grand Mayans Reposado ages in American and French oak casks for six to eight months. Expect oak, black pepper, and vanilla on the nose, which come through again on the palate as well, especially the oak. Add to that a firm presence of cooked agave and a hint of caramel and chocolate, with a lingering heat in the finish.

Tres Agaves Organic Reposado

From $25.99 at TresAgaves.com

(Courtesy of Tres Agaves Organic Tequila)

This certified-organic tequila spends nine months in Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon barrels, picking up some nice barrel flavors. Floral and oak aromas come through on the nose, while flavors of cooked agave, oak, vanilla, and caramel dominate, but leave room for hints of cinnamon, black pepper, and maybe a touch of smoke. A mildly sweet finish. Wine Enthusiast listed this in their top 100 spirits and it has taken home gold in competitions.

Tromba Anejo

$55.99 at Liquorama.com

(Courtesy of Tequila Tromba)

Master distiller and company founder Marco Cedano has more than four decades of experience in the tequila industry. He named his tequila for the cloudburst storms over the agave fields in the highlands. The anejo is aged in American white oak whiskey barrels for more than 20 months. Expect green apples, oak, and vanilla notes on first whiff, and the same plus caramelized agave on the palate. A very pleasant and approachable tequila.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (R) and former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak, contenders to become the country's next prime minister, take part in the BBC's 'The UK's Next Prime Minister: The Debate,' in Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, central England, on July 25, 2022. (Jacob King/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

These Days of Openness and Transparency

Commentary

One should not ask, said Bismarck, how sausages or politics are made.

This, of course, goes completely against the modern cult of transparency, supposedly the guarantor not only of clean government but also of democracy itself. If everything were transparent, nobody could do anything wrong (goes the theory), and our choices would be perfectly informed.

Alas, life is not quite so simple.

In Britain, the Conservative Party is in the process of choosing a new leader after the forced downfall of Boris Johnson. At one time the leader would have been chosen by haggling and maneuvering behind closed doors by the party elite, but in these days of openness and transparency, the membership must have its saywhich, of course, is a far more democratic way of arranging things.

Candidates for the leadership had therefore to make an appeal to a large constituency. They had to distinguish themselves from each other. In the modern world, in which insult is increasingly the highest form of argument, its only natural that they, the candidates, should have done so by drawing attention to the bad record, the inconsistencies, the idiotic proposals, deficiencies of character, and so forth, of the other candidates by comparison with their own spotlessness.

This was all done in the hope and expectation that, the election once over and the leader chosen, everyone would forget what they had all said about each other. The publics memory being a short one, the public would accept that someone who only a few days before was called an incompetent or worse, possessed of the ideas of a moron, had now become a valued, indeed essential, colleague and fine public servant who could be trusted always to do the right thing by the country.

Even if the details of the recent contest faded from memory, however, there would remain, like the grin of the Cheshire Cat, the impression that all the candidates were held in contempt by each other and believed by them to be incompetent at best and scoundrelly at worst.

This impression, justified or not, must have an unfortunate effect. Its corollary is that we are ruled by a pack of people who are only seekers after office, who dont believe what they say, and use words only to advance their own careers. Any principle that they claim to espouse is but a cynical smokescreen or an instrument for their own petty ambition: Everything for them is but a means to the end, the end being their political ascent for its own sake. Presentation is all, substance nothing.

In short, there was probably more chance of obtaining a leader of stature under the old system than the new.

Its disastrous in the long run if we come to believe that all our so-called leaders are nothing but scoundrels, liars, hypocrites, place-seekers, and so forth. This causes us to take a paranoid stance toward the world, in which nothing can be what it appears to be and in which everyone acts from the lowest of motives. Philanthropy itself becomes suspect, and kindness a cover for the urge to dominate. This is a Nietzschean worldview, Nietzsche having been the sort of philosopher who, with a piercing insight into some aspect of reality, took it for the whole, so that before long he became wildly and perniciously unrealistic.

In fact, no ones life can bear too much examination. The Franco-Romanian philosophical and psychological aphorist Emil Cioran once wrote that the prospect of having his biography written ought to be enough to sap anyones will to live. Of course, Cioran had a special personal reason for saying this, since in his youth in Romania he had espoused the most hideous ideas and praised Nazi Germany to the skies. He spent the rest of his life repenting this, though at the same time half-covering his traces. Nevertheless, Ciorans aphorism is surely correct: A man who has nothing to hide can scarcely be said to have lived.

The way to be a bore, said Voltaire, is to say everything, and probably we have all met people who are unable to tell a story without including the most irrelevant, circumstantial, or dull detail. Generally, such people cannot be derailed: All attempts to do so fail, and they return to their narrative rails as a dog to its vomit.

The demand that people should be entirely frank and open is therefore a demand for a very boring world, though fortunately its also a demand thats impossible to fulfill. Nevertheless, the pretense that whats impossible isnt only possible but desirable is potentially harmful. To chase chimeras is worse than a mere waste of time and effort. Its often at the root of the most terrible cruelty.

Theres a balance to be struck in human life between openness and concealment. Needless to say, we dont want everything to be secret, but insofar as a degree of illusion is necessary for life to be bearable, we dont want incontinent openness either. Imagine a world in which all our thoughts were immediately and completely transparent to others (and theirs, of course, to us): There would be mass slaughter within minutes.

The balance between openness and concealment is a matter of judgment, and where theres judgment theres error. The equilibrium between them is inherently and permanently unstable. Its obvious that wrongdoers favor concealment, but it isnt therefore true that the righteous favor openness. Those who demand openness in the affairs of others are often reluctant to reveal their own. Its precisely because of our inherent need for secrecy that the idea of a surveillance state is so appalling to us, even if we in fact do little or nothing that could be of interest to such a state.

Its very rarely that we hear of openness as other than a quality to be desired, but those who praise it are never completely open themselves and may even be more secretive than average. They praise openness the better to conceal what theyre doing; openness is for others, not for themselves.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller stands at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 13, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump Defense Secretary Miller Didnt Change Tune for Jan. 6 Panel: Kash Patel

The acting U.S. defense secretary at the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach didnt diverge from past statements in an appearance before the House committee thats investigating the breach, the officials top former aide says.

The House panel on July 26 released a short clip of an interview with Christopher Miller, the former acting Pentagon chief.

Miller was questioned about a claim by Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff in the latter months of the Trump administration, who had said that 10,000 troops were told to be on the ready prior to the breach.

Miller said the statement wasnt accurate.

I was never given any direction or order or knew of any plans of that nature, Miller said.

Having the troops ready was not part of my plan or the Department of Defenses plan, he added later. There was no order from the president.

The Jan. 6 panel said in a statement: To remove any doubt: Not only did Donald Trump fail to contact his Secretary of Defense on January 6th (as shown in our hearing), Trump also failed to give any order prior to January 6 to deploy the military to protect the Capitol.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), vice chair of the panel, said in an appearance on Fox News this week that Trump never issued any order to deploy the National Guard to protect the Capitol.

Completely Accurate

Millers comments to the panel didnt contradict earlier statements, Kash Patel, who was Millers chief of staff, told The Epoch Times.

You have to read [the] whole transcript, not pieces, Patel, an EpochTV host, wrote in a text message. He and I have been completely accurate, no order, yes authorization.

The key distinction is due to federal law that prohibits U.S. troops from being utilized from enforcing laws or keeping order inside the United States, according to the Posse Comitatus Act.

The president can authorize troops but a second step, a request from an official such as a governor, is required, Patel previously said.

If those two things dont happen, then any issuance of the National Guard would be literally unconstitutional.

National Guard troops walk through the grounds of the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Previous Statements

Patel has said that Trump authorized up to 20,000 National Guard troops to use in Washington and other areas on Jan. 6, 2021. Miller has said that Trump cleared the use of many troops.

The authorization was discussed during a Jan. 3, 2021, meeting involving Miller, Patel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, and Trump at the White House.

Were like, Were going to provide any National Guard support that the District requests, Miller recounted to Vanity Fair in early 2021. And [Trump] goes, Youre going to need 10,000 people. No, Im not talking [expletive]. He said that. And were like, Maybe. But you know, someones going to have to ask for it.

At that point Miller remembered the president telling him, You do what you need to do. You do what you need to do. He said, Youre going to need 10,000. Thats what he said. Swear to God.

Mr. Trump unequivocally authorized up to 20,000 National Guardsmen and women for us to utilize, Patel said on Fox in June. Miller, during the same appearance, said he communicated as much to the Jan. 6 panel while under oath.

The Unselect Committee has now learned that I, as President suggested and offered up to 20,000 National Guard, or troops, be deployed in D.C. because it was felt that the crowd was going to be very large, Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 9.

The U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General has said that Trump during the meeting told Mr. Miller that there would be a large number of protestors on January 6, 2021, and Mr. Miller should ensure sufficient National Guard or soldiers would be there to make sure it was a safe event.

During a congressional hearing in 2021, Miller said that the armed forces of the United States was completely prepared and ready to respond to any valid request from any department or agency or local or federal law enforcement office.

Miller said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, requested Guard support on Dec. 31, 2020, and that officials spent the weekend finalizing a plan with the D.C. National Guard and the Department of Army.

At the Jan. 3, 2021, meeting, Miller recounted, Trump asked if there had been any such requests and was informed of the one from Bowser.

Trump said Fill it; do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights,' Miller said.

Miller told members of Congress that Trump had delegated that authority and authorization to me so there was no requirement for him to get Trumps approval, according to a Senate report (pdf).

US Capitol Police, Bowser, and Pelosi

The U.S. Capitol Police rejected the offer of Guard soldiers on Jan. 3, 2021, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report (pdf). The chief of the agency soon changed his mind, though, and asked the Senate and House Sergeants-of-Arms, two members of the U.S. Capitol Police board, to grant him the authority to request Guard assistance. The two sergeants-at-arms declined the request, with one saying he was concerned about the optics.

The matter was never discussed with the architect of the Capitol, the only other voting member of the board, the Senate report said.

On Jan. 6, 2021, the Capitol Police wrote to the D.C. National Guard for support at about 2:30 p.m., after its board declared an emergency. Members arrived several hours later, after Miller authorized their activation.

Bowser requested and received some Guard personnel, about 340, but they were unarmed and some were stationed in Maryland, according to the report, a Jan. 5, 2021, letter to Miller, and the National Guard.

No other requests were made, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on a call.

In the letter, Bowser said she didnt want any additional personnel.

In addition, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) didnt request any troops, according to Miller, Patel, and Trump.

Had they taken up the offer, there would have been no Jan. 6, Trump said.
Trump Reveals Why He Cant Leave Politics

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed that he cannot leave politics during his first speech in more than a year in Washington, D.C.

Never forget, everything this corrupt establishment is doing to me is all about preserving their power and control over the American people, Trump said at the America First Agenda Summit in Washington on Tuesday. They want to damage you in any form, but they really want to damage me so I can no longer go back to work for you.

The former president added that he had a much simpler life away from politics but cant stay away because I love our country, and I cant do that because I love the people of our country, so I cant do that, adding, I wouldnt do it and people dont want me to do it.

In his speech, Trump stopped short of declaring his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Previous speeches hes made over the past year have suggested that he would again run.

The former president may have offered a preview of campaign rhetoric he might use, declaring to an audience that the United States no longer respects the rule of law.

Were living in such a different country for one primary reason, he said, calling for the death penalty for drug dealers. There is no longer respect for the law, and there certainly is no order. Our country is now a cesspool of crime.

The latest data provided by the FBI shows the murder rate across the United States spiked 29.4 percent in 2020, compared with the previous years figures. Thats one of the largest single-year increases ever recorded.

Later, Trump made reference to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol incident and said they wont put a damper on him or the political movement he helped create.

They really want to damage me so I can no longer go back to work for you, and I dont think thats going to happen, Trump said of the Jan. 6 committee. If I stayed at home and just took it easy, the persecution of Donald Trump would stop immediately. It would stop. But thats not what I will do.

Earlier on Tuesday, former Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the Young Americas Foundation in Washington. And while Pence demurred on a possible rivalry between him and Trump, the former vice president suggested that the two may differ on focus.

I dont know that the president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus, Pence said. I truly do believe that elections are about the future, and that its absolutely essentialat a time when so many Americans are hurting, so many families are strugglingthat we dont give way to the temptation to look back. But I think the time has come for us to offer a bold, positive agenda to bring America back. And Ill continue to carry that message all across this nation.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to an audience at the "American Freedom Tour" event in Memphis, Tenn., on June 18, 2022. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Reuters)

Trump Threatens to Sue CNN for Defamation, Fraud

Former President Donald Trump threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against CNN over its usage of the term Big Lie and lying when reporting on his challenges to the 2020 election.

A notice of intent to bring civil action was sent by Trumps lawyers to CNN, including new President Chris Licht and Executive Vice President David Vigilante. The notice demands that CNN publish a retraction, correction, or an apology.

CNN must publish a full and fair correction, apology, or retraction, in the same editions or corresponding issues of the website publication in which the aforementioned articles, transcripts, or broadcasts appeared and in as conspicuous a place and type as said original article, transcript or broadcast within ten (10) days from the date of service of this notice, it reads (pdf).

Failure to publish such a correction, apology, or retraction will result in the filing of a lawsuit and damages being sought against you, CNN.

The notice also calls on the network to immediately cease and desist from its continued use of Big Lie and lying' when referring to Trumps subjective beliefs about election integrity.

It said that CNN maliciously linked Trump to Adolf Hitler and communist leaders by describing his election claims as the Big Lie. According to the notice, the network used the term in connection to Trump more than 7,700 times since January 2021.

In its notice to CNN, Ifrah Law, a Washington-based law firm, included hundreds of pages of exhibits.

After the 2016 election, various members of the Democratic party gave numerous televised statements claiming the 2016 election was illegitimate. This included suggestions about Russian interference causing President Trump to win the election and regular referrals to President Trump being an illegitimate President, the notice stated.

CNN repeatedly allowed for assertions that President Trump was illegitimately elected to go largely unchallenged, including statements made by Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Nadler, John Lewis, Dianne Feinstein, Marcia Fudge, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

In a statement from his Save America committee published on Wednesday, Trump suggested that he might file lawsuits against other news outlets.

I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me, Trump said. I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 Election. I will never stop fighting for the truth and for the future of our Country!

Trump has long argued that the United States should change its libel laws to make it easier to file lawsuits against media outlets.

CNN has not responded to a request for comment.
Foreign Secretary and Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss leaving her campaign office in Westminster, London on July 22, 2022. (Aaron Chown/PA)

Truss Vows to Publish Police League Tables, Tell Police to Tackle Real Crimes

Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss said on Wednesday that if she becomes the prime minister, she will set a target for the police, telling them to cut serious crime by 20 percent.

She also vowed to publish police league tables and have underperforming force leaders explain how they will turn things around.

Writing in the Daily Express, Truss said its now time for the police to get back to basics and spend their time investigating real crimesmurder, burglary, and serious violence, not Twitter rows and hurt feelings.

But Trusss announcement was dismissed by her opponent Rishi Sunak as a lightweight plan and a power grab.

With Conservative members expecting their ballots to arrive next week, the foreign secretary and the former chancellor are churning out a rapid-fire of policies pledges in a bid to win the support of grassroots party members.

Truss said she would tell the police to cut homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime by a fifth by the next election, expected in 2024.

She also said she would publish crime rate statistics showing how each force is performing against the national average, with leaders of underperforming ones forced to set out plans to improve.

Truss also said free speech would be protected in the code of practice governing hate incidents, and police and crime commissioners will have more powers to veto training that focuses on identity politics.

A police officer using a radio in the UK on Nov. 2, 2011. (David Cheskin/PA Media)

A campaign spokesperson for Sunak called Trusss plan a lightweight plan based on publishing data the government already does and a power grab away from Police and Crime Commissioners, including many excellent Conservative PCCs driving down crime in their area.

The spokesperson said the real way to get crime down is more police on the streets, adding Sunak has prioritised funding to get these 20,000 new officers by the next general election, referring to the Conservative Partys campaign promise in 2019.

The spokesperson also argued a code of practice is unnecessary, saying: Things are either illegal or legal. Free speech is legal and the police should not be wasting time getting involved, and they wont in a Rishi Sunak government.

In December 2021, the Court of Appeal ruled that the police body in England and Waless guidance on recording non-crime hate incidents has interfered with the right to freedom of expression. It comes after Humberside Police recorded former police officer Harry Millers Twitter activity, which was reported as being transphobic, as a non-crime hate incident. Miller said a police officer rang him over the tweets, telling Miller he didnt commit a crime but the call was to check his thinking.

Issuing new guidance last week telling officers not to record trivial non-crime hate incidents, the College of Policing said it is working with the Home Office to develop a statutory code of practice for the police about the recording and retention of personal data relating to non-crime hate incidents.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May abolished police performance targets in 2010 when she was the home secretary, saying, targets dont fight crime; targets hinder the fight against crime.

May also commissioned a report (pdf) on the use of targets in policing in 2015, which said numerical targets have some problems such as being too crude for complex systems, creating perverse incentives, and having a demoralising effect.

In a separate announcement, Truss also vowed to take measures to tackle violence against women and girls by creating a standalone offence to criminalise harassment and a domestic abuse register, which would include coercive and controlling behaviour and financial abuse, and accelerating the process for handling rape cases.
Charlie Kirk speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2018. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon)

Turning Point USA Weighs Lawsuit Against ABC News After It Smeared and Lied About Group

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk has said he is in talks with lawyers regarding a potential lawsuit against ABC News after co-hosts of the show The View criticized TPUSA because so-called Nazi protestors appeared outside its recent Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida.

TPUSA aims to identify, educate, train, and organize conservative students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.

The group took to Twitter on July 26, where it disputed comments made earlier this week on the show by its hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar.

Yesterday, The View and Whoopi Goldberg smeared and lied about TPUSA regarding an incident where supposed nazis showed up outside of the Student Action Summit, TPUSA said.

While [the hosts] were forced by their legal department to correct two of these misrepresentations live on air, Whoopi continued to insist that TPUSA somehow welcomed nazis into our event metaphorically.'

During the July 25 segment of The View, co-host Behar told viewers that Neo-Nazis were out there in the front of the conference with antisemitic slurs and, you know, the Nazi swastika and a picture of a so-called Jewish person with exaggerated features, just like Goebbels did during the Third Reich. Its the same thing, right out of that same playbook.

She then said that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did nothing, despite DeSantis attending the event on July 22, the day before the so-called neo-Nazis appeared.

Legal Disclaimer

Later in the show, an on-air legal disclaimer was read to viewers, informing them that Turning Point USA condemns the so-called neo-Nazi protestors who they said had nothing to do with the organization.

But shortly after the disclaimer was read, Goldberg stated: But you let them in, and you knew what they were, so you are complicit.

The show then cut to a break, before coming back on air as Goldberg told the audience she wanted to make a quick clarification about the alleged neo-Nazis who had been at the event, explaining that they were outside protestors and had not been let in by TPUSA.

My point was metaphorical, that you embraced them at your thing, I felt, Goldberg said of the event. I know they were not in the building, but they were in the mix of people at the thing [the event], she added.

Sharing segments of the recent action summit event on Twitter, TPUSA explained: After a group of Antifa and left-wing protesters showed up, predictably, to protest our event, they eventually dispersed; then minutes later these nazis appeared. Who are these people? We have no idea, and apparently ABC and other news media arent curious enough to find out.

It added that TPUSA students had confronted and argued with these individuals and that the groups security team had attempted to remove them from the area, but were unable to do so because they were standing on the public sidewalk on public property.

TPUSA students ultimately left the scene, at which point these individuals dispersed, it added.

Talking to Lawyers

Furthermore, TPUSA reiterated that had the so-called Nazis stepped into the event, they would have been promptly removed by security; but because they remained outside on the sidewalk on public property, security guards were not permitted to do so.

It added that TPUSA 100 percent condemns those ideologies in the strongest terms.

Kirk promptly took to Twitter, where he hinted that the group is considering taking legal action against The View.

Talking to lawyers. Many think we have a strong case, Kirk wrote on Twitter on July 27. You cannot smear minors as Nazis and get away with it. It impacts them for the rest of their life. He added the hashtag #SueTheView, which has been posted repeatedly on the platform over the past few hours.

The Epoch Times has contacted ABC News and Turning Point USA for comment.

The annual TPUSA gathering drew many big-name headliners and guest speakers this year, including former President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), among others.
Elon Musk attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on May 2, 2022. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Twitter Sets September Shareholder Vote on Elon Musk Buyout

DOVER, Del.Twitter has set Sept. 13 as the date for its shareholders to vote on the companys pending buyout by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it is recommending shareholders vote for the $44 billion deal to be completed.

The date is ahead of the yet-to-be specified start date of the October trial in the dispute between the billionaire, who is seeking to abandon the deal, and the San Francisco company. Twitter has sued Musk in Delaware after he said wanted to walk away from the deal.

We are committed to closing the merger on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk. Your vote at the special meeting is critical to our ability to complete the merger, Twitter said in a letter to its shareholders.

Earlier Tuesday, attorneys for Musk accused Twitter of slow-walking document production in advance of the trial to decide whether the Tesla CEO should be forced to complete the deal.

Musks lawyers also said in a court filing that Twitter Inc. attorneys have refused to consent to a proposed Oct. 17 trial date and are insisting on an Oct. 10 trial start, using the uncertainty over a trial date to delay other scheduling discussions.

Attorneys for Musk claimed that Twitters proposed case schedule is an obvious attempt to squeeze defendants after a Delaware Chancery Court judge agreed last week to hold an expedited trial in a lawsuit filed by Twitter.

Given the compressed timeframe, guidance from the court is necessary to break the impasse to allow things to move forward promptly, attorney Edward Micheletti wrote in asking Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick to grant Musks proposed case schedule.

A spokesman for Twitter said the company had no comment on Tuesdays court filing.

Musk agreed in April to buy Twitter and take it private, offering $54.20 a share and vowing to loosen the companys policing of content and to root out fake accounts. As part of the deal, Musk and Twitter had agreed to pay each other a $1 billion breakup fee if either was responsible for the deal collapsing.

Twitter shares closed Tuesday at $39.34, well off their 52-week high of $71.92.

Musk, the worlds richest man, indicated earlier this month that he wants to back away from the deal, prompting Twitter to file a lawsuit to hold him to what it describes as a seller-friendly agreement.

With an October trial looming, Micheletti told the judge Tuesday that Twitter has refused to begin producing certain categories of documents that are plainly relevant and easily collected and produced. He said Twitter lawyers instead have claimed that several categories of documents are not relevant, without identifying them.

The documents sought by Musks attorneys include Twitter board minutes and related materials, advertising sales and metrics, and manuals and policies regarding Monetizable Daily Active Usage or Users, or mDAU. That is a metric that Twitter uses to measure the number of people or organizations using its platform.

Musk has claimed that Twitter has failed to provide him enough information about the number of fake accounts on its service, but the company has estimated for the past several years that fewer than 5 percent of mDAU are spam or fake accounts.

Musks attorneys also contend that Twitter has refused to provide them with raw data that it maintains in the ordinary course of business, and which require significant machine time and software development to be processed and analyzed by expert witnesses by a proposed Monday deadline.

Twitter said last month that it was making a fire hose of raw data on hundreds of millions of daily tweets available to Musk.

Attorneys for Musk are asking McCormick to approve the Oct. 17 trial date, and to order Twitter to immediately produce core documents and to produce all raw data by Monday.

Given the timeline until trial, every day counts, Micheletti wrote.

Tuesdays court filing suggests that Musk plans to file his answer to Twitters complaint later this week.

By Randall Chase and Barbara Ortutay
Members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT) on the picket line outside Edinburgh Waverley train station, in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 27, 2022. (Katharine Hay/PA Media)

UK Rail Network Disrupted Again Amid Renewed Strike Action

British rail passengers are suffering fresh travel chaos after thousands of workers walked out on strike, crippling services across the country.

Some 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike on July 27, and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) has also announced a strike by its members at Avanti West Coast.

This comes after last months nation-wide three-day strike organised by the RMT, which union leaders touted as the biggest rail strike in modern history.

More rail strikes have been planned for the rest of the summer. Members of the train drivers union Aslef at seven companies will strike on July 30, and the RMT and TSSA will launch co-ordinated strikes on Aug. 18 and 20. The RMT has also announced a strike on London Underground on Aug. 19.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said union members are more determined than ever in the dispute over pay, job security, and working conditions.

Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new, he said, adding: RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.

Cynically Timed

Commenting on the strikes, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, in his three years on the job, there has not been a single day when unions have not been in dispute by threatening or taking industrial action, with around 60 separate disputes in 2022 alone.

Today, union bosses are once again trying to cause as much disruption as possible to the day-to-day lives of millions of hardworking people around the country, he said.

Shapps accused the unions of deliberately targeting major sporting events.

He said the strikes have been cynically timed to disrupt the start of the Commonwealth Games and crucial Euro 2022 semi-finals, in a deliberate bid to impact the travel of thousands trying to attend events the whole country is looking forward to.

Writing in The Telegraph, Shapps dubbed the strikes an example of union collusion, adding he would seek to ban strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period.

He said he would also look at implementing a 60-day cooling-off period after each strike, as well as ensuring critical industries like rail maintain minimum service levels.

Labour Row

Both candidates in the contest for Conservative Party leadership have vowed to limit trade unions ability to stage industrial actions.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said if she becomes prime minister, she would introduce legislation within 30 days to require a minimum level of service on vital national infrastructure.

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak also called the strikes irresponsible and said they will cause hardship for millions of ordinary workers across the country.

He criticised the main opposition Labour Party for its pro-union stance, saying they should stand up to their union paymasters instead of joining them on the picket line.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ordered members of his shadow cabinet to stay away from the strikes, but shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined the picket line at Londons Euston station.

This is not the first time his frontbench MPs have defied his order on strikes. Several shadow cabinet members also joined picket lines during Junes rail strikes.

On the day before the latest strike action, Starmer explained why he did not want to see members of Labours leadership joining striking workers.

He said: The Labour Party in opposition needs to be the Labour Party in power. And a government doesnt go on picket lines, a government tries to resolve disputes.

Lily Zhou and PA Media contributed to this report.
Firefighters gather near tank cars as they work to extinguish a fire at an oil depot in the Budyonnovsky district of Donetsk, Ukraine on July 26, 2022. (Press Service of Emergencies Ministry of Donetsk People's Republic/Handout via Reuters)

Ukraine Shelling Triggers Fire at Donetsk Oil Depot: Officials

A fire broke out overnight at an oil depot in Russian-controlled territory of eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Donetsk, the head of the city administration said on Tuesday.

As a result of overnight shelling in the Budennovsky district, there was a fire at a fuel storage warehouse, Donetsk mayor Alexey Kulemzin said in a post on the Telegram social network.

There were no casualties as a result of the blaze, Donetsks emergency services said. The fire was extinguished around 1000 a.m. local time, Kulemzin said.

Reuters could not verify the reports or the cause of the fire.

Footage shared on social media showed a fire blazing near oil tanks on railway tracks at the storage depot.

Donetsk is the capital of the separatist Russian-backed Donetsk Peoples Republica breakaway entity in Ukraines Donbas region, recognised only by Russia, Syria, and North Korea.
Rescuers remove debris after a Russian missile attack on Monday in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on July 26, 2022. (Andrii Marienko/AP Photo)

Ukraine Uses New Artillery to Hit Key Bridge for Russians; Russia Downplays the Impact of Attack

KYIV, UkraineUkrainian artillery hit a strategic bridge essential for Moscow to supply its forces occupying Ukraines southern region, using a U.S.supplied precision rocket system.

The Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine late Tuesday, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said.

He said Wednesday the bridge was still standing but its deck was pierced with holes, preventing vehicles from crossing.

The 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) bridge sustained serious damage in Ukrainian shelling last week, when it took multiple hits. It was closed for trucks but had remained open for passenger vehicles until the latest strike.

Ukrainian forces used U.S.supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to hit the bridge, Stremousov said.

The HIMARS system has precision strike capability and has added a more modern technological edge to Ukraines dated military assets.

While halting traffic across the bridge, at least temporarily, makes only a slight dent in the overall Russian military operation, the strike showed Russian forces are vulnerable.

Firefighters remove debris at the Central House of Culture, after a military strike hit a building in Chuhuiv, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on July 25, 2022. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)

The bridge is the main crossing across the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at the hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open for traffic.

Early in the war, Russian troops quickly overran the Kherson region just north of the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. They have faced Ukrainian counterattacks, but have largely held their ground.

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, in the central eastern area of Ukraine, said Wednesday that Russian forces struck two regions with artillery.

Amid Moscows push to take full control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russians have gained marginal ground northeast of Bakhmut, according to a Washington D.C.based think tank.

Russian forces, however, are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before the early autumn, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russian military losses have climbed to nearly 40,000, adding that tens of thousands more were wounded and maimed. His claim couldnt be independently verified.

The Russian military last reported its losses in March, when it said that 1,351 troops were killed in action and 3,825 were wounded.

By Susie Blann
US Police Officer Jailed in Mexico for Allegedly Violating Federal Law

An officer from the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is in a Mexican jail for allegedly bringing a gun into the country during a recent trip, according to reports.

Lemandries Hawes declared his personal firearm to the airline and checked it in with his luggage when he flew into Cancun on July 9, in violation of Mexican federal law.

MNPD spokesperson Noelle Yazdani told News Channel 5 Nashville that even though Hawes declared the gun to the airline, it is considered a federal offense to bring a gun into Mexico.

Hawes was due to have a hearing in Mexico on Monday and MNPD remain in contact with the officers family while hes held in jail, Yazdani said.

Hawes was hired on Oct. 16, 2021, and graduated from the MNPD Academy in February, according to local media WKRN. Before joining MNPD, Hawes worked with the Memphis Police Department for five years from 2017 to 2021, Fox13 reported.

He is not the first American to be detained in Mexico on gun-related charges.

Embassy Warnings

The U.S. Embassy provides information to U.S. citizens on its website that when they enter a foreign country, they are subject to the laws and regulations of that country, which can differ from what theyre used to in the United States.

Persons violating Mexican laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned, the U.S. Embassy states on its website.

U.S. citizens who break local laws in Mexico cannot avoid arrest or prosecution and will go through that countrys legal system.

They may be charged, indicted, prosecuted, and possibly convicted and sentenced according to the local laws and regulations. This includes the appeals process.

Similar Case

Glendale resident Francine Nicholson learned this when her husband Ira Beavers was arrested near Sonoyta, past the Lukeville Port of Entry, when Mexican police searched their car and found Beaverss gun during a family trip, according to Glendale Star.

We didnt see the signs going into the border, Nicholson told the local Arizona outlet, referring to posted signs advising U.S. citizens of Mexicos no-gun policy. Ive been down to Sonoyta since this arrest, and I did see the signs that time.

Beavers was arrested on July 30, 2021, after police pulled his car over for speeding and discovered the gun. He has been serving a three-year prison term. Nicholson has been trying to secure his release.
Victorias Gas Supply Crisis Worsened by Government Policy

Commentary

The state of Victoria has the most extensive natural gas network in Australia and the highest consumption due to cold weather and the use of gas for domestic heating. Yet the state is able to meet its own needs with gas production while supplying some gas also to Tasmania, South Australia, and New South Wales.

However, for over a decade, experts have been watching the market tighten, such that Victoria relies on importing gas from northern states through the east-coast network during high winter demand. Impending supply shortfalls have been forecast for several yearsmost recently, the Australian Energy Market Operator predicted the shortfall to hit in winter 2024.

Considering the conditions for this supply crisis have been present and predictable for a decade, it is increasingly like watching a car crash in slow motion. Government decisions have repeatedly exacerbated the issue.

In some ways, the gas problems on the east coast were initiated when the federal government, heady from gas fumes, approved the building of not one, not two, but three liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities on Curtis Island in Queensland. The LNG facilities were justified on the basis that they were developed hand-in-hand with fields that would produce enough gas to supply them at full capacity.

However, once the plants were up and running, some of the gas production was below expectations, and some were too costly to be profitable under all conditions. In the language of the industry, identified resources (gas in the ground) only become reserves (gas worth taking out of the ground) when the costs can be covered.

This economic condition should have been tested when the plants were approved. Its an obvious questionwhat happens when the LNG price plummets?

Gas Market Issues

This is what happens: the gas producers raid the domestic market to get the cheapest gas for their facilities. This was a significant problem around 2016 that began pushing prices up. Today, the LNG producers account for such a large portion of gas flows on the east coast, that they wield immense market power.

Australian natural gas flows during 201920. (Australian Energy Statistics)

That does not mean these LNG projects were a bad idea overall. If it were not for these developments, we wouldnt have the gas production fields at all, and the crisis facing the east coast would be a genuine shortage.

Nevertheless, the market is clearly broken and suffers from a very curious problemwhen the price on the east coast recently skyrocketed; we found ourselves paying more for our gas than people in other countries were.

The producers still were making LNG rather than selling their gas into the more profitable Australian market. The basic reason is simplethey need to pay for their LNG plants, which they only achieve by selling LNG.

Victorias problems with gas go further, however than the large LNG producers effect on the market. The Victorian government has repeatedly displayed hostility to the gas industry.

For several years, they have had a moratorium on coal seam gas development, fracking, and onshore gas exploration. The last of these was recently lifted but was in place for nine years.

Victorian Government Response

As the reality of the supply problem has hit home, did Victoria develop a Gas Supply Roadmap? No, they published a Gas Substitution Roadmap. The roadmap proposes to replace gas use with three alternativesmainly electricity, but also hydrogen and biomethane.

In reality, for price reasons, many users have already been substituting electricity for gas, but theres just one teensy problem with this as a system-wide solutionthe electricity is increasingly made from gas, and especially so at peak winter demand.

Why is Victorian production decreasing? Is the Bass Strait truly running out of gas? Perhaps, but consider this: gas reserves can move in only one direction when you arent doing exploration. Downwards. One gets the impression that the producers in Victoria dont really like being therein 2016, Esso (Exxon Mobil) attempted to sell their whole Bass Strait portfolio. They eventually cancelled the process because no one was willing to pay what the field was worth.

Victorias state approach has been in stark contrast to the federal governments position to have a gas-led recovery out of the pandemic. Its not that the federal government had no appetite for hydrogen and biomethane and electrification. They just were not so naive as to expect these technologies to solve a problem as imminent as what Australia, and particularly the east coast, faces.

Energys Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas facility at Curtis Island in north Queensland, Australia, on Oct. 10, 2016. (AAP Image/Origin Energy)

The federal governments agreement with the LNG producers includes this obvious swipe at Victoria (pdf):

The LNG exporters will continue to pursue efforts to develop and deliver new economically viable gas supplies from their project resources. The Australian government will continue to advocate for the removal of state and territory-based exploration and development bans and moratoria and encourage jurisdictions to accelerate exploration and development. Unlocking new supplies of gas will improve the security of supply for all Australian gas users.

Market Proposed Solutions Sidelined

Nevertheless, Victoria insists on doubling down on its naivete. When the supply problem emerged, several market participants proposed solutions that would enable them to continue satisfying their customers.

AGL, a gas retailer, proposed that an LNG import terminal could be built at Crib Point. It could have been commissioned in 2021, but the application was delayed, and after 6,000 public submissions (thats an alarming number of Victorians who are experts in Crib Points biodiversity), it was eventually rejected on environmental grounds.

Another LNG import terminal is under proposal in Geelong by Viva, who operate a refinery there. In contrast to Crib Point, this area is already significantly developed, so the environmental case should be simpler.

Even the Grattan Institute could not deny that the state has run out of freedom of choice for such a project, with energy director Tony Wood saying the terminal was the best opportunity for Victoria to find its way through what could be quite a tricky situation. As a result, the ABC was forced to start quoting high-school children for why the terminal was a bad idea.

But, thanks to their dallying, Victoria will soon instead be relying on the Port Kembla LNG import terminal in New South Wales, finishing on schedule.

The net result is that Victoria is facing a very real gas supply crisis in the near future. It is a crisis that has been forecast for several years, and the government has actively stood in the way of potential solutions. Government decisions have failed to solve an unworkable gas market and repelled investment.

At some point in the near future, however, they will be liberated from the illusion that they actually have any choices left.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  The last rider in a group of Marine motorcycle club members testified Wednesday that he saw a ball of flame and then a truck plowing through motorcycles like a bowling ball in a 2019 crash in New Hampshire that killed seven bikers.

Michael McEachern testified in the trial of the truck driver, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy. He said he saw the westbound truck, which was pulling a flatbed trailer, hit some of the eastbound riders shortly after the group left a motel to head to an American Legion post for a meeting that June 21.

He said he tried to help them, but he saw that some had died, including a husband and wife found underneath the truck's front bumper.

After I saw that I couldn't do anything for them, I covered them up, he said.

Another rider who died was thrown off a bike and found in the woods, he said. One was slumped over bushes. Another was pinned under the trailer.

McEachern saw that the truck was on fire. He ran into the driver.

He just jumped out of the truck, started screaming, What did I do, What did I do? Mommy, Mommy! Oh my God, Oh my God! McEachern testified in state superior court in Lancaster.

He said he tried to keep Zhukovskyy away from the burning truck, but that Zhukovskyy made trips back to the vehicle to retrieve items.

McEachern said he asked Zhukovskyy what had happened. He mentioned he lost control of the trailer, he said.

Zhukovskyy, 26, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of negligent homicide, manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless conduct. He's been in jail since the crash.

Prosecutors said Zhukovskyy had taken drugs that day and was driving recklessly. But his lawyers said he was not impaired at the time. They said the president of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, Albert Woody Mazza, who led the pack of riders, was drunk, lost control of his motorcycle, and came into contact with Zhukovskyys truck first, causing the crash. Mazza died.

Two riders traveling closer to Mazza testified that part of the truck had crossed the yellow line, and then hit Mazza.

His bike went flying backwards, said Valerie Ribeiro, who was a passenger on her husband's motorcycle. Just like a toy flying through the air.

Everything was on fire. It was motorcycle parts everywhere. It was like a bomb had gone off, she testified.

She said Wednesday the front quarter of the truck was over the line. But defense attorney Steve Mirkin said Ribeiro did not mention that in her initial statement to police the day after the crash.

Another rider who also was traveling near Mazza testified that the truck's left front tire was over the line, possibly by as much as a foot, before the truck hit Mazza's motorcycle. However, Mirkin pointed out the rider told police a few days after the crash that the tire was on top of the yellow line, or even more so.

Other motorcyclists who were in the back of the group testified Wednesday that they saw Mazza drinking beer earlier that day, but that they did not see any signs that he was impaired.

The motorcyclists who died were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and ranged in age from 42 to 62. They were part of a larger group that had just left a motel along U.S. Route 2 in Randolph.

Killed were Mazza, of Lee, New Hampshire; Edward and Jo-Ann Corr, a couple from Lakeville, Massachusetts; Michael Ferazzi, of Contoocook, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, of Concord, New Hampshire; Daniel Pereira, of Riverside, Rhode Island; and Aaron Perry, of Farmington, New Hampshire.

Several bikers were also injured.
NORWALK  The public will have another month to weigh in on the proposed site for Connecticuts first Wegmans.

The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission voted last week to continue the public hearing to Aug. 17 for the proposed Wegmans grocery store, and its plans for a parking structure and two additional retail buildings.

Wegmans continues to work with the Norwalk Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department to resolve traffic issues associated with the proposed location off Connecticut Avenue. The commission will determine next month if its ready to take action on the proposed supermarket.

AKRF Inc., an engineering consultant firm in Stamford, conducted a review for Wegmans of the traffic impact study prepared by Landgan CT Inc. The report made several conclusions and recommendations if Wegmans moves forward with its plans for developments.

The review said the supermarket has the potential to generate notable traffic to the already congested Route 1 corridor as noted in the TIS. It also said the proposed site improvements would improve access for customers entering and exiting the Wegmans site, but Route 1 is anticipated to exhibit increased congestion.

AKRF recommended Wegmans provide technology improvements for the traffic signals, specifically adaptive traffic control functionality. The consultant also suggested further discussion of higher crash locations along Connecticut Avenue at Richards Avenue, the Walmart driveway and Keeler Avenue, and to analyze crashes between Jan. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019.

The traffic impact study analyzed crash data from January 2018 to December 2020, which included a period during the COVID-19 pandemic when traffic patterns were changed and traffic volumes were considerably lower than pre-pandemic, according to AKRF.

AKRF also recommended installing pedestrian signals at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and the Walmart driveway and proposed Wegmans driveway. There are no existing pedestrian crosswalks to cross Connecticut Avenue.

Wegman plans to build a 91,000-square-foot grocery store at 47 Richards Ave., the current home of MBI Inc. The proposal includes demolishing the existing 110,000-square-foot office building as well as two retail buildings at 677 and 651 Connecticut Ave. to accommodate new access roads.

Two new retail buildings would be built on the Connecticut Avenue properties. A two-level parking structure is also proposed outside the grocery store structure. A bank at 667 Connecticut Ave. would remain standing.

Three Norwalk residents voiced their concerns with the commission earlier this month about existing traffic congestion in the area. The Wegmans proposal includes two access points on Connecticut Avenue, including one in front of Walmart, as well as one on Richards Avenue and one on Keeler Avenue.

Norwalk resident Judy Phillips said the proposed site for the supermarket would add to a traffic nightmare that already exists.

emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  The scorching heat spell in the Pacific Northwest is now expected to last longer than forecasters had initially predicted, setting parts of the normally temperate region on course to break heat wave duration records.

We warmed up the forecast for the latter part of this week, said David Bishop, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon. His office is now forecasting up to 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 Celsius) for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Portland already hit 102 F (38.9 C) on Tuesday, a new record daily high, prompting the National Weather Service to extend the excessive heat warning for the city from Thursday through Saturday evening.

Seattle on Tuesday also reported a new record daily high of 94 F (34.4 C).

The duration of the heat wave puts Oregons biggest city on course to tie its longest streak of six consecutive days of 95 F (35 C) or higher.

Climate change is fueling longer heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, a region where weeklong heat spells were historically rare, according to climate experts.

Heat-related 911 calls in Portland have tripled in recent days, from an estimated eight calls on Sunday to 28 calls on Tuesday, said Dan Douthit, a spokesperson for the citys Bureau of Emergency Management. Most calls involved a medical response, Douthit added.

Multnomah County, which includes Portland, said there has been an uptick in the number of people visiting emergency departments for heat-related symptoms.

Emergency department visits have remained elevated since Sunday, the county said in a statement. In the past three days, hospitals have treated 13 people for heat illness, when they would normally expect to see two or three.

People working or exercising outside, along with older people, were among those taken to emergency departments, the statement added.

On Wednesday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office said at least two people have died from suspected hyperthermia during the heat wave. One death occurred in Portland on Monday, the Multnomah County Medical Examiners Office said.

The state medical examiners office said the heat-related death designation is preliminary and could change after further investigation. The official cause of death may not be confirmed until several months later.

People in Portlands iconic food cart industry are among those who work outside. Many food trucks have shut down as sidewalks sizzle.

Rico Loverde, the chef and owner of the food cart Monster Smash Burgers, said the temperature inside his cart is generally 20 degrees hotter than the outdoor temperature, making it 120 F (48.9 C) inside his business this week.

Loverde said he closes down if it reaches above 95 F (35 C) because his refrigerators overheat and shut down. Last week, even with slightly cooler temperatures in the mid-90s, Loverde got heat stroke from working in his cart for hours, he said.

It hurts, it definitely hurts. I still pay my employees when were closed like this because they have to pay the bills too, but for a small business its not good, he said Tuesday.

Multnomah County said its four emergency overnight cooling shelters were at half capacity on Tuesday with 130 people spending the night. But anticipating more demand, officials have decided to expand capacity at the four sites to accommodate nearly 300 people. The overnight shelters will remain open at least through Friday morning.

William Nonluecha, who lives in a tent in Portland, sought out shade with some friends as the temperature soared on Wednesday afternoon. Nonluecha was less than a minutes walk from a cooling shelter set up by local authorities but wasnt aware it was open. He said the heat in his tent was almost unbearable.

His friend Mel Taylor, who was homeless last year but now has transitional housing, said during last summers record-breaking heat wave a man in a tent near his died from heat exhaustion and no one realized it. Hes afraid the same thing might happen this summer.

He was in his tent for like a week and the smell, thats how they figured out that he was dead, Taylor said. Its sad.

Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summers deadly heat dome weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths.

About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during a 2021 heat wave that hit in late June and early July. The temperature at the time soared to an all-time high of 116 F (46.7 C) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were older and lived alone.

Other regions of the U.S. often experience temperatures of 100 degrees. But in regions like the Pacific Northwest, people are not as acclimated to the heat and are more susceptible to it, said Craig Crandall, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Theres a much greater risk for individuals in areas such as the Northwest to have higher instances of heat-related injuries and death, Crandall said.

Crandall said people who are continually exposed to heat have certain bodily adaptations allowing them to cool off more efficiently. A main acclimation response is an increase in the amount of sweat released from sweat glands.

The combination of lack of air conditioning and not being exposed to the heat and not having those adaptations can put people in the Northwest more at risk during heat waves compared to warmer parts of the country, he said.

Portland officials have opened cooling centers in public buildings and installed misting stations in parks. TriMet, which operates public transportation in the Portland metro area, is offering free rides to cooling centers for passengers who cannot afford to pay.

Officials in Seattle and Portland on Tuesday issued air quality advisories expected to last through Saturday.

Further south, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory on Wednesday for western Nevada and northeast California that is set to last from the late Thursday morning until Saturday night. Across the region, near record daytime high temperatures will range from 99 to 104 degrees F (37.22 to 40 C).

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AP reporter Gillian Flaccus and AP photographer Craig Mitchelldyer contributed from Portland, Oregon, and AP reporter Gabe Stern contributed from Carson City, Nevada.

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Claire Rush is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korea plans to lift its decadeslong ban on public access to North Korean television, newspapers and other publications as part of its efforts to promote mutual understanding between the rivals, officials said Friday, despite animosities over the North's recent missile tests.

Divided along the worlds most heavily fortified border since 1948, the two Koreas prohibit their citizens from visiting each others territory and exchanging phone calls, emails and letters, and they block access to each others websites and TV stations.

In a policy report to new President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, South Koreas Unification Ministry said it will gradually open the door for North Korean broadcasts, media and publications to try to boost mutual understanding, restore the Korean national identity and prepare for a future unification.

Ministry officials said South Korea will start by allowing access to North Korean broadcasts to try to encourage North Korea to take similar steps. The ministry refused to provide further details, saying the plans are still being discussed with relevant authorities in South Korea.

Jeon Young-sun, a research professor at Seouls Konkuk University, said North Korea is unlikely to reciprocate because the flow of South Korean cultural and media content would pose a really huge threat to its authoritarian leadership.

Ruled by three generations of the Kim family since its 1948 foundation, North Korea strictly restricts its citizens access to outside information, though many defectors have said they watched smuggled South Korean TV programs while living in the North. In 2014, North Korean troops opened fire when South Korean activists launched balloons carrying USB sticks containing information about the outside world and leaflets critical of the Kim family toward North Korean territory.

Relations between the two Koreas remain strained over North Koreas torrid run of missile tests this year. Yoon, a conservative, has said he would take a tougher stance on North Korean provocations, though he said he has an audacious plan to improve the North's economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.

Despite the Norths likely reluctance to reciprocate, Jeon said South Korea needs to ease its ban on North Korean media because the restrictions have led to dependence on foreigners and other governments to gather North Korea-related information. Jeon said that has increased the danger of acquiring distorted information on North Korea.

It wasnt clear how anti-North Korea activists in the South would react to the government's move. Jeon said there was little chance the move would promote pro-North Korean sentiments.

South Korea, the worlds 10th-largest economy, is a global cultural powerhouse. Its nominal gross domestic product in 2019 was 54 times bigger than that of North Korea, according to South Korean estimates.

Some observers say the ban must be lifted in a step-by-step process with discussions on what North Korean contents would be allowed first and how the access should be given to the South Korean public.

While South Korean authorities block access to North Korean government websites and other media, they rarely crack down on experts, journalists and others using virtual private networks or proxy servers to access them. A large number of North Korean movies, songs and other contents are also available on YouTube, which is accessible in South Korea.
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The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling was expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies.

Some Republican-led states banned or severely limited abortion immediately after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, while other restrictions will take effect later.

In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats took steps to protect abortion access. The decision also set up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted.

Here is an overview of the impact the ruling has had so far in every state and the status of their laws.

ALABAMA

Political control: Alabamas Republican-controlled Legislature and Republican governor want to ban or restrict access to abortions.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Hours after the Dobbs ruling, a judge lifted an order that had blocked a 2019 law with one of the nations most stringent abortion bans from being enforced.

Whats in effect: The ban is now in effect. It makes it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. There is an exception in cases where the womans health is at serious risk. The penalty is up to 99 years in prison.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers have said they would like to see the state replace the 2019 ban with a slightly less stringent bill that would allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Proponents said the 2019 ban was deliberately strict in the hopes of sparking a court challenge to Roe.

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ALASKA

Political control: Republicans hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, but the House has a bipartisan coalition majority composed largely of Democrats. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who believes life begins at conception, is seeking reelection. His main challengers  independent former Gov. Bill Walker, and Democrat Les Gara  have said they would protect abortion rights if elected.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The Legislature ended its regular session before the decision came out, and there has been no push for a special session.

Whats in effect: The state Supreme Court has interpreted the right to privacy in the state constitution as encompassing abortion rights.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Voters in the fall will be asked if they want to hold a constitutional convention, a question that comes up every 10 years. Many conservatives who want to overhaul how judges are selected and do away with the interpretation that the constitutions right to privacy clause allows for abortion rights see an opportunity in pushing for a convention.

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ARIZONA

Political control: The GOP controls both chambers of the state Legislature. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey must leave office in January because of term limits.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Legal uncertainty about two different abortion laws prompted clinics to stop providing the procedure. Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich has asked a judge to lift a decades-old order that blocks enforcement of an abortion ban passed before Arizona was a state. But a new law scheduled to take effect Sept. 24 would be less stringent, banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Also after the Dobbs ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court began allowing the state to enforce a 2021 ban on abortions done solely because the fetus has a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome. But a federal judge in Phoenix in July blocked enforcement of another part of that so-called personhood law that grants legal rights to fertilized eggs or fetuses. Abortion rights supporters said that could have been used to charge providers with assault, child abuse or other crimes for otherwise-legal abortions.

Whats in effect: The law before Dobbs barred abortions after about 22 weeks.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: More court battles are expected over whether the earlier, more complete ban is in effect and whether Arizonas less stringent law can take effect in September.

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ARKANSAS

Political control: The Legislature and governors office are controlled by Republicans. Gov. Asa Hutchinson is term-limited and will leave office in January. Republican nominee Sarah Sanders, press secretary to former President Donald Trump, is widely favored to succeed him in the November election.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A trigger ban on most abortions adopted in 2019 went into effect.

Whats in effect: Abortions are banned with the exception of when the procedure is needed to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: Hutchinson favors exceptions in the case of pregnancies caused by rape or incest, but he does not expect to ask lawmakers to consider it at a special legislative session.

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CALIFORNIA

Political control: Democrats who support access to abortion control all statewide elected offices and have large majorities in the Legislature.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The day of the Dobbs ruling, Gov. Gavin Newsome signed a bill intended to protect patients or providers from being sued in states that have abortion bans. He has also launched a commitment with Oregon and Washington to defend access to abortion.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in California until viability, generally considered to be around 24 weeks.

Clinics offering abortion? Yes.

Whats next: Lawmakers plan to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would explicitly guarantee the right to an abortion and contraceptives.

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COLORADO

Political Control: Colorados Democratic-controlled Legislature adopted and its Democratic governor signed into law a fundamental right to abortions in April.

Whats happened since Dobbs: After the legislature introduced the bill codifying abortion rights, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order saying Coloradans will not participate in out-of-state abortion-related investigations.

Whats in effect: Colorados Reproductive Health Equity Act declares fundamental rights to abortions at any stage of pregnancy. The law also prohibits local governments from denying, restricting, or depriving individuals of an abortion. State law still prohibits public funding for abortions and requires that minors inform their parents.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Republican lawmakers in Colorado have spoken about legislative challenges to the new state law. Colorado clinics are gearing up for an expected wave of out-of-state abortion seekers as surrounding states pass abortion bans.

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CONNECTICUT

Political control: Democrats who control the Connecticut General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A law protecting abortion providers from other states bans took effect July 1. It created a legal cause of action for providers and others sued in another state, enabling them to recover certain legal costs. It also limits the governors discretion to extradite someone accused of performing an abortion, as well as participation by Connecticut courts and agencies in those lawsuits.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in Connecticut until viability, generally considered to be around 24 weeks. A law adopted in 2022 allows advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives or physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Theres been discussion of amending the state constitution to enshrine the right to abortion, which could take many years.

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DELAWARE

Political control: Democrats control the governors office and the General Assembly and have taken several steps to ensure access to abortion.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The state already had a 2017 law to codify the right to abortion and a 2022 law allowing physician assistants and advanced practiced registered nurses to prescribe abortion-inducing medications. After the ruling, the state adopted another law allowing physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwives to perform abortions before viability that includes legal protections for providers and patients.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal until viability.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: With protections in place, no major abortion policy changes are expected.

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Political control: The local government in the nations capital is controlled by Democrats, with a Democratic mayor and the D.C. Council split between Democrats and nominal independent politicians, who are all, invariably, Democrats.

Whats happened since Dobbs: No policy changes have come about since the ruling.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would declare Washington, D.C., a sanctuary city for those coming from states where abortion is banned. But because Congress has oversight power over D.C. laws, a future ban or restrictions remain possible depending on control of Congress.

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FLORIDA

Political control: Republicans control the House and Senate and governors office, with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis pledging to expand pro-life protections after the Dobbs decision.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Floridas new 15-week abortion ban law went into effect July 1. The law is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit from abortion providers in Florida but remains in effect.

Whats in effect: The Florida law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save the pregnant womans life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exceptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Violators could face up to five years in prison. Physicians and other medical professionals could lose their licenses and face administrative fines of $10,000 for each violation.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The lawsuit against Floridas 15 week ban is ongoing and is expected to eventually reach the state Supreme Court. Republicans believe the conservative-controlled court will uphold the law.

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GEORGIA

Political control: Georgia has a GOP-controlled General Assembly and a Republican governor who support abortion restrictions, but all are up for election this November.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A federal appeals court allowed the states 2019 abortion law to be enforced in a July 20 ruling after three years of being on hold.

Whats in effect: The law bans abortion when fetal cardiac activity can be detected and also declares a fetus a person for purposes including income tax deductions and child support. There are exceptions in cases of rape  if a police report is filed  and incest. There are exceptions if a womans life or health would be threatened.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers and candidates want Georgia to go further and ban abortion entirely, but Gov. Brian Kemp is unlikely to call a special session before Novembers general election. Lawmakers are likely to consider further action when they return for their annual session in January. A major factor is whether Kemp is reelected or unseated by Democrat Stacey Abrams in Novembers election.

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HAWAII

Political control: Hawaiis governor is a Democrat and Democrats control more than 90% of the seats in the state House and Senate.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The law hasnt changed.

Whats in effect: Hawaii legalized abortion in 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade. The state allows abortion until a fetus would be viable outside the womb. After that, its legal if a patients life or health is in danger.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Democratic lawmakers are considering how they might protect Hawaii medical workers from prosecution or civil litigation from other states for treating residents who arent full-time Hawaii residents such as military dependents or college students. Policymakers are paying attention to how the state may increase access to abortion on more rural islands where there is a doctor shortage, for example by boosting training for some nurses who under a new law passed last year are allowed to perform first-trimester abortions.

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IDAHO

Political control: Republicans hold supermajorities in the House and Senate and oppose access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The ruling triggered a ban on all abortions except in cases of reported rape or incest or to protect the mothers life. It is to take effect Aug. 25. President Joe Biden's administration has sued over the measure, arguing that it conflicts with a federal law requiring doctors to provide pregnant women with medically necessary treatment.

Whats in effect: Current law allows abortions up to viability, around 24 weeks, with exceptions to protect the womans life or in case of nonviable fetuses.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The Idaho Supreme Court is expected to rule in August on whether to lift an injunction that blocked enforcement of a law that could subject medical providers who perform abortions to lawsuits and criminal charges.

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ILLINOIS

Political control: Illinois is overwhelmingly Democratic with laws providing greater access to abortion than most states. Democrats hold veto-proof supermajorities in the House and Senate, and the Democratic first-term governor seeking reelection this year, J.B. Pritzker, has promoted peaceful protests to protect the right to an abortion.

Whats happened since Dobbs: No major policy changes. Pritzker has called for a special legislative session to expand abortion rights.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in Illinois to the point of viability, and later to protect the patients life or health.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: A possible expansion of abortion access rights.

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INDIANA

Political control: Indiana has a Republican-dominated Legislature and a GOP governor who favors restricting abortion access.

Whats happened since Dobbs: On Aug. 5, Indiana became the first state in the nation to approve such legislation banning abortions since the Supreme Court's ruling. The ban, which takes effect next month, includes some exceptions. Abortions will be permitted in cases of rape and incest, before 10-weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. Victims of rape and incest wont be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack, as had once been proposed.

Whats in effect: Abortion in Indiana is currently legal up to about 20 weeks, with tighter restrictions after 13 weeks. Federal judges have lifted several previous injunctions  including abortions based on disability, gender, and race. Indiana doctors must also report abortions they perform on patients under 16 and procedures with complications.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes

Whats next: The new ban takes effect Sept. 15.

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IOWA

Political control: Iowa has a Republican governor and Republicans have large majorities in both legislative chambers.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Kim Reynolds has asked state courts to reverse earlier decisions following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling and an Iowa Supreme Court decision that found the state constitution doesnt guarantee the right to an abortion. Among the cases is a law she signed but was blocked by a district court that would have banned abortion once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus.

Whats in effect: A law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy remains in effect while Reynolds pursues the tougher ban in court, as does a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion.

Clinics offering abortions?: Yes.

Whats next: Reynolds says she will wait for the courts to act on her request to reverse previous rulings before proposing additional restrictions.

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KANSAS

Political control: Kansas has a Legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for reelection this year.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Kansas voters on Aug. 2 rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have given lawmakers the authority to restrict or ban abortion.

Whats in effect: Kansas allows abortion until the 22nd week of pregnancy. After that, abortion is allowed only to save a patients life or to prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. Stricter laws are on hold after a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that the states constitution grants a fundamental right to abortion.

Clinics offering abortion? Yes.

Whats next: The constitutional amendment vote was the first of its kind in the U.S. since the Dobbs ruling, and it's likely to have activists on both sides across the country recalibrating their strategies.

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KENTUCKY:

Political control: Republicans have super majorities in the Kentucky House and Senate, and the GOP passed a trigger law in 2019 that imposed a near-total abortion ban. Kentuckys Democratic governor opposes the ban and notes that it doesnt provide exceptions for rape or incest.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Kentuckys only two abortion clinics halted the procedure, but a Louisville judge halted enforcement of the states trigger law a few days later.

Whats in effect: On July 22, the Louisville judge issued an injunction blocking the states near-total abortion ban while the abortion clinics challenge its constitutionality.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Kentuckians are set to vote in November on a constitutional amendment that would ensure there are no state constitutional protections for abortion.

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LOUISIANA

Political control: Louisianas Legislature is controlled by Republicans who passed a trigger law to ban most abortions. Its Democratic governor, who is Catholic, also opposes abortions, though he supports exceptions for victims of rape or incest.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Immediately after the ruling, Louisianas three abortion clinics halted abortion procedures as the trigger law went into effect. However, since then, the ban has taken effect and been blocked multiple times in the form of rulings and temporary restraining orders.

Whats in effect: The ban is currently being enforced. Plaintiffs filed an appeal with the Louisiana Supreme Court that would have blocked the ban for a third time, but were denied Friday, Aug. 12.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: A state district judges order gives attorneys until Aug. 20 to develop plans for a trial on whether the law should be permanently blocked. In Louisiana, where the Legislature has long been dominated by abortion opponents, there is little question that an abortion ban will eventually be in effect.

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MAINE

Political control: Both chambers of the Maine Legislature, which has adjourned, are controlled by Democrats and the state has a Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Janet Mills has signed an executive order that bars state agencies from cooperating with other states abortion investigations and says extradition attempts in those cases would be denied.

Whats in effect: A 1993 law signed by a Republican governor affirms the right to abortion before the fetus is viable. Abortion is allowed after viability if the health or life of the patient is at risk, or if the pregnancy is no longer viable. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals may perform abortions.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: No major changes are expected unless Republican former Gov. Paul LePage unseats Mills in her reelection bid and Republicans take control of both chambers of the Legislature.

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MARYLAND

Political control: Marylands General Assembly is controlled by Democrats who expanded abortion access this year by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogans veto of the bill in April.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Nothing changed immediately.

Whats in effect: State law prohibits restrictions to abortion prior to viability. The state approved legislation in 1991 to protect abortion rights if the U.S. Supreme Court ever restricted access; voters approved that right in 1992. Some nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants already have received training on medication abortion.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Hogan, who will leave office due to term limits in January, has said he will not advance state funds to train non-physicians to provide abortions before its required next year.

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MASSACHUSETTS

Political control: Democrats control the Massachusetts Legislature and support access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor, although they differ on specific policies.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order on June 24 barring state agencies from assisting another states investigation into people or businesses for receiving or delivering reproductive health services that are legal in Massachusetts. The state also wont cooperate with extradition requests from other states pursuing criminal charges. Just over a month later, Baker signed into law a measure intended to protect access to abortion and expand access to emergency contraceptives.

Whats in effect: Recent changes to Massachusetts law allows abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the child would not survive after birth, and lowers from 18 to 16 the age at which women can seek an abortion without consent from a parent or guardian.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: In liberal Massachusetts, restrictions are unlikely to be adopted.

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MICHIGAN

Political control: Both chambers of Michigans Legislature are controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access. The Democratic governor, who is up for reelection this year, supports access.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Abortion remains legal in Michigan after a state judge issued a preliminary injunction in May blocking immediate enforcement of a 1931 law banning nearly all abortions. Michigans Legislature has appealed the decision. Abortion rights activists have taken steps to bring a constitutional amendment before voters on the November ballot. The amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and reproductive services such as birth control.

Whats in effect: The May temporary injunction, which stems from a Planned Parenthood lawsuit, blocked the 1931 law from going into effect and has kept abortion legal for now. The Michigan Court of Appeals suddenly changed course and said county prosecutors werent covered by the injunction and could enforce the ban. But another judge stepped in and said prosecutors  for now  must not follow the prohibition.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The state's election bureau and board of canvassers still need to verify and validate that the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative submitted at least 425,000 valid signatures before the constitutional amendment officially makes the ballot. The issue is also expected to shape legislative and statewide elections this fall; the Democratic governor and attorney general have made abortion rights a centerpiece of their reelection campaigns.

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MINNESOTA

Political control: Anti-abortion Republicans control the Senate and Democrats hold the House, but the majorities are slim. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is stressing his support for abortion rights as he seeks another term.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Minnesota abortion clinics are starting to see a surge of out-of-state patients. On July 11, a state judge further eased access to abortion by striking down as unconstitutional several restrictions such as a 24-hour waiting period and parental notification.

Whats in effect: A Minnesota Supreme Court ruling from 1995 says the state constitution protects abortion rights. Minnesota allows abortions up to the point of viability, typically 24 weeks. However, some legal experts have questioned whether that cutoff would stand up in court.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Democrats are making abortion rights a major issue as they seek to hold the governors office and House and take control of the Senate. Some Republican candidates are notably trying to downplay the issue.

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MISSISSIPPI

Political control: Mississippis Republican-controlled Legislature and Republican governor have pushed for years to ban or restrict access to abortions. A 2018 Mississippi law to ban abortions after 15 weeks was the basis of the case that the U.S. Supreme Court used to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Mississippis only abortion clinic, Jackson Womens Health Organization, did its final abortions July 6 and has permanently closed. The clinic owner said she is selling the building and the clinics lawyers have withdrawn a lawsuit challenging a trigger law that bans most abortions.

Whats in effect: The trigger law passed in 2007 is in effect. It allows abortions only if a patient's life is in danger or if a pregnancy was caused by a rape that was reported to law enforcement.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn says he will oppose any effort to allow abortion for pregnancies caused by incest because he believes life begins at conception.

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MISSOURI

Political control: Both GOP Gov. Mike Parson and the Republican-led General Assembly support laws against abortion.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A 2019 trigger ban on most abortions went into effect.

Whats in effect: The ban makes abortions illegal except in cases of medical emergency. Performing illegal abortions is punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: The city of St. Louis proposed a $1 million fund to help residents travel to neighboring Illinois for abortions, but Missouri Attorney General Schmitt has sued to block it.

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MONTANA

Political control: The Republicans who control the Montana Legislature and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte want to limit access to abortion.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The Montana Republican Party updated its party platform to say it opposes all elective abortions. The party rejected a proposal to include an exception for rape or incest.

Whats in effect: Abortion used to be legal in Montana up until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy, but the state Legislature passed a bill in 2021 to reduce that to 20 weeks. That law, along with one that requires chemical abortions to be done with in-person medical supervision, are being challenged in court. A state judge temporarily blocked enforcement in October 2021 while the challenges move through the courts. The Montana Supreme Court on Aug. 9 upheld the temporary injunction. Justices also denied the states motion to overturn a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion that found the states constitutional right to privacy guarantees a womans access to abortion care. The justices said they would not take up the merits of the case while ruling on a preliminary injunction.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The Montana Legislature passed a referendum to ask voters this November whether they support a state law to require abortion providers to give lifesaving treatment to a fetus that is born alive after a botched abortion. Opponents argue federal law already offers those protections.

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NEBRASKA

Political control: Nebraska has a Republican governor who favors a full abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. The officially nonpartisan one-chamber Legislature is dominated by lawmakers who identify as Republicans.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Nebraska law has not changed.

Whats in effect: Abortion remains legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy in Nebraska. Those seeking an abortion must receive counseling and wait 24 hours before getting an abortion. People under 19 must have parental consent to undergo an abortion.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Gov. Pete Ricketts remains noncommittal about calling a special session to address abortion, despite many Republican lawmakers pushing to outlaw the procedure. Abortion opponents dont appear to have the 33-vote supermajority needed to overcome a filibuster waged by abortion-rights supporters.

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NEVADA

Political control: Nevadas governor and state attorney general are Democrats who are up for reelection this year. Democrats control the state Senate and Assembly.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Abortion has become a campaign issue in top state and federal races, and Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed an executive order to protect access to abortion for residents and those from other states.

Whats in effect: Nevada voters enshrined the right to abortion in state law in 1990. A pregnancy can be terminated during the first 24 weeks, and after that to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. It would take a statewide vote to change or repeal the law. Most Republican candidates for statewide posts say they oppose abortion.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Anti-abortion advocates are not expected to try to repeal Nevadas abortion law. They have said theyll seek laws requiring waiting periods, mandatory counseling or parental consent.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Political control: New Hampshire has a Republican governor and the GOP controls the 424-member Legislature. All legislative seats are up for election in November.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Legislative Democrats have urged Gov. Chris Sununu, who calls himself pro-choice to call a special session to codify abortion rights in state law. Sununu and Republican legislative leaders say theres no need.

Whats in effect: Under a law that went into effect this year, abortion is allowed until 24 weeks of pregnancy, later for the health or life of the patient or if the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life.

Clinics offering abortion? Yes.

Whats next: Republican lawmakers are divided over whether the state should further restrict abortions.

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NEW JERSEY

Political control: Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy started his second consecutive term this year.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A week after the Supreme Courts ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Murphy signed into law two bills aimed at protecting the right to abortion for out-of-state residents and barring extradition to states that have prohibited the procedure. The governor also signed a state budget that includes $45 million to expand family planning and abortion services and security upgrades for clinics. Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin and U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger of New Jersey on July 20 announced a partnership to share intelligence about threats to clinics and patients.

Clinics offering abortions: Yes.

Whats next: The states Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness is preparing to distribute money from the $5 million Reproductive Health Security Grant program.

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NEW MEXICO

Political control: The Democrats who control the New Mexico Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Several conservative Democratic state senators who voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2019 were ousted from office in 2020 by more socially progressive primary challengers.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Soon after the ruling, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order protecting abortion access. The order seeks to block New Mexico providers from being punished in other states for providing abortions to residents of other states.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in New Mexico, even in the third trimester.

Clinics offering abortions: Yes.

Whats next: The owner of the Jackson Womens Health Organization at the center of the Dobbs decision plans to open a clinic in the city of Las Cruces, near Texas. Conservative counties are considering anti-abortion resolutions that say clinics are not welcomed. Abortion has taken center stage in the gubernatorial campaign.

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NEW YORK

Political control: The Democrats who control the New York Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $25 million to expand access to abortion services and $10 million in grants to provide security at clinics. Less that two weeks before Dobbs, she signed other measures intended to protect abortion access.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, and after that to preserve the patients life or health or if the fetus isnt viable.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Some abortion rights advocates are pushing lawmakers to begin the process of passing a constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion.

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NORTH CAROLINA

Political control: Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the states General Assembly. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper supports abortion rights, but his veto power could be nullified if Republicans win more seats in November.

Whats happened since Dobbs: On the day of the ruling, Republican legislative leaders asked Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, an abortion rights supporter, to demand a federal court lift an injunction on a 1973 state law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Stein declined. Cooper has signed an executive order that shields out-of-state abortion patients from extradition and prohibits state agencies from assisting other states prosecutions of those who travel to North Carolina for the procedure.

Whats in effect: A 2019 federal court ruling, affirmed last year by the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, extended the right to an abortion in North Carolina until fetal viability, which typically falls between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. An abortion can be still be performed after viability in certain medical emergencies.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Republican General Assembly leaders have signaled that Steins inaction on the 20-week abortion ban injunction might lead them to petition the court on their own. A federal judge could also consider reinstating the ban without lawmaker involvement. The Republican party will likely intensify its efforts in this years elections to gain the five additional seats it needs for a veto-proof supermajority. Cooper and other Democrats already are making abortion rights a key campaign issue. Abortion politics also are expected to figure in two state Supreme Court elections in November. Republicans would gain a majority on the court if they win at least one.

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NORTH DAKOTA

Political control: North Dakota has a legislature dominated by Republicans who want to ban abortion, and the GOP governor had wanted Roe v. Wade wiped off the books in favor of states rights.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The ruling triggered a 2007 law to ban most abortions, but a judge blocked enforcement on July 27, the day before it was to kick in.

Whats in effect: Under current law, abortions are legal in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and after that in the case of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the patient.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The states only clinic, the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo, is fighting implementation of the ban and plans to move to Moorhead, Minnesota, if abortion is outlawed. The order putting enforcement on hold gave the clinic a reprieve.

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OHIO

Political control: Both legislative chambers are controlled by Republicans. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, an abortion opponent, is seeking reelection.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A ban on abortions after the first detectable fetal cardiac activity has taken effect. Clinics dropped a federal lawsuit challenging the law and have filed a challenge under the Ohio Constitution. Republican Attorney General Dave Yost is fighting them.

Whats in effect: A law prohibiting most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected except when the patients life is threatened or their health is at significant risk.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Republican lawmakers will move for a total abortion ban after the November election. Some support recently introduced legislation declaring personhood begins at conception. Statehouse plans may change if the Ohio Supreme Court allows the clinics state constitutional challenge to proceed.

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OKLAHOMA

Political control: Republicans in Oklahoma have a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature and a Republican governor up for reelection this year who has vowed to sign every pro-life legislation that came across my desk.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Abortion services were halted in the state in May after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law blocking all abortions with few exceptions. The ruling also triggered a 1910 law that makes it a felony, punishable by two to five years in prison, to perform an abortion or for anyone advising or using any other means whatever to help a woman obtain an abortion.

Whats in effect: Abortions are banned except to protect the life of a patient. Current laws carry civil penalties, as well as criminal penalties for those who perform an abortion or help a woman get one.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: A separate criminal statute takes effect on Aug. 27 that makes it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, to perform an abortion, with an exception only to save the life of the pregnant woman.

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OREGON

Political control: The Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Kate Brown has said she will protect abortion access for all.

Whats in effect: Oregon does not have any major abortion restrictions and it is legal at all stages of pregnancy.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Democratic lawmakers have formed a group to make recommendations to expand access to all forms of reproductive care.

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PENNSYLVANIA

Political control: Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are hostile to abortion rights, but the states Democratic governor is a strong supporter and has vetoed three GOP-penned bills in five years. The race for governor this year could tilt that balance.

Whats happened since Dobbs: No changes in the law or major court battles.

Whats in effect: Pennsylvania allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: In November, voters will decide on a new governor between the states Democratic attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who supports abortion rights, and Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who supports banning abortion with no exceptions. The Legislature is expected to remain in Republican hands. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers aiming to overturn a 1982 law that bans the use of state dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Republican lawmakers are advancing a proposal to amend the state constitution to declare there is no constitutional right to an abortion or to public funding for an abortion. The proposal could go before voters as early as May 2023.

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RHODE ISLAND

Political control: Democrats who control Rhode Islands General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Daniel McKee signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies from cooperating with other states investigations into people who travel to Rhode Island for abortions or health care providers that perform them.

Whats in effect: A 2019 law enshrined abortion protections in the state. The law says Rhode Island cannot restrict abortion prior to fetal viability or after if it is necessary to protect the health or life of the patient.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Legislative leaders have said they would address abortion insurance coverage for state employees and people in the Medicaid program in 2023.

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SOUTH CAROLINA

Political control: Both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, but they are a few seats short of a two-thirds majority. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is up for reelection and Democratic opponent Joe Cunningham has said his veto of any stricter abortion bill would likely stick.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The states 2021 ban on abortion once cardiac activity is detected  typically around six weeks after fertilization  was allowed to go into effect. A Republican-dominated special House committee is working on a bill to ban all abortions unless the life of the mother is at risk.

Whats in effect: Whats in effect: South Carolina bans abortion after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity. There are exceptions for pregnancies cause by rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Lawmakers are planning special sessions to consider stricter abortion laws.

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SOUTH DAKOTA:

Political control: Republicans hold supermajorities in both legislative chambers. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is up for reelection this year and is an ardent opponent of abortion rights.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A trigger law took effect banning abortion in South Dakota except to save the life of a pregnant woman. Some conservatives had wanted to do more, including trying to stop organizations or companies from paying for women to travel out of state for an abortion, but Noem  who had initially been eager to call a special session  announced in July that any action could wait until the regular session in 2023. Meanwhile, abortion rights supporters are considering a possible campaign for a ballot initiative aimed at overturning the state abortion ban or making it less restrictive.

Whats in effect: Abortion is illegal in South Dakota except to save the life of the mother.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: Possible legislative action in 2023 aimed at making it more difficult for South Dakota residents to obtain abortion care elsewhere. Abortion rights supporters may to take the issue directly to voters to undo the ban.

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TENNESSEE

Political control: Tennessee has a Republican governor who is consistently vocal about his opposition to abortion. The GOP holds a supermajority in the General Assembly and has steadily chipped away at abortion access. Voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the state constitution does not protect or secure the right to abortion or require it to be funded.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A court allowed enforcement of a law, adopted in 2020, that bans abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected.

Whats in effect: The so-called heartbeat ban has exceptions only to prevent death or major health risks.

Clinics offering abortions? Most are not.

Whats next: An even more stringent ban triggered by the Dobbs ruling is to take effect in late August.

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TEXAS

Political control: The GOP has commanding majorities in the Texas Legislature and has controlled every statewide office for nearly 30 years. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is up for reelection in November and is favored to win a third term.

Whats happened since Dobbs: The fall of Roe put in motion a trigger law to ban virtually all abortions starting in August. In the meantime, there has been litigation over whether a 1925 state abortion ban can be enforced.

Whats in effect: A 2021 law bans abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, normally around six weeks.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: There are legal questions to be settled about which ban is in effect, but nearly all abortions are expected to be illegal soon in the nations second most populous state. Some Republican lawmakers are also looking for ways to punish companies that help Texas-based employees get abortions elsewhere, although its not clear how much support that would have in the 2023 legislative session.

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UTAH

Political control: Utah is deeply conservative and the Legislature is controlled by a Republican supermajority.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A trigger law banning nearly all abortions was put into effect and then paused by a court amid a legal challenge. Meanwhile, a court allowed a 2021 ban on abortions after 18 weeks to be enforced.

Whats in effect: Abortions after 18 weeks are banned except in cases of rape and incest if those crimes are reported to law enforcement, and if there's a serious risk to the life or health of the mother, as well as confirmed lethal birth defects.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: A court will decide whether the near-total ban is allowed under Utahs state constitution.

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VERMONT

Political control: Democrats control both the House and Senate of the Vermont Legislature. Republican Gov. Phil Scott is a firm supporter of abortion rights.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Vermont has doubled down on its commitment to abortion rights. In 2019, the Vermont Legislature passed a law guaranteeing abortion rights in anticipation of the possible overturning of Roe. At the same time, the state began the process of amending the state constitution to protect abortion rights. The proposal must be passed by two consecutively elected legislatures, a process that was completed in February 2022. The final step in the process is a statewide referendum, scheduled for November.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: The vote on the Reproductive Liberty Amendment will be held Nov. 8.

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WASHINGTON

Political control: The Democrats who control the Washington Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Gov. Jay Inslee issued a directive barring the Washington State Patrol from cooperating with other states investigations related to abortions.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in Washington until viability, and after in cases where the patents health or life is threatened.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

Whats next: Democratic officials say theyll keep looking for ways to preserve access to abortion services for people within the state and who travel from places with restrictions.

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WEST VIRGINIA

Political control: West Virginias Legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, opposes abortion access and has signed two anti-abortion laws since taking office in 2017.

What's happened since Dobbs: The state's only abortion clinic initially closed out of concern that the staff could be prosecuted under an abortion law that dates to the 1800s. But the Womens Health Center of West Virginia, in Charleston, announced it would challenge the law and resumed offering abortions. The state's House of Delegates on July 27 passed a sweeping abortion ban that the Senate amended two days later. The House rejected those amendments and sent the bill to a conference committee. Both chambers adjourned but could be called back in August.

Whats in effect: Abortion is legal in the first 20 weeks of gestation, longer in cases where the patient's life or health is at risk. Other restrictions include a 24-hour waiting period, required counseling to discourage abortion, parental permission for minors; a ban on the use of telemedicine to administer a medication abortion; and prohibition of abortions on the grounds that the child will be born with a disability.

Clinics offering abortions? Yes.

What's next: Whether the old nearly total ban can be enforced is playing out in courts. At the same time, lawmakers are forging ahead with consideration of a new nearly total ban.

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WISCONSIN

Political control: Wisconsins Legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions, but the Democratic governor supports access and is up for reelection this year.

Whats happened since Dobbs: Abortion clinics have stopped performing the procedure in Wisconsin under an 1849 law that banned abortions except to save a mothers life. Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, has filed a lawsuit in state court challenging the ban. He argues that a 1985 state law prohibiting abortion after a fetus can survive outside the womb trumps the older law. While that lawsuit is pending, anti-abortion groups have said they will work with the Republican-controlled Legislature next year to update or replace the 1849 law.

Whats in effect: Possibly the 1849 ban on all abortions except to save a womans life.

Clinics offering abortions? No.

Whats next: The attorney generals lawsuit against the 1849 law is pending in Dane County.

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WYOMING

Political control: Wyoming has one of the most Republican Legislatures in the U.S. and a Republican governor who in March approved a trigger law banning nearly all abortions.

Whats happened since Dobbs: A trigger ban on nearly all abortions took effect on July 27, only to have enforcement blocked by a court the same day.

Whats in effect: With enforcement of the new law blocked, Wyoming allows abortions until a fetus would survive outside its mothers body, around 23 weeks. The new law banning abortion only provides exceptions in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mothers life or health, not including psychological conditions.

Clinics offering abortions: No.

Whats next: Legal arguments will continue on the challenge to the more stringent ban brought by four women and two nonprofits who argue it violates the state constitution. The plaintiffs include organizers of a womens health and abortion clinic that was damaged in a May 2022 arson attack.

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Associated Press reporters from across the U.S. contributed.

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For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico was outraged when a woman who had reported threats from her neighbors because of her autistic son's loudness was set afire with alcohol and suffered fatal burns this month.

But on Tuesday, prosecutors in the western state of Jalisco suggested the woman had bought medicinal alcohol and a lighter, then set herself alight in a park.

The case of Luz Raquel Padilla comes after a string of brutal killings of women in Mexico that havent been solved by prosecutors.

Activists had charged that police failed to act on a restraining and protection order obtained by Padilla after the warning Im going to burn you alive was scrawled outside her apartment. Neighbors were reportedly angry over the loud noises her son made.

After her death, police detained a neighbor apparently named in the protection order, but authorities said there was no evidence he was anywhere near where Padilla was burned.

On Tuesday, Luis Mendez Ruiz, head prosecutor in Jalisco, said video footage from security cameras showed Padilla had bought two bottles containing about a quart (liter) of alcohol and a lighter at shops near the park where she was found badly burned July 16. She died later at a hospital.

The intention isn't ever to re-victimize or criminalize anybody, said Mendez Ruiz. The person who has been detained has rights as well.

On May 6, Padilla had requested a restraining order against a neighbor she characterized as likely being behind the threats. A judge granted the order, and the fact she died while under supposed protection fueled anger over her death. Activists said authorities hadn't done enough.

This feminicide could have been prevented if the authorities had taken stronger measures against the seriousness of the threats, Maria de la Luz Estrada of the activist group National Feminicide Observatory, said after Padilla's death. They minimized it.

But the prosecutor suggested Tuesday that the case was not straightforward, saying Padilla had had a long-running conflict with neighbors.

Mendez Ruiz said the mother of the detained man provided police with her own security footage showing Padilla apparently setting paper on fire outside her own door. Another video clip shows Padilla changing the angle of the neighbor's camera to hide the stairway where the threat was scrawled, he said.

Mendez Ruiz said the mother of the detained man has now reported receiving threats.

On Sunday, another woman in the southern state of Morelos died after a relative doused her with gasoline and set her afire July 1, local prosecutors reported. They attributed the killing to a family dispute.

The cases came as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed progress in bringing down Mexico's stubbornly high homicide rate.

Figures from the National Statistics Institute showed there were 35,625 homicides in 2021, down slightly from 36,773 in 2020. That translates to about 28 killings per 100,000 people last year, compated to 29 per 100,000 in 2020.

The homicide rate for men declined to 50 per 100,000 people from 52 per 100,000. But the rate for women remained unchanged, at about 6 per 100,000.
A Wood River man faces battery charges after a domestic incident in which he also attacked three police officers.

Joseph M. Rabus, 35, of Wood River, was charged July 25 with aggravated domestic battery and three counts of aggravated battery, all Class 2 felonies; aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; and resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor.

The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department.

According to court documents, on July 24 Rabus allegedly strangled a household or family member who was 60 or older, kicked three Wood River police officers, and resisted attempts by a Wood River police officer to place him under arrest.

Bail was set at $75,000.

In an unrelated case, a Collinsville man was charged with two counts of domestic battery and child endangerment.

Eric D. Tate, 32, of Collinsville, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and domestic battery and child endangerment, both Class A misdemeanors.

The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department.

According to court documents, on July 23 Tate allegedly strangled a household or family member, struck the victim in the face with his hand, and left a 6-year-old boy unattended at his home.

Bail was set at $75,000.

Other felony charges filed July 25 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Justin Sikorski, 33, of Collinsville, and Brendan M. Bowles, 29, of OFallon, Illinois, were each charged with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and mob action, a Class 4 felony. Sikorski was also charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a Class 4 felony. The cases were presented by the Pontoon Beach Police Department. According to court documents, on July 24 the two allegedly struck a third person in the face and body, and Bowles kicked the victim in the face, fracturing an eye socket and nasal bones. Sikorski allegedly was driving a Kia when he attempted to flee from a Pontoon Beach police officer, reaching speeds in excess of 21 miles above the posted speed limit. Bail was set at $75,000 for Sikorski and $50,000 for Bowles.

 Kristy L. Fox, 44, of St. Jacob, was charged with criminal damage to property over $500, a Class 4 felony, and violation of bail bond conditions and domestic battery, both Class A misdemeanors. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. According to court documents, on July 25 Fox allegedly caused more than $500 damage to a 2021 Jeep SUV, struck a family member in the face with her hands, and violated bail bond conditions for a domestic battery charge stemming from May 25. Bail was set at $15,000.
Though it might not be quite the packed house, White Linen Night is returning to the Heights next weekend, giving area businesses a chance to make up for lost revenue with no in-person event since 2019. (Photo from Facebook)
That release could not be found.
?? El Ministerio de Salud informa que aumento a 224 los casos confirmados de #ViruelaDelMono, que corresponden a 8 regiones del Peru, todos los pacientes vienen recibiendo asistencia medica, se registraron 35 altas medicas y se esta realizando la identificacion de contactos. pic.twitter.com/BzMQQmsRDB
It is not an exaggeration to say that to tackle Monkey pox outbreak in Nigeria that the leadership of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), being the national public health institute that has the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies in Nigeria has impressively not enlightened Nigerians about the disease.

The reason the foregoing condemnatory view about the Centre in this context cannot be farfetched as the vision of the NCDC is to ensure a healthier and safe Nigeria through the prevention and control of diseases of public health importance, while its mission is to protect the health of Nigerians through evidence based prevention, integrated disease surveillance and response activities, using a one health approach, guided by research.

In fact, its core functions are to prevent, detect and control diseases of public health importance, coordinate surveillance systems to collect, analyze and interpret data on diseases of public health importance. The Centre is also mandated to respond to small outbreaks, and lead the response to large disease outbreaks as well as develop and maintain a network of reference and specialized laboratories, conduct, collate, synthesize and disseminate public health research to inform policy and lead Nigerias engagement with the international community on diseases of public health relevance.

Given the foregoing view, as a reader, you may have been wondering why yours sincerely is throwing light to the constitutional mandate of the NCDC. Of course, it is expedient to throw light to NCDCs responsibilities, particularly as the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared the Monkey Pox virus a public health emergency of international concern, and given the fact that there is need for a coordinated response as a way of preventing and ending the spread of the disease, and protection of people in various communities from being infected by the dreaded disease.

Unfortunately, since the news of Monkey Pox began to trend, not many Nigerians know about the disease, particularly about its nature, and how it spreads. However, being aware that Nigeria is a country where every household is its own local government, particularly as people resort to self-help in generating electricity through the use of I-pass-my-neighbor generator, contribution of levy within a given neighborhood to engage private guards to secure people in the neighborhood, particularly on the basis of street security watch, constructions of boreholes for provision of water, and even as cooperatively contributing money to repair bad streets, I was compelled to buy data to enable me access the internet for me to understand what Monkey Pox really is, how it is spread, to enable me enlighten members of my family and friends about the dreaded disease, and to a large extent share the knowledge with fellow Nigerians such as been done in this context through this piece.

As a Nigerian that seeks self-help about Monkey Pox, I resorted to explore the website of MedlinePlus that has the mission to present high-quality, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted, easy to understand.

Given the foregoing, what then is monkey pox? From the information I gathered from the website, Monkey pox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkey pox virus. The monkey pox virus is in the same family of viruses as the smallpox virus. But monkey pox is less contagious than smallpox. And its disease causes milder symptoms and is usually not fatal.

In the past, most of the people who got monkey pox lived in certain parts of central and western Africa, had traveled there, or had been exposed to infected animals imported from there. During the 2022 outbreak, the disease has been found in people who live in other countries, including the United States.

At this juncture, it is expedient to say that having understood what monkey pox is, the question is how does monkey pox spread? The answer cannot be farfetched as the disease spreads in different ways: It can be contacted when you are in close contact with someone who has the virus, through direct contact with their rash, scabs, or body fluids, by breathing in the virus during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact such as kissing, cuddling, or sex, from touching items (such as clothes, bedding, or towels) that were used by someone who has the virus, during pregnancy, from the pregnant parent to the baby, from infected animals and by being scratched or bitten by the animal.

Other means of contact are by preparing or eating meat or using products from the animal, and someone who has monkey pox can spread it from the time their symptoms start until their rash has fully healed. This can take several weeks. People who do not have monkey pox symptoms cannot spread the virus to others. At this time, it is not known if monkey pox can spread through semen or vaginal fluids.

What I also gathered from the website is knowledge about what the symptoms of monkey pox are. As gathered, the symptoms of monkey pox may include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands"), chills and exhaustion.

Symptoms can also come in the form of rash with sores that can look like pimples or blisters. It could be on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. It goes through different stages before healing completely. This can take several weeks.

Not only that, sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others may only get a rash.

In the same vein, I was by virtue of my access to the website to peep into how monkey pox is diagnosed. In this regard, it is advisable to say that to find out if you have monkey pox, your health provider will ask about your symptoms and health history, and will look at your rash, take a sample of tissue from one of the sores so it can be tested for monkey pox virus, may do blood tests to check for monkey pox virus or for antibodies to the virus. For the sake of clarity, antibodies are proteins that your immune system makes to fight foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria.

Still going through the website of MedlinePlus, I got to understand that the treatments for monkey pox are not specific but many people get better on their own. In fact, I was made to understand that since monkey pox and smallpox are similar, antiviral medicines and vaccines that protect against smallpox may also help treat and prevent monkey pox. Also, antiviral medicines may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill, such as patients who have weakened immune systems.

As I ponder on the information gathered so far, a question popped into my head, and the question goes thus; Can monkey pox be prevented? In answering the question, the website has it that there are steps you can take to help prevent monkey pox: First is to avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with the monkey pox rash. So, while a person is sick with monkey pox, do not touch their rash or scabs, do not kiss, hug, cuddle, or have sex with them, do not share eating utensils or cups with them and do not touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person who has monkey pox.

In a similar vein, wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after contact with sick people, and avoid contact with animals that can spread monkey pox virus, such as rodents and primates. Also, avoid sick or dead animals, as well as any bedding or other materials they have touched.

If you are sick with monkey pox, you should isolate at home. If you have an active rash or other symptoms, you should be in a separate room from your family members and pets when possible.

In fact there is need for this update as NCDC has recently disclosed that between January and June, that the country recorded a total of 204 suspected Monkey pox, cases out of which 62 cases were confirmed to be positive.

Disclosing these during a Virtual media dialogue on Monkey pox titled: Monkey pox Spread, Infodemic and Public Health Response in Nigeria. the Incident Manager, National Monkey pox Emergency Operations Centre, Dr. Lateefat Amao, said between 2017 and June 2022, that about 25 States have recorded cases of Monkey pox in Nigeria. It will also be interesting to note that since the disclosure was made that more cases are being recorded. For instance, the Edo State Ministry of Health, on Monday, revealed that eight persons have tested positive for monkey pox in the state, urging residents to observe safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus and other infectious diseases. The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akoria Obehi, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, said the ministry has ramped up surveillance and other activities to curb the spread of infectious diseases.
The second batch of Oyo State Pilgrims from the Holy land of Saudi Arabia has arrived in Lagos.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun from Saudi Arabia indicated this on Wednesday.

The Commissioner noted that a flight carrying the Eighty-one (81) pilgrims, touched down at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, at exactly 2:04 a.m on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

Their return comes six days after the arrival of the first batch of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

The eighty-one pilgrims left their hotels in Medina for the airport at 10 a.m Nigerian time on Tuesday.

Recall that the second batch of pilgrims from the Pacesetter State left Ibadan on Tuesday 21st of June 2022 for Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, from where they were airlifted to the holy lands.

He added that there are about two hundred and fifty pilgrims from Oyo awaiting airlift to Nigeria in Saudi Arabia.

E-signed:

Hon. Wasiu Olatubosun, Ph.D.,

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism.


There seem not to be immediate solutions to the lingering crises rocking the countrys aviation sector, the .Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has stated.

Hadi stated this during an emergency meeting with the Airline Operators Association of Nigeria (AON) in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister said the variables impacting the crises in the aviation sector are beyond the industrys control.

He said there is no short term solution because of the variables involved especially because it is a global problem.

Energy crisis is real and it is global. Today, there is an aviation fuel problem all over the world, from America to New Zealand. It is aggravating in Nigeria because we dont produce the product. Its aggravated also because the foreign exchange is scarce in Nigeria, the source of earning the foreign exchange also has dwindled, he explained.

He reiterated that the federal government had in the past sourced 10,000 metric tons of aviation fuel for the airlines, adding that the government is willing to do more.

As we speak, the government is in the process of finding a permanent solution to this issue, he said.

Some of the solutions, he said, include, importation of the product at appropriate price, accelerating the refurbishment of our refineries and also waiting for the coming on stream of Dangote Refinery to boost supply of the product.

Thus he submitted that it cannot be soon.

So when you ask how soon, I wouldnt know when Dangote will come on stream; I wouldnt know how soon the refineries will be filled. I wouldnt know when imports would become sufficient. But the government is working towards all these to happen, he said.

He also said he will meet with relevant stakeholders including the CBN so the airlines can access dollars at the official market rate rather than the black market rate.

The president of AON, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, in his comment said the aviation fuel crises began from N180 per litre and now its at N1000 per litre.

He also said the Forex crisis is a huge burden on the industry. The rate at which the dollar is escalating now is very alarming. Every day, a difference between 10-15 naira is added at the parallel market. Last week, it was N610 but today, it is N670 to one dollar, he said. He called on the minister to intervene.
No fewer 175 stranded Nigerians including children, both male and female, have been received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency after returning from Libya late Tuesday.

The Coordinator of Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this development on Wednesday morning.

He said the returnees, who were received on behalf of the Federal Government, arrived at the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, around 11:50pm.

He noted that the victims were assisted back into the country by the International Organisation for Migration with funding from European Union.

In his words, NEMA has received a fresh batch of 175 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya. The Director General of the Agency, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, represented by the Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, received the returnees on behalf of the federal government on arrival.

The returnees arrived the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja aboard Boeing 737-800 Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG. The flight landed at the airport around 11:50pm under light rain drops.

At the end of profiling and documentation of the returnees, the statistics of the new returnees shows that the female adults are 64, female children are 12 and the infant females are five making the total 81 females assisted back into the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with funding from European Union.

Also, the profile indicated that male adults are 77, male children 11 and six infant males making a total of 94 males were brought back including four medical cases, two females and two males.

Other agencies along with NEMA at the reception for the returnees are NUD, FAAN, NAPTIP, Refugee Commission and the police.
ZURICH  Today, Dr. John Eibner, the president of Christian Solidarity International (CSI), wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urging the UN to fulfill its mandate to prevent genocide in Nigeria. Eibner also expressed his concern about the lack of a reply to a joint petition about Nigeria delivered to Alice Wairimu Nderitu, his Special Advisor for Genocide Prevention, five weeks ago.

The confidential petition, which concerned the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria, was delivered in person on 21 June by a delegation led by Reverend Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam. It was signed by Christian Solidarity International and thirteen other human rights defenders and representatives of NGOs active on the ground in Nigeria.

We are all united in our belief, the petition stated, that those of the Christian faith who have for over a decade been singled out for severe persecution, are presently facing an existential threat.

The petition asked the Special Advisor to use all the facilities available through your office to prevent or stop genocide and other atrocity crimes against Christians in Nigeria. It included detailed supporting documentation about the persecution of Nigerian Christians, provided by seven of the petition signers.

Five weeks later, the Office of the Secretary General still has not responded.

In light of this silence, the petition signers decided unanimously to make the petition public. CSI has taken the additional step of addressing a public letter to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, about the matter.

Nigeria now stands at the threshold of Genocide, Dr. Eibner warned in his letter. Further silence and inaction will leave the impression that the UN is unable or unwilling to fulfill its mandate when confronted with atrocity crimes of the highest magnitude.

In December 2020, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court reported that there was reasonable basis to believe that sectarian terrorist groups in Nigeria and the Nigerian Armed Forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. CSI issued a Genocide Warning for Nigeria in January 2020.

Other NGOs which signed the petition include: the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, the International Committee on Nigeria, the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, the Overseas Fellowship of Nigerian Christians, Baroness Caroline Cox for the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, the Leah Foundation, the Nigerian Evangelical Fellowship, the International Organisation for Peace and Social Justice, and the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa.
Conference of Nigeria Political Parties ( CNPP ) and a Coalition of National Civil Society Organizations (C-CSOs) have called for the immediate resignation of the current Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello -Koko, and the arrest of the former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi for defying the Federal government on matters relating to the Treasury Single Account ( TSA ), and operating two secret foreign accounts were payments are made and the funds are looted at will by the management and the supervising Minister while he was in office.

Recall that the Minister of Transportation had recently resigned to contest in the presidential election of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC ).

In a statement jointly signed by the CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu and the Secretary of the C-CSOs, Alhaji Ali Abacha, the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria and the amalgamation of over 21 civil society organisations, said that from every indication, those closest to President Muhammadu Buhari have become the most notorious in defying presidential directives and making a mess of the anti-corruption posture of his administration.

The CNPP and the C-CSOs said that a recent media report by investigative news portal, Pointblank.com, revealing that the accounts are plundered by the management and the supervising Minister since it is not within the records of the Federal government , has again put in doubt the debt of the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, and the APC as a political party , to the fight against corruption in the last seven years.

According to the CNPP and the C-CSOs, the two foreign accounts held at Citibank N.A. 111 Wall Street, New York, New York 10043 with ABA CODE 021000089, and Citibank N. A. Canada Square, Canada Wharf London E145LB for NPA Service Boat Revenue Collection, irrespective of orders by the President to the contrary must be publicly investigated.

For effective and meaningful investigation, the current Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello -Koko must immediately resign his position as he cannot be a judge in his own case.

As for Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi , we call for his immediate arrest for diligent prosecution as well as the institution of open investigation of how he prosecuted his failed presidential ambition.

We also demand immediate investigation of the ex-ministers sources of funding for his ongoing construction of a mansion with an underground at Ambassador Desmond Akawo Street, Guzape, Asokoro District, in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja .

It is reasonably believed that the funds used by the ex-Transportation Minister to prosecute his presidential ambition and for his ongoing construction of his Asokoro mansion are part of the proceeds from the plunder of the illegal foreign accounts.

The CNPP and the allied civil society organisations insisted that reports of port charges and other lucrative charges from NPA being stashed into the illegal accounts and shared by the fomer Minister and the NPA boss is the highest level of betrayal of the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari and therefore demand immediate action.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), must, at this instant, begin to investigate and initiate the processes of recovery of all the proceeds of this economic crime as part of its effort to redeem the image of the President Buhari administration as one which fights corruption only in the media , the statement concluded.

Credit: Conference of Nigeria Political Parties ( CNPP ) and a Coalition of National Civil Society
Body of American man, 73, found near Yanui Beach

PHUKET: The body of a 73-year-old American man was found floating in the waters just north of Yanui Beach in Rawai this morning (July 27).

tourismdeathpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 27 July 2022, 02:09PM

Lt Col Jarat Lempan, Deputy Chief Inspector of Chalong Police, was called to the beach at 7am.

Boonsom Phonrob, headman of Moo 1, Rawai, reported the body after a local fisherman spotted it in the water among rocks in front of the Windmill Viewpoint, just north of Yanui Beach.

Vachira Phuket Hospital medical staff and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene. Also soon to arrive was Chalong Police Chief Col Ekarat Plaidueng.

Rescue workers took several hours to safely recover the body, which was in an advanced stage of decomposition, from where it was lodged among rocks on the coastline.

The body was finally carried ashore by lifeguards at 9:50am.

The body was dressed in a round-necked shirt with green stripes with a Heineken beer logo as well as black underwear and green shorts. A red Converse shoe was still on one foot.

A red waist bag was still on the body, containing an American passport and a variety of currencies including Thai baht, US dollars and Korean won, together totaling more than B30,000 in value.

Officers also found a Alien Registration Card issued by South Korea identifying the man, originally from Pennsylvania.

Officers also found a key card for a room at Naiharn On The Rock resort.

Police at this stage postulated that the man had fallen from the rocks into the water, and that he had died at least seven days before his body was found.

Chalong Police are checking CCTV in the area and have confirmed that the man was last seen at the hotel on July 7.

Officers are continuing their investigation.

The body has been taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for post-mortem examination in the hope of confirming the cause of death.

The US Embassy in Bangkok has been notified of the mans death, police confirmed.
People invited to join Kings birthday celebrations

PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office has invited all members of the public and government organisations to join the official ceremonies to celebrate the 70th birthday of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun on Thursday (July 28).

culture

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 27 July 2022, 09:57AM

Image: Phuket Provincial Pffice

The official ceremonies will be held at the Phuket Provincial Administration Center on Tha Kraeng Rd in Phuket Town, home to the new Phuket Provincial Hall, said the notice, issued this morning (July 27).

Phuket province invites private people and government agencies to participate in activities in honour of His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty the Kings Birthday 28 July 2022 to show loyalty and gratitude at Phuket Provincial Hall (Phuket Government Center), in Talad Nuea Subdistrict, Mueang District, Phuket Province, the notice read.

The activities, which will begin at 7:45, will include an alms-giving ceremony, a formal ceremony for people to pledge their allegiance to His Majesty and a formal blessing and merit-making ceremony.

Further ceremonies will be held during the evening.

During the alms-giving ceremony government officers are to wear their normal white uniforms, with no hats. Military and police officers are to wear their normal white uniforms, with no hats, swords or gloves.

During the oath of allegiance and during the formal blessing ceremonies government officers are to wear their normal white uniforms, with hats, while military and police officers are to wear their normal white uniforms, with hats, swords and gloves.

Members of the public are to wear the colour yellow, and are encouraged to wear traditional Thai-style dress.

Royal Volunteers are to wear their uniforms of blue and yellow, while students are to wear their school uniforms and people working for non-government organisations are to wear their work uniforms.

All participants are to wear white masks or white cloth masks throughout the activities, the notice concluded.
Phuket health chief disses rumours of new monkeypox case

PHUKET: Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, has dismissed reports that a man brought to Vachira Phuket Hospital for serious infection yesterday (July 26) has monkeypox.

health

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 27 July 2022, 01:24PM

PPHO Chief Dr Kusak dismissed rumours that a woman had contracted monkeypox from Nigerian national Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, and that the man brought to Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday had no contact with Mr Nzerem too. Photo: PR Phuket / file

However, he also explained that health officials were waiting on blood test results to confirm the diagnosis.

Phuket has no more monkeypox cases. The quarantine of a Thai male patient is in accordance with medical measures for intensive surveillance and prevention of chickenpox, he said during a live broadcast on Radio Thailand Phuket this morning (July 27).

Dr Kusak said the man, who was transported from Thalang Hospital to Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday afternoon, had been placed in quarantine as standard procedure.

Phuket has not had any further reported cases of monkeypox after one person infected with monkeypox was found, he said, referring to 27-year-old Nigerian national Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem.

As for the first case of monkeypox, results from collecting samples of 19 high-low risk contacts for laboratory testing has seen all 19 of the test results negative and the symptoms [of the 19] are being monitored, Dr Kusak continued.

Medical staff are closely monitoring for symptoms, checking after seven days, 14 days and 21 days, and in high-risk exposed groups after 21 days of quarantine samples will be collected for laboratory testing one more time, he added.

As for the case on July 26, there have been rumours that a woman had contracted monkeypox after close relations with the first case involving the Nigerian [man]. I hereby confirm that such information is not true, Dr Kusak said.

The case of the Thai male patient also is not related to or have any connection to the first Nigerian patient. However, such action [quarantine and laboratory tests] is a precautionary measure for safety and is in accordance with the measures for disease detection according to the guidelines that the Ministry of Public Health and the disease control checkpoint operates, Dr Kusak said.

The Thai male patient who received treatment had a fever and a rash all over the body, so he came to the hospital to check. He had a fever and a rash, so he was detained for treatment at the hospital and we have collected blood samples for medical tests, for which we must wait one to two days for the results, he said.

While waiting for confirmation from the laboratory tests, the patient has been isolated and quarantined to wait for the symptoms to subside, in accordance with medical surveillance measures. Therefore, the people are asked not to panic, he added.

I also confirm that monkeypox is difficult to be transmitted. Contact must be direct contact

with those with monkeypox symptoms, which are clearly seen as blisters or pustules on the skin. It can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, including touching when having sex, but the patient will have a rash on the body that can be easily noticed, Dr Kusak continued.

This is different from those who are infected with COVID-19, who cannot be confirmed as being infected without being tested, he said.
Pot policy wont be axed

BANGKOK: Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has refused to back down from the move to decriminalise cannabis despite mounting calls for the policy to be immediately suspended.

Cannabishealth

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 27 July 2022, 09:23AM

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attends an exhibition at the Public Health Ministry on May 27, 2022, to promote the use of marijuana and hemp for the economy. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

Anutin, who also serves as a deputy prime minister, said yesterday (July 26) that a House committee scrutinising the bill on cannabis and hemp is expected to finish work on the bill by the end of next month before presenting it for approval by parliament and royal endorsement.

Anutin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has promised to push the bill through during the current parliamentary session, reports the Bangkok Post.

We cannot step back and make cannabis an illegal drug again. The plant is useful as a form of medical treatment and will benefit the economy. We have come too far [to turn back now], said Anutin, who also leads the Bhumjaithai Party.

He tried to allay the concerns of those calling for the policys suspension, saying regulations are in place to control the use of cannabis and that its abuse by children is also illegal.

Pushing through the decrimi- nalisation of cannabis was among Bhumjaithais flagship policies ahead of the 2019 election.

Over 850 doctors and staff at Ramathibodi Hospital are calling to reverse the decision, pending the implementation of adequate controls to prevent the abuse of cannabis by youths.

This latest salvo was announced by the president of the Forensic Physicians Association of Thailand, Smith Srisont, in a Facebook post on Monday.

Dr Smith said 851 doctors, lecturers as well as alumni of Ramathibodi Hospital under Mahidol University are calling for the policys immediate suspension because decriminalisation without adequate controls to prevent cannabis use outside of medicinal purposes could have a negative impact on young peoples physical and mental development.

In response, Bhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut, who chairs the panel overseeing cannabis- and hemp-related laws, said there are rules in place that are meant to prevent cannabis abuse, especially by individuals under 20 years of age.

Addressing the doctors concerns, he said the government is doing its best to come up with more effective rules to seal off any remaining legal loopholes in our medical cannabis regulations.

Supat Champathong, permanent secretary for the Education Ministry, yesterday voiced support for the call, saying some announcements issued by the Public Health Ministry to regulate the use of cannabis were still unclear.

One regulation bans the consumption of cannabis in public places, but not in private places or at home, Mr Supat said.

There was a news report about a school where students took cannabis in a closed-door classroom, but police could not take any action because they interpreted the action as having taken place in a private space, he said.

But this was clearly illegal because the school is a public place and people under 20 are banned from using cannabis.

He said the liberalisation of cannabis should be suspended pending the enactment of clear legal controls.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. United States Department of State spokesperson Ned Price spoke about Armenia and Azerbaijan during the July 26 State Department press briefing.

QUESTION: .. I have seen your readout on the Secretarys calls yesterday to President Aliyev and Pashinyan. Theres one line that I see that youre  correct me if Im wrong  three or four times since January. The Secretary reiterated his offer of assistance in helping and facilitating the process to both sides. Does that mean the previous offers have been turned down?

PRICE: No, it doesnt mean that. It means that weve been able to achieve what we think is a degree of progress, and through continued engagements and diplomatic conversations with our Armenian, with our Azerbaijani partners in this case, we think we can continue that momentum. So the Secretary obviously has had a number of calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership, but there are a number of people, senior officials in this building who have engaged with their counterparts at all levels to continue this momentum and to continue to offer our assistance in the issues as we seek a long-term, comprehensive peace.

QUESTION: But theres one caveat, though, which is the Minsk Group. Yesterday, President Aliyevs office issued a statement. There was no reference to Minsk Group. If youre an average Azerbaijani, you will see your president is lambasting Minsk Group every other day. And then you have the State Department readout referring to the very Minsk Group as a possible, lets say, way to go. My question is: Theres clearly a mismatch here in terms of how you see and how the Azeri Government sees it.

PRICE: Weve made clear in our statements, including, I believe, in the readouts yesterday, that the United States stands ready to assist these two countries and our likeminded partners in whichever way, whichever format is most effective. We have been a co-chair of the Minsk Group since 1994, but as weve demonstrated, were also willing to engage bilaterally with the countries to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find that long-term, comprehensive peace.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Russia has donated monkeypox test kits to a number of CIS countries, Rospotrebnadzor said.

The test kits were provided to Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Earlier Rospotrebnadzor said that Vector center has produced tests for detecting the cases of this disease.

Today testing is available across Russia. In addition, the specialists of Rospotrebnadzor are organizing special seminars on laboratory diagnostics methods for the specialists of partner countries, the statement says.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 26C. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Showers early becoming a steady light rain late. Low 17C. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Milos Vystrcil during his working visit in Prague, the Foreign Ministry said.

The sides discussed the development of the Armenian-Czech inter-state relations, highlighting the constant strengthening of the cooperation also in the parliamentary format.

The officials also praised the level of the recent high-level inter-parliamentary mutual visits as a key indicator of bilateral readiness to consistently deepen the rich dialogue.

Ararat Mirzoyan presented the agenda of ongoing reforms of the Armenian government aimed at strengthening democratic institutions, protecting human rights, strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption.

The sides also touched upon issues relating to strengthening the Armenia-EU ties and the cooperation within the frames of the Eastern Partnership.

The situation in the South Caucasus was also discussed at the meeting. FM Mirzoyan presented Armenias ongoing efforts aimed at establishing stability and security in the region, noting that the situations caused by the use of force cannot create a stable ground for peace.

Touching upon the humanitarian problems caused by the 2020 war, the Armenian FM emphasized the necessity of immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians who are still illegally held in Azerbaijan, the preservation of Armenian monuments in the territories under the Azerbaijani control and the prevention of continuous cases of vandalism. In the context of humanitarian problems, the Czech side said that the provisions of the international law and the Geneva Conventions should be observed.
US: Hawaii man used $1.2M in fake checks to try to post bail

U.S. officials say Hawaii man used counterfeit bank checks totaling $1.2 million to try to bail three people out of jail
MASCOUTAH  Boeing is reporting a $193 million second-quarter profit for shareholders, but the results are falling short of Wall Street expectations.

Boeing's normally steady defense business is down from a year ago. Boeing said Wednesday that it generated more cash by delivering more airline jets than it has since the start of the pandemic. But the company is still unable to deliver any of its 787s, a plane that Boeing calls the Dreamliner, because of production problems.

Boeing is trying to convince federal safety regulators to let it resume deliveries of 787s, but it's offering no timetable for when that might happen.

Boeing Co. reported a smaller second-quarter profit that fell short of Wall Street expectations as its defense business weakened and it remained unable to deliver any of its 787 Dreamliner planes. It reported a profit of $193 million Wednesday, down 67% from the second quarter of last year, on a 2% drop in revenue.

Boeing generated more cash than in the first quarter by delivering more planes than it has since the start of the pandemic, and it sold more services to airlines and other airplane operators. However, it remained unable to deliver one of its best-selling planes, the 787, while regulators review steps the company is taking to eliminate production problems.

Boeing is faced with the threat of a strike Monday by about 2,500 workers at three of its defense plants in Mascoutah, St. Charles County and St. Louis County. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 is asking for increases in wages and retirement benefits after, it says, Boeing took away a pension plan.

CEO David Calhoun said on CNBC that Boeing will continue to talk to the union and that a strike would delay deliveries to the Pentagon, although he did not give details.

Revenue from Boeing's normally steady defense business fell 10% in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, and the company took charges totaling $240 million for an unmanned refueling plane being developed for the Navy and its Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to ferry crews to the International Space Station.

Second-quarter net income was $160 million, but the gain attributable to shareholders was $193 million. That was down from $587 million a year earlier.




South Africa: Plans afoot to publish Request for Proposals for energy programme

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Patricia de Lille, on Wednesday announced her departments intention to publish the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the commencement of the Integrated Renewable Energy and Resource Efficiency Programme (iREREP).

This follows President Cyril Ramaphosas announcement on Monday evening on actions to address the electricity crisis.

I am delighted to announce the release of the RFP in the next week for the procurement of the Programme, which will be the largest programme for the procurement of renewable energy and resource efficiency for public facilities, De Lille said in a statement.

The Minister said the department is supported by National Treasurys Government Technical Advisory Centres (GTAC) transactional advisor in its intention to publish the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the commencement of the iREREP.

On Monday, President Ramaphosa announced that Eskom will on an urgent basis, in the next three months accelerate efforts to add new generation capacity to its faltering grid.

The intervention is among a raft of energy security plans for the country announced by the President during an address to the nation. The interventions come as the country has in the past three weeks experienced hours-long intermittent electricity outages. As part of measures to address the issue, the President said surplus capacity will be bought from existing independent power producers. These are power plants which built more capacity than was required and can now supply this excess power to Eskom.

As part of addressing the shortage of megawatts, Eskom will purchase additional energy from existing private generators such as mines, paper mills, shopping centres and other private entities that have surplus power.

De Lille said the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as the largest landlord and facilities manager in the country, has a responsibility to not only deliver and manage quality infrastructure but to combat climate change and enhance sustainable development through its mandate such as providing buildings for government service delivery.

We have a duty to implement programmes to reduce electricity demand and encourage energy efficient use by consumers as articulated by President Ramaphosa on Monday.

Considering the challenges to our economy, the persistent energy crisis, water shortages and effects of climate change, our aim must be to ensure that our investment achieves economic growth and transformation to improve the lives of citizens and fast-track development.

Prior to the RFP, the department undertook and issued a Request for Information (RFI) on the 20 September 2021 with the submission date for responses on the 20th of October 2021 which subsequently informed the drafting of the RFP, De Lille said.

The RFI allowed the department to gain additional market insights that will drive the implementation of the programme, as well as provided an understanding of the appetite and readiness of the market to participate in the programme.

According to De Lille, 58 submissions were received through the RFI process of which 19% were international respondents and 81% were local respondents.

Accordingly, this has enhanced our understanding as well as assisted us to embed a better regulatory and eligibility criterion. In recognising that this is the first of its kind, we have taken time to collate and prepare the necessary information to address the critical areas and questions raised through the RFI, she said.

Further details of the RFP

The RFP will be open to the public with information requested from the respondents focussing on four key areas, namely: legal, technical, finance and economic development.

To facilitate the preparation and submission of the responses, the department through GTAC will be releasing the RFP, in the coming week, on the following websites: www.etenders.gov.za and the www.irerep.co.za website.

Interested parties may download the RFP (and related documents) and obtain information pertaining to the programme.

The Minister is encouraging all private sector participants across renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, alternative waste management sectors and through their various roles including prospective bidders, prospective sponsors, lenders, local manufacturers, prospective suppliers, prospective advisors and other interested parties to participate in the RFP as part of partnerships between government and the private sector.

We want to champion innovation and be an anchor for new smart technologies, expanding our mix and solutions beyond the proven technologies.

We have therefore developed a section on the website where bidders will be able to upload their project videos and images to showcase their technologies, she said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received today President of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and his delegation, the Presidential Office said in a press release.

Welcoming the guests, the Armenian President highly appreciated Mr. Abdulla Shahids effective leadership during the 76th General Assembly.

Welcome to Armenia. Your visit coincided with the 30th anniversary of Armenias membership to the United Nations. It was in March, 1992. However, in December we again have a significant event to celebrate because the opening of the UN Office took place in December 1992, President Khachaturyan said, adding. When we gained independence, one of our desires was to join the UN because we understood that the further development of our state is impossible without the cooperation with the UN. Our history of these 30 years has shown that we have really reached achievements with the UN support, which played a key role for the development of our state. I want to specifically highlight the development of democratic institutes where the UN played a very big role. During these 30 years our country has actively cooperated with all agencies of the UN, implemented different programs mainly aimed at eliminating poverty, inequality, as well as developing a sustainable legal state.

I am convinced that your visit will contribute also to our future cooperation, especially when your presidency at the 76th UN General Assembly is impressive because your efforts are directed to the restoration of relations or economic recovery in the world after the pandemic, as well as to uniting the international community.

The President of the UN General Assembly thanked for the warm welcome and stated that its a great honor for him to visit Armenia in a period that marks the 30th anniversary of Armenias membership to the UN. He said that all programs with Armenia will continue to be implemented aimed at improving citizens life.

Thereafter, the Armenian President and the UN General Assembly President discussed issues relating to the regional security and stability. President Khachaturyan raised issues relating to the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives who are still illegally held in Azerbaijan. The UNGA President welcomed Armenias efforts aimed at establishing peace, noting that the establishment of lasting and stable peace will create broad opportunities for all countries of the region.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A dispute between Iraq and Turkey over a recent deadly attack in Iraqs northern Kurdish region escalated at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.

Iraqs foreign minister demanded the withdrawal of all Turkish troops from his country, while Turkeys deputy ambassador said his government will keep pursuing fighters it considers terrorists who take refuge in Iraq.

The Iraqi government sought the meeting after the July 20 artillery attack that killed nine Iraqi tourists and injured 33 other people. Its foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, said the government has proofs that Turkish armed forces were responsible.

Turkey has denied it was behind the attack and blamed fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and the West. It has for decades waged an insurgency against the government in Ankara and maintains hideouts in Iraqs mountainous north.

At the start of the Security Council meeting, the U.N. special envoy for Iraq had said Turkey and Iraq were ready for a joint investigation into the artillery shelling at the Parkha resort in the Zakho district of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said Iraqs caretaker prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, emphasized in a conversation Monday the importance of a transparent and thorough investigation: independent or jointly. She quoted him as saying it is vital to put a stop to speculations, denials, misunderstandings and rising tensions.

The U.N. envoy said she understood that Turkey is also ready to address the issue jointly, with Iraq, in order to determine exactly what happened.

Iraqs Hussein called on the Security Council to set up an international independent team of inquiry to look into what he called the Turkish armys flagrant aggression.

The foreign minister told journalists later that Iraq is also ready to have a joint investigation with Turkey, but he said they didnt approach us and never sent us an official letter about having an investigation.

Turkeys deputy U.N. ambassador, Oncu Keceli, countered that we made it clear that Turkey is ready to take all the steps to unveil the truth, stressing to the council that our officials at many different levels have given the same message.

He said some Iraqi authorities were on the same page as Turkey and wanted to find out the truth. But other Iraqi officials, he said, chose escalation instead of diplomacy and cooperation, and started a media smear campaign aimed at driving a wedge between the Turkish and Iraqi people.

Hussein said the Iraqi government is sure the Turkish military was responsible for the attack. He pointed to the findings of its investigation that Turkey's army has bases in the area near the resort, PKK fighters have not been in the area for the last month and the Turkish army uses 155 mm artillery projectiles whose fragments were found at the scene.

Hussein added that many people in the area gave us enough information about the activity of Turkish soldiers there.

He called on the Security Council to urgently adopt a resolution demanding that Turkey withdraw what he said were about 4,000 combat soldiers from Iraq, and halt incursions into Iraqi airspace.

Turkeys Keceli countered that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq are breached by terrorist organizations, not by Turkey, which he said has always supported Iraqs sovereignty.

As we speak, the flags of the PKK terrorist organization are raised in certain parts of northern Iraq, not the flags of the federal government or the Kurdish regional government, he said,

Turkey estimates the PKK controls an area of at least 10,000 square kilometers in Iraq, he said. Nearly 800 villages have been forcefully evacuated by the PKK and all these spots have become a safe haven for the terrorists. In the first six months of this year the PKK carried out 339 attacks against Turkey, he said.

Iraq has so far proven to be either unable or unwilling to fight the terrorists, and therefore it cannot blame Turkey for exercising its right to self-defense, Keceli said.

Hussein said Iraq's government is ready to work alongside the United Nations and concerned countries to ensure that elements of the PKK leave Iraq because this destabilizes Iraq" and undermines security in the country.

The Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the resort in the strongest terms, expressing support for Iraqi authorities in their investigations and urging all countries to cooperate with the Iraqi government and all other relevant authorities in support of these investigations. The council did not mention Turkey.

Diplomats said chances of the council approving a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq are slim, especially given the key role Turkey is playing in the recently announced deal to export desperately needed grain from Ukraine and grain and fertilizer from Russia to countries facing food shortages, rising prices and widespread hunger.
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YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will discuss defense cooperation at a meeting in Sochi on August 5, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today, reports TASS.

Defense cooperation between the two countries is constantly on the agenda and the fact of cooperation in such a sensitive field makes it clear that the entire range of our relations remains at quite a high level, Peskov pointed out.

He confirmed that the two presidents touched upon various aspects of defense cooperation in their recent contacts. As a rule, various aspects are discussed at almost every meeting so defense cooperation will definitely be discussed in Sochi, the Russian presidential spokesman noted.
British American Tobacco's profits have plunged by a quarter following its decision to withdraw from the Russian market.

The Lucky Strike and Rothmans owner fell to a 3.68billion operating profit in the first half of 2022, even though total revenue jumped by 45 per cent thanks to strong demand for non-combustible products.

The decline in earnings was mainly driven by impairment charges of 957million from the intended transfer of BAT's business in Russia, where it had controlled about 25 per cent of the local tobacco market.

Decline: Profits from operations at the Lucky Strike cigarette maker fell to 3.68billion in the first half of the year, even though total revenue jumped by 45 per cent

Another 450million charge was incurred in relation to investigations by the US Department of Justice and US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control into the alleged breach of sanctions.

Earnings were further impacted by BAT's restructuring programme Quantum, which has included quitting the Egyptian market and the planned closure of a factory in Singapore.

However, the FTSE 100 company said Quantum had delivered annualised savings of 1.5billion six months earlier than planned, with further savings set to be attained by the end of the year.

BAT also continues to expect full-year revenue growth of 2 to 4 per cent and is confident of reaching its target to turn a profit and generate 5billion from its 'new category' portfolio by 2025.

Chief executive Jack Bowles said: 'We are not immune, of course, to the increasing macro-economic pressures, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine.

'However, we are well positioned to navigate the current turbulent environment due to our powerful brands, operational agility and continued strong cash generation.'

Popularity: Over 20 million people now use at least one of BAT's non-combustible brands

In the first six months of 2022, the London-listed group saw revenues from its three non-combustible brands - Velo, Vuse and Glo - rise by 45.4 per cent to 1.28billion.

Vuse enjoyed the largest increase in orders, surging by 55.2 per cent to 617million as massive demand for its Alto e-cigarette helped the brand become the market leader in 34 US states.

Alongside this, BAT achieved revenue growth of 38.6 per cent from tobacco heating products on the back of much higher sales and volume share in Europe, and the burgeoning popularity of Glo Hyper devices.

Over 20 million people now use at least one of the firm's non-combustible brands, yet heavy investment in marketing and R&D meant BAT still recorded a loss of 222million from the segment.

During the latter part of the year, the business is planning to expand the range with the launch of Glo Hyper X2 and extending its Vuse Go platform into more markets following a trial in the UK.

However, while BAT is trying to bolster its share of trade from new categories, Bowles said the company was seeing 'no acceleration of downtrading' in its combustibles division.

Sales of traditional cigarette brands, which include Dunhill, Kent and Pall Mall, grew by around 250million due to price hikes offsetting a drop in volumes caused by the sale of its Iranian operation, the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War and weaker output in the US and Turkey.

Steve Clayton, a fund manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Tobacco will always be a controversial industry, but BAT is making tangible progress toward a future where its products are less harmful.

'In the meantime, the group's ability to churn out reliable cash flows and dividends remains unimpeded, and with debts falling away, the financial appeal of the group is improving.'

British American Tobacco shares closed trading 0.6 per cent lower at 34.49 on Wednesday, although their value has grown by over 25 per cent in the past year.
Neil Masterson, chief executive of OneWeb

The boss of a Government-backed satellite firm has defended its merger with a French rival as 'positive for the UK' after a backlash led by a former science minister.

Neil Masterson, chief executive of OneWeb, which was rescued from bankruptcy by UK taxpayers, said the merger with Eutelsat would give it greater firepower to grow.

It came after George Freeman, who quit as science minister just three weeks ago, claimed the deal hands over pioneering technology long desired by Britain's European rivals on the cheap.

OneWeb's UK future is protected by a Government 'golden share', enabling it to veto any move away and block sales on national security grounds. Taxpayers will have a seat on the board of the parent firm, based in Paris and listed on the French stock market, with a secondary listing in London.

Masterson argues that the two are stronger together. He said customers were 'extremely positive' about a deal, which brings together its lower earth orbit (LEO) technology with Eutelsat's older geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, saying it was important to build up scale to compete in a sector where rivals include Elon Musk's Starlink.

The deal creates the only 'LEO-GEO combination' company in the world, he added. 'In the last 20 months, this company emerged from bankruptcy, almost on life support, and we've now grown to be a pretty vigorous-sized business.'

The company has 520 staff, two-thirds of them in the UK, where it is run from London. LEO satellite technology of the kind pioneered by OneWeb aims to allow access to high-speed internet where the ground infrastructure is hard to reach.

Applications include broadband on planes and in remote locations. Eutelsat's GEO satellites, above a point on the Earth's surface, have been used for decades in applications such as weather forecasting or television.

'To have all that expertise and be one of only two LEOs here in White City, underpinned by the strength of Eutelsat and the global scale, I think is very positive for the UK and particularly for the UK space industry,' Masterson said.

'This is a merger of equals. The business prospects are much stronger together than they are individually. Each of the shareholders who stay in will have an investment in a much larger, more successful entity.'

He played down fears China's sovereign wealth fund, a minority investor in Eutelsat, will have a 1.8pc stake, saying it would have no influence or board seat.
GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley hailed the excellent performance

Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline raised profit forecasts after soaring sales of its shingles vaccine boosted performance in the second quarter.

The pharma giant reported revenue of 6.9bn in the three month period, up 13pc year-on-year, as sales of shingrix more than doubled to a record 731m.

As a result, GSK predicted group sales would grow between 6pc and 8pc this year, up from previous forecasts, while profits were expected to rise 13pc to 15pc, compared with 12pc to 14pc previously.

The results were the first after the demerger of its consumer healthcare arm Haleon, which listed in London this month.

Chief executive Emma Walmsley hailed the excellent performance, adding that Glaxo was continuing to strengthen its pipeline of new drugs.

But the shares rose only 0.1pc, or 0.8p, to 1755.8p after it forecast lower growth in the second half due to more research and development spending.
BAE is set to name Cressida Hogg as chairman

Defence giant BAE is set to name its first female chairman. The appointment of Cressida Hogg, the current chairman of FTSE 100 property giant Land Securities, is due to be announced alongside BAE's half-year results today.

She is poised to succeed Sir Roger Carr, who joined in 2013 to stabilise the business shortly after a disastrous attempt to merge with European aerospace giant EADS. He steps down next May.

BAE declined to comment, but Hogg's arrival will mean all three of the UK's top defence firms will have female chairmen for the first time. Anita Frew filled the role at RollsRoyce last year while Ruth Cairnie stepped up at Babcock in 2019.

The Mail on Sunday revealed BAE was also appointing a female chairman last weekend. And Sky News last night reported Hogg has been handed the role as she prepares to step down from her position at LandSec next year.

Hogg has also held a senior position at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, one of the world's largest pension funds, and sits on the board of the London Stock Exchange Group.

She is the daughter of British industrialist Christopher Hogg, who chaired several firms including pharma giant GSK, media group Reuters and Allied Domecq. Her husband, Henry Legge, is a barrister and the brother of William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth and former deputy chairman of Ukip.

Upon arrival, Hogg will join female board members including Kelly Ayotte, a former US senator, lawyer Alice Eldridge, and Gina Haspel, the first female head of the CIA. Shares in BAE have risen by 40pc this year.
YEREVAN, 27 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 27 July, USD exchange rate down by 1.58 drams to 407.85 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.40 drams to 414.17 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.19 drams to 6.79 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.67 drams to 491.95 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 72.23 drams to 22554.47 drams. Silver price down by 3.77 drams to 243.11 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish Consulate located in the Iraqi city of Mosul has been bombed, ARMENPRESS reports, the Turkish "Anadolu" news agency informs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey issued a condemning statement regarding the incident and threatened the side that carried out the attack, calling them terrorists.

According to Turkish sources, 4 rockets were fired at the consulate building, but there were no casualties or injuries as a result of the incident.
Is there anything better than losing yourself in a good book while sitting on a beach, at a pool, or under the shade of a tree? (A glass of lemonade is nice, too.) Here are suggestions for books by local authors. Many can be found in our area independent bookstores.



Investing Ahead by Thomas J. Curran (Advantage Media Group)

Thomas Curran, the CEO of Curran Wealth Management based in Albany, will gladly tell you he grew up in a blue-collar community of Philadelphia with working-class parents. Today hes worth more than $50 million. His new, very readable book gives advice on how he acquired such wealth. Many people become intimidated with books about achieving financial security, but Currans book explains how to invest the money to make it work for you. I enjoyed his logical eight-step common sense words of advice. These are principles hes used for more than 50 years, and, he says, they work. His message: be disciplined and focused, and realize you will need to embrace volatility along the way. I also enjoyed the memoir quality of this book.



The Ghostly Tales of Saratoga by Kate Byrne and The Ghostly Tales of the Adirondacks by Karen Emily Miller (Arcadia Press)

Both of these books are part of the Spooky America series put out by Arcadia, the nations leading publisher of books of local history. The companys goal is to connect readers with the past, especially in locations where they live. These two books are intended for readers from grades 2-5. They are well-researched and cover stories that may have occurred in real locations like the Saratoga Battlefield and the Adelphi Hotel. We all love a good ghost story, and theyre even more fun when the tales have occurred near us.

Signs of Distinction: The History of New York State as Told by 51 Welcome Signs by Chuck DImperio (Excelsior Editions)



Author Chuck DImperio, who lives in Unadilla, has written nearly a dozen books about upstate New York history, and what he especially loves with all his N.Y. adventures is coming upon welcome signs that tell a story about the places, big or small, hes traveling through. This book showcases 51 signs he has encountered and a brief explanation behind them. Sometimes the sign needs no explanation, like Welcome to Bethel: Home of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Other times it needs background: Welcome to LeRoy: Birthplace of Jello. Now thats a story I want to discover. Many of our local towns are in this book including Troy, Cooperstown, Granville and Whitehall. This is a fun book to read, and I learned a lot.

Baggies Big Adventure: Lost in Luggage Land by Tom Schwendler (Self Published)

Schenectady resident Tom Schwendler has written a funny and touching chapter book for ages 6 to 12. It follows the adventures of Baggie, who is lost in Luggage Land. What has happened to Baggie has happened to many of us when we land at our destination only to find that our luggage is somewhere else. According to the author, that loss happens to 1 in every 250 bags. But whats so much fun here is how Baggie is excited to be lost so he can see the world. Children will love this story, especially those going on a big trip on an airplane.

Gone With the Wind: 1939 Day by Day by Pauline Bartel (Lyons Press)

Waterford author Pauline Bartel fell in love with the movie Gone With the Wind when she first saw it at the age of 16. She wrote a 50th anniversary tribute of the film, and revised that book upon the films 75th anniversary. She has now published a book that chronicles the day-by-day behind the scenes of happenings on and off the set. Fans will enjoy reading what was going on with the films stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, and the detailed look at how this classic movie was created.

The IVF Dad by Keegan E. Prue (Moving Forward Press)



Altamont author Keegan Prue has written an informative and entertaining story about some of the struggles he and his wife had in trying to overcome their difficulty in having a child. One in eight couples experience infertility, according to the author, and this book will help to inform those couples with strategies that may help. I also enjoyed the easy-going and at times humorous perspective of this couple.

An Unfortunate Coincidence: A 1920s Mystery by Michael Sinclair (Self-Published)

Albany author Michael Sinclair has written an exciting mystery set in 1928 that takes place in Albany and New York City. The story involves a wealthy philandering husband, Adam, who dies mysteriously on a weekend trip to his hometown of Albany. His wife finds a suicide note, but is skeptical about its origins, so she hires a private detective who unravels family secrets, numerous twists and surprises that will keep readers guessing up to the final page.



Toward a More Perfect Union: From Scarcity to Abundance For All by Dr. Michael Wayne (Mandorla Books)

Saratoga Springs author Dr. Michael Wayne began writing this book a few months into the pandemic as a way to show how we can create a future that is just, compassionate and sustainable. He takes the reader on a look at our countrys history and how our trajectory on this capitalist economic model is leading us on a road to ruin. The book concludes with a positive outlook based on abundance, and that a society centered around human flourishing works for all.

The Punishings by H. R. Bellicosa (Quillamaio Press)

Guilderland author Heather Bellicosa has written a timely novel about a future world without reproductive rights. The story focuses on Jane Dupre, who works in an overcrowded orphanage during a time when oppressive rulers have created a world where the rights of the unborn are protected above all else. Bellicosa is donating portions of the proceeds of this book to the American Civil Liberties Union.
A former Macomb County priest will spend years in prison after being convicted of sex abuse, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Diane Druzinski sentenced Neil Kalina, 67, to seven to 15 years in prison for fondling a 14-year-old boy and having the boy fondle him in the rectory at St. Kieran Church in the mid-1980s. Kalina was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982-1985, according to Nessel's office in a press release on Tuesday.

Kalina was also accused of providing alcohol and drugs to children at the rectory, Nessel's office has reported.

Druzinski sentenced Kalina at the top of the guideline range after he was convicted on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct by a jury in the circuit court in June 2022, according to the release.

At sentencing on Tuesday, Druzinski called Kalina a "horrible person" who should never "see the light of day," according to reporting by Macomb Daily.

"This is a victory for the survivors who fought to see their abusers held accountable," Nessel said in the release. "Regardless of how much time has passed or how difficult a case may be, my prosecutors are committed to securing justice for the victims of clergy abuse. Adults who prey upon and subject children to abuse belong in prison."

Kalina was first charged in May 2019 and arrested in Littlerock, California. The jury was also presented first-degree CSC and rendered a not guilty verdict to that charge, according to the release.

The conviction is part of the Department of Attorney General's Clergy Abuse Investigation. So far, 11 people have been charged and six of those convicted.

For instance, in August 2021, former Catholic school music teacher Joseph Comperchio was sentenced to 12 to 30 years in prison.

In July 2021, former U.P. priest Gary Jacobs received his second prison sentence. Jacobs' sentence is between eight and 15 years in prison.

Also in July 2021, Gary Berthiaume - a former priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte and later Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington - was ordered to stand trial on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He faces two additional cases, which were first charged in June 2021.

Anyone who would like to report an incident related to clergy sexual abuse in Michigan can call Nessel's investigation hotline at (844) 324-3374.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

ARGYLE  A Galway man was killed when he apparently drove into oncoming traffic last Friday, Washington County authorities said.

Eric C. Larson, 45, was driving a 2007 Harley-Davidson south on county Route 48 shortly after 5 p.m. when he appears to have veered into a 2002 Subaru Forester driving northbound, police said Wednesday.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana Republican lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly advanced a plan to ban nearly all abortions in the state, despite opposition from abortion-rights supporters, who say the bill goes too far, and anti-abortion activists, who say it doesn't go far enough.

Indiana has one of the first Republican-run state legislatures to debate tighter abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned Roe v. Wade. Its debate comes amid an evolving landscape of abortion politics across the country as Republicans face some party divisions and Democrats see a possible election-year boost.

The U.S. Supreme Court formally issued its judgment Tuesday in the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson ruling  a step that allows some state trigger laws to ban abortion to take effect.

In Indiana, chants from anti-abortion activists, such as "Let their heart beat, could be heard inside the Senate chamber as a committee wrapped up two days of testimony during which none of the more than 60 people speaking voiced support for the Republican-sponsored bill. Indiana Right to Life, the states most prominent anti-abortion group, organized a rally that drew several hundred protesters to the Statehouse, and the group's president, Mike Fichter, warned that conservative lawmakers need to act or explain themselves to voters in November.

A national poll taken this month found overwhelming majorities believe their state should generally allow abortion in specific cases, including if a pregnant woman's life is endangered or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Few think abortion should always be illegal, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

Indiana's measure would prohibit abortions from the time a fertilized egg implants in a uterus with limited exceptions  in cases of rape, incest and to protect the mothers life. Abortion-rights supporters object to the bill's tighter restrictions on the procedure, while abortion opponents say its too lenient with its exceptions and lacks enforcement teeth.

A top legislative Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mark Messmer, voted against the measure, lamenting the near impossibility of threading the perfect needle on the issue during a short special legislative session that GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb originally called to address a tax rebate plan. He has not said whether he supports the abortion ban that's being discussed.

In West Virginia, the Republican-dominated Legislature rejected for the second time in two days efforts by Democrats to add exceptions for rape and incest victims to a bill banning abortion in almost all cases. It would make performing the procedure a felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison.

The Indiana proposal followed a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring Ohio to end a pregnancy. The case gained attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to come to Indiana because a newly imposed Ohio law bans abortions if cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus, possibly as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

Such abortions would still be allowed under the Indiana proposal, though lawmakers voted Tuesday to limit how long rape and incest victims have. Those 16 or older could get an abortion until eight weeks of pregnancy, while people younger than 16 would have until 12 weeks.

The committee voted 7-5 in favor of the ban after also adding provisions under which doctors could face felony criminal charges and up to six years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. That's the same potential penalty for performing abortions under Indianas current 20-week ban.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which has sued over previous abortion restrictions, said the ban would endanger women.

Indiana legislators are putting the health and safety of Hoosier women at risk, and again surrendering to the demands of a small group of anti-abortion extremists, said Katie Blair, the organizations advocacy director.

Cathie Humbarger, a longtime leader of the Fort Wayne-based Right to Life chapter, also opposes the bill  for very different reasons.

It is totally unenforceable and as such renders it basically worthless, Humbarger told the committee. You can, and must, do better.

More amendments to the bill could be debated by the full Senate on Thursday.

Indiana Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said lawmakers were struggling to deal with issues they hadn't faced before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Were working in earnest to try and find a path forward, listening to everybody thats out there, Bray said.

Elsewhere Tuesday, a South Carolina judge denied a request to temporarily block enforcement of that states six-week abortion ban. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and other plaintiffs had asked the judge for an injunction while courts determine whether the law violates the state constitution.

And in Louisiana, a judge rejected a request from state officials to lift his order blocking a ban while they pursue an appeal. That means abortions remain accessible in that state.

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Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Rodgers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers
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ALBANY  The developer who bought the former Kenwood Convent on Southern Boulevard is attempting to sell the property as part of a bankruptcy proceeding.

Court documents filed earlier this month show that Kenwood Commons, the company that purchased the 75-acre property in 2017, is proposing to sell it to another LLC, Briarcliff Commons.

An attorney for Kenwood Commons did not return a call for comment. The registered agent for Briarcliff Commons could not be reached for comment.

The proposed sale and reorganization plan would still need to be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge.

Kenwood Commons filed for bankruptcy on March 28, just days before the property was supposed to be sold at public auction, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District in Manhattan.

Kenwood Commons is managed by Jacob Frydman, a New York City real estate developer. Frydman, who was also at one point a producer for the soap opera, As the World Turns, is also the owner of a Hudson riverfront mansion that is listed for sale at $45 million.

Frydman had attempted to renovate the former convent at 451 Southern Blvd., with plans that called for 13 apartment buildings, six clusters of townhomes, two hotels as well as space for retail and public facilities like an art gallery and amphitheater.

Those plans never came to fruition and Kenwood Commons lenders foreclosed on the property in 2019. The foreclosure was granted earlier this year and Kenwood Commons has appealed that ruling.

The Kenwood property  owned by the Society of the Sacred Heart, a St. Louis-based religious order for women until 2009  was most recently home to the Doane Stuart School. The school moved when it couldnt reach an agreement to buy the property and it has remained vacant ever since. Several redevelopment plans have been offered over the years, but none have gotten off the ground.
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BAGHDAD (AP)  Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdads parliament Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.

The majority of the protesters were followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The demonstrators, all of them men, were seen walking on tables of the parliament floor, leafing through folders, sitting in the chairs of lawmakers and waving Iraqi flags. The incident raised the stakes in the political struggle for Iraq nearly 10 months after federal elections.

No lawmakers were present. Only security forces were inside the building and they appeared to allow the protesters in with relative ease.

The demonstrators were protesting the recent selection of Mohammed al-Sudani as the official nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies.

It was the largest protest since federal elections were held in October, and the second time al-Sadr has used his ability to mobilize masses to send a message to his political rivals this month. Earlier in July, thousands heeded his call for a mass prayer, an event many feared would devolve into destabilizing protests.

Hours after his followers occupied parliament, al-Sadr issued a statement on Twitter telling them their message had been received, and to return safely to your homes," signaling there would be no further escalation to the sit-in. Shortly after, protesters began making their way out of the parliament building with security forces supervising.

The incident, and al-Sadr's subsequent show of control over his followers, carried an implicit warning to the Framework alliance of a potential escalation to come if the government forms with al-Sudani at the helm.

Al-Sadr's ability to mobilize and control his large grassroots following gives him powerful leverage over his rivals. In a similar fashion, his followers stormed the Green Zone in 2016 and entered the countrys parliament building to demand political reform.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators breached Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the parliament and other government buildings, as well as foreign embassies.

Protesters chanted curses against Iran and said, Sudani, out!

Riot police had attempted to repel the protesters using water cannons, but demonstrators scaled the cement barrier walls and pulled down slabs using ropes to enter the Green Zone.

The demonstrators walked down the zone's main thoroughfare with little resistance from security forces. One security personnel was seen handing a protester a water bottle.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for calm and restraint, and for protesters to immediately withdraw from the area.

Al-Sadr recently stepped down from the political process despite having won the most seats in the October federal election. Protesters carried portraits of the cleric.

Al-Sudani was selected by State of Law leader and former premier Nouri al-Maliki. Before al-Sudani can face parliament to be seated officially as premier-designate, parties must first select a president. Protesters also chanted: Maliki, garbage!

The Framework, in a statement, said they had known of calls urging chaos, stirring up strife, within the last 24 hours since nominating al-Sudani.

The United Nations said Iraqis had the right to protest but that it was essential that demonstrations remain peaceful and comply with the law," in a statement.

Al-Sadr exited government formation talks after he was not able to corral enough lawmakers to get the majority required to elect Iraqs next president.

By replacing his lawmakers, the Framework leader pushed ahead to form next government. Many fear doing so also opens the doors to street protests organized by al-Sadr's large grass roots following and instability.
SCHENECTADY  A bar in the citys Central State Street neighborhood where a man was shot and killed outside the business earlier this month is under investigation by the State Liquor Authority.

Police Chief Eric Clifford said this week he understands concerns from some people about VibeZ Bar & Lounge and is in touch with the state agency about the problems. Liquor Authority spokesman William Crowley said Tuesday the agency reached out to police after the shooting but so far it "has not brought charges at this time" and that the investigation is ongoing.

"When there is violence at or near a licensed restaurant or bar, the SLA commences an investigation that relies heavily on the evidence obtained by local law enforcement to consider whether the actions of a licensee (or inactions) contributed to or led to the incident," he said in a statement. "The SLA cannot bring charges unless there is evidence  from police or other sources  that tie the shooting to legal violations by the licensee. "

Vibez owner Nishal Mohabeer did not respond to a voicemail message left on his cellphone Tuesday seeking comment.

This latest development comes in the aftermath of the shooting death of 24-year-old John Bass outside the State Street corner bar during the early morning hours of July 1. The shooting, which occurred outside the building, was captured on surveillance cameras, and police know who they are looking for, according to several people with knowledge of the probe.

The SLA's website states that police department referrals are forwarded to the Counsel's Office for review and that "based on the facts alleged and the sufficiency of the evidence," the office will either bring a disciplinary proceeding, refer the matter to the Enforcement Bureau for further investigation or close the case. Discipline can include a suspension of the license to sell liquor.

Clifford said he shared the news with Bass mother Toshena Haynes about SLAs possible involvement during a meeting Thursday with her to discuss the case and other related matters.

My dealings with SLA have consistently given me feedback from them saying that we want to know about incidents that happen inside and around establishments and they say that we will investigate it and decide if any action needs to be taken he said. I concur with the concerns of the community that that establishment appears to have had some issues recently with violence around their establishment.

Clifford said there have been other shootings recently, all of them outside VibeZ, that have caught the attention of police and city officials.

Schenectady is cracking down on bars where crime and violence are an issue much like they've done with corner stores that seem to attract problems.

The police chief said the same question often comes up around these bars, a few of which the city has managed to shut down.

"Clearly its patrons that are going there, but what is it about the patrons that are going there that are leading customers to feel that they can do this, theyre showing up to that bar with weapons on their car or on their person, these are things that were trying to figure out, said the chief.

He said that city may pursue other avenues depending on what SLA does, including arranging a meeting with the owner of VibeZ to come up with possible ways and make recommendations to make the place more safe.

The spotlight on his business, popular with Schenectady's Guyanese community, comes days after the SLA on Friday during a special meeting voted to suspend the liquor license of the Saw Mill Tavern, a week after two people were shot inside the South Avenue bar.

A news release indicated that the decision means the business could no longer sell or provide alcohol.

Police said officers found the 24-year-old Bass dying inside VibeZ after they were called to the 1490 State St. tavern at 12:51 a.m. Bass was shot once. Authorities have previously said that Bass was shot outside.

Fire Department paramedics treated him at the scene before bringing him to Ellis Hospital, where he died. Police are continuing to hunt for Bass killer.

Anyone with information on the homicide is being asked to contact the police departments TIPS Line at (518)-788-6566.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Russia is a supporter of turning the South Caucasus into a zone of peace and prosperity and is not going to compete with anyone, ARMENPRESS reports Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Ivan Nechaev said during an online briefing, answering the question of a journalist of the Russian media, how he interprets the information circulating in the press that the West is trying to exclude Russia from the process of normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku.

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed Moscow's position that efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be based on November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26 statements signed at the top level between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We are not against non-regional players joining the process, if they act within the framework of the mentioned agreements and contribute to their implementation. The important thing is to prevent duplication and secret games in order to weaken someone, to "put spoke in the wheels", said Ivan Nechaev.
New Yorks landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, mandates that at a minimum 35 to 40 percent of the overall benefits of new clean-energy investments be directed to residents of disadvantaged communities, as defined by the state. Low-income communities and communities of color, who have long suffered disproportionate impacts from air pollution and shouldered undue energy burdens, have also lacked access to the decision-making process when it comes to the renewable-energy space. A main tenet of this legislation was ensuring they receive a seat at the table. But that goal remains elusive.



In December 2021, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the state's energy regulatory body, released a roadmap detailing the states plan to achieve the Hochul administrations goal of 10 gigawatts of new distributed solar by 2030. The plan includes $1.47 billion in funding for solar projects and calls for 1.6 gigawatts of newly deployed solar to benefit disadvantaged communities.



While we applaud the states ambition and action here, the roadmap doesnt go far enough to ensure that our historically underinvested communities are reaping the benefits of the clean-energy transition. The state has put forth a very tenuous connection between earmarks and actual meaningful benefits, one that overcounts benefits to disadvantaged communities, limits them to crumbs of the $1.47 billion investment, and does not address structural exclusion of communities of color from most benefits of solar.



In order to truly establish New York as a clean-energy leader, instead of merely claiming that the state is compliant with the law, NYSERDA should take the necessary steps to truly quantify the energy justice benefits in more intentional, concrete terms. State investment in solar is a keystone aspect of CLCPA implementation, which takes shape when local businesses, workers of color, community-owned solar projects and other energy justice safeguards are robustly supported and affirmatively funded. Over the past several years, a number of community-based organizations have led successful, solar-powered initiatives  and they provide us a glimpse of what is possible.



For example, Solar Uptown Now Services, or S.U.N.S., is a solar workers cooperative launched by We Act for Environmental Justice that aims to contribute to the just energy transition by providing training, jobs, and ownership stake in renewable energy for local communities of color. Although there are few installations in Northern Manhattan right now, there is a lot of potential for the expansion of solar given the prevalence of flat roofs. S.U.N.S. primarily services multi-family affordable housing, where the barriers to solar adoption are greatest and the cost savings are most needed.



The Brooklyn Army Terminal will feature up to 100,000 square feet of rooftop space to pilot a subscription-based, shared solar program for Sunset Park residents and local industrial businesses. The solar energy system will be owned and managed by Co-op Powers New York City Community Energy Cooperative in partnership with UPROSE, a Sunset Park-based environmental justice organization. The solar project will provide local employment to Sunset Park job trainees and electricity bill savings to nearly 200 households and small businesses.



Those are just two of the models that NYSERDAs roadmap could be focusing on and making sure are funded. Other actions should include direct funding and forgivable loans for community projects, seed funding for businesses, preferential bidding and interconnection. Put another way, New York should put forth some portion of money to cover small businesses' overhead and upfront costs  then turn the benefits over to the community.



Finally, our states disadvantaged communities count on frontline organizations to advocate for the needs of the community. By providing them with tangible support, we can ensure that enterprises like S.U.N.S. can become part of the norm and achieve real energy and environmental justice. We need to place an emphasis on both listening to underserved communities and acting on what they are telling us they need. Rooftop and community solar provide huge opportunities for individuals and communities to directly benefit from the renewable-energy transition, but only if the state ensures that the energy savings, pollution reduction, jobs, and ownership opportunities are fairly shared.



Stephan Roundtree Jr. is the Northeast senior regional director at Vote Solar, a national solar advocacy nonprofit. Charles Callaway is director of community organizing at WE ACT, an environmental justice nonprofit. They both live in Manhattan.


Critics of New York's bail reforms keep ignoring two fundamental facts about our criminal justice system: One, people are considered innocent until proven guilty. And two, the purpose of bail is to ensure that a person shows up for court  not to summarily deprive them of freedom before trial.

Those aren't quaint aspirations. They are essential features of any system of justice worthy of the name. Without them, we would exist in a society in which government officials could jail people on a whim, without going to the trouble of proving their case. These protections are very much part of the concepts of law and order and the rule of law.

Yet here we are again, with New York Republicans and conservatives  who profess to stand for law and order and for reining in the power of big government  railing against the reforms that were designed to ensure, as the Pledge of Allegiance goes, justice for all. Reforms meant to keep police interrogators and prosecutors from using the threat of onerous bail and lengthy imprisonment without trial to extract guilty pleas from people too poor to afford counsel and reliant on an overwhelmed system of public defense. Reforms designed to equalize a system in which those with money could go free pending trial, while those without it languished behind bars.

The renewed attack on bail reform comes from, among others, Republican gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin. His law-and-order platform doesn't go quite so far as condemning former President Donald Trump for fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the very heart of America's democracy, but focuses rather on the politically contrived issue of bail reform.

An incident involving Mr. Zeldin last week offers an illustration of just how contrived the issue can be.

Mr. Zeldin was at a campaign stop outside Rochester when a man approached him with a pointed self-defense implement. Mr. Zeldin grabbed the man's arm, and the man was wrestled to the ground and arrested. He was charged with attempted assault in the second degree, but later released on his own recognizance by a town justice because the charge is a nonviolent felony and not bail-eligible.

Why wasnt the suspect charged with a bail-eligible violent felony? Why wasnt a prosecutor in court to argue for conditions on the suspects release? Those would be questions for the Monroe County Sheriffs Office and District Attorney Sandra J. Doorley, who is listed as Mr. Zeldins campaign co-chair  a potential violation of the ethics rules for district attorneys  although she claims she quickly withdrew from that role. She also said she would recuse herself from the case, but as of early this week she had yet to formally do so. In any case, the failure to charge the suspect more severely under laws of the state which were on the books long before bail reform  gave Mr. Zeldin and fellow Republicans a supposed example of the failure of bail reform, forced as it was.

And to go back to that fundamental principle of American justice and the reality of bail: The suspect is still presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and even if the charge were bail-eligible, he could post bail if he had the means.

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We get that it's not always easy to wait while our system of justice works. We understand the frustration people in law enforcement might feel, those like Watervliet Police Chief Joseph Centanni, who last week took the extraordinary step of issuing a press release warning residents about a man with seven alcohol-related driving arrests, including three in past three months alone. He claimed  inaccurately  that this was entirely the fault of bail reform. It is not. Even if bail were set, the person could post it and go free. Bail reform opponents have ignored this fact, willfully or not, from the beginning.

Cases need to run their course in a fair system of justice. In the meantime, we don't just lock people up because police or opportunistic politicians who think they've hit on a hot issue say they should be.

And experience suggests that giving judges more discretion to set bail in more kinds of cases would make little or no difference. As the Times Union's Joshua Solomon reports, the latest data shows that people released on bail are rearrested on a separate felony charge at about the same rate as those who are released on their own recognizance. And in both cases, the overwhelming share of defendants who are released  83 to 84 percent  aren't arrested again while awaiting disposition of their cases.

Bail reform isn't just about high-minded principles of justice. It's about the very real-world consequences of imprisoning people and leaving them unable to work, pay the rent or mortgage, feed and otherwise provide for their families. Destroying the lives of people who may well be innocent is a recipe for turning honest people into desperate people. And desperate people sometimes turn to crime. Our justice system should be punishing criminals  not making new ones.
An Irish politician has been included on a list compiled by Ukraine's secret service who "promote narratives consonant with Russian propaganda".

Irish MEP Clare Daly is one of 72 public figures around the world who Ukraine deems to be sharing such narratives.

Ms Daly is the only Irish figure on the list. US Republican senator Rand Paul, former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and US journalist Glenn Greenwald are others included on the list.

Titled speakers who promote narratives consonant with Russian propaganda, the list was published by the Centre for Countering Disinformation, a unit within the national security and defence council of Ukraine which is headed by president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ms Daly is being accused of sharing two narratives - that sanctions against Russia make innocent people suffer, and that the Ukrainian conflict is a proxy war between Nato and Russia.

Ms Daly and fellow MEP Mick Wallace have been vocally critical of the EU and NATO policy towards Ukraine.

Ms Daly told The Irish Times that the list includes a diverse range of people with nothing in common politically, except that they are critical of Nato and the Wests policies towards Ukraine.

Now comes an attempt at a blacklist issued by a government propaganda department, she told the Times.

But that is what a free and open discussion in a democratic society looks like. Ukraine trying to shut it down is a mirror image of the repressive behaviour we rightfully criticise in Russia. We shouldnt be encouraging it, she added.

On her website, she states that the opening of hostilities lies solely with President Putin.

"Predictably, hawkish elements in government and in the press are now exploiting the crisis to attack the anti-war movement, to propagandise on behalf of NATO, and to undermine Irelands policy of neutrality," she adds.


































The Irish Government has failed to reach an agreement on what emissions targets to assign to key sectors of the economy during the last scheduled Cabinet meeting before the summer recess.

Talks on Tuesday night ended without agreement between the three coalition leaders, prompting an expectation that the targets would not be ready for sign-off at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Irish Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan told reporters on his way into Cabinet that he was hopeful they could close the difference on emissions targets, though admitted the talks had been tricky.

After Cabinet ended, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Mr Ryan and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue stayed behind for further discussions.

Mr McConalogue was seen giving a thumbs up and smiling to the media as he left Dublin Castle.

After the Cabinet meeting, Mr Ryan said he was still hopeful a deal could be reached.

The Environment Minister told RTE News: We need momentum. We need to create opportunity for Irish farmers and make sure they get a good income out of whatever changes we make.

Im still hopeful and were working hard to get there.

It is understood talks on the matter will resume on Thursday.

Following Cabinet, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told RTE Radio that this is not a straightforward process.

Negotiations are ongoing and no we havent reached an agreement yet. Whether we will reach it today or this week, I dont know.

She said that the delay was caused by the government trying to get the right agreement here and that it was not just about agriculture.

[Its] that we understand what it is were agreeing to, that whatever we agree to is realistic, that its ambitious, because everybody needs to be ambitious here.

But that there is full agreement, not just on all parts of the three government parties, but that we have the support and the buy-in of everybody who is involved in reaching the overall targets, Ms McEntee said.

Speaking to the media at Dublin Castle afterwards, Mr Ryan said that an agreement had not been found and work was ongoing.

He would not comment on Green Senator Pauline OReillys claim on RTE Radio that the Green Party could walk from government if a 22% or 23% reduction in emissions was set for the agriculture sector.

I dont think that the Green Party can put up with that kind of a low figure, she said.

Based on the scenarios in the Climate Change Advisory Councils carbon budget report, the Governments Climate Action Plan 2021 set out a 22-30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the agriculture sector, as part of Irelands aim to reduce its total emissions by 51% by 2030.

Some backbench TDs have said the emissions ceiling should be set on the lower end of that range, with climate scientists and some opposition parties calling for a reduction on the higher end.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Mr Martin said it was not easy to reach an agreement but the Government is determined to get this resolved.

What the difficulties reflect in reaching an agreement, they reflect the significance of the challenges. I think its important that we get a resolution, but that we do it in a way that facilitates delivery down the road and real momentum in relation to climate change.

Mr Martin added that part of the challenge with agriculture is in acknowledging the greater part it will play in the energy sector in the future and to recognise the importance of food production.

Mr Ryan, the Minister for Transport and the Environment, acknowledged that working out the mechanics of the agreement has been tricky.

He added: I hope we can close the difference and agree the approach today.

Its very significant for every section in Irish society.

Weve got to make sure the changes we make are for the better  good for farmers, good for transport, good for energy, good for employment, good for protecting us against the cost of living.

Ireland has legally committed to halving its carbon emissions by 2030 and to achieving net-zero by 2050.

An Environmental Protection Agency report released last week found Irelands greenhouse gas emissions increased by 4.7% in 2021 compared to 2020, and are now 1.1% above 2019 pre-Covid restriction levels.

There was a 17.6% increase in emissions from the energy industry in 2021, which it said was due to a tripling of coal and oil use in electricity generation, and emissions from the agriculture sector increased by 3% last year, driven by a 5.2% increase in fertiliser use and a 2.8% increase in the number of dairy cows.

Mr Martin said achieving the emissions ceilings will be very, very significant indeed.

He added: From transport, to energy, to agriculture. I would have to say in fairness to agriculture, already the targets that have been set are very, very challenging, and will be challenging.

Were looking at ways as to how in all sectors, including agriculture, we can stretch those targets and ensure a meaningful contribution all round.

What were trying to do here is avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Were not going to avoid climate change now, we can see that with the heatwaves during the summer, but what we can do for future generations and for our childrens children, we can limit those consequences.
Talks are expected to resume on Thursday between the three Coalition leaders on emission reduction targets for the agriculture sector.

It is understood agreement may be reached in the coming days.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan held lengthy discussions late into Wednesday night on how to assign emission reduction targets across key sectors of the economy, in particular the agriculture sector.

It comes after the Government failed on Wednesday to come to an agreement on the matter during the last scheduled Cabinet meeting before the summer recess.

The Governments Climate Action Plan 2021 set out a 22-30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions target for the agriculture sector, as part of Irelands aim to reduce its total emissions by 51% by 2030.

Some backbench TDs have said the emissions ceiling should be set on the lower end of that range, with climate scientists and some opposition parties calling for a reduction on the higher end.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Mr Ryan said he was still hopeful a deal could be reached.

The Environment Minister told RTE News: We need momentum. We need to create opportunity for Irish farmers and make sure they get a good income out of whatever changes we make.

Im still hopeful and were working hard to get there.

Speaking to reporters after he left the meeting, he would not comment on Green Senator Pauline OReillys claim on RTE Radio that the Green Party could walk from government if a 22% or 23% reduction in emissions was set for the agriculture sector.

I dont think that the Green Party can put up with that kind of a low figure, she said.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue was seen giving a thumbs up and smiling to the media as he left Dublin Castle.

Following Cabinet, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told RTE Radio that this is not a straightforward process.

Negotiations are ongoing and no we havent reached an agreement yet. Whether we will reach it today or this week, I dont know.

She said that the delay was caused by the government trying to get the right agreement here and that it was not just about agriculture.

[Its] that we understand what it is were agreeing to, that whatever we agree to is realistic, that its ambitious, because everybody needs to be ambitious here.

But that there is full agreement, not just on all parts of the three government parties, but that we have the support and the buy-in of everybody who is involved in reaching the overall targets, Ms McEntee said.

Speaking before the Cabinet meeting, the Taoiseach said it was not easy to reach an agreement but the Government was determined to get this resolved.

He said: What the difficulties reflect in reaching an agreement, they reflect the significance of the challenges. I think its important that we get a resolution, but that we do it in a way that facilitates delivery down the road and real momentum in relation to climate change.

Mr Martin added that part of the challenge with agriculture is in acknowledging the greater part it will play in the energy sector in the future and to recognise the importance of food production.

Ireland has legally committed to halving its carbon emissions by 2030 and to achieving net-zero by 2050.
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After briefly employing a chief executive officer who oversaw the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and the Cayuga Economic Development Agency, the two organizations have now hired separate top leaders.

The chamber and CEDA on Wednesday each announced new executive directors.

Amy Fuller, a longtime chamber staffer who has served as interim director and manager, has been promoted to the re-established position of executive director for that organization.

Michael Miller, a private sector financial analyst, has been named the new executive director at CEDA.

The announcements reflect a shift in leadership structure for the county's two private economic development organizations. Since 2014, the chamber and CEDA have operated under an umbrella organization called Cayuga Strategic Solutions that employed a single director to lead both simultaneously. After former Executive Director Tracy Verrier stepped down in 2021 to take a private sector position, CSS reworked the job title and hired a chief executive officer in the spring.

The CEO, however, was removed from the position in June. Brad Broadwell, the person who briefly held that job, said he was not provided a clear explanation for why he was let go.

Wednesday's announcements take the two organizations back to a structure that was last in place in 2012. When the former director of CEDA left that year, then-chamber Executive Director Andrew Fish took over as interim director of CEDA. That lead to the two organizations forming the joint venture that was called Cayuga Strategic Solutions with Fish as the first executive director.

Cayuga County again without economic development leader The nonprofit organization that coordinates economic development efforts in Cayuga County has removed its CEO about two months after hiring him.

The board chairs of the chamber and CEDA could not be immediately reached for additional comment beyond what was in the announcements, which did not address for the structural changes.

Fuller has been with the chamber since 2006, when she began as its finance coordinator. She later became chamber manager under the CSS executive director, and ran day-to-day operations. She was later named acting director when Verrier departed in September.

I am excited and grateful to have been given this new title and continue to lead the Chamber of Commerce into the future," she said in a press release. "Its a great time to be a part of this organization because of the activities happening in the city of Auburn and throughout Cayuga County. I look forward to continue to support the chambers mission and the value it provides to the community.

No one knows business in Cayuga County better than Amy Fuller, said Mitch Maniccia, the chamber board chair, in the press release. Her years of experience working with our business community are an asset to the chamber and Cayuga County. The chamber board would like to thank our members for their support and loyalty throughout these difficult times. With Ms. Fullers continued leadership, we will continue to support and advocate for the business community.

Fuller serves on the Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District and Auburn YMCA boards. She and her husband live in the town of Owasco and have two daughters.

Miller past employers have included the Syracuse-based Barclay Damon LLP law firm and Ithaca-based Envisiage Information Systems. CEDA's press release said his experience includes work on mergers and acquisitions, business and financial plan development and assessment, strategic planning and financial modeling.

I firmly believe CEDA has and will continue to play an integral role in how our business and broader community develops, both now and well into the future, Miller said in a press release. To be part of a team of dedicated professionals that are committed to increasing our communitys prosperity is humbling to say the least.

Although these are challenging times for families and businesses, there are businesses and market segments that are continuing to grow and expand, said Kevin Miles, the CEDA board chair, in the press release. This presents an opportunity for CEDA to support existing businesses in Cayuga County, to attract new businesses to the county and to create jobs. Michael Miller has the business and financial experience and the leadership skills to lead CEDA into this next phase of growth. Michael is a lifelong resident of Cayuga County who is committed to economic development and growth in the county. We are excited to welcome Michael as the new executive director of the Cayuga Economic Development Agency.

Miller is a Southern Cayuga Central School District graduate. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's in business administration from Saint Joseph University in Philadelphia. He is a volunteer fire commissioner for the Aurora-Ledyard Fire District.

Miller, his wife and four children reside in the village of Aurora.
34992 


High prices for concert ticket have sparked backlash across the globe.

TKC FACT CHECK: OF YOU COULD SKIP THE PRICETAG AND GO SEE A LOCAL BAND OR EVEN AN ALTERNATIVE GROUP AT A LOCAL CLUB!!!

But I digress . . .



Here's a bit of an explanation over an act that peaked in 1985 . . .



The reason the tickets cost so much is because of dynamic pricing. Ticketmaster has said most Springsteen tickets cost under $200, but 11% are part of a variable pricing strategy where the cost adjusts according to demand. Think Ubers surge pricing  but for concert tickets.



While people are understandably outraged by Ticketmasters antics, dynamic pricing isnt unusual. Were all used to the fluctuating prices of hotel rooms and aeroplane tickets, for example. What is newer, however, is the extent to which dynamic pricing is being used.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
This week's lesson in higher education . . .

INSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITARIANISM AND SACRIFICING INDIVIDUALITY IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP EVERY ONE SAFE!!!



At least that's pretty much the message at this Kansas City public school district . . .



On Aug. 24, theyll be required to only use clear backpacks.



Students attending Center High School, Center Academy for Success and Center Middle School will also be required to pass through a metal detector.

Meanwhile . . .

It's unclear if degrading students and treating them all like criminals is the best environment for learning.



Meanwhile . . . That home school opinion is starting to look at lot less crazy compared to what's happening by way of metro public school districts.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Missouri Republicans and the mainstream GOP know what's at stake . . . If Greitens wins the primary than suddenly this thing becomes a winnable contest for the Democratic Party.



Beyond our bawdy post title, here's a peek at money doing a lot better talking than any of the pundits . . .



The Show Me Values PAC has run nearly $6 million in ads blasting Greitens for being soft on China and highlighting recent allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife.



- Since the ad blitz, Greitens' once-resilient polling numbers have been in freefall.



- An Emerson poll, conducted from July 21-23, found Greitens falling to third place, winning just 16% of the vote.



- Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has emerged as the front-runner with 33% of the vote, followed by Rep. Vicky Hartzler with 21%.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Republican money sinking Eric Greitens' controversial Missouri Senate campaign A Republican super PAC created to prevent disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens from winning the Senate GOP primary has knocked the controversial candidate out of the lead, according to several new public polls in the race. Why it matters: The effective Republican intervention in Missouri's wide-open primary proves that party leaders can successfully boost mainstream candidates, if they so choose.

GOP civil war brews around Eric Greitens Senate campaign as Trump mulls over an endorsement A GOP civil war is brewing in Missouri around the embattled U.S. Senate campaign of Eric Greitens, an avowed Donald Trump backer whose poll numbers are now tumbling as more attention is brought to allegations that he physically abused his ex-wife and son.

Eric Schmitt Rising, Eric Greitens Fading in Missouri | National Review Greitens can't be counted out quite yet, but Schmitt now leads him outside the margin of error in Trafalgar and by double digits in two other polls.

Developing . . .
Tribute to a North Kansas City officer killed in the line of duty continues . . .



A note from last night . . .



"The church held a public visitation for the North Kansas City, Missouri, police officer who died in the line of duty last week. Vasquezs funeral is this morning.A steady stream of mourners entered the church Tuesday to grieve the loss of Vasquez."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Hundreds attend visitation for Officer Daniel Vasquez on Tuesday night KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A squad of police motorcycles escorted the hearse transporting Officer Daniel Vasquez's casket to Vineyard Church in Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday night. The church held a public visitation for the North Kansas City, Missouri, police officer who died in the line of duty last week .

Honoring a fallen hero: Funeral North Kansas City Officer Daniel Vasquez happening today Mourners are gathering Wednesday to remember a fallen hero as the funeral services are held for North Kansas City, Missouri Police Officer Daniel Vasquez. The funeral services will begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Vineyard Church, 12300 NW Arrowhead Trafficway, Kansas City, Missouri.The city said anyone attending the funeral services must enter from U.S.

WATCH: Funeral held for fallen North Kansas City Officer Daniel Vasquez NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family, friends, law enforcement and the community are gathering Wednesday morning to pay their respects to a fallen North Kansas City officer. After his visitation Tuesday night, Officer Daniel Vasquez's funeral is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday at Vineyard Church, located at 12300 NW Arrowhead Trafficway in Kansas City.

Developing . . .
We're putting just a bit more effort into the morning update so right now we'll simply share some of the news we've been reading along with our our patented Westsider snark . . .



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Home Team Shut Out

Royals blanked as Angels get their revenge 6-0 Sometimes, there's not just a whole lot of anything that's good or interesting that happens for your team. Tonight was one of those nights, as the Los Angeles Angels soundly beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0 in a bit of a snoozefest for Royals fans.

Double Gunfire Erupts In The Dotte

Suspect arrested and charged in Kansas City, Kansas, double shooting The suspect in a July 17 double shooting has been arrested. The shooting occurred in the Gateway Plaza neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, and took one person's life.The incident also left another seriously injured.The suspected shooter, Tanesha Marie Horton, 27, a Kansas City, Kansas resident, was arrested and charged Tuesday.

Country Club Plaza Crumbles

'It's dangerous' South Plaza residents worry crumbling wall will collapse KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There are growing fears a crumbling section of a South Plaza retaining wall will give way and hurt people. "The degree to which it's fallen apart speaks for itself," Kate Marshall, president of the South Plaza Neighborhood Association told KSHB 41 News on Tuesday.

Bullets Fly In East Burbs

Afternoon Shooting In Raytown Released By: Communication Technician Mallory Harrison July 26, 2022 Raytown, MO - On Tuesday July 26th at 3:22 PM Raytown Police were dispatched to the 8900 block of 54th Street for a male party that had been shot. Officers arrived locating an adult male with apparent gunshot wounds.

Cash To Win Kansas Pours In

Kelly, Schmidt campaigns raise more than $2.2 million combined in 2022 in Kansas governor's race - Kansas Reflector TOPEKA - Gov. Laura Kelly has raised more than double what her Republican challenger, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, raised so far this year. New fundraising reports show that Schmidt, who is without a major primary opponent, raised $707,279.02 from Jan. 1 to July 21.

Show-Me AG Pulling Ahead

Schmitt campaign speaks out after taking lead in FOX4/Emerson poll KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In June, former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens was in the lead with 26% of the vote in our exclusive FOX4 poll, done with Emerson College and The Hill, on the Missouri Republican U.S. Senate race. At that time, Attorney General Eric Schmitt was in second place at 20%.

Double Time For Compensation

KCK man waits two years for car title, seeking compensation KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When Nick Delgado purchased a car for over $3,700 from Adam's Auto Sales in east Kansas City, he never anticipated having to wait for his car title. Over two years later, Delgado says he's still waiting. "Almost $4,000, the most money I've ever spent on any vehicle that I've ever bought," he said.

Summer Hotness On Display Down South

Vanessa Hudgens is red hot in a skimpy scarlet bikini in Mexico She's currently living it up in Mexico as part of her pal Sarah Hyland's bachelorette party. And Vanessa Hudgens looked like the ultimate bikini babe as she posed up on the beach in a tiny red two-piece. The High School Musical alum, 33, shared the sizzling snaps with her nearly 47million Instagram followers on Tuesday.

Prez Talks With Super Power

Biden will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday President Joe Biden will speak Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a White House official tells CNN, as tensions between the two countries rise amid reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering a visit to Taiwan.

MAGA Vs. Former Veep

Trump paints a grim picture and Pence tries to look ahead in dueling D.C. speeches subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast Hours after his former No. 2 and possible 2024 primary rival gave a speech outlining a "road map for conservative leaders," former President Trump delivered a grim and rambling speech about violent crime in his first appearance in D.C.

Bipartisan Support For Speaker

Democrats and Republicans agree: Pelosi should visit Taiwan despite Biden's warning WASHINGTON - Republicans and Democrats in Congress are rallying behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by urging her to follow through on a potential visit to Taiwan even as President Joe Biden said the Defense Department believes such a trip is " not a good idea right now."

FUELISH?!?!

White House announces sale of additional 20 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve The White House announced Tuesday that the Department of Energy will be issuing a notice to sell 20 million more barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of the Biden administration's effort to bring gas prices down. This makes the fifth such sale that President Biden has authorized.

Nobody Likes TKC's Favorite War Plane

Ukraine Official Says Country Doesn't Want Old American A-10s Air Force officials said last week that a variety of American planes could be given to Ukrainian pilots in their fight against Russia, including the A-10 Warthog. But in a message to Military.com on Tuesday, Yuriy Sak -- an adviser to Ukraine's minister of defense -- made it clear: The country doesn't need A-10s, it needs the more modern F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet.

COVID Redux?!?

China's Wuhan shuts some businesses, transport amid new COVID cases BEIJING, July 27 (Reuters) - China's central metropolis of Wuhan temporarily shut some businesses and public transport in a district with almost a million people on Wednesday, as the city where the pandemic first emerged raised vigilance after several new infections.

Nobody Admits Harsh Times

Here's how to know if we're in a recession, and it's not what you think Everyone who cares knows that recessions happen when there are two consecutive quarters of negative growth - everyone, that is, except for the people who actually decide when the economy is in recession. For those folks, at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the definition of recession is much squishier.

Internets Tribute To Goodfella

Mira Sorvino leads an outpouring of tributes to her late father Paul | CNN Tributes have been pouring in to honor the late Paul Sorvino. The "Goodfellas" and "Law & Order" star died Monday of natural causes at the age of 83. "My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed," his daughter, actress Mira Sorvino, said on Twitter. My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed.

Desperately Seeking New Meth Town Boss

Independence announces finalists for next police chief INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The city of Independence has narrowed its list of police chief candidates to three. The public has the opportunity to meet all of the finalists Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Independence Uptown Market. The finalists include two candidates who are currently with the department.

Hipsters Hype Local Pasta

The Pitch's Secret Menu: 715 Restaurant will serve 'penne rage' to those in the know PENNE RAGE $25 fresh pasta, braised pork & beef, tomato sauce, chili three-ways (Calabrian chilis, chili flake, chili paste), butter, parm Vegetarian option available. Funny story: ragu auto-corrects to rage, we've miss-posted on social ragu to rage many times over the last decade. So Penne Rage is our Penne Ragu but spicy AF.

Practical KC Tech Debuts

Smart dog crate created in KC could be just months away; Interplay set for August crowdfunding, launch party Dog owners are one step closer to getting their hands on the world's first interactive dog crate as Kansas City-based Interplay plans the Aug. 12 launch of its hotly anticipated debut product, PlayTach. The milestone has been a long time coming, said Jonaie Johnson, founder and CEO of Interplay, who has been working on it since January 2019 as a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Community Shares Love For Fallen Officer's Fam

Northtown rallies, mourns with NKCPD and Officer Vasquez's family NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The support in North Kansas City for Officer Daniel Vasquez's family and NKC PD isn't hard to spot. It's there on homes, dozens of trees and in the ground around the city. Larry Moss is one of those whose block looks different after last week's tragic shooting death of Officer Vasquez.

Storms For Tonight . . .

Chances for rain continue in the Kansas City area STORMS TO LOOK AHEAD TOO. BRYAN: PROBABLY DENIED, NOT NECESSARILY SEVERE, AND SOME AREAS ARE GETTING MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. AND THE COOLER AIR IS POISED JUST TO THE NORTH. THE FARTHER SOUTH, A LITTLE MILDER. YOU WILL SEE THAT ON THE TEMPERATURE TRACKING JUST ONE SECOND. SOUTH OF HARRISONVILLE, SOUTH OF WARRENSBURG, SPOTTY.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
Chibueze Momah, 22, of Mississauga is one of the two security guards killed at ATL Lounge in Vaughan. - GoFundMe photo
Toronto police say no injuries were reported following the hazard incident involving three people on the roof of the rapid transit train.
While praying for inspiration for this article, I browsed through a book by Matthew Kelly called Holy Moments: A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life." Kelly, an Australian-born author, speaker, entrepreneur and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute, came to speak at Auburn High School over five years ago and inspired his audience to become the best version of yourself. I decided to become part of the Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors Club helping Matthew Kelly reenergize the Catholic Church by creating resources that help us grow spiritually and rediscover the beauty of Catholicism.

So, what is a holy moment? Matthew Kelly describes it as a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment, you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do. While reading, I realized that the mission of St. John Paul II Academy is embedded in creating holy moments. Everything from interaction with parents and students to curriculum choices, textbook choices, field trip choices, song choices and prayer choices are derived from our hunger for meaning and wisdom.

Perhaps hunger for meaning was the purpose for creating one of our holy moments  a school trip to Gettysburg and The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. This holy moment spurred several smaller holy moments for JPII families to spend time with their children while learning, playing, talking, praying, sharing and smiling all the way. Prior to our trip, we studied the battles, geography and politics that revolved around Gettysburg. We watched the movie Lincoln," recited and studied the poem O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman and researched local Civil War heroes, including Myles Keogh, Abner Doubleday and abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman and Lucretia Mott. We prepared our minds and hearts to explore the holy moments of the Union and Confederate troops, Abraham Lincoln, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity.

This all came to life when we arrived in Gettysburg and set foot in the cemetery, listened to taps, walked along the battlefields and town imagining the sights, sounds and smells experienced over 200 years ago, and explored the artifacts in the museum. We were able to see the famous cannon shell hole on the south side of the Trostle brick barn and honor the sacrifices that so many made in order to grant and protect the freedoms we have today. During our JPII Christmas concert, we sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic": In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me, as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, His truth is marching on. These lyrics took on a new meaning rooted in sacrifice, perseverance, loyalty and compassion  another holy moment.

On the last day of our trip, we traveled to The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Elizabeth was the first American-born citizen to be given the title of "saint'' after enduring the heartbreaking loss of her husband, raising five children, converting to Catholicism and founding the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and St. Josephs Academy. This first free Catholic school for girls included a chapel where Mother Seton prayed and received communion. Next to the chapel was Mother Setons bedroom, where she died from tuberculosis at age 46. After an awe-inspiring tour of the stone farmhouse and St. Josephs House & Cemetery, we attended Eucharistic Adoration and Mass at the basilica where her remains are entombed. The shrines property was also the site of the 1863 Union encampment where officers conducted a war council to prepare for the Battle of Gettysburg. The sisters' first involvement in battlefield nursing/military service in the U.S. was during the Civil War. The trip ended with a generous holy moment by a JPII grandmother and her friend who collected bottle/can money and made a donation so each child could purchase a memento from the gift shop.

Matthew Kelly challenges us to create holy moments and teach three others. If we apply spiritual multiplication, one person teaches three, those three each teach three, those nine each teach three, etc. After 21 cycles, we surpass the worlds population: 7,960,000,000. Wow!

Go to him with faith, love and confidence  He will help. Fill yourself with His Spirit and He Himself will govern.  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Torontos SickKids Hospital told caregivers liquid forms of fever and pain medicines for children will no longer be sold over-the-counter due to a nationwide supply shortage.
According to organizers, Global Black Pride is the first-ever event globally that brings together Black LGBTQI+ communities across all continents and is being hosted in Toronto. - Global Black Pride photo
Local governments in Cayuga County are receiving a share of $387 million in COVID-19 relief funds allocated for New York.

The payments are part of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund that was included in the federal American Rescue Plan Act that was signed into law in 2021. The first round of funding, a total of $387 million, was provided last summer. An identical amount has been allocated for the second and final round.

How much did each municipality receive? Here is how much each Cayuga County town and village received in federal COVID-19 funds: Municipality Total funding Owasco $371,280.94 Sennett $347,178.44 Brutus $259,794.10 Fleming $259,486.40 Sterling $237,127.48 Moravia (town) $230,255.71 Aurelius $218,460.87 Cato (town) $199,178.88 Genoa $198,255.81 Throop $197,845.56 Ira $194,255.82 Locke $193,537.87 Conquest $177,435.36 Weedsport $174,973.83 Scipio $166,563.60 Victory $160,512.34 Venice $140,820.08 Montezuma $125,845.78 Moravia (village) $123,999.62 Port Byron $121,948.35 Summerhill $118,666.30 Niles $118,461.18 Union Springs $117,640.68 Springport $116,512.46 Ledyard $116,204.78 Mentz $110,871.46 Sempronius $96,102.28 Fair Haven $73,538.23 Aurora $68,922.87 Cayuga (village) $53,230.60 Cato (village) $51,076.77 Meridian $0 TOTAL $5,139,984.45 Source: New York State Division of Budget

Following the delivery of the final funds, Cayuga County's towns and villages received payments totaling $5.1 million. The town of Owasco got the most ($371,280), with Sennett ($347,178) close behind. Brutus ($259,794), Fleming ($259,486) and Sterling ($237,127) round out the five municipalities that received the most money.

One local government, the village of Meridian, did not receive funding. The state Division of Budget says the village was either non-responsive or declined the aid.

According to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, larger municipalities  cities and counties  received funding directly from the U.S. Treasury Department. States were tasked with distributing relief money to other local governments, including small cities, towns and villages.

In a statement, Hochul said the funding will help local governments "respond to pandemic-related needs and deliver essential services."

"As we respond to new variants and plan for any potential surges this fall," she continued, "this is yet another step we are taking to boost our preparation efforts and we will continue to work with local partners to keep New Yorkers safe."

The local governments that received aid through the local recovery fund can use the money for several purposes, including replacing lost revenue, supporting public health expenses and investing in infrastructure.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said securing state and local funding was a top priority when negotiating the American Rescue Plan.

"After fighting this pandemic on the frontlines, New York's counties, towns and villages were loud and clear: They needed help and robust federal funding to strengthen public health, keep frontline workers on the job, prevent brutal service cuts, and make long overdue investments in infrastructure to jump start their recovery," he said.
A parolee from Rochester has been charged with taking part in a gunfight in Auburn that seriously injured a woman caught in the crossfire.

The Auburn Police Department said that Antoine T. Clark, 38, was one of two men who fired at each other after an argument outside Lavish Lounge Bar & Restaurant at 288 Genesee St. on June 26. Ciara Kukiela, 24, an employee at the bar, was shot multiple times. She had emergency surgery at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse and has since been released, police said.

Police said Clark is originally from the Rochester area with a parole address in Rochester but had been frequenting 71 Owasco St. in Auburn. On Monday, members of the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force reported that they saw Clark get into the backseat of car in the vicinity of Owasco Street at about 7:21 p.m. and began following the car.

As the vehicle traveled northeast through the city while utilizing side streets, the task force coordinated with the APD to conduct a traffic stop.

The car was pulled over on North Seward Avenue near Franklin Street, and police said that Clark was positively identified after officers interviewed the occupants. Clark initially refused to exit the vehicle after being commanded multiple times to do so, police said, and when he finally got out of the car, he tried to run.

Woman critically injured in shooting outside Auburn bar Auburn police are searching for suspects in a shooting that critically injured an employee of an Auburn bar and restaurant early Sunday morning.

After a brief struggle in the middle of North Seward Avenue, Clark was handcuffed and found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun, police said, which was located in his waistband. He was also reported to have been in possession of 31.7 grams of powder cocaine, 10.7 grams of crack cocaine and 24.3 grams of a cutting agent, along with over $2,000 in cash.

Clark was arrested and held pending centralized arraignment on felony charges of criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

He was later charged for his alleged role in the June 26 shooting on charges of first-degree criminal use of a firearm, first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He is being held in the Cayuga County Jail.

As for the other person involved in the shooting, the APD said the investigation is still pending.

The APD is asking anyone with information regarding the incident at the Lavish Lounge to contact Investigator Charles Augello at (315) 258-9880 or by email at craugello@auburnny.gov. Calls can remain confidential.
You are going to have to watch what you say on those Whatsapp messages, memes and Blogs afte
Head of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov will now also chair the Committee on Intelligence under the President of Ukraine, and Hryhoriy Halahan was appointed as the First Deputy Head of the Special Operations Center A of the Security Service of Ukraine.

I have adopted important personnel decisions today. In particular, Head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov will also chair the Committee on Intelligence under the President of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

Combat General Viktor Khorenko has been appointed the new Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Hryhoriy Halahan was transferred to another direction and, with the aim of updating the Security Service of Ukraine, was appointed the First Deputy Head of the Special Operations Center A of the Security Service of Ukraine, the President added.

The Head of State also thanked the airborne assault troops, the Sicheslav brigade, which "landed" two Russian military aircraft and one helicopter in a little more than one day.

We must do everything to extend such a landing experience to all Russian aircraft and missile products in our skies, he said.

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The bravery of Ukrainians is an inspiration for all free nations, and we can only imagine how inspiring Ukraines victory will be.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The full text of the speech is provided below:

Ukrainians!

Unbreakable people of the strongest country!

Today, the occupiers hit the Odesa region again, firing missiles at ordinary houses again. Missiles designed to destroy warships and other significant targets. It is with such heavy weapons that the Russian army destroys the ordinary private sector near the sea. People lived and had a vacation there...

And we will certainly hit back for this, no matter what lies the Russian Ministry of Defense tells about such strikes. The constant Russian terror of Kharkiv and the region, Mykolaiv, towns and villages of the Zaporizhzhia region and Dnipropetrovsk region, Donbas, border areas of the Sumy region and Chernihiv region - for all this the occupiers will not go unpnished.

For four months, the Russian state has not provided to its citizens any information - even censored - about the losses of the occupation contingent. Total silence. Nothing was published or said in numerous interviews and speeches at the political and military levels. However, this number is already almost 40,000 - that is how many killed people the Russian army has lost since February 24. And tens of thousands more were wounded and maimed.

And if the Russian state does not say this officially, even in general terms, everyone who still has any contacts in Russia or informational influence on their society should convey this simple fact to whomever possible. Among the occupiers only those killed are 40 thousand.

Today it became known that Britain has expanded the list of sanctions against Russia. Dozens more people and organizations were added. This is the right trend, and I am grateful to Britain for its unwavering firmness in sanctions matters. This is an example that should be followed by everyone else in the Western world.

In particular, today's news about another provoked increase in gas prices on the European market above 2,000 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters is already a sufficient reason to expand sanctions against Russia. Because it is clear to everyone that this is a deliberate price terror by Russia against Europe. Using Gazprom, Moscow is doing everything to make this winter the toughest for European countries. It is necessary to respond to terror - respond with sanctions.

Today, for the first time in the history of interstate relations between Ukraine and Uruguay, I held negotiations with Mr. President of this Latin American country. I thanked for support in international organizations and called on Uruguay, like other states in the Latin American region, to impose sanctions on Russia. We will do everything so that there is not a single region left in the world where the truth about Russian aggression is not understood. We already have communication with Chile, Paraguay, Costa Rica. And now - Uruguay. Well continue this work.

And a few more significant events that are worth mentioning. Today, the Winston Churchill Leadership Award ceremony was held in London with the participation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I believe that this is an award of all our heroes, all our people, all of us who are resisting tyranny each at their own level. And it was really an honor for me to receive this award.

Today, in the Netherlands - a country for the understanding of which weve been working for a long time - the Ukrainian people were honored with another award - a special Dutch Independence Award. Our ambassador received it on behalf of Ukrainians.

These iconic things also reflect the radical changes in the attitude towards Ukraine that have taken place in the world. Our bravery is truly an inspiration for all free nations and the community of democracies in general. And just imagine how inspiring the Ukrainian victory will be.

In the evening, I signed a decree awarding our warriors. 198 combatants were awarded state awards of Ukraine. Two of them  posthumously.

Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine!

Eternal glory to all those who fight for the independence of our country!

Glory to Ukraine!
The Ukrainian military over the past day cleared the villages of Andriyivka and Lozove of Russian invasion forces.

Thats according to Operational Command South, Ukrinform reports.

"Over the previous night, in our area of responsibility, a massive missile attack was carried out on Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. Tactical and strategic aviation was involved. Five Kh-59 missiles were fired, hitting the recreational infrastructure of the Zatoka resort village and a private estate. Two country houses were destroyed and burned down, while two recreation centers and two diners suffered significant destruction, including from the ensuing fire. Two civilians were injured," the report reads.

Simultaneously with the missile attack by strategic aviation using Kh-22 missiles and the strike on the regional centers port infrastructure, the enemy attacked the Mykolayiv region with more modified ammunition, launched by the S-300 air defense system. A critical infrastructure facility, a parking lot, and a transport infrastructure object in the Olshansk community were affected. There were no casualties in the attack.

Throughout the day, the enemy made an attempt to restore lost positions by launching a counteroffensive toward Bruskinske  Bilohirka, while seeing no success. In Mykolaiv region, the Ukrainian forces downed an Eleron-3 UAV, which had been deployed on an aerial reconnaissance mission. Also, Russias Lancet-type kamikaze drone, which the invaders tried to use to attack the Ukrainian radar was destroyed by small arms fire.

"Four strikes were launched against the enemy with the use of attack aircraft, bombers, and helicopters. Four enemy strongholds in the area of Andriyivka, Bilohirka and Blahodatne were hit. Thus, Andriyivka was liberated and finally cleared of the Russian occupation forces, as well as Lozove, where Ukrainian troops had reliably secured regained ground a few days earlier," the Ukrainian military emphasizes.

During the day, the missile and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine maintained fire control of the main transport arteries of the temporarily occupied territories in Kherson region. A total of 300 fire missions were completed.

As noted, the confirmed enemy losses include 89 soldiers, a T-62 main battle tank, Msta-S and Msta-B howitzers, a Sani mortar complex, two armored combat vehicles, six other vehicles, and an ammunition depot.

Read also: Ukrainian defenders destroy over 30 Russian arms depots over past two weeks

"The group of 11 Russian Navy warships continues maneuvers, sheltering in the missile-safe areas of the Black Sea, along the Crimea coast. Meanwhile, two missile carriers and one large landing craft remain fully combat-ready," added the Command.

Photo from open sources
In Kherson region, the Russian air defense forces shot down their own Ka-52 attack helicopter after it mistakenly engaged the Russian military positions.

Thats according to Operational Command South, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that the enemy aircraft launched four strikes on the positions of the Ukrainian Army, including twice by a pair of Ka-52s. The attacks brought no casualties, the report says.

"At noon, a trio of Ka-52s in the Olhine area (Kherson region - ed.), intending to attack our units, inflicted damage on their own positions. As a result, on the way back, it was attacked by the Russian anti-aircraft defense," the report reads.

One of the attack helicopters was shot down in yet another gesture of goodwill, the press service of the Ukrainian Command wrote with a sarcastic note, referring to a widely mocked claim by the Russian military that they had earlier retreated from Snake Island as a goodwill move).

In addition, during an attack by a pair of enemy Su-34s launching Kh-31 missiles toward Bashtanka, both such missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defense forces.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with President of the Republic of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei. During the meeting, support for Ukraine and prospects for further trade and economic cooperation were discussed.

As the Government portal informs, Shmyhal thanked Giammattei for the historic visit and commended the conclusion of the bilateral visa waiver agreement between Ukraine and Guatemala.

"Without a doubt, this will contribute to further development of bilateral cooperation, the establishment of interpersonal contacts, and their intensification. I am sure this will help to establish business relations. In our opinion, relations in the field of energy, agriculture, and mining are promising now. I am sure that our countries have something to offer each other on mutually beneficial terms," the Head of Government noted.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine thanked the Government of Guatemala for supporting our country and condemning Russian armed aggression in all resolutions of the UN General Assembly and other bodies of the UN system. Shmyhal also expressed his gratitude to Guatemala for initiating the resolution of the Organization of American States to exclude Russia from the observers.

"We expect that Guatemala will also support Ukraine's initiative to create a special criminal tribunal to punish crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine," Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister also thanked the Government of Guatemala for sending a team of the humanitarian rescue unit to Ukraine.

"Assistance in removing rubble, rescuing people, and demining is very important for our country," Shmyhal emphasized.

Giammattei, for his part, noted that Guatemala strongly opposes the war and supports all resolutions condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The President of Guatemala also underscored that his country is ready to become a hub for Ukrainian agricultural products for further transportation to Latin American countries.

As reported, a meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the Republic of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei took place in Kyiv.

This is the first visit of the highest level in the history of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Guatemala. The presidents noted the renewal of interest in the development of contacts between the two states, as well as the absence of contradictions between them in approaches to solving global issues of modern international relations.

Photo credit: Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

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Even in the conditions of the unprovoked war, unleashed by Russia, Ukraine adheres to its international obligations regarding the transit of Russian gas. At the same time, the Ukrainian GTS is able to ensure the transit of the entire volume of gas that Russia ships through the Nord Stream 1 pipe.

Ukraines Energy Minister German Galushchenko stated this at a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday following an informal meeting with energy ministers of the EU member states, answering an Ukrinform correspondents question.

"The Ukrainian gas transmission system can guarantee shipment in volumes that will fully cover those of Nord Stream 1. Even amid the war, we ensure safety and security for gas getting into the Ukrainian pipes. This was the obligation undertaken before our European partners and European companies. We have fulfilled them. Thats because we are aware of what an obligation is in international relations and international law," Galushchenko emphasized.

As already reported, an extraordinary meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on energy was held in Brussels July 26. European officials gathered to address the threat of a complete interruption in Russian gas supplies. They agreed to the emergency plan, put forward by the European Commission, envisaging a 15% gas consumption curb to pump the relevant volume into underground storage facilities ahead of the upcoming winter period.

Read also: German foundation withdraws from Nord Stream 2 project

During an informal lunch held as part of the European energy ministerial, dedicated specifically to issues of energy supply security, German Galushchenko told EU counterparts of Ukraine's experience in repelling Russia's provocations and other malign actions in the energy sector.

As reported earlier, Russian energy monopoly Gazprom said, it would stop another turbine on its Nord Stream 1 pipeline, thus reducing the pressure of gas flow to 33 million cubic meters per day. Speaking of the reason behind the move, Gazprom cited repair needs.

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said an ongoing gas war waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Europe is a "direct continuation of his war on Ukraine."
The Joint Coordination Center, which will take care of the export of grain and other foodstuffs from the ports of Ukraine through the Black Sea, has opened officially in Istanbul.

"The inability to export grain from Ukraine has created a serious security risk due to famine and illegal migration around the world, especially in the Middle East and Africa. Therefore, a need arose to create a corridor at sea for the safe delivery of more than 25 million tonnes of grain waiting at Ukrainian ports to the countries that need it in a short period of time," Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said at the opening, TRT Haber informs.

It is noted that civilian and military representatives from Ukraine, the UN, Turkey, and Russia will work at the center permanently.

"An important and open sign of determination was that all parties immediately sent their representatives to Istanbul the day after the agreement was signed. In this context, we hope that the work of the Joint Coordination Center will pave the way for a sustainable peaceful environment. We have already stated and we say at every opportunity that we stand for peace, tranquility, and dialogue," the minister added.

As reported, the Joint Coordination Center has started work in Istanbul to monitor the work of "grain corridors" in accordance with the agreement on the food exports from the ports of Ukraine, signed in Istanbul on July 22.

Photo credit: trthaber.com

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AUBURN  The Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education has accepted an agreement with the district's administrator group.

At a board meeting Tuesday night, the nine-member body authorized a resolution for an agreement between the district and the administrators association regarding the creation of and terms and conditions for employment for 11-month assistant principals.

According to the agreement, the district informed the association that it intends to make an 11-month assistant principal option starting with the 2022-23 school year, and "this agreement will end with the current union contract and at that time can be renegotiated."

The contract includes the parties "acknowledge that the title of Assistant Principal is exclusively represented by the Association," the agreement said.

Another part of the terms is that any assistant principal assigned to be an 11-month employee will have their terms and conditions for employment presided over by their collective bargaining agreement, "except as provided for herein."

Both parties agree, the deal continued, that by no later than May 30 of every school year, each assistant principal in the association will tell the district in writing of their request to work for the following school year as an 11-month employee or 12-month employee. Those requests would need to be approved by the building principal and district office by June 15.

Conditions set for 11-month assistant principals are they will work from Aug. 1 through the final working day of the teacher calendar in June, and scheduled to work during school breaks, as is required of other administrators in the association.

The agreement said the district will not require assistant principals "to work between the last working day of the teacher calendar through July 31," but can choose to do so if they receive their building principal's approval. The contract also adds that salaries and all annual leave days  sick, personal and vacation  will be pro-rated.

The district and the association also agree that "the terms and conditions of this Agreement may not be used by any party as evidence of a practice or past practice in any grievance, arbitration, administrative proceeding, litigation or any matter whatsoever."

All the board members present approved the resolution except Dr. Eli Hernandez. Dr. Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson and Jim Van Arsdale arrived after the vote. After the meeting, Hernandez explained why he voted against it. Having formerly served as the principal of Delaware Primary School in the Syracuse City School District, Hernandez said most of the work he did to prepare for the school year was in the summer.

"We worked so hard to get administrators and then (giving) that option, it's a concern for me," he said.

In other news:

 The district is entering into an agreement with an administrative mentoring consultant.

The board approved an agreement between the district and Rebecca Kaune, who would be providing "professional services focused on administrative mentoring during the 2022-2023 school year," the agenda for Tuesday's meeting said. The agreement between Kaune and the district said Auburn will agree to pay up to $13,000 to Kaune for performing her services, at $130 per administrator per month "for 10 months each for up to 10 mentees." One hour per administrator per month, will be scheduled out in advance, the contract said, plus the schedule will get shared with the executive cabinet team.

Other terms and conditions in the agreement include that Kaune, as an independent contractor, will be responsible for paying federal and state income taxes on earnings applicable to the contract and she will not be eligible for Social Security, workers compensation, unemployment insurance or any other benefits Auburn district employees receive.

Auburn Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo said after the meeting that Kaune has been an administrative mentoring consultant with the district for over 10 years, and prior to her retirement, she served as an administrator in the Weedsport Central School District and Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES.

"Her knowledge base, she was a fantastic administrator, and all of our administrators that go through her (mentoring) program are all so appreciative because it is such a valued program that she does with our staff that we want to continue to keep her as long as we possibly can," Pirozzolo said.

The resolution was approved unanimously by board members present.
By signing the Budapest Memorandum and giving up its nuclear weapons, Ukraine has saved NATO Allies a lot of money and strengthened global security, so it should receive more assistance in the face of military aggression waged by one of the signatories (Russia).

This was stated in a comment to Guildhall by a Swiss lawmaker Nicolas Walder, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

It is true that the signing of the Budapest Memorandum and Ukraine's renunciation of its nuclear arsenal have saved NATO a lot of money and increased security for the whole world, including Switzerland, the politician said.

It is therefore totally unfair that Ukraine, which should be defended by the great powers including the United States, Great Britain, and Russia, should find itself brutally attacked by one of them and not sufficiently helped by the others. This is not likely to convince other states to give up their nuclear arsenal, Nicholas Walder summed up.

It should be recalled that back in March 2021, during a UN meeting convened by the UN Security Council member states, the former head of the Pentagon's strategy department, former adviser to the NATO Secretary General, president of The Potomac Foundation, Professor Phillip Karber called for the implementation of the Budapest Memorandum, emphasizing that the Western powers, particularly the United States of America and Great Britain, must comply with the memorandum in the wake of Russian military aggression toward Ukraine, since ignoring its provisions will have negative implications for the global security system.

Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in 1994 by signing the Budapest Memorandum. According to the document, in return for the renunciation of its nuclear arsenal, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States became guarantors of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
In the coming days, the Government of Slovenia will discuss a new package of security assistance to Ukraine, heeding its needs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon made a corresponding statement at a joint briefing with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv.

Fajon noted that Ukraine had asked Slovenia for additional security assistance.

"Now we have a new government. We are preparing a new assistance package to Ukraine, it will be discussed literally in the next few days. But I assured Mr. Minister [Kuleba] that Slovenia would provide [security] assistance to Ukraine and will heed all Ukraine's needs," Fajon said.

She added that some aspects of this assistance still needed to be discussed in the government.

"The government in our country has changed, but our support for Ukraine has not changed... Slovenia provided security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the past. We will continue to do so. I noted today that, despite the small size of our country with a population of approximately 2 million people, we continue to provide assistance to Ukraine. We allocate more than EUR 8 million, and we also learned what else we can do to help Ukraine and its citizens in the future," Fajon said.

She emphasized once again that Slovenia supported the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders.

"We strongly condemn Russia's aggression. It poses a serious threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire international order which is based on international law," the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia stressed.

Read also: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia visits Irpin

As reported, Slovenia sent ammunition, Kalashnikov rifles, and 35 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. In addition, Slovenia is in talks with Germany on the exchange of equipment. It was noted that Slovenia would deliver a large number of its tanks to Ukraine and receive German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Fuchs armored vehicles in return.

As reported, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon arrived on a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, July 27.

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Slovenia will send equipment for demining the liberated territories of Ukraine and will take an active part in the reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular Kharkiv city.

"We face another important challenge: the demining of liberated territories. And today we had a substantive conversation about how Slovenia will send the equipment through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism needed for civilian demining in Ukraine," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint briefing with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The minister also added that Slovenia would continue providing humanitarian aid and take an active part in the reconstruction of Ukraine. As noted, the first projects on Kharkiv are discussed within the framework of sister cities: the restoration of public transport and the reconstruction of the Kharkiv Institute of Prosthetics.

"If we look at the size of Slovenia, the size of the economy of Slovenia and compare it to the help that this country has provided to Ukraine, only then can we realize how much this country has done for us," Kuleba stressed.

As reported, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon arrived on a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, July 27.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, continuing the armed aggression that has been ongoing since 2014. Russian troops shell and destroy key infrastructure facilities, massively fire on residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages with the use of artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

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Relatives of 106 Russian servicemen who have gone missing since Russia unleashed a full-scale war on Ukraine appealed to President Vladimir Putin, demanding answers about their loved ones.

As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by RFE/RLs Sever.Realii media project, which has a copy of the appeal at its disposal.

"We demand that our loved ones be located and added to the lists of prisoners of war who have gone missing. Search operations are not underway as they are registered as missing in action. For more than 5 months, the Russian Ministry of Defense has been blocking the move to alter their status, regardless of incoming reports. Relatives are forced to search for facts and prove on their own that their sons, or husbands are in captivity (or have died)  this is happening throughout the country. The authorized bodies perform poorly and there is no assistance from military unit commanders," says the appeal, which the parents and wives personally handed over to the presidents reception office on July 26.

The publication says those who have signed the appeal receive contradictory data from the Russian authorities about what has happened with their relatives. For example, one of them, a mother searching for her 19-year-old son, "has piled up a mountain of short formal responses: some say that he is alive, fighting at war, others say that he is in captivity in Ukraine, and others say that he has been killed."

Russias defense agency last time reported on their armys losses in Ukraine late March, claiming a death toll at 1,351. At the same time, according to the latest update released by the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces, the actual toll is approaching 40,000.
Balaklava Blues, a Ukrainian-Canadian folk-noir band, has raised 500,000 Canadian dollars for Ukraine at concerts and charity events.

The band's press service told this to Ukrinform.

"Balaklava Blues is now the most active Canadian band that supports Ukraine on a global scale. Over four-and-a-half months of war, they have raised more than 500,000 Canadian dollars from concerts and charity events," the press service said.

It added that for band members, Mark Marczyk and Marichka Marczyk, the war in Ukraine is part of their life because their brothers serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and some of their loved ones died near Kyiv. They helped some Ukrainians find temporary shelter in Canada.

The band gave dozens of charity concerts in Europe, Canada and America. Last week, Balaklava Blues had a charity performance on the main stage of one of Europe's biggest festivals, Colors of Ostrava, in the Czech Republic. Their performance gathered 60,000 spectators.

The press service also reported that Balaklava Blues created a video for the song "Swallow," dedicating this song to women who have forced to leave their homes with their children due to the Russian invasion.

Balaklava Blues is a band created by an ethnic Ukrainian from Toronto, Mark, and Marichka, a native of Kyiv. They met in 2014 on the Maidan in Kyiv. They started a family and became the authors of powerful musical and theater projects. They live in Canada.
Since the launch of Russia's large-scale military aggression toward Ukraine, almost 279,000 Ukrainian citizens have crossed into Turkey, while almost 233,000 have already left the country.

Thats according to the head of the Ukrainian Embassys Consular Department, Andriy Bilyk, who offered a comment to Ukrinform.

"Since February 24, a total of 278,972 citizens of Ukraine have visited Turkey. As of now, 232,841 of our citizens have left the country," said the Consul of Ukraine in Ankara.

According to the diplomat, more than 46,000 Ukrainians remain in Turkey, most of them in the provinces of Istanbul, Antalya, Mugla, Izmir, and Ankara.

Andriy Bilyk says most of the citizens who crossed out have returned to Ukraine, but a large part also went on to seek asylum in other countries, in particular, with more attractive conditions of stay.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, a week ago, the EU ambassadors agreed on a mandate for negotiations with EU member states regarding the continuation of assistance to Ukrainian refugees, as well as the tackling of the negative effects of Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, experienced across the EU.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 5 million people have crossed out of the country to Poland, fleeing the war.
The Embassy of Israel in Ukraine together with Israels Agency for International Development Cooperation sent 25,000 food kits to Kharkiv.

The Embassy of Israel in Ukraine wrote on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"Today, the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine, together with MASHAV Israel, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, sent 25,000 food kits to the city of Kharkiv. In the near future, the humanitarian cargo will be delivered to other Ukrainian cities as well," the embassy said.

As reported by Ukrinform, Israel delivered to Kharkiv city nine tonnes of medicines, including hemostatic agents, occlusive dressings, and surgical packages.

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act, giving final congressional approval to a bill authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko that honors the abolitionist and provides a new source of funding for an Auburn historic site.

The legislation, which was approved by the U.S. Senate in February, requires the U.S. Department of Treasury to produce up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins and 750,000 half-dollar coins. The coins must be "emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist," according to the bill's text. Tubman's image will appear on the coin, along with her name and the words "Liberty," "In God We Trust," "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum."

The Treasury will consult with a few organizations, including Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., in Auburn, before selecting the design of the coin. The design will be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. If the legislation is signed by President Joe Biden, the coins will be released in 2024.

Once they go on sale, there will be a $35 surcharge for the $5 coins, a $10 surcharge for the $1 coins and a $5 surcharge for the half-dollar coins. The proceeds from the surcharges will be split between the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.

If all the coins are sold, there will be $9.5 million in surcharge revenue, with $4,750,000 going to the Harriet Tubman Home. The South Street site, which is now part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, includes her brick residence and the Home for the Aged she founded.

When Katko, R-Camillus, first introduced the bill in 2020, he hoped to have it finalized in time to have the coins minted by this year  Tubman's 200th birthday. He reintroduced the legislation with U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, in 2021.

In a House floor speech before the bill's passage on Tuesday, Katko called Tubman "an icon of freedom and an agent of change."

"Today's vote represents one of the most significant steps forward in strengthening federal recognition of the Harriet Tubman Home since its designation as a national park in 2017," he said. "Specifically, I am pleased that the coins issued under this legislation, bearing Harriet Tubman's likeness and symbolizing her legacy, will directly benefit preservation and education efforts at the Tubman Home in Auburn."

After a brief debate, the House passed the bill by voice vote. The legislation heads to President Joe Biden for final approval. He is expected to sign it into law.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has long advocated for the Harriet Tubman Home and the creation of the national park, said in a statement that the coins will "carry on her legacy by ensuring (Tubman's) courageous story lives on and that the (Tubman Home) in Auburn can continue to inspire countless generations to come."

The commemorative coin will have no effect on Tubman's placement on a redesigned $20 bill. The Treasury Department is still planning to put the abolitionist's likeness on a new $20 bill, which will be released within the next several years.
July 27, 2007

In an effort to decrease the number of garbage haulers driving on local roads in the Finger Lakes region, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has written a letter to New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner John Dougherty.

Schumer, who previously introduced legislation to mandate that trucks hauling hazardous materials or solid waste stay on the National Highway System, is asking the commissioner to work with local and state authorities to route these trucks away from roads (i.e. Routes 38, 38A, 41 and 41A) that go through small communities.

Haulers, many on their way to and from the Seneca Meadows landfill in Waterloo, often take the local roads as shortcuts and to save on toll money. But many local residents are concerned about the effects that these large haulers are having on communities' infrastructure, quality of life, environment and overall public safety.

Schumer would also like the trucking agencies to respect the spirit of the contract, with the city, according to a Schumer release. Those contracts tend to state that trucks should stay on primary highways and avoid local streets and residential areas and that the contractor will route trucks away from environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, parks and historic sites to the maximum extent possible, according to the release.

In other truck news, Skaneateles Village Mayor Robert Green and other members of the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force, a group of regional politicians and citizens working to put the haulers back on the interstates, met with a representative from Gov. Eliot Spitzer's regional office last week.

We're trying to get the state more involved, Green said.

Green and the coalition asked for Spitzer to support the creation of a routing system for trucks carrying hazardous materials.
For over 30 years the City of Austin has welcomed the tradition of Blues on the Green. Produ Read more
The major regeneration scheme at Bellsmyre, Dumbarton is taking shape with four families moving into their new homes and the council giving the green light for the next phase of the major scheme, part-funded by the Scottish Government, to improve the housing provision in the area.

The first tenants have been handed keys to their brand new homes at Muir Road, for Caledonia Housing Association. A further 62 homes will be completed by May this year providing much needed, high quality and affordable housing for the area. The brownfield site along Muir Road is the first phase of Caledonia Housing Associations multi-million pound regeneration for Bellsmyre. The new development is designed by ECD Architects and constructed by CCG (Scotland). The first new homes to be completed are three bedroom family houses.

The properties look across over the Clyde to Dumbarton Rock. The new homes constructed at Muir Road will be a mix of houses and flats with one, two and three bedrooms to cater for a wide range of families and individuals. There will be a further 40 two and three-bedroom houses, and 22 one and two-bedroom flats. Construction at Muir Road used modular offsite building methods allowing for enhanced levels of performance and quality for the new build construction. It also limits the need for heavy machinery on site and reduces work force traffic resulting in less disruption for tenants moving in and for the community nearby.

All the homes at Muir Road are finished in a grey multi-tone textured brick, with contemporary grey window frames. When complete Muir Road development will include areas of open space with a dedicated area with childrens natural play equipment, benches and landscaping.
July 27 2022

Bard Architects have debuted a new cultural building at Vatisker on the Isle of Lewis following a community consultation process.

Comann Eachdraidh Sgire a' Bhac (Back Historical Society) has taken on a former school in the Back district of the island to deliver a 220sq/m heritage centre and meeting space that will preserve and promote local history, culture and traditions.

Project architect Ruairidh Moir said: "A long, linear plan is devised stretching from front to back of the site. An entrance is positioned midway down this span within a fold of walls towards the east, aligning to the chimney and heart of the plan. Upon entering the selection of options is immediately apparent  public zones such as the kitchen and exhibition/gathering areas open out and are framed by a ridge light that directs western light deep into the volume. Subsidiary accommodation and the archive are located to the rear, where the strong enveloping roof form is folded downwards."

Adopting traditional white painted masonry with a natural slate roof and timber rafters the heritage centre reaches out to the community via a signboard integrated within the folded masonry facade. Further visual interest is provided by a barometer bolted to a 'blade' of masonry that sets the scene for passersby. Moir adds: "We have devised the building to anchor it into the streetscape, creating considered public space around and integrating directly to the street allowing a visual connection to the immediate environs..."

The charity behind the venture will harness the facility to host a monthly series of meetings, lectures and events.
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Mogadishu, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2022 ) :Nine people including a senior local government official were killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing in southern Somalia claimed by the militant group, police and witnesses said.

The attack occurred outside the administrative office in the town of Marka, where the district commissoner Abdullahi Ali Ahmed Wafow was speaking with local people, police said.

"Commissioner Abdullahi Wafow was killed in an explosion together with eight other people, most of them security personnel," a police officer in Marka, Ibrahim Ali, told AFP by phone.

"The police are still investigating the incident but there are already indications that a suicide bomber carried out the deadly attack."
Lima, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2022 ) :Almost as soon as he took office a year ago on Thursday, leftist rural schoolteacher Pedro Castillo found himself under fire.

Having unexpectedly taken power from the traditional political elite in a neck-and-neck election, the former trade unionist has since been fending off non-stop attacks from the political right, which disputes his legitimacy.

In the first 12 months of a five-year term, 52-year-old Castillo has survived two impeachment attempts by a hostile Congress for "permanent moral incompetence," with talk of a third in the works.

At the same time, he has been in the visor of the Attorney General's office, which has opened five investigations against him -- an unprecedented state of affairs for a country where several presidents have been charged with crimes -- though only after leaving office.

Castillo and his lawyers deny the charges and claim it is all part of a plot to unseat him.

And while rights bodies have expressed concern about the "discretionary" use of impeachment proceedings to topple leaders in Peru, analysts say the prosecution system, at least, is independent.

"I think... it's very hard to claim that this is just a political campaign against him," analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank told AFP of Castillo's predicament.

"This isn't ideological... There have been such a lot of testimony and accusations that appear to be well-founded." With rock-bottom approval ratings and a head-spinning staff turnover -- seven interior ministers in 12 months -- political instability has once again reached fever pitch in Peru.

The country is no stranger to instability: it had three different presidents in five days in 2020, and five presidents and three legislatures since 2016.

Castillo came out of seemingly nowhere two win 50.12 percent of votes in a June 2021 runoff election against rightwing Keiko Fujimori, the corruption-charged daughter of graft-convicted ex-president Alberto Fujimori.

His opponents painted Castillo as a dangerous "communist" who would turn Peru into a new Venezuela, and cried foul despite his victory being certified by the Organization of American States and the European Union.

Castillo sought to portray himself as a humble servant of the people, promising to upend a quarter-century of neo-liberal government and bring an end to corruption.

Yet, "three months (into his term) it was clear that he was an inept president with a very big vocation for corruption," Peruvian economist and commentator Augusto Alvarez Rodrich told AFP.

Yet two impeachment attempts so far have failed as several lawmakers, even opponents, rely on Castillo "because it sustains this corrupt activity" that they also benefit from, according to Shifter.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in March expressed "concern about the repeated, discretionary use" of the impeachment procedure it said had "contributed to Peru's governance problems." And Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned in December that conservatives in Peru have launched "a kind of preparation for an overthrow." "Without question there's a hardline sector of the right that has been after Castillo from the beginning," added Shifter.

"But it's very hard to ignore at the same time that there's an unprecedented number of investigations by the Attorney General." Four investigations involve alleged crimes committed since Castillo took office -- the fifth is alleged plagiarism of his university thesis.

One charge is for alleged influence peddling in the purchase of fuel by state company Petroperu in 2021; another for alleged obstruction of justice in the dismissal of Interior Minister Mariano Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was fired after authorizing a special unit to arrest allies of Castillo.

The remaining charges concern alleged influence peddling in military promotions, and alleged corruption in a public works project.

On Tuesday, Castillo's former secretary Bruno Pacheco, wanted on corruption charges, handed himself over to the authorities in another blow to the president's image.

The prosecution considers there is evidence that Castillo is heading a "criminal organization" benefiting his family and colleagues.

Castillo has repeatedly protested his innocence, writing on Twitter last month that: "I have nothing to do with... corruption. I am an honest man and will always defend my innocence and honor."Like all Peruvian presidents, Castillo enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office. Six of the last seven were investigated or prosecuted after their terms were over.

For Peruvian citizen Ingrid Chung, 30, Castillo was just "someone else who has come to deceive us."
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Kyiv, Ukraine, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2022 ) :Kyiv said Wednesday that work had resumed at three Black Sea ports designated under a recent deal with Russia to resume cereals' exports that have been blocked by Russia's invasion.

"In connection with the signing of the agreement on the unblocking of Ukrainian ports for the export of grain, work has resumed in the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Pivdennyi," the Ukrainian navy said in a statement on social media.

Kyiv and Moscow last week agreed a mechanism with the help of Turkey and the United Nations to allow blocked Ukrainian grain to be exported from the three ports.

Ukraine said Monday that some exports could restart as early as "this week".

The navy said in its statement that when exports do resume, cargo ships will be escorted to and from the ports.

"The entry and exit of ships to seaports will be carried out by forming a convoy that will accompany the lead ship," it said in the statement, adding that safe routes were still being determined.

Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of agricultural products, but Moscow's invasion has severely disrupted Ukrainian wheat exports as the fighting damaged harvests and left ports blocked and mined.
Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood on Tuesday directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to establish a Control Room for monitoring the floods situation in different parts of the country

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jul, 2022 ) :Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood on Tuesday directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to establish a Control Room for monitoring the floods situation in different parts of the country.

The minister issued these directions while chairing an emergency meeting at the NHA headquarters, said a press release issued here.

The minister was informed that all NHA field officers and staff were on high alert across the country, especially in Balochistan.

All field officers were directed to remain in touch with the Control Room at all times and share updates regarding latest floods situation and losses caused thereby.

The bridge on the Hub river on the national highway N-25, connecting Karachi and Balochistan collapsed, however traffic movement continued without interruption.
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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2022 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said the nation would remain indebted to those who laid down their lives for the security of the homeland.

In his message on the martyrdom anniversary of Captain Muhammad Sarwar (Nishan-e-Haider), the president paid tribute to the brave son of the soil.

He said Captain Muhammad Sarwar sacrificed his life in Kashmir in 1948 while defending the country.

"Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed bravely and gallantly fought the enemies of the country," he said.

The president prayed for the elevation of ranks of the soul of Captain Muhammad Sarwar and of all other martyrs.
Burundi has secretly sent hundreds of troops and members of a youth militia into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo since the end of 2021 to fight an armed rebel group, a Burundian human rights group said Wednesday

Nairobi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2022 ) :Burundi has secretly sent hundreds of troops and members of a youth militia into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo since the end of 2021 to fight an armed rebel group, a Burundian human rights group said Wednesday.

The main target of the operation is the RED-Tabara, the Burundi Human Rights Initiative said, referring to the most active of the rebel groups which is deemed a terrorist organisation by the Burundian government.

Burundi has always denied carrying out any secret operations, insisting it has acted only within the framework of joint operations by the East African Community (EAC), African Union or United Nations.

"The Burundi National Defence Force is a modern and professional army whose interventions are all carried out legally," Defence Minister Alain Tribert Mutabazi told reporters on Tuesday.

He said those who claimed there were Burundian forces on Congolese soil had a "hidden agenda" but added that the army was preparing to intervene as part of the regional force.

The EAC agreed in June to deploy troops to fight the myriad rebel groups involved in an upsurge of violence in the eastern DRC that has ensnared neighbouring countries.

"Several hundred Burundian soldiers and Imbonerakure -- more than 1,000 -- are believed to have gone to the DRC in successive waves since late 2021," the BHRI said in a report.

The Imbonerakure are members of the youth league of the ruling CNDD-FDD party of President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

- 'Angry' about treatment in DRC - "For more than 10 years, Burundian soldiers and Imbonerakure have periodically sought to hunt down Burundian armed opposition groups in the DRC," the BHRI said.

"But the current operation is different in scale and duration," it said, adding that about 700 were estimated to be on DRC soil in the early phase of the deployment in December.

The rights group, which is based abroad, said it collected testimonies from soldiers, relatives and members of the ruling and opposition parties.

It said it was not able to confirm the exact numbers of troops or incursions, although it reported that the UN Group of Experts collected information on 17 incursions in the Uvira region between September last year and this March.

"Some soldiers are ordered to swap their military uniforms for civilian clothes and leave behind possessions that could identify them," said the BHRI.

The report said those returning have been warned not to talk about their mission, and little or no explanation is given to the families of those who die on the battlefield.

It said some Imbonerakure have become "angry" about their treatment during the military operation, with some saying they felt they had been deceived or abandoned.

In May, Ndayishimiye said he was ready to hold a dialogue with Burundian rebels in DRC, in particular RED-Tabara and the National Forces of Liberation (FNL).

Founded in 2011, RED-Tabara has been accused of a string of attacks in Burundi since 2015.

In September it claimed responsibility for an attack on the international airport in Bujumbura, the country's economic capital.
A quest to bring the Golden Snowball trophy to Buffalo is running up against the odds of an actual snowball surviving the Sahara.

With 97.4 inches of snow for the 2021-22 season, Buffalo won the designation as the snowiest big city in New York State this past May, the second time in four years that it had outpaced the likes of Albany, Binghamton, Rochester and Syracuse in the annual accounting of accumulations. Buffalo also was tops in the nation as snowiest big city.

Yet, the coveted Golden Snowball trophy remains in Binghamton, stranded like a commuter in a blizzard.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is on record saying he has no interest in the award. A group of local meteorologists has tried to step in to claim the prize and display it at SUNY Buffalo State, where the geography and planning department has offered a home.

Buffalo State geography professor and meteorologist Stephen Vermette said he will drive to Binghamton, pick up the trophy and bring it to campus. He hopes to work with the Buffalo State Library and possibly the Buffalo Museum of Science to display it.

I would be happy to be steward of the trophy if no one else wants it, he said. I would kind of shepherd it around to interested parties and try to promote it in Western New York and not just let it languish in Binghamton because no one knows what to do with it.

Vermette is part of the Western New York chapter of the American Meteorological Society. The group wants the award to be a small point of fun and pride for the region. Vermette and other members said the Buffalo area should do everything it can to embrace its reputation for snow, instead of trying to run from it.

Binghamton Mayor Jared M. Krahans office appears to be in no hurry to relinquish the award, however.

When Vermette first called the office in early June, Krahans executive assistant told him the New York Conference of Mayors was responsible for the trophys transfer.

Vermette followed up by calling and emailing NYCOM. The organizations executive director Peter Baynes responded in a July 11 email that NYCOM had hosted an informal ceremony transferring the trophy from Syracuses mayor to Binghamtons mayor at one of its meeting last year but otherwise had nothing to do with the Golden Snowball tradition.

Syracuse won the trophy in 2018-19 and held onto it for an additional year when Brown said he was not interested in retrieving it for display at Buffalo City Hall.

Buffalo was the states snowiest city in 2019-20, as well, and never hosted the trophy, which Syracuse handed off to Binghamton, the winner in 2020-21 with 103.2 inches of snow.

Vermette doesn't want another hosting opportunity to melt away.

He and others had tried unsuccessfully in 2020 to get Brown's office get involved, and the mayor wanted no part of it.

Vermette has called Krahans office directly again, but hasnt received an answer. Hes started wondering what the hang-up is now.

Krahans office did not respond this week to inquiries from The Buffalo News.

The only problem where I could see the no come from Binghamton is that Im not the mayors office. And if someone wants to be strict about it and say, No, its got to go from mayors office to mayors office to mayors office, then were out of luck, said Vermette. But Im hoping that theyll recognize theres better good in giving it to another institution like Buffalo State, and I would look after it rather than just have it sit in Binghamton.
Upon his arrival in Quebec from Edmonton on Wednesday, Pope Francis will pay a courtesy visit to the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, and meet briefly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Citadelle de Quebec.

By Lisa Zengarini

After the welcome ceremony in the Citadelle, the Old Quebec, the Pope will meet privately with the Governor of Canada, Ms. Mary Simon, in her official residence, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold talks with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Pope will then address civil authorities, representatives of Indigenous peoples, and members of the diplomatic corps.

First Indigenous leader to be appointed as Governor of Canada

Mary Simon was appointed as 30th Governor of Canada on 6 July 2021 and is the first-ever Indigenous leader in Canada to hold this post. Aged 75 and mother of three, she was born to a local Inuk woman and an English fur trader father who worked at a Hudson's Bay Company outpost. She is bilingual in English and Inuktitut.

A champion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, in the early 1970s Ms. Simon helped negotiate the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, a landmark deal which in 1975 saw the province acknowledge Cree and Inuit rights in the James Bay region for the first time.

She has been president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national Indigenous organization that works to advance Inuit rights. In 2002, former Prime Minister Jean Chretien named her Canada's first Arctic ambassador, a position where she worked closely with other circumpolar countries to bolster co-operation in the region. Ms. Simon also served as Canada's ambassador to Denmark.

In 2008, she accepted the formal public apology offered by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper to residential school survivors and all Indigenous people in Canada.

Private meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Before addressing civil authorities, representatives of Indigenous peoples and members of the diplomatic corps in the Citadelle, Pope Francis will also have a private encounter with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Son of one of Canada's most notable prime ministers, Pierre Trudeau, he was elected in the Canadian Parliament in 2008, after having been a teacher. As leader of the Liberal Party, he was first elected to the position of Prime Minister in 2015, and then for a second term in 2019.

He is currently president of the Canadian charity Katimavik, whose mission is to engage young people in active citizenship in order to create a more inclusive society, and to promote reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and with Canadas other diverse cultures.
Toyota and Suzuki have decided to partially shut production output in Pakistan owing to forex issues and a supply chain crisis.

Two major automakers present in Pakistan, Toyota and Suzuki, both Japanese have decided to partially shut their respective plants in Pakistan owing to exchange rate volatility, import restrictions and unavailability of crucial raw materials. The partial shut down of manufacturing and assembling plants is scheduled for next month, reports Reuters.

(Also Read: Pakistan auto industry fears 30% dip in sales after tax hike on new cars)

The Pakistan government in recent weeks has attempted to curb imports in the face of fast depleting foreign reserves, a declining currency and a widening current account deficit, because of which the country's currency has lost more than 20 per cent of its value this year, claims the report. This move has had a cascading effect on industries that rely on imports to complete finished goods as they say the central bank has delayed the clearance of letters of credit with banks facing a shortage of dollars, affecting their ability to import materials.

The report also reveals that Toyota will have only ten working days in Pakistan in August and that too if the country's central bank allows the company an open letter of credit based on the quota they promised. Toyota has also started offering refunds to customers who are facing delays and markups on their payments. The current crisis is expected to delay vehicle deliveries in the country by at least three months, claims the report. Prices of the vehicles too

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Pak Suzuki, which assembles Suzuki vehicles locally in the country, echoed the sentiment, citing the central bank's new mechanism for prior approval for imports.

First Published Date:
When images beamed back to Earth by NASAs largest, most powerful space telescope were released earlier this month, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio shared one of them on Twitter accompanied by a Bible verse: The heavens declare the glory of God.

The Webb telescope is orbiting the sun nearly two million kilometers from Earth. The observatory is on a mission to locate the universes first galaxies using extremely sensitive infrared cameras. The initial images released to the public provided the first-ever glimpse of ancient galaxies lighting up the sky.



The reaction to Rubios post was inundated with remarks like, You do realize you can only see that due to science? And, If only you were scientifically literate enough to understand all of the ways that this image disproves your mythology.

Reason versus superstition?

The skeptical comments are emblematic of the long-standing, ongoing debate about whether science and religion can be reconciled.

There are a gazillion religions, each one making a different set of claims about reality, not just about the nature of God, but about history, about miracles, about what happened. And they're all different, so they cant all be true, says Jerry A. Coyne, an evolutionary biologist and professor emeritus at the University of Chicago.

Coyne, who likens religion to superstition, wrote a book called, Faith Versus Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible.

The incompatibility is that both science and religion make statements about what is true in the universe, Coyne says. Science has a way of verifying them and religion doesn't. So, science is based on this sort of science toolkit of empirical reasoning or duplicating experiments, whereas religion is based on faith.

Coyne says he was raised a secular Jew and became an atheist as a teenager.

Scientists are, in general, much less religious than the general public. And the more accomplished you get as a scientist, the less religious you become, he says.

A 1998 survey found that 93% of the members of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the U.S., dont believe in God.

I personally think there's a couple of reasons for that, says Kenneth Miller, a devout Roman Catholic and professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at Brown University in Rhode Island. One of them, to be perfectly honest, is the out-and-out hostility that many religious institutions or many religious groups display towards science. And I think that tends to drive people with deep religious faith away from science.

Mixing science and faith

Some of the worlds foremost scientists have been people of faith, however.

The Big Bang theory, which explains the origins of the universe, was first proposed by a Catholic priest who was also an astronomer and physics professor.

Frances Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health who headed the international effort that first mapped the entire human genome, is a one-time atheist who now identifies as an evangelical Christian.

Farouk El-Baz, a professor in the departments of archaeology and electrical and computer engineering at Boston University, says most of his scientific colleagues see no conflict between science and religion. For El-Baz, the son of an Islamic scholar, the marvel of the Webb telescopes discoveries deepens both.

Science actually underlines the importance of religion because God told us that He created the Earth and the heavens, says El-Baz, who is also director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University. And the heavens, there are supposed to be all kinds of things out there. And scientific investigations have actually proved that, yes, there are all kinds of things out there.

Evolution, creationism or both

For many, the conflict between science and religion is often rooted in the perceived incongruity between creationism  which suggests that a divine being created Earth and the heavens  and evolution, which holds that living organisms developed over 4.5 billion years.

Miller accepts the theory of evolution and says much of scripture is metaphorical, an explanation of the relationship between Creator and His creation in language that could be understood by people living in a prescientific age.

[The book of] Genesis, taken literally, is a recent product of certain religious interpretations of scripture, Miller says. In particular, it's an interpretation that became quite influential in the latter part of the 19th century among Christian fundamentalists in the United States. And the reality is that much of scripture is figurative rather than literal.

Jewish tradition also accepts evolution, according to intellectual historian Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, who suggests that the rise of the religious Christian right in the United States also influenced more observant Jews to harden their position against evolution.

Medieval Jewish philosophy basically followed the Muslim paradigm, says Tirosh-Samuelson, a professor of history and director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Arizona State University. The Muslim theologians and the Muslim scholars showed Jews how you can integrate a monotheistic tradition together with Greek and Hellenistic science  and showed how scientific knowledge is always a tool that enables you to understand the divinely created world better.

Vision of God

In Millers view, the concept of God as a designer who worked out every intricate detail of every single living thing is too narrow a vision of the Creator.

The God that is revealed by evolution is not a God who has to literally tinker with every little piece of trivia in every living organism, but rather a God who created a universe in a world where the very physical conditions of matter and energy were sufficient to accomplish his ends, Miller says. And to me, that conception of God creating this extraordinary process that nature itself allows to come about is a much grander vision than a God who has to concern himself with every little detail.

El-Baz says some people fear that science will reduce their religiosity, but the reverse is true for him.

We understood through God's guidance that humans evolved from other creatures, and evolution is still going on, and theres absolutely no conflict between what science and religion are informing us, he says. It's very easy to consider that a creator, or a force of creation  God or whatever faith you have  that it's a force that put all of these things together, that created all of this.

Tirosh-Samuelson says Judaism is not a literalist tradition but rather favors open ended interpretation, which is in keeping with her reaction to the Webb discoveries.

The grandeur of the universe. The grandeur of God. The grandeur of the human. And in my view, there's no contradiction between those three. On the contrary, there's a lot of complementarity between the three, she says.

Jewish culture is really pretty much open to discussion and debate about practically every topic. So, there's something very much in accord with the scientific spirit of inquiry, questioning, uncertainty, skepticism. That's exactly the opposite of a position that is about certainty and rigidity and closed-mindedness.
The United States has said it is only a matter of time before there is a major accident in the Indo-Pacific region as the Chinese military continues what it calls its provocative behaviors, and that Washington is seeking open lines of communication with Beijing to prevent miscalculations.

The stark warning came ahead of U.S. President Joe Bidens virtual call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected Thursday.

Tuesday, senior U.S. officials and a member of Congress detailed their assessment that China poses the greatest challenge to U.S. national security and regional stability.

The PRCs expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, along with its provocative actions to implement such claims contribute to regional instability, said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Jung Pak. She was referring to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

Citing three incidents over the last few months, Pak told the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that PRC vessels have challenged marine research and energy exploration activities within the Philippines exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The Pentagons top official on Asian affairs also weighed in.

"In my view, this aggressive and irresponsible behavior represents one of the most significant threats to peace and stability in the region today, including in the South China Sea, said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner.

Ratner said there is a sharp increase in unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Chinese military ships and aircraft in the region, citing examples including a Chinese J-16 fighter that dangerously intercepted an Australian surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea in May.

PRC continues to harden its position along its disputed border with India and further to the north in the Taiwan Strait. Across each of these areas the PRC is altering the status quo, Ratner added.

China asserts territorial claims over a majority of the South China Sea, including a right to draw baselines and closing in internal waters within four geographically disperse groups of islands and other maritime features.

The United States has continued to reject Beijing governments sweeping and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the South China Sea issue should be handled by countries in the region themselves as it is not a safari park for countries outside the region or a fighting arena for major powers to compete in.

A certain non-regional power has continued to increase its input into the region, deliberately escalated conflicts and provoked tensions, said Wang in opening remarks at a virtual event marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

In 2002, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a non-binding "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," also known as DOC.

But for years, China and the Southeast Asian bloc have not been able to reach a legally binding code of conduct to resolve disputes in the South China Sea.

Republican Congressman from Virginia Rob Wittman said the South China Sea would become Chinese sovereign territory if the U.S. and other countries do not push back on Chinas aggressive behaviors. As the co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, Wittman said the U.S. would soon be lagging behind China in either quantity or quality of modern military ships.

The United States Navy would be on track to be at 270 ships by 2027. By 2030, the Chinese will be at 460 ships, he said.

If you look at the capability of ships in the United States, you see that the United States has about 167 ships that you could consider that are right at the cutting edge of technology that have tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities the Chinese navies [are] at 285 ships of equal or greater capacity, said the Congressman.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a Tuesday briefing that managing competition between the worlds leading economies, Taiwan, and Ukraine are among the topics of the Biden-Xi call this week.
For 20 years, the United States and its Western allies played the major role in shaping Afghanistans future. But with the Taliban takeover nearly one year ago, regional powers, like Uzbekistan, are increasingly driving international engagement while Washington and the West hold out for Taliban concessions.

In Tashkent this week, Uzbekistan convened an international conference on Afghanistan. More than 100 delegations from nearly 30 countries attended the event, mingling with the Taliban. Many of the governments, especially those from Central Asia, were clearly pushing toward an eventual normalization of relations with the new powers in Kabul.

This event matters for everyone who has interest in Afghanistan, said Najibullah Sharifi, an Uzbek observer from Afghanistans Takhar province. Lets see what developments it leads to.

At perhaps the largest multilateral event with Taliban participation since the group seized power last August, officials from Kabul seemed emboldened and assertive. Central Asian diplomats told VOA that the Taliban came well prepared and confident, something reporters covering the event noticed as well.

Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told the conference that Taliban-led Afghanistan is open for business.

Before we came to power, everyone used to call to end violence in Afghanistan. Look, we are discussing reconstruction of our country and developing its economy, he said.

But Muttaqi said the Talibans ambitions extend to their former antagonists. He urged the West, especially Washington, to establish direct ties.

Yet Muttaqi wants something from Washington too: Afghan assets once held by the former regime that were frozen when the Taliban took power.

We want investment, he said.

The United Nations, the European Union, the U.S. and other Western officials interacted with the Taliban, which is not unprecedented since Washington negotiated with them in Doha, Qatar, for years. They also reiterated demands with the U.S. delegation, led by Thomas West, the Biden administrations special representative for Afghanistan, seeking Taliban concessions.

In an interview with UzReport TV, a VOA affiliate in Uzbekistan, West said, The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is among the highest priorities that drive American decision-making.



We have spent nearly a billion dollars in humanitarian aid since August, he added, saying that the U.S. is not blocking any aid or business from assisting the Afghan people.

Emphasizing that America remains the largest donor for Afghanistan, West pointed to four sectors that Washington specifically backs  agriculture, health, livelihoods and education. He said the international community prevented starvation in Afghanistan last winter. But there are still too many Afghans suffering today.

Non-Western players are setting few, if any, conditions on their own engagement, and they are criticizing Washington. Russias representative, Zamir Kabulov, blamed the U.S and its allies for the dire conditions in Afghanistan. Washington supported the corrupt puppet government in Kabul for 20 years, he said, accusing the U.S. of pursuing punitive policies now.

Members of some Central Asian research groups suspect that at least 20 militant groups still have roots or bases in Afghanistan, an accusation the Taliban vehemently deny.

Observers in Tashkent told VOA that delegations were diverse and at times quite critical of each other in their statements, but all credited the host, Uzbekistan, for urging the world to engage with Afghanistans challenges.

"The international isolation of Afghanistan shall inevitably lead to further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. It is important not to allow this, since the fate of millions is at stake, warned Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in an address delivered on his behalf by Abdulaziz Kamilov, his special envoy.

The interim government of Afghanistan takes certain steps in terms of peaceful reconstruction, strives to improve the socioeconomic situation and establish friendly relations with neighboring countries and mutually beneficial cooperation with an international community. We must foster and endorse these efforts, he said.

Still, Mirziyoyev reiterated the international communitys conditions for formal diplomatic recognition, namely forming a broad representation of all layers of the Afghan society in state governance, ensuring basic human rights and freedoms, especially of women and all ethnic and confessional groups. By confessional, he was referring to all religious communities in the country.

We call on the current government of Afghanistan to show firm will and take resolute measures to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, breaking up ties with all international terrorist organizations.

But Mirziyoyev challenged the international community to create real prerequisites for Afghanistan to become a peaceful, stable and prosperous land  free from terrorism, wars and narcotics.

Rina Amiri, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, underlined that security, economic stability and peace cannot be achieved without upholding the rights of women, ending abuses against all ethnic and religious communities and fostering an inclusive political process.

Amiri tweeted from Tashkent that she countered claims that the Talibans regressive policies are based on Afghan culture, arguing that most Afghans aspire for education, work and opportunities for a better future for their sons and daughters.

She highlighted that while most attendees called for an inclusive political process, no one pushed for recognition of the Talibans regime now.

Frederick Starr, an American expert who attended the conference, said the key issue is not recognition but "trade and economic ties that actually test Taliban intentions."

Uzbekistan showcased several such projects, including a proposed trans-Afghan railway running from Termez at the Uzbek-Afghan border through Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul to Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan and a planned Surkhan- Puli-Khumri power transmission line running from Uzbekistan to north-central Afghanistan. He invited businesses and others to participate and invest.

Impressed with these initiatives yet skeptical of the Talibans claims, Starr said that much work lies ahead for the Taliban to convince the international community of their sincerity.

Facts on the ground matter most and if the Taliban means what it says, then it should improve the situation step-by-step, Starr said.

But ultimately, Starr said he sees no chance of lasting peace in Central Asia if Afghanistan cannot achieve stability.

Uzbek scholar Sayfiddin Jurayev said he thinks the U.S. should return what belongs to the Afghan people but agrees with Starr that the Taliban still must face up to the conditions reiterated in this conference.
A global rights defender alleged Wednesday in its new report that the Taliban have decimated the rights of women and girls since taking over the country nearly a year ago, calling on the world to urgently demand the Islamist group respect the rights of all Afghans.



Within a year of its takeover of Afghanistan, the groups draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of the opportunity [to] lead safe, free and fulfilling lives, said the Amnesty Internationals investigative report.



The Taliban captured almost all of the country, including the capital, Kabul, in August 2021, when the Western-backed government collapsed and all international forces, led by the United States, withdrew after nearly 20 years of war with the Islamist group.



The Taliban promised they would uphold rights of all Afghans. But the Islamist rulers have since banned girls from attending school starting with seventh grade, required women to use face coverings in public and told women employed in the public sector to stay at home, with the exception of those who work for the ministries of education, health and a few others.



Amnestys research found that women who peacefully protested the restrictions and policies allegedly had been harassed, threatened, arrested, forcefully disappeared, arbitrarily detained and tortured.



Taken together, these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives. Every daily detail is controlled and heavily restricted, said Agnes Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International.



This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistans female population is increasing day-by-day. The international community must urgently demand that the Taliban respect and protect the rights of women and girls, she stated.

The watchdog group noted its researchers had visited the country in March as part of a nine-month-long investigation, where they interviewed more than 100 women and girls between 14 and 74 years old across Afghanistan.



We were beaten on our breasts and between the legs. They did this to us so that we couldnt show the world This happened every time we went out: we were insulted  physically, verbally, and emotionally, the report quoted one of the women protesters as telling Amnesty International.



The report found that rates of child, early and forced marriages in Afghanistan are surging since the Taliban takeover, citing deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions, and the lack of education and employment for females.



Taliban authorities did not immediately comment on Amnestys findings but they have consistently refuted as baseless propaganda such allegations levelled by rights groups and foreign governments.



US-Taliban talks



Amnesty International released its findings on a day when the United States and the Taliban were scheduled to hold a fresh round of talks in neighboring Uzbekistan. U.S. officials said the dialogue is aimed at addressing economic challenges facing the people of Afghanistan.

Thomas West, the U.S. special envoy for the South Asian nation, wrote on Twitter Tuesday that his inter-agency team would continue pragmatic engagement with the Taliban and Afghan technocrats regarding macroeconomic stability issues.



Wednesdays U.S.-Taliban meeting comes a day after West and Rina Amiri, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights, attended an international conference in Tashkent on economic challenges facing Afghanistan.



However, Amiri said she would not join the U.S. delegation in the Tashkent-hosted talks with the Taliban, apparently to protest the groups harsh treatment of women. She had also refused to attend last months meeting with the Taliban in Qatar and explained the reason in a tweet later on.



Im ready to engage when the Taliban are prepared to work on concrete steps to restore the rights of Afghans, including women, girls & at-risk populations. The US government stands in solidarity in calling on the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, Amiri said.



The international community has promised to look into the Talibans demand for granting them diplomatic recognition only after the Islamist rulers meet their pledges of respecting womens rights and governing Afghanistan through an inclusive political system where all groups have their representation.



The Taliban defend their government and policies, saying they are in line with Afghan culture and Sharia or Islamic law.
At least four people were killed Wednesday after a strong earthquake struck the northern Philippines.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the province of Abra on the main island of Luzon was the epicenter of a 7 magnitude quake, which struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.

Philippine authorities say at least 44 people were injured in the disaster.

Authorities say dozens of buildings collapsed or were severely damaged across Abra province. Photos posted on her Facebook account by Abra vice governor Joy Bernos show residents and staff standing outside a hospital that was left with a gaping hole in the front of the building.

Shockwaves from the quake were felt as far away as the capital, Manila, located about 300 kilometers south of the epicenter.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. told reporters at a news conference that the quake was very strong and caused the chandeliers in his office to sway. President Marcos said he will fly to Abras province Thursday to inspect the damage.

The Southeast Asian archipelago lies in the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire region, a band of volcanoes and seismic fault lines that circles a large area of the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines is also battered annually by about 20 storms and typhoons, making it one of the worlds most disaster-prone countries.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Iraq's foreign minister took his government's demands Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council, where he sought the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraqi territory following a deadly strike on a vacation resort that Baghdad has blamed on Turkish forces.

"We denounce the illegal presence of Turkish military forces on Iraqi territory," Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told council members.

The foreign minister traveled to New York to attend the emergency council meeting. It follows a July 20 strike on a resort in the Kurdish governorate of Dohuk that killed nine civilians, including three children.

Baghdad has blamed Ankara and demanded compensation and an international investigation.

Turkey has denied the attack, which occurred along its border with Iraq's Kurdistan region. Ankara says militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, terrorist group carried it out.

"Let us make it very clear: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq are breached by terrorist organizations, not by Turkiye," Deputy U.N. Ambassador Oncu Keceli said, referring to his country by its Turkish name.

The military wing of the PKK has denied carrying out the attack and blamed Turkey.

Iraq's foreign minister said a national committee was established to investigate the attack. It collected evidence at the site, including fragments of the weapons used, which he said were determined to be of the type used by Turkish forces that operate in the area.

Hussein called on the Security Council to adopt a resolution compelling Turkey to withdraw all of its military forces from Iraq, of which he told reporters there are about 4,000 operating without Baghdad's agreement.

"If Turkey refuses, then Turkey should be held responsible," he said. "Turkey must stop bringing about suffering against the people of Iraq."

Ankara has been fighting the PKK for decades in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the Kurdish separatists took up arms in 1984.

Turkey's envoy said part of the problem is that Iraq's government is not in control of all of its territory and that terrorist safe havens have developed in hundreds of villages in the north.

"We estimate that the PKK controls an area of at least 10,000 square kilometers in Iraq," Keceli said. He said Baghdad has been either unwilling or unable to fight the terrorists.

"You can't castigate your neighbor for using its right to self-defense," he concluded.

As the meeting ended, Keceli said he had just received word that four mortars struck near the Turkish consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. He said initial reports are that no one was injured.

"This is yet another flagrant attack and yet another example of the lack of control of Iraqi authorities on their own territory," the Turkish envoy said. "Once again, we call on Iraqi authorities to avoid escalatory language and concentrate on cooperating against all terrorist organizations."

Iraqi's foreign minister said he would verify what happened and if it was true, his government would condemn it in the strongest terms.

For its part, the Security Council strongly condemned the Dohuk attack in a statement on Monday, however it stopped short of attributing blame.

The council urged cooperation with the Iraqi government and other relevant authorities in investigating the attack. It also reiterated its support for Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
Somali officials say two explosions Wednesday in the Lower Shabelle region killed at least 20 people, including the mayor of the region's capital. Islamist militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

The first attack was a suicide bombing that targeted officials in the town of Merca, the capital of Somalia's Lower Shabelle region. The blast killed the mayor of the town, Abdullahi Ali Wafow, and 12 other people, including the mayor's advisers. A number of the mayor's bodyguards were wounded.

A security official in the region told VOA by phone that the bombing took place near the Merca administration headquarters and was aimed at the mayor.

Islamist militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a video posted on his Facebook page, Southwest state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed lashed out at al-Shabab and the suicide bomber.

He said the victims were killed by a suicide bomber who is faithless and arrogant, and it's a problem that the Somali people are facing wherever they are. After they attacked Somalia, he said, he is sure they invaded neighboring countries. The people of Southwest and the government must stand up and unite against the terrorists, he added.

In a separate incident Wednesday, a bomb exploded at a busy livestock market in the town of Afgoye. Police say the attack was a landmine explosion.

Eyewitnesses and medical sources in Afgoye told VOA the blast killed seven people and wounded 14 others. Al-Shabab media said the explosion killed two soldiers, but the group didn't claim responsibility.

The group did say it attacked a convoy carrying Kenyan troops in bombings near the town of Mandera, in northeastern Kenya.

The al-Qaida-affiliated group seems to have increased the size and scope of its attacks in recent days. A force of several hundred Shabab fighters crossed into eastern Ethiopia last week, sparking confrontations with Ethiopian security forces.


The leaders of Central Asias five nations edged toward closer cooperation but remain well short of the integrated community that has been a goal in the region for decades. Analysts say the five must still build trust while balancing ties with Russia and China.



Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed the positive at the July 21 summit in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, claiming that regional dialogue has created a constructive environment for multidimensional cooperation.



We have removed many barriers to the free flow of goods and people, he said. We have active cultural and tourism exchanges now. This is allowing us to expand trade and investment in the region of more than 77 million people, the majority under age 45.



Mirziyoyev and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan emphasized progress made on economic ties and connectivity, climate and green energy, tourism, water sharing and hydropower investments.



While publicly silent on Russias war in Ukraine and recent civil protests that turned violent in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the leaders also agreed to forge a network of security and intelligence services. Observers note that the governments tend to blame bloodshed on foreign elements.



Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, whose government worries about possible sleeper cells in Afghanistan, said the five nations must work together against threats of terrorism, extremism, drugs and arms trafficking, cybercrime and other forms of cross-border organized crime.



Turkmenistans new leader, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, struck a similar note, saying, In the context of the extreme aggravation of the world situation, we need to preserve unity and solidarity.



Like his colleagues, he pledged closer partnership on transport, communications and water resources.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev maintained that Central Asia has yet to unleash its transport and logistical potential. He said his government is committed to developing a Trans-Caspian corridor stretching from China and Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and parts of Eastern Europe.



He said Kazakhstan is also ready to participate in the construction of a railroad from Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan through Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.

We call on our partners to actively use the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railroad, the shortest route between East Asia and the Persian Gulf, he said.



Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov admitted his country still must solve border disputes with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.



I want to confirm that we have a strong will to complete these negotiations on mutual agreements, he said, promising to create transnational bridges of peace, friendship, and trust.

Japarov urged his fellow leaders to sign a proposed pact on friendship, good neighborly relations and cooperation. I hope this treaty will serve as the reliable basis for common prosperity in Central Asia.



But Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are not yet on board and say they still are reviewing the document.



Central Asia experts suspect that the two nations authoritarian leaders are reluctant to be bolder, compared to the more confident Kazakh, Uzbek and Kyrgyz presidents. Turkmenistans closed economy imposes barriers to cooperation.



Still, this should still be a starting point, said Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Three out of five countries sealing oral promises with some sort of a document is movement in the right direction.



Umarov said increasing discourse about closer cooperation reflects dynamism.



Political leaders are interested at least in thinking together about what the regions future might look like. It was not like that several years ago.

Tashkent-based scholar Farkhad Tolipov said the leaders see the need for stronger collaboration now, and this should lead to homegrown institutional frameworks. As of now, he asserted, the region leans into Russia- and China-led blocs.



Umarov sees Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as the regions closest partners, which is a good thing as it would be much easier to add other countries to the existing strong partnership initiatives between the two biggest economies of Central Asia.



Annual consultations among the five leaders are a huge leap forward, he added. This is not only a great opportunity to meet exclusively without any foreign actor but to create connections.



Marlene Laruelle, director of the Central Asia program at the George Washington University, agrees.



We see trends toward more regional cooperation, but it is cooperation, not integration, she told VOA. A bloc is not realistic yet. There is still too much mutual distrust.



She said the obstacles include differences in policy approaches and the lack of bottom-up momentum to integrate.



Tokayev suggested that representatives from Russia and China might be included in future regional summits, but Umarov pointed out that these powers already have other venues for dialogue with the region.



This should be done without damaging the safe space where Central Asian states can have an open discussion about anything, including their policies towards China and Russia, she said.



Uzbek analyst Anvar Nazir sees dependence on Moscow and Beijing as another obstacle to closer integration.



As long as leaders fear and lean on these powers, Central Asia will not become an independent region, he said.



Several Tajik experts told VOA they still see the Kremlins deep impact on the political mentality.



Central Asia is a ground for geopolitical games, and with each state facing enormous political and economic challenges, there is more room for Russia and China, while the West remains passive, analyst Ilhom Yusupov said.



But American policymakers see Central Asia countries finally acting in their own interest.



Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu recently told VOA that the region is now setting the agenda for the C5+1 dialogue with Washington.

This is exactly what we hoped would happen: Central Asian countries have their own voice now, Lu said. That really demonstrates that these are sovereign countries with their own interests and agenda. Central Asian states show great leadership in telling us what they want from this relationship.

This story originated in VOA's Uzbek Service
A European court on Wednesday dismissed a challenge by Russias state-owned broadcaster RT France against a ban imposed by the European Union.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg said the EU had the ability to suspend RT Frances operations and that the EUs actions did not call into question the freedom of expression.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia will take similar measures of pressure on Western media that operate in our country.

The EU imposed its ban in March, suspending the operations of RT English, RT UK, RT Germany, RT France and RT Spanish.

The EU said the ban would last until the aggression to Ukraine is put to an end, and until the Russian Federation and its associated outlets cease to conduct disinformation and information manipulation actions against the EU and its member states.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters
The financial subsidies paid to buyers of electric cars in Germany will expire completely once an allocated sum of 3.4 billion euros or $3.44 billion is spent from the budget of the next two years.

Germany is planning to reduce financial incentives to buy electric cars from next year after an agreement within the governing coalition. The reason for this is that battery powered vehicles in the country are seeing a growing popularity which is making the government subsidies unnecessary, the country's economy ministry told Reuters.

The financial subsidies or incentives or premiums that were paid to buyers of electric cars will expire completely once an allocated sum of 3.4 billion euros or $3.44 billion is spent from the budget of the next two years, according to government sources. "E-vehicles are becoming more and more popular and will no longer need government subsidies in the foreseeable future," Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

(Also read | Electric two-wheeler sales in India to grow by 78% by 2030: Study)

Under this scheme, the government will provide 4,500 euros premiums for fully electric-powered vehicles priced below 40,000 at the beginning of next year from 6,000 euros currently, which will fall to 3,000 euros in the following year. For cars priced over 40,000 euros, the premium will drop to 3,000 euros at the start of next year from 5,000 euros currently.

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While for cars priced over 65,000 euros, there is no subsidy and that will apply to vehicles priced at 45,000 euros and more from 2024. Further, the government will eliminate subsidies for company cars, with only private consumers benefiting from the scheme.

The government will also cut down incentives for plug-in hybrid cars at the end of the year as they are heavier than their counterparts and the battery-powered mode often lasts for only short distances. For the forthcoming funding phase, we are placing a clear focus on climate protection and are concentrating funding on purely battery-electric vehicles," the minister said.

The sales of all-electric cars in Germany almost doubled to 328,000 units in 2021 compared to the previous year, thanks in part to the incentives scheme. And now, there are more than 600,000 electric-powered vehicles on German roads.

First Published Date:
Newsroom raids, a website ban and a team reporting from exile are no obstacle for the independent Belarusian Investigative Center.

Founded in 2018, BIC specializes in news analysis, fighting disinformation and exposing wrongdoing.

Its award-winning journalism has uncovered corruption in the pharmaceutical industry, sanction-breaking exports of petroleum, and shady real estate deals by oligarchs.

In April, BIC became part of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The global OCCRP network has uncovered some of the biggest stories in recent years, including the Panama Papers leak of documents related to offshore companies, and the Pegasus Project, which exposed widespread surveillance of journalists, dissidents and human rights activists.

In Belarus, the space for independent media shrank in August 2020 when authorities ramped up arrests and harassment of journalists amid protests over President Alexander Lukashenkos claim of victory in contested elections. Nearly all independent media were labeled as extremist organizations, and their newsrooms were shut down.

During this time, BICs offices in the capital, Minsk, were raided, and many of its journalists went into exile. In June 2022, Belarusian authorities blocked access to its website.

Now working predominantly from exile, the team is focused on countering disinformation, including about Russias war in Ukraine, and exposing wrongdoing in Belarus.

Olga Ratmirova, head of BICs investigative department, spoke with VOAs Russian Service about the centers work and how it is adapting to the pressure on Belarusian media.

This interview has been translated and edited for length and clarity.

VOA: What events led to BICs investigative team leaving the country?

Ratmirova: I joined the team in 2019, when the Belarusian Investigative Center was just starting. We worked actively for a whole year after the elections, that is, until the summer of 2021. We covered everything that happened: investigations, analytical reports, economic reviews, recorded interviews with insiders.

We left last year when Belarusian authorities began to [target] the media space. Security forces came to [the independent media outlet] TUT.by and began to arrest journalists. Our studio in Minsk was [raided], and after that, most of our team went abroad. I also left, but I returned to Belarus and worked for a month. But when [authorities] began to detain my closest colleagues, I was evacuated.

VOA: How is BIC reporting from exile?

Ratmirova: After the move, we did not slow down.

We have worked outside Belarus for a year and are safe. But we continue to work on what is happening in our country and are expanding and recruiting. Our team is international, not only from European countries. Over the past year, our audience on all channels YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok  has grown. Subscribers come to us. They watch us. We have established a good dialogue with our audience, and at the moment  given the available technologies  we have the opportunity to conduct investigations while abroad.

VOA: Journalism in Belarus is becoming more complex and dangerous. How does BIC collect and verify information?

Ratmirova: As you know, many Belarusian journalists are now in prison, and about 400 of our journalism colleagues were forced to leave. Yes, it is [dangerous], but journalism now is not so complex that it is impossible to know the truth, to confirm and verify information. Belarus is a closed country. Everything related to officials, the work of the state apparatus, budget procurement and other procedures has always been closed.

But at the same time, there are many organizations and people who [find] the necessary information. We actively use databases. Ninety percent of our work is through documents that we verify against OCCRP standards. We have a serious approach. Our lawyers, attorneys and fact-checking specialists take into account every fact while working on the material. And if a fact is not confirmed by two or three sources, we simply do not have the right to talk about it.

VOA: Protests against Belarusian involvement with Russia in its war in Ukraine are suppressed. How important is it to ensure that people know the truth about the current situation?

Ratmirova: The work of Belarusian propaganda is very intense, and it is necessary to be very careful about everything that is happening. We try to give people an objective and unbiased picture. In this case, I would like to talk about the importance of our project Antifake, because everything the project exposes is presented impartially and is cross-checked.

Our employees work with special tools. They find people on video. They receive information from primary sources, conduct several rounds of fact-checking. Everything that we give to our audience, they are happy to watch and to have the opportunity to get an alternative to the Belarusian propaganda and what is written by those who support the position of Belarus. As for the investigations, we are working on how mercenaries from Belarus go to Ukraine to fight on the side of Russia. We are studying this topic and these people.

This interview originated in VOAs Russian Service.
Russian and North Korea, both beset by punishing economic sanctions, appear to be looking for ways to help one another while thumbing their noses at the rules-based order espoused by the wider international community, experts say.

Five months after invading Ukraine, Russia is being hit by successive rounds of sanctions by the U.S. and its partners.

The latest came Tuesday when the U.K. announced new sanctions on Russian officials. Weeks earlier, on June 28, the U.S. targeted 70 entities, many of them in Russia's defense industry.

The European Union issued a sixth rounds of sanctions that included Russia's central bank, top officials and oil exports, and on July 17 proposed a seventh sanctions package that will impact Russian gold and an expanded list of dual-use goods and technology.

Sanctions violations

Short of allies, Moscow has begun casting about for new economic relationships.

Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with the Russian daily newspaper Izvestia on July 19 that Moscow could hire North Korean workers to rebuild Ukraine's war-ruined Donbas region, now largely under Russian control. Pyongyang showed interest in importing goods manufactured in the region, according to The Moscow Times.

"It just shows the degree to which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin remains isolated. Now he's got to turn to North Korea," remarked John Kirby, The White House's National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, that same day.

VOA's Korean Service contacted the Russian Embassy in Washington and Foreign Ministry in Moscow requesting comment on Matsegora's remarks but did not receive a reply. The service also contacted the North Korean Mission to the U.N. requesting confirmation of Matsegora's remarks but did not receive a reply.

The U.N. Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, passed a resolution in December 2017 banning member states from hiring North Korean workers in response to Pyongyang's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile the month before.

Eager for foreign currency, Pyongyang had long dispatched North Korean workers to Russia to make money to send home. The U.S. estimated 30,000 North Korean workers were in Russia before the U.N. issued sanctions. Many remained in Russia and worked using student or travel visas. In a report submitted to the U.N. March 2020, Russia acknowledged that 511 North Koreans remained in the country.

"Moscow has violated the North Korea sanctions ever since the moment that Russia voted for them," said Anthony Ruggiero, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. But Matsegora's remarks indicate an outright willingness to "blatantly advocate for such a violation," according to Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Sergey Radchenko, a Cold War historian at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said, "Now that Russia itself is under sanctions, it obviously has no reason to abide by any restrictions."

Renewed cooperation

Experts see mutual benefits in the growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea, both of which are willing to break rules and flout norms established by the U.S. and like-minded countries.

Patricia Kim, a fellow focusing on East Asia at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said, "The two states see clear parallels in their respective situations and share a common cause in opposing sanctions and the U.S.-led 'Western order.'"

She continued, "It is quite likely we'll see the deepening of diplomatic, economic and perhaps even military ties between North Korea and Russia in the coming months as both states face global isolation."

Harry Kazianis, president of the Rogue States Project which bills itself as a bipartisan national security think tank, said cooperation "would not be surprising as both Moscow and Pyongyang are so isolated that they would try and work together in any way possible."

Once friendly relations between Moscow and Pyongyang deteriorated after the collapse of the Soviet Union but the Ukraine war is bringing them together again, analysts say.

Shortly after the outbreak of war in February, North Korea defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In March, along with Belarus, Eritrea, and Syria, Pyongyang voted against a U.N. resolution demanding that Russia end the invasion.

On July 14, ahead of Matsegora's remarks, Pyongyang recognized the independence of two Russian-backed breakaway regions  the self-styled Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in Ukraine's Donbas region.

Five days later, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying its relations with Moscow "are reaching a new strategic height."

'Weakening the liberal democratic order'

Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at the nonprofit research and analysis organization CNA, said Matsegora's remarks show "the Russians are focused on weakening the liberal democratic order, the way the international community is structured to support U.S. national interest, from the Russian point of view."

He added that Russia and China "are going to carve off pieces of the international community" such as North Korea "that really don't want to have to deal with the U.S. and all of its rules and regulations" and bring them under its shadow.

Russia has also turned to Iran for weapons to use in the Ukraine war, said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on July 12.

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at the California-based Hudson Institute, said, "Russia is keen to show that it retains the initiative in its war with Ukraine, and to do that it needs any willing partner to resist being shunned by the international community."

He continued, "Pariah state helping another pariah state sums up the transactional relationship."

Going forward, Cronin said, Pyongyang could provide "cheap labor" while Moscow supplies energy and food. He added, "There is potential for a stronger military technology partnership that can help North Korea with its growing nuclear weapons arsenal."

North Korea is suspected of having completed the preparations for its seventh nuclear weapons test.

Samuel Wells, Cold War fellow at the Wilson Center, said, "The expression of this interest in economic cooperation may be a trial balloon," but it "certainly points to a limitation to [the use of] sanctions for policy."
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Ukrainian forces struck the Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River. A look at the US Justice Departments efforts to hold those accountable who commit war crimes.. And an aid center in Poland gets some help from Eurovision 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his false claim that he won the 2020 election during a wide-ranging policy speech that marked his defiant return to Washington  and hinted at his possible return to politics.

"I always say I ran the first time and I won," he said, speaking to about 600 well-heeled supporters in a hotel ballroom just a mile from The White House. "Then I ran a second time, and I did much better. We got millions and millions more votes. And you know what? That's going to be a story for a long time. What a disgrace it was. But we may just have to do it again. We have to straighten out our game. I have to straighten out our country."

This came more than halfway through a 90-minute speech that was the capstone of the two-day inaugural gathering of Trump's America First Policy Institute. In attendance were several Trump administration figures and Republican lawmakers who raised objections to the official certification of electoral votes on January 6, 2021. That event certified the victory of President Joe Biden.

VOA asked former House speaker Newt Gingrich what he thought of Trump's election victory claim, which is at the center of a series of congressional hearings looking at the violent insurrection attempt Trump supporters made at the U.S. Capitol that day.

"It's amazing that you could take a two-hour speech and figure out the 90 seconds you care about," Gingrich responded as his security guards ushered him into a waiting car.

The day before, VOA asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre whether the Biden administration would be watching Trump's speech.

"It's not something that I'm tracking or we're tracking here," she said. "I don't know what he's coming to talk about. I guess we'll see when he gets here tomorrow."

Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, told VOA that Trump's decision to sow doubt about the election outcome is significant.

"Most of his policy interventions and ideas I'm prepared to live with, because at least he was playing within the rules," he said. "At least this is what a constitutional democracy with checks and balances and democratic process is supposed to allow for and vet. However, when you stop respecting the outcome of elections, just because it hurts you personally, that is a whole different kettle of fish."

He continued, "I think it really gets into illegal territory pretty quickly. And so it'll be fascinating to see if he's indicted. It'll certainly be fascinating to see what he says in coming weeks and months.

"But I'm afraid that this is dangerous for our country, this kind of attitude by President Trump and his going against Democrats and Republicans, around the country, around the states within the Congress, within the system of checks and balances, just to serve his own personal, narcissistic political interest."

The events of January 6, 2021, have been dramatically replayed in meticulous detail in the past month during a series of slickly produced congressional hearings. Those featured an outtake from Trump's recorded message to the nation a day after the insurrection, in which he finally promised an orderly transition. The day after the January 6 attack, Trump still couldnt say the election was over.

"I don't want to say the election's over," he said during the outtake. "I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election's over."

On Tuesday, he said that part out loud and called the two attempts to remove him from office "impeachment hoax number one, impeachment hoax number two."

Trump also sketched out what he described as a "law and order" agenda that would take a harder line on immigrants and drug offenders and give law enforcement enhanced power. He also expressed admiration for China's strict drug laws and its use of the death penalty in drug cases.

"There is no higher priority than cleaning up our streets, controlling our borders, stopping the drugs from pouring in, and quickly restoring law and order in America," he said, adding: "There's never been a time like this. Our streets are riddled with needles, and soaked with the blood of innocent victims. Many of our once-great cities from New York to Chicago to L.A., where the middle class used to flock to live the American dream, are now war zones, literal war zones."

Outside, several dozen protesters gathered to oppose Trump's appearance. "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA," they chanted, across the street from several dozen supporters who waved large American flags and blew vuvuzelas.

Local police officers stood nearby and watched.
As a 37-year veteran of the U.S. Justice Department, Eli Rosenbaum has spent much of his career probing and prosecuting fugitive Nazi war criminals.

So, it was no surprise that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland last month turned to Rosenbaum, dubbed the "Nazi hunter," to coordinate the DOJ's investigations of atrocities in Ukraine stemming from Russia's invasion of its neighbor.

In this interview with VOA's Masood Farivar, Rosenbaum and Christian Levesque, a top prosecutor for the DOJ's War Crimes Accountability Team, discuss agency's efforts to hold accountable the perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine.



The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Question: Mr. Rosenbaum, you have spent decades investigating and prosecuting Nazi war criminals. You are best known as a Nazi hunter. Tell us about the parallels you see between that work and your current job investigating Russian war crimes and how that experience has shaped your view of why this effort is so important today.

Rosenbaum: Well, the many years, even decades for some of us, that my [Human Rights Special Prosecutions Section] colleagues and I have worked on, human rights violator and war criminal cases have, I believe, prepared us exceptionally well for this crucial mission at this fateful time.



It is almost as though all of the work we've done has prepared us for this very moment. We have a wealth of expertise in international criminal law. Vast experience actually proving in courts of law the complicity of defendants who participated in atrocity crimes. I was in court just two years ago in a Nazi case doing that.



Fundamentally, this new mission is a continuation of the one that I have been privileged to be a part of for over 35 years at the Department of Justice: identifying, investigating and prosecuting persons who have participated in atrocity crimes and other grave offenses, work that is aimed always at securing a measure of justice on behalf of the victims.



Q: Having investigated numerous Nazi cases, you must know a Nazi when you see one. So, when Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russian forces were sent to Ukraine to "de-Nazify" the country, what do you say to that?



Rosenbaum: I would say after nearly 40 years of working on these cases I can recognize a Nazi when I see one and I know a Nazi government when I see one. And of course, the Ukrainian government is nothing of the sort. It's an outrageous calumny and it's being used to justify inhumane actions as part of an unlawful war of aggression launched by Russia.

Q: Now, let's talk about your current work on Russian war crimes investigations. My understanding is that the Justice Department is providing support to Ukrainian and the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators as well as conducting its own investigations of possible war crimes. How are you coordinating with your Ukrainian and European counterparts? And what types of war crimes are you investigating?

Levesque: The Justice Department is in close contact with our partners in Ukraine but also elsewhere in the world on how we can best help with their investigation and prosecution. We're obtaining assistance in our own investigative work as well. We're also committed to providing assistance through the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section, which is within the Department of Justice's criminal division. That's the section that both Eli and I work within, but also through other Justice Department components as well.

And there are several ways that we are showing this coordination. Less than two weeks ago, the Justice Department participated in a ministerial conference in The Hague in which Ukraine, the United States and 43 other nations got together and formally announced, in a publicly released declaration ... our unified commitment to ensuring accountability for international crimes committed in Ukraine and to enhancing collective action to promote accountability for such crimes.

As you noted, the attorney general has said publicly on June 21 that the department does have ongoing investigations into potential war crimes over which the U.S. has jurisdiction, and that includes the killing and wounding of U.S. civilians, including journalists who are covering, again, the unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine. So our U.S. war crimes statute covers breaches, grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention, among other violations, and as a result that is a priority for investigators in the U.S.



Q: How many of those cases are you currently investigating [are] cases involving U.S. nationals?

Levesque: So, I'll say that one of the important aspects of the rule of law which the attorney general has himself referenced is that we don't provide details about our investigations and so we don't make public the details of those. And I think that that really does include sort of the number of investigations as well. And in fact, it really isn't a helpful number either because that number can change as circumstances change and as the U.S. government learns new information that it needs to respond to and assess in terms of whether we have jurisdiction and whether we will need to conduct an investigation.

Q: Let's talk about the larger investigation being carried out by the Ukrainians and the ICC and supported by the DOJ. Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we've been getting almost daily accounts of all types of atrocities, from indiscriminate shelling of civilian populations, populated areas, to rapes, sexual assault and violence and summary executions by Russian soldiers. How do investigators go about determining whether any of these rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity?

Rosenbaum: I mean, you know, war crimes investigations, generally, as we've learned over many, many years, always present serious challenges, often daunting challenges.

The fact that the crimes are still being committed, that Ukraine is at war, as one prosecutor abroad said, the entire country arguably is a crime scene. All of these facts make these cases more difficult to build. However, perpetrators in particular, and would-be perpetrators ought not to underestimate the determination of prosecutors in the United States and elsewhere to pursue these cases. Nor should they underestimate the resources that are available to us: cutting edge investigative techniques that were certainly unavailable, say, at Nuremberg after World War II. And yet they succeeded at Nuremberg without those investigative techniques, without DNA analysis and geo fencing and sophisticated communications intercepts and the like. There wasn't even an internet or a cell phone back then. So, imagine how much more we can do with the resources and the techniques that are available to us today in terms of where the investigations stand.

Q: Are investigators at the point where they have identified certain atrocities that would amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity or genocide?

Levesque: I would say that there is a continuous assessment that is going on and for prosecutors and law enforcement what that means is methodically obtaining information, taking investigatory steps. And then only when you feel that you have completed that part of the process can you truly make an assessment that is a conclusion as to whether you believe atrocities have been committed, so it is a methodical process that we undergo to reach those conclusions.

Q: Did you want to add anything to that, Mr. Rosenbaum?

Rosenbaum: I would just echo what Ms. Levesque has said, which is that for the Department of Justice, these are determinations made in the context of investigations of specific incidents where we may have jurisdiction.

I would contrast that with, for instance, the role of the State Department where they have made and announced determinations about the kinds of crimes that are being perpetrated in Ukraine by Russian forces now.

Q: Broadly speaking, can either of you talk about some of the more egregious cases of possible war crimes or categories of war crimes that you have come across and find particularly disturbing?

Levesque: As I mentioned before in reference to our U.S. war crimes statute, it covers grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention, among other violations. But as a result, the focus in terms of war crimes investigation is on grave international crimes. And so, some examples of grave international crimes include intentional killings of civilians, torture or inhumane treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious bodily injury, unlawful deportation or transfer and unlawful confinement of a protected person. Now also using rape or sexual assault as a weapon of armed conflict is a serious violation as well. But this is the nature of the very serious and grave allegations that we as prosecutors at the Department of Justice but also our foreign counterparts are focusing our efforts on.

Q: Now, have you seen any evidence any of those types of crimes that you just enumerated happening in Ukraine?



Levesque: There is a constant stream of information that we are all experiencing through the media and through many other sources and many other outlets as we receive that information; it includes information that could potentially constitute actual evidence of those crimes. And so that is the kind of information that we are reviewing to determine the conclusion as to whether there is evidence supporting war crimes or other atrocities.



Rosenbaum: I would add one small point to that, perhaps. I was with Attorney General Garland in Ukraine last month when he spoke so movingly about what is happening there. And he said  quote  America and the world have seen the many horrific images and read the heart-wrenching accounts of brutality and death that have resulted from Russia's unjust invasion of Ukraine. I can't say it more powerfully than that. And the result of what we're seeing, the attorney general said, is that the U.S.  quote  stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia's continued aggression and assault on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Q: Mr. Rosenbaum, during the USIP event last month, you said that the goal of these investigations is that both the perpetrators and facilitators of war crimes are held accountable. Who are facilitators?

Rosenbaum: The facilitators of the crimes include, for example, sanctioned individuals and other persons involved in Russian illicit financing and sanctions evasion in support of the Russian regime and its efforts to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty. In March, the attorney general announced the creation of the KleptoCapture Task Force to further leverage the department's tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine economic sanctions, economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russia's unprovoked military aggression. The task force has already facilitated the seizure of super yachts of sanctioned individuals with close ties to the Russian regime. They've dismantled Russian criminal networks and they've enforced sanctions violations, among other actions.

The Justice Department will be providing Ukraine with an expert Justice Department prosecutor to advise on fighting kleptocracy, corruption, money laundering, the like. In addition, our department plans to deploy two expert attorneys from our Office of International Affairs, one to a U.S. embassy in Europe and another to the U.S. embassy in the Middle East. Those senior attorneys will work closely with their counterparts in EU member states and Middle Eastern countries to promote mutual legal assistance and extraditions, including in support of the department's KleptoCapture Task Force and its work related to Russian illicit finance and sanctions investigation.

Q: Russia of course denies committing any war crimes and has vehemently opposed any investigations into its actions in Ukraine. Without Russian cooperation in the absence of an extradition treaty, what are the prospects of any perpetrators being held accountable?



Rosenbaum: Well first of all, I want to say that it's enormously important that we pursue accountability for war crimes and other core international crimes, that we bring the perpetrators to justice.

As Attorney General Merrick Garland said in Ukraine on June 21, "there is no hiding place for war criminals."

As to the real-world prospects for bringing to justice the perpetrators of war crimes and other grave offenses, it may take time, even years in some instances, for the conditions to exist to bring those committing such crimes in Ukraine to justice, but I would submit that recent history shows that the civilized world is more committed than ever before to ending impunity for those crimes. That commitment is reflected in so many ways, including in the creation of international tribunals to adjudicate cases arising out of genocide in Rwanda, atrocities in the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and elsewhere by burgeoning efforts on the part of national jurisdictions such as Germany to investigate and prosecute offenders, by the ever-expanding international cooperation and investigative efforts, such as through the European Network for the investigation.



And prosecution of genocide crimes against humanity and war crimes, and finally in the growing efforts of civil society organizations to document atrocity crimes and press for the punishment of those responsible for their commissions. Those who might dare to even consider issuing or obeying criminal orders in the wake of Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine would do well to consider the example of World War Two Nazi criminals. Despite the passage of so many decades, they are still being pursued into old age by authorities in Germany and elsewhere. In fact, here in the United States my office the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section HRSP, we successfully prosecuted a former Nazi concentration camp guard in Tennessee just two years ago. And that prosecution by the way set a new record for the longest time span between the commission of a crime and the proof of that crime being accomplished against the defendant in a U.S. court  more than 75 years.



Q: Do you see a similar situation playing out in the case of Russia where decades from today investigators will be chasing down Russian war criminals. Is that what you're suggesting?



Rosenbaum: I don't think that effort will end as long as the perpetrators are alive, but the hope of course is that justice can be obtained in the most important cases, much sooner than that long-term horizon. And I think, I think there's a lesson to be learned from all of this, that neither the passage of time  even decades  nor the flight of perpetrators to countries far from the scenes of war crimes and other atrocity crimes, will offer them reliable sanctuary. There will be no reliable sanctuary for the guilty, and they will at a bare minimum have to spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders, wondering whether they have at last been identified and are about to be apprehended. So again, as Attorney General Garland has said, we are on track to reach that long-awaited day when there truly will be, quote, no hiding place for war criminals.



Q: President Biden has called Vladimir Putin a war criminal. Can Putin be held accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine? Should he be held accountable?



Rosenbaum: Well, obviously a lot of study by authorities around the world, including academic experts, is underway on that point. I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment further on that.

Q: President Zelenskyy has called for a Nuremberg-style tribunal to investigate war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. Do you think there is a need for such a body?

Levesque: Right now, we really are focused on investigative efforts and using the mechanisms that are currently in place because they in fact currently exist. But we welcome conversations on this. In certain circumstances, international tribunals of various kinds can be effective in ensuring accountability and punishing and deterring war crimes.

Q: And Mr. Rosenbaum, do you have a sense of how the scale of what Russia has committed in Ukraine compares with other conflicts that you have investigated?

Rosenbaum: I'm not sure how I would compare it with other conflicts, but this is the largest war that's been fought on the European continent since World War II. Crimes are being committed on a massive scale. The world is shocked every single day. And the perpetrators are going to receive justice.
With less than two weeks before Kenyas elections, millions of Kenyans watched a presidential debate Tuesday that had only one debater. Deputy President William Ruto appeared solo after his main opponent, Raila Odinga, refused to participate in the live event.



Ruto had the stage to himself for 90 minutes to answer questions and explain what he would do if he occupied the presidents office. He promised, among other things, to reduce the cost of living and fight corruption.



We are a country that is faced with mounting challenges, he said. We have a huge track record of what we have achieved but there is tremendous opportunity out there for more to be achieved.  I believe I am the candidate with a plan to be able to get Kenya to the next level.



Former prime minister Raila Odinga pulled out of the debate last week, saying he was not willing to debate someone who had no regard for ethics and public morals.



Ruto responded Tuesday night.



My competitor is not here because he doesnt have a plan, he doesnt have an agenda, he cannot articulate anything to the people of Kenya, Ruto said. Thats why he is not here.



A recent survey found Odinga holding a strong lead over Ruto heading into the final weeks before the Aug. 9 election.



Ruto has been deputy president for the past 10 years and held ministerial positions in the previous government. Michael Agwanda, a Kenyan political commentator, said Ruto is having trouble shaking off the political blame that comes with incumbency.



I strongly believe he was caught between a hard place and a rock because he has been part of the system for a very long time, Agwanda said.

Agwanda said Ruto has not been helped by saying he had limited power but also saying he had influence in government.

That was more less basically not being straightforward, Agwanda said.



Nairobi resident Mellanie Busienei watched Tuesdays debate. She saod it changed her mind on who she will vote for come Aug. 9, though she did not reveal which candidate she now prefers.



I just hope for the best definitely, she said. Yesterdays debate changed who I was supposed to vote for. The fact that I have seen who can commit and who cannot, the promises and the agenda have always been the same since independence.



Matilda Murage said she did not watch the debate. She said previous unfulfilled promises of earlier leaders have made her not vote.



I dont trust anybody there, she said. There is nobody I want to give my vote to because they lie, they steal. I'd rather keep my vote.



Ruto, who is 55, is running for the Kenyan presidency for the first time. The 77-year-old Odinga is making his fifth bid for the top job.
Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov lashed out at Western countries Wednesday as he wrapped up a four-nation trip to Africa with a stop in Ethiopias capital.

Moscow is seeking to bolster support from African countries, who have largely declined to condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine. His visit came as the U.S. announced nearly half a billion dollars in additional aid for drought relief in Ethiopia.

Russias invasion of Ukraine on February 24th and its blockade of Ukraines ports massively disrupted grain shipments, trapping millions of tons of grain and causing global commodity prices to soar.

But at a Wednesday news briefing in Addis, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov claimed prices were rising before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called green policies pursued by the West.

I know that the Western media presents the situation in a totally distorted manner, if only to mention the food crisis, so called food crisis, as if nothing was of concern before February this year, he said.

Nataliya Bugayova, a Russia research fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, dismissed Lavrovs remarks as an attempt to reshape the narrative on the food crisis during his Africa tour.

"Russia's blockade of grain in Ukraine's ports and deliberate destruction of Ukrainian agricultural capabilities is at the center of this effort, as Russia is trying to falsely link Ukraine's grain exports with sanctions against Russia, and to falsely frame Ukraine as a party, as a responsible party, in the global food crisis, she told VOA.

Lavrovs African tour included stops in Egypt, Uganda and the Republic of Congo. Along the way, he has sought to reassure regional leaders that grain exports through Ukraines Black Sea ports will resume, even while pinning the blame for their halt on the West.

While in Addis, Lavrov met with the Ethiopian foreign minister, Demeke Mekonnen. The pair agreed to strengthen cooperation and economic ties, according to state media.

There was no indication that Lavrov met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has rarely been seen in public lately, or with officials at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

AU officials told VOA that Lavrovs stop was a bilateral visit between Russia and Ethiopia.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. government announced a package of $488 million to help Ethiopia with drought relief efforts. Dry weather and conflict have left 30 million Ethiopian in need of aid.

Announcing the new funds, Tracey Ann Jacobson, the U.S. charge daffaires in Ethiopia, said current weather conditions across the region were the worst in recorded history.

The new U.S. special envoy for the horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, this week is making his first visit to the country, where the U.S. is supporting efforts to mediate between the federal government and rebels from the northern Tigray region.

VOA's Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign Tuesday at the end of a two-day conference on graft. While many Malawians have welcomed the campaign as a step forward, others are skeptical and note that similar efforts in the past have failed.

Chakwera's 20-week anti-corruption campaign calls for Malawians to recite and abide by the campaign's slogan: "Corruption is our biggest enemy and is not welcome here."

"This is an important campaign that we are starting today," Chakwera said. "It is important because every time we say those words, we will make it known to those around us what we think of corruption and what we are personally committed to do about it."

This is the first national anti-corruption campaign during Chakwera's administration, which started in 2020.

During the launch, Chakwera also co-signed statements of commitments from 12 institutions that detailed their plans of action for fighting corruption.

The 12 stakeholders include the judiciary, civil society organizations, the business community, traditional leaders and parliament.

Fiona Kalemba, clerk of Malawi's parliament, said, "The legislature pillar commits to the president and people of Malawi to take the following interventions: Reviewing the laws, including the Corrupt Practices Act, the Public Procurement and Disposals of Assets Act, the Public Audit Act, the Political Parties Act and [the] Public Finance Act.

"This will be done within the mandate of the legislature and the purposes of the mandate for the legislature," she added.

Also, the business community pledged to name and shame businesses and entrepreneurs involved in corruption and have their names published in the media.

The new campaign comes at a time when Malawi is struggling to end corruption.

"A week does not pass without new revelations about embezzlement of public funds, corruption of public procurement contracts of goods and services, and incidents of abuse of office across the sectors," said Martha Chizuma, director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Malawi.

The latest report of Transparency International, the global corruption perception index, ranks Malawi 110 out of 180 countries, which Chakwera said is worrying.

However, some Malawians remain skeptical.

George Phiri, former political sciences lecturer at the University of Livingstonia in northern Malawi, welcomes the campaign but doubts it will reach its goal.

"For this campaign to reach each goal, it will be until we see those involved in corrupt practices being arrested, their cases taken to court and prosecuted, and judgment passed on those who are guilty," he said. "That is when I will say that, indeed, what has happened today has come to the expectations of Malawians."

Chizuma, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, said the government cannot interfere with the bureau's operations if the campaign is to meet its goal.


A nationwide labor protest in Nigeria spread to the capital, Abuja, on Wednesday, as protesters sought to pressure authorities to resolve a payment dispute with university teachers.

The lecturers walked out of classes Feb. 14 over the dispute and an unfulfilled government promise to invest $500 million in public universities. The strike has affected millions of Nigerian students.

Thousands of protesters comprising Nigerian workers from various sectors marched to the national assembly on the second day of a solidarity protest for the Academic Staff Union of Universities or ASUU.

The joint protest aims to pressure authorities to address lingering funding issues in public universities that prompted a lecturers' strike five months ago.

But protesters said there are other issues, like insecurity and the state of Nigeria's economy, that also need urgent attention.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba said these issues stem from years of authorities neglecting the education system.

"The children of the working class, the children of the less privileged have been at home for the past five months and nobody cares, whereas their children are graduating daily from universities abroad and they have the audacity to post them on social media so that we can see, Wabba said. Once you deny citizens education, you have denied them everything."

More than 8 million students in Nigeria's public universities are affected by the strike including protester Adamu Umar, who is an undergraduate student of the Ahmadu Bello University.

"I'm almost getting to the point that I cannot tolerate anything from the Nigerian government anymore, Umar said. I gained admission in 2019, I am supposed to be a graduate by now."

University lecturers abandoned classrooms on Feb. 14 after an unsuccessful meeting with education authorities to honor a 2009 promise made by the government to invest $500 million dollars into public universities.

Nigerias public universities are said to be suffering from low funding and poor management. Many also lack adequate facilities.

The protesters say Nigerian lecturers' renumeration is low compared to their counterparts abroad.

Emmanuel Osadeke, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities labor union, said authorities tried to punish the striking lecturers by not paying salaries during the strike.

"The first thing they did was to go and stop salaries instead of resolving the issue thinking that with two or three months we'll come begging, Osadeke said.

Instead, Osadeke said, the resilience of his union members could keep the strike going much longer.

We must change the Nigeria university system no matter what happens, he said.

Some lawmakers responded to protesters on Wednesday and asked that they give authorities some more time to pay the promised money.

In February, authorities said they had paid $230 million out of the $500 million agreed to.

The Nigerian Labour Congress represents millions of workers across various sectors, including lecturer unions.

A similar strike in 2020 lasted for nine months.
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African wildlife officials meeting in Rwanda noted that urbanization threatens the continent's biodiversity. To promote nature conservation, Rwanda has restored a degraded wetland in the capital, turning it into its first urban ecotourism and educational park. Senanu Tord reports from Kigali.
Honda Motorcycle started exports from India in 2001 with its model Activa.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) on Wednesday said it has commenced exports of its 125cc motorcycle SP125 to Australia and New Zealand. Around 250 units of the motorcycle have been dispatched and will be sold as 'CB125F' in these two markets, the company said in a statement.

(Also Read: Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 captured on video in Chennai)

The bike is currently being manufactured at HMSI's Tapukara plant in Alwar (Rajasthan). "This development marks a step towards HMSI's long-term plans to expand production capabilities in India that serve globally," HMSI Managing Director, President & CEO Atsushi Ogata said in a statement.

HMSI started exports from India in 2001 with its model Activa. Currently, the company exports its 19 two-wheeler models in 38 markets which include Asia and Oceania, the Middle East and Latin America.

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Ukrainian forces have struck a strategically important bridge in the southern part of the country, using what a Russia-appointed official said were rocket systems supplied by the United States.

The Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River was closed Wednesday following the Ukrainian strike.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed administration for the Kherson region, said the bridge was still standing after the late Tuesday strike, but that the road deck was full of holes.

Stremousov said Ukrainian forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to carry out the strike.

The bridge is a key link allowing Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the bridge strikes in a tweet Wednesday, saying Russian forces should take them as a warning.

Podolyak said the Russians should learn how to swim across the river or leave Kherson while it is still possible.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
A U.N. monitoring committee is calling for the repeal of Hong Kongs National Security Law (NSL), saying it undermines the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people in the territory. The U.N. Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has just issued its concluding observations on the situation in Hong Kong.

The 18-member committee said it was deeply concerned about the overly broad interpretation of Hong Kongs National Security Law. It noted the law was passed by the National Peoples Congress of China without consultation with the people of Hong Kong.

Committee Vice-Chair Christopher Arif Bulkan said more than 200 people, including 12 children, have been arrested since the enactment of the law in 2020 on grounds of endangering national security.

The committee underscored the shortcomings of the NSL, including the lack of clarity of the term national security and the possibility of transferring cases from Hong Kong to mainland China, which is not a state party to the covenant for investigation, prosecution, trial, and execution of penalties, Bulkan said.

Britain handed control of Hong Kong to China in 1997 under the one country, two systems principle. The agreement, which is enshrined in the so-called Basic Law, protects rights such as freedom of speech and assembly in the territory for 50 years. China replaced the agreement, 23 years after it was enacted, with the National Security Law.

Hong Kong is a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights under the Basic Law. As such, Bulkan said, the territory must abide by the obligations, the rights and freedoms prescribed in the document.

Though China is not a party to the Covenant, he said the human rights enshrined in the treaty are paramount. He said local legislation cannot derogate from the human, universal rights protected in the agreement.

The NSL, for instance, asserts alongside that a jurisdiction that tends to override or could threaten that primacy, he said. And so that is one of the first reasons why we call for its repeal because it is incompatible with preserving the rights and freedoms under the covenant.

The committee expressed concern about the chilling effect the NSL is having on civil society organizations. It said many trade and student unions under threat from the law have relocated or ceased to operate.

The independent experts noted the Hong Kong government has not provided assurances that civil society representatives who have participated in the review would be protected from charges under the NSL. They said they have asked authorities not to prosecute them.
U.S. officials see no signs that North Korean officials will be willing to substantively engage during an upcoming regional meeting at a time when there is growing expectation that Pyongyang will carry out another nuclear test.

The ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, or ARF, will convene on August 5 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The ARF is a rare international gathering that North Korean officials have regularly attended since 2000.

This is the premier regional security forum with lots of stakeholders involved, said Jung Pak, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs. She told VOA on Tuesday that transnational security issues, as well as regional hotspots like the DPRKs unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests, are high on the U.S. agenda.

She was referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Koreas official name.

In the past, the ARF platform has paved the way for senior level meetings between the United States and North Korea. There is no indication, however, that Pyongyang will engage in diplomatic talks with Washington at this years meeting, according to a U.S. official and other Asian diplomats who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity.

Others, including Yohanes Sulaiman, who teaches international affairs at Indonesias Jenderal Achmad Yani University, said they see little value in diplomatic talks with North Korea.

Engagement is useless since North Korea will not change its behavior and will demand the U.S. to give concessions, notably lifting all the sanctions, which the U.S. will not want to do, Sulaiman told VOA.

In 2000, then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met with North Korean counterpart Paek Nam Sun on the sidelines of ARF in Bangkok. These were the highest-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War. Albright visited Pyongyang months later.

The last time Pyongyang sent its top diplomat to the ARF was August 2018, when North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho met with then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Singapore. That came weeks after the Singapore summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Pyongyang has since dispatched an ambassador-level representative to the forum.

Wednesday marks the 69th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War. State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked at a Tuesday briefing about speculation by South Korean officials that the North might seize on the anniversary to conduct an expected seventh nuclear test.

Our concerns regarding the potential for a seventh North Korean nuclear test have not abated. We have spoken publicly to these concerns for a couple of months now, Price replied.

While the U.S. has been clear about its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, the U.S. invitations have gone substantively unanswered, according to Price.

Besides the U.S. and North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia are members of the ARF, as are the ASEAN members.
On the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. remains one of a handful of countries that have not ratified the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)  an international treaty the U.S. legislation inspired.

The ADA, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination based on disability in public accommodations, employment, transportation and community living, and provides recourse for people with disabilities who faced discrimination.

"It's hard for the newer generation to imagine the injustices suffered before the ADA," President Joe Biden said Tuesday in a House Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus event to celebrate the ADA's anniversary. Biden, who is still in isolation from his COVID-19 diagnosis, delivered his remarks virtually.

"If you're disabled, stores can turn you away, and employers can refuse to hire you. If you use a wheelchair, there was no accommodation to take the bus or train to school or to work. America simply wasn't built for all Americans," Biden said.

The administration on Tuesday announced $1.75 billion to make it easier for people with disabilities to get on board the nation's public transportation systems, including $343 million to help agencies retrofit train and subway stations built prior to the disabilities act.

During the caucus event, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will not give up trying to ratify the CRPD. A National Security Council spokesperson told VOA the administration "would certainly support its ratification."

However, with only 48 Democrats and two independents in the 100-seat U.S. Senate, and an urgent legislative agenda in the pipeline, it is unlikely that the Biden White House will take up the matter anytime soon.

Global disability movement

Since its passing, the ADA has inspired disability laws in various countries and sparked a movement for disability rights around the world that culminated in the CPRD. The U.S. also provided technical assistance during the convention's negotiation and drafting process.

The CPRD came into force in 2008 and was signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. But in 2012, it fell five votes short of the two-thirds majority required for the U.S. Senate to adopt it, largely due to a reluctance to submit to international law on a domestic policy matter.

Out of 193 U.N. member countries, 185 have ratified the CRPD that aims to promote, protect and ensure full and equal enjoyment of all human rights for persons with disabilities.

"We're always very much open and honest in recognizing we haven't ratified the CRPD," Sara Minkara, special adviser on international disability rights, told VOA.

Minkara, who is legally blind, leads the Office of International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State, which promotes the rights of persons with disabilities around the world through American diplomacy and development aid. The position was created under the Obama administration, and her office was made permanent by the Biden administration last November.

In various countries, views on people with disabilities often fall between pity or inspiration from their suffering, Minkara said, and those extreme narratives contribute to societies leaving people with disabilities behind.

"We need to normalize disability. We need to change how we look at the word disability. We need to change how we look at disabilities and identities, not from a pity lens but from a strength and value-based lens."

The administration says it supports "disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action" around the world.

However, there is no mechanism to ensure full disability inclusion in U.S. foreign assistance, said Eric Rosenthal, executive director of the advocacy group Disability Rights International.

"You can offer your assistance and say our assistance is available to all people, but the truth is, people with disabilities have a hard time finding the aid," Rosenthal told VOA. "There has to be more active outreach efforts."

People with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric and psychosocial disabilities are particularly vulnerable, Rosenthal said. In many places, they are often stripped of legal rights and put away in institutions.

"There are very serious human rights violations against them in most countries, and the advocacy movements are usually way behind the advocacy movements for other disability groups," Rosenthal said. "So, that's an example of a very at-risk group that needs to be targeted for more attention."

Disability Rights International and other groups have endorsed a concept for a U.S. bill to support the efforts of disability advocates worldwide to stop children with disabilities from being institutionalized, where they often face serious neglect and abuse.

Katherine Gypson and Cindy Saine contributed to this report.


An onlive publication, ZimLive, reports that police in Australia say they will work with international organizations on rape allegations levelled against Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

According to ZimLive, Matt Adams, spokesperson of Queensland Police Service, declined to discuss details of Susan Mutamis case filed at Mount Ommaney Police Station.

The publication quoted Adams as saying, For confidentiality and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any information other than to advise Queensland Police will liaise with, and refer any inquiries to international jurisdictions.

Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, has already dismissed the case as gossip while Mutami insists that Mnangagwa allegedly raped her when she was 15-years old and continued to abuse her over the years, including her stay at the presidents residence in the Midlands city of Kwekwe.

Mutami featured in a Twitter spaces livestream three days ago in which she alleged that she wanted to inform Mnangagwas wife, Auxillia, about the abuse but she dismissed her, saying she was a classless woman of easy virtue.

Mrs. Mnangagwa has not reacted to the allegations levelled against her husband as she is unreachable for comment. The Zimbabwean president has also remained mum on the issue.
President Joe Biden has been released from his isolation after testing negative for COVID-19 twice since Tuesday, his doctor announced.

The White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor released a letter stating the President took an antigen test on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning that were both negative.

His symptoms have been steadily improving, and are almost completely resolved, O'Connor wrote. These results come after the president finished his five-day long treatment of (anti-viral drug) Paxlovid, said the White House physician.

Biden, who has been under strict isolation measures for the past 5 days, will continue to wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days around others, OConner said.

On Wednesday morning, President Biden tweeted, Back to the Oval. Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support, to celebrate his return.

Biden tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday. He is fully vaccinated and double boosted.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- The all-new H5 model under FAW Groups Hongqi brand officially hit the market on July 26th.

Photo credit: Hongqi

The new H5 is positioned as a mid-sized car, that is 4,988mm long, 1,875mm wide, 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,920mm. Coming with seven trim levels, the model is priced at RMB159,800-RMB225,800 ($23,630-$33,390).

The new H5 inherits Hongqis signature designs, including the waterfall-like front grille and the red flag logo. The vehicle is installed with ADB intelligent control headlights, which can autonomously adjust the brightness in accordance with the surrounding environment.

The vehicle is equipped with a 12.3-inch LCD dashboard and a vertical center console screen. It holds OTA capabilities in assistant driving, infotainment, power, chassis, body comfort, and connectivity. The over 40 controllers on the car support FOTA firmware upgrade and is installed with a 5G chip.

In terms of intelligent driving, the all-new Hongqi H5 is equipped with SACC advanced cruise function, which allows the vehicle to tailgate the front car at a fixed distance within 0-150km/h. Moreover, the H5 is capable of automatic parking, blind spot monitoring, rear collision warning, reverse lateral warning, door-opening warning, lane changing decision aid, and AEB.

The new H5 is offered in 1.5T, 2.0T and 1.5T HEV power versions. The H5 1.5T HEV trim will be the first model equipped with the automakers first hybrid system based on the Hongqi FME "Xingzhi" platform.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.



Sokon Group changes stock abbreviation

Chongqing Sokon Industry Group Stock Co., Ltd. (Sokon Group) announced today its stock short name would be changed to SERES on August 2. Its stock code will remain unchanged.

AITO M7; photo credit: Sokon Group

Wuling Air EV to hit market in second half of 2022

The Wuling Air EV, Wuling brand's first global NEV model, will go on sale in the second half of 2022. It will be equipped with a set of all-electric powertrain, and target both domestic and overseas markets.

Roewe to put all-new RX9, Jing (Whale) onto market in second half of 2022

Roewe, the self-owned PV brand of SAIC Motor, will put the all-new RX9 flagship SUV and the Jing (Whale) SUV onto the market in the second half of this year, according to local media reports.

NETA S to hit market on July 31

HOZON Auto will see its all-new model, the NETA S, hit the market on July 31. The company has already kicked off presale of the NETA S Yaoshi version with a price of 338,800 yuan ($50,070).



Joyson Safety Systems begins construction of Hefei base

Joyson Safety Systems, a subsidiary of the auto parts supplier Joyson Electronics, today announced via its WeChat account, it had broken ground on its manufacturing base in Hefei city, capital of East China's Anhui province.

Chery Holdings JETOUR brand introduces new logo, strategy

Chery Holdings JETOUR brand updated its brand image logo on July 26th.

Haomo.ai-powered WEY Latte DHT-PHEV goes on sale

Great Wall Motor's WEY Latte DHT-PHEV model, which is powered by Haomo.ais HPilot ADAS system, hit the market on July 25th.

All-new Hongqi H5 hits market, starting at RMB159,800

The all-new H5 model under FAW Groups Hongqi brand officially hit the market on July 26th.



Mobileye, ZEEKR enable highway driving assistance function via OTA upgrade

Mobileye and Geelys premium auto brand, ZEEKR, jointly performed an OTA upgrade to ZEEKR 001 users recently, enabling highway driving assistant functions.

GAC AION announces establishment of energy subsidiary

GAC AION announced on July 26 the formal establishment of GAC Energy Technology Co., Ltd. it jointly built with GAC Group, marking substantial progress following GAC Group's approval to set up this company on March 22.
Northern Arizona Healthcares (NAH) plan for the new Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) campus, first announced last spring, is currently under review by the City of Flagstaff, and One hospitalist who works in the current building says the move is "the right thing to do."

The Community Development Division, according to the citys website, has accepted development review applications for the hospitals relocation, including a request to rezone the property from rural residential to a mix of highway commercial and research and development as well as a minor amendment to revise the activity center identified in the citys 2030 regional plan.

A Specific Plan to guide rezoning and create development standards is also under review and can be found online.

"The NAH project requires approval of a concept plan, zoning map amendment (rezone) with a Specific Plan, subdivision plat and site plan," the city's planning director, Michelle McNulty, wrote in an email. "The concept plan has been approved with conditions that will be required to be addressed at a Site Plan review."

Items she said were currently under review are the zoning map amendment, Specific Plan applications, and impact analyses on traffic, water, sewer and fire.

"Several rounds of comments on the Traffic Impact Analysis have gone back and forth between the applicant and the Traffic Section, and we anticipate having a final approval soon," she said. "Approval of these analyses will inform the Developmental Agreement required for the zoning map amendment."

The 60-day agency review of the plan began on June 3, according to the city's website, and will close Aug. 2.

Steve Eiss, NAH's vice president of construction and real estate development, said the organization as of July 13 was waiting for approval from city staff before moving forward in the process.

If approved, NAH plans to host another public meeting, followed by two city zoning meetings. The next steps after that will be two Flagstaff City Council meetings.

McNulty added that the three required public meetings (two with the Planning and Zoning Commission) are the next step in the process, followed by a public meeting with the Flagstaff City Council. While the dates have not yet been set, she said the zoning meetings are expected to be in September or October, "with a targeted city council meeting date in November."

'The best answer'

Hospitalist and transfer center medical director Kathryn Feuquay said the new campus is the the best proactive and future healthcare answer for Flagstaff and for northern Arizona.

In the nine years Feuquay has worked at FMC, she said, she's seen the information technology and construction teams continue to retrofit the building to keep up with advancing technology and that they are running out of space.

Were reaching the point that even those efforts to retrofit and update are limited by the space, and to go further would require impacting our ability to deliver care to the same number of patients every day, she said.

The current hospital was originally built in 1936 and the surgical tower, its most recent addition, was completed in 2003. It has been retrofitted and updated several times in the decades since, and Feuquay said the new building could be expected to have at least a similar lifespan.

As she put it, the new hospital would start out in our current state-of-the-art technological phase, with shelf space to accommodate additional future advancements.

One of the biggest changes to the current campus Feuquay has seen is the switch from paper charting to computer workspaces.

Just since I've been here, we've had to try to create more physician workstations in rooms where someone just used to have a little desk and write in a chart. Now we need computers. There isn't enough space. It's frequent that a physician or one of our advanced practice providers might have to go from one ward to another to another to find a place. Our new building, that's going to be already planned out proactively," she said, adding that the nurse workspaces have changed in a similar way.

She added: We have obviously over the past decades retrofitted our current FMC to accommodate all of that, but its reaching its lifespan. Its difficult to continue to retrofit without closing down patient care areas; we dont have the luxury of empty space anywhere to accommodate that."

She noted that FMC as it is still provides "state-of-the-art, up-to-date medical care," even as it is outgrowing its current building.

"What we're talking about is building a building that better accommodates that state-of-the-art medical care that we plan to continue to evolve, continue to provide," she said.

The idea for the new hospital is to have a building that matches the care were giving our patients, and a quieter space, a more private space, Feuquay said.

When it comes down to it, were building this building for our future, for our patients  our current patients as well as our future patients. So everything going in the village, everything from a walking-distance place for a family to stay to a couch for the family in the room and privacy, thats what we want to see.

Plans for the new building include 20% more emergency room beds than the current hospital, with a dedicated observation unit, which Feuquay says should help reduce wait times and increase the number of patients they are able to care for.

FMC currently has 240 patient beds, a number that includes the NICU and psychiatric ward -- which have a limited set of uses.

The new location will contain 270 patient beds, Feuquay said, with space put into the design for at least 40 more, should need continue to expand.

Feuquay said she's most excited about the plans for the new single-occupancy patient rooms.

Four of the current hospital's medical surgical telemetry wards have private patient rooms, while another four have shared rooms, with two beds and their respective supplies separated by a curtain and sharing a bathroom. Switching to private rooms only in this building would mean the hospital would be able to serve fewer patients.

The new building would both be larger and use space more efficiently, she said.

The plan is to have only private patient rooms, with their own bathrooms (including a shower), a pullout couch for family members and windows.

We chose to live here in Flagstaff and northern Arizona because its beautiful. The environments very important to us, and having that connection to an outside world when youre sick, when youre in the hospital, is very important, she said, mentioning benefits to mental health, circadian rhythms and prevention of hospital-acquired delirium.  ... Every patient having their own room, their own bathroom, their own space for family and friends to visit, their own window is a big deal. I spend a lot of time in patient rooms because Im a hospitalist, so Im in and out of 17, 18 patient rooms a day, and to me, personally, this is the thing Im most excited about.

Each of the patient rooms will also be ICU capable so that they shift to function as ICU beds if needed, allowing them to accommodate care needs, such as high-flow nasal cannula oxygen, without moving patients. It also means the hospital's ICU capacity can increase when needed should there be another situation like the COVID-19 pandemic, for example.

Other ways Feuquay mentioned the new hospital could improve patient care and help staff be more efficient include the vertical rather than horizontal design -- which would mean shorter trips between locations, freight elevators being located in a different area than patients, laundry chutes, and separate patient and public corridors.

The campus surrounding the hospital will have additional resources for branches such as oncology and hyperbaric wound care, and Feuquay says having food, lodging and outdoor spaces within walking distance would add to the experience for both patients and their families.

It's going to be more incorporated into the environment and the urban trail, so it's going to be a big upgrade in the experience for patients and their families," she said. "We'll be able to enjoy it, too, because we go there every day."

New location

Feuquay said she understands the concern that the change of location would mean the hospital is farther away from some parts of the city, as she lives about 10 minutes away from the current building.

It is moving; the building will be farther away from me, farther away from my parents home, farther away from the community on the southwest side of town than it is now, she said. However, it will be closer to all our community members coming from Doney Park, coming from the east side, coming from the south side of town and especially coming from out of town.

Eiss said NAH was in ongoing conversations with the city, ADOT and nearby community members about traffic impacts, and that the analysis report shows that traffic on Milton Road and in downtown Flagstaff will be reduced as a result of the change.

More than 60% of our patient population is regional, he said. The new location will help with direct access from the freeway and actually reduce out-of-town traffic from travel through the city to downtown.

It's the right thing to do, Feuquay said of the move to the new location. With every decision in medicine, you weigh the pros and the cons, and there has been a lot of years of thought.  I trust our multiple construction experts who have talked to medical staff over the past several years about options of retrofitting the current building versus moving to a new location. We have to weigh the pros and cons, and at the end of the day its the right thing for our Flagstaff community, the right thing for our northern Arizona community. What our patients deserve is the right decision and its a new building.

More about the plans for the new campus can be found at nah.com/expansion.
Foreign correspondents in Italy highlight problems with taxis at Rome airports.

Taxi drivers have been in the news in Italy recently due to protests against the government's competition bill over claims that it would lead to the expansion of ride-hailing operators such as Uber.

In Rome, however, there is increasing scrutiny on the nefarious activities of some cab drivers operating out of the city's two international airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino.

The problem of tourists being ripped off by unscrupulous taxi drivers at Rome's airports is not new but is under renewed focus after being highlighted by two leading foreign correspondents based in Italy.

On Tuesday night Mark Lowen of the BBC took to Twitter to complain after a visiting friend was told by a taxi driver that the fare from Fiumicino to the centre of Rome was 70, despite it being a fixed rate of 50.

The driver also demanded to be paid in cash, claiming his credit card machine was broken, as well as saying he had no internet and therefore no GPS.

Taxi at Fiumicino picking up a friend visiting. First claims its 70 to central Rome (its 50). Then says credit card machine isnt working, so only cash. Then says he has no internet (it recharges at midnight) so has no GPS. Benvenuto a Roma. Mark Lowen (@marklowen) July 26, 2022

By Wednesday morning Lowen's tweet had been shared hundreds of times, with many people tagging the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri.

Multiple commentators underlined the enormous power of the taxi lobby, others suggested travelling by public transport, some recommended the Samarcanda taxi cooperative.

Last month another foreign correspondent and long-term Rome resident published a "brief thread on the disgraceful taxi situation at Rome's Ciampino airport".

Gavin Jones of Reuters returned from London late on 28 June and sought a taxi to get home, a relatively short trip which should have cost about 20, he wrote on Twitter.

BRIEF THREAD ON THE DISGRACEFUL TAXI SITUATION AT ROMES CIAMPINO AIRPORT: Yesterday evening I arrived late at Ciampino from London. You come out of the airport and there is nowhere obvious to queue for a taxi. People just mill around in various groups, hoping that one of gavin jones (@gavinjones10) June 28, 2022

The journalist was refused outright by the first driver while Jones turned down another taxi driver after being quoted a fare double what it should have been.

"Eventually one said hed take me home for 25 euros. I hopped in to find 3 other people in the taxi, with whom hed made similar arrangements" - Jones wrote - "So that was at least 25 euros from each of us, giving him a probable take of about 100 euros. He never turned the metre on, of course."

The reporters' tweets prompted others to recount their unpleasant experiences as tourists arriving into the Italian capital and have led to calls for Rome's mayor to address the long-running problem with rogue taxi drivers operating out of the city's airports.

Photo credit: Nataliya Pylayeva / Shutterstock.com.
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In the mid-1980s, in the time before Crocodile Dundee, about the only Australian cultural exports of any note were a handful of rock bands and a TV series set in a prison. But then along came a nightly half-hour drama series, Neighbours, that over the next four decades launched the careers of a raft of Hollywood A-listers and Oscar nominees. But in the end, the vintage soap opera struggled to keep up with a more diverse world.

Neighbours introduced the world to a host of famous names. Kylie Minogue, Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie, Luke, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, Delta Goodrem, Natalie Imbruglia, Steve Bastoni and Ben Mendelsohn are among the cast to have made their way to Ramsay Street during almost 9,000 episodes. This week, the show airs for the last time.

Eager to feed its audience, the BBC picked Neighbours up in its second year  one of the most significant deals in Australian film and TV history  before it moved to Britains Channel 5. Its creators took inspiration from Britains Coronation Street, but saw a gap for something a little more homely and youthful, so they cast a show with a mix of teens and adults to give it some cross-generational tension.

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Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan were its first stars. Donovans blond hair and blue eyes made him the shows stud, while Minogue played a car mechanic with the requisite khaki dungarees. Thick Aussie accents, mullet hair cuts, and perpetual sunshine became the kitsch hallmarks of Australian culture. Minogue went on to a career in music and film, becoming the first female artist to top the UK albums charts in five consecutive decades, and also won a Grammy in the US, cementing rare success on both continents. Donovan also did well, forging a career on the British stage.

Soon other castmates would follow their path to stardom. Countless writers, cinematographers, stunt actors and crew also cut their teeth on the set of Neighbours, with many heading off to successful careers in Hollywood or London. My father, a safety coordinator, was among them (he stayed in Melbourne). Running on British TV not only gave the show, and its cast, a much larger audience but ensured the entire production had financial security and longevity. In the unstable world of low-budget TV, Neighbours offered a regular salary and a training ground for generations of artists.

Like all long-running soap operas, characters cycled in and out while story lines twisted and turned. Yet for most of its life, Neighbours clung on to an array of largely white, straight characters at a time when Australian society was changing rapidly. It wasnt until the end of its second decade that more racially diverse actors were regularly included. Prior to that, they were largely used as plot devices or to encapsulate racial cliches. Last year the show was hit by complaints of racism on set from cast members, which may have hastened its demise, or at the very least highlighted how out of touch it had become.

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Finally in 2018  30 years after it premiered  the show featured a gay marriage. The first transgender cast member came the following year, played by Australian actor and trans rights advocate Georgie Stone, who approached the producers to add her character. Critics rightly argued that these moves to reflect the realities of modern society came way too late. That tardiness helped entrench both at home and abroad a stereotype of Australia as a racist and intolerant nation, instead of a place with a deep mix of cultures, religions and identities.

Unfortunately, time has run out to make amends. A decision by Channel 5 not to renew for another season, and dwindling audience in Australia, made the show financially nonviable. It just doesnt seem right that Neighbours would stop, Imbruglia, who spent two years on the show before moving on to a successful singing career, told Graham Norton in February following news that it would all end.

In its wake are numerous successful careers like Imbruglias. Russell Crowe, who had a few episodes playing an ex-convict, went on to garner a series of Oscar and Golden Globe awards for films including A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator. Margot Robbie joined Neighbours 20 years later and stayed for three seasons, with her subsequent work including four Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and numerous blockbusters. Hemsworth brothers Luke and Liam appeared six years apart, and then went on to Hollywood to star in Westworld and The Hunger Games. Even brother Chris appeared in an episode, long before he became Thor.

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For the millions of fans who grew up with Neighbours, and even those who hated it, whats undeniable is its value as an anthropological artifact and its many stars, who will continue to shine for years to come. So too will the Australian film and TV industry that it supported for almost four decades.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tim Culpan is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology in Asia. Previously, he was a technology reporter for Bloomberg News.

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In close to four years in office, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has done little to instill faith in his commitment to democracy. Hes claimed only God could remove him from office, chipped away at checks and balances, and repeatedly questioned Brazils well-established electronic voting system. He recently took his unfounded claims beyond the countrys borders by calling foreign ambassadors in for a presentation that rehashed debunked conspiracies about the electoral process and berated Supreme Court justices.

Whether such bluster translates into a concerted effort to reject an unfavorable outcome in Octobers presidential election remains to be seen. But the mere possibility of an electoral crisis in Latin Americas biggest country is one that Brazils other leaders  with the help of the democratic world  should act now to prevent.

Bolsonaro has denied any desire for a coup. Attempting to hold on to power will certainly be harder if the incumbent, trailing leftist candidate and former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the polls, suffers a resounding defeat. But there are a range of less extreme outcomes that would still be devastating. Outbreaks of violence could prompt military intervention, and a split in the wider security forces is not inconceivable, given the military polices more enthusiastic support. Any move to reject or discredit results would exacerbate Brazilians mistrust in government institutions, at a time when discontent with the fruits of democracy is already running high. The country risks paralysis.

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The work of ensuring a free and fair election should be led by Brazilians  not just political leaders but also technocrats, the judiciary, civil society and the media. Efforts by electoral authorities, academics and fact-checkers to combat the spread of disinformation over social media, particularly WhatsApp, have been encouraging. But these forces need help. In the coming months, the U.S. should reiterate its confidence in Brazils democratic institutions and electoral authorities, through public visits by senior Biden administration officials and bipartisan congressional delegations. Washington should work with Brazils neighbors and other democratic governments to support international election observers. They should fund exchanges for technical and cybersecurity experts to bolster Brazils voting system, vital to countering any eventual claims of vote-rigging and fraud.

Corporate leaders can also use their clout. Though many executives are rightly reluctant to wade into Brazils domestic politics, some financiers have already signed an open letter in defense of democracy. More business coalitions and lobby groups can make clear the lasting economic harm that would be caused by violations of basic democratic rules. Speaking out would be in the interests not just of Brazilians but also companies themselves, which have nothing to gain from the unraveling of the worlds fourth-largest democracy.

In recent years, the credibility of the worlds democratic powers  and the US in particular  has undoubtedly suffered among the citizens of Latin America, in part because of lackluster diplomatic engagement in the region. Providing clear and unmistakable support for democratic forces in Brazil today would help limit the damage, and ensure the will of its people prevails.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:



Military Mission Creep Threatens Brazils Democracy: Clara Ferreira Marques



Globalization Is Just Getting Started: Allison Schrager



Latin America Shouldnt Be a Pawn in U.S.-China Rivalry: Shannon ONeil

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

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The 27 national leaders of the European Union love to extol the solidarity that binds their countries together. Even the words signal destiny. Union comes via French from the Latin unus for one, and solidarity from solidus for firm, whole and undivided. Like a good marriage, the bloc is meant to be a solidarity union.

In reality, it is no such thing, and Europes enemies know it. That includes Russian President Vladimir Putin and autocrats in China and afield. The EUs biggest problem is the inability to see threats, responsibilities and sacrifices as shared.

Right now, the nail-biting is about Putin  both his physical warfare against Ukraine and his hybrid warfare against the EU. His weapon of choice is energy. Putin spent two decades making the EU vulnerable  that is, dependent on Russian natural gas and other hydrocarbons  by building a network of pipelines to gullible nations such as Germany. This year, following his invasion of Ukraine in February, hes cocked these weapons and put his finger on the trigger.

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In early summer, he throttled the gas flowing through Nord Stream 1, a big pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, to 60% of its capacity. This week, he further reduced that to 20%. He could turn it down more, or off. As a result, Europes storage tanks will be emptier than they should be going into winter. Putin is threatening to make Europeans shiver in unheated homes, and to force swathes of Europes industry to shut down.

As in any of its crises, the question for the EU is what to do about this mess. So the countries most affected  led by Germany in this case  are invoking that famous sense of solidarity.

Last week, the European Commission proposed that the entire bloc voluntarily reduce its gas consumption by 15%, with mandatory cuts to follow if necessary. The reaction was inevitable, understandable  and hardly reassuring.

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Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and several other member states dont rely on Russian gas, and therefore arent really at much risk. Moreover, any gas savings they foist on their own companies and consumers wouldnt help Germans, because there are no pipelines to carry spare gas from Madrid or Malta, say, to Bavaria or Berlin. So why should they say yes to coerced rationing?

And besides, doesnt Germany bear responsibility? Many Europeans spent years warning Berlin against building two Baltic pipelines to Russia, and against simultaneously exiting nuclear power. Smugly, Germany ignored its partners and pooh-poohed the threat emanating from the Kremlin. Germans asking Spaniards to take shorter showers now seems a bit rich.

And hypocritical. A decade ago, during the euro crisis, the roles were reversed. Financial turmoil that had started in the US caused selloffs in the debt securities of member states like Greece, Spain and Portugal  even threatening an involuntary Grexit. But when these countries asked for solidarity from Germany and other northern countries, they instead got lectures on the evils of their profligacy for having borrowed too much in the first place.

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The EU was no more enthusiastic about showing solidarity in 2015-16, when more than a million refugees crossed from Turkey to Greece, itself still reeling from the euro crisis. Some member states  including Germany  offered help, but others  led by Poland and Hungary  balked.

Ditto in 2020, when SARS-CoV-2 showed up. The instinctive reflex of member states was to slam their borders shut  even for masks and medical gear  turning the EUs vaunted single market into a travesty. Europeans then came perilously close to fighting over vaccines. Eventually, Brussels got its act together, but Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, admitted that we caught a glimpse of the abyss  that is, an unraveling of the EU.

And what if the invaders were Russian soldiers instead of viruses? Given the EUs track record, member states on the front line will be forgiven for finding talk about a European Army risible. Would the Dutch, Italians and Germans send their sons and daughters to die defending Estonians, Latvians or Poles? Yes, is the answer. But thats because theyre in NATO and backed by the US, not because theyre in the EU and high on solidarity.

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The major powers of the world understand this weakness of the EU. Europes friends in Washington worry about it; its foes in Moscow and Beijing try to exploit it. To add to the EUs internal strife, Turkey and Belarus, for example, have tried to concoct renewed refugee crises.

European leaders are just as aware, and therefore want to de-emphasize the vulnerability. Take German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In praising Europes unity, he doth protest too much. Betraying how little he thinks there is of it, he immediately segues to demanding the end of national vetoes and individual member states egotistically blocking European decisions. He had Hungary in mind just then, but others feel that way about Germany.

As is their wont, the EU 27 this week settled their latest spat about gas savings in the usual way: They fudged and wangled a compromise. Gas will be saved  somewhere, somehow  but so many countries will have opt-outs, loopholes and exceptions that youd need a magnifying glass to find the solidarity. Putin saw nothing in Brussels this week to make him nervous.

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Europe Must Declare a War Economy: Andreas Kluth



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This Energy Crisis Needs a  Whatever It Takes Moment: Maria Tadeo

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Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

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Credit Suisses second-quarter results were expected to be bad and, boy, the Swiss bank delivered. Its after-tax loss of 1.6 billion Swiss francs ($1.7 billion) was nearly 7 1/2 times larger than expected  but only the worst quarterly loss since the final three months of last year. The bank ditched its chief executive officer of two years, Thomas Gottstein, and announced another major strategic review, the second in two years and third since 2015.

Once again, Credit Suisses leaders are promising to take a comprehensive look at the investment bank and cut costs while improving the risk management and culture that has left it nursing billions in losses. The question is why anyone should expect different answers this time when Chairman Axel Lehmann delivers the new plan in October. His main claim is that this leadership really is determined to do something differentlythis time. Dont hold your breath.

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The big picture at Credit Suisse is that its best businesses are in private banking and wealth management, especially in Switzerland, and asset management. These produce returns on equity in the teens or higher and have provided steady growth. The investment bank has long been the headache: It has turned in an annual return on capital above 10% only once since 2014 and has been the source of most of the recent disasters.

As a globally mid-ranking European player, the investment bank sits in the squeezed middle: It is not big enough to do everything as profitably as the largest US investment banks, nor is it nimble enough to offer advice for high fees like the best boutiques without all the costs of running a highly regulated balance sheet.

But even worse, it is also badly diversified, as Lehmann put it Wednesday. It is far too heavily weighted toward two businesses: leveraged finance, which is mainly about funding private equity deals, and securitized products, which often makes good money but requires a lot of capital and has no links to the rest of the group that boost the revenue or profitability of other business lines.

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Leveraged finance has had a rotten year with all banks taking large losses on loans they have yet to sell, including $245 million at Credit Suisse this quarter, which put it fourth on the list of biggest losses among bank results so far. Securitized products faces growing competition from US banks and very large alternative asset managers such as Apollo Global Management Inc.

What Credit Suisse should do  and what successive leadership teams have failed to do  is significantly shrink or cut loose both these businesses, as rival UBS Group AG did after the 2008 financial crisis. Credit Suisse could then focus mainly on equity and currency trading and derivatives, while running a much slimmer investment bank advising companies on deals and raising capital through shares or debt. All of this benefits from the investment demands of wealth clients.

Lehmanns outline for the future sounds like this: an advisory-led investment bank that needs much less capital. However, he immediately hedged his bets on securitized products, saying the bank would like to keep it, but with some of the capital supplied by third parties. It seems to be focused on a partnership with a large asset manager or managers, which would invest capital in return for Credit Suisse becoming their main source of asset-backed bonds.

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Such a structure would be very unusual and complicated to manage. It would still leave Credit Suisse exposed to markets going wrong but for significantly lower returns because it would be paying profits to whoever supplies the capital. Banks typically dont outsource their balance sheets, and a group like Apollo is a growing force because it can find, create and reengineer debt assets within its own four walls.

Maybe the new Credit Suisse leadership will come up with different answers. After all, the new CEO, Ulrich Koerner, has experience as an operations and finance-focused executive at UBS. He was likely chosen as someone known and trusted by Lehmann, who also only recently came from UBS. Lehmann said the CEO change was to improve performance, reputation and credibility. That sounds like he is damning Gottstein, who, to be fair, inherited accidents waiting to happen from his predecessor, Tidjane Thiam. And they did happen, spectacularly.

Credit Suisses problems have been years in the making. If it can find the gumption to take radical actions, it will take several years more to do the work. Mostly, Lehmann and Koerner need to come up with a clean, clear answer quickly. Ill believe it when I see it.

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 Credit Suisse Reveals Where It Went Wrong: Paul J. Davies

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

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The global eradication of smallpox more than 40 years ago was one of the greatest achievements in public-health history, vanquishing a cause of death, blindness and disfigurement that had plagued humanity for at least 3,000 years. On the downside, it also led to the end of a global vaccination program that provided protection against other pox viruses. That includes monkeypox, which has been spilling over from its animal hosts to infect humans in West and Central Africa with increasing frequency since the 1970s. Now monkeypox has sparked unprecedented outbreaks in Europe, the US and elsewhere, demonstrating again how readily an infectious agent in one region can mushroom into a global emergency.

1. Whats monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a misnomer that results from the fact that it was discovered at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen in 1958, when outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. While monkeys are susceptible to it, just like humans are, they arent the source. The virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the variola virus, the cause of smallpox; the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine; and cowpox virus. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and the symptoms are generally milder. About 30% of smallpox patients died, while the fatality rate for monkeypox in recent years is around 3% to 6%, according to the World Health Organization.

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2. What does monkeypox do?

After an incubation period of usually one to two weeks, the disease typically starts with fever, muscle aches, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms. Unlike smallpox, monkeypox also causes swelling of the lymph nodes. Within a few days of fever onset, patients develop a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body. The lesions grow into fluid-containing pustules that form a scab. If a lesion forms on the eye, it can cause blindness. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks, according to the WHO. The person is infectious from the time symptoms start until the scabs fall off and the sores heal. Mortality is higher among children and young adults, while people whose immune systems are compromised are especially at risk of severe disease. Pregnancy also carries a high risk of severe congenital infection, pregnancy loss, and maternal morbidity and mortality.

3. How is it transmitted?

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Monkeypox doesnt usually spread easily between people. Close contact with the virus from an infected animal, human or contaminated object is the main pathway. Most reported cases in the 2022 outbreaks have been linked to skin-to-skin contact with someone infected with this virus, such as during sex. The pathogen enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth, rectum and anus. Clubs, raves, saunas, sex parties and other activities where there is close contact with many people may increase the risk of exposure, especially if people are wearing less clothing. Tests on patient saliva, rectal swabs, semen, urine and fecal samples found traces of the virus that could indicate an infectious source for these bodily fluids and their potential role in disease transmission by close physical contact during sexual activity, a study from Spain found. Replication-competent virus was found in air samples collected during a bed linen change in rooms used to isolate patients, UK researchers reported in a study released in July ahead of peer-review. The finding supports the theory that monkeypox may be present in aerosols -- suspended skin particles or dust -- and not only in large respiratory droplets that fall to the ground within 1 meter (3 feet) to 1.5m of an infected individual. High concentrations of virus particles were also detected on toilets, sinks and other inanimate objects used by hospitalized patients, though its not yet known whether they could be a source of infection, a study from Germany found. Transmission from mother-to-unborn baby has also been documented. It can also happen indirectly through contact with contaminated clothing or linens. Common household disinfectants can kill it.

4. Whats unusual this time?

There have been multiple chains of human-to-human transmission occurring, including in sexual networks.

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 Cases dont involve recent travel to places in Africa, where the disease is endemic.

 Although anyone can get monkeypox, most cases occur in men. In endemic areas of Africa, it was thought that was related to hunting practices, whereas in the current outbreak, most individuals are men aged 21 to 40 years who have sex with men, people with multiple sexual partners, or people who practice condom-less sex. Close skin-to-skin contact during sex is the primary mode of transmission in such cases.

 Flu-like symptoms havent always preceded the rash, and some patients first sought medical care for lesions in the genital and perianal region.

 Some patients experience complications, such as tonsillitis and inflammation of the rectum.

 In some cases, the lesions are mostly located at these sites, making them hard to distinguish from syphilis, herpes simplex virus, shingles and other more common infections, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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5. Is monkeypox a sexually transmitted disease?

No. Although its one of many pathogens capable of being transmitted during sex, its not considered an STD because it also uses other transmission pathways.

6. How fast is it spreading?

From just a handful of cases in Europe in early May, more than 18,000 cases, mostly in men, were reported across dozens of countries by late July, according to data collated by global.health. The WHO said five fatal cases have been reported, all in Africa. Monkeypox has probably been circulating undetected in Europe since at least April. In the US, caseloads tripled in July, with the virus reported in more than 40 states. Preliminary research estimates that among cases who identify as men who have sex with men, the virus has a reproduction number greater than 1, which means more than one new infection is estimated to stem from a single case. A UK study found anonymous sex has proved to be a barrier to effective contact tracing, with only 28% of men able to provide the names of all recent sexual contacts. Data from outbreaks in Canada, Spain, Portugal, and the UK suggest venues where men have sex with multiple partners are helping to drive spread.

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7. How is it treated?

The illness is usually mild and most patients will recover within a few weeks; treatment is mainly aimed at relieving symptoms. About 10-to-15% of cases have been hospitalized, mostly for pain and bacterial infections that can occur as a result of monkeypox lesions. The CDC says smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin can be used to treat monkeypox as well as control it. Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, was approved by the European Medical Association for monkeypox in 2022, but isnt yet widely available, according to the WHO. In the US, its available through the Strategic National Stockpile, though some physicians have said lengthy delays for test results and the very daunting task of completing the necessary paperwork have frustrated efforts to prescribe the medication for infected patients. The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) also lists cidofovir as an antiviral that can be used.

8. What about prevention?

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Limiting spread will require a comprehensive, international vaccination strategy and adequate supplies, public health experts Michael Osterholm and Bruce Gellin wrote in a July 19 editorial in the journal Science. Vaccination against smallpox can be used for both pre- and post-exposure and is as much as 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, according to the UK health agency, which is offering the Imvanex smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic A/S to close contacts. Its a newer vaccine based on non-replicating versions of the vaccinia virus thats sold as Jynneos in the US and Imamune in Canada. Supply is limited, according to Osterholm and Gellin, who said more research is needed to determine whether intradermal, as opposed to intramuscular, administration and other dose-sparing approaches can provide adequate immune protection. Bavarian Nordic will provide the US with almost 7 million doses of Jynneos by mid-2023, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which said on July 15 that more than 300,000 shots had been made available to states and jurisdictions since late May. (Bavarian Nordic said July 18 that it also has signed supply contracts with other, unspecified countries.) Immunization requires two injections administered four weeks apart. Otherwise, the main way to prevent infection is by isolating patients with the infection, monitoring their contacts, and ensuring health staff wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

9. Is monkeypox a pandemic threat?

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a so-called public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC (pronounced fake), on July 23. The step will empower the agency to invoke new measures to curb the viruss spread. He last declared a PHEIC in January 2020, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Monkeypox is concentrated among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, especially those who have had multiple, recent sexual partners, Tedros said. That fact means the contagion can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups. On the flip side in some countries, the communities affected face life-threatening discrimination, he said. There is a very real concern that men who have sex with men could be stigmatized or blamed for the outbreak, making the outbreak much harder to track, and to stop, Tedros said on July 21.

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10. Can it be stopped?

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in mid-July that the window for controlling the US outbreak has probably closed and that only a small fraction of the cases in the country have been reported, with infections now occurring across the broader population. A case in a pregnant woman was reported in the US, where pediatric infections have also occurred. In the Netherlands, doctors reported a case in a boy under 10 with an immune impairment. Unable to identify how he was infected, they speculate that the virus may be present in the general population and that respiratory transmission may have played a role.

11. Do all infections cause disease?

Possibly not. Retrospective testing of 224 clinical samples collected in May for sexually transmitted infection screening found evidence of asymptomatic monkeypox infection in three men. The finding, by researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, was reported in a study released July 5 before it was peer-reviewed and published. Asymptomatic carriership was previously thought to play a negligible role in the spread of orthopoxviruses, the authors said. The existence of asymptomatic infections indicates that the virus might be transmitted to close contacts in the absence of symptoms, which suggests that identifying and isolating only symptomatic patients wont be enough to contain the outbreak, and that vaccinating high-risk individuals is needed. Interestingly, one of the asymptomatic men in the study predated the first detected symptomatic case in Belgium by several days, wasnt linked to other known cases and hadnt traveled abroad or attended any mass gatherings. The authors said that might suggest that the virus circulated in Belgium before the outbreak was detected.

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12. Where does monkeypox come from?

The reservoir host or main carrier of monkeypox disease hasnt yet been identified, although rodents are suspected of playing a part in transmission. It was first diagnosed in humans in 1970 in Congo in a 9-year-old boy. Since then, most cases in humans have occurred in rainforest areas of West and Central Africa. In 2003, the first outbreak outside of Africa occurred in the US and was linked to animals imported from Ghana to Texas, which then infected pet prairie dogs. Dozens of cases were recorded in that outbreak.

13. Has the monkeypox virus mutated?

The monkeypox virus might be undergoing adaptive changes to make it better suited to the human host. Analysis of the genetic sequence of the virus collected from patients in Europe indicates that the current outbreak in non-endemic countries is caused by a strain that likely diverged from the monkeypox virus that sparked a 2018-19 Nigerian outbreak, according to a June 24 study in Nature Medicine. The authors, from Portugals National Institute of Health in Lisbon, identified some 50 genetic changes or differences compared with the original strain, including several mutations the authors associate with increased transmissibility. The changes are roughly 6-to-12 times more than scientists would expect based on the observed evolution of orthopoxviruses, they said. The strain belongs to the West African clade, or branch on the evolutionary tree, that usually has a case-fatality rate of less than 1%. (That compares with 10% for a second clade called Congo Basin, which appears on the US governments bioterrorism agent list as having the potential to pose a severe threat.)

(Updates to add studies on potential transmission pathways in section 3, and section 5 on whether monkeypox is an STD.)

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Black spray paint was sprawled across the brick walls around Jim Cullen Memorial Park, often called Tree Park, in Coconino Estates on Monday.

Similar tags were spotted at Flagstaff High School, Marshall Elementary School and the bridge over Rio de Flag.

The neighborhoods reaction to the vandalism, police said, was swift.

This is not a place thats typically hit with graffiti, said Sgt. Odis Brockman, public information officer for the Flagstaff Police Department. That might be one of the reasons it was reported so quickly.

As soon as the graffiti was reported, police said, an officer was dispatched to the scene. The citys team of volunteer Graffiti Busters were sent the information so they could start the cleanup process.

For neighbors such as Margot Steffenson, who has lived near the park for eight years, the vandalism was both upsetting and part of what she believes might be a larger problem.

She told the Arizona Daily Sun that the park is also becoming a common venue for parties that last late into the night.

Its just super sad, Steffenson said. I feel like its a trust issue. We love this park and feel violated. My husband, on the other hand, is very angry.

The graffiti is just one reason why Steffenson and her husband are upset.

I love living by the park. I love seeing families play. I love seeing teenagers hang out in a safer place  but its been pushed too far," she said.

Steffenson added that she had tried to contact the parents of the teens she recognized in the park but hadnt had much luck.

It just keeps getting later, louder and more trash," she said.

While the graffiti should make a speedy disappearance, the problem of late-night noise and littering might take longer to solve. Thats why police encourage residents like Margot to call in and report late-night disturbances and underage drinking when they see it.

A big part of our job is to focus on improving quality of life [for residents]," Brockman said. "We dont want people worrying about bugging us, or calling us for something trivial. If we dont know, we cant do anything and that doesnt help anybody."

To report a crime, file a police report or lodge a complaint, call the nonemergency line at 928-774-1414.
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For years, Tunisias democracy, born of an Arab Spring revolt in 2011, endured as others in the region faded. But in July 2021, President Kais Saied unilaterally fired the countrys prime minister and suspended parliament. Hes subsequently ruled by decree, appointed his own government and sidelined the judiciary. Hes also spearheaded the adoption of a new constitution that permanently dilutes the powers of the lawmakers and the courts and returns the country to the days when authority was concentrated in the hands of the president.

1. What drove the presidents actions?

The coronavirus pandemic has had devastating effects both on Tunisias tourism-dependent economy and on its people, causing relatively high human losses on a per capita basis. Last year, the health crisis inflamed public anger at the government, which was already stoked by a sluggish economy and a popular belief that the political changes over the past decade had served a nepotistic elite. On July 25, 2021, groups of youths staged demonstrations in several cities and in Siliana they sacked the offices of Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that held the most seats in parliament. Later that day, Saied made his move after months of accusing the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, a technocrat, of failing to address corruption and properly manage the economy and the post-pandemic fallout. While Saied cited thoses shortcomings as justification for his actions, his critics accuse him of taking advantage of the parlous state of the country to cement control.

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2. Who is Saied?

A former constitutional law professor whod never held office before, Saied, 64, emerged as the surprise winner of the 2019 presidential election after running as an independent candidate on an anti-party and anti-corruption agenda, vowing to fight poverty and trumpeting as his chief slogan The People Want... His stern anti-establishment tone, delivered in classical Arabic, attracted young Tunisians keen to punish a political elite they perceived as opportunistic. Saied suggested eliminating the directly elected legislature in favor of elected local councils that would, in turn, select national leaders. He has been likened to former US President Donald Trump in that, although hes in power, he behaves as if hes in the opposition, and he calls on his supporters to rally around him.

3. What happened during Tunisias revolution?

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It was the first of the so-called Arab Spring revolts. Starting in late 2010, Tunisians engaged in weeks of civil resistance and disobedience, resulting in the toppling of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. A staunch ally of the West with a government record of human rights abuses, hed led one of the most vibrant economies in the region, albeit one with persistent structural inequalities. News of Ben Ali and his inner circle hurriedly leaving the country in 2011 galvanized many citizens in North Africa and the Middle East to set in motion a series of popular uprisings. None of the others produced lasting democratic changes.

4. What changes did the revolution bring?

The so-called Jasmine Revolution widened political participation to a variety of political currents, including the once-banned Ennahda Islamists and radical left-wing activists. Parliament was granted a degree of oversight and an ability to hold the executive branch to account that was rare in the region. The judiciarys independence was strengthened and civil society was empowered to stand up to police brutality, which was previously prevalent.

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5. How has the constitution been changed?

A panel picked by the president drafted the revisions to the 2014 constitution, which was the result of painstaking negotiations among the nations myriad factions after the revolution. Its proposals were approved in a July 25 referendum, the credibility of which was undermined by an opposition boycott and voter turnout of just over 30%. The changes introduce a national council of regions and provinces to share legislative duties with the parliament, which along with the judiciary is relegated to a status akin to that of the civil service. The president assumes executive functions and will be helped by a government and a prime minister he will name.

6. How are investors likely to react?

Investors are likely to focus on whether a now-omnipotent Saied manages to effectively implement painful reforms that the International Monetary Fund says are necessary to ward off a debt default, rather than the political ramifications of his power play. But the relatively low turnout in the referendum illustrates how support for Saied has flagged since he assumed greater powers -- which could provide greater leverage for his opponents such as the Union Generale Tunisienne du Travail, the nations largest labor union, to resist drastic state spending cuts.

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The worlds biggest battery company is turning to abundantly available materials as it looks to upgrade power packs for electric vehicles. While that stands to bring down costs and raise efficiency as raw material shortages abound, its an opportunity for countries like India and Brazil to take their chunk of the increasingly lucrative EV supply chain before it gets too late.

After effectively popularizing safer and cheaper lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, chemistry for EV batteries, Chinas Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. is now adding manganese to the mix. Ford Motor Co. recently added LFPs to its mix and will now import them from CATL for its Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup. This latest chemistry, LMFP, and promise to commercialize it, could be yet another game changer.In its latest formulation, manganese will boost the energy density of LFPs, allowing them to take vehicles further along (while remaining the safer and cheaper option.) In CATLs case, the voltage will increase from 3.2 volts to 4.1 volts. Such chemistry could provide up to 25% more energy density, according to a subsidiary of Lithium Australia that has also been working to adjust its own manufacturing processes to boost battery performance. CATLs cells will be mass produced by the end of this year with a potential energy density of 230 Wh/kg, compared to 150Wh/kg to 180Wh/kg. Thats substantial given range anxiety and charging infrastructure remain the biggest barriers to widespread consumer adoption.

Manganese  and its effectiveness in electrochemistry  is often forgotten because of its low cost as a portion of the whole battery compared to that of other metals like nickel and cobalt. Its used in higher energy density batteries, or the nickel cobalt formulation but in smaller amounts than the other elements. Those powerpacks, while also popular and a favorite of South Korean manufacturers, have been involved in fires and arent considered as stable despite being able to take vehicles further. Other combinations exist too, like the increasingly promising lithium nickel manganese oxide, or LNMO. In the past, one persistent issue with using manganese was that the battery would have a limited life cycle and high resistance, meaning it gets too hot and voltage drops. CATLs version (and others) seem to have overcome this.

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With this potential, demand for the metal is bound to go up. While there isnt a shortage of manganese yet, itll be an important component for batteries. South Africa tops the list of producers, followed by China, Australia, Brazil, Gabon and India.

As the battery supply chain gets concentrated in the hands of a few countries (or really, just China), its important for emerging and developing markets avoid getting left behind, and to grab their part too, rather than eventually getting hamstrung by shortages and supply chain snarls. If they are incentivized to produce more of these materials, they are bound to push electric vehicles. Ultimately, these nations stand to play an important role in electrification and help bring down global emissions. India, for instance, could become a key supply chain risk mitigator. It has vast untapped reserves. Of the more than 140 or so mines, several are currently inactive and almost half the production comes from two dozen public sector mines. Most of the ore is suitable for steel and other more basic uses. Only a tiny portion is battery-grade, however it can be processed and purified in to a battery-friendly form. An Indian government committee last month recommended exploring manganese reserves and boosting R&D efforts to explore the use of the metal for powerpacks, hopefully leading to increased policy support. Putting all this to work effectively could give India a spot in the global supply chain.

Itll come down to cost, quality and carbon footprint, as founder of Euro Manganese Inc. Marco Romero told me recently. Countries like India can no doubt win on the cost front when it comes to labor, equipment and fabrication even if they cant compete on low-carbon emission operations just yet. The reality is India will have to start with incremental gains. But to do even that, itll need to start now.

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Until recently, there werent many other uses for high-grade manganese so companies didnt have much incentive to boost production. Anyone willing to invest now will gain a first-mover advantage. China is already pushing the case with its manganese innovation alliance campaign, launched late last year. The country has mastered refining the metal. However, after a year of supply chain snarls, and companies and countries wanting a host of suppliers to avoid a concentration risk for key resources, that means theres room for plenty of players.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 How Chinas Car Batteries Conquered the World: Anjani Trivedi

 U.K. Energy Crisis Is an Opportunity for Batteries: Liam Denning

 Elon Musk and Joe Biden Might Both Need This Mine: Adam Minter

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Anjani Trivedi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies in Asia. Previously, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

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An uninvited guest from the cold north has turned up amid the heat of Italian politics. So, what to do with Vladimir Putin? It is no secret that ties between Italy and Russia have been a little too friendly in the recent past, confusing allies and hurting Romes credibility. For example, theres Matteo Salvini of the League, who once showed up in Red Square dressed in a white t-shirt with Putins face on it. He has a history of downplaying the Kremlins hostilities and openly flirting with Russian nationalist parties.

There is also an entire catalogue of photographs of Putin and Silvio Berlusconi  the former Italian premier and founder of Forza Italia  dressed in linen shirts, all hugs and smiles, enjoying lunch together over the years, be it on the Italian coast or the Black Sea. The amici have exchanged compliments for decades and even shared a view of the world that put Italy at odds with the rest of the G7 countries.

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The Italian political class has a bizarre fascination with Russia. But, no matter who leads the next Italian government, this is not the time to undo Mario Draghis hawkish turn on Russia.

To be fair, Berlusconi isnt as happy with Putin these days. Hes told his supporters he was saddened by Putins invasion of Ukraine. That is also likely to be due to Draghi who, during his time as premier, silenced any ambiguity left over from previous governments.

He shifted Italy away from Russia-friendly statements to become one of the most outspoken critics of Putin in the European Council. He played a key role in designing sanctions targeting the Russian Central Bank and advocated for Ukraines candidate status to the European Union. His new approach was epitomized by his trip  alongside President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany  to Kyiv to reaffirm their joint support for Ukraines sovereignty. It is an image that will go down in Italian history.

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Some in Italy argue that Draghis stance accelerated his fall from grace because it heightened tensions within his coalition. But Draghi has been unrepentant about changing course on Russia, reiterating it was the right and honorable thing to do. His successor should stay the course.

If polls are correct, the next government might well be a right-wing coalition led by Brothers of Italy alongside the League and Forza Italia. Thats a combination toxic enough on the foreign policy front to raise eyebrows in Washington and Brussels. Berlusconi and Salvini will play central roles in such a government.

Giorgia Meloni, the head of Brothers of Italy, is untested on the international stage and lacks experience outside of Italy. Nonetheless, Meloni is trying to soften her image to broaden her appeal at home and look less radical abroad. In one of her first interviews since the Sept. 25 elections were called, Meloni told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that her policy would not change from that of Draghi: maintaining sanctions on Russia and advocating for more weapons to Ukraine so it can fight back. She also reiterated Italys atlantismo, a term used in the country to define having strong ties with the US and NATO.

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On the surface, Meloni is playing the moderate card. The question is whether she means business or these are just tactics to market herself and paint Brothers of Italy in a more palatable light. Thats easier said than done. A recent study by the European Council on Foreign Relations portrayed her voters as more skeptical about the war in Ukraine than her statements would suggest: More than half of her voters are against sending weapons to Ukraine and more than 30% of her supporters blame the West and Ukraine for the war. So, given her split base, its not for sure that Meloni will continue the path laid out by Draghi. And doing so may only get harder as the economic impact of sanctions gets tougher to manage without resolute leadership. Hers is already questionable.

Still, Italys voice matters. It is a founding member of the EU, a member of the G7 and one of the original founders of NATO. While the theatrics often distract from the countrys international relevance, Rome is still a power player in European circles. Italys resolve will be key to setting new sanctions and rolling out the existing ones for longer in Brussels, where each package must be approved unanimously.

With Draghi out of office, Putin will no doubt test the resolve of his successor, perhaps hoping old friendships may lead to softer sanctions and pressure on Ukraine to accept a dictated peace. Italy cannot fall into the trap; it must not become Russias gateway into Europe. If that happened, the damage to the bloc  which is facing its most serious geopolitical test to date  would be enormous.

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That should be clear to whoever leads Italy next. Keeping the determination and focus Draghi instilled on foreign policy is the first step to establish trust among its European allies. All roads lead to Rome, but when it comes to Russia, there can be no path for reconciliation as long as Putin wages war.

More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion:

 The Populist Experiment in Italy Has Failed: Maria Tadeo

 Can Draghi Emerge From the Political Rubble?: Rachel Sanderson

 ECBs Crisis Plan Fails to Convince Bond Traders: Marcus Ashworth

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Maria Tadeo is the European correspondent for Bloomberg Television based in Brussels where she covers European politics, economics and NATO.

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This account, in previously unreported detail, shines new light on the road to war and the military campaign in Ukraine, drawn from in-depth interviews with dozens of senior U.S., Ukrainian, European and NATO officials.

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What if Cuba decided to form a present-day strategic coalition with Russia? What if Canada bestowed preferential treatment on Russia akin to what it provides to the US? What if Mexico enhanced its security ties with Russia via military exercises and the purchase of armaments? What if Greenland or Iceland had alliance agreements with Russia?

These countries are all considered to be self-governing sovereign states. They determine their own future and foreign policy course. Canada ranked seventh in the world on the Freest Countries Index in 2022. All of them should in theory be free to make such hypothetical choices.

However, even if Russia acted discreetly in such highly unlikely and improbable scenarios, the whole world would soon become aware of their infringement of the security of the US and other countries in the West. Tensions would intensify through a media upheaval and the declarations of official spokespersons.

Actions of this kind would not be accepted lightly, and reactions would commence. In fact, they would likely be swift and devastating. Any notion of freedom of choice on the part of the countries concerned would vanish into thin air.

Lets pause and absorb these scenarios. First, they are fictitious and farfetched. For one thing, allegiances amongst the Western countries are tight and long-lasting. Canada and Mexico cannot be considered to be at arms length as far as the US is concerned, and they in turn would never repeal their alliance with it. Greenland is happily devoted to Denmark, and Iceland remains peacefully uninvolved.

More importantly, Russia would think twice before taking such a route. What is considered to be the Western Hemisphere would remain within the West.

As for Cuba, it has learned its lessons the hard way in the shape of over 60 years of arbitrary US sanctions. However, lets indulge ourselves in the fictitious schema of a Russian alliance with Cuba, so please play along. The uproar would be deafening. Every media outlet and official in the West would question Russia and Cubas right to solidify their cooperation. It would not be considered a democratic action. Rather, it would be seen as an act of pure and simple aggression.

Everyone would immediately cry foul. Russias action would be considered as demeaning of Western liberal ways and a violation of the free world.

Across the world, leaders and countries alike would be horrified at the Russian move. They would spout anger, venom, and rancour and call on Russia to resolve the crisis by withdrawing its presence in the region from Cuba or anywhere else.

With no pause for thoughtful negotiation or rational dialogue, the US would immediately quash the alliance. It would not wait a decade in order to convince Russia that it was taking the wrong route. Instead, it would likely attack Cuba.

In reality, a storyline of exactly this sort occurred in Cuba in 1962. The US and the former Soviet Union were at a standoff when the latter installed nuclear missiles on Cuban soil just 90 miles from US shores. Then US president John Kennedy, perceiving the Soviet action as a threat to US national security, was ready to use nuclear weapons.

The world was thus brought to the brink of nuclear war because the Soviet missiles in Cuba were a threat to the US. However, the crisis was resolved when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the US not invading the island and, more importantly, for the US removing its missiles from Turkey. The US had deployed nuclear weapons on Turkish soil in 1959 in what was seen as an act of aggression directed at the Soviet Union itself.

Infringing on buffer zones, or regions that serve as shields to safeguard countries from foes, is something that must be avoided so that we do not all fall into the dilemma that Ukraine and the world are facing today.

The war on Ukraine is akin to the scenario just described, and yet the world seems blind to the motives behind Russias actions. Russias borders and security have seemingly been allowed to fall by the wayside.

For example, the US writer Rand Paul wrote in the US publication the American Conservative recently that when Western intelligence agencies worked with Ukrainian Maidan protesters to topple the Russian-backed leader of Ukraine in 2014, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin reacted by taking Crimea. When the Biden administration signed an accord with Ukraine reiterating an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO last fall, Putin responded with a massive invasion of Ukraine. Of course, nothing justifies the invasion, but it is an error to argue that it was not predictable.

In 2018, Ukraine joined the US and seven other NATO countries in a series of large-scale air exercises in Western Ukraine. Complicating matters further, in 2019 the former US Trump administration sold anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in the first sale of its kind of US weaponry.

Then, in their Brussels summit in June 2021 NATO leaders confirmed the decision taken at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Ukraine would become a member of NATO and supported its right to determine its own future and foreign policy course without outside interference.

Tensions between Russia and neighbouring NATO countries rose, and in February 2022 US President Joe Biden deployed 3,000 US troops to Poland and Romania. Sweden and Finland, another two countries bordering Russia, are planning to join NATO.

The war in Ukraine has taken a worse turn since then, and it is dragging on with no end in sight. But even as Ukraine is destroyed and the ramifications of the war affect the whole world, attention has been shifting to other matters and other crises. The world is starting to forget about the war in Ukraine. There can be no winners in this war, though there is one definite loser  Ukraine itself.

Double standards, or unfairly applying different responses to different crises, will continue to haunt us. What is not acceptable in one situation should not be accepted in another.

*The writer is a former professor of communication based in Vancouver, Canada.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
Of course it is. Energy, and gas in particular  Europe sourced about 40 per cent of its gas from Russia before the invasion  is Russias most potent response to the Wests severe financial and economic sanctions. Weaponising energy hurts European economies and sows division between those European states, generally in southern Europe, that arent as reliant as those like Germany, which used to get 55 per cent of its gas from Russia, and the eastern European economies. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has accused Russia of blackmail. Credit:Bloomberg Putin is gaming Europe by leaving his intentions vague. He might completely cut off Europes access to Russian gas, or he might not. He might allow a trickle of gas or he might return supply to 40 per cent of capacity. It is unlikely that Russia will completely shut down Nord Stream 1 because that would destroy Putins leverage and the value of the uncertainty he has created. It would also generate greater unity between the states that have historically been reliant on Russian gas and those that have alternate sources of supply.

Russia would like to increase the divisions and tensions within Europe generated not only by the energy crisis but more broadly by differences in attitudes towards the invasion. The Europeans have been forced to respond to the bleak energy outlook for their winter, agreeing on Tuesday to a voluntary reduction in European Union gas consumption over the northern winter. The reduction could be made mandatory in an emergency  if Russia were, for instance, to completely shut down supply. Loading There are opt-outs and/or lesser cuts within the agreement for countries that are particularly dependent on Russian gas, as well as for those that are more self-reliant. The news that Russian supply would be limited to 20 per cent of capacity sent European gas prices soaring this week, with the price spiking 20 per cent on Tuesday. European gas prices are now more than 10 times their average of the previous decade.

The reduced flows and the surge in prices will impact European economies already sliding towards recession. They will particularly impact Germany and German industry because the Germans had shut down most of their coal-fired generators and were planning to shut down their three nuclear reactors at the end of this year. They were relying on Russian gas and renewables to power Europes strongest economy. European households and industries are facing energy shortfalls ahead of the northern winter. Credit:AP Now they are bringing coal-fired plants back into their grid and even the powerful Greens party, which led the campaign to phase out Germanys nuclear plants a decade ago, is willing to contemplate keeping at least one of the ageing nuclear plants operating beyond the end of the year. In the near-term Russias finessing of its gas supplies into Europe is going to damage the European economies  it is estimated that a complete cut-off would wipe about 1.5 percentage points off the EUs GDP  and force governments to make invidious choices between households and industries. The price surges alone will make some major gas-reliant European industries uneconomic.

Longer-term Russia will be the loser. Europe will never allow itself to be as dependent on Russian energy. It is scrambling to contract alternate gas from the US, Qatar and elsewhere and is racing to buy floating LNG terminals and build new onshore terminals along with new storage and distribution networks. Decarbonisation, the driver of European energy policies in recent decades, is taking a back seat to the imperative of energy security. There is no alternative for the EU but to accept that Russia is no longer a reliable source of supply and will never again be one. For Russia, that will ultimately mean that a major source of its income  it is the worlds second-largest gas producer  will dry up. It would take massive investments in LNG plants and pipelines that would probably be sub-economic at best to ship Russian gas to those markets, like China, that might accept it. Even then, it is unlikely that those prospective customers would replace the lost EU demand. The Europeans plight could be worse. Where earlier in the year China was buying as much gas as it could after experiencing its own energy crunch, it seems to have reduced its purchases and some Chinese traders are now on-selling gas to the Europeans and others.

Thats being attributed to the effects of Chinas zero COVID lockdowns, which have slowed its economy and reduced its industries energy consumption. A surge in domestic coal production as China tries to reduce its reliance on energy imports might also be a factor. Loading If China had maintained the earlier scale of its purchases, the already-ultra-tight market for LNG would be even tighter and the amount of uncontracted gas available to Europe even smaller. In any event, for the EU the relationship with Russia and the state-controlled Gazprom has passed the point of no return. There is no alternative but to accept that Russia is no longer a reliable source of supply and will never again be one. That acceptance will almost certainly involve significant economic pain and households hardship this northern winter but will accelerate the increase in renewables and more disparate sources of gas and other energy in future while reducing the demonstrated vulnerability of Europe of allowing itself to become so dependent on a single supplier.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Tim Winton has been a part-time novelist for the past three years. Yes, he has a book on the go, but he has also been writing and narrating a documentary about the Ningaloo Reef off the coast of north-west Australia. And for once, hes not quite sure what hes writing: is it homage or elegy? Perhaps even eulogy; possibly all three. However the documentary turns out, it has been unsettling. As is so much at the moment. Look at whats going on in the UK and Europe. Weve reached a place that they told us about but that we never thought was going to happen. I think anyone whos not frightened [about climate change] is just not paying attention. If you live close to the natural world and youve got a little bit invested  whether you grow grapes or crops or youre swimming on coral  its pretty confronting. Several years ago, Winton told me he was an optimist, so I had to ask: is he still? Winton in Denmark, Western Australia, in 2008. Credit:Erin Jonasson I dont see any alternative. I have to wake up and revive and restabilise my optimism daily if not hourly, and its a discipline I have to reinforce and nurture however I can. Hope is not something that you just inherit like rich parents or good genes, its something you manufacture, fashion or make. So how do you do that?

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By action. I think we create hope by the actions that we take even if they are just moments of kindness or tenderness among people. You only see whats possible by what other people are doing around you. You look to other people, to the best in people. Whether thats in politics or art or trade, its when you see people doing something decent that they dont need to do. I was always being told you were too this or too that, it was too Australian and this vernacular was too difficult. Tim Winton, author In August, Winton marks 40 years as a published author. He won the Vogel award for an unpublished manuscript when he was 20, and that first novel, An Open Swimmer, reached the shops in August 1982. Since then, he has won the Miles Franklin award four times, been shortlisted for the Booker a couple of times and written Cloudstreet, a classic that has frequently been named the most loved Australian novel of all time. He has been praised for his commitment to the vernacular in Australian literary fiction and is one of the few Australian writers whose work is both literary and sells in big numbers. He writes of Australia, its land, seas and people for the world, but without compromise. And hes proud of it. Tim Winton pictured in 1984, the year he first won the Miles Franklin award. I was published very early on internationally and was always being told you were too this or too that, it was too Australian and this vernacular was too difficult and the place was too alien and strange. I didnt know any better, I just said too bad: like it or lump it. Winton turns 62 in early August. When he was only 10 he knew he wanted to be a writer, stuck his flag in the ground, as he puts it, and told his parents. They must have thought he was crazy.

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Of course. I didnt know any writers, I didnt know what a writer was, I hadnt met one, I didnt meet one until I was 18 or 19 years old. I had no idea what a writing life entailed. Neither of his parents had finished school, and for a white, working-class family in the 1960s, a writer was someone from a different life, place or era. As he regularly says, he was constantly told he was from the wrong side of the wrong country in the wrong hemisphere. So he was an optimist even back them, or at least stubborn and defiant. The new cover of Cloudstreet and, right, a signed title page of Scission. But his family  who, when he was 12, moved from Perth to Albany where his father was a traffic cop specialising in fatal accidents and mortality, havoc hung over the house  was entirely supportive. Loading I rode on the currency of the life that they could have had if theyd been able to make choices, if theyd had agency. I also came of age at a time when the culture was exploding with confidence that it had never had before and the difference between me and my parents was a Labor Party in power at a time when a Labor Party actually meant something. It was a social democratic outfit and it was about liberating people. He was at university in Perth when he won the Vogel, and had to get on a plane for the first time to go to Sydney.

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It said on the invitation that you had to wear a lounge suit. I had to ask someone what that was. I had to borrow a beige suit off a friend who worked in an insurance office, so it was a whole different life. How did they let me get away with this? ... I just literally stepped out of my white, working-class reality into something from a different world. His life might have been very different had he started writing when he was older, but he was young, flexible and had energy. A lot of [Cloudstreet] was hard work, but it was a kind of thrill to write once I found the voice and I had Fish Lamb whispering in my ear. Tim Winton, author When he was still a student he met Clives James who told him no one should write a novel before they were 40. I just thought Id better not mention I had written two. At that stage he had already written the bulk of Shallows, which in 1984 was to be his first Miles winner, and half of Scission, his first short-story collection. I think I wrote the best part of three books when I was an undergraduate. But this [James] was an important person, you dont want to contradict him ... you just think okay this guys an enormously well-educated person, but he doesnt know anything. From left: Tom Russell as the young Fish Lamb, Geoff Morrell as Lester Lamb and Callan McAuliffe as the young Quick Lamb in the TV adaptation of Cloudstreet. Credit:David Dare Parker His early writing years were prolific and demanding. At one point he had three writing desks set up and moved from one to another depending on how each bit of work was going, from a novel to a story to a childrens book.



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Cloudstreet, the beautiful, benign, slightly bonkers saga of the Lamb and Pickles families sharing an old house in Perth, was his fifth published novel for adults, Scission was out, as was the first of his Locky Leonard novels for children. But Cloudstreet transformed his and his wife Denises life and precarious finances, selling more than 60,000 copies in its first nine months and going straight into Australias collective heart. It has also been adapted for stage and small screen. Since then, he has published The Riders, Dirt Music, The Turning (a collection of linked stories), Breath, Eyrie, The Shepherds Hut and more. Winton at the Sydney Theatre Company for the production of his play Signs of Life in 2012. Credit:Marco Del Grande He remains a bit bewildered by the life Cloudstreet has had. While he tends not to re-read his books, he did have to look at it again when he was adapting it for television. Loading All gags aside, I remember the pleasure I got, the excitement I had in writing it. A lot of it was hard work, but it was a kind of thrill to write once I found the voice and I had Fish Lamb whispering in my ear ... It felt good to write. There was almost a disaster, however. On the way from Rome to Athens he left half the manuscript on a bus while wrangling children and luggage, but fortunately an Italian man  I could have kissed that whiskery Italian guy  rescued it.

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Each night, Divya Nandha finishes cooking dinner by 6.30pm, ignores her phone (although everyone who knows her already knows not to call) and settles down on her couch in Sale, in Victorias south-east.

The mother and former nurse, who lives with her husband, Rakesh, has built her evening routine around Neighbours, the soap she first fell in love with from the other side of the globe.

Long-term Neighbours fan Divya Nandha visited the set of her favourite show in May, when she heard it was coming to an end. Credit:Facebook

On Thursday, shell be among the millions of fans around the world tuning in for the last time.

And she wants to watch it undisturbed.
The first frost came in the night, a clear, scant-started night, when the moon was near its fullness.

Silent, followed the heels of Vibrato (), one of pals in MYSJ and a well known Chinese American poet, I went to AllPoetry, the biggest online publisher of English poetry. I published one of my English poems there then.

How exciting! The short piece got an auto-ranked score for 8.9 and professional similarity 6 of 10. Moreover, several poets left their comments on it. The feedbacks on my poems from readers always mean a lot to me. I knew they were always nice to new comers.

You might think Im showing off, but I dont intend to do that. Just for fun, LOL



AllPoentry



Portrait

by TweetinGreen

on a strange sky dome

using meticulous skill

with a calligraphic brush

draw an oil painting

waves in the vast ocean

the dawning and twilight

thorny blood paths

gullies crisscross



so beautiful

a new genre



a shaved face

covered with mottled paints and inks

heh heh heh grinning

in a corner, a cup of tea

still jasmine









AllPoetry :



Posted a month ago. immigrants, hope, hardness.

Like (12)

Front page pick 17 days ago.

Autorank Total 8.9, professional similarity 6 (of 10), concrete vs abstract 2 (of 2), noun/verb/etc order 0.9 (of 1)



Likes: A white rob, noseringpoems, Alice Z, HBey K, kaye, Ken doll, Stuart Munro, Mumtaz Noori, Dub Evergreen, Kh Ventura, Cozyglow, Kelley Citrin



Alice Z - A beautiful piece with a sense of history.

Ken doll - Beautiful well written work. Congratulations on well deserved front page pick, enjoyed a day ago



Mumtaz Noori - Congratulations on FPP, a well deserved piece



Good poem. 17 days ago



HBey K - A wonderful canvas is here described in full eloquence.



Amazing 17 days



Kh Ventura - wonderfully written, such a delightful piece to read, Thank you



Nicely done a month ago



Cozyglow - I love this poem. Its such a meaningful and vivid portrait of the first generation immigrants. We crossed oceans and treaded thorny paths to come to a new place to seek a dream. We worked hard and overcame a lot of obstacles to get to todays good life.  in a corner, a cup of tea still jasmine, inside, we still have a place for our old lands. Really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing! a month ago



Stuart Munro - Nice subject poetry



Lovely a month ago



Kelley Citrin - I am absolutely obsessed with this poem. The last line felt resilient and hopeful, concise imagery, pretty words. I adore it. Stunning. a month ago













































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Labor womens caucus chair, Sharon Claydon, has vowed to work across party lines to ensure all women can access safe and affordable abortions.

While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out forcing state hospitals to provide abortions, Claydon said there were things that sit squarely in the federal sphere that we can get to work on and calls for Medicare to fully cover the cost of terminations were worthy of looking at.

Labor MP Sharon Claydon says the overturning of Roe v Wade by the US Supreme Court should be a wake-up call. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

We need to ensure that were actively moving to provide both safe and affordable reproductive health options, whether that is termination, improved access to contraception, good public health education, Claydon said in an interview.

The fee for a surgical abortion starts at $620 and can be as high as $8000 for those without a Medicare card or in cases of late-stage pregnancy.
A strong earthquake struck the Philippines largest and most populous island on Wednesday, prompting evacuations, triggering landslides and damaging historic tourist spots. At least five people were killed.

The magnitude-7.1 (revised from 7) tremor hit at a depth of 10km and was recorded at 8.43am Manila time. It originated in Abra province on the main Luzon islands northern portion, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

Rescuers try to pull out a trapped resident from under a collapsed structure after a strong earthquake struck La Trinidad, Benguet province, northern Philippines on Wednesday. Credit:Bureau of Fire Protection/AP

Over 200 aftershocks have been recorded in the area, according to the state seismology agency, and 58 landslides were also reported in the aftermath.

At least 64 people were injured and 173 buildings damaged. At least five people are dead. Two people were killed in Benguet province, one in Abra province, one Kalinga and another in Cagayan Valley.
HELENA  The Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (MDRC) at Gardiner High School in Park County will close at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 29, and the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) at the Absarokee Elementary School in Stillwater County will close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 30.

Several other DRCs are still operating in designated areas to help with applications and recovery information. To find the nearest center, go online to FEMA.gov/DRC or call 800-621-3362.

Homeowners and renters in Carbon, Park, Stillwater, and Yellowstone counties can apply for FEMA assistance online at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA mobile app. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.

FEMA financial assistance may include money for temporary housing, basic home repairs or other disaster-related needs such as childcare, transportation and medical, funeral or dental expenses. All DRCs are jointly operated by FEMA and the Montana Department of Emergency Services.

Disaster survivors have until Aug. 29 to apply for FEMA assistance.
When legislators meet in January for the 2023 session, well be walking in the door with well over a billion dollars in the bank. Not from new taxes or debt  this is money that hardworking Montanans have already paid in taxes but is just sitting idle. As the costs of basic necessities rise, its critical that we put that money to work to lower costs for working Montanans. There is plenty of grain in the grain bin, and its time to give that grain back to the people who put it there in the first place.

And we have a plan to do just that. We can put $1 billion to work right away to address the biggest crises that are hitting us in our wallets: the high cost of finding a home, rising property taxes, the lack of affordable child care, and the scarcity of mental health services. These are daunting challenges, but with bold solutions, we can overcome them.

In Missoula and Bozeman, working Montanans are living out of cars and RVs because they cant find an affordable place to live. In Kalispell, Helena, Billings, and many other communities across our state, rising housing costs are locking young Montanans out of homeownership and making it nearly impossible to find a place to rent. We know that the heart of this crisis is that demand for housing outpaces our housing supply. In 2019, Democrats passed a bill to put $15 million into building over 250 new apartments guaranteed to be affordable for working folks. We want to turbocharge this successful model by putting $500 million more into it and dramatically increase the supply of housing that Montanans looking to rent or own can afford.

But for many Montanans who are already lucky enough to own their home, skyrocketing property values are driving property taxes through the roof. We can tackle this problem with immediate relief through a one-time property tax refund targeted to working families, not millionaires. For the long run, we can protect Montanans from rising property taxes through a measure that keeps property taxes from exceeding a certain portion of folks income. In total, we can put $250 million back in Montanans pockets through property tax relief.

As housing takes up a bigger portion of our paychecks, child care is eating up another chunk of families budgets. Child care is a necessity, not a luxury, for working families, but it costs as much to put a kid in daycare as it does to send a kid to college. Meanwhile, child care spots are so scarce that were meeting less than half of the demand in our state. That means there are communities where families cannot even find providers, even if they could afford them. We want to invest $125 million in getting new providers up and running in child care deserts, helping child care workers earn a living wage, and reducing out-of-pocket costs for families by expanding existing child care scholarships.

Unfortunately, almost all Montanans have been touched by the impacts of our states mental health crisis. Montana has the third highest suicide rate in the country, and one in five of our kids has seriously considered suicide. We took an ax to our community-based mental health infrastructure in 2017 and never built it back. We want to put $125 million toward rebuilding community- and school-based mental health treatment, including substance use treatment for those who need it. Folks need to be able to access care close to home where their friends and family are nearby to help them through their struggles.

Every Montanan should be able to afford to live where they work, but thats becoming harder and harder for folks to do. Montanans have already sent an extra billion dollars to Helena in the form of taxes, and we think it makes sense to put that money back in their pockets so they can liveand thrivein their own communities.

Make no mistake  this money wont be coming out of your paychecks; this money wont dip into our rainy day fund or our wildfire fund. The money to pay for these critical cost-cutting policies is sitting in a bank account in Helena. Youve already put it there. Now, its about time you got some of it back.
Last week, far-right Montana Republicans prevailed in radicalizing the state party platform. With new independence wrought by Dobbs v. Jackson, our Montana State Republicans are on the verge of banning all "elective" abortions, even in the case of rape or incest. This stance is both out-of-touch and harmful. A majority of Montanans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and an even larger majority support the option in cases of rape or incest. Republicans would have every pregnancy carried to the end regardless of the circumstances. They pay no mind to the trauma of a young girl who became pregnant against her will. They have no compassion for the working single mother who cannot make ends meet. They cannot fathom that a pregnant person, without finances and resources to travel to Colorado, may take her abortion into her own hands. When politicians remove our freedoms, Montanans are harmed. This new position taken by the Montana Republican Party is no different.

Abortion, provided by a trained medical professional, is as common as it is safe. 2 in 5 American women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Less than 1% of abortions result in complications. And people who don't want to be pregnant will often find a way to end it, sometimes putting themselves and their families at risk. Before Roe, the U.S. saw 1.2 million women undergoing an unsupervised abortion yearly. Across the globe, 1 in 10 maternal deaths are related to unsupervised abortion. Politicians cannot stop abortions. They can only make it more dangerous.

If Republicans are successful in winning a supermajority in the state legislature (something well within their grasp this election cycle), they have the capacity to re-write the Montana State Constitution without input of their constituents. Their stated goals will harm Montana women and families. They will wedge themselves between doctors and patients and reduce complex ethical and medical decision making to a black-and-white issue. It is imperative that the silent majority use their voice and their resources this election cycle and stop radical Republicans from permanently altering the landscape of medical freedom in Montana.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

A mix of clouds and sunshine and comfortably warm. Just the slight chance of a spotty afternoon shower, with the best chance from the Lehigh Valley on north. .

Tonight

Partly cloudy and another comfy night; just the slight chance of an evening shower.
A Bismarck man was arrested after allegedly asking a group of teenage boys if they would have sex with him.

Austin Verhasselt, 36, faces three solicitation of a minor charges -- two misdemeanors for minors 15 and older and one felony charge for a minor under 15. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday and had bond set at $1,000.

A Burleigh County sheriff's deputy responded to a call at McDowell Dam around 6 p.m. Monday, according to an affidavit. The caller said Verhasselt approached him and his friends and asked them to perform sexual acts on him.

Verhasselt told authorities that he wanted to sleep with the teens and had asked them if they wanted to sleep with him, an affidavit said. Verhasselt allegedly said he assumed the boys were older than 18 because of their height.
The cryptocurrency mining company Bitzero Blockchain Inc. has leased space in Bismarck and Fargo for administrative operations as it begins transforming a northeastern North Dakota anti-ballistic missile site abandoned in the 1970s into its main data center.

The center at the Nekoma site may be used for the mining of bitcoin and other digital currencies, according to Gov. Doug Burgum.

Bitzero is backed by strategic investor and Shark Tank star Kevin OLeary. It announced plans last month to make North Dakota its headquarters for North American operations, saying that within three years it intends to build 200 megawatts of data centers in the state and is involved in a joint venture to become an assembly and distribution hub for graphene battery technology.

The company has signed leases for offices in both Bismarck and Fargo. The offices will open by Sept. 1, and will "provide different functions toward the overall development," CEO Akbar Shamji said. He was traveling and did not immediately have details on the offices including addresses and numbers of employees.

Josh Teigen, director of the state Commerce Department's Economic Development and Finance division, said Bitzero has leased space in the Dakota Carrier Network building in Bismarck and the Union Storage Building in downtown Fargo.

Dakota Carrier Network, a communications network company, also leases space to Central Dakota Communications for an emergency dispatch center at its facility at 4202 Coleman St.

Teigen told the Tribune last month that it was possible Bitzero would put operational components in Bismarck, and the technology and software side in Fargo.

Nekoma site

Long considered a white elephant and waste of taxpayers money, the site at Nekoma grew out of a 1972 treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The $6 billion Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex once housed a radar system within a concrete pyramid, with 7-foot-thick, steel-reinforced walls. It was deactivated in 1976 after only a few months of operation. Nekomas population reached several hundred, compared with about 30 today, and surrounding towns benefited from an influx of highly paid missile experts and support personnel.

The Cavalier County Job Development Authority has owned the site since 2017. Spokeswoman Carol Goodman said the facility would be sold to the company for $250,000.

Burgum said waste heat captured from the data centers servers will be used to heat an on-site greenhouse, and the company also is planning an interpretive center, representing a total investment estimated by Bitzero at $500 million.

This important piece of history will be restored and become a beacon for North Dakota innovation to the rest of the world, Burgum said.

Bitzero also still plans to partner with the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, with a future data center potentially using hydroelectric power as part of the company's zero carbon mandate and providing excess heat for the MHA greenhouse thats under construction.

Shamji said his company remains "fully engaged" with the tribe.

"We are currently awaiting/reviewing technical data around historical wind generation in order to optimize the energy supplies to the site," he said.

Growing data sector

Separately, Burgum in January announced construction of a $1.9 billion data center near the biggest city in the states oil-production region in northwest North Dakota.

The second-term Republican governor hailed the Atlas Power Data Center to be built by Missoula, Montana-based FX Solutions Inc. as one of the biggest such centers in the world, and one that will help diversify the economy in Williston-area that has suffered oil boom-bust cycles for decades.

Burgum, a wealthy former Microsoft executive, called data centers an incredible forward- looking industry not dependent on the price of oil.

Uses for data centers include the mining of bitcoin and other digital currencies. Cryptocurrency mining involves supercomputers to solve complex calculations needed to provide security for transactions in the digital currency.

The process requires vast amounts of power and generates much heat. Burgum has said North Dakota is an ideal place for data centers because it has a reliable and affordable power supply, and a climate that lowers cooling costs.

Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said no public money has been earmarked for any of the projects, though they are expected to qualify for tax credits already given to agriculture, energy and other industries.
Gov. Doug Burgum is pressing federal officials to expedite a review of a Chinese companys purchase of land in North Dakota for a wet corn milling plant to ensure it is not detrimental to national security.

Fufeng Groups planned $700 million project in Grand Forks has stirred some opponents to raise fears of espionage due to its proximity to a U.S. Air Force base.

Our top priority is, and always will be, the safety and security of our citizens and our nation, Burgum, a Republican, said in a letter Monday to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, calling for an expedited review of the project by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

We ask that this review process be completed with the utmost urgency to aid Grand Forks officials in their decision-making process and provide clarity on whether this land purchase has national security implications, Burgums letter said.

The agency told The Associated Press that it does not publicly comment on its reviews.

City Administrator Todd Feland said the company, which is privately owned, voluntarily submitted a formal request Monday to have federal officials review the project.

"They werent required to, but they did," Feland said.

The city and the company continue to be 100% behind the project, even with growing opposition and suspicion toward it, he said.

I think we're caught into this nationwide rhetoric about concerns about the Chinese and what they may be doing, and we've become a symbol of that, Feland said.

City Council meetings have turned ugly in recent weeks, with people becoming angry, loud and vile, he said.

The issue has drawn people to the meetings from far outside the city, and police officers now are in attendance because of threats to city officials, he said.

The governors letter was sent in support of a formal request made last week by North Dakota U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, and Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, all Republicans, for a federal review of the land purchase.

The Grand Forks City Council in February gave initial approval to the Chinese agribusiness for its proposed corn-milling facility that officials said could be the largest private sector investment in the communitys history.

Fufeng makes products for the animal nutrition, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, health and wellness, oil and gas, and other industries. Its a leading producer of xanthan gum. The Grand Forks site would be its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility.

Burgum at the time endorsed the project and hailed it as a huge opportunity for producers and workers in the Grand Forks area and our entire state. He did not raise security concerns then.

Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki would not say if the governor still supports the project.

"The letter speaks for itself, Nowatzki said Tuesday. The governor still believes its a huge opportunity for North Dakota to have value-added agriculture. If there are security concerns that are brought to light, then that would change the project.

The Chinese agribusiness picked an approximately 370-acre site in Grand Forks agri-business park last year. The facility is about 14 miles from the Air Force base, which primarily has an unmanned aircraft mission.

Feland said it was curious that the anti-Chinese sentiment has appeared and only recently. For decades, the University of North Dakota's flight school based in Grand Forks has trained scores of Chinese pilots, including from Air China, which is based in Beijing.

The site also is farther away than an aircraft manufacturing facility in Grand Forks controlled by the Chinese government.

China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd. purchased Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft in 2011. Cirrus employs several hundred people in Duluth and at its plant in Grand Forks. Duluth is home to a Minnesota Air National Guard fighter wing.

The sale was slowed to allow for federal authorities to determine if the deal involved any sensitive technology that could be detrimental to national security. Former Minnesota Congressman Chip Cravaack, who requested the review, said he was satisfied the sale received proper scrutiny.
Law enforcement officers fatally shot a man who fled a traffic stop in Sioux Falls and fired a gun at a police officer and a sheriffs deputy. Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum says law enforcement stopped a car with four occupants in the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday because some were wanted and on parole. Three of the four ran and the fourth drove away. One of the men fired at officers as he tried to flee on foot and was fatally shot. Police said they have arrested two who were in the vehicle. The person who drove away remained at large.
During this special series of After the Monuments, Kelli Lemon and Michael Paul Williams talked with folks who were involved in or nearby the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the finale of the series, Kelli and Michael Paul recap what they heard from guests and share feelings of their own just a few days before the five year anniversary of the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
A new article in Atlas Obscura dives into the mystery of what some have called "prairie madness," a phenomenon that seemed to afflict American settlers in the mid-1800s to early 1900s as they moved westward and settled into the Great Plains. According to James Gaines, during that time period:

Stories began to emerge of formerly stable people becoming depressed, anxious, irritable, and even violent with "prairie madness." And there is some evidence in historical accounts or surveys, which suggested a rise in cases of mental illness in the mid-1800's to early 1900's, particularly in the Great Plains. "An alarming amount of insanity occurs in the new prairie States [sic] among farmers and their wives," wrote journalist Eugene Smalley in The Atlantic in 1893.

What caused this phenomenon? It's hard to say, but there are several theories. James Gaines continues:

Both fictional and historical accounts of this time and place often blame "prairie madness" on the isolation and bleak conditions the settlers encountered. But many also mention something unexpected: the sounds of the prairie. Smalley wrote that during winter "the silence of death rests on the vast landscape." And a character in Manitoba settler Nellie McClung's story "The Neutral Fuse" writes a poem about the droning soundtrack of the plains, "I hate the wind with its evil spite, and it hates me with a hate as deep, and hisses and jeers when I try to sleep."

This soundscape theory has new research to support it. SUNY-Oswego paleoanthropologist Alex D. Velez recently published a paper where he describes his new research, which entailed gathering and analyzing sound recordings from plains in Nebraska and Kansas and from cities like Barcelona and Mexico City. He analyzed the recordings, mapping the range of sound frequencies that the human ear can register. He found that city soundscapes are more diverse and act on the human ear like white noise. The prairie soundscapes, however, lack that kind of white noise effect. Because there is no background din, when you do hear noises in the prairie, they stick out more, and are more likely to cause disturbance and aggravation. James Gaines explains that Velez's research has led him to conclude that the:

Eerie soundscapethe silence and the howling windcould indeed have contributed to mental illness in settlers. It's not much of a leap: research with modern subjects has shown that what we hear can exacerbate not only sleep, stress, and mental health problems, but even cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

There is no way to know for certain if Velez is correct. Some experts caution that modern sound recordings from the plains cannot capture what they would have sounded like in the 19th century when sounds from wolves and bison would have been more prevalent, and when sounds from insects living in the walls of settlers' houses would have existed in ways, they don't now. Others point out that it's very difficult to study how mental illness would have played out in a population living over a century ago, especially given differing social roles and norms. Gaines explains:

It may be impossible to untangle how much any one episode of irritability or depression came from the soundscape and how much it was a reaction to the stress or the isolation, the latter of which may have been particularly jarring. Whereas further East people may have lived in more small, close-knit communities, once out in the plains neighbors were often miles away. The transition may have been hardest for women, who were often tasked with staying home, limiting their already meager prospects for stimulation and socialization. Add on to that the fear of freezing, or crop failure, or monetary ruin inherent in homesteading and it's little wonder some folks were stressed.

Even given all of these caveats, it's a really interesting hypothesis and one that resonates deeply with me. I'm someone who is highly sensitive to noise. I can't sleep in a silent house  I hear every car passing by, every hum each time the refrigerator or air conditioner switches on, every whimper my dog makes if he's having a bad dream. I drown out the silence and the noises breaking the silence by playing white noise in my earbuds. I also have a fan in my bedroom that blows on high throughout the night. I always said the thing I fear most about the zombie apocalypse is not having access to electricity to charge my phone and thus not being able to use my white noise app at night. I'd die not because zombies ripped my flesh apart while trying to eat me, but from sleep deprivation. And I'd slowly go mad in the meantime. So, yeah, Velez's hypothesis seems totally plausible to me.
Little W-1 and baby W4-22 are doing fine, thank you very much. W-1 and W4-22 are whooping crane babies in Wisconsin that have recently fledged, thanks to the help of the International Crane Foundation. With their ability to fly, their chances of survival have just grown exponentially.

Baraboos International Crane Foundation (ICF), a non-profit working worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend, is increasing those birds chances to survive.

We do it all, said Hillary Thompson, ICFs North American Crane Analyst. Theyre beautiful birds. Watching a chick grow up and fly and learn the ways is something special.

Special because of how rare it is. The whooping crane is endangered the world over and not many make Wisconsin home. In the 1940s only 21 whooping cranes remained in the wild in the world due to habitat loss, unregulated hunting, egg and feather collecting and other issues. Now, there are a little over 800 captive and wild whooping cranes in the world due to legal protections and reintroduction efforts, of which ICF has taken part.

Back in 2000, there were no whooping cranes in Wisconsin. In 2001, cranes raised in captivity were released throughout the state. Today, there are 74 wild cranes in the state. There are 24 nesting pairs. This year, from those pairs, 14 eggs hatched. Five of those babies are still alive. Two of them, W-1 and W4-22, can now fly. The other three should be able to join them in the sky in late August or September.

We raise the chicks for release, Thompson said of the ICF. We do research. We monitor them out in the field. We do outreach with local communities to help us and help the cranes succeed.

The foundation currently has 31 adult Whooping Cranes in their flock and seven chicks. Up to six of those chicks will be released this year into the Eastern Migratory Population. There are, in total, four populations of wild whooping cranes; the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Migratory, Eastern Migratory, Louisiana Non-Migratory and Florida Non-Migratory. All but the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Migratory population were reintroductions.

All of the whooping cranes at the IFC facilities will play a role in some capacity in the reintroduction program. I feel good where were at, Thompson said, hopeful to reach a goal of 100 wild birds in Wisconsin soon. Ten years ago wed be lucky if we had any fledge. Now, we have a handful. We have to be patient. It takes time.

There is a pair of whooping cranes spending time in Sauk County. The male is named 4-17. The female, 24-17. Both born in 2007, they nested in the county this past spring. The had a two-egg clutch. One egg was sent to a research facility in Louisiana where it will be reared and reintroduced to the wild. The other egg hatched mid-May. It did not survive to fledging.

Perhaps next year the pairs babies will fledge.

We have to help them along, Thompson said. Seeing them gives me joy and gives me hope.
RadioShack Corporation may have gone bankrupt in 2015, but the brand is still alive and looks primed to remain that way in Baraboo and in the Dells area.

The two stores located in Lake Delton and Baraboo are both owned by Baraboo resident PJ Kruschel, who is optimistic regarding the renewal of a contract with Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV). REV is a holding company that purchased the RadioShack brand in 2020.

Kruschel met with its CEO, Alex Mehr via Zoom on July 13.

I had been trying to reach out to them for quite a while, said Kruschel. Many months of trying different emails, DMs (direct messages), private messages, and nothing really got through.

Kruschel also made attempts to contact REV executives through various social media platforms. He added that when REV purchased the brand, they did not want to continue working with individual stores. However, after Kruschel spoke with other RadioShack stores around the U.S. to work together with REV, they got responses and the eventual meeting.

I personally have had three meetings with REV, including one with Alex Mehr, said Kruschel. It definitely worked and were looking forward to the future.

The partnership between REV and the company that formerly owned the Dells and Baraboo RadioShack stores ends on July 31. However, Kruschel said that REV assured him of a renewed contract and that the parent company is working on marketing.

Its promising for us dealers to keep going, said Kruschel. We were a little unsure of our future and now, it looks like things are going to be good to go.

Kruschel said that his Zoom meeting with Mehr went really well and described him as seeming to be a really down-to-earth guy. Mehr was given a virtual tour of the Dells store during the meeting and asked a lot of questions, according to Kruschel.

He was the one who wanted to purchase RadioShack and convinced (REV co-founder) Tai Lopez to go in with him on it, said Kruschel. He had a love for the brand, spent a lot of time in RadioShacks back in the day, and was very interested in seeing this store.

RadioShack has always been primarily known for selling parts and components for home electronics, such as televisions, radios, speakers, video players, and other devices. The store also sells a limited inventory of those products themselves (TVs, radios, speakers, etc...), as well as phone chargers and power adapters, among other electronics and related products.

One of the points of emphasis that Kruschel embraces is his stores willingness to help customers out with mastering basic technology or fix a product instead of forwarding it onto another party (such as the products manufacturer).

Weve built our business on helping when no one else would, or no one else will affordably, said Kruschel.

Activating new phones can seem to be an easy process, but not everyone grasps the process. Kruschel said his staff members are able and willing to do that for customers easily, while going through bigger stores and carriers can make it a more difficult process.

Kruschels ventures in Baraboo began with Gadget Central, an electronic repair shop, in 2014. He later purchased the original RadioShack in the city from Kevin Vodak, the current School District of Baraboo board president, in 2017, after Vodak and his family ran the store for 43 years.

Two years later, Kruschel purchased the former site of Book World, which is now the citys current RadioShack.

PJs been around long enough and has relationships with enough distributor/vendors that his stores will remain viable moving forward, said Vodak in an email. His stores certainly have a niche and fill a need.

A unique offering at the Baraboo RadioShack are soldering classes, which have been going on for roughly four years and are offered usually once per month. He said the lessons were put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but added that the next offering will be in September.

We have a really good following and been growing that store, said Kruschel of the Baraboo store.

The Baraboo location also has staff who can solder, which allows the store to repair shorted cables and other issues that require the service.

RadioShack Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015, which caused the closure of nearly all stores located in larger markets. However, Kruschel said that many of the franchises located in smaller municipalities were owned by other companies, including Napa Auto Parts.

Theres a lot of partnership in small towns with other brands or other storefronts, said Kruschel.
Mauston residents have voiced frustrations with the quality of local internet, and the city, with a Juneau County broadband provider, is taking a major step toward addressing those issues.

Lynxx Networks, a Camp Douglas-based telecommunications company, held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 26 for a comprehensive project that will allow fiber optic internet to be available to residents of the city and an adjacent rural area.

The project, which is fully funded by Lynxx Networks, will begin in the spring of 2023. Lynxx Networks CEO Jim Costello hopes residents can have access to the service by the beginning of 2024.

We are really, really excited to be here and partner with the City of Mauston to do something very extraordinary, said Costello. About a year ago, we kind of started to meet with an idea. (Mauston City Administrator) Randy (Reeg) was like, What would it take to finish fiber in this community?

On May 24, Lynxx Networks presented the fiber optic plan to the citys common council at its meeting, which was approved on July 12 at another council meeting.

Mauston residents want better internet service; Lynxx presents fiber optic plan Recent survey results indicated Mauston residents want better internet service as the city hears about a fiber optic internet proposal from Lynxx Networks.

Costello explained that Lynxx currently has roughly $2.25 million of fiber infrastructure already installed in the city and provides service to more than 90% of Mauston businesses. He announced the citys partnership agreement with the company to bring fiber optic internet to residents and expressed gratitude to Reeg and the citys common council.

The city is coming in to help streamline a lot of the processes, said Costello. The easements and all the infrastructure, what that takes. Theyre excited about a company thats willing to invest this kind of dollars into their community and make a difference.

Reeg explained how city government prides itself on improving the quality of life for Mauston residents before expressing his excitement for the Lynxx Networks partnership. He mentioned how much more crucial the role of reliable, fast internet service became with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a basic function of life.

Its something every household needs to function, said Reeg. Whether its telemedicine, going to school, working from home, home security. Social media kept a lot of people connected throughout the pandemic. Its just so important. Its basic, like water, sewer, lights, electricity.

Guests at the ceremony included Mauston Mayor Dennis Nielsen and Wisconsin Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), along with Reeg and the council. Costello lauded Marklein as a rock star for bringing broadband internet service to rural areas.

Access to the internet now is kind of the great equalizing factor, said Marklein, who represents the 17th District in the state, which includes Mauston. To me, having reliable broadband equalizes the opportunities for people to live here in some of the rural areas of our state.

Costello acknowledged the contributions of Lynxx Networks employees, as well as outside contractors. He later explained how the city will benefit from much higher speed internet, which includes equalized upload and download speeds.

Mauston is about to become a multi-gigabit city, said Costello regarding the internet speed that will come from the fiber optic project. Its quite a statement. Gig (one-gigabit speed) is a great thing, but five to 10 years from now, gig might be our slowest service. Were excited. The future is bright.

Fiber optic is going to fix what our citizens have been telling us they need, said Reeg. They need faster, more reliable internet to make their lives foundational and better.

Mile Bluff Medical Center CEO Dara Bartels was also in attendance. The hospital has been on Lynxx Networks' fiber optic network since 2009 and utilizes its information technology (IT) company, 3RT. The companies service Mile Bluffs clinics in New Lisbon Elroy, Lake Delton, and Necedah, as well as its pharmacies.

This is very exciting for me because I have talked for the last six months about how partnerships should work or how I see them coming to life, said Bartels, who mentioned her experience working in the public and private sectors. This is an example. Thinking outside the box. Coming together, private and public, for the betterment of the community.

Bartels mentioned that Lynxx was instrumental in helping Mile Bluff install a data protection system within their computer databases. She sees the upcoming project as a facilitator in Mile Bluffs ability to further connect with the city, which is home to a lot of its patients.

We are proud to serve the IT needs of that organization, said Costello of Mile Bluff.

The School District of Mauston also utilizes Lynxx Networks for its internet services. Rob Demeuse, the districts Director of Technology, spoke at the ceremony. He said that Lynxx has also had fiber at Mauston High School, which is near Mile Bluff, since 2009, and lauded the companys service reliability.

Its been a great relationship, said Demeuse of the districts partnership with the company. I can count on one hand, I think on two fingers, the amount of times the internet has been out at the school since we had Lynxx, in the last 13 years. Both times, it wasnt their fault.

Cassie Lydon, the Mauston Chamber of Commerce president, expressed her excitement for the project with regard to the business community, as well as residents, in the city.

Col. Matt Eakins, the base commander at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, and other staff members from the base, also attended the ceremony. Costello, who acknowledged their presence, is a founding member of the Volk Field Community Council and a former U.S. Air Force serviceman.

Lions Park donation

Prior to the presentations regarding the Lynxx Networks groundbreaking, the Mauston Lions Club presented Reeg and the city council with a $10,000 donation for security system upgrades in Lions Park.

We still continue to struggle with vandalism and people just not caring for it the way they should, said Reeg about the park. We are really happy that the namesake of this park, Lions Park, the Lions Club has stepped up and offered to pay toward installing security cameras in this park so we can protect the investment that all of us have made in this community.

Lions Club member John Barrett expressed pride in his organization and its contributions to the city. He said that a lot of members do work that is not seen physically, but that the upgrades and other services to the park are the fruits of that labor.

Its extremely important, as a community advocate, to have this be a secure location for families, said Lydon.

NOTE: This story was updated to include information provided by Lynxx Networks Digital Marketing Strategist Erika Nelson.
A Lodi man was arrested last week for operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, as a 7th, 8th, or 9th offense. After initially fleeing officers the man allegedly admitted he was drunk driving, according to authorities.

Gregory Allen Graesslin, 38, remains in custody at the Columbia County Jail after his arrest on July 17. He faces a maximum sentence of 7.5 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision and a possible fine of $25,000.

He is charged with operating with prohibited alcohol concentration, as a 7th, 8th, or 9th offense, after allegedly driving while intoxicated with a revoked drivers license. Graesslin is also facing charges of felony attempting to flee or elude an officer along with misdemeanor counts of operating while revoked and violate a court order by failing to install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle.

At an initial appearance on July 19, Judge W. Andrew Voigt set Graesslins cash bond at $2,500.

According to the criminal complaint filed on July 19:

A Lodi police officer was at the intersection of Water Street and Riddle Road around 3:22 a.m. on July 17. The officer reported hearing a fast vehicle before seeing it approach a stop sign on Riddle Road.

The officer alleged the vehicle did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign and the officer then attempted to catch up with the vehicle. While on Highway 60 the officer reported driving up to 90 mph and still could not catch the vehicle.

The vehicle attempted to turn off of Highway 60 onto Hegge Road but missed the turn and drove into a grassy field. The officer reported seeing the vehicle striking a number of small trees while crashing into a marsh.

When the officer made contact with Graesslin, he said he saw the officers emergency lights but fled because he did not want to get caught. Graesslin allegedly admitted to driving 110 mph.

Graesslin allegedly admitted to drinking at a bar and then falling asleep at a DNR lot off of Riddle Road.

The complaint alleges Graesslin admitted to being drunk and that his preliminary breath test would be a 0.20, more than twice the legal limit. The officer reported these statements were given voluntarily by Graesslin without being questioned.

The officer reported not seeing an ignition interlock device in Graesslins vehicle, which he is required to have following a 2016 OWI conviction.

During the traffic stop, Graesslin allegedly refused to do field sobriety tests, but agreed to provide a breath sample. The preliminary breath test recorded a 0.13. Since Graesslins license has been revoked he has a prohibited alcohol concentration limit of 0.02 while driving.

Graesslin is set to be back in Columbia County Court in September.
A Portage man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old at his apartment.

Alexander R. Rodriguez, 19, is facing one felony count of second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age. If convicted Rodriguez faces up to 25 years in prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision with a possible $100,000 fine.

Online court records show the criminal complaint was filed on July 20. Rodriguez was in court for an initial appearance where his cash bond was set at $2,500. Two days later he posted that cash bond and was released from custody.

According to the criminal complaint, a Portage police officer spoke with the 14-year-old victim on July 16. The victim told the officer Rodriguez used to work with the victim and recently he invited this person over to his apartment on West Slifer Street.

The victim and a cousin went to the apartment on July 15. Rodriguezs roommate brought alcohol and marijuana for the group. The victim admitted drinking half a wine cooler and smoking a little marijuana.

The victim said they wanted to lay down and Rodriguez laid with the victim on a bed. He took off his shirt and started kissing the victim. Rodriguez allegedly assaulted the victim including grabbing the victim by the hair for oral sex.

The victim reported they were scared and kept quiet while this happened.

The complaint alleges Rodriguez admitted picking up the victim and bringing them to his apartment when questioned by police. He also admitted he and the victim drank alcohol and smoked marijuana.

Rodriguez allegedly said he was very high and very drunk, and that all he could remember was the victim giving him oral sex. He also admitted to knowing the victim was 14.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be back in court in August for a pre-trial conference.
Disneys successful high school formula usually takes a twist in season two. Summer jobs? Summer camp? Summer romance?

The formula is in play in the third season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the mockumentary version of the popular Disney Channel franchise. This time out, East High students are headed to Camp Shallow Lake  a theater camp, naturally  where E.J. (Matt Cornett) is a counselor and the show theyre doing hasnt been released to high schools.

Even better? Corbin Bleu, one of the stars of the original, is filming a documentary about the camp.

Can you say, meta?

There are so many winks and nods in this edition youll wonder who else could turn up. Several stars do, but first E.J. has to get the gang into the idea of going to camp. Kourtney (Dara Renee) and Carlos (Frankie A. Rodriguez) arent buying what hes selling (Best. Summer. Ever.); Ricky (Joshua Bassett) is spending time with a new girlfriend; Nini (Olivia Rodrigo) is pursuing her music career, and Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) is going on a cruise.

Whos left? Well, theres a relationship between E.J. and Gina (Sofia Wylie) that could move to a front burner. Hot off her success as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Ashlyn (Julia Lester) is looking to claim more big parts. And several outsiders  part of the Shallow Lake talent pool -- could be just the competition the Wildcats need to sharpen their claws.

The camp has all the drawbacks a theater kid could latch onto and that convoluted relationship to the first High School Musical. Bleu totally leans into the concept and promises the students theyll get signed head shots on one of his visits.

Because it takes a snarkier view of the world (Carlos gets the best lines), HSM:TM:TS has great adult appeal. It also boasts a lot of solo numbers, presumably because COVID concerns limited the number of big song-and-dance routines.

Bassett, one of the best in a very excellent bunch, gets a rousing breaking free anthem that he sings (spoiler alert) on the way to joining the others at camp. Lester has a nice turn, too, but its two newcomers (Saylor Bell and Adrian Lyles) who blow the roof off The Barn.

Created by Tim Federle, HSM:TM:TS could easily aim for a more adult audience and win big points. Even the asides (the boys call their bunk The Yurt Locker) seem designed for a more enlightened crowd. Kids, though, should warm to its many messages of acceptance.

It isnt a huge twist on the summer formula, but it does have enough variety to suggest this season could produce a couple more breakout stars. Watch closely and an even bigger game is figuring out who will come back to visit a decade from now.

The characters have a fun, running bit about Zac Efron but hes a big enough star who can take anything.

Ditto: Bleu, who puts the mock into mockumentary.

The third season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is now airing on Disney+.
Press Release

July 27, 2022 Office of Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa

CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH

(Senate Resolution Nos. 10, 28, 60)

Shinzo Abe "Abe was a good and loyal friend, a staunch supporter of my administration and a strong ally of the nation. As the world mourns the loss of this great man, we remember him for his compassionate service and remarkable leadership. Indeed, one of the most influential world leaders of our time." Mr. President, that was how former President Rodrigo Duterte spoke of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Indeed, today, as we gather in the halls of this Senate, we mourn the loss of one who was a dear friend, not only to our President, but more importantly to our Republic. As Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe was able to strike that much-needed balance between formality and friendship. When former President Duterte was elected President, Prime Minister Abe was the first foreign leader to visit the Philippines, surely to strengthen ties between the Philippines and Japan, but also to enjoy the life that our country has to offer - eating bibingka, kutsinta, and durian, adopting a Philippine Eagle and naming it Sakura, and visiting then President Duterte at his home in Davao City and eating munggo soup with him. During Duterte's administration, the Philippines and Japan entered the "Age of Strategic Partnership." Zooming in on the field of infrastructure, we can rightly say that a huge bulk of the Build, Build, Build Program owes itself to our ties with, and the support of Japan. To lose him is painful to accept, but that we lost him to an assassination is an even more bitter pill to swallow. It might be tempting to succumb to the seeming hopelessness of it all. Napakadaling sumuko at mawalan ng pag-asa. But no, Mr. President. We here at the Senate shall refuse to give up and give in to the darkness of the situation, and instead we shall move forward with hope. We shall choose to remember Prime Minister Abe as the statesman who was also a genuine friend. And in remembering, may we also extend the same diplomacy and friendship to all those that we may encounter along the way. To Prime Minister Abe's family and loved ones, please accept our deepest condolences. Thank you, Mr. President.
American history is riddled with moments that changed the trajectory of the human race. Whether it's Apollo 11 in 1969 or the Wright brothers taking flight in 1903, America has played a pivotal role in global history since its inception. Even when weighing the numerous accomplishments Americans have made throughout history, none can measure up to the creation of Bugs Bunny. I could expound on the Bunny from Brooklyn's resume, but I'll just say thisSpace Jam. Space Jam; that is all.

Unlike his rival Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, who debuted on this day in 1940 thanks to Tex Avery and Bob Givens, never lost his trademark trickster edge. Whereas Mickey Mouse's mischievous personality diminished as he became the face of Disney's brand, Bugs Bunny consistently brought the funny throughout his career. Beyond being an animation icon, Bugs has become a pop culture figure with nary an equal. Sure, Mickey may be more recognizable than Bugs, but that's only due to branding. Case in point, almost everyone can name their favorite Bugs Bunny episode, villain, or gag. I defy you to do the same with Mickey Mouse. Don't worry; I'll wait.

In the video linked above, you can watch an excerpt of Bugs' first official cartoon debut, Wild Hare. Happy Birthday, Bugs. Thanks for the yucks.
[Xinhua/Ou Dongqu]

Pingpo, an ethnic Miao village in Longli County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in Southwest China's Guizhou Province, is known for Miao farmers' paintings. However, painting is not the only hobby of the villagers. Zhang Li, Lan Kaibin, Wang Darong and Zhang Tianyan have formed a music group, Qian Yun Shuo Chang, and they have created a series of videos that feature their original rap songs. The songs reflect the local ethnic culture, the village's economic development and the "new lives" of the villagers in the new era. Piqued by the videos, many tourists have visited the village, and that has boosted the development of both the local tourism and ethnic-cultural industries.

Women share experiences in creating paintings. [Photo Supplied by Interviewee]

With so many exteriors of houses decorated with colorful Miao farmers' paintings, Pingpo is like an open-air rural gallery. About 65 percent of the villagers are ethnic Miao. Pingpo was named the "hometown of Miao farmers' paintings in Qiannan" in 1995.

More than 30 of the villagers create Miao farmers' paintings in their spare time. Some of their paintings are sold in big cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Their paintings not only help them earn extra income, but also make the village more beautiful.

In addition to painting, most of the villagers also like to sing ethnic Miao songs. In 2021, the music group, Qian Yun Shuo Chang (literally meaning Qian-style rap), was established.

Zhang Li, president of Pingpo women's federation and deputy director of Pingpo's village committee, is one of the group's four members. The other three members are Lan, deputy director of Pingpo's village committee, and villagers Wang and Zhang Tianyan.

They integrate rap with traditional folk songs to create original rap songs, and they record and upload videos (to social-media platforms) of them performing the songs in dialect.

"As ethnic people, we love singing and dancing. Our village was lifted out of poverty in 2017. As we are living better lives than before, we now have more time to enjoy ourselves, like singing during our spare time. So, we came up with the idea of forming a music group, to sing about our new lives in the new era. With support from the local Party (Communist Party of China) committee and the local government, we established the music group to demonstrate our Party's policies and our happy lives through original rap songs, with ethnic-Miao characteristics," Zhang Li says.

The video featuring their first rap song, Painting New Lives, was recorded and uploaded in September 2021. The song is about Pingpo women improving their lives by creating farmers' paintings in their spare time. "The sun has gone down, why not come and paint? ... We are all artists, who paint everything about our lives," read some of the song's lyrics. The video went viral.

They have created several videos, in which they sing about almost every aspect of the villagers' new lives, the changes in the village, and the villagers' gratitude toward the Party and the government.

The village has become well-known online, and its online profile has attracted many tourists.

Creating Meaningful, Interesting Videos

Rehearsing songs in a field of rape flowers [Xinhua/Ou Dongqu]

Each video deals with a specific topic. When You Will Come Again is about improving facilities and services to create a better environment for tourists.

In the video, several of the villagers introduce specialty products and Miao farmers' paintings to tourists. Then, a village cadre explains how the village has received complaints from some tourists about conditions in the hotel. At the end of the video, the villagers promise to improve facilities (including at the hotel) and infrastructure in the village to ensure tourists enjoy future visits to the village.

The video not only demonstrated the specialty products; it also showed the villagers' reflections on existing problems in the village, and their plans and efforts to make Pingpo a better tourist destination. The video was "liked" by tens of thousands of netizens on various social-media platforms.

"The village cadres really had good ideas about how to promote their hometown. They did a good job," some netizens have commented.

The performers in the videos are either villagers or village cadres. They are not professional actors or musicians; yet, they present natural, and sincere, performances that touch people's hearts.

Some of the videos promote the work of village committees and grassroots women's federations; other videos, national laws and/or policies. One of the group's videos, about anti-fraud, has become popular, and the National Anti-Fraud Center has forwarded the video on its official social-media accounts.

This year, the video, Helping More People, was selected as one of the national top-10 outstanding videos with the theme of women volunteers' care and services.

"As president of the women's federation in our village, I often organize women volunteers to promote the policies of the Party and the government, learn about villagers' demands and mediate neighborhood disputes. We produced the video, Helping More People, to demonstrate the work of the grassroots women's federation. We hope more people will understand that women have made important contributions to rural revitalization, civilization construction, epidemic prevention and control, and economic and social development," Zhang Li says.

Zhang Li (C), Lan Kaibin (R) and Wang Darong(L) rehearse a song. [Xinhua/Ou Dongqu]

Greater Confidence

Pingpo's online popularity has risen and the village has been receiving an increasing number of visitors thanks to the videos. The videos have helped boost both the local tourism and ethnic-cultural industries.

"The videos featuring our rap songs have helped boost the economy of the village. Many tourists have come to our village to buy specialty products, such as farmers' paintings, wax printings and embroideries. As our village has a growing reputation, the painters have received more orders than before. Last year, villagers earned more than 900,000 yuan (US $138,461) combined by selling farmers' paintings and other cultural and creative products, with each household having an average income of 30,000 yuan (US $4,615)," Zhang Li says.

"Painting has become an important source of families' incomes, and it has helped increase women's status within the family, has made families more harmonious, and stimulated villagers' enthusiasm to create farmers' paintings. As villagers live better lives, they are more willing to contribute to the all-round development of the village. When we carry out projects, such as repairing roads and constructing squares or an open-air museum, villagers volunteer to help, and they donate money and/or materials to the projects," Zhang Li adds.

Women create Miao farmers' paintings. [Photo Supplied by Interviewee]

Women create Miao farmers' paintings. [Photo Supplied by Interviewee]

Many young villagers, who had previously worked in big cities, have returned to start businesses in the village. Various training sessions have been organized so more villagers can learn how to create farmers' paintings.

Zhang Li has visited Beijing, and several other cities, to communicate with cadres and entrepreneurs. "I have brought their experiences in developing the economy back to our village ... Now, people have improved their incomes, and they feel happier and more confident than before. I feel the original goal of our music group has been achieved. I'm growing more confident as well," Zhang Li says.

She and the other villagers are full of confidence about the future. "With the care and help from governments, at all levels, and with the support of netizens, we believe Pingpo will enjoy better development in the future," Zhang Li says.

Zhang Li sells famers' paintings during a live-stream activity. [Photo Supplied by Interviewee]

(Women of China English Monthly June 2022 issue)
Click the photo and watch the video.

* Noting Widodo is the first head of state China hosts after the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, Xi said this speaks volumes about the strong commitment of the two sides to growing bilateral ties.

* "Building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future is the common aspiration and expectation of the two peoples," Xi said.

* China fully supports Indonesia in hosting the G20 Bali Summit, and will increase coordination and cooperation with Indonesia for a full success of the Summit, Xi said.

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing. The two presidents had a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views and reached a series of important common understandings on China-Indonesia relations and on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Expressing his delight that the two sides have decided on the overall direction of building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, Xi said China will work with Indonesia to cement strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other in defending sovereignty, security and development interests, in exploring development paths in line with national conditions, and in growing the economy and bettering people's lives.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. [Xinhua/Pang Xinglei]

Resilience, Vitality of Bilateral Ties

Noting Widodo is the first head of state China hosts after the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, Xi said this speaks volumes about the strong commitment of the two sides to growing bilateral ties.

Xi said the China-Indonesia relationship has enjoyed robust growth under the joint guidance of the two presidents in recent years, demonstrating great resilience and vitality. Strategic mutual trust has been further consolidated, and the four-pillar cooperation, namely political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation, has kept deepening, said Xi.

The two sides have acted proactively and with a strong sense of responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability and promote international unity and cooperation, Xi said, adding the two countries have thus set an example of major developing countries seeking strength through unity and win-win cooperation.

"Facts have proven that a sound China-Indonesia relationship not only serves the shared long-term interests of the two countries, but also has positive, far-reaching impacts regionally and globally," said Xi.

Currently, the Chinese people are working toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, while the Indonesian people are actively pursuing Vision 2045, Xi said, expressing his readiness to work with President Widodo and continue steering the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, in order to bring greater benefits to the two peoples and make greater contribution to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

For his part, Widodo said Indonesia and China are comprehensive strategic partners with an important goal of jointly building a community with a shared future, adding their cooperation is mutually beneficial, not only serving the two peoples well but also contributing significantly to peace and development in the region and beyond.

Noting the sound cooperation between Indonesia and China has demonstrated the strategic nature of the bilateral relations, Widodo said Indonesia will work with China to keep deepening comprehensive strategic partnership and make still greater contribution to regional peace and global development.

China-Indonesia Community with a Shared Future

Xi noted that China and Indonesia are at similar development stages, have entwined interests, follow similar philosophies and development paths, and share a closely connected future. "Building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future is the common aspiration and expectation of the two peoples," Xi said.

The two sides need to further deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for more fruitful outcomes, strive for completing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway on schedule and to high standards, and ensure good implementation of such major cooperation projects as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks," Xi said.

Xi said China will continue to fully support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production hub, and will step up public health cooperation with Indonesia.

Xi added China is willing to import more commodities and quality agro- and by-products from Indonesia, take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Industrial Park, expand cooperation in development financing, and cultivate new growth drivers in digital economy and green development, among other areas.

Widodo said China is welcome to take an active part in the development of Indonesia's new capital and the North Kalimantan Green Industrial Park, and seek greater strategic synergy between the Global Maritime Fulcrum and the Belt and Road Initiative, adding Indonesia is ready to work with China to ensure that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is completed and put into operation on schedule and becomes another milestone in bilateral friendship.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 26, 2022. [Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

Stand Together in Solidarity

Facing changes in the world that are unfolding in ways like never before, Xi said China and Indonesia need to stand together in solidarity, fulfill the responsibilities of major developing countries, follow true multilateralism, uphold open regionalism, and contribute Oriental wisdom and Asia's input to the development of global governance.

China fully supports Indonesia in hosting the G20 Bali Summit, and will increase coordination and cooperation with Indonesia for a full success of the Summit, Xi said. China will give full support to Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship next year, and will enhance solidarity and coordination with ASEAN, with a focus on the five proposals on building our home together, to further unleash new dynamism of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

Noting that China welcomes Indonesia's continued active participation in "BRICS Plus" cooperation, Xi said China appreciates Indonesia's support for and commitment to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and is ready for closer communication and cooperation with Indonesia in this regard.

Widodo thanked China for supporting Indonesia's G20 presidency, adding that Indonesia will maintain close coordination with China for the success of the G20 Bali Summit. As the ASEAN rotating chair next year, Indonesia is ready to make active efforts for the growth of ASEAN-China relations, Widodo added.

The two presidents also exchanged views on issues including the Ukraine crisis. They shared the view that the international community should create conditions for peace talks, play a constructive role in deescalating the situation in Ukraine and stabilizing the global economic order, and work together to maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

The two sides issued a Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia. They also signed an MOU on jointly promoting cooperation between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and the Global Maritime Fulcrum, and other cooperation documents covering such areas as vaccine, green development, cyber security and ocean.

(Source: Xinhua)
Tianjin Children's Hospital, in North China's Tianjin Municipality, has 141 years of history. The hospital's director, Liu Wei, is known for her dedication to research into rare diseases, her humanistic approach to care, and her ability to manage a children's hospital with a long history. In addition to concentrating on her work, Liu likes to draw, paint, read, write and listen to music. She has written several novels, which have won national-level awards. Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in mid-December, 2021, that it had discovered the Omicron coronavirus variant in genome sequencing of samples collected from an imported, asymptomatic COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease) case that arrived in the city on December 9. It was the first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant reported on the Chinese mainland. The medical team at Tianjin Children's Hospital, led by Liu, made remarkable contributions to the treatments and recoveries of Omicron-infected children. By May 17, the hospital had dispatched medical workers to support anti-epidemic efforts, including 124 people dispatched to several hospitals and/or quarantine venues in Tianjin, 140 people helping collect nucleic acid samples, 48 people helping with nucleic-acid testing, and 30 people dispatched to East China's Shanghai Municipality, to support the fight against COVID-19 there. Liu personally wrote a letter to every worker who participated in the anti-epidemic fight. When someone's birthday or another anniversary arrived, Liu arranged her hospital's employees to take a cake to that person's home, to celebrate. She also prepared a special gift  a get-well-soon card and health-care books  for each young patient who had recovered from the disease. 'Healing, with Warmth' As the world continues to cope with the Omicron variant, Liu reminds every medical worker, on the front line, to be vigilant and to protect him/herself against the disease. She says "healing, with warmth" requires her, as the head of a hospital, to care for and support her staff as much as possible. Many of the young, Omicron-infected patients are preschool children. Their symptoms are mild. Liu tries to give those children some epidemic-prevention advice. "On behalf of my hospital, provide health-care books to those children. I congratulate them on winning a 'major battle' against the virus. I remind them to continue good habits, such as wearing face masks, keeping their hands clean, and maintaining a safe distance from others in daily gatherings," Liu says. What's more, she believes, as a result of the anti-epidemic fight, the young patients have learned how to love and care about themselves and others. She hopes they will enhance their physical and mental strength, to deal with illness, and that they will better understand the meaning of perseverance. Since its establishment, Tianjin Children's Hospital has developed into a hospital with comprehensive functions, including medical treatments, education and scientific research, disease prevention, health care, recovery and health administration. Working with her staff, Liu hopes to continue improving the hospital's quality and reputation. Liu Wei (R) presents a medal to representatives of a medical workers' delegation. The delegation visited Tianjin Children's Hospital on September 23, 2019. Hobbies

Liu graduated from Tianjin Medical University in 1995. She worked as a physician and department head at Tianjin Children's Hospital from 1995 to 2010, and then she was promoted to be a department head with the Tianjin Health Commission, where she worked from 2010 to 2018. She was named director of Tianjin Children's Hospital in 2018.

In addition to her work-related achievements, Liu is fond of reading, writing, drawing, painting and listening to music. She has written three novels  The Last 24 hours, Children's Wards, and Wind and Dust on the Medical Road  that have been published. Liu says her hobbies support her career development. For example, drawing and painting help her better understand how various pathogens impact the human body. Reading, writing and listening to music offer her different ways to relieve pressure, express her emotions and deepen her understanding of life and death.

As the head of a hospital, Liu has opportunities to help other medical workers to concentrate on providing services to patients. Being a doctor, who specializes in children's diseases, Liu heals children, and she enables them to embrace life with good health. Her enthusiasm for writing gives her the drive to have books published and help guide parents take care of their children's health.

Liu Wei's drawings, with pen and ink, of Lin Qiaozhi (L, upper row), China's famous obstetrician and gynecologist, and Tu Youyou (R, upper row), a Nobel Prize winner. Also seen is Liu's drawing of Tower Bridge, in London.

'Love Is Never Rare'

Like countless medical workers, Liu hardly divides the time she spends on work from the time she spends with family. Work occupies a considerable part of her daily life. She is grateful for the understanding and support she always receives from her husband and her parents.

Liu Wei (3rd, L) attends a panel discussion, "Jointly Build a Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment System." The event took place during the 2019 China Conference on Rare Diseases.

Liu is currently focused on her research into children's rare diseases. On January 18 this year, Tianjin Children's Hospital provided timely treatment to a child who suffered from pompe disease. Pompe disease is a rare lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of the lysosomal acid -glucosidase (GAA). It is characterized by glycogen accumulation, which triggers severe secondary cellular damage and results in progressive motor handicap and premature death.

Tianjin Children's Hospital became a key member of Tianjin's rare-disease-treatment organization in 2019. That same year, the hospital established its rare diseases medical center. The next year, the hospital took the lead in researching lysosomal storage disorders. Last year, Liu led her staff in compiling a book, Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Rare Diseases in Children. This year, the hospital will establish a standardized clinical-resource database.

Based on the 121 rare diseases listed in China's first catalogue of rare diseases (released to the public in 2018), the book compiled by Tianjin Children's Hospital explains, in great detail, 106 of the rare diseases that afflict children. For each disease, the book lists its clinical manifestations, diagnosis standards, treatment methods, transfer-treatment key points and management skills. The hospital invited experts, from relevant fields, to fact check the content of the book before publication. Case studies are included in the book, to help readers understand clinical treatments.

Liu drew illustrations for each rare disease introduced in the book. "I hope this book is like a golden key, which opens a 'mysterious gate' for our readers, so they have a shortcut to understanding the many secrets of children's rare diseases. The book answers various questions our readers have. Meanwhile, it provides reference materials to medical workers, from pediatric departments, and helps them acquire knowledge and skills in a rapid way," Liu says.

While designing the book's cover, Liu drew a wing of a Teinopalpus aureus  a rare species of butterfly, and the only national first-class protected butterfly in China. Why did she draw such an image on the cover? "Rare diseases are generally difficult to be diagnosed and cured. We cherish every patient. It is very important that we have doctors who are able to diagnose rare diseases correctly, and timely. I hope Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Rare Diseases in Children will be like a Teinopalpus aureus, a rare species of butterfly that reminds us to show love and care to our patients. We must believe that love is never rare," Liu concludes.
Yang Ning is a native of Jiangmen, a village in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In 2010, after she graduated from Guangxi University, in Nanning, capital of Guangxi, with a bachelor's degree in business administration, she returned to Jiangmen to work as a village cadre. Yang is now director of the village committee and secretary of the village general Party (Communist Party of China) branch. She has devoted herself to the development of her hometown, and she has helped "young flowers" blossom in the village.

Returning, with Ambition

"I left home to study in the county when I was 12, and I returned home after I graduated from university. Compared with the outside world, life in my hometown is simpler, and more real. I know better than anyone else that my hometown needs young people who can lead villagers to live better lives," Yang says.

There are nearly 500 households in Jiangmen, in Anchui Township. The villagers had lived in poverty for decades. In 2010, the villagers' per capita income was about 1,000 yuan (US $153).

"I have experienced the fast development in some cities. After I returned to my hometown, I was heartbroken when I saw the poverty and its backwardness. At that time, I made up my mind to change the situation and help villagers escape poverty and live better lives," Yang recalls.

Yang quickly realized working in the village was different from what she had imagined. Sometimes, there were so many things to do that she didn't know where to start. But she understood there were no shortcuts, and she had to be patient and keep learning, through practice.

One day, Yang helped some illiterate elderly villagers fill in application forms, so they could apply for basic living allowances offered by the Chinese Government. The next day, when she arrived at the office, after she had finished her work in the village, Yang saw an elderly villager sitting in front of the office. He gave Yang some oranges, to thank her for helping him complete the forms.

"I just did a little thing for him, but it really helped him and his family. I felt my work was meaningful. The villagers are kind and grateful, and I want to help them," Yang says.

Yang has done her best to help the villagers solve their problems. Pan Jianqiang, an elderly and physically challenged villager, was bedridden. Yang regularly took medicine to him, and she helped him obtain financial aid from Tencent Charity Foundation.

Yang once supported a girl, from an impoverished family, for six years so the girl could finish school. Now, the girl and her family live in the county, and their lives are continuing to improve.

To help more children in the village, Yang has established a home for children whose parents work in cities. She uses her free time to accompany and play games with the children. In 2013, Yang organized a summer camp, and she invited university students to accompany the children during their summer vacation. "Yang always carries out her work in an orderly way," says Jia Lixian, deputy director of the village committee and president of Jiangmen women's federation.

Finding a way to lift her hometown out of poverty was one of Yang's biggest concerns. "We should take full advantage of Jiangmen's natural resources, and we should develop an alpine ecological planting industry," Yang says.

As Anchui Township has an abundance of bamboo resources, Jiangmen is well positioned to develop a primary bamboo processing industry. In 2021, after conducting initial market research, Yang was convinced selling primary-processed bamboo materials directly to clients in Guangdong and Guangxi would help villagers increase their incomes. So, she contacted prospective clients, and she helped villagers sign sales agreements with those individuals. As a result, the villagers who grew and processed bamboo increased their annual incomes.

In 2014, many of the villagers began planting peppers, but the heavy rainfall that year caused the peppers to become rotten. The next year, Yang led more than 90 households in planting lobed kudzuvine root. "It is not easy to lead villagers to develop industries and fight poverty," Yang recalls.

She also encouraged villagers to adopt traditional Miao farming methods to plant alpine rice, in an environmentally friendly way, and to stop using pesticides and fertilizers. Some of the villagers doubted they would have a harvest if they used the traditional farming methods. To dispel their doubts, Yang and several villagers took the lead in planting a test field. In the fall, they had a good harvest, and they sold the rice at a good price. Hence, more villagers began to follow Yang's way of planting rice, fruits and vegetables.

Yang has also established a poverty-alleviation workshop, to process agricultural products in the village, and the products have been selling well.

Yang's sincerity and success have won the villagers' trust. Yang Meiyang, who is deaf, says through sign language, "I am willing to do what Yang tells me to do."

Deep Love for Hometown

In 2016, Yang finished her second term as a village cadre. "Yang is nice and capable, and we all like her. We hope she can stay in the village. But we understand she will have greater development in a big city," one villager has said. One of her former classmates also tried to persuade her to work in a city.

However, Yang has chosen to stay, and to continue her work in Jiangmen. "I feel lucky to live in the new era, and I feel honored to be able to participate in the great cause of poverty alleviation. You have no idea how proud I am that I made the right choice, and did the right thing. Young people, who have ideas and capabilities, are needed in rural areas," Yang says.

Yang has never stopped exploring ways of increasing the villagers' incomes. Trusted by the villagers, Yang was elected director of the village committee in 2017. She was the first woman university graduate in the county to become a village committee director. She was also selected a deputy to the people's congress of the township the same year.

Watermelons grown in the village are sweet, and they sell well in the market. Yang helped the women villagers establish a watermelon cooperative. In August 2018, Rongshui Women's Federation organized a watermelon festival in Jiangmen. "Our watermelons are of good quality, and are well-received in the market. Yang is capable ... we feel proud and elated," one woman said during the festival.

In 2020, Yang submitted a proposal to repair the main road in the village. In January 2021, the road had been repaired, with the support of the local government.

"In the past, we had to carry fertilizer on our backs or shoulders to the mountains, where we grow the watermelon. Now, we can drive, and easily transport the fertilizer and watermelon back and forth. It is easier and more convenient than before," Zhang Haihui, a villager, says. Some 237 solar road lamps were also installed in the village that year.

"In 2020, we encouraged some villagers to grow bamboo fungus, and they had a harvest. The next year, more villagers decided to join us, and we expanded the scale of growing bamboo fungus," Yang says.

Says Dong Yanfang, a villager: "With the encouragement of Yang, I grew bamboo fungus in 2020, and I earned thousands of yuan that year. I began growing more bamboo fungi last year."

Building a Beautiful Village

Mushrooms, edible fungus, bamboo shoots and gyrophora are precious specialty products grown in the Miao village. In the past, many of the villagers have been reluctant to plant these items because they have been difficult to sell.

In 2016, Yang decided to sell agricultural and sideline products, and to promote the Miao culture and delicacies through online platforms.

Yang and six village cadres established an agricultural products e-commerce service center, and they opened a WeChat (a messaging and social-media app) account so they could conduct online business. They also began online sales of packaged food. Since then, many young villagers have returned to Jiangmen, from cities, to work at the service center.

In 2020, thanks to the efforts of Yang and the villagers, Jiangmen was lifted out of poverty. Now, various industries are operating in the village, and the village's infrastructure, environment and people's living conditions are greatly improved.

"What brings a good life to villagers is the policies of the Party, and the cadres of the Party," some villagers have said. In November 2020, Yang was elected secretary of the village's general Party branch.

Yang has received many titles and awards for her contributions to rural development in China. Some of those honors include: Most Beautiful Women Striver, National March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetter, National Poverty Alleviation Award, and China Youth May 4th Medal. She is also a delegate to the 12th National Women's Congress.

"Serving the villagers is my goal, and it embodies the value of my life. I hope more young people will contribute their youth and strength to rural revitalization," Yang says.

Photos Supplied by Qin Mei, Qin Meichun, Jiang Li, Guangxi Women's Federation, Liuzhou Women's Federation, Huang Wei, He Qin and Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly June 2022 issue)
Former Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann lost his defamation lawsuits against Rolling Stone, CBS, ABC, NYT, and Gannett.

William O. Bertelsman, a Senior U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky, dismissed the cases during summary judgment, and the court record states the suits are "terminated."

Sandmann filed the lawsuits against the five media companies (along with CNN and NBC) in 2020, alleging that they had mischaracterized his behavior toward Nathan Phillips, a Native American activist, at a 2019 rally in Washington, D.C.

Sandmann's lawsuit said:

ABC's reporting conveyed the false and defamatory charges that Nicholas "stood in [Phillips'] way," "blocked [Phillips'] way and wouldn't allow [Phillips] to retreat," and that Nicholas "wouldn't let [Phillips'] move," while a mass of other young white boys "swarm[ed]," taunted, jeered and physically intimidated Phillips.

CNN and NBC settled with Sandmann early on. The terms of the settlement were not made public.

In dismissing the other lawsuits, the judge said the statements about blocking were "objectively unverifiable and thus unactionable opinions":

Applying the above legal authorities, and with the benefit of a more developed record, the Court concludes that Phillips's statements that Sandmann "blocked" him and "wouldn't allow [him] to retreat" are objectively unverifiable and thus unactionable opinions. Instead, a reasonable reader would understand that Phillips was simply conveying his view of the situation. And because the reader knew from the articles that this encounter occurred at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, he or she would know that the confrontation occurred in an expansive area such that it would be difficult to know what might constitute "blocking" another person in that setting.

Law & Crime has a good recap of what happened.
Bridgeport is home to one of the busiest seaports in the northeastern state of Connecticut. The deep waters in the harbor allow large vessels to dock while the tides are high. Bridgeport has a vibrant music scene and top restaurants  making it a must-visit destination for all guests and local Connecticuters. It is a lively city that operates the University of Bridgeport and Housatonic Community College.

Geography Of Bridgeport

Aerial view of North End neighborhood in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on a foggy morning.

In southwestern Connecticut, Bridgeport lies on the coast of the Long Island Sound and covers a total area of 50.2 sq. km. The Long Island Sound is an estuary where freshwater sources mix with the salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. The Pequannock River runs through the city and empties into Bridgeport Harbor, creating a particularly fertile ecosystem for aquatic species. From the harbor of Bridgeport to the northern section of the town, the elevation ranges from 3 meters to 20 meters. The oldest and largest privately owned ferry service in the United States, McCallister Towing and Transportation Co., carries up to 100 vehicles and 1000 passengers every hour directly across the Sound from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, New York. Eighty-five kilometers south on I-95, motorists can reach Upper Manhattan, New York City, with impeccable views of the George Washington Bridge. Almost 250 kilometers northwest, the world-famous coastal city of Boston, Massachusetts, meets the Atlantic Ocean. And explorers can reach the Appalachian Trail, 86 kilometers northeast of Bridgeport.

Climate Of Bridgeport

After a snow storm on the streets of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Bridgeport goes through all four seasons each year, with warm and humid summers  and cold, snowy winters. But one season is more prominent for Bridgeport's citizens, the Hurricane Season. The city gets heavy rain throughout the year, while June is the wettest month, with an average of 98 millimeters. Hurricane season is extremely humid in the city, where temperatures range from 20C to 30C and average 54% humidity. Residents are on high alert from June to November as Southern Connecticut is prone to tailwinds, storm surges, and sometimes, a direct hit from the hurricanes. In the history of Bridgeport, there have been six devastating hurricanes dating back to 1938. Once this hazardous season expires, temperatures cool down, and more cloud cover enters the region. Winter lows finally drop below the freezing point near the beginning of December, and snowfall accumulates exponentially. The coldest and snowiest month is January, the average high is 3C, and almost 50 centimeters of snow can blanket the city after the New Year Holiday. The flurries will halt in mid-April, and temperatures will climb back into the double digits, which allows boaters to prep their watercraft for the upcoming sailing season.

History Of Bridgeport

Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The indigenous Paugussett Tribe first lived in Poquonock, the original name of the settlement that changed a few times before what is known today, which is Bridgeport. The aboriginal communities hunted and fished from the nearby streams and sea for hundreds of years before some of the first European settlers stepped foot on the North American continent. The Dutch explorers were the first to arrive in the Connecticut area in the early 1600s  they sailed the Sound and rivers but never settled. By the mid-1600s, the British reached the southern coast of Connecticut, when they decided to inhabit this pristine area. By 1694, the first settlers presented the first name change to Fairfield Village. The new label wasn't persistent. By 1701, Stratfield became its new title and would be known as this for almost the next one hundred years. The final alteration happened in 1800 when the settlement became Bridgeport, and thirty-six later, the incorporation as a municipality. The name derives from the first constructed drawbridge, which connected the land on either side of the Pequannock River. Connecting Bridgeport to the rest of the United States, in 1840, the appearance of the railroad entered the township. The railway sparked an industrial revolution that helped the local economy tremendously. Elias Howe, an American inventor, created the lockstitch sewing machine and opened the Howe Machine Company to manufacture these machines in 1865. Elias Howe became the mayor in 1875 and helped establish the Bridgeport Hospital three years later. Viewers can view his accomplishments where they are displayed in the Barnum Museum today.

Bridgeport Harbor Power Station in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Editorial credit: Heidi Besen / Shutterstock.com

Just before Elias became the town's mayor, the tale of the Frisbee began in 1871. A resident baker opened his pie shop, the Frisbee Pie Company, thanks to William Frisbee. Students from nearby universities would finish their sweet baked goods and throw the empty pie tray, shouting "Frisbee" as they released the tray into the air. It wasn't until 1957 when Wham-O Toy Company released the first plastic discs, honoring William Frisbee with the name of this ever-famous toy. A German settler, Gustave Whitehead, claims to have completed the first controlled flight just over two years before the Wright brothers. Unfortunately, Whitehead did not have photographed proof of his flight. Post-secondary education took a while to arrive in the city - the University of Bridgeport opened in 1927 and enrolls over 3,500 students today.

Population And Economy Of Bridgeport

Fairfield Avenue in downtown Bridgeport on a spring morning outside the Bijou and other restaurants. Editorial credit: Wendell Guy / Shutterstock.com

Bridgeport is Connecticut's most populous city, with 149,543 citizens residing within the city's boundary. The city had over 158,000 residents in 1950, and it started to decline until the early 2000s. Over the past twenty years, almost 20,000 people left the town over 50 years, but the population has risen. Bridgeport was the seat of Fairfield County, and the county has not had a seat since 1960. Bridgeport has a poverty rate of 23% and an average household income of about $64,100. Rental prices have increased to $1,171 monthly over the past few years, while the average house costs around $186,000. Bridgeport residents' average age is 34.3 years, 32.5 years for men, and 36 years for women. Nearly 30% of people are of European descent. Italians (8.6%), Irish (5.1%), Portuguese (2.9%), Poles (2.8%), and Germans (2.4%) are the most common ethnic groups in the city. Over 67,000 people contribute to the workforce, and the most significant industries are Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Accommodation & Food Services. Regarding income, the most lucrative sectors are public administration, utilities, and management of companies and enterprises.

Attractions In Bridgeport

Seaside Park

Perry Memorial Arch, Seaside Park, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Image Credit: User: Magicpiano, via Wikimedia Commons

The historical Seaside Park has 375 acres of lush ocean front, and the dramatic Perry Memorial Arch act as its epic gate. Scattered through the green space are historical monuments and statues, such as P.T. Barnum, Elias Howe, cannons used in the Civil War, and the soldier's monument. Inside Seaside Park, Seaside Beach stretches five kilometers down the coast and is the perfect place for runners, dog walkers, and families to enjoy as they please.

Housatonic Museum of Art

Located on the Housatonic Community College's campus, the Housatonic Museum of Art houses one of the finest college art collections in the United States. The Museum, established by Burt Chernow, is dedicated to presenting, preserving, and interpreting objects of artistic or historical value. Students and visitors can view the historical collection in an enormous 300,000 sq. foot facility.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is the only wildlife park in the state and has been in service for almost 100 years. The zoo is devoted to conserving endangered animals and vigorously developing tactics to protect species and preserve their wild habitats. They are an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and a contributor to Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs. The wildlife park offers impressive displays of different animal species for visitors to witness up close in a safe environment.
Weather Alert

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Areas of dense fog reducing visibility to one quarter mile or less. * WHERE...Most of southern Illinois, the Purchase area of western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri near the Mississippi River. * WHEN...Until 800 AM CDT this morning. * IMPACTS...Areas of dense fog will make for hazardous driving conditions overnight and early Wednesday morning. Be alert to rapidly changing visibilities! PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Dense Fog Advisory means visibilities will frequently be reduced to less than one quarter mile. If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you. &&
A research team in Japan has discovered that pigs can survive without breathing through their lungs, if oxygen is pumped up their rear. Apparently humans can also 'benefit' from this intestinal breathing, and trials will start soon.

Vice:

By pumping oxygen and oxygenated liquid through animals' buttholes into their intestines, the researchers found that they could survive without breathing through their lungs.

"It's so impressive because we never thought of breathing from the gut, but it's possible," Takanori Takebe, an author of the study and a doctor at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, told VICE World News.

Last year, his team and collaborators from Nagoya University Graduate School and Kyodo University's Department of Respiratory Surgery published their study focusing on mice. Now they're looking to submit their research on pigs, which are closer to humans in physiology and genetic makeup, to a U.S. medical journal in August.
Petition launched to unlock Nine Acre field for public use

The Nine-Acre Field should be opened up for public use following a decision not to build a new school on the site.

Thats the call from Plaid Cymrus Acton and Maesydre councillor Becca Martin after Mondays planning committee decision as she launched a petition to unlock the Nine Acre.

Cllr Martin said, The decision has delighted local residents who have objected in their hundreds to the plan to Tarmac 40% of the field. Both the Save Nine-Acre campaign and Acton Community Council now have a role to play in ensuring the playing field is accessible for the community and I would welcome an early meeting with Wrexham Councils education department, which owns the field, and local representatives to discuss the future.

This is a good result for the community, the environment and democracy but I also have huge sympathy for St Marys School, which I visited last year and saw for myself the conditions in which pupils were being taught. There is an urgent need to find a new home for the school thats suitable for the 21st Century and I am happy to make the case for The Groves site in my ward to be considered as that home. There is plenty of space on the site for a new-build school, especially as there is already extensive hardstanding, road access and other infrastructure in place without needing to touch the listed school building.

I hope everybody can unite behind ensuring community access to field now  there are too many youngsters taking the risk to scale the fence and we need to act sooner rather than later to avoid injury. But that demonstrates the need for a playing field in the locality and Ill be pressing for youth teams to have better access to the site in the longer term. In the short term, children are now on their summer holidays and families could do with having that extra space to play and relax. Lets get things started with that and make sure the Nine-Acre Field becomes a real asset for the community.

To help make that happen, please sign and share the online petition weve launched to make this happen: https://www.wrexhamplaid.cymru/unlock_the_9_acre 

Her views were echoed by Councillor Marc Jones from the neighbouring ward of Grosvenor: The decision at the planning meeting should be the spark to unlock the gates of the Nine-Acre Field. Wrexham Council made much of its role as UK capital of play during its City of Culture bid and, no doubt, that will be the case in future bids. If thats going to have any validity, then opening up play spaces such as the Nine-Acre Field is essential and Im fully behind Cllr Martins call to unlock the gates.

Since the planning meeting Cllr Phil Wynn has pointed Wrexham.com to his lengthy 25 point note, specifically points 7 and 20  both of which refer to Public Open Space (POS) perhaps indicating a direction that could be explored:

Point 7 reads, I am comfortable with Acton Community Council taking ownership of the designated POS site, as long as they would be prepared to dedicate the POS for that purpose

Point 20 reads, Just as I am keen to see a third of the Nine Acre site brought into public use, I am in exploratory discussions with a number of elected members about transferring the ownership of under-utilised Education Department portfolio land to their Community Councils, on the basis they wish to ensure these sites are used as public open spaces in perpetuity. If further sites are identified then similar discussions will take place. I appreciate Community Councils may not wish to take up this possible offer but that will need to be tested as well as there being a Council appetite to increase the supply of POS.

Although not confirmed it could mean the Nine Acre could be declared surplus to requirements by the Education Department, and then Wrexham Council would have to decide what to do with a surplus asset.
There's yet another new CEO in Western New York's rapidly changing health care scene.

This time it's at Brooks-TLC Hospital in Dunkirk, where Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Morris was appointed Tuesday as the facility's new president and CEO. He is taking over from Mary LaRowe, who announced she is retiring Aug. 1 after a 36-year health care career.

LaRowe said her retirement had been planned for several months. In fact, she said she was originally planning to retire in January but she decided to stay on during the search for the new CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System, where LaRowe had served as interim CEO  on top of also leading Brooks-TLC Hospital  while the system looked for a new leader.

While Upper Allegheny is under Kaleida Health's umbrella, Brooks-TLC also is affiliated with Kaleida via a management agreement with Western New York's largest health system.

"Now I feel the time is right for me to retire," LaRowe said in a statement.

The CEO change comes at a time when Brooks-TLC attempts to forge ahead with a long-delayed plan to build a $70 million hospital in Fredonia while also grappling with mounting costs from operating an aging facility during the Covid-19 pandemic. The hospital has logged a total deficit of $45 million over the last five years, reflecting the challenges of many rural health care providers.

In an interview last month, Morris said Brooks-TLC is struggling with the day-to-day challenges of managing a building that is "well past its useful life," encountering daily maintenance issues while also trying to move its health care operation into the future.

"Those are challenges we face daily," Morris said last month. "And obviously, at this time with staffing challenges on top of that due to the current condition of the labor force, it certainly is a challenge to manage this operation here and the old building envelope."

The new hospital proposal in Fredonia is waiting on approvals from the state.

Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, said earlier this month that he and Sen. George Borrello, R-Jamestown, and Chautauqua County Executive Paul Wendel Jr. are working with the state Health Department to move the project forward.

"We believe a new hospital is critical to northern Chautauqua County," Goodell said. "The challenge facing Brooks reflects the fact that its financial projections show a multi-million dollar annual operating loss even with a new hospital. We are working with Brooks and other health experts to see whether these projected losses can be reduced or eliminated to ensure long-term financial viability."

Pandemic exacerbates struggles of Western New York's rural hospitals Rural hospitals have some of the lowest percentages of available staffed hospital beds in New York. Aside from operating in communities with generally lower Covid-19 vaccination rates, rural hospitals also are struggling with staffing and are trying to compete for high-priced travel nurses against the likes of their larger peers.

Morris will continue to play a major role in that effort.

He joined Brooks-TLC in 2018 as vice president of operations and, prior to that, had spent time as the director North Texas Division of Neuroscience and Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Healthcare System in Dallas.

"I'm excited and honored to become the new CEO of Brooks-TLC Hospital," Morris said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing the excellent health care Brooks-TLC hospital has provided to the northern Chautauqua community."

Brooks-TLC Hospital board chair Chris Lanski and Kaleida CEO Don Boyd pointed to Morris' understanding of the hospital's operation as allowing for a seamless transition.
Delegates at the United Auto Workers 38th Constitutional Convention in Detroit decisively voted down a proposed amendment banning the negotiation of hated multi-tier wage structures.

At the same time, the convention approved another motion, by a wide margin, to increase the salaries and pensions of UAW international officers by 3 percent.

With the working class facing an unprecedented crisis, delegates were subjected to an almost nonstop barrage of self-congratulatory happy talk. The complacency evident among the majority of delegates and union officials stands in sharp contrast to the sentiment in the plants, where anger over decades of UAW-imposed concessions is boiling over in the form of massive contract rejection votes.

The UAW convention, July 25, 2022 [Photo: WSWS]

Even as UAW President Ray Curry and other executives exchanged high fives at the convention, yet another UAW official was sentenced to jail for embezzling millions of dollars in workers dues. Timothy Edmunds, financial secretary of UAW Local 412, was sentenced to 57 months in prison Tuesday for embezzling $2.1 million in union funds. He pleaded guilty to the charges in March. The federal monitor overseeing the UAW had accused the UAW leadership of covering up its investigation of corruption in violation of a court order.

The same day, General Motors CEO Marry Barra implied that the automaker was preparing job cuts in the wake of a sharp fall in profits in the second quarter. According to the Wall Street Journal, GMs second quarter net income fell 40 percent from the previous year. Barra stated that the company is cutting discretionary spending and limiting hiring, and is prepared to tighten costs even further if economic conditions worsen.

Neither Curry nor Vice President Cindy Estrada, who presided over much of the proceedings Tuesday, took any note of this.

In a letter to delegates sent Tuesday afternoon, UAW presidential candidate William Lehman, a 34-year-old rank-and-file worker at Mack Trucks, noted that the layoffs at GM and previously announced cuts at Ford and Stellantis were only the beginning.

Workers know what [Barras statement] means: Massive job cuts and demands for further concessions, he wrote. And everyone knows that the UAW apparatus will agree to everything that the companies demand.

The keynote speaker at the convention Tuesday morning, Democratic Michigan Congressman Debbie Dingell, set the tone for the rest of the days speeches with a nationalist rant directed at China. Predictably, Dingell, herself a former GM executive, had nothing to say about the job cuts or the auto companies record-breaking profits in the midst of a pandemic that has killed scores of autoworkers and more than one million people throughout the US.

Spouting the nationalism long promoted by the unions, Dingell declared it was time to bring back our supply chain back to America. She complained that 80-90 percent of medicines were produced in China, along with computer microchips and other critical components. I am not going to let China beat us at anything. America is going to lead the world, she said.

This takes place as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prepares a provocative visit to Taiwan, a move calculated to further ratchet up tensions with China and greatly increase the risk of war between nuclear powers.

Other featured speakers Tuesday included AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and the Reverend Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Outside of ritualistic paeans to the trade unions, both focused their remarks almost entirely on the need to get out the vote for the Democratic Party in the upcoming November elections.

However, amidst her feigned optimism, Shuler nervously acknowledged the breakdown in support for all the capitalist state institutions, including the Democratic Party. Dont think negative, dont give up, fight back! she exhorted.

The main conference business of the day was the debate and vote on resolutions and constitutional amendments. The group Unite All Workers for Democracy attempted and failed by wide margins to get several changes to the constitution adopted. One amendment called for UAW retirees to be permitted to run for International Executive Board positions in the first direct vote for top officers in the union. The second amendment would have banned the negotiation of multitiered wage structures in future contracts.

Bill Parker, former president of UAW Local 1700 at the Stellantis Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, introduced the motion on the amendment to ban tiered wages in negotiations. The resolution was largely pro forma, since it would do nothing to eliminate the hundreds of concessionary contracts already in place at virtually every UAW-represented workplace. However, even a verbal pledge to end tiers was too much for the UAW executives.

The resolution banning tiers had been among scores submitted to the UAW Constitution Committee, staffed entirely with appointees of the Curry leadership, but the committee had arbitrarily decided not to bring it to a vote.

While the supporters of the amendment won the right to bring the resolution to the floor by mustering support from 15 percent of the delegates, it was quickly clear that it would be easily voted down.

In the discussion, speakers for the administrative caucus argued that a ban on tiers would tie the hands of the union in negotiations. Estrada then tried to quickly end discussion and force a vote, a flagrant violation of the rules, as one delegate pointed out, since Parker had not even been allowed to speak in favor of his own resolution.

In his letter to delegates, Lehman wrote that the corruption scandal that has engulfed the UAW is merely one expression of the complete integration of the UAW apparatus into corporate management, the obliteration of all distinctions between the company and the union.

Lehman appealed to delegates to nominate him on Wednesday, stating that his campaign is aimed at developing a movement of the rank and file to end the dictatorship of the apparatus over the workers and create the conditions for a real fight of workers against exploitation and inequality.
According to two separate databases maintained by the Washington Post and Mapping Police Violence, US police have killed over 600 people so far this year.



As of July 16, 2022, Mapping Police Violence has confirmed that 633 people in the United States have been killed by police, 10 more people killed compared to the same time last year. According to the database, there have been only eight days in 2022 where police did not kill someone.



The Washington Post has tracked 614 police killings as of July 26, 2022. Both the Post and the Mapping Police Violence figures represent an average of just over three people killed by police every day in the United States, a number that has remained steady through Democratic and Republican administrations alike under Obama, Trump and now Biden. This is despite years of protests and demands by millions of workers and youth for an end to police violence.



Capitalist politicians routinely hail the police as heroes, defenders of democracy, and the epitome of impartial justice. These lies are told to the American people in order to obfuscate the class role of the police and the vital function they play in capitalist society.



The police are not given billions of dollars and lethal military-style weaponry every year by bourgeois politicians to defend the interests of everyone; the police are the front-line soldiers of capital, they exist to defend private property and enforce social inequalitynothing else.



New York City, New York



Raymond Chaluisant, 18, was playing with a water pellet gun when he was murdered by off-duty New York City corrections officer Dion Middleton, 45, after midnight on Thursday, July 21. In a statement to the Washington Post, a New York Police Department spokesperson said that Chaluisant was found unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his face around 1:35 a.m. A clearly plastic, orange and gray, Orbeez water pellet gun was recovered at the scene.

Raymond Chaluisant

After shooting the 18-year-old in the face, Middleton clocked into work without reporting his crime to anyone. In the exception that proves the rule, Middleton was arrested at work last Thursday and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. While Middleton has not been fired, the NYC Corrections Department did suspend him without pay.



Speaking to the Post, the police said that there was no evidence Chaluisant ever fired his water gun at Middleton. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Chaluisants older sister, Jiraida Esquilin, 29, said that her little brother was trying to stay cool on a hot summer night by joining his friends in a water gun fight.



They were just having fun, she told the Daily News. Its a new Nerf gun that shoots water. The whole neighborhood was having a water gun fight. It was 90 degrees.



I cant believe a corrections officer killed my brother, Esquilin said. Everything nowadays is a rage thing.

Los Angeles, California



Witnesses say 39-year-old Jermaine Petit, an ex-Air Force emergency medical technician, was shot in the back multiple times as he was fleeing from Los Angeles police officers on July 18. Video footage taken by local residents shows police handcuffing Petit after shooting him and leaving him on the pavement.

Petit was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive after undergoing major surgery.



In statements given by police following the shooting, they claimed that Petit had a weapon, implying that it was a pistol of some kind, and thereby justifying the shooting. However, the cops have been forced to admit that Petit was only armed with a black metal latch actuator which was recovered by police at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Bronson Avenue at the time of the shooting.



Deshonay Howard told the Los Angeles Times that she was parked in front of her house when she saw police trailing Petit as he was walking near a bus stop. We all heard him say, I dont have anything, and he started to run. She told the Times that she saw police shoot him in the back three times.



A GoFundMe has been started by Ashlyn Petit, the daughter of Jermaine. She wrote that LAPD shot him even though he was UNARMED. Hes currently in the hospital in critical condition.



Chicago, Illinois



Security camera footage has confirmed that an unarmed 13-year-old African American boy had his hands up when Chicago police officer Noah Ball shot him on May 18 this year. The boy survived the gunshot wound but is now paralyzed from the waist down.



Police have claimed they were pursuing the teen because he was a passenger in a suspected stolen vehicle. The boy has not been charged with any crimes.



A witness told ABC affiliate WLS that police clearly shot him while his hands were up. His (the boys) hands were up and I seen the cop run up to that boy and just start shooting that boy did not have no gun or nothing.



Ball, who has yet to be arrested, claimed through his attorney that he thought a cell phone the boy had was a gun. While the security footage shows the boys hands were up when he was shot, Ball did not activate his body camera until 40 seconds after shooting the young person.



Lawyers for the family of the young paralyzed child said he can no longer walk, ... he cant get up, he cant go to the bathroom, he cant get his own food ... his life is changed forever.



Cincinnati, Ohio



Rose Valentino, a Cincinnati police officer for the last 14 years, has been relegated to desk duty after admitting to using a racial slur while on duty following an internal investigation. The investigation uncovered body camera footage of Valentino expressing her hatred for niggers while she was driving in a police car outside a local high school.



On a rainy April 5 afternoon, body camera footage shows Valentino driving her vehicle towards the police station which is located next to Western Hills University High School. As Valentino is pulling into the police parking compound, several cars are seen on the side of the road waiting to pick up students.



While the footage does not appear to show any vehicles blocking her path into the compound, she nevertheless turns on her lights and sirens, activating the body camera in the process.



Youve got to move. Fucking ridiculous. Fucking assholes, Valentino says as she is driving. As Valentino continues to get more agitated, local ABC station 9 WCPO reported that a black teen gestured at the cop, allegedly giving her the middle finger, which sent Valentino into a rage.



I fucking hate them. Oh, I fucking hate them so much. Fucking God. I hate this fucking world. Fucking hate it. As the cop waits for the police security fence to open up to the cop parking lot, she continues her tirade. Fucking niggers. I fucking hate them.



WCPO reported that Valentino has received positive employee evaluations from her superiors who have noted her positive attitude and great work. The report noted that Valentino trains officers who recently graduated the academy.



While Valentino has received high marks from her bosses, and was granted a pivotal role training new graduates, WCPO found that she has been reprimanded multiple times for not turning on her bodycam, and that Aprils incident was not the first time Valentino expressed racism.

In November 2018 Valentino was one of three cops involved in an incident that resulted in the city paying out a $151,000 settlement after Valentino pulled out her gun and aimed it at two unarmed black men. Neither of the men were committing a crime; one of the men, a real estate agent, was showing a property to the other man, a prospective renter.
Behind the backs of the American public, the US military is preparing a provocation against China aimed at instigating a conflict that could lead to a full-scale world war between the worlds two largest economies.

This provocation comes in the form of a planned trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the third-ranking figure in the US government.

Despite US President Joe Bidens publicly stated concerns about the provocative nature of the trip, New York Times journalist David Sanger, an unofficial spokesman for the US military/intelligence apparatus, reported Tuesday that US officials said the planning for Ms. Pelosis trip was moving ahead.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (center) poses with US Air Force airmen at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar on Oct. 21, 2019.

By all indications, sometime next month the octogenarian will strap herself into a C-130 cargo plane, possibly accompanied by an escort of F-35 fighters and supported by US aircraft carriers, and tempt fate by landing on Taiwan, amid warnings by Chinese military officers that they will stop her from entering the country.

This level of recklessness is a testament to the deep crisis and disorientation of the US political establishment, which is desperately lashing out in all directions in the face of an intractable social, economic and political crisis.

The dispatch of Pelosi, the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in a quarter century, is aimed at further undermining the one-China policy, which has been systematically dismantled by the Trump and Biden administrations, which have encouraged Taiwanese separatism as they have stuffed the island to the gills with weapons. Now, provocatively, Washington is acknowledging publicly a rising number of US military personnel on Taiwan.

In October 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that US troops are stationed on Taiwan, and in December, the US doubled the number of troops stationed on the island. In March of that year, Nikkei reported that the United States was in discussions to station offensive missiles that would have violated the INF treaty on Taiwan.

On May 5, 2022, the US State Department removed wording on its official website stating that the United States does not support Taiwan independence and acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.

The Biden administration has approved four massive arms sales to Taiwan so far, and a fifth, coming in at $108 million, is slated for imminent congressional approval.

Just as the United States has for years built up the Ukrainian military as a bastion against Russia with the aim of provoking the current disastrous war, the United States is transforming the island into an offensive launch platform for war with China, seeking to provoke China into military action against Taiwan.

These plans, years in the making, now threaten to break out into a shooting war. Both the United States and China have explicitly stated that they would go to war against each other over Taiwan. Asked in May whether the United States would use force to defend Taiwan, Biden replied, Yes Thats the commitment we made.

Chinese officials have also made clear that they will go to war over Taiwan. Last month, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told US officials at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight, and we will fight at all costs.

In public and in private, Chinese officials have stated that they are considering a military response to Pelosis trip, including intercepting her flight or sending Chinese aircraft to overfly the Taiwanese mainland.

The US military, for its part, is making preparations to deploy aircraft carriers and scramble fighter aircraft to support the operation.

Facing an unprecedented economic, social and political crisis at home, dominant sections of the US political establishment are seeking to massively escalate the global war that has erupted in Ukraine with the opening of a Pacific front.

Indeed, in a statement to the New York Times, Senator Chris Coons, a key Biden ally in the Senate, declared, we may be heading to an earlier confrontation... than we thought.

Taiwan, an island less than 100 miles across, is one of the most important economic chokepoints in the entire world.

The island is home to 92 percent of the worlds advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Every product made by Apple, including the iPhone, iPad and Macintosh computers, as well as graphics, artificial intelligence and computer vision processors from Nvidia and countless other hi-tech products rely on semiconductors produced in Taiwan.

The US auto industry, with its increasing focus on electric vehicles and driver-assistance technology, is heavily reliant on semiconductor manufacturing in Taiwan.

A military conflict over the island, even one that does not immediately trigger full-scale, high-intensity war between the US and China, would result in the disruption of semiconductor supplies and would trigger an economic crisis rivaling those of 2008 and 2020.

In an article published before the revelation of Pelosis planned Taiwan trip, the Financial Times (FT) warned that major corporations are putting the odds of war over Taiwan at one in five. Pelosis trip, and the fact that it is proceeding despite serious concerns raised by the White House, will inevitably drive this figure higher.

In an interview with the FT, an executive at a US technology firm warned, Apply what we have seen in Russia to China and you have Armageddon for the Chinese economy and for the global economy.

The US military provocation around Pelosis trip is driven by powerful and reactionary forces within the US state. Despite the stated opposition to the trip by President Joe Biden and statements to the press by his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, Americas foremost political generals have demanded the trip go ahead. Among these are:

Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO supreme allied commander Europe, who declared, We cannot allow China to decide whether or not senior US officials visit the island of Taiwan.

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who told CNN, I think if the speaker wants to go, she should go.

Former army officer, CIA director and secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who tweeted: Nancy, Ill go with you See you there!

Pelosis trip has been met with applause by the fascistic right in America:

At the Trump-backed America First Policy Institute meeting in Washington, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich declared, I commend Nancy, to thunderous applause.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared, If she doesnt go now, shes handing China a victory.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who penned the essay Send in the Troops urging the establishment of a military/police dictatorship in response to US protests against police violence in 2020, condemned Bidens concerns over the trip, declaring, This pathetic self-deterrence is a mistake, and it will invite more aggression.

Newsweek commented that A Nancy Pelosi Taiwan Visit Would be a Trump China Foreign Policy Triumph.

The escalation of the US conflict with China would further empower far-right forces in the United States. Trumps xenophobic anti-China demagogy, centered around the claim that COVID-19 is the China virus, was a central component of his foreign policy, most fundamental tenets of which have been intensified and continued by Biden.

The US plans for war against China must be opposed. As horrific as the US-provoked war in Ukraine has been, a war over Taiwan, a central chokepoint of the global economy, would have vastly greater human and economic consequences.

The ruling classes of the US and its NATO allies, facing mounting domestic political opposition and a social, economic and political crisis to which they have no answer, are turning to war. The working class must be equally resolute in taking up the struggle against war as a critical component of the fight against social inequality and dictatorship.
The crisis engulfing Australias construction sector has deepened over the past six weeks. A plethora of building companies have been placed into administration and liquidation, owing millions of dollars to owners of unfinished homes, subcontractors, suppliers and workers in entitlements.

This month, Victorian-based building firm Snowdon Developments was ordered by the Supreme Court to go into liquidation on the grounds of insolvency, owing just under $18 million to 250 creditors.

The Snowdon collapse follows similar failures throughout June, including prominent home builders such as Victorian-based Waterford Homes, which went into liquidation with debts so far amounting to $600,000.

House under construction in Manly, Queensland [Photo by Orderinchaos via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0]

Specialist small home builder Affordable Modular Homes collapsed under a mountain of debt, owing $121,000 to creditors, while Statement Builders failed, owing $200,000 in taxes. Other home builders that went to the wall last month included Langford Jones Homes, Pivotal Homes, Solido Builders, Wulfrun Construction and Westernport Constructions.

These failures are part of what media commentary terms a construction sector bloodbath. More than 16 building companies had already collapsed since the closing months of 2021. They include well-known names in home building, such as Hotondo Homes, Dyldam Developments, BA Murphy, Home Innovation, ABG Group, New Sensation Homes, Pindan and ABD Group.

This year also saw the collapse of major companies, such as Probuild and Condev, that had projects underway or on the books worth billions of dollars. The fate of Australias largest home builder Metricon, which had around 4,000 homes under construction last month, remains uncertain despite a $30 million cash injection into the company by its shareholders and promises of government support.

It is widely acknowledged across the industry that these failures are only the tip of the iceberg. Industry market researcher IBISWorld recently projected that the number of firms operating in the home building industry would fall by 9 percent in 2022-23, contracting for the first time in a decade by thousands.

Last month, co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders (APB), Russ Stephens, told news.com.au that around 50 percent of building companies in Australia are currently experiencing negative equity. A company is considered to have negative equity if it owes more than it has in assets, with more than one creditor. Once a company experiences negative equity, its a slippery slope to becoming insolvent, Stephens said.

Last October, based on extensive research, APB had warned that it was clear that the increasing price of construction materials, supply chain delays and COVID-related labour shortages were impacting the profitability of every single building company in Australia.

Referencing the spiralling costs of building materials, CoreLogic, a provider of property data and analytics, has said home builders are unlikely to experience a reprieve anytime soon. The short- and medium-term outlook for the construction industry still looked bleak, it stated.

Banks could become embroiled in the meltdown. In May, National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan said construction was the most worrying industry in its portfolio.

This crisis has been exacerbated by the necessary two-month lockdown of Shanghai to bring the recent outbreak of COVID-19 under control. More than a quarter of goods imported into Australia come from China, including around 60 percent of its building industry materials.

ANU supply chain management expert David Leaney told the media in May that construction has certainly got some of the biggest delays, saying the lead time to get timber frames if youre building a house is 46 weeks.

The let it rip COVID policies adopted since late last year by all Australian governments, Liberal-National and Labor alike, continue to cause repeated waves of mass infection, illness and death. This has resulted in labour shortages in vital areas of the supply chain, such as the docks, trucking and freight haulage.

It is difficult to put a precise number on jobs lost in the construction industry because most companies directly employ only small numbers of workers. The bulk of their work is carried out by labour hire companies, employing casuals, subcontractors and independent trades-persons. Many of these are owed thousands of dollars and will find it difficult, if not impossible, to survive.

Many more jobs will be impacted in downstream industries, such as building industry suppliers and home appliance and home decor companies whose operations rely heavily on new home construction.

From the outset of the pandemic, the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU) and other industry trade unions collaborated with the employers to demand that the sector be exempted from lockdowns and other public health measures, thereby forcing workers to stay on the job, resulting in widespread COVID infections.

Now with building companies collapsing in quick succession, destroying the livelihoods of countless workers, the CFMMEU is maintaining a virtual silence, seeking to prevent the eruption of struggles by construction workers to defend jobs and livelihoods.

This is a logical extension of the role played by the unions for decades, enforcing the decimation of working conditions and the huge increase in casual, labour-hire and sham contracting arrangements throughout the construction industry, claiming this was necessary to ensure competitiveness and to preserve jobs into the future.

Construction workers need to draw a balance sheet of these bitter experiences. They cannot leave matters in the hands of the unions, which are tied by a thousand threads to the corporations and governments.

To fight for decent jobs, pay and conditions, workers need to form new organisations of struggle, including rank-and-file committees on every job site. Through an interlinked network of these committees, workers can take up a unified political and industrial counter-offensive against the corporate and financial elite.

The crisis wracking the construction sector is a graphic example of the irrationality of the capitalist system itself, which subordinates everything to private profit. While firms collapse, there is a burning need for affordable social housing.

Workers need to turn to a socialist perspective and the fight for a workers government to place construction and other critical sectors under public ownership and democratic workers control, to reorganise production to meet social need, not profit.
On July 16, Sabine Schormann, managing director and CEO of Documenta 15, the worlds leading exhibition of contemporary art, resigned under massive political pressure. Previously, accusations of anti-Semitism against the art exhibition in Kassel had come to a head.

Sabine Schormann at a press conference on June 15 [Photo by Nicolas Wefers / documenta] [Photo by Nicolas Wefers / documenta]

Accusations had already been raised before the opening of Documenta, hosted this year by the Indonesian artists collective Ruangrupa, which, in addition to making general criticisms of colonialism, is also critical of the Israeli governments Palestinian policy.

The accusations of anti-Semitism reached hurricane force when the exhibition briefly featured a huge, 20-year-old banner by the Indonesian collective Taring Padi, directed against the social conditions in Indonesia shaped by the Suharto dictatorship.

Among hundreds of figures and scenes on the banner, critics found two displaying anti-Semitic tropes. In a row of marching soldiers or policemen, one figure bears a pigs face, a scarf with a Star of David and a helmet with the words Mossadreference to the notorious Israeli foreign intelligence agencys involvement in Suhartos 1965 coup, which killed between 400,000 and 1 million, including Communists and students critical of the government.

The second figure, a man in a suit and tie with shark-like teeth, a cigar in his mouth and suggested temple curls (peyes) with an SS rune on his hat, fatally resembles Nazi caricatures of Jewish capitalists.

The curators and the artists themselves apologized several times and distanced themselves from anti-Semitism. They made clear that the banner was created from the perspective of the traumatic experience with the Suharto dictatorship. Its effect in Germany, which was responsible for the Holocaust, had not been clear to them. The offending banner was first partially covered and shortly after completely removed.

But the campaign against the exhibition, its management and the Documenta supervisory board continued unabated. The removed work, as well as several others dealing with the oppression of Palestinians by the Israeli government, served as a pretext to raise the charge of anti-Semitism against the entire exhibition. There were calls for those responsible to be recalled, for the exhibition to be cleaned up, or even for it to be closed altogether.

That anti-Semitism exists in Germany is beyond doubt. Last year, the Federal Interior Ministry recorded 3,027 anti-Semitic crimes, 84 percent of which it attributed to right-wing perpetrators. But criticism of the Israeli governments Palestinian policy is not anti-Semitism. One can only consistently combat anti-Semitism by rejecting all forms of oppression.

The campaign against Documenta is not about anti-Semitism, but about banning all criticism of war and militarism, colonial oppression, and exploitation. At a time when Germanyin the words of German Chancellor Olaf Scholzwants to become a geopolitical player again, no such criticism is to be tolerated, not even through the means of art.

This is not the first time that cultural events and institutions have been silenced under the false pretext of anti-Semitism. Others in the crosshairs include the Ruhrtriennale music and arts festival and the Jewish Museumin Berlin. In Britain, similar claims of anti-Semitism have assisted in the process of purging the Labour Party of left-wing elements and transforming it into a second edition of the reactionary Tory Party.

Members of the Indonesian artists collective ruangrupa, which is hosting this years documenta [Photo by Jin Panji / documenta] [Photo by Jin Panji / documenta]

Since January, there have been accusations of anti-Semitism against the Ruangrupa curatorial team, a break-in at their exhibition space and even death threats. Consequently, Documenta managing director Sabine Schormann tried for a long time to protect the artists and the artistic direction, and with it the Ruangrupa collective experiment of not allowing hierarchies in art. She was concerned with showing the committed art of artist collectives, especially from the Southern Hemisphere, and rejecting any form of censorship.

Schormann explained that she considered an intervention by the exhibition management in the competencies of the curators as a step towards censorship. She said that artists concerns about not being welcome in Germany were justified. On the Documenta website, she wrote, We focused on educating and acting in the spirit of Documenta fifteen.

The demand that external experts with decision-making powers review the exhibition, raised again after the removal of the Taring Padi banner, had put enormous strain on the relationship of trust with Ruangrupa and the artists, Schormann explained.

But the pressure from political circles and the media grew. Claudia Roth (Green Party), federal government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, announced through her spokesperson that Ms. Schormanns statements and accounts of the events of the past months were wide of the mark and that the culture commissioner was very surprised and alienated by Schormanns statements.

Accordingly, Roth welcomed the decision of the Documenta supervisory board to force Schormann to resign: It is right and necessary that now a reappraisal can take place of how it was possible for anti-Semitic imagery to be exhibited, as well as to draw the necessary consequences for the art exhibition, she told the Frankfurter Rundschau.

Members of the Bundestag (federal parliament) from all parties welcomed Sabine Schormanns resignation. It is significant that the Alternative for Germany (AfD)a party that maintains close ties to neo-Nazi networks, trivializes the Nazi regime and counts numerous anti-Semites in its rankswas particularly vocal about this, especially in Hesse, the state which hosts the exhibition.

The cultural policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Marc Jongen, called for the overdue resignation of the Documenta director to be followed by the resignation of Culture Commissioner Roth when it comes to dealing with the events. The AfD parliamentary group in the Hesse state parliament had previously demanded the closure of Documenta and the cancellation of funding for the renowned international art exhibition.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) cultural policy spokesman in the Bundestag, Helge Lindh, described the termination of Schormanns employment contract in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper as an overdue liberation from a vicious circle of mismanagement and miscommunication.

Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) member of parliament Linda Teuteberg, responsible for Jewish life, followed suit and made clear that this was not about art, the Documenta anti-Semitism scandal makes an announcement and points beyond the art show: Israel-related anti-Semitism, like every manifestation of anti-Semitism, is unacceptable, as are trivializations with reference to the global South, she said.

Green Party member of the Bundestag Marlene Schonberger also called for an examination of the artworks.

The federal governments anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, demanded that the necessary structural consequences be drawn for the future. Anti-Semitism must not be accepted in any form in cultural life, no matter where the cultural workers come from. The BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] resolution of the Bundestag should be the binding guideline in the future for the use of public funds in cultural promotion.

The Bundestag resolution against the BDS campaign does not serve to combat anti-Semitism, but to suppress freedom of expression. It was therefore publicly condemned by 30 leading German cultural institutions and more than 1,000 artists from Germany, Israel and around the world.

The Bundestag resolution calls for denying public space and financial support to organizations and individuals who sympathize with the goals of BDS or have any connection to BDS. Numerous critics of Israels Palestine policy are affected.

As the WSWS wrote, The accusation of anti-Semitism against leftists and intellectuals plays into the hands of right-wing radicals and fascistssuch as Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Matteo Salvini, Rodrigo Duterte and the AfDwho identify with the racist policies of the Israeli government and have been greeted jubilantly as state guests in Jerusalem.

The attacks on Documenta are not about anti-Semitism, but rather involve the suppression of disliked art and opinions. This same process is evident in the poisonous debate surrounding the Hijacking Memory conference held a month ago at the House of World Cultures (HWK) in Berlin, which explored Holocaust memory and its political instrumentalization.

Susan Neiman, director of the Einstein Forum and one of the three organizers of the conference, noted there, No Jewish person, anywhere, will doubt the real danger of anti-Semitism. But the instrumentalization of the accusation of anti-Semitism was cynically used for nationalist purposes, she said.

Co-organizer Emily Dische-Becker, who also worked on the Documenta concept, told the Berliner Zeitung, We have observed that right-wing actors internationally, but also in Germany, are appropriating the commemoration of the Holocaust to conduct nationalist, xenophobic, right-wing populist politics.

After that, a similar campaign as in the case of Documenta broke out. Green Party politician Volker Beck questioned state funding for the HWK. Die Welt ran the headline, House of Cultures: a think tank of the new anti-Semitism. The executive director of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Daniel Botmann, also joined in, accusing the HKW, the Einstein Forum and the Centre for Research on Anti-Semitism (ZfA) of anti-Semitic tendencies.

Once again, the far-right AfD spoke out most clearly about what was at stake. It demanded that post-colonialism should no longer be the yardstick of our cultural and remembrance policies because it was inherently anti-Semitic.

The World Socialist Web Site disagrees with theories of post-colonialism that attribute colonial oppression to psychological and cultural factors rather than to the imperialist division of the world by monopolistic banks and corporations. But the point at stake is the banning of any criticism of colonial and imperialist oppression.

The political parties that today condemn Documenta for being anti-Semitic have themselves a long history of imperialist crimes and are preparing new ones.

German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Christian Democratic Union) maintained close relations with Indonesian dictator and mass murderer Suharto, whom he called his friend. Christian Social Union chairman Franz-Josef Strau maintained close relations with Chilean dictator Pinochet. Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Green Party Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appeared in Berlin just last week alongside the Butcher of Cairo, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whom they celebrated as a new ally in the fight against climate change.

Anti-Semitism served the Nazis as a means of directing the rage of petty-bourgeoisie strata of the population threatened with social ruin against the Jews. Socialists, on the other hand, fought the poison of anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms. Now, the mendacious anti-Semitism campaign is being used to criminalize anyone who speaks out against oppression and militarism.
The WSWS continues to receive statements defending Dr David Berger and opposing censorship of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) Twitter page. @SEP_Australia was locked out on July 21 over a video in defence of Dr Berger and free speech. This blatantly political attack should be opposed by the broadest layers of workers, young people and professionals.

Dr David Berger

Dr Berger is an Australian physician and dedicated advocate of the elimination of COVID-19. He has been ordered by the Australia Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to undertake a special education program or be deregistered over his social media condemnations of the official let it rip coronavirus policies.

Since the publication of our first article on July 8, which called on scientists, health staff and other sections of workers to speak out in defence of Dr Berger, the WSWS has published twelve articles compiling statements of support.

We urge readers to write to @TwitterSupport on Twitter and demand an immediate reversal of the lock, and to continue to speak out in Dr Bergers defence. Statements of support can be emailed here. Please indicate in the email how you would like to be identified in our next article, and if you want to include a photo, please attach one to the email.

Wendy, a bus driver in Wellington, New Zealand, signed and commented on a powerful open letter in support of Dr Berger. She shared her comments with the WSWS:



I value informed and evidence-based social media discussions about public health issues, especially fast-changing ones like our international COVID-19 pandemic. I want the best and most up to date, reliable health and safety info in order to be able to protect myself at work. I am exposed to COVID every day in my role as a public transport bus driver. I am not provided with adequate PPE.



My employer, local transport authority and the government say surgical masks are adequate protection for bus drivers. Yet international evidence recommends N95s/P2 respirators as the minimum for protection against aerosolised COVID. This demonstrates the unreliable nature of government-mediated health and safety info, compromised by political decision-making.



This is why it is vital that there are open forums like social media where doctors and scientists with good expertise around COVID can share their expertise directly, so we can make better informed decisions for protecting against COVID. We, the PUBLIC, rely on experts like Dr David Berger to help us stay safe. Please let him keep contributing to best PUBLIC health practices!

Bus drivers on strike in Wellington last year

Dr M, a medical scientist from Australia:

I would like to defend Dr David Berger by saying all government policies should be able to be questioned in a public forum without fear of reprisal from government watch dogs.

This is particularly so in a pandemic, where the health advice given by our previous and current government is seriously lacking and has led to a situation where we now have one of the highest COVID infection rates in the world, the hospital system is overloaded with COVID patients, and more people are dying from the disease than ever before.

Dr David Berger has been a voice of reason throughout the pandemic, offering practical science-backed advice to counteract the spread of the virus, rather than advocating for a situation where we just get on with things and live with it.

Clearly, this approach is not working. Dr Berger is exercising his duty to the Hippocratic Oath by voicing his disagreement with government policy and is being punished for it. We must not have a situation in this country where respected scientists, clinicians and practitioners are gagged for expressing data-backed opinions that differ from prevailing political opinions.

Martin Mantell, a retired teacher from Melbourne:

The campaign launched by AHPRA has all the political hallmarks of a witch-hunt. The complainants against him are anonymous. Dr Berger, we are told, has been disparaging of his colleagues and most sinister of all, he must undergo re-education.

All members of the medical profession, all workers, both white and blue collar, must come to Dr Bergers defence. Not to do so would strengthen the forces of political reaction in this country. Those forces are the bought and paid for mouthpieces of the corporate oligarchy that lied to the Australian people about the COVID pandemic, like Chief Medical Officer Paul Kellys description of Omicron as a Christmas present, the claims that children dont get COVID, and that we must learn to live with the virus at the very moment thousands of Australians were and are dying from it!

Martin Mantell

As a retired schoolteacher, I especially appeal to teachers to support Dr Berger because they may have had some experience similar to him. The disciplinary procedures imposed on teachers singled out for dismissal are not unlike those of AHPRA. The teacher fingered for dismissal is first deprived of any basic legal rights. They cannot even know or confront their accusers, they cannot seek support from their colleagues, and their teaching expertise and relationship with students is trashed.



As a result of the campaign waged in Dr. Bergers defence, the Twitter account of the Socialist Equality Party in Australia has been locked. The faceless, nameless operatives who exercise such blatant acts of censorship have decreed that a tweet of support and showing photographs of Dr Berger; Lisa Diaz, an English mother who refused to send her immuno-compromised child into school amidst the raging COVID pandemic; Dave OSullivan, a London bus driver sacked for demanding safe working conditions during the pandemic, and Julian Assange, award-winning journalist and political prisoner who exposed the brutal and myriad war-crimes of the US military, is not allowed to be shown on social media. An assault of this magnitude cannot be allowed to stand! This dictatorial and blatant action demands that the campaign in support of Dr Berger be widened and accelerated.



For all people who value democratic rights, the way forward is clear: Against governmental and bureaucratic indifference, dishonesty, and corruption. For all medical practitioners who uphold the Hippocratic oath by putting the health and welfare of their patients first and who have the integrity and courage to speak out in the health interests of the population. Join the campaign to defend Dr. Berger and oppose the censorship of the SEP Twitter page.
Time for a change?

Mark and Charlie Goldman have been in the real estate, restaurant and bar businesses for decades, first on Chippewa Street with the Calumet Arts Cafe, and now on Allen Street, where they own Allen Street Hardware Cafe and two buildings. You could say they have become fixtures in the neighborhood.

Now, they are thinking it's time to move on. Mark Goldman  a longtime leader in the Chippewa revival  has been "hands off" for 10 years, and Charlie, who owns and operates Allen Street Hardware, will turn 50 in December, with a new baby on the way. After 30 years in the business, he is ready for a change.

"I'm about to have a kid. I have other things I'd like to explore, and other paths I'd like to take, maybe doing a little traveling with my family," Charlie Goldman said. "I'm an old man, having a young baby. I'd like a lifestyle change."

So the father-and-son duo has put their 17-year-old restaurant and bar business up for sale, along with two buildings, for a total of $1.3 million, through Fred LoFaso's Sienna Realty. The cafe and its building at 245 Allen are listed for $900,000, while the 3,000-square-foot former Licata Plumbing building next door is listed for $400,000. Mark Goldman owns half of 245 Allen, while his son owns the rest of the holdings.

"We're floating it out there, to see if we could get what it's worth, the price that we're asking," Charlie Goldman said. They also are open to selling one and not the other, or renting the building to someone else.

"It's not a do-or-die, but we're going to try to sell it. If we don't get the right price, we probably won't sell," Charlie Goldman said.

Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week.

It's a big change for Charlie  who has been working in restaurants since he was an 18-year-old University at Buffalo student  and for Mark, a Buffalo historian and downtown advocate, who bought the Calumet Building at 46-58 W. Chippewa St. in 1988, and ran the jazz club there for years. The family also had a college bar called the Third Room, which opened in 1991, and the La Luna Latin dance club, which opened in 2000 and closed in 2010.

"That restaurant business has a tendency to do that to people," Charlie Goldman said. "It sucks you in."

In 2004, they bought the corner hardware store business  with its tin ceiling and hardwood floors  and turned it into a popular neighborhood bar and grill. They bought the building itself a few years later, and added the Licata building three years ago. Charlie Goldman said he is willing to keep operating it if he can't get the right price, but "eventually, I'd like to turn a new page."

"Its a change of pace. Running a restaurant day to day is a full-time, arduous hands-on requirement. Its just tough. Im old. Im not young anymore," he said. "Its been a long time from Chippewa to Allen Street. Id like to breathe some fresh air."

 Jonathan D. Epstein

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy  from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

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INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

The IDA had approved the tax breaks in January to support a $35 million spending spree  $7 million a year for office machinery, furniture and nonmanufacturing equipment. The company initially pledged to maintain 979 jobs, but not create any new ones.

But its attorneys balked at signing the final papers, citing concern over legal liability and potential clawbacks, because the company anticipated a short-term retooling that could have temporarily reduced jobs for six months to a year during the renovations.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH ...

Apartments at the Lyceum

The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency earlier this month approved a grant of up to $760,000 in HOME funds to support the conversion of the former St. John Kanty School building  known as the Lyceum  into the Apartments at the Lyceum. It's also getting a $500,000 state grant through the Better Buffalo Fund Transit Oriented Development Program.

Located at 97 Swinburne St., the $21 million affordable rental housing project, with Community Services for Every1 as developer, would convert the 69,000-square-foot, three-story masonry building into 42 apartments and commercial space. Upon completion, the project will include 31 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom units for households earning no more than 50% or 60% of the area median income.

Eleven of the units will be specifically HOME-assisted for rents.

THE LATEST

Catch up on the latest news from Buffalo Next:

The organizers of the 5/14 Tops survivors fund have made changes to their plans to allow for immediate payments to more people.

Even though hiring has slowed, the local unemployment rate remains at historic lows.

The Buffalo News has a new executive editor. Longtime journalist Sheila Rayam has been named executive editor of The Buffalo News, the first Black journalist and the second woman to hold the position in The News 142-year history.

The state's biggest solar energy farm proposed for Genesee County has taken a key step forward.

A Buffalo developer is interested in the last remaining parcel in the Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park.

The Erie County Legislature is pleading with ECC President David Balkin and union reps to work together for the future of ECC.

Facing federal accusations of bank fraud, Frank Giacobbe and Michael Tremiti received light sentences in the criminal case against Rochester real estate developer Robert C. Morgan.

Tesla's solar energy business had its best quarter in more than four years, rebounding from supply chain issues that had depressed installations during the winter.

Developers have a new vision for the failed Radisson Hotel Niagara Falls-Grand Island  converting it into apartments.

The acquisition of People's United Financial is paying early dividends for M&T Bank, which is extending its presence in the Northeast.

While it may be profitable, Lake Shore Bancorp is being criticized by a federal agency for its technology compliance issues and governance.

A few days before training camp starts, Buffalo Bills star QB Josh Allen toured Oishei Children's Hospital to see the impact of the Patricia Allen Fund.

Looks like 43 North's decision to tweak its prize structure was a good one, as its pool of applicants has expanded.

Buffalo Next reporters Jonathan D. Epstein, Jon Harris, Natalie Brophy, Matt Glynn, Samantha Christmann, Janet Gramza and Mike Petro contributed to this roundup.

ICYMI

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. Amazon's big distribution center in the Town of Niagara is approved, but it still has plenty of hurdles to clear. Jonathan Epstein explains what challenges remain.

2. How Rich Products keeps its focus on innovation: Rich Products executives take pride in the company's reputation for innovation. They weren't about to let up on those plans during the pandemic.

3. Buffalo's startups aren't just for coders. They're luring accountants and sales workers, too: Though more and more startup companies are geared toward technology and there is a demand for tech employees  especially in Western New York  employees such as accountants, customer service representatives and salespeople are vital parts of these organizations, as well.

4. New stadium, new experience: More details are emerging on the Buffalo Bills facility: "We want to really harness the energy of the Buffalo fans and create a unique game-day experience," said Scott Radecic, a former Bills linebacker who is serving as the project executive for Populous, the stadium's architect.

5. Donald Boyd has some "enormous challenges" ahead, according to one health care administration expert, as the 50-year-old takes over as CEO of Kaleida Health after spending nearly his entire career there, rising through the ranks of Western New York's largest health system.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Buying a building? Redeveloping a property? Got a tip? Reach Real Estate & Development reporter Jonathan D. Epstein at 716-849-4478 or email him at jepstein@buffnews.com.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Buffalo has a "darn good chance" of being chosen for one of up to 20 "tech hubs" that would be established around the country, from a pool of $10 billion in federal funds.

Plans for the tech hubs are part of the CHIPS Act, legislation spearheaded by Schumer that passed the Senate on Wednesday by a 64-33 margin. The bill, which calls for investing $280 billion in science and technology over five years, appears to have good prospects for passing the House, and it has support from the White House.

Here are five things to know about the legislation and what it would mean for Western New York:

Tech hub target: The Commerce Department plans to choose up to 20 cities to be "tech hubs," which would deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investment. The exact amount allocated to each hub is expected to vary.

"Guess which city is one of the top contenders for a regional tech hub in the country?" Schumer said. "Buffalo, N.Y. Because of our high concentration of manufacturers, a strong labor presence and great research at UB, it's the perfect ecosystem to receive one of these designations."

Buffalo is among the hundreds of cities that entered the competition to secure a tech hub. The federal designation is unrelated to the Tech Hub that M&T Bank established inside Seneca One tower.

Using his clout. Schumer time and again vowed to use his political clout as majority leader to push for Buffalo to get a tech hub. He said he had spoken to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo repeatedly about a hub in Buffalo."

"I wrote these provisions, in fact, with Buffalo and upstate New York in mind," he said. "If we're putting all these tech dollars in, we don't want all of them to go to San Francisco or Seattle or Austin or New York City or Boston. We need them to go to smaller areas that have smaller cities but have great potential to be tech hubs if they're given a little push."

Job opportunities: If Buffalo is chosen for a tech hub, it would boost the manufacturing sector, Schumer said.

"This bill isn't just about creating cubicle-based computer jobs," he said. "Advanced manufacturing jobs are heavily reliant on innovative technologies, so we want to focus on advanced manufacturing in the Buffalo tech hub, where we have such a skilled workforce that is very familiar with all of this."

Schumer said he wants to see East Buffalo, in particular, benefit by ramping up a trained workforce to support the industry.

Homemade chips. Another big provision of the bill  about $52 billion  would provide incentives to boost domestic production of semiconductor chips. Schumer hopes to convince a chip maker to build a plant near Batavia, at the Science Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park, or STAMP.

Samsung identified STAMP as a contender for a $17 billion chip plant, but the company ultimately chose a site in Texas for the project. Schumer was undeterred by that outcome.

"There are seven or eight major companies, but I'm talking to all of them," he said, declining to identify them.

The Semiconductor Industry Association says the share of modern semiconductor manufacturing capacity located in the U.S. has decreased from 37% in 1990 to 12% today.

"Were optimistic that the House will join the Senate in passing the CHIPS Act," said Dan Rosso, a spokesman for the Semiconductor Industry Association. "Investments in domestic chip manufacturing, design and research have strong, bipartisan support in Congress and among American voters."

Counting the votes. Schumer predicted the CHIPS Act will have "no problem" passing the House.

"You have the overwhelming majority of Democrats and a large number of Republicans supporting it," he said.

President Joe Biden also has backed the legislation.
A Niagara County judge this week set bail in the case of a man charged in a daytime fatal shooting on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls two weeks ago.

Judge John Ottaviano set $250,000 cash bail and $500,000 bond for Michael O. Hamilton, who has been charged with killing Jason C. Chapman, 22, of Buffalo.

Chapman was shot at about 5:45 p.m. July 12 on the 900 block of Pine, a city police spokesperson previously said.

Hamilton, 37, who remained in custody at the Niagara County Jail as of early Wednesday afternoon, was arraigned on an indictment Monday in county court on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree weapons possession.

It is uncommon for a judge to set bail for a person charged with murder.

Prosecutors argued Hamilton should be held without bail.

Mark J. Byrne, Hamilton's defense attorney, said he argued to the judge that his client had significant ties to the community and was not a flight risk.

"Given the circumstances that were presented, I believe it was an appropriate decision made by the judge," Byrne said Wednesday.

Hamilton, a Falls resident, surrendered to police the day after the shooting. The U.S. Marshals Service contacted a family member of his and the family contacted Byrne's office, he said.

Hamilton only turned himself in as the marshals were "breathing down his neck," First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffman said.

In arguing that Hamilton should be remanded, Hoffman said she told the judge he allegedly fled from the shooting scene and tried hiding from police, including by allegedly leaving his car at his parents' house and taking his mother's vehicle.

Hamilton was initially arraigned in Niagara Falls City Court on July 14 and ordered held without bail.
State police in Niagara County early Wednesday morning arrested a Buffalo man on aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal weapon charges after he was found asleep in a Wheatfield roadway with an 8-year-old in his vehicle, according to a news release.

About 2:30 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol officers noticed a vehicle stopped on River Road in Wheatfield. State police found Time J. Thomas Jr., 28, asleep in the driver's seat, accompanied by a female passenger and the child. State police said Thomas failed a pre-screen DWI Drugs, and unspecified amounts of cocaine and heroin, plus a 9 mm Century Arms pistol loaded with a high-capacity magazine were also found in the vehicle.

Thomas was arraigned Wednesday in Wheatfield Town Court on the following charges: aggravated DWI with a child passenger less than 16 years old; endangering the welfare of a child; second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Thomas was remanded to Niagara County Jail where he is held without bail due to prior felony convictions and his parole status, state police said.
Four Jamestown residents were arrested and a variety of illegal drugs were discovered as the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force executed search warrants at adjacent addresses on Prendergast Avenue Monday afternoon, the Jamestown Police Department reported.

Austin M. Weatherby, 21; Corinna D. McCreary, 39; and Cora A. Waddington, 23, were charged with multiple drug possession counts. Facing a single drug possession count was Dalton Nuse, 21.

Weatherby also was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. All were taken to Jamestown City Jail to be arraigned in City Court.

At one address, officers said they found 53 grams for fentanyl, 41 grams of methamphetamine, 30 units of LSD, mushrooms, suboxone, cocaine, scales, cash, a switchblade knife, a 12-gauge shotgun and a bullet-resistant vest. A quantity of fentanyl and cash were found at the second address.

Police said that the raids at 4:25 p.m. followed a narcotics investigation that began several months ago. Jamestown police were assisted by the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team, the State Police K-9 unit and the Jamestown Fire Department.
Once a kingmaker of Western New York politicians, with ties to the Clintons, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and billionaire Tom Golisano, G. Steven Pigeon appeared before a federal judge Wednesday who sentenced him to four months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for making an illegal political donation.

Pigeon, 61, gave a short statement in court apologizing for his actions.

"I do accept responsibility for my actions. I'm very sorry for them," he told U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

He is expected to be sentenced Thursday in state court for bribing a state judge.

Wednesday's sentencing resulted from Pigeon's guilty plea in October 2018, when he admitted that he conspired to arrange an illegal political donation to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomos 2014 re-election campaign on behalf of the Canadian founder of an online gambling business. Neither the governor nor his campaign were implicated in the case.

The sentence came seven years after the FBI, State Police and agents of the New York attorney general raided Pigeon's downtown home seizing documents and computers  and nearly four years after he pleaded guilty in the two cases.

Pigeon's sentencing had been delayed repeatedly, and sources close to the case confirmed for The Buffalo News that Pigeon had been providing information to federal agents and prosecutors who have been looking into allegations of political corruption in Western New York.

But in the end, it doesn't appear that whatever Pigeon was providing bore much fruit for investigators  at least at this point.

Money is focus of probe into 3 political operatives Investigation of G. Steven Pigeon, Steven M. Casey and Christopher M. Grant appears focused around political committee WNY New York Progressive Caucus. Official says probe includes potential election law violations  fraud and possible

Pigeon and his attorneys arrived at the Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse at 12:30 p.m. As his lawyers and prosecutors met with the judge behind closed doors, Pigeon sat on a bench in the lobby outside the courtroom, staring out at the glass window that overlooks Buffalo City Hall.

The lawyers emerged, and it was unclear whether there would be yet another delay after years and years of delays. But it was rescheduled for 2 p.m.

They returned and the sentencing hearing officially began. Arcara had already agreed with the attorneys to a sentence of no more than six months, and possibly no incarceration at all.

Defense lawyer Paul Cambria pleaded for leniency.

Pigeon had admitted to his crime, he said.

"He makes no excuses for it," Cambria said.

He contended that Pigeon has already suffered the consequences of his actions. He pleaded guilty to a felony, which will remain on his record forever. He lost his license to practice law. His career in politics is over.

"A significant message has been sent out," Cambria said, who was joined by fellow attorney Justin Ginter.

Cambria pointed out the 13 character letters that were submitted on Pigeon's behalf. Among them was a letter by Golisano.

"The significant effort he has put into making up for bad decisions he made in the past, has not gone unnoticed by myself and the people he has helped along the way," Golisano wrote. "I am proud to call him my friend."

Also writing letters were former boxer "Baby Joe" Mesi and attorneys including John Bartolemei and Martin Seneca Jr. There were no letters from major political names.

Prosecutors took a different view.

John Keller, principal deputy chief with the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section, blasted Pigeon.

"This case is about corruption," Keller said, who was joined by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Bonanno. "... He has repeatedly broken the law. ... This is not your garden variety white collar offense."

Pigeon faces other legal trouble.

In 2017, Pigeon was arrested and charged in both state and federal court on accusations that he bribed then-State Supreme Court Justice John Michalek. That case ended up in state court, and Pigeon pleaded guilty to a felony charge of third-degree bribery. He is expected to be sentenced on the state charges Thursday before State Supreme Court Justice Donald F. Cerio Jr.

Pigeon has also been charged with sexually assaulting a child. Late last year, Pigeon was indicted by an Erie County grand jury on two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a class A felony  the most serious level  as well as first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. If convicted of the most serious charges, Pigeon could face life in prison. Pigeon told The News he believed he was being set up by someone.

Steve Pigeon jailed after pleading not guilty to rape of child G. Steven Pigeon  once a powerful figure in Western New York politics who flaunted his close ties to Andrew Cuomo and Bill and Hillary Clinton and also advised billionaire Tom Golisano  now wears orange jail garb behind bars as an accused child rapist.

At Wednesday's sentencing, Arcara spoke at length about the difficulty of his decision. After listening to prosecutors and Pigeon's attorneys, he took a break  one final delay.

"This isn't easy," he said.

He returned about 10 minutes later to render his decision.

Arcara was going to allow him to voluntarily surrender at a later time, but Cambria said Pigeon wanted to voluntarily surrender Wednesday.

"He will surrender today," Cambria said.

Pigeon then sat on a courtroom bench alone, waiting for a U.S. marshal to take him into federal custody. It took a few minutes. His decision to surrender immediately apparently was a surprise. A marshal emerged from a holding area next to the courtroom, holding a pair of handcuffs. He instructed Pigeon to take off his belt and hand over his wallet, advised him to keep some cash in his pocket, and then he led Pigeon away.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/Facebook

The Amazon employee who died at a New Jersey fulfillment center during the Prime Day sales rush was a hard-working dad from the Dominican Republic who was everything to this family, one relative confirmed to The Daily Beast.

Rafael Reynaldo Mota Frias, 42, had a fatal heart attack during his July 13 shift at Amazons Carteret warehouse known as EWR9. In tributes on Facebook, several family members noted that Mota Frias, who is from La Romana, died of cardiac arrest.

You will never be forgotten, a niece wrote in a post. We will always remember you as the selfless man that you were. Always worrying about peoples health and stability. He was hardworking, funny and affectionate.

While Mota Frias family grieves, coworkers told The Daily Beast they suspect working conditions within the warehouse might have contributed to his medical emergency.

A cousin of Mota Frias told The Daily Beast she felt similarly.

He was accomplished at his job but it was too demanding, said Marlen Frias in Spanish.

Marlen declined a formal interview, but said her cousin was a family man and great person who always thought about everyone else.

Last week, amid reports that an unidentified Amazon worker died at the facility, it was revealed that federal investigators with the Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were investigating what happened to him.

The Carteret warehouse isnt the only one facing scrutiny. OSHA and New York federal prosecutors also said last week that they were inspecting Amazon warehouses in New York, Illinois, and Florida for safety issues. According to CNBC, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan was probing possible workplace hazards and whether Amazon was hiding injuries from OSHA and other agencies.

Employees of Amazons Carteret facility told The Daily Beast that they believe that Mota Frias was overworked and overheated when he went into cardiac arrest, and that they fear the fast-paced environment inside the warehouse, which lacks air conditioning in the main work area, is putting employees health in danger. (Data from AccuWeather shows a high of 92 degrees in Carteret that day and a low of 74 degrees.)

Story continues

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But Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson said suggestions that Mota Frias job led to his death are merely rumors and false.

Were deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague and offer our condolences to his family and friends, Stephenson said in a statement. There have been rumors suggesting that his passing was work-relatedthose statements are false. Our internal investigation has shown that this was not a work-related incident, and instead was related to a personal medical condition. OSHA is currently investigating the incident, and, based upon the evidence currently available to us, we fully expect that it will reach the same conclusion.

Stephenson said that Amazon conducted an internal investigation which revealed that a colleague said Mota Frias had reported experiencing chest pains the evening before his shift but didnt notify his coworkers or managers of his symptoms.

One colleague told The Daily Beast that Mota Frias and other workers pleaded for fans to be placed in their work area hours before he died. Its crazy because I was right there. I feel like Amazon as a whole could have done way more about the situation, said the person, who asked to remain anonymous because they feared losing their job.

Coworkers said that after personnel with Amazons on-site first-aid clinic, AmCare, transported Mota Frias away from his station, employees were instructed to keep working. They are trying to say he had a heart attack, even if that was the case, everybody was saying it was too hot inside to be working, the employee added.

A second employee agreed. They honestly need to do much much better, the worker said of Amazon. Its a trillion-dollar company. There is no reason why these facilities should not have fully air-conditioned facilities.

Handout

The cafeteria area and the offices are all air-conditioned, but where the real work happens, we get fans, the person said, adding that some employees have started to leave work early during heat waves. When its hot outside, you already know its going to be hot inside. The employee said they witnessed one person pass out last week from what they believed was exhaustion. AmCare personnel helped the individual up and escorted them to the warehouse clinic. Its becoming an unfortunate common thing that should not be happening at all, the employee said.

Both workers said that after Mota Frias died, the company began handing out bottles of water and Liquid I.V. electrolyte packets. A third employee told The Daily Beast, Why after his death have they started giving out bottled water at our stations if it [the warehouse temperature] has nothing to do with his death?

The next day, managers started telling us to drink water and stay hydrated, they said.

Other EWR9 workers expressed concerns on the companys private online message boards for warehouse associates. According to one image reviewed by The Daily Beast, an employee asked, How many more of us have to DIE before Amazon realizes that these working conditions are TRASH? An Amazon HR representative replied that our deepest sympathies are with Rafaels family and loved ones during this tragic time.

Our focus continues to remain on everyones safety and well-being and making sure everyone has the resources and support they need, she added.

After Mota Frias death, the company shared his first name and photo on a TV monitor with the heading, Remembering Our Rafael. The sign indicated Mota Frias had worked at the Carteret facility for five months.

Stephenson said that the deceased worker was a water spider. In the fulfillment center terminology, a water spider is responsible for keeping work stations stocked with boxes of goods, hauling heavy pallets from the loading dock to employees called stowers, who place the items on merchandise racks. Workers have described the water spider role as physically demanding and requiring miles of walking each day.

Amazon Tells Warehouse Workers They Get to Dress Up Instead of Getting Day Off for Juneteenth

He was a very hard working associate always looking to help out where needed, the bulletin added. His team and the entire EWR9 family are deeply saddened by this loss. We will remember Rafael and give our condolences to his family. The family is not planning on having services in the United States at this time and will have services for him at home in the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, one employee leveled serious accusations against Amazon in relation to Mota Frias in a complaint submitted to OSHAs Avenel office.

A person at our facility died of a heat stroke on July 13, the person claimed, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by The Daily Beast. He was telling the managers that in the area he worked was too hot. Many others complained as well.

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They just told employees to work through it, they would be fine, the individual continued. Two hours later he was dead. The person then referred to AmCare, which has come under fire in recent years for allegedly covering up employee injuries, sending workers back to work without proper treatment, and failing to send them to hospitals or doctors offices. In 2019, OSHA issued a warning letter to an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville, New Jersey, after finding that AmCares EMTs were working outside their scope of practice, without proper supervision, according to Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

This is the kicker, the employee continued in the Carteret complaint, the AM-Care people just came, put him on a wheel, put a mask on his face, and wheeled him through the facility like nothing happened! We were all in shock. Now management is telling people that he died in the parking lot and that I [sic] we talk or mention anything about it we will get fired! This incident was the last straw for me with this company.

Asked to confirm this particular submission, an OSHA spokesperson said that the agency does not comment on employee complaints. The representative did, however, confirm that OSHA still has an open investigation into the Carteret warehouse fatality.

Chris Smalls, president of the grassroots Amazon Labor Union (ALU), posted a tweet Thursday with more accusations about Mota Frias final moments at Amazon. (Earlier this year, the ALU made history by securing enough votes to make a Staten Island warehouse known as JFK8 the company's first unionized workforce. Smalls visited EWR9 last week to speak with workers in wake of Mota Frias death.)

In regards to the worker who passed away I personally will be filing a complaint with the local OSHA on top of that we will be organizing EWR9 @amazonlabor this ones personal #Hotlaborsummer   Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) July 22, 2022

Learned some disturbing details about the worker who passed away, Smalls tweeted. I was told not only did they take nearly a hour to call 911 he was unconscious on the floor for over 20 mins. He warned management of chest pains they kept him working in path as a waterspider in heated conditions.

Still, Stephenson said that Amazons on-site medical expert began emergency treatment immediately after Mota Frias collapsed. In addition, 911 was immediately called and arrived at the site within 16 minutes of when the medical incident occurred, Stephenson said. Were thankful for the quick actions of our own teams and the first responders.

This has been a tragic situation for our employees family and for our colleagues at EWR9 who worked with him, Stephenson added. We are in contact with his family to offer support and are providing counseling resources to employees needing additional care.

To Smalls, Mota Frias health emergency is a call to action for ALU to organize workers in Carteret. In regards to the worker who passed away I personally will be filing a complaint with the local OSHA, Smalls tweeted. [O]n top of that we will be organizing EWR9 @amazonlabor this ones personal #Hotlaborsummer.

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The post Bowing to Pressure, Disney Will Now Allow Political Ads on Hulu appeared first on Consequence.

Be careful what you wish for: After Democrats complained that Hulu wouldnt air advertisements bashing Republicans on guns and reproductive rights, Disney has announced an update to Hulus policies so that the streamer will now carry political ads.

The saga began after the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association tried to purchase joint ads on Hulu on July 15th, but were rejected. Hulus censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country, the three committees said in a statement to the Washington Post. Voters have the right to know the facts about MAGA Republicans agenda on issues like abortion  and Hulu is doing a huge disservice to the American people by blocking voters from learning the truth about the GOP record or denying these issues from even being discussed.

Afterwards, #BoycottHulu became a top trending hashtag on Twitter. Faced with the unusual demand that consumers watch more stressful, higher-priced advertising, Disney almost instantly capitulated.

After a thorough review of ad policies across its linear networks and streaming platforms over the last few months, Disney is now aligning Hulus political advertising policies to be consistent with the companys general entertainment and sports cable networks and ESPN+, Disney said in a statement to Variety. Hulu will now accept candidate and issue advertisements covering a wide spectrum of policy positions, but reserves the right to request edits or alternative creative, in alignment with industry standards.

In case wide spectrum of policy positions wasnt clear, Hulu will share political ads from Republicans, too. So congratulations everyone who pushed the #BoycottHulu hashtag, you have successfully made the Walt Disney Corporation even richer. Whether it will make a difference in the 2022 midterms or 2024 presidential election remains to be seen.

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Abortion rights activist Olivia Julianna poses for a portrait in Houston, Texas

Callaghan OHare/getty

A Texas teenager who was body-shamed by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz has turned the viral moment into a fundraiser, using it as an opportunity to raise more than $275,000 for abortion rights in the last 48 hours.

Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old activist who lives in Houston, had taken to Twitter to criticize Gaetz for comments he made at a recent right-wing conference, when he said, "Women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?"

"Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb," Gaetz, who is 40, said at the Student Action Summit in Tampa. "These people are odious from the inside out. They're like 52", 350 pounds.'"

After Julianna criticized Gaetz on Twitter, the representative then shared her profile photo to his 1.6 million followers, adding the caption, "dander raised" to insinuate that Julianna had been angered by his remarks.

Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021

Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Rep. Matt Gaetz

Julianna says one of her friends alerted her to the situation via text.

"I was critical of him, and then he just tweeted out a picture of me to his Twitter," she tells PEOPLE. "I was shocked."

Julianna, however, was not upset.

"Anyone who knows me will tell you I am not or the faint of heart," she says. "Honestly, I laughed. I was like 'This is gonna be good.'"

So she used the exchange to boost the work she does for the activist group Gen-Z for Change, a non-profit is comprised of over 500 digital media creators who push for civic engagement.

Julianna shared Gaetz's post on her own Twitter account, writing: "In honor of Matt Gaetz publicly body shaming me, I'll be fundraising for the @genzforchange abortion fund. The Gen-Z for Choice fund splits donations across states where services are most needed."

The group's SAFER Initiative, launched after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision led to the overturning of landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade, aims to protect abortion access was already trying to raise money for abortion funds. Since Gaetz's tweet, it's raised more than $275,000  putting the total amount raised to a little over $300,000.

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"People assume that because I'm a teenager that I am naive or sensitive [but] I fully saw this as an opportunity," she tells PEOPLE.

RELATED: Matt Gaetz Reportedly Investigated for Possible Trafficking of Teen Girl as He Says He Is Victim of Extortion

Asked if she has a message for the lawmaker, Julianna said it would be, "Something along the lines of, 'Why are you concerned with what a teenager looks like, you creep?'"

Gaetz is currently the subject of a grand jury investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid her to travel with him. News of the investigation into Gaetz first broke last March and, according to The New York Times, was opened in the final months of the Trump administration, under then-Attorney General Bill Barr.

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Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has denied any wrongdoing, previously insisting to multiple news outlets that the overarching case was "rooted in an extortion effort" against him.

Gaetz was allegedly among those who asked the Trump White House for a pardon, according to several witnesses who testified in the Jan. 6 hearings.
Glossier will be available in Sephora stores in the US and Canada (Getty/iStock)

Six years after it burst onto the beauty scene, Glossier is finally going to be available in Sephora stores.

The US-based brand announced it has partnered with the popular cosmetics and skincare products retailer in a post to Instagram on Tuesday (26 July).

Weve been hard at work with the goal of bringing more Glossier to more people, Glossier said.

Today, were so excited to announce our first-ever retailer partnership with @sephora! This is a huge moment and milestone for our community and one that includes all of you! We cant wait to see you in Sephora IRL [in real life], Sephora.com, and on the Sephora App.

The partnership will only apply to Sephora locations in the US and Canada, where Glossier will be available by 2023.

Artemis Patrick, executive vice president of Sephora, toldWWD that Glossier is already one of the most searched brands on its website.

Glossier quickly amassed a cult-like following when it launched in 2014, largely credited to its your skin but better approach to beauty.

Its best-selling products include liquid blushes (Cloud Paint), eyebrow gel (Boy Brow) and a dewy-skin serum (Futuredew).

In 2020, Glossiers founder and then-CEO Emily Weiss issued an apology after an anonymous group who claimed to be former employees of the company, accused Glossier of racism and mistreatment.

Were so sorry that we didnt create a workplace in which our retail employees felt supported in the most critical ways, Weiss wrote on Instagram.

Weiss stepped down as CEO in May, shortly after the brand laid off 80 of its corporate employees in January.

Earlier this month, Sephora announced that it is permanently leaving Russia following the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

Sephoras parent company, LVMH, said it has sold 100 per cent of its Russian business to a new local owner, Ille de Beaute.

This will allow LVMH to cease operations in the country, while ensuring its Russian employees can keep their jobs.

The company did not disclose the value of the sale.
BALTIMORE  A man who was shot at a Washington, D.C., hotel by his wife, who accused him of molesting children at her Owings Mills day care center, now faces more than a dozen criminal charges.

James S. Weems Jr., 57, who retired from the Baltimore Police in 2005, is accused of sexually abusing at least three children while working at a day care facility, Baltimore County Police said Tuesday.

According to the department, Weems is charged with three counts each of sexual abuse involving a minor, third-degree sexual offense, second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual offense. He also faces a charge of displaying obscene material to a minor.

Police spokeswoman Joy Stewart said Tuesday afternoon that there may be additional charges filed in the case. Baltimore County authorities issued an arrest warrant Monday for Weems and said he is hospitalized in police custody in Washington, D.C., pending extradition.

It wasnt clear Tuesday whether Weems had obtained legal representation.

A report provided by the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington said the suspect was arrested at a hospital. The D.C. detectives report was dated just after 8 p.m. Monday.

The allegations of sexual abuse surfaced publicly after Weems wife, Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, was arrested Thursday in the shooting of her husband at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington.

She told police she shot him because she believed hed molested children at her day care, Lil Kidz Kastle, according to charging documents. Court filings said police recovered a notebook with handwritten messages, including Im going to shoot him but not kill him and I want these kids to get justice.

Shanteari Weems has been charged in D.C. Superior Court with assault with intent to kill and assault with a dangerous weapon. A preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday was continued to Friday morning.

One of her attorneys, Joseph Fay, said Tuesday that he and his co-counsel, Tony Garcia, are looking forward to providing Ms. Weems with a vigorous defense.

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Garcia said the two hoped the court would understand she has never harmed a person in her life, and in fact dedicated herself to other peoples children so that they can make a living.

Court filings say Shanteari Weems told officers she went to meet with her husband on Wednesday and repeatedly asked him about accusations of child molestation in Maryland.

As she received more calls and messages about the allegations, she became more emotional and started a conversation with her husband again on Thursday, the records said. It escalated into an argument, she told police, and she shot when he stood up at one point and started to go towards her.

I think that this woman here was torn apart by guilt  that this was her very own husband  and by fear, when he attacked her, Garcia said. Shes just in this swamp of fear and guilt at this moment. It was very clear that she did not want him to molest another child. Not on her watch.

Garcia said the allegations of sexual abuse are the worst nightmare of anyone who owns a day care.

The only thing worse than the accusation being against one of your employees is if its the very person that youre married to and intimate with, which is her very own husband, Garcia said.

Shanteari Weems case has gained national attention online, with some people calling on social media for her to be freed.

In a news release, Baltimore County Police said Tuesday that detectives began to investigate James Weems earlier this month when they were notified of sexual abuse allegations. A police spokeswoman said Sunday the day care was closed while an investigation moved forward.

An employee of Lil Kidz Kastle, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, said it closed abruptly on July 20, the day before the shooting took place.

Parents were called to come to the school for an emergency pick-up and state employees handed out letters, the employee said. A copy of the letter, provided to The Baltimore Sun, said the day cares license had been immediately suspended due to noncompliance with the child care center regulations.

When parents who arrived at the center heard about the alleged sexual abuse, they became outraged and demanded answers, the employee said.

The letter, written by a regional manager with the Maryland State Department of Educations Office of Child Care, said the emergency suspension would take place immediately, and that the center has the option to appeal the suspension.

It also offered parents help in finding new child care.

Some employees at the day care had children who attended the center, the employee said. They found themselves suddenly out of child care and a job.

A week before the center was shut down, police seized a minivan used by the day care center, the employee said.

Inspection reports from the Maryland State Department of Educations Division of Early Childhood show the child care center was inspected numerous times since 2019 and inspectors identified issues ranging from missing information on forms to improper staffing ratios. The majority were corrected.

The most recent inspection, dated June 2, found no noncompliances, according to a state database.

That report identified an approved capacity for 89 youth. At the time, there were 79 enrolled and 55 present.

Baltimore County Polices news release Tuesday said detectives were working closely with D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department, along with prosecutors, the state Department of Education and the state Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services.

Katherine Morris, a spokeswoman for the human services agency, said Maryland confidentiality laws prevented her from confirming or denying a CPS investigation.

She said the agency would conduct either an investigation or family assessment if someone reported a child was in unsafe circumstances. In an investigation, CPS would determine the nature, extent and cause of any abuse or neglect, she said, adding that investigators often work closely with law enforcement.


Sri Lanka's embattled government declared a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday in a bid to contain massive protests that continued after the country's president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled to the Maldives. Protesters stormed the homes of both the president and the prime minister over the weekend, demanding that both leaders step down. Sri Lankans blame their government for a dire, months-long economic crisis that has left many struggling to afford basic necessities.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has taken over as acting president of the country, imposed the emergency order in a bid to wrest back control of the capital city amid the huge protests. But his declaration served only to refocus the demonstrators' anger at him, and his office became an epicenter of the protests on Wednesday.

How an economic crisis led to political chaos in Sri Lanka

Police imposed an indefinite curfew in one province and a nationwide curfew until 5:00 a.m. Sri Lanka sits just off India's southeast coast and is home to about 22 million people.

Protesters gather to storm Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office, demanding he resign after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid an economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 13, 2022. / Credit: Eranga Jayawardena/AP

Wickremesinghe delivered a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, saying security measures had been stepped up and that he'd ordered the military to do whatever was necessary to restore order.

"We must end this fascist threat to democracy," he said. "We can't allow the destruction of state property. The president's office, the president's secretariat and the prime minister's official residence must be returned to proper custody."

"We can't allow fascists to take over. Some mainstream politicians, too, seem to be supporting these extremists. That is why I declared a nationwide emergency and a curfew," Wickremesinghe said.

The prime minister's office said earlier this week that President Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday to clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power."

But instead of resigning he fled to the Maldives, fueling the anger on the streets.

The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardenam, said Rajapaksa had informed him in a telephone call that he would still resign as promised, but it was unclear if the move was still coming Wednesday  or whether it would do anything to quell the protesters' rage.

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The president flew to the Maldives aboard a military aircraft with his wife and two bodyguards, according to the French news agency AFP.

As soon as word of his escape got out on Wednesday, thousands of protesters mobbed Wickremesinghe's office. Seemingly keen to avoid a repeat of the dramatic scenes that played out over the weekend when protesters occupied the president's opulent residence, Sri Lankan security forces fired tear gas at the protesters as they chanted "Go home Ranil! Go home Gota!" referring to the leaders.

Police fire tear gas at protesters attempting to storm the Prime Minister's office at Flower Road in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 13, 2022. / Credit: M.A Pushpa Kumara/Anadolu Agency/Getty

Eventually the protesters made it into the building and appeared on its balconies with their fists and phones raised in triumph.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters stormed Rajapaksa's official residence, ransacking parts of it, but also lounging in its luxurious bedrooms, gym, and swimming pool. Families, many with small children, came to soak up the atmosphere and pose for photos in the ornate grounds in what looked like a victory parade for the popular uprising. But the leaders they've protested to force out of power were still both technically holding their offices on Wednesday.

Since the protests erupted late last week, those taking part have demanded the immediate resignations of both the president and the prime minister. The prime minister has said he will only leave his post once a new government is in place.

People throng President Gotabaya Rajapaksaas official residence for the second day after it was stormed in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, July 11, 2022. Sri Lanka is in a political vacuum for a second day Monday with opposition leaders yet to agree on who should replace its roundly rejected leaders, whose residences are occupied by protesters, angry over the country's economic woes. / Credit: Eranga Jayawardena / AP

According to Sri Lanka's constitution, the prime minister takes over as acting president if the president resigns or is incapacitated. The country's lawmakers have held several meetings this week to try to elect a new president, but there has been no consensus.

In the power vacuum, the anger that's built for months over food, medicine and fuel shortages and skyrocketing prices has continued to mount.

Sri Lankans have faced long power cuts this summer and been forced to spend hours in lines at gas stations to buy less than a gallon of fuel. The country's cash reserves are running extremely low, forcing Sri Lanka to default on its massive foreign debt of $51 billion as it's been unable to make interest payments on its loans.

The government blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for sapping the country of its vital tourism income, but economists say there are other factors behind the economic crisis, including political corruption and economic mismanagement.

The government has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a $3 billion bailout package, but the timing of that remained unclear Wednesday.

Meanwhile, some Sri Lankans living in the Maldives staged a protest demanding that the Maldivian government send Rajapaksa back home to face the music. But Sri Lankan news outlet the Daily Mirror reported, quoting unnamed sources, that Rajapaksa would instead fly to Singapore later on Wednesday.

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World sales company Taskovski Films has acquired Veronika Liskovas documentary The Visitors, ahead of its world premiere in Critics Week at the Locarno Film Festival.

The film follows a young anthropologist, Zdenka, who moves with her family to Svalbard, Norway, to study how life is changing in the polar regions. After falling in love with her new home, she discovers that more than icebergs and permafrost are vanishing in the Arctic. She has to work out to what extent she can get involved in the local community that she only originally intended to observe.

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Liskova, whose feature documentary Daniels World world premiered at the Berlinale in the Panorama section in 2014, said in a statement: When I decided to follow sociologist Zdenka Sokolickova to Svalbard, I expected the primary location for filming to be one of great beauty and profound fragility. However, it turned out to be a microcosm that intensely encapsulated some of the most burning challenges faced today, not least regarding the environment. The two-year-long journey of the documentary with Zdenka resulted in an intimate testimony reflecting the disappearance of a unique local community, the risks posed by exclusionary practices and, above all, the universal need for a sense of belonging and a stable home.

The Visitors - Credit: Courtesy of Cinemotif Films

Courtesy of Cinemotif Films

Taskovski Films CEO Irena Taskovski said: We were following the work of Veronika Liskova since her controversial debut Daniels World, underlining a huge talent and brave cinematic approach. The Visitors touches the very sensitive topics of belonging and migration in a contemporary world. Set in the vast and cold Svalbard in the Arctic Circle, severely hit by global warming, the film is posing the question where did we all go wrong. 

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The films producer Kristyna Michalek Kvetova from Cinemotif Films said: Even though it is a first time collaboration, we have known Irena and Taskovski Films for a long time. Both me and the director like their taste for films and the catalog they represent, thus we are excited about working together on our newest film, The Visitors. 

The director of photography is Vojtech Vancura and the editor is Marek Sulik.

The Visitors - Credit: Courtesy of Cinemotif Films

Courtesy of Cinemotif Films

The producers are Kristyna Michalek Kvetova and Martina Netikova. The co-producers are Johanna Dorothea Raita, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Peter Kerekes and Anna Mach Rumanova.

The film was produced by Cinemotif Films, and coproduced by Ten Thousand Images, Peter Kerekes and Czech TV.

It was financed by Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Norwegian Film Institute, Fritt Ord Foundation, Bergensen Foundation and Viken Filmsenter.

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Press Release

July 27, 2022 CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH

Senate Resolution No. 66

Iglesia ni Cristo - 108th Anniversary Good afternoon Mr. President, my dear colleagues. It is my utmost pride to rise before this august chamber to co-sponsor Senate Resolution No. 66, commemorating the 108th Anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo and commending the outstanding leadership of Ka Eduardo V. Manalo. Mr. President, time and again, the INC has proven to us that it is not only a religion that helps it members, but is a living testament that they are indeed a "church for all people," regardless of their race, nationality or status in the society. With its more than a century of proven track record of being an aid to humanity and providing various community, housing and livelihood projects, among others, the INC, with the strong and dedicated leadership of Ka Eduardo V. Manalo, has not only continuously worked towards expanding their church and members as to numbers, but more commendably, has successfully worked towards the growing number of footprints that they leave in looking after the welfare of those in need. Some of their notable projects for this year alone include outreach programs in the remote areas of Visayas Provinces in response to the needs of communities affected by economic difficulties brought about by calamities, especially the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] A true embodiment of their adherence of God's command to "do good to those who need it."[2] ?Para po sa ating mga kapatid sa Iglesia ni Cristo sa pangunguna ni kagalang-galang na Ka-Eduardo Manalo, isa pong mainit na pagbati para sa inyong ika-isang daan at walong anibersaryo. Ako po ay kasama ninyong nagdarasal para sa kaligtasan, kagalingan, at mas pinagpala pang kapatiran. Nawa ay patuloy po kayong maging inspirasyon ng bawat Filipino! Makakaasa po kayo na kasama ninyo ang Senado para sa pagpapabuti ng kalagayan ng lahat ng Pilipino. Maraming salamat po! ____________________ [1] https://iglesianicristo.net/inc-outreach-delivers-aid-to-thousands-in-the-visayas/ [2] Prov. 3:27, Good News Translation.
Buffalo Teachers Federation President Philip Rumore said the union will appeal a decision that 16 teachers engaged in an unlawful strike.

A total of 23 teachers at Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet called in sick the day after a youth fleeing from an altercation four years ago threatened to come back the next day and shoot and kill everyone in the school.

After a threat, 23 teachers called in sick. A state court called their move a strike A state appeals court last week upheld an administrative ruling that 16 of the teachers engaged in an unlawful strike when they used a sick day following a fight, during which a youth fleeing the altercation threatened to come back the next day and kill everyone in the school.

A state appeals court last week upheld an administrative ruling that 16 of the teachers engaged in an unlawful strike when they used a sick day following the fight.

The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, Third Department, upheld a ruling by the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) against the New York State United Teachers, Buffalo.

The penalty issued by PERB was a suspension of union dues at the school for four months. Each teacher who was found to have participated was also docked two days pay for the one-day strike, according to Nathaniel J. Kuzma, general counsel for Buffalo Public Schools.

The District is pleased with the decision of the Appellate Division and expects the BTF to abide by the law in the future regarding the prohibition of public sector labor strikes, Kuzma said in a statement.

Rumore said the teachers did not strike in March 2018.

"I think what this shows is the vindictiveness and the meanness of the school district, at least at the time," Rumore said.

"Teachers went in afterwards and were consoling each other and someone was saying that they were going to take off, they were just so sick of it," Rumore said.

He said union officials told the union representative in the school to make sure that no one took a sick day who was not sick, and she notified members via email.

Although there was evidence to support a different conclusion, there was substantial evidence that the union "caused, encouraged, instigated, and/or condoned an unlawful strike by 16 of its unit members at Public School 59," the Appellate Court decision said.
White House officials said Tuesday that the United States is exploring ways to mitigate Russias potential exit from the International Space Station, though they noted Moscow has not provided Washington with formal notification of its intent to withdraw from the collaboration after 2024.

The [Russian] government has not formally notified the United States of their intentions to withdraw from the ISS, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a briefing Tuesday afternoon, referring to the International Space Station.

We are exploring options to mitigate the potential impacts on the ISS beyond 2024 if Russia does withdraw, she said. For our part, we remain committed to working with ISS partners to ensure the safe operation of the ISS and the astronauts who are on board.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby made similar comments to reporters earlier Tuesday, noting that the White House is aware of Russias public comments.

Russias new space chief, Yuri Borisov, said earlier Tuesday that Moscow planned to withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024.

The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made, he said.

The announcement has thrown the fate of the International Space Station into doubt. The space station is a partnership between the U.S., Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe. NASA says there were plans to operate the station through 2030.

Its unclear precisely what the U.S. could do to mitigate the impact of the Russians withdrawing from the space collaboration.

The pledge to withdraw from the International Space Station is the latest sign of boiling tensions between Russia and the U.S. over Moscows ongoing military invasion of Ukraine, which just entered its sixth month.

Russia has threatened to withdraw from the space station in recent months, but Tuesdays announcement seemed more concrete, having apparently won approval from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

In January, Black political leaders in New York City celebrated a return from oblivion. Out of power for decades, they captured four key municipal offices and looked ahead to the prospect of rewarding their base.

Six months on, however, the issue of crime is commanding their attention and threatens to squander a rare moment of governance. These leaders must find a way to pivot from crime to economic development to stabilize their endangered middle class.

Mayor Eric Adams, City Council President Adrienne Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg oversee competing structures of municipal government; however, as leaders of an ethnic political class, they are punching well below their weight. Specifically, they are wedded to an agenda of street-crime reduction to the exclusion of addressing severe levels of Black unemployment and middle-class erosion.

The dynamic is not exclusive to New York City, of course, as fragile Black middle class constituents in Chicago, San Francisco, and other cities watch their representatives focus on crime rather than on economic imperatives.

Four Lessons Georgia Democrats Can Learn From the History of Black Self-Governance in America

Make no mistake, there is a connection between managing quality of life issues like crime and economic stability. However, the priority placed on crime preventionand especially gun violencemay be disproportionate to the actual threat, and create unintended obstacles to employment.

Yet, there is little appetite to place things in perspective; the fact is that crime rates are low by historical standards. The common use of 2020 as a baseline year to gauge criminal activity today can be misleading. Thats because 2020 was an anomalous year due to the pandemic. In NYC, the overall crime rate dropped as hospitals became morgues, streets emptied, and people lived as shut-ins.

At the same time, the experience played a role in sparking violent incidents that captured public attention. The number of murders increased from 319 in 2019 to 462 in 2020 and 488 in 2021, but the uptick is still a far cry from the 2,262 murders in 1990!

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Understandably, the historical perspective can be cold comfort to residents intimidated on subways or confronted at ATM machines. Murders and shootings have actually dropped over the past one-year period, but the offenses that most violate our personhoodrobbery, rape, car theft, assaultare on the rise and driving negative opinion polls. Clearly, the new Black political class has a responsibility to address legitimate concerns for public safety, not least because their own constituents are disproportionately burdened.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Council President Adrienne Adams, Mayor Eric Adams, City and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Nonetheless, the trend may not justify calls for a return of the heavy-handed policing of Mayor Rudy Giuliani from 1994-2001. A persistent political myth holds that Giulianis emphasis on quality of life enforcement stopped a rising crime rate. In fact, crime was falling during the administration of David Dinkins (1990-1993) and before the implementation of the since-discredited policing tactics that former commissioner Ray Kellyand Mayor Adamsare trying to restore. One of these controversial tactics was the NYPD policy for detaining young people known as Stop and Frisk. In 2013, a federal court judge ruled that it was conducted in an unconstitutional way and reinforced a form of racial profiling.

What it all suggests is that Black NYC leaders must find a way to give equal attention to the problems of crime reduction and to the economic improvement of their communities.

The need for a pivot is urgent if the Black middle class is to stem alarmingly high unemployment, underemployment, and population loss. This may be the last time that the community is in a position to appeal to leaders from their ranks.

SHRINKING POPULATIONS, SHRINKING OPPORTUNITIES

Since 2010, the city population grew modestly to about 8.4 million people, while the Black population shrank noticeably, according to the 2020 Census. The demographic spectrum today is about 32 percent white, 29 percent Hispanic, 22 percent African-American, and 14 percent Asian. Black New Yorkers, as a historically monolithic voting bloc, tend to have high turn-out rates compared to the other minority groups.

However, the advantage of mobilization is short-term as Blacks fail to thrivewith more than 15 percent of adult workers unemployed and nearly twice as many youths. The middle class is struggling to keep its head above water and advance its occupational status in the globalized labor market.

A whopping 25 percent of Black workers face underemployment, and remain stuck in the deep recession of the pandemic. Many young men encounter barriers to employment as a result of minor criminal records incurred from exposure to over-policing. The Black employment profile is the worst of any ethnic group in the city, according to James Parrott, an economist at the New School of Social Research. Still, city authorities seem reluctant to highlight a condition as destructive to social order as crime.

A consequence has been an exodus of middle-class talent and families. Over the last decade, the Black population contracted by nearly 5 percent, and the trend bodes ill for the future of the communityand for the viability of its political class.

The situation will get worse without an intervention to improve occupational mobility, according to the 2019 study by the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, The Future of Work in Black America. The research suggests expedited programs to help stem the challenges automation poses to African Americans. Foremost is training for the middle-skill occupations in the growth industries: These are jobs that require more than a high school education but less than a four-year degree. Examples include X-ray technicians, dental hygienists, heating and refrigeration technicians, aircraft mechanics, storage and distribution managers, communication equipment workers, tractor trailer drivers, and electricians.

Urban economists consider the lack of a middle-skilled workforce to be an impediment to commercial growth. A workforce initiative for NYC should involve employers and paid training, apprenticeships, and employment in growth industries like transportation and utilities, education and health services, professional and business services, and the fledgling high-tech manufacturing sector.

FOUR BLACK MIDDLE-CLASS PIONEERS

All of which begs the question, can the political leaders pivot from crime to an economic agenda that uplifts Black New Yorkers?

Critics may argue that they owe no special allegiance; that they serve a broader electorate with a primary responsibility to administer municipal services. Yet, the four leaders identify as the proud byproducts of a postwar Black middle class. These pioneers established a tenuous middle class despite racial barriers to well-paying occupations, according to Roger Waldingers history, Still the Promised Land. Many used access to education and political power to capture skilled jobs in the public sector but were unable to crack the private sector.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Like New Yorks current political leaders, I came of age in the era of the fledgling Black middle class of NYC. As youths, we held the striving workforce in high esteem and felt an obligation to move forward. We were the children of the dream and, with that in mind, the following snippets of biography are meant to recall the obligation to the earlier class.

Lets begin with Mayor Eric Leroy Adams, raised by a single mother who cleaned the houses of white families in the 1970s. At 61, he exhibits the pride of someone who overcame a learning disability and racial stigma to claw his way to the top. After floundering in grade school, and involvement with a gang, he developed the discipline to complete high school, community college, public college in criminal justice, and a graduate program at a Catholic university.

Joining the NYPD, he rose to the rank of police captain, then represented Brooklyns Black districts in the state assembly and as the borough president. He campaigned for mayor on the promise of restoring the city economy and finding a balance between the demands for crime reduction and police accountability. Since taking office, though, his agenda has been subsumed by the immediacy of gun violence.

Adams, a pro-police centrist, is leveraging fear to campaign for the roll back of criminal justice reforms. Many of the reforms were the results of protests over incidents like the 2014 NYPD chokehold killing of Eric Garner, the unconstitutional Stop and Frisk policing tactics, and other outrageous actions that gave oxygen to the Black Lives Matter movement. Adams, as mayor, issued a Blueprint to End Gun Violence that critics view as a manifesto for a restoration of the state violence of policing.

Adams is establishing a national profile as a crime stopper. While some of his ideas are embraced by the Biden administration, like increased funding for mental health, others border on the medievallike the use of solitary confinement in the citys jails. His blueprint set off alarm bells at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which condemned a return to tactics discredited by scholars, lawyers, and courts.

Biden Must Fulfill His Promise to Protect the Black Vote

These include sweeps of homeless people, the return of a plain-clothes anti-gun squad, punitive use of bail, prosecution of minors charged with serious offenses as adults, and the use of facial recognition technology prone to bias. Under Adams, the transit police are conducting random bag checks on metropolitan commuters and bus passengers arriving from the South.

His pro-law enforcement stance dovetails with a national trend to roll back reforms to the criminal justice system. In San Francisco, for instance, opponents successfully recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a visible proponent of police oversight, reduced bail, and treatment for addicts. Among his critics was the African American Mayor London Breed, who distanced herself during an outcry over rising crime in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The lawlessness necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency.

In a similar vein, Mayor Adams has been critical of the reformist Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg. The prosecutor, 48, is a graduate of Harvard College and Law School, and considered a Harlem success storyhe still lives there with his wife and two children. A former chief deputy attorney general for New York state, he campaigned on a promise to shrink the system of prosecution by declining to pursue low-level offenses. He takes charge of an office with a history of sanctioning the racist practices of the NYPD.

Street crime has demanded the attention of the two other Black NYC leaders as well, City Council President Adrienne Adams and the Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Adrienne Adams, 61, is the first Black president of the city council, the second most powerful post in the city government. She grew up in a middle-class family in Hollis, Queens. Her father was a UPS truck driver and her mother a corrections officer. There is no relation to the mayor, though they were classmates at Bayside High School in the late 1970s. She went on to study at Spelman College in Atlanta, and work as a flight attendant and corporate trainer, before being elected to the City Council.

As council president, she brings the people skills of a married mother of four and grandmother of 10. It probably helped her to get the unruly 51-member body to pass the citys $101 billion budget. She has been critical of Mayor Adams plans to restore the anti-gun squads and to use solitary confinement in the jails.

Jumanne Williams, 46, holds the office with the least authoritybut one that suits his talent to crusade. Born to immigrant parents from Grenada, West Indies, Williams overcame a learning disability to complete studies at Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College. After a stint as a community organizer, he was elected to represent Council District 45, which covers the Flatbush area of Brooklyn. He sponsored the landmark Community Safety Act, a law to end the police tactic of Stop and Frisk detentions.

As the public advocate, Williams is empowered by citywide voters to investigate complaints of municipal services and propose fixes to the city council. The advocate is a non-voting member of the council, with the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation. Now he is campaigning for governor of New York with the backing of numerous progressive-oriented groups.

All of which leads back to how leaders can pivot from crime to an economic agenda? It may require a Black unity conference to spotlight the gravity of the problem. Any of the four leaders has the standing to convene the conference. They might consider how leaders in Pittsburgh, New Haven, Buffalo, and other cities weathered public anxiety over crime to address economic development.

A critical component is leadership committed to transformation, according to Denver South, a magazine for a turnaround city: For a city in an economic crisis to spark a turnaround, it takes committed leadership across the sectors of government and private investment moving towards a unified vision.

One topic for the prospective conference would be paid training and hiring for seasonal youth employment. These jobs tend to be short-term incentives with an eye towards reducing crime temptations. In fact, most of the political leaders have announced summer jobs for youths funded through the budgets of their offices. Why not bundle the programs into a larger package of investments in sustained youth employment?

Another conference topic could be training and hiring for the new federally funded infrastructure projects. Congress recently allocated $1.2 trillion for roads, bridges, internet, drinking water, mass transit, clean energy vehicles, and power generation. The projects create a need for skilled workers in the construction trades, an industry resistant to Black workers in the past.

In the coming years, NYC stands to use its allocation to invest $10 billion for public transit; $13.5 billion for highways and bridges; $685 million for airports; $175 million for new electric vehicle charging stations and money for broadband and clean energy projects. They will require thousands of skilled workers from craftsmen and truck drivers to designers and accountants; some jobs pay relatively high wages for people without college degrees. Certainly, the political leaders are in a position to shape who will do the work and how they will be trained.

How We Could Have Stopped These Rigged, Racist Voting Maps

A final topic should be on developing the skill sets of the adult labor force. The conference could look for ways to align workers with paid training to meet the demands of companies; most of all, trades that will last as occupations adjust to new technology. According to the National League of Cities, turnaround projects devised programs with a vision to build equitable and inclusive cities.

In Boston, for instance, former Mayor Marty Walsh (now Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration) launched a green jobs project for stormwater infrastructure and building maintenance. Mid-sized cities in New York state, such as Buffalo and Syracuse, retrained people to do skilled trades in construction and health services.

In closing, New York Citys Black political leaders must seize the moment to bolster its fragile middle-class base. They should consider the value of a unity conference to expand the agenda from crime to economic development, as well as to prove that they are leaders capable of doing two things at once, exceedingly well.

In this case, that would be addressing concerns over public safety while elevating the economic opportunities of its most marginalized communities.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A Pennsylvania man died this week after being strangled by an 18-foot-long snake he was keeping as a pet, said authorities, who had to shoot the snake to death to try to rescue the man.

Elliot Senseman, 27, died Sunday, four days after a boa constrictor-type snake wrapped itself around his neck at his home, cutting off oxygen to his brain. Citing a family friend, WFMZ-TV reported that the snake was a reticulated python, and Senseman was a trained professional who had rescued the snake from an abusive home.

The Lehigh County coroner's office ruled the death an accident, saying the cause was anoxic brain injury due to asphyxiation by constriction.

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Constrictors pose a threat

Senseman had 10 years of experience in snake handling, and had been taking care of rescues. The accident apparently happened when he was changing its tank to give the animal food and water.

An animal expert said the snake's actions weren't necessarily violent. "Most of the time, it is not out of aggression, so there might be situations, like they like to go towards warmth, so they sense body heat," Cher Vatalaro, director of conservation education at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, told WFMZ. "They are constrictors, that is their natural behavior, but obviously that poses a threat."

Police were called to Senseman's home in Fogelsville last Wednesday afternoon after 2pm, where they found the man in cardiac arrest after the snake had wrapped its midsection around his neck. Officers shot and killed the snake, after which they were able to give Senseman medical care and take him to the hospital.

Senseman's mother, Heather Lyons, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her son was "eccentric and fun and unique and brilliant. Everything he did was for other people. Even the damn snakes, he was rescuing them from people who couldn't take care of them."

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This is how snakes try to maintain balance

It's not clear how heavy the snake that killed Senseman was, but the reticulated python is the world's longest snake. An 18-foot python captured in Florida this summer weighed 200 pounds.

Rudy Arceo, founder of the Venom Institute in Pennsylvania, told the Post-Gazette that because snakes lack arms and legs, they stabilize themselves by wrapping their bodies around what is holding them.

"But if you put this snake around your neck, and you're walking around hanging out with it or whatever, they will wrap around and they'll just basically try to maintain balance," he said. "And unfortunately, if you're not paying attention, they can get around your neck, and then when you try to actually push-pull away from it, it can be really difficult."

No one should handle long snakes alone, Arceo added.
Screenshot: Beyonce.com

I dont mean to get you over-excited on this Wednesday, but in approximately two more days, Beyonces seventh studio album, Renaissance, will be available to the masses. And in a move that Im hella jealous about, Sony Music has announced a series of official listening/release parties for it in anticipation.



According to Billboard, those parties will be taking place at secret locations across various European countries such as France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Canada and Australia will also be getting their Renaissance on in Toronto and Sydney, respectively. Additional locations are set to be announced later.

Read more

*Deep, heavy, you wont break my soul-style sigh*

Now you know I love yall, but please excuse me for a second. This next set of paragraphs will be directed towards Yonce.

Umm, Beyonce. Girl, I know youve probably delegated this take to other people, but Im just trying to figure out where my invite is? I understand if it got lost in the mailthat happens. I also understand if Sir or Rumi accidentally spilled juice on it or something and messed it up. Theyre kids. But maam, the anticipation is REAL over here. Surely, you can squeeze me in, right?

As a matter of fact, you or your staff can just go ahead and slide it on into my Mystery Box that I ordered about a month ago. I got box number four, seeing as how thats your favorite number and all. I know the boxes ship out on Friday, the same day that the album drops, but I promise its not too late. But I digress.

At any rate, since it seems glaringly obvious that I wont be taking my talents across the pond, I guess Ill have to wait with bated breath for this project to arrive like the rest of the world. For all you folks wholl manage to get tix to those parties, consider yourselves blessed by Bey and use your newfound powers wisely.

Renaissance, act i, drops Friday July 29.
Stock prices for two major buyers of Iowa farmers' crops headed in different directions this week following their latest financial reports.

Chicago-based Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. reported an operating profit of $1.84 billion in its latest quarter on Tuesday, up 61% over the same period last year.

The company's agricultural services and oil seed businesses were the primary drivers of the increased earnings, which led to a 6% increase in ADM's stock price from Tuesday morning through Wednesday afternoon.

Bunge Limited, meanwhile, saw its stock price drop 5% Wednesday despite reporting that quarterly profits fell by 43% from last year, to $206 million.

The St. Louis-based agricultural services company blamed the drop on its merchandising business, which buys, dries, stores and transports corn, wheat and barley.

The reports came as the federal government seeks to bring down a decades-high inflation rate, which has raised food prices. Iowa is the nation's top corn-producing state and second for soybeans, and ADM is one of the top buyers of both in the Midwest. It turns the commodities into everything from starches to sweeteners to ethanol and biodiesel, as well as shipping them to other countries.

ADM operates factories in Cedar Rapids, Clinton and Des Moines.

"In recessions, food is more protected than other things," ADM CEO Juan Luciano told analysts on a call Tuesday morning. "So we dont expect a significant drop in demand, at least not for a sustainable period of time."

Bunge CEO Greg Hackman told analysts Wednesday that the company continues to deal with tough conditions around the world, from COVID-19 lockdowns that have shut down factories in China to the war in Ukraine, where the company maintains a presence. The tight supply of grain in the U.S. has caused commodity prices to shift frequently, making it more difficult to nail down agreements.

"Producers (were) not selling any crops, as well as the consumer absolutely stopped buying, trying to see where the market sorted itself out," Hackman said.

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The moon rises behind a grain elevator in Waukee.

The company also has dealt with supply-chain issues that have made it harder to move the corn and soybeans. Bunge estimated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a top corn grower, cost the company $59 million last quarter, which ended June 30. Hackman said the company will continue to struggle to move grain out of Ukraine, in part because of the damage to ports on the Black Sea.

Russia on July 23 signed an agreement to allow Ukraine to resume grain exports, then, hours later, hit the port city of Odessa with missiles.

Despite its setbacks, Bunge increased its forecast for the rest of the year, telling investors that it expects to earn $12 per share. The company previously reported that the company should earn $11.50 per share.

"We need a good U.S. crop," Hackman said. "But it looks like we're on the way there."

Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Commodities buyers' shares on opposite arcs after earnings reports
A Florida man has been arrested for attempting to break into the Patrick Space Force Base using a stolen truck to warn the U.S. government of a war between aliens and Chinese dragons.

Corey Johnson, 29, of Ocala, Florida, was arrested on Friday. His arrest affidavit noted that he stole a 2013 Ford F-150 three days before driving to the Patrick Space Force Base located in Brevard County.

Johnson reportedly admitted to Brevard County deputies that he stole the vehicle while at Riviera Beach and did not know who the owner was.

According to his arrest affidavit, Johnson said he was ordered by President Biden in his head to steal the truck and drive it to the Space Force base to "warn the government about "U.S. aliens fighting with Chinese dragons."

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The Florida man, who has been booked into Brevard County Jail, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle. His bond was reportedly set at $3,000.

Featured Image via Jonas Bengtsson (CC BY 2.0)

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NYC repeat offender who hit Asian man with a hammer indicted on hate crime charges
A federal court has ruled that Uber does not need to provide wheelchair-accessible service in every US market, ABC News has reported. The company's decision to provide such a service only in certain cities was not in violation of federal law and would be overly burdensome, said Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the federal San Francisco Court.

Two users of motorized wheelchairs in New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi sued Uber over the lack of accessible services in those cities. Since Uber couldn't accommodate non-foldable wheelchairs, they claimed that it was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that prohibits businesses from discriminating against people based on their disabilities. They further argued that Uber has a "deep-rooted accessibility problem," treating it as an "afterthought." The trial for the case lasted nearly five years.

Uber said in its defense that it would be too expensive to offer wheelchair service in every city if it needed to contract with providers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Judge Seeborg agreed, saying that the plaintiffs gave "scant evidence" that Uber could do so cost-effectively and that wait times would still be "significant" if it did. "The anticipated cost here is too high for the limited service that would result, making the proposed modification unreasonable," he said.

The judge did reject Uber's argument that it didn't need to provide wheelchair-accessible services everywhere because it has done so in some cities, noting that the ADA looks at each modification for reasonableness.

Uber does accommodate wheelchair users in other cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. New Orleans considered mandating the service, but Uber lobbied against those efforts, according to the court records. "We welcome the outcome and are proud of our efforts to improve accessibility for all users, including through Uber WAV, said an Uber spokesperson in a statement.

Noting that the decision arrived on the eve of the anniversary of the ADA's passage into law, lead plaintiff Scott Crawford decried the ruling. "Uber made no sincere attempt to provide accessible service, but instead claimed it was too burdensome," he said. "This could have been economically resolved years ago.'
Jul. 26OXFORD  A Lee County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing a bank in downtown Tupelo.

Jasper Michael Wagner, 56, of Tupelo, entered the plea on Tuesday, July 26, before U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 1. Wagner faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Wagner entered the Community Bank on West Main Street on April 6 around lunchtime and handed the clerk a note telling her to give him $5,000. He walked out of the bank with approximately that amount of money in a bank bag. When he was apprehended in a Leeds, Alabama, hotel room about four hours later, he still had the bank bag and most of the money.

The Tupelo Police and FBI investigated the case with significant assistance from the Leeds, Alabama Police Department.

"The FBI will continue to collaborate with our state and local partners to ensure dangerous, repeat offenders, such as Mr. Wagner, are brought to justice," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby. "We are steadfast in our commitment to reduce violent crime and the negative impact it has upon our communities."

Since 2002, Wagner has pleaded guilty in federal court to nine bank robberies in seven states, from New Mexico to the Carolinas, including two in Mississippi. Wagner's life of crime has followed a distinct pattern: He robs several banks, gets caught, serves about 10 years in prison, gets out and starts robbing banks again.

He did that in 2000-2001, repeated it in late 2010 and did it again this year. In a press release following Wagner's arrest, Leeds Police Chief Paul Irwin said Wagner is a suspect in other robberies in both Mississippi and Alabama.

The first documented string of Wagner's bank robberies began in late 2000 and included banks in New Mexico, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and two in South Carolina. He pleaded guilty to robbing seven banks. Following his release in early 2010, Wagner stole a car in December 2010 and robbed banks in Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

william.moore@djournal.com
Ukrainian soldiers pose for a photo at the Zaporizhzhia Military Hospital in southeastern Ukraine. Dmytro Smolyenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved treating Ukrainian troops at a US military hospital.

Up to 18 soldiers may be attended to at a time at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

This is the first time Ukrainian troops have been offered such services at a US military facility.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has approved a plan to treat wounded Ukrainian troops at a US military hospital in Germany, according to several media reports.

Austin had, on May 26, verbally greenlighted the treatment of Ukrainian soldiers at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in western Germany, CNN reported, citing a Pentagon memo.

The defense chief then formalized the decision in a memo on June 29, per CNN. The outlet added that the approval allows up to 18 Ukrainian troops to be treated at a time.

The memo marks the first time Ukraine's wounded troops have been offered treatment at a US military hospital since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion in February.

An anonymous US official said no Ukrainian troops had been treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center yet, according to a Reuters report published on Tuesday evening.

The center is the largest American military hospital outside the US and is located near the Ramstein Air Base.

Meanwhile, several Ukrainian soldiers have already received treatment at civilian hospitals in the US. A video posted on Tuesday by Anton Geraschenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Minister for Internal Affairs, showed soldiers testing the prosthetic legs they were fitted with at a Chicago medical facility.

Read the original article on Business Insider
EDMONTON, Alberta  Pope Francis is touring Canada this week on a pilgrimage of penitence" to account for the wrongs done to Indigenous children at the hands of the Catholic Church. But if Yaroslav Broda had his way, Francis would make amends for another church failing  its refusal to strongly condemn Russia for invading Ukraine.

Broda, a leader of the Ukrainian community in Edmonton, said he found the popes comments about the war so far disheartening.

Canada has the third-largest Ukrainian population of any country, trailing only Russia and Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians fled their home country in the early 20th century, settling on the Canadian prairies when the federal government offered free land to newcomers.

Edmonton is now home to about 12 percent of an estimated 1.36 million people of Ukrainian descent who live in Canada, according to the most recently available federal data. That's more than any other metropolitan area.

Pope Francis visit to Canada is his first to a country with a significant Ukrainian population since the war began in February. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), however, did not request an audience with the pope.

"We think this visit has one focus. Yes, whats happening in Ukraine is front of mind for us, but reconciliation is also very important," said Broda, the UCC's Edmonton chapter president, adding that the group is "trying to build relationships with Indigenous groups and work on our part of reconciliation."

The pope's visit to Canada has been dubbed an "apology tour" by some. He traveled to a community south of Edmonton on Monday to deliver a historic apology to Indigenous survivors of residential schools run by the Catholic Church for more than a century from the 1880s until the 1990s. The schools were meant to wipe out Indigenous languages, traditions and customs  a system derided as cultural genocide by a high-profile Truth and Reconciliation Commission report in 2015.

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If the circumstances surrounding the papal visit were different, Broda said his organization "definitely would" request an audience with Francis.

The pope has repeatedly offered words of compassion to Ukrainians victimized by Russia's invasion. In a June interview with Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica, he decried the brutality and ferocity of Russian troops, and celebrated the heroism of the Ukrainian people.



But the pontiff also turned heads with a suggestion that the invasion was perhaps somehow either provoked or not prevented  a possible nod to Russian claims that NATO's aggressive posture in the region forced President Vladimir Putin's hand.

"The Pope hasn't spoken that much about (the war), but what he has said is disheartening," said Broda, one of thousands of Greek-Ukrainian Catholics in Canada.

There have been other papal missteps along the way.

In April, the Vaticans Way of the Cross procession through Romes Colosseum on Good Friday angered many Ukrainian Catholics. The ceremony featured a Russian and a Ukrainian woman holding the cross together in the spirit of peace and reconciliation.

Broda said the spirit of that event was a "nice sentiment on the surface," but it implied that the Russian people weren't themselves fanning the flames of war.

"As easy as it is to say its all Vladimir Putins fault, Putin didnt rape women and children in Bucha and Mariupol," he said. "A lot of those atrocities that came to light after the Russians withdrew were not committed by Vladimir Putin. They were committed by your average Russian soldier."

Broda recalled a massive pro-war rally at a Moscow stadium in March that attracted 200,000 people and various shows of support for Putin's invasion in European nations with a large Russian diaspora.

"Those are people who live in the West and have access to all the information in the world, and they still choose to support the war," he said.

In the same interview with La Civilta Cattolica, Francis attempted to add nuance to his views.

Someone may say to me at this point: but you are pro-Putin! No, I am not, he said. It would be simplistic and wrong to say such a thing. I am simply against reducing complexity to the distinction between good guys and bad guys, without reasoning about roots and interests, which are very complex.

The pope told Reuters in June that he hoped to visit both Moscow and Kyiv in an effort to bring a resolution to the war. He said only that those trips would follow his time in Canada.

The first thing is to go to Russia to try to help in some way, but I would like to go to both capitals, he said.

Given the chance to speak directly to the pope, Broda said the UCC would ask him to pick a side.

"I would hope that His Holiness would hear the concerns of Canadian Catholics and take a more clear and unequivocal position in support of Ukraine," he said. "I dont think the lines between good and bad have been quite so clear in a really long time."
The public comment period is now open ahead of Buffalo Mayor Byron Browns public hearing on the Common Councils redrawn district boundaries.

Council members unanimously approved redrawn maps last week. Members amended what the citys reapportionment commission had developed.

Under the Councils amended map, the South District has the highest population of white people, with 24,089, followed by Delaware District with 22,323 and the Niagara District with 13,720. Niagara also has the highest Hispanic population: 8,286.

Masten, University and Ellicott districts are home to the largest numbers of African Americans: 23,347; 18,970; and 17,950, respectively.

But critics of the Councils amended map  particularly Our City Action Buffalo, a grassroots political group - have charged gerrymandering by the Council and contend the new district lines do not take into account neighborhoods or promote racial fairness and are encouraging Brown to veto the Councils new map.

The mayors public hearing will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave.

Click here to leave a public comment on the citys website.
The incident left 30,000 passengers with delayed and canceled flights.

The 37-year-old woman who was arrested after firing a handgun inside the Dallas Love Field Airport on Monday had previously been ordered by a judge to undergo psychosocial counseling.

The New York Times is reporting that Portia Odufuwa was shot and injured by a police officer after she fired a weapon several times in a ticket counter area of the airport.

Authorities said the shooting happened after the woman was dropped off near the Southwest Airlines ticket counter at about 11 a.m. She changed clothes in a restroom before emerging and opening fire, Chief Eddie Garcia of the Dallas Police Department said at a news conference on Monday afternoon, according to Yahoo.

Odufuwa was struck in the lower extremities by a Dallas police officer after she began firing into the air and aiming at the ceiling, police said, The Times reported. She was arrested and taken to a hospital and authorities have not updated her condition.

No one was injured during the shooting, WFAA-TV reported on its Youtube channel, but the incident left 30,000 passengers with delayed and canceled flights.

Love Field released a statement in the aftermath of the shooting urging passengers to refrain from coming to the airport because it was shut down for more than two hours following the incident, The Times reported.

The Dallas Police Department and FBI are investigating the incident, according to a DPD update.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg expressed his appreciation for the efforts of first responders in a tweet that said his office was monitoring developments, according to The Times. Thankful to all first responders on-site working to ensure travelers safety, Buttigieg wrote on Twitter.

We have drills on evacuation and where were supposed to go to, but in the middle of it, thats all out the window, Lanasha Darnell, 43, of Forney, Texas, who has worked at the airport since 2020, told The Times.

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Authorities said Portia Odufuwa opened fire in the Dallas Love Field Airport shortly after someone dropped her off near the Southwest Airlines ticket counter. (Photo by Rick Gershon/Getty Images)

Like Darnell, Joe Castronovo III  who arrived from Orlando, Florida on business  saw people running and trying to hide amid the chaotic scene. I pulled up and saw a woman screaming and running away from the building, said Castronovos father, Joe Castronovo Jr., who was at the terminal to pick up his son. We got scared something was wrong. Workers were coming out and telling people to hide.

In 2021, Odufuwas falsely reported a fire in Dallas County, according to The Times. A judge ruled that she was incompetent to stand trial and ordered counseling as well as housing under the auspices of a health care provider.

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The post Woman accused of shooting at Dallas airport was ordered to attend psychosocial counseling appeared first on TheGrio.
A man who bears a resemblance to missing Texas State University student Jason Landry, and who was found unconscious and unresponsive in New York last week, is not Landry, New York authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The man, who has not been publicly named, was identified as someone from Yonkers, a suburb north of New York City. His family has been notified.

Photos of the man circulated on social media Tuesday night and Wednesday, leading to speculation that the man could have been Landry.

This individual has been identified as a man from Yonkers. His family has been notified.



Thank you to everyone who shared this message. https://t.co/129atkfbnM  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 27, 2022

Authorities said the man was not carrying identification, and was found near University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue in the Bronx on July 22. He did not have any apparent injuries and is being treated at a nearby New York hospital.

Landry has been missing since Dec. 13, 2020, after his vehicle was found crashed into a tree and barbed wire fence on a gravel road near Luling. He was believed to be driving from San Marcos to his parents' home in the Houston suburb of Missouri City.

His backpack with some of his belongings, his cellphone and the clothes that police think Landry was wearing that night were found near the crash scene. But Landry has not been seen for more than a year.

Previous coverage:'We can't grieve.' Father of Jason Landry on a year without his son

Kent Landry, Jasons dad, told the American-Statesman that the detectives at the Texas attorney generals office's Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit, which was created in March 2021, transferred all of Jasons identification information to the New York Police Department.

New York investigators went to the hospital Wednesday to work on identifying the unconscious man through fingerprints.

Story continues

In December, a badly decomposed body was found in the Guadalupe River, which many speculated could have been Jason Landry. But that body was identified as 16-year-old Benjamin "Tank" Loera from Vanderbilt, near Victoria, who had also been reported missing.

Timeline: What we know about missing Texas State student Jason Landry

Kent Landry said Jason has a few scars from past surgeries that could help with identification.

This whole thing has its ups and downs, Kent Landry said early Wednesday, when he had hopes that the man in New York was Jason. We dont know if it's him, but I can say this feels a bit different because the picture does look a lot like him.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, Kent Landry expressed sadness about not finding his son, but offered prayers for the family of the man who was found.

"Please pray that he recovers and is restored to his family," Landry said in a Facebook post. "Our wait continues."

What we know about Jason Landry

Landry, who was 21 years old at the time of his disappearance, was studying sound recording technology and engineering at Texas State University in San Marcos to become a professional music producer. He was in his first semester at the university.

Authorities are still unclear about what happened to Landry.

Over the last year and a half, more than a dozen searches have taken place, but no evidence has turned up.

Caldwell County authorities continue to investigate the case, but they have said they do not believe a crime occurred.

Police have speculated that Landry might have been driving under the influence and walked away from his car after the crash, and then succumbed to natural dangers such as the cold or wildlife.

Dec. 13, 2020, was a cold evening, with temperatures dropping to near freezing, leading to suspicions of hypothermia. Investigators previously told the Statesman that Landry might have removed his clothes because he was suffering from hypothermia.

In cases of severe hypothermia, as the body fights to survive, people can become disoriented and experience a hot flash that makes them feel as if they're burning up, so they remove their clothes, researchers have said.

In such instances, people then tend to burrow into the ground or small spaces in a last attempt to stay warm.

"The problem is we believe Landry was naked, and so what we are looking for (now) is bone, Caldwell County Sheriff Capt. Jeff Ferry said last December. My opinion is that some kind of wildlife got to him. And with all the critters out there, and with how long the body has been exposed, it's made it a little hard to find him. But it could help explain why we still have not found a body.

However, private investigators with San Antonio-based nonprofit Project Absentis, which is offering services to the Landry family pro bono, believe otherwise. A number of tips from the community show a pattern that has led the group to think other people are involved in Landry's disappearance.

Absentis founder and private investigator Abel Pena, an Air Force veteran and retired FBI agent, told the Statesman in December that some red flags stood out to him, including Jason's clothes being strewn in the road and the position of his vehicle.

That is where we professionally disagree with each other, Pena said. I think they feel Jason got into a single-car wreck, walked off and disappeared. But we feel very strongly that he may have gotten into the accident, but that there were others around the vicinity, and they extracted him and took him somewhere else.

Attempts to reach law enforcement authorities and the Texas attorney generals office for an update on the case were unsuccessful.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: New York man is not Texas State student Jason Landry, authorities say
Image shows Nancy Pelosi

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's rumoured plan for a trip to Taiwan has infuriated China and left the White House with a serious geopolitical headache. How big a problem is this?

China has warned of "serious consequences" if Ms Pelosi were to proceed with her visit.

Second in line to the presidency, after the vice-president, Ms Pelosi would be the highest ranking US politician to travel to the island since 1997.

This rankles China, which sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must become a part of the country. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this.

Even the Biden administration has reportedly tried to dissuade the California Democrat from going.

Last week, President Joe Biden told reporters "the military thinks it's not a good idea", but his White House has called Chinese rhetoric against any such trip "clearly unhelpful and not necessary".

The state department says Ms Pelosi has not announced any travel and the US approach to Taiwan remains unchanged.

While the US maintains what it calls a "robust, unofficial relationship" with Taiwan, it has formal diplomatic ties with China, and not Taiwan.

Ms Pelosi's trip, if it were to happen, also comes amid increased tensions between Washington and Beijing - and ahead of a much anticipated phone call between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Why would Pelosi want to visit Taiwan?

There is strong bipartisan support for Taiwan among the American public and in the US Congress.

And over a congressional career spanning 35 years, Speaker Pelosi has been a vocal critic of China.

She has denounced its human rights record, met with pro-democracy dissidents, and also visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre.

Ms Pelosi's original plan was to visit Taiwan in April, but it was postponed after she tested positive for Covid-19.

Story continues

She has declined to discuss details of the trip, but said last week that it was "important for us to show support for Taiwan".

Why does China oppose the visit?

Beijing views Taiwan as its territory, and has repeatedly raised the spectre of annexing it by force if necessary.

Chinese officials have expressed anger over what they view as growing diplomatic engagement between Taipei and Washington. This includes a surprise visit to the island by six US lawmakers in April.

On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned his country would take "firm and resolute measures" if Ms Pelosi went ahead with her visit.

"And the US will be responsible for all of the serious consequences," he said.

A spokesman of the Chinese ministry of defence seemed to suggest there could even be a military response.

"If the US side insists on going ahead, the Chinese military will never sit idle and will take strong measures to thwart any external interference and separatist attempts for 'Taiwan independence'," Colonel Tan Kefei told China Daily.

Speaker Pelosi unveils a statue of the 'Tank Man' from Tiananmen Square at a rally with Chinese dissidents in 2019

Mixed signals

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. BBC News, Taipei

If you are a small island state with few allies, not recognised by the United Nations, and threatened with invasion by a much larger and more powerful neighbour, then getting a visit by the third most powerful politician in the United States should be something you welcome. Right?

That's why the Taiwanese government is not about to tell the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to stay away.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has long called for higher level engagement with the US. But there is also concern about why Ms Pelosi is coming now, and whether her trip could do more harm than good.

Three times in the last year President Joe Biden has said the US would intervene to support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, only to have his staff roll back his remarks - insisting there is no change in US policy.

When news of Ms Pelosi's trip to Taiwan was leaked, President Biden's response was not to give his support - but instead to say, "the department of defence thinks it's not a good idea".

In Beijing this looks like weakness. In Taipei it looks like confusion. What exactly is the US government policy towards the island?

Ms Pelosi is now 82 and expected to retire in the autumn. Is she coming here with a clear intent to offer real support, or is it a political stunt? It's all very unclear.

How might the trip escalate tensions?

At its party congress, expected later this year, the Chinese Communist Party is set to select Mr Xi to an unprecedented third term as the country's leader.

President Biden - who last spoke with President Xi in March - has said they will speak over the phone again in the next few days, on a range of topics including Taiwan and other "issues of tension".

The call comes as US officials warn of a Chinese military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region and "aggressive and irresponsible behaviour" in the South China Sea.

The threats of retaliation over Ms Pelosi's visit have raised concerns over China's possible response.

When then-US Health Secretary Alex Azar flew to Taiwan in 2020, Chinese air force jets crossed over the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait - the narrow waterway between the island and its giant neighbour - within range of Taipei's missiles.

Last week, the former editor of China's state-run Global Times newspaper suggested a "shocking military response" may be in store for Ms Pelosi.

"If Pelosi visits Taiwan, [People's Liberation Army] military aircraft will accompany Pelosi's plane to enter the island, making a historic crossing of the island by military aircraft from mainland for the 1st time," Hu Xijin wrote.

Until now, Washington's policy of "strategic ambiguity" has meant the US has been deliberately unclear about whether or how it would defend Taiwan in the event of a large scale attack on the island.
Children's Trust of Alachua County has decided on its new executive director  and the selection was unanimous.

Marsha Kiner, the executive director and CEO of the Association of Florida Colleges, will take the reins as the new chief of the tax initiative.

The Children's Trust was approved by voters in November 2018, increasing property taxes by 0.5 mil and bringing in $7.5 million a year to support children's programs around the county.

ACPS school starts Aug. 10: Alachua County school district readies to usher in the 2022-2023 school year

UF Plan B vending machine: University of Florida Student Senate passes resolution for Plan B vending machines

No stranger to the region

Kiner knows Alachua County well, having grown up on the east side of Gainesville. She shared with the Children's Trust board that she attended Alachua and Williams elementary schools, before Lincoln Middle and Buchholz High School.

The board voted for Kiner 7-0 over finalist Kimberly Lancaster, the dean of academic affairs/admission at Palm Beach State College. Board members Nancy Hardt and Patricia Snyder were unable to vote because they attended the meeting virtually.

Kiner and Lancaster were tapped as finalists after a national search. Kiner is expected to make between $82,000 to $125,000 annually, though her contract will be negotiated over the coming weeks.

The search for the position comes after board members voted 5-1 in March to fire the trust's former chief Colin Murphy following an investigation of the mistreatment of employees.

The complaint was made by Kristy Goldwire, who was then director of programming but has held the role as interim director until a replacement was found.

The Gainesville Sun did try reaching out to Kiner through phone and email for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Marsha Kiner picked as new leader of Children's Trust of Alachua County
Jul. 27I've written occasionally, in horror, about plans by New London police to deploy hidden surveillance cameras  sophisticated equipment capable of close-up zooming  all over the city, even in quiet residential neighborhoods.

You wouldn't be able to detect the location of these tiny spy cameras, which could be used to watch who comes and goes from your house, even read and record the license plates of visitors' cars.

It's civil rights intrusion on steroids, a police dream come true: Secretly spy all you like, no probable cause or court permission needed.

Why, from now on, would police even bother with the burden of asking a judge to approve a wiretap, when they can just fire up a secret camera and peek in your windows, maybe even read the papers on your desk.

Adding to my frustration is that it looks like the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission could be about to sign off on this police hiding of camera locations. And I thought the commission was supposed to guarantee access to the public's business, not help hide it.

The commission will be asked anyway, at its Wednesday afternoon meeting, to ratify a decision by one of its hearing officers declining my FOI request for a revealing of locations of spy cameras deployed in a growing new surveillance system in use by New London police.

It would be unusual for commissioners to do much more than routinely approve the hearing officer's recommendation, which is the panel's normal practice.

A decision like that from the commission would leave an appeal to Superior Court the only open avenue for contesting permission for police to hide spy cameras.

That would be a costly endeavor for a newspaper like The Day. I'd like to fantasize that someone with deep pockets and an interest in guarding Connecticut civil rights might take an interest in the case.

It is, after all, strange that a small city, with a government with significant representation from its minority community, has taken up this issue so aggressively, waging an expensive FOI fight in an effort to enable police spying and to quash civil rights.

Story continues

Indeed, it's incredible to me that the establishment in this blue state is about to unleash these unbridled new Orwellian law enforcement powers, which make old-fashioned police intrusion, such as stop-and-frisk, seem almost quaint.

It's already become a rallying issue in some forward-thinking communities. San Diego, for instance, recently created a new privacy commission to address a new system putting surveillance cameras on utility poles.

I'm not a lawyer and I do have a dog in this legal fight, but it strikes me that FOI Hearing Officer Kathleen Ross has a very thin basis, in the ruling commissioners will be asked to ratify, for granting police an exemption to abiding by disclosure laws when it comes to the location of their spy cameras.

Ross agrees with an argument from New London Law Director Jeffrey Londregan, the attorney who presented evidence that the state police commissioner has found that revealing the locations would "assist wrongdoers in circumventing police protections."

This is a long reach for an exemption allowed under FOI law, in instances where "a disclosure may result in a safety risk." The law allowing this as an exemption is clearly meant to safeguard safety surveillance equipment around a public facility, such as a prison or police station, not spy cameras at the end of someone's driveway.

Never mind that the commissioner was not asked "promptly" about the safety risk, as the law requires, before a decision on the FOI request was made, but rather many months later, after an appeal of the request's denial to the FOI Commission already was underway.

It would be almost comical, if it weren't so sad, that the logic of allowing police to secretly hide cameras to spy on citizens without their knowing should be permitted because the chief law enforcement officer in the state says it is OK.

But don't take my biased word for it.

In the continuing age of remote Connecticut hearings, the public can tune in and listen to the New London law director argue why police should be able to secretly place spy cameras wherever they want.

You can't know where they are, is his argument, because the state police commissioner has joined the city's fight against disclosure by saying that would be a safety risk to someone.

But of course there is nothing on the record about whose safety would be at risk and why.

Anyone wishing to remotely attend the meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday should call in at 1:50 p.m. to (860) 840-2075. The conference ID is 498 049 512.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com
Photo credit: Noam Galai - Getty Images

For those with a true crime or scammer obsession (Me! Hi! Hello!) the name Caroline Calloway is sure to be familiar... But for those not yet in the know? Buckle up, it's about to get juicy.

Why is Caroline Calloway famous?

Caroline Calloway Gotschall, born in Falls Church, Virginia, to a wealthy family, first rose to fame as a fairly stereotypical blogger in 2012, documenting her time studying creative writing at Cambridge University with beautiful photos accompanied by lengthy, poetic 'sad girl' captions. After convincing a leading literary agent's secretary that she had an appointment with him, Caroline also managed to score a six-figure book deal, however she never filed the full first draft and in 2017, said she was backing out of the deal, whilst battling with an Adderall problem, despite having already received 30% of the advance. The literary agent later described her as 'dishonest' and 'deeply unwell', as per The Guardian.

Things then took a further turn towards the end of 2018 and in early 2019, for two reasons.

Firstly: Caroline attempted to run a series of IRL 'creativity workshop' for her followers, charging $165 a ticket, but a viral Twitter thread painted them as the blogger's equivalent of Fyre Fest. In response, Caroline then wrote a Refinery 29 piece about the disastrous event (and her subsequent cancellation), how she was branded a scammer overnight (and how Taylor Swift was her muse during that tough time) and used the immortal line: "Scamming is my brand right now, but its a narrative I would like to be excluded from." She also said that the "event was disorganized because Im always disorganized and I ordered too many mason jars", but that she actually felt many things had gone right during the workshops too, but that that had been glossed over by attendees.

It's also worth noting, that according to The Guardian, many were refunded the cost of their tickets.

Photo credit: Noam Galai - Getty Images

However, things continued to landslide for Caroline in September 2019, when her former friend, Natalie Beach, a fellow creative writing student, wrote a searing tell-all about her for The Cut, alleging that many of the lengthy Insta captions Caroline was famed for (and her book proposal), were actually her doing. Natalie described in the detail how the pair met at college and how she soon became financially dependent on Caroline, who would behave erratically and once kicked her out of the accommodation she'd promised her for the summer, essentially leaving her homeless.

Story continues

Prior to the piece being published, Natalie sent Caroline a note about the impending article and Caroline quickly went on a social media tirade, ranting about her former friend and the audacity of it all, stirring up plenty of hype and intrigue in the process. She also edited the captions on her Instagram posts, to include references to Natalie. Sadly, a lot of Caroline's behaviour appeared to indicate some form of mental health struggles, which became car crash viewing for her 700,000 followers (and beyond).



What was Caroline Calloway addicted to?

Caroline has been open about having a past addiction to Adderall, a stimulant prescribed to help those with ADHD, which she began taking recreationally in 2011. In an interview with The Guardian in 2020, she said of her drug struggles: "They were delicious, I mean, don't get me wrong, they murdered my life and I'll never touch it again  but drugs are fun."

In Natalie's feature for The Cut, she also described Caroline as having bouts of depression and struggling to get out of bed for days on end, alongside her seemingly 'manic' behaviour, something which also no doubt further captured the public's attention, alongside the unravelling of their thorny, Gossip Girl-esque friendship.

According the Addiction Center, signs of an Adderall addiction may include:

Being overly talkative

Loss of appetite

Unusual excitability

Social withdrawal

Financial troubles

Aggression

Sleeping for long periods of time

Incomplete thoughts

Relationship problems

Disorientation

Mania

Impulsive behaviours

Caroline states in her Refinery 29 op-ed that she has generalised anxiety disorder and depression, too.

What happened to Caroline Calloway (where is Caroline Calloway now)?

In her Refinery 29 piece, Caroline said she initially 'leaned in' to the label of scammer, feeling she had little other choice: "I changed the hashtag I use in my Instagram captions from #adventuregrams to #adventurescams. I changed the name of my fandom from adventurefam to scamfam."

Now, according to her most recent social media forays/Instagram bio, she's still planning to release a book - without the assistance of a ghostwriter this time - called And We Were Like. However, her days of being a run-of-the-mill Instagrammer, relying on beautiful prose and imagery to gain followers and likes, has well and truly come to an end.

With regards to Caroline's next project, she will be making a brief cameo in a new hulu movie, Not Okay, out 29 July, about a young woman who fakes a trip to Paris to boost her online popularity:

status: not okay 

mood: not okay 

trailer: not okay #notokaymovie july 29 on @hulu pic.twitter.com/IEJf20edo1  Not Okay (@NotOkayFilm) July 21, 2022

Does Caroline Calloway have Instagram?

Yes, she does - but currently her profile is barren, featuring approximately zero posts. You can find it @CarolineCalloway. She also has a now-empty TikTok account that first popped up back in March of this year, featuring clips promoting her book, which she says is now available for pre-order, with the same handle; @CarolineCalloway.

My Insta Scammer Friend airs on BBC Three on 28 July and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer





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Kamala Harris was mocked by Republicans for opening a roundtable meeting on Tuesday afternoon with disability rights leaders by verbally announcing her pronoun, gender and attire.

I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she and her, I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit, the US vice president said while hosting an event on the 32nd anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

According to several experts in the field, it is considered good practice and a part of a persons professional responsibilities to describe themselves for the benefit of visually impaired people.

But the video of Ms Harris was shared by Republican National Committee and several other Republicans who then went on to mock her.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted: I am Marjorie Taylor Greene. I am a woman. I am a mother. And I am sick of this.

Colorado representative Lauren Boebert said: When you use pronouns to introduce yourself, Im assuming everything you have to say after is as idiotic as your introduction.

Texas senator Ted Cruz joined other Republicans in taking a dig at Ms Harris and asked: But what is a woman?

I am Marjorie Taylor Greene.

I am a woman.

I am a mother.

And I am sick of this .

pic.twitter.com/wtOzlR21TZ  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 26, 2022

He appeared to be referring to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who said during her confirmation hearing that she could not define a woman since she is not a biologist. That statement was also ridiculed by Republicans and used to attack Democrats and the LBGT+ community.

Ms Harris also criticised the Supreme Court at the event for overturning Roe v Wade, a decision she said uniquely impacted people with disability.

So, we know that all people with disabilities, of course, in the United States should have full access to reproductive care and the reproductive care they need, she said. But these abortion restrictions that are being put in place around our country by extremist so-called leaders in various states will have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities.

People with disabilities have higher rates of pregnancy complications, and, in fact, 11 times more likely to die before, during, and after childbirth. This is a fact.
Englands record-breaking fast bowler Katherine Brunt admitted to experiencing moments of self-doubt as she wrestles with when to retire and doing so on her own terms.

The 37-year-old signed off from Test cricket last month in an attempt to prolong a career in which she has already set new England benchmarks for most wickets in one-day internationals and Twenty20s.

Featuring in the upcoming Commonwealth Games has been a source of motivation for Brunt over the last couple of years and she is enticed by a T20 World Cup in South Africa that starts in just over six months.

Katherine Brunt is relishing the thought of competing at the Commonwealth Games (Mike Egerton/PA)

While she is still an instrumental part of Englands white-ball sides, Brunt recognises she is nearing the end of her time in international cricket, leading to uncertainty in herself and her role.

Brunt told the PA news agency: How long I have left is a thought I have most days. The things that have crept in the most in the last year have been the doubting my own ability and having no self-belief and no confidence in what Im doing.

Youre always questioning whether youre good enough or whether you should still be around  Am I making a fool of myself?  because some people outdo their stay. They dont know when to go and I always want to retire on top, I didnt want to be a washed-out cricketer playing average cricket.

Its always hard to be able to see that from the inside. In terms of a date, I honestly dont know. My target was the Commonwealth Games but round the corner from that is the T20 World Cup and thats hard to say no to right now.

I think Ill see how these Games go, how I felt in it, how I measured up against the other teams and what the bodys like after and then go from there.

Brunt has appeared in just one ODI and three T20s this summer but faces the possibility of five matches in a nine-day period at Edgbaston as cricket returns to the Commonwealth Games after a 24-year absence.

This marks the first time women have competed at the event and Brunt, who has won both limited-overs World Cups, is relishing the prospect of something new, even if an intensive programme  England have just completed a multi-format series against South Africa  leaves little room for manoeuvre.

Story continues

She said: The schedule looks insane. The Commonwealth Games is something like play-rest-rest-play-rest-play-rest-play-play. Its not ideal but thats the way it is.

But this is a big deal. It will be the one and only one Ill be a part of, its on home soil, its a really exciting concept that we get to win a medal.

England won the 2017 World Cup at a packed-out Lords (John Walton/PA)

Its practically the same thing as a World Cup and it will be just as hard and just as grand. Its going to be no easy feat. But T20 cricket is random and anything can happen.

Brunt believes she will be better equipped to handle the extra attention that will come Englands way after playing in front of a full house at Lords in a seminal 2017 World Cup final.

She added: Theres not a person alive who doesnt feel nervous or sick on the day, but I would say it brings out the best in us, for sure. The 2017 World Cup, that definitely helped a lot and well know well get that again here so it will be great.

This will probably be even bigger because people from all walks of life will tune into this as well, its more supporting your country rather than the sport you love to watch.
via CBS 4 Indy

A mother and father in Indiana have been arrested and charged after their 6-year-old son fatally shot his 5-year-old sister inside a home that police said was smeared with feces and trash.

The girl died on Tuesday afternoon from a gunshot wound to the head, the Muncie Police Department said. Police allege the 6-year-old accidentally shot his sister after taking a loaded gun from a safe while his mom was napping.

According to court documents cited by CBS 4 Indy, the boy told police that the key for the safe was in the keyhole.

[He] stated that the key was in the key hole and he simply turned it, pushed on the door, and it opened, an affidavit says. He advised he accidentally shot [her] while playing with the gun.

The parents, 27-year-old Kimberly Grayson and 28-year-old Jacob Grayson, were arrested on multiple felonies, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent.

They allegedly told police the boy had tried to access the safe before, prompting his father to move it to a dresser.

Even more disturbing, they allegedly told investigators they had previously taken their 6-year-old to a shooting range to teach him how to fire a handgun.

#NEW: Court docs reveal new details, including 'deplorable' living conditions in the home and a key left in a safe containing loaded guns, after a 5YO girl was shot, killed by her 6YO brother yesterday in Muncie. Both parents arrested on several prelim. charges. Thread (1/X) pic.twitter.com/s6JUtNq6ka  Courtney Spinelli (@CourtSpinelliTV) July 27, 2022

According to the Muncie Star Press, police described the familys home as being in deplorable condition with trash, food, animal feces, and furniture strewn throughout the house and what looked like feces smeared on the walls. It appeared the children were sleeping on stained mattresses without sheets or blankets.

Story continues

Jacob Grayson was released after posting $65,000 surety bond but Kimberly Grayson was still being held Wednesday in the Delaware County Jail on a $65,000 surety bond.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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FILE PHOTO: A realtor's sign stands outside a house for sale in Toronto

Good morning!

High home prices, exacerbated by rising mortgage rates, are forcing some homeowners in Ontario to sell and find more affordable digs, new research from a real estate industry website suggests.

Affordability issues are pushing 32 per cent of Ontarians who own homes to plan a move in the next year, according to a survey from LowestRates.ca. Its an escalation of a trend: over the past two years, 20 per cent have had to move to lower their costs, the survey said.

Housing affordability remains a major issue in Ontario. Though prices are climbing less quickly year over year, and even declining on a month-over-month basis, they are still sitting at eye-watering highs across the province, clocking in at $881,475 in June, a 2.8 per cent increase from the same time last year, according to data from the Ontario Real Estate Association. At the same time, high inflation has forced the Bank of Canada onto an aggressive interest rate hiking path, pushing mortgage rates to heights not seen in years.

Those rate hikes have brought the prime lending rate at Canadian banks, which is the starting point for lenders loan calculations, to 4.7 per cent from 2.75 per cent in January.

Thats translating into higher monthly mortgage payments for many homeowners who never expected interest rates to rise as quickly as they have. Suddenly housing costs are taking up a much larger chunk of homeowners budgets, stretching their finances just as inflation drives up the cost of living.

Though its true that higher mortgage rates are helping to cool home prices, that doesnt mean affordable housing is now within reach. In fact, those higher rates are adding financial strain as homebuyers now need a significantly higher income to qualify for a mortgage than they did only a few months ago, calculations from mortgage site Ratehub.ca show.

All across Canada, the average income needed to buy a home has risen by an average of $18,000 from March to June, Ratehub said.

Story continues

British Columbia homebuyers have been hit hardest, as higher prices and higher mortgage rates bring income requirements up an additional $35,760 in Victoria, and $31,730 in Vancouver. But even in Ontario, where prices have fallen from March to June, higher incomes are still needed to qualify for a mortgage.

For example, in Toronto, you now need to make $15,750 more to buy a house priced at the average $1.2 million. Ottawa isnt much better, with $15,350 more in annual income needed to purchase a $695,600 home. Hamilton, Ont., homebuyers need an extra $8,660 to qualify for a mortgage on a $934,700 house.

Higher stress test rates are primarily to blame for the added income pressure, Ratehub said.

Generally, for every one per cent that the stress test increases, a household qualifies for about 10 per cent less mortgage, James Laird, co-chief executive of Ratehub.ca, said in a news release.

Laird said the only way to get affordability under control amid higher mortgage rates, and in turn, higher stress test rates, is for house prices to come way down.

Home prices will need to drop significantly in order to neutralize the effects that higher mortgage rates have on the stress test. Unless this happens, home affordability will continue to be impacted significantly by the current rising rate environment, he said.

In Ontario, prices are indeed sliding at a fast clip. But they are still quite high compared to many other cities in other provinces. For example, while the average price of a home in Toronto was over $1.2 million in June, a house is considerably cheaper in Halifax, at only $544,900, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. Cities in Alberta fare even better, with the average home in Calgary costing $530,500 in June and $409,300 in Edmonton. Winnipeg is best of all  the average price for a house there was $360,900 in June.

That doesnt mean Ontarians are planning a mass exodus out of the province, however. According to LowestRates.cas survey, 46 per cent plan to stay put in their current town when they make a move this year. Another 32 per cent said they are thinking of moving to another location within Ontario. Only 6.8 per cent said theyll ditch Ontario for another province.

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Shopify chief executive Tobi Lutke.

I GOT THIS WRONG Shopify Inc. is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce, or about 1,000 employees, after a bet on e-commerce growth didnt pay off, chief executive Tobi Lutke said on Tuesday. The cuts primarily affect people in recruiting, support and sales, he said in a memo posted on Shopifys site. Lutke had bet that e-commerce growth, which surged during pandemic lockdowns, would continue to expand. But growth has gone back to pre-pandemic levels. Ultimately, placing this bet was my call to make and I got this wrong. Now, we have to adjust. As a consequence, we have to say goodbye to some of you today and Im deeply sorry for that, Lutke said in the posting. The Financial Posts Denise Paglinawan has the full story. Photo by David Kawai/Bloomberg

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U.S. Federal Reserve releases interest rate decision

Carla Qualtrough, minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, will announce investments that will help more Canadians, particularly those facing barriers, prepare for a career in the skilled trades.

Todays data: U.S. advance economic indicators, U.S. durable goods orders, U.S. pending home sales

Earnings: Shopify Inc., Loblaw Companies Ltd., Rogers Communications Inc., Tourmaline Oil Corp., Teck Resources Ltd., West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd., Cameco Corp., Lundin Mining Corp., Kinross Gold Corp., Crescent Point Energy Corp., Spin Master Corp., Cargojet Inc., Athabasca Oil Corp., Precision Drilling Corp., Meta Platforms Inc., Equinor, Rio Tinto Plc, Boeing Co., Ford Motor Co., The Kraft Heinz Company, Budweiser Brewing Company, Deutsche Bank AG, Credit Suisse, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

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The International Monetary Fund cut its global growth outlook for this year and next, warning that the world economy may soon be on the cusp of an outright recession.

Global economic expansion will likely slow to 3.2 per cent this year, less than the 3.6 per cent forecast by the fund in April and the 4.4 per cent seen in January, the IMF said in an update to its World Economic Outlook released Tuesday.

The series of interest-rate increases that central banks have unleashed to contain inflation is expected to bite in 2023, with global output growth set to slow to 2.9 per cent, it said.

Canadas economy will outperform its peers this year, growing 3.4 per cent, before falling to 1.8 per cent growth in 2023, the IMF predicts.

 Bloomberg

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Gambling has long been one of Canadians favourite pastimes. At more than $15 billion, it represents the largest section of the countrys entertainment industry, according to the Canadian Gaming Association. And access to it has only gotten easier since April, when iGaming was launched in Ontario  making Ontario the first province to regulate internet gambling. But as online gambling increases, so has the incidence of gambling addiction. Our content partner MoneyWise Canada offers some warning signs of gambling addiction and explains how to avoid it.

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Todays Posthaste was written by Victoria Wells (@vwells80), with additional reporting from The Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg.

Have a story idea, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this newsletter? Email us at posthaste@postmedia.com, or hit reply to send us a note.

Listen to Down to Business for in-depth discussions and insights into the latest in Canadian business, available wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the latest episode below:
Once upon a time called 2020, we were hiding from Covid-19.

We had little to no vaccination. Highly protective masks were difficult to find. Covid-19 tests could be administered by professionals only. That meant sometimes long waits for results, and if you were positive, doing your best to hide out at home and hoping you didnt spread the virus to family and friends.

It is different today.

Covid-19 is still worth avoiding, and an infection can still bring serious consequences. But collectively, we have things that we couldnt get easily in 2020: At-home tests. Well-fitting, high-filtration masks. Lots of community immunity. Therapeutic treatments.

We also have, for the moment, fresh summer air.

Pandemic Lessons: Covid-19 comes up and goes down, but it doesnt go away Omicron is a frustratingly resilient variant, and its latest subvariants  BA.5 and BA.4  are driving up infection numbers around the country and beyond. That includes New York State and, to a degree, the Buffalo region. The good news: hospitalizations and deaths remain low.

But we also have variants and subvariants. Right now, the latest versions of Omicron  BA.4 and BA.5  are spreading fast. Theyre good at evading our immunity. As increasing numbers of people get infected, lets revisit the rules of isolation and the most effective ways to do it.

As the virus has evolved and the availability of tools such as tests and masks has increased, what are the new rules of isolation?

Officially, none.

From the procedural end, isolation hasnt really changed, said Dr. John Sellick, an infectious diseases specialist with the University at Buffalo, Kaleida Health and Veterans Affairs. Were still telling people, If you can keep yourself separate from your other family members, thats a good thing to do. 

The guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommend isolating for a minimum of five days if you test positive for Covid-19, emerging from it only when youve been fever-free for 24 hours and your symptoms are improving.

Pandemic Lessons: Where do we stand? Covid-19 is so consistently a part of our lives that we couldn't possibly forget it. But pandemic restrictions? For many among us, they're nothing but a buried memory.

Likewise, if you were in close contact with someone who has Covid-19, the CDC recommends quarantining for five days  unless you are up to date on your vaccinations.

These guidelines come with lots of nuances explained on the CDC website, from how to determine whether youre current on vaccines to calculating Day One of isolation, which follows either your first symptoms or first positive test.

The CDC guidance also advises masking for the second five days after isolation or quarantine. Some experts, such as epidemiologist and immunologist Dr. Michael Mina of the testing company eMed, suggests people with Covid-19 not emerge from isolation on days six through nine until they have a negative rapid test. In a series of tweets last spring, Mina noted that 70% of boosted people are still highly infectious at five days, and later confirmed in an email exchange with The News that people can feel confident they are no longer infectious by Day 10.

Other experts, including Sellick, caution not to rely too heavily on at-home tests, especially if you take only one. While you can interpret a positive at-home test as a nearly sure thing, a sole negative test shouldnt be accepted with as much certainty. Rapid antigen tests, which are the type used in at-home kits, are not as sensitive as their PCR counterparts.

Theyre most reliable when you have symptoms, Sellick said, because thats when theres the most virus.

Pandemic Lessons: Why the latest Covid increase is different and what that means for masks Will New York  which from the start of the pandemic has been aggressive in its mitigation measures  reinstitute an indoors masking requirement? This installment of Pandemic Lessons examines what we know.

If you can secure a quantity of at-home kits, its better to take multiple tests over the course of a few days, which both arcs the virus incubation period and increases the odds of getting an accurate result. Three or four days of negative tests is more meaningful than one or two.

If you test positive, what are the first things you should do?

Call your doctor  especially if you have any health conditions that put you at greater risk. You should also inform your local health department, which helps with the accuracy of public numbers. Health department staff can also direct you to medical resources.

If you are medically vulnerable, early detection maximizes the opportunity for your doctor to prescribe therapeutic treatment, if your doctor prescribes it. That includes the antiviral pill Paxlovid, which works best when taken in the first five days of symptoms, and monoclonal antibodies, which are administered through IV infusions.

Paxlovid is generally prescribed to people who, by age or health condition, are at greater risk for severe infection. Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease at UBs Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, points out that by cutting down on your duration of infectivity, Paxlovid will also lower your viral load, which puts the people living with you at less risk.

Its good for you, he said, and its potentially good for your household members.

Pandemic Lessons: As the Covid-19 decline slows, who do we still need to protect? This weeks Pandemic Lessons details the steps each of us can take to help the most vulnerable among us and guard against a dramatic rise in infections.

If youre isolating at home, is it ever OK to be around other people? Can you go outside?

The short answer, as always: Whenever possible, dont let other people breathe your air.

If you can stay in a room at home with the door closed, youre fine to be unmasked and move about within that space. Likewise, if you can sit safely outdoors distanced from other people  in your own backyard, for example  youre also following good practices.

These are the ideal scenarios, but theyre not always possible.

This is where masks can make a difference and change the isolation experience from what it felt like early in the pandemic, when protective equipment was largely unavailable to the public. Wearing a mask such as a KN-95 while in the kitchen, hallway or elevator will help you be a good housemate or neighbor. But remember that those masks arent 100% effective.

Ideally, you want to be in a separate room, separate bathroom, meals in your room, Russo said. When you interact in the house, try to keep it at a minimum  and everyone masks up.

Pandemic Lessons: Covid-19 is cooling, but misinformation spread is even harder to stop Vaccination levels vary vastly by country and continent. Access to vaccinations is one reason for that. But dangerous fiction masquerading as facts is another.

Covid-19 infections do largely seem to be less severe than early in the pandemic; hospitalizations and deaths arent rising at the same rate as infections. Knowing that, should we be all that concerned about avoiding Covid-19?

The majority of healthy or mostly healthy people will push through a Covid-19 infection relatively well and return to their normal lives within a week or two. But a major concern  and one that has few solutions  is long Covid.

A jarring number of people have Covid-19 symptoms that linger for several weeks or more, sometimes taking four to eight months to resolve. The symptoms and duration of long Covid range widely, from an ongoing loss of taste and smell to headaches, exhaustion and brain fog.

One CDC estimate suggests that as many as one in five adults infected with the virus have dealt with long Covid, and were hearing reports of some kids with long haul Covid as well, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Medicine.

Doctors are still searching for the best ways to treat long Covid, and given the variety of physical and psychological effects  and the medical specialties involved in treating those  there arent simple or direct answers.

What is normal now? Two years of Covid in Buffalo Niagara has changed what that means "This idea of what is perceived as thoughtful, versus what the science will tell you is necessary, are often two different things," Lizzie Post, a writer and expert on etiquette, told Tim O'Shei.

Weve seen lots of people trying lots of things, Nachman said. Weve seen a huge amount of evaluations or investigations into multiple different parts of long haul Covid  be it the pulmonary, the cardiac, neuro  and it does not appear that anyone has the right answer.

The right answer may not exist, but there is a simple takeaway: Covid-19 is tough to avoid. But if you can, its the smart thing to do.
Scottish weightlifter Micky Yule is returning to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games 12 years after waking up from a coma as a double amputee in the city.

Yule will be a flagbearer for Team Scotland at Thursdays opening ceremony, alongside two-time Commonwealth badminton medallist Kirsty Gilmour, who is looking to complete the set following silver and bronze at Glasgow and the Gold Coast respectively.

In July 2010, Yule, now 43, stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving as a Royal Engineer search advisor in Afghanistan, which caused him to lose both legs and endure a shattered pelvis and fractured arm.

Micky Yule represented Britain at Rio 2016, six years after losing his legs (Andrew Matthews/PA)

He has undergone over 40 operations since losing his legs and is grateful for the staff at Birminghams Queen Elizabeth Hospital who helped save his life.

He said: Its a strange feeling. I flew in here in a coma from Afghanistan and then spent eight weeks getting patched up and surgeries, sometimes being quite close to everything going wrong.

But Im back here. The people at Queen Elizabeth Hospital saved my life.

Its not all bad, its mixed feelings, but to be back here on a real positive note to try and win a medal for your country and be the flagbearer, I think it comes full circle to where things started 10 years ago.

Six years after suffering those life-changing injuries, he was chosen to compete as a Paralympic powerlifter at Rio 2016.

Since then, Yule has become a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games as well as achieving respective gold and silver in the 2020 and 2021 World Cups, which were both held in Manchester.

Fast forward to the Commonwealth Games and Yule is hungry to add more medals to his growing collection.

He added: Its the first time Ive turned up at a Commonwealth Games not injured. I had a torn pec and a broken leg, not even little injuries that you can get past on the day. Touch wood Im ready to go now and were all set to get some great training in.

Im in the best place Ive ever been. Well take the day as it comes but Ill be looking to medal and itll be the only thing thats on my mind.

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Yule, right, gives some advice to Mark Stonelake during powerlifting training (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Put on a weight that will medal, dont let anybody steal that medal from you. Ive been sat with the cameras on me in bronze place and the last guy comes in and lifts more than you and the camera moves, and you pack up your stuff, go home and watch him go on the podium and get a medal.

Its a bad place to be and takes a long time to get over so hopefully that changes here and thats what my mindset is and nothings going to get in the way of stopping it.

Asked if there are any plans to revisit the hospital, Yule joked: I only come up here for surgeries and check-ups! Touch wood I wont be going anywhere near it for the next 10 days. Ill be happy where I am. Anything related to that hospital will be unplanned, so we dont need that.
When Donald Trump boarded Air Force One and said goodbye to Washington on Jan. 20, 2021, he was considered a political pariah. The Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol cast doubt that he could ever show his face in D.C. again, let alone entertain running for president.

Flash forward to July 2022, and the former president is not only still the most popular figure in the GOP but got a heros welcome before a friendly audience in his first return to the nations capital. Trump spoke at the America First Policy Institutes first annual summit on Tuesday, just a handful of city blocks from the site of the insurrection that defined his presidency. He showed no remorse  but exhibited all the tell-tale signs of a man eager to run for president again in 2024.

I ran the first time and I won. Then I ran a second time and I did much better. We got millions and millions more votes, Trump said. We may just have to do it again.



Trump was met with a standing ovation in a ballroom packed with Republican lawmakers, former cabinet officials, administration officials, donors and supporters, before delivering an address that focused on crime and his plans for public safety. He veered into controversy over transgender athletes, immigration and China, and he outlined a proposal to create tent towns on the outskirts of major U.S. cities where the government would relocate the nations homeless.

But Trump became most animated when talking about the thing even some allies wish he would drop  his false claims of a stolen election, which incited the events of Jan. 6. He promised that the House committee investigating his actions that day would not put a damper on him or the political movement represented by many in the room.

They really want to damage me so I can no longer go back to work for you, and I dont think thats going to happen, Trump said of the Jan. 6 committees work. He was met with a standing ovation from the room. If I stayed at home and just took it easy, the persecution of Donald Trump would stop immediately. It would stop. But thats not what I will do.

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That declaration  by an former president whose own partys congressional leaders denounced him just 18 months ago  was met with chants of four more years!

The two-day summit, which concluded with Trumps speech, was a kind of reunion for the America First set working to advance the Trump administrations agenda post-White House. But it wasnt just a homecoming. It was a test run for what kind of reception a Trump revival tour could receive in D.C. proper.

Yet his speech wasnt the only big event in town featuring a prominent Trump-era figure.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence  who was not on AFPIs agenda  spoke at the conservative Young America's Foundation. It created a split screen moment for the two key figures from Jan. 6, as Washington is still reckoning with the deadly day.



For those gathered at the Marriott Marquis to hear Trump speak, the Trump-Pence rivalry was met with a shrug, and Jan. 6 was either a political witch hunt or a mere afterthought.

I dont know how deep that rift goes  I think Pence missed his opportunity for greatness and trustworthiness for me, said Gregg Seymour, a pastor from Las Vegas who flew in for the two-day event. Do I think people should have stormed the Capitol? Absolutely not. But I think a lot more has been made out of it than the burning of different cities. Nobody talks about how that was a tragedy, said Amber Colville, a physician from Mississippi who came to hear discussions on health care and Trumps speech.

Instead, attendees were hopeful Trump might soon announce another run, though many said they were eager to hear him outline a more forward-looking vision, something Trumps close allies have urged him to do, too. In his speech, Trump painted a picture of America in decay, describing in gruesome detail crimes in cities across the country. He called for hiring more police officers, bringing back controversial stop and frisk policies and giving drug dealers the death penalty. He also called for Congress to pass a landmark package on public health, public safety and mental health reforms, and said the federal government should protect the right to self defense.

We need an all out effort to defeat crime in America and strongly defeat it and be tough and be nasty and be mean if we have to, said Trump.

In his own Washington speech on Tuesday, Pence maintained, as he has before, that he couldnt be more proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration.

But when asked about what seems to be a divide between him and Trump during a question-and-answer session, Pence cast the former president as a politician who may be focused on the past, an implicit rebuke of his preoccupation with the 2020 election.

I dont know that the president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus, Pence said. I truly do believe that elections are about the future, and that its absolutely essential  at a time when so many Americans are hurting, so many families are struggling  that we dont give way to the temptation to look back. But I think the time has come for us to offer a bold, positive agenda to bring America back. And Ill continue to carry that message all across this nation.



Its on this ground that Pence has cautiously been drawing a contrast with Trump. On Tuesday, he cast the midterm elections as a historic clash between unified conservative action and the aggressive liberalism of the left.

Pence is running far behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in early 2024 primary polls  viewed by some traditionalist Republicans as an unpalatable appendage of Trump, yet by many Trump hard-liners as disloyal for his resistance to Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Pence, despite saying previously that theres almost no idea more un-American than the notion that he could have overturned the election, has largely been reluctant to address questions about Jan 6. Still, two of his top White House aides have recently testified to a federal grand jury investigating matters tied to the riot at the Capitol.

But retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served as Pences national security adviser and now works at AFPI, called talk of a giant rift between Pence and Trump overblown.

Washington is a political town, you have to expect it. It is what it is, Kellogg said.

Marc Lotter, the communications director for AFPI who also worked for Pence, believed both men were actually presenting a similar policy vision. Theyre talking about America First policies in their own voice and their own manners, but they're talking about the same thing, rebuilding the success we had in the Trump-Pence administration and pushing it forward, Lotter said.

With Trumps return, a familiar circus came back as well. Outside the Marriott, protesters shouted and waved flags calling Trump fascist. Following the speech, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) taunted them from the hotels driveway.

The ballroom was packed with lawmakers like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), former top Trump administration officials like Larry Kudlow and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon, and Trumps former White House aides and campaign staff. Also in the audience were Republican VIPs like RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, top Trump aides like Stephen Miller and others now working with AFPI, like Kellyanne Conway and Brooke Rollins.

On the sidelines, aides reminisced about their time in the White House. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is running for governor in Arkansas, soberly recounted an overnight Christmas trip to Iraq to visit soldiers and joked about her warm welcome with the conservative crowd here in D.C.

It's pretty exciting to be in Washington and actually have people cheer for you when you get behind a podium, Sanders said.

Eric Ueland, who served as Trumps legislative affairs director in the White House, said the summit at times felt like a White House reunion.

Its great to see people and share war stories  but also now try to figure out OK, where are we going next? Ueland said.

David Siders contributed to this report
Former President Trump is weighing in aggressively in state legislative races across the country as part of his far-reaching effort to reshape the modern GOP and exert greater control over the administration and outcome of elections.

While the former presidents highest-profile endorsements have come in the U.S. House and Senate contests that will help determine control of Congress next year, he has endorsed dozens of statehouse candidates, with an emphasis on Arizona, Michigan and Texas.

These state legislative contests are often overlooked at the national level, but the outcomes will play a crucial role in shaping state policy, especially pertaining to the voting process and how elections are conducted, counted and certified.

Republicans have worked for well over a decade to make gains in state legislatures. But multiple party strategists and operatives noted that its unusual for a former president  or really any federal elected official  to weigh in so aggressively on races that are typically decided at the local level.

It is unusual. Honestly, its unusual for a senator to have that level of involvement in these races, said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist. They typically stay out of these things for various reasons. But obviously for Trump, hes trying to build a farm team and the way you join that team is by being all Trump all the time.

Heye and others cautioned against reading too far into the endorsements, noting that theyve come sporadically and are often prompted by Trumps own desire to exact political revenge on Republicans whom he perceives as insufficiently loyal.

I think its all pretty simple and transparent, Heye said. Trump wants people who are as Trump-y as can be and go after people who are disloyal. Thats it. And that could be a senator, or it could be a dog catcher.

Just last week, Trump came out in support of former Arizona state Sen. David Farnsworth, who is challenging state House Speaker Rusty Bowers in the GOP primary for Arizonas 10th Senate District. Bowers testified before Congress last month about the intense pressure he withstood from Trump to help reverse the former presidents 2020 electoral loss in the state.

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In a statement, Trump hammered Bowers as WEAK on Borders, Election Integrity, and everything else before throwing his support behind Farnsworth, who has echoed Trumps baseless claim that he was robbed of reelection in 2020 because of widespread fraud.

On paper, Bowers appears to be the much stronger candidate. Hes raised more than $320,000 to Farnsworths roughly $70,000 and has the clout that comes with serving as the state House Speaker.

Nevertheless, Trumps willingness to intervene in state legislative elections tracks with his repeated assertion that state lawmakers should be able to wield outsized power in determining the outcome of elections, a belief that came to the fore after his 2020 loss to President Biden when he and his allies pressed top state lawmakers to overturn the election results in states that his opponent won.

State legislative races also tend to be low-information contests, where voters tend to know less about whos running and place a higher premium on party affiliation and endorsements.

It could be very valuable in a race where people arent paying a lot of attention, said Keith Naughton, a veteran Republican strategist and opinion contributor for The Hill. These endorsements, these sort of celebrity endorsements, theyre more effective the less people are paying attention to the race.

Whether Trump is weighing in to legislative races as part of a grand strategy to reshape statehouses across the country or is simply seeking to boost loyalists no matter which office theyre running for, the moves could have very real consequences.

With Republicans relegated to the minority in Congress, state legislatures have emerged as centers of GOP power, where lawmakers have pressed ultra-conservative policies on everything from voting rights and election administration to education and abortion rights.

The composition of state legislatures could also take on a new sense of urgency in the coming months and years. The Supreme Court is set to take up a case next term that could expand the independent power of state legislatures to set election rules with few checks against overreach.

While Trump has issued endorsements in only about two dozen state legislative contests so far, the former president has already shown a desire to exert more control over how elections are administered. Hes backed a handful of GOP secretary of state candidates in battlegrounds like Georgia, Ohio, Michigan and Arizona, albeit with mixed results.

At the same time, one longtime Republican operative and former state GOP chair said that theres only so much room for Trump to make gains in state capitols, noting that Republicans control 30 of the countrys 49 partisan legislatures, and many state lawmakers are already closely aligned with the former president.

Republicans who are running for legislatures are more reflective of what the party is, the operative said. And right now, the party is more populist.

What I see is him trying to take out anyone whos not 100 percent on his side, the operative added. Most Republican state senators, state representatives are, so I think to him its more about getting rid of anyone whos even remotely disagreed with him in the past.

That strategy gets at perhaps the biggest focus of Trumps post-presidential strategy: retaining his hold on the GOP as he weighs a potential comeback campaign for the White House in 2024.

Trump is politics. Hes not policy, Heye said. Ultimately, he is going to find the argument that best suits him. And if thats in the legislatures, then great. If that means supporting the state House candidate or secretary of state thats going to fight for him, hes going to do that too.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector agents on Friday saved two migrants who were drowning in the American Canal near the Ysleta Port of Entry.

Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Ysleta Station received a call from an off-duty El Paso Station Border Patrol Agent about two people scaling down the border barrier by Midway Drive and the Cesar E. Chavez Highway/Loop 375.

Agents searched the area and saw the two jump into the canal, a news release said.

The two tried to stay afloat as the current swept them downstream.

Agents immediately requested Emergency Medical Services and the El Paso Fire Department to help rescue the migrants. Soon afterward, a Border Patrol agent supported himself on a canal ladder rung and was able to safely rescue the migrants with the use of a rescue rope flotation device.

Hell or high water:Migrant deaths in El Paso canals, Chihuahuan Desert mount

The migrants from Ecuador and Brazil were rescued approximately 1.5 miles from where they initially entered the canal. Both were provided with medical aid and subsequently were transported to the El Paso Modular Centralized Processing Center for further processing.

Had it not been for the life-saving efforts of our Border Patrol Agents, these individuals could have easily drowned, El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in the news release. I am extremely proud of the heroic actions by our agents. This event once again illustrates that our agents will place themselves in harms way, or go any length, to render aid to those in need.

During Fiscal Year 2022, El Paso Sector agents have performed more than 404 rescues. Twenty-six of those rescues were water-canal related. The El Paso Sector registered 56 migrant deaths.

Twenty of these deaths were water-canal related.

Also on Friday, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office at 1:45 p.m. was dispatched to an irrigation canal near the 14100 block of Riverside Road over a body that had been discovered by employees of the El Paso County Water Improvement District. The 42-year-old victim has been identified, but the Sheriff's Office is working on next of kin notification with the Mexican Consulate. The victim was a migrant crossing into the United States, the Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: US Border Patrol agents rescue migrants from drowning in El Paso canal
Jul. 27The skies above Lake Coeur d'Alene were clear and blue on Tuesday, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack had the prevention of woodland fires on his mind.

Vilsack, one of several members of President Joe Biden's Cabinet attending a meeting of the Western Governors Association this week in Coeur d'Alene, announced an additional $1 billion in federal funding for wildfire prevention.

"We fully expect and anticipate great interest in this effort, for us to partner with state and local governments," Vilsack told governors and reporters.

The money will be awarded competitively to local governments and tribes as part of the president's $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, and Vilsack said his department will begin accepting applications in early August. The grants will be given to protect areas beyond federally owned land, he said.

The benefits of the infrastructure bill, passed largely along partisan lines in Congress, were touted by both Vilsack and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in remarks to a group of eight governors representing the 21 states and U.S. territories that are part of the association. The event, the first in three years the governors' group has held in person as a result of the pandemic, is being hosted by Idaho Gov. Brad Little, one of six Republicans who took the stage Tuesday.

"Our problems are somewhat unique," Little said of the member states, "but they're also somewhat common."

The group Tuesday included two Democrats, Govs. Jared Polis of Colorado and David Ige of Hawaii. Gov. Jay Inslee will not be in attendance during the three-day conference, which is scheduled to include U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"I have higher duties here in the state of Washington," Inslee said in statement in response to The Spokesman-Review's question about why he wasn't attending. "I think there are some things I can help Washingtonians with more here than going to that particular organization."

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The assembled governors on Tuesday said the association helped guide policy and cooperation among the Western states, particularly issues related to natural resources, health care and energy.

Polis told assembled media that he intended the organization to push for development of geothermal energy, already being tapped throughout the West, including in Boise, where more than 90 downtown buildings are heated using water warmed by underground rock.

"It's really a win-win. Harvesting the heat beneath our feet, a domestic energy source contributing to our national security and our energy independence," Polis said.

Both Vilsack and Becerra fielded questions from the group of governors in an afternoon session, after delivering updates on programs related to their departments. Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa in his second stint as Agriculture secretary following eight years with the Obama administration, said the continued development of biofuels would be a priority of the department, even as the federal government pushes for adoption of electric vehicles.

"There's obviously a lot of conversation and discussion, as there should be, about electric cars," Vilsack said. "But the reality is we're going to continue to need that biofuel that's produced in states across the country."

On wildfires, Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana praised Vilsack for pushing for more forest stewardship programs across the West. But he said the agency could do better informing the public about their firefighting strategies, which he said aren't always clearly explained by those in charge.

"My suggestion would be to encourage better real-time record-keeping," Gianforte said, saying such an approach leads some communities in Montana "to have less confidence than they would otherwise have in the Forest Service."

Vilsack acknowledged the issue but said states and Congress could be doing more to push for additional firefighters. He noted that the Agriculture Department's spending had not grown at the same rate as defense spending, even though he said firefighting was a security issue.

"That's the challenge, is to make sure that people understand that when they invest in the Department of Agriculture, they're investing in their security," Vilsack said.

Becerra's department oversees the administration of Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the Centers for Disease Control. A former member of Congress and attorney general for the state of California, Becerra said the goal of the Biden administration, coming out of the pandemic, is to treat behavioral and mental health as equally important as physical health.

"The president's budget proposes a historic investment in behavioral health, some $50 billion over the next 10 years," Becerra said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, asked what the administration's approach would be in addressing addiction, particularly the rising number of deaths attributed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Becerra said the administration supported harm reduction methods, including making strips available that can test street drugs for the presence of fentanyl. The opioid is often laced with other drugs and unknowingly consumed by a user, who then dies of respiratory arrest.

Becerra said such a practice would be unthinkable a couple decades ago.

"We would say, we're just enabling drug use. And I respect those who still believe that," Becerra said.

"The problem is, of course, they're going to take it. Whether we like it or not, they're going to take it," Becerra continued. "And so, from our perspective, we've signed on with those who've said, 'Let's try to save a life.' "

Becerra acknowledged that the administration's perspective on several health-related issues might differ with some of those onstage.

Without explicitly mentioning the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to an abortion, Becerra said the administration had established a Medicaid program extending postnatal care to new, eligible mothers from 60 days to a full year.

"What we know is that, within that first year, life for that baby and that mom is very precarious," he said.

States have to opt into that coverage. Hawaii and Colorado, the two states represented at the conference by Democrats, have indicated they will offer the extension, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. So has Arizona, represented by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. The five other states represented by Republican governors  Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and North Dakota  have not.

Little told reporters earlier Tuesday that states will be responsible for crafting their own abortion policies following the Supreme Court's decision.

"We continue to look at what needs to be changed, what needs to be tweaked, and I think every state is having that same issue," Little said.

Idaho has a trigger law banning abortion that will begin in 30 days, after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its mandate Tuesday. The law is being challenged by Planned Parenthood in Idaho's courts.

The Western Governors Association continues Wednesday with remarks from U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, amid ongoing turmoil in the rollout of the agency's online record-keeping system at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane and elsewhere. The group is scheduled to hear from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday.

Staff writer Laurel Demkovich contributed to this report.
(Bloomberg) -- Soybeans climbed for a fifth day, the longest rising streak in more than two months, on concerns that heat and dryness in August will hurt North American oilseed crops, just as similar weather wilts sunflowers in Europe.

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Prices advanced to the highest intraday level in more than two weeks, rising as much as 1.9%. Corn, also vulnerable to the heat and lack of rain, increased for a fourth day.

It is peak pod development time for much of the U.S. soybean crop, so any extreme weather duress is likely to have a direct impact on yields, Jacqueline Holland, an analyst at Farm Futures, said in a note.

US soybeans experiencing moderate to intense drought is at 26% and corn is at 29% for the week ending July 26, according to the USDAs weekly drought report.

Dryness and crop stress will persist in northwestern areas of the US Midwest, and moisture will decline in north central regions, forecaster Maxar said. Warmer temperatures in western areas next week will likely stress both pollinating and filling corn, especially in Iowa and Missouri, it said.

Corn futures climbed to highest since July 18 as hot weather in the US and European Union risks cutting yields. Wheat gained as much as 2.9% after declining Wednesday.

In the EU, yield estimates for corn and sunflower seed have been cut 8% from June because of the hot and dry weather, according to the blocs Monitoring Agriculture Resources unit. Add to that the uncertainty over the timing and quantity of grain and sunflower oil shipments from Ukraine in the wake of the export deal, and the global supply outlook remains tight.

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The grain community remains skeptical about the prospects for shipments, Ukragroconsult analysts said. Still, this week the first caravan of ships, blocked in Ukrainian ports for 5 months, is being formed, they said.

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Woman 'Almost Had a Heart Attack' When She Saw Chucky  Who Was Actually a 5-Year-Old Jokester

It might not be Halloween, but for one Chucky-loving child, that didn't matter.

Earlier this month, Kendra Walden posted a series of photographs to her Facebook page that showed someone dressed up like a Chucky doll from the 1988 horror film Child's Play walking around an Alabama neighborhood.

"Dear Parents of the little boy in the Chucky costume in Pinson. GET YOUR KID," she wrote in the post, which showed the child resembling the red-haired doll walking around the street in overalls. "I almost had a heart attack."

The pictures quickly went viral, garnering more than 52,000 likes and 108,000 shares on the platform after Walden posted them on July 13.

Walden told Today she thought she was seeing things when the Chucky doll appeared in the street as she was on her way home.

"I was remodeling a house in the area and me and some of my employees were headed home from that house," she told the outlet.

RELATED: Authorities in Texas Mistakenly Issue AMBER Alert for Chucky Doll and His Son

She added: "When we got closer to him, we saw that it was real. It scared the heck out of us."

When Walden and the group drove back around, she said the boy who was wearing the Chucky mask had briefly taken it off but put it back on when he noticed them returning.

Woman 'Almost Had a Heart Attack' When She Saw Chuckie in Her Neighborhood  But He Turned Out to Be a 5-Year-Old Jokester

Courtesy of Kendra Walden

"When we circled back around (the boy) had his mask off, but quickly popped it back on and crossed the street after we passed," she recalled to Today. "We turned around again, and that's when we got the photos."

RELATED: RHOBH's Sutton Stracke Joins 'Bestie' Jennifer Tilly for Chucky Season 2: 'Cat's Outta The Bag'

CHILD'S PLAY, Chucky, 1988

United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection

After Walden's post went viral, she said the boy's mother reached out to her over Facebook, and that's when she found out the boy behind the mask was five years old.

"The mother of the child eventually commented on our post, and after looking at her photos, we knew it was her son," she said.

The Child's Play franchise follows the iconic doll that becomes possessed by the spirit of a serial killer and wreaks havoc on an unsuspecting New Jersey neighborhood.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM WEDNESDAY TO 11 PM PDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 102 expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM Wednesday to 11 PM PDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in her lawsuit that attempted to overturn the National Park Service's denial of the state's application to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore to celebrate 2021's Independence Day.

The Eighth Circuit of Appeals found that South Dakota's objections to the Park Service's decision were moot because it was in the past and the federal government was within its rights to deny the state from shooting off fireworks at the national memorial.

"The bottom line is that we cannot change what happened last year, and South Dakota has not demonstrated that deciding this otherwise moot case will impact any future permitting decision," Judge David Stras wrote in the courts opinion. Any controversy has, in other words, fizzled out.

The Republican governor, who has positioned herself for a 2021 White House bid, has used the fireworks celebration as a political rallying point. She hosted former President Donald Trump at the 2020 celebration, and the patriotic display, held during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, figured largely in her rise to national prominence. It was also the first time fireworks had been held at Mount Rushmore in nearly a decade.

Noem blamed President Joe Biden for the permit denial and insisted that the court erred in its ruling.

Unfortunately, the Biden Administration ran out the clock, blocking both our celebration and any serious judicial review," she said in a statement. The Court should have ruled on the merits to set a standard for future fireworks celebrations.

South Dakota has paid nearly $230,000 to Consovoy McCarthy, a Virginia-based law firm that has taken up Republican causes across the country, including working for Trump, to represent the state in court.

The courts decision left open the possibility of the Park Service allowing a pyrotechnic display in the future, and Noem has already applied for a permit for next year. The Park Service denied Noem's 2022 application for fireworks, citing objections from Native American tribes, wildfire risks and other environmental concerns.

The Park Service declined to comment on the ruling.

The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent organization that had filed an amicus brief in the case to support the Park Service, praised the ruling.

The adverse effects from previous firework displays are well-documented, including threats to water quality and public health and safety, and to the very resources the park was designated to celebrate and protect, Christine Goepfert, the association's Midwest Associate Director, said in a statement.

Noem had also argued that the Park Service's decision was politically motivated as well as one that should only be made by Congress.

But Stras and the two other judges who issued the opinion disagreed: Nobody has a right to shoot off fireworks on someone elses land, whether it be a neighbor; an area business; or as is the case here, a national park.
Today

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 86F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 86F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 106F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Mayor Byron W. Browns request to a congressional panel last week for federal funding and federal legislation targeting anti-Black hate crimes and banning assault weapons deserves urgent attention.

Congress should already be working on relief packages to send to communities across the country increasingly shocked by mass shootings, and not just the horrific May 14 shooting in Buffalo at a Tops Markets store on Jefferson Avenue that took the lives of 10 and injured three. A short couple weeks later in Uvalde, Texas, 19 children and two adults were killed, and then, in Highland Park, Ill., a gunman killed seven people and injured dozens more.

The number of mass shootings continues to rise. The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that tracks gun violence using police reports, has counted at least 356 mass shootings so far this year, as reported in the New York Times.

It comes as no surprise that these acts of horror continue to reverberate throughout the lives of those affected. It also takes a tremendous monetary toll on communities attempting to help rebuild.

Brown spoke to the congressional panel about funding for services such as counseling, educational enrichment and lost wages. The mayor was one of five people invited to speak to the subcommittee, which heard about the effects of mass shootings that lead to reduced educational achievement, impacted property values and lost business activity.

The hearing introduced new data on the long-lasting economic effects through a recently released report by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The group cited the annual cost of gun violence in America: $557 billion, much of which extends to loss of quality of life for victims and their families. Count the annual cost in tax dollars at several billions. But no dollar amount conveys the cost for families and survivors, as Sarah Burd-Shaps, Everytowns senior director of research said.

The aftermath of mass shootings leaves communities reeling. Brown said Buffalo spent $500,000 on police and fire overtime and other services in the first two weeks after the Tops shooting. Unbudgeted expenses continue to grow.

Brown also requested passage of federal legislation on anti-Black hate crimes and a ban on assault weapons. Both should receive the highest priority and, as Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat and chair of the subcommittee noted, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership deserves praise for advocating for an assault weapons ban. More business groups should emulate the Partnership.

The Tops shooting on May 14 highlighted the needs in Black and brown communities, although the mayor has sounded the alarm for the need for federal assistance in the past, the current events make plain the fact that this is beyond one municipality. Rebuilding after such atrocities requires the effort of entities at every level, including critical federal investment.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
At least half a dozen cities and towns across Hungary have cancelled firework displays planned for the annual August 20 celebrations, citing, among other reasons, inappropriateness in view of the current economic hardships which many citizens are facing.

The towns include Salgotarjan, Siofok, Pecs, Ozd, Szentes, and Sumeg, according to RTL.



Sandor Elek, the mayor of Torokbalint, said the energy crisis caused by the war has also reached the families of Torokbalint, and hard times await them, so it is better to save money.



Laszlo Vegh, the Fidesz mayor of Sumeg, in Veszprem county, explained his decision on Facebook, saying that, as a result of cuts in household energy subsidies, many households will see a significant increase in utility costs.



Hungary is also dreading the autumn and winter, that is why we have decided not to celebrate the founding of the state with fireworks in Sumeg on August 20 this year.



The move will save half a million forints, which will be used to help those in need in Sumeg, Vegh said.



In contrast, the government is preparing to celebrate the founding of the state on August 20 with what it says will be Europe's largest fireworks display and a four-day programme in Budapest, but is refusing to reveal the costs.



The state tourism agency MTU has said that the relevant data will not be made public for ten years.



The MTU announced in a press release that the fireworks alone will cost Ft 1.6 billion this year, but no information was disclosed about the additional elements or the additional costs of the programme series.



Atlatszo has reported that the August 20 programmes cost nearly Ft 12 billion last year.



Earlier:

Joining several other towns, the northeastern city of Miskolc will not be shooting off fireworks on August 20, Miskolc Mayor Pal Veres announced on Wednesday evening.



Veres argued that spending public money on the traditional fireworks display on Hungarys national holiday would be an indefensible and irresponsible waste due to the countrys current unpredictable financial situation.



The city now intends to spend the money set aside for the display on items that truly serve the people of Miskolc and their interests in this extremely difficult situation.



Miskolc follows Salgotarjan, Siofok, Pecs, and Sumeg as the fifth city that has decided to call off its August 20 fireworks display.



But whereas the first four settlements are led by Hungarys political opposition, Veszprem Countys Sumeg has a Fidesz mayor and a pro-government majority in its local representative body.



It is not yet known, writes Magyar Narancs, whether Mayor Laszlo Vegh will face retribution from his party for this act, or whether other Fidesz-led towns will follow Sumeg in cancelling their annual fireworks display.
Demonstrators protesting against changes to the itemised tax for small businesses (KATA) blocked traffic on Budapests Margaret Bridge and parts of the Ring Road linking Margaret Bridge and Petofi Bridge.

The few hundred protesters blocked almost the whole width of Margaret Bridge, leaving just one lane open in the direction of the Pest side. Budapests public transport company BKK said the demonstration briefly impeded public transport in the area on Monday.



From Margaret Bridge, the protesters marched to Kossuth Lajos Square, some of them carrying a casket with the word democracy on it, which they placed in front of Parliament.



Several of the protesters addressed the crowd, calling for European wages and emphasising that the governments duty was to aid the people during an economic crisis.



Following the official end of the demonstration shortly after 9pm, a group of protesters made their way to Nyugati Square where they blocked traffic. When the protesters got to Oktogon, they were instructed by police to move to the sidewalk.



MTI Photo: Zoltan Balogh
Not too long ago, I ran across a story about an amazing woman who I learned was my famous predecessor at the York News-Times.

Her name was Fern Martin Rose.

Many senior citizens in the York community likely remember her, as Ferns reporting and column writing were said to be products of rare talent, hard work and dedication.

The story of her career was told back in 1999, as she became the first woman inducted into the York County Ag Hall of Fame.

She was the first . . . and one of only a few to this day, I should mention.

I didnt write that particular story, so I was unfamiliar with the details of her career. I had heard her name before, but wasnt aware of how fascinating she was.

She was affectionately known by her readers and colleagues as a news hen, the story said. Im not quite sure what a news hen is, but Im guessing its probably a good thing.

She was also called a five-foot-tall dynamo. Well, arent all of us short people? We have to compensate for our stature.

Fern was born Nov. 21, 1903, north of Wood River to John W. and Carrie (Clement) Martin. She graduated from Grand Island High School in 1921 and attended Grand Island Business College.

Although lacking in journalism training, she was a prolific writer and self-described snoop who loved to put her musings, details and reports to paper, and was a skilled photographer and dark room artist. She captured the beauty of farm life in her writings.

She started her tenure at the York newspaper in 1956, the story said, where she put her conversational skills to work, chatting in a column called On The Beat which was later called Ramblin With Rose.

And it was noted that her presence as a woman in a predominantly male field went unnoticed.

She won numerous awards, taking ownership of writing accolades from accomplished men in the industry . . . back when women werent supposed to.

In 1970, Fern wrote that her beat was the mortuary, the courthouse, the city offices and the fire department, so she relied on her column to put forth her fun side as she wanted something with more spirit.

Oh, I so understand that sentiment. The weight of hard news is sometimes heavy to carry . . . and it feels good to strip off that responsibility and just write, once a week, whatever the heck I want for this little space on Thursdays.

In addition to writing with a flair for the humorous and spunky side, she covered dozens of county fairs from 1956 through 1969. She was a tireless supporter of 4-H, the county fair, agriculture and rural matters.

Testament to her dedication went on and on as many noticed she didnt care how many hours she had to work or how much it took to do her job the right way.

Her connection with her readers, along with her farm stories, has become legendary, the story said.

Fern Rose died in York on April 17, 1996, at the age of 92.

That was two years before I even arrived in York or went to work at the newspaper, so I was unaware of her reputation.

Well, until I read her story for the first time.

I think its wonderful that this extremely talented woman worked so hard and was so well respected that her story lives on decades after she sat writing in this very room where I sit writing this. Im so intrigued by the story of the woman who did my job decades ago.

Im sure the tireless dynamo had no idea she would someday be written about by a woman who unknowingly followed in her position. She wouldnt have had time to care . . . as the next story or next column beckoned for her attention.

So thanks, Fern, for paving the road for women like me. Its because of you that white space was made available for this writer and many more.

And Im so glad I found your story. I only hope we can continue to do justice to what you started.
Vehicles older than 15 years old must be cancelled by the National Green Tribunal within six months. The entire state, including Kolkata and Howrah, has been ordered to follow the directive. Additionally, in the case of public transportation, it has been mandated to cancel vehicles below BS-IV in order to reduce pollution. Only BS-4 and BS-6 cars will operate in Kolkata and Howrah in the near future, according to the Green Tribunal. Additionally, the Green Tribunal ordered the construction of "a sound limiter to prevent noise pollution in the case of playing the mic." The Pollution Control Board has been given the go-ahead to create an action plan in consultation with the police in that situation.

It is to be noted that the green tribunal had ordered the closure of old commercial vehicles even before this. The Department of Transport has also started the process of gradually implementing it. Letters are being sent to owners of 'aged' cars to cancel them. But the work has not yet started. As a result, the officials of the transport department are worried about how this directive of the Green Tribunal can be implemented quickly. Private car owners are also worried. Because until now, only commercial vehicles were supposed to be cancelled, but now 15-year-old private cars are also going to be affected.

Also read - Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav pulling a Mahindra Jeep after PM Modi asks him to lose weight - Watch

Environmental activist Subhash Dutta said about the order of the Green Tribunal, the Calcutta High Court had given this order in the wake of a case filed by him in 2008. 14 years have passed. This time, there were two issues in the judgment of the Green Tribunal. A fixed time limit has been fixed. And the High Court's order was only in the case of commercial vehicles, but this time, along with commercial vehicles, 15-year-old private vehicles have also been ordered to be cancelled. At the same time, to reduce pollution, it has been informed that the use of CNG or electric vehicles should be increased as much as possible instead of diesel vehicles.

According to the Transport Department, Kolkata and Howrah alone have close to 10 lakh 15-year-old private and commercial vehicles. The officials of the office are worried about how much it is possible to cancel that car in just six months. Because the process of sending letters to car owners has started for a month. Only 20-25 thousand letters were received. They think that it is very difficult to complete the huge activities in this short time. With this directive of the Green Tribunal, however, the traders involved in the transport industry are in trouble. According to the owners, the business has become unprofitable. After that, if the old car is scrapped, no one will bring the new car. The same tone is echoed by taxi owners. Because most of the taxis in the city are over 15 years old. As a result, if they are all cancelled, then there will be no more taxis.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala backed-Akasa air is gearing up to hit the skies next month and hence as a stepping step, Akasa Air welcomed another aircraft to its fleet. The newest airline welcomed the arrival of its second Boeing 737MAX aircraft, VT-YAB at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi. The timely induction of the aircraft to the airlines fleet will help boost Akasa Airs operations and its phased approach to support network expansion plans.

Flying with the airline code QP, Akasa Air will begin commercial operations with two aircraft from August 07, 2022. Akasa Air will operate 28 weekly flights connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad, followed by 28 weekly flights between Bengaluru and Kochi starting August 13.

Akasa Air aims to induct 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023, focusing on connecting metro to tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Earlier on June 21, Akasa Air had welcomed the first of its 72 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, VT-YAA in New Delhi, marking the first time in eight years that a domestic jet aircraft with new livery was seen in Indian skies.

Also read: Thousands of air passengers stranded as Lufthansa airline ground staff go on strike

Over the next five years, the airline will operate a fleet of 72 ultra-modern, brand-new 737 MAX aircraft powered by the highly fuel-efficient CFM LEAP B engine. This will make the airline the youngest and greenest fleet in the country. With lowest seat-mile costs for a single-aisle airplane and high dispatch reliability coupled with a premium passenger experience, the 737 MAX is one of the strategic factors that will give Akasa Air a competitive edge in Indias dynamic commercial aviation market.

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New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's 'Pathaan' is one of the most-awaited films of the year. Fans are super excited about the film and cannot wait to experience the magic of SRK on the screens after years. A selfie of the duo is now going viral on social media and fans are in love.

SRK will be returning to the big screens after 4 years with 'Pathaan' and fans cannot wait for it. The film is currently in the post-production stage with most of the shooting schedule being wrapped. Amidst all this, an unseen picture of SRK and DeePee from the films Spain shooting schedule is surfacing online. It is shared by an eatery namely Duke Restaurant in Duke Palma, Spain and has taken over the internet.

The duo was in Spain around March this year and seems like the two went to the Duke Restaurant for a delicious meal and clicked a selfie with their fans too.

Deepika is clicking the picture and SRK is standing behind her with his International fans. Sharing the picture on Instagram, Duke Restaurant wrote in the caption, "Big Night with a big visit from Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan. Hollywood may have Brad Pitt but India has Shah Rukh Khan. Subhakamanavam to you SRK and thank you for your visit."

SRK and Deepika are one of the biggest all-time on-screen pairings, given their blockbusters Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, and Happy New Year. They recently sizzled in Spain as leaked photos from the sets of Pathaan took the internet by storm. The glamourous duo shot a hugely mounted song in Mallorca as SRK was papped flaunting an eight-pack and DP in her perfect bikini bod.

Pathaan is set to release on January 25, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu!

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New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) supremo Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday (July 27) attacked BJP-led Uttar Pradesh over showering flower petals on Kanwariyas in the state, saying the same treatment is not meted out to Muslims. "The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government is showering flower petals on Kanwariyas using public money. We want them to treat everyone equally. They do not shower flowers on us (Muslims). Instead, they bulldoze our houses, PTI quoted Owaisi as saying. "If you love one community, you cannot hate another.... If you have faith, then others also have faith," the AIMIM MP added.

Earlier on Tuesday, sharing several news reports on his Twitter handle, Owaisi had said, "If a Muslim offers prayers in an open place even for a few minutes, it leads to a row. Muslims are facing police bullets, custodial clashes, NSA, UAPA, lynchings, bulldozers just for being Muslims."

Earlier this month, senior officials showered flower petals on Kanwariyas in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.

An official spokesperson told PTI that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra in western part of the state on Monday and showered petals on Kanwariyas from the chopper. Adityanath's helicopter reached the Siddhpeeth Parshurameshwar Puramahadev temple in Baghpat on Monday afternoon and flowers were showered on the Kanwariyas from there amidst chants of "Har Har Mahadev".

The Kanwar Yatra is being held in the state after two years as it was suspended earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the Hindu calendar month of 'Saavan', every year the Shiva devotees, also known as Kanwariyas, fetch the holy waters of Ganga to offer at the Shiva temples. These pilgrims visit Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to bring the waters of Ganga. This water is then offered to Lord Shiva in temples by Kanwariyas in their areas.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: In what could be another jolt to Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, one of his close aides and senior Shiv Sena leader Arjun Khotkar will join Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde`s rebel group soon, Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said on Tuesday (July 26).

On Monday, Khotkar had met Shinde in Delhi and then had breakfast with Danve on Tuesday.

On asked about whether Khotkar is joining the Shinde camp or not, Union Minister Danve told news agency ANI that "Arjun Khotkar has completely joined the Shinde group, I was there in the meeting along with Shinde Sahib. Now differences are resolved among us."

He further said, "Khotkar`s entry into the Shinde group will be a big setback for Uddhav Thackeray as Sena leader has a stronghold in Jalna district.

"On asked about the Shiv Sena`s split into two groups, Danve said, "Right Shiv Sena is the Shinde`s Shiv Sena and we believe that people have voted for us for that."He further said, "No one is friend or enemy in politics. We may have some differences on the issues and opinions. Similarly, we had also some differences with Arjun Khotkar but now we have resolved that."

Meanwhile, responding to the speculation over his joining in the Shinde group, Sena leader Khotkar said he will clarify his role in Jalna district, adding that a mere meeting with another political party shouldn`t be linked with anything.

"I do not believe that I am joining the Shinde group, let`s see what the two groups decide together, but I will clarify my role in Jalna," he said.

"The meeting is part of the politics, it shouldn`t be linked with anything. Eight days back, I had a talk with Sanjay Raut over the phone and I had kept my role very clear in front of him that I will contest the MP elections and I will fight," he asserted.

The Sena leader while ending his differences with Danve said he does not keep enmity throughout his life.

"The differences I had with Danve are over, I can`t keep any enmity with anyone throughout my life. These small differences are part of life," he said.
APJ Abdul Kalam's death anniversary: India on Wednesday (July 27) is observing the death anniversary of former president and the "Missile Man of India" Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Known as the people's President, Abdul Kalam contributed to the development of the country in different spheres. He also played an instrumental role in spearheading the development of the most significant Indian missiles. As an aerospace scientist, Kalam worked with India's two major space research organisations - Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Kalam, who breathed his last on July 27, 2015, died from a cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong.

Seven years after his demise, his life journey still gives strength to millions.

Here are some of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's most inspiring quotes:

"You have to dream before your dream can come true."

"If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved."

"Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life."

"A dream is not that you see while sleeping, it is something that doesn't let you sleep."

"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful and to remove the wrongs of injured..."

"If you fail, never give up because FAIL means 'First Attempt In Learning'."

"When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you promise; discharge your trust... Withhold your hands from striking, and from taking that which is unlawful and bad..."

"Thinking is progress. Non-thinking is stagnation of the individual, organisation, and country. Thinking leads to action. Knowledge without action is useless and irrelevant. Knowledge with action converts adversity into prosperity."

For his work in the stream of science and politics, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, was also awarded India's highest civilian honour - the Bharat Ratna.
From the beginning, there was a complaint from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Partha Chattopadhyay was not cooperating in the investigation. 'I don't know', 'I can't say' and 'I can't remember' - the answers to all the questions were mainly stuck in these three phrases. But for the first time on Tuesday, the former Education Minister (now Industries Minister) has said that he wants to cooperate with the probe, according to a source in the Central Investigation Agency. He also told the ED officers that he will bring all the information before the investigators on time.

Not only that, ED sources claim, when asked from where and from whom he got the recommendations to appoint in schools, the minister's short answer was, "recommendations came from all levels." However, he did not reveal who they were yet. According to a group of investigating officers, the minister has been harassed continuously since Friday. Was taken to Bhubaneswar-AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) on Monday morning and returned to Kolkata on Tuesday morning. This time, after some rest, he 'promised' to give 'correct' answers to all questions on time, ED sources claimed.

Also Read: Partha Chatterjee weighs 111 kg; check what AIIMS MEDICAL REPORT says about Mamata Banerjee's minister

According to a section of investigating officers, Partha may have felt that the party is trying to sideline him. If not completely, partially. On the other hand, the problem escalated as ED remanded him till August 3 in custody. With the stress of coming up with such a big 'scandal', ED believe that the minister has given such a significant indication due to the combination of all these factors.

Also Read: Partha-Arpita had a close intimate relationship: ED Lawyer's SENSATIONAL claim; Partha Chatterjee REACTS

Yesterday, the investigators questioned Partha with a break of one hour in the afternoon and evening. A place for questioning the minister has been created in one part of the conference room by bringing several sofas together around him. But according to ED sources, when asked about education-corruption, Partha once said, 'Not everything can be taken care of', and also said, 'Even if something happened, it could have happened.' Sometimes he was heard to say, 'Many things can go unnoticed. When it came to light later, it was understood that there has been corruption.' ED executives are now finding it very important to have all these answers as well as to bring out the right information at the right time.
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Bluestone Resources Inc. (TSXV: BSR) (OTCQB: BBSRF) ("Bluestone" or the "Company") regrets to announce the death of Mr. Lukas H. Lundin, in Geneva, Switzerland on July 26, 2022 at the age of 64, following a two-year battle with brain cancer.

Bluestone Resources Inc. (CNW Group/Bluestone Resources Inc.)

Over the past 40 years, Lukas Lundin was the driving force behind the tremendous success of The Lundin Group of Companies. Lukas started his career in the international energy and mining sectors in the early 1980s working side-by-side with his father, the late Adolf H. Lundin.

Under the leadership of Lukas and his brother Ian, and in close cooperation with the rest of the Lundin family, the Lundin Group of Companies has grown into an internationally recognized group of energy and mining companies with operations around the globe, employing more than 15,000 people and creating opportunities for tens of thousands more.

The 11 companies that make up the Lundin Group of Companies have a combined market capitalization in excess of US$11 billion.

Lukas Lundin's sons Harry, Adam, Jack and William say in a joint statement:

"Our father is our biggest inspiration. His passion for the industries to which he devoted his life was unparalleled. Lukas saw people as the key to success and spent decades building some of the strongest management teams in our industries. He always strived to empower those working with him and continuously pushed us to aim higher. We could not have had a better father and mentor.

"Our family is deeply saddened about Lukas' passing but takes comfort in the knowledge that his legacy will live on for generations to come. Having worked side-by-side with Lukas for many years, all of us look forward to continuing to build on the successes of the companies within the Lundin Group - with the support of our shareholders and stakeholders, not least the members of the local communities where we operate. The companies in the Lundin Group stand stronger than ever and the Lundin family is united in our commitment to remain long-term shareholders."

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Bluestone's President and CEO, Jack Lundin, further comments:

"We lost a great one last night. My Dad was a larger-than-life character who truly made a profound and positive imprint on the resource sector. I will always remember when he came to visit us in Guatemala City where we met with President Giammattei to discuss the robust Cerro Blanco Project. Lukas had the vision to build a successful mining business in Guatemala and we at Bluestone are driving that vision forward. He exemplified optimism, was never afraid of taking big risks, and was always respectful to everyone he encountered. His heroic spirit will live on."

About Bluestone Resources

Bluestone Resources is a Canadian-based precious metals exploration and development company focused on opportunities in Guatemala. The Company's flagship asset is the Cerro Blanco Gold Project, a near surface mine development project located in Southern Guatemala in the department of Jutiapa. The Company released the results of a Feasibility Study for the Project, outlining an asset capable of producing over 300 koz/yr at head grades of +2.0 g/t gold. The Project will produce 2.6 million ounces of gold over the life of mine at an all-in sustaining cost of $629/oz (as defined per World Gold Council guidelines, less corporate general and administration costs) over an initial 14-year mine life. The Company trades under the symbol "BSR" on the TSX Venture Exchange and "BBSRF" on the OTCQB.

On Behalf of Bluestone Resources Inc.

"Jack Lundin"

Jack Lundin | Chief Executive Officer & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the

TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events, or developments that Bluestone Resources Inc. ("Bluestone" or the "Company") believes, expects, or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation: the use of proceeds from the Loan; final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange; the estimated gold production volume per year from the Project; life of mine gold production amounts; average all-in sustaining costs ("AISC"); and length of initial mine life.

All forward-looking statements are made based on Bluestone's current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by Bluestone and information currently available to Bluestone. Generally, these assumptions include, among others: the presence of and continuity of metals at the Cerro Blanco Project at estimated grades; the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at estimated prices and within estimated delivery times; currency exchange rates; metals sales prices and exchange rates assumed; appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in economic analyses; tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operations; the availability of acceptable financing; the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); anticipated mining losses and dilution; success in realizing proposed operations; and anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Bluestone to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Bluestone. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: potential changes to the mining method and the current development strategy; risks and uncertainties related to expected production rates; timing and amount of production and total costs of production; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain, amend, or maintain necessary licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining development activities; risks and uncertainties related to the accuracy of mineral resource estimates and estimates of future production, future cash flow, total costs of production, and diminishing quantities or grades of mineral resources; changes in Project parameters as plans continue to be refined; title matters; risks associated with geopolitical uncertainty and political and economic instability in Guatemala; risks related to global epidemics or pandemics and other health crises, including the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); risks and uncertainties related to interruptions in production; risks related to Project working conditions, accidents or labour disputes; the possibility that future exploration, development, or mining results will not be consistent with Bluestone's expectations; uncertain political and economic environments and relationships with local communities and governmental authorities; risks relating to variations in the mineral content and grade within the mineral identified as mineral resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; developments in world metals markets; and risks related to fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates. For a further discussion of risks relevant to Bluestone, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Bluestone disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Although Bluestone believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures

The Company has included a non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") measure in this news release that is not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), being AISC per payable ounce of gold sold. Non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and, therefore, they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company and to compare it to information reported by other companies. The non-GAAP measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under GAAP, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

All-in sustaining costs

The Company believes that AISC more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold. The Company calculates AISC as the sum of refining costs, third party royalties, site operating costs, sustaining capital costs, and closure capital costs all divided by the gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce amount. Other companies may calculate this measure differently as a result of differences in underlying principles and policies applied. Differences may also arise due to a different definition of sustaining versus non-sustaining capital.

AISC reconciliation

AISC and costs are calculated based on the definitions published by the World Gold Council ("WGC") (a market development organization for the gold industry comprised of and funded by 18 gold mining companies from around the world). The WGC is not a regulatory organization.

SOURCE Bluestone Resources Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2022/27/c1751.html
Patna: Twenty-five Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers were promoted by the Bihar government as additional secretaries on Tuesday (July 26). Of these, 14 officers have retired while two are dead. The promotions have been long pending, and this meant that several people - who finally secured the promotion - were already retired, and in a couple of cases, died! According to news reports, the promotion of all 25 officers was pending since 2016-2017.

Two of those promoted died of Covid-19 last year

Vijay Ranjan and Rameshwar Pandey, who have been promoted, passed away last year due to Covid-19. They were promoted to the rank of additional secretaries, with effect from January 2017. Apart from the duo, 14 officers got the promotion but they have already retired now. A senior officer, who handles transfers and promotions in the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Government of Bihar, reportedly told media houses that the promotions of the 25 IAS officers were pending for a long time due to the non-completion of some formalities.

Also read: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar tests Covid-19 positive, doctors advise him to rest

14 retired officers get promoted

List of officers who got promotions after retirement include Rakesh Mohan, Dayanand Mishra, Raj Kumar Sinha, Shyam Kishore, Arun Kumar, Om Prakash Pal, Nivedita Rai, Jaishankar Prasad, Pankaj Patel, Manoj Kumar Jha, Krishnanand Singh, Vimlesh Kumar Jha, Rishidev Jha, Sanjay Kumar Singh, and Prabhu Ram.

Those who have retired would be given arrears of the increment in their salary, said the GAD official; when it comes to the pension of the deceased officers, it would be revised with the stipulated date, reported The Hindustan Times.
Defence Jobs 2022: The government of India has decided to fill approximately 1.3 lakh vacancies in the Armed Forces, which is good news for defence job seekers. According to media reports, the central government recently informed the Lok Sabha about filling up to 1,35,850 vacant positions in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force (IAF). Mr Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Defence, mentioned this in his written reply to the Lok Sabha on 22 July 2022.

The Indian Army will fill 1,16,464 vacancies, the Indian Navy will fill 13,597 vacancies, and the Indian Air Force will fill the remaining 5789 vacancies (IAF). ALSO READ: CHSE Odisha Result 2022: Odisha Class 12th Results to be announced TODAY at orissaresults.nic.in- Heres how to check via SMS

Defence Jobs 2022: Vacancy Details

Indian Army Post Number of Vacancies Indian Navy Post Indian Navy Post IAF Post Vacancies Officer 7308 Officers (excluding Medical and Dental) 1446 Officer 572 MNS Officer 471 Sailor 12151 Airmen

5217 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs/OR.) 1,08,685

In addressing the reservation of ex-servicemen, MoS Bhatt stated that it is governed by the ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Central Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979. He stated that all Group C and Group D Central Civil Services and Posts, as well as posts up to the level of Assistant Commandant in all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Central Industrial Security Force, will be reserved (CISF).

Because employment in Rajya Sainik Boards falls under the purview of the concerned State Government, the reservation provision will also apply to state-government recruitment. The government is improving employment opportunities for ex-servicemen through a variety of initiatives, including pre and post-retirement training and awareness programmes, as well as appropriate training.
New Delhi: It was a special day for an eight-year-old girl in Parliament as she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time and it turned out to be an interesting conversation between them. BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, Anil Firozia, brought his family to meet the Prime Minister in Parliament on Wednesday.

The PM asked Anil Firozia`s daughter, little Aahana Firozia, if she knew who he was. "Yes, you are Modi ji. I know you and I see you on TV!", the child replied."And you work for Lok Sabha TV (Lok Sabha TV mein naukari karte ho)", the child replied to the PM.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi has shown real leadership on climate change: COP 26 president Alok Sharma

At the end of the conversation, the room erupted in laughter. The Prime Minister did not let her go back empty-handed and give her chocolates.There have been several interesting incidents in the past where the Prime Minister was seen having light moments with kids.

Anil Firozia is a first-time MP who lost weight drastically after a nudge from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. For every kg lost, the MP was assured Rs 1,000 crore for his constituency. Firozia has lost 21 kilos, so he believes Rs 21,000 crore is guaranteed for his constituency.

Live TV
Bhopal: Five kanwariyas were critically injured after a truck rammed into a group of pilgrims in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, following which angry people set the vehicle on fire, police said on Wednesday. The incident occurred near Rithorakala village around 11 PM on Tuesday when a group of kanwariya pilgrims was returning from Haridwar (on foot), said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ray Singh.

Soon after the incident, local people gathered at the spot, thrashed the truck driver, and set the vehicle ablaze, he said. People also blocked the Morena-Bhind road for two hours after the incident.

Also Read: Kanwar Yatra: These people are 'FAKE KANWARIYAs' - who are they and why they're doing this?

Two of the critically injured Kanwarias were referred to Gwalior for further treatment, the ASP said. A case has been registered against the truck driver and his vehicle was impounded.

Kanwariyas are devotees of Lord Shiva who travel to pilgrimages places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch the holy water of the Ganga river to pour it on various Shivalingas during the annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage.

Live TV
New Delhi: Jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik has been admitted to the RML hospital in New Delhi due to fluctuation in his blood pressure following his ongoing hunger strike in Tihar Jail, PTI cited sources as saying. Malik has reportedly written to the doctors at the hospital saying he did not want to be treated. "He was referred to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on Tuesday due to some fluctuation in his blood pressure," a senior prison official told IANS.

Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), has been on an indefinite hunger strike since July 22 morning after the Centre did not entertain his plea to physically appear in a Jammu court hearing the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, in which he is an accused.

Malik has been kept in solitary confinement in a high-risk cell in Tihar's prison number 7, which has earlier housed several high-profile criminals.

The Kashmir separatist leader was arrested in early 2019 in connection with the 2017 terror funding case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). On May 25 this year, Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment in the terror funding case. While pronouncing the verdict, Special Judge Praveen Singh also awarded varying jail terms for several offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the JKLF chief including two life sentences. All the sentences are running concurrently.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday (July 27) arrested Bhola Yadav, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, said a report. Notably, Bhola Yadav served as OSD to Lalu Yadav during 2005-09. The CBI is conducting searches at two locations in Patna and two in Darbhanga in Bihar in connection with the case, PTI report said citing officials.

Bhola Yadav's role cropped up during the course of investigation. He will be produced before Rouse Avenue court later in the day. The CBI is likely to seek his two-week custody. In May, the CBI had raided 16 locations during which it recovered a few incriminating documents from the premises of Lalu Prasad and his family members.

According to information, the CBI registered a case against Lalu Yadav, the then union railway minister, his wife Rabri Devi, two daughters and 15 others, including unknown Public servants and Private persons.

"During the period 2004-2009 Lalu Yadav had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group "D" Post in different Zones of Railways," an official told IANS.

Also read: Lalu Prasad Yadav's health improving, don't believe any 'misleading' news report, says son Tejashwi

It is alleged that a number of residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of Yadav family and a private company controlled by Yadav and his family and they were also involved in transfer of such immovable properties.

"No advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur," IANS quoted CBI official as saying.

Also read: Lalu Prasad Yadav stopped from reciting Bhagavad Gita in AIIMS Delhi, alleges son Tej Pratap Yadav

"In continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 Sq. feet land, immovable properties situated at Patna were acquired by Yadav and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to seller in cash in most of the land transfer," he further added. The CBI probe in the matter is still on.

(With PTI/IANS Inputs)
Mumbai: They might have been at loggerheads over the control of the party (Shiv Sena) and the state (Maharashtra), but on his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray's 62nd birthday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde extended his wishes. On Wednesday, Shinde tweeted: "Greetings to former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on his birthday. I pray for his healthy and long life." The Chief Minister in his message refrained from referring to Thackeray as the Shiv Sena president.

    .     .         ....  Eknath Shinde -   (@mieknathshinde) July 27, 2022

Last month, Shinde - along with 39 other Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents - revolted against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Recently, 12 out of the 19 Shiv Sena Lok Sabha members also extended support to the Shinde camp. Shinde recently formed a national executive of his faction, claiming it to be the real Shiv Sena. The Thackeray-led Sena and the Shinde group are locked in a legal battle over pleas seeking disqualification of 16 rebel legislators and also over claim for the party's symbol with the Election Commission of India.

Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray ahead of his birthday had compared rebel party leaders to "rotten leaves" of a tree and said let there be elections to make it clear whether people support him on the rebel faction. In his first interview with Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana' after stepping down as the chief minister last month, Thackeray said it was a mistake that he trusted some of the party leaders too much.

Thackeray was interviewed by Saamana executive editor and Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, in a studio. Without naming Sena rebel and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said that some people are comparing themselves with Balasaheb Thackeray, which shows "monstrous ambition and greed (for power)".

Thackeray said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress wouldn't have come into existence had his demand (for the CM's post on rotation) been met by the BJP at that time. The Shiv Sena and BJP fell out after the 2019 assembly elections over the issue of the post of the chief minister, which Thackeray claimed was promised on a rotation basis to Sena by BJP leadership.


Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to come to New Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting on August 7. Political sources have informed about this possibility. The Prime Minister will hold the meeting with the Chief Ministers of various states amid tension in the Centre-State relations and disputes over GST. It is not certain when Mamata Banerjee is coming to Delhi, but there is a possibility that she will reach Delhi by August 6th. Although, it is not yet clear whether Mamata will have a separate meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence or not! But if she attends the meeting, she will meet Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mamata did not attend the virtual meeting of this council last year. Before that, Mamata also avoided the last face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister in 2019. She argued that nothing is done in this NITI Aayog meeting. According to the political circles, if Mamata comes this time, then the Chief Minister will move away from her previous position. Earlier in May, Modi and Mamata met for a tea ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi at a conference on the judiciary. And in November last year, the Chief Minister came to Delhi and held a meeting with the Prime Minister to invite the Prime Minister to the World Bengal Trade Conference.

Also Read: BIG BREAKTHROUGH in SSC Scam: 'Recommendations came FROM...', Partha Chatterjee gives SHOCKING indications!

As West Bengal is abuzz over the Partha Chatterjee incident and the ED's role in it, political experts say, the upcoming PM Modi-Mamata Banerjee meeting will take on a different significance. The Trinamool leader said yesterday, "Our party will accept what the law will judge in court. No matter how extreme the punishment, we will not interfere in the trial. I don't mind even if anyone gets a life imprisonment!''

Incidentally, earlier the Trinamool leadership was seen moving against the Modi government inside and outside the parliament and in the state by using central investigative agencies to put political pressure on the Non-BJP states. Trinamool Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs are yet to discuss the ED-CBI in the current monsoon session after the Partha Chatterjee incident. Naturally, Delhi's political circles are curious about the upcoming meeting between Modi and Mamata.

During Mamata's possible visit to Delhi, several aspects of the Centre-State relationship are in political exercise. Jagdeep Dhankhar has been nominated for the post of Vice President. After this, the centre has not yet announced who will be the governor of West Bengal (La Ganesha in charge temporarily). Besides, Mamata did not support opposition candidate Margaret Alva for the post of Vice President. So far, his party has decided to refrain from voting in the vice-presidential election. Significantly, the day before the NITI Aayog meeting, i.e. the 6th, the Vice President vote. The results will be published on the same day.

According to political sources, Mamata may meet some opposition leaders when she comes to Delhi. According to sources, preparations are being made to hold a press conference for her. Significantly, she is coming to the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting at a time when his party is agitating over the non-payment of dues of central schemes to West Bengal. Seven Trinamool MPs have been suspended for this week for rumblings in the Rajya Sabha over price hike and GST issues. The Trinamool parliamentary leaders say that the Modi government is besieging the state economically. The federal structure is under attack. Chief Minister Mamata also accused the BJP-ruled state of giving extra benefits by depriving the state of schemes like 100 days of work.
Mithun Chakraborty has not given much time to Bengal politics after the last assembly elections. At least that's what the political experts say. But a few days ago, he became active again in Bengal politics. Mithun Chakraborty will hold a special meeting with the BJP MLAs at the election office of BJP in Hastings today, Wednesday at twelve o'clock, after his comeback in the mainstream of the organization, according to sources in saffron camp.

Not only MLAs but also other office bearers of the organization will be present in the meeting. According to sources, the newly appointed joint general secretary (organization) of the state Satish Danda will also be present in this meeting to strengthen the organization. Panchayat elections are ahead. Then the Lok Sabha. Will Mithun Chakraborty be seen again in an active role in the BJP camp in Bengal politics? Mithun Chakraborty campaigned across the state before the last assembly elections. However, since the announcement of the results, he practically gone missing. He recently visited Kolkata and held a meeting with the party leadership for the first time at the state office of the BJP. After that he was busy shooting movies. Curiosity is peaking in the political circles around the political meeting with the BJP camp again.

The state BJP has already announced the program of the agitation centered on Partha Chatterjee. Efforts are being made to finalize various political programs long before the panchayat elections across the state using the issue of corruption of the ruling party. BJP has called for a rally tomorrow i.e. Thursday in Kolkata on the issue of Partha Chatterjee. The meeting of Mithun Chakraborty with the MLAs and leaders of BJP of the state the previous day is considered to be politically significant enough.

Along with the central leadership, the Bengal BJP also wants to bring Mithun Chakraborty into the arena of active politics in Bengal. Political analysts are of the opinion that BJP's main goal is to harvest political gains by exploiting Bengali emotions with Mithun. After joining the BJP, Mithun Chakraborty visited the state office of the BJP for the first time after coming to Kolkata. He also participated in political discussions. Mithun Chakraborty also assured the state leadership that he would stand by the party as the BJP camp would like him. The interest of the political circles has peaked around the meeting of the leadership of BJP with Mithun Chakraborty. Will 'Disco Dancer' be seen in the procession called by BJP from College Street to Dharmatala on Thursday on Partha Chatterjee issue? Time will answer.
New Delhi: A suspected monkeypox case has come to the fore in Uttar Pradesh's Noida, health department officials told PTI on Wednesday (July 27). A 47-year-old woman approached the health department on Tuesday after which her samples were taken, officials informed. "The samples have been sent for a test to Lucknow, and the patient is in home isolation at the moment. Monkeypox can be confirmed only after the test results are out," an official told the news agency. The travel history of the patient was yet to be confirmed.

On Tuesday, a suspected monkeypox patient was admitted to the LNJP Hospital in Delhi. The man, a resident of Ghaziabad, had fever and lesions for the last week while his reports from the National Institute of Virology, Pune are awaited. As per PTI sources, he had travelled abroad about a month ago.

ALSO READ: Can monkeypox virus outbreak, which represents a global health emergency, be stopped? Here's what WHO thinks

India currently has four confirmed cases of monkeypox, three in Kerala and one in Delhi. As per the Centres patient isolation guidelines, those infected with the zoonotic virus must stay in a separate room with "separate ventilation". The patients have to wear a triple-ply mask while the skin lesions should be covered to the best extent possible to curb the risk of contact with others. The infected will remain in isolation until all lesions have healed and the scabs completely fall.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency after over 16,000 cases were reported from 75 countries and five people have died since the outbreak this year. We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations. For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said.

(With agency inputs)
Researchers to explore whether psychedelic effect is required to treat depression



TORONTO, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has just been awarded Canada's first federal grant to study psilocybinthe chemical component of "magic mushrooms"with regard to its effect on treatment-resistant depression. More specifically, researchers will explore whether experiencing psilocybin's psychedelic effects are required for it to have antidepressant effects.

CAMH receives first Canadian federal (CIHR) grant to study psilocybin (CNW Group/Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)

"There has been a growing interest and body of knowledge regarding the use of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental illness and addictions," said Dr. Ishrat Husain, Head of the CAMH Clinical Trials Unit and principal investigator of the new CAMH study. "Previous clinical trials have reported large and sustained antidepressant effects of psilocybin when combined with intensive psychotherapy. If this study shows that psilocybin is still effective at treating depression without inducing a psychedelic state, it could remove the time-intensive and costly need for psychological support during the treatment. This would make the treatment more accessible both for healthcare funders, and for those seeking treatment."

This new clinical trial, entitled "A proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial to show that the antidepressant effects of psilocybin do not require psychedelic effects," will recruit 60 adults with treatment-resistant depression over three years. Over the course of the study, a random third of the participants will be administered a full dose of psilocybin plus a blocker for the 5-HT2A serotonin brain receptor, inhibiting the drug's psychedelic effect. Another group will be given psilocybin plus a placebo. The final group will receive a placebo plus the serotonin blocker. All participants will also receive 12 hours of psychotherapy as per current practice in psychedelic research. Clinical trial results will serve as preliminary findings on the antidepressant effect of this drug combination, which will lead to future research to validate this potential approach for treatment of depression without the use of intensive psychotherapy.

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CAMH researchers have already led studies involving psilocybin and ketamine. Recently, CAMH was the only Canadian site for the world's largest clinical trial of psilocybin in mental health to date. This study was instrumental in providing further support for psilocybin as an emerging treatment for depression.

"As Canada's largest mental health research hospital CAMH is ideally positioned to be at the forefront of psychedelic science research that focuses on safety, efficacy, and accessibility," said Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, Vice President of Research and Director of the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH. "Moreover, it is crucial that moving forward we bring to bear state-of-the-art research technologies, like neuroimaging and molecular assessments, to get a better understanding of how compounds like psilocybin induce their antidepressant effect or psychedelic effect, and overall safety (or benefit) considerations related to brain health."

Anyone interested in participating in this particular clinical study should first connect with their healthcare provider, then seek a referral to CAMH for further assessment of eligibility to participate in this trial. Visit Research Connect to learn more about participating in research at CAMH.

"We're very grateful to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for affirming CAMH as a leader in psychedelic science research and funding this important study," added Dr. Husain. "This is an exciting and growing field of research with the potential to help many people."

About the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development, and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit camh.ca or follow @CAMHnews on Twitter.





SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2022/27/c4208.html
OJEE 2022: The results of Odisha Joint Entrance Examination-2022 will be declared today 27 July at 11.30 am. According to media sources, Pritiranjan Gharai, minister of Skill Development and Technical Education Department will publish the results at the Auditorium of State Council for Technical Education & Vocational Training (SCTE & VT). Candidates can download their results by visiting the official website of OJEE- ojee.nic.in.

OJEE 2022: Here is how to download the result

- Visit the official website at ojee.nic.in

- Click on the link that reads, "Rank card- OJEE 2022"

- A new page will appear on the display screen

- Key in your credentials and login

- The OJEE 2022 result will be displayed on the screen

- Download the result and take its printout for future use

Over, 57,918 candidates appeared for the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) 2022 that began on July 4. Around 82.5 per cent students appeared for the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) 2022 exams. According to media sources out of 58,000 registered students, around 48,000 took the exam, while rest 10,000 skipped the test.
Kanpur: Fifty-two years after he was charged with the alleged kidnapping of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi in 1980 and the murder of her paramour, Chheda Singh passed away at the Sefai Institute of Medical Sciences in Uttar Pradesh`s Etawah district at the age of 69. He was being treated for tuberculosis. Chheda Singh was declared an absconder in 1998 and was arrested from Bhasaun village in Auraiya district on June 5, 2022. He was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. After arrest, he was sent to Etawah jail.

When arrested in Auraiya, he had told the police that he was living at an ashram near Janki Kund in Chitrakoot in the guise of a `baba` (seer) where he worked as a `sevadar` (helper) for more than two decades. Etawah Jail Senior Superintendent Ram Dhani told reporters that Chheda Singh`s health deteriorated while he was lodged in Etawah Jail on June 27, following which he was shifted to the Sefai medical facility.

Former Auraiya Superintendent of Police, Abhishek Verma said that Chheda had joined the Lalaram gang of dacoits in the ravines of Chambal when he was in his early 20s. "He was among the most active members of the gang headed by Lalaram and his brother Sitaram. Lalaram killed his rival gang`s leader Vikram Mallah and got Mallah`s gang member Phoolan Devi kidnapped in 1980. She was also gang-raped. Later, Phoolan took revenge by executing the Behmai massacre on February 14, 1981, when she and her gang gunned down 21 people," he added.

Chheda and others also executed 16 Mallahs to avenge the Behmai killings at Asta in Auraiya district in June 1984. "He was very clever. He had shown himself dead in the documents and had given the entire property to his brother Ajai Singh," said the police official.

Also read: Phoolan Devi's autobiography to be adapted into web series

He was wanted in more than 20 cases of murder, dacoity, abduction and extortion. Chheda was declared absconder by the court in 1998. At the time of the arrest, the police had recovered fake ID proofs, including a PAN card, an Aadhaar card and other documents, made in the name of Braj Mohan from him. However, with the help of locals, police ascertained his real identity.

Phoolan Devi had evaded arrest for two years after the Behmai massacre before she and her few surviving gang members surrendered in 1983. She was charged with 48 crimes, including multiple murders, plunder, arson and kidnapping for ransom. She spent the next 11 years in jail.

Also read: Phoolan Devi murder case: Delhi HC notice to Rana, 3 others on police plea

In 1994, the state government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party withdrew all charges against Phoolan, and she was released later. She was fielded by the SP in the Lok Sabha elections from Mirzapur in 1996. She won and was re-elected in 1999. In 2001, she was shot dead near her official bungalow in New Delhi by Sher Singh Rana.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda on Wednesday said the protests by Congress leaders and supporters were not a `satyagrah` but only aimed at protecting the Gandhi 'Parivar' (family). He, however, insisted that the Gandhi family must face the law. On the opposition`s allegations of misuse of power, Nadda said that if anyone felt so, they could approach the courts.

"This is not a Satyagrah. It is an attempt to hide the truth behind all these protests. These protests are neither for the country nor for their party. This is just an attempt to save one family," Nadda said.

Also Read: India police state, Modi a king', says Rahul Gandhi amid Sonia's ED questioning; BJP hits back, cites 1975 Emergency

The BJP chief said that the top Congress leaders should answer the questions asked by the investigation agencies. But this family thinks of itself as being above the law and never likes to take questions from anyone, he added.

'Any attempt to keep a family above the law will not work': JP Nadda

"Just now the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the ED`s jurisdiction. The law is taking its course and any attempt to keep a family above the law will not work in this country," Nadda said.

He emphasised that the Congress should respect the constitution and the law of the land. "ED or any other agency works according to the law. The ED has so far recovered scams worth crores, and if the Congress people feel that the Centre is misusing their power they are free to approach the courts," he added.

ED questions Congress chief Sonia Gandhi

Nadda's comments come in the backdrop of Congress protests against the questioning of the party`s interim president Sonia Gandhi by the ED. Congress MPs initiated a protest march from the Parliament to Vijay Chowk in Delhi.

Sonia Gandhi was summoned for the third time on July 27th by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. She reached the ED office accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Live TV
New Delhi: Terming as "serious" the promise of "irrational freebies" made by political parties during elections, the Supreme Court on Tuesday wondered why the Centre was hesitant about taking a stand on the issue. The court also asked the Centre whether the view of the Finance Commission can be sought to deal with the issue after the Election Commission said it cannot regulate political parties on it.

"Why don't you say that you have nothing to do with it and the Election Commission has to take a call. I am asking whether the Government of India is considering it a serious issue or not? Why are you hesitating to take a stand? You take a stand and then we will decide whether these freebies are to be continued or not. You file a detailed counter (affidavit)," Chief Justice of India N V Ramana told Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj.

The bench, also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, was hearing a PIL against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections. The petitioner wanted the Election Commission to invoke its powers to freeze their election symbols and cancel their registration.

The bench, during the brief hearing, sought the views of senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, who was in the courtroom in connection with another matter, on the issue of freebies made during and after polls.

"This is a serious matter. Truly serious! The solutions are very difficult but the issue is extremely serious. It is the Finance Commission that gives out an allocation to the states... They can take into account the debt of a state and the quantum of freebies.

"Finance commission is the appropriate authority to deal with it. Maybe we can invite the commission to look into this aspect. We cannot expect the Government of India to issue directions to states. This is not possible and this will create a political issue," Sibal said.

Sibal said the Finance Commission can take an informed view with regard to freebies, their quantum and the financial condition of the state where the promises are sought to be implemented.

"Please find out from the Finance Commission as to whether this takes place. You find out who is the authority where we can initiate a debate or something. I will list it next week. We direct the Government of India to get instructions in this matter...," the CJI told the ASG.

At the outset, the counsel for the Election Commission referred to the reply filed in the matter and said that offering freebies before polls and their execution after the results are the policy decisions of political parties, and the Central government and not the poll panel, will be the best suited for dealing with this issue.

The poll panel cannot regulate state policies and decisions which may be taken by the winning party when they form the government, the counsel for the EC said.

On the other hand, the ASG insisted the issue needed to be dealt with by the EC.

Calling the matter "serious", the bench asked the government not to hesitate from taking a stand.

Lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, who has filed the PIL, said the poll panel has the power to de-recognise and seize the symbol of political parties and they can be used to stop doling out irrational freebies.

He referred to the recent Punjab assembly election and said the state, which is precariously placed financially, has to bear the burden of the promises.

"We are on our way to becoming Sri Lanka," he warned.

The top court had on January 25 sought replies from the Centre and the Election Commission on the PIL seeking direction to seize the symbol or deregister a political party that promises or distributes "irrational freebies" before polls, saying it is a "serious issue" as sometimes "freebie budget is going beyond regular budget".

The plea, which was filed ahead of the assembly polls in five states including Punjab, said there should be a total ban on such populist measures to gain undue political favour from voters as they violate the Constitution, and the EC should take suitable deterrent measures.

While issuing the notice, the bench had taken note of the submissions of senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Upadhyay, that a law was required to be framed and steps taken for the seizure of party symbols or cancellation of registration of parties or both as ultimately it is the citizens who have to pay up.

The plea urged the court to declare that the promise of irrational freebies from public funds before elections unduly influences the voters, disturbs the level playing field and vitiates the purity of the poll process.

"Petitioner submits that the recent trend of political parties to influence voters by offering freebies with an eye on elections is not only the greatest threat to the survival of democratic values but also injures the spirit of the Constitution," said the plea.

"This unethical practice is just like giving bribes to the electorate at the cost of the exchequer to stay in power and must be avoided to preserve democratic principles and practices," it said.

The petition has also sought a direction to the EC to insert an additional condition in the relevant paragraphs of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, which deals with conditions for recognition as a state party, that a "political party shall not promise/distribute irrational freebies from the public fund before the election".

The petitioner has urged the apex court to declare that the promise or distribution of private goods or services, which are not for public purposes from public funds, before the elections, violates several articles of the Constitution, including Article 14 (equality before law).
Rupees 3,419 crores of electricity has been spent in one month! The owner of the house fell sick after seeing this electricity bill. According to the family, the old man is now admitted to the hospital. This is an incident of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior. Priyanka Gupta, a resident of Shiv Vihar Colony in Gwalior, was shocked when the electricity bill arrived at her home in July. 3,419 crores of electricity has been consumed. Everyone in the family read the bill again and again to understand whether they are seeing a mistake or not.

Since then, Priyanka's father-in-law has fallen ill and is hospitalized. Priyanka's husband Sanjeev blames his father's illness on a wrong electricity bill. Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Power Distribution Company (MPMKVVCL) is shaking as this news spreads.

The electricity department hastily informed that a big mistake has been made. They claim that this incident is the fault of a worker. A bill was immediately created again. In the new bill, Priyanka's electricity bill has been mentioned as Rs 1,300. General Manager of Electricity Transport Authority Nitin Manglik said that this incident happened due to the mistake of an employee. They are sorry for this. Madhya Pradesh Power Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar said that the worker who committed this crime will be identified. Priyanka's family is a bit shocked after receiving the new bill. But they are worried about the sick old man.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena president and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance experiment led by him was not wrong and people had welcomed it. In the second part of his interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said he wants not just local body polls due in Maharashtra, but also the Assembly elections and claimed the Sena will have its own CM once again for which he will tour the state to rejuvenate the party cadre.

The BJP is giving everything to those who have come from other parties - from the post of chief minister (Sena rebel Eknath Shinde) to leader of the opposition (which is currently held by NCP's Ajit Pawar), said Thackeray, who turned 62 on Wednesday.

"Delhi wants to instigate a Shiv Sena versus Shiv Sena fight and divide the Marathi-speaking people. If the present rulers fear the opposition, it is their inefficiency. In a democracy, no party is a permanent winner," he said.

The Shiv Sena had parted ways with the BJP after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. The Sena later tied up with the NCP and Congress as part of the MVA to form a government led by Thackeray.

Last month, Sena MLA Eknath Shinde along with 39 other party legislators and some independents revolted against the Sena leadership, leading to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MLA government.

Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister on June 30 and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

People welcomed 'MVA experiment': Uddhav Thackeray

Thackeray said "people had welcomed the MVA experiment" and that the three-party alliance was born out of the BJP's denial of what was assured to him.

"The Shiv Sena will have a chief minister again. I will work to expand the party base and cadre. I will start touring the state from August. I want to have maximum membership," he said in the interview with Shiv Sena MP and Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut.

'What was I asking from the BJP in 2019?...Chief minister's post for two-and-half years and it was agreed upon. The post wasn't for me. I had promised (Sena founder and his father) Balasaheb that I will install a Shiv Sena chief minister. My promise is still incomplete," he said.

Thackeray said he had to accept the CM's post as a challenge.

"I had to do it because the BJP denied all that was decided," he claimed.

Had asked Eknath Shinde if he wanted to become Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray

Without naming present state CM Shinde, Thackeray claimed when the Shiv Sena was with the BJP, he (Shinde) would say the BJP is harming the Sena.

" In 2019, the BJP crossed all limits of falsehood by denying all the things that were decided, and hence, the MVA was born. Now they (Shinde and other rebels) say the Congress and NCP were harming the Shiv Sena. What exactly do they want? They are just looking for excuses," he said.

"He (Shinde) has got the chief minister's post for himself in a very bad way. Such is his lust for power that now he is comparing himself to Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray," the Sena president said.

Uddhav Thackeray said he had asked Shinde if he wanted to become the CM.

"I had told him to let's talk to the Congress, NCP. Let us tell them our people don't want to continue alliance with you. If you want to go with the BJP, I have a few questions for that party, get those answers for me. But he (Shinde) didn't have the guts," the former CM said.

"Look at the theatrics. Earlier, he (Shinde) would criticise the BJP and say it wants to finish off the Shiv Sena. He had given his resignation as minister to me. Tomorrow he may claim he is Narendra Modi and stake claim over the prime minister's post. The BJP should be alert," he said.

Indulge in healthy politics: Uddhav Thackeray tells BJP

Uddhav Thackeray also asked the BJP to indulge in healthy politics instead of making enemies.

He defended his decision to quit as the chief minister before the trust vote (last month after Shinde and other legislators revolted).

"Even if one of my MLAs voted against me, it would have been shameful. The rebels have been exposed in the Assembly Speaker's election and the trust vote," he said.
Mumbai: Fans of Sushant Singh Rajput are outraged and have shared screenshots of a T-shirt allegedly sold on Flipkart with a photo of the late actor and the message reading `Depression is like drowning.` "Boycott Flipkart" trended on Twitter on Tuesday evening after one of his fans discovered a T-shirt which included the artwork of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput referring to his "depression" on the website. As soon as it was shared, the picture of the t-shirt went viral and fans of Sushant complained on Twitter over the T-caption.



Some of them demanded an apology from Flipkart and the withdrawal of the offending T-shirt from their website. The T-shirt is no longer available on the website.



As many people responded with disbelief, fans of the late actor tweeted screenshots of Flipkart`s T-shirt with Sushant`s picture. The "insensitive" product stunned some people, while others dubbed it a "smear campaign" against the late actor.



A user tweeted, "I will serve notice to @Flipkart tonight (for approving a material which is defaming a deceased) as a common and responsible citizen."

Update



I will serve notice to .@Flipkart tonight (for approving a material which is defaming a deceased) as a common & responsible citizen.



Cc: .@withoutthemind di .@divinemitz di .@soniaRainaV di .@FlipkartStories .@flipkartsupport & BW Killed SSR DreamProjects TL participants  Rudrabha Mukherjee (@imrudrabha) July 26, 2022

Another wrote, "Country has not yet come out of the shock of Sushant`s tragic death. We will keep raising our voice for justice.. Flipkart should be ashamed of this heinous act and should apologize that such incident will not be repeated again".



Country has not yet come out of the shock of Sushant's tragic death.



We will keep raising our voice for justice..



Flipkart should be ashamed of this heinous act and should apologize that such incident will not be repeated again.#BoycottFlipkart pic.twitter.com/wEVLPYl5EH  Kashyap (@Kashyap_updates) July 26, 2022



"Smear Campaign Against SSR", one of the users tweeted.



It's completely a propaganda

Every1 knows #sushantsinghrajput was brutally murdered by #drugiewood & till now they r facing wrath of audience so to come out from this spiral they did this & depression is not a fancy word which u use like this (#ssr not depressed) #BoycottFlipkart  SG (@SG68579767) July 27, 2022

#BoycottFlipkart



Now Flipkart cm out as t new on t list of abusers of Sushant Singh Rajput



Shame on Flipkart

You r now earning money on an innocent deceased soul by tagging him as a mental patient



Is tat much worst condition u r in right now..??



Sushant 4m Dreamer 2 Achiever  Soma Dutta (@SomaDut96461948) July 26, 2022

The actor passed away in 2020 at his Bandra residence which created a lot of controversies. The CBI was brought to investigate the actor`s death from various angles.



Post demise, his Patna residence was turned into his memorial with the late actor`s telescope, books, guitar and other personal things.Sushant Singh Rajput made his Bollywood debut with `Kai Po Che` and was known for his kind gesture, and always treated his fans with utmost pleasure, he gathered a lot of popularity after his biggest success `M.S Dhoni - The Untold Story`. His last big-screen appearance was `Chhichhore` which was released in 2019 and was a blockbuster hit.The actor was last seen in director Mukesh Chhabra`s `Dil Bechara` opposite Sanjana Sanghi which was the official remake of the novel `The fault in our stars`, the film went for an OTT release.
New Delhi: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Madhya Pradesh`s Indore organised a clothing drive to "donate" clothes for actor Ranveer Singh, whose nude photoshoot for a magazine sparked outrage.

The locals are donating clothing into a box that has nude images of the actor from the photoshoot. They are gathered at a location where the NGO named "Neki Ki Deewar" held a cloth donation drive.

According to the locals, people in the country follow Ranveer Singh, however, they "do not want the youth to follow what he has done".

An FIR was registered against Singh on a complaint filed at the Chembur Police Station. Reportedly, the case has been filed after receiving the complaint by an office-bearer of the NGO who had alleged that the actor hurt the sentiments of women with his nude photos.

The Mumbai Police filed the FIR under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code like 292 (sale of obscene books, etc), 293 (sale of obscene objects to young people), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and provisions of the Information Technology Act.

The images from Ranveer`s photo shoot for Paper Magazine were posted online on July 21. In the images, Ranveer is seen wearing no clothes. In one of the images, he was seen lying on a rug naked recreating Burt Reynold`s famous photograph.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Ranveer was recently seen in Netflix`s interactive special `Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls` which received a positive response from netizens all over the globe.

As far as films are concerned, he will next be seen in Rohit Shetty`s next directorial film `Cirkus` with Jacqueline Fernandes and Pooja Hegde. The film is slated to release on the occasion of Christmas 2022.

Apart from that, Ranveer also has `Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani` with Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan. The film is all set to hit the theatres on February 11, 2023.

Live TV
New Delhi: Actors Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff have reportedly broken-up earlier this year after dating for almost six years. While the two never confirmed their relationship, they would often get spotted hanging out together and would even go together on vacations. According to reports, despite the break-up both the fitness and gym enthusiasts are still good friends.

A source close to the couple revealed to Hindustan Times, Tiger and Disha are no longer together. It is unclear what happened between them, but both of them are single right now.

Tiger Shroffs friend too confirmed the same and told the media portal, We all got to know about it only in the last few weeks. He hasnt really spoken about it with any of us. He is focused on his work with his trips to London and is doing fine, not affected much by the breakup.

A report in Bombay Times states that the reason for their break-up was that Tiger only wants to focus on his career right now whereas Disha wanted a committed relationship, with her feelings reciprocated.



The two have been friends for long but Tiger is too obsessed with his own life and fitness to be invested in a relationship. He was clear from the beginning about it. Disha was hopeful that things would eventually change but that wasnt happening. One-sided relationships are emotionally draining and that led to an obvious tension between the two. One found the other controlling. Trouble was brewing for a while and they finally outgrew each other. They have parted ways and moved on for good. This is best for the both of them, a source told Bombay Times.

Earlier, in a 2019 interview with ETimes Disha had confessed, I have been trying to impress him (Tiger Shroff) for a long time, but he doesnt seem to be interested in me. We go out for dinner and all, but I need more than friendship, but thats not happening. I want us to be more than that, but its one-sided love. I have been trying it all  gymnastics, fitness, et al  to impress him, but its not happening.
New Delhi: Actor-politician Sunny Deol is not in pink of health. He is getting medical treatment in the United States.

According to Sunny`s spokesperson, the `Border` star sustained a back injury a few weeks ago during the shoot of one of his projects.

He underwent treatment in Mumbai for a week and then flew to the US for the treatment. Due to his injury, Sunny, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Punjab, had to miss the oath-ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu."

Sunny Deol sustained a back injury a few weeks ago at a shoot, he was undergoing back treatment first in Mumbai and then he flew to the USA for his back treatment two weeks back. The presidential elections happened during this time and he was not in the country as his treatment is still not over. He should be returning to India post his recovery," the spokesperson informed.

Sunny will be seen sharing screen space with Pooja Bhatt and Dulquer Salmaan in R Balki`s `Chup`. He is also coming up with `Gadar 2` and `Apne 2`.Sunny also has Soorya in his kitty. Reportedly, the film is a Hindi remake of the Malayalam crime thriller `Joseph`.

In April, he unveiled his look from the film in which he was seen sitting on a staircase, looking lost in some deep thoughts."

Describing his character, Sunny wrote, "He had all the happiness, but then the journey of life took away his happiness and he was left with hate, anger and vengeance. But Soorya found a purpose....#Soorya," Sunny had posted.

Live TV
Almost a third of girls and young women in the UK cannot access free period products at their school or college, despite Government schemes being in place for several years, research suggests.

Some 32% of girls and young women said they could not access free menstrual products at their school or college because they were unavailable, according to a survey commissioned by Girlguiding.

The charity is calling on the Department of Education (DfE) to fully evaluate Englands Period Products Scheme and make it permanent.

Currently, the scheme is only available until July 2022, but the DfE said it is in the process of extending the programme to run until at least 2024.

Savanta surveyed 2,008 girls aged 11 to 18 across the UK between June 13 and 22 for the charity.

It found that more than one third of students said they could obtain free period products in their school toilets (35%) but another third revealed they have to ask a teacher if they want to access them (32%).

More than half (54%) of respondents said they felt uncomfortable asking for period products at school, while 30% said they felt too embarrassed.

The research also revealed that 77% of girls think period products are too expensive and one in 10 said they or their families could not afford to buy them.

One of three young people interviewed by members of Girlguidings youth panel said: My old school didnt used to have them. Once, I ran into an issue where I needed them and they werent there, and so I had to ask my friend.

But I know that if my friend wasnt there I would have been stuck. Trying to avoid girls running into that situation is really important. I just think (the scheme) has had such a positive impact on school life.

Another respondent said: The whole idea of a period is taboo and no-one really talks about it at school.

The Period Products Scheme was introduced in England in 2020 following campaigns by Girlguiding and other organisations and activists.

Story continues

It is available to all English state-maintained schools and age 16 to 19 educational organisations.

It provides free sanitary products to girls and young women who need them to access education. This scheme was available for organisations to order until July 8.

Similar schemes were introduced in Scotland and Wales in 2017 and 2018 respectively, while a pilot started in Northern Ireland in September 2021.

Girlguiding also recommends that the DfE make it a requirement for schools and colleges to consult students about what period products they need and how they would like to access them, and issue guidance on how to do this adequately.

It said its research has found there is ineffective, expensive and wasteful over and undersupply when schools and colleges do not ask students about their preferences and needs.

Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) in England was reformed in 2020 to include education on periods. However, less than half of respondents said they learnt about the impact of periods on physical health, mental health and period stigma and shame at school.

Caitlyn, Girlguiding advocate, said: No-one should be forced out of education because of their period. We were so pleased in 2020 when the UK Government finally introduced free period products in schools and colleges in England.

But our research shows that the scheme isnt working as it should and millions either dont have access to period products, or feel too uncomfortable and embarrassed to access them at school.

As Girlguiding advocates were calling on the Government to change this. It shouldnt be our job to evaluate the scheme. We want the Department for Education and counterparts in devolved nations to do a full evaluation and make the changes needed so that everyone can access the period products they need.

A Department for Education spokesman said: No-one should be held back from accessing education due to their period, which is why we launched our free period product scheme to provide girls with period products when they need them.

Since the launch of the scheme in January 2020, 94% of secondary schools and 90% of post-16 organisations in England have ordered free period products for pupils, with order numbers continuing to grow as we move past the pandemic.

We continue to work with schools to tackle period poverty, providing advice and support on ways to promote the scheme to pupils that avoids embarrassment or stigma, and to involve pupils in what products should be ordered.
New Delhi: As lakhs of central government employees are waiting for an update on hike in Dearness Allowance, the government has made a big announcement on promotions of secretariat level employees. A few days after granting mass promotion to over 8,000 government employees belonging to three key secretariat services, the Department of Personnel & Training is now ready with the next lot of officers to be promoted in the next two to three week.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced it while meeting a delegation of the Central Secretariat Official Language Service Group-A officers on Tuesday. He has also assured the delegation that their promotion cases will also be expedited as per rule, as there is a mandatory provision of training of officers ranging from one year to 18 months before the promotions, reported PTI. He told the delegation that he will look into their demands sympathetically and hurdles, if any, in granting promotions will be resolved.

Singh said henceforth all future promotions will get streamlined as all legal hurdles were sorted out in granting promotions to 8,089 employees -- 4,734 are from Central Secretariat Service (CSS), 2,966 from Central Secretariat Stenographers' Service (CSSS) and 389 from Central Secretariat Clerical Service (CSCS).

7th Pay Commission: Central government awaiting news on DA hike

Lakhs of central government employees who are waiting with a baited breath for announcement on hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) may hear the good news by next month, media reports have said.

The AICP Index, crucial factor in determining the DA, for the month of May points at the probability of increase in the DA of the central government. Government may bring in some more good news for the employees in the month of July. Now, if latest media reports are to be believed, Dearness Allowance of the employees could by hiked by 4 percent. This means the total DA could reach upo 38 percent.

It may be recalled that the Union Cabinet had on March 30 hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) by 3 per cent to 34 per cent to compensate for the price rise, benefitting over 1.16 crore central government employees and pensioners.

The additional installment is effective from January 1, 2022. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.
New Delhi: The month of August has several holidays --some being observed nation-wide while some local festivities being celebrated across the country. Several bank branches will remain closed in various states owing to these festivities. Before visiting your bank branch in the month of April, you must note down the list of important days during which banks will remain closed.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mentioned some days when the banking operations will remain closed in the month of August 2022, although online banking activities will continue to work.

Banks will remain closed for total 18 days in the month of August -- 13 as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar list and the remaining days are that of weekends. However, you must note that the banks will NOT be closed for 19 days in all states or regions. This is the total number of days when banks in different parts of the country will remain closed for state-observed holidays. For example bank branches might be closed for Gangtok in Sikkim but not closed for the same in other states.

Reserve Bank of India places its Holidays under three brackets --Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday; and Banks Closing of Accounts. However, it must be noted that the bank holidays vary in various states as well not observed by all the banking companies. Banking holidays also depend on the festivals being observed in specific states or notification of specific occasions in those states.

Here is an elaborate list of bank holidays falling in the month of August 2022. Check out the list.

Drukpa Tshe-zi: August 1

Muharram (Ashoora): August 8

Muharram (Ashoora): August 9

Raksha Bandhan: August 11

Raksha Bandhan: August 12

Patriots Day: August 13

Independence Day: August 15

Parsi New Year (Shahenshahi): August 16

Janmashtami: August 18

Janmashtami (Shravan Vad-8)/Krishna Jayanthi: August 19

Sri Krishna Ashtami: August 20

Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva : August 29

Samvatsari (Chaturthi Paksha)/Ganesh Chaturthi/Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata/Vinayakar Chathurthi: August 31

Apart from the above bank holidays, the second and fourth Saturdays, Sundays of the month are falling on the following dates:

Sunday: August 7

Second Saturday: August 13

Sunday: August 14

Sunday: August 21

Fourth Saturday: August 27

Sunday: August 28

Holidays of the mentioned days will be observed in various regions according to the state declared holidays, however for the gazetted holidays, banks will be closed all over the country.

If you keep a track of these holidays, you would be able to plan bank transaction activities in a better way. For long weekends, you can even plan your holidays well.
Tejas Express, also famous as India's first private train operating between Delhi and Lucknow, was recently delayed for three hours because it was halted at Amausi. The reason for the delay was cited as the electric line breakdown. Besides Tejas, the incident also affected 47 more trains operating on more similar routes. Moreover, later on, Tejas had to be operated using a diesel engine due to the delay in fixing the issue with the electric lines.

Based on the rules of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), all the trains that are delayed have to compensate the passengers, and similarly, Tejas, which recently got delayed, will have to compensate the passengers for their lost time.

The passengers will soon be informed about the compensation through a link that they will receive in their respective emails or via SMS. Using this link, the passengers will be able to get their compensatory amount. All they need to do is, open the said link and fill in the necessary details like the PNR number, account details, IFSC code, and other needed details. After you provide the necessary details, the amount will be later credited to your bank account if you are eligible to get compensation from the organization.

Also read: Indian Railways may restore train ticket concessions for senior citizens but on THESE conditions

Following the policy of Tejas Express, the passengers are eligible for a compensatory amount of Rs 100 if the train is delayed by an hour. The amount increases proportionately with the delay, for instance, if the train is delayed by three hours, you will be compensated with Rs 250. In addition, the passengers of Tejas express are also eligible to receive up to Rs. 25 lakh in travel insurance. If there is theft or dacoity during the trip, the express will give the passenger Rs. 1 lakh.
New Delhi: Garena Free Fire releases redeem codes on everyday basis. The 12-digit redeem code consists of alphabets and numbers. Players can get rewards such as skins for in-game weapons and characters to improve their gaming experience.

Garena Free fire is banned in India. However, if you are located outside India, you can access the reward codes and redeem them. For that you will be required to visit official Garena Free Fire reward site and log in to your Facebook, Google, Twitter IDs to access the Free Fire redemption page. (Also read: iPhone 12 gets massive price cut on Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale, offer details here)

Check out the Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for July 27, 2022

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(Also read: Shocking! Ex-Amazon Web Services engineer hacked data of 10 crore customers)

How to Redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, July 27 2022

Step 1: Go to the official Garena Free Fire redemption portal



Step 2: Log in on the portal with either your Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Google, VK, or Huawei ID.



Step 3: Enter a redeem code in the designated text box.



Step 4: Click on the Ok button to get free rewards in your game account.

(Disclaimer: Garena Free fire is banned in India. Hence we advise people to adhere to government rules)
New Delhi: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska posed for Vogue magazine amid the ongoing war with Russia. The couple shared their marriage story, life during wartime and the future of Ukraine with the magazine. The international magazine describes Olena Zelenska, Ukraines First Lady as "portrait of bravery". In one of the images, she can be seen with soldiers in the background with the scars of war on Ukraine visible in the picture.

Quoting Ukraines First Lady, Vogue wrote on Instagram that she did not want to flee the war. But like so many of her fellow Ukrainians in this war, Zelenska has risen to the occasion with grace and grit. Im trying to do my best, she said, the caption read.

The photoshoot has received mixed reactions from the netizens. While some users praised the couple, others were not so fond of the idea as Ukraine continues to grapple with war. A netizen called them a brave and beautiful couple and one wrote amazing pictures, however, another commented sarcastically, so, war is raging in ukraine and they do photoshoots for vogue? Noice (sic). Another user called it a bizarre photo shoot.

Meanwhile, at least one person died in a Russian strike on a Ukrainian hotel in the Donetsk region town of Bakhmut, Reuters reported. Russia-backed forces have claimed to take over Ukraine's second biggest power plant but Kyiv has not confirmed it, saying that fighting was underway nearby. Russia had launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24, inviting global condemnation and sanctions from the West.

ALSO READ: Russian-Ukraine war: Kremlin was waging an 'open gas war' against Europe, warns Zelenskiy
KOLKATA: Actor-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who has suddenly become very active in West Bengal politics, has claimed as many as 38 MLAs of the ruling TMC are in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Claiming to share BREAKING news with his fans, the Bollywood veteran claimed that 21 of the ruling party MLAs are in direct contact with him.

Let me give you breaking news. Be ready for it. At this moment, 38 TMC TMC MLAs are in touch with us. Among them, 21 are in direct contact with me. Now, I leave this to you for your consideration, Mithun said while addressing a news conference at a BJP office in Kolkata.

West Bengal | Do you want to hear breaking news? At this moment, 38 TMC MLAs have very good relations with us, out of which 21 are in direct (contact with us): BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/yF5zD2FBff  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022

The noted actor-politician had come to the city to hold a meeting with a section of BJP MLAs. Mithun Da also commented on the recent arrest of state minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the recruitment of teachers and staff in government-aided schools in West Bengal. If there is no evidence against anyone then that person can go to sleep peacefully. But if there is evidence then no one can spare that person. Even Prime Minister and President are not above the law, he said.

However, the ruling Trinamool Congress has categorically dismissed his claims. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen came forward and said, He was admitted to a hospital for some time. Maybe that has made a psychological impact on him. No one in his right mind will make such claims because the party itself does not know how many MLAs it has.

#WATCH | I heard that Mithun Chakraborty was admitted to a hospital a few days back. I think he was mentally ill & not physically... The problem is that he does not know politics: TMC MP Santanu Sen on Mithun Chakraborty's remarks pic.twitter.com/5FUKkM7RIQ  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022

Sen went on to say that so many have defected to the TMC and if the doors are kept open, then more BJP legislators will join the party. I dont want to give any importance to such claims as it is far from reality, he added.
Kolkata: Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday questioned why Partha Chatterjee is being retained as a minister by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.

Adhikari met Governor La Ganesan at the Raj Bhavan here, seeking that Chatterjee, who holds the industry, commerce and parliamentary affairs portfolios, be removed as minister. "She (the chief minister) has not taken any step against him despite so much information and proof," Adhikari told reporters after the meeting.

Adhikari, a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government before joining the BJP in 2020, alleged that it is "her strategy to show that she is good and others are not". The chief minister had said during a programme on Monday that anyone found guilty in court would face action from the party.

Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23 by the ED, which is probing the money trail involved in the alleged teacher recruitment irregularities at government-sponsored and-aided schools. Crores of rupees in cash along with other valuable items were allegedly recovered from the residence of Mukherjee.

Chatterjee was the education minister when the school jobs scam occurred. Both have been remanded to the custody of the central agency by a special ED court till August 3.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday again found a large amount of cash in another flat of Arpita Mukherjee, considered a close associate of West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee who was arrested in connection with the school recruitment scam, an official said.

After a search operation, ED recovered a huge sum of money from the flat of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee, located at Belgharia Town Club. pic.twitter.com/W9u53bme61  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022

The central agency also arrested Mukherjee on July 23, a day after unearthing unaccounted cash worth over Rs 21 crore from her flat in south Kolkata. This time, the cash was found in another apartment owned by her at Belgharia in the northern fringes of the city. ED sleuths had to break open a door to get into two flats in Belghoria's Rathtala locality as the keys to open them could not be spotted, the official said.

"We have found a good amount of money from one of the flats in a housing complex. We have brought three note counting machines to know the exact amount," he told PTI. Several 'vital' documents were also found in the flats during a search. During questioning, Mukherjee informed the ED about her properties in and around Kolkata.

Since Wednesday morning, the agency has been conducting raids at those properties.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the West Bengal SSC teacher recruitment scam, the BJP has once again attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the alleged intimate relationship between Minister Partha Chatterjee, arrested for his alleged involvement in the scam, and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee. Launching a scathing attack on Mamata, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that TMC stands for "Too Much Corruption" which the party is trying to portray as "Too Much Coincidence".

Poonawalla also tweeted pictures of Arpita Mukherjee, also arrested by the ED, and Partha Chatterjee who were seen sitting on the TMC stage, and asked, "Didi, yeh rishta kya kehlata hai? Too Much Co incidence or Too Much Corruption? What was Arpita doing in such programs? SSC scam is a scam by TMC, of TMC, for TMC."

Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee had on Monday said that she does not support corruption. Hitting out at her, the BJP claimed that the WB SSC scam "under her nose" shows "complete administrative failure" of the TMC chief.

Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, "TMC stands for Too Much Corruption. Mamata government is making attempts to give it a form of `Too Much Coincidence`. It is a complete administrative failure of Mamata Banerjee that such a scam took place under her nose. Her senior associate was doing a scam and she was not aware of it."

The BJP leader alleged that the corruption has been done not by an individual, but by the TMC. "The pictures of Arpita have also surfaced showing her on the TMC stage. Is this also a coincidence? When Rs 21 crore was recovered from her residence, besides that, envelopes of the state Education Ministry were also found which linked her to Partha Chatterjee. Admit cards were also found there. Is this also a coincidence? Was Mamata Banerjee herself praising Arpita? The way cash has been found shows that it is a corruption done by the TMC," he said.

Poonawalla asked the West Bengal Chief Minister to take responsibility for the actions of her Minister. "A lot of proof has come to the fore. No matter how much Mamata tries to shy away from the allegations, now she has to take responsibility. She cannot say that she was unaware of the events taking place. It means that she does not have any control over her government and administration," he said.

"The division bench of Calcutta High Court had cancelled the admission of the son of Mamata`s Education Minister. What action was taken against the Minister? Has Partha Chatterjee been suspended so far? All of it seems to be a case of `Too Much Corruption`," Poonawalla alleged.

Mamata on Monday broke her silence and asserted that she `doesn`t support corruption. "I don`t support corruption. I get a Rs 1 lakh pension from Parliament and Rs 2 lakh as a state MLA. Now count how much money I have made in the last 11 years. I have not taken a single penny besides this. My service is voluntary. Friends, I am sad and disheartened at the attitude of some political party in the last two days," said the West Bengal CM.

Chatterjee who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday dialled party supremo Mamata Banerjee after his arrests, revealed an official document. ED personnel raided several locations in the state on July 22 as part of their probe into the money trail involved in a teacher recruitment scam at government-sponsored and aided schools. Crores of rupees in cash, along with other items, were allegedly recovered from Mukherjee`s residence, sources said.

Chatterjee`s close associate Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested as part of the ED`s investigation into the scam. ED arrested Mukherjee after it recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from her residence on Friday.
Washington: Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will speak Thursday, according to a US official, their first conversation in four months coming amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over China's claims on Taiwan. The planned talks between the two leaders, the fifth in a series of regular check-ins, have been in the works for weeks. But the possibility of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency, has added fresh strain to the complicated relationship.

Beijing is warning that it will take "forceful measures" should Pelosi visit the self-ruled island of Taiwan that China claims as part of its territory. The US official declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement. The schedule was first reported by Bloomberg.

Pelosi hasn't confirmed plans to visit Taiwan, but Biden last week told reporters that US military officials believed it was ?not a good idea? for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. Biden's comments came after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip she had originally planned to make in April but postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Also read: Taiwan conducts air raid drills amid Nancy Pelosi visit concern, China's renewed threats

The speaker has declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocol on her travel. But she said Biden's comment stemmed from military brass being "afraid our plane would get shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese." She would be the highest-ranking U.S. Elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker.

"It's important for us to show support for Taiwan," Pelosi said. "None of us have ever said we're for independence when it comes to Taiwan. That's up to Taiwan to decide."

Administration officials have privately stressed to Pelosi that travelling to Taiwan could further complicate a delicate status quo.

Chinese officials aren't mincing words, sending a message that a visit by Pelosi would be viewed as a change in US Policy and treated as a provocation. "If the US insists on going its own way, China will take forceful measures to resolutely respond and counter it, and we will do what we say," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

The US Has a longstanding commitment to the "One China" policy that recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan in recent years, and there are fears that it's trying to intimidate the island into accepting Beijing's demands to unify with the communist mainland.

The talks between Biden and Xi could also include discussion of North Korea's nuclear program, differences between Beijing and Washington over Russia's war in Ukraine, efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. Administration's review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration.

"There are issues of tension in this relationship," John Kirby, a national security spokesperson for the White House, said Tuesday. "But there's also issues where we believe cooperation is not only possible but mandatory, for instance on climate change, which affects us greatly."

Long-simmering differences over Taiwan have come into intense focus in the aftermath of Russia's invasion and ongoing efforts to annex swaths of eastern Ukraine.

As the US scrambled to assemble a global coalition to hit the Russian economy with heavy sanctions following Vladimir Putin's ordered invasion of Ukraine, Biden warned allies "particularly those in the Indo-Pacific" that Beijing would be watching closely how democracies responded as it considers its next steps on Taiwan.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday he fears that Beijing might be gleaning some "concerning" takeaways from the five-month-old war in eastern Europe. But he suggested the moment has also led to careful reflection in Taipei.

"Not as many people ask Is Taiwan learning lessons from Ukraine?' and you can bet they are, Sullivan said during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum. "They're learning lessons about citizen mobilization and territorial defence. They're learning lessons about information warfare, and how to set the information space. And they're learning lessons about how to prepare for a potential contingency involving China and they're working rapidly at that."

Taiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xi's last call in March, about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. China has repeatedly threatened to assert its claim to Taiwan by force, and has dispatched hundreds of sorties in Taiwanese airspace since Biden took office 18 months ago. The US is legally obligated to ensure the self-governing island democracy can defend itself and treats threats to it with grave concern. The conversation also comes as Biden's national security and economic aides near the completion of a review of US tariff policy and prepare to make recommendations to the president.
Singapore/Colombo: The Singapore government has allowed former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to extend his stay in the country for another 14 days after he fled the crisis-hit island nation, according to a media report on Wednesday. The report on the extension of Rajapaksa's visit pass came a day after Sri Lanka's Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said the ex-president was not hiding and is expected to return to the country from Singapore. Rajapaksa, 73, arrived in Singapore on July 14 on a "private visit" from the Maldives after he fled his country to escape a popular uprising against his government's economic mismanagement. He first fled to the Maldives on July 13 and from there he proceeded to Singapore the next day.

The Straits Times newspaper reported that Rajapaksa's short-term visit pass, which was issued when he arrived here on a "private visit" two weeks ago, has been extended by another 14 days.

After Rajapaksa landed in Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here confirmed that he had been allowed entry on a "private visit." The ministry stressed that the ex-president had not asked for asylum.

Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum, the spokesman had said.

The ex-president was issued a 14-day visit pass when he arrived at Changi Airport on a Saudia flight from the Maldives on July 14. He initially stayed at a hotel in the city centre, but is believed to have moved to a private residence, according to the report.

He has not been seen in public in Singapore.

When asked about Rajapaksa at a weekly Sri Lankan Cabinet media briefing, Cabinet Spokesman Gunawardena told reporters in Colombo on Tuesday that the former president was not in hiding and he is expected to return from Singapore.

Gunawardena, who is also the Minister for Transport and Highways and Mass Media, said he does not believe the former president fled the country, and is in hiding.

He, however, did not offer any other details of Rajapaksa's possible return.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Wednesday barred former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal from leaving the country till August 2, extending an overseas travel ban that was imposed till July 28.

The petitioners claimed that the three persons were directly responsible for the unsustainability of Sri Lanka's foreign debt, its debt default and the current economic crisis.

On July 15, Sri Lanka's apex court had barred the trio from leaving the country till July 28. That ban has now been extended till August 2, according to news portal Colombo Gazette.

Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over the worst economic crisis and many blame the former government led by Rajapaksa and his family for mishandling the island nation's economy. The government declared bankruptcy in mid-April by refusing to honour its international debt.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Past, present and future residents of Bob Lake are at odds over tourism and development on the residential lake.

Campsites and vacation renters are moving into the area, and some locals arent happy about their presence or the way the situation came about.

Veterinarian Paula Harvatine is among those with concerns. Although she doesnt live on the 96-acre lake in Chippewa County, she grew up there. Her father, Phil Harvatine, lived on Bob Lake for 59 years and still owns a residence there. Paula will inherit that residence when he dies.

Paulas mother, Barbara Klinger Harvatine, died at her home there on April 24. Barbara grew up on Bob Lake, from the time she was an infant until graduating high school, in the home now owned by Doug and Mary Buie.

Doug and Mary Albert-Buie owned the 40 acres on both sides of the road from Bob Creek going west until last year. Mary said she sold the property to Mike Randall with the understanding that he was going to build a house for himself and, at most, divide it into two other lots.

They (the Buies) initially bought this property to prevent a developer from moving in and commercializing this lake, Harvatine said. Now Mike is doing exactly what Doug and Mary tried to prevent.

Randall has turned the property into vacation rentals and campsites. Recently, he turned the residence next to the Harvatines into a small vacationers destination.

Instead of moving in, he has turned the property into campsites, which he advertises on Hipcamp, and the house into an Airbnb rental, she said. This brings strangers into this residential area weekly, as well as excessive vehicle and boat traffic.

Randall, seeing the potential of the area for tourism, says theres simply jealousy that hes making money from what is now his land, but was previously the Buies land.

Mary Albert-Buie said its more about the change in the neighborhood. The Buies are now planning to sell the remainder of their property.

Sad we will be letting go of our hidden gem, she said. Theres no way (we) will be ever able to deal with driving through a campground to get to our property.

Harvatine said that residents of Bob Lake are concerned about their own health and safety, the heath of the lakes ecosystem and the damage to the existing roadways that their taxes pay to maintain.

Shes also concerned about motorboats being allowed on the lake when vacationers come to play tourist. She said the town doesnt have a police officer, so if things go awry with renters and campers, they have to call the sheriff. She thinks this is a drain on resources.

When Harvatine asks officials about ways to stop development, she said shes told: Its his property. He can do what he wants.

Harvatine has written to state and local officials in an attempt to preserve this pristine lake. Shes also started a survey of area residents about it and shared results with the township.

According to recordings of the Township of Cleveland council meeting last week, Randall already has some campsites on his property and is planning to add three more. Randall said he has nine sites on his property, six on the water and three tent sites up in the woods.

Randall said at the meeting that he hears all the same rumors about his plans that other locals hear. He said that many of the rumors are not true.

I would really wish that everyone would do the things the way that the board is going to do it and base it on facts, not conversations, Randall said.

Hes heard rumors that he asked the town to change the no-wake rule for Bob Lake, but he said thats not true.

Most of our guests at the campground have either canoes or kayaks. Only two campers since we started have ever brought their own boat. I told both of those people about the no-wake, he said. If I see anyone break the no-wake rule, they will immediately be kicked out.

Randall said that he has cameras on the property that monitor the land and most of his area of the lake, so hes pretty convinced that nobody has broken the no-wake rule.

I am the vice president of the Bloomer Lake Association. I wouldnt do anything that I think would harm Bob Lake, Randall said. I was born at that freakin boat landing 60 years ago in a 10 by 50 trailer. It is my neighbor. I owned property in this community my whole life. Im not from Illinois or West Salem, so Im not the smartest guy in the room, but I am home.

Harvatine, however, said shes seen renters drive motorboats in the lake and cause wakes behind them.

People come to the lake area, on vacation, on their weekends off, looking to have a good time, and they dont care about the property. They dont care about the lake, she said. They dont value it as a natural resource. They value it as a place they can go and do whatever they want to do.

Randall said he paid a little over $12,000 to clean up the property and has all required permits and licenses to operate the camping and vacation facility.

If you look at this through the facts, not jealousy, not drama, you will see that nothing on the lake has changed. Nothing, Randall said.

Harvatine said shes not accusing him of doing anything illegal but added that she has comments from 23 people who reached out to her about the issue.

They all said, No, no, no, no, no, to his tourist expansion. And these are the people that live around the lake, she said.

The Township of Cleveland continues to hear arguments from all parties, but at the end of the day if nobody has done anything illegal theres not much they can do.

Hes got all the permits that he needs as far as I know, said Peter Hetke, Supervisor 1 for the Board of the Township of Cleveland. Other than that I cant really comment.
Press Release

July 27, 2022 CHIZ ASKS ECONOMIC MANAGERS TO DETAIL FUNDING FOR PBBM'S PROGRAMS Senator Chiz Escudero on Tuesday said the country's economic managers should flesh out the details of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s "very compelling vision" of how he wants to navigate the nation in the next six years, particularly the sources of funds to implement his initiatives. "The President has presented a very compelling vision of which the country should unite around," Escudero said. "What follows is the hard part of funding those dreams," he added, referring to first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the Chief Executive. President Marcos bared his plans to, among others, modernize and further improve the healthcare system by duplicating in other parts of the country specialty hospitals such as the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and Lung Center of the Philippines--all built during the time of his father's presidency. He also vowed to even expand the previous administration's massive infrastructure "Build Build Build" by adding more through the "Public-Private Partnership" to spur economic growth in the countryside. The three-term senator from Bicol called on the government to divulge the cost of the SONA programs and how these will be financed because ultimately, he said, the taxpayers will pay for these projects. "Every government program carries a price tag, often hidden, while the purported benefits are highly praised. Lost in the euphoria is the fact that it is the people, and nobody else, who will eventually pay for them. The buck begins with the taxpayer," Escudero said. "Papaano ba nila balak na pondohan ang mga proyektong binanggit ng Pangulo? Will it be through new taxes or new borrowings? Will the people pay in pain right now through higher taxes or will the government just take a mortgage on our children's future? We need to know." he added. Escudero also cautioned the Department of Finance (DOF) against imposing new taxes that will make life harder for the majority of Filipinos. On the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) imposition on Netflix and online digital transactions via e-commerce sites Lazada and Shopee, the senator said the economic managers should be able to present a clear and comprehensive proposal. "There is no doubt that the people have united behind the President's articulation of their aspirations. But unity is soluble in taxes - high and unfair taxes," he stressed. Escudero said he is looking forward to receiving the proposed P5.2-trillion national budget for 2023 at the soonest possible time to determine if the SONA promises are indeed funded. "A tabulation of how much these programs cost and how each will be funded must be highlighted in the administration's 2023 national budget," he said. Escudero also vowed to work for the expeditious passage of next year's budget to ensure timely implementation of various programs.
A year and a half after Joe Bidens presidential inauguration, Donald Trump is still pushing for decertifying Bidens win, particularly in Wisconsin.

One of the loudest advocates in the battleground state, a Republican state lawmaker who is running for governor, wants the Legislature to rescind Bidens 10 Electoral College votes from Wisconsin. The resolution on decertification that he hopes to submit in August claims, despite the evidence, that there was widespread fraud in the election. He said he is not seeking to undo victories by anyone else in 2020, including his own race.

Legal experts, including Republican attorneys, say there is no legal means to decertify the past election and no evidence to support such action.

Nevertheless, decertification continues to be a rallying cry among many Republicans in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Heres a look at whats happening.

Is decertification possible?

Trump continues to make baseless claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election, even though dozens of lawsuits have failed, and multiple reviews, recounts and audits have upheld Bidens win.

Trumps latest effort to reverse his loss is focused on Wisconsin, where Biden beat him by about 21,000 votes. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling this month, said absentee ballot drop boxes are illegal. Those are secure containers for absentee voters to use to return ballots, usually set up at such locations as government buildings. An Associated Press survey of state election officials nationwide showed that an expanded use of drop boxes due to the COVID-19 pandemic did not lead to any widespread problems, including in Wisconsin.

Trump and his supporters argue the recent ruling means ballots cast in drop boxes in Wisconsin in 2020 were invalid.

When the ballot drop boxes were used illegally, anything and all things that went into them made them null and void the moment they went into the box, said state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, a candidate for governor, when arguing for his resolution to decertify the election.

Not true, said law professor Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at the UCLA Law School. The court ruling does not apply retroactively, and even if it somehow did, there is no mechanism in the Constitution for decertifying an election after Electoral College ballots have been certified, he said.

The whole theory is ludicrous, Hasen said. Even accepting the idea that the use of most drop boxes was illegal in 2020, that would do nothing to call into question the validity of the votes that were cast through drop boxes. Theres been no indication whatsoever that drop boxes were used to facilitate any amount of fraud.

Edward B. Foley, a law professor who heads The Ohio State Universitys election law center, said the claims dont seem serious from a legal perspective.

The presidential election is the one where its most clear that decertification is impossible, Foley said. Once a president is inaugurated, impeachment is the only way to remove the incumbent president from office.

What does Trump say?

Trump has argued that it would have been impossible for other Republicans to win in 2020 and for him to lose.

People that thought they were going to lose races, they won races  Republicans, Trump told The Associated Press in a telephone interview last December. And they say the only reason they won is because I was at the top of the ticket. I brought people in like theyve never seen before, and they won a race that they didnt think they were going to win.

Earlier this month, he posted on social media and targeted Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who is not in favor of decertification. Trump posted that the courts ruling meant it was time to act!

Robin, dont let the voters of Wisconsin down! Trump wrote.

Trump then personally pushed for it in a phone call with Vos.

He would like us to do something different in Wisconsin, Vos told WISN-TV about the conversation. I explained its not allowed under the Constitution. He has a different opinion.

What about all the other races?

Trump and his supporters pushing for decertification are not trying to overturn the results of any other races on the 2020 ballot, including scores of them won by Republicans.

Drop boxes also were used in the 2016 election, which Trump won. But no one is calling for those results to be overturned. When asked why, Ramthun said: Thats an interesting question.

He said he wanted to wait and see what happened with his resolution to undo the 2020 election. The two other Republican candidates running for governor are not calling for decertification.

When asked why he is pushing to decertify only the presidential results and not every other race that was on the 2020 ballot, Ramthun said that was the only statewide contest that year and because the Electoral College applies only to the presidential race.

Foley, the Ohio State law professor, said he was reluctant to even discuss Ramthuns argument because it was so ridiculous.

Thats obviously not logical or theoretically consistent, he said. If theres something wrong with a ballot thats put in a drop box, it affects everything on the ballot.

There are strict rules and timelines for how and when to bring challenges, and that time has long passed, Foley said.

An Associated Press review in 2021 of all cases of potential voter fraud in the six battleground states where Trump disputed his loss found just 31 cases in Wisconsin, representing about 0.15% of Bidens margin of victory in the state. To date, 24 people have been charged with election fraud-related crimes stemming from the 2020 election in Wisconsin.

What are other Republicans saying?

Wisconsin is not the only place where prominent Republicans are calling for decertification.

In Arizona last week, Republican secretary of state candidate and state Rep. Mark Finchem tweeted TRUMP WON. He called for decertifying results in two counties won by Biden and a third that Trump won but where a man was convicted for illegally collecting four ballots early in the 2020 primary.

Another Republican, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, testified at a June meeting of the congressional Jan. 6 committee about phone calls from Trump and his allies asking him to decertify Arizonas legitimate electors and replace them. He made no such effort. Bowers said he repeatedly asked Trumps attorneys to show evidence of widespread fraud, but they never provided any.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also rejected Trumps call to find 11,780 votes that could flip the state to prevent Bidens victory. Georgia House Speaker David Ralston said in January 2021 that a week after the election Republicans lawmakers there had been discussing fraud and the possibility of a redo. And I said, Well Ill tell you one race youre not going to redo, and thats mine.

He also noted that Georgias election results had been subject to three counts, an audit and at least six lawsuits that had all been dismissed: Which kind of begs the question: Well, if there were in fact significant wrongdoing, would it not have been disclosed?

Associated Press writer Christina A. Cassidy contributed to this report.
A packed field of Republicans are running in the Aug. 9 primary for the chance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is seeking a second term, in the Nov. 8 election.

The three major candidates running are Tim Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based construction company Michels Corp., former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who served eight years under former Gov. Scott Walker, and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport. Business owner Adam Fischer is also running and Kevin Nicholson dropped out of the race in early July.

Here's where they stand on the issues:

Abortion

All three candidates said they support the the state's 173-year-old abortion ban, which prohibits abortions from the time of conception unless it's necessary to save the mother's life.

Michels said he supports contraception, including emergency forms like the pill known as Plan B. He said he would also boost counseling and other resources for women with unplanned pregnancies.

Kleefisch said she wants to "enforce the laws we have on the books and defend the sanctity of life while providing resources to moms." She also said Plan B and other contraception options "will not be illegal when I am governor of the state of Wisconsin" and said at a recent debate that "miscarriage care and ectopic pregnancy treatment are not abortion."

Ramthun said he would work to provide additional resources to pregnancy crisis centers across the state and speed up the adoption process for women with unplanned pregnancies.

The 2020 election

Kleefisch has said the 2020 election was "rigged," but said she will not make decertification a priority.

While he has said the 2020 election was "maybe" stolen, Michels said decertifying the results of the 2020 election will not be a priority if elected governor. Michels has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who continues to make unfounded claims of widespread election fraud.

Ramthun continues to push for the legally and constitutionally impossible task of decertifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes.

Wisconsin Elections Commission

Ramthun has called for dismantling the state's bipartisan elections commission and putting electoral duties under the Secretary of State, which does not currently oversee elections.

Kleefisch has also proposed abolishing the state agency and creating a new office within the state Department of Justice to oversee elections and investigate instances of voter fraud.

Michels' plan would drastically alter the Wisconsin Elections Commission, but stops short of abolishing the agency. Instead, Michels has said he would call the Legislature into a special session on his first day as governor to vote to remove the agency's six commissioners. He would also terminate all senior staff at the agency and require them to reapply under the newly appointed commission.

Taxes

Ramthun has suggested eliminating the property tax levy that funds the state's public school system, as well as the state income tax, while Michels said he would review every state department for "fraud and abuse" and seek cuts or the elimination of agencies. Kleefisch has proposed moving the state to a 3.54% flat tax as the first step toward eventually eliminating the state income tax.

Jobs and the economy

Michels has called for reducing corporate and individual income taxes and recruiting out-of-state veterans to attract and retain workers, increasing energy production, eliminating the personal property tax and increased spending on vocational-technical training programs.

Kleefisch's plan calls for eliminating the personal property tax on businesses, increasing apprenticeship and dual enrollment opportunities, restrictions on unemployment benefits and boosted talent attraction and energy production.

Speaking during a recent debate hosted by TMJ4, Ramthun said he would prohibit mask and vaccine mandates, enhance education and reduce taxes to address state labor shortage challenges.

Education

Michels, Kleefisch and Ramthun have all supported measures prohibiting instruction about systemic racism, known broadly as "critical race theory," and systemic sexism instruction.

All three candidates also support universal school choice, breaking up the Milwaukee Public Schools district and the creation of a "Parental Bill of Rights," to allow parents to sue a school district or school official if they don't allow parents to determine the names and pronouns used for the child while at school, review instructional materials and outlines used by the child's school and access any education-related information regarding the child, among other measures.

Crime

Michels proposes creating increased mandatory minimum penalties for felons found in possession of a firearm, replacing Green Bay's prison with a larger, modern facility, bail reform and incentivizing the hiring of more police officers. He also supports measures to reduce state funding to communities that seek to reduce police funding.

Kleefisch has campaigned on her pledge to hire at least 1,000 cops using part of the state's projected budget surplus. She has also proposed mandatory minimum bail for violent offenders and increased penalties for those who resist arrest, reckless driving and assault of a police officer.

Michels and Kleefisch have also said they would fire Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, whose office recommended bail at just $1,000 for Darrell Brooks Jr. Prosecutors say Brooks drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, a Republican stronghold, just days after he was released in November. Six people died and dozens more were injured.

Ramthun has also expressed support for police and has proposed increased penalties and bail for offenders.

Paid family leave

All three Republicans spoke in favor of paid family leave, though did not provide details on what specific measures they would pursue. Democratic state lawmakers have proposed providing tax-funded payments to workers, while Republicans have made other proposals, including shifting Social Security payments.

Previous efforts to pass paid family leave by Democrats have failed to gain traction in the Republican-led Legislature.
The Columbus Community Band is gearing up to continue its tradition of giving the community the gift of music. Rehearsals will start next week for the bands big yearly kick off to Columbus Days.

Director Doug Phillips said the band will be performing traditional songs as well as tunes that relate to this years Columbus Days theme, Nightmare on 13th Street. The show will be held at 7 p.m. at the Aug. 11 LawnChairs on the Square concert at Frankfort Square.

The first night of rehearsals will be held Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Immanuel Family Life Center, 15th Street and 23rd Avenue. They will continue Aug. 4 and Aug. 8.

Phillips noted he sees about 35 to 45 people taking part in the band each year.

We've got everybody from farmers to housewives to students that are still in high school and there's businessmen; everybody comes out, Phillips said.

Phillips added that those wanting to be in the band dont have to be a master musician; they just need to be able to play an instrument.

We would like to have a good group of people who just want to play their instruments and have a good time, he said.

As for Phillips himself, he said he was a band director for 35 years so being a part of the Columbus Community Band is something he really enjoys.

It's always fun to get back with a band again, Phillips said. I enjoy working with the variety of ages, and variety of people and areas they come from and so forth. Just the diversity of the group. Also look forward to the crowd response. They're always really into the concert. And that's always fun for us to perform.

The community band is supported by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and Columbus Music. Additionally, Immanuel provides the rehearsal space.

We have a library of songs, probably of maybe 100 tunes we've done over the years. And every year they pick about 20 of the ones that they want to do, said Mike Moser, owner of Columbus Music.

The chamber supports it by keeping track of the database, sending out cards and information and providing an arrangement or two each year that match the theme.

Moser said the performance is always a good show that draws out a large crowd.

People enjoy listening to the band play, live music is always a thrill more so than just listening to a recording, Moser said. It's out in the park where the atmosphere is great.

The origins of the Columbus Community Band date back to the early 1870s when it was a cornet band, according to an informational sheet given to the Columbus Telegram. After being in existence for about eight years, it was started again in 1881 and then disbanded during the Spanish-American War.

The Columbus City Band and was organized in 1899 and, after legislation was passed, the city of Columbus in 1936 contributed for this community organization. In early 1982, Scott Cumming and John Putnam were asked by the Columbus Days chairman to discuss ideas for the Columbus Days celebration. The band was renamed the Columbus Community Band; rehearsals took place in August and a concert was held at Frankfort Square to kick off the Columbus Days festivities.

That tradition has continued for 40 years. Notably, the festivities didnt take place in 2020 due to COVID-19.

The fact that we can bring everybody together, that's what Columbus Days is kind of about, Phillips said. It's not just for one group of people in town, it's for the entire community, the entire area.

Moser added that band members are all volunteers who donate their time and talents to the concert.

You just don't realize when you have 35 people up there, and all the wrong notes they could play but they don't, they play the right ones, Moser said. When you hear it, it sounds good. You think, 'oh, yeah, that's the band.' But when you know what all goes into it, it's really pretty, pretty cool.
Mining Disrupt 2022 Features Rebel Mining Company

Disclaimer: The text below is a press release that is not part of Cryptonews.com editorial content.

Mining Disrupt is one of the largest Bitcoin Mining Expo that focuses on in-depth blockchain enterprise-level solutions and cryptocurrency mining. Since its inception, the Expo has facilitated the growth of the crypto market, bringing together various crypto players. Mining Disrupt is currently planning its fourth Bitcoin Mining Expo, which will run from July 26 to 28th this year.

The event will be held at the Miami Convention Center in Miami, Florida, featuring a 250000 square foot mining container showcase, a cigar lounge, and a pool party. During these three days (July 26-28), the attendees will also have an opportunity to meet and interact with other investors and vendors, such as Rebel Mining Company.

Rebel Mining Company is a professional data center service offering turnkey co-location solutions for digital currency miners. The company supports the growing blockchain and High-Performance Computing industry through co-location sites, power infrastructure, and other software solutions.

According to Mason LeGrange, the COO of Rebel Mining Company, the goal is to build a simple, cost-effective blockchain infrastructure that can support and propel any project through the rapidly growing blockchain and High-Performance Computing Industry (HPC). Rebel Mining is powering the futures digital infrastructure through its one-of-a-kind system, which will be showcased at the Mining Disrupt 2022 Expo, booth 258.

Mason LeGrange and Jordan Collins, both considered experts in the industry, are also among the speakers attending this years Mining Disrupt conference. Mason LeGrange will deliver a speech about Navigating a Maturing Industry and how to support the HTC industry through power infrastructure, co-locations sites, and software solutions.

Blockchain is a growing industry, and this novel technology may still have unexplored sides. Mason LeGrange believes that for the sector to reach its highest potential, more emphasis should be placed on the infrastructure. Mason will shed more light during the Mining Disrupt Expo event as he discusses how Rebel Mining is closing this gap.

Rebel Mining Company has created containerized plug-and-play infrastructure. This is to ensure that your equipment remains in peak performance and can produce its highest hash rate possible to the network.

Jordan Collins, the Director of Energy Solutions at Rebel Mining Company, will also be in attendance. Jordan will be sitting on a panel called The Bitcoin Mining Beef, which is the first of its kind unscripted discussion in the Mining Disrupt. The Bitcoin Mining Beef will delve into carbon neutral, sustainable, and grid energy.

As people gear up for this years Mining Disrupt Expo, slated for July 26 to the 28th at the Miami Convention center in Miami, Mason LeGrange and Jordan Collins, among other speakers, are bringing more robust discussions to the table as they take blockchain to the next level. To learn more about Rebel Mining Company and its services, you can visit booth 258 at the Expo.

Those interested in attending high level discussions about the mining industry are encouraged to attend the three-day event. More information about this years Mining Disrupt Expo is available on the Mining Disrupt and Rebel Mining Company website.
Republican voters in Madison County will be asked to choose between two candidates for Prosecuting Attorney during the Aug. 2 primary election. The candidates, M. Dwight Robbins and Michael Ligons, have been asked the same questions.

M. Dwight Robbins

The Robbins family has lived in Madison County for more than 150 years.

"My father was county superintendent, and my mother taught school in Mine La Motte and Marquand," Robbins said. "I am married and have three adult children. I have lived in Madison County all of my life, except for school and for 13 years working for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. I returned in 1984 to Missouri, and went to law school. My law office opened in 1987, and I have practiced law in Madison County for 35 years."

Robbins first served 16 years as prosecuting attorney from 1991 to 2007, then after 8 years in private practice, he ran for prosecutor and has been serving as prosecuting attorney since 2015. That totals 24 years as prosecuting attorney.

"During that time, I have handled almost every kind of case, from murder to seat belt violations and everything in between," Robbins said. "I have never had an assistant, so I have hands-on experience with every type of case. Over the past 7 years, I have handled over 10,000 felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases. My office has been very active in collecting restitution for victims, having collected and returned to victims over $328,000 over the past 7 years."

Robbins said they have also modernized the office and office procedures and have been able to reduce the office budget and save the county over $311,000 over the past 7 years.

"We have been very active in developing new approaches for dealing with drug control, by requiring eligible defendants to serve either 120 day or long term drug treatment in the Department of Corrections, and by requiring all drug offenders to participate in one year of after care with facilities like New Life Recovery," Robbins said.

Robbins said unlike many states, Missouri prosecutors are all elected at the local, county level. He said the advantage of that system is that the prosecutor knows the county and the people he/she represents.

"I believe that is one of the most important characteristics of an effective prosecutor - you have to know the county and the people," Robbins said. "The second most important characteristic is experience. Years ago, a new lawyer fresh out of law school could do an adequate job as prosecutor. That is not true today. Over the last 20 years, the criminal laws and procedures have become increasingly complex and technical. We attend two major seminars each year, and several specialized courses throughout the year to keep us updated."

Robbins said the third most important characteristic is that a prosecutor must not be afraid to take on difficult or unpopular cases.

"Law enforcement must be equal for everyone. No one should receive or expect to receive special treatment," Robbins said. "The fourth most important characteristic is a prosecutor cannot be afraid of hard work. It is a 24/7 365 day a year job. Cases have to be filed on weekends as well as weekdays, and search warrants come at all hours of the night and day."

Finally, Robbins said, a prosecutor has to have good relations with all law enforcement agencies. He said, his doors are always open to officers to discuss cases 24/7.

When asked what his goals would be for the next term, Robbins said, to basically, continue what we have been doing for the last 7 years: file and prosecute cases, make victims as whole as we can, and continue to modernize the office.

"Since the biggest problem that we have is drugs, we will continue to work to reduce the drug problem in Madison County," Robbins said. "Drugs are the root cause of most of the crimes we have and, in particular, burglaries and stealing. The state government is not very helpful. They consider drug crimes to be victimless crimes, and prison incarcerations are often very very short, even for long sentences. So it is up to us at the local level to take on the load of drug elimination."

Robbins said first, his office would continue to find and prosecute drug traffickers to the fullest extent possible. Then, they will continue to require, after the defendants get out of prison, that they have at least one year of after care to keep them off drugs.

"If we can keep them off the drugs, we will automatically reduce the burglaries and stealing," Robbins said.

Michael Ligons

Ligons graduated from East Carter County R-2 in 1984, joined the U.S. Navy under the deferred enlistment program, and in January of 1985 began serving a five-year tour of duty as a Russian linguist/cryptologist.

"Upon being honorably discharged at the end of my enlistment in 1990, I returned to Carter County where I served as Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Deeds from January 1, 1991 until December 31, 1994," Ligons said. "It was during that time that I met and married Betty Ann Cloninger and we have been married for 30 years this year."

Ligons chose not to seek re-election as the Circuit Clerk and instead set his sights on pursuing a law degree. In May 1999 he graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a history degree and a law degree and was admitted to practice law in September of that year.

"Since that time I have maintained a private law practice, served a 4-year term as prosecutor, and served 12 years as judge," Ligons said. "We started looking for a house in Madison County a couple of years before I retired from the bench with the intention of moving Betty back home and were able to complete that move about a year and half ago."

Ligons has 23 years of legal experience, including four years as a prosecutor, 12 years as a judge, and 11 years in private practice.

"This reminds me of a funny story, several years ago in a county not too far from here, there was a prosecutor running for re-election who had been the prosecutor for the previous 20 years," Ligons said. "He was famous amongst lawyers practicing in his area for lacking common sense and seemingly always finding a way of missing the big picture. One day during his campaign he loudly proclaimed, 'Vote for me! Ive got 20 years of prosecutorial experience!' The circuit judge, who was often frustrated by this prosecutors incompetence, dryly remarked, 'Someone should explain to him that there is a difference between 20 years of experience and 1 year of experience 20 times.'"

Ligons said to be an effective prosecutor, one must be honest, fair-minded, and dedicated to the proposition that the role of a prosecutor is to achieve justice.

"Additionally, a good prosecutor understands that not only is it his or her duty to stand between innocent citizens and those who have done them harm, it is an equally important duty to stand between any possible over-reach of government and the good citizen who would otherwise be defenseless," Ligons said. "Above all, to be effective, a prosecutor must be willing to toe the line and fight the good fight when justice requires it, even when victory is not certain."

Ligons said trials require a lot of time and effort on the part of a prosecutor and he or she must have the tenacity and perseverance to fight for justice instead of yielding to the temptation to offer an inappropriate plea bargain or dismiss a case as an easy solution.

"In the general sense, my top priority will be to assertively prosecute those who violate the law thereby causing damage or injury to any person or to our community and to hold them fully accountable," Ligons said. "It is my hope that the consistent, energetic prosecution of those who violate the law will act as a deterrent to future crime as well as enhance the communitys confidence in the criminal justice system.

"More specifically, before taking office, my first priority will be to communicate with the current prosecutor, the county commission, and the county clerk in order to make sure that all the necessary steps are taken to effectuate an orderly and efficient transfer of the duties of the office at the appropriate time in an attempt to prevent any delay in the prosecution of pending cases. Also, prior to taking office, I will meet with all law enforcement agencies to discuss any concerns and to address the issue of whether there will need to be changes in current procedures or practices.

"Upon taking office, my immediate priority will be to review all pending cases in order to determine whether or not there are cases which are time sensitive and which require immediate action or disposition. Thereafter, I will conduct a review of all pending cases and all cases which are under investigation in order to determine what further action is appropriate or necessary."
Members of the St. Francois County Republican Central Committee are elected to two-year terms, to serve as the local tier of the Missouri Republican Party. Each of St. Francois Countys eight townships is represented by a committeeperson, and all eight members are charged with facilitating Republican placement in political positions on the county and state level.

The committee can make recommendations when seats need to be filled, such as when Associate Circuit Court Judge Joe Goff resigned last year to pursue private practice. The Republican Central Committee interviewed candidates for the governor at the county level and put Brice Sechrests name forward. The governor approved the appointment in August.

The committee also serves as an election campaign headquarters, which it staffs and finds locations to promote the Republican statewide candidates with election materials. They can also purchase signs for Republican candidates on the federal level.

Three candidates are vying for the hotly-contested St. Francois Township seat on the St. Francois County Republican Central Committee. In order on the ballot, they are: Ben Bradley, incumbent Chuck Dodson and Kyle Smith. Each was emailed a list of questions. Their answers are below.

Ben Bradley, 41

Where do you live? Married, Children, Family? Farmington; wife is Rachel Bradley, 5 daughters

Education and Work Background: Columbia College and University of Kentucky for business. I am a Political Strategist professional and work on campaigns across the State of Missouri. Prior to that I worked in the Automotive Sale industry.

What motivated you to run for this position (concerns, etc.)? Since moving to St. Francois County I have watched the Central Committee shrink and their community involvement decrease. I have seen this happen in other counties before and that concerned me. Political tides change and for a party to withstand that, they must have a strong foundation. I also was concerned about the fundraising or lack of fundraising that the current committee had accomplished. I was informed they had less than $2,500 on hand entering the campaign season, I raised more than that in a single night in December for a PAC which currently has over $11k on hand. Basically I saw lack of direction and no foundation for the party which will hurt us in the long run.

Why do you feel you are qualified for this position? I work as a political strategist and consultant for a living. My experience with winning campaigns, fundraising, grassroots development, community outreach, and networking in the political arena separates me from the other candidates.

What are some goals or objectives you would strive to accomplish if elected? Build a stronger base for the party, increase community involvement, stop closing meetings to the public, increase fundraising, and grow the committee.

Chuck Dodson, 58, incumbent

Where do you live? Married, Children, Family? My wife Teresa and I have been married for over 30 years; we have raised three kids in Farmington. We currently live in Ward 2. In my spare time, I enjoy beekeeping, kayaking, fishing, and I am a certified barbeque judge.

Education and Work Background: Senior Executive with over 20 years management experience, 10 plus years as Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Operating Office for Investment Firms. Firms range in size from small to Fortune 100, currently have compliance oversight of over $100 Billion in investments.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Southeast Missouri State University, Minor: Political Science.

Notable Accomplishments: Three-time speaker at the National Society of Compliance Professionals, National Conferences in Washington, D.C.; Past Advisory Board Member Boston Stock Exchange; Past Advisory Board Member Chicago Stock Exchange.

Community Organization: I am a Life Member of the NRA and I have organized 3 community events with the NRA -Legislative Institute, this includes a phone bank for Josh Hawley in 2018.

I have organized many events for the local Republican Community including Candidate Meet and Greets, Fundraisers for the Pregnancy Resource Center, Flag Waving, Picnic to Support Law Enforcement, and several group trips to Jeff City to Lobby our Representatives.

I have organized multiple phone banks to support Republican candidates, I am most proud of the successful effort on Amendment 3 that cleaned up Clean Missouri, I was told it couldnt be done, but we did it.

I have held the following Political Positions: 2016 Delegate, MO State GOP Presidential Caucus; 2018-2020 Treasurer, St. Francois County Republican Central Committee; 2019-2020 President- SFC Conservative Club; 2020 Delegate, MO State GOP Presidential Caucus; 2020 County Coordinator for Gov. Parsons reelection Campaign; 2020-2022 Chairman, MO HD Legislative District Committee; 2020-2022 Republican Committeeman, St. Francois Township; 2020-2022 Chairman, St. Francois County Republican Central Committee.

What motivated you to run for this position (concerns, etc.)? Ive always been interested going back to college I started out as Political Science Major.

I got deeply involved in 2016, and it was out of desire to make sure my kids had a better future than the direction I saw the country going. That is still what keeps me motivated today. I started by attending Central Committee meetings was selected as a delegate to the Missouri Presidential Caucus in 2016. I was the Treasurer from 2018-2020. I have been the Chairperson since August 2020.

Why do you feel you are qualified for this position? In the time I have been on the Republican Central Committee, Republicans have went 30-0 winning contested General Elections in St Francois County. I want to keep winning. We have raised more money for candidates than any prior county committees.

After the 2020 election, Republicans in St Francois County were split by the hotly contested State Senate Election. I was able to pull the Committee together and we had a great election headquarters in Desloge. Almost everything the committee has voted on has had unanimous consent. The last item we voted on, which someone pointed to as a split in the committee, only had 1 person who didnt vote with the majority.

What are some goals or objectives you would strive to accomplish if elected? My first major goal is to make sure we send whoever becomes the Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate to Washington, D.C., as the next U.S. Senator from Missouri. The day after the election August 3, we have to start to work to make sure our candidates are elected in November.

Kyle Smith, 26

Where do you live? Married, Children, Family? Here in Park Hills. My family all lives here in St. Francois County as well, with the exception of an older brother who lives in Florida.

Education and Work Background: I graduated salutatorian from Central High School in 2014 right after I got my Associates degree with Honors from Mineral Area College with the MAC Jumpstart program that was offered by Central High School. After that, I enlisted in the Navy, though, due to medical issues, I could not remain. Once I was back I decided to go back to school and earned my Bachelor's degree in math education. Now I teach middle school math, a career that I keep separate from politics as education should not be disrupted by politics.

What motivated you to run for this position? I see a huge need for a younger generation to get involved in local politics. While you cannot always have an effect on national or even state-level politics you can make a real difference locally. It is important to make sure that people of all ages have a voice that can be heard, the younger generations need the guidance and education of those who have been active in the community, and the older generation need the ideas and outreach that can only come from a new generation. Many of those who are around my age do not want to get involved in politics nor do they vote, we need to encourage them to participate, to have a say in their community.

Why do you feel you are qualified for this position? I have been attending meetings and assisting with the committee for just over six years. During that time I have seen the committee change for the better and for the worse. I know the various people on the committee and previous members. Right now I am the assistant treasurer, a non-voting member position. I have been involved in the organization and implementation of many events, and though I have learned a lot, I see a need for improvement.
In the new short film Dismissal Time, a Black teen sees himself as just another student at his prestigious prep school. The school community, however, views him in a completely different way.

They just see him as unusual, and that plays into the that kid doesnt belong here theme, filmmaker Andre Joseph said.

When Joseph appears in Charlottesville to screen his film during the seventh installment of the Indie Short Film Series, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday at Vinegar Hill Theatre, he hopes audience members can recognize their own roles in the story  and understand the impact of one person who stands up and seeks the truth.

When a kill list that appears to threaten the lives of other students is discovered at his predominantly white private school, the young protagonist is accused almost automatically. He doesnt fit the stereotypes of star athlete or promising rapper on the rise, and others view him with suspicion simply because hes different.

When he gets accused of writing this kill list, no one else is a suspect, Joseph said.

Joseph tells the first half of the film from the young mans perspective, and then another voice emerges. Enter Vance, a history teacher who wants to get to the bottom of the incident and find out what really happened.

She has a little bit of an intimidating presence, Joseph said. She sees his potential. No one else is saying that to him.

Joseph based Dismissal Time in part on a painful experience during his own time at a respected Catholic high school. He was accused of writing a kill list that was floating around, and he didnt recognize right away the toll the wrongful accusation could have on his school career, his reputation  and the rest of his life.

I thought it was a joke until the Columbine [school] shooting happened, Joseph said. Even though Joseph eventually was cleared, school officials didnt do enough to exonerate me. It just kind of lingered out there. They didnt look at me as just a normal kid; they looked at me as an outsider.

And during a different era, the fact that hed been wronged wasnt taken as seriously as it is in todays climate, Joseph said. My particular incident wasnt talked about the way it is today, he said.

Joseph said he created Vance as a composite character who represents several teachers from his own school career  teachers who cared, and who realized that their daily actions had the potential to shape the lives of their students.

Its not about your paycheck, and definitely not about putting in your hours, the director said. Its that they [the students] have greatness and the potential to succeed. What can be done to overcome the politics?

Joseph said he hopes community members can use Dismissal Time as a springboard for discussions of bias, harmful assumptions and the power of one person to speak up and demand something better. Teachers, parents and students can come away with new insights from each others experiences, and together, they can seek change.

I feel that this story is one of those that is not told enough, Joseph said. Ive had a decent amount of success as a filmmaker, and I can give back through my work. Its simply about what I can do to help a student.

The Indie Short Film Series, founded by award-winning filmmaker Ty Cooper, will screen a variety of short films Saturday evening that audience members otherwise might not get a chance to see.

Cooper is a writer, director and producer who has served as outreach and promotion consultant for the Virginia Film Festival since 2017 and has volunteered with the Sundance Film Festival since 2015. His most recent film, Amanda, is touring and picking up such awards as best short drama, best narrative short and best ensemble cast in a short film.

Tickets are available online for $20; go to https://isfs.july20.eventbrite.com. Plan on buying your tickets ahead of time and bringing your photo ID to pick up your tickets at the theater, which is at 220 W. Market St.

Filmmakers whod like to see their own short films considered for future installments of the series can learn how at www.FilmFreeway.com/IndieShortFilmSeries.
Following a lengthy debate, Philomath officials were divided whether to ban psilocybin, psychedelic mushrooms, for two years or permanently.

Oregon voters made this state the first to legalize psilocybin when they greenlit the manufacture, sale and administration of the drug in 2020 under state Ballot Measure 109. A pair of Portland-area therapists footed the legislation, arguing the psychedelic compound produced in certain mushroom species can treat the effects of anxiety, depression and trauma.

Philomath voters approved of the measure with a 60-40 split.

Under the measure, Oregon counties and municipalities automatically opt in to permitting psilocybin. Local governments that dont act go along with a state edict to get psilocybin treatment up and running, but they are able to set time, manner and place restrictions.

Counties and incorporated cities can opt out with a vote in the Nov. 8 General Election. Governments have until Aug. 19 to get a local ban or moratorium on the fall ballot.

Some Philomath city councilors raised concerns during their meeting Monday, July 25 about law enforcement as well as unanswered questions about how the state will regulate psilocybin manufacturing and use. Public comment received by the council verbally and in writing supported a ban on psilocybin.

We just dont know enough, Councilor Teresa Nielson said. She also said the information in the 2020 ballot measure to legalize psilocybin was misleading compared to what is known now about the mushrooms.

If this is a magic bullet that creates a utopia of healing and well-being, we can repeal (a ban), Nielson said. But until then we have got to consider public safety  thats considered the well-being of all our citizens  and let each one of them have a vote.

At its July 25 meeting, the Philomath City Council voted 4-3 to send a two-year moratorium on psilocybin services and manufacturing to the November ballot. The vote was led by Councilor Jessica Andrade and supported by Councilors Catherine Biscoe, Matt Lehman and David Low.

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To preemptively just ban it outright feels wrong, Andrade said, especially considering the fact that we did vote on this as a community.

Measure 109 passed in Philomath with 2,017 votes in favor versus and 1,421 votes against, according to 2020 county elections records. Overall, 63.4% of Benton County voters approved Measure 109.

Andrade pointed to potential health benefits of the drug, saying while side-effects are possible, there are risks with anything, even simple Tylenol. She said the benefits of psilocybin could play an important role in mental health discussions.

Dissenting votes came from Nielson as well as Mayor Chas Jones and Councilor Ruth Causey. Causey and Nielson spoke in strong favor of a total ban; Jones said he supported either a ban or moratorium. City Manager Chris Workman also voiced his support for a full ban.

Noting that Measure 109 passed in Philomath at around 60% approval, Jones told the council members they should be aware a ban might not pass, as history would suggest. He said the moratorium allows voters to revisit the idea.

I believe that this measure was sold to the voters as a panacea that would cure all of Oregons mental health issues, which is totally false, Causey said. This is not safe for our community; its not in the interest of our community.

Arguing that either a moratorium or ban would still fall on the voters to approve or reject, Biscoe called the councils vote premature, particularly in light of state rulemaking expected to continue for up to five more months. She suggested seeing what the final rules look like before taking action.

Our responsibility is to look at all the information, which we dont have yet, Biscoe said.

Time, place and manner rules are likely to be crafted so theyre ready for whatever the outcome of the November ballot. Those restrictions could be used to effectively ban the drug, according to Catherine Pratt, deputy city attorney, similar to what the city has done to block cannabis businesses. In that instance, zoning laws make it virtually impossible to open dispensaries in Philomath.

The psilocybin moratorium, if passed, could be renewed by the voters  potentially indefinitely, Pratt said. She added the two-year period applies because the activation and removal of moratoriums and bans must go on General Election ballots.

In an email after the meeting, Jones said time would tell whether Philomath residents will support the two-year moratorium. He also said he doesnt have any interest in swaying the voters on the issue.

Meanwhile, nearby Corvallis wont take any action to block or delay psilocybin services and manufacturing, its City Council decided last week.

The Oregon Health Authority is charged with rolling out psilocybin treatment and is establishing rules for the psychoactive mushrooms and their administration. The agency is slated to begin licensing providers starting Jan. 2.

With a two-year moratorium, we have a much better sense of how things will progress, Low said.
Since Oregon voted to legalize psilocybin mushrooms in 2020, cities are deciding whether to ban or embrace the psychedelic.

And although the deadline to put a measure on the ballot is nearing, Albany city leaders are still trying to figure out where they stand.

During a work session held Monday, July 25, City Council members acknowledged they don't know much about psilocybin mushrooms.

We need a doctor to stand in front of us and tell us more about it, Mayor Alex Johnson II said.

In 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize psilocybin for supervised therapeutic use after 56% of voters approved Ballot Measure 109.

But the measure allows cities and counties to opt out completely or a propose a two-year moratorium for voters by the Nov. 8 General Election ballot. A moratorium would keep psilocybin therapy clinics from setting up shop, giving city officials time to evaluate whether they want to make the ban permanent or lift it.

If agencies take no action, psilocybin mushroom therapy will be allowed in their jurisdictions, starting Jan. 2.

Albany voters barely passed Measure 109, Deputy Clerk, Gabe Shepard said.

Albany City leaders haven't decided where they stand on the issue but don't have much time to come to a consensus. If they intend to put a measure on the ballot, they must decide by mid-August.

City Attorney Sean Kidd said psilocybin was a low addictive drug with benefits for depression and anxiety but added that he was not an expert and had limited knowledge.

At mention of the positive impacts on mental health, Councilor Dick Olsen noted we may need more positive resources for the community.

The legalization of psilocybin calls for supervised clinics. Therapists have at least a high school diploma and 160 hours of training, 120 of which is a course, Kidd said.

Decriminalizing other drugs has caused problems, Councilor Bessie Johnson said.

Olsen asked if the psychedelic was causing addictive issues among users.

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Psilocybin is a low addictive drug, and the articles he came across were positive impacts on mental health, Kidd responded.

Councilor Matilda Novak questioned the effectiveness of the drug and expressed concern over the relatively small amount of hours it takes to train supervisors.

Taking the middle ground, Councilmember Marilyn Smith said: A two-year moratorium may give the time, place and breathing space between a yes and a no.

Meanwhile, the mayor said he would be making calls with some doctors to form his decision.

The City Council intends to discuss the legalization of psilocybin at the Aug. 8 work session where it is expected to decide whether to put a measure will be on the ballot.

Related articles:
Press Release

July 27, 2022 LEGARDA, NCCA LAUNCH DOCU-SERIES ON PHILIPPINE LANGUAGES Senator Loren Legarda is launching 'Usapang Wika', a documentary featuring the country's main languages in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Legarda will host the ten-part cultural documentary that will highlight the Ilokano, Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a, Waray, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, and Meranaw languages. "Our languages are a vital part of our heritage and our identity as a nation, and we must preserve them as a sign of our respect for our history and culture. Through 'Usapang Wika', we aim to convey the significance of the Filipino languages by way of engaging the general public especially the youth," she explained. Legarda, a long-time advocate of Philippine culture and arts, has been consistently pushing for the preservation and continued use of the country's native languages especially that many of them would face extinction if not promoted. According to the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), there are 130 native languages in the country, however, the Defenders of the Indigenous Languages of the Archipelago (DILA) said that several of them have already become endangered. Together with KWF, Legarda has supported efforts in preserving the country's languages through various projects such as the Language Markers Project, which seeks to install language markers in different parts of the country where a specific language was born. She also supports the Department of Education's (DepEd) Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program; and the KWF's publication of Atlas ng mga Wika ng Filipinas that archives the various native languages of the country, and the Pambansang Summit sa Wika ng Kalikasan at Kaligtasan event. "It is imperative that we continue to conduct programs and create projects that would promote, enhance and preserve our native languages and dialects. This is one of the important gifts that we can give to future Filipinos," Legarda pointed out. "As an offshoot of this docu-series, our local governments can even create Usapang Wika language tours to include discussions on how their language started and was embraced by the community in order to enrich the knowledge of our youth, students and tourists," she adds. The ten episodes of 'Usapang Wika' will showcase the history, literary works and evolution of each of the major languages. It is set to air every Saturday starting August 6, 2022, at 4:30 to 5:00 PM via ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), coinciding with the celebration of Buwan ng Wikang Filipino. ________________________ * 'Usapang Wika' video teaser
Vodacom expanded its connectivity investment plan by pledging to pump ZAR600 million (US$35.5m) into the province of Mpumalanga this financial year.

In a statement, Vodacom detailed that ZAR334 million will go towards network upgrades and the deployment of new base stations, while ZAR 256 million will go to microwave and fibre transmission projects.

Vodacom Mpumalanga managing executive Zakhele Jiyane, said the province saw a 37% year-on-year increase in data traffic, with 67% of Vodacom devices connecting to data services, and 85% of data traffic stemming from LTE.

It is therefore imperative that we invest in network capacity and coverage to continue to deliver our exceptional network experience and expand the reach of our services to customers seeking high-quality connectivity, said Jiyane.

Vodacom has partnered with Google to launch initiatives designed to lower the price of entry phones in a bid to migrate the 30% of customers still using 2G phones.

The investment comes after Vodacom acquired 110MHz of spectrum for over ZAR5 billion in March, which ha enabled the company to increase coverage and capacity in 4G and 5G networks. The company also announced an upgrade to the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Locations such as KwaMhlanga, Wakkerstroom, Dullstroom and Mbombela saw network boosts with the new spectrum, and ZAR85 million has been earmarked to help other communities in the Mpumalanga province.

In the past year, Vodacom Mpumalanga invested ZAR111 million in battery upgrades at base station sites, with a further ZAR58 million allocated to backup energy solutions this financial year.

The unit saw vandalism and theft becoming its biggest concern with over 300 incidents where batteries and cables were targeted.
Due to a statewide system outage affecting multiple state agencies and services, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau for Family Assistance has extended the deadline for accepting School Clothing Allowance applications for eligible children enrolled in West Virginia schools.

Families may apply online at www.wvpath.org. Applications through WV PATH must be received by 5:00 p.m., on August 12, 2022. A paper application may be requested by contacting a local DHHR office or by calling 1-877-716-1212. Paper applications must be postmarked by August 12, 2022 to qualify.

Each eligible child will receive a $200 benefit that may be used toward the purchase of school clothing or piece goods for families who sew clothing for their children.

The following groups will automatically receive School Clothing Allowance benefits for each school-age child in the home by the end of June:

Families with school-age children who currently receive WV WORKS cash assistance

Parents or guardians of children in foster care

Children ages 4-18 who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, are enrolled in school and whose household income is under 130% of the Federal Poverty Level

Families who received School Clothing Allowance in 2021 and currently have Medicaid coverage should have received a School Clothing Allowance application by U.S. Mail in late June.

Others may be eligible for School Clothing Allowance benefits based on the monthly income limits by household size as listed below. Verification of income for July must be submitted with the application.

Monthly Income Limits for the School Clothing Allowance Program for 2022:

Number of Persons in Household Income Limit

1 $1,396

2 $1,888

3 $2,379

4 $2,871

5 $3,363

6 $3,855

7 $4,347

8 $4,839

9 $5,331

10 $5,823

School Clothing Allowance recipients will receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card in place of the traditional paper voucher. This system change was implemented in 2021 to allow for both online transactions and increased choice of vendors when purchasing school clothing or piece goods. The EBT card will operate like a debit card and can be used at any retailer who accepts EBT cash transactions. If the merchant does not accept EBT cash transactions, the benefit can be withdrawn as cash at a QUEST ATM to complete the purchase. Parents or guardians of children in foster care will receive the School Clothing Allowance benefit as a check.


















MANIFESTATION OF SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA

Senate Resolution No. 66

Resolution Commemorating the 108th Founding Anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo,

Commending the Leadership of Ka Eduardo V. Manalo, and Recognizing its Contribution to the Filipino Nation and the World



Senate of the Philippines

Senate Session Hall

27 July 2022

Mr. President, the Iglesia ni Cristo continues to be a steadfast religious institution that shapes the nation's moral character and the Filipinos' spiritual integrity.

INC's noble mission of creating an impact on the lives of the people is not exclusive to its members. Iglesia ni Cristo has been active in extending assistance to the needy through its regular mission drives such as the Lingap sa Mamayan or Aid for Humanity Program.

On this note, I join the Senate in celebrating the 108th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo and commending the leadership of Ka Eduardo V. Manalo, who has led the institution in enriching the spirituality of its members.

With this, I would like to be made co-author and co-sponsor of Senate Resolution No. 66, introduced by Senate President Zubiri.

Thank you.
The scarcity of sugar in Cuba could force the temporary closure of small, private cafes, where almost all of their offerings are juices, soft drinks, coffee and homemade sweets. Such closures would entail an increase in unemployment and a drop in income for those families that are sustained, directly or indirectly, by private activity.

"It's impossible to continue in a business where the numbers dont add up. The price of sugar has hit 100 pesos a pound, and you can't find it easily, either," says Marbelis Gallardo, who for more than five years has been making sweets for three small cafes in her Lawton neighborhood.



"The prices of flour and cornstarch have also skyrocketed, but not as much as sugar, which, in just three months, rose from 50 to 100 pesos. To compensate for the investment costs, I would have to almost double the prices of my sweets. We are talking about neighborhood cafes where the customers are everyday Cubans: old timers having a coffee; juices, soft drinks or sweets for children's snacks" adds Gallardo, who plans to sell her sweets herself  which would be illegal, since she does not have a license to do so, "and the inspectors are swarming like flies, always looking for someone to bite."



Juice producers, although they do not have to invest in large quantities of sugar like candy makers, are also affected by the exorbitant increase in sugar prices on the informal market. As a result, their supplies for small coffee shops have been considerably diminished, and thus, these establishments offerings.



"Rationing has even reached the black market," said Tomas Bravo, the owner of a small cafe near the William Soler Pediatric Hospital.

"A friend told me that a grocery store owner in La Lisa was selling sugar for 80 pesos a pound. I quickly rented a car for 600 pesos a run, because I went with the idea of buying at least 100 pounds. As it turned out, the proprietor was showing some solidarity and was only selling 20 pounds to each customer, who came recommended, because other people also needed to buy sugar, he said, and he did not sell exclusively to the self-employed. After I calmed down, I understood, and actually applauded this bodeguero," said Bravo.

"The truth is that were at a crossroads: either we close the business, or we raise prices even more, which would affect, in my case, those family members who have their children in the hospital. They comprise the majority of my customers, and it would be a crime to raise their prices. But then there is my family, and the business is our only source of income," he adds.

The production of the 2021-2022 sugar harvest was the lowest in the last 150 years: only 480,000 tons of sugar, not even covering the average annual consumption on the island, which is around 600,000 tons. Of the 35 sugar mills that participated in the harvest, which ended on May 20, only three fulfilled their production plan.

"We don't even have sugar at the bodegas," says Alexis, the manager of one in El Cerro.

"Incredible as it may seem, the sugar I have at my house, which I dont sell, is thanks to two users who travel abroad frequently and leave me their rationing books. I have no sugar to sell under the table, and the reason is simple: there is none. In reality, the quota arrives, and nothing more; and no bodeguero is foolish enough to sell sugar when not all of what should have arrived has in the last few months," Alexis emphasizes, noting that this situation will continue despite the package of measures announced by the regime to boost the country's economy.

In his speech at the ninth ordinary session of the unicameral Parliament, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Alejandro Gil, announced a package of more than 70 measures to revitalize the Cuban economy, but he did not mention, for example, the 2.1 billion peso debt the regime has with the island's producers.

"What makes them think that we will have any confidence in this combination of measures when they can't even guarantee sugar to sweeten the lemonade?" remarked Zoe Alvarez, owner of a small cafe in Centro Habana, who is looking for other alternatives "to stay afloat."

"Raising prices is not viable, at least for those of us who support this type of business, which is more for people with limited resources. Changing the offerings wont benefit them either, but somehow I have to support a family and a business," explains Alvarez, who decided to start selling lunches because "its easier to get rice, beans and some fiber."

"What is impossible is to sell or produce products that depend on sugar or flour because of the current prices. And its not only the prices, but also the effort involved to get sugar. With great sadness, I had to let go the two saleswomen I had hired. I had no choice, even though they were two mothers who now have to reinvent themselves to look for another job, because they dont want to continue reselling products, due to all the risks involved."

"Who could ever have imagined that sugar, with which everything is sweetened, could lead to unemployment and the bankruptcy of small businesses like mine?" Alvarez asked.
Jackson County Supervisor of Elections Alyne Pitman expressed concern to county commissioners Tuesday about the lengthy ballots and the crowded polling places in the forthcoming elections. People were not as politically-minded back in 1958, when the voting machines were purchased as they are now, Pitman said yesterday. Only 35 names can be listed vertically on the ballot, she said. And no one wants to be number 35. Crowded polls are also a concern for Pitman, though not as much in the forthcoming elections as they will be in the election of 76. Florida law requires a separate voting machine for every 350 voters in a precinct, but in East Marianna alone there are almost 700 registered voters and only one machine, Pitman said. In order to speed up the voting process, she suggests voters familiarize themselves with the ballot before the elections.  Jackson County Floridan, Thursday, Aug. 15, 1974
TALLAHASSEE  A federal jury in Tallahassee convicted Jason Earl Kirkland, 44, of Cottonwood, of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

The guilty verdict, returned Tuesday at the conclusion of a two-day trial, was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

There is no greater charge than the protection of our children, Coody said. This multi-agency investigation and the related prosecution is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.

In May 2021, investigators from the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, Panama City Beach Police Department, Walton County Sheriffs Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted an undercover online operation to identify individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors.

Evidence introduced during the trial revealed that on May 12, 2021, a person with the username Mark from Cottonwood and who claimed to be 41 years old, later identified as Jason Earl Kirkland, sent a private message to an undercover (UC) law enforcement profile, claiming to be a 14-year-old girl located in Marianna, using a social media and messaging application. Kirkland and the UC officer exchanged several messages before having voice communications over the phone and through text messaging.

The internet is a dangerous place for sexual predators who choose innocent children as their victims when its an uncover agent on the other end, said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. The investigative power of HSI, and our law enforcement partnerships Jackson County Sheriffs Office, Panama City Beach Police Department, Bay County Sheriffs Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is why this predator will spend some much-deserved time behind bars.

Nothing is more important than the safety of our children and we will work diligently with our law enforcement partners to ensure they do not become victims, Jackson County Sheriff Donnie Edenfield said.

On May 13, 2021, Kirkland resumed contact with the UC, where the conversation became sexual in nature and Kirkland expressed his desire to engage in sexual acts with the UC (who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl). Kirkland also sent a nude photograph of himself and of his genitals to the UC through text messages. Kirkland then traveled to Marianna to meet the UC so he could drive her back to his residence to engage in sexual activity. Kirkland was arrested upon his arrival at the designated meeting location.

Kirklands sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States Chief District Mark E. Walker. Kirkland faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison, for the attempted enticement charge. For the charge interstate travel to have sex with a minor, Kirkland faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Hartford has finally joined Geneva Countys other towns and cities in allowing alcohol sales.

In a Tuesday wet-dry referendum, voters overwhelming chose to allow the sale of alcohol in the city of about 2,600 people. Of the 403 votes cast, 69 voted no while 334 voted yes. There are about 1,800 registered voters in the city.

This is not the first time voters in the Southeast Alabama city have had their say on alcohol sales, but past referendums have always gone the other way.

The difference this time could be due to the fact that other Geneva County communities  Slocomb, Geneva, and Samson  have already allowed alcohol sales.

Hartford Mayor Neil Strickland said Tuesdays referendum came about after constituents approached two city council members about a petition to hold a vote on the matter. When more than enough people signed the petition, the city council decided to put the issue up for another vote, Strickland said.

The actual sale of alcohol wont happen immediately, however, as the council will develop an ordinance to regulate sales.

The next step is for myself and the council and our city attorney to sit down and to develop an ordinance, and the ordinance would generate the specifics of how we want to do this  how many feet from a church that somebody could sell alcohol, those kinds of specific things, Strickland said. When thats agreed on and passed, it has to be approved by the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) Board. So, theres a little bit of a process.

The timeline could be a few weeks to a few months, Strickland said.

The mayor said he hopes it will create opportunities for current and new restaurants as well as for the city.

Leading up to Tuesdays vote, Strickland heard mostly from people who supported the idea, he said, adding that hes spoken to the mayors of the other Geneva county cities about the positives and negatives involved.

Its been nothing but a positive for them, Strickland said.
Four college campuses in the Wiregrass were closed and evacuated Wednesday morning following a series of bomb threats that impacted colleges and universities around the state.

Wallace Community College in Dothan, Enterprise State Community College, and Lurleen B. Wallace Community College campuses in Andalusia and Opp were among the colleges and universities that closed and evacuated buildings Wednesday as law enforcement investigated potential threats. Shelton State College in Tuscaloosa, Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Auburn Universitys nursing building, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville were among those evacuated, according to a news report by AL.com. All were cleared.

According to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, or ALEA, threats were made to colleges and universities around the country, including schools in Alabama.

ALEAs State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Alabama Fusion Center (AFC), in conjunction with local and federal partners, are currently monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff, ALEAs statement read. All collegiate schools that received threats within Alabama on Wednesday, July 27, have been cleared and classes have been deemed safe to resume.

Wallace Community College in Dothan issued an alert to students and staff to evacuate the campus due to a bomb threat Wednesday morning. The Dothan campus was closed and classes were canceled for the remainder of the day.

Law enforcement agencies are currently on site sweeping the campus, an email statement sent to media shortly after 10:30 a.m. read.

Wallace sent out an all-clear message just before noon. Classes are set to resume Thursday morning.

Enterprise State Community College also closed its campus to visitors and evacuated buildings Wednesday as law enforcement, including ALEA, investigated a bomb threat. About 40 minutes after announcing its closure on Twitter, the community college was given an all clear, reopened its campus and resumed classes.

Not long after Enterprise State gave its all clear, Lurleen B. Wallace Community College reopened its campuses in Andalusia and Opp.
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF), organizer of drinks industry conference, Tales of the Cocktail, where new ideas, products, and techniques are exchanged, has announced its partnership with Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The Singapore x Tales collaboration marks TOTCFs first physical footprint in Asia to continue its mission of educating and supporting the drinks industry, with the partnership raising awareness of the bars and talents in Singapore for the global bar community and consumers.

Eileen Wayner, CEO of TOTCF, said: When the opportunity came up, we jumped at the chance to collaborate on programming that would celebrate and showcase the excellence of the Singapore bar community. We have much to learn from Singapores acclaimed bars and creative bartenders.

The partnership was announced at the twentieth anniversary of the Foundations flagship event and will continue to roll out through a campaign including Singapore bartending talents, pop-ups in New York City and Singapore, and will culminate in a multi-day residency at Tales of the Cocktail 2023.

Serene Tan, director of retail and dining for STB, said: Through our partnership with TOTCF, we hope to raise awareness of the breadth and depth of our drinks culture. This will be done through content and reimagined experiences, while profiling Singapore as a cocktail destination.

The partnership began this week at Tales of the Cocktail, with guest shifts by Singapore bars Jigger & Pony and Nutmeg & Clove.
July 26, 2022 | 08:00 pm PT

Leon Truong, chairman of Digital Transformation Alliance for SMEs (DTS), says enterprises should approach and implement digital transformation quickly but in accordance with their own capabilities and resources.

Truong, also known as Gia Bao Truong, graduated with a degree in Business Administration in Vietnam and later obtained an MBA in Communication from Charles Sturt Australia, a university with a history of more than 100 years of teaching and research.

Leon Truong, Chairman of Digital Transformation Alliance for SMEs. Photo by DTS

He used to hold the position of sales director of Sendo.vn e-commerce platform, FPT Telecom product manager, Fshare.vn project manager and founder of Fsend service, marketing and product director of FPT Online. Currently, Truong is the chairman of the Digital Transformation Alliance for SMEs.

At FPT, Leon earned the titles of Top under 35 FPT, Top 100 FPT 2015... With intensive experience, he became a leading expert in the field of e-commerce and technology enterprises, as well as a speaker at many courses and forums.

Although Truong is busy with his leadership roles, and e-commerce is already dominated by many large businesses, he constantly put a lot of enthusiasm into helping SMEs.

He said, "SMEs need to approach and implement digital transformation quickly but in accordance with their capabilities and resources, ensuring the highest efficiency". DTS's chairman hopes to provide practical and feasible solutions for the survival of businesses in the digital period, preserving revenue, overcoming the pandemic crisis and developing in the future.

Vietnam's e-commerce in the past three years has witnessed strong development. According to a report by Google and Temasek, Vietnam rose to third place in Southeast Asia in 2018, with e-commerce revenue estimated at $2.8 billion, surpassing Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Along with e-commerce, digital transformation is becoming a national strategy and a survival strategy for businesses and organizations in the 4.0 industrial revolution.

Users and business units benefit greatly from the competition among enterprises. Many large, small and medium enterprises, individuals and business households have added online sales channels on e-commerce platforms in addition to traditional stores. Many businesses invest in technologies and systems for marketing, sales and customer care. However, not all units can exploit profits and earn orders because of the lack of e-commerce and digital transformation solutions suitable for SMEs.

Leon Truong works with Cedals Center and District 5 Business Association on a solution for Cho Lon Online Market in December 2020. Photo by DTS

DTS brings together experts and businesses operating in the fields of technology, e-commerce, digital services and digital technology. It has the goal of supporting the SME community to change business activities in the direction of the 4.0 industrial revolution to enhance competitiveness.

The strength of DTS lies in its gathering of a community of experts and businesses with real combat experience, a practical approach and solutions.

Leon Truong (R) and a Funix University's representative sign a strategic collaboration agreement for e-commerce and digital transformation training program development between Funix University and DTS Alliance. Photo by DTS

DTS is operating in the following fields: trade promotion (including connecting, creating opportunities to increase trade between businesses in the digital transformation ecosystem and the SME community, between SMEs and user); communication (organization of media events in the field of e-commerce and digital transformation, sales communication services, e-commerce experience services); training (enhancing enterprise capacity through training classes on thinking and management of e-commerce & digital transformation); supply of human resources (in the field of e-commerce and digital transformation).

The company provides a system of diverse products and services including survey services, assessing online maturity levels, online presence levels, digital asset safety; training on online business, e-commerce management and digital transformation management; organizing trade promotion by an e-commerce platform; organizing events in the field of e-commerce and digital transformation; consulting and organizing brand communication campaigns.

DTS Alliance is currently a strategic partner of many associations of occupation and business associations, as well as prestigious educational, training, technology and media organizations like Vietnam Internet Association (VIA), Vietnam High Quality Goods Business Association, District 5 Employment and Economic Development Support Center (CEDALS), FPT Telecom, Funix University, MediaOne,...
Press Release

July 27, 2022 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA

Senate Resolution No. 10

Senate Resolution Expressing the profound sympathy and sincere condolences of the Senate of the Philippines to the people of Japan on the death of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe



Senate Session Hall

27 July 2022 Mr. President, distinguished colleagues: On the 8th of July this year, the world lost a great leader. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was regarded as a great political leader and a revered statesman. His untimely death, without a doubt, is a tragedy not only to his family and Japan, but to the world. He was a leader with a vision that transcends generations. He was known for his strong presence in international affairs and his economic agenda called "Abenomics," which sought to revive economic growth in Japan through reforms. He also advocated women empowerment and highlighted the critical role of women in economic growth. He introduced "Womenomics," which brought more women into the workforce and together with his wife, Mrs. Akie Abe, they established the World Assembly of Women (WAW), where I was privileged to have participated in representing the Philippines in 2014. In 2015, Mr. President, we had the honor to meet the Prime Minister once again in Philippine soil. The late Prime Minister and his wife came to the Philippines during APEC and as a short aside, they even brought rice from Japan from their own small organic farm and shared their rice with me as a 'pasalubong' and shared their advocacies and plans to support Japan's economic growth. Mrs. Abe even joined us in a National Museum tour of the Hibla ng Textile gallery and the climate change gallery, as well as, the area that had baskets pertaining to our rice harvest. I feel so much for the people of Japan who've lost a great leader. I so admired his vision and his leadership. Prime Minister Abe also hosted the United Nations Sendai conference on disaster risk reduction. He was a key figure in also strengthening Philippine-Japan relations and through his help, as mentioned by our distinguished colleagues, Japan was able to provide assistance to different sectors - in defense and security, in transport and agriculture, and peace in Mindanao, among others. So, on behalf of the Filipino people, we thank him for the close relations he built between our countries. In this august chamber, we wish to honor an exemplary leader, a friend of our nation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, through Senate Resolution Number 60: "Resolution Expressing the Profound Sympathy and Sincere Condolences of the Senate of the Philippines to the People of Japan on the Death of its Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe." At this time of his tragic loss, I join the people of Japan, especially his wife, Mrs. Akie Abe, in mourning the loss of a great leader, and a friend of the Philippines. Thank you, Mr. President.
US becomes biggest buyer of Vietnam smartphones

The U.S. has surpassed China to become the biggest buyer of smartphones and parts from Vietnam in the first six months with a purchase value of $6.61 billion, up nearly 54 percent year-on-year.

It was followed by China at $6.45 billion, up nearly 17 percent, according to Vietnam Customs.

Exports of smartphones and parts to the EU fell 7.7 percent to $3.3 billion.

Vietnams top import market of smartphones and parts was South Korea at $5.1 billion, up 28 percent year-on-year.

It was followed by China at $4.2 billion, down 0.1 percent.

Vietnams exports of these items to all markets reached $29.17 billion in the first six months, up 16.4 percent year-on-year.
A diver near a coral reef at Mun Island in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa. Photo by VnExpress/Mai Kha

Beach town Nha Trang wants to install solar-powered surveillance cameras on Mun Island to protect corals around it.

This was among several measures town authorities suggested Tuesday to the Khanh Hoa Province People's Committee to stop the deterioration of the reefs.

Huynh Binh Thai, head of the Nha Trang Bay Management Department, said the cameras would keep track of vessels sailing within conservation areas.

The department also wants to install underwater cameras to track coral growth, he said, adding the cost would be around VND260 million (US$11,100).

The Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center and the Institute of Marine and Fishing Technology will also regrow corals at certain locations at Mun Island first on a trial basis and then on a mass scale depending on the results.

Nha Trang Bay, spanning 250 sq.km, is one of Vietnams 16 marine conservation sites and is known for its coral reefs and other rich ecosystems, which attract tourists.

But in some places the reefs are deteriorating. At the Mun Island conservation site around 10 km from Nha Trang, coral coverage fell from 50 percent to just 10 percent within seven years.

Hundreds of square meters of corals have been damaged, even bleached white entirely.

As part of efforts to protect them, diving was suspended last month at certain places in Nha Trang Bay, including Mun Island.
Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan pays respect to the tombstones of unidentified soldiers who died during the Vietnam War in Nghe An, central Vietnam, July 16, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Chi Tam

Vietnam has still not found the remains of its 200,000 soldiers from the Vietnam War, while 300,000 remains have yet to be identified, an official said.

Nguyen Ba Hoan, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said 1.2 million Vietnamese soldiers died during the Vietnam War that ended in 1975. The remains of around 200,000 soldiers have yet to be found, while 300,000 found remains have yet to be identified, he added.

The labor ministry has cooperated with the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and other relevant entities to look into different measures to find and identify more remains, including the decipherment of army unit symbols to figure out the locations where soldiers died, Hoan said Wednesday.

Vietnam has also received help from the Argentinian government regarding anthropological and forensic issues, and signed a memorandum with U.S. agencies to bolster remains identification capabilities.

From 2011 to 2021, forensic departments have received over 41,100 samples, including 34,700 belonging to soldiers' remains and over 6,400 belonging to their family members. Through DNA analysis, 1,400 remains have been identified and families informed. A total 4,100 other remains have also been identified through other methods.

Hoan said the process of finding and identifying remains has been difficult due to numerous factors, including changes to provincial borders after the war, disbanded military units and geographical features. While some DNA samples were collected from 40-50 years ago, many have been severely degraded and cannot be further analyzed.

Vietnam commemorates the 75-year anniversary of its War Invalids and Martyrs Day on Wednesday.
Internet speed measurement results at an apartment building in Hanoi on July 26, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy

An undersea Internet cable linking Vietnam with Hong Kong and Japan has been damaged due to reasons unknown as yet, causing disruptions in connecting with foreign websites.

The Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) was damaged on Tuesday afternoon, a local Internet service provider told VnExpress.

A spokesperson of the provider, who asked that the company not be named, said a break has occurred in the cable's S3 branch 427 km from China.

On Tuesday night Internet users in Vietnam reported difficulties in accessing foreign websites like Facebook and Netflix.

Huynh Dung of Ho Chi Minh City said on Tuesday night he could not use Twitter, Google or YouTube as smoothly as usual.

Some people also reported connection losses, high latency when playing online games and significantly reduced download speed when using Google Drive.

All Internet service providers claim to have taken measures to handle the issue including by routing international traffic to other cables.

It is not clear how long it will take for the cable to be fixed.

APG, installed in 2016, is used by telecom service providers VNPT, Viettel, FPT Telecom, and CMC Telecom.

Last year it was disrupted four times, with the final one in December taking two months to be fixed.

This year there have been two disruptions, with the first in April lasting 10 days.

Vietnam has six submarine cables and an overland system that runs through China.

There are 69 million Internet users in the country of 96 million people, according to German data portal Statista.
The University of Hong Kong has set up a representative office in Vietnam on Jul. 27.

HKU will provide high-quality business education for Vietnamese students.

Through knowledge and community connections, the university seeks opportunities for cultural dissemination, cooperation, and research in Vietnamese and regional academia, thus making a positive impact on Vietnam's economy and society.

The opening ceremony of The University of Hong Kong's office was held on Jul. 27. Photo by HKU

HKU Business School (HKU BS) offers a comprehensive business education that includes undergraduate, masters and postgraduate programmes.

The master of business administration (MBA) offered by HKU has been ranked among the top business programs worldwide, according to The Economist.

HKU BS awards fully funded Optimas scholarships to Vietnamese students pursuing a master's degree in business and finance.

The University of Hong Kong's office in Vietnam. Photo by University of Hong Kong

HKU was established in 1910 by Frederick Lugard, the governor of Hong Kong, from 1907 to 1912. After more than 110 years, the school now has ten faculties.

English is the language of instruction at HKU.Students also have the opportunity to learn Chinese as well. The university attracts and nurtures dynamic and responsible leaders in Vietnam through three key pillars, education, researchand impact, as part of a strategy to make a positive change through cross-border collaboration.

HKU's campus. Photo by University of Hong Kong

In June 2022, HKU was ranked among the World's top 21 universities, third in Asia in the QS World University Rankings, and 30th internationally and fourth in Asia by Times Higher Education.

Established in 2001, HKU Business School is the youngest and the most dynamic faculty of The University of Hong Kong, dedicated to building an international network to explore collaboration opportunities, to connect with communities around the globe, and to best serve local and international students and alumni in various countries and regions.HKU BS also achieves the prestigious AACSB Accounting Accreditationand EQUIS Certification, which signify a business schools commitment to strategic management, learner success, thought leadership, and societal impact.

Representative office of the University of Hong Kong:

Address: 19th Floor, Bitexco Financial Tower, 2 Hai Trieu, Ben Nghe, District 1, HCMC

Website: https://hku-vn.org/

Phone: +84 909 901 167

Email: info@hku-vn.org
Department 1  Kriston HillJuly 13Ronix Cespedes-Acevedo, 43, pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and was given a suspended sentence of 30 months in prison and placed on probation for 18 months.

Caden L. McClellan, 24, pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of a credit card illegally possessed, a category D felony, and was given a suspended sentence of 48 months in prison and placed on probation for 24 months.

Derek R. Goff, 353, pleaded no contest to attempted possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a category D felony, and was given a suspended sentence of 30 months in prison and placed on probation for 24 months.

July 14Jorge Avila-Hernandez, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 30 months in prison with credit for 39 days served.

July 18Adan Rodriguez, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery and was sentenced to 364 days in the Elko County Jail.

July 19Christian Johnathan Gonzalez, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery and was sentenced to 364 days in the Elko County Jail.

Department 2  Judge Al Kacin

June 30Darian M. Hoover, 26, pleaded guilty to obtaining a credit or debit card without cardholders consent, a category D felony, and was given a suspended sentence of 12-32 months in prison and placed on probation for 36 months. She was also ordered to pay a total of $492.21 restitution to two victims, jointly with a second defendant.

July 12Kacee N. Horse, 25, of Elko pleaded no contest to attempted battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, and battery on an officer, and was sentenced to 15-38 months in prison for the first count and 364 days in jail on the second count, to be served concurrently. Both sentences are to run consecutively to a sentence in a previous case.

Curtis A. Tingey, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance, a gross misdemeanor, and was given a suspended sentence of 120 days in jail and placed on probation for 12 months.

July 15Dean S. Conn, 77, pleaded no contest to open or gross lewdness, a gross misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 364 days in jail, suspended if he follows certain conditions while on probation for 12 months, including attending outpatient psychotherapy sessions for depression and anxiety. He was also ordered to pay the victim $620 in restitution and have no contact with her.

July 18William P. Senrud, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance and was given a suspended sentenced of 120 days in jail and placed on probation for 12 months.

Department 3  Mason Simons

July 18Chancie L. Scott, 29, pleaded guilty to low-level possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, both category C felonies. She was sentenced to 2-5 years on each count, to be served consecutively, with credit for 117 days previously served.
ELKO  Another try for a much lower-cost meat processing lab at Spring Creek High School for career and technical education students failed to gain much traction from Elko County School District trustees as they struggle to conserve and wisely spend the last of the pay-as-you-go tax money for construction.

The latest proposal pares estimated costs for the meat lab from roughly $7.5 million to $2.3 million to $2.5 million, according to Steven Smith, construction and operations manager for the school district. He said the original plan was based off a larger project with a diesel shop. Weve condensed that.

He told the board on July 26 that the new plan would be for a 4,800-square-foot, pre-engineered building and design fees would be $131,000.

Smith had said at the boards June 28 meeting that the estimated price of $4 million for the originally planned CTE lab had gone up to as much as $8 million because of rising costs in material and labor. Also, design fees for the original plan would be roughly $400,000.

Trustee Jeff Durham said on July 26 that he couldnt support anything new until the districts project funding changes because we have to guard the capital improvement funds, so thats going to be my position for now.

He said that as much as CTE helps, the district has to keep up with maintenance projects, such as boilers, and we need reading, writing and arithmetic to keep going, too.

Trustee Susan Neal said she would like to see what the public tells MGT Consulting, a firm hired to develop a facility needs plan for the school district, and she wants to be conservative with the capital funds. She said, however, that she wanted to know how many students would benefit from the CTE meat lab.

She said CTE is great, but she agreed with Durham that there are concerns about the money.

The budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year shows a balance of $14.7 million for capital construction projects.

Smiths proposal to the board was for approval to spend the roughly $131,000 on design fees for the new lab plan that would include adding modular pads and new modular placement on the high school campus. However, the board didnt act on that idea.

Trustee Ira Wines asked Smith about the suggestion at the last board meeting that an empty classroom be used for the meat lab, and Smith said that could become a solution to lower costs. Wines also said that he wants to put the brakes on spending but there is a shortage of qualified meat packers, and that is one reason a T-bone steak is $19 a pound.

Questions the board wants answered include classroom use, how many students a meat lab at Spring Creek would benefit, and how successful is the meat lab in Wells.

Teresa Dastrup, the board president who joined the meeting remotely so Wines presided over the meeting, said if Spring Creek had the lab, it could keep students in Elko County, and she believes the meat lab could be beneficial in the wake of current food issues.

I think this is something that could greatly benefit our community. If we do have a packing plant come in, we will have the students ready for employment and it will keep people in Elko County, she said.

Dastrup said if the board doesnt want to approve the design fees, then it should seek more information before you reject continuing this project. Superintendent Clayton Anderson said he would get numbers for the board.

Id like this to come back to the board, Trustee Matt McCarty said.

The school boards concerns about preserving construction funds also tied in with a vote to approve the districts five-year capital improvement plan that lists $2.4 million for Spring Creek High CTE labs for the 2023-2024 school year.

The list for the current school year includes natural gas conversion at Spring Creeks schools, $194,820; phones and intercom upgrades, $500,000; fire alarm upgrades, $900,000; and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, other renovations and mechanical upgrades, a little more than $2.4 million for a total of $4 million.

The plan through the 2024-2025 school year looks at projects potentially within the limit of pay-as-you-go funds that expired on June 30 of this year after voters failed in 2020 to approve continuing the 75-cent tax that the district used to pay for building projects without going into debt. Voters also rejected a 50-cent bond proposal in 2021 for school projects.

The plan goes beyond current funding, however, for the 2025-2026 school year when it calls for spending nearly $10.7 million for a gym and classrooms at Northside Elementary School and $58.7 million for a new elementary school in Elko.

McCarty said the newest school in Elko is 40 years old and the average age of the school buildings is 63 years.

Anderson said the five-year plan is a yearly process, and there is nothing final in any of this. We can adjust this however we want.

He said MGTs input can be used for future five-year plans, but the current plan is vital in showing needs exist, so hopefully in the near future we can try again for voter approval for project funding.

Anderson also said the ADA projects are needed because if the district doesnt show progress it wont be compliant, so the plan includes $2.2 million for each of the four years following the current year.

The school board also approved the districts debt management plan that Chief Financial Officer Julie Davis said is a formality because we dont have any debt.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and representatives of the Vietnam Former Youth Volunteers Association pose for a group photo in Hanoi on July 26. (Photo: VNA)

Chairman of the association Vu Trong Kim said there are 500,000 former youth volunteers in Vietnam, many of whom are still facing hardships. Given this, the association has carried out many activities to assist former youth volunteers, including raising funds to build 4,000 houses and open 7,000 savings accounts for the needy.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, President Phuc offered the best wishes to former youth volunteers nationwide and called on them to continue making contributions to national development and defence.

Stressing the Party and States consistent attention to the revolution contributors, he spoke highly of the associations initiatives to care for its members, expressing his hope for increasing the ones who not only bravely fulfilled their duties in resistance wars but have also excelled in poverty reduction and livelihood development.

He pointed out that 4,298 former volunteers with injuries and 275 others falling down in battlefields havent been recognised as war invalids or martyrs, while more than 9,000 former volunteers and their descendants suffering from Agent Orange/dioxin havent benefited from preferential treatment. This is a problem that authorities and the association need to work together to address.

The State leader also asked the association to coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and relevant agencies to boost education of the youth on revolutionary traditions, resolve issues related to former volunteers, and propose amendments to the legal documents on policies for them.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) inspects the guard of honour at the ceremony commending outstanding revolution contributors in the peoples public security force on July 26. (Photo: VNA)

Also on July 26, President Phuc attended a ceremony to commend outstanding revolution contributors in the peoples public security force.

The event saw the presence of 461 delegates representing tens of thousands of war invalids, martyrs families and other revolution contributors working in the force throughout history.

Appreciating their dedication to the Fatherland, the President highly valued the Ministry of Public Securitys efforts to care for them.

He told the force to continue effectively carrying out the Party and States policies on revolution contributors; join other ministries, sectors and localities in the verification and recognition of contributors, the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs remains, and the restoration of martyrs cemeteries and monuments; and strongly investigate wrongdoings in the implementation of policies.

The leader also requested practical and effective assistance for relatives of the contributors, voicing his belief that the war invalids, martyrs families and other revolution contributors in the public security force will contribute more to the safeguarding of national security and social order and safety./.
Press Release

July 27, 2022 EPR, a good start - Villar The Extended Producer's Responsibility Act of 2022 or RA No. 11898 lapsed into law on 22 July 2022. Senator Cynthia Villar is calling on all sectors to assist in its implementation through strict implementation, monitoring and innovation. Sen. Villar is the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment, who shepherded the passage of this legislation along with her counterpart in the House of Representatives, Rep. Glona Labadlabad. EPR is an approach at waste reduction that seeks to lodge environmental responsibility to the producer throughout the lifecycle of a product. She urges the public and especially the organizations fighting for better solid waste management, to see it as an opportunity. "It is a good start", Villar says. The law introduces the concept of EPR and a circular economy and mandates the DENR to formulate a national framework on EPR for all types of wastes. It mandates targets on the recovery of plastic wastes initially and requires large enterprises or those above MSME levels to set up an EPR program within six months from the effectivity of the act. These programs are intended to achieve plastic neutrality through efficient management of plastic packaging waste, reduced production, importation supply or use of plastic packaging deemed low in reusability, retrievability or recyclability. It sets rising targets for plastic recovery each year until 2028 when these enterprises are expected to achieve 80% neutrality. It also activates the National Ecology Center, created under RA 9003 and mandates it to assess the volume of other generated wastes for inclusion in the EPR scheme. "We had to limit the EPR to plastic packaging and to large enterprises for now, which could be viewed as compromises, to be sure" Villar says, "but then, it is important to note that the law also requires an EPR framework and an assessment of volumes of other generated wastes that will allow the expansion of the scheme to include wastes with the most problematic components or volumes." Villar expresses confidence that a convergence of initiatives among these mandated large enterprises, medium and small scale producers voluntarily joining the program, and households and families who earnestly make an effort to reduce their wastes, will make a difference. "All over the country, the current and near future landfill capacity will not be able to accommodate the expected waste generated. Waste recovery in an archipelago is no small matter and will not be cheap. It is time to place the responsibility of retrieving these wastes in the hands of the producers while still calling on the citizenry to do the appropriate thing and reduce, reuse, segregate, recycle and compost." Villar adds. EPR, magandang simula - Villar Nag-lapse into law ang Extended Producer's Responsibility Act of 2022 o RA No. 11898 noong 22 July 2022. Dahil dito, nanawagan si Senator Cynthia A. Villar sa lahat ng sektor na tumulong sa istriktong pagpapatupad ng batas na ito. Isinulong ni Villar, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Environment noong nakaraang 18th Congress, ang pagsasabatas EPR Act kasama ang kanyang counterpart sa House na si Rep. Glona Labadlabad. "EPR is an approach at waste reduction that seeks to lodge environmental responsibility to the producer throughout the lifecycle of a product," sabi ni Villar. Aniya, dapat makita ng publiko at ng mga lumalaban para sa mas mahusay na waste management na isa itong oportunidad sa kanilang adhikain. "It is a good start", ayon pa sa senador. Itinatakda sa batas ang konsepto ng EPR at circular economy at inaatasan ang DENR na maglatag ng national framework sa EPR para sa lahat ng klase ng basura. Target ng batas ang recovery ng plastic wastes. Inuutusan din malalaking industriya na magtayo ng EPR program sa loob ng anim na buwan simula nang maging epektibo ang batas. "We have to limit the EPR to plastic packaging and to large enterprises for now, which could be viewed as compromises, to be sure" giit ni Villar. Nakapaloob din dito ang EPR framework at assessment ng dami ng ibang basura. Kumpiyansa si Villar na magkakaroon ng malaking pagbabago kung magtutulungan ang malalaking enterprises, medium at small scale producers at mga kabahayan para mabawasan ang basura sa ating kapaligiran. Nagbabala ang senador na hindi kakayanin ng ating landfill ang tambak na basura kundi tayo gagawa ng paraan na mabawasan ang mga ito. "Waste recovery in an archipelago is no small matter and will not be cheap. It is time to place the responsibility of retrieving these wastes in the hands of the producers while still calling on the citizenry to do the appropriate thing and reduce, reuse, segregate, recycle and compost." dagdag pa niya.
Kharkiv subjected to enemy missile attack, according to preliminary data, no casualties  Terekhov

On Wednesday morning, the Russian occupation army fired S-300 missiles at Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov has said.

"At 04.25 shelling of Industrialny district of Kharkiv. Two arrivals with S-300 missiles," Terekhov said in his Telegram channel.

"Rescuers are already in place, they are clearing the rubble. According to them, there are no victims, but this is only preliminary information so far. I would like it to be so," the mayor said.

He urged those in the city to be as careful as possible.
Ukrainian defenders liberated Andriyivka from Russian invaders, hitting the enemy strongholds, the Pivden (South) task force said.

"Our aviation inflicted four strikes on the enemy using attack aircraft, bombers and helicopters. Four enemy strongholds in the area of Andriyivka, Bilohirka and Blahodatne were hit. Thus, Andriyivka was liberated and finally cleared of the Russian occupation troops, like Lozove, where our the troops securely secured their positions a few days earlier," according to the statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday night.

It is noted that during the day the enemy tried to restore the lost position by conducting a counterattack in the direction of Bruskinske - Bilohirka, but failed.

In Mykolaiv region, the invaders carried out aerial reconnaissance and lost Eleron-3, "and when they tried to use a kamikaze drone of the Lanset type, which they tried to attack a radar station, the flying aggressor was destroyed by small arms."

Enemy aircraft inflicted four strikes on Ukrainian positions on positions: on Tuesday morning  twice with a pair of attack Ka-52s, there are no Ukrainian military losses among them.

"At noon, a trio of Ka-52s in Olhyne area, intending to attack our units, defeated their own. For which, on the way back, they were attacked by the anti-aircraft defense of the Russian troops. Thus, the enemy, with another gesture of goodwill, deprived himself of one shock Ka-52. Our losses are not allowed," the task force said.

Ukrainian air defense destroyed two enemy missiles during a missile attack by a pair of Su-34 missiles of the Kh-31 type in the direction of Bashtanka.

By evening, the occupiers fired on Velyka Kostroma with heavy artillery of 152 caliber, there were no casualties.

During the day, the Ukrainian military completed 300 fire missions, "confirmed losses of the enemy are: 8-9 rashists, the T-62 tank, the Msta-S and Msta-B self-propelled howitzers, the Sani mortar complex, two armored units and six automotive equipment, and a warehouse of enemy ammunition was destroyed in Bilohirka.

In the Black Sea, an enemy ship grouping in the amount of 11 units continues to maneuver, two missile and a large landing ship are in readiness for their intended use.

The threat of missile strikes and enemy landings remains.
In Bakhmut, Russians hit a hotel, preliminary, there are killed and wounded, enemy shells also hit the area of Karlivska filter station, missile attacks were launched on Toretsk and Avdiyivka, Head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko has said.

"This morning, the enemy launched three missile attacks on Toretsk and one on Avdiyivka. In Toretsk, missiles hit the private sector and garages  there were no casualties. In Avdiyivka, in addition to the rocket, the Russians used artillery three times, hitting the city center and the Okhtyrka chemical plant, the consequences are still being established," Kyrylenko said in the Facebook post.

In Bakhmut, the Russians hit the hotel, according to preliminary information, there are killed and wounded, a rescue operation is underway.

In Kurakhivsk merged territorial community, Kurakhove, as well as Hirniak, Kurakhivka and Hostry are under shelling, information about the consequences is being clarifying. In Maryinka merged territorial community, intensive shelling of Krasnohorivka continues.

"In Ocheretianska community, shelling continued at night and in the morning: most of all in the vicinity of Pisky. In the morning, Russian shells flew into the area of Karlivska filter station and Orlivka," the administration's head said.

Under fire is Yablunivka of Ilyinivska merged territorial community, where three houses were damaged, without casualties.
As a result of Russian shelling, a five-story residential building in Bakhmut was partially destroyed, rescuers found the body of the deceased, one person was saved, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has said.

"As a result of the shelling, which took place at about seven in the morning, a residential five-story building was partially destroyed. As a result of search work carried out by rescuers, one person was saved, the body of another person was recovered," the service said on Facebook.

Rescue work completed. From the Main Directorate, five personnel and one piece of equipment were involved.
The creation of a mobilization center in Crimea occupied by Russia may indicate a covert mobilization on the peninsula to involve the Crimeans in the war, forcibly conscripted Crimeans who have not committed other crimes are victims of the armed conflict, not criminals, Head of the prosecutor's office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol Ihor Ponochovny said.

In a commentary to Interfax-Ukraine, Ponochovny said that during the eight years of the occupation of the Crimean peninsula, more than 34,000 Crimeans were forced into military service in the army of the occupying state.

According to him, with the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the occupying army suffers numerous losses and requires replenishment of the human resource.

"Thousands of Ukrainians who remained in the occupied territories have already been or are at potential risk of being forced into mobilization," he said.

In this context, the head of the prosecutor's office said: "The recent creation of a new mobilization center in the occupied Crimea may indicate a covert mobilization on the peninsula for the potential involvement of Crimeans in the war on the side of the occupying army. Russia aims to send Ukrainians from the territory of the peninsula to fight against their country."

He drew attention to the fact that such actions of the occupiers violate the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular, the provisions of the IV Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949 and are a war crime that has no statute of limitations.

According to Ponochovny, within the national legislation, the prosecutor's office of the autonomy qualifies the following actions under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the sanction of which provides for up to 12 years in prison.

"I emphasize that the Crimeans, forcibly drafted into the ranks of the Russian army or other illegal formations, are victims of the armed conflict, and not criminals. Therefore, they cannot and will not be subject to criminal prosecution if they did not commit any other crime while serving in the occupying army," the head of the prosecutor's office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea said.

He also said that information about the alleged persecution of Crimean conscripts by Ukraine is propaganda aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian authorities.

"At the same time, the actions of citizens of Ukraine from the occupied territory, voluntarily joining the Russian armed formations, can be qualified as high treason," Ponochovny said.
The Russian occupation forces have no technical documents, specialists and equipment for quick restoration of Antonivsky Bridge, First Deputy Head of Kherson Regional Council Yuriy Sobolevsky has said.

"The bridge is seriously damaged. It is unsuitable for use even by cars as of today. [] They have problems with obtaining technical documents  they are unable to receive access to it and develop a restoration plan. They also do not have specialists that could quickly restore it, and they do not have equipment," he said on air of the national telethon on Wednesday.

As reported, the Ukrainian defense forces mounted a missile attack on Antonivsky Bridge in Kherson. The head of the press center of the security and defense forces of the Pivden (South) operational command, Natalia Humeniuk, said, "Yes, there were strikes, but they were precise."
Hong Kong: Private beds to meet treatment needs

Private hospitals agreed to provide 364 more hospital beds to receive patients referred from the Hospital Authority (HA) to help the authority focus its resources on combating COVID-19, the Government said today.

As the number of daily new cases remains high, the number of hospitalised patients is on a continuous rise. To alleviate the pressure on public healthcare services, Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau invited private hospitals to allocate beds for the HA to transfer suitable patients to receive treatment at private hospitals.

An agreement was reached at a meeting yesterday between the Private Hospitals Association, and Prof Lo, Under Secretary for Health Dr Libby Lee and staff members from HA and the Department of Health.

All 13 private hospitals are willing to provide a total of 364 hospital beds, including those for COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients, at the initial stage to address HAs immediate needs. Depending on the actual demand, the number of hospital beds can be gradually brought up to around 1,000, Prof Lo announced.

The authority will discuss with the private hospitals the plan for matching one to three private hospitals with each HA cluster for receiving patients referred from public hospitals.

Given the signs of a rebound in the epidemic situation, it is essential to the lives and safety of our citizens for us to maintain the operation of the public healthcare system. We are grateful to the private hospitals for rendering assistance at this critical juncture and making contributions to Hong Kongs battle against the epidemic, said Prof Lo.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The German federal government has approved the sale of Panzerhaubitze2000 howitzers by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reports.

"According to Spiegel, the federal government has approved the sale of 100 modern self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. As early as July 13, Robert Habeck's Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a license to the German arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to manufacture Panzerhaubitze2000-type systems. Back in April, Ukraine asked KMW to purchase howitzers directly from the manufacturer. KMW immediately submitted a corresponding proposal," the message says.

It is noted that KMW confirmed the arms deal. A KMW spokesman said the company filed an application with the economic department on July 11 and received a production permit just two days later. The representative named the budget for 100 self-propelled howitzers at EUR 1.7 billion.

KMW plans to start production immediately, but it is not yet clear when the first howitzers will arrive in Ukraine. It is expected that production of all howitzers is designed for several years, so the main concern is the long-term strengthening of the Ukrainian army.

Panzerhaubitze2000 can shoot at 30-40 km, depending on the ammunition used. It is considered one of the most advanced howitzers in the world and can fire up to 10 rounds per minute. According to Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Ukraine promised the federal government before the delivery that it would not attack any targets in Russia with weapons from Germany.
Slovenia to provide Ukraine with equipment for civilian mine clearance, help to recover Kharkiv  Kuleba

Slovenia will provide Ukraine with equipment for civilian mine clearance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and help to recover Kharkiv, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"We are facing another important challenge  mine clearance in the liberated territories. Today we had a detailed discussion of how Slovenia would send us equipment through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism that is necessary for civilian mine clearance in Ukraine," he said at a joint press conference with his Slovenia counterpart Tanja Fajon in Kyiv on Wednesday.

The minister added that Slovenia will continue to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid. Kuleba also stressed that Slovenia will take active part in the recovery of Ukraine, in particular, it will help to restore public transport in Kharkiv and rebuild Kharkiv Institute of Prosthetics.

In addition, the Ukrainian and Slovenia state agencies in the sphere of cyber security and data protection have signed a memorandum of mutual understanding.

"This is a new stage in the cyber dialogue that will allow our countries to ensure better protection against Russian hackers' attacks," Kuleba said.

In turn, Fajon said that Europe should stay united and continue to support Ukraine on its European integration path.

She also noted that Slovenia will provide war-affected persons will assistance in the form of food as well as within the framework of various programs that already exist.
Volyn region is ready to repel an enemy attack in case of invasion, Deputy Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko has said on the Telegram channel on Wednesday.

"We are working in Volyn. Talked to our border guards. Everyone is in the line of duty, everyone is ready to repel any attack. The border guards actively cooperate with the regional authorities and other units. This is important because everyone must know the algorithm of actions in case of a hazard," he said.

Head of the 6th Border Guard Detachment of Volyn region Serhiy Lozynsky, in turn, said that necessary preparations have been carried out back in winter.

"We were 100% ready on February 24 this year to repel the full-scale invasion by the enemy, eliminate its personnel and equipment. We took a range of serious joint actions with the regional military administration, district administrations and united territorial communities. Everything that could help the enemy invasion has been destroyed. A number of other necessary works were carried out," he said.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel regarding the shelling of the Odesa port: the russia is deceiving everyone

The shelling by russian missiles of Odesa port, from where the export of wheat from Ukraine was planned to begin, is another proof that the Russian Federation is deceiving everyone. This statement was published on the page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel at Facebook.

Once again there is proof of how the russians deceive everyone: one day they sign an agreement with Ukraine to supply wheat to the world and the next day they bomb the port of Odesa through which the grain stocks pass, - the statement reads.
IsraAID, an Israeli non-governmental organization that supports victims of the humanitarian crisis, opens two offices in Odesa and Kyiv. This is reported on the Facebook page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel.

Our IsraAID partners have returned from a business trip to Ukraine, where they visited Odesa, Kyiv and the Kyiv region. They saw with their own eyes all the horrors caused by the Russian invaders in Buch, and also talked with representatives of various Ukrainian organizations regarding further cooperation. In the near future, it is planned to open two offices of the organization in Odesa and Kyiv for even closer cooperation on the territory of the whole country, - the message says.

The embassy notes that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, IsraAid has been supporting Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, providing psychological assistance to affected Ukrainians, and humanitarian assistance to the southern regions of the country.

We express our deep gratitude to IsraAID for helping Ukraine in these tragic moments, - the diplomatic mission emphasized.
Ambassador Korniychuk thanked the president of the University of the Negev for supporting Ukrainian students during the war

Ways to deepen the cooperation of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev with Ukrainian educational institutions in 2023 became the subject of a meeting between the Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk and the president of the university, Professor Daniel Shamowitz. This is reported on the Facebook page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel.

The participants of the meeting discussed ways to deepen cooperation with Ukrainian educational institutions in the next academic year. We thank the management of the university for supporting Ukrainian students during the war and giving them the opportunity to continue their studies and research in Israel, - the statement said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. The US continues lending support to Azerbaijan and Armenia in the process of establishing a long-lasting peace, Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State Ned Price said at a briefing, Trend reports.

According to him, a degree of progress has already been achieved in this regard.

"We think we can continue that momentum through continued engagements and diplomatic conversations with our Armenian and Azerbaijani partners in this case. Senior US officials are engaging with their counterparts at all levels to continue to offer our assistance in the issues as we seek a long-term, comprehensive peace," Price said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. The State Border Service of Azerbaijan Republic successfully continues to safeguard the state border, the agency told Trend.

On July 26, the border guard detachment detained two strangers attempting to breach the state border with Georgia on the frontier post of the 'Gazakh' Separate Border Division near the village of Ikinci Shikhli of the Gazakh district.

"The detainees were residents of Azerbaijan's Shaki district Kamal Nasibov (born in 1987), and Elnur Aliyev (born in 1991). The investigation established that they had arrived at the mentioned territory in Nasibov's car. When inspecting the car, seven grams of a substance similar to marijuana, two pistols, a hunting rifle, five cartridges, a pocket knife, a dagger, 3,300 manat ($1,940) and $200 were found and seized," the statement said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. Kazakhstan aims to cooperate with other participants of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) to simultaneously eliminate bottlenecks and boost the competitiveness of TITR, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh government.

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov held a meeting on the development of TITR.

The meeting participants discussed the implementation of major infrastructure projects along the route, including the construction of second railway tracks at the Dostyk-Moyynty section, a container hub in Aktau port, and a bypass railway line at Almaty station.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. The planned construction of the railway through Afghanistan and the railways electrification will play an important role for development of Uzbekistan, the country's Deputy Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Zhasurbek Choriyev said, Trend reports.

Choriyev made the remark at the "Afghanistan: security and economic development" international conference, held in Tashkent on July 25-26 at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to him, Central Asia, which has been connecting the largest international markets through the Great Silk Road since ancient times, is located in an important geo-strategic position.

"Modern Afghanistan has an important place in the prospective development of regional transport corridors, it can and should become a link between the countries of Central and South Asia," the deputy minister noted.

In this direction, the plans for the construction of the Termez-Kabul-Mazar-i-Sharif-Peshawar railway are of great importance, where jointly Uzbek, Afghan and Pakistani specialists conducted a preliminary study of the project, prepared calculations and proposals for laying the route, he also said. This new railway will connect eight settlements of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan and will become the main transport logistics highway for the region.

Choriyev stressed that in the direction of the new railway line, projects are being implemented for laying high-voltage power lines on Surkhan-Puli-Khumri route. During the international conference, the details of laying power lines are presented by the power engineers of Uzbekistan.

"Parallel construction and the availability of power transmission lines will save significant financial resources at the stage of construction and further operation of the electrified railway. Electric traction in high-mountain areas has huge advantages over diesel locomotive," he added.

Totally, its planned to build 785 km of power supply lines, and 790 km of communication lines for the railway.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. Uzbek Uzkimyosanoat JSC plans to triple the production capacity of phosphate fertilizers, Chairman of the Board of the company, Jurabek Mirzamahmudov told Trend.

"We mainly export phosphorus, but at the same time there is an insignificant share of imports of phosphate fertilizers, taking into account seasonality. Over the next three years, we will fully cover the demand for phosphorus in the country and will export about 30-40 percent of the products," Mirzamahmudov said.

According to him, today Uzbekistan fully satisfies the needs of the domestic market for nitrogen and potash fertilizers, while exporting more than 70 percent of potash and more than 30 percent of nitrogen fertilizers produced.

The chairman of the board also noted that the company reduced the production of mineral fertilizers due to the implementation of projects for the production of polyvinyl chloride and caustic soda.

"Two years ago we exported both mineral and chemical fertilizers worth about $200-250 million, and last year this figure reached $380 million. This year we plan to increase exports to $400 million," Mirzamahmudov said.
TEHRAN, Iran, July 27. Iran`s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian welcomed the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation membership for other countries such as Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Amir Abdollahian made the remark online, during the 20-th session of the D-8 council of foreign ministers in Dhaka.

He emphasized that the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation membership should accelerate the membership of new members.

During the current summit, the D-8 members will decide whether or not Azerbaijan will become a member of the organization.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.
TEHRAN, Iran, July 27. Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed the country's readiness to help the international community to get rid of the current energy crisis and strengthen food insecurity, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Amir Abdollahian made the remark online during the 20th session of the D-8 council of foreign ministers in Dhaka.

The minister informed of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's initiative known as "Global Economic Recovery after COVID-19 by Gas" to the D-8 council.

Despite the high commercial potential of the D-8 organization, intra-organizational trade of the member states is still below 10 percent of the total capacity, said Amir Abdollahian.

He noted that the private sectors of the member countries should play a role in boosting trade, energy, investment, industry, agriculture and tourism relations.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. Inspections of ships that will transport Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea will be carried out by the Turkish authorities with the support of the Joint Coordinating Committee, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, Trend reports.

"The Secretary General (Antonio Guterres) announced that, according to the agreement reached on July 22, with the support of the Joint Coordinating Committee, ship inspections will be carried out by the Turkish side, and the Ukrainians will ensure safe passage through the Black Sea," noted Haq.

According to him, ships will be checked for weapons on their way to and from Ukrainian ports.

"The joint coordinating center, which is engaged in tracking the transportation of grain, is located in the building of the National Defense University in Istanbul and consists of 4 branches: Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN. We hope that the Chairman of the Joint Coordinating Committee will be announced very soon," he added.
Saudi Arabia will partner with Greece to build a data cable to ensure a smooth transfer of digital data between the East and West, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya.

The announcement came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Greece on Tuesday and met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Saudi Arabias STC will work on the project with its Greek telecom counterparts.

The project aims to position the two countries as an eastern digital station for Europe to reach the Middle East, SPA reported, adding that the Kingdoms geographical location allows it to become a global digital hub center linking the East and the West.

According to the SPA report, about 10 percent of the worlds underwater cables pass through Saudi territory.

Greece will be a gateway to Europe for data flowing through and from the Middle East.

This is in line with the Kingdoms Vision 2030.

We look to further establish our digital credentials and contribute to Vision 2030 and become a leading digital company and regional digital hub linking three continents, STC CEO Olayan Mohammed al-Wetaid said.

The project, when completed, will contribute to accelerating the growth of the global digital economy, which is estimated to reach 15 trillion dollars.

As the world accelerates towards an increasing digital connectivity of businesses and people, it is essential that business can offer all digital aspects for the benefit of businesses and the customers and clients they serve, STC was quoted as saying by SPA.

It added that STCs investments in cloud computing and data centers upkeep with the capacity for the ever-increasing analysis and storage of data as the global computing power and needs increase.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Ahmed Al-Sabah, on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Trend reports citing The Print.

My congratulations and best wishes to His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Ahmed Al-Sabah, on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Kuwait. I look forward to working with him to further deepen and expand our excellent bilateral relations, PM Modi tweeted.

India and Kuwait traditionally enjoy friendly relations, which are rooted in history and have stood the test of time.

In 2021, India and Kuwait celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both countries have maintained regular high-level contacts.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Kuwait stood with India during the second COVID and provided quick support in the form of oxygen and other relief material to India.

On Sunday, the Kuwaiti emir issued a decree appointing Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as the prime minister and tasking him with forming the new cabinet.
India on Monday participated in a two-day convention hosted by Uzbekistan in its capital Tashkent to debate the scenario in Afghanistan, Trend reports citing Colors of India.

Attended by about 20 nations, India was represented on the convention by joint secretary within the Ministry of Exterior Affairs, accountable for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, J P Singh.

Sources mentioned Afghanistans performing Overseas Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi is attending the convention titled Afghanistan: Safety and Financial Improvement.

Final week, Uzbekistan had mentioned the assembly is aimed toward growing a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world group to advertise stability, safety, post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan.

It mentioned representatives from a number of elements of the world, together with Central and South Asia, Europe, Center-East and the Asia-Pacific area, are collaborating in deliberations to discover a answer to the Afghan problem.

The convention is aimed toward growing a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world group to advertise stability, safety, post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan and its integration into regional cooperation processes, it had mentioned in an announcement.

It mentioned the intention of the convention embrace forming a typical place by the world group in countering terrorism, making certain constructive dialogue between the present dispensation in Kabul and Afghanistans neighbouring nations.

Our nation is dedicated to establishing lasting peace in neighbouring Afghanistan and considers this course of an necessary situation for attaining sustainable improvement within the Central Asian area, an announcement by the Uzbek authorities had mentioned.

India has been in contact with a number of main powers on the scenario in Afghanistan.

Final month, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a technical crew in its embassy within the Afghan capital.

In the previous few months, India has despatched humanitarian support to Afghanistan.

In November final 12 months, India had hosted a regional dialogue on the scenario within the nation that was attended by NSAs of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar will visit Uzbekistan during July 28-29 to participate in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council of foreign ministers.

The meet will discuss preparations for the upcoming meeting of the SCO council of heads of state in Samarkand during September 15-16, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

The foreign ministers will review ongoing cooperation for expansion of the SCO organisation and exchange ideas on regional and global developments of common concern, the ministry said.

Jaishankar, who is visiting at the invitation of Uzbekistans acting foreign minister Vladimir Norov, is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the margins of the SCO meet. If the meeting goes ahead, this will be the second time this month that Jaishankar and Wang will hold talks on the sidelines of a multilateral event.

However, there is little optimism in New Delhi for any breakthrough or forward movement on the two-year-old military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), given the positions adopted by both sides.

Jaishankar and Wang had held talks on the margins of a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Indonesia on July 7. There has been no official announcement from either side about a meeting in Tashkent, though people familiar with the matter said a bilateral meeting between the two ministers isnt being ruled out.

Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too will attend the SCO meeting. There was no word on a possible meeting between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh is expected to attend a meeting of SCO defence ministers in Uzbekistan next month, setting up the possibility of a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe.

At his last meeting with Wang on July 7, Jaishankar called for an early resolution of all outstanding issues along the LAC and reiterated the need to complete troop disengagement at all friction points to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas. So far, the two sides have withdrawn frontline troops from two friction points  Pangong Lake and Gogra.
A Cairo criminal court referred on Tuesday the case of the judge accused of murdering his wife, TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, and his alleged partner in crime to the grand mufti to inquire about the religious ruling.
The final results of a controversial referendum granting unchecked powers to the office of Tunisia's President Kais Saied showed 94.6 percent of votes in favour, the electoral authority said Tuesday.
Massive explosions and fires hit a military depot in Russia-annexed Crimea on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people, the second time in recent days that the Ukraine war's focus has turned to the contested peninsula.
Head of Journalists Syndicate and Coordinator of Egypts National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan said on Tuesday that the dialogues board of trustees discussed the political dossier as a national priority in its second meeting held in Cairo.

In a press conference following the meeting at the headquarters of the National Training Academy, Rashwan revealed that the board only discussed political issues on Tuesday, mainly three topics: political rights, legislative representation and political parties, and human rights and public freedoms.

Rashwan said that the board hopes for an active political life and the removal of all barriers preventing the creation or participation of political parties in parliament.

He added that the municipal elections will also be discussed in the dialogue.

Rashwan stated that the political dossier is now settled and the board of trustees will now form regulating committees.

He also added that the board formed two committees to discuss economic and social issues.

He also stated that the invitation to the dialogue is open to anyone who was not involved in any violent activities and that there is no decision to ban certain people from attending the meeting.

The meeting also discussed a review of suggestions from technical committees as well as final discussions on committees and subcommittees in the dialogues sessions and events regulating articles in the bylaws.

Rashwan added that the board recommended reviewing measures and decisions taken after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis call for the national dialogue in April, as well as procedures of presidential pardons of some inmates.

The head of the Journalists Syndicate stated that the board of trustees will convene again before the end of the month.

The meetings are being run by the 19-member board of trustees and feature the participation of several political, partisan, and syndicate figures from different backgrounds.

The board, which is comprised of parliamentarians, journalists, professors, human rights lawyers, and officials, is tasked with coordinating the multi-directional and multi-stage dialogue and refers decisions and proposals to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The board held its first meeting on 5 July, where it agreed on bylaws to regulate its work as well as the dialogue's 25-article code of conduct and ethics.

The first meeting also reached a consensus that the dialogue shall be open to all political, partisan, and syndicate forces to discuss national priorities, excluding those who had incited or participated in violent acts.

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Gunmen supporting Syria's government and others opposed to Damascus clashed in the southern Syrian province of Sweida Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, a war monitor said.

Six loyalists and four people against the regime lost their lives after the fighting erupted in two villages in the Druze-majority province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Tensions had been rising since Monday, after the abduction of two people critical of the Damascus government.

The Druze, who made up less than three percent of Syria's pre-war population, have largely kept out of the country's civil war since it started in 2011.

Sweida has been spared most of the fighting, though local forces had to repel limited rebel attacks in 2013 and 2015, and a jihadist rampage in 2018 killed more than 250 people.

Government institutions and security forces are present in the province, while Syrian troops are deployed not far from its provincial borders.

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Egypt and the African Union (AU) are seeking to develop a unified vision for energy transformation in the continent ahead of the 27th UN Conference of the Parties (COP27) on climate change, slated for November in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The joint vision is set to be submitted during the annual climate event, according to a statement on Wednesday by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

The statement was issued following a meeting in Cairo between Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla and Amany Abu Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy.

Egypt and the AU should cooperate towards "a unified African position on fair energy transition" ahead of COP27, El-Molla said.

He stressed the necessity of "providing the large and growing needs of African countries to help achieve sustainable development," the statement added.

Egypt has vowed to speak for Africa's aspirations in addressing climate change at the COP27.

Abu Zeid said African countries should enhance cooperation, particularly in the field of energy, given the fundamental role of this sector in achieving stability and development.

While asserting that oil and gas are important sources of energy for African countries that contribute to sustainable development, she noted the importance of transitioning to renewable energy sources as per a timetable that corresponds to the conditions and priorities of each country.

The AU commissioner urged developing a unified African strategy for energy transformation, underscoring the importance of supporting integration among African countries to secure energy sources through integrated systems.

These would contribute to opening new markets and exploiting all available economic opportunities, she added.

Hopes are pinned on COP27 to turn climate-related pledges into action to move to green energy to reduce harmful gas emissions and global warming and adapt to climate change as per the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement  adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt  came into effect in 2016 with the aim of limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Climate finance has been debated at every COP meeting since developed countries failed to meet their promise to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation measures.

Africa produces no more than three percent of the worlds total greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming, according to experts.

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The Emirati and Iranian foreign ministers have held a telephone conversation and discussed boosting ties, UAE state media reported Wednesday, as the Gulf Arab country considers sending an ambassador back to Tehran.

Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed ways of "boosting bilateral relations and areas of cooperation for the benefit of both countries", the UAE's state news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Abdullah "highlighted the UAE's keenness... to enhance the security and stability of the region", WAM added.

Iran's foreign ministry said Amir-Abdollahian "welcomed the enhancement of the level of ties between the two countries" as "an important step in the process of developing bilateral relations", in a statement late Tuesday.

It said the Iranian minister also spoke separately with his Omani and Kuwaiti counterparts on Tuesday night.

The United Arab Emirates scaled back its ties with the Islamic republic in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh's execution of Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Earlier this month, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his country was considering sending an ambassador back to Iran and called for regional economic cooperation to help ease political tensions.

"The next decade cannot be like the last decade. It's a decade where 'de-escalation' should be the key word," he had said.

His comments came after Israel and the United States signed a new security pact reinforcing their common front against Iran, during a visit to Israel by US President Joe Biden.

The UAE's talk of strengthening Iran ties comes alongside Iraqi efforts to mediate between Emirati ally Riyadh, and Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have had no diplomatic ties since the 2016 attacks on the kingdom's diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic, while Kuwait also downgraded relations with Tehran.

An Iranian diplomat told a Kuwaiti newspaper earlier this week that a Kuwaiti ambassador would arrive in Tehran "in the next few days", but authorities in the Gulf emirate have yet to announce such a move.

The oil-rich UAE has previously said that Arab Gulf states should take part in "collective diplomacy" to reach an agreement with Iran, whose talks with Western powers over a faltering 2015 nuclear agreement have been stalled since March.

In 2020, the UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel, a move which Tehran condemned.

Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday described Israel's presence in the region as a cause of "instability and insecurity", Iran's foreign ministry said.

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[July 27, 2022] HUMAN and PerimeterX unite in market-changing merger to safeguard customers from sophisticated bot attacks, fraud and account abuse

Market leaders join forces to expand the Human Defence Platform to protect advertising, marketing, ecommerce and enterprise security SINGAPORE, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HUMAN Security, Inc. (formerly White Ops)  the global leader in safeguarding enterprises from sophisticated bot attacks and fraud, and PerimeterX , the leading provider of solutions that detect and stop the abuse of identity and account information to deter fraud on the web, today announced that the two companies are uniting in a market-changing merger. With 77% of online security and fraud incidents being bot-based, the merger highlights the importance of identifying sophisticated bot attacks, fraud and account abuse before they impact enterprises across advertising, marketing, e-commerce and cybersecurity. The combined companies will comprise more than 450 employees under the HUMAN company name, 500+ customers and have more than $100 million in ARR. "The merger of these great companies brings together two exceptional teams of humans to accelerate the vision for our Human Defense Platform and to solve some of the most important security challenges for the internet," said HUMAN CEO and Co-Founder Tamer Hassan, who will remain as CEO of the go-forward company under the HUMAN brand. "Together, we will deliver on our shared purpose of disrupting the economics of cybercrime, and we will offer enhanced protection for our combined global customers with an unparalleled modern defense strategy." "The PerimeterX mission has been to protect the apps that power our daily lives with a portfolio of comprehensive application protection solutions that detect and stop the abuse of identity and account information on the web. With HUMAN's vision and successful approach to modern defense safeguarding enterprises and internet platforms from attacks, it's clear that we should be allies," said Omri Iluz, PerimeterX co-founder and CEO who will now be president and GM of Enterprise Security of the go-forward company. "I look forward to joining HUMAN's Board of Directors with our CTO, Ido Safruti. With the combined companies' mission-focused teams, industry-leading products and complementary technology, we're going to be an unstoppable force against cybercriminals." Top customer use cases the combined companies safeguard against with the Human Defense Platform include: Media Security: Digital advertising fraud, CTV fraud and misrepresentation, mobile app and SSAI malware, abuse and spoofing, paid marketing manipulation, lead generation fraud, loyalty program abuse, coupon and promotion fraud Enterprise Security: Account takeover, fake account creation, carding, client-side supply chain attacks, digital skimming, PII harvesting, web scraping, scalping and denial of inventory Each year, cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated, making bot attacks and raud the leading cyber threat challenges of this decade. In April 2022, Forrester Research released The Forrester Wave: Bot Management Q2 2022 report where author, Principal Analyst Sandy Carielli, noted, "Bad bots continue to consume resources and overwhelm organizations, accounting for at least a quarter of all internet traffic."



In the evaluation that included both organizations, Carielli wrote in the report, "HUMAN is a strong choice for customers wanting white glove service and deep expertise in both marketing and security bot attacks." In its separate profile she noted, "PerimeterX is a strong choice for customers in e-commerce, travel and hospitality, and financial services." HUMAN's Modern Defense advantage includes:

Internet Visibility Advantage:

15 trillion internet verifications/week on over 3 billion devices per month



10 years of combating adversary attack vectors, tools and methodologies

Network Effect Advantage:

Collective Protection across 500+ customers and partners ( The Human Collective )

)

3,000 dynamic network, device and behavioral signals across 600+ algorithms



Unmatched scale, speed and precision



Proactive adaptation where protection of one customer means protection of all

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Disruptions that takedown cybercriminal organizations: PARETO , 3ve and Methbot . The merger has been approved by both companies' board of directors and has received regulatory approval. As part of the market-changing move, HUMAN has received a $100 million debt facility from Blackstone Credit on the heels of a $100 million growth funding round led by WestCap and NightDragon earlier this year. Terms were not disclosed. HUMAN is a remote-first company, sharing the same important values to best protect our customers. To learn more about the market-changing HUMAN-PerimeterX merger, see the joint blog from HUMAN CEO Tamer Hassan and PerimeterX CEO Omri Iluz, and visit with us at Black Hat 2022 . DBO Partners is serving as exclusive financial advisor to HUMAN. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is serving as legal counsel to HUMAN. JMP Securities, a Citizens Company, is serving as exclusive financial advisor to PerimeterX. Fenwick & West LLP is serving as legal counsel to PerimeterX. About HUMAN HUMAN is a cybersecurity company that safeguards enterprises and internet platforms from sophisticated bot attacks and fraud to keep digital experiences human. Our modern defense strategy is enabled by internet visibility, network effect, and disruptions, enabling enterprises to increase ROI and trust while decreasing customer friction, data contamination, and cybersecurity exposure. Today we verify the humanity of more than 15 trillion interactions per week for some of the largest companies and internet platforms. Protect your digital business with HUMAN. To Know Who's Real, visit www.humansecurity.com . About PerimeterX PerimeterX is the leading provider of solutions that detect and stop the abuse of identity and account information on the web. Its cloud-native solutions detect risks to your web applications and proactively manage them, freeing you to focus on growth and innovation. The world's largest and most reputable websites and mobile applications count on PerimeterX to safeguard their consumers' digital experience while disrupting the lifecycle of web attacks. PerimeterX is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and at www.perimeterx.com . SOURCE HUMAN

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Gamila Ismail, the newly-elected chair of Egypts liberal Dostour (the Constitution) Party, has received an official invitation to participate in the national dialogue proposed by Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who has asked for drawing up a new political roadmap for the country.

"Upon this invitation, Ismail decided to form a committee to prepare the Dostour Party's vision and proposals for the national dialogue's agenda," Walid Omari, the party's official spokesperson, said on Wednesday.

A letter sent by Rasha Ragheb, the executive director of the National Academy for Training (NAT), the entity in charge of organising the El-Sisi administration's proposed national dialogue, told Ismail that "we welcome your election of the Dostour Party and we invite you to present your vision on President El-Sisi's proposed national dialogue within one week, including how to implement this vision."

Gamila Ismail was declared on 22 July the new head of the Dostour Party after she won 318 votes versus rival candidate Khaled Dawoud, who received 192 votes.

This is the fourth time the Dostour Party has elected a new chair since it was founded in 2012 by Mohamed El-Baradie, the former director of the International Energy Atomic Agency and Egypt's former vice president in 2012.

Ismail said in a TV interview on 23 July that "the election of the Dostour Party's new head was held at the headquarters of the Al-Karama (Dignity) leftist party as we do not have an office or headquarters."

"Our priority on the national dialogue is to exert pressure until all political detainees are released," said Ismail, adding that "we hope there will be a greater political openness in Egypt in the coming period because there is no progress without political openness.

The Egyptian National Dialogues Board of Trustees held two meetings, the first on 5 July and the latest on 19 July.

"The last few years were very desolate in political terms and all those exercising politics were subject to assaults, but we still have a high and daring spirit," said Ismail.

Ismail, a TV presenter and the daughter of former TV director Farida Irman, is the former wife of high-profile political activist and 2005 presidential candidate Ayman Nour.

Ismail and Nour married in 1989 and have two children, Nour and Shadi. In 2005 they participated in forming the liberal El-Ghad (Tomorrow) Party.

Nour was convicted of "forgery charges" and sentenced in December 2005 to five years in prison. After Nour was released in 2009, he and Ismail divorced. After the 2013 anti-Muslim Brotherhood revolution, Nour left for Turkey where he set up the opposition El-Sharq channel, while Ismail decided to join the Dostour Party.

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Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem has received an official invitation to participate in the Edinburgh International Conference for Culture in Scotland that will include several chief axes, including culture, education, sustainability, and other pressing global issues from 26 to 28 August.

A few days ago, Abdel-Dayem met with a delegation from the British Council, including Deputy Director of the British Council Ruth Cocks, Head of the Arts Department at the Council Cathy Costain, and Director of the Arts Programme Reham Boutros.

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During the meeting, the minister received the official invitation to participate in the conference.

The official invitation was directed to Egypt on behalf of the Scottish Parliament, the UKs government, and the Scottish government to participate in the activities of the sixth edition of the conference that will be held in the Scottish Parliament.

Abdel-Dayem stressed that the invitation confirms Egypts cultural value regionally and internationally, indicating that it is the first official participation of the culture ministry in this conference, noting that the meeting dealt with cooperation between the two sides through many future cultural and artistic projects.

She added that the participating delegation will reflect the multiple facets of the distinctive cultural heritage of the oldest human civilisation.

Egypts soft power is one of its bridges of communication with the rest of the societies of the world, the minister explained, noting that the conference comes before Egypts hosting of the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Conference this November.

The members of the British delegation expressed their satisfaction with the Egyptian participation in the conference along with 35 countries from different continents and announced their desire for the minister to head the participating Egyptian delegation.

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Talks between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on an Egyptian request for a new loan have achieved "great progress," and the government is still working to resolve disputed points with the international lender, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait told Al-Arabiya on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of the general assembly meeting of the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) in Cairo, Maait said that the value of the loan has not yet been set.

In March, Egypt submitted a request to the IMF for a new loan in order to keep the gains of the first wave of the countrys economic reforms and to meet the countrys financial needs in response to the global economic challenges amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The new deal with the IMF could be under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for four years, but a programme under the Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) and the Financial Programming and Policies are also on the table, Maait said last week.

The first wave of reforms (2016-2019) was backed by a $12 billion IMF loan to Egypt under the EFF facility in 2016.

In June 2020, to address the severe impacts of the pandemic on the national economy, Egypt secured two loans from the IMF with a total of about $8 billion.

The ministers Wednesday remarks come a day after the IMF had said that Egypt is required to make decisive progress on fiscal and structural reforms.

In its ex-post evaluation (EPE) of Egypts exceptional access under the 2020 SBA, the IMF said such reforms are needed to boost the Egyptian economys competitiveness, improve governance, and enhance its resilience against shocks.

The IMFs executive directors underscored Egypts remaining vulnerability from a high public debt burden and large gross financing requirements.

The lender added that required reforms include fostering private sector development, improving governance and reducing the role of the state.

Egypt has been working to grant the private sector a greater role in the countrys economic activities. In June, Egypt launched the State Ownership Policy Document that charts a roadmap for expanding the private sectors role in a number of economic activities in the Egyptian market.

The policy sets a number of paths to expand the role of the private sector across the country, including through offering state-owned companies on the EGX whether through a private offering or under the IPO programme.

Egypt plans to raise the private sectors share in the countrys economic activity to 65 percent over three years, up from the current 30 percent.

Last week, Egypts cabinet approved in its weekly meeting offering for sale the Armed Forces-run National Company for Petroleum and the National Company for Natural Water in Siwa (SAFI) on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX).

The companies are set to be offered to private sector investors in principle then on the EGX.

In May, Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government plans to offer 12 companies under the governments IPO programme on the EGX by the end of 2022.

This included two army-run companies and others that are under the umbrella of the public business sector, Madbouly said.

In his Wednesday remarks, Maait affirmed the governments commitment to its IPO programme, which includes offering 10 companies before the end of this year given the current disruption in local and global markets.

Egypt has been struggling to face the negative repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine war on its economy, with the crisis affecting the countrys tourism sector as well as food and energy prices.

While the IMF has maintained its projections for Egypts real GDP growth in 2022 at 5.9 percent, it has revised it down to 4.8 percent in 2023 due to the wars repercussions.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has urged the reliance on local components as much as possible in implementing the projects under the Haya Karima (Decent Life) initiative to develop the countryside amid a disruption in global supply chains.

This would also give an opportunity for the localisation of industry and reliance on local technology in cooperation with investors and the private sector, especially with regard to the projects infrastructure components, El-Sisi said in a meeting with ministers on Wednesday.

Chairman of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Hesham El-Sweify also attended the meeting, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The meeting reviewed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on supply chains with regard to various industrial components and raw material and their global prices.

El-Sisi and the ministers also reviewed the challenges facing the implementation of the projects of the presidential Decent Life initiative on the ground and the measures taken to overcome them.

The statement added that the cultivation and supply season of some strategic food commodities in the countryside have obstructed the implementation of some of the initiatives projects.

The spokesman shed light on the unprecedented volume of work carried out within the framework of the initiatives projects, which are considered the largest of their kind in the history of national projects in Egypt.

During the meeting, El-Sisi was briefed on the work flow at the first phase of the Haya Karima initiative, which covers 1,477 villages and dependencies and includes 18 million citizens, the spokesman said.

The president reviewed the progress of the projects in various governorates, especially in the sectors of drinking and sewage water networks, natural gas, electricity and lighting, communications, and transportation and roads.

This is in addition to the sectors of the government complexes, irrigation and agriculture, education, health, youth and sports, social solidarity programmes, housing, local development, besides various economic development initiatives.

El-Sisi launched the first phase of the Decent Life initiative for rural development last year in July to develop the countrysides infrastructure, health, educational, and institutional sectors in few years.

The initiative aims to improve standards of living, infrastructure, and services and targets 58 percent of Egypts 102-million population who live in 4,658 villages across the country.

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A Cairo criminal court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison and another to one year for abuse of power and receiving bribe to reverse a decision to close an unlicensed private hospital in what has been locally dubbed the health ministry bribery case.

The first defendant was also fined EGP 500,000 ($26,000).

However, the court exempted from punishment two other men involved in the case, including the hospital owner, after they cooperated and confessed to the crime.

According to the prosecution, the first defendant, Mohamed El-Ashaab, a specialist at an insurance company, demanded an EGP 5 million bribe and accepted a down payment of EGP 600,000 from the owner of the private hospital in exchange for reversing a decision to shut down the facility, which was operating without license.

The second defendant, Mohamed Beheiry, the general manager for licensing non-governmental medical institutions at the Egyptian health ministry, prepared a report falsely asserting the lack of any violations at the hospital, according to the prosecution.

The investigation into the case dates back to October 2021, and the country's public prosecution ordered the referral of the four defendants to trial in December 2021.

The case involved 13 witnesses who testified to the bribery attempt, including the two hospital owners, who cooperated with the prosecution until the defendants were arrested.

The prosecution found evidence of the crime in the form of conversations on the defendants seized phones, it said in a previous statement.

The prosecution also reviewed all hospital inspection reports, both authentic and forged, and bank documents that prove the bribe was paid.

Today's verdict is not final and can be appealed before the Court of Cassation.

The case made headlines over the past several months and stirred controversy, as the first defendant, El-Ashaab, a former parliamentarian, was previously married to Health Minister Zayed and is the father of her son.

The investigation into the case coincided with Zayed delegating her duties as a health minister to Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar late in October.

At the time, the health ministry said that Zayed suffered from a heart attack and was hospitalised.

Although Zayed reportedly left the hospital shortly after the incident, she has not resumed her duties and the Cabinet has not issued any official statements about her future as minister.

Minister Abdel-Ghaffar has since acted as the country's health minister alongside his duties as minister of higher education.

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The Cairo Court of Appeals has issued a media gag order on the murder trial of judge Ayman Haggag and another defendant, who are accused of killing Haggags wife, TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, in June.

Earlier this month, after obtaining confessions from Haggag and the other defendant, the Public Prosecution charged them with premeditated murder, which is punishable by the death penalty in Egypt.

During the first hearing in the case on 20 July, Haggag claimed that he killed Gamal in self-defence after she attacked him with a knife.

However, the prosecution dismissed Haggags claims in its charging document, which was published by Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper after the hearing. The prosecution said that no knife was found at the crime scene and that Haggag made no claims of self-defence during his confession. The prosecution added that the other defendants statement contradicts Haggags self-defence claim.

Haggag plotted to kill Gamal after she blackmailed him, demanding money in exchange for not revealing secrets, the prosecution said in a statement on 7 July, without elaborating on the nature of these secrets.

Haggags friend, Hussein El-Gharably, a company owner and the second defendant, agreed to be an accomplice in the murder, the prosecution said.

On the day of the crime, the husband lured Gamal to a remote farm in Giza, where he struck her with the butt of a pistol and strangled her to death with a piece of cloth as El-Gharably held her in place.

The two defendants put the victim in a makeshift grave and doused her body with a corrosive liquid to make her unrecognisable, the prosecution said.

Forensic examination confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation, the prosecution said, adding that the defendants DNA was found on the cloth used to murder the victim.

Investigations also revealed that the mobile phones of both the victim and the defendants were in proximity of the same cell tower near the aforementioned farm.

The prosecutions case against the two defendants is based on the testimonies of 10 people and the confessions of the two defendants, the prosecution noted.

Investigations also raised suspicion that Haggag has committed other crimes, the prosecution said, noting this matter will be investigated separately.

Gamal was known for her programme El-Moshagheba (The Troublemaker) on LTC TV satellite channel. She also worked for Al-Hadath Al-Youm satellite channel.

The crime initially came to light when the accomplice reported the murder to the prosecution and said that Haggag killed Gamal over disputes, according to a statement by the prosecution in June. The accomplice led the prosecution to the victims burial site.

Haggag had initially reported that his wife had gone missing from a commercial complex in 6 October City in Giza. Relatives of the victim said she was last seen in the company of her husband at the complex.

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US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (SEHOA) Mike Hammer will kick off a regional tour addressing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) from 24 July to 1 August, starting in Cairo before heading to the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia, the US Department of State announced.

According to the US state department, Hammers visit aims to provide US support toward forging a diplomatic resolution to issues caused by the GERD in order to achieve the interests of all parties and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous region.

In Addis Ababa, the US special envoy will also consult with the African Union, under whose auspices GERD talks had been taking place, the state department added.

In an interview with Egypts official news agency MENA last week, Regional Spokesperson for the US State Department Geraldine Gassam Griffith said that the US supports all efforts exerted by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to hammer out a permanent solution to the GERD issue.

She said that the US has had discussions with the three countries and is ready to provide any technical assistance should the three parties request it.

Being an observer in the African Union-led GERD talks, Washington seeks to facilitate a fruitful dialogue and a constructive approach to negotiations by all parties to the dispute, Griffith said.

UAEs Abu Dhabi hosted two rounds of technical talks in the past months between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in an attempt to revive the talks, but without any progress.

The African Union has sponsored the talks between the three countries in the past few years in an attempt to reach a solution.

Egypt and Sudan, the two downstream countries, have been involved in decade-long talks with Addis Ababa over the dam.

Egypt is concerned that the filling and operation of the GERD will harm its historic share of the Nile water.

Meanwhile, Sudan is worried about the impact of the GERD on regulating flows to its own dams.

Egypt and Sudan, who do not oppose the GERD outright, have sought to reach a binding deal with Ethiopia on the filling and operation of the dam while Ethiopia has rejected all such attempts.

In the absence of a legally binding deal, Ethiopia unilaterally completed the first and second filling of the dam, and started earlier this year operating the first turbine of the GERD to generate power.

It also seeks to start the third filling in August and September, according to a recent announcement by the GERD project manager.

Some 85 percent of the Niles waters in Egypt flow from the Ethiopian highlands through the Blue Nile  one of the Niles two main tributaries, along with the White Nile.

During his visit to Ethiopia, Special Envoy Hammer will also review developments in the Tigray war, including progress on the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and accountability for human rights violations and abuses as well as efforts to advance peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan authorities.

The statement of US Department of State added that the US remained committed to advancing diplomatic efforts in support of an inclusive political process towards lasting peace, security and prosperity for all people in Ethiopia.

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The Egyptian government has allocated EGP 11 billion as exceptional aid over the next six months to support around nine million families during the current global economic crises.

According to a statement by the Egyptian presidency on Tuesday, President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi has directed the government to disburse a total of EGP 1 billion per month for the next six months as exceptional aid to nine million families.

El-Sisi issued the directions during a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Supply Ali Moselhi, Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait and Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj.

Recipients will include the neediest families and pensioners who receive less than EGP 2,500 per month as well as the state employees whose monthly salaries are less than EGP 2,700.

In addition, two million subsidised food boxes will be made available each month at half price from Egyptian Armed Forces food markets. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Endowment in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Solidarity will distribute Eid Al-Adha meat throughout the year.

El-Sisi also directed the ministers to add one million new families to the Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) Programme, thus increasing the number of beneficiaries to more than 20 million citizens nationwide.

The Takaful and Karama Programme was launched in 2015 to support impoverished families with school-age children, the elderly and people with special needs in Upper Egypt.

El-Qabbaj said during the meeting that EGP 500 billion has been allocated in the current budget to support social protection programs.

During the meeting, Moselhi reviewed the availability of strategic commodities, especially oil and grains like wheat, stating that stockpiles are sufficient to last for seven months.

Egypt, the worlds largest wheat importer, relies on the strategic commodity to produce bread, a key staple for Egyptians.

Prior to the Russia-Ukraine war, Egypt got 80 percent of its imported wheat from these two countries.

The country requested in late May $500 million from the World Bank to buy wheat through the Emergency Food Security and Resilience Support Project, according to a document released by the World Bank.

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At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed in coordinated "terrorist" attacks in Mali, the chronically unstable country's army said Wednesday, the latest deadly violence to rock the Sahel state.

In Kalumba, near the Mauritanian border, "the death toll on the friendly side is 12, including three civilians from a road construction company", the army said in a statement.

The army death toll in Sokolo, in central Mali, was six with 25 others wounded, five of them seriously.

A third attack, in centrally-located Mopti ended without casualties overnight.

Over the weekend, Mali's army said it had thwarted a new attack on a military camp in the centre of the country, two days after a deadly suicide attack in a strategic garrison town near the capital.

The Malian army has intensified its anti-jihadist operations in recent months, relying on what it describes as Russian instructors.

Despite a deteriorating security situation, the junta turned its back on France and its international partners, instead leaning on Russia to stem the threat posed by jihadists to Mali, as well as Burkina Faso and Niger.

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A dispute between Iraq and Turkey over a recent deadly attack in Iraq's northern Kurdish region escalated at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.

Iraq's foreign minister demanded the withdrawal of all Turkish troops from his country, while Turkey's deputy ambassador said his government will keep pursing fighters it considers terrorists who take refuge in Iraq.

The Iraqi government sought the meeting after the July 20 artillery attack that killed nine Iraqi tourists and injured 33 other people. Its foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, said the government has ``proofs'' that Turkish armed forces were responsible.

Turkey has denied it was behind the attack and blamed fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and the West . It has for decades waged an insurgency against the government in Ankara and maintains hideouts in Iraq's mountainous north.

At the start of the Security Council meeting, the U.N. special envoy for Iraq had said Turkey and Iraq were ready for a joint investigation into the artillery shelling at the Parkha resort in the Zakho district of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said Iraq's caretaker prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, emphasized in a conversation Monday ``the importance of a transparent and thorough investigation: independent or jointly.'' She quoted him as saying it is vital ``to put a stop to speculations, denials, misunderstandings and rising tensions.''

The U.N. envoy said she understood ``that Turkey is also ready to address the issue jointly, with Iraq, in order to determine exactly what happened.''

Iraq's Hussein called on the Security Council to set up ``an international independent team of inquiry'' to look into what he called the Turkish army's ``flagrant aggression.''

The foreign minister told journalists later that Iraq is also ready to have a joint investigation with Turkey, but he said ``they didn't approach us'' and ``never sent us an official letter about having an investigation.''

Turkey's deputy U.N. ambassador, Oncu Keceli, countered that ``we made it clear that Turkey is ready to take all the steps to unveil the truth,'' stressing to the council that ``our officials at many different levels have given the same message.''

He said some Iraqi authorities were on the same page as Turkey and ``wanted to find out the truth.'' But other Iraqi officials, he said, ``chose escalation instead of diplomacy and cooperation,'' and started a media ``smear campaign'' aimed at driving a wedge between the Turkish and Iraqi people.

Hussein said the Iraqi government is ``sure'' the Turkish military was responsible for the attack. He pointed to the findings of its investigation that Turkey's army has bases in the area near the resort, PKK fighters have not been in the area for the last month and the Turkish army uses 155 mm artillery projectiles whose fragments were found at the scene.

Hussein added that many people in the area ``gave us enough information about the activity of Turkish soldiers there.''

He called on the Security Council to urgently adopt a resolution demanding that Turkey withdraw what he said were about 4,000 combat soldiers from Iraq, and halt incursions into Iraqi airspace.

Turkey's Keceli countered that ``the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq are breached by terrorist organizations, not by Turkey,'' which he said has always supported Iraq's sovereignty.

``As we speak, the flags of the PKK terrorist organization are raised in certain parts of northern Iraq, not the flags of the federal government'' or the Kurdish regional government, he said,

Turkey estimates the PKK controls an area of ``at least 10,000 square kilometers in Iraq,'' he said. ``Nearly 800 villages have been forcefully evacuated by the PKK and all these spots have become a safe haven for the terrorists.'' In the first six months of this year the PKK carried out 339 attacks against Turkey, he said.

``Iraq has so far proven to be either unable or unwilling to fight the terrorists,'' and therefore it cannot blame Turkey for exercising its right to self-defense, Keceli said.

Hussein said Iraq's government is ready to work alongside the United Nations and concerned countries ``to ensure that elements of the PKK leave Iraq because this destabilizes Iraq`` and undermines security in the country.

The Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the resort ``in the strongest terms,'' expressing support for Iraqi authorities ``in their investigations'' and urging all countries to cooperate with the Iraqi government ``and all other relevant authorities in support of these investigations.'' The council did not mention Turkey.

Diplomats said chances of the council approving a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq are slim, especially given the key role Turkey is playing in the recently announced deal to export desperately needed grain from Ukraine and grain and fertilizer from Russia to countries facing food shortages, rising prices and widespread hunger.

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A 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least four people in the northern Philippines Wednesday, toppling buildings, and shaking high-rise towers more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) away in the capital Manila.

The shallow but powerful quake struck the mountainous and lightly populated province of Abra on the main island of Luzon at 8:43 am (0043 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.

Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones. This one left more than a hundred people injured across the hilly region, triggered dozens of landslides, damaged buildings, and knocked out power.

"We felt really strong shaking. We started shouting and rushed outside," said university student Mira Zapata in San Juan municipality of Abra, which took the full force of the quake.

"Our house is ok but houses down the hill were damaged."

As buildings shook and walls cracked in the municipality of Dolores in Abra, people ran outside, Police Major Edwin Sergio told AFP.

"The quake was very strong," Sergio said, adding that windows of the local market were broken.

"Vegetables and fruits sold in the market were also disarranged after tables were toppled."

In Bangued, the provincial capital of Abra, a 23-year-old woman was killed after a wall fell on her, police said. At least 62 people were injured in the province.

A video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed cracks in the asphalt road and ground in Bangued.

"Some of the buildings here show cracks," police chief Major Nazareno Emia added. "Power was cut off and internet as well."

Two construction workers in the nearby landlocked province of Benguet died in separate incidents, police said.

Another person was killed when he fell off a building site in the mountains of Kalinga province, where eight people were also injured, police said.

In Vigan City, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the province of Ilocos Sur, centuries-old structures built during the Spanish colonial period were damaged, police said.

Ring of Fire

The Philippines is regularly rocked by quakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Wednesday's quake was one of the strongest recorded in the Philippines in years and was felt across swathes of Luzon island, the most populous in the archipelago.

It was followed by nearly 300 aftershocks, the local seismological agency said. Several of the subsequent quakes measured from magnitude 4.7 to 5.2, according to USGS.

Residents and office workers in Manila were evacuated from high-rise buildings.

"I grabbed money and our belongings and then I went out with my parents," said Christina Gonzales, 19, after fleeing a city hotel.

Verified video footage posted on Facebook showed the Bantay Bell Tower in the popular tourist destination of Vigan partially crumbling.

Two visitors suffered minor injuries from falling debris, an official said.

Other buildings in the city were also damaged.

"We can't rule out the possibility of another strong earthquake," said Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose family stronghold is in the north, said he would delay visiting the region to avoid causing disruptions.

He urged people to remain in emergency shelters until their homes have been checked for damage.

Military personnel have been deployed to Abra to help with rescue operations.

At least 58 landslides have been reported, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos said.

National disaster agency spokesman Mark Timbal said road-clearing operations were underway. There had been no reports of damage to local dams.

In October 2013, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Bohol Island in the central Philippines, killing over 200 people and triggering landslides.

Old churches in the birthplace of Catholicism in the Philippines were badly damaged. Nearly 400,000 were displaced and tens of thousands of houses were damaged.

The powerful quake altered the island's landscape and a "ground rupture" pushed up a stretch of ground by about three meters, creating a wall of rock above the epicentre.

In 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the northern Philippines created a ground rupture stretching over a hundred kilometres.

Fatalities were estimated to reach over 1,200 and caused major damage to buildings in Manila.

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The World Health Organization on Wednesday welcomed new studies concluding that Covid-19 first emerged at an animal market in China's Wuhan, but insisted it was too early to rule out other theories.

"All hypotheses remain on the table," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told reporters from the UN health agency's Geneva headquarters.

Solving the mystery of where the SARS CoV-2 virus came from and how it began spreading among humans is viewed as vital to averting future pandemics.

The two main theories that have been hotly debated since Covid first surfaced in China in late 2019 have centred on the virus naturally spilling over from bats to an intermediary animal and into humans or escaping due to a lab accident.

Two peer-reviewed studies published in Science Tuesday claimed to have tipped the balance in the debate about the virus's origins, concluding it must have been introduced naturally through the wildlife trade at the Wuhan market.

The first paper analysed the geographic pattern of Covid cases in the outbreak's first month, December 2019, showing the first cases were tightly clustered around Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

The second examined genomic data from the earliest cases to study the virus' early evolution, concluding it was unlikely the coronavirus circulated widely in humans prior to November 2019.

Ryan welcomed the studies.

"This is a scientific detective story that goes on. Each new piece of information adds to the overall assessment," he said, stressing though that "all hypotheses remain on the table until you can prove that one hypothesis is the explanatory hypothesis."

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for Covid-19, welcomed the studies, as well as another one published this week looking at environmental samples.

WHO experts, she said, had already evaluated the studies, which were previously posted as "preprints" before being vetted by scientific peer review.

"These are good analyses," she told reporters, but stressed that more studies on the ground in China and beyond were needed before any final conclusions could be drawn.

"What is really critical ... is looking further within China, further within Wuhan, and in the markets within Wuhan" with further studies to "look at where the animals who were sold at those markets came from... and looking at the people who worked at those source farms", she said.

"So for us this does provide more information around what was happening early days, but unfortunately, it's not enough.

"We need more studies to be done in China and elsewhere to really understand the earliest stages."

Without more studies, "there are still open questions for us," she said.

The goal, she stressed, "is not just to figure out how this pandemic began, it is to learn how we better prepare for the future."

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After weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, US health regulators said Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have been too slow in deploying the vaccine, potentially missing the window to contain what could soon become an entrenched infectious disease.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration said it had finished the necessary inspections at Bavarian Nordic's facility in Denmark, where the company fills vials of the vaccine.

The FDA said via Twitter on Wednesday that the certification had been finalized. The doses are already in the US ``so that they would be ready to be distributed once the manufacturing changes were approved,'' the agency said.

The US already has sent more than 310,000 doses of the two-shot Jynneos vaccine to state and local health departments. But clinics in San Francisco, New York and other major cities say they still don't have enough shots to meet demand.

The head of the US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday officials would announce more allocations on Thursday.

Officials at the San Francisco Department of Health welcomed the news, saying they need many thousands more vaccine doses than the 7,800 they have received to date.

``Without enough vaccine supply, we would have trouble fulfilling our basic duty of keeping our communities safe,'' the agency said in a statement.

Washington, DC, officials said Wednesday they would join their counterparts in San Francisco, New York City and other cities who have stopped offering appointments for second vaccine doses due to short supplies.

They said the single-dose strategy would allow them to ``vaccinate more people at risk and slow the spread of monkeypox in the community more quickly.''

The monkeypox virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection.

The vast majority of cases reported have been in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed zit-like bumps on many parts of the body.

The sluggish federal response has drawn comparisons to the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, but experts had pointed out that the US had one huge advantage: more than 1 million doses of vaccine in the strategic national stockpile.

But it turned out US officials had only about 2,000 doses on hand when the outbreak was first identified in May. Shipping and regulatory delays have meant only a portion of the rest were deployed.

``There's not enough doses,'' said Dr. Perry Halkitis of Rutgers University. ``I think with some quicker action on part of federal government we might not be in the situation we are now.''

The doses previously shipped came from a separate facility in Denmark that already had FDA clearance. Another 786,000 doses made at a newly opened Bavarian Nordic facility were awaiting the US certification announced Wednesday.

The FDA requires inspections of all vaccine manufacturing plants to assure safety, sterility and consistency of production.

US officials announced orders this month for 5 million more doses, though most of those are not expected to arrive until next year

Officials have recommended the shots be given to people who know or suspect they were exposed to monkeypox in the previous two weeks.

The Jynneos vaccine has never been widely used in response to an outbreak like this, and the government will track how well it's working,

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The Venice Film Festival will welcome stars from Penelope Cruz to Cate Blanchett and host world premieres from directors Darren Aronofsky, Alejandro Inarritu and Luca Guadagnino, organisers said Tuesday.

A total of 23 movies are in competition for the Golden Lion, the top prize awarded to the best film on the final day of the "Mostra", the prestigious festival on the glitzy Venice Lido running from August 31 to September 10.

Calling the 79th annual festival an "open window on the world", Artistic Director Alberto Barbera, during his online presentation, denounced the arrest of three filmmakers in Iran earlier this month which sparked condemnation across the international film community.

One of them, award-winning dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi, 62, will be competing this year at Venice with his film "Khers Nist" ("Bears Do Not Exist"), in which he also acts.

Panahi, who was ordered last week by a court to serve a six-year sentence for "propaganda against the system" originally handed down in 2010, won the Golden Lion in 2000 for "The Circle", a critique of women's treatment in Iran.

This year's red carpet should see no shortage of stars, with Julianne Moore presiding over the jury, and top talents Hugh Jackman, Timothee Chalamet, Don Cheadle and Colin Farrell all starring in films in competition.

Spain's Penelope Cruz -- who won Venice's best actress award last year for her work in "Parallel Mothers" -- returns in "Immensity", a family drama set in 1970s Rome by Italy's Emanuele Crialese.

Australian star Cate Blanchett is also expected to attend, for her work playing an orchestra conductor in "Tar", the third feature by US director Todd Field.

Fictionalised Marilyn Monroe

This year also marks the return of US director Aronofsky with "The Whale", a psychological drama in which Brendan Fraser plays an obese writer seeking to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Aronofsky is 2008's Golden Lion winner for "The Wrestler", about a down-and-out fighter that won raves for lead actor Mickey Rourke.

"The collapse of the American Dream," said Barbera, is the theme of the highly anticipated "Bones and All" by Italian director Guadagnino. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Mark Rylance and Chloe Sevigny, the film follows a young woman and drifter confronting their cannibalism on a cross-country road trip.

A "most personal" film in the main competition, said Barbera, is "Bardo: The False Chronicle of some Truths" by Mexico's Inarritu, in which a journalist suffers an existential crisis.

British actress Tilda Swinton appears in mystery-drama "The Eternal Daughter" by Joanna Hogg, while Farrell plays one of two longtime Irish friends in "The Banshees of Inisherin" by Martin McDonagh.

In the biopic genre is "Blonde", Andrew Dominik's fictionalised look at Marilyn Monroe adapted from the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, starring Ana de Armas and Adrien Brody.

Nan Goldin, the US photographer and activist, is the focus of Laura Poitras' "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed", about the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Noah Baumbach's "White Noise", based on the 1985 Don DeLillo novel and starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, will open the competition in Venice.

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Construction work in the North Coast area of Sidi Abdel-Rahman has come to a halt over concerns at water quality and beach erosion.

Related Egypt halts dredging along Marassi shoreline due to environmental complications

Complaints about the turbidity of the seawater and beach erosion in the North Coast area of Sidi Abdel-Rahman found their way into the media over the last two weeks, prompting action by the Ministry of Environment in coordination with the Ministry of Irrigation and other bodies.

The turbidity of the water was reported in the area neighbouring the Marassi resort owned by the Emirati multinational Emaar and was the result of dredging near that part of the beach.

The Ministry of Environment ordered a committee to be formed to conduct tests in the area. This concluded that the water turbidity was due to dredging. The ministry is currently drafting a report including solutions to the problem that will be submitted to the Licensing Committee at the Ministry of Irrigation, the body responsible for granting permits for construction or other work near beaches, said Yasmine Fouad, the minister of environment.

Orders were given for the dredging work to halt and for equipment to leave the beach site, resulting in the gradual decrease of the water turbidity, the committee conducting tests reported. It said the environment was safe in the area and that touristic activities were unaffected.

The ministry said it was following up with the concerned bodies on a daily basis and conducting inspections of all the resorts on the North Coast in order to ensure environmental standards.

The problem was first raised by Salah Hafez, an expert on energy and the environment, who wrote on Facebook that the high turbidity was first noticed a few years ago at the Marassi resort when villas were being constructed on the lower coastal mudflats and in the Ras area that feeds the gulf with sand.

Over the years, the sand decreased at Ras Gebis, a peninsula formed over hundreds of years where soft sand from the sea has accumulated.

Hafez, who was the first head of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), said he had been shocked by the beach erosion at Sidi Abdel-Rahman. The turbidity of the water was also worse than in the summer of last year, he said.

Extending out into the sea to a length of more than 500 metres was a promenade on which buildings had been erected, and the erosion of the neighbouring beaches had been severe, Hafez added.

The Ministry of Irrigation and the Beach Protection Authority had earlier issued a decision banning construction within the shore line of the Mediterranean. The EEAA had also decided to turn down requests to build marinas that were not naturally formed.

Hafez advised the immediate removal of all marina facilities to create sufficient openings to allow the passage of sand under them and refilling beaches with sand by pumping. Groynes could also be built to prevent further erosion.

I am very disappointed. Egypt will be hosting the COP27 meeting in November to discuss climate change, including beach erosion, and to exhibit our successful experiences in decreasing carbon emissions, producing green hydrogen, and developing the largest energy centre in the region, Hafez wrote.

But people will find that one of the most enchanting beaches on the Mediterranean is being eroded.

The construction company concerned should have abided by the law that states that environmental conditions should be monitored during building in order to mitigate any negative effects on the environment, he said.

Pressure has been mounting to reverse the situation, and the company has said it will finance a temporary solution.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The board of trustees overseeing the national dialogue proposed by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi will hold a third meeting within days to finalise the agenda and timetable of debates.

MP and board member Talaat Abdel-Qawi revealed this week that the third meeting will see the formation of a committee to oversee the dialogues political agenda.

The boards second meeting, held on 19 July, divided the dialogues political agenda into four broad areas: the exercise of political rights and parliamentary representation and political parties; local councils; human rights and public liberties, a division which Abdel-Qawi says was agreed by all the forces participating in the dialogue.

Mohamed Fayez Farahat, director of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) and a member of the board of trustees, said in a TV interview that the long-awaited dialogue will have three stages. The first will see the board of trustees prepare the agendas of the political, economic, and social committees. The second stage will consist of debates while the third will focus on how to turn the dialogues recommendations into action.

We have already finalised the agenda of the political committee, and in our third meeting we will name the committees chair and members of this committee, said Farahat.

Farahat expects the political agenda to dominate the dialogue.

Of the almost 100,000 proposals presented to the dialogues administration, 37.2 per cent said concerned political issues, a reflection of the widespread conviction that political reforms are central to solving Egypts economic and social problems, said Farahat.

Farahat revealed that the dialogues second meeting focused on amending laws regulating the exercise of political rights, the performance of political parties, and the holding of parliamentary elections.

Once the political committee is formed, members will have to meet to reach agreement on amendments to these laws, changes that will hopefully lead to a more open society and vibrant political life.

Farahat said the consensus is that Egypt has been suffering from political sclerosis since 2014 and the long-awaited dialogue presents an opportunity to break this cycle. Many politicians and public figures invited to the dialogue, he added, blame the laws currently regulating parliamentary elections and political parties for the political paralysis.

On local councils, Farahat said: A law regulating the performance of local councils and municipalities was drafted by the Local Administration Committee affiliated with the House of Representatives but it has never come up for debate. The national dialogues political committee will therefore draft new legislation regulating the election and performance of local councils.

Human rights and liberties will be also a major issue on the dialogues agenda.

Diaa Rashwan, general coordinator of the national dialogue, revealed that the dialogues 19-member board of trustees had called on President Al-Sisi to use his constitutional powers to release political activists detained pending trial.

We appreciated President Al-Sisis decisions to pardon some activists convicted of political crimes but who were not involved in violent acts and we hope that the president will pardon more activists, said Rashwan.

According to Rashwan, two documents on human rights  Egypts 2030 Vision and the National Strategy for Human Rights, released in September 2021 will form the basis of the dialogues debates on the subject. The two documents are a progressive step but may need some amendments and additions to better serve the human rights agenda, said Rashwan. He added that there is a consensus among political forces that laws regulating pre-trial detention need to be urgently amended.

Tarek Al-Khouli, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said during a TV interview that the national dialogue will pave the way for legislative reforms regulating human rights for the next five years. Laws regulating pre-trial detention are a major concern of local and international human rights organisations, said Al-Khouli. He noted that since the beginning of July 60 political prisoners have been released from detention, in addition to 700 prisoners released on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha two weeks ago.

Al-Khouli revealed that the presidential pardon committee is probing the possibility of releasing a number of high-profile prisoners, including British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, leftist lawyer Ziad Al-Oleimi, activist Ahmed Douma, young members of the 6 April movement, two hosts affiliated with the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel and members of the Amal (Hope) cell.

On liberties, Abdel-Qawi said the committee will review press freedoms and laws regulating the media.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Kyiv expects the Turkish-brokered deal on the release of grain shipments from the port of Odessa to go into effect this week, the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov announced in a press conference on Monday.

Arrangements are in progress to organise convoys to accompany the shipments and they should be ready in the next few days, he said. Russia and Ukraine separately signed the agreement with Turkey and the UN, raising hopes among many countries in the Middle East and Africa that are dependant on Ukrainian grain shipments and that have suffered severe shortages as a result of the halt in vital supplies from Odessa. The price of wheat and food oils have skyrocketed globally since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.

No sooner had the UN hailed the grain deal as a de facto ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine than Russia fired four Kalibr missiles, however, two of which hit the area near a pumping station at the port while the other two were intercepted by Ukrainian air defences, according to Ukrainian military sources. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko decried the strike saying that Putin spat in the face of Turkey and the UN.

Russia countered that the missiles had targeted a weapons storehouse in Odessa housing high-precision missiles. Observers have interpreted this as a message from Moscow that the grain agreement aside, its so called special military operation in Ukraine is ongoing.

Under the terms of the agreement, which releases Ukrainian grain and other agricultural shipments from Odessa, Russia will have the same right, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. In other words, the economic restrictions imposed by international sanctions regimes will be lifted on Russian grain and agricultural exports. The UN has confirmed this. It believes that the rest of the world should not have to shoulder the economic fallout from this war, which puts a large portion of the global population at risk of starvation.

According to available information on the agreement, Russia has not committed to a ceasefire in the areas where the export activity is taking place. However, it is obliged to withhold fire when and where export activities are in progress. Under the agreement, Ukraine will be responsible for steering the ships through the Black Sea waters in the vicinity of Odessa. Ukrainian forces have heavily mined these waters, which Russia had cited as the main obstacle to the grain shipments. The Ukrainian insistence on navigating the ships through these dangerous waters may be in order to prevent the Russians from discovering the corridors between the mines.

Ukraine, of course, needs the revenues from those exports, to help allay the heavy economic toll from the war. But the agreement does reduce the risk of Russian attacks on Odessa and, thus, while this may not be a ceasefire it is a form of de-escalation. Also, the joint Turkish-UN search mechanism will also deprive Russia of a pretext to strike on the grounds of arms being smuggled into the Black Sea port aboard the grain ships. In the context of the larger battle, the agreement works to keep Odessa free from the Russian bid to control Ukraines southern littoral and isolate the country from the sea.

According to recent media reports, Ukrainian forces are pushing back against this strategy. Recently, they have launched an offensive to regain Kherson, a strategic town near the mouth of the Dnieper which Russian forces have partially occupied. Last week, the Ukrainians destroyed the bridges leading to the city, creating a logistical obstacle to a Russian assault.

In a related development, Russia has announced that it targeted a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), one of several the US has offered Ukraine in accordance with an agreement signed earlier this year. The missile launcher was originally designed as a long-range weapon that could reach up to 300 km. But under the terms of the contract, Ukraine can only use them up to ranges of no more than 80 km and should not fire missiles into Russia. But this does not prevent Ukrainian forces from using them against targets in the Donbas region or areas that have fallen to Russia, such as Mariupol.

Despite the stipulated restrictions, Russian officials have stated that the HIMARS are the most dangerous weapons yet available to Ukrainian forces. On 25 July, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that it had destroyed a HIMARS rocket system when targeting an arms depot the Khmelnytskyi region.

The ministry said the depot had also housed ammunition for the US M777 Large-Calibre Howitzer, an S-300 defence system and various Grad missile launchers belonging to Ukrainian forces in the Donbas. Russian air defence systems also downed six Ukrainian drones in the Kamianka, Brazhkova and Komisarovka regions in the vicinity of Kharkiv and Khartsyzk in the Donetsk. Such statistics point to the Russian ability to target forward Ukrainian positions and offensive capacities.

On the other hand, according to the interactive maps on the Institute of Studies of War (ISW) website, Russian forces have not gained much ground recently, although they have launched a three pronged offensive towards Kharkiv. They have also targeted locations in Mykolaiv, striking an oil depot in the area. On the other hand, Ukrainian forces have struck vital logistic targets that Russian forces have tried to seize, such as some railroads in the Nova Kakhova area of the Zaborizhzhya Oblast and some airports such as the one at Melitopol.

It appears from the foregoing that Russia is trying to keep the balance of forces on the ground in its favour by preventing Ukrainian forces from attaining greater firing power with, for example, the HIMARS missile systems.

At the same time, as the recently concluded grain deal suggests, Moscow is working to open avenues to alleviate economic strains, but without sacrificing too much strategically. Ukraine, for its part, appears set on frustrating Russian advances outside the Donbas while making it more costly for Russia to remain in that region and its vicinity. More generally, it wants to prevent Russia from having any stable footing in Ukraine.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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According to Baghdad and Tehran, the next round of talks between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Iran will be public and at the level of foreign ministers. Though there is no official confirmation of this yet from Riyadh, strong indications suggest it is true.

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the state-owned news agency that there had been progress in the last five rounds of talks with Saudi Arabia, adding that Tehran told Iraqi mediators that it is ready for a new political and security phase with KSA, hoping that this will eventually lead to the return of Saudi-Iranian relations to normal.

A few days later, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein told local Iraqi media that Saudi Arabia and Iran had agreed to hold the first public meeting at the level of foreign ministers in years, in Baghdad after five rounds of closed reconciliation meetings facilitated by the Iraqi government. He added, the previous meetings were between intelligence and security officials but this one will be public.

Since March last year, Baghdad has hosted discreet talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, mainly focusing on security issues. Representation was on a low-key level. KSA severed diplomatic ties with Tehran in early 2016 in protest against of attacks on the Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran after Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric.

Recently, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries started warming to the idea of reconciliation with their neighbour on the western side of the Gulf. As the Biden administration started indirect talks with Tehran to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the GCC began shifting their position. When the JCPOA nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was reached in 2015, the GCC welcomed it, indicating that it opens the door to cooperation and economic benefits across the Gulf. But in 2018 former US president Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, which created more tension in the region.

Last week at the opening of the Jeddah Security and Development Summit  attended by Biden and the GCC countries along with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq  Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman said: We call on Iran, as a neighbouring country, with which we share religious and cultural ties, to cooperate with the countries of the region to be part of this vision, by adhering to the principles of international legitimacy, noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries, cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and fulfilling its obligations in this regard.

The statement was a general one, and despite its cool tune it reiterated the Saudi provision for embracing Iran. With some rumours that the Jeddah summit was aimed against Iran, Saudi Arabia sent a message of reassurance to the Iranian regime that openness to relations with Israel is not against anybody. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the Jeddah summit did not raise the idea of establishing an Arab NATO that includes Israel. He added in statements after the summit, the kingdoms hand is extended to Iran to reach normal relations But we have not reached understandings yet and the kingdom is committed to reaching a positive understanding with Iran.

Will such an understanding start to manifest soon in Baghdad? It is not clear. No date was announced for the high-level public meeting, but rapid diplomacy in the region towards Iran indicates that KSA will not stay out of these developments.

In a piece for Responsible Statecraft this week, Henrietta Toivanen and Mehran Haghirian wrote that the accelerating pace of reciprocal visits between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran and the potential return of their respective ambassadors signal Abu Dhabis recognition of the necessity of diplomatic engagement with Tehran. They added, while there is a push for normalising relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Riyadh has itself been diplomatically engaging Tehran as well. They concluded their article with a message to the White House: With or without the JCPOA, the United States needs to allow the region to exhaust all diplomatic avenues to expand cooperation and integration. This will serve long-term US and global interests in the stability and security of the Gulf region and beyond.

There seems to be agreement in Western circles that the Biden administrations push for the region towards Israel and against Iran is not working. Whether that is an American tactic in using the Doha talks to revive talks of JCPOA or just appeasing the Israelis, GCC leaders are taking things into their hands regardless of American wishes, according to what one Emirati commentator told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Oxford University historian Andrew Hammond more or less agrees with this notion. He told the Weekly that the expected Baghdad meeting is part of the process of winding down tensions after they [the GCC countries] were ramped up with the nuclear deal under Obama and then Trumps policy of encouraging confrontation. He added, during his visit, Biden also tried to encourage regional unity against Iran as if he was continuing Trumps policy but the trend within the region is moving in the other direction.

The conciliatory GCC approach contradicts fiery statements by Jordanian King Abdullah II, who last week accused Iran of instigating insurgency in his country across the Syrian border. But a Jordanian ex-diplomat played down the Monarchs verbal attacks. He told the Weekly that it could be coordinated with Gulf allies to pressure Iran into meeting certain provisions for reconciliation. I suspect Amman is leading a different path, allying with the American or Israeli stance against Iran contrary to Gulf approach, he added.

The main reason for Iraqi mediation is internal and also regional, according to an Iraqi commentator. Its face-saving for both sides Iranians would say a Shiite alliance government is helping Iran to negotiate with the Saudis, while the Saudis would say that an Arab country is mediating with the Iranians, he told the Weekly. His understanding is that the ones who are giving real space to the others are the Iranians. They need to trade their influence in the region in return for a new nuclear deal or a reduction of sanctions.

Expectations from the suggested Baghdad meeting might not be high, but a new process in the region is underway. Pretexts have been piling up in the last couple of years, from rehabilitating Syria to the push for political settlement in Yemen. Both Iranian and Gulf interests are entrenched there and elsewhere in the region. Even if it is too early to say the Gulf is embracing Iran, the currents are certainly flowing in that direction.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 July, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Ukrainian artillery on Wednesday struck a key bridge in Moscow-controlled territory in south Ukraine, damaging an important supply route as Kyiv's forces look to wrest back the Kherson region.

The strike on the Antonivskiy bridge over the Dnipro river came hours ahead of the opening in Istanbul of a joint observation centre to monitor Ukrainian grain exports that have been blocked by the Kremlin's warships.

German authorities said Russian energy giant Gazprom had drastically cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline to about 20 percent of capacity, after the European Union agreed a plan to slash its usage this winter.

Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration in Kherson, confirmed the bridge had been hit overnight and traffic had been halted.

But he sought to downplay the damage, insisting that the attack would not affect the outcome of the hostilities "in any way."

"The special military operation is continuing," Stremousov said in a video posted on social media, using the Kremlin's preferred term to refer to their invasion.

Ukrainian forces in recent weeks have been clawing back territory in the Kherson region, which fell to Russian forces easily and early after their invasion launched on February 24.

Their counter-offensive supported by Western-supplied long-range artillery has seen its forces push closer to Kherson city, which had a pre-war population of under 300,000 people.

'Leave Kherson'

Ukrainian officials in the region have said their forces in the Black Sea region have changed tack, from defensive to offensive and that Kherson will "definitely" be liberated by the end of September.

Russian forces "should leave Kherson while it is still possible. There may not be a third warning," Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter after the attack.

Later Wednesday, the United Nations and Turkey are due to open a joint centre with Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to coordinate the resumption of grain deliveries across the Black Sea.

The two sides agreed a mechanism last week to unblock millions of tonnes of grain trapped by a Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports -- an accord called into question by Russian strikes on Ukraine's Odessa port within 24 hours.

Kyiv insists it is still preparing for the first ships to leave and said Monday that it hopes to restart exports "this week".

The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.

Erdogan wants Turkey -- on good terms with both Kyiv and Moscow -- at the centre of diplomatic efforts to halt the five-month war.

Russian news agencies -- citing Moscow's embassy in Ankara -- said Wednesday that a previously announced meeting between Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin would take place next Friday at the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

'Thrown into the barn'

While Ukrainian forces have been piling pressure on Russian positions in the south, the eastern Donbas region has seen intense fighting.

AFP journalists in Bakhmut, one of the remaining towns in Donbas under Ukrainian control, heard sporadic artillery fire and saw a house on the outskirts that had been hit by a Russian shell.

"I was in the barn and was going to go out. I heard a whistle. And I don't remember anything. It exploded and I was thrown into the barn by explosion wave, 51-year-old Roman told AFP.

The head of the Donetsk region in Donbas, said on social media that Russian artillery had hit a hotel and initial reports suggested the strikes had left people dead and injured.

Deepening an energy crisis in Europe sparked by the war, Germany's energy regulator said gas flows via the key Nord Stream pipeline had dropped to 20 percent of capacity on Wednesday from 40 percent.

EU states have rejected Gazprom's claims of technical problems and accuse the Kremlin of squeezing supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The 27-nation bloc in response on Tuesday agreed a plan to reduce gas consumption by 15 percent this winter to break its dependence on Russia.

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Scotland has started to house Ukrainian refugees who fled the Russian invasion on a cruise ship docked off Edinburgh, the devolved government has said.

The first Ukrainians boarded the specially chartered M/S Victoria on Tuesday, in a policy that critics brand potentially unsafe and unsuitable.

The Scottish government plans to use the vessel, which is says is "fully staffed" and safe, to house up to 1,700 Ukrainian refugees in 739 cabins until next January to fill an accommodation backlog for refugees.

It insists they will have access to support services, including healthcare and benefits, as well as "unrestricted access" to services onshore.

"We do not want people spending more time in temporary accommodation, such as the ship, for any longer than is absolutely necessary," government minister Shona Robison said.

"But we want to make them as comfortable as possible during their stay and we have worked with partners to provide a variety of services on-board for guests in addition to the support services available."

She noted they include restaurants, child play facilities with toys and books, shops, laundry, cleaning, wifi access and communal spaces.

But opposition parties and welfare organisations have voiced concerns, including over access to schooling for younger refugees and the possibility of Covid-19 outbreaks on-board.

"People fleeing war were promised a safe place to stay in Scotland, but instead they have been stuck on a cruise ship," Scottish Labour's Sarah Boyack said.

Scotland has provided housing for more than 9,000 displaced Ukrainians since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

A sponsor scheme has brought nearly 100,000 Ukrainians so far to Britain, but Scotland suspended its version of the scheme earlier this month after a dramatic increase in the number of new applicants.

It said more time was needed to match new arrivals to temporary and long-term accommodation.

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak -- who is competing with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to replace outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- recently unveiled plans to detain migrants on cruise ships after they crossed the Channel.

The proposal was subject to hostile counter-briefings, with newspapers reporting it was "laughed off the table" by ministers and officials over costs and legal concerns.

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Russian energy giant Gazprom drastically cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline on Wednesday to about 20 percent of its capacity, German authorities said.

The Russian state-run company had announced Monday that it would choke supply to 33 million cubic metres a day -- half the amount it has been delivering since service resumed last week after 10 days of maintenance work.

EU states have accused Russia of squeezing supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Gazprom cited the halted operation of one of the last two operating turbines for the pipeline due to the "technical condition of the engine".

The German economy ministry dismissed the explanation, saying there was "no technical reason for a reduction of deliveries".

Klaus Mueller, head of Germany's energy regulator, said gas flows had dropped to 20 percent of the pipeline's capacity on Wednesday from 40 percent.

"We'll see today if it stays that way," he said in a statement.

Mueller praised consumers and industry for voluntarily reducing energy use, saying that even correcting for warmer summer temperatures, recent consumption had been cut between five and seven percent.

He said this would allow Germany to add to its gas reserves, currently at about 65 percent. Economy Minister Robert Habeck outlined targets last week to reach 95 percent by November 1 ahead of the cold German winter.

'War strategy'

"In the autumn the situation will change and gas use will rise," Mueller said, noting the country's strong reliance for its heating on gas, traditionally imported from Russia.

"Germany has got to use less gas," he said, calling energy part of Russian "foreign policy and war strategy".

In parallel, Italian energy major Eni said Gazprom had informed the group it would only deliver "approximately 27 million cubic metres" on Wednesday, down from around 34 million cubic metres in recent days.

The European Union on Tuesday agreed a plan to reduce gas consumption in solidarity with Germany.

German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung called the bloc's plan a "lesson in humility for the EU's would-be schoolmaster," Germany.

"Suddenly we are not the strong ones and are dependent on others' help," it said.

The Rheinische Post newspaper said the EU agreement was welcome, but its bid to reduce natural gas demand by 15 percent was "modest at best".

"If this coming winter proves particularly cold, or if (President Vladimir) Putin turns off the taps completely, then 15 percent will start looking like a drop in the ocean."

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday Ukraine will up its export of electricity to the European Union as the bloc faces an energy crisis sparked by Russia's invasion.

"We are preparing to increase our electricity exports to consumers in the European Union," Zelenskyy said in his daily address to the nation.

"Our exports would not only allow us to increase our income in foreign currency but will also help our partners to resist Russian energy pressure," he said after Russia drastically slashed its gas deliveries to Europe.

"We will gradually make Ukraine one of the guarantors of European energy security," he added.

The Ukrainian electricity grid was connected to the European network in mid-March, helping to keep supplies flowing despite the war.

Ukraine started exporting electricity to the European Union via Romania in early July.

Germany's energy regulator said Russia's state energy giant Gazprom cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline to about 20 percent of capacity on Wednesday from 40 percent.

EU states have accused Russia of squeezing supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine, rejecting Moscow's claims of technical issues with the pipeline.

The EU has strongly backed Ukraine following Russia's February invasion, slapping Moscow with a barrage of sanctions and granting Kyiv "candidate status", a first step towards membership of the bloc.

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Speaking at the second Africa Solar Energy Forum in Cairo, which is organised by the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) in cooperation with Egypts Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Royal praised the countrys efforts to make the COP27 conference a success.

The official noted that climate change badly affects African countries, noting that African women are the most affected by the negative impacts of climate change.

She called for investing in the renewable energy sector in Africa by offering incentive plans, attracting private investments and creating an appropriate environment for integration with the African private sector to increase the use of renewable energy throughout the continent.

Earlier Tuesday, the former French minister for ecology, sustainable development and energy met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the president-designate of COP27 where they discussed the latest developments concerning the preparation for the conference.
US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Ambassador Mike Hammer met with senior Egyptian officials on Monday to advance a diplomatic resolution for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that supports the water needs, economy and livelihood of all the people of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, the US Department of State announced on Tuesday.

Cairo is the first stop for Hammer before heading to the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia in a regional tour focusing on the GERD issue.

I came to Cairo on my first official trip to the region to hear from our Egyptian partners on the critical issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to better understand Egypts water needs, Special Envoy Hammer said, adding the US is actively engaged in "supporting a diplomatic way forward under the African Unions auspices that arrive at an agreement that provides for the long-term needs of every citizen along the Nile.

During their recent meeting in Jeddah, President Joe Biden reiterated to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi the United States support for Egypts water security and to forging a diplomatic resolution that would achieve the interests of all parties and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous region.

Special Envoy Hammers visit to Cairo, which took place just days after the two presidents met, focused on this priority, the US Department of State said.

The special envoys meetings in Cairo included the inter-agency team responsible for GERD negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan at the Egyptian foreign ministry.

U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa @MikeHammerUSA met w/ Egyptian gov't officials yesterday to discuss Egypts water security, the GERD, & regional issues of shared interest. Our continued dialogue advances our ongoing partnership w/ Egypt.@StateDept_NEA @AsstSecStateAF pic.twitter.com/xbkJ3sTZlr  U.S. Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) July 26, 2022

Mike Hammer met with MP Karim Darwish, Chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in parliament.

Special Envoy Hammers engagement on the GERD builds on a strong record and history of US partnership with Egypt, the statement said, adding that over the past four decades, the US has provided over $3.5 billion to strengthen Egypts water security by bringing clean water to a quarter of Egypts population, upgrading Cairo and Alexandrias water treatment services, modernising the Aswan Dams power station, and building water infrastructure for residents in North Sinai.

During the meetings, Charge dAffaires Nicole Shampaine also delivered an invitation from the White House to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit on 13-15 December.

Egypts participation in the summit would help the region and bolster US-Egypt and US-Africa relations, as we work together to address global challenges, the statement said.

Egypt and Sudan, the two downstream countries, have been involved in decade-long talks with Addis Ababa over the dam.

Egypt is concerned that the filling and operation of the GERD will harm its historic share of the Nile water, while Sudan is worried about the impact of the GERD on regulating flows to its own dams.

Egypt and Sudan, who do not oppose the GERD outright, have sought to reach a binding deal with Ethiopia on the filling and operation of the dam while Ethiopia has rejected all such attempts.

In the absence of a legally binding deal, Ethiopia unilaterally completed the first and second filling of the dam and started earlier this year operating the first turbine of the GERD to generate power.

It also seeks to start the third filling in August and September, according to a recent announcement by the GERD project manager.

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Iran said Wednesday the US needs to show "in practise" that it wants a revival of the 2015 nuclear agreement, after an EU coordinator urged parties to accept a draft text of the deal.

"America always maintains that it wants an agreement, so this approach should be seen in the text of the agreement and in practise," Iran's top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a phone conversation, according to Iran's foreign ministry.

"If America takes a realistic step toward finding a solution and reaching an agreement, a good agreement will be available to all parties," he added.

Borrell on Tuesday said he had submitted a draft text of the deal, warning parties to accept it or "risk a dangerous nuclear crisis, set against the prospect of increased isolation for Iran and its people."

"This text represents the best possible deal that I, as facilitator of the negotiations, see as feasible," the EU's top diplomat wrote in the Financial Times.

Amir-Abdollahian reacted to the proposal by saying that "Iran welcomes the continuation of the path of diplomacy and negotiation", his ministry noted.

The 2015 agreement gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme to guarantee that it could not develop a nuclear weapon, something it has always denied seeking.

But the US' unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and Washington's reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.

Negotiations in Vienna began in April 2021 to restore the deal, but have stalled since March amid differences between Tehran and Washington on several issues.

The two sides negotiated indirectly through the European Union coordinator in a bid to bring the US back inside the deal and to lift sanctions on Iran, on the basis that Tehran would return to its nuclear commitments.

Borrell said the draft text includes "hard-won compromises by all sides" and "addresses, in precise detail, the sanctions lifting as well as the nuclear steps needed to restore" the 2015 pact.

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Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly instructed the government to explore opportunities to boost investments and partnerships with Qatar, a cabinet statement read on Tuesday.

During a cabinet meeting, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said said she has recently discussed with Qatari officials means to advance joint investments in multiple sectors, prime among which are petrochemicals, tourism, and real estate.

Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea said she has recently held a meeting with the Qatari Businessmen Association to explore the potential for boosting Qatari investments in the Egyptian market.

In March, Cairo and Doha agreed on a $5 billion package of Qatari investments in Egypt during a visit to Cairo by Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed bin Abdul-Rahman Al Thani.

Also in March, Cairo and Qatar established a joint committee headed by their foreign ministers to enhance cooperation across all sectors.

In June, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said -- in his first visit to Egypt since Cairo and Doha agreed in January 2021 to resume diplomatic relations after more than a three-year diplomatic rift that ended in January 2021-- that his country is keen to continue boosting cooperation and maximising investments in Egypt in various fields.

During his meeting in Cairo with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Tamim affirmed Qatars keenness to make use of the broad range of investment opportunities available in Egypt.

Also in June, Egypt and Qatar signed on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha an MoU on financial policy coordination to foster cooperation and coordinate financial visions, positions, and policies at the bilateral and international levels.

Minister Gamea and her Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Thani agreed in a meeting in Doha on reactivating the Egyptian-Qatari Business Council.

Gamea cited industrial partnerships between 4,500 Egyptian and Qatari companies as models for further cooperation.

Egypt is seeking to attract Arab and international investors and increase the role of the private sector in the economy to take advantage of new state ownership policy that delineates the state presence in certain sectors of the economy.

According to the policy, the government will exit 15 economic activities across seven sectors over the coming three years, including agriculture, water, sanitation, desalination, telecoms and IT, retail, food and beverages, as well as construction.

The government will also exit a number of activities across the leather, timber, engineering, jewellery, chemical, textile, printing, and pharmaceutical industries.

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Poland signed Wednesday contracts to purchase South Korean weapons including tanks, artillery and fighter jets as the NATO member bordering Russia and Ukraine boosts its defences.

The amount of the contracts, signed at a ceremony in the Polish capital with representatives of Korea Aerospace Industries and Hyundai, was not provided.

"We're drawing lessons from what's happening in Ukraine," Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told journalists after the ceremony.

"Time is pressing, we need to equip the Polish military," he added.

Defence ministry officials said the first of the 48 FA-50 light combat fighter jets will arrive next year.

The aircraft are meant to replace Soviet MiG-29s still in service in the Polish air force, alongside US-made F-16 and eventually F-35 stealth jets.

The head of Korea Aerospace Industries, Ahn Hyunho, said the company plans to progressively transfer production of the planes to Poland.

Poland will also initially buy 180 K2 "Black Panther" tanks built by Hyundai Rotem before eventually acquiring more than 800 of a special variant to be called K2PL, production of which is start in Poland in 2026.

Delivery of 48 K9 howitzers is expected this year, but the Polish defence ministry said that the acquisition of another approximately 600 of them will begin in 2024, with domestic production slated to start in 2026.

Earlier this month, Poland said it would buy 32 AW149 multi-role military helicopters worth 1.75 billion euros ($1.77 billion) from Italian arms company Leonardo.

It has also ordered 366 American Abrams tanks and European surface-to-air missile systems.

Poland finalised last year a deal to buy 32 F-35s and has around 50 F-16 fighters in service.

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The WHO says the outbreak is mainly concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners. It warns against stigmatizing a whole group of people, as this could cause the outbreak to accelerate exponentially by driving the disease underground.

Since it declared monkeypox a global health threat last week, the WHO says the disease has continued to spread around the world, with cases topping 16,000 in at least 75 countries.

The World Health Organization is urging people who may have been exposed to or at risk of monkeypox to get vaccinated against the disease as a preventive measure.

The WHO technical leader on monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, says the outbreak can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups. She says mass vaccination is not required, but the WHO recommends vaccination for those who have been exposed or are at risk.

"When someone is vaccinated, it takes several weeks for the immune response to be generated by the body. So, it is not something you can be vaccinated one day and be protected the next. You need to give it some time," Lewis said. "So, the folks we are recommending to be vaccinated right now are anyone who has exposure, a contact with someone who may have been confirmed to have monkeypox. And so, that could be family members. It could be other close contacts."

She says even children are not immune from getting the disease. Between 80 and 90 cases of monkeypox in children have been reported in several countries, mostly in households where someone was infected.

The monkeypox virus is spread from person to person through close bodily contact. It can cause a range of symptoms, including painful sores. Those at higher risk for the disease or complications include women who are pregnant, children and people who are immunocompromised.

European countries have the highest number of confirmed cases. Although monkeypox is endemic in Africa, where it has been present since 1970, the reported caseload is relatively low. For example, Nigeria reports 101 cases, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 163 cases out of more than 2,000 suspected cases.

Lewis says the number of suspected cases in the DRC is high because the country's ability to confirm cases through laboratory testing is limited. She says testing needs to be supported and ramped up.

"Suspected cases may be other things. They may even be measles. They may be chickenpox. There is no vaccine for chickenpox being used in that environment. So, it is critically important to support countries to access testing. That is one of the most important things that WHO is trying to do right now," she said. "At the same time, in the global reports, what we are reporting are confirmed and probable cases."

For now, no travel-related monkeypox restrictions are in place. However, the WHO recommends anyone with signs or symptoms compatible with the monkeypox virus should avoid travel and isolate for the duration of the illness.
Arizona has officially recognized Oct. 21 as "Korean Hanbok Day," becoming the second U.S. state after New Jersey to celebrate the traditional Korean attire.

The Asian American Youth Council said Monday that Arizona Governor Douglas Ducey declared the day honoring hanbok, which is part of Korea's 2,000-year-old history and tradition.
The drill took place at the Rodriguez Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The U.S. Forces Korea has conducted its first live-fire drill with AH-64E Apace attack helicopters here in three years. The 2nd U.S. Infantry Division on Monday tweeted videos and images of the choppers firing AGM-114 hellfire missiles, Hydra-70 rockets and 30 mm machine gun rounds into the air.

In May, the U.S. infantry division launched a new air cavalry squadron consisting of AH-64E Apaches to boost the USFK's combat capability.

The drill was part of efforts to beef up joint training after it was severely curtailed by the previous U.S. and Korean administrations.

It also aimed to gauge if the level of noise it generates is acceptable within new restrictions that went into effect this year. Local residents have long complained of damage from the deafening racket.

Meanwhile, the Korean Army also conducted a large-scale air drill in Icheon and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Monday by mobilizing 30 helicopters -- 16 Apaches, four CH-47D Chinook helicopters, and 10 UH-60P Blackhawk helicopters. Troops practiced infiltrating enemy territory from the air while the Apache choppers fired some 150 rockets and 450 machine-gun rounds to incapacitate the imaginary enemy.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

The Russian IrAero air carrier will resume its Yekaterinburg-Baku flights from July 31, Azernews reports.

The flights will be operated twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, by Russian SSC-100 planes with two-hour travel time.

To recall, air communication between Yekaterinburg and Baku was suspended in March 2022.

Azerbaijan and Russia cooperate in different sectors, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. Over 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.

Azerbaijan's investments in the Russian economy have exceeded $1.2 billion, with the majority of the investments being in the non-oil sector. In addition, Russian investments in Azerbaijan's economy totaled $6.3 billion with $5 billion in the oil sector and $1.3 billion in non-oil sectors.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.9 billion in 2021, making Russia Azerbaijans third-largest partner.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived in Seoul on Wednesday evening for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation in defense, infrastructure and economic security.

Widodo attends a dinner hosted by Yoon at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul after the meeting.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2022 - 20:37 | All, Japan, World

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to visit Japan early next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, amid reports that she is considering a trip to Taiwan in a move almost certain to trigger an outcry from China.

Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, if realized, would be the first by a serving U.S. House speaker in 25 years. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has been enhancing ties with the self-ruled democratic island.

China has been increasing its pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary.

During her expected stay in Japan, Pelosi is likely to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda, the sources said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's growing maritime assertiveness in the Pacific are among the expected topics of their talks, according to the sources.

It remains unclear whether the U.S. House speaker and an accompanying group of Democrat lawmakers intend to stop by Japan before or after a possible trip to Taiwan.

In April, Pelosi postponed her planned visit to Asia including Japan after testing positive for the coronavirus. She had also considered visiting Taiwan during the trip, according to Taiwanese and Japanese media.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press conference Wednesday in Beijing that China has repeatedly made clear to the United States its "stern position" against Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan.

"We're fully prepared for any eventuality. If the U.S. side insists on making a visit, the Chinese side will take firm and strong measures to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said, adding that Washington "must assume full responsibility for that."

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KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2022 - 19:47 | All, World

Increasingly provocative behavior by China in the disputed South China Sea means it is "only a matter of time" before a major incident or accident occurs in the region, a U.S. Defense Department official warned Tuesday.

"In recent months, we've witnessed a sharp increase in unsafe and unprofessional behavior by PLA ships and aircraft, implicating not only U.S. forces but allied forces operating in the region," Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told a think tank event in Washington, using the acronym for the People's Liberation Army, the Chinese military.

"In my view, this aggressive and irresponsible behavior represents one of the most significant threats to peace and stability in the region today, including in the South China Sea," he said.

"And if the PLA continues this pattern of behavior, it is only a matter of time before there is a major incident or accident in the region," he added.

China countered his claim on Wednesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian telling reporters in Beijing that the country shares an aspiration with its Southeast Asian neighbors to ensure "peace and stability" in the waters.

He suggested the United States and its regional allies are the threats to peace and stability, saying "a certain major country" outside the region has been "frequently sending aircraft carriers and strategic bombers and rallying non-regional allies to flex their muscles" in the South China Sea.

"The South China Sea is not a place to be turned into a wrestling ground by big powers outside of the region," Zhao stressed.

Among recent incidents, the Australian Defense Department said in June that a Chinese fighter jet had dangerously intercepted one of its maritime surveillance planes over the South China Sea.

Having rapidly built artificial islets with military infrastructure, Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea. Its territorial claims in the area overlap with four of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan.

Ratner said China had escalated tensions with its neighbors in the waters "at a pace unseen before," employing its military, maritime militia and state-owned enterprises to "intimidate and impose its preferences on regional states."

He touched on an incident earlier this year in which the China Coast Guard is alleged to have aggressively approached Vietnamese drilling vessels engaged in energy-exploration activities within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.

"So these actions...are not individual provocations. Beijing is systematically testing the limits of our collective resolve and advancing a new status quo in the South China Sea," the official said at the event, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Related coverage:

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U.S. import ban over China's forced labor in Xinjiang takes effect
KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2022 - 22:13 | All, World, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed Wednesday to closely cooperate in ensuring the success of a summit of the Group of 20 major economies Widodo will host in November.

In a meeting in Tokyo, Widodo told Kishida that Indonesia has lifted all restrictions on imports of Japanese food products that were imposed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, a move Kishida hailed as encouraging for residents of affected areas in northeastern Japan.

The two leaders affirmed bilateral defense cooperation, with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force slated to join a multinational joint exercise in Indonesia in August for the first time, Kishida said in a post-meeting joint news conference with Widodo.

They pledged to step up coordination in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, with Japan vowing to strengthen maritime security in the region in response to China's assertive posture and military buildup.

Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, visited Japan as part of a three-nation East Asia tour to rally their support behind the G-20 summit. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday and will have talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Thursday.

In the midst of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Widodo has invited both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the G-20 summit.

Kishida and Widodo affirmed all countries must comply with international law and respect a state's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, in a veiled criticism of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Widodo briefed Kishida about his recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv for talks with their leaders, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters, without providing details.

The two leaders also focused on China's militarization of disputed areas of the South China Sea, the situation in Myanmar in the wake of last year's coup and North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons development, as well as nuclear nonproliferation, she said.

Kishida said he conveyed Japan's intent to provide about 43.6 billion yen ($318 million) in loans to complete a hydroelectric plant in Indonesia.

Widodo said he asked Japan to reduce or abolish tariffs it imposes on some Indonesian products, including tuna, pineapple and bananas, and to provide market access for mangoes.

The president also conveyed his condolences over the death of Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot earlier this month, saying the former Japanese leader and the longest-serving prime minister helped elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Widodo's visit came ahead of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Indonesia next year, while the year also marks the 50th anniversary of friendship and cooperation between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In recent years, Japan and Indonesia have been boosting cooperation in security, with the Japanese ground force's participation in the upcoming Garuda Shield joint military exercise being the latest example.

Indonesia and the United States have also invited other nations, including Australia and Singapore, to take part in their annual drill as China's growing military assertiveness raises security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.

Related coverage:

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Putin to attend G-20 summit in Indonesia: Russian envoy

Indonesia's parliament adopts bill to move capital to Borneo
People visit Kathmandu Triennale 2077 exhibition in Lalitpur, Nepal, March 4, 2022. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)

The Nepali government is breaking the tradition of announcing a single year as Visit Nepal Year so as to run a sustained campaign to promote tourism, a major foreign exchange earner and job creator for the country.

KATHMANDU, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government on Sunday announced a number of measures to revive the tourism industry battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a plan to declare the years between 2023 and 2033 as Visit Nepal Decade.

People walk on the premises of Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, Nepal on Jan. 4, 2022. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

Unveiling the Tourism Rehabilitation Action Plan, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Nepal's minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation, said the government is breaking the tradition of announcing a single year as Visit Nepal Year so as to run a sustained campaign to promote tourism, a major foreign exchange earner and job creator for the country.

As per the action plan, the Visit Nepal Decade is expected to come out within the next three months.

The government plans to attract 1 million foreign tourists in the 2022-23 fiscal year which began in mid-July. "We have not yet set any target for the planned Visit Nepal Decade. We have to do further homework and consultations with the stakeholders," Hom Prasad Luitel, joint secretary at the tourism ministry, told Xinhua.

Nepal received 1.19 million foreign visitors in 2019 and sought to attract 2 million in 2020 when Visit Nepal 2020 was launched, but COVID-19 forced the government to call off the campaign. As the pandemic persisted, the tourism sector fared poorly in 2020 and 2021.

A tourist performs yoga in front of the Chandrajyoti pond at Saukhel near Pharping, about 20 km from the capital Kathmandu, Nepal, Aug. 26, 2019. (Photo by Sunil Sharma/Xinhua)

Nepal was reporting more foreign visitor arrivals in 2022 as fewer people were infected. As of June, there were 237,670 foreigners visiting the South Asian country, according to the tourism ministry.

Under the new action plan, Nepal will launch promotion campaigns in China, India and Bangladesh, of them the former two being the largest sources of tourists for Nepal in normal years.

There is a plan as well to promote Nepal as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions and spiritual tourism with packages of yoga, wellness and spa to be offered.

Tourists gather to see the mountain ranges of Mt. Annapurna, Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Machhapuchhre during sunrise at Poonhill in the border of Myagdi and Kaski District, Nepal on Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

In addition, the ministry is mulling over retirement visas and healthcare facilities for elderly foreigners to stay longer in Nepal. Currently, there is no legal provision of issuing retirement visas in the country. "We will discuss it with the Ministry of Home Affairs which is responsible for visa issuance," said Luitel.

As mountaineering is a key part of Nepal's tourism, the country is planning to open more Himalayan peaks.

Under the action plan, more peaks at 5,800 to 8,000 meters above the sea level will be opened for mountaineering. According to authorities, Nepal has so far opened 414 peaks above 5,700 meters for climbing.

Included in the action plan are other measures like cooperation and coordination with international airlines, GPS tracking system to make trekking and mountaineering safer, multi-lingual helpline support centers for tourists and many more facilities for foreigners who come to Nepal for movie shootings.
BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department recently released its annual report on human trafficking, in which it, as usual, criticized and pointed fingers at other countries while boasting the United States as one of the best-performing countries in eliminating human trafficking.

But a sequence of forced labor scandals within the United States tarnished its self-portrayed image and exposed its true colours as the epicenter of forced labor and slavery, with its more than 200 years of history dripping blood and tears.

AMERICA'S ORIGINAL SIN

"Slavery is America's original sin," U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams once said on Twitter.

In November last year, U.S. Justice Department released a case of modern slavery. Before being freed, more than 100 foreign nationals smuggled from Central American countries into the United States were forced to dig onions with their bare hands in the U.S. state of Georgia, paid 20 cents for each bucket harvested, and threatened with guns and violence to keep them in line.

The workers were held in cramped, unsanitary quarters and fenced work camps with little or no food, limited plumbing and without safe water. The conspirators are accused of raping, kidnapping and threatening or attempting to kill some of the workers or their families, and in many cases sold or traded the workers to other conspirators. At least two of the workers died as a result of workplace conditions.

Shocking as it is, such kind of slavery-like activities can be traced back to the very early days of U.S. history.

Slavery was legal when the United States declared independence in 1776. Many of the U.S. founding fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were slave owners.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database showed that between 1525 and 1866, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the "New World," and the majority of the captives came to what became the United States. Most of the slaves were forced to work under harsh conditions, and were cruelly tortured. Whips and guns were the magic tools to increase productivity.

Charles Ball, a famous freedman, once recalled the slaves' lives in U.S. plantations. Their haul would be weighed after the sunlight stalked away from the fields and the slaves couldn't "distinguish the weeds from the cotton plants." If the haul came up light, enslaved workers were often whipped. "A short day's work was always punished."

The prosperity of the United States is largely built on slavery, while those defenders of slavery have turned a blind eye to the miserable lives of the slaves.

CONSTITUTIONAL LOOPHOLE

As a result of the U.S. Civil War that ended in 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution nominally abolished slavery throughout the United States, but left a constitutional loophole: according to the amendment, it was not illegal to subject criminals to slavery or "involuntary servitude" as punishment.

After the Civil War, turning prisoners into forced labor became a common practice throughout the American South. In a bid to continue slavery, some states in the United States put a large number of freed black slaves in prison and forced them to harvest crops, mine and build railways on charges of underpayment of rent and petty theft without sufficient evidence.

By taking advantage of the constitutional loophole, some U.S. states have made a business by turning prisoners into cash cows.

In his book American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment, U.S. journalist Shane Bauer revealed that after the Civil War, state governments would lease convicts to powerful politicians, mining companies or plantations to boost their incomes, with few restrictions on what the prisoners could do and for how long.

From the 1980s, the U.S. government incorporated private prisons into the national correctional system and shifted the due responsibilities of the government to interests groups under the pretext of easing the burden of incarceration and reducing the cost of imprisonment. Driven by huge profits, the number of private prisons ballooned by 16 times over the course of 20 years from 1990 to 2010.

According to statistics, by the end of 2019, more than 100,000 people were detained in private prisons in the United States, and forced to take up intense and low-pay labor for long periods of time.

Forced labor is also rampant in private U.S. detention centers where illegal immigrants are held. As the Guardian reported, at the Stewart immigration detention center in U.S. state of Georgia, Corrections Corporation of America, U.S. largest prison corporation, relies on the labor of detained immigrants to keep cooking, cleaning and other basic operations going "as part of its profit-making schemes."

MODERN SLAVERY

Today, the United States is still fraught with serious forced labor.

The website of the University of Denver disclosed that there are currently at least 500,000 people living under modern slavery and forced labor in the United States. Forced labor is a particularly prominent and prevalent issue in 23 industries, including domestic service, agriculture, planting, tourism sales, catering, medical care and beauty.

The U.S. government has turned a blind eye to the prevalence of forced labor. When wildfires raged in California, many inmates were sent to the front lines, risking their lives as firefighters for a pittance. Inmates in some women's jails in the United States have been forced to work up to 12 hours a day to make masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, without a mask on their own face. A female prisoner infected with COVID-19 said it was like a "slave factory."

Child labor is also not uncommon in the United States. There are approximately 500,000 child farmworkers in the United States. The International Labour Organization has expressed concern for many years in a row about the serious occupational injuries to children working on American farms.

The United States has so far still refused to assume its due responsibility to eliminate forced labor within its borders.

It still has not ratified the Forced Labour Convention (1930), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Nearly 100,000 people are smuggled into the United States for forced labor every year.

"American slavery is necessarily imprinted on the DNA of American capitalism," wrote U.S. historians Sven Beckert and Seth Rockman. It seems that slavery will continue to claim innocent lives and cause human tragedies in the United States. 
Asnake Nigussie and Melaku Desalegn, bicycle riders working for beU delivery, deliver food in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Backpack-bikers have been transforming food delivery in Addis Ababa, offering clients with speedy service and wider choices of food.



ADDIS ABABA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- On a typical sunny day in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Asnake Nigussie, wearing an orange uniform and a backpack, was racing on a bicycle to pick a package of food from a nearby restaurant that was ordered online minutes before.

Asnake Nigussie, a bicycle rider working for beU delivery, delivers food in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Nigussie and his fellows, some 400 youngsters, have lately created a swarm of orange backpack-bikers roaming Addis Ababa, eventually transforming food delivery in the city.

They work for beU delivery, a Chinese-invested on-demand food delivery service provider within a short span of time, serving Addis Ababa residents with their favorite food from almost all major restaurants all over the city.

"I used to ride a bicycle just for fun and I never expected I would be able to get a job with it. To be honest, I was even surprised when I first heard about food delivery job opportunities for people with good bicycle riding skills," said Nigussie. "I immediately applied and started working here." Nigussie has been working as a backpack-biker for about eight months.

Photo taken on July 19, 2022 shows a restaurant partnering with beU delivery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

BeU delivery, founded in June 2021, works with pre-orders from its customers both via its flagship service app while also through communications from a call center. Customers can also track the status of the food they ordered before it is delivered by one of the 400 backpack-bikers within an average time of 30 to 45 minutes.

It applies a combination of technology and innovative ideas to streamline its food delivery services.

Zheng Hao, beU delivery founder and chief executive officer, attributed the motive behind its formation to a significant demand for a viable food delivery platform in Ethiopia and across the African continent.

She asserted that beU delivery is a brand meant for all people living in different economic statuses.

"We did not want an exclusive market for exclusive people," Zheng told Xinhua. "So we set out to penetrate the entire market."

"Our delivery time would not be affected by traffic jams and our delivery fee is not affected by gas prices because we mostly use bicycles instead of motorcycles or cars," she said.

Delivery service is relatively a new venture in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, with a growing number of recently established companies vying to penetrate the untapped market, mainly in the capital of Addis Ababa and its surroundings.

Zheng believed that beU delivery's eco-friendly approach has made the food delivery fee affordable along with swift delivery with the provision of exclusive food items. "All this sets us apart from our competitors," she said.

"The growth rate was quite impressive. It was obvious that beU would be a profitable and sustainable service," said Zheng.

"We want to be the customer's first choice food delivery app. Our target is to become Africa's number one food delivery service in two years," Zheng said, as she emphasized beU is aiming to become a super app covering online to offline (O2O) services.

Birhan Gebremedhin, a restaurant owner partnering with beU delivery, singled out the maximum assurance, delivery speed and constantly growing customer base as a distinguished quality in working with the delivery platform.

"We have been working with beU for almost a year now. I am happy that, with the help of beU, I am now reaching a far greater people irrespective of the geographical limitations we had," Gebremedhin said. "I could say on average I receive between 100 to 150 food order calls from beU per day. I often receive positive feedback from my customers about their service as they get their preferred food wherever they are via beU."

BeU delivery is successfully addressing the common assumption in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa that often associate delivery service as a luxury undertaking left for the elite, which could be aligned with the continent's clear social gap between the rich and the poor.

Beteab Fisha, another restaurant owner, stressed that beU's smooth delivery service gave his restaurant a great advantage to easily reach out to target customers.

Beteab Fisha, a restaurant owner partnering with beU delivery, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Fikreab Habte, a beU delivery department manager, said as beU grows big, it is also creating more opportunities for its employees across various sections.

"What makes (beU delivery) unique is that it is full of young talent. It gives freedom and a creative environment for these young people to work freely and exceed their limits," Habte said. "In the next five years, I would see beU to be one of the Amazon-size big companies that have dominated the whole Africa."

Melaku Desalegn, another bicycle rider who has been working with the company for close to one year, said the rare opportunity enabled him to be productive and help his family financially.

"I get a very good salary and I also often get bonus payments for my outstanding work. In addition to meeting my family's financial needs, I am also saving a portion of my earnings for a better future," he said.

BeU delivery had recently secured a multi-million dollar seed round of financing led by Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital and Ethiopian angel investor Addis Alemayehou, which will be used for market expansion and technology development.

BeU delivery plans to expand its business to Tanzania and Uganda this year, while also further improving its existing ordering and distribution system and optimize the management system.

Africa's food delivery business, just like the entire e-commerce industry, is yet to fully develop as compared with the rest of the world, essentially due to challenges mainly attributed to internet connectivity, payment gateways as well as logistics barriers.

According to figures from the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa were the only African countries where the share of online shoppers exceeds 8 percent of their respective population. In most other countries, it is below 5 percent. 
Photo taken on May 31, 2022 shows fungi cultivated by a Non-Governmental Organization called "International NGO Centrolive" in Bangui, Central African Republic. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)



by Arison Tamfu

BANGUI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- In the Central African Republic (CAR), Irene Dombeti counts herself among the lucky few with knowledge of how to grow mushrooms sustainably and technologically.

She spent one and half months in China studying edible and medicinal mushroom technology. When she returned to CAR, she realized that people were less interested in using technology to grow mushrooms.

"They said that mushroom grows naturally, so they are not interested in mushroom technology," Dombeti said.

Then Chinese specialists arrived and introduced the Juncao technology which refers to planting a grass named Juncao with strong adaptability to the environment and rich nutrition while using processed Juncao grass to cultivate edible and medicinal fungi and raise poultry and livestock, said Chen Kehua who introduced the project in CAR.

Chen held 16 training courses on Juncao with 613 trainees and succeeded to involve five cooperatives in mushroom cultivation and four cooperatives in raising livestock with Juncao grass.

The team has planted 3 hectares of Juncao grass while helping local farmers to plant 10 hectares.

Farmers in the country realized that grass, which is trivial and even negligible for most people, could change their lives and country.

"Gradually in seeing what we are doing, they are now starting to adapt to mushroom cultivation because the mushrooms that we are growing here with technology are good mushrooms, which taste good and then it attracts people, they are now much interested," added Dombeti who now works as laboratory technician of the Institute for Agricultural Research in CAR.

Fatime Abba Rekya, 40, an agronomist and mushroom producer, was among the first to develop interest in the Chinese-invented technology.

With the support of Chinese specialists, Abba Rekya grew mushroom using the Juncao technology and began commercializing the product online.

She said the mushroom was so tasteful that demand became very high.

"We are doing our best to gradually settle the orders we have," said Abba Rekya, adding that they have succeeded to train 20 women in mushroom cultivation.

The Juncao technology has contributed to job creation, food security and generated income for rural communities in CAR and has played an important role in tackling malnutrition in the country, said Rekya.

"It's a business of hope, because there are restaurants and hotels here, and we can dry off and export mushrooms and do a lot of things around it. For young people who have not gone to school, we can create jobs for them, for the women who are at home, we can also create jobs for them," she added.

When the Chinese introduced the Juncao technology in CAR, Jean-Christian Ngakoutou-Patasse, who runs a Non-Governmental Organization called "International NGO Centrolive", was quick to forge partnerships with them.

"We built the mushroom house and Juncao technicians brought us the mycelium that allowed us to develop this technology," he said.

Thanks to the partnership, about a hundred people were trained in mushroom cultivation.

"We are a country coming out of a war, and today many young people are neglected. Through this training, we will help them to channel themselves towards a technology which allows them to do a lot more development so that they can support themselves," Ngakoutou-Patasse said.

The promotion of the Juncao technology in impoverished communities will help people get rid of poverty, he said, expressing gratitude to China.

"China is already giving us a lot of support, that's very good, we are counting on this cooperation to evolve together and help the people of Central African Republic," he said.

"In our country we like mushrooms. We don't know how to plant mushrooms but thanks to the Juncao project we know how to grow mushrooms to eat. We hope that this Juncao project will spread throughout the CAR," added Iwano, a student in agriculture.

Finding solutions to human survival and development through technologies, the Juncao technology is a vivid practice of China to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

"In order to better popularize the Juncao technology, our team is building an 854-square-meter production workshop. We will continue to popularize this technology, train more locals and domesticate the local wild edible and medicinal fungi to help ease the food shortage problem in CAR," said Chen. 

Fatime Abba Rekya, 40, an agronomist and mushroom producer, checks the mycelium bags on the outskirts of Bangui, Central African Republic, on May 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)

Photo taken on June 1, 2022 shows fungi cultivated by Chinese experts in Bangui, Central African Republic. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)

Photo taken on June 1, 2022 shows fungi cultivated by Chinese experts in Bangui, Central African Republic. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)

A Chinese expert cultivates fungi with local people in Bangui, Central African Republic, on June 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)

A laboratory technician checks the mycelium bottle in Bangui, Central African Republic, on June 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Luo Yu)
PHNOM PENH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and De Heus TMH Company Limited (DH-TMH) signed here on Tuesday a 15-million-U.S.-dollars loan to boost Cambodia's agricultural feed sector, the ADB said in a press statement.

With the loan, the DH-TMH, a leading animal feed producer in Cambodia, will expand its storage and processing capacity of animal feed production in the southwestern Kampong Speu province, the statement said.

The additional procurement of processing machinery will promote feed production, allowing the company to buy more local raw materials like maize, rice, and cassava from smallholder farmers within its supply chain, and enabling a supply of affordable, high quality feed for livestock and fish farmers, it added.

Investments in storage are also making the supply chain more resilient, as crops like maize can be stored for a longer time.

"By supporting DH-TMH, we are helping to strengthen the feed value chain, improve livelihoods of feed crop, livestock, and fish farmers, and support sustainable and resilient agricultural practices," said ADB country director for Cambodia Jyotsana Varma.

"Developing locally sourced, high quality, and affordable animal feed supply is integral in safeguarding Cambodia's food security and reducing reliance on imported feed inputs," she added.

The company's Asia Chief Executive Officer Gabor Fluit said the company is committed to empowering independent farmers in Cambodia.

"The strategic cooperation agreement with ADB, in combination with our focus on training and knowledge sharing, with the motto 'global knowledge-local impact', will support and accelerate the sustainable development of the Cambodian animal protein supply chain," he said.

A technical assistance grant will support training for 2,000 maize and 2,000 poultry farmers, many of them women, in climate-resilient farm practices and financial literacy, the statement said, adding that supporting women farmers will help strengthen their positions within farms and boost their access to finance to expand their businesses.

DH-TMH is a joint venture between De Heus Animal Nutrition from the Netherlands, a family-owned global animal feed supplier, and TMH Company Limited from Cambodia, with a capacity to produce 180,000 tons of high quality livestock feed, the statement said. 
PRAGUE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia, Poland and Italy have offered to send firefighting aircraft to the Czech Republic to help the country to contain a large forest fire in a national park.

Currently, 410 firefighters from 83 units are fighting the fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park near the town of Hrensko, the country's Fire Rescue Service (FRS CR) said on Tuesday. Four helicopters and two airplanes are also helping on site.

"Within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, we requested three Canadair aircraft and two helicopters to manage the forest fire in Hrensko. Poland responded with an offer of a helicopter," the Fire Rescue Service said in a tweet, adding that Slovakia and Italy also responded to "our request for help with aerial firefighting."

The forest fire, which broke out on Sunday, started spreading on Monday due to windy weather and it even crossed the country's border with Germany. So far, it has affected an area of about 30 hectares in the park, according to local media reports.

Local residents and tourists have been evacuated. No casualties have been reported.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after he visited the park on Tuesday that the fire was raging in a "difficult-to-access terrain and the use of aerial technology proves to be very effective."

"We have therefore turned to other countries with a request for firefighting helicopters and aircraft that could be used to manage the fire. I thank Slovakia, Poland and Italy, which have already promised help," he tweeted.

FRS CR Director General Vladimir Vlcek told the Czech News Agency that he could not predict when the fire would end, which depends on the weather, especially on the strength and direction of the wind.

"It may take several days to completely put out the fire," he added. 
By Trend

Experienced companies from the Czech Republic might be interested in hydropower projects development in Karabakh, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Milan Sedla?ek told Trend.

"I am still quite new to Azerbaijan but my colleagues from our Embassy who visited Kalbajar and Lachin informed me about the major hydro energy potential of these mountain regions, which is also of interest for Czech companies," he said.

According to the ambassador, in line with the existing decarbonization plans, the EU will undergo a major transition from natural gas to hydrogen in the upcoming years and welcomes the efforts of its partners to do likewise.

"Producing and exporting green hydrogen requires proper infrastructure, and we know our Azerbaijani partners seriously study this option," Sedla?ek noted.

At the moment, the companies from the Czech Republic are looking for concrete options regarding participation in the restoration works in Karabakh, he added.

"Timely publication of relevant and complete information would be useful to companies interested in government tenders. The recent publication of a 4-year Action Plan for the establishment of a Green Energy Zone is a welcome development," Sedla?ek said.
JAKARTA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia considers authorizing the second COVID-19 vaccination booster shot for healthcare workers after a rising number of new daily infections amid concerns over new omicron sub-variants.

The country's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 6,483 new infections with 13 deaths in the past 24 hours.

"We are now studying the next booster shots for healthcare workers as some healthcare workers are getting infected," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said during the launching of Satusehat, an application for healthcare data integration, here on Tuesday.

He added that the issue still needs insights from the experts.

Sadikin further emphasized that he has not set a target of when the second booster shot program will start, saying he needs to report to President Joko Widodo who is currently on his regional tour in East Asia.

Authorities in the country has continued to accelerate its national vaccination programs with more than 202.26 million people having received their first dose of vaccines, while over 169.88 million have taken the second dose.

At least 54.94 million people have received booster shots.

Home to more than 270 million people, Indonesia started mass COVID-19 vaccinations in January last year after the authorities approved the emergency use of China's Sinovac vaccine. 
YAOUNDE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A commander of Cameroon's elite force, the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) and four civilians were killed on Tuesday in the country's restive Anglophone region of Southwest, according to local and security sources.

Commander Essama was leading a team of BIR forces on a reconnaissance mission at the Ikiliwindi locality of the region Tuesday morning when they were ambushed and attacked by separatist fighters, a senior military official who asked not to be named told Xinhua by phone.

"The commander was killed in the fighting. The separatist terrorists escaped and are being pursued by our forces," the official said.

Cameroon's two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest have been experiencing an armed separatist conflict since 2017. Separatists want to create an independent nation they call "Ambazonia" in the two regions. 
A university in China's Gansu Province has been providing talent and technical training for the China-Laos Railway, which went into operation in December last year.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
LUSAKA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Zambia will commence electricity exports to Zimbabwe next month following a power export agreement signed recently, a senior government official said Tuesday.

Minister of Energy Peter Kapala said state power utility Zesco Limited will start exporting 100 megawatts of electricity to Zimbabwe next month.

"This was the same deal I referred to last week as the one where power from Kafue Gorge Lower (power plant) would be exported to Zimbabwe and Namibia through deals signed in the last few months," he said in a statement.

He noted that neighboring Zimbabwe was currently facing a shortage of electricity due to depressed degeneration at its power plants.

The power export deal has a three- to five-year tenure and the negotiations were premised on Zimbabwe making pre-payments for the 100 megawatts of 6.3 million U.S. dollars per month.

Meanwhile, Zambia has welcomed plans by South Africa to import power to meet its power needs.

The minister said the move will increase the ready market for Zambia's surplus power, adding that plans were also underway to interconnect the power grids with Angola.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said recently that his government would consider importing power from Zambia to address the energy crisis the country was facing.

Zambia recently declared a surplus of 1,156.8 megawatts following the commissioning of four out of five generators at its 750-megawatt Kafue Lower Gorge Power Station.

Zambia's current national electricity generation capacity stands at 3,456.8 megawatts against a peak national demand of about 2,300 megawatts. 
GENEVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called on all members to implement the outcomes of the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) as soon as possible to respond to challenges facing the multilateral trading system.

"Delivering results last month has generated expectations for more in the future," the director-general said at a meeting of the General Council on Monday.

According to a WTO statement, she urged members "not to be lulled into complacency following the MC12 success" and to implement the outcomes as soon as possible.

On fishery subsidies, the director-general said the agreement reached at the MC12 would only be effective once it enters into force, and each member has to ratify the deal before formally accepting it.

"The urgent situation of the oceans and our fisheries makes it imperative to get this done as soon as possible ... we should target months, not years to get this done," Okonjo-Iweala said.

The accord to curb fishing subsidies prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and fishing in overfished stocks. It takes a first but significant step to curb subsidies for overcapacity and overfishing by ending fishing subsidies on unregulated high seas.

The WTO chief also reviewed other MC12 outcomes, including on the waivering of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, food security, humanitarian food procurement and WTO reforms.

Regarding WTO reforms, Okonjo-Iweala reiterated "the need to develop common understandings about what reform is, build on that and act with a sense of urgency, including in resolving the Appellate Body issue, a matter that many leaders have raised."

The Appellate Body, considered the supreme court for global trade disputes and is supposed to have seven judges and a minimum of three to function, is currently paralyzed.

Some WTO bodies have already met, and possible follow-up and implementation work on MC12 mandates for the second half of this year have been discussed, said Didier Chambovey, chair of the General Council.

Chambovey said Cameroon and the United Arab Emirates have offered to host the next Ministerial Conference. 
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Profits of China's major industrial firms sustained growth momentum in the first half of the year as production continued to recover.

Industrial firms each with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.95 million U.S. dollars) saw their combined profits exceed 4.27 trillion yuan in the period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday.

The figure represented a 1-percent year-on-year increase compared with the same period in 2021.

The combined revenues of those firms went up 9.1 percent from a year ago to 65.41 trillion yuan.

At the end of June, their assets totaled 148.66 trillion yuan, up 10.2 percent year on year, while their liabilities reached 84.58 trillion yuan, up 10.5 percent. The ratio of liabilities to assets stood at 56.9 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from a year ago.

In June alone, profits of major industrial companies went up 0.8 percent year on year, reversing declines in April and May, the data showed.

Zhu Hong, a senior statistician with the NBS, attributed the recovery to effective coordination of epidemic containment and economic and social development, as well as the thorough implementation of a raft of policies and measures to stabilize the economy.

Breaking down the data, Zhu highlighted the improvement in the business profit structure in June.

The profits of the equipment manufacturing industry increased 4.1 percent last month, up from a 9-percent decline registered in May, thanks to the continued recovery of industrial and supply chains.

Automobile manufacturers reported a sharp profit increase of 47.7 percent in June, as major automobile manufacturing areas including Shanghai and Jilin sped up work and production resumption.

Profits of consumer goods manufacturers declined 11.7 percent year on year last month, narrowing 6.7 percentage points from that in May.

Despite positive changes, Zhu cautioned against a complex external environment, noting that costs for the enterprises continue to rise and some companies still face difficulties in production and operation.

In the January-June period, the cost per 100 yuan of industrial revenue was 84.52 yuan, 0.84 yuan higher than a year ago.

Efforts should be made to continue to expand effective investment, boost consumer demand, expand tax and fee cuts and strengthen support for enterprises to create more favorable conditions for the sustained and steady recovery of the industrial economy, said Zhu. 
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to grant a ground-to-air missile battalion of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force the honorary title of "model ground-to-air missile battalion."

The unit receiving the title is among the first ground-to-air missile forces established in the PLA and has shot down multiple enemy aircraft during territorial air defense.

The battalion has been actively exploring combat tactics and strategies, and promoting the innovation of training in actual combat conditions. It has also accomplished several major tasks and significantly contributed to safeguarding national aerial territory.

The order said that all PLA forces ought to learn from the battalion, remain true to the original aspirations, pass down the traditions of revolution, and enhance their loyalty, combat capabilities, morale, and discipline. 
HAIKOU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Offshore duty-free shopping in south China's island province of Hainan has expanded domestic demand and helped spur new consumption growth in China.

"Hainan has been a lighthouse for the global duty-free and travel retail industry during a very dark and difficult period. The growth of the offshore duty-free market in Hainan has been phenomenal, but there is still potential for more," noted Erik Juul-Mortensen, president of the Tax Free World Association via video link at the ongoing second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) held in the province.

"The difficult times we have experienced do not change the fact that China is and will remain the motor of the regional and global duty-free and travel retail industry," he added.

Over the past decade, China's consumer market has grown rapidly into the second largest in the world. In 2021, China's total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 44 trillion yuan (about 6.5 trillion U.S. dollars), an increase of 1.1 times compared with 2012, with an average annual growth rate of 8.8 percent.

"China is one of the largest and most promising consumer markets in the world," said Wang Haimin, general manager of China Tourism Group. Wang added that China's consumption growth is forecast to contribute to over a quarter of global consumption growth in the next decade, ranking first in the world.

According to Wang, in the past two years, the global tourism retail market has been shrinking due to the pandemic, but China's tourism retail market still registered a 38 percent year-on-year growth last year. The personal luxury goods market, particularly, exceeded 470 billion yuan in China last year, more than twice that before the epidemic.

"Hainan is one of the most dynamic open markets in China," said Wang.

As one of the country's major opening-up measures in the new era, China aims to build the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential and high-level free trade port (FTP) by the middle of the century.

Now duty-free shopping has become one of the core competitive features of Hainan's tourism consumption.

The province's duty-free shops raked in over 60 billion yuan in 2021, an increase of 84 percent year on year. About 9.7 million people made duty-free purchases in 2021 in the province, up 73 percent year on year.

Hainan FTP has also become a new luxury goods market in China, with its sales in 2021 accounting for 13 percent of the total sales of luxury goods market in the country.

Global management consulting firm Bain & Company predicts that with the continuous growth of the number of luxury consumers in China and the sustained construction of the Hainan FTP, China's personal luxury consumption market will maintain a rapid recovery pace, and is expected to recover to the 2021 level by late 2022 or early 2023.

During the CICPE, a white paper on Hainan travel retail market in 2022 was jointly released by KPMG China and Moodie Davitt Report. The white paper said with the landing of more supportive policies in duty-free shopping, the scale of tourism retail market in Hainan FTP is expected to further swell, injecting strong confidence into investors to expand their footprints in Hainan.

It predicts that Hainan will grow into the world's largest tourism retail market in the next five years. 




BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday refuted a groundless report released by some Republican lawmakers of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee. It said China tries to "build a network of confidants inside the Federal Reserve." #GLOBALink







Produced by Xinhua Global Service
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Lithuania have discussed cooperation in the health and medical science sectors, Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during a meeting between Azerbaijans Health Minister Teymur Musayev and Lithuanian Ambassador Egidius Navikas.

During the meeting, the minister emphasized the dynamic development of friendly relations between the two countries.

Pointing to the successful cooperation in many areas, including health and medical science, Musayev noted that there is great potential for sharing experiences between national public health institutions and expanding cooperation in the pharmaceuticals sector.

"In addition, in order to improve the efficiency of healthcare in our countries there are all the necessary tools for interaction in the field of medical education, including the exchange of modern methodological and scientific-practical information in the field of continuous professional education of medical specialists, he said.

In turn, the ambassador noted the importance of high-level reciprocal visits in expanding bilateral relations.

Recalling that in May 2022, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and the Azerbaijan Medical University, he emphasized that this document will contribute to the expansion of medical cooperation between the two countries.

Moreover, expressing support for the reforms underway in Azerbaijan's healthcare system, Navikas said that Lithuania is willing to contribute to modernizing the system of medical education in Azerbaijan in accordance with internationally recognized methodologies and standards.

The sides discussed the current state of cooperation and the potential for its development in the field of health and medical sciences.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on November 20, 1995. The embassy of Azerbaijan in Lithuania was opened in September 2007, while the embassy of Lithuania in Azerbaijan was opened on April 3, 2007. The two countries have so far signed 39 documents. Azerbaijan is Lithuania's biggest trade partner in the Caucasus. The trade turnover between the two nations amounted to $42 million in 2021, and to $14.4 million in the first half of 2022.
A worker arranges durians at a durian processing factory in the Chanthaburi province, Thailand, May 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

NANNING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- From Thai durian to Vietnamese coffee to Indonesian waffle, an increasing variety of agricultural products, leisure items and industrial supplies from ASEAN countries have gained easier access to the Chinese market since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into force at the beginning of the year.

In the first half of this year, China's foreign trade achieved steady growth, with the total value of imports and exports reaching 19.8 trillion yuan (2.93 trillion U.S. dollars), up 9.4 percent year on year. During the period, China's trade with ASEAN reached 2.95 trillion yuan, up 10.6 percent, official data showed.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China is connected with ASEAN countries by land and sea, becoming an important window for exchanges and cooperation between China and RCEP members.

Thanks to the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the improved cold chain, cold storage and other supporting infrastructure, exports of fruits, snacks and agricultural products from ASEAN countries to China have seen a significant boost in recent years.

The Thai Shopping Festival has been hosted for 10 years by the Thai Consulate-General in Nanning together with supermarkets and trading companies in Guangxi. Due to the shopping carnival's immense popularity, its 2022 edition was extended from nine days to 15 days.

Zhong Xiaoli, a local resident, has a special liking for authentic Thai cuisine and frequents Thai restaurants. She recently bought Thai sauces and ingredients online to make Thai food at home.

After hearing about the shopping festival, she directly headed to a supermarket after work to buy Thai cooking ingredients. "I used to purchase such ingredients from other sources, but now I have a wider variety of options on the shelves," she said.

"Consumer awareness of ASEAN products is increasing, as is people's enthusiasm for consumption," Li Wenqing, director of a Nanning supermarket, said, adding that sales of the most popular fresh durian can exceed 3 million yuan a year and sometimes hit nearly 100,000 yuan in a single day.

Mayiyanghuo, a local cross-border e-commerce platform in Guangxi, has imported 4.9 tonnes of cubilose, or edible bird's nests, worth more than 60 million yuan from January to June, according to the company.

"The RCEP has had a positive impact on our company's growth, as tariff reductions and expedited customs clearance have made it easier for us to import a wider variety of ASEAN products," said Peng Xueyan, operating manager at Mayiyanhuo.

Priya Gnanam is a Malaysian student in China. In the past few years of studying in the country, she has been exposed to the booming digital economy and cross-border e-commerce, and has even tried her hand at livestreaming.

"I have introduced white coffee, Musang King durian products and other Malaysian specialties during my livestreaming sessions. Chinese consumers are very interested in such items, and their purchasing power is very strong," Priya said.

Wanlada Ratanapanich, commercial consul with Thai Consulate-General in Nanning, said that regional trade and investment facilitation has been enhanced by the implementation of the RCEP, and that trade between China and Thailand has bright prospects. 
PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The demand for petroleum products in Cambodia is projected to rise to 4.8 million tons in 2030, up from 2.8 million tons in 2020, the country's Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Oil, Gas and Power Cambodia 2022 conference here, Sem said the demand will increase to 8.3 million tons in 2040.

"Further investments in this sector are needed in order to respond to this growing demand," he said.

Currently, Cambodia imports all of its petroleum products from Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand as its seabed oil and gas reserves have not been tapped yet.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, the Southeast Asian nation spent 971 million U.S. dollars on imports of petrol and diesel in the first five months of 2022, up 57 percent from 617 million dollars over the same period last year.

Oil prices in Cambodia have soared since the Russia-Ukraine crisis burst out in February.

The Ministry of Commerce's oil price list showed that regular petrol costs 4,800 riel (1.17 U.S. dollars) per liter on Wednesday, while diesel costs 5,300 riel (1.3 dollars).

The figures indicated that the prices of regular petrol and diesel rose 6.6 percent and 25 percent, respectively compared to the prices dated in early February. 
Haunting Africa for years, monkeypox has finally drawn international concern, less than three months after cases exploded in countries such as Britain and the United States.

"We as European nations and American nations have not really taken it seriously until now, when it has, of course, started to affect us," Jason Mercer, a professor of virus cell biology at the University of Birmingham, told Xinhua.

"There's been a terrible inequity in vaccination rates," as vaccine distribution and availability around the world are "incredibly unfair," Martin Drewry, director of the London-based NGO Health Poverty Action, said.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
DAR ES SALAAM, July 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people, including eleven nursery and primary school pupils, were killed Tuesday morning and 16 others injured after their school bus veered off the road and plunged into a ditch in southern Tanzania's Mtwara region, said police.

Nicodemus Katembo, the Mtwara acting regional police commander, identified the other victims as the driver of the school bus and his assistant.

Katembo said the incident happened at Mikindani on the outskirts of the Mtwara municipality after a brakes failure at 7 a.m., local time when the bus was ferrying the pupils to school.

The 16 injured children were rushed to the Mtwara regional hospital for treatment, where the hospital's medical officer Hamad Nyembea described the conditions of five pupils as critical.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan sent a condolence message to the Mtwara regional commissioner Marco Gaguti on behalf of the bereaved families, saying she was shocked by the untimely deaths of the young children. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials. The study session was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has stressed holding high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and striving to write a brand new chapter in building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing.

Xi stressed adherence to socialism with Chinese characteristics and the guidance of the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times on the new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects.

He underscored strengthening confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics and driving forward the historical process of national rejuvenation.

Xi also highlighted the coordinated implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy in writing a brand new chapter in building a modern socialist country in all respects.

The opening ceremony of the study session was attended by Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Vice President Wang Qishan also attended the event.

Noting the importance of the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress to be held at a crucial moment on the new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi said goals, tasks and policies for the cause of the Party and the country for the next five years and beyond will be made at the congress.

It is of key importance to building on past successes to further advance the cause of the Party and the country, to the future of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Xi added.

Against the backdrop of accelerating global changes unseen in a century, and more complex risks, challenges, contradictions and problems, the fundamental task is to run our own affairs well, Xi said.

The past five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been extremely extraordinary, Xi said.

The CPC Central Committee has united and led the entire Party, military, and the Chinese people in effectively coping with the grave and complex international situation and a stream of severe risks and challenges, and advanced socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Xi said the Party's overall leadership and the CPC Central Committee's centralized, unified leadership have strengthened.

We made every effort to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, promote high-quality development, and advance reform swiftly but steadily. We also made solid progress in developing whole-process people's democracy and proactively fostering an advanced socialist culture, he said.

China prioritized ensuring and improving people's well-being, mobilized all sectors of society in the anti-poverty campaign, and devoted significant energy to ecological conservation.

We have resolutely safeguarded national security, maintained overall social stability, pushed forward defense and military modernization, resolutely safeguarded peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and advanced major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts, said Xi.

The 70th-anniversary celebration of the People's Republic of China took place during the period, and the CPC marked its 100th founding anniversary and launched a campaign for the study of the Party's history.

Facing the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China, with the commitment to putting the people and their lives above all else, waged an all-out people's war to curb the spread of the virus, Xi said.

The country has managed to protect the health and safety of the people to the greatest extent possible and achieved the best results in the world in coordinating economic development with the COVID-19 response, Xi noted.

We have effectively exercised overall jurisdiction over the special administrative regions based on the Constitution and the regions' basic laws, he said. We have formulated and enacted the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and secured the grasp of Hong Kong's overall situation.

In the face of the rapidly-changing international landscape, we have safeguarded our national dignity and core interests during our struggle and have kept a firm hold on the initiative of our development and security, Xi said.

We have improved implementing full and strict governance over the Party and worked tirelessly to tighten discipline and improve conduct. We have also taken coordinated action to see that officials do not have the opportunity, desire, or audacity to commit corruption, said Xi.

He noted that these efforts have made the Party's ties with the people closer and facilitated the development of a sound political atmosphere. It provided significant political guarantees for developing all areas of the Party and the country's endeavors.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era since the Party's 18th National Congress, Xi said. He noted that the remarkable changes that took place in the decade of the new era are a milestone in the history of the Party, New China, reform and opening up, socialism, and the Chinese nation.

Xi said that achieving national rejuvenation will be no walk in the park, and it will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there.

Xi called for resolve to undertake a great struggle with many new contemporary features, and readiness to work even harder toward the goal of rejuvenation.

All the achievements in the past 10 years were made thanks to the joint endeavors of the CPC and the people, he said.

The guidance of the scientific theories of Marxism is a distinct political character and a strong political advantage of the CPC, Xi noted.

On the basis of adapting the basic tenets of Marxism to China's specific realities and its fine traditional culture, the CPC has established the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and achieved a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, Xi said.

Xi urged the whole Party to constantly adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and keep it up-to-date.

Speaking of China's success in pursuing and expanding a Chinese path to modernization, Xi said that there is no set form of modernization or one-size-fits-all modernization standards in the world.

The modernization China is pursuing is the socialist modernization led by the CPC, Xi noted.

We must rely on our own efforts to drive China's development, and make sure the future of China's development and progress remains firmly in our own hands, he said.

The 20th CPC National Congress will offer a panoramic prospect of the two-stage strategic plan for China's drive to build a great modern socialist country in all respects, and will in particular lay out plans for the strategic missions and major measures in the next five years, Xi said.

Noting that the next five years are a crucial period for starting the building of a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi said sound development in the five years will be of vital importance to achieving China's second centenary goal.

Xi called for efforts to focus on tackling unbalanced and inadequate development, and work on new ideas and measures to address problems.

Xi stressed ceaselessly exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party, warning against any slackness or weariness.

By engaging in great self-transformation, the Party can steer great social transformation, he said.

Xi called on all CPC members to remain committed to the Party's fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, and do everything for the people while relying on the people in everything they do.

All Party members should always maintain close ties with the people, and accept the criticism and oversight of the people, he added.

While presiding over the opening ceremony of the study session, Li Keqiang said senior officials should thoroughly study Xi's important speech, follow its guiding principles both in thinking and action, promote reform, development and stability in their respective regions and departments, and set the stage for the Party's 20th National Congress with concrete action.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Wang Huning urged the participants to resolutely uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, further grasp and apply Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and continue to improve their capacity for political judgment, thinking and implementation. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials. The study session was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials. The study session was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials. Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the ceremony. The study session was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
Geng Shuang (Front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a UN Security Council meeting on the question concerning Haiti at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 4, 2021. (Cia Pak/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

"China calls for a larger, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference, in which permanent members of the Security Council and all stakeholders in the Middle East process are invited to participate in exploring effective ways and means to politically resolve the Palestinian issue," said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN.

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday called for a more influential international peace conference to address the Palestinian issue.

"China calls for a larger, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference, in which permanent members of the Security Council and all stakeholders in the Middle East process are invited to participate in exploring effective ways and means to politically resolve the Palestinian issue," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Geng underscored that the Middle East peace process is "still at a standstill" and relevant UN resolutions have not been implemented for a long time, and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people have been continuously violated.

"The question of Palestine is the core of the Middle East issue that bears on regional peace and security. It should not be marginalized, much less forgotten," he said.

Geng called for reversing the situation on the ground, noting that Israel continues to expand its settlement activities in the occupied territories, thus continuing to squeeze the living space of Palestinian people and undermining the continuity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the prospect of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to hurl a stone at Israeli soldiers and members of Israeli border police during clashes after a protest against the expanding of Jewish settlements in Kufr Qadoom village near the West Bank city of Nablus, on July 15, 2022. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

"We urge Israel to abide by international law, implement Security Council Resolution 2334, and immediately stop all settlement activities," he said.

Geng highlighted the importance of achieving common security as well.

Since the beginning of this year, violent incidents have occurred one after another in occupied territories and it is disturbing that clashes happened in Gaza, he said.

"The security of Israel and Palestine is interdependent and indivisible. The two sides should uphold the common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, and find a way to live side by side in peace," he said. "Seeking absolute security by using one's advantageous position can only lead to greater security dilemma."

"Advancing the two-state solution brooks no delay," said Geng.

"The question of Palestine has dragged on for more than 70 years. Piecemeal crisis management is no substitute for a comprehensive and impartial solution. The international community should work earnestly to promote the Middle East peace process," he said.

"Countries that have influence on Palestine and Israel should shoulder the due responsibilities, uphold an objective and impartial position, and play the due role in promoting the early resumption of peace talks between the two sides," he said. 
MOSCOW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia has decided to leave the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 and will start building a Russian one by that time, said Yury Borisov, director general of Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos, on Tuesday.

"We will focus on creating a Russian orbital station. Nor will we forget about space research," he told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a working meeting.

As for the current international cooperation projects aboard the ISS, Roscosmos will certainly meet its obligations before partners, said Borisov, who was appointed the Roscosmos head earlier this month.

The future of the Russian manned space program should primarily hinge on a well-thought-out plan, he told Putin without disclosing details. 
Xinjiang is already celebrating a fruitful summer!

The region's summer crop output looks set to increase by over 2 percent this year, thanks in no small part to some mechanical helpers...

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to commend an outstanding officer and a military unit.

Sun Baosong, commander of Troop 92853 of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), was given a first-class merit citation in combat-readiness training and PLA Troop 96763 was given a second-class merit citation. 
A man works to restore the quake-hit Nine-Storeyed Basantapur Palace complex in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 15, 2022. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the restoration project for the quake-hit Nine-Storeyed Basantapur Palace complex in Nepal has been completed with Chinese aid after hard work for nearly five years. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China in 2013 is "the foundation for global development and the elimination of poverty," said a recent article published by Kathmandu Tribune, an online English daily in Nepal.

Since the launch of the BRI, new forms of international institutions have emerged to finance infrastructure development, said the article, referring to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund and the New Development Bank.

"These are important alternatives to the existing insufficient financing of the present global system," said the opinion piece published recently.

The BRI is a pathway that represents a bright future for mankind, the article said, adding "nations working together for the common aims of peace and development must become a new chapter in mankind's history." 
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Fikrat Amirov's ballet "One Thousand and One Nights" will be staged at Mariinsky II, Azernews reports.

The "Arabian Nights" will be shown on July 30-31 within the ballet troupe's tour across St. Petersburg.

The ballet will feature artists from the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, as well as soloists from the Sofia Opera House and the Mariinsky Theater (main stage).

The Mariinsky Theater's Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of the principal conductor of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev.

The soloist of the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Ramin Azimov, and the soloist of the Primorsky Stage Nadezhda Medvedeva will perform on tar.

For more than forty years, this ballet has been staged with triumph on world stages.

The ballet's new version was premiered as part of the 5th Mariinsky International Far East Festival in 2020.

Over 300 costumes with hand embroidery were made for the ballet show directed by Honored Art Worker of Russia, Eldar Aliyev.

Recall that Fikrat Amirov's ballet has been recently staged at the Sofia Opera and Ballet Theater.

Azerbaijani and Bulgarian Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Teodora Genchovska, the president of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, and numerous spectators attended the event which aroused great public interest.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, July 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

"Member states agreed to reduce their gas demand by 15 percent compared to their average consumption in the past five years, between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, with measures of their own choice," the European Council said in a statement.

Island states such as Malta, Cyprus and Ireland are exempted, since they are not interconnected to the EU's gas network.

BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) member states have reached a political agreement on a 15 percent voluntary reduction of natural gas demand from the average of 2017-2021, officials announced on Tuesday.

Jozef Sikela, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, presided over an exceptional EU Council meeting on energy on Tuesday, with the EU preparing for possible gas supply disruptions over the winter.

"Member states agreed to reduce their gas demand by 15 percent compared to their average consumption in the past five years, between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, with measures of their own choice," the European Council said in a statement.

Photo taken on May 20, 2022 shows a view of a natural gas storage facility operated by Hungarian Gas Storage Ltd. in the village of Zsana, Hungary. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

"Possible measures include reducing gas consumed in the electricity sector, measures to encourage fuel switch in industry, national awareness raising campaigns, targeted obligations to reduce heating and cooling and market-based measures such as auctioning between companies."

There are several exemptions to the 15 percent target.

Island states such as Malta, Cyprus and Ireland are exempted, since they are not interconnected to the EU's gas network.

Other derogations include member states that have already exceeded their gas storage filling target, those whose industries are heavily dependent on gas as feedstock, and those whose gas consumption has increased by at least eight percent in the past year compared to the average of the past five years.

A "Union Alert" could be activated, either by the European Commission if it perceives a "substantial risk of a severe gas shortage or an exceptionally high gas demand", or "if five or more member states that have declared an alert at national level request the Commission to do so."

Photo taken on April 27, 2022 shows a liquefied petroleum gas station in Warsaw, Poland. (Xinhua/Zhou Nan)
Fireworks are seen during the inauguration ceremony of the Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, Croatia, July 26, 2022. Croatia's Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge opened Tuesday for transport in the village of Komarna, connecting the two parts of the country's coastline for the first time. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

KOMARNA, Croatia, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge opened Tuesday for transport in the village of Komarna, connecting the two parts of the country's coastline for the first time.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, government officials and Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin attended the ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, Plenkovic said it was "a historic day" for Croatia.

"We are happy that we realized a project that is truly national, strategic, all-Croatian and supra-party. We are proud to be a part of the generation that achieved such a great feat -- joining the Croatian territory," he said.

The Peljesac Bridge symbolizes the fruitful cooperation between China and Croatia within the framework of a broader cooperation scheme between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), according to Chinese Ambassador Qi Qianjin.

It is also the largest infrastructure project undertaken by the Chinese side in Croatia, illustrating the strong cooperation between China and Europe, Qi told local media.

Qi said that a Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation has overcome the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and completed the project on schedule.

Thousands of visitors attended the opening ceremony featuring traditional songs and folk dances, a boat procession and a fireworks display.

Owing to the new bridge, the two parts of the Croatian coastline are connected for the first time in the country's modern history, which represents a fulfillment of the decades-long aspiration of Croatians to achieve territorial continuity.

The total length of the cable-stayed bridge with six pylons and steel box girders is 2.4 kilometers. The Chinese consortium won the bid to build the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in 2018.

A total of 18 design and consulting enterprises and 45 construction companies in the EU, and 112 global equipment and material suppliers participated in the project. 

Fireworks are seen during the inauguration ceremony of the Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, Croatia, July 26, 2022. Croatia's Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge opened Tuesday for transport in the village of Komarna, connecting the two parts of the country's coastline for the first time. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

People take photos near the Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, Croatia, July 27, 2022. Croatia's Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge opened Tuesday for transport in the village of Komarna, connecting the two parts of the country's coastline for the first time. (Igor Kralj/PIXSELL via Xinhua)
WARSAW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Poland must fulfil its obligations on reforming its judicial system if it wants to obtain some 35 billion euros (35.35 billion U.S. dollars) in EU funding for post-pandemic recovery. However, Poland insists it has met all the conditions set out by the EU.

"Poland must fulfill its obligations aimed at reforming the system of disciplinary proceedings," Von der Leyen said in an interview with Poland's Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper published on Tuesday.

Although Poland introduced new legislation on July 15 which eliminates the controversial Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, Von der Leyen emphasized that the law does not protect judges from disciplinary proceedings should they question the status of other judges.

This problem must be solved in order for the EU funds to be released, the Commissioner added.

She also pointed out that Poland "still has not reinstated judges that were suspended (by the Disciplinary Chamber) and the daily financial penalty still applies."

However, Malgorzata Paprocka, a minister at the Polish Presidential Office, told private television channel Polsat News on Tuesday that Poland has fulfilled all the EU requirements and therefore Brussels should suspend financial penalties levelled against Warsaw.

On October 27, 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) imposed a 1 million euro daily fine on Poland for its failure to comply with a CJEU ruling from July 2021 demanding the suspension of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court. (1 euro = 1.01 U.S. dollars) 
DAMASCUS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army is ready to confront any possible attack by Turkish forces on its soil, the Syrian military said Wednesday, in response to recent shelling by Turkish forces on military sites in northern Syria.

The "provocative" attacks by the Turkish forces on military sites and government-controlled areas in northern Syria have been increasing, the military said in a statement, citing the attacks in the countryside of the northeastern province of Hasakah and in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Raqqa.

Turkiye has intended to carry out new military operations on the Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria to expand the buffer zone in the region.

A recent trilateral summit of Russia, Iran and Turkiye, hosted in Iran, tried to defuse the tension but failed. 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge in Croatia via video link, July 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said the newly-opened Peljesac Bridge in Croatia will further boost the China-Croatia friendship.

Li made the remarks via video link when speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese-built project on Tuesday. The bridge, 2,440 meters in length and 22.5 meters in width, links Croatia's southern Adriatic coast and the rest of the country. It is by far the largest transport infrastructure project ever since the establishment of China-Croatia diplomatic ties, and is regarded as a model of tripartite cooperation among China, Croatia and the European Union (EU).

Recalling his visit to the construction site with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic three years ago, Li said it is a great achievement that the project had been completed and opened to traffic as per schedule, despite multiple challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and earthquake.

He added that the bridge, embodying the China-Croatia friendship, is expected to greatly facilitate local people's trips and logistics, boost economic and social development, and improve people's well-being in Croatia.

The premier stressed that the project, undertaken by a Chinese enterprise through open bidding and fair competition, had followed market rules and the regulations of the EU, and realized the alignment of investment, standards, equipment and materials between China and Europe.

He said the project serves as an example of China-Europe cooperation featuring complementarity and mutual benefits.

China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners. China is happy to see a united and prosperous Europe, and has always advocated cooperation and mutual learning on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, which serve the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, Li said.

China and the EU are important political forces in the world and major economies, and their cooperation will not only contribute to their own development but also to the development and progress of humanity, he added, urging the two sides to jointly uphold the rule-based multilateral trade regime with the World Trade Organization as its center and build an open world economy.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Croatia, Li said the opening of the bridge is a new milestone in the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples.

At the inauguration ceremony, Croatian leaders expressed their gratitude toward China for its significant contributions to the construction of the bridge, hailing the skills of Chinese workers and the high quality of the bridge. 
Health care workers assist people waiting to be vaccinated at a monkeypox vaccination site in New York, the United States, on July 14, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"We know monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus, so we anticipate we may see an increase in cases throughout the month of July and into August," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States has confirmed more than 3,500 monkeypox cases, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of Tuesday, a total of 3,591 known monkeypox cases had been reported in the United States, CDC data showed.

So far, the United States has the world's highest tally of monkeypox cases. New York has the most cases, with 900, followed by California with 356 and Illinois with 350, according to CDC data.

Health experts said given the testing bottlenecks in the United States, monkeypox cases are likely being undercounted.

The CDC confirmed two cases of monkeypox in children on Friday. One case is a toddler who is a resident of California. The other is an infant who is not a U.S. resident.

The country has also spotted its first case of monkeypox this year in a pregnant woman, CDC officials said over the weekend.

Pregnant women are among those "at especially increased risk for severe outcomes" from monkeypox, according to the CDC.

Health officials have been warning that the number of monkeypox cases would likely increase across the country, as the government increases testing capacity and surveillance.

A medical worker gives a dose of monkeypox vaccine to a recipient in Chicago, the United States, on July 25, 2022. (Photo by Vincent Johnson/Xinhua)

With increased testing, an improved reporting system for states, and the continued spread of disease, more cases will be identified, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

"We know monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus, so we anticipate we may see an increase in cases throughout the month of July and into August," Walensky added.

Over 16,000 monkeypox cases and five related deaths have been reported in 75 countries and regions, according to figures released by the World Health Organization, which on Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern."

"The international community must work together to protect individuals that have been impacted by monkeypox, and those most at risk of contracting the virus," White House COVID-19 Coordinator Ashish Jha said during a press briefing on Tuesday. 
SHANGHAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Global enterprises are keen to attend this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November, seeking to tap the huge Chinese market, as the country continues to open its doors wider to the world.

Eighty-five percent of the planned enterprise exhibition area has been booked for the fifth CIIE, which is scheduled to be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10, according to the event's organizers.

Over 270 Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises have confirmed their participation in the event, CIIE Bureau Deputy Director Sun Chenghai told a press briefing on Wednesday marking the event's 100-day countdown.

"Preparations for the expo are progressing smoothly as organizers have overcome the adverse impacts brought about by risks and uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic," Sun said.

Nearly 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises that have attended the previous import expos have confirmed their participation this year, Sun said. Some Fortune 500 companies including Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Gilead will participate in the event for the first time, he added.

The enthusiasm of the global enterprises attending the import expo is based on China's booming market.

Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oreal North Asia Zone and chief executive officer of L'Oreal China, said the CIIE is not only a big stage for the debut of new products, but also allows the cosmetics giant to demonstrate its determination to shift to green and low-carbon consumption.

A new-generation patient-monitoring system produced by Edwards Lifesciences has recently gone on sale in China, less than nine months after its China debut at the fourth CIIE.

The smart product caught the eye of quite a number of medical institutions soon after its appearance in Shanghai, and this has boosted the firm's confidence to further penetrate the Chinese market, said George Ye, general manager of Edwards Lifesciences Greater China.

The expo organizers have also held activities to help the exhibitors better tap the Chinese market.

The CIIE Bureau has held seven online business roadshows, and has arranged for 100 exhibitors to attend a business cooperation activity in east China's Jiangxi Province from Saturday to Tuesday.

Ai Zhouping, president of Heraeus Greater China, said the trip to Jiangxi has made him fully feel the vitality, potential and resilience of the Chinese market.

Jens Hildebrandt, executive director and board member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China -- North China, said the CIIE is an opportunity for companies to market themselves.

"There are smaller and medium-sized German enterprises that, through CIIE, are able to boost their sales in the market," Hildebrandt said.

"Almost all German companies see the growth market of the next decade in China, and that's why German companies are very much eager to see and participate in the development of China," he added.

Apart from the six-day expo, Shanghai has set up 60 regular trading platforms for the exhibitors. Over the years, the platforms have imported 248 billion yuan (about 36.6 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods, said Gu Jun, head of the Shanghai municipal commission of commerce.

To alleviate the impacts of the pandemic and global economic uncertainty on participating small and medium-sized enterprises, the fifth CIIE will not only actively promote the normalization of supporting policies such as tax incentives and customs clearance facilitation, but will also offer more free booths for enterprises from the least developed countries, said CIIE Bureau Deputy Director Sun. 
Photo taken on July 27, 2022 shows the Joint Coordination Center for Ukraine's grain shipments in Istanbul, Turkiye. (Xinhua/Shadati)

ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye inaugurated the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul on Wednesday to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment from Ukraine, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters.

Located inside the compound of a military university in the city's European side district of Besiktas, the center consists of 20 representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, five from each party, according to Akar.

This will guarantee the safe passage of vessels from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul to global markets, said the minister.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is speaking at the Joint Coordination Center for Ukraine's grain shipments in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Shadati)

At the command center, the representatives were seated around a large square table. A map on a big screen was showing the details of the Black Sea and the locations of several vessels.

"This center will register and follow the commercial ships that will be included in the initiative. It will technically track the journey of the ships through satellite, internet, and other means of communication," Akar said, speaking of The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed in Istanbul on Friday.

Ships will be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed appropriate upon loading at Ukrainian ports and arrival at ports in Turkiye, according to Akar.

"If there is a need for demining, plans agreed by all parties would be made. However, there is no need at this stage," he added.

Earlier, a source who asked to be identified as "a senior UN official" told Xinhua that the shipments will be inspected to make sure there will be no transportation of weapons.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said he hoped the deal would work, according to media reports.

The press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that operations have resumed in the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny in line with the grain exports deal signed last week in Turkiye.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that the deal would allow both Ukraine and Russia to export their products.

"There are products to be exported by Russia as well, and the deal paves the way for it. Likewise, it paves the way for the export of Ukraine's grain, sunflower, and sunflower oil," he said on TV100 broadcaster.

Cavusoglu pointed out that Turkiye would continue to play its constructive role to ensure the plan runs smoothly.

Russia and Ukraine signed respectively the initiative with Turkiye under the UN auspices on Friday, which would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. 
JUBA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Wednesday condemned clashes between rebel forces and the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) in South Sudan's northern oil-rich Unity State.

Nicholas Haysom, the special representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, called on the forces of Stephen Buay Rolnyang, the opposition leader and head of the South Sudan People's Movement/Army, and SSPDF to immediately cease hostilities.

"Subnational violence has already had a devastating effect on communities. We appeal to all armed groups to put down their weapons and participate in peace efforts. This is the only way to break the cycles of violence and revenge killings, and pave the way for durable and sustainable peace," Haysom said in a statement in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

He stressed that the UN continues to closely monitor the situation in Mayom County and is supporting the peace process.

The UN official made the remarks after at least 12 soldiers, including James Chuol Gatluak, commissioner of Mayom County were killed and 13 others wounded in Mayom County of Unity State following clashes last week.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 following a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his then deputy Riek Machar, leading soldiers loyal to the respective leaders to fight.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people both internally and externally. 
WINDHOEK, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Executive Director Ben Nangombe on Wednesday said while there has been progress over the last years in improving health outcomes in the country, more needs to be done, including addressing the disparities seen across different segments of the population.

Speaking at the opening of the high-level stakeholder consultation meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Nangombe reiterated Namibia's commitment to ensuring that everyone, particularly the most vulnerable people in society, has access to health care services that are integrated, affordable, accessible, equitable, of high quality and responsive to the needs of the population.

"UHC, as it is widely stated, is about ensuring that all people can access the health care they need, without suffering financial hardship or financial catastrophe. This is the cardinal key to improving the well-being of a country's population. We see UHC as a critical element in supporting the attainment of our country's national Development Agenda because a healthy nation is a prosperous nation," he said.

Nangombe also said the meeting affords the country opportunities to reflect on the progress Namibia has made, and what could be done to accelerate the realization of UHC.

"Achieving UHC will represent a seismic shift from where we currently are to making Namibia a fairer society. The health status of the population is influenced by many factors outside the health sector such as the level of poverty, food security, unemployment, level of education, and working conditions of individuals. We value inclusive collaborative processes involving all sectors, as this will help us establish a shared approach and vision to work together to achieve the UHC goals," he said. 
South Africa: KZN reaffirms commitment to clean government

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, has reaffirmed his office's commitment to beef up the state's capacity and capability to become an ethical developmental state that is able to provide strong support to the objective of clean and accountable government that spends taxpayers funds responsibly.

Zikalala made the remarks following the news that the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) has given the Office of the Premier a clean audit for the financial year ending March 2022.

Zikalala said the clean audit outcome represents a major achievement for the administration and a demonstration of persistent commitment to clean government.

"We welcome this great achievement by the administration at Office of the Premier. It is an outcome of hard work, commitment and dedication to lead by example from the Office of the Premier team.

The focus is now to sustain the clean audit and translate it into clean governance. A clean audit should be the standard achievement for all government departments and state-owned enterprises, nothing else," Zikalala said.

Working together with Director-General at the Office of the Premier, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Zikalala has over the past three years championed improved audit outcomes.

The interventions included addressing material non-compliance issues raised by the AG, while improving service delivery and decreasing irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure, among others.

The Premier said the high-level improvement measures adopted by his office over the years, included the development of an Audit Improvement Plan to adequately address all non-compliance relating to Supply Chain Management (SCM), contract management and any other issues that gave rise to irregular expenditure.

In addition, the Premier said the interventions have been implemented to improve the overall control environment and to avoid the recurrence of adverse audit findings.

In continuation of the fulfilment of its transversal role, the Office of the Premier will continue to beef up the state's capacity and capability to become an ethical developmental state that is able to provide strong support to the objective of clean and accountable government that spends every cent of taxpayers funds responsibly. This is what the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal expect and that is what this province remains committed to," Zikalala said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani artist Eldar Babazada has taken part in the 17th International Art Symposium on Contemporary Art on the theme "Symphony of Labor", Azernews reports.

Around 35 artists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan took part in the art symposium held at Yelabuga State Museum-Reserve in Tatarstan, Russia.

For 10 days, the artists created nearly 130 artworks, including 50 paintings, 11 graphics, and 69 art pieces on the theme of the national traditions of different peoples.

"The art symposium focuses on creative activity, fruitful communication, mutual enrichment of experience, as well as interest in the cultural traditions of different peoples which is an important part of national identity in contemporary fine arts. All those things are realized by the popularization of the national heritage through painting and graphics," Eldar Babazada told Trend Life.

"Within the art symposium, I have taken part in hot enamel master class and workshop on board painting, creating artworks penetrated with the national color as well as a painting dedicated to the oil industry and the work of Azerbaijani oil workers," the artist said.

The artist also presented two paintings, painted earlier, which reflect the given theme of work. One of them depicts a craftswoman weaving a carpet, and the other depicts a woman baking bread in a tandir (clay oven).

Rich in colors, these canvases brilliantly demonstrate the national heritage of the Azerbaijani people.

All paintings are created with great skill inherent to those artists, whose creative path is marked not only by natural talent but the eternal creative search.

So it's no wonder that Eldar Babazada's art aroused great interest among the guests of the symposium.

The exposition held within the art symposium will last until August 19.
ABUJA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian semi-military institution has issued an alert on imminent coordinated attacks by militant groups targeting states across the country, including Abuja, the national capital, in the wake of heightened security threats in the country.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which issued the alert early this week in a memo, said it has directed the immediate deployment of its personnel to schools, worship centers, and critical national assets to stall possible threats by criminal elements.

The NSCDC memo signed by Dauda Mungadi, a deputy commandant general of operations for the paramilitary agency, was released Monday, according to local media reports Wednesday.

The alert indicated that two major cities, Abuja and Lagos, as well as the northern states of Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara, and Katsina, might be targeted by criminal groups.

"We have received credible intelligence that Boko Haram and the ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) groups have mobilized fighters and high caliber weapons, particularly rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns, and general purpose machine guns which they intend to deploy for the offensive in Katsina State," the NSCDC said. "In another development, two separate bandit groups are plotting coordinated attacks on northwest, north-central, and southwest."

The most populous African country has been hit by a series of armed attacks this year, which caused the deaths of civilians and security operatives, thereby heightening fears among citizens.

Early this month, an advance team of President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina ran into an ambush laid by unknown gunmen, injuring at least two persons. This was followed by another attack by suspected ISWAP militants on a prison in Abuja, freeing hundreds of inmates.

On Sunday, three military officers were killed while responding to an attack on Nigerian Presidential Guards Brigade by gunmen suspected to be extremist militants in Abuja. 
TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo held talks in Tokyo on Wednesday ahead of this year's Group of 20 major economies' summit in Bali in November which Widodo will host.

Following a summit meeting between the leaders, Kishida told a joint press conference that Indonesia has lifted all restrictions on imports of Japanese food products that were imposed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011.

Kishida said he was thankful for the move and that the lifting of import restrictions on food products from seven previously affected prefectures here would "encourages people in the disaster-hit areas."

Widodo, for his part, said he asked Japan to ease or scrap tariffs it imposes on Indonesian tuna, pineapples and bananas.

He also passed on his condolences over the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was gunned down during a stump speech earlier this month.

Widodo will conclude his visit to Japan with a meeting with Emperor Naruhito later in the day and will then depart for South Korea, government officials here said. 
MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology revised down to 7 the magnitude and relocated the epicenter of the earthquake that rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines on Wednesday.

The institute first reported the magnitude as 7.3, and the epicenter was Lagangilang town. An updated report changed the epicenter to Tayum town.

The revised bulletin also said the quake, which occurred at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT), hit at a depth of 17 km, about 3 km northwest of Tayum town.

The tremor was also felt in many areas on the main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila, where high-rise buildings swayed and train transport halted operation. It was also felt in many provinces, including Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.

Panicked employees in several offices, including the presidential palace, ran out of the buildings.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a local official told a radio that he received information that the quake triggered stones slides in some areas.

A spokesperson for the regional police said no reports of deaths or injuries so far, saying they received reports of damages to houses and buildings in Abra and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur.

The tremor damaged century-old structures in Vigan City, a tourist destination known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture on the west coast of Luzon island.

La Paz town Mayor Joseph Bernos of Abra said the quake damaged many concrete houses, buildings and infrastructure in the province. "I received reports that there were massive damages in our province," he told a radio interview.

He said that some buildings at the University of Abra were also damaged.

A local disaster official of Baguio City, also in the northern Philippines, said Kennon Road was closed while the damage was being assessed.

Renato Solidum, the institute's chief, warned the tectonic quake would trigger aftershocks and could cause damage such as landslides. He urged the people and the local government officials to be vigilant.

"Make sure to inspect the buildings for cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains," he told a news conference, urging villagers to leave areas prone to landslides.

On July 16, 1990, northern Luzon was shaken by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a 125-km-long ground rupture that stretched from Aurora province to Nueva Vizcaya. The epicenter of the 1990 quake was near Rizal town in Nueva Ecija province. The quake killed around 1,200 people and damaged scores of buildings and houses.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." 
SYDNEY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of Australian psychologists believed the nation faces an oncoming wave of mental health problems caused by the ongoing and wide-ranging effects of long COVID-19.

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) issued the warning in a statement on Tuesday, following recent estimates that up to 500,000 people could be traumatized by the lingering disease within the coming months.

APS president Tamara Cavenett warned that left untreated, many lives could be completely disrupted by the "mental health ticking time bomb" of long COVID-19 and she urged federal and state governments to "do everything we can to diffuse it immediately."

"With the current wave only worsening, we could see thousands of Australians have their life trajectory thrown off course due to anxiety, depression, PTSD, insomnia, somatization and behavioral and neurological disorders," Cavenett said.

The APS claims that mental illness cost Australia 200 billion dollars (about 139 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, a figure that has "undoubtably gotten worse."

"The cost of inaction continues to climb, and we must limit the impact of long COVID-19 by further integrating mental health support into the care for patients during and after their hospital stay," Cavenett said.

The APS statement said psychologists should have a critical role in supporting patients following treatment for COVID-19 and in educating other health professionals on potential post-treatment cognitive and emotional symptoms.

Cavenett said treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can significantly help patients suffering traumatic reactions following hospitalization or in managing life with long COVID-19.

Psychologists, particularly clinical neuropsychologists, can also use a range of brain-based techniques to manage the cognitive side effects frequently reported in long COVID-19 cases.

The APS efforts have been supported by leading Australian psychologists such as Professor Andrew Baillie from the University of Sydney.

Baillie told Xinhua on Wednesday that national funding should also be allocated to ensure long COVID-19 patients have access to allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and exercise physiologists during their extended recoveries.

"It is also very important to acknowledge that while long COVID-19 can have mental health consequences, it is not a mental disorder," he said.

"We need to take great care to avoid the 'it's all in your head' stigma." 
Emergency responders evacuate injured personnel after an earthquake in Abra Province, the Philippines, July 27, 2022. A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said. (Philippine Army/Handout via Xinhua)

MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said.

In a report to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Abalos said that two of the deaths were from Benguet, one from Abra and one from the Mountain Province. He added that many of the injured were from Abra province.

Abalos said the earthquake triggered nearly 60 landslides and made highways and roads impossible in the northern Philippine region. At least three bridges in Abra province, the quake's epicenter, were damaged.

He added the quake affected three northern Philippine regions, including 15 provinces, 15 cities, 218 municipalities, and 6,756 villages.

"There are road closures in some parts of Abra, power interruptions in Abra and Benguet, intermittent communication lines in Region 1, landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and minor damages in other regions," Abalos said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed the death of one person in Benguet province in the northern Philippines. Governor of Abra province Jocelyn Bernos said a 25-year-old male was also killed after he was pinned by a concrete slab in Bangued town.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said a 7-magnitude earthquake rattled Abra province in the northern Philippines at 8:43 a.m. local time (0043 GMT). The institute said the epicenter is located at Tayum town, with a depth of 17 km.

The tremor was felt in many areas on the main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila, where high-rise buildings swayed and train transport suspended operation. It was also felt in many provinces, including Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite.

As of 1:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), the institute has recorded at least 120 aftershocks in the northern region.

In the capital region, panicked employees in offices, including the presidential palace, ran out of the buildings.

Mayor of La Paz town in Abra province Joseph Bernos said the quake damaged many concrete houses, buildings and infrastructure in the province. "I received reports that there were massive damages in our province," he told a radio interview, adding that some buildings at the University of Abra were also damaged.

The tremor also caused damages to the century-old structures in Vigan City, in Ilocos Sur province, a tourist destination known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture on the west coast of Luzon island.

A local disaster official of Baguio City, also in the northern Philippines, said Kennon Road, a major road connecting the city and Manila, was closed while the damage was being assessed.

Philippine President Marcos told a news conference that he will postpone his visit to the devastated region for Thursday. Marcos has sent Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo to the quake-hit region to attend to the victims.

PHIVOLCS chief Renato Solidum warned the tectonic quake would trigger aftershocks and could cause damage such as landslides. He urged the people and the local government officials to be vigilant.

"Make sure to inspect the buildings for cracks and watch out for landslides, especially when it rains," he told a news conference, urging villagers to leave areas prone to landslides.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said China is ready to help Filipinos in the affected areas. "We are ready to extend helping hands to the Philippine side for disaster relief," he said in a statement.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

On July 16, 1990, northern Luzon was shaken by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a 125-km-long ground rupture that stretched from Aurora province to Nueva Vizcaya, killing around 1,200 people and damaged scores of buildings and houses. 

A building is damaged after an earthquake in Abra Province, the Philippines, July 27, 2022. A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said. (Philippine Army/Handout via Xinhua)

A building is damaged after an earthquake in Abra Province, the Philippines, July 27, 2022. A 7-magnitude earthquake that rattled the main Luzon island in the Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and injured some 60 others, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said. (Philippine Army/Handout via Xinhua)
BERLIN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Gas flows from Russia to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline remain at around 40 percent capacity for the time being, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) said in its daily gas update on Tuesday.

On Monday, Russian energy company Gazprom said it would further reduce natural gas flows via the pipeline to 20 percent from Wednesday onwards citing the delayed return of a turbine that was being serviced in Canada. Gas deliveries from Russia via Nord Stream 1 had just resumed after ten-day maintenance.

"We have taken note of the announcement. We are monitoring the situation very closely in close cooperation with the Federal Network Agency and the so-called Gas Crisis Team," a spokesperson of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) said in a statement on Monday.

"According to our information, there is no technical reason for a reduction in supplies," the spokesperson said. "The conditions for approval under sanctions law for the delivery of the turbine in question have been met."

Germany's gas intake had been significantly reduced during the temporary halt to Russian gas supplies via Nord Stream 1. Filling requirements for the country's gas storage facilities were recently tightened as the government is aiming to reach 95 percent of capacity by early November.

The country's network agency warned that it would be unlikely to achieve the target "without additional measures." Germany's gas storage facilities are currently filled to around 66 percent of capacity.

Germany has already launched numerous structural measures to "reduce dependence on Russian gas and strengthen security of supply." These include developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, filling gas storage facilities as well as measures to reduce gas consumption in the electricity sector and industry, according to the BMWK.

"Gas consumption must continue to fall, and the storage facilities must become full. We should join forces to work on this," Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said last week. 
KIEV, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will get some 1.6 billion euros (about 1.62 billion U.S. dollars) from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, the European Investment Bank agreed to disburse 1.6 billion euros to Ukraine, with 1 billion euros out of this sum to be allocated promptly," Shmyhal told a cabinet meeting, according to the government's press service.

Shmyhal said the funds will be directed for the activities to prepare Ukraine for the heating season, including the restoration of damaged electricity, water and heat supply facilities.

According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Ukraine will also use part of the funding from the EIB to finance projects in energy efficiency, roads, transport, education, infrastructure and other sectors.

Kiev plans to raise 20 billion dollars in international aid from its Western partners by the end of 2022, said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at a public event last month. 
KIEV, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Operations have resumed in three Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny in line with a grain exports deal signed last week in Turkiye, the press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said in a statement on Wednesday.

Currently, the work is underway to prepare the ports for safe navigation, with military and civilian experts searching for underwater objects and installing special navigation equipment, the statement said.

The ships navigating in the Ukrainian ports will form a caravan, which will be escorted by a lead ship for greater security, it said.

On July 22, Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tons of last year's grain harvest and part of this year's harvest. 
Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows vehicles burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)



LOS ANGELES, July 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 41 structures have been destroyed by the Oak Fire, now the largest wildfire this year in U.S. western state of California, authorities said Tuesday.

The fast-moving wildfire that began on Friday afternoon near the Yosemite National Park in central California's Mariposa County scorched 18,087 acres (73.2 square km) with 26 percent containment as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Around 1,440 structures are still under threat as nearly 3,000 firefighters, with aircraft support, are continuing their efforts against the massive wildfire.

"Fire crews continue providing structure defense, extinguishing hot spots, and building and improving direct fire lines," said Cal Fire in an update.

"Persistent drought, critically dry fuels and tree mortality continue to contribute to the fire's spread. Humidity levels were slightly higher overnight as monsoonal moisture began to move in," the agency added.

The Oak Fire has forced thousands of local residents to evacuate. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the explosive fire.

Another explosive wildfire, the Washburn Fire, has burned over 4,875 acres (19.7 square km) to date with 87 percent contained after nearly three weeks near the Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire has drawn national attention as firefighters are battling the blaze to protect some of the world's oldest and largest trees in the park.

Many of the largest wildfires, including the top five, in California's history have happened in the past few years amid severe drought.

"California continues to experience longer wildfire seasons as a direct result of climate change," said Cal Fire in its 2022 fire season outlook, noting that "continued dry conditions, with above normal temperatures through spring, will leave fuel moisture levels lower than normal, increasing the potential for wildland fire activity."

Wildfires have swallowed over 53,000 acres (214.5 square km) so far this year in the state, according to data released by Cal Fire. 

Firefighters work to contain the wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States, July 25, 2022. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Firefighters work to contain the wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States, July 25, 2022. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Firefighters work to contain the wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States, July 25, 2022. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Firefighters work to contain the wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States, July 25, 2022. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows an area hit by a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows vehicles burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows an area hit by a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows vehicles burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows a vehicle burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows a vehicle burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Photo taken on July 25, 2022 shows vehicles burned in a wildfire in Mariposa County in central California, the United States. Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the blaze began on Friday afternoon in Mariposa County in central California. It rapidly grows to be one of the largest wildfires in the state so far this year. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)
New Delhi: A nefarious attempt to bring a large consignment of uranium to India has been foiled. In this case, the police have arrested 13 people, including 11 Afghanis, on the Indo-Nepal border. Following the arrest, security has now been beefed up along the Indo-Nepal border. Nepal has said that it had arrested two convicts in the case from Viratnagar on July 23. Security has been tightened along the Indo-Nepal border after 11 Afghans and two Nepalese nationals were arrested last week for trying to smuggle two kilograms of uranium.

Soon after, Nepal's Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that citizens of third countries are resorting to the open border between Bihar and Nepal for smuggling of highly sensitive uranium. It's a threat to both countries. According to sources, the accused were trying to sneak into the Jogbani border in the Araria district of Bihar. The arrest of Afghan nationals is a sensitive matter, as it comes days after security agencies busted a suspected Phulwari Sharif terror module in Patna. India's security agencies suspect that a large number of sleeper cells are active in Seemanchal districts like Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar districts.

BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal also claimed that sleeper cells are active in large numbers in Bihar. He said "After the development in Nepal, we are intensifying the investigation at every border outpost connecting Bihar and Nepal.'' A BSF official at the Jogbani border in the Araria district said that the nationals of the two countries have been asked to produce valid identity proof before travelling to these two borders.

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By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

A group of representatives of the Azerbaijani Diaspora traveled to liberated Shusha on July 26.

According to the committee, the group consists of 130 representatives of the diaspora from 27 countries.

A group of representatives will visit the main city square of Bazarbashi at Ganja gates, Jidir Duzu, the square where the monuments of famous Azerbaijanis are erected.

The diaspora representatives will also visit the place, where the Shusha Declaration (between Azerbaijan and Turkiye) was signed, the house of Khurshidbanu Natavan, the Khan Qizi spring, the Ashaghi Govhar Agha, Yukhari Govhar Agha, and Saatli mosques and other sights.

Moreover, the visitors will also get acquainted with the reconstruction and improvement work in Shusha.

The trip took place with the organizational support of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan

The committee has previously organized four trips of diaspora representatives to Shusha city in 2021 (July 27, August 17, October 9, and December 2).

Currently, work is underway to restore Azerbaijan's liberated lands. Azerbaijan will rebuild its recently liberated areas in four stages. The initial stage includes the solution of the issues of governance and security, and infrastructure, while the subsequent stages include the solution of the issues of social services activities, reconstruction, and development of the economy.

In 2021, Azerbaijan allocated $1.5 billion for the reconstruction of liberated territories, followed by AZN 2.2 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2022. These funds will be used primarily to restore infrastructure (electricity, gas, water, communications, roads, education, health, and so on) as well as cultural and historical monuments.
Kabul: A bomb was reportedly detonated near the main gate of Gurdwara Karta Parwan in Kabul, Afghanistan, a day after the Taliban regime reportedly urged its minority communities to return, saying it raised their security concerns. was removed. However, no casualties have been reported in this incident.

The gurdwara was the scene of a deadly terror attack a month ago by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed the lives of two people, one of whom was a Sikh, and ransacked the iconic building.

According to India World Forum President Puneet Singh Chandok, the blast took place at a store selling herbal medicines run by a Sikh family of Afghan origin. The fact that the blast took place in broad daylight and targeted a store owned by a Sikh 'hakim' in a street near the gurdwara was a worrying incident. He said members of the Sikh and Hindu communities were safe.

Another viral video shows the owner of a store selling herbal remedies explaining how a "time bomb" was placed in his business over lunch.

The violence has been directed at Afghanistan's religious minorities, including the Sikh community.

If the Taliban's repeated attacks on minorities are any indication, their claims that they have taken control of Afghanistan since 2021 are baseless. It is known that since the time the Taliban took control, 167 Sikhs and Hindus have lived in the troubled country of Afghanistan. Of these, five are without passport. All of them submitted e-through application (emergency visa).

Ever since the Indian government started issuing e-visas to help them in their safe evacuation, this number has come down. According to Chandok, 109 e-visas have already been issued, and around 60 applications are still pending. To save the lives of his brothers who were in danger of losing him, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action. "We urge them to intervene," he said.

By providing airfare and resettlement in India, SGPC has also provided humanitarian assistance. A total of 11 and 21 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, including three children and an infant, were airlifted on special commercial flights from Kabul on June 30 and July 14, thanks to the Sikh body's collaboration with the World Forum. They were allowed to stay in Gurudwaras in New Delhi.
A British tourist, aged22, was killed by a helicopter blade as he attempted to snap a selfie in Greece. Now three crew members are under arrest, a report said.

Jack Fenton had just gotten off a chartered Bell 407 at a helipad outside Athens when he was hit by the still-spinning rear rotors. Our inquiry has focused on possible negligence, a police official said.

Basic questions have emerged from witness testimony as to why the blades were not at a standstill when passengers were permitted to disembark on Monday. Fenton was on his way back from a family tour on a ritzy Greek island at the time, as per reports.

Fenton reportedly got off the helicopter and headed to its rear not realizing the blades were still spinning and died instantly. A second helicopter carrying his parents was diverted so they would not t have to see the gruesome aftermath, the report added.

A police union head said the propeller blades run for about two minutes when the engine is turned off unless the pilot hits a button that can stop them in about 50 seconds. The helicopter door has no security, anyone who wants to open the door and get out, Girgos Kalliakmanis told local media, the report concluded.

Saudi Arabia, Greece to explore further bilateral cooperation

Saudi Crown Prince unveils new city design to promote green lifestyle

Tokyo street rampage: Japan executes prisoner who killed 7
BEIJING: Tensions over Taiwan, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are potential subjects for a call this week between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the White House said on Tuesday, but the US leader's decision to take is not likely. Removal of duties on Chinese goods before the two speak.

Management of economic competition between the two countries will also be the focus of the call, which is expected to take place on Thursday, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

It will be the fifth call between the leaders, and it comes as China has issued a stern warning to the Biden administration about US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to democratically-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Kirby said of the topics to be discussed, from Taiwan tensions to the Ukraine war as well as how we better manage the competition between our two countries, especially in the economic sphere.

"This is a long-planned call, and these two leaders already have a very strong agenda of topics for discussion. The administration is debating whether to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods to stimulate the US economy, but Kirby said no decision was expected before the call.

President Biden wants a review of existing tariffs to ensure that they align with our strategic economic priorities, that they are in our best national interests, and, clearly, that they are in the best interests of the American people, but They haven't made that decision, Kirby said.

The senior official, however, made it clear that Biden is dissatisfied with the tariffs, which imposed a 25% tariff on billions of dollars in Chinese imports in retaliation for US claims that unfair trade practices routinely by Beijing.

Regarding Pelosi's plans, Kirby said the House speaker is in line for the presidency, and as such, his foreign travel is a matter of US national security. However, she was the only one who could decide about her journey.

He claims that Beijing's "belikcity" in its rhetoric about a possible visit only serves to heighten tensions. We find this to be unhelpful and certainly not necessary given the circumstances.

The United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan under its one-China policy, but is required by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Despite speculation about Pelosi's possible visit, the White House has immediately reiterated that position.

Monkeypox is a 'health emergency' is being considered by the Biden administration.

The South China Sea is not a "Safari Park" for countries outside the region

Russia broadens its war plans for Ukraine as fatalities increase
New Delhi:: External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar is set to embark on Uzbekistan tomorrow, July 28, to take part in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.

At the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting, Jaishankar will meet next to his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto. This would be Bhutto's first face-to-face meeting with EAM Jaishankar after the creation of the new coalition government in Islamabad of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Shehbaz Sharif.

Jaishankar is attending the conference at the invitation of the Republic of Uzbekistan's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Norov, MEA said. The meeting is significant because the Foreign Ministers will hold discussions and prepare for the future Council of Heads of State meeting in Samarkand on September 15-16, 2022. The meeting assumes significance in the expansion of the SCO Organization and exchange perspectives on regional and global trends of mutual importance.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also be attending the meeting Jaishankar may hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the conclusion of the just concluded 16th round of negotiations between India and China's military commanders to resolve the standoff along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

If the bilateral talks take place, the meeting between Jaishankar and Wang might open the door for a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both are expected to attend the SCO meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15 and 16.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, the 20th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was conducted on November 25, 2021, in Nur-Sultan via video conference under the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan, and Jaishankar represented India in the meeting.

India extends LOCs worth USD1850.64 mn to SL in past

EAM Jaishankar wishes Belgium on National Day

India committed to enhancing capacity building among African youth: EAM
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo held discussions in Tokyo on Wednesday, July 27, ahead of this year's Group of 20 major economies' summit in Bali in November which Widodo will host.

Following the leaders' summit meeting, Kishida announced a joint press conference that Indonesia had abolished all limitations on Japanese food imports imposed in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Kishida expressed gratitude for the decision, saying that easing import restrictions on food products from seven previously impacted prefectures would "support people in disaster-stricken areas." Widodo, for his part, stated that he has asked Japan to reduce or eliminate duties on Indonesian tuna, pineapples, and bananas.

Kishida also expressed his sympathies for the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot during a stump speech earlier this month.

Widodo will finish his visit to Japan with a meeting with Emperor Naruhito later in the day before departing for South Korea, according to Xinhua reports, citing government officials at Tokyo.

In a bid to the triple meltdown accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., Indonesia had required radiation-free certificates for imports of meat, vegetables and other food products from Miyagi, Yamagata and 5 other Japanese prefectures.

EU nations agree to reduce 15 pc of their gas use

Taliban gets a vow of economic aid from Russia, Uzbekistan

Saudi Arabia, Greece to explore further bilateral cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Despite the loss of foreign exchange reserves and "pressure" on the national currency, the country will not "default" on its foreign debt, according to Pakistan's Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. The price of Pakistani rupee reached a record low of 232.92 against the US dollar at the end of trading on Tuesday.

The finance minister, who was appointed as a member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet in April, said that over the next three months, the government would "moderate" its imports while attempting to boost exports.

Additionally, he noted that "revision" imports may have contributed to a reduction in the current account deficit (CAD), which he estimated at about $10 billion. Apart from clearing the finances, we aim to reduce the CAD to zero to meet the current account deficit.

The minister also said that over the next 12 months, Islamabad will pay about $21 billion in external obligations.

He also said that Pakistan owes a total of $81 billion to foreign creditors, most of whom were bilateral lenders such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China.

In addition to 800 billion rupees ($ 3.37 billion) in levies from fuel, the finance minister said the government expected to raise 775 billion Pakistani rupees ($ 3.27 billion) in export revenue during the current fiscal year. Additionally, he explained that the government's decision to end fuel subsidies was justified as the price of gasoline and diesel has increased by about a third since the Sharif administration took office.

The minister also defended the government's option to end subsidies for gasoline and diesel, prices of which have risen by nearly a third since the Sharif administration took office.

He claimed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had similar requirements before agreeing an employee-level agreement (SLA) with Islamabad this month, which included eliminating fuel and electricity subsidies.

He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also made it a requirement this month to eliminate fuel and electricity subsidies before an employee-level deal is agreed with Islamabad.

According to reports, subject to the approval of the IMF Board, the IMF has agreed to release a tranche of $1.1 billion under an Extended Financing Facility (EFF). According to Ismail, the Washington-based lender will give a total of $4 billion over the next 12 months.

Rising commodity prices, including a sharp rise in the price of crude oil in the international market, have added to Pakistan's economic crisis, which has been getting worse lately.

Major rating agencies like Fitch and Moody's have recently updated their projections for the country's growth. Last week, Fitch changed its forecast from "stable" to "negative."

'Pakistan is oppressing us..,' Baloch leader pleaded for help from PM Modi

Pakistani rupee falls further to PKR 231 per dollar

Salutations to those martyrs... Who dedicated their lives to the country
ATHENS : Greece and Saudi Arabia will explore further bilateral ties in multiple sectors with a focus on energy, as announced by the two countries during the two-day visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to Athens.

"We would like to explore further opportunities between our two countries and our two economies to partner and attract more Saudi investment into Greece," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in remarks welcoming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

"By connecting the electrical grid, we can deliver considerably cheaper renewable energy to Greece and southwest Europe via Greece... We are also working on hydrogen and how to make Greece a hydrogen hub for Europe. That changes everything for both of us "Mohammed bin Salman, for his part, stated. He also stated that trade and security will be discussed during his visit, according to the Xinhua news agency.

According to the Greek national news agency AMNA, Greek and Saudi private business groups are set to sign a number of agreements in the domains of maritime transport, aquaculture, waste management, culture, food and agricultural goods, construction, and defence technologies.

Nysas party look from Greece set the internet on fire

Tokyo street rampage: Japan executes prisoner who killed 7

US asks China to condemn Myanmar after execution of activists
Home  Business  Foreigners hold more than 6,000 megawatts of hydropower hostage, and Nepal is clueless about the project completion

For a long time, Nepal has been facing the problem of holding the hydropower projects, after receiving the survey and production licences for them. Not only domestic but some foreign companies are also procrastinating the licensed projects.

Most of these companies that hold the hydropower projects are from India and China. According to the Department of Electricity Development and Investment Board Nepal, the projects with over 6,000 megawatts are still waiting for investment. Some of the projects are directly held by foreign companies while a few others are taken hostage indirectly by foreign companies using various Nepali channels.

Projects completion in dilemma

File: West Seti river

The deadline for raising investments for the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project has been extended for another two years. In 2014 the government signed its project development agreement with an Indian company GMR. According to the agreement, GMR was supposed to collect investments within six months, but now, it has already been eight years and nothing has been accomplished as per the agreement. Moreover, it is still uncertain whether it will be able to accomplish the goal in these extended two years.

Earlier, the China Gezhouba Group Company was supposed to complete the Budhigandaki hydropower project within five years. This project has a capacity to produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity. However, their delay made the government take over the project on June 29, cancelling its licence and assigning a domestic company run by the government to look over it.

Nevertheless, this Nepali company might not be reliable as it was unsuccessful to complete the projects on time. The projects that it withheld after receiving the survey licence are the Dandagaun-Khalang-Bheri hydropower project (128 megawatts), Bheri-1 (440 megawatts) and Bheri-2 (256 megawatts).

Meanwhile, the Investment Board Nepal has decided to give a contract for building the West Seti Hydropower Project of 450 megawatts to an Indian company. The board has decided to hold a discussion with the Indian company National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) regarding the investment modality.

After the agreement with the Chinese company Three Gorges was withdrawn, the board on May 6, 2022, received a mandate to discuss investment modality with the Indian company.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that since Nepal cannot complete the West Seti Hydropower Project alone, the Indian company has been assigned to join it. There is no clarity on how the Indian company could complete the project left by the Australian Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) and the Chinese Three Gorges.

The problem of power

Upper Trishuli III A Hydropower Project site in Nuwakot

On May 12, Nepal Electricity Authority and Indian Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam sealed a deal to build the Arun-4 Hydropower Project (679 megawatts). Prime Minister Deuba, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kul Man Ghising and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Managing Director Nanda Lal Sharma signed the agreement.

On 2021, June 22, the Investment Board decided to give a contract for Lower Arun Hydropower Project (900 megawatts) to Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam. On July 11, an agreement was signed in this regard.

India was eyeing this project since 2016. After dissolving the parliament, the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli abruptly handed the project to an Indian company with an agreement to invest Rs 153 billion.

Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL) in coordination with Power China had proposed an investment structure for Lower Arun. Without evaluating the proposal that had a plan to free 25 per cent of electricity, the project was handed to Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, which was working on Arun III Hydropower Project (900 megawatts).

The Tamor reservoir-based Hydropower Project (756 megawatts) and Madi Multipurpose Hydropower Project (153 megawatts) have been handed to the Chinese company, Power China.

During the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019, the projects were handed to the Chinese company. But still, the construction work has not started.

In these projects, Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited will have an investment of 26 per cent and Power China will have an investment of 74 per cent. Nepal Electricity Authority was studying the Tamor project, which is now in the hands of Power China. But later, when the power centres started showing interest in it, the authority did not renew the licence and gave the project to China.

The Indian obstruction

Lately, India has adopted a policy of not buying electricity from the projects built with foreign investment and management, and it has hit Nepals hydropower sector hard. Even the projects that have already signed power purchase agreements with the authority have not been able to proceed with construction.

According to experts, India, treating electricity as a strategic commodity, is trying to discourage the increasing use of Chinese contracts, human resources and technology in Nepals hydropower projects.

The international electricity trade procedure issued by India on February 26, 2021, states that electricity of projects invested or controlled by individuals and companies of the countries that do not have a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the electricity sector with India will not be imported.

This provision has prevented the electricity generated by Nepali projects invested by China and Pakistan from going to India.

Currently, India is the only convenient market for the trade of electricity produced in Nepal. There is neither an electricity trade agreement nor an international transmission line with China. However, there is an electricity trade agreement with Bangladesh, but there is a complication as it has to pass through India. Due to this, the proposed Chinese investment is uncertain.

Ashish Shrestha, an undersecretary of the Department of Electricity Development says the department is mounting pressure to build the projects whose licence has already been issued, as soon as possible. However, he also says that projects are delayed due to the inability to raise financial investments on time.

This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
Description

***This is a Patrons-only program and registration is required***

6:30 p.m. Discussion

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Tune in live July 27 at 6:30pm New York Time for a free video webcast at #Asia Society/LIVE!

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Presenting the Ukraine/Russia Effect: a provocative discussion on art society and the world. Sandor Jaszberenyi editor in chief of The Continental Literary Magazine and a distinguished war correspondent for the Middle East has been working for SKYTV from Ukraine. He sees firsthand this war and its chilling effects. Our panel is seeking answers on the Ukrainian and Russian art now cultural colonialism implications in Asia and wondering can we blame Chekov?

Join us in-person for a Patrons-only cocktail reception and discussion with Asia Society and Sandor Jaszberenyi Editor in Chief of The Continental Literary Magazine.

To register for this special opportunity or join as a Patron of Asia Society please email patrons@asiasociety.org or call 212-327-9369.

The Continental Literary Magazine is a quarterly English-language literary magazine launched by the Petofi Cultural Agency. The magazine focuses on the literature of Central Europe with the aim of creating a platform for contemporary Hungarian and Central European fiction writers to stake out their place in the English-reading world and in particular the North American literary market.

Alongside English translations of works by some of the most promising budding writers from Central Europe the magazine will also include works by authors of fiction from the region who have already achieved world renown and established themselves as major writers in English translation. The English translations of works written in the languages of the region are done by a team of experienced translators who work in close collaboration with the authors. The magazine thus will help foster an engaging transatlantic discourse which will help Central Europe occupy a prominent place on the stage of contemporary world literature.

The Continental Literary Magazine which will offer readers a rich array of articles and writings on various themes from issue to issue is expected to have a circulation of around 3500 copies in the United States. Some of these issues will be targeted at literary opinion makers and people who play active roles in defining and redefining the canon while the rest will be available in major bookstores in the United States and Central Europe.

The magazine aspires to emerge as a familiar and influential player alongside traditional and established American literary magazines with familiar names and a large subscriber base such as The New Yorker The Paris Review The New York Review of Books The Nonconformist and The Atlantic.

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Description

The recent US Supreme Court Decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, struck a blow to American democracy and bodily autonomy by overturning the protections Roe v. Wade guaranteed for nearly 50 years. Before, during, and after the codification of abortion rights in the US, Yiddish writers from all over the world have captured a variety of circumstances and consequences surrounding the termination of pregnancy.

Join prominent feminist Yiddishishts and the Workers Circle in a Zoom meeting for stories and poems about abortion written by female Yiddish authors  including some translated to English for the first time. Workers Circle CEO, Ann Toback, will help audiences relate these historical depictions to their current plight for reproductive justice and share ways people can have their voices heard.

Stories and poems by Shira Gorshman, Blume Lempel, Kadia Molodowsky, Chava Rosenfarb, and Rosa Gutman and presented and/or translated by Eve Jochnowitz, Chana Pollack, Ellen Cassedy, Faith Jones, and Amanda Miriam-Khaye Seigel.

This program is free, but Workers Circle welcomes an $18 suggested donation that will go towards strengthening their world-renowned Yiddish program and engaging their community in social justice activism.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani serviceman was injured in a landmine blast in the liberated Kalbajar District on the evening of July 26, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has reported.

The commander of an X military unit of the Defense Ministry, Vugar Isbandiyarov, was immediately hospitalized after the blast.

However, the ministry denied social media claims that several servicemen of the Azerbaijani army were injured in the explosion.

The ministry noted that those statements were wide off the mark.

"We inform you that the Ministry of Defense has provided official information about the serviceman V. Isbandiyarov, who was injured as a result of a mine explosion. We once again urge users of social networks not to replicate information that has not been officially confirmed," the ministry added.

Moreover, the Kalbajar military prosecutor's office said that the employees of the agency inspected the scene, appointed a forensic medical examination, and performed other procedural actions.

The preliminary investigation established that Vugar Isbandiyarov, while on duty in the territory of the village of Jamilli, Kalbajar District, received serious bodily injuries as a result of an explosion on an anti-personnel mine. A criminal case was initiated on the case by the Military Prosecutor's Office of Kalbajar District under Article 29, 120.2.12 (premeditated murder, attempted murder based on national, racial, religious hatred) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Investigation continues," the prosecutor's office said.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

Previously, on June 12, Azerbaijan handed over 15 Armenian prisoners in exchange for a map detailing the location of 97,000 mines in formerly-occupied Aghdam.

On July 3, Armenia submitted to Azerbaijan maps of about 92,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines planted during the occupation of Fuzuli and Zangilan districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russian-brokered peace agreement on November 10, 2020, to end the 44-day fighting in Karabakh and work toward a comprehensive peace deal.
AM Resources Corp.

MONTREAL, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AM Resources Corporation (AM or the Corporation) (TSXV: AMR) (Frankfurt: 76A) is providing an update to its previously disclosed management cease trade order (MCTO), initially announced on April 29, 2022, in respect of the audited annual financial statements and corresponding managements discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021, including the CEO and CFO certifications, as well as the interim financial statements and corresponding managements discussion and analysis for the period ended March 31, 2022, including the CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the Financial Documents) that were not filed by their respective filing deadlines of April 30, 2022 and May 30, 2022 (the Filing Deadlines).



As previously disclosed, the Financial Documents were not filed on or before the Filing Deadlines due to the delay in the completion of the audit of the Corporations financial statements before the Filing Deadlines. The Corporation is working closely with the auditor to finalize the audit and provides an update that the expected filing date of the Financial Documents is now no later than August 19, 2022. The Corporation will provide updates as further information relating to the Financial Documents becomes available.

The MCTO will be in effect until the Financial Documents are filed.

Until the Financial Documents are filed, the Corporation intends to issue bi-weekly default status reports in accordance with National Policy 12-203  Management Cease Trade Orders. The Corporation intends to satisfy the provisions of the Alternative Information Guidelines during the period it remains in default of the filing requirements. The Corporation confirms that there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

About AM Resources

AM Resources Corporation (TSXV: AMR) is a mining exploration company with interests in coal and natural bitumen projects in Colombia. AM is betting on Colombia's excellent mineral potential and favourable climate to pursue its Colombian venture.

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Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information:

David Grondin

AM Resources Corporation

President and Chief Executive Officer

1-514-360-0576

www.am-resources.com








Precedence Research

According to Precedence Research, the global antimicrobial coatings market size is projected to surpass around USD 30.2 billion by 2030 from valued at USD 10 billion in 2021.

Tokyo, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global antimicrobial coatings market is expected to drive growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.07% over the forecast period 2022 to 2030.



Regional Insights

The North American region is expected to have a dominant position in the antimicrobial coatings market. This region is expected to have a dominant position due to the presence of various manufacturing companies in this region especially the United States. As soon as we know increase in the demand for the use of antimicrobial coatings in the medical industry the market is expected to grow well. The presence of the policies of the government that ensure better health care facilities for the public will drive the market growth of this region during the forecast period. Increased use of antimicrobial coatings in the food and beverages industry in the United States will also drive the market growth during the forecast period.

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Increased living standards and the way ability of better health care facilities or infrastructure in the United States will drive the market growth. There has been a growth in the research and development activities that shall boost the market in the coming years. The United States happens to be the leading market in the entire world. The facilities that are available in the United States are the best as compared to any other regions. These factors are expected to drive the market growth of this region. In order to prevent the spread of any infections from the health care facilities of this region government in the North American region is taking many steps to ensure the scene.

Apart from the North American region the Asia Pacific region is also expected to grow well during the forecast period as there has been an increase in the demand for antimicrobial coatings in the pharmaceutical industry as well as the construction industry. Increase in the number of patients and the frequent visits to hospitals will drive the market growth in this region. The outbreak of pandemic has also created a great demand for antimicrobial coatings in the developing nations of the Asia Pacific region.

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Key Takeaways:

By application, the medical devices segment has reached highest revenue share of 42.5% in 2021.

By product, the surface modifications and coatings segment has reached 53% revenue share in 2021.

North America has garnered largest revenue share of 44% in 2021.

Europe region is anticipated to hit at a CAGR of 12.5% between 2022 to 2030.

By type, the silver-based segment is anticipated to hit at a CAGR of 12.1% between 2022 to 2030.





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Scope of the Report

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 10 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 30.2 Billion CAGR 13.07% from 2022 to 2030 Largest Market North America Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2030 Key Players AkzoNobel (Netherlands), BASF SE (Germany), Burke Industrial Coatings LLC (US), DuPont de Nemours (US), RPM International Inc. (Japan), The Sherwin-Williams Company (US), and Others.

Report Highlights

On the basis of application , the healthcare and medical segment will dominate the market as is a great demand for antimicrobial coatings Indus industry. As a large number of infections are contracted through the visits to the health care facilities the demand for antimicrobial coatings is expected to be more through this sector.

Governments are also taking initiatives in order to make it mandatory to use medical devices that have antimicrobial coating which shall be extremely beneficial in preventing the spread of various diseases.

The surface modifications and coatings product will also have a larger market share and it has dominated the market in the past. The quality of this product too alters the surface will drive the market growth during the forecast period.





Market dynamics

Drivers

The demand for antimicrobial coatings has grown to a great extent in the recent years due to its increased use in the healthcare sector as well as the medical industry. There has been an increase in the awareness regarding the use of these coatings and there has been an increase in the investments made by the governments in order to implement the use of these coatings.

Many infections are transferred through the hospitals to the patient and caused a large number of deaths every year and in order to prevent these deaths caused due to infections that affect the humans entering these hospitals and prove fatal at times will be reduced to a great extent due to the use of antimicrobial coatings. Increase in the number of surgeries and procedures at these health care facilities increases the risk of transferring the infections or diseases.

The medical devices used in the health care facilities transfer a large amount of bacteria it's because many diseases. The government of the North American region as well as the European region is taking steps to support the use of antimicrobial coatings across its healthcare infrastructure all of these factors are expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period.

Restraints

Most of the medical devices are coated but there is a huge difference in the cost of the traditional coating used in the medical devices and the antimicrobial coatings as the antimicrobial coatings are expensive it shall be a reason that will hamper the growth of the market during the forecast period.

The high cost of the products might have antimicrobial coating shall affect the developing nations to a great extent. As the per capita income in the developing nations is low and the purchasing power is also less the demand for these products will be limited in the developing nations.

Opportunities

After the pandemic there has been a great demand for antimicrobial coatings in many industries. Major manufacturers and startups are also focusing on providing antimicrobial coatings in the form of a protective layer even for the clothes which will be extremely beneficial in preventing the spread of the pandemic. In the recent years there has been a growth in the fear and concern regarding the hygiene.

High demand for antimicrobial products has created a need for the manufacturers to come up with goods that are antimicrobial in nature. There has been a major change in the preference of the consumers. And there's growing demand for antimicrobial products will drive the market growth of the antimicrobial coatings during the forecast period.

Challenges

The materials that are used for the antimicrobial coating maybe toxic and cause a few medical conditions due to a prolonged use. There is an increased risk of having skin diseases or trouble with breathing due to a prolonged exposure to different coatings that are made up of copper or silver. These small particles enter the human body through the air and it may have in effects on various organs and tissues.

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Recent Developments

In the year 2020 Antimicrobial surface coating was developed which was a polymer-based coating. This polymer-based coating was developed for the textiles industry by Jyoty Institute of Technology.





Market Segmentation

By Product

Antimicrobial Powder Coatings Silver Copper Chitosan Titanium Dioxide Aluminum Copper Zinc Gallium Other

Surface Modifications & Coatings E. Coli Listeria Pseudomonas Others







By Application

Medical devices

Construction

Air conditioning and ventilation

Food processing and packaging

Antimicrobial textiles

Sanitary facilities and kitchen

By Material

Graphene Materials

Silver Nanoparticles

Polycationic Hydrogel

Polymer Brushes

Dendrimers

Others

By Resin Type

Epoxy

Acrylic

Polyurethane

Polyester

Others





By Form

Liquid

Powder

Aerosol





By End-Users

Pharmaceutical Industry

Paints and Coatings Market

Packaging Industry

Textiles Industry

Electronics Industry

Metal Industry

Water Treatment Industry

Others

By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa (MEA)





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NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BizVibe, a business intelligence platform providing detailed company data for both buyers and suppliers, has recently added new insights for the converted paper product manufacturing industry. This platform contains 30M public and private company profiles spanning across 300+ industries and 200+ countries, and features more than 9,000 converted paper product companies. These company profiles range from global market leaders to specialized paper product manufacturers, with each profile containing 50+ unique insights.

Snapshot of company insights for BizVibe's converted paper product manufacturing industry group.

View all converted paper product company profiles. Try for Free!

Company profiles provide the following insights:

Company summary

Product and service offerings

Risk level report

Financial reports and management team contacts

Similar companies and competitors (by region)

Industry trends and challenges

Real-time news updates

Converted Paper Product Manufacturing Industry Insights: Trends and Challenges

The global paper industry is shifting towards sustainability and increasingly embracing recycled paper in production. Demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products from customers is the largest factor driving this shift.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to lockdowns and restrictions, impacting the trade of converted paper products and creating delays in shipping. Closed and delayed trade routes have led to disruptions in the number of converted paper products that get shipped top all over parts of the world. Additionally, closures or delays in trade routes affect raw material shipping needed for paper products, affecting both the supply chain and price of raw materials.

Converted Paper Product Company Insights on BizVibe: Top Players and Specialized Manufacturers

Some of the public and private converted paper product manufacturing companies on BizVibe include:

Market Leaders:

International Paper

WestRock

Oji Holdings

Nippon Paper Industries

UPM

Specialized Manufacturers:

EnviroPAK

Brodrene Hartmann A/S

Huhtamaki

Amusen Filter Paper Co., Ltd.

Twin Rivers Paper Company

Story continues

View 50+ insights for all converted paper product companies

Key Segments Covered

BizVibe's converted paper product manufacturing industry insights cover the following segments.

Top Converted Paper Product Categories:

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturers

Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturers

Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturers

Stationery Product Manufacturers

Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturers

Miscellaneous Converted Paper Product Categories:

Paper Novelties Manufacturers

Molded Pulp Product Manufacturers

Crepe Paper Manufacturers

Die-Cut Paper Product Manufacturers

Learn more about company insights for this industry

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BizVibe is transforming the way buyers and sellers do business online. Our supplier intelligence and sales intelligence tools provide best-in-class company insights to help businesses discover, track, monitor, and evaluate companies of interest. BizVibe's platform contains more than 30 million company profiles, each packed with 50+ unique insights. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com or start your free trial today.

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Growing adoption of working from home owing to COVID-19 and the recent rise in urbanization globally along with wide-ranging benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market realized by the AEC industry is contributing to the growth of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market. The increasing trend of IoT in the manufacturing and construction sector also with the increasing trend of BIM in organization standards to adopt ISO 19650 in the market act as a growth opportunity for the market players.



The market size stood at USD 5,721.4 Million in 2021. The Global Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market size is expected to reach USD 1,1172.5 Million by 2028, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.8% during the forecast period. states Vantage Market Research, in a report, titled Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Deployment Type (On Premises Deployment, Cloud Deployment), by Offering Type (Software, Services), by Project Lifecycle (Pre-Construction, Construction, Operation), by Application (Buildings, Industrial, Civil Infrastructure, Oil & Gas), by End User (AEC Professionals, Consultants & Facility Managers, Other End Users), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America) - Global Industry Assessment (2016 - 2021) & Forecast (2022 - 2028)

Please Check Out Our Free Sample Reports and Make a More Informed Decision:

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(Sample reports are a great way to test our in-depth reports or study before you make a purchase)

The newly updated, 140+ page reports provide an in-depth analysis of the COVID-19 virus and pandemic.

Using industry data and interview with experts, you can learn about topics such as regional impact analysis, global forecast, competitive landscape analysis, size & share of regional markets.

We offer these reports in PDF format so you can read them on your computer and print them out.

Free sample includes, Industry Operating Conditions, Industry Market Size, Profitability Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Industry Major Players, Historical and Forecast, Growth Porter's 5 Forces Analysis, Revenue Forecasts, Industry Trends, Industry Financial Ratios.

The report also presents the country-wise and region-wise analysis of the Vantage Market Research and includes a detailed analysis of the key factors affecting the growth of the market.

Sample Report further sheds light on the Major Market Players with their Sales Volume, Business Strategy and Revenue Analysis, to offer the readers an advantage over others.

Story continues

Key Insights & Findings from the Report:

According to our primary respondents research, the Building Information Modeling (BIM) market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of roughly 11.8% during the forecast period.

The Building Information Modeling (BIM) market was estimated to be worth roughly USD 5,721.4 Million in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 1,1172.5 Million by 2028; based on primary research.

On the basis of region, Asia Pacific is projected to dominate the worldwide Building Information Modeling (BIM) market.





Market Dynamics :

Driver:

Increasing urbanization across the globe

In recent years lots of new technology has been invented that helps them in various ways. Urbanization and industrialization in several countries across the globe are increasing worldwide. Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market software is a new way to design construction projects. This software has several benefits for various professionals, including architects, engineers, construction workers, etc., as demand for houses increases, which will positively affect this market. This software allows the architect to recognize the construction problem earlier. This ability of the software will benefit the construction sector as it prevents future costly adjustments in the project design, and any changes in the project data are visible to all the workers.

Restrain:

High cost of BIM

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market software is typically priced on a user-based subscription model. A popular SaaS solution can charge between $35 and $300 per month. Most BIM software solutions also require some form of training that can cost up to $2,000 on top of what you're already paying, and the price of the Revit subscription is A$450 monthly, A$3,580 annually, or A$10,205 for three years. If some of your users only occasionally use Revit, consider buying tokens to access it for 24 hours at a time. Although this software prevents future high-cost construction adjustments, Because of the high initial cost, it may hinder the market growth.

Purchase This Premium Report (Price 4500 USD for a single-user license) at @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/buy-now/building-information-modeling-market-1759/0

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Segmentation of the Global Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market:

Deployment Type On-Premises Deployment Cloud Deployment

Offering Type Software Services

Project Lifecycle Pre-Construction Construction Operation

Application Buildings Industrial Civil Infrastructure Oil & Gas Utilities Other Applications

End User AEC Professionals Consultants & Facility Managers Other End Users

Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa







Read Full Research Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/building-information-modeling-market-1759

COVID-19 Impact Analysis:

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected various industries worldwide. Governments across the world implemented strict lockdown measures and social distancing norms in order to restrict the swift spread of the pandemic. Manufacturing facilities around the world were shut down during the initial stages of the pandemic. Moreover, the economic crisis after the pandemic might lead to a significant delay in the commercial roll-out of the manufacturing industry. Small and medium-scale companies are the backbone of technology providers and are witnessing a steep drop in revenue since the emergence of the pandemic in 2020.

Hence, market players faced numerous challenges as disruptions in the supply chain were observed. However, things will improve in the second half of 2022 as more supplies will come online. The impact of COVID-19 on the market demand is considered while estimating the current and forecast market size and growth trends of the market for all the regions and countries based on the following data points:

Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Quarterly Market Revenue Forecast by Asia Pacific 2020 & 2021 Key Strategies Undertaken by Companies to Tackle COVID-19 Long Term Dynamics Short Term Dynamics

The report on Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market highlights :

Assessment of the market

Premium Insights

Competitive Landscape

COVID Impact Analysis

Historical Data, Estimates and Forecast

Company Profiles

Global and Regional Dynamics





Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 143 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Deployment Type (On Premises Deployment, Cloud Deployment), by Offering Type (Software, Services), by Project Lifecycle (Pre-Construction, Construction, Operation), by Application (Buildings, Industrial, Civil Infrastructure, Oil & Gas), by End User (AEC Professionals, Consultants & Facility Managers, Other End Users), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America) - Global Industry Assessment (2016 - 2021) & Forecast (2022 - 2028)".

Regional Analysis :

is expected to dominate the growth of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market in 2021. Rising urbanization and technological adoption in the construction industry are expected to support market expansion. is the earlier adopter of advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market technology, which is a lately designed innovative approach to design and construction. Contractors, engineers, and architects are increasingly adopting BIM, and the count is growing considerably. They are using the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market process to improve efficiency during a project's design and construction phases, reduce project-related errors, and gain a high return on investments.

List of Prominent Players in the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market:

Autodesk

Nemetschek

Bentley Systems

Trimble

Dassault Systems

Rib Software

Asite

Aveva

Hexagon

Archidata

Recent Developments:

In July 2021, Graphisoft, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market software solution developer for architecture, announced significant enhancements to BIMx and BIM cloud to boost security, storage space, and visualization and collaboration capabilities. In addition, the new 3D BIMx engine is available for Android users as well.

In May 2021, ALLPLAN, a global provider of Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market solutions for the AEC industry, presented an update of its cloud-based data management and collaboration platform, Bimplus. The latest release offers a wide range of new and improved functions for handling Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market models, clear document management, and the integration of guest viewers, which provides a truly digital environment for model collaboration.

In May 2020, Autodesk launched the upgraded version of the Autodesk Construction Cloud software with the release of a new platform called Autodesk Construction Cloud Connect. The upgraded version has several new application programming interfaces (APIs), enabling custom connections for BIM 360 and PlanGrid, as well as 15 new native integrations. Thus, the total number of directly integrated platforms in the Autodesk Construction Cloud ecosystem is more than 140.

In June 2021, The Nemetschek Group announced that its brands Allplan and SDS2 will join forces to create a strong and customer-focused product portfolio of BIM solutions for the entire structural workflow. With the merger, Allplana global provider of BIM design software solutions headquartered in Germanyis completing its offering with engineering detailing software for steel.

In October 2020, Autodesk, Inc. completed the acquisition of Pype and its portfolio of cloud-based software solutions for the construction industry.

In October 2020, POWERCHINA Huadong Engineering uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market capabilities of Bentley Systems to provide the foundation of a Digital Twin and transform the ancient Chinese city of Shaoxing.

Key questions answered in the report:

Which regional market will show the highest and rapid growth?

Which are the top five players of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market?

How will the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market change in the upcoming six years?

Which application and product will take a lions share of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market?

What is the Building Information Modeling (BIM) market drivers and restrictions?

What will be the CAGR and size of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market throughout the forecast period?

This market titled Building Information Modeling (BIM) Market will cover exclusive information in terms of Regional Analysis, Forecast, and Quantitative Data  Units, Key Market Trends, and various others as mentioned below:

Parameter Details Market Size Provided for Years 2016-2028 Base Year 2021 Historic Years 2016-2020 Forecast Years 2022-2028 Segments Covered Deployment Type On-Premises Deployment Cloud Deployment

Offering Type Software Services

Project Lifecycle Pre-Construction Construction Operation

Application Buildings Industrial Civil Infrastructure Oil & Gas Utilities Other Applications

End User AEC Professionals Consultants & Facility Managers Other End Users

Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa

Region & Counties Covered North America U.S. Canada Mexico

Europe U.K France Germany Italy Spain Rest Of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South East Asia Rest Of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest Of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest Of Middle East & Africa

Companies Covered Autodesk

Nemetschek

Bentley Systems

Trimble

Dassault Systems

Rib Software

Asite

Aveva

Hexagon

Archidata Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porters five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, technology landscape, patent analysis, market attractiveness analysis by segments and North America, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis

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Dollar General Corp (NYSE: DG) plans to build three new distribution centers in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Aurora, Colorado and Salem, Oregon.

The plan represents about $480 million in combined investment.

Collectively, the facilities are estimated to create up to 1,100 total career opportunities at full capacity.

The facilities, each about one million square feet, will also support the company's growing DG Private Fleet presence.

"We look forward to breaking ground on these new projects, which will help us not only better serve our customers and communities, but also combine efficiencies of our DG Fresh and traditional supply chains," said Tony Zuazo, EVP of global supply chain.

DG currently plans for the DG Private Fleet to represent 40% of its drivers by the end of FY22.

Price Action: DG shares are trading higher by 0.82% at $243.37 on the last check Wednesday.

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 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
DPCM Capital Inc.

NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire  DPCM Capital Inc. (NYSE: XPOA) today announces its placement in an editorial published by NetworkNewsWire ("NNW"), one of 50+ trusted brands within the InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company for private and public entities.

To view the full publication, Quantum Computing Has Arrived, please visit: https://nnw.fm/FVwmB

The worlds first commercial supplier of quantum computers, D-Wave Systems Inc. (D-Wave) is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services and is the only company building both annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers. D-Waves customers include more than two dozen of the Forbes Global 2000 companies, including Volkswagen, Accenture, NEC Corporation and Lockheed Martin.

Of major interest is that D-Wave is working to complete a business combination transaction (Business Combination) with blank-check company DPCM Capital Inc. (NYSE: XPOA) to bring it public. In geekdom, D-Wave is already a household name, but as a public company, it is expected to gain even greater recognition for its products and services by helping to bring quantum computing into the mainstream.

About DPCM Capital Inc.

DPCM Capital, a special purpose acquisition company, on Feb. 9, 2022, announced its entry into a definitive transaction agreement with D-Wave Systems Inc., a company with approximately 20 years of experience in pioneering superconducting annealing quantum computers. Upon closing of the transaction, shares of D-Wave Quantum Inc., which will be the newly formed parent company of D-Wave Systems and DPCM Capital, are expected to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol QBTS. Subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, the transaction is expected to enhance D-Waves leadership in commercial quantum computing and accelerate quantum use cases into significant customer segments.

Story continues

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to XPOA are available in the companys newsroom at https://ibn.fm/XPOA

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness.

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FILE PHOTO: The Manhattan Federal Courthouse is seen in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. congressman Stephen Buyer pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday to insider trading charges over purchases of Sprint shares before the telecommunications company merged with T-Mobile US Inc in 2018.

Prosecutors have accused Buyer, a 63-year-old who represented Indiana as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1993 and 2011, of making $349,000 in profit from the Sprint trades and another insider scheme in 2019. Buyer had been a T-Mobile consultant at the time of its merger with Sprint.

William Schwartz, a lawyer for Buyer, told U.S. District Judge Richard Berman at a hearing that Buyer did not receive material inside information before his trades.

"We think that the case is weak, frankly," Schwartz said.

Berman set bail at $250,000 and ordered Buyer not to leave the continental United States. Another court appearance was scheduled for Aug. 31.

Buyer was one of seven people arrested this week on insider trading charges, as part of a crackdown on financial crime by Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan.

A former Goldman Sachs banker, a former FBI trainee and a technology executive were among those arrested. The seven defendants also face parallel civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
Company Logo

Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Flame Retardants Market by Type, by Application by End Use - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Flame Retardants Market was valued at $8.20 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach $13.60 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period 2022-2030

Flame Retardants are a diverse group of chemicals that are applied on textile, wood, plastic or semiconductors in order to prevent fast growth of fire.

Use of flame retardants play a vital defensive role in saving property and lives by decreasing the fire risk associated with the usage of highly combustible materials in products such as plastic, textile and many more. For instance, steel is coated with flame retardants to provide thermal insulations in case of fire. Flame retardants are also used in forest fire in order to reduce the speed of fire spread.



Market Dynamics and Trends:



Flame retardants market has been witnessing rapid growth in sales due to the growing industrialization and rising number of newly constructed commercial buildings. Flame retardants, when added to materials increases its durability and makes it fire-proof. For instance, in the aircraft manufacturing industries, flame retardants are used in panels, carpet and flooring to minimize the risk of fire. Furthermore, the high productivity and low cost are some of the factors leading to the growth of flame retardants market.



On the contrary, the health risks associated with flame retardants such as endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, cancer, etc. hinders the market growth. However, the producers of flame retardants have responded to these concerns, and are developing more environmentally compatible products, mainly non-halogenated alternatives.

Also, the sudden growth in demand for flame retardants in industries manufacturing aircrafts, vehicles, electronic appliance, buildings and many more to avoid fire and for other applications, will be the key factor providing opportunities for the flame retardant market growth.



Geographical Analysis:



North-America has been dominant in the consumption of flame retardants compared to other regions due to the increasing fire safety regulations. According to the report, North America itself has around 8 million buildings which require fire safety measures.

Story continues

Furthermore, the expansion of industries and the construction of innumerable commercial buildings with proper fire safety measures is another reason favouring the growth of flame retardant market. However, the region of Asia Pacific will witness greater consumption of flame retardants due to the rapid rise in population and migration of people from rural to urban areas making it densely populated.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Rising Demand for Flame Retardants from the Building and Construction Sector

Growing Demand of Fire Retardants from the Electrical & Electronic Goods Industries

Increasing Regulations Regarding Fire and Safety

Restraints

Environmental and Health Concerns Related to Use of Flame Retardants

Negative Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Flame Retardants Market

Opportunities

Development, Innovation, and Launch of Fire Retardant Products

Company Profiles

Akzo Nobel N.V.

Albemarle Corporation

BASF SE

Broadview Technologies Inc.

Clariant Corporation

Dover Corporation

ICL Industrial Products

Lanxess AG

Nabaltec AG

The Dow Chemical Company

Key Segments:



Global Flame Retardant Market- By Type

Brominated Flame Retardants

Alumina Trihydrate

Antimony Trioxide

Phosphorus Flame Retardants

Others (Chlorinated Flame Retardants and Boron Compounds)

Global Flame Retardant Market - By Application

Unsaturated Polyester Resins

Epoxy Resins

PVC

Rubber

Polyolefins

Others (Engineering Thermoplastics and PET)

Global Flame Retardant Market - By End Use Industry

Construction

Automotive & Transportation

Electronics

Others (Textiles, Aerospace, and Adhesives)

Global Flame Retardant Market - By Geography

North America

U.S.

Mexico

Canada

Europe

Germany

UK

Russia

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

India

China

Japan

Rest of Asia-Pacific

RoW

Brazil

South Africa

Turkey

Remaining countries

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/u2fruz

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Temecula, CA, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Warming Solutions, Inc., (OTC: GWSO), a worldwide developer of technologies that help mitigate global warming and its effects on the planet, joins forces with Creative Engineers, a leading process engineering company specializing in alkaline metals.

GWSO is accelerating the progress of its leading-edge sodium battery after its partner AQST signs an agreement with Creative Engineers. Following GWSOs May 2022 partnership with AQST, a leader in aviation, aerospace, and design implementation, strategically located inside NASAs: John C. Stennis Space Center, the two companies have jointly worked together to finalize the development design and prototype of the sodium battery. Now Creative Engineers will join the duo as a consultant, leveraging their innovative engineering experience capabilities to design, build, and pilot-scale systems.

Creative Engineers' expertise in alkali metals like sodium potassium (NaK) provides significant advantages in the process engineering of liquid metal sodium potassium handling, transportation, and reaction system. Together the three companies aim to increase the efficiency, safety, and quality of the upcoming sodium battery.

Our AQST design, development, and leadership teams are very excited to deliver to GWSO in only six weeks the designs and full-scale 3Dprinted modules of the next generation of power source technologies to produce electricity and zero-emission internal combustion fuels. At AQST, we are very excited and fully committed, working round the clock to accelerate the development of this new technology. We are confident this will be the next big transformative technology for the green energy market., said Ramon Caldas, Chief Executive Officer of AQST.

For this first phase, the GWSO-AQST team worked together, assigning the best resources and technologies to complete this phase in a very short time. The technical team included recognized scientists, engineers, and professionals with more than 30 years of experience. The technical team leadership consists of Ph.D. in Chemistry Artem Madatov. The inventor and specialist in developing electrochemical power systems with more than 35 years of experience. Ph.D. Anatoly Ghavrish is a Lead Engineer and Designer with 35 years of experience in mechanical engineering, specializing in Dynamics and Strength Devices in Machines and Equipment. Joel Smith is an MBA specialist in advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, and post-processing processes for the Aerospace and Defense industry. And Ramon Caldas, an MBA, and Physicist with 28 years of experience in power systems, renewables, and utilities as a Chief Technology Officer.

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And using the advanced 3D printing technology capable of manufacturing the prototypes and each internal component included in the bill of material to validate manufacturability and dimensions and provide an authentic look and feel of the equipment before moving to the manufacturing phase.

We have officially completed phase one of our design process with AQST! It is inspiring to be surrounded by such tenured scientists and physicists. This team is composed of some of the most experienced professionals in their respective fields, and this fact is making things move forward at a rapid pace. This technology couldnt possibly come at a better time, and I am confident we will surpass all expectations. We are revolutionizing the battery industry, and our technology couldnt come at a better time with the current shortages, benefiting our company and loyal shareholders; but more significantly, our planet. We are on the right track! Michael Pollastro stated.

Michael Pollastro

President

Global Warming Solutions Inc.

mpollastro@gwsogroup.com

To learn more about Global Warming Solutions, Inc. Visit: http://www.gwsogroup.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking within the meaning of applicable securities laws. While these forward-looking statements represent the Companys current judgments, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the Companys management only as of the date of this release. Please keep in mind that the Company is not obligating itself to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. When used herein, words such as: potential, expect, look forward, believe, dedicated, building, or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by the Company herein are often discussed in filings the Company makes with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at www.sec.gov and on the Companys website at http://www.gwsogroup.com.




International Petroleum Corporation

TORONTO, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Petroleum Corporation (IPC) (TSX, Nasdaq Stockholm: IPCO) will publish its financial and operating results and related managements discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 07:30 CEST, followed by an audiocast at 09:00 CEST.



Listen to Mike Nicholson, CEO, and Christophe Nerguararian, CFO, commenting on the second quarter 2022 financial and operating results and the latest developments from IPC.

Follow the presentation live on www.international-petroleum.com.

You can also dial-in to listen to the presentation on the following telephone numbers:

Canada/International: +1 631 913 1422 UK: +44 333 300 0804 Sweden: +46 85 664 2651

The PIN code for the dial-in presentation is: 84675747#



Link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/n9h9p2vg

International Petroleum Corp. (IPC) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with a high quality portfolio of assets located in Canada, Malaysia and France, providing a solid foundation for organic and inorganic growth. IPC is a member of the Lundin Group of Companies. IPC is incorporated in Canada and IPCs shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the Nasdaq Stockholm under the symbol "IPCO".

For further information, please contact:

Rebecca Gordon

VP Corporate Planning and Investor Relations

rebecca.gordon@international-petroleum.com

Tel: +41 22 595 10 50



Or Robert Eriksson

Media Manager

reriksson@rive6.ch

Tel: +46 701 11 26 15

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements and information which constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (within the meaning of applicable securities legislation). Such statements and information (together, "forward-looking statements") relate to future events, including the Corporation's future performance, business prospects or opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, unless otherwise indicated. IPC does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

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All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, forecasts, guidance, budgets, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", forecast, "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "budget" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements".




By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Hugo Guevara has been appointed as deputy chief of the US mission to Azerbaijan and is currently serving as Charge dAffaires at the U.S. embassy in Baku, the US embassy said.

In a video message, Guevara stated that he will be serving as Charge dAffaires at the U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan until a new ambassador is named.

Guevara has extensive experience at the State Department, and most recently he oversaw security and rule-of-law cooperation with the government of Guatemala at the U.S. embassy in Guatemala City, According to the embassy, the message from the embassy read.

"Prior to beginning his current assignment, Hugo studied Azerbaijani language in Washington," the embassy added.

Mr. Guevara has also served as Deputy Director in the Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs and spent a year on detail to the U.S. Senate as a foreign policy advisor to Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, covering the full range of foreign affairs portfolios. He has served as a Senior Watch Officer in the State Departments 24-hour Operations Center and as Deputy Chief of the Political-Military Affairs Unit at the U.S. embassy in Berlin.

To recap, Earle (Lee) Litzenberger, who served as ambassador to Azerbaijan since March 2019, has recently completed his mission as the ambassador.
RESTON, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Society Foundation has launched a second round of grants through its Resiliency program, which aims to help communities enhance preparedness and build Internet resiliency when faced with adverse events. This funding will support projects that increase network resiliency in communities prone to natural and climate-related disasters, ensuring these communities are better able to prepare for and withstand the effects of a disaster on Internet connectivity. A resilient Internet connection is one that maintains an acceptable level of service in the face of faults and challenges to normal operation.

Internet Society Foundation

"Connectivity to the Internet becomes a vital tool when disaster strikes, both for people in need and those responding to the emergency," noted Sarah Armstrong, Executive Director of the Internet Society Foundation. "Through these grants, we aim to support communities to reduce vulnerabilities and build the capacity and resilience to navigate future emergencies."

Examples of the types of projects the Foundation will support include: supporting development of temporary networks for crisis response, protecting data centers and Internet exchange points (IXPs) against environmental threats, fortifying sub-sea cables and/or stations, and supporting Internet service providers (ISPs) to upgrade infrastructure.

Organizations currently implementing projects around the world through the Resiliency grant program include Help.NGO, NetHope, Inc., and Telecoms Sans Frontieres.

The Resiliency program will open for applications between 25 July and 19 August. Grants of up to US$500,000 will be awarded for projects lasting up to 12 months.

More information on the grant including the application process can be found at: https://www.isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/resiliency-grant-program/

About The Internet Society Foundation:

The Internet Society Foundation was established in 2019 to support the positive difference the Internet can make to people everywhere. Guided by our vision of an Internet for Everyone, the Foundation champions ideas and enables communities to unlock the Internet's potential to tackle the world's evolving challenges. Focusing in five program areas, the Foundation awards grants to Internet Society Chapters as well as non-profit organizations and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected, secure and trustworthy Internet for everyone.

SOURCE Internet Society Foundation
The European Unions General Court on Wednesday rejected a Russian state-sponsored broadcasters appeal of a temporary ban from EU airwaves in light of a Russian propaganda campaign seeking to justify the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

The Council of the European Union, one of the legislative bodies of the European Parliament, adopted measures in March, shortly after the invasion began, to prohibit certain media outlets from broadcasting within or to the EU until July 31, according to the ruling.

The council argued that Russia has targeted civil society in the EU and neighboring countries by grievously distorting and manipulating the facts of the conflict through certain media outlets under the direct or indirect control of the Russian government.

RT France, the French version of the state-run Russian channel RT, filed the appeal to remove the ban, but the court rejected its arguments.

The ruling states that the immediate implementation of a ban designed to limit the spread of propaganda in support of military aggression was necessary for the bans effectiveness. It also states that the council met conditions that the law has established for when freedom of expression can be limited.

The court found that the council cited concrete, precise and consistent evidence that RT France actively supported Russian aggression toward Ukraine before the invasion and justified it in the aftermath.

The ruling states that the measures the council has implemented do not infringe on RT Frances freedom to conduct a business because they are temporary and reversible.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Russian government will take similar measures of pressure against Western news outlets operating in Russia, multiple outlets reported.

He said he hoped the channel could find loopholes to continue broadcasting.

Bloomberg reported that RT said it will appeal the ruling, which it said is an unprecedented and inadmissible attack on the principle of free expression.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
JACKSON, Miss., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Magnolia Health, in collaboration with its parent company, Centene Corporation, has recognized Dr. Irene S. Buckner of Delta Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, Mississippi, with the Summit Award of Excellence in Care.

Magnolia Health Plan leadership present the award to the Delta Regional Medical Center team in Clarksdale

Practitioners are selected each year for the award based on their exemplary performance in a number of quality measures. Centene has sponsored this annual award since 2008.

"We are proud to honor Dr. Buckner with the 2021 Summit Award for Excellence in Care for her commitment to improving the many lives she touches in the Clarksdale community. It is an achievement well-deserved for a champion of exceptional patient care," said Aaron Sisk, plan president and CEO, Magnolia Health.

Dr. Jeremy Erwin, Chief Medical Director at Magnolia Health, said, "Magnolia Health relies on quality providers like Dr. Buckner to meet the needs of our members. We're proud to recognize her dedication to the Clarksdale community and look forward to our continued partnership, so we can fulfill our purpose of transforming the health of Mississippi communities, one person at a time."

For more information, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com

About Magnolia Health

Magnolia Health is a long-term solution to help the state of Mississippi enhance care for Medicaid recipients, while most effectively managing taxpayer dollars. A physician-driven, Mississippi-based Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene). Centene has more than 30 years of experience in Medicaid and other government-funded programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and long-term care. For more information about Magnolia, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com.

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SOURCE Magnolia Health
Freelancer working with laptop and sitting on deck chair near the pool at resort on summer vacation.

Getty Images

The pandemic has ushered in a new way of working. No longer are people tethered to a desk for eight hours, commuting back and forth, day in and day out. Instead, the global workforce has gone remote, giving way to the rise of the digital nomad.

Sure, the digital nomad lifestyle existed prior to 2020, but the movement of workers traveling the globe and working in between has boomed in the last few years. According to MBO Partners, the number of digital nomads in the U.S. alone rose by nearly 50% from 2019 to 2020. Even Airbnb itself is getting in on the practice. In April, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told employees they too could work from anywhere.

Though digital nomads, by nature, have the flexibility to go just about anywhere, there are a few destinations that are better suited for their needs, and their budgets, according to Airbnb. On Wednesday, the vacation rental company shared its top destinations in the United States and Canada for both long-term guests and hosts, based on affordability, hospitality, popularity, and host income.

As a spokesperson for Airbnb shared with Travel + Leisure via email, hosts in the U.S. earned a combined total of more than $2 billion from long-term stays from Q1 2021 through Q1 2022. Hosts in Canada earned more than $280 million from long-term stays over the same time period.

In the U.S., Airbnb's report explained, the highest-earning destinations for hosts included La Quinta, California; Delray Beach, Florida; Marco Island, Florida; Palm Springs, California; and Indio, California.

As for the most affordable spots for digital nomads, the team at Airbnb looked at the average price per night for long-term stays in destinations that had 1,000 or more long-term stay nights booked in Q1 2022 to determine which offers the best price. In fact, these all came in under $50 per night.

In the U.S., the top five most affordable spots include Angleton, Texas; Lamberton, Minnesota; Garretson, South Dakota; and at No. 1, Tulalip, Washington, about a 45-minute drive north of Seattle.

In Canada, guests can find long-term affordable stays in Quebec City; Thorold, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec; Medicine Hat, Alberta; and the most affordable stays in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

A caveat in these findings is the fact that the most affordable and most desirable don't always align. According to Airbnb's findings, the most popular destinations for long-term stays in Q1 2022 in the U.S. are Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco; Houston; and Seattle. And in Canada, it's Toronto; Montreal; Vancouver; Calgary, Alberta; and Victoria, British Columbia. But, perhaps this will help digital nomads feel a little more inspired to think outside the box and discover smaller, lesser-known destinations outside their comfort zone instead.
The truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas

By Soo-hyang Choi

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's economy shrank in 2021 for a second straight year after suffering its biggest contraction in more than two decades the previous year amid U.N. sanctions and COVID-19 lockdowns, South Korea's central bank said on Wednesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the isolated country fell 0.1% last year in real terms, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said, following a 4.5% plunge -- the worst since 1997 -- in 2020.

North Korea has acknowledged facing economic challenges, but does not release hard data. The estimates released by South Korea's central bank are considered among the most reliable indicators.

The pace of slowdown eased thanks to the growth in the production of agriculture and forestry due to improved weather conditions, a Bank of Korea (BOK) official told reporters in Seoul.

"The mining and manufacturing and service sectors contracted as intense U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea's economy and COVID-19 induced lockdown measures continued but favourable weather conditions led to growth in the agricultural and forestry sector," he said.

The BOK's estimates showed that industrial output, which accounts for 28.3% of the North Korean economy, decreased 6.5%, while output from agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, which accounts for 23.8% of the country's economy, rose 6.2%.

The services sector, which accounts for a third of the economy, slipped 0.4%.

The North's trade volume, meanwhile, plunged 17.3% to $710 million last year, amid a strict closure of its borders.

North Korea temporarily resumed freight train operations with China early this year, but suspended them again in April due to heightened fears of the coronavirus.

The reclusive country has been battling its first acknowledged outbreak of COVID-19 since mid-May though Pyongyang claims 99.99% of the 4.77 million fever patients have fully recovered, and it reported only 18 new fever cases on Wednesday. Due to an apparent lack of testing, North Korea has not released any figures for confirmed COVID cases.

The BOK has been publishing its estimates of the North's economy since 1991, based on information from various sources including the South's intelligence and foreign trading agencies and unification ministry data.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Additional reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Conference call and webcast to take place on Thursday, August 11, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. ET

SAN DIEGO, CA and CALGARY, AB, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) today announced that it will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, August 11, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss a corporate update and financial results for the second quarter of 2022.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Oncolytics Biotech Inc.)

Conference Call & Webcast

Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m. ET

Dial In  North American Toll-Free: (888) 220-8474

Dial In  International: (647) 484-0475

Conference ID (if needed): 8806-576

Webcast: please click here

A webcast of the call will also be available on the Investor Relations page of Oncolytics' website, available by clicking here, and will be archived for three months. A dial in replay will be available for one week and can be accessed by dialing (888) 203-1112 (North America) or (647) 436-0148 (International) and using replay code: 8806-576#.

About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

Oncolytics is a biotechnology company developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immunotherapeutic agent. This compound induces anti-cancer immune responses and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype -- turning "cold" tumors "hot" -- through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers.

Pelareorep has demonstrated synergies with immune checkpoint inhibitors and may also be synergistic with other approved oncology treatments. Oncolytics is currently conducting and planning clinical trials evaluating pelareorep in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies in solid and hematological malignancies as it advances towards a registration study in metastatic breast cancer. For further information, please visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities laws (such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements regarding Oncolytics' belief as to the mode of action and potential and benefits of pelareorep as a cancer therapeutic; Oncolytics' plans to advance towards a registration study in metastatic breast cancer; and other statements related to anticipated developments in Oncolytics' business and technologies. In any forward-looking statement in which Oncolytics expresses an expectation or belief as to future results, such expectations or beliefs are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the statement or expectation or belief will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause Oncolytics' actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue research and development projects, the efficacy of pelareorep as a cancer treatment, the success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, Oncolytics' ability to successfully commercialize pelareorep, uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes to the economic environment. In particular, we may be impacted by business interruptions resulting from COVID-19 coronavirus, including operating, manufacturing supply chain, clinical trial and project development delays and disruptions, labour shortages, travel and shipping disruption, and shutdowns (including as a result of government regulation and prevention measures). It is unknown whether and how Oncolytics may be affected if the COVID-19 pandemic persists for an extended period of time. We may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of our control, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Investors should consult Oncolytics' quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

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Company Contact Jon Patton Director of IR & Communication +1-858-886-7813 jpatton@oncolytics.ca Investor Relations for Oncolytics Timothy McCarthy LifeSci Advisors +1-917-679-9282 tim@lifesciadvisors.com

Logo - .https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1808285/Oncolytics_Biotech_Grey.jpg

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SOURCE Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

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The Russian war on Ukraine has sparked a slew of sanctions as the Western powers seek to convince Russia to desist  and counter-sanctions, as Russia seeks to push back against the West. Russia and NATO both are reluctant to shoot at each other. But Russia has a powerful sanction weapon to fall back on, to support its war policy.

Germany, and much of Western Europe, imports most of its natural gas from Russia  and the Russian government is turning off that tap. Russian gas exports on the chief pipeline are already down to 40%, and the Russian government will be dropping it further to 20%. Ironically, Western sanctions on Russia are contributing to the cutback, as they have made it more difficult for Russia to maintain and service the pipeline.

The immediate result of this sanctions battle over gas is a surge in natural gas prices  globally. Against this backdrop, weve used the TipRanks database to locate two natural gas stocks that are poised to ride those price increases straight to share gains. Both are Strong Buy options, and according to Wall Street's 5-star analysts, each has considerable upside potential. Lets take a closer look.

ConocoPhillips (COP)

The first stock well look at, ConocoPhillips, is one of the biggest names in the energy sector. This $116 billion company operates in 13 countries, employs more than 9,400 people, and last year produced more than 1.5 million barrels of oil equivalent every day, leading to annual revenues of $46 billion. This year, the company is continuing to show high revenues and earnings, and is shifting its focus more toward natural gas.

On the matter of natural gas, in June, ConocoPhillips announced that it had won a stake  totaling 12.5%  in the North Field LNG expansion by QatarEnergy. The move makes ConocoPhillips the third partner in the project, and gives the company a foot in Qatars natural gas production, which is being ramped up as a potential substitute for Russian fuel exports to Europe.

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And earlier this month, ConocoPhillips followed that announcement with the news that it had signed an HOA with Sempra Infrastructure, which will allow for expansion of COPs liquified natural gas (LNG) business. The agreement involves large-scale investment in new LNG facilities through a multi-phase project.

Turning to financials, ConocoPhillips reported a net income in the first quarter of this year of $5.76 billion, or $3.27 per share in adjusted terms. This marked a dramatic increase from the 69-cent EPS reported in the year ago quarter. At the top line, the company brought in over $18 billion in revenue, up 79% year-over-year.

Of interest to defensive investors, COP also announced in its Q1 financial release that it will be increasing its capital returns to shareholders this year, with a target total of $10 billion for 2022. This will include both share repurchases and common stock dividend payments. ConocoPhillips has plenty of cash available to makes these returns, having reported $7 billion in first quarter cash from operations.

Covering ConocoPhillips for Piper Sandler, 5-star analyst Ryan Todd sees the new gas projects as the key to this stock going forward. Listing several of the companys natural gas initiatives, Todd writes, ConocoPhillips has signaled a shift towards a more proactive stance on global gas opportunities. Given the structural changes in global gas markets in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and COP's focus on efficient, low cost-of-supply assets, we view the addition of low-decline, FCF-generating assets as a perfect fit in COP's long-term portfolio, while the required capital should have limited impact on the company's FCF outlook over the next five years.

In line with these comments, Todd rates ConocoPhillips shares an Overweight (i.e. Buy), and his price target, set at $123, suggests a one-year gain of 35%. (To watch Todds track record, click here)

The markets giant corporations have always picked up plenty of Wall Street attention, and ConocoPhillips, with 12 recent analyst reviews on record, is no exception. These reviews break down 11 to 1 in favor of the Buys over the Hold, and support the Strong Buy consensus rating on the stock. The shares are trading for $91.09 and their $128.67 average price target implies a one-year upside potential of 41%. (See COP stock forecast on TipRanks)

Chesapeake Energy (CHK)

Based in Oklahoma, with easy access to the Texas oil patch, Chesapeake Energy is an $11.7 billion hydrocarbon explorer and developer with assets in some of the richest production areas of Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. The companys leases cover some 1.6 million acres, primarily in natural gas plays.

While Chesapeake Energy doesnt bring in the high revenue levels of the larger companies, it has brought solid cash flows from its operations. In 1Q22, the most recent reported, CHK reported an adjusted net income of $436 million, or $3.09 per share, which was up 14% year-over-year. The companys cash flow generated net cash of $853 million, of which $532 million was free cash flow. This FCF was a quarterly record for Chesapeake.

The solid earnings and cash flow supported a strong dividend, a boon for investors. Chesapeake declared a Q1 payment of 50 cents per common share, plus a variable dividend of $1.84, making the total payment $2.34. The regular dividend alone gives a yield of 2.1%, which is in line with market averages; with the variable added in, the div payment yielded 4.1%.

These financials were in their turn supported by solid production and rising gas prices. Chesapeake drills in rich oil and gas plays, but natural gas is the companys main product. Q1 saw a net production rate of ~620,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with 87% of this total being natural gas. The remainder was composed of both gas liquids and crude oil. The company developed this production from 13 rigs operating 41 active wells on its leased acres.

In his coverage of Chesapeake, Wells Fargos 5-star analyst Nitin Kumar writes: CHK has meaningfully underperformed gassy peers YTD, up ~18% vs gas group up ~42%, despite a peer leading cash return framework. We favor CHKs strong balance sheet, deep drilling inventory, and proximity to Gulf Coast LNG export corridor, which should continue to drive peer leading sustainable FCF yields in the gas sector.

Kumar adds an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating to his commentary, and completes his stance with a $130 price target, indicating his confidence in an upside of 41% for the next 12 months. (To watch Kumars track record, click here)

Overall, CHK has attracted the eyes of Wall Streets stock pros  7 so far have reviewed CHK shares, giving it 6 buys and 1 Hold for a Strong Buy consensus rating. The stock's $120.29 average price target and $92.19 trading price combine to imply ~30% one-year upside potential to the shares. (See CHK stock forecast on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for energy stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- QurAlis Corporation, a biotech company developing breakthrough precision medicines for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets, today announced that Kasper Roet, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, will present at the H.C. Wainwright Private Company Showcase on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 2:50 PM ET.

QurAlis Corporation logo (PRNewsfoto/QurAlis)

The QurAlis corporate presentation can be accessed by visiting the presentations section of the Company's website at www.quralis.com.

About QurAlis Corporation

QurAlis is trailblazing the path to conquering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets with next-generation precision medicines. QurAlis' proprietary platforms and unique biomarkers enable the design and development of drugs that act directly on disease-causing genetic alterations. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is advancing a deep pipeline of antisense oligonucleotides and small molecule programs including addressing sub-forms of ALS that account for the majority of ALS patients. For more information, please visit www.quralis.com or follow us on Twitter @QurAlisCo.

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SOURCE QurAlis
When the first poster was released, featuring a string of flags dangling from a cloud and the title in all caps, some people thought "NOPE" might be an acronym for "Not of Planet Earth."

Jordan Peele revealed the true meaning behind the name at CinemaCon earlier this year:

"The title speaks to the idea of the audience reacting to what they're thinking and feeling in the theater. When you tell people it's a scary movie a lot of time they say 'NOPE.' So I want to acknowledge those people with the title and bring them in. This is about the person who thinks they don't love the horror movie. To show them that maybe they do."
(This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine)

MOSCOW (Reuters) - As Russian banks contend with foreign currency and payment headaches, the central bank is determined to redistribute funding and risks across the sector to safeguard those lenders against which the West has imposed restrictions, an official was quoted saying.

The West imposed unprecedented measures against Russia's banking sector after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, blocking major banks from the SWIFT global payments system and limiting their ability to operate with foreign currencies.

Resolving issues around external payments and setting up new correspondent relationships are among the most acute problems for the sector, Alexander Danilov, director of the central bank's banking regulation and analytics department, told Russian magazine Expert.

"Foreign currency risks are also very significant at the moment," he said.

"It is not just about open foreign currency positions, but also that foreign currency funds in correspondent accounts in American and European banks could become a target for new sanctions," the magazine quoted Danilov saying on Wednesday.

The volume of corporate loans in foreign currency fell by $2.5 billion in Russia in June, the bank said this week.

"We think it is important to avoid splitting the banking system into two isolated clusters - sanctioned and non-sanctioned banks - so that all participants can fully finance the economy," Danilov said.

The central bank would develop special mechanisms to redistribute funding and credit risks, through syndication and securitisation, for example, Danilov added.

He said there would likely be an increase in credit risks for banks in the medium term, with data on restructuring showing that borrowers were already facing difficulties.

"Although banks entered the current crisis with large reserves, some may need additional capitalisation," Danilov said, with that process aimed at supporting lending potential, as well as solving problems.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by David Holmes)
By Azernews

A delegation led by the US Army Europe and Africa Deputy Commanding General for Army National Guard Major General Michael Wickman visited the military unit and the Medical Department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Azernews reports via the ministry.

According to the ministry, the delegation is on a visit to Azerbaijan within the framework of the support of bilateral military cooperation between the US and Azerbaijan and the State Partnership Program.

During the meetings, the parties exchanged views on military cooperation between the two countries, as well as issues of mutual interest related to activities within the above program.
Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Las Vegas Sands

The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada (The Center) opened its Arlene Cooper Community Health Center in 2013 to offer local communities a safe and comfortable place for HIV and STI testing and counseling.

Over the years, The Centers leadership saw a growing need for additional medical resources to serve the LGBTQ+ and downtown Las Vegas communities and embarked on a capital campaign in 2021 to turn the health center into a full-service medical clinic.

Sands has provided critical funding to help The Center achieve its goal of expanding community health services, making contributions through Sands Cares, the companys community engagement program in 2021 and 2022.

The Cooper Health Center has the potential to fill a great void in the community by providing compassionate and much-needed health care services for a number of residents, said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility for the company. Supporting this effort aligns with one of Sands highest priorities  to build the capacity of critical service providers to make more profound impact in the way they address pressing needs and support underserved people. The Center has had great vision in the way theyve approached the buildout and planned path forward for the Cooper Health Center, which is why weve continued to fund this endeavor.

To learn more about Sands support for The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, please visit https://www.sands.com/news/press/sands-extends-its-partnership-with-the-lgbtq-center-of-southern-nevada/.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Las Vegas Sands on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/support-from-sands-helps-the-lgbtq-center-of-southern-nevada-expand-health-care-services-286885812
MarketWatch

Recently, we came across a simple piece of money advice from billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban on his Maverick blog that we felt resonated in todays money-stressed world. Indeed plenty of pros agree with him that saving money can make you, if not rich, then at least richer (and the good news is this: savings accounts are now paying far more than they did a year ago, and you can find the best rates you can get here). The first step is you have to want to make changes, says certified financial planner Spencer Betts of Bickling Financial Services.
Tom Nelson drops out of Dem Senate primary

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson enters the stage during the Democratic U.S. Senate debate at Marquette University's Varsity Theatre in Milwaukee on Sunday, July 17, 2022. It was the first televised debate of Wisconsin's campaign season before the Aug. 9 primary.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, fourth in the polls and running out of cash, wasn't going to win the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

But his exit from the contest Monday may help provide the winning margin for the candidate he endorsed, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

The primary is Aug. 9 and Nelson will still appear on the ballot.

Nelson spoke with the Journal Sentinel about the long campaign  he was the first runner to announce back in October 2020  and the issues he discussed.

Nelson backed Medicare for all and the Green New Deal while promoting a national industrial strategy to spur the economy. He sought to be the leading progressive voice in the race. But without enough funds  he raised nearly $1.4 million  he couldn't get his message out to a wider audience.

"It didnt look like we were in a strong position," Nelson said, adding that it "made sense to consolidate the progressive vote, which we did."

"Now I think hes going to be that much stronger going to the primary," Nelson said of Barnes.

Barnes, Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski are all sprinting to the finish.

From his first day in the race, Barnes has been the front runner. And with Nelson's withdrawal, Barnes has the wind at his back.

[Sign up to get the On Wisconsin Politics newsletter every week]

Republican governor race

(From left) Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, construction executive Tim Michels, and state Rep. Tim Ramthun of Campbellsport appear during the Republican governor debate at the Marquette University Varsity Theatre in Milwaukee on Sunday, July 24, 2022. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will face DemocraticA incumbentA Tony Evers in the general election Nov. 8. Photo by Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Molly Beck and Corrinne Hess provide the takeaways from Sunday's Republican governor debate between businessman Tim Michels, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and state Rep. Tim Ramthun.

Among the highlights:

The three candidates signaled or promised to implement paid family leave.

Michels stumbled on a question about DACA.

And there was an interesting discussion on abortion, with the candidates supporting the state's 1849 abortion ban.

Even though there have been some tough ads in the race, the candidates didn't rumble.

Also, former President Donald Trump announced he'll be in Waukesha on Aug. 5 for a rally in support of Michels.

Story continues

Finally, Daniel Bice has quite a tale about Trump's endorsement of Michels.

You can read that here.

Ron Johnson on social issues

Sen. Ron Johnson answers questions from various media outlets following his endorsement by Rolled Threads Unlimited LLC Friday, July 22, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson weighed in on same-sex marriage and abortion.

Johnson signaled support for the Respect for Marriage Act to codify same-sex marriage.

In a statement, Johnson said he wouldn't oppose the Respect for Marriage Act if it comes up for a vote in the U.S. Senate, even though he said the bill is unnecessary.

On Saturday, Johnson issued a lengthy statement backing abortion exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother, and said he supports contraception.

But he did not call on the state Legislature to amend Wisconsin's 1849 law that bans most abortions.

Around the horn

Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley was involved in fatal car crash that killed a mother and her 5-year-old daughter. Here is a heartbreaking story about those who died.

Four Wisconsin voters with disabilities have filed a federal lawsuit to ensure they can vote following Supreme Court ruling.

Republican leading Wisconsin's Assembly election committee calls for decertifying Trump's 2020 loss.

Off the air for a month and trailing in polls, U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski mounts a late TV ad charge.

Tim Ramthun launched his campaign for governor cloaked in a baseless conspiracy theory. During Sunday's debate, he offered a new one.

Everything you need to know about early voting for the Aug. 9 primary.

Tweet of the week

The tweet of the week from Christinia Schriver goes to all those Bruce Springsteen fans hoping to score tickets for the March 7 show at Fiserv Forum and encountering variable pricing: "I just tried to buy Springsteen tickets, but I forgot to get approved for a second mortgage first."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tom Nelson drops out of Dem Senate primary; Republican governor race
Elon Musk has a new tech platform to control. On Monday, the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company offered $44 billion to take Twitter private. SOPA Images/Contributor/Getty Images

Twitter said it "significantly" slowed hiring in the second quarter to manage costs.

The company also set a vote on Elon Musk's takeover and urged shareholders to vote for the deal.

Musk cited Twitter's hiring practices as one reason he wants to terminate his deal to buy the company for $44 billion.

Twitter said it "significantly" slowed hiring in the second quarter today in order to manage costs as the company faces a legal fight with billionaire Elon Musk over whether the Tesla CEO will purchase Twitter for $44 billion, according to a filing Tuesday with the SEC.

The social media giant said that it has also faced a higher attrition rate, meaning employees are quitting at a fast pace due to uncertainty surrounding the takeover bid by Musk.

Twitter is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Musk, who initially agreed to purchase the company for $44 billion in April, but then tried to terminate the deal less than two months later. The company sued Musk for trying to back out of the agreement, and the two parties will face off in a Delaware court in October.

Twitter officially set a shareholder vote for the Musk buyout deal on September 13. In a filing, Twitter's board urged shareholders to vote for the deal.

Twitter's hiring practices were a point of contention between the company and Musk, whose lawyers cited a recent announcement that the company was instituting a hiring freeze and rescinding job offer letters as one reason he was terminating the deal. However, Twitter says it negotiated a right to hire and fire employees into its agreement with Musk.

Read the original article on Business Insider
BRASILIA, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, on Wednesday said Brazil's defense minister told him that his country's armed forces were focused on providing security to ensure a "safe, secure and transparent" election in October.

"The Brazilian minister of defense commented that he was very much focused on providing security to ensure that they were able to conduct a safe and secure and transparent election," Austin told reporters after attending a hemispheric meeting of defense ministers in Brasilia. (Reporting by Phil Stewart)
* This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine

MOSCOW, July 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine is due to bring a shipment of oil products from Lithuania via its port of Reni, as it looks for new routes amid fuel crisis, Refinitiv data showed and traders said.

According to Refinitiv data, Malta-flagged tanker Manas carrying about 7,600 tonnes of gasoline, which loaded at Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, will arrive in the Ukrainian port of Reni on July, 28.

This will be the first tanker shipment of fuel via a Baltic Sea route, traders said.

Some oil products, mainly diesel, were shipped in July to Reni from Mediterranean countries, market sources said.

The Reni Seaport is located on the left bank of the Danube river. It is an important transport hub in Ukraine with the river, sea, road and rail links.

Ukraine, which has been heavily depended on fuel imports, used to import more than two thirds of diesel and gasoline from Russia and Belarus, with some oil products also brought by rail from Lithuania.

The rest, mainly diesel and naphtha, Ukraine has imported through its seaports from Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain and other Mediterranean countries.

Ukraine closed its seaports in March 2022 after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a "special military operation".

Currently, deliveries of gasoline and diesel fuel reach Ukraine by road or rail from Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria, traders say.

(Reporting by Reuters, editing by Tomasz Janowski)
SYDNEY, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The UTS Vault is the first of its kind, and will play a role in securing the future of Australia's cybersecurity and defence technology.

The UTS Vault is a world-first collaborative research and innovation facility located within Sydneys newest technology precinct.

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has partnered with the New South Wales (NSW) Government to build the UTS Vault  a world-first collaborative research and innovation facility located within Tech Central, Sydney's latest innovation and creative precinct and home of Australia's tech economy.

This purpose-built, Department of Defence compliant facility will secure the future of cybersecurity and defence technology in Australia and beyond by responding to industry and government demand for protected research and innovation facilities.

"As the latest addition to our innovation engine, Tech Central, the UTS Vault will strengthen our cybersecurity and defence capability," Premier Dominic Perrottet said.

Tech Central is the innovation and creative precinct surrounding UTS. The precinct is made up of six neighbourhoods in the heart of Sydney, and is a space where researchers and entrepreneurs can collaborate.

"The UTS Vault will help further cement NSW, and Tech Central, as the place where industry - from startups through to major multinationals - can access critical infrastructure to expand their businesses, grow jobs and solve real world problems", Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said.

It will enable collaboration between private sector tenants and public universities, like the University of Technology Sydney, to advance research and commercialisation in world-leading cybersecurity and defence technology.

"The Vault helps [to] build a pipeline of highly skilled workers for the cybersecurity, technology and innovation industry by providing world leading cybersecurity education and hands-on experience for undergraduate and higher degree students," the UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Parfitt said.

Story continues

The University of Technology (UTS) is a leading university of technology and ranked #1 in Australia for AI Research, Computer Science and Engineering. Discover more about UTS at Virtual Open Day http://www.uts.edu.au/virtualopenday

SOURCE University of Technology Sydney
Company Logo

Dublin, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Mining Global Market Report 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global mining market is expected to grow from $1843.33 billion in 2021 to $2064.72 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0%. The mining market is expected to grow to $3358.82 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 12.9%. Government policies to support the mining industry is expected to drive the mining market. Governments are providing subsidies and encouraging foreign direct investments (FDI) in the mining industry.

The amount of government support includes the support through governments' public finance institutions such as bilateral development banks and export credit agencies investing in mining projects, fiscal support through budget allocations and tax exemptions, and investments through majority state-owned mining and utility companies.

For instance, in 2019, the government of India approved the increase of iron ore leasing areas in Orissa from 10 square kilometers to 58 square kilometers and encouraged the private auction of these ores by private companies such as TATA steel operating in the metal ore mining market. These government policies will continue to support the growth of the mining market.



Power generation companies are increasingly using alternate sources of energy such as natural gas, nuclear power and renewable to produce clean and sustainable electricity. The decreasing cost of installation of renewable sources of energy is also driving the use of these sources for power generation.

This is expected to act as a restraint on the demand for coal in power generation. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the coal's share of the total world energy consumption is expected to decline from to 22% in 2040. Renewable are expected to be the fastest growing energy source, with their consumption increasing at an average rate of 2.3% per year till 2040. The continuous shift to alternative sources for power generation will restrain the mining market.



The use of renewable energy is helping mining companies reduce power costs and control emissions in the mines. As the solar or wind projects are built close to the mine sites, the cost of connecting to the power grid is also reduced. Site-appropriate renewable energy sources are reliable, consistent and also economical.

Story continues

Key Players

BHP Group

Vale S.A.

Rio Tinto

Glencore International

Anglo American plc.

China Shenhua Energy Company Limited

China Coal Energy Company Limited

The Metallurgical Corp. Of China

Coal India Ltd.

Corporacion Nacional Del Cobre De Chile

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Structure



3. Mining Market Characteristics



4. Mining Market Product Analysis



5. Mining Market Supply Chain



6. Mining Market Customer Information



7. Mining Market Trends And Strategies



8. Impact Of COVID-19 On Mining



9. Mining Market Size And Growth



10. Mining Market Regional Analysis



11. Mining Market Segmentation

12. Mining Market Segments



13. Mining Market Metrics



14. Asia-Pacific Mining Market

15. Western Europe Mining Market



16. Eastern Europe Mining Market



17. North America Mining Market



18. South America Mining Market



19. Middle East Mining Market



20. Africa Mining Market

21. Mining Market Competitive Landscape



22. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Mining Market



23. Recommendations



24. Appendix



25. Copyright And Disclaimer



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6cnrei

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




A 57-year-old man was killed Monday morning when his car was struck by another vehicle that crossed into his lane in Stafford County, police said.

Thomas Mundy of Stafford was driving north on U.S. 17 near Fleet Road at 8:47 a.m. when a southbound Chevrolet Impala crossed the median and struck his Nissan Versa, Sheriffs Maj. Shawn Kimmitz said. The impact pushed the Nissan into a northbound van, and the Nissan overturned.

The Impala driver, 63-year-old Barbara Simon of Ohio, was charged with reckless driving following an investigation headed by Deputy S.C. Martin. Simon and her passenger were transported to an area hospital to be treated for their injuries.

Mundy was also rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. No one in the van was injured.

The northbound lanes of Route 17 were closed for several hours while authorities tended to the victims and investigated the crash.
A lot of things were different at the 2022 Burt County Fair beef show.

There were plenty of new faces in new places following Sundays show, but one big thing stayed the same. That would be the address where you can find the Daryl Bromm Memorial trophy for the next year. Haylee Hansen, all of 8 years old, is keeping it at her home south of Tekamah after winning the grand champion market steer honors. She follows in the footsteps of her sister, Harley, who won the title last year.

The champ, a 1,255-pound specimen, was named the winner of the heavyweight division by show judge Miles Stagemeyer. Brennan Ahrens showed the reserve champion heavyweight. She also brought the champion homegrown to the show ring. Trey Logan had the reserve champion homegrown. Brody Ahrens champion lightweight and Jaxon Logans reserve champion completed the final drive where results from the heavyweight class repeated themselves.

It really was the final drive for the Bromm trophy winner. Hansens champion topped the sale bill at Tuesdays 4-H auction, drawing $2.50 per pound.

Brody, the youngest of the Ahrens showmen, had his day in the winners circle. His champion heavyweight market heifer secured grand champion honors and the Rita Norton Memorial trophy. The 9-year-old also claimed intermediate showmanship honors. Jaxon Logan was second and Georgia Johnson took third.

Preslee Hansen showed the reserve grand champion market heifer after being named runner-up to Ahrens champ in the divisional round.

Champion homegrown honors went to Garret Lindberg.

Georgia Johnson took grand champion honors, and the Leland Sunderman Memorial trophy, in the breeding heifer competition. Her champion Maine-Anjou was named the winner over the champion Angus shown by Blaise Hartwell. Jaxon Logan had the reserve champion Angus.

In the breeds, Ivy Johnson showed the champion Commercial. Reserve champion honors went to McKenzie Bacon. Amelia Vyborney showed the champion Hereford. Brady Braniff had the reserve.

Gracie Klausen showed the champion Simmental and the champion and reserve Foundation Simmental.

Carsyn Magill showed the champion Maintainer.

Vyborney, a Tekamah-Herman FFA member, unseated four-time defending champ Andrew Cone for the cow-calf pair title and the Doc Blanc trophy that comes with it.

Daisy Cameron showed the champion feeder calf steer and the champion feeder calf heifer. Kaden Olson showed the reserve champion steer while Cone had the reserve champion heifer.

Lyons 4-Hers claimed top honors in the bucket calf contest. Kayelee Raabe showed the champion while McKenzie Bacon had the reserve champ.

Klausen claimed senior showmanship honors in front of Brennan Ahrens. She completed her county fair beef show being named the outstanding beef exhibitor. The intermediate showmanship title went to last years junior division champ, Brody Ahrens. Jaxon Logan was second and Georgia Johnson was third.

Hartwell emerged from a field of 18 competitors to earn the junior showmanship title. Ivy Johnson took second.

Complete show results are inside this week's print edition of theBurt County Plaindealer
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has decreed measures to continue work on the reconstruction of roads in Sabunchu district of Baku, Azernews reports.

Under the decree, 7.5 million manats ($4.4 million) was allocated to the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads to continue work on the reconstruction of roads in Bakikhanov, Kurdakhani, Mashtagha, Ramana, and Sabunchu settlements of Sabunchu district, in line with sub-item 1.26.18 of "Distribution of funds envisaged for state capital investments (investment expenses) in the state budget of Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022".

The Azerbaijani Finance Ministry has been instructed to provide funding in the amount specified in part 1 of this decree, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan - to resolve issues arising from this decree.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 65,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a head and neck cancer in 2022 alone.

As with any cancer, early diagnosis is key.

Methodist Fremont Health is hosting free oral head and neck cancer screenings from 10-11:45 a.m. Aug. 18 to potentially catch those cancers in their earliest stage.

The screenings are guided by fellowship-trained oncologists from Methodist, the areas largest specialty practice for head and neck cancers.

Persons who should consider attending the free screenings are those who smoke, chew tobacco, drink alcohol, have a prior history of cancer in the head or neck region or have had multiple sexual partners.

Signs and symptoms which should not be ignored include a mouth sore that isnt healing, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, a change in voice or a painless lump in the neck.

Each 15-minute screening appointment includes a head and neck physical exam as well as a review of your medical and family histories. This event is free and open to the public; however, registration is required to reserve an appointment time.

Schedule your appointment today at bestcare.org/freecancerscreening, or call 402-727-3439.
What offers music bingo?

A Dessert Dash?

And an inspirational speaker  all at a lively event designed to help with a critical need in Fremont?

The event, called Framing the Future, is a fundraiser for Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity. The public is invited to the festivities on Saturday, July 30, in Hopkins Arena at Midland University, 900 N. Clarkson St., Fremont.

A social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., with the event at 7 p.m. Tickets, which cost $60 each, are available online at Habitats website: fremonthabitat.org. Businesses can buy a table for $650. A silent auction is part of the event and those interested in bidding on items can visit the Habitat website now.

Joy McKay, executive director, hopes many will attend Saturdays event, which will include fun-filled activities, while raising funds to provide much-needed affordable housing in Fremont.

Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit housing organization, was founded in Georgia in 1976 and the Fremont area chapter started in 1993.

Since its inception, the local chapter has built 90 homes in Fremont and one in Hooper. Work is taking place on two more local homes and is starting on a third.

We want to build as many (homes) as we can, McKay said. If we had the money and the volunteers, we could build 10 a year, because of the need for housing that is in our community. But we dont have the money or the volunteers to get that done at this point.

McKay said the need has always been critical, but its even harder now for people to afford rentals.

And what they can afford, there are some out there in very poor condition, McKay said. There are many people in our community who have no idea how other families in our community are living right now.

Before a family is selected to become Habitat homeowners, a committee visits their current residence.

Committee members see the poor living conditions.

Theres always a lot of overcrowding in houses, where five, six, seven people are living in one- or two-bedroom homes, because thats all they can afford, McKay said. We also see homes where the electricity is completely unsafe or doesnt work.

Mold is a problem.

We often seen mold visibly growing, she said.

She cites other problems.

Ive seen homes where the wind just blows through the house, because the windows are not sealed or they have holes in them, McKay said.

Committee members have discovered such poor living conditions arent rare in the community.

But Habitat can provide life-changing help by partnering with families to build decent and affordable housing.

Families dont get the houses for free. They purchase them using a 0% interest loan, which keeps the payments more affordable.

Its been tougher the last year or so, because of the drastic increase in construction expenses, but they are still getting far more for the cost because of the 0% interest loan than if they tried to get a conventional mortgage loan, McKay said.

Partner families also work sweat equity hours on building the homes and other approved projects. A family with two adults must complete 350 hours of sweat equity and those with one must complete 250 hours.

Habitat also requires partner families to take classes on budgeting, home maintenance and life management skills. Family sponsors are assigned to each family to mentor them through the process of building and first-time home ownership.

McKay said the impact from a family having a stable home environment  that is affordable  can be seen in education, future employment and health.

Just about every area of life is impacted by having that stable and affordable home, she said.

McKay remembers one family had a sick, little girl who was in and out of Childrens Hospital in Omaha.

She could only swallow thickened liquids.

Family members tried to clean out the mold in their house as much as they could.

We didnt realize how bad the mold probably was in that home, until they moved into the Habitat house, McKay said.

The childs health improved.

She is healthy and can drink water, McKay said. Shes been fine since then, so it was obviously connected to the mold.

Besides helping families, McKay said Habitat benefits the community as a whole by tearing down vacant, unsafe homes and replacing them with decent homes.

When a home isnt in good condition, the real estate taxes are low. When a family moves into a Habitat home, the real estate taxes go up with funds that go back into the community.

McKay said Saturdays event will include music bingo and other fundraising games.

Guests also can make a donation and sign a stud that will go into an actual house.

For the Dessert Dash, people at each table can bid and those at the highest winning table can choose their dessert first. Those at the second highest get to choose next.

Only about 10 seconds time will elapse between when each table number is called so folks must quickly decide which dessert they want before the next table is called.

Habitat homeowner Barb Johnson will speak.

McKay encourages area residents to attend.

I think they should come, because it will be so much fun, McKay said. Our event is not stuffy. We try and have a lot of fun.
A "suffocating" Taliban crackdown on human rights is destroying the lives of Afghan women and girls,' Amnesty International has warned.

Since returning to power almost one year ago, the radical group has systematically violated womens and girls rights to education, work, and free movement, Amnesty International said in a report published on July 26.



The international community has refused to recognize the Taliban's rule, demanding it respect human rights and show tolerance for other groups. The United States and its allies have cut off billions in development funds and froze billions in Afghan national assets.

Despite initially attempting to present itself as a more moderate force compared to its first stint in power in 1996-2001, the Taliban formed an all-male government and banned girls from attending school from seventh grade, imposed all-covering dress that leaves only the eyes visible, and restricted women's access to work.



Amnesty said the Taliban has also decimated protections for those facing domestic violence, detained women and girls for minor violations, and triggered a surge in child marriages.



The report -- titled Death In Slow Motion: Women and Girls Under Taliban Rule -- also documented how women who peacefully protested the increasingly oppressive rules have been threatened, arrested, detained, tortured, and forcibly disappeared.



Less than one year after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, their draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of their right to lead safe, free, and fulfilling lives, said Amnesty's Agnes Callamard.



Taken together, these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives, the report said. This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistans female population is increasing day by day.



The report comprises the results of a nine-month investigation conducted from September 2021 to June 2022 and included a visit to Afghanistan by the group's researchers back in March. They interviewed 90 women and 11 girls between 14 and 74 years old across the country.

Among them were women detained for protesting who described torture at the hands of Taliban guards, including beatings and threats of death.



One woman told Amnesty that guards beat her and other women on the breasts and between the legs so that we couldnt show the world. She said one told her, I can kill you right now, and no one would say anything.



Amnesty said Afghanistans economic and humanitarian crisis has deprived women and girls of education and job prospects. The report documented cases of forced marriages of women and girls to Taliban members -- under pressure by the Taliban member or by the womens families.



Amnesty urged the international community to take action to protect Afghan women and girls.



If the international community fails to act, it will be abandoning women and girls in Afghanistan, and undermining human rights everywhere, Callamard said.

With reporting by AP
When longtime Afghanistan correspondent Lynne O'Donnell returned to Kabul on a reporting trip nearly a year after the Taliban seized power, she knew she was taking a risk.

The extremist group had taken particular exception to two stories the Australian national had written for Foreign Policy magazine during her last reporting trip, which ended just hours before Taliban fighters captured the capital on August 15, 2021, and declared her a high-value target.



Despite arriving in Kabul on July 17 with a valid visa, media accreditation, and a formal invitation to stay, and registering with the proper authorities as a foreign journalist, she was almost immediately harassed and eventually detained. The former AP and AFP bureau chief in Kabul was also threatened and ordered to publicly retract her previous reporting and to record a video confession saying her statements had not been coerced.



The experience led her to leave Afghanistan after only three days, wary of ever returning again even if she was allowed, out of concerns for the safety of the people she might come in contact with while reporting.



"They followed me. Once the security apparatus had picked up on my phone they monitored my phone," O'Donnell told RFE/RL from neighboring Pakistan.

After she was detained on July 19, Taliban officials grilled her about two articles she published in 2021 that they said had offended Afghan culture: one about the forced marriages of women and girls to Taliban fighters, and another on LGBT people in Afghanistan.



"They stood around me when it got to the point of 'If you don't publicly apologize you will go to jail,' so it was pretty clear that that was what I had to do," O'Donnell said.



The officials dictated what they wanted her to retract, and she posted it on Twitter. After consulting a superior, they tweaked the tweet multiple times and consulted their boss again. O'Donnell was then asked to delete the thread, and after some re-editing it was posted again.



"I apologize for 3 or 4 reports written by me accusing the present authorities of forcefully marrying teenage girls and using teenage girls as sexual slaves by Taliban commanders," one oddly formatted post reads. "This was a premeditated attempt at character assassination and an affront to Afghan culture."



A follow-up post said: "These stories were written without any solid proof or basis, and without any effort to verify instances through on-site investigation or face to face meetings with alleged victims."

"After it was online, they told me to make a video recording of a confession to say specifically that I don't know anything about Afghanistan, or Afghan people, or Afghan culture. I make up all my stories, and all of my sources are fake, and I haven't been coerced into making this confession," O'Donnell told RFE/RL.



As one of the few foreign correspondents to have returned to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power, she experienced firsthand the extremist group's crackdown on journalists despite its claims to uphold constitutionally protected media freedoms.



In its latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) repeated its concerns about the Taliban's mistreatment of the media.



"In the 10 months since they took control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have made clear their position on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of opinion," the report issued on July 20 said. "They have limited dissent by cracking down on protests and curbing media freedoms, including by arbitrarily arresting journalists, protestors, and civil society activists and issuing restrictions on media outlets."



UNAMA directly attributed 163 human-rights violations against journalists and rights workers to the Taliban, including arbitrary arrests and detention, threats, and intimidation. The UN agency also cited the killing of six journalists by the rival Islamic State (IS) militant group.

Media watchdogs such as the International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the South Asian Journalists Association, among others, have consistently called on the Taliban to stop the rising number of assaults against media workers in Afghanistan.



In the most recent incident involving a local journalist, Salgai Hess was beaten and shot at on July 22 while reporting in Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province.



"My cell phone fell, and when I tried to pick it up, [the Taliban] hit me on the shoulder and I fell. A second [Taliban] hit me, and I lost consciousness," the independent reporter told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi.



Before fainting, she said, she overheard the Taliban gunmen saying she had met her fate because she had ignored their warnings to stop working and stay home.



The Taliban declined to respond to questions from Radio Azadi about the most recent incidents involving ill-treatment of journalists. But both the attack on Hess and the detention of O'Donnell came as the Taliban issued its latest in a long list of controversial restrictions on how reporters should conduct their work.

On July 21, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted a new decree that, citing "Islamic guidelines" approved by religious scholars, effectively barred criticism of Taliban leaders.



"It is not permissible to make false accusations against officials or to criticize them," read the decree signed by Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. The decree did not explain what the possible punishments would be for violating the order and has been criticized by media watchdogs as an attempt to silence free speech.



The decree joins the "11 rules for journalists" -- issued shortly after the Taliban promised upon regaining power to allow free media -- that prohibit the publication or broadcasting of reports that are "contrary to Islam" and which discourage reporting of news that has not been confirmed by Taliban officials.



Those rules were criticized by Human Rights Watch (HRW) at the time as being "so broad and vague as to prohibit virtually any critical reporting about the Taliban."



In addition, the Taliban in May ordered female television presenters to cover their faces and hair while on air, in keeping with Akhundzada's decree ordering all women to cover up fully in public, ideally with the all-encompassing burqa.

The Taliban does not have a constitution of its own, although it is rumored to abide by the 1964 constitution adopted under the country's monarchy. That constitution protects the rights to free speech, as does the 2004 constitution adopted by the Western-backed government that preceded the Taliban's return to power.



O'Donnell said that she was unable to get her Taliban questioners to clarify what media laws she had allegedly violated.



"I asked them to show me the law as written. What laws were broken, show me. They like to say that they are adhering to the previous media law, and the previous constitution guaranteed a free media, so everything that comes out of their mouths is lies," she said.



"Their story about me changed constantly over the course of three days," O'Donnell added. "I went from being invited to stay, leaving of my own free will, to being branded a spy and deported to never return again."



Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division of HRW, said that the treatment of ODonnell indicates that the Taliban's "hidden fear" of criticism has turned into "open fear."



"It's clear that the Taliban are fed up," Barr told Radio Azadi. "They have very little against foreign journalists. It is becoming difficult for everyone to provide real news from Afghanistan because the Taliban are not ready to tolerate what is published in the free media."
In case you missed it  summer's most popular meteor shower is set to peak tonight above Colorado, with the celestial event remaining active through September 1.
seth klamann, Colorado Politics Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and other city officials unveiled the new Behavioral Health Solutions Center on May 13, touting the unique facility as a way to keep people in crisis out of jails.
A Colorado Springs man accused of distributing fentanyl that led to the death of a local 16-year-old pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two charges in U.S. District Court.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, Douglas Floyd, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl. The latter, press release states, led to teen's death on Jan. 31.

"The defendant was in the distribution chain of the drugs that resulted in the juveniles death," the press release states.

Floyd is one of three individuals who have had federal charges filed against them in the teenager's death. The other two suspects are Marlene McGuire and Maria Davis-Conchie, the victim's mother.

Davis-Conchie is accused of having provided drugs including Xanax, marijuana and fentanyl, to her son and two of his friends for several months before the boy's death, according to court documents.

Court records accuse Davis-Conchie of helping connect her son and his friends to Floyd and McGuire so they could obtain pills.

The sentencing hearing for Floyd is scheduled for Oct. 17. The cases against the other two co-defendants are continuing, according to the press release.
By Trend

Russia holds talks on easing the visa regime with almost 20 countries, Foreign Ministry Consular Department head Ivan Volynkin said in an interview, Trend reports citing TASS.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry is working on easing the visa regime with foreign states on a permanent basis - currently there are about 18 such states," he said.

According to Volynkin, negotiations are in progress with some Latin American and Caribbean states, as well as Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.

"A draft bilateral agreement on mutual cancellation of visa requirements is at negotiation stage with Malaysia. The Federal Tourism Agency is working with the Chinese partners on improvement of the bilateral agreement on visa-free group tourist trips. Extension of visa-free trips is also being worked on with the Hong Kong side," the diplomat added.

According to Volynkin, Russia currently has very favorable entry conditions for foreigners.
National evangelical Christian powerhouse Ted Haggard, who founded New Life Church in Colorado Springs in 1984, grew it to 14,000 worshippers and was excommunicated in 2006 amid accusations that he paid a male escort for sex and was using methamphetamine, is facing new allegations from another congregation he started in 2010, Saint James Church.

Some former members allege that Haggard has continued his tendencies toward same-sex encounters and illicit drug use, and they say they have proof.

"People are scared and worried and dont want to be connected to him anymore, said the Rev. Kirk Seth Sethman, who was ordained as a minister by Saint James Church in October 2012.

Two young men, one of whom was a minor at the time the alleged incidents occurred in 2019, claim on a recorded tape  which Sethman shared with church elders and The Gazette  that Haggard made them feel uncomfortable in his mannerisms he displayed while around them.

The minor said on the tape that his statement was unrehearsed and uncoerced, and he wanted people to know that Haggard touched him inappropriately on several occasions at the church.

Sometimes when he touches me, it feels very predatorial and very strange, the teen says. Hell touch me on my pecs or my back or hug me in a way that Im sliding up his hip or the side of his thigh or his bum. You can kind of tell its weird.

And, he said, "There's a lot of highly suspicious things that he does, and you're like, 'that doesn't seem or feel normal.'"

The minor, whos now a young adult, could not be reached for an interview.

In the second statement, a young adult male backs up the minors statements about feelings of uneasiness in how Haggard behaved around the minor and around other youths from the church.

Upon seeing the videos and hearing the recorded statements of the young males, as well as Sethman  who also was a volunteer in a childrens ministry program at New Life Church under Haggard  some elders called for Haggard to step down from the Saint James pulpit in April 2020.

What prompted me to write that letter was his abuse of authority and his denying it, says one member who asked leaders to remove Haggard from his role. We were looking for accountability.

Haggard retains his post as head pastor but has moved the churchs services and study sessions to his home, calling his new congregation the Storyhouse Church. Asked about these recent allegations of sexual misconduct, Haggard declined to comment.

Many people are swayed by Haggards charismatic nature and persuasive preaching, said the church elder who asked not to be identified because she said she isnt ready to be named publicly.

Hes such a powerful, influential, persuasive and manipulative source, she said. But silver-tongued. A snake in many ways, who makes excuses and lies."

Saint James membership has dwindled in recent years, as the allegations have come to light within the flock and some congregants have dropped their affiliation because of their concerns, say several former members including Sethman.

Haggard, though, points to the coronavirus pandemic and a new trend toward home-based churches as considerations in recently selling the building in which he has been operating Saint James at 4615 Northpark Drive in Colorado Springs.

The church sold its Saint James Building on April 1 for $1.95 million, according to county assessor records.

Saint James has seen a slow decline over the past two years, Haggard said in a recent online sermon, and we decided as a church we wanted to become a network of house churches, he tells worshippers.

He said he realized some people would find other churches they would rather attend, so he allowed a month to pass before moving services and Bible studies on May 1 to his Colorado Springs home.

Haggard said 40 to 60 people have been attending his home services in recent weeks. The gatherings use his sermons as the basis, followed by discussion and fellowship.

Sethman said hes concerned that as Haggard establishes his home ministry  including providing a childrens and youth ministry room in the basement, as Haggard describes in his sermons  that the potential for Haggard to pursue inappropriate actions with youths is high.

My prayer is protecting the children and the young adults, Sethman said.

Haggard said during his Easter sermon in April that hes been preparing his home for the new church model by expanding a concrete pad in the backyard for outdoor services, and opening the basement to kids, who can use a pool table, play games and participate in other kid-friendly diversions.

There is a micro-church movement called the home-church movement, he said. We felt it was right for our lives.

Haggards behavior indicates a pattern common to adult sexual misconduct with children, said Todd Bones Trimble, who started a Colorado Springs chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse in 2009 and now lives in Texas.

In their recorded statements, the two young males speak of Haggard taking teens and young men four-wheeling without shirts and their chests muddied, and of a propensity to come in contact with their bodies beyond a typical shoulder squeeze.

Trimble says in his work as an advocate for children involved in sexual abuse court cases, hes come across many people who displayed similar kinds of behavior as part of grooming children for sexual interaction.

For Ted to have access to the youth is very disturbing, he said.

"These types of people dont stop what theyre doing  its the persuasion, the authoritative figure that convinces youth to believe in them and trust in them  but its for an alternative motive, abuse, and they're not told that's going to happen, Trimble said. There are so many ways they deceive youth.

Again, Haggard did not respond to a request for an interview.

March sermon recounts 2006 scandal

In a March 27 sermon announcing his new Storyhouse Church, Haggard spoke of his personal scandal, in November 2006, when his sexual relationship with male escort Mike Jones of Denver and his illegal drug use became public. Jones claimed in 2010 that 15% of his clients were clergy or somehow connected to a church.

I repented immediately, and so I wouldnt be a burden to the church, I resigned, Haggard said in the sermon.

Haggard and some of his family left Colorado Springs in January 2007 for a spiritual restoration program in Phoenix, where he says he was healed of his same-sex tendencies.

But in 2008, New Life Church issued a statement to members and the media saying, New Life Church recognizes the process of restoring Ted Haggard is incomplete and maintains its original stance that he should not return to vocational ministry.

Michael, a former New Life Church member who asked that his last name not be used for privacy reasons, said he is concerned that it appears Haggard has not ridden himself of his previous behavior and lifestyle but continues in ministry and working with youth.

After hearing the interview on the tape with the minor and the young adult, Im concerned this behavior is continuing and not being dealt with, Michael said.

The way New Life handled the highly inappropriate situation in 2006 was very disappointing, he said, adding that it appears to be happening once again.

In her book, Why I Stayed? Haggards wife, Gayle, talks about how her husband was sexually preyed upon at age 7, saying it led to a same-sex attraction into his college days and included a relationship with a male at a XXX store in Baton Rouge, La.

The saga of the fallen megachurch leader, who often had preached on the evils of homosexuality, led to an HBO show, an appearance on "Oprah," participation in 2012 in the television show Celebrity Wife Swap, and other high-profile publicity.

Three years after the initial story of Haggard's relationship with Jones surfaced, former New Life Church member Grant Haas identified himself as a victim, saying when he was in his early 20s, he had non-consensual sexual contact with Haggard.

Haggards successor at New Life, Senior Pastor Brady Boyd, told a Colorado Springs television station in 2008 that Haas had been paid a six-figure compassion assistance, but reportedly the payments stopped when Haas violated a nondisclosure agreement by going public.

Haggard also serves as director of church planting for The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church and founder and coordinator of The Network of Redemptive Churches.

As part of his current ministry, Haggard focuses on the healing process for people with addictions or transgressions.

In building New Life Church, I was a highly well-respected evangelical leader, so I learned to minister that way, Haggard said in his March 27 sermon. Now, in the church we started (Saint James), I learned to minister as the chief of sinners.

A briefcase with meth and sex toys

Sethman, who went completely blind in 2015 due to a medical condition, speaks of another alleged incident that he has firsthand knowledge of and also presented recordings and a polygraph test, which he says proves he's telling the truth.

In the spring of 2012, Haggard allegedly asked a young male church member  for whom Haggard was providing drug counseling as part of the member's rehabilitation as a heroin addict  to buy methamphetamine for Haggard.

The young male related the conversation to Sethman, who then asked another Saint James parishioner  a medical doctor  to come to Sethmans house so the pair could confront Haggard.

Haggard admitted to having the methamphetamine, according to Sethman, and told the men he was preparing to use the meth to celebrate his upcoming birthday.

Haggard then asked Sethman and the doctor to go to his house with him to remove and dispose of the narcotic so he wouldnt be tempted.

We agreed, Sethman said.

After arriving at Haggards residence, Sethman said Haggard pulled out a briefcase and gave it to Sethman to get rid of.

He asked us to conceal the matter and said he would be accountable to us in the future, Sethman said. Which never happened.

After Sethman left Haggards home with the briefcase, he said he decided to open it.

Inside, Sethman said he found a bag of methamphetamine with very little of the nearly 1 gram of meth left from what the young man had bought for Haggard. It also contained a well-used glass meth pipe, multiple sex toys, a DVD with two young males on the cover and a credit card with Ted Haggards name on it, Sethman said.

He said he didnt go to the police or tell other church members.

I was protecting the young man, the church and Ted, Sethman said. My choice I made was wrong, but I thought I was doing right.

A reformed drug addict who had spent time in prison as a young adult for burglary, Sethman said he smoked the small amount of meth that was left and put the briefcase in his garage, where it sat for about a year until he threw it away.

Sethman started drinking again and using pharmaceutical drugs, and encountered physical problems before reforming his life and rejoining Saint James Church in 2017. At that time, he said, a young man told him that 'it was really weird that Ted kept pushing him to go four-wheeling in the woods with him.'"

Sethman said he hadn't heard about Haggard's incident in 2006, and when he did so in January 2019, he started to get concerned about what he had experienced and was hearing.

Sethman shared with The Gazette the results of a lie-detector test he took on March 20, 2019, answering questions regarding the young man who bought the drugs for Haggard, the briefcase and its contents.

Confrontation leads to conflicting police reports

When Sethman and another Saint James Church member approached Haggard on Aug. 16, 2019, asking him to come clean regarding the 2012 drug episode, alleged sexual improprieties with the minor, and what the young male church member considered as behavior by Haggard in line with sexual grooming, Haggard called Colorado Springs police.

In a tape of the 911 call to police released to The Gazette, Haggard described Sethman as a delusional madman who had Haggard cornered in his church office. He also told the other member who was in the office with Sethman that he would ruin his life.

Three police officers arrived, and in a police report filed that day, Sethman said he and the other church member voiced their concerns to authorities about Haggards behavior.

Police denied a Gazette request for a copy of the report. Colorado Springs Police Lt. Pamela Castro said the paperwork falls under the definition of a juvenile case involving abuse or neglect.

The 2019 case is not an active investigation, she said, adding that she could not provide further information due to the sensitive nature of this report.

Sethman said the boys parents, who are elders of Saint James Church, prevented the detectives on the case from speaking to their son.

They stonewalled the police and protected Ted, Sethman said.

Police currently have no responsive reports listing Ted Haggard as the suspect, Castro said.

On April 27, 2020, Sethman submitted videotapes detailing the allegations of Haggard's continued drug use and physical inappropriateness to about 30 Saint James elders, who oversee the church.

He showed The Gazette a copy of a letter he received the next day from the church's assistant senior pastor, Jack Woloshun, saying the medical doctor had the matter under control and it would be handled internally.

Haggard told elders that the incidents with the minor male were a misunderstanding, according to the church elder who wishes to remain anonymous.

But that wasnt true, she said. He said he was resurrected from the dead, and he has been. But he hasnt been changed.

She believes Haggard should not be allowed to counsel one-on-one or two-on-two, should be required to submit to random drug testing and take a polygraph.

Other elders said after hearing the audio recordings and video tapes that they wanted extreme sensitivity to be exercised because of the nature of the claims.

Sethman also provided the 911 call recording and his polygraph results. He told elders he would make the information public if they didnt take action against Haggard.

Sethman said his goal is to protect children and stop churches from abuse of power.

While the minor says on the tape that in no way was he claiming rape  and there was no proof of sexual assault  there is concern, several elders said, as they listened to what the teen identified as predatorial sexual behavior on Haggards part.

Haggard's 12-year journey with new church

Haggard started New Life Church in the basement of his Colorado Springs home in the mid-1980s, left the ministry for four years following the 2006 scandal, and 12 years ago started Saint James in an old barn at a rural residence he owned.

When Saint James grew to several hundred people, he began renting facilities, including a middle school, before acquiring the nearly 60,000-square-foot building on Northpark Drive. He turned the building into church offices, meeting and prayer rooms, worship space and related subsidiaries including a financial group. There also were a few tenants.

Thirty to 40 pastors invited Gayle and I to start going to their churches, some people were gracious and other people were still angry about it, he says in his March 27 sermon. We thought if we went to someone elses church, it would potentially split the church because just the mention of my name, it would stir the emotion in people just because of the way the news media and others made me sound like a devil.

I was competing with (former Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein at the time for the baddest man in the world, and by that I dont mean good.

Haggard says in a sermon that Saint James Church had absolutely no money, when they bought the building, and bought it "100% on credit with nothing down" but guaranteed with equity in the couples home. County assessor records, however, show the church acquired the building in 2013 through a quit-claim deed, and no money was recorded as exchanging hands during the transaction.

The sale in April generated enough to pay Haggard and Gayle, for the times weve had to cover utilities and (paychecks for) church staff so it wouldnt be a burden, Haggard said in the sermon.

Were working on paying all of our debts.

Haggard also says the church donated $300,000 of proceeds from the sale to missions working with Ukrainian people affected by the ongoing war with Russia, although he doesnt specify which organizations received the money.

Its gone, so if any of you get any ideas, its already gone, Haggard said in his sermon.

Sethman said he prays for Haggard to tell the truth, confess, repent and be cleansed, and for all churches to stop covering up potential abuse and address such situations.
After several delays stretching back to the beginning of this year, Letecia Stauch may have her mental health evaluation returned on Thursday.

Stauch  who is accused of having killed her 11-year-old stepson Gannon in 2020  saw her most recent hearing in May delayed when it was revealed that her mental health evaluation was still not complete.

Stauch, 38, has been awaiting trial on the case for more than two years, but when Stauch changed her not-guilty plea in February to not guilty by reason of insanity, it required the state to conduct a mental health evaluation on Stauch.

On Thursday, Stauch is scheduled to appear in court, where the results of the mental health evaluation could be revealed.

Judge Gregory Werner stated during Stauch's most recent hearing in June that he expected the evaluation would be ready by the end of July.

Investigators believe Stauch killed Gannon sometime after 2 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2020. She seemingly cooperated with authorities who were searching for Gannon when he was reported missing, but authorities quickly began to suspect a homicide. Deputies searched the Stauch home on Feb. 3 that year.

The Santa Rosa Sheriffs Office in Florida announced it had found Gannons body less than two months later, on March 18, 2020. Santa Rosa County is on the Florida Panhandle, east of Pensacola.

Stauch will also have her second case, an escape attempt from El Paso County jail, reviewed in court on Thursday.
Tina Peters and four candidates are seeking hand-recounts, but the Secretary of State's office said the recount would be conducted in the same tabulation methods as the original count, which was done by machine.
By Trend

Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed the country's readiness to help the international community to get rid of the current energy crisis and strengthen food insecurity, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Amir Abdollahian made the remark online during the 20th session of the D-8 council of foreign ministers in Dhaka.

The minister informed of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's initiative known as "Global Economic Recovery after COVID-19 by Gas" to the D-8 council.

Despite the high commercial potential of the D-8 organization, intra-organizational trade of the member states is still below 10 percent of the total capacity, said Amir Abdollahian.

He noted that the private sectors of the member countries should play a role in boosting trade, energy, investment, industry, agriculture and tourism relations.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.
Glenn Shellhouse does street outreach, enrolling veterans who are experiencing homelessness in a non-profit housing-first program at Rocky Mountain Human Services. The views represented here are his alone.
The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire scorched more than 18,000 acres, resulting in two fatalities, and the loss of 346 structures and was, up to that point, the most destructive fire in Colorado since 1924. Within days of fire containment, heavy rains coupled with unstable soil conditions resulted in devastating flash floods, with additional property losses and one fatality in a subsequent flooding event.
By Trend

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed issues of transport and logistics cooperation with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh President.

According to the press service, it was noted during the meeting that Kazakhstan proposes to consider its market as a gateway to Central Asia, which has direct access to neighboring China. Kazakhstan and Georgia are also partners in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which plays an important role in strengthening ties between the states of the region.

The sides also discussed topical issues of trade, economic, investment and humanitarian cooperation between Kazakhstan and Georgia.

Garibashvili noted that Georgia is interested in developing bilateral cooperation and expanding relations with Kazakhstan in all areas.

"Trade turnover between our countries is growing. It has grown by 150 percent in the first half of the year. Of course, we have great opportunities to expand ties. We value our mutual relations, cooperation and friendship," the prime minister said.
It takes a village to prepare for RAGBRAI. And then some.

Since the announcement that Mason City will be an overnight stop for the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, area businesses have been developing plans to take on the influx of customers.

"We've been making a lot of beer and figuring out the licensing and insurance. Molly (Angstman) has done a great job with all the marketing stuff and burning through a lot of sticky notes," said Fat Hill Brewing co-owner and brewer Jake Rajewsky.

RAGBRAI started Sunday in Sergeant Bluff and will end in Lansing on Saturday. Mason City, the fourth day of riding on the 2022 route, anticipates more than 17,000 riders traveling over 100 miles from Emmetsburg on Wednesday. This day is dubbed the "Century Day," a RAGBRAI tradition of having an official 100-mile day that returned to the ride this year.

RAGBRAI Mason City held a meeting for local food and beverage vendors in early May to help owners with what they needed to do to prepare. Big takeaways from the meeting were to keep things simple and make sure to have any licensing done in time if necessary.

State Street Deli, located in the Brick and Tile building, is ready and eager for its second go-around with the RAGBRAI crowd. It will be open extended hours Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., just as when RAGBRAI rolled into town in 2014.

To feed so many hungry people, Jack Nardi, owner and manager, is pulling in a few retired former employees in addition to his current staff. We have some friends and family coming in from Chicago to help us out too, Nardi said They enjoyed it the last time when it was here eight years ago.

To make sure the process flows smoothly, Nardi said, We are limiting our menu down to the most popular sandwiches we have. So well have six different sandwiches.

Nardi is confident they will be able to keep up with orders by having three sandwich-making stations. But feeding all those RAGBRAI riders is pretty nerve wracking.

At my age, and with my whole background, I dont get too excited anymore, Nardi said with a wry smile. I just look for efficiency. I mean, take care of the customers and keep them happy. Thats the biggest thing. And make sure theres no stress on the crew and make it fun for them.

Scott and Candy Elsbury, owners of Jitters Coffee Bar and Last Ditch Roastery dont quite know what to expect from the RAGBRAI crowd, but they have prepared for the event the best way they know how. Coffee will be flowing and baked-from-scratch goodies on hand.

Jitters has been owned and operated by the Elsburys for almost 23 years, but this is only the seventh year in their current location near the south end of the North Federal loop. Were really not sure what to expect since we are off the beaten path, Candy said, But theyll find us because people do use their phones.

Coffee beans are roasted daily and arent usually ground until the order is placed. When asked how they will handle the traffic, Candy said they will create an express lane. We are going to close our drive-thru to cars, and it will be bike up or walk up only, Candy explained.

The express lane will be for those wanting cold-brew, nitro coffee and black coffee. You can only go so fast when making a drink  and we really pride ourselves on efficiency and that customers dont have to wait, she said.

Three options for their baked treats will also be available -- regular, gluten-free and vegan.

Jitters will be open extended hours Wednesday -- 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Brix Wine & Whiskey owner Melissa Evans is taking on her first RAGBRAI as a business owner. Evans calculated an estimated number of people she expects to visit her business and then worked backwards to guess how much product to buy.

"It will get pretty crazy, but we hope to do our best," said Evans.

Rajewsky and Angstman were here for RAGBRAI in 2014, the last time Mason City was an overnight stop. That experience gave the co-owners an idea of what to expect.

"We got the rush of it, like how crazy it is and how many people that is," said Rajewsky. "We knew that was going to take a lot of preparations."

Kathy Konig, director of operations at Cabin Coffee, said every large event they have taken part in has helped them prepare for RAGBRAI. Konig said a team of 10 to 12 workers will serve, particularly on Thursday morning as riders leave town for Charles City.

"What we are trying to do is to just serve the riders and to serve the support teams," said Konig.

At Pottery on the Plaza, a paint-your-own pottery studio, co-owner Colleen Frein has been figuring out how to prepare for RAGBRAI. Her main concerns are determining what pottery will ship well and how to run operations the day of the event.

"We are brand new to downtown, so we are flying blind. Honestly, we have no idea how busy we will be, but we are looking forward to welcoming anyone who wants to visit our shop," said Frein.

Frein and other local business owners say Wednesday will be "all hands on deck," but there was plenty of work to do in the weeks leading up to RAGBRAI.

Fat Hill Brewing will offer its entire menu to customers Wednesday, and has well over 100 kegs and mountains of cans ready to go. The brewery has a trailer booked to sit outside to help handle the onslaught.

"We have so many kegs. The cooler is so full that I have to crawl over kegs like a monkey to change a keg," said Angstman. "I think we've never used so many kegs in the entire time we've been open."

Brix Wine & Whiskey will keep it simple, offering a paired-down selection of drinks featuring its whiskey sour slushes. Evans stocked up on supplies and came in early Tuesday to start premixing slushes.

"My ultimate goal is to have everyone who works here to have fun and the people that come in to have fun," said Evans.

Although it doesn't sell beverages, Pottery on the Plaza will serve cold drinks for riders, according to Frein.

"We're excited to be able to share our town with the RAGBRAI riders. There is so much good happening in our downtown area and around the city, and we can't wait for them to experience it," said Frein.

This isnt the first time Matt Perez, new owner of Laredos, has experienced RAGBRAI from the customer service end of things. He has worked there for 19 years, but now he is the owner and manager.

So he is in charge of ordering and everything. Yeah, everything, he said, kind of ruefully.

As far as extra help is concerned, Laredos may be in better shape than many. He was able to call upon former employees and regulars that hang out. I feel that if you are a regular here you kind of know all the ins and outs of this place anyway.

Perez said there really isnt a perfect way to prepare for RAGBRAI. We just do our best.

Laredos has a small kitchen but, We turn out some really good food here. Like many other places they will have a limited menu with four items.

Last time they didn't have as many food vendors downtown, and we have to compete with that, Perez said, but with as many people downtown everyone will get a piece of the action.
Clear Lake Fire Museum recently accepted a new piece, donated by the son of a Clear Lake firefighter whose image adorns a wall inside.

John Jensen, son of late Assistant Chief Joe Jensen, contacted the CLFD in May. He had an artist's rendering of "The Fox," the fire truck his father took his last ride in before being laid to rest.

"He had no family to give it to, so he contacted us to see if we'd take it," said Mike Keefe, assistant chief. Joe Jensen joined the CLFD in 1947 and retired in 1968. A long-time firefighter, Joe Jensen was given a firefighter's funeral when he died in December 1989. His son took a photo of that day.

John's photo of The Fox on that December day went with him back home to Idaho Falls, Idaho. It was there he contacted Fred Ochi, a well-known watercolor artist who resides in Idaho.

Ochi studied calligraphy in Iwakuni, Japan, and fine art at the California College of Arts and Crafts. His work is known for "embodying a flavor of the West with an Oriental influence." Ochi has had works exhibited throughout Idaho and California, as well as Grand Central Galleries in New York City, the United States Embassy Exhibition and the National Fine Art Exhibition in Springville, Utah.

Ochi's rendition of The Fox in winter boasts bright pops of firetruck red with a soft blue background. There's still snow in the tires, and the deep reds are highlighted by the snow sticking to the truck. Tire tracks make lines through the snowy blue on the ground below. A soft sun sits behind clouds, and softer colors break up the light and dark tones throughout the piece. Ochi's signature lines the bottom, in English as well as Japanese.

More than 30 years after the photo was taken, John Jensen told CLFD he wanted to donate the painting it inspired. It hangs with photos of The Fox and information about the artist and how the photo came to be.

The Fox, the actual truck, also sits in the Clear Lake Fire Museum. It separates the painting from photos of the late Joe Jensen. Jensen can be seen in photos on the adjacent wall, his thick black glasses and balding head unmistakable with his team at the Clear Lake Fire Department.

"(John) looks just like his father too," Keefe said with a smile as he showed photos of Joe Jensen. The Clear Lake Fire Department was excited to accept this piece, bringing it to the City Council meeting July 5 to share gratefulness for the new piece.
First time RAGBRAI riders Ann and Mikel Brandhorst from Madrid, Iowa, peddled up to the information table at Newman Catholic School around 2 p.m. looking for directions to their campsite and an end to their days journey.

We've never done more than a 72-mile ride before, so we were kind of intimidated by it at first, Mikel said. But there was a nice tail wind today, and it was fairly flat, Mikel Brandhorst said.

Once they wrapped their minds around the idea, the ride wasnt too bad, except for the turn north where they began to ride into the wind.

The couple began the journey at 5:15 a.m.

Were not the fastest riders in the world, Ann said with a smile. It was fun to see all the little towns. There were a lot of homes and families having little stops today, more so than the other days.

And we had a lot of good, deep discussions with each other (along the route), Mikel added.
Downtown Mason City was buzzing with activity as anticipation was building for the first riders to roll into town. RAGBRAI Mason City officials were checking in with each aspect of the event, making sure volunteers were where they needed to be and that details were in order.

Food vendors and trucks were zooming around their space, hooking up electrical cables and preparing ingredients. Smells wafted through the air as food prep began as early as 7 a.m.

Isabel Garcia, who was getting food ready for Lunas Tacos of Iowa City, was stirring beans and checking on the progress of her tamales. She said she had been food prepping for the last 48 hours.

I havent slept all night. I dont have time to sleep, so I just close my eyes for an hour last night. We got to make homemade tamales here, said Garcia.

Garcia said it was a family effort to feed the riders coming into Mason City, marinating and preparing the meat they would serve.

We appreciate the opportunity to be here. Its our first time (doing RAGBRAI) so we will see how it goes, said Garcia.

Head Chef Joseph Low was organizing his crew at Philly cheesesteak food truck, called All About Cheesesteaks. His crew planned on serving food at both the Mason City stop and Thursday in Charles City, where they are from. The truck had two cheesesteak options for riders: with or without onions.

This is our first-ever RAGBRAI and our second season in operation. Im just excited to see what our team can do, how much value we can do, and to provide a good sandwich, said Low.

Low said several riders from Philadelphia contacted him and plan to try out his cheesesteak sandwiches.

We had posted that were going to be here, and a lot of people were saying Well, were from Philly. Were going to put you to the test. Were going to make sure your sandwich is legit. I say come on and try it, Low said with a smile.

John Freese at the Barlea Roots food truck was working hard flipping burgers and hot dogs as riders began to trickle into town Wednesday morning. Owner Stephanie Larson said friends riding in RAGBRAI inspired her crew to set up their truck.

I was like since were coming this far, we might as well bring the food truck, said Larson.

Larson's large menu centers on grilled items. One of the most popular is "roadkill," made up of curly fries, cheese balls, barbeque pork and topped with barbequed meat and cheese sauce.

Weve been on the go this month between fairs and figure-eight races and a couple concerts and festivals. Its been busy, and its a lot of work, said Larson.

Emily Ginneberge of RAGBRAI Mason City was walking around downtown helping people out and answering questions. She was happy to see weeks of effort and planning come together.

Today is the day. Its RAGBRAI day. I dont care who hears me, I want them all to hear me. It feels great to have finally made it to this day, and its a beautiful day, said Ginneberge.

Brett Bachtle, Visit Mason City brand accelerator and engagement specialist, said he was proud to see everyones efforts with planning the RAGBRAI "Century Day" come together. He experienced an unexpected feeling while walking around in the cool air.

I wasnt prepared for the sadness, because for months we have been working towards this day, Bachtle said. Its just been this far off distant thing that weve talked about and planned for. Then to actually get downtown today and physically see all of the things that Ive been a part of for months ...

Denise Strohmayer and her husband were taking part in the volunteer efforts in the beverage area downtown. She was working from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then an evening shift while headliners Don Felder and Sugar Ray play their shows.

I think its just a great statement for Iowa to have all these bike riders coming in and riding together and having Mason City to host. I think its really showing off the Iowa community, said Strohmayer.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Ilyas Mahmudov, former judge of Azerbaijans Sumgayit City Court, has been detained on corruption charges, Azernews reports per the Prosecutor-Generals Office.

The Main Anti-Corruption Department initiated a criminal investigation under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code based on the materials received by the Labour and Social Security Ministry and the Justice Ministry on the cases of unlawful assignment of pensions by illegal decisions adopted on behalf of the Sumgayit City Court.

The investigation established that there are grounds for suspicion that Ilyas Mahmudov in exchange for making an unlawful decision to satisfy the claims of plaintiffs in various civil cases pending in its proceedings, extorted bribes from individuals, due to which, in two cases, he adopted unlawful resolutions.

At the same time, there were suspicions that Mahmudov deliberately included false information in 25 rulings issued during his work on other cases which were in his proceedings, and sent illegal judicial acts related to determining the length of service and disability to the relevant authorities.

These actions of the former judge caused serious damage to the legally protected interests of the state, which entailed the payment of illegally assigned pensions in the total amount of AZN243,441 ($143,200), the statement reads.

Based on the collected evidence, Mahmudov was charged under Articles 295.1 (delivering a knowingly unjust verdict, decision, ruling), 308.2 (abuse of official powers resulting in serious consequences), 311.3.2 (a repeated receipt of a large-amount bribe), and 313 (official forgery) of the Criminal Code. A preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen against him by court decision.

Comprehensive operational and investigative measures are ongoing to establish other circumstances in the case, the statement reads.
City officials are seeking state money for several proposed road improvement projects in Danville, as well as one for a connector road at the Southern Virginia Mega Site at Berry Hill.

Danville is applying for Virginia Department of Transportation Smart Scale funding for four projects in the city, and the Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization is applying for another two projects.

The six projects include three on Riverside Drive entailing road improvements from Piney Forest Road to Audubon Drive, Audubon Drive to Arnett Boulevard and Arnett Boulevard to Main Street.

Other projects include improvements to Piney Forest Road, accommodations for pedestrians at Piedmont Drive and expansion of a connector road in the works for the Southern Virginia Mega Site at Berry Hill.

The projects in Danville will improve roadway safety and improve pedestrian accessibility, said Brian Dunevant, city engineer and assistant director of public works. The Berry Hill project will add capacity to the connector road.

The proposed road improvement projects in Danville result from studies performed, including one for Riverside done a few years ago, and recent studies for Piney Forest Road and Piedmont Drive, Dunevant said.

All projects were seen as good projects for the community and it is thought that they should score well, he said.

Proposed road improvements in the city  excluding the Berry Hill connector road expansion in southwestern Pittsylvania County  total about 3 miles, Dunevant said.

Two lanes of the connector road that will be located from the Danville Expressway to Va. 311 were previously funded through Smart Scale and are in development, he said.

This new application will add additional lanes to that project, Dunevant said.

The connector road would extend from the existing interchange at Oak Ridge Farms Road and the Danville Expressway west to tie in with Berry Hill Road.

Work on the project is expected to begin Sept. 13 and be complete June 30, 2025, said Joe Bonanno, senior planner with the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. It will be about 2.3 miles long, he said.

The project is meant to ease access from the 3,500-acre mega site to the Danville Expressway. Danville and Pittsylvania County officials hope to attract a major industry that would bring thousands of jobs to the site.

This connector road will direct traffic from the mega park directly to the Danville Expressway, thereby keeping traffic off of local roads, such as Martinsville Highway, Bonanno said. The connector road will also minimize the distance traffic must travel from the mega park to the Danville Expressway by creating a more direct route between the two.

The initial two-lane project is expected to cost about $33.5 million.

Once constructed, the connector road would be designated at Va. 311, with Berry Hill Road becoming a part of it, Bonanno said.

The Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization is staffed by the commission.

The commission engages in regional planning for transportation, economic development, grant writing, regional collaboration, for the West Piedmont Planning District, which includes the cities of Danville and Martinsville, the counties of Franklin, Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania, and the town of Rocky Mount.

The Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization conducts transportation planning activities for the city of Danville and adjacent portions of Pittsylvania County, in close collaboration with those localities.

The VDOT Smart Scale program distributes transportation funding based on evaluation of projects that determines how effectively they help Virginia achieve its transportation goals, Dunevant wrote in a letter to Danville City Council.

Each application is scored by VDOT based on criteria established for the region where the project would be located, Dunevant wrote.

Based on scoring and available funding, projects are then recommended by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, he said.

The board is expected to vote whether to award funding for the projects in June 2023.

If funded, these projects would go into VDOTs Six-Year Plan, meaning funding would become available to start design in the 2020s and construction after 2030, Dunevant told the Danville Register & Bee.

Estimated costs of the projects are unknown and are being prepared by VDOT in Lynchburg, he said.

We have not received all of the final estimates yet, Dunevant said.

Applications for each project in Danville and at Berry Hill are requesting full funding, he said.

There are no funds from Danville included in the applications, Dunevant said.
Pet owners living in the area near Walmart on Mount Cross Road are being urged to keep their domestic cats indoors.

Animal control officers and the Danville Police Department will try to corral a group of feral cats that may have had contact with a rabid fox last week.

Officials are undertaking the effort to prevent the spread of rabies after four people were bitten by a rabid fox in the area last week, including two who were bitten in the parking lot at Walmart.

Over the next three weeks, traps will be placed in areas where the feral cats have been reported, Linda Scarborough, public information officer with the Virginia Health Department, wrote in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

Due to this trapping period, domestic cats that are not contained by their owners may inadvertently find the traps where they will then be transported to the local animal shelter, Scarborough wrote.

Any residents in the area around Walmart on Mount Cross Road whose pets are missing during that period are encouraged to call the Danville Area Humane Society at 434-799-5306.

Captured cats will be taken to the Danville Area Humane Society, where they will be quarantined for 10 days. The state health department has ordered that when that period is up, the cats will be euthanized, said Paulette Dean, the societys executive director.

By quarantining for 10 days, that gives time for any symptoms to appear, Dean said. During that 10-day period, if the cats exhibit any illness or if they bite or scratch, then they will be immediately euthanized. Only employees who have been vaccinated for rabies will be allowed to come into contact with the cats.

Dean urges pet owners in the area around Walmart to keep their cats indoors and to make sure their dogs and cats are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations.

The police department has cordoned off an area at Walmart and have started setting the traps, Dean said.

They are informing people not to feed the cats around there, she said.

The health department urges anyone who may have been in contact with the fox or any other animal near Walmart or near Tyler Avenue to contact the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District at 434-776-9800.
REIDSVILLE  The past few days have seen Tonya Murrell mark big improvements in her health, said friends of the local teacher, who survived the July 9 car crash in Browns Summit that left her with life-threatening injuries and claimed the lives of her firefighter husband and two others.

Tonya sat in a chair today! Thats great news. A machine did all the work for her to get into and out of the chair, but she finally was able to get out of the bed, wrote relative Amanda Price on the CaringBridge social media site where friends and family share updates on Murrells health.

She is trying to speak, but is not easily understood, Price wrote. Her family can understand when she says, I love you.

Price further said that Murrell has begun physical and speech therapies and may be able to move soon to a step-down unit of Moses Cone Memorial Hospital where she is being treated in Greensboro.

Murrell, a teacher at Community Baptist Day School, and a former Reidsville High School teacher, also devotes her summers to work as a counselor at Mountain Top Christian Camp in Pinnacle, N.C.

To illustrate her progress this week, friends noted that just a week ago, Murrell, who suffered breaks to both of her femurs, dislocation of both hips, damage to one arm, injury to her lung, broken ribs and brain bleeds, was reliant on the ventilator for about 40% of her oxygen needs.

On July 20, her 51st birthday, she was able to open her eyes to communicate a hello to her daughter.

By July 24, Murrell was off of the ventilator and had stable vital signs, friends said.

....she is talking and even laughing a bit but is still very heavily medicated, Price wrote on the CaringBridge site on July 24. The people she loves the most have filled her in on the broader details of how and why she got in her current situation, Price wrote. The meds may preclude her from fully understanding or remembering those details.

Price continued: She has had all the pertinent surgeries, so now we simply wait for her body to heal and for her to regain enough cognitive function to begin her long road of physical therapy.

Surgeries included femur repairs and a hip replacement and others to repair and monitor other injuries, friends said.

Murrells three children, Lilly, 21, Kathryn, 19, and Levi, 17, have been at Murrells bedside at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro throughout the ordeal and at the same time have had to plan their fathers funeral set for Sunday in Reidsville.

Richard Rick Norman Murrell, 58, a Reidsville native and 32-year veteran of the Greensboro Fire Department where he was an engineer, was driving the couples Jeep Cherokee south on N.C. 61 during an afternoon rainstorm when the Murrells were struck head on by a 16-year-old driver, Alexio Lattero of Gibsonville.

Lattero, a junior volunteer with Fire District 28 in Gibsonville, was traveling north on the highway that Saturday when he lost control of his 2012 Dodge Charger and struck the Murrells at around 4:50 p.m. near Turner Smith Road in Guilford County, according to the Highway Patrol.

The Charger caught fire, trapping a 15-year-old passenger from Kernersville and Latteros sister, Anna Shyann Lattero, 26, of Reidsville. Both died at the scene. Authorities have not released the identity of the teenage passenger.

The State Highway Patrol Crash Reconstruction Unit determined that the primary contributing factor in the crash was exceeding a safe speed for the conditions of the roadway (rainy and wet), a Highway Patrol spokesperson said by email Monday.

Alexio Lattero, whose injuries also were considered life-threatening, was released from Moses Cone Hospital earlier this month and charged with three counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, exceeding a safe speed and driving left of center. He has a valid N.C. Graduated Drivers License that has a restriction 17 (limited provisional/level 2 license), authorities said.

A spokesperson for the Highway Patrol said Lattero is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 12 in Greensboro.

To keep up with Murrells progress, visit: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tonyamurrell.

Greensboro firefighters have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the Murrell family: www.gofundme.com/f/rick-murrell-gfd.

A memorial service and celebration of Rick Murrells life will be held at 3 p.m. on July 31 at Reidsville Christian Church with Dr. Jeff Johnson and Steve Andrews officiating.

The Greensboro Fire Department and Fire Honor Guard will be present to pay tribute to Murrell, also a U.S. Army veteran. Military Honors will be performed by the Rockingham County Honor Guard after the service. Join the service live via streaming @https://reidsville.cc/RickMurrell.

In announcing their fathers funeral through Wilkerson Funeral Home, Murrells children wrote about how their fathers love had steadied them in their grief:

When a tragedy such as this happens, people oftentimes will expect you to fall apart. However, the opposite has occurred to us, the children wrote. People have instead asked about our strength, courage, and how we as his children have been able to stand with our heads held high in the face of such a traumatic experience. Well, let me tell you about our father, the man who taught us to be strong, Rick Murrell.

One of dads favorite quotes was, A veteran is someone who wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life. It originated from his time in the military, but we, as his children, believe it applied to all aspects of our dads life. He was and is a hero to us and to most everyone he met. He woke up each morning and chose to live out the words of his favorite quote. He would have gladly laid down his life in service to his country, in service to the fire department, and in service to his family, the children wrote.
RALEIGH  In nearly all North Carolina communities with bus systems, ridership is significantly lower than it was just a few years ago. In Greensboro, for example, there were 1.9 million passenger trips on city buses last year, down approximately 60% from the total in 2014. Over the same period, Winston-Salem buses experienced a comparable drop-off. In Charlotte, it was a staggering 75%.

Its not just our largest cities where buses are running well below capacity. Salisbury, Gastonia, Rocky Mount, Wilson  all have seen ridership declines, ranging from moderate to massive.

Of course, transit use cratered pretty much everywhere when COVID struck in early 2020. Fearful people found other ways to commute, gained the option of working from home, or lost their jobs entirely. Ridership has since bounced back somewhat, though it remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Declines in bus usage didnt begin with COVID, however. In 2019, the city of Concords buses carried 9% fewer passenger trips than in 2014. The drop was 12% in Fayetteville, 15% in Raleigh and Salisbury, 18% in Wilmington, 25% in Winston-Salem and Cary, 28% in Greensboro, and 35% in Charlotte. Among major urban centers, only Asheville, Chapel Hill, and Durham bucked the trend.

Those three communities, and perhaps a few other college towns, have distinctive characteristics that boost their transit friendliness and may prove to be persistent in the post-COVID era. For most of North Carolina, though, realism requires that we accept a basic truth: traveling by bus was never a popular choice, was becoming less so prior to the pandemic, and is now even more unpopular because of it.

For one thing, some jobs that were shifted to remote out of desperation are going to remain remote by choice. Estimates of the percentage vary, but if you take a look at parking lots and foot traffic in downtown areas, the significance of the shift is impossible to miss. If ones policy goal is to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles traversing our roads and streets, either to alleviate traffic congestion or improve air quality, telecommuting was always going to be a handier tool than transit or carpooling.

For another thing, while some politicians and policy wonks may be all-in on a war against cars, most of us never volunteered for such a war  and greatly resent any attempt to conscript us into it. Thats why gas prices are such a hot political issue at the moment. In theory, they represent the kind of price signal many left-wing activists have long dreamed about, a real price of driving that reflects a bigger share of the negative externalities it imposes on the environment and society. In practice, most people find high gas prices outrageous and intolerable.

Why was bus ridership declining before COVID? Heres a key reason: thanks to growth in employment and incomes, more lower-income folks were finding it possible to lease or buy personal vehicles. They saw this as a major improvement in their standard of living. They were right.

In Charlotte, admittedly, some of its huge drop in bus traffic during the past decade occurred not because residents were getting cars but because they were getting off buses to ride trains. The net effect wasnt to boost transit usage, however. According to a report by Charlotte radio station WFAE, ridership across all transit types is still down 65% since 2014.

As a fiscal conservative, Ive long doubted pie-in-the-sky projections for transit usage in a state like North Carolina where most people prefer suburban or rural lifestyles to residing in dense urban cores. That doesnt mean Im against all transit spending. I just see it more as more of a public-assistance expenditure, to help the relatively small number of people who cant drive for economic or medical reasons, rather than as a practical means of moving large populations around 21st-century cities.

No matter what the formula looks like on paper, its impossible to reduce congestion or improve air quality by running empty or near-empty buses.
GREENSBORO  Duane Cyrus has spent much of his nearly 40-year career as a dancer and dance teacher.

Now, he will bid farewell to the city where he spent the last 17 years, creating and teaching as a dance professor at UNCG.

Cyrus is headed to Arizona, to direct the School of Dance at the University of Arizona in Tucson. With 160 students, its a little larger than UNCGs program.

Before he leaves, Cyrus will use his performing and visual artistic talents in a four-night, multi-disciplinary performance art installation and community discussion, as a type of living autobiography.

He calls it Time: Liminal.

Its the focus of his two-week residency at Stephen D. Hyers Theatre, the 88-seat venue in the downtown Greensboro Cultural Center at 200 N. Davie St.

I wanted to share what feels to me like a love letter to Greensboro and North Carolina, for some amazing experiences, incredible growth and lasting relationships, Cyrus said.

He also wants to show his appreciation for UNCG, where he learned and grew while teaching and mentoring others.

Dont expect four nights of dance concerts.

I would appreciate the grace of the audience to realize that at 56, I shouldnt be rolling on the floor, Cyrus said.

He will show past photos and videos from his dancing career, as well as his own visual art and that of others. Cyrus will perform as a type of theatrical docent using his movement, vocal and acting ability.

Through that, he will examine issues of age, race and gender as he has observed them.

Its about understanding our position in the present moment, our connection to history and how we can have an impact in the future  as that relates to performing arts, Cyrus said.

The four sessions will be on July 29 and 30 and Aug. 5 and 6.

The free sessions will allow the public to experience and learn more about how artists and scholars make work and contribute to society and the legacies that they create and leave behind.

My hope is to share some of the things that maybe the audience in Greensboro hasnt seen me regularly do, Cyrus said.

Many likely have seen his dancing talent.

Now 56, he danced in the original London cast of The Lion King in 1999 and 2000, toured with the musical Carousel and performed with the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Martha Graham Dance Company.

He has taught and choreographed in the U.S. and abroad.

He has produced and curated film and photography since he co-authored the 1999 book, Vital Grace: The Black Male Dancer.

He arrived at UNCGs dance department in 2005 with a bachelors degree from The Juilliard School and with a newly-acquired masters degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

He formed the dance company Cyrus Art Production.

Recently, in addition to his professorial role, he has directed Theatre of Movement, a performing and visual art collective that explores Black American and Afro-Caribbean identities in its works.

Among his honors are the 2021 Jan Van Dyke Legacy Award from the N.C. Dance Festival.

But Cyrus also has created visual art, curated art exhibits, studied acting and practiced his vocal work.

Although age now prevents him from performing certain dance moves, Im continuing to find ways to be present as a performer, Cyrus said.

Cyrus is one of 10 artists chosen for this years residency at the Hyers.

Creative Greensboro, the citys office of arts and culture, runs the program. It provides residencies of up to six weeks for dance, theater, music, film and poetry projects led by Guilford County-based creative individuals and organizations.

The artists receive rent-free access for rehearsals and performances and are also are offered support with materials, equipment and the marketing of residency activities.

Cyrus already had been awarded the residency before the job offer arrived from the University of Arizona.

He shortened his residency from four weeks to two.

But he didnt change his residency theme. He had thought about it for years.

Dance is ephemeral, he said. The art itself is fleeting. After years of performing, I kept asking the question, Where is the evidence of what I have done?

Although a few dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Misty Copeland receive attention, tens of thousands of dancers dont, Cyrus said.

As he reflects on his own life in dance, he wants to give more recognition to dancers in general.

What we celebrate in dance is not the dancer, he added. We celebrate the choreographer, the controller of movement ... I wish for our culture to celebrate dancers more.

Time: Liminal will be divided into four sessions, about 90 minutes each.

They will follow the format of his previous Evening With the Creative Class sessions. In those, artists in dance, theater, music, visual arts and spoken word talked about their process and shared examples of their work.

The audience will have time to look at the displays. Presentations or performances will follow, then discussions and engagement.

Each night, he will pose a question about the process of making work, of recognizing legacy, of using voice.

He has a goal for Time: Liminal. I want to see this work in a museum, a gallery  the performance and the visual art, Cyrus said.

Although Time: Liminal is a one-man show, fellow artists have helped.

Actress Cassandra Lowe Williams serves as dramaturg, an expert in the study of plays, musicals or operas.

Billy James Hawkains III, who studied with Cyrus at UNCG, serves as choreographer.

Mandy Moore of Moore Media Works and Jurne Smith work with Cyrus on administration. Smith also will perform Aug. 5 with The Resistance Project, a collective of African American women artists.

Steven Cozart will create an art exhibition from his sketches of Cyrus work. Hassan Pitts will provide video. Others featured will be film artist Robbin Ka and photographer Devin Newkirk.

No dance happens without a team of people, he said. There is a whole team of people behind me.

Cyrus plans to maintain his contacts in Greensboro. He will retain his house here.

Theatre of Movement will remain a North Carolina collective. Its art education program will be offered in the fall through Guilford County Schools. Cyrus will stay on its executive team but not solely responsible.

Cyrus sees his work-in-progress as a bridge.

This residency is a point in the development of the work, he said. So it gives me something to carry forward into Arizona.

Its allowing me to reflect on what has been, before I head into what will be, he said.
Tens of billions of dollars are spent each year on Hollywood blockbusters and streaming hits that portray stories in fictional lands and real-world remote locations. Sometimes, its as simple as filming at Paramount Studios in the middle of Los Angeles.

But more and more, crews are packing up for faraway states and nations, many of them across Europe  even when stories have nothing to do with the places where they are filmed.

How well do you know Hollywood filming locations? To test your knowledge, The Times has put together a quiz. Answers are at the bottom.

1. Where were HBOs Catherine the Great and Chernobyl shot?

a) Poland

b) Russia

c) Estonia

d) Lithuania

2. This car chase scene from a major science-fiction thriller was filmed in Tallinn, Estonia. What movie is it from?

a) Jurassic World Dominion

b) Tenet

c) Black Panther

d) Mad Max: Fury Road

3. To re-create the western front in France during World War I, which area of the United Kingdom was used in the film 1917?

a) East London

b) Salisbury Plain

c) Dover

d) The Cotswolds

4. Dune, starring Timothee Chalamet, was shot in several nations. Which two of these are among them?

a) Hungary

b) Jordan

c) Norway

d) Czech Republic

5. Which site in Lithuania was not a filming location for Stranger Things Season 4?

a) Lukiskes Prison, Vilinus

b) St. Nicholas Church, Semeliskes

c) Kyviskes Aerodrome, Kyviskes

d) Bell Tower at Cathedral Square, Vilnius

6. In Game of Thrones, this city was used to represent Kings Landing.

a) Sofia, Bulgaria

b) Belfast, Northern Ireland

c) Dubrovnik, Croatia

d) Glasgow, Scotland

7. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, has scenes that take place in China, Bhutan and Berlin. Where is the main studio where the movie was shot?

a) Leavesden, United Kingdom

b) Frankfurt, Germany

c) Thessaloniki, Greece

d) Jakar, Bhutan
UNC Chapel Hill is bringing its Kenan-Flagler Business School to Charlotte this fall, the school announced Wednesday. Its the schools first expansion outside Chapel Hill, according to the university.

The business school will open a Charlotte executive MBA program at Legacy Union in uptown this September. Heres whats to know about the project:

Who will be there: The program is expected to have 40 students in its inaugural class, spokeswoman Heather Tamol said. Professors from the schools Chapel Hill location will travel to Charlotte to teach in-person classes.

The program: The curriculum for the MBA program will be the same as at Chapel Hill, with slight Charlotte-specific modifications. Students will have events with their Chapel Hill peers and with business leaders over the course of the two-year program. One element unique to the Charlotte program is a course that will feature Friday lunches with C-Suite executives from businesses based in the city.

For its fall launch, the Charlotte executive MBA program will use existing lecture space within Legacy Union. The full campus build-out will be complete in spring 2023.

Significance: It puts students in the center of a growing business and economic hub, the school said in its news release.

Kenan-Flaglers dean, Doug Shackelford, said in a statement that the Charlotte program gives us the opportunity to be a stronger part of this vibrant city where we can immerse ourselves in the regions industries, create a pipeline of talent for its businesses and empower its next generation of leaders.
There was a time not long ago that paying a little under $4 for a gallon of gas would seem outrageous. Lately, it feels pretty good.

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in North Carolina dropped a penny below $4 on Wednesday for the first time since May 5, according to AAA. Since peaking at $4.67 a gallon in mid-June, the average price of gas in the state has declined a penny or two almost every day.

Diesel remains well above $5 a gallon, at $5.25 on Wednesday, but down from a high of $5.77 statewide on June 11, according to AAA.

Nationwide, the average price for a gallon of unleaded was $4.30, off its peak of $5.02 a gallon on June 14, according to AAA.

Concerns about a potential recession are helping to bring oil prices down. West Texas Intermediate crude was selling for more than $115 a barrel earlier this year after Russias invasion of Ukraine disrupted world supplies, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but has recently fallen to less than $100.

Lackluster demand for gasoline is another factor. Americans consumed 8.52 million barrels of gasoline a day last week, according to the EIA, about 775,000 fewer barrels per day than the same week last summer.

Consumers appear to be taking the pressure off their wallets by fueling up less, AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a written statement. And theres reason to be cautiously optimistic that pump prices will continue to fall, particularly if the global price for oil does not spike. But the overall situation remains very volatile.

The Biden administration also credits its decision to release a million barrels of oil a day from the countrys Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to Russias invasion. Combined with coordinated releases from the stockpiles of other countries, the U.S. Treasury Department estimates that the additional oil on the market resulted in prices falling 17 to 42 cents per gallon.

Prices at the pump vary across the country and within North Carolina. The average has dropped to about $4 in Guilford and Forsyth counties, according to AAA. In surrounding counties, Randolph had the lowest price ($3.80) and Rockingham the highest ($4.04).

In a handful of counties, mostly east of Interstate 95, the average has dropped to less than $3.70, according to AAA. They include Beaufort, Craven, Pitt and Wilson counties.
GREENSBORO  In any other election year, Greensboro residents would cast their votes for local municipal candidates in November, alongside statewide runners.

But this year, the election got pushed to July due to delays with getting new census data needed to update district lines.

The timing of the election wasnt the only oddity for voters.

On Tuesday, voters dealt with high temperatures, rain and confusion over where to vote.

Voters had mixed reasons for casting a ballot Tuesday. Some were motivated to vote because of the five bond issues or to support their favorite for the City Council. Others came out because voting is something they always do.

Alva Clark went to Brown Recreation Center to vote both on the bond issues and council races.

Clark said she would like to see more infrastructure dedicated toward schools and housing, but she also came out to vote because it is her right.

There have been too many people on either side that fought so I could have this privilege to vote, Clark said. As far as womens rights, as far as just being a Black woman in general, we fought really hard to get this opportunity and this right, so why not take advantage of it?

But the most common thread amongst voters was a craving for change.

Venita Burwell went to Hemphill Branch Library to cast her vote. She said she feels like the real change comes not from the White House, but the City Council chairs.

We are always looking at the big picture.  (N)ormally people only vote on the big election, for president, and things dont change, Burwell said. If we never do anything to change whats happening in town, then theres never going to be a bigger change further out. It starts on the ground level before we get to the top.

How many came people out to vote also varied.

Some locations like Brown Recreation Center saw a much higher voter turnout, with 84 ballots cast by half past noon. Other locations, like the N.C. A&T precinct, didnt have much of a voter turnout at all.

San Jones, an election campaigner at the precinct, said she only saw a handful of people coming in to vote  and she had been standing outside since the polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

She said she worried the hard rains that blew through in the afternoon could make the numbers worse.

I doubt very many will come now because of the rain, Jones said.

But even before the rain started, people were having a hard time casting votes.

Jones said she saw about four or five people turned away from the precinct because it wasnt their assigned polling location.

(One man) this was his fourth location hes been to today, Jones said. Three other locations before he came here. And they, here, were able to tell him what his issue was and where to go to get it resolved.

Election campaigners at Brown Recreation Center said they also saw this problem, with at least 10 to 12 people being turned away in the morning.

But one voter at the center, Tonga Ramseur, was turned away and told that she didnt have another option to vote. She was told that she wasnt allowed to vote, because the election is only for people who live within the city limits of Greensboro, and thus, the election doesnt affect her. Ramseur lives in an unincorporated part of the county.

But they do affect me, she said. I have a vegan food truck, and when I go out into the city it affects me.  We (those that live in the county limits) still live in Greensboro. We still work in Greensboro. We still purchase in Greensboro. We go to the stores, we buy from vendors. It affects me totally.

Ramseur said even though she couldnt vote Tuesday, issues like hers and the others that were turned away is why it is important to go out and do so.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Two decades after his arrest, the suspected organizer of a deadly 2000 al-Qaida attack on a U.S. Navy warship faced the possibility of further delays of his Guantanamo trial after his defense lawyer on Monday pressed to be allowed to leave the case over an alleged conflict of interest.

Guantanamo detainee Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri faces a possible death penalty in the killing of 17 U.S. sailors, who died when an explosives-laden skiff blew up alongside the USS Cole off Yemen.

Proceedings before the military commission have been mired in delays and in legal challenges over admissibility of evidence from the torture-aided interrogations of Nashiri and over other circumstances of his trial and detention. Captured in 2002, Nashiri underwent waterboarding, beatings and confinement in a crate in years of CIA custody at clandestine detention facilities.

Questions over the handling of Nashiri's case, like those of five fellow Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of planning and aiding al-Qaida's 9/11 attacks on the United States, have led to a military court still wading through pretrial hearings, constitutional debates and other problems.

There is increasing talk of plea bargains to end all the cases. But it remains unclear where defendants would serve out any sentences.

On Monday, Nashiri's top military lawyer, Navy Capt. Brian Mizer, pressed Judge Col. Lanny Acosta Jr. to allow Mizer to withdraw as Nashiri's attorney, alleging he had a conflict of interest that should bar him from serving on Nashiri's team.

The alleged conflict concerns Mizer's past defense work for a former Guantanamo detainee, Salim Hamdan, an alleged driver for Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors of Nashiri propose to introduce a statement from Hamdan, who is now in Yemen after serving his sentence. It's expected to allege that Hamdan heard Nashiri talking about arranging the attack on the Cole.

Mizer also had information regarding Hamdan's case that Nashiri's defense team should have, but that he could never ethically disclose given his attorney-client confidentiality with Hamdan, Mizer told the judge.

Red lines have been tripped, said Mizer, who was appointed by the military to defend Nashiri. "I have gone as far as I can ethically go ... to assist this defense team."

Acosta, the judge, grilled Mizer on why he was pressing to withdraw only after years on Nashiri's defense in the now 22-year-old attack.

Raising of this issue now  it's questionable why it's raised now, Acosta said, waving an index finger sternly at one point.

Nashiri, in court in Guantanamo in a shirt and gray jacket, spoke up, with the judge's permission.

Based on my understanding there is a conflict with Mr. Mizer. At the same time, I need him. I do not know how this is resolved," Nashiri said, spreading his hands wide in the air.

The military provided closed circuit video of the Guantanamo proceedings at the Pentagon and elsewhere.

The judge said Monday pretrial consideration of whether Hamdan's hearsay testimony against Nashiri could be used in the case would happen no sooner than February 2023.

Acosta also directed Mizer to tell him by Monday, privately, what confidential information he has from representing Hamdan that makes for a conflict in Nashiri's case.

This story was first published on July 25, 2022. It was updated on July 26, 2022 to correct attribution for a comment questioning a conflict of interest claim. The comment was made by the judge, Col. Lanny Acosta Jr., not a defense attorney, Navy Capt. Brian Mizer.
Hong Kong: Family-friendly workplace encouraged

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun

A workplace is more than just a place for work. If you discount the time we sleep, for those of us who work, we spend a significant part of our active time at the workplace. Apart from work, we also socialise, learn and grow at our workplace. A great workplace not only brings in more profit to employers, but also makes employees happier and healthier.

An employer-employee relationship is not a zero-sum game. Rather, it is a collaborative and interactive process, with a feeding loop that would amplify and reward those who adopt good practices, but at the same time punish those who fail to build harmonious employer-employee relationships. Great companies are great for a variety of reasons, but almost universally there is a common theme running through them, ie they all adopt good and harmonious employer-employee relationships.

The Government has all along been encouraging employers to adopt good human resource management and also family-friendly measures. Over the years, we have put in resources to promote and also raise awareness on this front. We are glad to observe that more and more companies are adopting family-friendly measures and good human resource management practices.

Apart from promotion, it is also incumbent upon the Government to strengthen employee rights and benefits in the legal area. The economic success of our economy owes much to the contribution and hard work of millions of employees. As our economy grows, employees should benefit from the wealth-creation process in the form of improved rights and benefits. Some of the notable improvements the Government has introduced in recent years include: increasing paternity leave from three to five days; increasing maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks, with the additional four weeks being reimbursable by the Government subject to a maximum monthly payment of not more than $80,000; as well as increasing progressively the statutory holidays from 12 to 17 by the end of this decade.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun gave these video remarks at the Seventh Best Workplaces in Hong Kong 2022 Awards Ceremony of the Great Place to Work Institute on July 27.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The XIX century was marked by significant social and political transformation as a result of new discoveries, original ideas, and the enlightenment movement, which fought against bigotry and conventional wisdom in Azerbaijan.

Following the Gulustan (1813) and Turkmanchay (1828) treaties between Russia and Persia northern Azerbaijan (including the modern-day Azerbaijan Republic) was annexed by the Russian empire. The occupation overthrew the previous khanates in the north and installed Moscow as the new power center. In many respects, the separation was tragic for the people and caused great social turmoil, but it also provided access to Russian, European, and Western cultures and ideas.

Growing up under this socio-political transformation, writer and public figure Mirza Fatali Akhundov saw an opportunity to usher in a new literary period by bringing western culture and ideas into Azerbaijani literature and public life. He was the Enlightenment movement's founding father and a pivotal figure in Azerbaijan.

The outstanding Azerbaijani intellectuals were aware of the social, political, economic, and cultural issues facing the country and made a concerted effort to address them.

Early life

Mirza Fatali Akhundov was born in Nukha, now Shaki, in northwestern Azerbaijan in 1812. His father was from the Iranian Azerbaijani village of Hamana, which is close to Tabriz, while his mother was from Shaki.

Early in 1832, before departing on a visit to Mecca, Akhund Haji Alasgar, Fatali's maternal granduncle, brought him to Ganja to study in a religious school (madrasa) associated with the Shah Abbas Mosque. Akhundov received training in calligraphy, as well as lectures in logic and religion from renowned Azerbaijani poet Mirza Shafi Vazeh. The two intellectuals rapidly developed a close bond.

In an effort to steer the 20-year-old Akhundov away from religious studies, Mirza Shafi urged him to focus on modern sciences. Fatali put up his religious and clerical studies under Mirza Shafi's influence and started studying Russian to understand about Russian and European cultures.

Fatali hoped to work in the public service and pursue his study among Russian intellectuals in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), the South Caucasus' administrative and cultural center at the time. Haji Alasgar did all in his ability to assist his adoptive son rather than attempting to discourage him. He accompanied Fatali to Tiflis in the fall of 1834, when Akhundov was offered a position in the government.

The Russian royal dynasty cherished Tiflis at the time since it was a bustling, prosperous city. Some of the finest writers from Azerbaijan, like Abbasgulu Aga Bakikhanov, Ismayil Qutqashinli, and Qasim Bay Zakir, were among those Mirza Fatali met and got to know in that environment.

He also kept in touch with poet Mirza Shafi Vazeh. Giorgi Eristavi, the creator of Georgian theater, Alexander Bestuzhev (Marlinsky), an exiled Decembrist writer from Russia, Tadeusz Lada Zablocki, a Polish revolutionary, Yakov Polonsky, a Russian poet, Nikolay Khanikov, and Adolf Berzhe, two Russian orientalists, were also among Akhundov's pals. These connections had a significant impact on Akhundov's views, as well as his literary and scientific activities.

Literary and public activities

Akhundov is regarded as Azerbaijan's first realist dramatist, novelist, and literary critic. With the publication of a poem on the death of Aleksandr Pushkin in 1837, he was the first author to employ a western form in eastern poetry. Later, beginning in 1850, he wrote Western-style comedies.

For more than 40 years, Akhundov's literary and political contributions fostered the spiritual growth of the Azerbaijani people. He became well-known as the leading enlightenment movement theorist and a significant public activist, not just in Azerbaijan but throughout the whole East.

Akhundov employed the Russian scientific and cultural milieu as a conduit in order to infuse Azerbaijani writing with the democratic spirit of western spirituality and culture. Akhundov read both Russian and European great authors such as Griboyedov, Pushkin, Gogol, Shakespeare, Moliere, Voltaire, and Montesquieu.

He was almost the first reformer of the Muslim world, according to literary historian Firidun Bay Kocharli, who also praised Akhundov's efforts as a writer and social reformer. He was the first to dismantle the outdated, corrupt underpinnings of Muslim life and to fight tooth and nail to alter the norms that hindered Islam's advancement, Khocharly said.

The six comedies - The Tale of Mollah Ibrahimkhalil the Alchemist (1850), The Tale of Monsieur Jordan the Botanist and the Celebrated Sorcerer, Darvish Mastali Shah (1850), The Tale of the Bear that Caught the Bandit (1851), The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lankaran (1851), and the Adventures of the Mean (1855) - Akhundov wrote were the first realist plays in Azerbaijan and the Near East to be written in the European style. Azerbaijani literature underwent a real revolution as a result of Akhundov's five-year span of writing.

Akhundov established the groundwork for dramaturgy not only in Azerbaijani literature but also in the Turkish-Muslim world from the Balkans to India by writing his six great plays between 1850 and 1855. With his comedies, the great master provided a model for writing plays in the Eastern world. It is a well-known fact that dramaturgy in the Turkish-Muslim world developed in the light of Akhundov's dramaturgy traditions.

The enduring comedies of Akhundov served as the foundation for Azerbaijani theater. In 1873, Hasan Bay Zardabi together with Najaf Bay Vazirov staged the famous play "Haji Kara" in one of Baku's schools and laid the foundation of the theater movement in Azerbaijan and in the Turkish-Muslim world in general.

In Akhundov's comedies, stage characters of Eastern women were created for the first time in the image of Azerbaijani women. In the 19th century, showing an Azerbaijani woman laughing and talking together with men on the theater stage required courage. Despite the constraints of the period, Azerbaijani intellectuals managed to realize this great work by bringing Akhundov's plays to the stage.

The comedies took inspiration from then Azerbaijani realities. The people were all local in terms of personality types, modes of thought, dress, and dialect. The local and vibrant dialects of the area had an impact on the linguistic design of comedies as well.

In his plays, Akhundov made effective use of his expertise in both European and Russian theater. A lot of the characters and topics in Akhundov's comedies have similarities to those in characters from Moliere and Gogol.

Comedy was one of the most effective genres for fighting the harsh realities and drawbacks of social life that caused disaster in society. Comedy was a great tool to lampoon these realities and encourage viewers to do the same while also fighting back against them. By using comedy as a corrective force in his own critical way, Akhundov exposed the severe defects in society.

In addition to plays and a novella, Mirza Fatali Akhundov also authored articles and other works with social, ethical, economic, and philosophical content.

Alphabet reform

By utilizing Russia and Western Europe as precedents, Mirza Fatali Akhundov sought to promote local culture. He believed that mass education was essential to achieving it. He believed that such a significant task first required modifications to the Arabic script, which at the time was used to write Azerbaijani and Persian.

He created a new alphabet in 1857 using the Arabic alphabet as a model. The new alphabet was simpler to learn and better captured the sounds of the Azerbaijani language. He started a campaign for alphabet reform by sending the alphabet to linguists, orientalists, and the leaders of Iran and the Ottoman Empire. He traveled to Istanbul as part of his campaign and gave the proposal to Fuad Pasha, the Ottoman prime minister. The proposal was considered in the Ottoman Society of Science per the prime minister's orders. Despite appreciating Akhundov's effort, little was done to promote it.

Despite the project's failure, Akhundov did not give up on the concept of reforming the alphabet. He worked harder and more passionately on the concept, creating a second draft alphabet that was likewise based on Arabic. He eventually decided against using the Arabic alphabet and created a new Latin alphabet for Azerbaijan instead.

Despite Akhundov's extensive efforts, the Latin alphabet was not adopted during his lifetime. However, it became real in the 20th century when the independent Azerbaijani Republic chose it as its official alphabet. This confirmed Akhundov's belief that Azerbaijan would have to integrate into Europe and the West.

Mirza Fatali Ahkhundov eliminated the outmoded, decrepit cliches and replaced them with fresh, democratic ideals as both an author and a reformer.
A state district court judge on Wednesday struck down a Republican-backed law preventing anyone who turns 18 before Election Day from getting a ballot before their birthday, finding that it infringes on young Montanans' right to vote.

Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael G. Moses partially ruled in favor of a coalition of youth groups that challenged the law, along with other election-related legislation, last year. The group includes Montana Youth Action, the Forward Montana Foundation and the Montana Public Interest Research Group.

Young peoples participation in democracy is essential. Today, the court affirmed what we already knew: Restricting access to the ballot is an obvious wrong, Kiersten Iwai, executive director at Forward Montana Foundation, said in an emailed statement. Now, our newest voters can get involved at the earliest possible opportunity because they will have the same level of access to the ballot as all other Montanans.

A spokesperson for Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, the defendant in the case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment or say whether Jacobsen plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

House Bill 506 was passed near the end of the 2021 legislative session, where it got far more attention for a last-minute provision grafted onto the bill, which sought to change the way the states congressional redistricting process works.

But it also prohibited voters from receiving or turning in a ballot until they reach voting age, even if they will be 18 by Election Day.

In defending the new law, Jacobsen had argued HB 506 was necessary "to ensure that only qualified electors were receiving ballots and mailing them in." Moses noted an earlier form of the legislation would have allowed those voters to submit ballots in advance of their birthdays, but required that election officials wait until they had turned 18 before processing and counting their vote.

"The version of HB 506 that the Legislature ultimately passed arbitrarily subjects a subgroup of the electorate to different requirements and irrationally forecloses an avenue of voting available to all others in the electorate," Moses wrote. He found that the law failed to meet the requirement that it be "narrowly tailored" to its rationale, in order to avoid unnecessarily infringing on a fundamental right.

The youth groups challenge to the election laws was last year consolidated with two other cases brought by the Montana Democratic Party and a coalition of tribal governments and Native American organizations in Montana.

The plaintiffs are challenging three other election laws that were supported by Republicans last year: Senate Bill 169 created new restrictions on what types of voter identification are acceptable at the polls and to register in-person; House Bill 176 ended voter registration on Election Day; and House Bill 530 tightly restricted the practice of ballot collection by third parties.

Courts cant grant summary judgment unless both parties agree on the basic facts underlying in the case. For the laws affecting voter ID, election-day registration and ballot collection, Moses wrote that it is evident there are genuine issues of material fact in dispute, and denied summary judgment on them.

The case is set to go to trial Aug. 15.

Most recently, the states high court partially reversed a ruling by Moses that had temporarily blocked all four laws being challenged by the consolidated plaintiffs. In May, four members of a five-justice panel of the state Supreme Court sided with Jacobsen in an order that restored the laws ending Election Day registration and strengthening voter ID requirements.
While it may be hard to believe, there really is such a thing as a tax we don't mind paying, and in this case the citizens among whom it is most popular are those who are paying it. Unfortunately, it is now fighting for its life in the House of Representatives.

Among hunters, anglers and other conservationists, the third decade of the last century was known as the Dirty Thirties. Thanks to the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the legacy of unregulated commercial hunting, habitat conditions were terrible and wildlife populations were crashing. As had repeatedly been the case during the Theodore Roosevelt administration, it wasnt animal rights activists who came to the rescue, but hunters.

At their urging, in 1937 Congress passed the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, now commonly called Pittman-Robertson (or P-R) after the bills original sponsors. PR created an 11% excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery supplies, with all revenues earmarked for conservation, habitat improvement and wildlife. In 1950, the Dingell-Johnson bill created a similar tax on fishing tackle. These funds are distributed among state fish and wildlife agencies, with none siphoned off into the usual black holes of wasted taxpayer money.

The results were spectacular by any standard. On average, the program distributed $1.5 billion annually to the states. Habitat improved and wildlife populations boomed while hunting and fishing attracted record-setting numbers as indications of widespread popularity. In Montana alone, P-R contributed more than $2 billion to state wildlife and habitat programs over the last decade, and some $28 million in 2022. These costs did not have to be borne by Montana taxpayers other than hunters and anglers.

Now comes Rep. Andrew Cloyd (R-GA) and his grandiosely titled Repeal Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now Act (HR 8167). If passed, this bill would effectively repeal P-R. Cloyd, who owns a nationwide chain of firearms sales outlets, claims that P-R infringes on Americans ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights, although he doesnt explain exactly how. HR 8167 has attracted over 50 co-sponsors including Montanas own Matt Rosendale, who has apparently yet to realize that he is representing Montana, where (in contrast to Maryland) most of his constituents hunt and fish.

Now for the ultimate irony. P-R excise taxes are not being paid by the sellers but by the buyers, almost all of whom are happy to pay them! Virtually everyone I know in the hunting and angling community understands how P-R works and supports it. Contrary to its backers tired rhetoric, HR 8167 will spell disaster for fish and wildlife, and it will cost Montana an important source of revenue. Everyone who values Montana outdoor experiences should oppose this bill in the strongest possible terms  and remember who sponsored it come November.
When Donald J. Trump is finally charged with crimes associated with the insurrection of January 6, 2001, I hope they confiscate his passport. I wouldnt want him escaping justice by hiding out with his buddy Putin. Even so, he could go a different route. He might try crossing into Mexico. He might be glad that he never finished his wall.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
OUTSIDE VIEW: Change will make it harder for people who shouldnt have weapons to get them
BRISTOL, Va.  A new city ordinance that would make camping on public streets and rights-of-way a criminal misdemeanor passed on first reading Tuesday, but not before city leaders agreed to have a broader discussion about the Twin Citys homeless problem.

Bristol Virginias City Council voted 5-0, on first reading, to support language declaring, It shall be unlawful and a Class 4 misdemeanor for any person within the city to camp on

any city-owned street, sidewalk, alley, or other public rights-of-way.

The issue generated some public comment, including from Brian Plank, executive director of the Haven of Rest Rescue Mission in Bristol, Tennessee

There could be unforeseen consequences to this action. I just want to make sure, as people who provide these services, that we have some kind of voice, if we can have, Plank said. We would like to meet with City Council because people on both sides of the line will be affected one way or another. Wed like to have the opportunity to meet or some way to communicate with the council.

During their discussion council members agreed that was a valid request.

We definitely need more discussion. We had some good discussion tonight, Mayor Anthony Farnum said after the meeting. We need to get some different entities involved  the city, the Housing Authority, some of our local churches and other community members. My hope is, in the next coming days and weeks, we do have more discussions to figure out what is best going forward.

The ordinance, which must receive a second approval to became part of the city code, is partially in response to a new Tennessee law that took effect July 1, making camping on Tennessee public property a misdemeanor if a person camps on or near a state roadway but it becomes a felony if an individual camps on public property such as a street or park.

I definitely think thats part of it, Farnum said. We have seen an increase in calls to our police department regarding the homeless population. To try to figure out the answer to that is a tough situation. I dont know if there is an easy answer because many communities are dealing with this.

Bristol Virginias ordinance defines camping as the use of any city-owned street, sidewalk, alley, or other public rights-of-way for living accommodation activities such as sleeping or lying down and making preparations to sleep (including the laying down of bedding, sleeping bag, or other sleeping matter, for the purpose of sleeping) or storing personal belongings or making any fire or using any tent or shelter or other structure.

There are specific incidences listed where the charge would not apply.

The language was borrowed from the city of Roanoke, City Manager Randy Eads said.

Laws are already on the books prohibiting camping in public spaces or private land without permission, under trespassing.

Councilwoman Becky Nave asked if the city engaged the community before bringing the matter to the council.

I can tell you I get phone calls and text messages everyday relating to homelessness and what people are seeing, Eads said. It has grown to a point where we have got to be proactive.

Eads said he and Police Chief John Austin met last week with the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, several local businesses, Believe in Bristol, Bristol Tennessee leaders and police administrators.

We met and discussed homelessness for 2.5 hours. Its a problem, especially in our downtown area. Its becoming greater, Eads said. Churches have been involved at some point. I have not had any conversation with churches as it relates to homelessness, but I do know that they have played a part, especially in the day center discussions.

Councilman Bill Hartley said the problem is much larger than the ordinance.

As far as moving forward, we need to have to have a holistic approach. In my mind we need to talk about housing in general. There is a need for housing in our community, from transitional to workforce to market rate  all across the spectrum, Hartley said. The city plays a role in that but a lot of other people have to play a role in that. Substance abuse is an issue that needs to be addressed and mental health.

Council members said they would welcome the opportunity to discuss the issues in more detail.

In other matters, the council approved a series of guidelines, user fees and scheduling regarding Cumberland Square Park and the adjoining parking lot. The vote was 4-0, with Councilman Kevin Wingard abstaining.

The council voted 5-0 to approve a special use permit to Appalachian Power to store electrical components at a Williams Street location, with the added stipulation a screening fence be placed around the material so the components would not be visible.

Twitter: @DMcGeeBHC
Funding is now available to repair and restore two remote trestles on the Virginia Creeper Trail.

On Tuesday, the Washington County Board of Supervisors approved granting $487,000 to repair Trestle No. 31, using federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. Yet the motion by Vice Chairman Mike Rush contained a stipulation that the funding could be reduced if an additional $100,000 could be obtained in the coming weeks by the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy.

We understand this is a very significant outlay, Lisa Kestner Quigley, the executive director of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy, said.

Both trestles stand in Washington County, Virginia, near Taylors Valley  yet are located away from nearby roads. The remote location makes it necessary to repair both at the same time, Quigley said.

Funding to repair Trestle No. 30 has already been obtained through the Town of Damascus and the U.S. Forest Services which oversees the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, where the trestles are located along the trail.

The trestles are vital to the economy of Damascus, which relies on visitors to the Virginia Creeper Trail section between Whitetip Station and Damascus  a downhill ride of 17 miles that supports several bike shuttle services.

The trails busy season runs from March through November. So the repair work for the trestles is scheduled to start in December and wrap up by March.
As Ballad Health continues expanding access to high-quality childrens health services throughout the Appalachian Highlands, a seasoned hospital administrator has been tapped to lead the endeavor.

Christopher Jett, a health care executive with more than 14 years of experience, has been named chief executive officer of the Ballad Health Niswonger Childrens Network, replacing Lisa Carter, who assumed the role of Ballad Healths Southern Region president last December.

Launched in 2021, the Niswonger Childrens Network is a regional system of pediatric care designed to benefit every child in the Appalachian Highlands. The network, which includes the regions only childrens hospital, Niswonger Childrens Hospital, serves 21 counties across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, six counties in Western North Carolina and two counties in Southeastern Kentucky.

When we began the search for the next CEO for the Niswonger Childrens Network, we knew we wanted to find someone who would help us grow and develop the network across the Appalachian Highlands, and Chris has every qualification we were searching for, Carter, president of Ballad Healths Southern Region and former CEO of the Niswonger Childrens Network, said. We were so impressed with his previous achievements, and we know his knowledge and expertise will help us reach our goals to provide quality health care to every child and family in the Appalachian Highlands.

Jett comes to Ballad Health from USA Health Childrens and Womens Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, where he has spent the past 13 years of his career. For the past six years, he served as hospital administrator at the facility, heading several projects during his tenure, including the creation of an OB/GYN Evaluation Center and Womens Complex Care Unit. He also oversaw the construction of a pediatric emergency department and postpartum unit, while consistently recruiting physicians and optimizing operations across the facility.

I am proud of the work Ive done and the teams I worked with in Alabama, and Im honored to now work in the Appalachian Highlands, Jett said. What the Niswonger Childrens Network is doing aligns with my personal values of ensuring access to quality health care for every child, and I believe every new project is like a seed that will grow and benefit our region for decades to come. The future is definitely bright for our children  which means its brighter for us all.

In his new role, Jett will oversee the vertical expansion of Niswonger Childrens Hospital, which will create a new, two-floor vertical expansion, stacked atop the existing hospital. The additional floors will house another element of the J.D. Nicewonder Family Perinatal and Pediatric Institute: a state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care unit.

With that renovation, Niswonger Childrens Hospital will host the newest NICU in both Tennessee and Virginia. With a family-friendly approach, the new NICU will offer private spaces for parents and siblings and give parents the ability to stay continuously with their babies.

Jett will also spearhead other ongoing Niswonger Childrens Network projects, including the conversion of Indian Path Community Hospital to a Center for Women and Babies, complete with a pediatric emergency department slated for opening in fall 2022, and a hub for womens services, including obstetric care, breast services and cervical services.
Um Al-Qura Development and Construction Company, owner and developer of Masar Destination, and AlZamel Real Estate Development Company, have signed an agreement under which AlZamel will become the owner of one of the luxury residential towers overlooking Masar Front.

The value of the deal has been put at SR500 million ($133.12 million).

The signing of the agreement took place between Um Al-Qura Development and Construction Company's CEO Yasser Abuateek and AlZamel Real Estate Development Company Chairman Abdul Hamid Abdullah AlZamel.

AlZamel said the acquisition is in line with the aspirations of AlZamel Real Estate Development, as it is keen to provide the highest levels of real estate services and the development of luxury residential solutions.

AlZamel company will be developing supreme residential apartments for sale that are worthy of the distinctive and upscale Masar Destination, the statement said.

Abuateek expressed his company's eagerness for the agreement with AlZamel Real Estate stressing its keenness to support the hospitality sector and Masar Destination's efforts to seek development of a distinguished residential experiences that meet the requirements of Makkah residents and visitors.

Masar is an urban destination with a development and investment vision that adopts the highest environmental and community sustainability standards. -TradeArabia News Service
A family of three was displaced Tuesday after an electrical fire damaged their home on 17th Avenue Northeast in Hickory.

Hickory firefighters responded to the fire shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday. The two adults and child who lived at the home heard the fire alarm go off and were able to get out in time.

Firefighters rescued one cat from the house while another came out on its own, according to a release from the fire department.

Hickory Fire Educator Alma Solis said the Red Cross is providing assistance for the displaced family. She added that the house is salvageable.
Catawba County Schools will be getting a new walkie-talkie system with a price tag of nearly $151,000.

The two-way radio system is digital. It will allow staff members to communicate directly throughout each school, as well as connect schools to the district administrative office, Catawba County Schools Assistant Superintendent of Operations Daniel Moore said during a school board meeting Monday night.

Moore said schools that currently have digital walkie-talkies will need an upgrade to make the devices compatible with the new system and schools with analog walkie-talkies will need completely new devices.

The district is looking into the possibility of connecting the system to law enforcement and other emergency services.

The board voted unanimously to approve the upgrade.

Maiden Elementary School update

Moore said the district is hoping to receive at least three bids for the Maiden Elementary School construction project by 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. The school board voted to have a special called meeting on Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. to vote on the bids.

Once the bids have been approved, Superintendent Matt Stover and Moore will go to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners to request additional funds for the project. Moore said if their request is submitted by Aug. 2, a subcommittee will meet with him and Stover on Aug. 8, then the request will go to the commissioners on Aug. 15.

The reason for the timeliness of that is to keep those bids within that 30-day window, Moore said.

In 2020, the project was estimated to cost around $20 million. In 2021, the district received $19.5 million from the Catawba County government. The lowest bid for construction received in December 2021 was $26.3 million.

The district applied for a need-based grant through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to cover the additional cost. The grant was denied. By that time, the construction bids were outdated, which sent the district back to square one.

In May, the plans for Maiden Elementary School were redrawn and rebid.

The district anticipates beginning construction in either late fall or early winter of 2022, Moore said in an email on Wednesday.

This article was updated at 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
A person police identified as a juvenile faces two charges in two separate Greensboro bank robberies. Authorities did not disclose the suspect's age.

The juvenile was charged with armed robbery in connection with a robbery Tuesday at a Wells Fargo on Battleground Ave. The second charge is related to the July 13 robbery at a Wells Fargo on Randleman Road, Greensboro police said.

In both, the robber implied he had a weapon and left with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. No one was injured.

Earlier this month, Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers posted a photo from the July 13 Wells Fargo robbery, asking for help finding information about the crime.
A Forsyth County driver was drunk and had opiates in her system when she collided head-on with another car, killing a 75-year-old woman in 2019, a Forsyth County prosecutor said.

Rachel Lynn Workman, 40, of Arcola Court, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Forsyth Superior Court to one count of felony death by motor vehicle in the death of Priscilla Elizabeth Fisher, 75, on Dec. 21, 2019.

Judge Edwin G. Wilson of Forsyth Superior Court sentenced Workman to a minimum of five years and a maximum of seven years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Aaron Berlin said that at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 21, 2019, Workman was driving southwest on Gumtree Road when she crossed the double yellow line and struck the car Fisher was driving in a head-on collision. Berlin said that Workman had accelerated just before the crash and did not apply her brakes or try other ways to avoid the collision.

Fisher died at the scene. Workman went to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.

Before the fatal crash, Berlin said Workman almost crashed into two other cars, which were able to swerve off the road.

Berlin said Trooper James White with the N.C. State Highway Patrol conducted an investigation and went to the hospital, where he administered field sobriety tests. White also got a search warrant to get a blood sample from Workman that was analyzed by the State Crime Lab. The blood results showed that Workman had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, which is higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent. She also tested positive for opiates and THC.

J.D. Byers, Workmans attorney, said Wednesday that Workman was a member of the U.S. Army and the U.S. National Guard. She served 13 months in Iraq, working as a medic and an ammunitions specialist, Byers said.

Byers said Workman saw some horrible things while in Iraq, leading to her developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Thats no excuse, he said. That was the root of what happened.

Soon after her arrest, she got in-patient treatment at a facility run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It was a 28-day program. Byers said she followed up with out-patient treatment.

Byers said Workman is remorseful.

She sat in my office this morning and just balled, he said.

At the hearing Wednesday morning, she wanted to apologize to Fishers family but didnt get a chance because the family did not attend the hearing, Byers said.

Byers asked Wilson to consider a long probationary sentence, but Berlin asked for an active sentence. According to Byers, Wilson said he appreciated Workmans military service but couldnt ignore the fact that someone died as a result of Workmans actions.

Berlin said, While I am grateful for Ms. Workmans service to our country, these are the probable consequences any time a person drinks and drives.
Lawyers on both sides of legal action related to the Jan. 31 fire at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant filed a joint motion Tuesday seeking to consolidate several lawsuits against the company and have a single judge handle all pre-trial proceedings.

Superior Court Judge Edwin G. Wilson Jr. of Rockingham County has agreed to take the case, according to the filing.

These cases involve thousands of people and complex issues that will need extensive investigation, Tom Wilmoth, a Winston-Salem-based attorney for residents suing the company over the fire, explained in an email to the Journal. Justice will best be served by having the attention of a single judge at the helm.

Winston Weavers attorneys, Rachel Keen and Mason Freeman from Womble Bond Dixon in Winston-Salem, signed off on the filing, which asks Forsyth County Superior Court Judge L. Todd Burke to recommend that N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby approve combining five lawsuits and assigning the case to Wilson.

The suits include class actions, which are filed on behalf of individuals but allow others to join as plaintiffs. Language in the filing, which references the alleged size and nature of the purported class among the rationale for folding the lawsuits together, suggests the number of plaintiffs is likely to grow considerably.

At the time of the fire, 500 tons of potentially explosive ammonium nitrate was stored at the Winston Weaver plant at 4440 N. Cherry St., prompting emergency officials to establish a voluntary evacuation perimeter affecting about 6,000 residents.

Smoke from the fire led to air quality readings as much as seven times worse than what the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as hazardous, and chemical-laden runoff flowed from the site into Monarcas and Mill creeks, killing fish and prompting the city to issue an alert encouraging residents to avoid those waters.

The lawsuits include complaints against Winston Weaver seeking punitive damages for claims including negligence and public nuisance, a legal strategy that has been used successfully in cases involving North Carolina hog farms.

Jonathan Cardi, a professor at Wake Forest University Law School, noted that while combining the lawsuits for preliminary proceedings makes sense logistically, each case will have to stand on its own merits.

The plaintiffs will still need to individually prove the elements of their claims against the defendants at trial, he explained.
Why pain?

The writer of the July 22 letter A feeling of pain explains that we should expect 9 million more illegal immigrants in the U.S. by the time President Bidens term is over. Then he asks, Had enough pain yet?

Im left to wonder: Why would illegal immigrants cause me pain? Every single one is a customer who will buy U.S. goods and boost our economy. With full employment, none of them are taking jobs that Americans want  they wind up taking the jobs Americans dont want. And those who receive paychecks will pay into Social Security and other benefits while receiving none. By percentage, more of them want to avoid the law and stay out of trouble than natural-born Americans. Why would any of that cause me pain?

This isnt to say that I think we should just ignore them. We should definitely create a better path to citizenship or at least supply green cards for workers.

But why should a law-abiding, hard-working family people cause me pain? And what kind of mentality is required to be so sure they would that one could just make the assertion without making a case?

Mack Ferguson

Winston-Salem

Importance of sex-ed

The uproar about abortion seems tantamount to posting a stop sign at an intersection following countless fatalities. The paranoia remains that administrators and certain parents blockade a commonsense sex-ed curriculum in middle and high schools, thinking wrongly that factual knowledge sanctions sexual activity. It is baloney that such sensible knowledge would cause a domino effect. Actually, the reverse might occur, promoting prudence.

The CDC suggests we teach:

Benefits of being sexually abstinent.

How to access valid and reliable health information, products and services related to HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

Communication and negotiation skills related to eliminating or reducing risk for HIV, other STDs and pregnancy.

Influences of family, peers, media, technology and other factors on sexual risk behavior.

Goal-setting and decision-making skills related to eliminating or reducing risks.

Influencing and supporting others to avoid or reduce sexual risk behaviors.

Creating and sustaining healthy and respectful relationships.

Importance of limiting the number of sexual partners.

Preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health.

How HIV and other STDs are transmitted. Health consequences of HIV, other STDs and pregnancy.

Importance of using a condom at the same time as another form of contraception to prevent both STDs and pregnancy. Effectiveness of condoms, how to obtain condoms and how to correctly use a condom.

It is essential to include violence against girls and identify safety and reporting measures for them. Teach the facts and let teens responsibly decide. They will decide.

Peter Venable

Winston-Salem

Good news

I was pleased with the July 19 story New ward boundaries reveal growing diversity because, with the new ward boundaries, no racial or ethnic group holds a majority. Despite what the bigoted Tucker Carlson is peddling on Fox, diversity is a wonderful thing. Ive been fortunate to be able to travel much of the world and Ive always thrilled at discovering new peoples and cultures and learning about their histories and cuisines. Winston-Salem is enriched by its growing diversity, just as my life has been enriched.

There are other types of diversity to value as well as racial and ethnic diversity. Living next to a gay person or couple will not hurt you, nor will living next to a biracial couple, or a transgender person or bisexual person. (But an AR-15 with hollow-point bullets will kill you.)

We should embrace the increasing diversity in our community as a positive.

Kenneth R. Ostberg

Winston-Salem
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  As Pope Francis pays a historic visit to Canada, he is encountering a country that is less Catholic, more secular and more religiously diverse than the last time it hosted a pontiff two decades ago.

And the city where he landed on Sunday  Edmonton  reflects that diversity more than outsiders might expect from a provincial capital in Canadas prairie heartland.

Edmonton and its province of Alberta do have a large, long-settled population of Christians of European descent.

But Alberta also has had a religiously and ethnically diverse population from its early 20th century founding as a province, when small groups of Sikh immigrants arrived and Lebanese Muslims launched Al-Rashid Mosque, believed to be the nations oldest. Its original red-brick structure now stands in a city park featuring historical exhibits.

We always think of Ontario when we think of diversity, said Noor Al-Henedy, public relations director for the the mosque. Nobody ever thinks (Alberta is) such a diverse land with so many ethnic groups, so many religious groups that have lived here for a long time. 

The Edmonton metropolitan areas population of 1.1 million was about 59% Christian, including 26% Catholic, as of 2011, according to the most recent Canadian census figures for religious demographics.

About 10% belonged to other religious groups, such as Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or Buddhist. Their presence is reflected in multiple mosques, gurdwaras and temples in the region.

An additional 31% claimed no religion.

Those figures are echoed nationwide. In Canada overall, the 2011 census found 67% Christians, including 39% Catholics, with 9% belonging to other religions and 24% having none.

Thats fewer Christians overall and fewer Catholics than tallied in the 2001 census, a year before the last papal visit to Canada by St. John Paul II. In that decade, other religious and secular populations grew.

A 2018 Pew Research Center report indicates those trends have continued in recent years, as they have to a less rapid extent in the United States.

The Rev. John Dowds, chaplain for the city of Edmonton, has seen these changes in the increase in the number of folk from other traditions who really need to find a specific place at a specific time of day to offer prayer.

Dowds, a Presbyterian minister, worked to create sacred spaces in city workplaces for people of any faith to pray or meditate.

The very existence of his position  the only city chaplaincy that hes aware of in Canada, an expansion of his role as fire department chaplain  testifies to Edmonton's awareness of its diverse faith communities. He and others on the citys wellness team counsel people of all faiths or none.

That counseling can have a spiritual component, but we dont narrow that spiritual part down to anything specific, Dowds said. It can be as broad as having a conversation about Who am I and  what makes me tick and where I want to go with my life?

The Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action has provided training and cooperation among multiple religious and secular groups.

The center and the city host a rotating display of information on different religions  for July, its Zoroastrianism  in the skylit atrium of City Hall.

Dowds acknowledged there are challenges, including cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia. I think we counter that," he said, by "assertively addressing and then inviting opportunities for dialogue.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi added that, in a city with a substantial Indigenous population, some residents may not have a deep understanding of the struggle Indigenous communities are facing, given the history of colonialization and culturally repressive residential schools. That is being addressed through education, interfaith dialogue, intercultural dialogue, he said.

Those issues are central to Francis' visit to Alberta, where on Monday he made a formal apology for decades of abuse of Indigenous children at church-run residential schools they were forced to attend.

Sohi, who immigrated here from India four decades ago, is the first person of Sikh background and first person of color to be elected mayor. While he experienced prejudice early on, this is also a community that lifted me up, that provided resources to help him succeed, and he now wants to help create similar opportunities for newer arrivals.

In a sign of cross-religious cooperation, volunteers to help with the papal visit have come from the local Muslim community, the Salvation Army and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

More than 200 members of the latter have signed up for such tasks as coordinating park-and-ride lots.

The faith groups look out for each other, said John Craig, a church elder who oversees a region that includes Alberta.

The church has taken similar steps, he said, such as offering one of its buildings as a rest station along a Sikh parade route and providing supplies for refugees through a Ukrainian Catholic church.

A Salvation Army crew has been serving meals to workers preparing Lac Ste. Anne, a lake that was considered sacred for Indigenous peoples before colonization and remains a popular pilgrimage destination, for Francis visit.

This is going to be a historic moment in Canada, said Captain Peter Kim, pastor of the Salvation Army Church Community in Grand Prairie, Alberta. Were blessed just to be a part of it.

Within the Christian population, Indigenous ministries and recent immigration have boosted ethnic and denominational variety. Catholics celebrate Mass in at least 16 languages in the Archdiocese of Edmonton.

Worshippers used English and Cree liturgy at the recent dedication of a restored sanctuary at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, a Catholic parish oriented toward Indigenous people and culture. Eritrean worshippers, who also have regular Masses in the church, contributed a poignant, rhythmic hymn in their own language.

There is similar culture, especially in the Mass, said Simon Tekle, who is originally from Eritrea. Its very similar with the drums."

At the end of the service, Indigenous drummers sang robustly outside the church. Across the street, onlookers watched curiously from the steps of a Pentecostal church with roots in Nigeria. On adjacent blocks, others worshipped at a Ukrainian Catholic parish and a Lutheran church with a Danish-language liturgy.

Francis paid tribute to the region's diversity on Tuesday at Lac Ste. Anne, which he compared to the biblical Sea of Galilee, a cultural crossroads where Jesus began his ministry.

This lake, with all its diversity, thus became the site of an unprecedented proclamation of fraternity; not a revolution bringing death and injury in its wake, but a revolution of love, the pope said. Here, on the shores of this lake, the sound of drums, spanning the centuries and uniting different peoples, brings us back to that time.

The Sikh population began to grow in the 1960s and 1970s through immigration. Sikh elders say they experienced prejudice and vandalism early on.

The local community, I don't think they knew who we were, said Surinder Singh Hoonjanbut, a Sikh community leader. But he said that has changed greatly as the the Sikh population has grown, interacted with neighbors and engaged in community service.

Also, growing awareness of issues such as the Indigenous experience helps to build more general multicultural awareness, said Sikh community member Gagan Kaur Hoonjan.

Movements that help one group be understood opens everyone's mind up to conversations for other communities, she said.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Teachers at Lincoln Public Schools will soon get their hands on spiffy new laptops with boosted processing power, more storage and a longer battery life.

On Tuesday, the Lincoln Board of Education approved the $3.2 million purchase of 3,680 MacBook Air M1 laptops for all certificated staff.

About half of the cost will be covered by the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a $7.17 billion pool of federal dollars established during the pandemic that districts across the country can access.

LPS works off a six-year life cycle for teachers' laptops, which are the main devices they use in the classroom, at professional development meetings and doing work at home.

The district buys new staff computers every three years and the old ones are then either used for three more years in elementary and middle school computer labs or sold.

A 3-year-old laptop in good shape can go for about $400, while a 6-year-old laptop sells for about $150.

"The good news is, typically in that (three-year) timeframe, you do see these kinds of shifts where you're getting a much greater value bringing in something new and selling instead of staying with what you had," LPS Chief Technology Officer Kirk Langer said.

The new MacBook models  which cost $879 apiece  have 256 GB of storage, more than double what teachers have now. They will also for the first time use Apple's own CPU, which runs more seamlessly with the laptop's operating system.

An improved battery will also mean less charging time for teachers, Langer said.

"It will take them through the day," he said.

LPS is still evaluating whether elementary school labs still need the repurposed MacBooks, as Google Chromebooks  which all students have  can handle most of the computer science lessons at that level. Kindergarteners and first graders were the last students to get their own Chromebooks last fall.

About 500 of the repurposed Apple laptops are traditionally sent to middle schools and 1,100 to elementary school labs.

The Emergency Connectivity fund  originally created to help schools go virtual during the pandemic  will provide $400 toward each device. Districts don't have a set allocation from the federal fund but apply for reimbursement.

The district will go school by school distributing the new computers throughout the first semester, Langer said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine to discuss the deal and other matters.

Blinken's comments marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial. He did not offer details on the proposed deal outlined to the Russians, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. government has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

The person insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Though it is unclear if the proposal will be enough for Russia to release the Americans, the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.

It also signals a growing acceptance by the White House of prisoner swaps as resolutions for cases of Americans jailed overseas, particularly after a trade in April that secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed and yielded a much-needed publicity win for the administration.

We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release," Blinken said. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, to move us toward a resolution.

President Joe Biden, who authorized the Reed prisoner swap after meeting with his parents, signed off on the deal the U.S. offered in this case, officials said.

The president and his team are willing to take extraordinary steps to bring them home," John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters.

Should the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov take place, it would be the first conversation that the men have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested a new call with Lavrov.

Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a U.N.-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

There is utility to conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us, including the release of Griner and Whelan, he said. They also include what were seeing and hearing around the world is a desperate need for the foods, the desperate need for prices to decrease.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Griner, in Russian custody for the last five months after authorities there said they found her in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at her trial Wednesday that she had no criminal intent in bringing them into the country and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBAs offseason.

During her testimony, the Phoenix Mercury standout said she still does not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her luggage but explained she had a doctors recommendation for using it to address chronic pain from her sports injuries.

She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

U.S. officials for months had sought to deflect criticism over the apparent lack of momentum in the Griner and Whelan cases by saying that work was proceeding in secret and out of public view. That stance made Wednesdays announcement all the more startling, but Kirby said the administration had decided to make clear that a deal was on the table.

We believe its important for the American people to know how hard President Biden is working to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home, he said.

Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the Merchant of Death, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons. Supporters of his release contend he was jailed after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation, and the judge who sentenced him told The Associated Press this month that she believed he had already served enough prison time.

The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future. The Biden administration has also been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.

There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reeds release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russias diplomacy was Kabuki Theater  all show and no substance.

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russias massive military build-up along Ukraines border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.
OMAHA  A staff member at the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility in Omaha was injured in an alleged assault by an inmate Monday.

The staff member was attempting to restrain the inmate when the inmate punched the staff member in the head multiple times, according to a news release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

The staff member was taken to an Omaha area hospital for evaluation, according to the department.
Trina Solar, a leading global provider for photovoltaic (PV) modules and smart energy solutions, held a ceremony marking the start of construction of the Trina Solar (Xining) New Energy Industrial Park project in Xining, provincial capital of the central Chinese province of Qinghai.

This marks the official start of construction of the project, that will cover almost the entire PV manufacturing chain from polysilicon production to modules based on 210 and N-type technology, the company said.

The factory will include production lines with annual output of 300,000 tons of industrial silicon, 150,000 tons of high-purity polysilicon, 35GW of monosilicon, 10GW of wafer slices, 10GW of cells, 10GW of modules and 15GW of auxiliaries for modules.

The project will be divided into two phases. In phase I the expected annual output of industrial silicon will be 100,000 tons, of high-purity polysilicon 50,000 tons, of monosilicon 20GW, of wafer slices 5GW, of cells 5GW, of modules 5GW, and of auxiliaries 7.5GW. Phase I is due to be completed by the end of 2023.

In phase II the expected annual output of industrial silicon will be 200,000 tons of industrial silicon, of high-purity polysilicon 100,000 tons, of monosilicon 15GW, of wafer slices 5GW, of cells 5GW, of modules 5GW, and of auxiliaries 7.5GW. Phase II is due to be completed by the end of 2025.

As the industry rapidly moves toward a new stage of N-type, in line with the companys strategic development, an industrial chain needs to be established to further improve industrialisation of next-generation N-type cell technology, guide the industry toward switching to the N-type and create greater value for customers.

Trina Solar leads N-type technology

Trina Solar State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology of China has created a series of world records. Four years ago the company was selected as a demonstration enterprise for Chinas Top Runner program, with N-type TOPCon technology. In the early stages Trinas 500MW pilot line has achieved a world record of 25.5% for efficiency, with industry-leading mass production efficiency. In addition, the 8GW N-type production line is running smoothly.

Trina Solar has set world records 23 times, and the company has built a huge reservoir of expertise and technical assets, including HJT, IBC, and perovskite. Trina Solar will continue to innovate, provide highly reliable and high-value products to global customers, and promote green energy development worldwide, it said.-TradeArabia News Service
OMAHA  The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has determined that the animal spotted outside a Wahoo home last week was consistent with being a house cat and not a mountain lion.

Homeowner Jody Hunke disagrees. A former farm girl who has owned cats, including a large Maine Coon, she still thinks it was too big to be an indoor or feral feline.

That would have made that Maine Coon look like a little stuffed animal, she said. That thing was big. A house cat is not big.

Sam Wilson, furbearer-carnivore program manager, said that as a scientific agency, Game and Parks requires verifiable evidence to confirm cougar presence.

He said they often do that by reviewing evidence provided, such as videos, images, scat and hair.

They look for details typical of a mountain lion such as the black tip at the end of the tail; that the tail is long and J-shaped so it doesnt drag on the ground; tan body coloration; black spots on the back of the ears; and a few other details relating to head-to-body ratio.

"Then we are also looking to see if the size of the animal is consistent with a mountain lion. If we cant immediately rule out a mountain lion based on obvious features, we often conduct an on-site investigation to determine that the location/background/date/size are accurate," he said.

Sometimes, he said, investigators will look for evidence of a mountain lion's presence such as tracks or kill sites or use a trail camera to try to spot it.

Hunke said Game and Parks brought a full-sized cutout of a mountain lion to their home and took pictures to see how it compared to their video and pictures. It was larger than what the couple saw.

"If the size fits for a mountain lion and colorations, tail length/shape, and other evidence fits for a mountain lion, then it gets confirmed," Wilson said. "If it lacks details typically seen in mountain lions (or shows details not found in mountain lions) and the size does not fit for a mountain lion, then it does not get confirmed."

Hunke thinks the animal she and her husband spotted across the street from their home was a younger mountain lion that was not fully grown.

Game and Parks encourages people to report possible sightings of mountain lions. They can call the nearest Game and Parks office, which can be found at outdoornebraska.org/locations. People can learn more about mountain lions in Nebraska at outdoornebraska.org/mountainlions.
RACINE  A 22-year-old man has been accused of threatening to "shoot up" a woman's home in Racine and firing a gun outside her residence.

Sean E. L. Herndon Jr., of the 1900 block of Monroe Avenue, was charged with five felony counts of bail jumping, felony counts of possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture less than or equal to 200 grams of marijuana and possession of narcotics and misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a criminal complaint:

At 12:27 a.m. on July 20, an officer spoke to a woman who said Herndon had been at her residence causing a disturbance. She said that before he left he broke her car's passenger window and he said he would "shoot up" her place.

At 2:05 a.m., an officer was sent to the parking lot of the woman's residence for a report of shots fired.

Officers located 10 spent casings in the lot.

On Sunday, an officer stopped a vehicle that was being driven by Herndon.

The officer noticed the smell of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Herndon said the had weed in the car in his fanny pack, and when a search of the fanny pack was done the officer found a baggie that had both marijuana and fentanyl in it. There was also a digital scale, a "joint roller" and multiple baggies.

Herndon was given a $10,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is on Aug. 4 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.
ROCHESTER  A Rochester man faces attempted homicide charges after stabbing his mother with two knives.

Devin C. Molina, 27, of the 600 block of County Trunk Highway DD, was charged with felony counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and intimidation of a victim in addition to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

According to a criminal complaint:

On Friday, deputies from the Racine County Sheriffs Office were sent to Burlington Memorial Hospital in reference to a stabbing that occurred at the suspects home.

Upon arrival, deputies spoke with a woman who said she was stabbed by her son, Molina.

She said she was on the couch on the phone when Molina came running upstairs with a knife in each hand and stabbed her. Molina took her phone as well so she could not call 911. She drove herself to the hospital and needed stitches to close a 4-inch wound to her right chest and 2-inch wound to her left shoulder.

The complaint stated that the woman was able to get away because all four of her dogs chased Molina back downstairs.

Both knives were recovered by deputies and moved to a safe place by family members.

According to the complaint, Molina suffers from bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia (and) ... has been drinking heavily and smoking Delta 8 and 10 THC.

Molina was given a $25,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is on Aug. 3 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.

According to online court records and the criminal complaint, Molina has no prior criminal history. However, in 2019 Molina allegedly attacked his mother and another man, and he has previously made statements wishing others were dead, the criminal complaint states.
Harry Wait says he is unsurprised he has not been arrested yet, but he is indicating that he wants to be criminally charged. That way, he may get access to more government documents, and thus be able to create more headaches for elections officials and pressure them to change the system he believes is susceptible to fraud.
RACINE  A young man has spent 19 months locked up for a shooting the victim says he didnt commit. Now, he may be finally going home.

Kenneth Booker Jr., 22, has pleaded not guilty to attempted homicide in a shooting that occurred on Dec. 21, 2020, near the intersection of Albert Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Booker was scheduled for a jury trial on Tuesday in Racine County Circuit Court. Instead, Laura Walker, the defendants attorney, successfully argued for his release on a signature bond.

Booker will be placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring with an ankle bracelet. Previously, Booker had a cash bond of $150,000.

With information provided by the witness, investigators initially believed Booker and his mother committed the crime while driving her car, which was seized and has not been given back. However, she had a solid alibi for the night of the shooting.

Bookers mom was in the courtroom Tuesday to hear the news her son was coming home.

Its been hard, she said. He always told me, I didnt do it, Mom.

Case history

A witness to the shooting told investigators that he was one of three people in a vehicle that stopped at the intersection of Albert Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The witness said the victim got out of the vehicle and had a confrontation with someone in a Mercury Grand Marquis sedan, according to the criminal complaint.

Allegedly, the person in the Grand Marquis, who the witness called Little Ken, shot the victim 6-8 times with a handgun.

The victim got back into the car with a head wound, but ultimately survived the shooting.

The witness reportedly identified Booker from a photo lineup.

A search warrant served at Bookers residence led to the recovery of a .22 caliber revolver, a .38 special and ammunition.

Alibi

It is not clear when investigators learned Booker and his mom had an alibi for the time of the shooting, but Walker said she thinks it may have been in February that the Racine County District Attorneys Office learned it did not have probable cause to move forward with the case.

Booker has remained in jail since.

Dirk Jensen, deputy district attorney, was recently assigned the case; it previously had been assigned to ADA Diane Donohoo. Jensen said in court on Tuesday there were no explanations for the failure to fully vet the witnesses.

According to Walker, the victim has been calling her office, telling her that Booker is not the shooter.

Dirk Jensen will do the right thing, Walker said, implying charges are likely to be dropped.

Walker noted how young the defendant was to have spent so much time in jail.
1. Yes. The new high school has made it a must. Thousands of people are impacted..

2. Yes. Even if it means revising some budgets, these entities must move on the project.

3. No. Its been known for years that the road was a problem.. Why the urgency now?

4. No. If prioritizing the road means more taxes, forget it. The project will just have to wait.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until school has been in session for a few months.

Vote

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International Maritime Industries (IMI), the largest shipyard in the Mena region, has expanded its partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) through a technical service agreement to further enhance its shipbuilding capabilities.

Under the agreement, HHI will provide technical assistance and consulting services in Very Large Crude Oil Carrier (VLCC) engineering to IMI, reflecting its commitment to supporting the development of IMIs shipbuilding capabilities and engineering services since its launch in 2017. The agreement is a touchstone for the implementation of practical technical collaboration between both companies.

The agreement was signed by Dr Abdullah Al Ahmari, Chief Executive Officer of IMI, and Ohmin Ahn, Executive Vice President at HHI, at the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services in Ras Al-Khair, Saudi Arabia.

Ongoing commitment

Dr Abdullah Al Ahmari, CEO at IMI, said: HHI is one of our four founding JV partners and a key enabler of our progress to date. This agreement reflects HHIs ongoing commitment to supporting our efforts to build a world-class shipyard capable of locally manufacturing VLCCs and other vessels, that will help drive the development of Saudi Arabias maritime industry.

Ohmin Ahn, Executive Vice President at HHI, said: Working with IMI to leverage our technical expertise and facilitate knowledge transfer and capacity building, we are helping to contribute to the development of the Saudi maritime industry under Vision 2030.

IMI and HHI initiated active dialogues for shipbuilding engineering collaboration in February 2018. Since then, an MoU between IMI, HHI, and Bahri for shipbuilding collaboration was signed in June 2019 and the term-sheet of the technical service agreement was signed in September 2019 in the run up to today's definitive agreement. Earlier this year, IMI expanded its partnership with HHI to enable the construction of naval vessels at its yard in Saudi Arabia.

IMI, a joint venture between leading industry partners Saudi Aramco, Bahri, Lamprell, and HHI, is the largest shipyard in the Mena region at nearly 12 million square metres. It provides new build and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for commercial vessels, including VLCCs, Bulk Carriers, Offshore Support Vessels, and Offshore Jackup rigs.-- TradeArabia News Service
KEARNEY  A 150 mph pursuit with a Nebraska State Patrol trooper in July 2021 has a Colorado man serving jail time.

Jacob D. Rhoades, 21, of Parker, Colorado, was sentenced Friday in Buffalo County District Court to 90 days in jail for misdemeanor flight to avoid arrest and speeding in the July 16, 2021, incident. He must also pay a $1,000 fine, and his drivers license is suspended for one year.

Judge Ryan Carson gave Rhoades one day credit for time already served.

Rhoades pleaded no contest to the charges in June.

Around 1:30 a.m. on July 16, 2021, a trooper clocked a 2012 Audi traveling 103 miles per hour on I-80 eastbound near Kearney. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle accelerated and fled, and the trooper initiated a pursuit.

The vehicle reached speeds in excess of 150 mph during the pursuit, before the vehicle exited at the Shelton interchange, driving north to Highway 30. The vehicle eventually stopped after becoming high-centered on railroad tracks at the junction of Highway 30 and Schauppsville Road in Hall County.

Rhoades was taken into custody without incident.
There are two candidates for Vernon County Sheriff on the fall partisan primary ballot Aug. 9. The candidates are Republicans Roy Torgerson and Scott Bjerkos.

The winner of the August primary will face independent candidates Janice Turben, Phillip Welch and Joe Keenan in the fall election, which is Nov. 8.

For more information on voting and elections, visit MyVote.wi.gov.

Editors note: The Vernon County Times publishes the questionnaires from the candidates as we receive them and in their entirety.

Roy Torgerson

Name: Roy Torgerson

Municipality: City of Viroqua, Vernon County

Occupation: Deputy Sheriff, Community Policing Officer

Previous elected office: None

Community and group affiliations: Member, Coon Valley Lions. Assistant Police Coordinator and Secretary, Vernon County Crime Stoppers. Treasurer, Vernon County Law Enforcement Association. Appointed member, Viroqua Airport Commission. Member and Private Pilot, Viroqua Area Flyers.

Why are you running for office?: As a lifelong resident of Vernon County with thirty years of experience with the Sheriffs Office, I am running for the Office of Sheriff to truly help people, make a positive impact on the community, and keep Vernon County a safe place to live, work, and enjoy recreation. As Sheriff, my door will always be open to concerns and ideas to better serve the community while being a wise steward of county resources. As Sheriff, I will continue the education and prevention programs in schools and throughout the community. I will surround myself with the very best people and putting the right people in positions to best serve the community.

What do you think are some of the more important issues facing Vernon County?: Addressing increased mental health issues is of major concern. I will work with the county to bring back the Mental Health Crisis Team. I will focus on addressing the drugs wreaking havoc on our communities, devoting additional resources to substance abuse prevention and education, especially with our youth. Drug dealers will be held accountable to the fullest of my ability as your Sheriff. I will work hard every day to retain current staff and look utilize more tools to recruit new staff.

Are there any issues currently being handled that you would handle differently?: I will strive to maintain an open line of communication with the community, county agencies, municipal agencies, and neighboring law enforcement agencies. Criminals do not respect geographical boundaries therefore communication and networking with our neighbor is crucial. It has been my privilege to have been a part of the planning and securing of a new county-wide shared records and computer-aided dispatch system set to go live January 1st. Without any doubt, this system will enhance agency-to-agency communication.

Scott Bjerkos

Name: Scott D. Bjerkos

Municipality: Town of Coon

Occupation: Investigator, Vernon County Sheriffs Office

Previous elected office: No

Community and group affiliations: I am a member of the Republican Party. I am currently serving on the board of directors for Wisconsin Narcotics Officers Association and have been for the past 12 years. CLEAR Tactical Team member, Clandestine Laboratory Response Team, for the State of Wisconsin and have been for the past 19 years. A member of the West Central Metropolitan Drug Task Force. I am a member of the Coon Valley Lions Club. I am a member of the Viroqua Eagles Aerie 2707. Member of the Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association. Member of the Vernon County Law Enforcement Association. Ive served on the Western Technical College Advisory Law Enforcement Board.

Why are you running for office?: Ive served in law enforcement for over 36 years, all with the Vernon County Sheriffs Department and Ive been in criminal investigations for the past 23 years and currently still serve as Investigator. During this time, Ive seen my fair share of murders, predators, and drug traffickers. My time spent investigating major crimes in Vernon County has given me the ability to keep a pulse on the criminal activity in our area. My experience far surpasses our County; Ive had the honor to cross paths with the best of the best investigators in the State and the Nation while helping on multi-jurisdictional cases on State and Federal levels. I have experience testifying in both State and Federal court proceedings, a task not for the faint of heart. I proudly wear the uniform of CLEAR Team as a Member (Wisconsins Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response Team). This Team responds statewide to dangerous Methamphetamine labs that threaten the lives of our communities.

The Vernon County Sheriffs Office holds a special place in my heart. As Sheriff, I want to continue the Sheriffs Office long history of protecting and serving, along with the pride one feels when putting on the uniform. Boosting employee morale and extending a hand to help nurture relationships across departments within and outside of the County will be my main mission. As the Sheriff, I would never ask another person to do something that I would not do myself; I will protect the Constitution by standing up for our God given liberties.

As Sheriff, I will provide county citizens with excellent service and protection. I am running for Vernon County Sheriff to provide the community with the best service possible, which is the service they deserve, As Sheriff I will help the public understand how to not become a victim; this starts with protecting our kids, supporting the elderly, and providing the best protection possible in the war on drugs.

What do you think are some of the more important issues facing Vernon County?: Vernon County has seen major growth in the use of drugs, and the number of people who overdose. I have spent years working on Federal and State drug cases. As Vernon County Sheriff, I will continue to combat the war on drugs, and provide protection to our communities.

Protecting the children of Vernon County, I want to protect children in schools, and on the internet and social media. Internet sites and social media are where kids are bullied, harassed, and can fall victim to predators. As Vernon County Sheriff, I will work with parents to educate them on how to monitor their childrens online activity, and work with them to keep our kids safe.

Supporting the elderly, the threat of scams is increasing in Wisconsin and in Vernon County. I want to serve Vernon County as the Sheriff to support the elderly. It is important that we protect them from those who prey on them.

Are there any issues currently being handled that you would handle differently?: I would like to put more of an effort in ridding our communities of dangerous drugs. The presence of dangerous drugs is on the uprise. Drug overdoses in our communities is becoming more and more prevalent. We need to focus on stopping drug traffickers that are bringing Fentanyl, Heroin, and Methamphetamine into our communities and taking the lives of our youth.

I would like to focus on giving the employees of the Sheriffs Office current and relevant training and expanding their training to include more topics on mental health and substance abuse, and especially how to deal with those situations an in informed and skilled matter. Also, extending our reach to organizations in the community that can aid veterans, elderly, juveniles, schools, and mental health.

I would like to create a more positive work environment at the Sheriffs Office that would create more of a team environment.
A 17-year-old male linked to events that led to a fatal shooting in La Crosse has been bound over for trial.

Jackson Greengrass of La Crosse faces felony charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and party to a crime of felony murder/battery and misdemeanor charges of possessing a dangerous weapon while younger than 18, intentionally pointing a firearm at a person and obstructing an officer.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Gloria Doyle found probable cause that Greengrass committed all five offenses during a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Prior to the hearing, Doyle rejected a motion by Greengrass attorney, Bernardo Cueto, to dismiss both felony counts.

Prosecutors have implicated Greengrass in the fatal gunshot death of Storm Vondrashek, 15, of La Crosse. They say Greengrass drove Vondrashek to a 1900 S. Seventh St. address May 22 after two groups of people exchanged threatening messages over the phone.

Had they not gone there to fight, Mr. Vondrashek would still be alive today, said La Crosse County assistant District Attorney Jessica Skemp.

Police interviewed 11 witnesses and pieced together a sequence of events in which Greengrass and Vondrashek arrived at the scene armed and wearing head coverings. After they were confronted by a group that included Sage Hicke, 18, of Ontario, Vondrashek reportedly struck Hicke in the head with a gun and fired two shots in Hickes direction, missing both times.

Hicke reportedly responded by firing a round that struck Vondrashek in the neck and another that struck Greengrass in the foot.

Greengrass was treated at a local hospital for his gunshot wound. He was originally charged with three misdemeanor offenses and released. The criminal complaint was amended June 8, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody by Onalaska police July 15.

Cueto said prosecutors havent met the burden of proving that Greengrass intended to harm anyone. He said Vondrashek went after Hicke on his own.

There has to be mental intent, Cueto said. I would note that (Greengrass) was shot and still didnt shoot back.

Skemp said its absurd to believe that Greengrass drove to the scene without expecting violence.

They went with guns and masks after a challenge to fight ... with the purpose of causing harm, Skemp said.

Doyle agreed with the prosecution. She said the probable cause burden was easy to meet.

He knew (Vondrashek) had a gun, Doyle said. The fact that a gun would be used in this incident should come as no surprise to Mr. Greengrass.

La Crosse Police Department Captain Phillip Martin testified that a witness told police that Greengrass cocked his weapon and pointed it toward Hicke. Under cross-examination from Cueto, Martin said police have yet to recover a firearm Greengrass may have used or determine if Greengrass fired a weapon at the scene.

Greengrass is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond. His next court date is an Aug. 19 pre-trial conference.

Hicke has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $40,000 cash bond. He has pleaded not guilty and has a status conference set for Oct. 20.
West Salem police have announced the arrest of a 23-year-old Centerton, Arkansas, man accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl to a village resident.

Lathan G. Foster was arrested Wednesday in Benton County, Arkansas, by the U.S. Marshalls Service. He faces a single felony count of first-degree reckless homicide after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint July 11 in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

According to the complaint, police responded to a 293 Driftwood St. residence Dec. 31, 2021, and found an unconscious male. After 30 minutes of life-saving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was performed Jan. 3 in Rochester, Minnesota. The cause of death was identified as fentanyl toxicity. The complaint says police seized a cell phone at the residence and obtained a warrant to search its contents. Investigators reportedly found Facebook Messenger contacts that Foster allegedly used to arrange fentanyl sales to the victim, including messages exchanged on the day the victim died.

Foster is being held in the Benton County Sheriffs Office awaiting extradition to La Crosse County.
Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area is accepting homeowner applications for five future homeowners.

This is the largest application round on record for the nonprofit, affordable housing organization. Application and instructions can download at www.habitatlacrosse.org/how-to-apply. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2.

Habitat has a busy construction schedule planned for the next year, which is why it is accepting applications for the following homes:

1. New construction home on Onalaska Avenue in La Crosse. This is a flood plain home, and Habitat will work with the city to elevate the home out of the flood zone.

2. Rehabilitated, 2-bedroom home on Adams Street in La Crosse.

3. Rehabilitated, 3-bedroom home on Hamilton Street in West Salem.

4. Rehabilitated, 3-bedroom home in Eitzen, Minn. This home was sold to Habitat and will be moved from its current location to a piece of land owned by Habitat in Eitzen. The home will be moved sometime this September.

5. New construction home on Juneau Street in Tomah. This will be Habitats second Veteran Home.

We are so excited to be able to select such a large number of families, says Kahya Fox, Habitats executive director. Families dont know it yet, but the lives of five families are about to be changed in such a profound a positive way.

As housing prices across the nation soar, homeownership is becoming more and more out of reach, especially for low-income families. In 2021, wages increased by 4%, while the average price of a home increased by 16.2%. This gap continues to widen in 2022. Lack of access to housing impacts everyone. Individuals, families, neighborhoods, communities, and local economies suffer when less people can buy homes, says Fox.

Families are selected on three criteria: their ability to afford homeownership, need for safe and affordable housing, and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity. Families provide at least 350 sweat equity hours working alongside Habitat staff and volunteers to build their homes. When the home is complete, Habitat sells to home to the family for the full appraised value.

Habitat provides mortgages to the families at 0% interest, bridging the gap for families in which homeownership was out of reach. Families pay full property taxes and homeowners insurance on the home.

For more information, to become a volunteer, or to make a donation, visit www.habitatlacrosse.org or call 608-785-2373.
3M has announced the appointment of Shrook Mansour Bin Sultan as the companys Head of Government Affairs in Saudi Arabia, in line with its strategic business plans.

Bin Sultan will drive 3Ms public policy initiatives including engagement opportunities with government entities to support the Kingdoms policymakers on regulatory matters, it said.

Working together with 3Ms senior leadership team, she will support the business in governmental negotiations related to corporate affairs and help to proactively navigate the kingdoms rapidly evolving business landscape.

Commenting on the appointment, Laszlo Svinger, Vice President and Managing Director at 3M Middle East & Africa (MEA), said: We are delighted to welcome Shrook to lead 3Ms Government Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her vast experience and strong relationships with key stakeholders across government entities will support 3Ms growth in the Kingdom while supporting policymakers on regulatory matters at a time when the Kingdom is focused on achieving ambitious targets.

The appointment comes at a crucial juncture for Saudi Arabia, amid numerous social and economic reforms as part of Vision 2030. Female empowerment as part of a broader focus on equality and representation in the labor force has risen in importance as one of the key objectives in the Thriving Economy pillar under Vision 2030. By bringing Bin Sultan on board, 3M is acknowledging this positive societal transformation in making a senior local hire and is positioning the multinational favorably as the country continues to evolve. With the required professional skillset and deep understanding of the political nuances to succeed in business, the role of Bin Sultan is expansive and strategic, and the impact of this newly created position is already being felt by partners and colleagues across the organization, it said.

I am excited to join 3M, a global company that is invested in science and technology, added Bin Sultan. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing massive transformation, and 3M is in a unique position to bring its expertise to support the market in achieving its vision through strategic partnerships and alliances that I hope to drive in this newly created role.

Prior to joining 3M, Bin Sultan was the GCC Government Affairs Manager at Qatar Airways, where she led the operations to reopen Qatar Airways offices in Saudi Arabia while managing the Covid-19 pandemic operations in Oman.  TradeArabia News Service
Typhanie Monique, a vocal talent from Chicago, joins the La Crosse Jazz Orchestra for its fourth and final performance of its summer series at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 31, at Riverside Park.

Typhanies soul-infused jazz vocal styles, daring rhythmic ideas and unique improvisatory delivery place her in an elite class of vocalists, says LJO director Greg Balfany. She has been a force on the Chicago music scene for more than 20 years.

A fierce bandleader, Monique has shared the stage with jazzs elite, including Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, the Manhattan Transfer and Mavis Staples, to name a few. Typhanie is a performer, educator and recording artist whose four critically acclaimed, independently produced albums have captured the ears of top jazz critics and thousands of dedicated fans.

Downbeat magazine publisher Frank Alkyers calls her latest album Call it Magic a deep recording about the full range of emotions surrounding this thing called love ... its music made with great thought and even more care and, yes, a little magic.

Women composers and performers have long been an important part of the evolution of jazz music, Balfany says.

Lil Armstrong is one of the first to come to mind. She wrote and performed on many of Louis Armstrongs greatest successes. Mary Lou Williams wrote for many of the greatest of the great. We will perform two of her compositions  perhaps the best known is Roll Em. New York pianist Dave Marck comes to La Crosse in time to perform Mary Lous timeless masterpiece.

Multiple Grammy Award winner Maria Schneider contributes her famous Green Piece composition to the LJO tribute.

Pianist Dave Marck and saxophonist Jeff Erickson all show their appreciation of her work through their improvisations, and bassist Karyn Quinn anchors this amazing selection, Balfany says.

George Von Arx soars on Melba Listons composition, My Reverie. Liston performed the original with the Quincy Jones Orchestra in Germany in 1959. In addition to writing for Randy Weston, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and countless others, she is among the first female performers to tour with the marquee jazz bands

The 70-minute concert starts at 7 p.m. and is free and open to all. It is the fourth concert in the Gertrude Salzer Gordon Jazz in the Park 2022 Concert Series,

The rain site for all LJO concerts is the Cavalier Theater, 118 5th Ave N., in downtown La Crosse.

Thyphonie Moniques performance is made possible by a grant from the La Crosse Community Foundation.
The UAE has launched its Power-to-Liquids Roadmap, which was drafted in cooperation between the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the World Economic Forum.

The PtL roadmap shows the financial, economic and environmental benefits of PtL in decarbonising the UAE aviation industry, said a Wam news agency report.

The paper, 'Power-to-Liquids Roadmap: Fuelling the Aviation Energy Transition in the United Arab Emirates', was launched at an event attended by Eng Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure for the Energy and Petroleum Sector.

He said that achieving the Principles of the 50 and the efforts to enhance the country's overall stature, including in the energy sector, requires greater cooperation between government authorities and the private sector.

Eng Yousef Al Ali, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Electricity, Water and Future Energy Sector, and several officials from national airlines and major companies operating in the sector also attended the launch.

Al Olama said the UAE has exerted significant efforts to launch distinguished projects and initiatives in the energy sector, most notably in clean energy, to support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

The UAE is closely cooperating with regional and international partners, with the aim of achieving sustainability in the energy sector, he added.

This white paper, published by the Forum's Clean Skies Tomorrow initiative, in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and ICF International, sees Power-to-liquids sustainable aviation fuel (PtL SAF) production is the most important technology for the UAE to decarbonise aviation.

It says PtL offers a unique opportunity for the Emirates to leverage domestic resources, infrastructure and expertise to grow and decarbonise the economy.

The UAE is in an excellent strategic position to build a globally leading PtL industry. The analysis demonstrates that it will be financially beneficial, environmentally necessary and practical to deploy PtL capacity to decarbonize the United Arab Emirates aviation industry, the roadmap says.

The aviation sector is one of the UAE's success stories and has a central place within the national and the regional economies, helping diversification, tourism and supporting job creation, it added.
A large and very rare pink diamond has been found in the African country of Angola.

The pink diamond weighs 170 carats. A carat is a weight measurement used only with some valuable minerals. It is equal to 200 milligrams. The diamond is said to be one of the largest gemstones found in 300 years.

The gem even has a name. It is called Lulo Rose. The mine owner, Lucapa Diamond Company, said on their website that it was found in the Lulo alluvial diamond mine. Alluvial mines are near or in riverbeds.

The chief of Lucapa, Stephan Wetherall, told the Associated Press, Only one in 10,000 diamonds is colored pink. So, youre certainly looking at a very rare article when you find a very large pink diamond.

Wetherall also said that he does not know how much someone will pay for this diamond because of its color, but the value is expected to be very high.

The Lucapa company searches for underground rock formations called kimberlite pipes. This is known to be a main source of diamonds, said Wetherall.

He said, Were looking for the kimberlite pipes that brought these diamonds to the surface. When you find these high-value large diamonds ... it certainly elevates the excitement from our perspective in our hunt for the primary source.

The Lulo mine, which employs around 400 people, has already found two of the largest diamonds ever found in Angola. This includes a 404-carat clear diamond, Wetherall said.

Lucapa said the newest pink gemstone is the fifth largest found at the mine.

Angolan mines are one of the worlds top 10 producers of diamonds. The company Sodiam, an Angolan state diamond marketer, will sell the pink diamond by international tender.

Diamantino Azevedo is Angolas natural resource minister. He reportedly said, the pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining His comments were found on the Lucapa website.

Although the pink diamond is very large and rare, there are a number of much larger clear diamonds.

A diamond called the Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905, weighs 3,106 carats. It is in the scepter of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Im Faith Pirlo.

Nqobil Ntshangase wrote this article for The Associated Press. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

gemstone  n. a stone that can be used in jewelry when it is cut and polished

article n. a particular kind of object

elevate  v. to raise someone or something to a higher rank or level

perspective  n. a way of thinking about and understanding something

tender  n. an offer or proposal made for acceptance, like a contract

scepter  n. a long decorated stick

______________________________________________________________

What do you think of the finding of the large, pink diamond in Angola?

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It is still not clear if Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will travel to Taiwan.

Pelosi has not confirmed the trip publicly. Reports say she had planned to go in April but postponed the visit after tests showed she was infected with COVID-19.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Chinas Foreign Ministry warned about a possible visit after reports about it became known. He said such a move could be met with forceful responses.

U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Pelosis airplane if she were to travel to Taiwan. But officials with the U.S. Department of Defense told the Associated Press that the department would take extra security measures if Pelosi does go.

The U.S. military does not want to provide details to reporters. But it said it would increase the movement of forces to the Indo-Pacific area. Such forces would include fighter jets, ships and military systems for observing and protection.

Any foreign travel by a top U.S. leader requires additional security measures. Officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi would be the highest-level U.S. official to visit the island since 1997.

U.S. General Mark Milley is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said on Wednesday that it is too early to discuss possible travel plans. But he said, If theres a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we would do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit.

China considers self-ruling Taiwan to be its own territory. The United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but continues informal relations and defense ties. The U.S. formally recognized the government of mainland China in 1979.

The trip is being considered during a period of increased tension between China and the U.S. and its allies.

Ely Ratner is a U.S. assistant defense secretary for the Indo-Pacific area. He recently told a policy group there have been too many incidents this year between the Chinese military and U.S. or allied forces involving aircraft or ships that raise concerns.

The administration of President Joe Biden has not directly spoken about the matter. Last week, Biden told reporters that the military thinks the trip is not a good idea right now.

Biden plans to hold a telephone call on Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It will be the first discussion between the leaders in about four months. During their last call, Taiwan was a subject of discussion. It took place weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Im Dorothy Gundy.

Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this Associated Press Report for VOA Learning English.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

conduct n. the way that something is supervised or directed

ensure v. to make sure something happens

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We have a new comment system. Here is how it works:

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The Saudi Heritage Commission has unveiled the archaeological discoveries made by a Saudi-international scientific team at the site of Al-Faw, located on the edge of Al-Rub Al-Khali (the Empty Quarter), south-west of Riyadh.



A Saudi-led multinational team of archaeologists conducted a comprehensive survey of the site using state-of-the-art technology. The study leveraged high-quality aerial photography; guided drone footage utilizing ground control points; a topographic survey; remote sensing, ground-penetrating radar; laser scanning; and geophysical survey, as well as extensive walkover surveys and sondages throughout the site, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



The survey has yielded several discoveries, the most significant of which are the remains of a stone temple and parts of an altar, where the locals of Al-Faw would have practiced their rituals and ceremonies. The rock-cut temple sits on the edge of Mount Tuwaiq, known as Khashem Qaryah, east of Al-Faw.



Moreover, remains of 8,000-year-old Neolithic human settlements have been discovered along with 2,807 graves of different periods dotted throughout the site, which have been documented and classified into six groups.



Several devotional inscriptions were found throughout the grounds, enriching our understanding of the religious belief system of the community that inhabited the site. Among these is the inscription in the Jabal Lahaq sanctuary addressed to the god Kahal, the deity of Al-Faw.



The significance of the inscription lies in its attribution to a family from the city of Al-Jarha and referring to the ancient name of the place where the sanctuary was built (Mount Tuwaiq).



The inscription indicates a relationship between the cities of Al-Faw and Al-Jarha  most likely commercial considering Al-Faw's location on the ancient trade route. It may also imply either religious tolerance between residents of the two cities, or the worship of Al-Faw's deity, Kahal, by some of the residents of Al-Jarha. Though Al-Jarha was known for its wealth and economic power, its location has not yet been definitively identified, and several scholars associate it with the site of Thaj.



The discovery offers valuable data regarding the geographical distribution of Al-Faw's sanctuaries, as well as revealing the foundations of four monumental buildings, some with corner towers. Their architecture, internal plans, and open-air courtyards suggest their use as resting places for trade caravans.



The archaeological study further uncovered a complex irrigation system, including canals, water cisterns, and hundreds of pits, dug by the residents of Al-Faw to bring rainwater to the agricultural areas. This may explain how the inhabitants of these lands overcame and adapted to the arid climate and minimal rainfall of one of the worlds harshest desert environments. Extensive surveys and remote-sensing images have revealed several agricultural fields used to grow various crops to sustain residents.



Discoveries include a series of rock art and inscriptions carved on the face of Mount Tuwaiq, narrating the story of a man named Madhekar bin Muneim, and illustrating daily scenes of hunting, travel, and battle.



Fieldwork at Al-Faw had first been initiated by King Saud University in the 1970s in a study supervised by Prof. Abdulrahman Al-Ansari, lasting for over 40 years. The study uncovered many cultural aspects of the site, notably the residential and market areas, temples, and tombs. The results of these archaeological activities were later published in seven book volumes.



The new findings are a result of the Heritage Commissions ongoing efforts to study, protect and preserve the nations cultural heritage sites. Research at the site will continue to build a greater understanding of the cultural landscape of Al-Faw archaeological area.
The Philippine government has canceled a deal to purchase 16 Russian military helicopters.

Philippine officials said they ended the deal because they feared U.S. sanctions.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte made the decision to cancel the $227 million deal last month before his term in office ended June 30. Former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the cancellation Tuesday.

We could face sanctions, Lorenzana told the Associated Press. He said there were several other ways the U.S. could show its displeasure if the Philippines continued with the deal.

The relations between the United States and Russia have been tense since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

American security officials knew about the Philippines decision, Lorenzana said. The U.S. could offer similar, powerful helicopters for Philippine military use, he added.

Lorenzana served as defense chief under Duterte. He has been appointed by new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to lead a government agency. The agency oversees efforts to change military bases into business centers.

A Philippine military official said the helicopter deal would go through a termination process since the deal was canceled after it had already been signed. Russia can appeal but there is little the Philippine government can do to reconsider, the official said.

The helicopter purchase agreement was signed in November. The first shipment was expected in about two years.

Asked in March if Russias invasion of Ukraine would affect the purchase, Lorenzana told reporters: We do not see any likelihood of it being scrapped as of this moment. But he added, Only time can tell.

Lorenzana, at the time, said a starting payment had been made in January. It is not clear what will happen to the payment after the Philippines decision to back out of the deal.

The Russian-made helicopters were to be used for fighting, search and rescue operations, and medical evacuations. The Philippines is often hit by strong ocean storms and other natural disasters, Philippine officials said.

In March, the Philippines voted yes on a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate end to Russias attack on Ukraine. It also called for the withdrawal of all Russian troops. The resolution condemned the invasion and called for the respect of humanitarian rights in the area.

Duterte has expressed concern over the worldwide impact of the Russian invasion but has not personally condemned it. When he was in office, he had close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He often criticized U.S. security policies. Duterte once called Putin his idol.

The deal for the Russian helicopters was among several weapons purchase agreements signed during Dutertes final months in office.

Last February, Lorenzana signed a $571 million deal to purchase Black Hawk helicopters from an aerospace manufacturer based in Poland. It was the largest military aircraft purchase contract signed under Duterte, Philippine defense officials said.

The Philippines has had to fight Muslim and communist militants and defend its territories in the disputed South China Sea. But the country has struggled to modernize its military.

I'm Dan Novak

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

__________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sanction  n. (usually pl.) an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country

scrap v. to stop using or leave something

evacuation  n. the removal of one or more people from a dangerous situation

idol n. someone who is respected, well-thought of or admired

____________________________________________________________

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Lebanon Mayor Paul Aziz will not file for re-election.

Aziz said during a July 20 interview hes stepping back from the City Council to make room for fresh leadership. He ends a decade-long tenure in which he oversaw improved government transparency, he said, downtown revitalization and expansion-ensuring infrastructure improvements.

Its time to take some time off from public life, return to private life, he said. Ive got some hobbies Id like to pursue.

Aziz said hell focus instead on Christmas lights. The outgoing top councilor set up and operates the Cascade Christmas Lights display on East Sherman Street.

He said the lights started as a fun aside. Its now a time-consuming effort to put on a holiday display that draws hundreds, he said.

Aziz talked excitedly about a synchronized lights and music show and visitors who sit on the sidewalk to watch.

The show also is a fundraiser, he said, and reportedly has collected $13,811 and 3,416 pounds of food for Lebanon Soup Kitchen since it started in 2010.

By that year, Aziz had served on the citys planning commission and a board that oversaw trees within Lebanon.

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He said he was frustrated with a council whose members openly fought with one another, threatened lawsuits or resigned over disagreements on city business.

It was just a mess, he said.

Aziz has held the citys highest office for five two-year terms.

He defeated incumbent Ken Toombs in 2012, who was unseated after also serving five two-year terms. He took more than 60% of the vote in 2016 and 2018 to keep hold of Lebanons helm.

Aziz ran unopposed in 2014 and 2020.

He said his first business as mayor was to record and post City Council meetings on YouTube, an effort to increase public visibility and accountability on the elected board. Previously, catching a council meeting in person was the only way to see city business.

People cant always make it to a meeting, Aziz said. And what people couldnt understand without video is the interactions  how their councilors were acting at meetings.

Under Aziz, Lebanon also saw installation of a public square and park between east Grant and Maple streets in Strawberry Plaza that former councilors say served as the seed for downtown revitalization.

A series of business recruitment and retention strategies like city-footed beautification grants, promoting a mix of businesses and holding events with music to attract pedestrian traffic changed the citys core.

Its really made an amazing difference in the last seven, eight years, Aziz said.

The mayor departs the council at a time when Lebanon is positioning itself to expand under an influx of residents.

Lebanon installed a water treatment plant in 2019 that replaced an 76-year-old (or so) facility and provides up to 4.5 million gallons of water each day, more than twice the citys previous capacity.

The city never reached the point where it had to release raw, untreated water in its municipal system, but Aziz said he feared Lebanon was close.

Safety. Police. Drinking water and waste, he said. Those are the three biggest things.

That same year, Lebanon sued the operator of its wastewater treatment plant for overages caused by the misleading use of experimental equipment to process sewage. The company that bought the wastewater operator, Jacobs Engineering, settled with Lebanon and is paying the city $12 million to put in new, conventional equipment at the plant.

With upgrades to the water treatment plant, the city could handle up to 8 million gallons each day of both fresh and wastewater.

Half the council is appointed after resignations in 2021 and 2022. But the relatively fresh council and new mayor will be well-positioned, Aziz said, to deal with expansion.

After 10 years, it seems like a good time for someone to come in with new fresh ideas, he said.

Azizs seat and those of city councilors Wayne Rieskamp, Gamael Nassar and Michelle Steinhebel expire on the last day of this year.

Wayne has filed to run as the incumbent for his Ward 1 position. Carl Mann filed to run against him on the Nov. 8 ballot in Oregons General Election.

Steinhebel also will run as an incumbent. No one has filed to challenge her so far.

Nassar had not filed by July 20 to run for his Ward 2 seat. But the seat had, however, attracted two filings, Cassie Cruz, a program manager at Lebanon Downtown Association, and Ryan Newby.

Those who petition to run for office must live in Lebanon for at least six continuous months before filing, cant be immediately related to a city employee or official, and must be registered voters, according to a June 22 news release.

Council candidates must live in the precinct theyre filing to run in. Candidates can file until Aug. 1.
" " A wedding pet attendant can help ensure that Fido's needs are taken care of your big day. Deep_Mind/Shutterstock

On her wedding day, dog blogger Gigi Chow (who runs Wet Nose Escapades) dressed her two pooches in cute outfits to be part of the festivities. She also asked her teenage niece and nephew to handle them before and during the ceremony, then check in with them from time to time in the bridal suite during the cocktail hour. All went well  at first.

"Roger and Penny were perfectly fine when someone was with them, but trouble arose during cocktail hour when they were left unattended inside the bridal suite," she says by email. In an unfamiliar environment, "they were barking up a storm and got in trouble with management who claimed that they had an accident inside the suite, which they didn't. During the reception, I made sure that my niece and nephew took them out for a quick walk/potty break, but then they missed my brother/their dad's toast."

For all these reasons, Chow wishes she'd considered a concierge service "so that Roger and Penny were under watch the entire time without the need to bother my own family."

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What's a Wedding Pet Attendant?

This might be unfamiliar to some but it's a business that's taken off over the past few years. Chances are there's a wedding pet attendant service in your city. Around 30 percent of pet owners (in a Wedding Wire survey) opted to include their dogs in their ceremony, with some keeping them around for photos, cocktail hour and even the reception. As a result, business is booming for Pawfect for You, a wedding pet concierge service that operates up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Virginia, and many places in between.

Currently, the company provides wedding pet attendants for 10 to 12 events per weekend and is even taking bookings a year-and-a-half in advance, says Veronica Silghigian, president and founder of the company. Not surprisingly, similar companies are popping up in other areas, as more couples long to have their fur babies present on the big day.

A wedding pet attendant does more than just hold a leash and walk around. Silghigian works directly with couples to establish a schedule for their particular event, which can include picking up the pet(s), taking them to the venue, brushing them out/light grooming, dressing them in wedding wear, helping out with photography, managing their feeding and walking needs during the events, and even getting them back home after it's all over. The timeline is completely tailored to the individual couple's needs.

Perhaps the most important role of the wedding pet attendant, however, occurs during the ceremony. "Sometimes the sitter will walk the aisle, sometimes they'll just be on standby in a guest seat," says Silghigian, adding that the dog might be up front with the couple or a member of the wedding party. "If the dog is distracting or showing signs of anxiety the sitter will take the dog out," she says.

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What Couples Pay for Wedding Pet Attendants and Why

Although a pet attendant isn't the largest wedding expense, it's also likely not the smallest. Pawfect for You rates start at $549 for three hours, which Silghigian calls an "industry standard." This fee includes both the planning pieces ahead of time and the actual day-of-event pet-sitting duties. A full day package starts at $949 and includes seven hours' worth of concierge services. They also offer add-on services, like overnight care, additional pet fees and so on.

Although it might seem cheaper and easier to farm a pet's care out to a family member, this tactic often backfires.

Jen Jones, founder of Your Dog Advisor, had a messy experience when her normally well-behaved 3-year-old American bully Astro attended her wedding ceremony. "He barked nonstop during the ceremony, he pooped on the floor and ran anxiously," the San Francisco resident laments via email. "Worst of all, he got into a fight with the wedding photographer."

Such situations aren't unusual. "Even the most outgoing, friendliest pets are a bit nervous and off-kilter because the owners are unable to give any attention or reassurance to the animal that they would normally receive on an outing or event," explains wedding planner and florist Amy McCord Jones with Flower Moxie. "Additionally, afterward, the pet is shuffled around to friends and family members thus increasing their anxiety and confusion." This is where trained wedding pet attendants come in.

" " Even the best behaved dogs can sometimes go awry in unfamiliar surroundings. So it can be good for them to have a professional handler. JovanaT/Getty Images

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What a Wedding Pet Attendant Can't Do

To date, Pawfect for You hasn't had to turn down any jobs based on breed, temperament, etc. Most owners, Silghigian says, are in tune with their particular pooches, so if they're excessively high-strung or high energy they're probably not going to want the extra stress on their big day and don't bother contacting such a service. However, Silghigian is known to advise people to keep pet attendance expectations in line with reality. If the couple describes a dog as very anxious or not good with hot weather, she'll caution the couple not to pay for an entire day's service, and instead scale it back. Otherwise, she says, "The dog's going to be miserable and you're not going to be happy."

That's not to say that pets won't still cause a scene with a wedding pet attendant employed. It's just likely that it'll be a cuter one. "We had one golden retriever who decided to plop down and not walk down the aisle," Silghigian says, also recalling dogs who've sat on the bride's train during the ceremony and some who've wiggled their way in between the happy couple. In other words, when everyone's happy and not barking, wedding pets are photography gold. That's always a nice way to start a marriage.

Now That's Hilarious Sometimes all the planning in the world doesn't make a difference. One couple hired a professional dog trainer to teach their Labrador retriever to calmly walk down the aisle at their nuptials, but the reality was totally different. The pooch ran at breakneck speed, nearly knocked over the groom and did knock over the microphone. The guests and happy couple both loved it, fortunately, and the video has since gone viral.


The 18-year-old victim B. Masood, who was working as a painter in the state, was allegedly assaulted by eight members of a Hindu right-wing outfit on July 19. He succumbed to his injuries on July 21.

Basil Islam | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  An 18-year-old Muslim man died after being assaulted by eight people at Karanja village in Sullia taluk of Karnataka.

The victim, B. Masood was allegedly assaulted by eight members of a Hindu right-wing outfit on July 19. He succumbed to his injuries on July 21.

Hailing from the Mogral of Kasargod district in Kerala, Masood worked as a painter in Karnataka.

As per reports, a heated argument started between Masud and Sudhir on July 19, which stemmed from Masud having purchased a calf. Around 11 pm, on the pretext of resolving the matter amicably, Sudhir asked Masuds friend Ibrahim Shanif to bring him to Vishnunagara. I initially refused since I thought these people would attack Masud. But, Sunil promised me, swearing on the temple of Vishnu Nagar, that the goal was to solve the quarrel peacefully with mediation and said that they would not do anything to Masud, Shanif told The Wire.

Upon arriving at the site, Masud and Shanif were attacked by a group of eight  Sunil, Sudhir, Shiva, Sadashiv, Ranjith, Abhilash, Gym Ranjith and Bhaskar with stones and bottles. Later, six of them came and hit Masood and broke his head with a soda bottle. I tried my best to save him, but they even hit me. If I knew that Masood would be attacked so badly and would die, I would have never taken him there, said Shanif, an eyewitness to the brutal assault and a complainant in the case.

In between the fight, Masud managed to run away. After a police patrol party came for help, the attackers ran away. The police and Masuds friends could not locate him until 2 am. He was found lying unconscious near a well. After initial treatment at a hospital in Sullia, he was brought to a private hospital in Mangaluru.

Following his death, the eight accused have been arrested and booked under different sections of the Indian penal code.

Soon after his death, people gathered in large numbers outside the hospital and demanded authorities give assurance regarding compensation paid to the deceaseds family members. The crowd dispersed only after the assurance by Tahsildar on that matter.

A Twitter hashtag #BajrangdalMurderedMasud, which went viral on Twitter after Masuds death, claimed that the eight accused in the case are associated with Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.



Basil Islam is an independent journalist and researcher based in South India. He tweets at @baasiie
Julia D. Mahoney (University of Virginia School of Law) has posted Cedar Point Nursery and the End of the New Deal Settlement (11 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Journal (2022)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

In Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a California state regulation granting labor organizations a limited right to take access to agricultural employers property constitutes a per se physical taking. Cedar Point has sparked intense criticism, with critics arguing that the decision threatens to transform the law of property rights so as to hobble government land use regulation and even undermine democracy. This Article explains why the objections of Cedar Points detractors are misplaced. Far from disabling government regulation or fomenting stasis by favoring the already haves, Cedar Point is best understood as another step in the normalization of property rights. In this, Cedar Point is in accord with other recent Court decisions, including Horne v. Department of Agriculture, and Knick v Township of Scott. These cases illustrate how constitutional recognition of property interests, duly enforced by the judiciary, protect the interests of the working and middle classes. That is no small thing, particularly at a time of well-justified concerns about the outsize influence of elites on the legislative and executive branches of government, with its attendant worries that those who lack power to defend themselves in the political and administrative arenas are vulnerable to redistribution up.

It is true that this normalization of property rights amounts to a retreat from the New Deal Settlement, under which courts declined to subject legislative and administrative actions affecting property rights to significant oversight. But for anyone who cares about the economically vulnerable, the passing of the New Deal Settlement should be cause for celebration rather than alarm. Eighty years on, it is evident that the costs to many poor communities of judicial abdication in the area of property rights were very high. The careful readjustment now underway does nothing more than recognize propertys status as a civil and human right, one that needs serious constitutional protection if people are to flourish as citizens, family members, and workers.

Highly recommended.
FICTION: A Bemidji, Minn. author's tale of two teenage brothers without prospects, evading the law after setting a massive fire.

"Radium" by John Enger; North Dakota State University Press (385 pages, $29.95)



Near the end of "Radium," John Enger's compelling debut novel, narrator Jim Quinn recalls the story of Unlucky Luke, a farm boy who, during a midnight sprint at a barracks stop en route to military Basic Training, gets out front, trips on a tree root and is subsequently trampled by 50-some recruits who can't see him in the darkness.

Never reaching boot camp, Luke is not technically a soldier and so doesn't qualify for disability. He returns to Radium with crippling back pain and a dead-end job.

"Luke made one big mistake," Jim says. "He tried to be out front. People from Radium ... They have to stay in the middle. They have to be mediocre, or the world crushes them."

It's a perfect metaphor for this episodic, shoot-it-up tale of two brothers from western Minnesota who have nothing to lose, traveling the U.S. stealing cars and robbing liquor stores with a U.S. marshal constantly in their rearview mirror.

The journey starts when Billy Quinn impregnates the daughter of the town hothead who  because he thinks Billy and Jim are trailer trash  has his goons rough up Billy. Billy in turn takes a bottle of grain alcohol to the man's grain elevator, starting a fire that not only destroys the structure but consumes the entire town.

Jim and Billy hit the road, outlaws arising from the fire they created.

They steal a car and make a run for it. Along the way they hot-wire old pickups, rob shady businesses, bunk in abandoned barns, use aliases, discuss God with a preacher they encounter more than once, drink whiskey, steal from a mega-church, and work as lumberjacks.

And always they are loyal to each other  Billy protecting his damaged younger brother; Jim doing anything his brother asks him to do.

"My brother wasn't just some garbage redneck," Jim explains. "He was a wild, dangerous, joyful beast, wearing the skin and bones of a man. He could do anything."

While disenfranchised white men pushing pedal to the metal, stealing cars, robbing liquor stores, killing dogs and men while intermittently enjoying the care of tender women may not be a genre I'd normally reach for, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is brilliantly written  tight, visual, well-paced  and I liked these guys. A lot. (The author is the son of writer Leif Enger and the nephew of author Lin Enger.)

The episodes are vivid and tense. Best of all is the voice of Jim, the narrator, a boy severely injured in a car accident when he was young, a metal-mangling wreck that killed his father and nearly killed his brother. The accident left him with a mysterious gift at odd times in addition to a sense of himself as damaged goods.

Jim's self-effacing devotion to Billy is endearing, and his perceptions are sweet, sad and mystical  think of a Sam Shepard play with interior monologue, or a Cormac McCarthy novel in the voice of Holden Caulfield. I enjoyed being in this boy's head  or, as he would put it, his "big spinning melon head."

It is well worth the ride, the dusty, defeated backwoods drive, which doesn't end entirely as Jim predicts.



Christine Brunkhorst is a writer and reviewer in Minneapolis.
When Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous groups on Canadian soil this week, he will make another effort toward healing harms inflicted at church-run residential schools  and add to the Catholic Churchs growing ledger of atonement for past transgressions.

Like the papacy, top Protestant leaders also have gradually issued institutional mea culpas for their churches' historical wrongs. Many of the apologies on behalf of Christian denominations are for grave offenses: genocide, sex abuse, slavery, war and more.

While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.

For 1,900 years, churches didnt apologize for the bad things that they did, Bergen said.

He pinpoints the pivot to significant apologies coming in the aftermath of World War II, especially a declaration by Germany's Protestant churches that they failed to adequately oppose the Nazis. It was among the first in a series of recognitions that Christian institutions themselves committed wrongs, Bergen said. In the 1990s, church apologies increased as more attention was paid to human rights following the Cold War, he said.

The pope flew to Canada on Sunday to apologize for abuses Indigenous people suffered in the country's state-funded residential Christian schools. From the 1800s to the 1970s, Native children were forced to attend the schools where abuse was rampant.

The apology follows a similar one Francis made in April in Rome to members of Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

The setting matters, said Fernie Marty, a member of the Papaschase, a Cree nation in Alberta. The 73-year-old is a survivor of a day school  part of a system that, like residential schools, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.

He appreciated the popes Rome apology, but this is where all the atrocities happened, Marty said. Its more meaningful coming on Canadian soil."

Marty, an elder at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, a Catholic parish in Alberta's capital oriented toward Indigenous people and culture, said the popes visit offers a tremendous opportunity for my own personal healing.

But George Pipestem, 79, a member of the Montana First Nation and a survivor of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, questioned the relevance of a papal apology, just as he questioned apologies by Canadian prime ministers for the governments role in the schools.

He said the abusers should be the ones apologizing: Theyre all gone, though. This apologizing, it doesnt matter to me. Its like nothing. Its only a word."

It is not uncommon for a leader who was neither involved nor alive when a wrong was committed to deliver a church's apology. Some took generations to say sorry.

Graham Dodds, a political science professor at Concordia University in Montreal who researches political apologies, says institutional responsibility can extend beyond the present day or any one person's lifetime.

Its part of being a leader to accept that connection with things past, he said.

St. John Paul II embraced that responsibility and left a legacy of papal apologies. None were more significant than his list of mea culpas issued as the Catholic Church opened its 2000 Jubilee and entered its third millennium.

John Paul apologized for Catholics' sins through the ages, including against women, Jews and other religious minorities. In his most memorable act, he tucked a prayer note into the Western Wall in Jerusalem asking Gods forgiveness for those who "have caused these children of yours to suffer.

He wanted something of a clean slate, Dodds said.

The following year, when John Paul sent his first-ever email, it was an apology for colonial-era abuses of Aboriginal peoples in Australia and the Pacific, as well as for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, also apologized for clerical abuse, most significantly in a 2010 letter to Irish faithful. He said he was truly sorry for the hurt and blamed Irish bishops, though he was silent on Vatican responsibility.

Francis has gone further, first apologizing for his own errors in defending a Chilean bishop who covered up abuse by the countrys most notorious pedophile priest. That 2018 scandal was a turning point in the pope's understanding of abuse, and he continued to apologize for it.

Juan Carlos Cruz, who was abused by that priest, received both a church apology and a personal one from Francis. It felt like finally the church recognized the harm he suffered, and he could start healing, Cruz said. It also motivated Cruz, now a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to continue advocating for survivors.

Pope Francis had a sincerity that it was hard not to believe. And its not because youre sitting in front of a pope. ... It's because of his humility and sincerity, Cruz said. Trust me. Ive received apologies from many people in the church that are as fake as you can imagine.

Francis has also apologized, in 2015 in Bolivia, for wrongs committed by the church against Indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas.

Timing, word choice and contrition are important elements for an apology to be effective, Dodds said. Bad apologies try to justify or explain away wrongs, while good ones admit fault and convey, "It was wrong. ... It wont happen again. Please, forgive me, he said.

What comes next also matters, said the Rev. Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He is a Black minister in the predominately white Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845 in support of slaveholding missionaries.

It took SBC delegates 150 years to repudiate slavery and apologize for racism, in 1995. It was overdue and the right thing to do, McKissic said, but he wanted to see if the SBC would follow up with more leadership diversity.

He recalled visiting convention headquarters in Nashville in 2007 and being told the top African American working in the building was a custodian. When he returned recently, the top post was held by Willie McLaurin, the first Black man to head the SBC's Executive Committee.

That's progress, McKissic said, while cautioning that there is still room for a lot of improvements such as more diversity among leadership and seminary professors.

This year SBC delegates also apologized for harm caused to church sexual abuse survivors.

The United Church of Canada, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, apologized more than 20 years ago for its role in operating 15 residential schools for Indigenous youths.

The Right Rev. Richard Bott, who is now the churchs moderator and top spiritual leader, said the institutional repentance and reparations his predecessor set in motion in 1998 remains a work in progress.

This is not work thats done in a day, Bott said. This is the work of a lifetime of response and an institutional lifetime of response. The only way we will get there is to begin each day in a good way with Indigenous neighbors. So thats really central to our understanding of apology.

When Francis apologized at the Vatican in April to the visiting delegation of Indigenous Canadians, he also listened to their personal stories of residential school abuse.

They spoke truth, Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said, and they told the pope they needed to hear words from you that will heal.

But when the pontiff comes to Canada, Smith said, it's important that he doesn't just read from a carefully vetted script: Everybody wants him to speak from his heart.

Smith said it can't stop there. The Catholic Church in Canada will have to do much more than apologize to heal the wrongs at the schools. This is about one step in a very long journey.

Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
SOUTHPORT, N.C. (AP)  Jean Heller was toiling away on the floor of the Miami Beach Convention Center when an Associated Press colleague from the opposite end of the country walked into her workspace behind the event stage and handed her a thin manila envelope.

Im not an investigative reporter, Edith Lederer told the 29-year-old Heller as competitors typed away beyond the thick grey hangings separating news outlets covering the 1972 Democratic National Convention. But I think there might be something here.

Inside were documents telling a tale that, even today, staggers the imagination: For four decades, the U.S. government had denied hundreds of poor, Black men treatment for syphilis so researchers could study its ravages on the human body.

The U.S. Public Health Service called it The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. The world would soon come to know it simply as the Tuskegee Study  one of the biggest medical scandals in U.S. history, an atrocity that continues to fuel mistrust of government and health care among Black Americans.

I thought, 'It couldnt be, Heller recalls of that moment, 50 years ago. The ghastliness of this.

The story of how the study came to light began four years earlier, at a party in San Francisco.

Lederer was working at the AP bureau there in 1968 when she met Peter Buxtun. Three years earlier, while pursuing graduate work in history, Buxtun had taken a job at the local Public Health Service office in 1965; he was tasked with tracking venereal disease cases in the Bay Area.

In 1966, Buxtun had overheard colleagues talking about a syphilis study going on in Alabama. He called the Communicable Disease Center, now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and asked if they had any documents they could share. He received a manila envelope containing 10 reports, he told The American Scholar magazine in a story published in 2017.

He knew immediately that the study was unethical, he said, and sent reports to his superiors telling them so, twice. The reply was essentially: Tend to your own work and forget about Tuskegee.

He eventually left the agency, but he couldnt leave Tuskegee.

So, Buxtun turned to his journalist friend, Edie, who demurred.

I knew that I could not do this, Lederer said during a recent interview. AP, in 1972, was not going to put a young reporter from San Francisco on a plane to Tuskegee, Alabama, to go and do an investigative story.

But she told Buxtun she knew someone who could.

At the time, Heller was the only woman on the APs fledgling Special Assignment Team, a rarity in the industry. Still, she was not spared the casual sexism of the era. A 1968 story on the team for AP World, the wire services employee newsletter, described the squad as 10 men and one cute gal.

A caption under the 5-foot-2 Hellers photo called the pixie-like reporter lovely and competent.

Lederer knew Heller from their days together at AP's New York headquarters, then at 50 Rockefeller Plaza, where Heller started out on the radio desk.

I knew she was a terrific reporter, Lederer says.

During a trip to visit her parents in Florida, Lederer made a short detour to Miami Beach, where Heller was part of a team covering the convention  from which U.S. Sens. George McGovern of South Dakota and Thomas Eagleton of Missouri would emerge as the Democratic presidential and vice presidential nominees.

During a recent interview at her North Carolina home, Heller recalled putting the leaked PHS documents in her briefcase. She says she didnt get around to reading the contents until the flight back to Washington.

Seated next to her was Ray Stephens, head of the investigative team. She showed him the documents. Stephens realized the government wasnt denying the studys existence, just refusing to talk about it.

Heller recalls Stephens saying: When we get back to Washington, I want you to drop everything else youre doing and focus on this.

The government stonewalled her and refused to talk about the study. So, Heller began making the rounds elsewhere, starting with colleges, universities and medical schools.

She even reached out to her mothers gynecologist, a straight down the line, middle of the road, superior doctor.

I asked him if hed ever heard about this, and he said, Thats not going on. I just dont believe it.

Finally, one of her sources recalled seeing something about the syphilis study in a small medical publication. She headed to the D.C. public library.

I asked them if they had any kind of documents, books, magazines, whatever ... that would fit a, what today we would call a profile or a search engine search, for Tuskegee, farmers, Public Health Service, syphilis, Heller says.

They found an obscure medical journal  Heller cant recall the title  that had been chronicling the studys progress.

Every couple of years, they would write something about it, she says. Mostly it was about the findings  none of the morality was ever questioned.

Normally, reporters celebrate these Eureka moments. But Heller felt no such elation.

I knew that people had died, and I was about to tell the world who they were and what they had, she says, her voice dropping. And finding any joy in that ... would have been unseemly.

Armed with the journal, Heller went back to the PHS. They caved.

She says the lede of the story  the first paragraph or sentence of a news article  came to her quickly.

Marv Arrowsmith, the bureau chief, walked by my desk and, I said, Hey, Marv. Will you publish this? she recalls. And he read it and he looked at me and he said, Can you prove it? I said, Yes. He said, You got it.

An AP medical writer helped interview doctors for the story. Within just a few short weeks, the team felt they had enough to publish.

Arrowsmith suggested they offer the story first to the now-defunct Washington Star, if it promised to run it on the front page.

The Star was a highly respected PM (afternoon) newspaper, and if they took it seriously, others might follow, Heller says.

The story ran on July 25, 1972, a Tuesday. It was a harrowing tale.

Starting in 1932, the Public Health Service  working with the famed Tuskegee Institute  began recruiting Black men in Macon County, Alabama. Researchers told them they were to be treated for bad blood, a catch-all term used to describe several ailments, including anemia, fatigue and syphilis. Treatment at the time consisted primarily of doses of arsenic and mercury.

In exchange for their participation, the men would get free medical exams, free meals and burial insurance  provided the government was allowed to perform an autopsy.

Eventually, more than 600 men were enrolled. What they were not told was that about a third would receive no treatment at all  even after penicillin became available in the 1940s.

By the time Hellers story was published, at least seven of the men in the study had died as a direct result of the affliction, and another 154 from heart disease.

As much injustice as there was for Black Americans back in 1932, when the study began, I could not BELIEVE that an agency of the federal government, as much of a mistake as it was initially, could let this continue for 40 years, says Heller. It just made me furious.

Nearly four months after the story ran, the study was halted.

The government established the Tuskegee Health Benefit Program to begin treating the men, eventually expanding it to the participants wives, widows and children. A class-action lawsuit filed in 1973 resulted in a $10 million settlement.

The last participant died in 2004, but the study still casts a long shadow over the nation. Many African Americans cited Tuskegee in refusing to seek medical treatment or participate in clinical trials. It was even cited more recently as a reason not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

At 79, Heller is still haunted by her story and the effects it had on the men and women of rural Alabama, and the nation as a whole.

For the story, Heller would win some of journalisms highest honors  the Robert F. Kennedy, George Polk and Raymond Clapper Memorial awards. (Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, writing about the Watergate scandal, finished in second place for the Clapper Award.)

Hanging in her office is a copy of the front-page byline she got in The New York Times, exceedingly rare for an AP staffer. But the hype surrounding Tuskegee would play a big role in Hellers decision to leave the AP in 1974.

I felt after all of the brouhaha over ... Tuskegee, and what came after it, that I should move on, she says. She went on to a three-decade career that would take her from the hills of Wyoming to the beaches of South Florida.

These days, Heller spends her time cranking out fiction. Shes five books into a mystery series featuring Deuce Mora, a hard-driving female reporter who is a very un-pixie-like 6 feet tall.

Despite her distress over the state of the news business, she has never thought about returning to journalism.

You cant go home again; I firmly believe that, she says. And I dont want to be competing against myself or against expectations.

When asked if she regretted giving up what is arguably one of the great scoops in American journalism, Lederer replied: Possibly, you know, a little bit. But she knew the story was bigger than her or Heller or any individual reporter.

What I cared about most was that this seemed to be a horrible and deadly injustice to innocent Black men, says Lederer, who was the first woman assigned full time to cover the Vietnam War for the AP and remains its chief U.N. correspondent.

And for me, the important thing was to verify it and to see that it got out to the broader American public  and that something was done to prevent any such experiments from happening again.

Heller agrees.

The story isnt about me anyway, she says. Its about them.
Less than two weeks before the Aug. 9 primary, Democrat Alex Lasry exited the U.S. Senate race Thursday and endorsed front-runner Mandela Barnes, all but guaranteeing the lieutenant governor will face U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in November.

The only remaining Democratic candidate besides Barnes who has polled above 1% in the Marquette Law School Poll is state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who had 9% support in the latest poll to Barnes 25% and Lasrys 21%. Godlewski told reporters on Wednesday that she would remain in the race.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, who had polled at 7%, dropped out of the race on Monday and also endorsed Barnes.

Im calling for all Wisconsin Democrats to come together now behind Mandela and make sure we have a laser focus on beating Ron Johnson and reelecting Governor Tony Evers this November, Lasry said in a statement.

Lasry had spent more than $12 million on a campaign focused on raising wages and building unions, running largely on his past actions as an executive for the Bucks, which his father co-owns. The husband of Planned Parenthood for Wisconsins chief of staff, Lasry had also run on enshrining womens right to an abortion in federal law.

I am so grateful to Alex for all of the work hes done to move Wisconsin forward, and Im proud to have his endorsement, Barnes said in a statement. I deeply admire Alexs commitment to creating good union jobs and raising wages throughout his career and throughout this campaign, and the work hes done to bring pride and opportunity to Milwaukee, a city we both love.

Lasry formerly worked as a White House aide in several capacities during former President Barack Obamas time in office. Born in New York City, Lasry moved to Milwaukee in 2014 when his billionaire father became the Bucks co-owner. Aside from working for the Bucks, Lasry led efforts to bring the 2020 Democratic National Convention to Milwaukee  an event that was significantly scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Alex Lasry departs from the primary  or maybe to New York  Mandela Barnes radical agenda and far-left endorsements will ensure a third term for Senator Ron Johnson, Republican National Committee spokesperson Rachel Reisner said in a statement.

Throughout the campaign, his Democratic opponents took frequent shots at the amount of money Lasry poured into the race. Barnes said Wisconsin needs to elect somebody who isnt a millionaire.

Calling Lasry a wealthy candidate out of touch with Wisconsinites, Nelson had said Democrats would have to scrap a key talking point against Democratic Gov. Tony Evers potential Republican challenger, millionaire construction executive Tim Michels, if Lasry were to win the Democratic primary. In May, Lasry received an extension that enabled him not to report his vast financial assets until after the August primary.

Its clear Tom Nelson graciously stepping aside to endorse Mandela Barnes meant Alex Lasry had no path to victory, Nelsons campaign manager Irene Lin said in a statement. Now we will all work together to unite behind Mandela Barnes and defeat Americas worst senator in Ron Johnson.
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday joined the growing list of high-profile Republicans to weigh in on Wisconsin's heated GOP gubernatorial primary with his backing of former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Pence's endorsement puts the once close ally to Donald Trump at odds with the former president, who earlier this year backed Kleefisch's rival Tim Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, and business owner Adam Fischer are also running in the Aug. 9 primary.

In a statement, Pence described Kleefisch as "the only candidate that will deliver a stronger and more prosperous Wisconsin, and I am proud to support her."

"Conservatives across the Badger State can fight back against the radical left in Wisconsin and join me in supporting Rebecca Kleefisch for governor," Pence added.

Vice President Pence fought against the extreme Left to help America thrive," Kleefisch said. "As a former governor, he knows what it takes to enact conservative reform at the state level."

Trump, meanwhile, plans to return to Wisconsin next Friday to hold a rally in Waukesha to support Michels, his chosen candidate.

Michels has also been endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson, while Kleefisch recently secured an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce rival turned close ally of Trump's. Former Gov. Scott Walker and more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, have also backed Kleefisch.
The ongoing fight between GOP gubernatorial frontrunners Tim Michels and Rebecca Kleefisch over the fuel tax carried over into a Wednesday debate between the three top candidates running for the chance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers this November.

As the discourse between Kleefisch, who served eight years as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Scott Walker, and Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based construction company Michels Corp., continues to ramp up, so too are the high-profile endorsements, with former Vice President Mike Pence putting his support behind Kleefisch on Wednesday  less than two weeks before the Aug. 9 primary.

The heated exchange between Kleefisch and Michels took place in a Wednesday debate hosted by WISN-AM. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, of Campbellsport, also participated in the debate. Recent statewide polling found Kleefisch and Michels were leading the race, separated by 1 percentage point.

Kleefisch took aim at Michels previous leadership roles with lobbying groups that supported fuel tax increases, asking Michels, Do the people you say you lead just do not listen, or are you not taking responsibility?

Michels vehemently denied Kleefischs allegations, adding that the vast majority of his companys business is work that consumes massive amounts of fossil fuel, of gasoline, of diesel.

I would have to be the dumbest businessman in the history of the world to want to raise fuel costs, to want to raise the cost on 96% of my business, Michels said.

Ive stated all along I have never once said I want to raise the gas tax, he added. I think its very unfair, very disingenuous to use words lightly to say that I am a gas tax raiser.

Kleefisch was referencing Michels time as president of the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, a group that lobbied for a federal gas tax increase that was also a member of a coalition created to improve state roads and infrastructure. That coalition said the fuel tax was becoming necessary to fund state roads.

Michels also served on the executive board of the Transportation Development Association. That groups former leader, who currently serves as Evers transportation secretary, advocated for higher gas taxes and vehicle registration fees in 2018. Michels Corp. is currently a member of the Transportation Development Association.

Michels said he was one of several individuals to vet issues raised by the groups and he didnt always agree with the final decision.

This is not an authoritarian rule when youre leader of an organization. You need to come to consensus and if you can, so be it, Michels said.

Kleefisch responded to previous reporting on Michels ties to the groups, adding, Youve got to take responsibility for some of these organizations.

Michels referenced his military and business experience, adding, Im telling you, my word is good.

You dont get to grow a business to 8,000 employees if you have an integrity problem, he said. When I say Ive said I will never raise gas taxes, and I pledge I will never raise gas taxes, you can take it to the bank.

Fuel tax feud

Kleefisch and Michels have been sparring over the fuel tax for weeks now, with the former lieutenant governor attacking Michels by name  along with President Joe Biden and Evers  in a recent ad in which she criticized high gas prices while she fills up her minivan at the pump.

Tim Michels pushed for years to raise our gas tax while getting rich from massive government contracts, Kleefisch said in the ad. Tim Michels is out for himself.

Michels called Kleefischs ad completely false and days later released his own ad showing an image of Kleefisch while describing attacks from the corrupt establishment.

These attacks on me, its what happens when the establishment gets desperate, Michels said in the ad while sitting behind the wheel of a pickup.

The former Lieutenant Governor continues to amp up the falsehoods, Michels tweeted last week. Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave with her violation of the 11th commandment. All this lying makes her unfit to be governor.

The Eleventh Commandment was a phrase coined by former President Reagan that stated, Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.

The June Marquette Law School Poll found that 27% of Republican primary voters supported Michels, while 26% supported Kleefisch. Ramthun polled more than 20 points below Michels and Kleefisch in June. Business owner Adam Fischer, who was not included in the poll, is also running in the Aug. 9 primary.

The winner will go on to face Evers, who is seeking a second term, on Nov. 8.

Pence backs Kleefisch

Pence, a once close ally to former President Donald Trump, on Wednesday endorsed Kleefisch as the only candidate that will deliver a stronger and more prosperous Wisconsin, and I am proud to support her.

Conservatives across the Badger State can fight back against the radical left in Wisconsin and join me in supporting Rebecca Kleefisch for governor, Pence said in a statement.

Pences endorsement puts him at odds with Trump, who plans to hold a rally in Waukesha on Aug. 5 to support Michels, his chosen candidate.

Vice President Pence fought against the extreme Left to help America thrive, Kleefisch said in a statement. As a former governor, he knows what it takes to enact conservative reform at the state level.

Michels has also been endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson, while Kleefisch recently secured an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce rival turned close ally of Trumps. Walker and more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, have also backed Kleefisch.
Germanys environment minister says the mass die-off of fish in the Oder River is an ecological catastrophe and it's not clear yet how long it will take the river to recover. Steffi Lemke spoke Sunday at a news conference alongside her Polish counterpart, Anna Moskwa. Moskwa said the cause of the mass die-off of fish has not yet been determined. The meeting took place in Szczecin, a Polish city on the Oder River. Both ministers said they were focused now on doing what they can do limit the damage. Ten tons of dead fish were removed last week from the Oder, which runs along the border between Poland and Germany before flowing into the Baltic Sea.
The Republican candidates for Attorney General are making their final pitch to the party's grassroots ahead of the Aug. 9 primary election as the winner looks to unseat Josh Kaul. Here's where the candidates stand on the issues overseen by one of the most state's most influential elected posts.

The three-way race features former state lawmaker Adam Jarchow, conservative lawyer Karen Mueller and Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney. Jarchow and Toney are the race's most high-profile, well-funded candidates. Mueller, who has perpetuated discredited claims about COVID-19 vaccines and the 2020 election, has garnered less attention with her campaign.

Crime

Throughout the campaign, Jarchow and Toney have said that lawlessness and violent crime is running rampant in Wisconsin. Indeed, homicides rose by 72% between 2019 and 2021, according to data from the Department of Justice. The amount of aggravated assaults and rapes have remained more steady in recent years.

But to get violence in check, Toney has long said he wants to give the Department of Justice original jurisdiction to prosecute violent crime in Milwaukee.

To boost transparency over district attorneys and judges, Jarchow wants to create a statewide database that posts bail recommendations and plea deals.

Both candidates want to reform the state's bail system through a constitutional amendment. Currently, bail can only be imposed to ensure that someone will appear in court. Toney has said state law needs to change as well for courts to be able to consider a defendant's future likelihood to be violent.

Abortion

Jarchow, Toney and Mueller have all been endorsed by anti-abortion organizations and campaign as "pro-life" politicians. In a contrast with Kaul, Jarchow and Toney say they will enforce Wisconsin's 1849 near-total abortion ban, which outlaws the procedure in cases of incest and rape.

They've mustered little public defense of the ban's most prohibitive elements, but rather insist that they're obligated to enforce state law, whatever it may be.

Kaul has filed lawsuits challenging the ban, saying it's impossible to enforce and conflicts with other state abortion law. His Republican opponents say the lawsuit shows the attorney general is picking and choosing what laws he wants to enforce.

Jarchow has also said he wants to prioritize getting cases before the U.S. Supreme Court like Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which paved the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He's called the high court's recent string of decisions a "historic" victory for conservatives.

COVID-19

Of the three candidates, Mueller has centered her rhetoric around COVID-19 the most. Her website refers to COVID-19 vaccines as a "bioweapon" that have "already killed or injured 25,000+ (likely to be closer to 200,000 plus several million injured)". She's also vowed to investigate hospitals, claiming that "treatments that could have helped were withheld or dangerous drugs were administered" to COVID-19 patients. Her website does not further elaborate on what treatments should or should not have been used. The medical community has long said COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

Jarchow and Toney have not gotten anywhere close to such rhetoric about COVID-19. But they have clashed over the pandemic's restrictions over daily life.

Jarchow has regularly criticized Toney's charging of 10 Fond du Lac residents with violating Gov. Tony Evers original stay-at-home order, which included restaurant staff and diners. Toney has stressed that the charges were dismissed and that hes required to enforce the law.

Elections

As Attorney General, the candidates could play a key role in Wisconsin's ongoing legal battles over elections should they unseat Kaul in November.

Jarchow has vowed to launch an investigation of the 2020 election. Enjoying the authority of a district attorney, Toney's office has filed a lawsuit to remove members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. He's also charged five Fond du Lac residents with misdemeanor election fraud for using a UPS P.O. box as a voting address. Earlier this month, one man was convicted on the charge and ordered to pay a $500 fine and court costs.

In November 2020, Mueller filed an an unsuccessful lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to throw out the results of the presidential election, alleging that the election was tainted by the use of illegal drop boxes across the state. The justices refused to take the case.
Before too much time slips away, we need to review some of what happened at the state Republican convention in Twin Falls last weekend.

First, an update on Pizzagate Part Deux which we discussed in a July 20 editorial, in which former state GOP Chairman Tom Luna and organizer Tyler Hurst arranged a Pizza and Patriots event so Luna could meet with delegates to try and win their vote in his bid for re-election. That turned into a Pizza For the Needy event with fake flyers being distributed to people at the Valley House Homeless Shelter, turning them into tools used in a political stunt.

According to KTVB in Boise, Valley House Executive Director John Spiers was among those not appreciating the shelter being pulled in.

We are going to continue caring for people at Valley House and caring for the people in the Magic Valley and as much as possible, avoid this type of political garbage that is happening, he said.

KTVB reported that Valley House was given the name of the person behind the flyers. Spiers gave the person 24 hours to apologize to his staff and guests or be publicly identified. That window expired and no apologies were issued.

Spiers confirmed Wednesday that David J. Reilly, a delegate from Coeur dAlene, was the person who passed out the fake flyers. On his Twitter account, Reilly calls himself an award-winning radio host, independent journalist, Christian Nationalist, and F List E-Celeb.

Spiers also told KTVB that Reilly told him he wanted to make the Luna campaign aware of people in need, because they didnt believe people in need were being seen. The big problem there: Luna has said he was homeless himself as a child. So the mystery of why the prank was pulled continues.

In the realm of official business at the convention  which included 14 resolutions, nine platform changes and a major rule change approved  there were these highlights:

A proposal to disavow the results of the 2020 presidential election, which failed to even make it out of committee. During a time when key members of the Trump White House themselves are giving shocking testimony as to how bogus the steal claim is, this proposal alone seems laughable.

Delegates rejected an amendment to the party platform that would have provided an exception for a mother who has an abortion to save her life. So what does this mean in a case, for example, where a woman has an ectopic pregnancy?

On the conventions opening day, Idaho Family Policy Center President Blaine Conzatti called for a Christian approach to government on several social issues, and said hed like to see public schools run by churches, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. So much for the state Constitutions stance on spending state money on religious teaching.

Directing the party to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee for violating party rules in its actions endorsing and donating to primary election candidates. In other words, the local Freedom Foundation folks get their way in pushing their chosen candidates on the voting public, of course based on the IFFs litmus test of how far right can you go?

Which leads us to an old standby ...

The effort to restrict who can vote in Idaho GOP primary elections. This will be put to a test of the state GOPs Rules Committee in January and then by the Legislature. Betsy Russell from the Idaho Press reports the rule change would block anyone who hadnt affiliated as a Republican at least 12 months in advance from voting in the primary, along with anyone whos disaffiliated from the party, affiliated with a different party, or even donated to a candidate from another party within the last two to three years.

Where have we heard this before?

Remember the days when Ronald Reagan spoke of the GOP being a big tent party? He was speaking of all Republicans voices being heard and respected, debating issues on their merits, dare we say even listening to independent voices.

Now, when we think of Reagans notion of a big tent  with the move to restrict who can vote in the GOP primary  we have to think more along the lines of a pup tent.

Remember when this was discussed in the last legislative session? The debate coming out of the House then made the closed primary seem like a purity test among the most pristine Republican voters only, which is what this amounts to. Todays GOP is trying to create a party in which every member thinks alike. If thats how todays GOP  the party of Lincoln  is going to go, were in trouble.

If the Republican Party is going to survive in this two-party system, theyd be better off putting multiple ideas on the table instead of putting party above state. Instead of narrowing and disenfranchising, be willing to at least look at new ideas. Be inclusive versus being exclusive.

Is that too much to ask?
TWIN FALLS  Scoular announced a $500,000 donation to help fund the nations largest research dairy center, a sustainability initiative led by the University of Idaho.

Scoular is proud of our long history of partnering with the dairy industry as well as our commitment to ag innovation and sustainability, said Scoular CEO Paul Maass. We are delighted to invest with the University of Idaho and others in this one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop the next generation of dairies.

Construction of the research dairy is slated to be completed in 2023, with milking operations beginning at the $22.5 million farm in 2024.

Scoular, headquartered in Nebraska, provides agricultural supply chain solutions worldwide and offers custom dairy feed solutions throughout its network. Through the Scoular Foundation, the company is committed to giving back to the communities where its employees work and live. Scoular also has a robust sustainability strategy, in line with the universitys new investment.

Scoular is honored to support the University of Idaho and our valuable dairy customers in this region, Maass added.

The university initiative is called Idaho CAFE, or the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. It includes a 2,000-cow research dairy and 640-acre demonstration farm in Rupert, which includes a commodity building that will recognize Scoulars name in honor of the donation. The initiative also includes a public outreach and education center in Jerome and collaborative food science efforts developed with the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

The beauty of Idaho CAFE is the linkage between the research dairy and agronomic production, which makes us a unique facility in the U.S., said U of I College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Michael Parrella.

Scoulars generous investment in this project helps to strengthen that connection and demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of this cutting-edge research.

Scoular has had a presence in Idaho for almost 25 years. It operates an office in Twin Falls and a dairy feed blending facility in Jerome, along with grain elevators in southeast and eastern Idaho. Scoular recently built a facility in Jerome that manufactures a one-of-a-kind sustainable barley protein concentrate for pet food and aquafeed. And last year, the company launched a program in Idaho to expand barley as a sustainable rotation crop.
The Blue Ridge Airport in Martinsville has been approved to receive $216,688 of a $5.5 million federal funding disbursement for regional airports in four localities throughout the state.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced late Wednesday that a total of $5,511,125 in federal funding from the Department of Transportations Federal Aviation Administration would be awarded for constructing new taxiways, rehabilitating runway lighting and removing obstructions to meet FAA standards.

This funding will support a series of important projects in different stages at regional airports throughout the Commonwealth, the senators said in the release. These airports serve the transportation needs of thousands of Virginians every year and we are happy to see this funding go towards critical improvements.

The money awarded to the Blue Ridge Airport will pay for the final phase of expanding the existing terminal apron to accommodate increased use.

The largest share of the money, $4,555,463, goes to the Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise for the final phase of rehabilitating runway lighting there.

Another $450,090 was awarded to the Chesapeake Regional Airport in Chesapeake for the removal of non-hazard obstructions in order to comply with FAA standards.

The rest of the money; $178,200 goes to Freeman Field in Lousia County for the construction of new taxiways and $110,684 for William M. Tuck Airport in Halifax County for replacing patch indicators, end identifier lights and runway lighting systems.

Last week, Warner and Kaine announced nearly $6 million for airports across the Commonwealth in addition to $50 million to Virginia airports apportioned earlier this month. The senators also announced nearly $400 million for Virginia airports secured through the bipartisan infrastructure law in November of last year.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors decided to hold off on making a decision about changing the disbursement formula from the Virginia Department of Healths Return to Locality Fund.

Public Safety Director Matt Tatum, at a regular meeting on Tuesday, asked the Board of Supervisors to appropriate $56,353 and to consider changing the disbursement formula of the funds to the volunteer rescue squads.

The Return to Locality Fund is derived from a fee for each vehicle registered in Henry County, and the money distributed is used for emergency medical services training, supplies and equipment.

The funds have been distributed equally among the five volunteer rescue squads and the Department of Public Safety. Tatum told the Board that he had devised a new formula that would provide $2,500 minimum to each squad, and the remaining funds would be distributed based on the number of calls responded to during the previous 12 months.

The changes have been discussed with the rescue squad captains, said Tatum.

Under the new plan, instead of each department getting $9,375, the Henry County Department of Public Safety would get $18,751; Ridgeway would receive $12,846; Fieldale-Collinsville would collect $10,618; Bassett would get $6,473; Horsepasture would receive $4,504 and Axton would get $3,061.

Horsepasture District Supervisor Debra Buchanan said she had concerns about the proposed change.

On behalf of Horsepasture, we are totally volunteer and they would get a decrease, said Buchanan. This looks like its benefiting the paid staff.

Tatum pointed out that the Department of Public Safety was now answering about 60% of the calls.

This is something we need to think about, said Collinsville District Supervisor Joe Bryant. We dont need to make a decision on this right away.

The Board voted unanimously to appropriate the money, but not to distribute it under the new formula.

We will distribute the money as we have been doing and then come up with a plan, said County Administrator Dale Wagoner.

In other matters the Board:

Heard Treasurer Scott Grindstaff report that nearly 92% of personal property taxes had been collected as of June 30 and almost 94% of real estate taxes had been collected.

Approved the appropriation of $25,520 from the State Asset Forfeiture funds for the purchase of rifle optics used on patrol rifles.

Approved the appropriation of $10,743 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice 2020 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. The Sheriffs Department will use the funds for deputy overtime to cover staff shortages, special operations and off-site security of inmates during medical procedures.

Approved an additional $50,044 in local funds to support salary compression increases at a rate of $100 per year of continuous service for deputy sheriffs with at least 3 years of service. The average increase per eligible deputy will be $1,000.

Approved $276,056 to Vests Sales & Service Inc. of Check for the purchase of a 2023 Dodge Ram 5500 4x4 Osage ambulance.

Approved $358,021 to Excel Truck Group of Roanoke for the purchase of a 2024 Mack LR front loader garbage truck.

Approved $39,472 in additional funding to the Blue Ridge Regional Library System as the Countys portion of an intended 5% raise for library employees.

Approved $123,958 to Trane Technologies for the purchase of a control system for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

Heard Henry County Administrator Dale Wagoner announce the approval of $1.2 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission to Henry County for the Reservoir Road improvements project designed to enhance access to the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre.
Whittemore earns Faculty Honors at Georgia Tech

ATLANTA, Ga.  Morgan Whittemore of Marion, N.C., earned the distinction of Faculty Honors for spring 2022 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 academic average for the semester.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.

As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry and society.

For more information, visit gatech.edu.

Smith named to the Dean's List at Palmer College of Chiropractic

DAVENPORT, Iowa  Landen Smith of Nebo, N.C., has been named to the spring 2022 Dean's List at Palmer College of Chiropractic's Florida campus in Port Orange, Florida.

Palmer College of Chiropractic, the first and largest college in the chiropractic profession, has campuses in Davenport, Iowa; San Jose, California; and Port Orange, Florida.
We have taken down the Silent Sam Civil War monument on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills campus and the statues of Confederate soldiers on many courthouse plazas.

But there are other monuments to the Civil War and slavery that cannot be removed, unfortunately.

In Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South, David Silkenat explains how over a 200-year period, slavery made possible environmental disasters that cursed and continue to curse our region.

Silkenat says the slave owners in Americas South saw their landscape as disposable.

Using intensive farming methods made possible by slavery, Southern plantation owners wore out their farms. Rather than rehabilitating the land as they exploited it, they simply bought new land to replace what had been ruined.

Sometimes, the replacement land could be purchased nearby. Other times, the owners and slaves from worn-out plantations would move from North Carolina to fresh lands in Alabama or Mississippi, with the enslaved people walking all the way.

In Virginia, Thomas Jefferson noted in 1793 that he did not use manure to fertilize or replenish his worn-out tobacco fields because we can buy an acre of new land cheaper than we can manure an old acre.

Twenty years later, Jefferson acknowledged that the intensive farming by his slaves had left his soils inert.

But the environmental damage associated with slavery was not limited to farmlands.

In North Carolina, for instance, intensive enslaved labor made possible the exploitation and destruction of the magnificent longleaf pine forests that covered our state. To secure the pitch and tar from the pine trees, enslaved labor tapped, and scratched the surface, taking the blood the trees needed to sustain themselves, leaving only ghosts of once-magnificent forests.

Silkenat writes: Intensive extraction conspired with environmental factors to expedite the forests destruction. Scarification caused by repeating chipping made the trees vulnerable to wood-boring insects such as the ips beetle, the turpentine bore, and the black turpentine beetle. Stripped of their bark, the pine trees stood defenseless against these insects. A turpentine-borer epidemic in 1848-1849 along the Cape Fear River devastated the heart of North Carolinas longleaf pine.

Also in North Carolina, the use of enslaved labor during the gold rush days before the Civil War made possible the extraction of gold but left a ruined landscape behind.

In South Carolina, the rice plantations that made that state wealthy before the Civil War required an enormous commitment of enslaved labor to dig and manage the canals and other waterways that provided the right conditions for the crop. Those canals and their upkeep, adjustment and repairs destroyed the natural environment and left the coastal lands permanently affected.

Similarly, along the Mississippi River, the construction of levees to protect farmlands from flooding required enslaved labor. Continuing maintenance and repair demanded a long-term commitment of enslaved labor. The adjustments to the normal ebb and flow of the river still make for the continuing disruption of the great rivers natural flow.

In cotton and tobacco fields, hardwood and pine forests, rice fields, gold mines, rivers and levees, slavery brought about even more damage to the environment. Although the author sets out many more examples of damage, he acknowledges that the environmental devastation chronicled in this book pales in comparison to the brutality of American slavery on human bodies and souls. Yet looking at slavery through an environmental lens reveals how the chattel principle poisoned everything it touched.
This is their first visit to Ethiopia: the three members of the UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations during the Tigray war, established last December, arrived in Addis Ababa earlier this week. They are due to leave on Saturday, after agreeing with the government on the modalities of its investigation on the ground. The Ethiopian government is indeed very suspicious of this commission of enquiry, with which it had initially refused to cooperate.

The Ethiopian federal government is more than reluctant. It argues that Ethiopia already has a National Human Rights Commission, that a joint investigation report of this commission with the UN has already been published, that a national dialogue is underway to find a way out of the political tensions, that the interference of the UN Commission of Inquiry is counterproductive.

Nevertheless, the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen had a first discussion on Monday with the three members of the UN commission. Other meetings are planned for this week. But in a statement, the federal authorities simultaneously made it clear that their cooperation would depend on respect for the governments position and if an agreement is reached on how it will work in Ethiopia.

This mistrust, not yet defiance, was immediately underlined by the rebel authorities in Tigray, who said they were willing to cooperate with the commission, while accusing Addis Ababa of seeking to compromise its credibility.

It is therefore a complicated preparatory visit. Kenyan Kaari Betty Murungi, who chairs the commission, assisted by an American and a Sri Lankan lawyer, will make an initial assessment of the visit on Saturday before leaving for Uganda where her secretariat is based.
Businessmen Atul and Rajesh Gupta, arrested in June in Dubai, were wanted on fraud and money laundering charges.

South Africa on Monday formally requested the extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of two brothers of the Gupta family, accused of orchestrating industrial-scale corruption in the country.

Businessmen Atul and Rajesh Gupta, arrested in June in Dubai, were wanted on charges of fraud and money laundering. The arrest warrant mentions a dubious public contract for the equivalent of 1.5 million, linked to an agricultural feasibility study. This is small potatoes compared to the magnitude of the charges against the family.

They are accused of having plundered Africas most industrialized country, with the complicity of former president Jacob Zuma. So much so that the South Africans have invented an appropriate formula: they do not speak of corruption but of capture of the state.

We can confirm that the extradition request has been duly submitted to the UAE central authority today, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola told a news conference. The request is the first step in a process that experts say could take years.

The third brother, Ajay, is not involved in this chapter but is named in another embezzlement and corruption case. The sulphurous trio of Indian origin is accused of having infiltrated the top of the state, taking advantage of a long friendship with Jacob Zuma whom they bought with bribes during his two terms in office (2009-2018). They have methodically siphoned off the countrys coffers, looted state-owned companies and extended their hold to influence the choice of ministers.

In 2018, an independent commission was appointed to investigate state corruption. The ANC then pushed Jacob Zuma to resign; the Guptas vanished into thin air, only to be found in Dubai.
The former Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore, sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for the 1987 assassination of his predecessor Thomas Sankara, asked for forgiveness to the latters family on Tuesday in a message to his compatriots.

I ask forgiveness to the people of Burkina Faso for all the acts that I may have committed during my tenure and especially to the family of my brother and friend Thomas Sankara, said the message read by the spokesman of the government of Burkina Faso Lionel Bilgo.

I assume and deplore from the bottom of my heart all the suffering and tragedies experienced by all the victims during my tenure at the head of the country and ask their families to forgive me, the former head of state continued.

Blaise Compaore, 71, came to power in 1987 in a coup that killed the then president, Thomas Sankara. In April, Mr Compaore was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for his role in the assassination.

Overthrown by the street in 2014, he has since been living in Cote dIvoire, but was able to make a brief return to his country for a few days in early July without being arrested. He was invited by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the current transitional president who came to power in a coup in January, with the aim of sealing national reconciliation in the face of the jihadist attacks that have plunged the country into mourning.

After meeting the countrys new strongman, he appeared slimmed down at his side. Expressing his deep gratitude to the transitional authorities, he called in his message on the Burkinabe to a sacred union, to tolerance, to restraint, but above all to forgiveness so that the higher interest of the Nation prevails.

His visit in July had provoked a flurry of criticism from the political class and civil society, who felt that reconciliation should not be synonymous with impunity.
A model of a billboard from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) which ran in Los Angeles.

An antibiotic taken after sex without a condom can drastically reduce the rate of three bacterial STDs among high-risk groups, data from a clinical study showed Wednesday.

The research was presented at the 24th International AIDS conference in Montreal, where it was hailed as a major development.

"This has the capacity to change the guidelines" on clinical practice, Steven Deeks, an HIV expert at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who was not involved in the study, told AFP.

Doxycycline reduced rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia by more than 60 percent among men who have sex with men (MSM), and also appeared highly effective against syphilis, but there weren't enough cases to reach statistical significance.

The trial was halted early because researchers found the drug was undeniably working and it would have been unethical to continue testing.

The study comes amid rising rates of these diseases, particularly among MSM, whose use of condoms has declined since the advent of effective HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pills.

A previous trial by French researchers, which used doxycycline as a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), showed it was effective against syphilis and chlamydia among MSM, but not for gonorrhea.

For the new study, researchers recruited around 500 people, mostly MSM but also some transgender women and gender diverse people, at sites in San Francisco and Seattle.

Some were taking HIV PrEP, while others were living with HIV.

In both of the groups, around two-thirds received doxycycline, while a third did not. They were followed to monitor their outcomes every three months.

The pill, dosed at 200 milligrams, was given within three days of exposure. Participants could continue to take it as needed depending on how much sexual contact they were having.

The intervention reduced the incidence of STDs by 62 percent in the group living with HIV, and 66 percent in the group on HIV PrEP.

Side effects were mild and adherence levels remained high.

"We now have two studies that support the use of doxycycline as PEP in men who have sex with men," study lead Annie Luetkemeyer of UCSF told reporters at the AIDS conference.

"I really think we're at a place where we need to think very strongly about rolling this out and how to incorporate this into guidelines."

She stressed, however, that right now the data supports the treatment as targeted intervention among high risk groups that have a high prevalence of STDsnot everyone.

More study is also needed to better understand the potential impacts on antibiotic resistance, the authors said.

Researchers want to know if it could increase resistance from STDswhich is thought more possible for gonorrhea than chlamydia and syphilisfrom so-called "bystander" bacteria that live on the body and in the throat.

They also want to probe the potentially disruptive impact on the gut microbiome.

Explore further Doxycycline after unprotected sex significantly reduced STIs

 2022 AFP
Botswana has met a key UN target on HIV diagnosis, treatment and viral suppression several years early.

Botswana has become the second nation in the world, after Eswatini, to reach a landmark UN goal towards eradicating AIDS, researchers said Wednesday, in what health experts hailed as "stellar results".

The country has met the so-called "95-95-95" target on HIV diagnosis, treatment and viral suppression several years early, according to a study published ahead of a global conference on the disease.

About one in five people in Botswana live with the virusone of the highest rates in the worldaccording to the UN AIDS agency (UNAIDS).

The agency wanted 95 percent of HIV-positive people to know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed on medication and 95 percent of those under treatment to show signs that the virus is being suppressed in their blood by 2025.

But the study led by Botswana's health ministry found the country had already met or surpassed all three thresholds, with a 95-98-98 score. The global average in 2020 was 84-87-90, UNAIDS says.

"Botswana is making historic new progress against HIV," Sharon Lewin, president-elect of the International AIDS Society (IAS), told a virtual press briefing presenting the results.

The country is "well positioned to end its HIV epidemic by 2030. To put it simply, these are really stellar results."

Madisa Mine, the study's lead author and a Botswana government virologist, said the results were encouraging.

"We have translated a hopeless situation into a situation where now there is hope," he said.

Now both the government and people on medication could look forward to Botswana one day becoming an AIDS-free country, Mine added.

That was a far cry from when he started working on the disease two decades ago, and it seemed the nation was "facing extinction" due to the high number of infections.

How HIV attacks.

'Doable'

The paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal, was based on interviews and blood tests from more than 14,000 people aged 15 to 64.

Another southern African country, the small landlocked kingdom of Eswatini, became the first country to reach the UN target in 2020, UNAIDS says.

UNAIDS deputy executive director Matthew Kavanagh said Botswana's progress was down to a series of factors, including government investment and the rapid adoption of self-testing.

In 2002, Botswana became the first African country to offer free anti-retroviral drugs, which help contain the virus and prevent it from infecting others.

And in 2019 the country of 2.3 million people decriminalised same-sex relationshipssomething that Kavanagh said "has helped to get more and more people into care".

Botswana showed it was possible to rein in the disease, IAS president Adeeba Kamarulzaman said.

"It's not an easy feat. But what it shows is, it is doable with investment and political commitment, as well as communities working to deliver the needed services," she told AFP from Montreal ahead of the 24th International AIDS Conference, which opens in the Canadian city on Friday.

Globally, about 38 million people, including almost two million children, were living with HIV in 2020, and more than 600,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses, according to UNAIDS.

Eastern and southern Africa are the worst affected regions, accounting for more than half of all cases.

Explore further UN optimistic on conquering AIDS by 2030

 2022 AFP
Hong Kong: CSD responds to unfounded remarks

The Correctional Services Department clarified that it has continuously been taking various measures to improve the custodial environment, including air ventilation, in its institutions.

The department issued the statement today in response to unfounded remarks made by a member of the public through the media on the treatment of people in custody.

It emphasised that the department is committed to ensuring a secure, safe, humane, decent and healthy custodial environment.

Apart from the regular replacement of fans, the department has additionally installed different types of fans, including high power industrial fans and anti-suicide cell safety fans at different institutions according to the genuine needs.

New-style gates and windows have also been installed progressively to improve air ventilation.

Moreover, the department allows detainees to purchase ice cooling towels and hand fans. For security reasons, the purchase of antipyretic paste is not allowed.

Additionally, the department pointed out that it arranges daily exercise for those in custody in accordance with the law, except for those exempted by the medical officer for health reasons.

Furthermore, the department arranges people in custody to take a daily shower at different time slots with regard to the operations of the institutions, adding that there is no restriction that a shower should be completed within 10 minutes.

It also pointed out that in general, the department switches off lighting devices in cells during the bedtime of detainees. However, having regard to the actual operational needs of the institution, appropriate illumination will be maintained in individual cells at night to ensure the health conditions of such individuals can be effectively monitored by correctional officers.

The department condemns the individual member of the public for making unfounded remarks to smear the department.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Credit: Nature Immunology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01273-4. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-022-01273-4

Researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) have identified how to increase the ability of tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells to help fight viral infections and certain cancers.

This discovery adds to the growing knowledge around the huge potential of T cell-based vaccines and immunotherapies.

TRM cells are a type of immune cell found in body tissues that have been shown to be critical for immune protection against viral infections and solid tumors.

These cells are particularly important for pathogen control at epithelial surfaces of the body such as the skin and intestines, which are sites of entry for numerous microbes.

However, only certain subsets of TRM cells appeared to remain stationed in these epithelial tissues, and until now, it had not been understood why.

Published today in Nature Immunology, the research team led by University of Melbourne Professor Laura Mackay, a laboratory head at the Doherty Institute, identified the molecular switch that allows TRM cells to reside in the epithelia, and showed that this molecule could be deployed to enforce tissue residency in other cells to provide additional protection against viral infection.

T cells can be divided into two main types, CD8+ and CD4+, explains University of Melbourne Dr. Raissa Fonseca, an ARC DECRA research fellow in Professor Laura Mackay's laboratory.

"While CD8+ TRM cells have been identified in these epithelial layers, we have never understood why CD4+ TRM cells weren't there," Dr. Fonseca said.

"What was it that was allowing CD8+ TRM cells to behave in this manner and 'stay put' in epithelial tissues?"

The team examined the genetic differences between these TRM cell subtypes.

"We found key differences in the genetic controllers of CD8+ and CD4+ TRM cells. By utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, we showed that while CD8+ TRM cells were dependent on the molecular regulator Runx3, CD4+ TRM cells used an alternate regulatorRunx1," Dr. Fonseca explained. "Runx3 was the key. This was the gene that allowed CD8+ TRM to survive in the epithelia, so we simply genetically altered its expression in CD4+ TRM cells.

"Astonishingly, we found that by manipulating this one gene, CD4+ TRM cells could persist in the epithelial layer of the skin and intestine, and could more effectively protect against viral infection."

Co-Lead author on the paper, the University of Melbourne Dr. Thomas Burn, explained that enhancing TRM cell formation is highly desirable for infection control. "TRM cells exist at points of pathogen entry, where they are ready to attack immediately when the body is in danger. Decoding how TRM cells survive in these frontline tissues goes a long way to helping us understand how these cells might be harnessed to fight infection."

The team anticipate that this discovery could potentially lead to better therapies to treat infections and cancer.

"New disease treatments can always be traced to discovery research," Professor Mackay said. "Understanding how T cells can be induced in barrier tissues is a crucial step towards developing new vaccines and immunotherapies."

Explore further Intricacies of tissue memory T cells could be the future of immunotherapies and vaccines

More information: Raissa Fonseca et al, Runx3 drives a CD8+ T cell tissue residency program that is absent in CD4+ T cells, Nature Immunology (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s41590-022-01273-4 Journal information: Nature Immunology Raissa Fonseca et al, Runx3 drives a CD8+ T cell tissue residency program that is absent in CD4+ T cells,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01273-4

Provided by Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
A health care worker prepares a monkeypox vaccine in Montreal, Saturday, July 23, 2022. Nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for U.S. distribution, U.S. health regulators said Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Credit: Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP, File

After weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, U.S. health regulators said Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have been too slow in deploying the vaccine, potentially missing the window to contain what could soon become an entrenched infectious disease.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration said it had finished the necessary inspections at Bavarian Nordic's facility in Denmark, where the company fills vials of the vaccine. The FDA said via Twitter on Wednesday that the certification had been finalized. The doses are already in the U.S. "so that they would be ready to be distributed once the manufacturing changes were approved," the agency said.

The U.S. already has sent more than 310,000 doses of the two-shot Jynneos vaccine to state and local health departments. But clinics in San Francisco, New York and other major cities say they still don't have enough shots to meet demand.

There were more than 4,600 reported monkeypox cases in the U.S. as of late Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday officials would announce more vaccine allocations on Thursday.

Officials at the San Francisco Department of Health welcomed the news, saying they need many thousands more vaccine doses than the 7,800 they have received to date. "Without enough vaccine supply, we would have trouble fulfilling our basic duty of keeping our communities safe," the agency said in a statement.

Washington, D.C., officials said Wednesday they would join their counterparts in San Francisco, New York City and other cities who have stopped offering appointments for second vaccine doses due to short supplies. They said the single-dose strategy would allow them to "vaccinate more people at risk and slow the spread of monkeypox in the community more quickly."

The monkeypox virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection. The vast majority of cases reported have been in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

Healthcare workers with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene help people register for the monkeypox vaccine at one of the City's vaccination sites, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in New York. The World Health Organization recently declared that the expanding monkeypox outbreak is a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed zit-like bumps on many parts of the body.

The sluggish federal response has drawn comparisons to the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, but experts have pointed out that the U.S. had one huge advantage: more than 1 million doses of vaccine in the strategic national stockpile.

But it turned out U.S. officials had only about 2,000 doses on hand when the outbreak was first identified in May. Shipping and regulatory delays have meant only a portion of the rest were deployed.

"There's not enough doses," said Dr. Perry Halkitis, a public health specialist at Rutgers University. "I think with some quicker action on the part of federal government we might not be in the situation we are now."

The doses previously shipped came from a separate facility in Denmark that already had FDA clearance. Another 786,000 doses made at a newly opened Bavarian Nordic facility were awaiting the U.S. certification announced Wednesday.

The FDA requires inspections of all vaccine manufacturing plants to assure safety, sterility and consistency of production.

U.S. officials announced orders this month for 5 million more doses, though most of those are not expected to arrive until next year

Officials have recommended the shots be given to people who know or suspect they were exposed to monkeypox in the previous two weeks.

The Jynneos vaccine has never been widely used in response to an outbreak like this, and the government will track how well it's working,

Explore further US officials: States getting more monkeypox vaccine soon

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Syringes with vaccines against Monkeypox are ready to be used at a medical center in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Francisco Seco

The European Union's commissioner for health is urging the bloc's governments to step up their efforts to tackle the expanding monkeypox outbreak in the region, which she says is "the epicenter of detected cases."

In a letter to the EU's 27 health ministers obtained by The Associated Press, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called Wednesday for a "reinforced, concerted and coordinated action."

"There is no time for complacency and we need to continue working together to control the outbreak," she wrote.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global emergency. It is WHO's highest level of alert but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Kyriakides said the bloc's priorities at this stage must include stepping up the identification and reporting of cases and preventing the spread of infection.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, has secured the purchase of 160,000 doses of vaccines for the disease and Kyriakides said two joint procurement procedures are in preparation for the purchase of further jabs and the antiviral drug Tecovirimat.

This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Md. The World Health Organization recently declared the expanding monkeypox outbreak a global emergency. It is WHOs highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Credit: NIAID via AP

A health professional prepares syringes with vaccines against Monkeypox at a medical center in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Francisco Seco

A man receives a vaccine against Monkeypox from a health professional in a medical center in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Francisco Seco

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of outbreaks in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.

WHO's top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, said that 99% of all the monkeypox cases beyond Africa were in men and that of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men.

While Kyriakides encouraged EU ministers to intensify their public risk communication with the risk groups, she said the particular group of men that have sex with men "should not be targeted, victimized or marginalized because of the outbreak."

Explore further UK to offer vaccines to some gay, bisexual men for monkeypox

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

One of the deadliest forms of cancer is biliary tract cancer. Only one in three patients diagnosed with the disease is operable. The rest must settle for life-sustaining treatment.

The reason why this cancer is so deadly is that it is difficult to diagnose, and therefore, most patients are not diagnosed with the disease until after the cancer has had time to spread.

Nevertheless, new research from the University of Copenhagen can pave the way for early detection of biliary tract cancer and other serious cancers.

Biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancer, also referred to as bile duct cancer, is a tumor that arises in the mucosa of the bile duct (the tubes carrying bile between the liver, gall bladder and intestines).

The tumor either develops in the liver or, which is more often the case, outside it.

Biliary tract cancer is a rare disease, and on a global scale, it represents only three percent of all cancers in the digestive system.

Biliary tract cancer is most common among people aged 55 or more and is rarely seen in people below the age of 40.

In Denmark, we get around 150 new cases of biliary tract cancer each year.

"Our study shows that biliary tract cancer causes the immune cells to change behavior, resulting in a unique expression of microRNA molecules in the patient's blood. These changes enable us to diagnose biliary tract cancer much earlier than with existing tests," says Associate Professor Jesper Bje Andersen. He is head of the group of researchers from the Biotech Research & Innovation Centre at the University of Copenhagen who are responsible for the new study.

"Sometimes tumors, including the ones you find in the biliary tract, differ considerably, and developing a comprehensive measure for these tumors can therefore be difficult. But one thing all cancers have in common is the fact that they affect the immune system," says Ph.D. Dan Hgdall, who is first author of the study and a doctor at the Department of Oncology at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital. He adds that "we need to focus attention on how cancer affects the body as a whole instead of focusing solely on the cancer cells. Among other things, such a broad approach has paved the way for brand new treatments involving immunotherapy, which is targeted at the immune cells instead of the cancer cells. Adopting a broad approach can also provide us with important knowledge about early diagnostics."

Cancer causes the immune cells to change behavior

The researchers have examined more than 200 blood samples from people with and without biliary tract cancer. They have analyzed the cells in the blood, a large part of which were immune cells. More specifically, they have conducted microRNA analyses. MicroRNA is a group of genes, which play a key part in the complex development of the human genome.

"By comparing the different levels of microRNA in the blood, we identified four microRNAs, and this enabled us to distinguish patients with biliary tract cancer from healthy participants. Other types of blood analyses were unable to do that. All in all, the data indicates that microRNAs change in patients with biliary tract cancer," says Jesper Bje Andersen.

The new study is not the first to research cancer and the immune system, but it is the first to do so in relation to biliary tract cancer.

"The research method is also new. We look at the blood as a whole and thus at all the cells, which largely consist of immune cells. A lot of research seeks to identify methods for early detection of cancer. But it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, as the goal is to find the tumors while they are still very small. The idea behind this approach is to look not for the needle, but for small changes in the haystack," explains Dan Hgdall.

Even though the researchers have completed the study, it will be a while before the new method can be used to diagnose patients.

"This is basic research, which means that it will take some time. But it does suggest that it makes sense to look at the systemic impact of cancer. It will require more in-depth research, though," he says.

The research is published in the Journal of Hepatology.

Explore further Immune cells in the human biliary system mapped

More information: Dan Hgdall et al, Whole blood microRNAs capture systemic reprogramming and have diagnostic potential in patients with biliary tract cancer, Journal of Hepatology (2022). Dan Hgdall et al, Whole blood microRNAs capture systemic reprogramming and have diagnostic potential in patients with biliary tract cancer,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.05.036
Scanning electron micrograph of an HIV-infected H9 T cell. Credit: NIAID

In a presentation today at AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal, scientists with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and their collaborators described how their use of cutting-edge technology revealed new insights into cellular reservoirs of HIV and what those observations could mean for the next steps in HIV cure research. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.

An enhanced understanding of the HIV-infected, memory CD4+ T cells that persist over decades in individuals taking antiretroviral therapy has been a long-time goal of HIV cure researchers. However, technology limitations have made it difficult to isolate or analyze these individual cells in their natural state. As a result, scientists have been unable to determine whether the cells possess distinctive attributes that HIV-cure-directed therapies may exploit.

In the presentation, Eli Boritz, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section in the VRC Laboratory of Immunology, described NIAID's long-standing collaboration with a bioengineering research group at the University of California, San Francisco. The researchers developed a custom microfluidic sorting technology termed Focused Interrogation of Cells by Nucleic Acid Detection and Sequencing (FIND-Seq). This technology defines gene expression patterns from rare cells harboring latent HIV by generating millions of single-cell reaction containers in the form of water-in-oil emulsions, in which messenger RNA capture and virus DNA detection can be performed sequentially while maintaining segregation among cells. The scientists applied the FIND-Seq technology to blood cells from six people with HIV who had begun taking ART while chronically infected and who had experienced more than one year of viral suppression. Using data produced by FIND-Seq, the scientists compared the gene expression patterns of HIV-infected memory CD4+ T cells to those of HIV-uninfected memory CD4+ T cells in the same individuals.

The researchers found clear differences between the HIV-infected CD4+ T cells and their uninfected counterparts, including gene expression patterns linked to the suppression of multiple steps in the HIV lifecycle and to cell survival and proliferation. According to the scientists, these results indicate that the HIV-infected memory CD4+ T-cell reservoir is a distinctive cell population that may be uniquely susceptible to specific targeted therapies. In this regard, the study reinforces recent interest among scientists in improving upon HIV cure strategies that are based on latency reversal by incorporating drugs that relieve blocks at multiple HIV lifecycle steps, and by combining these with agents that potentiate physiologic cell death.

Explore further Researchers hunt for drugs that keep HIV latent
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It is estimated that by early June, at least 46% of the adult Australian population had acquired infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to results released today from Australia's most recent serosurvey of antibodies to the virus in blood donors.

The serosurvey, the second in the series of four rounds this year, was conducted by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney and the National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in collaboration with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Royal Melbourne Hospital's Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory at the Doherty Institute, NSW Health Pathology's Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), Westmead and other research partners.

The 46.2% prevalence is almost triple what was reported in the previous survey, which estimated that around 17% of the Australian population had been infected by late February.

"While we know there is a lot of virus circulating in the community, we can't rely on testing data alone to understand how many people have been infected, as some may experience only mild symptoms, or none at all, and they may not always have a test to detect the virus. There is also high use of rapid antigen tests, which don't always get reported," says Dr. Dorothy Machalek from the Kirby Institute.

"These serosurveys provide a more complete picture of how much COVID-19 is out there because they measure antibodies to the virus, created when the body's immune system responds to infection, that remain present for many months afterwards."

Evidence of past infection was highest among donors in the 1829 year age group, at 61.7%, declining with increasing age to 25.7% in donors aged 7089 years across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia. In WA, evidence of past infection in blood donors jumped from 0.5% to 37.5% over a three-month period.

The researchers examined 5,139 de-identified samples from Australian blood donors aged 1889 years for evidence of COVID-19-related antibodies. Two types of antibody to SARS-CoV-2 were tested for: antibody to the nucleocapsid protein of the virus provides an indication of infection in the past few months, while antibody to the spike protein can indicate past infection and/or vaccination. The blood samples were collected between the 918 June 2022.

The researchers noted that the best protection against serious illness from COVID-19 was to be up to date with vaccinations and boosters, in line with current recommendations.

"We are seeing new variants of the omicron version of the virus that causes COVID-19 in circulation in Australia, and that can lead to reinfection even in people who have been infected with an earlier variant" says Professor Kristine Macartney, Director of NCIRS and Professor at the University of Sydney, who is an investigator in the serosurvey program. "Vaccination reduces the risk of severe disease if you get COVID-19, whether it is your first time or a repeat infection."

Professor Paul Kelly, Australia's Chief Medical Officer, says that "data collected from these surveys is crucial for informing our pandemic response."

How are serosurveys conducted?

The ongoing blood donor survey co-led by the Kirby Institute and NCIRS in collaboration with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood also involves investigators at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory at the Doherty Institute, NSW Health Pathology Institute of Clinical Pathology & Medical Research (ICPMR), the University of Sydney and Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

The residual blood donation samples used in the survey are obtained from Lifeblood's processing centers across the country and are delinked from any identifying information apart from age, sex and post code. Individual results can therefore not be provided back to blood donors.

"Australian Red Cross Lifeblood encourages anyone wanting to contribute to this type of research to become a regular donor. There are many benefits to donating, including finding out your blood type," says Professor David Irving, Director of Research and Development at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.

The next (third) 2022 round of the Lifeblood donor survey will commence around the end of August. Data is provided to all state and territory governments, and the Commonwealth Government under the Australian National Disease Surveillance Plan for COVID-19.

Explore further Aussie COVID-19 cases higher than reported
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Patients should be able to use images and metaphors alongside traditional medical scales to describe their pain to doctors, a new study says.

Pain cards with pictures to describe feelings and poetry can all help people portray chronic pain more meaningfully, according to the research

Doctors will get a better understanding of the impact of painand patients will be better able to express how they feel.

Giving patients other ways of expressing the impact of pain could help to reveal important information which will aid diagnosis or allow doctors to give better support.

Pain charts and visual-linguistic scales were developed during the twentieth century to help doctors and patients measure pain. But asking people to report pain in this way can be challenging for some.

Researchers have said only using scales "displaces the patient's own story, sidesteps the issue of pain's private meaning, and disrupts the potential for humane communication between patient and doctor".

The research, by Nicole Miglio from the University of Milan and the University of Haifa and Jessica Stanier from the University of Exeter, is published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research.

Ms Stanier said: "Feeling supported rather than stigmatised can help people cope with pain. We need better ways to express and describe pain other than a scale of one to ten. Numbers are useful, but often there is too much riding on picking the right number. We need to give patients better resources to describe pain in a different way.

"A far more radical understanding of the role of imagination in the expression of pain can take us beyond the use of pain scales and toward a transformation of social and material conditions.

"Imagination plays a crucial role in determining how the self makes sense of experiences of pain figuratively. Pain is not a thing, a state, or a condition, but rather a process that involves the whole person and whose complexity lies in the way it implicates all kinds of different biological structures and layers of meaning."

The study explores creative ways people in pain have found to express sensations, bodily feelings, and their psychical impact through metaphor to clinicians and communities. Metaphors make it possible to express and understand a given experience in terms of another, increasingly the potential for others to understand and relate to the experience.

Pain cardsa set of laminated images representing aspects of paincan encourage patients to volunteer descriptions of their experience without solicitation by the practitioner. They rely less on language and more on visual imagination and could help patients from different backgrounds to feel more in control of their time with doctors and better express how they feel.

Creating pain portraitsa visual description of paincould help patients relay information to doctors and help them make sense of their pain.

Pain cards and portraits in the clinic can be complemented with poetry, zines, and other community-based schemes, so that people in pain can explore their experience beyond the medical setting.

Ms Stanier said: "These types of interventions give people back the sense of control that long-term conditions can very often take away. These approaches do not treat participants as anonymous patients but instead respect the differences between people in pain and their individual situations."

Explore further Chronic pain in Gulf War veterans linked to brain structure changes

More information: Nicole Miglio et al, Beyond Pain Scales: A Critical Phenomenology of the Expression of Pain, Frontiers in Pain Research (2022). Nicole Miglio et al, Beyond Pain Scales: A Critical Phenomenology of the Expression of Pain,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2022.895443
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As monkeypox spreads, travelers may be concerned about the risk to their health.

But with travel demand high as the coronavirus pandemic eases, Dr. Michael Phillips, chief epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said those looking to take a trip should not worry.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a global health emergency over the weekend, and more than 18,000 cases have been confirmed around the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while more than 17,800 of those cases are in "countries that have not historically reported monkeypox," according to the CDC, Phillips said the typical traveler need not be concerned.

"This is the time when people want to travel, and I'm sure they're worried about losing their luggage," he said. "They should not be adding monkeypox on to their list of concerns."

What is monkeypox?

According to WHO, people get monkeypox through "close contact" with a person or animal that is infected. Transmission can also occur through contact with contaminated material.

"Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding," the WHO website reads. The disease is not typically seen outside Africa, but cases have recently been found in North America, Europe and more.

In the United States, the Biden administration is ramping up testing and vaccines as case numbers increase, but deaths have been reported only in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is circulating.

Should travelers be worried about monkeypox?

The CDC issued a Level 2 travel health notice in late May warning travelers to "practice enhanced precautions," advising them to take steps like washing their hands often and avoiding touching their face. But the agency said the disease posed a low risk to the general public.

Phillips said the typical tourist or business traveler should not be concerned.

He said "prolonged close physical contact" is a risk, such as between a family in the same household or through sexual activity, but there is a very low risk of transmission through casual contact. Phillips said he was not aware of any transmission on airplanes.

"We don't worry about airborne transmission," he said. "We don't even worry about sitting next to somebody."

Phillips also noted that most of the monkeypox cases found in places like Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada have occurred among men who have sex with men, and travelers may want to be cautious if they are having sexual contact with someone overseas. But he stressed the importance of not perpetuating a stigma around the disease, because anyone can be infected.

"Viruses don't know your sexual orientation," he said.

How can travelers protect their health?

Phillips said the risk of exposure while traveling has less to do with where you are going than what you do when you get there. He said protecting yourself is mostly a matter of "risk avoidance," such as not sharing a bed or having close physical contact with someone you don't know and "being smart about that kind of thing."

And while patients with lesions can contaminate linens, he said the cleaning and laundry hotels do between guests is sufficient.

More than two years into the coronavirus pandemic, while many travelers may have COVID on the brain, Phillips said monkeypox is different.

"It's not rapidly transmissible like COVID or the flu or other respiratory viruses are, so with good public health measures, education ... and vaccination, there's good chances that this will be controlled," he said.

Explore further UK reports 104 more cases of monkeypox, mostly in men

(c)2022 USA Today

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Initially, enduring COVID had one redeeming quality: It gave you some short-term immunity from getting infected again.

But the new Omicron subvariants are shattering that trend. BA.5 has caused more people to catch COVID for the second or third time than previous strains.

BA.5 is known for having a structure that is maximized to evade immunity and for transmitting from person-to-person more easily than other subvariants in the Omicron family.

Here's what you need to know about reinfections.

Reinfections are increasing

Emerging research shows the percentage of reinfections is rising.

Helix, which sequences COVID-19 tests to surveil variants, found out of nearly 300,000 infections since March 2021, the share that was reinfections almost doubled to 6.4% during the BA.5 wave in July from 3.6% during the BA.2 wave in May.

The Helix data shows that most reinfections in July occurred in people who had COVID-19 in 2021.

Experts expect the rate of reinfections to continue to climb for two main reasons: BA.5 is highly contagious, and the majority of the country has already contracted COVID-19 at least once.

Early in the pandemic, strains like delta weren't replaced as fast by new variants and people who had COVID-19 had some protection against reinfection for several months. But now, new strains are sweeping through the country one after the other.

Just since April, BA.2, BA.2.12.1 and now BA.5, have had turns at being the dominant strain. So Floridians who got an earlier variation of Omicron in spring could be vulnerable to reinfection from a different strain circulating this summer or fall.

Experts differ on how soon you can get reinfected

As a nation, no one knows the true magnitude of reinfections because people are testing at home or they aren't testing at all.

However, researchers feel confident chances are higher of getting COVID again if you had the virus or your most recent vaccine dose prior to 2022. Shishi Luo, associate director of bioinformatics and infectious disease at Helix, said her data shows on average, people who are getting reinfected now were last infected about nine months ago.

So does that mean if you had COVID-19 in the last few months, you likely won't get it again this summer or fall?

That answer differs depending on who you ask.

A new study backs up the notion that a previous Omicron infection could offer some protection from BA.5., the newest strain. When analyzing COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar between May 7 this yearwhen BA.4 and BA.5 first entered the countryand July 4, researchers found prior infection with Omicron was 79.7% effective at preventing BA.4 and BA.5 reinfection and 76.1% effective at preventing symptomatic reinfection.

"Basically you have a seven times greater chance of being reinfected if your previous infection was before Omicron," said Dr. Michael Daignault, an emergency physician at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. "The immunity from a previous Omicron infection actually protects you from other Omicron sub-lineages to some extent, but nothing is 100%."

Daignault also referenced a new Danish pre-print paper released this week that shows high protection against BA.5 in people who are triple vaccinated and had a prior Omicron infection. Daignault said he had COVID-19 for the first time in June and doesn't worry about reinfectionat least for now. "I am a young healthy guy who is triple vaccinated and recently infected. I feel well protected."

Many experts, however, believe reinfection risk varies by individual. In some parts of the country, cases are being reported of reinfections in as early as one month.

Some of Florida's seniors may find themselves in that situation, said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, an infectious disease epidemiologist with Florida International University.

"Your chances of reinfection can depend on whether you have been vaccinated and are up to date on your booster, what your previous infection was like and how far away it was, since immune defenses tend to wane over time," she said. "It also could depend on your age and underlying health conditions."

Trepka said even with immunity from a recent infection, the circumstances play a role in whether you catch COVID again. "If you have a fleeting encounter with someone outdoors, you would be exposed to a smaller viral load than if you are living with someone infected who has a higher viral load."

Symptoms may differ each time

Doctors see evidence that symptoms tend to be milder and shorter if you get COVID-19 a second or third time, but it's hard to firmly say that this will be the case for everyone. You may still run a fever and experience exhaustion, a sore throat, brain fog and other symptoms.

Dr. O'Neill J. Pyke, chief medical officer at Jackson North Medical Center, said he contracted the original strain of COVID-19 in 2020. He could barely breathe, lost 20 pounds and missed 45 days of work.

Pyke caught another case of COVID-19 last month. By now he had been vaccinated and had a booster shot seven months earlier. This time he had a horrible headache and fatigue.

"It was just a bad three days," he said. After six days, he was able to go back to work.

In looking at Jackson's COVID hospitalizations, Pyke says it is possible that people who are highly vulnerable to the virus and got really sick during an earlier infection may experience severe symptoms during reinfection. It also is possible, he said, that someone healthy, vaccinated and recently infected could have symptoms so mild they don't know they have COVID unless they are tested for work or other reasons.

Reinfections come with risk

Experts still don't have the full picture of what kind of health risks come from having COVID over and over, but a new study aims to offer some insight.

Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University and chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, used the health records of 5.7 million American veterans to gauge reinfection risk. He discovered that every time you contract COVID, your chance of getting really sick with something such as clotting or lung damage seems to go up. The risks remained whether or not people were fully vaccinated.

"It is also possible that the first infection may have weakened some organ systems and made people more vulnerable to health risks when they get a second or a third infection," Al-Aly told WebMD.

The results of his research were published online June 17 as a pre-print study, which means it has not yet been peer-reviewed.

How to prevent reinfection

COVID fatigue has set in, masks are off and crowds are gathering indoors again, just as BA.5 has come along and is highly contagious.

Getting vaccinated or boosted is a good way to keep your immunity levels high and ward off severe disease. You only need to wait a few weeks after an infection to get a shot, the CDC says.

Dr. Cory Harow, an emergency physician at West Boca Medical Center, says staying up to date with shots "really does make a difference, especially in people who are older."

"With more COVID in the community, more and more people are becoming ill enough to require admission to a hospital," he said.

Harow said if you have an upcoming event or travel and want to avoid reinfection, even if you have had Omicron, wear a mask in crowded places and make sure to get boosted. "If you want to lower your chances, it's something to consider."

2022 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Data from different sources are joined on platforms created by ORNL researchers to offer better information for decision makers. Credit: Nathan Armistead/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

When the COVID-19 pandemic stunned the world in 2020, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory wondered how they could extend their support and help. The health crisis demanded medical professionals to work on the front lines caring for ill patients; but, what about those not in medicine? ORNL researchers who focus on human security quickly turned to what they do best: They crunched data to provide actionable information for the COVID-19 response.

In two separate projects, teams of scientists combined various types of publicly available information to create dashboards of COVID-19 data accessible to authorities to make informed decisions. In both projects, the teams found disorganized and unstructured data that varied greatly in how demographics, incidents and severity of infection, response to pandemic restrictions, and infection recovery were captured and reported.

"One thing that surprised me was the number of data sets we received," said Gautam Thakur, Location Intelligence group leader at ORNL. Thakur and his team stood up a platform and created an online dashboard for monitoring COVID-19 progression to map geospatial infrastructure, such as where hotels, stadiums, and convention centers were being used as medical facilities; data about patient infection and recovery data; or local policy data. The COVID-19 Joint Pandemic Modeling and Analysis Platform provided real-time awareness of the changing situation down to the county level across the nation. Platform construction was published in Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Modeling and Understanding the Spread of COVID-19.

The team collected data from authoritative sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center; private corporations; and non-authoritative sources, such as social media and public forums. The platform structured data to allow for complex analyses across locations and time intervals.

The COVID-19 platform was used in ORNL's backyard: Knoxville, Tennessee. It predicted outcomes and gave authorities more fidelity on which decisions would benefit the public, whether they were evaluating how creating a new place to accommodate patients could reduce new cases to understanding how vaccine disinformation impacts vaccine uptake.

The platform automates data ingestion before processing it through machine learning, deep learning analysis or statistical modeling using high performance computing at ORNL. Users could then access and use its applications to visualize the findings presented in a way comprehensible to a non-technical audience.

How his team came together to build the platform is what Thakur remembers about those first few weeks working during the pandemic. "We can make a tangible impact on problems in a very short amount of time." Over the grueling months when data was vital to a fast-changing situation, their platform hosted hundreds of people 24 hours a day, seven days per week, with 99.9% availability.

Teamwork was a theme for another project aimed at helping authorities understand COVID-19 infection trends. Robert Stewart, an ORNL senior scientist in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence, and his team built a data driven seven-day model based on new infection rates, one of the few types of data reliably available in the early days of the pandemic. The model assisted government agencies in understanding how the virus had moved through the country over the previous week and anticipated changes in the upcoming week.

"It was very rewarding to see a data-driven model have such operational success, especially in the rapidly changing data environment we faced in those first weeks and months," said Stewart. "It was a tremendous effort by the entire team to design and apply data science methods that produced reliable COVID maps for the country in such a short time. Those maps were updated and made available to the federal government on a weekly basis." A summary of this model is published in a Department of Energy Report on Rapid R&D Solutions to the COVID-19 Crisis.

Early on, moving beyond new infection rate data was problematic. Each day, the team scraped data from websites across the U.S. to get better details about recovery, deaths and demographics. They found a lot of variability in the way the data was reported from location to location.

Some data was consistently available, such as COVID-19 cases and deaths. Other demographic data differed across regions. Daily reporting from hospitals was inconsistent, was offered at irregular intervals and was often incomplete.

Geography researcher Alex Sorokine, an ORNL researcher on this project, seeks to improve the application of data science to emergency response situations in two areas. First, he recommends standardization: encouraging health providers to produce data in consumable formats would help data scientists better capture the relevant variables. Second, Sorokine urges further expansion of natural language processing using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to distinguish how data is collected. Humans on the front lines of a pandemic may use different words or categories for similar pieces of information, and a computer can detect which types of information are similar.

The disparity of information proved to be the hardest part of the project. ORNL's Jason Kaufman, a geospatial data curator, joined this effort from the onset and was ready to get answers for authorities needing information. However, the lack of consistent data meant he manually configured data points each day. Through the strenuous time, he never thought about stopping.

"That wasn't an option," Kaufman said. "We knew this was data that didn't exist anywhere else. We had to do this so someone could use it."

Kaufman is ready to support his team the next time an emergency requires data science. As a person who recognizes the puzzle of data, he is ready to solve the next one. Building a dataset that no one else has ever created before, he said, is about as cutting edge as you can get for data science.

Explore further Researchers develop an AI-powered surveillance system for future pandemics

More information: Gautam Thakur et al, COVID-19 Joint Pandemic Modeling and Analysis Platform, Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Modeling and Understanding the Spread of COVID-19 (2020). Gautam Thakur et al, COVID-19 Joint Pandemic Modeling and Analysis Platform,(2020). DOI: 10.1145/3423459.3430760
The use of mice and rats in scientific research is more widely accepted than other speciesbut acceptability varies with the type of research. Credit: Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)

A landmark survey into Australians' attitudes to the use of animals in research has found that while a majority of the general public are supportive, this support is highly conditional and most agree there needs to be more transparency.

The survey, commissioned by the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART), was conducted by Professor Rachel Ankeny, Dr. Alexandra Whittaker and Dr. Emily Buddle at the University of Adelaide through an independent polling company.

Results found that over half of participants (56%) perceive that the use of animals for medical research purposes is important for human health, and that support for the use of animals across all forms of scientific research was even higher (70%) as long as there is no animal suffering and no alternative.

However, acceptance appears to be highly conditional. Support for animal research varied considerably according to the species used, with research on mice and rats accepted much more readily than research on dogs, cats, primates, pigs, birds, fish or non-endangered Australian mammals.

The survey also revealed a perception that improvements in oversight and regulation were needed. 49% of respondents believed scientific research using animals is not always carried out to high standards and 69% believe more could be done to reduce the suffering of animals used in scientific research.

ANZCCART Board member Dr. Malcolm France said it was particularly striking how many respondents felt that research institutions needed to be more transparent about their use of animals.

"These numbers were the highest of any in the surveyeven higher than the number who believed more should be done to develop methods that avoid the use of animals [76%]." Dr. France said.

"When asked whether institutions should be more transparent, 82% agreed while 91% answered 'No' when asked if their view of organizations conducting animal research matched the statement that 'They are open about their work'".

Prof. Ankeny said the survey was a significant step towards an improved understanding of community attitudes to animal research in an Australian context.

"This research is important because Australia's animal research regulations, although already rigorous, are revised periodically with the aim of taking into account changing community views, yet we have limited information to inform such reviews."

"We believe this survey drew on the largest sample size for a survey on this topic in Australiaover 2,500 peopleand we hope it will provide a baseline for future research" she said.

A similar survey conducted at two yearly intervals in the U.K. had shown a steady decline in public acceptance of animal research. This prompted the launch of a voluntary "openness agreement" in 2014 which research institutions in the U.K. can sign to show their commitment to greater transparency in animal research. Similar agreements have since been launched in several other countries including New Zealand. Dr. France said ANZCCART is developing an Australian version which it hopes to launch later this year.

Provided by Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)
Heres a quick guide to some upcoming arts and cultural events happening around Missoula in the coming week.

James Welch Native Lit Festival

(Through Saturday, July 30)

The first-ever James Welch Native Lit Festival continues this week, with Indigenous writers from around the U.S. and Canada coming to Missoula. Check out headliners like Tommy Orange; up-and-coming, award-winning writers like Kelli Jo Ford, Rebecca Roanhorse and Brandon Hobson. Theyll take part in talks, panels and more at the Missoula Public Library and the Wilma. Head to jameswelchfestival.org for a schedule. All events are free and open to the public.

Animal-themed art at Radius Gallery

(Friday, July 29)

The Radius Gallery is opening a group exhibition with varied interpretations of animal life, both in subject and medium, with clay, mixed media and paintings. Its titled, watching until the watching turns into feeling, a line from poet Mary Oliver, indicating that the work might be contemplative.

The artists are David Dragonfly, Steve Godfrey, Shelle Lindholm, Stella Nall, Randi OBrien, Shannon Troxler and Amanda Winter.

Activist/artist to speak at MAM

(Monday, Aug. 1)

Around 4,000 people have died crossing the desert into the United States.

For his project, Donde mueren los suenos (where dreams die), artist/activist Alvaro Enciso has been marking the sites in the Sonoran Desert where migrants have died crossing into the United States. Enciso, who emigrated from Colombia and has spent most of his life in America, began the project after his retirement.

The Missoula connection comes through Irish artist Brian Maguire, whose exhibition In the Light of Conscience, is on view at MAM now and includes a painting of migrant deaths in that desert.

Hell talk at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. Head to the board room on the lower level. Its free, hell sell artwork after the talk. Proceeds go back toward his activist work. (Update: This event was moved to the Holiday Inn from its originally planned location at the MAM.)

Failte Irish Festival in Caras

(Saturday, July 30)

Add another one to the variation of bluegrass fusions: Irish virtuosos playing their own version of Americana. Jig Jam are the headliners for the Failte Irish Festival, a new summer Celtic event from UM Irish Studies Program and the Friends of Irish Studies Program.

It runs from noon to 10 p.m. Heres the full list of performers, according to a UM news release: the Celtic Dragon Pipe Band, The Missoula Irish Dancers, the Scottish Highland Dancers, the Wild Potatoes, Thorns Among Roses, Second Wind and headliners Jig Jam.

Proceeds go to the Friends of Irish Studies Program at UM. Go to mtirishfest.com for more information.

Decemberists and Jake Xerxes Fussell

(Wednesday, Aug. 3)

The Decemberists return to frontman Colin Meloys home state and site of his alma mater for a summer concert at KettleHouse Amphitheater.

The Arise from the Bunkers tour marks their first stop in the city since summer 2019. In 2018, the group held its second (and final) Travelers Rest Music Festival at Big Sky Brewing Company. That year, they brought with them a new record, Ill Be Your Girl.

Their opener, Jake Xerxes Fussell, digs deep into the past to find folk tunes, resurrected and reinterpreted with voice and finger-picked electric guitar. Fussell will be performing solo on this leg, a format that matches the tunes.
WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- With 19,000 cases now reported in 75 countries, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global public health emergency, its highest level of health alert.

The day after that announcement, New York Citys Bronx High School of Science opened its doors to temporarily serve as one of a handful of large-scale monkeypox vaccination sites throughout the city.

Its a public health effort thats just now picking up steam, in a city that accounts for roughly one-third of the nearly 3,600 monkeypox cases that have been confirmed so far in the United States.

Many of those on hand at the Bronx vaccination site were eager to get their jab.

At least among my batch of friends, everyone is concerned, William McChriston, a 28-year-old middle school administrator, said Sunday while waiting for his shot. I mean, we live in New York City. Its the most populated place in the country, and its the epicenter for most things that happen in this country. So you have to do what you need to do. Not just to make sure Im safe, but also so that my partners are safe, and so the public is safe.

The good news is the two-dose monkeypox vaccine thats now being deployed is very effective at protecting you and those you care about, said Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Jersey.

So, if you were born before 1972 then you probably have some level of protection against monkeypox already, because you had the smallpox vaccine [which also protects against monkeypox], he pointed out.

But even those just getting vaccinated now will develop an immune response even after the first dose, which will make it very difficult to get infected, but also at the same time protect the people you live with, or touch, or have sex with or dance with, because you yourself have an immunity," Halkitis added.

Still, getting the vaccine isn't easy right now. In fact, many of those who braved a brutal East Coast heat wave to join the vaccination line this past weekend said even getting an appointment was a struggle.

It was very frustrating, admitted William Castro Jr., a 40-year-old health care worker and Bronx resident. Theres a lack of available vaccine. Trying to get an appointment is really difficult. Many people I know did, but only much later in August, and now they have to wait a while, which is risky. And other people I know got completely locked out this time.

Too few shots

The reason? A critical scarcity in the availability of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, the only vaccine thats been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to combat monkeypox. The federal governments huge strategic stockpile of a modern iteration of the original smallpox vaccine  called ACAM2000  is considered less than ideal, given potentially serious side effects.

So, in a city of more than 8 million, only 17,000 vaccine slots were made available online or by phone last Friday at 6 p.m. Nine minutes later, all the slots were taken.

The lightning speed with which the appointments were scooped up was all the more remarkable given that  while anyone can get and transmit monkeypox  the pool of people who are eligible for a monkeypox vaccine is highly restricted.

Given supply shortages, only those that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified as high risk can sign up. Upwards of 97% of monkeypox cases to date involving men who have sex with men: That means gay men, bisexual men, and/or transgender individuals who have had multiple sexual partners over the previous two weeks, alongside public health workers and sex workers.

This is a virus that is transmitted by close contact, explained Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, vice chair of prevention and community health with the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Its not a sexually transmitted infection. But it is being transmitted in the context of sexual encounters. Skin to skin, physical intimacy, kissing, cuddling and yes, of course, sexual intercourse as well.

And the reason that were now seeing most cases among men who have sex with men is simply that thats the network of people, the community, where viral transmission through intimacy happened to occur first, he added. This could have certainly happened first primarily in a heterosexual network. But that happens to not be the case. It just happens that this is how the outbreak has unfolded so far.

That vulnerability was clearly on the minds of many of those waiting their turn on Sunday, as was a sense of purpose in helping to address a public health disaster in the making.

Really, we saw the outbreak that happened in Spain, before it came here, said Javier, a 32-year-old Spaniard who now calls New York home. We saw the pictures of what happens. The consequences. And we heard that you can get it just by being around people who have it, by being in close contact.

McChriston added, Of course, things are not normal right now. Definitely not. Even though its summer time and I would usually be out there, Im more on edge. Cautious, I would say.

But the thing is, people in the LGBT community take health very seriously, McChriston stressed. You know, the people I consider my close friends are all completely vaccinated against COVID three or four times even. And theyre not in the medical field. I mean, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, for sure. All those people who didnt make it through the AIDS crisis. Who arent here to celebrate these times with us. We have a responsibility to take our health seriously. And I think we do.

Protecting yourself and others

That thought was seconded by Brian Fraze, a 44-year-old Chicago native and current New York resident.

We definitely thought it was important to try and get in, because we want to be responsible," Fraze said. "This is not just about protecting ourselves. This is about protecting our community and taking care of others.

That impetus to take care of others will play a very important role over time, Rodriguez-Diaz noted.

Its among men who have sex with men right now, he noted. But we also have overlapping networks of families, and networks of the workplace, and really anyone can get this. So, its important that we reduce the likelihood of having more cases in other groups while we can.

The vaccine is a critical way to do that, Rodriguez-Diaz continued. And the community that is most vulnerable right now is responding, with a trust in science and with the skills of knowing  from years spent advocating for our own public health  how best to respond to a public health emergency.

The U.S. government has also begun to respond to the emergency, ordering another 2.5 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine recently.

Halkitis agreed that the gay community is unique from a public health perspective.

Listen, I dont think all gay men are the same, he said. But there is an uptake of health behaviors in the community that is much greater than the general population, which is what frankly kills me here. You have a population that is eager to get vaccinated. Were fighting for appointments. And we should be, while we can still get this thing under control, because theres still a way to manage this through vaccinating and making careful decisions."

But, Halkitis added, "I think frankly there are many more people who are already infected than we know. I think we have a couple hours of daylight left before this gets totally out of control. And so I would say that if youre a gay man  particularly if you were born after 1972  and you socialize, you should probably do everything in your power to get this vaccine, now. Thats the message.

More information

There's more on the monkeypox vaccine at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, PhD, MPH, associate professor and vice chair of prevention and community health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MPH, dean, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers, N.J.; Victoria Merlino, assistant press secretary, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City; William McChriston, vaccination patient, New York City; Javier, vaccination patient, New York City; Marc, vaccination patient, New York City; William Castro, Jr., vaccination patient, New York City; Brian Fraze, vaccination patient, New York City

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Channa Walz said she almost died when she gave birth to her oldest daughter in Missoula.

I was left in pain because one of my nurses called me a drug seeker, Walz said.

I almost died from racism, she said. Its really dangerous.

Walz, who is Little Shell, is not alone. Her negative birth experience is what led her to the University of Montana on Tuesday morning for a free, four-day Indigenous doula training.

Doulas facilitate physical and emotional support before, during and after birth. They also help people navigate the health care system and advocate for their own needs.

Severe maternal morbidity refers to the unintended outcomes of labor and delivery that result in short- or long-term consequences for a pregnant persons health. Nearly all cases are preventable. Yet Native Americans in Montana have triple the risk of severe maternal morbidity compared with their white counterparts.

Risk is related to who you are and where you live. Experts say disparate health outcomes are the result of various factors, including economic stability, education, social context and environment.

Like many of the women who attended the training, Walz is passionate about maternal health care and wants to support other Indigenous people through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Trainings like these are really important for our communities, she said. This will lower the death rate.

In collaboration with Billings Clinic, Montana Obstetrics and Maternal Support (MOMS) hosted the training, which they hope will improve access and strengthen support services for Native communities, which have fewer maternal care services and suffer worse health outcomes as a result.

Melissa Brown, Anishinaabe and Dine midwife, and Candace Neumann, Metis doula, facilitated the training.

The course covers trauma-informed care, caregiver care, pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum care, grief, loss and traditional teaching tools, among other topics.

Improving health outcomes

Stephanie Fitch, MOMS grant manager at Billings Clinic, said the goal of the training is to reach demographically and racially disparaged populations.

Obstetric care, especially specialized care, is limited in rural communities. On reservations in Montana, its nearly nonexistent. As a consequence of decades of disinvestment and oppressive federal policies, Native Americans are also more likely to have riskier pregnancies.

Amy Stiffarm, who is Aaniiih, Cree and Blackfeet, told attendees she struggled with depression and anxiety during and after her pregnancies. While its often discussed that Native Americans face maternal health disparities, Stiffarm said most literature ignores Indigenous perspectives and world views.

People dont mention the whole story behind these disparities, she said, adding that understanding white supremacy and historical trauma is part of collective healing.

Doulas can be a remedy to restore supportive relationships and provide culturally safe care, she said. Healthy communities start with healthy mothers.

Fitch said the leading causes of maternal mortality in Montana are suicide and drug overdoses after birth.

She said doulas can provide critical support during the postpartum period, when Native people may be geographically isolated and live in areas that lack adequate support services.

But doula care is not a perfect solution. Doula services are not covered by insurance companies, so people who lack financial resources may not have access to this kind of care.

Additionally, some states have certification requirements for doulas, but Montana is not among them. The lack of accreditation makes it especially hard for doulas in Montana to bill for their services.

Jessica Liddell, principal investigator on a MOMS' doula study and assistant professor at the University of Montana, said stakeholders hope to improve access to doula services.

By offering this training, we hope to build a bigger workforce," she said. "Then we can go to the federal government and say, Hey, this is a cost-efficient way to provide care in communities.'"

Culturally sensitive teaching

Many at the event spoke about how doula training is not a new concept.

Shelly Fyant, former chairwoman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, spoke of the women in her family. She said her great-great-grandmother helped deliver babies and had 10 of her own, and her great-grandmother was a midwife. Her grandmother had 18 children, many of whom were born outside of a hospital.

Brown said because doula training draws on Indigenous ways of knowing, much of the practice is about remembering.

You might feel like, Oh, my grandmother told me that, my auntie spoke about this, she told attendees.

Weve been doing this forever, Stiffarm added. "This knowledge has always been a part of us. This  is us.

Many attendees sought out the training for its Indigenous focus.

Maria Vega, 25, traveled to Missoula from Fort Peck for the event.

Theres a lack of Native midwives, she said. I came here because I want to learn so I can support myself and other people. I looked around, and theres really not a lot of Native-specific training out there, so I was really happy to see this.

Misty Peyketewa, who is Blackfeet and Karuk, said she is an elder in her family and wanted to attend the training so she could provide support to her children and grandchildren.

I appreciate how they talked about our Indigenous ways of knowing prior to colonization, Peyketewa said. I think this training will fit in perfectly with my community and family.
A Missoula man will serve an 80-year state prison sentence for raping a 75-year-old woman in 2020.

Pitaskummapi Pita Green, 29, was convicted in a Missoula jury trial last April of one count of sexual intercourse without consent. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 100 years in the Montana State Prison.

No time of the sentence was suspended by Missoula County District Judge Jason Marks.

You committed, in my view, the most serious offense we have on the books, short of deliberate homicide, Marks said to Green at Tuesdays sentencing.

Green showed up to the apartment of the survivor on the early morning of Dec. 10, 2020. There, he raped her. The two knew each other through friends and family. She made it clear throughout the assault she did not give Green consent, court filings say.

The major DNA profile found in evidence on the survivor belonged to Green, Joseph Pasternak, a forensic DNA analyst at the Montana State Crime Lab, confirmed at the trial.

A crime victim advocate read an impact statement on behalf of the survivor at the hearing. It detailed how the assault has impacted her life over the last 19 months. Lasting trauma and lack of enjoyment of daily activities have been reverberating effects of the attack, she wrote.

A person I trusted, a person I treated as family violated and raped me, she wrote. Im no longer the same person and dont know if Ill ever know the old me ever again.

Missoula County Deputy Attorney Brian Lowney requested the 80-year sentence. Lowney noted throughout the case, Green cast himself as the victim.

The fact that he views himself as a victim and that he does not recognize the harm that he caused here and will not confront that, means to the states view, hes very likely to do the same thing if hes ever released, Lowney said.

At the trial in April, loved ones of the survivor, Elizabeth Wilks, Sara Williamson and Stacy Peters, agreed the defense relied heavily on victim-shaming in their arguments. They said defense tried to blame the woman for not physically defending herself from Green.

Greens defense attorneys, Joshua Demers and Jamie Upham, asked for a 30-year sentence with 20 years suspended at Tuesdays hearing.

Green declined to speak at his sentencing, but Demers said Green intends to appeal the conviction.

Marks said he seriously contemplated handing Green a sentence that would mandate he spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.

Im not going to do that, but I hope I dont end up regretting it later, the judge said.

Marks nodded to the difficulties Green faced in his upbringing and that he started his adult life at a disadvantage.

The judge designated Green as a tier 3 sexual offender, Montanas highest level of sex offender registry. A level 3 offender means someone is likely to re-offend. To be eligible for parole, Green must complete phases one and two of the sex offender treatment program in custody.

Im going to give you the opportunity to kind of get your head on straight in prison and get to a place where at some point you can be safe in the community and not be victimizing people, but its going to be awhile, Marks said.

Green was remanded to the Missoula County Sheriffs Office for transport to the state prison.
NORTH FORK, IDAHO  With sweltering temperatures looming this week, relatively calm winds could be critical in preventing the Moose fire about 22 miles south of Lost Trail Pass from exploding in size.

But a forecast of dry lightning Thursday and Friday poses a threat.

The fire approached 40,000 acres and was 10% contained on Tuesday as nearly 900 firefighters worked to cut lines around the blaze and protect buildings ahead of the fire. The fire is burning just west of U.S. Highway 93 between Salmon, Idaho, and Lost Trail Pass on the Montana-Idaho line. The blaze ignited mid-afternoon on July 17 and rapidly grew amid high winds and red-flag conditions last week.

The fire is expanding on three fronts  to the west, south and east  driven by chaotic wind patterns through river canyons, up and down slopes, and over ridge tops. The eastern head of the fire threatens the most structures, along the Highway 93 corridor.

Jessica Schick, a public information officer on the fire, said that Highway 93 could be closed if fire behavior in the corridor presents a danger to the public or our firefighters. It's hard to say how likely it is that could happen because we are dealing with a natural phenomenon that can be very unpredictable. Information on highway closures is available from the Idaho Department of Transportation.

In the Highway corridor, task force leader Christine Droske was directing crews cutting and burning lines around structures and setting up sprinkler systems fed by portable tanks often referred to as pumpkins because of their round, orange appearance. Nearby, in the Salmon River, helicopters dipped buckets into the river to shuttle water up to the fire.

Droske said she and her crews had assessed 130 residences from Tower Creek to North Fork over the past two days, and that its been a lot more than meets the eye. Crews working to set up sprinkler systems around homes on Tower Creek Road said it takes about 23 hours per home, on average, to erect and test a system before they can move to the next residence. Home sites with multiple buildings take longer.

Some homes were already well prepared for fire, with fuels mostly cleared away from buildings. Others had tall, dry fuels immediately around structures and dry firewood piled high adjacent to dwellings. Around all the homes, hand crews cleared brush and dug lines.

The east side of the highway, with a few exceptions, is really open and easily defensible, she said.

Droske, who lives in nearby Salmon, was floating the river just downstream of the fire start on July 17. After 3 p.m., her friend looked upstream toward Moose Creek and North Fork and remarked: Thats a funny cloud. It was a plume of smoke from the brand-new Moose fire. Once off the river, she knew shed be working on the fire the next day: "When I woke up, the wind was rattling the windows of my house in Salmon and I was like, This is not going to be good.

Miles Harris, a squad boss trainee on an engine with the Salmon-Challis National Forest, has been working structure protection since July 18. He was on the initial attack of the hours-old fire along Salmon River Road the day before.

It was road protection at that point  try to keep the heat out of the bottom of the trees so they didnt come down in the road, he said. It went really fast. In the first 10 minutes our IC called it 300 acres and started ordering the world an hour in.

The fire now has top priority nationwide for air resources. Residents along the highway between Tower Creek and North Fork have been evacuated. Residents from North Fork north to Hughes Creek were advised to be ready to evacuate. The Central Idaho Dispatch Area was in extreme fire danger Tuesday.

An update on Tuesday morning pegged the fire at 37,264 acres and 10% contained, up from 23,320 acres and 0% contained on Friday. As many as 880 people were working the fire, including at least 23 hand crews and 35 engines from around the West, and aided by eight helicopters. Firefighters were also using drones to collect aerial imagery and to drop incendiary ping-pong balls to burn out areas that could impede the main fire.

Updated information on the fires growth and containment level was not available at press time Tuesday afternoon. An infrared mapping flight was scheduled for Tuesday night to more accurately determine the fires size. Updated containment information wasnt available until each division reported back to Incident Command at the end of the day.

Salmon River Road is partially closed, with a pilot car leading vehicles through the blaze beginning at 6:30 a.m. daily and lasting as long as conditions permit. The fire is burning on both sides of that road. But the road will likely close for a period this week as crews work to lift a crashed helicopter from the Salmon River adjacent the road. The helicopter, a twin-rotor CH-47D Chinook helicopter operated by Alaska-basked ROTAK Helicopter Services, crashed around 3:30 p.m on July 21, killing both pilots.

A Type-1 incident management team  the largest and most robust configuration of the interagency teams assigned to oversee wildfire response  took command of the incident at 6 a.m. July 20.

On Tuesday, conditions were calm compared to the prior week, when winds up to 50 mph drove the fire to expand by as much as 12,000 acres in a day. Fire activity this week depends on how soon the inversion lifts (each day) and what the wind does, said Deputy Incident Commander Sam Hicks, with Great Basin Type-1 Team 2. Hicks said the area is notorious for strong winds, especially in the canyons and along the ridges that border Highway 93.

Possible dry lightning Thursday and Friday, and the accompanying winds, could aggravate the fire toward the end of the week. But on Tuesday, Hicks didnt foresee the same kind of strong winds that spread the fire last week. Whether Highway 93 remains open will depend on the weather and to what degree, if any, the fire spots over the highway to the east, he said.

This fire has the potential to be here for a while, he said, noting that Mother Nature is holding all the cards.

Firefighting efforts are focused on terrain where conditions and topography favor successful efforts.

This country is especially difficult to fight fire in because of the terrain, he said. "Its steep and its hard to access. I think weve become wiser over the years about not sending crews into unfavorable terrain where theres low chances of success.

On the eastern front of the fire where residents are evacuated, Division K Supervisor Sheena Waters is overseeing operations between Tower Creek and North Fork, essentially the head of the fire, she said, spreading generally southeast. Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Waters was near the mouth of Bobcat Gulch as a helicopter flew reconnaissance in the gulch to determine if abandoned historic cabins had burned. Smoke was too thick for a helicopter to see, so the crew sent a drone into the area after the helicopter left.

Waters primary focus was planning and executing structure protection near the fire front just west of the highway, where the fire reached the Salmon River in some places, and immediately east of the highway, along the road and up Fourth of July Creek and Tower Creek.

We will not be the division that loses a house six or seven days later, she said, explaining that crews will continue to monitor private property after the fire front passes to check for fires caused by smoldering embers.
Indigenous people, groups and leaders have shared mixed reactions to Pope Francis apology for the abuse and assimilation Native children endured at Catholic-run residential schools in Canada. Many are calling for action and accountability.

The pope is on a six-day trip in Canada, where he has asked for forgiveness for the devastating experiences that took place in residential schools.

From the 1800s to the 1970s, Native children were taken from their homes and forced to attend government-funded Christian schools in Canada, where they were physically, emotionally and sexually abused. Some children died at these schools and were buried in unmarked graves. Similar schools operated in the U.S., where the explicit mission was cultural genocide.

Children were beaten and punished at these schools for speaking their Native languages and practicing their culture and religion. As a result, tribes have suffered language and culture loss, and historical trauma from these schools persists today.

Francis spoke at the site of the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School in Maskwacis, a community in central Alberta, on Monday. The pope acknowledged that remembering the residential schools hurts, angers, causes pain, and yet it is necessary.

I am here because the first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is that of again asking forgiveness, of telling you once more that I am deeply sorry, he said. Sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples. I am sorry.

What our Christian faith tells us is that this was a disastrous error, incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he said. I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.

Rosalyn LaPier, who is Blackfeet and Metis and a professor at the University of Montana, said the popes apology was significant to many.

Indigenous people everywhere are watching, LaPier said. Indigenous people are watching in Canada, theyre watching in the U.S., and theyre watching in other countries around the world.

LaPier has taught religion classes through the university's Native studies program for years. She said Francis labeling the trip a penitential pilgrimage holds deep religious meaning and emphasizes his goal to seek forgiveness.

When he said penitential pilgrimage, I was like, Oh my goodness. This is different. This is not a normal visit, she said. This isnt, Oh, Im going to go visit these people and say an apology and prayer and leave. When you are on this kind of journey, its a religious journey.

LaPier said in his speech, the pope sought multilayered forgiveness.

We saw him as a human ask for forgiveness, as the church, and then saying that he was going to ask forgiveness of God, she said.

LaPier was also struck by Francis invocation of the word evil.

By saying what occurred was evil, he implies that the human actors in the 19th century and 20th century were not acting on behalf of God, but were acting on behalf of Satan, she said. He says many Christians participated in that, and that it was evil.

LaPier said religious groups often offer justifications for injustices in the past.

Its very different to say you were trying your best or you were honoring your own system, versus saying that what was occurring was evil, she said.

Popes address reawakens past trauma

When Theda New Breast, who is Blackfeet and works at the Oregon-based Native Wellness Institute, began reading the popes address, she stopped after a few paragraphs and went to water her flowers.

I just said, Oh, I cant do this right now, she said.

Her response isnt unusual. For many Indigenous people worldwide, the popes visit to Canada has reawakened generational trauma.

New Breast said Francis apology felt forced and inaccessible, saying it reminded her of how lawyers talk.

She meets with sexual assault and rape victims one-on-one, and she said Francis apology has also triggered people who have dealt with other forms of abuse.

You see perpetrators of sexual assault and rape apologize all the time, she said. But its part of gaslighting. They do it to appear not guilty. So Ive met with some young women now, who when they heard the popes apology, it reminds them of past abuse.

New Breast said its imperative that groups step up to help people heal.

As people hear this, they need a safe place to process it, she said. We need to send messages to our people, saying, I care about you. I love you. You matter to me.  If people know you care about them and what theyre going through, it becomes easier for them to heal.

We need action

Following the apology, many Native leaders, community members and organizations have called for action.

Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, in a letter urged the pope to release documents held by the Catholic Church that detail the abuse at the residential and boarding schools.

Our people and the broader public deserve a full account of the abuses perpetrated against Native children and families, she wrote. "This is an urgent matter, essential to the health and physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of our communities."

Marsha Small, who is Northern Cheyenne, uses ground-penetrating radar to search unmarked graves near boarding school sites, hoping to provide families and communities closure.

She said if the church released their documents, it would make my job a whole lot easier.

If they open up the archives so we can find our people, our children, that would go a long way in terms of helping us heal, she said.

Small was unmoved by the popes talk of penance and said an apology without action is empty.

His apology doesnt even qualify as a Band-Aid, she said. It didnt do anything. We need action. They can put in place programs to help our people heal, maybe even economic reparations. Its OK to have equality. It won't break their bank. Its not like they havent made billions off of us already.

LaPier said accountability could mean the church provides communities and families the resources to relearn their languages, culture and religion, which were stripped from them in the schools.

New Breast said she wishes Francis wouldve spelled out steps for future action.

He couldve said, OK, by Sept. 1, we will have a package to help Native families who had a grandparent or parent in a boarding or residential school, she said. The church could also pay off Native student loans. It wouldnt cost that much. We just need some action.
A federal faucet of money thats helped Missoula tackle issues like homelessness, addiction and mental health struggles wont keep flowing forever, so now local government officials and health care leaders seek a local taxpayer-funded levy to keep those programs going after the checks stop coming.

On Wednesday, Missoula City Council members heard a presentation from a coalition of local residents requesting the councils support to place a crisis services levy on the November ballot.

Coalition members recognize that local government has an increased role in providing services to support people experiencing mental health, addiction, or housing crisis, and to facilitate criminal justice reforms, wrote Jessica Miller, the citys citizen services manager, in a memo to the council. Federal American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds allowed the City of Missoula and Missoula County to implement new programs and expand on existing ones to respond to people in crisis. After fiscal year 2023, ARPA funds will no longer be available. Missoula local government needs a dedicated funding source to continue support for our neighbors in crisis.

Missoula chief administrative officer Dale Bickell said that if the levy would be approved by county voters, the levy would be permanent. No exact amount has been determined by the county yet, but Bickell said it would probably be for up to 20 mills annually, which would raise approximately $5.5 million every year. He estimates the levy would add about $27 to the property tax bill per year for every $100,000 in the assessed value of property. The amount could be changed by the county commissioners before it's placed on the ballot.

Bickell said that the federal American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden, has helped pay for a large portion of setting up and operating the Missoula Mobile Support Team, the Emergency Winter Shelter on Johnson Street, the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space and the Authorized Camping Site. The three shelter sites have been crucial for homeless community members, he said, and they also are places where people can get connected to mental health, behavioral health and other services. The Mobile Support Team acts as a unit to decrease the pressure on local emergency departments and law enforcement by assisting people before they have to be taken to the hospital or jail.

In the end, the councils Committee of the Whole voted 9-1 to recommend that the Missoula County Commissioners place the levy on the ballot, with council member Sandra Vasecka the only one voting against the measure. The County Commissioners opened a public hearing on July 21 to decide whether to place the levy on the November general election ballot.

If we dont take the initiative to be proactive, the money will run out and the problem will get worse, said council member Amber Sherrill. This isnt a partisan issue.

She said nobody wants more unhoused individuals in their community for a variety of reasons.

This vote is to show support to have the county commissioners place it on the ballot, Sherrill said. Let the voters decide. The idea of doing nothing is a very painful prospect. Im going to vote to give voters the opportunity to decide.

Shannon Flanagan, the owner of Flanagan Motors in Missoula, said the city has benefited from an experiment to use federal dollars on programs to impact homelessness, addiction and mental health issues and take care of people more appropriately.

So those funds are going to disappear, which means that that problem will fall on the shoulders of our community more directly now, he said. Its my opinion that if we dont do anything, this problem will not just disappear. It will get worse and well be back in the bucket that we were in before.

Susan Hay Patrick, the CEO of United Way of Missoula County, said that COVID has worsened homelessness, mental health crises, addiction and other social ills in the community and in the country.

And Missoulas local government took action, wisely investing ARPA money to stand up several programs that over time have proven effective in changing and saving lives, she said. Programs like the Mobile Support Team, which provides a humane, cost-effective response to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

She said the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space provides crucial shelter and links people to sustainable housing, breaking a cycle of homelessness for many individuals.

But without public funding, well lose the ground weve gained over the last few years and Missoula will go backwards, and thats not Missoula, she said.

John Petroff, the program manager for the Mobile Support Team, told the council that he wanted to clarify comments he made during a July meeting of the Reserve Street Working Group, which were quoted in a Missoulian story on Wednesday. He said that although he has requested a budget of $1.2 million for the next fiscal year, and has been requested to instead have a budget of $900,000, its not a budget cut as he told the Reserve Street Group. He said that the $900,000 would provide the same level of service the team has provided over the last year, even though the budget last year was $1 million, because they didn't spend the full budget last year and intend to save money in various ways.

Brad Davis, the assistant Missoula Fire Department chief, said the Mobile Support Team is not taking any cuts or reduction of services this year.

If the budget request for the Mobile Support Team is approved as proposed without the requested increase, the Mobile Support Team will actually be able to expand hours of operation. The expansion of hours will be possible due to a re-structure of work schedule and the addition of one fire department EMT staff member and one Partnership Health Center clinician.

Vasecka said she couldnt vote for the levy measure because of the tax impact to property owners. She said that the median home sales price in Missoula was nearing $600,000, although she appeared to be confusing the median home sales price with the assessed value of homes.

Hay Patrick told the council that it was important to note that mill levies are based on the assessed value of a home, which is often much lower than the price a home could theoretically be listed for on Zillow. Vasecka acknowledged her mistake and thanked Hay Patrick, but still said she couldnt vote for the measure.

I agree (with fellow council members) that this is an opportunity to put it before the voters, Vasecka said. I believe we should do that as a completely last resort, and I dont believe this is a completely last resort.

All other council members on the committee were fully in support of the measure. Council members Daniel Carlino and Kristen Jordan said they wished that property owners didnt have to shoulder the burden, and instead they said they wished the money could come out of the police or Sheriffs Departments budgets. Jordan said that other budgets, like the police department budget, are increased almost every year without a lot of scrutiny.

We could take any budget we want to the voters, we just choose not to, Jordan said. Im frustrated as heck that it has to go to a levy to get funded because its saving lives, saving taxpayers and were not doing that with other, less-effective budgets.

Council member Stacie Anderson said that local governments in Montana are having to ask taxpayers to shoulder more costs of providing services.

People are dropping the ball at other levels of government, and there is not money in the general fund to absorb something like this, she said. But we need to address this need.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia's Republican-dominated House of Delegates passed a sweeping abortion ban Wednesday that makes providing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The measure, which now heads to the Senate for consideration, includes exceptions for victims of rape and incest, as well as for medical emergencies.

During hours of debate leading up to the 69 to 23 vote, the sound of screams and chants from protesters standing outside the chamber rang through the room. Face us! the crowd yelled.

Whats ringing in my ears is not the noise of the people here, said one of the bill's supporters, Republican Del. Brandon Steele of Raleigh County. Its the cries of the unborn, tens of thousands of unborn children that are dead today. ... Their blood screams from the ground today that you end this scar on our state, that you remove this curse from this land that was put upon us by a court so long ago.

Abortion had been banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy in West Virginia until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion last month. After that ruling, the state's Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said abortion was banned in the state because of an 1800s-era law that had been unenforceable while abortion was federally protected.

But last week a Charleston judge barred the state from enforcing the ban, ruling it had been superseded by a slew of conflicting modern laws like the 20-week ban.

In response, Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Monday called lawmakers to clarify and modernize the state abortion laws in a special session.

During their lengthy floor debate Wednesday, lawmakers narrowly voted 46 to 43 to add an exemption for victims of rape and incest until 14 weeks of pregnancy. Eleven members did not vote. The exemption also requires victims to report their assault to law enforcement. The bill provides other exceptions for an a nonmedically viable fetus, a medical emergency or an ectopic pregnancy  when an embryo grows outside the uterus and cant be saved.

Republican Del. John Kelly of Wood County said he is against abortion, but said he had to listen to his conscience when it came to supporting the exemption for rape and incest. Kelly said he would want his granddaughter to be able to access abortion if she were assaulted.

Im the guy thats going to have to lay my head down on a pillow tonight after I make that vote. Im either going to go to sleep, or I'm gonna have to worry, Did I make the right decision?" he said. "In this case, my little granddaughter is one that Im going to make a decision for. I am not going to put her through the hell that she would have to go through.

Hundreds of people descended on the state Capitol to speak on the bill in a hearing or watch lawmakers vote. They stood outside the House chamber and Speaker Roger Hanshaw's office chanting and holding signs reading, We will not go quietly and Stop stealing our health care.

During the morning public hearing, multiple people were escorted out from the House chambers by security, including staff from the state's only abortion clinic.

Around 70 of the 90 people spoke against the bill. All speakers were each given 45 seconds before they were cut off and asked to step down from the podium. Some people cried, including a woman who said getting an abortion saved her life and a mother whose teenage daughter was raped last year at a sleepover.

Women's Health Center of West Virginia Executive Director Katie Quinonez was cut off and asked to step down as she started to talk about the abortion she got when she was 17, months away from graduating high school.

I chose life," she said, raising her voice to speak over the interruption. I chose my life, because my life is sacred."

As security approached to escort her away from the podium, Quinonez walked past them, down the chamber aisle and out the doors. People sitting in the gallery stood up to clap and cheer.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Under the sweltering heat, Matthew Carr spent his lunch break in a fountain in downtown Portland, Oregon. The 57-year-old works outside picking up trash for the city and had to find a way to cool off.

This is pretty hot, Carr said. I can just take my uniform off, jump in there with my shorts for my break, and hang out for a good 10 or 15 minutes.

Temperatures soared to 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius) in Oregons largest city on Tuesday, which is expected to be the hottest day of a scorching spell that will be unusually long for this part of the United States. It was also a new daily record for the city for July 26, besting the previous mark set in 2020.

Seattle also reported a new record daily high of 94 F (34.4 C), breaking the previous record of 92 F (33.3 C) from 2018, according to the National Weather Service.

Elsewhere in Washington state, record daily temperatures were also registered in Bellingham and the capital Olympia, which experienced 90 F (32.2 C) and 97 F (36.1 C) respectively.

Oregon health officials said there has been an uptick in the number of people reporting heat-related illness in emergency departments, and the number of those calling emergency services numbers for similar symptoms.

Heat-related illness daily visits are above expected levels statewide, said Jonathan Modie, lead communications officer at the Oregon Health Authoritys Public Health Division. He said there were 32 such visits to emergency departments on Monday compared to three to five per day before the heat wave began.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency across much of the state, warning the extreme temperatures may cause utility outages and transportation disruptions.

With many parts of Oregon facing a high heat wave, it is critical that every level of government has the resources they need to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy, Brown said in a statement.

Portland officials have opened cooling centers in public buildings and installed misting stations in parks. TriMet, which operates public transportation in the Portland metropolitan area, will allow passengers who cannot afford fares to ride for free when heading to cooling centers.

Most of Portlands garbage companies began earlier pick-ups on Tuesday morning, starting as early as 4 a.m. to reduce drivers exposure to heat and health risks. The early rounds will likely continue through Friday morning.

Multnomah County, which includes Portland, plans to open four overnight emergency cooling shelters starting Tuesday night so people who cant get cool on their own can spend the night. The locations can accommodate a total of 245 guests, said Multnomah County spokesperson Kate Yeiser.

Were going to find space for anybody who needs it, Yeiser said, adding that the sites have a no-turn-away policy. She said the county may open an additional overnight center on Wednesday if there is high demand.

Many libraries are extending their hours, staying open until 8 or 9 p.m. to allow people more time to cool off.

As the northwestern U.S. heated up, the hot spell on the East Coast appeared to have broken, with few areas east of the Mississippi River under heat advisories on Tuesday.

Philadelphia hit 99 degrees (37 Celsius) Sunday before factoring in humidity. Newark, New Jersey, marked five consecutive days of 100 degrees or higher, the longest such streak since records began in 1931. Boston also hit 100 degrees, surpassing the previous daily record high of 98 degrees (36.6 Celsius) set in 1933.

On Tuesday, highs peaked in the 80s in New York and Boston.

Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summers deadly heat dome weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths.

In response, Oregon passed a law requiring all new housing built after April 2024 to have air conditioning installed in at least one room. The law already prohibits landlords in most cases from restricting tenants from installing cooling devices in their rental units.

About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the 2021 heat wave in late June and early July. The temperature at the time soared to an all-time high of 116 degrees F (46.7 C) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were elderly and lived alone.

While temperatures this week are not expected to get that high, the anticipated number of consecutive hot days has raised concerns among officials.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for large swaths of Oregon and Washington state, including Portland and Seattle, out of concern that nighttime temperatures wont help residents to sufficiently cool off.

The main reason for that warning is because of those low temperatures only getting into the 65 to 70 degree range, and the fact that this is such a long duration event, said Colby Neuman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland.

Portland seems to be on track to either tying or exceeding previous heat wave duration records, Neuman said. The record stands at six consecutive days of 95 degrees (35C) or higher, which has only been reached twice before.

Officials in Seattle and Portland have issued air quality advisories from Tuesday through Saturday, warning that smog may reach levels that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Cooling sites are open throughout Seattle, greater King County and throughout western Washington.

In Portland, an emergency cooling shelter provided relief on Tuesday for Rory Lidster, a veteran without housing who described the heat as uncomfortable.

I think these cooling shelters are a real good thing, that the elderly really need them and that all people really need them in this kind of heat, Lidster said.

The 55-year-old said he has been living in a tent on the street for the past two weeks. He described calling shelters every morning only to find no open spots. Now, he will be able to spend the night at the emergency cooling site, where he hopes to stay for a little while.

As long as we can be, I will be here, Lidster said.

AP photographer Craig Mitchelldyer contributed. Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington.
Police allege that the driver of the vehicle in the crash later killed a woman in nearby Nescopeck and the county coroner identified her as his 56-year-old mother.
Women are more likely to support Rep. Liz Cheney than men, but her Donald Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman still leads among both groups, a Casper Star-Tribune poll shows.

The congresswoman also performs better among newer residents of Wyoming and slightly better among younger people.

Cheneys approval rating among women is roughly 10 points higher than it is among men, according to the Star-Tribune poll released earlier this month. On the flip side, six in 10 women disapprove of the congresswoman compared to 72% of men.

The results were similar when respondents were asked who theyd vote for if the primary were held today, with 57% of men saying theyd vote for Hageman and 47% of women. Cheney flipped those numbers  26% of men chose the congresswoman compared to 34% of women.

The question is, why are Republican men more upset with Cheney than Republican women? said Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, a state representative since 2009 and a professor of gender and womens studies at the University of Wyoming.

Of course we dont really know why, she said. Certainly we get the sense Republicans and particularly Republican men feel very betrayed by her, and its possible women on the other hand are looking more at the bigger picture  including her doing the right thing.

The poll, conducted for the Star-Tribune by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, surveyed 1,100 registered Wyoming voters likely to participate in the Republican primary, resulting in a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, according to Brad Coker, Mason-Dixon managing director. Of the respondents, 47% were women and 53% were men.

While the Cheney-Hageman race is one of the nations most closely watched, this is the first independent, public, in-state poll to be conducted. It was performed from July 7 to July 11  shortly after early voting began here.

The poll found that Hageman has a 22-point lead over Cheney among voters who plan to participate in the Republican primary.

Stephanie Murray voted for Cheney in the past. But the 41-year-old Wyoming native says she doesnt plan to vote for the congresswoman again. While she says she understands that Cheney had to pick a side when it comes to Trump and Jan. 6, Murray believes the congresswoman chose the wrong one.

I dont care for the decisions she made, Murray said.

Included in the poll were registered Democrats who plan to participate in the Republican primary, which is possible in Wyoming because same-day voter registration changes are permissible. Mason-Dixon Managing Director Brad Coker, who administered the poll, believes the inclusion of Democrats helped create the gender gap between the two candidates.

By bringing in crossover Democrats, who are disproportionately female, that pumps up the female number, Coker said.

Women are more likely to be Democrats, and men are more likely to vote Republican, both in Wyoming and nationally. But theres evidence that that gap may be tightening.

The gender gap between Cheney and Hageman voters would probably be there, but it wouldnt be as pronounced if Democrats had not been included, Coker theorized.

Trump also appears to have a tighter hold on Wyoming men compared to Wyoming women. The former presidents endorsement makes one-fourth of women more likely to vote for Hageman compared to 34% of men.

Trump having more support among men than women is kind of typical, Coker said. Trump seems to draw more support from men than women.

The poll results were also broken down by age. Hageman drew greater support from people age 50 or older.

Notably, age does not appear to have a significant impact on Cheneys disapproval ratings, while gender still does.

There is only a three-point difference between those over and under 50 who say they disapprove of the congresswoman. Meanwhile, 12% more men than women say they disapprove of her job performance.

With it being Hageman you dont have your basic kind of sexism compared to if a man was running against Cheney, Connolly said.

In Wyoming elections, a candidates length of residency frequently comes up. In fact, Hageman stresses that shes a deep-rooted and fourth-generation Wyomingite. Cheney, meanwhile, has been attacked as a carpetbagger throughout her political career here. While her family has deep roots in the state, Cheney as an adult moved to Wyoming a year before first running for office.

There is a notable gap in support for Hageman based on length of residency. Hageman led Cheney 55% to 29% among voters whove lived in the state for 10 years. Among voters whove been here for less than a decade, Cheney led 36% to 35%.

Cheneys vote to impeach the former president after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and her steady criticism of Trump as a threat to democracy and the rule of law have spurred the toughest reelection fight of her career. In September, Trump selected Hageman from several challengers as his pick to take on Cheney, who has become one of his biggest political enemies.

In her previous elections, Cheney has handily beat her primary opponent. And given that Wyoming is one of the nations most conservative states, the Republican House nominee often coasts to victory in the general election.
A registered political committee has been fined $6,400 for failing to timely report expenditures supporting municipal election candidates in Helena, Missoula and Billings last year.

In Helena, the Montana Conservation Voters Action Fund paid for and sent out campaign mailers supporting Mayor Wilmot Collins and city commission candidates Melinda Reed and the late Eric Feaver. All three candidates later won the election.

The organization also paid for live phone calls to voters during the 2021 campaign season in support of Feaver and Reed.

MCVAF spent nearly $9,000 in the Helena municipal elections last year, and it spent more money on similar ads and actions in the Missoula and Billings municipal elections.

In late December, Helena resident David Nielsen filed a campaign practices complaint against the organization.

In January, Montanas Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan found that the organization failed to timely report many of its campaign expenses as required.

MCVAF has acknowledged the commissioners findings and admitted to violating certain campaign finance and practices laws, according to a settlement agreement signed by Mangan and Montana Conservation Voters Executive Director Whitney Tawney in March.

In a January statement, MCVAF Political Director Jake Brown said the organizations vendor failed to submit the required reports related to its work in Helena.

"As soon as we learned of his mistake, we submitted the reports, terminated the vendor, and are working to improve our processes so this doesn't happen again, the statement said. We regret this error, but we'll continue our work protecting public lands, clean air, clean water and voting rights."
Im sure youre probably a little tired of being lectured on fish handling, where to fish, when to fish, etc.

While all those things are important during summer heat waves, Im not here to do that.

I do want to point out that if your favorite stretch of water is hoot-owled, this is still an incredible time to fish in this part of the country.

The variety is tough to beat anywhere else. In addition to trophy-sized brown trout and native cutthroat, anglers can also experience wide-open bass fishing in addition to fish fry favorites like perch and walleye.

Speaking of tasty cuisine, you can also try your luck reeling in  pound for pound one of the hardest fighting fish in fresh or saltwater  king salmon.

You read that right, salmon fishing in Montana. What a time.

Top picks

Beaverhead River  Catching has been nothing short of impressive. Anglers are almost routinely landing brown and rainbow trout over 20 inches and occasionally fish eclipsing the 24-inch mark. Flows here are increasing, pumping cold and clear water down the Beaverhead's famous tail-water stretch. Nymph anglers have been having as good of days as you can imagine. Drop-shot rigs are recommended. Dry fly fishing does exist, but that bite has diminished lately with the PMDs and caddis tapering off. There is plenty of subsurface action to keep folks occupied until the crane flies show up.  Frontier Anglers, Dillon.

Bighorn River  Fishing is about to break loose on the Bighorn. More PMDs and black caddis are showing up and it should have the fish on the surface any day. Nymphing has been great with carpet bugs, rays, Frenchies, split-case PMDs and Perdigons. The water is clear and water temps are in the mid-50s.  Bighorn Angler, Fort Smith.

Flathead Lake (South)  The only recent development is the already good fishing has gotten even better. Dick Zimmer of Zimmer Bait and Tackle noted that there is an incredible amount of bait fish in the water. Earlier this week he came back to the shop with nearly 100 pounds of bait. The vast amount of water dumping into the lake near Polson is carrying a substantial amount of life. Anglers targeting whitefish can fill their cooler if theyre in the right place at the right time. These fish have been especially aggressive when there are small perch moving through an area, so a fish finder and a little bit of luck are essential. A popular method for getting a bite has been using a type of lure thats known as a Wannabe. When rigged with maggots, it will attract whitefish and lake trout. Lures resembling what is known as a Rattle Disaster have also worked well, especially in light green. With the abundance of whitefish, the lake trout fishing has also picked up. If you dont own downriggers, thats not a problem. Lake trout have been caught in 20-50 feet of water. Downriggers are more efficient but not essential for these depths if you have some type of weighted line. The perch fishing has also been excellent when dropping a maggot down to about 30-35 feet.  Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Fort Peck Reservoir, dam area  This area is seeing some of the best variety in the state. Anglers targeting walleye, northern pike, salmon, lake trout and smallmouth bass have all been successful. Walleye are biting in that classic 16-25-foot range, eating worms and leeches attached to harnesses and spinner blades. Northern are mixed in with the walleye, but for those targeting the slimy predators are having luck casting spinnerbaits, crankbaits, spoons and trolling crankbaits. Beavis trolling flies Brads bait cuts, 406 tackle flies trolled in 60-90 feet or 120-150 should hopefully attract some salmon. Lakers are being plucked from the bottom while trolling about 60-100 feet deep. Bass are aggressively eating jigged minnows or crawlers pitched near rock piles.  Lakeridge Lodging & Bait Shop.

Montana

Big Hole River  Fishing remains good. Keep an eye on those water temperatures in the afternoon and hoot-owl restrictions . A dry-dropper setup has been catching fish throughout the day. Use a chubby Chernobyl or water walker dry fly with a jig-head nymph a few feet below. PMDs are the main hatch at the moment, with a few tricos starting to appear. Purple haze, guide Winna Spinna and sparkle duns are great patterns for these mayflies.  The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Bighorn Lake, Ok-A-Beh  It looks like another weekend of scorching heat. Luckily the smallmouth bass dont seem to mind, so itll be up to the anglers to figure out how much sun they can tolerate. Ned rigs and crawfish imitations have both been popular for the excellent bass fishing. Walleye are also still being picked up trolling crankbaits and bottom bouncers.  Scheels, Billings.

Bitterroot River  The Root is in transition mode at the moment. Fewer hatches have been seen coming off the water and anglers are starting to fish more terrestrials. Spruce moths havent been seen in great numbers yet, but hopefully theyll show soon on the upper river. Small hoppers like a size 12-14 in tan, pink or peach with a Perdigon, jig prince or jig PT dropper seems to be the best way to prospect for fish. Long droppers are key to getting your bug down to the fish when the sun is high. A few PMD spinners are falling in certain areas and a size 16-18 rusty spinner is a good bet. Early mornings into early afternoons have been the best time to be on the water. Water temps are rising on the lower river so keep fish in the water and net them quickly. Upper river water temps have been great.  Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Blackfoot River  The Blackfoot continues to fish well, albeit with not many hatches going on right now. There are a few PMDs and pseudos out but for the most part, trout are transitioning to terrestrials for their meals. Hopefully we will see spruce moths soon. Hoppers, ants and beetles, as well as attractor dry flies like royal Wulffs, Stimis and hippy stompers. A hopper-dropper with a tan, red, pink or peach hopper and a Perdigon, Jig Prince, rubberlegs or San Juan dropper is the way to go. A deep dropper is key when the sun is high and no clouds present to offer protection. Lots of tubers are going out in the afternoons so make sure to go early to beat the crowds.  Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Boulder River  The Boulder is fishing well with PMDs, yellow sallies and golden stoneflies all hatching. Floating is giving way to wade fishing as flows drop.  Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Canyon Ferry Reservoir  Walleye action continues to be really good. Walleye, perch and rainbows are all being caught on bottom bouncers or crankbaits. Most action has been mid-reservoir from White Earth to Hellgate. Purple, red, silver and chartreuse are the best colors with worms or leeches working equally well. Shore fishing has been slow for all species.  FWP, Helena.

Clark Fork River, Missoula  The Clark Fork is fishing well in the early morning to early afternoon. Later in the day the water is warming up too much for good and safe fishing. There are some PMD spinners falling and a rusty spinner or PMD spinner in a size 16-18 with a drag-free drift will get those sippers. Hopper-dropper is another great way to go right now with size 12-14 hoppers and a PMD nymph or nocturnal stone dropper, like a rubberlegs, 20-incher or explosion stone. Nocturnal stones fished in the early morning with a twitch will get some violent strikes.  Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Cooney Reservoir  Cooney is currently full and water continues to run over the spillway. The water temperature has risen to the mid-to-low 70s and the clarity is around 10 feet. Trout fishing is moderately good for both boat and shore anglers. Worms or Power Bait have been working for the shore fisherman and trolling cowbells with Luhr Jensen needlefish spoons has been producing for the boat anglers. Perch fishing has been slow. Some nice perch have been caught that were over a pound, but there is not a high volume of them. Leeches with a yellow or orange jig head along the weed edges have been producing a few nice fish. The walleye bite has been hit-and-miss. Bottom bouncers with a blue or green worm harness tipped with a worm or leech has been a good tactic. Some boats found success with Jig Raps along rocky outcroppings.  Cooney State Park.

Flathead Lake (North)  Anglers are reporting hungry whitefish with a few lake trout mixed in around the delta in 40-50 feet of water. If you strike out, try going a little deeper to 60-80 feet. Jigging and trolling have both been popular methods for whitefish and lakers.  Chancy and Dave's Fish Camp.

Flathead River, above the lake  Spin and fly fishermen alike are having success. Casting rooster tails or fishing salmon eggs under a bobber has produced fish. Various terrestrial patterns like wooly buggers as well as Humpies and purple hazes have been the ticket for fly anglers. Be sure to check the updated regulations before heading out.  Chancy and Dave's Fish Camp.

Fort Peck Reservoir, Big Dry Arm  Northern pike and walleye are both on the chew. Anglers also reported that most fish were decent size.  Rock Creek Marina.

Fresno Reservoir  The bite is mediocre to slow. As walleye tend to do, the ones caught have been had by crawlers and leeches.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Gallatin River  The catching has been superb. Guides and anglers have all been running chubbies, caddis or sallies for the top bug. Behind that fishing various Perdigons, iron sallies, tungsten split-case PMDs, hare's ears, prince nymphs and stoneflies, will do the trick. If you are still chasing salmon flies, there may be the occasional, sporadic hatch in the park but that hatch is passed for the most part. PMDs have still been spotted hatching just below the canyon. Golden stones will continue to hang around throughout the canyon as well. If you want to go dry or die, fish a chubby as your top fly and an x-caddis or missing link caddis as your dropper. Also be aware of hoot-owl restrictions.  Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Georgetown Lake  Georgetown Lake continues to fish very well. Blue and green damsel flies have been catching fish throughout the day. When things slow down, try stripping damsel nymphs or small leech patterns. In the late evening, try skating a big dry fly to imitate the traveling sedge. Numerous foam patterns work well for this, like chubby Chernobyls, Gypsy kings and royal PMXs.  The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Glacier National Park  Upper Two Medicine and Grizzly Medicine are excellent places to start. Old Man Lake and Red Eagle Lake are also great options if you dont mind trekking the extra miles. Royal Coachmans, parachute Adams, egg-sucking leeches, black zebra midges, prince nymphs and renegades should do the trick. Those who have acquired the permits to fish Bowman Creek are experiencing phenomenal fishing. Royal Wulffs and renegades will be the first bugs out of your box in the Bowman area.  Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Hauser Reservoir  A few walleye are being picked up during the late evening hours around Eldorado Bar, in the Causeway Arm and around Danas Point. Most walleye anglers are using various jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches, or trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. A few rainbows continue to bite early in the morning while trolling cowbells and spinner combinations between Black Sandy and the Powerlines.  FWP, Helena.

Holter Reservoir  Walleye and perch action continues to be good during the morning or late evening hours around Mann Gulch, Cottonwood Creek, the Clay Banks, and other points and weed beds throughout the reservoir. Using various jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches, or trolling bottom bouncers with white, chartreuse, or orange spinner blades has been working well. A few rainbows continue to be caught during the early morning or late evening hours while trolling various flashers with a spinner combination and a crawler around 25 feet down in the water column.  FWP, Helena.

Lake Frances  Walleye are eating leeches and crawlers fished while drifting.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Lake Mary Ronan  Its been awhile since there was a good report.  Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Madison River, Lower  The lower is pretty hot so be on the watch for high water temps and stressed fish. There are better options in the area currently. If you really want to fish the lower, fish it in the morning when the water temps are at their lowest, pinch your barbs, keep the fight short and keep those trout wet. Fish a dry-dropper with a chubby or a stubby chubby, and behind that throw small flashy nymphs like Nymphicators, Perdigons, caddis pupa and iron sallies. Even with all the precipitation this year, hoot-owl is still in effect.  Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Madison River, Upper  The upper has been fishing great. Chubby droppers have been working well. Try orange, pink and copper in sizes 8-16. Wooly buggers and small attractor nymphs have been working great as a dropper. There are a lot of caddis out as well. When you spot those bugs hatching, try missing link, X caddis or elk hair caddis, size 14-16. Golden stones, yellow sallies and PMDs will be your other options throughout the river. If the fish arent looking up, streamers can also be a good option especially if you are looking for a trophy. Try a yellow mini dungeon or sparkle minnow when the sun is out.  Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Marias River  Catfish and sturgeon are both eating night crawlers. Cut bait has also yielded decent results.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Missouri River, below Holter  Trico hatches are now a common occurrence. As we plunge deeper into the dog days of summer, it is recommended to get to the river early. That way youll be in time for the bug hatches and hopefully done fishing before the float tubes get going. If the tricos are coming off the water, a size 18-22 spinner fall fished near the bank would be ideal. For subsurface fishing, dry-droppers fished near the banks have been producing. Popular bottom flies have been various Perdigons as well as green machines in sizes 14 and 16, and a variety of PMD imitations. For top flies, film critic and extended body PMDs have gotten a lot of eats. Corn-fed caddis, double-duck caddis, purple Parawolfs and royal chubbies have worked as well. When fishing bigger, deeper water a nymph rig will work better than the dry-dropper. Flows on Wednesday were running at 4,140 CFS. Montana Fly Goods, Helena.

Missouri River, Fort Benton  The fishing has been almost the same as the Marias. Catfish and sturgeon are eating night crawlers, and cut bait has also been productive. Walleye and sauger fishing is slow.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Pablo Reservoir  Not much has been reported recently. If youre targeting bass and pike, early morning is usually best.  Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Pishkun Reservoir  A few northern pike have been landed recently. Successful anglers have been using smelt and herring.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Rock Creek (East)  Water levels are back down to normal and hoppers are on the menu with great trout fishing to boot. Hopper-droppers are the rig of choice. Any bead-head nymph for your dropper will do the job. Its about 50-50 between eats on the top bug and takes down below. There are some caddis and PMDs out in the morning, but when fish are keying in on these bigger terrestrials theres no reason to deviate.  East Rosebud Fly Shop, Red Lodge.

Rock Creek (West)  Rock Creek is still fishing great. Spruce moths havent arrived yet, but hopefully we will see them this year after a no-show last season. Terrestrials are on the menu now with not much for hatches. Small hoppers, ants and beetles as well as attractor dry flies will work. Look for fish holding near grass banks, middle-river drops, boulders and trenches. Drop a Perdigon, rubberlegs, jig PT or San Jaun off the back of your hopper when the trout arent coming up.  Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Stillwater River  Trout fishing has been good using hopper-droppers. There are some mayflies around, so a purple haze and similar patterns will also have you covered. The flows are back to normal but it is essentially a new river. If you had a favorite hole, theres a good chance its not there anymore. If you plan on floating the river, youll be advised to take out at Jeffreys Landing. Just downriver from there is a flexible green gas pipe that needs to be removed from the river. At least one boat has already flipped over and lost their gear bag. Luckily everyone in the boat was OK.  East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

South Fork of the Flathead River  Fishing is still great on all sections. The royal Wulffs and purple hazes are starting to kick in big time. Other than that, a yellow stimulator fly has been working in the morning. Parachute Adams and grey Wulffs will work best later in the evening. Water levels are dropping and temps are climbing, but it isnt anything to worry about yet.  Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Swan Lake  People have been out but fishing has been poor.  Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Tiber Reservoir  Fishing has been on the slow side. Walleye that have been caught have been small. Spinner blades, bottom bouncers, jigs and deep diving crankbaits have been the rigs of choice.  Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Yellowstone River, Big Timber  Fishing is picking up on this portion of the Yellowstone. The clarity is improving and fish are gulping down golden-stone nymphs and dries. Look for some hopper-dropper action as well. As always, fish a streamer if youre hunting for trophies.  Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Yellowstone River, Columbus  Fishing hasnt been great. In addition to some trout, smallmouth bass and a 15-pound channel catfish have recently been caught. Anglers are encouraged to harvest smallmouth.  East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

Yellowstone River, Livingston  The dry-dropper is starting to produce on the Stone as the visibility improves. For the dry-or-die angler, a chubby or hopper and a caddis behind it has been producing chases and eats. X-caddis or missing link in size 14-16 have been working great. Streamers can be a productive option right now with the low visibility. Black and olive will do the trick, but a sparkle minnow can also produce if the sun is shining bright. For nymphing, a caddis pupa or small flashy Perdigons have been working. The rainbow Spanish bullet or caddis pupa have been popular recent purchases at local shops.  Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Wyoming

Beartooth Lakes  The Beartooth Scenic Highway road reopened Friday, so access to the lakes is now easy with no closures on roads to Red Lodge or Cooke City. Access to the NE part of Yellowstone is still restricted to CUA holders. The lakes are fishing well with a mix of dries, wet flies and smaller streamers all getting eats. Brook, rainbow, cutthroat and lake trout are found in many of these lakes. Fish mostly range in size from 6-14 inches except for lake trout in Beartooth Lake, which will be larger. Dry flies that work well are royal Wulffs, royal Trudes, Humpies, elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, irresistibles, micro chubby, ants, beetles and small stimulator patterns in sizes 12- 18. In you cant seem to get those fish to rise, a soft-hackle bloody Mary (partridge and brown, partridge and peacock), Prince nymph, pheasant tail or hares ears should do the trick below the surface. Small leech and wooly bugger patterns in black, olive, brown or white will satisfy your streamer needs. Pack mosquito repellent and bear spray as well as good polarized sunglasses and sunscreen.  North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Bighorn River, Thermopolis  Fishing has been great. San Juan worms, sow bugs, soft-hackled sowbugs, size 14-20 tungsten bead nymphs and girdle bug patterns have been the ticket. We have also had success dead drifting Zirdle bugs, yuk bugs and thin mints.  North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Cody-area lakes  At Luce Lake, fish are coming to the surface for grasshoppers, cicadas, ants and beetles. Damsel fly nymphs and adult patterns are also working well. Fishing deep under a dry or indicator is effective with Chironimid pupae patterns, especially when the wind is up. The trout are more active during the early mornings and early evening. A successful angler will be armed with beetles, ants, foam beetles, parachute Adams, callibaetis, and sparkle or Compara duns for surface eats. Pheasant tails, damsel fly nymphs, blue adult damsels, hares ears, balanced leeches and wooly buggers will get bites down low. North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Lower Shoshone  Fishing is not as impressive as it is on the North Fork. But anglers are can get eats while nymphing with tan or black North Fork specials in sizes 10-14, especially the black-bodied red or purple tungsten bead versions. Other wet flies that are working are bead-head or regular princes, copper Johns, bloody Marys, PTs, gold-ribbed hares ear, and gray or peacock soft hackles, halfbacks and Pats rubberlegs ranging in size from 4-16. For dry flies, try tan or gold chubby Chucks, purple chubby Chucks, yellow stimulators or orange ho candy in sizes 6-10. In you want to swing a streamer, peanut envy, mini peanuts, wooly buggers, muddler minnows, Zonkers and similar imitations in sizes 2-10. Tan, olive, black and white have all been good colors. North Fork Anglers, Cody.

North Fork of the Shoshone  The North Fork is fishing great top to bottom at Gibbs Bridge in Wapiti Valley. The trout are eating larger dries, dry-droppers, streamers or two-nymph rigs. Water temperatures are probably still too chilly for most to wet made, so dont put away your waders yet. Flows are still high so watch your step if youre not in a boat.  North Fork Anglers, Cody.
WASHINGTON (AP)  After weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, U.S. health regulators said Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have been too slow in deploying the vaccine, potentially missing the window to contain what could soon become an entrenched infectious disease.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration said it had finished the necessary inspections at Bavarian Nordic's facility in Denmark, where the company fills vials of the vaccine. The FDA said via Twitter on Wednesday that the certification had been finalized. The doses are already in the U.S. so that they would be ready to be distributed once the manufacturing changes were approved, the agency said.

The U.S. already has sent more than 310,000 doses of the two-shot Jynneos vaccine to state and local health departments. But clinics in San Francisco, New York and other major cities say they still dont have enough shots to meet demand.

There were more than 4,600 reported monkeypox cases in the U.S. as of late Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday officials would announce more vaccine allocations on Thursday.

Officials at the San Francisco Department of Health welcomed the news, saying they need many thousands more vaccine doses than the 7,800 they have received to date. Without enough vaccine supply, we would have trouble fulfilling our basic duty of keeping our communities safe, the agency said in a statement.

Washington, D.C., officials said Wednesday they would join their counterparts in San Francisco, New York City and other cities who have stopped offering appointments for second vaccine doses due to short supplies. They said the single-dose strategy would allow them to vaccinate more people at risk and slow the spread of monkeypox in the community more quickly.

The monkeypox virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection. The vast majority of cases reported have been in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed zit-like bumps on many parts of the body.

The sluggish federal response has drawn comparisons to the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, but experts have pointed out that the U.S. had one huge advantage: more than 1 million doses of vaccine in the strategic national stockpile.

But it turned out U.S. officials had only about 2,000 doses on hand when the outbreak was first identified in May. Shipping and regulatory delays have meant only a portion of the rest were deployed.

There's not enough doses, said Dr. Perry Halkitis, a public health specialist at Rutgers University. I think with some quicker action on the part of federal government we might not be in the situation we are now.

The doses previously shipped came from a separate facility in Denmark that already had FDA clearance. Another 786,000 doses made at a newly opened Bavarian Nordic facility were awaiting the U.S. certification announced Wednesday.

The FDA requires inspections of all vaccine manufacturing plants to assure safety, sterility and consistency of production.

U.S. officials announced orders this month for 5 million more doses, though most of those are not expected to arrive until next year

Officials have recommended the shots be given to people who know or suspect they were exposed to monkeypox in the previous two weeks.

The Jynneos vaccine has never been widely used in response to an outbreak like this, and the government will track how well its working,

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed from New York.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
MUSCATINE  Hundreds of people turned out to the Muscatine riverfront Tuesday evening for the first of what is hoped to be many dockings of the American Duchess paddlewheeler in front of Pearl City Station in Riverside Park.

Many members of the community have worked long and hard to get to the point where Tuesday's trial port stop could happen. Mayor Brad Bark, who was unable to attend the event, said if the test was successful, he is confident Muscatine would be added to the ships list of stops during Mississippi River cruises.

He was correct, as on Wednesday afternoon the city of Muscatine Facebook page announced that Muscatine is now a destination on the cruise schedule.

During the trial, the 341-foot ship put aground without a hitch as passengers on the tour were occupied with a show inside the cabin. The Duchess accommodates up to 166 passengers and has a crew of 80.

We are trying to get more port stops along the river, and this looks like a great one, Capt. Scott Dunham said. Its a beautiful city front, there is a great place to dock and obviously the passengers will love it.

While the stop was short, only about 20 minutes, Dunham took the opportunity to present members of the Muscatine City Council and the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry with a flag that had flown on the ship earlier in the day. Dunham was presented with a basket of goods from Muscatine.

The American Duchess began life as the Isle of Capri Casino in Bettendorf. When the casino became land-based in 2016, the boat was sold to the American Queen Steamboat Co. (AQSC).

After reconstruction, the American Duchess was christened with a bottle of Makers Mark bourbon on Aug. 14, 2017, in New Orleans, becoming the third of four vessels in the AQSC fleet. Since her maiden voyage, the American Duchess has been welcomed by many communities along the Mississippi, which have reported strong contributions to the local economy.

Because of the rising popularity of river cruising, tourist money has been flowing into smaller communities where the boats dock. Vicksburg, Miss., reports that since 2018, the American Duchess and sister ship American Queen have brought more than $2 million to the local economy, according to an article in the Vicksburg Post.
St. Helena City Councilmember Eric Hall is running for mayor, setting up a contest between him and Vice Mayor Paul Dohring in the Nov. 8 election.

As we emerge out of the pandemic, St. Helena faces important decisions about our future, Hall said in a statement issued Monday. The business-as-usual approach has led our city to looming financial ruin.

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We need fresh leadership which unites our community, forms partnerships, solves problems, and restores our city. We have learned a great deal about how strong our community can be and the many needs in our community that need to be addressed. I look forward to helping our community solidify a strong future for the next generation.

With a background in the private sector, Hall was elected to the council in 2020 as a newcomer to local politics. He represents St. Helena on the Napa County League of Governments, League of California Cities and Napa Valley Tourism Corporation.

According to a statement, Hall built a successful track record of leading organizations through periods of change, to add new capabilities, repurpose obsolete assets and find ways to unlock and release value.

My priorities as Mayor of St. Helena will build upon what we have already started: rebuilding our citys infrastructure, strengthening our water security, and supporting our local economy, Hall said. Together, we can ensure our community can fix its roads, protect its local environment, and develop its local economy to ensure all of our diverse residents can live and thrive here.

Halls term on the council runs through 2024, so if he loses the mayoral election he will remain on the council. Dohrings council term ends this year, so if he is not elected mayor he will be off the council.

Current Mayor Geoff Ellsworth has said he supports Dohrings candidacy and will not seek re-election. Ellsworth said he hasnt ruled out running for a regular council seat.

Other potential candidates

The seats held by Ellsworth, Dohring and Councilmember Anna Chouteau will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.

As of Tuesday, four people had begun the filing the process to run for the two available council seats: Chouteau, Billy Summers, Elaine Honig and Amy Beaudine.

After raising a family in St. Helena for more than a decade I am running for city council because I care deeply about this community and making sure it remains a great place to live, work, play and raise a family, Summers said.

I'd like to be involved on a more active level as a St. Helena citizen, Beaudine said. I'm free of any biases or influences which gives me the opportunity to see things more clearly and act on them in an exceedingly objective manner. I'd like to be optimistically progressive but not too Pollyanna, I'll also employ my skepticism that's insightful and has zero financial gain or loss attached to it. I'll be fully committed to making St. Helena even better than it already is, if that's possible, and I know it is.

Beaudine is married to Bryan Pritchard, the St. Helena Republican challenging Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry in the Nov. 8 election.

The nomination period to run for council continues through Aug. 12. However, if an incumbent doesnt file for re-election  as is likely to be the case this year  the deadline to run for that seat will be extended to Aug. 17.

For information about filing, contact City Clerk Cindy Tzafopoulos at 707-968-2742 or ctzafopoulos@cityofsthelena.org.
St. Helenas 26 miles of roads are among the Bay Areas worst, but expect another round of repairs in 2023.

The city is preparing to solicit construction bids for an estimated $1.4 million worth of paving in spring or fall 2023, the first year in a five-year paving plan.

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The following streets will be completely resurfaced next year:

- College Avenue

- Oak Avenue intersections

- Pope Street from Peppertree Circle to Starr Avenue

- Railroad Avenue

- Stockton Street

- Valley View Street from the Sulphur Creek Bridge to Grayson Avenue

- Voorhees Circle

The following streets will receive less intensive microsurfacing treatments:

- Chiles Avenue

- June Lane

- Library Lane

- Tainter Street

- Valley View Street from Spring Street to the Sulphur Creek Bridge

- possibly Oak Avenue, depending on bids received

According to the Bay Area Pavement Conditions Index, St. Helenas streets score a 49 on a scale of 0 to 100, which is considered poor.

However, the overall condition of St. Helenas streets is holding steady under the current five-year plan, Public Works Director Mark Rincon told the City Council on Tuesday.

Bringing the streets up to a higher score is probably going to take more investment at some point, Rincon said.

St. Helenas streets had been in a downward spiral until the states SB1 and Napa Countys Measure T sales tax started generating some much-needed cash, Rincon said.

The city cant borrow against future Measure T revenue, but Vice Mayor Paul Dohring said the Napa Valley Transportation Authority recently voted to allow jurisdictions to borrow against their own assets and draw down the debt with Measure T funds. That tactic could help St. Helena increase its investment in road repairs.

Its not a simple matter of paving the worst roads first. As a road deteriorates, the cost to repair it rises sharply. Relatively cheap preventive maintenance and microsurfacing save money in the long run because they prevent roads from deteriorating to the point where they require full reconstruction.

However, that financial logic is cold comfort to residents of St. Helenas very worst streets like Pratt, Sulphur Springs, South Crane and Grayson. South Crane is due to be paved in 2024 and Pratt in 2026, but Sulphur Springs and Grayson arent even included in the five-year plan.

The plan is re-evaluated and adjusted every two years based on the latest road conditions.
Impending state policy changes are forcing St. Helena school officials to plan for an uncertain future and raising concerns among parents of St. Helena students who live outside the district boundaries.

Ninety-eight children from outside the district attend St. Helena schools under the states District of Choice program, which is set to expire in January.

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Its unclear whether California will impose new rules that would affect St. Helena's DOC kids if the program ends. And if theyre allowed to stay in St. Helena schools, its unclear whether the St. Helena Unified School District will receive any state funding to educate them.

School trustees and new Superintendent Ruben Aurelio are assuring parents that they want DOC kids to stay in St. Helena, but theyre not sure how the state process will play out, so theyre not making any guarantees.

Our intent is to keep our (DOC) students, Aurelio said during an informational board meeting last week. All we know is that (DOC) is sunsetting  but (the state) has not clarified what that means for our current DOC families.

DOC parents want their kids to remain in St. Helena schools until they graduate from high school. Some of them say they were assured that once their kids were in, they were in for good.

Jen Pike said her daughter goes to school in St. Helena under DOC, and removing her from her school would tear her apart.

I own a business in this community, so I get the financial side of it, Pike said. But theres a lot more at stake.

Trustees say past assurances to DOC families were made with the assumption that DOC would still exist or that a student's home district wouldn't prevent him or her from leaving. Trustees acknowledged the effects of uprooting kids from a school system some of them have attended since kindergarten.

We have to look at the social and emotional wellness of students who are in our DOC program and the impact that change could have on them, Trustee Maria Haug said.

Were in full support of social/emotionally keeping the kids intact and allowing those students to continue, added Trustee Julio Olguin.

The end of DOC

Under DOC, the St. Helena district sets enrollment caps for each grade level. If the number of in-district students is lower than the enrollment cap for a particular grade, the district makes the remaining spots available to out-of-district kids. If the number of DOC applicants exceeds the number of available spots, the school board uses a lottery to choose who gets in.

SHUSD isnt accepting DOC applications for the 2023-24 school year, but its preparing to set up its own interdistrict transfer system if DOC ends. If that happens, trustees want to prioritize current DOC kids.

However, the state could impose new rules about interdistrict transfers that would override the districts own policies.

Its unclear whether students will be free to leave their home districts post-DOC. Districts that receive state funding on a per-student basis would have a financial incentive to prevent students from attending neighboring districts like St. Helena.

If (DOC) goes away  the district of residence may say no, you cannot leave, said Andi Stubbs, chief business official.

Other factors

SHUSDs own funding is also a factor in interdistrict transfers. The district receives only $144,160 per year in state funding for its 98 DOC students. Thats far less than the $3.1 million per year the district spends annually to educate those students.

If DOC ends, even that $144,160 would likely go away, leaving SHUSD fully responsible for the $450,000 in local revenue it costs to educate one student from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade.

Funding in our district is not unlimited, said Board President Lisa Pelosi. We have to think about how many $450,000 scholarships we can offer per year to people without compromising all of our students.

Another factor is declining in-district enrollment at SHUSD. Without an influx of new DOC students in future years, enrollment is projected to decrease from 1,144 students last school year to 960 students in 2028-29.

School officials will know by October whether new legislation will extend DOC. If the program ends  or if its extended and SHUSD chooses not to participate  the board will adopt new interdistrict transfer policies and enrollment caps no later than December for the 2023-24 school year.

Trustees could set new caps based on grade-level enrollment or optimal class size. Officials say smaller classes support targeted instruction and intervention, while larger classes promote more robust interaction among students.

District administrators will consult with representatives of the St. Helena Teachers' Association on optimal class sizes.
Undersigned strongly endorses Councilmember Paul Dohring for St. Helena Mayor. Pauls qualifications and experiences in municipal and county government are well-known, and require no further elaboration by me.

There are large advantages for St. Helena that flow from Pauls training and past service. Let me enumerate seven:

1. Paul has historical memory and also thinks through potential unintended consequences of Council decisions. This is very important, especially in a city like ours, that has experienced a succession of city managers and key directors in past years. Historical memory combined with strategic thinking are important in advancing new projects, including avoidance of past pitfalls and execution error.

2. Paul understands the many moving parts that can be involved in advancing City goals. He is a collaborative and measured leader who works hard to draw out the best in City Staff and Council.

3. Paul is well aware of the constraints, both internal and external, that impact the Citys discretionary choices. A critical internal constraint is devoted yet limited City Staff, so essential to the proper functioning of the City. Staff must not be allowed to operate outside its realistic capacity. This awareness is essential to the proper setting of City priorities and the timely meeting of City goals.

4. Paul has worked on many City ordinances and policies over the years. He understands that these are most often the work product of several, even many, who devote themselves to the service of our City. He works to ensure that credit is appropriately spread through the organization  and does not single out himself for credit. This is the right thing to do. It is also important for Council cohesion and overall organizational morale.

5. As demonstrated by his many commentaries in the St. Helena Star over the years, Paul is an educator. He knows that city government works best when residents understand not just an issue but alternative options. Our residents look to the Mayor for mature discussion and evaluation. Paul is good at it.

6. As the inordinate number of special Council meetings shows, much of Council time is spent on legal matters, often generated by outside forces. An effective mayor must lead Council consideration of these matters. Paul is uniquely qualified to do so.

7. The office that Paul seeks in non-partisan. There is no room for dogmatism. There is much room for listening. Paul excels in these qualities. But there also comes a time for decision. Paul by nature takes a balanced approach and looks for a good compromise but he also understands that often, difficult and controversial decisions must be made in a timely fashion when they are in the best overall interest of the City.

St. Helena is most fortunate that Paul continues in his willingness to serve our City. He should be our next Mayor.

Alan Galbraith

St. Helena Mayor, 2014-18
According to information published by the Brazilian MoD on July 27, 2022, the Roraima class patrol vessels Raposo Tavares and Rondonia, as well as the Oswaldo Cruz class River hospital ship Oswaldo Cruz and the UH-12 aircraft, began the Naval Operation BraColPer 2022, composing the Task Group (GT) of the Amazonas Flotilla.

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Brazilian Roraima class patrol vessel Raposo Tavares (Picture source: Brazilian MoD)

Operation BraColPer has brought together the capabilities of the Navies of Brazil (MB), Colombia, and Peru since 1974, with the objective of carrying out exercises through an exchange of knowledge in the Tri-Border area, improving the level of training and thus allowing the effectiveness of the combined operations of the naval units of the participating countries.

The Operation is divided into three phases and involves more than 400 military personnel. Phases I and II take place on the Maranon River, the Peruvian Solimoes River, between the cities of Leticia (Colombia) and Iquitos (Peru), during the periods that coincide with the Independence dates of these countries, celebrated on July 20 and 28, respectively.

At the end of these phases, the ships that make up the GT return to their headquarters. As in previous years, phase III, held in the state of Amazonas, will take place on the Solimoes and Negro Rivers, in September, precisely on the occasion of the celebration of 200 years of Brazil's Independence.

Colombia's Independence Celebrations

On July 20, 2022, in the city of Leticia, Colombia, the 212th anniversary of Colombia's Independence was celebrated with the presence of Brazilian civil and military authorities.

Among the protocol events, the celebration of a mass in the Cathedral of Leticia, and the civic parade allusive to the 212th anniversary of Colombia's Independence, where military personnel from the Brazilian Navy and Army also paraded through the city streets, were highlighted.

On the occasion, there was a demonstration of Colombian military personnel, means, and operational equipment, as well as a floral display in front of the bust of Admiral Padilla, a Colombian hero who played a decisive role in the Independence of Colombia.

On the Maranon River, the River patrol vessels "Raposo Tavares" and "Rondonia", and the Hospital Assistance Ship "Oswaldo Cruz", of the Brazilian Navy, accompanied by the Ships "ARC Rey", "ARC Leticia", "ARC Joyss" of the Colombian Navy and the ship "BAP Clavero" of the Peruvian Navy, held a Naval Parade, ending the commemorations of the Independence Day.

About the Roraima class

The Roraima Class is a class of River patrol vessels (NPaFlu in Portuguese) of the Brazilian Navy built at MacLaren Estaleiros e Servicos Maritimos, in Niteroi Rio de Janeiro, according to a national design and incorporated between the end of 1975 and the beginning of 1976.

These ships are part of the Amazonas Flotilla, subordinated to the 9th Naval District in Manaus.

It operates two fast action boats (LAR), with a capacity for up to 15 men, and is armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns. Therefore, it also serves as a means of action for the marines of the Battalion of Riverine Operations.
The United States is discussing with Armenia and Azerbaijan the possibility of providing technical support to unblock the region, said US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy.

There is serious diplomatic involvement in this process, and not only from the US side. The US partners in the European Union, like others, are also involved, which is very helpful in keeping this momentum going. These are difficult questions and the solutions will not be easy. But we must be persistent, she noted.

With the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the US side is discussing technical assistance, some technical assessments that will help unblock transport links in the region. We attach great importance to this goal, she added.

According to her, another topic touched upon by the Secretary of State was the settlement of relations between Armenia and Turkey. We also consider this direction very important. We welcome the steps taken so far by Armenia and Turkey. We call on both sides to make progress. Since many of these issues are interconnected, and when we see positive steps in one direction, then this can provide momentum for achieving wider peace in the region.

She added that we must continue testing proposals and engagements, testing the areas that have been highlighted by Armenia and Turkey. We also saw good negotiations at the level of special representatives, as a result of which agreements were reached on the opening of some border crossing points. We have seen some arrangements for direct cargo transportation. The details must be worked out. It is here that we will continue to encourage both Armenia and Turkey to progress and see that progress here can make a positive contribution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani discussions.
A retired British geologist sentenced to 15 years for antiquities smuggling in Iraq may soon go free after a Baghdad court overturned his conviction, his family and lawyer said on Tuesday, AP reported.

Baghdad's Court of Cassation, or appeals court, overturned the verdict against Jim Fitton, 66, last month, his lawyer Thair Soud told AP. The decision was made on the basis of an appeal filed by Soud shortly after Fitton was convicted.

Fitton's release date was not immediately known, but Soud said pending paperwork, he should be freed soon.

The court "agreed with the justifications we drove in the memo against the sentence and how it was based on mistakes in the application of the law, and further, in the assessment of the evidence, Soud said.

Fitton drew international attention last month after the conviction for picking up shards of pottery from an archeological site in southern Iraq. Many feared the incident would deter tourists from visiting Iraq, where the government hopes to grow the nascent tourism sector.

Some of the pieces he picked up were no larger than a fingernail, he later told the criminal court. He was arrested in March at Baghdad Airport and sentenced in June.

Documents posted to the judiciary website said the appeals court found that Fitton's trial judges had made mistakes and that key circumstantial evidence had been overlooked, including Fitton's unfamiliarity with local laws. It also pointed out that the areas where he had picked up the pieces were unguarded.

The court noted that Fitton had made no attempt to hide the items at the airport. The shards were clearly visible when airport staff checked his luggage. Based on this, court found that Fitton harbored no criminal intent to smuggle antiquities and ordered his immediate release, according to the document.
The latest UK Tory leadership debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss has been cancelled after the presenter fainted on air, BBC reported.

The Sun and TalkTV debate, hosted by journalist Kate McCann, abruptly halted around halfway through after a loud crash was heard.

TalkTV said McCann was "fine," but the channel had been given medical advice not to continue.

"We apologise to our viewers and listeners," the channel added.

The leadership candidates tweeted that they were relieved to hear McCann was fine, and indicated they would be happy to stage a rematch.

The TalkTV presenter had been due to co-host the debate alongside the Sun's political editor Harry Cole, but he pulled out after testing positive for Covid.

Before it was halted, the latest televised debate between the two candidates had been covering tax, the state of the NHS, and rising living costs.

They had been about to begin a section on the UK's support for Ukraine when the debate went off air.
Is Western unity over Ukraine about to crack?

Which countries could survive nuclear war?

Surmalu re-inspection scheduled for November

In Lebanon, man who held hostages in bank released without charges

TerraPower of Bill Gates raises $750 million for projects in nuclear energy and medicine

China's 'Galaxy Fold clone' sold out in five minutes and became a bestseller

Germany plans to postpone closure of its last three nuclear power plants

Expert estimates environmental consequences of Yerevan explosion and gives advices

Switzerland signs agreement with Uzbekistan to return $131 million seized from Gulnara Karimova

Artsakh also declares mourning

Norway can no longer supply Germany with more gas

UN Secretary General to meet with Presidents of Ukraine and Turkey in Lviv

Ministry of Emergency Situations: There were about 4 tons of flammable substances in Surmalu

Russian Security Council says Kyiv threatens global nuclear security

Content of toxic substances in air after explosion in Yerevan has increased sharply

Scholz says Sweden and Finland's NATO accession process goes according to plan

Macron and Zelenskiy discuss situation over Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

Expert: Biden is not preparing Americans for what is to come

Armenian Prosecutor General's Office: Representatives of management and employees of Surmalu will be interrogated

Mourning declared in Armenia

Latvia will not extend residence permits previously issued to Russian citizens

NEWS.am BREAKING on Yerevan market explosion: 16 people killed

First Lady of US contracts COVID-19

Aghvan Hovsepyan undergoes surgery

Investigative Committee: More than 20 people questioned in case of Surmalu explosion in Yerevan

Head of Armenian HM visits victims of explosion on territory of Surmalu in Yerevan

Deputy PM of Singapore: US and China may slide into conflict

Director of Surmalu shopping center is in heavy psychological state and does not comment

Identity of another victim of Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan established

Two Armenian startups advance to EWC Global Finals (PHOTOS)

Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences in connection with Surmalu shopping mall explosion

Russia announces supply of second S-400 regiment to Turkey

Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia

Republican Party of Armenia calls for naming leader of united opposition

Yerevan market explosion death toll is 16 as of 3:30pm, Armenia emergency ministry says

Putin calls Pelosi's trip to Taiwan gamble

Russia embassy: Russian citizen considered missing in Yerevan market blast is alive and well

Gazprom: European gas price will exceed $4,000 per thousand cubic meters in winter

Yerevan subway operations resume

Yerevan market explosion: 6 people still considered missing

Former head of NSC: Bomb alerts have never been so systematic and periodic before

Armenia truckers temporarily block Goris-Sisian motorway

Georgia PM: Our thoughts and prayers are with families of those killed in Yerevan

Yerevan market blast: 14 of 16 casualties identified, official says

Georgia President: I stand with the people of Armenia

Bloomberg: Jump in gas prices sent European electricity prices to a new record

Armenia official: Pointless to say that Surmalu market was deliberately blown up

Japan embassy expresses condolences over Yerevan market explosion

No bombs found at 4 Yerevan subway stations, international airport

Armenia, Russia defense ministers hold talks

Shoigu says there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Bomb threat at Yerevan international airport

Putin: Russia will ensure its national interests, protection of allies

US lifts F-35 flight ban

Armenian Red Cross Society: 140 people asked for psychological service, 110 othersfor first aid, in 3 days

14 of Yerevan market blast casualties are identified

Trump says after leaving Afghanistan, US left Taliban weapons worth $ 85 billion

India blocks Azerbaijan's participation in upcoming BRICS summit as a guest

Baku is concerned about safety of its diplomatic mission in London

Yerevan explosion: 13 of 16 dead are identified, emergency ministry spokesperson says

Iran responds to EU nuclear deal proposals

Yerevan market explosion: 17 people considered missing, Armenia official says

Yerevan explosion: 7 injured continue to receive hospital treatment

Day of mourning to be declared in Armenia

Newspaper: Unpunished crime gives birth to new, more catastrophic crime in Yerevan

Bomb threat made at Yerevan subway

Newspaper: Who is No. 1 accountable for Yerevan market tragedy?

Yerevan market explosion: Fire extinguishing no longer being carried out, emergency minister says

Yerevan market explosion death toll reaches 16

Armenia emergency minister: Rescuers removed young child, pregnant womans bodies from under rubble

Yerevan explosion death toll climbs to 15

Yerevan market explosion death toll reaches 10

Yerevan explosion: 5 of 6 assumed missing Iranians are in Georgia, Armenia emergency ministry spokesman says

Musk plans to build at least 1,000 starships to send groups of pioneers to Mars

Russian DM: Ukraine is preparing large-scale provocations near Zaporizhzhia NPP

Rescuers find another body from rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Deputy Minister: Tomorrow it will be known when we can finish rescue work near Surmalu shopping center

FBI and DHS say threat grows after search of Donald Trump's residence

Armenian Emergency Ministry updates list of citizens missing in Surmalu explosion: Six Iranian and one Russian citizen

Modi says they must transform India into developed country in next 25 years

Ministry of Emergency Situations denies information about pregnant woman and her son found

Myanmar Military Court hands down second sentence to Aung San Suu Kyi

Head of Emergency Ministry unable to confirm another survivor has been pulled out of rubble

German Chancellor: Visa ban for Russians must be discussed

Rescuers hear sounds under rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Emergencies Ministry: 22 people missing in Surmalu shopping center

Bloomberg: Recession risk in eurozone has reached highest level since November 2020

Investigation into explosion in Surmalu shopping center continues

Georgia's tourism revenues have exceeded pre-pandemic levels

French Embassy expresses condolences to families of Surmalu explosion victims

CSTO Secretary General sends condolences to Armenian Prime Minister over Surmalu trade center explosion

Hungary and Turkey plan to launch joint drone production

Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Response Center joins work to eliminate consequences of explosion in Surmalu

Tesla has produced more than 3 million cars since company was founded

Rescuers find another body under rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Ministry of Emergencies presents new list: 21 people are missing from Surmalu shopping center

Electricity bills in Germany will rise by another 480 euros year because of gas surcharge

12 injured in Surmalu shopping mall explosion remain in hospitals

Media: Russia signs contract with Iran to buy 1,000 drones

Armenian DM attends opening of Army 2022 exhibition at Patriot center near Moscow (PHOTOS)
Iranian Civil Aviation Organization spokesman Mir Akbar Razavi announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and Russia, on the basis of which the number of passenger flights between the two countries increased to 35 per week, Mehr reported.

Razavi said that Russia's Deputy Minister of Transport met and held talks with the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Mohammad Mohammadi-Bakhsh, tonight.

Iranian and Russian officials at the meeting stressed the need to intensify bilateral cooperation in air transport, he said.

During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries, on the basis of which the number of passenger flights between the two countries increased to 35 per week, Razavi stressed.

According to the signed document, the airlines of the two countries are allowed to operate cargo flights without capacity restrictions under the above agreement.

It was also decided to sign an agreement on cooperation with Russia within the framework of providing the possibility of exporting parts and equipment manufactured in Iran to Russia, as well as providing repair and maintenance services and technical support for Russian aircraft by Iranian repair centers, Razavi added.
Bundeswehr servicemen and German air defense systems can be deployed in Slovakia on a long-term basis, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during an official visit to Bratislava, Deutsche Welle reported.

According to Baerbock, Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems will remain on Slovak territory for as long as they are needed.

Earlier, in March, German air defense systems and about 300 military personnel were deployed in Slovakia, then in April, about 300 more German troops joined the multinational task force stationed in Slovakia, which has about 100 km of joint border with Ukraine. The total number of Bundeswehr troops in Slovakia reaches 640, Baerbock said.

In addition, Baerbock and Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korchok announced the continuation of negotiations on round-robin arms supplies to Ukraine, in which Eastern European NATO partners receive Western weapons in exchange for Soviet-made military equipment that they supply to the Ukrainian army.

Having visited Prague on the same day, where she met with her Czech colleague, Czech colleague Jan Lipavsky, Annalena Baerbock said that the negotiations between Germany and the Czech Republic on circular deliveries of tanks to Ukraine are close to completion and are in the final phase of drawing up a general agreement, which , in its view, could serve as a model for similar agreements with other countries.
Senator Marco Rubio wants the United States to impose sanctions on China's purchases of oil and other energy products from Russia.

Chinas imports of Russian crude have surged this year as the worlds biggest energy consumer picked up discounted barrels that European buyers had shunned. Chinas imports of Russian crude have surged this year as the worlds biggest energy consumer picked up discounted barrels that European buyers had shunned. Cutting off the flow of Russian crude to China could leave Beijing competing more fiercely with other large buyers, like India, for oil from the Middle East and Africa, potentially raising price," Bloomberg reported.

Rubio on Tuesday introduced a bill along with Republicans Rick Scott, also of Florida, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, which would impose penalties on any entity that insures or registers tankers carrying oil or natural gas to China from Russia, according to Rubio's office.

This proposal has every chance of passing a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate. This goes against the policy of the Biden administration, which seeks to maintain oil supplies by limiting Russia's income from energy sales, the agency said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has floated the idea of a price cap that would allow buyers to continue using Russian oil if they agreed to pay below market prices for it. The administration is still formulating this policy, trying to convince European allies of the correctness of this approach and to reassure them that Russia will not simply turn off the taps.

The situation around Ukraine has roiled the oil markets, causing oil prices to rise by about 30% this year due to fears that Russian oil could be excluded from world trade, pushing up an already tight market. EU countries pledged to reduce gas consumption by 15% the day before.
The leaders of Japan and Indonesia agreed on Wednesday to strengthen ties on maritime security and cooperation on climate change, energy and investment between the Asian archipelago, AP reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at a joint press conference after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tokyo, said that Japan will provide support to further strengthen Indonesia's maritime security capacity to ensure maritime peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Kishida also announced that Tokyo is providing a 43.6 billion yen ($318 million) loan to finance Indonesian infrastructure projects and prevent natural disasters.

Widodo's visit to Japan followed his trip to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and formally invited him to the G20 summit in Bali in the fall. On Tuesday, the two leaders also discussed issues ranging from trade to maritime cooperation.

Although Indonesia and China maintain a generally positive relationship, Jakarta has expressed concern about China's actions in the South China Sea.

Japan is promoting the mixing of hydrogen and ammonia in coal-fired power plants as a way to reduce emissions.

Kishida also said that Japan is exploring the possibility of providing Japanese patrol ships to Indonesia to strengthen its maritime capabilities.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will take part for the first time in the multilateral exercise Garuda Shield that Indonesia is organizing next month, Kishida said. The United States will also join the exercise.
YEREVAN.  Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Prague on a working visit, on Tuesday had a meeting with President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Milos Vystrcil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The interlocutors referred to the development of the Armenian-Czech interstate relations, emphasizing in this regard the continuous strengthening of cooperation in the parliamentary format. The recent activation of high-level inter-parliamentary mutual visits has been commended as an important indicator of the bilateral willingness to consistently deepen the existing rich dialogue.

FM Mirzoyan presented the agenda of reforms consistently implemented by the Government of Armenia, which are aimed at strengthening democratic institutions in the country, protecting human rights, strengthening the rule of law, and fighting against corruption.

The sides referred to the strengthening of the Armenia-EU relations and cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

The situation in the South Caucasus was also discussed during the meeting. Ararat Mirzoyan presented the efforts made by Armenia for the establishment of stability and security in the region, emphasizing that the realities created as a result of the use of force cannot create a stable basis for peace.

Referring to the humanitarian issues resulting from 44-day Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the fall of 2020, the Armenian FM stressed the need for the urgent repatriation of Armenian POWs and civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan, the preservation of Armenian monuments in the territories fallen under Azerbaijani control that are part of universal heritage, as well as the need to prevent the consistent cases of vandalism. In the context of humanitarian issues, the Czech side emphasized that the provisions of international law and the Geneva Conventions must be adhered to.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he had proposed a new draft text to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - ed.), saying there was no room for further serious compromises.

"I have now put on the table a text that addresses, in precise detail, the sanctions lifting as well as the nuclear steps needed to restore the JCPOA," the European Union's Josep Borrell wrote in an essay in the Financial Times. He was referring to the 2015 deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"After 15 months of intense, constructive negotiations in Vienna and countless interactions with the JCPOA participants and the U.S., I have concluded that the space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted," he added.

Borrell did not give details of his proposal, but he suggested - like many Western officials before - that time was running out to restore a deal that saw Iran curtail its nuclear program in exchange for exemptions from economic sanctions.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that Washington was studying the "understanding project" that Borrell shared with Iran and others in the 2015 deal and would respond directly to the EU.

Under the nuclear pact, Tehran has limited its uranium enrichment program in exchange for exemptions from economic sanctions.

In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump backed out of the deal, calling it too soft on Iran.
The United States is ready to provide assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan in whichever format. US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price announced this at Tuesdays Department press briefing.

Weve made clear in our statements, including, I believe, in the readouts yesterday, that the United States stands ready to assist these two countries and our likeminded partners in whichever way, whichever format is most effective. We have been a co-chair of the Minsk Group since 1994, but as weve demonstrated, were also willing to engage bilaterally with the countries to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find that long-term, comprehensive peace, Price stressed.

Also, he responded to the question about the US State Department's assistance in facilitating the process for Armenia and Azerbaijan during the phone conversations between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan.

It means that weve been able to achieve what we think is a degree of progress, and through continued engagements and diplomatic conversations with our Armenian, with our Azerbaijani partners in this case, we think we can continue that momentum. So the Secretary obviously has had a number of calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership, but there are a number of people, senior officials in this building who have engaged with their counterparts at all levels to continue this momentum and to continue to offer our assistance in the issues as we seek a long-term, comprehensive peace, the US State Department spokesperson said.
YEREVAN.  Deputy Prime Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan of Armenia on Wednesday received Amit Gupta and Jayashree Rangarajan, vice presidents of corporate affairs at the American technology company AMD, the deputy PM's office informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

To note, American company Xilinx, whose Armenia branch was founded in 2019, merged with AMD, a manufacturer of microcircuits and processors, this February.

Deputy premier Matevosyan underscored AMDs being represented in Armenia, and expressed hope that, using the local potential, its Armenia office will become an important constituent part of this company. Also, the deputy PM expressed the readiness of the Armenian government to discuss AMD's development vision and address the steps necessary to expand this company's activities in Armenia.

The AMD officials, for their part, emphasized that there are many talented young people in Armenia who are needed for their company, and they will do their best to find them, educate them further, and engage them in their company.

During the meeting, the avenues for possible cooperation and implementation of joint measures within the framework of the digital agenda of the public sector of Armenia were also discussed, and the possibility of implementation of joint programs for the training of technology specialists with the necessary qualifications was touched upon.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili discussed trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries at a meeting in Nur-Sultan.

According to Tokayev's press service, the interlocutors paid special attention to transport and logistics cooperation. It was noted that the countries are partners in the Trans-Caspian international transport route.

The Kazakh side suggested that Georgia consider its own market "as a gateway to Central Asia with direct access to neighboring China.

"I came with an important message - we are interested in developing bilateral cooperation, expanding our relations in all spheres," Garibashvili said.

The prime minister pointed out that trade turnover between Georgia and Kazakhstan is increasing year by year and the countries have "great opportunities to expand ties."

Tokayev also noted the progressive development of bilateral cooperation and the importance of joining joint efforts.

"We are linked by close ties of friendship and multifaceted cooperation. Our task is to strengthen and further develop our friendly relations," the Kazakh president said.

Later on Twitter, Garibashvili said the meeting with Tokayev was "fruitful," and the sides "discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of transport, logistics, trade and tourism."

Garibashvili is leading a government delegation which left on an official visit to Kazakhstan on Tuesday, July 26. Last week, Garibashvili also visited other Central Asian countries - Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Georgia and Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations in July 1992. The countries cooperate in energy, transport and agriculture. Kazakhstan has been a major investor in Georgia for years. This Central Asian country has invested in the energy and tourism sectors.

The trade turnover between the countries in January-March 2022 was $29.5 million, with exports to Kazakhstan up 149.7% compared to the same figures in 2021, reaching $23.7 million, Novosti-Georgia reports. https://www.newsgeorgia.ge/
Germany is revising its plan to phase out nuclear power by the end of the year as concerns grow that cuts in Russian gasoline supplies could spark a winter power crisis in the country, the Financial Times reported.

A source close to the Greens leadership said the discussion concluded that all options should be on the table in the event of an energy crisis. One such option could be to extend the life of the Isar-2 nuclear power plant in Bavaria after its closure on 31 December.

He noted that a lifetime extension would only be possible for a few months, and any decision could depend on the results of the stress controls that are currently underway to determine whether the German nuclear power plant can continue to operate even with deteriorating conditions.

The test is forecast to show that Bavaria, in particular, may face problems with its electricity supply during the winter. This land, a key industrial center, has relatively little wind and photovoltaic power and is heavily dependent on gasoline and nuclear power.

Scholz's spokesman said the chancellor will further examine these findings before deciding on a course of action. The authorities will make a decision completely without ideology and without prejudice, the spokesman added.

The electricity shortage has forced the Scholz authorities to make decisions that run counter to typical Green policy, such as restarting several coal-fired power plants in Germany that are heavily polluting. His coalition has declared its desire to completely abandon coal vegetation, ideally by the end of the last decade.

Germany decided to phase out nuclear power in 2011 after the Fukushima disaster in Japan. All three operating nuclear power plants - Isar-2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim-2 - should be closed by the end of the year.

The authorities, made up of Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens and Liberal Free Democrats, are sticking to their timetable for phasing out the nuclear program even after the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine.

Green Finance Minister Robert Habeck argues that Russian gasoline was mainly used for home heating and trade, with nuclear fuel playing no role in either. In addition, the Greens are embarrassed that the three nuclear power plants accounted for only 6 percent of electricity produced in Germany in the first quarter, much less than gasoline - 13 percent.

But as many consumers switch from gasoline to other forms of energy, demand for electricity will rise, experts say, and nuclear power could help plug the hole in demand.

Pressure to rethink nuclear power is mounting both inside and outside the federal government, with the ruling party and opposition Christian Democrats demanding a delay for three nuclear plants.
After Erdogan's well-known words, it is an insult to human logic to say that Turkey does not have preconditions in its relations with Armenia. Political scientist Beniamin Matevosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am thisand referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that Azerbaijan was the red line for Ankara from the very beginning in the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations.

The political scientist is of the opinion that the more the process of Armenian-Turkish relations deepens, the demands increase that much more.

"Turkey implements its policy in our region through Azerbaijan, which is its proxy. An approach is widespread in the political-analytical circles of the authorities: compromises should be made to Azerbaijan, maybe the relations with Turkey will be normalized. The process of normalizing relations with concessions is a road of endless concessions. At the end of that road, the borders will not be opened, but the last page of Armenia will be closed," he said.

Earlier, Serdar Kilic, Turkey's special representative in negotiations for the normalization of relations with Armenia, had visited the Armenian-Turkish border. And on Tuesday, Eduard Aghajanyan, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, had assessed this visit positively and said that it speaks about the fact that the agreements are already entering the practical phase.

Beniamin Matevosyan, however, assures that new concessions will be extracted from Armenia in exchange for this visit.

"Until the substantive, political part of the issue is resolved, the Armenian-Turkish border will not be opened," the political scientist concluded.
Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan may discuss military-technical cooperation and the implementation of the Istanbul grain deal at talks in Sochi on 5 August, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, RIA Novosti reported.

"Military-technical cooperation between the two countries is constantly on the agenda. And the very fact that our cooperation is developing in such a sensitive sphere shows that in general the whole complex of our relations is at a very high level," he said when asked whether Putin had talked to Erdogan about possible cooperation between Moscow and the Turkish manufacturer of military drones Bayraktar.

Peskov noted that the heads of state discussed various aspects of military-technical cooperation at their last meeting.

"So yes, the topic of military-technical cooperation will surely be discussed in Sochi as well," the Kremlin spokesman added.

Speaking about the progress of the Istanbul deal, Peskov pointed out that the export of grain should start soon.
The yield of pension funds in the second quarter of 2022 fell by 8%, which was due to a drop in prices of Armenian and foreign bonds, as well as the strengthening of the dram against foreign currencies, David Khachatryan, RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Issues, told NEWS.am.

According to him, the strengthening of the dram has had the greatest impact.

"The biggest negative yield was recorded. In my case, the negative balance amounted to 521 thousand drams (over $1,000 - ed.)," he said.

The funded pension system has been in force for 8 years, and during this time, its average annual return, as the official said, was 7%.

The deputy minister said that the negative yield is not recorded for the first time: there have been similar cases before, in particular, in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of last year.

"Fund managers invest funds in different areas in order to diversify risks. More than 30% of our pension funds are investments in foreign currencies. It is important to keep in mind that as a result of changes in the exchange rate the opposite result may be recorded. There was a period when the dram was depreciating, and this increased the yield. In other words, it is impossible to evaluate the efficiency of the system based on one quarter or even one year. Besides, the pension funds in developed countries recorded a much higher negative rate of return. We will close the year with a positive return. But even if there is a negative return, it does not mean that the system needs to change or that there are threats. The issue of making changes in the system is not discussed, as we do not see the need for that," Khachatryan stressed.
Thanks to a recent series of personnel reshuffles, Azerbaijan's central bank has come under even tighter control of the country's ruling family. Azerbaijani journalist Ulkar Natiqqizi writes about this in the article "Azerbaijan: Ruling Family Strengthens Control of the Central Bank".

"The change of guard at the bank began in April, when President Ilham Aliyev appointed Taleh Kazimov, a loyal supporter of his family, as chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.

Kyazimov is 38 years old; since 2015, he has held senior positions in the management of Pasha Bank, which Aliyev's daughters Arzu and Leyla Aliyev co-own with their grandfather Arif Pasayev, Aliyev's father-in-law.

This appointment was unexpected: the previous chairman of the Central Bank Elman Rustamov held this position since 1995, and in April 2020, he was re-approved for another five-year term. However, in April Aliyev, without offering any justification, proposed to parliament to dismiss Rustamov, and lawmakers obediently approved this decision and appointed Kazimov to the vacated position. Rustamov was then appointed advisor to Prime Minister Ali Asadov, but has not been heard from since. Nor is he mentioned on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers.

By law, the bank must be politically independent, and many observers saw in Kazimov's appointment a sign that Aliyev was tightening control over the banking system.

"The banking sector was already under the control of Pasha Holding. Now the Pashayevs dominate it indiscriminately," economist and opposition politician Gubad Ibadoglu wrote on Facebook.

As it turned out, this appointment was only the first step.

In May, Kazimov hired a new advisor, Farhad Valiyev, who also held a high position in Pasha Bank's management. Prior to joining Pasha Bank, Valiyev worked at Premium Bank and Silk Way Holding; both of these companies are also affiliated with the ruling house.

Then, on June 1, another high-ranking Pasha Bank employee, Gular Pashayeva, also became an advisor to Kazimov.

And on July 22, Kyazymov promoted Pashayeva to general director of the Central Bank. On the same day, Oksana Ismailova, who had held the same position at Bravo Supermarket, one of the largest businesses within Pasha Holding, which brings together all the family firms, became the new head of the Central Bank's human resources department.

"The Central Bank has officially become a branch of Pasha Bank. Long live Pasha Azerbaijan!" - this is how one Facebook user commented on the latest appointments. The satirical news site Hamam Times responded to these events with speculation about how they might affect the national currency, the manat.

"In short, from now on, the fate of Azerbaijan's national currency is in the hands of former employees of Pasha Bank or Pashayev's people," Hamam Times wrote. - What do you think will be more profitable for Pashayev - a strong manat, a weak manat, a fixed rate or a floating manat?"
Greece and Saudi Arabia have struck a deal to lay an undersea data cable that will connect Europe to Asia and have discussed the possibility of connecting their electricity grids to supply Europe with cheaper green energy, Reuters reported.

In May, Greece and Saudi Arabia agreed on the terms of a planned data cable joint venture, the so-called Vostok-Med Data Corridor, to be developed by MENA HUB, owned by Saudi STC and Greek telecommunications companies.

The agreement came during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Athens, which was his first visit to a European Union member state since the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Also, we are working (on)...hydrogen and how to turn Greece as a hub for Europe to hydrogen. Thats a game changer for both of us. Also, we are working (on)...linking the telecommunication grid, the Crown Prince said in a statement issued by the Greek prime minister's office.

Agreements were also signed in the field of energy and military cooperation.

Mitsotakis welcomed Prince Mohammed's visit as an opportunity to further discuss regional developments to "urther strengthen this important relationship between our two countries, with a focus on economic cooperation.

After Greece, Prince Mohammed will head to France.
The Joe Biden administration is hard at work behind the scenes to keep European allies united against Russia amid cuts in Russian gas supplies that have sparked panic on both sides of the Atlantic over potentially severe gas shortages ahead of winter. It is reported by CNN with reference to US officials.

Earlier, Gazprom announced a reduction in gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany to 20% of its capacity due to the need to repair one of the turbines. The US official said the move was in response to Western sanctions and took the West into "uncharted territory" - whether Europe would have enough gas to survive the winter.

In response to the panic, the White House sent Amos Hochstein, the president's global energy coordinator, to Europe, officials said. He will travel to Paris and Brussels to discuss contingency plans with the US-EU energy task force set up in March, a month after the war began.

The US and Brussels are pleading with EU members to conserve gas to stock up for the winter, and on Tuesday EU energy ministers agreed in principle to cut gas consumption by 15% from August to March.

There will also be discussions in the coming days to increase European nuclear production to compensate for gas shortages, officials said. Germany planned to completely phase out nuclear power by the end of 2022, but US officials hope to convince Berlin to extend the life of the three remaining nuclear power plants amid the energy crisis, the official said.

US officials, who have been in close contact with their German and French counterparts on the matter, are extremely concerned that Europe could face severe gas shortages ahead of winter. This is because EU countries will struggle to replenish their reserves over the next few months as Nord Stream 1 provides only a fraction of its capacity.

Germany abandoned plans to build another Russia-Europe gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, while the US opposed the pipeline, warning that it would only increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas. But Germany argued that the pipeline was a purely commercial project and could serve as an energy bridge as the country phases out of nuclear power and coal.
The Czech government will allow the country's fighter jets to protect neighboring Slovakia's airspace starting in September, the defense ministry said, Reuters reported.

Slovakia has sought help from its NATO allies as it hopes to retire its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets in August as part of long-standing plans to modernize its armed forces.

Slovak government officials said the old planes could be sent to Ukraine.

The Czech Defense Ministry said the Czech army's Gripen JAS-39 fighters will provide patrols of Slovakian airspace starting in September until at least the end of 2023. Poland is also expected to take part.

More details will be provided in a joint declaration of the countries, which will be signed soon.

The Slovakian government ordered F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. in 2018 to replace the aging MiG-29 aircraft.

The first U.S.-made planes were expected to arrive this year and the shipment would be completed next year, but the delivery is now expected to take place in 2024.
The founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili has linked his problems with the Swiss bank Credit Suisse to the political processes in Georgia.

Ivanishvili, who announced his resignation from politics a year and a half ago, has made a statement for the first time in a long time. Today he circulated a letter saying that "certain forces have been actively trying to drag Georgia into war," and the freezing of his Credit Suisse assets is a direct consequence of this, Novosti-Georgia reports

"Regarding my personal problem which arose in relations with the Swiss bank and is relevant today, I believe that it is directly related to the processes taking place in Georgia. However, due to the fact that Georgia has practically overcome the difficult situation and has passed the immediate threat of war, I prefer to leave my relationship with the Swiss bank as my personal problem," the letter says.

Ivanishvili added that the most important thing for him now is that "Georgia will finally manage to get out of the most difficult situation and keep the peace. He stresses that "he will deal with his own personal issue and will not try to overburden society with this problem."

"It doesn't matter what I planned to spend the frozen Swiss bank funds on - for personal purposes or for public needs. I prefer the society in all cases to consider the problem created by the bank as my personal one," said the billionaire, referred to by many in Georgia as a "philanthropist and philanthropist."

In March, journalists found out that Credit Suisse bank, with which Ivanishvili has an ongoing legal dispute, froze 2.7 billion pounds, belonging to the businessman, on the grounds that the funds may have Russian origin. Later, the billionaire's lawyers said that the bank was exerting "political pressure" on Ivanishvili and this was related to the events in Ukraine and domestic political life in Georgia.

In June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for sanctions against Ivanishvili. The document called him an "oligarch" with ties to the Kremlin who has a negative impact on the development of democracy in Georgia.

Calls to impose sanctions against Ivanishvili have been repeatedly voiced by representatives of the Ukrainian government. In particular, it was alleged that the billionaire was involved in schemes to circumvent sanctions imposed against Russia.
The United States reiterates its readiness to continue working with Russia in the OSCE Minsk Group for a comprehensive and peaceful settlement of the Karabakh problem, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy told Radio Liberty.

"We have said that we are ready to use the [OSCE] Minsk Group as a platform. That offer remains open. We have not seen our Russian colleagues responding to that offer," the ambassador said.

According to Lynne Tracy, they expect the first step to be taken by Russia, and that will be Russia's return to its participation in this format. "We certainly continue to see the Minsk Group as a forum, a platform that has an international mandate to address the situation of Nagorno-Karabakh," Lynne Tracy said.

Asked about the attitude of the United States toward the Azerbaijani President's claims that the conflict is already resolved and there is no need for mediators, Ambassador Tracy stressed that despite these statements Washington will continue to seek ways to use the Minsk Group format.

Despite Russia's war against Ukraine, which has attracted a lot of attention in the world, the United States is very attentive to the situation in the region, the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I think that's reflected in the phone calls, the contacts that we've seen since this administration came to power. This shows the commitment of the U.S. and the U.S. Secretary of State to avoid a relapse into conflict and to keep the discussions in the center and to make progress and to do that through diplomacy, the U.S. Ambassador said.

Speaking about the region, Ambassador Tracy mentioned several times the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, stressing that progress in this direction can help improve Armenian-Azerbaijani relations: "Some of what we are exploring with the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan is some technical support, some technical assessments that are ultimately aimed at unblocking regional transportation connections."
Spies recruited by Israel were planning to blow up the country's defense industry center. Iranian Ministry of Intelligence informs, presenting new information about the Mossad agents who were previously detained in Iran.

According to the agency, the goal of the terrorists linked to Israel was to blow up the country's vital defense industry center, for which sophisticated combined methods were developed to determine the target's geography and destroy it on a large scale, Mehr reported.

"The operational elements of the group are members of the Komal mercenary terrorist group, who were directly selected for the mission by the group's ringleader and introduced to Mossad officers," the statement noted.

"The amount of equipment seized from the terrorists was so large that it was impossible for the task force members to take it out directly.

Among the weapons and equipment seized from the terrorists were 8 very powerful bombs for blowing up the main target and 8 small bombs for destroying the group's equipment after the main operation, special technical means for disrupting target control systems as well as for remote detonation, a complete set of makeup tools, wigs and tools for changing fingerprints."
For the eleventh year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Emory University Hospital the No. 1 hospital in Georgia and metro Atlanta in the regional rankings in U.S. News Best Hospitals issue. (Emory University Hospital includes Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital and Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods.)

Emory Saint Josephs Hospital ranked No. 2 in Georgia and metro Atlanta for the seventh consecutive year, while Emory University Hospital Midtown ranked No. 5 for a third year in a row both in Georgia and metro Atlanta rankings, known as 2022-23 Best Regional Hospitals.

In 2022-23 Best Hospitals Specialty Rankings, Emory University Hospital ranked nationally in the following adult specialties: Cancer, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Urology. The hospital was considered high performing in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Orthopaedics and Pulmonary & Lung Surgery.

Emory Saint Josephs Hospital ranked high performing in Cancer, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Orthopaedics and Pulmonary & Lung Surgery.

Emory University Hospital Midtown ranked nationally in Ear, Nose and Throat for the fourth year in a row since that program moved to the hospital, and high performing in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery and Geriatrics.

Emory Johns Creek Hospital was considered high performing in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics.

Emory Rehabilitation Hospital ranked nationally for the second consecutive year in the adult specialty of Rehabilitation.

We are honored to be recognized this year, both regionally and nationally, in U.S. News & World Reports Best Hospitals rankings, says Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, CEO of Emory Healthcare. Our care team members demonstrate our mission of improving lives and providing hope daily as we care for members of our community and beyond. As we continue into the third year of the pandemic, I thank them for their dedication and resilience during challenging times.

U.S. News & World Report began publishing hospital rankings in 1990, as Americas Best Hospitals, to identify medical centers in various specialties that were best suited for patients whose illnesses pose unusual challenges because of underlying conditions, procedure difficulty, advanced age or other medical issues that add risk. Hospitals are assessed in 15 specialty areas for the rankings. In 12 of the 15 specialties, ranking is determined by an extensive data-driven analysis combining performance measures in three primary dimensions of health care: structure, process and outcomes. In the three other specialties, ranking relies solely on expert opinion. Nearly 5,000 hospitals are evaluated each year.

U.S. News & World Report first published Best Regional Hospitals in 2011. Within a state or major metropolitan area, regional hospital rank is determined by a hospital's performance in the national adult specialty rankings analysis and by its scores across 20 procedure and condition areas evaluated.

To see the complete list of 2022-23 Best Hospitals rankings, visit this link.
Japan to join 'Garuda Shield' military drills

Japan to join 'Garuda Shield' military drills

Japanese defence forces will participate for the first time in military exercises in Indonesia next month alongside the United States and Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.



The meeting between Kishida and Jokowi, as he is popularly known, came a day after the Indonesian president made a rare visit to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping in which the two pledged to scale up trade and expand cooperation in areas such as agriculture and food security.



"Indonesia shares fundamental values with us as well as strategic goals, it is a strategic partner," Kishida told a news conference after the two met.



He said Japan's Self-Defence Forces will take part in the Garuda Shield joint military exercises to be held in Indonesia from August 1 with the United States, Australia and others. It will be the first time that Japan has participated.



The annual exercises, typically between Indonesia and the United States, will be "significantly larger in scope and scale" than in previous years, the United States has said.



Japan also would loan the Indonesian government 43.6 billion yen, or US$318 million, for infrastructure projects and disaster prevention, Kishida said, along with cooperating in areas including energy.



In his remarks, Jokowi emphasised practical aspects of bilateral ties and mentioned that the two nations had agreed to changes in an Indonesia-Japan economic partnership agreement to be signed later this year, although he did not specify details.



Renegotiations on the agreement, concluded in 2007, are aimed at expanding access to Japanese markets and reducing tariffs.



"I ask for Japan to support the reduction of tariffs on some products such as tuna, bananas, pineapple, and market access to mango products," Jokowi said.



Indonesia's imports from Japan totalled US$9.2 billion in 2020, while its exports to Japan stood at US$14.5 billion, according to IMF data compiled by Refinitiv. (Reuters)
New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI/SRV): Nitte (Deemed to be University), one of the leading universities in India, has secured the 75th rank in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2022 ranking list. NIRF rankings are released annually by the Ministry of Education based on teaching, learning and the availability of resources. Nitte has its roots in a group of institutions established under the Nitte Education Trust. Founded in 1979, Nitte began with the vision and mission of empowering rural youth through quality education and healthcare. Offering education in diverse areas of learning, Nitte's domains include health, engineering; management; architecture; humanities; vocational training, and much more. Nitte today offers a total of 130+ programs including medicine, engineering, management, hospitality, allied health sciences, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, speech and audiology, media & communication and architecture. The Trust has established 40+ institutions spread across three campuses at Nitte, Mangalore and Bangalore and has over 20000+ students and 4500+ faculty in its campuses. Nitte Gulabi Shetty Memorial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (NGSMIPS), recognized by the Pharmacy Council of India and All India Council for Technical Education; is ranked 45th in NIRF 2022. The Institution has made rapid progress towards being recognized as a Pharmacy school with high academic standards, delivering quality health care training and instilling social responsibility in its students. The goal of Nitte University's NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences has always been to shape competent professionals, empowered to face challenges with integrity. Under the ranking of dental institutes, Nitte's AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences has received 6th Rank in NIRF 2022, retaining its position on the leader board like the previous year. The vision of Nitte's dental institute has been to excel in delivering health care facilities and applying the attained clinical knowledge; and most importantly abiding by its motto of Service to Humanity. The college has also won the Best Dental College Award, certified by the Indian Health Professionals Committee for "Outstanding Clinical Work, Contribution towards Research and Scientific Publications". Nitte University looks for certain attributes in its graduates. The criteria that makes Nitte eligible for NIRF each year include proficiency in terms of discipline with in-depth knowledge and passion to excel in any field; lifelong learners, who are ready to face scientific and technological challenges; ethical in private and professional lives; and a sense of social responsibility. Fulfilment of all these criteria nominates Nitte for NIRF every year. Nitte (Deemed to be University) is also one among only eight Indian Universities to rank in the Top 300 of the world's Universities in the 2022 edition of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. The university is ranked 92nd in the category of Good Health and Well-Being and placed in the Top 200 in the categories of Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Clean Water & Sanitation. To know more about NITTE, please visit: https://nitte.edu.in/ This story is provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
Around 120 crore days of employment were generated so far during the current financial year 2022-23 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, informed Parliament. During the 2019-20, 2021-21, and 2021-22 financial years, a total of 265.32 crore, 389.08 crore, and 363.46 crore man-days were generated, respectively, the minister said on Tuesday. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand-driven wage employment program that provides for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It provides livelihood security for livelihood for rural households when no better employment opportunity is available and mitigates to some extent push factors for migration. On the migration of people towards urban areas, the minister said there is no specific information available regarding the large-scale migration of laborers from rural, tribal, and remote areas to urban areas in search of employment. However, citing the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted from July 2020 - June 2021, the minister said around 11 per cent of people migrate for in search of employment/better employment, whereas 20 per cent due to migration of parent/earning member of the family. The bulk chunk of the migration, the survey showed, at 47.5 per cent was due to marriage. (ANI)
Despite repeated follow-ups, Telangana has been the most laggard State in transferring even the government of India's share to the smart city project, alleged Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER G Kishan Reddy. "From the financial year 2015-2016 till 2019-2020, Government of Telangana had neither made any matching grants nor efficiently utilised the amount released by the Government of India," the Union minister said on Wednesday. Of more than Rs 1,000 crore allocated for Smart Cities Mission in Telangana, the Government of India has released Rs 392 crores. "50 per cent matching state share of the Government of Telangana has still not been released for the Smart Cities of Warangal and Karimnagar," he added. The state of Telangana has been allocated 2 smart cities under the national competitive Smart Cities Challenge. Warangal was selected in May 2016 and Karimnagar in June 2017. The Smart Cities Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme with 50:50 contribution between the government of India and the States. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti-led government falsely claims that the government of India did not release "even 1 rupee" in the last 3 years for Smart Cities in Telangana, Reddy added. Till date, the government of Telangana has released only Rs 210 crores of the Rs 392 crores of its matching state share. "Timely release of matching state share contribution of Government of Telangana would have ensured Warangal and Karimnagar to have better drainage and sewerage facilities and would have coped with the recent floods better." Apart from the Smart Cities Mission, the Centre has allocated Rs 2,780 crores under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, while 66 projects worth Rs 1,660 crores were a part of the approved plan for the first phase of ARMUT covering 12 cities in the state. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI/PNN): Tallyplug Technologies has launched the first Tally plugin software with omnichannel funnel support. The name of the software has been kept the same as the organisation's name. It is an accounting software assistant that helps create, analyse and export Tally information. It is the only Tally plugin that provides operational support to the business on mobility. The plugin is available both for smartphones/tablets and desktops. Tallyplug is one of its kind software with many added features to support the smooth functioning of business by facilitating the easy and on-the-move entry of Tally information. With Tallyplug, one can collect directly from their creditors and manage collection expenses. Once the money is credited, it also informs both parties about the transaction. Having an omnichannel funnel makes it beneficial for every kind of business, be it online or offline or for both kinds of transactions. The software also helps in error-free ordering by showcasing the items within the Tally directly on mobile and online. Tallyplug has also incorporated an easy e-com-like billing feature in the software, making it easy to create invoices. Users with access to the software can create invoices from anywhere. The plugin required no prior knowledge of accounting or Tally software. On the technical front, the software provides pre-built reports for ledgers, voucher transactions, and stocks. These features help in enhancing the performance of the business as accurate and quick reports are just a click away. Tallyplug also supports automatic backup of Tally, which helps in keeping the data safe all the time. It also helps in the quick recovery of accidentally deleted data and prevents data from a system crash. The software works with all the latest operating systems with ease. Makers have ensured that the business can gain maximum from the plugin with the minimum investment. Tallyplug can be downloaded from the official website of Tallyplug. One only needs to register the business with the web page and select the version of the software they want to download. The installation has also been kept easy and, like most of the already known software. Plug in becomes ready to use in 3 simple steps: download>install>>authenticate. Authentication is also easy and quick. Tallyplug has kept the interface user-friendly and dynamic where a layman to an experienced account professional can benefit from it. It helps in an error-free transaction with minimal chances of false entries with proper checks and balances. Every transaction is supported by relevant proof. Considering the requirement for fast and error-free digital transactions, the makers of Tallyplug have ensured that the plugin is completely bug-free and works with almost all devices. Proper technical support has also been made available to tackle any kind of technical fault and provide troubleshooting. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, the minister noted that the states such as Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have fully utilised their state shares for PMAY-G, while Punjab, Sikkim and Haryana were not far behind.

West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Madhya Pradesh were amongst the states which retained a large amount of unspent money from their state shares for PMAY-G.

With a target to construct nearly 3 crore pucca houses by March 2024, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin is set to provide assistance to eligible rural households under the aim of "Housing for All".

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin is a social welfare programme, introduced by the Indian Government, that aims at providing adequate housing opportunities for the rural poor in India. Under this scheme, the government committed to housing for all by 2022.

The Ministry of Rural Development has been releasing a Central share of funds to States and Union Territories for the implementation of PMAY-G since 2016 and a total of Rs 1,79,255.80 crore has been released to States and Union Territories till date.

Under the scheme, 2.44 crore houses have been sanctioned by the states or Union Territories, and 1.89 crore have been completed as on 21st July 2022. (ANI)
Iyer was on a one-day visit to Gujarat and during this visit, he held a meeting with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and got detailed information about the progress of various flagship schemes of the departments such as Agriculture, Education and Housing.

CEO of Niti Ayog also visited the CM dashboard and Jansamwad Kendra were directly observed.

He was impressed by the real-time monitoring of development works and public welfare programmes undertaken by the state government departments through the dashboard with over 3,000 indicators.

Iyer also praised the functioning of the Jansamwad Kendra functioning for the purpose of getting feedback from the beneficiaries of the scheme.

"The breadth of the indicators being monitored...it is very rigorous monitoring system. I visited the call center as well and asked if the benefits of the scheme have been received or not. I am really impressed by the monitoring."

Chief Secretary Pankajkumar, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Mukesh Puri, Principal Secretary Education S. J. Haider, Principal Secretary, Finance Department J.P. Gupta, Principal Secretary Urban Development Department Mukesh Kumar and Planning Secretary and Housing Commissioner Rakesh Shankar were present.

Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Pankaj Joshi and Secretary Avantika Singh gave the CEO of NITI Aayog detailed information about the functioning and working methods of CM Dashboard and Jansamwad Kendra. (ANI)
Taking to her Instagram handle, Elli AvrRam shared a video along with a caption. She wrote, "Stay tuned - PERSPECTIVE. Dropping on 29th July! Directed by @mohitisraney. Produced by @bazshahk.Starring @priyanshupainyuli @karnakarma @zacharycoffinpage @varunadvani @siddesh.prabhu."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgeFnrBl1EP/

In the teaser, Elli is seen portraying a beautiful young woman with a smile and dimples to die for. Cut to, a change in the scenario where she portrays a badass woman who is skilled in the field of swordsmanship!

This teaser surely fits the word and she has teased us all into wanting to know more!

Through her post, the 'Mickey Virus' actor also announced that the short film will be released as a treat for all her fans on her birthday, 29th July.

Unversed, Elli made her debut in Bollywood with Saurabh Varma's directorial Mickey Virus' alongside TV host Manish Paul. Elli played a love interest of Manish in the movie. The film was shot in Delhi and was released in 2013. Paul also made the debut with this movie.

Elli was last seen in the thriller-romance drama 'Koi Jaane Na' along with Aamir Khan. The film's peppy party number 'Har Funn Maula' took the limelight due to the sizzling on-screen chemistry of Aamir with Elli.

The cabaret track featured Aamir Khan and Elli AvrRam for a special appearance in the movie, which also marked the directorial debut of Khan's close friend Amin Hajee. (ANI)

Her upcoming short film which to release on July 29. (ANI)
Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth recently shared glimpses from the coffee meet with the Bollywood filmmaker Boney Kapoor. Taking to Twitter handle, Aishwaryaa dropped pictures with Boney Kapoor. Sharing the pictures, she captioned, "Was a delight catching up this evening over coffee with you dear @BoneyKapoor uncle ..reminiscing old times, remembering pappi akka n discussing interesting work !." The caption of the Aishwaryaa indicated that she and Boney remembered Sridevi (pappi akka) during their conversation. In the pictures, Aishwaryaa was seen wearing a beautiful saree and kept her tresses open to increase the elegance of the look. On the other hand Boney, was seen donning a blue kurta pyjama. And wore shades to complete his look. Both the directors were seen having fun banter and the pictures are the proof. For the unversed, Aishwaryaa is the elder daughter of megastar Rajinikanth. In January this year, Dhanush and Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth announced their separation by issuing a joint statement. Dhanush got married to Aishwaryaa, actor Rajinikanth's eldest daughter, in 2004. They share two sons, Yatra Raja and Linga Raja. Dhanush announced that he and his wife Aishwaryaa have decided to separate after "18 years of togetherness as friends, couple, as parents and well wishers to each other". "18 years of togetherness as friends, couple, as parents and well wishers to each other. The journey has been of growth, understanding, adjusting, and adapting. Today we stand at a place where our paths separate. Aishwaryaa and I have decided to part ways as a couple and take time to understand us as individuals for the better," he posted on Twitter. Aishwaryaa was in news after announcing the separation, megastar Rajinikanth's daughter removed the name of her estranged husband Dhanush from her social media bio. The 40-year-old director removed Dhanush's name from her Twitter and Instagram bio. (ANI)
Fans of Sushant Singh Rajput are outraged and have shared screenshots of a T-shirt allegedly sold on Flipkart with a photo of the late actor and the message reading 'Depression is like drowning.' "Boycott Flipkart" trended on Twitter on Tuesday evening after one of his fans discovered a T-shirt which included the artwork of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput referring to his "depression" on the website. As soon as it was shared, the picture of the t-shirt went viral and fans of Sushant complained on Twitter over the T-caption. Some of them demanded an apology from Flipkart and the withdrawal of the offending T-shirt from their website. The T-shirt is no longer available on the website. As many people responded with disbelief, fans of the late actor tweeted screenshots of Flipkart's T-shirt with Sushant's picture. The "insensitive" product stunned some people, while others dubbed it a "smear campaign" against the late actor. A user tweeted, "I will serve notice to @Flipkart tonight (for approving a material which is defaming a deceased) as a common and responsible citizen." https://twitter.com/imrudrabha/status/1551916519419891713 Another wrote, "Country has not yet come out of the shock of Sushant's tragic death. We will keep raising our voice for justice.. Flipkart should be ashamed of this heinous act and should apologize that such incident will not be repeated again". https://twitter.com/Kashyap_updates/status/1551984331232387072 "Smear Campaign Against SSR", one of the users tweeted. https://twitter.com/MEENU82433774/status/1552144501703327744 https://twitter.com/SG68579767/status/1552143794841460736 https://twitter.com/SomaDut96461948/status/1551984606164819970 The actor passed away in 2020 at his Bandra residence which created a lot of controversies. The CBI was brought to investigate the actor's death from various angles. Post demise, his Patna residence was turned into his memorial with the late actor's telescope, books, guitar and other personal things. Sushant Singh Rajput made his Bollywood debut with 'Kai Po Che' and was known for his kind gesture, and always treated his fans with utmost pleasure, he gathered a lot of popularity after his biggest success 'M.S Dhoni - The Untold Story'. His last big-screen appearance was 'Chhichhore' which was released in 2019 and was a blockbuster hit. The actor was last seen in director Mukesh Chhabra's 'Dil Bechara' opposite Sanjana Sanghi which was the official remake of the novel 'The fault in our stars', the film went for an OTT release. (ANI)
'Badlapur' actor Varun Dhawan is currently riding high on the success of his latest film, 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo'. And to add a feather to his hat, it is being speculated that the actor's upcoming flick 'Bawaal' is the most expensive film so far from the production value. As per the source close to the makers revealed, "We've extensively shot the film in the most expensive & interesting locations like Paris, Berlin, Poland, Amsterdam, Krakow, Warsaw along with a brief portion in India as well. It's a very unique love story and now we are gearing up for a huge action sequence in Warsaw. We have called for action directors & stuntmen from Germany along with a talented crew of 700+ members every day, Nitesh Sir and Sajid Sir have scaled up the film to leave the audience to a visual treat." "An action sequence as planned required multiple things such as 45 plus hedgehogs along with innumerable number of grenades, knives, and variety of explosives for an important action sequence which will be shot from tomorrow. The costs incurred for shooting daily is about 2.5 crore and this is a 10 days schedule. This is Varun's most expensive film so far," the source further added. Recently, a video of Bawaal actor Varun Dhawan went viral saying that the team is headed to Warsaw, Poland for their next schedule. Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Bawaal' is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and is a social drama. Recently both Varun and Janhvi announced that they had wrapped up their shoot for 'Bawaal' in Amsterdam and currently shooting in is currently being shot in Warsaw, Poland. 'Bawaal' marks the first collaboration of the lead cast Varun and Janhvi. 'Bawaal' is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson and is co-produced by EarthSky Pictures. The film is slated to hit the theatres on April 7, 2023. Meanwhile, talking about the 'Coolie No 1' actor, Varun, will be next seen in Dinesh Vijan's next horror-comedy film 'Bhediya' with Kriti Sanon, which is all geared up to hit the theatres on November 25, 2022.(ANI)